Discovery of agglutinated foraminifers from the Longzhaogou Group in eastern Heilongjiang Province

The low diversity agglutinated foraminifers are recovered from the Qihulin Formation of the Longzhaogou Group in eastern Heilongjiang, China. The foraminiferal fauna consists of 9 species of 5 genera. The common members are Cribrostomoides nonioninoides (Reuss), Haplophragmoides concavus (Chapman), H. gigas minor Nauss. Although the diagnostic zonal taxa are absent in the agglutinated fauna, according to the global stratigraphic distribution of the above-mentioned species, and the associated Pseudohaploceras ammonite fauna, the foraminiferal fauna may be of a Barremian-Aptian (Early Cretaceous) age.     

Emergence patterns and microhabitat preference of aquatic dance flies (Empididae; Clinocerinae and Hemerodromiinae) on a longitudinal gradient of barrage lake system

Aquatic dance flies (Empididae; Clinocerinae and Hemerodromiinae) are important components of freshwater assemblages, especially in running waters. They are predators as larvae and adults and thus essential for understanding aquatic food webs. This study was conducted in Plitvice lakes National Park (Croatia) representing a wide variety of freshwater habitats (springs, streams, lakes and tufa barriers). Adults were collected monthly from March 2007 until March 2009 using pyramid-type emergence traps at 13 locations. A total of 3865 specimens comprising 18 species were collected. The dominant genus was Chelifera, while the most abundant species was Hemerodromia unilineata. All species were univoltine except Chelifera precabunda, Chelifera pyrenaica and Chelifera stigmatica that were bivoltine. Considerable differences in composition and structure of aquatic dance flies assemblages were recorded along a longitudinal gradient of studied sites, primarily related to differences in physical and chemical parameters of water. Water temperature was the main factor influencing the timing of emergence. Hemerodromia species preferred variable water temperature throughout the year while the majority of the Chelifera species preferred stable water temperature characteristic of spring sites. Furthermore, discharge affected assemblage composition of aquatic dance flies. The highest abundance of aquatic dance flies was recorded in lotic habitats with fast water current over substrates of moss, gravel and particulate tufa with detritus. These results give a new insight on microhabitat preference and their distribution on unique karstic habitats.     

Seismic response control of a complex structure using multiple MR dampers： experimental investigation

This paper presents an experimental investigation on semi-active seismic response control of a multistory building with a podium structure using multiple magnetorheological (MR) dampers manipulated by a logic control algorithm. The experiments are performed in three phases on a seismic simulator with a slender 12-story building model representing a multi-story building and a relatively stiff 3-story building model typifying a podium structure. The first phase of the investigation is to assess control performance of using three MR dampers to link the 3-story building to the 12-story building, in which seismic responses of the controlled two buildings are compared with those of the two buildings without any connection and with rigid connection. The second phase is to investigate reliability of the semi-active control system and robustness of the logic control algorithm when 2 out of 3 MR dampers fail and when the electricity supply to MR dampers is completely stopped. The last phase is to examine sensitivity of semi-active control performance of two buildings to change in ground excitation. The experimental results show that multiple MR dampers with the logic control algorithm can achieve a significant reduction in seismic responses of both buildings. The proposed semi-active control system is of high reliability and good robustness.     

An Observational Study of the Mesoscale Mistral Dynamics

We investigate the mesoscale dynamics of the mistral through the wind profiler observations of the MAP (autumn 1999) and ESCOMPTE (summer 2001) field campaigns. We show that the mistral wind field can dramatically change on a time scale less than 3 hours. Transitions from a deep to a shallow mistral are often observed at any season when the lower layers are stable. The variability, mainly attributed in summer to the mistral/land–sea breeze interactions on a 10-km scale, is highlighted by observations from the wind profiler network set up during ESCOMPTE. The interpretations of the dynamical mistral structure are performed through comparisons with existing basic theories. The linear theory of R. B. Smith [Advances in Geophysics, Vol. 31, 1989, Academic Press, 1–41] and the shallow water theory [Schär, C. and Smith, R. B.: 1993a, J. Atmos. Sci. 50, 1373–1400] give some complementary explanations for the deep-to-shallow transition especially for the MAP mistral event. The wave breaking process induces a low-level jet (LLJ) downstream of the Alps that degenerates into a mountain wake, which in turn provokes the cessation of the mistral downstream of the Alps. Both theories indicate that the flow splits around the Alps and results in a persistent LLJ at the exit of the Rhône valley. The LLJ is strengthened by the channelling effect of the Rhône valley that is more efficient for north-easterly than northerly upstream winds despite the north–south valley axis. Summer moderate and weak mistral episodes are influenced by land–sea breezes and convection over land that induce a very complex interaction that cannot be accurately described by the previous theories.     

