Chasing a 'loose and baggy monster': almshouses and the geography of charity

This paper goes some way towards redressing the lack of geographical literature on charity through exploring the geography of the British domestic charitable sector. The size and geography of the third sector is outlined, followed by an analysis of how almshouses can be understood as inherently geographical and deeply embedded in local social networks of inclusion as well as exclusion.     

A high-resolution TEM-AEM, pH titration, and modeling study of Zn coprecipitation with ferrihydrite

Experiments of Zn²⁺ and Fe³⁺ coprecipitation as a function of pH were conducted in the laboratory at ambient temperature and pressure. X-ray diffraction patterns of the coprecipitates show two broad peaks at 0.149 and 0.258 nm, which is consistent with published patterns for pure 2-line ferrihydrite. Zn²⁺ uptake occurred at pH ≥5 while Fe³⁺ precipitation occurred between pH 3 and 4, although both Zn²⁺ and Fe³⁺ were present in the same solution during the entire range of pH titration. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that the coprecipitates are 2 to 6 nm sized single crystalline particles but aggregated to 50 to 400 nm sized clusters. Analytical electron microscopy indicated that the 5% atomic Zn with respect to Fe was homogeneously distributed. No segregated phases were found in the clusters or at single crystal edges, which is consistent with published extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) results at similar Zn/(Zn + Fe) ratios. Hence, occlusion and surface precipitation may be excluded as possible coprecipitation mechanisms. The bulk solution Zn²⁺ sorption edge was fitted to both solid solution and generalized diffuse layer surface complexation models. However, a solid solution model is inconsistent with published EXAFS results that show tetrahedral polydentate Zn²⁺ complexes sharing apices with Fe³⁺octahedra.     

A Comparative Analysis of Weights of Evidence,Evidential Belief Functions,and Fuzzy Logic for Mineral Potential Mapping Using Incomplete Data at the Scale of Investigation

Large amounts of digital data must be analyzed and integrated to generate mineral potential maps, which can be used for exploration targeting. The quality of the mineral potential maps is dependent on the quality of the data used as inputs, with higher quality inputs producing higher quality outputs. In mineral exploration, particularly in regions with little to no exploration history, datasets are often incomplete at the scale of investigation with data missing due to incomplete mapping or the unavailability of data over certain areas. It is not always clear that datasets are incomplete, and this study examines how mineral potential mapping results may differ in this context. Different methods of mineral potential mapping provide different ways of dealing with analyzing and integrating incomplete data. This study examines the weights of evidence (WofE), evidential belief function and fuzzy logic methods of mineral potential mapping using incomplete data from the Carajás mineral province, Brazil to target for orogenic gold mineralization. Results demonstrate that WofE is the best one able to predict the location of known mineralization within the study area when either complete or unacknowledged incomplete data are used. It is suggested that this is due to the use of Bayes’ rule, which can account for “missing data.” The results indicate the effectiveness of WofE for mineral potential mapping with incomplete data.     

Very high CO2 exchange fluxes at the peak of the rainy season in a West African grazed semi-arid savanna ecosystem

Africa is a sink of carbon, but there are large gaps in our knowledge regarding the CO₂ exchange fluxes for many African ecosystems. Here, we analyse multi-annual eddy covariance data of CO₂ exchange fluxes for a grazed Sahelian semi-arid savanna ecosystem in Senegal, West Africa. The aim of the study is to investigate the high CO₂ exchange fluxes measured at the peak of the rainy season at the Dahra field site: gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration peaked at values up to ?48 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 and 20 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1, respectively. Possible explanations for such high fluxes include a combination of moderately dense herbaceous C4 ground vegetation, high soil nutrient availability and a grazing pressure increasing the fluxes. Even though the peak net CO₂ uptake was high, the annual budget of ?229 ± 7 ± 49 g C m^?2 y^?1 (±random errors ± systematic errors) is comparable to that of other semi-arid savanna sites due the short length of the rainy season. An inter-comparison between the open-path and a closed-path infrared sensor indicated no systematic errors related to the instrumentation. An uncertainty analysis of long-term NEE budgets indicated that corrections for air density fluctuations were the largest error source (11.3% out of 24.3% uncertainty). Soil organic carbon data indicated a substantial increase in the soil organic carbon pool for the uppermost .20 m. These findings have large implications for the perception of the carbon sink/source of Sahelian ecosystems and its response to climate change.     

Impacts of primary deforestation upon limestone slopes in northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Effects of deforestation upon slopes in limestones and in volcanic rocks in the Benson River valley, northern Vancouver Island, have been investigated quantitatively. Postlogging soil erosion and vegetal regeneration success were assessed by measuring soil depth, percent bare rock and moss cover, and the numbers and diversity of trees, shrubs, and plants on 25 sampling sites, each containing ten measuring quadrats selected at random. Sixteen sites were on the Quatsino Formation, a well-karstified limestone, and nine on the Karmutsen Formation of basaltic lavas. Eight sites were of virgin forest, 16 were logged between 1970 and 1983, and one (on limestone) was logged in 1911. Both bedrock types were significantly affected by the cutting. There was greater loss of soil and an increase in bare rock on the limestones. Erosion was increased significantly by burning on the limestones but not on the volcanics. Within-group comparisons on the limestones determined that steeper slopes and harder burned areas suffered the most and are slowest to regenerate. Volume of timber on the 1911 site was 19 percent of that in similar uncut forest sites. It appears that complete recovery on the barren limestone slopes will require at least some centuries.