A method of estimating the excess electron density in random irregularities embedded in the ionosphere

Summary Wave propagation through the ionospheric plasma containing irregularities has been studied. The excess electron number density due to the presence of irregularities has been calculated in a way which may be suitably used for practical purposes.     

On stresses and displacements due to a moving line load over the plane boundary of a heterogeneous elastic half-space

Summary The problem of concentrated line load moving with supersonic speed along the boundary of an isotropic heterogeneous medium has been solved as a plane strain problem. The stresses and displacements in the heterogeneous case considered are found to decay exponentially with distance.     

Rauhwacken und ihre Entstehung

This publication comprises the results of a detailed investigation of rauhwackes regarding both their stratigraphic/tectonic positions and their macroscopic/microscopic aspects. The conclusion drawn is that rauhwackes are carbonate breccias of tectonic origin, which usually suffered extensive recrystallization and calcitization. Moreover, these breccias became strongly weathered as a result of which they acquired a typical porous to cavernous appearance. Rauhwackes were formed by way of brecciation of carbonate rocks with a comparatively slight cohesion of their constituting grains; these rocks have been deposited in a saline environment. Rauhwackes may be divided into two main varieties:

1. monomict rauhwaekes, formed by fragmentation of only one type of rock (usually a sucrose dolostone), and
2. polymict rauhwackes, formed by fragmentation and mixing of two or more types of rock.

The typical boxwork rauhwackes represent a subtype of monomict rauhwackes. They originated from fractured dolostones and are extensively developed in only slightly tectonized regions, e. g. in the German Zechstein and Muschelkalk. Polymict rauhwackes represent intraformational crush-breccias which were formed by sliding (décollement) parallel to the bedding. Examination of polymict rauhwackes occurring in the metamorphic nappes of Tertiary orogenes may increase our knowledge about the relation existing between the tectonic evolution and Alpine metamorphism in these orogenes.     

Les deformations plio-quaternaires de l'afrique du Nord

Résumé L'Afrique du Nord franÇaise et notamment sa bordure littorale ont subi d'importantes déformations plio-quaternaires; l'auteur en précise les phases et les caractéristiques tectoniques.Les zones de plissement de cet âge doivent Être séparées des déformations à grand rayon de courbure. Les phénomènes géophysiques (tremblements de terre, isostasie) en relation avec ces déformations sont passés en revue. L'auteur place ces phénomènes à l'échelle de temps et d'espace dans l'évolution d'ensemble de l'Afrique du Nord, et discute le problème de la flexure continentale.     

Multi-scale remote sensing to support insurance policies in agriculture: from mid-term to instantaneous deductions

ABSTRACT

Climate change is today one of the biggest issues for farmers. The increasing number of natural disasters and change of seasonal trends is making insurance companies more interested in new technologies that can somehow support them in quantifying and mapping risks. Remotely sensed data, with special focus on free ones, can certainly provide the most of information they need, making possible to better calibrate insurance fees in space and time. In this work, a prototype of service based on free remotely sensed data is proposed with the aim of supporting insurance companies’ strategies. The service is thought to calibrate annual insurance rates, longing for their reduction at such level that new customers could be attracted. The study moves from the entire Piemonte region (NW Italy), to specifically focus onto the Cuneo province (Southern Piemonte), which is mainly devoted to agriculture. MODIS MOD13Q1-v6 and Sentinel-2 L2A image time series were jointly used. NDVI maps from MODIS data were useful to describe the midterm phenological trends of main crops at regional level in the period 2000–2018; differently, Sentinel-2 data permitted to map local crop differences at field level in 2016 and 2017 years. With reference to MODIS data, the average phenological behavior of main crop classes in the area, obtained from the CORINE Land Cover map Level 3, was considered using a time series decomposition approach. Trend analyses showed that the most of the crop classes alternated three phases (about 7 years) suggesting that, presently, this is probably the time horizon to be considered to tune mid-term algorithms for risk estimates in the agricultural context. Crop classes trends were consequently split into three phases and each of them modeled by a first-order polynomial function used to update correspondent insurance risk rate. Sentinel-2 data were used to map phenological anomalies at field level for the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons; shifts from class average behavior were considered to locally and temporarily tune insurance premium around its average trend as described at the previous step. Synthesizing, one can say that this approach, integrating MODIS and Sentnel-2 data, makes possible to locally and temporarily calibrate premiums of indexed insurance policies by describing the average trends of crop performance (NDVI) at regional level by MODIS data and refining it at field and specific crop level by Sentinel-2 data.     

Foraminiferal associations of the Mid-Tertiary Edegem Sands at Terhagen, Belgium

A factor-analytic approach (varimax rotated factors) was used in studying the benthonic foraminiferal associations of the Mid-Tertiary Edegem Sands at Terhagen (near Antwerpen) Belgium. The fauna can be described by two groups. The lower and upper part of the stratigraphic section are characterized by one group and the middle transitional part by a second group. The results can be correlated with the number of the planktonic forms and with the fossil richness of the sediment.     

Chains of type I stormbursts

From radio spectra between 160 and 320 MHz of chains of type I bursts it appears that their duration distributions allow an exponential fit, and that those of samples containing long and short chains respectively, taken from the same storm, have virtually the same characteristic time (logarithmic slope). On the average this figure decreases - as a function of the frequency - at about 1 s per 10 MHz. The high frequency cut-off of chain activity (noise storms) is mainly a consequence of the frequency dependence of the probability for the first burst of a chain to appear. Given the density of type I bursts in a chain, it is concluded that the probability of a type I burst to be followed by another one is at least 90% below 250 MHz and 70–80% at 300 MHz, which makes it essential for type I theories to include a mechanism to this effect. The drift rate distribution for chains is symmetrical with a peak at-10 MHz/s. The statistics is indicative of a correlation between drift rate and duration. No evidence has been found for the occurrence of chain pairs or frequency splitting in chains, nor for an association between chains and type III bursts.     

Gas-liquid phase transitions and critical point in hot white dwarf matter

We consider the gas-liquid first-order phase transitions and prove the existence of the critical point in white dwarf matter. The latent heat released in the liquefaction processes can be used in the interpretation of the spreading of the white dwarf sequence in H-R diagram. Some thermodynamic quantities, e.g., the saturation pressure, the latent heat, etc., are calculated along the gas-liquid coexistence curve, and their behaviour near critical point are studied.     

Superconducting critical field in cold magnetic white dwarfs and in neutron stars

For an evaluation of the superconducting critical fieldH _c as a function of the mass-density in the external layers of cold magnetic white dwarfs and in the superconducting proton fluid in neutron stars, we use the solution of a differential equation involvingH _c as a function of the pressure. The differential equation and its solution are obtained by pure thermodynamic way.Finally other thermodynamic quantities are calculated for the above superconducting astrophysical systems.