Provenance Record Research Articles

Sourcing of the Oligocene to Pliocene sediments of the Ningnan Basin: Evidence for Tibetan Plateau growth and local faulting unravelled by detrital apatite fission‐track and U–Pb double dating

AbstractThe Cenozoic topographic growth of the Tibetan Plateau is a pulsed, polyphase process that still requires more constraints. The Cenozoic sedimentary record of the Ningnan Basin, a continental basin located adjacent to the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is a key archive for recording the surface evolution of the Tibetan Plateau. This work reports new provenance data (apatite fission‐track, apatite U–Pb dating, and trace element analysis on the same individual grains) from the Oligocene–Pliocene sedimentary sequence that filled the Ningnan Basin. The data set shows variations in provenance patterns through the Miocene which are related to the tectonic evolution of the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. In contrast to a primary provenance from the Western Ordos Block (WOB) during the Oligocene, the Miocene sediments were mostly derived from the recycling of Mesozoic successions that occur along the northwestern Haiyuan Fault, documenting it was active in the last ca. 15 Myr. These sediments, in turn, were derived from different orogenic blocks but mainly from different segments of the Qilian Mountains. We show that the Late Miocene–Pliocene sediments were primarily derived from transpressional uplift along the Haiyuan Fault, which affected regions such as the Liupan Mountains. Progressive northeastward migration of tectonic stress since the Middle Miocene has induced extensive regional deformation in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, particularly along the Haiyuan Fault. The provenance record of the neighbouring Cenozoic basins is a key archive for deciphering this tectonic evolution.

Detrital zircon provenance record of the northern shelf in the Rakhine Basin, Bay of Bengal

The Cenozoic strata in the Rakhine Basin play a crucial role in hydrocarbon exploration; however, the provenance of these sedimentary rocks remains poorly investigated. In this study, we employed detrital zircon geochronology and geochemistry in the northern Rakhine shelf to investigate the provenance of sedimentary rocks and, combined with the previous studies, to identify their spatial and temporal variations and to elucidate the provenance evolution since the middle Miocene. The geochemical results of the zircons indicate that the primary source rocks of the sedimentary rocks are magmatic and metasedimentary rocks, particularly those of continental arc and post-collision granites. The origin of these rocks can be attributed to the Gangdese arc magmatic belt in the north, as well as the Indo-Burma Ranges in the east. The sedimentary rocks in the northern Rakhine yield zircon U-Pb age peaks primarily at 0-150 Ma, 400-600 Ma, 600-1000 Ma, and 1600-2100 Ma, with minor populations at 150-400 Ma and >2100 Ma. The detrital zircon provenance study shows that the zircons in the Miocene sedimentary rocks were primarily derived from the paleo-Brahmaputra River, with contributions ranging from 68.7% to 77.0%. During the Pliocene, the paleo-Brahmaputra River and the Chittagong-Tripura Fold Belt were the most significant sediment suppliers. Since the early Pleistocene, the northern Rakhine coastal region has played a significant role in their composition. The Brahmaputra River was the predominant contributor to upper Pleistocene rocks, and the Rakhine coastal region’s contribution to the shelf intensified throughout the Pleistocene. In conjunction with regional tectonic evolution, our study underscores the importance of the Indian Plate subduction as a pivotal factor influencing the provenance transitions in the northeastern Bay of Bengal.

Recording provenance of workflow runs with RO-Crate.

Recording the provenance of scientific computation results is key to the support of traceability, reproducibility and quality assessment of data products. Several data models have been explored to address this need, providing representations of workflow plans and their executions as well as means of packaging the resulting information for archiving and sharing. However, existing approaches tend to lack interoperable adoption across workflow management systems. In this work we present Workflow Run RO-Crate, an extension of RO-Crate (Research Object Crate) and Schema.org to capture the provenance of the execution of computational workflows at different levels of granularity and bundle together all their associated objects (inputs, outputs, code, etc.). The model is supported by a diverse, open community that runs regular meetings, discussing development, maintenance and adoption aspects. Workflow Run RO-Crate is already implemented by several workflow management systems, allowing interoperable comparisons between workflow runs from heterogeneous systems. We describe the model, its alignment to standards such as W3C PROV, and its implementation in six workflow systems. Finally, we illustrate the application of Workflow Run RO-Crate in two use cases of machine learning in the digital image analysis domain.

