Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mineral abundance determination: Quantitative deconvolution of thermal emission spectra

A linear retrieval (spectral deconvolution) algorithm is developed and applied to high-resolution laboratory infrared spectra of particulate mixtures and their end-members. The purpose is to place constraints on, and test the viability of, linear spectral deconvolution of high-resolution emission spectra. The effects of addition of noise, data reproducibility, particle size variation, an increasing number of minerals in the mixtures, and blind end-member input are also examined. Thermal emission spectra of 70 mineral mixtures ranging from 2 to 15 end-members and having particle diameters of 250-500 μm were obtained. Deconvolution results show that the assumption of linear mixing is valid and enables mineral percentage prediction to within 5% on average with residual errors of less than 0.1% total emissivity. One suite (21 distinct mixtures), varying from <10 μm to 500 μm, was also prepared to test the limits of the model at decreasing particle sizes. Incoherent volume scattering at grain diameters less than several times the wavelength (∼60 μm) produces significant changes in spectral band morphology and hence, an increase in the root-mean-squared (RMS) error of the model. Because of this, it appears that spectral mixing remains essentially linear to ∼60 μm (using the 250-500 μm size fraction as end-members). Below this threshold, the linear retrieval algorithm fails. However, with the appropriate particle diameter end-member spectra for the corresponding mixtures, the errors are reduced significantly and linearity continues through to the 10-20 μm size fraction. Additions of increasing amounts of noise cause a deviation of an additional 2.4%, whereas variability due to spectrometer reproducibility produces an average error of 4.0%. The model is also able to detect accurately minerals in mixtures containing 15 end-members, well beyond the number of geological significance. Extensive error analysis and model testing confirm the appropriateness of linear deconvolution as a useful and powerful tool to examine complexly mixed emission spectra in the laboratory and the field. The results of this study provide a foundation for remote sensing analyses of thermal infrared data from current airborne and future satellite instruments planned for Earth and Mars.
Selective solution of macroinvertebrate calcareous hard parts: a laboratory study

Ten suites of 16 common types of invertebrate hard parts were placed in acid baths for 24 hours to determine relative rates and common styles of dissolution. Skeletal mineralogies included aragonite and both high-magnesium and low-magnesium calcite. Hard parts included barnacle cxoskelctons, cchinoid tests, gastropod opercula and gastropod and bivalve shells. Calcitic barnacle plates dissolved most rapidly, aragonitic and high magnesium calcitic hard parts showed intermediate rates, and the calcitic shells of the oyster dissolved at the lowest rate. The surface area to weight ratio of the hard parts correlated (r=0.650) significantly with the hard part's rate of dissolution. Skeletal remains with a high surface area to weight ratio dissolved faster than those with a low surface area to weight ratio. Skeletal porosity and mineralogy appeared to be responsible for additional variation in the rate of dissolution. The effect of the surface area to weight ratio is sufficient to overcome the effect of mineralogy. Dense, compact aragonitic hard parts can persist longer than porous, thin calcitic remains. Typical features associated with skeletal degradation include development of chalky textures, thinning of distal margins, surface etching and formation of holes in bivalve muscle scars. Such features may aid in the recognition of partial dissolution of skeletal remains in the rock record. □Taphonomy, paleoecology, fossil-diagenesis.
Pulsed, cross-shelf export of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon to the Gulf of Mexico

