Magnetic activity of the spotted dwarf AP149 in the α Persei open cluster

The simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations of the spotted G dwarf AP149 in the young open cluster α Persei are analyzed here.We reconstruct the observed light curves with a two-starspot model by means of a light curve modeling technique,and find that the active regions shift oppositely along longitude on a time scale of one day.Combining with the observational data obtained by other groups,we discuss the evolution of spotted regions in the photosphere,and find that its starspots evolve not ...     

Microbial response to surface microtopography: the role of metabolism in localized mineral dissolution

We examine the role of microtopographical surface features on sulfide minerals in localizing and aligning bacterial adhesion. Experimental data shows strong correlation between bacterial cell alignment and principal crystallographic axes of pyrite (100 and 110). While bacteria often adhere to visible surface imperfections such as scratches, in many cases no associated surface features are visible. Additionally, the size of the surface imperfection does not unambiguously determine its effect in localizing and aligning bacterial cells. We theoretically model bacterial adhesion. We find that the depth of a surface feature such as a scratch is less important than its cross-sectional shape. Surface features that conform to the bacterial shape can strongly alter local bacterial adhesion energies, even with heights of only 10 nm. Hence, small local surface alterations due to bacterial metabolism could strongly affect local adhesion parameters, and may account for the observed bacterial distributions on mineral surfaces.     

Boundary element method with exterior collocation in two-dimensional elastodynamic problems

In the present paper, the boundary element method with exterior collocation was applied to two-dimensional elastodynamic problems. The stability of the numerical solution was discussed and the collocation rule of source points outside the region being studied was investigated in the frequency domain by means of the computed error in the boundary displacement and the condition number of the coefficient matrix for two typical wave propagation problems. The achieved results are helpful to the practical application of this method to earthquake ground motion analysis.     

Monitoring interannual dynamics of desertification in Minqin County,China, using dense Landsat time series

ABSTRACT

Minqin County in northwestern China is highly affected by desertification. Campaigns have been initiated in recent decades to combat desertification in Minqin. To assess the effectiveness of these campaigns, this study used a dense Landsat time series from 1987 to 2017 to investigate the interannual dynamics of vegetation coverage and greenness over the past 31 years. First, this study applied an advanced technology to reconstruct a high-quality Landsat annual time series. Specifically, one image in the vegetation-peak season was selected as the base image in each year, and then problematic pixels were interpolated by the neighborhood similar pixel interpolator using ancillary images in the same year. Second, the land cover map and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were derived from all reconstructed images. Third, the change of vegetation coverage and EVI values over the 31 years were analyzed. The results show that the total vegetation coverage and greenness increased during the 31 years. Linking this change trend to other factors suggests that vegetation in Minqin County is highly affected by agriculture and groundwater supply rather than by climate. To mitigate desertification in a sustainable way, agriculture should be well managed to avoid overconsumption of natural resources such as underground water.     

Incremental time—space finite strip method for non-linear structural vibrations

Based on an incremental Hamilton's principle a versatile and systematic computer method for analysing non-linear structural vibrations is developed in this paper. The essence of the proposed method can be regarded as an incremental harmonic balance method associated with a finite strip procedure in the time-space domain. Only linearized equations in terms of frequency increment, amplitude increments, etc. have to be formulated and solved in each incremental step. This method is applicable to highly non-linear problems and may be generalized to related non-linear periodic structural motions such as dynamic stability, flutter and some motions of a rotating body, etc. To show the effectiveness and versatility of this method, a typical time-space finite strip for beam problems is worked out and examples for a wide variety of vibration problems including free and forced vibrations, super- and sub-harmonic resonances, and complicated phenomena such as internal resonance are computed. Comparisons with previous results are also made.     

Trace metals in Hong Kong waters

Hong Kong has a population of between four and five million and is becoming increasingly industrialized. Already there are some 19,000 factories concentrated in a few densely populated areas and most of the effluent and sewage is discharged untreated into the sea. Elevated heavy metal concentrations have been recorded in the receiving waters. Lead has 160 times and cadmium 180 times the concentration found in the open ocean.     