Tracking the tempo of a continental margin arc: Insights from a forearc succession in West Antarctica

The Fossil Bluff Group of eastern Alexander Island records the exceptional preservation of more than 8 km of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks deposited into an accretionary forearc basin that developed unconformably above a late Paleozoic accretionary complex, and in proximity to a continental margin arc during a prolonged phase of enhanced magmatism. Through the Mesozoic, the Fossil Bluff Group evolved from a trench-slope environment to a forearc basin sourced from the continental margin arc. During this period, the Antarctic Peninsula’s convergent margin was characterized by episodes of magmatic flare-ups that developed during tectonic compression, crustal thickening, extension, and uplift. U-Pb and Lu-Hf detrital zircon data are used to determine the provenance of the forearc succession and as a monitor of arc magmatic tempos during the late Mesozoic. The magmatic record in the adjacent arc is poorly preserved or partially absent, but the sedimentary record of the forearc basin preserves a largely uninterrupted record of arc magmatism that can be studied with detrital zircon geochronology and geochemistry. The basal succession of the Fossil Bluff Group is sourced from the adjacent accretionary complex, but thereafter it is strongly controlled by the proximal arc in western Palmer Land and is characterized by a mixed arc/recycled signature during episodes of renewed sedimentation. However, the main phases of deposition during the Early Jurassic (ca. 180 Ma), Early Cretaceous (141−131 Ma), and mid-Cretaceous (125−102 Ma) are dominated by arc-only sources. The Lu-Hf isotopic record supports a transition from convergence to extension and a return to convergence during the Mesozoic, which is consistent with accretionary orogens from elsewhere along the West Gondwanan margin. The provenance record during the depositional history of the basin points overwhelmingly to an autochthonous origin; as such, models for parts of the western province of the Antarctic Peninsula being allochthonous are unsupported.

Tectonic and climatic significance of Oligocene-Miocene eolian sandstones in the Andean foreland basin of Argentina

Late Oligocene-early Miocene aridification in the retroarc foreland basin adjacent to the southern central Andes was recorded by widespread eolian conditions that coincided with accelerated subsidence driven by the main phase of Andean tectonic loading. An extensive eolian dune system, which is rare in most foreland basins, indicates specific conditions in terms of climate (aridity), atmospheric circulation, orography, sediment sources, dispersal patterns, and accommodation space. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronological results for eolian sandstones spanning 20 foreland localities in northwestern to west-central Argentina, from 22°S to 36°S, reveal relatively localized Andean sources rather than regional cratonic provenance. Clastic detritus was largely derived from Phanerozoic igneous and sedimentary rocks of the Andean magmatic arc and retroarc fold-thrust belt during initial shortening-induced uplift of hinterland regions such as the Western Cordillera, Principal Cordillera, and Frontal Cordillera. This provenance record provides the earliest evidence for major westerly winds, transporting Andean detritus broadly eastward to the foreland basin (with common axial northward deflections) during a climate shift marked by the latest Oligocene-earliest Miocene inception of arid conditions. In addition to the climatic implications, independent stratigraphic data provide the basis for a compilation of sediment accumulation histories showing that eolian deposition was synchronous with accelerated subsidence attributable to enhanced Andean shortening. We propose that accelerated Andean uplift in the latest Oligocene-early Miocene generated rain-shadow conditions contemporaneous with increased sediment accommodation in the foreland basin, underscoring the important influence of tectonic processes on regional climate.

Provenance of specimen and data – A prerequisite for AI development in computational pathology

AI development in biotechnology relies on high-quality data to train and validate algorithms. The FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and regulatory frameworks such as the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) and the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) specify requirements on specimen and data provenance to ensure the quality and traceability of data used in AI development. In this paper, a framework is presented for recording and publishing provenance information to meet these requirements. The framework is based on the use of standardized models and protocols, such as the W3C PROV model and the ISO 23494 series, to capture and record provenance information at various stages of the data generation and analysis process. The framework and use case illustrate the role of provenance information in supporting the development of high-quality AI algorithms in biotechnology. Finally, the principles of the framework are illustrated in a simple computational pathology use case, showing how specimen and data provenance can be used in the development and documentation of an AI algorithm. The use case demonstrates the importance of managing and integrating distributed provenance information and highlights the complex task of considering factors such as semantic interoperability, confidentiality, and the verification of authenticity and integrity.

