bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crosscorrelation image processing for surface shape reconstruction using fiducial markers
Authors: Shmatko E V , Pinchukov V V , Bogachev A D , Yu Poroykov A
Published: December 2021

Optical methods for deformations diagnostic and surface shape measurement are widely used in scientific research and industry. Most of these methods are based on triangulating a set of two-dimensional points in the images appropriate to the same three-dimensional points of the object in space. Various algorithms to search such points are applied. The possibility of using cross-correlation processing of digital images to search these points is considered in the work. Algorithms based on the correlation function calculation are widely employed in such a popular flow diagnostic method as PIV. The cameras of a stereo system for surface shape measurement can be widely spaced, and the tilt angles relative to the surface can differ significantly. This leads to the fact that the images taken from the cameras cannot be directly processed by the correlation function because it is not invariant to rotation. To solve this problem, fiducial markers are used to find an initial estimate of displacement of the images relative to each other. This approach makes it possible to successfully apply correlation processing for stereo system images with a large stereo base.
Features of measurements the IR radiation power of a laser diode used in active optoelectronic systems for studying flows
Authors: Bliznyuk V V , Parshin V A , Savinov N S , Selivanov A A , Tarasov A E
Published: December 2021

In active optical-electronic systems for stream research that regulate thermal-physical parameters of diagnosed stream volume, the controlled source of the heat flow can be acquired by radiation of high-power IR laser diodes into the void. In the current work the peculiarities of measurement of this radiation are considered, specified by its strong divergence. It is shown that the measurements can involve laser wattmeters IMO-4M with planar thermoelectric primary measuring transformers of the laser radiation with a flat receiving site provided.
Two-wave laser displacement meter
Authors: Lavrov E A , Mazur M M , Shorin V N , Suddenok Y A
Published: December 2021

A two-wave laser displacement meter based on Michelson interferometer has been developed for measurements at an unknown temperature profile at the measurement trace. The requirements for meteorological parameters support during displacement measurements using the offered laser interferometer are less strict compared to using an one-wave interferometer. The article describes the optical schematic of the device. The results for the measurements of the developed laser interferometer for realization of the displacement unit within the limits of 60 m are presented. The weather condition influence on measurements was estimated. The application of pseudorandom displacement of the interferometer’s reference arm with accumulation made possible the reflector position resolution down to 0.01 μm the stoped-displacement mode, and down to 0.05 μm at the displacement mode. It was shown that such resolution allows to measure displacements at trace up to 60 m with inaccuracies less than 10 μm at the temperature profile amplitude up to 1 °C.
Comprehensive study of boiling regimes with use of high-speed imaging and gradient heatmetry
Authors: Sapozhnikov S Z , Mityakov V Yu , Mityakov A V , Pavlov A V , Bobylev P G , Kikot N E , Bikmulin A V
Published: December 2021

In the study of heat transfer during boiling, optical methods and thermometry are prevailing. The possibilities of experiment are significantly expanded by new technology – gradient heatmetry, in which heterogeneous gradient heat flux sensors with time constant of nanoseconds are used. When studying of boiling of subcooled water in a large volume on the surface of the titanium sphere, preheated up to 300-500 °C, heatmetry was combined with visualization of boiling modes using a high-speed camera Evercam 1000-4-M. It is possible to obtain the distribution of heat flux per unit area along the latitudinal coordinate and to relate the local heat flux per unit area with observed boiling regimes and initial temperatures of water and the model.
Development of optical diagnostic method for colloidal solutions based on elastic light scattering
Authors: Sapronov M V , Skornyakova N M , Usmanova S S
Published: December 2021

The work is devoted to colloidal solutions diagnostics by the optical method based on elastic light scattering by particles of the dispersed phase. The scheme of the developed optical electronic complex for recording the intensity of radiation scattered by colloidal particles is presented. The experimental study results of the elastic scattering of laser radiation on spherical nanometer-sized aluminum oxide particles suspended in water are represented. A method for measuring the scattering indicatrix based on the registration of radiation scattered in various directions and subsequent computer processing has been proposed. A method for reconstructing the particle size distribution function of colloidal solution dispersed phase by comparing the measured scattering indicators and their computer models has been developed. The method has been tested, as a result of which the size distribution function of aluminum oxide nanopowder particles has been restored.
Historical and future runoff changes in the Yangtze River Basin from CMIP6 models constrained by a weighting strategy
Authors: Zhao Jiazhen , He Shengping , Wang Huijun
Published: December 2021

