Contactless confined readout of quartz crystal resonator sensors

PostprintA configuration and method for contactless readout of the resonance response of a thickness-shear mode quartz resonator sensor is presented. The configuration uses a crystal with a large common electrode on the front face, and one, or more, small electrodes on the back face, leading to localized sensing regions. Each back electrode is capacitively coupled to a separated tip electrode. The tip consists of a small disc and a guard ring, which confine the electric field to the electrode area and make the measurement unaffected by the stray parallel capacitances. Analysis shows that the proposed configuration can be modeled as an extension of the Butterworth-Van Dyke (BVD) circuit and that, by a proper choice of the reference frequency around resonance, it is possible to obtain frequency readings that do not depend on the tip-to-crystal stand-off distance. Experimental results show that a mass load added on the front electrode can be consistently detected and measured irrespective of the tip-to-crystal stand-off distanc

A Paleoseismic Record Spanning 2-Myr Reveals Episodic Late Pliocene Deformation in the Western Qaidam Basin, NE Tibet

Acknowledgments This research was inspired by Prof. Lin Ding's comments on the doctoral thesis proposal of Yin Lu in May 2014 at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, China. We thank Profs. Todd Ehlers, Erwin Appel, and Oliver Friedrich for fruitful discussions in the early stage of this research. We appreciate the editor Germán Prieto for handling our manuscript, Jérôme Nomade and one anonymous reviewer for constructive reviews. We thank Werner Fielitz for comments, A. Koutsodendris, K. S. Nakajima, and H. Campos for help with lab work, and W. Rösler and H. Schulz for help with core sampling. Financial support was provided by the German Research Foundation (# FR2544/13-1 to O. Friedrich) and the University of Liege under Special Funds for Research, IPD-STEMA Program (R.DIVE.0899-JF-G to Y. Lu).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Development of paleoseismic trench logging and dating techniques: a case study on the Central North Anatolian Fault

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is a dextral strike slip fault zone extending ~1400km in an arc across northern Turkey. This study seeks to further constrain the timing of ground rupturing earthquakes of the NAF while developing the techniques used in paleoseismology. A paleoseismic trench was opened ~2.7km NW of Destek on a segment which ruptured (for ~280km) in the 1943 Tosya Earthquake (Mw:7.7). The trench site comprises a pop-up structure formed by a small releasing step-over at a restraining bend which has caused progressive growth of an upslope facing scarp. The trench is situated across the main fault trace and a trapped sedimentary sequence that includes several paleosoils. The stratigraphy is expected to be Late Holocene and historic in age due to the high level of activity on the NAF, although this has yet to be confirmed by radiometric dating. Preliminary interpretation of the trench stratigraphy indicates a record of up to 6 paleoearthquake events, the presence of an angular unconformity suggests the record may be incomplete beyond the 3 most recent events on this strand.Subtle contrasts in stratigraphy made conventional face logging difficult and was therefore augmented by mapping the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of the west wall. Approximately 6000 measurements were made using a Bartington MS2 Magnetic Susceptibility Meter with a MS2E (point) Sensor with a 5cm vertical spacing and a 20cm horizontal spacing predominantly on one side of the trench. A pilot test led to development of a strategy of moving the sensor to the nearest exposure of coarse sand or finer grained material where possible to minimize the noise generated by individual clasts. To negate the sensitivity of the MS logging method to variations in temperature the survey was conducted at night. Plotted data clearly shows the contact between rock units, the rock-soil interface (reflecting fault juxtaposition), anthropogenic influence and some soil stratigraphy. Other paleoseismic investigations on this section of the NAF (Hartleb R. et al 2003 and Yoshioka T. et al 2000) have encountered out-of-stratigraphic-order ranges in 14C ages. They attributed this to reworking, in addition to which the effects of long term human occupation are likely to be similar. The trench yielded a large amount of datable material including 158 charcoal and 140 minute gastropod samples, and some ceramic, bone and slag samples. Unlike charcoal and bone fragments, fragile minute gastropods are unlikely to have been transported, reworked or used by humans, ultimately providing improved accuracy of temporal constraints on paleoearthquakes. Using both charcoal and gastropod samples, the trench chronology can be established and the use of minute gastropods for dating paleoearthquakes can be critiqued

Orbital- and Millennial-Scale Changes in Lake-Levels Facilitate Earthquake-Triggered Mass Failures in the Dead Sea Basin

Acknowledgments The authors appreciate the editor L. Flesch for handling our manuscript, Ed Pope and Sebastian Cardona for constructive reviews. This research was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): M 2817 to Y. Lu and P30285-N34 to J. Moernaut, the University of Liege under Special Funds for Research, IPD-STEMA Program (R.DIVE.0899-J-F-G to Y. Lu), the Israel Science Foundation (#1645/19 to S. Marco and #1093/10 to R. Bookman), and the ICDP. A.A. is indebted to the Helmholtz Virtual Institute DESERVE for support. The authors thank C. Daxer for help modeling the Kernel Density and Nadav Wetzler for discussion.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Three years pilot of spinal muscular atrophy newborn screening turned into official program in Southern Belgium