Nanopublications for Biodiversity Go Live

A nanopublication is the smallest unit of publishable information: a scientifically meaningful assertion about anything that can be uniquely identified and attributed to its author(s) and serve to communicate a single statement, its original source (provenance) and citation record (publication info) (Mons and Velterop 2009, Kuhn et al. 2021). Nanopublications are fully expressed in both human-readable and machine-interpretable formats and can be cited thorugh their unique URI identifiers (IDs). The development of the concept, formats and use cases of biodiversity-specific nanopublications started back in 2016 (Penev et al. 2016). Recently, Pensoft and Knowledge Pixels created a workflow to publish nanopublications related to a published article (Fig. 1). At its core, the generic biodiversity nanopublication consists of a triple structure with a Subject element, a Relation element, and an Object element. The Subject element refers to a specific organism identified by an Organism ID, or groups of organisms (Taxa, identified by Taxon Concept IDs). Universal Unique Identifiers (UUIDs) are minted for both in all cases, although if the given organism already has an identifier, e.g., from digitised collections or observations, then this identifier can be specified too. The Organism is linked via class membership (rdf:type) to a Taxon Concept, which is identified with another UUID that is minted upon nanopublication creation. The need to mint IDs is due to the fact that Organism or Taxon Concept IDs (which refer to taxon names but also details about their interpretation and use) are not currently available in any comprehensive vocabulary or database. The minted Taxon Concept IDs are further defined by linking them to a Taxon Name ID from Catalogue of Life / ChecklistBank (via a relation called "has Taxon Name") and by linking to Taxon Name's concept (interpretation of the name) by a publication's Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or TreatmentBank entry (via a relation called "used as defined in"). Apart from assigning a Taxon Concept, the subject organism can optionally be linked to a life cycle stage (based on the Uber-anatomy (UBERON) Ontology) and to occurrence data via Occurrence ID. The Relation element expresses the association between Subject and Object, according to a particular ontology (e.g., Relation Ontology). The Object element may have different formats. In the template “Association between organisms" the Object has the same structure as the Subject; while in the template “Association between an organism and environment”, the Object is a type of habitat available from the Environment Ontolog (ENVO). In addition to an assertion, a nanopublication has a provenance record (e.g., DOI of the article where the assertion has been published) and the type of evidence entered in the BasisOfRecord field. The publication info always contains the ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) of the nanopublication's creator, and the timestamp of creation. Another type of nanopublication template annotates an entire article or selected text from it by using the ORCID of the creator as the Subject, the article's DOI as the Object, and the Citation Typing Ontology (CiTO) to express evaluation of the article (e.g., “supports”, “agrees with”, “discusses”). These templates are complemented by free text comments and are available under the Nanopub tab on the article webpages at several Pensoft journals (see example and blog). Nanopublications can also prompt other types of publications, e.g., hypotheses, to become more machine-interpretable, as discussed for invasion biology (Heger et al. 2023).

Geochemistry of Upper Cretaceous bauxite deposits, Zagros Fold Thrust Belt, SW Iran: Paleoenvironment and provenance constraints

Iranian's karst bauxites, as part of the Irano-Himalayan bauxite belt, are related to four structural zones, including the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt (ZFTB). The ZFTB consists of 7–12 km of the Paleozoic to Pliocene carbonate sediments deposited on the Precambrian basement and Arabian continental margin. In the ZFTB occur several karst bauxite deposits between the Cenomanian-Turonian shallow-marine argillaceous of the Sarvak Formation and the Santonian-Campanian carbonates of the Ilam Formation. Compositional data of karst bauxite deposits may address paleogeographic restoration and record paleoclimate, and here we discuss a dataset including the Mombi, Bidgol, Tang-e Pirzal, and Bagoushi bauxite deposits in the ZFTB. Although the ZFTB karst bauxites show similar texture, they are different in composition, reflecting different paleoenvironmental formation conditions. In most of the studied bauxites, the composition of ooidal concretions indicates the occurrence of long periods of humid tropical climate followed by short and intermittent dry-to-wet conditions. In the Bidgol deposit, a different pattern is recognized, reflecting the predominance of dry climates and characterized by low aqueous silica activity and low water activity. The formation of iron oxyhydroxide minerals is likely due to a multistage process involving the circulation of Fe-rich solutions in micro-cracks or veins due to pyrite and chamosite dissolution and Fe2+ oxidization. In the ZFTB bauxites, two main trends of Ce/Ce* distribution with depth, a proxy of paleo-redox evolution during bauxitization, are recognized. In the Bidgol and Mombi deposits, Ce/Ce* is negative in the basal portion and increases upward. The positive Ce-anomalies in the upper parts of these deposits are due to ceranite formation under oxidizing environment near the surface. In the Bagoushi and Tang-e Pirzal deposits, Ce/Ce* is close to the unit with the notable exceptions of a few samples characterized by significant and positive Ce/Ce* anomalies. This feature suggests that cerianite, originally ubiquitous in these deposits, was affected by congruent dissolution through cerium reduction with Ce3+ transportation by acidic downward percolating solutions as fluoride complexes (REEF2+ and REEF2+), carbonate complexes (REECO3+) and carbonate–fluoride complexes (REECO3F) followed by fluorocarbonate minerals' precipitation. This process has been repeated several times with maximum distribution throughout the profile due to environmental changes, including periodic fluctuations in the groundwater level. Finally, the Sm/Nd, Nb/Ta, and Eu/Eu* provenance proxies indicate that the protolith(s) from which the ZFTB bauxite deposits are derived is UCC-like, thus excluding supply of mafic material and pointing toward a source material primarily derived from the bedrock argillaceous sediments. In addition, several samples record provenance from siliciclastic craton-derived sediment, suggesting that the ZFTB was connected with a continental margin during the Jurassic-early Cretaceous.

