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The White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) is listed as a state threatened species in Texas. It occupies prairies and savannas of the Gulf Coastal Plain, but also the barrier islands, many of which arc exposed to rapid development and other human disturbances. This is a concern as White-tailed Hawks are known to be highly sensitive to nesting disturbance. We examined the breeding ecology of White-tailed Hawks on 3 Texas barrier islands with low (Matagorda Island) and high (Mustang and North Padre Islands) human disturbance. We found nearest-neighbor distances of nesting pairs were lowest on the island with low human disturbance (1.9 [+ or -] 0.9 km) compared to those on islands with high disturbance (2.6 [+ or -] 0.8 to 5.6 [+ or -] 3.8 km). The highest and lowest daily survival rates for nests occurred on the low human disturbance island in 2006 (0.9954) and 2007 (0.9876). The number of fledglings produced per nesting attempt was significantly lower in 2007 compared to 2006 on the low human disturbance island (P = 0.024), but there was no difference in productivity between years on the high human disturbance islands (P = 0.845). The lower density but larger fledgling numbers in the high human disturbance area may be a result of fewer White-tailed Hawks having adapted to human disturbance, but that lower density allowing for increased territory sizes and wider access to prey resources which, in turn, may have yielded increased productivity. In contrast the low human disturbance areas appear to be saturated and productivity may be limited by density-dependent factors. If White-tailed Hawks are to be conserved on the barrier islands, a better understanding of the species' tolerance and adaptability to human disturbance is needed, and a balance will need to be found between continued anthropogenic development and maintenance of adequate foraging and nesting habitat. Received 6 September 2023. Accepted 24 January 2024. Key words: daily survival rate, nest survival, productivity, territoriality. (Spanish)--El gavilan coliblanco (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) es una especie amenazada en Texas. Ocupa praderas y sabanas de la llanura costera del Golfo, pero tambien las islas barrera, muchas de las cuales estan expuestas a un rapido desarrollo y otras amenazas humanas. Esto es preocupante, ya que se sabe que los gavilanes coliblanos son muy sensibles a las perturbaciones durante la epoca de anidacion. Examinamos la ecologia reproductiva del gavilan coliblanco en 3 islas barrera de Texas con baja (isla Matagorda) y alta (islas Mustang y North Padre) perturbacion humana. Encontramos que las distancias entre vecinos mas cercanos de las parejas reproductoras eran menores en la isla con baja perturbacion humana (1.9 [+ or -] 0.9 km) en comparacion con las de las islas con alta perturbacion (2.6 [+ or -] 0.8 - 5.6 [+ or -] 3.8 km). Las tasas de supervivencia diaria de nidos mas alta y mas baja se dieron en la zona de nidos de baja perturbacion humana en 2006 (0.995) y 2007 (0.987). El numero de volantones producidos por intento de nidificacion fue significativamente inferior en 2007 en comparacion con 2006 en la zona de baja perturbacion humana (P = 0.024), pero no hubo diferencias en la productividad entre anos en la zona de alta perturbacion humana (P = 0.845). La menor densidad, pero el mayor numero de pollos volantones en la zona de alta perturbacion humana, puede deberse a que un menor numero de gavilanes coliblancos se ha adaptado a la perturbacion humana aumentando el tamano de su territorio, lo que refleja un mayor acceso a los recursos de presa que, a su vez, puede haber dado lugar a una mayor productividad. Por el contrario, las zonas de baja perturbacion humana parecen estar saturadas y la productividad puede estar limitada por factores relacionados dependientes de la densidad. Si se quiere conservar el gavilan coliblanco en las islas barrera, es necesario comprender mejor la tolerancia y adaptabilidad de la especie a las perturbaciones humanas y encontrar un equilibrio entre el desarrollo antropogenico continuo y el mantenimiento de un habitat adecuado para la busqueda de alimento y la nidificacion. Palabras clave: productividad, sobrevivencia de nidos, tasa diaria de sobrevivencia, territorialidad., Fragmentation, degradation, conversion, and loss of native vegetation communities are threats to wildlife populations (Wilcove et al. 1998, Wilson 1999) and are primarily driven by human activities (Hadidian et al. [...]

The Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Hybognathus amarus is a small‐bodied minnow emblematic of a reproductive guild endemic to rivers of the North American Great Plains. This species has been lost from over 90% of its historical range. The species was federally listed as endangered in 1994 and intensive conservation efforts over the past three decades have averted its extinction in the wild. This article synthesizes the life history of the species, causes of decline and existing threats, and prospects for recovery considering ongoing conservation efforts. Restoring multiple self‐sustaining populations remains questionable given large‐scale, irreversible changes to the Rio Grande basin, though the resiliency of the species and established conservation programs hold at least some potential for advancing recovery beyond simply preventing extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work presents the malacological and schistosomiasis status in the Gharb, one of the large plains in northwestern Morocco, just before its redevelopment following the commissioning of a new and large dam, El Wahda. The results show that no danger was posed to humans by the populations of Planorbis metidjensis (Forbes, 1838) during the current study. In addition, an overlap of the distribution of schistosome infestation was monitored and the intermediate hosts raise several issues, notably: (1) the problem of the external or local origin of schistosomiasis in certain schistosomiasis foci in the Gharb plain; (2) a change, in time and space, in the geographical distribution of the intermediate host foci is possible; (3) a change in the infestation rate of the populations of the intermediate host is also possible; (4) Physa acuta (Draparnaud, 1805), the species whose presence is constant in schistosomiasis foci and which is experimentally infectable by Schistosoma haematobium (Bilharz, 1852) in the literature, may likely constitute a third vector of schistosomiasis in Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), or township and range system, is a well-known feature of the U.S. Great Plains. The area displays a checkerboard pattern of farm fields with a grid of roads, plainly visible from the air. Despite being a substantial component of transportation infrastructure, the mileage of section line roads has never been tallied, nor has their distribution been studied relative to population, land use, or environmental factors that might be important in the region. Although they are often said to be ubiquitous, even this has not been examined. The section line road network of five Great Plains states is examined here. A set of procedures was used in geographic information systems to identify section line roads, which were then analyzed with population and land-use variables. The results show that section line roads are not strongly related to either population or land use but do show some correspondence to environmental conditions such as precipitation, a legacy of the settlement of the Great Plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overparameterized models may have many interpolating solutions; implicit regularization refers to the hidden preference of a particular optimization method towards a certain interpolating solution among the many. A by now established line of work has shown that (stochastic) gradient descent tends to have an implicit bias towards low rank and/or sparse solutions when used to train deep linear networks, explaining to some extent why overparameterized neural network models trained by gradient descent tend to have good generalization performance in practice. However, existing theory for square-loss objectives often requires very small initialization of the trainable weights, which is at odds with the larger scale at which weights are initialized in practice for faster convergence and better generalization performance. In this paper, we aim to close this gap by incorporating and analysing gradient flow (continuous-time version of gradient descent) with weight normalization , where the weight vector is reparameterized in terms of polar coordinates, and gradient flow is applied to the polar coordinates. By analysing key invariants of the gradient flow and using Lojasiewicz's Theorem, we show that weight normalization also has an implicit bias towards sparse solutions in the diagonal linear model, but that in contrast to plain gradient flow, weight normalization enables a robust bias that persists even if the weights are initialized at practically large