Pulse phase dependence of the magnetar bursts

We report here results from a study of X-ray bursts from 3 magnetar candidates (SGR 1806-20, SGR 1900+14 and AXP 1E 2259+586). We have searched for a pulse phase dependence of the X-ray burst rate from these sources. X-ray light curves were obtained with the Proportional Counter Array on-board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer during the periods of intense burst activity in these sources. On detailed analysis of the three sources, we found a very significant burst rate for all pulsar phases. However, some locations appear to produce bursts slightly more often, rendering the non-isotropic distribution. Only in the case of SGR 1900+14, there is a clear pulse phase dependence of burst rate.     

Evolution of Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton, eastern Singhbhum, India: a case study of petrogenesis of an A-type granite in bimodal association

The A-type Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton (3.09 Ga), occurring along the eastern margin of the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton, eastern India, represents the final phase of acid plutonism in this crustal block of Archean age. The granite shows a bimodal association with a voluminous gabbroid body, exposed mainly along its western margin, and is associated with the Singhbhum Shear zone. The granite pluton is composed mainly of a coarse ferrohastingsite–biotite granite phase, with an early fine-grained granophyric microgranitic phase and a late biotite aplogranitic phase. Petrogenetic models of partial melting, fractional crystallisation and magma mixing have been advocated for the evolution of this pluton. New data, combined with earlier information, suggest that two igneous processes were responsible for the evolution of the Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton: partial melting of the Singhbhum Granite; followed by limited amount of mixing of acid and basic magmas in an anorogenic extensional setting. The necessary heat for partial melting was provided by the voluminous basaltic magma, now represented by the gabbroid body, emplaced at a shallow crustal level and showing a bimodal association with the Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton. The Singhbhum Shear Zone provided a possible channel way for the emplacement of the basic magma during crustal extension. It is concluded that all three phases of the Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton were derived from the same parent magma, generated by batch partial melting of the Singhbhum Granite at relatively high temperatures (980 °C) and low pressures (4 to <2 kbar) under anhydrous conditions. The coarse ferrohastingsite biotite granite phase shows evidence of limited and heterogeneous assimilation of country rock metasediments. However, the early microgranite phase and late aplogranite phase have not assimilated any metasediments. Compositional irregularities observed along the western margin of the Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton in contact with the gabbro body including a continuous fractionating sequence from quartz diorite to alkali-feldspar granite in the Notopahar area. Gradational contacts between the gabbro and the Mayurbhanj Granite Pluton in the Gorumahisani area etc., may be attributed to a limited amount of mixing between the gabbroid magma and the newly generated Mayurbhanj Granite magma. The mixing was mainly of liquid–liquid diffusive type, with a subordinate amount of mixing of solid–liquid type. Although A-type granites are commonly described as having high total REE (e.g. 270–400 ppm), studies on the late aplogranite phase of the Mayurbhanj Granite show that total REE values (100 ppm) are low. This low REE abundance may be attributed to the progressive residual nature of the Singhbhum Granite source during continued partial melting, when the magmas of the microgranite and coarse granite phases had already been removed from the source region.     

Terrain Characterization for Soil Resource Mapping Using IRS-P6 Data and GIS - A Case Study From Basaltic Terrain of Central India

In the present study, landforms and soils have been characterized in Borgaon Manju watershed of basaltic terrain located in Akola district, Maharashtra, Central India. Terrain characterization using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data (90 m) and IRS-P6 LISS IV data in conjunction with adequate field surveys shows nine distinct landforms. Soil resource inventory shows fourteen soil series in the study area. Soils formed on gently sloping (3–8 %) subdued plateau are very shallow (23 cm), moderately well drained, moderate (15–40 %) surface stoniness, severely eroded, clayey and slightly alkaline in reaction, whereas, the soils formed on level to nearly level (0–1 %) slope in the main valley are very deep (>150 cm), well drained, very slight (<3 %) surface stoniness, moderately eroded with clayey surface and moderately alkaline in reaction. Soils in the watershed are grouped into Lithic Ustorthents, Vertic Haplustepts, Calcic Haplustepts, Typic Haplustepts, Typic Haplusterts and Sodic Calciusterts. The study demonstrates that the analysis of SRTM elevation data and IRS P6–IV data in Geographic Information System (GIS) with adequate field surveys helps in characterization of landforms and soils in analysis of landscape-soil relationship.     

Analyzing Animal Movement Characteristics From Location Data

When individuals of a species utilize an environment, they generate movement patterns at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Field observations coupled with location technologies (e.g. GPS tags) enable the capture of detailed spatio‐temporal data regarding these movement patterns. These patterns contain information about species‐specific preferences regarding individual decision‐making, locational choices and the characteristics of the habitat in which the animal resides. Spatial Data Mining approaches can be used to extract repeated spatio‐temporal patterns and additional habitat preferences hidden within large spatially explicit movement datasets. We describe a method to determine the periodicity and directionality in movement exhibited by a migratory bird species. Results using a High Arctic‐nesting Svalbard Barnacle Goose movement data yielded undetected patterns that were secondarily corroborated with expert field knowledge. Individual revisits by the geese to specific locations in the breeding and wintering grounds of Svalbard, Norway and Solway, Scotland, occurred with a periodicity of 334 days . Further, the orientation of this movement was detected to be mostly north‐south. During long‐range migration the geese use the north‐south oriented Norwegian islands as “stepping stones”, Short‐range movement between mudbank roosts to feeding fields in Solway also retained a north‐south orientation.     

