Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contamination of Nearshore Surficial Sediments from the Iranian Coast of the Caspian Sea

Concentrations of heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn) were analyzed from nearshore surficial sediments collected from the alongshore direction of the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea. The granulometric composition of fourteen samples was determined. Three grain-size fractions (0.355, 0.212 and 0.075 mm) from each sample, plus fourteen bulk samples, were examined for the presence of heavy metals. Laboratory analysis utilized a cold acetic acid extraction procedure, followed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Box and Whisker plots demonstrated that metal concentrations were not homogeneously distributed, and there were large spatial variations in the median concentrations of heavy metals at each sample site. The statistical technique of discriminant analysis revealed that the six heavy metals had distinct and statistically significant concentrations at various locations along the coast. Elevated concentration levels reflected metal loadings from anthropogenic sources located in the vicinity of sampled sites.
Gravity and seismic study of crustal structure along the Juan de Fuca Ridge axis and across pseudofaults on the ridge flanks

Variations in topography and seismic structure are observed along the Juan de Fuca (JdF) Ridge axis and in the vicinity of pseudofaults on the ridge flanks left by former episodes of ridge propagation. Here we analyze gravity data coregistered with multichannel seismic data from the JdF Ridge and flanks in order to better understand the origin of crustal structure variations in this area. The data were collected along the ridge axis and along three ridge‐perpendicular transects at the Endeavor, Northern Symmetric, and Cleft segments. Negative Mantle Bouguer anomalies of −21 to −28 mGal are observed at the axis of the three segments. Thicker crust at the Endeavor and Cleft segments is inferred from seismic data and can account for the small differences in axial gravity anomalies (3–7 mGal). Additional low densities/elevated temperatures within and/or below the axial crust are required to explain the remaining axial MBA low at all segments. Gravity models indicate that the region of low densities is wider beneath the Cleft segment. Gravity models for pseudofaults crossed along the three transects support the presence of thinner and denser crust within the pseudofault zones that we attribute to iron‐enriched crust. On the young crust side of the pseudofaults, a 10–20 km wide zone of thicker crust is found. Reflection events interpreted as subcrustal sills underlie the zones of thicker crust and are the presumed source for the iron enrichment.
Programas de Tranferência Condicionada de Renda no Brasil, Chile e México: Impactos Sobre a Desigualdade

We decompose changes of the Gini coefficient to investigate whether the Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) have had an inequality reducing effect in three Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico and Chile. The technique used is decomposition of the Gini coefficient by factor components. The main result is that CCT programmes helped reduce inequality between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s. The share of total income represented by the CCTs has been very small: somewhat less than one per cent in Mexico and Brazil and less than 0.1 per cent in Chile. But since their targeting is outstanding, their equalizing impact was responsible for about 21 per cent of the fall in the Brazilian and in the Mexican Gini index, each of which fell by approximately 2.7 points during the period. In Chile the effect was responsible 15 per cent reduction in inequality, although the total reduction in inequality in Chile was much more modest: a mere 0.1 Gini point. The difference is due to the small size of the Chilean programme relative to the larger Mexican and Brazilian programmes.
Constraint induced movement therapy for stroke survivors in Jordon: a home-based model

S troke is one of the leading causes of adult disability, with more than half of stroke survivors losing functional abilities in their more affected arm and hand (Kwakkel et al, 2004; McCarron et al, 2008; Pan et al, 2008). The consequences of upper limb dysfunction in people with stroke influence their daily activities, such as self care, feeding and dressing (Gowland et al, 1992; Whitall et al, 2000). The upper limb dysfunction due to stroke is one of the most common disorders treated by therapists using various rehabilitation approaches (Carr and Shepherd, 1998). However, because the types of hand function intervention outcomes are unclear and lack sound research, there is a need for innovative rehabilitation approaches (Fritz et al, 2005; Wolf et al, 2006). These approaches may minimize the consequences of upper limb dysfunction and enhance stroke patients’ daily functional activities (Page et al, 2002). The Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) approach includes specific techniques of inhibiting pathological tone that interfere with performing active movements. This could be achieved by Constraint induced movement therapy for stroke survivors in Jordon: a home-based model
Simple predictions of maximum transport rate in unsaturated soil and rock

