Comparison of AGASA data with CORSIKA simulation

An interpretation of Akeno giant air shower array (AGASA) data by comparing the experimental results with the simulated ones by cosmic ray simulation for KASCADE (CORSIKA) has been made. General features of the electromagnetic component and low energy muons observed by AGASA can be well reproduced by CORSIKA. The form of the lateral distribution of charged particles agrees well with the experimental one between a few hundred metres and 2000 m from the core, irrespective of the hadronic interaction model studied and the primary composition (proton or iron). It does not depend on the primary energy between 10^17.5 and 10²⁰ eV as the experiment shows. If we evaluate the particle density measured by scintillators of 5 cm thickness at 600 m from the core S₀(600), suffix 0 denotes the vertically incident shower) by taking into account the similar conditions as in the experiment, the conversion relation from S₀(600) to the primary energy is expressed as E (eV)=2.15×10¹⁷S₀(600)^1.015 within 10% uncertainty among the models and composition used, which suggests the present AGASA conversion factor is the lower limit. Although the form of the muon lateral distribution fits well to the experiment within 1000 m from the core, the absolute values change with hadronic interaction model and primary composition. The slope of the ρ_μ(600) (muon density above 1 GeV at 600 m from the core) vs. S₀(600) relation in experiment is flatter than that in simulation of any hadronic model and primary composition. As the experimental slope is constant from 10¹⁵ to 10¹⁹ eV, we need to study this relation in a wide primary energy range to infer the rate of change of chemical composition with energy.     

Termes seculaires dans la theorie des perturbations

The convergence property is examined for the series which appear in the theory of the planetary motions. With another point of view, we obtain a result different from that already given by Gyldén: The almost divergency in the meaning of category is concluded when the ratio of the mean motions is irrational using as Gyldén the continuous fractions. The author explains the reason why the series are always useful in practical applications: Because the long evolution of the system of interest under the influence of the small irreversible effects has led to many resonances or quasi-resonances, i.e. conditions favorable to a good convergence of suitable series.     

Spatial Distributions of Phyllosoma Larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae and Scyllaridae) in Taiwanese Waters

Distributions and taxonomy of phyllosoma larvae were examined in Taiwanese waters, based on ichthyoplankton samples collected from May 1990 to July 1995. Phyllosoma larvae belonged to the two families Scyllaridae and Palinuridae representing 6 genera and 13 species. Of the collected phyllosoma larvae, those of Scyllarus and Panulirus species were most abundant, forming 90% of total numbers. Early stage Scyllarus and Panulirus phyllosoma larvae were abundant in Taiwanese waters. Middle to late stages (except the final stage) of Panulirus phyllosoma larvae were absent from the waters throughout the year, while those of Scyllarus phyllosoma larvae were collected in the waters. This suggests that all stages of Scyllarus phyllosoma larvae may be retained in the northern part of the waters around northern Taiwan while middle to late stages of Panulirus phyllosoma larvae may be flushed out from the waters, the sub-final and final stages then possibly returning to the waters. An anticlockwise eddy existed in the waters off northeastern Taiwan, which may be closely related to flushing out and returning of Panulirus phyllosoma larvae through a much longer planktonic period. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Vertical Distributions of Phyllosoma Larvae of Palinurid and Scyllarid Lobsters in the Western North Pacific

Vertical distributions of phyllosoma larvae were examined in waters east of the Philippines or west of the Mariana Islands (18°56′ N to 19°04′ N; 129°10′ E to 129°35′ E) based on zooplankton samples collected with an Isaacs-Kidd Midwater Trawl on September 22–24, 1986. Phyllosoma larvae belonged to the two families Scyllaridae and Palinuridae comprising 4 genera and 9 species. Of the collected phyllosoma larvae, those of Scyllarus cultrifer and Panulirus longipes were most abundant and showed similar vertical distributions: (1) both species were collected from the mixed layer at night but not in the day, (2) their vertical distributions did not change with their stages, and (3) the upper limit of their vertical distributions during the day accorded with the base of mixed layer. Furthermore, their vertical distributions were similar to those of lepthocephalus larvae which were collected using the same sampling stations and gear in the present study. Vertical distributions of phyllosoma larvae were discussed in relation to their horizontal distributions. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geological causes and geomorphological precursors of the Tsaoling landslide triggered by the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, Taiwan

