Sino‐Kharosthi and Sino‐Brahmi coins from the silk road of western China identified with stylistic and mineralogical evidence

Three coins of the Khotan horse, or Sino‐Kharosthi, style from Xinjiang province of China were recently obtained from a coin dealer. Because the archaeological context of these coins remains unknown, we conducted chemical and stylistic analyses to help determine their authenticity. Energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) and wavelength dispersive X‐ray (WDX or microprobe) measurements indicate that they are red (pure) copper and bronze coins, with one coin containing 4.2% Ag. Metal content and the presence of secondary minerals formed through weathering indicate that these are authentic ancient coins that were buried in a dry environment. All three coins bear Chinese characters; one shows Kharosthi, and two display Brahmi, a popular language in Khotan from A.D. 260 to 282. This indicates that the Sino‐Brahmi coins were made slightly later than the Sino‐Kharosthi coins, which were made before A.D. 260. These specimens represent the first Sino‐Brahmi coin and 20‐zhu coin ever reported in the literature. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Phase evolution of Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in the southern Yellow Sea: Benthic foraminiferal evidence from core C02

Assemblages of benthic foraminifera in a sediment core (C02) near the western margin of the southern Yellow Sea Mud were studied to decipher the phase evolution of Holocene paleoenvironmental changes associated with the Holocene marine transgression. It appears that during the early Holocene (11.2–10.1 kyr BP), the faunal was dominated by low salinity and shallow water species Cribrononion subincertum, Buccella frigida and Ammonia beccarii, reflecting a near coast depositional environment. A rapid increase of the relative abundance of Ammonia compressiuscula between 10.1–9.3 kyr BP indicates that the sea level rose rapidly during that time period. From 9.3–7.7 kyr BP, the benthic foraminiferal assemblage was dominated by high percentage of A. compressiscula, suggesting that the sea level was relatively stable. An obvious transition of benthic foraminifera, from the A. compressiuscula-dominated assemblage to an Ammonia ketienziensis-dominated assemblage, occurred between 7.7–6.2 kyr BP, possibly corresponding to a second sea level rapid rise period in the Yellow Sea during the Holocene. This transition may correspond to the gradually strengthened Yellow Sea warm current (YSWC) and finally is established the modern-type circulation in the Yellow Sea. It may also mark the formation of the Yellow Sea cold bottom water (YSCBW) during that period. Since then, the benthic foraminiferal assemblage based on core C02 was dominated by typical YSCBW species, A. ketienziensis, Astrononion italicum and Hanzawaia nipponica, at 6.2–4 kyr BP. A non-deposition period occurred since ～4 kyr BP, which possibly related to the hydrology changes caused by the East Asia monsoon. The two obvious benthic foraminiferal transitions recorded in core C02 during the early and middle Holocene provide evidence that the Yellow Sea has undergone a two-phase rapid sea level rise during the Holocene marine transgression.     

2010年1月24日山西河津-万荣MS4.8地震的震源机制解与发震构造探讨

2010年1月24日,山西省运城市河津-万荣交界地区发生Ms4.8地震.由于本次地震强度较低,并未形成地表破裂带,分析其发震构造具有一定的困难.地震现场工作队只能根据浅层人工地震剖面、附近钻孔资料、烈度等震线长轴和震中区附近活动断裂等来推定,认为西辛封隐伏断裂为可能的发震断裂.为此,下面我们将在分析本次地震的震源机制解、序列三维空间分布特征的基础上,结合本次地震的宏观考察结果,确定其发震构造并探讨发震机理.     

静乐井水位前驱波重现性问题探讨

以山西静乐井为研究对象,对井水位前驱波重现性问题进行了探讨。结果表明,相似地震前前驱波起始时间和波动周期在一定范围内具有较强的重现性,其比例可达63.1%;部分相似地震前前驱波的波动形态和幅度也存在一定的相似性,但在研究范围内前驱波各项特征均相似的地震尚未发现,其原因可能与前驱波的成因、传播途径、相似地震的震源区特征等因素有关。     

太原地震台水位异常分析

针对太原地震台晋7-1井近年来水位大幅上升情况,进行资料收集和干扰因素分析,结果发现：2009年7月以来的井水位回升,与关闭小煤窑、汾河清水复流工程、关井压采、大量引用黄河水有直接关系。     

5.12汶川震区植被遥感动态监测与分析

依照遥感应用数据选择原则,选取了5.12汶川地震前后三年周期内同季节的Landsat-TM遥感图像,进行了遥感植被监测应用的波段选择分析和NDVI提取方法的详细介绍,并分别用NDVI植被指数、监督分类等方法对震区地震前后的植被信息进行了提取、统计和对照分析.结果表明,从2007年9月到2008年7月,灾区植被的总体分布有所减少,减少量为5.3％;从2008年7月到2009年6月,植被的总体分布有所增加,2009已经接近2007年水平,达到震前覆盖率的98.3％.     

