Period–luminosity relations for red supergiant variables – I.The calibration

We present CCD photometry of red supergiant long-period variables (LPVs) in the Per OB1 association, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M33. The photometry was obtained in the Kron–Cousins R and I bandpasses and in a narrow bandpass ( λ ₀=8250 Å, FWHM=300 Å) chosen to avoid TiO bands in the spectral energy distribution of the LPVs. Because the strength of the TiO bands varies greatly with temperature, which varies with the phase of an LPV, avoiding TiO reduces the amplitude of the photometric variations seen in LPVs. The result is a lower dispersion and a well defined period–luminosity (PL) relation.
For the LMC sample we find an rms dispersion of 0.27 mag in the narrow-band PL relation and slightly larger dispersions for the LPVs in Per OB1 and M33. This dispersion is comparable to that of the Cepheid PL relation at similar wavelengths. Adopting a distance modulus of 18.5±0.1 mag for the LMC, we obtain distance moduli of 11.68±0.15 mag for Per OB1 and 24.85±0.13 mag for M33. These distances agree well with those based on main sequence fitting for Per OB1 and the Cepheid distance for M33. Since LPVs are ∼ 5 times more common than Cepheids and have a well defined PL relation, LPVs provide a promising method for estimating Galactic and extra galactic distances.     

Visual comparison of computer aided landsat map and air photo map : A case study from Karimnagar district Andhra Pradesh

The use of aerial photo-interpretation technique in preparing an applied hydromorphological map is discussed. The practical utility of the map for ground water exploration in granitic terrain is presented. An attempt to prepare a similar map using LANDSAT CCT by analysis through a Multispectral Data Analysis System and the relative merits of computer aided map and aerial photo map are discussed. The details available in aerial photo map have been found to be lacking in computer aided map. Visual interpretation of LANDSAT imagery can improve the computer aided classification results.     

Deterministic strong ground motion study for the Sitamarhi area near Bihar–Nepal region

We explore the challenges of avalanche and debris flow hazard assessment for urban areas exposed in the Sakhalin region. Avalanches are a threat to more than 60 settlements in the region and debris flows to more than 30. Data are provided for avalanche and debris flow events that occurred in the Sakhalin region between 1928 and 2015. In this paper, the method for the design of hazard maps for snow avalanches and debris flows is described, providing the starting point for any planning constraints in general settlement planning schemes. These maps further allow conducting an assessment of avalanche and debris flow risk within a short time period for a larger territory and at minimum cost.     

Electromagnetic inertio-gravity waves in the Earth's ionosphere

Propagation of electromagnetic inertio-gravity (IG) waves in the partially ionized ionospheric E- and F-layers is considered in the shallow water approximation. Accounting of the field-aligned current is the main novelty of the investigation. Existence of two new eigen-frequencies for fast and slow electromagnetic waves is revealed in the ionospheric E-layer. It is shown that in F-layer slowly damping new type of inertial-fast magnetosonic waves can propagate. Slowly damping low-frequency oscillations connected with the field-aligned conductivity are found. Broad spectrum of oscillations is investigated.     

Numerical simulation of unsteady free-surface motions using a boundary integral formulation

A numerical time simulation method is described to solve fluid flow problems including unsteady free surface motion. The method is based on potential flow theory. At every time step, the problem is solved using a boundary integral formulation of the fluid domain. The linearized free surface conditions are integrated in time and the solution is marched forward. Computational results simulating the free surface motion for the cases of a linear progressive wave, wave propagating into a region of calm water and the wave maker motion are presented. Comparison with theoretical results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed simulation scheme.     

Preferential concentration of marine particles in isotropic turbulence

The effect of small-scale turbulence on marine and aquatic particle transport has traditionally been to act as a means for creating homogeneous distributions. However, previous numerical simulations of heavy particle transport in turbulent flows have shown that particles are preferentially concentrated by turbulence and that effects of preferential concentration are most pronounced for particle parameters comparable to the Kolmogorov scales. Therefore, the focus of the present work is examination of the preferential concentration of marine particles. Application of Kolmogorov scaling indicates that effects of preferential concentration may be important for marine particles with diameters of order 1 mm in the upper mixed layer. Numerical simulations of unstratified isotropic turbulence are then used to support the notion that preferential concentration of particles possessing material characteristics representative of those encountered in marine environments can occur. In the simulations, particles of order 1 mm diameter are idealized as rigid spheres with a density ratio of 1.005. Simulation results demonstrate preferential concentration with peak particle number densities ranging from 10 to 60 times the global mean value. Implications of preferential concentration are also discussed, together with the limitations of the approach employed in the present study.