Applying rare earth elements, Uranium, and 87Sr/86Sr to disentangle structurally forced confluence of regional groundwater resources: The case of the Lower Yarmouk Gorge

The conjoint discussion of tectonic features, correlations of element concentrations, δ18O, δD, and 87Sr/86Sr of groundwater leads to new insight into sources of groundwater, their flow patterns, and salinization in the Yarmouk Basin. The sources of groundwater are precipitation infiltrating into basaltic rock or limestone aquifers. Leaching of relic brines and dissolution of gypsum and calcite from the limestone host rocks generate enhanced salinity in groundwater in different degrees. High U(VI) suggests leaching of U from phosphorite-rich Upper Cretaceous B2 formation. Both very low U(VI) and specific rare earth element including yttrium (REY) distribution patterns indicate interaction with ferric oxyhydroxides formed during weathering of widespread alkali olivine basalts in the catchment area. REY patterns of groundwater generated in basaltic aquifers are modified by interaction with underlying limestones. Repeated sampling over 18 years revealed that the flow paths towards certain wells of groundwater varied as documented by changes in concentrations of dissolved species and REY patterns and U(VI) contents. In the Yarmouk Gorge, groundwater with basaltic REY patterns but high U(VI) and low Sr2+ and intermediate sulfate concentrations mainly ascends in artesian wells tapping a buried flower structure fault system crossing the trend of the gorge

Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis in composite material beams

Structural health monitoring is a critical requirement in many composites. Numerous monitoring strategies rely on measurements of temperature or strain (or both), however these are often restricted to point-sensing or to the coverage of small areas. Spatially-continuous data can be obtained with optical fiber sensors. In this work, we report high-resolution distributed Brillouin sensing over standard fibers that are embedded in composite structures. A phase-coded, Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis (B-OCDA) protocol was employed, with spatial resolution of 2 cm and sensitivity of 1 °K or 20 micro-strain. A portable measurement setup was designed and assembled on the premises of a composite structures manufacturer. The setup was successfully utilized in several structural health monitoring scenarios: (a) monitoring the production and curing of a composite beam over 60 h; (b) estimating the stiffness and Young’s modulus of a composite beam; and (c) distributed strain measurements across the surfaces of a model wing of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The measurements are supported by the predictions of structural analysis calculations. The results illustrate the potential added values of high-resolution, distributed Brillouin sensing in the structural health monitoring of composites

A new anisotropic poroelasticity model to describe damage accumulation during cyclic triaxial loading of rock

Acknowledgments The paper benefited from useful comments by two referees, Manolis Veveakis and Klaus Regenauer-Lieb, and the editor, Alexis Maineult. The contributions by Lyakhovsky and Shalev was supported by grant from the Israel Science Foundation, ISF 363/20. The contributions by Browning, Meredith, Healy and Mitchell were supported by UKRI NERC awards NE/N003063/1, NE/N002938/1, NE/T007826/1, NE/T00780X/1. The contributions by Browning was also supported by FONDECYT grant number 11190143. The contribution by Panteleev was supported by Russian Science Foundation (project N 19-77-30008).Peer reviewedPostprin

Tensor compaction of porous rocks: theory and experimental verification

Compaction in sedimentary basins has been traditionally regarded as a one-dimensional process that ignores inelastic deformation in directions orthogonal to the active load. This study presents new experiments with sandstone demonstrating the role of three-dimensional inelastic compaction in cyclic true triaxial compression. The experiments were carried out on the basis of a triaxial independent loading test system in the Laboratory of Geomechanics of the Ishlinsky Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Science. The elastic moduli of the material were estimated from the stress-strain curves and the elastic deformations of the sample in each of the three directions were determined. Subtracting the elastic component from the total deformation allowed to show that inelastic compaction of the sandstone is observed in the direction of active loading, whereas in the orthogonal directions there is a expansion of the material. To describe the three-dimensional nature of the compaction, a generalization of Athy law to the tensor case is proposed, taking into account the role of the stress deviator. The compaction tensor and the kinetic equation to describe the evolution of inelastic deformation, starting from the moment of the load application are introduced. On the basis of experiments on cyclic multiaxial compression of sandstone, the identification and verification of the constructed model of tensor compaction were carried out. The possibility of not only qualitative, but also quantitative description of changes in inelastic deformation under complex cyclic triaxial compression is shown

Single cell dissection of plasma cell heterogeneity in symptomatic and asymptomatic myeloma

Multiple myeloma, a plasma cell malignancy, is the second most common blood cancer. Despite extensive research, disease heterogeneity is poorly characterized, hampering efforts for early diagnosis and improved treatments. Here, we apply single cell RNA sequencing to study the heterogeneity of 40 individuals along the multiple myeloma progression spectrum, including 11 healthy controls, demonstrating high interindividual variability that can be explained by expression of known multiple myeloma drivers and additional putative factors. We identify extensive subclonal structures for 10 of 29 individuals with multiple myeloma. In asymptomatic individuals with early disease and in those with minimal residual disease post-treatment, we detect rare tumor plasma cells with molecular characteristics similar to those of active myeloma, with possible implications for personalized therapies. Single cell analysis of rare circulating tumor cells allows for accurate liquid biopsy and detection of malignant plasma cells, which reflect bone marrow disease. Our work establishes single cell RNA sequencing for dissecting blood malignancies and devising detailed molecular characterization of tumor cells in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients

Haline Convection within a Fresh-Saline Water Interface in a Stratified Coastal Aquifer Induced by Tide

Sea-tide effects on the fresh-saline water interface (FSI) in a stratified coastal aquifer are examined through laboratory experiments. The physical model, a two-dimensional rectangular flow tank, is filled with layered aquifers and aquitards. The aquifers serve as the main entrances/exits of water to/from the system through significant horizontal flows, creating unstable conditions of heavier saline water above lighter freshwater for short periods of time. Several processes create mixing; this instability results in haline convection, creating downward fingering, stable rising of horizontal saltwater front, and unstable upward fingerings of flushing freshwater. The time lag between the sea tide fluctuations and the emergence of adequate fresh- and saltwater is higher in a stratified system compared to a homogeneous system. Furthermore, longer tide cycles lead to the enlargement of the FSI’s toe horizontal movement range. The combination of tidal forcing with a layering aquifer structure leads to a wider FSI by creating a significant salt- and freshwater mixing inside each layer, vertical flows between the layers, and saltwater bodies at isolated areas. Haline convection within the FSI might be the reason for the wider fresh-saline interfaces that are found in field studies