Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimates of aerosol radiative forcing from the MACC re-analysis

Abstract. The European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) provides an aerosol re-analysis starting from year 2003 for the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) project. The re-analysis assimilates total aerosol optical depth retrieved by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to correct for model departures from observed aerosols. The re-analysis therefore combines satellite retrievals with the full spatial coverage of a numerical model. Re-analysed products are used here to estimate the shortwave direct and first indirect radiative forcing of anthropogenic aerosols over the period 2003–2010, using methods previously applied to satellite retrievals of aerosols and clouds. The best estimate of globally-averaged, all-sky direct radiative forcing is −0.7 ± 0.3 Wm −2 . The standard deviation is obtained by a Monte-Carlo analysis of uncertainties, which accounts for uncertainties in the aerosol anthropogenic fraction, aerosol absorption, and cloudy-sky effects. Further accounting for differences between the present-day natural and pre-industrial aerosols provides a direct radiative forcing estimate of −0.4 ± 0.3 Wm −2 . The best estimate of globally-averaged, all-sky first indirect radiative forcing is −0.6 ± 0.4 Wm −2 . Its standard deviation accounts for uncertainties in the aerosol anthropogenic fraction, and in cloud albedo and cloud droplet number concentration susceptibilities to aerosol changes. The distribution of first indirect radiative forcing is asymmetric and is bounded by −0.1 and −2.0 Wm −2 . In order to decrease uncertainty ranges, better observational constraints on aerosol absorption and sensitivity of cloud droplet number concentrations to aerosol changes are required.
Evidence for anthropogenic impact on number concentration and sulfate content of cloud‐processed aerosol particles over the North Atlantic

Aerosol properties were measured during two transects over the North Atlantic between Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) and the Moroccan coast. Measurements of the chemical composition of total aerosol, of the black carbon concentration and of the number size distributions with particle diameter Dp in the range 16 nm < Dp < 1 μm were made. The e-folding lifetime of the black carbon aerosol, coming from the northeast American continent and transported eastward over the ocean, was estimated to be 15 hours. The non-sea-salt (nss) fraction of the sulfate concentrations encountered during this campaign spans a 3 order of magnitude range (0.02 μm m−3 to 19 μm m−3) and shows a high correlation with black carbon. The measured bimodal aerosol size distributions were analysed in order to yield number concentrations of the nuclei and the accumulation mode (ACM), the latter being interpreted as cloud-processed particles and thus as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). A strong positive correlation was found between ACM number concentration and nss-sulfate load over the whole concentration range, i.e. for clean to polluted air masses. Furthermore, our regression between nss-sulfate and ACM number concentration also agrees well with results from other investigators where CCN or cloud droplet concentrations were related to nss-sulfate at a variety of geographical locations and degrees of pollution. The composite data set shows that the nss-sulfate-CCN relationship from baseline conditions to anthropogenically conditioned aerosol, happens via a smooth transition which can be described by a linear regression on a logarithmic scale.
Peak flow regime changes following forest harvesting in a snow‐dominated basin: Effects of harvest area, elevation, and channel connectivity

Numerical modeling in conjunction with a stochastic weather generator was used to investigate the immediate impact of forest harvesting upon the annual‐maximum peak discharge regime of 240 Creek, a snow‐dominated headwater basin of low relief located in south‐central British Columbia (BC), Canada. Harvesting effects were simulated using 11 hypothetical harvest scenarios that specifically assess the impact of clear‐cut harvesting in the absence of roads. Distribution statistics show that the annual‐maximum peak flow frequency curve for hourly discharge is affected both by harvest area, AH, and by harvest elevation, ZH. Annual peak discharge magnitude tends to increase with increasing AH, but decreasing ZH. Forest harvesting does not have a statistically significant (α = 0.05) impact on the peak flow distribution until AH ≥ 20% to 30%, depending on the statistical comparison used. There is no substantial elevation gradient in snow accumulation within 240 Creek, and the sensitivity of the hourly peak discharge regime to ZH is instead related to the spatial variation of channel density with elevation. Flood frequency analysis was used to directly compare control and treatment events of equal frequency of occurrence, using return periods, T, of 1.003–100 years. This analysis indicates that, contrary to the prevalent hydrological wisdom and regardless of AH and ZH, the relative increase in peak discharge quantiles (ΔQT) increases with increasing event magnitude (increasing T) for events equal to or larger than the median (T = 2 years) event. Overall, ΔQT ranges from 7% for AH = 30% to 84% for AH = 100%. The magnitude of peak flow change is found to be a function of changes in both net 48‐h input fluxes (rainfall plus snowmelt minus evapotranspiration) and changes in snowmelt runoff synchronization, which directly affect treatment peak discharge magnitude and timing.
Out of hospital treatment with subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin in patients with acute deep-vein thrombosis: a prospective study in daily practice.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Clinical trials have demonstrated that initial outpatient treatment is safe and effective in patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Considering the relative lack of literature-based evidence on outpatient low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) treatment in daily practice this study prospectively evaluated the implementation of a protocol for full outpatient treatment of DVT in a non-teaching hospital. DESIGN AND METHODS Consecutive patients with objectively demonstrated DVT were treated on an outpatient basis with subcutaneous nadroparin injections for at least 5 days and oral anticoagulant treatment for at least 3 months. RESULTS In 294 of 309 (95%) consecutive patients with proven DVT, nadroparin could be started on a fully outpatient basis. During initial LMWH treatment one patient had to be hospitalized because of objectively proven pulmonary embolism (PE), and one patient developed a major bleeding complication. Overall, during 3 months follow-up recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred in nine patients (3.1%; 95 CI 1.1 to 5.1), four patients experienced a major non-fatal hemorrhage (1.4%; 95 CI 0.04 to 2.7) and ten patients died (3.4%; 95% CI 1.3 to 5.5) of whom seven with disseminated malignancy, but none of fatal PE. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS Out of hospital initiation of anticoagulant treatment with LMWH is safe and effective in the overall majority of patients (95%) with objectively proven DVT. We believe that these results are relevant to both clinicians and health care providers in view of the feasibility of home treatment in nearly all patients.
The relationship between surface topography, gravity anomalies, and temperature structure of convection

Normal stresses associated with convection in a fluid layer, whose boundaries can deform, produce topography on those boundaries. When the equations of motion are linear, integral relations between topography on the boundaries and the temperature structure can be found as a function of wavelength. Expressions of this kind have been derived for the case of convection in a constant viscosity fluid when inertial effects are negligible. The total gravity anomaly is the sum of contributions due to the topography on the two boundaries and to temperature variations within the fluid, and similar integral relations between gravity and the temperature structure can also be derived. At wavelengths large compared to the depth the shape of the kernels in the integrals, particularly that for gravity, is sensitive to the boundary conditions used. The transfer function between gravity and topography is also characteristic of the boundary conditions at long wavelengths. In all the cases considered, there is a transition between short-and long-wavelength behavior which occurs at wavelengths proportional to the layer depth. If the bottom boundary can deform as well as the upper boundary, the gravity anomaly tends to zero at long wave-lengths as the gravity kernel tends to zero everywhere. The surface topography kernel is always zero at the bottom boundary. The lack of any significant surface expression produced by temperature variations near the bottom of the layer provides an explanation of the similar relationships between gravity and topography associated with the dissimilar temperature structures produced by different modes of heating. At least for cellular convection, surface topography and gravity anomalies largely reflect temperature variations in the vicinity of the upper thermal boundary layer. This is consistent with an explanation of geoid anomalies over mid-ocean swells in terms of convection beneath the lithosphere, where the lower part of the thermally defined plate acts as the upper thermal boundary layer of the convection.
Grad‐Shafranov reconstruction: An overview

[1] Grad-Shafranov reconstruction is a data analysis tool for the reconstruction of two-dimensional (2-D) coherent field and flow structures from data collected as the structures move past an observing platform. To date, the method has been applied with good success to reconstruct magnetohydrostatic structures in Earth's magnetopause, in the solar wind, and in the geomagnetic tail, as the structures move past one or more observing spacecraft. However, with suitable modification, the reconstruction method can be extended to other applications, three of which are presented here: 2-D magneto-hydrodynamic structures in which dynamically important field-aligned flow is present, 2-D flow transverse to the magnetic field in the magnetospheric low-latitude boundary layer, and 2-D ordinary gasdynamic/hydrodynamic flow. We develop the fundamental equations required in the reconstructions, both for isotropic pressure and, in Appendix A, for the case where the pressures parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field are described by the double-polytropic laws. Applications to actual or simulated data are discussed but not included in the present paper.
The spatial dynamics of foreign investment in the Pearl River Delta, south China

The Pearl River Delta region in south China has experienced dramatic economic development, industrialization and urbanization since the late 1970s. Foreign investment, especially the capital from Hong Kong, has been one of the major driving forces underlying the process. The spatial concentration/diffusion of foreign investment in a region also has important bearing on the balanced/unbalanced urban and regional development. This issue remains unexamined and critical analysis is needed to unveil the spatial impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI) activities in China. This paper will focus on the Pearl River Delta region to examine the spatial diffusion and the determinants of foreign investment. The diffusion of foreign investment from the provincial capital, Guangzhou and two special economic zones near Hong Kong to surrounding areas is clearly identified. The diffusion is the result of the widespread implementation of open-door policy in the region and significant improvement in infrastructure. Four models of foreign investment are developed to explain the spatial incidence of foreign investment in the region. The findings of this paper can shed light on the regional development process in China and other developing countries under the influence of foreign capital.
Transitions in the Mid-Holocene

