Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The eastern Palmer Land shear zone: a new terrane accretion model for the Mesozoic development of the Antarctic Peninsula

A major ductile fault zone, the eastern Palmer Land shear zone, has been identified east of the spine of the southern Antarctic Peninsula. This shear zone separates newly identified geological domains, and indicates that during Late Jurassic terrane accretion and collision, two and possibly three separate terranes collided, resulting in the Palmer Land orogeny. The orogeny is best developed in eastern Palmer Land and eastern Ellsworth Land. There, shallow-marine sedimentary rocks of the Latady Formation, and a metamorphic and igneous basement complex of possible Lower Palaeozoic to pre-Early Jurassic age, are thrust and folded. This forms an arcuate, east-directed, foreland, fold and thrust belt up to 100 km wide and 750 km long, parallel to the axis of the Antarctic Peninsula. The newly identified Antarctic Peninsula domains include: (1) a parautochthonous Eastern Domain that represents part of the margin of the Gondwana continent, comparable to the Western Province of New Zealand, the Ross Province superterrane of Marie Byrd Land, the Eastern Series of south-central Chile, the Pampa de Agnía and Tepuel rocks of north Patagonia, and the Cordillera Darwin rocks of Tierra del Fuego, (2) a suspect Central Domain that represents an allochthonous, microcontinental, magmatic arc terrane, comparable to the Median Tectonic Zone of New Zealand, the Amundsen Province superterrane of Marie Byrd Land, and Coastal Cordillera of north Chile and (3) a suspect Western Domain, with strong similarities to the Eastern Province of New Zealand, Western Series of south-central Chile, and Chonos metamorphic complex of north Patagonia, that represents either a subduction–accretion complex to the Central Domain, or another separate crustal fragment. Although an allochthonous terrane hypothesis for the Antarctic Peninsula remains to be fully tested, this has much in common with models for the New Zealand and South American parts of the Pacific margin of Gondwana. The identification of a potential allochthonous terrane–continent collision zone allows us to define the edge of the Gondwana continent in the Antarctic Peninsula sector of the supercontinent margin, which has implications for Mesozoic reconstructions of Gondwana.
Nonparametric Estimation of Exact Consumers Surplus and Deadweight Loss by

We apply nonparametric regression models to estimation of demand curves of the type most often used in applied research. From the demand curve estimators we derive estimates of exact consumers surplus and deadweight loss, that are the most widely used welfare and economic efficiency measures in areas of economics such as public finance. We also develop tests of the symmetry and downward sloping properties of compensated demand. We work out asymptotic normal sampling theory for kernel and series nonparametric estimators, as well as for the parametric case. The paper includes an application to gasoline demand. Empirical questions of interest here are the shape of the demand curve and the average magnitude of welfare loss from a tax on gasoline. In this application we compare parametric and nonparametric estimates of the demand curve, calculate exact and approximate measures of consumers surplus and deadweight loss, and give standard error estimates. We also analyze the sensitivity of the welfare measures to components of nonparametric regression estimators such as the number of terms in a series approximation.
Hydrothermal Dolomitization of Upper Ordovician Limestone, Central-East Canada: Fluid Flow in a Craton-Interior Wrench-Fault System Likely Driven by Distal Taconic Tectonism

Narrow (tens of meters) vertical bodies of dolomite replace a nonporous Upper Ordovician (lower Chatfieldian) limestone along the leading limb of an asymmetric faulted anticline well inboard (∼300 km) of the northern Appalachian orogen, central-east Canada. Patterns of geometry, texture, and geochemistry suggest that dolomitizing fluids were focused (possibly along microfractures) within a paleosinistral transpressive stress field generated with reactivation of an underlying Neoproterozoic fault system. Strike-slip failure of the developing anticline resulted in fracture- and fault-controlled fluid flow from which precipitated saddle dolomite. A paragenetic succession of Fe-poor planar-e to ferroan planar-s dolostone marks the peak phase of replacement dolomitization. A subsequent increase (20%–30%) in porosity created through local dissolution of relict limestone was partially occluded by ferroan planar dolomite that, geochemically, is similar to later fracture-fill saddle dolomite. Replacement dolomitization is associated with a slight rise in Sr-isotope ratios (to 0.71085) from Late Ordovician–early Silurian marine signatures. Isotope (C, O, Sr) signatures support influx and mixing of burial fluids that had interacted with local Mg-rich (gabbro, anorthosite, syenite) crystalline basement with a background fluid similar to Late Ordovician seawater or dissolved marine limestone. Dolomitization predated maximum burial in the Late Paleozoic. Fluid inclusion and isotope paleothermometry suggest that dolomitizing temperatures (100°–120°C) were 20°–30°C warmer than associated with prior limestone diagenesis. The dolomitized limestone is an archival record of structure, hydrology, and heat flux that best fits with Taconic tectonism in the latest Ordovician through earliest Silurian.
Fractal Dimension of Soil Particle Size Distribution Along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Alxa Rangeland, Western Inner Mongolia

