Prospects for diamond potential of the Charo-Sinskaya fault zone

New data on the geological structure of the CharoSinskaya zone of deep faults located on the southern side of the Vilyui syneclise are presented. Based on the processing of the seismic survey results, the deep structure of the territory has been analyzed, and graben-like structures similar to those found near the known kimberlite fi lds of Yakutia have been identifi d. Taking into account the results on the mineralogy of the indicator minerals of kimberlite, a new kimberlite field location is predicted.

Successful Development and Deployment of a Novel Chemical Package for Stimulation of Injection wells, Offshore UK

The work described in this paper details the development of a single stimulation package that was successfully used for treating an offshore horizontal polymer injection well to improve near wellbore injectivity in the Captain field, offshore UK. The practice was to pump these concentrated surfactant streams using multiple pumps from a stimulation vessel which is diluted with the polymer injection stream in the platform to be injected downhole. The operational challenges were maintaining steady injection rates of the different liquid streams which was exacerbated by the viscous nature of the concentrated surfactants that would require pre-dilution using cosolvent or heating the concentrated solutions before pumping to make them flowable. We have developed a single, concentrated liquid blend of surfactant, polymer and cosolvent that was used in near-wellbore remediation. This approach significantly simplifies the chemical remediation process in the field while also ensuring consistent product quality and efficiency. The developed single package is multiphase, multicomponent in nature that can be readily pumped. This blend was formulated based on the previous stimulation experience where concentrated surfactant packages were confirmed to work. Commercial blending of the single package was carried out based on lab scale to yard scale blending and dilution studies. About 420 MT of the blend was manufactured, stored, and transported by rail, road and offshore stimulation vessel to the field location and successfully injected.

KINERJA KELEMBAGAAN KELOMPOK TANI HUTAN PEMEGANG IZIN PERHUTANAN SOSIAL DI WILAYAH KELOLA KESATUAN PENGELOLAAN HUTAN KAYUTANGI

The objectives of this research was to identified the Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) Institutional performance as a holder of social forestry permits and to analyze the factors in the Kayutangi Management Unit (KPH). The method used is the sampling snowballs. Snowball sampling is a technique of sampling data sources, which are small in number at first, and over time become large. Analysis of the Institutional Performance of Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) MPG Suka Maju and the factors that influence the Institutional Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) MPG Suka Maju. The results of the institutional performance of Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) MPG Suka Maju as a social forestry permit holder in the Kayutangi Management Unit (KPH) based on the five components of the field (Location Conditions, Institutions, Group Activities, Impact of Group Activities, and Group Achievements). Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) MPG Suka Maju is categorized as a Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) quality class "Very Good "With an interval value of 93.69 and factors that affect the institutional capacity of Forest Farmer Group’s (KTH) MPG Suka Maju such as SDM (Human Resources), counseling and assistance to farmer groups are very influential in improving quality institutions.Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengidentifikasi kinerja kelembagaan KTH Pemegang Izin Perhutanan Sosial di Wilayah Kelola KPH Kayutangi dan Menganalisis faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap kinerja kelembagaan KTH pemegang izin perhutanan sosial di wilayah kelola KPH Kayutangi. Metode yang digunakan yaitu metode Snowball sampling (Pengambilan contoh bola salju). Snowball sampling adalah teknik pengambilan sampel sumber data, yang pada awalnya jumlahnya sedikit, lama-lama menjadi besar. Analisis Kinerja Kelembagaan KTH MPG Suka Maju dan Faktor yang mempengaruhi Kelembagaan KTH MPG Suka Maju. Hasil Kinerja kelembagaan KTH MPG Suka Maju sebagai pemegang izin perhutanan sosial di Wilayah kelola KPH Kayutangi berdasarkan komponen kelima bidang (Kondisi Lokasi, Kelembagaan, Aktifitas Kelompok, Dampak Kegiatan Kelompok, dan Prestasi Kelompok) KTH MPG Suka Maju ini dikategorikan sebagai kelas kualitas KTH “Sangat Bagus” dengan nilai interval 93.69 dan Faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap kapasitas kelembagaan KTH MPG Suka Maju seperti SDM (Sumber Daya Manusia), Penyuluhan dan Bantuan terhadap kelompok tani sangat berpengaruh dalam meningkatkan kelembagaan yang berkualitas.

