Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promotional Strategies for the Prevention and Proper-Disposal of Household Hazardous Wastes

In an attempt to develop new approaches for the prevention and proper disposal of household hazardous wastes, a behavioral research project was conducted in Broome County, New York. Questionnaires were mailed to 595 households randomly selected in three communities. The questions addressed several issues including the characteristics of wastes generated by residents, their awareness of the hazardousness of these products, and their current and preferred disposal practices. Twenty-six percent of the targeted households completed the surveys. In analyzing the data, a logistic regression model was developed to investigate the extent to which residents were willing to take part in a series of source reduction and collection events. The research findings provide the basis for developing alternative approaches to ensure the safe storage and proper disposal of these products.
Characterizing SAR polarimetric measurements from vegetated areas

Measurements made by the AirSAR polarimetric airborne system at longer wavelengths and for some vegetation types are inconsistent with a gaussian model for the data, and are much better described by a multivariate K distribution, although this does not appear adequate in all cases. Parameters suggested by the K distribution model are extracted from scattering matrix data for six different vegetation types at C, L and P bands and for four separate looks. As wavelength increases, spatial and inter-look variability increases markedly. The physical basis of this variability and its implications for data analysis are discussed.
Aerosol climate effects: Local radiative forcing and column closure experiments

In an effort to reduce uncertainties in climate change predictions, experiments are being planned and conducted to measure anthropogenic aerosol properties and effects, including effects on radiative fields. The global average, direct anthropogenic aerosol effect on up welling shortwave fluxes is estimated to be about +1/2 W m−2, whereas errors in flux changes measured with airborne and spaceborne radiometers are 2 to 8 W m−2 or larger. This poses the question of whether flux changes expected in field experiments will be large enough to measure accurately. This paper obtains a new expression for the aerosol-induced change in upwelling flux, compares it to two-stream and adding-doubling (AD) results, and uses all three methods to estimate expected flux changes. The new expression accounts for the solar zenith angle dependences of aerosol transmission and reflection, as well as of surface albedo, all of which can have a strong effect in determining flux changes measured in field experiments. Despite its relative simplicity, the new expression gives results similar to previous two-stream results. Relative to AD results, it agrees within a few watts per square meter for the intermediate solar elevation angles where the flux changes peak (roughly 10° to 30°), but it has negative errors for higher Sun and positive errors for lower Sun. All three techniques yield aerosol-induced changes in upwelling flux of +8 to +50 W m−2 for aerosol midvisible optical depths of 0.1 to 0.5. Because such aerosol optical depths occur frequently off the U.S. and European Atlantic coasts in summer, the flux changes they induce should be measurable by airborne, and possibly by spaceborne, radiometers, provided sufficient care is taken in experiment design (including measurements to separate aerosol radiative effects from those of absorbing gases). The expected flux changes are about 15 to 100 times larger than the global average flux change expected for the global average anthropogenic sulfate optical depth of 0.04. Reasons for the larger flux changes include the larger optical depths considered here (factor 2.5 to 12), plus restricting the measurements to cloud-free, daytime conditions over the ocean (factor 5 to 9).
Variations of light absorption by suspended particles with chlorophyll a concentration in oceanic (case 1) waters: Analysis and implications for bio-optical models

Spectral absorption coefficients of total particulate matter ap(λ) were determined using the in vitro filter technique. The present analysis deals with a set of 1166 spectra, determined in various oceanic (case 1) waters, with field chl a concentrations (〈chl〉) spanning 3 orders of magnitude (0.02–25 mg m−3). As previously shown [Bricaud et al., 1995] for the absorption coefficients of living phytoplankton ao(λ), the ap(λ) coefficients also increase nonlinearly with 〈chl〉. The relationships (power laws) that link ap(λ) and ao(λ) to 〈chl〉 show striking similarities. Despite large fluctuations, the relative contribution of nonalgal particles to total absorption oscillates around an average value of 25–30% throughout the 〈chl〉 range. The spectral dependence of absorption by these nonalgal particles follows an exponential increase toward short wavelengths, with a weakly variable slope (0.011±0.0025 nm−1). The empirical relationships linking ap(λ) to (〈chl〉) can be used in bio-optical models. This parameterization based on in vitro measurements leads to a good agreement with a former modeling of the diffuse attenuation coefficient based on in situ measurements. This agreement is worth noting as independent methods and data sets are compared. It is stressed that for a given (〈chl〉), the ap(λ) coefficients show large residual variability around the regression lines (for instance, by a factor of 3 at 440 nm). The consequences of such a variability, when predicting or interpreting the diffuse reflectance of the ocean, are examined, according to whether or not these variations in ap are associated with concomitant variations in particle scattering. In most situations the deviations in ap actually are not compensated by those in particle scattering, so that the amplitude of reflectance is affected by these variations.
Sea bottom topography with X-band SLAR: the relation between radar imagery and bathymetry