Blockchain-based decentralized supply chain system with secure information sharing

Supply chain management (SCM) has become an important way for the companies to improve the production efficiency and reduce the management cost. However, the existing SCM system is usually built and performed with the semi-trusted certificate authority, which may be susceptible to the collusion attack and tampering attack launched by the malicious certificate authority, resulting in illegal modification of product provenance record. Moreover, the lack of transparent and mutual trust among the stakeholders in the SCM system remains a great challenging issue. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based decentralized supply chain system with secure information sharing, which can ensure the security of product provenance record without relying on any fully trusted intermediary. In our system, two validation mechanisms, i.e., one-way validation mechanism and transaction-based validation mechanism are built to help the stakeholders to perform the validation of product provenance record without accessing their original content. Furthermore, the blockchain-based smart contract is used to achieve secure registration, proper authentication and fair payment for all stakeholders, where the valid stakeholders can pay for the purchased products, automatically and reliably. Security analysis and performance evaluation demonstrate that our proposed scheme is secure, feasible and efficient with a limited and reasonable computation cost.

Enhancing Product Trust Using Blockchain

Abstract: Counterfeit products have become a major issue in the global market, causing significant economic losses to businesses and health and safety risks to consumers. Blockchain technology has the potential to address this problem by creating a secure and immutable record of the origin and movement of products. This paper explores the use of blockchain technology for identifying counterfeit products. We examine the characteristics of blockchain technology, its benefits, and limitations. We also discuss the current approaches used for product identification and how blockchain technology can be used to enhance these methods. We present a case study on how blockchain technology can be implemented to identify counterfeit pharmaceuticals, one of the most critical areas of concern. The results show that blockchain technology can be a useful tool in identifying counterfeit products, as it provides an immutable record of product provenance, enhances traceability, and reduces the risk of fraud.

Identifying the provenance and quantifying the contribution of dust sources in EPICA Dronning Maud Land ice core (Antarctica) over the last deglaciation (7–27 kyr BP): A high-resolution, quantitative record from a new Rare Earth Element mixing model

Antarctic ice cores have revealed the interplay between dust and climate in the Southern Hemisphere. Yet, so far, no continuous record of dust provenance has been established through the last deglaciation. Here, using a new database of 207 Rare Earth Element (REE) patterns measured in dust and sediments/soils from well-known potential source areas (PSA) of the Southern Hemisphere, we developed a statistical model combining those inputs to provide the best fit to the REE patterns measured in EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice core (E. Antarctica). Out of 398 samples measured in the EDML core, 386 samples have been un-mixed with statistical significance. Combined with the total atmospheric deposition, we quantified the dust flux from each PSA to EDML between 7 and 27 kyr BP. Our results reveal that the dust composition was relatively uniform up until 14.5 kyr BP despite a large drop in atmospheric deposition at ∼18 kyr with a large contribution from Patagonia yielding ∼68 % of total dust deposition. The remaining dust was supplied from Australia (14–15 %), Southern Africa (∼9 %), New Zealand (∼3–4 %) and Puna-Altiplano (∼2–3 %). The most striking change occurred ∼14.5 kyr BP when Patagonia dropped below 50 % on average while low-latitude PSA increased their contributions to 21–23 % for Southern Africa, 13–21 % for Australia and ∼ 4–10 % for Puna-Altiplano. We argue that this shift is linked to long-lasting changes in the hydrology of Patagonian rivers and to sudden acceleration of the submersion of Patagonian shelf at 14.5 kyr BP, highlighting a relationship between dust composition and eustatic sea level. Early Holocene dust composition is highly variable, with Patagonian contribution being still prevalent, at ∼50 % on average. Provided a good coverage of local and distal PSA, our statistical model based on REE pattern offers a straightforward and cost-effective method to trace dust source in ice cores.

