Dynamics of Rayleigh beam on nonlinear foundation due to moving load using Adomian decomposition and coiflet expansion

The effective procedure, which enables to discuss the dynamic response of Rayleigh beam resting on nonlinear viscoelastic foundation subjected to moving load, is developed. By employing the Adomian decomposition method in conjunction with coiflet expansion, the approximate closed form solution has been derived and condition for the convergence of the decomposition series has been introduced. To evaluate the accuracy of the approximate solution a local error index is defined. The presented new complex method is simple and efficient. The parametric study is performed and the influence of nonlinearity, load velocity, load frequency and the radius of gyration on the wave propagation in beam is investigated. The numerical results show that for the supercritical case, the linear model is stiffer giving rise to small displacement of the beam at the load passage.     

Linear polarizations of 4.43 MeV12C* and 6.13 MeV16O* gamma-rays as indicators of directions of particles in solar flares

The linear polarizations of the 4.43 MeV ¹²C^* and the 6.13 MeV ¹⁶O^* gamma-ray lines, that are assumed to be produced in (p, p) processes in solar flares, are projected as functions of , the angle between the line-of-sight and the direction of the particle beam. The projected polarization amplitudes are quite large, and it is suggested that their measurement would facilitate to uniquely determine the particle direction without recourse to Doppler shift measurements.     

Strontium isotope identification of water mixing and recharge sources in a river system (Oder River,central Europe): A quantitative approach

This study uses Sr isotope composition (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and Sr content of waters of the Oder, one of the largest rivers in central Europe, to fingerprint natural and anthropogenic contributions to its Sr budget and to evaluate water mixing processes in its hydrological system. It also demonstrates a simple method of quantifying natural and anthropogenic Sr inputs in the watershed. The method has potential for environmental and archaeological research because past Sr geochemistry of river water can easily be reconstructed. For the first time, a catchment‐scale impact of anthropogenic sources on the Sr budget of a middle‐size river is shown in a quantitative way. The water of the Oder is characterized by a relatively uniform Sr isotope composition, from 0.7100 to 0.7108, contrasting with strong variations in Sr concentration, from 0.25 to 1.27 mg/L. There is a general seasonal trend in variability, with waters becoming more radiogenic and dilute with respect to the Sr in the spring time. This Sr systematics differs significantly from the Sr budgets of the majority of the Oder tributaries that exhibit more radiogenic composition and systematically lower Sr concentrations. A mixing scenario in the Oder involves Sr contribution from four principal water sources: (a) shallow ground waters with Sr derived from near‐surface weathering of silicates, (b) moderately radiogenic mine waters from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, (c) unradiogenic mine waters from the Permian sequence of the copper district, and (d) unradiogenic ground waters from shallow‐seated Palaeogene, Neogene, and Mesozoic aquifers. The Sr budget of the Oder is primarily controlled by inputs of dissolved Sr from anthropogenic sources, which overprint the natural background, controlled by geology. Thus, about 47.5% of Sr originates from agriculture, industrial, and municipal additions, 31.5% from mine water inputs, and only 21% from natural sources, that is, rock weathering and atmospheric precipitation. Reconstruction of the past Sr chemistry of the Oder reveals that its present‐day Sr isotope composition is temporary and significantly different from that of the preindustrial times.     

Antiphase hydrogen and oxygen isotope periodicity in chert nodules

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses were made of Jurassic-age chert nodules from the Holy Cross Mountains, SE Poland, along radial transects at high spatial resolution. There is a radial “sigmoidal” periodicity for both isotope ratios, but the two are out of phase, with high δD values corresponding to low δ¹⁸O values. Periodicity for a 100- to 120-mm diameter nodule is approximately 16 mm, increasing slightly toward the rim, with amplitudes approaching 20 and 3.0‰ for hydrogen and oxygen, respectively. The combined hydrogen-oxygen isotope data for one nodule fall on a published curve for chert forming in equilibrium with seawater (Knauth and Epstein, 1976); the range of delta values corresponds to temperature variations of ∼10°C. Data for a second chert fall on a subparallel δD-δ¹⁸O line with δD values that are almost 50‰ lower. The δD-δ¹⁸O patterns for the nodules cannot be explained by periodic mixing of meteoric and ocean water because the hydrogen and oxygen isotope data are out of phase. Two possible explanations for the antiphase periodicity are (a) cyclical temperature variations, perhaps related to an unstable convection system (e.g., Bolton et al., 1999), and (b) self-organizing catalytic precipitation (e.g., Wang and Merino, 1990). The systematic isotopic variations are difficult to explain by diagenesis and strongly suggest that primary isotopic compositions are preserved. The isotopic data provide important information on the thermal history of the sedimentary basin, if temperature variations are the cause of the isotopic periodicity.     

Thermal maturation of the Lower Palaeozoic strata in the southwestern margin of the Malopolska Massif,southern Poland: no evidence for Caledonian regional metamorphism

Conodont colour alteration index (CAI) values have been used for the assessment of the thermal history of Lower Palaeozoic strata in the southwestern margin of the Malopolska Massif, along the contact with the Upper Silesian Massif. The CAI data provide no evidence for a previously suggested greenschistgrade regional metamorphism in the Cracow-Myszkow zone during the Caledonian epoch. Near Zarki, the Silurian rocks display a relatively uniform thermal overprint (CAI values of 4) resulting from sedimentary burial during the early Late Carboniferous. The estimated maximum temperatures of 200–220°C can be explained by an elevated heat flow associated with the Cracow Fault system. This thermal maturation level was locally enhanced (CAI values up to 8) after the Westphalian, due to the magmatic activity caused by the Variscan regional extension.