Local traditions as a means for commercial production of historical beers: The case of Vossaøl,Norway

The aim of the article is to analyse challenges facing the commercial production of historical beers, which are ‘extinct’ beers. The concept of ‘fictive terroir’ is introduced to emphasize these challenges. The author addresses the following questions: What kind of knowledge is needed to produce historical beers? How can this knowledge be acquired? How can it be used commercially in craft breweries? The studied case is Vossaøl, a craft beer imitation of a beer produced in the early 19th century. The data were obtained from written sources and interviews with local home brewers and brewers at Voss Brewery in Norway. The study revealed the need to reconstruct the terroir in the early 19th century. Additionally, Voss Brewery had to acquire knowledge about how to process and combine the ingredients, which included the traditional yeast (kveik). Involving traditional home brewers was crucial to determine how ingredients could be combined to produce Vossaøl. The author concludes that a synthetic knowledge base was a useful point of departure in this respect. Participation in the traditional culture of brewing proved an important means when working with this knowledge base. The results are interesting in the broader context of the reconstruction of beverages and food.     

A structural model for the seismicity of the Arudy (1980) epicentral area (Western Pyrenees, France)

The Western Pyrenees presents a diffuse and moderate ( M ≤ 5.7) instrumental seismicity. It nevertheless historically suffered from strong earthquakes (I = IX MSK). The seismic sources of these events are not yet clearly identified. We focus on the Arudy (1980) epicentral area ( M = 5.1) and propose here the reactivation of early Cretaceous normal faults of the Iberian margin as a potential source. The late Cretaceous inversion of this basin, first in a left-lateral strike-slip mode and then in a more frontal convergence, resulted in a pop-up geometry. This flower structure attests of the presence of a deep crustal discontinuity.
The present-day geodynamic arrangement suggests that this accident is reactivated in a right lateral mode. This reactivation leads to a strain partitioning between the deep discontinuity that accommodates the lateral component of the motion and shallow thrusts, rooted on this discontinuity. These thrusts accommodate the shortening component of the strain. The distribution of the instrumental seismicity fits well the structural model of the Arudy basin. Whatever the compressive regional context, the structural behaviour of the system explains too the extensive stress tensor determined for the Arudy crisis if we interpret it in terms of strain ellipsoid. Indeed numerical modelling has shown that this concomitant activity of strike-slip and thrust faulting results in an extensive component that can rise 50 per cent of the finite strain.
We identify too a 25–30 km long potential seismic source for the Arudy area. The size of the structure and its potential reactivation in a strike-slip mode suggest that a maximum earthquake magnitude of ∼6.5 could be expected. The extrapolation of this model at the scale of the Western Pyrenees allows to propose other potential sources for major regional historical earthquakes.     

Determination of the original shape of pulsations from their spectra

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine einfache auf der Symmetrie der Grundformeln der Fourierschen Transformation gegründete Methode, wie von den Spektralfunktionen zur ursprünglichen Pulsationsform zu gelangen, beschrieben. Mit dieser Methode wird die durchschnittliche Form der Pi2-Pulsationen konstruiert. Diese idealisierte Pulsation hat dieselben Eigenschaften wie ein statistisches Ensemble von Pulsationen. Der wirkliche Verlauf der Intensit?t des magnetischen Feldes bei Pi2-Pulsationen wird durch die Methode aus den Induktionsregistrierungen abgeleitet. Die berechnete Kurve zeigt starke Korrelation mit der direkten Registrierung der Intensit?t des magnetischen Feldes.

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Address: Boční II, Praha 4-Spořilov.     

Méthode de comparaison des régimes pluviaux en météorologie synoptique

Résumé On développe une méthode basée sur le dénombrement des jours de pluite communs à deux stations données et sur l'écart avec leur probabilité. Une formule simple définit l'indice de similitude de deux régimes pluviaux, indice qui peut varier de –1 à +1 et qui caractérise la plus ou moins grande similitude des distributions chronologiques de la pluie en deux endroits quelconques. L'application de la méthode conduit à établir une loi de décroissance de l'indice avec la distance séparant les stations comparées. Dans la région alpine cette loi présente une anomalie résultant de l'effet orographique.

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Summary A method of obtaining a synoptic view of the distribution of precipitation (rain- and snowfall) is developed. It is based on the number of days on which precipitation occurs at both of two places more or less distant from each other. A mathematical definition is given of an index of similarity, which latter varies between –1 and +1. These, limiting, figures signify in the case of –1 that precipitation is least likely to occur on any one day at both of two different places, in the case of +1 that it is most likely to occur, and that when the index of similarity is 0 no relation at all can be established for the likelihood of precipitation at both places on the same day. The index shows a sharp decline as the distance between places increases. In general it shows less relationship in regard to the simultaneous occurrence of rain-and snowfall between places lying on opposite sides of the Alps than between places on the same side, showing once more how the Alps act as a weather partition. The results, based on observations at 9 places in Switzerland and 8 in other European countries, are valid for the Temperate Zone; for other climatic regions they may be different.