In contrast with the extreme variability expected for water and contaminant fluxes in the unsaturated zone, evidence from 64 field tests of preferential flow indicates that the maximum transport speed Vmax, adjusted for episodicity of infiltration, deviates little from a geometric mean of 13 m/d. A model based on constant‐speed travel during infiltration pulses of actual or estimated duration can predict Vmax with approximate order‐of‐magnitude accuracy, irrespective of medium or travel distance, thereby facilitating such problems as the prediction of worst‐case contaminant traveltimes. The lesser variability suggests that preferential flow is subject to rate‐limiting mechanisms analogous to those that impose a terminal velocity on objects in free fall and to rate‐compensating mechanisms analogous to Le Chatlier's principle. A critical feature allowing such mechanisms to dominate may be the presence of interfacial boundaries confined by neither solid material nor capillary forces.
Thresholds in the storm response of a catchment‐lake system and the occurrence and magnitude of lake overflows: Implications for flood frequency

This model‐based study examines the combined effects of catchment and lake thresholds upon the frequency and magnitude of lake‐overflow events, and their impacts on flood frequency. A dominant control of lake‐overflow events is antecedent storage, which is governed by the climate and by the properties of the contributing catchment. The next major control was shown to be the magnitude of storm depths, and their adequacy to replenish and exceed the lake storage deficit, which are governed by the ratio of catchment to lake areas, AC/AL. When AC/AL is large, lake‐overflows can be triggered even at larger antecedent lake storage deficits. This points to the importance of AC/AL as a critical parameter governing the frequency and magnitude of lake‐overflow events. As regards the catchment properties, model simulations indicate that fast draining catchments enhance the triggering of lake‐overflow events due to the fact that the drainage is rapid and there is the opportunity for faster runoff contributions to combine with direct rainfall on the lakes to exceed antecedent lake storage deficit and overcome the reducing influence of evaporation during inter‐storm periods. Slow draining catchments, on the other hand, will not release runoff fast enough to replenish the lake storage deficit before the evaporative effects take hold. The shape of the resulting flood frequency curve captures the dominant lake‐overflow generating mechanisms. When the dominant lake overflow generating mechanism is catchment runoff, the shape of flood frequency curve of lake‐overflows resembles the shape of the catchment flood frequency curve, including the effects of associated thresholds. On the other hand, when the dominant lake overflow generating mechanism is direct rainfall falling on the lake, the shape of the lake‐overflow flood frequency curve exhibits a persistent truncation below a critical return period that is associated with the frequency of flow termination for the given climate in question. These results have provided valuable insights into the relative roles of climate, soil depth, the soil's drainage capacity as well as the ratio of catchment area to lake area on flood frequency of catchment‐lake systems in general. The improved understanding of these process controls will be useful in assisting the management of such combined catchment‐lake systems. In particular, they can provide valuable guidance towards the monitoring of catchment‐lake systems in ways that are targeted towards those controls which are critical to the determination of the magnitude and frequency of lake‐overflow events to assist in flood prevention and mitigation.
Evolution and differentiation of the continental crust

