Electrification of volcanic plumes

Volcanic lightning, perhaps the most spectacular consequence of the electrification of volcanic plumes, has been implicated in the origin of life on Earth, and may also exist in other planetary atmospheres. Recent years have seen volcanic lightning detection used as part of a portfolio of developing techniques to monitor volcanic eruptions. Remote sensing measurement techniques have been used to monitor volcanic lightning, but surface observations of the atmospheric electric Potential Gradient (PG) and the charge carried on volcanic ash also show that many volcanic plumes, whilst not sufficiently electrified to produce lightning, have detectable electrification exceeding that of their surrounding environment. Electrification has only been observed associated with ash-rich explosive plumes, but there is little evidence that the composition of the ash is critical to its occurrence. Different conceptual theories for charge generation and separation in volcanic plumes have been developed to explain the disparate observations obtained, but the ash fragmentation mechanism appears to be a key parameter. It is unclear which mechanisms or combinations of electrification mechanisms dominate in different circumstances. Electrostatic forces play an important role in modulating the dry fall-out of ash from a volcanic plume. Beyond the local electrification of plumes, the higher stratospheric particle concentrations following a large explosive eruption may affect the global atmospheric electrical circuit. It is possible that this might present another, if minor, way by which large volcanic eruptions affect global climate. The direct hazard of volcanic lightning to communities is generally low compared to other aspects of volcanic activity.     

柴油机轴承设计、使用和维修的几个问题

在保证轴承安全而经济的运转条件下,轴承装配间隙取最小值,根据流体润滑理论,选择合适的润滑油;对于厚壁轴瓦,在磨合之后应调整到运转间隙。这样就可以充分利用轴承的使用寿命。     

VIV response of a long flexible riser fitted with strakes in uniform and linearly sheared currents

An experimental investigation was conducted on a flexible riser with and without various strake arrangements. The aim of the present work was to further improve the understanding of the response performance of the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a riser with helical strakes. Two current profiles, including uniform and linearly sheared flows, were simulated. The uniform current was simulated by towing the riser model in one direction using the towing carriage, and the linearly sheared current was simulated by fixing one end of the riser and using a driven cantilever to traverse a circular arc. Based on the modal superposition method, the displacement responses were obtained from the measured strain. Strakes with different heights and pitches were analysed, and response parameters such as the displacement response and fatigue damage were studied. The results of the bare model test show that the lock-in phenomenon displays multi-order characteristics, and the VIV displacement decreases with an increased order of the lock-in regime. The results of the straked model test indicate that the response characteristics of a bare riser can be quite distinct from those of a riser with helical strakes, and the response performance depends closely on the geometry of the strake configuration.     

Environmental effects on the reproduction and fecundity of the introduced calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

The calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna (Porifera, Calcarea) has been the subject of several studies in the last decade. It was first described along the Brazilian coast, where it is considered cryptogenic, and was subsequently found in the Mediterranean, where it is considered invasive. The wide artificial distribution of this species allows us to compare different aspects of the biology of an introduced species in different locations. Here, we analysed the effects of selected environmental parameters on the reproductive dynamics of P. magna in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) over 18 months and compared our results with those obtained for the same species in the Mediterranean Sea. Specimens were collected monthly and analysed through histological methods. The density of reproductive elements in each month was calculated, and the effects of environmental parameters (photoperiod, precipitation, temperature, phytoplankton and bacterioplankton) were analysed using a regression tree analysis. Paraleucilla magna was reproductive throughout the study period. The densities of the reproductive elements (oocytes, embryos and larvae) showed no seasonality, and this species presented one of the highest reproductive efforts documented to date in the phylum Porifera (99.0 oocytes · mm^?3; 89.0 embryos · mm^?3; 319.0 larvae · mm^?3). The main environmental parameters related to the reproduction of P. magna were temperature, photoperiod and bacterioplankton. Temperature was the main driver associated with the densities of oocytes and embryos, while bacterioplankton was the main driver of larvae (positive relationships). In Rio de Janeiro, larvae were present and continuously released. This strategy is different from that observed in the Mediterranean, where a larger larval output was observed but only during the summer months. Our results show that P. magna is a species with a strong invasive potential, considering its high and continuous reproductive effort. This high fecundity stimulated by high temperatures may be a key factor contributing to the growth of P. magna populations and its invasion of new areas.     

