Positioning fisheries in a changing world

Marine capture fisheries face major and complex challenges: habitat degradation, poor economic returns, social hardships from depleted stocks, illegal fishing, and climate change, among others. The key factors that prevent the transition to sustainable fisheries are information failures, transition costs, use and non-use conflicts and capacity constraints. Using the experiences of fisheries successes and failures it is argued only through better governance and institutional change that encompasses the public good of the oceans (biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, sustainability) and societal values (existence, aesthetic and amenity) will fisheries be made sustainable.     

Observation of cosmic soft X-rays

Cosmic soft X-rays in the energy range between 0.14 and 7 keV were observed with thin polypropylene window proportional counters on board a sounding rocket. The field of view crossed the galactic plane in the Cygnus-Cassiopeia region at a large angle and reached the galactic latitudes of –55° and +30°. Referring also to the result with Be window counters, we obtained the energy spectrum of Cyg XR-2, the flux from the Cas A region and the distribution of the intensity of diffuse X-rays over the scanned region. The turn-over of the Cyg XR-2 spectrum at about 1 keV indicates that the distance of the Cyg XR-2 source lies between 600 and 800 pc, if the turn-over is due entirely to interstellar absorption. The flux from the Cas A region is obtained as 0.23±0.05 photons cm^–2 sec^–1 in the energy range between 1.1 and 4.1 keV. The intensity of diffuse soft X-rays depends on the galactic latitude more weakly than expected from the interstellar absorption of extragalactic X-rays and shows asymmetry with respect to the galactic equator, thus suggesting a contribution of galactic X-rays. The spectrum of extragalactic X-rays is approximately represented by a power lawE ^–1.8.     

Audio frequency magneto-telluric survey of Norikura Volcano in central Japan

Norikura Volcano has not been active during the last 10,000 years in spite of the activity of the surrounding volcanic mountains. To study past volcanic activities, geological studies were carried out extensively. However, quite a few geophysical investigations were conducted to contribute to volcanology. Our objective is to detect the present subsurface structure of Norikura Volcano and to define volcanic stratifications. In the vicinity of Norikura Volcano, geothermal fields are still active. Subsurface volcanic rocks in this area have been exposed to geothermal activity and altered. To comprehend volcanic stratifications of Norikura and geothermal activity, we conducted audio frequency magneto-telluric (AMT) surveys around Norikura Volcano. AMT survey is useful in clearly defining the resistivity structure related to volcanic regions. The AMT data were acquired over a frequency range 10 Hz–10 kHz. Decomposition analysis was applied to the tensor impedance data. Subsequently, apparent resistivity and phase data were inverted using a two-dimensional magneto-telluric (MT) inversion and a model of Norikura was derived. The final model manifests that the surface resistors are in agreement with andesite lava or dacite lava. As for the deeper structure, a horizontal conductor is situated above resistive basements. The alteration of the conductor was weak, while basement rocks were strongly altered and/or heated through the thermal activity. The existence of these layers seems to indicate the degree of thermal activity of Norikura Volcano.     

Effect of scattered photons on the spectrum of diffuse X-rays observed at balloon altitude

Effect of the scattering of cosmic diffuse X-rays in the atmosphere on the observed spectrum at balloon altitude is examined. It is shown that the contribution of the scattered X-rays cannot be eliminated by the usual method of extrapolating the growth curve and that the atmospheric absorption of the primary X-rays has been overcorrected thus far by 25–40%.Work has been done during the author's stay in Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, India.     

