Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Millennial and sub-millennial-scale variability in sediment colour from the Barra Fan, NW Scotland: implications for British ice sheet dynamics

Abstract Sediment colour, together with other proxy data, provides a novel, rapid and non-destructive tool in the investigation of glacier-influenced sedimentation on the Barra Fan, NW Scotland. Lightness (L*) and reflectance (400–700 nm) measurements at this site provide a quantitative estimate of changes in calcium carbonate and clay content. Interstadials are carbonate-rich/clay-poor (higher L* and reflectivity), whereas stadials are carbonate-poor/clay-rich (lower L* and reflectivity). Detailed sedimentological investigations suggest that the last British Ice Sheet (BIS) extended to the outer continental shelfbreak shortly after 30 ka bp. This climatic response of the BIS to global cooling at the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 – 2 transition marks a significant increase in sediment delivery to the Barra Fan. Prior to 30 ka bp, strong Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) cyclicity dominates the record. After 30 ka bp, shorter periodicities prevailed as the BIS reached its maximum extent. Glacier dynamics plays a significant role in the delivery of ice-rafted debris (IRD) across this margin, highlighting the inherent difficulties of correlating millennial-scale IRD events when the IRD is derived from different ice sheets. An event stratigraphy based upon carbonate-rich interstadials provides a more robust means of amphi-Atlantic correlation during this interval.
3-D modelling of the crustal S-wave velocity structure from active source data: application to the Eastern Alps and the Bohemian Massif

SUMMARY Here, I present results from 3-D modelling of crustal S-wave velocities in the eastern part of the Eastern and Southern Alps and the southern part of the Bohemian Massif. Data were acquired between 2000 and 2003 during three large 3-D wide-angle reflection and refraction experiments. The surveys aimed at the P-wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle, and therefore only vertical-component geophones were used. Nevertheless, many shot gathers show strongS waves, in particular refractions from the crust (Sg waves) and reflections from the Moho discontinuity (SmS waves). Compared to P-wave arrivals, the traveltimes of S waves can only be picked with a relatively large uncertainty. Furthermore, approximately 80 per cent of the data represent crossline recordings on which it is more difficult to assign certain phases to the arrivals. For these reasons, I apply signal detection and stacking routines to put the 3-D data set to best possible use. Concerning the crust, a smooth 3-D velocity model is based on refractions from within the crust (Sg), whereas the crust–mantle boundary is modelled by reflections (SmS) from the Moho discontinuity. Considering that the projects were designed for P-wave studies, the proposed methodology provides surprisingly detailed images. S-wave velocities and Poisson’s ratio correlate with tectonic units and show significant features in the upper crust. A high Poisson’s ratio is observed in the Moravian part of the Bohemian Massif, in the Southern Alps and in the Northern Calcareous Alps and their basement within the Eastern Alps. The middle and lower crust are only covered in the Moldanubian part of the Bohemian Massif, where Poisson’s ratio is low. This would favour a felsic composition. The evaluation of SmS waves is in accordance with previously proposed P-wave velocity models, which indicate a fragmentation into three crustal blocks in the centre of the Eastern Alps.
Experimental Investigation of Unconfined Compression Strength and Stiffness of Cement Treated Salt-Rich Clay

Soft clay with high sodium chloride salt concentration is a problem encountered by geotechnical and highway engineers. Chemical stabilization using cement is an attractive method to improve the engineering properties of soft soil. However, very limited studies have been conducted to reveal the effect of salt concentration on the engineering properties of cement-stabilized soil and the reported results in literature are not consistent. The impact of sodium chloride salt on the strength and stiffness properties of cement-stabilized Lianyungang marine clay is studied in this study. The clay with various sodium chloride salt concentrations was prepared artificially and stabilized by various contents of Ordinary Portland cement. A series of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests of cement stabilized clay specimen after 7, 14, and 28 days curing periods were carried out. The results indicate that a high sodium chloride salt concentration has a detrimental effect on the UCS and stiffness of cement-stabilized clay. The detrimental effect of salt concentration on the strength and stiffness of cement-stabilized clay directly relates to cement content. Soils mixed with high cement content are more resistant to the negative effect of salts than soils mixed with low cement content. The ratio of modulus of elasticity to UCS of cement treated soil does not have an obvious relationship with salt concentration. The findings of this study present a rational basis for the understanding of the impact of salt on the engineering properties of cement-treated soil.
Modeling the formation and evolution of oriented fractures in sea ice

