Singularity and Nonnormality in the Classification of Compositional Data

Geologists may want to classify compositional data and express the classification as a map. Regionalized classification is a tool that can be used for this purpose, but it incorporates discriminant analysis, which requires the computation and inversion of a covariance matrix. Covariance matrices of compositional data always will be singular (noninvertible) because of the unit-sum constraint. Fortunately, discriminant analyses can be calculated using a pseudo-inverse of the singular covariance matrix; this is done automatically by some statistical packages such as SAS. Granulometric data from the Darss Sill region of the Baltic Sea is used to explore how the pseudo-inversion procedure influences discriminant analysis results, comparing the algorithm used by SAS to the more conventional Moore–Penrose algorithm. Logratio transforms have been recommended to overcome problems associated with analysis of compositional data, including singularity. A regionalized classification of the Darss Sill data after logratio transformation is different only slightly from one based on raw granulometric data, suggesting that closure problems do not influence severely regionalized classification of compositional data.     

Long base line tilt and strain measurement

Two types of noise afflict strain and tilt measurement. They may be categorized as “active” noise, which is due to atmospheric pressure variations, temperature variations, water-table variations and so forth; and “passive” or signal-generated noise which is a consequence of the interaction of the strain field of interest with inhomogeneities of material properties local to the measurement site.The reason why both types of noise are normally reduced by the use of long base line instruments is explained and a simple, practical long base line tiltmeter is described.     

Implications of Global Climate Change for Tourism and Recreation in Wetland Areas

Tourism and recreation are important economic activities which are major agents of change globally and, more specifically, in wetland areas. There is a regular round of activities associated with the seasons and anything which influences operating seasons is likely to have substantial consequences for tourism businesses Atmospheric conditions influence both whether or not people will participate as well as the quality of the experience. In marine coasts, wetland recreations may be threatened by rising sea levels but recreation in inland water bodies may be affected more by deficiencies rather than superabundance of water. Marinas and recreational boating are harmed by extremes of both high and low water, particularly the latter which is the most likely situation under global climate change. Two main groups can be considered with respect to the potential to adapt to climate change. These are the participants themselves and the businesses which cater to them. It is argued that the former are likely to be much more adaptable than the latter.     

Airborne imagery of ocean mixed-layer convective patterns

Airborne infrared and synthetic aperture radar imagery collected over the Gulf Stream are used to examine the surface patterns of small-scale thermal convection and wind-driven Langmuir circulation. These patterns have a thermal contrast of ～0.25 °C, which is roughly an order of magnitude larger than predicted by large-eddy simulations but consistent with the effect on surface temperature of surfactant accumulations induced by mixed-layer eddies.     

Cosmology and cosmogony in a cyclic universe

In this paper we discuss the properties of the quasi-steady state cosmological model (QSSC) developed in 1993 in its role as a cyclic model of the universe driven by a negative energy scalar field. We discuss the origin of such a scalar field in the primary creation process first described by F. Hoyle & J. V. Narlikar forty years ago. It is shown that the creation processes which take place in the nuclei of galaxies are closely linked to the high energy and explosive phenomena, which are commonly observed in galaxies at all redshifts. The cyclic nature of the universe provides a natural link between the places of origin of the microwave background radiation (arising in hydrogen burning in stars), and the origin of the lightest nuclei (H, D, He³ and He⁴). It also allows us to relate the large scale cyclic properties of the universe to events taking place in the nuclei of galaxies. Observational evidence shows that ejection of matter and energy from these centers in the form of compact objects, gas and relativistic particles is responsible for the population of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) and gamma-ray burst sources in the universe. In the later parts of the paper we briefly discuss the major unsolved problems of this integrated cosmological and cosmogonical scheme — the understanding of the origin of the intrinsic redshifts, and the periodicities in the redshift distribution of the QSOs.     

Three-dimensional simulations of a starburst wind

In order to better understand the formation of a starburst-driven wind, we have performed a series of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations in an inhomogeneous interstellar medium. We present the results of these simulations, which provide new insights into the formation of the optical filaments and the origin of the soft X-ray emission.