Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mesospheric winds above the South Island of New Zealand

This project involved the comparison of horizontal winds from three different techniques in the upper mesosphere, lower thermosphere region at SO-105 km and the characterization of the ability of the Fabry-Perot technique to observe gravity waves in the airlow layers. The wind measurements for the comparison were obtained by three independent ground-based techniques, a meteor radar (MR) , a medium frequency radar (MF) and an optical FabryPerot spectrometer (FPS). All three instruments are located on the South Island of New Zealand. The optical winds were derived from night-time observations of the Doppler shifts in the mesospheric S40 nm hydroxyl emission near S7 km and the lower thermospheric 557.7 nm atomic oxygen emission at about 95 km height. The radar winds were obtained using a partial reflection medium frequency radar operating at 2.4 MHz and a meteor radar operating at 26.2 MHz with a pulse repetion rate of 379 Hz. The initial comparisons were made for 5 consecutive nights during May 1997. As a consequence of the results obtained the comparison of the FPSjMR combination were extended to SO nights in the period encompassing May 1997 to April 1995. Dates considered suitable were those exhibiting no cloud and low magnetic activity. A very good correlation was observed between the FPS and MR winds for the 5 consecutive days and, albeit to a lesser degree, in the complete data set of SO days. The good correlation between the FPS and the MR was used to determine the monthly mean height of the hydroxyl and the atomic oxygen layer over the period between May 1997 to April 1995. The result shows an annual variation in the height of the hydroxyl layer with the lower height during early summer and little variation in the height of the atomic oxygen layer. The study of the detectability of the gravity waves in the FPS wind measurements reveals that waves from the part of the gravity wave spectrum which shows the most activity can only, if at all, be detected with a strongly attenuated amplitude. With knowledge of the gravity wave detect ability of the FPS, signatures of very long wavelength gravity waves were sought in the available data set. On many nights signatures of wave activity which could be related to gravity waves were found. The attempt to use the MR data set to aid in the determination of the wavelength of those waves was of limited success.
The social cost of foreign exchange reserves

Abstract There has been a very rapid rise since the early 1990s in foreign reserves held by developing countries. These reserves have climbed to almost 30% of developing countries' GDP and 8 months of imports. Assuming reasonable spreads between the yield on reserve assets and the cost of foreign borrowing, the income loss to these countries amounts to close to 1% of GDP. Conditional on existing levels of short-term foreign borrowing, this does not seem too steep a price as an insurance premium against financial crises. But why developing countries have not tried harder to reduce short-term foreign liabilities in order to achieve the same level of liquidity (thereby paying a smaller cost in terms of reserve accumulation) remains an important puzzle.
Geometric and Statistical Characteristics of Bed Forms in the Lower Mississippi River

Bed forms in alluvial systems are three dimensional. The most common bed forms are: ripples, dunes and bars. Under certain flows, different bed forms may be superimposed on each other, e.g. dunes superimposed on bars or ripples superimposed on dunes. The irregularity in the bed of alluvial streams caused by the existence of bed forms produces additional flow resistance, which affects the hydrodynamics and sediment transport properties of the system. The geometry of bed forms in large alluvial, rivers such as the Lower Mississippi River exhibits both coherent and random characteristics. Average wave lengths and heights alone cannot adequately describe these bed forms. A spectral approach was used in this study to capture the periodicity and frequency distributions of the observed bed forms along a study reach in the Lower Mississippi River extending from river mile zero (Head of Passes) to river mile 234 (near Baton Rouge, LA).
Morning transition tracer experiments in a deep narrow valley

Abstract Three sulfur hexafluoride atmospheric tracer experiments were conducted during the post-sunrise temperature inversion breakup period in the deep, narrow Brush Creek Valley of Colorado. Experiments were conducted under clear, undisturbed weather conditions. A continuous elevated tracer plume was produced along the axis of the valley before sunrise and the behavior of the plume during the inversion breakup period was detected down-valley from the release point using an array of radio-controlled sequential bag samplers, a vertical SF6 profiling system carried on a tethered balloon, two portable gas chromatographs operated on a sidewall of the valley, and a continuous real-time SF6 monitor operated from a research aircraft. Supporting meteorological data came primarily from tethered balloon profilers. The nocturnal elevated plume was carried and diffused in down-valley flows. After sunrise, convective boundary layers grew upward from the sunlit valley surfaces, fumigating the elevated plume onto the .
Did Purchasing Power Parity Hold in Medieval Europe ? January 2014

