The effects of a minimal length on the Kerr metric

The effects of a minimal length on the Kerr metric are studied within the pseudo-complex General Relativity (pcGR), which has a minimal length parameter and also depends on a $r$-dependent metric, allowing for the accumulation of dark energy around a star. The relevant parameters are the rotational Kerr parameter $a$, the mass of a black hole, and a parameter measuring the amount of dark energy accumulated. It is found that the metric is modified by a factor, depending on $r$, resulting in a maximal acceleration. This factor shows several singularities. For small black holes, the corresponding effective potentials exhibit potential barriers, avoiding the increase of the black hole's mass. It is found that the effects of a minimal length are only of importance for very small mass black holes and vanish for macroscopic black holes.     

A two‐surface thermomechanical model for saturated clays

This paper presents an advanced thermomechanical model – TEAM in the framework of two‐surface plasticity for saturated clays, with emphasis put on some important thermomechanical features of natural clays evidenced experimentally such as the limited thermomechanical elastic zone, the smooth transition from elastic to plastic behavior. Two plastic mechanisms are introduced in the model: one is to reproduce the thermoplasticity involving thermal expansion and contraction observed at high over‐consolidation ratios and the second one describes the temperature effect on the yield behavior. The model adopts additional yield surfaces, namely inner yield surfaces that are associated with the two proposed plastic mechanisms to account for the plastic behavior inside the existing conventional thermomechanical yield surface namely yield surfaces. The general expressions of the yield surfaces and plastic potentials in p′–q–T space are introduced. A progressive plastic hardening mechanism associated with the inner yield surface is defined, enabling the plastic modulus to vary smoothly during thermomechanical loadings inside the yield surfaces. Several tests on natural Boom clay along different thermomechanical loading paths have been simulated by TEAM, and results show its relevance in describing the thermomechanical behavior of saturated clays. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Petrological and geochemical interpretation of Triassic–Jurassic boundary sections from northern Iraq

Triassic–Jurassic sedimentary successions (Baluti and Sarki formations) in northern Iraq record a variety of environmental changes that may be related to global Triassic–Jurassic (Tr/J) boundary events. The diversity of some benthic fauna decreases through the transitional boundary beds. The coastal marine environment of the lower part of the Baluti Formation is followed by shallower tidal flat and supratidal marginal marine environments at the transitional boundary with the Jurassic‐age Sarki Formation. The alternating calcareous mudrocks and dolomitic limestones of the transitional succession are overlain by a succession of calcareous mudrocks and dolomicrites that form a dolocrete bed in the latest Triassic. The early Jurassic carbonates (lower part of Sarki Formation) were deposited in a shallow‐marine to lagoonal environment. Geochemical evidence supports this interpretation. TOC% increases towards the Tr/J boundary and the lower part of the Sarki Formation. This increase can be interpreted as resulting from the primary precipitation of dolocrete as palaeosol horizons. The variations in the oxygen isotope ratios mainly reflect the facies and diagenetic effects. Th/K ratio is generally constant and shows an increase in the calcareous mudrock beds of the upper part of the Baluti Formation, possibly related to the degradation of K‐bearing clay minerals. Low Th/U ratios are due to the depletion in thorium, typical of many marine carbonates rather than to an increase in authigenic uranium. This explanation is also corroborated by the presence of abundant fossils in some of the studied carbonates. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of digital camera-derived vegetation indices in quantitative monitoring of seasonal rice growth

A commercially available digital camera can be used in a low-cost automatic observation system for monitoring crop growth change in open-air fields. We developed a prototype Crop Phenology Recording System (CPRS) for monitoring rice growth, but the ready-made waterproof cases that we used produced shadows on the images. After modifying the waterproof cases, we repeated the fixed-point camera observations to clarify questions regarding digital camera-derived vegetation indices (VIs), namely, the visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI) based on daytime normal color images (RGB image) and the nighttime relative brightness index (NRBI_NIR) based on nighttime near infrared (NIR) images. We also took frequent measurements of agronomic data such as plant length, leaf area index (LAI), and aboveground dry matter weight to gain a detailed understanding of the temporal relationship between the VIs and the biophysical parameters of rice. In addition, we conducted another nighttime outdoor experiment to establish the link between NRBI_NIR and camera-to-object distance. The study produced the following findings. (1) The customized waterproof cases succeeded in preventing large shadows from being cast, especially on nighttime images, and it was confirmed that the brightness of the nighttime NIR images had spatial heterogeneity when a point light source (flashlight) was used, in contrast to the daytime RGB images. (2) The additional experiment using a forklift showed that both the ISO sensitivity and the calibrated digital number of the NIR (cDN_NIR) had significant effects on the sensitivity of NRBI_NIR to the camera-to-object distance. (3) Detailed measurements of a reproductive stem were collected to investigate the connection between the morphological feature change caused by the panicle sagging process and the downtrend in NRBI_NIR during the reproductive stages. However, these agronomic data were not completely in accord with NRBI_NIR in terms of the temporal pattern. (4) The time-series data for the LAI, plant length, and aboveground dry matter weight could be well approximated by a sigmoid curve based on NRBI_NIR and VARI. The results confirmed that NRBI_NIR was more sensitive to all of the agronomic data for overall season, including the early reproductive stages. VARI had an especially high correlation with LAI, unless yellow panicles appeared in the field of view.     

