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The Ediacaran–Cambrian rocks on the northeastern edge of the Saghro inlier experienced polycyclic tectono-thermal events, which are reported here based on a multiscale structural analysis, from field measurements to fluid inclusion planes. Three striking populations were identified, cutting across both the Ediacaran and Cambrian formations. These tectonic structures were generated during four tectonic events. (i) E-W-striking structures that host ore mineralized bodies (sulfide, oxide, quartz, and barite). They display a polyphase tectonic history, caused by a dextral movement in response to a NW–SE-oriented shortening, leading to the formation of quartz gashes and veins. This tectonic event took place during the Neovariscan. These E–W-striking structures were subsequently reactivated during the Mesozoic time under a sinistral strike-slip regime as a result of NE–SW shortening syn-kinematic with barite mineralization. (ii) NE–SW-striking strike-slip structures (dextral or sinistral) crosscut the E–W-striking veins. These faults are related to the NW–SE-oriented shortening that occurred during the Neogene. (iii) The last tectonic episode, related to the N–S shortening, took place during the late Neogene to the Quaternary period. It resulted in NW–SE to N–S-striking structures that were related to dextral and sinistral strike-slip movements, which crosscut the preexisting E–W structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The way coaching cues are worded can impact on the quality with which a subsequent motor skill is executed. However, there have been few investigations on the effect of coaching cues on basic motor skill performance in youths. Method: Across several international locations, a series of experiments were undertaken to determine the effect of external coaching cues (EC), internal coaching cues (IC), analogies with a directional component (ADC) and neutral control cues on sprint time (20 m) and vertical jump height in youth performers. These data were combined using internal meta-analytical techniques to pool results across each test location. This approach was amalgamated with a repeated-measures analysis to determine if there were any differences between the ECs, ICs and ADCs within the different experiments. Results: 173 participants took part. There were no differences between the neutral control and experimental cues in any of the internal meta-analyses except where the control was superior to the IC for vertical jump (d = -0.30, [-0.54, -0.05], p = 0.02). Just three of eleven repeated-measures analyses showed significant differences between the cues at each experimental location. Where significant differences were noted, the control cue was most effective with some limited evidence supporting the use of ADCs (d = 0.32 to 0.62). Conclusion: These results suggest the type of cue or analogy provided to a youth performer has little subsequent effect on sprint or jump performance. Accordingly, coaches might take a more specific approach that is suited to the level or preferences of a particular individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the wave propagation analysis of bidirectional functionally graded (BDFG) porous sandwich plates lying on an elastic foundation within the framework of the quasi-3D shear deformation theory. The mechanical properties of the BDFG plates vary continuously in both axial and thickness directions according to a power law. The sandwich plate's behavior is modeled by means of quasi-3D displacement field that contains undetermined integral terms and involves only four unknown functions. The BDFG porous sandwich plate is considered to be rest on two kinds of elastic foundation, variable and visco-elastic. The principle of Hamilton is used to reach motion equations of BDFG porous sandwich plates. Then, governing equations are derived for the wave propagation problem based on the present quasi-3D theory and solved analytically. The results of the present work are validated by comparing with those available in the literature works. A parametric study is conducted to show the effect of material gradation, core-to-thickness ratio, porosity volume fraction, and elastic foundation on the wave propagation. The results reveal that these parameters have a great influence on the wave propagation in porous BDFG sandwich plates resting on elastic foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Model-based predictive current control (MBPCC) has recently become a powerful advanced control technology in industrial drives. However, MBPCC relies on the knowledge of the system model and parameters, being, therefore, very sensitive to parameters errors. In the case of the synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM), where the parameters vary due to its ferromagnetic structure and nonlinear magnetic properties, MBPCC performance would suffer significantly. Accordingly, in this paper, a Grey Wolf Optimizer based model-free predictive current control (GW-MFPCC) of SynRM is proposed, to skip all the effects of the model dependency and parameters uncertainty. The proposed method predicts the stator current through tracking the minimum cost function using the grey wolf optimizer. The proposed GW-MFPCC scheme is compared to MBPCC, and its effectiveness is evaluated and confirmed by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interturn short-circuit faults are one of the most (if not the most) harmful electrical machine failures, that if not detected and mitigated at a very incipient stage of development may involve serious consequences, both in terms of repair costs and safety. This article proposes a novel interturn fault diagnostic technique for synchronous reluctance machines based on the Luenberger state observer and current's second-order harmonic. The superiority of the proposed approach over the conventional model-based techniques is the ability to evaluate the severity of the fault as well as the efficiency in detecting faults in early stages and under various operating conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated and validated through several experimental tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Skoura inlier in the Moroccan High Atlas consists of thick Precambrian–Paleozoic formations. It displays, in the western part near Aguerzega village, a volcano-sedimentary succession of about 400 m thickness. It includes a variety of welded and non-welded ignimbrites, lapilli-tuff fallout deposit, coherent lava, sedimentary mass flow deposit and fluvial sediments, which are grouped into three lithofacies associations, corresponding to different depositional environments. The volcanic activity in the studied area represents successive volcanic eruptions, alternating with phases of quiescence (sedimentary beds). The Ediacaran volcano-sedimentary succession of the Skoura inlier represents an evolution in four stages in a subaerial environment. The geochemical results obtained from Skoura volcanic rocks display high silica-rich composition ranging from dacite to rhyolite. Major and trace elements show high-K calc-alkaline and alkali-calcic to alkaline affinities and reflect an active continental margin signature. In addition, the studied rocks show enriched LILE compared to HFSE with negative Nb-, Ta- and Ti anomalies. This is consistent with a post-collisional setting, documented for the final phase of the Pan-African orogeny. Laser ablation U–Pb zircon dating on three rhyolitic ignimbrites from the base and top of two profiles, yielded ages of 580 ± 7 Ma, 574 ± 14 Ma and 571 ± 4 Ma. These ages compare well with the lower Ouarzazate Supergroup, widespread in the Anti-Atlas, as well as in the High Atlas and with rare exposures in the Meseta domain in northern Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermodynamic behavior of functionally graded (FG) sandwich plates resting on Winkler/Pasternak/Kerr foundations and with various boundary conditions is studied in this paper by using a refined 2D plate theory. The displacement field of the present theory contains undetermined integral forms and involves only four unknowns to derive. The plate is considered to be subject to a time harmonic sinusoidal temperature field across its thickness. Three types of foundation are studied. Each is described by a mathematical model. Different boundary conditions are used to study the thermodynamic behavior of sandwich plates on elastic foundations. The present model gives an incredible concurrence with the accessible literature. The adaptability of the proposed theory is handled by considering the impact of different parameters like time parameter, foundation parameters and deflection on the bending response of sandwich plate through several illustrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a refined quasi-three-dimensional shear deformation theory for thermo-mechanical analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates resting on a two-parameter (Pasternak model) elastic foundation is developed. Unlike the other higher-order theories the number of unknowns and governing equations of the present theory is only four against six or more unknown displacement functions used in the corresponding ones. Furthermore, this theory takes into account the stretching effect due to its quasi-three-dimensional nature. The boundary conditions in the top and bottoms surfaces of the sandwich functionally graded plate are satisfied and no correction factor is required. Various types of functionally graded material sandwich plates are considered. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived using the principle of virtual displacements. Numerical examples, selected from the literature, are illustrated. A good agreement is obtained between numerical results of the refined theory and the reference solutions. A parametric study is presented to examine the effect of the material gradation and elastic foundation on the deflections and stresses of functionally graded sandwich plate resting on elastic foundation subjected to thermo-mechanical loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) is a large igneous province (LIP) composed of basic dykes, sills, layered intrusions and lava flows emplaced before Pangea break-up and currently distributed on the four continents surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. One of the oldest, best preserved and most complete sub-provinces of the CAMP is located in Morocco. Geochemical, geochronologic, petrographic and magnetostratigraphic data obtained in previous studies allowed identification of four strato-chemical magmatic units, i.e. the Lower, Intermediate, Upper and Recurrent units. For this study, we completed a detailed sampling of the CAMP in Morocco, from the Anti Atlas in the south to the Meseta in the north. We provide a complete mineralogical, petrologic (major and trace elements on whole-rocks and minerals), geochronologic (40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb ages) and geochemical set of data (including Sr–Nd–Pb–Os isotope systematics) for basaltic and basaltic–andesitic lava flow piles and for their presumed feeder dykes and sills. Combined with field observations, these data suggest a very rapid (<0·3 Ma) emplacement of over 95% of the preserved magmatic rocks. In particular, new and previously published data for the Lower to Upper unit samples yielded indistinguishable 40Ar/39Ar (mean age = 201·2 ± 0·8 Ma) and U–Pb ages (201·57 ± 0·04 Ma), suggesting emplacement coincident with the main phase of the end-Triassic biotic turnover (c.201·5 to 201·3 Ma). Eruptions are suggested to have been pulsed with rates in excess of 10 km3/year during five main volcanic pulses, each pulse possibly lasting only a few centuries. Such high eruption rates reinforce the likelihood that CAMP magmatism triggered the end-Triassic climate change and mass extinction. Only the Recurrent unit may have been younger but by no more than 1 Ma. Whole-rock and mineral geochemistry constrain the petrogenesis of the CAMP basalts. The Moroccan magmas evolved in mid-crustal reservoirs (7–20 km deep) where most of the differentiation occurred. However, a previous stage of