Based on the ERA5-Land datasets from 1981–2020, a decadal oscillation has been found in the variation of summer runoff in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin (MLYRB). The oscillation suggests that the MLYRB will experience increased runoff in the next few decades after 2020, which saw a record high runoff in the MLYRB. The decadal changes in summer runoff over the MLYRB under various climate change scenarios are then analyzed with direct runoff outputs from 28 general circulation models participating in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Given that the equal-weighted multi-model ensemble mean could not well represent the historical runoff changes in the MLYRB, in this paper we introduce a model weighting scheme that considers both the model skill and independence. It turns out that this scheme well constrains the models to represent the observed decadal changes of summer runoff. The weighted mean projections suggest that the summer runoff in the MLYRB during 2015–2100 under all warming scenarios will be higher than the present day; and 2021–2040 is likely to be a period with significantly increased summer runoff. Results of the present study have great implications for flood control and effective water resources management over the MLYRB in the future, and the weighting approach used in this paper can be applied to a wide range of projections at both regional and global scales.
Global to local impacts on atmospheric CO2from the COVID-19 lockdown, biosphere and weather variabilities
Authors: Zeng Ning , Han Pengfei , Liu Zhiqiang , Liu Di , Oda Tomohiro , Martin Cory , Liu Zhu , Yao Bo , Sun Wanqi , Wang Pucai , Cai Qixiang , Dickerson Russell , Maksyutov Shamil
Published: December 2021

The worldwide lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in year 2020 led to an economic slowdown and a large reduction in fossil fuel CO2emissions (Le Quéré 2020Nat. Clim. Change10647–53, Liu 2020Nat. Commun.11); however, it is unclear how much it would slow the increasing trend of atmospheric CO2concentration, the main driver of climate change, and whether this impact can be observed considering the large biosphere and weather variabilities. We used a state-of-the-art atmospheric transport model to simulate CO2, and the model was driven by a new daily fossil fuel emissions dataset and hourly biospheric fluxes from a carbon cycle model forced with observed climate variability. Our results show a 0.21 ppm decrease in the atmospheric column CO2anomaly in the Northern Hemisphere latitude band 0–45° N in March 2020, and an average of 0.14 ppm for the period of February–April 2020, which is the largest decrease in the last 10 years. A similar decrease was observed by the carbon observing satellite GOSAT (Yokotaet al2009Sola5160–3). Using model sensitivity experiments, we further found that the COVID and weather variability are the major contributors to this CO2drawdown, and the biosphere showed a small positive anomaly. Measurements at marine boundary layer stations, such as Hawaii, exhibit 1–2 ppm anomalies, mostly due to weather and the biosphere. At the city scale, the on-road CO2enhancement measured in Beijing shows a reduction by 20–30 ppm, which is consistent with the drastically reduced traffic during the COVID lockdown. A stepwise drop of 20 ppm during the city-wide lockdown was observed in the city of Chengdu. The ability of our current carbon monitoring systems in detecting the small and short-lasting COVID signals at different policy relevant scales (country and city) against the background of fossil fuel CO2accumulated over the last two centuries is encouraging. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unintended experiment. Its impact suggests that to keep atmospheric CO2at a climate-safe level will require sustained effort of similar magnitude and improved accuracy, as well as expanded spatiotemporal coverage of our monitoring systems.
Potential caveats in land surface model evaluations using the US drought monitor: roles of base periods and drought indicators
Authors: Wang Hailan , Xu Li , Hughes Mimi , Chelliah Muthuvel , DeWitt David G , Fuchs Brian A , Jackson Darren L
Published: December 2021

The US drought monitor (USDM) has been widely used as an observational reference for evaluating land surface model (LSM) simulation of drought. This study investigates potential caveats in such evaluation when the USDM and LSMs use different base periods and drought indices to identify drought. The retrospective national water model (NWM) v2.0 simulation (1993–2018) was used to exemplify the evaluation, supplemented by North American land data assimilation system phase 2 (NLDAS-2). Over their common period (2000–2018), in distinct contrast with the USDM which shows high drought occurrence (>50%) in the western half of the continental US (CONUS) and the southeastern US with low occurrence (<30%) elsewhere, the NWM and NLDAS-2 based on soil moisture percentiles (SMPs) consistently show higher drought occurrence (30%–40%) in the central and southeastern US than the rest of the CONUS. Much of the differences between the LSMs and USDM, particularly the strong LSM underestimation of drought occurrence in the western and southeastern US, are not attributed to the LSM deficiencies, but rather the lack of long-term drought in the LSM simulations due to their relatively short lengths. Specifically, the USDM integrates drought indices with century-long periods of record, which enables it to capture both short-term (<6 months) drought and long-term (⩾6 months) drought, whereas the relatively short retrospective simulations of the LSMs allows them to adequately capture short-term drought but not long-term drought. In addition, the USDM integrates many drought indices whereas the NWM results are solely based on the SMP, further adding to the inconsistency. The high occurrence of long-term drought in the western and southeastern US in the USDM is further found to be driven collectively by the post-2000 long-term warm sea surface temperature (SST) trend, cold Pacific decadal oscillation and warm Atlantic multi-decadal oscillation, all of which are typical leading patterns of global SST variability that can induce drought conditions in the western, central, and southeastern US. Our findings highlight the effects of the above caveats and suggest that LSM evaluation should stay qualitative when the caveats are considerable.
Reforestation enhanced landscape connectivity for thermal buffering in China
Authors: Huang Anqi , Shen Runping , Jia Gensuo , Xu Xiyan
Published: December 2021

