Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Southwestern U.S. tree‐ring carbon isotope indices as a possible proxy for reconstruction of greenness of vegetation

Southwestern U.S. pinyon tree‐ring carbon‐isotope indices showed promise two decades ago as an indicator of moisture and drought. However, because those isotopic indices were developed on 5‐year ring groups rather than annual rings, the full extent of their effectiveness as environmental proxies was not established. Recent re‐sampling of the sites and subsequent availability of annual isotopic indices for 1985 through 1999 has allowed us to more definitively characterize environmental relationships across 14 sites in six southwestern states. Principal component (PC) analysis reveals a significant positive relationship (p ≤ 0.02) between isotope indices and summer‐season Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a satellite‐derived “greenness index”. Correlation and PC analysis also show a negative relationship of isotope indices with cumulative monthly precipitation (p ≤ 0.05) and confirm a strong positive relationship with Palmer Drought Index (especially spring and summer, p ≤ 0.0002). Although the drought and NDVI relationships are not as simply interconnected as hypothesized, the NDVI link reveals the potential of the existing multi‐century record of isotope indices for long‐term assessment of southwestern ecology and carbon cycling.
Water and Risk: Developing sustainable and resilient communities

Key Messages • Sweden has an ideal opportunity to become a more important effect, reflecting the views of several Swedish organisations active international partner in DRR and resilience activities, originating in this area. from its strong history of donor support and long engagement • Acting on this opportunity would enable timely Swedish in DRR. contributions to the increasing global debate on the need to build • The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs plays an important role resilience to a multi-risk environment. This includes small scale and in contributing to relevant global processes; mainly the successor slow-onset disasters, violent conflict, uncontrolled urbanisation, framework to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA2) the rising consumption, environmental degradation Post-2015 Agenda and associated Sustainable Development and climate change. Goals. This document outlines some recommendations to this (Less)
On the structure and evolution of ENSO‐related climate variability in the tropical Pacific: Lessons from TOGA

Improved observations in the tropical Pacific during the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program have served to corroborate preexisting notions concerning the seasonally dependent relationships between sea surface temperature, sea level pressure, wind stress, rainfall, upper tropospheric circulation, and ocean thermal structure anomalies in the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. However, the paradigm of a quasiperiodic “ENSO cycle,” phase locked with the annual march, does not capture the complexity of the evolution of the anomalies. The inadequacy of this model was particularly apparent during the second half of TOGA when the variability was highly aperiodic. Also, a single modal structure or empirical orthogonal function does not appear to be capable of representing the range of spatial patterns of ocean-atmosphere interaction in the tropical Pacific. These results suggest the need for a more inclusive phenomenological description of ENSO. Data collected during TOGA serve to confirm the influence of tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature anomalies upon rainfall in northeast Brazil.
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The current study examined the association between adolescent emotional competence, operationalized and measured at both the individual and the school levels, and gang membership. The study involved a sample of 12,040 students (51.4% females; mean = 16.9 years) participating in the biennial state department of education coordinated California Healthy Kids Survey, which assesses a range of adolescent health-related behaviors. Hierarchical linear modeling indicatedthathigherlevelsofindividualemotionalcompetencewere associated with a lower likelihood of identifying as a gang member. Moreover, a stronger negative association between emotional competence and identifying as a gang member was found when emotional competence was operationalized at the school level. Implications include the role of schools in promoting emotional regulation, empathy, and behavioral regulation of their entire student body as part of an overall strategy to reduce individual student ' s attraction to gangs.
WAVE SCOUR AROUND GROUP OF VERTICAL PILES

The paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on scour around pile groups with different configurations exposed to waves. Two kinds of tests were carried out: the actual scour experiments, and bed shear stress measurements. Seven kinds of pile-group arrangements were tested, including the side-by-side arrangements of piles, tandem arrangements of piles, and triangular and square group arrangements with two-, three-, and four-pile groups. The variations with the pile spacing as well as the Keulegan-Carpenter number, \IKC\N, were investigated. The scour depth can increase with respect to its single-pile value by as much as a factor of 3 for moderate \IKC\N numbers [such as \iO(10)] for most of the pile-group configurations for small pile spacings. For small \IKC\N numbers, this increase can be even higher, by as much as a factor of 10 or more. For a given pile spacing, the scour depth is mainly governed by the \IKC\N number. In agreement with the single-pile case, the larger the \IKC\N number, the larger the scour depth. The bed was live in all the tests except a few cases.
Perceptions of electronic banking among Congolese clients of South African banks in the greater Durban area