scale. Experiments suggest that the gains in both convergence speed and robustness of the implicit bias are improved dramatically using weight normalization in overparameterized diagonal linear network models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the development and main results of a project underway in present-day Iraqi Kurdistan. The excavations and studies carried out at the Gird Lashkir site, on the plain near the course of the Tigris River, make it possible to contribute significantly to our understanding of the historical evolution of the period from the fourth to the second millennium in northern Mesopotamia. At the chronological level, it focuses on the stratigraphic data and the characterization of the habitat in the complex societies of the third millennium cal BCE. As required by the current development of the discipline, the studies are interdisciplinary and with broad cooperation among researchers from institutions of different nationalities, particularly from Iraqi Kurdistan itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct indexing (DI) combined with tax-loss harvesting (TLH) is a popular approach to generate capital losses to offset a client's capital gains while attempting to track a specified index. The goal is to increase after-tax excess returns by postponing or reducing tax payments. More TLH opportunities exist when the index constituents have a higher dispersion of returns and are therefore more likely to be at a loss. To create more TLH opportunities within DI, the authors propose a method to modify the target index to increase dispersion based on the realized volatility of stocks. They show that as the average constituent volatility increases, the effectiveness of DI TLH also increases against plain DI TLH that does not utilize this method. The authors further show that this method can significantly increase the after-tax excess returns versus plain DI TLH at the same tracking error per unit of additional returns. Further increases of dispersion can increase after-tax excess returns even more, although at a gradually higher cost of tracking error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Mud deposition is acknowledged as a significant contributor to delta architecture, yet its role is often oversimplified as a constant parameter in models of delta formation. A better understanding of mud retention on deltas would resolve remaining questions regarding delta growth. This study explores how spatiotemporally varied mud retention facilitates sustained delta growth in defiance of the concept of autoretreat, that is, the idea that shoreline progradation rates decline as a delta grows due to the expansion of subaqueous and subaerial delta surfaces. This research is inspired by prior field observations of the river‐dominated Mississippi Delta, USA, where the shoreline of a ca 6000 to 8000 km2 subdelta prograded at a constant rate for roughly a millennium, despite its expanding delta surface, compaction and sea‐level rise. For this, a laterally averaged one‐dimensional numerical model is leveraged to test hypotheses that enhanced mud retention with time in: (i) the delta bottomset; and (ii) the delta plain (floodplain) supports a constant rate of shoreline progradation in a maturing delta. Results demonstrate that enhanced mud retention in both the bottomset and delta plain facilitates sustained delta growth. Neither component by itself can replicate the case study. Yet, with these two integrated components, the model reproduces the cross‐section and linearly prograding pattern observed in the Mississippi Delta. The findings provide an autogenic mechanism for sustained delta growth and support the importance of mud as a fundamental building block of deltas that should be incorporated in delta‐growth models of engineered river diversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents the first record of Lindernia tamilnadensis (M.G.Prasad & Sunojkumar) in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Previously, 16 species of Lindernia have been reported from different parts of India. The newly acquired specimen exhibits distinct morphological characteristics compared to previously described taxa from the Indo-Gangetic plains. A brief description, field notes, photographs, location, and distribution of the species are provided to facilitate identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U-net, a fully convolutional network-based image segmentation method, has demonstrated widespread adaptability in the crack segmentation task. The combination of the semantically dissimilar features of the encoder (shallow layers) and the decoder (deep layers) in the skip connections leads to blurry features map and leads to undesirable over- or under-segmentation of target regions. Additionally, the shallow architecture of the U-Net model prevents the extraction of more discriminatory information from input images. This paper proposes a Residual Sharp U-Net (RS-Net) architecture for crack segmentation and severity assessment in pavement surfaces to address these limitations. The proposed architecture uses residual block in the U-Net model to extract a more insightful representation of features. In addition to that, a sharpening kernel filter is used instead of plain skip connections to generate a fine-tuned encoder features map before combining it with decoder features maps to reduce the dissimilarity between them and smoothes artifacts in the network layers during early training. The proposed architecture is also integrated with various morphological operations to assess the severity of cracks and categorize them into hairline, medium, and severe labels. Experiments results demonstrated that the RS-Net model has promising segmentation performance, outperforming earlier U-Net variations on testing data for crack segmentation and severity assessment, with a promising accuracy (>0.97) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distributed ledger is a shared and synchronized database across multiple designated nodes, often referred to as miners, validators, or peers. These nodes record, distribute, and access data to ensure security and transparency. However, these nodes can be compromised and manipulated by selectively choosing which user transactions to include, exclude, or reorder, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. This is known as a miner/maximal extractable value (MEV) attack. Existing solutions can be classified into various categories, such as MEV auction platforms and time-based ordering properties, which rely on private transaction Mempools. In this paper, we first identify some architectural weaknesses inherent in the latest proposals that divide the block creation and execution roles into separate functions: block builders and block executors. The existing schemes mainly suffer from the verifiability of the decryption process, where a corrupted builder or executor can simply deny the inclusion of specific targeted transactions by exploiting the fact that all transactions are in plain format. To address this, we propose an enhanced version that incorporates a verifiable decryption process. On a very high level, within our proposal, whenever an Executor or a Builder performs a decryption, the decrypted values must be broadcasted. This enables any entity in the network to publicly verify whether the decryption was executed correctly, thus preventing malicious behavior by either party from going undetected. We also define a new adversary model for MEV and conduct a comprehensive security analysis of our protocol against all kinds of potential adversaries related to MEV. Finally, we present the performance analysis of the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explored an innovative scheme to improve the load‐bearing capacity of bamboo by infilling it with concrete to form a composite column as a compression member for low‐cost buildings. A total of four samples of bamboo of five different lengths (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 m) were prepared with concrete (concrete infilled) and without concrete for three different commonly used concrete grades (C12/15, C15/20, and C20/25) and the load‐carrying capacity tested to determine its resistance under compression. Generally, there was a considerable improvement in structural performance in terms of load‐carrying capacity when the bamboo culms were infilled with plain concrete. The failure load capacity of plain bamboo (no concrete infill) was reduced by 26.4% with an increase in the length of the bamboo from 0.2 to 1 m. Concrete‐infilled bamboo with C15, C20, and C25 led to an increment of 58.7%, 103%, and 139.1% of the failure load capacity relative to that of the plane bamboo culms sample test length at 1 m, respectively. Bamboo infilled with concrete grade C25 had a larger failure load as compared to those infilled with concrete grade C20 and C15. The study concludes that concrete in‐filled bamboo increases the buckling resistance as well as the load‐carrying capacity and it can be an alternative composite building material to steel and concrete