Wide-Field Camera for Gravitational Microlensing Survey: MOA-cam2

We have constructed a large, mosaic CCD camera called MOA-cam2 which has 4096 × 6144-pixelsto search for gravitational microlensing events. MOA-cam2 has three4096 × 2048-pixel SITe CCD chips, which have a very high quantum efficiency (nearly 80% in the wave region 500 to 800 nm),and three buttable sides. We have placed the threechips side by side with 100 m dead space. MOA-cam2 has been installed on the 61 cm Boller and Chivens telescope of the MOA collaboration at the Mt. John University Observatory (MJUO) in NewZealand since July 1998. The field coverage is 0.92° × 1.38° per exposure. The technical details of MOA-cam2 and the first images obtained with the Boller and Chivens telescope are presented. MOA-cam2 introduces a second phase of research on gravitational microlensing by the MOA collaboration.     

Air-sea interaction studies at the station occupied by R/V Sirius

The transfer formulas are used to compute hourly values of sensible and latent heat exchanges for the period July 29 to July 31, 1974. Also, values of eddy shearing stress at the sea surface, Bowen's ratio and dissipation of kinetic energy are computed. The data used cover part of the GATE period for station 20 occupied by the Brazilian Naval Ship R/V Sirius in the Equatorial Atlantic (0730 N 4000 W). The variations in the computed values are studied in relation to rainfall and the synoptic situation.     

Electron-positron pairs in a mildly relativistic plasma in active galactic nuclei

We investigate the electron-positron pair concentration in an optically thin mildly relativistic plasma which is supposed to exist in active galactic nuclei. Firstly the equilibrium concentration is calculated when copious soft photons are supplied through the cyclotron higher harmonics. It is shown that the attainable states of the plasma are strongly restricted. Secondly we examine the pair production in a hot accretion plasma around a massive black hole, comparing relevant time scales. We find that significant pair production occurs when the accretion rate is moderately high and the infall velocity is slow compared to the free fall.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984     

Techniques and methods of arsenic contaminated groundwater exploration in the Hetao plain of Inner Mongolia,China

1990年报道了在中国内蒙古河套平原由于饮用污染的地下水而患砷中毒的病例.估计目前内蒙受到砷中毒影响的居民已超过41万人.从1997年至2004年,在长达8年的时间里,我们进行了水文地质调查、地质调查和医学调查,并装置了管道输送的供水系统.这些调查揭示了河套平原地下水受砷污染的机理:由于被吸收的砷释放进入地下水,蓄水层中不断加强的还原环境造成铁氢氧化物的溶解.为了防止砷中毒病人数量的进一步增加,停止饮用污染过的水和供应安全的饮用水是重要的.我们需要根据当地的地质和水文地质条件来了解砷污染的机理.     

Growth of ringwoodite reaction rims from MgSiO3 perovskite and periclase at 22.5 GPa and 1,800 °C

The growth rate of ringwoodite reaction rims between MgSiO₃ perovskite and periclase was investigated at 22.5 GPa and 1,800 °C for 1–24 h using the Kawai-type high-pressure apparatus. The reaction was likely to proceed by a diffusion-controlled mechanism in which the dominant diffusion mechanism was grain-boundary diffusion. The reaction constant (the width of the ringwoodite reaction rim squared divided by time) determined from these experiments was between 1.3 × 10^?15 and 5.6 × 10^?15 m²/s. A Pt inert marker experiment indicated that the MgO component migrated faster than the SiO₂ component in ringwoodite. Thus, either Mg or O having the slower diffusion rate controlled the reaction. Because previous diffusion studies have shown that diffusion rates of O are slower than those of Mg, O would be a rate-controlling element for ringwoodite formation from MgSiO₃ perovskite and periclase. The growth rate appeared to be too fast to explain the observed topographic rise (~10 km) inside mantle plumes at the 660-km discontinuity.     

