Comparative analysis of four stem taper models for Quercus glauca in Mount Halla,Jeju Island,South Korea

This study was conducted to fit the diameter-height data of Quercusglaucain Jeju Island, South Korea to the four commonly used stem taper equations andto evaluate the performance of the four stem taper models using four statistical criteria： Fit index （FI）, root mean square error （RMSE）, bias （）,and absolute mean difference （AMD）. Results showed that the Kozak02stem taper equation provided the best FI（0.9847）, RMSE（1.5745）,（-0.0030 cm） and AMD （1.0990 cm） whileMax and Burkhart model had the poorest performance among the four stem taper models based on the four evaluation statistics （FI ： 0.9793,RMSE ： 1.8272, ： 0.3040 cm and AMD ： 1.3060 cm）. These stem taper equations can serve as a useful tool for forest managers in estimating the diameter outside bark at any given height, merchantable stem volumes and total stem volumesof the standing trees of Quercusglaucain theGotjawal forests located in Mount Halla, Jeju Island, South Korea.     

Induction of apoptosis by the tropical seaweed Pylaiella littoralis in HT-29 cells via the mitochondrial and MAPK pathways

We demonstrated that an extract from Pylaiella littoralis, collected from the Federate States of Micronesia (FSM), could inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. P. littoralis extract (PLE) showed anti-proliferative activities in the tumorigenic cells tested, ranging from 20.2% to 67.9%. The highest inhibitory activity, in HT-29 cells, was selected for further experiments. PLE showed no cytotoxic effect in normal cells and inhibited the growth of HT-29 cells depending on concentration and incubation time. PLE-treated HT-29 cells showed the typical morphological characteristics of apoptosis, such as apoptotic body formation and DNA fragmentation. PLE also induced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and resulted in increased mitochondrial membrane permeability, compared with untreated cells. PLE decreased Bcl-2 protein and increased Bax protein expression, activating caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) expression via the caspase pathway. PLE also increased the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and it reduced cell viability in treatment cells with specific inhibitors such as PD98059 (a specific inhibitor of ERK), SP600125 (a specific inbibitor of JNK), and SB 203580 (a specific inbibitor of p38 MAPK). via the the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway. These results suggest that PLE inhibits the proliferation of HT-29 cells by affecting the caspase and MAPK pathways involved in the induction of apoptosis. Thus, we suggest that P. littoralis extract might be potential candidate agents for the treatment of human colorectal cancer.     

An identification of wave propagation based on a single-point measurement

This study presents the identification of wave propagation using the information measured at a fixed point. The mathematical model used to carry out this research is an integral equation. The equation turned out to be a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. The discretized matrix equation yielded an ill-conditioned system. To secure the stability of the system, Tikhonov regularization was applied to the ill-conditioned system. The analysis of the numerical computation proved that the regularization was able to retain the target spectrum.     

Seasonal variations in pCO2 and its controlling factors in surface seawater of the northern East China Sea

Surface partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂), temperature, salinity, nutrients, and chlorophyll a were measured in the East China Sea (ECS; 31°30′–34°00′N to 124°00′–127°30′E) in August 2003 (summer), May 2004 (spring), October 2004 (early fall), and November 2005 (fall). The warm and saline Tsushima Warm Current was observed in the eastern part of the survey area during four cruises, and relatively low salinity waters due to outflow from the Changjiang (Yangtze River) were observed over the western part of the survey area. Surface pCO₂ ranged from 236 to 445 μatm in spring and summer, and from 326 to 517 μatm in fall. Large pCO₂ (values >400 μatm) occurred in the western part of the study area in spring and fall, and in the eastern part in summer. A positive linear correlation existed between surface pCO₂ and temperature in the eastern part of the study area, where the Tsushima Warm Current dominates; this correlation suggests that temperature is the major factor controlling surface pCO₂ distribution in that area. In the western part of the study area, however, the main controlling factor is different and seasonally complex. There is large transport in this region of Changjiang Diluted Water in summer, causing low salinity and low pCO₂ values. The relationship between surface pCO₂ and water stability suggests that the amount of mixing and/or upwelling of CO₂-rich water might be the important process controlling surface pCO₂ levels during spring and fall in this shallow region. Sea–air CO₂ flux, based on the application of a Wanninkhof [1992. Relationship between wind speed and gas exchange over the ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research 97, 7373–7382] formula for gas transfer velocity and a set of monthly averaged satellite wind data, were −5.04±1.59, −2.52±1.81, 1.71±2.87, and 0.39±0.18 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in spring, summer, early fall, and fall, respectively, in the northern ECS. The ocean in this study area is therefore a carbon sink in spring and summer, but a weak source or in equilibrium with the atmosphere in fall. If the winter flux value is assumed to have been the mean of autumnal and vernal values, then the northern ECS absorbs about 0.013 Pg C annually. That result suggests that the northern ECS is a net sink for atmospheric CO₂, a result consistent with previous studies.     