From museumization to decolonization: fostering critical dialogues in the history of science with a Haida eagle mask.

This paper explores the process from museumization to decolonization through an examination of a Haida eagle mask currently on display in the Exploring Medicine gallery at the Science Museum in London. While elements of this discussion are well developed in some disciplines, such as Indigenous studies, anthropology and museum and heritage studies, this paper approaches the topic through the history of science, where decolonization and global perspectives are still gaining momentum. The aim therefore is to offer some opening perspectives and methods on how historians of science can use the ideas and approaches relating to decolonization in other fields, and apply them constructively to the history of science, particularly in museum settings. Decolonization is a complicated process and the focus of this paper is squarely on the preliminary steps of its implementation. To understand this process fully, the paper will recontextualize the Indigenous history of the Haida eagle mask at the Science Museum through a careful reconstruction of its provenance record. Through this process it will expose the politics of erasure and hidden voices in museum collections.

Human-machine collaboration in intelligence analysis: An expert evaluation

In this paper we illustrate how novel AI methods can improve the performance of intelligence analysts. These analysts aim to make sense of — often conflicting or incomplete — information, weighing up competing hypotheses which serve to explain an observed situation. Analysts have access to numerous visual analytic tools which support the temporal and/or conceptual structuring of information and collection, and support the evaluation of alternative hypotheses. We believe, however, that there are currently no tools or methods which allow analysts to combine the recording and interpretation of information, and that there is little understanding about how software tools can facilitate the hypothesis formation process. Following the identification of these requirements, we developed the CISpaces (Collaborative Intelligence Spaces) decision support tool in collaboration with professional intelligence analysts. CISpaces combines multiple AI-based methods including argumentation theory, crowdsourced Bayesian analysis, and provenance recording. We show that CISpaces is able to provide support to analysts by facilitating the interpretation of different types of evidence through argumentation-based reasoning, provenance analysis and crowdsourcing. We undertook an experimental analysis with intelligence analysts which highlights three key points. (1) The novel, principled AI methods implemented in CISpaces advance performance in intelligence analysis. (2) While designed as a research prototype, analysts benchmarked it against their existing software tools, and we provide results suggesting intention to adopt CISpaces in analysts’ daily activities. (3) Finally, the evaluation highlights some drawbacks in CISpaces. However, these are not due to the technologies underpinning the tool, but rather in its lack of integration with existing organisational standards regarding input and output formats. Our evaluation with intelligence analysts therefore demonstrates the potential impact that an integrated tool building on state-of-the-art AI techniques can have on the process of understanding complex situations, and on how such a tool can help focus human effort on identifying more credible interpretations of evidence.

The Far-Field imprint of the late Paleozoic Ice Age, its demise, and the onset of a dust-house climate across the Eastern Shelf of the Midland Basin, Texas