The Tsaoling landslide, one of the largest landslide areas in Taiwan, has been affected by catastrophic events triggered by rain or earthquakes six times since 1862. These landslides, including that caused by the 1999 earthquake, have essentially not been reactivated old slides, but were sequential new ones that developed upslope, retrogressively. The landslide area is underlain by Pliocene sandstone and shale to form a dip slope with a bedding plane, dipping uniformly at 14°. The slip surface of the 1999 landslide was smooth and planar, parallel to the bedding plane with a slightly stepped profile; it formed within thinly alternated beds of fine sandstone and shale with ripple lamination or in a shale bed. The shale is weathered by slaking and probably by sulfuric acid, which is inferred to be one of the major causes of the intermittent retrogressive development of the landslides. The weathering was likely accelerated by the removal of overlying beds during earlier landslides in 1941 and 1942. The top margin of the 1999 landslide, in plan view, coincided with a V-shaped scarplet, which can be clearly recognized on aerial photographs taken before the landslide. This geomorphological feature indicates that this landslide had already moved slightly before its 1999 occurrence, providing precursory evidences.     

Physicochemical, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of lacustrine sediments of the Konya Basin, Turkey, and their significance in relation to climatic change

Physicochemical, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of 279 highly calcareous lacustrine sediment samples obtained from a 30 m drilling core in the western part of the Great Konya Basin, Turkey were studied. The sediments have a predominance of silt and clay fractions with a median diameter of 3–5 μm. Vertical changes of the amounts of water soluble components, gypsum, carbonates, and non-salt minerals such as quartz, feldspars, and layer silicates in the sediments suggest that there were climatic changes in the Konya Basin. The dominant clay mineral is smectite followed by kaolinite, illite, and palygorskite. The oxygen isotopic (δ¹⁸O) ratios of six quartz samples from the Konya sediments, a terra rossa soil beside Lake Bey ehir gölü and paleosols at the foot of Mt. Erciyes Da ranged from +18.1 to +20.6‰. The dominant clay minerals and δ¹⁸O ratios suggest that part of quartz and coexisting layer silicates is of long-range transported and/or local aeolian dust origin from arid and semi-arid regions such as North Africa, Israel, and the surroundings. The relatively high deposition rate might be due to aeolian dust input and/or the sediment input introduced by the rivers such as the Çar amba river from the Toros (Taurus) mountains. The vertical distributions of electro-conductivity, amounts of water soluble and non-salt components, and the gypsum content of the sediments suggest that gypsum-rich layers were formed under shallow, saline waters, possibly associated with warm to hot and dry environments such as the Last Interglacial epoch and the Early Holocene. The sediments characterized by relatively high amounts of non-salt sediments, in which gypsum did not accumulate, could be deeper water phases formed under the cold and/or wet environments such as the Glacial epochs.     

The carbon isotopic ratio of atmospheric carbon dioxide at Tsukuba,Japan

To find out the secular and seasonal trends of the ¹³C value and CO₂ concentration in the surface air and the determination of the ¹³C in the atmospheric CO₂ collected at Tsukuba Science City was carried out during the period from July 1981 to October 1983. The monthly average of the ¹³C value of CO₂ in the surface air collected at 1400 LMT ranged from -7.52 to \s-8.45 with an average of -7.96±0.25 and the CO₂ concentration in the air varied from 334.5 l 1^-1 to 359 l 1^-1 with an average of 347.2±6.3 l 1^-1. The ¹³C value is high in summer and low in winter and is negatively correlated with the CO₂ concentration. In general, the relationship between the ¹³C and the CO₂ concentration is explainable by a simple mixing model of two different constant carbon isotopic species but the relationship does not always follow the model. The correlation between the ¹³C value and the CO₂ concentration is low during the plant growth season and high at other times. The observed negative deviation of the ¹³C value from the simple mixing model in the plant growth season is partly due to the isotopic fractionation process which takes place in the land biota.