Evolution of high-pressure mafic granulites and pelitic gneisses from NE Madagascar: Tectonic implications

The occurrence of high-pressure mafic-ultramafic bodies within major shear zones is one of the indicators of paleo-subduction. In mafic granulites of the Andriamena complex (north-eastern Madagascar) we document unusual textures including garnet-clinopyroxene-quartz coronas that formed after the breakdown of orthopyroxene-plagioclase-ilmenite. Textural evidence and isochemical phase diagram calculations in the Na2O-CaO-K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-TiO2 system indicate a pressure-temperature (P-T) evolution from an isothermal (780 degrees C) pressure up to c. 24 kbar to decompression and cooling. Such a P-T trajectory is typically attained in a subduction zone setting where a gabbroic/ultramafic complex is subducted and later exhumed to the present crustal level during oceanic closure and final continental collision. The present results suggest that the presence of such deeply subducted rocks of the Andriamena complex is related to formation of the Betsimisaraka suture. LA-ICPMS U-Pb zircon dating of pelitic gneisses from the Betsimisaraka suture yields low Th/U ratios and protolith ages ranging from 2535 to 2625 Ma. A granitic gneiss from the Alaotra complex yields a zircon crystallization age of ca. 818 Ma and Th/U ratios vary from 1.08 to 2.09. K-Ar dating of muscovite and biotite from biotite-kyanite-sillimanite gneiss and garnet-biotite gneiss yields age of 486 +/- 9 Ma and 459 +/- 9 Ma respectively. We have estimated regional crustal thicknesses in NE Madagascar using a flexural inversion technique, which indicates the presence of an anomalously thick crust (c. 43 km) beneath the Antananarivo block. This result is consistent with the present concept that subduction beneath the Antananarivo block resulted in a more competent and thicker crust. The textural data, thermodynamic model, and geophysical evidence together provide a new insight to the subduction history, crustal thickening and evolution of the high-pressure Andriamena complex and its link to the terminal formation of the Betsimisaraka suture in north-eastern Madagascar. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exceptional resistance to grain growth in nanocrystalline CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy at high homologous temperatures

Nanocrystalline CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy, synthesized by mechanical alloying followed by spark plasma sintering, demonstrated extremely sluggish grain growth even at very high homologous temperature of 0.68 T-m (900 degrees C) for annealing duration of 600 h. Mechanically alloyed powder had carbon and oxygen as impurities, which in turn led to the formation of two-phase mixture of FCC and Cr-rich carbide with fine distribution of Cr-rich oxide during spark plasma sintering. Sluggish grain growth is attributed to the Zener pinning effect from the fine dispersion of oxide, mutual retardation of grain boundaries in the presence of two phases, and sluggish diffusivity because of cooperative diffusion of multi-principle elements. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

考虑植被影响的陆气耦合模式

以黄淮海平原大气边界层的观测数据为基础，发展了一个土壤-植被-大气多层模式，对大气和地表进行耦合模拟。模式对植被冠层作多层划分，以助于细致了解植被冠层沿高度分布的各物理量，为非均匀下垫面的参数化提供依据。运用观测结果对数值模拟结果进行验证，表明该模式较成功地模拟了陆气相互作用过程。同时，对模式进行了敏感性数值试验，以了解植被在陆气相互作用中的影响大小。

Evaluación de tres tipos de fertilizantes (gallinaza, estiércol vacuno y un fertilizante mineral) en el cultivo de maiz (Zea mays L.) variedad NB-6