for building under light loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment aims to explore the optimal harvesting time for alfalfa in the Tumochuan Plain, providing scientific reference for the large-scale production and application of alfalfa. The experiment was set up with three treatments: bud initiation, early flowering, and full bloom, with each treatment replicated three times. The experiment measure the yield traits, nutritional quality, and economic benefits of alfalfa (WL319HQ) at different harvesting times in the Tumochuan Plain. The results showed that when alfalfa was harvested at the bud stage, the annual dry hay yield was 13 011.60 kg/hm². The contentrations of CP, NDF, and ADF were 20.69%DM, 36.91%DM, and 26.64%DM, respectively, with an RFV of 172.11, and the income ranged from 16 131.34 to 20 034.83 yuan/hm². When harvested at the early flowering stage, the annual dry hay yield was 12 829.81 kg/hm², with CP, NDF, and ADF contentrations of 18.55%DM, 41.03%DM, and 30.70%DM, respectively, an RFV of 147.78, and the income ranged from 11 791.53 to 15, 640.47 yuan/hm². When harvested at the full flowering stage, the annual dry hay yield was 14 444.64 kg/hm², with CP, NDF, and ADF contentations of 16.80%DM, 45.82%DM, and 35.57%DM, respectively, an RFV of 124.40, and the income was less than 9 889.27 yuan/hm². The research indicates that alfalfa harvested at the bud stage on the Tumochuan Plain has higher nutritional value and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this experimental study was to investigate the scalability of κn-trees, a compact data structure designed for representing n-ary relations, compared to a baseline based on a plain representation of adjacency lists. A literature review of compact data structures was conducted, focusing on κn-trees and their potential for efficient n-ary data representation. To assess scalability, experiments comparing κn-tree performance against the baseline using set intersection as a benchmark were conducted. Results demonstrated superior κn-tree scalability in terms of time and memory, especially for high-dimensional and clustered datasets. On average, κn-trees were eight times faster and consumed 35 times less memory than the baseline. The study also analyzed the impact of the order parameter κ on performance, revealing a trade-off between space efficiency and query time. This study provides valuable insights into the practical applicability of κn-trees for managing and querying high-dimensional data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Query decoders have been shown to achieve good performance in object detection. However, they suffer from insufficient object tracking performance. Sequence-to-sequence learning in this context has recently been explored, with the idea of describing a target as a sequence of discrete tokens. In this study, we experimentally determine that, with appropriate representation, a parallel approach for predicting a target coordinate sequence with a query decoder can achieve good performance and speed. We propose a concise query-based tracking framework for predicting a target coordinate sequence in a parallel manner, named QPSTrack. A set of queries are designed to be responsible for different coordinates of the tracked target. All the queries jointly represent a target rather than a traditional one-to-one matching pattern between the query and target. Moreover, we adopt an adaptive decoding scheme including a one-layer adaptive decoder and learnable adaptive inputs for the decoder. This decoding scheme assists the queries in decoding the template-guided search features better. Furthermore, we explore the use of the plain ViT-Base, ViT-Large, and lightweight hierarchical LeViT architectures as the encoder backbone, providing a family of three variants in total. All the trackers are found to obtain a good trade-off between speed and performance; for instance, our tracker QPSTrack-B256 with the ViT-Base encoder achieves a 69.1% AUC on the LaSOT benchmark at 104.8 FPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive species are a major threat to freshwater conservation. The coexistence of species in invaded habitats depends on the relative strength of intra‐ versus inter‐specific competition, where inter‐specific competition from invasive to native species is often stronger than intra‐specific competition, jeopardising their coexistence.In this study, we conducted a laboratory experiment to test for the relative strength of interference competition between native plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus) and invasive western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) at three experimental temperatures. Intra‐ and inter‐specific competition was quantified using an isodar approach, which assumes that animals are ideally distributed to maximise their fitness. Thus, their distributions measure the quality and quantity of habitat patches. This was supplemented by behavioural observations of intra‐ and inter‐specific competition.Contrary to our predictions, we did not find evidence that competition was asymmetrical from the invasive mosquitofish to the native plains topminnow. Instead, more individuals occupied their shared preferred habitat (a slow‐moving pool) in sympatry compared to allopatry, and the isodar analysis demonstrated that intra‐specific interference competition was significantly stronger than inter‐specific competition at all temperature levels. Behavioural observations corroborated this analysis of habitat selection that aggression was most frequent among plains topminnow in sympatry.This study shows that the widely perceived aggression of adults might not be the only key mechanism of global invasion success by mosquitofish. Other ecological traits, such as rapid reproduction, environmental tolerance, and interactions with early life stages of native species, might also be responsible for their invasion success. Additional investigations are warranted to determine whether their invasions directly affect native species or they invade degraded ecosystems opportunistically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect detection is very important for guaranteeing the quality and pricing of fabric. A considerable amount of fabric is discarded as waste because of defects, leading to substantial annual losses. While manual inspection has traditionally been the norm for detection, adopting an automatic defect detection scheme based on a deep learning model offers a timely and efficient solution for assessing fabric quality. In real-time manufacturing scenarios, datasets lack high-quality, precisely positioned images. Moreover, both plain and printed fabrics are being manufactured in industries simultaneously; therefore, a single model should be capable of detecting defects in all kinds of fabric. So training a robust deep learning model that detects defects in fabric datasets generated during production with high accuracy and lower computational costs is required. This study uses an indigenous dataset directly sourced from Chenab Textiles, providing authentic and diverse images representative of actual manufacturing conditions. The dataset is used to train a computationally faster but lighter state-of-the-art network, i.e., YOLOv8. For comparison, YOLOv5 and MobileNetV2-SSD FPN-Lite models are also trained on the same dataset. YOLOv8n achieved the highest performance, with a mAP of 84.8%, precision of 0.818, and recall of 0.839 across seven different defect classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuraghi are ubiquitous in the Bronze Age Sardinian landscape, but the reasons for their distribution and wider function remain poorly understood. Here, we evaluate the argument that these megalithic fortified towers were situated for visual control and thus represent nodes of political or coercive power. Using a dataset of 102 nuraghi, we perform a normalized cumulative viewshed to quantify nuraghe visibility in southwestern Sardinia. We analyze the co-occurrence of highly visible areas with variables pertinent to economic control of the landscape using a model comparison approach. The results suggest that there is no underlying structure to the location of the nuraghi that can be related to visual appreciability of the wider environment, indicating that visual control was not an important consideration during the later 2nd millennium b.c. We consider what the driving rationale may have been behind such a predominant site type that is yet apparently unrelated to political control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several ground fissures have developed in the east and southeast of Semnan city, posing a serious threat to vital infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and pipelines. This study was undertaken to assess the mechanism of earth fissuring and to prepare hazard and risk maps as guidelines for decision-makers in environmental management. The research involved various stages, including a desk study, site investigation, laboratory tests, and engineering assessment of the results from the previous