Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimates of the North Atlantic Oscillation back to 1692 using a Paris–London westerly index

A westerly index for Europe is developed back to 1692 using newly recovered and corrected Mean Sea‐level Pressure (MSLP) data from London and Paris. The index is compared against various instrumental and proxy indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). In the winter, the Paris‐London index depicts a spatial pattern of atmospheric circulation that is bi‐modal, with centres of action that are shifted eastwards compared to the NAO. Owing to asymmetry in the NAO the Paris‐London index provides a good depiction of positive NAO conditions as well as extreme negative phases of the NAO that arise from reversals of the pressure centres, but less extreme negative NAO conditions are associated with westerly index values approaching zero. The merit in using the Paris‐London index lies with its consistency over time as a measure of westerly wind flow, which may not be the case with other proxy‐based indices. In the summer, the Paris‐London index bears a close relationship to the reconstructed high‐summer NAO series of Folland et al. ( 2009 ) as well as the summer Luterbacher et al. ( 1999 ) NAO reconstruction. An important finding is that the summer NAO was highly variable during the early nineteenth century but was predominately positive on the decadal time scale during that period. Since circa 1970 the summer index has mostly been negative, indicating reduced westerlies and increased blocking conditions that are exceptional in the context of the last 250 years. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Provenance variation in early growth and development in Picea mariana (Mill) B.S.P.

Provenance variation in Picea mariana (Mill) B.S.P. (Black spruce) seedlings was studied to provide recommendations for introducing the species into Scandinavia. Provenances were analysed in a series of tests covering root and shoot development and mineral nutrient (N. P and K) content. The studies were carried out as greenhouse tests, as nursery trials, as cold tolerance tests in growth chambers and by destructive sampling. The performance of Black spruce was compared with that of Norway spruce. Black spruce seed sources exhibited large clinal variation for most of the properties evaluated. Compared with northwestern seed sources, southeastern sources were taller, exhibited later bud flushing and bud set, showed a lower degree of lignification and a lower dry matter content in autumn, had a higher incidence of winter-damaged seedlings and a higher shoot: root ratio. Within the eastern region, east of 100"W. provenance variation was characterized using cluster analysis. Provenances orginating around latitudes 47-51"N and west of longitudes 65"W were tallest, whereas southeastern provenances produced most dry matter. Norway spruce exhibited a developmental phenology and biomass properties similar to Black spruce orginating at latitudes between 50 and 60% However, Norway spruce had thicker roots and stems and was more susceptible to spring frosts following bud flushing.
Inter‐decadal variability in potential glacier surface melt energy at Vestari Hagafellsjökull (Langjökull, Iceland) and the role of synoptic circulation

The surface energy balance (SEB) of glaciers, although of considerable importance for understanding the melt response to climate change, is rarely analysed for more than a few melt seasons due to the logistical challenges of meteorological measurement campaigns on glaciers. Insight into low‐frequency (inter‐decadal) changes in the SEB in response to climate warming and variable atmospheric circulation patterns has thus been limited. Here this problem is addressed by using ERA‐Interim reanalysis data to extend glacier‐meteorological records at two locations on Vestari Hagafellsjökull (Iceland) for the period 1979–2012. Trend analysis is conducted for this series before the role of synoptic circulation in modulating surface energetics is investigated. The results indicate that potential melt energy has increased significantly throughout the period of simulation at both locations (by 19.7 and 32.4%), with the largest increase evident for the turbulent heat fluxes (36.3 and 93.1%). The synoptic conditions associated with the recent high melt rates on the proximate Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) do not result in similarly extreme melt conditions for our Icelandic location. We also find that the North Atlantic Oscillation Index is significantly correlated with the radiative and latent heat components of the SEB. This association remains hidden if the melt rate is assessed in isolation, highlighting the utility of the SEB approach presented here for assessing synoptic aspects of glacier‐climate interactions.
Differential Sensitivities of the Human ABC Transporters ABCG2 and P-glycoprotein to Cyclosporin A

