Planetary elements for 10 000 000 years

In 1950 Brouwer and van Woerkom published a secular theory of the variations of the planetary elements in analytical form. In the present paper we provide a graphical representation of this theory in the form of element plots for a time span of ten million years.     

A search for periodicities from a ULX in the LINER galaxy NGC 4736

We report our findings on a new quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) and a long period from the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) X-2 in nearby galaxy NGC 4736 based on the Chandra and XMM-Newton archival data. To examine the timing properties, power density spectra of the source have been obtained using Fast Fourier Transform. Also the spectral parameters of the source have been calculated by obtaining and fitting the energy spectra. Power density spectrum of this source reveals a QPO peak at \(0.73_{-0.14}^{+0.16}~\mathrm{mHz}\) with an fractional rms variability of 16 % using the Chandra data (in the year 2000-lower state of the source). The XMM-Newton data analysis indicates a peak at \(0.53_{-0.35}^{+0.09}~\mathrm{mHz}\) with a fractional rms variation of 5 % (in the year 2006-higher state of the source). These recovered QPOs overlap within errors and may be the same oscillation. In addition, we detect a long periodicity or a QPO in the Chandra data of about (5.2±2.0)×10^?5 Hz (～5.4 h) over 3 σ confidence level. If this is a QPO, it is the lowest QPO detected from a ULX. The mass of the compact object in ULX X-2 is estimated using the Eddington luminosity and a disk blackbody model in the range (10–80) M _⊙.     

A proposal for the theoretical analysis of the interactive coupled effects between urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations

Mega-urban agglomerations are strategic core areas for national economic development and the main regions of new urbanization. They also have important roles in shifting the global economic center of gravity to China. However, the development of mega-urban agglomerations has triggered the interactive coercion between resources and the eco-environment. The interactive coupled effects between urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations represent frontier and high-priority research topics in the field of Earth system science over the next decade. In this paper, we carried out systematic theoretical analysis of the interactive coupling mechanisms and coercing effects between urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations. In detail, we analyzed the nonlinear-coupled relationships and the coupling characteristics between natural and human elements in mega-urban agglomerations. We also investigated the interactive coercion intensities between internal and external elements, and the mechanisms and patterns of local couplings and telecouplings in mega-urban agglomeration systems, which are affected by key internal and external control elements. In addition, we proposed the interactive coupling theory on urbanization and the eco-environment in mega-urban agglomerations. Furthermore, we established a spatiotemporal dynamic coupling model with multi-element, multi-scale, multi-scenario, multi-module and multi-agent integrations, which can be used to develop an intelligent decision support system for sustainable development of mega-urban agglomerations. In general, our research may provide theoretical guidance and method support to solve problems related to mega-urban agglomerations and maintain their sustainable development.     

Impact of Sea-level Rise and Storm Surges on a Coastal Community

A technique to evaluate the risk of storm tides (the combination of a storm surge and tide) under present and enhanced greenhouse conditions has been applied to Cairns on the north-eastern Australian coast. The technique combines a statistical model for cyclone occurrence with a state-of-the-art storm surge inundation model and involves the random generation of a large number of storm tide simulations. The set of simulations constitutes a synthetic record of extreme sea-level events that can be analysed to produce storm tide return periods. The use of a dynamic storm surge model with overland flooding capability means that the spatial extent of flooding is also implicitly modelled. The technique has the advantage that it can readily be modified to include projected changes to cyclone behaviour due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. Sea-level heights in the current climate for return periods of 50, 100, 500 and 1000 years have been determined to be 2.0 m, 2.3 m, 3.0 m and 3.4 m respectively. In an enhanced greenhouse climate (around 2050), projected increases in cyclone intensity and mean sea-level see these heights increase to 2.4 m, 2.8 m, 3.8 m and 4.2 m respectively. The average area inundated by events with a return period greater than 100 years is found to more than double under enhanced greenhouse conditions.     