stages, leading to the preparation of maps. Laboratory test results indicated that most parts of the area are covered with silty soils, and their collapse potential (Ic) values varied from 15.4 to 27.4%, indicating a severe collapse potential. Results from Crumb, pinhole, and double hydrometer tests revealed that much of the collapsible loess also has a moderate dispersion potential. In conclusion, the presence of problematic soils with high erosion potential, coupled with the accumulation of surface water due to the construction of roads and railways with limited culverts, leads to tunnel erosion. This phenomenon is proposed as the main reason for earth fissuring in the area. The hazard map, based on the proposed model, identifies a heart-shaped area in the southeast of Semnan city with very high susceptibility to earth fissuring. The risk map categorizes four areas, including the region between the railway and gas pipeline to the east of Semnan city, the southern part of Semnan airport, Ala village, and the garrison to the south of the plain, as falling into the high-risk category, necessitating monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of vibriosis is rising globally with evidence of climate variability influencing environmental processes that support growth of pathogenic Vibrio spp. The waterborne pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus can invade wounds and has one of the highest case fatality rates in humans. The bacterium cannot be eradicated from the aquatic environment, hence climate driven environmental conditions enhancing growth and dissemination of V. vulnificus need to be understood to provide preemptive assessment of its presence and distribution in aquatic systems. To achieve this objective, satellite remote sensing was employed to quantify the association of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll‐a (chl‐a) in locations with reported V. vulnificus infections. Monthly analysis was done in two populated regions of the Gulf of Mexico—Tampa Bay, Florida, and Galveston Bay, Texas. Results indicate warm water, characterized by a 2‐month lag in SST, high concentration of phytoplankton, proxied for zooplankton using 1 month lagged chl‐a values, was statistically linked to higher odds of V. vulnificus infection in the human population. Identification of climate and ecological processes thresholds is concluded to be useful for development of an heuristic prediction system designed to determine risk of infection for coastal populations. Plain Language Summary: Our study focused on Vibrio spp., a group of bacteria in warm, slightly salty water. One of these, Vibrio vulnificus, is especially dangerous and can cause severe illness with a high risk of death. The spread of this pathogen in humans is becoming more of a concern due to climate change. We aimed to understand what environmental conditions influence occurrence of the disease caused by this bacterium. The main factor linked to the rise of V. vulnificus is sea surface temperature (SST). However, other factors like chlorophyll also play a role. We used satellite data to monitor SST and chlorophyll levels and statistically associated this data with the number of people getting sick from V. vulnificus. Our findings indicate a pattern: when 2 months prior SST and 1‐month prior chlorophyll levels are higher than their monthly average, the chance of V. vulnificus infections is higher. By using this pattern, we aim to predict better when and where infections might happen, helping identify at‐risk areas and potentially stop outbreaks before they occur. Key Points: Likelihood of Vibrio vulnificus infections is influenced by elevated Sea Surface Temperature and chlorophyll of previous monthsSea Surface Temperature, chlorophyll, and V. vulnificus cases occurrence showed increasing trends during the study periodStatistically significant difference was observed between overall chlorophyll levels and the levels recorded during increased cases of V. vulnificus [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper proposes an image encryption scheme based on an improved four-dimensional chaotic system. First, a 4D chaotic system is constructed by introducing new state variables based on the Chen chaotic system, and its chaotic behavior is verified by phase diagrams, bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents, NIST tests, etc. Second, the initial chaotic key is generated using the hash function SHA-512 and plain image information. Parity scrambling is performed on the plain image using the chaotic sequence generated by the chaotic system. The image is then converted into a hexadecimal character matrix, divided into two planes according to the high and low bits of the characters and scrambled by generating two position index matrices using chaotic sequences. The two planes are then restored to a hexadecimal character matrix, which is further converted into the form of an image matrix. Finally, different combined operation diffusion formulas are selected for diffusion according to the chaotic sequence to obtain the encrypted image. Based on simulation experiments and security evaluations, the scheme effectively encrypts gray images and shows strong security against various types of attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study makes the argument for the presence of a category of small‐sized ritual buildings at the Umm an‐Nar (2700–2000 BC) sites of Dahwa 1 (DH1) and Dahwa 7 (DH7). These buildings are DH1.S20 and DH7.S1. The architectural features and associated finds point to their ritual function. Building DH7.S1 will be the focus while presenting arguments for its ritual role. Besides domestic buildings within a clustered settlement system and a monumental tomb dating to the Umm an‐Nar period, the site might give unique evidence of a form of small buildings that served a ritual purpose. These buildings have no clear parallel in the excavated Umm an‐Nar period settlements so far but adhere to the principles of cultic structures from elsewhere around the Near East that support their interpretation as cultic buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of newly formed particles through new particle formation (NPF) contributes a significant fraction to the cloud condensation nuclei, yet the driving mechanisms remain unclear, especially for polluted environments. To investigate the potential species contributing for nanoparticle growth in environments with significant anthropogenic influences, we measured the hygroscopicity of newly formed particles at 20–40 nm at a rural observational site in the North China Plain during winter 2018. Our results demonstrate that these particles were not very hygroscopic, with the mean hygroscopicity parameter κ of 0.13 ± 0.09. Clear differences in the inferred κ of the growing material responsible for the growth were observed among different events, indicating that even at the same region, the compounds driving particle growth may not be identical. This may be synergistically influenced by the NPF precursors, oxidants and meteorological conditions, suggesting complex mechanisms might co‐exist behind nanoparticle growth in polluted environments. Plain Language Summary: Particles newly formed through nucleation grow large enough to become cloud condensation nuclei which influences climate. However, the driving mechanisms and the key contributing species for nanoparticle growth are poorly understood. Here, we present direct measurements of the hygroscopicity of particles through new particle formation (NPF) that occurred in a rural environment in the North China Plain (NCP) during wintertime of 2018. Relatively low hygroscopicity of these newly formed particles were observed, suggesting less water‐soluble compounds drove the growth there. We also found that the hygroscopicity of the growing material responsible for nanoparticle growth was not identical on different NPF days. Our results reveal that the compounds driving the growth varied with different NPF conditions, deepening our understanding of nanoparticle growth in polluted environments. Key Points: Particles with sizes at 20–40 nm formed through new particle formation (NPF) are not very hygroscopic at rural North China Plain (NCP)The hygroscopicity parameter κ of the growing material varied from ∼0 to ∼0.1 among NPF eventsPrecursors, oxidants and meteorological conditions may synergistically determine the chemical compounds responsible for particle growth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusion Level of Evidence One of the main concerns around the use of antibiotic‐loaded bone cement (ALBC) is the potential reduction in the mechanical properties of the cement when antibiotics are admixed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between plain cement and ALBC in terms of radiological intrusion into the bone in total knee arthroplasties (TKAs).Prospective randomized study of 80 consecutive patients who underwent TKA. Depending on the cement used, patients were divided into two groups by a computer‐generated randomization programme: the cement without antibiotic (Group 