Deforestation-induced landscape fragmentation causes habitat loss and isolation, modifies local climate, and therefore threatens biodiversity. While, on the contrary, how large-scale reforestation may improve the connectivity and thermal buffers of habitats is not well understood. We show that decades long large-scale reforestation in China has effectively increased the size and connectivity of forest patches by gradually filling gaps among isolated patches and creating more core forests. The core forests have a stronger capacity to cool the land surface, leading to a daily mean cooling effect of −0.42 ± 0.23 °C relative to nearby marginal forests. Moreover, the core forests reduce diurnal range and seasonal variation of land surface temperature by 1.41 ± 0.23 °C and 0.42 ± 0.55 °C, respectively, relative to nearby marginal forests. The thermal buffering capacity of large size core forest (>100 km2) is more than twice that of small size (⩽10 km2). Despite their relatively low thermal buffering capacity, the marginal forests contribute about 73% to the increase of forest area in China during the last two decades and create buffer zones for the core forests to resist external disturbances, maintaining the internal stability of the forest ecosystem. We highlight that improving the integrity and connectivity of the forests with ecological restoration and succession can further enhance potential of forests to buffer local thermal environment under the current reforestation efforts, and thereby providing better connected thermal habitats for species to survive under climate change.
The changing carbon balance of tundra ecosystems: results from a vertically-resolved peatland biosphere model
Authors: Larson Erik J L , Schiferl Luke D , Commane Róisín , Munger J William , Trugman Anna T , Ise Takeshi , Euskirchen Eugénie S , Wofsy Steve , Moorcroft Paul M
Published: December 2021

An estimated 1700 Pg of carbon is frozen in the Arctic permafrost and the fate of this carbon is unclear because of the complex interaction of biophysical, ecological and biogeochemical processes that govern the Arctic carbon budget. Two key processes determining the region’s long-term carbon budget are: (a) carbon uptake through increased plant growth, and (b) carbon release through increased heterotrophic respiration (HR) due to warmer soils. Previous predictions for how these two opposing carbon fluxes may change in the future have varied greatly, indicating that improved understanding of these processes and their feedbacks is critical for advancing our predictive ability for the fate of Arctic peatlands. In this study, we implement and analyze a vertically-resolved model of peatland soil carbon into a cohort-based terrestrial biosphere model to improve our understanding of how on-going changes in climate are altering the Arctic carbon budget. A key feature of the formulation is that accumulation of peat within the soil column modifies its texture, hydraulic conductivity, and thermal conductivity, which, in turn influences resulting rates of HR within the soil column. Analysis of the model at three eddy covariance tower sites in the Alaskan tundra shows that the vertically-resolved soil column formulation accurately captures the zero-curtain phenomenon, in which the temperature of soil layers remain at or near 0 °C during fall freezeback due to the release of latent heat, is critical to capturing observed patterns of wintertime respiration. We find that significant declines in net ecosystem productivity (NEP) occur starting in 2013 and that these declines are driven by increased HR arising from increased precipitation and warming. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the cumulative NEP over the decade responds strongly to the estimated soil carbon stock and more weakly to vegetation abundance at the beginning of the simulation.
Extreme citizens science for climate justice: linking pixel to people for mapping gas flaring in Amazon rainforest
Authors: Facchinelli Francesco , Pappalardo Salvatore Eugenio , Della Fera Giuseppe , Crescini Edoardo , Codato Daniele , Diantini Alberto , Moncayo Jimenez Donald Rafael , Fajardo Mendoza Pablo Estenio , Bignante Elisa , De Marchi Massimo
Published: December 2021

In the Ecuadorian Amazon—one of Earth’s last high-biodiversity wilderness areas and home to uncontacted indigenous populations—50 years of widespread oil development is jeopardizing biodiversity and feeding environmental conflicts. In 2019, a campaign to eliminate oil-related gas flaring, led by Amazonian communities impacted by fossil fuel production, resulted in an injunction against the Ecuadoran Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment and Water. On 26 January 2021 the Court of Nueva Loja issued a historical order to ban gas flaring in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The present citizen science project played an important role in this process, enabling the production of independent spatial information through participatory mapping with indigenous and farmer communities. Globally, lack of independent information about oil activities has led to the monitoring of gas flaring by satellite imagery, achieving remarkable results. However, apart from institutional and remotely sensed data, reliable spatial information on gas flaring in the Ecuadorian Amazon is not available. Therefore, we adopted the community-based participatory action research approach to develop a participatory GIS process, aiming both to provide reliable data and to support social campaigns for environmental and climate justice. This work presents the first participatory mapping initiative of gas flaring at a regional scale, carried out completely through open source data and software. Having identified 295 previously unmapped gas flaring sites through participatory mapping, we highlight that the extent of gas flaring activities is well beyond the official data provided by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Nightfire annual datasets, which map only 24% and 33% of the sites, respectively. Seventy five of the detected sites were in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve. Moreover, 39 of the identified sites were venting instead of flaring, a phenomenon never before documented in the Ecuadorian Amazon. This study demonstrates that, because official datasets and satellite imagery underestimate the extent of gas flaring in the Ecuadorian Amazon, community-based mapping offers a promising alternative for producing trusted, community-based scientific data. This community-produced data can support campaigns for legal recognition of human rights and environmental justice in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Finally, this study shows how local environmental conflicts can foster policy transformations that promote climate justice.
Modelling potential range expansion of an underutilised food security crop in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Koch O , Mengesha W A , Pironon S , Pagella T , Ondo I , Rosa I , Wilkin P , Borrell J S
Published: December 2021

