Statistical Analyses and Geotechnical Evaluation of Nubia Sandstone, Golden Triangle Area, Egypt

Great efforts had been made to use indirect non-destructive tests in the geotechnical evaluation of rocks, especially sandstones, employing different empirical equations. However, most of these equations have been derived from hard and compacted sandstones data;therefore, the focus of this research is on weak and weakly compacted sandstones, aiming firstly to obtain empirical equations for estimating their characteristics, secondly to demonstrate and visualize the correlations between the studied variables, and finally to cluster the studied samples based on their characteristics. To attain these aims, twenty oriented block samples were collected from Nubia sandstone, central Eastern Desert, Golden Triangle area, Egypt. These samples were prepared and tested according to standard test methods, including uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), Schmidt rebound number (SRN), porosity (n), bulk density (ρ), and ultrasonic P-wave velocity (UPV). The loss on ignition (LOI) was also employed as a physicochemical test for classifying the studied samples and indicating pores filling materials. The results revealed that these sandstones are characterized mainly by high n, low ρ, and low UPV values and these give an indication of weakly compacted and weakly cemented sandstone with shallow burial diagenetic conditions. Based on UCS and elastic modulus values, these sandstones are mainly classified as very low strength and highly yielding rocks. The results of regression analysis show satisfactory correlations between physical and mechanical characteristics, indicating the suitability of obtained empirical equations to deduce these properties. Principal component analysis revealed that the LOI, BTS, SRN, and USC have a positive correlation to each other and weakly correlated with ρ and UPV, which positively correlated to each other and negatively correlated to n. The results of agglomerative hierarchical clustering revealed that the studied samples can group into three main clusters depending on their USC, LOI, and n values.

Prediction of moderately severe and severe acute pancreatitis in pregnancy: Several issues

We reviewed a study addressing the development and validation of a prediction model for moderately severe and severe acute pancreatitis in pregnancy. We identified some statistical deficiencies in this article. In addition, we believe that the role of cholesterol as a predictor should be described in more detail.

POSSIBLE INFLUENCES OF THE TROPICAL INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE ON THE EASTWARD PROPAGATION OF MJO

Based on multiple datasets, correlation and composite analyses, and case studies, this paper investigated possible influences of the Indian Ocean dipole(IOD) mode on the eastward propagation of intraseasonal oscillation in the tropical atmosphere. The results showed that(1) the 30-60 day outgoing longwave radiation anomalies in the southeastern Indian Ocean and the 30-60 day 850-hPa zonal wind anomalies over the equatorial central Indian Ocean were significantly correlated with the IOD index;(2) during positive IOD years, the anomalously cold water in the southeastern Indian Ocean and the 850-hPa anomalous easterlies over the equatorial central Indian Ocean might act as barriers to the continuously eastward propagation of the intraseasonal convection, which interrupts the Madden-Julian oscillation(MJO) propagation in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and western Pacific; and(3) during negative IOD years, the anomalously warm water in the southeastern Indian Ocean and the low-level westerly anomalies over the equatorial central Indian Ocean favor the eastward movement of MJO.

Diversity patterns and palaeobiogeographical relationships of latest Devonian-Lower Carboniferous foraminifers from South China:What is global,what is local?

During latest Devonian and early Carboniferous times,calcareous foraminifers were abundant,widely distributed,and showed the most rapid rate of evolution in the shallow?sea deposits.These factors,especially their fast phylogenetic changes,make them an essen?tial element in biostratigraphic schemes of this time interval.However,the distribution patterns of calcareous foraminifers depend on a series of biological and non?biological factors,such as population sizes,dispersion,oceanic currents and temperatures,and substrate types,which are not always well?controlled when interpreting spatial and temporal distribution patterns.For this study,a dataset of calcareous foraminifers was compiled containing the tempo?ral distribution(biozone level)of 420 species belonging to 155 genera currently described from Strunian(latest Devonian)to basal Serpukhovian(Lower Carboniferous)key sections in southern China,and the presence of those species in eleven palaeobiogeographical units.The comparison of the regional Chinese diversity curve,which has a bell?shaped form with a dou?ble peak in the Ivorian,to a global curve shows the influence of local and regional factors.Mini?mum values in the Chinese Strunian,basal Tournaisian and early late Visean can be explained by the small number of studied outcrops,unfavourable facies and depositional gaps in these stratigraphic intervals in South China.This is especially obvious in the late Visean and Serpuk?hovian,which is a peak time of global diversity.The fall observed at that time interval in southern China is easily explained by the fact that this time peried is far less intensively studied and thus fewer data are present in the database.The opposite situation is seen around the TournaisianVisean boundary.Here,a peak is found in both regional and global curves,but that up to 87%of all known species are found in southern China seems to be unlikely,especially when the normal average value are 35%-40%.This anomalously high percentage is a consequence of the work undertaken on the Global Stratotype Section and Point(GSSP),and it shows that a species deficit may exist in the global curve.*Cluster,hierarchical cluster and Nonmetric multidimensienal Scalingel(NMDS)analyses have been calculated to study the palaeobiogeographical affinities of the southern Chinese calcareous foraminifers.The palaeobiogeographical patterns for the complete studied interval or parts of it(substages)are comparable on the genus and species level and stable throughtime.The assemblages found in southern China are well connected to other palaeo(bio)geo?graphical entities supporting the idea of relatively abundant widespread and cosmopolitan taxa in the studied interval.A cluster of South China,Europe and the Russian Platform is found in all analyses.This cluster often attached to the units Far-East Russia and Turkey rep?resents the northern Palaeotethyan Realm.The relatively close affinities between South China and North America cannot be well discussed yet.Chinese data for endemicity,geographical spread and biodiversity in the Tournaisian-Visean boundary interval can be roughly correlated to 3rd-order sea-level fluctuations.Migration patterns into and out of South China can only be suspected,but not yet quantified.