Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BIS Working Papers

We explore the structural drivers of bank and nonbank credit cycles using a medium-scale DSGE model with two types of ﬁnancial intermediation. We posit economy-wide and sectoral disturbances in both macro and ﬁnancial sectors. We estimate that sectoral shocks to the balance sheets of entrepreneurs are important for ﬂuctuations in bank and nonbank credit growth at the business cycle frequency. Economy-wide entrepreneurial risk shocks gain predominance for explaining the lower frequency co-movement between the two series. Macro shocks play very little role in explaining ﬁnancial cycles.
Lifetime dependent flux into the lowermost stratosphere for idealized trace gases of surface origin

The flux of idealized trace gases across the thermal tropopause is quantified as a function of their chemical lifetime using the Model of Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry (MATCH) driven by National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalyses. The flux is computed in the limit of instant stratospheric chemical loss, and tropospheric chemistry is idealized as decay with a constant lifetime, τc. Emissions are idealized as time independent, with either a generic anthropogenic pattern or a uniform ocean source. We find that the globally averaged flux into the stratosphere normalized by surface emissions is ∼1% for τc= 8 days and ∼30% for τc ∼ 140 days, slowly approaching the long‐lived limit of balance between stratospheric sinks and surface sources. The qualitative τc dependence of the globally averaged flux is captured by a simple one‐dimensional model. The flux patterns computed with MATCH for the NCEP reanalyses are insensitive to τc and reveal preferred pathways into the stratosphere: The divergent circulation feeding isentropic cross‐tropopause transport, storm tracks in the winter hemisphere, and isentropic transport to high latitudes.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS OF SKIER-TRIGGERED AVALANCHES

Snowpack characteristics for skier-triggered avalanches are described in order to better understand skier triggering, to improve snow profile observation and interpretation, to make suggestions for route selection and to provide a basis for further research. Our analysis is based on field observations of skier-triggered avalanche sites in the Columbia Mountains of Canada and the Swiss Alps. Although these two mountain ranges have different climates the characteristics for skier triggering are similar. The analysis has focussed on slab properties and weak layer properties, and in particular their interaction. The findings support the simple model of skier loading. The slab should preferably be soft to enable the skier to efficiently impart deformations to the weak layer. The slab has to be relatively shallow (50 cm), since the skier's impact strongly decreases with increasing depth. A distinct difference in hardness between the slab and the weak layer causes stress concentrations and favours fracture initiation. Accordingly, when travelling in the backcountry, areas of thinner-than-average snowpack may be potential trigger points, especially when a persistent weak layer exists in the snowpack. Therefore areas of thinner-than-average snowpack are as well the preferred sites for snow profiles and for testing snow stability.
Geomagnetic field intensity from 71 to 12 ka as recorded in deep‐sea sediments of the Blake Outer Ridge, North Atlantic Ocean

In this paper we estimate relative geomagnetic field paleointensity between 71 and 12 kyrs BP as recorded in three deep sea sediment cores from the Blake Outer Ridge, western North Atlantic Ocean. Paleointensities were estimated by normalizing sediment natural remanant magnetization separately to (1) magnetic susceptibility, (2) anhysteretic remanant magnetization and (3) saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM). In one core, paleointensities were estimated within short time windows which display uniform sediment magnetic characteristics, and offsets between windows were removed to minimize environmental biases. We find that most features of our records are preserved regardless of normalizer choice, but we chose SIRM as the best normalizer for the final paleointensity estimates. Our three records preserve and agree upon a number of short-duration (∼103 years) paleointensity features even though the cores are separated by almost 250 km. We conclude that these are real geomagnetic field signals of at least local extent. We also identify a number of differences between our records which must be artifacts of sediment remanence acquisition or paleointensity normalization. Such artifacts occur as either (1) baseline shifts between time intervals with slightly different sediment magnetic characteristics or (2) differences in amplitude of short duration events. In spite of these environmental biases, the number and ages of relative paleointensity highs and lows are preserved. Thus sediment paleointensity estimates may be used locally for high-resolution chronostratigraphic correlation. Correlation of our paleointensity records with other records from the same extended region (North Atlantic Ocean-western Europe) indicates that major paleointensity features appear in all regional records. However, differences in the ages and disagreement in magnitude and number of individual features call into doubt the use of these relative paleointensity records for high-resolution chronostratigraphic correlation on a broader regional scale or for quantitative estimation of past geomagnetic field variability.
A pressure core based characterization of hydrate‐bearing sediments in the Ulleung Basin, Sea of Japan (East Sea)