El presente trabajo fue realizado en el departamento de Carazo en la unidad experimental La Compañía, ubicada en el km. 45 de la carretera San Marcos–Masatepe durante la época de primera (2001). Los suelos de esta estación son originados a partir de cenizas volcánicas de textura franco-limosa su pH es considerado de medio ácido a neutro, buena profundidad y buena permeabilidad. El propósito del experimento fue la evaluación del cultivo de maíz (Zea mays L.), ante la aplicación de tres tipos de fertilizantes (gallinaza, estiércol vacuno y un fertilizante mineral de la formula 18-46-0). Las dosis utilizadas fueron calculadas a partir de los requerimientos del cultivo y apoyados en un análisis de suelo realizado previo a la siembra, de tales resultados se aplicaron las dosis de 2772.84 y 1386.42 kg/ha de gallinaza, 2303.59 y 1151.79 kg/ha de estiércol y para el fertilizante mineral las dosis de 249.56 y 124.78kg/ha respectivamente. Las parcelas experimentales tuvieron un tamaño de 20 m2. La variedad de maíz evaluada fue la variedad NB-6, de la cual se utilizó semilla certificada, se usó un arreglo unifactorial con un diseño de bloques completos al azar (B.C.A), con siete tratamientos y cuatro repeticiones. Las variables evaluadas fueron: Altura de planta, Número de hojas, Diámetro del tallo, la Altura de la hoja bandera, Altura de inserción de la mazorca, Número de fruto por planta y Componentes del rendimiento como son: número de hileras por mazorca, largo de la mazorca, número de granos por hilera y el diá metro de la mazorca. A los datos obtenidos se le realizó un análisis estadístico usando el análisis de varianza utilizando el comparador de Tukey al 95 % de confiabilidad. Este análisis se realizó en el programa estadístico MINITAB y SAS. También se realizó un análisis económico para conocer la tasa de retorno marginal, que se obtiene con la inversión de cualquiera de los tratamientos evaluados. Los mejores resultados en cuanto al rendimiento agrícola, así como la mayor tasa de retorno marginal, se obtuvieron con la aplicación de 2772.84 kg/ha de gallinaza obteniéndose un rendimiento de 5848.86 kg/ha, y una tasa de retor no marginal de 662 %.

Determinación de la dosis óptima del insecticida Chlorpyrifos aplicado manualmente al cogollo para control de Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: noctuidae) en el cultivo del maiz (Zea mays L.) en la época de riego y primera

En el presente estudio se probaron 6 dosis del producto chlorpyrifos, estas fueron la siguiente: 1 1/mz. , 0.5 1/mz., 0.25 1/mz., 0.125 1/mz. 0.0625 1/mz. Y un testigo de aplicación. El propósito era determinar cuál de estas dosis seria la óptima para reducir las poblaciones del “gusano cogollero” spodoptera frugiperda Smith (lepidóptera: noctuidae). El estudio se llevó a cabo en dos épocas, en época bajo riego y en época de primera. Se evaluó también el grado de daño, componente de rendimiento propiamente dicho. En la época bajo riego, no hubo diferencia significativa entre los tratamiento en la variable del rendimiento, pero el tratamiento que brindo una mayor ganancia netya fue la dosis de 0.5 1/mz., siendo la ganancia neta de C$ 18,662.05, y el rendimiento fue de 6.77 qq/mz. (440.25 kg/ha). En la época de primera hubo diferencia significativa entre los tratamiento en lo que a rendimiento fue la dosis de 0.25 1/mz., produciendo 2.71 qq/mz. (176.24 kg/ha.). Obteniéndose C$ 6,101.18 de ganancia neta. Cabe de señalar que en la época de riego, la dosis de 0.5 1/mz. Es la que prorciona mayor ganancia neta y mayor rendimiento, pero la dosis de 1 1/mz. Proporciona 6.62 qq/mz. (430.51 kg/ha.) y una ganancia neta de C$ 18,350.85, de manera que no difiere en grandes cifras ni la ganancia neta ni los rendimiento, y al aplicar la dosis de 0.5 1/mz. Se reduce el costo de aplicación. Es importante señalar también que se reduce de manera considerable la dosis y el número de aplicaciones s, ya que en época primera. Las aplicaciones se reducen a una sola, y en época de riego no excedieron de dos. Se obtuvieron rendimiento bajo, ya que cierta forma la presión de ovoposición del “cogollero” en época de riego y las fuertes explosiones de chicharrita dulzuras mays del cero al uno %. En la época de primera. Iniciaron en gran forma al hecho de haber obtenido estos rendimientos.

