Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Air pollution monitoring and evaluation framework for South Africa: prioritizing vulnerable communities

Air pollution is a serious environmental health threat to humans. Furthermore, the severity of health outcomes associated with air pollution exposure is not uniform within populations. In South Africa, the problem is exacerbated since several vulnerable communities live in close proximity to pollution sources. The National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act No. 39 of 2004 aims to protect the health of South Africans through the implementation of air quality management plans and monitoring programmes. To assess the effectiveness of these actions and implemented mitigation measures with respect to health outcomes, specific indicators are required. Therefore, the aim was to determine South African-appropriate indicators and health data necessary to successfully evaluate efforts to reduce air pollution and associated adverse human health effects, and to consider mechanisms for accessing and integrating these data into a monitoring and evaluation framework. In a preliminary study, a population air pollution exposure and vulnerability risk prioritization model for potential use by municipal air quality managers was developed. The model included vulnerability factors such as poverty, respiratory and other diseases, lack of education and poor living conditions, all of which are important in areas occupied by previously disadvantaged communities. High-risk areas in terms of air pollution health impacts were identified using a set of indicators that assessed air pollution sources, ambient air pollution levels and air pollution potential, as well as community awareness, observations, perceptions and actions. The model was applied to the eThekwini Municipality (Kwazulu-Natal Province). Data were extracted from multiple sources for a selection of municipal wards and scored to illustrate categorisation of communities to prioritize those vulnerable Environmental Health Risk V 55
Modeling the land surface boundary in climate models as a composite of independent vegetation stands

An efficient strategy for modeling the land surface boundary in general circulation models (GCMs) is presented which accounts for the effects of vegetation on surface energy fluxes and allows for an arbitrary number of vegetation types to coexist in a grid square. The GCM grid square is depicted as a “mosaic” of vegetation “tiles,” with each tile consisting of a single vegetation type. The energy balance equation for each tile follows closely that of a single vegetation version of the simple biosphere (SiB) model of Sellers et al. (1986) but is simplified enough to be written in Penman-Monteith form. Each tile in the square is coupled independently to the GCM atmosphere, and tiles affect each other only through the atmosphere. This coupling strategy differs conceptually from that of models such as SiB that assume a homogeneous mixture of vegetation types within a GCM grid square. A quantitative comparison of the two strategies is presented.
TEATRALIDADE HUMANA: CLOWNIFICANDO O AMBIENTE HOSPITALAR

Este artigo baseia-se em uma pesquisa-intervencao realizada em laboratorio e objetiva mobilizar a capacidade intuitiva, inventiva, relacional e afetiva do humano. A contribuicao metodologica aqui apresentada e embasada na oficina “Experimentacoes Esteticas: clownificando o ambiente hospitalar” realizada no Hospital Universitario da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. A pesquisa, em andamento, e fundada na concepcao de Educacao Ambiental de Felix Guattari (As Tres Ecologias), e vem indicando a necessidade de promovermos acoes que fomentem a autogestao, a participacao, a autonomia, bem como a capacidade de criar alternativas diante dos problemas e obstaculos. Evidencia um processo de intervencao socioambiental inspirado na metodologia sociopoetica e aponta para a necessidade de criarmos estrategias que potencializem a solidariedade e tornem o humano capaz de enfrentar condicionamentos e dualidades. Isto acontece na medida em que os participantes da oficina avancam no processo de nascimento do clown, na experimentacao de modos de existencia inspirados em valores etico-esteticos. Indica que e necessario desconfiar dos ambientes que obstaculizam o encontro dos corpos, que reduzam o tato, o contato, a interacao dos corpos. Ao colocar o corpo como objeto de analise e preciso avancar com relacao a uma abordagem mais ampla, interdisciplinar e multiprofissional, este tem sido o desafio do projeto de extensao “Raiz do Riso”, no qual se insere esta pesquisa.
Atmospheric effects in the remote sensing of surface albedo and radiation absorption by vegetation canopies

Abstract A one‐dimensional turbid medium model of a vegetation canopy that includes specular reflection and the hot spot effect is used to calculate surface bidirectional reflectance factors (BRFs), albedo, absorbed solar and photosynthetically active radiation and, canopy photosynthetic efficiency. Simulated surface BRF distribution is then used as the lower boundary condition in the atmospheric radiative transfer problem. A horizontally homogeneous cloudless midlatitude continental atmosphere with both molecular and aerosol loading is assumed throughout. The dynamics of surface and planetary albedo are examined for varying surface and atmospheric parameters. The relationship between planetary and surface albedo and its sensitivity to problem parameters is investigated. An algorithm for the estimation of surface albedo is outlined and the magnitude of errors incurred is discussed. An effort is made to relate canopy radiation absorption to top‐of‐the‐atmosphere spectral vegetation indices and the sensitiv.
Evaluation of nutrient flux from Shiretoko into the ocean using MRI-GCM

