Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arsenic Remediation of Drinking Water

The recent reduction of the U.S. EPA’s maximum contaminant level for arsenic has prompted increased research into methods for removing it from drinking water. Previous work has indicated the possibility that limestone is capable of arsenic removal. This research is a preliminary investigation of the feasibility of a limestone-based arsenic removal process. Research summarized in this work includes batch and column experiments. A significant literature review also was conducted on arsenic’s uses, history, background exposure, toxicity, and distribution. The experiments primarily investigated the ability of Minnekahta Limestone to remove arsenic from a solution of arsenic and deionized water, hereafter referred to as standard solution. Minnekahta Limestone was successful in effectively removing arsenic from standard solutions. This held true regardless of the water’s pH, within the normal range of drinking water sources. All four grain sizes, ranging from 0.5 to 6.7 mm in diameter, of limestone successfully reduced arsenic concentrations from ~100 parts per billion to less than 5 parts per billion. The greatest efficiency of arsenic removal was achieved with limestone of the smallest grain size. The series of experiments raised some areas of concern. Arsenic was not removed as efficiently from water with high total dissolved solids concentrations as from prepared standard solutions. The process’s waste product, arsenic-saturated limestone, may be susceptible to leaching. Arsenic was partially remobilized when deionized water was used to rinse the waste product. Preliminary Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure tests, performed according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency protocols, indicate that the waste is stable. However, additional research on disposal or reuse of the waste product is needed. Limestone-based arsenic removal appears to have merit. Minnekahta Limestone consistently removed arsenic from solution. If and when it is made applicable to a variety of natural waters, limestone-based arsenic removal could provide a simple, inexpensive method for dealing with elevated arsenic concentrations.
Energy balance differences and hydrologic impacts across the northern treeline

Energy balance measurements were made over wet tundra and a nearby open conifer forest near Churchill, Manitoba during the summer periods of 1989 and 1990. Little difference was found between net radiation, Q*, and ground heat fluxes, QG, for the two sites: Q* at the forest exceeded Q* at the tundra by only 2–5 per cent; QG averaged 9 and 12 per cent of Q* for the forest and tundra, respectively. The sensible, QH, and latent, QE, heat fluxes showed the greatest differences between the sites. When surface moisture was not limiting, QE was largest for the tundra and QH was largest at the forest. During a drying cycle in 1989 the energy balances for the two sites were similar. An analysis of wind direction on energy partitioning suggests that the tundra was more responsive to meteorological changes than the forest. The implications of this study for surface water balances in the subarctic are discussed.
Ore Types of the Auriferous Lalor VMS Deposit, Snow Lake, Manitoba: Implications for Genesis and Post Depositional Processes

i Acknowledgements.iv Chapter 1: Introduction.1 1.1 Regional and Deposit Geology.2 1.2 Sampling and Analytical Methods.3 Chapter 2: Distribution of the Ore Lens.11 2.1 Metal Zonation.12 2.2 10 and 11 Lenses.13 2.3 20 Lens.13 2.4 31, 30 and 40 Lenses.14 Chapter 3: Ore Types of the Lalor Deposit.17 3.1 Type 1 Fe-Zn Massive Sulphide.17 3.2 Type 2 Cu-Au-Rich Semi-Massive and Stockwork Mineralization.18 3.3 Type 3 Au-Ag-Pb-Cu-Rich Ore.19 3.4 Type 4 Low Sulphide Quartz-Pyrite mineralization.19 Chapter 4: Ore Mineralogy and Mineral Chemistry.24 4.1 Pyrite.24 4.2 Sphalerite.24 4.3 Chalcopyrite, Bornite, Cubanite.25 4.4 Pyrrhotite.25 4.5 Galena.26 4.6 Pb-Sb-Sulphosalts.26
Chemical kinetics, speleothem growth and climate

