Choline sulfate (ester) in marine higher fungi

Choline sulfate (ester) was isolated from the marine imperfect fungus Zalerion maritimum (Linder) Anastasiou, and was subsequently revealed by comparative thin-layer chromatography in eighteen additional isolates of marine fungi including Z. maritimum and ten species of Ascomycetes. The possible role of choline sulfate in the metabolism of marine fungi is discussed in the light of its demonstrated roles in terrestrial higher fungi. The IR and NMR spectral characteristics of choline sulfate (ester) are reported for the first time.     

The distribution of solar flares and probable relations to biological effects

We have compared the monthly distribution of the total number of flares to the monthly mortality from cardiovascular and myocardial infarctions for the time period 1974–1983, and computed correlation coefficients. Periodicities of 3 and 5 months (150 days) have been found in both distributions.     

A spectroscopic study of solar spicules in Hα, Hβ and K

Simultaneous spectra of spicules in H, H and the Ca ii K have been analyzed. These spectra were obtained with the échelle spectrograph of Sacramento Peak Observatory and have a resolution of 1.5 s of arc. Data include absolute intensities, velocities, linewidths and the optical depth at the center of H. Electron densities range between 6 × 10¹⁰cm^–3 and 1.2 × 10¹¹cm^–3, while the range of the electron temperature is between 12000K and 15000K at a height of 5400 km above the limb. The analysis of the variation of the line of sight velocity across spicules shows that their rotation is very small. There is very good correlation in the structure of all three lines.     

Io’s atmosphere: Constraints on sublimation support from density variations on seasonal timescales using NASA IRTF/TEXES observations from 2001 to 2010

We present an analysis of 19 μm spectra of Io’s SO₂ atmosphere from the TEXES mid-infrared high spectral resolution spectrograph on NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility, incorporating new data taken between January 2005 and June 2010 and a re-analysis of earlier data taken from November 2001 to January 2004. This is the longest set of contiguous observations of Io’s atmosphere using the same instrument and technique thus far. We have fitted all 16 detected blended absorption lines of the ν₂ SO₂ vibrational band to retrieve the subsolar values of SO₂ column abundance and the gas kinetic temperature. By incorporating an existing model of Io’s surface temperatures and atmosphere, we retrieve sub-solar column densities from the disk-integrated data. Spectra from all years are best fit by atmospheric temperatures <150 K. Best-fit gas kinetic temperatures on the anti-Jupiter hemisphere, where SO₂ gas abundance is highest, are low and stable, with a mean of 108 (±18) K. The sub-solar SO₂ column density between longitudes of 90–220° varies from a low of 0.61 (±0.145) × 10^?17 cm^?2, near aphelion in 2004, to a high of 1.51 (±0.215) × 10¹⁷ cm^?2 in 2010 when Jupiter was approaching its early 2011 perihelion. No correlation in the gas temperature was seen with the increasing SO₂ column densities outside the errors.Assuming that any volcanic component of the atmosphere is constant with time, the correlation of increasing SO₂ abundance with decreasing heliocentric distance provides good evidence that the atmosphere is at least partially supported by frost sublimation. The SO₂ frost thermal inertias and albedos that fit the variation in atmospheric density best are between 150–1250 W m^?2 s^?1/2 K^?1 and 0.613–0.425 respectively. Photometric evidence favors albedos near the upper end of this range, corresponding to thermal inertias near the lower end. This relatively low frost thermal inertia produces larger amplitude seasonal variations than are observed, which in turn implies a substantial additional volcanic atmospheric component to moderate the amplitude of the seasonal variations of the total atmosphere on the anti-Jupiter hemisphere. The seasonal thermal inertia we measure is unique both because it refers exclusively to the SO₂ frost surface component, and also because it refers to relatively deep subsurface layers (few meters) due to the timescales of many years, while previous studies have determined thermal inertias at shallower levels (few centimeters), relevant for timescales of ～2 h (eclipse) or ～2 days (diurnal curves).     

A method predicting the earthquake-induced landslide risk by back analyses of past landslides and its application in the region of the Wenchuan 12/5/2008 earthquake

The work considers critical slopes located at regions with high danger and proposes a method which approximately predicts the risk of earthquake-induced excessive movement of these slopes, in the case where relevant soil strength data along their slip surface do not exist. The method utilizes (1) simplified constitutive equations predicting soil response along slip surfaces and (2) a multi-block sliding system model, both recently proposed. It involves the following steps: (a) collect relevant topographic information and laboratory test results of past landslides at the region of interest, (b) (i) analyze the relevant laboratory tests to estimate the soil constitutive parameters and (ii) estimate the mobilized residual soil strength by back analysis of relevant past landslides, (c) select constitutive model parameters for future applications at the region based on step (b) and validate them based on analysis of the triggering of the past landslides and (d) apply the selected constitutive model parameters in critical slopes in the region under consideration to predict not only whether triggering occurs, but also the post-triggering slide deformation. The paper, after describing in detail the proposed method, applies it at the Wenchuan region, where the 12th May 2008 earthquake triggered many landslides. During the application, four ring shear test results and twelve landslides of the 12th May 2008 earthquake were considered. The application was successful and the following were observed: (i) in the back analyses, the multi-block model predicted reasonably well the final configuration of all slides, (ii) apart from two significantly larger back-estimated values of the residual soil strength, small scatter existed in the other back-estimated values and (iii) the selected model parameters were duly validated under step (c). Furthermore, as the back-estimated friction angle of most landslides was less than 18°, and the materials along the slip surface have a Liquid Limit value less than 25 %, it is inferred that some, or all of the slip surface during these slides, was sheared in an undrained manner.     