Online banking in the financial sector has revolutionised the banking industry. This study aims to determine the perception of electronic banking, from the consumer`s perspective among Congolese consumers using South African banks in the Greater Durban area. Banks are competing on the basis of technology and service offering to win a sizeable share of the online market. Congolese consumer is a good target market, however, very little is known about the factors influencing Congolese consumer behaviour in the online banking sector in Durban. An understanding of the demographic profile, factors prompting the use of electronic banking and motivators influence the adoption of electronic banking. Analyses of Congolese customers adopting electronic banking will facilitate the formulation of marketing strategies to foreign nationals in South Africa. The empirical section of the study involved data collection through the use of self-completion questionnaires administrated by the researcher. A survey was conducted in the greater Durban area using convenience sampling methodology and 288 completed questionnaires were collected by the researcher. The key findings revealed that the demographic profile (gender, area of residence, marital status, and income categories) influences the adoption of electronic banking as a segmentation basis. It was interesting to note that most of respondents were married and reside in Central Durban and South Durban. Furthermore, psychological factors (motivators, attitudes, perceptions and perceived risk) were found to influence the adoption of electronic banking to a large extend. Interestingly, cultural factors (social class, age and education level)play a significant role in the adoption of electronic banking by Congolese customers of South African banks. The findings also revealed that the driving force for the adoption of electronic banking was that respondents have a job which requires them to have a bank account. Most of the banks in South Africa offer free internet banking to their clients. Since convenience sampling method was used, the findings of this study may not be generalised. Based on the findings of this study it is apparent that the customer analysis of banking clients should be examined on a regular basis. A customised strategy for foreign national customers residing in South Africa should be developed on a regular basis.
A Green Pathway for Future Tourism Success: Walking Trails in Kuala Lumpur

A national survey of the health behaviour of Malaysian adults (2004) has found that there has been a 280% increase in obesity since 1996. This level of obesity was slightly higher in urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, which is a cause for great concern because it has been attributed to an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle brought about by rapid urbanisation, economic growth, and technological advances. As a result, local government authorities are now investigating ways to encourage a higher level of walking behaviour. Trail provision has been found to be one of best intervention strategies to increase walking in neighbourhood areas; however, patterns of walking behaviour and the specific trail characteristics that are required by a multiracial community in Kuala Lumpur are largely unknown. This study investigates the importance of walking trails, and the characteristics that can increase walking activity, among three different ethnic groups of Kuala Lumpur residents, namely Malay, Chinese and Indian. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of local residents and found that all groups (Malay (64.6%; Chinese, 81.1%; Indian 70.0%) indicated that they did not reach the recommended standards for walking to gain any health benefits. The Chinese respondents were found to be the most passive with 54.9% reporting that they did not walk at all. When determining the most suitable walking trails the three ethnic groups favoured different types of trail characteristics that were perceived to be important to motivate them to walk more often. These findings are important in the planning for local government and tourism authorities in their planning of improved walking trails that will encourage tourists and local residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds to more regularly walk for exercise and health.
The Crucial Role of Internal Variability in Modulating the Decadal Variation of the East Asian Summer Monsoon–ENSO Relationship during the Twentieth Century

AbstractThis study investigates the role of internal variability in modulating the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM)–ENSO relationship using Twentieth-Century Reanalysis (20CR) data and simulations from phase 5 of CMIP (CMIP5). Analysis of 20CR data reveals an unstable EASM–ENSO relationship during the twentieth century. During the high-correlation periods of 1892–1912 and 1979–99, an evident western Pacific anticyclone (WPAC) and dipole sea level pressure (SLP) pattern are present in the decaying El Nino summer, accompanied by Indian Ocean warming and a tropospheric temperature Matsuno–Gill pattern. However, these are weaker or absent during low-correlation periods (1914–34 and 1958–78). After removing the external forcings based on historical simulations from 15 CMIP5 models, all the above features remain almost unchanged, suggesting the crucial role of internal variability. In a 501-yr preindustrial control (piControl) simulation without external forcing variation from CCSM4, the EASM–ENSO relationship .
Steep-sided carbonate mud mounds in the Middle Devonian of the eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco

Abstract During the Eifelian and early Givetian, isolated mud mounds were established in a shallow basin, predominantly characterized by calcareous mudstone deposition, in the eastern Anti-Atlas of Morocco. The shapes, lithologies and faunas of these mounds stand in marked contrast with those of nearby contemporaneous, more widespread stromatoporoid/coral biostromes and small carbonate platforms adjacent to shallow shelves. With one exception, the mounds are totally exhumed, perfectly exposing their original morphologies. The smaller mounds are asymmetrical, with steeper northeastern and eastern (35–75°) than southwestern and western flanks (30–50°). The largest mound is almost circular and symmetrical, with scattered stromatoporoids, tabulate and rugose corals that do not form a rigid framework. Frame-builders are much rarer or absent in the smaller mounds. The nature and geographical distribution of the mounds reflects a bathymetric gradient, indicating that they formed on low-angle ramps which sloped gently into a shallow basin. A large reef mound was constructed at moderate depth, while small mud mounds accumulated in deeper water. Decrease of frame-builders and increase in pelagic organisms in the latter document the transition to a pelagic platform with reduced sedimentation at a short distance from the deepest mound.
Using water injection to remove pile base resistance during installation

Water injection is currently used to reduce pile installation resistance in a variety of soil conditions. However, the mechanisms governing load reduction remain unclear, and there are uncertainties over the effect of water injection on the long-term behaviour of the installed pile. This paper offers some insights based on centrifuge model tests, with the aim of clarifying the installation mechanism. A novel approach to scaling was required, and the particle size was deemed to scale with enhanced gravity. A three-stage variable permeability mechanism is proposed and validated against a series of instrumented pile installations. Various pile installations were completed using different flow rates and injection geometries to investigate the differing injection effects. Base resistance was eliminated by forming a fluidized region around the pile toe, extending to two pile radii. However, fluidization could not be maintained beyond a critical depth of installation, and base resistance increased thereafter.
A three‐dimensional crustal velocity model of the southwestern Alps from local earthquake tomography

A temporary network of 65 short-period seismological stations was installed in the southwestern Alps during the second half of 1996. It complemented the permanent monitoring networks, obtaining an average interstation distance of ∼10 km. Travel time data from 446 local earthquakes and 104 quarry blasts were inverted simultaneously for hypocenter parameters and three-dimensional velocity structure. The P wave velocity model displays strong lateral contrasts both at shallow and deeper levels. A low-velocity anomaly stands out at shallow depths beneath the Digne and Castellane nappes in the southwestern part of the investigated area. Farther east, the Monviso ophiolitic massif appears to have a much larger extension at depth than previously assumed. The largest and strongest anomaly is located under the Dora Maira massif and the westernmost Po plain. It correlates with the well-known Ivrea body, which is classically interpreted as a wedge of Adriatic upper mantle. At the best resolved depths (10 and 15 km) it appears as a rather thin (10 to 15 km), north-south elongated, high-velocity (7.4 to 7.7 km s−1) anomaly with very sharp edges, extending to the south as far as 10 km north of the surface trace of the Frontal Penninic Thrust. Special care was taken with regard to the quantitative estimation of the resolution for the main anomalies using the inversion of synthetic travel time data.
Palaeoenvironmental record of the last 70 000 yr in San Felipe Basin, Sonora desert, Mexico: preliminary results

Con el proposito de documentar los cambios paleoambientales, se lleva a cabo una investigacion multidisciplinaria en la Laguna Seca de San Felipe, Baja California. Los resultados preliminares incluyen analisis sedimentologicos de diatomeas y propiedades magneticas de un nucleo de 9.5 m de longitud. Fechamientos de 14 C sugieren que la secuencia abarca los ultimos 70 000 anos. Los resultados de propiedades magneticas (χ, χ fd% , MRIS, MRA, parametros de histeresis y cocientes S), contenido de materia organica y tamano de particulas indican condiciones contrastantes entre el ultimo glacial del Pleistoceno y el glacial tardio-Holoceno. Se infieren condiciones secas entre 70 000 y 45 000 anos A.P. El pleniglacial, entre 34 000 y 19 000 anos A.P., esta caracterizado por condiciones humedas. A partir de 12 000 anos A.P. la tasa de sedimentacion y los parametros magneticos se incrementan en un factor de 5, cambio interpretado como el aumento en el escurrimiento de aguas superficiales. Entre 7000 y 6000 anos A.P. se registra un periodo de aridez, a partir del cual se recuperan las condiciones humedas. El establecimiento de las actuales condiciones aridas se infiere alrededor de 4000 anos A.P.
Methods of pollution control and the rate of change in pollution abatement technology