This paper employs a unique, hand-collected dataset of exchange rates for five major currencies (the lira of Barcelona, the pound sterling of England, the pond groot of Flanders, the florin of Florence and the livre tournois of France) to consider whether the law of one price and purchasing power parity held in Europe during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Using single series and panel unit root and stationarity tests on ten real exchange rates between 1383 and 1411, we show that the parity relationship held for the pound sterling and some of the Florentine florin series individually and for almost all of the groups that we investigate. Our findings add to the weight of evidence that trading and arbitrage activities stopped currencies deviating permanently from fair values and that the medieval financial markets were well functioning. This supports the results reported in other recent studies which indicate that many elements of modern economic theories can be traced back over 700 years in Europe.
40 Ar/ 39 Ar and U-Pb geochronology of the Goonumbla porphyry Cu-Au deposits, New South Wales, Australia

The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar technique of K-Ar dating has been used to determine the age of hydrothermal sericite associated with mineralization in the Goonumbla porphyry copper-gold deposits, Lachlan fold belt, New South Wales, Australia. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age spectra from Goonumbla hydrothermal sericite indicate that vein and groundmass (potassic and phyllic) alteration were broadly contemporaneous at 439.2 + or - 1.2 Ma (1Sigma ). The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates obtained from hydrothermal alkali feldspar are considerably younger than those from coeval hydrothermal sericite. U-Pb dating of magmatic zircons by ion microprobe yields an age of 438.5 + or - 3.6 Ma (1Sigma ) for the Nelungaloo Volcanics which underlie the mineralized Goonumbla sequence, providing a maximum age for mineralization and suggesting that the two successions are largely coeval.The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age spectra obtained in this investigation from fine-grained sericite illustrate the amenability of this hydrothermal phase to dating by the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar technique and suggest that there is considerable potential for application of this dating method to Phanerozoic ore deposits. The close agreement in ages between the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and U-Pb results gives confidence in the application of both dating techniques to altered Paleozoic rocks.
The Effects of Ownership Concentration and Identity on Investment Performance : An International Comparison *

This article makes two important contributions to the literature on the incentive effects of insider ownership. First, it presents a clean method for separating the positive wealth effect of insider ownership from the negative entrenchment effect, which can be applied to samples of companies from the US and any other country. Second, it measures the effects of insider ownership using a measure of firm performance, namely a marginal q, which ensures that the causal relationship estimated runs from ownership to performance. The article applies this method to a large sample of publicly listed firms from the Anglo-Saxon and Civil law traditions and confirms that managerial entrenchment has an unambiguous negative effect on firm performance as measured by both Tobin's (average) q and our marginal q, and that the wealth effect of insider ownership is unambiguously positive for both measures. We also test for the effects of ownership concentration for other categories of owners and find that while institutional ownership improves the performance in the USA, financial institutions have a negative impact in other Anglo-Saxon countries and in Europe. JEL Codes: G32, L21
Theory and Method in the Comparative Study of Values Critique and Alternative to

Thispaper critically reviewsRonald Inglehart’s recent comparativeworkonvalue change inmodern societies. It is argued that Inglehart’s central thesis ^ value change seen primarily as a consequence of technological development and economic growth, leading to the spread of secular-rational and self-expression values ^ is materialist, unilinear, and comparative-static.The example of religious secularization is used to show an alternative comparative approach which takes into consideration institutional characteristics of states and societies.Two aspects of Inglehart’smethodologyare investigated: hismeasurement of ‘traditional vs. secular-rational’and ‘survival vs. self-expression values’ and his treatment of units and levels of measurement. It is shown that his scales are heterogeneous collections of items, that his classi¢cation of the countries into ‘cultural zones’ is not veryconsistent, and that he is unaware of the distinction between the macro and micro levels of analysis. Comparative data on national identity and pride are used to show the importance of this distinction. Three general requirements of comparative research are outlined in the concluding section.
In-Situ, Integrated U-Pb, Hf And O Isotopic Study Of Igneous, Metamorphic And Detrital Zircons. Implications To Crustal Evolution And Geodynamics

Acta Petrolei Sinica 24, 348 –358. Zhu, B. , Kidd, W.S. F. , Rowley, D.B. , Currie, B.S., and Shafi que, N. , 2005, Age of initiation of the India–Asia collision in the east central Himalaya: The Journal of Geology 113, 265–285.
Miocene and Early Pleistocene Rodents (Mammalia) from Denizli Basin (Southwestern Turkey) and a New Species of Fossil Mus

ABSTRACT The terrestrial Neogene Basin of Denizli, located in southwestern Turkey, yields rodent faunas from nine localities dated between MN6 and MNQ18–19. Arabosminthus gansus, which is known in China and Mongolia, is recorded for the first time in Turkey at the Yenicekent localities (MN8–9), an older stratigraphical level than it is usually known from. Another species from the same localities, Microdyromys complicatus, is described for the first time in Anatolia in a younger locality than usual known in Western Europe. Myomimus dehmi, Myocricetodon eskihisarensis, Dryomys tosyaensis, and Dryomys sp. are the other species described in the present study. A new species of fossil Mus (Mammalia, Rodentia), Mus denizliensis, sp. nov. (MNQ18–19), has been found at the G€okpınar locality. This is the oldest fossil species of this genus known from Turkey or continental Europe.
Marine inundation of a late Miocene forest: stratigraphy and tectonic evolution of the Saint George Formation, Crescent City, California