The morphology and stratigraphy of speleothems are controlled by parameters that depend on climate. These are the water supply rates feeding the speleothem, e.g. a stalagmite, the growth rates dependent on the chemical kinetics of calcite precipitation and the supersaturation of the solution from which calcite is precipitated. To elucidate the basic principles of speleothem growth, a physical…chemical model of calcite precipitation is used to estimate growth rates under various geologically relevant conditions. Furthermore, we present a model that allows the computation of the growth history of stalagmites, i.e. their morphology and stratigraphy under varying climatic conditions. This enables us to see how climatic signals are inscribed into stalagmites. Owing to the counter‐balancing effects of some parameters, it is not possible to read climatic conditions backwards from the morphology and stratigraphy of a speleothem in a simple way, but a basic understanding of the growth of speleothems can be a helpful supporting tool in the interpretation of palaeoclimatic records.
Changes of Visual and Acoustic Landscape Along Urban-rural Gradients and Their Influence on Landscape Evaluation

Landscape evaluation is an important part of the environmental quality assessment and management in Europe and North America.Within the context of rapid urbanization,visual landscape and soundscape of urban-rural areas in China has been experiencing significant changes.By selecting six representative landscape along the urban-rural gradients,through onsite landscape survey and indoor landscape evaluation test,the changes of visual-acoustic landscape attributes as well as huamn's perception and evaluation on landscape was analysed,impact of landscape changes on landscape perception and rela tionship between visual landscape perception,soundscape perception and overall landscape evaluation were discussed.The re sults shows that(1)visual landscape has gradually transferred from artificial landscape to natural landscape and soundscape changed from anthrophony to biophony and geophony along the urban-rural gradients,with sound level decreases. (2)visual landscape perception,soundscape perception and overall landscape evaluation rise,as the degree of human influence decreases,along the urban-rural gradients. (3)Overall landscape evaluation is affected by both visual landscape perception and soundscape perception,with much more influence exerted by soundscape perception.
Aluminium Toxicity Risk for Pinus pinaster in Acid Soils (Galicia, NW Spain)

The influence of bedrock on aluminium toxicity and aluminium speciation in the soil solution was studied in four Pinus pinaster plots. Growth and biomass parameters in the acidic soils were also evaluated in relation to different Al toxicity indices. The plots were developed over slate, biotitic schist, mica schist and granite. Samples of rhizospheric and non‐rhizospheric soil, 1‐year‐old needles and roots were collected in each study plot. Total Al, reactive Al, acid‐soluble Al, non‐labile and labile Al and Al species (Al3+, Al‐OH, Al‐F and Al‐SO4) were determined in soil solution. Reactive Al dominated over the acid‐soluble Al, and the non‐labile Al predominated over the labile Al in all soils, but particularly over mica schist. In the biotitic schist soil, the Al forms and total Al were lower, whereas concentrations were always higher over mica schist. The Al forms considered most toxic were Al3+ and Al‐OH, and Al concentrations were highest over slate and mica schist. Al toxicity indices in soil, needle and roots showed a risk of toxicity in mica schist, slate and granite. The stand site indices over slate and mica schist were lower, consistent with the high labile Al and Al3+ + Al‐OH in soil solution. Despite the high stand site index over granite, the growth efficiency was low, in accordance with very low ratios of Ca/Al in needles or fine roots. This confirmed the adaptation of maritime pine to granitic substrates. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Computer simulations reveal properties of the cell-cell signaling network at the shoot apex in Arabidopsis

The active transport of the plant hormone auxin plays a major role in the initiation of organs at the shoot apex. Polar localized membrane proteins of the PIN1 family facilitate this transport, and recent observations suggest that auxin maxima created by these proteins are at the basis of organ initiation. This hypothesis is based on the visual, qualitative characterization of the complex distribution patterns of the PIN1 protein in Arabidopsis. To take these analyses further, we investigated the properties of the patterns using computational modeling. The simulations reveal previously undescribed properties of PIN1 distribution. In particular, they suggest an important role for the meristem summit in the distribution of auxin. We confirm these predictions by further experimentation and propose a detailed model for the dynamics of auxin fluxes at the shoot apex.
Industrial Courts and the Management of Industrial Dispute between Government and ASUU, 2009-2017

