Evaluation of soil physical properties as influenced by various green manuring legumes and phosphorus fertilization under rain fed conditions

A field experiment was conducted under rainfed environment of Pothowar region of Pakistan to assess physical properties of soil as influenced by various green manure legumes (sesbania, cluster bean and rice bean) and different P levels (0, 30, 60, 90 kg P2O5/ha). Highest fresh biomass was observed in sesbania (23 t/ha) followed by cluster bean (19 t/ha) and lowest in rice bean (17 t/ha). Maximum crude protein content was found in sesbania (17%) followed by rice bean (10%) and cluster bean (8%). Green manuring crops, on average reduced soil bulk density (5%), enhanced total porosity (8%), and macropores and large mesopores (28%). Maximum reduction (7%) in soil bulk density, and an increase (11%) in total soil porosity and available water (17%) was observed in plots where sesbania was incorporated as green manuring crop. The order of effectiveness in improving bulk density, macro and mesopores was sesbania > cluster bean > rice bean. Sesbania produced greater number of macro and large mesopores about 41% increase over control followed by cluster bean (29%) and rice bean (16%). Phosphorus application showed meager positive impact on various soil physical properties but did not significantly increased porosity or reduced bulk density. Significant differences in volume fraction in pore space suggest that pore space on a volume basis was much higher in sesbania-amended soil than in other treatments.     

Stable carbon isotopic evidence for differences in the dietary origin of bone cholesterol, collagen and apatite: implications for their use in palaeodietary reconstruction

Rats were raised on a variety of isotopically controlled diets comprising 20% C₃, C₄ or marine protein and C₃ and/or C₄ non-protein or energy (i.e. sucrose, starch and oil) macronutrients. Compound specific stable carbon isotope (δ¹³C) analysis was performed on the cholesterol isolated from the diet (n=7 ) and bone (n=15 ) of these animals and the values compared with bulk δ¹³C measurements of bone collagen and apatite. The dietary signals reflected by these three bone biochemical components were investigated using linear regression analysis. δ¹³C values of bone cholesterol were shown to reflect whole diet δ¹³C values, collagen to reflect mainly dietary protein values and apatite to reflect whole diet values. Further correlations between dietary protein-to-energy spacings (Δ¹³C_prot-engy = δ¹³C_protein - δ¹³C_energy) and whole diet-to-bone component fractionations (Δ¹³C_bcomp-wdiet = δ¹³C_{bone component} - δ¹³C_{whole diet}) indicates that for hypothetical diets where protein δ¹³C values are equal to energy values, fractionations between whole diet and bone biochemical fractions are -3.3‰ for cholesterol, +5.4‰ for collagen and +9.5‰ for apatite. Moreover, the narrow range of variation observed in apatite-to-cholesterol spacings (Δ¹³C_apat-bchol) suggests that cholesterol δ¹³C values can potentially also be used as an independent test for the isotopic integrity of apatite δ¹³C values. These insights into bone cholesterol, collagen and apatite dietary signals, diet-to-bone fractionations and bone component-to-bone component spacings provide the basis for more accurate interpretations of the dietary behaviour of archaeological populations and food webs when the δ¹³C analysis of bone is employed.     

On the Composition of Airborne Particles Influenced by Emissions of the Volcano Popocatépetl in Mexico

A 17-day field campaign was carried out in April–May 1999 to determine thecontribution that gaseous volcanic emissions make to the compositionof solid particles,particularly to the presence and quantity of sulfates. Theexperimental site was located inTonantzintla (in the State of Puebla), only 30 km E from the volcanoPopocatépetl, whichhas been in an active phase since the end of 1993. An analysis ofthe carbon monoxide(CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in the ambient air identifiedvolcanic influence in 6 out ofthe 17 days sampled. Particles collected in an 8-stage cascadeimpactor were analyzed for inorganic ions (by liquid chromatography).A non-parametric test indicates asignificant difference on the total particle mass and thesulfate fraction between days withand without volcanic influence. This difference was predominantlyobserved in the stages that collect the smaller particles. Windsat 500 mb (roughly corresponding to thesummit of the volcano) indicate a westerly transport from thevolcano to the experimentalsite, even though surface winds do not show a clear signal ofsuch a transport. Back trajectories from the experimental site werecalculated and clearly indicated that air parcels on the daysindependently identified as with volcanic influence had indeed passed over the volcano.     

Deep optical imaging of nova remnants: a southern sky sample

We present an optical imaging study of 20 southern sky nova remnants which has resulted in the discovery of four previously unknown nova shells — those of V842 Cen, RR Cha, DY Pup and HS Pup. The study has also revealed previously unobserved features in three other known shells — those of BT Mon, CP Pup and RR Pic. The images of BT Mon, V842 Cen, RR Cha, DY Pup and HS Pup have been processed using several deconvolution algorithms (Richardson–Lucy, maximum entropy and CLEAN ) in addition to straightforward point-source subtraction in an attempt to resolve the shells from the central stars. The use of four different methods enables us to make a qualitative judgment of the results. Notably, the shell of RR Pic displays tails extending outwards from clumps in the main ejecta similar to those previously detected in DQ Her.     

3-D Helioseismology: Rings and Horizontal Flows

We investigate the conditions under which general scalar-tensor gravity theories relax towards General Relativity. We extend the work of Damour and Nordtvedt [2] by studying the effects of the inclusion of a cosmological potential term. When the universe is either radiation dominated or vacuum, we find that Einstein's gravity is indeed a cosmological attractor and, also, that the universe exhibits inflationary expansion. This latter feature provides another striking argument in favour of the inflationary paradigm, which in the present setting arises without the intervention of the usual inflaton field. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kinematics and Stellar Populations of Seyfert Galaxies

We have analyzed high signal-to-noise spectra of 10 active galaxies in order to investigate the stellar populations of these objects and the kinematics of the gas and stars in their nuclei. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.