Elemental composition of solar energetic particles

The Low Energy Telescopes on the Voyager spacecraft are used to measure the elemental composition (2 ≤ Z ≤ 28) and energy spectra (5 to 15 MeV /nucleon) of solar energetic particles (SEPs) in seven large flare events. Four flare events are selected which have SEP abundance ratios approximately independent of energy/nucleon. The abundances for these events are compared from flare to flare and are compared to solar abundances from other sources: spectroscopy of the photosphere and corona, and solar wind measurements.

The selected SEP composition results may be described by an average composition plus a systematic flare-to-flare deviation about the average. For each of the four events, the ratios of the SEP abundances to the four-flare average SEP abundances are approximately monotonic functions of nuclear charge Z in the range 6 ≤ Z ≤ 28. An exception to this Z-dependent trend occurs for He, whose abundance relative to Si is nearly the same in all four events.

The four-flare average SEP composition is significantly different from the solar composition determined by photospheric spectroscopy: The elements C, N and O are depleted in SEPs by a factor of about five relative to the elements Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Cr, Fe and Ni. For some elemental abundance ratios (e.g. Mg/O), the difference between SEP and photospheric results is persistent from flare to flare and is apparently not due to a systematic difference in SEP energy/nucleon spectra between the elements, nor to propagation effects which would result in a time-dependent abundance ratio in individual flare events.

The four-flare average SEP composition is in agreement with solar wind abundance results and with a number of recent coronal abundance measurements. The evidence for a common depletion of oxygen in SEPs, the corona and the solar wind relative to the photosphere suggests that the SEPs originate in the corona and that both the SEPs and solar wind sample a coronal composition which is significantly and persistently different from that of the photosphere.

Solar photospheric and coronal abundances from solar energetic particle measurements

Observations of solar energetic particles (SEPs) from 22 solar flares in the 1977-1982 time period are reported. The observations were made by the Cosmic Ray Subsystem on board the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. SEP abundances have been obtained for all elements with 3 ≤ Z ≤ 30 except Li, Be, B. F, Sc, V, Co and Cu. for which upper limits have been obtained. Statistically meaningful abundances of several rare elements (e.g., P, Cl, K, Ti, Mn) have been determined for the first time, and the average abundances of the more abundant elements have been determined with improved precision, typically a factor of three better than the best previous determinations.

Previously reported results concerning the dependence of the fractionation of SEPs relative to photosphere on first ionization potential (FIP) have been confirmed and amplified upon with the new data. The monotonic Z-dependence of the variation between flares noted by earlier studies was found to be interpretable as a fractionation, produced by acceleration of the particles from the corona and their propagation through interplanetary space, which is ordered by the ionic charge-to-mass ratio Q/ M of the species making up the SEPs. It was found that Q/M is the primary organizing parameter of acceleration and propagation effects in SEPs, as evidenced by the dependence on Q/M of time, spatial and energy dependence within flares and of the abundance variability from flare to flare.

An unfractionated coronal composition was derived by applying a simple Q/M fractionation correction to the observed average SEP composition, to simultaneously correct for all Q/M-correlated acceleration/propagation fractionation of SEPs. The resulting coronal composition agrees well with current XUV/X-ray spectroscopic measurements of coronal composition but is of much higher precision and is available for a much larger set of elements. Compared to spectroscopic photospheric abundances, the SEP-derived corona appears depleted in C and somewhat enriched in Cr (and possibly Ca and Ti).

An unfractionated photospheric composition was derived by applying a simple FIP fractionation correction to the derived coronal composition, to correct for the FIP-associated fractionation of the corona during its formation from photospheric material. The resulting composition agrees well with the photospheric abundance tabulation of Grevesse (1984) except for an at least 50% lower abundance of C and a significantly greater abundance of Cr and possibly Ti. The results support the Grevesse photospheric Fe abundance, about 50% higher than meteoritic and earlier solar values. The SEP-derived photospheric composition is not generally of higher precision than the available spectroscopic data, but it relies on fewer physical parameters and is available for some elements (C, N, Ne, Ar) which cannot be measured spectroscopically in the photosphere.