For over two decades now both the Federal and State government have at various time been involved in industrial dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian universities (ASUU) and which has become a recurring decimal in the country’s citadel of learning. This paper examined National Industrial Court and the management of industrial dispute between Government and ASUU 2009-2017with the objectives of identify the factors that trigger industrial conflict between Government and ASUU, discover the role of National Industrial Court in the management of Federal Government and ASUU disputes and ascertain the effect of Government and ASUU conflict on educational development in Nigeria. Data was collected through documentary and survey sources while purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of twelve (12) discussants for a Focus Group Discussion. The quantum of data generated were analyzed using content analysis technique. The study found that non-implementation of agreements reached between government and ASUU, sabotage by university authorities who collude with government to sabotage ASUU, Poor salaries and infrastructure in the universities, failure of successive regimes to implement agreements it did not enter with ASUU because of the financial implications, are the cause of incessant industrial dispute between Government and ASUU. It was also found that negotiation and referral to National Industrial Court is the most powerful strategy in industrial dispute resolution, incessant Government and ASUU industrial dispute leads to; brain drain of professional teaching staff, affects student’s academic performance, contributes to low quality of graduates and make students to resort to criminalities. The paper therefore recommends that every regimes in the country should endeavor to honour any agreement it entered with ASUU during their tenure instead of transferring such to their successor regimes, ASUU should use every legal means to compel any regime it entered agreement with to implement it during their tenure, the National Industrial court should make use of judicial independence to deliver unbiased judgement whenever ASUU and Government had dispute.
Classification of synoptic weather types using the self-organising map and its application to climate and air quality data visualisation

The classification and visualisation utility of the self-organising map (SOM) method was explored in the New Zealand context using the NCEP/NCAR geopotential height reanalysis and local (Auckland) meteorological and air quality data. A new synoptic classification was derived from the geopotential height data for the New Zealand region, consisting of 25 types that are self-organised (topologically-ordered) on the SOM plane. The classification has not only reproduced the typical synoptic types previously identified in the literature, but also provided an opportunity to visualise the evolution of eastward-migrating synoptic systems over New Zealand. The topologically-ordered display of synoptic types on the SOM plane facilitated visualisation and identification of the synoptic types/local meteorology/air quality relationships in urban Auckland under a holistic framework. In particular, the projection of ozone (O3) and NOx (NO and NO2) data on the SOM plane provides important insights into how synoptic systems affect local NOx and O3 concentrations in urban Auckland. For example, the downward transport (from the upper troposphere/stratosphere) and mixing-in of O3 under cyclonic conditions and the advection of clean air from open ocean waters under blocking states are two of the main synoptic-scale mechanisms that modulate daily highs and lows of O3 and NOx in regional Auckland, bearing in mind that the coupling of local emissions, chemical processes and local meteorology is the major determinant of local air pollution. The results from this study are useful for air quality management in Auckland or similar regions, and also provide a basis for a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of weather and climatic conditions on the quality of the regional airshed.
Null vs. Overt Subjects in Turkish Discourse: A Centering Analysis