[1] The physical characteristics of hydrate-bearing sediments sampled by pressure coring from the Ulleung Basin in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) were investigated using an instrumented chamber capable of testing recovered natural sediments that have never left the methane hydrate stability field. The heterogeneous distribution of segregated hydrate veins and lens structures in sediments results in highly variable geophysical and geomechanical properties. The scaled production test was conducted by controlled depressurization of pressure cores while dissociation and gas production were concurrently monitored using various sensors in the instrumented chamber. The hydrate saturation was estimated to be ∼19.5% in the pore space. Data show a sharp reduction in sediment shear and bulk stiffnesses during hydrate dissociation. Relatively fast gas migration was observed, probably along high-conduction planes left behind as hydrate veins dissociated. The spatial distribution of hydrates in sediment was analyzed based on 3-D image processing. The phenomena relevant to the production test and sampling effects during pressure coring are discussed.
Presence of persistent organochlorine pesticides in estuaries of the subtropical Mexican Pacific

A set of 40 samples of sediments and shrimps (Litopenaeus spp.) from two estuaries in the subtropical Mexican Pacific (San Blas, Nayarit) was analysed to determine the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). These pesticides have been widely used and dispersed in the study area, either for agriculture crops or control of malaria. For sediments of both estuaries (Pozo-Rey and San Cristobal), the results show that the most frequent compounds were the HCH isomers, endosulphan and DDT group. The shrimp's tissues follow the same pattern of pesticide distribution. The HCH isomers being the most frequent compounds, they demonstrated their broad use. The concentration of OCPs detected in this study area was lower than those previously reported in other wetlands from the Mexican Pacific. All OCPs identified in this work are banned by the Mexican legislation, with their consequent risks to the environment and the public health.
Validation of stratospheric temperatures measured by Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) on Envisat

[1] The Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) onboard the Envisat satellite provides temperature and various gas profiles from limb-viewing midinfrared emission measurements. The stratospheric temperatures retrieved at the Institut fur Meteorologie und Klimaforschung (IMK) for September/October 2002 and October/November 2003 are compared with a number of reference data sets, including global radiosonde (RS) observations, radio occultation (RO) measurements of Global Positioning System (GPS) on German Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and Argentinean Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-C (SAC-C) satellite, Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), and the analyses of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Met Office (METO), United Kingdom. The data sets show a good general agreement. Between 10 and 30 km altitude the mean differences are within ±0.5 K for the averages over the height interval and within ±(1–1.5) K at individual levels for comparisons with RS, GPS-RO/CHAMP, and SAC-C, ECMWF, and METO. Between 30 and 45 km the MIPAS mean temperatures, averaged over the height region, are higher than ECMWF but lower than METO by ∼1.5 K, while they differ by ±0.5 K with respect to HALOE, with maximum discrepancies of ∼2.5 K peaking around 35 km. Between 45 and 50 km, MIPAS temperatures show a low bias compared to HALOE, ECMWF, and METO with mean differences of −1 to −3 K and with a better agreement with HALOE. The large discrepancies between MIPAS and the analyses above 30 km likely suggest deficiency in the underlying general circulation models. The standard deviations vary between 2.5 and 3.5 K for individual data sets, with more than 70% being contributed from the expected variability of the atmosphere. Retrieved temperatures with accuracy of ∼0.5–1 K after removing the atmospheric variability provide highly accurate knowledge to characterize our environment.
An interdisciplinary study of weathering effects in ordinary chondrites from the Acfer region, Algeria

Abstract— Weathering effects on meteorite finds from the Acfer region were studied by various analytical techniques and in dependence on the depth of sampling. In thin sections of weathered meteorites, weathering effects usually decrease from the outside to the interior of the meteorite. The results of evolved gas analysis indicate that variation in weathering between surface and core is not significant in respect to the formation of Fe‐oxyhydroxides. The secondary alteration effects in the noble gases are distributed unevenly throughout the specimens, as seen in the nonsystematic differences observed for the heavy noble gases. Chemical analyses show significant enrichment of Ba and Sr in the outer parts of the weathered samples due to element contamination through aqueous solution. Iron, Ni, and Co are partly flushed from the system as the metal oxidation proceeds. Oxygen isotopes show increases in δ18O and δ17O with increasing terrestrial age. For a set of H3 chondrites, the degree of weathering determined from the water content was correlated with terrestrial ages and is discussed with respect to possible weathering mechanisms.
Biœnik Cave and its biostratigraphical position based on equid remains