A candidate of the Induan-Olenekian boundary stratotype in the Tethyan region

The Olenekian Stage was proposed by Kiparisova and Popov[1] based on the type section along the lower reaches of the Olenek River, Siberia. Later research showed that this section con-tains only the Olenikites spiniplicatus Zone of the Upper Olenekian Sta…     

Distributions-oriented wind forecast verification by a hidden Markov model for multivariate circular–linear data

Winds from the North–West quadrant and lack of precipitation are known to lead to an increase of PM10 concentrations over a residential neighborhood in the city of Taranto (Italy). In 2012 the local government prescribed a reduction of industrial emissions by 10% every time such meteorological conditions are forecasted 72 h in advance. Wind forecasting is addressed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric simulation system by the Regional Environmental Protection Agency. In the context of distributions-oriented forecast verification, we propose a comprehensive model-based inferential approach to investigate the ability of the WRF system to forecast the local wind speed and direction allowing different performances for unknown weather regimes. Ground-observed and WRF-forecasted wind speed and direction at a relevant location are jointly modeled as a 4-dimensional time series with an unknown finite number of states characterized by homogeneous distributional behavior. The proposed model relies on a mixture of joint projected and skew normal distributions with time-dependent states, where the temporal evolution of the state membership follows a first order Markov process. Parameter estimates, including the number of states, are obtained by a Bayesian MCMC-based method. Results provide useful insights on the performance of WRF forecasts in relation to different combinations of wind speed and direction.     

Integrability of motion around galactic razor-thin disks

We consider the three-dimensional bounded motion of a test particle around razor-thin disk configurations, by focusing on the adiabatic invariance of the vertical action associated with disk-crossing orbits. We find that it leads to an approximate third integral of motion predicting envelopes of the form \(Z(R)\propto [\varSigma (R)]^{-1/3}\), where R is the radial galactocentric coordinate, Z is the z-amplitude (vertical amplitude) of the orbit and \(\varSigma \) represents the surface mass density of the thin disk. This third integral, which was previously formulated for the case of flattened 3D configurations, is tested for a variety of trajectories in different thin-disk models.     

Evidence for fullerenes in solid bitumen from pillow lavas of Proterozoic age from Mítov (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic)

Andesitic pillow lavas containing biogenic, solid bitumen (SB) are a constituent of a Neoproterozoic volcanosedimentary sequence (Teplá-Barrandian unit, Bohemian Massif) in the Mítov area of the Czech Republic. A black shale formation that is crosscut by these andesitic basalts is 565 Ma old. Carbon disulfide extracts of two powdered samples of SB contain 0.2 and 0.3 ppm of C₆₀, respectively, as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The peak assignment based on retention time is fully supported by high-resolution electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI-MS). No C₇₀ was detected, nor was C₆₀ found in two other SB samples from this locality. Other investigated carbonaceous samples from Bohemia (coals and anthracites of Upper Paleozoic age and anthraxolite, graphitoids, and graphite of Upper Proterozoic age) did not contain fullerenes at concentrations above the detection limit of 0.01 ppm. The absence of C₆₀ in these samples was confirmed by EI-MS. The proposed mechanism of fullerene formation involves a primary algal phase, generation of a hydrocarbonaceous mixture in the course of thermal evolution of the sedimentary series, and their high-temperature transformation related to the extrusion of basalt. An important feature for fullerene conservation was the enclosure of fullerenes in SB with a structure similar to glasslike carbon, where the fullerene was protected against oxidation.     

2006年台湾屏东海外7.2级地震前福建漳州汰内井水氡异常分析

通过对福建华安县汰内井2005年以来的水氡测值进行分析,提取了中期及短期异常,认为这些异常与2006年12月26日台湾屏东海外7.2级地震有关。     

The use of spectral analysis-based exact solutions to characterize topography-controlled groundwater flow

Spectral analysis enhances the ability to analyze groundwater flow at a steady state by separating the top boundary condition into its periodic forms. Specifically, spectral analysis enables comparisons of the impact of individual spatial scales on the total flow field. New exact spectral solutions are presented for analyzing 3D groundwater flow with an arbitrarily shaped top boundary. These solutions account for depth-decaying, anisotropic and layered permeability while utilizing groundwater flux or the phreatic surface as a top boundary condition. Under certain conditions, groundwater flow is controlled by topography. In areas where the groundwater flow is controlled by the topography, the unknown water table is often approximated by the topography. This approximation induces a systematic error. Here, the optimal resolution of digital elevation models (DEMs) is assessed for use as a top boundary in groundwater flow models. According to the analysis, the water-table undulation is smoother than the topography; therefore, there is an upper limit to the resolution of DEMs that should be used to represent the groundwater surface. The ability to represent DEMs of various spectral solutions was compared and the results indicate that the fit is strongly dependent on the number of harmonics in the spectral solution.