冰激直立腿海洋平台疲劳寿命分析

由于渤海特殊环境条件与油藏分布决定了该海域导管架油气平台属于典型的柔性抗冰结构。多年现场观测发现,该类结构存在显著的冰激振动现象。冰振不仅能激起较大的甲板加速度响应,还会引起明显的导管架管节点交变应力。在结构设计与安全保障中进行疲劳分析及寿命估计是必要的。对于直立腿抗冰结构,精确的冰激疲劳寿命计算方法还不成熟。基于多年的现场监测,首先分析了冰与直立腿抗冰结构相互作用过程;其次,提出了冰激直立腿平台的疲劳寿命分析流程;最后,选取渤海某典型直立腿平台,利用ANSYS数值模拟,对比了稳态冰力和随机冰力下结构的疲劳损伤,进而计算出疲劳寿命。本研究为寒区柔性结构抗冰设计与安全保障提供了理论基础。     

基于GIS的土地储备业务管理系统的研究与实现

土地是支撑城市社会经济发展和基础设施建设的空间基础,作为自然物的土地具有价值属性。土地储备涉及市土地开发中心前期部、征地部、出让部、工程部、合同部、计财部等内部职能部门,涉及测绘、规划、房管、农业、城市更新、发改、人民政府等外部单位,交互业务较多,因此土地的规划、审批、征收、出让、工程等流程复杂、管理困难。本文介绍了土地储备业务管理系统的实现思路,系统实现建立业务审批体系。规范资金使用和管理,达到海量数据高效处理、图属档一体化、实时信息在线共享、流程优化协同办理、短信督办提醒的目标,满足对土地储备情况的宏观监管和微观审批,形成完善的土地储备业务管理体系。     

Microbial life in martian ice: A biotic origin of methane on Mars?

Despite the fact that microbial cells are unlikely to be found in the Martian soil in the near future, this paper is written on the assumption that some of the seasonally varying concentration of Martian methane is due to ongoing methanogenesis. It is first pointed out that life might have arisen on Mars first and been transported to Earth later. A case is made that an icy origin of life is more likely than a hot origin, especially if biomolecules take advantage of the high encounter rates and stability against hydrolysis, and that microorganisms feed on the ions that comprise eutectic solutions in ice. Although certain difficulties are avoided if RNA and DNA grow while adsorbed on clay grains, double strand-breaks of microbial DNA due to alpha radioactivity are a far greater threat to microbial survival on clay or other rock types than in ice. Developing a relation between the rate of microbial metabolism in ice and the experimentally determined rate of production of trapped gases of microbial origin, one can estimate the concentration of methanogens that could account for the methane production rate as a function of temperature of their habitat. The result, of order 1 cell cm⁻³ in the Martian subsurface, seems an attainable goal provided samples are taken from at least 1 or 2 m below the hostile surface of Mars. Instruments on NASA’s 2011 Mars Science Lab will measure stable isotopes for methane, water, and carbon dioxide, which on Earth served to distinguish abiotic, thermogenic, and microbial origins. Future measurements of chirality of biomolecules might also provide evidence for Martian life.     

Marine debris review for Latin America and the wider Caribbean region: from the 1970s until now, and where do we go from here?

The available literature on marine debris from Latin America and the Wider Caribbean Region was collected and linked, reviewing their methodologies and principal results (quantities, composition and spatial-temporal patterns). The study region comprises 52 coastal countries of which only 14 had registers of works on marine debris. A total of 70 works were available and 69 had their full contents accessed. Brazil dominated the available literature with 70% of the documents. Beaches were the most studied environment, and plastics the prevalent form of contamination in the whole region. The exposure of marine biota (species, type of contact, consequences) was highlighted. The studied region, although still little exploited by this sort of research, shows the same contamination patterns observed world-wide. We also contacted 40 researchers in the area, collecting scientific contributions, opinions and suggestions for improvement of this research field. Further advances and new (urgently needed) lines of research are also discussed.     

Early development of Silvetia babingtonii (Fucales,Phaeophyceae)

Silvetia babingtonii is a potentially economic brown alga for sources of food and high-value added utilization. So far, sporeling nursery and field cultivation has not been successful. The lack of knowledge on development and life cycle of this alga hinder the development of techniques for the sporeings and cultivation. In this study, internal structure of oogonium and antherium of S. babingtonii was observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining and through microscope. Meanwhile, early development from zygotes to juvenile sporelings was studied at 20℃ under 60–100 μmol photons m-2 s-1. Zygotes germinated and divided into thallus and rhizoid cells. The larger thallus cells further divided and developed into juvenile sporelings; while the smaller rhizoid cells divided and elongated into rhizoid hairs. These findings documented the life cycle of S. babingtonii and provided fundamental knowledge for sporeling nursery in the near future.     

深水钢悬链立管疲劳寿命评估分析

在时域内分析深水钢悬链立管在平台运动和波流载荷共同作用下的非线性动力响应;采用雨流计数法处理立管节点应力的时间历程,选用DoE.E型S-N曲线分析立管在单一海况和平台运动联合作用下的疲劳损伤;将各方向含概率分布的疲劳损伤进行叠加,得到立管整体的全方向疲劳损伤及疲劳寿命。平台的运动为六自由度的运动预报数据,波流载荷由某海域实际的波浪统计数据采用Morison公式计算所得。计算结果表明钢悬链立管疲劳寿命的极值点分别位于悬挂点附近和触地点附近,对立管疲劳寿命极值点各方向疲劳损伤分布情况进行了分析。所提方法为钢悬链立管疲劳分析提供了新思路,给出的结论对钢悬链立管设计分析有一定借鉴意义。