Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Stiffness Anisotropy in Kaolinite Using Bender Element Tests in A Floating Wall Consolidometer

A new floating wall consolidometer-type bender element testing system was developed to study the stiffness anisotropy of clays at applied vertical stresses up to 800 kPa. One-dimensional slurry-consolidated Georgia RP-2 kaolinite samples, prepared with 0.005 and 1 mol/l NaCl solutions, were tested in this system. A floating wall design eliminated the detrimental bending moment that acts upon the horizontally installed benders as a result of soil settlement in a traditional fixed wall setup, which significantly improved the signal quality and bender reuse. Floating wall–soil interface resistance was quantified with pulling tests. Analytical equations were then derived to calculate the wall resistance-corrected vertical effective stress. As a result, stresses applied to the soil were more accurately determined. The bender element (BE) test was used to measure kaolinite's shear wave velocity (Vs), thereby quantifying the small strain stiffness of soils. Average Vs results for RP-2 kaolinite were lower than those for other kaolinites reported in the literature. This was postulated to be primarily due to the longer and more tortuous chains of particle contacts associated with the smaller median diameter (d50 = 0.36 μm) of RP-2 kaolinite samples. BE test results indicated that Vs increased with stress, density, and concentration. The hierarchy of Vs in three orthogonal directions (i.e., hh > hv > vh) agreed with results in the literature. It was also illustrated that Vs anisotropy increased with applied stress and decreased during unloading. In addition, a comparison was made between the BE test in the new floating wall consolidometer and the BE test in a triaxial testing setup.
Timing the breakup of a Proterozoic supercontinent: Evidence from Australian intracratonic basins

In the Late Proterozoic, several broad, shallow, intracratonic depressions appeared across a vast area of central Australia. The basins, which all contain shallow marine to fluvial successions, appear to have been tenuously interconnected through much of their history. Analysis of their fill by means of tectonic-subsidence curves suggests that they are the product of two separate and distinct periods of crustal extension, one at about 900 Ma and a second at about 600 Ma. These extensional episodes were probably the result of failed rifting events that almost fragmented the Australian continent during the Late Proterozoic. The second period of extension almost certainly relates to the breakup of a Proterozoic supercontinent. The results suggest that sediments preserved in the relatively protected environment of interior basins may provide a more subtle record of major tectonic events than continental margin sequences that were exposed to major continental interactions.
Significance of serpentinization of wedge mantle peridotites beneath Mariana forearc, western Pacific

In the Mariana forearc, horst and graben structures are well developed in the outer forearc basement, which is composed of both island arc and oceanic crust-mantle rocks. A zone of dome-shaped diapiric seamounts, which are composed mainly of serpentinized peridotites, formed on the basement in the outer forearc regions. Serpentine minerals in peridotites from both diapiric seamounts and basement are mostly chrysotile and/or lizardite. Antigorite, however, is rarely found in peridotites recovered from Conical, Big Blue, Celestial, and South Chamorro Seamounts. Antigorite-bearing peridotites always contain secondary iron-rich olivine and metamorphic clinopyroxene, and antigorite seems to coexist stably with them. Iron-rich secondary olivine (Fo 86–90 ) occurs as overgrowth on the rim or along the cleavage traces of primary olivine (Fo 90–92 ). The assemblage shows high-temperature conditions of serpentinization at ~450–550 °C, whereas chrysotile- and/or lizardite-bearing assemblages occur at ~200–300 °C. In antigorite-bearing samples, chrysotile and/or lizardite veins both predating and postdating antigorite formation are recognized. This may reflect a complex process of tectonic cycling of shallow mantle wedge serpentinized peridotites to depth and then back again to the surface.
Contribution of methane to total gas pressure in deep waters at lakes Nyos and Monoun (Cameroon, West Africa)

