VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV): The public ESO near-IR variability survey of the Milky Way

We describe the public ESO near-IR variability survey (VVV) scanning the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane where star formation activity is high. The survey will take 1929 h of observations with the 4-m VISTA telescope during 5 years (2010–2014), covering ～10⁹ point sources across an area of 520 deg², including 33 known globular clusters and ～350 open clusters. The final product will be a deep near-IR atlas in five passbands (0.9–2.5 μm) and a catalogue of more than 10⁶ variable point sources. Unlike single-epoch surveys that, in most cases, only produce 2-D maps, the VVV variable star survey will enable the construction of a 3-D map of the surveyed region using well-understood distance indicators such as RR Lyrae stars, and Cepheids. It will yield important information on the ages of the populations. The observations will be combined with data from MACHO, OGLE, EROS, VST, Spitzer, HST, Chandra, INTEGRAL, WISE, Fermi LAT, XMM-Newton, GAIA and ALMA for a complete understanding of the variable sources in the inner Milky Way. This public survey will provide data available to the whole community and therefore will enable further studies of the history of the Milky Way, its globular cluster evolution, and the population census of the Galactic Bulge and center, as well as the investigations of the star forming regions in the disk. The combined variable star catalogues will have important implications for theoretical investigations of pulsation properties of stars.     

Auswirkung von Schwermetallgemischen auf die biologische Behandlung naphthalinsulfonsäurehaltiger Abwässer

Effect of Mixtures of Heavy Metals on the Biological Treatment of Sewages Containing Naphthalenesulfonic Acid Biological wastewater treatment processes can be destabilized considerably by heavy metals. In this investigation, the effect of loadings of heavy metals on the degradation of naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid (2NS) by immobilized bacteria in continuously operated airlift-loop reactors was studied. Shock loadings with mixtures of cadmium and nickel, or cadmium and zinc, respectively, resulted in increases in inhibition compared to those observed with the single metals. In contrast, the 2NS-degradation was less inhibited by shock loadings with mixtures of nickel and zinc than by the single metal ions. Repeated shock loadings up to 100 mg L^?1 nickel and 1000 mg L^?1 zinc effected an adaptation of the microorganisms. Continuous loadings with up to 10 mg L^?1 cadmium and nickel each, or with 50 mg L^?1 nickel and 210 mg L^?1 zinc, respectively, did not inhibit the degradation of 2NS. The permanent loadings led to an adaptation of the bacteria with an increased biosynthesis of proteins from 0.2 to 0.5 g g^?1 cell dry weight. However, if the immobilized cells were incubated with mixtures of cadmium and nickel, the specific polysaccharide content decreased to less than 0.2 g g^?1 cell dry weight, resulting in a detachment of the biofilms.     

Expulsion of Shallow Gas in the Skagerrak—Evidence from Sub-bottom Profiling, Seismic, Hydroacoustical and Geochemical Data

A combined high resolution seismic, sub-bottom profiling, and multi-beam echo-sounding survey in the Skagerrak (Danish sector of the North Sea) together with gas analyses at a station along the profile exhibit the expulsion of gas (mainly methane) and the presence of gas-charged sediments at shallow depth. The echo-soundings yield detailed insight into the distribution and shape of typical sea-floor features associated with gas seepage, such as pockmarks. The pockmarks reach dimensions of 800 m in length, 300 m in width, and 15 m in depth, with the long axis running parallel to the slope of the Norwegian Trench. Processing of the multi-channel high resolution seismic data and the digitally recorded sub-bottom profiler signals indicate an internal compressional velocity of about 1050 m s^-1 within the gas-charged sediments reaching from the sea-floor to a sub-bottom depth of about 23 m. Using the lateral distribution and thickness of the gas-charged sediments in conjunction with a mean concentration of gas of 3000 ppb, the present amount of trapped gas is estimated to be 6·45 × 10¹¹ g CH₄. The flux of methane through the sea-bed into the water column appears to be 7·2 × 10¹⁰ g CH₄ per year. To explain the small difference in size between the methane pool in near-surface sediments and the annual flux through the sea-bed, a constantly high supply of methane from leaking hydrocarbon reservoirs at greater depths has to be active.     

