3-D period doubling and magnetic moments of particles

Several invariant properties of matter seem to fit remarkably well to quantized values obtained from Planck domain units by period doubling in three dimensions. The units are defined using natural constants only. Such properties include the elementary electric charge, electron and proton rest energies and others. It has been shown by W. G. Tifft that the quantized redshifts of galaxies fit the pattern, too. Magnetic moments of the electron, proton, neutron, muon and lambda particles also seem to obey the doubling rule. The same number of doublings seems to yield the electron and proton rest masses and magnetic moments correspondingly. The proton rest mass is E₀×2^–64 and the magnetic moment µ _o × 2⁶⁴, where E₀ and µ _o are the Planck domain units. The corresponding exponent of 2 for the electron is 75.66. The units for the proton and the electron differ by a factor of . The magnetic moment of the muon suggests a close relationship between the magnetic structures of the muon and the proton, whereas the lambda particle seems to be related to the neutron. Reasons for the supposed existence of quantized 3-d time are represented.     

Ugandan geosites

Geosites are important and/or unique geological or geographical features of significance. Typically they comprise geological, palaeontological, as well as archaeological sites. Geosites should be regarded as deserving to be preserved and protected, either from the elements or from destructive human activities, both for the community and future generations. A good knowledge of geological heritage, and a healthy respect for it, is an important factor in the holistic approach for sustainable development. Very often, these sites bear a multi‐faceted ‘story’, which may date back from very recent times to billions of years ago. As such, geosites are of great educational and scientific value. In Africa, such sites have not been receiving the attention they deserve. Only a few countries on the continent acknowledge their importance. Within the framework of a Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project (SMMRP), geological mapping, geochemical surveys and mineral resources assessment in selected areas of Uganda have been completed under the umbrella of the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), and the Department of Geological Survey and Mines (DGSM, Uganda). Apart from recording ‘hard‐tough’ geology, 62 geosites were documented in 2010 and 2011. For the first time, such sites have been incorporated in the new geological maps of the country (at a scale of 1: 250 000). It is possible that this is the first time that such places have been shown on geological maps of Africa. Currently, the extreme north‐east of the country is being geologically mapped by DGSM, with the eventuality of more possible geosites being discovered.     

Population, income and ecological conditions as determinants of forest area variation in the tropics

The underlying causes of forest area variation were studied by using data from the original forest assessments between 1970 and 1991 of FAO FORIS database representing 477 subnational geographical units in 67 tropical countries. Multiple regression modelling was applied to measure the effects. Five ecological variables were used to control the varying ecological conditions in the subnational units. Three variables were used to control the varying reliability of forest inventory data. Population and income variables were found to be significant factors explaining forest area variation after controlling for ecological variation. In particular population density and income per capita turned out to be significant underlying factors of deforestation. The overall conclusion is that determining the factors behind forest area variation helps explaining the causes of deforestation.     

Chaos in three-body dynamics: Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy

An ensemble of Newtonian three-body models with close initial separations is investigated by following the evolution of a 'drop' in the homology map. The onset of chaos is revealed by the motion and the complex temporal deformation of the drop. In the state of advanced chaos, the drop spreads over almost the whole homology map, quite independently of its initial position on the map. A general quantitative measure of this process is the mean exponential rate of spreading, which bears resemblance to Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy; this is introduced and estimated in terms of the homology mapping. In a similar manner we also estimate the mean exponential rate of divergence of initially close-by trajectories. This is a close analogue to the Lyapunov exponent. These parameters measure two complementary aspects of dynamical instability, which is the basic mechanism of the onset of chaos.     

A sophisticated lander for scientific exploration of Mars: scientific objectives and implementation of the Mars-96 Small Station

A mission to Mars including two Small Stations, two Penetrators and an Orbiter was launched at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 16 November 1996. This was called the Mars-96 mission. The Small Stations were expected to land in September 1997 (Ls approximately 178 degrees), nominally to Amazonis-Arcadia region on locations (33 N, 169.4 W) and (37.6 N, 161.9 W). The fourth stage of the Mars-96 launcher malfunctioned and hence the mission was lost. However, the state of the art concept of the Small Station can be applied to future Martian lander missions. Also, from the manufacturing and performance point of view, the Mars-96 Small Station could be built as such at low cost, and be fairly easily accommodated on almost any forthcoming Martian mission. This is primarily due to the very simple interface between the Small Station and the spacecraft. The Small Station is a sophisticated piece of equipment. With the total available power of approximately 400 mW the Station successfully supports an ambitious scientific program. The Station accommodates a panoramic camera, an alpha-proton-x-ray spectrometer, a seismometer, a magnetometer, an oxidant instrument, equipment for meteorological observations, and sensors for atmospheric measurement during the descent phase, including images taken by a descent phase camera. The total mass of the Small Station with payload on the Martian surface, including the airbags, is only 32 kg. Lander observations on the surface of Mars combined with data from Orbiter instruments will shed light on the contemporary Mars and its evolution. As in the Mars-96 mission, specific science goals could be exploration of the interior and surface of Mars, investigation of the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere, the role of water and other materials containing volatiles and in situ studies of the atmospheric boundary layer processes. To achieve the scientific goals of the mission the lander should carry a versatile set of instruments. The Small Station accommodates devices for atmospheric measurements, geophysical and geochemical studies of the Martian surface and interior, and cameras for descent phase and panoramic views. These instruments would be able to contribute remarkably to the process of solving some of the scientific puzzles of Mars.     

High‐frequency precipitation and stream water quality time series from Plynlimon,Wales: an openly accessible data resource spanning the periodic table

This scientific briefing announces the availability of a new multi‐element high‐frequency water quality data set that is openly accessible to the research community. The data set comprises up to 2 years of 7‐hourly water quality data for two streams and one rainfall site in the Upper Severn catchment at Plynlimon in Mid‐Wales. The measurements cover 50 analytes ranging from H⁺ to U and spanning six orders of magnitude in concentration, including major, minor and trace elements as well as nutrients, and they complement decades of weekly measurements of the same analytes at the Upper Severn. Together, the weekly and 7‐hourly time series provide a unique data set for studying both long‐term trends and short‐term dynamics. The data show complex behaviour over a wide range of timescales, challenging our understanding of catchment processes and informing future modelling efforts. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.