A sonic well log of the basement complex of the Walvis Ridge

A sonic well log was obtained within the basement complex of the Walvis Ridge during Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 74. The top of the basement complex is characterized by smooth acoustic reflectors. The rocks recovered within the basement complex consist of basalts with intercalated sediments. According to the log ～-50% of the upper 75 m of basement are igneous rocks and the other 50% sedimentary. Sonobuoy results indicate that the ratio of sediments to basalt increases with depth for an additional 225 m until a typical oceanic velocity structure is observed. Paleontological results suggest that the processes forming this upper 300 m of the basement complex was accomplished within a short time interval.     

Interpolation and extrapolation of hydrodynamic coefficients

The solution to the problem of calculating the hydrodynamic forces on multiple floating bodies is summarised. The complex coefficients which characterise the forces at each frequency of oscillation are expensive to compute; interpolation of intermediate values and extrapolation to high frequencies appear difficult since the coefficients seem to vary arbitrarily with frequency. Interpolation and extrapolation schemes based on a novel representation of the coefficients are proposed and tested. The excellent numerical results indicate that the values of the coefficients at a few frequency points can characterise the hydrodynamics at all frequencies. These techniques can save economically significant amounts of computer time and permit investigations which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.     

Response of the suspended sediment transport system to continental shelf dynamics

Surface currents influenced by a wind-driven upwelling event in San Pedro Bay moved total suspended matter (TSM) confined to the inner shelf on 19 April 1978 seaward, so that by 27 April surface TSM had increased over the outer shelf. Near-bottom concentrations of TSM also increased across the shelf during this time. This is explained by sediment resuspended by large surface waves being advected from the inner shelf seaward by the mean flow after this flow had turned from southeasterly to southerly when upwelling ceased on 26 April. These complex shelf dynamics contribute to the off-shelf transport of mud to the slope and deep basins.     

An ocean-bottom hydrophone recorder for seismic refraction experiments

A new and inexpensive pop-up ocean-bottom hydrophone recorder has been developed for use in seismic refraction experiments. It is capable of operating in water depths of up to 4000 m and in very rugged topography, and uses an acoustic command system built by the U.K. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences for recovery. The instrument is mounted in an inexpensive cylindrical pressure case based on commercially available extruded aluminium alloy tubing, and uses glass spheres and syntactic foam for buoyancy. Hydrophone and clock signals are frequency modulated and recorded on tape cassettes, with a recording duration of three hours allowing up to 18 programmed shot windows. The prototype has made seven free descents on the Mid-Atlantic ridge and in the Gulf of Oman, and successfully recorded shots under operational conditions for the first time in September 1979. The total component cost of the prototype was £2740 (1979 prices).(Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge Contribution No. ES135).     

Evidence for gas accumulation associated with diapirism and gas hydrates at the head of the Cape Fear Slide

Single-channel seismic reflection profiles show evidence for areas of significant gas accumulation at the head of the Cape Fear Slide on the continental rise off North Carolina. Gas accumulation appears to occur beneath a gas hydrate seal in landward-dipping strata and in domed strata associated with diapirism. In addition, gas venting may have occurred near diapirs located at the head of the slide.     

Characterization of bacterial community structure in vestimentiferan tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae trophosomes

Terminal‐restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T‐RFLPs) were used to address the question whether there are multiple phylotypes of bacteria within the trophosome of the vestimentiferan tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae in addition to the known endosymbiont. Clone libraries were constructed to aid in the identification of the additional bacterial phylotypes. Individual R. piscesae specimens were collected from Juan de Fuca Ridge, Axial Caldera and Explorer Ridge, Magic Mountain. Clone library analyses revealed only one bacterial phylotype (expected R. piscesae endosymbiont) within the Explorer Ridge trophosomes. However, the Axial Caldera clone library revealed five operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Three of the resulting phylotypes detected (designated RAE) were putative thioautotrophic symbionts within the γ‐Proteobacteria which belonged to the anticipated endosymbiont group (RAE OTU 1), the Maorithyas hadalis symbiont II group (RAE OTU 3), and the Halothiobacillus group (RAE OTU 4). The remaining two phylotypes were most likely opportunistically derived. RAE OTU 5 was an α‐Proteobacterium within the Roseobacter group and RAE OTU 2 was within the Cytophaga–Flavobacterium–Bacteroidetes. T‐RFLP analyses revealed that all 15 trophosomes evaluated contained at least RAE OTUs 1 and 4. Five of the 15 trophosomes contained at least RAE OTUs 1, 3, and 4 and two of the trophosomes contained at least five RAE OTUs. Cluster analysis of the T‐RFLP data revealed three distinct clusters. The number of taxa within the trophosome may be an indication of the general health of the tubeworm. This study strongly suggests that we have discovered and identified more than one bacterial phylotype within the trophosome of vestimentiferan R. piscesae.     

Analysis of medaka cytochrome P450 3A homotropic and heterotropic cooperativity

We have previously demonstrated that medaka CYP3A is associated with metabolism of several endobiotics including steroids and bile acids. In this study, we demonstrate that medaka CYP3A catalysis exhibits unusual kinetic behaviors consistent with allosteric interaction which cannot be described by hyperbolic kinetic models. Using 7-benzyloxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)-coumarin (BFC) and nonylphenol as CYP3A substrates, we describe both homotropic and heterotropic cooperative interactions. Given the role of CYP3A in maintaining the homeostatic balance for numerous endobiotics, enzymatic activation/inhibition by endocrine disruptors (EDCs) represents a putative (non-genomic) mechanism for endocrine disruption.     

Longitudinal strength of a high-speed ferry

The longitudinal strength of the high-speed ferry was investigated by subjecting the ship's hull girder to long-term loads obtained from a frequency-domain panel code. Prior to the statistical analysis, linearly computed transfer functions were corrected for nonlinear effects, yielding two sets of transfer functions valid for different wave amplitudes. One set corresponded to the hogging condition; the other set, to the sagging condition. Two regular equivalent design waves were specified that resulted in loads representing the most severe global design load conditions. The still-water loading condition, yielding a still-water vertical bending moment in hogging, was superimposed on the wave-induced loads to obtain the total (design) loads in hogging. For the sagging condition only, additional impact-related loads were superimposed to obtain the total (design) loads in sagging. A finite element model of the ship's structure was subjected to pressure distributions according to the two regular design waves. For comparison with classification society rule values, a simple beam theory strength analysis of the ship's midship section was performed first, and then another finite element analysis was carried out, whereby the imposed loads were tuned to the rule values of vertical bending moments. Rule-based magnitudes of nominal maximum longitudinal stress deviated significantly (25–39%) from comparable stresses obtained by the panel code based finite element analysis. However, stresses obtained from the rule-based finite element analysis agreed more favorably, especially in hogging. In the uppermost deck, for example, the panel code based compressive stress was only 9% larger than the comparable stress from the rule-based finite element analysis.