The export of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) and other river-borne material across the continental shelf boundary has important ramifications for biological productivity and the cycling of continentally derived bioelements in the ocean. Recent studies revealed the 275–295 nm spectral slope coefficient of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), S275–295, is a reliable tracer for terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) in river-influenced ocean margins. Here an empirical algorithm for the accurate retrieval of S275–295 from ocean color was developed and validated using in situ optical properties collected seasonally in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This study also demonstrated S275–295 is a robust proxy for tDOC concentration in this environment, thereby providing a means to derive surface tDOC concentrations on synoptic scales and in quasi-real time using remote sensing. The resulting tDOC-algorithm was implemented using Aqua-MODIS in a retrospective analysis of surface tDOC concentrations over the northern Gulf of Mexico between July 2002 and June 2013. Large pulses of tDOC were observed in continental-slope surface waters off the Mississippi River delta, indicating cross-shelf export of tDOC was sporadic and exhibited considerable interannual variability. Favorable winds following an anomalously high discharge from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya river system always coincided with a major export event, and in general, cross-shelf export was enhanced during years of anomalously high discharge. The tDOC-algorithm will find applicability in the assessment of future climate- and human-induced changes in tDOC export, in biogeochemical models of the continental shelf, and in the validation of high-resolution coastal models of buoyancy-driven shelf circulation.
Tectonic plates, D″ thermal structure, and the nature of mantle plumes

It is proposed that subducting tectonic plates can affect the nature of thermal mantle plumes by determining the temperature drop across a plume source layer. The temperature drop affects source layer stability and the morphology of plumes emitted from it. Numerical models are presented to demonstrate how introduction of platelike behavior in a convecting temperature dependent medium, driven by a combination of internal and basal heating, can increase the temperature drop across the lower boundary layer. The temperature drop increases dramatically following introduction of platelike behavior due to formation of a cold temperature inversion above the lower boundary layer. This thermal inversion, induced by deposition of upper boundary layer material to the system base, decays in time, but the temperature drop across the lower boundary layer always remains considerably higher than in models lacking platelike behavior. On the basis of model-inferred boundary layer temperature drops and previous studies of plume dynamics we argue that generally accepted notions as to the nature of mantle plumes on Earth may hinge on the presence of plates. The implication for Mars and Venus, planets apparently lacking plate tectonics, is that mantle plumes of these planets may differ morphologically from those of Earth. A corollary model-based argument is that as a result of slab-induced thermal inversions above the core mantle boundary the lower most mantle may be subadiabatic, on average (in space and time), if major plate reorganization timescales are less than those required to diffuse newly deposited slab material.
The response of an ocean general circulation model to long time‐scale surface temperature anomalies

Abstract A series of experiments are performed to examine the response of an ocean general circulation model to different surface temperature anomalies. The model used is the Bryan‐Cox primitive equation model, with a horizontal resolution of 2° × 2° in longitude/latitude and an idealized North Atlantic basin geometry. Ten levels are used in the vertical. The model is forced at the surface by temperature anomalies with magnitudes characteristic of simulated global warmings. The time‐scales of the forcing consist of an abrupt switch‐on, as well as a gradual switch‐on forcing over 100 years. The sensitivity to lateral and isopycnal mixing, and the asymmetry of the responses to warm and cold temperature anomalies are also examined. There is an asymmetric behaviour in the transient response for the warm and cold anomaly cases, with the cold case responding more energetically. However, the new equilibrium circulations are approximately symmetric. The warm anomaly case forces a weakened ther‐mohaline circulatio.
Exportations of Symptomatic Cases of MERS-CoV Infection to Countries outside the Middle East

In 2012, an outbreak of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), was detected in the Arabian Peninsula. Modeling can produce estimates of the expected annual number of symptomatic cases of MERS-CoV infection exported and the likelihood of exportation from source countries in the Middle East to countries outside the region.
A intensidade da exploração agropecuária como indicador da degradação ambiental na região dos Cerrados, Brasil