Zeitliche Beziehung zwischen variskischer Tektonik und initialem Magmatismus in Ostthüringen

Zusammenfassung Die voroberdevonischen Kerngesteine des Bergaer Sattels werden von wenige Meter mächtigen konkordanten und diskordanten Diabas-Gängen durchschlagen. Die diskordanten Gänge liegen ausnahmslos in der achsenflächenparallelen Transversalschieferung (s₁). Die Erklärung dieser Lagerungsform durch eine voroberdevonische Schieferung oder durch die Annahme eines nachsudetischen Intrusionsalters stünde im Widerspruch zu den bisherigen Ansichten. Eine genaue Überprüfung dieser s₁-parallelen Gänge erweist deutlich deren Bindung an die Mittelschenkel der Falten niederer Ordnung. Die aus der Schichtung abweichende Intrusion folgte demnach achsenflächenparallelen Schenkelbrüchen tiefoberdevonisch angelegter Embryonalfalten. Sie werden der reußischen Phase v.Gaertners (1951) zugeschrieben. Diese Bewegung an der Wende Mittel-/Oberdevon wird als intrageosynklinale Vorfaltung der saxothuringischen Zone des variskischen Orogens aufgefaßt.Dieser Beitrag ist das Teilergebnis einer regionalgeologischen Untersuchung, deren Anregung und Betreuung Verf. Herrn Professor Dr. F.Deubel verdankt.     

The “Mediterraneanization” of the climate in Mediterranean countries —a cause of the unstable ecobudget

Changes of accumulation, pedogenesis and vertical erosion for the last nearly 20 000 years in connexion with periods of warm and cold climates can be proved for Mediterranean areas. The climate of Mediterranean areas became more arid for the last nearly 5 000 years. Geomorphological processes in Mediterranean areas concur with geomorphological processes in N Africa. Substantial sediments formerly marked as “historical fills” are of natural origin. Pollen analytical observations about forest formations confirm the distinction of holocene sediments: older strata of natural origin and younger layers of anthropogenic origin. Maccia and phrygana in Mediterranean areas stand for a degradation of forest caused by man. They provide eminently efficient protection of the soil cover. This poses an important question: Is afforestation, esp. in mountain areas, ecologically and economically advisable?     

The pulsational behaviour of the rapidly oscillating Ap star HD 122970 during two photometric multisite campaigns

We undertook two time-series photometric multisite campaigns for the rapidly oscillating Ap star HD 122970. The first one, conducted in 1998, resulted in 119 h of data and in the detection of three pulsation frequencies. The presence of possible further modes which held the promise of deriving a mode identification motivated a second worldwide campaign in the year 2001. This second campaign resulted in 203 h of measurement, but did not reveal further modes. Rather, one of the previously detected signals disappeared. The two modes common to both data sets have different spherical degree. They also showed slight frequency modulation, and one of them varied in amplitude as well. Possible causes of the latter behaviour include intrinsic instability of the pulsation spectrum or precession of the pulsational axis and orbital motion in a binary system. Frequency analysis of the Hipparcos observations of the star did not allow us to determine the stellar rotation period. The amplitude and phase behaviour of the two modes of HD 122970 in the Strömgren uvby bands is quite similar to that observed for other roAp stars.     

Evangelical Protestantism,Politics, and the Environment: When and How Do Biblical Beliefs Matter?

Abstract

Literature on environment-related outcomes highlights the role of political and religious factors—in particular, political orientation, party affiliation and biblical beliefs. Less is known about how these factors independently and interactively shape attitudes towards policy and environmental behaviors including how political factors may be moderated by religious beliefs. Using structural equation modeling and data from the 2010 GSS, we find that in the United States political orientation and party affiliation independently affect willingness to pay for the environment and to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. Biblical beliefs have no effect on behaviors, but strongly influence willingness to pay. Moreover, biblical beliefs moderate the effects of political orientation: the more politically conservative biblical literalist are the more willing they are willing to pay for the environment. We conclude with a discussion of these surprising results by calling for more intersectional approaches to environment-related behaviors and attitudes.