ALBERT

Description: The biogenic carbonate hard parts of fossil bivalves, cephalopods and brachiopods are amongst the most widely exploited marine archives of Phanerozoic environmental and climate dynamics research. The advent of novel analytical tools has led many workers to explore non-traditional geochemical and petrographic proxies and work performed in neighbouring disciplines sheds light on the complex biomineralization strategies applied by these organisms. These considerations form a strong motivation to review the potential and problems related to the compilation and interpretation of proxy data from bivalve, cephalopod and brachiopod hard parts from the viewpoint of the sedimentologist and palaeoceanographer. Specific focus is on the complex biomineralization pathways of a given dissolved ion or food particle from its aquatic environment via the digestion and biomineralization apparatus in molluscs and brachiopods and its incorporation into a biomineral. Given that molluscs and brachiopods do not secrete their hard parts from seawater but rather from their mantle and periostracum, this paper evaluates differences and similarities of seawater versus that of body fluids. Cephalopods, bivalves and brachiopods exert a strong biological control on biomineralization that, to some degree, may buffer their shell geochemistry against secular changes in seawater chemistry. Disordered (amorphous) calcium carbonate precursor phases, later transformed to crystalline biominerals, may be significant in carbonate archive research due to expected geochemical offset relative to the direct precipitation of stable phases. A reasonable level of understanding of the related mechanisms is thus crucial for those who use these skeletal hard parts as archives of the palaeo-environment. The impact of what is commonly referred to as ‘biological factors’ on the geochemistry of mollusc and brachiopod hard parts is explored for conventional isotope systems such as carbon, oxygen, strontium and traditionally used element to calcium ratios. In particular, the often used δ 13 C carb or the Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca elemental proxies are fraught with problems. An interesting new research field represents the analysis, calibration and application of non-traditional proxies to mollusc and brachiopod hard parts. Examples include the carbonate clumped isotope (Δ 47 ) approach and the analysis of the isotopes of Ca, Mg, N, Li, S or element to Ca ratios such as Li/Ca or B/Ca and rare earth elements. Based on considerations discussed here, a series of “do's and don'ts” in mollusc and brachiopod archive research are proposed and suggestions for future work are presented. In essence, the suggestions proposed here include experimental work (also field experiments) making use of recent archive organisms or, where possible, a reasonable recent analogue in the case of extinct groups. Moreover, the detailed understanding of the architecture of mollusc and brachiopod hard parts and their ultra-structures must guide sampling strategies for geochemical analyses. Where feasible, a detailed understanding of the diagenetic pathways and the application of multi-proxy and multi-archive approaches should form the foundation of fossil carbonate archive research. The uncritical compilation of large data sets from various carbonate shelled organisms collected at different locations is not encouraged. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: This work reports, for the first time, the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of karst aquifers in the Central West Bank (CWB) catchment in Palestine. It provides an integrated study approach by correlating the geochemistry of the lithology and hydrochemical data of groundwater samples. Mineralogical analysis showed that all of the samples were dominantly composed of either calcite CaCO3 (5–100 wt. %) or dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 (4–100 wt. %), with minor amounts of quartz and feldspar, which is supported by the inorganic carbon content (9–13 wt. %) and hydrochemical composition of the spring water samples. The whole-rock geochemical data indicated that the samples have low contents of trace elements and transition metals. In contrast, the concentrations of alkaline earth elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) and Mn were high in the rock and groundwater samples. Generally, the trace elements of rock samples with concentrations 〉10 ppm included Sr (17–330 ppm), Mn (17–367 ppm), Ba (2–32 ppm), W (5–37 ppm), Cr (3–23 ppm), Zn (1.7–28 ppm), V (4–23 ppm), and Zr (1–22 ppm), while the concentrations of all the other trace elements was below 10 ppm. Ionic ratios and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) suggested that the chemical evolution of groundwater was mainly related to the geogenic (rock–water) interaction in the study area. This is clear in the alkaline earth elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) ratios, especially regarding the Sr values. The calcite rock samples had higher Sr (mean 160 ppm, n = 11) than those of the dolomite rocks (mean 76 ppm, n = 9).