Preface 1. Introduction Michael Brown and Tracy Rushmer 2. Structure of the continental lithosphere Alan Levander, Adrian Lenardic and Karl E. Karlstrom 3. Thermo-mechanical controls on heat production distributions and the long-term evolution of the continents Mike Sandiford and Sandra McLaren 4. Composition, differentiation, and evolution of continental crust: constraints from sedimentary rocks and heat flow Scott M. McLennan, Stuart Ross Taylor and Sidney R. Hemming 5. The significance of Phanerozoic arc magmatism in generating continental crust Jon P. Davidson and Richard J. Arculus 6. Crustal generation in the Archean Hugh Rollinson 7. Structural and metamorphic processes in the lower crust: evidence from a deep-crustal isobarically-cooled terrane, Canada Michael L. Williams and Simon Hanmer 8. Nature and evolution of the middle crust: heterogeneity of structure and process due to pluton-enhanced tectonism Karl E. Karlstrom and Michael L. Williams 9. Melting of the continental crust: fluid regimes, melting reactions and source-rock fertility John D. Clemens 10. Melt extraction from lower continental crust of orogens: the field evidence Michael Brown 11. The extraction of melt from crustal protoliths and the flow behavior of partially molten crustal rocks: an experimental perspective Ernie H. Rutter and J. Mecklenburgh 12. Melt migration in the continental crust and generation of lower crustal permeability: inferences from modeling and experimental studies Tracy Rushmer and Steve Miller 13. Emplacement and growth of plutons: implications for rates of melting and mass transfer in continental crust Alexander R. Cruden 14. Elements of a modeling approach to the physical controls on crustal differentiation George W. Bergantz and Scott A. Barboza.
Spatial and temporal trends in heavy metal accumulation in mosses in Europe (1990-2005)

The heavy metals in mosses biomonitoring network was originally established as a Swedish initiative (Ruhling and Skarby, 1979). The idea of using mosses to measure atmospheric heavy metal deposition is based on the fact that carpet forming, ectohydric mosses obtain most trace elements and nutrients directly from precipitation and dry deposition ; there is little uptake of metals from the substrate (Tyler, 1970). The technique of moss analysis provides a surrogate, time-integrated measure of metal deposition from the atmosphere to terrestrial systems. It is easier and cheaper than conventional precipitation analysis as it avoids the need for deploying large numbers of precipitation collectors with an associated long-term programme of routine sample collection and analysis. Therefore, a much higher sampling density can be achieved than with conventional precipitation analysis. Heavy metals deposited from the atmosphere tend to be retained by the mosses, thereby making sampling and chemical analysis more robust and less prone to contamination. Heavy metal data from precipitation analysis can be very uncertain if the detection limit of the applied analytical techniques is high (Ilyin et al., 2006). Despite improvement of the analytical techniques, the latter remains a problem due to the general decline in anthropogenic emissions and subsequent deposition of heavy metals in recent decades. Although the heavy metal concentration in mosses provides no direct quantitative measurement of deposition, this information can be derived by using regression approaches relating moss and precipitation monitoring data (e.g. Berg and Steinnes, 1997 ; Berg et al., 2003). A more detailed review of the moss technique and its applications has been provided by Onianwa (2001), Tyler (1990) and Zechmeister et al. (2003). During 2001, responsibility for the coordination of the European moss survey was handed over from the Nordic Working Group on Monitoring and Data, Nordic Council of Ministers, to the UNECE ICP Vegetation Programme Coordination Centre at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Bangor, UK. The ICP Vegetation was established in the late 1980s to consider the science of the effects of air pollution on vegetation. It is one of seven ICPs/Task Forces that report to the Working Group on Effects (WGE) of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The WGE monitors and reviews the effects of atmospheric pollutants on different components of the environment (e.g. forests, fresh waters, vegetation, buildings) and human health (Working Group on Effects, 2004).
Egalitarian Revolution in the Savanna: The Origins of a West African Political System