The purpose of this study is to explore an aspect of discourse coherence which involves anaphoric relations between utterances with special emphasis on subjects in Turkish. Based on an analysis of published narratives, three complementary and interrelated questions are addressed concerning discourse anaphora: 1. Which expressions are available for subsequent definite reference? 2. What factors determine the most salient entity in Turkish among a set of potential antecedents for subsequent definite reference? 3. What are the functions of a particular referential expression (null vs. overt pronouns vs. full NPs), depending on appropriate discourse conditions? An exploration regarding question 1. indicates that, while some NPs evoke discourse entities, other NPs do not. These two types of NPs represent referential and nonreferential expressions and they can function as antecedents for definite and indefinite nonspecific anaphora, respectively. The distinction between null and overt pronouns in Turkish is that only the former can be in an anaphoric relationship with a nonreferential antecedent. Overt pronouns, on the other hand, are sensitive to referent identity, they must have the same referent with their antecedents. In other words, overt pronouns are strictly coreferential, while null pronouns are not constrained in this way. The rest of the study investigates answers to questions 2. and 3. in instances where null and definite subjects alternate as definite anaphors. Centering Theory provides a cognitively plausible and computationally tractable framework for such an analysis with its precise rules which rely on linguistic knowledge constraining inferencing. As formulated in Centering Theory, each utterance contains a set of potential antecedents for reference in the subsequent utterance, i.e. a set of forward-looking centers (Cfs),that are ranked on the basis of their salience. The most salience entity in the Cf-list, the preferred center (Cp) is the entity that is predicted to become the backward-looking center in the subsequent utterance. The singleton backward-looking center (Cb) is taken to be the topic of the current utterance, i.e. the entity at the center of attention. Centering transitions, which model the dynamic attentional state in a discourse segment, are obtained by analyzing each adjacent pair of utterances. The functions of referential expressions in subject position are determined on the basis of Centering transitions. The results show that Turkish subject types pattern neatly and categorically when these transitions are taken into account. A brief discussion of language-specific and universal aspects of discourse anaphora is also included in the study. Comments University of Pennsylvania Institute for Research in Cognitive Science Technical Report No. IRCS-96-13. This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/ircs_reports/95 University of Pennsylvania 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 400C Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228
New information on the postcranial skeleton of Massetognathus ochagaviae Barberena, 1981 (Eucynodontia, Traversodontidae), from the Middle Triassic of Southern Brazil

Abstract New postcranial remains of Massetognathus ochagaviae are described based on a new specimen collected at the Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone from the Middle Triassic of Southern Brazil. Several isolated teeth collected together with the postcranial skeleton allowed a taxonomic assignation of the specimen to M. ochagaviae. Its postcranial morphology is quite similar to Massetognathus pascuali, especially regarding the morphology of the transverse process of presacral vertebrae (i.e. laminar in the anterior most and rounded in the posterior most presacral vertebrae); humerus (i.e. the head is dorsally deflected with a ‘fan-shaped’ distal end a deltopectoral crest abruptly ending at the middle of shaft); and femur (with a bulbous and dorsomedially inclined femoral head, lesser trochanter which abruptly begins near the intertrochanteric fossa and extending up to the middle of the femoral shaft and the medial condyle more pronounced and ventrally projected than the lateral one). On the other hand, the clavicle of M. ochagaviae is less lateromedially elongated than in M. pascuali.
Evaluation de la qualité des eaux de puits à usage domestique dans les quartiers défavorisés de quatre communes d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) : Koumassi, Marcory, Port-Bouet et Treichville

La qualite des eaux de puits a usages domestiques dans les quartiers precaires de quatre communes de la ville d’Abidjan a ete etudiee a travers l’analyse des parametres physico-chimiques et microbiologiques couramment utilises pour la qualite de l’eau de consommation. Les concentrations en nitrates varient entre 0 et 286 mg/L et celles de l’ammonium entre 3,6 et 39,6 mg/L. Plus de 80% des puits ont des teneurs en nitrates superieures a la norme de 50 mg/L requise, ce qui traduit que les eaux sont d’une mauvaise qualite pour la boisson, mais subissent l’impact d’une insalubrite urbaine. En plus, la qualite des eaux de puits est variable et depend d’un certain nombre de facteurs tels que l’emplacement des puits par rapport aux sources de contamination urbaines endogenes. La degradation de la qualite des eaux est fortement impactee par le defaut d’assainissement des quartiers precaires. L’interpretation des donnees d’analyse, la correlation existante entre les eaux de puits et la repartition des eaux de puits en groupes sont realisees en utilisant l’Analyse en Composante Principale Normee (ACPN). Plusieurs facteurs conditionnent la contamination des eaux de puits par les polluants mineraux tels que NO3 -, NH4 +, SO4 2- et Cl-. Le defaut d’assainissement dans ces quartiers, la mauvaise gestion des dechets urbains, la faible profondeur de la nappe, la nature des sols et la permeabilite de l’aquifere exploite sont les preuves de la vulnerabilite des eaux des puits. En effet, les resultats acquis font ressortir la forte influence de l’activite urbaine sur la qualite de ces eaux qui sont fortement chargees en ions nitrates et ammonium, signe d’une pollution urbaine. © 2010 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Mots cles : Pollution, eaux de puits, assainissement, analyse en composante principale normee, sels dissous.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal interactions of mycoheterotrophic Thismia are more specialized than in autotrophic plants