A paleosol developed on the Mesozoic Franciscan Complex is depositionally overlain by 48 m of late Miocene (diatom age ca. 6.0-6.4 Ma), mostly shallow-marine Saint George Formation. At the base of this sequence is a buried paleoforest of rooted tree stumps, found at three separate sites. Above the rooted stumps is a sequence of wave-reworked colluvium containing woody debris interpreted as a tsunami deposit, succeeded by beach deposits, and bioturbated, mollusk-rich mudstone having occasional hummocky cross-stratified sandstone interbeds. Regional correlations of the Saint George Formation with the Wimer Formation, preserved on the highland Klamath erosion surface immediately east of the study area (at elevations up to 680 m) and basal Pullen Formation at Scotia, California, 145 km to the south, suggest that these units are remnants of a single transgressive shelf sequence that blanketed northwestern California. These sediments have a likely Idaho batholith provenance and accumulated in response to rapid subsidence of the leading edge of North America during the late Miocene. The late Miocene Saint George Formation [units 1-3] dips easterly along Pebble Beach and is preserved in an open, northwest-trending syncline north of Point Saint George. The newly-described 'Pebble Beach thrust fault' has an northnorthwest strike and west-southwest vergence and runs onshore from mid-Pebble
MiR-499 is a diagnostic biomarker of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation involved in the development of atrial fibrillation

Background: microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with cardiovascular disease, regulate gene expression, and are detectable in blood samples. Objective: We sought to determine the diagnostic value of miRNAs in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and the mechanisms underlying miRNA involvement in the pathophysiological of AF. Methods: miRNA profiles in plasma samples from AF patients and healthy individuals were obtained using a microarray assay and validated by qPCR. Subsequently, the diagnostic performance of selected miRNAs was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In vitro, western blot, and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to determine downstream targets of miR-499 in HL-1 cells. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was then performed to observe the function of miR-499 on Ca2+ channels. Results: miRNA microarray data revealed 10 aberrantly expressed miRNAs between groups and qPCR validated three upregulated miRNAs, miR-21, miR-208, and miR-499. ROC analysis showed miR-499 had a higher diagnostic performance than the other two, with an area under the curve value of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.90). Furthermore, miR-499 directly regulated the expression of the L-type Ca2+ channel Cav1.2 (encoded by the CACNA1C gene). The results from the whole-cell patch-clamp technique showed a reduction in L-type Ca2+ currentin HL-1 cells. Conclusions: miR-499 could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for paroxysmal AF and targets the CACNA1C gene regulating Cav1.2 expression and function, which is involved in the development of AF.
The Impact-Cratering Process

Impact cratering is an important and unique geologic process. The high speeds, forces and temperatures involved are quite unlike conventional endogenic processes, and the environmental consequences can be catastrophic. Kilometre-scale craters are excavated and collapse in minutes, in some cases distributing debris around the globe and exhuming deeply buried strata. In the process, rocks are deformed, broken, heated and transformed in unique ways. Elevated temperatures in the crust may persist for millennia, and important chemical reactions are promoted by the extreme environment of the impact plume. Released gases may cause long-term perturbations to the climate, and impact-related phosphorus reduction may have played a role in the origin of life on Earth.
Predicting Early Warning Signals of Financial Distress : The Role of Accounting Volatility Measures *

This study proposes a simple accounting-based framework that allows to assess financial distress up to five years in advance for US listed firms over the period of 1980-2010. We jointly model financial distress by two of its key driving forces, (1) a declining profitability, modeled by independent stochastic processes, and (2) insufficient liquid assets, viewed as a minimum level of operating liquidity. The financial distress model incorporates important underlying (i) time-series (ii) industrysector (iii) firm-level growth, and (iv) accounting volatility developments. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses show improvements in the discriminatory power and demonstrate incremental information content beyond state of the art accounting-based models. For example, we find a 11 percent (4 percent) higher ranking performance documented by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) relative to the standard Altman’s z-score (Ohlson’s o-score) models. Consequently, this study might provide important ex ante warning signals for investors, regulators and practitioners. JEL classification: C63, C52, C53, G33, M41
Genotoxic effects of 5-bromouracil on cytomorphological characters of Cichorium intybus L . Iram

