Subsidence related to multiple natural and human-induced processes affects an increasing number of areas worldwide. Although this phenomenon may involve surface deformation with 3D displacement ...components, negative vertical movement, either progressive or episodic, tends to dominate. Over the last decades, differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) has become a very useful remote sensing tool for accurately measuring the spatial and temporal evolution of surface displacements over broad areas. This work discusses the main advantages and limitations of addressing active subsidence phenomena by means of DInSAR techniques from an end-user point of view. Special attention is paid to the spatial and temporal resolution, the precision of the measurements, and the usefulness of the data. The presented analysis is focused on DInSAR results exploitation of various ground subsidence phenomena (groundwater withdrawal, soil compaction, mining subsidence, evaporite dissolution subsidence, and volcanic deformation) with different displacement patterns in a selection of subsidence areas in Spain. Finally, a cost comparative study is performed for the different techniques applied.
We present 81 near-infrared (NIR) spectra of 30 Type II supernovae (SNe II) from the Carnegie Supernova Project-II (CSP-II), the largest such data set published to date. We identify a number of NIR ...features and characterize their evolution over time. The NIR spectroscopic properties of SNe II fall into two distinct groups. This classification is first based on the strength of the He i λ1.083 m absorption during the plateau phase; SNe II are either significantly above (spectroscopically strong) or below 50 (spectroscopically weak) in pseudo equivalent width. However, between the two groups other properties, such as the timing of CO formation and the presence of Sr ii, are also observed. Most surprisingly, the distinct weak and strong NIR spectroscopic classes correspond to SNe II with slow and fast declining light curves, respectively. These two photometric groups match the modern nomenclature of SNe IIP, which show a long duration plateau, and IIL, which have a linear declining light curve. Including NIR spectra previously published, 18 out of 19 SNe II follow this slow declining-spectroscopically weak and fast declining-spectroscopically strong correspondence. This is in apparent contradiction to the recent findings in the optical that slow and fast decliners show a continuous distribution of properties. The weak SNe II show a high-velocity component of helium that may be caused by a thermal excitation from a reverse shock created by the outer ejecta interacting with the red supergiant wind, but the origin of the observed dichotomy is not understood. Further studies are crucial in determining whether the apparent differences in the NIR are due to distinct physical processes or a gap in the current data set.
The aim of this study was to analyzing the impact of germination time on the morphology, crystallinity, gelatinization and viscosity properties on the starch of Esmeralda and Perla barley variety. ...The two barley were germinated for 1 to 8 days, at 26 °C and 65% relative humidity. Micrographs showed the presence of pinholes and eroded surfaces. Starch in Esmeralda was hydrolyzed completely at 8 days of germination. Birefringence was reduced from day 4, losing molecular structuring of the crystalline area. Morphometric data: fractal dimension, area, perimeter, circularity, and roundness decreased significantly along germination time in both varieties. The entropy increased significantly, from 0.79 to 10.09 in Esmeralda and from 0.46 to 7.57 in Perla. Relative crystallinity decreased significantly in the Perla from 24.7% to 23.6%. Viscosity peaks were also significantly reduced, pasting temperature was constant in Esmeralda but in Perla was significantly reduced from 95.43 to 95.19 °C with germination, the gelatinization temperature increased significantly in the Esmeralda while in Perla it remained constant. Enthalpy decreased significantly to 75.8% and 37% in Esmeralda and Perla respectively. The study of germination impact on structural and physicochemical properties is important to identify the use of hydrolyzed starches in the food industry or others.
•Germination modifies the morphometric parameters of the starch granule in barley.•Esmeralda showed greater susceptibility to microstructural changes than the Perla.•Entropy increases and the malt cross is lost in germinated barley starch.•The crystallinity and gelatinization temperature change with the germination time.
