412 research outputs found
Vale of York 3-D borehole interpretation and cross-sections study
The Vale of York between Doncaster and Scunthorpe in the south and York and Bugthorpe in
the north is largely underlain by bedrock of the Sherwood Sandstone Group â one of the regions
principal aquifers. Significant superficial deposits of Quaternary age overlie the Sherwood
Sandstone. This study aims to investigate the nature of these superficial deposits with respect to
their relationship with the underlying aquifer.
The Vale of York project area represents a varied glaciated terrain, consisting of pro-glacial finegrained
sediments, coarser glaciofluvilal sediments and extensive glacial tills. These diverse
superficial units vary in thickness throughout the project area. The hydrogeological nature of the
natural superficial sequence is consequently highly variable. Units may be considered as
aquitards, while others may act as aquifers, providing a potential pathway to the underlying
sandstone. The classification of lithologies as aquifer or aquitard is described in detail in this
report.
To investigate the hydrogeological nature of the superficial sequence, six east-west and three
north-south lithostratigraphical cross-sections were constructed. A range of geoscientific
information was considered, including existing geological mapping and over 3000 fully
attributed and coded boreholes. The cross-sections show a subdivision of the superficial
sequence into lithostratigraphical units. Each unit is described in detail in this report.
In addition, a series of thematic maps were generated from the lithological component of the
digital borehole data. Total superficial aquifer and superficial aquitard maps show how the
lithological nature of the superficial sequence varies across the area. Rockhead elevation and
superficial thickness maps indicate where the sandstone aquifer outcrops at the ground surface.
In summary, four main lithostratigraphical units overlie the Sherwood Sandstone Group aquifer
in the project area: a basal sequence of glaciofluvial sand and gravel (interpreted as a superficial
aquifer), glaciolacustrine laminated silt & clay (aquitard), glacial till comprising sandy gravelly
clay (aquitard), and a cover sequence of fluvial and aeolian sand, clay and peat (aquifer /
aquitard). The correlations illustrate that in certain areas, superficial deposits are thin or absent
and that in these areas the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer comes directly to ground surface
(47171) 1999 TC36, A Transneptunian Triple
We present new analysis of HST images of (47171) 1999 TC36 that confirm it as
a triple system. Fits to the point-spread function consistently show that the
apparent primary is itself composed of two similar-sized components. The two
central components, A1 and A2, can be consistently identified in each of nine
epochs spread over seven years of time. In each instance the component
separation, ranging from 0.023+/-0.002 to 0.031+/-0.003 arcsec, is roughly one
half of the Hubble Space Telescope's diffraction limit at 606 nm. The orbit of
the central pair has a semi-major axis of a~867 km with a period of P~1.9 days.
These orbital parameters yield a system mass that is consistent with Msys =
12.75+/-0.06 10^18 kg derived from the orbit of the more distant secondary,
component B. The diameters of the three components are dA1= 286(+45,-38) km,
dA2= 265(+41,-35 km and dB= 139(+22,-18) km. The relative sizes of these
components are more similar than in any other known multiple in the solar
system. Taken together, the diameters and system mass yield a bulk density of
p=542(+317,-211) kg m^-3. HST Photometry shows that component B is variable
with an amplitude of >=0.17+/-0.05 magnitudes. Components A1 and A2 do not show
variability larger than 0.08+/-0.03 magnitudes approximately consistent with
the orientation of the mutual orbit plane and tidally-distorted equilibrium
shapes. The system has high specific angular momentum of J/J'=0.93, comparable
to most of the known Transneptunian binaries.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables. Accepted to Icaru
The Microhardness of Enamel and Dentin
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68055/2/10.1177_00220345580370041301.pd
Multiallelic copy number variation in the complement component 4A (C4A) gene is associated with late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The Correlated Colors of Transneptunian Binaries
We report resolved photometry of the primary and secondary components of 23
transneptunian binaries obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. V-I colors of
the components range from 0.7 to 1.5 with a median uncertainty of 0.06
magnitudes. The colors of the primaries and secondaries are correlated with a
Spearman rank correlation probability of 99.99991%, 5 sigma for a normal
distribution. Fits to the primary vs. secondary colors are identical to within
measurement uncertainties. The color range of binaries as a group is
indistinguishable from that of the larger population of apparently single
transneptunian objects. Whatever mechanism produced the colors of apparently
single TNOs acted equally on binary systems. The most likely explanation is
that the colors of transneptunian objects and binaries alike are primordial and
indicative of their origin in a locally homogeneous, globally heterogeneous
protoplanetary disk.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figure, 4 tables. accepted to Icaru
Oxygen isotope dendrochronology of Llwyn Celyn; One of the oldest houses in Wales
