Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The poor die young : housing and health in Third World cities

The urban context community action to address housing and health problems - the case of San Martin in Buenos Aires, Argentina housing and health in Olaleye-Iponri, a low income settlement in Lagos, Nigeria housing and health in three squatter settlements in Allahabad, India water supply and the urban poor low cost sanitation surface water drainage in urban areas the collection and management of household garbage the role of house design in limiting vector-borne disease life saving services the future city new partnerships for healthy cities.
The effect of a mandibular advancement device on apneas and sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a mandibular advancement device on apneas and sleep in mild, moderate, and severe obstructive sleep apnea. DESIGN Prospective study. SUBJECTS Forty-four of 47 patients included. INTERVENTION Individually adjusted mandibular advancement devices. MEASUREMENTS Polysomnographic sleep recordings for 1 night without the device and 1 night with it, with a median of 1 day and no changes in weight, medication, or sleep position between the recordings. RESULTS The device reduced the median obstructive apnea-hypopnea index from 11 (range, 7 to 19) to 5 (range, 0 to 17) (p<0.001) in 21 patients with mild sleep apnea, from 27 (range, 20 to 38) to 7 (range, 1 to 19) (p<0.001) in 15 patients with moderate sleep apnea, and from 53 (range, 44 to 66) to 14 (range, 2 to 32) (p<0.05) in 8 patients with severe sleep apnea. The arousal index decreased and the sleep stage patterns improved in all severity groups. Twenty-eight of 44 patients were successfully treated with an obstructive apnea-hypopnea index of below 10 and a subjective reduction in snoring. Nine of 16 patients with treatment failure still reported a reduction in snoring. The success rate correlated inversely to the disease severity (r=-0.41; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS A mandibular advancement device reduces apneas and improves sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, especially in those with mild and moderate disease. A follow-up sleep recording during treatment is necessary because of the risk of silent obstructive apneas without subjective snoring with the device.
Impact of sea surface salinity assimilation on coupled forecasts in the tropical Pacific

n n In this paper, we assess the impact of sea surface salinity (SSS) observations on seasonal variability of tropical dynamics as well as on dynamical El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasts using a hybrid coupled model (HCM). The HCM is composed of a primitive equation ocean model coupled with a singular value decomposition-based statistical atmospheric model. An Ensemble Reduced Order Kalman Filter (EROKF) is used to assimilate observations to constrain tropical Pacific dynamics and thermodynamics for initialization of the HCM. Rather than trying to produce the best possible operational forecasts, point-wise subsurface temperature (sTz) has been assimilated separately and together with gridded observed sea surface salinity (SSS) from optimal interpolation to more efficiently isolate the impact of SSS. Coupled experiments are then initiated from these EROKF initial conditions and run for 12 months for each month, 1993-2007. The results show that adding SSS to sTz assimilation improves coupled forecasts for 6-12 month lead times. The main benefit of SSS assimilation comes from improvement to the spring predictability barrier (SPB) period. SSS assimilation increases correlation for 6-12 month forecasts by 0.2-0.5 and reduces RMS error by 0.3 degrees C-0.6 degrees C for forecasts initiated between December and March, a period key to long-lead ENSO forecasts. The positive impact of SSS assimilation originates from warm pool and Southern Hemisphere salinity anomalies. Improvements are brought about by fresh anomalies at the equator which increases stability, reduces mixing, and shoals the thermocline which concentrates the wind impact of ENSO coupling. This effect is most pronounced in June-August, helping to explain the improvement in the SPB. In addition, we show that SSS impact on coupled forecasts is more pronounced for the period 1993-2001 than for the period 2002-2007 due to the improved inherent predictability associated with the strong 1997-1998 ENSO. Rather than being the final say for the issue of SSS assimilation, this study should be considered as a necessary first step. Future work is still required to assess issues such as SSS satellite data coverage and the complementary nature of satellite/in situ assimilation. However, these results foreshadow the important positive potential impact that gridded satellite SSS provided by missions such as SMOS and Aquarius/SAC-D will have on coupled model predictions.
East-west extension and Miocene environmental change in the southern Tibetan plateau: Thakkhola graben, central Nepal

