Description of two new Conidae subspecies, from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Two new Conidae subspecies, Nataliconus immelmani alanfraseri and Floraconus baeri desuntnotae from the Eastern area of South Africa are described.

POMOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME APRICOT VARIETIES GROWN IN THE NORTHEAST AREA OF ROMANIA

The aim of this paper was to evaluated of some apricot genotypes grown in the Romanian North Eastern area conditions. During 2016-2018 studies were done at seven apricot cultivars (‘Mamaia’, ‘Ovidiu’, ‘Fortuna’, ‘Amiral’, ‘Goldrich’, ‘Traian’ and ‘Dacia’) which were in the experimental plot at RSFG Iaşi, Romania. Number of days and sum of the active temperature from swelling buds (51 BBCH stage) to the beginning of blooming (61 BBCH stage), trunk section area of the tree and also fruit’s weight were evaluated. Fruit weight of ‘Dacia’ registered 89.3 g but at ‘Amiral’ were 75.3 g as average for three years, but statistically there were no significant differences from the average. Regarding the period from the swelling of buds to blooming, the shortest period was of 10 days for the ‘Dacia’ and ‘Traian’ and the longest period was 14 days for the ‘Ovidiu’. The sum of the active temperatures above the biological limit has varied according to the climatic conditions of the studied years from 103°C to the ’Dacia’ and ‘Traian’ to 136°C for the ‘Ovidiu’.

IDENTIFIKASI BENCANA BANJIR KELURAHAN TLOGOSARI KECAMATAN PEDURUNGAN KOTA SEMARANG

ABSTRAK Bencana banjir di Kota Semarang sudah tak asing lagi bagi masyarakat Semarang, khususnya pada wilayah timur Kota Semarang, bencana banjir di Kota Semarang disebabkan beberapa faktor antara lain curah hujan yang tinggi, permukaan tanah yang lebih rendah dibandingkan permukaan air laut, dan banyaknya sampah yang tersumbat pada saluran drainase. Bencana banjir yang disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor tersebut berdampak buruk bagi Kota Semarang khususnya pada Kelurahan Tlogosari, Kecamatan Pedurungan, dampak dari bencana banjir tersebut mengakibatkan kerusakan pada jalan, kemacetan, dan dapat menyebabkan penyakit pada lingkungan di wilayah deliniasi di Kelurahan Tlogosari, Kecamatan Pedurungan. Perlu adanya penanganan untuk mengatasi bencana banjir di wilayah deliniasi Kelurahan Tlogosari, Kecamatan Pedurungan, seperti upaya melakukan pembangunan sistem pengendali banjir dan pada sistem drainase, dan pembangunan sumur resapan air pada setiap permukiman, serta melakukan konservasi secara berkala untuk sungai maupun sistem drainase di wilayah deliniasi Kelurahan Tlogosari, Kecamatan Pedurungan. Kata Kunci : Identifikasi; Banjir; Tlogosari ABSTRACT The flood disaster in Semarang City is familiar to the people of Semarang, especially in the eastern area of Semarang City, the flood disaster in Semarang City is caused by several factors, including high rainfall, lower land surface than sea level, and the amount of clogged garbage. on the drainage channel. The flood disaster caused by several of these factors had a bad impact on the city of Semarang, especially in Tlogosari Village, Pedurungan District, the impact of the flood disaster caused damage to roads, congestion, and could cause disease in the environment in the delineation area in Tlogosari Village, Pedurungan District. There is a need for handling to overcome flood disasters in the delineation area of Tlogosari Village, Pedurungan District, such as efforts to build a flood control system and drainage system, and build water infiltration wells in each settlement, as well as carry out periodic conservation of rivers and drainage systems in the delineation area. Tlogosari Village, Pedurungan District.Keyword: Identification;Flood; Tlogosari

What Role Does Religion Have in Shaping Human Consumption?

Religious belief, as an informal social institution, has a significant impact on all aspects of human civilization. Previous literature has studied the effects of religious belief on economic growth, income, education, etc. Therefore, using the case of China as an example, this paper aims to investigate the effect of religious belief on human consumption. An empirical review of cross-sectional data from China’s 28 provinces reveals that religious belief has a detrimental impact on human consumption. Meanwhile, two-stage least squares and substituting the dependent variable (hc2) are employed to perform robustness tests. The new results also support the conclusion that religious belief negatively affects human consumption. In addition, this paper also discusses the heterogeneous effect of religious belief on human consumption in terms of geographical location, income level, and marketization degree. The results demonstrate the existence of the heterogeneous effect. Specifically, in the western area, low income level, and low marketization degree, religious belief negatively affects human consumption the most. On the contrary, in the eastern area, high income level, and high marketization degree, religious belief negatively affects human consumption the least.

