A Possible Late Paleocene-Early Eocene Ocean Acidification Event Recoded in the Adriatic Carbonate Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, A.; Martindale, R. C.; Kosir, A.; Oefinger, J.

2017-12-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) event ( 56.3 Ma) was a period of massive carbon release into the Earth system, resulting in significant shifts in ocean chemistry. It has been proposed that ocean acidification - a decrease in the pH and carbonate saturation state of the water as a result of dissolved carbon dioxide in sea water - occurred in both the shallow and deep marine realms. Ocean acidification would have had a devastating impact on the benthic ecosystem, and has been proposed as the cause of decreased carbonate deposition in marine sections and coral reef collapse during the late Paleocene. To date, however, the only physical evidence of Paleocene-Eocene ocean acidification has been shown for offshore sites (i.e., a shallow carbonate compensation depth), but isotope analysis (i.e. B, I/Ca) suggests that acidification occurred in the shallow shelves as well. Several sites in the Kras region of Slovenia, has been found to contain apparent erosion surfaces coeval with the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary. We have investigated these potentially acidified horizons using petrography, stable carbon isotopes, cathodoluminescence, and elemental mapping. These datasets will inform whether the horizons formed by seafloor dissolution in an acidified ocean, or are due to subaerial exposure, or burial diagenesis (i.e. stylotization). Physical erosion and diagenesis can easily be ruled out based on field relationships and petrography, but the other potential causes must be analyzed more critically.

Paleocene calcareous nannofossils biostratigraphy from the Sergipe Sub-basin, northeastern Brazil: Implications for this depositional environment

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade Oliveira, Geize Carolinne Correia; de Oliveira, Rick Souza; Monte Guerra, Rodrigo; de Lima Filho, Mario Ferreira

2018-03-01

This study reports on the biostratigraphy of Paleocene calcareous nannofossils and paleoenvironmental inferences based on five wells drilled on the offshore portion of the Sergipe Sub-basin. Five biostratigraphic zones were defined for the Paleocene in zones of Brazilian continental margin basins N-305, N-307, N-330, N-340 and N-350, and four hiatuses were identified based on the absence of marker species. These hiatuses were interpreted as excavations originated by turbulent to hyperpycnal flows, revealing an important application of biostratigraphy to better understand depositional environments that are often limited by little variation in lithology or low variation in the well log patterns. In Paleoecological terms, the Sergipe Sub-basin, in the Paleocene, experienced geological and environmental events similar to those of other sedimentary basins on the eastern passive continental margin of Brazil, but has a more complete biostratigraphic record of calcareous nannofossils.

First Clarkforkian equivalent Land Mammal Age in the latest Paleocene basal Sparnacian facies of Europe: fauna, flora, paleoenvironment and (bio)stratigraphy.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Thierry; Quesnel, Florence; De Plöeg, Gaël; De Franceschi, Dario; Métais, Grégoire; De Bast, Eric; Solé, Floréal; Folie, Annelise; Boura, Anaïs; Claude, Julien; Dupuis, Christian; Gagnaison, Cyril; Iakovleva, Alina; Martin, Jeremy; Maubert, François; Prieur, Judicaël; Roche, Emile; Storme, Jean-Yves; Thomas, Romain; Tong, Haiyan; Yans, Johan; Buffetaut, Eric

2014-01-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is correlated with the first occurrences of earliest modern mammals in the Northern Hemisphere. The latest Paleocene Clarkforkian North American Land Mammal Age, that has yielded rodents and carnivorans, is the only exception to this rule. However, until now no pre-PETM localities have yielded modern mammals in Europe or Asia. We report the first Clarkforkian equivalent Land Mammal Age in the latest Paleocene deposits of the basal Sparnacian facies at Rivecourt, in the north-central part of the Paris Basin. The new terrestrial vertebrate and macroflora assemblages are analyzed through a multidisciplinary study including sedimentologic, stratigraphic, isotopic, and palynological aspects in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironment and to evaluate biochronologic and paleogeographic implications. The mammals are moderately diverse and not abundant, contrary to turtles and champsosaurs. The macroflora is exceptional in preservation and diversity with numerous angiosperms represented by flowers, fruits, seeds and wood preserved as lignite material, revealing an abundance of Arecaceae, Betulaceae, Icacinaceae, Menispermaceae, Vitaceae and probably Cornaceae. Results indicate a Late Paleocene age based on carbon isotope data, palynology and vertebrate occurrences such as the choristoderan Champsosaurus, the arctocyonid Arctocyon, and the plesiadapid Plesiadapis tricuspidens. However, several mammal species compare better with the earliest Eocene. Among these, the particular louisinid Teilhardimys musculus, also recorded from the latest Paleocene of the Spanish Pyrenees, suggests a younger age than the typical MP6 reference level. Nevertheless, the most important aspect of the Rivecourt fauna is the presence of dental remains of a rodent and a "miacid" carnivoran, attesting to the presence of two modern mammalian orders in the latest Paleocene of Europe. Interestingly, these two groups are also the only modern groups recorded

Lithostratigraphy of the Cretaceous–Paleocene Nuussuaq Group, Nuussuaq Basin, West Greenland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dam, Gregers

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The Nuussuaq Basin is the only exposed Cretaceous–Paleocene sedimentary basin in West Greenland and is one of a complex of linked rift basins stretching from the Labrador Sea to northern Baffin Bay. These basins developed along West Greenland as a result of the opening of the Labrador Sea in Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic times. The Nuussuaq Basin is exposed in West Greenland between 69°N and 72°N on Disko, Nuussuaq, Upernivik Ø, Qeqertarsuaq, Itsaku and Svartenhuk Halvø and has also been recorded in a number of shallow and deep wells in the region. The sediments are assigned to the more than 6 km thick Nuussuaq Group (new which underlies the Palaeogene plateau basalts of the West Greenland Basalt Group. The sediment thickness is best estimated from seismic data; in the western part of the area, seismic and magnetic data suggest that the succession is at least 6 km and possibly as much as 10 km thick. The exposed Albian–Paleocene part of the succession testifies to two main episodes of regional rifting and basin development: an EarlyCretaceous and a Late Cretaceous – Early Paleocene episode prior to the start of sea-floor spreading in mid-Paleocene time. This exposed section includes fan delta, fluviodeltaic, shelfal and deepmarine deposits. The Nuussuaq Group is divided into ten formations, most of which have previously been only briefly described, with the exception of their macrofossil content. In ascending stratigraphic order, the formations are: the Kome Formation, the Slibestensfjeldet Formation (new, the Upernivik Næs Formation, the Atane Formation (including four new members – the Skansen, Ravn Kløft, Kingittoq and Qilakitsoq Members – and one new bed, the Itivnera Bed, the Itilli Formation (new, including four new members: the Anariartorfik, Umiivik, Kussinerujuk and Aaffarsuaq Members, the Kangilia Formation (including the revised Annertuneq Conglomerate Member andthe new Oyster–Ammonite Conglomerate Bed, the

Tempo and scale of late Paleocene and early Eocene carbon isotope cycles: Implications for the origin of hyperthermals

Science.gov (United States)

Zachos, James C.; McCarren, Heather; Murphy, Brandon; Röhl, Ursula; Westerhold, Thomas

2010-10-01

The upper Paleocene and lower Eocene are marked by several prominent (> 1‰) carbon isotope (δ 13C) excursions (CIE) that coincide with transient global warmings, or thermal maxima, including the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The CIE, which are recorded mainly in marine sedimentary sequences, have also been identified in continental sequences, occurred episodically, and yet appear to be paced or triggered by orbital forcing. To constrain the timing and scale of the CIE relative to long-term baseline variability, we have constructed a 4.52 million year (myr) long, high-resolution (~ 3 kyr) bulk sediment carbon isotope record spanning the lower Eocene to upper Paleocene (C25r-C24n) from a pelagic sediment section recovered at ODP Site 1262 in the southeast Atlantic. This section, which was orbitally-tuned utilizing high-resolution core log physical property and geochemical records, is the most stratigraphically complete upper Paleocene to lower Eocene sequence recovered to date. Time-series analysis of the carbon isotope record along with a high-resolution Fe intensity record obtained by XRF core scanner reveal cyclicity with variance concentrated primarily in the precession (21 kyr) and eccentricity bands (100 and 400-kyr) throughout the upper Paleocene-lower Eocene. In general, minima in δ 13C correspond with peaks in Fe (i.e., carbonate dissolution), both of which appear to be in phase with maxima in eccentricity. This covariance is consistent with excess oceanic uptake of isotopically depleted carbon resulting in lower carbonate saturation during periods of high eccentricity. This relationship includes all late Paleocene and early Eocene CIE confirming pacing by orbital forcing. The lone exception is the PETM, which appears to be out of phase with the 400-kyr cycle, though possibly in phase with the 100-kyr cycle, reinforcing the notion that a mechanism other than orbital forcing and/or an additional source of carbon is required to account for the

Identification of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in coastal strata in the Otway Basin, Victoria, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Frieling, Joost; Huurdeman, Emiel P.; Rem, Charlotte C. M.; Donders, Timme H.; Pross, Jörg; Bohaty, Steven M.; Holdgate, Guy R.; Gallagher, Stephen J.; McGowran, Brian; Bijl, Peter K.

2018-02-01

Detailed, stratigraphically well-constrained environmental reconstructions are available for Paleocene and Eocene strata at a range of sites in the southwest Pacific Ocean (New Zealand and East Tasman Plateau; ETP) and Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1356 in the south of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf (AAG). These reconstructions have revealed a large discrepancy between temperature proxy data and climate models in this region, suggesting a crucial error in model, proxy data or both. To resolve the origin of this discrepancy, detailed reconstructions are needed from both sides of the Tasmanian Gateway. Paleocene-Eocene sedimentary archives from the west of the Tasmanian Gateway have unfortunately remained scarce (only IODP Site U1356), and no well-dated successions are available for the northern sector of the AAG. Here we present new stratigraphic data for upper Paleocene and lower Eocene strata from the Otway Basin, southeast Australia, on the (north)west side of the Tasmanian Gateway. We analyzed sediments recovered from exploration drilling (Latrobe-1 drill core) and outcrop sampling (Point Margaret) and performed high-resolution carbon isotope geochemistry of bulk organic matter and dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) and pollen biostratigraphy on sediments from the regional lithostratigraphic units, including the Pebble Point Formation, Pember Mudstone and Dilwyn Formation. Pollen and dinocyst assemblages are assigned to previously established Australian pollen and dinocyst zonations and tied to available zonations for the SW Pacific. Based on our dinocyst stratigraphy and previously published planktic foraminifer biostratigraphy, the Pebble Point Formation at Point Margaret is dated to the latest Paleocene. The globally synchronous negative carbon isotope excursion that marks the Paleocene-Eocene boundary is identified within the top part of the Pember Mudstone in the Latrobe-1 borehole and at Point Margaret. However, the high abundances of the

New geochronologic and stratigraphic evidence confirms the paleocene age of the dinosaur-bearing ojo alamo sandstone and animas formation in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Fassett, J.E.

2009-01-01

Dinosaur fossils are present in the Paleocene Ojo Alamo Sandstone and Animas Formation in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, and Colorado. Evidence for the Paleo-cene age of the Ojo Alamo Sandstone includes palynologic and paleomagnetic data. Palynologic data indicate that the entire Ojo Alamo Sandstone, including the lower dinosaur-bearing part, is Paleocene in age. All of the palynomorph-productive rock samples collected from the Ojo Alamo Sandstone at multiple localities lacked Creta-ceous index palynomorphs (except for rare, reworked specimens) and produced Paleocene index palynomorphs. Paleocene palynomorphs have been identified strati-graphically below dinosaur fossils at two separate localities in the Ojo Alamo Sand-stone in the central and southern parts of the basin. The Animas Formation in the Colorado part of the basin also contains dinosaur fossils, and its Paleocene age has been established based on fossil leaves and palynology. Magnetostratigraphy provides independent evidence for the Paleocene age of the Ojo Alamo Sandstone and its dinosaur-bearing beds. Normal-polarity magnetochron C29n (early Paleocene) has been identified in the Ojo Alamo Sandstone at six localities in the southern part of the San Juan Basin. An assemblage of 34 skeletal elements from a single hadrosaur, found in the Ojo Alamo Sandstone in the southern San Juan Basin, provided conclusive evidence that this assemblage could not have been reworked from underlying Cretaceous strata. In addition, geochemical studies of 15 vertebrate bones from the Paleocene Ojo Alamo Sandstone and 15 bone samples from the underlying Kirtland Formation of Late Creta-ceous (Campanian) age show that each sample suite contained distinctly different abundances of uranium and rare-earth elements, indicating that the bones were miner-alized in place soon after burial, and that none of the Paleocene dinosaur bones ana-lyzed had been reworked. ?? U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain April 2009.

Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and the Opening of the Northeast Atlantic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Storey, Michael; Duncan, Robert A.; Swisher, III, Carl C.

2007-01-01

The Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) has been attributed to a sudden release of carbon dioxide and/or methane. 40Ar/39Ar age determinations show that the Danish Ash-17 deposit, which overlies the PETM by about 450,000 years in the Atlantic, and the Skraenterne Formation Tuff, representing ...

Stratigraphic and climatic implications of clay mineral changes around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary of the northeastern US margin

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, T.G.; Bybell, L.M.; Mason, D.B.

2000-01-01

Kaolinite usually is present in relatively small amounts in most upper Paleocene and lower Eocene neritic deposits of the northern US Atlantic Coastal Plain. However, there is a short period (less than 200,000 k.y.) in the latest Paleocene (upper part of calcareous nannoplankton Zone NP 9) when kaolinite-dominated clay mineral suites replaced the usual illite/smectite-dominated suites. During this time of global biotic and lithologic changes, kaolinite increased from less than 5% of the clay mineral suite to peak proportions of 50-60% of the suite and then returned to less than 5% in uppermost Paleocene/lowermost Eocene strata. This kaolinite pulse is present at numerous localities from southern Virginia to New Jersey. These sites represent both inner and middle neritic depositional environments and reflect input from several river drainage systems. Thus, it is inferred that kaolinite-rich source areas were widespread in the northeastern US during the latest Paleocene. Erosion of these source areas contributed the kaolinite that was transported and widely dispersed into shelf environments of the Salisbury embayment. The kaolinite increase, which occurred during a time of relatively high sea level, probably is the result of intensified weathering due to increased temperature and precipitation. The southern extent of the kaolinite pulse is uncertain in that uppermost Paleocene beds have not been identified in the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. The late Paleocene kaolinite pulse that consists of an increase to peak kaolinite levels followed by a decrease can be used for detailed correlation between more upbasin and more downbasin sections in the Salisbury embayment. Correlations show that more upbasin Paleocene/Eocene boundary sections are erosionally truncated. They have varying portions of the kaolinite increase and, if present at all, discontinuous portions of the subsequent kaolinite decrease. As these truncated sections are disconformably overlain by lower

Description of nighttime cough epochs in patients with stable COPD GOLD II-IV.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Patrick; Gross, Volker; Kroenig, Johannes; Weissflog, Andreas; Hildebrandt, Olaf; Sohrabi, Keywan; Koehler, Ulrich

Chronic cough is one of the main symptoms of COPD. Ambulatory objective monitoring provides novel insights into the determinants and characteristics of nighttime cough in COPD. Nighttime cough was monitored objectively by LEOSound lung sound monitor in patients with stable COPD II-IV. In 30 patients, with 10 patients in each stage group, nighttime cough was analyzed for epoch frequency, epoch severity (epoch length and coughs per epoch), and pattern (productive or nonproductive). Cough was found in all patients ranging from 1 to 294 events over the recording period. In 29 patients, cough epochs were monitored, ranging from 1 to 75 epochs. The highest amount of cough epochs was found in patients with COPD stage III. Active smokers had significantly more productive cough epochs (61%) than nonsmokers (24%). We found a high rate of nighttime cough epochs in patients with COPD, especially in those in stage III. Productive cough was predominantly found in patients with persistent smoking. LEOSound lung sound monitor offers a practical and valuable opportunity to evaluate cough objectively.

Identifying individual sleep apnea/hypoapnea epochs using smartphone-based pulse oximetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Garde, Ainara; Dekhordi, Parastoo; Ansermino, J Mark; Dumont, Guy A

2016-08-01

Sleep apnea, characterized by frequent pauses in breathing during sleep, poses a serious threat to the healthy growth and development of children. Polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard for sleep apnea diagnosis, is resource intensive and confined to sleep laboratories, thus reducing its accessibility. Pulse oximetry alone, providing blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and blood volume changes in tissue (PPG), has the potential to identify children with sleep apnea. Thus, we aim to develop a tool for at-home sleep apnea screening that provides a detailed and automated 30 sec epoch-by-epoch sleep apnea analysis. We propose to extract features characterizing pulse oximetry (SpO2 and pulse rate variability [PRV], a surrogate measure of heart rate variability) to create a multivariate logistic regression model that identifies epochs containing apnea/hypoapnea events. Overnight pulse oximetry was collected using a smartphone-based pulse oximeter, simultaneously with standard PSG from 160 children at the British Columbia Children's hospital. The sleep technician manually scored all apnea/hypoapnea events during the PSG study. Based on these scores we labeled each epoch as containing or not containing apnea/hypoapnea. We randomly divided the subjects into training data (40%), used to develop the model applying the LASSO method, and testing data (60%), used to validate the model. The developed model was assessed epoch-by-epoch for each subject. The test dataset had a median area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 81%; the model provided a median accuracy of 74% sensitivity of 75%, and specificity of 73% when using a risk threshold similar to the percentage of apnea/hypopnea epochs. Thus, providing a detailed epoch-by-epoch analysis with at-home pulse oximetry alone is feasible with accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values above 73% However, the performance might decrease when analyzing subjects with a low number of apnea/hypoapnea events.

Direct U-Pb dating of Cretaceous and Paleocene dinosaur bones, San Juan Basin, New Mexico: COMMENT

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, Alan E.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Neymark, Leonid A.; Heckert, Andrew B.; Sullivan, Robert M.; Jasinski, Steven E.; Fowler, Denver W.

2012-01-01

Based on U-Pb dating of two dinosaur bones from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico (United States), Fassett et al. (2011) claim to provide the first successful direct dating of fossil bones and to establish the presence of Paleocene dinosaurs. Fassett et al. ignore previously published work that directly questions their stratigraphic interpretations (Lucas et al., 2009), and fail to provide sufficient descriptions of instrumental, geochronological, and statistical treatments of the data to allow evaluation of the potentially complex diagenetic and recrystallization history of bone. These shortcomings lead us to question the validity of the U-Pb dates published by Fassett et al. and their conclusions regarding the existence of Paleocene dinosaurs.

Revised magnetic polarity time scale for the Paleocene and early Eocene and implications for Pacific plate motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butler, R.F.; Coney, P.J.

1981-01-01

Magnetostratiographic studies of a continental sedimentary sequence in the Clark's Fork Basin, Wyoming and a marine sedimentary sequence at Gubbio, Italy indicate that the Paleocene--Eocene boundary occurs just stratigraphically above normal polarity zones correlative with magnetic anomaly 25 chron. These data indicate that the older boundary of anomaly 24 chron is 52.5 Ma. This age is younger than the late Paleocene age assigned by LaBrecque et al. [1977] and also younger than the basal Eocene age assigned by Ness et al. [1980]. A revised magnetic polarity time scale for the Paleocene and early Eocene is presented in this paper. Several changes in the relative motion system between the Pacific plate and neighboring plates occurred in the interval between anomaly 24 and anomaly 21. A major change in absolute motion of the Pacific plate is indicated by the bend in the Hawaiian--Emperor Seamount chain at approx.43 Ma. The revised magnetic polarity time scale indicates that the absolute motion change lags the relative motion changes by only approx.3--5 m.y. rather than by >10 m.y. as indicated by previous polarity time scales

Faint Object Detection in Multi-Epoch Observations via Catalog Data Fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Budavári, Tamás; Szalay, Alexander S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Loredo, Thomas J. [Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

2017-03-20

Astronomy in the time-domain era faces several new challenges. One of them is the efficient use of observations obtained at multiple epochs. The work presented here addresses faint object detection and describes an incremental strategy for separating real objects from artifacts in ongoing surveys. The idea is to produce low-threshold single-epoch catalogs and to accumulate information across epochs. This is in contrast to more conventional strategies based on co-added or stacked images. We adopt a Bayesian approach, addressing object detection by calculating the marginal likelihoods for hypotheses asserting that there is no object or one object in a small image patch containing at most one cataloged source at each epoch. The object-present hypothesis interprets the sources in a patch at different epochs as arising from a genuine object; the no-object hypothesis interprets candidate sources as spurious, arising from noise peaks. We study the detection probability for constant-flux objects in a Gaussian noise setting, comparing results based on single and stacked exposures to results based on a series of single-epoch catalog summaries. Our procedure amounts to generalized cross-matching: it is the product of a factor accounting for the matching of the estimated fluxes of the candidate sources and a factor accounting for the matching of their estimated directions. We find that probabilistic fusion of multi-epoch catalogs can detect sources with similar sensitivity and selectivity compared to stacking. The probabilistic cross-matching framework underlying our approach plays an important role in maintaining detection sensitivity and points toward generalizations that could accommodate variability and complex object structure.

Faint Object Detection in Multi-Epoch Observations via Catalog Data Fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budavári, Tamás; Szalay, Alexander S.; Loredo, Thomas J.

2017-01-01

Astronomy in the time-domain era faces several new challenges. One of them is the efficient use of observations obtained at multiple epochs. The work presented here addresses faint object detection and describes an incremental strategy for separating real objects from artifacts in ongoing surveys. The idea is to produce low-threshold single-epoch catalogs and to accumulate information across epochs. This is in contrast to more conventional strategies based on co-added or stacked images. We adopt a Bayesian approach, addressing object detection by calculating the marginal likelihoods for hypotheses asserting that there is no object or one object in a small image patch containing at most one cataloged source at each epoch. The object-present hypothesis interprets the sources in a patch at different epochs as arising from a genuine object; the no-object hypothesis interprets candidate sources as spurious, arising from noise peaks. We study the detection probability for constant-flux objects in a Gaussian noise setting, comparing results based on single and stacked exposures to results based on a series of single-epoch catalog summaries. Our procedure amounts to generalized cross-matching: it is the product of a factor accounting for the matching of the estimated fluxes of the candidate sources and a factor accounting for the matching of their estimated directions. We find that probabilistic fusion of multi-epoch catalogs can detect sources with similar sensitivity and selectivity compared to stacking. The probabilistic cross-matching framework underlying our approach plays an important role in maintaining detection sensitivity and points toward generalizations that could accommodate variability and complex object structure.

Earliest record of the fossil snake Palaeophis from the Paleocene/Eocene boundary in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Hans Viborg; Cuny, Gilles; Redsted Rasmussen, Arne

2012-01-01

Abstract. – The earliest record of Palaeophis ever found in Denmark is here based on vertebrae described from the Paleocene/Eocene Stolleklint Clay of the Isle of Mors (northern Denmark). Although much smaller, they appear quite similar to the Eocene vertebra described from the Fur Formation...

Globanomalina luxorensis, a Tethyan biostratigraphic marker of latest Paleocene global events

OpenAIRE

Speijer, Robert; Samir, AM

1997-01-01

The lowest common occurrence (LCO) of the planktonic foraminifera Globanomalina luxorensis marks the level of the latest Paleocene global benthic extinction event (BEE) and associated negative delta(13) C excursion in various bathyal and neritic successions in the Mediterranean region. Below the BEE level, G. luxorensis is extremely rare and subordinate in abundance relative to its precursor G, chapmani. From this level onwards, G. luxorensis generally constitutes a large proportion of the pl...

Gigantism in unique biogenic magnetite at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

OpenAIRE

Schumann, Dirk; Raub, Timothy D.; Kopp, Robert E.; Guerquin-Kern, Jean-Luc; Wu, Ting-Di; Rouiller, Isabelle; Smirnov, Aleksey V.; Sears, S. Kelly; Lücken, Uwe; Tikoo, Sonia M.; Hesse, Reinhard; Kirschvink, Joseph L.; Vali, Hojatollah

2008-01-01

We report the discovery of exceptionally large biogenic magnetite crystals in clay-rich sediments spanning the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in a borehole at Ancora, New Jersey. Aside from previously-described abundant bacterial magnetofossils, electron microscopy reveals novel spearhead-like and spindle-like magnetite up to 4 μm long and hexaoctahedral prisms up to 1.4 μm long. Similar to magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria, these single-crystal particles exhibit chemical...

Paleocene Pacific Plate reorganization mirrored in formation of the Suvarov Trough, Manihiki Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Pietsch, Ricarda; Uenzelmann-Neben, Gabriele

2016-10-01

The Suvarov Trough is a graben structure that deviates from the Danger Islands Troughs within the Manihiki Plateau, a Large Igneous Province (LIP) located in the Central Pacific. New high-resolution seismic reflection data provide evidence that the graben formed in two phases during the Paleocene (65-45 Ma). In a first phase extension occurred in southwestward direction, pulling apart the northern part of the Suvarov Trough and a parallel trending unnamed trough. In a second phase a change of extensional force direction occurred from southwest to west-northwest, forming the southern part of the Suvarov Trough that extends onto the High Plateau. The formation of the Suvarov Trough is accompanied by a series of normal fault systems that apparently formed simultaneously. Comparing the seismic results to existing Pacific paleo strain reconstructions, the timing of increased strain and local deformation direction fits well to our findings. We thus suggest that the multiple strike directions of the Suvarov Trough represent an extensional structure that was caused by the major, stepwise Pacific Plate reorganization during the Paleocene.

Normal polarity magnetosubchrons in 24r and the age of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lerbekmo, J.F.; Heaman, L.M.; Baadsgaard, H.; Muehlenbachs, K.; Evans, M.E.; Sweet, A.R. [University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2008-07-15

A late Paleocene to early Eocene sequence of flat-lying continental strata occurs in an area known as Obed Mountain, west-central Alberta. The upper 110 m consist of interbedded fluvial channel sandstones and overbank mudrocks containing five back swamp coal seams. Two coreholes, 3.5 km apart, that extend through the entire coal zone were sampled for magnetostratigraphy and {sup 13}C isotope analysis. Bentonites in the No. 1 (lowest) and No. 5 coal seams and a tuff in the No. 3 coal seam were sampled for U-Pb and (or) Rb-Sr dating of zircon and biotite, respectively. Magnetostratigraphic analysis of 520 samples identified the younger part of chron 25r, the whole of chron 25n and the older half of chron 24r. We find six normal polarity subzones in this part of chron 24r, which we correlate to tiny wiggles 6 to 11 in marine magnetic profiles. Carbon isotope analysis of 14 samples from two cores revealed a negative shift of about 2 parts per thousand peaking near the base of 24r.8r. We interpret this as the carbon isotope excursion (CIE), the base of which is now accepted as defining the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. The thickness of the CIE in the Obed Mountain section implies that it lasted between 210 000 and 254 000 years. Radiometric dates of 58.4 {+-} 0.2, 57.7 {+-} 0.3, and 56.9 {+-} 0.8 Ma are obtained for the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5 coals, respectively. Combining these with magnetostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy yields an age of 57.1 {+-} 0.1 Ma for the Paleocene-Eocene boundary.

Isotopic and anatomical evidence of an herbivorous diet in the Early Tertiary giant bird Gastornis. Implications for the structure of Paleocene terrestrial ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Angst, D.; Lécuyer, C.; Amiot, R.; Buffetaut, E.; Fourel, F.; Martineau, F.; Legendre, S.; Abourachid, A.; Herrel, A.

2014-04-01

The mode of life of the early Tertiary giant bird Gastornis has long been a matter of controversy. Although it has often been reconstructed as an apex predator feeding on small mammals, according to other interpretations, it was in fact a large herbivore. To determine the diet of this bird, we analyze here the carbon isotope composition of the bone apatite from Gastornis and contemporaneous herbivorous mammals. Based on 13C-enrichment measured between carbonate and diet of carnivorous and herbivorous modern birds, the carbonate δ13C values of Gastornis bone remains, recovered from four Paleocene and Eocene French localities, indicate that this bird fed on plants. This is confirmed by a morphofunctional study showing that the reconstructed jaw musculature of Gastornis was similar to that of living herbivorous birds and unlike that of carnivorous forms. The herbivorous Gastornis was the largest terrestrial tetrapod in the Paleocene biota of Europe, unlike the situation in North America and Asia, where Gastornis is first recorded in the early Eocene, and the largest Paleocene animals were herbivorous mammals. The structure of the Paleocene terrestrial ecosystems of Europe may have been similar to that of some large islands, notably Madagascar, prior to the arrival of humans.

Identification of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in coastal strata in the Otway Basin, Victoria, Australia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frieling, J.; Huurdeman, Emiel; Rem, Charlotte; Donders, T.H.; Pross, Jorg; Bohaty, Steven M.; Holdgate, Guy; Gallagher, Stephen; McGowran, Brian; Bijl, P.K.

2018-01-01

Detailed, stratigraphically well-constrained environmental reconstructions are available for Paleocene and Eocene strata at a range of sites in the southwest Pacific Ocean (New Zealand and East Tasman Plateau; ETP) and Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1356 in the south of the

Systematic Uncertainties in Black Hole Masses Determined from Single Epoch Spectra

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Denney, Kelly D.; Peterson, Bradley M.; Dietrich, Matthias

2008-01-01

We explore the nature of systematic errors that can arise in measurement of black hole masses from single-epoch spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by utilizing the many epochs available for NGC 5548 and PG1229+204 from reverberation mapping databases. In particular, we examine systematics due...

Characteristics of microfossils assemblages of core SB-01 from Sanshui basin and discussion of paleocene-eocene boundary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Liang; Xie Yecai; Wang Zhengqing; Ma Chuang

2011-01-01

Characteristics of microfossils assemblages of core SB-01 from Sanshui Basin have been analysised in this paper. Based on micropaleontological study and data from carbon and oxygen isotopes of bulk carbonates, which depth of Paleocene-Eocene boundary from the core was discussed. Ostracode assemblages include the Sinocypris nitela-Cyprois buxinensis-Limnocythere honggangensis assemblage(89.0-73.38 m) with few species and low abundance and the Sinocypris nitela-Cyprois buxinensis-Limnocythere honggangensis assemblage (73.38-0 m) with few species and low abundance during early and middle the core deposition and relatively many species and abundance increasing quickly of the late time of the core deposition; Charophyte assemblages contain the Peckichara subspherica-Rhabdochara jiangduensis assemblage (89.0-73.38 m) with rich species, high abundance and large sizes of fossils and the Gyrogona qianjiangica-Obtusochara brevicylindrica assemblage (73.38-53.75 m) with few species,low abundance and small sizes of fossils. At 73.38 m core depth, the great changes of microfossils assemblages and carbon isotopes values (decrease by more than 3.0 per thousand) and oxygen isotopes values of bulk carbonates take place, which consist with the geological records of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Hence, Paleocene-Eocene boundary of SanShui Basin should be roughly placed at 73.38 m core depth. (authors)

Turtles From an Arkadelphia Formation—Midway Group Lag Deposit (Maastrichtian—Paleocene, Hot Spring County, Arkansas, USA

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Martin A. Becker

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The Arkadelphia Formation—Midway Group (Maastrichtian—Paleocene contact near Malvern, Arkansas preserves a K-Pg boundary assemblage of turtle species consisting of skull, shell, and non-shell postcranial skeletal elements. The Malvern turtles are preserved within a coquina lag deposit that comprises the basalmost Midway Group and also contains an abundance of other reptiles, as well as chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, and invertebrates. This coquina lag deposit records a complex taphonomic history of exhumation and reburial of vertebrate skeletal elements along a dynamic ancestral shoreline in southwestern Arkansas during the late Cretaceous-early Paleocene. Based on stratigraphic occurrence, the Malvern turtle assemblage indicates that these marine reptiles were living at or near the time of the K-Pg mass extinction and represent some of the latest Cretaceous turtles yet recovered from the Gulf Coastal Plain of the United States.

Tropical Atlantic climate and ecosystem regime shifts during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Frieling, Joost; Reichart, Gert-Jan; Middelburg, Jack J.; Röhl, Ursula; Westerhold, Thomas; Bohaty, Steven M.; Sluijs, Appy

2018-01-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 56 Ma) was a phase of rapid global warming associated with massive carbon input into the ocean-atmosphere system from a 13C-depleted reservoir. Many midlatitude and high-latitude sections have been studied and document changes in salinity, hydrology and sedimentation, deoxygenation, biotic overturning, and migrations, but detailed records from tropical regions are lacking. Here, we study the PETM at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 959 in the equatorial Atlantic using a range of organic and inorganic proxies and couple these with dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblage analysis. The PETM at Site 959 was previously found to be marked by a ˜ 3.8 ‰ negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) and a ˜ 4 °C surface ocean warming from the uppermost Paleocene to peak PETM, of which ˜ 1 °C occurs before the onset of the CIE. We record upper Paleocene dinocyst assemblages that are similar to PETM assemblages as found in extratropical regions, confirming poleward migrations of ecosystems during the PETM. The early stages of the PETM are marked by a typical acme of the tropical genus Apectodinium, which reaches abundances of up to 95 %. Subsequently, dinocyst abundances diminish greatly, as do carbonate and pyritized silicate microfossils. The combined paleoenvironmental information from Site 959 and a close-by shelf site in Nigeria implies the general absence of eukaryotic surface-dwelling microplankton during peak PETM warmth in the eastern equatorial Atlantic, most likely caused by heat stress. We hypothesize, based on a literature survey, that heat stress might have reduced calcification in more tropical regions, potentially contributing to reduced deep sea carbonate accumulation rates, and, by buffering acidification, also to biological carbonate compensation of the injected carbon during the PETM. Crucially, abundant organic benthic foraminiferal linings imply sustained export production, likely driven by prokaryotes. In

COPROLITES FROM THE DANIAN LIMESTONE (LOWER PALEOCENE) OF FAXE QUARRY, DENMARK

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milàn, Jesper

2010-01-01

are attributed to sharks, and large, cylindrical coprolites with longitudinal striations on the surface are identified as crocodile coprolites. Fish and sharks are known from abundant finds of otoliths and teeth in Faxe Quarry, and crocodiles are known from finds of single bones and teeth.......A collection of coprolites found in the Danian (Lower Paleocene) limestone of Faxe Quarry, Denmark, is described and attributed to the respective producers. Small, drop-like specimens with weak signs of spiral coiling are attributed to fish. Larger, heteropolar, spirally-coiled specimens...

Paleocene-Eocene and Plio-Pleistocene sea-level changes as "species pumps" in Southeast Asia: Evidence from Althepus spiders.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fengyuan; Li, Shuqiang

2018-05-17

Sea-level change has been viewed as a primary driver in the formation of biodiversity. Early studies confirmed that Plio-Pleistocene sea-level changes led to the isolation and subsequent genetic differentiation of Southeast (SE) Asian organisms over short geological timescales. However, long-time consequences of sea-level fluctuations remain unclear. Herein, we analyze the evolutionary history of Althepus (spiders) whose distribution encompasses Indo-Burma and the Sunda shelf islands to understand how sea-level changes over shallow and deep timescales effected their history. Our integrative analyses, including phylogeny, divergence times, ancestral area reconstruction and diversification dynamics, reveal an intricate pattern of diversification, probably triggered by sea-level fluctuations during the Paleocene-Eocene and Plio-Pleistocene. The timing of one early divergence between the Indo-Burmese and Sundaic species coincides with late Paleocene and early Eocene high global sea levels, which induced the formation of inland seaways in the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Subsequent lowered sea levels could have provided a land bridge for its dispersal colonization across the Isthmus of Kra. Analyses suggest that Plio-Pleistocene sea-level rises contributed to recent divergence of many species. Thus, our findings cannot reject the hypothesis that sea-level changes during the Paleocene-Eocene and Plio-Pleistocene played a major role in generating biodiversity in SE Asia; sea-level changes can act as "species pumps". Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The palynology of the Cerrejon Formation (upper Paleocene) of northern Colombia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaramillo, C.A.; Pardo-Trujillo, A.; Rueda, M.; Torres, V.; Harrington, G.J.; Mora, G. [Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (United States)

2007-07-01

A palynological study of the Cerrejon Formation was conducted in order to date the formation and understand the floristic composition and diversity of a Paleocene tropical site. The Cerrejon Formation outcrops in the Cerrejon Coal Mine, the largest open cast coal mine in the world. Two cores (725 m) were provided by Carbones del Cerrejon LLC for study. Two hundred samples were prepared for palynology, and at least 150 palynomorphs were counted per sample where possible. Several statistical techniques including rarefaction, species accumulation curves, detrended correspondence analysis, and Anosim were used to analyze the floristic composition and diversity of the palynofloras. Palynomorph assemblages indicate that the age of the Cerrejon Formation and the overlying Tabaco Formation is Middle to Late Paleocene (ca. 60-58 Ma). Major structural repetitions were not found in the Cerrejon Formation in the Cerrejon coal mine, and there is little floral variation throughout. The floral composition, diversity, and lithofacies do not change significantly. Lithofacies associations and floral composition indicate deposition fluctuating from an estuarine-influenced coastal plain at the base to a fluvial-influenced coastal plain at the top. There are, however, significant differences in the composition and diversity of coal and siliciclastic samples. Coal palynofloras have fewer morphospecies, and a distinct and more homogeneous floral assemblage compared to assemblages from the intervening sisliciclastic strata, suggesting that tropical swampy environments supported fewer plant species and had a distinct vegetation adapted to permanently wet environments.

On the presence of upper paleocene rocks in the foreland succession at Cabo Nariz, Tierra del Fuego, Chile: Geology and new palynological and U-Pb data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, Alejandro; Pavlishina, Polina; Godoy, Estanislao; Herve, Francisco; Fanning, C.Mark

2010-01-01

On the west coast of Tierra del Fuego, south of Cabo Nariz, in Chile, Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene sedimentary successions of the Magallanes foreland basin crop out. The presence of dinoflagellate cysts, as well as radiometric U-Pb SHPJMP dating of detrital zircons, indicate that this succession ranges from the Campanian to Thanetian (Late Paleocene) in age. The base of the exposed sedimentary succession comprises siltstones of external platform facies (Cerro Cuchilla Formation), which are thrust over the Cabo Nariz Beds. The latter fonnation is divided into two members: a lower siltstone-dominated turbidite facies member and an upper member of sandstone-dominated turbidites, with sandstone and conglomerate channel facies. The presence of dinocysts in the Cerro Cuchilla Formation suggests a late Campanian to early Danian age. The fossil content in the Cabo Nariz Beds indicate a Selandian (Middle Paleocene) depositional age in accordance with the detrital zircon ages which provide a maximum possible Campanian age (76.5±0.7 Ma), and very close to the Thanetian (Late Paleocene) (57.6±1 Ma) depositional ages for the lower and upper member, respectively. The sedimentary succession of Cabo Nariz Beds, is interpreted as a north-northwest prograding submarine fan of middle to Late Paleocene age. It is considered to represent the deposition of detritus derived from an uplifting orogen located to the south. The detrital zircon age spectra suggest that there was a period of low intensity of magmatic activity in the source area around the K-T boundary

Pulsar slow-down epochs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heintzmann, H.; Novello, M.

1981-01-01

The relative importance of magnetospheric currents and low frequency waves for pulsar braking is assessed and a model is developed which tries to account for the available pulsar timing data under the unifying aspect that all pulsars have equal masses and magnetic moments and are born as rapid rotators. Four epochs of slow-down are distinguished which are dominated by different braking mechanisms. According to the model no direct relationship exists between 'slow-down age' and true age of a pulsar and leads to a pulsar birth-rate of one event per hundred years. (Author) [pt

Extreme warmth and heat-stressed plankton in the tropics during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Science.gov (United States)

Frieling, Joost; Gebhardt, Holger; Huber, Matthew; Adekeye, Olabisi A; Akande, Samuel O; Reichart, Gert-Jan; Middelburg, Jack J; Schouten, Stefan; Sluijs, Appy

2017-03-01

Global ocean temperatures rapidly warmed by ~5°C during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ~56 million years ago). Extratropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) met or exceeded modern subtropical values. With these warm extratropical temperatures, climate models predict tropical SSTs >35°C-near upper physiological temperature limits for many organisms. However, few data are available to test these projected extreme tropical temperatures or their potential lethality. We identify the PETM in a shallow marine sedimentary section deposited in Nigeria. On the basis of planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca and oxygen isotope ratios and the molecular proxy [Formula: see text], latest Paleocene equatorial SSTs were ~33°C, and [Formula: see text] indicates that SSTs rose to >36°C during the PETM. This confirms model predictions on the magnitude of polar amplification and refutes the tropical thermostat theory. We attribute a massive drop in dinoflagellate abundance and diversity at peak warmth to thermal stress, showing that the base of tropical food webs is vulnerable to rapid warming.

Timing of the deposition of uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene coal-bearing deposits in the Greater Glendive area, Montana and North Dakota

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-02-01

With the aid of a grant from the National Geographic Society, a cooperative agreement with the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, Late Cretaceous and Paleocene geologic and paleontologic field studies were undertaken in Makoshika, State Park and vicinity, Dawson County, Montana. This region was chosen as a study area because of its potential for yielding new fossil localities and extensive exposures both above and below the K/T boundary, as suggested by previous research by David W. Krause and Joseph H. Hartman. Related field studies were also undertaken in areas adjacent to the Cedar Creek Anticline in North Dakota. This work was part of ongoing research to document change in the composition of mammalian and molluscan faunas during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene and to relate observed patterns to floral and invertebrate changes in composition. This study focuses on the record of mammals and mollusks in the Makoshika stratigraphic section and places old and new observations into a paleomagnetic and palynomorph framework. Of particular interest is the appearance and diversification of archaic ungulate mammals. Simultaneous dinosaur extinction with ungulate radiation has been invoked in gradual, as opposed to catastrophic, models of faunal change at the K/T boundary. However, supposed Cretaceous localities bearing archaic ungulates and other mammals of {open_quotes}Paleocene aspect{close_quotes} may be the product of faunal reworking. Elsewhere in the Williston Basin (e.g., Garfield and McCone Counties, Montana), the molluscan record of uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene strata indicates the extinction of all of the highly sculptured unionid bivalves just prior to the onset of coal swamps and subsequent coal formation.

Brain network segregation and integration during an epoch-related working memory fMRI experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fransson, Peter; Schiffler, Björn C; Thompson, William Hedley

2018-05-17

The characterization of brain subnetwork segregation and integration has previously focused on changes that are detectable at the level of entire sessions or epochs of imaging data. In this study, we applied time-varying functional connectivity analysis together with temporal network theory to calculate point-by-point estimates in subnetwork segregation and integration during an epoch-based (2-back, 0-back, baseline) working memory fMRI experiment as well as during resting-state. This approach allowed us to follow task-related changes in subnetwork segregation and integration at a high temporal resolution. At a global level, the cognitively more taxing 2-back epochs elicited an overall stronger response of integration between subnetworks compared to the 0-back epochs. Moreover, the visual, sensorimotor and fronto-parietal subnetworks displayed characteristic and distinct temporal profiles of segregation and integration during the 0- and 2-back epochs. During the interspersed epochs of baseline, several subnetworks, including the visual, fronto-parietal, cingulo-opercular and dorsal attention subnetworks showed pronounced increases in segregation. Using a drift diffusion model we show that the response time for the 2-back trials are correlated with integration for the fronto-parietal subnetwork and correlated with segregation for the visual subnetwork. Our results elucidate the fast-evolving events with regard to subnetwork integration and segregation that occur in an epoch-related task fMRI experiment. Our findings suggest that minute changes in subnetwork integration are of importance for task performance. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Foraminiferal and carbon isotope stratigraphy through the Paleocene-Eocene transition at Dee Stream, Marlborough, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hancock, H.J.L.; Dickens, G.R.; Strong, C.P.; Hollis, C.J.; Field, B.D.

2003-01-01

Dee Stream in the Clarence River valley of New Zealand bisects a well-exposed section of marine sedimentary rocks deposited in the Early Paleogene at high southern latitudes. One hundred metres of strata lying within this section and comprising cm-dm well-bedded, siliceous limestone with marly partings was mapped, logged, and sampled to establish a detailed foraminiferal and carbon isotope stratigraphy and to examine environmental changes across the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM). Although low abundance and poor preservation of planktic and benthic foraminifera characterises much of the Paleocene, foraminifera and carbon isotopes clearly show that the section spans the Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene planktic foraminiferal zones from Zone P4 to Subzone P6b, and the Subbotina triloculinoides to Pseudohastigerina wilcoxensis Zones. The δ 13 C record correlates closely to other δ 13 C curves generated from other key Early Paleogene carbonate sequences. The Dee Stream logged section contains a 1 m thick PETM interval at 26.5 m at the base of Zone P5, or the Morozovella velascoensis Subzone. Here, benthic foraminifera undergo significant extinction, Morozovella aequa makes its first appearance, and the δ 13 C of carbonate decreases by 2 permille. The benthic foraminifer Bulimina tuxpamensis dominates benthic assemblages immediately following the onset of the PETM interval, suggesting dysoxic bottom waters during this event. In conjunction with other recently examined sections from the Marlborough region, the thick and apparently continuous Paleogene record at Dee Stream provides an important site for understanding environmental change on high-latitude continental margins during the Paleogene, including the PETM. (author). 54 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs

Epoch-based Entropy for Early Screening of Alzheimer's Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Houmani, N; Dreyfus, G; Vialatte, F B

2015-12-01

In this paper, we introduce a novel entropy measure, termed epoch-based entropy. This measure quantifies disorder of EEG signals both at the time level and spatial level, using local density estimation by a Hidden Markov Model on inter-channel stationary epochs. The investigation is led on a multi-centric EEG database recorded from patients at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-matched healthy subjects. We investigate the classification performances of this method, its robustness to noise, and its sensitivity to sampling frequency and to variations of hyperparameters. The measure is compared to two alternative complexity measures, Shannon's entropy and correlation dimension. The classification accuracies for the discrimination of AD patients from healthy subjects were estimated using a linear classifier designed on a development dataset, and subsequently tested on an independent test set. Epoch-based entropy reached a classification accuracy of 83% on the test dataset (specificity = 83.3%, sensitivity = 82.3%), outperforming the two other complexity measures. Furthermore, it was shown to be more stable to hyperparameter variations, and less sensitive to noise and sampling frequency disturbances than the other two complexity measures.

Paleocene orthophragminids from the Lakadong Limestone, Mawmluh Quarry section, Meghalaya (Shillong, NE India): implications for the regional geology and paleobiogeography

Science.gov (United States)

Özcan, Ercan; Pignatti, Johannes; Pereira, Christer; Osman Yücel, Ali; Drobne, Katica; Barattolo, Filippo; Saraswati, Pratul Kumar

2018-04-01

The late Paleocene orthophragminids, hitherto poorly known from the Himalayan foreland basins, are studied from the Lakadong Limestone in Meghalaya, northeastern India, in order to establish a systematic, biostratigraphic, and paleobiogeographical framework for them in the eastern Tethys. In the Mawmluh Quarry section (MQS) on the Shillong Plateau, to the southeast of Tibet, orthophragminids are associated with typical Paleocene orbitoidiform taxa endemic to the Indian subcontinent, i.e., Lakadongia Matsumaru & Jauhri ( = Setia Ferràndez-Cañadell) and Orbitosiphon Rao, and various species of alveolinids, miscellaneids, and rotaliids, characterizing the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 3 and 4. The orthophragminids belong to two lineages of the genus Orbitoclypeus Silvestri: O. schopeni (Checchia-Rispoli) and O. multiplicatus (Gümbel), both well known from the peri-Mediterranean region and Europe (western Tethys). The latter species is identified here for the first time from the eastern Tethys. Previous records of the genus Discocyclina Gümbel from the Lakadong Limestone actually correspond to misidentified Orbitoclypeus; this implies that the late Paleocene orthophragminid assemblages from Meghalaya and eastern Tethys were less diverse than in the western Tethys. The lineage of Orbitoclypeus schopeni in the lower part of the Lakadong Limestone (SBZ 3) is identified as O. schopeni cf. ramaraoi based on the morphometry of a few specimens, whereas in the upper part (SBZ 4) it corresponds to a transitional development stage between O. schopeni ramaraoi and O. schopeni neumannae (with average Dmean values ranging between 192 and 199 µm). The embryon diameters of O. multiplicatus, recorded only in SBZ 4, range between 300 and 319 µm on average, corresponding to transitional development stages of O. multiplicatus haymanaensis and O. multiplicatus multiplicatus. Our data, along with a review of previous Paleocene and Eocene records from India and Pakistan, suggest that

Transient dwarfism of soil fauna during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jon J; Hasiotis, Stephen T; Kraus, Mary J; Woody, Daniel T

2009-10-20

Soil organisms, as recorded by trace fossils in paleosols of the Willwood Formation, Wyoming, show significant body-size reductions and increased abundances during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Paleobotanical, paleopedologic, and oxygen isotope studies indicate high temperatures during the PETM and sharp declines in precipitation compared with late Paleocene estimates. Insect and oligochaete burrows increase in abundance during the PETM, suggesting longer periods of soil development and improved drainage conditions. Crayfish burrows and molluscan body fossils, abundant below and above the PETM interval, are significantly less abundant during the PETM, likely because of drier floodplain conditions and lower water tables. Burrow diameters of the most abundant ichnofossils are 30-46% smaller within the PETM interval. As burrow size is a proxy for body size, significant reductions in burrow diameter suggest that their tracemakers were smaller bodied. Smaller body sizes may have resulted from higher subsurface temperatures, lower soil moisture conditions, or nutritionally deficient vegetation in the high-CO(2) atmosphere inferred for the PETM. Smaller soil fauna co-occur with dwarf mammal taxa during the PETM; thus, a common forcing mechanism may have selected for small size in both above- and below-ground terrestrial communities. We predict that soil fauna have already shown reductions in size over the last 150 years of increased atmospheric CO(2) and surface temperatures or that they will exhibit this pattern over the next century. We retrodict also that soil fauna across the Permian-Triassic and Triassic-Jurassic boundary events show significant size decreases because of similar forcing mechanisms driven by rapid global warming.

Transient dwarfism of soil fauna during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J.J.; Hasiotis, S.T.; Kraus, M.J.; Woody, D.T.

2009-01-01

Soil organisms, as recorded by trace fossils in paleosols of the Willwood Formation, Wyoming, show significant body-size reductions and increased abundances during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Paleobotanical, paleopedologic, and oxygen isotope studies indicate high temperatures during the PETM and sharp declines in precipitation compared with late Paleocene estimates. Insect and oligochaete burrows increase in abundance during the PETM, suggesting longer periods of soil development and improved drainage conditions. Crayfish burrows and molluscan body fossils, abundant below and above the PETM interval, are significantly less abundant during the PETM, likely because of drier floodplain conditions and lower water tables. Burrow diameters of the most abundant ichnofossils are 30-46% smaller within the PETM interval. As burrow size is a proxy for body size, significant reductions in burrow diameter suggest that their tracemakers were smaller bodied. Smaller body sizes may have resulted from higher subsurface temperatures, lower soil moisture conditions, or nutritionally deficient vegetation in the high-CO2 atmosphere inferred for the PETM. Smaller soil fauna co-occur with dwarf mammal taxa during the PETM; thus, a common forcing mechanism may have selected for small size in both above- and below-ground terrestrial communities. We predict that soil fauna have already shown reductions in size over the last 150 years of increased atmospheric CO2 and surface temperatures or that they will exhibit this pattern over the next century. We retrodict also that soil fauna across the Permian-Triassic and Triassic-Jurassic boundary events show significant size decreases because of similar forcing mechanisms driven by rapid global warming.

Tectonic Reorganization and the Cause of Paleocene and Eocene pCO2 Anomalies

Science.gov (United States)

Austermann, Jacqueline; Carter, Laura B.; Middleton, Jennifer; Stellmann, Jessica; Pyle, Lacey

2017-04-01

Oxygen isotope records reveal that deep-sea temperatures were relatively stable in the early and mid Paleocene before they rose by approx. 4°C to peak in the early Eocene. This Early Eocene Climate Optimum was followed by a 17 Myr cooling trend that led to the onset of Antarctic glaciation at the end of the Eocene. Several studies have examined the potential influence of perturbations to the sinks and sources of atmospheric carbon as mechanisms for the temperature drawdown over the Eocene. Examination of the changing magnitude of carbon sinks has focused on the importance of increased weathering associated with the uplift of the Tibetan plateau (Raymo and Ruddiman, 1992), the continental drift of basaltic provinces through the equatorial humid belt (Kent and Muttoni, 2013), or the emplacement of ophiolites during arc-continent collision in the face of a closing Tethys ocean (Jagoutz et al., 2016). With respect to carbon sources, the shutdown of Tethys subduction and related arc volcanism has been argued to significantly decrease carbon emissions and consequently global temperatures (Hoareau et al., 2015). In this study, we re-assess and quantify proposed atmospheric carbon sinks and sources to obtain an integrated picture of carbon flux changes over the Paleocene and Eocene and to estimate the relative importance of different mechanisms. To constrain carbon sources, we attempt to calculate the outgassing associated with large igneous provinces, mid-ocean ridges and volcanic arcs. We use plate reconstructions to track changes in length and divergence / convergence rates at plate boundaries as well as account for the onset and extinction of volcanic arcs. To constrain carbon sinks, we account for the sequestering of carbon due to silicate weathering and organic carbon burial. We again make use of plate reconstructions to trace highly weatherable arc systems and basaltic extrusions through the tropical humid belt and to assess the interplay between warmer Eocene

Designing Successful Next-Generation Instruments to Detect the Epoch of Reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) team, Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) team

2018-01-01

The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) signifies a period of intense evolution of the Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM) in the early Universe caused by the first generations of stars and galaxies, wherein they turned the neutral IGM to be completely ionized by redshift ≥ 6. This important epoch is poorly explored to date. Measurement of redshifted 21 cm line from neutral Hydrogen during the EoR is promising to provide the most direct constraints of this epoch. Ongoing experiments to detect redshifted 21 cm power spectrum during reionization, including the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER), and the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), appear to be severely affected by bright foregrounds and unaccounted instrumental systematics. For example, the spectral structure introduced by wide-field effects, aperture shapes and angular power patterns of the antennas, electrical and geometrical reflections in the antennas and electrical paths, and antenna position errors can be major limiting factors. These mimic the 21 cm signal and severely degrade the instrument performance. It is imperative for the next-generation of experiments to eliminate these systematics at their source via robust instrument design. I will discuss a generic framework to set cosmologically motivated antenna performance specifications and design strategies using the Precision Radio Interferometry Simulator (PRISim) -- a high-precision tool that I have developed for simulations of foregrounds and the instrument transfer function intended primarily for 21 cm EoR studies, but also broadly applicable to interferometer-based intensity mapping experiments. The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), designed in-part based on this framework, is expected to detect the 21 cm signal with high significance. I will present this framework and the simulations, and their potential for designing upcoming radio instruments such as HERA and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

LEDDB : LOFAR Epoch of Reionization Diagnostic Database

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martinez-Rubi, O.; Veligatla, V. K.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Lampropoulos, P.; Offringa, A. R.; Jelic, V.; Yatawatta, S.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Zaroubi, S.

