2011年春夏季节长江中下游旱涝急转可能成因

利用1980-2011年观测的降水和美国NCEP/NCAR大气再分析等资料,采用经验正交分解（EOF）和线性回归等统计方法,讨论了2011年发生在长江中下游地区春夏旱涝急转的成因。结果表明：该年1-5月持续的La Nina事件导致西北太平洋副热带高压位置位于125°E以东,西北太平洋副热带高压西北侧的西南风伴随的水汽通量无法达到长江流域,从而导致了2011年长江流域1-5月份的持续性干旱现象。伴随La Nina的减弱,6月份的青藏高原的感热明显增强,诱发西北太平洋副热带高压自东向西北方向移动到110°E,引导西南风水汽向长江流域输送,而青藏高原对流的加强和向东移动与来自西北太平洋副热带高压西北侧的西南气流在长江中下游地区的汇合导致了6月份长江中下游降水的急剧增加,从而形成了2011年长江中下游地区春夏季节的旱涝急转。     

Edge‐on disk galaxies in the SDSS DR6: Fractions of bulgeless and other disk galaxies

The aim of this study is to determine the fractions of different spiral galaxy types, especially bulgeless disks, from a complete and homogeneous sample of 15 127 edge‐on disk galaxies extracted from the sixth data release from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The sample is divided in broad morphological classes and sub types consisting of galaxies with bulges, intermediate types and galaxies which appear bulgeless. A small fraction of disky irregulars is also detected. The morphological separation is based on automated classification criteria which resemble the bulge sizes and the flatness of the disks. Each of these broad classes contains about 1/3 of the total sample. Using strict criteria for selecting pure bulgeless galaxies leads to a fraction of 15% of simple disk galaxies. We compare this fraction to other galaxy catalogs and find an excellent agreement of the observed frequency of bulgeless galaxies. Although the fraction of simple disk galaxies in this study does not represent a “cosmic” fraction of bulgeless galaxies, it shows that the relative abundance of pure disks is comparable to other studies and offers a profound value of the frequency of simple disks in the local Universe. This fraction of simple disks emphasizes the challenge for formation and evolution models of disk galaxies since these models are hard pressed to explain the observed frequency of these objects (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A new formula describing the scaffold structure of spiral galaxies

We describe a new formula capable of quantitatively characterizing the Hubble sequence of spiral galaxies including grand design and barred spirals. Special shapes such as ring galaxies with inward and outward arms are also described by the analytic continuation of the same formula. The formula is   r (φ) = A /log [ B tan   (φ/2 N )]  . This function intrinsically generates a bar in a continuous, fixed relationship relative to an arm of arbitrary winding sweep. A is simply a scale parameter while B , together with N , determines the spiral pitch. Roughly, greater N results in tighter winding. Greater B results in greater arm sweep and smaller bar/bulge, while smaller B fits larger bar/bulge with a sharper bar/arm junction. Thus B controls the 'bar/bulge-to-arm' size, while N controls the tightness much like the Hubble scheme. The formula can be recast in a form dependent only on a unique point of turnover angle of pitch – essentially a one-parameter fit, aside from a scalefactor. The recast formula is remarkable and unique in that a single parameter can define a spiral shape with either constant or variable pitch capable of tightly fitting Hubble types from grand design spirals to late-type large barred galaxies. We compare the correlation of our pitch parameter to Hubble type with that of the traditional logarithmic spiral for 21 well-shaped galaxies. The pitch parameter of our formula produces a very tight correlation with ideal Hubble type suggesting it is a good discriminator compared to logarithmic pitch, which shows poor correlation here similar to previous works. Representative examples of fitted galaxies are shown.     

Stochasticity in N-body simulations of disc galaxies

We demonstrate that the chaotic nature of N -body systems can lead to macroscopic variations in the evolution of collisionless simulations containing rotationally supported discs. The unavoidable stochasticity that afflicts all simulations generally causes mild differences between the evolution of similar models but, in order to illustrate that this is not always true, we present a case that shows an extreme bimodal divergence. The divergent behaviour occurs in two different types of code, and is independent of all numerical parameters. We identify and give explicit illustrations of several sources of stochasticity, and also show that macroscopic variations in the evolution can originate from differences at the round-off error level. We obtain somewhat more consistent results from simulations in which the halo is set-up with great care compared with those started from more approximate equilibria, but we have been unable to eliminate diverging behaviour entirely because the main sources of stochasticity are intrinsic to the disc. We show that the divergence is only temporary and that halo friction is merely delayed, for a substantial time in some cases. We argue that the delays are unlikely to arise in real galaxies, and that our results do not affect dynamical friction constraints on halo density. Stochastic variations in the evolution are inevitable in all simulations of disc–halo systems, irrespective of how they were created, although their effect is generally far less extreme than we find here. The possibility of divergent behaviour complicates comparison of results from different workers.     

