Compact and tunable mid-infrared source based on a 2 μm dual-wavelength KTiOPO4 intracavity optical parametric oscillator

Using a double resonant KTiOPO₄ (KTP) intracavity optical parametric oscillator operating at degenerated point of 2 μm, we demonstrate a unique mid-infrared source based on difference frequency generation in GaSe crystal. The output tuning range is 8.42-19.52 μm, and a peak power of 834 W for type-I phase matching scheme and 730 W for type-II phase matching scheme are achieved. Experimental results show that this oscillator is a good alternative to the generator of a compact and tabletop mid-infrared radiation with a widely tunable range.     

The Monitor project: JW 380 – a 0.26-, 0.15-M⊙, pre-main-sequence eclipsing binary in the Orion nebula cluster

We present a general recipe for constructing N -body realizations of galaxies comprising near spherical and disc components. First, an exact spherical distribution function for the spheroids (halo and bulge) is determined, such that it is in equilibrium with the gravitational monopole of the disc components. Second, an N -body realization of this model is adapted to the full disc potential by growing the latter adiabatically from its monopole. Finally, the disc is sampled with particles drawn from an appropriate distribution function, avoiding local-Maxwellian approximations. We performed test simulations and find that the halo and bulge radial density profile very closely match their target model, while they become slightly oblate due to the added disc gravity. Our findings suggest that vertical thickening of the initially thin disc is caused predominantly by spiral and bar instabilities, which also result in a radial re-distribution of matter, rather than scattering off interloping massive halo particles.     

The myth of community and sustainable grassland management in China

Within national and international domestic academic circles, there are increasing calls for enhanced involvement of communities in formulating and implementing grassland management arrangements. In contrast to the current national policy of contracting grasslands to households, many scholars call for support for collective grassland use arrangements. Several reasons are given for increased recognition and support for community-based management of grasslands, including lower costs of exclusion and dispute resolution, economies of scale in herding and marketing, mitigation of environmental risk, and ensuring equitable access to grassland resources. One conclusion from this literature is that devolving authority for designing and implementing grassland management systems to communities would lead to more sustainable grassland use, a position that I term as the ‘myth of community.’ This paper presents the results of a study of grazing systems in two communities in Hongyuan County, Sichuan Province. Each community uses its grasslands collectively. However, the study found evidence of severe overgrazing, especially in winter pastures, suggesting that community-based management of grasslands is not necessarily sustainable. The paper discusses three potential policy innovations required to support sustainable grazing systems in China’s grassland areas: overcoming constraints in labor and land markets, and payments for environmental services that reward sustainable stocking levels.     

Behavior of Weak Soils Reinforced with End-Bearing Soil-Cement Columns Formed by the Deep Mixing Method

This article reports on a series of small-scale, plane strain, 1 g physical model tests designed to investigate the bearing capacity and failure mechanics of end-bearing soil-cement columns formed via Deep Mixing (DM). Pre-formed soil-cement columns, 24 mm in diameter and 200 mm in length, were installed in a soft clay bed using a replacement method; the columns represented improvement area ratios, a_p, of 17%, 26%, and 35% beneath a rigid foundation of width 100 mm. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was implemented in conjunction with close-range photogrammetry in order to track soil displacement during loading, from which the failure mechanisms were derived. Bearing capacity performance was verified using Ultimate Limit State numerical analysis, with the results comparing favorably to the analytical static and kinematic solutions proposed by previous researchers. A new equation for bearing capacity was derived from this numerical analysis based on the improvement area ratio and cohesion ratio of the soil column and ground model.     

The structure of Neptune's upper atmosphere: The stellar occultation of 24 May 1981

Observations of the 24 May 1981 occultation of an uncatalogued star by Neptune made at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory have been analyzed to yield temperature profiles of Neptune's upper atmosphere for number densities near 5 × 10¹³ cm^?3. The mean temperatures at immersion (latitude ?56°) and emersion (latitude ?16°) obtained by numerical inversion were 140 ± 10°K and 154 ± 10°K, respectively. The immersion and emersion profiles are remarkably similar in overall shape, suggestive of global atmospheric layering. From the astrometry of the event, precise relative positions of Neptune and the occulted were obtained.     

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The suitability of using leaf area index to quantify soil loss under vegetation cover

Soil erosion by water under forest cover is a serious problem in southern China. A comparative study was carried out on the use of leaf area index (LAI) and vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) in quantifying soil loss under vegetation cover. Five types of vegetation with varied LAI and VFC under field conditions were exposed to two rainfall rates (40 mm h⁻¹ and 54 mm h⁻¹) using a portable rainfall simulator. Runoff rate, sediment concentration and soil loss rate were measured at relatively runoff stable state. Significant negative exponential relationship (p < 0.05, R² = 0.83) and linear relationship (p < 0.05, R² = 0.84) were obtained between LAI and sediment concentration, while no significant relationship existed between VFC and sediment concentration. The mechanism by which vegetation canopy prevents soil loss was by reducing rainfall kinetic energy and sediment concentration. LAI could better quantify such a role than VFC. However, neither LAI nor VFC could explain runoff rate or soil loss rate. Caution must be taken when using LAI to quantify the role of certain vegetation in soil and water conservation.     

Combining CLUE-S and SWAT models to forecast land use change and non-point source pollution impact at a watershed scale in Liaoning Province,China

Non-point source （NPS） pollution has become a major source of water pollution. A combination of models would provide the necessary direction and approaches designed to control NPS pollution through land use planning. In this study, NPS pollution load was simulated in urban planning, historic trends and ecological protection land use scenarios based on the Conversion of Land Use and its Effect at Small regional extent （CLUE-S） and Soil and Water Assessment Tool （SWAT） models applied to Hunhe-Taizi River Watershed, Liaoning Province, China. Total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） were chosen as NPS pollution indices. The results of models validation showed that CLUE-S and SWAT models were suitable in the study area. NPS pollution mainly came from dry farmland, paddy, rural and urban areas. The spatial distribution of TN and TP exhibited the same trend in 57 sub-catchments. The TN and TP had the highest NPS pollution load in the western and central plains, which concentrated the urban area and farm land. The NPS pollution load would increase in the urban planning and historic trends scenarios, and would be even higher in the urban planning scenario. How- ever, the NPS pollution load decreased in the ecological protection scenario. The differences observed in the three scenarios indicated that land use had a degree of impact on NPS pollution, which showed that scientific and ecologically sound construction could effec- tively reduce the NPS pollution load in a watershed. This study provides a scientific method for conducting NPS pollution research at the watershed scale, a scientific basis for non-point source pollution control, and a reference for related policy making.