2013-01-01

One of the key science projects of the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) is the detection of the cosmological signal coming from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Here we present the LOFAR EoR Diagnostic Database (LEDDB) that is used in the storage, management, processing and analysis of the LOFAR EoR

Response to critique by lucas et al. (2009) of paper by Fassett (2009) documenting Paleocene dinosaurs in the San Juan Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Fassett, J.E.

2009-01-01

In this issue of Palaeontologia Electronica Lucas, et al. (2009) question the validity f the Fassett (2009) paper that presented evidence for Paleocene dinosaurs in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Colorado. Their challenges focus primarily on the lithostratigraphy, palynology, and paleomagnetism of the dinosaur-bearing Ojo Alamo Sandstone, shown by Fassett to be of Paleocene age. The lithostratigraphy of the Ojo Alamo is addressed by Lucas et al. (2009) based on detailed studies of outcrops of this formation in two relatively small areas in the southern San Juan Basin where Ojo Alamo dinosaur fossils have been found. When viewed over its 13,000 km2 extent, the Ojo Alamo is seen to be a much more complex formation than these authors recognize, thus their perception and description of the lithostratigraphy of this rock unit is limited and provincial. Fassett (2009) presented a detailed discussion of the palynology of the rocks adjacent to the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) interface in the San Juan Basin, including a 67-page appendix and 25 tables listing the 244 palynomorph species identified from these strata. The Ojo Alamo Sandstone produced 103 palynomorphs from five principal localities including one especially prolific sample set from drill core through K-T strata. Without exception, all samples collected from the Ojo Alamo Sandstone for palynologic analysis were found to contain Paleocene palynomorph assemblages. Lucas et al. challenge only one Ojo Alamo palynomorph assemblage from one of the five areas studied, stating that they were unable to find palynomorph-productive samples at that locality. They submit no new palynologic data that refutes the Paleocene palynologic age of the Ojo Alamo Sandstone. In addressing the paleomagnetism of the Ojo Alamo, these authors dismiss the presence of a critical normal-polarity magnetochron discovered in the lower part of the Ojo Alamo - magnetochron C29n.2n of Fassett (2009) with no evidence to justify this dismissal

A superposed epoch analysis of geomagnetic storms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. R. Taylor

1994-06-01

Full Text Available A superposed epoch analysis of geomagnetic storms has been undertaken. The storms are categorised via their intensity (as defined by the Dst index. Storms have also been classified here as either storm sudden commencements (SSCs or storm gradual commencements (SGCs, that is all storms which did not begin with a sudden commencement. The prevailing solar wind conditions defined by the parameters solar wind speed (vsw, density (ρsw and pressure (Psw and the total field and the components of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF during the storms in each category have been investigated by a superposed epoch analysis. The southward component of the IMF, appears to be the controlling parameter for the generation of small SGCs (-100 nT< minimum Dst ≤ -50 nT for ≥ 4 h, but for SSCs of the same intensity solar wind pressure is dominant. However, for large SSCs (minimum Dst ≤ -100 nT for ≥ 4 h the solar wind speed is the controlling parameter. It is also demonstrated that for larger storms magnetic activity is not solely driven by the accumulation of substorm activity, but substantial energy is directly input via the dayside. Furthermore, there is evidence that SSCs are caused by the passage of a coronal mass ejection, whereas SGCs result from the passage of a high speed/ slow speed coronal stream interface. Storms are also grouped by the sign of Bz during the first hour epoch after the onset. The sign of Bz at t = +1 h is the dominant sign of the Bz for ~24 h before the onset. The total energy released during storms for which Bz was initially positive is, however, of the same order as for storms where Bz was initially negative.

Improving the repeatability of Motor Unit Number Index (MUNIX) by introducing additional epochs at low contraction levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Yun; Zhang, Yingchun

2017-07-01

To evaluate the repeatability of (Motor Unit Number Index) MUNIX under repeatability conditions, specify the origin of variations and provide strategies for quality control. MUNIX calculations were performed on the bicep brachii muscles of eight healthy subjects. Negative effect of suboptimal electrode positions on MUNIX accuracy was eliminated by employing the high-density surface electromyography technique. MUNIX procedures that utilized a variety of surface interferential pattern (SIP) epoch recruitment strategies (including the original MUNIX procedure, two proposed improvement strategies and their combinations) were described. For each MUNIX procedure, ten thousands of different SIP pools were constructed by randomly recruiting necessary SIP epochs from a large SIP epoch pool (3 datasets, 9 independent electromyography recordings at different contraction levels per dataset and 10 SIP epochs per recording) and implemented for MUNIX calculation. The repeatability of each MUNIX procedure was assessed by summarizing the resulting MUNIX distribution and compared to investigate the effect of SIP epoch selection strategy on repeatability performance. SIP epochs selected at lower contraction levels have a stronger influence on the repeatability of MUNIX than those selected at higher contraction levels. MUNIX under repeatability conditions follows a normal distribution and the standard deviation can be significantly reduced by introducing more epochs near the MUNIX definition line. The MUNIX technique shows an inherent variation attributable to SIP epochs at low contraction levels. It is recommended that more epochs should be sampled at these low contraction levels to improve the repeatability. The present study thoroughly documented the inherent variation of MUNIX and the causes, and offered practical solutions to improve the repeatability of MUNIX. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observing the epoch of galaxy formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Steidel, C C

1999-04-13

Significant observational progress in addressing the question of the origin and early evolution of galaxies has been made in the past few years, allowing for direct comparison of the epoch when most of the stars in the universe were forming to prevailing theoretical models. There is currently broad consistency between theoretical expectations and the observations, but rapid improvement in the data will provide much more critical tests of theory in the coming years.

A new fossil from the mid-Paleocene of New Zealand reveals an unexpected diversity of world's oldest penguins

Science.gov (United States)

Mayr, Gerald; De Pietri, Vanesa L.; Paul Scofield, R.

2017-04-01

We describe leg bones of a giant penguin from the mid-Paleocene Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. The specimens were found at the type locality of Waimanu manneringi and together with this species they constitute the oldest penguin fossils known to date. Tarsometatarsus dimensions indicate a species that reached the size of Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi, one of the largest known penguin species. Stem group penguins therefore attained a giant size very early in their evolution, with this gigantism existing for more than 30 million years. The new fossils are from a species that is phylogenetically more derived than Waimanu, and the unexpected coexistence of Waimanu with more derived stem group Sphenisciformes documents a previously unknown diversity amongst the world's oldest penguins. The characteristic tarsometatarsus shape of penguins evolved early on, and the significant morphological disparity between Waimanu and the new fossil conflicts with recent Paleocene divergence estimates for penguins, suggesting an older, Late Cretaceous, origin.

A new fossil from the mid-Paleocene of New Zealand reveals an unexpected diversity of world's oldest penguins.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayr, Gerald; De Pietri, Vanesa L; Paul Scofield, R

2017-04-01

We describe leg bones of a giant penguin from the mid-Paleocene Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. The specimens were found at the type locality of Waimanu manneringi and together with this species they constitute the oldest penguin fossils known to date. Tarsometatarsus dimensions indicate a species that reached the size of Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi, one of the largest known penguin species. Stem group penguins therefore attained a giant size very early in their evolution, with this gigantism existing for more than 30 million years. The new fossils are from a species that is phylogenetically more derived than Waimanu, and the unexpected coexistence of Waimanu with more derived stem group Sphenisciformes documents a previously unknown diversity amongst the world's oldest penguins. The characteristic tarsometatarsus shape of penguins evolved early on, and the significant morphological disparity between Waimanu and the new fossil conflicts with recent Paleocene divergence estimates for penguins, suggesting an older, Late Cretaceous, origin.

Heavy mineral delineation of the Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene stratigraphic sections at the Savannah River Site, Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cathcart, E.M.; Sargent, K.A.

1994-01-01

The Upper Atlantic Coastal Plain of South Carolina consists of a fluvial-deltaic and shallow marine complex of unconsolidated sediments overlying the crystalline basement rocks of the North American continent. Because of the lateral and vertical variability of these sediments, stratigraphic boundaries have been difficult to distinguish. Portions of the Cretaceous, Paleocene, and eocene stratigraphic sections from cores recovered during the construction of two monitoring wells at the Savannah River Site were studied to determine if heavy mineral suites could be utilized to distinguish boundaries. The stratigraphic sections include: the Late Cretaceous Middendorf, Black Creek, and Steel Creek Formations, the Paleocene Snapp Formation, the late Paleocene-Early Eocene Fourmile Branch Formation, and the Early Eocene Congaree formation. In previous studies composite samples were taken over 2.5 ft. intervals along the cores and processed using a heavy liquid for heavy mineral recovery. During this study, heavy mineral distributions were determined by binocular microscope and the mineral identifications confirmed by x-ray diffraction analysis of hand-picked samples. The heavy mineral concentration data and grain size data were then compared to the stratigraphic boundary positions determined by other workers using more classical methods. These comparisons were used to establish the utility of this method for delineating the stratigraphic boundaries in the area of study

Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA)

Science.gov (United States)

DeBoer, David R.; HERA

2015-01-01

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA - reionization.org) roadmap uses the unique properties of the neutral hydrogen (HI) 21cm line to probe our cosmic dawn: from the birth of the first stars and black holes, through the full reionization of the primordial intergalactic medium (IGM). HERA is a collaboration between the Precision Array Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER - eor.berkeley.edu), the US-based Murchison Widefield Array (MWA - mwatelescope.org), and MIT Epoch of Reionization (MITEOR) teams along with the South African SKA-SA, University of KwaZulu Natal and the University of Cambridge Cavendish Laborabory. HERA has recently been awarded a National Science Foundation Mid-Scale Innovation Program grant to begin the next phase.HERA leverages the operation of the PAPER and MWA telescopes to explore techniques and designs required to detect the primordial HI signal in the presence of systematics and radio continuum foreground emission some four orders of magnitude brighter. With this understanding, we are now able to remove foregrounds to the limits of our sensitivity, culminating in the first physically meaningful upper limits. A redundant calibration algorithm from MITEOR improves the sensitivity of the approach.Building on this, the next stage of HERA incorporates a 14m diameter antenna element that is optimized both for sensitivity and for minimizing foreground systematics. Arranging these elements in a compact hexagonal grid yields an array that facilitates calibration, leverages proven foreground removal techniques, and is scalable to large collecting areas. HERA will be located in the radio quiet environment of the SKA site in the Karoo region of South Africa (where PAPER is currently located). It will have a sensitivity close to two orders of magnitude better than PAPER and the MWA to ensure a robust detection. With its sensitivity and broader frequency coverage, HERA can paint an uninterrupted picture through reionization, back to the

The effect of epoch length on estimated EEG functional connectivity and brain network organisation

Science.gov (United States)

Fraschini, Matteo; Demuru, Matteo; Crobe, Alessandra; Marrosu, Francesco; Stam, Cornelis J.; Hillebrand, Arjan

2016-06-01

Objective. Graph theory and network science tools have revealed fundamental mechanisms of functional brain organization in resting-state M/EEG analysis. Nevertheless, it is still not clearly understood how several methodological aspects may bias the topology of the reconstructed functional networks. In this context, the literature shows inconsistency in the chosen length of the selected epochs, impeding a meaningful comparison between results from different studies. Approach. The aim of this study was to provide a network approach insensitive to the effects that epoch length has on functional connectivity and network reconstruction. Two different measures, the phase lag index (PLI) and the amplitude envelope correlation (AEC) were applied to EEG resting-state recordings for a group of 18 healthy volunteers using non-overlapping epochs with variable length (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 s). Weighted clustering coefficient (CCw), weighted characteristic path length (L w) and minimum spanning tree (MST) parameters were computed to evaluate the network topology. The analysis was performed on both scalp and source-space data. Main results. Results from scalp analysis show a decrease in both mean PLI and AEC values with an increase in epoch length, with a tendency to stabilize at a length of 12 s for PLI and 6 s for AEC. Moreover, CCw and L w show very similar behaviour, with metrics based on AEC more reliable in terms of stability. In general, MST parameters stabilize at short epoch lengths, particularly for MSTs based on PLI (1-6 s versus 4-8 s for AEC). At the source-level the results were even more reliable, with stability already at 1 s duration for PLI-based MSTs. Significance. The present work suggests that both PLI and AEC depend on epoch length and that this has an impact on the reconstructed network topology, particularly at the scalp-level. Source-level MST topology is less sensitive to differences in epoch length, therefore enabling the comparison of brain

Geomagnetic reversal in brunhes normal polarity epoch.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J D; Foster, J H

1969-02-07

The magnetic stratigraphly of seven cores of deep-sea sediment established the existence of a short interval of reversed polarity in the upper part of the Brunches epoch of normal polarity. The reversed zone in the cores correlates well with paleontological boundaries and is named the Blake event. Its boundaries are estimated to be 108,000 and 114,000 years ago +/- 10 percent.

Primordial black hole formation during the QCD epoch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jedamzik, K.

1997-01-01

We consider the formation of horizon-size primordial black holes (PBH close-quote s) from pre-existing density fluctuations during cosmic phase transitions. It is pointed out that the formation of PBH close-quote s should be particularly efficient during the QCD epoch due to a substantial reduction of pressure forces during adiabatic collapse, or equivalently, a significant decrease in the effective speed of sound during the color-confinement transition. Our considerations imply that for generic initial density perturbation spectra PBH mass functions are expected to exhibit a pronounced peak on the QCD-horizon mass scale ∼1M circle-dot . This mass scale is roughly coincident with the estimated masses for compact objects recently observed in our galactic halo by the MACHO Collaboration. Black holes formed during the QCD epoch may offer an attractive explanation for the origin of halo dark matter evading possibly problematic nucleosynthesis and luminosity bounds on baryonic halo dark matter. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

The Reel Deal: Interpreting HST Multi-Epoch Movies of YSO Jets.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Adam

2010-09-01

The goal of this proposal is to bring the theoretical interpretation of Young Stellar Object jets and their environments to a new level of realism. We propose to build on the results of a successful Cycle 16 observing proposal that has obtained 3rd epoch images of HH jets. We will use Adaptive Mesh Refinement MHD simulations {developed by our team} to carry forward a detailed program of modeling and interpretation of the time-dependent behavior revealed in the new, extended multi-epoch data set. Only with the third epoch observations can we explore forces: i.e. accelerations, decelerations and structural changes to develop an accurate understanding of physical processes occurring in hypersonic, magnetized jet flows. Our studies will allow us to characterize the jets and, therefore, make the crucial link with jet central engines. We note an innovative feature of our project is its link with laboratory astrophysical experiments of jets. Our analysis of the observations will be used to determine future laboratory experiments which will explore A?clumpyA? jet propagation issues.

Clinical and Cost Comparison Evaluation of Inpatient Versus Outpatient Administration of EPOCH-Containing Regimens in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Sarah S; Gandhi, Arpita S; Clemmons, Amber B; DeRemer, David L

2017-08-01

Etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (EPOCH)-containing regimens are frequently utilized in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, however, the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) in patients receiving inpatient versus outpatient EPOCH has not been described. Additionally, no comparisons have been made regarding financial implications of EPOCH administration in either setting. This study's primary objective was to compare hospital admissions for FN in patients receiving inpatient or outpatient EPOCH. A single-center, institutional review board-approved review was conducted for adults receiving EPOCH beginning January 2010. Clinical and financial data were collected through chart review and the institution's financial department. Descriptive statistics were utilized for analysis. A total of 25 patients received 86 cycles of an EPOCH-containing regimen (61 [70.9%] inpatient). Five (8.2%) inpatient cycles resulted in an admission for FN compared to 4 (16%) outpatient cycles. Prophylactic antifungal and antiviral agents were prescribed more often after inpatient cycles (>80%) compared to outpatient cycles (cost savings of approximately US$141 116 for both chemotherapy costs and hospital day avoidance. EPOCH-containing regimens can be safely administered in the outpatient setting, which may result in cost savings for healthcare institutions.

A search for changing look quasars in second epoch imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, Joseph; Myers, Adam; McGreer, Ian

2018-01-01

Over nearly two decades, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has compiled a catalog of over half a million confirmed quasars. During that period approximately ten percent of these objects have been spectroscopically observed in two or more epochs over baselines of ten or more years. This led recently to the discovery of the largest change in luminosity ever before observed in a quasar. The dimming emission was a reflection of very significant changes in continuum and broad line properties, the source had effectively transitioned from a Type I quasar to a Type II AGN. Since then several more "changing look" quasars have been discovered in multi-epoch SDSS spectroscopy. Among them are objects with rising and falling luminosities, appearing and disappearing broad lines. The origin of this behavior is still very uncertain, currently favored is the scenario in which an accreting black hole is simply starved of fuel. Other plausible scenarios include flaring due to stellar tidal disruption close to the black hole or large changes in accretion flow, which can occur during transitions between radiatively efficient and inefficient accretion regimes. Monitoring of larger numbers of changing look quasars will help to elucidate these ideas.In this poster, we report on the progress of a pilot study in which we hope to learn how to select changing look quasars in multi-epoch imaging. This will allow us to take advantage of the entire SDSS quasar catalog rather than just the ten percent of objects with multi-epoch spectroscopy. Comparing archival SDSS and more recent Legacy Survey imaging over ten-year baselines we select objects whose photometry is consistent with the large changes in luminosity expected in changing look quasars. We aim to build up a catalog of both transitioned and transitioning objects for future monitoring.

'Anthropocene': An Ethical Crisis, Not a Geological Epoch

Science.gov (United States)

Cuomo, Chris

2017-04-01

The term 'anthropocene' has gained enormous popularity among scientists who believe we are in a global phase distinguished by the extensive and lasting impacts of social activities on Earth's sedimentary record and vital systems. Beyond its widespread informal use, a working group of the International Union of Geological Sciences seeks to formalize the term to name a new geological epoch, implying that the Holocene epoch has ended. I argue that the move to formalize the 'anthropocene' and to declare the demise of the Holocene is premature and ethically misguided, at best, and that the very name 'anthropocene' obscures rather than illuminates the serious moral and political/economic implications of the dire warnings evident in recent stratigraphic and ecological changes. If human-caused mass extinction and other ecological catastrophes are serious harms, ethical responses are required. Instead, the move to formalize the idea of an 'anthropocene' epoch treats dire ethical warnings as an opportunity to redefine the current dangerous situation as a new status quo. Have we met our responsibilities to protect Holocene Earth? This presentation will focus on the ethical implications of using the power and discourse of geology to demote Holocene ecological states from their role as the foundational benchmarks for guiding and assessing human relationships with nature and other species. Have geoscientists adequately consulted the biological, ecological and social sciences before declaring the end of the Holocene epoch? Upon what do we base environmental ethics if the Holocene is considered past history? I will also examine the ethical dimensions of naming the so-called 'anthropocene', asking: who is the presumed 'anthro' in the 'anthropocene'? Are the phenomena identified with the 'anthropocene' (nuclear fallout, mass species endangerment, ocean acidification, fossil fuel pollution, deforestation, mining) definitive accomplishments of the human species? Should the practices

A Paleocene penguin from New Zealand substantiates multiple origins of gigantism in fossil Sphenisciformes

OpenAIRE

Mayr, Gerald; Scofield, R. Paul; De Pietri, Vanesa L.; Tennyson, Alan J. D.

2017-01-01

One of the notable features of penguin evolution is the occurrence of very large species in the early Cenozoic, whose body size greatly exceeded that of the largest extant penguins. Here we describe a new giant species from the late Paleocene of New Zealand that documents the very early evolution of large body size in penguins. Kumimanu biceae, n. gen. et sp. is larger than all other fossil penguins that have substantial skeletal portions preserved. Several plesiomorphic features place the ne...

Epochs of radioactivity in historical evolution of the earth with reference to evolution of biosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neruchev, S.G.

1976-01-01

Periodic epochs of intense contamination of the medium by uranium in the course of the Earth's evolution and the biogene mechanism of uranium accumulation in sediments during the lifetime are established. Global differentiation of the radioactivity epochs and essential effect of periodic radiation on the evolution of biosphere are shown. Radiational-mutational mechanism in shown to be extremely nonuniform during the evolution of the organic kingdom. It has been found that the intermittency in radioactive epochs is responsible for peculiarities in the stratigraphic distribution of sedimentary uranium, sapropelic shales, phosphorites, oil-producing rocks and other minerals

Linguistic Engineering and Linguistic of Engineering: Adaptation of Linguistic Paradigm for Circumstance of Engineering Epoch

OpenAIRE

Natalya Halina

2014-01-01

The article is devoted to the problems of linguistic knowledge in the Engineering Epoch. Engineering Epoch is the time of adaptation to the information flows by knowledge management, The system of adaptation mechanisms is connected with linguistic and linguistic technologies, forming in new linguistic patterns Linguistic Engineering and Linguistic of Engineering.

Pronounced peramorphosis in lissamphibians--Aviturus exsecratus (Urodela, Cryptobranchidae from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum of Mongolia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davit Vasilyan

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The oldest and largest member of giant salamanders (Cryptobranchidae Aviturus exsecratus appears in the latest Paleocene (near the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum of Mongolia. Based on femoral and vertebral morphology and metrics, a terrestrial adaptation has been supposed for this species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A detailed morphological reinvestigation of published as well as unpublished material reveals that this salamander shows a vomerine dentition that is posteriorly shifted and arranged in a zigzag pattern, a strongly developed olfactory region within the cranial cavity, and the highest bone ossification and relatively longest femur among all fossil and recent cryptobranchids. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of these characteristics indicates a peramorphic developmental pattern for Aviturus exsecratus. Our results from Av. exsecratus indicate for the first time pronounced peramorphosis within a crown-group lissamphibian. Av. exsecratus represents a new developmental trajectory within both fossil and recent lissamphibian clades characterized by extended ontogeny and large body size, resembling the pattern known from late Paleozoic eryopines. Moreover, Av. exsecratus is not only a cryptobranchid with distinctive peramorphic characters, but also the first giant salamander with partially terrestrial (amphibious lifestyle. The morphology of the vomers and dentaries suggests the ability of both underwater and terrestrial feeding.

THE TIME EVOLUTION OF HH 1 FROM FOUR EPOCHS OF HST IMAGES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raga, A. C.; Esquivel, A. [Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ap. 70-543, 04510 D.F., México (Mexico); Reipurth, B. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Bally, J., E-mail: raga@nucleares.unam.mx [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, UCB 389, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)

2016-05-15

We present an analysis of four epochs of Hα and [S ii] λλ 6716/6731 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of HH 1. For determining proper motions, we explore a new method based on the analysis of spatially degraded images obtained convolving the images with wavelet functions of chosen widths. With this procedure, we are able to generate maps of proper motion velocities along and across the outflow axis, as well as (angularly integrated) proper motion velocity distributions. From the four available epochs, we find the time evolution of the velocities, intensities, and spatial distribution of the line emission. We find that over the last two decades HH 1 shows a clear acceleration. Also, the Hα and [S ii] intensities first dropped and then recovered in the more recent (2014) images. Finally, we show a comparison between the two available HST epochs of [O iii] λ 5007 (1994 and 2014), in which we see a clear drop in the value of the [O iii]/Hα ratio.

Control of climate and Tethyan legacy on distribution of Paleocene ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

11

planktotrophic larvae of these benthic molluscs could not cross the deep ocean barrier that lay between the .... temporal data and consideration of the whole epoch in a single time frame, it was still able to ..... Shallow benthic gastropod faunas, hence, flourished in a big ... They also thought that the current was from east to.

Control of climate and Tethyan legacy on distribution of Paleocene ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Shrestha Das

2018-05-29

May 29, 2018 ... unusual effect because of its rapidity. It may be ... whole epoch in a single time frame, it was still able ..... and the Eocene was concentrated in many shallow ... also thought that the current was from east to .... deep ocean water is a huge barrier to dispersal. It ... also attests to the temperature sensitivity of this.

An unusual taphocoenosis of a sea urchin and a rectally inserted turriform gastropod from the lowermost Paleocene of Stevs klint, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milan, Jesper; Rasmussen, Bo Wilhelm; Vallon, Lothar H.

2015-01-01

A specimen of the common irregular echinoid Echinocorys sulcata (Goldfuss, 1826), recovered from the lowermost Paleocene Stevns Klint Formation, at Stevns Klint, Denmark, is of note in revealing a perfect external mold of the turriform gastropod Cerithiella fenestrata (Ravn, 1902) in the anal ope...

The Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionisation with SKA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koopmans, L.; Pritchard, J.; Mellema, G.; Aguirre, J.; Ahn, K.; Barkana, R.; van Bemmel, I.; Bernardi, G.; Bonaldi, A.; Briggs, F.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Chang, T. C.; Chapman, E.; Chen, X.; Ciardi, B.; Dayal, P.; Ferrara, A.; Fialkov, A.; Fiore, F.; Ichiki, K.; Illiev, I. T.; Inoue, S.; Jelic, V.; Jones, M.; Lazio, J.; Maio, U.; Majumdar, S.; Mack, K. J.; Mesinger, A.; Morales, M. F.; Parsons, A.; Pen, U. L.; Santos, M.; Schneider, R.; Semelin, B.; de Souza, R. S.; Subrahmanyan, R.; Takeuchi, T.; Vedantham, H.; Wagg, J.; Webster, R.; Wyithe, S.; Datta, K. K.; Trott, C.

2014-01-01

Concerted effort is currently ongoing to open up the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) ($z\\sim$15-6) for studies with IR and radio telescopes. Whereas IR detections have been made of sources (Lyman-$\\alpha$ emitters, quasars and drop-outs) in this redshift regime in relatively small fields of view, no

The Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionisation with SKA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koopmans, L.; Pritchard, J.; Mellema, G.; Aguirre, J.; Ahn, K.; Barkana, R.; van Bemmel, I.; Bernardi, G.; Bonaldi, A.; Briggs, F.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Chang, T. C.; Chapman, E.; Chen, X.; Ciardi, B.; Dayal, P.; Ferrara, A.; Fialkov, A.; Fiore, F.; Ichiki, K.; Illiev, I. T.; Inoue, S.; Jelic, V.; Jones, M.; Lazio, J.; Maio, U.; Majumdar, S.; Mack, K. J.; Mesinger, A.; Morales, M. F.; Parsons, A.; Pen, U. L.; Santos, M.; Schneider, R.; Semelin, B.; de Souza, R. S.; Subrahmanyan, R.; Takeuchi, T.; Vedantham, H.; Wagg, J.; Webster, R.; Wyithe, S.; Datta, K. K.; Trott, C.

2015-01-01

Concerted effort is currently ongoing to open up the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) ($z\\sim$15-6) for studies with IR and radio telescopes. Whereas IR detections have been made of sources (Lyman-$\\alpha$ emitters, quasars and drop-outs) in this redshift regime in relatively small fields of view, no

Metallogenic epoch of the Jiapigou gold belt, Jilin Province, China

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Metallogenic epoch of the Jiapigou gold belt, Jilin Province, China: ... The Jiapigou gold belt is located on the northern margin of the North China Craton, and is one of the ... 29, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China.

Two Mechanisms for Methane Release at the Paleocene/Eocene Boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, M. E.; Cramer, B. S.; Mountain, G. S.; Mountain, G. S.; Katz, S.; Miller, K. G.; Miller, K. G.

2001-12-01

The rapid global warming of the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) has been attributed to a massive methane release from marine gas hydrate reservoirs. Two mechanisms have been proposed for this methane release. The first relies on a deepwater circulation change and water temperature increase that was sufficiently large and rapid to trigger massive thermal dissociation of gas hydrate frozen beneath the seafloor (Dickens et al., 1995). The second relies on slope failure (via erosion or seismic activity) of the oversteepened continental margins of the western North Atlantic to allow methane to escape from gas reservoirs trapped between the hydrate-bearing sediments and the underlying reef front (Katz et al., in press). We evaluate thermal dissociation by modeling heat flow through the sediments to show the effect of the temperature change on the gas hydrate stability zone through time. We use Paleocene bottom water temperatures (constrained by isotope records) and assume an instantaneous water temperature increase (i.e., no time allotted for ocean circulation change and water mass mixing). This yields an end-member minimum estimate of >2350 years necessary to melt all gas hydrate at locations shallower than 1570m; gas hydrates at greater depths remain frozen. We also use this model to predict the amount of C12-enriched methane that could have contributed to the carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Using reasonable methane distributions within sediments, we conclude that thermal dissociation alone cannot account for the full magnitude of the CIE. We propose that thermal dissociation did not initiate the CIE; rather, a different mechanism injected a large amount of carbon into the atmosphere, causing global greenhouse warming that could have led to subsequent thermal dissociation. Methane remains a plausible source for this initial carbon injection; however, initial release would have resulted from mechanical disruption of sediments rather than thermal dissociation

Gigantism in unique biogenic magnetite at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumann, Dirk; Raub, Timothy D; Kopp, Robert E; Guerquin-Kern, Jean-Luc; Wu, Ting-Di; Rouiller, Isabelle; Smirnov, Aleksey V; Sears, S Kelly; Lücken, Uwe; Tikoo, Sonia M; Hesse, Reinhard; Kirschvink, Joseph L; Vali, Hojatollah

2008-11-18

We report the discovery of exceptionally large biogenic magnetite crystals in clay-rich sediments spanning the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in a borehole at Ancora, NJ. Aside from previously described abundant bacterial magnetofossils, electron microscopy reveals novel spearhead-like and spindle-like magnetite up to 4 microm long and hexaoctahedral prisms up to 1.4 microm long. Similar to magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria, these single-crystal particles exhibit chemical composition, lattice perfection, and oxygen isotopes consistent with an aquatic origin. Electron holography indicates single-domain magnetization despite their large crystal size. We suggest that the development of a thick suboxic zone with high iron bioavailability--a product of dramatic changes in weathering and sedimentation patterns driven by severe global warming--drove diversification of magnetite-forming organisms, likely including eukaryotes.

Pliocene geomagnetic polarity epochs

Science.gov (United States)

Dalrymple, G.B.; Cox, A.; Doell, Richard R.; Gromme, C.S.

1967-01-01

A paleomagnetic and K-Ar dating study of 44 upper Miocene and Pliocene volcanic units from the western United States suggests that the frequency of reversals of the earth's magnetic field during Pliocene time may have been comparable with that of the last 3.6 m.y. Although the data are too limited to permit the formal naming of any new polarity epochs or events, four polarity transitions have been identified: the W10 R/N boundary at 3.7 ?? 0.1 m.y., the A12 N/R boundary at 4.9 ?? 0.1 m.y., the W32 N/R boundary at 9.0 ?? 0.2m.y., and the W36 R/N boundary at 10.8 ?? 0.3 - 1.0 m.y. The loss of absolute resolution of K-Ar dating in older rocks indicates that the use of well defined stratigraphic successions to identify and date polarity transitions will be important in the study of Pliocene and older reversals. ?? 1967.

Quantified abundance of magnetofossils at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary from synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huapei; Wang, Jun; Chen-Wiegart, Yu-Chen Karen; Kent, Dennis V

2015-10-13

The Paleocene-Eocene boundary (∼55.8 million years ago) is marked by an abrupt negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) that coincides with an oxygen isotope decrease interpreted as the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Biogenic magnetite (Fe3O4) in the form of giant (micron-sized) spearhead-like and spindle-like magnetofossils, as well as nano-sized magnetotactic bacteria magnetosome chains, have been reported in clay-rich sediments in the New Jersey Atlantic Coastal Plain and were thought to account for the distinctive single-domain magnetic properties of these sediments. Uncalibrated strong field magnet extraction techniques have been typically used to provide material for scanning and transmission electron microscopic imaging of these magnetic particles, whose concentration in the natural sediment is thus difficult to quantify. In this study, we use a recently developed ultrahigh-resolution, synchrotron-based, full-field transmission X-ray microscope to study the iron-rich minerals within the clay sediment in their bulk state. We are able to estimate the total magnetization concentration of the giant biogenic magnetofossils to be only ∼10% of whole sediment. Along with previous rock magnetic studies on the CIE clay, we suggest that most of the magnetite in the clay occurs as isolated, near-equidimensional nanoparticles, a suggestion that points to a nonbiogenic origin, such as comet impact plume condensates in what may be very rapidly deposited CIE clays.

The Paleocene Eocene carbon isotope excursion in higher plant organic matter: Differential fractionation of angiosperms and conifers in the Arctic

Science.gov (United States)

Schouten, Stefan; Woltering, Martijn; Rijpstra, W. Irene C.; Sluijs, Appy; Brinkhuis, Henk; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.

2007-06-01

A study of upper Paleocene-lower Eocene (P-E) sediments deposited on the Lomonosov Ridge in the central Arctic Ocean reveals relatively high abundances of terrestrial biomarkers. These include dehydroabietane and simonellite derived from conifers (gymnosperms) and a tetra-aromatic triterpenoid derived from angiosperms. The relative percentage of the angiosperm biomarker of the summed angiosperm + conifer biomarkers was increased at the end of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), different when observed with pollen counts which showed a relative decrease in angiosperm pollen. Stable carbon isotopic analysis of these biomarkers shows that the negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) during the PETM amounts to 3‰ for both conifer biomarkers, dehydroabietane and simonellite, comparable to the magnitude of the CIE inferred from marine carbonates, but significantly lower than the 4.5‰ of the terrestrial C 29n-alkane [M. Pagani, N. Pedentchouk, M. Huber, A. Sluijs, S. Schouten, H. Brinkhuis, J.S. Sinninghe Damsté, G.R. Dickens, and the IODP Expedition 302 Expedition Scientists (2006), Arctic's hydrology during global warming at the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Nature, 442, 671-675.], which is a compound sourced by both conifers and angiosperms. Conspicuously, the angiosperm-sourced aromatic triterpane shows a much larger CIE of 6‰ and suggests that angiosperms increased in their carbon isotopic fractionation during the PETM. Our results thus indicate that the 4.5‰ C 29n-alkane CIE reported previously represents the average CIE of conifers and angiosperms at this site and suggest that the large and variable CIE observed in terrestrial records may be partly explained by the variable contributions of conifers and angiosperms. The differential response in isotopic fractionation of angiosperms and conifers points to different physiological responses of these vegetation types to the rise in temperature, humidity, and greenhouse gases during the PETM.

On the spin-temperature evolution during the epoch of reionization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thomas, Rajat M.; Zaroubi, Saleem

Simulations estimating the brightness temperature (delta T-b) of the redshifted 21 cm from the epoch of reionization (EoR) often assume that the spin temperature (T-s) is decoupled from the background cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and is much larger than it, i.e. T-s T-CMB. Although

LSST and the Epoch of Reionization Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Ivezić, Željko

2018-05-01

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a next generation astronomical survey, sited on Cerro Pachon in Chile, will provide an unprecedented amount of imaging data for studies of the faint optical sky. The LSST system includes an 8.4m (6.7m effective) primary mirror and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera with a 9.6 sq. deg. field of view. This system will enable about 10,000 sq. deg. of sky to be covered twice per night, every three to four nights on average, with typical 5-sigma depth for point sources of r = 24.5 (AB). With over 800 observations in the ugrizy bands over a 10-year period, these data will enable coadded images reaching r = 27.5 (about 5 magnitudes deeper than SDSS) as well as studies of faint time-domain astronomy. The measured properties of newly discovered and known astrometric and photometric transients will be publicly reported within 60 sec after closing the shutter. The resulting hundreds of petabytes of imaging data for about 40 billion objects will be used for scientific investigations ranging from the properties of near-Earth asteroids to characterizations of dark matter and dark energy. For example, simulations estimate that LSST will discover about 1,000 quasars at redshifts exceeding 7; this sample will place tight constraints on the cosmic environment at the end of the reionization epoch. In addition to a brief introduction to LSST, I review the value of LSST data in support of epoch of reionization experiments and discuss how international participants can join LSST.

Period, epoch, and prediction errors of ephemerides from continuous sets of timing measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Deeg, H. J.

2015-06-01

Space missions such as Kepler and CoRoT have led to large numbers of eclipse or transit measurements in nearly continuous time series. This paper shows how to obtain the period error in such measurements from a basic linear least-squares fit, and how to correctly derive the timing error in the prediction of future transit or eclipse events. Assuming strict periodicity, a formula for the period error of these time series is derived, σP = σT (12 / (N3-N))1 / 2, where σP is the period error, σT the timing error of a single measurement, and N the number of measurements. Compared to the iterative method for period error estimation by Mighell & Plavchan (2013), this much simpler formula leads to smaller period errors, whose correctness has been verified through simulations. For the prediction of times of future periodic events, usual linear ephemeris were epoch errors are quoted for the first time measurement, are prone to an overestimation of the error of that prediction. This may be avoided by a correction for the duration of the time series. An alternative is the derivation of ephemerides whose reference epoch and epoch error are given for the centre of the time series. For long continuous or near-continuous time series whose acquisition is completed, such central epochs should be the preferred way for the quotation of linear ephemerides. While this work was motivated from the analysis of eclipse timing measures in space-based light curves, it should be applicable to any other problem with an uninterrupted sequence of discrete timings for which the determination of a zero point, of a constant period and of the associated errors is needed.

The latest Paleocene benthic extinction event: Punctuated turnover in outer neritic benthic foraminiferal faunas from Gebel Aweina, Egypt

OpenAIRE

Speijer, Robert; Schmitz, B; Aubry, MP; Charisi, SD

1995-01-01

We investigated the benthic foraminiferal record of the neritic sequence at Gebel Aweina (Nile Valley, Egypt) in relation to the latest Paleocene deep-sea benthic extinction event (BEE). At Gebel Aweina an expanded sequence, spanning calcareous nannofossil Zones NP8-NPlO, is continuously exposed and yields calcareous microfauna throughout. The BEE level is situated about halfway through Zone NP9 at 17m above the base of the Esna Formation. Detailed biostratigraphic and isotopic studies have i...

A dynamic climate and ecosystem state during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: inferences from dinoflagellate cyst assemblages on the New Jersey Shelf

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sluijs

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Late Paleocene and Early Eocene climates and ecosystems underwent significant change during several transient global warming phases, associated with rapidly increasing atmospheric carbon concentrations, of which the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ~55.5 Ma is best studied. While biotic response to the PETM as a whole (~170 kyrs has been relatively well documented, variations during the PETM have been neglected. Here we present organic dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst distribution patterns across two stratigraphically expanded PETM sections from the New Jersey Shelf, Bass River and Wilson Lake. Many previously studied sites show a uniform abundance of the thermophilic and presumably heterotrophic taxon Apectodinium that spans the entire carbon isotope excursion (CIE of the PETM. In contrast, the New Jersey sections show large variations in abundances of many taxa during the PETM, including the new species Florentinia reichartii that we formally propose. We infer paleoecological preferences of taxa that show temporal abundance peaks, both qualitative and absolute quantitative, from empirical as well as statistical information, i.e., principle (PCA and canonical correspondence analyses (CCA. In the CCAs, we combine the dinocyst data with previously published environmental proxy data from these locations, such as TEX₈₆ paleothermometry, magnetic susceptibility and sedimentary size fraction. The combined information supports previous inferences that sea level rose during the PETM, but also indicates a (regional increase in fresh-water runoff that started ~10 kyr after the onset of the CIE, and perhaps precession-paced cycles in sea surface productivity. The highly variable dinocyst assemblages of the PETM contrast with rather stable Upper Paleocene assemblages, which suggests that carbon input caused a dynamic climate state, at least regionally.

Paleocene-middle Miocene flexural-margin migration of the non marine llanos Foreland basin of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayona, German; Jaramillo, Carlos; Rueda, Milton; Reyes Harker, Andres; Torres, Vladimir

2007-01-01

A foreland basin is a dynamic system whose depositional systems migrate in response to changes in tectonic uplift patterns, sedimentary filling processes and isostatic rebound of the lithosphere. The Paleocene-middle Miocene foreland system of the llanos foothills and llanos basin of Colombia includes regional unconformities, abrupt changes in lithology/stacking patterns and flooding surfaces bounding reservoir and seal units. Here we integrate a systematic biostratigraphic study, strata architecture and tectonic subsidence analyses, regional seismic profiles, and provenance data to define the diachronism of such surfaces and to document the direction of migration of foreland depozones. Line a flexural-deformed basin, sandstone composition, rates of accommodation and sediment supply vary across and along the basin. we show how a coeval depositional profile in the llanos foothills-llanos foreland basin consists of lithoranites inter b edded with mudstones (seal rock, supplied from the orogenic front to the west) that correlate craton ward with organic-rich mudstones and coal (source rock), and to amalgamated fluvial-estuarine quartzarenites (reservoir rock, supplied from the craton to the east) adjacent to a sub-aerial fore-bulge (unconformity). This system migrated northward and eastward during the Paleocene, westward during the early-middle Eocene, and eastward during the Oligocene. In the lower-middle Miocene succession of the llanos basin, identification of flooding events indicates a westward encroaching of a shallow-water lacustrine system that covered an eastward-directed fluvial-deltaic system. A similar process has been documented in other basins in Venezuela and Bolivia, indicating the regional extent of such flooding event may be related to the onset of Andean-scale mountain-building processes

Evidence of cyclic climatic changes recorded in clay mineral assemblages from a continental Paleocene-Eocene sequence, northwestern Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Do Campo, Margarita; Bauluz, Blanca; del Papa, Cecilia; White, Timothy; Yuste, Alfonso; Mayayo, Maria Jose

2018-06-01

The continental Paleocene-Eocene sequence investigated in this study belongs to the Salta Group, deposited in an intracontinental rift, the Salta Basin (NW Argentina), that evolved from the lower Cretaceous to the middle Paleogene, and is subdivided into the Pirgua, the Balbuena and the Santa Barbara Subgroups. The Maíz Gordo Formation (200 m thick) is the middle unit of the Santa Bárbara Subgroup, deposited during late post-rift sedimentation. We studied the mineralogy of fine-grained horizons of this formation by X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to examine the connection between vertical changes in clay mineralogy in alluvial sediments and paleosols, and global paleoclimatic changes registered during the Paleogene. Paleosols vary from calcic vertisols in the lowermost levels, to inseptisols and gleysols in intermediate positions, to gleyed oxisols in the upper section, indicating increased chemical weathering through time. Clay mineral relative abundances vary with a general increase in kaolinite content from bottom to top. However, at one site there are significant variations in kaolinite/muscovite (Kln/Ms) that define five cycles of kaolinite abundance and Kln/Ms. that indicate cyclic patterns of paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature. These are interpreted as several short-lived hyperthermals during the Paleocene-early Eocene in the Southern Hemisphere, which correlate with well-established episodes of warmth documented from the Northern Hemisphere.

Paleoserranus lakamhae gen. et sp. nov., a Paleocene seabass (Perciformes: Serranidae) from Palenque, Chiapas, southeastern Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Cantalice, Kleyton M.; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús; Alaniz-Galvan, Abril

2018-04-01

Paleoserranus lakamhae gen. et sp. nov. is here described based on well-preserved fossils from the Paleocene marine sediments of the Tenejapa-Lacandón geological unit, belonging to both Division del Norte and Belisario Domínguez quarries, near Palenque, Chiapas, southeastern Mexico. This species exhibits distinctive characters of the order Perciformes, such as the presence of spines in the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins, as well as the pelvic and pectoral girdles in contact between them. This fish also has neither procurrent spur nor posterior uroneural, characters that support its place within the family Serranidae. It also has a distinctive combination of characters, including a serrated lacrimal and a toothed ectopterygoid, never recorded before among serranids. Additionally, this fossil fish shares some characters with different species nested within the subfamilies Serraninae, Anthiinae, and Ephinephelinae; these include a predorsal formula of 0/0/0 + 2/1 + 1/1; a preopercle with its ventral edge sinuous and showing a strong antrorse spine; its dorsal fin consists of nine spines and eight to ten soft rays; 13 rays in its pectoral fin; and its rounded caudal fin structured with formula I+8-7+I. Paleoserranus lakamhae gen. et sp. nov. is a Serranidae incertae sedis because it does not fit into any subgroup; however, this Paleocene fish is the earliest fossil record of the family Serranidae. The place of occurrence of this new fossil record suggests that the origin and of the seabasses took place in the Caribbean region of North America.

The epochs of international law

CERN Document Server

Grewe, Wilhelm G

2000-01-01

A theoretical overview and detailed analysis of the history of international law from the Middle Ages through to the end of the twentieth century (updated from the 1984 German language edition). Wilhelm Grewe's "Epochen der Völkerrechtsgeschichte" is widely regarded as one of the classic twentieth century works of international law. This revised translation by Michael Byers of Oxford University makes this important book available to non-German readers for the first time. "The Epochs of International Law" provides a theoretical overview and detailed analysis of the history of international law from the Middle Ages, to the Age of Discovery and the Thirty Years War, from Napoleon Bonaparte to the Treaty of Versailles and the Age of the Single Superpower, and does so in a way that reflects Grewe's own experience as one of Germany's leading diplomats and professors of international law. A new chapter, written by Wilhelm Grewe and Michael Byers, updates the book to 1998, making the revised translation of interest ...

Effects of Varying Epoch Lengths, Wear Time Algorithms, and Activity Cut-Points on Estimates of Child Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity from Accelerometer Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Banda, Jorge A; Haydel, K Farish; Davila, Tania; Desai, Manisha; Bryson, Susan; Haskell, William L; Matheson, Donna; Robinson, Thomas N

2016-01-01

To examine the effects of accelerometer epoch lengths, wear time (WT) algorithms, and activity cut-points on estimates of WT, sedentary behavior (SB), and physical activity (PA). 268 7-11 year-olds with BMI ≥ 85th percentile for age and sex wore accelerometers on their right hips for 4-7 days. Data were processed and analyzed at epoch lengths of 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-, 30-, and 60-seconds. For each epoch length, WT minutes/day was determined using three common WT algorithms, and minutes/day and percent time spent in SB, light (LPA), moderate (MPA), and vigorous (VPA) PA were determined using five common activity cut-points. ANOVA tested differences in WT, SB, LPA, MPA, VPA, and MVPA when using the different epoch lengths, WT algorithms, and activity cut-points. WT minutes/day varied significantly by epoch length when using the NHANES WT algorithm (p algorithms. Minutes/day and percent time spent in SB, LPA, MPA, VPA, and MVPA varied significantly by epoch length for all sets of activity cut-points tested with all three WT algorithms (all p algorithms (all p algorithms and activity cut-point definitions to match different epoch lengths may introduce significant errors. Estimates of SB and PA from studies that process and analyze data using different epoch lengths, WT algorithms, and/or activity cut-points are not comparable, potentially leading to very different results, interpretations, and conclusions, misleading research and public policy.

Multi-epoch VLBA Imaging of 20 New TeV Blazars: Apparent Jet Speeds

Science.gov (United States)

Piner, B. Glenn; Edwards, Philip G.

2018-01-01

We present 88 multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) images (most at an observing frequency of 8 GHz) of 20 TeV blazars, all of the high-frequency-peaked BL Lac (HBL) class, that have not been previously studied at multiple epochs on the parsec scale. From these 20 sources, we analyze the apparent speeds of 43 jet components that are all detected at four or more epochs. As has been found for other TeV HBLs, the apparent speeds of these components are relatively slow. About two-thirds of the components have an apparent speed that is consistent (within 2σ) with no motion, and some of these components may be stationary patterns whose apparent speed does not relate to the underlying bulk flow speed. In addition, a superluminal tail to the apparent speed distribution of the TeV HBLs is detected for the first time, with eight components in seven sources having a 2σ lower limit on the apparent speed exceeding 1c. We combine the data from these 20 sources with an additional 18 sources from the literature to analyze the complete apparent speed distribution of all 38 TeV HBLs that have been studied with very long baseline interferometry at multiple epochs. The highest 2σ apparent speed lower limit considering all sources is 3.6c. This suggests that bulk Lorentz factors of up to about 4, but probably not much higher, exist in the parsec-scale radio-emitting regions of these sources, consistent with estimates obtained in the radio by other means such as brightness temperatures. This can be reconciled with the high Lorentz factors estimated from the high-energy data if the jet has velocity structures consisting of different emission regions with different Lorentz factors. In particular, we analyze the current apparent speed data for the TeV HBLs in the context of a model with a fast central spine and a slower outer layer.

Early Paleocene landbird supports rapid phylogenetic and morphological diversification of crown birds after the K-Pg mass extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Ksepka, Daniel T.; Stidham, Thomas A.; Williamson, Thomas E.

2017-07-01

Evidence is accumulating for a rapid diversification of birds following the K-Pg extinction. Recent molecular divergence dating studies suggest that birds radiated explosively during the first few million years of the Paleocene; however, fossils from this interval remain poorly represented, hindering our understanding of morphological and ecological specialization in early neoavian birds. Here we report a small fossil bird from the Nacimiento Formation of New Mexico, constrained to 62.221-62.517 Ma. This partial skeleton represents the oldest arboreal crown group bird known. Phylogenetic analyses recovered Tsidiiyazhi abini gen. et sp. nov. as a member of the Sandcoleidae, an extinct basal clade of stem mousebirds (Coliiformes). The discovery of Tsidiiyazhi pushes the minimum divergence ages of as many as nine additional major neoavian lineages into the earliest Paleocene, compressing the duration of the proposed explosive post-K-Pg radiation of modern birds into a very narrow temporal window parallel to that suggested for placental mammals. Simultaneously, Tsidiiyazhi provides evidence for the rapid morphological (and likely ecological) diversification of crown birds. Features of the foot indicate semizygodactyly (the ability to facultatively reverse the fourth pedal digit), and the arcuate arrangement of the pedal trochleae bears a striking resemblance to the conformation in owls (Strigiformes). Inclusion of fossil taxa and branch length estimates impacts ancestral state reconstructions, revealing support for the independent evolution of semizygodactyly in Coliiformes, Leptosomiformes, and Strigiformes, none of which is closely related to extant clades exhibiting full zygodactyly.

Episodes and Epochs in the Evolution of Danish Textile and Fashion Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boujarzadeh, Behnam; Turcan, Romeo V.; Dholakia, Nikhilesh

2016-01-01

In this paper we explore the emergence and evolution of industries. Specifically we investigate the episodes and epochs in the emergence and evolution of Danish Textile and Fashion Industry. We collected historical data on Danish Textile and Fashion Industry between 1945 and 2015. We employ radar...

The Corporate University's Role in Managing an Epoch in Learning Organisation Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Dealtry, Richard

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to set the scene for some radical epochal thinking about the approach and future strategic directions in the management of organisational learning, following the author's earlier editorial theme concerning the need for exploration and innovation in organisational learning management.…

New paleomagnetic results from the Paleocene redbeds in the Tethyan Himalaya: Insights into the precollisional extension of Greater India and the time of the India-Asia collision

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, T.; Jin, J.; Ma, Y.; Bian, W.; Zhang, S.; Gao, F.; Wu, H.; Li, H.; Yang, Z.; Cao, L.

2017-12-01

The collision and ongoing convergence between the India and Asia continents have produced the Himalayan-Tibetan Orogen. The precollisional extension of Greater India and the time of the India-Asia collision are very important to understand the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau, but disputes still remain concerning these two problems. A paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic study has been carried out on the Sangdanlin and Zheya Formation redbeds, which were dated at 60-58.5 Ma, in the Saga area of the Tethyan Himalaya. Thirty-six Paleocene redbed sites provide a tilt-corrected site-mean direction of D=178.3°, I=9.8° with ɑ95=5.5°, corresponding to a paleopole at 55.6°N, 268.5°E with A95 = 4.9°. This Paleocene paleomagnetic dataset passes positive fold tests and shows that the Saga area (29.3°N, 85.3°E) was located at 5.1°S during 60-58.5 Ma. Comparing the Paleocene (60-58.5 Ma) paleomagnetic results observed from the Tethyan Himalaya with those expected from the Indian APWP indicates a paleolatitude difference of 2.1°, which, combined with that the Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic results obtained from the Tethyan Himalaya and the Indian craton also showed a similar paleolatitude difference, suggests that neither a great north-south crustal shortening occurred between the Indian craton and the Tethyan Himalaya after the India-Asia collision, nor that a wide ocean extended between them after the Early Cretaceous. Therefore, high-quality paleomagnetic results show no a big Greater India. Based on our new Paleocene results obtained from the Tethyan Himalaya and the reliable Cretaceous-Early Eocene paleomagnetic results observed from the Lhasa terrane, as well as on extrapolating a constant Indian northward velocity of 18.8 cm/yr, the India-Asia collision occurred at 49.2 Ma for the reference point at 29.3°N, 85.3°E. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41572205) and the Fundamental Research Fund for the Central

The Square Kilometre Array Epoch of Reionisation and Cosmic Dawn Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Trott, Cathryn M.

