Do accretion discs regulate the rotation of young stars?

We present a photometric study of I -band variability in the young cluster IC 348. The main purpose of the study was to identify periodic stars. In all, we find 50 periodic stars, of which 32 were previously unknown. For the first time in IC 348, we discover periods in significant numbers of lower-mass stars  ( M < 0.25 M_⊙)  and classical T Tauri stars. This increased sensitivity to periodicities is a result of the enhanced depth and temporal density of our observations, compared with previous studies. The period distribution is at first glance similar to that seen in the Orion nebula cluster (ONC), with the higher-mass stars  ( M > 0.25 M_⊙)  showing a bi-modal period distribution concentrated around periods of 2 and 8 d, and the lower-mass stars showing a uni-modal distribution, heavily biased towards fast rotators. Closer inspection of the period distribution shows that the higher-mass stars show a significant dearth of fast rotators, compared to the ONC, whilst the low-mass stars are rotating significantly faster than those in Orion. We find no correlation between rotation period and K – L colour or Hα equivalent width.
We also present a discussion of our own IC 348 data in the context of previously published period distributions for the ONC, the Orion flanking fields and NGC 2264. We find that the previously claimed correlation between infrared excess and rotation period in the ONC might, in fact, result from a correlation between infrared excess and mass. We also find a marked difference in period distributions between NGC 2264 and IC 348, which presents a serious challenge to the disc-locking paradigm, given the similarity in ages and disc fractions between the two clusters.     

The low-excitation structures of planetary nebulae

The low excitation properties of the planetary nebula (PN) NGC 6720 are known to be unusual, and to imply large ring/core emission ratios. We point out that such characteristics are by no means confined to this source alone, and that high ratios may occur in a large fraction of elliptical and circular PNe. Such trends may arise because of the presence of thin low-excitation emission sheets 'wrapped' within and around the primary outflows. The widths of such shells are required to be exceedingly small, and may (for certain cases) be of order ≪10⁻² pc. Such a mechanism appears capable of explaining most of the observed emission properties, and may arise through shock interaction between differing envelopes. Alternative explanations in terms of bipolar or cylindrical outflows are shown to be implausible.     

Chemical evolution of the high redshift galaxies

We have tried to determine the rate of chemical evolution of high redshift galaxies from the observed redshift distribution of the heavy element absorption systems in the spectra of QSOs, taking into account the evolution in the intensity of the metagalactic UV ionizing radiation background, the radius and/or the co-moving number density of, and the fraction of mass in the form of gas in, the absorbers. The data for both the Lyman limit systems and the C IV systems have been fitted simultaneously. It seems that the abundance of carbon has possibly increased by about a factor of 5 to 20 from the cosmic time corresponding to the redshift ≃ 4 to 2. The data also suggest that either the radius or the co-moving number density of the galaxies increased with redshift up to z = 2.0 and decreased slowly thereafter. The total mass of the halo gas was higher in the past, almost equal to the entire mass of the galaxy at z = 4. The hydrogen column density distribution for Lyman limit systems predicted by the model is in agreement with the observed distribution.     

Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises

Undernutrition, obesity, climate change, and freshwater depletion share food and agricultural systems as an underlying driver. Efforts to more closely align dietary patterns with sustainability and health goals could be better informed with data covering the spectrum of countries characterized by over- and undernutrition. Here, we model the greenhouse gas (GHG) and water footprints of nine increasingly plant-forward diets, aligned with criteria for a healthy diet, specific to 140 countries. Results varied widely by country due to differences in: nutritional adjustments, baseline consumption patterns from which modeled diets were derived, import patterns, and the GHG- and water-intensities of foods by country of origin. Relative to exclusively plant-based (vegan) diets, diets comprised of plant foods with modest amounts of low-food chain animals (i.e., forage fish, bivalve mollusks, insects) had comparably small GHG and water footprints. In 95 percent of countries, diets that only included animal products for one meal per day were less GHG-intensive than lacto-ovo vegetarian diets (in which terrestrial and aquatic meats were eliminated entirely) in part due to the GHG-intensity of dairy foods. The relatively optimal choices among modeled diets otherwise varied across countries, in part due to contributions from deforestation (e.g., for feed production and grazing lands) and highly freshwater-intensive forms of aquaculture. Globally, modest plant-forward shifts (e.g., to low red meat diets) were offset by modeled increases in protein and caloric intake among undernourished populations, resulting in net increases in GHG and water footprints. These and other findings highlight the importance of trade, culture, and nutrition in diet footprint analyses. The country-specific results presented here could provide nutritionally-viable pathways for high-meat consuming countries as well as transitioning countries that might otherwise adopt the Western dietary pattern.     

矿田构造研究方法的技术结构

笔者在多年从事矿田构造研究的基础上,对矿田构造学的工作方法进行结构分析,按主要属性分别归纳为观察与探测技术、测试与分析技术、模拟与实验技术、计算机信息处理技术。这个排列恰好与工作程序大体吻合,并对各类方法的技术项作了简要评述,论及应用的条件、学科交叉关系,以及研究的前沿与热点,并介绍了某些适用的新技术。     

云开元古宙眼球状花岗岩Sm—Nd和Rb—Sr同位素体系定年及其动力学意义

对云开核部韧性-流变剪切变形眼球状花岗岩石样品进行了全岩Sm-Nd、Rb-Sr同位素年龄测定,获得1414±68Ma的Sm-Nd等时线和490±36Ma的Rb-Sr等时线年龄,它们分别代表这套花岗岩的形成时代和加里东期韧性-流变剪切部分熔融构造热事件发生时间,表明云开地区不仅在加里东期发生造山运动,而且在中元古晚期发生了更为重要的构造—岩浆造山运动,其时代与全球性的格林威尔造山运动时间可以对比。     

水资源管理制度超模博弈分析——以钱塘江与黑河为例

运用超模博弈理论,以流域水资源管理制度形成的角度来解释流域各区段水资源管理政策执行面临的外部环境约束与激励,并通过模型描述了水资源管理域与外部关联域之间的博弈关系。分析发现：超模结构在当前钱塘江与黑河流域的水资源博弈中发挥着重要影响。钱塘江流域水资源管理制度收益函数对水功能区治理变量和经济域治理变量有递增差异。黑河流域水资源管理制度收益函数对分水治理变量和社会域治理变量有递增差异。由于这种关联作用对各区段主体策略集的限制,流域间水资源管理制度逐渐异质化,各流域管理结构呈现出一定的区域特色。钱塘江流域水资源管理偏重于扁平化、职能化管理,黑河流域为科层结构下水资源的层级分配。并依据以上研究结论提出了制度建议。