Local outlier factor as part of a workflow for detecting and attenuating blending noise in simultaneously acquired data

A number of deblending methods and workflows have been reported in the past decades to eliminate the source interference noise recorded during a simultaneous shooting acquisition. It is common that denoising algorithms focusing on optimizing coherency and weighting down/ignoring outliers can be considered as deblending tools. Such algorithms are not only enforcing coherency but also handling outliers either explicitly or implicitly. In this paper, we present a novel approach based on detecting amplitude outliers and its application on deblending based on a local outlier factor that assigns an outlier-ness (i.e. a degree of being an outlier) to each sample of the data. A local outlier factor algorithm quantifies outlier-ness for an object in a data set based on the degree of isolation compared with its locally neighbouring objects. Assuming that the seismic pre-stack data acquired by simultaneous shooting are composed of a set of non-outliers and outliers, the local outlier factor algorithm evaluates the outlier-ness of each object. Therefore, we can separate the data set into blending noise (i.e. outlier) and signal (i.e. non-outlier) components. By applying a proper threshold, objects having high local outlier factors are labelled as outlier/blending noise, and the corresponding data sample could be replaced by zero or a statistically adequate value. Beginning with an explanation of parameter definitions and properties of local outlier factor, we investigate the feasibility of a local outlier factor application on seismic deblending by analysing the parameters of local outlier factor and suggesting specific deblending strategies. Field data examples recorded during simultaneous shooting acquisition show that the local outlier factor algorithm combined with a thresholding can detect and attenuate blending noise. Although the local outlier factor application on deblending shows a few shortcomings, it is consequently noted that the local outlier factor application in this paper obviously achieves benefits in terms of detecting and attenuating blending noise and paves the way for further geophysical applications.     

Stratospheric ozone variations in the northern and the southern hemisphere during the period 1957–1990

The fluctuation and the periodicities of the total ozone layer for the period 1957–1990 is studied. Monthly total ozone data from 32 ground based stations have been analysed. It is shown that the maxima and the minima of the monthly values of total ozone for each year and for the whole period in question do not necessarily occur in March or in April and in September or October but range from March till July and from September till December respectively. Periodicities of 3, 4 and 6 months have been revealed. Finally the maxima and the minima of the total ozone data were examined. The variation of the whole phenomenon is analytically expressed with the help of an algebraic formula and can represent the observed monthly ozone values with an accuracy of 97%.     

Constitutive modeling of earthquake-induced slides on clays along slip surfaces

The paper first proposes and validates a constitutive model simulating the change of resistance along a slip surface of clay for both the undrained and drained cases. The proposed model is based on (a) the critical state theory and (b) the assumption that the critical state changes once failure is reached, in terms of the further shear displacement. Under undrained conditions, the proposed model simulates the excess pore pressure generation and, subsequently, the continuous change of resistance along the slip surface from its initial value to the peak strength and then, at large displacement, the residual value. The latter can be measured in constant-volume ring shear tests. Then, the developed constitutive model is implemented in the multi-block sliding system model for the prediction of the triggering and deformation of slides. The improved model is applied at the well-documented Fourth Avenue landslide of the 1964 Alaska earthquake.     

Floodplain evolution in a small,tectonically active basin of northern California

Sediment cores were collected along ?oodplains in the Navarro River basin of coastal northern California to examine the controls on ?oodplain evolution in a tectonically active setting. Sedimentary strata were subsampled for organic content, bulk density, and grain size measurements. Organic samples were analysed for ¹⁴C age, which yielded net‐averaged sedimentation rates for all cores. Overbank deposition rates decreased at all study sites through time and declined in the downstream direction. The ability of intermediary‐order streams to store sediment in ?oodplains decreased the ability of highest‐order streams to record sediment‐pulse events. The effects of anthropogenic disturbance, primarily logging, on long‐term overbank deposition rates were minimal. Climatic variability, by affecting sediment loading in the channel network, is the principal control on ?oodplain evolution through the Holocene. A hypothetical model is proposed to explain overbank deposition rates in the Navarro basin, which may be extrapolated to the northern‐coastal California region during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The complexities observed in sediment storage and routing in this study imply that caution should be made when extrapolating sediment‐yield measurements obtained at river mouths or coastal shelves to geomorphic events within small, tectonically active basins. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.