Does time dilation tell us the distance to gamma-ray bursts?

Since the discovery that dim gamma-ray bursts last longer on average than bright ones (time dilation) the cosmological origin of this effect has been contested by various researchers. I discuss the current status of this issue and conclude that current models for a non-cosmological time dilation only explain part of the observed phenomenon, and even then betray themselves by distinct signatures in the data. As those signatures have not been seen, the cosmological origin remains the favoured explanation of the time dilation.     

Distinct climate change synchronous with Heinrich event one, recorded by stable oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions in stalagmites from China

Uranium-series dating of oxygen and carbon isotope records for stalagmite SJ3 collected in Songjia Cave, central China, shows significant variation in past climate and environment during the period 20-10 ka. Stalagmite SJ3 is located more than 1000 km inland of the coastal Hulu Cave in East China and more than 700 km north of the Dongge Cave in Southwest China and, despite minor differences, displays a clear first-order similarity with the Hulu and Dongge records. The coldest climatic phase since the Last Glacial Maximum, which is associated with the Heinrich Event 1 in the North Atlantic region, was clearly recorded in SJ3 between 17.6 and 14.5 ka, in good agreement in timing, duration and extent with the records from Hulu and Dongge caves and the Greenland ice core. The results indicate that there have been synchronous and significant climatic changes across monsoonal China and strong teleconnections between the North Atlantic and East Asia regions during the period 20-10 ka. This is much different from the Holocene Optimum which shows a time shift of more than several thousands years from southeast coastal to inland China. It is likely that temperature change at northern high latitudes during glacial periods exerts stronger influence on the Asian summer monsoon relative to insolation and appears to be capable of perturbing large-scale atmospheric/oceanic circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere and thus monsoonal rainfall and paleovegetation in East Asia. Climatic signals in the North Atlantic region propagate rapidly to East Asia during glacial periods by influencing the winter land-sea temperature contrast in the East Asian monsoon region.     

Church-based social capital, networks and geographical scale: Katrina evacuation, relocation, and recovery in a New Orleans Vietnamese American community

This research examines the role of social capital and networks to explain the evacuation, relocation, and recovery experiences of a Vietnamese American community in New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As the single largest community institution, the parish church’s complex bonding and bridging social capital and networks proved particularly critical in part because of its historically based ontological security. The process of evacuation, but especially relocation and recovery, was dependent on deploying co-ethnic social capital and networks at a variety of geographical scales. Beyond the local or community scale, extra-local, regional, and national scales of social capital and networks reproduced a spatially redefined Vietnamese American community. Part of the recovery process included constructing discursive place-based collective-action frames to successfully contest a nearby landfill that in turn engendered social capital and networks crossing ethnic boundaries to include the extra-local African American community. Engaging social capital and networks beyond the local geographical scale cultivated a Vietnamese American community with an emergent post-Katrina cultural and political identity.     

Influence of Structural Non-Stationarity of Surface Roughness on Morphological Characterization and Mechanical Deformation of Rock Joints

Summary Structural non-stationarity of surface roughness affects accurate morphological characterization as well as mechanical behaviour of rock joints at the laboratory scale using samples with a size below the stationarity threshold. In this paper, the effect of structural non-stationarity of surface roughness is investigated by studying the scale dependence of surface roughness and mechanical behaviour of rock joints. The results show that the structural non-stationarity mainly affects the accurate characterization of the surface roughness of the fracture samples. It also controls the amount and location of the contact areas during shear tests, which in turn affects the mechanical properties and asperity degradation of the samples. It is concluded that for accurate determination of the morphological and mechanical properties of rock joints at laboratory and field scales, samples with size equal to or larger than the stationarity threshold are required. Author’s address: Nader Fardin, Rock Mechanics Group, Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box: 11365/4563, Tehran, Iran     

