Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural controls and origin of gold–silver mineralization in the Grampian Terrane of Scotland and Ireland

Abstract Gold-bearing mineral deposits occur over a strike distance of >300 km within the Grampian Terrane of Scotland and Ireland. This terrane consists of Neoproterozoic–Lower Ordovician rocks of the Dalradian Supergroup that were polyphase deformed and metamorphosed during the c. 470 Ma Grampian Orogeny. Sulphide-rich Au–Ag deposits occur in Scotland at Calliachar–Urlar Burn, Tombuie, Tyndrum and Cononish, and in Ireland at Curraghinalt (Omagh), Cavanacaw, Croagh Patrick, Cregganbaun and Bohaun. They are hosted by 0.1–6 m thick quartz veins and have a similar overall mineralogy, including native gold, As, Cu, Fe, Pb and Sn sulphides, with hessite, tetrahedrite and electrum present in the first six localities above. The mineralized quartz veins, which are characterized by open-space textures, crystallized at c. 3–5 km depth in the crust. All of the deposits were structurally controlled and, apart from Curraghinalt, occur within second-order Riedel R, R′ and T fractures resulting from a regional N–S-trending maximum principal stress. These deposits are of Upper Silurian to Lower Devonian (post-Scandian) age, and are inferred to have crystallized from hot, silica-rich metamorphic fluids derived from dehydration reactions at the greenschist/amphibolite-facies boundary. Curraghinalt is an older, Grampian, thrust-related deposit. Plutonic igneous rocks (mainly granitoid) contributed in part to the fluids, which were channelled into major orogen-parallel, strike-slip faults, to be injected by fault-valve pumping into the damage zones and fault breccias of newly formed Riedel fractures. Any residual fluid probably percolated to the ground surface to form Rhynie chert-type hot-springs.
Pilot‐scale study of Polyelectrolyte‐Enhanced UF for arsenic removal

The removal of arsenic (As) from dilute aqueous solutions has become of greater interest as lower drinking standards are implemented. In polyelectrolyte‐enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF), a cationic water‐soluble polyelectrolyte (poly‐diallyldimethylammonium chloride [QUAT]) binds the anionic arsenate species and is rejected by the membrane, which has a 10 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO). In the research presented in this article, PEUF was used to treat water with As concentrations of 50–100 μg/L. The results demonstrated that PEUF was able to produce treated water that meets the proposed US Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L. In this study, the PEUF process was scaled up with a spiral‐wound ultrafiltration module operated under steady‐state continuous flow conditions (i.e., permeate flux of 80 L/m2‐h, and a pressure drop of 60 psi, which is typical for large‐volume applications). The main process parameters considered in this study were the QUAT‐to‐As ratio, pH, and the presence of background electrolytes (i.e., sulfate). The As removal efficiency improved with increasing pH, which is an advantage when the As‐tainted water is at an elevated pH since most adsorption‐based As removal methods perform better at lower pH levels.
A Study of Skin Temperature/Cloud Shadowing Relationships at the ARM SGP Site

Accurate estimates of surface “skin” temperature are necessary inputs for many remote sensing techniques including the split-window retrieval of cirrus microphysical properties and the derivation of cloud temperature in semitransparent clouds. In many satellite retrievals, this surface temperature is derived from nearby clear regions (e.g., Minnis et al. 1995). Unfortunately, these temperatures may be warmer or colder than the surface underneath the cloudy region of interest, leading to retrieval errors. In addition, if the area of interest is overcast, no suitable clear-sky region may be available to determine a surface temperature from satellite measurements. Under these conditions, an alternative measurement of the surface temperature is needed.
How Will Climate Change Affect the Water Availability in the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China?

AbstractThis paper presents a detailed analysis of how future climate change may affect water availability in a typical arid endorheic river basin, the Heihe River basin (HRB), in northwest China. The analysis is based on the improved Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), which is calibrated and validated with historical streamflow data from the upper HRB and is used to predict future hydrological responses. Six general circulation models (GCMs), under two emission scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), are downscaled to construct future climate change scenarios. The results suggest that the climate of the upper HRB will likely become warmer and wetter in the near future (2021–50), with the largest increase in precipitation occurring in the summer. Correspondingly, the basinwide evapotranspiration, snowmelt, and runoff are projected to increase over the same period. The mean temperature in the near future is projected to rise, relative to the recent 30 years (1981–2010), by 1.2°–1.7°C under scenario RCP4.5 and by 1.
Precise point positioning versus traditional solution for GNSS networks