The Alxa Plateau of Inner Mongolia exhibits vast differences in vertical distribution in vegetation and soil types. The plant communities range from the alpine meadows at the top of the Helan Mountain (3500 m) to the shrub desert at the foothills (1360 m). This type of ecosystem is common in the northwestern China, yet limited research has been conducted. We studied the fractal dimension (D) of particle size distribution (PSD) in the arid Alxa Plateau. Sixteen study sites were located along an altitudinal gradient of the Helan Mountain and the surrounding Alxa Desert rangeland. In the transformation from meadow, steppe to desert, the sand content in the 0 to 20-cm topsoil increased from 18% to 96%. Soil organic C (SOC) and total N decreased by 97% and 95%, respectively. Soil bulk density increased by 84%, and soil pH increased from 7.49 to 9.33. Vegetation cover decreased by 83% and biomass by 94%. The fractal dimension of PSD ranged from 2.66 to 2.06—the greater the sand content, the lower the D. Although the changes in D showed a narrow range from one range type to another, these changes were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Vegetation cover, biomass, and soil fertility exhibited nonsignificant changes between some range types. Thus, D is a more sensitive parameter than vegetation cover, biomass, or soil fertility in monitoring the health and vigor of a range site or in estimating the degree of soil degradation. Once a trend in D is established, it could be used to monitor general directions of a particular ecosystem.
Travertine: Distinctive depositional fabrics of carbonates from thermal spring systems

The terrestrial limestones forming at the emergence of thermal springs show a variety of unusual depositional facies. The specific lithological and petrological features of these deposits have few counterparts in the marine, and continental, karst‐related carbonates, but they are typical of the epigean limestone that has been quarried since antiquity in the surroundings of Tivoli (Rome) under the name of travertine, where it is still forming in hydro‐geothermal fields linked to extensional tectonics. The physicochemical, hydrodynamic and geological conditions specific to the Tivoli thermal spring system imply hypersaturated alkaline–sulphate, warm to hot waters, upwelling from springs fed through open fractures/faults in extensional and/or volcanic regimes. These features, together with the hydrodynamic behaviour of the water flows running from the vents, control the petrogenetic features of the travertine, a well‐bedded, mostly finely laminated, porous but quite compact limestone. The results of a detailed comparative petrological analysis carried out on the lithofacies of travertine limestones, and of those observed during formation within numerous active thermal spring fields, provide the elements required for an exhaustive textural classification of the travertine lithofacies, which has not yet been described systematically. According to the genetic processes and fabrics, the thermal deposits that originate from such hypersaturated alkaline–sulphate, warm to hot waters, can be subdivided into: abiotic crystalline crusts, microbially mediated crusts (microbialites) and granular deposits mostly represented by small accumulations of lime‐mudstone. Some of the granular deposits and the microbialites are only partially comparable with analogous sediments forming on tidal flats/sabkhas or other continental sites; however, the facies association of crystalline crusts and laminar curled microbialites has no counterpart in the marine realm. The widespread presence of thermophile bacteria and sulphobacteria, and the general absence of autochthonous eukaryote organisms, unable to live in poisonous sulphate waters, are also undeniable evidence of their thermal origin.
Ecobehaviour study and status of striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena Linnaeus, 1758) in South Western Rajasthan, India

The South-western Region of Rajasthan, (India) is known for its rich biodiversity including many endemic species. This study focuses on ecobehaviour and the status of the striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena Linnaeus) in two wild life sanctuaries (Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary viz. KWS and Mount Abu Sanctuary) which are located in south western Rajasthan. In our survey of winter 2009 to 2010 (November to December 2009 and January to February 2010) in the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS), we have observed thirty eight hyenas on twenty seven incidences (eighteen times solitary animals, seven pairs and two packs of 3 animals). In the Mount Abu Sanctuary there were 46 hyenas on thirty six incident (twenty-eight of solitary animals, six pairs and two packs of 3 animals). All sightings were either at foothills or in the valley between two hills. Key words: Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS), Mount Abu Sanctuary, hyaena, sightings.
A Lagrangian Analysis of Deep Convective Systems and Their Local Environmental Effects

