Rhinocerotid tooth enamel 18O/16O variability between 23 and 12 Ma in southwestern France

The relationship between the oxygen isotope ratio of mammal tooth enamel and that of drinking water was used to reconstruct changes in the Miocene oxygen isotope ratio of rainfall (meteoric water ${\delta }^{18}$O_MW). These, in turn, are related to climatic parameters (temperature, precipitation and evaporation rate). ${\delta }^{18}$O values of rhinocerotid teeth from the Aquitaine Basin (southwestern France) suggest a significant climatic change between 17 and 12 Ma, characterized by cooling together with precipitation increase, in agreement with other terrestrial and oceanic records. To cite this article: I. Bentaleb et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Possibilita' di applicazione dei metodi geoelettrici di prospezione alla registrazione dei movimenti del magma entro i condotti vulcanici

Riassunto Dopo avere accennato all'importanza della registrazione dei movimenti del magma nel condotto vulcanico ai fini scientifici, viene mostrata, attraverso alcune esperienze, la possibilità di una utile registrazione e che tale possibilità può raggiungersi più facilmente mediante l'impiego dei seguenti metodi usati nella prospezione del sottosuolo: metodo di Wenner, metodo della misura diretta della resistenza, metodo induttivo.

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Zusammenfassung Nach Hervorhebung der Wichtigkeit die Bewegungen des Magmas im innern eines Vulkans registrieren zu können, wird gezeigt, auf Grund einiger Experimente, wie diese Registrierung möglich ist und zwar durch die Anwendung der geoelektrischen Bodenforschungs-Verfahren, nähmlich: di Wenner-Methode, die Methode der direkten Widerstands-Messung, Induktions-Verfahren.

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Résumé Après avoir fait allusion à l'importance scientifique de l'enregistrement des mouvements du magna dans le conduit d'un volcan, on démontre, avec quelques expériences, la possibilité d'un enregistrement convenable qu'on peut obtenir d'ailleurs plus aisément en enployant une des méthodes suivantes utilisées dans la prospection du sous-sol: méthode de Wenner, méthode de la mésure directe de la résistance, méthode inductive.

     

Slope movements induced by rainfalls damaging an urban area: the Catanzaro case study (Calabria, southern Italy)

Calabria is one of the Italian regions mostly affected by mass movements. The case study of a densely populated neighborhood (Ianò) located in the central-western sector of Calabria is presented. The several landslides triggered in February 2010 caused heavy damages to the built area, infrastructures and productions of this neighborhood, and increased the risk for the inhabitants. The results obtained through field surveys, photo interpretation, analyses of rainfall data and of the urban fabric evolution, historical survey on the reports of the damages caused by landslides, have enabled to formulate hypotheses on the potential causes that triggered landslide events and produced severe consequences on the area. These results have revealed that almost all landslides of February 2010 are partial reactivations of pre-existing landslide deposits. Moreover, the analyses have indicated a critical role of cumulative rainfalls over an interval of 15 days. However, the severe damage framework is explained through an unplanned urbanization which took place across the years on an area characterized by a high level of instability per se. Some buildings have been erected in proximity of or within pre-existing landslide scarps; in other cases, buildings have been constructed even inside the landslide bodies.     