This study aims to evaluate nutrient flux to the coast from the inland areas of Shiretoko in order to understand the key factors controlling the ecological systems of the coast. As an external force, rainfall is considered one of the most significant components controlling nutrient supply to coastal systems in this area. Therefore, to estimate nutrient supply in the future, the bias correction was applied by using Meteorological Research Institute Global Climate Model, which shows good agreement with Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System data. A synthetic generation technique is used to produce hourly rainfall data, which is necessary for evaluating nutrient supply in Shiretoko. The robustness of the duplicated hourly rainfall intensity was investigated, which reveals that its standard deviation controls nutrient flux when nonlinearity becomes stronger for the evaluation of nutrient supply from a river basin.
A theoretical study of electrostatic field wave shapes from lightning leaders

Electrostatic dE/dt field wave shapes are calculated for various lightning leader models over a perfectly conducting ground plane. These provide an improved theoretical basis for the characterization and interpretation of observed leader wave shapes for close lightning. Since dE/dt at a particular time is a function of how the leader tip is propagating, whereas the total electric field change at the same time is a function of the aggregate behavior of the leader up to this time, dE/dt is the preferable parameter for leader characterization. In particular, whether or not dE/dt changes polarity in the course of the leader is independent of the channel charge distribution, unlike the polarity of the net field change. The dE/dt wave shape is also more easily interpreted in terms of channel geometry than the electric field wave shape for leader channels that have branches or are not vertical. Features of dE/dt are derived for a vertical, one-dimensional leader channel assuming an electrostatic relation, and deviations from this model are studied for both inclined channels and three-dimensional charge distributions. The existence of a turning point (dE/dt = 0) in the electric field wave shape is investigated, and the distance dependence of the leader tip height corresponding to an electric field turning point is presented. For a vertical channel the final leader current IL0 is shown to be related to the final dE/dt, (dE/dt)0, by IL0 = −2πe0[H2 + D2]3/2 (dE/dt)0/H, where H is the height above ground level and D is the horizontal distance for the charge center which is the origin of the leader charge. The physical validity of the leader models used is discussed, and some applications of the derived plots are considered.
An Empirical Comparison of Evidential Reasoning, Linear Discriminant Analysis, and Maximum Likelihood Algorithms for Alpine Land Cover Classification

RESUMELa mise au point de nouvelles methodes d'analyse des donnees de teledetection actuelles et futures est necessaire si l'on veut surmonter les limites que presentent les methodes classiques de traitement et de classification des images. Dans le present article, l'auteur fait l'evaluation d'un classificateur par raisonnement d'evidences [Evidential Reasoning] (MERCURY⊕) qui fait appel a la theorie des evidences de Dempster-Shafer et qui offre une souplesse accrue ainsi qu 'une nouvelle fonctionnalite pour traiter des ensembles de donnees presentant des proprietes statistiques diverses, des dimensions superieures, de l'incertitude et des echelles de mesures differentes, facteurs qui dejouent les algorithmes classiques de classification par maximum de vraisemblance et d'analyse discriminante lineaire. Le fondement theorique du classificateur d'evidences est compare aux deux methodes precitees. Suit ensuite une comparaison empirique approfondie des trois classificateurs, fondee sur une serie de tests pour.
Soil Structural Stability during Rapid Wetting: Influence of Land Use on Some Aggregate Properties

A stable soil structure, resistant to the stresses induced by wetting, is important for maintaining agricultural productivity and reducing erosion. This study was undertaken to assess losses of soil structural stability resulting from long-term, continuous sugarcane (Saccharinum officinarum L.) cultivation (20 yr) in two Brazilian soils (an Oxisol and an Alfisol). When compared with virgin sites, sugarcane cropping decreased the organic C concentration and the wet aggregate stability (WAS) of the soil. The differences for organic C concentration and WAS between land use systems extended to the 1-m depth, in both soils, and were less prononced as depth increased. Cultivation also increased the extent of aggregate slaking relative to virgin sites. This increased sensitivity to structural damage could not be attributed to changes in aggregate cohesion; rather, it was observed that for the Alfisol, the greater slaking and mellowing (slaking without complete fragmentation) could be related to an increase in the rate of water uptake by the aggregate (1.9-3.4 times faster in the cultivated than in the virgin site) for the Alfisol. The pore tortuosity index was also 3.1 to 3.2 times higher in the virgin than in the cultivated site and indicated a pore network less efficient at transporting water within aggregates in the virgin site compared with the cultivated site. This suggests that the lower sensitivity to slaking in the virgin Alfisol was most likely caused by water entry within the aggregates slowed down by a clogged pore network.
Measurement of western U.S. baseline ozone from the surface to the tropopause and assessment of downwind impact regions