Abstract While sea-ice drift tends to be a relatively coherent field moving largely in response to spatially averaged wind, strain-rate observations show relative ice motion to be much more of a chaotic field with deformation occurring along narrow intersection strikes between effectively rigid plates. This relative motion also has considerable energy at high frequencies which are not coherent with the wind forcing. Plastic rheologies for a strongly interactive medium are inherently able to predict such fractures. To investigate this phenomenon, this paper presents a basic anisotropic theory for multiple-oriented weaknesses. When coupled with short-term evolution equations for ice strength, this model is found to yield strong zones of failure over the Arctic basin, with relatively rigid motion in between. These failure lines typically occur along geostrophic wind contours. These zones are also found to be created with appropriate "Coulombic" isotropic rheologies. When combined with a previously developed inertial embedding procedure for the oceanic boundary layer, the resulting deformation field tends to fluctuate with considerable power near the inertial period even though the wind field is constant. The mechanisms necessary for obtaining such oriented features are discussed.
Tectonic Geomorphology of Atrak River, NE Iran

Atrak River region, northeast Iran is a quaternary tectonically active region. There are many geologic structures that they are formed by the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. This area has extended from north east Iran to the of kope dagh zone. The study area is Atrak river basin and it has been divided to 56 Sub-basin for calculation of 6 geomorphic indices. Finally, this region was classified in 4 relative tectonic activity classes.
Normal giants? Temporal and latitudinal shifts of Palaeozoic marine invertebrate gigantism and global change

During and after the Cambrian explosion, very large marine invertebrate species have evolved in several groups. Gigantism in Carboniferous land invertebrates has been explained by a peak in atmospheric oxygen concentrations, but Palaeozoic marine invertebrate gigantism has not been studied empirically and explained comprehensively. By quantifying the spatiotemporal distribution of the largest representatives of some of the major marine invertebrate clades (orthoconic cephalopods, ammonoids, trilobites, marine eurypterids), we assessed possible links between environmental parameters (atmospheric or oceanic oxygen concentrations, ocean water temperature or sea level) and maximum body size, but we could not find a straightforward relationship between both. Nevertheless, marine invertebrate gigantism within these groups was temporally concentrated within intervals of high taxonomic diversity (Ordovician, Devonian) and spatially correlated with latitudes of high occurrence frequency. Regardless of whether temporal and spatial variation in sampled diversity and occurrence frequency reflect true biological patterns or sampling controls, we find no evidence that the occurrences of giants in these groups were controlled by optimal conditions other than those that controlled the group as a whole; if these conditions shift latitudinally, occurrences of giants will shift as well. It is tempting to attribute these shifts to contemporary changes in temperature, oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere and the oceans as well as global palaeogeography over time, but further collection-based studies are necessary on finer stratigraphic and phylogenetic resolution to corroborate such hypotheses and rule out sampling or collection biases.
Variability of the Atlantic Meridional Mode during the Atlantic Hurricane Season

Abstract An observational and modeling study is conducted to investigate the structure of the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) during the Atlantic hurricane season, and the relationship between AMM-related SST anomalies and environmental conditions that influence seasonal tropical cyclone activity. The observational analysis shows that during the Atlantic hurricane season the AMM exhibits a similar SST and low-level wind structure as during boreal spring (when the AMM is most active). Observed AMM SST variations are accompanied by air temperature and moisture anomalies that are limited to the boundary layer and an anomalous baroclinic circulation structure in the northern subtropical Atlantic with an anomalous lower-level cyclonic circulation residing under an anomalous upper-level anticyclone during a warm phase. This baroclinic structure contributes to a reduction in vertical wind shear over the tropical Atlantic that is dominated by changes in the upper-level flow. Two sets of model experiments were cond.
A multi tracer analysis of thermosphere to stratosphere descent triggered by the 2013 Stratospheric Sudden Warming

Arctic winter observations in 2013 by the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE) show significant transport from the lower‐thermosphere to the stratosphere of air enriched in nitric oxide, but depleted in water and methane. The transport is triggered by the Stratospheric Sudden Warming (SSW) on 11 January and is continuously tracked for over 3 months. Ultimately, evidence for lower thermospheric air is seen at 40 km in mid‐April. Area integrated nitric oxide (NO) fluxes are compared with previous events in 2004, 2006, and 2009, to show that this event is the second largest in the past 10 years. The SOFIE data are combined with a meteorological analysis to infer descent rates from 40 to 90 km. The descent profile initially peaks near 75 km, shifting downward by approximately 5 km per 10 days. Our work demonstrates the utility of SOFIE tracer measurements in diagnosing vertical transport from the stratosphere to the edge of space.
Late Ordovician brachiopod communities of southeast China

