Screened triple-alpha reaction rate to produce carbon in stellar interiors

Recent experimental data for radiative width and resonance energy are used to find reaction rates and mean lives for triple-alpha reaction affecting screening effect. The reaction rates are found to be drastically altered. Plots of various dimensionless parameters in temperature-density plane are given. The red-giant sttage will be of short duration. The mean lives for gravitationally collapsing stars are insignificantly small. Our results at ?=10⁵ g cm^?3 greatly differ fro those of Burbidgeet al. (1957).     

RANK-ORDER ANALYSIS FOR ROBUST MULTIRESPONSE,MULTIBLOCK COMPARISONS:EVALUATION OF HERBICIDE INTERACTIONS

Studies of interactions among bioactive compounds are often difficult to interpret unambiguously.A priori assumptions about the nature of such interactions can seriously distort analysis of the data.Byapplying a rank order analysis appropriate to the naturally ordinal scale of response to xenobiotic insult,several co-herbicides were successfully identified from among numerous candidates in an experimentinvolving multiple blocks,rates and species.Moreover,underlying herbicide interactions weresubstantiated and identified which were not apparent by more traditional parametric analysis.     

Helium plasma: Pycnonuclear triple alpha reaction rates in stars

The plots of dimensionless parameters, for helium plasma are given, as they are of great importance for the study of physical conditions prevalent in stellar interiors consuming helium. The relevant temperature and density leading to weak and strong screening can be obtained from the plots to compute the effect of screening to enhance the thermonuclear reaction rates. To make a realistic approach, the pycnonuclear triple alpha reaction rates are found for the 7.66 (O⁺) MeV level for pair creation. The equation used here is suitable for white dwarfs satisfying 0<3/1. The rates are enhanced approximately 10⁴² times, which indicates that the mean life will be reduced by the same factor. The extent of the pycnonuclear regime is shown in diagram.     

Diversity and distribution of seagrasses in the Union of the Comoros

This study represents the first in situ assessment of seagrasses in the Union of the Comoros. The presence of the following 10 species (ranked in order of abundance) was confirmed: Thalassia hemprichii, Thalassodendron ciliatum, Syringodium isoetifolium, Halodule wrightii, Cymodocea rotundata, Cymodocea serrulata, Halodule uninervis, Halophila ovalis, Zostera capensis and Enhalus acoroides. Seagrasses occurred in large, continuous beds in the shallow waters at the northern and southern tips of Grande Comore Island and around the Bimbini Peninsula on western Anjouan Island, but were sparsely distributed throughout the shallow waters surrounding Mohéli Island.     

Development of flood hazard maps of Bangladesh using NOAA-AVHRR images with GIS

Abstract

Flood hazard maps were developed using remote sensing (RS) data for the historical event of the 1988 flood with data of elevation height, and geological and physiographic divisions. Flood damage depends on the hydraulic factors which include characteristics of the flood such as the depth of flooding, rate of the rise in water level, propagation of a flood wave, duration and frequency of flooding, sediment load, and timing. In this study flood depth and “flood-affected frequency” within one flood event were considered for the evaluation of flood hazard assessment, where the depth and frequency of the flooding were assumed to be the major determinant in estimating the total damage function. Different combinations of thematic maps among physiography, geology, land cover and elevation were evaluated for flood hazard maps and a best combination for the event of the 1988 flood was proposed. Finally, the flood hazard map for Bangladesh and a flood risk map for the administrative districts of Bangladesh were proposed.     

Study on the Algorithm to Retrieve Precipitation with X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar

In order to obtain the global precipitation distribution data,this paper investigates the precipitation distribution model,the normalized radar cross-section model,and the retrieval algorithm with X-band synthetic aperture radar (X-SAR).A new retrieval algorithm based on the surface-scattering reference attenuation is developed to retrieve the rain rate above the ground surface.This new algorithm needs no statistical work load and has more extensive applications.Calculations using the new algorithm for thre...     

Observing the reconnection region in a transequatorial loop system

A vertical current sheet is a crucial element in many flare/coronal mass ejection (CME) models. For the first time, Liu et al. reported a vertical current sheet directly imaged during the flare rising phase with the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). As a follow-up study, here we present the comprehensive analysis and detailed physical interpretation of the observation. The current sheet formed due to the gradual rise of a transequatorial loop system. As the l...     

Genetic improvement of New Zealand aquaculture species: programmes,progress and prospects

Aquaculture, like terrestrial farming, cannot achieve economic and sustainable production without high performing genetic stocks tailored to the conditions under which they are grown. It is essential, therefore, that aquaculture investment includes genetics and biotechnology to adapt marine livestock to the novel conditions of intensive aquaculture and to the demanding markets into which they are sold. The return on investment in well-structured breeding programmes can be very high, and significant performance and economic gains have been demonstrated in multiple species. Many factors must be considered in designing a genetic improvement programme, including the reproductive biology of the species and the identification of realistic and commercially relevant breeding goals based on the resources and facilities available. This paper reviews the options available to aquaculturists and provides examples of how these are being applied to six aquaculture species in New Zealand: king salmon, hāpuku, kingfish, Greenshell^TM mussels, Pacific oysters and pāua (abalone).     

Recent floods in Bangladesh: Possible causes and solutions

In recent years the frequency of abnormal floods in Bangladesh has increased substantially, causing serious damage to lives and property. The most crucial questions that need to be addressed are: what really causes the havoc-creating floods and is there any solution to the problem? The heavy monsoon downpour and synchronization of flood-peaks of the major rivers are generally considered to be the main causes of the floods. Some underlying factors also deserve serious consideration as possible contributors to the recent floods: change in the base level of the rivers due to local sea level rise and subsidence, inadequate sediment accumulation on flood plains, a possible increase in the watershed area due to seismic and neotectonic activities in the region, river bed aggradation due to siltation and damming of rivers, soil erosion due to unwise tilling practices, deforestation in the upstream region, and excessive development and population growth. Without regional cooperation among the co-riparian nations any major interbasin flood control activity is considered to be almost impossible. However, among other proposals in this paper, extensive annual dredging of the rivers, channels and creeks, and reoccupation of the abandoned channels in Bangladesh through re-excavations could still increase the water carrying capacity of the rivers. Land elevations could be increased if the dredged or excavated materials are dispersed on the flood plains, which would in turn reduce the severity of floods.