The evolution of massive close binaries

The results of evolutionary computations for massive binary systems (initial masses of the primary 10M ) with mass ratios between 0.3 and 0.8 are summarized and compared with observations in order to verify how far one can go with the conservative assumption of mass exchange. It is found that conservative mass exchange leads to acceptable first-order models of W-R and massive X-ray binaries. However, the comparison between this theory and observation reveals that for the observed systems (W-R and X-ray binaries) a preference exists for low intial mass ratios; moreover, the X-ray luminosities of the theoretical models are systematically too low, though this may be due to the adopted wind model. In addition, the influences of several parameters (distance between the components, chemical composition, primary mass, mass ratio and atmosphere) are examined. These parameters influence the remnant mass and any further evolution only marginally. Attention is also given to the effect on the system parameters of a supernova explosion of the remnant of the mass-losing component. For a large range of systems a disruption probability smaller than 25% is found.     

The appearance of Mars from 1907 to 1971: Graphic synthesis of photographs from the I.A.U. center at Meudon

Using selected high quality plates collected at the I.A.U. Planetary Data Center in Meudon (Paris), the author has drawn 32 Mercator charts of the planet Mars for every opposition from 1907 to 1971. This graphic synthesis of albedo distribution may be used in the study of major surface changes over the years.     

Government regulation in the Australian popular music industry: The rhetoric of cultural protection, the reality of economic production

In the 1990s the artistic autonomy of the territorial subsidiaries of the major record companies increased. Local scale “cultural freedom” did not mitigate the role of national regulation, with the music industry remaining bound by regulation imposed by agencies representing nation-states. National-scale policy rhetoric highlighting the need for “cultural protection” focused attention away from an interest in the economics of popular music, a balance evident in policies of Australian federal governments. In seeking to increase the export potential of locally produced music, Australian governments have come to hold an important place in the political economy of contemporary Australian music.     

Superdense CO2 inclusions in Cretaceous quartz–stibnite veins hosted in low-grade Variscan basement of the Western Carpathians, Slovakia

CO₂ inclusions with density up to 1,197 kg m⁻³ occur in quartz–stibnite veins hosted in the low-grade Palaeozoic basement of the Gemericum tectonic unit in the Western Carpathians. Raman microanalysis corroborated CO₂ as dominant gas species accompanied by small amounts of nitrogen (<7.3 mol%) and methane (<2.5 mol%). The superdense CO₂ phase exsolved from an aqueous bulk fluid at temperatures of 183–237°C and pressures between 1.6 and 3.5 kbar, possibly up to 4.5 kbar. Low thermal gradients (∼12–13°C km⁻¹) and the CO₂–CH₄–N₂ fluid composition rule out a genetic link with the subjacent Permian granites and indicate an external, either metamorphogenic (oxidation of siderite, dedolomitization) or lower crustal/mantle, source of the ore-forming fluids.According to microprobe U–Pb–Th dating of monazite, the stibnite-bearing veins formed during early Cretaceous thrusting of the Gemeric basement over the adjacent Veporic unit. The 15- to 18-km depth of burial estimated from the fluid inclusion trapping PT parameters indicates a 8- to 11-km-thick Upper Palaeozoic–Jurassic accretionary complex overlying the Gemeric basement and its Permo-Triassic autochthonous cover.     

Spatial assessment and redesign of a groundwater quality monitoring network using entropy theory, Gaza Strip, Palestine

Using entropy theory, a methodology was developed for the evaluation and redesign of groundwater quality monitoring wells in the Gaza Strip in Palestine. Essential to the methodology is the development of a Transinformation Model (TM) which yields the amount of information transfer and the dependency between the wells as a function of distance. The TM parameters, such as the minimum transinformation and the range, were employed for evaluating the network which revealed that most of the distances between wells were less than the range. It also indicated that a high percentage of redundant information existed in the network. Therefore, the network was reduced by superimposing a square pattern over the monitored area and selecting one well per square block in a stratified pattern. The methodology was tested using the chloride data collected from 1972–2000 from 417 groundwater quality monitoring wells in the Gaza Strip. The number of the groundwater quality monitoring wells in the Gaza Strip was reduced by 53%, while there was 26% redundant information based on the minimum existing distance between wells. This methodology is meant to help monitor the groundwater quality (salinity) in the Gaza Strip.     