2018-05-01

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Epoch of Reionisation and Cosmic Dawn (EoR/CD) experiments aim to explore the growth of structure and production of ionising radiation in the first billion years of the Universe. Here I describe the experiments planned for the future low-frequency components of the Observatory, and work underway to define, design and execute these programs.

Geology of the Cannonball Formation (Paleocene) in the Williston basin, with reference to uranium potential. Report of investigation No. 57

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cvancara, A.M.

1976-01-01

The Paleocene Cannonball Formation is a marine, non-lignitic-bearing clastic sequence in the lower part of the Fort Union Group. It is overlain by the lignite-bearing Tongue River Formation in places and both overlain and underlain by the lignite-bearing Ludlow Formation in places. The Cannonball crops out primarily in southwest-central North Dakota and probably occurs throughout the western one-half of the state. It occurs also in northwestern South Dakota and may extend into parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Poorly consolidated, very fine- to fine-grained, light to medium brownish yellow-weathering sandstone and light gray-weathering, sandy mudstone are the principal types of lithology. Mudstone generally predominates in North Dakota whereas sandstone seems to predominate in South Dakota. Although uranium in the Williston basin has been found almost entirely in lignite and nonmarine carbonaceous rocks, its occurrence in the marine Cannonball Formation is possible. If the Cannonball, Ludlow, Tongue River, and Sentinel Butte Formations are at least partly penecontemporaneous, a variety of depositional environments were in areal juxtaposition during the Paleocene. Streams originating or passing through coastal plain bogs could have carried uranium ions (derived from volcanic materials) to the Cannonball sea where they were deposited syngenetically. Epigenetic uranium may occur in Cannonball mudstones or sandstones that directly underlie the Ludlow Formation, which is known to contain volcanic materials

Evolution of the earliest horses driven by climate change in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Science.gov (United States)

Secord, Ross; Bloch, Jonathan I; Chester, Stephen G B; Boyer, Doug M; Wood, Aaron R; Wing, Scott L; Kraus, Mary J; McInerney, Francesca A; Krigbaum, John

2012-02-24

Body size plays a critical role in mammalian ecology and physiology. Previous research has shown that many mammals became smaller during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but the timing and magnitude of that change relative to climate change have been unclear. A high-resolution record of continental climate and equid body size change shows a directional size decrease of ~30% over the first ~130,000 years of the PETM, followed by a ~76% increase in the recovery phase of the PETM. These size changes are negatively correlated with temperature inferred from oxygen isotopes in mammal teeth and were probably driven by shifts in temperature and possibly high atmospheric CO(2) concentrations. These findings could be important for understanding mammalian evolutionary responses to future global warming.

Faint galaxies - Bounds on the epoch of galaxy formation and the cosmological deceleration parameter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshii, Yuzuru; Peterson, B.A.

1991-01-01

Models of galaxy luminosity evolution are used to interpret the observed color distributions, redshift distributions, and number counts of faint galaxies. It is found from the color distributions that the redshift corresponding to the epoch of galaxy formation must be greater than three, and that the number counts of faint galaxies, which are sensitive to the slope of the faint end of the luminosity function, are incompatible with q0 = 1/2 and indicate a smaller value. The models assume that the sequence of galaxy types is due to different star-formation rates, that the period of galaxy formation can be characterized by a single epoch, and that after formation, galaxies change in luminosity by star formation and stellar evolution, maintaining a constant comoving space density. 40 refs

Signals from the epoch of cosmological recombination (Karl Schwarzschild Award Lecture 2008)

Science.gov (United States)

Sunyaev, R. A.; Chluba, J.

2009-07-01

The physical ingredients to describe the epoch of cosmological recombination are amazingly simple and well-understood. This fact allows us to take into account a very large variety of physical processes, still finding potentially measurable consequences for the energy spectrum and temperature anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). In this contribution we provide a short historical overview in connection with the cosmological recombination epoch and its connection to the CMB. Also we highlight some of the detailed physics that were studied over the past few years in the context of the cosmological recombination of hydrogen and helium. The impact of these considerations is two-fold: The associated release of photons during this epoch leads to interesting and unique deviations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) energy spectrum from a perfect blackbody, which, in particular at decimeter wavelength and the Wien part of the CMB spectrum, may become observable in the near future. Despite the fact that the abundance of helium is rather small, it still contributes a sizeable amount of photons to the full recombination spectrum, leading to additional distinct spectral features. Observing the spectral distortions from the epochs of hydrogen and helium recombination, in principle would provide an additional way to determine some of the key parameters of the Universe (e.g. the specific entropy, the CMB monopole temperature and the pre-stellar abundance of helium). Also it permits us to confront our detailed understanding of the recombination process with direct observational evidence. In this contribution we illustrate how the theoretical spectral template of the cosmological recombination spectrum may be utilized for this purpose. We also show that because hydrogen and helium recombine at very different epochs it is possible to address questions related to the thermal history of our Universe. In particular the cosmological recombination radiation may

Polarization leakage in epoch of reionization windows : The Low Frequency Array Case

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Asad, Khan

2017-01-01

The farther we look in space, the earlier we see in time. By observing a radio signal of 21cm wavelength coming from the epoch of reionization, when the universe was less than a billion years old, we can understand how the first stars, galaxies and black holes formed. This signal has not been

Macrocrystal phlogopite Rb-Sr dates for the Ekati property kimberlites, Slave Province, Canada: evidence for multiple intrusive episodes in the Paleocene and Eocene

Science.gov (United States)

Creaser, Robert A.; Grütter, Herman; Carlson, Jon; Crawford, Barbara

2004-09-01

New Rb-Sr age determinations using macrocrystal phlogopite are presented for 27 kimberlites from the Ekati property of the Lac de Gras region, Slave Province, Canada. These new data show that kimberlite magmatism at Ekati ranges in age from at least Late Paleocene (∼61 Ma) to Middle Eocene time (∼45 Ma). Older, perovskite-bearing kimberlites from Ekati extend this age range to Late Cretaceous time (∼74 Ma). Within this age range, emplacement episodes at ∼48, 51-53, 55-56 and 59-61 Ma can be recognized. Middle Eocene kimberlite magmatism of the previously dated Mark kimberlite (∼47.5 Ma) is shown to include four other pipes from the east-central Ekati property. A single kimberlite (Aaron) may be younger than the 47.5 Ma Mark kimberlite. The economically important Panda kimberlite is precisely dated in this study to be 53.3±0.6 Ma using the phlogopite isochron method, and up to six additional kimberlites from the central Ekati property have Early Eocene ages indistinguishable from that of Panda, including the Koala and Koala North occurrences. Late Paleocene 55-56 Ma kimberlite magmatism, represented by the Diavik kimberlite pipes adjacent to the southeastern Ekati property, is shown to extend onto the southeastern Ekati property and includes three, and possibly four, kimberlites. A precise eight-point phlogopite isochron for the Cobra South kimberlite yields an emplacement age of 59.7±0.4 Ma; eight other kimberlites from across the Ekati property have similar Late Paleocene Rb-Sr model ages. The addition of 27 new emplacement ages for kimberlites from the Ekati property confirms that kimberlite magmatism from the central Slave Province is geologically young, despite ages ranging back to Cambrian time from elsewhere in the Slave Province. With the available geochronologic database, Lac de Gras kimberlites with the highest diamond potential are currently restricted to the 51-53 and 55-56 Ma periods of kimberlite magmatism.

An owal from the Paleocene of Walbeck, Germany

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G. Mayr

2002-01-01

Full Text Available An owl of the genus Berruornis is described from a Paleocene fissure filling of Walbeck, Germany. The specimen is a well preserved incomplete right tarsometatarsus and is the earliest Old World record of an owl. A praemaxilla from the same locality which comes from a similarly-sized raptorial bird is described and is clearly distinguished from the praemaxilla of all extant raptorial birds. Although it might also belong to Berruornis, the specimen is classified as Aves incertae sedis in this study. Despite the fact that the Walbeck material was discovered more than 60 years ago, these two specimens are the first bird bones to be described from the numerous avian remains found at this locality. Eine Eule der Gattung Berruornis wird aus einer paläozänen Spaltenfüllung von Walbeck, Deutschland, beschrieben. Das Exemplar ist ein gut erhaltener, unvollständiger rechter Tarsometatarsus und ist der früheste altweltliche Nachweis einer Eule. Von der gleichen Lokalität wird eine Praemaxilla beschrieben, die von einem ähnlich großen Raubvogel stammt und sich deutlich von der Praemaxilla aller heutigen Raubvögel unterscheidet. Obwohl es auch zu Berruornis gehören könnte, wird das Stück als Aves incertae sedis klassifiziert. Ungeachtet der Tatsache, daß das Fossilmaterial von Walbeck bereits vor mehr als 60 Jahren entdeckt wurde, sind diese beiden Exemplare die ersten Knochen, die von den zahlreichen an dieser Lokalität gefundenen Vogelresten bisher beschrieben wurden. doi:10.1002/mmng.20020050117

Detectability of the 21-cm CMB cross-correlation from the epoch of reionization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tashiro, Hiroyuki; Aghanim, Nabila; Langer, Mathieu; Douspis, Marian; Zaroubi, Saleem; Jelic, Vibor

The 21-cm line fluctuations and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are powerful probes of the epoch of reionization of the Universe. We study the potential of the cross-correlation between 21-cm line fluctuations and CMB anisotropy to obtain further constraints on the reionization history. We

Sub-horizon evolution of cold dark matter perturbations through dark matter-dark energy equivalence epoch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piattella, O.F.; Martins, D.L.A.; Casarini, L.

2014-01-01

We consider a cosmological model of the late universe constituted by standard cold dark matter plus a dark energy component with constant equation of state w and constant effective speed of sound. By neglecting fluctuations in the dark energy component, we obtain an equation describing the evolution of sub-horizon cold dark matter perturbations through the epoch of dark matter-dark energy equality. We explore its analytic solutions and calculate an exact w-dependent correction for the dark matter growth function, logarithmic growth function and growth index parameter through the epoch considered. We test our analytic approximation with the numerical solution and find that the discrepancy is less than 1% for 0k = during the cosmic evolution up to a = 100

Productivity feedback did not terminate the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM

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A. Torfstein

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM occurred approximately 55 million years ago, and is one of the most dramatic abrupt global warming events in the geological record. This warming was triggered by the sudden release of thousands of gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere and is widely perceived to be the best analogue for current anthropogenic climate change. Yet, the mechanism of recovery from this event remains controversial. A massive increase in the intensity of the marine biological pump ("productivity feedback" has been suggested to cause a drawdown of atmospheric CO₂ and subsequent carbon sequestration in the ocean. A re-evaluation of the "productivity feedback hypothesis", based on biogenic barium mass accumulation rates (Ba-MARs for a site in the Southern Ocean, finds that any increase in export production lagged the initial carbon release by at least ~70 000 years. This implies that export production did not facilitate rapid removal of excess carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, the most likely mechanism for carbon removal appears to be silicate weathering, which occurred at much slower rates than previously assumed.

Coordinating supplier-retailer using multiple common replenishment epochs with retailers’ choices

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Juhwen Hwang

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Provide a coordination strategy using multiple common replenishment epochs (MCRE for a single-supplier multi-retailer supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: The demand of a product occurs only with a group of heterogeneous and independent retailers with constant rates, whereas all their order requests are fulfilled by the supplier. The supplier decides a set of MCREs with general price and extra bonus to entice the retailers to join any one of the MCREs, or to let them remain with their original order time epochs. A retailer is willing to participate in a CRE as long as the retailer’s cost increase is within its tolerance. This paper provide a mixed integer programming to determine the MCRE strategies in order to minimize the total costs of the supplier. Findings: The results illustrate that MCRE model provided in the paper can generate a better replenishment coordination scheme than single CRE models. Practical implications: Replenishment coordination is one of the most important mechanisms to improve the efficiency in supply chains, e.g., chain convenience stores in the modern retail industry. Originality/value: This is a follow-up research on Joint Economic Lot Size (JELS models with a focus on multiple retailers with their replenishment coordination.

Latest paleocene benthic extinction event on the southern tethyan shelf (Egypt): Foraminiferal stable isotopic (delta C-13,delta O-18) records

OpenAIRE

Schmitz, B; Speijer, Robert; Aubry, MP

1996-01-01

The dramatic global extinction of 35%-50% of benthic foraminifera species in the deep sea in the latest Paleocene and associated negative excursions in delta(13)C and delta(18)O may be related to spreading of warm, saline bottom water from subtropical Tethyan shallow regions over the sea floor worldwide, Our study of neritic sections in Egypt shows that in the southern shallow Tethys, a prominent long-term change in bottom-water chemistry, sedimentation, and benthic foraminifera fauna was ini...

Importance of epoch length and registration time on accelerometer measurements in younger children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dencker, M; Svensson, J; El-Naaman, B

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of epoch length on accumulation of minutes of physical activity per day over a spectrum of intensities, and the effect that selection of number of hours of acceptable registration required per day had on number of days that were considered accep...

Cenozoic tectono-thermal history of the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska: Paleocene-Eocene ridge subduction, decreasing relief, and late Neogene faulting

Science.gov (United States)

Benowitz, Jeff A.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Layer, Paul W.; O'Sullivan, Paul B.; Wallace, Wes K.; Gillis, Robert J.

2012-01-01

Topographic development inboard of the continental margin is a predicted response to ridge subduction. New thermochronology results from the western Alaska Range document ridge subduction related orogenesis. K-feldspar thermochronology (KFAT) of bedrock samples from the Tordrillo Mountains in the western Alaska Range complement existing U-Pb, 40Ar/39Ar and AFT (apatite fission track) data to provide constraints on Paleocene pluton emplacement, and cooling as well as Late Eocene to Miocene vertical movements and exhumation along fault-bounded blocks. Based on the KFAT analysis we infer rapid exhumation-related cooling during the Eocene in the Tordrillo Mountains. Our KFAT cooling ages are coeval with deposition of clastic sediments in the Cook Inlet, Matanuska Valley and Tanana basins, which reflect high-energy depositional environments. The Tordrillo Mountains KFAT cooling ages are also the same as cooling ages in the Iliamna Lake region, the Kichatna Mountains of the western Alaska Range, and Mt. Logan in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, thus rapid cooling at this time encompasses a broad region inboard of, and parallel to, the continental margin extending for several hundred kilometers. We infer these cooling events and deposition of clastic rocks are related to thermal effects that track the eastward passage of a slab window in Paleocene-Eocene time related to the subduction of the proposed Resurrection-Kula spreading ridge. In addition, we conclude that the reconstructed KFATmax negative age-elevation relationship is likely related to a long period of decreasing relief in the Tordrillo Mountains.

Paleocene to Middle Miocene planktic foraminifera of the southwestern Salisbury Embayment, Virginia and Maryland: biostratigraphy, allostratigraphy, and sequence stratigraphy

Science.gov (United States)

Poag, C.W.; Commeau, J.A.

1995-01-01

The Paleocene to Middle Miocene sedimentary fill of the southwestern Salisbury Embayment contains a fragmental depositional record, interrupted by numerous local diastems and regional unconformities. Using planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy, 15 unconformity-bounded depositional units have been identified, assigned to six formations and seven alloformations previously recognized in the embayment. The units correlate with second- and third-order sequences of the Exxon sequence stratigraphy model, and include transgressive and highstand systems tracts. Alloformation, formation, and sequence boundaries are marked by abrupt, scoured, burrowed, erosional surfaces, which display lag deposits, biostratigraphic gaps, and intense reworking of microfossils above and below the boundaries.Paleocene deposits represent the upper parts of upper Pleocene Biochronozones P4 and P5, and rest uncomformably  on Cretaceous sedimentary beds of various ages (Maastrichtian to Albian). Lower Eocene deposits represent parts of Biochronozones P6 and P9. Middle Eocene strata represent mainly parts of Biochronozones P11, P12, and P14. Upper Eocene sediments include parts of Biochronozones P15, P16, and P17. Oligocene deposits encompass parts of Biochronozones. N4b to N7 undifferentiated, P21a, and, perhaps, N4a. Lower Miocene deposits encompass parts of Biochronozones N4b to N7 undifferentiated. Middle Miocene strata represent mainly parts of Biochronorones N8, N9, and N10.Nine plates of scanning electron micrographs illustrate the principal planktic foraminifera used to establish the biostratigraphic framework. Two new informal formine of Praeterenuitella praegemma Li, 1987, are introduced.

Paradox of the peak-PCIM (Paleocene Carbon Isotope Maxima; ~57.8Ma) and Abrupt Global Warming

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, D. T.; Hoenisch, B.; Zachos, J. C.

2015-12-01

The Paleocene Carbon Isotope Maxima (PCIM; ~57.8Ma) represents a major transition in global δ13C during the late Paleocene, when the long-term positive trend in δ13C reversed from positive to negative. The peak-PCIM (~57.7Ma) has been tightly resolved in new high-resolution, astronomically-tuned benthic isotope records from IODP Sites 1209 (Pacific) and 1262 (Atlantic), which show the final phase of δ13C enrichment as abrupt (~1‰ in paradox as any rapid carbon release to the atmosphere should, in theory, create a negative excursion because all of the major carbon sources are isotopically light, whether volcanic outgassing, weathering/oxidation of organic carbon, or methane release [Dunkley-Jones et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 2010]. If global, there are several testable mechanisms that may explain the shift including increase in burial flux of light carbon, a reduction in heavy carbon burial flux, or a large-scale circulation change perhaps associated with the transition of a major oceanic gateway. Using trace metal (B/Ca and Mg/Ca) and stable isotope (δ11B, δ18O, and δ13C) geochemistry, here we establish the nature of the peak-PCIM at sites from 3 different ocean basins (IODP Sites 690, 1209, and 1262) and begin to test several of the possible mechanisms for change. Mg/Ca in mixed-layer planktonic foraminifera show 2-3°C of sea surface warming coinciding with, and abrupt as, the benthic carbon isotope enrichment at all sites. Bottom water Δ[CO32-], as indicated by B/Ca in benthic foraminifera, abruptly increases by 30-40µmol/kgsw. While this may indicate a change in bottom water circulation, surface B-based proxies also respond with a positive shift during the peak-PCIM indicating a slight increase in surface pH and highlighting the global nature of the event.

Late Paleocene-middle Eocene benthic foraminifera on a Pacific seamount (Allison Guyot, ODP Site 865): Greenhouse climate and superimposed hyperthermal events

Science.gov (United States)

Arreguín-Rodríguez, Gabriela J.; Alegret, Laia; Thomas, Ellen

2016-03-01

We investigated the response of late Paleocene-middle Eocene (~60-37.5 Ma) benthic foraminiferal assemblages to long-term climate change and hyperthermal events including the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 865 on Allison Guyot, a seamount in the Mid-Pacific Mountains. Seamounts are isolated deep-sea environments where enhanced current systems interrupt bentho-pelagic coupling, and fossil assemblages from such settings have been little evaluated. Assemblages at Site 865 are diverse and dominated by cylindrical calcareous taxa with complex apertures, an extinct group which probably lived infaunally. Dominance of an infaunal morphogroup is unexpected in a highly oligotrophic setting, but these forms may have been shallow infaunal suspension feeders, which were ecologically successful on the current-swept seamount. The magnitude of the PETM extinction at Site 865 was similar to other sites globally, but lower diversity postextinction faunas at this location were affected by ocean acidification as well as changes in current regime, which might have led to increased nutrient supply through trophic focusing. A minor hyperthermal saw less severe effects of changes in current regime, with no evidence for carbonate dissolution. Although the relative abundance of infaunal benthic foraminifera has been used as a proxy for surface productivity through bentho-pelagic coupling, we argue that this proxy can be used only in the absence of changes in carbonate saturation and current-driven biophysical linking.

Geochronological constraints on Cretaceous-Paleocene volcanism in South Westland, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, C.J.; Cooper, A.F.; Palin, J.M.; Nathan, S.

2005-01-01

Cretaceous and Paleocene sedimentation in South Westland, New Zealand, is recorded in the Otumotu Formation, Tauperikaka Coal Measures, Whakapohai Sandstone, Arnott Basalt, Buttress Conglomerate, and Tokakoriri Formation, originally named and mapped by Nathan in 1977. Within this stratigraphic sequence, the name Buttress Conglomerate was used to describe volcanic conglomerates at Porphyry and Buttress Points that contained rounded clasts of plagioclasephyric intermediate volcanic rocks. Stratigraphically, the volcanic conglomerate at Porphyry Point forms sharp contacts with the underlying Arnott Basalt (Haumurian) and overlying Tokakoriri Formation (Teurian). The volcanic conglomerate at Buttress Point, however, is entirely fault-bounded. Clasts from each unit were collected and U-Pb zircon dated using the TIMS and ELA-ICP-MS methods. A trachyandesite clast collected at Buttress Point gives an age of 96.9 ± 1.6 Ma, whereas a rhyolite clast collected at Porphyry Point gives an age of 61.4 ± 0.8 Ma. Petrological, geochemical, and stratigraphic data suggest that erosion of the clasts closely followed volcanism, and that these ages accurately reflect the depositional ages of the conglomerates. Conglomerates at Porphyry and Buttress Points have been formally renamed the Porphyry Point Member of the Tokakoriri Formation and the Buttress Point Conglomerate, respectively. (author). 49 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

Nannoplankton malformation during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and its paleoecological and paleoceanographic significance

Science.gov (United States)

Bralower, Timothy J.; Self-Trail, Jean

2016-01-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is characterized by a transient group of nannoplankton, belonging to the genus Discoaster. Our investigation of expanded shelf sections provides unprecedented detail of the morphology and phylogeny of the transient Discoasterduring the PETM and their relationship with environmental change. We observe a much larger range of morphological variation than previously documented suggesting that the taxa belonged to a plexus of highly gradational morphotypes rather than individual species. We propose that the plexus represents malformed ecophenotypes of a single species that migrated to a deep photic zone refuge during the height of PETM warming and eutrophication. Anomalously, high rates of organic matter remineralization characterized these depths during the event and led to lower saturation levels, which caused malformation. The proposed mechanism explains the co-occurrence of malformed Discoaster with pristine species that grew in the upper photic zone; moreover, it illuminates why malformation is a rare phenomenon in the paleontological record.

Paleocene-Eocene Sediments Interbedded With Volcanics Within the Lycian Nappes: Faralya Formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Şenel

1991-06-01

Full Text Available The presumably allochthonous structural units in the Southwestern Turkey between the Menderes massif and Beydağları autochthon are known as the Lycian nappes. Some of these units particularly beneath the ophiolite nappe end up with the Faralya formation of Paleocene-Lutetian age. The striking feature of this formation which includes micrite, clayey micrite, claystone, sandstone and conglomerate, is the presence of basic volcanite interbeds of Eocene age, This volcanite bearing formation exhibits a strong similarity to those of the other formations in Southwestern Turkey most of which include similar basic volcanites. Eocene basic volcanites are also known in the Akseki autochthon to the south of Seydişehir (Geyikdağ unit in broad sense. Similar extensive lateral movements (Eocene mountain building processes developed over the Faralya formation are seen over the volcanite bearing formations to the south of Menderes massif as well as to the north of Isparta angle and the Akseki autochthon. These features indicate that the area between the Menderes massif and Akseki autochthon (Geyikdağ unit reflects common basinal characters in terms of depositional conditions, volcanism and the traces of Eocene mountain building process.

Sun in the Epoch ``LOWERED'' Solar Activity: the Comparative Analysis of the Current 24 Solar Cycle and Past Authentic Low Cycles

Science.gov (United States)

Vitaly, Ishkov

A reliable series of the relative numbers of sunspots (14 solar cycles ‒ 165 years) it leads to the only scenario of solar activity cycles - to the alternation of epochs of “increased” (18 ‒ 22 cycles of solar activity) and “lowered” (12 ‒ 16 and 24 ‒ ...) solar activity with the periods of solar magnetic field reconstruction in solar zone of the sunspots formation (11, 12, 23) from one epoch to another. The regime of the produce of magnetic field significantly changes in these periods, providing to the subsequent 5 cycles the stable conditions of solar activity. Space solar research made it possible to sufficiently fully investigate characteristics and parameters of the solar cycles for the epoch of “increased” (20 ‒ 22 cycles) solar activity and period of the reconstruction (22 ‒ 23 cycles) to the epoch of “lowered” solar activity (24 ‒ ... cycles). In this scenario 24 solar cycle is the first solar cycle of the second epoch of “lowered” solar activity. Therefore his development and characteristics roughly must be described in the context of the low solar cycles development (12, 14, and 16). In the current solar cycle the sunspot-forming activity is lowered, the average areas of the sunspot groups correspond to values for epoch of “lowered “solar activity, average magnetic field in the umbra of sunspots was reduced approximately to 700 gauss, and for this time was observed only 4 very large sunspot groups (≥1500 mvh). Flare activity substantially was lowered: for the time of the current solar cycle development it was occurrence of M-class flares M - 368, class X - 32, from which only 2 solar flares of class X> 5. Solar proton events are observed predominantly small intensity; but only 5 from them were the intensity of ≥100 pfu (S2) and 4 - ≥1000 pfu (S3). The first five years of the 24 cycle evolution confirm this assumption and the possibility to give the qualitative forecast of his evolution and development of the

Assessing worst case scenarios in movement demands derived from global positioning systems during international rugby union matches: Rolling averages versus fixed length epochs

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, Daniel J.; Shearer, David A.; Carter, Neil; Drawer, Scott; Pollard, Ben; Bennett, Mark; Eager, Robin; Cook, Christian J.; Farrell, John; Russell, Mark

2018-01-01

The assessment of competitive movement demands in team sports has traditionally relied upon global positioning system (GPS) analyses presented as fixed-time epochs (e.g., 5–40 min). More recently, presenting game data as a rolling average has become prevalent due to concerns over a loss of sampling resolution associated with the windowing of data over fixed periods. Accordingly, this study compared rolling average (ROLL) and fixed-time (FIXED) epochs for quantifying the peak movement demands of international rugby union match-play as a function of playing position. Elite players from three different squads (n = 119) were monitored using 10 Hz GPS during 36 matches played in the 2014–2017 seasons. Players categorised broadly as forwards and backs, and then by positional sub-group (FR: front row, SR: second row, BR: back row, HB: half back, MF: midfield, B3: back three) were monitored during match-play for peak values of high-speed running (>5 m·s-1; HSR) and relative distance covered (m·min-1) over 60–300 s using two types of sample-epoch (ROLL, FIXED). Irrespective of the method used, as the epoch length increased, values for the intensity of running actions decreased (e.g., For the backs using the ROLL method, distance covered decreased from 177.4 ± 20.6 m·min-1 in the 60 s epoch to 107.5 ± 13.3 m·min-1 for the 300 s epoch). For the team as a whole, and irrespective of position, estimates of fixed effects indicated significant between-method differences across all time-points for both relative distance covered and HSR. Movement demands were underestimated consistently by FIXED versus ROLL with differences being most pronounced using 60 s epochs (95% CI HSR: -6.05 to -4.70 m·min-1, 95% CI distance: -18.45 to -16.43 m·min-1). For all HSR time epochs except one, all backs groups increased more (p < 0.01) from FIXED to ROLL than the forward groups. Linear mixed modelling of ROLL data highlighted that for HSR (except 60 s epoch), SR was the only group not

The epoch of cosmic heating by early sources of X-rays

Science.gov (United States)

Eide, Marius B.; Graziani, Luca; Ciardi, Benedetta; Feng, Yu; Kakiichi, Koki; Di Matteo, Tiziana

2018-05-01

Observations of the 21 cm line from neutral hydrogen indicate that an epoch of heating (EoH) might have preceded the later epoch of reionization. Here we study the effects on the ionization state and the thermal history of the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the EoH induced by different assumptions on ionizing sources in the high-redshift Universe: (i) stars; (ii) X-ray binaries (XRBs); (iii) thermal bremsstrahlung of the hot interstellar medium (ISM); and (iv) accreting nuclear black holes (BHs). To this aim, we post-process outputs from the (100 h-1 comoving Mpc)3 hydrodynamical simulation MassiveBlack-II with the cosmological 3D radiative transfer code CRASH, which follows the propagation of ultraviolet and X-ray photons, computing the thermal and ionization state of hydrogen and helium through the EoH. We find that stars determine the fully ionized morphology of the IGM, while the spectrally hard XRBs pave way for efficient subsequent heating and ionization by the spectrally softer ISM. With the seeding prescription in MassiveBlack-II, BHs do not contribute significantly to either ionization or heating. With only stars, most of the IGM remains in a cold state (with a median T = 11 K at z = 10), however, the presence of more energetic sources raises the temperature of regions around the brightest and more clustered sources above that of the cosmic microwave background, opening the possibility to observing the 21 cm signal in emission.

Magnetostratigraphy of the Willwood Formation, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming: new constraints on the location of Paleocene/Eocene boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Tauxe, L.; Gee, J.; Gallet, Y.; Pick, T.; Bown, T.

1994-01-01

The lower Eocene Willwood Formation in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming preserves a rich and diverse mammalian and floral record. The paleomagnetic behavior of the sequence of floodplain paleosols of varying degrees of maturation ranges from excellent to poor. We present a magnetostratigraphic section for a composite section near Worland, Wyoming, by using a set of strict criteria for interpreting the step-wise alternating field and thermal demagnetization data of 266 samples from 90 sites throughout the composite section. Correlation to the geomagnetic reversal time scale was achieved by combining magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data from this section, from a section in the Clark's Fork Basin in northern Wyoming, and from DSDP Site 550, with the isotopic data determined on a tuff near the top of our section. Our correlation suggests that the Bighorn Basin composite section in the Worland area spans from within Chron C24r to near the top of Chron C24n, or from approximately 55 to 52 Ma. This correlation places the Paleocene/Eocene boundary within the vicinity of the base of the section. Cryptochron C24r.6 of Cande and Kent is tentatively identified some 100 m above the base of the section. The temporal framework provided here enables correlation of the mammalian biostratigraphy of the Bighorn Basin to other continental sequences as well as to marine records. It also provides independent chronological information for the calculation of sediment accumulation rates to constrain soil maturation rates. We exclude an age as young as 53 Ma for the Paleocene/Eocene boundary and support older ages, as recommended in recent time scales. The location of a tuff dated at 52.8 ?? 0.3 Ma at the older boundary C24n.1 is consistent with the age of 52.5 Ma estimated by Cande and Kent and inconsistent with that of 53.7 Ma, from Harland et al. ?? 1994.

Different habitats within a region contain evolutionary heritage from different epochs depending on the abiotic environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bartish, I.V.; Ozinga, W.A.; Bartish, M.I.; Wamelink, G.W.W.; Hennekens, S.M.; Prinzing, Andreas

2016-01-01

Aim: Biodiversity hot-spots are regions containing evolutionary heritage from ancient or recent geological epochs, i.e. evolutionary 'museums' or 'cradles', respectively. We hypothesize that: (1) there are also 'museums' and 'cradles' within regions - some species pools of particular habitat

A Method for Exploring Program and Portfolio Affordability Tradeoffs Under Uncertainty Using Epoch-Era Analysis: A Case Application to Carrier Strike Group Design

Science.gov (United States)

2015-04-30

design for affordability by augmenting Epoch-Era Analysis with aspects of Modern Portfolio Theory . The method is demonstrated through the design of a...introduces a method to conduct portfolio design for affordability by augmenting Epoch-Era Analysis with aspects of Modern Portfolio Theory . The method...through the integration of elements of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and the SoS design literature. The proposed method is demonstrated in a case study

Schubert and Beethoven - Adorno’s early antipods of the music in bougeois epoch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremić-Molnar Dragana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this article the authors are reconstructing the dichotomies which the young Theodor Adorno was trying to detect in the music of the bourgeois epoch and personify in two antipodes - Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven. Although already a devotee of Arnold Schönberg and the 20th century music avantgardism, Adorno was, in his works prior to his exile from Germany (1934, intensively dealing with Schubert and his opposition towards Beethoven. While Beethoven was a bold and progressive revolutionary, fascinated by the “practical reason” and the mission to rise up and reach the stars, Schubert wanted none of it (almost anticipating the failure of the whole revolutionary project. Instead, he was looking backwards, to primordial nature and the possibility of man to participate in its mythic cycles of death and regeneration. The lack of synthesis between this two opposing tendencies in the music of early bourgeois epoch lead to the “negative dialectics” of Schönberg and 20th century music avantgardism and to the final separation of Beethovenian musical progress and Schubertian musical mimesis. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177019: Identiteti srpske muzike u svetskom kulturnom kontekstu, i br. 179035: Izazovi nove društvene integracije u Srbiji - koncepti i akteri

Metallogeny of The Sierra de Guanajuato Range, Central México

Science.gov (United States)

Pedro F., Z. D.

2004-12-01

The Sierra de Guanajuato Range (SGR), trending N315° at Central México, is an orographic feature extending over a distance of 80 km. SGR comprises three well defined lithostratigraphic units: (1) a cretaceous basement including an arc-derived terrane named Guanajuato Arc (GA) made of gabbro, diorite and basaltic pillowed lava, and volcano-sedimentary rocks belonging to Arperos fore-arc basin which are geochemically anomalous in Au (0.15 ppm), Ag (3 ppm), Cu (40 ppm), Pb (50 ppm) and Zn (15 ppm); (2) Early Tertiary intrusive rocks, e.g., Comanja Granite which is affected by the presence of tourmalinized (schörl) aplito-pegmatite dykes mineralized with rare earths elements, and (3) Eocene redbeds (1,500-2000 m) and Oligocene-Miocene volcanics cover. The metallogeny of the SGR shows a multiple origin in time and space: volcano-sedimentary, granitic and volcanic, being possible to define three metallogenic epochs: cretaceous, paleocene and oligocene. Cretaceous epoch includes: (a) volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits (VMS) of bimodal-siliclastic type belonging to León-Guanajuato district; wallrock of VMS is made of felsic-internediate volcanics and black argillite; at Los Gavilanes deposit paragenesis is next: chalcopyrite > sphalerite > galena, pyrite > pyrrhotite > marcasite; grade is as follows: Au: .02-.07 g/t; Ag: 157-18.5 g/t; Cu: 2.24-0.81%, Pb: 4.16-0.03%; Zn: 10.35-3.02 %; (b) lens-shaped stratiform bodies of massive pyrite (i. ex., San Ignacio prospect; ˜ 4,000 ton) of exhalative-sedimentary origin with chalcopyrite and sphalerite microveins. Paleocene epoch includes both quartz-cordierite-sanidine veins and replacement bodies of hydrothermal metamorphic filliation (W +Se-Bi, Pb, Zn, Cu), and pyrometasomatic bodies [Cu, Pb, Zn (Ag), W] which genetically are linked to Comanja Granite emplacement. The wallrock at El Maguey mine (35,000 ton; 0.6% WO3) is made of hornfel and the vein (1.8-3.2m width) has a banding structure made of : \\{quartz & K

A fast pulse phase estimation method for X-ray pulsar signals based on epoch folding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue Mengfan

2016-06-01

Full Text Available X-ray pulsar-based navigation (XPNAV is an attractive method for autonomous deep-space navigation in the future. The pulse phase estimation is a key task in XPNAV and its accuracy directly determines the navigation accuracy. State-of-the-art pulse phase estimation techniques either suffer from poor estimation accuracy, or involve the maximization of generally non-convex object function, thus resulting in a large computational cost. In this paper, a fast pulse phase estimation method based on epoch folding is presented. The statistical properties of the observed profile obtained through epoch folding are developed. Based on this, we recognize the joint probability distribution of the observed profile as the likelihood function and utilize a fast Fourier transform-based procedure to estimate the pulse phase. Computational complexity of the proposed estimator is analyzed as well. Experimental results show that the proposed estimator significantly outperforms the currently used cross-correlation (CC and nonlinear least squares (NLS estimators, while significantly reduces the computational complexity compared with NLS and maximum likelihood (ML estimators.

Superposed epoch analysis of O+ auroral outflow during sawtooth events and substorms

Science.gov (United States)

Nowrouzi, N.; Kistler, L. M.; Lund, E. J.; Cai, X.

2017-12-01

Sawtooth events are repeated injection of energetic particles at geosynchronous orbit. Studies have shown that 94% of sawtooth events occurred during magnetic storm times. The main factor that causes a sawtooth event is still an open question. Simulations have suggested that heavy ions like O+ may play a role in triggering the injections. One of the sources of the O+ in the Earth's magnetosphere is the nightside aurora. O+ ions coming from the nightside auroral region have direct access to the near-earth magnetotail. A model (Brambles et al. 2013) for interplanetary coronal mass ejection driven sawtooth events found that nightside O+ outflow caused the subsequent teeth of the sawtooth event through a feedback mechanism. This work is a superposed epoch analysis to test whether the observed auroral outflow supports this model. Using FAST spacecraft data from 1997-2007, we examine the auroral O+ outflow as a function of time relative to an injection onset. Then we determine whether the profile of outflow flux of O+ during sawtooth events is different from the outflow observed during isolated substorms. The auroral region boundaries are estimated using the method of (Andersson et al. 2004). Subsequently the O+ outflow flux inside these boundaries are calculated and binned as a function of superposed epoch time for substorms and sawtooth "teeth". In this way, we will determine if sawtooth events do in fact have greater O+ outflow, and if that outflow is predominantly from the nightside, as suggested by the model results.

Satellite- and Epoch Differenced Precise Point Positioning Based on a Regional Augmentation Network

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Bin Wu

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Precise Point Positioning (PPP has been demonstrated as a simple and effective approach for user positioning. The key issue in PPP is how to shorten convergence time and improve positioning efficiency. Recent researches mainly focus on the ambiguity resolution by correcting residual phase errors at a single station. The success of this approach (referred to hereafter as NORM-PPP is subject to how rapidly one can fix wide-lane and narrow-lane ambiguities to achieve the first ambiguity-fixed solution. The convergence time of NORM-PPP is receiver type dependent, and normally takes 15–20 min. Different from the general algorithm and theory by which the float ambiguities are estimated and the integer ambiguities are fixed, we concentrate on a differential PPP approach: the satellite- and epoch differenced (SDED approach. In general, the SDED approach eliminates receiver clocks and ambiguity parameters and thus avoids the complicated residual phase modeling procedure. As a further development of the SDED approach, we use a regional augmentation network to derive tropospheric delay and remaining un-modeled errors at user sites. By adding these corrections and applying the Robust estimation, the weak mathematic properties due to the ED operation is much improved. Implementing this new approach, we need only two epochs of data to achieve PPP positioning converging to centimeter-positioning accuracy. Using seven days of GPS data at six CORS stations in Shanghai, we demonstrate the success rate, defined as the case when three directions converging to desired positioning accuracy of 10 cm, reaches 100% when the interval between the two epochs is longer than 15 min. Comparing the results of 15 min’ interval to that of 10 min’, it is observed that the position RMS improves from 2.47, 3.95, 5.78 cm to 2.21, 3.93, 4.90 cm in the North, East and Up directions, respectively. Combining the SDED coordinates at the starting point and the ED relative

Late Globalization and Evolution, Episodes and Epochs of Industries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Turcan, Romeo V.; Boujarzadeh, Behnam; Dholakia, Nikhilesh

While the empirical focus of this paper is the Danish Textile and Fashion Industry (DTFI) – specifically the episodes and epochs in the emergence and evolution of DTFI, in essence the micro and macro time-slices – the theoretical intent is wider. We aim to explore the conceptual terrain of what we...... for further exploration of the late globalization phenomenon. To get to the empirical case study, we follow a macro-conceptual to a micro-empirical path. We discuss the multidisciplinary and multifaceted field of late globalization and employing the historic-analytic approach to study DTFI we draw out very...... specific, empirically derived, conceptual themes about the patterns of global interactions that characterized the evolutionary trajectory of DTFI. We return to a final macro-conceptual section on late globalization where the particular DTFI case study advances the knowledge register only slightly; and we...

Constraining the trigger for an ancient warming episode

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Colin

2011-08-01

The Paleocene epoch (˜66-56 million years ago) was sandwiched between sudden climate shifts and mass extinctions. The boundary between the end of the Paleocene and the beginning of the Eocene (the P-E boundary) saw the global average temperature soar by 5°C over a few thousand years, leading to a pronounced reorganization of both terrestrial and oceanic plant and animal communities. The P-E boundary warming was triggered by an influx of atmospheric carbon dioxide, but the influx's ultimate trigger is still being debated. Other prominent warming events within the Paleogene (˜66-23 million years ago), the broad time span that encompasses the Paleocene and Eocene, have been linked to regularly recurring changes in the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit that take place on 100,000- and 405,000-year cycles. Proponents of this view suggest that an alignment of the two cycles could lead to the warming of deep ocean waters, melting frozen methane and triggering an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, some studies have suggested that the P-E boundary warming was instead the product of geological processes, where carbon-rich rocks were baked by injected magma, which eventually liberated the carbon to the atmosphere. Deciding between proposed explanations for the cause of the P-E warming, whether they are astronomical or geological, depends on accurately pinning the event in time. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, doi:10.1029/2010GC003426, 2011)

Combinations of Epoch Durations and Cut-Points to Estimate Sedentary Time and Physical Activity among Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Fröberg, Andreas; Berg, Christina; Larsson, Christel; Boldemann, Cecilia; Raustorp, Anders

2017-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to investigate how combinations of different epoch durations and cut-points affect the estimations of sedentary time and physical activity in adolescents. Accelerometer data from 101 adolescents were derived and 30 combinations were used to estimate sedentary time, light, moderate, vigorous, and combined…

OPENING THE 21 cm EPOCH OF REIONIZATION WINDOW: MEASUREMENTS OF FOREGROUND ISOLATION WITH PAPER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pober, Jonathan C.; Parsons, Aaron R.; Ali, Zaki [Astronomy Department, U. California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James E.; Moore, David F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, U. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bradley, Richard F. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, U. Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Carilli, Chris L. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM (United States); DeBoer, Dave; Dexter, Matthew; MacMahon, Dave [Radio Astronomy Laboratory, U. California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Gugliucci, Nicole E. [Department of Astronomy, U. Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Jacobs, Daniel C. [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State U., Tempe, AZ (United States); Klima, Patricia J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Manley, Jason; Walbrugh, William P. [Square Kilometer Array, South Africa Project, Cape Town (South Africa); Stefan, Irina I. [Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2013-05-10

We present new observations with the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization with the aim of measuring the properties of foreground emission for 21 cm epoch of reionization (EoR) experiments at 150 MHz. We focus on the footprint of the foregrounds in cosmological Fourier space to understand which modes of the 21 cm power spectrum will most likely be compromised by foreground emission. These observations confirm predictions that foregrounds can be isolated to a {sup w}edge{sup -}like region of two-dimensional (k , k{sub Parallel-To })-space, creating a window for cosmological studies at higher k{sub Parallel-To} values. We also find that the emission extends past the nominal edge of this wedge due to spectral structure in the foregrounds, with this feature most prominent on the shortest baselines. Finally, we filter the data to retain only this ''unsmooth'' emission and image its specific k{sub Parallel-To} modes. The resultant images show an excess of power at the lowest modes, but no emission can be clearly localized to any one region of the sky. This image is highly suggestive that the most problematic foregrounds for 21 cm EoR studies will not be easily identifiable bright sources, but rather an aggregate of fainter emission.

Impact of dissolution on the sedimentary record of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Bralower, Timothy J.; Kelly, D. Clay; Gibbs, Samantha; Farley, Kenneth; Eccles, Laurie; Lindemann, T. Logan; Smith, Gregory J.

2014-09-01

The input of massive amounts of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ˜55.53 Ma) resulted in pervasive carbonate dissolution at the seafloor. At many sites this dissolution also penetrated into the underlying sediment column. The magnitude of dissolution at and below the seafloor, a process known as chemical erosion, and its effect on the stratigraphy of the PETM, are notoriously difficult to constrain. Here, we illuminate the impact of dissolution by analyzing the complete spectrum of sedimentological grain sizes across the PETM at three deep-sea sites characterized by a range of bottom water dissolution intensity. We show that the grain size spectrum provides a measure of the sediment fraction lost during dissolution. We compare these data with dissolution and other proxy records, electron micrograph observations of samples and lithology. The complete data set indicates that the two sites with slower carbonate accumulation, and less active bioturbation, are characterized by significant chemical erosion. At the third site, higher carbonate accumulation rates, more active bioturbation, and possibly winnowing have limited the impacts of dissolution. However, grain size data suggest that bioturbation and winnowing were not sufficiently intense to diminish the fidelity of isotopic and microfossil assemblage records.

Calibration of the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene geomagnetic polarity and astrochronological time scales: new results from high-precision U-Pb geochronology

Science.gov (United States)

Ramezani, Jahandar; Clyde, William; Wang, Tiantian; Johnson, Kirk; Bowring, Samuel

2016-04-01

Reversals in the Earth's magnetic polarity are geologically abrupt events of global magnitude that makes them ideal timelines for stratigraphic correlation across a variety of depositional environments, especially where diagnostic marine fossils are absent. Accurate and precise calibration of the Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale (GPTS) is thus essential to the reconstruction of Earth history and to resolving the mode and tempo of biotic and environmental change in deep time. The Late Cretaceous - Paleocene GPTS is of particular interest as it encompasses a critical period of Earth history marked by the Cretaceous greenhouse climate, the peak of dinosaur diversity, the end-Cretaceous mass extinction and its paleoecological aftermaths. Absolute calibration of the GPTS has been traditionally based on sea-floor spreading magnetic anomaly profiles combined with local magnetostratigraphic sequences for which a numerical age model could be established by interpolation between an often limited number of 40Ar/39Ar dates from intercalated volcanic ash deposits. Although the Neogene part of the GPTS has been adequately calibrated using cyclostratigraphy-based, astrochronological schemes, the application of these approaches to pre-Neogene parts of the timescale has been complicated given the uncertainties of the orbital models and the chaotic behavior of the solar system this far back in time. Here we present refined chronostratigraphic frameworks based on high-precision U-Pb geochronology of ash beds from the Western Interior Basin of North America and the Songliao Basin of Northeast China that places tight temporal constraints on the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene GPTS, either directly or by testing their astrochronological underpinnings. Further application of high-precision radioisotope geochronology and calibrated astrochronology promises a complete and robust Cretaceous-Paleogene GPTS, entirely independent of sea-floor magnetic anomaly profiles.

Early Eocene deep-sea benthic foraminiferal faunas: Recovery from the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum extinction in a greenhouse world

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Ellen; D’haenens, Simon; Speijer, Robert P.; Alegret, Laia

2018-01-01

The early Eocene greenhouse world was marked by multiple transient hyperthermal events. The most extreme was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 Ma), linked to the extinction of the globally recognised deep-sea benthic foraminiferal Velasco fauna, which led to the development of early Eocene assemblages. This turnover has been studied at high resolution, but faunal development into the later early Eocene is poorly documented. There is no widely accepted early Eocene equivalent of the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Velasco fauna, mainly due to the use of different taxonomic concepts. We compiled Ypresian benthic foraminiferal data from 17 middle bathyal-lower abyssal ocean drilling sites in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, in order to characterise early Eocene deep-sea faunas by comparing assemblages across space, paleodepth and time. Nuttallides truempyi, Oridorsalis umbonatus, Bulimina trinitatensis, the Bulimina simplex group, the Anomalinoides spissiformis group, pleurostomellids, uniserial lagenids, stilostomellids and lenticulinids were ubiquitous during the early Eocene (lower-middle Ypresian). Aragonia aragonensis, the Globocassidulina subglobosa group, the Cibicidoides eocaenus group and polymorphinids became ubiquitous during the middle Ypresian. The most abundant early Ypresian taxa were tolerant to stressed or disturbed environments, either by opportunistic behavior (Quadrimorphina profunda, Tappanina selmensis, Siphogenerinoides brevispinosa) and/or the ability to calcify in carbonate-corrosive waters (N. truempyi). Nuttallides truempyi, T. selmensis and other buliminids (Bolivinoides cf. decoratus group, Bulimina virginiana) were markedly abundant during the middle Ypresian. Contrary to the long-lived, highly diverse and equitable Velasco fauna, common and abundant taxa reflect highly perturbed assemblages through the earliest Ypresian, with lower diversity and equitability following the PETM extinction. In contrast, the middle Ypresian

Early Eocene deep-sea benthic foraminiferal faunas: Recovery from the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum extinction in a greenhouse world.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela J Arreguín-Rodríguez

Full Text Available The early Eocene greenhouse world was marked by multiple transient hyperthermal events. The most extreme was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 Ma, linked to the extinction of the globally recognised deep-sea benthic foraminiferal Velasco fauna, which led to the development of early Eocene assemblages. This turnover has been studied at high resolution, but faunal development into the later early Eocene is poorly documented. There is no widely accepted early Eocene equivalent of the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Velasco fauna, mainly due to the use of different taxonomic concepts. We compiled Ypresian benthic foraminiferal data from 17 middle bathyal-lower abyssal ocean drilling sites in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, in order to characterise early Eocene deep-sea faunas by comparing assemblages across space, paleodepth and time. Nuttallides truempyi, Oridorsalis umbonatus, Bulimina trinitatensis, the Bulimina simplex group, the Anomalinoides spissiformis group, pleurostomellids, uniserial lagenids, stilostomellids and lenticulinids were ubiquitous during the early Eocene (lower-middle Ypresian. Aragonia aragonensis, the Globocassidulina subglobosa group, the Cibicidoides eocaenus group and polymorphinids became ubiquitous during the middle Ypresian. The most abundant early Ypresian taxa were tolerant to stressed or disturbed environments, either by opportunistic behavior (Quadrimorphina profunda, Tappanina selmensis, Siphogenerinoides brevispinosa and/or the ability to calcify in carbonate-corrosive waters (N. truempyi. Nuttallides truempyi, T. selmensis and other buliminids (Bolivinoides cf. decoratus group, Bulimina virginiana were markedly abundant during the middle Ypresian. Contrary to the long-lived, highly diverse and equitable Velasco fauna, common and abundant taxa reflect highly perturbed assemblages through the earliest Ypresian, with lower diversity and equitability following the PETM extinction. In contrast, the

Early Eocene deep-sea benthic foraminiferal faunas: Recovery from the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum extinction in a greenhouse world.

Science.gov (United States)

Arreguín-Rodríguez, Gabriela J; Thomas, Ellen; D'haenens, Simon; Speijer, Robert P; Alegret, Laia

2018-01-01

The early Eocene greenhouse world was marked by multiple transient hyperthermal events. The most extreme was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 Ma), linked to the extinction of the globally recognised deep-sea benthic foraminiferal Velasco fauna, which led to the development of early Eocene assemblages. This turnover has been studied at high resolution, but faunal development into the later early Eocene is poorly documented. There is no widely accepted early Eocene equivalent of the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Velasco fauna, mainly due to the use of different taxonomic concepts. We compiled Ypresian benthic foraminiferal data from 17 middle bathyal-lower abyssal ocean drilling sites in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, in order to characterise early Eocene deep-sea faunas by comparing assemblages across space, paleodepth and time. Nuttallides truempyi, Oridorsalis umbonatus, Bulimina trinitatensis, the Bulimina simplex group, the Anomalinoides spissiformis group, pleurostomellids, uniserial lagenids, stilostomellids and lenticulinids were ubiquitous during the early Eocene (lower-middle Ypresian). Aragonia aragonensis, the Globocassidulina subglobosa group, the Cibicidoides eocaenus group and polymorphinids became ubiquitous during the middle Ypresian. The most abundant early Ypresian taxa were tolerant to stressed or disturbed environments, either by opportunistic behavior (Quadrimorphina profunda, Tappanina selmensis, Siphogenerinoides brevispinosa) and/or the ability to calcify in carbonate-corrosive waters (N. truempyi). Nuttallides truempyi, T. selmensis and other buliminids (Bolivinoides cf. decoratus group, Bulimina virginiana) were markedly abundant during the middle Ypresian. Contrary to the long-lived, highly diverse and equitable Velasco fauna, common and abundant taxa reflect highly perturbed assemblages through the earliest Ypresian, with lower diversity and equitability following the PETM extinction. In contrast, the middle Ypresian

The variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio during different cosmological epochs due to decay and annihilation of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavarygin, E O; Ivanchik, A V

2015-01-01

An influence of annihilation and decay of the dark matter particles on the baryon-to-photon ratio has been studied for different cosmological epochs. We consider the different parameter values of the dark matter particles such as mass, annihilation cross section, lifetime and so on. The obtained results are compared with the data which come from the Big Bang nucleosynthesis calculation and from the analysis of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. It has been shown that the modern value of the dark matter density Ω CDM = 0.26 is enough to provide the variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio up to Δη/η ∼ 0.01÷1 for decay of the dark matter particles, but it also leads to an excess of the diffuse gamma ray background. We use the observational data on the diffuse gamma ray background in order to determine our constraints on the model of the dark matter particle decay and on the corresponding variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio: Δη/η ≲ 10 -5 . It has been shown that the variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio caused by the annihilation of the dark matter particles is negligible during the cosmological epochs from Big Bang nucleosynthesis to the present epoch. (paper)

SYSTEMATIC UNCERTAINTIES IN BLACK HOLE MASSES DETERMINED FROM SINGLE-EPOCH SPECTRA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denney, Kelly D.; Peterson, Bradley M.; Dietrich, Matthias; Bentz, Misty C.; Vestergaard, Marianne

2009-01-01

We explore the nature of systematic errors that can arise in measurement of black hole masses from single-epoch (SE) spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by utilizing the many epochs available for NGC 5548 and PG1229+204 from reverberation mapping (RM) databases. In particular, we examine systematics due to AGN variability, contamination due to constant spectral components (i.e., narrow lines and host galaxy flux), data quality (i.e., signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)), and blending of spectral features. We investigate the effect that each of these systematics has on the precision and accuracy of SE masses calculated from two commonly used line width measures by comparing these results to recent RM studies. We calculate masses by characterizing the broad Hβ emission line by both the full width at half maximum and the line dispersion, and demonstrate the importance of removing narrow emission-line components and host starlight. We find that the reliability of line width measurements rapidly decreases for S/N lower than ∼ 10-20 (per pixel), and that fitting the line profiles instead of direct measurement of the data does not mitigate this problem but can, in fact, introduce systematic errors. We also conclude that a full spectral decomposition to deblend the AGN and galaxy spectral features is unnecessary, except to judge the contribution of the host galaxy to the luminosity and to deblend any emission lines that may inhibit accurate line width measurements. Finally, we present an error budget which summarizes the minimum observable uncertainties as well as the amount of additional scatter and/or systematic offset that can be expected from the individual sources of error investigated. In particular, we find that the minimum observable uncertainty in SE mass estimates due to variability is ∼ 20 pixel -1 ) spectra.