Gene structure and transcription of IRF-2 in the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi with the finding of alternative transcripts and microsatellite in the coding region

The gene of interferon regulatory factor-2 (IRF-2) has been cloned from the mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi). The IRF-2 gene has 6,418 nucleotides (nt) and contains eight exons and seven introns, encoding two mRNAs. The two IRF-2 mRNAs each contained an open reading frame of 873 nt, which both translate into the same 291 amino acids but differed in their 5' untranslated region: one mRNA was transcribed initially from the exon 1 bypassing exon 2, while the other was transcribed from the exon 2. The microsatellites (CA repeats) could be found in the carboxyl terminal region of mandarin fish IRF-2, which result in the truncated form molecules. The microsatellites' polymorphism was investigated, and eight alleles were found in 16 individuals. The microsatellites were also examined in IRF-2 of several freshwater perciform fishes. The transcription of the IRF-2 in different tissues with or without poly inosine-cytidine stimulation was analyzed by real-time PCR, and the constitutive transcription of both molecules could be detected in all the tissues examined.

Photosynthetic utilization of inorganic carbon in the economic brown alga, Hizikia Fusiforme (Sargassaceae) from the South China Sea

The mechanism of inorganic carbon (C-i) acquisition by the economic brown macroalga, Hizikia fusiforme (Harv.) Okamura (Sargassaceae), was investigated to characterize its photosynthetic physiology. Both intracellular and extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA) were detected, with the external CA activity accounting for about 5% of the total. Hizikia fusiforme showed higher rates of photosynthetic oxygen evolution at alkaline pH than those theoretically derived from the rates of uncatalyzed CO2 production from bicarbonate and exhibited a high pH compensation point (pH 9.66). The external CA inhibitor, acetazolamide, significantly depressed the photosynthetic oxygen evolution, whereas the anion-exchanger inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyano-stilbene-2,2'-disulfonate had no inhibitory effect on it, implying the alga was capable of using HCO3- as a source of C-i for its photosynthesis via the mediation of the external CA. CO2 concentrations in the culture media affected its photosynthetic properties. A high level of CO2 (10,000 ppmv) resulted in a decrease in the external CA activity; however, a low CO2 level (20 ppmv) led to no changes in the external CA activity but raised the intracellular CA activity. Parallel to the reduction in the external CA activity at the high CO2 was a reduction in the photosynthetic CO2 affinity. Decreased activity of the external CA in the high CO2 grown samples led to reduced sensitiveness of photosynthesis to the addition of acetazolamide at alkaline pH. It was clearly indicated that H. fusiforme, which showed CO2-limited photosynthesis with the half-saturating concentration of C-i exceeding that of seawater, did not operate active HCO3- uptake but used it via the extracellular CA for its photosynthetic carbon fixation.

beta-delayed proton decays of Tb-140 and Dy-140 as well as the spin and parity of Dy-143

Tb-140 and Dy-141 were produced via fusion evaporation in the reaction Ca-40+Cd-106. Their beta-delayed proton decays were studied by means of "p-gamma" coincidence in combination with a He-jet tape transport system, including half-lives, proton energy spectra, gamma-transitions following the proton emissions, and the branching ratios to the low-lying states in the grand-daughter nuclei. The ground-state spins and parities of Tb-140 and Dy-141 were extracted as 7(+/-) and 9/2(+/-), respectively, by fitting the experimental data with a statistical model calculation. The configuration-constrained nuclear potential energy surfaces (NPES) of Tb-140 and Dy-141 were calculated by using the Woods-Saxon Strutinsky method, which indicate the ground-state spins and parities of Tb-140 and Dy-147 to be 7(+) and 9/2(-), respectively. In addition, the configuration-constrained NPES of Dy-143 was also calculated by using the same method. From the NPES a 1/2(+) ground state and a 11/2(-) isomer with the excitation energy of 198keV were found. The calculated results are consistent with our experimental data on the decay of Dy-143 reported in Eur. Phys. J., 2003, A16: 347-351.