We report the application of oxygen isotope dendrochronology to date a high-status and remarkably unaltered late medieval hall house on the eastern border of South Wales. The oak timbers have either short and complacent ring series, or very strong growth disturbance, and none were suitable for ring-width dendrochronology. By using stable oxygen isotopes from the latewood cellulose, rather than ring widths, it was possible to cross-match and date all 14 timber samples and to provide felling dates related to several phases of building. The hall and solar cross-wing were constructed shortly after 1420CE, which is remarkably early. The house was upgraded using timbers felled in the winter of 1695/6CE by ceiling over of the hall and inserting a chimney. A separate small domestic building was added at the same time and the addition of the kitchen is likely to be contemporaneous. A substantial beast house was added a few years before the house was refurbished, emphasising the importance of cattle as the main source of wealth. A small barn with timbers felled in spring 1843 CE was added later. Llwyn Celyn is one of the most important domestic buildings in Wales, but without the new approach none of the phases of its evolution could have been dated precisely. Oxygen isotope dendrochronology has enormous potential for dating timbers that have small numbers of rings and/or show severe growth disturbance and it works well in regions where tree growth is not strongly constrained by climate. The research was generously supported by the Leverhulme Trust, Natural Environment Research Council, Landmark Trust and the UK National Lottery Heritage Fund
Recurrent structural variation, clustered sites of selection, and disease risk for the complement factor H (CFH) gene family
Data deposition: The data reported in this paper have been deposited as a National Center for Biotechnology Information BioProject (accession no. PRJNA401648). Author contributions: S.C. and E.E.E. designed research; S.C., C.B., L.H., K.P., K.M.M., M.S., A.E.W., V.D., T.A.G.-L., and R.K.W. performed research; S.C., J.H., C.B., L.H., K.P., K.M.M., M.S., A.E.W., V.D., F.G., A.J.R., R.H.G., T.A.G.-L., R.K.W., B.H.F.W., P.N.B., R.A., and E.E.E. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; S.C., B.J.N., J.H., and E.E.E. analyzed data; and S.C., B.J.N., and E.E.E. wrote the paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Optical properties of MgH2 measured in situ in a novel gas cell for ellipsometry/spectrophotometry
The dielectric properties of alpha-MgH2 are investigated in the photon energy
range between 1 and 6.5 eV. For this purpose, a novel sample configuration and
experimental setup are developed that allow both optical transmission and
ellipsometric measurements of a transparent thin film in equilibrium with
hydrogen. We show that alpha-MgH2 is a transparent, colour neutral insulator
with a band gap of 5.6 +/- 0.1 eV. It has an intrinsic transparency of about
80% over the whole visible spectrum. The dielectric function found in this work
confirms very recent band structure calculations using the GW approximation by
Alford and Chou [J.A. Alford and M.Y. Chou (unpublished)]. As Pd is used as a
cap layer we report also the optical properties of PdHx thin films.Comment: REVTeX4, 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 table
The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets
This review addresses our current understanding of comets that venture close to the Sun, and are hence exposed to much more extreme conditions than comets that are typically studied from Earth. The extreme solar heating and plasma environments that these objects encounter change many aspects of their behaviour, thus yielding valuable information on both the comets themselves that complements other data we have on primitive solar system bodies, as well as on the near-solar environment which they traverse. We propose clear definitions for these comets: We use the term near-Sun comets to encompass all objects that pass sunward of the perihelion distance of planet Mercury (0.307 AU). Sunskirters are defined as objects that pass within 33 solar radii of the Sunâs centre, equal to half of Mercuryâs perihelion distance, and the commonly-used phrase sungrazers to be objects that reach perihelion within 3.45 solar radii, i.e. the fluid Roche limit. Finally, comets with orbits that intersect the solar photosphere are termed sundivers. We summarize past studies of these objects, as well as the instruments and facilities used to study them, including space-based platforms that have led to a recent revolution in the quantity and quality of relevant observations. Relevant comet populations are described, including the Kreutz, Marsden, Kracht, and Meyer groups, near-Sun asteroids, and a brief discussion of their origins. The importance of light curves and the clues they provide on cometary composition are emphasized, together with what information has been gleaned about nucleus parameters, including the sizes and masses of objects and their families, and their tensile strengths. The physical processes occurring at these objects are considered in some detail, including the disruption of nuclei, sublimation, and ionisation, and we consider the mass, momentum, and energy loss of comets in the corona and those that venture to lower altitudes. The different components of comae and tails are described, including dust, neutral and ionised gases, their chemical reactions, and their contributions to the near-Sun environment. Comet-solar wind interactions are discussed, including the use of comets as probes of solar wind and coronal conditions in their vicinities. We address the relevance of work on comets near the Sun to similar objects orbiting other stars, and conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field and the planned ground- and space-based facilities that will allow us to address those science topics
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