Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bayesian data fusion applied to water table spatial mapping

Water table elevations are usually sampled in space using piezometric measurements that are unfortunately expensive to obtain and are thus scarce over space. Most of the time, piezometric data are sparsely distributed over large areas, thus providing limited direct information about the level of the corresponding water table. As a consequence, there is a real need for approaches that are able at the same time to (1) provide spatial predictions at unsampled locations and (2) enable the user to account for all potentially available secondary information sources that are in some way related to water table elevations. In this paper, a recently developed Bayesian data fusion (BDF) framework is applied to the problem of water table spatial mapping. After a brief presentation of the underlying theory, specific assumptions are made and discussed to account for a digital elevation model and for the geometry of a corresponding river network. On the basis of a data set for the Dijle basin in the north part of Belgium, the suggested model is then implemented and results are compared to those of standard techniques such as ordinary kriging and cokriging. Respective accuracies and precisions of these estimators are finally evaluated using a “leave‐one‐out” cross‐validation procedure. Although the BDF methodology was illustrated here for the integration of only two secondary information sources (namely, a digital elevation model and the geometry of a river network), the method can be applied for incorporating an arbitrary number of secondary information sources, thus opening new avenues for the important topic of data integration in a spatial mapping context.
Brittle failure of columnar saline ice under triaxial compression

The brittle compressive failure of cubes of columnar saline ice was studied under triaxial (proportional) loading where the ratio of normal stresses (σ11:σ22:σ33:) was varied in a systematic manner using a true multiaxial loading system. The strain rate in the direction of the greatest applied compressive stress was 6×10−3 s−1 and the temperature was −10°C. The failure surface is faceted and reveals three regimes: (1) of lower across-column confinement where the along-column confinement has no significant effect on the major across-column stress at failure, but where the minor across-column stress raises the strength; (2) of higher across-column confinement where along-column confinement now raises the major across-column stress at failure; and (3) of predominantly along-column loading where the along-column failure stress increases in proportion to the smaller of the two across-column confining stresses. Each regime shows a high sensitivity of strength to the appropriate confining stress. The behavior is explained in terms of the frictional crack sliding-wing crack mechanism of brittle compressive failure.
Sequence, rheological properties, and effusion rates of volcanic flows at Alba Patera, Mars

Volcanic flows with very large areas characterize the Martian volcano Alba Patera. Photogeologic analysis indicates a change of eruptive style with time, from early flood lavas to relatively short, narrow, leveed summit flows during the dying phase of activity. Estimates of mass effusion rate and rheological properties derived from dimensional parameters confirm the view that the magmas involved were mafic, and indicate extremely high effusion rates (5–1610 × 103m3 sec−1) for the earlier flows. The data substantiates the view that during the active life of Alba volcano mass eruption rates in the Tharsis region of Mars were significantly higher than in most analogous terrestrial provinces, but probably not as high as those for lunar mare basalts.
Can we model DNA at the mesoscale?.Comment on “Fluctuations in the DNA double helix: A critical review” by Frank-Kamenetskii and Prakash

The review by Frank-Kamenetskii and Prakash [1] includes a discussion on the theoretical approaches intending to provide a quantitative analysis of DNA fluctuations, but, as this topic is very broad, it concentrates on two particular cases: the two-state Poland–Scheraga model [2] and the Peyrard–Bishop–Dauxois (PBD) mesoscopic approach which describes the fluctuations of a base pair in terms of a single variable [3], the stretching of the pair. The main point of the authors, emphasized in the conclusion, is that any mesoscopic model does not make sense, and as molecular dynamics cannot reach the time scales needed to investigate an event so rare as base-pair opening, only the two-state model remains. We think that such a sharp judgment can be questioned. Discarding all molecular dynamics studies is certainly unjustified. It is true that the simulations face difficulties owing to the very large number of atoms that have to be studied, even for a short DNA fragment, due to the solvent, and owing to the gap in time scales between small vibrational motions and the full opening of a base pair. However, molecular dynamics is more than brute force calculations of time trajectories. It can be used for a clever sampling of the phase space allowing a calculation of the free energy pathways for base pair openings, taking into account the solvent and counterions [4], giving in turn precious information for modeling DNA at an intermediate scale. In their assessment of mesoscopic models, the authors of the review adopt the same kind of narrow view, which leads them to two fundamental misunderstandings: first, as in the case of molecular dynamics, the review puts emphasis on the dynamics, which is not at all the best way to derive useful results from a model, and second the authors do not seem to realize that, in a mesoscopic model, the “potentials” are actually containing the missing microscopic degrees of freedom in some effective way so that a statement such as “the model considers DNA as if it where in vacuum” is completely wrong. Let us comment on these two points. Dynamics versus statistical physics. In contrast to the two-state model, for a mesoscopic model such as PBD it is easy to write equations of motions. This does not mean that they have to be used to derive the most useful results that can be obtained with such a model. Very few experiments are actually able to access time-dependent properties. Most of them probe equilibrium properties, such as the average opening at a given temperature (i.e. the melting
Surface Sealing and Hydraulic Conductances under Varying-Intensity Rains