Epochality, Global Capitalism and Ecology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wayne Hope

2018-05-01

Full Text Available What type of capitalism do we live in today? My answer to this question draws upon two interrelated lines of argument. Firstly, I will argue that we inhabit an epoch of global capitalism. The precursors of this kind of capitalism originated from the late nineteenth century when the development of telegraph networks, modern transport systems and world time zones provided a global template for industrialisation and Western imperialism. From about 1980 a confluence of global events and processes bought a fully-fledged global capitalism into being. These included the collapse of Fordist Keynesianism, national Keynesianism and Soviet Communism along with First, Second and Third World demarcations; the international proliferation of neo-liberal policy regimes; the growth of transnational corporations in all economic sectors; the predominance of financialisation and the reconstitution of global workforces. Secondly, I will argue that the shift from organic surface energy to underground fossil energy intertwined the time of the earth with the time of human history as nature was being instrumentalised as a resource for humanity. Understanding the capitalist relations of power involved here requires that we rethink the emergence of industrial capitalism in the historical context of a world system built upon unequal socio-ecological exchange between core and periphery. Today, global capitalism has intensified the anthropogenic feedback loops associated with CO2 emissions and climate change and universalised the organisational frameworks of profit extraction and socio-ecological destruction. I refer here to the transnational systems of fossil fuel capitalism along with their interlinkages with financialisation and advertising/commodity fetishism. From the preceding lines of argument I will briefly outline the intra-capitalist and planetary-ecological crises out of which transnational coalitions of opposition might emerge.

Mechanistic insights into a hydrate contribution to the Paleocene-Eocene carbon cycle perturbation from coupled thermohydraulic simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Minshull, T. A.; Marín-Moreno, H.; Armstrong McKay, D. I.; Wilson, P. A.

2016-08-01

During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the carbon isotopic signature (δ13C) of surface carbon-bearing phases decreased abruptly by at least 2.5 to 3.0‰. This carbon isotope excursion (CIE) has been attributed to widespread methane hydrate dissociation in response to rapid ocean warming. We ran a thermohydraulic modeling code to simulate hydrate dissociation due to ocean warming for various PETM scenarios. Our results show that hydrate dissociation in response to such warming can be rapid but suggest that methane release to the ocean is modest and delayed by hundreds to thousands of years after the onset of dissociation, limiting the potential for positive feedback from emission-induced warming. In all of our simulations at least half of the dissociated hydrate methane remains beneath the seabed, suggesting that the pre-PETM hydrate inventory needed to account for all of the CIE is at least double that required for isotopic mass balance.

A dusty, normal galaxy in the epoch of reionization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watson, Darach; Christensen, Lise; Knudsen, Kirsten Kraiberg

2015-01-01

Candidates for the modest galaxies that formed most of the stars in the early universe, at redshifts $z > 7$, have been found in large numbers with extremely deep restframe-UV imaging. But it has proved difficult for existing spectrographs to characterise them in the UV. The detailed properties...... of these galaxies could be measured from dust and cool gas emission at far-infrared wavelengths if the galaxies have become sufficiently enriched in dust and metals. So far, however, the most distant UV-selected galaxy detected in dust emission is only at $z = 3.25$, and recent results have cast doubt on whether...... dust and molecules can be found in typical galaxies at this early epoch. Here we report thermal dust emission from an archetypal early universe star-forming galaxy, A1689-zD1. We detect its stellar continuum in spectroscopy and determine its redshift to be $z = 7.5\\pm0.2$ from a spectroscopic detection...

The “Anthropocene” epoch: Scientific decision or political statement?

Science.gov (United States)

Finney, Stanley C.; Edwards, Lucy E.

2016-01-01

The proposal for the “Anthropocene” epoch as a formal unit of the geologic time scale has received extensive attention in scientific and public media. However, most articles on the Anthropocene misrepresent the nature of the units of the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, which is produced by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) and serves as the basis for the geologic time scale. The stratigraphic record of the Anthropocene is minimal, especially with its recently proposed beginning in 1945; it is that of a human lifespan, and that definition relegates considerable anthropogenic change to a “pre-Anthropocene.” The utility of the Anthropocene requires careful consideration by its various potential users. Its concept is fundamentally different from the chronostratigraphic units that are established by ICS in that the documentation and study of the human impact on the Earth system are based more on direct human observation than on a stratigraphic record. The drive to officially recognize the Anthropocene may, in fact, be political rather than scientific.

LOFAR insights into the epoch of reionization from the cross-power spectrum of 21 cm emission and galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wiersma, R. P. C.; Ciardi, B.; Thomas, R. M.; Harker, G. J. A.; Zaroubi, S.; Bernardi, G.; Brentjens, M.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Daiboo, S.; Jelic, V.; Kazemi, S.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Labropoulos, P.; Martinez, O.; Offringa, A.; Pandey, V. N.; Schaye, J.; Veligatla, V.; Vedantham, H.; Yatawatta, S.; Mellema, G.

2013-01-01

Using a combination of N-body simulations, semi-analytic models and radiative transfer calculations, we have estimated the theoretical cross-power spectrum between galaxies and the 21 cm emission from neutral hydrogen during the epoch of reionization. In accordance with previous studies, we find

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. I. BEAM PATTERN MEASUREMENTS AND SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neben, Abraham R.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Bradley, Richard F.; DeBoer, David R.; Parsons, Aaron R.; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S.; Aguirre, James E.; Kohn, Saul A.; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Bowman, Judd; Jacobs, Daniel C.; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia J.

2016-01-01

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) is a radio interferometer aiming to detect the power spectrum of 21 cm fluctuations from neutral hydrogen from the epoch of reionization (EOR). Drawing on lessons from the Murchison Widefield Array and the Precision Array for Probing the EOR, HERA is a hexagonal array of large (14 m diameter) dishes with suspended dipole feeds. The dish not only determines overall sensitivity, but also affects the observed frequency structure of foregrounds in the interferometer. This is the first of a series of four papers characterizing the frequency and angular response of the dish with simulations and measurements. In this paper, we focus on the angular response (i.e., power pattern), which sets the relative weighting between sky regions of high and low delay and thus apparent source frequency structure. We measure the angular response at 137 MHz using the ORBCOMM beam mapping system of Neben et al. We measure a collecting area of 93 m 2 in the optimal dish/feed configuration, implying that HERA-320 should detect the EOR power spectrum at z ∼ 9 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 12.7 using a foreground avoidance approach with a single season of observations and 74.3 using a foreground subtraction approach. Finally, we study the impact of these beam measurements on the distribution of foregrounds in Fourier space.

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. I. BEAM PATTERN MEASUREMENTS AND SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neben, Abraham R.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Ewall-Wice, Aaron [MIT Kavli Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Bradley, Richard F. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); DeBoer, David R.; Parsons, Aaron R.; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James E.; Kohn, Saul A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Bowman, Judd; Jacobs, Daniel C. [Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); and others

2016-08-01

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) is a radio interferometer aiming to detect the power spectrum of 21 cm fluctuations from neutral hydrogen from the epoch of reionization (EOR). Drawing on lessons from the Murchison Widefield Array and the Precision Array for Probing the EOR, HERA is a hexagonal array of large (14 m diameter) dishes with suspended dipole feeds. The dish not only determines overall sensitivity, but also affects the observed frequency structure of foregrounds in the interferometer. This is the first of a series of four papers characterizing the frequency and angular response of the dish with simulations and measurements. In this paper, we focus on the angular response (i.e., power pattern), which sets the relative weighting between sky regions of high and low delay and thus apparent source frequency structure. We measure the angular response at 137 MHz using the ORBCOMM beam mapping system of Neben et al. We measure a collecting area of 93 m{sup 2} in the optimal dish/feed configuration, implying that HERA-320 should detect the EOR power spectrum at z ∼ 9 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 12.7 using a foreground avoidance approach with a single season of observations and 74.3 using a foreground subtraction approach. Finally, we study the impact of these beam measurements on the distribution of foregrounds in Fourier space.

End-of-treatment and serial PET imaging in primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma following dose-adjusted-EPOCH-R: A paradigm shift in clinical decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Melani, Christopher; Advani, Ranjana; Roschewski, Mark; Walters, Kelsey M; Chen, Clara C; Baratto, Lucia; Ahlman, Mark A; Miljkovic, Milos D; Steinberg, Seth M; Lam, Jessica; Shovlin, Margaret; Dunleavy, Kieron; Pittaluga, Stefania; Jaffe, Elaine S; Wilson, Wyndham H

2018-05-10

Dose-adjusted-EPOCH-R obviates the need for radiotherapy in most patients with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. End-of-treatment PET, however, does not accurately identify patients at risk of treatment failure, thereby confounding clinical decision making. To define the role of PET in primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma following dose-adjusted-EPOCH-R, we extended enrollment and follow-up on our published phase II trial and independent series. Ninety-three patients received dose-adjusted-EPOCH-R without radiotherapy. End-of-treatment PET was performed in 80 patients, of whom 57 received 144 serial scans. One nuclear medicine physician from each institution blindly reviewed all scans from their respective institution. End-of-treatment PET was negative (Deauville 1-3) in 55 (69%) patients with one treatment failure (8-year event-free and overall survival of 96.0% and 97.7%). Among 25 (31%) patients with a positive (Deauville 4-5) end-of-treatment PET, there were 5 (20%) treatment failures (8-year event-free and overall survival of 71.1% and 84.3%). Linear regression analysis of serial scans showed a significant decrease in SUVmax in positive end-of-treatment PET non-progressors compared to an increase in treatment failures. Among 6 treatment failures, the median end-of-treatment SUVmax was 15.4 (range, 1.9-21.3) and 4 achieved long-term remission with salvage therapy. Virtually all patients with a negative end-of-treatment PET following dose-adjusted-EPOCH-R achieved durable remissions and should not receive radiotherapy. Among patients with a positive end-of-treatment PET, only 5/25 (20%) had treatment-failure. Serial PET imaging distinguished end-of-treatment PET positive patients without treatment failure, thereby reducing unnecessary radiotherapy by 80%, and should be considered in all patients with an initial positive PET following dose-adjusted-EPOCH-R (NCT00001337). Copyright © 2018, Ferrata Storti Foundation.

The 21-cm Signal from the cosmological epoch of recombination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fialkov, A. [Departement de Physique, Ecole Normale Superieure, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, Paris, 75005 (France); Loeb, A., E-mail: anastasia.fialkov@phys.ens.fr, E-mail: aloeb@cfa.harvard.edu [Department of Astronomy, Harvard University, 60 Garden Street, MS-51, Cambridge, MA, 02138 (United States)

2013-11-01

The redshifted 21-cm emission by neutral hydrogen offers a unique tool for mapping structure formation in the early universe in three dimensions. Here we provide the first detailed calculation of the 21-cm emission signal during and after the epoch of hydrogen recombination in the redshift range of z ∼ 500–1,100, corresponding to observed wavelengths of 100–230 meters. The 21-cm line deviates from thermal equilibrium with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) due to the excess Lyα radiation from hydrogen and helium recombinations. The resulting 21-cm signal reaches a brightness temperature of a milli-Kelvin, orders of magnitude larger than previously estimated. Its detection by a future lunar or space-based observatory could improve dramatically the statistical constraints on the cosmological initial conditions compared to existing two-dimensional maps of the CMB anisotropies.

The 21-cm Signal from the cosmological epoch of recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fialkov, A.; Loeb, A.

2013-01-01

The redshifted 21-cm emission by neutral hydrogen offers a unique tool for mapping structure formation in the early universe in three dimensions. Here we provide the first detailed calculation of the 21-cm emission signal during and after the epoch of hydrogen recombination in the redshift range of z ∼ 500–1,100, corresponding to observed wavelengths of 100–230 meters. The 21-cm line deviates from thermal equilibrium with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) due to the excess Lyα radiation from hydrogen and helium recombinations. The resulting 21-cm signal reaches a brightness temperature of a milli-Kelvin, orders of magnitude larger than previously estimated. Its detection by a future lunar or space-based observatory could improve dramatically the statistical constraints on the cosmological initial conditions compared to existing two-dimensional maps of the CMB anisotropies

The faint-end of galaxy luminosity functions at the Epoch of Reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, B.; Castellano, M.; Ferrara, A.; Fontana, A.; Merlin, E.; Amorín, R.; Grazian, A.; Mármol-Queralto, E.; Michałowski, M. J.; Mortlock, A.; Paris, D.; Parsa, S.; Pilo, S.; Santini, P.; Di Criscienzo, M.

2018-05-01

During the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), feedback effects reduce the efficiency of star formation process in small halos or even fully quench it. The galaxy luminosity function (LF) may then turn over at the faint-end. We analyze the number counts of z > 5 galaxies observed in the fields of four Frontier Fields (FFs) clusters and obtain constraints on the LF faint-end: for the turn-over magnitude at z ~ 6, MUVT >~-13.3 for the circular velocity threshold of quenching star formation process, vc* <~ 47 km s-1. We have not yet found significant evidence of the presence of feedback effects suppressing the star formation in small galaxies.

Global Peak in Atmospheric Radiocarbon Provides a Potential Definition for the Onset of the Anthropocene Epoch in 1965.

Science.gov (United States)

Turney, Chris S M; Palmer, Jonathan; Maslin, Mark A; Hogg, Alan; Fogwill, Christopher J; Southon, John; Fenwick, Pavla; Helle, Gerhard; Wilmshurst, Janet M; McGlone, Matt; Bronk Ramsey, Christopher; Thomas, Zoë; Lipson, Mathew; Beaven, Brent; Jones, Richard T; Andrews, Oliver; Hua, Quan

2018-02-19

Anthropogenic activity is now recognised as having profoundly and permanently altered the Earth system, suggesting we have entered a human-dominated geological epoch, the 'Anthropocene'. To formally define the onset of the Anthropocene, a synchronous global signature within geological-forming materials is required. Here we report a series of precisely-dated tree-ring records from Campbell Island (Southern Ocean) that capture peak atmospheric radiocarbon ( 14 C) resulting from Northern Hemisphere-dominated thermonuclear bomb tests during the 1950s and 1960s. The only alien tree on the island, a Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), allows us to seasonally-resolve Southern Hemisphere atmospheric 14 C, demonstrating the 'bomb peak' in this remote and pristine location occurred in the last-quarter of 1965 (October-December), coincident with the broader changes associated with the post-World War II 'Great Acceleration' in industrial capacity and consumption. Our findings provide a precisely-resolved potential Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) or 'golden spike', marking the onset of the Anthropocene Epoch.

Variability in climate and productivity during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum in the western Tethys (Forada section)

Science.gov (United States)

Giusberti, L.; Boscolo Galazzo, F.; Thomas, E.

2016-02-01

The Forada section (northeastern Italy) provides a continuous, expanded deep-sea record of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in the central-western Tethys. We combine a new, high-resolution, benthic foraminiferal assemblage record with published calcareous plankton, mineralogical and biomarker data to document climatic and environmental changes across the PETM, highlighting the benthic foraminiferal extinction event (BEE). The onset of the PETM, occurring ˜ 30 kyr after a precursor event, is marked by a thin, black, barren clay layer, possibly representing a brief pulse of anoxia and carbonate dissolution. The BEE occurred within the 10 cm interval including this layer. During the first 3.5 kyr of the PETM, several agglutinated recolonizing taxa show rapid species turnover, indicating a highly unstable, CaCO3-corrosive environment. Calcareous taxa reappeared after this interval, and the next ˜9 kyr were characterized by rapid alternation of peaks in abundance of various calcareous and agglutinated recolonizers. These observations suggest that synergistic stressors, including deepwater CaCO3 corrosiveness, low oxygenation, and high environmental instability caused the extinction. Combined faunal and biomarker data (BIT index, higher plant n-alkane average chain length) and the high abundance of the mineral chlorite suggest that erosion and weathering increased strongly at the onset of the PETM, due to an overall wet climate with invigorated hydrological cycle, which led to storm flood events carrying massive sediment discharge into the Belluno Basin. This interval was followed by the core of the PETM, characterized by four precessionally paced cycles in CaCO3 %, hematite %, δ13C, abundant occurrence of opportunistic benthic foraminiferal taxa, and calcareous nannofossil and planktonic foraminiferal taxa typical of high-productivity environments, radiolarians, and lower δDn-alkanes. We interpret these cycles as reflecting alternation between an overall

Outpacing the Anthropocene: New Constraints for the Rate of Carbon Release at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, J. D.; Schaller, M. F.

2012-12-01

The Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) Carbon Isotope Excursion (CIE) is linked to benthic foraminiferal extinction and excursion taxa in planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. Previous studies have used integrated bio-magneto-stratigraphies, cycle counting, and extraterrestrial 3He accumulation rates to produce a range of estimates for the duration of the initial onset of the PETM CIE between 750 years to 30 kyr. Durations for the total release time (onset to initiation of recovery) range from 45 to 95 kyr. Uncertainty in the timing of the onset of the PETM CIE prevents the identification of a causal mechanism, and hence understanding the biological responses. Recent work on the Paleocene/Eocene Marlboro Clay has unveiled the presence of regular couplets (~2 cm) expressed in multiple cores and exposures throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Specifically, the Millville and newly recovered Wilson Lake B cores contain 750 and 660 layers through the CIE, respectively. These couplets have corresponding oxygen stable isotope cycles, arguing for a climatic origin. Orbital and millennial periodicities are far too long to explain the ~750 layers identified in the Millville core. Seasonal insolation is the only regular climate cycle that can plausibly account for the observed δ18O amplitudes (~1‰, with some cycles up to 2‰) and layer counts. Seasonal freshwater input can also augment the cyclic oscillations in δ18O, but the majority of the variability is most plausibly ascribed to temperature. Wilson Lake B and Millville have total δ13C excursions of -5 and -4.5‰ respectively, as well as highly expanded sections of the PETM CIE. In the Millville core, high-resolution, bulk stable isotope records show a 3.5‰ δ13C decrease over 12 layers across the PETM CIE onset. Concomitant with this δ13C decrease is a sharp drop in CaCO3. Decreases in both proxies require a large, sudden release of isotopically light carbon. The couplet chronology indicates

Warm Paleocene/Eocene climate as simulated in ECHAM5/MPI-OM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Heinemann

2009-12-01

Full Text Available We investigate the late Paleocene/early Eocene (PE climate using the coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice model ECHAM5/MPI-OM. The surface in our PE control simulation is on average 297 K warm and ice-free, despite a moderate atmospheric CO₂ concentration of 560 ppm. Compared to a pre-industrial reference simulation (PR, low latitudes are 5 to 8 K warmer, while high latitudes are up to 40 K warmer. This high-latitude amplification is in line with proxy data, yet a comparison to sea surface temperature proxy data suggests that the Arctic surface temperatures are still too low in our PE simulation.

To identify the mechanisms that cause the PE-PR surface temperature differences, we fit two simple energy balance models to the ECHAM5/MPI-OM results. We find that about 2/3 of the PE-PR global mean surface temperature difference are caused by a smaller clear sky emissivity due to higher atmospheric CO₂ and water vapour concentrations in PE compared to PR; 1/3 is due to a smaller planetary albedo. The reduction of the pole-to-equator temperature gradient in PE compared to PR is due to (1 the large high-latitude effect of the higher CO₂ and water vapour concentrations in PE compared to PR, (2 the lower Antarctic orography, (3 the smaller surface albedo at high latitudes, and (4 longwave cloud radiative effects. Our results support the hypothesis that local radiative effects rather than increased meridional heat transports were responsible for the "equable" PE climate.

Cosmological constraints on variations of the fine structure constant at the epoch of recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menegoni, E; Galli, S; Archidiacono, M; Calabrese, E; Melchiorri, A

2013-01-01

In this brief work we investigate any possible variation of the fine structure constant at the epoch of recombination. The recent measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies at arcminute angular scales performed by the ACT and SPT experiments are probing the damping regime of Cosmic Microwave Background fluctuations. We study the role of a mechanism that could affect the shape of the Cosmic Microwave Background angular fluctuations at those scales, namely a change in the recombination process through variations in the fine structure constant α

The optical variability of SDSS quasars from multi-epoch spectroscopy. I. Results from 60 quasars with ≥ six-epoch spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Hengxiao; Gu, Minfeng, E-mail: hxguo@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: gumf@shao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030 (China)

2014-09-01

In a sample of 60 quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with at least six-epoch spectroscopy, we investigate the variability of emission lines and continuum luminosity at various aspects. A strong anti-correlation between the variability and continuum luminosity at 2500 Å is found for the sample, which is consistent with previous works. In individual sources, we find that half of the sample objects follow the trend of being bluer when brighter, while the remaining half follow the redder-when-brighter (RWB) trend. Although the mechanism for RWB is unclear, the effects of host galaxy contribution due to seeing variations cannot be completely ruled out. As expected from the photoionization model, the positive correlations between the broad emission line and continuum luminosity are found in most individual sources, as well as for the whole sample. We confirm the Baldwin effect in most individual objects and the whole sample, while a negative Baldwin effect is also found in several quasars, which can be at least partly (if not all) due to the host galaxy contamination. We find positive correlations between the broad emission line luminosity and line width in most individual quasars, as well as the whole sample, implying a line base that is more variable than the line core.

Identification enhancement of auditory evoked potentials in EEG by epoch concatenation and temporal decorrelation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zavala-Fernandez, H; Orglmeister, R; Trahms, L; Sander, T H

2012-12-01

Event-related potentials (ERP) recorded by electroencephalography (EEG) are brain responses following an external stimulus, e.g., a sound or an image. They are used in fundamental cognitive research and neurological and psychiatric clinical research. ERPs are weaker than spontaneous brain activity and therefore it is difficult or even impossible to identify an ERP in the brain activity following an individual stimulus. For this reason, a blind source separation method relying on statistical information is proposed for the isolation of ERP after auditory stimulation. In this paper it is suggested to integrate epoch concatenation into the popular temporal decorrelation algorithm SOBI/TDSEP relying on time shifted correlations. With the proposed epoch concatenation temporal decorrelation (ecTD) algorithm a component representing the auditory evoked potential (AEP) is found in electroencephalographic data from an auditory stimulation experiment lasting 3min. The ecTD result is compared with the averaged AEP and it is superior to the result from the SOBI/TDSEP algorithm. Furthermore the ecTD processing leads to significant increases in the signal-to-noise ratio (shape SNR) of the AEP and reduces the computation time by 50% if compared to the SOBI/TDSEP calculation. It can be concluded that data concatenation in combination with temporal decorrelation is useful for isolating and improving the properties of an AEP especially in a short duration stimulation experiment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

EPOCH 0013 - the impact of elevated CO{sub 2} upon the response of European forests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, H.S.J.; Jarvis, P.G. [University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (United Kingdom). Inst. of Ecology and Resource Management

1994-12-31

Apart from details on the EPOCH project, this paper includes information on the currently funded project under the Environment R & D programme (the likely impact of rising CO{sub 2} and temperature on European forests, 1993 & 1994) and the proposed extension of this is Environment R & D, phase II (predicting the response of European forests to global change, 1995 & 1996). Some suggestions for future work under Framework IV are also proposed. 30 refs., 14 refs., 8 tabs.

Atlas Basemaps in Web 2.0 Epoch

Science.gov (United States)

Chabaniuk, V.; Dyshlyk, O.

2016-06-01

The authors have analyzed their experience of the production of various Electronic Atlases (EA) and Atlas Information Systems (AtIS) of so-called "classical type". These EA/AtIS have been implemented in the past decade in the Web 1.0 architecture (e.g., National Atlas of Ukraine, Atlas of radioactive contamination of Ukraine, and others). One of the main distinguishing features of these atlases was their static nature - the end user could not change the content of EA/AtIS. Base maps are very important element of any EA/AtIS. In classical type EA/AtIS they were static datasets, which consisted of two parts: the topographic data of a fixed scale and data of the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine. It is important to note that the technique of topographic data production was based on the use of direct channels of topographic entity observation (such as aerial photography) for the selected scale. Changes in the information technology of the past half-decade are characterized by the advent of the "Web 2.0 epoch". Due to this, in cartography appeared such phenomena as, for example, "neo-cartography" and various mapping platforms like OpenStreetMap. These changes have forced developers of EA/AtIS to use new atlas basemaps. Our approach is described in the article. The phenomenon of neo-cartography and/or Web 2.0 cartography are analysed by authors using previously developed Conceptual framework of EA/AtIS. This framework logically explains the cartographic phenomena relations of three formations: Web 1.0, Web 1.0x1.0 and Web 2.0. Atlas basemaps of the Web 2.0 epoch are integrated information systems. We use several ways to integrate separate atlas basemaps into the information system - by building: weak integrated information system, structured system and meta-system. This integrated information system consists of several basemaps and falls under the definition of "big data". In real projects it is already used the basemaps of three strata: Conceptual

Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Collision Avoidance Maneuver Decisions Based on a Bank of Norm-Inequality-Constrained Epoch-State Filters

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, J. R.; Markley, F. L.; Alfriend, K. T.; Wright, C.; Arcido, J.

2011-01-01

Sequential probability ratio tests explicitly allow decision makers to incorporate false alarm and missed detection risks, and are potentially less sensitive to modeling errors than a procedure that relies solely on a probability of collision threshold. Recent work on constrained Kalman filtering has suggested an approach to formulating such a test for collision avoidance maneuver decisions: a filter bank with two norm-inequality-constrained epoch-state extended Kalman filters. One filter models 1he null hypothesis 1ha1 the miss distance is inside the combined hard body radius at the predicted time of closest approach, and one filter models the alternative hypothesis. The epoch-state filter developed for this method explicitly accounts for any process noise present in the system. The method appears to work well using a realistic example based on an upcoming highly-elliptical orbit formation flying mission.

PROBING THE EPOCH OF PRE-REIONIZATION BY CROSS-CORRELATING COSMIC MICROWAVE AND INFRARED BACKGROUND ANISOTROPIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atrio-Barandela, F.; Kashlinsky, A.

2014-01-01

The epoch of first star formation and the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at that time are not directly observable with current telescopes. The radiation from those early sources is now part of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) and, as these sources ionize the gas around them, the IGM plasma would produce faint temperature anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) via the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (TSZ) effect. While these TSZ anisotropies are too faint to be detected, we show that the cross-correlation of maps of source-subtracted CIB fluctuations from Euclid, with suitably constructed microwave maps at different frequencies, can probe the physical state of the gas during reionization and test/constrain models of the early CIB sources. We identify the frequency-combined, CMB-subtracted microwave maps from space- and ground-based instruments to show that they can be cross-correlated with the forthcoming all-sky Euclid CIB maps to detect the cross-power at scales ∼5'-60' with signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of up to S/N ∼ 4-8 depending on the contribution to the Thomson optical depth during those pre-reionization epochs (Δτ ≅ 0.05) and the temperature of the IGM (up to ∼10 4 K). Such a measurement would offer a new window to explore the emergence and physical properties of these first light sources

On the link between extreme floods and excess monsoon epochs in South Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kale, Vishwas [University of Pune, Department of Geography, Pune (India)

2012-09-15

This paper provides a synoptic view of extreme monsoon floods on all the nine large rivers of South Asia and their association with the excess (above-normal) monsoon rainfall periods. Annual maximum flood series for 18 gauging stations spread over four countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal) and long-term monsoon rainfall data were analyzed to ascertain whether the extreme floods were clustered in time and whether they coincided with multi-decade excess monsoon rainfall epochs at the basin level. Simple techniques, such as the Cramer's t-test, regression and Mann-Kendall (MK) tests and Hurst method were used to evaluate the trends and patterns of the flood and rainfall series. MK test reveals absence of any long-term tendency in all the series. However, the Cramer's t test and Hurst-Mandelbrot rescaled range statistic provide evidence that both rainfall and flood time series are persistent. Using the Cramer's t-test the excess monsoon epochs for each basin were identified. The excess monsoon periods for different basins were found to be highly asynchronous with respect to duration as well as the beginning and end. Three main conclusions readily emerge from the analyses. Extreme floods (>90th percentile) in South Asia show a tendency to cluster in time. About three-fourth of the extreme floods have occurred during the excess monsoon periods between {proportional_to}1840 and 2000 AD, implying a noteworthy link between the two. The frequency of large floods was higher during the post-1940 period in general and during three decades (1940s, 1950s and 1980s) in particular. (orig.)

Recognition of Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Neogene tectonic reactivation through apatite fission-track analysis in Precambrian areas of southeast Brazil: association with the opening of the south Atlantic Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Tello Saenz, C. A.; Hackspacher, P. C.; Hadler Neto, J. C.; Iunes, P. J.; Guedes, S.; Ribeiro, L. F. B.; Paulo, S. R.

2003-01-01

Apatite fission-track analysis was used for the determination of thermal histories and ages in Precambrian areas of southeast Brazil. Together with geological and geomorphologic information, these ages enable us to quantify the thermal histories and timing of Mesozoic and Cenozoic epirogenic and tectonic processes. The collected samples are from different geomorphologic blocks: the high Mantiqueira mountain range (HMMR) with altitude above 1000 m, the low Mantiqueira mountain range (LMMR) under 1000 m, the Serra do Mar mountain range (SMMR), the Jundiaí and Atlantic Plateaus, and the coastline, all of which have distinct thermal histories. During the Aptian (˜120 Ma), there was an uplift of the HMMR, coincident with opening of the south Atlantic Ocean. Its thermal history indicates heating (from ˜60 to ˜80 °C) until the Paleocene, when rocks currently exposed in the LMMR reached temperatures of ˜100 °C. In this period, the Serra do Mar rift system and the Japi erosion surface were formed. The relief records the latter. During the Late Cretaceous, the SMMR was uplifted and probably linked to its origin; in the Tertiary, it experienced heating from ˜60 to ˜90 °C, then cooling that extends to the present. The SMMR, LMMR, and HMMR were reactivated mainly in the Paleocene, and the coastline during the Paleogene. These processes are reflected in the sedimentary sequences and discordances of the interior and continental margin basins.

Epoch making NIRS studies seen through citation trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dan, Ippeita

2009-01-01

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) studies through citation trends are investigated of literature concerning only the brain function measurement and its methodology together with NIRS principle, technological development, present state and future view. Investigation is conducted firstly for the survey of important author name of those concerned papers in Web of Science and Google Scholar with search words of NIRS, brain and optical topography as an option. Second, >100 papers of those authors citing any of them are picked up and their papers are ranked in accordance with Web of Science citation number, of which top-nineteen are presented here. Impact and epoch making papers are reviewed with explanations of: the establishment of measuring technology of cerebral blood flow change and subsequent brain function by NIRS; development with multi-channel detection; simultaneous measurement with other imaging modalities; examination of NIRS validity; spatial analysis of NIRS; and measurement of brain function. The highest times of citation are 1,238 of the paper by F. F. Jobsis in 'Science' (1977). It should be noted that 10 of top 19 papers are those by Japanese authors. However, review articles omitted in the present literature survey are mostly described by foreign authors: an effort to systemize the concerned fields might be required in this country. (K.T.)

Taxonomic revision of the fossil pulmonate mollusks of Itaboraí Basin (Paleocene, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The limestones of Itaboraí Basin (Middle Paleocene, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, harbor a rich fossil molluscan fauna consisting exclusively of pulmonate snails, both terrestrial and freshwater. An extensive taxonomic revision of this paleofauna is conducted here. A new genus, Cortana, is described as well as two new species, Eoborus fusiforme and Gastrocopta itaboraiensis. The revised classification is as follows: Austrodiscus lopesi (Charopidae; Biomphalaria itaboraiensis (Planorbidae; "Brachypodella" britoi (Urocoptidae; Brasilennea arethusae, Brasilennea guttula, Brasilennea minor (Cerionidae; Bulimulus fazendicus, Bulimulus trindadeae, Cortana carvalhoi, Cyclodontina coelhoi, Itaborahia lamegoi, Leiostracus ferreirai, Plagiodontes aff. dentatus (Orthalicidae; Cecilioides sommeri (Ferussaciidae; Eoborus rotundus, Eoborus sanctijosephi, Eoborus fusiforme (Strophocheilidae; Gastrocopta mezzalirai, Gastrocopta itaboraiensis (Gastrocoptidae; Temesa magalhaesi (Clausiliidae. The species Strobilopsis mauryae was considered a synonym of Brasilennea arethusae; Bulimulus sommeri a synonym of Itaborahia lamegoi; and Vorticifex fluminensis a synonym of Eoborus sanctijosephi. Itaboraí Basin has the most ancient records of the families Orthalicidae, Gastrocoptidae, Ferussaciidae and Strophocheilidae. Moreover, the basin's records of Charopidae, Clausiliidae, Cerionidae, and Urocoptidae are among the most ancient in the world and, among these, those of Cerionidae, Clausiliidae and Urocoptidae deserve special attention since they are greatly removed from these families' current distribution. Additionally, Itaboraí has the most ancient records for the genera Austrodiscus, Brachypodella, Bulimulus, Cecilioides, Cyclodontina, Eoborus, Gastrocopta, Leiostracus, Plagiodontes and Temesa. There are three endemic genera in the basin: Brasilennea, Cortana and Itaborahia. Further discussion on paleobiogeography and evolution of this paleofauna is also provided.

Elucidating dark energy with future 21 cm observations at the epoch of reionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kohri, Kazunori [The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801 (Japan); Oyama, Yoshihiko [Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Sekiguchi, Toyokazu [Center for Theoretical Physics of the Universe, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), 193, Munjiro, Yuseoung-gu, Daejeon 34051 (Korea, Republic of); Takahashi, Tomo, E-mail: kohri@post.kek.jp, E-mail: oyamayo@icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: sekiguti@ibs.re.kr, E-mail: tomot@cc.saga-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Saga University, 1 Honjo, Saga 840-8502 (Japan)

2017-02-01

We investigate how precisely we can determine the nature of dark energy such as the equation of state (EoS) and its time dependence by using future observations of 21 cm fluctuations at the epoch of reionization (06.8∼< z ∼<1) such as Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and Omniscope in combination with those from cosmic microwave background, baryon acoustic oscillation, type Ia supernovae and direct measurement of the Hubble constant. We consider several parametrizations for the EoS and find that future 21 cm observations will be powerful in constraining models of dark energy, especially when its EoS varies at high redshifts.

Basic Geomagnetic Network of the Republic of Croatia 2004 – 2012, with Geomagnetic Field Maps for 2009.5 epoch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Brkić

2013-12-01

Full Text Available After more than half a century, scientific book Basic Geomagnetic Network of the Republic of Croatia 2004 – 2012, with Geomagnetic Field Maps for 2009.5 epoch describes the recent geomagnetic field on Croatian territory. A review of research in the past decade as well as the original solutions makes the book a document of contribution to geodesy and geomagnetism in Croatia.The book’s introduction gives an overview of two centuries of history and the strategic, security, economic and scientific significance of knowing the geomagnetic field on the Croatian territory. All the activities related to the updating of the geomagnetic information, which took place in the last decade, signified a big step toward the countries where geomagnetic survey is a mature scientific and technical discipline, and a scientific contribution to understanding of the nature of the Earth's magnetism.The declination, inclination and total intensity maps (along with the normal annual changes for the epoch 2009.5 are given in the Appendix. The book Basic Geomagnetic Network of the Republic of Croatia 2004 – 2012, with Geomagnetic Field Maps for 2009.5 epoch (ISBN 978-953-293-521-9 is published by the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Beside editor in chief, M. Brkić, the authors are: E. Vujić, D. Šugar, E. Jungwirth, D. Markovinović, M. Rezo, M. Pavasović, O. Bjelotomić, M. Šljivarić, M. Varga and V. Poslončec-Petrić. The book contains 48 pages and 3 maps, and is published in 200 copies. CIP record is available in digital catalogue of the National and University Library in Zagreb under number 861937.

Paleocene wind-dispersed fruits and seeds from Colombia and their implications for early Neotropical rainforests

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Herrera Fabiany

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Extant Neotropical rainforests are well known for their remarkable diversity of fruit and seed types. Biotic agents disperse most of these disseminules, whereas wind dispersal is less common. Although wind-dispersed fruits and seeds are greatly overshadowed in closed rainforests, many important families in the Neotropics (e.g., Bignoniaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Orchidaceae, Sapindaceae show numerous morphological adaptations for anemochory (i.e. wings, accessory hairs. Most of these living groups have high to moderate levels of plant diversity in the upper levels of the canopy. Little is known about the fossil record of wind-dispersed fruits and seeds in the Neotropics. Six new species of disseminules with varied adaptations for wind dispersal are documented here. These fossils, representing extinct genera of Ulmaceae, Malvaceae, and some uncertain families, indicate that wind-dispersed fruit and seed syndromes were already common in the Neotropics by the Paleocene, coinciding with the early development of multistratal rainforests. Although the major families known to include most of the wind-dispersed disseminules in extant rainforests are still missing from the Paleogene fossil record of South and Central America, the new fossils imply that anemochory was a relatively important product and/or mechanism of plant evolution and diversification in early Neotropical rainforests.

In situ fossil seedlings of a Metasequoia-like taxodiaceous conifer from Paleocene river floodplain deposits of central Alberta, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Falder, A B; Stockey, R A; Rothwell, G W

1999-06-01

Fossil seeds and seedlings of a Metasequoia-like taxodiaceous conifer occur in Paleocene deposits at the Munce's Hill and Gao Mine localities of central Alberta, Canada. Compression/impression specimens are preserved in upright growth positions among seedlings of the cercidiphyllaceous dicot Joffrea speirsii Crane & Stockey. There are a large number of seeds, a few of which were buried while germinating and show a radicle or short primary root. More than 500 Metasequoia-like seedlings have been identified that have two linear cotyledons with parallel margins and rounded tips. Three specimens have been found that display three cotyledons. Slightly older seedlings show decussate pairs of leaves attached to the stem distal to the cotyledons. Still older seedlings have axillary branches that show varying sizes and numbers of opposite leaves arranged in a single plane distal to the opposite pairs. These specimens reveal that both Joffrea and this extinct taxodiaceous conifer were early colonizers of North American floodplain communities at the beginning of the Tertiary.

THE LICK AGN MONITORING PROJECT: RECALIBRATING SINGLE-EPOCH VIRIAL BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Daeseong; Woo, Jong-Hak [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Treu, Tommaso; Bennert, Vardha N. [Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Barth, Aaron J.; Walsh, Jonelle [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4129 Frederick Reines Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4575 (United States); Bentz, Misty C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Canalizo, Gabriela [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Filippenko, Alexei V. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States); Gates, Elinor [Lick Observatory, P.O. Box 85, Mount Hamilton, CA 95140 (United States); Greene, Jenny E. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Malkan, Matthew A., E-mail: woo@astro.snu.ac.kr [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (United States)

2012-03-01

We investigate the calibration and uncertainties of black hole (BH) mass estimates based on the single-epoch (SE) method, using homogeneous and high-quality multi-epoch spectra obtained by the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Project for nine local Seyfert 1 galaxies with BH masses <10{sup 8} M{sub Sun }. By decomposing the spectra into their AGNs and stellar components, we study the variability of the SE H{beta} line width (full width at half-maximum intensity, FWHM{sub H{beta}} or dispersion, {sigma}{sub H{beta}}) and of the AGN continuum luminosity at 5100 A (L{sub 5100}). From the distribution of the 'virial products' ({proportional_to} FWHM{sub H{beta}}{sup 2} L{sup 0.5}{sub 5100} or {sigma}{sub H{beta}}{sup 2} L{sup 0.5}{sub 5100}) measured from SE spectra, we estimate the uncertainty due to the combined variability as {approx}0.05 dex (12%). This is subdominant with respect to the total uncertainty in SE mass estimates, which is dominated by uncertainties in the size-luminosity relation and virial coefficient, and is estimated to be {approx}0.46 dex (factor of {approx}3). By comparing the H{beta} line profile of the SE, mean, and root-mean-square (rms) spectra, we find that the H{beta} line is broader in the mean (and SE) spectra than in the rms spectra by {approx}0.1 dex (25%) for our sample with FWHM{sub H{beta}} <3000 km s{sup -1}. This result is at variance with larger mass BHs where the difference is typically found to be much less than 0.1 dex. To correct for this systematic difference of the H{beta} line profile, we introduce a line-width dependent virial factor, resulting in a recalibration of SE BH mass estimators for low-mass AGNs.

A FLUX SCALE FOR SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE 21 cm EPOCH OF REIONIZATION EXPERIMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobs, Daniel C.; Bowman, Judd [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (United States); Parsons, Aaron R.; Ali, Zaki; Pober, Jonathan C. [Astronomy Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James E.; Moore, David F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bradley, Richard F. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Carilli, Chris L. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM (United States); DeBoer, David R.; Dexter, Matthew R.; MacMahon, Dave H. E. [Radio Astronomy Lab., University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Gugliucci, Nicole E.; Klima, Pat [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Manley, Jason R.; Walbrugh, William P. [Square Kilometer Array, South Africa Project, Cape Town (South Africa); Stefan, Irina I. [Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2013-10-20

We present a catalog of spectral measurements covering a 100-200 MHz band for 32 sources, derived from observations with a 64 antenna deployment of the Donald C. Backer Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER) in South Africa. For transit telescopes such as PAPER, calibration of the primary beam is a difficult endeavor and errors in this calibration are a major source of error in the determination of source spectra. In order to decrease our reliance on an accurate beam calibration, we focus on calibrating sources in a narrow declination range from –46° to –40°. Since sources at similar declinations follow nearly identical paths through the primary beam, this restriction greatly reduces errors associated with beam calibration, yielding a dramatic improvement in the accuracy of derived source spectra. Extrapolating from higher frequency catalogs, we derive the flux scale using a Monte Carlo fit across multiple sources that includes uncertainty from both catalog and measurement errors. Fitting spectral models to catalog data and these new PAPER measurements, we derive new flux models for Pictor A and 31 other sources at nearby declinations; 90% are found to confirm and refine a power-law model for flux density. Of particular importance is the new Pictor A flux model, which is accurate to 1.4% and shows that between 100 MHz and 2 GHz, in contrast with previous models, the spectrum of Pictor A is consistent with a single power law given by a flux at 150 MHz of 382 ± 5.4 Jy and a spectral index of –0.76 ± 0.01. This accuracy represents an order of magnitude improvement over previous measurements in this band and is limited by the uncertainty in the catalog measurements used to estimate the absolute flux scale. The simplicity and improved accuracy of Pictor A's spectrum make it an excellent calibrator in a band important for experiments seeking to measure 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization.

Newton law corrections and instabilities in f(R) gravity with the effective cosmological constant epoch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nojiri, Shin'ichi; Odintsov, Sergei D.

2007-01-01

We consider class of modified f(R) gravities with the effective cosmological constant epoch at the early and late universe. Such models pass most of solar system tests as well they satisfy to cosmological bounds. Despite their very attractive properties, it is shown that one realistic class of such models may lead to significant Newton law corrections at large cosmological scales. Nevertheless, these corrections are small at solar system as well as at the future universe. Another realistic model with acceptable Newton law regime shows the matter instability

Modeling high-order synchronization epochs and transitions in the cardiovascular system

Science.gov (United States)

García-Álvarez, David; Bahraminasab, Alireza; Stefanovska, Aneta; McClintock, Peter V. E.

2007-12-01

We study a system consisting of two coupled phase oscillators in the presence of noise. This system is used as a model for the cardiorespiratory interaction in wakefulness and anaesthesia. We show that longrange correlated noise produces transitions between epochs with different n:m synchronisation ratios, as observed in the cardiovascular system. Also, we see that, the smaller the noise (specially the one acting on the slower oscillator), the bigger the synchronisation time, exactly as happens in anaesthesia compared with wakefulness. The dependence of the synchronisation time on the couplings, in the presence of noise, is studied; such dependence is softened by low-frequency noise. We show that the coupling from the slow oscillator to the fast one (respiration to heart) plays a more important role in synchronisation. Finally, we see that the isolines with same synchronisation time seem to be a linear combination of the two couplings.

Analysis of Accuracy and Epoch on Back-propagation BFGS Quasi-Newton

Science.gov (United States)

Silaban, Herlan; Zarlis, Muhammad; Sawaluddin

2017-12-01

Back-propagation is one of the learning algorithms on artificial neural networks that have been widely used to solve various problems, such as pattern recognition, prediction and classification. The Back-propagation architecture will affect the outcome of learning processed. BFGS Quasi-Newton is one of the functions that can be used to change the weight of back-propagation. This research tested some back-propagation architectures using classical back-propagation and back-propagation with BFGS. There are 7 architectures that have been tested on glass dataset with various numbers of neurons, 6 architectures with 1 hidden layer and 1 architecture with 2 hidden layers. BP with BFGS improves the convergence of the learning process. The average improvement convergence is 98.34%. BP with BFGS is more optimal on architectures with smaller number of neurons with decreased epoch number is 94.37% with the increase of accuracy about 0.5%.

Benthic foraminifera at the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum in the western Tethys (Forada section): variability in climate and productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Giusberti, L.; Boscolo Galazzo, F.; Thomas, E.

2015-09-01

The Forada section (northeastern Italy) provides a continuous, expanded deep-sea record of the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) in the central-western Tethys. We combine a new, high resolution, benthic foraminiferal assemblage record with published calcareous plankton, mineralogical and biomarker data to document climatic and environmental changes across the PETM, highlighting the benthic foraminiferal extinction event (BEE). The onset of the PETM, occurring ~ 30 kyr after a precursor event, is marked by a thin, black, barren clay layer, possibly representing a brief pulse of anoxia and carbonate dissolution. The BEE occurred within the 10 cm interval including this layer. During the first 3.5 kyr of the PETM several agglutinated recolonizing taxa show rapid species turnover, indicating a highly unstable, CaCO3-corrosive environment. Calcareous taxa reappeared after this interval, and the next ~ 9 kyr were characterized by rapid alternation of peaks in abundance of various calcareous and agglutinant recolonizers. These observations suggest that synergistic stressors including deep water CaCO3-corrosiveness, low oxygenation, and high environmental instability caused the extinction. Combined faunal and biomarker data (BIT index, higher plant n-alkane average chain length) and the high abundance of the mineral chlorite suggest that erosion and weathering increased strongly at the onset of the PETM, due to an overall wet climate with invigorated hydrological cycle, which led to storm flood-events carrying massive sediment discharge into the Belluno Basin. This interval was followed by the core of the PETM, characterized by four precessionally paced cycles in CaCO3%, hematite%, δ13C, abundant occurrence of opportunistic benthic foraminiferal taxa, as well as calcareous nannofossil and planktonic foraminiferal taxa typical of high productivity environments, radiolarians, and lower δDn-alkanes. We interpret these cycles as reflecting alternation between an

Sedimentological reservoir characteristics of the Paleocene fluvial/lacustrine Yabus Sandstone, Melut Basin, Sudan

Science.gov (United States)

Mahgoub, M. I.; Padmanabhan, E.; Abdullatif, O. M.

2016-11-01

Melut Basin in Sudan is regionally linked to the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Central and Western African Rift System (CWARS). The Paleocene Yabus Formation is the main oil producing reservoir in the basin. It is dominated by channel sandstone and shales deposited in fluvial/lacustrine environment during the third phase of rifting in the basin. Different scales of sedimentological heterogeneities influenced reservoir quality and architecture. The cores and well logs analyses revealed seven lithofacies representing fluvial, deltaic and lacustrine depositional environments. The sandstone is medium to coarse-grained, poorly to moderately-sorted and sub-angular to sub-rounded, arkosic-subarkosic to sublitharenite. On the basin scale, the Yabus Formation showed variation in sandstone bodies, thickness, geometry and architecture. On macro-scale, reservoir quality varies vertically and laterally within Yabus Sandstone where it shows progressive fining upward tendencies with different degrees of connectivity. The lower part of the reservoir showed well-connected and amalgamated sandstone bodies, the middle to the upper parts, however, have moderate to low sandstone bodies' connectivity and amalgamation. On micro-scale, sandstone reservoir quality is directly affected by textures and diagenetic changes such as compaction, cementation, alteration, dissolution and kaolinite clays pore fill and coat all have significantly reduced the reservoir porosity and permeability. The estimated porosity in Yabus Formation ranges from 2 to 20% with an average of 12%; while permeability varies from 200 to 500 mD and up to 1 Darcy. The understanding of different scales of sedimentological reservoir heterogeneities might contribute to better reservoir quality prediction, architecture, consequently enhancing development and productivity.

Thinking social sciences from Latin America at the epochal change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime Antonio Preciado Coronado

2016-07-01

Full Text Available From the legacy of an original disciplinary approach, as the Dependence theory and its Marxian critics, or the neo-structural economic theory founded by The Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA, the Latin-American social sciences deny the Anglo-European centered approaches, in the way of reaffirming its own critical thinking, including the neo-colonial practices. The challenge for this critical thinking is to be, simultaneously, cosmopolitan and Latin American’s one. In this process, the Latin-American social thinking is regaining its own originality and its vigorous proposals, thanks to a rich south-south dialogue, that implies a global character of its reflections and the questioning of its universal references. Although neither classical nor western Marxism are hegemonic within critical theory, the (neo Marxism enriched with criticism of the coloniality of power, the theory of World-System, critical geopolitics and political ecology recover the field of critical theory in key founder of an epochal thinking time. Epistemological debates with post-structuralism and postmodern approaches configure various recent developments in critical theory

Superposed epoch analysis of pressure and magnetic field configuration changes in the plasma sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kistler, L.M.; Moebius, E.; Baumjohann, W.; Nagai, T.

1993-01-01

The authors report on an analysis of pressure and magnetic configuration within the plasma sheet following the initiation of substorm events. They have constructed this time dependent picture by using an epoch analysis of data from the AMPTE/IRM spacecraft. This analysis procedure can be used to construct a unified picture of events, provided they are reproducible, from a statistical analysis of a series of point measurements. The authors first determine the time dependent pressure changes in the plasma sheet. With some simplifying assumptions they then determine the z dependence of the pressure profiles, and from this distribution determine how field lines in the plasma sheet map to the neutral sheet

Shallow marine response to global climate change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Salisbury Embayment, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Self-Trail, Jean; Robinson, Marci M.; Bralower, Timothy J.; Sessa, Jocelyn A.; Hajek, Elizabeth A.; Kump, Lee R.; Trampush, Sheila M.; Willard, Debra A.; Edwards, Lucy E.; Powars, David S.; Wandless, Gregory A.

2017-01-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was an interval of extreme warmth that caused disruption of marine and terrestrial ecosystems on a global scale. Here we examine the sediments, flora, and fauna from an expanded section at Mattawoman Creek-Billingsley Road (MCBR) in Maryland and explore the impact of warming at a nearshore shallow marine (30–100 m water depth) site in the Salisbury Embayment. Observations indicate that at the onset of the PETM, the site abruptly shifted from an open marine to prodelta setting with increased terrestrial and fresh water input. Changes in microfossil biota suggest stratification of the water column and low-oxygen bottom water conditions in the earliest Eocene. Formation of authigenic carbonate through microbial diagenesis produced an unusually large bulk carbon isotope shift, while the magnitude of the corresponding signal from benthic foraminifera is similar to that at other marine sites. This proves that the landward increase in the magnitude of the carbon isotope excursion measured in bulk sediment is not due to a near instantaneous release of 12C-enriched CO2. We conclude that the MCBR site records nearshore marine response to global climate change that can be used as an analog for modern coastal response to global warming.

Shallow marine response to global climate change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Salisbury Embayment, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Self-Trail, Jean M.; Robinson, Marci M.; Bralower, Timothy J.; Sessa, Jocelyn A.; Hajek, Elizabeth A.; Kump, Lee R.; Trampush, Sheila M.; Willard, Debra A.; Edwards, Lucy E.; Powars, David S.; Wandless, Gregory A.

2017-07-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was an interval of extreme warmth that caused disruption of marine and terrestrial ecosystems on a global scale. Here we examine the sediments, flora, and fauna from an expanded section at Mattawoman Creek-Billingsley Road (MCBR) in Maryland and explore the impact of warming at a nearshore shallow marine (30-100 m water depth) site in the Salisbury Embayment. Observations indicate that at the onset of the PETM, the site abruptly shifted from an open marine to prodelta setting with increased terrestrial and fresh water input. Changes in microfossil biota suggest stratification of the water column and low-oxygen bottom water conditions in the earliest Eocene. Formation of authigenic carbonate through microbial diagenesis produced an unusually large bulk carbon isotope shift, while the magnitude of the corresponding signal from benthic foraminifera is similar to that at other marine sites. This proves that the landward increase in the magnitude of the carbon isotope excursion measured in bulk sediment is not due to a near instantaneous release of 12C-enriched CO2. We conclude that the MCBR site records nearshore marine response to global climate change that can be used as an analog for modern coastal response to global warming.

Will nonlinear peculiar velocity and inhomogeneous reionization spoil 21 cm cosmology from the epoch of reionization?

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Paul R; Mao, Yi; Iliev, Ilian T; Mellema, Garrelt; Datta, Kanan K; Ahn, Kyungjin; Koda, Jun

2013-04-12

The 21 cm background from the epoch of reionization is a promising cosmological probe: line-of-sight velocity fluctuations distort redshift, so brightness fluctuations in Fourier space depend upon angle, which linear theory shows can separate cosmological from astrophysical information. Nonlinear fluctuations in ionization, density, and velocity change this, however. The validity and accuracy of the separation scheme are tested here for the first time, by detailed reionization simulations. The scheme works reasonably well early in reionization (≲40% ionized), but not late (≳80% ionized).