In this study, the availability of precise point positioning techniques are investigated to resolve the positioning problem of global navigation satellite system networks and reference stations by using 7days, 24 h observation data of 60 stations from active GPS network of ordnance survey, which are located in the south of United Kingdom. The solutions have been investigated for coordinate convergence and the necessary extent of the duration of precise point positioning. The double differenced solutions with long baselines from the international GPS service stations and the traditional network solution with short baselines are frequently compared with the solutions of the precise point positioning problems, and the results are discussed. Investigation results have shown that the precise point positioning easily provides cm level precision, by using appropriate processing parameters with a few hours of observation data. Consistency of 3 h observation is approximately 3 cm. After 3 h, the equivalent of the double differenced solutions with long baselines and network solution with short baselines solutions approaches the precise point positioning solution. As such, 0.5 to 1.5 cm consistency can be obtained with the data in 12 h. There is a consistency that is less than 1 cm in latitude and longitude directions and under 2 cm in height direction for 24 h observation between solutions. In this respect, it is a method that may be an alternative to traditional relative positioning.
Investigating the preservation of orbital forcing in peritidal carbonates

Metre‐scale cycles in ancient peritidal carbonate facies have long been thought to represent the product of shallow water carbonate accumulation under orbitally controlled sea‐level oscillations. The theory remains somewhat controversial, however, and a contrasting view is that these cycles are the product of intrinsic, and perhaps random, processes. Owing to this debate, it is important to understand the conditions that do, or do not, favour the preservation of orbital forcing, and the precise stratigraphic expression of that forcing. In this work, a one‐dimensional forward model of carbonate accumulation is used to test the ability of orbitally paced sea‐level changes to reconstruct cyclicities and cycle stacking patterns observed in greenhouse peritidal carbonate successions. Importantly, the modelling specifically tests insolation‐based sea‐level curves that probably best reflect the pattern and amplitude of sea‐level change in the absence of large‐scale glacioeustasy. This study found that such sea‐level histories can generate precession and eccentricity water depth/facies cycles in models, as well as eccentricity‐modulated cycles in precession cycle thicknesses (bundles). Nevertheless, preservation of orbital forcing is highly sensitive to carbonate production rates and amplitudes of sea‐level change, and the conditions best suited to preserving orbital cycles in facies/water depth are different to those best suited to preserving eccentricity‐scale bundling. In addition, it can be demonstrated that the preservation of orbital forcing is commonly associated with both stratigraphic incompleteness (missing cycles) and complex cycle thickness distributions (for example, exponential), with corresponding implications for the use of peritidal carbonate successions to build accurate astronomical timescales.
Grain Size and Sorting in Modern Beach Sands

Grain size and sorting studies are of great importance in order to texturally characterize the sedimentary environments. These parameters are useful in order to characterize the dynamic beach environment, which is of potential interest for research on natural resources and to interpret analogous ancient sedimentary environments. The main scope of this work deals with the interactions, between grain size and sorting of beach sands and their possible relationship with the coastal plain width. More than 10 000 km of sandy littoral were covered through 274 beach locations: five regions in the Pacific and Gulf of California and four regions from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The samples were sieved and the grain size and sorting were obtained. The sands were mostly well sorted to moderately sorted and the more abundant classes were medium to fine sands. The average grain size decreases from inshore towards backshore; foreshore and backshore sands are better sorted than the inshore sands, the latter are probably greatly influenced by mixtures and variations in processes related to waves and currents. The sands of terrigenous beaches exhibit finer grain sizes than those from beaches of carbonated provinces. A relationship between the coastal plain width and the average grain size and sorting was found: better sorted and finer sands are associated with wider coastal plains. A statistical correlation between grain size and sorting is observed (r 2 = 0.7957) when their average values are plotted according to major physiographic coastal plain regions.
Climatic and terrestrial storage control on evapotranspiration temporal variability: Analysis of river basins around the world

Knowledge of the temporal variability of evapotranspiration (ET) is fundamental to a comprehensive understanding of hydroclimatologic processes under a changing climate and anthropogenic interferences. This study applies a variance decomposition framework to assessing ET interannual and intra‐annual variance in 32 large river basins. It is found that climate (precipitation and potential ET) and terrestrial storage play different roles in ET variance with different time scales. At the interannual scale, ET variance is primarily controlled by climatic variability and dampened/enhanced by terrestrial storage change. At the intra‐annual scale, the sources of ET variance exhibit a geographic pattern: ET variance is controlled by terrestrial storage change in Middle Asia, by seasonality in the Indian monsoon region, by precipitation and terrestrial storage in low altitude arid regions, and by potential ET and terrestrial storage in boreal regions. Quantifying the components of ET variability will help scientists understand the factors on ET processes under various natural and anthropogenic conditions.
Development of a geographic information systems for mass appraisal of residential property