Description: Author(s): Michael Schreier, Takahiro Chiba, Arthur Niedermayr, Johannes Lotze, Hans Huebl, Stephan Geprägs, Saburo Takahashi, Gerrit E. W. Bauer, Rudolf Gross, and Sebastian T. B. Goennenwein We report the observation of current-induced spin torque resonance in yttrium iron garnet/platinum bilayers. An alternating charge current at GHz frequencies in the platinum gives rise to dc spin pumping and spin Hall magnetoresistance rectification voltages, induced by the Oersted fields of the ac … [Phys. Rev. B 92, 144411] Published Fri Oct 09, 2015

Description: Sustainability, Vol. 10, Pages 2061: Heterogeneous Preferences for Public Goods Provided by Agriculture in a Region of Intensive Agricultural Production: The Case of the Marchfeld Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su10062061 Authors: Andreas Niedermayr Lena Schaller Petr Mariel Pia Kieninger Jochen Kantelhardt The aim of this paper is to elicit the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for the improved provision of public goods (PGs) by agriculture in a region of intensive agricultural production, embodying many of the environmental problems related to agriculture within and outside the European Union (EU). Our analysis was based on a participatory approach, combining the involvement of local stakeholders and a discrete choice experiment (DCE) in the Marchfeld region in Austria. We estimated a random parameters logit model (RPL), including interactions with socio-demographic factors, to disentangle preference heterogeneity and find a positive MWTP of the local population for all three PGs analyzed: (i) groundwater quality; (ii) landscape quality; and (iii) soil functionality in connection with climate stability. Furthermore, MWTP varies considerably with respect to age, farmers/non-farmers and locals/incomers. Further research could combine the results of this demand-side valuation with those of a supply-side valuation, where the opportunity costs of different management options for farmers are estimated. Based on such a cost–benefit analysis and further participation of local stakeholders, new governance mechanisms for the smart and sustainable provision of PGs by agriculture could be developed for the Marchfeld region and for comparable European regions.

Description: Fluor-schorl, NaFe 2+ 3 Al 6 Si 6 O 18 (BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 F, is a new mineral species of the tourmaline supergroup from alluvial tin deposits near Steinberg, Zschorlau, Erzgebirge (Saxonian Ore Mountains), Saxony, Germany, and from pegmatites near Grasstein (area from Mittewald to Sachsenklemme), Trentino, South Tyrol, Italy. Fluor-schorl was formed as a pneumatolytic phase and in high-temperature hydrothermal veins in granitic pegmatites. Crystals are black (pale brownish to pale greyish-bluish, if 〈0.3 mm in diameter) with a bluish-white streak. Fluor-schorl is brittle and has a Mohs hardness of 7; it is non-fluorescent, has no observable parting and a poor/indistinct cleavage parallel to {0001}. It has a calculated density of ~3.23 g/cm 3 . In plane-polarized light, it is pleochroic, O = brown to grey-brown (Zschorlau), blue (Grasstein), E = pale grey-brown (Zschorlau), cream (Grasstein). Fluor-schorl is uniaxial negative, = 1.660(2)–1.661(2), = 1.636(2)–1.637(2). The mineral is rhombohedral, space group R 3 m, a = 16.005(2), c = 7.176(1) Å, V = 1591.9(4) Å 3 (Zschorlau), a = 15.995(1), c = 7.166(1) Å, V = 1587.7(9) Å 3 (Grasstein), Z = 3. The eight strongest observed X-ray diffraction lines in the powder pattern [ d in Å ( I ) hkl ] are: 2.584(100)(051), 3.469(99)(012), 2.959(83)(122), 2.044(80)(152), 4.234(40)(211), 4.005(39)(220), 6.382(37)(101), 1.454(36)(514) (Grasstein). Analyses by a combination of electron microprobe, secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), Mössbauer spectroscopic data and crystal-structure refinement result in the structural formulae X (Na 0.82 K 0.01 Ca 0.01 0.16 ) Y (Fe 2+ 2.30 Al 0.38 Mg 0.23 Li 0.03 Mn 2+ 0.02 Zn 0.01 0.03 ) 3.00 Z (Al 5.80 Fe 3+ 0.10 Ti 4+ 0.10 ) T (Si 5.81 Al 0.19 O 18 ) (BO 3 ) 3 V (OH) 3 W [F 0.66 (OH) 0.34 ] (Zschorlau) and X (Na 0.78 K 0.01 0.21 ) Y (Fe 2+ 1.89 Al 0.58 Fe 3+ 0.13 Mn 3+ 0.13 Ti 4+ 0.02 Mg 0.02 Zn 0.02 0.21 ) 3.00 Z (Al 5.74 Fe 3+ 0.26 ) T (Si 5.90 Al 0.10 O 18 ) (BO 3 ) 3 V (OH) 3 W [F 0.76 (OH) 0.24 ] (Grasstein). Several additional, newly confirmed occurrences of fluor-schorl are reported. Fluor-schorl, ideally NaFe 2+ 3 Al 6 Si 6 O 18 (BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 F, is related to end-member schorl by the substution F -〉 (OH). The chemical compositions and refined crystal structures of several schorl samples from cotype localities for schorl (alluvial tin deposits and tin mines in the Erzgebirge, including Zschorlau) are also reported. The unit-cell parameters of schorl from these localities are slightly variable, a = 15.98–15.99, c = 7.15–7.16 Å, corresponding to structural formulae ranging from ~ X (Na 0.5 0.5 ) Y (Fe 2+ 1.8 Al 0.9 Mg 0.2 0.1 ) Z (Al 5.8 Fe 3+ 0.1 Ti 4+ 0.1 ) T (Si 5.7 Al 0.3 O 18 ) (BO 3 ) 3 V (OH) 3 W [(OH) 0.9 F 0.1 ] to ~ X (Na 0.7 0.3 ) Y (Fe 2+ 2.1 Al 0.7 Mg 0.1 0.1 ) Z (Al 5.9 Fe 3+ 0.1 ) T (Si 5.8 Al 0.2 O 18 ) (BO 3 ) 3 V (OH) 3 W [(OH) 0.6 F 0.4 ]. The investigated tourmalines from the Erzgebirge show that there exists a complete fluor-schorl–schorl solid-solution series. For all studied tourmaline samples, a distinct inverse correlation was observed between the X –O2 distance (which reflects the mean ionic radius of the X -site occupants) and the F content ( r 2 = 0.92). A strong positive correlation was found to exist between the F content and the 〈 Y –O〉 distance ( r 2 = 0.93). This correlation indicates that Fe 2+ -rich tourmalines from the investigated localities clearly tend to have a F-rich or F-dominant composition. A further strong positive correlation ( r 2 = 0.82) exists between the refined F content and the Y–W (F,OH) distance, and the latter may be used to quickly estimate the F content.