Concentration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediment cores of Sundarban mangrove wetland, northeastern part of Bay of Bengal (India)

The paper presents the first comprehensive survey of congener profiles (12 congeners) of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in core sediment samples (<63 microm) covering seven sites in Sundarban mangrove wetland (India). Gas-chromatographic analyses were carried out in GC-Ms/Ms for tri- to hepta- brominated congeners. Results pointed out a non-homogenous contamination of the wetland with summation operator(12) PBDE values ranging from 0.08 to 29.03 ngg(-1), reflecting moderate to low contamination closely in conformity to other Asian aquatic environments. The general order of decreasing congener contribution to the total load was: BDE 47>99>100>154, similar to the distribution pattern worldwide. Although tetrabromodiphenyl ether BDE 47 was found in all samples followed by hexabromodiphenyl ether BDE-154, they were not necessarily the dominant congeners. No uniform temporal trend on PBDE levels was recorded probably due to particular hydrological characteristics of the wetland and/on non-homologous inputs from point sources (untreated municipal wastewater and local industries, electronic wastes from the dump sites, etc.) of these compounds. Because of the propensity of PBDEs to accumulate in various compartments of wildlife and human food webs, evaluation of biological tissues should be undertaken as a high priority.     

Fresnel zone plate telescopes for X-ray imaging I: experiments with a quasi-parallel beam

Combination of Fresnel Zone Plates (FZP) can make an excellent telescope for imaging in X-rays. We present here the results of our experiments with several pairs of tungsten made Fresnel Zone plates in presence of an X-ray source kept at a distance of about 45 ft. The quasi-parallel beam allowed us to study sources placed on the axis as well as off the axis of the telescope. We present theoretical study of the fringe patterns produced by the zone plates in presence of a quasi-parallel source. We compare the patterns obtained from experiments with those obtained by our Monte-Carlo simulations. The images are also reconstructed by deconvolution from both the patterns. We compare the performance of such a telescope with other X-ray imaging devices used in space-astronomy.     

A comparative study of slip velocity models for the prediction of performance of floatex density separator

The separation features of the floatex density separator (FDS) are investigated through experimental and computational approaches. It has been shown that the performance of the FDS can be predicted reasonably well using a slip velocity model and steady-state mass balance equations. The approach for the formulation of the slip velocity model makes a difference in the prediction of FDS performance. The computed data from four different slip velocity models have been compared and contrasted with the experimental observations. It has been shown that a slip velocity model based on the modified Richardson and Zaki equation, in which the dissipative pressure gradient is considered to be the primary driving force for separation, predicts the performance more accurately than the other three. A deslimed feed is recommended for better performance of the FDS.     

Textural identification of basaltic rock mass using image processing and neural network

A new approach to identify the texture based on image processing of thin sections of different basalt rock samples is proposed here. This methodology uses RGB or grayscale image of thin section of rock sample as an input and extracts 27 numerical parameters. A multilayer perceptron neural network takes as input these parameters and provides, as output, the estimated class of texture of rock. For this purpose, we have use 300 different thin sections and extract 27 parameters from each one to train the neural network, which identifies the texture of input image according to previously defined classification. To test the methodology, 90 images (30 in each section) from different thin sections of different areas are used. This methodology has shown 92.22% accuracy to automatically identify the textures of basaltic rock using digitized image of thin sections of 140 rock samples. Therefore, present technique is further promising in geosciences and can be used to identify the texture of rock fast and accurate.     

Carbon and oxygen isotopic variations in peritidal stromatolite cycles, Paleoproterozoic Kajrahat Limestone, Vindhyan basin of central India

Variations of carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in response to cyclical sea level fluctuations have been documented from a Paleoproterozoic peritidal stromatolite succession. The upper division of the Kajrahat Limestone, Vindhyan Supergroup of central India consists of several shallowing upward stromatolite cycles identified by regular and systematic changes in stromatolite size. Normally, larger stromatolites are followed upward in the succession by smaller stromatolites and microbial laminites that occupy the top of the cycle. Desiccation cracks are found in all the facies indicating subaerial exposure. We investigated the stable isotope compositional variations across nine complete stromatolite cycles showing frequent subaerial emergence. Carbon and oxygen isotopic values of the limestones, in general, are comparable to contemporary marine values available from earlier studies but show regular depletion in response to shallowing of the water level. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of the limestones vary within an individual stromatolite cycle; depleted values characterize the topmost part of the cycles. The isotope pattern is explained by micritic carbonate deposition in different sub environments of the shallow marine domain having different salinity and variable duration of exposure. These variations also probably caused the observed scatter in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of supratidal microbial laminites.