Mapping the multiple geographies of mixed-ethnicity couples in Australia

Mixed-ethnicity partnerships are becoming increasingly common in Australia and other countries of high immigration. Formal and de facto marriages involving partners from different ethnic backgrounds are key indicators of decreasing social distance between groups. Yet mixed-ethnicity couples have received scant attention from Australian geographers. We use customised data from the 2011 Australian census to analyse the nation-wide distribution of several types of mixed-ethnicity couples. We focus on couples comprised of an Anglo-European (ethnic majority) partner, and a partner from a ‘visible’ ethnic minority group. Our analyses explore the residential geographies of mixed-ethnicity couples vis-à-vis ‘co-ethnic couples’ (where partners share the same ethnicity). We find that mixed-ethnicity couples are more widely dispersed across Australian cities and regions than comparative co-ethnic couples. However, each type of mixed-ethnicity couple has its own unique residential pattern: there are multiple geographies of mixed-ethnicity couples in Australia. These distinctive patterns reflect the migration and settlement histories of the couples’ constituent ethnic groups, but also hold great potential to shift seemingly entrenched ethnic residential geographies in the present and future.     

皱纹盘鲍杂交F1AFLP标记偏分离现象初析

运用AFLP标记技术对皱纹盘鲍(Haliotis discus hannaiIno)及杂交F1代共86个个体进行分析,检测了32对AFLP引物组合,共产生2688个AFLP片段,平均每个引物组合产生84个片段。在子代中分离的片段有483个,包括母本标记230个,父本标记135个,双亲本共有的标记118个。卡方检验表明167个母本和100个父本标记符合1∶1的孟德尔分离比例,78个标记符合3∶1的分离比例,其偏分离比例分别达到27.4%,25.9%和33.9%。本研究发现无论是雌性还是雄性偏分离标记都主要是纯合子过剩,初步推测造成偏分离的原因可能与两个鲍鱼群体的某些基因不兼容有关。     

疏散星团的质量分层

对疏散星团质量分层的有关问题做了简要的评述,包括空间质量分层和速度质量分层的表现形式和探测途径,质量分层形成机制的研究现状.最后概要介绍了2MASS测光资料对探讨疏散星团质量分层效应的作用.     

四川攀西地区几个小型镁铁-超镁铁岩体含矿性的铂族元素示踪

峨眉山大火成岩省内带,四川攀西地区的杨合伍、黄草坪和清水河等镁铁-超镁铁岩体分布在南北向的安宁河断裂和磨盘山-元谋断裂之间。分析表明,这些岩体无矿岩石与金宝山、杨柳坪、力马河等含矿岩体无矿岩石具有相似的铂族元素组成,普遍较高的Cu/Pd比值暗示这些岩体的母岩浆在侵入到目前层位前经历过硫化物熔离作用。定量模拟计算表明,原始岩浆经过大约0.01%的硫化物熔离作用形成了杨合伍岩体母岩浆,经过0.035%硫化物熔离形成了黄草坪和清水河岩体的母岩浆。根据硫化物熔离情况,认为杨合伍等岩体底部可能形成Ni-Cu-(PGE)硫化物矿床,而黄草坪和清水河岩体之下及附近可能存在Ni-Cu硫化物矿化的岩体。     

漓渚铁矿床中硫化矿物特征及硫化矿合理配矿的意义

摸清浙江漓渚铁矿的硫化矿物的分布规律，尤其是矿物特征，针对该选矿仅有磁选无脱硫装置这一现状，在原矿采出过程中，实行合理配矿，使终产品铁精矿选的有害元素硫的含量得以控制。     

ROBUST: The ROle of BUffering capacities in STabilising coastal lagoon ecosystems

“Buffer capacities” has been defined in ecology as a holistic concept (e.g., Integration of Ecosystem Theories: A Pattern, second ed. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1997, 388pp), but we show that it can also be worked out in mechanistic studies. Our mechanistic approach highlights that “buffering capacities” can be depleted progressively, and, therefore, we make a distinction between current and potential “buffering capacities”. We have applied this concept to understand the limited “local stability” in seagrass ecosystems and their vulnerability towards structural changes into macro-algal dominated communities. We explored the following processes and studied how they confer buffering capacities to the seagrass ecosystem: (i) net autotrophy is persistent in Zostera noltii meadows where plant assimilation acts as a sink for nutrients, this contrasted with the Ulva system that shifted back and forth between net autotrophy and net heterotrophy; (ii) the Z. noltii ecosystem possesses a certain albeit rather limited capacity to modify the balance between nitrogen fixation and denitrification, i.e., it was found that in situ nitrogen fixation always exceeded denitrification; (iii) the nitrogen demand of organoheterotrophic bacteria in the sediment results in nitrogen retention of N in the sediment and hence a buffer against release of nitrogen compounds from sediments, (iv) habitat diversification in seagrass meadows provides shelter for meiofauna and hence buffering against adverse conditions, (v) sedimentary iron provides a buffer against noxious sulfide (note: bacterial sulfide production is enhanced in anoxic sediment niches by increased organic matter loading). On the other hand, in the coastal system we studied, sedimentary iron appears less important as a redox-coupled buffer system against phosphate loading. This is because most inorganic phosphate is bound to calcium rather than to iron. In addition, our studies have highlighted the importance of plant–microbe interactions in the seagrass meadows.     