Being constituted as the largest risk factor and effective degradation to the Savannah, the man’s intervention in the nature and, especially, the agricultural exploration require analysis and better monitoring. This work aims to analyze the relationship between the agricultural exploration and the environmental degradation in the area of the Savannahs, in 1995-1996. In particular, it is intended, to use multivariate statistical analysis, to verify the factors associated with the intensity of farming predominant in the determination of the degradation pattern, and to obtain indexes of exploration intensity to make possible to categorize and to group the microrregions in terms of degradation potential. The results showed that the intensity of the agricultural exploration was characterized by the intensive use of the soil (agricultural exploration) and by mechanical and biochemistry technologies; by the intensity of cattle exploration; and other dimensions of the agriculture. The microrregions with larger degradation levels concentrated on the northwest of Minas Gerais, part of south of Goias, and part of the southeast of Mato Grosso. The smallest mean values of the degradation index were due to Tocantins, Piaui and Maranhao. The largest index was from the microrregion of Primavera do Leste (MT) and the smallest, Jalapao (TO).
Platinum-group mineralization in the Rum layered intrusion, Scottish Hebrides, UK

Abundant and diverse platinum-group minerals occur in the Rum layered intrusion, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Platinum-group minerals are associated with chromite-rich horizons in both the Eastern and Western layered series, and are enclosed by Ni- and Cu-rich sulphides, or silicates. The most common phases are Pd–Cu alloys; Pt–Fe alloys; laurite (Ru(Ir,Os)S2); sperrylite (PtAs2); and Pt–Pd-bearing bismuthides, tellurides and antimonides. The mineralization on Rum is due to: (1) initial concentration in the parental magma linked to a high degree of melting associated with mantle plume activity, and (2) localized concentration due to magma mixing and subsequent crystallization within an open-system magma chamber.
Decreased prevalence of diabetes in marijuana users: cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III

Objective To determine the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and marijuana use. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants The study included participants of the NHANES III, a nationally representative sample of the US population. The total analytic sample was 10 896 adults. The study included four groups (n=10 896): non-marijuana users (61.0%), past marijuana users (30.7%), light (one to four times/month) (5.0%) and heavy (more than five times/month) current marijuana users (3.3%). DM was defined based on self-report or abnormal glycaemic parameters. We analysed data related to demographics, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use, total serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D, plasma haemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose level and the serum levels of C reactive protein and four additional inflammatory markers as related to marijuana use. Main outcome measures OR for DM associated with marijuana use adjusted for potential confounding variables (ie, odds of DM in marijuana users compared with non-marijuana users). Results Marijuana users had a lower age-adjusted prevalence of DM compared to non-marijuana users (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.55; p<0.0001). The prevalence of elevated C reactive protein (>0.5 mg/dl) was significantly higher (p<0.0001) among non-marijuana users (18.9%) than among past (12.7%) or current light (15.8%) or heavy (9.2%) users. In a robust multivariate model controlling for socio-demographic factors, laboratory values and comorbidity, the lower odds of DM among marijuana users was significant (adjusted OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.55; p<0.0001). Conclusions Marijuana use was independently associated with a lower prevalence of DM. Further studies are needed to show a direct effect of marijuana on DM.
Do humans produce the speed–accuracy trade-off that maximizes reward rate?

In this paper we investigate trade-offs between speed and accuracy that are produced by humans when confronted with a sequence of choices between two alternatives. We assume that the choice process is described by the drift diffusion model, in which the speed–accuracy trade-off is primarily controlled by the value of the decision threshold. We test the hypothesis that participants choose the decision threshold that maximizes reward rate, defined as an average number of rewards per unit of time. In particular, we test four predictions derived on the basis of this hypothesis in two behavioural experiments. The data from all participants of our experiments provide support only for some of the predictions, and on average the participants are slower and more accurate than predicted by reward rate maximization. However, when we limit our analysis to subgroups of 30–50% of participants who earned the highest overall rewards, all the predictions are satisfied by the data. This suggests that a substantial subset of participants do select decision thresholds that maximize reward rate. We also discuss possible reasons why the remaining participants select thresholds higher than optimal, including the possibility that participants optimize a combination of reward rate and accuracy or that they compensate for the influence of timing uncertainty, or both.
Igneous history of the Koyukuk Terrane, western Alaska: Constraints on the origin, evolution, and ultimate collision of an accreted island arc terrane