CHAPTER 1: DECENTRALIZATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF EGALITARIAN BEHAVIORS IN SEDENTARY SOCIETIES CHAPTER 2: ANCIENT VILLAGES IN THE NIGER BEND: CONTEXT AND METHODS FOR EXPLORING THE VOLTAIC REGION CHAPTER 3: ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES ON WESTERN BURKINA FASO- A SURVEY CHAPTER 4: KIRIKONGO- AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE, THE SETTING, AND RESEARCH DESIGN CHAPTER 5: THE WEST AFRICAN ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING- KIRIKONGO IN ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT CHAPTER 6: STRATIGRAPHIC AND DEPOSITIONAL EPISODES- THE EXCAVATIONS CHAPTER 7: RELATIVE CHRONOLOGY- CERAMICS CHAPTER 8: COMMUNITY GROWTH AT KIRIKONGO- THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SETTING CHAPTER 9: EARLY SEDENTARY LIFE IN THE VOLTAIC REGION- DEFINING A VOLTAIC TRADITIONA" CHAPTER 10: CRAFT PRODUCTION AT KIRIKONGO: THE ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENT, AND REINTERPRETATION OF SPECIALIZATION CHAPTER 11: HERDING, FARMING, AND RITUAL SACRIFICE- THE ECONOMY FROM KIRIKONGO CHAPTER 12: DEATH AND RITUAL OBJECTS AT KIRIKONGO- HOUSE-BASED SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION CHAPTER 13: ARCHAEOLOGICAL PATTERNS AND SOCIAL PROCESS: RECONSTRUCTING CHANGING LIFE AT KIRIKONGO CHAPTER 14: LAND, SPIRITUAL POWER, AND GERONTOCRACY: AN EXPLORATION OF THE ROOTS OF EGALITARIAN REVOLUTION IN THE WESTERN VOLTAIC REGION CHAPTER 15:HIERARCHY AND EGALITARIANISM WITHIN THE NIGER BEND- REVOLUTION AND THE TRIUMPH OF COMMUNALISM
A revised 1000 year atmospheric δ13C‐CO2 record from Law Dome and South Pole, Antarctica

We present new measurements of δ13C of CO2 extracted from a high‐resolution ice core from Law Dome (East Antarctica), together with firn measurements performed at Law Dome and South Pole, covering the last 150 years. Our analysis is motivated by the need to better understand the role and feedback of the carbon (C) cycle in climate change, by advances in measurement methods, and by apparent anomalies when comparing ice core and firn air δ13C records from Law Dome and South Pole. We demonstrate improved consistency between Law Dome ice, South Pole firn, and the Cape Grim (Tasmania) atmospheric δ13C data, providing evidence that our new record reliably extends direct atmospheric measurements back in time. We also show a revised version of early δ13C measurements covering the last 1000 years, with a mean preindustrial level of −6.50‰. Finally, we use a Kalman Filter Double Deconvolution to infer net natural CO2 fluxes between atmosphere, ocean, and land, which cause small δ13C deviations from the predominant anthropogenically induced δ13C decrease. The main features found from the previous δ13C record are confirmed, including the ocean as the dominant cause for the 1940 A.D. CO2 leveling. Our new record provides a solid basis for future investigation of the causes of decadal to centennial variations of the preindustrial atmospheric CO2 concentration. Those causes are of potential significance for predicting future CO2 levels and when attempting atmospheric verification of recent and future global carbon emission mitigation measures through Coupled Climate Carbon Cycle Models.
Disaggregation of GOES land surface temperatures using surface emissivity

Accurate temporal and spatial estimation of land surface temperatures (LST) is important for modeling the hydrological cycle at field to global scales because LSTs can improve estimates of soil moisture and evapotranspiration. Using remote sensing satellites, accurate LSTs could be routine, but unfortunately the only instruments available to provide diurnal cycle observations have coarse spatial resolution (4 km). One approach that may help overcome the spatial resolution constraint is to disaggregate geostationary LST data using visible to thermal infrared information provided by single time of day MODIS 1 km observations. These higher‐resolution observations are correlative with observations at 4‐km scales, and thus can be used to estimate 1‐km LST values throughout a day. Inamdar et al 2008, for example, showed how GOES 10 imager and MODIS data could be combined to produce accurate half‐hourly, 1‐km LST values. However, the method disaggregated coarse LST values using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data and was sometimes highly inaccurate when considering heterogeneous terrain. This problem can be greatly reduced with an alternative approach, whereby MODIS land cover emissivity data sets supply the needed 1‐km information. In a study of LST estimation over the US Southwest, diurnal disaggregation models using emissivity data were significantly more accurate than a comparable NDVI‐based model. This alternative approach which directly employs 8‐day composites of MODIS 1 km emissivity is a simple and fast method.
Mixing of the lunar regolith

