Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recurrence rates and probability estimates for the New Madrid Seismic Zone

An updated frequency-magnitude relation for the New Madrid seismic zone is used to derive conditional probabilities for future, large New Madrid earthquakes. We estimate that there is a 40–63% probability of an mb ≥ 6.0(Ms ≥ 6.3) event occurring by the year 2000 and an 86–97% probability by the year 2035. The estimates for a great 1812-type event (Ms ≥ 8.3) are less than 1% probability by 2000 A.D. and less than 4% by 2035 A.D. These probabilities are contingent on many factors, a number of which remain assumptions because of the lack of a geological or paleoseismological chronology of past New Madrid activity. A conditional probability requires knowledge of a mean recurrence time, the type of distribution, and the standard deviation of actual repeat times about this mean. Four assumed distribution functions (Gaussian, lognormal, Weibull, and Poisson) were fit to recurrence estimates based on a combination of historical and instrumental seismicity data. Standard deviation was allowed to vary between one third and one half of the mean recurrence time, and a range of conditional probabilities was generated for time intervals of 15 and 50 years from the year 1985. The largest uncertainty in this procedure was the size of the seismic source area to use for recurrence estimation. Calculations were done for both a large and a small source zone which led to variation in estimated recurrence intervals by a factor of 2. The large source zone was favored for the final probability estimates because of the large crustal volume required to store elastically the strain energy for great New Madrid earthquakes.
Intensive surveys of the Azores Front: 2. Inferring the geostrophic and vertical velocity fields

The geostrophic and vertical velocity fields are inferred using density and horizontal velocity data from three SeaSoar/acoustic Doppler current profiler surveys of the Azores Front. The analysis is a two-step procedure consisting of (1) objective analyses to reflect the observed length scales and (2) dynamical adjustments so that the density field is statically stable and the velocity field is in geostrophic balance. The vertical velocity is inferred using a version of the quasi-geostrophic omega equation in which the stratification is allowed to vary in the horizontal. The resulting vertical velocity peaks at 2 × 10−4 m s−1 at 200–300 m. There is a tendency for the denser water to the north of the front to be downwelled, while the warmer water to the south is upwelled. The implied heat flux exceeds 10 W m−2 near 100-m depth, so the upper 100 m is warmed while the lower water column is cooled, tending to stratify the upper ocean. Ageostrophic horizontal flow is toward the dense side of the front at the surface. The dominant terms in the density balance are time rate of change and horizontal advection. The inferred circulation cells may be an important mechanism of subduction in the upper ocean.
Sedimentary Basin Tectonics from the Black Sea and Caucasus to the Arabian Platform

This wide area of the Alpine–Himalayan belt evolved through a series of tectonic events related to the opening and closure of the Tethys Ocean. In doing so it produced the largest mountain belt of the world, which extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. The basins associated with this belt contain invaluable information related to mountain building processes and are the locus of rich hydrocarbon accumulations. However, knowledge about the geological evolution of the region is limited compared to what they offer. This has been mainly due to the difficulty and inaccessibility of cross-country studies. This Special Publication is dedicated to the part of the Alpine–Himalayan belt running from Bulgaria to Armenia, and from Ukraine to the Arabian Platform. It includes twenty multidisciplinary studies covering topics in structural geology/tectonics; geophysics; geochemistry; palaeontology; petrography; sedimentology; stratigraphy; and subsidence and lithospheric modelling. This volume reports results obtained during the MEBE (Middle East Basin Evolution) Programme and related projects in the circum Black Sea and peri-Arabian regions.
Caledonian ductile thrusting in a Precambrian metamorphic complex: The Moine of northwestern Scotland

