SHORT COMMUNICATION PLS FITS CLOSER THAN PCR

PLS1 regression is generally viewed as lying in between PCR and OLS regression.Proof is given thatthe coefficient of determination,R~2,for a PLS multivariate calibration model is at least as high as thatfor a PCR model with the same number of components.It appears that PLS can be linked to acorrelation-weighted polynomial regression of a constant response on the eigenvalues of the covariancematrix of the predictor variables.     

Spatial variation of crop yield response to climate change in East Africa

There is general consensus that the impacts of climate change on agriculture will add significantly to the development challenges of ensuring food security and reducing poverty, particularly in Africa. While these changes will influence agriculture at a broad scale, regional or country-level assessments can miss critical detail. We use high-resolution methods to generate characteristic daily weather data for a combination of different future emission scenarios and climate models to drive detailed simulation models of the maize and bean crops. For the East African region, there is considerable spatial and temporal variation in this crop response. We evaluate the response of maize and beans to a changing climate, as a prelude to detailed targeting of options that can help smallholder households adapt. The results argue strongly against the idea of large, spatially contiguous development domains for identifying and implementing adaptation options, particularly in regions with large variations in topography and current average temperatures. Rather, they underline the importance of localised, community-based efforts to increase local adaptive capacity, take advantage of changes that may lead to increased crop and livestock productivity where this is possible, and to buffer the situations where increased stresses are likely.     

Origin of mass flow sedimentary structures in hemipelagic basin deposits: Santa Barbara Basin,California Borderland

Holocene mass flow processes produce distinctive sedimentary structures in this silled, anoxic basin characterized by high sedimentation rates of fine-grained fill. Mud flow deposits possess a 0899 1444 V 3 diagnostic vertical sequence of structures on the lower slope. Basin floor turbidites possess a variety of bed set combinations of: 1) finely laminated layers, 2) graded silt and clay layers, and 3) ungraded, massive silts and clays with floating sand grains. Massive, ungraded flood-derived suspensate deposits can be distinguished from turbidites. Turbidites and suspensate deposits constitute 30% of the sampled sediment column. Varve counting of the remaining 70% provides frequencies of turbidite and flood suspensate layer deposition.     

Grab sampling for the determination of sulfur dioxide and dimethyl sulfide in air by isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Developments allowing the direct determination of sulfur dioxide and dimethyl sulfide in grab samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with isotopically labeled standards (GC/MS/ILS) are reported. Isotopomers of DMS and SO₂ are used as internal standards. Spiked air samples are dried to a dew point of <–60 °C and trapped cryogenically in loops of Teflon tubing. Sealed samples are transported to the laboratory under liquid nitrogen and later subjected to GC/MS analysis. Holding times of up to one month do not result in significant sample loss. For samples collected in a clean marine environment, concentrations of SO₂ and DMS greater than 5 and 8 pptv, respectively, are significantly different from blanks at the 95% confidence level. Average measurement precision derived from a propagation of errors are 9% for SO₂ and 42% for DMS at concentrations from 5–15 pptv.Improvements are outlined which should provide sensitivity and precision comparable to that of on-site GC/MS. The technique will allow increased flexibility for the determination of trace sulfur species in the field under conditions where deployment of a mass spectrometer is not possible.     

Lithological controls on biological activity and groundwater chemistry in Quaternary sediments

Depth profiles of solute chemistry and sulfate isotopic compositions are presented for groundwater and pore water in a sequence of Quaternary glacial outwash sediments. Sand units show evidence for hydraulic connection to the surface and thus modern sources of solutes. Finer‐grained sediments show a general pattern of increasing solute concentrations with depth, with sulfate derived from ancient rainwater and pyrite oxidation in the soil/drift. In these sediments sulfate has undergone bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) to produce biogenic sulfide. In clay sediments, with d₁₀ ≤ 1·6 µm, high concentrations of sulfate and acetate now co‐exist, implying that BSR is inhibited. The correlation with smaller sediment grain size indicates that this is due to pore size exclusion of the sulfate reducing bacteria. Mechanical restriction of microbial function thus provides a fundamental limitation on microbial respiration in buried clay‐rich sediments, which acts as a control on the chemical evolution of their pore waters. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrokinetic Migration of Nitrate Through Heterogeneous Granular Porous Media

This study investigates and quantifies the influence of physical heterogeneity in granular porous media, represented by materials with different hydraulic conductivity, on the migration of nitrate, used as an amendment to enhance bioremediation, under an electric field. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a bench‐scale test cell under a low applied direct current using glass bead and clay mixes and synthetic groundwater to represent ideal conditions. The experiments included bromide tracer tests in homogeneous settings to deduce controls on electrokinetic transport of inorganic solutes in the different materials, and comparison of nitrate migration under homogeneous and heterogeneous scenarios. The results indicate that physical heterogeneity of subsurface materials, represented by a contrast between a higher‐hydraulic conductivity and lower‐hydraulic conductivity material normal to the direction of the applied electric field exerts the following controls on nitrate migration: (1) a spatial change in nitrate migration rate due to changes in effective ionic mobility and subsequent accumulation of nitrate at the interface between these materials; and (2) a spatial change in the voltage gradient distribution across the hydraulic conductivity contrast, due to the inverse relationship with effective ionic mobility. These factors will contribute to higher mass transport of nitrate through low hydraulic conductivity zones in heterogeneous porous media, relative to homogeneous host materials. Overall electrokinetic migration of amendments such as nitrate can be increased in heterogeneous granular porous media to enhance the in situ bioremediation of organic contaminants present in low hydraulic conductivity zones.     

A review of some unique aspects of the limnology of shallow Southern African man-made lakes

Large numbers of man-made lakes occur throughout S Africa. Although primarily designed for specific water supply purposes, most of these lakes fulfill a multipurpose role. The need for such large numbers of reservoirs is related to vagaries in rainfall and runoff; these uncertainties have led to the development of a philosophy of conserving water quantity, which has created some unusual limnological conditions. Examination of the hydrography and limnology of 64 S African impoundments reveals that both basin morphometry and water retention times are affected by natural (drought/flood) and artificial (drawdown) factors which, in turn, affect the hydrodynamics of the lakes, whilst the introduction of treated effluents as a water conservation measure gives rise to a large percentage of enriched lakes having extremely high productivity.     

燕山带中生代主要构造事件与板块构造背景问题

对冀北、辽西火成岩体和火山岩的定年与野外构造的研究揭示,燕山地区主要缩短变形期为：①前中侏罗期（１８０Ｍａ）;②晚侏罗期（１６１～１４８Ｍａ）;③早白垩期（１４３～１２７Ｍａ→１１７Ｍａ）。前中侏罗期为ＳＮ向缩短可能与蒙古弧－华北板块沿索伦缝合带拼合有关。晚侏罗世－早白垩世的缩短变形可能是西伯利亚与蒙古－华北拼合板块沿其北１０００～１８００ｋｍ外,蒙古－鄂霍茨克缝合带碰撞的板内响应。我国东部ＮＮＥ