In the past, investigations on surface seals developing under simulated rains usually were performed with uniform rainfall intensities. Recent studies, however, showed that varying-intensity rains affect erosion and volumes of runoff. We conducted a study on surface sealing under varying-intensity rains using physical and morphological methods. Four 1-h-duration rainfall patterns were used: S1, S2, S3 and S4, with mean rainfall intensities of 83, 69, 65, and 51 mm h-1, respectively, and highest intensities of 148, 120, 111, and 100 mm h-1, respectively. Two experiments were performed in triplicate: (i) in packed soil columns, pressure heads at 1-cm depth were measured, and runoff (Rt) and wash sediment (St) collected at short time intervals during S1, S3, and S4 patterns; and (ii) packed shallow soil flumes were successively exposed to 10, 15, 30, 40, and 60 min of S2 and S4 patterns, and the surface was then characterized by micromorphological analysis of thin sections (S2) and top-view photographs (S2 and S4). The largest differences between rainfall patterns occurred during the intensity peaks (10–30 min): at the end of these periods, measured surface seal hydraulic conductances (β) attained values of 0.80, 0.25, and 0.51 h-1 for S1, S3, and S4, respectively. These relative β values are thought to be due to partially open surfaces as a result of microrill erosion (S1), complete sealing without erosion (S3), and incomplete sealing (S4). Presented Rt, St, and morphological data support these conclusions. After 5 min of the intensity peaks of S2, surface seals attained maximum observed thickness and minimum macroporosity (>30 µm). Planar voids (>500 µm) were eliminated at this point. Under continuing rain, erosion reduced the seal thickness and increased macroporosity, mainly as planar voids
Influence of bank vegetation on alluvial channel patterns

Numerous studies have suggested the importance of bank vegetation as a control of channel patterns; however, to date there is no conclusive evidence that vegetation does represent a significant control. An analytical model is developed in order to assess the influence of bank vegetation on channel patterns of alluvial gravel‐bed rivers. Three channel types are considered: meandering, wandering, and braided. Bank vegetation effects are quantified in terms of a friction angle ϕ′. A new theoretical meandering‐braiding transition criterion is formulated that includes ϕ′, median grain diameter D50, and bank‐full discharge Q. The theoretical relation is tested against field data from 137 rivers and successfully discriminates between meandering and braided rivers. Wandering rivers show greater scatter. It is concluded that bank vegetation, as expressed in terms of ϕ′, does exert significant and quantifiable control on alluvial channel patterns. A simple planform stability diagram is developed to determine the sensitivity of gravel‐bed rivers to changes in bank vegetation.
Seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle beneath the Pacific

Onset time differences of up to 3 s are observed between transverse (SSH) and longitudinal (SSV) components of broadband S waves at distances of 85° to 120° for paths traversing the lowermost mantle (D”) beneath the Pacific. After correction for upper mantle anisotropy, SSH usually arrives earlier than SSV with the splitting increasing with distance from 100° to 120°. The data yield two possible models of anisotropy: (1) anisotropy may vary laterally, with transverse isotropy existing in higher‐than‐average shear velocity regions beneath the northeastern Pacific, or (2) anisotropy may vary with depth, with transverse isotropy concentrated in a thin (100 km) thermal boundary layer at the base of D”. A few recordings at distances less than 105° show that SSV arrives earlier than SSH, indicating that general anisotropy likely exists in shallower regions of D”.
Genetic Structural Provinces and Salt Tectonics of the Cenozoic Offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico: A Preliminary Analysis

Structures in the Cenozoic section of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico margin are thin-skinned, gravity-driven, and powered by the deposition of sediment on the shelf and upper slope. Deformation driven by sedimentation takes the form of salt displacement (including diapirism, salt withdrawal, and salt canopy formation), plus seaward gravity spreading and sliding. Lateral flow of salt gives rise to the emplacement of large-scale salt canopies of different ages. Lateral tectonic movement of both sediment and salt results in linked systems on a wide range of scales. We identify four structural provinces that contain distinct groups of structural elements believed to be genetically related: (1) far-eastern Gulf, in which no major Cenozoic deformation is seen; (2) eastern Gulf, defined mainly by a middle-late Miocene linked system of extension and contraction; (3) central Gulf, in which Oligocene updip extension was absorbed within a preexisting giant salt canopy; and (4) western Gulf, defined by several Paleogene-middle Miocene linked systems of extension and contraction. The ages and extents of each linked system match the major foci of sediment input to the shelf.
Comparing Heat‐Pulse and Time Domain Reflectometry Soil Water Contents from Thermo‐Time Domain Reflectometry Probes