FIVE NEW TRANSIT EPOCHS OF THE EXOPLANET OGLE-TR-111b

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoyer, S.; Rojo, P.; Lopez-Morales, M.; DIaz, R. F.; Chambers, J.; Minniti, D.

2011-01-01

We report five new transit epochs of the extrasolar planet OGLE-TR-111b, observed in the v-HIGH and Bessell I bands with the FORS1 and FORS2 at the ESO Very Large Telescope between 2008 April and May. The new transits have been combined with all previously published transit data for this planet to provide a new transit timing variations (TTVs) analysis of its orbit. We find no TTVs with amplitudes larger than 1.5 minutes over a four-year observation time baseline, in agreement with the recent result by Adams et al. Dynamical simulations fully exclude the presence of additional planets in the system with masses greater than 1.3, 0.4, and 0.5 M + at the 3:2, 1:2, and 2:1 resonances, respectively. We also place an upper limit of about 30 M + on the mass of potential second planets in the region between the 3:2 and 1:2 mean-motion resonances.

Paleocene Picrites of Davis Strait: Products of a Plume or Plates?

Science.gov (United States)

Beutel, E. K.; Clarke, D. B.

2017-12-01

the Paleocene picrites of Davis Strait.

Evolution of sedimentary architecture in retro-foreland basin: Aquitaine basin example from Paleocene to lower Eocene.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, Carole; Lasseur, Eric; Guillocheau, François; Serrano, Olivier; Malet, David

2017-04-01

The Aquitaine basin located in south western Europe, is a Pyrenean retro-foreland basin. Two main phases of compression are recorded in this retro-foreland basin during the Pyrenean orogeny. A first upper Cretaceous phase corresponding to the early stage of the orogeny, and a second one usually related to a Pyrenean paroxysmal phase during the middle Eocene. During Paleocene to lower Eocene deformations are less pronounced, interpreted as a tectonically quiet period. The aim of the study is to better constrain the sedimentary system of the Aquitaine basin during this period of Paleocene-lower Eocene, in order to discuss the evolution of the sedimentary architecture in response of the Pyrenean compression. This work is based on a compilation of a large set of subsurface data (wells logs, seismic lines and cores logs) represented by isopachs and facies map. Three main cycles were identified during this structural quiet period: (1) The Danian cycle, is recorded by the aggradation of carbonate reef-rimmed platform. This platform is characterized by proximal facies (oncoid carbonate and mudstone with thalassinoides) to the north, which leads to distal deposit facies southern (pelagic carbonate with globigerina and slump facies) and present a significant thickness variation linked to the platform-slope-basin morphology. (2) The upper Selandian-Thanetian cycle follows a non-depositional/erosional surface associated with a Selandian hiatus. The base of this cycle marked the transition between the last reef rimmed platform and a carbonate ramp. The transgressive cycle is characterized by proximal lagoon facies to the north that leads southward to distal hemipelagic facies interfingered by turbiditic Lowstand System Tracks (LST). The location of these LST is strongly controlled by inherited Danian topography. The regressive cycle ends with a major regression associated with an erosional surface. This surface is linked with a network of canyons in the north, an important

Petrographic characteristic of the sandstones of the upper paleocene-middle eocene aged in the Yildizli-Aydinkent (Ereğli-Konya area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Müjdat Özkan

2002-03-01

Full Text Available In the study area, Upper Paleocene - Middle Eocene aged Halkapınar formation, was formed in a shallow and deep marine environment. The lithologies of this formation are medium - thick bedded conglomerate, thin - thick bedded sandstone, thin - very thick bedded shale, thin - medium bedded marl with chert nodules and bands. In addition olistolithes of ophiolitic melange are found at the top of the sandstones, which includes basalt interbands. Yellowish gray, greenish gray, beige, gray colored sandstones include some sedimentary structures, namely ripple - marks, graded bedding, laminate, convolute lamination, current ripple, tool marks. Constituents of the sandstones are quartz, plagioclase, sanidine, orthoclase, fragments of sedimentary and methamorphic rocks, biotite, muscovite, opaque mineral and glauconite. The sandstones, which are not matured in terms of mineralogy and texture, are mainly cemented by calcite, clay matrix and minor iron oxide and glauconite matrix. The sandstones are named lithic arenite, lithic graywacke, feldspathic litharenite and litharenite.

INTERFEROMETRIC MONITORING OF GAMMA-RAY BRIGHT AGNs. I. THE RESULTS OF SINGLE-EPOCH MULTIFREQUENCY OBSERVATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sang-Sung; Wajima, Kiyoaki; Algaba, Juan-Carlos; Zhao, Guang-Yao; Hodgson, Jeffrey A.; Byun, Do-Young; Kang, Sincheol; Kim, Soon-Wook; Kino, Motoki [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeok-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dae-Won; Park, Jongho; Kim, Jae-Young; Trippe, Sascha [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826 (Korea, Republic of); Miyazaki, Atsushi [Japan Space Forum, 3-2-1, Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062 Japan (Japan); Kim, Jeong-Sook, E-mail: sslee@kasi.re.kr [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2211 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 1818588 (Japan)

2016-11-01

We present results of single-epoch very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of gamma-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) at the 22, 43, 86, and 129 GHz bands, which are part of a KVN key science program, Interferometric Monitoring of Gamma-Ray Bright AGNs. We selected a total of 34 radio-loud AGNs of which 30 sources are gamma-ray bright AGNs with flux densities of >6 × 10{sup −10} ph cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. Single-epoch multifrequency VLBI observations of the target sources were conducted during a 24 hr session on 2013 November 19 and 20. All observed sources were detected and imaged at all frequency bands, with or without a frequency phase transfer technique, which enabled the imaging of 12 faint sources at 129 GHz, except for one source. Many of the target sources are resolved on milliarcsecond scales, yielding a core-jet structure, with the VLBI core dominating the synchrotron emission on a milliarcsecond scale. CLEAN flux densities of the target sources are 0.43–28 Jy, 0.32–21 Jy, 0.18–11 Jy, and 0.35–8.0 Jy in the 22, 43, 86, and 129 GHz bands, respectively. Spectra of the target sources become steeper at higher frequency, with spectral index means of −0.40, −0.62, and −1.00 in the 22–43 GHz, 43–86 GHz and 86–129 GHz bands, respectively, implying that the target sources become optically thin at higher frequencies (e.g., 86–129 GHz).

Gravitationally neutral dark matter-dark antimatter universe crystal with epochs of decelerated and accelerated expansion

Science.gov (United States)

Gribov, I. A.; Trigger, S. A.

2016-11-01

A large-scale self-similar crystallized phase of finite gravitationally neutral universe (GNU)—huge GNU-ball—with spherical 2D-boundary immersed into an endless empty 3D- space is considered. The main principal assumptions of this universe model are: (1) existence of stable elementary particles-antiparticles with the opposite gravitational “charges” (M+gr and M -gr), which have the same positive inertial mass M in = |M ±gr | ≥ 0 and are equally presented in the universe during all universe evolution epochs; (2) the gravitational interaction between the masses of the opposite charges” is repulsive; (3) the unbroken baryon-antibaryon symmetry; (4) M+gr-M-gr “charges” symmetry, valid for two equally presented matter-antimatter GNU-components: (a) ordinary matter (OM)-ordinary antimatter (OAM), (b) dark matter (DM)-dark antimatter (DAM). The GNU-ball is weightless crystallized dust of equally presented, mutually repulsive (OM+DM) clusters and (OAM+DAM) anticlusters. Newtonian GNU-hydrodynamics gives the observable spatial flatness and ideal Hubble flow. The GNU in the obtained large-scale self-similar crystallized phase preserves absence of the cluster-anticluster collisions and simultaneously explains the observable large-scale universe phenomena: (1) the absence of the matter-antimatter clusters annihilation, (2) the self-similar Hubble flow stability and homogeneity, (3) flatness, (4) bubble and cosmic-net structures as 3D-2D-1D decrystallization phases with decelerative (a ≤ 0) and accelerative (a ≥ 0) expansion epochs, (5) the dark energy (DE) phenomena with Λ VACUUM = 0, (6) the DE and DM fine-tuning nature and predicts (7) evaporation into isolated huge M±gr superclusters without Big Rip.

Gravitationally neutral dark matter–dark antimatter universe crystal with epochs of decelerated and accelerated expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gribov, I A; Trigger, S A

2016-01-01

A large-scale self-similar crystallized phase of finite gravitationally neutral universe (GNU)—huge GNU-ball—with spherical 2D-boundary immersed into an endless empty 3D- space is considered. The main principal assumptions of this universe model are: (1) existence of stable elementary particles-antiparticles with the opposite gravitational “charges” ( M + gr and M -gr ), which have the same positive inertial mass M in = | M ±gr | ≥ 0 and are equally presented in the universe during all universe evolution epochs; (2) the gravitational interaction between the masses of the opposite charges” is repulsive; (3) the unbroken baryon-antibaryon symmetry; (4) M +gr -M -gr “charges” symmetry, valid for two equally presented matter-antimatter GNU-components: (a) ordinary matter (OM)-ordinary antimatter (OAM), (b) dark matter (DM)-dark antimatter (DAM). The GNU-ball is weightless crystallized dust of equally presented, mutually repulsive (OM+DM) clusters and (OAM+DAM) anticlusters. Newtonian GNU-hydrodynamics gives the observable spatial flatness and ideal Hubble flow. The GNU in the obtained large-scale self-similar crystallized phase preserves absence of the cluster-anticluster collisions and simultaneously explains the observable large-scale universe phenomena: (1) the absence of the matter-antimatter clusters annihilation, (2) the self-similar Hubble flow stability and homogeneity, (3) flatness, (4) bubble and cosmic-net structures as 3D-2D-1D decrystallization phases with decelerative (a ≤ 0) and accelerative (a ≥ 0) expansion epochs, (5) the dark energy (DE) phenomena with Λ VACUUM = 0, (6) the DE and DM fine-tuning nature and predicts (7) evaporation into isolated huge M ±gr superclusters without Big Rip. (paper)

Dating quartz: Ar/Ar analyses of coexisting muscovite and fluid inclusion - rich quartz from paleocene amorphic aureole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, S.J.; Perez de Arce, C.; Cornejo, P.; Cuitino, L; Klein, J

2001-01-01

We present Ar/Ar total fusion and step-heating data for coexisting muscovite and white quartz from the metamorphic aureole of the Lower Paleocene La Copiapina Pluton, 6 km south of Inca de Oro, III Region, Chile. The pluton intrudes the upper clastic sedimentary member of the Punta del Cobre Group (Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous) and the calcareous sedimentary rocks of the Chanarcillo Group (Neocomian), and comprises fine to coarse grained pyroxene-hornblende-biotite quartz diorites and monzodiorites. Its emplacement was controlled on its north-western side by a subvertical NE-trending fault, along which were developed vertically banded skarns (skarn mylonite), suggesting syntectonic intrusion. Biotite K-Ar ages for the pluton fall in the range 61-63 Ma, relating it to a latest Cretaceous to Lowest Paleocene syn-compressional intrusive belt which is present in the area (Matthews and Cornejo, 2000). A metamorphic / metasomatic aureole is developed within the sandstones of the Punta del Cobre Group, on the extreme northern limit of the pluton. In this area, the sedimentary rocks have been replaced by quartz-sericite and quartz-muscovite assemblages, with minor hematite and tourmaline, and late supergene kaolinite and pyrophyllite. A coarse muscovite-quartz-tourmaline-hematite assemblage is developed in and around older (early Upper Cretaceous) andesitic dykes, in the form of replacement / fracture fill veins and replacement zones. Further from the contact with the pluton, fine-grained quartz-sericite rock with coarser muscovite-rich replacement veins represents the dominant lithology. Quartz in the coarse replacement rock is very rich in fluid inclusions. Primary inclusions are mainly of two coexisting types; bi-phase (liquid and gas bubble) and tri-phase (liquid, gas bubble and halite crystal), indicating that the quartz formed in the presence of a boiling fluid. Some inclusions also contain sylvite and occasional hematite daughter crystals. Secondary inclusions

The hydrogen epoch of reionization array dish III: measuring chromaticity of prototype element with reflectometry

Science.gov (United States)

Patra, Nipanjana; Parsons, Aaron R.; DeBoer, David R.; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hsyu, Gilbert; Leung, Tsz Kuk; Day, Cherie K.; de Lera Acedo, Eloy; Aguirre, James E.; Alexander, Paul; Ali, Zaki S.; Beardsley, Adam P.; Bowman, Judd D.; Bradley, Richard F.; Carilli, Chris L.; Cheng, Carina; Dillon, Joshua S.; Fadana, Gcobisa; Fagnoni, Nicolas; Fritz, Randall; Furlanetto, Steve R.; Glendenning, Brian; Greig, Bradley; Grobbelaar, Jasper; Hazelton, Bryna J.; Jacobs, Daniel C.; Julius, Austin; Kariseb, MacCalvin; Kohn, Saul A.; Lebedeva, Anna; Lekalake, Telalo; Liu, Adrian; Loots, Anita; MacMahon, David; Malan, Lourence; Malgas, Cresshim; Maree, Matthys; Martinot, Zachary; Mathison, Nathan; Matsetela, Eunice; Mesinger, Andrei; Morales, Miguel F.; Neben, Abraham R.; Pieterse, Samantha; Pober, Jonathan C.; Razavi-Ghods, Nima; Ringuette, Jon; Robnett, James; Rosie, Kathryn; Sell, Raddwine; Smith, Craig; Syce, Angelo; Tegmark, Max; Williams, Peter K. G.; Zheng, Haoxuan

2018-04-01

Spectral structures due to the instrument response is the current limiting factor for the experiments attempting to detect the redshifted 21 cm signal from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Recent advances in the delay spectrum methodology for measuring the redshifted 21 cm EoR power spectrum brought new attention to the impact of an antenna's frequency response on the viability of making this challenging measurement. The delay spectrum methodology provides a somewhat straightforward relationship between the time-domain response of an instrument that can be directly measured and the power spectrum modes accessible to a 21 cm EoR experiment. In this paper, we derive the explicit relationship between antenna reflection coefficient ( S 11) measurements made by a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) and the extent of additional foreground contaminations in delay space. In the light of this mathematical framework, we examine the chromaticity of a prototype antenna element that will constitute the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) between 100 and 200 MHz. These reflectometry measurements exhibit additional structures relative to electromagnetic simulations, but we find that even without any further design improvement, such an antenna element will support measuring spatial k modes with line-of-sight components of k ∥ > 0.2 h Mpc- 1. We also find that when combined with the powerful inverse covariance weighting method used in optimal quadratic estimation of redshifted 21 cm power spectra the HERA prototype elements can successfully measure the power spectrum at spatial modes as low as k ∥ > 0.1 h Mpc- 1. This work represents a major step toward understanding the HERA antenna element and highlights a straightforward method for characterizing instrument response for future experiments designed to detect the 21 cm EoR power spectrum.

Integrated stratigraphy of a shallow marine Paleocene-Eocene boundary section, MCBR cores, Maryland (USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Self-Trail, J. M.; Robinson, M. M.; Edwards, L. E.; Powars, D. S.; Wandless, G. A.; Willard, D. A.

2013-12-01

An exceptional Paleocene-Eocene boundary section occurs in a cluster of six short (color from gray to alternating gray and pink also occurs within the CIE transition. These alternating changes in color coincide with cyclic peaks in the carbon isotope and percent calcium carbonate curves, where gray color corresponds to a positive shift in carbon isotope values and to a corresponding increase in percent benthic and planktic foraminifera. The upper third of the Marlboro Clay is barren of all calcareous microfossil material, although the presence of foraminiferal molds and linings proves that deposition occurred in a marine environment. Co-occurrence of the dinoflagellates Apectodinium augustum and Phthanoperidinium crenulatum at the top of the Marlboro Clay suggests that the Marlboro Clay at Mattawoman Creek is truncated. This is corroborated by the absence in the Marlboro of specimens of the calcareous nannofossil Rhomboaster-Discoaster assemblage, which is restricted to early Eocene Zone NP9b. Based on planktic/benthic foraminifera ratios, deposition of sediments at Mattawoman Creek occurred predominantly in an inner neritic environment, at water depths between 25-50 m. Occasional deepening to approximately 75m (middle neritic environment) occurred in the early Eocene, as represented by the basal Marlboro Clay. The planktic/benthic ratio, however, could also be affected by surface productivity and/or river runoff. The gradual shift up-section in core color from gray to alternating gray and red, to dark red, coupled with dissolution of calcareous microfossil assemblages, is possibly secondary and may represent lysocline shoaling in a nearshore environment. This would suggest that lysocline shoaling continued after the CIE and well into the early Eocene.

Direct detection of projectile relics from the end of the lunar basin-forming epoch.

Science.gov (United States)

Joy, Katherine H; Zolensky, Michael E; Nagashima, Kazuhide; Huss, Gary R; Ross, D Kent; McKay, David S; Kring, David A

2012-06-15

The lunar surface, a key proxy for the early Earth, contains relics of asteroids and comets that have pummeled terrestrial planetary surfaces. Surviving fragments of projectiles in the lunar regolith provide a direct measure of the types and thus the sources of exogenous material delivered to the Earth-Moon system. In ancient [>3.4 billion years ago (Ga)] regolith breccias from the Apollo 16 landing site, we located mineral and lithologic relics of magnesian chondrules from chondritic impactors. These ancient impactor fragments are not nearly as diverse as those found in younger (3.4 Ga to today) regolith breccias and soils from the Moon or that presently fall as meteorites to Earth. This suggests that primitive chondritic asteroids, originating from a similar source region, were common Earth-Moon-crossing impactors during the latter stages of the basin-forming epoch.

The Early Prevention of Obesity in CHildren (EPOCH Collaboration - an Individual Patient Data Prospective Meta-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simes John

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Efforts to prevent the development of overweight and obesity have increasingly focused early in the life course as we recognise that both metabolic and behavioural patterns are often established within the first few years of life. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs of interventions are even more powerful when, with forethought, they are synthesised into an individual patient data (IPD prospective meta-analysis (PMA. An IPD PMA is a unique research design where several trials are identified for inclusion in an analysis before any of the individual trial results become known and the data are provided for each randomised patient. This methodology minimises the publication and selection bias often associated with a retrospective meta-analysis by allowing hypotheses, analysis methods and selection criteria to be specified a priori. Methods/Design The Early Prevention of Obesity in CHildren (EPOCH Collaboration was formed in 2009. The main objective of the EPOCH Collaboration is to determine if early intervention for childhood obesity impacts on body mass index (BMI z scores at age 18-24 months. Additional research questions will focus on whether early intervention has an impact on children's dietary quality, TV viewing time, duration of breastfeeding and parenting styles. This protocol includes the hypotheses, inclusion criteria and outcome measures to be used in the IPD PMA. The sample size of the combined dataset at final outcome assessment (approximately 1800 infants will allow greater precision when exploring differences in the effect of early intervention with respect to pre-specified participant- and intervention-level characteristics. Discussion Finalisation of the data collection procedures and analysis plans will be complete by the end of 2010. Data collection and analysis will occur during 2011-2012 and results should be available by 2013. Trial registration number ACTRN12610000789066

What next-generation 21 cm power spectrum measurements can teach us about the epoch of reionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pober, Jonathan C.; Morales, Miguel F.; Liu, Adrian; McQuinn, Matthew; Parsons, Aaron R.; Dillon, Joshua S.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Tegmark, Max; Aguirre, James E.; Bowman, Judd D.; Jacobs, Daniel C.; Bradley, Richard F.; Carilli, Chris L.; DeBoer, David R.; Werthimer, Dan J.

2014-01-01

A number of experiments are currently working toward a measurement of the 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization (EoR). Whether or not these experiments deliver a detection of cosmological emission, their limited sensitivity will prevent them from providing detailed information about the astrophysics of reionization. In this work, we consider what types of measurements will be enabled by the next generation of larger 21 cm EoR telescopes. To calculate the type of constraints that will be possible with such arrays, we use simple models for the instrument, foreground emission, and the reionization history. We focus primarily on an instrument modeled after the ∼0.1 km 2 collecting area Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array concept design and parameterize the uncertainties with regard to foreground emission by considering different limits to the recently described 'wedge' footprint in k space. Uncertainties in the reionization history are accounted for using a series of simulations that vary the ionizing efficiency and minimum virial temperature of the galaxies responsible for reionization, as well as the mean free path of ionizing photons through the intergalactic medium. Given various combinations of models, we consider the significance of the possible power spectrum detections, the ability to trace the power spectrum evolution versus redshift, the detectability of salient power spectrum features, and the achievable level of quantitative constraints on astrophysical parameters. Ultimately, we find that 0.1 km 2 of collecting area is enough to ensure a very high significance (≳ 30σ) detection of the reionization power spectrum in even the most pessimistic scenarios. This sensitivity should allow for meaningful constraints on the reionization history and astrophysical parameters, especially if foreground subtraction techniques can be improved and successfully implemented.

Superposed epoch study of ICME sub-structures near Earth and their effects on Galactic cosmic rays

Science.gov (United States)

Masías-Meza, J. J.; Dasso, S.; Démoulin, P.; Rodriguez, L.; Janvier, M.

2016-08-01

Context. Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are the interplanetary manifestations of solar eruptions. The overtaken solar wind forms a sheath of compressed plasma at the front of ICMEs. Magnetic clouds (MCs) are a subset of ICMEs with specific properties (e.g. the presence of a flux rope). When ICMEs pass near Earth, ground observations indicate that the flux of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) decreases. Aims: The main aims of this paper are to find common plasma and magnetic properties of different ICME sub-structures and which ICME properties affect the flux of GCRs near Earth. Methods: We used a superposed epoch method applied to a large set of ICMEs observed in situ by the spacecraft ACE, between 1998 and 2006. We also applied a superposed epoch analysis on GCRs time series observed with the McMurdo neutron monitors. Results: We find that slow MCs at 1 AU have on average more massive sheaths. We conclude that this is because they are more effectively slowed down by drag during their travel from the Sun. Slow MCs also have a more symmetric magnetic field and sheaths expanding similarly as their following MC, while in contrast, fast MCs have an asymmetric magnetic profile and a sheath in compression. In all types of MCs, we find that the proton density and the temperature and the magnetic fluctuations can diffuse within the front of the MC due to 3D reconnection. Finally, we derive a quantitative model that describes the decrease in cosmic rays as a function of the amount of magnetic fluctuations and field strength. Conclusions: The obtained typical profiles of sheath, MC and GCR properties corresponding to slow, middle, and fast ICMEs, can be used for forecasting or modelling these events, and to better understand the transport of energetic particles in ICMEs. They are also useful for improving future operative space weather activities.

Preliminary study of uranium favorability of upper cretaceous, paleocene, and lower eocene rocks of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesse, S.L.; Dunagan, J.F. Jr.

1978-02-01

This report presents an evaluation of the uranium favorability of continental sediments of the Upper Cretaceous Lance, Paleocene Polecat Bench, and lower Eocene Willwood Formations in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana, an intermontane structural basin of Laramide age. Previous work dealing with the Bighorn Basin was reviewed, and field investigations were carried out in the spring and summer of 1976. Subsurface data were collected and results of surface and subsurface investigations were evaluated with respect to uranium favorability. Precambrian plutonic and metamorphic rocks and Tertiary tuffaceous rocks in the Bighorn Basin and bordering uplifts are considered insignificant as source rocks, although the Wiggins Formation (White River equivalent) cannot be evaluated as a possible source because of a lack of data. Potential host rocks locally show only limited favorability. Lithology of strata exposed along the western and southern basin margins is more favorable than that of rocks in the central and eastern parts of the basin, but there is little organic material, pyrite, or other reducing agents in these rocks. Strata of the Lance, Polecat Bench, and Willwood Formations in the Bighorn Basin are considered generally unfavorable for sandstone uranium deposits

Study of redshifted H I from the epoch of reionization with drift scan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paul, Sourabh; Sethi, Shiv K.; Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Shankar, N. Udaya; Dwarakanath, K. S.; Deshpande, Avinash A. [Raman Research Institute, Bangalore (India); Bernardi, Gianni [Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA), 3rd Floor, The Park, Park Road, Pinelands 7405 (South Africa); Bowman, Judd D. [Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85281 (United States); Briggs, Frank; Gaensler, Bryan M. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), 44 Rosehill Street, Redfern, NSW 2016 (Australia); Cappallo, Roger J.; Corey, Brian E.; Goeke, Robert F. [MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA 01886 (United States); Emrich, David [Curtin University, Perth (Australia); Greenhill, Lincoln J.; Kasper, Justin C. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Hazelton, Bryna J. [University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Hewitt, Jacqueline N. [MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 37-241, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Johnston-Hollitt, Melanie [Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand); Kaplan, David L., E-mail: sourabh@rri.res.in, E-mail: sethi@rri.res.in [University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States); and others

2014-09-20

Detection of the epoch of reionization (EoR) in the redshifted 21 cm line is a challenging task. Here, we formulate the detection of the EoR signal using the drift scan strategy. This method potentially has better instrumental stability compared to the case where a single patch of sky is tracked. We demonstrate that the correlation time between measured visibilities could extend up to 1-2 hr for an interferometer array such as the Murchison Widefield Array, which has a wide primary beam. We estimate the EoR power based on a cross-correlation of visibilities over time and show that the drift scan strategy is capable of detecting the EoR signal with a signal to noise that is comparable/better compared to the tracking case. We also estimate the visibility correlation for a set of bright point sources and argue that the statistical inhomogeneity of bright point sources might allow their separation from the EoR signal.

Evolution of the intergalactic medium - What happened during the epoch z = 3-10?

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeuchi, S.; Ostriker, J. P.

1986-01-01

An attempt is made to model consistently the thermal and dynamic history of the intergalactic medium (IGM) from the era of reheating (z = 10-5) to the present, and to provide a unified explanation for the origin of ordinary galaxies, blue compact objects, and Lyman-alpha clouds. The evolution of the intergalactic gas is analyzed, treating the IGM as perfectly homogeneous at every epoch and taking into account radiative and Compton cooling, adiabatic cooling, shock heating, and heating produced by the diffuse UV flux. It is suggested that the IGM must have been heated to higher than a 10 to the 6th K by shock heasting caused either by explosions of pregalactic objects or expanding voids. The formation of intergalactic clouds by fragmentation of the resulting shells and the subsequent collapse of the shells to form galaxies are studied. An attempt is made to determine model parameters on the basis of an analysis of Lyman-alpha absorption lines.

GNSS Single Frequency, Single Epoch Reliable Attitude Determination Method with Baseline Vector Constraint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ang Gong

2015-12-01

Full Text Available For Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS single frequency, single epoch attitude determination, this paper proposes a new reliable method with baseline vector constraint. First, prior knowledge of baseline length, heading, and pitch obtained from other navigation equipment or sensors are used to reconstruct objective function rigorously. Then, searching strategy is improved. It substitutes gradually Enlarged ellipsoidal search space for non-ellipsoidal search space to ensure correct ambiguity candidates are within it and make the searching process directly be carried out by least squares ambiguity decorrelation algorithm (LAMBDA method. For all vector candidates, some ones are further eliminated by derived approximate inequality, which accelerates the searching process. Experimental results show that compared to traditional method with only baseline length constraint, this new method can utilize a priori baseline three-dimensional knowledge to fix ambiguity reliably and achieve a high success rate. Experimental tests also verify it is not very sensitive to baseline vector error and can perform robustly when angular error is not great.

Two-epoch cross-sectional case record review protocol comparing quality of care of hospital emergency admissions at weekends versus weekdays.

Science.gov (United States)

Bion, Julian; Aldridge, Cassie P; Girling, Alan; Rudge, Gavin; Beet, Chris; Evans, Tim; Temple, R Mark; Roseveare, Chris; Clancy, Mike; Boyal, Amunpreet; Tarrant, Carolyn; Sutton, Elizabeth; Sun, Jianxia; Rees, Peter; Mannion, Russell; Chen, Yen-Fu; Watson, Samuel Ian; Lilford, Richard

2017-12-22

The mortality associated with weekend admission to hospital (the 'weekend effect') has for many years been attributed to deficiencies in quality of hospital care, often assumed to be due to suboptimal senior medical staffing at weekends. This protocol describes a case note review to determine whether there are differences in care quality for emergency admissions (EAs) to hospital at weekends compared with weekdays, and whether the difference has reduced over time as health policies have changed to promote 7-day services. Cross-sectional two-epoch case record review of 20 acute hospital Trusts in England. Anonymised case records of 4000 EAs to hospital, 2000 at weekends and 2000 on weekdays, covering two epochs (financial years 2012-2013 and 2016-2017). Admissions will be randomly selected across the whole of each epoch from Trust electronic patient records. Following training, structured implicit case reviews will be conducted by consultants or senior registrars (senior residents) in acute medical specialities (60 case records per reviewer), and limited to the first 7 days following hospital admission. The co-primary outcomes are the weekend:weekday admission ratio of errors per case record, and a global assessment of care quality on a Likert scale. Error rates will be analysed using mixed effects logistic regression models, and care quality using ordinal regression methods. Secondary outcomes include error typology, error-related adverse events and any correlation between error rates and staffing. The data will also be used to inform a parallel health economics analysis. The project has received ethics approval from the South West Wales Research Ethics Committee (REC): reference 13/WA/0372. Informed consent is not required for accessing anonymised patient case records from which patient identifiers had been removed. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications in high-quality journals and through local High-intensity Specialist-Led Acute

Sensitivity of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array and its build-out stages to one-point statistics from redshifted 21 cm observations

Science.gov (United States)

Kittiwisit, Piyanat; Bowman, Judd D.; Jacobs, Daniel C.; Beardsley, Adam P.; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan

2018-03-01

We present a baseline sensitivity analysis of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) and its build-out stages to one-point statistics (variance, skewness, and kurtosis) of redshifted 21 cm intensity fluctuation from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) based on realistic mock observations. By developing a full-sky 21 cm light-cone model, taking into account the proper field of view and frequency bandwidth, utilizing a realistic measurement scheme, and assuming perfect foreground removal, we show that HERA will be able to recover statistics of the sky model with high sensitivity by averaging over measurements from multiple fields. All build-out stages will be able to detect variance, while skewness and kurtosis should be detectable for HERA128 and larger. We identify sample variance as the limiting constraint of the measurements at the end of reionization. The sensitivity can also be further improved by performing frequency windowing. In addition, we find that strong sample variance fluctuation in the kurtosis measured from an individual field of observation indicates the presence of outlying cold or hot regions in the underlying fluctuations, a feature that can potentially be used as an EoR bubble indicator.

Climate vs. tectonic induced variations in Cenozoic sediment supply from western Scandinavia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gołędowski, Bartosz; Nielsen, S.B.; Clausen, O.R.

The scope of this work is the causality of sediment flux variations from western Scandinavia during the Cenozoic. Over the decades of exploration in the North Sea and in the Norwegian shelf most of these variations were given tectonic causes. During the final period of North Atlantic break......-up (Paleocene-Early Eocene) this link is quite striking, especially in the northern British Isles and in the Faeroe-Shetland Platform where sediment production pulses can be correlated with well documented periods of tectonic activity (e.g. magmatism). However, during the subsequent Cenozoic epochs this link...... is much less constrained. For this period we therefore search for an alternative explanation in terms of climate and climate change [1-3] Methods The extensive seismic and well data set allow investigation of inland erosion rates via the offshore distribution of sediments. However, varying marine...

Hydrological and associated biogeochemical consequences of rapid global warming during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Carmichael, Matthew J.; Inglis, Gordon N.; Badger, Marcus P. S.; Naafs, B. David A.; Behrooz, Leila; Remmelzwaal, Serginio; Monteiro, Fanny M.; Rohrssen, Megan; Farnsworth, Alexander; Buss, Heather L.; Dickson, Alexander J.; Valdes, Paul J.; Lunt, Daniel J.; Pancost, Richard D.

2017-10-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) hyperthermal, 56 million years ago (Ma), is the most dramatic example of abrupt Cenozoic global warming. During the PETM surface temperatures increased between 5 and 9 °C and the onset likely took hydrological and associated biogeochemical feedbacks, and proxy data from the PETM can provide constraints on changes in warm climate hydrology simulated by general circulation models (GCMs). In this paper, we provide a critical review of biological and geochemical signatures interpreted as direct or indirect indicators of hydrological change at the PETM, explore the importance of adopting multi-proxy approaches, and present a preliminary model-data comparison. Hydrological records complement those of temperature and indicate that the climatic response at the PETM was complex, with significant regional and temporal variability. This is further illustrated by the biogeochemical consequences of inferred changes in hydrology and, in fact, changes in precipitation and the biogeochemical consequences are often conflated in geochemical signatures. There is also strong evidence in many regions for changes in the episodic and/or intra-annual distribution of precipitation that has not widely been considered when comparing proxy data to GCM output. Crucially, GCM simulations indicate that the response of the hydrological cycle to the PETM was heterogeneous - some regions are associated with increased precipitation - evaporation (P - E), whilst others are characterised by a decrease. Interestingly, the majority of proxy data come from the regions where GCMs predict an increase in PETM precipitation. We propose that comparison of hydrological proxies to GCM output can be an important test of model skill, but this will be enhanced by further data from regions of model-simulated aridity and simulation of extreme precipitation events.

Evaluating the gas content of coals and isolated maceral concentrates from the Paleocene Guasare Coalfield, Venezuela

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berbesi, L.A.; Marquez, G.; Martinez, M.; Requena, A.

2009-01-01

This work presents the results from evaluating the gases sorbed by coal samples extracted from the Paleocene Guasare Coalfield (Marcelina Formation, northwestern Venezuela), as well as by their distinct maceral concentrates. The aim of this work has been to obtain an initial experimental main value of the gas content per unit weight of high volatile bituminous A coal samples from the open-pit Paso Diablo mine. An additional goal was to study differences in the CH 4 storage ability of the distinct maceral groups forming part of the coal matrix. Both the coal samples and the maceral concentrates were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in order to determine the temperature to be used in subsequent experiments. On-line analyses of hydrocarbons (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) and CO 2 yielded gas concentrations, plus δ 13 C values. Thermogenic gas is prevalent in the Guasare coals with vitrinite reflectance (%R o ) values from 0.65% to 0.88%. The amount of gas retained in the coals and maceral concentrates was measured with a special device that allows determination of the volume of gas sorbed by a solid sample subjected to controlled thermal treatment. The average coalbed gas concentration obtained was 0.51 cm 3 /g. The following list of maceral concentrates shows the relative capacity for the volume of sorbed gas per unit weight: inertinite > low-density vitrinite > liptinite ∼ high-density vitrinite. It is concluded that the gas volumes retained in the distinct maceral concentrates are not controlled by porosity but rather by their microscopic morphology.

The phenomenon of literature images transformation into musical images and paradigmal images of corresponding epochs (philosophy of history analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Masayev

2014-01-01

The author comes to the conclusion that the images of the M. A. Sholokhov’s novels «Quit Waves of Don» and «Newly­ploughed virgin soil» and short story «Destiny of the man» having become musical images of the I. I. Dzerzhinsky’s operas «Quit Waves of Don», «Newly­ploughed virgin soil», «Destiny of the man» and «Grigoriy Melekhov», turned into real paradigmal symbols of the epochs of the civil war, collectivization and the Great Patriotic War.

Spontaneous combustion of the Upper Paleocene Cerrejon Formation coal and generation of clinker in La Guajira Peninsula (Caribbean Region of Colombia)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quintero, J.A. [Carbones del Cerrejon Limited., Cl. 100 No. 19-54 piso 12, Bogota D.C. (Colombia); Candela, S.A. [ECOPETROL S.A. Edificio Principal Cr. 7 No. 37-65, Bogota D.C. (Colombia); Rios, C.A. [Escuela de Geologia, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Cr 27 Cl 9, Ciudad Universitaria, Bucaramanga (Colombia); Montes, C. [Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosvelt Ave., Tupper Building - 401, Balboa, Ancon, Panama (Panama); Uribe, C. [Tubos Moore S.A. Cll 99 No. 57-74, Bogota (Colombia)

2009-12-01

Clinker referred here as red and brick-looking burnt rocks found interbedded in the Upper Paleocene Cerrejon Formation is the result of spontaneous and natural combustion of coal seams in the recent geologic past. These rocks have been mapped, measured and characterized in the Cerrejon Coal Mine at La Guajira Peninsula (Colombia). These burnt rocks usually outcrop in irregular patterns as almost tabular bodies up to 100 m thick, thinning and pinching out below ground surface to depths up to 448 m. Mapping revealed that clinker is usually found near deformed zones, either faults or tight folds. Timing of spontaneous combustion seems to predate folding and faulting, but seems to postdate the development of the Cerrejon thrust fault and alluvial fan proceeding from the Perija Range. Clinker covers an area of around 2.9 x 10{sup 6} m{sup 2} with a volume of approximately 1.4 x 10{sup 8} m{sup 3}. The calculation of the amount of heat released through coal burning indicates that complete combustion of 6.4 Mt of 26.4 x 10{sup 6} J/kg coal would yield 17 x 10{sup 13} J. (author)

Superposed epoch analysis applied to large-amplitude travelling convection vortices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Lühr

1998-07-01

Full Text Available For the six months from 1 October 1993 to 1 April 1994 the recordings of the IMAGE magnetometer network have been surveyed in a search for large-amplitude travelling convection vortices (TCVs. The restriction to large amplitudes (>100 nT was chosen to ensure a proper detection of evens also during times of high activity. Readings of all stations of the northern half of the IMAGE network were employed to check the consistency of the ground signature with the notation of a dual-vortex structure moving in an azimuthal direction. Applying these stringent selection criteria we detected a total of 19 clear TCV events. The statistical properties of our selection resemble the expected characteristics of large-amplitude TCVs. New and unexpected results emerged from the superposed epoch analysis. TCVs tend to form during quiet intervals embedded in moderately active periods. The occurrence of events is not randomly distributed but rather shows a clustering around a few days. These clusters recur once or twice every 27 days. Within a storm cycle they show up five to seven days after the commencement. With regard to solar wind conditions, we see the events occurring in the middle of the IMF sector structure. Large-amplitude TCVs seem to require certain conditions to make solar wind transients 'geoeffective', which have the tendency to recur with the solar rotation period.Key words. Ionosphere (Aural ionosphere; Ionosphere- magnetosphere interactions · Magnetospheric Physics (current system

IslandFAST: A Semi-numerical Tool for Simulating the Late Epoch of Reionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Yidong; Chen, Xuelei [Key Laboratory for Computational Astrophysics, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Yue, Bin [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2017-08-01

We present the algorithm and main results of our semi-numerical simulation, islandFAST, which was developed from 21cmFAST and designed for the late stage of reionization. The islandFAST simulation predicts the evolution and size distribution of the large-scale underdense neutral regions (neutral islands), and we find that the late Epoch of Reionization proceeds very fast, showing a characteristic scale of the neutral islands at each redshift. Using islandFAST, we compare the impact of two types of absorption systems, i.e., the large-scale underdense neutral islands versus small-scale overdense absorbers, in regulating the reionization process. The neutral islands dominate the morphology of the ionization field, while the small-scale absorbers dominate the mean-free path of ionizing photons, and also delay and prolong the reionization process. With our semi-numerical simulation, the evolution of the ionizing background can be derived self-consistently given a model for the small absorbers. The hydrogen ionization rate of the ionizing background is reduced by an order of magnitude in the presence of dense absorbers.

Female fertility following dose-adjusted EPOCH-R chemotherapy in primary mediastinal B-cell lymphomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Gharwan, Helen; Lai, Catherine; Grant, Cliona; Dunleavy, Kieron; Steinberg, Seth M; Shovlin, Margaret; Fojo, Tito; Wilson, Wyndham H

2016-07-01

We assessed fertility/gonadal function in premenopausal women treated with dose-adjusted EPOCH-Rituximab for untreated primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL). Eligible patents were ≤ 50 years and premenopausal. Serial reproductive histories were obtained and hormonal assays were performed on serum samples before, at the end of treatment and 4-18 months later. Twenty-eight eligible women had a median age (range) of 31 (21-50) years and were followed a median of 7.3 years. Of 23 patients who completed a questionnaire, 19 (83%) were and four were not menstruating prior to chemotherapy. Amenorrhea developed in 12 patients during chemotherapy. At > 1-year follow-up, 14/19 (74%) patients were menstruating, all years old, and six (43%) of these patients delivered healthy children. Hormonal assays showed ovarian dysfunction during chemotherapy in all patients with varying recovery at 4-18 months after treatment. Fertility was preserved in most women with ovarian failure confined to patients > 40 years old.

Chemistry of the Marlboro Clay in Virginia and Implications for the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmer, M.; Cai, Y.; Corley, A.; Liang, J. A.; Powars, D.; Goldstein, S. L.; Kent, D. V.; Broecker, W. S.

2017-12-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global hyperthermal ( 5ºC warming) event marked by a rapid carbon isotope excursion (CIE) of >1‰ in the marine carbonate record (e.g. Zeebe et al. Nature Geoscience 2009). Possible explanations for the CIE include intrusion of a sill complex into organic carbonate (Aarnes et al. J. Geol. Soc. 2015), dissolution of methane hydrates (Thomas et al. Geology 2002), and a comet impact event (Schaller et al. Science 2016). Here we present new data across the PETM from the VirginiaDEQ-USGS Surprise Hill (SH) core, Northumberland Co., VA. We analyzed the Marlboro Clay, a thick, kaolinite-rich clay unit that marks the initiation of the PETM in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of North America, as well as units above and below it. Bulk sediment records a δ13C excursion of approximately -5‰ across the CIE, while benthic foraminifera (Cibicidoides spp.) record a synchronous excursion of approximately -4.5‰. These results are consistent with other records from the New Jersey Coastal Plain (Makarova et al. Paleoceanography 2017). The excursion coincides with an increase in magnetic susceptibility, a decrease in bulk CaCO3 content, and an 2.5‰ decrease of δ18O in both the bulk sediment and benthic foraminifera of the SH core. Pb isotope analyses of the fraction sediments indicate a unique provenance make-up for the Marlboro Clay. The results of the study thus indicate that PETM Marlboro Clay was not generated simply by intensified weathering of the same source area as the underlying Aquia Formation and overlying Nanjemoy Formation. Any hypothesis that aims to explain the mechanism that triggered the PETM must also account for the observed distinct provenance make-up of the Marlboro Clay.

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. II. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL STRUCTURE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS AND ITS SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hewitt, Jacqueline; Neben, Abraham R.; Bradley, Richard; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia; Deboer, David; Parsons, Aaron; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S.; Aguirre, James; Bowman, Judd; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Venter, Mariet; Acedo, Eloy de Lera

2016-01-01

We use time-domain electromagnetic simulations to determine the spectral characteristics of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA) antenna. These simulations are part of a multi-faceted campaign to determine the effectiveness of the dish’s design for obtaining a detection of redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations show the existence of reflections between HERA’s suspended feed and its parabolic dish reflector that fall below -40 dB at 150 ns and, for reasonable impedance matches, have a negligible impact on HERA’s ability to constrain EoR parameters. It follows that despite the reflections they introduce, dishes are effective for increasing the sensitivity of EoR experiments at a relatively low cost. We find that electromagnetic resonances in the HERA feed’s cylindrical skirt, which is intended to reduce cross coupling and beam ellipticity, introduces significant power at large delays (-40 dB at 200 ns), which can lead to some loss of measurable Fourier modes and a modest reduction in sensitivity. Even in the presence of this structure, we find that the spectral response of the antenna is sufficiently smooth for delay filtering to contain foreground emission at line-of-sight wave numbers below k ∥ ≲ 0.2 h Mpc -1 , in the region where the current PAPER experiment operates. Incorporating these results into a Fisher Matrix analysis, we find that the spectral structure observed in our simulations has only a small effect on the tight constraints HERA can achieve on parameters associated with the astrophysics of reionization.

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. II. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL STRUCTURE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS AND ITS SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hewitt, Jacqueline; Neben, Abraham R. [MIT Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, Cambridge, MA, 02139 (United States); Bradley, Richard; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Deboer, David; Parsons, Aaron; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bowman, Judd; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan [Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Venter, Mariet [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, SA (South Africa); Acedo, Eloy de Lera [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); and others

2016-11-10

We use time-domain electromagnetic simulations to determine the spectral characteristics of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA) antenna. These simulations are part of a multi-faceted campaign to determine the effectiveness of the dish’s design for obtaining a detection of redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations show the existence of reflections between HERA’s suspended feed and its parabolic dish reflector that fall below -40 dB at 150 ns and, for reasonable impedance matches, have a negligible impact on HERA’s ability to constrain EoR parameters. It follows that despite the reflections they introduce, dishes are effective for increasing the sensitivity of EoR experiments at a relatively low cost. We find that electromagnetic resonances in the HERA feed’s cylindrical skirt, which is intended to reduce cross coupling and beam ellipticity, introduces significant power at large delays (-40 dB at 200 ns), which can lead to some loss of measurable Fourier modes and a modest reduction in sensitivity. Even in the presence of this structure, we find that the spectral response of the antenna is sufficiently smooth for delay filtering to contain foreground emission at line-of-sight wave numbers below k {sub ∥} ≲ 0.2 h Mpc{sup -1}, in the region where the current PAPER experiment operates. Incorporating these results into a Fisher Matrix analysis, we find that the spectral structure observed in our simulations has only a small effect on the tight constraints HERA can achieve on parameters associated with the astrophysics of reionization.

Life and death of the resurrection plate: Evidence for its existence and subduction in the northeastern Pacific in Paleocene-Eocene time

Science.gov (United States)

Haeussler, P.J.; Bradley, D.C.; Wells, R.E.; Miller, M.L.

2003-01-01

Onshore evidence suggests that a plate is missing from published reconstructions of the northeastern Pacific Ooean in Paleocene- Eocene time. The Resurrection plate, named for the Resurrection Peninsula ophiolite near Seward, Alaska, was located east of the Kula plate and north of the Farallon plate. We interpret coeval near-trench magmatism in southern Alaska and the Cascadia margin as evidence for two slab windows associated with trench-ridge-trench (TRT) triple junctions, which formed the western and southern boundaries of the Resurrection plate. In Alaska, the Sanak-Baranof belt of near-trench intrusions records a west-to-east migration, from 61 to 50 Ma, of the northern TRT triple junction along a 2100-km-long section of coastline. In Oregon, Washington, and southern Vancouver Island, voluminous basaltic volcanism of the Siletz River Volcanics, Crescent Formation, and Metchosin Volcanics occurred between ca. 66 and 48 Ma. Lack of a clear age progression of magmatism along the Cascadia margin suggests that this southern triple junction did not migrate significantly. Synchronous near-trench magmatism from southeastern Alaska to Puget Sound at ca. 50 Ma documents the middle Eocene subduction of a spreading center, the crest of which was subparallel to the margin. We interpret this ca. 50 Ma event as recording the subduction-zone consumption of the last of the Resurrection plate. The existence and subsequent subduction of the Resurrection plate explains (1) northward terrane transport along the southeastern Alaska-British Columbia margin between 70 and 50 Ma, synchronous with an eastward-migrating triple junction in southern Alaska; (2) rapid uplift and voluminous magmatism in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia prior to 50 Ma related to subduction of buoyant, young oceanic crust of the Resurrection plate; (3) cessation of Coast Mountains magmatism at ca. 50 Ma due to cessation of subduction, (4) primitive mafic magmatism in the Coast Mountains and Cascade

Solar-wind turbulence and shear: a superposed-epoch analysis of corotating interaction regions at 1 AU

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borovsky, Joseph E [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Denton, Michael H [LANCASTER UNIV.

2009-01-01

A superposed-epoch analysis of ACE and OMNI2 measurements is performed on 27 corotating interaction regions (CIRs) in 2003-2008, with the zero epoch taken to be the stream interface as determined by the maximum of the plasma vorticity. The structure of CIRs is investigated. When the flow measurements are rotated into the local-Parker-spiral coordinate system the shear is seen to be abrupt and intense, with vorticities on the order of 10{sup -5}-10{sup -4} sec{sup -1}. Converging flows perpendicular to the stream interface are seen in the local-Parker-spiral coordinate system and about half of the CIRs show a layer of divergent rebound flow away from the stream interface. Arguments indicate that any spreading of turbulence away from the region where it is produced is limited to about 10{sup 6} km, which is very small compared with the thickness of a CrR. Analysis of the turbulence across the CrRs is performed. When possible, the effects of discontinuities are removed from the data. Fluctuation amplitudes, the Alfvenicity, and the level of Alfvenic correlations all vary smoothly across the CrR. The Alfven ratio exhibits a decrease at the shear zone of the stream interface. Fourier analysis of 4.5-hr subintervals of ACE data is performed and the results are superposed averaged as an ensemble of realizations. The spectral slopes of the velocity, magnetic-field, and total-energy fluctuations vary smoothly across the CIR. The total-energy spectral slope is {approx} 3/2 in the slow and fast wind and in the CrRs. Analysis of the Elsasser inward-outward fluctuations shows a smooth transition across the CrR from an inward-outward balance in the slow wind to an outward dominance in the fast wind. A number of signatures of turbulence driving at the shear zone are sought (entropy change, turbulence amplitude, Alfvenicity, Alfven ratio, spectral slopes, in-out nature): none show evidence of driving of turbulence by shear.

Effects of ocean acidification on the marine calcium isotope record at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Griffith, Elizabeth M.; Fantle, Matthew S.; Eisenhauer, Anton; Paytan, Adina; Bullen, Thomas D.

2015-06-01

Carbonates are used extensively to reconstruct paleoclimate and paleoceanographic conditions over geologic time scales. However, these archives are susceptible to diagenetic alteration via dissolution, recrystallization and secondary precipitation, particularly during ocean acidification events when intense dissolution can occur. Despite the possible effects of diagenesis on proxy fidelity, the impacts of diagenesis on the calcium isotopic composition (δ44Ca) of carbonates are unclear. To shed light on this issue, bulk carbonate δ44Ca was measured at high resolution in two Pacific deep sea sediment cores (ODP Sites 1212 and 1221) with considerably different dissolution histories over the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ∼ 55 Ma). The δ44Ca of marine barite was also measured at the deeper Site 1221, which experienced severe carbonate dissolution during the PETM. Large variations (∼ 0.8 ‰) in bulk carbonate δ44Ca occur in the deeper of the two sites at depths corresponding to the peak carbon isotope excursion, which correlate with a large drop in carbonate weight percent. Such an effect is not observed in either the 1221 barite record or the bulk carbonate record at the shallower Site 1212, which is also less affected by dissolution. We contend that ocean chemical changes associated with abrupt and massive carbon release into the ocean-atmosphere system and subsequent ocean acidification at the PETM affected the bulk carbonate δ44Ca record via diagenesis in the sedimentary column. Such effects are considerable, and need to be taken into account when interpreting Ca isotope data and, potentially, other geochemical proxies over extreme climatic events that drive sediment dissolution.

Seeking the epoch of maximum luminosity for dusty quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vardanyan, Valeri; Weedman, Daniel; Sargsyan, Lusine

2014-01-01

Infrared luminosities νL ν (7.8 μm) arising from dust reradiation are determined for Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars with 1.4 10 46.6 erg s –1 for all 2 epoch when quasars first reached their maximum luminosity has not yet been identified at any redshift below 5. The most ultraviolet luminous quasars, defined by rest frame νL ν (0.25 μm), have the largest values of the ratio νL ν (0.25 μm)/νL ν (7.8 μm) with a maximum ratio at z = 2.9. From these results, we conclude that the quasars most luminous in the ultraviolet have the smallest dust content and appear luminous primarily because of lessened extinction. Observed ultraviolet/infrared luminosity ratios are used to define 'obscured' quasars as those having >5 mag of ultraviolet extinction. We present a new summary of obscured quasars discovered with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and determine the infrared luminosity function of these obscured quasars at z ∼ 2.1. This is compared with infrared luminosity functions of optically discovered, unobscured quasars in the SDSS and in the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. The comparison indicates comparable numbers of obscured and unobscured quasars at z ∼ 2.1 with a possible excess of obscured quasars at fainter luminosities.

A PRECISION MULTI-BAND TWO-EPOCH PHOTOMETRIC CATALOG OF 44 MILLION SOURCES IN THE NORTHERN SKY FROM A COMBINATION OF THE USNO-B AND SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY CATALOGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, G. J.; Gaensler, B. M.

2013-01-01

A key science driver for the next generation of wide-field optical and radio surveys is the exploration of the time variable sky. These surveys will have unprecedented sensitivity and areal coverage, but will be limited in their ability to detect variability on time scales longer than the lifetime of the surveys. We present a new precision, multi-epoch photometric catalog that spans 60 yr by combining the US Naval Observatory-B (USNO-B) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 9 (DR9) catalogs. We recalibrate the photometry of the original USNO-B catalog and create a catalog with two epochs of photometry in up to five different bands for 43,647,887 optical point sources that lie in the DR9 footprint of the northern sky. The recalibrated objects span a magnitude range 14 ≲ m ≲ 20 and are accurate to ≈0.1 mag. We minimize the presence of spurious objects and those with inaccurate magnitudes by identifying and removing several sources of systematic errors in the two originating catalogs, with a focus on spurious objects that exhibit large apparent magnitude variations. After accounting for these effects, we find ≈250,000 stars and quasars that show significant (≥4σ) changes in brightness between the USNO-B and SDSS DR9 epochs. We discuss the historical value of the catalog and its application to the study of long time scale, large amplitude variable stars and quasars

The Egyptian geomagnetic reference field to the Epoch, 2010.0

Science.gov (United States)

Deebes, H. A.; Abd Elaal, E. M.; Arafa, T.; Lethy, A.; El Emam, A.; Ghamry, E.; Odah, H.