Structural models drawn from external thrust-belts have been applied to a part of the metamorphic Caledonides in northwestern Scotland. Internal deformation of the amphibolite-facies Moine rocks was accomplished primarily by northwest-directed ductile thrusting (“sliding”), which was succeeded within a significant portion of the Moine by upright folding above a basal detachment. The Moine can be regarded as a stack of three major nappes, each of which has distinctive structural, stratigraphic, and metamorphic characteristics. Caledonian shortening within the Moine is of the order of 100 km, yet geothermometry and geobarometry confirm that all tectonic units had equilibrated at similar mid-crustal depths during a Precambrian, “Ardgourian” metamorphic event (∼1000 Ma). Kyanite-grade Caledonian metamorphism implies that ductile thrusting and steep refolding took place beneath a considerable overburden, although an intervening stage of uplift is attested to by the Caledonian reworking of low-pressure thermal aureoles. Final uplift of the complex took place during or after emplacement onto the foreland by the Moine thrust and related structures. Prior to Caledonian tectonics, the Moine was only a few kilometres thick but hundreds of kilometres in lateral extent, perhaps as a result of post-Ardgourian, pre-Caledonian crustal stretching. The pre-existing geometry of the interface between Moine cover and Lewisian basement exerted a major control on Caledonian structural development.
Fe b 20 09 Classical models of affinely-rigid bodies with ” thickness ” in degenerate dimension

The special interest is devoted to such situations when the material space of our object with affine degrees of freedom has generally lower dimension than the one of the physical space. In other words when we have the m-dimensional affinely-rigid body moving in the n-dimensional physical space, m < n. We mainly concentrate on the physical situation m = 2, n = 3 when ”thickness” of flat bodies performs one-dimensional oscillations orthogonal to the two-dimensional central plane of the body. For the isotropic case in two ”flat” dimensions some special solutions, namely, the stationary ellipses, which are analogous to the ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium well known in astroand geophysics, e.g., in the theory of the Earth’s shape, are obtained.
New Constraints on ΩM, ΩΛ, and w from an Independent Set of 11 High-Redshift Supernovae Observed with the Hubble Space Telescope

We report measurements of ΩM, ΩΛ, and w from 11 supernovae (SNe) at z = 0.36-0.86 with high-quality light curves measured using WFPC2 on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This is an independent set of high-redshift SNe that confirms previous SN evidence for an accelerating universe. The high-quality light curves available from photometry on WFPC2 make it possible for these 11 SNe alone to provide measurements of the cosmological parameters comparable in statistical weight to the previous results. Combined with earlier Supernova Cosmology Project data, the new SNe yield a measurement of the mass density ΩM = 0.25 (statistical) ± 0.04 (identified systematics), or equivalently, a cosmological constant of ΩΛ = 0.75 (statistical) ± 0.04 (identified systematics), under the assumptions of a flat universe and that the dark energy equation-of-state parameter has a constant value w = -1. When the SN results are combined with independent flat-universe measurements of ΩM from cosmic microwave background and galaxy redshift distortion data, they provide a measurement of w = -1.05 (statistical) ± 0.09 (identified systematic), if w is assumed to be constant in time. In addition to high-precision light-curve measurements, the new data offer greatly improved color measurements of the high-redshift SNe and hence improved host galaxy extinction estimates. These extinction measurements show no anomalous negative E(B-V) at high redshift. The precision of the measurements is such that it is possible to perform a host galaxy extinction correction directly for individual SNe without any assumptions or priors on the parent E(B-V) distribution. Our cosmological fits using full extinction corrections confirm that dark energy is required with P(ΩΛ > 0) > 0.99, a result consistent with previous and current SN analyses that rely on the identification of a low-extinction subset or prior assumptions concerning the intrinsic extinction distribution.
An account of the bio- and magnetostratigraphy of the Upper Tithonian—Lower Berriasian interval at Le Chouet, Drôme (SE France)

Abstract This paper discusses the results of a study of the Le Chouet section, its lithologies, facies, magnetic properties and fossil record (ammonites, calcareous nannofossils, calpionellids and calcareous dinoflagellates). Data obtained have been applied to give a precise biostratigraphy for this carbonate sequence as well as a paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Its relationship to magnetostratigraphy, based on a modern study of a French site, is important. Investigation of the micro- and macrofossils shows that the site comprises a sedimentary sequence in the Microcanthum to Jacobi ammonite Zones, and the Chitinoidella, Crassicollaria and Calpionella Zones. Several calpionellid and nannofossil bioevents have been recorded on the basis of the distribution of stratigraphically important planktonic organisms. The site allows us to calibrate the levels of various biomarkers and biozonal boundaries, and correlate them with the magnetozones M20n, M19r and M19n.
Toward a Global Climatology of Severe Hailstorms as Estimated by Satellite Passive Microwave Imagers

