Effect of oxygen fugacity on the H2O storage capacity of forsterite in the carbon-saturated systems

High pressure experiments have been performed in the systems Mg₂SiO₄-C-O-H and Mg₂SiO₄-K₂CO₃-C at 6.3 GPa and 1200 to 1600 °C using a split-sphere multi-anvil apparatus. In the Mg₂SiO₄-C-O-H system the composition of fluid was modeled by adding different amounts of water and stearic acid. The fO₂ was controlled by the Mo-MoO₂ or Fe-FeO oxygen buffers. Several experiments in the Mg₂SiO₄-C-O-H system and all experiments in the Mg₂SiO₄-K₂CO₃-C system have been conducted without buffering the fO₂. Forsterite in the system Mg₂SiO₄-K₂CO₃-C does not reveal OH absorption bands in the IR spectra, while forsterite coexisting with carbon-bearing fluid and silicate melt at logfO₂ from FMQ-2 to FMQ-5 (from 2 to 5 log units below fayalite-magnetite-quartz oxygen buffer) contains 800-1850 wt. ppm H₂O. The maximum concentrations were detected at 1400 °C and FMQ-3.5. We observed an increase in the solidus temperature in the system Mg₂SiO₄-C-O-H from 1200 to above 1600 °C with log fO₂ decreasing from FMQ-2 to FMQ-5. The increase of the solidus temperature and the broadening of the stability field of the H₂O-H₂-CH₄ subsolidus fluid phase at 1400-1600 °C explain the high H₂O storage capacity of forsterite relative to that crystallized from carbon-free, oxidized, hydrous, silicic melt. At temperatures above 1400 °C liquidus forsterite precipitated along with diamond from oxidized (FMQ-1) carbonate-silicate melt and from silicate melt dissolving the moderately reduced C-O-H fluid (from FMQ-2 to FMQ-3.5). Formation of diamond was not detected under ultra-reduced conditions (FMQ-5) at 1200-1600 °C. Olivine co-precipitating with diamond from dry carbonate-silicate or hydrous-silicic fluid/melt can provide information on the H₂O contents and speciation of the diamond-forming media in the mantle. The conditions for minimum post-crystallization alteration of olivine and its hydrogen content are discussed.     

The role of water mass dynamics in controlling bacterial abundance and production in the middle Adriatic Sea

Month-to-month fluctuations in the abundance of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and bacterial production, as well as various chemical (nutrients, oxygen) and physical (salinity, temperature) parameters were analysed at a station located in the open middle Adriatic Sea during one decade (1997-2006). Being influenced by both coastal waters and open Adriatic circulation in the surface layer, and by the deep Adriatic water masses in the deep layers (100 m), this station is quite suitable for detecting the environmental changes occurring in the open Adriatic Sea with respect to the circulation of its water masses and their long-term changes and anomalies. Multivariate methods were used to identify seasonal and inter-annual changes of the investigated parameters, associating observed changes to the changes in Adriatic water masses and circulation regimes. The analyses showed that bacterial abundance and production were controlled by different water mass dynamics during 1997-2001 compared to 2002-2006 period, particularly noticeable in different seasonal patterns of biological parameters. The interplay between North Adriatic Dense Water (NAdDW) and Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) resulted in a change in the available nutrients (NAdDW is poor in orthophosphates), and as a consequence different bacterial abundance and production. A few periods were examined in detail, such as 2004, when LIW inflow was particularly strong and was accompanied by an increase of bacterial and HNF abundances, as well as of bacterial production.     

Photometric and spectrophotometric observations of Nova Delphini 1967

Photographic, photovisual and photoelectric (V) observations of Nova Delphini 1967 were made from August 8 to October 31 (Table I, Figure 1). Simultaneously spectrophotometric measurements of the continuum were made on objective prism exposures extending to November 26, and spectrophotometric gradients derived (Tables II and III; Figures 3, 4, and 5). The continuum of Nova near its flat maximum is close to that of an early-type star in contrast to late-type absorptionline spectrum.     

Colloidal Stability and Toxicity of Gold Nanoparticles and Gold Chloride on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</Emphasis>

Here we have examined interactions of gold nanoparticles differing in primary particle size and coating with the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as function of the colloidal stability of the particles in the experimental media used for toxicity studies. Interactions of dissolved Au³⁺ ions with algae were also examined. Included endpoints were photosynthetic yield and algal growth. Morphological and structural effects were examined microscopically and by flow cytometry. The results indicate no significant toxicity of gold nanoparticles to C. reinhardtii. Analysis of published data suggests toxicity of gold nanoparticles on algal growth to relate rather to particular coatings than to the gold core.     

Croatia as a Danube country

Among the three principal regional units of Croatia, i.e. the elongated and spacious Adriatic littoral (with numerous islands), the relatively small and narrow mountainous belt (the Croatian transit doorway) and the Pannonian/peri-Pannonian region, the latter is the largest and accounts for 54 percent of the surface area and 66 percent of the population of Croatia (1991 census). It is part of the Pannonian (or Carpathian) basin, or the central Danube basin, so that Croatia is simply by its position a Danube country. Its Danube character is also highlighted by the fact that the Pannonian/peri-Pannonian region of Croatia through the Sava and Drava Rivers is directly linked to the navigable Danube, which is the historical and ethnic eastern boundary of Croatia. Croatia is an old historical Danube nation and country, although it has nominally appeared as a state after the break-up of Yugoslavia, and its international recognition as an independent state (1992).     