Several ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters can confer multidrug resistance to cancer cells by functioning as energy-dependent efflux pumps. The half-transporter ABCG2 and the widely studied P-glycoprotein (P-gp) are two ABC transporters that, when overexpressed, are capable of extruding a variety of structurally unrelated chemotherapy agents from cells. In this study, we demonstrate that human ABCG2 and P-glycoprotein, despite overlapping substrate specificities, differ in sensitivity to the immunomodulator cyclosporin A. Here, we use human ABCG2 and human P-gp, each expressed separately in drug selected MCF-7 sublines and transiently transfected HeLa cells. By flow cytometric analysis using the fluorescent substrates rhodamine 123 and mitoxantrone, we show that cyclosporin A inhibits P-gp function at low micromolar concentrations, whereas ABCG2 function is unaffected. Furthermore, P-gp, but not ABCG2, is able to transport [ 3 H]-cyclosporin A directly in intact cells. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that [ 125 I]-iodoarylazidoprazosin, a photoaffinity analog of the substrate prazosin, labels multiple variants of ABCG2 specifically and that this labeling, though competed by some ABCG2 substrates, is unaffected by cyclosporin A. These labeling data also suggest the presence of multiple drug binding sites in ABCG2. In addition, cyclosporin A has no effect on the basal or prazosin-stimulated ATPase activity of ABCG2, whereas both the basal and verapamil-stimulated ATPase activities of P-gp are inhibited markedly. Taken together, our results suggest that cyclosporin A is neither a substrate nor an inhibitor of the human ABCG2 transporter, under the conditions and concentrations examined.
Gaseous and soil OCPs and PCBs along the Indus River, Pakistan: Gaseous and soil OCPs and PCBs along the Indus River, Pakistan: spatial patterns and air–soil gradients spatial patterns and air–soil gradients

Freely dissolved OCPs and PCBs were measured by using polyethylene passive samplers at 15 sites during 2014 throughout the stretch of Indus River to investigate spatial pattern and risk assess. Levels (pg/L) of dissolved ∑OCPs and ∑PCBs ranged from 34–1600 and 3–230. Among the detected OCPs, dissolved DDTs ( p, p′-DDE, followed by p, p′-DDT) predominated with levels of 0.48 to 220 pg/L. The order of occurrence for other studied OCPs was as follows; HCB, Endosulfans, Chlordanes, and HCHs. Spatially, dissolved (pg/L) ∑OCPs varied ( p < 0.05 ) as: surface water of Alluvial Riverine Zone (ARZ) showed highest levels (114) followed by Frozen Mountain Zone (FMZ) (52.9), Low Lying Zone (LLZ) (28.73) and Wet Mountain Zone (WMZ) (14.43) respectively. However, our zone wise PCBs data did not exhibit significant differences ( p > 0.05 ). Principal component analysis/Multilinear Regression results showed that pesticides usage in crop/orchard fields and health sector, electric & electronic materials, and widespread industrial activities as the main source of OCPs and PCBs along Indus River. Our results showed that OCPs and PCBs contaminated water intake, played an important role towards the considerable cancer/non-cancer risk (HI and CR values) along the Indus River Flood-Plain.
Analysis of single-fluid jet grouting

An overall analysis of single-fluid jet grouting is presented. Current concepts and design rules are first reviewed and compared. Alternative approaches to the analysis of single-fluid jet grouting are proposed and implemented with experimental data and observations taken from recent and well-documented case histories. In-situ observations and measurements as well as laboratory tests are presented, indicating the influence of both treatment parameters and original soil properties on treatment effects. On the basis of the experimental evidence, the mechanical phenomena induced by jet grouting are discussed.
The Macroeconomic Effects of Government Asset Purchases: Evidence from Postwar Us Housing Credit Policy

