The interstellar clouds of adams and blaauw revisited: An HI absorption study-I

This investigation is aimed at clarifying the nature of the interstellar gas seen in absorption against bright O and B stars. Towards this end we have obtained for the first time HI absorption spectra towards radio sources very close to the lines of sight towards twenty five bright stars previously studied. In this paper we describe the selection criteria, the details regarding our observations, and finally present the absorption spectra. In the accompanying paper we analyse the results and draw conclusions.     

Isotopic analysis of early solar system objects by an ion microprobe: Parametric studies and initial results

Magnesium, potassium and calcium isotope compositions in terrestrial samples and refractory phases from primitive meteorites are determined using an ion microprobe. A thorough investigation of the different instrument parameters is carried out to ensure that conditions necessary for high mass resolution and high precision isotopic studies are adequately satisfied. The instrument can be tuned to achieve mass resolution (M/ΔM) of up to 10,000 (M≤60); it has a very good dynamic stability (ΔB/B≤10 ppm over durations of ≤40 minutes) and the counting system has an effective dead-time of ≤25 nsec and a dynamic background of ≤0·01 c/s. Reproducibility and precision of isotopic measurements are checked by analyzing magnesium and titanium isotopic compositions in terrestrial standards and isotopically doped silicate glasses. A precision of 2‰ (2σ _m ) was achieved during magnesium isotopic analysis in samples with low Mg content (200 ppm). Results from studies of magnesium and potassium isotopic compositions in several Ca−Al-rich refractory inclusions (CAIs) from the primitive meteorites Efremovka and Grosnaja, representing some of the early solar system objects, are presented. The well-behaved Mg−Al isotopic systematics confirm the pristine nature of the Efremovka CAIs inferred earlier from petrographic and trace element studies. The Grosnaja CAIs that have experienced secondary alterations show disturbed magnesium isotopic systematics. Observation of excess²⁶Mg in several of the analyzed CAIs confirms the presence of the now extinct²⁶Al (t _1/2=7×10⁵ years) in the solar nebula at the time of CAI formation. Our data also suggest a relatively uniform distribution of²⁶Al in the solar nebula. Several Efremovka CAIs with excess²⁶Mg also have excess⁴¹K resulting from the decay of⁴¹Ca (t _1/2≃10⁵ years). This observation constrains the time interval between cessation of nucleosynthetic input to the solar nebula and the formation of some of the first solar system solids (CAIs) to less than a million years.     

Study and evaluation of MTF response of photographic outputs generated through optical and digital systems

MTF response of the photographic system involving optical enlargement was investigated and compared with that of digital enlargement. Results indicated that the MTF response of the photographic system was as good as that of digital process. As a result, the final photographic quality which encompasses MTF response as one of the prime factors is almost the same irrespective of the intermediate transfer processes involved in the generation.     

Impact of Climate Change on Indian Agriculture: A Review

During the recent decade, with the growing recognition of the possibility of climate change and clear evidence of observed changes in climate during 20^th century, an increasing emphasis on food security and its regional impacts has come to forefront of the scientific community. In recent times, the crop simulation models have been used extensively to study the impact of climate change on agricultural production and food security. The output provided by the simulation models can be used to make appropriate crop management decisions and to provide farmers and others with alternative options for their farming system. It is expected that in the coming decades with the increased use of computers, the use of simulation models by farmers and professionals as well as policy and decision makers will increase. In India, substantial work has been done in last decade aimed at understanding the nature and magnitude of change in yield of different crops due to projected climate change. This paper presents an overview of the state of the knowledge of possible effect of the climate variability and change on food grain production in India. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Structural evolution of the Peninsular Gneiss — an early Precambrian migmatitic complex from South India

The Peninsular Gneiss, which is considered by a number of workers to be the basement on which the supracrustal rocks of the Dharwar Group were deposited, is a composite gneiss formed by migmatization of pre-existing metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks. These gneisses show the same style and sequence of superposed deformation as those in the enclaves of metamorphic rocks and in the linear Dharwar schist belts outside. The main migmatization is broadly coeval with the isoclinal first folding, which is followed by near-coaxial refolding and non-coaxial upright folding. Small inclusions of migmatized amphibolite and granodioritic to dioritic gneiss, with a fabric athwart to, and overprinted by, the earliest deformation affecting the Dharwar Group of rocks in a large part of the gneissic terrane, point to at least one deformation, a metamorphic event and one episode of migmatization antedating the isoclinal first folds in the rocks of the Dharwar Group. The Peninsular Gneiss in its present state, therefore, represents an extensively remobilized basement.

