Experimental decipherment of the soft-sediment deformation observed in the upper part of the Talchir Formation (Lower Permian), Jharia Basin, India

Four types of soft-sediment folds of distinct geometry can be recognized in the upper part of the Talchir Formation (Lower Permian) of Jharia Basin, India. These folds, on systematic examination, indicate some events of progressive deformation. Experimental study reveals that if a layered stack of clay and overlying sand is allowed to flow slowly down a slope, differential velocity due to viscosity contrast leads to the deformation of the rheologic interface. The sharp planar contact gradually becomes wavy leading to the development of round-hinged folds involving sediments adjacent to it. With the advancement of the flow these folds gradually become overturned with the rotation of the axial plane in the direction of flow. Computer simulation suggests that progressive deformation of these folds by simple shearing may lead to the formation of tight isoclinal folds, which on dislocation along intrastratal normal faults may lead to the development of rootless isoclinal folds. The sheath folds observed in the studied section also indicate accentuation of the curved hinge due to simple shearing. The spatial distribution of these fold types in conjunction with the inferred direction of progressive deformation indicate basinward translation of the slump slice. If the same stack of sediments rapidly flows down the slope, the waveform generated at the interface quickly breaks in the form of roll-up recumbent fold due to Kelvin–Helmholtz instability.     

Detection of rice sheath blight for in-season disease management using multispectral remote sensing

Timely diagnosis of crop diseases in fields is critical for precision on-farm disease management. Remote sensing technology can be used as an effective and inexpensive method to identify diseased plants in a field scale. However, due to the diversity of crops and their associated diseases, application of the technology to agriculture is still in research stage, which needs to be elaborately investigated for algorithm development and standard image processing procedures. In this paper, we examined the applicability of broadband high spatial-resolution ADAR (Airborne Data Acquisition and Registration) remote sensing data to detect rice sheath blight and developed an approach to further explore the applicability. Based on the field symptom measurements, a comprehensive field disease index (DI) was constructed to measure infection severity of the disease and to relate to image sampled infections. In addition to direct band digital number (DN) values, band ratio indices and standard difference indices were used to examine possible correlations between field and image data. The results indicated that the broadband remote sensing imagery has the capability to detect the disease. Some image indices such as RI₁₄, SDI₁₄ and SDI₂₄ worked better than others. A correlation coefficient above 0.62 indicated that these indices would be valuable to use for identification of the rice disease. In the validation analysis, we obtained a small root mean square error (RMS = 9.1), confirming the applicability of the developed method. Although the results were encouraging, it was difficult to discriminate healthy plants from light infection ones when DI < 20 because of their spectral similarities. Hence, it was clear that identification accuracy increases when infection reaches medium-to-severe levels (DI > 35). This phenomenon illustrated that remote sensing images with higher spectral resolution (more bands and narrower bandwidth) were required in order to further examine the capability of separating the light diseased plants from healthy plants.     

The Migif–Hafafit gneissic complex of the Egyptian Eastern Desert: fold interference patterns involving multiply deformed sheath folds

The Wadi Hafafit Complex (WHC) is an arcuate belt of orthogneisses, migmatites and other high-grade metamorphic rocks, which marks the boundary between the Central Eastern and the South Eastern Deserts of Egypt. In the WHC, gneissic meta-gabbro outlines macroscopic fold interference patterns characterized by elliptical to irregular culminations cored by gneissic meta-tonalite to meta-trondhjemite. The five main culminations of the WHC have previously been labeled A (most northerly), B, C, D and E (most southerly). A detailed structural investigation of B, C, D and E reveals that these structures are a result of the interference of four macroscopic fold phases, the first three of which may represent a single deformation event. The first folding involved sheath-like fold nappes, which were transported to the N or NW, assisted by translation on gently dipping mylonite zones. The regional gneissosity and mineral extension lineations formed during this folding event. The fold nappes were deformed by mainly open upright small macroscopic and mesocopic folds with approximately NE-trending hinges. As a probable continuation of the latter folding, the sheaths were buckled into large macroscopic folds and monoclines with the same NE-trends. The fourth macroscopic folding resulted from shortening along the NE–SW direction, producing mainly NW–SE-trending upright gently plunging folds. Gravitative uplift is disputed as a component of the deformation history of the WHC. The peculiarities of the fold interference pattern result from the interesting behaviour of sheath folds during their refolding.     