2017-06-01

The present work is a compilation of two tasks within the frame of the project ;Geomagnetic Survey & Detailed Geomagnetic Measurements within the Egyptian Territory; funded by the ;Science and Technology Development Fund agency (STDF);. The National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), has conducted a new extensive land geomagnetic survey that covers the whole Egyptian territory. The field measurements have been done at 3212 points along all the asphalted roads, defined tracks, and ill-defined tracks in Egypt; with total length of 11,586 km. In the present work, the measurements cover for the first time new areas as: the southern eastern borders of Egypt including Halayeb and Shlatin, the Quattara depresion in the western desert, and the new roads between Farafra and Baharia oasis. Also marine geomagnetic survey have been applied for the first time in Naser lake. Misallat and Abu-Simble geomagnetic observatories have been used to reduce the field data to the Epoch 2010. During the field measurements, whenever possible, the old stations occupied by the previous observers have been re-occupied to determine the secular variations at these points. The geomagnetic anomaly maps, the normal geomagnetic field maps with their corresponding secular variation maps, the normal geomagnetic field equations of the geomagnetic elements (EGRF) and their corresponding secular variations equations, are outlined. The anomalous sites, as discovered from the anomaly maps are, only, mentioned. In addition, a correlation between the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) 2010.0 and the Egyptian Geomagnetic Reference Field (EGRF) 2010 is indicated.

Luminescence in Primordial Helium Lines at the Pre-recombination Epoch

Science.gov (United States)

Dubrovich, V. K.; Grachev, S. I.

2018-04-01

The formation of luminescent subordinate He I lines by the absorption of radiation from a source in lines of the main He I series in an expanding Universe is considered. A burst of radiation in continuum is assumed to occur at some instant of time corresponding to redshift z 0. This radiation is partially absorbed at different z < z 0 in lines of the main He I series (different pumping channels) and then is partially converted into radiation in subordinate lines. If ν ik is the laboratory transition frequency of some subordinate line emerging at some z, then at the present epoch its frequency will be ν = ν ik /(1 + z). The quantum yield, i.e., the number of photons emitted in the subordinate line per initial excited atom, has been calculated for different z (and, consequently, for different ν). Several pumping channels have been considered. We show that the luminescent lines can be both emission and absorption ones; the same line can be an emission one for one of the pumping channels and an absorption one for another. For example, the 1s2s-1s2p (1S-1P*) line is an emission one for the 1s2-1s2p pumping and an absorption one for the 1s2-1s3p pumping. We show that in the frequency range 30-80 GHz the total quantum yield for the first and second of the above channels can reach +50 and -50%, respectively.

Reconstructing Atmospheric CO2 Through The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum Using Stomatal Index and Stomatal Density Values From Ginkgo adiantoides

Science.gov (United States)

Barclay, R. S.; Wing, S. L.

2013-12-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a geologically brief interval of intense global warming 56 million years ago. It is arguably the best geological analog for a worst-case scenario of anthropogenic carbon emissions. The PETM is marked by a ~4-6‰ negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) and extensive marine carbonate dissolution, which together are powerful evidence for a massive addition of carbon to the oceans and atmosphere. In spite of broad agreement that the PETM reflects a large carbon cycle perturbation, atmospheric concentrations of CO2 (pCO2) during the event are not well constrained. The goal of this study is to produce a high resolution reconstruction of pCO2 using stomatal frequency proxies (both stomatal index and stomatal density) before, during, and after the PETM. These proxies rely upon a genetically controlled mechanism whereby plants decrease the proportion of gas-exchange pores (stomata) in response to increased pCO2. Terrestrial sections in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, contain macrofossil plants with cuticle immediately bracketing the PETM, as well as dispersed plant cuticle from within the body of the CIE. These fossils allow for the first stomatal-based reconstruction of pCO2 near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary; we also use them to determine the relative timing of pCO2 change in relation to the CIE that defines the PETM. Preliminary results come from macrofossil specimens of Ginkgo adiantoides, collected from an ~200ka interval prior to the onset of the CIE (~230-30ka before), and just after the 'recovery interval' of the CIE. Stomatal index values decreased by 37% within an ~70ka time interval at least 100ka prior to the onset of the CIE. The decrease in stomatal index is interpreted as a significant increase in pCO2, and has a magnitude equivalent to the entire range of stomatal index adjustment observed in modern Ginkgo biloba during the anthropogenic CO2 rise during the last 150 years. The inferred CO2 increase prior to the

A Lyman Break Galaxy in the Epoch of Reionization from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Grism Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Rhoads, James E.; Malhotra, Sangeeta; Stern, Daniel K.; Gardner, Jonathan P.; Dickinson, Mark; Pirzkal, Norbert; Spinrad, Hyron; Reddy, Naveen; Dey, Arjun; Hathi, Nimish;

Coarse Initial Orbit Determination for a Geostationary Satellite Using Single-Epoch GPS Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghangho Kim

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A practical algorithm is proposed for determining the orbit of a geostationary orbit (GEO satellite using single-epoch measurements from a Global Positioning System (GPS receiver under the sparse visibility of the GPS satellites. The algorithm uses three components of a state vector to determine the satellite’s state, even when it is impossible to apply the classical single-point solutions (SPS. Through consideration of the characteristics of the GEO orbital elements and GPS measurements, the components of the state vector are reduced to three. However, the algorithm remains sufficiently accurate for a GEO satellite. The developed algorithm was tested on simulated measurements from two or three GPS satellites, and the calculated maximum position error was found to be less than approximately 40 km or even several kilometers within the geometric range, even when the classical SPS solution was unattainable. In addition, extended Kalman filter (EKF tests of a GEO satellite with the estimated initial state were performed to validate the algorithm. In the EKF, a reliable dynamic model was adapted to reduce the probability of divergence that can be caused by large errors in the initial state.

Coarse Initial Orbit Determination for a Geostationary Satellite Using Single-Epoch GPS Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ghangho; Kim, Chongwon; Kee, Changdon

2015-01-01

A practical algorithm is proposed for determining the orbit of a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite using single-epoch measurements from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver under the sparse visibility of the GPS satellites. The algorithm uses three components of a state vector to determine the satellite’s state, even when it is impossible to apply the classical single-point solutions (SPS). Through consideration of the characteristics of the GEO orbital elements and GPS measurements, the components of the state vector are reduced to three. However, the algorithm remains sufficiently accurate for a GEO satellite. The developed algorithm was tested on simulated measurements from two or three GPS satellites, and the calculated maximum position error was found to be less than approximately 40 km or even several kilometers within the geometric range, even when the classical SPS solution was unattainable. In addition, extended Kalman filter (EKF) tests of a GEO satellite with the estimated initial state were performed to validate the algorithm. In the EKF, a reliable dynamic model was adapted to reduce the probability of divergence that can be caused by large errors in the initial state. PMID:25835299

The Mars water cycle at other epochs: History of the polar caps and layered terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Jakosky, Bruce M.; Henderson, Bradley G.; Mellon, Michael T.

1992-01-01

The atmospheric water cycle at the present epoch involves summertime sublimation of water from the north polar cap, transport of water through the atmosphere, and condensation on one or both winter CO2 caps. Exchange with the regolith is important seasonally, but the water content of the atmosphere appears to be controlled by the polar caps. The net annual transport through the atmosphere, integrated over long timescales, must be the driving force behind the long-term evolution of the polar caps; clearly, this feeds back into the evolution of the layered terrain. We have investigated the behavior of the seasonal water cycle and the net integrated behavior at the pole for the last 10 exp 7 years. Our model of the water cycle includes the solar input, CO2 condensation and sublimation, and summertime water sublimation through the seasonal cycles, and incorporates the long-term variations in the orbital elements describing the Martian orbit.

Methodological proposal for the jotted issue of the first epoch of the Hero magazine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maité García Díaz

2013-07-01

Full Text Available During the neocolonial republic emerges in Sancti Spiritus a very significative magazine of artistic, literary and scientific sketch: Hero, founded by Jacinto Gomer Fernández-Morera and Anastacio Fernández-Morera del Castillo, it first appeared on December 20th 1907. This issue constitutes a vivid reflect of the commercial, literary, cultural, scientific and historic panorama and above all, of the life of the middle and high class in Sancti Spiritus at the beginning of the XX century. The need to divulge the advantage the texts of Hero constitute for the high school and university students, also to humanistic profile graduates and others, such as investigators, evidenced the need to carry out an investigation that pursued such purposes. That’s why the methodological proposal for the jotted issue of the first epoch of the Hero magazine (1907-1908 takes place, composed by 38 publications, departing from the fundamental theorizations about the jotted issue of the presentation of the methodological proposal on behalf of updating these publication texts for its potential readers.

Simultaneously constraining the astrophysics of reionisation and the epoch of heating with 21CMMC

Science.gov (United States)

Greig, Bradley; Mesinger, Andrei

2018-05-01

We extend our MCMC sampler of 3D EoR simulations, 21CMMC, to perform parameter estimation directly on light-cones of the cosmic 21cm signal. This brings theoretical analysis one step closer to matching the expected 21-cm signal from next generation interferometers like HERA and the SKA. Using the light-cone version of 21CMMC, we quantify biases in the recovered astrophysical parameters obtained from the 21cm power spectrum when using the co-eval approximation to fit a mock 3D light-cone observation. While ignoring the light-cone effect does not bias the parameters under most assumptions, it can still underestimate their uncertainties. However, significant biases (~few - 10 σ) are possible if all of the following conditions are met: (i) foreground removal is very efficient, allowing large physical scales (k ~ 0.1 Mpc-1) to be used in the analysis; (ii) theoretical modelling is accurate to ~10 per cent in the power spectrum amplitude; and (iii) the 21cm signal evolves rapidly (i.e. the epochs of reionisation and heating overlap significantly

Alpine deformations in Donbass: Periodicity, character of stresses, and their probable sources

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Kopp, M. L.; Korchemagin, V. A.; Kolesnichenko, A. A.

2010-09-01

The periodicity, dynamics, and kinematics of the insufficiently studied Cenozoic (Alpine) movements in the Donets Fold Edifice and its framework are considered. The synthesis of the available data on the Donets Basin (Donbass) and the adjacent territories of the Russian and Scythian plates shows that the Early Alpine, or Laramian epoch of deformation in the Paleocene and the Late Alpine, or recent epoch of deformation in the early Miocene-Quaternary were divided by a tectonic pause in the Eocene and Oligocene. Judging from macrostructural pattern and results of mesotectonic observations, both epochs were characterized by meridional compression and latitudinal extension but substantially differed in the scope of deformation and the style of structure. The former developed to the west of the Donbass and resulted in compression of diapirs in the Dnieper-Donets Aulacogen, whereas the latter created the recent Donets-Azov Swell and brought about right-lateral strike-slip faulting along the North Donets and Persianovsky faults bounding the Donbass. The recent movements and related deformation in the eastern area, including the substantial role of right-lateral strike-slip faulting, more intense deformation in comparison with Laramian movements, and the mobilization of the basement not only in the Dnieper-Donets Aulacogen but also far beyond its limits allow us to connect these phenomena with coeval orogeny in the Greater Caucasus. The nature of the moderate Laramian movements confined to the axial zone of the aulacogen is more questionable; however, it can be explained in terms of within-plate reactivation of western and part of eastern Europe as a response to plate collision in the Alps, Dinarides, and Pontides in combination with coeval onset of spreading in the North Atlantic and Arctic, which created counter-pressure from the north. The eventual result of both processes was inversion and compression of some European aulacogens, including the Dnieper-Donets Aulacogen.

Self-shielding of hydrogen in the IGM during the epoch of reionization

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Chardin, Jonathan; Kulkarni, Girish; Haehnelt, Martin G.

2018-04-01

We investigate self-shielding of intergalactic hydrogen against ionizing radiation in radiative transfer simulations of cosmic reionization carefully calibrated with Lyα forest data. While self-shielded regions manifest as Lyman-limit systems in the post-reionization Universe, here we focus on their evolution during reionization (redshifts z = 6-10). At these redshifts, the spatial distribution of hydrogen-ionizing radiation is highly inhomogeneous, and some regions of the Universe are still neutral. After masking the neutral regions and ionizing sources in the simulation, we find that the hydrogen photoionization rate depends on the local hydrogen density in a manner very similar to that in the post-reionization Universe. The characteristic physical hydrogen density above which self-shielding becomes important at these redshifts is about nH ˜ 3 × 10-3 cm-3, or ˜20 times the mean hydrogen density, reflecting the fact that during reionization photoionization rates are typically low enough that the filaments in the cosmic web are often self-shielded. The value of the typical self-shielding density decreases by a factor of 3 between redshifts z = 3 and 10, and follows the evolution of the average photoionization rate in ionized regions in a simple fashion. We provide a simple parameterization of the photoionization rate as a function of density in self-shielded regions during the epoch of reionization.

New Finds of Painted Ceramics of the Epoch of the Abkhazian Kingdom

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Armarchuk Ekaterina A.

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The painted polished red-clay ceramic items of the 8th-10th centuries, found on the Anakopia and other sites of Northern Abkhazia and the adjoining district of the city of Sochi are considered in the article. These are small and medium sized single-handled narrow-necked jugs. The painting is made in dark brown paint. The ornament consists mainly of straight and wavy lines; hatching in the form of oblique grids, braids and patterns of specks occur. Taking into account the new finds made during the 2007-2008 excavations of the necropolis on the Sakharnaya Golovka Mountain and of the church near Veseloye village, the analysis of painted polished ware of the Abkhazian Kingdom epoch makes it possible to determine its territorial and chronological distribution limits. The area of this pottery covers the Black Sea coast from the mouth of the Mzymta river to New Athos. Based on the results of the 1950-1980s excavations, it has been dated to the 8th-10th centuries; however, the new materials allow restricting the interval to the 9th-10th centuries. The differences in the vessels manufacturing technology indicate the presence of at least two production centers. The small painted burnished jars discovered in Christian graves suggest that they had been used to store incense or chrism.

MULTI-EPOCH VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE COMPACT WIND-COLLISION REGION IN THE QUADRUPLE SYSTEM Cyg OB2 no. 5

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Dzib, Sergio A.; Rodriguez, Luis F.; Loinard, Laurent; Ortiz-Leon, Gisela N.; Araudo, Anabella T. [Centro de Radiostronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Morelia 58089 (Mexico); Mioduszewski, Amy J., E-mail: s.dzib@crya.unam.mx [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)

2013-02-15

We present multi-epoch Very Long Base Array observations of the compact wind-collision region in the Cyg OB2 no. 5 system. These observations confirm the arc-shaped morphology of the emission reported earlier. The total flux as a function of time is roughly constant when the source is 'on', but falls below the detection limit as the wind-collision region approaches periastron in its orbit around the contact binary at the center of the system. In addition, at one of the 'on' epochs, the flux drops to about a fifth of its average value. We suggest that this apparent variation could result from the inhomogeneity of the wind that hides part of the flux rather than from an intrinsic variation. We measured a trigonometrical parallax, for the most compact radio emission of 0.61 {+-} 0.22 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.65 {sup +0.96} {sub -0.44} kpc, in agreement with recent trigonometrical parallaxes measured for objects in the Cygnus X complex. Using constraints on the total mass of the system and orbital parameters previously reported in the literature, we obtain two independent indirect measurements of the distance to the Cyg OB2 no. 5 system, both consistent with 1.3-1.4 kpc. Finally, we suggest that the companion star responsible for the wind interaction, yet undetected, is of spectral type between B0.5 and O8.

MULTI-EPOCH VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE COMPACT WIND-COLLISION REGION IN THE QUADRUPLE SYSTEM Cyg OB2 no. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzib, Sergio A.; Rodríguez, Luis F.; Loinard, Laurent; Ortiz-León, Gisela N.; Araudo, Anabella T.; Mioduszewski, Amy J.

2013-01-01

We present multi-epoch Very Long Base Array observations of the compact wind-collision region in the Cyg OB2 no. 5 system. These observations confirm the arc-shaped morphology of the emission reported earlier. The total flux as a function of time is roughly constant when the source is 'on', but falls below the detection limit as the wind-collision region approaches periastron in its orbit around the contact binary at the center of the system. In addition, at one of the 'on' epochs, the flux drops to about a fifth of its average value. We suggest that this apparent variation could result from the inhomogeneity of the wind that hides part of the flux rather than from an intrinsic variation. We measured a trigonometrical parallax, for the most compact radio emission of 0.61 ± 0.22 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.65 +0.96 –0.44 kpc, in agreement with recent trigonometrical parallaxes measured for objects in the Cygnus X complex. Using constraints on the total mass of the system and orbital parameters previously reported in the literature, we obtain two independent indirect measurements of the distance to the Cyg OB2 no. 5 system, both consistent with 1.3-1.4 kpc. Finally, we suggest that the companion star responsible for the wind interaction, yet undetected, is of spectral type between B0.5 and O8.

Hydrogen Epoch of Reinozation Array (HERA) Calibrated FFT Correlator Simulation

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Salazar, Jeffrey David; Parsons, Aaron

2018-01-01

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) project is an astronomical radio interferometer array with a redundant baseline configuration. Interferometer arrays are being used widely in radio astronomy because they have a variety of advantages over single antenna systems. For example, they produce images (visibilities) closely matching that of a large antenna (such as the Arecibo observatory), while both the hardware and maintenance costs are significantly lower. However, this method has some complications; one being the computational cost of correlating data from all of the antennas. A correlator is an electronic device that cross-correlates the data between the individual antennas; these are what radio astronomers call visibilities. HERA, being in its early stages, utilizes a traditional correlator system. The correlator cost scales as N2, where N is the number of antennas in the array. The purpose of a redundant baseline configuration array setup is for the use of a more efficient Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) correlator. FFT correlators scale as Nlog2N. The data acquired from this sort of setup, however, inherits geometric delay and uncalibrated antenna gains. This particular project simulates the process of calibrating signals from astronomical sources. Each signal “received” by an antenna in the simulation is given random antenna gain and geometric delay. The “linsolve” Python module was used to solve for the unknown variables in the simulation (complex gains and delays), which then gave a value for the true visibilities. This first version of the simulation only mimics a one dimensional redundant telescope array detecting a small amount of sources located in the volume above the antenna plane. Future versions, using GPUs, will handle a two dimensional redundant array of telescopes detecting a large amount of sources in the volume above the array.

Relative Contribution of the Hydrogen 2 s Two-Photon Decay and Lyman- α Escape Channels during the Epoch of Cosmological Recombination

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Rubiño-Martin, J. A.; Sunyaev, R. A.

2018-01-01

We discuss the evolution of the ratio in number of recombinations due to 2 s two photon escape and due to the escape of Lyman- α photons from the resonance during the epoch of cosmological recombination, within the width of the last scattering surface and near its boundaries. We discuss how this ratio evolves in time, and how it defines the profile of the Lyman- α line in the spectrum of CMB. One of the key reasons for explaining its time dependence is the strong overpopulation of the 2 p level relative to the 2 s level at redshifts z ≲ 750.

Release of Volatiles During North Atlantic Flood Basalt Volcanism and Correlation to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

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Pedersen, J. M.; Tegner, C.; Kent, A. J.; Ulrich, T.

2017-12-01

The opening of the North Atlantic Ocean between Greenland and Norway during the lower Tertiary led to intense flood basalt volcanism and the emplacement of the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP). The volcanism is temporally overlapping with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but ash stratigraphy and geochronology suggests that the main flood basalt sequence in East Greenland postdates the PETM. Significant environmental changes during the PETM have been attributed to the release of CO2 or methane gas due to either extensive melting of hydrates at the ocean floor or as a consequence of the interaction of mantle derived magmas with carbon rich sediments.Estimates suggest that a minimum of 1.8x106 km3 of basaltic lava erupted during North Atlantic flood basalt volcanism. Based on measurements of melt inclusions from the flood basalts our preliminary calculations suggest that approximately 2300 Gt of SO2 and 600 Gt of HCl were released into the atmosphere. Calculated yearly fluxes approach 23 Mt/y SO2 and 6 Mt/y HCl. These estimates are regarded as conservative.The S released into to the atmosphere during flood basalt volcanism can form acid aerosols that absorb and reflect solar radiation, causing an effective cooling effect. The climatic effects of the release of Cl into the atmosphere are not well constrained, but may be an important factor for extinction scenarios due to destruction of the ozone layer.The climatic changes due to the release of S and Cl in these amounts, and for periods extending for hundred thousand of years, although not yet fully constrained are likely to be significant. One consequence of the North Atlantic flood basalt volcanism may have been the initiation of global cooling to end the PETM.

PROBING THE EPOCH OF REIONIZATION WITH THE Lyα FOREST AT z ∼ 4-5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cen Renyue; McDonald, Patrick; Trac, Hy; Loeb, Abraham

2009-01-01

The inhomogeneous cosmological reionization process leaves tangible imprints in the intergalactic medium (IGM) down to z ∼ 4-5. The Lyα forest flux power spectrum provides a potentially powerful probe of the epoch of reionization. With the existing Sloan Digital Sky Survey I/II quasar sample, we show that two cosmological reionization scenarios, one completing reionization at z = 6 and the other at z = 9, can be distinguished at ∼7σ level by utilizing Lyα forest absorption spectra at z = 3.9-4.1 in the absence of other physical processes that may also affect the Lyα flux power spectrum. The difference may not be distinguishable at such high significance after marginalization over other effects, but, in any case, one will need to consider this effect in order to correctly interpret the power spectrum in this redshift range. The redshift range z = 4-5 may provide the best window because there are still enough transmitted flux and quasars to measure precise statistics of the flux fluctuations, and the IGM still retains a significant amount of memory of reionization.

Spectroscopic confirmation of an ultra-faint galaxy at the epoch of reionization

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Hoag, Austin; Bradač, Maruša; Trenti, Michele; Treu, Tommaso; Schmidt, Kasper B.; Huang, Kuang-Han; Lemaux, Brian C.; He, Julie; Bernard, Stephanie R.; Abramson, Louis E.; Mason, Charlotte A.; Morishita, Takahiro; Pentericci, Laura; Schrabback, Tim

2017-04-01

Within one billion years of the Big Bang, intergalactic hydrogen was ionized by sources emitting ultraviolet and higher energy photons. This was the final phenomenon to globally affect all the baryons (visible matter) in the Universe. It is referred to as cosmic reionization and is an integral component of cosmology. It is broadly expected that intrinsically faint galaxies were the primary ionizing sources due to their abundance in this epoch1,2. However, at the highest redshifts (z > 7.5 lookback time 13.1 Gyr), all galaxies with spectroscopic confirmations to date are intrinsically bright and, therefore, not necessarily representative of the general population3. Here, we report the unequivocal spectroscopic detection of a low luminosity galaxy at z > 7.5. We detected the Lyman-α emission line at ˜10,504 Å in two separate observations with MOSFIRE4 on the Keck I Telescope and independently with the Hubble Space Telescope's slitless grism spectrograph, implying a source redshift of z = 7.640 ± 0.001. The galaxy is gravitationally magnified by the massive galaxy cluster MACS J1423.8+2404 (z = 0.545), with an estimated intrinsic luminosity of MAB = -19.6 ± 0.2 mag and a stellar mass of M⊙=3.0-0.8+1.5×108 solar masses. Both are an order of magnitude lower than the four other Lyman-α emitters currently known at z > 7.5, making it probably the most distant representative source of reionization found to date.

An Improved Statistical Point-source Foreground Model for the Epoch of Reionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murray, S. G.; Trott, C. M.; Jordan, C. H. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (Australia)

2017-08-10

We present a sophisticated statistical point-source foreground model for low-frequency radio Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments using the 21 cm neutral hydrogen emission line. Motivated by our understanding of the low-frequency radio sky, we enhance the realism of two model components compared with existing models: the source count distributions as a function of flux density and spatial position (source clustering), extending current formalisms for the foreground covariance of 2D power-spectral modes in 21 cm EoR experiments. The former we generalize to an arbitrarily broken power law, and the latter to an arbitrary isotropically correlated field. This paper presents expressions for the modified covariance under these extensions, and shows that for a more realistic source spatial distribution, extra covariance arises in the EoR window that was previously unaccounted for. Failure to include this contribution can yield bias in the final power-spectrum and under-estimate uncertainties, potentially leading to a false detection of signal. The extent of this effect is uncertain, owing to ignorance of physical model parameters, but we show that it is dependent on the relative abundance of faint sources, to the effect that our extension will become more important for future deep surveys. Finally, we show that under some parameter choices, ignoring source clustering can lead to false detections on large scales, due to both the induced bias and an artificial reduction in the estimated measurement uncertainty.

A New Method for Single-Epoch Ambiguity Resolution with Indoor Pseudolite Positioning.

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Li, Xin; Zhang, Peng; Guo, Jiming; Wang, Jinling; Qiu, Weining

2017-04-21

Ambiguity resolution (AR) is crucial for high-precision indoor pseudolite positioning. Due to the existing characteristics of the pseudolite positioning system, such as the geometry structure of the stationary pseudolite which is consistently invariant, the indoor signal is easy to interrupt and the first order linear truncation error cannot be ignored, and a new AR method based on the idea of the ambiguity function method (AFM) is proposed in this paper. The proposed method is a single-epoch and nonlinear method that is especially well-suited for indoor pseudolite positioning. Considering the very low computational efficiency of conventional AFM, we adopt an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) algorithm to search for the best solution in the coordinate domain, and variances of a least squares adjustment is conducted to ensure the reliability of the solving ambiguity. Several experiments, including static and kinematic tests, are conducted to verify the validity of the proposed AR method. Numerical results show that the IPSO significantly improved the computational efficiency of AFM and has a more elaborate search ability compared to the conventional grid searching method. For the indoor pseudolite system, which had an initial approximate coordinate precision better than 0.2 m, the AFM exhibited good performances in both static and kinematic tests. With the corrected ambiguity gained from our proposed method, indoor pseudolite positioning can achieve centimeter-level precision using a low-cost single-frequency software receiver.

An Improved Statistical Point-source Foreground Model for the Epoch of Reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, S. G.; Trott, C. M.; Jordan, C. H.

2017-08-01

We present a sophisticated statistical point-source foreground model for low-frequency radio Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments using the 21 cm neutral hydrogen emission line. Motivated by our understanding of the low-frequency radio sky, we enhance the realism of two model components compared with existing models: the source count distributions as a function of flux density and spatial position (source clustering), extending current formalisms for the foreground covariance of 2D power-spectral modes in 21 cm EoR experiments. The former we generalize to an arbitrarily broken power law, and the latter to an arbitrary isotropically correlated field. This paper presents expressions for the modified covariance under these extensions, and shows that for a more realistic source spatial distribution, extra covariance arises in the EoR window that was previously unaccounted for. Failure to include this contribution can yield bias in the final power-spectrum and under-estimate uncertainties, potentially leading to a false detection of signal. The extent of this effect is uncertain, owing to ignorance of physical model parameters, but we show that it is dependent on the relative abundance of faint sources, to the effect that our extension will become more important for future deep surveys. Finally, we show that under some parameter choices, ignoring source clustering can lead to false detections on large scales, due to both the induced bias and an artificial reduction in the estimated measurement uncertainty.

Interpretation of an Epoch in the Novel "the Big Green Tent" by L. Ulitskaya: Linguistic-Cultural Analysis of Verbal Lexicon

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Ildar Ch. Safin

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article is the verbal lexicon analysis based on the text of the novel "The Big Green Tent" by L. Ulitskaya. The creative manner of the contemporary writer attracts the attention of researchers, her writings describe the emotional experiences of the heroes and also give a generalized image of time full of historical details and features. The language of her stories and short stories is characterized by a special style in the description of time realities. A verb in the text allows the author to express the events and the circumstances that characterize an action in its dynamics due to the fact that verbal categories reflect the real reality in our consciousness. The method of linguistic cultural analysis of verbal lexicon in the novel "The Big Green Tent" made it possible to single out exactly those language units that the writer carefully selects for the creation and interpretation of the era. A special emphasis in the study is made on the creation of an expressive-emotional style of narration using the stylistic capabilities of the Russian verb. The individual author's methods of narration expressiveness creation are singled out: synonymous series, euphemisms, colloquial lexicon, etc. The conducted study and a careful analysis of the selected factual material testifies that, recreating an epoch, the master of the word invariably uses that language arsenal that brightly and fully conveys the color of time. L. Ulitskaya is able to be not only an indifferent witness of the epoch, but also her tenacious observer and interpreter. The analyzed factual material and the main points of this research can be used in the courses on stylistics and linguistic culturology, and also as an illustrative material during the classes on the linguistic analysis of a literary text.

Real-time forecasting of ICME shock arrivals at L1 during the "April Fool’s Day" epoch: 28 March – 21 April 2001

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W. Sun

Full Text Available The Sun was extremely active during the "April Fool’s Day" epoch of 2001. We chose this period between a solar flare on 28 March 2001 to a final shock arrival at Earth on 21 April 2001. The activity consisted of two presumed helmet-streamer blowouts, seven M-class flares, and nine X-class flares, the last of which was behind the west limb. We have been experimenting since February 1997 with real-time, end-to-end forecasting of interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME shock arrival times. Since August 1998, these forecasts have been distributed in real-time by e-mail to a list of interested scientists and operational USAF and NOAA forecasters. They are made using three different solar wind models. We describe here the solar events observed during the April Fool’s 2001 epoch, along with the predicted and actual shock arrival times, and the ex post facto correction to the real-time coronal shock speed observations. It appears that the initial estimates of coronal shock speeds from Type II radio burst observations and coronal mass ejections were too high by as much as 30%. We conclude that a 3-dimensional coronal density model should be developed for application to observations of solar flares and their Type II radio burst observations.

Key words. Interplanetary physics (flare and stream dynamics; interplanetary shocks – Magnetosheric physics (storms and substorms

New probe of magnetic fields in the prereionization epoch. I. Formalism

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Venumadhav, Tejaswi; Oklopčić, Antonija; Gluscevic, Vera; Mishra, Abhilash; Hirata, Christopher M.

2017-04-01

We propose a method of measuring extremely weak magnetic fields in the intergalactic medium prior to and during the epoch of cosmic reionization. The method utilizes the Larmor precession of spin-polarized neutral hydrogen in the triplet state of the hyperfine transition. This precession leads to a systematic change in the brightness temperature fluctuations of the 21-cm line from the high-redshift universe, and thus the statistics of these fluctuations encode information about the magnetic field the atoms are immersed in. The method is most suited to probing fields that are coherent on large scales; in this paper, we consider a homogenous magnetic field over the scale of the 21-cm fluctuations. Due to the long lifetime of the triplet state of the 21-cm transition, this technique is naturally sensitive to extremely weak field strengths, of order 10-19 G at a reference redshift of ˜20 (or 10-21 G if scaled to the present day). Therefore, this might open up the possibility of probing primordial magnetic fields just prior to reionization. If the magnetic fields are much stronger, it is still possible to use this method to infer their direction, and place a lower limit on their strength. In this paper (Paper I in a series on this effect), we perform detailed calculations of the microphysics behind this effect, and take into account all the processes that affect the hyperfine transition, including radiative decays, collisions, and optical pumping by Lyman-α photons. We conclude with an analytic formula for the brightness temperature of linear-regime fluctuations in the presence of a magnetic field, and discuss its limiting behavior for weak and strong fields.

El Paleoceno-Mioceno de Península Mitre: antefosa y depocentro de techo de cuña de la cuenca Austral, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina The Paleocene-Miocene of Peninsula Mitre: foredeep and wedge-top of the Austral Basin, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

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Pablo J Torres Carbonell

2009-07-01

Full Text Available El sistema de cuenca de antepaís Austral-Malvinas adyacente al orógeno Fueguino comprende sedimen-titas marinas expuestas en el norte de Península Mitre, incluyendo 550 m de la antefosa del Paleoceno tardío-Eoceno temprano, y más de 2.900 m de la subcuenca María Luisa, depocentro de techo de cuña ('wedge-top' del Eoceno medio tardío-?Mioceno. La columna se subdivide en las formaciones La Barca (100 m, Paleoceno superior, Punta Noguera (450 m, Eoceno inferior, Leticia (30 m, Eoceno medio superior, Cerro Colorado (935 m, Eoceno medio superior-Eoceno superior, Puesto José (nom. nov., 1.600 m, Oligoceno y Malengüena (nom. nov., 216 m, ?Mioceno. La microfauna de la Formación Malengüena se distingue por el dominio de Globocassidulina cf brocha, y por su peculiar preservación, ambas características no reconocidas previamente en la porción argentina de la cuenca Austral. Se verifican discordancias sintectónicas entre el límite Paleoceno-Eoceno y el Eoceno medio, asociadas a una etapa de orogénesis regional: en el Eoceno más alto-Oligoceno basal, relacionada localmente con el anticlinal Campo del Medio; en el Oligoceno 'medio', asociada al retrocorrimiento Malengüena; y en el Mioceno ?inferior, relacionada con estructuras profundas de la faja corrida y plegada.The orogenic margin of the Austral-Malvinas foreland basin system is formed by a marine succession exposed at northern Península Mitre, composed of 550 m of the late Paleocene-early Eocene foredeep, and more than 2,900 m of the late middle Eocene-?Miocene María Luisa wedge-top sub-basin. The succession is subdivided in the following formations: La Barca (100 m, upper Paleocene, Punta Noguera (450 m, lower Eocene, Leticia (30 m, upper middle Eocene, Cerro Colorado (935 m, upper middle Eocene-upper Eocene, Puesto José (nom. nov, 1,600 m, Oligocene and Malengüena (nom. nov, 216 m, ?Miocene. The foraminiferal content of the Malengüena Formation is distinguished by the dominance

Down the Rabbit Hole: toward appropriate discussion of methane release from gas hydrate systems during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum and other past hyperthermal events

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G. R. Dickens

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Enormous amounts of ¹³C-depleted carbon rapidly entered the exogenic carbon cycle during the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM, as attested to by a prominent negative carbon isotope (δ¹³C excursion and deep-sea carbonate dissolution. A widely cited explanation for this carbon input has been thermal dissociation of gas hydrate on continental slopes, followed by release of CH₄ from the seafloor and its subsequent oxidation to CO₂ in the ocean or atmosphere. Increasingly, papers have argued against this mechanism, but without fully considering existing ideas and available data. Moreover, other explanations have been presented as plausible alternatives, even though they conflict with geological observations, they raise major conceptual problems, or both. Methane release from gas hydrates remains a congruous explanation for the δ¹³C excursion across the PETM, although it requires an unconventional framework for global carbon and sulfur cycling, and it lacks proof. These issues are addressed here in the hope that they will prompt appropriate discussions regarding the extraordinary carbon injection at the start of the PETM and during other events in Earth's history.

BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES AT THE PRESENT EPOCH

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Lauer, Tod R. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, AZ 85726 (United States); Postman, Marc [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Strauss, Michael A.; Graves, Genevieve J.; Chisari, Nora E. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2014-12-20

We have obtained photometry and spectroscopy of 433 z ≤ 0.08 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a full-sky survey of Abell clusters to construct a BCG sample suitable for probing deviations from the local Hubble flow. The BCG Hubble diagram over 0 < z < 0.08 is consistent to within 2% of the Hubble relation specified by a Ω {sub m} = 0.3, Λ = 0.7 cosmology. This sample allows us to explore the structural and photometric properties of BCGs at the present epoch, their location in their hosting galaxy clusters, and the effects of the cluster environment on their structure and evolution. We revisit the L{sub m} -α relation for BCGs, which uses α, the log-slope of the BCG photometric curve of growth, to predict the metric luminosity in an aperture with 14.3 kpc radius, L{sub m} , for use as a distance indicator. Residuals in the relation are 0.27 mag rms. We measure central stellar velocity dispersions, σ, of the BCGs, finding the Faber-Jackson relation to flatten as the metric aperture grows to include an increasing fraction of the total BCG luminosity. A three-parameter ''metric plane'' relation using α and σ together gives the best prediction of L{sub m} , with 0.21 mag residuals. The distribution of projected spatial offsets, r{sub x} of BCGs from the X-ray-defined cluster center is a steep γ = –2.33 power law over 1 < r{sub x} < 10{sup 3} kpc. The median offset is ∼10 kpc, but ∼15% of the BCGs have r{sub x} > 100 kpc. The absolute cluster-dispersion normalized BCG peculiar velocity |ΔV {sub 1}|/σ {sub c} follows an exponential distribution with scale length 0.39 ± 0.03. Both L{sub m} and α increase with σ {sub c}. The α parameter is further moderated by both the spatial and velocity offset from the cluster center, with larger α correlated with the proximity of the BCG to the cluster mean velocity or potential center. At the same time, position in the cluster has little effect on L{sub m} . Likewise, residuals from

A model and solving algorithm of combination planning for weapon equipment based on Epoch-era analysis method

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Meng; Zhang, Huaiqiang; Zhang, Kan

2017-10-01

Focused on the circumstance that the equipment using demand in the short term and the development demand in the long term should be made overall plans and took into consideration in the weapons portfolio planning and the practical problem of the fuzziness in the definition of equipment capacity demand. The expression of demand is assumed to be an interval number or a discrete number. With the analysis method of epoch-era, a long planning cycle is broke into several short planning cycles with different demand value. The multi-stage stochastic programming model is built aimed at maximize long-term planning cycle demand under the constraint of budget, equipment development time and short planning cycle demand. The scenario tree is used to discretize the interval value of the demand, and genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem. At last, a case is studied to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed mode.

Organic Chemostratigraphic Markers Characteristic of the (Informally Designated) Anthropocene Epoch

Science.gov (United States)

Kruge, M. A.

2008-12-01

Recognizing the tremendous collective impact of humans on the environment in the industrial age, the proposed designation of the current time period as the Anthropocene Epoch has considerable merit. One of the signature activities during this time continues to be the intensive extraction, processing, and combustion of fossil fuels. While fossil fuels themselves are naturally-occurring, they are most often millions of years old and associated with deeply buried strata. They may be found at the surface, for example, as natural oil seeps or coal seam outcrops, but these are relatively rare occurrences. Fossil fuels and their myriad by- products become the source of distinctive organic chemostratigraphic marker compounds for the Anthropocene when they occur out of their original geological context, i.e., as widespread contaminants in sediments and soils. These persistent compounds have high long-term preservation potential, particularly when deposited under low oxygen conditions. Fossil fuels can occur as environmental contaminants in raw form (e.g., crude petroleum spilled during transport) or as manufactured products (e.g., diesel oil from a leaking storage facility, coal tar from a manufactured gas plant, plastic waste in a landfill, pesticides from petroleum feedstock in agricultural soils). Distinctive assemblages of hydrocarbon marker compounds including acyclic isoprenoids, hopanes, and steranes can be readily detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis of surface sediments and soils. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), along with sulfur-, oxygen-, and nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds, are also characteristic of fossil fuels and are readily detectable as well. More widespread is the airfall deposition of fossil fuel combustion products from vehicular, domestic and industrial sources. These occur in higher concentrations in large urban centers, but are also detected in remote areas. Parent (nonmethylated) PAHs such as phenanthrene

Was the Sun especially active at the end of the late glacial epoch?

Science.gov (United States)

Alekseeva, Liliya

In their pioneering work, the geophysicists A. Brekke and A. Egeland (1983) collected beliefs of different peoples, associated with northern lights. Our analyses of this collection show that these beliefs are mainly related to the mythological idea of ``abnormal'' deads (dead, childless old maids in Finnish beliefs; killed people; spirits dangerous to children). We find similar motifs in Slavic fairy tales about the ``Thrice-Nine Land,'' regarded as the other world in folkloric studies (in the Land where mobile and agitated warlike girls live, whose Head Girl is characterized by the words ``white snow, pretty light, the prettiest in the World,'' but whose name ``Mariya Morevna'' refers to the word ``mort''; where a river flows with its banks covered by human bones; where the witch Baba-Yaga dwells, being extremely dangerous for children). Moreover, it can be noted that similar narrative fabulous myths deal with the concept of auroral oval northern lights, since some specific features of the natural auroral forms are mentioned there, with their particular spatial orientations (to the North or West). This resembles the manner in which Ancient Greek myths describe the real properties of the heavenly phenomena in a mythological language. It is interesting that myths on the high-latitude northern lights spread even to the South of Europe (and, might be, to India and Iran). This fact can be understood in view of the following. It has been established that, during the late glacial epoch, the environmental and cultural conditions were similar over the area from Pyrenean to the Ural Mountains; the pattern of hunters' settlements outlined the glacial sheet from the outside. Relics of the hunters' beliefs can now be found in Arctic, where the environment and lifestyle remain nearly unchanged. The ethnographer Yu.B. Simchenko (1976) has reconstructed the most archaic Arctic myths. According to them, the World of dead is associated with the world of ice governed by the ``Ice

Upper Limits on the 21 cm Epoch of Reionization Power Spectrum from One Night with LOFAR

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, A. H.; Yatawatta, S.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Brentjens, M. A.; Zaroubi, S.; Asad, K. M. B.; Hatef, M.; Jelić, V.; Mevius, M.; Offringa, A. R.; Pandey, V. N.; Vedantham, H.; Abdalla, F. B.; Brouw, W. N.; Chapman, E.; Ciardi, B.; Gehlot, B. K.; Ghosh, A.; Harker, G.; Iliev, I. T.; Kakiichi, K.; Majumdar, S.; Mellema, G.; Silva, M. B.; Schaye, J.; Vrbanec, D.; Wijnholds, S. J.

2017-03-01

We present the first limits on the Epoch of Reionization 21 cm H I power spectra, in the redshift range z = 7.9-10.6, using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) High-Band Antenna (HBA). In total, 13.0 hr of data were used from observations centered on the North Celestial Pole. After subtraction of the sky model and the noise bias, we detect a non-zero {{{Δ }}}{{I}}2={(56+/- 13{mK})}2 (1-σ) excess variance and a best 2-σ upper limit of {{{Δ }}}212< {(79.6{mK})}2 at k = 0.053 h cMpc-1 in the range z = 9.6-10.6. The excess variance decreases when optimizing the smoothness of the direction- and frequency-dependent gain calibration, and with increasing the completeness of the sky model. It is likely caused by (I) residual side-lobe noise on calibration baselines, (II) leverage due to nonlinear effects, (III) noise and ionosphere-induced gain errors, or a combination thereof. Further analyses of the excess variance will be discussed in forthcoming publications.

The Galaxy mass function up to z =4 in the GOODS-MUSIC sample: into the epoch of formation of massive galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Fontana, A.; Salimbeni, S.; Grazian, A.; Giallongo, E.; Pentericci, L.; Nonino, M.; Fontanot, F.; Menci, N.; Monaco, P.; Cristiani, S.; Vanzella, E.; de Santis, C.; Gallozzi, S.

2006-12-01

Aims.The goal of this work is to measure the evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function and of the resulting Stellar Mass Density up to redshift ≃4, in order to study the assembly of massive galaxies in the high redshift Universe. Methods: .We have used the GOODS-MUSIC catalog, containing 3000 Ks-selected galaxies with multi-wavelength coverage extending from the U band to the Spitzer 8 μm band, of which 27% have spectroscopic redshifts and the remaining fraction have accurate photometric redshifts. On this sample we have applied a standard fitting procedure to measure stellar masses. We compute the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function and the resulting Stellar Mass Density up to redshift ≃4, taking into proper account the biases and incompleteness effects. Results: .Within the well known trend of global decline of the Stellar Mass Density with redshift, we show that the decline of the more massive galaxies may be described by an exponential timescale of ≃6 Gyr up to z≃ 1.5, and proceeds much faster thereafter, with an exponential timescale of ≃0.6 Gyr. We also show that there is some evidence for a differential evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function, with low mass galaxies evolving faster than more massive ones up to z≃ 1{-}1.5 and that the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function remains remarkably flat (i.e. with a slope close to the local one) up to z≃ 1{-}1.3. Conclusions: .The observed behaviour of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function is consistent with a scenario where about 50% of present-day massive galaxies formed at a vigorous rate in the epoch between redshift 4 and 1.5, followed by a milder evolution until the present-day epoch.

New limits on 21 cm epoch of reionization from paper-32 consistent with an x-ray heated intergalactic medium at z = 7.7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parsons, Aaron R.; Liu, Adrian; Ali, Zaki S.; Pober, Jonathan C. [Astronomy Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James E.; Moore, David F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bradley, Richard F. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Carilli, Chris L. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM (United States); DeBoer, David R.; Dexter, Matthew R.; MacMahon, David H. E. [Radio Astronomy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Gugliucci, Nicole E. [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Jacobs, Daniel C. [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (United States); Klima, Pat [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Manley, Jason R.; Walbrugh, William P. [Square Kilometer Array, South Africa Project, Cape Town (South Africa); Stefan, Irina I. [Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2014-06-20

We present new constraints on the 21 cm Epoch of Reionization (EoR) power spectrum derived from three months of observing with a 32 antenna, dual-polarization deployment of the Donald C. Backer Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization in South Africa. In this paper, we demonstrate the efficacy of the delay-spectrum approach to avoiding foregrounds, achieving over eight orders of magnitude of foreground suppression (in mK{sup 2}). Combining this approach with a procedure for removing off-diagonal covariances arising from instrumental systematics, we achieve a best 2σ upper limit of (41 mK){sup 2} for k = 0.27 h Mpc{sup –1} at z = 7.7. This limit falls within an order of magnitude of the brighter predictions of the expected 21 cm EoR signal level. Using the upper limits set by these measurements, we generate new constraints on the brightness temperature of 21 cm emission in neutral regions for various reionization models. We show that for several ionization scenarios, our measurements are inconsistent with cold reionization. That is, heating of the neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) is necessary to remain consistent with the constraints we report. Hence, we have suggestive evidence that by z = 7.7, the H I has been warmed from its cold primordial state, probably by X-rays from high-mass X-ray binaries or miniquasars. The strength of this evidence depends on the ionization state of the IGM, which we are not yet able to constrain. This result is consistent with standard predictions for how reionization might have proceeded.

New limits on 21 cm epoch of reionization from paper-32 consistent with an x-ray heated intergalactic medium at z = 7.7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, Aaron R.; Liu, Adrian; Ali, Zaki S.; Pober, Jonathan C.; Aguirre, James E.; Moore, David F.; Bradley, Richard F.; Carilli, Chris L.; DeBoer, David R.; Dexter, Matthew R.; MacMahon, David H. E.; Gugliucci, Nicole E.; Jacobs, Daniel C.; Klima, Pat; Manley, Jason R.; Walbrugh, William P.; Stefan, Irina I.

2014-01-01

We present new constraints on the 21 cm Epoch of Reionization (EoR) power spectrum derived from three months of observing with a 32 antenna, dual-polarization deployment of the Donald C. Backer Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization in South Africa. In this paper, we demonstrate the efficacy of the delay-spectrum approach to avoiding foregrounds, achieving over eight orders of magnitude of foreground suppression (in mK 2 ). Combining this approach with a procedure for removing off-diagonal covariances arising from instrumental systematics, we achieve a best 2σ upper limit of (41 mK) 2 for k = 0.27 h Mpc –1 at z = 7.7. This limit falls within an order of magnitude of the brighter predictions of the expected 21 cm EoR signal level. Using the upper limits set by these measurements, we generate new constraints on the brightness temperature of 21 cm emission in neutral regions for various reionization models. We show that for several ionization scenarios, our measurements are inconsistent with cold reionization. That is, heating of the neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) is necessary to remain consistent with the constraints we report. Hence, we have suggestive evidence that by z = 7.7, the H I has been warmed from its cold primordial state, probably by X-rays from high-mass X-ray binaries or miniquasars. The strength of this evidence depends on the ionization state of the IGM, which we are not yet able to constrain. This result is consistent with standard predictions for how reionization might have proceeded.

THE INNER DISK STRUCTURE, DISK-PLANET INTERACTIONS, AND TEMPORAL EVOLUTION IN THE β PICTORIS SYSTEM: A TWO-EPOCH HST/STIS CORONAGRAPHIC STUDY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apai, Dániel; Schneider, Glenn [Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Grady, Carol A. [Eureka Scientific, 2452 Delmer, Suite 100, Oakland CA 96002 (United States); Wyatt, Mark C. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Lagrange, Anne-Marie [Université Grenoble Alpes, IPAG, F-38000, Grenoble (France); Kuchner, Marc J.; Stark, Christopher J. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Lubow, Stephen H., E-mail: apai@arizona.edu [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2015-02-20

We present deep Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph coronagraphic images of the β Pic debris disk obtained at two epochs separated by 15 yr. The new images and the re-reduction of the 1997 data provide the most sensitive and detailed views of the disk at optical wavelengths as well as the yet smallest inner working angle optical coronagraphic image of the disk. Our observations characterize the large-scale and inner-disk asymmetries and we identify multiple breaks in the disk radial surface brightness profile. We study in detail the radial and vertical disk structure and show that the disk is warped. We explore the disk at the location of the β Pic b super-Jupiter and find that the disk surface brightness slope is continuous between 0.''5 and 2.''0, arguing for no change at the separations where β Pic b orbits. The two epoch images constrain the disk's surface brightness evolution on orbital and radiation pressure blow-out timescales. We place an upper limit of 3% on the disk surface brightness change between 3'' and 5'', including the locations of the disk warp, and the CO and dust clumps. We discuss the new observations in the context of high-resolution multi-wavelength images and divide the disk asymmetries in two groups: axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric. The axisymmetric structures (warp, large-scale butterfly, etc.) are consistent with disk structure models that include interactions of a planetesimal belt and a non-coplanar giant planet. The non-axisymmetric features, however, require a different explanation.

The mean free path of hydrogen ionizing photons during the epoch of reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmati, Alireza; Schaye, Joop

2018-05-01

We use the Aurora radiation-hydrodynamical simulations to study the mean free path (MFP) for hydrogen ionizing photons during the epoch of reionization. We directly measure the MFP by averaging the distance 1 Ry photons travel before reaching an optical depth of unity along random lines-of-sight. During reionization the free paths tend to end in neutral gas with densities near the cosmic mean, while after reionization the end points tend to be overdense but highly ionized. Despite the increasing importance of discrete, over-dense systems, the cumulative contribution of systems with NHI ≲ 1016.5 cm-2 suffices to drive the MFP at z ≈ 6, while at earlier times higher column densities are more important. After reionization the typical size of HI systems is close to the local Jeans length, but during reionization it is much larger. The mean free path for photons originating close to galaxies, {MFP_{gal}}, is much smaller than the cosmic MFP. After reionization this enhancement can remain significant up to starting distances of ˜1 comoving Mpc. During reionization, however, {MFP_{gal}} for distances ˜102 - 103 comoving kpc typically exceeds the cosmic MFP. These findings have important consequences for models that interpret the intergalactic MFP as the distance escaped ionizing photons can travel from galaxies before being absorbed and may cause them to under-estimate the required escape fraction from galaxies, and/or the required emissivity of ionizing photons after reionization.

ARECIBO MULTI-EPOCH H I ABSORPTION MEASUREMENTS AGAINST PULSARS: TINY-SCALE ATOMIC STRUCTURE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stanimirovic, S.; Weisberg, J. M.; Pei, Z.; Tuttle, K.; Green, J. T.

2010-01-01

We present results from multi-epoch neutral hydrogen (H I) absorption observations of six bright pulsars with the Arecibo telescope. Moving through the interstellar medium (ISM) with transverse velocities of 10-150 AU yr -1 , these pulsars have swept across 1-200 AU over the course of our experiment, allowing us to probe the existence and properties of the tiny-scale atomic structure (TSAS) in the cold neutral medium (CNM). While most of the observed pulsars show no significant change in their H I absorption spectra, we have identified at least two clear TSAS-induced opacity variations in the direction of B1929+10. These observations require strong spatial inhomogeneities in either the TSAS clouds' physical properties themselves or else in the clouds' galactic distribution. While TSAS is occasionally detected on spatial scales down to 10 AU, it is too rare to be characterized by a spectrum of turbulent CNM fluctuations on scales of 10 1 -10 3 AU, as previously suggested by some work. In the direction of B1929+10, an apparent correlation between TSAS and interstellar clouds inside the warm Local Bubble (LB) indicates that TSAS may be tracing the fragmentation of the LB wall via hydrodynamic instabilities. While similar fragmentation events occur frequently throughout the ISM, the warm medium surrounding these cold cloudlets induces a natural selection effect wherein small TSAS clouds evaporate quickly and are rare, while large clouds survive longer and become a general property of the ISM.

ATLAS BASEMAPS IN WEB 2.0 EPOCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Chabaniuk

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The authors have analyzed their experience of the production of various Electronic Atlases (EA and Atlas Information Systems (AtIS of so-called "classical type". These EA/AtIS have been implemented in the past decade in the Web 1.0 architecture (e.g., National Atlas of Ukraine, Atlas of radioactive contamination of Ukraine, and others. One of the main distinguishing features of these atlases was their static nature - the end user could not change the content of EA/AtIS. Base maps are very important element of any EA/AtIS. In classical type EA/AtIS they were static datasets, which consisted of two parts: the topographic data of a fixed scale and data of the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine. It is important to note that the technique of topographic data production was based on the use of direct channels of topographic entity observation (such as aerial photography for the selected scale. Changes in the information technology of the past half-decade are characterized by the advent of the “Web 2.0 epoch”. Due to this, in cartography appeared such phenomena as, for example, "neo-cartography" and various mapping platforms like OpenStreetMap. These changes have forced developers of EA/AtIS to use new atlas basemaps. Our approach is described in the article. The phenomenon of neo-cartography and/or Web 2.0 cartography are analysed by authors using previously developed Conceptual framework of EA/AtIS. This framework logically explains the cartographic phenomena relations of three formations: Web 1.0, Web 1.0x1.0 and Web 2.0. Atlas basemaps of the Web 2.0 epoch are integrated information systems. We use several ways to integrate separate atlas basemaps into the information system – by building: weak integrated information system, structured system and meta-system. This integrated information system consists of several basemaps and falls under the definition of "big data". In real projects it is already used the basemaps of three strata

Epoch of reionization 21 cm forecasting from MCMC-constrained semi-numerical models

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Sultan; Davé, Romeel; Finlator, Kristian; Santos, Mario G.

