The stellar content of a spiral arm of NGC 4321

The effects of the passage of a spiral arm through the disc of the giant Virgo Sc galaxy NGC 4321 are investigated with Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images in two colours. Concentrating on a portion of the southern spiral arm of NGC 4321, we have applied a new program to solve for the star formation histories in the arm and interarm regions separately. The observational uncertainties and the variable crowding across the spiral arm are taken into account using the results of artificial star tests. In the interarm regions the data are consistent with a constant star formation rate for the last 50 Myr while the stars in the arm region show a star formation rate four times larger than in the interarm regions in the last 5 Myr.     

The dynamical and liquid water structure of the small cumulus as determined from its environment

This paper examines the evidence for the model of a small cumulus cloud represented as a quasi static but turbulent entity, growing on the upshear side and decaying on the downshear side. While the air just outside the cloudy outline is, on average, stationary relative to the embedding airmass, there is a slight flow, upwards and forward as though the updraft has induced upward motion in the clear air outside the cloud, on the growing side. On the decaying side the motion is downwards and away from the cloud.This is a flow pattern which is not consistent with the air flowing around the cloud as it moves forward but it agrees well with the picture given. Decayed remnants of cloud are found throughout the air previously occupied by the cloud. The cloud outline moves through the embedding air at a velocity which is almost as large as the relative motion of the subcloud feeding airflow (which is almost free from internal wind shear in strong convection).The mixing of dry air from above the inversion yields the observed diluted liquid water content in small cumuli, if such mixing is allowed to proceed until the cloud density equals that of the surrounding air. Quantitative conditions relating the liquid water to inversion temperature and moisture changes, and to the stability of the environment are presented. The strong vertical mixing from the top of the cloud downwards is important to microphysical processes.     

A method of searching for radial velocity anomalies in the lower mantle using interfering signals

Radial velocity anomalies in the lower mantle that give rise to triplications in the travel-time curve for short-periodP waves will produce arrivals havingdT/d values that differe by roughly 0.2–0.5 s/deg. The first two arrivals associated with such triplications will be separated by less than one second over a distance range of 4°–10° they may not, therefore, be separable visually on single seismograms, so that their presence can only be inferred from some measurable property that depends on their mutual interference. If there are lateral variations in the regions of anomalous velocity gradients, the interfering signals will also have different azimuths of arrival. Using two synthetic wavelets we have investigated the effect of interference on bothdT/d and azimuth measurements at the Yellowknife Array. We found that if the interfering pulses have a dominant frequencyv, there is a range of time separations (0.30/v0.55/v) over which the measureddT/d and azimuth values may fluctuate by much more than the differences indT/d and azimuth between the interfering signals. We have evaluated the following empirically defined functions for three different primary signals, and for three different relative amplitudes of the interfering signals:f (t), the drift function, which expresses how the measured slownesses,p, and azimuths, , differ from the slownesses and azimuths of the primary wavelets; f(), the range function, which describes the behaviour of the upper and lower bounds ofp and as a function of the difference in arrival times of the signals, andf , studied the properties of these functions, and have outlined how these properties provide criteria based on the numerical and statistical characteristics of the arrival vectors, and on the waveform of the signal that will enable small radial velocity anomalies to be more clearly delineated.Contribution No. 863 from the Earth Physics Branch.     

NUMERICAL STUDY OF REMOTE SENSING OF CLOUD LIQUID WATER CONTENT BY SPACE-BORNE COMBINED RADAR-RADIOMETER

A retrieval method of microwave(MW)space-borne remote sensing of cloud liquid watercontent by the combined radar-radiometer is suggested.A three-layer cloud model is chosen torepresent the typical stratified precipitating cloud.The retrieval method mainly follows ourpreviously suggested scheme with some modifications.Numerical comparative study shows that inspace-borne remote sensing of cloud liquid water content by the combined method is much betterthan by radar only;Also the retrieval accuracy of cloud liquid water content may be improvedwhen using the three-layer cloud model in the combined method.     