气举反循环采矿方法单井试验及应用探讨

湖南道县一个矿区,铁锰矿体储量约2200万t。由于复杂的水文地质和工程地质条件,从20世纪70年代发现后,一直没有开采。笔者通过多年大直径工程井的实践经验,查阅国内外资料后,提出了钻井-气举反循环法试开采的方法,并在现场进行了单孔开采试验,获得了比较满意的效果。以该矿体Ⅱ号矿为例,介绍了钻井-气举反循环法采矿的适用条件、工艺过程以及试采情况,并就以后大面积开采提出了若干技术措施。     

GYD-300型全液压动力头工程钻机的研制

GYD-300型全液压动力头工程钻机为全液压驱动,动力头反循环式机型。液压系统采用插装阀集成结构,电液复合操作。使用PC控制监测系统,适时检测孔底各相关压力,对不同地层进行范围设置,实现钻进过程中孔底的自动、手动恒压钻进。重点介绍了该钻机的结构特点、实验情况、主要技术参数等。     

南印度洋SST与南亚季风环流年代际变化的研究

利用美国NCEP全球大气再分析资料和JONES全球海表面温度异常(SSTA)资料，分析了南印度洋SSTA和南亚季风环流年代际变化的特征。研究发现，无论是南印度洋副热带海水辐合区的SST还是赤道以北非洲西海岸附近上升运动海区的SST的长期变化趋势，除了准3-5年的变化以外，还存在着明显的年代际的变化。对于全球最显著南亚季风环流的分析表明，南亚季风环流也存在明显的年代际时间尺度的变化。与南太平洋SST的年代际变化相比，南印度洋SST的变化周期要相对短一些。通过分析南半球冷空气年代际活动的特征发现，冷空气与南印度洋SST年代际时间尺度的变化具有密切的联系。     

伶仃洋沉积动力特点的研究

位于珠江三角洲东侧的伶仃洋，因径流下泄与潮流进退的流向不一，使它各分流口门的出口水道都有主槽和支槽之分，即都有主干水道和分汊水道。陆架高盐海水入侵又使伶仃洋内沉积动力过程在空间分布上发生差异，如沉积物分布有粗－细－稍粗之分；而水体中的密度、速度差异，常常产生锋带，对水下地形的发展有不可忽视的影响。因而全面认识发生在伶仃洋内的沉积动力作用，对深水航道的选线极为重要。     

Geophysical evidence of mud diapirism on the Mediterranean Ridge accretionary complex

Mud volcanoes, mud cones, and mud ridges have been identified on the inner portion of the crestal area, and possibly on the inner escarpment, of the Mediterranean Ridge accretionary complex. Four areas containing one or more mud diapirs have been investigated through bathymetric profiling, single channel seismic reflection profiling, heat flow measurements, and coring. A sequence of events is identified in the evolution of the mud diapirs: initially the expulsion on the seafloor of gasrich mud produces a seafloor depression outlined in the seismic record by downward dip of the host sediment reflectors towards the mud conduit; subsequent eruptions of fluid mud may create a flat topped mud volcano with step-like profile; finally, the intrusion of viscous mud produces a mud cone.The origin of the diapirs is deep within the Mediterranean Ridge. Although a minimum depth of about 400 m below the seafloor has been computed from the hydrostatic balance between the diapiric sediments and the host sediments, a maximum depth, suggested by geometric considerations, ranges between 5.3 and 7 km. The presence of thermogenic gas in the diapiric sediments suggests a better constrained origin depth of at least 2.2 km.The heat flow measured within the Olimpi mud diapir field and along a transect orthogonal to the diapiric field is low, ranging between 16 ± 5 and 41 ± 6 mW m^–2. Due to the presence of gas, the thermal conductivity of the diapiric sediments is lower than that of the host hemipelagic oozes (0.6–0.9 and 1.0–1.15 W m^–1 K^–1 respectively).We consider the distribution of mud diapirs to be controlled by the presence of tectonic features such as reverse faults or thrusts (inner escarpment) that develop where the thickness of the Late Miocene evaporites appears to be minimum. An upward migration through time of the position of the décollement within the stratigraphic column from the Upper Oligocene (diapiric sediments) to the Upper Miocene (present position) is identified.