Dating painted Panel E1 at Nawarla Gabarnmang, central-western Arnhem Land plateau

IntroductionThe southern Arnhem Land plateau contains a rich mosaic of thousands of rock art sites located in outcrops of Proterozoic Marlgowa Sandstone of the Kombolgie formation (Carson et al. 1999) (Figure 11.1). Within this region in Jawoyn Country can be found Nawarla Gabarnmang, an impressive rockshelter exhibiting a gridded network of pillars that supports a thick ceiling of 10 cm to 40 cm thick cross-beds of hard sandstone and quartzite (Figures 11.2 and 11.3; see also Chapter 10). The inter-layer joints and fissures between these compact and poorly soluble quartz-rich sandstones and quartzites have witnessed geologically slow dissolution of the bedrock, resulting in a hollowing out of the rock in a process known as ‘ghost rock’ formation or ‘phantomisation’ (Quinif 2010), a particular cave-forming process causing the regular gridshaped structure of underground cavities and pillars (for details of site formation processes, see Chapter 13).The remnant pillars supporting ceiling rock strata at Nawarla Gabarnmang are an anthropic cave structure (Delannoy et al. 2013; see Chapter 10): in addition to the slow geological dissolution of the rock along layer planes and fissure lines, people have also entirely or partially removed individual pillars, and possibly ceiling strata, over a period commencing sometime after the site was first occupied around 50,000 years ago (e.g. David et al. 2011, completed manuscript). What catches one’s attention at Nawarla Gabarnmang are the voids between the pillars, typically c. 1–2 m apart in the southwestern corner of the site, but more than 8 m apart in the central eastern portion. In that noticeably more open central-eastern area, a large, sub-horizontal and flat ceiling is supported by some 20 sparsely distributed pillars. Here, as in most other parts of the site, the floor of the sheltered area is generally flat and sub-horizontal, consisting of ashy sand with sparsely scattered, relatively small blocks of rock originating from the ceiling but not in their original fallen positions (these blocks have all, without exception, been moved by people). Within the fill across the site are rich archaeological deposits including stone artefacts, ochre pieces and animal bones, as revealed in the archaeological excavations (David et al. 2011; Geneste et al. 2012). What we see today in the shelter are the results of tens of thousands of years of human occupation, modification of rock surfaces and site use that express well the notion of ‘dwelling’ and ‘inhabitation’ (e.g. David et al. 2013, 2014; Delannoy et al. 2013; Geneste et al. 2010; cf. Ingold 2000; Thomas 2008).

Using artificial intelligence methods for shear travel time prediction: A case study of Facha member, Sirte basin, Libya

Shear wave travel time logs are major acoustic logs used for direct estimation of the mechanical properties of rocks. They are also important for prediction of critical drawdown pressure of the reservoir. However, core samples are sometimes not available for direct laboratory measurements, and the time-consuming dipole shear imager tool is generally not used. Hence, there is a need for simple indirect techniques that can be used reliably. In this study, cross-plots between the available measured shear travel time and compressional travel time from three oil wells were used, and three artificial intelligence tools (fuzzy logic, multiple linear regression and neural networks) were applied to predict the shear travel time of Facha member (Gir Formation, Lower Eocene) in Sirte Basin, Libya. The predicted times were compared to those obtained by the equation of Brocher. The basic wireline data (gamma ray, neutron porosity, bulk density and compression travel time) of five oil wells were used. Based on principle component analysis, two wireline data sets were chosen to build intelligent models for the prediction of shear travel time. Limestone, dolomite, dolomitic limestone and anhydrite are the main lithofacies in the Facha member, with an average thickness of about 66 m. The simple equation gave 87% goodness of fit, which is considered comparable to the measured shear travel time logs. The Brocher equation yielded adequate results, of which the most accurate was for the Facha member in the eastern part of the Sirte basin. On the other hand, the three intelligent tools’ predictions of shear travel time conformed with the measured log, except in the eastern area of the basin.

Liquefaction potential analysis in Palu Bay area

Sulawesi Island has a Palu Koro Fault that actively moves with a high displacement magnitude but low seismicity. On 28 September 2018, at 18:02 local time, an earthquake occurred in Palu Koro Shear Fault. The field investigations along the Palu coast revealed new evidence regarding the extensive liquefaction in these areas, both inland and coastal land. The research command area was located in the Palu Bay coastal area, the Province of Central Sulawesi. The data used was in the form of the Standard Penetration Test of the area, and the potential liquefaction analysis was carried out using the simplified procedure method. Furthermore, to determine the level of liquefaction potential, Liquefaction Potential Index was applied. Geological observations showed that the soil condition in the Palu Bay area was dominated by non-cohesive soil (sand). Based on the liquefaction potential analysis, it was indicated that most of the eastern region of the Palu Bay area showed no liquefaction potential. On the contrary, the western and southern parts were indicated to have liquefaction potentials. The Liquefaction Potential Index analysis results showed that the western and southern areas were dominated with extremely high liquefaction potentials. Meanwhile, in the eastern area, it was extremely low.