Summary In general, plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi exchange photosynthetically fixed carbon for soil nutrients, but occasionally nonphotosynthetic plants obtain carbon from AM fungi. The interactions of these mycoheterotrophic plants with AM fungi are suggested to be more specialized than those of green plants, although direct comparisons are lacking. We investigated the mycorrhizal interactions of both green and mycoheterotrophic plants. We used next‐generation DNA sequencing to compare the AM communities from roots of five closely related mycoheterotrophic species of Thismia (Thismiaceae), roots of surrounding green plants, and soil, sampled over the entire temperate distribution of Thismia in Australia and New Zealand. We observed that the fungal communities of mycoheterotrophic and green plants are phylogenetically more similar within than between these groups of plants, suggesting a specific association pattern according to plant trophic mode. Moreover, mycoheterotrophic plants follow a more restricted association with their fungal partners in terms of phylogenetic diversity when compared with green plants, targeting more clustered lineages of fungi, independent of geographic origin. Our findings demonstrate that these mycoheterotrophic plants target more narrow lineages of fungi than green plants, despite the larger fungal pool available in the soil, and thus they are more specialized towards mycorrhizal fungi than autotrophic plants.
Nutrient Metabolism Feeding Colostrum , Its Composition and Feeding Duration Variably Modify Proliferation and Morphology of the Intestine and Digestive Enzyme Activities of Neonatal Calves 1 , 2

We studied the effects of amounts of colostrum consumed on intestinal morphology and proliferation and digestive enzyme activities in neonatal calves. Group GrCmax calves were fed colostrum from the first milking undiluted on d 1–3 and diluted with 25, 50, 75 and 75 parts of a milk replacer on d 4–7. Group GrC1–3 calves were fed colostrum from milkings 1–6 up to d 3 and then a milk replacer up to d 7. Group GrF1–3 calves were fed a milk-based formula (containing only traces of growth factors and hormones) up to d 3 and then a milk replacer up to d 7. Calves were killed on d 8. Differences in feeding affected villus sizes and villus height/crypt depth ratios in the duodenum (GrCmax . GrC1–3), villus areas and villus height/crypt depth ratios in the jejunum (GrC1–3 . GrF1–3) and crypt depths in the colon (GrF1–3 . GrC1–3). Furthermore, different feeding protocols affected the proliferation rates of epithelial cells in the duodenum (GrC1–3 . GrCmax; GrC1–3 . GrF1–3) and the jejunum (GrF1–3 . GrC1–3; based on Ki-67 labeling). Lipase activities in the pancreas were influenced by colostrum feeding (GrCmax . GrC1–3). Colostrum intake differentially affected intestinal epithelial surface and proliferation and enzyme activities. Feeding high amounts of first colostrum seemed to enhance the survival of mature mucosal epithelial cells in selected parts of the small intestine, whereas the lack of colostrum seemed to decrease epithelial growth. J. Nutr. 131:
USE OF FIELD DATA TO DERIVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY STANDARD FOR IRON IN FRESHWATERS

There are considerable uncertainties surrounding the relevance and reliability of laboratory ecotoxicity data for iron. However, there is a body of “matched“ environmental monitoring data for both iron exposure and ecological quality for England and Wales. Iron may therefore be a case in which field evidence is critical for the derivation of an Environmental Quality Standard (EQS). In addition, field based approaches may be better than laboratory ecotoxicity testing when assessing a combination of both toxic and physical effects on organisms (e.g. smothering). Matched ecological quality and chemistry data from throughout England and Wales were analysed to assess the effects of iron on freshwater ecosystems. Ten macroinvertebrate taxa were identified as being potentially sensitive to total iron exposure. A quantile regression of the abundance of these taxa in response to increasing total iron concentrations suggests that total iron may need to be below 0.5 mg l -1 in order to protect the most sensitive members of benthic macroinvertebrate communities.