Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of distance decay on the measurement of spillover effects of transport infrastructure: a sensitivity analysis

The market potential model is frequently used to analyse conditions relating to the accessibility of an area. In recent times, it has also been applied for evaluating spatial spillovers produced by infrastructures. However, the results of this indicator are influenced by the distance exponent value, representing the effect of distance decay on economic flows. In order to justify the choice of distance exponent value, the model is calibrated using data on interregional trade, both in tonnage and in Euros. This study also analyses how variation in the distance exponent affects the results obtained, with respect to spatial spillovers. As a previous step we also look to the influence of this exponent on the market potential results. The sensitivity analysis indicates that an increase in the distance exponent leads to a dramatic fall in the market potential of different areas (at the same time as the self-potential value increases in relative terms). This drop in market potential is particularly marked in regions with smaller internal markets and this translates into greater differences between regions. Moreover, the spatial range of exported spillovers is reduced with an increase in the distance exponent, although the general tendency of the geographical distribution of spillovers remains relatively stable. Generally speaking, the analysis of monetised spillovers gives much more stable results than the analysis of market potential.
Eratosthenes Seamount: collisional processes in the easternmost Mediterranean in relation to the Plio-Quaternary uplift of southern Cyprus

Important new light is shed on subduction and incipient collisional processes in the Easternmost Mediterranean, notably the Plio-Quaternary uplift of the Troodos ophiolite, from new geophysical information collected during a cruise of the R.V. Gelendzhik in July 1993, as part of the Training-through-Research' programme. The data collected over the Eratosthenes Seamount formed part of the site-survey work for Leg 160 of the Ocean Drilling Program scheduled for spring 1995. The main results are that the Eratosthenes Seamount is in the process of actively subsiding, breaking-up and being thrust, beneath both Cyprus to the north and the Levantine Basin to the south. Northwards thrusting appears to post-date the Messinian, when evaporites accumulated around the lower flanks of a pre-existing seamount feature. Comparison with the geology of southern Cyprus and offshore areas suggests a causative link between northward underthrusting of the Eratosthenes Seamount and late Pliocene-mid Quaternary uplift of southern Cyprus, focused on the centre of the Troodos ophiolite.
Impact of initial soil moisture anomalies on climate mean and extremes over Asia

This paper focuses on the impact of soil moisture anomalies on subsequent precipitation and surface air temperature over Asia based on numerical experiments using a regional climate model. Soil moisture anomalies are applied on 1 March, 1 June, and 1 September for the spring, summer, and autumn experiments, respectively, and their impacts on both the climate mean and extremes are examined. Major findings are the following. (1) The land surface memory for soil moisture anomalies is longer in the midlatitudes and shorter in the Tropics, and such memory is enhanced by soil moisture‐precipitation feedback. (2) The wet (dry) initial soil moisture anomalies increase (reduce) the subsequent precipitation amount and reduce (increase) surface temperature. For precipitation, the strongest impacts are found in midlatitude to high‐latitude regions including northwest China, central Asia, southern Siberia; for temperature, the strongest response is found in India and Indochina regions and most of the midlatitude areas in spring, in high‐latitude and midlatitude regions in summer, and in India and eastern China (lower Yellow river basin) in autumn. (3) The impact on mean climate variables can last for 2–3 months over most regions of strong response, and the impact of wet initial soil moisture anomalies tends to be stronger but dissipates faster than the dry initial anomalies. (4) Both the dry and wet initial soil moisture anomalies tend to reinforce severe flood extremes, while other climate extremes respond to initial anomalies in a way similar to the mean climate: wet (dry) initial soil moisture anomalies reduce (amplify) the drought extremes, diminish (reinforce) the hot extremes, and enhance (reduce) the cold extremes over areas of strong soil moisture‐atmosphere coupling.
The Technique of Serial Correlation Applied to Continuous Series of Element Concentration Values in Homogeneous Rocks