AbstractLife cycles of deep convective raining systems are documented through use of a Lagrangian tracking algorithm applied to high-resolution Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH) rainfall data, permitting collocation with related environmental ancillary fields and the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cloud states (Rossow et al. 2005). System life cycles are described in terms of propagation speed, duration, and dominant cloud structures. Tracked systems are usually associated with the ISCCP weather state 1 (WS1) deep convection cloud state and an independent, microwave-based deep convective precipitation regime developed here. The distribution and characteristics of tracked systems are found to be similar between ocean basins in terms of system speed and duration, with westward-propagating systems predominant in every basin.The effects that these systems have on environmental parameters are assessed, stratified according to their average propagation speed and by.
Quantifying the impact of attitudes on shift towards sustainable modes

Between 2004 and 2008, Melbourne experienced levels of public transport patronage growth that were not predicted by the four-step transport models. In 2008, the Department of Transport (DOT) (Victoria) undertook elasticity modelling of that patronage growth, which could explain most of the observed growth, but around 20% of growth on metropolitan trains remained ‟unexplained‟. Market research plays a critical role in informing, guiding and challenging the forecasting undertaken by the various models. Market research between 2006 and 2009 broadly supported the elasticity modelling, but suggested the role of attitudinal change – particularly attitudes on the environment and health & fitness – may have been significant. In 2009/10, DOT undertook a market segmentation project to identify the key attitudinal segments in relation to mode choice in Melbourne – and in a second phase used a choice modelling methodology to quantify the impact of attitudes in driving the decision-making process in selecting a mode of travel. The results suggest that about one in five Melburnians claim to have attitudes that „ideologically‟ align them to public transport, that attitudinal change most likely did play a role in the patronage surge, and that future patronage forecasts are likely to be sensitive to further changes in community attitudes.
Phase velocity structure from Rayleigh and Love waves in Tibet and its neighboring regions

Deep geodynamic processes involved in the continental collision between India and Asia are still controversial. To address this issue, phase velocities of 619 Rayleigh waves and 254 Love waves have been inverted by using an anisotropic tomographic technique. Such a technique enables us not only to retrieve phase velocity distributions but also to map azimuthal anisotropy on a large scale. Only phase velocity anomalies, in the period range 50–200 s, are dealt with here, but the azimuthal anisotropy has been taken into account in the inversion process. Moreover, because of the important influence of shallow layers on the inversion results, an inversion of phase velocities corrected for shallow layers has been performed. To correct raw phase velocities, the 3SMAC crust (heterogeneous reference Earth model) has been used. The comparison of phase velocity distributions for Love and Rayleigh waves with and without corrections of surficial layers implies that much of the low-velocity zone, visible at short periods, in central Tibet, can be explained by unusually thick crust. At periods longer than 100 s, Tibet is, overall, characterized by high-velocity anomalies. Such anomalies seem to converge toward the center of the plateau as period increases. We conclude that the phase velocity structure beneath Tibet results, at short periods, from thick crust and possible partial melting in the uppermost lithosphere and, at long periods, from the inward plunge of the cold lithospheric mantle surrounding the high plateau.
Modelling daily suspended sediment of rivers in Turkey using several data-driven techniques / Modélisation de la charge journalière en matières en suspension dans des rivières turques à l'aide de plusieurs techniques empiriques

Abstract The transport of sediment load in rivers is important with respect to pollution, channel navigability, reservoir filling, longevity of hydroelectric equipment, fish habitat, river aesthetics and scientific interest. However, conventional sediment rating curves cannot estimate sediment load accurately. An adaptive neuro-fuzzy technique is investigated for its ability to improve the accuracy of the streamflow—suspended sediment rating curve for daily suspended sediment estimation. The daily streamflow and suspended sediment data for four stations in the Black Sea region of Turkey are used as case studies. A comparison is made between the estimates provided by the neuro-fuzzy model and those of the following models: radial basis neural network (RBNN), feed-forward neural network (FFNN), generalized regression neural network (GRNN), multi-linear regression (MLR) and sediment rating curve (SRC). Comparison of results reveals that the neuro-fuzzy model, in general, gives better estimates than the other techniques. Among the neural network techniques, the RBNN is found to perform better than the FFNN and GRNN.
Probabilistic assessment of total and differential settlements due to spatial soil variability

Abstract Design of shallow foundations is often guided by serviceability requirements. In particular, the amount of differential settlements becomes usually decisive in selecting the type of foundation – shallow or deep foundation. In practice, differential settlements are estimated by multiplying the average total settlement by an empirical factor accounting for inherent spatial variability of soils. For shallow foundations on clays and sands, ratios of differential to total settlements have been suggested varying roughly from 40 to 100%, respectively. Important factors of influence such as the spacing of footings, variability of the foundation soil, as well as variance reduction because of averaging are not taken into account. A general analytical approach to assess the total and differential settlements of strip footings is developed. The compressibility of the soil is modeled as a spatial random field. The probabilistic approach explicitly considers the inherent soil variability, the zone of influence of settlement to account for variance reduction, and the spacing of adjacent footings because of horizontal spatial correlation. The method presented is compared to the approach advocated in Eurocode EC7. The findings indicate the widely used design criteria used to judge differential settlements to be overly conservative, in particular for sandy subsoil. Examples are presented to illustrate the method.
A column experiment for groundwater remediation post-mine closure at the Wolverine Mine, Yukon