Aquecimento global : George Leuzinger e um alerta fotográfico

Descreve, tomando por base uma fotografia de 1865, algumas iniciativas para preservação da natureza realizadas no Brasil durante o século XIX. Resume dados biográficos do suíço George Leuzinger, dando ênfase a preocupação ecológica desse fotógrafo. Afirma a necessidade de transformar o ser humano em "parasita do Bem", extraindo do planeta Terra o seu sustento, mas retribuindo com a correção dos malefícios feitos até agora.

模拟弹塑性碰撞的修正SPH方法

从基本的无网格光滑粒子法SPH(Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics)近似出发,修正了模拟固体力学中大变形弹塑性碰撞的SPH方法.在边界处采用修正的边界条件,弹塑性分析过程中采用增量理论计算应力,迭代过程中用守恒光滑法进行滤波修正消除拉力不稳定.对SPH方法进行了程序实现,给出了杆弹塑性碰撞的算例.计算分析表明,SPH方法节点的影响域较大、精度较相同节点间距有限元法的结果有一定差距,但是通过增加粒子数量可以提高SPH的精度,保持了其简单性和计算大变形的特性.

Procesos de prociclidad crediticia e impacto de la provisión estadística en España

Códigos JEL: G21, E32, E44

Little known parts of Panama

An account of Pittier's travels around Panama. Written as a travel guide, Pittier describes the flora and fauna of the different regions as well as the topography, people and geology of the area.

The Annual Economic Survey of Federal Gulf Shrimp Permit Holders: Report on the Design, Implementation, and Descriptive Results for 2006