Despite substantial growth in global agricultural production, food and nutritional insecurity is rising in Sub-Saharan Africa. Identification of underutilised indigenous crops with useful food security traits may provide part of the solution. Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a perennial banana relative with cultivation restricted to southwestern Ethiopia, where high productivity and harvest flexibility enables it to provide a starch staple for ∼20 million people. An extensive wild distribution suggests that a much larger region may be climatically suitable for cultivation. Here we use ensemble ecological niche modelling to predict the potential range for enset cultivation within southern and eastern Africa. We find contemporary bioclimatic suitability for a 12-fold range expansion, equating to 21.9% of crop land and 28.4% of the population in the region. Integration of crop wild relative diversity, which has broader climate tolerance, could enable a 19-fold expansion, particularly to dryer and warmer regions. Whilst climate change may cause a 37%–52% reduction in potential range by 2070, large centres of suitability remain in the Ethiopian Highlands, Lake Victoria region and the Drakensberg Range. We combine our bioclimatic assessment with socioeconomic data to identify priority areas with high population density, seasonal food deficits and predominantly small-scale subsistence agriculture, where integrating enset may be particularly feasible and deliver climate resilience. When incorporating the genetic potential of wild populations, enset cultivation might prove feasible for an additional 87.2–111.5 million people, 27.7–33 million of which are in Ethiopia outside of enset’s current cultivation range. Finally, we consider explanations why enset cultivation has not expanded historically, and ethical implications of expanding previously underutilised species.
Lévy walk dynamics in non-static media
Authors: Zhou Tian , Xu Pengbo , Deng Weihua
Published: December 2021

Almost all the media the particles move in are non-static, one of which is the most common expanding or contracting (by a scale factor) non-static medium discussed in this paper. Depending on the expected resolution of the studied dynamics and the amplitude of the displacement caused by the non-static media, sometimes the non-static behaviors of the media can not be ignored. In this paper, we build the model describing Lévy walks in one-dimension uniformly non-static media, where the physical and comoving coordinates are connected by scale factor. We derive the equation governing the probability density function of the position of the particles in comoving coordinate. Using the Hermite orthogonal polynomial expansions, some statistical properties are obtained, such as mean squared displacements (MSDs) in both coordinates and kurtosis. For some representative non-static media and Lévy walks, the asymptotic behaviors of MSDs in both coordinates are analyzed in detail. The stationary distributions and mean first passage time for some cases are also discussed through numerical simulations.
Information geometry, trade-off relations, and generalized Glansdorff–Prigogine criterion for stability
Authors: Ito Sosuke
Published: December 2021

We discuss a relationship between information geometry and the Glansdorff–Prigogine criterion for stability. For the linear master equation, we found a relation between the line element and the excess entropy production rate. This relation leads to a new perspective of stability in a nonequilibrium steady-state. We also generalize the Glansdorff–Prigogine criterion for stability based on information geometry. Our information-geometric criterion for stability works well for the nonlinear master equation, where the Glansdorff–Prigogine criterion for stability does not work well. We derive a trade-off relation among the fluctuation of the observable, the mean change of the observable, and the intrinsic speed. We also derive a novel thermodynamic trade-off relation between the excess entropy production rate and the intrinsic speed. These trade-off relations provide a physical interpretation of our information-geometric criterion for stability. We illustrate our information-geometric criterion for stability by an autocatalytic reaction model, where dynamics are driven by a nonlinear master equation.
Requirements for the containment of COVID-19 disease outbreaks through periodic testing, isolation, and quarantine
Authors: Mukhamadiarov Ruslan I , Deng Shengfeng , Serrao Shannon R , Priyanka  , Childs Lauren M , Täuber Uwe C
Published: December 2021

