A 3D gravity data interpretation of the Matagami mining camp, Abitibi Subprovince, Superior Province, Québec, Canada: Application to VMS deposit exploration

Two inversions, unconstrained and constrained, of a gravity survey of the Matagami mining camp (Abitibi Archaean Subprovince, Canada) have been performed in order to identify the downward extension of a rhyolitic horizon hosting VMS-type base metals deposit and the morphologies of the major felsic plutons. A comparative study exhibits the similarities between measured and calculated densities from chemical compositions of the Matagami lithologies. This allows building an initial 3D geodensity model which integrates densities and available structural and geological surface mapping data. This model is integrated during the iteration process of the constrained inversion in the objective function. The resulting true density model and two derived cross-sections upgrade the 3D imaging of this area. Also, the model gives new insight for regional geological interpretation exposing possible shapes of the main geological units at depth and suggests the potential existence of deep fertile geological bodies.     

Integrated Deep Soil N and Groundwater Isotope Investigation of N Sources Captured by Municipal Wells

Identification of major nitrate sources that adversely impact groundwater quality in municipal well capture zones in areas of emerging nitrate contamination is essential to minimize leaching and prevent exceedance of the nitrate drinking water standard. Vertical profiles of nitrate leachate in deep soils provide an estimate of the amount of nitrate in transit beneath irrigated, row-cropped fields; depths of peak leachate; and the approximate rate of downward movement. Profiles of pore-water soil-nitrate concentrations in thick 60-feet (~18 m), fine-textured soils near Hastings, Nebraska clearly indicate that considerably more nitrate leached beneath furrow-irrigated than center-pivot irrigated fields. Peak leaching appeared to correlate with recorded periods of poor weather conditions during some growing seasons and may best be controlled by “spoon feeding” fertilizer to the crop through the sprinkler irrigation system at times of nutrient need. The presence of trace levels of atrazine and deethylatrazine to 60 feet (18 m) in core samples indicates that larger, more complex anthropogenic molecules also leach through the fine-textured soils. The light δ¹⁵N_NO3 values in the surficial groundwater beneath fertilized and irrigated cropland indicate that ammonium fertilizer is a major N source and suggest that the natural soil-N contribution is negligible. δ¹⁵N_NO3 values were most enriched in irrigation wells located within municipal well capture zones downgradient of a large feedlot. Dual isotope method (DIM) δ¹⁵N_NO3 and δ¹⁸O_NO3 values suggest that the Hastings’ municipal wells farther downgradient are contaminated with a mixture of nitrate from manure and commercial ammonium-based fertilizer. DIM values indicate an absence of denitrification, which has implications for long-term management of the water resources.     

Some bianchi type II universes with special free-gravitational fields

The paper considers a homogeneous Bianchi type II universe. Under each of the conditionsC _hijk C ^hijk =0 and^* C _hijk C ^hijk =0 different types of models have been studied and their physical and kinematical properties have been discussed.     

A real-time software backend for the GMRT

The new era of software signal processing has a large impact on radio astronomy instrumentation. Our design and implementation of a 32 antennae, 33 MHz, dual polarization, fully real-time software backend for the GMRT, using only off-the-shelf components, is an example of this. We have built a correlator and a beamformer, using PCI-based ADC cards and a Linux cluster of 48 nodes with dual gigabit inter-node connectivity for real-time data transfer requirements. The highly optimized compute pipeline uses cache efficient, multi-threaded parallel code, with the aid of vectorized processing. This backend allows flexibility in final time and frequency resolutions, and the ability to implement algorithms for radio frequency interference rejection. Our approach has allowed relatively rapid development of a fairly sophisticated and flexible backend receiver system for the GMRT, which will greatly enhance the productivity of the telescope. In this paper we describe some of the first lights using this software processing pipeline. We believe this is the first instance of such a real-time observatory backend for an intermediate sized array like the GMRT.     

Probing Magnetic Fields with Square Kilometre Array and its Precursors

Origin of magnetic fields, its structure and effects on dynamical processes in stars to galaxies are not well understood. Lack of a direct probe has remained a problem for its study. The first phase of Square Kilometre Array (SKA-I), will have almost an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than the best existing radio telescope at GHz frequencies. In this contribution, we discuss specific science cases that are of interest to the Indian community concerned with astrophysical turbulence and magnetic fields. The SKA-I will allow observations of a large number of background sources with detectable polarization and measure their Faraday depths (FDs) through the Milky Way, other galaxies and their circum-galactic mediums. This will probe line-of-sight magnetic fields in these objects well and provide field configurations. Detailed comparison of observational data (e.g., pitch angles in spirals) with models which consider various processes giving rise to field amplification and maintenance (e.g., various types of dynamo models) will then be possible. Such observations will also provide the coherence scale of the fields and its random component through RM structure function. Measuring the random component is important to characterize turbulence in the medium. Observations of FDs with redshift will provide important information on magnetic field evolution as a function of redshift. The background sources could also be used to probe magnetic fields and its coherent scale in galaxy clusters and in bridges formed between interacting galaxies. Other than FDs, sensitive observations of synchrotron emission from galaxies will provide complimentary information on their magnetic field strengths in the sky plane. The core shift measurements of AGNs can provide more precise measurements of magnetic field in the sub parsec region near the black hole and its evolution. The low band of SKA-I will also be useful to study circularly polarized emission from Sun and comparing various models of field configurations with observations.     

Investigation on spectral character of ELF electromagnetic radiations during Leonid 2009 meteor shower

The problem of solitary electron acoustic (EA) wave propagation in a plasma with nonthermal hot electrons featuring the Tsallis distribution is addressed. A physically meaningful nonextensive nonthermal velocity distribution is outlined. It is shown that the effect of the nonthermal electron nonextensivity on EA waves can be quite important. Interestingly, we found that the phase speed of the linear EA mode increases as the entropic index q decreases. This enhancement is weak for q>1, and significant for q<1. For a given nonthermal state, the minimum value of the allowable Mach numbers is lowered as the nonextensive nature of the electrons becomes important. This critical limit is shifted towards higher values as the nonthermal character of the plasma is increased. Moreover, our plasma model supports rarefactive EA solitary waves the main quantities of which depend sensitively on q. This dependency (for q>1) becomes less noticeable as the nonthermal parameter decreases. Nevertheless, decreasing α yields for q<0 a different result, a trend which may be attributed to the functional form of the nonthermal nonextensive distribution. Our study (which is not aimed at putting the ad hoc Cairns distribution onto a more rigorous foundation) suggests that a background electron nonextensivity may influence the EA solitons.     

Effect of reproductive state and sex on movement and food consumption of western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) in a tank environment

The catchability of western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus) during the spawning season (October and November) may be affected by their reproductive state. In this study, movement and food consumption of males and females of different reproductive states held in laboratory tanks were measured as proxies for catchability. Density of lobsters was found to influence both movement and food consumption. Solitary animals and, to a lesser extent, two lobsters per tank, were more sedentary and consumed significantly less food than animals at a density of three or four specimens per tank. Tests using three animals per tank confirmed that mature, unmated, and ovigerous females carrying early stage eggs moved more frequently away from their shelters than males or females carrying late stage eggs (P < 0.0001, d.f. = 3). Further, unmated females and females with early stage eggs recorded significantly higher food consumption (P < 0.0061, d.f. = 3) compared with males or females carrying late stage eggs. The greater time spent away from shelter and also food consumption make unmated females and females with early stage eggs likely to be more catchable than males or females with late stage eggs. As catchability is commonly used to obtain population estimates from survey data, these results have implications for surveys which use catch rates of breeding animals as indicators of egg production.