PDI与MPDI在内蒙古干旱监测中的应用和比较

以内蒙古明安镇为试验区,基于TM遥感影像对PDI和MPDI两种干旱监测方法进行了应用、验证和比较。试验表明,PDI、MPDI与植被覆盖区实测土壤含水量的相关系数的平方分别为0.37、0.535 5,这两种指数在试验区进行干旱监测具有一定的可行性,且MPDI的监测精度高于PDI。此外,通过整个试验区PDI和MPDI空间分布格局的比较以及这两种指数值与植被覆盖区实测土壤含水量的对比分析,发现在整个试验区,两者的监测结果基本一致,但在植被覆盖区,MPDI的干旱监测效果要明显好于PDI,这主要是因为MPDI考虑了植被覆盖的影响。     

闪电初始放电阶段亚微秒电场变化波形特征

本文选取2008年西藏羊八井地区与2009年东北大兴安岭地区快、 慢天线闪电电场变化仪观测资料, 对云闪起始阶段和地闪预击穿阶段亚微秒电场变化波形特征进行了统计分析, 发现, 无论是云闪还是地闪, 初始阶段快电场变化波形均表现为一系列脉冲形式, 且以归一化幅值小于0.5、 脉冲宽度小于等于10 μs的窄脉冲为主; 同低海拔地区相比, 高原地区地闪预击穿阶段脉冲总数相对较高, 窄脉冲所占比例相对较低, 幅值可与首次回击峰值相比拟的双极性大脉冲的发生比例较低。在统计的基础上, 对产生双极性脉冲的物理机制进行了分析, 发现较大的电流传输速度和电流衰减长度, 是导致双极性大脉冲波形幅值远大于其它脉冲的主要原因。     

Undrained behavior of natural marine clay under cyclic loading

To study the undrained behavior of natural marine clay under cyclic loading, two kinds of stress-controlled cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on natural K₀-consolidated Wenzhou clay. In the Series I tests, samples were cyclically sheared until failure, and the accumulative behavior was studied; based on the results, a suitable cyclic failure criterion is suggested for natural clays. The effect of loading frequency was also investigated, and it was observed that the loading duration t is a key factor in controlling the undrained cyclic behavior. In the Series II tests, cyclic undrained tests followed by strain-controlled monotonic compression tests were carried out, and special attention was given to changes in the undrained strength after cyclic loading. The degradation of the post-cyclic peak strength was affected by the accumulative behavior during cyclic shearing, but the deviatoric stresses at the critical state were nearly constant. Finally, the accumulative behavior of natural clays was simulated using a proposed anisotropic elastic viscoplastic model with a pseudo-static method of equivalent undrained creep, and the results indicate that this equivalent creep simplification is suitable in practice. By taking the apparent overconsolidation after cyclic loading into account, the post-cyclic strength degradation can also be explained by this model.     

改性粘土矿物在橡胶中的应用

改性矿物取代部分炭黑做橡胶填料的研究是目前国内外材料及化工领域为活跃的科研课题，粘土矿物结构独特，有较高的化学反应活性，具有吸附某些离子并把这些离子保护于交换状态的性能，这些性能特点使粘土矿物经表面改性填充于橡胶成为可能，粘土矿物填料的研究主要包括粘土矿物的结构特点，在橡胶中的作用，典型的粘土矿物寺料的性能特点，尤其是针对不同的橡胶体系和性能要求，选取适当的改性剂及改性处理方法及增大填料的填充量等问题，这方面研究的进展对我国矿产资源的开发利用及橡胶工业的发展有着重要意义。     

A Comparative Quantitative Study of an Omani Soil Using X-Ray Diffraction Technique

Two methods for the quantification of clay minerals using X-ray diffraction techniques: the Constant Mineral Standards Method and the Constant Clay Method were applied to soil samples from Al-Khod (Northern Oman). The first method was based on the addition of different concentrations of clay to constant mineral standards while the latter was based on the additions of known internal standards to the clay sample. The clay investigated in this study contained montmorillonite, palygorskite, illite and kaolinite. The areas of the reflection peaks were found to relate linearly with additions of different proportions of clay or mineral standards. Using the two methods, the concentrations of the different components and their experimental errors were determined. From the errors and self consistency of the results obtained, and the practicality of sample preparation, it is proposed to use the Constant Mineral Standards Method.     

X射线荧光分析中理论α系数经验修正方法研究

在地质样品粉末任片法X射线荧光分析中,使用理论α系数校正基体效应尚有一定的局限性。为了获得最佳校正效果,本文提出了一种简易的理论α系数经验修正方法。