The Koyukuk terrane of western Alaska consists of volcanic, volcaniclastic, and plutonic rocks which range from Late Paleozoic to Early Cretaceous in age. The terrane crops out in a U-shaped belt which is roughly paralleled by outer belts of ultramafic rocks, oceanic plate basalts and cherts, and retrograded blueschist facies rocks of continental protolith. These rocks have been interpreted as components of a volcanic arc terrane that collided with the North American continental margin in Early Cretaceous time. The Koyukuk terrane consists of four time-stratigraphic units: (1) pre-Middle Jurassic basalts, (2) Middle and Late Jurassic granitic rocks, (3) lower Lower Cretaceous volcanic rocks, and (4) upper Lower Cretaceous volcanic rocks. Limited chemical data from the basalts of unit 1 indicate that they were erupted in a nonarc tectonic environment, possibly in an oceanic island or back arc setting. Units 2, 3, and 4 have the characteristics of subduction-related volcanic rocks (i.e., depleted Nb and Ta and enriched alkaline elements, relative to the light rare earth elements). Unit 3 contains tholeiitic, calc-alkaline, and alkaline rocks with chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns that range from flat (LaN/YbN = 1) to highly light rare earth element enriched (LaN/YbN > 15). The highly alkaline or shoshonitic lavas were erupted toward the end of unit 3 time (Valanginian) during the final stages of arc-continent collision. These alkaline lavas could have been derived by very small degrees of partial melting of a similar source to that of the earlier arc lavas. Unit 4 lavas are also alkaline or shoshonitic, but their incompatible element composition indicates that they were derived from a different source than that of the earlier arc lavas. These late alkaline lavas are chemically similar to crosscutting mid-Cretaceous plutons whose isotopic compositions (Arth et al., this issue (a)) suggest derivation by partial melting of distinctly older subcontinental lithosphere. We speculate that the parental magmas of unit 4 lavas may also have been derived by partial melting of this subcontinental mantle which was underthrust beneath the Koyukuk arc terrane during the final stage of arc-continent collision.
The occurrence of cuspidine, foshagite and hillebrandite in calc-silicate xenoliths from the Bushveld Complex, South Africa.

The rare calc-silicate minerals cuspidine, foshagite and hillebrandite occur as late phases in calcsilicate xenoliths from the Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld Complex. These minerals occur in narrow veins or as replacements, particularly after melilite (cuspidine and hillebrandite) or vesuvianite (foshagite). Cuspidine formed early during cooling, possibly under low-XH 2 O conditions. In contrast, foshagite and hillebrandite formed late in the cooling history, after the infiltration of H 2 O-rich fluids that led to the development of locally pervasive vesuvianite.
“Carcharias” amonensis (Chondrichthyes, Odontaspididae) from the Upper Cretaceous Mifune Group in Kumamoto, Japan

Abstract. Three odontaspidid fossil shark teeth previously reported from the “Lower Formation” of the Upper Cretaceous Mifune Group in Yamato Town and Mifune Town, Kumamoto, Japan as three separate taxa (“Carcharias” amonensis, “C.” cf. amonensis, and “Carcharias” sp.) are reexamined and described in detail. Restudy shows that all of these shark teeth should be assigned to the species “Carcharias” amonensis. These specimens establish that “C. ” amonensis also inhabited the Pacific region and thus had a worldwide distribution in the temperate sea in the Cretaceous.
Stable Drainage Pattern and Variable Exhumation in the Western Himalaya since the Middle Miocene