Copyright © 2013 by The Geochemical Society of Japan. tions could be cyclic (Evans et al., 1994; Kusakabe et al., 2000; Halbwachs and Sabroux, 2001), given the high gas accumulation rate observed soon after the disasters. To avert a repetition of catastrophes in the future, a controlled piping of gas-rich bottom water was initiated in 2001 (Halbwachs and Sabroux, 2001; Halbwachs et al., 2004). Follow up studies demonstrated that gas removal worked well (Halbwachs et al., 2004; Kling et al., 2005; Issa, 2008; Kusakabe et al., 2008): regular monitoring of the lakes during degassing operation has indicated that carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been drastically lowered (Kling et al., 2005; Kusakabe et al., 2008). Meantime, it has been noted that CH4 concentrations in the lakes were steadily increasing instead (Kling et al., 2005). The causes of the gas blast still a matter of debate; several causes such as meteorological forces and rockfalls (Kling et al., 1987; Sigurdsson et al., 1987), gradual gas accumulation (Kusakabe et al., 2008) and volcanic activities (Tazieff et al., 1987; Chevrier, 1990) have been proposed as potential triggering mechanisms. Nevertheless, irrespective of the trigger, it is apparent that the total gas pressure played a key role in the magnitude of the Contribution of methane to total gas pressure in deep waters at lakes Nyos and Monoun (Cameroon, West Africa)
Hydrocarbon source rocks, reservoir rocks and migration in the Orcadian Basin

Synopsis Rock-Eval pyrolysis data shows that the ORS is a viable source rock for hydrocarbons in the Orcadian Basin, and that generally the sequence is not highly mature at present. Solvent-extracted pyrolysis data indicate that migrated hydrocarbons only form a significant proportion of the total organic carbon content where this content is less than 1.5 %. Hydrocarbons occur widely in mineral veins and fluviatile/aeolian sandstones. Hydrocarbon shows in sandstones are often adjacent to major faults, along which they may have migrated. Much porosity in the sandstone is secondary after calcite dissolution which may have been related to Permian deep weathering. Small volumes of hydrocarbons were generated by a late Permian intrusive igneous suite, but peak generation had probably occurred prior to this event.
Orbit Determination During Spacecraft Emergencies with Sparse Tracking Data - THEMIS and TDRS-3 Lessons Learned

This paper provides an overview of the lessons learned from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center s (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility s (FDF) support of the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft emergency in February 2007, and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-3 (TDRS-3) spacecraft emergency in March 2006. A successful and timely recovery from both of these spacecraft emergencies depended on accurate knowledge of the orbit. Unfortunately, the combination of each spacecraft emergency with very little tracking data contributed to difficulties in estimating and predicting the orbit and delayed recovery efforts in both cases. In both the THEMIS and TDRS-3 spacecraft emergencies, numerous factors contributed to problems with obtaining nominal tracking data measurements. This paper details the various causative factors and challenges. This paper further enumerates lessons learned from FDF s recovery efforts involving the THEMIS and TDRS-3 spacecraft emergencies and scant tracking data, as well as recommendations for improvements and corrective actions. In addition, this paper describes the broad range of resources and complex navigation methods employed within the FDF for supporting critical navigation activities during all mission phases, including launch, early orbit, and on-orbit operations.
'Creto-Cypriot’ and ‘Cypro-Phoenician’ complexities in the archaeology of interaction between Crete and Cyprus

This paper engages with many of the complexities involved in drawing socio-economic inferences on the basis of the dissemination of ceramic style. Discussion is centered on the importation and imitation of Cypriot pottery in Crete of the Early Iron Age. Nicolas Coldstream’s meticulous discussion of this pottery is revisited and qualified in the light of recent work on the archaeology of Crete and new approaches to stylistic dissemination. Emphasis is placed on the terms used to designate the imitations of Cypriot pottery produced in Crete and the criteria for distinguishing between Cypriot imports and Cretan imitations. I further review the distribution of the two classes within Crete, establish major centres of production and assess the modes of interaction through which the Cretan copies came to be produced.
Large‐scale magnetic field inversions at sector boundaries