Computation of inbreeding rate (ΔF) must consider that inbreeding is delayed with one generation with respect to the idealized population when addressed using individual inbreeding coefficients. The ...expression relating inbreeding in generation t with inbreeding rate Ft = 1 - (1-ΔF)t should be more correctly written in real animal populations as Ft = 1 - (1-ΔF)t⁻¹, as changes in allele frequencies occur in the equivalent co-ancestries in the previous generation. This simple approach is tested on simulated and real pedigrees thus demonstrating that: (i) the adjusted individual increase in inbreeding becomes stable in populations under random mating while the unadjusted parameter does not; (ii) regression of the unadjusted parameter over generations in pedigrees under random mating is highly significant while after correction it is not significant; and (iii) the variance of the adjusted parameter is reduced with the generations.
Addressing the improvement of the textile characteristics is currently required in natural color production of alpaca fiber. This study analyses the possibility of implementing a genetic improvement ...program aiming to reduce the fiber diameter and the percentage of medullation in natural colors under the incomplete definition of the natural colors of alpaca fiber. The study considers color determination analysis in three separate steps. The first step aimed at finding the values of lightness (L*), red/green axis (a*), yellow/blue axis (b*) of three-dimensional space of color and chroma (C*ab), tone (h*ab) and color difference (ΔE) with mathematical models for the description of the coat color. The second analysis is aimed at estimating genetic parameters of color traits and their correlation with fiber traits (fiber diameter, standard deviations and percentage of medullation – PM). The third step was to determine the potential selection criteria of breeding animals based on the parameters provided by a three-dimensional space values regarding the coat color assignment in alpacas. The colorimetric data were taken using a Chroma meter device analyzing 3 008 records from Huacaya type alpacas, collected between 2018 and 2019. In the first objective of the study, the color traits were subjected to a principal component analysis. The analysis of variance components and the estimation of genetic parameters were carried out using a restricted maximum likelihood procedure. The discriminant analysis was used for the correct assignment of the coat color. The principal component analysis results showed that the L*, a*, b*, h*ab and ΔE values can be grouped into two Principal Components (PC) to describe the color, where the L* value is mainly distributed in PC2, b* is distributed in PC1, while a* is distributed in both components. The heritabilities found were 0.144, 0.128, 0.151, 0.104 and 0.152 for L*, a*, b*, PC1 and PC2. The relevant genetic correlations were between L*-PM (−0.557) and b*-PM (−0.622). The discriminant analysis showed a high percentage of correct assignment in white (99.15%) and black (99.19%) coat colors for Huacaya type alpacas, while for the intermediate colors, the accuracy was lower. The three analyses showed that there is no pure natural color, but a range of color variation. It is better to use the values of the three-dimensional space and within them, the values of L* and b* are potential selection criteria to be included in a genetic improvement program.
We present OSIRIS/NAC observations of decimetre-sized, likely ice-containing aggregates ejected from a confined region on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The images were obtained in ...January 2016 when the comet was at 2 AU from the Sun out-bound from perihelion. We measure the acceleration of individual aggregates through a two-hour image series. Approximately 50% of the aggregates are accelerated away from the nucleus, and 50% towards it, and likewise towards either horizontal direction. The accelerations are up to one order of magnitude stronger than local gravity, and are most simply explained by the combined effect of gas drag accelerating all aggregates upwards, and the recoil force from asymmetric outgassing, either from rotating aggregates with randomly oriented spin axes and sufficient thermal inertia to shift the temperature maximum away from an aggregate's subsolar region, or from aggregates with variable ice content. At least 10% of the aggregates will escape the gravity field of the nucleus and feed the comet's debris trail, while others may fall back to the surface and contribute to the deposits covering parts of the northern hemisphere. The rocket force plays a crucial role in pushing these aggregates back towards the surface. Our observations show the future back fall material in the process of ejection, and provide the first direct measurement of the acceleration of aggregates in the innermost coma (<2km) of a comet, where gas drag is still significant.