Abstract On 19 January 1988, and experiment was carried out to establish the positional relation between corresponding features in radar imagery and bottom topography. The radar measurements were done with the Dutch Digital SLAR, an X-band HH polarized SLAR system. The experiment look place in an area 30 km off the Dutch coast where the bottom topography is dominated by sand waves with a height between 2 and 6 m and a crest-to-crest distance of typically 500 m at a depth of 22 m. Ground data were recorded from two ships near the centre of the test area and from the Measuring Platform Noordwijk, 20 km from the test area. By comparing the radar images showing sand waves with digitized maps of depth and bottom slope it is concluded that the extremes in the radar backscatter are located right above regions with maximum bottom slope, within a positional accuracy of 30 m. This is in excellent agreement with predictions by simple relaxation models of the imaging mechanism.
Closing the Social-Class Achievement Gap

College students who do not have parents with 4-year degrees (first-generation students) earn lower grades and encounter more obstacles to success than do students who have at least one parent with a 4-year degree (continuing-generation students). In the study reported here, we tested a novel intervention designed to reduce this social-class achievement gap with a randomized controlled trial (N = 168). Using senior college students’ real-life stories, we conducted a difference-education intervention with incoming students about how their diverse backgrounds can shape what they experience in college. Compared with a standard intervention that provided similar stories of college adjustment without highlighting students’ different backgrounds, the difference-education intervention eliminated the social-class achievement gap by increasing first-generation students’ tendency to seek out college resources (e.g., meeting with professors) and, in turn, improving their end-of-year grade point averages. The difference-education intervention also improved the college transition for all students on numerous psychosocial outcomes (e.g., mental health and engagement).
Time-, Distance-, and Magnitude-Dependent Foreshock Probability Model for New Zealand

The possibility that a moderate earthquake may be followed by an equal or larger one (foreshock probability) increases the hazard in its immediate vicinity for a short time by an order of magnitude or more. Thus, foreshock probabilities are of interest for time-dependent seismic hazard forecasts. We calculate the probability of an initial earthquake (a foreshock) being followed by a mainshock in New Zealand, considering the parameters of elapsed time and distance and magnitude differences between foreshock and mainshock. We use nonaftershock events between 1964 and 2007, with magnitude ≥4.0 and shallower than 40 km, separating the catalog into events within and outside the Taupo volcanic zone (TVZ). We provide a model for the probability P ( t , r , δM ) that at time t after a potential foreshock (FS) of magnitude M FS and at distance r , a mainshock with magnitude M FS+ δM will occur: P ( t , r , δM )= P ×10(- BδM )( t + c t )- p t ( r + c r )- p r , where P , B , p t , c t , p r , and c r are constants to be determined. We find that (1) binning data using fixed intervals of time or space before fitting the parameters returns different values than a more robust approach of fitting directly the entire range, (2) foreshock probabilities decrease with increasing interevent time as described by a modified Omori law with an exponent p t close to 1 (0.9±0.2 [TVZ] and 0.8±0.1 elsewhere—uncertainty estimates are 95% confidence intervals throughout this study), (3) foreshock probabilities decrease with increasing epicentral distance also following a modified Omori type decay with exponent p r of 0.9±0.2 (non-TVZ) and 1.7±0.6 (TVZ), and (4) the mainshock magnitude distribution follows the Gutenberg–Richter relationship ( B =1.0±0.17 [non-TVZ] and 1.5±0.5 [TVZ]). The differences between the TVZ and the rest of New Zealand are consistent with higher attenuation in the region, deduced from previous studies.
Quantitative estimation of global patterns of surface ocean biological productivity and its seasonal variation on timescales from centuries to millennia

We present a quantitative method, based on the relative abundances of benthic foraminifera in deep‐sea sediments, for estimating surface ocean biological productivity over the timescale of centuries to millennia. We calibrate the method using a global data set composed of 207 samples from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans from a water depth range between 2300 and 3600 m. The sample set was developed so that other, potentially significant, environmental variables would be uncorrelated to overlying surface ocean productivity. A regression of assemblages against productivity yielded an r2 = 0.89 demonstrating a strong productivity signal in the faunal data. In addition, we examined assemblage response to annual variability in biological productivity (seasonality). Our data set included a range of seasonalities which we quantified into a seasonality index using the pigment color bands from the coastal zone color scanner (CZCS). The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblage composition to our seasonality index was tested with regression analysis. We obtained a statistically highly significant r2 = 0.75. Further, discriminant function analysis revealed a clear separation among sample groups based on surface ocean productivity and our seasonality index. Finally, we tested the response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to three different modes of seasonality. We observed a distinct separation of our samples into groups representing low seasonal variability, strong seasonality with a single main productivity event in the year, and strong seasonality with multiple productivity events in the year. Reconstructing surface ocean biological productivity with benthic foraminifera will aid in modeling marine biogeochemical cycles. Also, estimating mode and range of annual seasonality will provide insight to changing oceanic processes, allowing the examination of the mechanisms causing changes in the marine biotic system over time.
Connectivity of aqueous fluid in eclogite and its implications for fluid migration in the Earth's interior