AbstractAn 8-yr climatology of storms producing large hail is estimated from satellite measurements using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). This allows a unique, consistent comparison between regions that cannot be consistently compared using ground-based records because of varying data collection standards. Severe hailstorms are indicated most often in a broad region of northern Argentina and southern Paraguay and a smaller region in Bangladesh and eastern India. Numerous hailstorms are also estimated in the central and southeastern United States, northern Pakistan and northwestern India, central and western Africa, and southeastern Africa (and adjacent waters). Fewer hailstorms are estimated for other regions over land and scattered across subtropical oceans. Very few are estimated in the deep tropics other than in Africa. Most continental regions show seasonality with hailstorms peaking in late spring or summer. The South Asian monsoon alters the hailstorm clim.
Ripple Distribution for Nonlinear Fibre-Optic Channels

Since Shannon proved that Gaussian distribution is the optimum for a linear channel with additive white Gaussian noise and he calculated the corresponding channel capacity, it remains the most applied distribution in optical communications while the capacity result is celebrated as the seminal linear Shannon limit. Yet, when it is applied in nonlinear channels (e.g. fiber-optics) it has been shown to be non-optimum, yielding the same result as for uncoded transmission in the high nonlinear regime. This has led to the notion of nonlinear Shannon limit, which predicts vanishing capacity at high nonlinearity. However, recent findings indicate that non-Gaussian distribution may lead to improved capacity estimations, urging for an exciting search for novel methods in nonlinear optical communications. Here for the first time, we show that it is possible to transmit information above the existing limits by using a novel probabilistic shaping of the input signal, which we call ripple distribution
The International Pulsar Timing Array second data release: Search for an isotropic Gravitational Wave Background

We searched for an isotropic stochastic gravitational wave background in the second data release of the International Pulsar Timing Array, a global collaboration synthesizing decadal-length pulsar-timing campaigns in North America, Europe, and Australia. In our reference search for a power law strain spectrum of the form $h_c = A(f/1\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1})^{\alpha}$, we found strong evidence for a spectrally-similar low-frequency stochastic process of amplitude $A = 3.8^{+6.3}_{-2.5}\times10^{-15}$ and spectral index $\alpha = -0.5 \pm 0.5$, where the uncertainties represent 95\% credible regions, using information from the auto- and cross-correlation terms between the pulsars in the array. For a spectral index of $\alpha = -2/3$, as expected from a population of inspiralling supermassive black hole binaries, the recovered amplitude is $A = 2.8^{+1.2}_{-0.8}\times10^{-15}$. Nonetheless, no significant evidence of the Hellings-Downs correlations that would indicate a gravitational-wave origin was found. We also analyzed the constituent data from the individual pulsar timing arrays in a consistent way, and clearly demonstrate that the combined international data set is more sensitive. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this combined data set produces comparable constraints to recent single-array data sets which have more data than the constituent parts of the combination. Future international data releases will deliver increased sensitivity to gravitational wave radiation, and significantly increase the detection probability.
The XMM-$\Omega$ project - II. Cosmological implications from the high redshift L – T relation of X-ray clusters

The evolution with redshift of the temperature-luminosity relation of X-ray galaxy clusters is a key ingredient to break degeneracies in the interpretation of X-ray clusters redshift number counts. We therefore take advantage of the recent measurements of the temperature-luminosity relation of distant clusters observed with XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites to examine theoretical number counts expected for different available X-rays cluster samples, namely the RDCS, EMSS, SHARC, 160deg^2 and the MACS at redshift greater than 0.3. We derive these counts without any adjustment, using models previously normalized to the local temperature distribution function and to the high-z (z = 0.33) TDF. We find that these models having Omega_M in the range [0.85-1. ] predict counts in remarkable agreement with the observed counts in the different samples. We illustrate that this conclusion is weakly sensitive to the various ingredients of the modeling. Therefore number counts provide a robust evidence of an evolving population. A realistic flat low density model (Omega_M = 0.3), normalized to the local abundance of clusters is found to overproduce cluster abundance at high redshift (above z = 0.5) by nearly an order of magnitude. This result is in conflict with the popular concordance model. The conflict could indicate a deviation from the expected scaling of the M-T relation with redshift.
Evidence for fluid flow in the Japan Trench forearc using isotope geochemistry (Cl, Sr, B): Results from ODP Site 1150