Disaster Mitigation Based on Local Wisdom in Shifting Cultivators Communities

The Tolaki tribe, which is a native who inhabits the mainland areas of Southeast Sulawesi Province, some still manage their lives through traditional natural resource management. Strong traditions, including preserving the environment and forests in the Tolaki ethnic group, are always maintained. This study was directed to find out and examine the local wisdom of the Tolaki people in moving farming activities (monda'u) related to disaster mitigation, especially natural disasters of floods, landslides, and fires. The research approach used is qualitative, where the primary data collection techniques are observation and in-depth interviews. The results showed much local wisdom in an institution that has been maintained to oversee forest support and sustainability. This indicates that in monda'u activities, Tolaki people have long provided education avoiding natural disasters for generations. Norms regarding the location of the field location, the right time to farm, the rules and ordinances of the opening, burning, and clearing of land in the monda'u tradition are loaded with mitigation against floods' natural disasters, landslides, and fires. This local wisdom can be integrated into modern agricultural systems to minimize natural disasters.

A comparison of the apparent gloss of rendered objects presented in the lower and upper regions of the visual field

Gloss is an aspect of surface perception that is important for understanding the material properties of the environment. Because a surface can stimulate any region of the visual field during natural viewing, it is of interest to measure the potential influence of visual field asymmetries on perceived gloss—as such asymmetries could make the perception of gloss dependent on the visual field location. Here, our aim was to compare the apparent glossiness of renderings of nondescript objects when positioned in the lower and upper regions of the visual field. In Experiment 1, participants (n=20) evaluated the glossiness of objects presented simultaneously below and above central fixation. Estimates of the specular reflectance required for perceptual gloss equality indicated little effect of the visual field location. In Experiment 2, participants (n=19) compared the magnitude of gloss differences across two pairs of objects in either the lower or the upper visual field. Estimates of the exponent relating specular reflectance to a gloss difference scale and a noise parameter again indicated little effect of the visual field location. Overall, these estimates are consistent with the existence of a high degree of gloss constancy across presentations in the lower and upper visual fields.

Visual stimulus-specific habituation of innate defensive behaviour in mice

ABSTRACTInnate defensive responses such as freezing or escape are essential for animal survival. Mice show defensive behaviour to stimuli sweeping overhead, like a bird cruising the sky. Here, we tested this in young male mice and found that mice reduced their defensive freezing after sessions with a stimulus passing overhead repeatedly. This habituation is stimulus specific, as mice freeze again to a novel shape. Habituation occurs regardless of the visual field location of the repeated stimulus. The mice generalized over a range of sizes and shapes, but distinguished objects when they differed in both size and shape. Innate visual defensive responses are thus strongly influenced by previous experience as mice learn to ignore specific stimuli.

Aversive Conditioning of Spatial Position Sharpens Neural Population-level Tuning in Visual Cortex and Selectively Reduces Alpha-band Activity

Processing capabilities for many low-level visual features are experientially malleable, aiding sighted organisms in adapting to dynamic environments. Explicit instructions to attend a specific visual field location influence retinotopic visuocortical activity, amplifying responses to stimuli appearing at cued spatial positions. It remains undetermined, however, both how such prioritization affects surrounding non-prioritized locations, and if a given retinotopic spatial position can attain enhanced cortical representation through experience rather than instruction. This work examined visuocortical response changes as human observers learned, through differential classical conditioning, to associate specific on-screen locations with aversive outcomes. Using dense-array EEG and pupillometry, we tested the pre-registered hypotheses of either sharpening or generalization around an aversively associated location following a single conditioning session. Specifically, competing hypotheses tested if mean response changes would take the form of a gaussian (generalization) or difference-of-gaussian (sharpening) distribution over spatial positions, peaking at the viewing location paired with a noxious noise. Occipital 15 Hz steady-state visual evoked potential (ssVEP) responses were selectively heightened when viewing aversively paired locations and displayed a non-linear, difference-of-gaussian profile across neighboring locations, consistent with suppressive surround modulation of non-prioritized positions. Measures of alpha band (8 – 12.8 Hz) activity and pupil diameter also exhibited selectively heightened responses to noise-paired locations but did not evince any difference across the non-paired locations. These results indicate that visuocortical spatial representations are sharpened in response to location-specific aversive conditioning, while top-down influences indexed by alpha power reduction exhibit all-or-none modulation.Significance StatementIt is increasingly recognized that early visual cortex is not a static processor of physical features, but is instead constantly shaped by perceptual experience. It remains unclear, however, to what extent the cortical representation of many fundamental features, including visual field location, is malleable by experience. Using EEG and an aversive classical conditioning paradigm, we observed sharpening of visuocortical responses to stimuli appearing at aversively associated locations along with location-selective facilitation of response systems indexed by pupil diameter and EEG alpha power. These findings highlight the experience-dependent flexibility of retinotopic spatial representations in visual cortex, opening avenues towards novel treatment targets in disorders of attention and spatial cognition.