[1] The geometrical distribution of the aqueous fluid in textural equilibrium with eclogite was investigated by measurements of the dihedral angles at aqueous fluid-clinopyroxene-clinopyroxene (θcc), at aqueous fluid-garnet-garnet (θgg) and at aqueous fluid-clinopyroxene-garnet (θcg) triple junctions at 3–5 GPa and 700–800°C with a Kawai-type multianvil high-pressure apparatus. The dihedral angles, θcc, θgg, and θcg range from 62° to 68° and appear constant within the experimental uncertainties at the pressures and temperatures investigated. The constant dihedral angle values could be explained by the counterbalance of the effects of pressure, temperature, and the difference in Mg/(Mg + Fe) in the minerals and the aqueous fluid. The present results lead to the suggestion that the aqueous fluid in eclogite at pressures from 3 to 5 GPa (corresponding to depths of ∼90–150 km) exists as isolated pores, provided circumstances of chemical and textural equilibrium prevail. It is suggested that up to about 1–2 vol% aqueous fluid could be trapped as an interstitial fluid in eclogite and be transported to the Earth's interior at depths of at least 150 km by the subduction of the oceanic crust and by the delamination of the crustal roots.
Evaluating Salt Marsh Restoration Success with an Index of Ecosystem Integrity

ABSTRACT Staszak, L.A. and Armitage, A.R. , 2013. Evaluating salt marsh restoration success with an index of ecosystem integrity. In concept, ecological restoration will improve ecosystem characteristics of degraded habitats, but in practice, restoration success assessments typically target vegetation communities. We sought to determine if estuarine emergent marsh restoration projects (Galveston Bay, Texas) that had successfully achieved permit-mandated plant coverage were comparable to reference sites at an ecosystem level. We used a Rapid Assessment Method developed specifically for this habitat (Galv-RAM) to compare restored (ages 5–15 y) and reference marshes. Thirteen biotic and abiotic characteristics were used to calculate an ecosystem index score, whereby a pristine habitat would score 100%. The average Galv-RAM ecosystem index score for reference marshes (81%) was typical for urbanized estuaries. Restored marshes scored 75%, indicating that they were relatively well developed, although there was substantial variability in ecosystem index scores among sites. Discriminant function analysis revealed that reference sites had more benthic epifauna (periwinkles, fiddler crabs); epifauna were virtually absent from restored sites. Overall, Galv-RAM scores did not vary with restored marsh age, but some individual features changed over time: older restored sites tended to have higher plant diversity and belowground plant biomass than younger restored sites. The ultimate goal of coastal wetland restoration is to improve the integrity of the regional wetland landscape by augmenting many different ecosystem functions. Therefore, although not all measured variables scored optimally in all restored sites, each of the sites had relatively high ecological value and contributed to the integrity of a larger scale matrix of wetland habitat.
Design and implementation of multi-source data mining system for land use

With the development of "3S" technologies, a large quantity of spatial-temporal data related to land use has been accessed. Being scattered across different departments and lacking of relevant analysis tools made them utilize insufficiently. Although some experts have applied data mining to solve this problem, most of them have only provided one method for single task to build the mining systems. However, it is undesirable to use just one method to mine. In addition, the single function systems can not be used widely and conveniently. Hence, under full investigation on operations of land use, a multi-source data mining prototype system for land use is proposed by integrating of technologies of GIS and spatial data mining. According to the general data mining process, aiming at the multi-demands of land evaluation and land planning and so on, the system is developed by using ArcEngine 9.0 and VB.net. The system integrates basic geospatial data, land use/cover data, and thematic data as data sources, excavates different knowledge of land Quality, land use zoning rules, land use patterns and change rules and so on. Based on the types of knowledge, the system accordingly provides several different mining methods, including decision tree, support vector machine, artificial neural network, time series, spatial association rules, etc. Wide adaptability of the system is demonstrated by using some cases. The results of the system can meet multipurpose needs and be used to support decision-making of the land management department.
Nitrate‐reducing and ammonium‐oxidizing bacteria in the vadose zone of the chalk aquifer of England

The vadose zone of the Chalk aquifer from two sites of different land use was found to contain large numbers of nitrate‐reducing and ammonium‐oxidizing bacteria. Relationships between the type of bacteria and nitrogen compounds produced showed that denitrification was occurring beneath the permanent grassland site, whereas the vadose zone beneath the fertilized arable site was essentially aerobic and little attenuation of nitrate by denitrification was occurring. The results show that nitrate is certain to be involved in biological reactions in the vadose zone of the Chalk, although quantification of the rate and the extent of these reactions is still not possible.
Decompaction weakening and channeling instability in ductile porous media: Implications for asthenospheric melt segregation

