Variable stars in the field of open cluster NGC 6819

We report on the discovery of 25 variable stars plus 13 suspected variables found in the field of the open cluster NGC 6819. The stars were identified from time-series photometric data obtained on the Isaac Newton Telescope, La Palma, during two observing runs covering the 19 nights between 1999 June  22–30  and 1999 July  22–31  . The variables found include 12 eclipsing binaries with an additional three suspected, nine BY Draconis systems, plus four variables of other types, including one star believed to be a Cepheid. Three of the 15 eclipsing binaries are believed to be cluster members. Details of a further 10 suspected variable stars are also included.     

An aromatase inhibitor and tamoxifen decrease plasma levels of o,p'-DDT and its metabolites in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The objective of this study was to determine if tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor (4-hydroxyandrostenedione; 4-OHA) affected plasma concentrations of o,p' -DDT and its metabolites, o,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE, in mature tilapia. Male and female tilapia were injected 6 times intraperitoneally with o,p'-DDT (40 mg/kg) alone or in combination with 4-OHA (2 mg/kg) over a 12 day period. An additional group of male fish was injected with tamoxifen (5 mg/kg) plus o,p'-DDT. At the end of the treatment period, plasma samples were extracted and analyzed by GC/ECD. Females injected only with o,p'-DDT had significantly higher levels of o,p'-DDT compared with males. Interestingly, females and males treated concomitantly with o,p'-DDT and 4-OHA or tamoxifen had significantly lower concentrations of plasma o,p'-DDT (about 50%) compared with fish treated with only o,p'-DDT. These initial results suggest that an interaction between endocrine-active compounds occurs in vivo in tilapia and may involve alterations in metabolism of o,p'-DDT.     

Ostracode carbonate δ18O- and δ13C-signature of hydrological and climatic changes affecting Lake Neuchâtel,Switzerland, since the latest Pleistocene

Floating and grounded peat plateaus were studied in fens in the Yukon Territory (Canada). The peat deposit may be over 4 m thick and consists of a lower bed of aquatic peat overlain by humic fen peat, mesic fen peat and woody peat. Permafrost in the grounded peat plateaus is older than the 1200 year old White River Ash, whereas permafrost in the floating peat plateau is younger.Peat accumulation rates since 1200 years B.P. were greater in the fens (85–100 cm) than on the surface of the peat plateaus (25–55 cm). Where the peat plateau is free-floating, it will persist until the climate changes, causing the icy core to thaw. Where the peat plateau is frozen to the mineral substrate, it slowly drowns since the fen peat accumulates faster than the woody peat. This drowning results in degradation of the landform independently of the climate. Only degradation of floating peat plateaus can be used to identify climatic changes.This publication is the first paper in a series of papers presented at the session on Past Climatic Change and the Development of Peatlands at the ASLO and SWS Meetings in Edmonton, Canada, May 30–June 3, 1993. Dr. P. Kuhry and Dr S. C. Zoltai are serving as Guest Editors.     

Evolution of the Australian lithosphere

The evolution of the Australian plate can be interpreted in a plate‐tectonic paradigm in which lithospheric growth occurred via vertical and horizontal accretion. The lithospheric roots of Archaean lithosphere developed contemporaneously with the overlying crust. Vertical accretion of the Archaean lithosphere is probably related to the arrival of large plumes, although horizontal lithospheric accretion was also important to crustal growth. The Proterozoic was an era of major crustal growth in which the components of the North Australian, West Australian and South Australian cratons were formed and amalgamated during a series of accretionary events and continent‐continent collisions, interspersed with periods of lithospheric extension. During Phanerozoic accretionary tectonism, approximately 30% of the Australian crust was added to the eastern margin of the continent in a predominantly supra‐subduction environment. Widespread plume‐driven rifting during the breakup of Gondwana may have contributed to the destruction of Archaean lithospheric roots (as a result of lithospheric stretching). However, lithospheric growth occurred at the same time due to mafic underplating along the eastern margin of the plate. Northward drift of Australia during the Tertiary led to the development of a complex accretionary margin at the leading edge of the plate (Papua New Guinea).     