We present a spectroscopic analysis of the most nearby Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN-I), SN 2018bsz. The photometric evolution of SN 2018bsz has several surprising features, including an ...unusual pre-peak plateau and evidence for rapid formation of dust ≳200 d post-peak. We show here that the spectroscopic and polarimetric properties of SN 2018bsz are also unique. While its spectroscopic evolution closely resembles SLSNe-I, with early O
II
absorption and C
II
P Cygni profiles followed by Ca, Mg, Fe, and other O features, a multi-component H
α
profile appearing at ∼30 d post-maximum is the most atypical. The H
α
is at first characterised by two emission components, one at ∼+3000 km s
−1
and a second at ∼ − 7500 km s
−1
, with a third, near-zero-velocity component appearing after a delay. The blue and central components can be described by Gaussian profiles of intermediate width (
FWHM
∼ 2000–6000 km s
−1
), but the red component is significantly broader (
FWHM
≳ 10 000 km s
−1
) and Lorentzian. The blue H
α
component evolves towards a lower-velocity offset before abruptly fading at ∼ + 100 d post-maximum brightness, concurrently with a light curve break. Multi-component profiles are observed in other hydrogen lines, including Pa
β
, and in lines of Ca
II
and He
I
. Spectropolarimetry obtained before (10.2 d) and after (38.4 d) the appearance of the H lines shows a large shift on the Stokes
Q
–
U
plane consistent with SN 2018bsz undergoing radical changes in its projected geometry. Assuming the supernova is almost unpolarised at 10.2 d, the continuum polarisation at 38.4 d reaches
P
∼ 1.8%, implying an aspherical configuration. We propose that the observed evolution of SN 2018bsz can be explained by highly aspherical, possibly disk-like, circumstellar material (CSM) with several emitting regions. After the supernova explosion, the CSM is quickly overtaken by the ejecta, but as the photosphere starts to recede, the different CSM regions re-emerge, producing the peculiar line profiles. Based on the first appearance of H
α
, we can constrain the distance of the CSM to be less than ∼6.5 × 10
15
cm (430 AU), or even lower (≲87 AU) if the pre-peak plateau is related to an eruption that created the CSM. The presence of CSM has been inferred previously for other SLSNe-I, both directly and indirectly. However, it is not clear whether the rare properties of SN 2018bsz can be generalised for SLSNe-I, for example in the context of pulsational pair instability, or whether they are the result of an uncommon evolutionary path, possibly involving a binary companion.
Context. The ESA Rosetta spacecraft, currently orbiting around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, has already provided in situ measurements of the dust grain properties from several ...instruments,particularly OSIRIS and GIADA. We propose adding value to those measurements by combining them with ground-based observations of the dust tail to monitor the overall, time-dependent dust-production rate and size distribution. Aims. To constrain the dust grain properties, we take Rosetta OSIRIS and GIADA results into account, and combine OSIRIS data during the approach phase (from late April to early June 2014) with a large data set of ground-based images that were acquired with the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) from February to November 2014. Methods. A Monte Carlo dust tail code, which has already been used to characterise the dust environments of several comets and active asteroids, has been applied to retrieve the dust parameters. Key properties of the grains (density, velocity, and size distribution) were obtained from Rosetta observations: these parameters were used as input of the code to considerably reduce the number of free parameters. In this way, the overall dust mass-loss rate and its dependence on the heliocentric distance could be obtained accurately. Results. The dust parameters derived from the inner coma measurements by OSIRIS and GIADA and from distant imaging using VLT data are consistent, except for the power index of the size-distribution function, which is α = −3, instead of α = −2, for grains smaller than 1 mm. This is possibly linked to the presence of fluffy aggregates in the coma. The onset of cometary activity occurs at approximately 4.3 AU, with a dust production rate of 0.5 kg/s, increasing up to 15 kg/s at 2.9 AU. This implies a dust-to-gas mass ratio varying between 3.8 and 6.5 for the best-fit model when combined with water-production rates from the MIRO experiment.
ABSTRACT
The division between stripped-envelope supernovae (SE-SNe) and superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) is not well-defined in either photometric or spectroscopic space. While a sharp luminosity ...threshold has been suggested, there remains an increasing number of transitional objects that reach this threshold without the spectroscopic signatures common to SLSNe. In this work, we present data and analysis on four SNe transitional between SE-SNe and SLSNe; the He-poor SNe 2019dwa and 2019cri, and the He-rich SNe 2019hge and 2019unb. Each object displays long-lived and variable photometric evolution with luminosities around the SLSN threshold of Mr < −19.8 mag. Spectroscopically however, these objects are similar to SE-SNe, with line velocities lower than either SE-SNe and SLSNe, and thus represent an interesting case of rare transitional events.