A technique of serial correlation is considered for chemical data on series of adjacent specimens from homogeneous mineral deposits and a critical independent sampling interval (I-interval) is evaluated. Values taken at a sampling interval larger than the I-interval are independent in a probability sense, whereas mutual specimen influence is appreciable for smaller sampling intervals. I-intervals have been calculated for element concentration values from three examples. The I-intervals for weight percentages Zn, Ti, and $$MoS_{2}$$ in deposits of sphalerite, titaniferous magnetite, and molybdenite are 23 feet, 15 feet, and 0.5-2 feet, respectively. The examples are in the field of mineral deposits which are generally better sampled, but the theory may be applied to element concentration values in other continuous, homogeneous rocks showing random frequency distribution for a specified element. The I-interval is the one-dimensional equivalent of the PRobable-INfluence CE11 (prince), which indicates the sphere of influence of a certain value. The approximate size of the prince should be considered in sampling problems such as choosing specimen sizes and distances between the individual specimens.
Quantitative cell-free circulating BRAFV600E mutation analysis by use of droplet digital PCR in the follow-up of patients with melanoma being treated with BRAF inhibitors.

BACKGROUND Around 50% of cutaneous melanomas harbor the BRAF(V600E) mutation and can be treated with BRAF inhibitors. DNA carrying this mutation can be released into circulation as cell-free BRAF(V600E) (cfBRAF(V600E)). Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is an analytically sensitive technique for quantifying small concentrations of DNA. We studied the plasma concentrations of cfBRAF(V600E) by ddPCR in patients with melanoma during therapy with BRAF inhibitors. METHODS Plasma concentrations of cfBRAF(V600E) were measured in 8 controls and 20 patients with advanced melanoma having the BRAF(V600E) mutation during treatment with BRAF inhibitors at baseline, first month, best response, and progression. RESULTS The BRAF(V600E) mutation was detected by ddPCR even at a fractional abundance of 0.005% in the wild-type gene. Agreement between tumor tissue BRAF(V600E) and plasma cfBRAF(V600E) was 84.3%. Baseline cfBRAF(V600E) correlated with tumor burden (r = 0.742, P < 0.001). cfBRAF(V600E) concentrations decreased significantly at the first month of therapy (basal median, 216 copies/mL; Q1-Q3, 27-647 copies/mL; first response median, 0 copies/mL; Q1-Q3, 0-49 copies/mL; P < 0.01) and at the moment of best response (median, 0 copies/mL; Q1-Q3, 0-33 copies/mL; P < 0.01). At progression, there was a significant increase in the concentration of cfBRAF(V600E) compared with best response (median, 115 copies/mL; Q1-Q3, 3-707 copies/mL; P = 0.013). Lower concentrations of basal cfBRAF(V600E) were significantly associated with longer overall survival and progression-free survival (27.7 months and 9 months, respectively) than higher basal concentrations (8.6 months and 3 months, P < 0.001 and P = 0.024, respectively). CONCLUSIONS cfBRAF(V600E) quantification in plasma by ddPCR is useful as a follow-up to treatment response in patients with advanced melanoma.
Updating a Land Surface Model with MODIS-Derived Snow Cover

Abstract A simple scheme for updating snow-water storage in a land surface model using snow cover observations is presented. The scheme makes use of snow cover observations retrieved from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. Simulated snow-water equivalent is adjusted when and where the model and MODIS observation differ, following an internal accounting of the observation quality, by either removing the simulated snow or adding a thin layer. The scheme is tested in a 101-day global simulation of the Mosaic land surface model driven by the NASA/NOAA Global Land Data Assimilation System. Output from this simulation is compared to that from a control (not updated) simulation, and both are assessed using a conventional snow cover product and data from ground-based observation networks over the continental United States. In general, output from the updated simulation displays more accurate snow coverage and compares more favorably with in situ snow.
Thermal structure of crystallizing magma with two-phase Convection

