Supercritical-flow Deposits (Sfds) and Their Distribution in a Submarine Channel System, Middle Eocene, Ainsa Basin, Spanish Pyrenees

Studies of supercritical-flow deposits (SFDs) and their spatial distribution in ancient deep-water systems should provide an additional tool to improve the understanding of the flow dynamics during deposition and the architecture of sandbodies. Outcrop recognition of SFDs in ancient deep-marine environments remains poorly documented, although their study dates back to the 1970s. This paper focusses on the criteria for recognizing SFDs and their distribution in three selected depositional environments from an ancient mid-lower slope to a proximal-basin floor setting in the middle Eocene Ainsa Basin, Spanish Pyrenees. From field observations, six facies associations interpreted as related to supercritical flow are defined. These facies associations are grouped in two categories. The first group includes facies associations related to erosional coarse-grained supercritical-flow bedforms related to meter and centimeter-scale scours and backfilling structures interpreted as large-scale cyclic steps or small-scale cyclic steps, respectively. Erosional coarse-grained supercritical bedforms are observed mainly in relatively high-gradient slopes and relatively confined settings. The second group of facies associations are related to depositional fine-grained supercritical-flow bedforms associated with upflow-dipping sandstone lenses, upflow-stacked wavy bedforms, upflow-stacked sigmoidal bedforms, and plane beds, interpreted as unstable and stable antidunes and upper-flow-regime plane beds. Depositional fine-grained supercritical-flow bedforms are observed mainly in relatively unconfined settings such as lower-slope, break-of-slope and proximal basin-floor environments. Two main SFD trends were observed in the Ainsa Basin in: (i) an axial-lateral direction, showing a decrease in SFDs from channel axis to channel margin, and (ii) a longitudinal proximal–distal direction, showing an increase in SFDs from the Gerbe System (mid-slope environment), to the Banastón System (proximal basin-floor environment), to the Ainsa System (lower-slope environment). From this study, two parameters are recognized as likely playing an important role on whether a flow is under supercritical or subcritical conditions: (i) confinement of the sandbodies, and (ii) slope gradient

Can taste be ergogenic?

Taste is a homeostatic function that conveys valuable information, such as energy density, readiness to eat, or toxicity of foodstuffs. Taste is not limited to the oral cavity but affects multiple physiological systems. In this review, we outline the ergogenic potential of substances that impart bitter, sweet, hot and cold tastes administered prior to and during exercise performance and whether the ergogenic benefits of taste are attributable to the placebo effect. Carbohydrate mouth rinsing seemingly improves endurance performance, along with a potentially ergogenic effect of oral exposure to both bitter tastants and caffeine although subsequent ingestion of bitter mouth rinses is likely required to enhance performance. Hot and cold tastes may prove beneficial in circumstances where athletes’ thermal state may be challenged. Efficacy is not limited to taste, but extends to the stimulation of targeted receptors in the oral cavity and throughout the digestive tract, relaying signals pertaining to energy availability and temperature to appropriate neural centres. Dose, frequency and timing of tastant application likely require personalisation to be most effective, and can be enhanced or confounded by factors that relate to the placebo effect, highlighting taste as a critical factor in designing and administering applied sports science interventions

Care-experienced youth and positive development: An exploratory study into the value and use of leisure-time activities

Numerous youth development outcomes are thought to ensue from participation in ‘positive’ activities (including leisure activities), yet little is known about how care-experienced youth access and benefit from such activities. Underpinned by a positive youth development perspective and informed by the socio-ecological model, this study aimed to: (1) identify how care-experienced youth spent their leisure-time and what shaped their participation; and (2) explore how care-experienced youth think leisure-time activities contributed to their positive development

Observations of ozone production in a dissipating tropical convective cell during TC4

From 13 July–9 August 2007, 25 ozonesondes were launched from Las Tablas, Panama as part of the Tropical Composition, Cloud, and Climate Coupling (TC4) mission. On 5 August, a strong convective cell formed in the Gulf of Panama. World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data indicated 563 flashes (09:00–17:00 UTC) in the Gulf. NO2 data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) show enhancements, suggesting lightning production of NOx. At 15:05 UTC, an ozonesonde ascended into the southern edge of the now dissipating convective cell as it moved west across the Azuero Peninsula. The balloon oscillated from 2.5–5.1 km five times (15:12–17:00 UTC), providing a unique examination of ozone (O3) photochemistry on the edge of a convective cell. Ozone increased at a rate of 1.6–4.6 ppbv/hr between the first and last ascent, resulting cell wide in an increase of (2.1–2.5)×106 moles of O3. This estimate agrees to within a factor of two of our estimates of photochemical lightning O3 production from the WWLLN flashes, from the radar-inferred lightning flash data, and from the OMI NO2 data (1.2, 1.0, and 1.7×106 moles, respectively), though all estimates have large uncertainties. Examination of DC-8 in situ and lidar O3 data gathered around the Gulf that day suggests 70–97% of the O3 change occurred in 2.5–5.1 km layer. A photochemical box model initialized with nearby TC4 aircraft trace gas data suggests these O3 production rates are possible with our present understanding of photochemistry