Sedimentary records in peripheral basins of mountain belts record changes in erosion dynamics and drainage-network reorganization, but it is often difficult to discriminate between these different controls. Geochemical provenance data on paleo-Indus deposits from the western Himalayan foreland provide constraints on the possible variation of the position of the drainage divide between the Indus and Ganges river systems. Here we present geochemical (trace element and Hf-Nd isotopic) and thermochronological (detrital zircon fission-track [DZFT]) analyses of modern Indus and Miocene Siwalik sediments from northern Pakistan and compare these with published data on the Indus Fan. Available bedrock isotopic data are used to define three end-member sediment sources (Himalaya, Karakorum, and the Kohistan-Ladakh arc) and to calculate the contribution of each of these sources to the foreland basin and Indus Fan. Our results indicate that since the Miocene the contribution of the Himalayan rivers reaching the Indus in the foreland remained constant, whereas the contributions of sediment sources of the upper Indus catchment changed: those of the Kohistan-Ladakh arc diminished strongly in favor of Karakorum and Himalayan sources. Analysis of the DZFT data from the Miocene foreland basin and sediments of the modern upper Indus reach suggests that the exhumation pattern changed due to an increase in exhumation rate of the Karakorum and Himalayan units of the syntaxis since Miocene times, whereas that in the Kohistan-Ladakh arc remained relatively stable. These results imply that the Indus sediments record changing relative erosion rates in the different source regions rather than widespread drainage rearrangement, as suggested previously.
Wave Run‐up on sloping structures

Relationships have been developed from laboratory experiments which show the effect of side slope, wave steepness (H/L), relative depth (d/L), and the structure porosity on wave run-up. Maximum wave run-up occurs, for the range of angles examined, at approximately 30°. As the wave steepness (H/L) increases, the wave run-up increases, and as the relative depth parameter (d/L) decreases, the wave run-up increases. The wave approach was restricted to the direction perpendicular to the axis of the structure.
Setatella significans, a new name for mickwitziid stem group brachiopods from the lower Cambrian of Greenland and Labrador

Setatella significans gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cambrian of North-East Greenland, originally described under the name ‘Mickwitzia cf. occidens’, is introduced as a probable stem group brachiopod. Newly collected specimens of Setatella significans from the Forteau Formation of southern Labrador exhibit new morphological details and provide a better understanding of its ontogeny. Setatella significans differs from species of Mickwitzia in having a ventral pseudointerarea and hemiperipheral growth in both valves. Setatella significans probably belongs to the derived stem group of the Linguliformea that can be differentiated from the more primitive Mickwitzia. The geographic range of Setatella is extended to southern Labrador.
Testing parametric BRDF models with CHRIS/PROBA acquisitions over agricultural crops

A proper determination of the BRDF is of interest for land surface studies in different topics such as albedo estimation, correction of anisotropy effects, and retrieval of vegetation parameters by defining optimal geometries. In this paper, we evaluate a set of parametric models widely-used for BRDF characterisation (Roujean model, Ambrals combinations, non-linear RPV and the empirical Walthall's model). These models are inverted and tested against atmospherically-corrected BRF measurements acquired with the CHRIS (Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) instrument on board the PROBA (Project for On-Board Autonomy) satellite over an agricultural test site located in Barrax (Spain) during the SPARC (SPectra bARrax Campaign) 2003 campaign. The study area presents different land crops with high variability in LAI values from 0 to 6. The objectives of the present study are to determine how well the different parametric BRDF models are able to fit CHRIS/PROBA's observed multiangular reflectances in order to determine the nadir-zenith reflectance, which is the optimal geometry to retrieve the fractional vegetation coverage (FVC), and to describe the anisotropy of vegetation canopies, which can be useful to estimate accurately the leaf area index (LAI). To do so, performance indicators are obtained for the different models. The results of this study show that all the tested models are fairly accurate in the entire spectral range (RMS<0.016 at 674 nm and RMS<0.025 at 803 nm) and thus are suitable for normalisation purposes. However, most of them are not able to describe BRDF features such as the hot spot, which hampers the use of these models for exploiting the directional information. There are no significant differences, for the experimental conditions, among those evaluated although the best models appear to be the linear Ross-Li model (low RMS) and the non-linear RPV model (more realistic BRDF).