Micro-FTIR spectroscopic signatures of Bacterial lipids in Proterozoic microfossils

Precambrian microbial fossils show carbonaceous cellular structure, which often resemble in shape and size cyanobacteria and other prokaryotes. Morphological taxonomy of these minute, simple, and more or less degraded fossils is, however, often not enough to determine their precise phylogenetic positions. Here we report the results of micro-FTIR spectroscopic analyses of well-preserved microfossils in 850 Ma and 1900 Ma stromatolites, together with those of 8 species of extant prokaryotes and 5 of eukaryotes for comparison. These Proterozoic fossils have low CH₃/CH₂ absorbance ratios (R_3/2 < 0.5) of aliphatic CH moieties, suggesting selective preservation of long, straight, aliphatic carbon chains probably derived from bacterial membrane lipids. All the observed R_3/2 values of coccoids, filaments and amorphous organic matter resemble lipid fractions of extant Bacteria including cyanobacteria, but not Archaea. The results indicate that Proterozoic microfossils belong to Bacteria, which is consistent with the cyanobacterial origin inferred from morphology. Moreover, the R_3/2 value of fossilized cell would reflect chemical composition of its precursor membrane lipid, thus could be a useful new tracer for distinguishing Archaea, Bacteria and possibly Eucarya for fossilized and extant microorganisms.     

Hysteretic behavior and strength capacity of shallowly embedded steel column bases with SFRCC slab

A series of shallowly embedded steel column bases consisting of an exposed column base and a floor slab is tested under horizontal cyclic loading to very large deformation. The effects of floor slabs on strength and ductility are examined using concrete and Steel fiber‐reinforced cementitous composites (SFRCC) for the floor slab. The elastic stiffness, maximum strength, and dissipated energy of the column bases when they include SFRCC increase by 40, 70, and 70% over those of corresponding column bases with concrete floor slab. Better bonding behavior is notable for SFRCC, and the maximum strength and dissipated energy further increase by 15–30% and 70–90%, respectively, owing to the careful arrangement of reinforcing bars. Numerical models are developed to enhance the understanding the behavior of shallowly embedded column bases. Procedures for estimating the elastic stiffness and maximum strength of shallowly embedded column bases with conventional concrete are calibrated for their applicability to those with SFRCC slab. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cosmic‐ray exposure age and heliocentric distance of the parent bodies of enstatite chondrites ALH 85119 and MAC 88136

Abstract— We measured concentrations and isotopic ratios of noble gases in enstatite (E) chondrites Allan Hills (ALH) 85119 and MacAlpine Hills (MAC) 88136. These two meteorites contain solar and cosmogenic noble gases. Based on the solar and cosmogenic noble gas compositions, we calculated heliocentric distances, parent body exposure ages, and space exposure ages of the two meteorites. The parent body exposure ages are longer than 6.7 Ma for ALH 85119 and longer than 8.7 Ma for MAC 88136. The space exposure ages are shorter than 2.2 Ma for ALH 85119 and shorter than 3.9 Ma for MAC 88136. The estimated heliocentric distances are more than 1.1 AU for ALH 85119 and 1.3 AU for MAC 88136. Derived heliocentric distances indicate the locations of parent bodies in the past when constituents of the meteorites were exposed to the Sun. From the mineralogy and chemistry of E chondrites, it is believed that E chondrites formed in regions within 1.4 AU from the Sun. The heliocentric distances of the two E chondrite parent bodies are not different from the formation regions of E chondrites. This may imply that heliocentric distances of E chondrites have been relatively constant from their formation stage to the stage of exposure to the solar wind.     

Unique Origin of Skarn at the Ohori Base Metal Deposit,Yamagata Prefecture,NE Japan: C,O and S Isotopic Study

The Ohori ore deposit is one of the Cu–Pb–Zn deposits in the Green Tuff region, NE Japan, and consists of skarn‐type (Kaninomata) and vein‐type (Nakanomata) orebodies. The former has a unique origin because its original calcareous rocks were made by hydrothermal precipitation during Miocene submarine volcanism. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of skarn calcite and sulfur isotope ratios of sulfides were measured in and around the deposit. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of the skarn calcite are δ¹³C = ?15.51 to ?5.1‰, δ¹⁸O = +3.6 to +22.5‰. δ¹³C values are slightly lower than those of the Cretaceous skarn deposits in Japan. These isotope ratios of the Kaninomata skarn show that the original calcareous rocks resemble the present submarine hydrothermal carbonates at the CLAM Site, Okinawa Trough, than Cenozoic limestones, even though some isotopic shifts had occurred during later skarnization. δ³⁴S ratios of the sulfide minerals from the Kaninomata and Nakanomata orebodies are mostly in a narrow range of +4.0 to +7.0‰ and they resemble each other, suggesting the same sulfur origin for the both deposits. The magnetite‐series Tertiary Kaninomatasawa granite is distributed just beneath the skarn layer and has δ³⁴S ratios of +7.5 to 8.1‰. The heavy sulfur isotope ratio of the skarn sulfides may have been affected by the Kaninomatasawa granite.     