Using FCMC, FVS, and PCA techniques for feature extraction of multispectral images

In this letter, a new nonlinear approach based on a combination of the fuzzy c-means clustering (FCMC), feature vector selection and principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed to extract features of multispectral images when a very large number of samples need to be processed. The main contribution of this letter is to provide a preprocessing method for classifying these images with higher accuracy compared to the single PCA and kernel PCA. Finally, some experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach is effective and efficient in analyzing multispectral images.     

A transient model to predict the weekly temperatures of the ventilation air in a partially wetted airway

Summary Most theoretical methods for the prediction of strata heat flow in an underground airway assume that the air temperature remains constant or that only small changes take place over the ventilated age of the airway. This assumption is clearly not correct; air temperature (especially those measured in British coal mines) display variation of up to 5° C during any one week at any one point. These variations are periodic in nature and relate to both the daily and weekly production cycle. In order to predict the transient heat flow from strata the Duhamel Theorem is used. Details of the theorem incorporating the air temperature history to calculate the surface temperature of a partially wetted airway are derived. An algorithm is presented for the calculation of surface temperatures and hence the heat flux from the rock. The algorithm is used in the computation of heat and moisture transfer rates from the rock to the ventilating air in the airway. Finally, the air temperatures at the end of the airway are predicted due to the heat flows from the strata and they are compared to the measured data supplied by British Coal, United Kingdom.     

Iron and sulfide oxidation within the basaltic ocean crust: implications for chemolithoautotrophic microbial biomass production

Microbial processes within the ocean crust are of potential importance in controlling rates of chemical reactions and thereby affecting chemical exchange between the oceans and lithosphere. We here assess the oxidation state of altered ocean crust and estimate the magnitude of microbial biomass production that might be supported by oxidative and nonoxidative alteration. Compilations of Fe₂O₃, FeO, and S concentrations from DSDP/ODP drill core samples representing upper basaltic ocean crust suggest that Fe³⁺/ΣFe increases from 0.15 ± 0.05 to 0.45 ± 0.15 within the first 10-20 Myr of crustal evolution. Within the same time frame 70 ± 25% of primary sulfides in basalt are oxidized. With an annual production of 4.0 ± 1.8 × 10¹⁵ g of upper (500 ± 200 m) crust and average initial concentrations of 8.0 ± 1.3 wt% Fe and 0.125 ± 0.020 wt% S, we estimate annual oxidation rates of 1.7 ± 1.2 × 10¹² mol Fe and 1.1 ± 0.7 × 10¹¹ mol S. We estimate that 50% of Fe oxidation may be attributed to hydrolysis, producing 4.5 ± 3.0 × 10¹¹ mol H₂/yr.Thermodynamic and bioenergetic calculations were used to estimate the potential chemolithoautotrophic microbial biomass production within ridge flanks. Combined, aerobic and anaerobic Fe and S oxidation may support production of up to 48 ± 21 × 10¹⁰ g cellular carbon (C). Hydrogen-consuming reactions may support production of a similar or larger microbial biomass if iron reduction, nitrate reduction, or hydrogen oxidation by O₂(aq) are the prevailing metabolic reactions. If autotrophic sulfate reduction or methanogenesis prevail, the potential biomass production is 9 ± 7 × 10¹⁰ g C/yr and 3 ± 2 × 10¹⁰ g C/yr, respectively. Combined primary biomass production of up to ∼1 × 10¹² g C/yr may be similar to that fueled by anaerobic oxidation of organic matter in deep-seated heterotrophic systems. These estimates suggest that water-rock reactions may support significant microbial life within ridge flank hydrothermal systems, These estimates suggest that water-rock reactions may support significant microbial life within ridge flank hydrothermal systems.