Strong-lensing optical depths in a ΛCDM universe – II. The influence of the stellar mass in galaxies

We investigate how strong gravitational lensing in the concordance ΛCDM cosmology is affected by the stellar mass in galaxies. We extend our previous studies, based on ray tracing through the Millennium Simulation, by including the stellar components predicted by galaxy formation models. We find that the inclusion of these components greatly enhances the probability for strong lensing compared to a 'dark matter only' universe. The identification of the 'lenses' associated with strong-lensing events reveals that the stellar mass of galaxies (i) significantly enhances the strong-lensing cross-sections of group and cluster haloes and (ii) gives rise to strong lensing in smaller haloes, which would not produce noticeable effects in the absence of the stars. Even if we consider only image splittings ≳10 arcsec, the luminous matter can enhance the strong-lensing optical depths by up to a factor of 2.     

Timeline analysis and wavelet multiscale analysis of the AKARI All-Sky Survey at 90 μm

We present a careful analysis of the point-source detection limit of the AKARI All-Sky Survey in the WIDE-S 90-μm band near the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP). Timeline analysis is used to detect IRAS ( Infrared Astronomy Satellite ) sources and then a conversion factor is derived to transform the peak timeline signal to the interpolated 90-μm flux of a source. Combined with a robust noise measurement, the point-source flux detection limit at signal-to-noise ratio  (S/N) > 5  for a single detector row is  1.1 ± 0.1 Jy  which corresponds to a point-source detection limit of the survey of ∼0.4 Jy.
Wavelet transform offers a multiscale representation of the Time Series Data ( tsd ). We calculate the continuous wavelet transform of the tsd and then search for significant wavelet coefficients considered as potential source detections. To discriminate real sources from spurious or moving objects, only sources with confirmation are selected. In our multiscale analysis, IRAS sources selected above 4σ can be identified as the only real sources at the Point Source Scales. We also investigate the correlation between the non- IRAS sources detected in timeline analysis and cirrus emission using wavelet transform and contour plots of wavelet power spectrum. It is shown that the non- IRAS sources are most likely to be caused by excessive noise over a large range of spatial scales rather than real extended structures such as cirrus clouds.     

Using Sealed Wells to Measure Water Levels Beneath Streams and Floodplains

The design of wells beneath streams and floodplains has often employed with tall standpipes to prevent incursion of surface water into the well during flood events. Here, an approach has been presented to minimise the infrastructure demands in these environments by sealing the well top (e.g., prevent water entering the well) and monitor the total pressure in the water column using an absolute (non‐vented) pressure transducer. The sealed well design was tested using a laboratory experiment where the total pressure responses were monitored in both an unsealed and sealed well, while the water level was varied. It is observed that, whether the well is sealed or not, the total pressure at a given depth in the aquifer will be equal to that within the well. This indicates that the sealed well design is a viable alternative to tall standpipes and also facilitates installation of wells beneath streams and floodplains.     

基于测井、VSP和地面地震数据最佳拟合的子波估计(英文)

本文提出了基于测井、VSP和地震数据拟合的子波估计方法,从输入输出都包含随机噪声的统计模型出发,采用相关性拟合技术来提取子波。拟合度和误差分析为整个过程提供了定量的质量控制手段,可以评估数据拟合和子波估计的可靠性。实际数据试算表明,该方法在含有噪声的实际数据中稳定而有效,在地震频带内的子波估计和数据拟合是可靠的。该方法无需对子波相位和振幅谱进行任何假设,其主要优点在于确定相位的能力。     

No depth limit to hydrovolcanic limu o Pele: analysis of limu from Lō`ihi Seamount, Hawai`i

Deep-sea limu o Pele are shards of basaltic glass commonly described as “bubble walls.” When first identified they were inferred to form in submarine fire fountains, but were then reinterpreted as the products of hydrovolcanic volcanism, formed when submarine lava flows entrapped and vaporised seawater. Limu discovered below the c 3 km critical depth of seawater, where superheated water exists as a supercritical fluid instead of a vapour, led to the hydrovolcanic model of limu o Pele formation being discarded in favour of a magmatic CO₂-driven, “strombolian-like” model. This revised magmatic mechanism has been widely accepted by the scientific community. We describe a newly discovered limu o Pele-rich deposit at ~1,052 mbsl on the northeast summit plateau region of Lō`ihi Seamount, Hawai`i. The limu at this site is concentrated in a chemically monomict ash lens interbedded with thin lava sheets that are separated from overlying volcaniclastic material by a discontinuity. The geometry and geochemistry of the deposit provide compelling evidence for a hydrovolcanic, sheet flow-related origin. The exceptional abundance and preservation of limu at this site allows 4 morphologic subtypes of limu- thin film, plateau-border, convex film, and Pele’s hair- to be identified and linked to portions of the isolated rupturing bubbles from which they are derived. We extend our discussion to beyond this new Lō`ihi deposit, by including a review of limu o Pele occurrences and thermodynamic considerations that demonstrate the hydrovolcanic model of limu formation to be more tenable than the magmatic model at all depths, including below the critical depth of seawater.     

The economic effects of harmful algal blooms in the United States: Estimates,assessment issues,and information needs

During the last several decades, harmful algal bloom (HAB) events have been observed in more locations than ever before throughout the United States. Scientists have identified a larger number of algal species involved in HABs, more toxins have been uncovered, and more fisheries resources have been affected. Whether this apparent increase in HAB events is a real phenomenon or is the result of increased sampling and monitoring is a topic of intense discussions within the scientific community. We also have an inchoate understanding of the reasons for the apparent increase, particularly concerning the role of anthropogenic nutrient loadings as a causal factor. Whatever the reasons, virtually all coastal regions of the U.S. are now regarded as potentially subject to a wide variety and increased frequency of HABs. It is important to begin to understand the scale of the economic costs to society of such natural hazards. It is a common, but not yet widespread, practice for resource managers and scientists in many localities to develop rough estimates of the economic effects of HAB events in terms of lost sales in the relevant product or factor markets, expenditures for medical treatments, environmental monitoring and management budgets, or other types of costs. These estimates may be invoked in policy debates, often without concern about how they were developed. Although such estimates are not necessarily good measures of the true costs of HABs to society, they may help to measure the scale of losses and be suggestive of their distribution across political jurisdictions or industry sectors. With adequate interpretation, our thinking about appropriate policy responses may be guided by these estimates. Here we compile disparate estimates of the economic effects of HABs for events in the U.S. where such effects were measured during 1987–1992. We consider effects of four basic types: public health, commercial fisheries, recreation and tourism, and monitoring and management. We discuss many of the issues surrounding the nature of these estimates, their relevance as measures of the social costs of natural hazards, and their potential for comparability and aggregation into a national estimate.