1) or the ALBC (Group 2). Cement intrusion was measured in postoperative radiographs in eight different regions in the tibial component and six regions in the femoral component.The average cement intrusion was similar in both groups (p = nonsignificance [n.s.]). Group 1 (plain cement) had an average cement intrusion in the femur of 1.4 mm (±0.4) and 2.4 mm (±0.4) in the tibia. In Group 2 (ALBC), the average cement intrusion in the femur came to 1.6 (±0.5) and 2.4 mm (±0.5) in the tibia. In 80% of the patients, the cement intrusion in the tibia averaged a minimum of 2 mm, being similar in both groups (p = n.s.).There are no differences in bone intrusion when comparing plain cement to ALBC. Therefore, the use of ALBC in primary TKA may be indicated, achieving optimal bone penetration.Level I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods: Cultivar characterization indicated that the increase in yield was negatively affected by spike number and positively affected by the number of kernels per spike before the 2000s and kernel weight after the 2000s. Field trials were conducted across two ecological zones over two consecutive wheatgrowing seasons. The results showed that genetic gains in grain yield, spike number, and kernel weight during 1955 to 2021 were 0.629%, 0.574%, and 0.332% year-1 on a relative basis or 39.12 kg ha-1, 24,350 hm-2, and 0.15 g year-1 on an absolute basis, respectively. However, the increase in the kernel number per spike was not significant. Moreover, cultivar replacement explained 25.6%, 12.8%, and 37.5% of the total variance in grain yield, spike number, and kernel weight, respectively. In summary, during the initial grain-filling stage, wheat cultivar replacement led to the shortening of grain-filling duration and rapid grain-filling rate. However, a longer active grain-filling duration was produced by prolonged durations of rapid and late grain-filling. Additionally, the experimental year had a greater effect on the kernel number, which explained 53.2% of the total variance. Ultimately, modern wheat cultivars had a greater kernel weight. Results: Although the increase in kernel weight has affected grain yield during cultivar replacements in the Haihe Plain, the potential for further yield increase through kernel weight enhancement alone is limited. Consequently, future breeding efforts and cultivation practices should focus on improving spike traits and canopy architecture to enhance productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the applicability of five long-term precipitation datasets in the Hang-Jia-Hu Plain of eastern China based on meteorological observation data. The accuracy of each dataset at different time scales (yearly, monthly) was analyzed. Besides, their spatiotemporal distributions and differences in precipitation event frequency were also compared. The results indicate that the high-resolution (1 day, 1 km) and long-term (1961–2019) gridded dataset for temperature and precipitation across China (HRLT) exhibited the best overall performance at the annual scale, while the long-term, gauge-based gridded precipitation dataset for the Chinese mainland (CHM_PRE) performed the best at the monthly scale. The dataset of monthly precipitation with a resolution of 1 km in China from 1960 to 2020 (HHU) and the China Meteorological Forcing Dataset (CMFD) tend to overestimate the local precipitation amounts, while the other three products are characterized by an underestimation. The mean result of the five datasets indicates a slight, statistically insignificant rise in precipitation, by 4.19 mm annually, with an overall multi-year average of 1303.28 mm. The analysis of the five datasets successfully captures the spatial precipitation patterns across the Hang-Jia-Hu Plain, characterized by higher precipitation levels in the southwest and lower in the northeast. Although the interannual variability displays general consistency, there are significant discrepancies in the interannual growth rates and the spatial distribution of significance across different regions. This study can provide a reference for the accuracy of precipitation data in the fields of hydrology, meteorology, agriculture, and ecology, facilitating the analysis of uncertainties in related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first‐time, analysis of a decade long measurement of Black Carbon mass concentration (BC) was carried out at a representative central Indo‐Gangetic Plain (IGP) location, Varanasi (25.30°N, 83.03°E, 79 m asl), from 2009 to 2021 to understand its physical, optical, and radiative impacts. During the 13‐year study period, the daily BC mass concentration was found to vary between 0.07 and 46.23 μg m−3 (mean 9.18 ± 6.53 μg m−3) and showed a strong inter‐annual and intra‐annual variations. The inter‐annual variability of BC showed a significant decreasing trend (−0.47 μg m−3 yr−1), with a maximum during the post‐monsoon (−1.86 μg m−3 yr−1) and minimum during the pre‐monsoon season (−0.31 μg m−3 yr−1). The Black Carbon Aerosol Radiative Forcing (BC‐ARF) at the top of the atmosphere (BC‐ARFT), surface (BC‐ARFS), and within the atmosphere (BC‐ARFA) was found to be 10.3 ± 6.4, −30.1 ± 18.9, and 40.5 ± 25.2 W m−2, respectively. BC‐ARF also showed a strong inter‐annual variability with a decreasing trend for BC‐ARFT (−0.47 W m−2 yr−1) and BC‐ARFA (−1.94 W m−2 yr−1), while it showed an increasing trend for BC‐ARFS (1.33 W m−2 yr−1). Concentrated weighted trajectories (CWT) and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analyses were performed at the station to determine the potential source sectors and transport routes of BC aerosols. These analyses revealed that the long‐range source of BC at Varanasi originates from the upper and lower IGP, central highlands, southern peninsular region, Pakistan, and even from the Central East Asia region. Plain Language Summary: Long‐term measurement of Black Carbon aerosol was done at a representative Central Indo‐Gangetic Plain (IGP) location, Varanasi, India, from 2009 to 2021. Analysis suggests significant interannual and intra‐annual variation of BC mass for the location. The important finding shows a significant decreasing trend in BC mass: the maximum for the post‐monsoon season and the minimum for the pre‐monsoon. Black Carbon‐Aerosol Radiative Forcing at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere was found to be 10.3 ± 6.4, −30.1 ± 18.9, 40.5 ± 25.2 W m−2, respectively. Black Carbon Aerosol Radiative Forcing also showed a decreasing trend and implies an induced deceasing trend in the atmospheric heating rate. According to the concentrated weighted trajectory and potential source contribution function analyses, the upper and lower IGP, central highlands, southern peninsular region, Pakistan, and even the Central East Asia region are potential long‐range sources of BC at the Varanasi. Key Points: Black Carbon is decreasing over the central Indo‐Gangetic Plain (IGP) since 2009: maximum for post‐monsoon and minimum for pre‐monsoon seasonThe Black Carbon‐Aerosol Radiative Forcing (BC‐ARF) shows a decreasing trend over the central IGP on yearly scale since 2009Decreasing trend in BC‐ARF within the atmosphere relates to a decrease in BC mass concentration and suggests reduced atmospheric warming [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice nucleating particles (INPs) are rare particles that initiate primary ice formation, a critical step required for subsequent important cloud microphysical processes that ultimately govern cloud phase and cloud radiative properties. Laboratory studies have found that organic‐rich dusts, such as those found in soils, are more efficient INPs compared to mineral dust. However, the atmospheric relevance of these organic‐rich dusts are not well understood, particularly in regions with significant agricultural activity. The Agricultural Ice nuclei at the Southern Great Plains field campaign (AGINSGP) was conducted in rural Oklahoma to investigate how soil dusts contribute to INP populations in the Great Plains. We present chemical characterization of ambient and ice crystal residual particles from a single day of sampling, using single particle mass spectrometry (SPMS) and scanning microscopy. Ambient particles were primarily carbonaceous or secondary aerosol, while the fraction of dust particles was higher in the residual particles. We also observed an unusual particle type consisting of a carbonaceous core mixed with dust fragments on the surface, which was found in higher proportion in residuals. Dust particles measured during residual sampling contained greater proportions of phosphate (63PO2− ${\text{PO}}_{2}^{-}$ and 79PO3− ${\text{PO}}_{3}^{-}$) and lead (206Pb+). Strong sulfate signals were not seen in the residual dust particles measured by the SPMS, while nitrate was slightly depleted relative to ambient dust. This study shows that organic‐rich soils may be important contributors to the ambient INP population in agricultural regions. Plain Language Summary: Ice nucleating particles (INPs) affect climate by causing clouds to freeze at warmer temperatures. However, they