Influence of relative density,particle shape,and stress path on the plane strain compression behavior of granular materials

Two types of stress path-controlled plane strain compression tests were performed on both loose and dense specimens of angular and sub-angular sands and two rounded glass beads with different particle sizes. Digital image correlation method was used to analyze local deformation developments, especially shear band patterns. The material behavior in response to shearing has been found to be dependent on the relative density, particle shape, and stress path. The results of analysis on local deformation developments showed that the onset of shear bands occurred prior to their peak strengths in both dense and loose specimens. The growth rates of local maximum shear strain along a shear band were approximately consistent with an increasing global axial strain after the onset of shear band. The shear band width was influenced by both the mean particle size and the particle shape. The measured shear band inclination angles were in between those estimated by Coulomb’s and Roscoe’s formulas.     

Growth and gonad production of the sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus in the fucoid bed and algal turf in northern Japan

To clarify the differences in the growth and gonad size of the sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus among algal sere, the study was conducted in June and July, and September 1998 at three fucoid beds in Oga and at three algal turfs in Hachimori, Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. The most rapid growth was observed in a large perennial fucoid bed at the climax stage. Growth in a small perennial Chondrus ocellatus‐dominated bed in algal turfs in the seral stage was then high. The slowest growth was observed in the small perennial Dictyopteris divaricata‐ and Laurencia spp.‐dominated beds which are known to possess chemicals which act as feeding deterrents against the sea urchins. The gonad index (gonad wet weight × 100/body wet weight) at a fucoid bed was high where standing crops exceeded 3 kg·m^?2. The gonad index in the Laurencia bed was lower than those at fucoid beds. These results suggest that growth and gonad production are affected by algal sere and differ among species of small perennial algae in the seral stage with or without chemical defense.     

Carbon isotopes and petrography of kerogens in ∼3.5-Ga hydrothermal silica dikes in the North Pole area, Western Australia

More than 600 specimens of ∼3.5 Ga-old hydrothermal silica dikes from the North Pole area, Pilbara craton, Western Australia, have been studied petrographically. The kerogens in 44 samples have been analyzed isotopically (C and N) and chemically (C, N, and H). The silica dikes are composed mainly of fine-grained silica (modal abundance: >97%) and are classified into two types by minor mineral assemblages: B(black)-type and G(gray)-type. The B-type silica dikes contain kerogen (0.37 to 6.72 mgC/g; average 2.44 mgC/g, n = 21) and disseminated sulfides, dominantly pyrite and Fe-poor sphalerite. In some cases, carbonate and apatite are also present. Their silica-dominated and sulfide-poor mineral assemblages suggest precipitation from low-temperature reducing hydrothermal fluid (likely 100-200°C). On the other hand, the G-type silica dikes are sulfide-free and concentrations of kerogen are relatively low (0.05 to 0.41 mgC/g; average 0.17 mgC/g, n = 13). They typically contain Fe-oxide (mainly hematite) which commonly replaces cubic pyrite and rhombic carbonate. Some G-types occur along secondary quartz veins. These textures indicate that the G-type silica dikes were formed by postdepositional metasomatism (oxidation) of the B-types, and that the B-types probably possess premetasomatic signatures. The δ¹³C values of kerogen in the B-types are −38.1 to −33.1‰ (average −35.9‰, n = 21), which are ∼4‰ lower than those of the G-types (−34.5 to −30.0‰; average −32.2‰, n = 19), and ∼6‰ lower than bedded chert (−31.2 to −29.4‰; average −30.5‰, n = 4). This indicates the preferential loss of ¹²C during the metasomatism (estimated fractionation factor: 0.9985). Considering the metasomatic effect on carbon isotopes with probably minor diagenetic and metamorphic overprints, we conclude that the original δ¹³C values of the kerogen in the silica dikes would have been heterogeneous (∼5‰) and at least some material had initial δ¹³C values of ≤ −38‰. The inferred ¹³C-depletions of organic carbon could have been produced by anaerobic chemoautotrophs such as methanogen, but not by aerobic photoautotrophs. This is consistent with the estimated physical and chemical condition of the hydrothermal fluid, which was probably habitable for anaerobic and thermophilic/hyperthermophilic chemoautotrophs. Alternatively, the organic matter may have been possibly produced by abiological reaction such as Fischer-Tropsch Type (FTT) synthesis under the hydrothermal condition. However, the estimated condition is inconsistent with the presence of the effective catalysts for the FTT reaction (i.e., Fe-Ni alloy, magnetite, and hematite). These lines of evidence suggest the possible existence of biosphere in the ∼3.5 Ga sub-seafloor hydrothermal system.     

Characteristics of a front formed by cooling of the sea surface and inflow of the fresh water

Two numerical studies (Endoh, 1977;Harashima et al., 1978) have been proposed on a front formed by a coupling effect of cooling of the sea surface and inflow of the fresh water in a vertical two-dimensional plane without the rotation of the earth. It is, however, not easy to interpret their numerical results. A simple interpretation will be proposed by an analytical study in this paper.It is found that local convection due to the density inversion, which is expressed by the convective adjustment of the vertical diffusion coefficient in the actual numerical calculations, plays an important role on the front formation.The characteristics of the front is also clarified in the case of steady state. Namely, simple functional dependences are obtained of the position and the width of the front, the horizontal and the vertical velocities and the distribution of the buoyancy and the salinity in the neighborhood of the front on the horizontal coordinate, the cooling rate, the eddy coefficients of diffusion and viscosity, the water depth and the vertically averaged horizontal fluxes of buoyancy and salinity.     

Surface interpolation by a spline technique

A new method for a surface interpolation is proposed, in which the concept of splines under tension is applied. It is useful for the two-dimensional data analysis based on the non-linear fundamental equations in the physical oceanography.     

A PDF-based analysis of the spatial structure of retailing

The present paper proposes a new method for analyzing the spatial structure of retailing, using microscale locational data of individual retail stores. The method is based on the probability density function (PDF) of stores estimated from their locational data, and consequently it is applicable to both micro- and macro-scale retail analyses. The PDF approach provides a set of quantitative methods that permit us (1) to measure the degree of agglomeration, (2) to classify spatial patterns of store location, (3) to analyze the relationship between the size and function of retail agglomerations, and (4) to analyze the spatial structure of retail agglomeration. An empirical study is performed to test the validity of the method, and some empirical findings are shown. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Development of the current induced by the topographic heat accumulation (I)

Some numerical experiments were made to examine the possibility of large anticlockwise circulation at Lake Biwa in summer caused by horizontally uniform heat flux across the lake surface. Flow is induced by the “topographic heat accumulation effect” due to the non-uniform water depth. To evaluate this flow, an axisymmetric model basin is used. Dependence of the magnitude of velocity on the horizontal and vertical Ekman numbers is also investigated. If the heating continues as long as the vertical diffusion time, fairly large velocity is created indicating a possibility that this is the origin of the lake current.     

In situ measurement of incoming solar radiation by voluntary ships in the western Pacific

We have been performingin situ measurement of downward short wave radiation (solar radiation) in the western Pacific Ocean in cooperation with voluntary ships since autumn 1990 in order to obtain much more precise knowledge of downward short wave radiation at the sea's surface than before. Preliminary result of the observation from autumn 1990 through spring 1992 is shown in this paper. The comparison of observed daily mean downward short wave radiation with that estimated from observed cloudiness by using Reed (1977) formula is also presented to show the necessity ofin situ measurement in the study of the downward short wave radiation at the sea's surface.