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 Note on Reviving the Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes （GSSTF） Dataset

Accurate sea surface flux measurements are crucial for understanding the global water and energy cycles. The oceanic evaporation, which is a major component of the global oceanic fresh water flux, is useful for predicting oceanic circulation and transport. The global Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes Version-2 (GSSTF2; July 1987--December 2000) dateset that was officially released in 2001 has been widely used by scientific community for global energy and water cycle research, and regional and short period data analyses. We have recently been funded by NASA to resume processing the GSSTF dataset with an objective of continually producing a uniform dataset of sea surface turbulent fluxes, derived from remote sensing data. The dataset is to be reprocessed and brought up-to-date (GSSTF2b) using improved input datasets such as a recently upgraded NCEP/DOE sea surface temperature reanalysis, and an upgraded surface wind and microwave brightness temperature V6 dataset (Version 6) from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) produced by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS). A second new product (GSSTF3) is further proposed with a finer temporal (12-h) and spatial (0.25^ox0.25^o) resolution. GSSTF2b (July 1987--December 2008) and GSSTF3 (July 1999--December 2009) will be released for the research community to use by late 2009 and early 2011, respectively.     

Suspended sediment concentration in a buoyant plume: Fraser River,Canada

A study of suspended sediment concentration in the buoyant plume of the Fraser River, Canada, showed that unstratified flow conditions at the river mouth caused resuspension of sandy bed material and high concentrations of coarse sediment. When flow at the mouth was stratified, sediment was fine-grained and concentrations were low. Application of a multivariate model revealed that suspended sediment concentration along the plume axis was controlled primarily by distance seaward of the river mouth, secondly by tidal height, and least by sediment concentration in the river.     

Deterministic sliding block methods for estimating seismic displacements of earth structures

A review and quantitative comparison of existing deterministic sliding block methods for predicting permanent displacements of earth structures subjected to seismic loading is presented. The reviewed sliding block methods are divided into two main groups based on the characteristic earthquake parameters referenced in each method. One group uses the maximum horizontal ground acceleration and velocity, and the other uses the maximum horizontal ground acceleration and the predominant period of the acceleration spectrum. Displacement functions published by previous authors are reformulated to give common non-dimensionalized displacement functions of the critical acceleration ratio which are then used to compare the different methods for the estimate of permanent seismic displacement of soil structures. The results show that despite the fact that the different methods were formulated using a wide range of earthquake records and different characteristic seismic parameters, permanent displacement values predicted using these methods fall within a reasonably narrow band. Selected acceleration data from three recent earthquakes that occurred in California are used to evaluate and compare the accuracy of the reviewed displacement methods for practical applications.     

Oxidative–reductive photodecomposition of perfluorooctanoic acid in water

This article aims to elucidate on usefulness of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) for photoreductive degradation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a representative perfluorinated compound (PFC), in water for the first time. Bench-scale tests were conducted on oxidative and reductive (with aquated electron: e _aq ^? ) mineralization of PFOA using low-pressure UV (LPUV) lamps and potassium iodide. Unlike with 254 nm wavelength (UVC), the reductive mineralization with VUV was very inefficient compared to the corresponding oxidative mineralization. The inefficiency is attributed to low reactivity of e _aq ^? with PFOA and its fluorinated products than that of 185 nm photons. Direct VUV photolysis of PFOA and its products in reductive reaction conditions was not apparent due to a very big difference in reactivity of 185 and 254 nm photons with iodide. The results demonstrated that highly energetic VUV photons are not suitable for photoreductive degradations of PFCs involving e _aq ^? , but they can be best used for oxidative degradations. These findings should serve as an important reference on VUV usage to decompose refractory micropollutants.     

A nitrate and silicate budget in the equatorial Pacific Ocean: a coupled physical–biological model study