An Interactive Sampling Strategy Based on Information Analysis and Ordinary Kriging for Locating Hot Spot Regions

This study proposes an interactive sampling strategy for locating the hot spot or maximum regions of a concerned attribute in a given area of survey. In the proposed strategy, information analysis is performed based on the ordinary kriging from the existing sample data to suggest a new batch of samples under the criterion of the highest information free energy. The information free energy (F) is a function of information energy (U) and information entropy (S) through F = U - TS, where T is information temperature and is used to coordinate the contribution of U and S to F. Information energy is the value of the concerned attribute, and information entropy is the transformed error variance of kriging and therefore measures the evenness and density of coverage of samples over the area under survey. At early sampling batches, information temperature is high and information entropy dominates the information free energy, and samples are suggested to give an even and dense enough coverage of the whole area under investigation. As samples accumulate, information temperature decreases to enlarge the contribution of information energy, and future samples are taken toward the locations with high attribute values. Two examples demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed sampling strategy in locating the hot spot regions of various fields: (1) a heavy metal contaminated site reproduced by modeling on 55 real field data; (2) a simulated two-dimensional field by the random phase volume (RPV) model. The results show that the proposed strategy, a robust interactive sampling procedure, is able to locate hot spot regions without compromising with the overall profile of an under-survey area.     

Elastic lateral-torsional buckling analysis of permanent means of access structure

International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a new regulation to request permanent means of access (PMA) for a regular inspection of ship structure. Horizontal platforms for an inspector to walk on should be provided at specified locations. The platform is attached perpendicular to longitudinal bulkheads or side shell like a common longitudinal stiffener. Since the platform is much wider than ordinary stiffeners, a mid-flat-bar is welded in the middle of the platform. The wide platform (i.e. the tall web plate) makes PMA structure prone to lateral torsional buckling prior to overall flexural Euler buckling subjected to axial compression. This study employs the Rayleigh-Ritz method to treat the elastic lateral-torsional buckling of the PMA structure. The deformation of the cross-section can be expressed using six independant parameters. Compared to the previous research for an ordinary stiffened plate (Hughes and Ma, 1996a), two additional parameters are employed to model the deformation of the mid flat bar. This study also proposes a new strain distribution of lateral bending introducing two respective neutral axes for the flange and the mid-flat-bar. Two mathematical models are developed for two cases; one without associated plating, and the other with both the plating and its rotational restraint. In the former, the coupling between the lateral torsional buckling (“tripping”) and the Euler buckling is investigated. In the latter, a plate rotational spring constant is suggested based on extended deformed shape of the plating. For each model, the validity of the proposed method is verified by a comparison with a number of linear buckling analyses carried out using the NASTRAN finite-element program.     

XANES evidence for sulphur speciation in Mn-, Ni- and W-bearing silicate melts

S K-edge XANES and Mn-, W- and Ni-XANES and EXAFS spectra of silicate glasses synthesised at 1400 °C and 1 bar with compositions in the CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-S plus MnO, NiO, or WO₃ systems were used to investigate sulphur speciation in silicate glasses.S K-edge spectra comprised a composite peak with an edge between 2470 and 2471.4 eV, which was attributed to S²⁻, and a peak of variable height with an edge at 2480.2-2480.8 eV, which is consistent with the presence of S⁶⁺. The latter peak was attributed to sample oxidation during sample storage. W-rich samples produced an additional lower energy peak at 2469.8 eV that is tentatively attributed to the existence of S 3p orbitals hybridised with the W 5d states.Deconvolution of the composite peak reveals that the composite peak for Mn-bearing samples fits well to a model that combines three Lorentzians at 2473.1, 2474.9 and 2476.2 eV with an arctan edge step. The composite peak for W-bearing samples fits well to the same combination plus an additional Lorentzian at 2469.8 eV. The ratio of the proportions of the signal accounted for by peaks at 2473.1 and 2476.2 eV correlates with Mn:Ca molar ratios, but not with W:Ca ratios. Spectra from Ni-bearing samples were qualitatively similar but S levels were too low to allow robust quantification of peak components. Some part of the signal accounted for by the 2473.1 eV peak was therefore taken to record the formation of Mn-S melt species, while the 2469.8 peak is interpreted to record the formation of W-S melt species. The 2474.9 and 2476.2 eV peaks were taken to be dominated by Ca-S and Mg-S interactions. However, a 1:1 relationship between peak components and specific energy transitions is not proposed. This interpretation is consistent with known features of the lower parts of the conduction band in monosulphide minerals and indicates a similarity between sulphur species in the melts and the monosulphides. S-XANES spectra cannot be reproduced by a combination of the spectra of the component element monosulphides.Mn-, W- and Ni-XANES and EXAFS for synthetic glasses without sulphide exsolution did not show any sensitivity to the presence of sulphur, which is unsurprising as S:O ratios were sufficiently low that metals would be mostly co-ordinated by O. Mn EXAFS spectra were consistent with divalent Mn in 5 co-ordinated Mn-O melt species. W spectra were consistent with tetrahedrally co-ordinated hexavalent W, most likely in scheelite-like melt species, and Ni spectra were consistent with [4] co-ordinated divalent Ni. These results indicate lower co-ordinations for both W and Ni than those inferred by some previous workers. Cation co-ordination may reflect the proportion of non-bridging oxygens, which is lower in the Ca-rich and Al-poor samples investigated here than for previous studies.     