We document the portfolio activity of federal housing agencies and provide evidence on its impact on mortgage markets and the economy. Through a narrative analysis, we identify historical policy changes leading to expansions or contractions in agency mortgage holdings. Based on those regulatory events that we classify as unrelated to short-run cyclical or credit market shocks, we find that an increase in mortgage purchases by the agencies boosts mortgage lending and lowers mortgage rates. Agency purchases influence prices in other asset markets and stimulate residential investment. Using information in GSE stock prices to construct an alternative instrument for agency purchasing activity yields very similar results as our benchmark narrative identification approach.
Specificity of thermal stability and reactivity of two-dimensional layered Cu-Fe sulfide - Mg-based hydroxide compounds (valleriites)

We recently synthesized prospective new materials composed of alternating quasi-atomic sheets of brucite-type hydroxide (Mg,Fe)(OH) 2 and CuFe 1-x S 2 sulfide (valleriites). Herein, their thermal behavior important for many potential applications has been studied in inert (Ar) and oxidative (20% O 2 ) atmosphere using TG and DSC analysis and characterization with XRD, XPS, SEM and EDX. In Ar media, the processes are determined by dehydroxylation of the hydroxide layers forming MgO, with the temperature of the major endothermic maximum of the mass loss at 413 °C. Sulfide sheets start to degrade below 500 °C and melt nearby 800 °C, with bornite, chalcopyrite and troilite specified as the final products. In oxidative atmosphere, the exothermic reactions with the mass increase peaked at 345 and 495 °C correspond to a partial and major oxidation of Cu-Fe sulfide layers, respectively. Sulfur oxides captured in magnesium hydroxide layers to form MgSO 4 compromised the layer integrity and promoted oxidation of the sulfide entities. The final products contained also minor MgO, Cu 2 MgO 3 , Fe 3 O 4 and MgFe 2 O 4 phases. Samples doped with Al, which decreases the content of Fe in hydroxide layers, show notably impeded decay of valleriite in argon but facilitated oxidation of Cu-Fe sulfides, while the impact of Li (it slightly increases the number of the Fe-OH sites) was less expressed. The mutual stabilization of the 2D hydroxide and sulfide layers upon heating in inert atmosphere but not in oxygen as compared with bulk brucite and chalcopyrite was suggested to explain by high thermal resistance across the stacked incommensurate sheets, which slows down the endothermic reactions and accelerates the exothermic oxidation; the high number of Fe atoms in the hydroxide sheets are expected to promote the phonon exchange and heat transfer between the layers.
ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY AND PETROLEUM POTENTIAL OF JAMAICA

Eleven wells were drilled in Jamaican territory over a 27-year period commencing in 1955: all were abandoned as dry. This study evaluates the island's petroleum potential in the light of new data on the source-rock quality of the shales penetrated, and on reservoir properties of sandstones and limestones interbedded with these shales.
Synergistic neural integration is greater downstream of recurrent information flow in organotypic cortical cultures

The directionality of network information flow dictates how networks process information. A central component of information processing in both biological and artificial neural networks is their ability to perform synergistic integration–a type of computation. We established previously that synergistic integration varies directly with the strength of feedforward information flow. However, the relationships between both recurrent and feedback information flow and synergistic integration remain unknown. To address this, we analyzed the spiking activity of hundreds of neurons in organotypic cultures of mouse cortex. We asked how empirically observed synergistic integration varied with local functional network structure that was categorized into motifs with varying recurrent and feedback information flow. We found that synergistic integration was elevated in motifs with greater recurrent information flow beyond that expected from the local feedforward information flow. Feedback information flow was interrelated with feedforward information flow and was associated with decreased synergistic integration. Our results indicate that synergistic integration is distinctly influenced by the directionality of local information flow.
Information flows are a two-way street: the effect of fund-analyst relationships on analyst outputs ∗