2017-06-01

The recent low value of Planck Collaboration XLVII integrated optical depth to Thomson scattering suggests that the reionization occurred fairly suddenly, disfavouring extended reionization scenarios. This will have a significant impact on the 21 cm power spectrum. Using a semi-numerical framework, we improve our model from instantaneous to include time-integrated ionization and recombination effects, and find that this leads to more sudden reionization. It also yields larger H II bubbles that lead to an order of magnitude more 21 cm power on large scales, while suppressing the small-scale ionization power. Local fluctuations in the neutral hydrogen density play the dominant role in boosting the 21 cm power spectrum on large scales, while recombinations are subdominant. We use a Monte Carlo Markov chain approach to constrain our model to observations of the star formation rate functions at z = 6, 7, 8 from Bouwens et al., the Planck Collaboration XLVII optical depth measurements and the Becker & Bolton ionizing emissivity data at z ˜ 5. We then use this constrained model to perform 21 cm forecasting for Low Frequency Array, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array and Square Kilometre Array in order to determine how well such data can characterize the sources driving reionization. We find that the Mock 21 cm power spectrum alone can somewhat constrain the halo mass dependence of ionizing sources, the photon escape fraction and ionizing amplitude, but combining the Mock 21 cm data with other current observations enables us to separately constrain all these parameters. Our framework illustrates how the future 21 cm data can play a key role in understanding the sources and topology of reionization as observations improve.

IMAGING THE EPOCH OF REIONIZATION: LIMITATIONS FROM FOREGROUND CONFUSION AND IMAGING ALGORITHMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vedantham, Harish; Udaya Shankar, N.; Subrahmanyan, Ravi

2012-01-01

Tomography of redshifted 21 cm transition from neutral hydrogen using Fourier synthesis telescopes is a promising tool to study the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Limiting the confusion from Galactic and extragalactic foregrounds is critical to the success of these telescopes. The instrumental response or the point-spread function (PSF) of such telescopes is inherently three dimensional with frequency mapping to the line-of-sight (LOS) distance. EoR signals will necessarily have to be detected in data where continuum confusion persists; therefore, it is important that the PSF has acceptable frequency structure so that the residual foreground does not confuse the EoR signature. This paper aims to understand the three-dimensional PSF and foreground contamination in the same framework. We develop a formalism to estimate the foreground contamination along frequency, or equivalently LOS dimension, and establish a relationship between foreground contamination in the image plane and visibility weights on the Fourier plane. We identify two dominant sources of LOS foreground contamination—'PSF contamination' and 'gridding contamination'. We show that PSF contamination is localized in LOS wavenumber space, beyond which there potentially exists an 'EoR window' with negligible foreground contamination where we may focus our efforts to detect EoR. PSF contamination in this window may be substantially reduced by judicious choice of a frequency window function. Gridding and imaging algorithms create additional gridding contamination and we propose a new imaging algorithm using the Chirp Z Transform that significantly reduces this contamination. Finally, we demonstrate the analytical relationships and the merit of the new imaging algorithm for the case of imaging with the Murchison Widefield Array.

Dynamics of large-scale solar wind streams obtained by the double superposed epoch analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Yermolaev, Yu. I.; Lodkina, I. G.; Nikolaeva, N. S.; Yermolaev, M. Yu.

2015-09-01

Using the OMNI data for period 1976-2000, we investigate the temporal profiles of 20 plasma and field parameters in the disturbed large-scale types of solar wind (SW): corotating interaction regions (CIR), interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICME) (both magnetic cloud (MC) and Ejecta), and Sheath as well as the interplanetary shock (IS). To take into account the different durations of SW types, we use the double superposed epoch analysis (DSEA) method: rescaling the duration of the interval for all types in such a manner that, respectively, beginning and end for all intervals of selected type coincide. As the analyzed SW types can interact with each other and change parameters as a result of such interaction, we investigate separately eights sequences of SW types: (1) CIR, (2) IS/CIR, (3) Ejecta, (4) Sheath/Ejecta, (5) IS/Sheath/Ejecta, (6) MC, (7) Sheath/MC, and (8) IS/Sheath/MC. The main conclusion is that the behavior of parameters in Sheath and in CIR are very similar both qualitatively and quantitatively. Both the high-speed stream (HSS) and the fast ICME play a role of pistons which push the plasma located ahead them. The increase of speed in HSS and ICME leads at first to formation of compression regions (CIR and Sheath, respectively) and then to IS. The occurrence of compression regions and IS increases the probability of growth of magnetospheric activity.

Diverse properties of interstellar medium embedding gamma-ray bursts at the epoch of reionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cen, Renyue; Kimm, Taysun

2014-01-01

Analysis is performed on ultra-high-resolution large-scale cosmological radiation-hydrodynamic simulations to quantify, for the first time, the physical environment of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at the epoch of reionization. We find that, on parsec scales, 13% of GRBs remain in high-density (≥10 4 cm –3 ) low-temperature star-forming regions, whereas 87% of GRBs occur in low-density (∼10 –2.5 cm –3 ) high-temperature regions heated by supernovae. More importantly, the spectral properties of GRB afterglows, such as the neutral hydrogen column density, total hydrogen column density, dust column density, gas temperature, and metallicity of intervening absorbers, vary strongly from sight line to sight line. Although our model explains extant limited observationally inferred values with respect to circumburst density, metallicity, column density, and dust properties, a substantially larger sample of high-z GRB afterglows would be required to facilitate a statistically solid test of the model. Our findings indicate that any attempt to infer the physical properties (such as metallicity) of the interstellar medium (ISM) of the host galaxy based on a very small number (usually one) of sight lines would be precarious. Utilizing high-z GRBs to probe the ISM and intergalactic medium should be undertaken properly, taking into consideration the physical diversities of the ISM.

Latest Paleocene benthic extinction event on the southern Tethyan shelf (Egypt): Foraminiferal stable isotopic (δ13C, δ18O) records

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitz, B.; Speijer, R. P.; Aubry, M.-P.

1996-04-01

The dramatic global extinction of 35% 50% of benthic foraminifera species in the deep sea in the latest Paleocene and associated negative excursions in δ13C and δ18O may be related to spreading of warm, saline bottom water from subtropical Tethyan shallow regions over the sea floor worldwide. Our study of neritic sections in Egypt shows that in the southern shallow Tethys, a prominent long-term change in bottom-water chemistry, sedimentation, and benthic foraminifera fauna was initiated at the time when the deep-sea benthic extinction event (BEE) took place. Bottom-water δ13C values on the Tethyan shelf show a sudden 3.0‰ negative shift at this event; however, contrary to the deep sea, in which the δ13C excursion was of short duration, Tethyan δ13C values did not fully return to preboundary values, but remained depressed by ˜1.5‰ for at least 1 m.y. The δ13C values at the Egyptian shelf during the BEE are much lower than would be expected if this was a source region for global deep water. The δ18O values indicate no significant change in bottom-water salinity or temperature at the BEE. The long-lasting environmental changes that began on the Egyptian shelf at the BEE may be related to, for example, gateway reorganization along the Tethyan seaway. Paleogeographic changes possibly also triggered a change in the loci of global deep-water formation; however, these loci must be sought in another part of the Tethys.

Exotic clasts, debris flow deposits and their significance for reconstruction of the Istebna Formation (Late Cretaceous - Paleocene, Silesian Basin, Outer Carpathians)

Science.gov (United States)

Strzeboński, Piotr; Kowal-Kasprzyk, Justyna; Olszewska, Barbara

2017-08-01

The different types of calcareous exotic clasts (fragments of pre-existing rocks), embedded in the Paleocene siliciclastic deposits of the Istebna Formation from the Beskid Mały Mountains (Silesian Unit, Western Outer Carpathians), were studied and differentiated through microfacies-biostratigraphical analysis. Calcareous exotics of the Oxfordian- Kimmeridgian age prevail, representing a type of sedimentation comparable to that one documented for the northern Tethyan margin. The Tithonian exotic clasts (Štramberk-type limestones), which are much less common, were formed on a carbonate platform and related slope. The sedimentary paleotransport directions indicate the Silesian Ridge as a main source area for all exotics, which were emplaced in the depositional setting of the flysch deposits. The exotics constitute a relatively rare local component of some debrites. Proceedings of the sedimentological facies analysis indicate that these mass transport deposits were accumulated en-masse by debris flows in a deep-water depositional system in the form of a slope apron. Exotics prove that clasts of the crystalline basement and, less common, fragments of the sedimentary cover, originated from long-lasting tectonic activity and intense uplift of the source area. Mass transport processes and mass accumulation of significant amounts of the coarse-grained detrital material in the south facial zone of the Silesian Basin during the Early Paleogene was due to reactivation of the Silesian Ridge and its increased denudation. Relative regression and erosion of the emerged older flysch deposits were also forced by this uplift. These processes were connected with the renewed diastrophic activity in the Alpine Tethys.

Multi-epoch analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the active galactic nucleus in NGC 5506

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Shangyu; Guainazzi, Matteo; Ni, Qingling; Wang, Jingchun; Qian, Chenyang; Shi, Fangzheng; Wang, Yu; Bambi, Cosimo

2018-05-01

We present a multi-epoch X-ray spectroscopy analysis of the nearby narrow-line Seyfert I galaxy NGC 5506. For the first time, spectra taken by Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and NuSTAR - covering the 2000-2014 time span - are analyzed simultaneously, using state-of-the-art models to describe reprocessing of the primary continuum by optical thick matter in the AGN environment. The main goal of our study is determining the spin of the supermassive black hole (SMBH). The nuclear X-ray spectrum is photoelectrically absorbed by matter with column density ≃ 3 × 1022 cm-2. A soft excess is present at energies lower than the photoelectric cut-off. Both photo-ionized and collisionally ionized components are required to fit it. This component is constant over the time-scales probed by our data. The spectrum at energies higher than 2 keV is variable. We propose that its evolution could be driven by flux-dependent changes in the geometry of the innermost regions of the accretion disk. The black hole spin in NGC ,5506 is constrained to be 0.93± _{ 0.04 }^{0.04} at 90% confidence level for one interesting parameter.

MULTI-EPOCH OBSERVATIONS OF HD 69830: HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY AND LIMITS TO VARIABILITY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beichman, C. A.; Tanner, A. M.; Bryden, G.; Akeson, R. L.; Ciardi, D. R. [NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125 (United States); Lisse, C. M. [Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States); Boden, A. F. [Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Dodson-Robinson, S. E.; Salyk, C. [University of Texas, Astronomy Department, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Wyatt, M. C., E-mail: chas@pop.jpl.nasa.gov [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)

2011-12-10

The main-sequence solar-type star HD 69830 has an unusually large amount of dusty debris orbiting close to three planets found via the radial velocity technique. In order to explore the dynamical interaction between the dust and planets, we have performed multi-epoch photometry and spectroscopy of the system over several orbits of the outer dust. We find no evidence for changes in either the dust amount or its composition, with upper limits of 5%-7% (1{sigma} per spectral element) on the variability of the dust spectrum over 1 year, 3.3% (1{sigma}) on the broadband disk emission over 4 years, and 33% (1{sigma}) on the broadband disk emission over 24 years. Detailed modeling of the spectrum of the emitting dust indicates that the dust is located outside of the orbits of the three planets and has a composition similar to main-belt, C-type asteroids in our solar system. Additionally, we find no evidence for a wide variety of gas species associated with the dust. Our new higher signal-to-noise spectra do not confirm our previously claimed detection of H{sub 2}O ice leading to a firm conclusion that the debris can be associated with the break-up of one or more C-type asteroids formed in the dry, inner regions of the protoplanetary disk of the HD 69830 system. The modeling of the spectral energy distribution and high spatial resolution observations in the mid-infrared are consistent with a {approx}1 AU location for the emitting material.

Persistent near-tropical warmth on the Antarctic continent during the early Eocene epoch.

Science.gov (United States)

Pross, Jörg; Contreras, Lineth; Bijl, Peter K; Greenwood, David R; Bohaty, Steven M; Schouten, Stefan; Bendle, James A; Röhl, Ursula; Tauxe, Lisa; Raine, J Ian; Huck, Claire E; van de Flierdt, Tina; Jamieson, Stewart S R; Stickley, Catherine E; van de Schootbrugge, Bas; Escutia, Carlota; Brinkhuis, Henk

2012-08-02

The warmest global climates of the past 65 million years occurred during the early Eocene epoch (about 55 to 48 million years ago), when the Equator-to-pole temperature gradients were much smaller than today and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were in excess of one thousand parts per million by volume. Recently the early Eocene has received considerable interest because it may provide insight into the response of Earth's climate and biosphere to the high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that are expected in the near future as a consequence of unabated anthropogenic carbon emissions. Climatic conditions of the early Eocene 'greenhouse world', however, are poorly constrained in critical regions, particularly Antarctica. Here we present a well-dated record of early Eocene climate on Antarctica from an ocean sediment core recovered off the Wilkes Land coast of East Antarctica. The information from biotic climate proxies (pollen and spores) and independent organic geochemical climate proxies (indices based on branched tetraether lipids) yields quantitative, seasonal temperature reconstructions for the early Eocene greenhouse world on Antarctica. We show that the climate in lowland settings along the Wilkes Land coast (at a palaeolatitude of about 70° south) supported the growth of highly diverse, near-tropical forests characterized by mesothermal to megathermal floral elements including palms and Bombacoideae. Notably, winters were extremely mild (warmer than 10 °C) and essentially frost-free despite polar darkness, which provides a critical new constraint for the validation of climate models and for understanding the response of high-latitude terrestrial ecosystems to increased carbon dioxide forcing.

THE MULTI-EPOCH NEARBY CLUSTER SURVEY: TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA RATE MEASUREMENT IN z ∼ 0.1 CLUSTERS AND THE LATE-TIME DELAY TIME DISTRIBUTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sand, David J.; Graham, Melissa L.; Bildfell, Chris; Pritchet, Chris; Zaritsky, Dennis; Just, Dennis W.; Herbert-Fort, Stéphane; Hoekstra, Henk; Sivanandam, Suresh; Foley, Ryan J.; Mahdavi, Andisheh

2012-01-01

We describe the Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey, designed to measure the cluster Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate in a sample of 57 X-ray selected galaxy clusters, with redshifts of 0.05 200 (1 Mpc) of 0.042 +0.012 –0.010 +0.010 –0.008 SNuM (0.049 +0.016 –0.014 +0.005 –0.004 SNuM) and an SN Ia rate within red-sequence galaxies of 0.041 +0.015 –0.015 +0.005 –0.010 SNuM (0.041 +0.019 –0.015 +0.005 –0.004 SNuM). The red-sequence SN Ia rate is consistent with published rates in early-type/elliptical galaxies in the 'field'. Using our red-sequence SN Ia rate, and other cluster SN measurements in early-type galaxies up to z ∼ 1, we derive the late-time (>2 Gyr) delay time distribution (DTD) of SN Ia assuming a cluster early-type galaxy star formation epoch of z f = 3. Assuming a power-law form for the DTD, Ψ(t)∝t s , we find s = –1.62 ± 0.54. This result is consistent with predictions for the double degenerate SN Ia progenitor scenario (s ∼ –1) and is also in line with recent calculations for the double detonation explosion mechanism (s ∼ –2). The most recent calculations of the single degenerate scenario DTD predicts an order-of-magnitude drop-off in SN Ia rate ∼6-7 Gyr after stellar formation, and the observed cluster rates cannot rule this out.

Paleocene Wilcox cross-shelf channel-belt history and shelf-margin growth: Key to Gulf of Mexico sediment delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinyu; Steel, Ronald; Ambrose, William

2017-12-01

Shelf margins prograde and aggrade by the incremental addition of deltaic sediments supplied from river channel belts and by stored shoreline sediment. This paper documents the shelf-edge trajectory and coeval channel belts for a segment of Paleocene Lower Wilcox Group in the northern Gulf of Mexico based on 400 wireline logs and 300 m of whole cores. By quantitatively analyzing these data and comparing them with global databases, we demonstrate how varying sediment supply impacted the Wilcox shelf-margin growth and deep-water sediment dispersal under greenhouse eustatic conditions. The coastal plain to marine topset and uppermost continental slope succession of the Lower Wilcox shelf-margin sediment prism is divided into eighteen high-frequency ( 300 ky duration) stratigraphic sequences, and further grouped into 5 sequence sets (labeled as A-E from bottom to top). Sequence Set A is dominantly muddy slope deposits. The shelf edge of Sequence Sets B and C prograded rapidly (> 10 km/Ma) and aggraded modestly ( 80 m/Ma) characterizes Sequence Sets D and E, which is associated with smaller (9-10 m thick on average) and isolated channel belts. This stratigraphic trend is likely due to an upward decreasing sediment supply indicated by the shelf-edge progradation rate and channel size, as well as an upward increasing shelf accommodation indicated by the shelf-edge aggradation rate. The rapid shelf-edge progradation and large rivers in Sequence Sets B and C confirm earlier suggestions that it was the early phase of Lower Wilcox dispersal that brought the largest deep-water sediment volumes into the Gulf of Mexico. Key factors in this Lower Wilcox stratigraphic trend are likely to have been a very high initial sediment flux to the Gulf because of the high initial release of sediment from Laramide catchments to the north and northwest, possibly aided by modest eustatic sea-level fall on the Texas shelf, which is suggested by the early, flat shelf-edge trajectory, high

The Shock Dynamics of Heterogeneous YSO Jets: 3D Simulations Meet Multi-epoch Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, E. C.; Frank, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0171 (United States); Hartigan, P. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 6100 S. Main, Houston, TX 77521-1892 (United States); Lebedev, S. V. [Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW (United Kingdom)

2017-03-10

High-resolution observations of young stellar object (YSO) jets show them to be composed of many small-scale knots or clumps. In this paper, we report results of 3D numerical simulations designed to study how such clumps interact and create morphologies and kinematic patterns seen in emission line observations. Our simulations focus on clump scale dynamics by imposing velocity differences between spherical, over-dense regions, which then lead to the formation of bow shocks as faster clumps overtake slower material. We show that much of the spatial structure apparent in emission line images of jets arises from the dynamics and interactions of these bow shocks. Our simulations show a variety of time-dependent features, including bright knots associated with Mach stems where the shocks intersect, a “frothy” emission structure that arises from the presence of the Nonlinear Thin Shell Instability along the surfaces of the bow shocks, and the merging and fragmentation of clumps. Our simulations use a new non-equilibrium cooling method to produce synthetic emission maps in H α and [S ii]. These are directly compared to multi-epoch Hubble Space Telescope observations of Herbig–Haro jets. We find excellent agreement between features seen in the simulations and the observations in terms of both proper motion and morphologies. Thus we conclude that YSO jets may be dominated by heterogeneous structures and that interactions between these structures and the shocks they produce can account for many details of YSO jet evolution.

Paleo-Productivity across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Walvis Ridge Transect (ODP Sites 1262, 1263, and 1266)

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, C. O.; Delaney, M. L.; Zachos, J. C.

2005-12-01

Walvis Ridge transect (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 208) provides the first high-resolution depth-transect of deep-sea sediments recovered from the south Atlantic across the P/E boundary. A geographically restricted depth transect (~ 2.2 km, water depths between 2500 and 4770 m) allows us to constrain the surface waters by assuming marine productivity conditions in the overlying water column are similar across all sites. The sediment record will reveal variations for processes that are water-depth dependent. We use the geochemical tracers; biogenic barium, phosphorus, calcium carbonate, and the redox sensitive trace elements manganese and uranium, to reconstruct nutrient burial, paleoproductivity, and bottom water redox chemistry across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). We calculate our concentrations on a calcium carbonate-free basis to account for dilution by non-carbonate sediments. Trace metal enrichment factors (EFs) are calculated relative to bulk crustal averages. We chose three sites from the depth transect: the shallowest (Site 1263, 2717 m water depth), an intermediate site (Site 1266, 3798 m water depth), and the deepest site (Site 1262, 4755 m water depth). We sampled each site at a sample resolution of ~ 1-2 kyr for 5 m.y. centered at 55 Ma. Uranium EFs at the shallow site exhibits values ~ 5 pre-event and drop to values near crustal averages during and after the carbon isotope excursion (CIE). No dramatic changes in U EFs across the P/E boundary are recorded at the deep and intermediate sites. Mn EFs range between 2.9 -8.6 prior to the event across all three sites, suggesting an oxygenated depositional environment. At the boundary, Mn EFs drop to crustal averages at all sites, then gradually return to pre-event values, indicating more reducing environments during the CIE, a possible explanation for the benthic extinction event (BEE) observed across this transect. Ba excess and reactive phosphorus exhibit decreased concentrations during

The Mars water cycle at other epochs: Recent history of the polar caps and layered terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Jakosky, Bruce M.; Henderson, Bradley G.; Mellon, Michael T.

1992-01-01

The Martian polar caps and layered terrain presumably evolves by the deposition and removal of small amounts of water and dust each year, the current cap attributes therefore represent the incremental transport during a single year as integrated over long periods of time. The role was studied of condensation and sublimation of water ice in this process by examining the seasonal water cycle during the last 10(exp 7) yr. In the model, axial obliquity, eccentricity, and L sub s of perihelion vary according to dynamical models. At each epoch, the seasonal variations in temperature are calculated at the two poles, keeping track of the seasonal CO2 cap and the summertime sublimation of water vapor into the atmosphere; net exchange of water between the two caps is calculated based on the difference in the summertime sublimation between the two caps (or on the sublimation from one cap if the other is covered with CO2 frost all year). Results from the model can help to explain (1) the apparent inconsistency between the timescales inferred for layer formation and the much older crater retention age of the cap and (2) the difference in sizes of the two residual caps, with the south being smaller than the north.

A HIGH-RESOLUTION, MULTI-EPOCH SPECTRAL ATLAS OF PECULIAR STARS INCLUDING RAVE, GAIA , AND HERMES WAVELENGTH RANGES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasella, Lina; Munari, Ulisse; Zwitter, Tomaz

2010-01-01

We present an Echelle+CCD, high signal-to-noise ratio, high-resolution (R = 20,000) spectroscopic atlas of 108 well-known objects representative of the most common types of peculiar and variable stars. The wavelength interval extends from 4600 to 9400 A and includes the RAVE, Gaia, and HERMES wavelength ranges. Multi-epoch spectra are provided for the majority of the observed stars. A total of 425 spectra of peculiar stars, which were collected during 56 observing nights between 1998 November and 2002 August, are presented. The spectra are given in FITS format and heliocentric wavelengths, with accurate subtraction of both the sky background and the scattered light. Auxiliary material useful for custom applications (telluric dividers, spectrophotometric stars, flat-field tracings) is also provided. The atlas aims to provide a homogeneous database of the spectral appearance of stellar peculiarities, a tool useful both for classification purposes and inter-comparison studies. It could also serve in the planning and development of automated classification algorithms designed for RAVE, Gaia, HERMES, and other large-scale spectral surveys. The spectrum of XX Oph is discussed in some detail as an example of the content of the present atlas.

Multi-band, multi-epoch observations of the transiting warm Jupiter WASP-80b

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fukui, Akihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke [Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Asakuchi, Okayama 719-0232 (Japan); Kawashima, Yui; Ikoma, Masahiro; Kurosaki, Kenji [Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Narita, Norio; Nishiyama, Shogo; Takahashi, Yasuhiro H.; Nagayama, Shogo [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Onitsuka, Masahiro; Baba, Haruka; Ryu, Tsuguru [The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Ita, Yoshifusa; Onozato, Hiroki [Astronomical Institute, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aramaki Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578 (Japan); Hirano, Teruyuki; Kawauchi, Kiyoe [Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan); Hori, Yasunori [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Nagayama, Takahiro [Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan); Tamura, Motohide [Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Japan); Kawai, Nobuyuki, E-mail: afukui@oao.nao.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, Oookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan); and others

2014-08-01

WASP-80b is a warm Jupiter transiting a bright late-K/early-M dwarf, providing a good opportunity to extend the atmospheric study of hot Jupiters toward the lower temperature regime. We report multi-band, multi-epoch transit observations of WASP-80b by using three ground-based telescopes covering from optical (g', R{sub c}, and I{sub c} bands) to near-infrared (NIR; J, H, and K{sub s} bands) wavelengths. We observe 5 primary transits, each in 3 or 4 different bands simultaneously, obtaining 17 independent transit light curves. Combining them with results from previous works, we find that the observed transmission spectrum is largely consistent with both a solar abundance and thick cloud atmospheric models at a 1.7σ discrepancy level. On the other hand, we find a marginal spectral rise in the optical region compared to the NIR region at the 2.9σ level, which possibly indicates the existence of haze in the atmosphere. We simulate theoretical transmission spectra for a solar abundance but hazy atmosphere, finding that a model with equilibrium temperature of 600 K can explain the observed data well, having a discrepancy level of 1.0σ. We also search for transit timing variations, but find no timing excess larger than 50 s from a linear ephemeris. In addition, we conduct 43 day long photometric monitoring of the host star in the optical bands, finding no significant variation in the stellar brightness. Combined with the fact that no spot-crossing event is observed in the five transits, our results confirm previous findings that the host star appears quiet for spot activities, despite the indications of strong chromospheric activities.

THE OPTICAL VARIABILITY OF SDSS QUASARS FROM MULTI-EPOCH SPECTROSCOPY. II. COLOR VARIATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Hengxiao; Gu, Minfeng, E-mail: hxguo@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: gumf@shao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030 (China)

2016-05-01

We investigated the optical/ultraviolet (UV) color variations for a sample of 2169 quasars based on multi-epoch spectroscopy in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data releases seven (DR7) and nine (DR9). To correct the systematic difference between DR7 and DR9 due to the different instrumental setup, we produced a correction spectrum by using a sample of F-stars observed in both DR7 and DR9. The correction spectrum was then applied to quasars when comparing the spectra of DR7 with DR9. In each object, the color variation was explored by comparing the spectral index of the continuum power-law fit on the brightest spectrum with the faintest one, and also by the shape of their difference spectrum. In 1876 quasars with consistent color variations from two methods, we found that most sources (1755, ∼94%) show the bluer-when-brighter (BWB) trend, and the redder-when-brighter (RWB) trend is detected in only 121 objects (∼6%). The common BWB trend is supported by the composite spectrum constructed from bright spectra, which is bluer than that from faint spectra, and also by the blue composite difference spectrum. The correction spectrum is proven to be highly reliable by comparing the composite spectrum from corrected DR9 and original DR7 spectra. Assuming that the optical/UV variability is triggered by fluctuations, the RWB trend can likely be explained if the fluctuations occur first in the outer disk region, and the inner disk region has not yet fully responded when the fluctuations are being propagated inward. In contrast, the common BWB trend implies that the fluctuations likely more often happen first in the inner disk region.

Depositional Environments of Late Danian Plant Localities: Chubut Provice, Patagonia, Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Comer, E.; Slingerland, R. L.; Wilf, P.

2010-12-01

Diverse, well-preserved macroflora are observed within Cretaceous and Paleocene sediments of Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. These macroflora are the most well preserved early Paleocene flora from Gondwana and add new insight into the diversity and environments of that epoch. Two major sites of fossil preservation, Palacio de los Loros and Parque Provincial Ormachea, sit near the top of the Late Danian (65.5-61.7 Ma) Salamanca Formation. Understanding the depositional history of the Salamanca is important in characterizing paleoenvironments in which these flora lived and relating these Patagonian macroflora to concurrent Paleocene flora within the Gondwanan supercontinent. During a two week field season, twenty stratigraphic sections were measured along the outcrop belt at Palacio de los Loros and Ormachea Park as well as two minor sites; Las Flores, and Rancho Grande. Photo mosaics, laser ranger data, and stratigraphic columns were merged with elevated geologic maps and imported into Fledermaus to generate a 3-D visualization of facies relationships. Rock samples were also collected and will be thin sectioned and analyzed for petrography and grain size. The Salamanca Fm. consists of 7 facies, listed here in stratigraphically ascending order: 1)Transgressive sands, 2)Wispy-bedded claystone, 3)Banco Verde, 4)White Cross bedded sandstone, 5)Accretion set siltstone, 6)Transitional silty claystone and 7)Banco Negro. Based on these facies, the Salamanca Fm. is interpreted as a marine-shelf to brackish, tide-dominated, estuarine deposit. The base of the Salamanca Fm. rests on an unconformity representing a marine flooding surface and lower sections of the Salamanca, facies 1 and 2, contain abundant glauconite and fossils indicative of a marine shelf environment. These facies give way upwards to bi-directional trough cross bedded sandstones interspersed with flaser bedded sandy siltstones (facies 3 and 4) indicating a less marine estuary with strong flow regimes

Polarization leakage in epoch of reionization windows - II. Primary beam model and direction-dependent calibration

Science.gov (United States)

Asad, K. M. B.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Jelić, V.; Ghosh, A.; Abdalla, F. B.; Brentjens, M. A.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Ciardi, B.; Gehlot, B. K.; Iliev, I. T.; Mevius, M.; Pandey, V. N.; Yatawatta, S.; Zaroubi, S.

2016-11-01

Leakage of diffuse polarized emission into Stokes I caused by the polarized primary beam of the instrument might mimic the spectral structure of the 21-cm signal coming from the epoch of reionization (EoR) making their separation difficult. Therefore, understanding polarimetric performance of the antenna is crucial for a successful detection of the EoR signal. Here, we have calculated the accuracy of the nominal model beam of Low Frequency ARray (LOFAR) in predicting the leakage from Stokes I to Q, U by comparing them with the corresponding leakage of compact sources actually observed in the 3C 295 field. We have found that the model beam has errors of ≤10 per cent on the predicted levels of leakage of ˜1 per cent within the field of view, I.e. if the leakage is taken out perfectly using this model the leakage will reduce to 10-3 of the Stokes I flux. If similar levels of accuracy can be obtained in removing leakage from Stokes Q, U to I, we can say, based on the results of our previous paper, that the removal of this leakage using this beam model would ensure that the leakage is well below the expected EoR signal in almost the whole instrumental k-space of the cylindrical power spectrum. We have also shown here that direction-dependent calibration can remove instrumentally polarized compact sources, given an unpolarized sky model, very close to the local noise level.

Taxonomic revision of the fossil pulmonate mollusks of Itaboraí Basin (Paleocene, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The limestones of Itaboraí Basin (Middle Paleocene, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, harbor a rich fossil molluscan fauna consisting exclusively of pulmonate snails, both terrestrial and freshwater. An extensive taxonomic revision of this paleofauna is conducted here. A new genus, Cortana, is described as well as two new species, Eoborus fusiforme and Gastrocopta itaboraiensis. The revised classification is as follows: Austrodiscus lopesi (Charopidae; Biomphalaria itaboraiensis (Planorbidae; "Brachypodella" britoi (Urocoptidae; Brasilennea arethusae, Brasilennea guttula, Brasilennea minor (Cerionidae; Bulimulus fazendicus, Bulimulus trindadeae, Cortana carvalhoi, Cyclodontina coelhoi, Itaborahia lamegoi, Leiostracus ferreirai, Plagiodontes aff. dentatus (Orthalicidae; Cecilioides sommeri (Ferussaciidae; Eoborus rotundus, Eoborus sanctijosephi, Eoborus fusiforme (Strophocheilidae; Gastrocopta mezzalirai, Gastrocopta itaboraiensis (Gastrocoptidae; Temesa magalhaesi (Clausiliidae. The species Strobilopsis mauryae was considered a synonym of Brasilennea arethusae; Bulimulus sommeri a synonym of Itaborahia lamegoi; and Vorticifex fluminensis a synonym of Eoborus sanctijosephi. Itaboraí Basin has the most ancient records of the families Orthalicidae, Gastrocoptidae, Ferussaciidae and Strophocheilidae. Moreover, the basin's records of Charopidae, Clausiliidae, Cerionidae, and Urocoptidae are among the most ancient in the world and, among these, those of Cerionidae, Clausiliidae and Urocoptidae deserve special attention since they are greatly removed from these families' current distribution. Additionally, Itaboraí has the most ancient records for the genera Austrodiscus, Brachypodella, Bulimulus, Cecilioides, Cyclodontina, Eoborus, Gastrocopta, Leiostracus, Plagiodontes and Temesa. There are three endemic genera in the basin: Brasilennea, Cortana and Itaborahia. Further discussion on paleobiogeography and evolution of this paleofauna is also provided.Os calc

Meteoric diagenesis of Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene-Eocene shallow-water carbonates in the Kruja Platform (Albania): geochemical evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Heba, Grigor; Prichonnet, Gilbert; El Albani, Abderrazak

2009-04-01

In the central part of the Kruja Platform (Albania) located in the Apulian passive margin, geochemical analyses (calcimetry, Sr, REE and isotopic, δ13C and δ18O) coupled with sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic study were carried out on Upper Cretaceous (CsB4, CsB5, CsB6 Biozones) and Paleocene to Middle Eocene shallow-water carbonates that crop out in the Kruje-Dajt massif (L'Escalier section) and Makareshi massif (La Route section). The lower values in Sr contents, the homogeneous δ18O values in both sections and the covariance between δ13C and δ18O values (La Route section) are attributed to diagenesis influence by a meteoric water-buffer system, supported by petrographic observations. Moreover, a new exposure surface during the Late Cretaceous time (between CsB5 and CsB6 Biozones) may be proposed according to the low or negative excursions of Sr values, the negative excursions of isotopic values in both sections and a positive peak of normalized REE values (La Route section). These variations correlate with the geochemical signal reported by the decreasing strontium isotope values of rudist shells in the Island of Brač carbonate platform (Apulia domain) during the late Middle Campanian (77.3 Ma). Also, this continental exposure is consistent with the global sea-level fall reported from the Boreal Realm, North Atlantic, and the southern Tethyan margin. This geochemical evidence is a complementary tool for the sedimentological analysis and suggests a maximum regression (a sea-level fall) at the transition between the CsB5 and CsB6 Biozones. The high values of Sr content in Middle Eocene carbonates (L'Escalier section) reflect changes in depositional environment from restricted to open marine conditions. REE values increase through transgressive systems tract, characterized by small increase of detrital input. However, anomalies of certain values in both sections suggest disturbances linked either to the changes in clay input and to diagenetic

Chimenea and other tools: Automated imaging of multi-epoch radio-synthesis data with CASA

Science.gov (United States)

Staley, T. D.; Anderson, G. E.

2015-11-01

In preparing the way for the Square Kilometre Array and its pathfinders, there is a pressing need to begin probing the transient sky in a fully robotic fashion using the current generation of radio telescopes. Effective exploitation of such surveys requires a largely automated data-reduction process. This paper introduces an end-to-end automated reduction pipeline, AMIsurvey, used for calibrating and imaging data from the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Large Array. AMIsurvey makes use of several component libraries which have been packaged separately for open-source release. The most scientifically significant of these is chimenea, which implements a telescope-agnostic algorithm for automated imaging of pre-calibrated multi-epoch radio-synthesis data, of the sort typically acquired for transient surveys or follow-up. The algorithm aims to improve upon standard imaging pipelines by utilizing iterative RMS-estimation and automated source-detection to avoid so called 'Clean-bias', and makes use of CASA subroutines for the underlying image-synthesis operations. At a lower level, AMIsurvey relies upon two libraries, drive-ami and drive-casa, built to allow use of mature radio-astronomy software packages from within Python scripts. While targeted at automated imaging, the drive-casa interface can also be used to automate interaction with any of the CASA subroutines from a generic Python process. Additionally, these packages may be of wider technical interest beyond radio-astronomy, since they demonstrate use of the Python library pexpect to emulate terminal interaction with an external process. This approach allows for rapid development of a Python interface to any legacy or externally-maintained pipeline which accepts command-line input, without requiring alterations to the original code.

Clear as Mud: Changes in Paleoshelf Environments and Deposition Rates at Medford, New Jersey during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Podrecca, L.; Miller, K. G.; Wright, J. D.; Browning, J. V.; Emge, T.

2017-12-01

The Paleocene-Eocene boundary marks a time of swift global climatic change. Constraining the timeframe of this event is a first order question necessary for ascertaining the origin of the event and the potential for its use as an analog for modern climate change. The New Jersey shelf sediments of the Marlboro Formation records this time period with exceptionally thick (5-15m) records of the period of global low carbon isotopic values ("the core") which requires minimum sedimentation rates of 10's cm/kyr. Rhythmic layers have been previously reported from Wilson Lake & Millville, NJ (IODP Leg 174AX). These structures coined "laminae couplets" consist of semi-periodic 1-2mm thick raised laminations separated by matrix of varying width (averaging 1.8cm). These have been dismissed as artifacts of drilling "biscuits". We report here on a series of shallow auger cores drilled on a transect at Medford, NJ, without using drilling fluid. These cores also show a similar set of structures on the 2cm scale verifying that they are primary depositional features. The mm width laminae in the auger core show remarkable swelling within minutes of splitting. XRD, XRF, bulk carbonate geochemistry, and grain size analysis have been determined at regular depth intervals throughout the core. We have analyzed differences in these parameters between the laminae and interbedded matrix material, as well as across the transect as a whole. In general, the Marlboro formation at this updip location consists of micaceous, lignitic, very clayey silt (mean size 6 micrometers) with occasional organic debris indicating proximal deposition from a fluvial system. Paleodepth of 40m and normal marine salinities are estimated using a paleoslope model and the presence of common though not abundant planktonic foraminifera. We discuss a model of deposition for the Marlboro Formation as fluid mud (nearbed suspension flows) associated with the "Appalachian Amazon" alluding toward the finer grained inter

THE MULTI-EPOCH NEARBY CLUSTER SURVEY: TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA RATE MEASUREMENT IN z {approx} 0.1 CLUSTERS AND THE LATE-TIME DELAY TIME DISTRIBUTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sand, David J.; Graham, Melissa L. [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (United States); Bildfell, Chris; Pritchet, Chris [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3055, STN CSC, Victoria BC V8W 3P6 (Canada); Zaritsky, Dennis; Just, Dennis W.; Herbert-Fort, Stephane [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Hoekstra, Henk [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, NL-2333 CA Leiden (Netherlands); Sivanandam, Suresh [Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada); Foley, Ryan J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Mahdavi, Andisheh, E-mail: dsand@lcogt.net [Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132 (United States)

2012-02-20

We describe the Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey, designed to measure the cluster Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate in a sample of 57 X-ray selected galaxy clusters, with redshifts of 0.05 < z < 0.15. Utilizing our real-time analysis pipeline, we spectroscopically confirmed twenty-three cluster SNe Ia, four of which were intracluster events. Using our deep Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/MegaCam imaging, we measured total stellar luminosities in each of our galaxy clusters, and we performed detailed supernova (SN) detection efficiency simulations. Bringing these ingredients together, we measure an overall cluster SN Ia rate within R{sub 200} (1 Mpc) of 0.042{sup +0.012}{sub -0.010}{sup +0.010}{sub -0.008} SNuM (0.049{sup +0.016}{sub -0.014}{sup +0.005}{sub -0.004} SNuM) and an SN Ia rate within red-sequence galaxies of 0.041{sup +0.015}{sub -0.015}{sup +0.005}{sub -0.010} SNuM (0.041{sup +0.019}{sub -0.015}{sup +0.005}{sub -0.004} SNuM). The red-sequence SN Ia rate is consistent with published rates in early-type/elliptical galaxies in the 'field'. Using our red-sequence SN Ia rate, and other cluster SN measurements in early-type galaxies up to z {approx} 1, we derive the late-time (>2 Gyr) delay time distribution (DTD) of SN Ia assuming a cluster early-type galaxy star formation epoch of z{sub f} = 3. Assuming a power-law form for the DTD, {Psi}(t){proportional_to}t{sup s} , we find s = -1.62 {+-} 0.54. This result is consistent with predictions for the double degenerate SN Ia progenitor scenario (s {approx} -1) and is also in line with recent calculations for the double detonation explosion mechanism (s {approx} -2). The most recent calculations of the single degenerate scenario DTD predicts an order-of-magnitude drop-off in SN Ia rate {approx}6-7 Gyr after stellar formation, and the observed cluster rates cannot rule this out.

Analysing the 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization with artificial neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Shimabukuro, Hayato; Semelin, Benoit

2017-07-01

The 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization should be observed within the next decade. While a simple statistical detection is expected with Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinders, the SKA will hopefully produce a full 3D mapping of the signal. To extract from the observed data constraints on the parameters describing the underlying astrophysical processes, inversion methods must be developed. For example, the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method has been successfully applied. Here, we test another possible inversion method: artificial neural networks (ANNs). We produce a training set that consists of 70 individual samples. Each sample is made of the 21 cm power spectrum at different redshifts produced with the 21cmFast code plus the value of three parameters used in the seminumerical simulations that describe astrophysical processes. Using this set, we train the network to minimize the error between the parameter values it produces as an output and the true values. We explore the impact of the architecture of the network on the quality of the training. Then we test the trained network on the new set of 54 test samples with different values of the parameters. We find that the quality of the parameter reconstruction depends on the sensitivity of the power spectrum to the different parameters at a given redshift, that including thermal noise and sample variance decreases the quality of the reconstruction and that using the power spectrum at several redshifts as an input to the ANN improves the quality of the reconstruction. We conclude that ANNs are a viable inversion method whose main strength is that they require a sparse exploration of the parameter space and thus should be usable with full numerical simulations.

MULTI-EPOCH IMAGING POLARIMETRY OF THE SiO MASERS IN THE EXTENDED ATMOSPHERE OF THE MIRA VARIABLE TX CAM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemball, Athol J.; Diamond, Philip J.; Gonidakis, Ioannis; Mitra, Modhurita; Yim, Kijeong; Pan, K.-C.; Chiang, H.-F.

2009-01-01

We present a time series of synoptic images of the linearly polarized v = 1, J = 1-0 SiO maser emission toward the Mira variable, TX Cam. These data comprise 43 individual epochs at an approximate biweekly sampling over an optical pulsation phase range of φ = 0.68 to φ = 1.82. The images have an angular resolution of ∼500 μas and were obtained using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), operating in the 43 GHz band in spectral-line, polarization mode. We have previously published the total intensity time series for this pulsation phase range; this paper serves to present the linearly polarized image sequence and an associated animation representing the evolution of the linear polarization morphology over time. We find a predominantly tangential polarization morphology, a high degree of persistence in linear polarization properties over individual component lifetimes, and stronger linear polarization in the inner projected shell than at larger projected shell radii. We present an initial polarization proper motion analysis examining the possible dynamical influence of magnetic fields in component motions in the extended atmospheres of late-type, evolved stars.

Occurrence of rhyolytic tuffs at deep sea drilling project site 219 on the Laccadive Ridge

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Siddiquie, H.N.; Sukheswala, R.N.

A study of thin sections from the lower and middle parts of Unit 5 (Paleocene) from Site 219 shows that these largely consist of acidic or rhyolitic tuffs. The overlying limestones in Unit 5 (Paleocene) and Unit 4 (Lower Eocene) also contain...

Enhanced magnetization of the Marlboro Clay as a product of impact-induced soil pyrogenesis at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, D. V.; Lanci, L.; Wang, H.

2016-12-01

The Marlboro Clay, a shallow water shelf deposit on the eastern margin of North America whose base corresponds to the onset of the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary, is characterized by an anomalously high concentration of magnetic nanoparticles of enigmatic origin that give rise to a particularly intense bulk magnetization1-3. Recent rock magnetic results (TFT, high-resolution FORC, etc.) show that the magnetic assemblage is dominated by near-equant single-domain magnetic particles that are isolated and not arranged in chains characteristic of bacterial magnetosomes4. However, the 6 m average thickness of the widespread Marlboro, far in excess of known ejecta layers, makes a proposed origin of the nanoparticles as condensates of an impact plume problematical5. New data from a core at Wilson Lake reveals that the saturation remanence of the Marlboro is not only more intense but also more highly anisotropic compared to the immediately underlying Vincentown Formation, even though high field magnetic susceptibilities are not significantly different between the units. We suggest that the magnetization of the Marlboro originates from pyromagnetic soil enhancement by widespread wildfires on the adjoining drainage area (e.g.,6,7). The soils were soon washed down from the denuded landscape and rapidly deposited as mud-waves across the shelf to become the Marlboro. The pyromagnetic nanoparticles evidently nucleated within altered soil clays whose subsequent compaction on the shelf can account for the observed high magnetic anisotropy. A plausible trigger for the widespread wildfires needed to produce the unusual amount of pyrogenetic material in the Marlboro is a fireball from the impact of a modest-sized object at moderate range8, for example, a 10 km diameter carbon-rich comet coming down something like the distance to Bermuda away. The high concentration of magnetic nanoparticles in the Marlboro may thus be only a very indirect result of an

Cenozoic mantle composition evolution of southern Tibet indicated by Paleocene ( 64 Ma) pseudoleucite phonolitic rocks in central Lhasa terrane

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Yue; Gou, Guo-Ning; Wang, Qiang; Wyman, Derek A.; Jiang, Zi-Qi; Li, Qiu-Li; Zhang, Le

2018-03-01

The question of whether continental subduction processes in collisional orogenic belts can trigger wide-spread mantle metesomatism and crustal material recycling remains unresolved. Miocene (25-8 Ma) ultrapotassic rocks in southern Tibet are the only mantle-derived magmatic rocks emplaced after the collision between India and Asia and they have been linked to the onset of east-west extensional stresses as the surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau reached near-maximum elevation. However, their petrogenesis remains highly controversial, particularly the issue of whether their extremely enriched Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics were related to metasomatism derived from subducted Indian continental materials during the Cenozoic. Here we report on a Paleocene silicate-unsaturated, pseudoleucite phonolitic dike, in the Rongniduo area of central Lhasa terrane. In-situ SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) apatite U-Pb age indicates the dike was generated at 64.1 ± 4.2 Ma, which slightly predates the age of initial India and Asia collision (about 55-50 Ma). This is the oldest age yet reported for ultrapotassic rocks in southern Tibet. Samples from this dike have distinctly more depleted Sr-Nd (whole rock: (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7064 to 0.7062, εNd(t) = - 1.5 to 0.4; in situ apitite: (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7059 to 0.7060, εNd(t) = - 2.0 to 0.4) isotopic compositions, than those of Miocene (25-8 Ma) ultrapotassic rocks in the central Lhasa terrane ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7106 to 0.7399, εNd(t) = - 10.6 to - 18.5). Our new data provides important constraints on pre-collisional mantle characteristics beneath the Lhasa terrane. We suggest that these 64 Ma pseudoleucite phonolitic rocks were derived from the enriched lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted Tethyan oceanic materials in response to Neo-Tethyan slab roll-back. As a consequence, the younger Miocene ultrapotassic rocks, which display different geochemical compositions from the pre-collisional ultrapotassic rocks, were most

BEAM-FORMING ERRORS IN MURCHISON WIDEFIELD ARRAY PHASED ARRAY ANTENNAS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON EPOCH OF REIONIZATION SCIENCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neben, Abraham R.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Dillon, Joshua S.; Goeke, R.; Morgan, E. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Bradley, Richard F. [Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904 (United States); Bernardi, G. [Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA), Cape Town 7405 (South Africa); Bowman, J. D. [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Briggs, F. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2611 (Australia); Cappallo, R. J.; Corey, B. E.; Lonsdale, C. J.; McWhirter, S. R. [MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA 01886 (United States); Deshpande, A. A. [Raman Research Institute, Bangalore 560080 (India); Greenhill, L. J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Hazelton, B. J.; Morales, M. F. [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Johnston-Hollitt, M. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand); Kaplan, D. L. [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States); Mitchell, D. A. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS), P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); and others

2016-03-20

Accurate antenna beam models are critical for radio observations aiming to isolate the redshifted 21 cm spectral line emission from the Dark Ages and the Epoch of Reionization (EOR) and unlock the scientific potential of 21 cm cosmology. Past work has focused on characterizing mean antenna beam models using either satellite signals or astronomical sources as calibrators, but antenna-to-antenna variation due to imperfect instrumentation has remained unexplored. We characterize this variation for the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) through laboratory measurements and simulations, finding typical deviations of the order of ±10%–20% near the edges of the main lobe and in the sidelobes. We consider the ramifications of these results for image- and power spectrum-based science. In particular, we simulate visibilities measured by a 100 m baseline and find that using an otherwise perfect foreground model, unmodeled beam-forming errors severely limit foreground subtraction accuracy within the region of Fourier space contaminated by foreground emission (the “wedge”). This region likely contains much of the cosmological signal, and accessing it will require measurement of per-antenna beam patterns. However, unmodeled beam-forming errors do not contaminate the Fourier space region expected to be free of foreground contamination (the “EOR window”), showing that foreground avoidance remains a viable strategy.

Phanerozoic Rifting Phases And Mineral Deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Hassaan, Mahmoud

2016-04-01

In North Africa occur Mediterranean and Red Sea metallogenic provinces. In each province distribute 47 iron- manganese- barite and lead-zinc deposits with tectonic-structural control. The author presents in this paper aspects of position of these deposits in the two provinces with Phanerozoic rifting . The Mediterranean Province belongs to two epochs, Hercynian and Alpine. The Hercynian Epoch manganese deposits in only Moroccoa- Algeria belong to Paleozoic tectonic zones and Proterozoic volcanics. The Alpine Epoch iron-manganese deposits are of post-orogenic exhalative-sedimentary origin. Manganese deposits in southern Morocco occur in Kabil-Rief quartz-chalcedony veins controlled by faults in andesitic sheets and in bedded pelitic tuffs, strata-form lenses and ore veins, in Precambrian schist and in Triassic and Cretaceous dolomites. Disseminated manganese with quartz and barite and effusive hydrothermal veins are hosted in Paleocene volcanics. Manganese deposits in Algeria are limited and unrecorded in Tunisia. Strata-form iron deposits in Atlas Heights are widespread in sub-rift zone among Jurassic sediments inter-bedding volcanic rocks. In Algeria, Group Beni-Saf iron deposits are localized along the Mediterranean coast in terrigenous and carbonate rocks of Jurassic, Cretaceous and Eocene age within faults and bedding planes. In Morocco strata-form hydrothermal lead-zinc deposits occur in contact zone of Tertiary andesite inter-bedding Cambrian shale, Lias dolomites and Eocene andesite. In both Algeria and Tunisia metasomatic Pb-Zn veins occur in Campanian - Maastrichtian carbonates, Triassic breccia, Jurassic limestone, Paleocene sandstones and limestone and Neogene conglomerates and sandstones. The Red Sea metallogenic province belongs to the Late Tertiary-Miocene times. In Wadi Araba hydrothermal iron-manganese deposits occur in Cretaceous sediments within 320°and 310 NW faults related to Tertiary basalt. Um-Bogma iron-manganese deposits are closely

Polarization leakage in epoch of reionization windows - III. Wide-field effects of narrow-field arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Asad, K. M. B.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Jelić, V.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Pandey, V. N.; Gehlot, B. K.

2018-05-01

Leakage of polarized Galactic diffuse emission into total intensity can potentially mimic the 21-cm signal coming from the epoch of reionization (EoR), as both of them might have fluctuating spectral structure. Although we are sensitive to the EoR signal only in small fields of view, chromatic side-lobes from further away can contaminate the inner region. Here, we explore the effects of leakage into the `EoR window' of the cylindrically averaged power spectra (PS) within wide fields of view using both observation and simulation of the 3C196 and North Celestial Pole (NCP) fields, two observing fields of the LOFAR-EoR project. We present the polarization PS of two one-night observations of the two fields and find that the NCP field has higher fluctuations along frequency, and consequently exhibits more power at high-k∥ that could potentially leak to Stokes I. Subsequently, we simulate LOFAR observations of Galactic diffuse polarized emission based on a model to assess what fraction of polarized power leaks into Stokes I because of the primary beam. We find that the rms fractional leakage over the instrumental k-space is 0.35 {per cent} in the 3C196 field and 0.27 {per cent} in the NCP field, and it does not change significantly within the diameters of 15°, 9°, and 4°. Based on the observed PS and simulated fractional leakage, we show that a similar level of leakage into Stokes I is expected in the 3C196 and NCP fields, and the leakage can be considered to be a bias in the PS.

Imprints of quasar duty cycle on the 21cm signal from the Epoch of Reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Bolgar, Florian; Eames, Evan; Hottier, Clément; Semelin, Benoit

2018-05-01

Quasars contribute to the 21-cm signal from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) primarily through their ionizing UV and X-ray emission. However, their radio continuum and Lyman-band emission also regulates the 21-cm signal in their direct environment, potentially leaving the imprint of their duty cycle. We develop a model for the radio and UV luminosity functions of quasars from the EoR, and constrain it using recent observations. Our model is consistent with the recent discovery of the quasar J1342+0928 at redshift ˜7.5, and also predicts only a few quasars suitable for 21-cm forest observations (˜10 mJy) in the sky. We exhibit a new effect on the 21-cm signal observed against the CMB: a radio-loud quasar can leave the imprint of its duty cycle on the 21-cm tomography. We apply this effect in a cosmological simulation and conclude that the effect of typical radio-loud quasars is most likely negligible in an SKA field of view. For a ˜10mJy quasar the effect is stronger though hardly observable at SKA resolution. Then we study the contribution of the lyman band (Ly-α to Ly-β) emission of quasars to the Wouthuisen-Field coupling. The collective effect of quasars on the 21-cm power spectrum is larger than the thermal noise at low k, though featureless. However, a distinctive pattern around the brightest quasars in an SKA field of view may be observable in the tomography, encoding the duration of their duty cycle. This pattern has a high signal-to-noise ratio for the brightest quasar in a typical SKA shallow survey.

Fish production and diversity in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum—Increased production but no novel faunas during a "Future Earth" analog

Science.gov (United States)

Tomczik, D. W.; Norris, R. D.; Gaskell, D. E.