[1] During the declining phase of the last solar cycle the Wind spacecraft observed a quasi-recurrent pattern of mismatches between sector boundaries identified in suprathermal electron pitch angle spectrograms and in magnetic field data alone. Intervals of mismatch imply the presence of magnetic fields that are locally inverted or turned back on themselves in a way that is intrinsic to the sector boundary. We analyze eight cases of inversion during nine successive solar rotations in 1994–1995. These range in duration from 15 to 53 hours. In most the inversions are incomplete in a systematic way: Rather than pointing opposite to its true polarity along the Parker spiral, the magnetic field hovers at an orientation more nearly orthogonal to it, always in the sense of decreasing azimuth angle. The inversion pattern is consistent with passage through coronal streamer belt loops, in which the polarity of the two legs of each loop matches the sector structure and where one leg has been released from the Sun through interchange reconnection. There are four possible variations of this pattern, depending on the sense of polarity change across the sector boundary and on whether the leading or trailing leg has been released. The latter determines whether the sector boundary or the local field reversal passes first. Three of the four variations are represented in the eight cases. Plasma parameters in the inversions are typical of the slow wind. While some cases display signatures of interplanetary coronal mass ejections, many do not. Thus the inversions may represent the quiet, quasi-steady end of a spectrum of large-scale transient outflows.
Validation of the CloudSat precipitation occurrence algorithm using the Canadian C band radar network

[1] The ability of CloudSat to detect precipitation in cold season cloud systems is examined using data from the Environment Canada C band weather radar at King City, Ontario. The factors complicating the comparison are the time mismatch, the differences in sensitivity, and the changes to the geometry of cross section with range from the ground radar, W band radar attenuation, and the effect of ground clutter. A total of 40 overpasses with precipitation were observed over the King City radar from September 2006 to April 2007. In about 14% of the precipitation profiles, time mismatches were diagnosed. When these cases were removed, the skill scores of the CloudSat precipitation occurrence product were excellent. The most frequent cause of a false detection was an incorrect precipitation threshold in the algorithm. The most frequent cause of a miss in detection was ground clutter removal of valid echoes by the algorithm. Overall, the CloudSat algorithm handled the effect of attenuation very well. Improvement to the algorithm would arise from a better tuning of the precipitation threshold, a threshold of −10 dBZ instead of −18 dBZ being more appropriate for winter storms in the Great Lakes area, and more effective ground clutter filtering in the lowest four range bins of the CloudSat data. The methodology employed here and the 1456 verified precipitation profiles from CloudSat can serve as a framework for a test bed to evaluate precipitation products from CloudSat.
Hydrogeomorphological mapping as a tool in groundwater exploration

Hydrogeomorphological maps have a useful importance in exploration hydrogeology, engineering geosciences, geotechnical engineering and planning. The role of geomorphology is decisive to correctly evaluate groundwater resources. Hard-rock hydrogeological systems commonly exhibit complex geological and morphological features. This study highlights methodological guidelines for the preparation of hydrogeomorphological maps to support groundwater conceptual modelling, as well as for hydrogeological surveys and environmental sustainability issues. Cartographic techniques can provide an accurate way of improving the knowledge on groundwater and surface water circulation and the overall functioning of aquifer systems. A comprehensive evaluation of these subjects has been completed during the preparation of hydrogeomorphological maps for the Alardo groundwater system and Touca hydromineral system, both located on Gardunha mountain in Central Portugal. Thematic maps were prepared mainly from satellite imagery analysis, topographic, geological, geomorphological and hydrogeological field surveys. This information was presented to outline the recharge potential areas and infiltration rates. The paper also contributes to hydrogeomorphological mapping design and the conceptual model of groundwater in fractured hard-rock aquifer systems.
Measurement of low-strain material damping and wave velocity with bender elements in the frequency domain