Experimental study of the U-238(S-36,3-5n)(269-271)Hs reaction leading to the observation of (270)Hs

The deformed doubly magic nucleus (270)Hs has so far only been observed as the four-neutron (4n) evaporation residue of the reaction Mg-26+Cm-248, where a maximum cross section of 3 pb was measured. Theoretical studies on the formation of (270)Hs in the 4n evaporation channel of fusion reactions with different entrance channel asymmetry in the framework of a two-parameter Smoluchowski equation predict that the reactions Ca-48+Ra-226 and S-36+U-238 result in higher cross sections due to lower reaction Q values, in contrast to simple arguments based on the reaction asymmetry, which predict opposite trends. Calculations using HIVAP predict cross sections for the reaction S-36+U-238 that are similar to those of the Mg-26+Cm-248 reaction. Here, we report on the first measurement of evaporation residues formed in the complete nuclear fusion reaction S-36+U-238 and the observation of (270)Hs, which is produced in the 4n evaporation channel, with a measured cross section of 0.8(-0.7)(+2.6) pb at 51-MeV excitation energy. The one-event cross-section limits (68% confidence level) for the 3n, 4n, and 5n evaporation channels at 39-MeV excitation energy are 2.9 pb, while the cross-section limits of the 3n and 5n channel at 51 MeV are 1.5 pb. This is significantly lower than the 5n cross section of the Mg-26+Cm-248 reaction at similar excitation energy.

NaCl/Ca/Al as an efficient cathode in organic light-emitting devices

An efficient cathode NaCl/Ca/Al used to improve the performance of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) was reported. Standard NM-bis(1-naphthyl)-NAP-diphenyl-1,1' biphenyl 4,4'-dimaine (NPB)/tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq(3)) devices with NaCl/Ca/Al cathode showed dramatically enhanced electroluminescent (EL) efficiency. A power efficiency of 4.6 lm/W was obtained for OLEDs with 2 nm of NaCl and 10 nm of Ca, which is much higher than 2.0 lm/W, 3.1 lm/W, 2.1 lm/ W and 3.6 lm/W in devices using, respectively, the LiF (1 nm)/Al, LiF (1 nm)/Ca (10 nm)/Al, Ca (10 nm)/Al and NaCl (2 nm)/ Al cathodes. The investigation of the electron injection in electron-only devices indicates that the utilization of the NaCl/Ca/Al cathode substantially enhances the electron injection current, which in case of OLEDs leads to the improvement of the brightness and efficiency.

CLONING AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CARBONIC ANHYDRASE GENE FROM PORPHYRA YEZOENSIS

Carbonic anhydrase (CA), an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of CO2 and HCO3-, has a critical role in inorganic carbon acquisition in many kingdoms, including animals, plants, and bacteria. In this study, the full-length cDNA of the CA gene from Porphyra yezoensis Ueda (denoted as PyCA) was cloned by using an expressed sequence tag (EST) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The nucleotide sequence of PyCA consists of 1,153 bp, including a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 177 bp, a 3' UTR of 151 bp, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 825 bp that can be translated into a 274-amino-acid putative peptide with a molecular mass (M) of 29.8 kDa and putative isoelectric point (pI) of 8.51. The predicted polypeptide has significant homology to the beta-CA from bacteria and unicellular algae, such as Porphyridium purpureum. The mRNA in filamentous thalli, leafy thalli, and conchospores was examined, respectively, by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the levels of PyCA are different at different stages of the life cycle. The lowest level of mRNA was observed in leafy thalli, and the level in filamentous thalli and in the conchospores was 4-fold higher and 10-fold higher, respectively.