This paper analyzes the impact of an improvement in pollution abatement technology on the costs of a firm producing under three alternative methods of pollution control: tax, subsidy, and emission standards. It is shown that the cost reduction to the firm will be greatest if the firm is operating under the pollutant tax method of pollution control, and therefore it is concluded that the incentive to improve pollution abatement technology will be greater if pollutant taxes are used to control pollution. In addition, it is shown that firms operating under emission standards or subsidy may have no economic inducement to produce some innovations in pollution abatement.
Postseismic deformation in Chile: Constraints on the asthenospheric viscosity

By means of a spherical Earth model with Maxwell rheology, an analysis of the postseismic deformation field due to the viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle and asthenosphere following the great 1960 Chile earthquake is performed. Due to the exceptional energy release of that earthquake, geomorphological evidences of postseismic deformation are available in a broad area surrounding the rupture zone. The comparison of the synthetic results with the available data allows to put some constraints on the viscosity of the asthenosphere beneath the Chilean region. Values between 8 · 1019 and 1020Pa s are compatible with the available postseismic deformation field data.
Fundamentals of Ecotoxicology

Introduction Historic Need for Ecotoxicology Current Need for Ecotoxicology Expertise Ecotoxicology Ecotoxicology: A Synthetic Science Summary Suggested Readings Major Classes of Contaminants Introduction Major Classes of Contaminants Summary Background Chemistry Concepts and Definitions Suggested Readings Uptake, Biotransformation, Detoxification, Elimination, and Accumulation Introduction Uptake Biotransformation and Detoxification Elimination Accumulation Summary Suggested Readings Factors Influencing Bioaccumulation Introduction Chemical Qualities Influencing Bioavailability Biological Qualities Influencing Bioaccumulation Summary Suggested Readings Bioaccumulation from Food and Trophic Transfer Introduction Quantifying Bioaccumulation from Food Inorganic Contaminants Organic Compounds Summary Suggested Readings Molecular Effects and Biomarkers Introduction Organic Compound Detoxification Metallothioneins Stress Proteins Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Response DNA Modification Enzyme Dysfunction and Substrate Pool Shifts Summary Suggested Readings Cells, Tissues, and Organs Introduction General Cytotoxicity and Histopathology Gene and Chromosome Damage Cancer Gills as an Example Liver as an Example Summary Suggested Readings Sublethal Effects to Individuals General Selyean Stress Growth Development Reproduction Physiology Immunology Behavior Detecting Sublethal Effects Summary Suggested Readings Acute and Chronic Lethal Effects to Individuals General Dose-Response Survival Time Factors Influencing Lethality Summary Suggested Readings Effects on Populations Overview Epidemiology Population Dynamics and Demography Metapopulations Population Genetics Suggested Readings Effects to Communities and Ecosystems Overview Interactions Involving Two or a Few Species Community Qualities Ecosystem Qualities Summary Suggested Readings Landscape to Global Effects General Landscapes and Regions Continents and Hemispheres Biosphere Summary Suggested Readings Risk Assessment of Contaminants Overview Human Risk Assessment Ecological Risk Assessment Radiation Risk Assessment Conclusion Suggested Readings Conclusions Overview Practical Importance of Ecotoxicology Scientific Importance of Ecotoxicology Appendices Study Questions Glossary References
Imaging the shallow crust with local and regional earthquake tomography

While active‐source imaging (seismic reflection, refraction) is typically used to image the shallow crust, these techniques tend to suffer from energy penetration problems in complex tectonic regimes, resulting in poor imaging. Further, active sources (such as air guns or vibroseis) tend to be band limited, resulting in poor signal‐to‐noise ratio at low frequencies (1–10 Hz). Recent studies suggest that earthquake data may be able to solve these imaging problems. However, conventional earthquake tomography typically aims to image the upper mantle and lithosphere, where typical station spacing (tens of km) and array aperture (hundreds of km) have resulted in the maximum resolution. In this study, we take advantage of the small‐scale and 250 m station spacing of the LaBarge Passive Seismic Experiment to determine whether local and regional earthquake tomographies can be used to constrain structure in the top 5 km of the crust. We also study how the inclusion of finite‐frequency effects impacts the final images. Our results indicate that local and regional events provide substantial improvements over teleseismic events alone, with approximately 500 m resolution both vertically and laterally in the upper most 5 km. We also find that inclusion of finite‐frequency data between 1 and 10 Hz plays a key role in maintaining resolution in the shallowest portion of the model.