High temperature plasma inβ Lyrae,observed fromCopernicus

High-resolution ultraviolet spectrophotometry of the complex close binary systemβ Lyrae was performed with the Princeton Telescope Spectrometer onCopernicus. Observations were made at phases 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 with the resolution of 0.2 Å (far-ultraviolet) and 0.4 Å (mid-ultraviolet). The far-ultraviolet spectrum is completely dominated by emission lines indicating existence of high temperature plasma in this binary. The spectrum ofthis object is unlike any other object observed fromCopernicus. It is believed that this high temperature plasma results from dynamic mass transfer taking place in this binary. The current results are compared with the OAO-2 Wisconsin Experiment Package observations and other observational results. The possibility that the secondary component is a collapsed object is also discussed; theCopernicus observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the spectroscopically invisible secondary component is a black hole.     

Role of carbon dioxide in the dynamics of magma ascent in explosive eruptions

 The role of carbon dioxide in the dynamics of magma ascent in explosive eruptions is investigated by means of numerical modeling. The model is steady, one-dimensional, and isothermal; it calculates the separated flow of gas and a homogeneous mixture of liquid magma and crystals. The magma properties are calculated on the basis of magma composition and crystal content and are allowed to change along the conduit due to pressure decrease and gas exsolution. The effect of the presence of a two-component (water + carbon dioxide) exsolving gas phase is investigated by performing a parametric study on the CO₂/(H₂O+CO₂) ratio, which is allowed to vary from 0 to 0.5 at either constant total volatile or constant water content. The relatively insoluble carbon dioxide component plays an important role in the location of the volatile-saturation and magma-fragmentation levels and in the distribution of the flow variables in the volcanic conduit. In detail, the results show that an increase of the proportion of carbon dioxide produces a decrease of the mass flow rate, pressure, and exit mixture density, and an increase of the exit gas volume fraction and depth of the fragmentation level. A relevant result is the different role played by water and carbon dioxide in the eruption dynamics; an increasing amount of water produces an increase of the mass flow rate, and an increasing amount of carbon dioxide produces a decrease. Even small amounts of carbon dioxide have major consequences on the eruption dynamics, implying that the multicomponent nature of the volcanic gas must be taken into account in the prediction of the eruption scenario and the forecasting of volcanic hazard. Received: 6 March 1998 / Accepted: 28 October 1998     

The high-galactic-latitude O-type star HD 93521

The spectrum of the peculiar O9 star HD 93521 is studied and compared with those of the standard stars 10 Lac and AE Aur. Several possibilities are examined which might explain the high galactic latitude of this star, corresponding toz>750 pc and its slight helium excess. It is suggested that HD 93521 is a runaway binary system composed of the O9 star plus a neutron star left over from a supernova explosion.     

Keratose-dominated sponge grounds from temperate mesophotic ecosystems (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Differently from the North Atlantic Ocean, only few examples of sponge grounds are known from the Mediterranean Sea, mainly thriving in the deep sea. In this study, a novel temperate mesophotic ecosystem dominated by massive keratose sponges is reported from the Ligurian deep continental shelf. An extensive Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) survey allowed to study the structure and large-scale distribution of this biocoenosis. The sponge grounds here described are highly fragmented, being formed by a large number of dense, discrete aggregations of Sarcotragus foetidus (up to 7.7 specimens/m²) and other sponges, including Spongia lamella and Axinella polypoides. They mainly occur on flat, patchy and highly silted hardgrounds between 40 and 70 m depth. These sponge-dominated ecosystems have an exceptionally wide spatial distribution, estimated to cover up to nearly 200 hectares, with the largest sponge grounds occurring along the westernmost part of the Ligurian coast, probably in relation to more suitable oceanographic conditions. The dominant sponge species reach considerable heights (up to 65 cm), greatly increasing the habitat three-dimensionality and acting as poles of attraction for a diverse sessile and vagile fauna. In addition, the high abundance of the keratose sponge grounds at mesophotic depths might represent a larval source for shallow-water populations that in the last decades have been stricken by several mass mortality events.     

Spectroscopic study of the eclipsing binary V 367 Cygni

Seventeen coudé spectrograms (dispersion 20 A mm^–1) of the Lyrae-type eclipsing binary V 367 Cygni (P=18.6 d) have been studied. The observations were made at the Haute Provence Observatory during a period of almost two years (May 1973–March 1975). An anomalous behavior for the radial velocities of the spectrograms taken during one cycle (406) was observed; it is suggested that gas eruption under form of prominences may explain it. The spectrum is dominated by shell lines very similar to those present in the spectrum of the supergiant A9 Ia Aurigae. The underlying stellar spectrum is classified as A5 I on the basis of the intensity of the sole clearly visible stellar line, 4481 MgII, of the wings of the stellar Balmer lines, and an estimate of the intensity of the stellarK line. The radial velocity curves for the shell lines of CaII, HI, metallic ions and neutral iron, as well as the phase dependence of the microturbulence, indicate stratification in the shell.     