Flexible substructure online hybrid test system using conventional testing devices

This paper presents a substructure online hybrid test system that is extensible for geographically distributed tests.This system consists of a set of devices conventionally used for cyclic tests to load the tested substructures onto the target displacement or the target force.Due to their robustness and portability,individual sets of conventional loading devices can be transported and reconfigured to realize physical loading in geographically remote laboratories.Another appealing feature is the flexible displacement-force mixed control that is particularly suitable for specimens having large disparities in stiffness during various performance stages.To conduct a substructure online hybrid test,an extensible framework is developed,which is equipped with a generalized interface to encapsulate each substructure.Multiple tested substructures and analyzed substructures using various structural program codes can be accommodated within the single framework,simply interfaced with the boundary displacements and forces.A coordinator program is developed to keep the boundaries among all substructures compatible and equilibrated.An Internet-based data exchange scheme is also devised to transfer data among computers equipped with different software environments.A series of online hybrid tests are introduced,and the portability,flexibility,and extensibility of the online hybrid test system are demonstrated.     

Similarity solution for unsteady accretion flow,II

Similarity solution for unsteady accretion flow is obtained. The density distribution of the initial state of the gas surrounding the star is given as ?₀ ∝r ^?ω. The flow patterns are compared with the results of the numerical computation by Zel'dovichet al. (1972), and it is shown that the similarity solution reproduces the results of the numerical computations well. An unsteady accretion model for the nova-like X-ray source is discussed briefly.     

Mobility of metamorphic fluids inferred from infrared microspectroscopy on natural fluid inclusions: the example of Tinos Island,Greece

OH structure of metamorphic fluids has been studied by high temperature infrared (IR) microspectroscopy on natural fluid inclusions contained in quartz veins, over the temperature range 25–370 °C. Blueschist-facies veins from Tinos island core complex (Cyclades, Greece) display H₂O–NaCl–CaCl₂–CO₂ inclusions whereas greenschist-facies veins contain H₂O–NaCl ± CO₂ inclusions. From 25 to 370 °C, peak positions of OH stretching IR absorption bands increase quasi-linearly with slopes of 0.25 and 0.50 cm^–1 °C^–1 for inclusions trapped under blueschist and greenschist conditions, respectively. Extrapolation to 400 °C yield peak positions of 3,475 cm^–1 for blueschist inclusions and 3,585 cm^–1 for greenschist inclusions. Because the smaller wave number indicates the shorter hydrogen-bond distance between water molecules, fluids involved in the greenschist event have a loose structure compared with blueschist fluids. We suggest that these properties might correspond to a low wetting angle of fluids. This would explain the high mobility of aqueous fluids suggested by structural observation and stable isotope analysis.Editorial responsibility: J. Hoefs     

On‐line hybrid test combining with general‐purpose finite element software

A new on‐line hybrid test system incorporated with the substructuring technique is developed. In this system, a general‐purpose finite element software is employed to obtain the restoring forces of the numerical substructure accurately. The restart option is repeatedly used to accommodate the software with alternating loading and analysis characteristic of the on‐line test but without touching the source code. An eight‐storey base‐isolated structure is tested to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed test system. The overall structure is divided into two substructures, i.e. a superstructure to be analysed by the software and a base‐isolation layer to be tested physically. Collisions between the base‐isolation layer and the surrounding walls are considered in the test. The responses of the overall structure are reasonable, and smooth operation is achieved without any malfunction. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Test on full‐scale three‐storey steel moment frame and assessment of ability of numerical simulation to trace cyclic inelastic behaviour

A test on a full‐scale model of a three‐storey steel moment frame was conducted, with the objectives of acquiring real information about the damage and serious strength deterioration of a steel moment frame under cyclic loading, studying the interaction between the structural frame and non‐structural elements, and examining the capacity of numerical analyses commonly used in seismic design to trace the real cyclic behaviour. The outline of the test structure and test program is presented, results on the overall behaviour are given, and correlation between the experimental results and the results of pre‐test and post‐test numerical analyses is discussed. Pushover analyses conducted prior to the test predicted the elastic stiffness and yield strength very reasonably. With proper adjustment of strain hardening after yielding and composite action, numerical analyses were able to accurately duplicate the cyclic behaviour of the test structure up to a drift angle of 1/25. The analyses could not trace the cyclic behaviour involving larger drifts in which serious strength deterioration occurred due to fracture of beams and anchor bolts and progress of column local buckling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.