Thermal Performance Analysis of a Newly Designed Circular Firewood Boiling Salt Stove

Different biomass stoves are introduced and distributed among people living in rural and urban areas, especially in developing countries. For salt crystal production in Thailand’s rural north-eastern area, open fire stoves are used in domestic and small productive activities. Their thermal efficiency is very low for converting heat into utilization energy. A new stove with a circular configuration was designed and constructed to consider its thermal efficiency and economics, which were compared with those from a traditional and an improved traditional stove. The obtained thermal efficiency of the newly designed stove was 14.77% higher than that of the improved stove and 81.45% higher than that of the traditional stove. For the same initial saline volume, the final amounts of salt crystals and salt flowers obtained from the newly designed stove was higher compared with those obtained from the improved stove and the traditional stove, respectively, resulting in a 69.25% shorter payback period.

A first investigation of hydrogeology and hydrogeophysics of the Maqu catchment in the Yellow River source region

The Tibetan Plateau is the source of most of Asia's major rivers and has been called the Asian Water Tower. Detailed knowledge of its hydrogeology is paramount to enable the understanding of groundwater dynamics, which plays a vital role in headwater areas like the Tibetan Plateau. Nevertheless, due to its remoteness and the harsh environment, there is a lack of field survey data to investigate its hydrogeology. In this study, borehole core lithology analysis, soil thickness measurement, an altitude survey, hydrogeological surveys, and hydrogeophysical surveys (e.g. magnetic resonance sounding – MRS, electrical resistivity tomography – ERT, and transient electromagnetic – TEM) were conducted in the Maqu catchment within the Yellow River source region (YRSR). The hydrogeological surveys reveal that groundwater flows from the west to the east, recharging the Yellow River. The hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.2 to 12.4 m d−1. The MRS sounding results, i.e. water content and hydraulic conductivity, confirmed the presence of an unconfined aquifer in the flat eastern area. Based on TEM results, the depth of the Yellow River deposits was derived at several places in the flat eastern area, ranging from 50 to 208 m. The soil thickness measurements were done in the western mountainous area of the catchment, where hydrogeophysical and hydrogeological surveys were difficult to be carried out. The results indicate that most soil thicknesses, except on the valley floor, are within 1.2 m in the western mountainous area of the catchment, and the soil thickness decreases as the slope increases. These survey data and results can contribute to integrated hydrological modelling and water cycle analysis to improve a full-picture understanding of the water cycle at the Maqu catchment in the YRSR. The raw dataset is freely available at https://doi.org/10.17026/dans-z6t-zpn7 (Li et al., 2020a), and the dataset containing the processed ERT, MRS, and TEM data is also available at the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center with the link https://doi.org/10.11888/Hydro.tpdc.271221 (Li et al., 2020b).

The environmental geochemical baseline, background and sources of metal and metalloids present in urban, peri-urban and rural soils in the O´Higgins region, Chile

The importance of environmental geochemistry baseline in soils of O´Higgins Region, Chile, since it hosts in its eastern area one of the major Cu-Mo producing mines in the country, is to establish and explain relationships between the chemical compositions of the Earth’s surface and potential contaminants sources such as mining industry, agriculture and urban activity. A total of 109 samples of urban, peri-urban and rural soils were analyzed with X-ray fluorescence to determine most of the elemental concentrations analyzed. The C and S analyses were performed with the high-temperature combustion method, and a MERCUR mercury analyzer was used for Hg. The study shows that the distribution patterns for most major elements and some trace elements are controlled by the lithologic substrate. This study identified areas with metals and metalloids in high concentrations, which are a risk to the environment and health according to established international regulations. Some of these components correspond to Cu (2500 ppm), Mo (26,5 ppm), As (134,6 ppm), Cr (206.6 ppm), Hg (0.2 ppm), Ni (26.4 ppm), Pb (61.7 ppm), V (227,2 ppm) and Zn (180.3 ppm). Through an elementary association analysis, most of these elements resulted from extractive activities of Cu, metal alloys and oil combustion. It was also possible to trace the use of fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural soils, as well as the combustion of oil related to vehicles in the study area. This information is relevant to implement environmental management strategies to control possible exposure to toxic compounds to human health.