A probabilistic model for mixing and turnover rates for the lunar regolith due to meteoritic impact is presented and evaluated using results from laboratory impact experiments and estimated meteoritic fluxes. The upper millimeter of the lunar surface is shown to be the primary mixing zone in the regolith and an important source for impact melts and vapors. Below this 'mixing layer' the rate of mixing and turnover decreases very rapidly with increasing depth, consistent with well-preserved stratigraphy and resident times deduced from deep drill core tube samples.
Laser‐cut Rb–Sr microsampling dating of deformational events in the Mont Blanc‐Aiguilles Rouges region (European Alps)

Spatial control for in situ dating of mineral phases in fine‐grained rocks is a significant challenge in geochronology, and the precision of microsampling is a crucial factor in obtaining accurate results. In this study, a new microsampling approach to Rb–Sr geochronology has been applied to greenschist facies mylonitic shear zones in the Mont Blanc‐Aiguille Rouges region of the western European Alps. Using a laser‐ablation system for microsampling by laser cutting followed by conventional TIMS Rb–Sr isotopic analysis of μg‐sized samples provides an improved workflow for texturally controlled, quasi in situ dating of mineral phases. The automated cutting process minimizes material loss and the risk of handling errors, while facilitating sampling of complex shapes of almost any size, a significant improvement over earlier microscope‐mounted microdrills. The new Rb–Sr white mica–calcite ages of between 27 and 30 Ma indicate Oligocene deformation in Alpine shear zones from two specific areas in the Mont Blanc‐Aiguilles Rouges region.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Latent Affine Processes

This article develops a direct filtration-based maximum likelihood methodology for estimating the parameters and realizations of latent affine processes. The equivalent of Bayes' rule is derived for recursively updating the joint characteristic function of latent variables and the data conditional upon past data. Likelihood functions can consequently be evaluated directly by Fourier inversion. An application to daily stock returns over 1953-96 reveals substantial divergences from EMM-based estimates: in particular, more substantial and time-varying jump risk.
A model of the spatial and temporal variation of the Uranus thermal structure

Seasonal variability of the temperature structure of Uranus is modeled for all latitudes in the . 0004 to 2 bar pressure range in anticipation of the Voyager encounter in January 1986. Atmospheric heating in the model results on the one hand from an internal heat source and, on the other hand, from absorption of solar energy by methane and by non-conservative aerosols located between the 0.5 and 2 bar levels. Various cases for the behavior of the internal heat flux are investigated, such as constant with latitude or constrained to yield a time-averaged thermal emission independent of latitude. Meridional transport of heat in the stably stratified atmosphere is not taken into account. The results indicate that the Voyager encounter time, very small north-south temperature asymmetry should be expected. Moreover, the northern hemisphere, although not illuminated, should emit as much energy (within one percent) as the southern hemisphere at this date. At a given latitude, extreme temperatures are reached at the equinoxes. At the poles, seasonal amplitudes of about 10 K in the upper stratosphere and 6 K at the 0.6 bar level are predicted, and the variation with time of the emission to space is found to be at most 20 percent. The atmosphere of Uranus appears to be characterized by very long radiative response times (mainly due to its cold temperature) which inhibit the large seasonal variations that one could otherwise expect in view of the high obliquity of the planet and its long orbital period.
Component evolution in a secure wireless sensor network

We study a connectivity property of a secure wireless network that uses random pre‐distribution of keys. A network is composed of n sensors. Each sensor is assigned a collection of d different keys drawn uniformly at random from a given set of m keys. Two sensors are joined by a communication link if they share a common key. We show that for large n with high probability the connected component of size Ω(n) emerges in the network when the probability of a link exceeds the threshold 1/n. Similar component evolution is shown for networks where sensors communicate if they share at least s common keys. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2009