Description: To meet global demands towards food security, safety as well as sustainable agriculture and food systems innovative approaches are inevitable. Despite the growing body of literature in both innovation research and in values and aims, what has been explored to a lesser extent is the bridging link between these areas. This study represents a first step in addressing this relationship. Policy- and decision-makers foster sustainable innovation in agriculture, since on-farm innovation and innovation adoption have attracted their attention as a means of enhancing competitiveness as well as socially and environmentally benign farming also benefiting rural areas. By using a negative binomial model we explore the relationship between farmers’ innovativeness and those values and aims which guide farmers’ farm-management decisions as well as other farm/farmer characteristics. Based on a sample of 174 Austrian farmers agricultural education is found to be an essential driver of innovativeness. Regarding the different values we find that self-direction and hedonistic values, in contrast to achievement and economic, are associated with more innovative capabilities. In conclusion, we see a need to foster self-direction and hedonistic narratives in policy and extension service, together with reducing the focus on an economic angle to promote farmers’ innovation capabilities.

Description: For the Quaternary and Neogene, aragonitic biogenic and abiogenic carbonates are frequently exploited as archives of their environment. Conversely, pre-Neogene aragonite is often diagenetically altered and calcite archives are studied instead. Nevertheless, the exact sequence of diagenetic processes and products is difficult to disclose from naturally altered material. Here, experiments were performed to understand biogenic aragonite alteration processes and products. Shell subsamples of the bivalve Arctica islandica were exposed to hydrothermal alteration. Thermal boundary conditions were set at 100°C, 175°C and 200°C. These comparably high temperatures were chosen to shorten experimental durations. Subsamples were exposed to different 18 O-depleted fluids for durations between two and twenty weeks. Alteration was documented using X-ray diffraction, cathodoluminescence, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, as well as conventional and clumped isotope analyses. Experiments performed at 100°C show redistribution and darkening of organic matter, but lack evidence for diagenetic alteration, except in Δ 47 which show the effects of annealing processes. At 175°C, valves undergo significant aragonite to calcite transformation and neomorphism. The δ 18 O signature supports transformation via dissolution and re-precipitation, but isotopic exchange is limited by fluid migration through the subsamples. Individual growth increments in these subsamples exhibit bright orange luminescence. At 200°C, valves are fully transformed to calcite and exhibit purple-blue luminescence with orange bands. The δ 18 O and Δ 47 signatures reveal exchange with the aqueous fluid, whereas δ 13 C remains unaltered in all experiments, indicating a carbonate-buffered system. Clumped isotope temperatures in high temperature experiments show compositions in broad agreement with the measured temperature. Experimentally-induced alteration patterns are comparable with individual features present in Pleistocene shells. This study represents a significant step towards sequential analysis of diagenetic features in biogenic aragonites and sheds light on reaction times and threshold limits. The limitations of a study restricted to a single test organism are acknowledged and call for refined follow-up experiments. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.