Linear and planar structure in ordered multivariate data as applied to progressive demagnetization of palaeomagnetic remanence

Summary. Consider a sequence of, say, 10 to 20 vector observations in three-dimensional space. It is suspected that a few subsets of consecutive observations are made up of collinear points. The purpose of this paper is to construct a statistically based algorithm to find such linear segments and to assess their accuracy. A similar assessment is made for coplanar sets of points.
This algorithm is applied here to palaeomagnetic data and is claimed to be superior to previous methods of palaeomagnetic analysis in terms of completeness and balance of analysis, treatment of measurement errors and other sources of scatter, criteria for identification of linear and planar sets of points, and statistical rigour. Stability spectra, with statistically based confidence limits, are obtained as a by-product.     

Artificial light at night: implications for early life stages development in four temperate freshwater fish species

Flora and fauna have both evolved under a natural cycle of light and dark. But especially in urban areas, the night is now increasingly disturbed by artificial light. Many traits and behaviours in fish are triggered by a circadian clock, for example hatching and swim bladder inflation, which predominantly take place at dusk or night. As lighting becomes brighter and extends farther into rural areas, the distinction between day and night becomes increasingly blurred. Therefore, the loss of diurnal trigger by artificial light at night was hypothesized having deleterious effects on these traits and impact fish reproduction. To assess these effects, eggs of four native freshwater fishes, Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis, roach Rutilus rutilus, bleak Alburnus alburnus and chub Leuciscus cephalus, were incubated under two different light conditions: a photoperiod of 14 h light:10 h darkness (LD) and continuous illumination (LL). The time to hatch and swim bladder inflation was recorded. The species showed inconsistent reactions to the light treatments. In roach and bleak, the time to 50% hatch was longer in LL, whereas continuous lighting had an accelerating effect in chub. Incubation in LL elongated the hatching period in perch and roach and, in perch, the onset of darkness seemed to trigger hatching. The swim bladder inflation was significantly promoted by continuous light in chub and bleak but was not affected in roach. In conclusion, nocturnal artificial illumination could have an effect on hatching and initial swim bladder filling by masking the day–night-change and thereby diminish the trigger effect. However, the reactions were species specific and the increase in variation indicated a lack of diurnal triggering, whilst a general deleterious effect of artificial light at night has not been identified on early life stages.     

Modulation by biogenic amines for the hemocyte count and prophenoloxidase exocytosis via receptors in Litopenaeus vannamei

Hemocyte counts and phenoloxidase(PO)activity were examined after hemolymph being incubated in dopamine(DA),noradrenaline(NE)and serotonin(5-HT).Results showed that all the three biogenic amines(BAs)had a significant impact on total hemocyte count(THC),differential hemocyte count(DHC),and intracelluar and extracelluar phenoloxidase(PO)activity.Among these Bas,DA had the strongest effect on the above parameters,whereas 5-HT had the least effect.Preincubation with D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390,D2 receptor antagonist Sulpiride and 1:1 admixture of the two could significantly inhibit the effect of DA on these parameters.SCH23390 showed a stronger inhibitory effect than Sulpiride,and the admixture exhibited the strongest effect.These results suggested that the change of hemocyte count and activation of prophenoloxidase(proPO)system in Litopenaeusvan-namei hemocyte can be regulated by BAs,and DA modulates the two parameters via its receptors.     

河北唐山地区中寒武统张夏组鲕粒灰岩的岩石学研究

本区张夏组鲕粒灰岩内,广泛见到细径放射鲕和较粗的同心-放射鲕.放射鲕中存在连生体,我们称之“连生鲕”.与赵震等(1984)人工合成的静水鲕对比,区内放射鲕亦系静水条件下生成;因未见长串连生体,仅呈现数鲕(2—4个)连生,表明鲕粒生成后遭到搅动水拆开.由此可以认为,本组鲕粒灰岩属间歇高能成因模式的产物。又按该类岩石显示的成岩特征,可知本区鲕粒灰岩经历过多种成岩环境,至今仍保留较为明显的大气成岩环境的标志.     

Total N,total P and organic matters content in floodplain soils of Xianghai Nature Reserve

Soil sediment samples of 10 layers with a spacing of 10 cm each were collected in different floodplain zones adjacent to Huolin River in the Xianghai Nature Reserve, and contents of total N, total P and organic matters were analyzed. The results showed that contents of total N, total P and organic matters were generally decreasing with the increase of distance from sample locations to the river channel, and contents of the three items were generally higher in the upper soil layer than that in the lower soil layer. The content variations displayed how flooding functions influenced nutrient matter content variations in floodplain soils since the flood inundation frequencies of the sample locations varied. The correlation analysis displayed that there were remarkable relativities between total N, total P and organic matters within definite spatial distance from the Huolin River channel.     

Deformability properties of model granular soils under true triaxial compression conditions

The study presents a review of modifications to the design of true triaxial test apparatuses and described a new mixed boundary apparatus to study the stress-strain behavior of coarse-grained soil under true triaxial compression conditions. It was shown that the deviatoric component plays an important role in affecting the volumetric compression of coarse-grained soil. The study analyzed the influence of different stress-strain characteristics on the development of lateral earth pressure.     

Archaeal Communities of Frozen Quaternary Sediments of Marine Origin on the Coast of Western Spitsbergen

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The archaeal composition of permafrost samples taken during the drilling of frozen marine sediments in the area of the Barentsburg coal mine on the east...     

绿洲-荒漠生态脆弱带的研究

在分析了绿洲－荒漠生态脆弱带的性质、特点等以后，按照其毗邻绿洲的不同，探讨性地将它分为三类：（1）河岸林绿洲－荒漠脆弱带；（2）冲洪积扇绿洲－荒漠脆弱带；（3）湖沼和湖滨三角洲绿洲－荒漠脆弱带。由于其本身所具有的脆弱性，加上人类活动的强烈干扰，该区出现了以土地荒漠化为主的多种生态环境问题。针对这些问题，作者提出了若干治理建议。