Elm bark beetle in Holocene peat deposits and the northwest European elm decline

The elm decline of 5000 ¹⁴C yr ago has been the most widely discussed phenomenon in post‐glacial vegetation history. This pan‐European reduction of elm populations, echoed in the decimation of elmwoods in Europe during the twentieth century, has attracted a series of interrelated hypotheses involving climate change, human activity, disease and soil deterioration. The elm bark beetle (Scolytus scolytus L.) is an essential component of disease explanations. We present evidence for the presence of the beetle over a prolonged period (ca. 7950–4910 yr BP [8800–5660 cal. yr BP]) from a lowland raised mire deposit in northeast Scotland, with its final appearance at this site, and the first and only appearance in another mire of a single scolytid find, around the time of the elm decline. The subfossil S. scolytus finds are not only the first from Scotland, but they also represent the most comprehensive sequence of finds anywhere. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cygnus A

Cygnus A was the first hyper-active galaxy discovered, and it remains by far the closest of the ultra-luminous radio galaxies. As such, Cygnus A has played a fundamental role in the study of virtually all aspects of extreme activity in galaxies. We present a review of jet theory for powering the double-lobed radio emitting structures in powerful radio galaxies, followed by a review of observations of Cygnus A in the radio, optical, and X-ray relevant to testing various aspects of jet theory. Issues addressed include: jet structure from pc- to kpc-scales, jet stability, confinement, composition, and velocity, the double shock structure for the jet terminus and the origin of multiple radio hotspots, the nature of the filamentary structure in the radio lobes, and the hydrodynamic evolution of the radio lobes within a dense cluster atmosphere, including an analysis of pressure balance between the various gaseous components. Also discussed are relativistic particle acceleration and loss mechanisms in Cygnus A, as well as magnetic field strengths and geometries both within the radio source, and in the intracluster medium. We subsequently review the classification, cluster membership, and the emission components of the Cygnus A galaxy. The origin of the activity is discussed. Concentrating on the nuclear regions of the galaxy, we review the evidence for an obscured QSO, also given the constraints on the orientation of the radio source axis with respect to the sky plane. We present an overview of models of central engines in AGN and observations of Cygnus A which may be relevant to testing such models. We conclude with a brief section concerning the question of whether Cygnus A is representative of powerful high redshift radio galaxies. Received October 10, 1995     

穆珠朗玛峰地区土壤中稀土元素的含量和分布

本文论述了珠穆朗玛峯地区土壤中稀土元素的含量,以及它们在土壤中的分布模式,并发现土壤中稀土元素的含量水平在很大程度上受土壤母质的制约。     

双极化天气雷达方程

在回转椭球状降水粒子的假设下求出了降水粒子的散射截面，并且考虑了粒子轴线铅垂和随机取向两种重要的典型情况；推导了双极化雷达的回波方程以及降雨量公式。该方程除包含降水粒子的信息外，关于雷达与降水粒子间的几何关系都以雷达天线仰角及雷达与降水粒子间的距离表示，同时还考虑了地球的球面效应和大气折射效应。由于采用了并矢方法，使推导简捷明了     

Instrument development to search for biomarkers on mars: Terrestrial acidophile, iron-powered chemolithoautotrophic communities as model systems

Recent findings by the MER rover opportunity confirming the presence of iron minerals that can only be formed in the presence of water emphasize the study of analogous environments to Mars on Earth. The study of chemolithoautotrophic communities living in acidic iron-rich habitats is highly relevant in order to identify Mars analog environment-specific biomarkers. Iron oxidizing bacteria like Leptospirillum ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans have ways of life for which it is feasible to identify a past or present hypothetical niche on Mars. We have developed a strategy for biomarker identification based on: (i) search for biosignatures on acid and metal-rich environments; (ii) development of an immunosensor microarray; and (iii) integration into an instrument for autonomous and remote operation. The instrument that we have built, called Signs Of LIfe Detector (SOLID), is capable of processing a variety of samples for the detection of specific biomarkers. Antibodies against several bacterial strains have been developed and tested in a microarray biosensor on SOLID. Tests with field samples have been successfully performed, allowing the detection of L. ferrooxidans, A. ferrooxidans present in sediment samples.     

On the stability of particular solutions of the singly averaged Hill problem

We consider the particular solutions of the evolutionary system of equations in elements that correspond to planar and spatial circular orbits of the singly averaged Hill problem. We analyze the stability of planar and spatial circular orbits to inclination and eccentricity, respectively. We construct the instability regions of both particular solutions in the plane of parameters of the problem.     

Is the transition impact to post‐impact rock complete? Some remarks based on XRF scanning,electron microprobe,and thin section analyses of the Yaxcopoil‐1 core in the Chicxulub crater

Abstract The transition from impact to post‐impact rocks in the Yaxcopoil‐1 (Yax‐1) core is marked by a 2 cm‐thick clay layer characterized by dissolution features. The clay overlies a 9 cm‐thick hardground, overlying a 66 cm‐thick crossbedded unit, consisting of dolomite sandstone alternating with thin micro‐conglomerate layers with litho‐ and bioclasts and the altered remains of impact glass, now smectite. The micro‐conglomerates mark erosion surfaces. Microprobe and backscatter SEM analysis of the dolomite rhombs show an early diagenetic, complex‐zoned, idiomorphic overgrowth, with Mn‐rich zones, possibly formed by hot fluids related to cooling melt sheet in the crater. The pore spaces are filled with several generations of coelestite, barite, K‐feldpar, and sparry calcite. XRF core scanning analysis detected high Mn values in the crossbedded sediments but no anomalous enrichment of the siderophile elements Cr, Co, Fe, and Ni in the clay layer. Shocked quartz occurs in the crossbedded unit but is absent in the clay layer. The basal Paleocene marls are strongly dissolved and do not contain a basal Paleocene fauna. The presence of a hardground, the lack of siderophile elements, shocked quartz, or Ni‐rich spinels in the clay layer, and the absence of basal Paleocene biozones P0 and Pa all suggest that the top of the ejecta sequence and a significant part of the lower Paleocene is missing. Due to the high energy sedimentation infill, a hiatus at the top of the impactite is not unexpected, but there is nothing in the biostratigraphy, geochemistry, and petrology of the Yax‐1 core that can be used to argue against the synchroneity of the end‐Cretaceous mass‐extinctions and the Chicxulub crater.