Principal component analysis and neural networks for detection of amino acid biosignatures

We examine the applicability of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods of data analysis to biosignature detection. These techniques show promise in classifying and simplifying the representation of patterns of amino acids resulting from biological and non-biological syntheses. PCA correctly identifies glycine and alanine as the amino acids contributing the most information to the task of discriminating biotic and abiotic samples. Trained ANNs correctly classify between 86.1 and 99.5% of a large set of amino acid samples as biotic or abiotic. These and similar techniques are important in the design of automated data analysis systems for robotic missions to distant planetary bodies. Both techniques are robust with respect to noisy and incomplete data. Analysis of the performance of PCA and ANNs also lends insight into the localization of useful information within a particular data set, a feature that may be exploited in the selection of experiments for efficient mission design.     

Feedback and late star formation in elliptical galaxies

We present a one-zone model of star formation in elliptical galaxies that includes thermal feedback from supernovae and a temperature dependent star formation efficiency. The modulation of feedback with the total mass results in the triggering of late episodes of star formation in low-mass galaxies. These small `bursts' can occur as late as at redshifts z ∼ 0.5 but they do not change significantly the optical and NIR color-magnitude relation (CMR) of cluster galaxies, both locally and out to moderate redshifts, in agreement with the observations. However, they introduce a large scatter at the faint end of the NUV-Optical CMR, as recently found in cluster Abell 851 (z = 0.41). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Progressive magmatism and evolution of the Variscan suture in southern Iberia

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Magmatic activity is an integral component of orogenic processes, from arc magmatism during convergence to post-collisional crustal melting. Southern...     

Effect of rapidly changing river stage on uranium flux through the hyporheic zone

Measurement of ground water/surface water interaction within the hyporheic zone is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of subsurface contaminant fate and transport. Understanding the interaction between ground water and surface water is critical in developing a complete conceptual model of contaminant transport through the hyporheic zone. At the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington, ground water contaminated with uranium discharges to the Columbia River through the hyporheic zone. Ground water flux varies according to changes in hydraulic gradient caused by fluctuating river stage, which changes in response to operation of dams on the Columbia River. Piezometers and continuous water quality monitoring probes were installed in the hyporheic zone to provide long-term, high-frequency measurement of hydraulic gradient and estimated uranium concentrations. Subsequently, the flux of water and uranium was calculated for each half-hour time period over a 15-month study period. In addition, measurement of water levels in the near-shore unconfined aquifer enhanced the understanding of the relationship between river stage, aquifer elevation, and uranium flux. Changing river stage resulted in fluctuating hydraulic gradient within the hyporheic zone. Further, influx of river water caused lower uranium concentrations as a result of dilution. The methods employed in this study provide a better understanding of the interaction between surface and ground water in a situation with a dynamically varying vertical hydraulic gradient and illustrate how the combination of relatively standard methods can be used to derive an accurate estimation of water and contaminant flux through the hyporheic zone.     

Testing the survival of microfossils in artificial martian sedimentary meteorites during entry into Earth’s atmosphere: The STONE 6 experiment

If life ever appeared on Mars, could we find traces of primitive life embedded in sedimentary meteorites? To answer this question, a 3.5-byr-old volcanic sediment containing microfossils was embedded in the heat shield of a space capsule in order to test survival of the rock and the microfossils during entry into the Earth’s atmosphere (the STONE 6 experiment). The silicified volcanic sediment from the Kitty’s Gap Chert (Pilbara, Australia) is considered to be an excellent analogue for Noachian-age volcanic sediments. The microfossils in the chert are also analogues for potential martian life. An additional goal was to investigate the survival of living microorganisms (Chroococcidiopsis) protected by a 2-cm thick layer of rock in order to test whether living endolithic organisms could survive atmospheric entry when protected by a rocky coating.Mineralogical alteration of the sediment due to shock heating was manifested by the formation of a fusion crust, cracks in the chert due to prograde and retrograde changes of α quartz to β quartz, increase in the size of the fluid inclusions, and dewatering of the hydromuscovite-replaced volcanic protoliths. The carbonaceous microfossils embedded in the chert matrix survived in the rock away from the fusion crust but there was an increase in the maturity index of the kerogen towards the crust. We conclude that this kind of sediment can survive atmospheric entry and, if it contains microfossils, they could also survive. The living microorganisms were, however, completely carbonised by flame leakage to the back of the sample and therefore non-viable. However, using an analytical model to estimate the temperature reached within the sample thickness, we conclude that, even without flame leakage, the living organisms probably need to be protected by at least 5 cm of rock in order to be shielded from the intense heat of entry.     

Trajectory design strategies applied to temporary comet capture including Poincaré maps and invariant manifolds

Temporary satellite capture (TSC) of Jupiter-family comets has been a focus of investigation within the astronomy community for decades. More recently, TSC has been approached from the perspective of dynamical systems theory, within the context of the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP). Thus, this problem serves as a testbed for exploring techniques that support trajectory design in similar dynamical regimes. In particular, an association between the invariant manifolds of libration point orbits and the paths of comets that experience TSC has been explored. In this investigation, TSC is further examined from the perspective of transit, that is, transition through the gateways associated with the collinear libration points, in the three-body problem. Periapsis Poincaré maps, previously employed for trajectory design in several investigations, are used to deliver insight into the nature of transit trajectories for energy levels near those associated with several Jupiter-family comets. The evolution of transit trajectories with increasing energy is explored, and the existence of solutions with similar characteristics to the paths of comets P/1996 R2, 82P/Gehrels 3, and 147P/Kushida–Muramatsu is demonstrated within the context of the planar CR3BP using planar periapsis maps. During TSC, the path of comet 111P/Helin–Roman–Crockett is highly inclined with respect to Jupiter; the motion of this comet is examined relative to invariant manifolds in the spatial CR3BP. A method to display the information contained in higher-dimensional Poincaré maps is also demonstrated, and is employed to locate a trajectory possessing the same qualitative characteristics as the path of 111P/Helin–Roman–Crockett.