Croatia — “a small country for a great vacation”

Croatia is a country of tourism, and this is primarily due to its position by the warm Adriatic Sea, its varying and picturesque landscapes, its diverse and generally favorable climate for tourism, its rich Mediterranean and Central European cultural heritage and its proximity to the leading European consumer countries.In the international tourism market, Croatia presents itself with the slogan A Small Country for a Great Vacation, because its 4.8 million inhabitants and surface area of 56,538 km² place Croatia in the ranks of the world's smaller countries. Its significance is increased by an additional 33,200 km² of territorial waters, of which a large part is considered internal waters because of its location within the limits of a series of islands.The tourism offering of Croatia is very diverse, but its basis is formed by three differing and mutually complimentary regions, through their natural characteristics and cultural heritage: coastal, montane and Pannonian and peri-Pannonian Croatia. The total tourism offering of Croatia includes 900,000 beds, of which over one-fifth are in hotels or similar places, two-fifths are in private rooms and one-third in camps.The tradition of tourism in Croatia is over one hundred years old, and according to the number of foreign tourists it is ranked as the fifth country for tourism in southern Europe.     

The global structural response model for multi-deck ships in concept design phase

This paper is an attempt to contribute to the improvement of an analysis model within overall structural synthesis procedure for the multi-deck ships. The paper is organized in two parts: modeling principles and model validation. Principles of the proposed generic model formulation on the global and sub-structure levels are given in detail while the load model is briefly summarized. The basic building blocks (macro-elements and gross-elements) for the modeling of ordinary stiffened panels, combining numerical and analytical approaches, are presented and discussed w.r.t. requirements for a multi-deck structure. Different surrogates (sets of elements and ordinary macro-elements) used for equivalent modeling of large side openings are evaluated, since the reduced shear stiffness of superstructure sides has large influence on the hull girder stress distributions along the entire cross section height. The generic ship models developed using outlined principles and the basic building blocks are further validated through complex examples of a large cruise ship and a livestock carrier. On the global level, the accuracy of the generic model w.r.t. the longitudinal stress distribution over ships height is compared with a standard full ship FE model. The results confirmed that the suggested structural modeling principles, based on the generic FE model can be applied for the fast investigation of different structural topological/geometrical concepts as well as for the ordinary scantling/material optimization.     

Mesozooplankton spatial distribution and community structure in the South Adriatic Sea during two winters (2015, 2016)

Whereas the data on mesozooplankton in the epipelagic offshore Mediterranean Sea are extensive, less information is available about plankton in the deeper layers. The present study aims to describe the vertical and horizontal structure and distribution of mesozooplankton species and their associations down to 1,200 m in the water of the Southern Adriatic Sea. Zooplankton were sampled using a Nansen net of 200‐μm mesh size during two cruises in the winters of 2015 and 2016, extending from the coast to the open sea. In total, 203 zooplankton taxa were identified. The community was dominated by copepods, representing between 67% and 91% of the total abundance. The highest total densities were recorded in the upper layers where a high proportion (up to 36%) of appendicularians was also observed in the first sampled year. Five groups of samples were determined based on their community structure. In 2015 communities were distinct between the 0 and 50 m layer and the underlying one (50–100 m), whereas in 2016 epipelagic waters were inhabited by a more uniform mesozooplankton community. The mesopelagic and deep‐water fauna, especially copepods, showed a relatively stable composition in both sampling years Overall, our study confirms the oligotrophic character of the Southern Adriatic, with occasional density outbreaks of appendicularians under favourable conditions.     

Size-differential feeding in Pinna nobilis L. (Mollusca: Bivalvia): Exploitation of detritus,phytoplankton and zooplankton

The endangered fan shell Pinna nobilis is a large bivalve mollusc (<120 cm shell length) endemic to the Mediterranean that lives one-third buried in soft substrata, generally in shallow coastal waters. We hypothesised that P. nobilis of different sizes would ingest different food sources, because small fan shells will inhale material from closer to the substratum than do large fan shells. We studied stomach contents and faeces of 18 fan shells, 6 small (mean 23.0 cm length), 6 medium-sized (mean 41.5 cm length) and 6 large (mean 62.7 cm length) living in a small area of a low-energy coastal detritic bottom characterised by mud, sand and macroalgae at Mali Ston Bay, Croatia. We found that all P. nobilis ingested copious quantities of undetermined detritus (probably at least 95% of ingested material), phytoplankton, micro and mesozooplankton and pollen grains. Large P. nobilis stomach contents showed a preponderance of water column calanoid copepods, while small fan shells had higher numbers of bivalve larvae. All fan shells took in high numbers of harpacticoid copepods that are benthonic, feeding on microbial communities of detritus and benthic vegetation. There was also a significant selection of phytoplankton species, some apparently occurring between inhalation and ingestion. The stomach contents of small P. nobilis had a higher organic matter content than either medium-sized or large fan shells; this indicated that small fan shells ingested detritus of higher organic content than did larger P. nobilis. As the faeces of all P. nobilis had similar organic matter content, this also indicates higher assimilation efficiencies in small fan shells. The demonstration of differential dietary selectivity by different sized animals has implications for future trophic studies of this endangered species. This study also provides the first demonstration of predation on zooplankton by P. nobilis.     

An analysis of close binaries (CB) based on photometric measurements (VII)

The paper is devoted to the actual problematics in the determination of orbital and physical parameters of active CB on the basis of the interpretation of photometric observations. One solves the problem in two stages: by obtaining a synthetic light curve in the case when the parameters of the corresponding CB model (Djuraevi, 1992a) are given a priori (direct problem) and by determining the parameters of the given model for which the best fit between the synthetic light curve and the observations is achieved (inverse problem) (Djuraevi, 1992b). In this paper, the above procedure is applied to a particular case of an interpretation of CB light curves AU Ser and RV Corvi.