Excavations in Biœnik Cave have revealed a more or less complete depositional sequence covering the period of MIS 8 to the Holocene. Nearly all layers have produced faunal remains, contributing important information on a fauna of a period which is under- represented in Eastern European Pleistocene collections. Since this region acted as a hinge between the steppe environments of Russia and Central Asia and the oceanic regions of Western Europe, as well as providing refugium areas, research on the site presents an im- portant advance in our knowledge of the late Middle Pleistocene and early Late Pleisto- cene in this area. Caballoid horse remains present an important source of information on the biostratigraphical position of sites dating from this period, as well as furnishing infor- mation on climatic conditions and biogeography based on morphological characteristics. Horse remains from Biœnik Cave are here analysed against a background of other late Middle and Late Pleistocene samples. Remains from all layers in the cave can be attrib- uted to Equus ferus. A gradual morphological change is documented in the sedimentary sequence. Large, robust and somewhat primitive specimens were recovered from the in- terglacial and interstadial lower deposits, indicating a highly productive but relatively open environment. Their morphology could indicate links with Central Asian popula- tions. The upper sedimentary layers witness a size decrease, while the horses remained ro- bust in the glacial and increasingly marginal environments of the Last Glacial.
Successful preoperative bridge with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in three neonates with D-transposition of the great vessels and pulmonary hypertension

Abstract Pulmonary hypertension with transposition of the great arteries is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. At the worst end of the spectrum are patients who undergo extracorporeal support perioperatively. We describe our experience with three patients who received preoperative extracorporeal support and separated from cardiopulmonary bypass successfully on conventional postoperative care, with no significant deficits on follow-up.
A Principled Intelligent Occupational Training of Psychomotor Skills in Virtual Reality

—The use of virtual reality (VR) for occupational training of psychomotor skills has been investigated for decades. Previous literature show that training in VR increases engagement, expedites learning, enhance safety, and improves skills in reality. Grounding on these progress, industry has begun to adopt VR to train their workers. However, we observe a disconnect between learning sciences and the current practice in VR training. Numerous literature across domains rely on self-assessment of the learners to predict whether they have reached a sufficient level, or mastery, of skill. However, it is well-established that self-assessment is inaccurate. Yet, there is no alternative for self-assessment to predict mastery of psychomotor skills. We propose to use bayesian knowledge tracing (BKT), a de facto standard in education to predict students’ mastery of cognitive skills, for psychomotor skill mastery prediction. Using BKT, we design an intelligent occupational training system in VR. We conduct a between subjects study with 18 participants, with the control group relying on self-assessment to adjust curriculum and progression speed, while BKT is used instead for the experimental condition. Our results demonstrate the negative impact of self-assessment on psychomotor skill learning in VR, and shows the benefits of BKT as an alternative to self-assessment.
Simultaneous selection for yield and ratooning ability in sugarcane genotypes using analysis of covariance

Ratooning ability increases sugarcane production economics by reducing frequency of planting. During sugarcane breeding, indirect selection for pest resistance and direct selection for high ratoon yields increases ratooning ability. The objective of this study was to describe the simultaneous screening of genotypes for yield and ratooning ability in sugarcane breeding trials using analysis of covariance. Data for cane yield (tons ha−1) and stalk population (×103 ha−1) collected from five trials harvested from plant to fourth ratoon crops were analysed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). There were significant differences in parameters for yield (intercept) and ratooning ability (slope) among test genotypes indicating potential for simultaneous screening. Comparison of genotypes to a control with known ratooning ability identified higher yield and good ratooning genotypes. Graphical trends identified genotype differences in yield and ratooning ability. The economics of yield and ratooning ability of two varieties was compared providing a mechanism for variety choice at planting. The method described provided statistical tests that would increase genotype selection efficiency for ratooning ability. The decline in yield among genotypes is slowed by the increase in stalk population.
in the Caerphilly Prospective Study Is Sticky Blood Bad for the Brain?: Hemostatic and Inflammatory Systems and Dementia

Objective —Hemostasis and inflammation have been implicated in dementia. This study investigates the role of specific hemostatic and inflammatory pathways with incident vascular and nonvascular dementia. Methods and Results —This was a prospective study of a population sample of men aged 65 to 84 years, with baseline assessment of hemostatic and inflammatory factors and cognition measured 17 years later. The sample included 865 men (59 had dementia and 112 had cognitive impairment, not dementia), free of vascular disease at baseline and for whom hemostatic and inflammatory marker data were available and cognitive status was known. A total of 15 hemostatic and 6 inflammatory markers were assessed. Factor analysis was used to identify hemostatic subsystems. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke–Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l’Enseignement en Neurologie criteria were used to identify vascular dementia. By using standardized ( z ) scores for hemostatic and inflammatory markers, and after adjustment for age and risk factors, vascular dementia was associated with fibrinogen (hazard ratio [HR], 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–2.76), factor VIII (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.09–3.00), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (HR, 3.13; 95% CI, 1.73–5.70). For vascular dementia, the HR risk from high levels of all three hemostatic variables (fibrinogen, factor VIII, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1) was 2.97 ( P (cid:1) 0.001). Inflammatory factors were not associated with vascular dementia. Conclusion —The associations of these hemostatic markers with vascular dementia may implicate clot formation as the primary mechanism and are consistent with a microinfarct model of vascular dementia. ( Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol . 2010;30:599-604.)
Low grade metamorphism in the Lower Ordovician Skiddaw Group of the Lake District, England