Motor neuron disease; Population screeningMalaltia de la neurona motora; Cribratge de poblacióEnfermedad de la neurona motora; Cribado de poblaciónThree new therapies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency since 2016. Although these new therapies improve the quality of life of patients who are symptomatic at first treatment, administration before the onset of symptoms is significantly more effective. As a consequence, newborn screening programs have been initiated in several countries. In 2018, we launched a 3-year pilot program to screen newborns for SMA in the Belgian region of Liège. This program was rapidly expanding to all of Southern Belgium, a region of approximately 55,000 births annually. During the pilot program, 136,339 neonates were tested for deletion of exon 7 of SMN1, the most common cause of SMA. Nine SMA cases with homozygous deletion were identified through this screen. Another patient was identified after presenting with symptoms and was shown to be heterozygous for the SMN1 exon 7 deletion and a point mutation on the opposite allele. These ten patients were treated. The pilot program has now successfully transitioned into the official neonatal screening program in Southern Belgium. The lessons learned during implementation of this pilot program are reported.This pilot study is supported by AveXis, Biogen, Roche, the ABMM (Association Belge contre les Maladies neuro-Musculaires), Minister's Office Alda GREOLI (Wallonia-Brussels Community) and donations from individuals

A New Approach to Constrain the Seismic Origin for Prehistoric Turbidites as Applied to the Dead Sea Basin

Acknowledgments The authors appreciate the editor Lucy Flesch for handling our manuscript, Stefano Vitale and Alina Polonia for constructive reviews. This research was supported by the University of Liege under Special Funds for Research, IPD‐STEMA Program (R.DIVE.0899‐J‐F‐G to Y. Lu), Austrian Science Fund (FWF: M 2817 to Y. Lu), the DESERVE Virtual Institute of the Helmholtz Association (to A. Agnon), the Israel Science Foundation (#1093/10 to R.Bookman and #1645/19 to S.Marco), and the ICDP.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Indonesian earthquake: Earthquake risk from co-seismic stress.

Following the massive loss of life caused by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake in Indonesia and its tsunami, the possibility of a triggered earthquake on the contiguous Sunda trench subduction zone is a real concern. We have calculated the distributions of co-seismic stress on this zone, as well as on the neighbouring, vertical strike-slip Sumatra fault, and find an increase in stress on both structures that significantly boosts the already considerable earthquake hazard posed by them. In particular, the increased potential for a large subduction-zone event in this region, with the concomitant risk of another tsunami, makes the need for a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean all the more urgent.John McCloskey, Suleyman S.Nalbant, Sandy Steac

Radionuclide profiles and recent earthquakes history of Lake Hazar Pull-apart basin (East Anatolian Fault, Turkey)

In Turkey, the continuous Pull-apart sediment records constitute powerful chronometers for tracking environmental perturbations such as earthquakes. In South-east Turkey, the East Anatolian Fault (EAF) is a major strike-slip fault along which large earthquakes (Ms > 7) occurred in the 19e century. According to chronicles, the seismicity of this area has been minimal for most of the last century; the latest surface rupturing earthquakes may be the Ms = 7.1 in AD 1874 and the Ms = 6.7 in AD 1875. The EAF consists of two large surface rupturing segments interrupted by a pull-apart basin at Lake Hazar (the Sincik/Lake Hazar and the Lake Hazar/Palu segments). In this geological context, the present project seeks to assess: 1) the recent sedimentation rates of Lake Hazar main Pull-apart system located on the EAF; 2) the occurrence of recent past earthquakes along the EAF. For these purposes, we use a diverse array of complementary techniques involving sediment coring, and radionuclide profiles of sediment cores. Here, we present the first results obtained within the framework of a EU-project focusing on the “seismic cycles” in Turkey (“Understanding the irregularity of seismic cycles: A case study in Turkey”). We present 210Pb and 137 Cs age models obtained from a series of short sediment cores. The radionuclide profiles are utilized for both, annual sediment rates estimates, and for tracking the historic earthquakes. The correlation between several cores and the comparison between radionuclide profiles and preliminary sedimentological data shows that sedimentary structures induced by the last AD 1874 and 1875 earthquakes can be detected by ultra-high resolution X-ray radiographies. However, our results show the presence of an additional hypothetic event in the early 20e century. These first results will be further utilized for tracking past earthquakes in longer Lake Hazar sediment time series

The Red Sea, Coastal Landscapes, and Hominin Dispersals

This chapter provides a critical assessment of environment, landscape and resources in the Red Sea region over the past five million years in relation to archaeological evidence of hominin settlement, and of current hypotheses about the role of the region as a pathway or obstacle to population dispersals between Africa and Asia and the possible significance of coastal colonization. The discussion assesses the impact of factors such as topography and the distribution of resources on land and on the seacoast, taking account of geographical variation and changes in geology, sea levels and palaeoclimate. The merits of northern and southern routes of movement at either end of the Red Sea are compared. All the evidence indicates that there has been no land connection at the southern end since the beginning of the Pliocene period, but that short sea crossings would have been possible at lowest sea-level stands with little or no technical aids. More important than the possibilities of crossing the southern channel is the nature of the resources available in the adjacent coastal zones. There were many climatic episodes wetter than today, and during these periods water draining from the Arabian escarpment provided productive conditions for large mammals and human populations in coastal regions and eastwards into the desert. During drier episodes the coastal region would have provided important refugia both in upland areas and on the emerged shelves exposed by lowered sea level, especially in the southern sector and on both sides of the Red Sea. Marine resources may have offered an added advantage in coastal areas, but evidence for their exploitation is very limited, and their role has been over-exaggerated in hypotheses of coastal colonization