Acknowledgements 2 This report is a final summation of the work carried out with the assistance of RICS Education Trust funding and submitted to the Education Trust in fulfillment of the terms of the award. BACKGROUND The work originated from a Property Tax background and review of the Rating System in Northern Ireland. The system in Northern Ireland had not been subject to those changes, which transpired in other parts of the UK and had retained the old Net Annual Value basis of assessing rateable value. The system needed to be radically altered to reflect the clear predominance of Owner Occupation as the dominant tenure form and therefore the common sense argument that the Rating system should be based on Capital Values not Net Annual Values based on rental evidence (see the November 1998 RICS research publication " The The team received significant support and encouragement from the Valuation and Land Agency, Northern Ireland (VLA) as data suppliers, and Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (OSNI) in the form of a number of digitised map tiles. Without access to appropriate data for analysis and the mapping support in relation to the survey areas the research would not have been possible. The current research further developed work previously carried out with the support of an Education Trust Fund Grant, and published by the RICS in November 1998 (The Price is Right). This earlier work was primarily concerned with assessing the potential of applying computer assisted mass appraisal to derive capital values for residential property. The earlier research was to a large extent set within a property taxation context and the goal of achieving improved predictive ability and explain-ability was a consideration. The team had constructed a hybrid model that was capable of deriving residential property values by combining Multiple Regression Analysis and Comparable Sales Analysis. The model proved reasonably accurate in relation to predicting values, but there was an apparent lack of transparency when it came to explaining a specific property value. Incorporating comparable sales within the process, allowed the researchers to apply more complex models while being able to extract a range of comparables used in determining a specific property's value. Since this work was initiated other, separate but related, research was undertaken to construct a mass appraisal software capable of mass valuing residential property in Northern Ireland for Property Tax purposes. In terms of the original research evaluation, the element that …
The Slottsmøya marine reptile Lagerstätte: depositional environments, taphonomy and diagenesis

Abstract The Late Jurassic Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte on Spitsbergen offers a unique opportunity to study the relationships between vertebrate fossil preservation, invertebrate occurrences and depositional environment. In this study, 21 plesiosaurian and 17 ichthyosaur specimens are described with respect to articulation, landing mode, preservation, and possible predation and scavenging. The stratigraphic distribution of marine reptiles in the Slottsmøya Member is analysed, and a correlation between high total organic content, low oxygen levels, few benthic invertebrates and optimal reptile preservation is observed. A new model for 3D preservation of vertebrates in highly compacted organic shales is explained. Supplementary material: A taphonomic description of each marine reptile specimen is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare. c.2133549
Endurance Exercise Mobilizes Developmentally Early Stem Cells into Peripheral Blood and Increases Their Number in Bone Marrow: Implications for Tissue Regeneration

Endurance exercise has been reported to increase the number of circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in peripheral blood (PB) as well as in bone marrow (BM). We therefore became interested in whether endurance exercise has the same effect on very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), which have been described as a population of developmentally early stem cells residing in BM. Mice were run daily for 1 hour on a treadmill for periods of 5 days or 5 weeks. Human volunteers had trained in long-distance running for one year, six times per week. FACS-based analyses and RT-PCR of murine and human VSELs and HSPCs from collected bone marrow and peripheral blood were performed. We observed that endurance exercise increased the number of VSELs circulating in PB and residing in BM. In parallel, we observed an increase in the number of HSPCs. These observations were subsequently confirmed in young athletes, who showed an increase in circulating VSELs and HSPCs after intensive running exercise. We provide for the first time evidence that endurance exercise may have beneficial effects on the expansion of developmentally early stem cells. We hypothesize that these circulating stem cells are involved in repairing minor exercise-related tissue and organ injuries.
The control of organic matter on microbially mediated iron reduction and arsenic release in shallow alluvial aquifers, Cambodia

Microbes may play a key role in the mobilization of arsenic present in elevated concentrations within the aquifers extensively exploited for irrigation and drinking water in West Bengal, Bangladesh, and in other regions of South‐East Asia. Microcosm experiments using Cambodian sediments (which are also representative of other similar reducing aquifers containing arsenic‐rich waters) show that arsenic release and iron reduction are microbially mediated and demonstrate that the type of organic matter present, not necessarily the total abundance of organic matter, is important in controlling the rate and magnitude of microbially mediated arsenic release from these aquifer sediments. The possible role of naturally occurring petroleum in stimulating this process is also demonstrated. In addition to acting as an electron donor, certain types of organic matter may accelerate arsenic release by acting as an electron shuttle, indicating a dual role for organic matter in the process. The results also suggest that the fine‐grained sediment regions of these aquifers are particularly vulnerable to accelerated arsenic release following the introduction of labile organic carbon.
Opportunities for and constraints on crop production within Zimbabwe's fast-track resettlement programme: a case study of fair Range Estate, Chiredzi District, South Eastern Zimbabwe