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Zusammenfassung Der Peninsula-Gneis, der von einigen Bearbeitern als das Basement angesehen wird, auf dem die Gesteine der Dharwar-Gruppe abgelagert wurden, ist ein Migmatit aus Komponenten älterer metamorpher Sedimentgesteine und Magmatite. Abfolge der Deformation und Deformationsart dieser Gneise entspricht der Deformation des Dharwar Schiefergürtels. Die Hauptmigmatisierung verlief zeitgleich mit der isoklinalen ersten Faltung, die von einer zweiten fast coaxialen und einer dritten aufrecht coaxialen Faltung gefolgt wird. Es existieren Einschlüsse migmatisierten Amphibolits und granodioritischen bis dioritischen Gneises, deren Gefüge auf die älteste die Dharwar-Gruppe beeinflussenden Deformation zurückgeführt wird. Diese Beobachtungen sprechen für mindestens eine Deformation, eine Metamorphose und eine Migmatisierungsphase, die älter sind als die isoklinalen Falten der ersten Generation der Dharwar-Gruppe. Nach heutigen Erkenntnissen stellt also der Peninsular-Gneis ein intensiv durchbewegtes Basement dar.

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Résumé La formation des «Peninsular Gneiss» est considérée par de nombreux auteurs comme le socle sur lequel se sont déposées les roches supracrustales du Groupe de Dharwar. Il s'agit de gneiss composites formés par migmatitisation de roches méta-sédimentaires et méta-ignées préexistantes. Ces gneiss présentent le même style de déformation et la même succession de déformations superposées que la ceinture des schistes de Dharwar. La migmatitisation est contemporaine d'un premier plissement isoclinal, qui a été suivi d'un deuxième plissement sensiblement coaxial et d'une troisième déformation en plis droits non coaxiaux. Il existe toutefois des inclusions d'amphibolites migmatitiques et de gneiss granodioritiques à dioritiques dont la structure, transverse à la déformation la plus ancienne du Groupe de Dharwar, est remaniée par celleci. Ces observations plaident en faveur de l'existence d'au moins une phase de déformation, de métamorphisme et de migmatitisation antérieure aux plis isoclinaux de première génération du Groupe de Dharwar. A la lumière des connaissances actuelles, les Peninsular Gneiss apparaissent ainsi comme un socle polycyclique intensément remanié.

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Fourier amplitude sensitivity test applied to dynamic combined finite-discrete element methods–based simulations

Fracture propagation plays a key role for a number of applications of interest to the scientific community, from dynamic fracture processes like spallation and fragmentation in metals to failure of ceramics, airplane wings, etc. Simulations of material deformation and fracture propagation rely on accurate knowledge of material characteristics such as material strength and the amount of energy being dissipated during the fracture process. Within the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) framework material fracture behavior is typically described through a parametrized softening curve, which defines a stress-strain relationship unique to each material. We apply the Fourier amplitude sensitivity test to explore how each of these parameters influences the simulated damage processes and to determine the key input parameters that have the most impact on the model response. We present several sensitivity numerical experiments for the simulation of a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test for weathered granite samples using different combinations of model parameters. We validate the obtained results against SHPB experimental data. The experiments show that the model is mostly sensitive to parameters related to tensile and shear strengths, even in the presence of other parameter perturbations. The results suggest that the specification of tensile and shear strengths at the interfaces dominate the stress-time history of the FDEM simulation of SHPB test.     

Seismic analysis of a rotor-bearing system

The seismic analysis of a rotor-bearing system is presented in the time domain. The governing equations of motion for the rotor are derived including the effects of rotatory inertia, shear deformation, gyroscopic effects, axial force, axial torque, stiffness and damping provided by the lubricants in the bearings, base translation and base rotation. A simple and efficient finite rotor element based on a Galerkin formulation is proposed to model the rotor. The effects of disks and flywheels mounted on the rotor are also included in the analysis. An example problem for a rotor-bearing system is solved using El Centro earthquake data. Four cases are investigated that will permit one to study the influence of spin, base rotation, comparison between rigid body model and beam model and the influence of axial force and axial torque. The results of the above study show that the gyroscopic effects amplify the response of the rotor-bearing system. The base rotations of the rotor-bearing system under seismic excitation contribute significantly to the response.     

Studying hot gas using the ultraviolet: High ions in galactic halos

Among the many spectral lines falling in the ultraviolet are the resonance doublets of the highly ionized species O VI, N V, C IV, and Si IV. By using both space-based UV observations and ground-based optical observations, these lines can be used to trace diffuse astrophysical plasma over a large fraction of the age of the Universe. In this paper we discuss observations of these absorption lines in damped Lyman-α systems at z≈2–3, using the UVES spectrograph on the VLT in Chile.