Between about 8000 and 3000 years ago, climate worldwide underwent substantial changes. At the same time, human cultures experienced a period of substantial progress toward more complex societies, as exemplified by the first temple mounds in South America, the Egyptian pyramids, and the rise and fall of civilizations in East Asia. Archeologists and paleoclimotologists alike are now investigating possible causal connections between these simultaneous developments and are finding a complex pattern of cultural responses to climatic change.
Impact of anthropogenic and biogenic sources and sinks on carbonyl sulfide in the North Pacific troposphere

During September–October 1991 over 500 determinations of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) were made in the troposphere over the North Pacific Ocean as part of the NASA Pacific Exploratory Mission-West A project. Three distinct regimes were found in the distribution of OCS in the Pacific troposphere during this period. Under conditions of remote Pacific marine air, OCS had a mean of 495 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) with a standard error of the mean of 0.6 pptv and a standard deviation of 8.8 pptv. Under conditions of air transported from Asia and the North American Arctic, both elevated and depleted levels of OCS were found. Decreases in OCS of 10–20% from the remote Pacific mean were highly correlated with decreased carbon dioxide levels. Increases of 10–20% of OCS were highly correlated with increased carbon disulfide and other chemical indicators of anthropogenic sources. The constancy of the OCS mean for the remote Pacific marine air masses can be used to better understand the budget for OCS and its impact as a source of stratospheric sulfur dioxide.
Monitoring the length of the growing season with NOAA

A vegetation index (NDVI) time series of 1984 to 1993 was used to calibrate a pixel-based assessment of the start, end and length of the growing season in the sahelian country of Burkina Faso. Annual curves of rainfall/ETP, NDVI crop calendars were prepared for meteorological stations representative for three climatic zones. Agrometereological criteria for assessment of the start and the end were extracted from literature. NDVI parameters were assessed at the dekad of the agrometeorological onset and end of the growing season, and used for the definition of decision rules. Decision rules were implemented in a GIS to the NDVI image time series. The start of the growing season assessed with the NDVI dynamics was slightly better correlated with given farmer's sowing dates than with original agro-meteorological criteria. The normal start of the growing season, calculated from the NDVI image time series, was in good agreement with the recommended sowing dates. A delay of the onset of the growing season with regard to normal was monitored under near real time conditions in Burkina Faso in 1995. It was found that the delay of up to five dekads could lead to a partial crop failure and to changes in decisions of farmers. The model for the start and the end of the growing season was validated with independent data from different years. From the maps of the end and the start, maps of the length of the growing season were calculated by subtraction. The length of the growing season was found to be in agreement with agrometeorological literature, although in northern sahelian areas, the real growing season measured by the vegetation index tended to be shorter by about one dekad. In addition, the climatic map was improved by a per pixel classification of a normal (1984-1995 median) image time profile. The 36 normal NDVI images were classified using a hyperspectral image-processing tool.
Frontopolar and anterior temporal cortex activation in a moral judgment task: preliminary functional MRI results in normal subjects.

OBJECTIVE To study the brain areas which are activated when normal subjects make moral judgments. METHOD Ten normal adults underwent BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the auditory presentation of sentences that they were instructed to silently judge as either "right" or "wrong". Half of the sentences had an explicit moral content ("We break the law when necessary"), the other half comprised factual statements devoid of moral connotation ("Stones are made of water"). After scanning, each subject rated the moral content, emotional valence, and judgment difficulty of each sentence on Likert-like scales. To exclude the effect of emotion on the activation results, individual responses were hemodynamically modeled for event-related fMRI analysis. The general linear model was used to evaluate the brain areas activated by moral judgment. RESULTS Regions activated during moral judgment included the frontopolar cortex (FPC), medial frontal gyrus, right anterior temporal cortex, lenticular nucleus, and cerebellum. Activation of FPC and medial frontal gyrus (BA 10/46 and 9) were largely independent of emotional experience and represented the largest areas of activation. CONCLUSIONS These results concur with clinical observations assigning a critical role for the frontal poles and right anterior temporal cortex in the mediation of complex judgment processes according to moral constraints. The FPC may work in concert with the orbitofrontal and dorsolateral cortex in the regulation of human social conduct.
The Dynamical Balance of Flow in the Menai Strait