Abstract Two-phase packets of crystals plus liquid form rapidly at a magma contact having a high thermal contrast with its surroundings. The packets can detach from an upper contact and settle rapidly with respect to crystal settling or turbulent stirring velocities. They carry crystals and supercooling downward and act as heat sinks for crystallization of floor cumulates. Evolution of picritic magma toward neutral buoyancy and overturn into overlying basalt magma proceeds most efficiently with two-phase convection. Sinking of hot bronzite-laden liquid into cooler anorthositic liquid destroys the liquid stratification within a day or so. Two-phase convection rarely yields crystal mush thicknesses suitable for compaction of cumulates, which occurs only for a narrow window of cooling rates. Two-phase convection leads to cool, thin boundary layers above and below hot interior magma and may tend to prevent or control turbulence. The critical timing and scale of two-phase layer detachment need further study.
Some aspects of the great success of lichens in Antarctica

The terrestrial vegetation in Antarctica is restricted to small, very isolated, ice-free areas on the continent and on the islands adjacent to the Peninsula region. Lichens, a symbiosis between a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium, form the most prominent component in the vegetation. They have the greatest number of species compared with other cryptogamic and unicellular organisms. They are able to colonize all types of solid substrata and have a low mineral nutrient demand. Their physiological vigour is derived from high freezing tolerance and the ability to be photosynthetically activated by water vapour uptake from snow at temperatures as low as c. -20°C. Long-term monitoring in their natural habitats demonstrates that lichens are photosynthetically active at suboptimal temperatures. Locally, however, they can benefit from meltwater on insolated rocks, but only for short periods in early summer. Although at this time they may be exposed to substrate temperatures of > 20°C and strong light they do not suffer from photostress. If, in winter, lichens are covered and kept dark by snow with temperatures close to 0°C, lichens enter a negative carbon balance. This effect may be relevant to lichens under conditions of global or regional warming.
Observations of Topographic Rossby Waves on the Continental Margin off Nova Scotia

Abstract Bursts of topographic-Rossby-wave energy have been observed in data recorded by an array of current meters moored on the outer continental shelf and slope off Nova Scotia north of the Gulf Stream. The waves persist for three or four cycles during which both the period (10 to 23 days) and the amplitude of the oscillations are modulated. At least four different events have been observed over approximately one year and appear to be associated with warm eddies shed by the Gulf Stream. One particularly clear event, dealt with in detail, had a period of 21 days, an offshore scale of 175 km and an offshore phase speed of 8 km day−1. The array of moorings was too small to resolve accurately the longshore scale or propagation direction. The wave appears to be barotropic (nearly uniform in amplitude and phase) at the 1000 m isobath, but increasingly baroclinic in both cross-slope directions. Deep-water kinetic energy associated with the wave appears to be uniformly distributed over the upper portion of the.
Dendroclimatic Temperature Record Derived from Tree-Ring Width and Stable Carbon Isotope Chronologies in the Middle Qilian Mountains, China

ABSTRACT Using long-lived Qilian juniper (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) in the middle Qilian Mountains, the temperature variations in the last 1000 yr were reconstructed. We find that the annual growth ring width and δ13C series mainly reflect variations in regional temperature. Except in May, warmer temperatures indicate greater growth over the period from December to April, and δ13C values in tree-rings are higher for years with higher temperature. The notable features in the temperature reconstruction are the occurrence of the Little Ice Age from A.D. 1600 to 1880 and the abrupt warming over the end of past millennia. The comparison of our chronology to a Northern Hemispheric temperature proxy shows that our tree-ring data will facilitate intercontinental differentiation of large-scale synoptic climate variability.
Vegetation re-establishment in polar “lichen-kill” landscapes: a case study of the Little Ice Age impact