East-west extensional basins are distributed across the southern half of the Tibetan plateau at an elevation of ∼4 km. These basins have generated much interest because of their potential implications for the regional tectonics and force distribution in the plateau. This study documents the sedimentology of the Miocene–Pliocene Thakkhola graben fill in order to reconstruct basin evolution and paleoenvironment. Analysis of depositional systems, paleodrainage patterns, and conglomerate clast provenance of the >1-km-thick graben fill sets limits on the timing of activity of the basin-bounding faults and the development of southward axial drainage in the basin. During the deposition of the oldest basin fill (Tetang Formation, ca. 11–9.6 Ma), probably in a restricted basin, minor motion occurred on the basin-bounding fault systems. An angular unconformity separates the Tetang and overlying Thakkhola Formations, where this contact can be observed in the southern part of the basin. Southward axial drainage was established by ca. 7 Ma with the onset of deposition of the Thakkhola Formation. Several episodes of damming of this drainage system are recorded by widespread lacustrine deposits in the southern part of the basin. Facies distribution and the progressive rotation of strata in the Thakkhola Formation indicate that the Dangardzong fault on the western edge of the basin was active at this time, and drainage ponding may have been related to displacement on normal faults associated with the South Tibetan detachment system to the south of Thakkhola graben. Contrasts between deposits of the Tetang and Thakkhola Formations provide evidence for environmental change in the basin. In the Tetang Formation, the abundance of lacustrine facies, the pollen record, and the absence of paleosol carbonate suggest that conditions were more humid than during subsequent deposition of the Thakkhola Formation. Environmental change in the Thakkhola graben coincided with environmental change observed in the Siwalik foreland basin sequence, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal at ca. 8–7 Ma. Although this climate change event has been previously attributed to intensification of the Asian monsoon in response to uplift of the Tibetan plateau, paleoaltimetry data indicate that this region had already attained a high elevation by ca. 11 Ma. Thus, the Thakkhola graben stratigraphic record suggests that uplift of the southern Tibetan plateau and the onset of the Asian monsoon as inferred from paleoclimatic indicators were not directly related in a simple way.
Seasonal Changes and Relations between Levels of Organochlorines in Arctic Ambient Air: First Results of an All-Year-Round Monitoring Program at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway

The influence of seasonal changes and long-range transport on levels of selected polychlorinated compounds was studied by taking ambient air samples at Ny-Alesund (78°55' N, 11°56'E), Svalbard, Norway, once a week from March to October 1993 and with 48-h sampling intervals from Novemberto December 1993. Polychlorinated pesticides such as chlordanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH), and DDT compounds as well as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were quantified by high-resolution gas chromatography combined with high- or low-resolution mass spectrometry. Due to levels being often in the sub-picogram per cubic meter range, a comprehensive quality control program was applied. This first continuous measurement campaign in the Norwegian Arctic showed a clear seasonal variation of trans-chlordane and cis-nonachlor. Circumpolartrajectories allowed identification of long-range transport from different source regions. The temporal concentration profiles of compounds with different industrial and agricultural sources allowed us to confirm such transport episodes and to differentiate between the influence of industrial and agricultural areas. A significant correlation was found between concentrations of some chlordane congeners, α- and γ-HCH isomers, and the most volatile PCB congeners. No seasonal change of the PCB concentrations was found, indicating that a weekly average temperature of 5-8 °C during summer is not large enough for a measurable revolatilization of already deposited material.
Coupling the Xinanjiang model to a kinematic flow model based on digital drainage networks for flood forecasting