A nonlinear wave profile correction of the diffraction of a wave by a long breakwater: Fixed point approach

The authors of the present paper have suggested an iterative scheme to calculate the nonlinear wave profiles [Jang and Kwon, 2005. Application of nonlinear iteration scheme to the nonlinear water wave problem: Stokes wave. Ocean Engineering 32, 1862–1872]. The scheme was shown to be good for estimating nonlinear wave profiles. In the study, the iterative scheme is applied to the wave-diffraction problem by a long breakwater to calculate a diffracted wave by the breakwater. The iterative solution of diffraction was compared with the linear solution of Sommerfeld, 1896. [Mathematische Theoried der Diffraction. Mathematical Annals 47, 317–374]. For a small wave slope, the two solutions were in good agreement. However, the scheme enabled us to observe the nonlinear behaviors of a beating phenomenon and of wave profile such as Stokes’ wave for a relatively large wave slope: as the wave slope becomes larger, we can examine the nonlinear wave characteristics of the actual shapes of waves, i.e., the crests are steeper and the troughs are flatter.     

Major and trace element composition of Skaergaard plagioclase; geochemical evidence for changes in magma dynamics during the final stage of crystallization of the Skaergaard intrusion

Plagioclase separates from the Layered Series (LS), Upper Border Series (UBS), and Marginal Border Series (MBS) of the Skaergaard intrusion were analyzed to examine major and trace element variations. In general, plagioclase from the LS, UBS, and MBS show similar trends in major elements vs. crystallization: SiO₂, Na₂O, and K₂O progressively increase, and CaO and MgO progressively decrease with fractionation. No abrupt changes in the trends of major components of Skaergaard plagioclase during the differentiation of the intrusion are observed. Trace elements in plagioclase reflect changes in the Skaergaard magma and changes in plagioclase distribution coefficients with differentiation. Sr, Ga, and probably Ba are included elements in Skaergaard plagioclase, but were excluded from the other cumulus phases, and as a result systematically increased in the magma and plagioclase during differentiation. Be, Cs, Hf, Rb, Ta, U, and Zr, and the transition metals Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Sc, V, and Zn were excluded elements in Skaergaard plagioclase, and remained low in plagioclase during differentiation. Changes in the abundances of these elements in plagioclase during differentiation reflect changes in their abundance in the magma. With the exception of the lower zone, which is enriched in the light rare earth elements, rare earth elements in LS plagioclase, in general, increase with differentiation of the Skaergaard intrusion, but decrease dramatically at the UZa/UZb boundary where abundant apatite first appears. Rare earth elements in UBS plagioclase followed a similar trend to LS plagioclase, except during the initial and final stages of differentiation. UBS plagioclase is much more enriched in rare earth elements during the final 20% of crystallization, except for Eu, which is similar in plagioclase from the two series. The observed trends suggest that the floor and roof sequences became isolated from each other and that the floor sequence may have been more reducing and the roof sequence more oxidizing during the final 20% of crystallization. As the Skaergaard magma ceased convection, or convected as isolated cells, during the final stages of differentiation, volatile elements may have accumulated in the UBS magma, resulting in an increase in ƒO₂, and a decrease in Eu/Sm in UBS plagioclase. The observed trends of rare earth elements in plagioclase from the LS and UBS fit well with theoretical calculations that assume closed-system crystallization, and would be difficult to reconcile with any model requiring significant discharge of magma from the chamber during the final 20% of crystallization. The enrichment of light rare earth elements in plagioclase, suggests that the lower part of the intrusion re-equilibrated with a late, light rare earth element-rich fluid or melt. The recharge model proposed by earlier workers to explain anomalous Sr and Nd isotopes appears unlikely in light of the two to fourfold enrichment of light rare earth elements in these samples. Received: 1 October 1999 / Accepted: 14 May 2000