Abstract Interstitial pore waters from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1150, where ∼1200 m of sub‐sea‐floor sediment from the upper Japan Trench forearc were recovered, were analyzed for element concentrations and Cl, Sr and B isotopes. Although chlorinity showed profound down‐hole freshening to values as low as ∼310 mm (0.55 × seawater) in the deeper part of the claystone‐dominated succession, both Sr and B concentrations showed an overall increase. Sr reached concentrations of up to >250 µm (∼3.00 × seawater), whereas B‐enrichment was even stronger (3920 µm; i.e. 9.30 × seawater). The strong variations in concentration correspond to fractionation reactions in the deep, tectonically deformed part of the forearc. The heavily fractured portion of Site 1150 (from ∼700 m to the total depth of the hole) has two shear zones that very likely act as conduits that expel deep‐seated fluids to the sea floor. These fluids not only showed the strongest freshening of Cl, but were also characterized by low δ37Cl measurements (down to −1.1‰), the heaviest δ11B measurements (∼40–46‰) and the least radiogenic 87Sr/ 86Sr measurements. The profound isotope anomalies together with the excursions in element concentrations suggest that diagenetic processes operate at that depth. These include clay mineral diagenesis, alteration of tephra from the Japan and Izu Arcs, and possibly transformation of biogenic silica from abundant diatoms. Given the strong enrichment of some mobile elements (e.g. Sr, B, Li), enhanced fluid flow through permeable penetrative faults through the forearc (like the shear zones at Site 1150) could be an efficient mechanism for back‐flux of those elements from the deep forearc into the hydrosphere.
Exact analytical expressions for the piezometric profile and water exchange between stream and groundwater during and after a uniform rise of the stream level

We consider an archetypical problem relevant to a confined aquifer in contact with a stream. The model problem consists of an idealized one‐dimensional region 0 ≤ x ≤ L, where the left boundary at x = 0 is held at a fixed piezometric head h0, and the right boundary's piezometric head at x = L is increased from hL to h0 at a constant rate. Exact solutions for all times, all points in the aquifer, and for any possible constant rate of change of the right boundary piezometric head are presented for the piezometric head and the instantaneous flow rate. An exact expression for the exchange volume at the groundwater/stream interface for an arbitrary time is also provided. This expression shows that there is a specific critical rising rate of the stream level above which the net exchange volume is into the aquifer and below which it is out of the aquifer. The solution shows that regardless of the rise rate, a certain water volume, inversely proportional to the rise rate, enters the aquifer.
Fast damage recovery in robotics with the T-resilience algorithm

Damage recovery is critical for autonomous robots that need to operate for a long time without assistance. Most current methods are complex and costly because they require anticipating potential damage in order to have a contingency plan ready. As an alternative, we introduce the T-resilience algorithm, a new algorithm that allows robots to quickly and autonomously discover compensatory behavior in unanticipated situations. This algorithm equips the robot with a self-model and discovers new behavior by learning to avoid those that perform differently in the self-model and in reality. Our algorithm thus does not identify the damaged parts but it implicitly searches for efficient behavior that does not use them. We evaluate the T-resilience algorithm on a hexapod robot that needs to adapt to leg removal, broken legs and motor failures; we compare it to stochastic local search, policy gradient and the self-modeling algorithm proposed by Bongard et al. The behavior of the robot is assessed on-board thanks to an RGB-D sensor and a SLAM algorithm. Using only 25 tests on the robot and an overall running time of 20 min, T-resilience consistently leads to substantially better results than the other approaches.
Weight two compactly supported cohomology of moduli spaces of curves

