Mitigating Carbon Emissions while Advancing National DevelopmentPriorities: The Case of Mexico

We analyze and integrate energy andforestry carbon mitigation scenarios for Mexicobetween the year 1994 and 2010. The energy optionsrange from efficient end-use technologies to renewabletechnologies for electricity generation. Forestryoptions include avoiding deforestation through themanagement of native forests, and two afforestationoptions: restoration plantations and agroforestrysystems. The methodology utilized to evaluatedifferent energy and forestry scenarios is based on a`bottom up' model. In the year 2010, total carbonemissions will reach 879 Tg of CO₂, of which 83%comes from energy consumption. The total carbonmitigation potential reaches 348 Tg of CO₂ by2010, 62% of which comes from forestry options.Mitigation costs range from $–45.9/ton CO₂ to$106.4/ton CO₂. Several options, particularlyconcerning energy technologies, are cost effectivefrom a national perspective. In each sector, differentbarriers can hinder the implementation of mitigationalternatives.     

Feeding ecology and ontogenic diet shifts of juvenile fish species in an inverse estuary: The Sine-Saloum,Senegal

We examined the diet of juvenile fish of four species – Eucinostomus melanopterus (Gerreidae), Ethmalosa fimbriata (Clupeidae), Monodactylus sebae (Monodactylidae), and Sarotherodon melanotheron (Cichlidae) – between their appearance on the nursery ground and the end of the recruitment season, when they began to shift to deeper parts of the estuary. Fish were collected from the Sine-Saloum, an inverse estuary in Senegal, West Africa. Sampling was conducted at six sites located along the salinity gradient. The study was conducted in the context of an inverse estuary where increasing salinity leads to the disappearance of mangroves.     

Composition, age, and origin of the ~620?Ma Humr Akarim and Humrat Mukbid A-type granites: no evidence for pre-Neoproterozoic basement in the Eastern Desert, Egypt

The Humr Akarim and Humrat Mukbid plutons, in the central Eastern Desert of Egypt, are late Neoproterozoic post-collisional alkaline A-type granites. Humr Akarim and Humrat Mukbid plutonic rocks consist of subsolvus alkali granites and a subordinate roof facies of albite granite, which hosts greisen and Sn–Mo-mineralized quartz veins; textural and field evidence strongly suggest the presence of late magmatic F-rich fluids. The granites are Si-alkali rich, Mg–Ca–Ti poor with high Rb/Sr (20–123), and low K/Rb (27–65). They are enriched in high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, Y, U, Th) and heavy rare earth elements (La _n /Yb _n ?=?0.27–0.95) and exhibit significant tetrad effects in REE patterns. These geochemical attributes indicate that granite trace element distribution was controlled by crystal fractionation as well as interaction with fluorine-rich magmatic fluids. U–Pb SHRIMP zircon dating indicates an age of ~630–620?Ma but with abundant evidence that zircons were affected by late corrosive fluids (e.g., discordance, high common Pb). εNd at 620?Ma ranges from +3.4 to +6.8 (mean?=?+5.0) for Humr Akarim granitic rocks and from +4.8 to +7.5 (mean?=?+5.8) for Humrat Mukbid granitic rocks. Some slightly older zircons (~740?Ma, 703?Ma) may have been inherited from older granites in the region. Our U–Pb zircon data and Nd isotope results indicate a juvenile magma source of Neoproterozoic age like that responsible for forming most other ANS crust and refute previous conclusions that pre-Neoproterozoic continental crust was involved in the generation of the studied granites.     

Radiological hazard assessment for building materials incorporating phosphogypsum made using Eshidiya mine rock in Jordan

The mean activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K in Eshidiya phosphogypsum samples were measured as 351.4 ± 23.4, 3.8 ± 0.3, and 120.7 ± 8.3 Bq kg^?1, respectively. The results show that the mean values of activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K are in the lower range of typical values reported for phosphogypsum samples collected worldwide. Radiological hazard indices such as the radium-equivalent activity (Ra_eq), the gamma index (I _γ ) alpha index (I _α ), the absorbed gamma dose rate (D _in), and the corresponding annual effective dose (E _in) were assessed for building materials for dwellings. The results of assessment exhibit that all phosphogypsum samples are higher than the recommended safe limit for building materials for dwellings, except for the radium-equivalent activity (Ra_eq). Overall assessment, it can be concluded that the possibility of using Eshidiya phosphogypsum in building materials in proportions lower than 100 % will be safe. The mixture of phosphogypsum with normal gypsum can dilute the concentrations of natural radionuclides allowing the use of the mixed building materials to be safe from a radiological point of view.     

