Variability of Nonionellina labradorica Dawson in Surface Sediments from Kongsfjorden, West Spitsbergen

Kongsfjorden is a fjord in Spitsbergen (Svalbard archipelago) that lies adjacent to both Arctic and Atlantic water masses and is therefore a suitable site to understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems. To decipher the effect of the lateral advection of transformed Atlantic water (TAW) within the fjord, spatial variations of foraminiferal tests, their test size variations and stable isotopic composition (δ13C and δ18O) in the surface sediments were studied. Total organic carbon and textural analyses were also carried out. The dominant benthic foraminifera included Nonionellina labradorica, Elphidium excavatum, Cassidulina reniforme, Quinqueloculina stalkeri and Islandiella islandica. Nonionellina labradorica was the predominant species in the outer fjord, whereas Elphidium excavatum and Cassidulina reniforme were dominant in the inner fjord. Total organic carbon and the test size of Nonionellina labradorica within the fjord were highly correlated (r2?=?0.97) and both showed a decreasing trend towards the inner fjord. Based on the distribution and abundance of Nonionellina labradorica as well as temperature profiles, we suggest that there was little or no major change in the lateral advection of TAW within the fjord in the immediate past.     

Comments on Placenticeras mintoi (Vredenburg, 1906) from the Bagh Beds (Late Cretaceous), central India with special reference to Turonian Nodular Limestone Horizon

The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian to Coniacian) marine sediments of central India prevalently known as ‘Bagh Beds,’ have been deposited in the E-W extending Narmada Basin. The stratigraphy of these Cenomanian — Coniacian sediments has been reviewed and summarized. The Bagh Beds have been found to consist of three formations: Nimar Sandstone, Nodular Limestone and Corallian Limestone in ascending order. Main emphasis has been given to Nodular Limestone Formation (Turonian), which is the most fossiliferous horizon of the Bagh Beds. Nodular Limestone Formation has more or less alternating bands of varying thickness of nodular limestone and marl. It yielded numerous ammonoid specimens, which have been found to belong to a morphologically highly variable ammoniod taxon Placenticeras mintoi Vredenburg.     

Small Fe bearing ring molecules of possible astrophysical interest: molecular properties and rotational spectra

A number of small, cyclic molecules containing several carbon atoms in their ring structure has been identified in different astrophysical environments. It is the aim of this work to study important molecular properties of such heterocyclic species bearing an iron atom, which is one of the most abundant cosmic elements. Quantum theoretical calculations based on a density functional approach have been employed to investigate physical properties of six small cyclic carbon and hydrocarbon molecules containing iron as a hetero atom, viz. FeC₂H _n and FeC₃H _n (n=0,2,4). The full geometry optimisation at the chosen level of electronic structure theory (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) including vibrational anharmonicities and non-rigidity, has furnished values for the rotational constants of these species to an expected accuracy of about one per cent. We present structural, electronic, vibrational, and rotational molecular properties including line frequencies, line strengths, and transition probabilities. These results may be helpful for identifying these molecules in future laboratory experiments in view of tentative astronomical observations.     

Landslide risk analysis between Giri and Tons Rivers in Himachal Himalaya (India)

The area around Sataun in the Sirmur district of Himachal Pradesh, India (falling between the rivers Giri and Tons; both tributaries of the Yamuna River) was studied for landslide vulnerability on behalf of the inhabitants. The study was made using extensive remote sensing data (satellite and airborne). It is well supported by field evidence, demographic and infrastructural details and aided by Geographic Information System (GIS) based techniques. Field observations testify that slope, aspect, geology, tectonic planes, drainage, and land use all influence landslides in the region. These parameters were taken into consideration using the statistical approach of landslide hazard zonation. Using the census data of 1991, vulnerability of the populace to the landslide hazard was accessed. As most of the infrastructure in the region is concentrated around population centres, population data alone was used for vulnerability studies.     

Morphological Features of Co-Rich Manganese Deposits and Their Relation to Seabed Slopes

The morphological features associated with Co-rich manganese deposits, the size variations of nodules, and the occurrence of different substrates have been analyzed, to evaluate the influence of various seabed slope angles on the distribution of these features. The coverage and size of the crusts depend on their surface morphology and seabed topography, resulting in cobble-type, lineated, or step-like outcrops. Small nodules (1 - 4 cm in diameter) dominate all seabed slopes, with a few locations having nodules ranging from 1 to 8 or 1 to 10 cm. Sediments invariably occur as substrates for nodules and as cover for crusts, their coverage being inversely proportional to that of the nodules and crust outcrops. Steeper seafloor areas have large crust outcrops exposed with no or few nodules and sediments associated with them. The intermediate slopes have a combination of nodules, sediments, and crusts in various proportions, depending on topography and gradient. Large-scale nodule occurrences, followed by sediment fields and crust outcrops on seabed slopes of greater than 3 degrees, 3 - 7 degreees, and less than 15 degrees, respectively, represent typical morphological distribution zones of the Co-rich manganese deposits on a seamount in the central Pacific Ocean. A transition zone between nodule-dominated fields and large crust outcrops occurs for slopes from 7 degrees to 15 degrees. This detailed study on distribution of Co-rich deposits gives a better understanding for purposes of their exploitation.     

Comments on the heating of solar active regions by magnetic energy dissipation

The method of Kumar and Narain (1985) to calculate the twisting velocity of magnetic field appears to be erroneous. Hence, their conclusion about Tucker's proposal for the heating of active regions by magnetic energy dissipation may not be correct.     

Trapezoidal footings on non-linear subgrades

The pressure versus settlement response is highly non-linear for soils, in general. In the present study, a cubic equation of the type p = K₁w ? K₂w³ is suggested to incorporate the non-linear behaviour. A trapezoidal footing with constant depth resting on a subgrade having non-linear response is analysed. The resulting fourth order non-linear differential equation with variable coefficients is solved by using the Galerkin technique and beam characteristic functions are employed to obtain faster convergence. The results are presented in the form of non-dimensional charts for valid ranges of footings and soil parameters.     

Solar coronal loop

The conclusions drawn by Narain (1983) appear to be in error.     

Real-time storm detection and weather forecast activation through data mining and events processing

Each year across the USA, destructive weather events disrupt transportation and commerce, resulting in both loss of lives and property. Mitigating the impacts of such severe events requires innovative new software tools and cyberinfrastructure through which scientists can monitor data for specific severe weather events such as thunderstorms and launch focused modeling computations for prediction and forecasts of these evolving weather events. Bringing about a paradigm shift in meteorology research and education through advances in cyberinfrastructure is one of the key research objectives of the Linked Environments for Atmospheric Discovery (LEAD) project, a large-scale, interdisciplinary NSF funded project spanning ten institutions. In this paper we address the challenges of making cyberinfrastructure frameworks responsive to real-time conditions in the physical environment driven by the use cases in mesoscale meteorology. The contribution of the research is two-fold: on the cyberinfrastructure side, we propose a model for bridging between the physical environment and e-Science¹ workflow systems, specifically through events processing systems, and provide a proof of concept implementation of that model in the context of the LEAD cyberinfrastructure. On the algorithmic side, we propose efficient stream mining algorithms that can be carried out on a continuous basis in real time over large volumes of observational data. ¹ e-Science is used to describe computationally intensive science that is typically carried out in highly distributed network