A brief review of Agenian rhinocerotids in Western Europe

The Agenian is the earliest Neogene European Land Mammal Age. It encompasses the mammalian zones MN1 (23.03–22.7 Ma) and MN2 (22.7–20.0 Ma) and roughly coincides with the Aquitanian standard age. Agenian mammalian assemblages from Western Europe encompass a mixture of rhinocerotid taxa of Oligocene affinities and of Miocene newcomers, mostly recorded in France, Germany, Switzerland, and to a lesser extent, Spain. Rhinocerotidae are documented by seven species referred to five genera (Pleuroceros pleuroceros, Protaceratherium minutum, Plesiaceratherium aquitanicum, Mesaceratherium paulhiacense, Diaceratherium lemanense, D. asphaltense, and D. aginense), further attesting to a low suprageneric diversity. Their systematics, morphology, ecology, stratigraphical and geographical ranges are detailed in the present article. Occurrences and geographical ranges of all seven rhinocerotid species are illustrated on palaeogeographical maps of the circum-Mediterranean region at 23 Ma (MN1) and 21 Ma (MN2). The richest Agenian localities (Paulhiac, MN1; Laugnac, MN2) record a specific diversity similar to that of Orleanian rhinocerotid assemblages, with up to five/six associated species. All Agenian rhinocerotid species from Western Europe are endemic to the concerned region, which is consistent with the complete geographic isolation of Western Europe by earliest Miocene times. However, all five genera are documented by twin species in coeval localities of South and Central Asia, which implies (1) vicariant speciation events by latest Oligocene times and (2) the existence of intermittent pathways for terrestrial megamammals such as rhinocerotids during the concerned interval.     

Application of a novel definitive screening design to decolorization of an azo dye on boron-doped diamond electrodes

The electrochemical decolorization of the Reactive Violet 5 azo dye on a boron-doped diamond anode was used as a model process to test a novel definitive screening design (DSD). This method allows a dramatic reduction in the number of experiments needed to investigate those systems characterized by a large number of variables. In this study, the effect of nine quantitative parameters was investigated: initial dye concentration (60–120 mg L^?1), current density (100–500 A m^?2), NaCl concentration (5–20 mM), Na₂SO₄ concentration (35–65 mM), pH (3–11), temperature (20–45 °C), inter-electrode distance (0.5–3.5 cm), stirring rate (250–750 rpm) and electrolysis time (2–8 min). Analysis of DSD data showed that four out of the nine factors (initial dye concentration, current density, pH and electrolysis time) were statistically significant. These factors were retained for process characterization using a subsequent central composite design. Overall, the number of experiments was reduced from over 500 to only 41, thus confirming the validity of the proposed approach as a time-saving and efficient method.     

A multi-site campaign on the long period variable subdwarf b star PG 1627+017

We report on the outcome of the first major multi-site campaign on a long-period variable subdwarf B star. The target PG 1627+017 was observed for a total of 334 h during April/May/June 2003 from the lynchpin observatory at Mt. Bigelow, Arizona, with important contributions coming from co-observations at SAAO, Calar Alto and Siding Spring. Preliminary analysis indicates the presence of 8–10 probable periods in the range ～4500 to ～8900 s with relative amplitudes between 0.1 and 0.5%;. The range over which the periods are found is in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions and the number of periods found shows potential for an in-depth asteroseismological analysis. Multi-colour observations show that the relative amplitudes of pulsation are larger in the U-band than in the R, which again is in agreement with theory. However, more multi-colour observations are needed to be able to make statements at the quantitative level.     

SPICES: spectro-polarimetric imaging and characterization of exoplanetary systems

SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image and characterize long-period extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks in the visible (450?C900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/2022, present and near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5?C10?AU) from nearby stars (<25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super Earths (??2 Earth radii, ??10 M_??) as well as circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System.     

The origin of the strong soft excess and puzzling iron line complex in Mkn 841

Mkn 841 has been observed during 3 different periods (January 2001, January 2005 and July 2005) by XMM‐Newton for a total cumulated exposure time of ∼108 ks. We present in this paper a broad band spectral analysis of the complete EPIC‐pn data sets. These observations confirm the presence of the strong soft excess and complex iron line profile known to be present in this source since a long time. They also reveal their extreme and puzzling spectral and temporal behaviors. Indeed, the 0.5–2 keV soft X‐ray flux decreases by a factor 3 between 2001 and 2005 and the line shape appears to be a mixed of broad and narrow components, both variable but on different timescales. The broad‐band 0.5–10 keV spectra are well described by a model including a primary power law continuum, a blurred photoionized reflection and a narrow iron line, the blurred reflection fitting self‐consistently the soft excess and the broad line component. The origin and nature of the narrow component is unclear. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)