Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mortgage Default in an Estimated Model of the U . S . Housing Market Preliminary and Incomplete ∗

In this paper we model endogenous default in mortgages that can explain the main features of the US macroeconomic time series. We explicitly model the housing sector, mortgages, and endogenous default as well as nominal and real rigidities in a DSGE setting. We use data for the period 1981-2006 to estimate our model using Bayesian techniques. We analyze how an increase in the mortgage default rate can spread to the rest of the economy and create a recession. Next we examine a mortgage modification policy that mitigates the effects of an increase in mortgage default rate.
The modulation of the seasonal cross‐shelf sea level variation by the cold pool in the Middle Atlantic Bight

This study explores the influence of the cold pool in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) to cross-shelf sea surface slope by fitting an annual harmonic to temperature and salinity profiles from 1993 to 2012, and compares to the 20-year-averaged altimetry sea level anomaly (SLA). The consistency within bottom temperature, thermal steric height, total steric height and altimetry observation validates that the cold pool induces depressed sea level in the middle shelf overlapping with the dominant surface seasonal cycles. Temporally, the cold pool pattern is most apparent in July and August as a result of magnitude competition between the thermal and haline steric height. In addition, Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) is employed to reconstruct the altimetry SLA and reveals the middle-shelf depression pattern from single year's SLA data. The locations of the SLA depression from 1993 to 2012 agree with the cold pool locations identified from in-situ measurements, suggesting a promising application of altimetry SLA in the cold pool study. Conclusively, this study reveals the modulation of the cross-shelf sea level variation by the cold pool, and contributes to the understanding of the sea level response to water masses on the continental shelf. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Carbonate diagenesis in ice

The fine particles created by glacial comminution of carbonate minerals are susceptible to interaction with meltwater, and the isotopic composition of fine carbonate in glacial deposits has the potential of recording this interaction. Here, we focus on the carbonate fraction of glacial sediment and debris within basal ice at the Tsanfleuron Glacier, Switzerland. Size separates of basal ice debris and melt-out tills show a collinear isotopic trend interpreted as a mixing line between detritus (δ 18 O PDB = -5‰ and δ 13 O PDB = 0.6‰) and authigenic calcite, which in one case had δ 18 O values as light as -18.7‰ and δ 13 C values as light as -5.7‰. In most cases, the finer fractions (with calcite crystals as small as 0.1 μm) are enriched in the isotopically light component, which is interpreted to form largely by freezing in basal ice. The isotopic compositions of ice and included gases could be influenced by this process. Melt-out tills inherit the authigenic calcite; thus, carbonate-bearing till should no longer be regarded simply as clastic sediment.
Arctic energy budget in relation to sea ice variability on monthly-to-annual time scales

AbstractThe large decrease in Arctic sea ice in recent years has triggered a strong interest in Arctic sea ice predictions on seasonal-to-decadal time scales. Hence, it is important to understand physical processes that provide enhanced predictability beyond persistence of sea ice anomalies. This study analyzes the natural variability of Arctic sea ice from an energy budget perspective, using 15 climate models from phase 5 of CMIP (CMIP5), and compares these results to reanalysis data. The authors quantify the persistence of sea ice anomalies and the cross correlation with the surface and top-of-atmosphere energy budget components. The Arctic energy balance components primarily indicate the important role of the seasonal ice–albedo feedback, through which sea ice anomalies in the melt season reemerge in the growth season. This is a robust anomaly reemergence mechanism among all 15 climate models. The role of the ocean lies mainly in storing heat content anomalies in spring and releasing them in autumn. Oc.
Modelling the probability of occurrence of shallow landslides and channelized debris flows using GEOtop‐FS

This paper describes a coupled, distributed, hydrological‐geotechnical model, GEOtop‐FS, which simulates the probability of occurrence of shallow landslides and debris flows. We use a hydrological distributed model, GEOtop, which, models latent and sensible heat fluxes and surface runoff, and computes soil moisture in 3‐D by solving Richards'equation numerically, together with an infinite‐slope geotechnical model, GEOtop‐FS. The combined model allows both the hydraulic and geotechnical properties of soil to be considered and realistically modelled. In particular, the model has been conceived to make direct use of field surveys, geotechnical characteristics and soil moisture measurements. In the model the depth of available sediments is also used to characterize the hydraulic properties of the area examined.
Nutrient Losses from a Forest Soil as Affected by Nitrapyrin Applied with Granular Urea 1