Migmatite formation at subsolidus conditions–an alternative to anatexis

Abstract This contribution discusses the formation of stromatic high-grade migmatites. Volume considerations require that most of the leucosome material is not added from outside the system. A segregation mechanism is necessary except in those cases where the protolith of the migmatite already had a banded structure. Although partial melting is most often advocated to provide the segregation mechanism, several arguments can be raised against high degrees of melting: mineral compositions and even zoning patterns are similar in both mesosomes and leucosomes; sufficient degrees of melting at reasonable temperatures require more than the available amounts of water; the leucosomes do not always approximate to a minimum melt composition; high degrees of melting cannot occur without an appreciable volume increase; etc. Diffusion works as a segregation mechanism at low temperatures. As diffusion rates increase exponentially with temperature diffusion must become still more important as a segregation mechanism at high temperatures. A model is suggested based on the diffusion of components in response to the gradient δσ/δx, where σ= 1/3∑³_i=1 σ_i is the mean pressure. In homogeneously strained rocks, σ₃ is larger in rock parts rich in incompetent phases than in rock parts depleted in incompetent phases. Accordingly, mechanically competent but chemically incompetent high-volume phases like quartz and feldspars stressed in micadominated parts of a rock (high σσ) migrate to parts of the rock that are depleted in mica (low σ¯). It is suggested that hornblende occurring in many leucosomes may be premigmatitic or early syn-migmatitic and due to its mechanical competency it initiates the segregation. Diffusion occurs along grain boundaries and is enhanced by small amounts of ‘intergranular fluid’;. At the best, semiquantitative estimates of diffusion rates and distances indicate that the process should work over geological times.     

Kinematics and stellar populations of the dwarf elliptical galaxy IC 3653

We present the first 3D observations of a diffuse elliptical galaxy (dE). The good quality data (S/N up to 40) reveal the kinematical signature of an embedded stellar disc, reminiscent of what is commonly observed in elliptical galaxies, though similarity of their origins is questionable. Colour map built from Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) images confirms the presence of this disc. Its characteristic scale (about 3 arcsec =250 pc) is about a half of galaxy's effective radius, and its metallicity is 0.1–0.2 dex larger than the underlying population. Fitting the spectra with synthetic single stellar populations (SSP), we found an SSP-equivalent age of 5 Gyr and nearly solar metallicity [Fe/H]  =−0.06  dex. We checked that these determinations are consistent with those based on Lick indices, but have smaller error bars. The kinematical discovery of a stellar disc in dE gives additional support to an evolutionary link from dwarf irregular galaxies due to stripping of the gas against the intracluster medium.     

Searching for hidden Wolf–Rayet stars in the Galactic plane – 15 new Wolf–Rayet stars

We report the discovery of 15 previously unknown Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars found as part of an infrared (IR) broad-band study of candidate WR stars in the Galaxy. We have derived an empirically based selection algorithm which has selected ∼5000 WR candidate stars located within the Galactic plane drawn from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (mid-IR) and Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (near-IR) catalogues. Spectroscopic follow-up of 184 of these reveals 11 nitrogen-rich (WN) and four carbon-rich (WC) WR stars. Early WC subtypes are absent from our sample and none shows evidence for circumstellar dust emission. Of the candidates which are not WR stars, ∼120 displayed hydrogen emission-line features in their spectra. Spectral features suggest that the majority of these are in fact B supergiants/hypergiants, ∼40 of these are identified Be/B[e] candidates.
Here, we present the optical spectra for six of the newly detected WR stars, and the near-IR spectra for the remaining nine of our sample. With a WR yield rate of ∼7 per cent and a massive star detection rate of ∼65 per cent, initial results suggest that this method is one of the most successful means for locating evolved, massive stars in the Galaxy.     

印度洋中西部大眼金枪鱼年龄与鱼体脂肪含量的关系

本文根据2012年10月—2013年3月在印度洋中西部海域金枪鱼延绳钓渔业调查所获得的样本,利用其脊椎骨鉴定了334尾大眼金枪鱼(Thunnus obesus)的年龄,并利用鱼类脂肪含量仪测定了其肌肉的脂肪含量,进而对年龄与脂肪含量的关系进行了研究。结果表明样本金枪鱼的特征如下:(1)年龄组成为1—9龄,其中4—6龄比例最大,约占样本总数的66.4%;(2)脂肪含量范围为3.1%—29.8%,平均为13.4%,优势范围在7.0%—17.0%之间,其中13.0%—17.0%的比例最高达51.4%;(3)通过比较不同年龄组的脂肪含量发现,鱼体脂肪含量1—3龄随年龄增加而下降。4—5龄脂肪含量较高,6龄急剧下降到最低,7—9龄又呈升高的趋势;(4)雌性和雄性大眼金枪鱼的新陈代谢变化无明显差异,雌性比雄性的性成熟年龄要早1年左右,雌性3—4龄时性成熟,而雄性为4—5龄时性成熟;(5)脂肪含量的变化可能与大眼金枪鱼生长、繁殖、衰老等过程中的新陈代谢变化相吻合。     

鲁西南地区地下水锰的分布特征及其成因

为了解鲁西南地区地下水中锰的含量及其成因,采集并分析了276组地下水样和18组地表水样,结果表明,鲁西南平原区浅层地下水中锰含量在未检出至2.84mg/L之间,平均浓度为0.35mg/L,超标率达41%。鲁西南地区地下水中锰含量的分布与该区的工业化程度以及所处的补、径、排条件密切相关。影响地下水中锰含量分布的因素主要有表层土壤、地下水径流条件及含水层介质和地下水矿化度等。