P–V–T equation of state of Ca3Al2Si3O12 grossular garnet

The thermoelastic parameters of synthetic Ca₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ grossular garnet were examined in situ at high-pressure and high-temperature by energy dispersive X-ray diffraction, using a Kawai-type multi-anvil press apparatus coupled with synchrotron radiation. Measurements have been conducted at pressures up to 20 GPa and temperatures up to 1,650 K: this P, T range covered the entire high-P, T stability field of grossular garnet. The analysis of room temperature data yielded V _0,300 = 1,664 ± 2 ?³ and K ₀ = 166 ± 3 GPa for K^￠₀ K^{\prime}_{0} fixed to 4.0. Fitting of our P–V–T data by means of the high-temperature third order Birch–Murnaghan or the Mie–Grüneisen–Debye thermal equations of state, gives the thermoelastic parameters: (∂K _0,T /∂T) _P  = −0.019 ± 0.001 GPa K⁻¹ and α _0,T  = 2.62 ± 0.23 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, or γ ₀ = 1.21 for fixed values q ₀ = 1.0 and θ ₀ = 823 (Isaak et al. Phys Chem Min19:106–120, 1992). From the comparison of fits from two different approaches, we propose to constrain the bulk modulus of grossular garnet and its pressure derivative to K _T0 = 166 GPa and K^￠_T0 K^{\prime}_{T0}  = 4.03–4.35. Present results are compared with previously determined thermoelastic properties of grossular-rich garnets.     

Uptake of selenium and other oxyanionic elements in marine ferromanganese concretions of different origins

The concentration of selenium in marine ferromanganese concretions varies between 0.02 and 1.2 mg kg⁻¹, with an average of 0.6 mg kg⁻¹. This is about two orders of magnitude lower than previously reported. In contrast to minor cationic elements, the concentrations of selenium are relatively uniform between ferromanganese concretions of different origins, except for hydrothermal crusts. It shows the same trends of element enrichment as other oxyanionic elements. The incorporation of selenium into ferromanganese concretions is attributed to adsorption of selenate on iron and manganese oxides.     

Precise Determination of the Coordinate Systems for the Yohkoh Telescopes and the Application of a Transit of Mercury

The Yohkoh solar X-ray observatory carries two telescopes that require coalignment at a level better than the minimum pixel size of 2_45. This coalignment is needed both internally within Yohkoh and for many scientific applications involving data from ground-based radio and optical observatories. We describe the methods successfully developed for this purpose and now incorporated in the Yohkoh software. Soft X-ray observations of the 1993 transit of Mercury across the solar disk provided key information for the calibration of the coalignment procedures.     

Indigenous knowledge on soil classification of ethnic groups in Luang Prabang province of the Lao PDR

Introduction Traditional agriculture based on indigenous knowledge (IK) has been practiced in many areas for centuries. Such practices are often the basis of very sustainable technologies, which are potentially suitable for developmental programs. Polthanee (2001) reported that such farmer practices have been repeatedly found to be valid, rational and usually suited to the local environmental conditions. Moreover, with increased under- standing of agro-ecosystems, professionals in agricultura…     

Osmo-power. Theory and performance of an osmo-power pilot plant

A theoretical and experimental study of the production of useful energy by the natural process of osmosis is presented. Using the results of the study a conceptual design of an osomotic pilot plant is performed. The power produced by a 1.6 MW km⁻² plant has a competitive cost with that produced by both fossil power plants and nuclear power plants.     

Occurrence of arsenic (V) in forearc mantle serpentinites based on X-ray absorption spectroscopy study

We examined As concentration, mineralogical site, and oxidation state in the serpentinites associated with the Tso Morari eclogitic rocks in the Indus suture zone, northwest Himalaya, to examine how highly fluid-soluble elements like As are transferred from slabs to arc magmas in subduction zones. The serpentinite samples represent hydrated peridotites at the base of the mantle wedge beneath Eurasia, and were exhumed from a depth of ∼100 km during subduction of the Indian continental margin. The bulk serpentinite samples contain total As concentrations ranging from 6 to 275 ppm. Arsenic in the samples is most likely present with magnetite and antigorite, since electron probe analysis yielded up to 90 ppm As in these minerals. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra indicate that As in serpentinites is mostly As(V) and that the neighboring atoms of As are O, although there are minute grains of sulfides and arsenides. The ratio of As(V) to total As is greater in samples with higher As contents, suggesting that the major source of As was oxidized As(V), introduced to the mantle wedge. Arsenic(V), originally adsorbed on Fe-oxides in slabs and overlying sediments, was most likely liberated during their subduction and incorporated subsequently in the overlying mantle wedge. Our data constrain the introduction of As into the mantle wedge at relatively shallow levels, much shallower than 25 km. Arsenic incorporated in the serpentinites was transported to deeper levels by mantle flow downward along the subduction zone, to be subsequently exhumed together with eclogitic rocks.     

Occurrence of triterpenyl acetates in soil and their potential as chemotaxonomical markers of Asteraceae

As a part of a wider study aimed at determining new molecular biomarkers in soils and sediments that could be specific for distinct vegetation types with respect to unravelling past changes in land use, we analysed the neutral lipid content of soil developed in the catchment of a small lake in central France. The ketone/acetate lipid fraction of soil under pasture or meadow contained a series of pentacyclic triterpenyl acetates with wide structural diversity, most being reported in soil for the first time. The restricted number of potential plant sources of triterpenyl acetates (some produced by a single species) underlines the potential of triterpenyl acetates as new biomarkers to track past vegetation change in palaeoenvironmental studies, when found in natural archives such as soil, sediments or peat.     

An asteroseismic study of the β Cephei star 12 Lacertae: multisite spectroscopic observations, mode identification and seismic modelling

We present the results of a spectroscopic multisite campaign for the β Cephei star 12 (DD) Lacertae. Our study is based on more than thousand high-resolution high S/N spectra gathered with eight different telescopes in a time span of 11 months. In addition, we make use of numerous archival spectroscopic measurements. We confirm 10 independent frequencies recently discovered from photometry, as well as harmonics and combination frequencies. In particular, the slowly pulsating B-stars (SPB)-like g -mode with frequency 0.3428 d⁻¹ reported before is detected in our spectroscopy. We identify the four main modes as  (ℓ₁, m ₁) = (1, 1), (ℓ₂, m ₂) = (0, 0), (ℓ₃, m ₃) = (1, 0)  and  (ℓ₄, m ₄) = (2, 1)  for   f ₁= 5.178 964 d⁻¹, f ₂= 5.334 224 d⁻¹, f ₃= 5.066 316 d⁻¹  and   f ₄= 5.490 133 d⁻¹  , respectively. Our seismic modelling shows that f ₂ is likely the radial first overtone and that the core overshooting parameter  α_ov  is lower than 0.4 local pressure scale heights.