The Xinanjiang model, which is a conceptual rainfall‐runoff model and has been successfully and widely applied in humid and semi‐humid regions in China, is coupled by the physically based kinematic wave method based on a digital drainage network. The kinematic wave Xinanjiang model (KWXAJ) uses topography and land use data to simulate runoff and overland flow routing. For the modelling, the catchment is subdivided into numerous hillslopes and consists of a raster grid of flow vectors that define the water flow directions. The Xinanjiang model simulates the runoff yield in each grid cell, and the kinematic wave approach is then applied to a ranked raster network. The grid‐based rainfall‐runoff model was applied to simulate basin‐scale water discharge from an 805‐km2 catchment of the Huaihe River, China. Rainfall and discharge records were available for the years 1984, 1985, 1987, 1998 and 1999. Eight flood events were used to calibrate the model's parameters and three other flood events were used to validate the grid‐based rainfall‐runoff model. A Manning's roughness via a linear flood depth relationship was suggested in this paper for improving flood forecasting. The calibration and validation results show that this model works well. A sensitivity analysis was further performed to evaluate the variation of topography (hillslopes) and land use parameters on catchment discharge. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Economics of alternatives for managing intense rainfall on agricultural watersheds

Our nation's leaders are endeavoring to balance our budget. They need our help. We believe that elimination of conservation initiatives would damage the long-term welfare of our nation. Consequently, finding less costly methods for achieving our conservation objectives should be among our highest priorities. Reducing damage from flood waters is a major objective in hundreds of watersheds in our nation. Runoff is generally a consequence of the rate of precipitation exceeding the rate at which the soil can absorb the water. Runoff can be a valuable component of the water and power supply for nearby communities. On the other hand runoff is the primary cause of soil erosion and often results in overflow of normal channels and flood damage to nearby structures and crops. RETENTION BASINS Societies' efforts to control surface flow and optimize its benefits have commonly included retention basins constructed along or near the streambed that can accept and retain water from peak flows, which helps protect downstream reaches of the channel from flood damage. The value of their ability to store part of the runoff water for subsequent municipal, industrial, and agricultural use and power production has often been used, justifiably, to amortize part…
Vertical structure of stratiform marine boundary layer clouds and its impact on cloud albedo

One year of passive microwave as well as near infrared remote sensing observations of cloud liquid water path (LWP) are used to study stratiform marine boundary layer clouds on a large scale. Good agreement between the two different remote sensing estimates of LWP was found for values below 150 g/m2, if the clouds were assumed to be stratified vertically. For higher values of LWP the near infrared observations show a lower LWP than the passive microwave observations. Theoretical calculations of cloud albedo suggest a potentially significant underestimation of cloud albedo if, for a given LWP, clouds are assumed to be vertically homogeneous. The results presented in this study bear significance especially for climate studies. Of particular relevance is the conclusion that also at the large scale marine boundary layer clouds need to be regarded as being vertically adiabatically or sub‐adiabatically stratified.
Precipitation variability and change in the Calabria region (Italy) from a high resolution daily dataset

The present study aims at improving data availability and quality for the last 80–90 years for daily precipitation in the Calabria region (southern Italy). First, the original database was homogenised and the gaps filled in for 129 daily rain gauges for the 1916–2006 period. Then, precipitation variability and change were evaluated at an adequate spatial resolution. Monthly and annual total precipitation (P), number of wet days (WDs), and precipitation intensity (PI) were calculated for each series. With regard to the monthly total precipitation a general negative trend, albeit not everywhere significant, was detected, in particular for the autumn–winter period, while in summer the tendency was toward an increase in total precipitation. The monthly behaviour of WDs was not very different from that observed for P: a diffuse negative trend was detected in most months, particularly evident and significant in January, with the exception of April and the summer months, for which the tendency was toward an increase. Regarding the PI, a general negative and often significant trend was found for the entire region and for almost all the months, except summer. Attention was also focused on tendencies in the different PI categories, revealing negative trends in high‐intensity categories, especially coming from the winter season.
The Jurassic and Cretaceous bony fish record (Actinopterygii, Dipnoi) from Thailand