Application of the Linkam TS1400XY heating stage to melt inclusion studies

Melt inclusions (MI) trapped in igneous phenocrysts provide one of the best tools available for characterizing magmatic processes. Some MI experience post-entrapment modifications, including crystallization of material on the walls, formation of a vapor bubble containing volatiles originally dissolved in the melt, or partial to complete crystallization of the melt. In these cases, laboratory heating may be necessary to return the MI to its original homogeneous melt state, followed by rapid quenching of the melt to produce a homogeneous glass phase, before microanalyses can be undertaken. Here we describe a series of heating experiments that have been performed on crystallized MI hosted in olivine, clinopyroxene and quartz phenocrysts, using the Linkam TS1400XY microscope heating stage. During the experiments, we have recorded the melting behaviors of the MI up to a maximum temperature of 1360°C. In most of the experiments, the MI were homogenized completely (without crystals or bubbles) and remained homogeneous during quenching to room temperature. The resulting single phase MI contained a homogeneous glass phase. These tests demonstrate the applicability of the Linkam TS1400XY microscope heating stage to homogenize and quench MI to produce homogeneous glasses that can be analyzed with various techniques such as Electron Microprobe (EMP), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), Laser ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA ICP-MS), Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, etc. During heating experiments, the optical quality varied greatly between samples and was a function of not only the temperature of observation, but also on the amount of matrix glass attached to the phenocryst, the presence of other MI in the sample which are connected to the outside of the crystal, and the existence of mineral inclusions in the host.     

3D visualizing of volumetric surface movement at karstic limestone area

Limestone bedrock topography has complex phenomena and highly relief subsurface topography due to the presence of karstic features. Geotechnical and environmental problems arise whenever foundations are established on the surface of the limestone bedrock or within the overburden soils. Geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing are emerging as powerful techniques widely applicable in natural resources management to detect land use changes and devise strategies based on these changes. The study focuses on using aerial photography for the detection of changes and effects of mining on geomorphology, especially the use of sequential images that allows to detect changes taken place from time to time, by using. Volumetric Surface Movement Spatiotemporal Data Model (VSMSDM) application has been employed to create karst terrain surface movements and visualized 3D information in the Virtual Geographical Information Systems (VGIS). VSMSDM application was implemented by developing prototype of visualization system using with integrated time in the TIN structure. The data have been collected from aerial photography in 1981 and 2004, and the results displayed that the proposed data model is able to view the changing in karst topography to detect significant landscapes and landforms changes.     

Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope Observations of Wolf–Rayet Dwarf Galaxy Mrk 996

The Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) is a 1.3 meter aperture optical telescope, recently installed at Devasthal, Nainital. We present here the first results using an Hα filter with this telescope on a Wolf–Rayet dwarf galaxy Mrk 996. The instrumental response and the Hα sensitivity obtained with the telescope are (3.3 ± 0.3) × 10^???15 erg s^?1 cm^?2/counts s^?1 and 7.5 × 10^???17 erg s^?1 cm^?2 arcsec^?2 respectively. The Hα flux and the equivalent width for Mrk 996 are estimated as (132 ± 37) × 10^?14 erg s^?1 cm^?2 and ～96 Å respectively. The star formation rate is estimated as 0.4 ± 0.1M _⊙ yr^?1. Mrk 996 deviates from the radio-FIR correlation known for normal star forming galaxies with a deficiency in its radio continuum. The ionized gas as traced by Hα emission is found in a disk shape which is misaligned with respect to the old stellar disk. This misalignment is indicative of a recent tidal interaction in the galaxy. We believe that galaxy–galaxy tidal interaction is the main cause of the WR phase in Mrk 996.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping using certainty factor, index of entropy and logistic regression models in GIS and their comparison at Mugling�CNarayanghat road section in Nepal Himalaya