The Upper Ordovician (mid-Ashgill) Xiazhen and Changwu formations in the Zhejiang-Jiangxi border region of southeastern China contain an abundant and diverse suite of brachiopods. A cluster analysis of 59 key samples from 180 collections (over 23 000 specimens) allowed delineation of eight distinct brachiopod communities, herein named the Ectenoglossa minor Community, the Eospirifer praecursor Community, the Ovalospira dichotoma Community, the Antizygospira liquanensis  Sowerbyella sinensis Community, the Kassinella shiyangensis Community, the Altaethyrella zhejiangensis Community, the Tcherskidium jiangshanensis Community and the Foliomena folium Community. These communities occur predominantly in limey, clayey, to silty mudstone facies, similar to Ziegler's Early Silurian brachiopod communities in the Welsh Borderland. On the basis of lithological, faunal, and paleogeographical evidence, the eight communities are interpreted to have distributed along an onshoreoffshore gradient from BA1 to BA6 setting.
Fault reactivation during CO2 sequestration: Effects of well orientation on seismicity and leakage

Injection or withdrawal of fluid at depth may trigger felt seismicity. Such human‐induced seismicity is a key environmental concern related to the exploitation of natural underground resources. Thus, understanding how to avoid triggering felt earthquakes plays a crucial role in the success of underground anthropogenic activities, such as CO 2 geological storage. In this work, we conduct 3D simulations of injection‐triggered fault reactivation, in order to investigate the effects of well geometry on seismic rupture and CO 2 leakage. We analyze two different cases of injection, through (1) a vertical and (2) a horizontal well. Simulation results for the vertical well show the fault pressurizing faster and more locally than for the horizontal well, resulting in a smaller seismic event. For the horizontal well, the pressure is distributed over a wider area along the fault, which requires a longer time to reactivate, but results in a larger event. Fault reactivation also produces changes in damage‐zone and fault‐core permeability, allowing the CO 2 to leak from the injection zone through overlying caprock, toward shallower depths. Although the calculated fault permeability enhancement is similar for the two cases, results show a slightly higher leakage rate for the vertical well in the region close to the well itself, while the leakage resulting from injection through the horizontal well is more widely distributed.Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Conjunctive Representation of Position, Direction, and Velocity in Entorhinal Cortex

Grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) are part of an environment-independent spatial coordinate system. To determine how information about location, direction, and distance is integrated in the grid-cell network, we recorded from each principal cell layer of MEC in rats that explored two-dimensional environments. Whereas layer II was predominated by grid cells, grid cells colocalized with head-direction cells and conjunctive grid × head-direction cells in the deeper layers. All cell types were modulated by running speed. The conjunction of positional, directional, and translational information in a single MEC cell type may enable grid coordinates to be updated during self-motion–based navigation.
Early Activation of Ventral Hippocampus and Subiculum during Spontaneous Seizures in a Rat Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy in adults. The pilocarpine-treated rat model is used frequently to investigate temporal lobe epilepsy. The validity of the pilocarpine model has been challenged based largely on concerns that seizures might initiate in different brain regions in rats than in patients. The present study used 32 recording electrodes per rat to evaluate spontaneous seizures in various brain regions including the septum, dorsomedial thalamus, amygdala, olfactory cortex, dorsal and ventral hippocampus, substantia nigra, entorhinal cortex, and ventral subiculum. Compared with published results from patients, seizures in rats tended to be shorter, spread faster and more extensively, generate behavioral manifestations more quickly, and produce generalized convulsions more frequently. Similarities to patients included electrographic waveform patterns at seizure onset, variability in sites of earliest seizure activity within individuals, and variability in patterns of seizure spread. Like patients, the earliest seizure activity in rats was recorded most frequently within the hippocampal formation. The ventral hippocampus and ventral subiculum displayed the earliest seizure activity. Amygdala, olfactory cortex, and septum occasionally displayed early seizure latencies, but not above chance levels. Substantia nigra and dorsomedial thalamus demonstrated consistently late seizure onsets, suggesting their unlikely involvement in seizure initiation. The results of the present study reveal similarities in onset sites of spontaneous seizures in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and pilocarpine-treated rats that support the model's validity.
Dynamics of 2004–2005 Mt. Etna effusive eruption as inferred from petrologic monitoring

From early September to early November, during the 2004–2005 Mt. Etna effusive eruption, petrologic monitoring was enabled by near‐vent sampling of erupting lava and onsite SEM‐EDS capabilities at INGV‐CT. Significant differences in composition and temperature of lava erupted from 2920–2620 m and 2820–2320 m vents, attest to variably evolved shallow magmatic conditions within a geometrically complex storage volume. The petrography and glass compositions of water‐quenched samples indicate that the magma feeding the 2004–2005 activity was likely to have been stored in the shallow plumbing system during the 2000 and 2001 activity, where it experienced volatile loss and extensive crystallization. Both geophysical and petrologic data suggest that this eruption was not triggered by the intrusion of a new dike from depth, but it was more likely that existing shallow magma reservoirs were passively mobilized and erupted in response to edifice deformation.
AMOBES (Active Mobility Very Early After Stroke)

analyses were by intent to treat. Results — We could analyze data for 103 of the 104 included patients (51 control and 52 experimental group; 64 males; median age overall 67 [interquartile range 59–77], 67 right hemispheric lesions, 80 ischemic lesions, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥ 8 for 82%). Fugl–Meyer score increased over time ( P <0.0001), with no significant effect of treatment ( P =0.29) or interaction between treatment and time ( P =0.40). The median change in score between D90 and D0 was 27.5 (12–40) and 22.0 (12–56) for control and experimental groups ( P =0.69). Similar results were found for the secondary criteria. Conclusions — Very early after stroke, intensive exercises may not be efficient in improving motor control. This conclusion may apply to mainly severe stroke.
Title: Joint Kinetic Determinants of Starting Block Performance in Athletic Sprinting