The thermo‐time domain reflectometry (thermo‐TDR) technique provides a valuable tool for monitoring coupled heat, water, and chemical transport in the vadose zone. This study evaluated the heat‐pulse and the TDR methods for soil water content determination using the thermo‐TDR probe. Laboratory measurements were conducted on repacked and undisturbed soil columns of different bulk densities and water contents. For the heat‐pulse method, the bulk specific heats of soil solids were determined using the thermo‐TDR probe on oven‐dried soil samples, and volumetric soil water content (θHP) was estimated from the heat capacity and water content relationship. For TDR measurements, the first reflection point on the waveform was determined by shorting the probe in air and the apparent probe length was determined from calibration in distilled water. The Topp equation was applied to convert the apparent relative permittivity to soil water content (θTDR). The thermo‐TDR probe is ideal for making the comparison between the heat pulse and TDR methods because the probe makes both measurements on nearly the same soil volume (approximate radius of 14 mm about the central heater for θHP and approximate radius of 11 mm about the central cylinder for θTDR). Experimental results on eight soils showed that both TDR and heat‐pulse methods gave reliable soil water content data for repacked and undisturbed soil. Comparing with gravimetrically measured volumetric water content, the root mean square error (RMSE) of θTDR measurements was 0.023 m3 m−3 for repacked soils and 0.018 m3 m−3 for undisturbed soils. The RMSE of θHP measurements was 0.022 m3 m−3 for repacked soils and 0.021 m3 m−3 for undisturbed soils. The relatively large RMSE of the TDR measurements is attributed to the relatively short length (4‐cm) of the thermo‐TDR probe. The TDR method showed less sensitivity to spatial soil variability than did the heat‐pulse method. The heat‐pulse technique seemed better suited than TDR for water content measurements on soils with relatively high organic matter content.
The Lanzo peridotite massif, Italian Western Alps: Jurassic rifting of the Ligurian Tethys

Abstract The Lanzo Massif in the Western Alps consists of three bodies (North, Central and South) of mantle peridotites that were exhumed from the subcontinental mantle lithosphere to the sea floor during lithosphere extension related to the formation of the Jurassic Ligurian Tethys oceanic basin. The North Lanzo protoliths were located at shallower lithospheric levels than the South Lanzo protoliths. During exhumation, early MORB-type fractional melts from the asthenosphere infiltrated and modified the South Lanzo protoliths. Later on, aggregate MORB melts passed through the South Lanzo peridotites, migrating within replacive peridotite channels, and impregnated the North Lanzo peridotites. Ongoing lithosphere extension and stretching caused break-up of the continental crust and sea-floor exposure of the Lanzo peridotites. The North Lanzo peridotites, deriving from shallower lithospheric levels, were exhumed and exposed at more external ocean–continent transition (OCT) zones of the basin, whereas the South Lanzo peridotites, deriving from deeper lithospheric levels, were exhumed and exposed at more internal oceanic (MIO) settings of the basin. Field, petrographical–structural and petrological–geochemical studies on the Lanzo mantle peridotites provide mantle constraints regarding the geodynamic evolution of the Europe–Adria extensional system during the rifting and opening of the Ligurian Tethys basin.
Wintertime roll and cell convection over Greenland and Barents Sea regions: A climatology

Wintertime cold-air outbreaks from the polar ice and land surfaces over the open sea lead to organized convective patterns (OCP) in the atmosphere, visible as cloud streets and cellular cloud structures on satellite images. Large amounts of energy are transferred from the ocean to the atmosphere and convective organized flows contribute substantially to the vertical fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum in the boundary layer. However, little is known about the frequency of OCP occurrence. The paper is aimed to fill this gap and presents a climatology of OCP occurrence over the Greenland Sea and Barents Sea. The study is based on daily NOAA satellite images of 10 winters (November till March) for the years from 1985/1986 to 1994/1995. It covers the area from 70°N to 82.5°N and from 20°W to 60°E and is subdivided into 40 subareas with a grid size of 10 degrees in longitude and 2.5 degrees in latitude. OCP occur in more than 50% of the time averaged over the 10 winters. Complete absence of OCP is observed in less than 5% of the time. OCP occur most frequently over the Westspitsbergen current and around the border between the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea. Cloud streets are the dominating OCP mode close to the ice edge, whereas cellular structures dominate at farther distances. Variability of OCP occurrence may be large on all timescales. A relation between ice extent and frequency of OCP occurrence is present occasionally.
Transport of Mercury in Three Contrasting River Basins