Nitrapyrin (2-Chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine) effects on nitrate production in a forest soil (Bladen fsl) of the Lower Coastal Plain of Florida were evaluated in a pot study. Nitrapyrin (as N-Serve® 24) was applied to the soil with two rates (25 and 100 ppm) of N as granular urea; for each N rate a range of nitrapyrin concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0% of the urea-N) was evaluated. Postfertilization leaching of N and of other nutrients and growth and nutrient uptake by seeded slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) were observed in unlimed (pH 5.2) and limed (pH 6.5) soil. Nitrapyrin effects were most apparent in limed soil and at the higher N and nitrapyrin rates. In general nitrapyrin concentrations below 2.0% of the urea-N and below approximately 4.0 kg of nitrapyrin/ha were ineffective. Effectiveness increased up to the highest concentration (4.0%) and the highest rate (8.0 kg/ha). Leaching data indicate that the duration of the nitrapyrin inhibition of nitrification was from 5 to more than 10 weeks. Nitrapyrin to 8.0 kg/ha did not affect germination of slash pine seed. Seedling N uptake and growth were reduced in proportion to nitrate-N leaching losses. Quantities of K, Ca, and Mg in leachates were also correlated with leached nitrate-N, but tissue analyses indicated that growth deficits associated with leaching were due primarily to N deficiency. In limed soil heavily fertilized with urea-N, results also suggest some benefits to pine seedling growth and N utilization associated with inhibition of nitrification apart from those attributable to reduced leaching losses of nitrate.
A novel building boundary reconstruction method based on lidar data and images

Building boundary is important for the urban mapping and real estate industry applications. The reconstruction of building boundary is also a significant but difficult step in generating city building models. As Light detection and ranging system (Lidar) can acquire large and dense point cloud data fast and easily, it has great advantages for building reconstruction. In this paper, we combine Lidar data and images to develop a novel building boundary reconstruction method. We use only one scan of Lidar data and one image to do the reconstruction. The process consists of a sequence of three steps: project boundary Lidar points to image; extract accurate boundary from image; and reconstruct boundary in Lidar points. We define a relationship between 3D points and the pixel coordinates. Then we extract the boundary in the image and use the relationship to get boundary in the point cloud. The method presented here reduces the difficulty of data acquisition effectively. The theory is not complex so it has low computational complexity. It can also be widely used in the data acquired by other 3D scanning devices to improve the accuracy. Results of the experiment demonstrate that this method has a clear advantage and high efficiency over others, particularly in the data with large point spacing.
Temporal Trends in Gas-Phase Concentrations of Chlorinated Pesticides Measured at the Shores of the Great Lakes

Multiple regression was used to examine the temperature dependence and to elucidate temporal trends of atmospheric gas-phase partial pressures of 10 organochlorine pesticides at five sites near the Great Lakes. The relation ship of temperature to gas-phase partial pressures was examined using the Clausius−Clapeyron equation, and environmental phase-transition energies were calculated for each of the pesticides. A first-order rate constant for the decline in gas-phase partial pressures was estimated from the regression, and corresponding regional atmospheric half-lives were determined. The atmospheric half-lives of the hexachlorocyclohexanes ranged from 2.2 yr for γ-HCH at Lake Michigan to 7.3 yr for γ-HCH at Lake Ontario. The half-life for hexachlorobenzene ranged from 3.3 yr at Lake Michigan to 12 yr at Lake Superior. The half-life for p,p‘-DDT was less than 3 yr at Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Erie. A decreasing trend for chlordanes could only be discerned at Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario, where ha.
Return Migration and the 'Healthy Immigrant Effect'

According to the "healthy immigrant effect" (HIE), immigrants upon arrival are healthier than locally born residents. However, this health advantage is supposed to diminish or even disappear over a relatively short period and the immigrants' health status is converging to that of the natives. The causes for this gradient of immigrants' health are subject to an ongoing discussion and the underlying trajectories are not yet fully understood. This paper investigates whether return migration can serve as an additional explanation for the declining health of immigrants, and thus aims at shedding some light on the trajectories underlying the HIE. The data used are drawn from 13 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel. Using a random-effects probit model, this analysis explores the factors influencing re-migration by means of a sample of 4,426 migrants. In line with the existing literature, the study shows that e.g. having spouse and children in the home country, or being non-working or jobless yield a higher return probability, whereas all factors associated with attachment to Germany (e.g. language fluency, German citizenship, house ownership) reduce the probability of re-migration. Additionally, the results indicate that men reporting poorer health ('good', 'satisfactory', 'poor' or 'bad') are significantly less likely to return home relative to male immigrants who describe their health as 'very good'. However, for women, the effects are adverse to that of men, and none of the health coefficients for women is significant. Hence - at least for men - re-migration can be seen as an additional explanation for the HIE.
Plant-probiotic microorganisms for a sustainable buffer of input reduction in organic and low-input tomato production systems.