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between lower limb joint kinetics, external force production and starting block performance (normalised average horizontal power, NAHP). Seventeen male sprinters (100 m PB, 10.67 ± 0.32 s) performed maximal block starts from instrumented starting blocks (1000 Hz) whilst 3D kinematics (250 Hz) were also recorded during the block phase. Ankle, knee and hip resultant joint moment and power were calculated at the rear and front leg using inverse dynamics. Average horizontal force applied to the front (r = 0.46) and rear (r = 0.44) block explained 86% of the variance in NAHP. At the joint level, many “very likely” to “almost certain” relationships (r = 0.57 to 0.83) were found between joint kinetic data and the magnitude of horizontal force applied to each block although stepwise multiple regression revealed that 55% of the variance in NAHP was accounted for by rear ankle moment, front hip moment and front knee power. The current study provides novel insight into starting block performance and the relationships between lower limb joint kinetic and external kinetic data that can help inform physical and technical training practices for this skill.
Mechanical properties of snow

Abstract : The investigation of the mechanical properties of seasonal snow cover aims mostly at applications in avalanche release and avalanche control but also at no less important problems such as vehicle mobility in snow, snow removal, or construction on snow. Primary needs are (1) constitutive equations, that is, relations between the stress tensor and the motion, and (2) fracture criteria which limit the region of validity of constitutive equations. , Both can be tackled from the aspect of continiuum theories and structure theories. With modern continiuum theories the characteristic nonlinear behavior of snow can be taken into account and also the strong dependence on stress and strain history. When thermodynamics is introduced, more insight into the deformation and fracture processes can be gained. High initial deformation rates cause low dissipation, elastic behavior, and brittle fracture, whereas when dissipative mechanisms can develop, ductile fracture occurs. The advantage of structural theories lies in the immediate physical insight into deformation mechanisms, but the disadvantage is that only simple states of stresses acting macroscopically on a snow sample can be considered. Different approaches have been elaborated: for low-density snow the concept of chains (a series of stress-bearing grains) or the neck growth model (consideration of stress concentrations in bonds between grains) and for high-density snow the pore collapse model (snow idealized as a material containing air voids). Structural constitutive equations were applied to the calculation of stress waves in snow. Recorded acoustic emissions, indicating intergranular bond fractures, can also be used for the construction of constitutive equations.
Global Patterns of Income and Health: Facts, Interpretations, and Policies

People in poor countries live shorter lives than people in rich countries so that, if we scale income by some index of health, there is more inequality in the world than if we consider income alone. Such international inequalities in life expectancy decreased for many years after 1945, and the strong correlation between income and life-expectancy might lead us to hope that economic growth will improve people's health as well as their material living conditions. I argue that the apparent convergence in life expectancies is not as beneficial as might appear, and that, while economic growth is the key to poverty reduction, there is no evidence that it will deliver automatic health improvements in the absence of appropriate conditions. The strong negative correlation between economic growth on the one hand and the proportionate rate of decline of infant and child mortality on the other vanishes altogether if we look at the relationship between growth and the absolute rate of decline in infant and child mortality. In effect, the correlation is between the level of infant mortality and the growth of real incomes, most likely reflecting the importance of factors such as education and the quality of institutions that affect both health and growth.
Lactic acid bacteria biodiversity in raw and fermented camel milk

Consumption of fermented camel milk, named shubat, is very popular in Central Asia and especially in Kazakhstan where it is known for its medicinal and dietary properties. To identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) camel milk and shubat were sampled from 4 regions of Kazakhstan with important camel’s population. In total, 26 dairy samples from 13 selected farms representing the variability of the farming system in the country were collected. Isolated strains were identified by genotypic approach including PCR using three different pairs of primers (338f/518r; W001/23S1; Lac1/Lac2/Lac3) and 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Three genus were in majority: Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Enterococcus. The following microorganisms were identified: Enterococcus durans ; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecium; Lactobacillus casei; Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei; Lactobacillus curvatus; Lactobacillus kefiri; Lactobacillus paracasei; Lactobacillus sakei; Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis; Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Identification of camel milk and shubat microflora provides a theoretical foundation for developing starter cultures by using local LAB strains for industrial production of traditional fermented milk products.