GMS-MODFLOW application in the investigation of groundwater potential in Concepcion, Tarlac, Philippines

This study used GMS-Modflow to investigate the ten-year groundwater potential in Concepcion, Tarlac. This region in Central Luzon, Philippines, with limited surface water, depends on groundwater as its primary freshwater source. The water demand projection estimated an increase of 38.5% from 2020 to 2030; hence, higher groundwater abstraction is perceived in the next ten years. To deviate from the risk associated with reliance on groundwater, this study, through GMS-MODFLOW, developed a groundwater model to mimic the aquifer’s current condition and investigated its behavior in response to future spatial and temporal variables. The simulation results generally showed a sustainable groundwater supply in Concepcion, Tarlac, for the next ten years, with no significant decline in hydraulic heads.

Oocyte Cryopreservation in Domestic Animals and Humans: Principles, Techniques and Updated Outcomes

Oocyte cryopreservation plays important roles in basic research and the application of models for genetic preservation and in clinical situations. This technology provides long-term storage of gametes for genetic banking and subsequent use with other assisted reproductive technologies. Until recently, oocytes have remained the most difficult cell type to freeze, as the oocytes per se are large with limited surface area to cytoplasm ratio. They are also highly sensitive to damage during cryopreservation, and therefore the success rate of oocyte cryopreservation is generally poor when compared to noncryopreserved oocytes. Although advancement in oocyte cryopreservation has progressed rapidly for decades, the improvement of cryosurvival and clinical outcomes is still required. This review focuses on the principles, techniques, outcomes and prospects of oocyte cryopreservation in domestic animals and humans.

An Acoustic Survey of Beaked Whales and Kogia spp. in the Mariana Archipelago Using Drifting Recorders

The distribution, abundance, and habitat of cryptic cetacean species such as beaked whales and dwarf/pygmy sperm whales (Kogia spp.) are challenging to study due to their long dive times and/or very limited surface behavior. Even less is known in minimally studied and remote regions, including the Mariana Archipelago and parts of the broader western Pacific. In 2018, we deployed a network of eight Drifting Acoustic Spar Buoy Recorders (DASBRs) on the west side of the Mariana Archipelago with the goal of examining the distribution and habitat of beaked whales and Kogia spp. in this region using passive acoustic monitoring. Concurrently, conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) data were collected within the drift area and combined with satellite oceanographic data to build Ensemble Random Forest Models to identify specific oceanographic features that determine the distribution of these species. DASBRs deployed at locations ranging from 13°N to 18°N generally drifted from east to west between the Mariana Archipelago and the West Mariana Ridge. Spectral and temporal characteristics of echolocation signals were used to identify the presence of beaked whales and Kogia spp. species. This dataset contained frequency modulated (FM) pulses characteristic of Longman’s (Indopacetus pacificus), Cuvier’s (Ziphius cavirostris), and Blainville’s (Mesoplodon densirostris) beaked whales, as well as the unidentified beaked whale FM pulse known as the “BWC,” along with narrow-band high frequency clicks from Kogia spp. The detection rate was substantially higher for all species on the five tracks in the region north of 15.5°N than for those drifts occurring farther south. Species distribution models suggest that differences in the oceanographic characteristics between the northern and southern regions may impact foraging opportunities, possibly explaining the specific ecological niche for these species within this water mass. This is the first study of the distribution of cryptic cetacean species within the wider Mariana Archipelago region. We demonstrate that autonomous drifting acoustic recorders, combined with environmental sampling and remote satellite data are a powerful tool for studying the habitat dependent distribution of cryptic cetacean species.

