Two stage growth of microdiamond in UHP dolomite marble from Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan

The abundance and morphology of microdiamond in dolomite marble from Kumdy‐kol in the Kokchetav Massif, are unusual; a previous study estimated the maximum content of diamonds in dolomite marble to be about 2700 carat ton^?1. Microdiamond is included primarily in garnet, and occasionally in diopside and phlogopite pseudomorphs after garnet. They are classified into three types on the basis of their morphology: (1) S‐type: star‐shaped diamond consisting of translucent cores and transparent subhedral to euhedral very fine‐grained outer parts; (2) R‐type: translucent crystals with rugged surfaces; and (3) T‐type: transparent, very fine‐grained crystals. The S‐type is the most abundant. Micro‐Laue diffraction using a 1.6‐µm X‐ray beam‐size demonstrated that the cores of the star‐shaped microdiamond represent single crystals. In contrast, the most fine‐grained outer parts usually have different orientations compared to the core. Laser–Raman studies indicate that the FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) of the Raman band of the core of the S‐type diamond is slightly larger than that for the outer parts. Differences in morphology, crystal orientations, and in the FWHM of the Raman band between the core and the fine‐grained outer‐parts of S‐type microdiamond suggest that the star‐shaped microdiamond was formed discontinuously in two distinct stages.     

Pan-African Alkali Granitoids from the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica

Alkali granitoids (500-550 Ma) representing a prominent Pan-African magmatic event are widely distributed in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Geochemically, they are granitic to syenitic in composition and show an alkaline affinity of A-type granites. They are characterized by high K₂O+Na₂O (7-13 wt%) and K₂O/Na₂O (1-2), low to intermediate Mg#, wide ranges of SiO₂ (45-78 wt%), Sr (20-6500 ppm) and Ba (40-13000 ppm) and have Nb and Ti depletion in the primitive mantle normalized diagram. The granitoids are subdivided into Group I granites, Group II granites, Lunckeryggen Syenitic Complex and Mefjell Plutonic Complex. The Group I granites have higher Mg#, Sr/Ba, Sr/Y, (La/Yb)_N and LREE/HREE, lower A/CNK, SREE and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁷Sr ratios and lack Eu anomalies compared to those with negative Eu anomalies in the Group II granites. The syenitic rocks from the Mefjell Plutonic Complex are higher in alkali, Ga, Zr, Ba, and have lower Mg#, Rb, Sr, Nb, Y, F and LREE/HREE with positive Eu anomaly, whereas the granites from the Mefjell Plutonic Complex have high LREE/HREE ratios with negative Eu anomaly. The Lunckeryggen syenitic rocks have intermediate Mg#, higher K₂O, P₂O₅, TiO₂, Fe₂O₃/FeO, Ba, Sr/Y and LREE/HREE ratios with lack of Eu anomalies and are lower in Al₂O₃, Ga, Y, Nb and Rb/Sr ratios. Based on chemical characteristics combined with isotopic data, we suggest that the Lunckeryggen syenitic body and Group I granitic bodies may be derived from the mantle-derived hot basic magma by fractional crystallization with minor assimilation. We also suggest that the Group II granites may be derived from assimilation with crustal rocks to varing degrees and then fractional crystallization in higher crustal levels (ACF model). The Mefjell Plutonic Complex seems to be derived from a heterogenetic magma source compared with other granitoids from the Sør Rondane Mountains. The syenitic rocks in the Mefjell Plutonic complex have a unique source (iron-enriched) and have a chemical affinity with the charnockites in Gjelsvikjella and western Mühlig-Hofmannfjella, but not like the Yamato syenites in adjacent areas.     