The government of Zimbabwe started implementing its fast track resettlement programme in July 2000, the objective being to accelerate both land acquisition and land redistribution. This programme witnessed a massive movement of people from various localities into mainly large-scale commercial farms in search of agricultural land. Under this programme, people were settled under the A1 model (which involves villages and land use pattern similar to those found in communal areas) as well as the A2 model, which involves commercial farming. This study investigates, documents and analyses the opportunities and constraints currently being faced by newly resettled crop production farmers in one example of an A1 model resettlement project (Fair Ranch Estate in Masvingo Province). A questionnaire was used to gather data on livelihood sources, income, assets and also aspects of the associational life of crop production farmers. Seventy households were interviewed, and a number of key informant interviews were undertaken with both government officials and the local leadership. The greatest opportunity that A1 crop production farmers in Fair Range Estate experienced was the fact that they now have access to land that they can call their own, without having to go through the market to try to acquire such land. In terms of crop production, however, farmers in Fair Range Estate face a number of challenges and constraints: they lack adequate access to tillage and livestock; the supply of inputs is inadequate; generally negative socio economic conditions prevailing in the country have led to sharp increases in prices of all basic commodities, including inputs such as fertilisers and seeds; they lack tenure security; the amount of rainfall received in the area is generally not sufficient for crop production; and many lack crop production skills. Measures to reverse this decline must include the availability of foreign currency to buy spare parts for tractors, rebuilding of the national herd, which was greatly affected by both drought and the disturbance of commercial agriculture as a result of the controversial land reform programme. Fuel should also become more readily available, and urgent policy measures be put in place to revamp institutional frameworks in the agricultural sector to make them more farmer-oriented.
Transport of two sulfonylurea herbicides in runoff from border dyke irrigation

Sulfonylurea herbicides have been detected in reservoirs and wetlands in the North American Great Plains. However, since little is known about the transport characteristics of these herbicides, the mechanism of contamination has not been established. In order to assess the potential contribution of surface runoff, transport of two sulfonylurea herbicides (thifensulfuron-methyl and tribenuron-methyl) was measured in surface runoff from a flood-irrigated field in the Outlook Irrigation District of Saskatchewan, Canada. Following herbicide application, the field was flood irrigated, and surface runoff was monitored. Surface drain flow rates and herbicide concentrations were measured from three 0.85 ha (2.1 ac) plots in the field. Although the rate of application of tribenuron-methyl (4.9 g ha−1 [0.07 oz ac−1]) was half that of thifensulfuron-methyl (9.8 g ha−1 [0.14 oz ac−1]), concentrations of the herbicides in surface runoff water were similar. The highest concentrations (0.98 μg L−1 for thifensulfuron-methyl and 0.81 μg L−1 for tribenuron-methyl) were measured during periods of low flow at the beginning of the runoff events. For both herbicides, concentrations decreased as flow in the drain increased but then recovered somewhat as flow receded. Total loss of tribenuron-methyl in runoff water five days after herbicide application averaged 1.9% of the amount applied, which was significantly greater than thifensulfuron-methyl losses that were approximately 0.8% of the application. These results confirm postapplication transport in surface runoff as a significant pathway for contamination of surface waters by thifensulfuron-methyl and tribenuron-methyl.
Effects of planting density on tree growth and induced soil suction

Plant evapotranspiration is recognised to affect soil suction of slopes and landfill covers. Previous work has focused on evapotranspiration-induced suction by a single plant, with little attention paid to the effects of planting density. The aim of this study is to quantify any changes in tree growth and tree-induced suction during evapotranspiration and rainfall under different planting densities for non-mixed-species plantations. A tree species, Schefflera heptaphylla, which is commonly found in Asia, was planted in silty sand at spacings of 60, 120 and 180 mm, representing three different planting densities. For each case, three replicates were tested to consider tree variability. In total, the responses of suction for 297 seedlings subjected to drying and a rainfall event with a 10-year return period were measured. The test results show that reducing the tree spacing from 180 to 60 mm induced greater tree–tree competition for water, as indicated by a 364% increase in peak suction upon evapotranspirat.