A consortium of plant-probiotic microorganisms is under investigation in open field conditions, at the ICEA-certified Organic Farm “La Carioncella”, for its ability to ensure durable soil fertility while buffering nutritional inputs reduction. The primary objective of our QLIF-WP333 three-years-long project is to produce scientific data to help farmers in managing soil probiotics, as a way to reduce inputs, production costs, while keeping quality and sustainability of organic and low-input tomato production systems.
Pressure solution in nature, theory and experiment

Some of the features of water enhanced deformation of rocks by diffusive mass transfer (pressure solution) in nature which are pertinent to the rate controlling mechanism of the deformation are reviewed, and it is inferred that (a) the diffusion of matter in an aqueous intergranular film which can support shear stress is an essential part of the process, and (b) the diffusion is driven by stress induced chemical potential gradients, together with gradients due to local chemical reactions. The theoretical approach to the derivation of constitutive flow laws for creep by diffusive mass transfer is outlined, and a simplified flow law proposed. Crucial to the absolute rate of deformation predicted by the flow law is the estimation of the phenomenological coefficient which links diffusive flux to chemical potential gradient. It is argued that this should be several orders of magnitude less in thin, stressed aqueous films than for solutions of ions in large water volumes. Some simple experiments are described to address the question of (a) the existence of thin intergranular aqueous films which can support shear stress, and(b) the magnitude of the above phenomenological coefficient. The results obtained are consistent with the inferences made from the study of microstructures in naturally deformed rocks, and this is illustrated by means of extrapolation of theoreticallv derived relationships to conditions of natural rock deformation and sediment compaction by pressure solution.
Ketoconazole Allergy

Drug hypersensitivity reactions are adverse reactions to drugs that were administered at a dose that is tolerated by normal subjects, but produce symptoms that, from a clinical perspective, resemble an allergy. The revised nomenclature for allergies classifies hypersensitivity reactions to drugs as either allergic or non allergic. Drug allergies occur when immunologic mechanisms have been demonstrated. Allergic reactions caused by antifungal drugs are not frequently reported in clinical practice. Until now, the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity reactions to ketoconazole and other azole derivatives is unknown. Herein, we report an immediate reaction to ketoconazole and review the usefulness of a drug provocation test for diagnosis.
COMPORTAMENTO INGESTIVO DE EQÜINOS EM PASTAGENS

The management of pastures used by horses is very complex. Many factors as soil, forages, animals, weather and other variables are included, and the grazing behavior by horses is related with all the system parts. The knowledge of this relation is a great challenge, but it is necessary to find a way to guide the pasture management to horses. Foraging horse’s process can be divided into hierarchy levels: landscape, plant community, patch, feeding station, until the plant. Foraging horses supplies nutrients and they remain healthy and fitness, due their anatomic and physiologic characteristics. Major understanding about this livestock system (pasture – environment – horses) increases the pasture utilization as nutrients source to horses. This review paper includes information about complex factors influencing ingestive behavior of horses in pasture.
Hyperspectral atmospheric sounding

The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) is the first hyper-spectral remote sounding system to be orbited aboard a geosynchronous satellite. The GIFTS is designed to obtain revolutionary observations of the four dimensional atmospheric temperature, moisture, and wind structure as well as the distribution of the atmospheric trace gases, CO and O3. Although GIFTS will not be orbited until 2006-2008, a glimpse at the its measurement capabilities has been obtained by analyzing data from the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Airborne Sounder Test-bed- Interferometer (NAST-I) and Aqua satellite Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). In this paper we review the GIFTS experiment and empirically assess measurement expectations based on meteorological profiles retrieved from the NAST aircraft and Aqua satellite AIRS spectral radiances.
Representative hydraulic conductivities in saturated groundwater flow

Heterogeneity is the single most salient feature of hydrogeology. An enormous amount of work has been devoted during the last 30 years to addressing this issue. Our objective is to synthesize and to offer a critical appraisal of results related to the problem of finding representative hydraulic conductivities. By representative hydraulic conductivity we mean a parameter controlling the average behavior of groundwater flow within an aquifer at a given scale. Three related concepts are defined: effective hydraulic conductivity, which relates the ensemble averages of flux and head gradient; equivalent conductivity, which relates the spatial averages of flux and head gradient within a given volume of an aquifer; and interpreted conductivity, which is the one derived from interpretation of field data. Most theoretical results are related to effective conductivity, and their application to real world scenarios relies on ergodic assumptions. Fortunately, a number of results are available suggesting that conventional hydraulic test interpretations yield (interpreted) hydraulic conductivity values that can be closely linked to equivalent and/or effective hydraulic conductivities. Complex spatial distributions of geologic hydrofacies and flow conditions have a strong impact upon the existence and the actual values of representative parameters. Therefore it is not surprising that a large body of literature provides particular solutions for simplified boundary conditions and geological settings, which are, nevertheless, useful for many practical applications. Still, frequent observations of scale effects imply that efforts should be directed at characterizing well‐connected stochastic random fields and at evaluating the corresponding representative hydraulic conductivities.
Evaluation of Trigger Functions for Convective Parameterization Schemes Using Observations