Sludge weathering and mobility of contaminants in soil affected by the Aznalcollar tailing dam spill (SW Spain)

As a result of the collapse of the Aznalcollar mine tailings dam, a large extension of the Guadiamar valley in SW Spain was covered with a layer of pyrite sludge. Although most of the sludge was removed, a small amount remains in the soil, constituting a potential source of water pollution. A column experiment was carried out in order to determine the rate of sludge oxidation in the soil, and the existence of metal retention processes. The column was filled with a mixture of sludge and a sandy soil common in the region. At different time intervals, the column was leached with water and the resulting solution analysed.

The pH of the water dropped to values around 2 after 260 days and then remained constant due to the buffering role of silicate dissolution. The concentration of Zn, Cd and Co in the leachates matched the expected values from flow-through experiments at atmospheric oxygen pressure. This indicates that oxygen diffusion in the pores was complete. Moreover, no efficient processes existed for retaining Zn, Cd and Co, which formed soluble salts and were entirely incorporated into the infiltrating water. During the first 2 months of the experiment, when pH was higher than 4.5, the concentrations of Fe and Al were very low. Saturation indices showed that the solution was in equilibrium with amorphous Fe(OH)₃ and Al(OH)₃. Subsequently, at lower pH values, jarosite [(Na,K)Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆] formed. This solid phase was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Jarosite was also responsible for the depletion of As, Pb, Sb and probably Tl in the water resulting from infiltration.     

Validation of a fish farm waste resuspension model by use of a particulate tracer discharged from a point source in a coastal environment

To validate a resuspension model of particulate material (salmonid farm wastes), a UV fluorescent particle tracer was selected with similar settling characteristics. Tracer was introduced to the seabed (water depth ≈30 m) and sediment samples taken on days 0, 3, 10, 17 and 30 to measure the horizontal and vertical distribution of tracer in sediments. A concentric sampling grid was established at radii of 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 400, 700 and 1, 000 m from the source on transects 30° apart. The bulk of the deployed tracer was initially concentrated in an area 25 m radius from the release point; tracer was observed to steadily decrease to zero over a period of 30 days. In a 200 m region measured from the release point in the direction of the residual current, the redeposition of tracer was low. A Lagrangian particle tracking model was validated using these observed data by varying resuspension model parameters within limits to obtain the best agreement between spatial and temporal distributions. The validated model generally gave good predictions of total mass budgets (±7% of total tracer released), particulary where tracer concentrations were high near the release point. Best fit model parameters (critical erosion shear stress=0.018 N m⁻², erodibility constan=60 g m⁻² d⁻¹) are at the low end of reported parameters for coastal resuspension models. Such a low critical erosion shear stress indicates that the frequency of resuspension and deposition events for freshly deposited material is high.     

The El Salvador earthquakes of January and February 2001: context, characteristics and implications for seismic risk

The small Central American republic of El Salvador has experienced, on average, one destructive earthquake per decade during the last hundred years. The latest events occurred on 13 January and 13 February 2001, with magnitudes M_w 7.7 and 6.6, respectively. The two events, which were of different tectonic origin, follow the patterns of the seismicity of the region although neither event has a known precedent in the earthquake catalogue in terms of size and location. The earthquakes caused damage to thousands of traditionally built houses and triggered hundreds of landslides, which were the main causes of fatalities. The earthquakes have clearly demonstrated trends of increasing seismic risk in El Salvador due to rapid population expansion in areas of high shaking and landslide hazard, exacerbated by deforestation and uncontrolled urbanisation. The institutional mechanisms required for the control of land use and building practice are very weak and present a major obstacle to risk mitigation.     

山西北部至晋冀蒙交界地区几次中强地震前4.0级地震活动的研究

对山西北部至晋冀蒙交界地区中强地震前的 4 .0级地震进行了研究 ,得出其特征为异常增强—异常平静—信号地震的结论 ,认为该区某些 4 .0级地震活动似可作为某些中强地震的前兆地震而进行进一步的研究。     

Alpujarride attribution of the supposed ‘Almagride Complex’ (Betic Internal Zone,Almerı́a Province,Spain)Appartenance Alpujarride du prétendu « Complexe almagride » (Zones internes bétiques,province d'Almeria,Espagne)

The differentiation of units in the Sierra de Almagro has been a source of controversy. There were defined the Almagride and Ballabona–Cucharón complexes, the former considered by several authors as part of a Subbetic metamorphosed and outcropping in a tectonic window. In this study, the units of Ballabona, Almagro and Cucharón are integrated into a single one, that of Tres Pacos, because they correspond to different parts of the same stratigraphic series. This unit is tectonically over the Nevado–Filabride Complex. The existence of the Almagride and Ballabona–Cucharón complexes is discarded and their units form part of the Alpujarride Complex. To cite this article: C. Sanz de Galdeano, F.J. Garc??a Tortosa, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 355–362.