Crustal Structure of the Western U.S. From Rayleigh and Love Wave Amplification Data

Surface wave amplification measurements have narrower depth sensitivity when compared to more traditional seismic observables such as surface wave dispersion measurements. In particular, Love wave amplification measurements have the advantage of strong sensitivity to the crust. For the first time, we explore the potential of Love wave amplification measurements to image crustal velocity in the western U.S. The effects of overtone interference, radial anisotropy and Moho depth are all explored. Consequently, we present SWUS‐crust, a three‐dimensional shear‐wave velocity model of crustal structure in the western U.S. We use Rayleigh wave amplification measurements in the period range of 38‐114 s, along with Love wave amplification measurements in the period range of 38‐62 s. We jointly invert over 6,400 multi‐frequency measurements using the Monte‐Carlo based Neighbourhood Algorithm, which allows for uncertainty quantification. SWUS‐crust confirms several features observed in previous models, such as high‐velocity anomalies beneath the Columbia basin and low‐velocity anomalies beneath the Basin and Range province. Certain features are sharpened in our model, such as the northern border of the High‐Lava Plains in southern Oregon in the middle crust

Posterior sampling for inverse imaging problems on the sphere in seismology and cosmology

In this work, we describe a framework for solving spherical inverse imaging problems using posterior sampling for full uncertainty quantification. Inverse imaging problems defined on the sphere arise in many fields, including seismology and cosmology where images are defined on the globe and the cosmic sphere, and are generally high-dimensional and computationally expensive. As a result, sampling the posterior distribution of spherical imaging problems is a challenging task. Our framework leverages a proximal Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to efficiently sample the high-dimensional space of spherical images with a sparsity-promoting wavelet prior. We detail the modifications needed for the algorithm to be applied to spherical problems, and give special consideration to the crucial forward modelling step which contains computationally expensive spherical harmonic transforms. By sampling the posterior, our framework allows for full and flexible uncertainty quantification, something which is not possible with other methods based on, for example, convex optimisation. We demonstrate our framework in practice on full-sky cosmological mass-mapping and to the construction of phase velocity maps in global seismic tomography. We find that our approach is potentially useful at moderate resolutions, such as those of interest in seismology. However at high resolutions, such as those required for astrophysical applications, the poor scaling of the complexity of spherical harmonic transforms severely limits our method, which may be resolved with future GPU implementations. A new Python package, pxmcmc, containing the proximal MCMC sampler, measurement operators, wavelet transforms and sparse priors is made publicly available

Famílias poliafetivas: a vedação de seu reconhecimento pela via extrajudicial no brasil e os direitos fundamentais.

A família pode ser compreendida no tempo em seus diversos formatos. Contemporaneamente podemos enxergar vários de seus arquétipos como a família poliafetiva, espécie do poliamor. A citada família esta em ascensão desde a sua primeira lavratura de registro público no Brasil. Ocorre que no ano de 2018 o Conselho Nacional de Justiça - CNJ proibiu novas confecções do citado documento público, argumentado a ilicitude da poliafetividade, bem como a moral e os bons constumes. Desta feita, o presente artigo pretende analisar o mencionado núcleo familiar e pelo método indutivo identificar o limite de competência do CNJ acera de sua decisão, bem como a legalidade dos registros públicos de uniões poliafetivas

Valorisation of red beet waste: one-step extraction and separation of betalains and chlorophylls using thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems

Globally, up to 50% of root crops, fruits and vegetables produced is wasted. Beetroot stems and leaves fit into this scenario, with only a small fraction being used in cattle food. One way of approaching this problem is through their valorisation, by extracting and recovering valuable compounds present in this type of waste that could be used in other applications, while contributing towards a circular economy. In this work, a new integrated process using thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of quaternary ammonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) and polypropyleneglycol 400 g mol−1 (PPG) is shown to allow the one-step extraction and separation of two pigment classes—betalains and chlorophylls—from red beet stems and leaves. The pigment extraction was carried out with a monophasic aqueous solution of the IL and PPG, whose phase separation was then achieved by a temperature switch, resulting in the simultaneous separation of chlorophylls and betalains into opposite phases. A central composite design was used to optimise the extraction parameters (time, temperature, and solid : liquid (S/L) ratio) of both pigment extraction yields, reaching at 20 °C, 70 min and a S/L ratio of 0.12 a maximum extraction yield of 6.67 wt% for betalains and 1.82 wt% for chlorophylls (per weight of biomass). Moreover, it is shown that aqueous solutions of ILs better stabilise betalains than the gold standard solvent used for the extraction method. Among the studied systems, the ABS comprising the IL N-ethyl-N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) bromide ([N21(2OH)(2OH)]Br) presented the best separation performance, with an extraction efficiency of 92% and 95% for chlorophylls and betalains, respectively, for opposite phases. The pigments were removed from the respective phases using affinity resins, with high recoveries: 96% for betalains and 98% for chlorophylls, further allowing the IL reuse. Finally, the cyto- and ecotoxicities of the quaternary ammonium-based ILs were determined. The obtained results disclosed low to negligible toxicity in the thousands of mg L−1 range, with [N21(2OH)(2OH)]Br being harmless from an ecotoxicological point of view. Overall, it is shown here that the developed process is an innovative approach for the one-step extraction and selective separation of pigments contributing to the valorisation of waste biomass

Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic

Small meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere often go unnoticed because their detection and characterization rely on human observations, introducing observational biases in space and time. Acoustic shockwaves from meteoroid ablation convert to infrasound and seismic energy, enabling fireball detection using seismoacoustic methods. We analyzed an unreported fireball in 2022 near the Azores, recorded by 26 seismometers and two infrasound arrays. Through polarization analyses, array methods, and 3‐D ray‐tracing, we determined that the terminal blast occurred at 40 km altitude, ∼60 km NE of São Miguel Island. This location matches an unidentified flash captured by a lightning detector aboard the GOES‐16 satellite. The estimated kinetic energy is ∼10−3 kT TNT equivalent, suggesting a 10−1 m object diameter, thousands of which enter the atmosphere annually. Our results demonstrate how geophysical methods, in tandem with satellite data, can significantly improve the observational completeness of meteoroids, advancing our understanding of their sources and entry processes

Topographical analysis of the subependymal zone neurogenic niche

The emerging model for the adult subependymal zone (SEZ) cell population indicates that neuronal diversity is not generated from a uniform pool of stem cells but rather from diverse and spatially confined stem cell populations. Hence, when analysing SEZ proliferation, the topography along the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes must be taken into account. However, to date, no studies have assessed SEZ proliferation according to topographical specificities and, additionally, SEZ studies in animal models of neurological/psychiatric disorders often fail to clearly specify the SEZ coordinates. This may render difficult the comparison between studies and yield contradictory results. More so, by focusing in a single spatial dimension of the SEZ, relevant findings might pass unnoticed. In this study we characterized the neural stem cell/progenitor population and its proliferation rates throughout the rat SEZ anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes. We found that SEZ proliferation decreases along the anterior-posterior axis and that proliferative rates vary considerably according to the position in the dorsal-ventral axis. These were associated with relevant gradients in the neuroblasts and in the neural stem cell populations throughout the dorsal-ventral axis. In addition, we observed spatially dependent differences in BrdU/Ki67 ratios that suggest a high variability in the proliferation rate and cell cycle length throughout the SEZ; in accordance, estimation of the cell cycle length of the neuroblasts revealed shorter cell cycles at the dorsolateral SEZ. These findings highlight the need to establish standardized procedures of SEZ analysis. Herein we propose an anatomical division of the SEZ that should be considered in future studies addressing proliferation in this neural stem cell niche.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT