Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On a New Reptile from Welte Vreden (Beaufort West), Eunotosaurus africanus (Seeley)

When I visited Welte Vreden, near Beaufort West, Cape Colony, in August 1889, Mr. L. Pienaar gave me a small ovate concretion which contained the dorsal region of a new reptile. As preserved it is 7·5 centimetres long and 5·75 centimetres wide. It shows on the ventral aspect the under surfaces of seven consecutive dorsal vertebræ. These centrums are more slender and elongated than in any South African fossil previously known. They decrease in length from front to back. The first (which may be the first dorsal) is fully 1·25 centim. long, while the seventh is 0·75 centim. long, and is probably the last dorsal or lumbar vertebra, since the pubis is found immediately behind it. These vertebræ in form and number suggest the Chelonian type. They are of an elongated hour-glass form, and relatively longer than in Teleosaurs. The centrum appears to be hollow, but this condition is probably the effect of deep penetration of the conical notochordal substance, as in Mesosaurus, and the vertebræ referred by Sir R. Owen to Tapinocephalus. A conical cavity penetrates the posterior end of the sixth centrum, and apparently the anterior end of the first, so that the constriction in the middle length of the centrum is due to the tapering away of these conical cups. The articular faces are not exposed, but are inferred to be approximately circular, and the under surface of the centrum is rounded from side to side. In the seventh vertebra a slight lateral widening is seen in
Developing Groundwater: A Guide for Rural Water Supply

In many rural areas, groundwater is the only feasible way of providing safe, reliable water supplies. However, developing groundwater is not always straightforward. To meet the targets set out in the Millennium Development Goals, more attention needs to be paid to finding and developing groundwater in a sustainable, cost-effective and participatory manner. Developing Groundwater provides a user-friendly guide to this key topic, bringing together for the first time the wide range of techniques required to develop groundwater for community water supplies. This practical manual gives information on effective techniques for siting wells and boreholes, assessing the sustainability of sources, constructing and testing the yield of boreholes and wells, and monitoring groundwater quality. The authors set the technical aspects of rural water supply firmly in their socio-economic context, so that readers can take proper account of community concerns as well as purely engineering questions. Packed with helpful illustrations this book is indispensable for all rural water supply project staff in developing countries.
Climatic changes in areas adjacent to the North Atlantic during the last glacial-interglacial transition (14-9 ka BP): a contribution to IGCP-253

This paper presents a summary of the evidence for climatic changes during the last glacial-interglacial transition (14-9 ka BP) in land areas adjacent to the North Atlantic. It is a synthesis of the results of the 12 regional summaries compiled by contributors to the North Atlantic Seaboard Programme of IGCP-253 that are published separately in this issue of journal of Quaternary Science. Eighteen palaeotemperature curves are compared and arranged in three transects, one from southern Europe to Spitsbergen, a second from Ireland to Poland, and the third from southern New England to the Labrador-Baffin Shelf area. Ten maps are presented that summarise the synoptic climatic conditions of the region in 500-year time periods. The purpose of the exercise is to examine the extent to which any emerging patterns support the Ruddiman and Mclntyre model of large-scale shifts in the position of the oceanic Polar Front during the last glacial-interglacial transition. Some broad agreement emerges, although the influence of oceanic changes is diminished in areas that lay in close proximity to the Laurentide and Fennoscandian ice sheets. Attention is drawn to limitations in the compilations and to the potential for improved models in the future.
Relationship of Latest Cretaceous and Tertiary Deposition and Deformation to Oil and Gas in Wyoming

Oil and gas have been known in nonmarine Tertiary Rocks in Wyoming since 1896. Commercial oil and gas pools have been discovered in Paleocene and Eocene rocks in the Green River, Washakie, and Wind River basins. The source of most of this oil and gas is believed to be sediments deposited under lacustrine conditions during Paleocene time and again during Eocene time. Oil and gas production from nonmarine beds of latest Cretaceous age is a recent development. The diastrophic and depositional history from latest Cretaceous through Tertiary time has a significant bearing on essentially all Wyoming oil and gas fields. The Laramide orogeny began with gentle folding in latest Cretaceous time, reached a climax of intense folding and thrust faulting in earliest Eocone time in most parts of Wyoming, and was essentially completed by latest Eocene time. Conventional Wyoming oil and gas fields are those related to structural traps formed during this orogeny. The Green River, Wind River, and Hanna basins were sites of deposition of more than 20,000 feet of latest Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene strata. Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene beds were deposited across the now completely filled basins and high onto the flanks of partly buried mountains. Volcanic debris from centers within or near Wyoming comprises the bulk of these young strata. Regional uplift, large-scale normal faulting, and rapid degradation that exhumed the mountains and re-excavated the basins occurred in late Pliocene and Pleistocene time. During this episode some of the structures containing oil and gas were significantly modified.
Sole-Source Lighting for Controlled-Environment Agriculture