The use of electron backscatter diffraction and orientation contrast imaging as tools for sulphide textural studies: example from the Greens Creek deposit (Alaska)

The Greens Creek polymetallic massive sulphide deposit is hosted in a typical polyphase deformed lower greenschist facies orogenic setting. The structure of the host rocks is well constrained, exhibiting a series of three superimposed ductile deformations followed by two brittle episodes. The ore is found both in fold hinges where early-formed depositional features are preserved and in fold limbs where primary features are typically strongly modified or obliterated. Samples from both settings have been investigated using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) coupled with forescatter orientation contrast (OC) imaging in order to observe the effects of deformation and lower greenschist facies metamorphism on pyrite. Results suggest that colloform pyrite may preserve information relevant to palaeoenvironment, that apparently simple textures are generally more complex, and that pyrite can deform plastically by dislocation glide and creep processes at lower temperatures and/or strain rates than generally accepted. This analysis indicates that EBSD and OC imaging provide powerful tools for observing textural relationships in pyrite that are not shown by more traditional methods. They should become routine tools for pyrite texture analysis.Editorial handling: D. Lentz     

Komatiites and nickel sulfide ores of the Black Swan area,Yilgarn Craton,Western Australia. 4. Platinum group element distribution in the ores,and genetic implications

The Black Swan komatiite sequence, in the Eastern Goldfields province of the Archaean Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia, is a body of dominantly olivine-rich cumulates with lesser volumes of spinifex textured rocks, interpreted as a section through an extensive komatiite lava flow field. The sequence hosts a number of nickel sulfide orebodies, including the Silver Swan massive shoot and the Cygnet and Black Swan disseminated orebodies. The massive sulfide orebodies of the Black Swan Succession are pervasively depleted in all platinum group elements (PGEs), particularly Pt and Pd, despite very high Ni contents. This depletion cannot be explained by R-factor variations, which would also require relatively low Ni tenors. The PGE depletion could be explained in part if the ores are enriched in a monosulfide solid solution (MSS) cumulate component, but requires some additional fractional segregation of sulfide melt upstream from the site of deposition. The Silver Swan orebody shows a remarkably consistent vertical zonation in PGE contents, particularly in Ir, Ru, Rh, Os, which increase systematically from very low levels at the stratigraphic base of the sulfide body to maxima corresponding roughly with the top of a lower layer of the orebody rich in silicate inclusions. Platinum shows the opposite trend, but is somewhat modified by remobilisation during talc carbonate alteration. A similar pattern is also observed in the adjacent White Swan orebody. This zonation is interpreted and modelled as the result of fractional crystallisation of MSS from the molten sulfide pool. The strong IPGE depletion towards the base of the orebody may be a consequence of sulfide liquid crystallisation in an inverted thermal gradient, between a thin rapidly cooling upper rind of komatiite lava and a hot substrate.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at Editorial handling: Peter Lightfoot     

Kinetic tests comparison and interpretation for prediction of the Joutel tailings acid generation potential

Five sulfide mine tailings coming from the Joutel mine tailing ponds (Quebec, Canada) were tested by the humidity cell test (30 to 52 cycles duration) and the column test (11 to 12 cycles duration). The objectives of this study were twofold. First, there was the determination of the tailings acid generation potential for site reclamation. Second, there was the kinetic test comparison for understanding the tailings geochemical behavior under different test conditions. The samples used had a wide diversity in terms of acid-generation potential, particle size distribution, and parameters influencing reaction rates. Leachates produced remained at a near neutral pH for the duration of the tests. Evolution of the main elements involved in the dissolution processes demonstrated neutralization by carbonates as a response to the acid generated by sulfide oxidation. Depletion rates given by sulfates are higher for the humidity cell tests when compared to those obtained for the column tests. This is consistent with most studies to date, the humidity cell test being considered as more severe. However, by taking the ratio between cumulative elements coming from neutralization and the ones coming from oxidation, similar curves (named herein oxidation –neutralization curves) for all tests were obtained. These results show that overall geochemical behavior of the tailings is similar at near neutral pH for both types of tests. With this interpretation method, the acid-generation potential of the Joutel tailings were tested and compared to the static test results to constrain their uncertainty zone with regard to the studied tailings. The tailings geochemical behavior (carbonate dissolution response to sulfide oxidation) at near neutral pH condition appears slightly dependent of test conditions under certain hypothesis.     

硫化物矿物氧化反应动力学实验研究

硫化物矿床和含硫化物矿床（如中高硫煤）在开发过程中由于氧化作用向环境释放大量的酸、硫酸盐、重金属及其它有害物质,造成一定范围内的次生地球化学异常和环境污染;而中国大陆硫化物的排放量2010年将达到39．1×10 6 t。因此,人们对硫化物矿物在表生环境下的氧化行为日益重视。硫化物矿物的氧化速率受矿物本身物理化学特性（组成、结构、表面性质）和介质条件（溶解氧DO、Fe 3＋浓度、pH、Eh、温度及微生物）等多种因素的控制。在全面分析近年来国内外文献的基础上,系统介绍了硫化物矿物氧化动力学实验研究方法、实验参数的选择、反应机理、反应产物及反应速率等的研究现状。指出今后应加强对初始阶段的氧化反应速率、反应中间产物、多因素的综合作用、分子水平上的反应机理解释等方面的研究。