The late Paleozoic is a period of pronounced climatic and tectonic change, characterized by the onset and disappearance of continental-scale glaciers across polar Gondwana, the formation of Pangea, and widespread large igneous province volcanism. The low-latitude equatorial tropics are assumed to be places of persistent warm and wet climatic conditions throughout the Phanerozoic, which through intense silicate weathering, exert a major influence on Earth’s climate via the consumption of atmospheric carbon through carbonic hydrolytic weathering, formation of clay minerals and deliverability of alkalinity to ocean basins. Here we investigate the late Paleozoic sedimentary record of the Eastern Shelf of the Midland Basin in order to refine the climatic and provenance record of this region. The Eastern Shelf of the Midland Basin was situated within the equatorial tropics throughout the late Paleozoic and was connected to the open ocean through a network of fluvial systems that drained into the marine Midland Basin. We present new U-Pb zircon geochronology (19 samples, 2591 analyses) and sedimentary petrography (11 samples, 5800 grain counts), which we integrate with previously published paleobotany, paleosol chemistry and clay mineralogy to provide a holistic climate and tectonic record from this region. We observe major changes in sedimentary processes that we attribute to the formation of Pangea, eustatic changes linked to a dynamic high-latitude glaciation and teleconnections with low latitude hydrology, and a long-term shift in the Earth climate system all of which result in a dynamic sediment provenance history. Late Pennsylvanian and earliest Permian deposits are enriched in zircons with local affinity and interpreted to reflect local uplift and repeat incision across the basin margin, the latter a result of glacioeustatic forcing during an “everwet” climate. A major paleoenvironmental shift occurs in the late early Permian, which is reflected by the transition from fluvial to mixed fluvial-aeolian and ultimately aeolian dominant sedimentation by the late Permian. The transition from fluvial to aeolian dominant sedimentation is accompanied by a change in clay chemistry, sedimentary rock textual maturity, paleosol morphology and a threefold increase in Paleozoic zircons in the mid to late Permian strata. Widespread loess deposits across equatorial Pangea during the Permian have been used to argue for the possibility of equatorial glaciers situated in highland settings during the early Permian. Conversely, our data suggest initiation of a substantial component of aeolian deposition across the field areas, which is coincident with widespread ice loss across high latitude Gondwana, and ultimately highlights the teleconnections between high latitude glaciation and the low latitude hydrologic cycle.

Revisiting the paleogeographic position of South China in Gondwana by geochemistry and U Pb ages of detrital monazite grains from Cambrian sedimentary rocks

South China is placed in a range of positions along the northern margin of East Gondwana in the early Paleozoic reflecting uncertainties in linking U Pb ages of detrital zircon to potential sources. Using detrital monazite U Pb ages from Cambrian sedimentary rocks, we argue for a position outboard of northeastern India. Detrital monazite yields predominantly earliest Neoproterozoic and earliest Cambrian age peaks at circa 945 Ma and 528 Ma, with minor end Mesoproterozoic and late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic ages. Compared with the U Pb age distribution pattern of detrital zircon from the same samples, the monazite data highlights input from earliest Cambrian metapelites. These earliest Neoproterozoic and earliest Cambrian detrital monazite grains match with ages and Th and U contents of monazite from northeastern India, but are different from those from northwestern India and northern Australia, and thus enable tighter constraints on the paleogeography of South China than detrital zircon data alone. • U Pb ages of detrital monazite from the Cambrian sandstones in the southern part of South China are analyzed. • Cambrian detrital monazite from the southern part of South China yields predominantly age peaks at circa 945 Ma and 530 Ma. • South China was linked to the northeastern India margin of East Gondwana in the Cambrian. • Detrital monazite can provide a more accurate record of provenance than detrital zircon.

The paleotectonic evolution of the western Mediterranean: provenance insights from the internal Betics, southern Spain

Since the early Cenozoic, the closure of the Alpine Tethys in the Western Mediterranean has been accomplished by protracted subduction, followed by collision and orogenic collapse. The internal zones of the Betic Cordillera (southern Spain) and Rif (northern Morocco) experienced subduction metamorphism and subsequent exhumation due to the westward migration of the orogenic system. The detrital provenance of these meta-sedimentary units contains crucial insights into their pre-subduction stratigraphic arrangement, which is essential to constrain the pre-Cenozoic paleogeography and tectonic evolution of the Western Mediterranean. This study focuses on the Nevado-Filábride Complex (NFC) and the Eastern Alpujárride Complex in the Internal Betic Cordillera. New depth-profile zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS data from the NFC (N = 72) and Alpujárride (N = 21) and in situ apatite U-Pb data from a metabasite within the NFC allow us to establish the pre-subduction stratigraphy, sedimentary provenance, and paleotectonic configuration of the Iberian rifted margin during the Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic. Our dataset demonstrates that the NFC represents an intact Devonian to Early Jurassic stratigraphic sequence that records the evolution of the Western Mediterranean from the Variscan orogeny to rifting and opening of the Alpine Tethys. Detrital zircon U-Pb age modes of the NFC remain remarkably similar for over 200 Myr with only the differences being the progressive addition of new zircon modes related to depositional ages. Additionally, a comparison between the provenance record of the NFC and Alpujárride reveals notably similar zircon signatures of Carboniferous and Permian strata. This study reports the first data from the Triassic–Jurassic strata that record the opening of the Alpine Tethys. Additional evidence for rifting is present in the metabasites from the Veleta unit yielding in situ apatite U-Pb ages of 197 Ma, recording CAMP magmatism and Early Jurassic rifting in the Alpine Tethys. The data demonstrate a palinspastic connection between the NFC and the Alpujárride. Based on these extensive new provenance data, we propose a pre-subduction tectonic configuration in which the NFC and Alpujárride both represent adjacent attenuated continental fragments that are separated from the southern Iberian rifted margin by a narrow oceanic domain of the Alpine Tethys in the early Mesozoic.