Prior literature examines the flow of information from analysts to investors, but information is a two-way street and little is known about the flows of information from investors to analysts. We use an SEC rule requiring the disclosure of commission payments from funds to brokerages to identify analyst-fund pairs likely to be inter-acting and examine how variation in client portfolio holdings of funds influences the research outputs of analysts. Consistent with funds influencing research outputs, we find that ownership by an analyst’s clients predicts recommendation optimism, price target optimism, revision frequency, and earnings forecast accuracy in subsequent periods. Cross-sectional tests are more consistent with these forecast changes arising because of superior information (particularly about positive firm news), rather than incentives to cater to client preferences by issuing biased forecasts. Tests examining changes in future commission payments from fund investors suggest analysts have financial incentives to issue accurate forecasts in stocks widely held by clients. While we find optimism increases with these accuracy incentives, univariate tests do not show a significant association between optimism and commissions. Collectively, our evidence suggests that investor clients’ supply and demand for information affect the development of quantitative analyst forecasts.
Mapping Curie temperature depth in the western United States with a fractal model for crustal magnetization

[1] We have revisited the problem of mapping depth to the Curie temperature isotherm from magnetic anomalies in an attempt to provide a measure of crustal temperatures in the western United States. Such methods are based on the estimation of the depth to the bottom of magnetic sources, which is assumed to correspond to the temperature at which rocks lose their spontaneous magnetization. In this study, we test and apply a method based on the spectral analysis of magnetic anomalies. Early spectral analysis methods assumed that crustal magnetization is a completely uncorrelated function of position. Our method incorporates a more realistic representation where magnetization has a fractal distribution defined by three independent parameters: the depths to the top and bottom of magnetic sources and a fractal parameter related to the geology. The predictions of this model are compatible with radial power spectra obtained from aeromagnetic data in the western United States. Model parameters are mapped by estimating their value within a sliding window swept over the study area. The method works well on synthetic data sets when one of the three parameters is specified in advance. The application of this method to western United States magnetic compilations, assuming a constant fractal parameter, allowed us to detect robust long-wavelength variations in the depth to the bottom of magnetic sources. Depending on the geologic and geophysical context, these features may result from variations in depth to the Curie temperature isotherm, depth to the mantle, depth to the base of volcanic rocks, or geologic settings that affect the value of the fractal parameter. Depth to the bottom of magnetic sources shows several features correlated with prominent heat flow anomalies. It also shows some features absent in the map of heat flow. Independent geophysical and geologic data sets are examined to determine their origin, thereby providing new insights on the thermal and geologic crustal structure of the western United States.
Non Invasive Characterization of a Small Mountain Catchment for Hydrological Purposes

The description of catchment response during storms and droughts is a fundamental issue in geosciences. In particular, the subsoil characterization is a crucial step towards understanding hydrological processes in mountain regions and for the calibration of models that can describe and predict water flow patterns. Non-invasive (or minimally invasive) geophysical techniques are helpful to provide spatially extensive data, whereas traditional borehole-based sampling is often limited because of the localized nature of such measurements and the disturbance induced to samples. The aim of this study is the characterization of a small-scale mountain catchment to obtain detailed knowledge about its hydrogeological and hydrological system behavior. The experimental site is located at Carre near Vicenza (North-Eastern Italy) in the pre-alpine hill region named Bregonze. For this purpose we used several geophysical techniques: Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Seismic refraction survey, Seismic surface wave investigation. The former techniques highlight the shallowest subsoil discontinuities (from 0 to 2 m); the latter one provides knowledge about the underlying layers and the associated lateral heterogeneities. The combination of geophysical methods can help characterize a complex hydrogeological system, at least from the structural viewpoint.
The Tropical Ocean‐Global Atmosphere observing system: A decade of progress