This paper discusses the application of piezoceramic bender elements for measurement of damping ratio in the frequency domain in a triaxial cell under isotropic confinement. The emitter was excited with a constant voltage and varied frequency sine signal while the phase difference and amplitude in the receiver were measured. The resonant frequency and dynamic characteristics of cell components were analyzed to study the influence of possible additional modes when the modal analysis of a soil sample is performed. Damping ratio and shear wave velocity were determined in a sample of dry silica sand at different confinements from the first resonant mode of the sample. A relationship was found between measured travel time and resonant frequency that satisfies the solution for the general wave equation. The measured damping ratio compares very well with approximated empirical models. It is concluded that the methodology assumed in this work performs satisfactory when the dynamic response of the cell components .
A Worldwide Perspective of Nursing Home-Acquired Pneumonia Compared With Community-Acquired Pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is the leading cause of death among long-term care patients and the second most common cause of transfers to acute care facilities. The aim of this study was to characterize the incidence, microbiology, and outcomes for hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and NHAP. METHODS: A secondary analysis of 5,160 patients from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization database was performed. World regions were defined as the United States and Canada (I), Latin America (II), and Europe (III). RESULTS: From a total of 5,160 hospitalized patients with CAP, NHAP was identified in 287 (5.6%) patients. Mean age was 80 y. NHAP distribution by region was 6% in region I, 3% in region II, and 7% in region III. Subjects with NHAP had higher frequencies of neurological disease, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and renal failure than did subjects with CAP (P < .001). ICU admission was required in 32 (12%) subjects. Etiology was defined in 68 (23%) subjects with NHAP and 1,300 (27%) with CAP. The most common pathogens identified in NHAP included Streptococcus pneumoniae (31%), Staphylococcus species (31%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7%). Presentation of NHAP more frequently included pleural effusions (34% vs 21%, P < .001) and multilobar involvement (31% vs 24%, P < .001). Thirty-day hospital mortality was statistically greater among subjects with NHAP than among those with CAP (42% vs 18%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Worldwide, only a very small proportion of hospitalized patients with CAP present with NHAP; the poor outcomes for these patients may be due primarily to a higher number of comorbidities compared with patients without NHAP.
Spatial and monthly trends in speciated fine particle concentration in the United States

[1] In the spring of 1985 an interagency consortium of federal land management agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency established the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network to assess visibility and aerosol monitoring for the purpose of tracking spatial and temporal trends of visibility and visibility-impairing particles in rural areas. The program was initiated with 20 monitoring sites and was expanded to 165 sites between 2000 and 2003. This paper reports on fine aerosol data collected in the year 2001 at 143 sites. The major fine (dp < 2.5 μm) particle aerosol species, sulfates, nitrates, organics, light-absorbing carbon, and wind-blown dust, and coarse gravimetric mass are monitored, and at some sites, light scattering and/or extinction are measured. Sulfates, carbon, and crustal material are responsible for most of the fine mass at the majority of locations throughout the United States, while at sites in southern California and the midwestern United States, nitrates can contribute significantly. In the eastern United States, sulfates contribute between 50 and 60% of the fine mass. Sulfate concentrations tend to be highest in the summer months while organic concentrations can be high in the spring, summer, or fall seasons, depending upon fire-related emissions. However, at the two urban sites, Phoenix, Arizona, and Puget Sound, Washington, organics peak during the winter months. Nitrate concentrations also tend to be highest during the winter months. During the spring months in many areas of the western United States, fine soil can contribute as much as 40% of fine mass. The temporal changes in soil concentration that occur simultaneously over much of the western United States including the Rocky Mountain region suggest a large source region, possibly long-range transport of Asian dust.
Studies on microbiological quality of smoked fish in some markets in Accra, Ghana

The microbiological quality (MQ) of smoked mackerel and tuna in some Accra markets (Mallamatta, Madina, Kaneshie and Dome) were assessed and related to other retail outlets. Microbiological load and profile were determined using the methods of pour plate and identification by morphological characteristics and biochemical tests. Wide variations and significant differences (P Ghana Journal of Science Vol. 46 2006: pp. 67-75
If you've got it, flaunt it: humans flaunt attractive partners for status and desirability