AbstractRealistic simulation of different modes of atmospheric variability ranging from diurnal cycle to interannual variation in global climate models (GCMs) depends crucially on the convection trigger criteria. In this study, using the data from constrained variational analysis by the Atmospheric System Research program for single-column models (SCM), the performance of the commonly used convective trigger functions in GCMs is evaluated based on the equitable threat score (ETS) value, a widely used forecast verification metric. From the ETS score, three consistently better-performing trigger functions were identified. They are based on the dilute and undilute convective available potential energy (CAPE) generation rate from large-scale forcing in the free troposphere (hereafter dCAPE) and parcel buoyancy at the lifting condensation level (Bechtold scheme). The key variables used to define these trigger functions are examined in detail. It is found that the dilute dCAPE trigger function performs the best.
Remote sensing of cloud properties using MODIS airborne simulator imagery during SUCCESS: 1. Data and models

We investigate methods to infer cloud properties such as cloud optical thickness, thermodynamic phase, cloud particle size, and cloud overlap by comparing cloud and clear-sky radiative transfer computations to measurements provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) airborne simulator (MAS). The MAS scanning spectroradiometer was flown on the NASA ER-2 during the Subsonic Aircraft Contrail and Cloud Effects Special Study (SUCCESS) field campaign during April and May 1996. The MAS bands chosen for this study correspond to wavelengths of 0.65, 1.63, 1.90, 2.15, 3.82, 8.52, 11, and 12 μm. Clear-sky absorption due to water vapor, ozone, and other trace gases is calculated using a set of correlated k-distribution routines developed specifically for these MAS bands. Scattering properties (phase function, single-scattering albedo, and extinction cross section) are derived for water droplet clouds using Mie theory. Scattering properties for ice-phase clouds are incorporated for seven cirrus models: cirrostratus, cirrus uncinus, cold cirrus, warm cirrus, and cirrus at temperatures of T = −20°C, −40°C, and −60°C. The cirrus are composed of four crystal types: hexagonal plates, two-dimensional bullet rosettes, hollow columns, and aggregates. Results from comparison of MAS data from a liquid water cloud with theoretical calculations indicate that estimates of optical thickness and particle size are reasonably consistent with one another no matter which spectral bands are used in the analysis. However, comparison of MAS data from a cirrus cloud with theoretical calculations shows consistency in optical thickness but not with particle size among the various band combinations used in the analysis. The methods described in this paper are used in two companion papers to explore techniques to infer cloud thermodynamic phase and cloud overlap.
How will the Distribution and Size of Subalpine Abies Georgei Forest Respond to Climate Change? A Study in Northwest Yunnan, China

The changing recruitment rate of subalpine tree populations could indicate the effects of climate change on a mountain ecosystem. The population of the dominant tree species of the Baima Snow Mountains in northwestern Yunnan, Abies georgei Orr, was investigated with a vegetation survey and tree-ring analysis. Structural and age characteristics were used to indicate the process and rates of geographical change, and the altitudinal range and size of forest were predicted using GIS with various climate change scenarios. The greatest increase of recruitment has occurred near the upper treeline on north-facing slopes, and the regeneration rate has been reduced at and below its once-optimal altitudinal range. The species limit has advanced upslope at an average rate of 11 m per decade, while the lowest limit of regeneration has retreated upslope at an average rate of 31 m per decade. In the 21st century, the altitudinal range of A. georgei forest may decrease by 13.6-25.9% and the forest size may contract by 16.4-38.6%. We demonstrate that the study of both upper and lower species limits of migrating subalpine species is crucial for predicting forest change, and suggest the involvement of spatial (geometry) as well as temporal (climate) factors in the shifting of alpine treeline.
Infrared target tracking in real-time video and its implementation

An infrared target tracking system has been introduced in details for unmanned monitor application and its corresponding method for extracting and tracking moving targets from real-time infrared video has also been described. To ensure its real-time implementation on the tracking system, mature motion estimation techniques such as the time-domain statistics method and the DT method are adopted in the tracking method which includes three stages: target extracting, target classification and target tracking. A two-strategy classification method is adopted to improve classification accuracy. The tracking process involves correlation matching between a template and the current motion regions. The motion region with the best correlation is tracked and is used to update the template for subsequent tracking. The infrared target tracking system is based on a high-speed DSP chip with an internet interface, which may transmit the doubtful targets information to monitor center in time. To illustrate the effectivity of the infrared target tracking system, experimental results has been given in the end of this paper.