Total mercury (THg) concentrations and loadings in the Minnesota, Mississippi, and St. Croix Rivers were determined over a 2-year period. These rivers drain watersheds with greatly contrasting land use, soil, and hydrological characteristics. The Minnesota River basin is characterized by a vast artificial drainage network and fertile prairie soils that support the intensive cultivation of row crops. Mercury levels in this river are strongly correlated with total suspended solids concentrations, varying widely in response to precipitation and snowmelt runoff events. The St. Croix River and the headwater Mississippi River (above its confluence with the Minnesota River) drain watersheds characterized by more acidic and sandy soils, more forest and wetland areas, less artificial drainage, and less cultivation as compared to the Minnesota River watershed. Mercury concentrations and loadings in these rivers are much lower than those observed in the Minnesota River, vary over a much narrower range, and reflect a.
Governance Risk and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns: Do Business Cycles Help to Solve the Puzzle?

This paper investigates the asset-pricing implications of corporate governance decisions. Since Gompers, Ishii and Metrick (2003), the question of whether governance indices are priced into stocks has been debated. From an asset pricing perspective, it remains a puzzle that firms with low indices or good governance also deliver higher risk premiums. We propose a framework with governance risk and business cycles to explain this puzzle and to provide theoretical and empirical evidence of a connection between corporate governance decisions and asset-pricing theory. Our finding is made possible by introducing business cycles and Epstein-Zin type of investors into corporate finance models with agency conflicts. JEL Codes: G30, G12, G32, G14
The Inappropriate Use of Crop Transpiration Coefficients (Kc) to Estimate Evapotranspiration in Arid Ecosystems: A Review

ABSTRACT The transpiration coefficient (Kc) method estimates evapotranspiration as a proportion of the evapotranspiration of a reference crop growing in ideal conditions. This approach was designed for irrigated crops and assumes that plants are not subjected to resource limitations. Other assumptions are that plants have high leaf area index and little stomatal resistance to water loss. These conditions are not common for arid-land vegetation. However, mainly due to its simplicity, some studies have proposed the use of transpiration coefficients as a method of determining evapotranspiration in arid environments. In this article, the documented applications of the Kc method in arid environments and their accuracy are reviewed. We also critically discuss the physiological and agronomic concepts that support the Kc method as they relate to water-limited environments. The Kc method typically overestimates water use when plants encounter suboptimal conditions of soil water because it does not consider stomatal regulation and plant adaptations to drought. We conclude that, although the transpiration coefficient method is simple to implement and widely recognized, it is not suitable for determining evapotranspiration of vegetation adapted to arid conditions.
Overexcitability in Children Aged 8 and 9 in Parents’ Perception. Does Sex Matter?

Overexcitabilities (OEs) that manifest themselves in intense, emotional, and deep experiencing are part of the developmental potential in Kazimierz Dąbrowski’s Theory of Positive Disinte-gration. Most of the studies of OEs are conducted with gifted individuals, using self-evaluation. The present study was carried out among children randomly selected from a general school population, excluding the selective criterion of high abilities. With the use of the Overexcitabil-ity Inventory for Parents (OIP-II), parents’ perceptions of their children’s profiles of OEs were collected. The OIP-II consists of six scales: psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual OEs, plus emotional sensitivity and emotional empathy. The participants were 116 parents of children aged 8 (13 girls, 29 boys) and 9 (37 girls, 37 boys) from Poland. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA
Gated communities: definitions, causes and consequences

Gated communities became an ‘object of study’ in the 1990s as social scientists observed their growth in several cities; they are now a feature of the urban landscape in most cities around the world. The expansion of gated communities has led to prolific research, examining different aspects of this type of residential development and providing evidence from case studies worldwide. This paper reviews how gated communities are conceptualised according to the literature and identifies the main factors influencing their development. It also considers spatial, economic, political and social consequences of the development of gated communities. These elements should be taken into account by planners and policy-makers to minimise their negative impacts and maximise the positive consequences of a residential option that is likely to be part of the urban landscape for a long time.
Magmatic vapor contraction and the transport of gold from the porphyry environment to epithermal ore deposits

Fluid-phase stability relations combined with thermodynamic modeling using fluid-inclusion analyses and new gold-solubility experiments lead to an integrated geological interpretation linking epithermal gold mineralization and porphyry-style ore formation to the cooling of hydrous magma chambers. The essential chemical requirement for gold transport to low temperatures is an initial excess of sulfide over Fe in the magmatic fluid, which is best achieved by condensing out Fe-rich brine from a buoyant, low- to medium-salinity vapor enriched in volatile S. This vapor can contract directly to an aqueous liquid, by cooling at elevated pressure above the critical curve of the salt-water fluid system. Physical and chemical conditions are matched when magmatic fluid is released through a gradually downward-retracting interface of crystallizing magma beneath a porphyry stock, predicting the consistent zoning and overprinting relations of alteration and mineralization observed in magmatic hydrothermal systems.