SUMMARY A white-mica crystallinity (illite crystallinity) survey of the Lower Ordovician Skiddaw Group of the Lake District has revealed a complex pattern in which Kubler Index values range from 0.42 Δ°2θ (diagenetic), large areas of the outcrop having anchizonal values (0.21–0.42 Δ°2θ). The μ m mineralogy of the higher grade rocks is dominated by 2M 1 muscovite and chlorite, and interlayered paragonite-muscovite is common; lower grade rocks contain 1Md illite, chlorite and interlayered illite-smectite, in some cases accompanied by pyrophyllite and, rarely, kaolinite. The pattern of variation can be related to the metamorphic history of the area in which anchizonal burial metamorphism during the Silurian was superseded by Lower Devonian (Acadian) upper anchizonal to epizonal regional metamorphism in areas in which slaty cleavage is relatively well developed. The contrast between these latter areas and those retaining the burial signature was heightened by late Devonian uplift and faulting. Sub-volcanic metamorphism during Caradocian volcanism is also considered likely to have attained anchizonal grades. Numerous additional variations within the pattern are related to interference with the 10A muscovite diffraction peaks by interlayered paragonite and smectite, induration by minor intrusions and movement on Caledonian and post-Carboniferous faults.
Comparison of high-level clouds represented in a global cloud system–resolving model with CALIPSO/CloudSat and geostationary satellite observations

[1] Vertical and horizontal distributions of high-level clouds (ice and snow) simulated in high-resolution global cloud system–resolving simulations by the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) are compared with satellite observations. Ice and snow data in a 1 week experiment by the NICAM 3.5 km grid mesh global simulation initiated at 0000 UTC 25 December 2006 are used in this study. The vertical structure of ice and snow represented by NICAM was compared with Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and CloudSat observations. High-level clouds (cumulonimbus and cirrus type clouds) classified by the split window (11 and 12 μm) data on board geostationary meteorological satellites (GMSs) were used for comparison of the horizontal distributions of ice and snow in NICAM. The vertical distributions of ice and snow simulated by NICAM qualitatively agree well with those of cloud signals observed by CALIPSO and CloudSat. We computed corresponding cloud lidar backscatter coefficients and cloud radar reflectivity signals from ice and snow data of NICAM using Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) observational simulator packages. The contoured frequency by altitude diagram for the cloud lidar backscatter coefficients shows lower frequency at higher altitude of 8–14 km by NICAM than CALIOP observations. This suggests that the amount of ice is not well represented in NICAM. The simulated cloud radar reflectivity signals by NICAM indicated higher frequency at 8–10 km altitude than CloudSat observations, although there were some differences between over oceans and continents. This implies that the amount of snow is larger in NICAM simulations. The horizontal pattern of ice clouds (column-integrated ice and snow of greater than 0.01 kg/m2) in NICAM shows good agreement with that of high-level clouds identified by the split window analysis. During this 1 week simulation, 48–59% of ice clouds in NICAM matches with observed high-level clouds. The cross correlation between the spatial distributions of simulated ice clouds and satellite-observed high-level clouds is 0.40–0.51, and the equitable threat score is 0.31–0.45. Furthermore, temporal variations of column-integrated ice clouds in NICAM are compared with high-level clouds classified by the split window at the decaying stage of deep convection over the tropics. The results indicate that the mean decaying speed of ice clouds of NICAM and high-level clouds by satellite observations agrees well for this analysis area and period, although the variances are larger in NICAM. This implies that the fall speed of snow in this NICAM experiment is appropriate to depict the decay of anvil clouds by compensating for the excess of snow in NICAM simulations, when we assume that the decay of anvil clouds is largely controlled by the evaporation of ice and snow.
The rise of varves

Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau, Terre, Environnement, Québec, QC, Canada G1K 9A9; pierre.francus@ete.inrs. ca Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; jack.ridge@tufts.edu Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden; mark@gvc.gu. se Manuscript received 8 July 2013. Revised manuscript accepted 3 August 2013.