Since plants on Earth evolved under broad-spectrum solar radiation, anytime they are grown exclusively under electric lighting that does not contain all wavelengths in similar proportion to those in sunlight, plant appearance and size could be uniquely different. Nevertheless, plants have been grown for decades under fluorescent (FL) (1) + incandescent (IN) (2) lamps as a sole source of lighting (SSL), and researchers have become comfortable that, in certain proportions of FL + IN for a given species, plants can appear "normal" relative to their growth outdoors. The problem with using such traditional SSLs for commercial production typically is short lamp lifespans and not obtaining enough photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm) when desired. These limitations led to supplementation of FL + IN lamp outputs with longer-lived, high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps in growth chambers (3). As researchers became comfortable that mixes of orange-biased high-pressure sodium (HPS) and blue-biased metal halide (MH) HIDs together also could give normal plant growth at higher intensities, growth chambers and phytotrons subsequently were equipped mainly with HID lamps, with their intense thermal output filtered out by ventilated light caps or thermal-controlled water barriers. For the most part, IN and HID lamps have found a home in commercial protected horticulture, usually for night-break photoperiod lighting (IN) or for seasonal supplemental lighting (mostly HPS) in greenhouses. However, lack of economically viable options for SSL have held back aspects of year-round indoor agriculture from taking off commercially.
Biological control of ticks

Ticks have numerous natural enemies, but only a few species have been evaluated as tick biocontrol agents (BCAs). Some laboratory results suggest that several bacteria are pathogenic to ticks, but their mode of action and their potential value as biocontrol agents remain to be determined. The most promising entomopathogenic fungi appear to be Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, strains of which are already commercially available for the control of some pests. Development of effective formulations is critical for tickmanagement. Entomopathogenic nematodes that are pathogenic to ticks can potentially control ticks, but improved formulations and selection of novel nematode strains are needed. Parasitoid wasps of the genus Ixodiphagus do not typically control ticks under natural conditions, but inundative releases show potential value. Most predators of ticks are generalists, with a limited potential for tick management (one possible exception is oxpeckers in Africa). Biological control is likely to play a substantial role in future IPM programmes for ticks because of the diversity of taxa that show high potential as tick BCAs. Considerable research is required to select appropriate strains, develop them as BCAs, establish their effectiveness, and devise production strategies to bring them to practical use.
Validation and Error Characterization of the GPCP-1DD Precipitation Product over the Contiguous United States

Abstract A validation and error characterization study of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project, 1 degree daily (GPCP-1DD) precipitation product over the contiguous United States is presented. Daily precipitation estimates over a 1° grid are compared against aggregated precipitation values obtained from the forcing field of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS). LDAS daily values are consistent with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Prediction Center (CPC) gauge-based daily precipitation product and hence are regarded as realistic ground-truth values with full coverage of the United States. Continuous and categorical measures of skill are presented, so that both the ability of GPCP-1DD to identify a precipitation event and its accuracy in determining cumulative precipitation amounts are evaluated. Daily values are aggregated into seasonal averages, and spatial averages are computed for five arbitrarily defined zones that cover most of the study area. Result.
Particulate soil organic-matter changes across a grassland cultivation sequence

Many models have been constructed in an attempt to describe the dynamics of soil organic-matter (SOM) turnover, most of which include 2 to 3 kinetically defined organic-matter pools. Physical and chemical definition of these conceptualized SOM pools has been difficult. We describe a simple method for dispersion of soil to isolate a participate organic-matter (POM) fraction that may represent an important SOM pool in grassland soils. The POM fraction was isolated by dispersing the soil in 5 g L 1 hexametaphosphate and passing the dispersed soil samples through a 53sieve. We compared POM and mineral-associated C among three tillage treatments (20 yr under cultivation) and an undisturbed grassland at Sidney, NE. The POM C in the native sod represented 39% of the total soil organic C. Twenty years of bare-fallow, stubble-mulch, and no-till management reduced the C content in this fraction to 18,19, and 25%, respectively, of the total organic C. The mineral-associated organic-matter fraction showed no reduction in C content in the bare-fallow treatment compared with the grassland soil but increased in the no-till and stubble-mulch treatments. Nitrogen dynamics generally mirrored those observed for C. Analysis of the POM fraction for lignin and cellulose content indicated that this fraction was 47% lignin and had a lignocellulose index of 0.7. The stable C-isotope composition of the POM fraction suggests that wheat-derived POM turns over faster than grass-derived POM. We suggest the POM fraction closely matches the characteristics of a SOM pool variously described as slow, decomposable, or stabilized organic matter. View complete article To view this complete article, insert Disc 5 then click button8
Reference map of Oceania : the Pacific Islands of Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia

Completely revised and updated with enhanced readability, James A. Bier's "Reference Map of Oceania" is the most comprehensive Pacific map in existence. Its main map and 52 inset maps of all major parts of the region provide a wealth of information in one source. Principal cities, towns, and villages are shown along with roads, topography, and population figures where available. The main map's Mercator projection is useful for planning routes. Time zones for the Pacific and individual countries are also included. It is the only map that clearly focuses on the political units of Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia, using as its boundaries the 200-mile Extended Economic Zone. With more than 3,400 place names, "Oceania" will be an invaluable reference for everyone interested in or living in the Pacific islands, including teachers, students, historians, anthropologists, businesses, and travelers.
S TEREOTACTIC N EUROSURGERY IN THE U NITED K INGDOM : T HE H UNDRED Y EARS FROM H ORSLEY TO H ARIZ

introduction of gamma knife radiosurgery is summarized, as is the application of computed tomography by Hounsfield and Ambrose. Contemporary contributions to the present day from Bartlett, Richardson, Miles, Thomas, Gill, Aziz, Hariz, and others are summarized. The current status of British stereotactic neurosurgery is discussed.
Lead isotopic fingerprinting of heavy metal contamination,Rio Pilcomayo basin, Bolivia

Waste materials from mining of the Cerro Rico de Potosí precious metal-polymetallic tin deposits of southern Bolivia have been released to the headwaters of the Rio Pilcomayo for the past 450 years, resulting in extensive contamination of water, sediments and soils along the upper reaches of the river. This study uses isotopic data to identify the primary sources of Pb to the aquatic environment, and the relative contributions of each source to pre and post-mining alluvial deposits. Prior to the onset of mining activities in 1545, alluvial sediments along the Rio Pilcomayo were dominated by Pb from the underlying bedrock and from mineralized rocks exposed at the surface of Cerro Rico. Mining and milling operations at Cerro Rico released a new source of Pb to the river that can be traced downstream for at least 200 km. Simple mixing models suggest that Pb from the mines comprise between 30 and 89% of the Pb in the modern channel bed sediment. However, these estimates may be low because the isotopic composition of the contaminant source was based on samples of ore deposits rather than mill tailings, the latter of which contain fragments of both ore and host rock.
The Role of a Longshore Pressure Gradient in Pacific Northwest Coastal Dynamics

Abstract In this paper we demonstrate the importance of the seasonal barotropic longshore pressure gradient force to Pacific Northwest coastal dynamics. Values of the seasonal longshore pressure gradient corrected for gauge height relative to a level surface (Hickey and Pola, 1982) and for year-to-year variations (Enfield and Alien, 1980) were included in the two-dimensional, time-dependent, baroclinic finite-difference model of Hamilton and Rattray (1978) as an external force. Observed wind stress, stratification and bottom topography were included in the model, and comparisons were made with current meter data in each of the three seasonal situations observed in the Northwest: pressure gradient force southward opposing local wind stress (winter), pressure gradient force northward opposing local wind stress (summer), and pressure gradient force and local wind stress both southward (spring). Three important features of the seasonal circulation are shown to depend on the existence of the pressure gradient .
Temperature-mediated transitions between isometry and allometry in a colonial, modular invertebrate

The evolutionary success of animal design is strongly affected by scaling and virtually all metazoans are constrained by allometry. One body plan that appears to relax these constraints is a colonial modular (CM) design, in which modular iteration is hypothesized to support isometry and indeterminate colony size. In this study, growth rates of juvenile scleractinians (less than 40 mm diameter) with a CM design were used to test this assertion using colony diameters recorded annually for a decade and scaling exponents (b) for growth calculated from double logarithmic plots of final versus initial diameters. For all juvenile corals, b differed significantly among years, with isometry (b=1) in 4 years, but positive allometry (b>1) in 5 years. The study years were characterized by differences in seawater temperature that were associated significantly with b for growth, with isometry in warm years but positive allometry in cool years. These results illustrate variable growth scaling in a CM taxon and suggest that the switch between scaling modes is mediated by temperature. For the corals studied, growth was not constrained by size, but this outcome was achieved through both isometry and positive allometry. Under cooler conditions, positive allometry may be beneficial as it represents a growth advantage that increases with size.
The response and role of ice cover in lake-climate interactions