[1] Since 1997, baseline ozone monitoring from the surface to the tropopause along the U.S. west coast has been limited to the weekly ozonesondes from Trinidad Head, California. To explore baseline ozone at other latitudes, an ozonesonde network was implemented during spring 2010, including four launch sites along the California coast. Modeling indicated that North American pollution plumes impacted the California coast primarily below 3 km, but had no measurable impact on the average coastal ozone profiles. Vertical and latitudinal variation in free tropospheric baseline ozone appears to be partly explained by polluted and stratospheric air masses that descend isentropically along the west coast. Above 3 km, the dominant sources of ozone precursors were China and international shipping, while international shipping was the greatest source below 2 km. Approximately 8–10% of the baseline ozone that enters California in the 0–6 km range impacts the surface of the USA, but very little reaches the eastern USA. Within California, the major impact of baseline ozone above 2 km is on the high elevation terrain of eastern California. Baseline ozone below 2 km has its strongest impact on the low elevation sites throughout the state. To quantify ozone production within California we compared inland ozone measurements to baseline measurements. For average daytime conditions, we found no enhancements of lower tropospheric ozone in the northern Central Valley, but enhancements of 12–23% were found in the southern Central Valley. Enhancements above Joshua Tree were greater, 33–41%, while the greatest enhancements occurred over the LA Basin, 32–63%.
Cell turnover in marine sponges: Insight into poriferan physiology and nutrient cycling in benthic ecosystems

The sponge loop is a major energy and nutrient recycling pathway that has recently been described in Caribbean coral reef ecosystems. The majority of food produced on coral reefs consists of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which is not readily available to heterotrophic multicellular reef inhabitants. Sponges enable the shunt of this energy source to heterotrophs through the conversion of DOM to particulate organic matter (POM), or detritus, which acts as a major food source for higher trophic levels. The main underlying mechanism behind the production of sponge-derived detritus is hypothesized to be a rapid turnover of sponge cells through fast cell proliferation balanced by cell shedding (De Goeij et al. 2013). This thesis aims to gain a deeper understanding of these cellular mechanisms and the effect that the physiological state of sponges has on cell proliferation, shedding, and detritus production.
Calculations of lightning return stroke electric and magnetic fields above ground

The first detailed calculations of lightning return stroke electric and magnetic fields above ground are presented. Waveforms are given for altitudes from 0 to 10 km and ranges from 20 m to 10 km. These waveforms are computed using the model of Lin et al. (1980) and a modification of that model in which the initial current peak decays with height above ground. Both the original and the modified models result in accurate prediction of measured ground-based fields. Return stroke field measurements above ground close to the stroke, with which the calculations could be compared, have not yet been made. Salient aspects of the calculated fields are discussed, including their use in calibrating airborne field measurements from simultaneous ground and airborne data.
A New Interpretation of the Left-Right Phenomenon during Spatial Diffusion and Transport of Bivalve Shells

Many empty shells of bivalves produced by a local subpopulation will disarticulate into left and right valves between death and final burial in open and shallow seas. In areas above the normal wave base, wave-induced turbulent flows can cause transport of these valves. In this study, the spatial diffusion of valves is simplified and simulated by a random walk model using a microcomputer. In these simulations, there were no large differences between the numbers of left and right valves in an infinite area, and they are really the same as the mean of the universe. But the differences between numbers of left and right valves are sometimes large, and various changes are observed, depending on the sampling area. The different numbers of left and right valves in a finite area shows the magnitude of deviations from the mean of the universe, even if the shapes of left and right valves were true mirror images. The left-right phenomenon of bivalve shells is explainable by one of the statistical laws in a finite area and primary-information losses of L-R ratio in shallow seas. Cv, a measure for the difference of L-R ratio from 1, characterizes the statistics of fluctuations in L-R ratio best. Shell diffusion under random sorting wave action is enhanced by that above the normal wave base in the open sea. Cv can be used to discriminate the source area of shells and the accumulation area, for instance the beach, of empty shells in the area above the wave base. Cv is therefore a very useful standard for assessing wave environments above the normal wave base in the facies-analysis of fossil assemblages at the species level.
The Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, earthquake of 8 October 2005: surface faulting, environmental effects and macroseismic intensity

