Robotic telescopes for high energy astrophysics in Ondřejov

We report on two small aperture robotic telescopes called BART and D50 operated in Ondřejov. Both telescopes are capable of automatic observation of gamma ray burst (GRB) optical afterglows. Coordinates of GRBs are taken from alerts distributed via Internet. Telescopes observe other interesting high energy sources when there is not any alert. The smaller telescope BART has aperture D = 254 mm. The bigger telescope D50 has a primary mirror of diameter D = 500 mm. Both telescopes are controlled by free software package RTS2 and are accessible through Internet. We describe the two telescopes and related software and show some results such as our first observed optical counterpart of GRB.     

多源遥感数据的降水空间降尺度研究——以川渝地区为例

大量研究表明,通过传统地面气象站点实测的单点数据,不能有效地反映降水的空间变化特征。目前,以遥感数据获取的降水产品已得到了广泛的应用,但在地形地势复杂区域,遥感降水产品的空间分辨率与数据精度等方面仍然存在着极大的不足。因此,本文以四川重庆(川渝)地区为例,通过建立降水产品降尺度算法,以实现降水产品的降尺度估算,提高降水数据的空间分辨率。依据在不同尺度下(0.25°、0.50°、0.75°和1.00°),TRMM 3B43、地理因子,以及MOD13A3(NDVI)之间存在的相关关系,构建了多元回归模型。通过对比这4种尺度下的回归模型,选择其中精度最高的作为最终的降尺度算法,然后再把这种降尺度算法应用到1 km分辨率下进行降水估算。进一步,以区域差异分析(GDA)和区域比率分析法(GRA)对降尺度估算的降水数据进行校正,并结合部分地面气象站点实测的降水数据进行验证。验证结果表明:降尺度算法是可靠的,能有效提升降水产品的空间分辨率,同时GDA和GRA校正方法能减小误差,进一步提升降水估算的精度,满足区域地表过程应用的需求。     

兴蒙造山带及邻区地壳速度结构特征

兴蒙造山带位于中亚造山带东段, 作为古亚洲构造域的重要组成部分, 由西伯利亚板块与华北板块碰撞拼合而成, 其经历了大陆裂解、洋盆扩张、洋壳俯冲消减和碰撞拼合造山等复杂的构造演化过程.为了利用壳幔结构约束造山带演化的深部过程, 跨越华北地块北缘、松辽—锡林浩特地块、兴安地块以及索伦—西拉木伦缝合带和二连—贺根山缝合带, 实施了一条520 km长的深地震测深剖面, 获得了高质量的人工源大当量的宽角反射和折射地震资料, 并采用地震动力学射线方法获得地壳速度结构.结果显示: (1)研究区地壳平均速度为6.15~6.3 km·s^-1, Pn波速度为7.8~8.2 km·s^-1; (2)地壳厚度约为36.1~42.2 km, 最厚位置(~42.2 km)对应地表大兴安岭主峰, 说明大兴安岭在此位置存在山根; (3)地壳速度在1.5~6.8 km·s^-1范围内, 认为在该区地壳内不存在洋壳物质; (4)主要断裂带或缝合带位于速度等值线变化剧烈的梯度带上; (5)速度结构显示研究区具有明显的横向分区和纵向分层的特点.地壳内速度剧烈变化特征表明兴蒙造山带的地壳物质组成不均匀, 尤其中下地壳, 速度等值线起伏剧烈.这种复杂的地壳速度结构应该与中生代以来多板块汇聚引发的多期区域性伸展和挤压作用有关.

     

Managing Depleting Gold Revenues in Mali: An Assessment of Policy Options

This paper analyzes the impact of medium-term policy options in the context of gold resources depletion in Mali. Using a recursive-dynamic computable general equilibrium model calibrated to a 2006 Malian Social Accounting Matrix, we assess the impact of gold resources depletion in Mali and two policy options: the adoption of the permanent income hypothesis (PIH) and a “borrow and invest” scenario consisting at boosting public investment by 5% points of GDP. The depletion of gold resources in Mali would cause a substantial fall in GDP growth, and lead to unsustainable fiscal path if the government were to keep its current pattern of spending. Adopting either the “borrow and invest” fiscal approach or the PIH is likely to generate higher growth and a more sustainable fiscal framework compared to the status quo.     

Paleomagnetic Excursions Recorded in the Yanchi Playa in Middle Hexi Corridor, NW China Since the Last Interglacial