Surface fractures and deformation of the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Reykjavík on 20 October 2020

<p>On 20 October 2020, Reykjavík was rocked by the largest earthquake in southwest Iceland in over a decade when a magnitude 5.6 event occurred only 25 km from the city. The earthquake caused movement on multiple surface fractures, distributed over an 8-km-long north-south oriented area, indicating the location of the underlaying right-lateral strike-slip fault rupture. We mapped the coseismic surface fractures and deformation using Sentinel-1 and TerraSAR-X InSAR data, selecting with a new method the best pre- and post-earthquake SAR scenes from analyzing the tropospheric signals on each SAR image. This method does not require masking out deformed areas when determining the InSAR covariance structure and thus yields better earthquake source estimations. As the InSAR data are primarily sensitive to east-west and vertical displacements, we additionally used split-beam interferometry to obtain more information about north-south displacements. For this, we used burst-overlap interferometry (BOI), in the case of Sentinel-1 data, and multiple-aperture interferometry (MAI) on the TerraSAR-X data. Together with the standard InSAR data, we estimated the full 3D coseismic surface displacement field of the earthquake. The results show that most of the fractures had limited surface offsets, apart from a 2-3 km long north-south trending segment just north of the epicenter that was right-laterally offset by about 15 cm. Source modeling of the earthquake shows that the deformation is consistent with a near vertical north-south striking fault with up to ~30 cm of slip located at roughly 3 km depth below the surface. The estimated geodetic moment of the model amounts to a magnitude 5.6 earthquake, consistent with seismological estimates. Most of the modeled fault slip and mapped surface fractures are located north of the earthquake epicenter, indicating that the earthquake ruptured unilaterally from south to north, which agrees with the more severe surface effects and shaking reported from near the northern end of the earthquake rupture.</p>

THE USE OF A PIPE CUTTER AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CRIMINAL OFFENSE AT THE TIME OF THEFT OF CABLE AND WIRING PRODUCTS: FEATURES OF IDENTIFICATION RESEARCH

The article deals with a widespread modern device for plumbing work - a pipe cutter for polypropylene pipes, as an adapted instrument of crime in theft of cable and wire products, primarily a telephone cable. The main attention is focused on the following aspects of the problem: design features of a pipe cutter with a ratchet mechanism, in the context of solving identification issues; systematization of traces that the pipe cutter leaves on the surfaces of the constituent elements of the telephone cable; problematic in the study of cut traces on a telephone cable. The structure of the pipe cutter is considered in detail, with an indication of its main parts. In accordance with the design features, the type of the considered tool is determined, relative to the existing modern forensic classification. The features are generalized and systematized that leave the components of the pipe cutter, the complex of which allows you to identify tools of this type in research without a comparative sample. The main stages of the mechanism of trace formation are modeled, understanding of which makes it possible to trace the areas of the contacting surfaces of the tool. A visual diagram of the phased movement of the pipe cutter blade has been drawn up, which illustrates the mechanism of the formation of certain general and particular features in the cut marks, including simplifying the solution of identification problems. The article considers the possibility of compiling an information retrieval model of a crime instrument, as well as the effectiveness of its use in operational search activities and the investigation of crimes related to theft of a telephone cable. The main problematic points identified in practice, in comparative traceological studies of the cut traces left by the pipe cutter, are generalized and explained, among which the most common are a relatively short identification period, the instability of the trace formation mechanism and the limited surface area of the telephone cable elements, on which informative traces remain.

3D hierarchical nanoarrays composed of NiCo-Te multilayer nanoneedles modified with Co1.29Ni1.71O4 for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

Transition metal tellurides have been developed as electrodes for supercapacitors, owing to the high pseudocapacitance and excellent electrical conductivity. However, the limited surface-active sites limits the improvement of capacity performance....

Энергия поверхностного разряда в электродной системе параллельных полос

The results of an experimental study of the dependence of the energy of a surface barrier discharge on the value of the supply sinusoidal voltage with a frequency of 4 and 20 kHz in the electrode system of parallel stripes with a distance between them of 5 and 30 mm are presented. At a distance of 5 mm between the strips, there is a self-limited surface discharge in the electrode system. Self-limiting of the discharge leads to the fact that with an increase in the applied voltage, the energy invested in the electrode system increases more slowly than in the case when the discharge exists without restrictions. The energy of a self-limited discharge is 15-40% lower than the energy of a discharge that exists without restriction