are very rare which this means that they are challenging to characterize. Agricultural soils have exhibited high ice nucleation activity in lab studies though their relevance to ambient INP populations is unknown. In this work, we directly measure INP composition in a field campaign at a site in the middle of farmlands to determine whether they are an important source of INPs. We show that dust particles, along with carbonaceous particles mixed with dust, are enriched in INP samples relative to ambient particles. We also show that phosphate (presumed to come from biological fragments) and lead may enhance the IN activity of dust particles. Key Points: Ice nucleating particle composition was directly measured with the ice crystal residual method using two characterization techniquesDust residual particles contained greater phosphate and lead relative to ambient dust particlesCarbonaceous particles internally mixed with dust fragments were found in residual particles measured by SEM/EDX [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although plain round or square section reinforcement is no longer used in new construction, there are many older structures still in service built with such bars. In recognition of the need for guidance on the assessment of load‐carrying capacity of structures reinforced with such bars, design codes are now introducing or re‐introducing provisions to assess the capacity of laps and anchorages of such reinforcement. The authors have contributed to the introduction of design rules in the fib Model Code 2020. This paper describes the derivation of these provisions. Starting from the form of expression proposed earlier by the authors, the data from which these proposals are derived is specified and modifications in interpretation preparatory to a statistical analysis are outlined. A rigorous multivariate statistical procedure is then employed firstly to determine a mean strength expression for the capacity of anchorages and laps which is then validated against test data. Further statistical analysis is subsequently used to determine a design expression using the approach outlined in EN 1990, taking appropriate account scatter in test data. Finally, some comparisons are presented between the assessment expressions proposed and design provisions that were in place when these types of bars were in common use. Areas where earlier design provisions may be non‐conservative are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water ice and other volatiles that accumulated in the Moon's polar regions are among the top priority targets for lunar exploration, due to their significances in both lunar geology and extraterrestrial resource utilization. Locating suitable landing sites and determining the provenance of sampled/measured surface materials are critical for future landed missions. Here, we map over 800 sites of plains terrains in the Moon's south polar region, with a total surface area of ~46,000 km2. Orbital measurements and analog studies show that most of these plains have apparently higher albedo and lower iron content than volcanic mare plains, suggesting an origin of ejecta-induced debris flows from distant impact craters, especially from the Schrödinger basin. Our findings suggest that the entire lunar south polar region probably have experienced contributions from distant basin materials. We recommend these plains as priority landing sites for future exploration of lunar polar volatiles and early bombardment history. The authors map extensive plains terrains in the Moon's south polar region, which originate from impact basin ejecta materials. These plains serve as attractive landing sites for future exploration of lunar polar volatiles and early bombardment history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1867, the government of the province of Buenos Aires donated three land leagues to the tribes of the Chiefs Francisco, Martín and Manuel Rondeau in Veinticinco de Mayo district, which at the time was located on the frontier with the indigenous territories of the Pampa plain. The following article analyses the processes, actors and factors involved in the fragmentation of property and non-indigenous land alienation that occurred in these territories towards mid-twentieth century. The analysis identifies three types of relationships that were of crucial importance: the leasing of land, the credit for the purchase of goods, and the purchase and sale of property rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early human habitation of the arid to semiarid Central Iranian Plateau was strongly connected to the availability of water and associated natural hazards, such as flooding and drought events. In this geoarchaeological study, we focus on the occupation at the prehistoric site of Ajor Pazi within the formerly active fluvial environment of the Varamin Plain. Through radiocarbon and luminescence‐dated sediment cross‐sections, we apply multivariate statistics to sedimentological characteristics of bulk samples collected during a rescue excavation in 2018. Based on facies interpretations, we differentiate depositional processes and present their implications for the environs of Ajor Pazi. Our results show evidence of settlement activities between 6.4 and 5.6 ka cal B.P. (4.4–3.6 ka cal. B.C.E.). Phases of reduced geomorphodynamics can be distinguished when soil‐forming processes take place. Our findings provide insights into the hitherto scarcely explored Transitional Chalcolithic II period during which the site of Ajor Pazi emerged and began to shape its environs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formulation and finite element implementation of an efficient anisotropic damage-plasticity model is proposed to simulate the nonlinear behavior of plain concrete at small strains. The model's formulation is presented first; then, the implementation strategy is described. A stress-based yield criterion and two damage criteria are used to determine the nominal stress tensor. Using two damage tensors automatically accounts for the stiffness recovery in transition from tension to compression and vice versa. Some numerical issues are addressed, and the remedy is proposed. The deficiencies of existing anisotropic damage-plasticity models for plain concrete are also identified and discussed. Different alternatives for the general formulation of damage procedure are presented and compared. Three methods are introduced for calculation of damage hardening parameters and compared in terms of efficiency. The extension of the model to viscoplastic behavior is carried out using the frequently-used Duvaut–Lions viscoplasticity theory. Moreover, the formulation is extended to include the large crack in monotonic and cyclic loading, which improves the response of material under large values of strain. The model is included in an in-house finite element software previously developed by the authors. It is validated, and its efficiency is evaluated by comparing the software results with a set of experimental tests, such as monotonic uniaxial and biaxial tests, cyclic uniaxial tests, and some structural single-mode and mixed-mode tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The human foot is an extremely robust and intricate anatomical system, that provides an effective flexible surface necessary for weight transfer, shock absorption, ground plane adaptation, and mobility. The normal, pes planus, and pes cavus three types of foot have been suggested based on the structure of the Medial Longitudinal Arch. Aim: Comparison of the Medial Longitudinal Arch of the hilly and plain Garhwalis of the Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods: This study includes 400 individuals. 100 male and 100 female from each region of hilly and Plain Garhwal. The distance from the floor to the navicular tuberosity is measured and marked on the custom-made index card on a non-weight-bearing and weight-bearing individual and then noted with the help of the digital vernier calliper for the Navicular Drop Test. For measuring the Medial Longitudinal Arch Angle, the digital goniometer is placed on the foot with having its one limb placed on the head of the 1st metatarsal other limb is placed on the medial malleolus and the body is placed on the Navicular tuberosity. Results: The flat foot was maximum seen in hilly Garhwali’s in comparison to Plain Garhwali’s according to the Navicular Drop test. According to the Medial Longitudinal Arch Angle, Plain Garhwalis were found with a maximum number of flat feet. Conclusion: The present study follows the hypothesis as it states hilly individuals have flat feet in comparison to plain region individuals according to Navicular Drop. The right foot has the max % of flat feet than the left foot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Konak Asarı is located in a plateau and forested area in the southeast of Eşme district in Uşak, Central Western Anatolia. In the settlement located on a high ridge to the east of Asar Hill, various pottery shards and chipped stone tools that contribute to prehistoric research in the Uşak region were identified. This settlement, dating back to the Neolithic Age, has cultural relations with the settlements in its immediate surroundings and in the Upper Menderes valley. It is also connected to Sarıgöl, Alaşehir plains and Manisa-Gediz region. There is little diversity in form among the brown, red and grey slipped pottery dating back to the 7th millennium BC. Apart from the bowls and pots consisting of undecorated examples, many flint tools were identified. Three flint cores were found, indicating the production of chipped stone tools in the settlement. Additionally, 2 obsidian tools were identified. The settlement findings are similar to the Upper Menderes Valley, Lakes Region and Western Anatolian coastal settlements. Konak Asarı provides descriptive data about the Neolithic Age settlements of the Uşak Region, specifically Western Anatolia, and its pottery typology and chipped stone tool technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long, J.H.; Hanebuth, T.J.J.; Durica, J.T., and Hawkes, A.D., 2024. Late Holocene stratigraphy and sedimentary facies distribution of an anthropogenically modified delta plain (Santee River Delta, South Carolina, U.S.A.). Journal of Coastal Research, 40(4), 623–646. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The Santee River of South Carolina has the second largest watershed in the eastern United States and forms the largest river-fed delta along the U.S. east coast. Anthropogenic modifications to the delta plain of the Santee River, and in many coastal environments within the region, have significantly altered the natural configurations of floodplains, channels, and shorelines. This study incorporated historic and modern state-of-the-art data sets and methods to evaluate the sediment distribution within the modern delta plain as well as the record of environmental change throughout the late Holocene as it is preserved within the subsurface stratigraphy. The study incorporated high-resolution seismo-acoustic and bathymetric data, detailed sediment core analysis, accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating, micropaleontological analysis, and surface sediment samples to define geomorphic zones based on dominant depositional processes related to fluvial discharge, tides, and waves. Tidal- and wave-influenced conditions were established in the delta plain by around 3 kyr BP and continued into historic times, when the construction of rice fields across most of the delta plain fixed channel positions and isolated floodplains from flood-related sedimentation. Sediment distribution in the modern delta plain is significantly influenced by the maintained network of artificial canals and embankments associated with these historic fields. The influence of these modifications can also be seen within the stratigraphy beneath the delta plain, recording local changes in deposition and erosion that resulted from a modification in water circulation and sediment supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haryana is primarily an agrarian state. The existing studies of earthworm diversity in Haryana are restricted mostly to the trans-Gangetic plains of eastern Haryana. To explore the diversity in central Haryana, the present study was conducted at six different sites of Tehsil Gohana of District Sonipat in Haryana, India. A total of eight species belonging to three different families were recorded from six different sites. Metaphire posthuma, Metaphire planta, Lampito mauritii and Perionyx excavatus belong to the family Megascolecidae. Three species viz., Eutyphoeus orientalis, Eutyphoeus incommodus, and Octochaetona beatrix, belong to the family Octochaetidae and Pontoscolex corethrurus belongs to the family Glossoscolecidae. Pontoscolex corethrurus, Perionynx excavitus and Eutyphoeus orientalis are the first record. Present findings reveal the first record of three species, namely, Pontoscolex corethrurus, Perionynx excavitus and Eutyphoeus orientalis, belonging to the family Glossoscolecidae, Megascolecidae and Octochaetidae, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization inevitably interfered with the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs), which has a crucial impact on the ESs balance. Scientific exploration and clarification of the coupling and decoupling relationship between them can effectively reveal the disturbance of urbanization to the ecosystem, which can help to reasonably manage and protect the ecosystem. Previous studies have paid more attention to the coupling relationship but less attention to the decoupling relationship. This study comprehensively reflected urbanization from the three aspects of construction land, population, and economy and used the evaluation matrix to measure ESs. On this basis, coupling and decoupling analyses were taken to fully clarify the complex relationship between urbanization and ESs balance in China, so as to provide a reference for the formulation of relevant policies. Coupling aspect, the coupling degrees between the proportion of construction land (CLP) and ESs balance index (ESBI) were higher only in the central and eastern plains. The coupling degrees between population density (PD) and ESBI, economic density (ED) and ESBI, and land development index (LDI) and ESBI were only lower in the central and eastern plains than in other regions. Decoupling aspect, strong, weak negative, weak, and strong negative decoupling were the main decoupling types between urbanization and ESs balance in China. Among them, the proportion of the strong decoupling type is much higher than other types, which proves the opposite relationship between the two. Weak decoupling can not only promote economic growth and social development but also protect the ecological environment and biodiversity, which is a type of sustainable development and an ideal state that urbanization should pursue. The results can provide scientific guidance for the formulation of differentiated ecosystem management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid shell microcapsules have been incorporated into polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/aramid fabric composite liners to enhance the tribological behavior of self-lubricating spherical plain bearings. PAO40/polysulfone/SiO2 hybrid shell microcapsules were synthesized utilizing a combination of Pickering emulsification technology and solvent evaporation. The modified liner with 9 wt% microcapsules exhibited the highest reduction in the average friction coefficient and wear rate, which were 31.1% and 47.9% lower than the unmodified liner. Furthermore, the tribological behavior of modified liners was investigated under different loads and sliding speeds. The friction process of the modified liner and the formation process of the transfer film were analyzed. Investigations into the friction reduction mechanism revealed that the PAO-40# released from microcapsules transitioned the friction type from dry to mixed. SiO2 particles are conducive to forming a denser transfer film by the PTFE abrasive. The results of this study have important scientific significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nullarbor Plain constitutes one of the main biogeographic barriers of Australia, and it has been suggested to have played a key role in the disjunct distribution of numerous southern Australian species. Although previous research has shown that the origin of this barrier coincides with the timing of the speciation events in some plant lineages, it is not clear whether the uplift of this barrier promoted divergence events in vertebrates. We addressed the role of the Nullarbor barrier and its fringing semiarid habitats as drivers of beta diversity in bird assemblages. Specifically, we determined the effect of distance from the Nullarbor barrier, environmental conditions, and isolation by distance on the composition of local communities on both sides of the plain. We measured beta diversity using taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional metrics of composition. The influence of precipitation, geographic distance, and distance to the Nullarbor barrier on these metrics was addressed using generalized dissimilarity models and a moving‐window approach. We also tested for differences in local extinction, dispersal and speciation rates, and lineage diversity between two regions, southeastern (SE) and southwestern (SW) Australia. Geological and orogenetic dynamics linked to the appearance of the Nullarbor Plain may have spurred speciation events in SE. However, evidence suggests that subsequent periods in which this region was wetter and forested favored dispersal, mainly from SE to SW. Accordingly, observed dissimilarity in species composition was lower than expected at random, suggesting the existence of considerable turnover between regions. Our results suggest that precipitation deficit (and the xeric vegetation that it promotes) was the most important predictor of beta diversity, whereas the distance to the barrier explained some variation in terms of phylogenetic composition. This study shows that the