We study the weight 2 graded piece of the compactly supported rational cohomology of the moduli spaces of curves $M_{g,n}$ and show that this can be computed as the cohomology of a graph complex that is closely related to graph complexes arising in the study of embedding spaces. For $n = 0$, we express this cohomology in terms of the weight zero compactly supported cohomology of $M_{g',n'}$ for $g' \leq g$ and $n' \leq 2$, and thereby produce several new infinite families of nonvanishing unstable cohomology groups on $M_g$, including the first such families in odd degrees. In particular, we show that the dimension of $H^{4g-k}(M_g)$ grows at least exponentially with $g$, for $k \in \{ 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19 \}$.
THE BINARY FREQUENCY OF r-PROCESS-ELEMENT-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS: CHEMICAL TAGGING IN THE PRIMITIVE HALO OF THE MILKY WAY

A few rare halo giants in the range [Fe/H] ≃ −2.9 ± 0.3 exhibit r-process element abundances that vary as a group by factors up to [r/Fe] ∼80, relative to those of the iron peak and below. Yet, the astrophysical production site of these r-process elements remains unclear. We report initial results from four years of monitoring the radial velocities of 17 r-process-enhanced metal-poor giants to detect and characterize binaries in this sample. We find three (possibly four) spectroscopic binaries with orbital periods and eccentricities that are indistinguishable from those of Population I binaries with giant primaries, and which exhibit no signs that the secondary components have passed through the asymptotic giant branch stage of evolution or exploded as supernovae. The other 14 stars in our sample appear to be single—including the prototypical r-process-element-enhanced star CS 22892-052, which is also enhanced in carbon, but not in s-process elements. We conclude that the r-process (and potentially carbon) enhancement of these stars was not a local event due to mass transfer or winds from a binary companion, but was imprinted on the natal molecular clouds of these (single and binary) stars by an external source. These stars are thus spectacular chemical tracers of the inhomogeneous nature of the early Galactic halo system.
Heavy metal concentrations in Bottom Sediments of Ikpoba River, Edo State, Nigeria

The concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni and V were investigated. Samples were collected fortnightly from five (5) stations for four months (July to September, 2009) using Ekman grab operated by hand in shallow water. Station 1 is upstream (Old capitol bridge) and stations 2, 3, 4 and 5 are downstream. The main concentrations (ppm) in stations 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are: 931, 117, 812, 679 and 619.7 (Fe); 12.11, 21.08, 9.58, 8.64 and 7.89 (Mn); 9.90, 12.5, 9.64, 7.07 and 6.62 (Zn); 7.88, 8.04, 5.81, 4.34 and 3.88 (Cu); 0.48, 0.61, 0.36, 0.26, and 0.28 (Pb); 0.19, 0.26, 0.13, 0.12 and 0.11 (Cr); 0.12, 0.16, 0.08, 0.08 and 0.08 (Cd); 0.13, 0.19, 0.13, 0.11 and 0.11 (Ni) and 0.10, 0.15, 0.10, 0.09 and 0.09 (V). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that Fe (Stations 1 and 2), Cr (Stations 1 and 2) and Cd (Station 2) were significantly different (p<0.05) between stations. All parameters studied were below FEPA limits. The heavy metal concentrations in bottom sediments of Ikpoba River showed a seasonal pattern of variation. This investigation in comparison with earlier study based on data from Jimoh, 2006; show that Fe and Mn concentration increased overtime while Cd, Pb, and Cu did not.
Water vapour in the atmospheric boundary layer over oceans from SSM/I measurements

Abstract The microwave sensor SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave/Imager) on board of the DMSP satellite can be used to develop a retrieval method for the water vapour content in the atmospheric boundary layer close to the sea surface, by means of radiative transfer calculations. It is found that the SSM/ I measurements are sufficiently sensitive to the water vapour w1 in the lowermost 500 m of the atmosphere to allow a retrieval of w, from the 19, 22, 37 GHz vertical and 19 GHz horizontal polarization measurements with an accuracy of 0-06 g cm−The technique is validated with globally distributed radiosonde measurements located together with satellite soundings during the months July and August 1987. A linear relationship is established statistically to determine the near-surface specific humidity from w, with an accuracy of l-2gKg−1