Observations of sea surface slope and along-channel current from two experiments are used to explore the dynamical balance in the tidally energetic Menai Strait. A regression analysis is used to deduce a new value for the sea-bed frictional drag coefficient which achieves a close balance of the forces involved. The regression results are consistent between the two experiments and highly significant (over 90% of the variance is explained), and indicate that the friction coefficient for the Menai Strait is significantly larger than that usually employed for shelf sea flows but consistent with values of the Chezy coefficient for open channel flow. The tidal cycle of along-channel flow is highly distorted as a result of shallow water (frictional) effects and there is a net transport of water to the south-west of the order of 25–30 million tonnes per tidal cycle. The non-linear (advective) acceleration term in the dynamical balance is shown to be small (<5%) compared to the leading (surface slope) term.
Prognostic Significance of AKT/mTOR and MAPK Pathways and Antitumor Effect of mTOR Inhibitor in NF1-Related and Sporadic Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors

Purpose: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma with poor prognosis. MPNSTs occur frequently in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), in which NF1 gene deficiency leads to Ras hyperactivation. Ras activation causes the subsequent activation of the AKT/mTOR and Raf/MEK/ERK pathways and regulates cellular functions. However, the activation profiles of the AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways in MPNSTs are poorly understood. The purposes of this study are to examine the correlation between the activation of these pathways and clinicopathologic or prognostic factors and to identify candidate target molecules in MPNST. Moreover, we assessed the antitumor effects of the inhibitor of candidate target. Experimental Design: Immunohistochemistry was conducted to evaluate the activation profiles of AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways using 135 tumor specimens. Immunohistochemical expressions were confirmed by Western blotting. Then, an in vitro study was conducted to examine the antitumor effect of the mTOR inhibitor on MPNST cell lines. Results: Phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT), p-mTOR, p-S6RP, p-p70S6K, p-4E-BP1, p-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 expressions were positive in 58.2%, 47.3%, 53.8%, 57.1%, 62.6%, 93.4%, and 81.3% of primary MPNSTs, respectively. Positivity for each factor showed no difference between NF1-related and sporadic MPNSTs. Univariate prognostic analysis revealed that p-AKT, p-mTOR, and p-S6RP expressions were associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, activation of each p-mTOR and p-S6RP was an independent poor prognostic factor by multivariate analysis. mTOR inhibition by Everolimus showed antitumor activity on MPNST cell lines in vitro. Conclusion: mTOR inhibition is a potential treatment option for both NF1-related and sporadic MPNSTs. Clin Cancer Res; 19(2); 450–61. ©2012 AACR.
Management of Soil Micronutrient Deficiencies in the Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Summary Within the last three decades, the rice-wheat cropping system has triggered, and with time, aggravated soil micronutrient deficiencies in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). This has largely been due to the shift from an earlier rice and wheat monoculture with low yielding, long duration indigenous varieties, to an intensive rice-wheat rotation cropping system with short duration modern high yielding varieties on the same piece of land. The problems related to micronutrient deficiency in the IGP are more due to the size of its available pools in the soil rather than its total contents and are greatly influenced by crop management, or rather its mismanagement. Deficiency of zinc is widespread in the IGP, but with the extensive use of zinc sulfate, zinc deficiency has reduced in some areas of the region. Meanwhile, the deficiency of Fe, Mn and B has increased in the IGP. Deficiency of Cu and Mo is location specific and can limit rice and wheat yields. The adoption and spread of the rice-wheat system in permeable coarse textured soils, particularly in the western IGP, not only caused iron deficiency in rice but also resulted in the emergence of manganese deficiency in wheat. In highly calcareous and acidic soils, boron is the next limiting micronutrient in crop production after zinc. Bumper rice and wheat harvests in the past decade, the declining use of organic manures in the region and except for the widespread use of zinc sulfate, a general lack of awareness amongst farmers on micronutrient deficiency problems has contributed to micronutrients limiting rice and wheat yields in the IGP. Approaches to alleviating micronutrient deficiencies include matching the crop removals of the micronutrients with its replenishments through their respective external carriers, supplementation through organic sources and mobilization/utilization through cultivation of micronutrient efficient crop cultivars. Identification of efficient micronutrient carriers and finding the optimum rate, mode and time of its application is important in ameliorating the micronutrient deficiencies. This article reviews the extent of micronutrient deficiency and discusses various management options available to reduce micronutrient deficiency induced crop yield reduction for rice and wheat in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.
Principles and practice of soil science : the soil as a natural resource

Preface.Part 1: The Soil Habitat.1 Introduction to the Soil.2 The Mineral Component of the Soil.3 Soil Organisms and Organic Matter.4 Peds and Pores.Part 2: Processes in the Soil Environment.5 Soil Formation.6 Hydrology, Soil Water and Temperature.7 Reactions at Surfaces.8 Soil Aeration.9 Processes in Profile Development.10 Nutrient Cycling.Part 3: Soil Management.11 Maintenance of Soil Productivity.12 Fertilizers and Pesticides.13 Problem Soils.14 Soil Information Systems.Index