This work was done to study the effect of base analogue 5-bromouracil (5-BU) on the medicinal herb, Cichorium intybus. 5-BU induced miss pairing during the DNA replication. The seeds of C. intybus were treated with different concentrations of 5-BU. Variations in some parameters such as seed germination, seedling survival, seedling height, pollen fertility, days to flowering, days to maturity, number of leaves per plant, plant height, and chromosome behavior were studied in M1 generation. A positive correlation between increasing concentrations of mutagen and various cytomorphological characters of C. intybus was observed.
Bioaccumulation and toxicity of heavy metals and related trace elements. [Review (96 references)]

This article reviews the experimental data on heavy metals in the aquatic environment and their biological effects on aquatic ecosystems. Arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, lead, mercury, zinc, selenium, and cobalt were discussed. In addition, the concepts of bioconcentration and detoxification of heavy metals were described. (KRM)
Psychological Literacy A First Approximation

Reported here are the results of a study to determine which terms and concepts in psychology's basic subfields are judged to be of suj~cient importance that they should be general knowledge within the psychological community, especially to students. Questionnaires con- taining 200-250 terms and concepts from each of lO sub- fields of psychology were sent to authors of textbooks in those subfields with a request that they make such judg- ments in the form of ratings. Authors suggested additional terms that were the basis for a second questionnaire. The results have been compiled into tables of "Psychology's Top 100" concepts and of ranked lists of the 100 highest rated terms for each of the 10 subfield areas studied. What are the nuggets in the mother lode of psychological knowledge? How would we know them when we saw them? Some time ago I saw these two questions as crucial to the identification of a general core of psychology that psychologists and their students might be expected to know. The reader will recognize in this concern the in- fluence of E. J. Hirsch, whose book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs To Know caught the atten- tion of the American public in 1987. Hirsch's thesis was that many Americans have not been provided with the educational background necessary to understand efforts at serious communication, in other words to be good cit- izens. What they need, according to Hirsch, is a knowl- edge base that is encompassed in a long list of terms, concepts, sayings, and people that is presented in the book. Although Hirsch's thesis and his materials have been variously received, I found the general idea of a core of knowledge appealing; citizens are also needed in the psy- chological community. Perhaps U.S. colleges and uni- versities might come to agree on a basic set of materials that psychology majors might be expected to master prior to their graduation. Students might be guided in their course selection by the idea that competence with a rec- ognizable set of concepts and materials was the norm for graduate work or even for an undergraduate education. Not the least of the attractions of a core of psychological material is its explicit messageDthat psychology is much more than it has been portrayedDto a public that knows only the "junk" psychology propagated by the popular press. Psychologists would all agree that psychology has much to say in a large number of important and fasci- nating areas. But what are the more critical parts of these areas that an educated public should be apprised of? Thus motivated, I undertook the task of developing a list of terms and concepts that our students should know. If not cultural literacy, I could at least aspire toward the identification of a measure of psychological literacy.
Arctic ozone loss variability and chemical cycles

The polar stratospheric ozone loss during the Arctic winters 2004/2005–2009/2010 is investigated by using high resolution simulations from the chemical transport model Mimosa-Chim and observations from Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), by applying the passive tracer technique. The winter 2004/2005 shows the coldest temperatures, highest area of polar stratospheric clouds and strongest chlorine activation in 2004/2005–2009/2010. The ozone loss diagnosed from both simulations and measurements inside the polar vortex at 475 K ranges from 0.7 ppmv in the warm winter 2005/2006 to 1.5–1.7 ppmv in the cold winter 2004/2005. Halogenated (chlorine and bromine) catalytic cycles contribute to 75–90% of the ozone loss at this level. At 675 K the lowest loss of 0.3–0.5 ppmv is computed in 2008/2009, and the highest loss of 1.3 ppmv is estimated in 2006/2007 by the model and in 2004/2005 by MLS. Most of the ozone loss (60–75%) at this level results from nitrogen catalytic cycles rather than halogen cycles. At both 475 and 675 K levels the simulated ozone and ozone loss evolution inside the vortex is in reasonably good agreement with the MLS observations. The ozone partial column loss in 350–850 K deduced from the model calculations at the MLS sampling locations inside the polar vortex ranges between 43 DU in 2005/2006 and 109 DU in 2004/2005, while those derived from the MLS observations range between 26 DU and 115 DU for the same winters. The partial column ozone depletion derived in that vertical range is larger than that estimated in 350–550 K by 19 ±7 DU on average, mainly due to NOx chemistry. The column ozone loss estimates from both Mimosa-Chim and MLS in 350–850 K are generally in good agreement with those derived from ground-based ultravioletvisible spectrometer total ozone observations for the respective winters, except in 2010. Correspondence to: J. Kuttippurath (jayan@aero.jussieu.fr)