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Zusammenfassung Von der Anzahl der gleichzeitigen Niederschlagstage an zwei Beobachtungsstationen und von der Abweichung ihrer Wahrscheinlichkeit ausgehend, wird eine Methode zum Vergleiche der Niederschlagstypen im synoptischen Sinne entwickelt. Der sogenannte Ähnlichkeitsindex, der zwischen –1 und +1 variieren kann, wird mathematisch definiert. Je nach dem Wert desselben ist die zeitliche Verteilung der Niederschlagstage an zwei Orten gleich (+1), indifferent (0) oder entgegengesetzt (–1). Bei der Anwendung der Methode tritt eine gesetzmäßige Abnahme des Index mit der Entfernung auf. Ein entgegengesetztes Verhalten des Ähnlichkeitsindex beiderseits der Alpen veranschaulicht die Rolle, welche die Alpen bekanntlich als Wetterscheide spielen.

     

Light-Time Effect in the Eclipsing Binaries GO Cyg, GW Cep, AR Aur and V505 Sgr

Orbital period changes of the eclipsing binaries GO Cyg and GW Cep are explained by the light-time effect for the first time. New minima of the eclipsing binary AR Aur improve the predicted light-time orbit. The light-time orbit with the quadratic ephemeris of the binary matches the new observations of V505 Sgr better than the linear one. As the light-time effect fits in corresponding O − C diagrams of all four systems have been reaching extreme values, the observations of minima times in forthcoming years are highly desirable.     

Spectral analysis of oscillations with a time-variable frequency

Summary The paper presents a method of evaluating oscillations with a time-variable frequency using a computer. The given function is first interpolated at points which are not distributed equidistantly in time, but the digitizing step varies with time according to a known optional regularity. The spectrum of the obtained function is computed for various of these interpolations and tests are run to determine when the interpolation best compensates the time variation of the frequency. The initial and terminal frequency in the given sample is then determined. The usability of this method with respect to various types of oscillations with a variable frequency and its accuracy in comparison to sonagrams are discussed.     

Fine resolution 3D temperature fields off Kerguelen from instrumented penguins

The use of diving animals as autonomous vectors of oceanographic instruments is rapidly increasing, because this approach yields cost-efficient new information and can be used in previously poorly sampled areas. However, methods for analyzing the collected data are still under development. In particular, difficulties may arise from the heterogeneous data distribution linked to animals’ behavior. Here we show how raw temperature data collected by penguin-borne loggers were transformed to a regular gridded dataset that provided new information on the local circulation off Kerguelen. A total of 16 king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) were equipped with satellite-positioning transmitters and with temperature–time–depth recorders (TTDRs) to record dive depth and sea temperature. The penguins’ foraging trips recorded during five summers ranged from 140 to 600 km from the colony and 11,000 dives >100 m were recorded. Temperature measurements recorded during diving were used to produce detailed 3D temperature fields of the area (0–200 m). The data treatment included dive location, determination of the vertical profile for each dive, averaging and gridding of those profiles onto 0.1°×0.1° cells, and optimal interpolation in both the horizontal and vertical using an objective analysis. Horizontal fields of temperature at the surface and 100 m are presented, as well as a vertical section along the main foraging direction of the penguins. Compared to conventional temperature databases (Levitus World Ocean Atlas and historical stations available in the area), the 3D temperature fields collected from penguins are extremely finely resolved, by one order finer. Although TTDRs were less accurate than conventional instruments, such a high spatial resolution of penguin-derived data provided unprecedented detailed information on the upper level circulation pattern east of Kerguelen, as well as the iron-enrichment mechanism leading to a high primary production over the Kerguelen Plateau.     

GETEMME—a mission to explore the Martian satellites and the fundamentals of solar system physics

GETEMME (Gravity, Einstein??s Theory, and Exploration of the Martian Moons?? Environment), a mission which is being proposed in ESA??s Cosmic Vision program, shall be launched for Mars on a Soyuz Fregat in 2020. The spacecraft will initially rendezvous with Phobos and Deimos in order to carry out a comprehensive mapping and characterization of the two satellites and to deploy passive Laser retro-reflectors on their surfaces. In the second stage of the mission, the spacecraft will be transferred into a lower 1500-km Mars orbit, to carry out routine Laser range measurements to the reflectors on Phobos and Deimos. Also, asynchronous two-way Laser ranging measurements between the spacecraft and stations of the ILRS (International Laser Ranging Service) on Earth are foreseen. An onboard accelerometer will ensure a high accuracy for the spacecraft orbit determination. The inversion of all range and accelerometer data will allow us to determine or improve dramatically on a host of dynamic parameters of the Martian satellite system. From the complex motion and rotation of Phobos and Deimos we will obtain clues on internal structures and the origins of the satellites. Also, crucial data on the time-varying gravity field of Mars related to climate variation and internal structure will be obtained. Ranging measurements will also be essential to improve on several parameters in fundamental physics, such as the Post-Newtonian parameter ?? as well as time-rate changes of the gravitational constant and the Lense-Thirring effect. Measurements by GETEMME will firmly embed Mars and its satellites into the Solar System reference frame.