Extreme weathering/erosion during the Miocene Climatic Optimum: Evidence from sediment record in the South China Sea

Investigating the interplay between continental weathering and erosion, climate, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations is significant in understanding the mechanisms that force the Cenozoic global cooling and predicting the future climatic and environmental response to increasing temperature and CO2 levels. The Miocene represents an ideal test case as it encompasses two distinct extreme climate periods, the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO) with the warmest time since 35 Ma in Earth's history and the transition to the Late Cenozoic icehouse mode with the establishment of the east Antarctic ice sheet. However the precise role of continental weathering during this period of major climate change is poorly understood. Here we show changes in the rates of Miocene continental chemical weathering and physical erosion, which we tracked using the chemical index of alteration ( CIA) and mass accumulation rate ( MAR) respectively from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1146 and 1148 in the South China Sea. We found significantly increased CIA values and terrigenous MARs during the MCO (ca. 17-15 Ma) compared to earlier and later periods suggests extreme continental weathering and erosion at that time. Similar high rates were revealed in the early-middle Miocene of Asia, the European Alps, and offshore Angola. This suggests that rapid sedimentation during the MCO was a global erosion event triggered by climate rather than regional tectonic activity. The close coherence of our records with high temperature, strong precipitation, increased burial of organic carbon and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration during the MCO argues for long-term, close coupling between continental silicate weathering, erosion, climate and atmospheric CO2 during the Miocene. Citation: Wan, S., W. M. Kurschner, P. D. Clift, A. Li, and T. Li (2009), Extreme weathering/ erosion during the Miocene Climatic Optimum: Evidence from sediment record in the South China Sea, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L19706, doi: 10.1029/2009GL040279.

The Aesthetics of Motion in Musics for the Mevlana Celal ed-Din Rumi

This dissertation investigates the concept of motion as a fundamental aesthetic element in the devotional music, dance, and rituals performed in honor of the celebrated thirteenth-century Persian mystic poet and saint, the Mevlana Celal ed-Din Muhammad Rumi. The main focus of the study is threefold. First, it investigates the prevalence of the notion of movement in Islamic music and culture, specifically within the Sufi communities of Turkey, in order to arrive at a broader understanding of the relationship between music, aesthetics, and worldview. Secondly, it explores how musical performance functions as a form of devotion or religious worship by focusing on the musical repertories performed in honor of a single holy figure, the Mevlana Rumi. Finally, it provides an ethnographic account of contemporary developments in Sufi musical culture in Turkey and across the world by describing the recent activities of the Mevlana's devotees, which includes members of the Mevlevi Order of Islamic mystics as well as adherents of other Sufi brotherhoods and followers of so-called New Religions or New Age. The primary research for this study involved two short one-month field trips to Turkey and India in 2002 and 2003, respectively, and a longer one year expedition to Turkey in 2004 and 2005, which also included shorter stays in Cyprus, Syria, and Egypt. Additionally, the dissertation draws directly from critical theories advanced in the fields of ethnomusicology, cultural anthropology, and ethnochoreology and focuses on the kinesthetic parameters of music, dance, trance, and ritual as well as on broader forms of socio-cultural movement including pilgrimage, cultural tourism, and globalization. These forms of movement are analyzed in four broad categories of music used in worship, including classical Mevlevi music, music of the zikr ceremony, popular musics, and non-Turkish musics.