crystallization probably occurred at even greater depths. The four units cannot be linked by closed-system fractional crystallization processes, but require distinct parental magmas and/or distinct crustal assimilation processes. EC-AFC modeling shows that limited crustal assimilation (maximum c.5–8% assimilation of e.g. Eburnean or Pan-African granites) could explain some, but not all the observed geochemical variations. Intermediate unit magmas are apparently the most contaminated and may have been derived from parental magmas similar to the Upper basalts (as attested by indistinguishable trace element contents in the augites analysed for these units). Chemical differences between Central High Atlas and Middle Atlas samples in the Intermediate unit could be explained by distinct crustal contaminants (lower crustal rocks or Pan-African granites for the former and Eburnean granites for the latter). The CAMP units in Morocco are likely derived from 5–10% melting of enriched peridotite sources. The differences observed in REE ratios for the four units are attributed to variations in both source mineralogy and melting degree. In particular, the Lower basalts require a garnet peridotite source, while the Upper basalts were probably formed from a shallower melting region straddling the garnet–spinel transition. Recurrent basalts instead are relatively shallow-level melts generated mainly from spinel peridotites. Sr–Nd–Pb–Os isotopic ratios in the CAMP units from Morocco are similar to those of other CAMP sub-provinces and suggest a significant enrichment of the mantle-source regions by subducted crustal components. The enriched signature is attributed to involvement of about 5–10% recycled crustal materials introduced into an ambient depleted or PREMA-type mantle, while involvement of mantle-plume components like those sampled by present-day Central Atlantic Ocean Island Basalts (OIB, e.g. Cape Verde and Canary Islands) is not supported by the observed compositions. Only Recurrent basalts may possibly reflect a Central Atlantic plume-like signature similar to the Common or FOZO components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new shear deformation plate theory is introduced to illustrate the bending, buckling and free vibration responses of functionally graded material sandwich plates. A new displacement field containing integrals is proposed which involves only four variables. Based on the suggested theory, the equations of motion are derived from Hamilton's principle. This theory involves only four unknown functions and accounts for quasi-parabolic distribution of transverse shear stress. In addition, the transverse shear stresses are vanished at the top and bottom surfaces of the sandwich plate. The Navier solution technique is adopted to derive analytical solutions for simply supported rectangular sandwich plates. The accuracy and effectiveness of proposed model are verified by comparison with previous research. A detailed numerical study is carried out to examine the influence of the critical buckling loads, deflections, stresses, natural frequencies and sandwich plate type on the bending, buckling and free vibration responses of functionally graded sandwich plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the study of the thermodynamic behavior of functionally graded material plates resting on two-parameter elastic foundation. An analytical solution based on a new shear refined deformation theory is presented. The displacement field used in the present refined theory contains undetermined integral forms and involves only four unknowns to derive. The plate is assumed simply supported and subjected to two different temperatures fields across its thickness. The mechanical characteristics of the plate are assumed to be varied across the thickness according to a simple exponential law distribution. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived using the principle of virtual displacements and Navier solution technique is adopted to derive analytical solutions. A detailed numerical study of the present new refined theory is carried out to examine the influence of the time’s parameter, foundation’s parameters and deflection on the bending response of the FG plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrital zircon provenance studies are an established tool to develop palaeogeographic models, mostly based on zircon of siliciclastic rocks and isotope data. But zircon is more than just istopes and features well definable morphological characteristics. The latter may indicate single grain transport histories independent of the individual grade of concordance. This additional tool for palaeogeoraphic reconstructions was tested on zircon from siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks of Palaeozoic age from the Aoucert and Smara areas of the Souttoufides, while findings of zircon in limestone generally open new archives for sedimentary provenance analysis. The morphologies-length, width, roundness, grain surfaces-of 834 detrital zircons from sediments of allochthonous Cambrian, and (par-)autochthonous Ordovician, and Devonian units were studied, while 772 of them were analysed for their U-Th-Pb isotopes by LA-ICP-MS. Mesoproterozoic zircon contents of more than 10% in the Cambrian sediments exclude the West African Craton (WAC) as exclusive source area. Thus, at least one additional external source is suggested. This is likely the western Adrar Souttouf Massif with its significant Mesoproterozoic zircon inheritance, or comparable, yet unknown sources. Decreasing Mesoproterozoic zircon age populations in Ordovician sediments are thought to be linked to the rifting of the terranes in the course of the Rheic Ocean opening and a predominant supply of WAC detritus. The Devonian sediments likely contain reworked material from the Cambrian siliciclastics, which is shown by the zircon age distribution pattern and the zircon morphologies. Therefore, multiple shifts in the direction of sedimentary transport are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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