The stabilisation of wet sediment cores by means of a polyethylene glycol/freeze-drying treatment for display and permanent storage

A reversible method is presented to transform waterlogged sediment cores into dry and stable specimens which can go on exhibition or into permanent storage, needing no special precautions. Wet sediment core segments are bath-impregnated with polyethylene glycol of molecular weight 3,350 (PEG 3,350) dissolved in water. The samples are then subjected to a freeze-drying process, during which the PEG forms a stabilising and bonding porous network structure in the capillary system of the sediment. Standard sediment cores at least 1 m long become strong enough to stand upright. Sediment types ranging from muddy deep-sea sediments to very coarse littoral Halimeda sand were successfully stabilised. For standard cores of 10-cm diameters split length-wise, impregnation times vary from 2 weeks for coarse sand to 6–10 weeks for more compacted sediments. With regard to the stability of the samples and the visual clarity of detail, best results were obtained by impregnation with 25 to 60% solutions of PEG 3,350, coarse sediments needing more PEG than finer ones. Colour changes are systematic – the processed samples are lighter in appearance and the contrasts are enhanced, but there is no serious shift in colour tones. The PEG can easily be re-dissolved and washed out of the sediments. Display specimens can thus be made available for research again.     

On the Photometric Accuracy of RHESSI Imaging and Spectrosocopy

We compare the photometric accuracy of spectra and images in flares observed with the Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) spacecraft. We test the accuracy of the photometry by comparing the photon fluxes obtained in different energy ranges from the spectral-fitting software SPEX with those fluxes contained in the images reconstructed with the Clean, MEM, MEM-Vis, Pixon, and Forward-fit algorithms. We quantify also the background fluxes, the fidelity of source geometries, and spatial spectra reconstructed with the five image reconstruction algorithms. We investigate the effects of grid selection, pixel size, field of view, and time intervals on the quality of image reconstruction. The detailed parameters and statistics are provided in an accompanying CD-ROM and web page. We find that Forward-fit, Pixon, and Clean have a robust convergence behavior and a photometric accuracy in the order of a few percent, while MEM does not converge optimally for large degrees of freedom (for large field of view and/or small pixel sizes), and MEM-Vis suffers in the case of time-variable sources. This comparative study documents the current status of the RHESSI spectral and imaging software, one year after launch. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:SOLA.0000021801.83038.aa     

Local condensations in collisional discs

The equations for a collisional disc permit solutions which represent small local condensations of matter in a uniform medium. With parameter values appropriate to the pre-planetary disc the clouds are 50 to 1500 times as dense as the surrounding region and have a mass of 10¹⁴ to 10¹⁵ g. The formation of clouds follows from collisional instability. They maintain their equilibrium by means of a mass exchange with the adjacent matter. The clouds are proposed to replace the solid planetesimals in the theory of planetary formation.     

Evidence for the 22-year-cycle in the longitudinal distribution of sunspots

It was shown in an earlier paper that preferred hemispheres of solar activity alternate with the 22-year magnetic cycle, when analyzed in the 27.0 day Bartels rotation. Using data which cover the time between 1818 and 1983 we trace back this result to 1880 (cycle 12). Before 1880 no significant correlations are found.     

The VLTI – A Status Report

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) Observatory on Cerro Paranal (2635 m) in Northern Chile is approaching completion. After the four 8-m Unit Telescopes (UT) individually saw first light in the last years, two of them were combined for the first time on October 30, 2001 to form a stellar interferometer, the VLT Interferometer. The combination in pairs of all four UTs was completed in September 2002. In this article, we will describe the subsystems of the VLTI and the planning for the following years. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On changes of the rotation velocities of stable,recurrent sunspots and their interpretation with a flux tube model

The angular rotation velocities of stable, recurrent sunspots were investigated using data from the Greenwich Photoheliographic Results 1940 until 1968. We found constant rotation velocities during the passages on the solar disk with errors of about ±4 m s^–1. During their lifetime these spots show a decreasing braking of their rotation velocities from 0.8 to 0.3 m s^–1 per day. A plausible interpretation is found by assuming the spots to be coupled to a slowly rising subsurface flux tube and a rotation velocity which increases with depth.Mitteilungen aus dem Kiepenheuer-Institut Nr. 201.     

Modelling of earth and water pressure development during diaphragm wall construction in soft clay

The influence of a diaphragm wall construction on the stress field in a soft clayey soil is investigated by the use of a three‐dimensional FE‐model of seven adjacent wall panels. The installation procedure comprises the excavation and the subsequent pouring of each panel taking into account the increasing stiffness of the placed fresh concrete. The soft clay deposit is described by a visco‐hypoplastic constitutive model considering the rheological properties and the small‐strain stiffness of the soil. The construction process considerably affects the effective earth and pore water pressures adjacent to the wall. Due to concreting, a high excess pore water pressure arises, which dissipates during the following construction steps. The earth pressure finally shows an oscillating, distinct three‐dimensional distribution along the retaining wall which depends on the installation sequence of the panels and the difference between the fresh concrete pressure and the total horizontal earth pressure at rest. In comparison to FE‐calculations adopting the earth pressure at rest as initial condition, greater wall deflections and surface ground settlements during the subsequent pit excavation can be expected, as the average stress level especially in the upper half of the wall is increased by the construction procedure of the retaining structure. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.