Mate choices that are influenced by the mating decisions of peers, i.e., nonindependent choice, occur in many species including humans. Recent research on humans has shown that women are more attracted to men with attractive putative partners than those with less attractive partners. I frame human nonindependent mate choice in the context of a mate signalling theory (MST) and test predictions in two ecologically valid experiments. In study 1, I found that both men and women show off or “flaunt” attractive putative mates, and that men but not women hide or “conceal” unattractive ones. This effect was mediated by expected status and desirability of being seen with these partners. In study 2, I replicated the results of study 1 with a sample of only men. I further found, contrary to extant theoretical perspectives, that men desire to flaunt attractive putative mates equally to both opposite and same sex peers. Results are discussed in light of the MST, a potentially powerful generator of hypotheses and explanations for many facets of human mating.
Chemostratigraphy versus biostratigraphy: data from around the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary

A detailed isotopic profile is presented for a stratigraphically expanded Cenomanian–Turonian boundary section in Chalk facies exposed at Eastbourne, Sussex and compared with data from Pueblo, Colorado. In both sections macro- and micropalaeontological markers (first appearances and disappearances) are well-constrained, and their relative positions and relationship to the structure of the carbon-isotope curve are identical. This consistent relationship between two independent phenomena, one geochemical, the other biostratigraphical, is taken as evidence for the likely synchroneity of both the biostratigraphical markers and the carbon-isotope excursion in these two areas. This interpretation contrasts with suggestions made recently by other authors whose data have been taken to imply a lack of correlation between the carbon-isotope excursion in Europe and North America.
Recession Analysis of Drought Flow Using Hele Shaw Model

This study presents recession analyses of drought flow from a sloping aquifer on a hillslope. The experimental part of the study uses a Hele Shaw model as a creeping flow model. The theoretical part applies the nonlinear Boussinesq equation with an open downstream boundary. The slopes of the recession curves on full-log paper at short times are the same whether the bottom slope of the aquifer is small or not. Conversely, those for the horizontal aquifer at long times are completely different from those for the sloping aquifer. The results have shown that the bottom slope generates a point of maximum water depth in the aquifer. The experimental data have also indicated that the water depth at the downstream end is not constant, but is a decreasing function of time.
Trace elements in the atmosphere over the North Atlantic

The concentrations of trace elements in aerosol particles from the atmosphere over the North Atlantic Ocean were determined as part of a program designed to characterize the chemical climatology of the region. For these studies, which were part of the Atmosphere- Ocean Chemistry Experiment (AEROCE), 2 years of samples were collected at Tudor Hill, Bermuda (BTT), and at Ragged Point, Barbados (BAT); and 1 year of samples was collected at Mace Head, Ireland (MHT) and at the Izafia Observatory, Tenerife, Canary Islands (IZT). One major component of the aerosol was atmospheric dust, and the ranking for the median mineral dust concentrations as represented by aluminum was BAT > IZT > BTT > MHT. The A1 concentrations at BAT, IZT, and BTT ranged over 4 orders of magnitude, i.e., from 0.001 to 10 gg m -3. At MHT the maximum dust concentrations were about a factor of 10 lower than at the other sites, but the lower end of the range in dust concentrations was similar at all sites. The mineral dust concentrations generally were highest in summer, and the flux of atmospheric dust was dominated by sources in North Africa. The elements showing clear enrichments over the concentrations expected from sea salt or crustal sources were I, Sb, Se, V, and Zn. At Izafia, which is in the free troposphere (elevation -2360 m), the concentrations of Se and I were much lower than at the boundary layer sites; this difference between sites most likely results from the marine emissions of these elements. The impact of pollution sources on trace element concentrations was evident at all sites but varied with season and location. The concentrations of elements originating from pollution sources generally were low at Barbados. Analyses of trace element ratios indicate that there are large-scale differences in the pollution emissions from North America versus those from Europe and Africa. Emissions from pyrometallurgical industries, steel and iron manufacturing, and possibly biomass burning are more evident in the atmospheric samples influenced by transport from Europe and Africa.