We employ individual-based Monte Carlo computer simulations of a stochastic SEIR model variant on a two-dimensional Newman–Watts small-world network to investigate the control of epidemic outbreaks through periodic testing and isolation of infectious individuals, and subsequent quarantine of their immediate contacts. Using disease parameters informed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigate the effects of various crucial mitigation features on the epidemic spreading: fraction of the infectious population that is identifiable through the tests; testing frequency; time delay between testing and isolation of positively tested individuals; and the further time delay until quarantining their contacts as well as the quarantine duration. We thus determine the required ranges for these intervention parameters to yield effective control of the disease through both considerable delaying the epidemic peak and massively reducing the total number of sustained infections.
Confinement in bilayer graphene via intra- and inter-layer interactions
Authors: Castillo-Celeita Miguel , Jakubský Vít , Zelaya Kevin
Published: December 2021

We consider confinement of Dirac fermions in AB-stacked bilayer graphene by inhomogeneous on-site interactions, (pseudo-)magnetic field or inter-layer interaction. Working within the framework of four-band approximation, we focus on the systems where the stationary equation is reducible into two stationary equations with 2 × 2 Dirac-type Hamiltonians and auxiliary interactions. We show that the localized states are given in terms of solutions of an effective Schrödinger equation with energy-dependent potential. We consider several scenarios where bilayer graphene is subject to inhomogeneous (pseudo-)magnetic field, on-site interactions or inter-layer coupling. In explicit examples, we provide analytical solutions for the states localized by local fluctuations or periodicity defects of the interactions.
Monte Carlo simulations of the electron short-range quantum ordering in Coulomb systems and the ‘fermionic sign problem’
Authors: Filinov V , Levashov P , Larkin A
Published: December 2021

To account for the interference effects of the Coulomb and exchange interactions of electrons the new path integral representation of the density matrix has been developed in the canonical ensemble at finite temperatures. The developed representation allows to reduce the notorious ‘fermionic sign problem’ in the path integral Monte Carlo simulations of fermionic systems. The obtained results for pair distribution functions in plasma and uniform electron gas demonstrate the short-range quantum ordering of electrons associated in literature with exchange-correlation excitons. The charge estimations show the excitonic electric neutrality. Comparison of the internal energy with available ones in the literature demonstrates that the short range ordering does not give noticeable contributions to integral thermodynamic characteristics. This fine physical effect was not observed earlier in the standard path integral Monte Carlo simulations.
Structural and geological studies in the Naryn and Atbashi depressions (Tien Shan) and geological interpretation of magnetotelluric data
Authors: Przhiyalgovskii E S , Rybin A K , Morozov Yu A , Lavrushina E V , Leonov M G , Bataleva E A
Published: December 2021

The article presents the results of complex geological and geophysical studies in the Naryn depression and Atbashi depression in the Middle Tien Shan. They included the geological interpretation of new magnetotelluric data along the detailed profile crossing the key segment of the Tien Shan, and the study of the morphology and spatial position of the sedimentary cover and basement structures. The compilation of the results of structural-geological and geophysical studies makes it possible to create a 2D model of the upper-crust geological structure, consistent with the structure of the electrical conductivity to depths of about 10 km and to analyze the structural features of deeper horizons. Two types of structural patterns of the electric conductivity, corresponding to the sedimentary complexes of the cover and the folded-metamorphic complexes of the basement, have been identified. Sedimentary rock complexes in depressions have a high electrical conductivity and subhorizontal structure. The upper crust above the K2 density layer is characterized by an alternation of rocks volumes with contrasting conductivity, elongated vertically. The recorded structure of the field confirms the presence of steep zones of fluid permeability and fragmentation, noted earlier in seismic profiles and probably corresponding to the Paleozoic structures of fragmentation of the Earth’s crust, activated during Alpine orogeny. Comprehensive research allow to characterize the deformations of the Cenozoic sedimentary complex and the surface of the Paleozoic basement associated with the Alpine activation of the key segment of the Tien Shan.
Basin architecture and lithosphere structures of Western Central Asia – Uzbekistan: from geophysical studies
Authors: Sidorova I P
Published: December 2021

This paper presents an integrated geophysical study of the Western Central Asia (WCA) in the Uzbekistan area. It presents new interpretations of deep seismic sounding (DSS) data and new analyses of potential fields data. An integrated model of the physical properties and lithosphere structures displays distinct features that are related to tectonic history of the study WCA-Darius area. Task-oriented complex geological and geophysical research revealed in the lithosphere of western Uzbekistan series of crust blocks with abnormal petrophysical characteristics and established some correlation dependences between the distribution and placement of these objects (in plan) with deposits of minerals.
Features of the distribution of molecular hydrogen in groundwater in various geological and tectonic conditions of Uzbekistan
Authors: Umurzakov R K , Yusupov Sh S
Published: December 2021