Paleomagnetic determinations on lithologieal profiles of two paralleled long drillin gcores covering the past 130 kyr B.P., GT40 and GT60,from the Yanchi Playa in the arid Northwestern China indicate that a series of pronounced paleomagnetic excursions have been documented. By correlating our results with published regional and worldwide reports 4 excursion events out of 10 apparent reversal signals (labeled from GT-1 to GT-10) were identified as excursion events coeval with the Mono Lake Event (28.4 kyr-25.8 kyr), Laschamp Event (43.3 kyr-40.5kyr), Gaotai Event (82.8 kyr-72.4 kyr) and the Blake Event (127.4 kyr-113.3 kyr), respectively. GT-9 correlates with the above-mentioned Gaotai Event,GT-7 and GT-6 correspond to two stages of the Laschamp Event and GT-5 to the Mono Lake Event. It is noteworthy that the so-called Gaotai Event has not been reported as a pronounced paleomagnetic excursion in the Northwestern China. Every magnetic excursion event corresponds to paleointensity minima, anteceding those established abrupt paleoclimatic change events, such as the Younger Drays and the Heinrich Events (H1-H6). Here, we tentatively propose that these geomagnetic excursions/reversals can be viewed as precursors to climate abruptness. During the transitional stages when the earth‘s magnetic field shifted between a temporal normal and a negative period, the earth‘s magnetic paleointensity fell correspondingly to a pair of minima. Although more precise chronology and more convincing rock magnetic parameter determinations are essentially required for further interpretation of their intricate coupling mechanism, these results may have revealed, to some extent, that the earth‘s incessantly changing magnetic field exerts an strong influence on the onset of saw-tooth shaped abrupt climate oscillations through certain feedback chains in arid Central Asia or even North Hemispheric high latitude regions.     

Efficient Cable Shovel Excavation in Surface Mines

The cable shovel is widely used in surface mining. High operating and ownership costs necessitate efficient use of the cable shovel. Operator practices have long been suspected to contribute towards the inefficient use of the shovel. Crowd arm and hoist rope speeds are key measures of operator practices. The objective of this work is to find the crowd arm and hoist rope speeds for optimal shovel performance for given initial conditions and material properties. Shovel kinematics and dynamic modeling, using shovel geometry and the simultaneous constraint method, respectively, have been employed to build models of the excavation process. Dynamic models of the shovel payload and the material cutting resistance have also been developed using geometric simulation and passive soil pressures techniques, respectively. These models are solved numerically by combining Runge–Kutta and Gaussian elimination algorithms to compute the work done and the resistive forces during shovel excavation. The algorithms have been combined into a shovel simulator. The simulator has been used to simulate the P&H 2100BL shovel. The simulation results indicate that input energy and digging time increase with increasing crowd arm and decreasing hoist rope speeds. The input energy per unit loading rate is proposed as an appropriate measure of shovel performance. High energy per unit loading rate occurs for high crowd speeds and low hoist rope speeds. For the simulated conditions and crowd arm and hoist rope speeds ranging from 0.25 to 0.5 ms⁻¹ and 0.5 to 0.7 ms⁻¹, respectively, the optimal crowd arm and hoist rope speeds were found to be 0.25 ms⁻¹ and 0.7 ms⁻¹, respectively, and the objective function value was 0.21 KJs/kg. This work establishes, theoretically, the fact that operator practices have an effect on shovel performance and is useful in establishing optimum practices. The results are the initial steps towards full automation of the excavation process.     

Delineation of Rajmahal basaltic flows,inter-trappeans and associated coal layers using Audio-magneto-telluric method

The extensive volcanic activity of Rajmahal occurred during early Cretaceous (~117 Ma). Potentially perspective Gondawana sediments containing coal seam is partially covered by these basalts. Basalts as well as coal are already known to be of immense economic importance over Rajmahal traps. The present study mainly deals with delineation of basaltic lava flows and associated coal layers using the Audio-magneto-telluric (AMT) study in the south central region of Rajmahal traps near Suri, West Bengal, India. Initially, the field situations have been simulated using forward model with top alluvium cover followed by basaltic lava flows, a wedge shaped inter-trappean sedimentary formation with second basaltic lava flows and basement at the bottom. The model was constrained using available litholog. The model study reveals the presence of moderately resistive basalts, relatively conductive inter-trappeans and the basement, except the top alluvium layer and thin inter-trappeans. Subsequently, threeAMT sounding have been carried out over Cholaguria, Hatgacha and Pachami, Suri, West Bengal. The field AMT study reveals three basaltic lava flows with varying thickness from ~40m to ~350m and composite thickness of ~620m to ~640m, which match well with the published borehole litholog. The inter-trappeans have been identified at 500m to 620m, 310m to 400m and 500m to 640m depths over Cholaguria, Hatgacha and Pachami, respectively. It is interesting to mention that the identified inter-trappeans are inferred to be coal/shaly-coal which are matching very well with the published borehole lithologs.     

持久性有机污染物在森林生态系统中的环境行为研究

持久性有机污染物(POPs)具有环境持久性和半挥发性, 可以在区域及全球范围内传输和分布。森林植被和林下土壤富含有机质, 森林生态系统因此成为POPs主要的储存库之一。植被叶片可快速吸附大气POPs, 并通过叶片凋落、雨水冲刷和干沉降等过程加强或加速大气POPs 向地面的沉降, 并使森林土壤成为POPs 的“汇”, 从而形成所谓的“森林过滤效应”, 进而影响POPs 在全球的分布。进入森林的POPs 在森林生态系统中将经历一系列的环境过程。本文简要介绍了森林过滤效应的特征和影响因素, 综述了叶片对大气POPs 的吸附、叶片凋落和干湿沉降、POPs 在土壤中的迁移和损失等3 个主要环境过程的研究进展, 报道了松针、树皮和苔藓作为被动采样器反映的森林POPs空间分布趋势。最后, 提出了森林POPs研究中亟待解决的科学问题, 并指出未来中国森林POPs研究的可能方向。