[1] We propose that a mechanical flow channeling instability, which arises because of rock weakening at high fluid pressure, facilitates segregation and transport of asthenospheric melts. To characterize the weakening effect, the ratio of the matrix viscosity during decompaction to that for compaction is treated as a free parameter R in the range 1 to 10−6. Two-dimensional numerical simulations with this rheology reveal that solitary, vertically elongated, porosity waves with spacing on the compaction length scale δ initiate from miniscule porosity perturbations. By analogy with viscous compaction models we infer that in the absence of far-field stress, the three-dimensional expression of the waves is as pipe-like structures of radius δ, a geometry that increases fluid fluxes by a factor of ∼1/R. The waves grow by draining fluid from the background porosity but leave a wake of elevated porosity that localizes subsequent flow. Wave amplitudes grow linearly with time, increasing by a factor of R−3/8 in the time required to drain the porosity a distance of ∼δ. Dissipation of gravitational potential energy by the waves has the capacity to enhance growth rates through melting. Maximum wave speeds are ∼40 times the speed of fluid flow through the unperturbed matrix. Such waves may provoke the elastic response necessary to nucleate, and localize the melt necessary to sustain, more effective transport mechanisms. The formulation introduces no melting effects and is applicable to fluid flow and localization problems in ductile porous media in general.
Preliminary and Incomplete Comments welcome An Empirical Investigation of the Dynamics of Qualitative Decisions of Firms ∗ by Stelios Corres

This paper focuses on qualitative aspects of financing, investment and output decisions of firms. Such dimensions can be modeled econometrically by means of dynamic limited dependent variables models. We develop a partial equilibrium dynamic stochastic programming problem of investment, dividend and financing decisions for a typical firm. We apply techniques involving limited dependent variable models to study the discrete decisions of whether or not firms pay dividends, use borrowing or issue equity to finance investment. We use panel data from COMPUSTAT for publicly traded U.S. manufacturing firms. We study the pattern of transitions over time across various regimes that represent alternative modes of finance while controlling for individual heterogeneity with a general stochastic structure for unobservables. Our dynamic limited dependent variable models show considerable success in explaining the dynamics of such decisions, with individual characteristics of firms, which include firm fundamentals and lagged values of past decisions, exhibiting a strong explanatory impact. The dynamics implied by the estimated models reveal high persistence in firms’ qualitative decisions. Unobserved firm heterogeneity, which is modelled by means of random effects, plays a very significant explanatory role. ∗ This research has been supported by grants SES9000-200 and SES9211-913 from the National Science Foundation. We are grateful for this assistance. We are also grateful to Bronwyn Hall for giving us access to the Manufacturing Sector Master File. All data used in this paper have been archived at the Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. We thank Nancy Lutz and Plutarchos Sakellaris for useful comments. Corresponding Address: Vassilis Hajivassiliou Department of Economics, London School of Economics Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE telephone: +44-20-7955-7867 email: vassilis@econ.lse. ac.uk ∗∗ Department of Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. ∗∗∗ Department of Economics, London School of Economics.
Multisensor analysis of a squall line in the Amazon Region

[1] Mesoscale features of the 26 January 1999 squall line are described with measurements made during the field experiment in Rondonia, Brazil, in the wet season (WET) of the Amazon region (AMC) as part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon (LBA) and the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM); henceforth referred to as the WET AMC and TRMM-LBA field experiment. The squall line moved through the experiment area from northeast to southwest with high rainfall rates in its leading edge and a poorly defined trailing stratiform precipitating area. Polarimetric and Doppler measurements from the Portable Polarimetric S-band Radar (S-POL) were analyzed in conjunction with surface and upper level data, satellite visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) measurements. These remote and local measurements of variables such as cloud spatial and temporal distribution, pressure, temperature, moisture, precipitation, and wind fields are consistent with each other as well as with similar mesoscale dynamics and thermodynamics features measured, analyzed, and modeled elsewhere [e.g., Rotunno et al., 1988; Garstang et al., 1994; Houze et al., 1990]. This tropical squall line is similar to its cousins in the midlatitudes with finer-scale structural and dynamic features such as rotation and divergence. Results suggest that the cold pool has its origins in midlevels between 400 and 600 hPa from where evaporative cooling and drop-dragging bring down colder air to the surface. The convective region is dominated by warm microphysics, while the stratiform region is dominated by cold microphysics. Moreover, both regions are characterized by monomodal drop spectra centered around 2.0 and 1.0 mm, respectively. Horizontal circulation associated with strong updrafts tends to increase cloud growth efficiency in the leading edge of the squall line.