As a result of generalization and analysis of previously performed work on the determination of hydrogen on the day surface, a picture of the distribution of hydrogen concentration in the aeration zone was obtained. The increased concentration of hydrogen on the day surface and in the aeration, zone is associated with the most favourable conditions for the transit of fluids from the folded Palaeozoic basement to the surface cover (upper part of the Earth’s crust). These zones are zones of active fluid conductivity, which leads to a high concentration of hydrogen on the day surface. Intense linear anomalies are confined to the zone of intersection of the Tuzkoy-Rometan transverse fault with the Bukhara-Gissar regional fault, with which seismic events are associated (epicentres Gazli earthquakes occurred 08.04.1976, 17.05.1976 and 19.03.1984). Analysis of long-term observations of gas composition on an example of molecular hydrogen in groundwater southwestern part Karzhantaus fault, covering the territory of Tashkent city and its surroundings, obtained hydrogen concentration distribution pattern area. A different concentration of hydrogen in the fault zone was revealed, associated with the heterogeneity of the geological and structural structure.
Geometric estimates of variations in space geodetic data
Authors: Kuzikov S I
Published: December 2021

Well-known statistical parameters have some disadvantages when analyzing space geodetic data. Geometric parameters are proposed here for estimating the variation properties of samples for various discrete datasets. The proposed parameters are logically related to each other and are based on the simplest well-known statistical parameters; they do not depend on the type of distribution of the sample under study. “Variation asymmetry” shows the shift of the arithmetic mean relative to the center of the variation interval in the units of the studied sample. “Density of variation” characterizes the level of average variability in sample units. This parameter has several times greater discriminatory sensitivity to extremely different types of variations than linear and standard deviations. The relative parameter “proportion of maximum density” shows the closeness of variation to a uniform distribution in the ranked sample and complements the indicator of variation density. An algorithm for separating different structural levels of the useful signal from emissions (noise) is proposed here based on the calculation of geometric characteristics. The iterations of dividing the sample into structurally homogeneous segments can be stopped at the level of the proportion of maximum density ≥0.9 when analyzing real GPS coordinates.
The capabilities of analyzing the seismo-electromagnetic satellite CSES-01 data for monitoring of seismic activity of the Northern Tien Shan
Authors: Nepeina K S
Published: December 2021

The relationship between space weather and earthquakes occurring in seismically active areas with the seismo-electromagnetic satellite CSES-01 data are observed. The study assumes the presence of possible ionospheric precursors of strong earthquakes. The sets of measuring instruments of the satellite and data are considered. Subsequently, to prove the non-random nature of the space weather effects, the results of ground-based geomagnetic or electromagnetic observations should be used, for example, magnetotelluric soundings (MTS). Stationary and regime points of the MTS network of the Research Station RAS in Bishkek (RS RAS) are suitable for these purposes in the Northern Tien Shan. The MTS data are presented in the form of hourly frequency-time series with system rotation from 0° to 180°. To obtain information on earthquakes, it is proposed to use data from the NEIC or ISC seismic catalog, since they aggregate data from regional catalogs, including the KNET seismological network maintained by the RS RAS. It is concluded that it is necessary to select the CSES-01 trajectories and times of flight over the territory of Kyrgyzstan and download the electric field detector (EFD) data. The results of comparing satellite and ground-based observations can be used in future technologies for short-term earthquake prediction.
Peculiarity of the use of pseudonoise signals in electrical prospecting equipment
Authors: Bobrovsky V V , Ilyichev P V
Published: December 2021

The article provides a practical assessment of the effectiveness of the use of electrical prospecting equipment with pseudonoise sounding signals based on the results of field experiments with a new electrical prospecting measuring complex developed at the Scientific Station of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Two main sources of interference are considered, limiting the possibilities of effective use of pseudonoise signals in electrical prospecting equipment: “structural disturbances”, manifested in the process of correlation processing of recorded signals and interference, the source of which is an industrial power network with a frequency of 50 Hz. Methods of reducing the influence of the above noises on the sounding curve obtained during data processing are considered using specially developed algorithms for eliminating “structural disturbances” and suppressing residual noise and interference.
Control of variations in the stress-strain state based on monitoring the apparent resistivity in the well
Authors: Chirkov E.B. , Idarmachev I.Sh.
Published: December 2021

The article gives an example of the application of a new approach to the search for short-term earthquake precursors based on the analysis of the data of three-year monitoring of the apparent resistivity in a water-saturated well on board a reservoir near a hydroelectric power station. The analysis also involved data on atmospheric pressure, water level and temperature in the well. The effects were estimated in a linear approximation, neglecting transients. The method of principal components was used for data processing. The results obtained in the time and frequency domains indicate that a new method for controlling localization variations and searching for short-term precursors of earthquakes is promising.
Resource Regions and the Transition to Sustainable Knowledge-based Development: Escaping the Resource Curse?
Authors: Kochergin D G , Zhernov E E , Logachev V A , Shutko L G
Published: December 2021