It has been accepted that the extremely sparse vegetation currently observed in Canadian polar deserts is due to prevailing unfavourable climatic conditions, inhibiting plant establishment, growth and survival. Less considered in the literature is the additional antagonistic factor of episodic adverse climatic anomalies. Such was the most recent Little Ice Age (LIA) cooling which caused a setback to, or even largescale extinction of, high Arctic plant communities that had taken centuries to develop. The LIA brought about new glacial advances, expansion of permanent snow banks and formation of ice crusts over entire landscapes. The newly formed ice (and snow) killed the underlying vegetation, thus creating what is in the geological literature referred to as “lichen-kill zones. ” In these zones the current plant diversity and abundance are exceedingly low and the plants are all relatively young and even-aged, factors which all point to their recent origin. Here we maintain that this vegetation has not yet reached equilibrium with the present prevailing climate and that it is still in an initial stage of succession. We present results of eight upland sites sampled in the vicinity of Alexandra Fiord Lowland, Ellesmere Island, Canada, to demonstrate the slow recolonization process that has been occurring within the last 100–150 years after the LIA termination. The widespread presence of the “lichen-kill” zones throughout the Canadian polar regions reflects the extent and destructive nature of even minor climatic cooling on vulnerable polar ecosystems.
Signature research for crop classification by active and passive microwaves

Abstract During the last six years we have carried out a series of ground-based microwave measurements on agricultural fields. Bare soils, corn (maize), wheat, sugar-beet, potatoes, grass, canola (rape), oat, and rye were observed under various conditions and phenological stages. Our calibrated radiometer-scatterometer system, RASAM, operates at frequencies between 3 and 11 GHz. The brightness temperature was measured at horizontal and vertical polarization, and the back scattering coefficient at HH, W, HV, and VH polarization, all at incidence angles from 0° to 70°. In addition we measured soil and vegetation parameters. The data are stored in our signature data base. In this article the signature data base is reviewed with respect to crop classification. We find that between mid-June and mid-July it is possible to distinguish the dominant crops of Switzerland (cereals, corn, sugar-beet, potatoes, canola and grass) with two carefully chosen active or passive microwave parameters. The use of multi-tempora.
Fine structure measurements in a temperature‐compensated halocline

A study was made of the upper ocean region separating the winter water from the warm deep water of the northwestern Weddell Sea, using a series of 25 conductivity-temperature-depth casts. From 90 to 600 m the temperature and salinity increase by about 2°C and 0.2‰, respectively, while fine structure variations on both large and small scales are evident. The large-scale variations appear to be primarily due to isopycnal mixing (horizontal interleaving) below about 450 m and primarily due to internal waves of 8-to 10-hour period above 300 m. There is also evidence of isopycnal mixing in the upper region, especially in the latter casts where inversions appear, and some evidence of internal waves in the lower region. The small-scale structure, which shows steps in temperature, salinity, and density, is shown not to be wave induced. The steplike structures are most evident in the region of strongest vertical temperature and salinity gradients, and double-diffusive effects appear to be important. Estimates of the upward heat and salt fluxes, obtained by comparison of the present data with previous laboratory experiments, are 7.65×10−5 cal cm−2 s−1 and 3.78×10−9 g cm−2 s−1, respectively. Additional measurements taken in the central Weddell Sea show larger step structures and an upward displacement of isotherms relative to the present data, supporting earlier conclusions of upwelling toward the gyre center.
Forest canopy uptake of atmospheric nitrogen deposition at eastern U.S. conifer sites: Carbon storage implications?