Abstract This first overview of the bony fish record from the Jurassic and Cretaceous continental deposits of Thailand reveals a significant diversity, with 16 taxa in four formations (the Khlong Min, Phu Kradung, Sao Khua and Khok Kruat Fms). Four of these taxa have already been diagnosed and described, and a couple of others are sufficiently well preserved to be diagnosed in the future. The other taxa are represented at present by fragmentary and isolated remains. The highest diversity is observed among ‘semionotids’, which occur in the four formations. Sinamiids are represented by at least three taxa that occur only in the Sao Khua and the Khok Kruat Formations. Pycnodont fishes are known by rare and isolated dentitions and teeth in the Khlong Min and Sao Khua Formations, and lungfishes referred to Ferganoceratodus occur in the Khlong Min and the Phu Kradung Formations. The assemblages provide few palaeogeographical indications at present, except for evidence of relationships with China and Central Asia. However, it is expected than once the phylogenetic relationships of these taxa are resolved, we will be able to reconstruct precise palaeogeographical scenarios.
CENÁRIO DA AGRICULTURA IRRIGADA NO ESTADO DO PARÁ

1 RESUMO Com o intuito de fornecer informacoes importantes para o planejamento do crescimento sustentavel da agricultura irrigada e o uso eficiente dos recursos hidricos o presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar as estatisticas sobre irrigacao do Estado do Para com base nos Censos Agropecuarios do IBGE de 1996 e 2006. Com base nos dados do Censo Agropecuario de 2006 o estado do Para possui uma area irrigada de 29.333 ha, o que representa um crescimento de 611% em relacao ao ano de 1996. Em 41% das areas irrigadas sao utilizados sistemas de irrigacao (outros metodos ou molhacao) que nao se enquadram dentro dos principais metodos. A Regiao de Integracao do Rio Capim e a que possui a maior area irrigada e a Regiao do Guama o maior numero de estabelecimentos com irrigacao. A concentracao das areas irrigadas em regioes que possuem problemas historicos de uso da terra, a utilizacao significativa de sistemas de irrigacao que possuem baixa eficiencia e a insatisfatoria assistencia tecnica para a maioria dos produtores sao fatores que indicam a necessidade de um maior monitoramento do crescimento da agricultura irrigada e da utilizacao dos recursos hidricos. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: censo agropecuario , irrigacao, Para SOUZA, R.O. R.M. ; PANTOJA, A.V. ; AMARAL, M.A.C.M; PEREIRA NETO, J.A. STATUS OF AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION IN PARA STATE, BRAZIL 2 ABSTRACT With the intention of offering important information for planning the efficient use of water resources, the purpose of this work was to analyze the irrigation statistics in Para State (Brazil), based on the agricultural census data of IBGE in 1996 and 2006. The Para State in 2006 had an irrigated area of 29,333 ha, an increase of 611% compared to 1996. In 41% of irrigated area, the farmers use irrigation systems that are classified as “other”, that cannot be classified among the main methods. The “Capim” River Region has the largest irrigated area and the “Guama” Region has more farms with irrigation. The concentration of irrigated areas in regions that have historical problems of land use, the large amount of irrigation systems with low efficiency and the unsatisfactory technical assistance for most farmers suggest the need for close monitoring the growth of irrigated agriculture and use of water resources. KEYWORDS: agricultural census, irrigation, Para State
Patterns of tooth eruption and replacement in multituberculate mammals