According to the economic concept of the “resource curse”, the specialization of countries and regions in the extraction of minerals can have a negative impact on their long-term economic development. The authors of the article propose, that this influence can significantly slow down the transition to development based on knowledge. The article tested this hypothesis using the dynamics of indicators of the knowledge-based economy the group of resource regions of Russia. Of the 12 resource regions of Russia, only two successfully form the knowledge-based economy - Tomsk Region and The Republic of Tatarstan. These regions had a developed education system and research infrastructure even before the discovery of oil here in the 1940s-1960s. For the rest of the resource regions, there is a large lag behind the leading regions of the knowledge economy in Russia, which does not significantly decrease during 2005-2019. At the same time, these regions did not have a developed scientific and educational base by the beginning of the active industrial development of natural resources on their territory. Thus, the formation of the knowledge-based economy in resource regions is strongly influenced by both the resource curse and path dependence effects. The absence of structural economic policies in the regions that are rich in natural resources will hinder their transition to knowledge-based development.
Management of mining wastes through their transformation into useful sorbent
Authors: Grela A , Łach M , Korniejenko K , Mierzwiński D , Bajda T , Hebda M , Figiela B
Published: December 2021

Abstract Every year a few hundred million or so tons of industrial waste are generated all over Europe. A considerable share is attributable to exploratory wastes from the mining sector and combustion byproducts. The process of their reprocessing and utilization fits into the following rules subject to intensive development, viz.: zero waste economy (Zero Waste Europe), effective use of resources (Resource Efficient Europe) as well as closed-circuit economy (Circular Economy). The article shows some research results to corroborate the concept of industrial waste processing of carbonaceous shales into sorbent materials. The applied process of carbonaceous shale calcination led to the obtaining of a material containing metakaolinite, then used in the synthesis of zeolites. The specific surface of the sorbent obtained in the aforesaid way exceeded 100 m2/g.
Drill bit deterioration estimation with the Random Forest Regressor
Authors: Góralczyk Mateusz , Michalak Anna , Śliwiński Paweł
Published: December 2021

Blastholes drilling performance is crucial for ensuring good performance of the whole excavation process, the correctness of which demands ‘healthy’ drill bit and appropriate behavior of an operator. Given the large volume of non-linear parameters describing the process, it appears reasonable to employ supervised learning methods to obtain drilling performance insights. Random Forest Regressor model has been trained on the dataset corresponding to correct performance of blastholes drilling and its hyperparameters have been tuned to obtain the highest possible accuracy. It has been later tested on three datasets corresponding to a good performance of drilling, and two cases of its non-optimal execution. Estimation errors are proposed to be used as bit technical state condition indicators (or more generally - process performance indicators). Root Mean Squared Error has been proven to differ significantly when compared estimation based on datasets corresponding to execution of drilling with ‘healthy’ drill bit, and its execution with worn-off one, however, it has been not sufficient to distinguish non-optimal drilling when additional feed pressure has been exerted by an operator to compensate the reduced pace of drilling. It has been, however, possible when the mean of absolute estimation errors has been used.
Two sides of radon - a radioactive and healing component of water and air
Authors: Maciejewski P , Kowalska A
Published: December 2021

This work presents two sides of radon - a radioactive, toxic element which has healing properties. Authors in this work present selected data about radon measurements in medicinal waters commonly used for radon therapy, to describe a phenomenon of radiation hormesis and healing properties of radon waters. From the other side, authors present the data about radon as a component of the atmosphere: radon-enriched air in health resorts, buildings (indoor radon). Authors present advantages and disadvantages of radon occurrence in human environment.
Methodologies for geological-geotechnical characterization of rock masses: role of geomechanical classifications and indexes
Authors: Santa C , Fernandes I , Chaminé HI
Published: December 2021

The geological and geotechnical description and evaluation are fundamental in engineering projects and the extractive industry, emphasizing underground environments where the rock mass is subjected to high stresses. In excavating rock masses, the classification systems contribute to parameterizing the rock material and rock mass characteristics. In addition, it is essential to the definition of the support to be applied, which limits are often based on the value of the geomechanical classifications. Therefore, determining the characteristics demands structured techniques to reconcile rigour, accuracy, and efficiency in the execution of the site investigation to obtain reliable data in an integrated action of the work cycle. This study analyses the applicability and feasibility of the Geological Strenght Index (GSI), based on field data collected in different underground projects. Various geological environments and distinct excavation purposes were selected to evaluate the possibility of expanding this version of the GSI to other rock types with the inclusion of the influence of groundwater on this classification.
From local to global matrix organization by fibroblasts: a 4D laser-assisted bioprinting approach
Authors: Douillet Camille , Nicodeme Marc , Hermant Loïc , Bergeron Vanessa , Guillemot Fabien , Fricain Jean-Christophe , Oliveira Hugo , Garcia Mikael
Published: December 2021

