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.     

GPS在计算导弹脱靶量中的应用研究

将GPS技术应用于导弹靶试脱靶量测量,并对计算过程作了较为详细的分析和探讨。试验证明：利用GPS测定脱靶量,测量精度高,简单易行,可以在靶场逐步试验推广。     

Uncertainty as the overlap of alternate conditional distributions

An important task in modern geostatistics is the assessment and quantification of resource and reserve uncertainty. This uncertainty is valuable support information for many management decisions. Uncertainty at specific locations and uncertainty in the global resource is of interest. There are many different methods to build models of uncertainty, including Kriging, Cokriging, and Inverse Distance. Each method leads to different results. A method is proposed to combine local uncertainties predicted by different models to obtain a combined measure of uncertainty that combines good features of each alternative. The new estimator is the overlap of alternate conditional distributions.     

一种基于双重距离的空间聚类方法

传统聚类方法大都是基于空间位置或非空间属性的相似性来进行聚类,分裂了空间要素固有的二重特性,从而导致了许多实际应用中空间聚类结果难以同时满足空间位置毗邻和非空间属性相近。然而,兼顾两者特性的空间聚类方法又存在算法复杂、结果不确定以及不易扩展等问题。为此,本文通过引入直接可达和相连概念,提出了一种基于双重距离的空间聚类方法,并给出了基于双重距离空间聚类的算法,分析了算法的复杂度。通过实验进一步验证了基于双重距离空间聚类算法不仅能发现任意形状的类簇,而且具有很好的抗噪性。     

The dynamics and thermodynamics of large ash flows

 Ash flow deposits, containing up to 1000 km³ of material, have been produced by some of the largest volcanic eruptions known. Ash flows propagate several tens of kilometres from their source vents, produce extensive blankets of ash and are able to surmount topographic barriers hundreds of metres high. We present and test a new model of the motion of such flows as they propagate over a near horizontal surface from a collapsing fountain above a volcanic vent. The model predicts that for a given eruption rate, either a slow (10–100 m/s) and deep (1000–3000 m) subcritical flow or a fast (100–200 m/s) and shallow (500–1000 m) supercritical flow may develop. Subcritical ash flows propagate with a nearly constant volume flux, whereas supercritical flows entrain air and become progressively more voluminous. The run-out distance of such ash flows is controlled largely by the mass of air mixed into the collapsing fountain, the degree of fragmentation and the associated rate of loss of material into an underlying concentrated depositional system, and the mass eruption rate. However, in supercritical flows, the continued entrainment of air exerts a further important control on the flow evolution. Model predictions show that the run-out distance decreases with the mass of air entrained into the flow. Also, the mass of ash which may ascend from the flow into a buoyant coignimbrite cloud increases as more air is entrained into the flow. As a result, supercritical ash flows typically have shorter runout distances and more ash is elutriated into the associated coignimbrite eruption columns. We also show that one-dimensional, channellized ash flows typically propagate further than their radially spreading counterparts. As a Plinian eruption proceeds, the erupted mass flux often increases, leading to column collapse and the formation of pumiceous ash flows. Near the critical conditions for eruption column collapse, the flows are shed from high fountains which entrain large quantities of air per unit mass. Our model suggests that this will lead to relatively short ash flows with much of the erupted material being elutriated into the coignimbrite column. However, if the mass flux subseqently increases, then less air per unit mass is entrained into the collapsing fountain, and progressively larger flows, which propagate further from the vent, will develop. Our model is consistent with observations of a number of pyroclastic flow deposits, including the 1912 eruption of Katmai and the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo. The model suggests that many extensive flow sheets were emplaced from eruptions with mass fluxes of 10⁹–10¹⁰ kg/s over periods of 10³–10⁵ s, and that some indicators of flow "mobility" may need to be reinterpreted. Furthermore, in accordance with observations, the model predicts that the coignimbrite eruption columns produced from such ash flows rose between 20 and 40 km. Received: 25 August 1995 / Accepted: 3 April 1996     

Geography in a restructuring world?

In those parts of their discipline which can be categorised as spatial analysis, geographers have focused attention on distance as a key variable, and have paid little attention to bounded spaces and territoriality strategies. In a rapidly restructuring world, in which distance is becoming increasingly irrelevant as an influence on many forms of behaviour, territoriality remains an important aspect of the manipulation of space for economic, social, political and cultural purposes: in the terminology of Hagerstrands classic model, while the coupling and capability constraints on interaction are weakening, the authority constraint remains strong.     

西北旅游落后现状的突破及列车旅游的新思路--兼论"西部之星"旅游列车的产品设计

近几年，西北地区的旅游业虽然取得了很大的成绩，但其发展相对于东部地区却显得落后，其主要原因之一就是西北地区的旅游资源过于分散，景点间距过大，由此导致游览行程过长，游览内容单薄，这在客观上影响了游客的选择。而与此同时，在国外，列车旅游早已作为各国旅游业的重要旅游产品为世人所熟知。文章从分析我国西北旅游业发展的现状入手，针对景点分散这一制约我国西部旅游业发展的客观不利因素，肯定了开发旅游列车产品的思路。作者以西北地区为例，结合目前我国旅游专列发展现状，提出开通“西部之星”旅游列车的构想，并进行了初步的设计。     

地缘经济关系测度与分析的理论方法探讨--以云南省为例

文章首先简要分析了地缘经济学的发展进程和研究内容，提出以保护国家利益增强综合国力为主要研究目的的地缘经济理论在一定程度上可以指导不同级别区域经济合作策略的制定。然后在探究了地缘经济关系涵义的前提下，设计了地缘经济关系的测度体系，并用该方法对云南省地缘经济关系进行了数量测度和类型判别，进而对该省地缘经济关系进行了分析和评价，对经济发展提出了建议。