Research is presented that evaluates a semi-passive treatment system for remediation of contaminated groundwater with elevated dissolved metal concentrations, including selenium and sulphate, at the Wolverine Mine, Yukon. Laboratory up-flow columns were used to treat simulated mine impacted waters. Five columns were filled with varying compositions of gravel and creek substrate organics, and were un-amended or amended with manure, sewage sludge, zero-valent iron, or wood chips and alfalfa. Selenium, sulphate and other parameters of concern were lowered in column effluents, most effectively by the control column and by the columns amended with sewage sludge. Column effluent metal and sulphate concentrations provided evidence that co-precipitation, adsorption and microbially mediated redox reactions were the predominant biogeochemical mechanisms operating within the columns. Based on this research, recommendations are made to further the design of a semi-passive treatment system that may be installed at the mine site upon closure. Column Experiment for Groundwater Remediation iii
COMMUNITY GARDENS FOR SOCIAL CAPITAL: A SITE SUITABILITY ANALYSIS IN AKRON, OHIO

Community gardens foster many potential benefits, including food security, environmental stability, neighborhood beautification, and community cohesion (Wakefield, Yeudall, Taron, Reynolds, & Skinner, 2007). Social capital, commonly recognized as the sense of community, is an intangible asset fostered through civic engagement and correlated to increased quality of life (Putnam, 1993). This model tested the viability of social capital as a measurable indicator for community garden planning in conjunction with traditional agricultural criteria modified for urban agriculture in Akron, Ohio. The study identified vacant parcels in areas with fewer hubs of civic engagement in which to place community gardens as a tool for fostering social capital. In an adapted methodology, this study introduces spatial components to social capital at the neighborhood scale, drawing from the theory behind Putnam’s work to measure community involvement through membership counts at individual hubs of civic engagement. Sites with greater need for social capital were identified. The principal hubs of civic engagement identified were churches, which appeared to be a limitation to the study. Further field work to identify site-specific social hubs will be required for this method of measurement to be applied in Akron and other cities. However, the basic methodology is an effective tool in site suitability analyses for community gardens and social capital.
Transitional geomagnetic impulse hypothesis: Geomagnetic fact or rock-magnetic artifact?

A striking feature of the Steens Mountain (Oregon) geomagnetic polarity reversal is the two (maybe three) extremely rapid field directional changes (6 degrees per day) proposed to account for unusual behavior in direction of remanent magnetization in a single lava flow. Each of these very fast field changes, or impulses, is associated with a large directional gap (some 90°) in the record. In order to check the spatial reproducibility of the paleomagnetic signal over distances up to several kilometers, we have carried out a paleomagnetic investigation of two new sections (B and F) in the Steens summit region which cover the second and the third directional gap. The main result is the description of two new directions, which are located between the pre second and post second impulse directions. These findings weigh against the hypothesis that the geomagnetic field cause the unusual intraflow fluctuations, which now appears to be more ad hoc as an explanation of the paleomagnetic data. However, the alternative baking hypothesis remains also ad hoc since we have to assume variable rock magnetic properties that we have not yet been able to detect within the flows at the original section Steens A and D 1.5 km to the north. In addition, new results for 22 transitional and normal lava flows in section B are presented that correlate well with earlier results from section A.
A sediment budget for the east coast between Oamaru and Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand

Abstract Two beach systems, the Waitaki (84 km) and Canterbury (136 km), separated by Timaru Harbour breakwater, are considered. Established input (all units in Mt/year; 1 Mt = 106 t) to the Waitaki is 0.82 bedload and 2.0 suspended load; to the Canterbury,. 1.9 and 15.0. Additional unmeasured abnormal load from intense storms and earthquakes may double the suspended load estimates. Inputs from rivers and eroding seacliffs account almost equally for bedload, but most suspended load is from the rivers. Sediment supplied to both beach systems is moved predominantly northeastward in the Nearshore Transport Zone (NTZ). The inner part includes the steep, coarse-grained, reflective beach and surf zone, the latter being generally narrow or nonexistent. Here, almost all the coarse beach sediment is transported in the swash-backwash zone where about 95% is abraded to mud, the remainder accumulating along Kaitorete Barrier. The outer part of the NTZ extends seaward from the surf zone, for 3–15 km across the inner c.