Abstract The Mw 7.6 Muzaffarabad earthquake of 8 October 2005, occurred on a lateral equivalent of the main ramp of the Hymalaia frontal thrust, and is the result of the collision tectonics between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The epicentre was located near the town of Basantkot (Muzaffarabad), and the focal depth was about 13 km. The Muzaffarabad earthquake provides unequivocal evidence about the localization of severe damage, intense ground shaking and secondary environmental effects near the surface expression of the source fault. We analyse its nature, and impact on man-made structures and the physical environment, on the basis of a detailed survey and macroseismic study of the affected areas conducted by the Micro Seismic Studies Programme (MSSP) Team (Ishfaq Ahmad Research Laboratories, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission) immediately after the mainshock, assisted by a careful review of the subsequent data and literature. In the course of the field survey, the displacement and surface expression of the causative fault, and accompanying secondary environmental effects were observed at a number of places along a capable thrust fault structure. We refer to this structure as the Kashmir Thrust (KT) capable fault following the terminology of local research geologists in Pakistan; the seismological evidence of this structure is already known in the literature as the Indus–Kohistan Seismic Zone. A complex, clearly segmented, at least 112-km-long surface rupture was mapped along the KT. The maximum values of vertical displacement (on the order of 4 to 7 m) were observed mainly between Muzaffarabad and Balakot, along the central segment of the rupture (52 km) associated with maximum slip at depth and a major portion of the energy release. Both the NW Alai segment (38 km) and SE Bagh segment (22 km) are characterized by scattered minor surface ruptures with a few centimetres of displacement, accompanied by extensive surface cracking, landslides and severe damage, concentrated in a narrow belt along the fault trace. A maximum intensity of XI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale and on the Environmental Seismic Intensity scale (ESI 2007) was recorded in the epicentral area between Muzaffarabad and Balakot. Extremely severe damage and very important secondary environmental effects in the hanging wall adjacent to the trace of the causative fault plane are mainly due to near-fault strong motion and rupture directivity effects. To our knowledge, this is the first study to present field observations over the whole near-field of the earthquake, and to include the intensity map of the entire meizoseismal region.
The Archean-Proterozoic boundary: 500 my of tectonic transition in Earth history

Changes in the solid Earth at the end of the Archean fall into two categories. First are those related to cooling of the mantle and include a decrease in both komatiite abundance and MgO content, a decrease in Ni/Fe ratio in banded iron formation, and increases in incompatible element ratios (such as Nb/Yb, La/Yb, Zr/Y, La/Sm and Gd/Yb) in non-arc type basalts. A second group of changes is related to the extraction of continental crust from the mantle and stabilization of major cratons at 2.7 to 2.5 Ga. These include an increase in Nb/Th ratio and εNd(T) of non-arc basalts; significant increases in large-ion lithophile and high-field strength elements and a decrease in Sr in continental crust, which reflect a shift in magma types from TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) to calc-alkaline; a prominent increase in the maximum values of δ18O of zircons from granitoids after the end of the Archean; a major peak in gold reserves is found at or near 2.7 Ga; and a peak in Re/Os depletion ages from mantle xenoliths at 2.7 Ga consistent with widespread thickening of the continental lithosphere at this time. All of these changes may be related to the widespread propagation of plate tectonics at the end of the Archean. Subduction produces continental crust in numerous arcs, which rapidly collide to form supercratons. Oceanic slabs sinking into the deep mantle could increase the production rate of mantle plumes, as well as increase the heat flux from the core, which warms the newly arrived slabs. The cooling of the deep mantle would begin after 2.5 Ga and continue until about 2.4 Ga when a 200-My slowdown in plate tectonics begins. This may be the reason for the rapid drop in temperature of the mantle recorded by basalts and komatiites. When plate tectonics comes back on track at about 2.2 Ga, Archean supercratons break up and are dispersed.
Impact of abrupt climate change in the tropical southeast Atlantic during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3

[1] High resolution planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca paleotemperatures and oxygen isotopes of seawater of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1078 (off Angola) have been reconstructed and reveal insights into the seasonal thermal evolution of the Angola Current (AC), the Angola-Benguela Front (ABF), and the Benguela Current (BC) during the last glacial (50–23.5 ka BP). Special emphasis is put on time intervals possibly associated with the North Atlantic Heinrich Stadials (HS), which are thought to lead to an accumulation of heat in the South Atlantic due to a reduction of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Within dating uncertainties, Globigerinoides ruber (pink) Mg/Ca-based sea surface temperature (SST) estimates that represent southern hemisphere summer surface conditions show several warming episodes that coincide with North Atlantic HS, thus supporting the concept of the bipolar thermal seesaw. In contrast, the Mg/Ca-based temperatures of Globigerina bulloides, representing the SST of the ABF/BC system during southern hemisphere winter, show no obvious response to the North Atlantic HS in the study area. We suggest that surface water cooling during the winter season is due to enhanced upwelling or upwelling of colder water masses which has most likely mitigated a warming of the ABF/BC system during HS. We further speculate that the seasonal asymmetry in our SST record results from seasonal differences in the dominance of atmospheric and oceanic teleconnections during periods of northern high latitude cooling.