Relations between load and settlement of circular foundations on or in a dense sand expressed by a function of diameter and depth

When load acts on a circular foundation on or in a dense sand, average contact pressure on the lower surface of the foundation is q and settlement of the foundation is s. Diameter and depth of the foundation are B and D_f. When the sand, B and D_f are given, we can know the relation between q and s/B by, e.g. a loading test, i.e. the relation is determined by B and D_f for the sand. Using the results of numerical analyses, we express a relation between q and s/B up to s=0.1B by functions of a single variable which is a linear combination of B and D_f. Consequently when two foundations have different B's and different D_f's but have the same value of the variable, the relations are the same. Then we examine whether the functions can express the results of eleven tests of model foundations of wide range of B and/or D_f. In all the tests, the relations are expressed with sufficient accuracy. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Far-infrared properties of metallic dust grains

Far-infrared properties of metallic particle are reinvestigated in detail. In the far-infrared region, absorption due to the eddy current generally dominates over that obtained by using the Rayleigh approximation erroneusly. The wavelength dependence of the eddy current term is examined carefully and shown to be less steep than that predicted by the Rayleigh approximation for dust grains larger than 100 nm in radius. It also depends more sensitively on the grain size. A wider temperature distribution is expected corresponding to a given size distribution and hence the emission spectrum becomes less steep than the preductions by the Rayleigh approximation. Iron and graphite particles are investigated as typical interstellar metallic grains. Effects of coating of dielectric materials are also examined. Comparisons with experimental results and with observations are discussed.     

Growth rate is temperature‐dependent,but the proportion of resource allocation between the growth and gonads is not,in early adult stage of the lancelet branchiostoma japonicum

The pattern of resource allocation into multiple life‐history traits can vary with the environment; for example, high temperatures generally facilitate growth. Changes in investment in growth due to temperature may alter the allocation to other traits that are in trade‐off with that. Here, we investigated the trade‐off between growth and reproduction and whether the proportion of allocation to these varies with increasing seawater temperature in the lancelet Branchiostoma japonicum. We reared the lancelets of early adult stage under three different temperature treatments (control, + 1°C and + 2°C treatments) for 427 days in the laboratory. Although the total body length at initiation did not differ between treatments, the length was influenced by the interaction between elapsed days and temperature treatments, suggesting that growth rate was temperature‐dependent; the lancelets under higher temperature conditions showed a more rapid growth rate than did those under the control conditions. The frequency of individuals with gonads did not differ between treatments throughout their reproductive season. The monthly growth increments were also not significantly affected by the interaction between the presence/absence of gonads and temperature treatments, although the presence of gonads caused the growth increments to decrease. In addition, the effect of temperature treatments was significant. These results suggest that changes in temperature did not alter the pattern of allocation between growth and reproduction that were in a trade‐off, whereas high temperature would solely result in an increase in resource intake, at least in the early adult stage of this species.     

Response analysis of the Higashi–Kobe Bridge and surrounding soil in the 1995 Hyogoken–Nanbu Earthquake

This paper presents results of observation and analysis of the response of one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world to the Hyogoken–Nanbu (Kobe) Earthquake of 17 January 1995. It is determined that interaction of the foundations of the bridge towers with the supporting soil plays a decisive role in the overall structural behaviour. The key factor governing the changes of the soil properties at this site is pore-water pressure buildup, which results in liquefaction of the saturated surface soil layers under large dynamic loads. Models of the soil and structure are created and initially validated by accurately simulating the system response to a small earthquake. Soil parameters reflecting the pore-water pressure buildup in the strong earthquake are determined by an advanced non-linear effective stress analysis, combining the Ramberg–Osgood model of stress–strain dependence with a pore pressure model based on shear work concept. They are utilized to investigate and simulate the interaction of the foundation and the supporting soil using the program SASSI with the flexible volume substructuring approach. The results show a good agreement with the observations and have useful implications to the scientific and engineering practice. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generation of 3D virtual geographic environment based on laser scanning technique

This paper demonstrates an experiment on the generation of 3D virtual geographic environment on the basis of experimental flight laser scanning data by a set of algorithms and methods that were developed to automatically interpret range images for extracting geo-spatial features and then to reconstruct geo-objects. The algorithms and methods for the interpretation and modeling of laser scanner data include triangulated-irregular-net-work (TIN)-based range image interpolation; mathematical-morphology (MM)-based range image filtering, feature extraction and range image segmentation, feature generalization and optimization, 3D objects reconstruction and modeling; computergraphics (CG)-based visualization and animation of geographic virtual reality environment.