Novel blockchain transaction provenance model with graph attention mechanism

With the maturity of the blockchain technology, more and more blockchain digital currencies including the Bitcoin, the Ethereum and the Ripple have been developed. Meanwhile, the security problem of the blockchain digital currency has become increasingly serious. It is necessary to build a provenance model for a large number of blockchain transaction, which can be used to find out which link has trouble and who is responsible once a problem occurs. However, the existing blockchain transaction data analysis methods have low traceback accuracy for data provenance. Therefore, a novel blockchain transaction provenance model with graph attention mechanism is proposed in this paper. The graph attention mechanism is used to identify the traders. Then, a triplet data structure is built to record provenance information and express the relationship between transaction amount and traders. Finally, the smart contract is used to implement the proposed provenance model. The provenance information can be searched through the interface provided by the smart contract when the traceback is required. In addition, the real large-scale Bitcoin transaction dataset Elliptic is used to compare the proposed method with other existing methods. The experiment show that the proposed method achieves state of the art results of the traceback accuracy.

The Common Provenance Model: Capturing Distributed Provenance in Life Sciences Processes.

The distributed nature of modern research emphasizes the importance of collecting and sharing the history of digital and physical material, to improve the reproducibility of experiments and the quality and reusability of results. Yet, the application of the current methodologies to record provenance information is largely scattered, leading to silos of provenance information at different granularities. To tackle this fragmentation, we developed the Common Provenance Model, a set of guidelines for the generation of interoperable provenance information, and to allow the reconstruction and the navigation of a continuous provenance chain. This work presents the first version of the model, available online, based on the W3C PROV Data Model and the Provenance Composition pattern.

On the Anonymization of Workflow Provenance without Compromising the Transparency of Lineage

Workflows have been adopted in several scientific fields as a tool for the specification and execution of scientific experiments. In addition to automating the execution of experiments, workflow systems often include capabilities to record provenance information, which contains, among other things, data records used and generated by the workflow as a whole but also by its component modules. It is widely recognized that provenance information can be useful for the interpretation, verification, and re-use of workflow results, justifying its sharing and publication among scientists. However, workflow execution in some branches of science can manipulate sensitive datasets that contain information about individuals. To address this problem, we investigate, in this article, the problem of anonymizing the provenance of workflows. In doing so, we consider a popular class of workflows in which component modules use and generate collections of data records as a result of their invocation, as opposed to a single data record. The solution we propose offers guarantees of confidentiality without compromising lineage information, which provides transparency as to the relationships between the data records used and generated by the workflow modules. We provide algorithmic solutions that show how the provenance of a single module and an entire workflow can be anonymized and present the results of experiments that we conducted for their evaluation.

Automated and non-intrusive provenance capture with UML2PROV

Data provenance is a form of knowledge graph providing an account of what a system performs, describing the data involved, and the processes carried out over them. It is crucial to ascertaining the origin of data, validating their quality, auditing applications behaviours, and, ultimately, making them accountable. However, instrumenting applications, especially legacy ones, to track the provenance of their operations remains a significant technical hurdle, hindering the adoption of provenance technology. UML2PROV is a software-engineering methodology that facilitates the instrumentation of provenance recording in applications designed with UML diagrams. It automates the generation of (1) templates for the provenance to be recorded and (2) the code to capture values required to instantiate those templates from an application at run time, both from the application’s UML diagrams. By so doing, UML2PROV frees application developers from manual instrumentation of provenance capturing while ensuring the quality of recorded provenance. In this paper, we present in detail UML2PROV’s approach to generating application code for capturing provenance values via the means of Bindings Generation Module (BGM). In particular, we propose a set of requirements for BGM implementations and describe an event-based design of BGM that relies on the Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) paradigm to automatically weave the generated code into an application. Finally, we present three different BGM implementations following the above design and analyze their pros and cons in terms of computing/storage overheads and implications to provenance consumers.