Sheath effects on DEMETER ion drift measurements

The “Instrument d’Analyse du Plasma” on DEMETER includes an ion drift meter used to measure the direction of the incoming ram plasma ( [Berthelier et al., 2006a] and [Berthelier et al., 2006b]). Given the velocity of the satellite, and expected flow velocities of plasma along DEMETER's orbit, it is estimated that at mid latitudes, the direction of incident plasma as measured by IAP should be within approximately 2° of the ram direction. Yet, significantly larger angular deviations are measured routinely. An important assumption made in the interpretation of onboard instruments, such as IAP, is that neither the spacecraft nor the instrument significantly perturb the plasma that is being measured. In view of the large observed angular deviations, this paper examines the possible effect of the electrostatic sheath surrounding IAP. This is done with the 3D PIC simulation code PTetra. The model uses a full 3D particle in cell code with unstructured tetrahedral mesh capable of accurately representing the satellite geometry. The mesh is also adaptive so as to provide a fine spatial resolution in the vicinity of the particle sensor where it is needed, and a coarse resolution in regions where plasma parameters vary over a longer scale length. Calculation results show that while particle deflection associated with the electrostatic sheath near IAP can account for appreciable angular deflections for representative ionospheric plasmas, they are typically smaller than the ones observed. Additionally, the model is unable to reproduce the latitudinal dependence of the observed large deflection angles. It is concluded that sheath effects may cause appreciable distortions on the IAP type of ion flow meter instruments, and on other particle sensors in general. The larger observed deviations and their latitudinal dependence, however, must be attributable to other physical processes not accounted for in the model.     

基于GIS的小麦赤霉病气象等级预报系统的设计与实现

以江苏省为例,介绍了基于地理信息系统的小麦赤霉病气象等级预报系统的设计思路及核心技术。系统采用VB.Net 2005和ArcEngine做为开发平台,基于MSSQL SERVER 2005数据库查询,利用日平均相对湿度、日平均气温和日照时数3个气象要素,用两种算法来计算小麦赤霉病发生发展的气象等级,生成包含地理信息的文字产品和图形产品,实现了小麦赤霉病气象等级业务预报。系统具有功能强大,算法高效,操作简单等特点,解决了业务部门资料分析处理和赤霉病气象等级预报的相关问题,具有很好的业务应用和推广价值。     

Sheath fold morphology in simple shear

Sheath folds are highly non-cylindrical structures often associated with shear zones. We investigate the formation of sheath folds around a weak inclusion acting as a slip surface in simple shear by means of an analytical model. We present results for different slip surface orientations and shapes. Cross-sections perpendicular to the shear direction through the sheath fold display closed contours, so called eye-structures. The aspect ratio of the outermost closed contour is strongly dependent on the initial slip surface configuration. The center of the eye-structure is subject to change in height with respect to the upper edge of the outermost closed contour for different cross-sections perpendicular to the shear direction. This results in a large variability in layer thickness across the sheath fold length, questioning the usefulness of eye-structures as shear sense indicators. The location of the center of the eye structure is largely invariant to the initial configurations of the slip surface as well as to strain. The values of the aspect ratios of the closed contours within the eye-pattern are dependent on the strain and the cross-section location. The ratio (R′) of the aspect ratios of the outermost closed contour (R_yz) and the innermost closed contour (R_y′z′) shows values above and below 1. R′ shows dependence on the slip surface shape and orientation but not on the number of involved contours. Using R′ measurements to deduce the bulk strain type may be erroneous.     