Dry deposition determinations, along with wet deposition and throughfall (TF) measurements, at a spruce fir forest in central Maine were used to estimate the effect of atmospherically deposited nitrogen (N) uptake on forest carbon storage. Using nitric acid and particulate N as well as TF ammonium and nitrate data, the growing season (May‐October) net canopy uptake of atmospheric, predominantly anthropogenic, N deposition was found to be 1‐5 kg N ha−1. The ratio of growing season net canopy N uptake to that of recycled root N uptake (10‐30 kg N ha−1 during the growing season) suggests a substantial modification of the N cycle at this Maine spruce fir forest over the past decade. The growing season 1–5 kg ha−1canopy N uptake may induce an enhanced annual carbon (C) storage of 250‐1350 kg C ha−1 yr−1. This magnitude of N‐stimulated C storage may be compared with measured annual C sequestration of ∼2000 kg C ha−1 for each of the years 1996–1998 at this Maine site. Consideration of four other eastern U.S. forest sites for which net canopy N uptake data are available suggests that from 285 to 2950 kg C ha−1, annual C sequestration may be occurring at these conifer sites, consistent with the Maine site results.
Monitoring forest changes in Borneo on a yearly basis by an object-based change detection algorithm using SPOT-VEGETATION time series

Monitoring land cover over large areas on a yearly basis is challenging. The spatial and temporal consistency of an object-based change detection algorithm was tested through a multi-year application on the forest of Borneo, using SPOT-VEGETATION time series from 2000 to 2008. Continuous change thresholds allowed the tuning of the algorithm according to specific requirements in terms of omission and commission errors. The accuracy of the method was assessed using the ROC (relative operating characteristics) curves, which were found useful to evaluate the performance of the method independently of the selected threshold and to support the selection of an optimal threshold. The forest area that annually changed between 2000 and 2008 was detected and a cumulative change map was produced. The resulting change rates and the distribution of the forest change patterns were in agreement with other sources of information. These results demonstrated the very promising temporal consistency of the proposed approach. Further work aims at testing it at larger scales.
STS Implications of Japan's 3/11 Crisis

On 11 March 2011, a mega-earthquake (magnitude 9.0) hit the northeastern coast of Japan, followed by tsunamis of historic scale and a series of nuclear power plant accidents. More than fourteen thousand people reportedly died, and thirteen thousand people remain missing as of 24 April 2011. Almost a half million people became homeless—mostly due to the earthquake and tsunami and the proximity of homes to atomic power plants. The unstoppable sweep of unleashed nature rendered humans desperate and stripped them of all hubris. The events of 3/11 devastated Japan’s artifice in one fell swoop. This triple calamity represents a first in Japan’s modern history, with the exception ofwartime disasters.What strikes us is not only the number of people suffering and the geographical extension of the area devastated but also the sequential nature of the disasters. Experts believe the malignant megascale seismic activity caused the killer tsunami, and both of them at their highestmagnitude and height eventually induced the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. The structure of this disaster is so complicated that we cannot yet single out the individual causalities with any precision. Geoscientists have identified three epicenters of the quake and upgraded its magnitude from 8.8 to 9.0, and the effects of the nuclear disaster (damage to reactors and total amount of radioactive substance leaked, for instance) is not yet clearly known. Scientists will further detail these respective disastrous events. We do, however, already know one thing quite definitely: the repercussions of this triple disaster have not yet ended. Japan still reverberates from heavy aftershocks, and those may be accompanied by additional tsunamis. Moreover, none of us can completely deny the possibility of another megaquake in any adjacent re-
Ganges cone: A wide angle seismic reflection and refraction study

A seismic wide angle reflection and refraction survey on the Ganges Gone sediments has indicated an overall layered sediment sequence. Surface layers have indicated depositional features associated with submarine river channels. Structural highs suggest that the 90°E Ridge continues farther north of the present topographic relief, buried under the Ganges Cone sediments. Nine distinct values of velocities have been found throughout the region, each representing one layer. The average values of these range between 2.05 and 6.22 km/sec, and the layers vary in thickness. The average total thickness of the sediment up to the 6.22-km/sec layer is estimated at 7.87 km. These observations have been compared with oceanic and continental models. Velocity versus depth relation indicates a linear increase of velocity with depth with a gradient of 0.62 sec−1. Comparison of sediment thickness with a DSDP site on the Ganges Cone suggests that the base of the sediment may extend into Upper Cretaceous.