uplift of the Nullarbor barrier played a minor role in shaping present‐day bird diversity in southern Australia. Recent speciation events coupled with historical connectivity can explain the observed patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the changes and fluctuations of precipitation in geographical areas can give a better view of the behavior of this phenomenon in the coming years. The purpose of this research is to investigate the precipitation situation in Ardabil Plain (Ardabil, Bileh-Daragh, and Kolour stations) and forecast it in the coming years based on the output of CMIP6 models by the CMhyd downscaling model. Then, using R2, MAE, MSE, RMSE, and Taylor diagram, the observational data of the base period were compared with the historical data of 5 GCM models from CMIP6, and the best model was selected for each studied station. The output of the top models was corrected for skewness by linear scaling method and based on SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585 scenarios, the precipitation of 2050-2023 for each station, forecast, and its trend were drawn with the Mann-Kendall statistic. The results showed that in the eastern and western areas of Ardabil Plain (leading to the heights of Talesh and Sablan mountains), the rainfall changes were increasing (2.80 mm). In the Ardabil station, the MIROC6 model with a correlation coefficient of 0.94%, and in Bileh-Daragh and Kolour stations, the MPIESM1-2-HR model with a correlation coefficient of 0.88% and 0.92%, respectively, have the highest accuracy in simulating the precipitation. Also, the results of the scenarios showed that the precipitation changes in Ardabil station in the future period compared to the base period under the SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585 scenarios will be 0.24, -6.36, and -2%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of using plain language in insurance communications to ensure that customers understand what they are purchasing. It highlights a readability scorecard conducted on Australian insurance companies, with some scoring higher than others in terms of clarity and simplicity. The benefits of plain language in insurance contracts are also emphasized, including clarifying legal obligations and reducing complaints. Tower, an insurance company in New Zealand, has become the first insurer in the country to transition its policies to the WriteMark Plain Language Standard, aiming to give customers confidence in their coverage and reduce inquiries and complaints. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of two common heavy metals, Cd and Pb, in urban rivers in plains, and analyze the impact of weak hydrodynamics on the transport of heavy metals, and guide their ecological risk assessments in these regions. Materials and methods: Two field surveys (wet and dry seasons) were conducted at a total of 36 sites in the tributaries of Gehu Lake, located in a plain region in China. The European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) extraction method was employed to analyze the components of Cd and Pb. The Nemello index and ecological risk index were calculated to assess their pollution levels and ecological risks. Results and discussion: Cd primarily accumulated at the river mouths, while Pb was predominantly concentrated near the discharge sources. The mobile fractions of Cd were more likely to be released and migrate downstream, and thus the total Cd content demonstrated a significantly negative correlation with these mobile forms (p < 0.05). In contrast, although Pb had a greater proportion of mobile fractions, they were readily re-adsorbed onto particles and settled near the source. The source area displayed notable pollution with Pb, whereas the downstream river mouth area posed a high risk of Cd pollution. Conclusions: The results indicated that the weak river hydrodynamics within plains amplify the impact of heavy metal mobility on their behaviors, producing a "screening effect" on Pb and Cd and resulting in distinct distribution patterns in sediments. These findings can guide the ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems within plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the solution of mechanisms in this study, Golbaf, Kuhbanan and Rafsanjan faults have a dominant right-lateral mechanism with a reverse component and Sarvestan fault has a pure reverse dominant mechanism. Earthquakes are mostly scattered around the city of Shiraz near the Sabzpooshan fault system and Borazjan fault. Solved mechanisms also show that earthquakes with a dominant right-lateral mechanism are related to the Karebas fault. Some earthquakes, which are related to the Sabzevaran fault are with the dominant mechanism of strike slip. Earthquakes of the Sabzpoushan fault are with the dominant mechanism of strike-slip right-lateral (N-S active plain). Mechanism of some earthquake is not compatible with any known faults in the range. In the interpretation of earthquakes in of all maps, the location error of the seismicity must also be considered. This error can reach up to ten kilometers (in some cases) due to the intermediate distance between the stations of the seismological networks. The mechanism of some of these faults, which were studied in previous works (geologically or seismologically), are consistent with the mechanism solved in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two low-cost (LC) monitoring networks, PurpleAir (instrumented by Plantower PMS5003 sensors) and AirQino (Novasense SDS011), were assessed in monitoring PM2.5 and PM10 daily concentrations in the Padana Plain (Northern Italy). A total of 19 LC stations for PM2.5 and 20 for PM10 concentrations were compared vs. regulatory-grade stations during a full "heating season" (15 October 2022–15 April 2023). Both LC sensor networks showed higher accuracy in fitting the magnitude of PM10 than PM2.5 reference observations, while lower accuracy was shown in terms of RMSE, MAE and R2. AirQino stations under-estimated both PM2.5 and PM10 reference concentrations (MB = −4.8 and −2.9 μg/m3, respectively), while PurpleAir stations over-estimated PM2.5 concentrations (MB = +5.4 μg/m3) and slightly under-estimated PM10 concentrations (MB = −0.4 μg/m3). PurpleAir stations were finer than AirQino at capturing the time variation of both PM2.5 and PM10 daily concentrations (R2 = 0.68–0.75 vs. 0.59–0.61). LC sensors from both monitoring networks failed to capture the magnitude and dynamics of the PM2.5/PM10 ratio, confirming their well-known issues in correctly discriminating the size of individual particles. These findings suggest the need for further efforts in the implementation of mass conversion algorithms within LC units to improve the tuning of PM2.5 vs. PM10 outputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feedback of vegetation on cloud cover is an important link in the global water cycle. However, the relative importance of vegetation and related factors (surface properties, heat fluxes, and environmental conditions) on cloud cover in the context of greening remains unclear. Combining the Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS) leaf area index (LAI) product and the fifth-generation reanalysis data of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA5), we quantified the relative contribution of vegetation and related factors to total cloud cover (TCC) in typical regions (Eastern European Plain, Western Siberian Plain, Mongolian Plateau, and Northeastern China Plain) of Eurasia over 21 years, and investigated how vegetation moderated the contribution of the other factors. Here, we show that the relative contribution of different factors to TCC was closely related to the climate and vegetation characteristics. In energy-limited (moisture-limited) areas, temperature (relative humidity) was more likely to be the factor that strongly contributed to TCC variation. Except for sparsely vegetated ecosystems, the relative contribution of LAI to TCC was stable within a range of 8–13%. The case study also shows that vegetation significantly modulated the contribution of other factors on TCC, but the degree of the regulation varied among different ecosystems. Our results highlight the important influence of vegetation on cloud cover during greening, especially the moderating role of vegetation on the contribution of other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difficulties in establishing an analytical model for plain woven fabric composites (PWFC) and its implementation are well-accepted due to the complexity of yarn architecture, approximations assumed, and lack of experimental validations. In this paper, a practical engineering approach is proposed to predict the tensile properties of PWFC. The approach assumes PWFC as cross-ply, the undulation angle an elliptical shape. The approach tremendously simplifies the calculation keeping a close agreement with the tensile experimental results of PWFC. The approach is remarkably compatible with other theoretical models and experiments that existed in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]