Fibroblasts and myofibroblasts play a central role in skin homeostasis through dermal organization and maintenance. Nonetheless, the dynamic interactions between (myo)fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix (ECM) remain poorly exploited in skin repair strategies. Indeed, there is still an unmet need for soft tissue models allowing to study the spatial-temporal remodeling properties of (myo)fibroblasts. In vivo, wound healing studies in animals are limited by species specificity. In vitro, most models rely on collagen gels reorganized by randomly distributed fibroblasts. But biofabrication technologies have significantly evolved over the past ten years. High-resolution bioprinting now allows to investigate various cellular micropatterns and the emergent tissue organizations over time. In order to harness the full dynamic properties of cells and active biomaterials, it is essential to consider ‘time’ as the 4th dimension in soft tissue design. Following this 4D bioprinting approach, we aimed to develop a novel model that could replicate fibroblast dynamic remodeling in vitro. For this purpose, (myo)fibroblasts were patterned on collagen gels with laser-assisted bioprinting (LAB) to study the generated matrix deformations and reorganizations. First, distinct populations, mainly composed of fibroblasts or myofibroblasts, were established in vitro to account for the variety of fibroblastic remodeling properties. Then, LAB was used to organize both populations on collagen gels in even isotropic patterns with high resolution, high density and high viability. With maturation, bioprinted patterns of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts reorganized into dispersed or aggregated cells, respectively. Stress-release contraction assays revealed that these phenotype-specific pattern maturations were associated with distinct lattice tension states. The two populations were then patterned in anisotropic rows in order to direct the cell-generated deformations and to orient global matrix remodeling. Only maturation of anisotropic fibroblast patterns, but not myofibroblasts, resulted in collagen anisotropic reorganizations both at tissue-scale, with lattice contraction, and at microscale, with embedded microbead displacements. Following a 4D bioprinting approach, LAB patterning enabled to elicit and orient the dynamic matrix remodeling mechanisms of distinct fibroblastic populations and organizations on collagen. For future studies, this method provides a new versatile tool to investigate in vitro dermal organizations and properties, processes of remodeling in healing, and new treatment opportunities.
Memory effects in black phosphorus field effect transistors
Authors: Grillo Alessandro , Pelella Aniello , Faella Enver , Giubileo Filippo , Sleziona Stephan , Kharsah Osamah , Schleberger Marika , Di Bartolomeo Antonio
Published: December 2021

We report the fabrication and the electrical characterization of back-gated field effect transistors with a black phosphorus (BP) channel. We show that the hysteresis of the transfer characteristic, due to intrinsic defects, can be exploited to realize non-volatile memories. We demonstrate that gate voltage pulses allow to trap and store charge inside the defect states, which enable memory devices with endurance over 200 cycles and retention longer than 30 min. We show that the use of a protective poly(methyl methacrylate) layer, positioned on top of the BP channel, does not affect the electrical properties of the device but avoids the degradation caused by the exposure to air.
2D porous Nb4N5@Nb2C heterojunctions for high-performance Li-ion batteries
Authors: Wu Jingsong , Guan Yunfeng , Li Ke , Xie Qun , Wang Zhiming , Zhu Hui , Zhang Qin , Li Xuanke , Yuan Guanming , Cong Ye
Published: December 2021

Constructing transition metal nitrides (TMNs) with a 2D porous structure is an effective strategy to alleviate their volume expansion and self-aggregation issues, eventually enhancing their electrochemical performance. However, very few studies have been reported up to now. Herein, 2D porous Nb4N5@Nb2C heterojunctions are successfully synthesized from Nb2C MXene precursor by employing a two-step nitridation method in NH3 atmosphere. Owing to the abundant active sites, fast Li-ions diffusion paths, and sufficient buffer space for releasing volume expansion, 2D porous Nb4N5@Nb2C heterojunctions achieve high rate performance and excellent cycling stability, maintaining 109.2 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1 after 800 cycles. This work provides a facile strategy for building 2D porous TMNs and their heterojunctions with excellent electrochemical performances.
Witnessing objectivity on a quantum computer
Authors: Chisholm Diana A , García-Pérez Guillermo , Rossi Matteo A C , Maniscalco Sabrina , Palma G Massimo
Published: December 2021

Understanding the emergence of objectivity from the quantum realm has been a long standing issue strongly related to the quantum to classical crossover. Quantum Darwinism (QD) provides an answer, interpreting objectivity as consensus between independent observers. Quantum computers provide an interesting platform for such experimental investigation of QD, fulfiling their initial intended purpose as quantum simulators. Here we assess to what degree current Noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices can be used as experimental platforms in the field of QD. We do this by simulating an exactly solvable stochastic collision model, taking advantage of the analytical solution to benchmark the experimental results.
Generation of long- and short-range potentials from atom-molecules to quark-gluon systems by the GPT potential
Authors: Oryu Shinsho
Published: December 2021

The general particle transfer (GPT) potential generates not only the Yukawa-type potential but also the 1/r
n
-type potential in the hadron system, where the mass dependence of the transferred (exchanged) particle is clarified. The GPT potential from the atom-molecule system to the quark-gluon system was studied, where pico-meter physics could be highlighted. It is demonstrated that the long-range three-body Efimov potential is connected with the short-range three-body force potential by the GPT potential. Some applications for historical few-body problems in physics are summarized.