Regularities in the distribution of star/gas complexes in the spiral arms of our galaxy and M31

The fragmentation of gaseous spiral arms in the outer Galaxy into superclouds has been studied using recently published data on the HI distribution in the Galactic disk. Regular chains of superclouds have been found or confirmed in the Cygnus (Outer) and Carina arms, with the spacings between the superclouds being concentrated near 0.1 and 0.2 of the solar Galactocentric distance. The star complexes in the northwestern arm of the galaxy M31 are spaced, on average, 1.2 kpc apart, with the most distinct chain of complexes being located in the arm region where Beck et al. (1989) detected a strong and wavy (along the arm) magnetic field. Its wavelength turns out to be related to the spacing between the complexes. In this arm, the HII regions lie inside the star complexes, which, in turn, are located inside the gas-dust lane. In contrast, the southwestern arm of M31 is split into a gas-dust lane and a dense stellar arm, which is not fragmented into star complexes. Here, the HII regions are located along the boundary between the gas-dust and stellar components of the arm; other evidence for the presence of a spiral shock wave triggering star formation is also observed, which is probably attributable to the large pitch angle of this segment of the southwestern arm. It may be suggested that the shock wave rapidly leads to star formation everywhere in this arm, while in the northwestern arm, where the shock wave is absent, star formation begins in the superclouds formed along the arm by the magneto-gravitational instability. This is how the chains of star complexes in the northwestern arm of M31 and, obviously, the chains of superclouds in the Carina and Cygnus arms of our Galaxy have been formed. The detection of a regularmagnetic field in the corresponding segments of these arms can be predicted.     

A simple model for the relationship between star formation and surface density

We investigate the relationship between the star formation rate per unit area and the surface density of the interstellar medium (ISM; the local Kennicutt–Schmitt law) using a simplified model of the ISM and a simple estimate of the star formation rate based on the mass of gas in bound clumps, the local dynamical time-scales of the clumps and an efficiency parameter of around  ε≈ 5  per cent. Despite the simplicity of the approach, we are able to reproduce the observed linear relation between star formation rate and surface density of dense (molecular) gas. We use a simple model for the dependence of H₂ fraction on total surface density to argue why neither total surface density nor the H  i surface density is a good local indicator of star formation rate. We also investigate the dependence of the star formation rate on the depth of the spiral potential. Our model indicates that the mean star formation rate does not depend significantly on the strength of the spiral potential, but that a stronger spiral potential, for a given mean surface density, does result in more of the star formation occurring close to the spiral arms. This agrees with the observation that grand design galaxies do not appear to show a larger degree of star formation compared to their flocculent counterparts.     

Upgrades to the Boundary-Layer Scheme in the Met Office Numerical Weather Prediction Model

Recent upgrades to the boundary-layer scheme in the UK Met Office operational global Numerical Weather Prediction model are documented. These comprise a reduction in turbulent mixing in stable conditions over the sea, and the inclusion of non-local momentum mixing in convective conditions. The dependence of low-level winds on changing stability is shown to have been significantly improved. Crucially, it is also found that these improvements in local performance have been achieved without degrading the model skill in terms of synoptic evolution—something that has proved difficult to achieve in the past in many operational models. In fact some aspects of the large-scale flow (e.g. zonal mean winds) have been slightly improved.     

多层螺旋CT在烟雾病诊断中的应用

目的探讨16排螺旋CT血管造影(MSCTA)及其重建在烟雾病诊断与治疗中的应用价值.材料与方法分析15例烟雾病病例.受检者均行颅脑CT平扫和MSCTA检查.在ADW4.2工作站上作容积再现(VR)、最大密度投影(MIP)和多平面重建(MPR).结果多层螺旋CT血管造影均清晰显示发生狭窄、闭塞的颈内动脉、Wills环血管近侧端以及明显增多、扩张的脑底部侧支血管影,其中双侧颈内动脉闭塞6例,单侧颈内动脉伴同侧大脑后动脉狭窄1例,单侧大脑中动脉8例,其中1例同时动脉瘤.所有CTA图像均可评价侧支血管情况,表现为相应血管及其分支的粗大、增多、迂曲延长.VR重建图像有利于显示狭窄段与周围骨性结构空间关系,但在显示、评价脑底增生小血管和侧支血管方面不及MIP和MPR重建.结论综合运用多种重建技术,多层螺旋CT血管造影不仅可以清晰显示狭窄血管,还可以评价狭窄远端血管和侧支血管等情况,直观显示病变周围空间结构关系,从而为治疗提供重要的参考依据.     

The Effect of Bar on Star-forming Activities in Nuclear Regions of Nearby Spiral Galaxies

By using the SDSS spectra, we have studied the star formation properties of the nearby spiral galaxies selected from the Revised Bright Galaxy Sample, and tried to find the effect of bar structure on the star formation activity in the nuclear regions of nearby galaxies. The stellar population composition and the intensity of star formation activities of each sample galaxy are acquired by using the stellar population synthesis code—STARLIGHT, and the star formation properties of nuclear regions are compared with those of integral sample galaxies. We find that the star formation in barred spiral galaxies is more active than that of unbarred spirals, and that barred spirals have younger stellar populations.