The impact of the 1783-1784 AD Laki eruption on global aerosol formation processes and cloud condensation nuclei

The 1783–1784 AD Laki flood lava eruption commenced on 8 June 1783 and released 122 Tg of sulphur dioxide gas over the course of 8 months into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere above Iceland. Previous studies have examined the impact of the Laki eruption on sulphate aerosol and climate using general circulation models. Here, we study the impact on aerosol microphysical processes, including the nucleation of new particles and their growth to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) using a comprehensive Global Model of Aerosol Processes (GLOMAP). Total particle concentrations in the free troposphere increase by a factor ~16 over large parts of the Northern Hemisphere in the 3 months following the onset of the eruption. Particle concentrations in the boundary layer increase by a factor 2 to 5 in regions as far away as North America, the Middle East and Asia due to long-range transport of nucleated particles. CCN concentrations (at 0.22% supersaturation) increase by a factor 65 in the upper troposphere with maximum changes in 3-month zonal mean concentrations of ~1400 cm<sup>−3</sup> at high northern latitudes. 3-month zonal mean CCN concentrations in the boundary layer at the latitude of the eruption increase by up to a factor 26, and averaged over the Northern Hemisphere, the eruption caused a factor 4 increase in CCN concentrations at low-level cloud altitude. The simulations show that the Laki eruption would have completely dominated as a source of CCN in the pre-industrial atmosphere. The model also suggests an impact of the eruption in the Southern Hemisphere, where CCN concentrations are increased by up to a factor 1.4 at 20° S. Our model simulations suggest that the impact of an equivalent wintertime eruption on upper tropospheric CCN concentrations is only about one-third of that of a summertime eruption. The simulations show that the microphysical processes leading to the growth of particles to CCN sizes are fundamentally different after an eruption when compared to the unperturbed atmosphere, underlining the importance of using a fully coupled microphysics model when studying long-lasting, high-latitude eruptions

Energy Flow in Acoustic Black Holes

We present the results of an analysis of superradiant energy flow due to scalar fields incident on an acoustic black hole. In addition to providing independent confirmation of the recent results in [5], we determine in detail the profile of energy flow everywhere outside the horizon. We confirm explicitly that in a suitable frame the energy flow is inward at the horizon and outward at infinity, as expected on physical grounds.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, Comments added to discussion of energy flow and introductory section abbreviate

Fe I Oscillator Strengths for the Gaia-ESO Survey

The Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey (GES) is conducting a large-scale study of multi-element chemical abundances of some 100 000 stars in the Milky Way with the ultimate aim of quantifying the formation history and evolution of young, mature and ancient Galactic populations. However, in preparing for the analysis of GES spectra, it has been noted that atomic oscillator strengths of important Fe I lines required to correctly model stellar line intensities are missing from the atomic database. Here, we present new experimental oscillator strengths derived from branching fractions and level lifetimes, for 142 transitions of Fe I between 3526 {\AA} and 10864 {\AA}, of which at least 38 are urgently needed by GES. We also assess the impact of these new data on solar spectral synthesis and demonstrate that for 36 lines that appear unblended in the Sun, Fe abundance measurements yield a small line-by-line scatter (0.08 dex) with a mean abundance of 7.44 dex in good agreement with recent publications.Comment: Accepted for publication in Mon. Not. R. Astron. So

Determination of the critical stages of processing and tolerance limits for Harmonia axyridis for ‘ladybug taint’ in wine

'Ladybug taint’ (LBT) has recently been reported in some wines from North America, and is associated with 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IPMP), produced by Harmonia axyridis Pallas (the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle - MALB) when they are incorporated into the winemaking process. It is not known when IPMP is transferred from MALB (e.g. in the vineyard onto grapes or during must processing) nor what minimum MALB densities are required for production of LBT in the final wines. This study sought to clarify these issues through a series of three trials. In the first, MALB were added to 'Riesling' grapes or must at different stages of processing (harvest, crush/destem, pressing or directly to juice), and the resultant wines were analysed chemically and by paired-comparison sensory difference tests.The presence of MALB during processing had minimal effect on the basic composition and spectral properties of the wine. Concentrations of IPMP were < 5 ng·l-1 for all wines except those produced after the direct addition of MALB to the juice (10.3 ng·l-1). Sensorially, control wines (no added MALB) could be differentiated from wines made after MALB were added at crushing/destemming (at 3 beetles per kg grapes), whole bunch pressing and when added directly into the juice, but not when MALB were added and subsequently removed from a simulated harvest treatment or when added during crushing/destemming at 0.3 beetles per kg grapes. In trials 2 and 3, sensory detection thresholds for LBT were determined for white and red wines produced with known densities of MALB. Estimates of ‘tolerance limits’ in the vineyard were then calculated using regression models, and correspond to 1530 and 1260 beetles per t grapes for white and red wines respectively. However, given the range of grape and wine processing options available to producers, many of which are not accounted for in this study, we recommend that a more conservative limit of 200-400 beetles per t grapes may be appropriate. These results should assist in directing appropriate interventions in the vineyard/winery, and provide baseline targets for reducing MALB density to avoid development of LBT.