Characterisation of products of tricalcium silicate hydration in the presence of heavy metals

The hydration of tricalcium silicate (C(3)S) in the presence of heavy metal is very important to cement-based solidification/stabilisation (s/s) of waste. In this work, tricalcium silicate pastes and aqueous suspensions doped with nitrate salts of Zn(2+), Pb(2+), Cu(2+) and Cr(3+) were examined at different ages by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (DTA/TG) and (29)Si solid-state magic angle spinning/nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS/NMR). It was found that heavy metal doping accelerated C(3)S hydration, even though Zn(2+) doping exhibited a severe retardation effect at an early period of time of C(3)S hydration. Heavy metals retarded the precipitation of portlandite due to the reduction of pH resulted from the hydrolysis of heavy metal ions during C(3)S hydration. The contents of portlandite in the control, Cr(3+)-doped, Cu(2+)-doped, Pb(2+)-doped and Zn(2+)-doped C(3)S pastes aged 28 days were 16.7, 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, and <0.7%, respectively. Heavy metals co-precipitated with calcium as double hydroxides such as (Ca(2)Cr(OH)(7).3H(2)O, Ca(2)(OH)(4)4Cu(OH)(2).2H(2)O and CaZn(2)(OH)(6).2H(2)O). These compounds were identified as crystalline phases in heavy metal doping C(3)S suspensions and amorphous phases in heavy metal doping C(3)S pastes. (29)Si NMR data confirmed that heavy metals promoted the polymerisation of C-S-H gel in 1-year-old of C(3)S pastes. The average numbers of Si in C-S-H gel for the Zn(2+)-doped, Cu(2+)-doped, Cr(3+)-doped, control, and Pb(2+)-doped C(3)S pastes were 5.86, 5.11, 3.66, 3.62, and 3.52. And the corresponding Ca/Si ratios were 1.36, 1.41, 1.56, 1.57 and 1.56, respectively. This study also revealed that the presence of heavy metal facilitated the formation of calcium carbonate during C(3)S hydration process in the presence of carbon dioxide.

Satellite flies (Leucophora personata, Diptera : Anthomyiidae) and other dipteran parasites of the communal bee Andrena agilissima (Hymenoptera : Andrenidae) on the island of Elba, Italy

Solitary and presocial aculueate Hymenoptera are parasitized by a range of dipteran species in the families Axithomyiidae, Bombyliidae, Conopidae, Phoridae, and Sarcophagidae that are likely to impact on their hosts. We undertook a study over several years of a univoltine and communal bee, Andrena agilissima, and its main dipteran parasites, in particular the satellite fly Leucophora personata (Diptera: Anthomyiidae). Behavioural and ecological data were collected from one nesting aggregation of the host bee on the island of Elba, Italy, from 1993 to 2003, and from a foraging site of the bee, ca 5 km from the nesting aggregation. Other Diptera associated with A. agilissmia at the field site were the bee fly Bombylius fimbriatus (Bombyliidae), the conopid fly Zodion cinereum (Conopidae), and the scuttle fly Megaselia andrenae (Phoridae). The phenology of the Diptera broadly overlapped with that of their host across the season of activity (end of April and all of May). Diurnal activity patterns differed slightly; L. personata in particular was active at the host's nesting site before A. agilissima. Female satellite flies also showed a range of behaviours in gaining entry to a host nest. We summarize published data on this and other Leucophora species that parasitize Andrena host bees. Host bees returning to their nests occasionally undertook zig-zag flight manoeuvres if followed by a satellite fly that were generally successful in evading the fly. Satellite flies that entered a nest, presumably to oviposit, were less likely to remain therein if another host bee entered the same nest, suggesting that one advantage to communal nesting for this host is a reduction in brood cell parasitism by L. personata. We provide the first clear evidence for parasitism by a Zodion of any Andrena host. Both L. personata and M. andrenae concentrated their parasitic activities in the zone of the host nesting aggregation with highest nest densities. Three of the Diptera, L. personata, B. fimbriatus, and Z. cinereum, seemed to have extremely low rates of parasitism whilst that of M. andrenae appeared low. Though they have refined parasitic behaviour that allows them to gain entry into host nests (L. personata, B. fimbriatus, and M. andrenae) or to parasitize adults (Z. cinercum), these parasites seem not to impact upon the dynamics of the host A. agilissima at the nesting aggregation, and the host possesses traits to reduce parasitism.