Production of the Blood Pressure Lowing Peptides from Brown Alga （ Undaria pinnatifida ）

Brown alga （ Undaria pinnatifida） was treated with alginate lyase and hydrolyzed using 17 kinds of proteases and the inhibitory activity of the hydrolysates for the angiotensin-I-converting enzyme （ACE） was measured. Four hydrolysates with potent ACE-inhibitory activity were administered singly and orally to spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs）. The systolic blood pressure of SHRs decreases significantly after single oral administration of the brown alga hydrolysates by pro- tease S ＇ Amano＇ （from Bacillus stearothermophilus） at the concentration of 10 （mg protein） （kg body weight）^ - 1. In the 17 weeks of feeding experiment, 7-week-old SHRs were fed standard diet supplemented with the brown alga hydrolysates for 10 weeks. In SHRs fed 1.0 and 0.1% brown alga hydrolysates, elevating of systolic bloodpressure was significantly suppressed for 7 weeks. To elucidate the active components, the brown alga hydrolysates were fractionated by 1-butanol extraction and HPLC on a reverse-phase column. Seven kinds of ACE-inhibitory peptides were isolated and identified by amino acid composition analysis, sequence analysis, and LC-MS with the results Val-Tyr, Ile-Tyr, Ala-Trp, Phe-Tyr, Val-Trp, Ile-Trp, and Leu-Trp. Each peptide was determined to have an antihypertensive effect after a single oral administration in SHRs. The brown alga hydrolysates were also confirmed to decrease the blood pressure in humans.     

Morphodynamics of deltas under the influence of humans

A consistent database was established to characterize key environmental factors known to control delta morphology. The database includes the location, basin morphology, fluvial and sediment discharge to the deltas, delta morphology, ocean energy, and shelf depth reached by the sub-aqueous delta. Fifty-one deltas were selected to cover the global parameter range of rivers entering all major oceans and coastal seas. Seasonal satellite images of the deltas were processed (IKONOS, SPOT, LANDSAT, and MODIS). Predictive statistical relationships were obtained, suitable for hypothesis testing or to constrain/verify numerical models used to simulate the evolution of coastal systems. The area of a delta is best predicted from average discharge, the total sediment load feeding the delta, and the offshore accommodation space. The gradient of a delta plain, measured from the apex of the delta to the coast along the main channel, is best predicted with a ratio of sediment supply to sediment retention, sediment concentration used as a proxy of delta plain sedimentation, and mean water discharge. Widths of distributary channels form a lognormal distribution, with the cumulative width of the river mouths directly related to the maximum discharge, tidal and wave energy. The grain size of topset deposits scales with the river length. Hundreds of millions of people occupy deltas and human engineering is now a major influence on the growth and evolution of many deltas, through control of the flow path of distributary channels, and mitigation of the seasonal flood wave with concomitant change in the delivery of sediment load. More and more deltas are moving away from their pre-Anthropocene morphology, as influenced by pristine sediment supply and sediment dispersal.     

Medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances observed by GPS receiver network in Japan: a short review

Medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTID) are wave-like perturbations of the ionospheric plasma with wavelengths of several hundred kilometres and velocities of several hundred metres per second. MSTID is one of the most common ionospheric phenomena that generally induce the perturbations of ionospheric total electron content (TEC) by ∼10¹⁶ electron/m², which corresponds to ∼54 ns (16.2 cm) delay at GPS L1 signal. In the past decade, several new characteristics on MSTIDs have been revealed by the TEC observations using the dense GPS receiver network in Japan. In this paper, we provide a short review of these new observations and summarize the morphological characteristics of MSTIDs in Japan.     

Influence of the east-west component of the interplanetary magnetic field on the intensity of the auroral electrojet

Analysis of interplanetary data has been made to evaluate the influence of the Biny component of the IMF on the magnitude of the AL index, especially with reference to the contribution of B_y in the reconnection process between the IMF and geomagnetic fields in the dayside part of the magnetosphere. The results of the analysis showed that the effect of Biny on AL is predominantly of a different type from that expected by the current theory of reconnection, and the B_y effect of the latter type was found to be much less significant in magnitude than the theory predicts. The discrepancy may be resolved if the region where the reconnection takes place has an elongated shape.     

Magnetic pulsation Pi2 as a sensitive indicator of magnetospheric substorm

The identification of substorm onset is quite important in studying the mechanism of excitation of substorm disturbances. At present, one of the most practical methods to identify accurately the onset of substorms is to use low-latitude Pi2, which is sensitively related to the plasma instability in the magnetosphere, that triggers the substorm disturbances. This method is applied to examine the onset times of three substorm events which were already defined by various methods other than the low-latitude Pi2 method. Preceding the onset times, other evident substorm onsets are clearly determined with Pi2 onsets for all the three events by examining only the H-component of rapid-run magnetogram from a single low-latitude station in the dark hemisphere. Cooperative monitoring of Pi2 at three low-latitude stations on three well-separated meridians, therefore, is really effective in detecting most substorms.     