This paper reviews the current state of knowledge pertaining to the interactions of lake ice and climate. Lake ice has been shown to be sensitive to climate variability through observations and modelling, and both long-term and short-term trends have been identified from ice records. Ice phenology trends have typically been associated with variations in air temperatures while ice thickness trends tend to be associated more to changes in snow cover. The role of ice cover in the regional climate is less documented and with longer ice-free seasons possible as a result of changing climate conditions, especially at higher latitudes, the effects of lakes on their surrounding climate (such as increased evaporation, lake-effect snow and thermal moderation of surrounding areas, for example) can be expected to become more prominent. The inclusion of lakes and lake ice in climate modelling is an area of increased attention in recent studies. An important step in improving predictions of ice conditions in models is the assimilation of remote sensing data in areas where in-situ data is lacking, or non-representative of the lake conditions. The ability to accurately represent ice cover on lakes will be an important step in the improvement of global circulation models, regional climate models and numerical weather forecasting.
Enhancing the Effectiveness of CMIM and AMRO: Selected Immediate Challenges and Tasks

The Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) and the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), established in March 2010 and May 2011, respectively, have made substantial headway. But despite the rapid progress, a series of fundamental questions have been raised, particularly about the size of the CMIM facility. Although CMIM funding was doubled to $240 billion, effective since May 2012, the swap amount has frequently been criticized as insufficient. Another fundamental issue that still needs to be agreed upon is the CMIMâ€™s role and how it fits in among existing regional and global financing facilities. AMROâ€™s surveillance work is seen as vital to the overall success of the CMIM in regional financial cooperation. As other multilateral institutions involved in surveillance work have experienced, effective surveillance to support regional financial cooperation is a complicated task, strewn with obstacles. The primary task of this paper is to suggest possible areas in which the effectiveness of the CMIM and AMRO may be increased, despite constraints and limitations.
Limiting etioplast gene-expression induces apical hook twisting during skoto-morphogenesis of Arabidopsis seedlings.

When covered by a layer of soil, seedling development follows a dark-specific program (skoto-morphogenesis) consisting of small, non-green cotyledons, a long hypocotyl and an apical hook to protect meristematic cells. We recently highlighted the role played by mitochondria in the high energy-consuming reprogramming of Arabidopsis skoto-morphogenesis. Here, the role played by plastids, another energy supplying organelle, in skoto-morphogenesis is investigated. This study was conducted in dark conditions to exclude light signals so as to better focus on those produced by plastids. It was found that limitation of plastid gene-expression (PGE) induced an exaggerated apical hook bending. Inhibition of PGE was obtained at the level of transcription and translation using the antibiotics rifampicin and spectinomycin, respectively, as well as plastid RPOTp RNA polymerase mutants. Rifampicin-treated seedlings also showed expression induction of marker nuclear genes for mitochondrial stress, perturbation of the mitochondrial metabolism, increase of ROS levels and an augmented capacity of oxygen consumption by mitochondrial alternative oxidases (AOX). AOX enzymes act to prevent over-reduction of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Previously, we reported that AOX1A, the main AOX isoform, was a key component in the developmental response to mitochondrial respiration deficiency. In this work, we suggest the involvement of AOX1A in the response to PGE dysfunction and propose the importance of signalling between plastids and mitochondria. Finally, it was found that seedling architecture reprogramming in response to rifampicin was independent of canonical organelle retrograde pathways and the ethylene signaling pathway.
Fossil datum and paleobiological event terms, paleontostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, and the definition of Land Mammal “Age” boundaries

ABSTRACT The confusion between operational and theoretical terms has been common in stratigraphic paleontology. This science includes the descriptive subdiscipline of biostratigraphy and the more interpretational subdisciplines of biochronology and ecostratigraphy. Paleontostratigraphic terms ending in “-zone” refer to intervals of rock, while those ending in “-chron” refer to spans of time. Fossil datum terms (Lowest/Highest Stratigraphie Datum = LSD/HSD) refer to the lowest/highest stratigraphic occurrence of fossils of a taxon in a given section, and define the boundaries of biostratigraphic units (fossizones = intervals of strata). Fossizones may be divided into epizones (the known extent of the fossizone) and entozones (the actual extent of the fossizone). Fossil datum terms with intrinsic temporal connotations are Oldest/Youngest Known Record (OKR/YKR). The time between the presumed OKR and YKR of a taxon in a given area is the apparent temporal range (parachron), which must be separated from the ev.
The validity of a simple statistical model for estimating fluvial constituent loads: An Empirical study involving nutrient loads entering Chesapeake Bay

We consider the appropriateness of “rating curves” and other log linear models to estimate the fluvial transport of nutrients. Split-sample studies using data from tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay reveal that a minimum variance unbiased estimator (MVUE), based on a simple log linear model, provides satisfactory load estimates, even in some cases where the model exhibited significant lack of fit. For total nitrogen (TN) the average difference between the MVUE estimates and the observed loads ranges from −8% to + 2% at the four sites. The corresponding range for total phosphorus (TP) is −6% to +5%. None of these differences is statistically significant. The observed variability of the MVUE load estimates for TN and TP, which ranges from 7% to 25% depending on the case, is accurately predicted by statistical theory.