Palaeomagnetism of the teschenitic rocks (Lower Cretaceous) in the Outer Western Carpathians of Poland: constraints for tectonic rotations in the Silesian unit

Results of palaeomagnetic investigations of the Lower Cretaceous teschenitic rocks in the Silesian unit of the Outer Western Carpathians in Poland bring evidence for pre-folding magnetization of these rocks. The mixed-polarity component reveals inclinations, between 56° and 69°, which might be either of Cretaceous or Tertiary age. Apparently positive results of fold and contact tests in some localities and presence of pyrhotite in the contact aureole suggest that magnetization is primary, although a Neogene or earlier remagnetization cannot be totally excluded since inclination-only test between localities gives 'syn-folding' results. Higher palaeoinclinations (66°–69°) correlate with a younger variety of teschenitic rocks dated for 122–120 Ma, while lower inclinations (56°–60°) with an older variety (138–133 Ma). This would support relatively high palaeolatitudes for the southern margin of the Eurasian plate in the late part of the Early Cretaceous and relatively quick northward drift of the plate in this epoch, together with the Silesian basin at its southern margin. Declinations are similar to the Cretaceous–Tertiary palaeodeclinations of stable Europe in the eastern part of the studied area but rotated ca. 14°–70° counter-clockwise in the western part. This indicates, together with older results from Czech and Slovakian sectors of the Silesian unit, a change in the rotation pattern from counter-clockwise to clockwise at the meridian of 19°E. The rotations took place before the final collision of the Outer Carpathians nappe stack with the European foreland.     

Opening angles, Lorentz factors and confinement of X-ray binary jets

We present a collation of the available data on the opening angles of jets in X-ray binaries, which in most cases are small (≲10°). Under the assumption of no confinement, we calculate the Lorentz factors required to produce such small opening angles via the transverse relativistic Doppler effect. The derived Lorentz factors, which are in most cases lower limits, are found to be large, with a mean >10, comparable to those estimated for active galactic nuclei (AGN) and much higher than the commonly assumed values for X-ray binaries of 2–5. Jet power constraints do not, in most cases, rule out such high Lorentz factors. The upper limits on the opening angles show no evidence for smaller Lorentz factors in the steady jets of Cygnus X-1 and GRS 1915+105. In those sources in which deceleration has been observed (notably  XTE J1550−564  and Cygnus X-3), some confinement of the jets must be occurring, and we briefly discuss possible confinement mechanisms. It is however possible that all the jets could be confined, in which case the requirement for high bulk Lorentz factors can be relaxed.     

New brown dwarf companions to dM(e) stars

We present new astrometric and spectroscopic data to confirm two new M/L dwarf systems, G124‐62 and LHS5166, and discuss the nature of a third system (LP261‐75). Age and thus mass determinations of the L dwarf companions are discussed based on various activity‐age relationships of the M dwarf primaries. This publication will update the list of widely separated substellar companions to nearby stars. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Can the unresolved X-ray background be explained by the emission from the optically-detected faint galaxies of the GOODS project?

The emission from individual X-ray sources in the Chandra Deep Fields and XMM – Newton Lockman Hole shows that almost half of the hard X-ray background above 6 keV is unresolved and implies the existence of a missing population of heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN). We have stacked the 0.5–8 keV X-ray emission from optical sources in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS; which covers the Chandra Deep Fields) to determine whether these galaxies, which are individually undetected in X-rays, are hosting the hypothesized missing AGN. In the 0.5–6 keV energy range, the stacked-source emission corresponds to the remaining 10–20 per cent of the total background – the fraction that has not been resolved by Chandra . The spectrum of the stacked emission is consistent with starburst activity or weak AGN emission. In the 6–8 keV band, we find that upper limits to the stacked X-ray intensity from the GOODS galaxies are consistent with the ∼40 per cent of the total background that remains unresolved, but further selection refinement is required to identify the X-ray sources and confirm their contribution.