Stability of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Agglomerates in Transitional Waters and Their Effects Towards Plankton from Lagoon of Venice (Italy)

The present study explores the effect of salinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) gradients on the stability and reactivity of titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO₂-NP) agglomerates in ambient water from the Lagoon of Venice and their possible effect on nauplii sampled at the same locations. In all ambient water samples, TiO₂-NPs formed rapidly micrometre-sized agglomerates. The increase in the salinity and concomitant decrease in DOC content induced the formation of larger agglomerates, with z-average hydrodynamic diameter increasing with TiO₂-NP concentration and exposure duration. Under the studied conditions, ζ-potential exhibited negative values. In line with agglomeration results, enhancement of the salinity and lower DOC resulted in less negative ζ-potential with close to 0 values in the dispersions of 100 mg L^?1 TiO₂-NPs in sea water. Two-hour exposure to micrometre-sized agglomerates of TiO₂-NPs resulted in an increase in the fluorescence of propidium iodide (PI) stained nauplii in comparison with unexposed controls, but had no effect at 24-h exposure. The increase in nauplii-associated PI fluorescence was more noticeable in dispersions containing 100 mg L^?1 than those containing 10 mg L^?1 TiO₂-NPs, suggesting membrane permeability alteration in a concentration-dependent manner. However, the PI staining results have to be interpreted with caution because of the possible dye binding to the nauplii surface without penetration of cellular membrane. The effect of TiO₂-NPs on nauplii was more pronounced at higher salinity and decreased with increasing DOC concentrations at 2 h, while no trends were found at 24-h exposure, as well as exposure to 100 mg L^?1 TiO₂-NPs.     

Changes in eruptive style during the A.D. 1538 Monte Nuovo eruption (Phlegrean Fields, Italy): the role of syn-eruptive crystallization

The Monte Nuovo eruption is the most recent event that occurred at Phlegrean Fields (Italy) and lasted from 29 September to 6 October 1538. It was characterized by 2 days of quasi-sustained phreatomagmatic activity generating pumice-bearing pyroclastic density currents and forming a 130-m-high tuff cone (Lower Member deposits). The activity resumed after a pause of 2 days with two discrete Vulcanian explosions that emplaced radially distributed, scoria-bearing pyroclastic flows (Upper Member deposits). The juvenile products of Lower and Upper Members are, respectively, phenocryst-poor, light-coloured pumice and dark scoria fragments with K-phonolitic bulk compositions, identical in terms of both major and trace elements. Groundmass is formed by variable proportions of K-feldspar and glass, along with minor sodalite and Fe-Ti oxide present in the most crystallized samples. Investigations of groundmass compositions and textures were performed to assess the mechanisms of magma ascent, degassing and fragmentation along the conduit and implications for the eruptive dynamics. In pumice of the Lower Member groundmass crystal content increases from 13 to 28 vol% from the base to the top of the sequence. Products of the Upper Member consist of clasts with a groundmass crystal content between 30 and 40 vol% and of totally crystallized fragments. Crystal size distributions of groundmass feldspars shift from a single population at the base of the Lower Member to a double population in the remaining part of the sequence. The average size of both populations regularly increases from the Lower to the Upper Member. Crystal number density increases by two orders of magnitude from the Lower to the Upper Member, suggesting that nucleation dominated during the second phase of the eruption. The overall morphological, compositional and textural data suggest that the juvenile components of the Monte Nuovo eruption are likely to record variations of the magma properties within the conduit. The different textures of pumice clasts from the Lower Member possibly reflect horizontal gradients of the physical properties (P, T) of the ascending magma column, while scoriae from the second phase are thought to result from the disruption of a slowly rising plug crystallizing in response to degassing. In particular, crystal size distribution data point to syn-eruptive degassing-induced crystallization as responsible for the transition in eruptive style from the first to the second phase of the eruption. This mechanism not only has been proved to profoundly affect the dynamics of dome-forming calc-alkaline eruptions, but may also have a strong influence in driving the eruption dynamics of alkaline magmas of intermediate to evolved compositions.Editorial responsibility: J. Donnelly-Nolan     

Sabella spallanzanii filter-feeding on bacterial community: ecological implications and applications

The filtration process of Sabella spallanzanii Gmelin on bacterial community was studied in a coastal area of the Northern Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea) at three sites, S. Vito, Lido Gandoli and Lido Silvana, where some specimens of S. spallanzanii were transplanted. Analyses were performed both on water and worm samples. A total of six microbial groups were examined: culturable heterotrophic bacteria, total culturable bacteria at 37 degrees C, culturable vibrios, total and fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci. The bacterial densities were usually orders of magnitude higher in the worm homogenates than in the corresponding seawater and the highest values were observed in August. The ability of S. spallanzanii to accumulate the microbial pollution indicators suggests this species can be employed as a bioindicator for monitoring water quality. Moreover, the accumulation capability of S. spallanzanii for specific micro-organisms provides a potential role in sewage bioremediation.     

Semi-automated regional classification of the style of activity of slow rock-slope deformations using PS InSAR and SqueeSAR velocity data

Large slow rock-slope deformations, including deep-seated gravitational slope deformations and large landslides, are widespread in alpine environments. They develop over thousands of years by progressive failure, resulting in slow movements that impact infrastructures and can eventually evolve into catastrophic rockslides. A robust characterization of their style of activity is thus required in a risk management perspective. We combine an original inventory of slow rock-slope deformations with different PS-InSAR and SqueeSAR datasets to develop a novel, semi-automated approach to characterize and classify 208 slow rock-slope deformations in Lombardia (Italian Central Alps) based on their displacement rate, kinematics, heterogeneity and morphometric expression. Through a peak analysis of displacement rate distributions, we characterize the segmentation of mapped landslides and highlight the occurrence of nested sectors with differential activity and displacement rates. Combining 2D decomposition of InSAR velocity vectors and machine learning classification, we develop an automatic approach to characterize the kinematics of each landslide. Then, we sequentially combine principal component and K-medoids cluster analyses to identify groups of slow rock-slope deformations with consistent styles of activity. Our methodology is readily applicable to different landslide datasets and provides an objective and cost-effective support to land planning and the prioritization of local-scale studies aimed at granting safety and infrastructure integrity.