This technical memorandum documents the design, implementation, data preparation, and descriptive results for the 2006 Annual Economic Survey of Federal Gulf Shrimp Permit Holders. The data collection was designed by the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center Social Science Research Group to track the financial and economic status and performance by vessels holding a federal moratorium permit for harvesting shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico. A two page, self-administered mail survey collected total annual costs broken out into seven categories and auxiliary economic data. In May 2007, 580 vessels were randomly selected, stratified by state, from a preliminary population of 1,709 vessels with federal permits to shrimp in offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The survey was implemented during the rest of 2007. After many reminder and verification phone calls, 509 surveys were deemed complete, for an ineligibility-adjusted response rate of 90.7%. The linking of each individual vessel’s cost data to its revenue data from a different data collection was imperfect, and hence the final number of observations used in the analyses is 484. Based on various measures and tests of validity throughout the technical memorandum, the quality of the data is high. The results are presented in a standardized table format, linking vessel characteristics and operations to simple balance sheet, cash flow, and income statements. In the text, results are discussed for the total fleet, the Gulf shrimp fleet, the active Gulf shrimp fleet, and the inactive Gulf shrimp fleet. Additional results for shrimp vessels grouped by state, by vessel characteristics, by landings volume, and by ownership structure are available in the appendices. The general conclusion of this report is that the financial and economic situation is bleak for the average vessels in most of the categories that were evaluated. With few exceptions, cash flow for the average vessel is positive while the net revenue from operations and the “profit” are negative. With negative net revenue from operations, the economic return for average shrimp vessels is less than zero. Only with the help of government payments does the average owner just about break even. In the short-term, this will discourage any new investments in the industry. The financial situation in 2006, especially if it endures over multiple years, also is economically unsustainable for the average established business. Vessels in the active and inactive Gulf shrimp fleet are, on average, 69 feet long, weigh 105 gross tons, are powered by 505 hp motor(s), and are 23 years old. Three-quarters of the vessels have steel hulls and 59% use a freezer for refrigeration. The average market value of these vessels was $175,149 in 2006, about a hundred-thousand dollars less than the average original purchase price. The outstanding loans averaged $91,955, leading to an average owner equity of $83,194. Based on the sample, 85% of the federally permitted Gulf shrimp fleet was actively shrimping in 2006. Of these 386 active Gulf shrimp vessels, just under half (46%) were owner-operated. On average, these vessels burned 52,931 gallons of fuel, landed 101,268 pounds of shrimp, and received $2.47 per pound of shrimp. Non-shrimp landings added less than 1% to cash flow, indicating that the federal Gulf shrimp fishery is very specialized. The average total cash outflow was $243,415 of which $108,775 was due to fuel expenses alone. The expenses for hired crew and captains were on average $54,866 which indicates the importance of the industry as a source of wage income. The resulting average net cash flow is $16,225 but has a large standard deviation. For the population of active Gulf shrimp vessels we can state with 95% certainty that the average net cash flow was between $9,500 and $23,000 in 2006. The median net cash flow was $11,843. Based on the income statement for active Gulf shrimp vessels, the average fixed costs accounted for just under a quarter of operating expenses (23.1%), labor costs for just over a quarter (25.3%), and the non-labor variable costs for just over half (51.6%). The fuel costs alone accounted for 42.9% of total operating expenses in 2006. It should be noted that the labor cost category in the income statement includes both the actual cash payments to hired labor and an estimate of the opportunity cost of owner-operators’ time spent as captain. The average labor contribution (as captain) of an owner-operator is estimated at about $19,800. The average net revenue from operations is negative $7,429, and is statistically different and less than zero in spite of a large standard deviation. The economic return to Gulf shrimping is negative 4%. Including non-operating activities, foremost an average government payment of $13,662, leads to an average loss before taxes of $907 for the vessel owners. The confidence interval of this value straddles zero, so we cannot reject, with 95% certainty, that the population average is zero. The average inactive Gulf shrimp vessel is generally of a smaller scale than the average active vessel. Inactive vessels are physically smaller, are valued much lower, and are less dependent on loans. Fixed costs account for nearly three quarters of the total operating expenses of $11,926, and only 6% of these vessels have hull insurance. With an average net cash flow of negative $7,537, the inactive Gulf shrimp fleet has a major liquidity problem. On average, net revenue from operations is negative $11,396, which amounts to a negative 15% economic return, and owners lose $9,381 on their vessels before taxes. To sustain such losses and especially to survive the negative cash flow, many of the owners must be subsidizing their shrimp vessels with the help of other income or wealth sources or are drawing down their equity. Active Gulf shrimp vessels in all states but Texas exhibited negative returns. The Alabama and Mississippi fleets have the highest assets (vessel values), on average, yet they generate zero cash flow and negative $32,224 net revenue from operations. Due to their high (loan) leverage ratio the negative 11% economic return is amplified into a negative 21% return on equity. In contrast, for Texas vessels, which actually have the highest leverage ratio among the states, a 1% economic return is amplified into a 13% return on equity. From a financial perspective, the average Florida and Louisiana vessels conform roughly to the overall average of the active Gulf shrimp fleet. It should be noted that these results are averages and hence hide the variation that clearly exists within all fleets and all categories. Although the financial situation for the average vessel is bleak, some vessels are profitable. (PDF contains 101 pages)

The Economics of Gasification: A Market-Based Approach

This paper deals with the economics of gasification facilities in general and IGCC power plants in particular. Regarding the prospects of these systems, passing the technological test is one thing, passing the economic test can be quite another. In this respect, traditional valuations assume constant input and/or output prices. Since this is hardly realistic, we allow for uncertainty in prices. We naturally look at the markets where many of the products involved are regularly traded. Futures markets on commodities are particularly useful for valuing uncertain future cash flows. Thus, revenues and variable costs can be assessed by means of sound financial concepts and actual market data. On the other hand, these complex systems provide a number of flexibility options (e.g., to choose among several inputs, outputs, modes of operation, etc.). Typically, flexibility contributes significantly to the overall value of real assets. Indeed, maximization of the asset value requires the optimal exercise of any flexibility option available. Yet the economic value of flexibility is elusive, the more so under (price) uncertainty. And the right choice of input fuels and/or output products is a main concern for the facility managers. As a particular application, we deal with the valuation of input flexibility. We follow the Real Options approach. In addition to economic variables, we also address technical and environmental issues such as energy efficiency, utility performance characteristics and emissions (note that carbon constraints are looming). Lastly, a brief introduction to some stochastic processes suitable for valuation purposes is provided.

Características clínicas en el Síndrome de Fibromialgia : asociación con la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud y contribución a la caracterización de subgrupos

251 p. : il.