Planning Ground Water Monitoring Field Projects

Project organization problems are not uncommon in ground water monitoring projects, particularly those which occur at sites remote from the office. Successful project management depends on coordination of the personnel, supplies, and equipment necessary to carry out each phase of the project. Procedures for planning and organizing field projects involving well installation, ground water sampling, and aquifer testing are outlined. Methods are suggested that will aid the Project Manager in planning and scheduling field work to make efficient use of personnel and material resources. Cautions are given regarding common pitfalls of projects involving operations at remote sites, and means of avoidance are enumerated. A checklist of commonly used field equipment and supplies is provided.     

The Faunal Remains from Evron Quarry in Relation to Other Lower Paleolithic Hominid Sites in the Southern Levant

The mammalian assemblage and archaeological finds from the Lower Palaeolithic hominid site of Evron Quarry, situated on the northern coastal plain of Israel, are described and discussed. In their lithic and faunal composition, the sites of Latamne (QfIII) (Latamne Formation, Orontes, Syria) and Sitt Markho (Nahr elKebir, Syria) resemble Evron and are probably contemporaneous. It is suggested here, based on their lithic and faunal composition, that these sites may be chronologically closer to the site of Ubeidiya ('Ubeidiya Formation, Jordan Valley, Israel; 1.4 myr) than to the sites of Gesher Benot Ya'akov (dated as <800,000 yr B.P.), which differs in both aspects from Evron. The mammalian faunule from Evron comprises a biogeographical mixture, a result of biotic exchanges with Africa, the Oriental region, and the Palaearctic. This exchange may have been associated with a post-'Ubeidiya hominid dispersal, either from Africa or south Asia via the Levantine "corridor."     

S-C Mylonites

Two types of foliations are commonly developed in mylonites and mylonitic rocks: (a) S-surfaces related to the accumulation of finite strain and (b) C-surfaces related to displacement discontinuities or zones of relatively high shear strain. There are two types of S-C mylonites. Type I S-C mylonites, described by Berthé et al., typically occur in deformed granitoids. They involve narrow zones of intense shear strain which cut across (mylonitic) foliation.Type II S-C mylonites (described here) have widespread occurrence in quartz-mica rocks involved in zones of intense non-coaxial laminar flow. The C-surfaces are defined by trails of mica ‘fish’ formed as the result of microscopic displacement discontinuities or zones of very high shear strain. The S-surfaces are defined by oblique foliations in the adjacent quartz aggregates, formed as the result of dynamic recrystallization which periodically resets the ‘finite-strain clock’. These oblique foliations are characterized by grain elongations, alignments of segments of the grain boundary enveloping surfaces, and by trails of grains with similar c-axis orientations.Examples of this aspect of foliation development in mylonitic rocks are so widespread that we suggest the creation of a broad class of S-C tectonites, and a deviation from the general tradition of purely geometric analysis of foliation and time relationships. Kinematic indicators such as those discussed here allow the recognition of kilometre-scale zones of intense non-coaxial laminar flow in crustal rocks, and unambiguous determination of the sense of shear.     

Mascali,Mount Etna Region Sicily: An Example of Fascist Planning During the 1928 Eruption and Its Continuing Legacy

The 1928 eruption of Etna, Sicily, although the largest such event this century, has not been studied in detail. In this paper the nature of the eruption, the destruction it caused – including the complete devastation of the town of Mascali (pre-eruption population 2,000) – and emergency responses of the authorities to it are reviewed in the context of fascist politics and planning priorities. It is contended that, although at one level the response to the 1928 eruption was successful, at another fascism merely continued and enhanced a reactive, propitiatory approach to hazard mitigation. We argue that this legacy was not successfully overcome until the middle of the nineteen eighties. Finally contemporary Italian moves towards a more proactive approach to disaster planning, both generally and in the context of Etna, are discussed.