Landslide susceptibility maps are vital for disaster management and for planning development activities in the mountainous country like Nepal. In the present study, landslide susceptibility assessment of Mugling?CNarayanghat road and its surrounding area is made using bivariate (certainty factor and index of entropy) and multivariate (logistic regression) models. At first, a landslide inventory map was prepared using earlier reports and aerial photographs as well as by carrying out field survey. As a result, 321 landslides were mapped and out of which 241 (75?%) were randomly selected for building landslide susceptibility models, while the remaining 80 (25?%) were used for validating the models. The effectiveness of landslide susceptibility assessment using GIS and statistics is based on appropriate selection of the factors which play a dominant role in slope stability. In this case study, the following landslide conditioning factors were evaluated: slope gradient; slope aspect; altitude; plan curvature; lithology; land use; distance from faults, rivers and roads; topographic wetness index; stream power index; and sediment transport index. These factors were prepared from topographic map, drainage map, road map, and the geological map. Finally, the validation of landslide susceptibility map was carried out using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The ROC plot estimation results showed that the susceptibility map using index of entropy model with AUC value of 0.9016 has highest prediction accuracy of 90.16?%. Similarly, the susceptibility maps produced using logistic regression model and certainty factor model showed 86.29 and 83.57?% of prediction accuracy, respectively. Furthermore, the ROC plot showed that the success rate of all the three models performed more than 80?% accuracy (i.e. 89.15?% for IOE model, 89.10?% for LR model and 87.21?% for CF model). Hence, it is concluded that all the models employed in this study showed reasonably good accuracy in predicting the landslide susceptibility of Mugling?CNarayanghat road section. These landslide susceptibility maps can be used for preliminary land use planning and hazard mitigation purpose.     

Natural and anthropogenic heavy metals in estuarine cohesive sediments: geochemistry and bioavailability

The geochemistry, mineralogy, and grain size distribution of several estuarine cohesive sediment samples from potentially human-influenced areas without such an influence were analyzed to determine the natural heavy metal content and evaluate its impact on the Bahía Blanca estuarine environment. The data were compared with different ranges of concentrations for heavy metals in marine sediments established by the NOAA Screening Quick Reference Tables in which values range from background levels to those considered toxic to the marine environment. Our total heavy metal contents were below the established hazardous levels in all the analyzed samples, even though the potentially human-influenced areas (harbors, industry, urban spread) showed the highest total concentration values as well as greater percentages of bioavailable compounds. This would imply a low and not extensive anthropogenic input into the environment. The relatively high proportions in which Cd, Pb, and Cr appear as bioavailable compounds at some sites not influenced by human activity suggest the presence of a natural source for these elements. This could be attributed to the weathering of naturally occurring volcanic minerals, indicating that special care must be taken when monitoring of sediment for anthropogenic activity is carried out within this environment. According to the results obtained, and in order to minimize the environmental impact caused by periodic water injection dredging, relocation of sewage outfalls from vessel mooring areas into open waters is strongly recommended.     

The relevance of energy damping in unreinforced masonry rocking mechanisms. Experimental and analytic investigations

Existing unreinforced masonry buildings frequently suffer out-of-plane local collapse mechanisms when undergoing earthquake ground motion. The energy damping that occurs during the motion, due to impacts of a wall against the foundation or against other walls, is a relevant parameter on the response. An experimental investigation has been carried out to estimate the dissipation of kinetic energy that takes place during free oscillations. Restraint conditions allow for two-sided rocking (wall resting on a foundation) and one-sided rocking (wall resting on a foundation adjacent to transverse walls). Five specimens have been tested, modelling walls acted out-of-plane (fa?ades). When one-sided rocking is under consideration, different depths of the contact surface between fa?ade and transverse walls are considered. In the case of two-sided rocking, the experimental coefficient of restitution is slightly lower than the analytic coefficient. In the case of one-sided rocking, an analytic formulation is proposed and this is compared against experimental data. Although the coefficient of restitution of one-sided rocking is less than half that of two-sided rocking, it is not equal to zero. Thus, it cannot induce a sudden stop of the motion. Hence, nonlinear time history analyses performed under this assumption may prove unsafe. Moreover, a comparison has been carried out between overturning maps, induced by twenty natural accelerograms, computed for the analytic coefficient of restitution and those computed for the experimental coefficient of restitution. The increased energy dissipation reduces the frequency of overturning and causes a more regular behaviour.