A major accomplishment of the recently completed Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program was the development of an ocean observing system to support seasonal-to-interannual climate studies. This paper reviews the scientific motivations for the development of that observing system, the technological advances that made it possible, and the scientific advances that resulted from the availability of a significantly expanded observational database. A primary phenomenological focus of TOGA was interannual variability of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system associated with El Nino and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Prior to the start of TOGA, our understanding of the physical processes responsible for the ENSO cycle was limited, our ability to monitor variability in the tropical oceans was primitive, and the capability to predict ENSO was nonexistent. TOGA therefore initiated and/or supported efforts to provide real-time measurements of the following key oceanographic variables: surface winds, sea surface temperature, subsurface temperature, sea level and ocean velocity. Specific in situ observational programs developed to provide these data sets included the Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean (TAO) array of moored buoys in the Pacific, a surface drifting buoy program, an island and coastal tide gauge network, and a volunteer observing ship network of expendable bathythermograph measurements. Complementing these in situ efforts were satellite missions which provided near-global coverage of surface winds, sea surface temperature, and sea level. These new TOGA data sets led to fundamental progress in our understanding of the physical processes responsible for ENSO and to the development of coupled ocean-atmosphere models for ENSO prediction.
Robust dynamic 3D motion estimation using landmarks

This paper summarizes the results we have obtained in searching for an efficient, robust, but accurate method for the estimation of the camera (or spacecraft) position based on image measurements. Based on a sequence of images acquired with a moving camera, the task is to estimate the camera position (extrinsic calibration) from corresponding points (landmarks) in the various frames. Using the noisy estimate of the camera parameters, the 3D scene points can be reconstructed. In the paper we first describe a new calibration method, and show the improvements in terms of accuracy compared to known methods. The method is studied in an application to motion estimation for a spacecraft during the orbit and landing maneuvers.
Untangling the effects of shallow groundwater and soil texture as drivers of subfield‐scale yield variability

Water table depth (WTD), soil texture, and growing season weather conditions all play critical roles in determining agricultural yield; however, the interactions among these three variables have never been explored in a systematic way. Using a combination of field observations and biophysical modeling, we answer two questions: (1) under what conditions can a shallow water table provide a groundwater yield subsidy and/or penalty to corn production? ; and (2) how do soil texture and growing season weather conditions influence the relationship between WTD and corn yield? Subfield‐scale yield patterns during a dry (2012) and wet (2013) growing season are used to identify sensitivity to weather. Areas of the field that are negatively impacted by wet growing seasons have the shallowest observed WTD (<1 m), while areas with consistently strong yield have intermediate WTD (1–3 m). Parts of the field that perform consistently poorly are characterized by deep WTD (>3 m) and coarse soil textures. Modeling results find that beneficial impacts of shallow groundwater are more common than negative impacts under the conditions studied, and that the optimum WTD is shallower in coarser soils. While groundwater yield subsidies have a higher frequency and magnitude in coarse‐grained soils, the optimum WTD responds to growing season weather at a relatively constant rate across soil types. We conclude that soil texture defines a baseline upon which WTD and weather interact to determine overall yield. Our work has implications for water resource management, climate/land use change impacts on agricultural production, and precision agriculture.
Should the Three Gorges Dam be blamed for the extremely low water levels in the middle–lower Yangtze River?

Extremely low water level events have frequently occurred in the middle–lower Yangtze River (MLYR) in recent years (2006–2011). Most of these drought events coincided with the initial operation of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). The TGD was therefore the focus of controversy about the causes of the hydrological droughts of the rivers and lakes of the region. We quantified the effects of the TGD's operation on water levels from 2006 to 2011 using a newly developed hydrodynamic model. The operation of the TGD significantly exacerbated the severe hydrological droughts that occurred in late September to November because of water impoundment, but it increased water levels from April to early June in the MLYR because of the drawdown of TGD water levels. Evidence suggests that the recent extremely low water levels were mainly because of the remarkable decline in inflows to the MLYR resulting from precipitation changes and possible human activities. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the effects of the TGD on downstream rivers and lakes will be intensified in the foreseeable future. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.