Observations towards early-type stars in the ESO-POP Survey - II. Searches for intermediate- and high-velocity clouds

We present Ca it K and Ti it optical spectra of early-type stars taken mainly from the ultraviolet and visual echelle spectrograph (LIVES) Paranal Observatory Project, plus H 1 21-cm spectra, from the Vila-Elisa and Leiden-Dwingeloo Surveys, which are employed to obtain distances to intermediate- and high-velocity clouds (IHVCs). H I emission at a velocity of -117 km s(-1) towards the sightline HD 30677 (l, b = 190 degrees.2, -22 degrees.2) with column density -1.7 x 10(19) cm(-2) has no corresponding Ca Pi K absorption in the LIVES spectrum, which has a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 610 per resolution element. The star has a spectroscopically determined distance of 2.7 kpc, and hence sets this as a firm lower distance limit towards Anti-Centre cloud ACII. Towards another sightline (HD 46185 with 1, b = 222 0, -10 degrees.1), H1 at a velocity of +122 km s(-1) and column density of 1.2 x 10(19) cm(-2) is seen. The corresponding Ca Pi K spectrum has a S/N of 780, although no absorption is observed at the cloud velocity. This similarly places a firm lower distance limit of 2.9 kpc towards this parcel of gas that may be an intermediate-velocity (IV) cloud. The lack of IV Ca it absorption towards HD 196426 (1, b = 45 degrees.8, -23 degrees.3) at a S/N of 500 reinforces a lower distance limit of -700 pc towards this part of complex gp, where the H I column density is 1.1 x 1019 cm(-2) and velocity is +78 km s(-1). Additionally, no IV Cart is seen in absorption in the spectrum of HD 19445, which is strong in H I with a column density of 8 x 10(19) cm(-2) at a velocity of - -42 km s(-1), placing a firm although uninteresting lower distance limit of 39 pc to this part of IV South. Finally, no high-velocity Call K absorption is seen towards HD 115363 (l, b = 306.0,-1.0) at a S/N of 410, placing a lower distance of -3.2 kpc towards the HVC gas at velocity of - +224 km s(-1) and WE column density of 5.2 x 10(19) cm(-2). This gas is in the same region of the sky as complex WE (Wakker 2001), but at higher velocities. The non-detection of Ca it K absorption sets a lower distance of -3.2 kpc towards the HVC, which is unsurprising if this feature is indeed related to the Magellanic System.

Patterns of Holocene relative sea level change in the North of Britain and Ireland

Temporal and spatial patterns of relative sea level (RSL) change in the North of Britain and Ireland during the Holocene are examined. Four episodes, each defined by marked changes in the RSL trend, are identified. Each episode is marked by a rise to a culminating shoreline followed by a fall. Episode HRSL-1 dates from the Younger Dryas to early in the Holocene; HRSL-2 to HRSL-4 occurred later in the Holocene. There is extensive evidence for each episode, and on this basis the spatial distribution of the altitude data for three culminating shorelines and a shoreline formed at the time of the Holocene Storegga Slide tsunami (ca 8110 ± 100 cal. BP) is analysed. Ordinary Kriging is used to determine the general pattern, following which Gaussian Trend Surface Analysis is employed. Recognising that empirical measurements of RSL change can be unevenly distributed spatially, a new approach is introduced which enables the developing pattern to be identified. The patterns for the most widely occurring shorelines were analysed and found to be similar and common centre and axis models were developed for all shorelines. The analyses described provide models of the spatial pattern of Holocene RSL change in the area between ca 8100 cal. BP and ca 1000 cal. BP based on 2262 high resolution shoreline altitude measurements. These models fit the data closely, no shoreline altitude measurement lying more than −1.70 m or +1.82 m from the predicted value. The models disclose a similar pattern to a recently published Glacial Isostatic Adjustment model for present RSL change across the area, indicating that the overall spatial pattern of RSL change may not have varied greatly during the last ca 8000 years.