Dynamic performance analysis of a seismically isolated bridge under braking force

In order to study the dynamic performance of seismically isolated bridges under the most unfavorable loads in the longitudinal direction,a dynamic equation for vehicle braking in the longitudinal direction is established.A four or fiveorder Runge-Kutta method is adopted to obtain the time-history response of a wheel set under braking force.The quadratic discretization method is then used to transform this time-history into a braking and bending force time-history of a structural fixed node,and a dynamic response analysis of the seismically isolated bridge under the vehicle’s braking force is carried out using ANSYS,a universal finite element analysis software.According to the results,seismic isolation design results in a more rational distribution of braking force among piers;the influence of the initial braking velocity on the vehicle braking force is negligible;the location where the first wheel set leaves the bridge is the most unfavorable parking location;a seismic isolation bridge bearing constructed according to typical design methods enters into a yield stage under the braking force, while the shearing force at the bottom of the pier declines as the isolation period is extended;the design requirements can be met when the yield displacement of the seismic isolation bearing is less than 5 mm and the yield strength is greater than the braking force.     

Study on the high precision acoustic measurement techniques for determining temperature field around seafloor hydrothermal vent

This paper presents the basis of acoustic method used for temperature field measurement of seafloor hydrothermal vent and two techniques of the parabolic interpolation and the bending compensation of propagation paths of acoustic signal are introduced. Experimental research is performed to exactly rebuild the temperature field around hot springs on the floor of Qiezishan Lake, Yunnan, China. The accuracy of the travel time estimation has been improved based on the aforementioned technique and method. At the same time, by comparison of the results of temperature field with different means, the max absolute error, the maximum relative error and the root mean square error are given. It shows that the technique and the method presented in the paper can be applied to the temperature field measurement detector around the seafloor hydrothermal vent. It also has a good accuracy.     

Ecological effects of co-culturing sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) with scallop Chlamys farreri in earthen ponds

Monthly changes in sedimentation and sediment properties were studied for three different culture treatments: sea cucumber monoculture (Mc), sea cucumber and scallop polyculture (Ps-c) and scallop monoculture (Ms). Results indicated that the survival rate of sea cucumber was significantly higher in Ps-c cultures than in Mc cultures. Sea cucumber yield was 69.6% higher in Ps-c culture than in Mc culture. No significant differences in body weight and scallop shell length were found between Ps-c and Ms cultures. The mean sedimentation rate of total particulate matter (TPM) was 72.2 g/(m2 d) in Ps-c cultures, with a maximum of 119.7 g/(m2 d), which was markedly higher than that of Mc (mean value). Sedimentation rates of organic matter (OM), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in Ps-c cultures were also significantly higher than those in Mc cultures. TOC and TN contents of sediment increased rapidly in the first 5 months in Ms cultures and remained at a high level. TOC and TN contents in Mc and Ps-c cultures decreased during sea cucumber feeding seasons and increased during sea cucumber dormancy periods (summer and winter). The study demonstrates that co-culture of sea cucumber and scallop in earthen ponds is an alternative way to alleviate nutrient loads and improve water quality in coastal aquaculture systems. Moreover, it provides the additional benefit of an increased sea cucumber yield.     

Characteristics and variations of the picophytoplankton community in the Arctic Ocean

Picophytoplankton are responsible for much of the carbon fixation process in the Arctic Ocean, and they play an im- portant role in active microbial food webs. The climate of the Arctic Ocean has changed in recent years, and picophytoplankton, as the most vulnerable part of the high-latitude pelagic ecosystem, have been the focus of an increasing number of scientific studies. This paper reviews and summarizes research on the characteristics of picophytoplankton in the Arctic Ocean, including their abundance, biomass, spatial distribution, seasonal variation, commtmity structure, and factors influencing their growth. The impact of climate change on the Arctic Ocean picophytoplankton community is discussed, and future research directions are considered.