Predicting quantiles of water quality from catchment characteristics

Water quality is often highly variable both in space and time, which poses challenges for modelling the more extreme concentrations. This study developed an alternative approach to predicting water quality quantiles at individual locations. We focused on river water quality data that were collected over 25 years, at 102 catchments across the State of Victoria, Australia. We analysed and modelled spatial patterns of the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles of the concentrations of sediments, nutrients and salt, with six common constituents: total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate-nitrite (NO_x), and electrical conductivity (EC). To predict the spatial variation of each quantile for each constituent, we developed statistical regression models and exhaustively searched through 50 catchment characteristics to identify the best set of predictors for that quantile. The models predict the spatial variation in individual quantiles of TSS, TKN and EC well (66%–96% spatial variation explained), while those for TP, FRP and NO_x have lower performance (37%–73% spatial variation explained). The most common factors that influence the spatial variations of the different constituents and quantiles are: annual temperature, percentage of cropping land area in catchment and channel slope. The statistical models developed can be used to predict how low- and high-concentration quantiles change with landscape characteristics, and thus provide a useful tool for catchment managers to inform planning and policy making with changing climate and land use conditions.     

Finding KBO Flyby Targets for New Horizons

Development of the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt is now fully funded by NASA (Stern and Spencer, this volume). If all goes well, New Horizons will be launched in January 2006, followed by a Jupiter gravity assist in 2007, with Pluto arrival expected in either 2015 or 2016, depending on the launch vehicle chosen. A backup launch date of early 2007, without a Jupiter flyby, would give a Pluto arrival in 2019 or 2020. In either case, a flyby of at least one Kuiper Belt object (KBO) is planned following the Pluto encounter, sometime before the spacecraft reaches a heliocentric distance of 50 AU, in 2021 or 2023 for the 2006 launch, and 2027 or 2029 for the 2007 launch. However, none of the almost 1000 currently-known KBOs will pass close enough to the spacecraft trajectory to be targeted by New Horizons, so the KBO flyby depends on finding a suitable target among the estimated 500,000 KBOs larger than 40 km in diameter. This paper discusses the issues involved in finding one or more KBO targets for New Horizons. The New Horizons team plans its own searches for mission KBOs but will welcome other U.S, or international team who wish to become involved in exchange for mission participation at the KBO.     

Three Super Active Regions in the Descending Phase of Solar Cycle 23

We analyze the magnetic configurations of three super active regions, NOAA 10484, 10486 and 10488, observed by the Huairou Multi-Channel Solar Telescope (MCST) from 2003 October 18 to November 4. Many energetic phenomena, such as flares (including a X-28 flare) and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), occurred during this period. We think that strong shear and fast emergence of magnetic flux are the main causes of these events. The question is also of great interest why these dramatic eruptions occurred so close together in the descending phase of the solar cycle.     

平阳矾山明矾石矿床岩石学特征及其成因浅析

在野外地质工作的基础上，通过对浙江平阳研山明矾石矿床的岩石学及地球化学特征进行认真的研究，进一步证实了矾山明矾山矿床是酸性火山气热液与中酸性火山碎屑岩内的碱性长石的交代中形成的。为了解释矿床的均一性，成矿的周期性和矿床单向依变分带等重要特征，我们重点研究了矿床中明矾石化和叶蜡石化的热力学性质，得出了K 活度和pH值是控制交代产物的重要因素的新结论，提出了该矿床交代成矿作用的新模型，并据此成功地解释了矿床的一些重要特征。     

ELECTROCHEMICAL CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF STEEL IN THE JUNCTURE AREA OF SEA CLAY AND SAND

Corrosion behavior of steel in the juncture area of sea clay and sand was studied. The results show that galvanic corrosion occurred between steel samples buried in sea clay and sand, and that the polarity of the galvanic cell reversed after some testing later. The cause of reversing of polarity is discussed.     

在社会发展的层面上认识“数字地球”

 本文讨论了“数字地球”的有关问题。指出“数字地球”是人类社会及其活动在网络空间的延伸和拓展,是信息技术带来的社会发展趋势。关于“数字地球”的讨论不应局限在空间信息技术领域,而应该在社会发展的层面上认识它     

DCMT光电扫描主测微器的设计与研究

DCMT主测微器不同于其它类型的子午环测微器,它具有自校准测定仪器参数的功能。该测微器采用了活动光栅的方案,其优点是能观测近极星和各类准直像;活动光栅另一个显著优点是不同赤纬星几乎可用相同的观测时间.对“V”形光栅的工作原理和误差进行了详细讨论,并给出了一组严格的公式。其系统误差来源有:光栅形状改正、光栅驱动方向相对于光栅的倾斜、光栅驱动方向相对于赤径方向的倾斜、星径曲率改正。     

CHARACTERIZATION OF LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE ISOZYME PATTERN AND MORPHOLOGY OF THREE MARINE FISH CELL LINES

Three continuous marine fish cell lines of FG (i. e., Hounder Gill) from flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) gill, SPH (i. e. , Sea Perch Heart) from sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicus) heart and RSBF (i.e., Red Sea Bream Fin) from red sea bream (Pagrosomus major) fin, were characterized by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozyme and morphological analysis. The LDH isozyme patterns of these three cell lines and their corresponding tissues of origin were investigated and compared. The results showed: (1) No difference was found in the LDH isozyme patterns of FG and flounder gill tissue. However, the LDH isozyme patterns of SPH and RSBF were significantly different from their corresponding tissues of origin; (2) LDH isozyme patterns of FG, SPH and RSBF were markedly different from each other and could serve as genetic markers for species identification and detection of cross contamination. Morphological change analysis of these three cell lines in comparison to their original tissues indicated that FG cells still appeared epithelioid without morphological transformation. However, morphological changes were found in SPH and RSBF compared to their original tissues. Therefore, the cellular morphology was still plastic in the relatively stable culture conditions, and it was possible that change of LDH patterns wasrelated to morphological changes of fish cells in vitro.     

天文光干涉与综合孔径技术的发展

本文简单介绍了光干涉与综合孔径技术发展的历史、国际上用于天文观测的一些著名光干涉仪的技术特点和进展、以及近年来我国开展的与光干涉 ,综合孔径技术有关的工作 ,最后简要介绍了在光学综合孔径技术领域所发展的光纤与集成光学等新技术     

EFFECT OF SULPHATE-REDUCING BACTERIA ON ELECTRO-CHEMICAL CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF 16Mn STEEL IN SEA MUD

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＩｔｗａｓｇｅｎｅｒａｌｌｙｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｅｄｐｒｅｖｉｏｕｓｌｙｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｒｒｏｓｉｏｎｏｆｓｔｅｅｌｉｎｓｅａｍｕｄｗａｓｎｏｔｓｅｒｉｏｕｓ.Ｈｏｗｅｖｅｒ,ｉｔｗａｓｌａｔｅｒｆｏｕｎｄｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｒｒｏｓｉｏｎｒａｔｅｏｆｓｔｅｅｌｉｎｓｏｍｅｓｅａｍｕｄｗａｓｈｉｇｈｅｒｔｈａｎｔｈａｔｉｎｓｅａｗａｔｅｒ(Ｋｉｎｇ,1980;Ｓｅｈｍｉｄｅ,1982;Ｇｕｏｅｔａｌ.,1997;Ｈｏｕ,1998).Ｔｈｅｒｅａｒｅｓｏｍｅｒｅｐｏｒｔｓｔｈａｔｔｈｅｃｏｒｒｏｓｉｏｎｒ…