The arch systems,cavities and prominences in the helmet streamer observed at the solar eclipse,November 12, 1966

Arch systems lying above quiescent prominences in the solar corona have long drawn the attention of eclipse observers, and such formations have been investigated since the end of the last century. Almost every eclipse photograph shows one or more arches, and in most cases the arch system is accompanied by a quiescent prominence below it and a helmet streamer above it. Also, in some cases there is a dark cavity between the arch system and the prominence.On large-scale photographs obtained at the November 12, 1966 eclipse, detailed photometry has been carried out on a formation in the corona composed of a helmet streamer straddling two multiple-arch systems each with a dark cavity and a quiescent prominence. The excess of electrons in the arches and the deficiency in the cavities are evaluated. We find that the formation of a prominence requires much more material than available in the cavity before depletion. Consequently the condensation theory of coronal matter into prominences seems to have difficulties explaining the necessary amount of matter in the cases where coronal arches - delineating magnetic field lines above the cavity - may exclude inflow of material from the corona. We comment on the low velocity of solar wind in the helmet streamer.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Vertical distributions of large ontogenetically migrating copepods in the Oyashio region during their growing season

Neocalanus flemingeri, Neocalanus plumchrus, Neocalanus cristatus and Eucalanus bungii are large and dominant mesozooplankton occurring throughout the subarctic Pacific. They are an important trophic link and transporter of organic matter to the mesopelagic zone. Vertical distributions of these copepods were investigated from March to October 2000 in the Oyashio region of the western subarctic Pacific. Neocalanus plumchrus and N. flemingeri were distributed in the surface layer (0–50 m) and N. cristatus and E. bungii in the subsurface layer (50–100 m). However, when examined in detail, clear seasonal and vertical differences were observed. Neocalanus plumchrus was concentrated in the top 20 m from late April to the end of July, and N. flemingeri showed a little deeper distribution from May to July. Neocalanus cristatus showed a deeper distribution than that of grazing individuals of E. bungii from April to early July, but grazing individuals of E. bungii (C3–C6) showed a deeper distribution than that of N. cristatus from the end of July to October. Early copepodites of E. bungii were distributed much shallower than late copepodite stages and overlapped with copepodites of N. plumchrus and N. flemingeri. These results suggest that the four species of large copepods have established habitat segregation by season, vertical distribution and food resource partitioning in the Oyashio region as well as other regions of the North Pacific.     

Burial of organic carbon in Holocene sediments of the Zhujiang (Pearl River) and Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuaries

The East Asian marginal seas are important sinks of terrigenous materials transported by large rivers. In this study two cores from the Changjiang (Yangtze River) and Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuaries and one core from the inner shelf off of Hong Kong were investigated to examine the burial of organic matter during the postglacial period and its possible links with paleoenvironmental changes. Based on a simple two end-member mixing model, the terrestrial organic matter supplied primarily from the Zhujiang and Changjiang dominates the estuarine areas while marine organic matter contributes more to the inner-mid shelf. The competing contributions of terrestrial and marine organic matter are responsible for the downcore variations of organic elemental compositions. The overall decreasing shifts of total organic carbon concentrations and total organic carbon to total nitrogen ratios in the Zhujiang estuarine sediments since 6.5 kaBP seems to support the notion that depth profiles of organic matter compositions deposited in the Zhujiang Estuary can aid in the reconstruction of monsoon history in the Holocene. Nevertheless, organic matter compositions in the Changjiang Estuary and inner shelf off of southeastern Hong Kong respond in a different and more complex way to freshwater discharges or precipitation changes (monsoon variability) in the catchments, owing to complex controls of deposition and preservation of organic matter in these estuarine and shelf environments. Caution is therefore needed in using organic elemental and isotopic compositions to decipher paleoenvironmental changes in East Asian continental shelves where intense river–sea interactions occur and sedimentary environments change drastically.