A coupled physical–biological model was developed to simulate the low-silicate, high-nitrate, and low-chlorophyll (LSHNLC) conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and used to compute a detailed budget in the Wyrtki box (5°N–5°S, 180–90°W) for the major sources and cycling of nitrogen and silicon in the equatorial Pacific. With the incorporation of biogenic silicon dissolution, NH₄ regeneration from organic nitrogen and nitrification of ammonia in the model, we show that silicon recycling in the upper ocean is less efficient than nitrogen. As the major source of nutrients to the equatorial Pacific, the Equatorial Undercurrent provides slightly less Si(OH)₄ than NO₃ to the upwelling zone, which is defined as 2.5°N–2.5°S. As a result, the equatorial upwelling supplies less Si(OH)₄ than NO₃ into the euphotic zone in the Wyrtki box, having a Si/N supply ratio of about 0.85 (2.5 vs. 2.96 mmolm⁻² day⁻¹). More Si(OH)₄ than NO₃ is taken up with a Si/N ratio of 1.17 (2.72 vs. 2.33 mmolm⁻² day⁻¹) within the euphotic zone. The difference between upwelling supply and biological uptake is balanced by nutrient regeneration and horizontal advection. Excluding regeneration, the net silicate and nitrate uptakes are nearly equal (1.76 vs. 1.84 mmolm⁻² day⁻¹). However, biogenic silica export production is slightly higher than organic nitrogen (1.74 vs. 1.59 mmolm⁻² day⁻¹) following a 1.1 Si/N ratio. In the central equatorial Pacific, low silicate concentrations limit diatom growth; therefore non-diatom new production accounts for most of the new production. Higher silicate supply in the east maintains elevated diatom growth rates and new production associated with diatoms dominate upwelling zone. In contrast, the new production associated with small phytoplankton is nearly constant or decreases eastward along the equator. The total new production has a higher rate in the east than in the west, following the pattern of surface silicate. This suggests that silicate regulates the diatom production, total new production, and thereby carbon cycle in this area. The modeled mean primary production is 48.4 mmolCm⁻² day⁻¹, representing the lower end of direct field measurements, while new production is 15.0 mmolCm⁻² day⁻¹, which compares well with previous estimates.     

Massless scalar field in Robertson-Walker space-time

Recently, exact spatially-homogeneous solutions have been found for a conformally invariant massless scalar fieldS(t) coupled to a Robertson-Walker geometry. We investigate extending these solutions to inhomogeneous scalar fieldsS(t, x ^l ). For an isotropic scalar fieldS(t, r) we find a solution satisfying three of the five field equations. If we use REDUCE, we show that the remaining equations forceS=S(t).     

X-ray intensity-hardness correlation and deep IR observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1RXS J170849-400910

We report here on X-ray and IR observations of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) 1RXS J170849-400910. First, we report on new XMM-Newton, Swift-XRT and Chandra observations of this AXP, which confirm the intensity–hardness correlation observed in the long term X-ray monitoring of this source. These new X-ray observations show that the AXP flux is rising again, and the spectrum hardening. If the increase of the source intensity is indeed connected with the glitches and a possible bursting activity, we expect this source to enter in a bursting active phase around 2006–2007. Second, we report on deep IR observations of 1RXS J170849-400910, taken with the VLT-NACO adaptive optics, showing that there are many weak sources consistent with the AXP position. Neither star A or B, as previously proposed by different authors, might yet be conclusively recognised as the IR counterpart of 1RXS J170849-400910. Third, using Monte Carlo simulations, we re-address the calculation of the significance of the absorption line found in a phase-resolved spectrum of this source, and interpreted as a resonant scattering cyclotron feature.     

The composition and crystallinity of the near-surface regions of weathered alkali feldspars

Our ability to identify thin non-stoichiometric and amorphous layers beneath mineral surfaces has been tested by undertaking X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) work on alkali feldspars from pH 1 dissolution experiments. The outcomes of this work were used to help interpret XPS and TEM results from alkali feldspars weathered for <10,000 years in soils overlying the Shap Granite (north-west England). The chemistry of effluent solutions indicates that silica-rich layers a few nanometers in thickness formed during the pH 1 experiments. These layers can be successfully identified by XPS and have lower Al/Si, Na/Si, K/Si and Ca/Si values than the outermost ∼9 nm of unweathered controls. Development of Al-Si non-stoichiometry is coupled with loss of crystal structure to produce amorphous layers that are identifiable by TEM where >∼2.5 nm thick, whereas the crystallinity of albite is retained despite leaching of Na to depths of tens to hundreds on nanometers. Integration of XPS data over the outermost 6-9 nm of naturally weathered Shap feldspars shows that they have stoichiometric Al/Si and K/Si ratios, which is consistent with findings of previous TEM work on the same material that they lack amorphous layers. There is some XPS evidence for loss of K from the outermost couple of nanometers of Shap orthoclase, and the possibility of leaching of Na from albite to greater depths cannot be excluded using the XPS or TEM results. This study demonstrates that the leached layer model, as formulated from laboratory experiments, is inapplicable to the weathering of alkali feldspars within acidic soils, which is an essentially stoichiometric reaction.