Environmental factors regulating stream nitrate concentrations at baseflow condition in a large region encompassing a climatic gradient

Though high rates of nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching from forests are undesirable, the factors significantly regulating stream NO₃⁻ concentration is not clarified yet. In Japan, not only near metropolitan areas but also the Japan Sea-side area with heavy snowfall is well known for receiving more than 10 kg-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ of nitrogen (N) deposition. However, NO₃⁻ concentration in stream water is relatively low in the Japan Sea-side area compared with its concentration in other areas. We examined important environmental factors regulating stream NO₃⁻ concentrations at baseflow condition in a large region of Japan, the Kinki region (KIN) including a part of Japan Sea-side (JSK) using Random Forest regression. The amounts of N deposition and precipitation were common regulating factors for stream NO₃⁻ concentration at baseflow condition. Random forest showed the significant correlation between the factors related to ecosystem N retention and stream NO₃⁻ concentration at baseflow condition, and it suggests that large N deposited during the growing season was incorporated into the ecosystem in the entire KIN. Heavy rain and snow flush N and wash out N accumulated in the surface soil, causing small N accumulation in forests. Also, large precipitation dilute NO₃⁻ concentration in baseflows. These things lowered stream NO₃⁻ concentration at baseflow condition. Especially in JSK, most of N deposed with the heavy snow flushed out during the snowmelt period. We provided the first statistical confirmation using Random Forest regression that N accumulation and cycling in forest ecosystems were related to NO₃⁻ leaching from forests into streams.     

防屈曲支撑的有限元模拟及滞回性能分析

结合防屈曲支撑拟静力实验的研究成果,本文采用有限元软件ABAQU S对其进行了数值模拟分析。在模拟过程中,应用金属Com b ine本构模型设置内芯钢板材料属性。该模型是对传统双线性本构模型的改进,模拟结果很好地符合了实验结果,同时验证了防屈曲支撑具有良好的减震耗能性能,其在轴向加载达到7倍屈服位移时,依然能保持良好的滞回特性。通过对模型中橡胶无粘结层的合理设置,研究了内芯钢板在失稳变形中无摩擦滑移与能量缓冲转化的形变特点。分析表明,当外包约束强度和刚度足够时,内芯钢板在受轴向压力时只发生多波微幅弯曲失稳;随着内芯钢材与外包有效约束间隙的增大,支撑的失稳波幅也随之增大,支撑承载力与耗能能力显著降低。     

Relationship Between Solidification Depth of Granitic Rocks and Formation of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits

Chemical analysis of biotite in representative granitic rocks in Japan shows that the total Al (^TAl) content changes with the metal type of the accompanying hydrothermal ore deposits and increases in the following order: Pb‐Zn and Mo deposits < Cu‐Fe and Sn deposits < W deposits < non‐mineralized granitic rocks. The ^TAl content of biotite in granitic rocks may be a useful indicator for distinguishing between mineralized and non‐mineralized granitic rocks. A good positive correlation is seen between the ^TAl content of biotite and the solidification pressure of the granitic rocks estimated by sphalerite and hornblende geobarometers and the mineral assemblages of the surrounding rocks. These facts suggest that the ^TAl content of biotite can be used to estimate the solidification pressure (P) of the granitic rocks. The following empirical equation was obtained: where ^TAl designates the total Al content in biotite on the basis O = 22. According to the obtained biotite geobarometer, it is estimated that Pb‐Zn and Mo deposits were formed at pressures below 1 kb, Cu‐Fe and Sn deposits at 1–2 kb, W deposits at 2–3 kb and non‐mineralized granitic rocks were solidified at pressures above 3 kb.     

Unexpected formation modes of the first hard binary in core collapse

The conventional wisdom for the formation of the first hard binary in core collapse is that three-body interactions of single stars form many soft binaries, most of which are quickly destroyed, but eventually one of them survives. We report on direct N-body simulations to test these ideas, for the first time. We find that the assumptions are incorrect in the majority of the cases: (1) quite a few three-body interactions produce a hard binary from scratch; (2) in many cases there are more than three bodies directly and simultaneously involved in the production of the first binary. The main reason for the discrepancies is that the core of a star cluster, at the first deep collapse, contains typically only five or so stars. Therefore, the homogeneous background assumption, which still would be reasonable for, say, 25 stars, utterly breaks down. There have been some speculations in this direction, but we demonstrate this result here explicitly, for the first time.