ABSTRACT Dentitions of juvenile multituberculate mammals are rarely preserved in the fossil record. A previously undescribed skull and jaws of a juvenile individual of Taeniolabis taoensis contains in situ both upper and lower deciduous incisors, lower fourth premolars, and upper and lower first molars, all of which are just beginning to erupt. Based on this and other specimens, patterns of tooth eruption and replacement in at least some multituberculates can be reconstructed. All known multituberculates exhibit a pattern of diphyodonty similar to that seen in most placental mammals. Tooth eruption apparently occurred in an anteroposterior sequence. The primary generation P4 (perhaps all the primary generation lower premolars) erupted by anterodorsal rotative eruption. The P4 of most (perhaps all) Late Cretaceous-Tertiary multituberculates (ptilodontoids, taeniolabidoids, cimolomyids) appears to be monophyodont, in contrast to the diphyodont P4 found in at least one paulchoifatiid plagiaulacoid. Compariso.
Sequence stratigraphy and architectural variability in growth fault-bounded basin fills: a review of Plio-Pleistocene stratal units of the Crotone Basin, southern Italy

Field examples from the Pliocene to Pleistocene succession of the Crotone Basin document the variability of stratal architecture in syntectonic units deposited in normal fault-bounded basins. Relatively thick trangressive intervals are common within these successions, as shown in the Zinga 2, Zinga 3 and Strongoli stratal units. Transgressive packages are formed by lagoonal mudstones that are abruptly overlain by shoreface sandstones. Aggradational highstand shallow-marine packages are typical of the lower Pliocene succession in half-graben basins. These deposits resulted from balanced conditions between the rate of sediment supply and the rate of creation of accommodation. Relatively thick forced regressive deposits are common within basins during phases where the accommodation–supply ratio is low (e.g. the middle Pleistocene San Mauro Sandstone). These deposits, influenced by growth faulting and folding, recorded base-level lowering linked to glacio-eustasy. A complex stratal architecture may be the consequence of the alternation between tectonic subsidence and uplift (e.g. the Serra Piani stratal unit). Such variations are thought to be related to the onset of an earliest mid-Pliocene transpressional tectonic phase. The studied deposits, therefore, show a marked tectonic control that strongly influenced their stratal architecture. These examples represent interesting cases of sequence-stratigraphic analysis in growth-faulted contexts.
Time-stratigraphic framework for the Eocene-Oligocene Mogollon-Datil volcanic field, southwest New Mexico

A time-stratigraphic framework for discontinuously exposed regional ignimbrites in the Eocene-Oligocene Mogollon-Datil volcanic field has been established using correlations aided by 40Ar/39Ar age determinations and paleomagnetic analyses. 40Ar/39Ar age spectra from sanidine separates (25 regional ignimbrites, 85 samples, 97 spectra) yield well-defined plateau ages that are precise (within-sample and within-unit 1σ < ± 0.5%) and agree closely with independently established stratigraphic order. Paleomagnetic remanence directions (404 sites) from individual ignimbrite outflow sheets are generally vertically and horizontally uniform throughout facies ranging from thick (100-500 m), densely welded, proximal ignimbrites to thin (1.5-30 m), unwelded, distal fringes. Between-unit differences in paleomagnetic directions provide useful correlation criteria, particularly for units having ages too close to be resolved using 40Ar/39Ar dating. The Mogollon-Datil time-stratigraphic framework clarifies ignimbrite history and provides improved age control for intercalated lavas and sedimentary rocks. Ignimbrite activity was strongly episodic; outflow sheets were primarily erupted in four discrete pulses representing synchronized activity of two separate cauldron complexes. Activity in the southern complex began at 36.2 Ma near Las Cruces, New Mexico, and subsequently migrated 220 km northwest, culminating in the 28.0 Ma Bursum cauldron. Activity in the northern complex, located west of Socorro, New Mexico, underwent a less defined and more modest 40-km westward migration over its 32.0 to 24.3 Ma life span. The four pulses of ignimbrite activity were (1) 36.2-24.3 Ma, 12 major units, >1,500 km3 total volume; (2) 32.0-31.4 Ma, three major units, >1,500 km3 volume; (3) 29.1-27.4 Ma, nine major units, >6,000 km3; and (4) 24.3 Ma, one major unit. The third and largest ignimbrite pulse was accompanied by extensive rhyolitic dome and flow eruptions in the area between the two main cauldron complexes.