The development of sheath folds in viscously stratified materials in simple shear conditions: An analogue approach

Sheath folds are highly non-cylindrical folds occurring in a variety of geological settings, and have been studied using different approaches. With the present work, we provide a quantitative analysis of the generation and development of sheath folds in a viscously layered system in simple shear conditions. The sheath folds develop from an initial non-cylindrical deflection located on the highly viscous layer. The analogue experiments investigated the influence of (1) variations in the viscosity ratio between the high viscosity layer and the matrix (η_hvl/η_m), (2) variations in the ratio between the amplitude of the initial deflection and the thickness of the high viscosity layer (A_f/T_hvl), and (3) progressive simple shear (γ). The results show that increases in η_hvl/η_m will produce progressively less elongated sheath folds, while increases in A_f/T_hvl will result in more elongated sheath folds. We present regime diagrams with η_hvl/η_m and A_f/T_hvl for different shear strains illustrating under which conditions sheath folds form. In case the original deflection amplitude and layer thickness as well as γ can be retrieved for sheath folds in nature, then their geometry can be used to quantify the effective η_hvl/η_m.     

小麦赤霉病气象条件适宜程度等级预报

利用1965-2006年气象、赤霉病资料,分析赤霉病感病期间各气象要素对赤霉病的诱发程度,定义满足一定诱发条件的日子为赤霉病诱发致病日.根据最优化技术二维寻优的变量轮换原理,计算赤霉病感病期间逐日诱发修正系数、赤霉病诱发致病日的持续时间修正系数,建立促病指数模型,由此判别赤霉病气象条件适宜程度及发生的等级.2007年、2008年和2009年试报结果与实况相符.应用本研究方法,可动态监测赤霉病气象条件适宜程度的等级,由此推测赤霉病可能流行的程度,科学防治赤霉病.     

The structural evolution of sheath folds: A case study from Cap de Creus

It has long been recognised that within zones of intense non-coaxial deformation, fold hinges may rotate progressively towards the transport direction ultimately resulting in highly curvilinear sheath folds. However, there is a surprising lack of detailed and systematic field analysis of such “evolving” sheath folds. This case study therefore focuses on the sequential development of cm-scale curvilinear folds in the greenschist-facies El Llimac shear zone, Cap de Creus, Spain. This simple shear-dominated dextral shear zone displays superb three dimensional exposures of sheath folds defined by mylonitic quartz bands within phyllonite. Increasing amounts of fold hinge curvature (δ) are marked by hinge segments rotating into sub-parallelism with the mineral lineation (Lm), whilst the acute angle between the axial-planar hinge girdle and foliation (ω) also displays a sequential reduction. Although Lm bisects the noses of sheath folds, it is also clearly folded and wrapped-around the sheath hinges. Lm typically preserves a larger angle (θ) with the fold hinge on the lower limb (L) compared to the upper (U) limb (θL > θU), suggesting that Lm failed to achieve a steady orientation on the lower limb. Adjacent sheath fold hinges forming fold pairs may display the same sense of hinge arcing to define synthetic curvature, or alternatively opposing directions of antithetic curvature. Such patterns reflect original buckle fold geometries coupled with the direction of shearing. The ratio of long/short fold limbs decreases with increasing hinge curvilinearity, indicating sheath folds developed via stretching of the short limb, rather than migrating or rolling hinge models. This study unequivocally demonstrates that both hinges of fold pairs become curvilinear with sheaths closing in the transport direction recording greater hinge-line curvilinearity compared to adjacent return hinges. This may provide a useful guide to bulk shear sense.     

转基因水稻"竹转68"病害发生风险的初步研究

采用抗病性鉴定和田间隔离小区试验病害调查相结合的方法,研究了转抗真菌基因"RC24"的转基因水稻"竹转68"的抗病性和病害发生规律,对"竹转68"田间释放后病害发生的风险进行了初步预测.试验结果表明,"竹转68"对纹枯病具有较高的抗病性,对稻瘟病的抗病性也有显著提高且存在田间抗病性.进一步的田间隔离小区试验结果表明"竹转68"田间释放后,病害发生轻,表现较好的综合抗病能力.