2014-12-01

A partial analog for future global change is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum—a transient episode of warming, acidification, and biogeographic change at ~55.5 Ma. The PETM is known to have triggered extinction in some deep sea biotas, extensive biogeographic range shifts, and the common occurrence of 'excursion biotas'—non-analog occurrences of species that are typically rare in the open ocean before or after the PETM. Here we report on the impact of the PETM on fish production and biodiversity. Our data include the mass accumulation rate of fish teeth and denticles as well as an analysis of tooth morphotypes for three PETM sites: ODP 1220 and 1209 in the Pacific, and ODP 1260 in the equatorial Atlantic. Tooth morphotypes hardly change through the PETM and consist of abundant midwater species (angler fish and flashlight fish) in addition to sharks and epipelagic fish. There is no evidence for a non-analog 'excursion biota' during the PETM, suggesting that fish experienced fewer geographic range shifts than the calcareous and organic-walled plankton where excursion biotas are commonplace. Fish mass accumulation rates are also relatively stable before and after the PETM although all sites show a transient rise in fish production at the onset of the PETM or within the later part of the "PETM Core". These results broadly match published estimates of PETM export production from biogenic barium fluxes. Our findings run counter to "Future Earth" models that use climate forecasts for the next century to predict the impact of global change on fish stocks. These models suggest that future warming and ocean stratification will decrease most tropical and subtropical ocean fish production, accentuate fish production in the boundary currents and generally shift production toward higher latitudes. A resolution of "Future Earth" models and PETM data may reflect the different timescales of observation and stages of ecological response to severe global change.

Ichnofabrics and Facies in the Paleocene of Chicxulub: A Record of the Recovery of Life Post-Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Whalen, M. T.; O'Malley, K.; Lowery, C. M.; Rodriguez-Tovar, F. J.; Gulick, S. P. S.; Morgan, J. V.

2017-12-01

IODP/ICDP Expedition 364 recovered 829 m of core at Site M0077 including 110 m of post-impact, (hemi)pelagic Paleogene sedimentary rocks overlying the Chicxulub impact crater peak ring formed from suevite, melt rock, and granitic basement. The transition between suevite and Paleocene limestone (Unit 1F) is a remarkable fining upward package of gravel to sand-sized suevite (Unit 2A) overlain by the laminated carbonate-rich Unit 1G that records deposition of fine-grained material post-impact and contains a mix of Late Cretaceous and earliest Danian taxa. This study concentrates on the overlying Unit 1F. The ichnofabric index (ii, 1-6 indicating no bioturbation to complete homogenization), provides a semiquantitative estimate of burrow density to help assess the return of life to the crater. Unit 1F is 10 m thick with a sharp contact at the base of a green claystone (ii 2) that overlies Unit 1G. It consists of cm-dm interbedded blue-gray marlstone (ii 2) grading upward into gray to blue-gray wacke/packstone (ii 3-5). Contacts between facies are mostly gradational due to burrowing. The upper 3 m of the unit is a yellow-brown burrowed packstone (ii 4) intercalated with gray marlstone (ii 2). The uppermost 7.5 cm is calcite cemented with 1 cm wide burrows (ii 3-4) and fine to coarse sand size clasts including foraminifera. The upper surface of the unit is a hardground with an 2 Myr unconformity overlain by Eocene rocks. The first well-defined burrows occur in the upper 30 cm of Unit 1G. Unequivocal burrows (ii 2) that disturb sedimentary facies occur in overlying Unit 1F with values of 3-5 recorded in the overlying 10 cm indicating significant disruption of primary sedimentary structures. The iis in Unit 1F vary between 2 and 5 with rare laminated intervals without bioturbation (ii 1). Values of ii correlate well with facies changes, i.e. marlstones display lower iis than more carbonate-rich facies, implying a depth and/or redox control on burrower distribution. The ii

The magnetic epoch-6 carbon shift: a change in the ocean's 13C/12C ratio 6.2 million years ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincent, E.; Killingley, J.S.; Berger, W.H.

1980-01-01

Tropical Indian Ocean planktonic and benthic foraminifera have 13 C/ 12 C ratios which change abruptly within Magnetic Epoch 6 about 6.2 million years ago. All species analyzed in the Late Miocene section of DSDP Site 238 show a shift towards lighter values of delta 13 C by about 0.8 per thousand. The oxygen isotope signal indicates that the pre-shift period is climatically quiet while the post-shift period has strong fluctuations. The authors suggest that the shift reflects a sudden increase in the rate of supply of organic carbon from coastal lowlands and from shelves exposed by regression, as well as a change in deep circulation patterns and ocean fertility. The event marks the transition of the ocean-atmosphere system from a quiet Early and Middle Neogene climate regime toward a Late Neogene regime characterized by climatic amplifying mechanisms (albedo feedback, bottom water production) located around the northern North Atlantic. The beginning of this regime may have been strongly influenced by the isolation of the Mediterranean basin. (Auth.)

Modeling the Radio Foreground for Detection of CMB Spectral Distortions from the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sathyanarayana Rao, Mayuri; Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Shankar, N Udaya [Raman Research Institute, C V Raman Avenue, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore 560080 (India); Chluba, Jens, E-mail: mayuris@rri.res.in [Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

2017-05-01

Cosmic baryon evolution during the Cosmic Dawn and Reionization results in redshifted 21-cm spectral distortions in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). These encode information about the nature and timing of first sources over redshifts 30–6 and appear at meter wavelengths as a tiny CMB distortion along with the Galactic and extragalactic radio sky, which is orders of magnitude brighter. Therefore, detection requires precise methods to model foregrounds. We present a method of foreground fitting using maximally smooth (MS) functions. We demonstrate the usefulness of MS functions over traditionally used polynomials to separate foregrounds from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) signal. We also examine the level of spectral complexity in plausible foregrounds using GMOSS, a physically motivated model of the radio sky, and find that they are indeed smooth and can be modeled by MS functions to levels sufficient to discern the vanilla model of the EoR signal. We show that MS functions are loss resistant and robustly preserve EoR signal strength and turning points in the residuals. Finally, we demonstrate that in using a well-calibrated spectral radiometer and modeling foregrounds with MS functions, the global EoR signal can be detected with a Bayesian approach with 90% confidence in 10 minutes’ integration.

Controls on fluvial metamorphosis during global warming at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (56 Ma) in Spain: extreme droughts, extreme floods or both?

Science.gov (United States)

Castelltort, Sebastien; Chen, Chen; Guerit, Laure; Foreman, Brady; Paola, Chris; Adatte, Thierry

2017-04-01

How does global warming change the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events? The response to this question is partly preserved in the geological record. 56 Ma ago, global temperatures increased during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), leading to a major biotic turnover, but how this event affected the nature of extreme events remains unknown. On several continents, fluvial systems with sinuous channels within fine-grained floodplains suddenly transformed at the P-E boundary into apparently coarser-grained braid plains with frequent lateral migrations, washing their muddy floodplains to the seas. This landscape transformation has been related to aridification and intensification of precipitation allowing transport of coarser material as a result of P-E global warming, with important implications for predicting the consequences of current global change. Here we test this hypothesis by quantifying the magnitude of grain size change and flow depth at a representative P-E locality in Northern Spain. We find that the size of pebbles in transport and flow depth remained similar to, or even smaller than, pre-PETM conditions. This suggests that, if more seasonal and extreme precipitation occurred, they are not necessarily borne out in the predicted deeper flow depths and coarser grain sizes, but rather trigger a shift to multiple active channels. However, an alternative or complementary explanation may rest in pollen data found in coeval marine records and which document a dramatic vegetation shift from permanent conifer forests prior to the crisis into periodic vegetation in brief periods of rain during the hyperthermal episode. Such change induced by long periods of intense droughts, could have enhanced erodibility of channel banks by decreasing root-controlled cohesion of fine-grained floodplains and interfluves, promoting their lateral mobility and the observed fluvial metamorphosis. Thus, although water is regarded as the main agent sculpting

A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch

Science.gov (United States)

Walter Anthony, K. M.; Zimov, S. A.; Grosse, G.; Jones, Miriam C.; Anthony, P.; Chapin, F. S.; Finlay, J. C.; Mack, M. C.; Davydov, S.; Frenzel, P.F.; Frolking, S.

2014-01-01

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1,2,3,4. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon5, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost. We find that carbon accumulation in deep thermokarst-lake sediments since the last deglaciation is about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming, carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarst-lake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47±10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean±standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulated lake productivity and by slow decomposition in cold, anoxic lake bottoms. When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears7

The selection of royal figures in the image of power during the Palaiologan epoch: Byzantium - Serbia - Bulgaria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vojvodić Dragan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The preserved presentations of the Byzantine basileis of the XIII, XIV and XV centuries show that the creators of the late Byzantine monarchical portraits adhered to certain traditional rules when selecting the personages from the ruling house, which they were to portray. Defining which figures were to be depicted in the portrayal of power depended to a large extent on the changing circumstances and events in the imperial house. However, at the same time this was also based on a significantly more profound conception that rested on principles that had evolved in the course of a long history. The understanding of who could personify power was refracted through the prism of ideology and reflected in carefully shaped iconographic matrices. The omission of the images of certain members of the ruler's house, just as much as their inclusion, carried a certain meaning, as did the hierarchical arrangement of those who were portrayed. Generally speaking, this depended on the degree of their kinship with the sovereign, their sex, titles or dignities, and the connection of the members of the dynasty with the emperor's particular marriage. Therefore, one can rather clearly distinguish certain constants, if not rules, according to which some figures were omitted and others included, and, the specific changes that occurred from the end of the Middle Byzantine period till the fall of the Empire. The development of a unique kind of feudalism played a particular role in the specific characteristics in determining who was to appear in the monarchical portraits of the Palaiologan epoch in Byzantium and the states in its neighbourhood. As the preserved portrait ensembles and known written testimonies indicate, we find the images of the rulers' daughters did not feature in presentations of the 'emperors of the Romans' from the Late Byzantine period. In the Palaiologan epoch, they did not participate in the governing of the state nor were they taken into

Calcium Isotope (δ44/40Ca) Composition of Morozovella Velascoensis During the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum Ocean Acidification Event

Science.gov (United States)

Kitch, G. D.; Jacobson, A. D.; Hurtgen, M.; Sageman, B. B.; Harper, D. T.; Zachos, J. C.

2017-12-01

Ocean acidification (OA) events are transient disruptions to the carbonate chemistry of seawater that involve decreases in pH, [CO32-] and carbonate mineral saturation states (Ω). Numerical modeling studies predict that the Ca isotope (δ44/40Ca) composition of primary marine carbonate should be sensitive to OA1, and recent evidence from the rock record may support this hypothesis2. Boron isotope (δ11B) data for the planktonic foraminifera Morozovella velascoensis indicate that the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; 55 Mya) was an interval of pronounced OA3, although the Ca isotope composition of the bulk carbonate record appears to show post-burial diagenetic effects4. To further evaluate the Ca isotope proxy, we used a high-precision (2σSD=±0.04‰), double-spike (43Ca-42Ca) TIMS method5 to measure δ44/40Ca values of well-preserved M. velascoensis tests spanning the PETM. M. velascoensis tests (250-355 µm) were picked from samples recovered during ODP Leg 198, Site 1209 on Shatsky Rise in the equatorial Pacific. Five M. velascoensis tests were combined per sample, dissolved, spiked, and analyzed using a Triton TIMS. Repeat dissolutions of ten samples gave δ44/40Ca values within ±0.04‰ of the original measurements. Method and procedural blanks were negligible. δ44/40Ca values are elevated, even before the negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) that marks the PETM. When δ11/10B values decrease during the CIE, δ44/40Ca values remain elevated, but then decrease by 0.10‰ as δ11B values return to pre-CIE levels. The apparent inverse correlation between δ44/40Ca and δ11B values suggests that Ca isotope fractionation by M. velascoensis was sensitive to OA. A decrease in pH indicated by lower δ11B values is consistent with higher δ44/40Ca values (decreased fractionation) due to elevated [Ca2+]/[CO32-] ratios and reduced W. The Ca isotope composition of pristine foraminiferal calcite may have potential for reconstructing [CO32-]. The current

Novel insect leaf-mining after the end-Cretaceous extinction and the demise of cretaceous leaf miners, Great Plains, USA.

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Michael P Donovan

Full Text Available Plant and associated insect-damage diversity in the western U.S.A. decreased significantly at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg boundary and remained low until the late Paleocene. However, the Mexican Hat locality (ca. 65 Ma in southeastern Montana, with a typical, low-diversity flora, uniquely exhibits high damage diversity on nearly all its host plants, when compared to all known local and regional early Paleocene sites. The same plant species show minimal damage elsewhere during the early Paleocene. We asked whether the high insect damage diversity at Mexican Hat was more likely related to the survival of Cretaceous insects from refugia or to an influx of novel Paleocene taxa. We compared damage on 1073 leaf fossils from Mexican Hat to over 9000 terminal Cretaceous leaf fossils from the Hell Creek Formation of nearby southwestern North Dakota and to over 9000 Paleocene leaf fossils from the Fort Union Formation in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. We described the entire insect-feeding ichnofauna at Mexican Hat and focused our analysis on leaf mines because they are typically host-specialized and preserve a number of diagnostic morphological characters. Nine mine damage types attributable to three of the four orders of leaf-mining insects are found at Mexican Hat, six of them so far unique to the site. We found no evidence linking any of the diverse Hell Creek mines with those found at Mexican Hat, nor for the survival of any Cretaceous leaf miners over the K-Pg boundary regionally, even on well-sampled, surviving plant families. Overall, our results strongly relate the high damage diversity on the depauperate Mexican Hat flora to an influx of novel insect herbivores during the early Paleocene, possibly caused by a transient warming event and range expansion, and indicate drastic extinction rather than survivorship of Cretaceous insect taxa from refugia.

Novel insect leaf-mining after the end-Cretaceous extinction and the demise of cretaceous leaf miners, Great Plains, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Michael P; Wilf, Peter; Labandeira, Conrad C; Johnson, Kirk R; Peppe, Daniel J

2014-01-01

Plant and associated insect-damage diversity in the western U.S.A. decreased significantly at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary and remained low until the late Paleocene. However, the Mexican Hat locality (ca. 65 Ma) in southeastern Montana, with a typical, low-diversity flora, uniquely exhibits high damage diversity on nearly all its host plants, when compared to all known local and regional early Paleocene sites. The same plant species show minimal damage elsewhere during the early Paleocene. We asked whether the high insect damage diversity at Mexican Hat was more likely related to the survival of Cretaceous insects from refugia or to an influx of novel Paleocene taxa. We compared damage on 1073 leaf fossils from Mexican Hat to over 9000 terminal Cretaceous leaf fossils from the Hell Creek Formation of nearby southwestern North Dakota and to over 9000 Paleocene leaf fossils from the Fort Union Formation in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. We described the entire insect-feeding ichnofauna at Mexican Hat and focused our analysis on leaf mines because they are typically host-specialized and preserve a number of diagnostic morphological characters. Nine mine damage types attributable to three of the four orders of leaf-mining insects are found at Mexican Hat, six of them so far unique to the site. We found no evidence linking any of the diverse Hell Creek mines with those found at Mexican Hat, nor for the survival of any Cretaceous leaf miners over the K-Pg boundary regionally, even on well-sampled, surviving plant families. Overall, our results strongly relate the high damage diversity on the depauperate Mexican Hat flora to an influx of novel insect herbivores during the early Paleocene, possibly caused by a transient warming event and range expansion, and indicate drastic extinction rather than survivorship of Cretaceous insect taxa from refugia.

Distributions of Benthic Foraminifera in the Salisbury Embayment before and after the PETM Onset

Science.gov (United States)

Range, M. M.; Robinson, M. M.

2017-12-01

Abrupt climatic perturbations associated with the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) caused major disruptions to the shallow shelf ecology along the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain. Several studies examine the changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages across the PETM in neritic sediments in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia and describe a hydrological and sedimentological paradigm shift that marks the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. In the Salisbury Embayment, a flexural low between the South Jersey High and the Norfolk Arch, this shift is seen in the transition between the upper Paleocene Aquia Formation and the lower Eocene Marlboro Clay. Here we map the abundance of seven benthic foraminifera species from five sites within the Salisbury Embayment from both the uppermost Aquia Formation and the lowermost Marlboro Clay. In addition to the benthic foraminiferal turnover at the PETM onset, we show a geographic distribution of species that highlights a past latitudinal biogeographic zonation not unlike what is found on the modern shelf in this region. Sites document a change in the abundance of species between the late Paleocene and early Eocene, showing a decrease in biodiversity of benthic species along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. Spatial extent of the different species also changed across the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. On the modern Atlantic shelf, a biogeographic zonation is due to the path of the Gulf Stream marking a boundary between relatively cold sea-surface temperatures to the north and warmer temperatures to the south, guided by the geomorphic expression of the mid-Atlantic coastline. During the Paleocene-Eocene transition, we suspect a similar boundary likely existed between the New Jersey sites and the Maryland and Virginia sites. We speculate that with the addition of more assemblage data, we will be able to partially reconstruct the geomorphic expression of the PETM coastline and/or the path of major coastal ocean currents.

trash epoch

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Elena Grigoryeva

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Unconventionally, the editorial of this issue begins with two epigraphs:trash1. foolish ideas or talk; nonsense;2. Chiefly US and Canadian useless or unwanted matter or objects;3. a literary or artistic production of poor quality;4. Chiefly US and Canadian a poor or worthless person or a group of such people.[Collins English Dictionary]You got to make good out of bad. That's all there is to make it with. Robert Penn Warren, “All the King’s Men”.But before talking about the topic of the issue, we should pay off the debt. The previous (double issue was completely devoted to Irkutsk’s jubilee. We will fill in the gaps and look back on the events of the past year missed by PB. There are a lot of them: the UIA Congress in Tokyo (5-7, the Zodchestvo Festival and the UAR Plenary Meeting in Moscow (16-29, the review competition of graduation works in Erevan (30–39 and Les Ateliers of Urban Planning and Development in Cergy-Pontoise (48–54.The New Year’s news blends into the topic of the issue. This year in Irkutsk discarded Christmas trees began to be recycled into fertilizer. In the Kemerovo region the old Christmas trees are used as food for cows. So the supercilious attitude toward trash is no longer relevant. In the future we shall eat it; actually, we are already eating it. Artists help us adjust to the idea that we will live in the global dump. Trash Muses inspired Zhenya Kraineva and Konstantin Lidin to a diptych about trash art (66–75.The first essential step in waste recycling is to change our view on waste. In people’s minds the dump is turned into a deposit of valuable resources. The detailed text by Andrei Ivanov (90–99 tells us about a slum district obtaining a new status and turning into a historical heritage.It is very urgent to convert trash into resources. On the Earth, mountains of garbage grow twice as fast as the population. 17% of homes in Sweden are heated with garbage. Japan processes 96% of waste, Germany 95%, Poland 16%, Russia only 5%. At this moment the territory of Russia has accumulated 100 billion tons of garbage – there is scarcely any deposit of such a large scale. Waste recycling plants are a vital task for today’s and tomorrow’s architecture (102–105.The architecture itself is no longer designed for centuries. The green standards contain such an essential item as engineering redesign for dismantled or demolished structures. Instead of the philosophical principle “my house is my fortress”, the impermanence is on the agenda today. A house, like a short-life packing or tomorrow’s garbage, is now under the statement of the problem.This issue returns to its regular sections. In the HERITAGE section there is an article by our American contributor Brian Spencer (124–129; and a debut of Fabio Todeschini, Professor from South Africa (130–136. In the LANDSCAPE section we start publishing a series of articles by Olga Smirnova (142–147, a Krasnoyarsk architect, poet and traveler…

Foreground and Sensitivity Analysis for Broadband (2D) 21 cm-Lyα and 21 cm-Hα Correlation Experiments Probing the Epoch of Reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Neben, Abraham R.; Stalder, Brian; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Tonry, John L.

2017-11-01

A detection of the predicted anticorrelation between 21 cm and either Lyα or Hα from the epoch of reionization (EOR) would be a powerful probe of the first galaxies. While 3D intensity maps isolate foregrounds in low-{k}\\parallel modes, infrared surveys cannot yet match the field of view and redshift resolution of radio intensity mapping experiments. In contrast, 2D (I.e., broadband) infrared intensity maps can be measured with current experiments and are limited by foregrounds instead of photon or thermal noise. We show that 2D experiments can measure most of the 3D fluctuation power at klimit on residual foregrounds of the 21 cm-Lyα cross-power spectrum at z˜ 7 of {{{Δ }}}2text{kJy sr}}-1 {{mK}}) (95%) at {\\ell }˜ 800. We predict levels of foreground correlation and sample variance noise in future experiments, showing that higher-resolution surveys such as LOFAR, SKA-LOW, and the Dark Energy Survey can start to probe models of the 21 cm-Lyα EOR cross spectrum.

Stratigraphy and environments of deposition of the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation (reconnaissance) and the Paleocene Ludlow Formation (detailed), southwestern North Dakota. Report of investigations No. 56

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, W.L.

1976-01-01

The Cretaceous Hell Creek and Paleocene Ludlow Formations of southwestern North Dakota, with the exception of the included lignite beds and minor amounts of concretions and nodules, are almost exclusively clastic sediments and sedimentary rocks. Massive clays, clays alternating with silts and sands, sandstones filling channels and other depressions, sheet sandstones, and lignites are the dominant sediment and rock types present. These sediments and sedimentary rocks were mostly deposited in a continental environment and were largely alluvial, lacustrine or paludal in origin; though marginal marine deposition, in part, is indicated by the occurrence of brackish water faunas in portions of the upper Ludlow Formation. With the possible exception of a persistent lignite near the base, persistent lignites are not present in the Hell Creek Formation. The Ludlow can be subdivided into several informal units, typically coal-bounded, which can be traced laterally over large areas. This informal subdivision permits isolation of stratigraphic units for the study of local environments of deposition. Channel and depression fill sandstones of the Ludlow Formation have a relatively low permeability and a high organic content at the surface and, for this reason, are considered poor prospective uranium host rocks. The lighter colored yellow winnowed sheet sandstones of the Ludlow are more permeable and relatively free of organic matter. They are considered as possible host rocks for uranium occurring in association with an oxidation/reduction interface at shallow depths. The uranium potential is enhanced where the latter sandstones occur along paleodivides which have been overlain by the Oligocene White River Formation, or in local areas where the latter formation is still preserved. Light yellow winnowed sheet sandstones are rare in the Hell Creek Formation, and the chances for uranium prospects in this interval seem correspondingly reduced

The extended epoch of galaxy formation: Age dating of 3600 galaxies with 2 < z < 6.5 in the VIMOS Ultra-Deep Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, R.; Le Fèvre, O.; Scodeggio, M.; Cassata, P.; Garilli, B.; Le Brun, V.; Lemaux, B. C.; Maccagni, D.; Pforr, J.; Tasca, L. A. M.; Zamorani, G.; Bardelli, S.; Hathi, N. P.; Tresse, L.; Zucca, E.; Koekemoer, A. M.

2017-06-01

In this paper we aim at improving constraints on the epoch of galaxy formation by measuring the ages of 3597 galaxies with reliable spectroscopic redshifts 2 ≤ z ≤ 6.5 in the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS). We derive ages and other physical parameters from the simultaneous fitting with the GOSSIP+ software of observed UV rest-frame spectra and photometric data from the u band up to 4.5 μm using model spectra from composite stellar populations. We perform extensive simulations and conclude that at z ≥ 2 the joint analysis of spectroscopy and photometry, combined with restricted age possibilities when taking the age of the Universe into account, substantially reduces systematic uncertainties and degeneracies in the age derivation; we find that age measurements from this process are reliable. We find that galaxy ages range from very young with a few tens of million years to substantially evolved with ages up to 1.5 Gyr or more. This large age spread is similar for different age definitions including ages corresponding to the last major star formation event, stellar mass-weighted ages, and ages corresponding to the time since the formation of 25% of the stellar mass. We derive the formation redshift zf from the measured ages and find galaxies that may have started forming stars as early as zf 15. We produce the formation redshift function (FzF), the number of galaxies per unit volume formed at a redshift zf, and compare the FzF in increasing observed redshift bins finding a remarkably constant FzF. The FzF is parametrized with (1 + z)ζ, where ζ ≃ 0.58 ± 0.06, indicating a smooth increase of about 2 dex from the earliest redshifts, z 15, to the lowest redshifts of our sample at z 2. Remarkably, this observed increase in the number of forming galaxies is of the same order as the observed rise in the star formation rate density (SFRD). The ratio of the comoving SFRD with the FzF gives an average SFR per galaxy of 7-17M⊙/yr at z 4-6, in agreement with the

Astronomical tuning of the end-Permian extinction and the Early Triassic Epoch of South China and Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingsong; Ogg, James; Zhang, Yang; Huang, Chunju; Hinnov, Linda; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Zou, Zhuoyan

2016-05-01

The timing of the end-Permian mass extinction and subsequent prolonged recovery during the Early Triassic Epoch can be established from astronomically controlled climate cycles recorded in continuous marine sedimentary sections. Astronomical-cycle tuning of spectral gamma-ray logs from biostratigraphically-constrained cyclic stratigraphy through marine sections at Meishan, Chaohu, Daxiakou and Guandao in South China yields an integrated time scale for the Early Triassic, which is consistent with scaling of magnetostratigraphy from climatic cycles in continental deposits of the Germanic Basin. The main marine mass extinction interval at Meishan is constrained to less than 40% of a 100-kyr (kilo-year) cycle (i.e., marine reptiles in the Mesozoic at Chaohu that are considered to represent a significant recovery of marine ecosystems did not appear until 4.7 myr (million years) after the end-Permian extinction. The durations of the Griesbachian, Dienerian, Smithian and Spathian substages, including the uncertainty in placement of widely used conodont biostratigraphic datums for their boundaries, are 1.4 ± 0.1, 0.6 ± 0.1, 1.7 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1 myr, implying a total span for the Early Triassic of 5.1 ± 0.1 myr. Therefore, relative to an assigned 251.902 ± 0.024 Ma for the Permian-Triassic boundary from the Meishan GSSP, the ages for these substage boundaries are 250.5 ± 0.1 Ma for base Dienerian, 249.9 ± 0.1 Ma for base Smithian (base of Olenekian stage), 248.2 ± 0.1 Ma for base Spathian, and 246.8 ± 0.1 Ma for the base of the Anisian Stage. This astronomical-calibrated timescale provides rates for the recurrent carbon isotope excursions and for trends in sedimentation accumulation through the Early Triassic of studied sections in South China.

Task 50 - deposition of lignites in the Fort Union Group and related strata of the northern Great Plains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartman, J.H.; Roth, B.; Kihm, A.J.

1997-08-11

Late Cretaceous, Paleocene, and early Eocene geologic and paleontologic studies were undertaken in western North Dakota, eastern and south-central Montana, and northwestern and northeastern Wyoming. These study areas comprise the Williston, Bighorn, and Powder River Basins, all of which contain significant lignite resources. Research was undertaken in these basins because they have the best geologic sections and fossil record for the development of a chronostratigraphic (time-rock) framework for the correlation of lignite beds and other economic resources. A thorough understanding of the precise geologic age of the deposition of sediments permits a powerful means of interpreting the record of geologic events across the northern Great Plains. Such an understanding allows for rigorous interpretation of paleoenviromnents and estimates of resource potential and quality in this area of economically significant deposits. This work is part of ongoing research to document change in the composition of molluscan fossil faunas to provide a paleoenvironmentally sensitive independent means of interpreting time intervals of brief duration during the Late Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene. This study focuses on the record of mollusks and, to a lesser extent, mammals in the (1) Hell Creek-Tullock Formations, which include the Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary, in the western portion of the Williston Basin, Montana; (2) uppermost Cretaceous, Paleocene, and lowermost Eocene strata in western North Dakota, which -includes the last interior seaway in North Dakota; (3) upper Paleocene and lowermost Eocene of the northern portion of the Bighorn Basin of south-central Montana and northwestern Wyoming; and (4) Powder River Basin of northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. The geologic record provides different physical and paleontological information to aid in interpreting the geologic record through the study interval.

A structural intermediate between triisodontids and mesonychians (Mammalia, Acreodi) from the earliest Eocene of Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabuce, Rodolphe; Clavel, Julien; Antunes, Miguel Telles

2011-02-01

A new mammal, Mondegodon eutrigonus gen. et sp. nov., is described from the earliest Eocene locality of Silveirinha, Portugal. This species shows dental adaptations indicative of a carnivorous diet. M. eutrigonus is referred to the order Acreodi and considered, along with the early Paleocene North American species Oxyclaenus cuspidatus, as a morphological intermediate between two groups of ungulate-like mammals, namely, the triisodontids and mesonychians. Considering that triisodontids are early to early-late Paleocene North American taxa, Mondegodon probably belongs to a group that migrated from North America towards Europe during the first part of the Paleocene. Mondegodon could represent thus a relict genus, belonging to the ante-Eocene European mammalian fauna. The occurrence of such a taxon in Southern Europe may reflect a period of isolation of this continental area during the Paleocene/Eocene transition. In this context, the non-occurrence of closely allied forms of Mondegodon in the Eocene North European mammalian faunas is significant. This strengthens the hypothesis that the mammalian fauna from Southern Europe is characterized by a certain degree of endemism during the earliest Eocene. Mondegodon also presents some striking similarities with an unnamed genus from the early Eocene of India which could represent the first Asian known transitional form between the triisodontids and mesonychians.

Feast to famine: Sediment supply control on Laramide basin fill

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Alan R.; Chetel, Lauren M.; Elliot Smith, M.

2006-03-01

Erosion of Laramide-style uplifts in the western United States exerted an important first-order influence on Paleogene sedimentation by controlling sediment supply rates to adjacent closed basins. During the latest Cretaceous through Paleocene, these uplifts exposed thick intervals of mud-rich Upper Cretaceous foreland basin fill, which was quickly eroded and redeposited. Cretaceous sedimentary lithologies dominate Paleocene conglomerate clast compositions, and the volume of eroded foreland basin strata is approximately twice the volume of preserved Paleocene basin fill. As a result of this sediment oversupply, clastic alluvial and paludal facies dominate Paleocene strata, and are associated with relatively shallow and ephemeral freshwater lake facies. In contrast, large, long-lived, carbonate-producing lakes occupied several of the basins during the Eocene. Basement-derived clasts (granite, quartzite, and other metamorphic rocks) simultaneously became abundant in lower Eocene conglomerate. We propose that Eocene lakes developed primarily due to exposure of erosion-resistant lithologies within cores of Laramide uplifts. The resultant decrease in erosion rate starved adjacent basins of sediment, allowing the widespread and prolonged deposition of organic-rich lacustrine mudstone. These observations suggest that geomorphic evolution of the surrounding landscape should be considered as a potentially important influence on sedimentation in many other interior basins, in addition to more conventionally interpreted tectonic and climatic controls.

THE IMPACT OF THE IONOSPHERE ON GROUND-BASED DETECTION OF THE GLOBAL EPOCH OF REIONIZATION SIGNAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sokolowski, Marcin; Wayth, Randall B.; Tremblay, Steven E.; Tingay, Steven J.; Waterson, Mark; Tickner, Jonathan; Emrich, David; Schlagenhaufer, Franz; Kenney, David; Padhi, Shantanu, E-mail: marcin.sokolowski@curtin.edu.au [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, G.P.O Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845 (Australia)

2015-11-01

The redshifted 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen (H i), potentially observable at low radio frequencies (∼50–200 MHz), is a promising probe of the physical conditions of the intergalactic medium during Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). The sky-averaged H i signal is expected to be extremely weak (∼100 mK) in comparison to the Galactic foreground emission (∼10{sup 4} K). Moreover, the sky-averaged spectra measured by ground-based instruments are affected by chromatic propagation effects (∼tens of kelvin) originating in the ionosphere. We analyze data collected with the upgraded Broadband Instrument for Global Hydrogen Reionization Signal system deployed at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory to assess the significance of ionospheric effects on the detection of the global EoR signal. The ionospheric effects identified in these data are, particularly during nighttime, dominated by absorption and emission. We measure some properties of the ionosphere, such as the electron temperature (T{sub e} ≈ 470 K at nighttime), magnitude, and variability of optical depth (τ{sub 100} {sub MHz} ≈ 0.01 and δτ ≈ 0.005 at nighttime). According to the results of a statistical test applied on a large data sample, very long integrations (∼100 hr collected over approximately 2 months) lead to increased signal-to-noise ratio even in the presence of ionospheric variability. This is further supported by the structure of the power spectrum of the sky temperature fluctuations, which has flicker noise characteristics at frequencies ≳10{sup −5} Hz, but becomes flat below ≈10{sup −5} Hz. Hence, we conclude that the stochastic error introduced by the chromatic ionospheric effects tends to zero in an average. Therefore, the ionospheric effects and fluctuations are not fundamental impediments preventing ground-based instruments from integrating down to the precision required by global EoR experiments, provided that the ionospheric contribution is

Paleoenvironmental changes across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in the northern Clarence valley, southeastern Marlborough, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollis, C.J.; Rodgers, K.A.; Strong, C.P.; Field, B.D.; Rogers, K.M.

2003-01-01

Strata outcropping in Mead and Branch Streams, northern Clarence valley, provide important records of pelagic-hemipelagic sedimentation through the Cretaceous-Paleocene transition in a southern high-latitude, upwelling system flanking a carbonate platform. The two stream sections, 13 C) indicate that high biological productivity continued across the K/T boundary and through the biosiliceous episode. Siliceous plankton thrived in the Marlborough upwelling zone during the Early Paleocene. Fluctuations in abundance and lithofacies can be related to significant changes in sea level, which may be the result of local tectonic or global climate changes. The delayed recovery of calcareous plankton after mass extinction at the K/T boundary, in both outer neritic and bathyal settings, indicates a relatively cool oceanic regime for the first 1.5 m.y. of the Paleocene. (author). 68 refs., 11 figs., 6 tabs

Recombination epoch revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krolik, J.H.

1989-01-01

Previous studies of cosmological recombination have shown that this process produces as a by-product a highly superthermal population of Ly-alpha photons which retard completion of recombination. Cosmological redshifting was thought to determine the frequency distribution of the photons, while two-photon decay of hydrogen's 2s state was thought to control their numbers. It is shown here that frequency diffusion due to photon scattering dominate the cosmological redshift in the frequency range near line center which fixes the ratio of ground state to excited state population, while incoherent scattering into the far-red damping wing effectively destroys Ly-alpha photons as a rate which is competitive with two-photon decay. The former effect tends to hold back recombination, while the latter tends to accelerate it; the net results depends on cosmological parameters, particularly the combination Omega(b) h/sq rt (2q0), where Omega(b) is the fraction of the critical density provided by baryons. 18 references

Correlation of structural lineaments with oil discoveries in Potwar sub-basin, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqbal, M.; Ali, S.M.

2001-01-01

The Potwar sub-basin is located in the foothills of western Himalayas. It is developed as a result of continent collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. This sub-basin is one of the major oil and gas producing-region of the country. Clastics of Cambrian, Permian, Jurassic, Paleocene, and carbonates of Permian, Paleocene, and Eocene are producing reservoir. Fractured and eocene carbonate reservoirs (Sakesar and Chorgali) are the main producing horizons in the region. Shale of infra-Cambrian-Cambrian and Paleocene are the main source rocks in the area. Interpretation of satellite data for lineament analysis coupled with stress models indicate that 63% of oil and gas fields fall along and 37% within 2-5 km radius of extensional lineaments and their corresponding open fractured zones developed due to various stress regimes. It is therefore suggested that exploration for hydrocarbon may be targeted in the strike extension of the mentioned lineaments in areas where optimum conditions for hydrocarbon generation exist. (author)

Intrusive hyaloclastite and peperitic breccias associated to sill and cryptodome emplacement on an Early Paleocene polymagmatic compound cone-dome volcanic complex from El Guanaco mine, Northern Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Páez, G. N.; Permuy Vidal, C.; Galina, M.; López, L.; Jovic, S. M.; Guido, D. M.

2018-04-01

This work explores the textural characteristics, morphology and facies architecture of well-preserved Paleocene hyaloclastic and peperitic breccias associated with subvolcanic intrusions at El Guanaco gold mine (Northern Chile). The El Guanaco mine volcanic sequence is part of a polymagmatic compound cone-dome volcanic complex grouping several dacitic domes and maar-diatremes, and subordinated subvolcanic intrusions of basaltic, andesitic and dacitic compositions. The Soledad-Peñafiel Fault System is a first order regional structure controlling the location and style of the volcanism in the region. Three different intrusive bodies (Basaltic sills, Dacitic cryptodomes and Andesitic cryptodomes) were found to intrude into a wet and poorly consolidated pyroclastic sequence representing the upper portions of a maar-diatreme. Consequently, extensive quench fragmentation and fluidization along their contacts occurred, leading to the formation of widespread breccia bodies enclosing a coherent nucleus. Differences in matrix composition allows to define two main breccias types: 1) poorly-sorted monomictic breccias (intrusive hyaloclastites) and 2) poorly-sorted tuff-matrix breccias (peperites). The observed facies architecture is interpreted as the result of the interplay of several factors, including: 1) magma viscosity, 2) the geometry of the intrusives, and 3) variations on the consolidation degree of the host rocks. Additionally, the overall geometry of each intrusive is interpreted to be controlled by the effective viscosity of the magmas along with the available magma volume at the time of the intrusions. The presence of three compositionally different subvolcanic bodies with intrusive hyaloclastite and peperite envelopes indicate, not only that all these intrusions occurred in a short period of time (probably less than 2-3 Ma), but also that the volcaniciclastic pile suffer little or none compaction nor consolidation during that time. The presence of three

An Extended ADOP for Performance Evaluation of Single-Frequency Single-Epoch Positioning by BDS/GPS in Asia-Pacific Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Liu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Single-Frequency Single-Epoch (SFSE high-precision positioning has always been the hot spot of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS, and ambiguity dilution of precision (ADOP is a well-known scalar measure for success rate of ambiguity resolution. Traditional ADOP expression is complicated, thus the SFSE extended ADOP (E-ADOP, with the newly defined Summation-Multiplication Ratio of Weight (SMRW and two theorems for short baseline, was developed. This simplifies the ADOP expression; gives a clearer insight into the influences of SMRW and number of satellites on E-ADOP; and makes theoretical analysis of E-ADOP more convenient than that of ADOP, and through that the E-ADOP value can be predicted more accurately than through the ADOP expression for ADOP value. E-ADOP reveals that number of satellites and SMRW or high-elevation satellite are important for ADOP and, through E-ADOP, we studied which factor is dominant to control ADOP in different conditions and make ADOP different between BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS, Global Positioning System (GPS, and BDS/GPS. Based on experimental results of SFSE positioning with different baselines, some conclusions are made: (1 ADOP decreases when new satellites are added mainly because the number of satellites becomes larger; (2 when the number of satellites is constant, ADOP is mainly affected by SMRW; (3 in contrast to systems where the satellites with low-elevation are the majority or where low- and high-elevation satellites are equally distributed, in systems where the high-elevation satellites are the majority, the SMRW mainly makes ADOP smaller, even if there are fewer satellites than in the two previous cases, and the difference in numbers of satellites can be expanded as the proportion of high-elevation satellites becomes larger; and (4 ADOP of BDS is smaller than ADOP of GPS mainly because of its SMRW.

Uppermost Cretaceous to middle Oligocene carbon and oxygen isotope stratigraphy of Southwest Pacific : holes 1121B and 1124C, ODP Leg 181

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, K.-Y.; Mii, H.-S.; Shu, I-T.; Lin, Y.-J.

2005-01-01

Oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios of bulk sediments from ODP Leg 181, holes 1121B and 1124C, in the Southwest Pacific were measured. The isotopic signals are mainly contributed by calcareous nannofossils with minimal diagenetic alteration. A complete section of the late Paleogene age between 60.7 and 57.5 Ma was recovered from Hole 1121B. However, the Paleogene sedimentary sequence of Hole 1124C was truncated by three major hiatuses: late Paleocene to middle Eocene (59-42 Ma), middle Eocene to early Oligocene (40-33.5 Ma), and early Oligocene to middle Oligocene (31.3-27.5 Ma). The middle Eocene shows the most negative δ 18 O values (c. -0.8 permille) compared to the early Paleocene (c. -0.2 to -0.3 permille) and Oligocene (c. 0.6-0.9 permille). The δ 18 O pattern is consistent with previous understanding of the Paleogene paleoclimate: a warmth optimum in the early-middle Eocene followed by a major glaciation in the early Oligocene at c. 34 Ma. The hiatus of 33.5-40 Ma indicates that the Tasmanian Gateway had deepened enough by 33.5 Ma, allowing the breakthrough of cold, bottom water and consequently the formation of the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC). With the aid of independent biochronological and magnetochronological markers, the Paleocene carbon isotopic profiles were correlated with that of DSDP 577 in the North Pacific. Both sites record the early part of the Paleocene carbon isotopic maximum event, while only Hole 1124C extends back to the early Paleocene and latest Cretaceous. A short hiatus of 60.5-62.5 Ma age may exist. Although the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary is not directly recorded, a significant cooling trend across the boundary is evident. The surface water became warmer after 64.5 Ma, and reached a stable warmth level during 64-59 Ma. A major cooling took place during c. 59-57 Ma in the late Paleocene. The temperature gradients between the two sites (ODP 1121 and 1124, paleolatitudes 64 degrees S versus 53 degrees S) are estimated to be c

Biostratigraphy of a Paleocene–Eocene Foreland Basin boundary in southern Tibet

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Xiaoqiao Wan

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This study of the Paleocene–Eocene boundary within a foreland basin of southern Tibet, which was dominated by a carbonate ramp depositional environment, documents more complex environmental conditions than can be derived from studies of the deep oceanic environment. Extinction rates for larger foraminiferal species in the Zongpu-1 Section apply to up to 46% of the larger foraminiferal taxa. The extinction rate in southern Tibet is similar to rates elsewhere in the world, but it shows that the Paleocene fauna disappeared stepwise through the Late Paleocene, with Eocene taxa appearing abruptly above the boundary. A foraminifera turnover was identified between Members 3 and 4 of the Zongpu Formation—from the Miscellanea–Daviesina assemblage to an Orbitolites–Alveolina assemblage. The Paleocene and Eocene boundary is between the SBZ 4 and SBZ 5, where it is marked by the extinction of Miscellanea miscella and the first appearance of Alveolina ellipsodalis and a large number of Orbitolites. Chemostratigraphically, the δ13C values from both the Zongpu-1 and Zongpu-2 Sections show three negative excursions in the transitional strata, one in Late Paleocene, one at the boundary, and one in the early Eocene. The second negative excursion of δ13C, which is located at the P–E boundary, coincides with larger foraminifera overturn. These faunal changes and the observed δ13C negative excursions provide new evidence on environmental changes across the Paleocene–Eocene boundary in Tibet.

VIRIAL BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATES FOR 280,000 AGNs FROM THE SDSS BROADBAND PHOTOMETRY AND SINGLE-EPOCH SPECTRA

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Kozłowski, Szymon, E-mail: simkoz@astrouw.edu.pl [Warsaw University Observatory, Al. Ujazdowskie, 4 00-478 Warszawa (Poland)

2017-01-01

We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Data Release 12 (DR12Q), containing nearly 300,000 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), to calculate the monochromatic luminosities at 5100, 3000, and 1350 Å, derived from the broadband extinction-corrected SDSS magnitudes. After matching these sources to their counterparts from the SDSS Quasar Data Release 7 (DR7Q), we find very high correlations between our luminosities and DR7Q spectra-based luminosities with minute mean offsets (∼0.01 dex) and dispersions of differences of 0.11, 0.10, and 0.12 dex, respectively, across a luminosity range of 2.5 dex. We then estimate the black hole (BH) masses of the AGNs using the broad line region radius–disk luminosity relations and the FWHM of the Mg ii and C iv emission lines, to provide a catalog of 283,033 virial BH mass estimates (132,451 for Mg ii, 213,071 for C iv, and 62,489 for both) along with the estimates of the bolometric luminosity and Eddington ratio for 0.1 <  z  < 5.5 and for roughly a quarter of the sky covered by SDSS. The BH mass estimates from Mg ii turned out to be closely matched to the ones from DR7Q with a dispersion of differences of 0.34 dex across a BH mass range of ∼2 dex. We uncovered a bias in the derived C iv FWHMs from DR12Q as compared to DR7Q, which we correct empirically. The C iv BH mass estimates should be used with caution because the C iv line is known to cause problems in the estimation of BH mass from single-epoch spectra. Finally, after the FWHM correction, the AGN BH mass estimates from C iv closely match the DR7Q ones (with a dispersion of 0.28 dex), and more importantly the Mg ii and C iv BH masses agree internally with a mean offset of 0.07 dex and a dispersion of 0.39 dex.

Long-Term Recovery of Life in the Chicxulub Crater

Science.gov (United States)

Lowery, C.; Jones, H.; Bralower, T. J.; Smit, J.; Rodriguez-Tovar, F. J.; Whalen, M. T.; Owens, J. D.; Expedition 364 Science Party, I. I.

2017-12-01

The Chicxulub Crater on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico was formed by the impact of an asteroid 66 Ma that caused the extinction of 75% of genera on Earth. Immediately following the impact, the decimated ecosystem began the long process of recovery, both in terms of primary productivity and species diversity. This well-documented process was heterogeneous across the world ocean, but until the present time it has been inaccessible at ground zero of the impact. IODP/ICDP Exp. 364 recovered 9.5 m of pelagic limestone spanning the entire Paleocene, including a continuous section spanning the first 5 myr following the impact. The Chicxulub Crater is the largest known marine impact crater on Earth, and the recovery of the ecosystem presented here is the first such record of long-term primary succession in the sterile zone of a large impact crater. Planktic and benthic foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, calcispheres, bioturbation, and geochemical proxies all indicate that export productivity in the Chicxulub Crater recovered rapidly (within 30 kyr) following the impact. Recovery in terms of diversity and species abundance took much longer, and varied between groups. Planktic foraminifera quickly diversified, with all common Paleocene tropical/subtropical species appearing roughly when expected. Trace fossils appear rapidly after the event, with a progressive recovery through the lowermost Paleocene. Calcareous nannoplankton took much longer to recover, and disaster taxa like Braarudosphaera dominated the assemblage well into the late Paleocene. Paleoecology and geochemistry relate these trends to oceanographic conditions within the Chicxulub Crater. Planktic foraminifera from known depth habitats, including Morozovellids, Acarininids, Chiloguembelinids, and Subbotinids, track changes in the water column structure and paleoredox conditions within the crater. Diverse and abundant macro- and microbenthic organisms indicate food availability and good oxygen conditions

The fossil record and taphonomy of butterflies and moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera): implications for evolutionary diversity and divergence-time estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohn, Jae-Cheon; Labandeira, Conrad C; Davis, Donald R

2015-02-04

It is conventionally accepted that the lepidopteran fossil record is significantly incomplete when compared to the fossil records of other, very diverse, extant insect orders. Such an assumption, however, has been based on cumulative diversity data rather than using alternative statistical approaches from actual specimen counts. We reviewed documented specimens of the lepidopteran fossil record, currently consisting of 4,593 known specimens that are comprised of 4,262 body fossils and 331 trace fossils. The temporal distribution of the lepidopteran fossil record shows significant bias towards the late Paleocene to middle Eocene time interval. Lepidopteran fossils also record major shifts in preservational style and number of represented localities at the Mesozoic stage and Cenozoic epoch level of temporal resolution. Only 985 of the total known fossil specimens (21.4%) were assigned to 23 of the 40 extant lepidopteran superfamilies. Absolute numbers and proportions of preservation types for identified fossils varied significantly across superfamilies. The secular increase of lepidopteran family-level diversity through geologic time significantly deviates from the general pattern of other hyperdiverse, ordinal-level lineages. Our statistical analyses of the lepidopteran fossil record show extreme biases in preservation type, age, and taxonomic composition. We highlight the scarcity of identified lepidopteran fossils and provide a correspondence between the latest lepidopteran divergence-time estimates and relevant fossil occurrences at the superfamily level. These findings provide caution in interpreting the lepidopteran fossil record through the modeling of evolutionary diversification and in determination of divergence time estimates.

First Results from the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) Survey: Cosmological Reionization at z ∼ 7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Zhen-Ya; Jiang, Chunyan [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Shanghai 200030 (China); Wang, Junxian; Hu, Weida; Kong, Xu [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Rhoads, James; Malhotra, Sangeeta; Gonzalez, Alicia [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Infante, Leopoldo; Galaz, Gaspar; Barrientos, L. Felipe [Institute of Astrophysics and Center for Astroengineering, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago 7820436 (Chile); Walker, Alistair R. [Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Casilla 603, La Serena (Chile); Jiang, Linhua [The Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Hibon, Pascale [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Casilla 19001, Santiago (Chile); Zheng, XianZhong, E-mail: zhengzy@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: linfante@astro.puc.cl, E-mail: jxw@ustc.edu.cn, E-mail: Sangeeta.Malhotra@asu.edu, E-mail: James.Rhoads@asu.edu [Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China)

2017-06-20

We present the first results from the ongoing Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) project, which is the largest narrowband survey for z ∼ 7 galaxies to date. Using a specially built narrowband filter NB964 for the superb large-area Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the NOAO/CTIO 4 m Blanco telescope, LAGER has collected 34 hr NB964 narrowband imaging data in the 3 deg{sup 2} COSMOS field. We have identified 23 Ly α Emitter candidates at z = 6.9 in the central 2-deg{sup 2} region, where DECam and public COSMOS multi-band images exist. The resulting luminosity function (LF) can be described as a Schechter function modified by a significant excess at the bright end (four galaxies with L {sub Lyα∼} 10{sup 43.4±0.2} erg s{sup −1}). The number density at L {sub Ly} {sub α} ∼ 10{sup 43.4±0.2} erg s{sup −1} is little changed from z = 6.6, while at fainter L {sub Lyα} it is substantially reduced. Overall, we see a fourfold reduction in Ly α luminosity density from z = 5.7 to z = 6.9. Combined with a more modest evolution of the continuum UV luminosity density, this suggests a factor of ∼3 suppression of Ly α by radiative transfer through the z ∼ 7 intergalactic medium (IGM). It indicates an IGM neutral fraction of x {sub Hi} ∼ 0.4–0.6 (assuming Ly α velocity offsets of 100–200 km s{sup −1}). The changing shape of the Ly α LF between z ≲ 6.6 and z = 6.9 supports the hypothesis of ionized bubbles in a patchy reionization at z ∼ 7.

SARAS 2: a spectral radiometer for probing cosmic dawn and the epoch of reionization through detection of the global 21-cm signal

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Saurabh; Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Shankar, N. Udaya; Rao, Mayuri Sathyanarayana; Girish, B. S.; Raghunathan, A.; Somashekar, R.; Srivani, K. S.

2018-04-01

The global 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn (CD) and the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), at redshifts z ˜ 6-30, probes the nature of first sources of radiation as well as physics of the Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM). Given that the signal is predicted to be extremely weak, of wide fractional bandwidth, and lies in a frequency range that is dominated by Galactic and Extragalactic foregrounds as well as Radio Frequency Interference, detection of the signal is a daunting task. Critical to the experiment is the manner in which the sky signal is represented through the instrument. It is of utmost importance to design a system whose spectral bandpass and additive spurious signals can be well calibrated and any calibration residual does not mimic the signal. Shaped Antenna measurement of the background RAdio Spectrum (SARAS) is an ongoing experiment that aims to detect the global 21-cm signal. Here we present the design philosophy of the SARAS 2 system and discuss its performance and limitations based on laboratory and field measurements. Laboratory tests with the antenna replaced with a variety of terminations, including a network model for the antenna impedance, show that the gain calibration and modeling of internal additive signals leave no residuals with Fourier amplitudes exceeding 2 mK, or residual Gaussians of 25 MHz width with amplitudes exceeding 2 mK. Thus, even accounting for reflection and radiation efficiency losses in the antenna, the SARAS 2 system is capable of detection of complex 21-cm profiles at the level predicted by currently favoured models for thermal baryon evolution.

Deposition of pyromagnetically-enhanced Marlboro Clay offset from spherule peak at onset of CIE and Paleocene-Eocene boundary at the midshelf Millville core site (NJ Coastal Plain)

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, D. V.; Lanci, L.; Wang, H.; Wright, J.

2017-12-01

Wilson Lake B and Millville are the two core sites on the NJ Coastal Plain where an impact spherule layer was discovered at the base of the Marlboro Clay, coinciding with the onset of the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) that identifies the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (Schaller+2016 Science). At the more proximal Wilson Lake site ( 35 m paleowater depth, 20 km from the paleoshore), enhanced magnetization of the Marlboro Clay marked by a dramatic increase in concentration of submicron magnetic particles closely coincided with the sharp peak in abundance of the spherules (Kent+2017 EPSL). Discounting magnetotactic bacteria and impact plume condensate as significant sources of the magnetic nanoparticles that dominate the magnetization of the 10 m-thick Marlboro Clay, a pyrogenetic origin was postulated whereby a widespread and intense conflagration over the hinterlands, quite possibly impact-induced, produced magnetic nanoparticles in the heated soils, a process long known from wildfires and laboratory heating experiments. The pyromagnetically-enhanced kaolinite-rich soils would have been swept from the denuded landscape and deposited across the adjoining shelf, perhaps as mudwaves, to become the Marlboro Clay. The Millville site at double the paleowater depth and distance to the paleoshore compared to Wilson Lake (Makarova+2017 Paleoceanography) shows a similar enhancement in magnetization of the Marlboro Clay. However, the increase in magnetization in Millville starts well above ( 50 cm) the spherule peak and the onset of the CIE, which coincide with a sharp drop in what little carbonate content there is in the Marlboro Clay, resulting in a zone barren of foraminifers (Makarova+2017 op. cit.). The offset in deposition might be due to added barren zone or a longer transit of the soil muds to the more distant Millville site but would not be expected if the magnetic nanoparticles were produced in more direct response to the onset of the CIE, as from proliferation of

EVOLUTION IN THE H I GAS CONTENT OF GALAXY GROUPS: PRE-PROCESSING AND MASS ASSEMBLY IN THE CURRENT EPOCH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hess, Kelley M. [Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (ACGC), Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa); Wilcots, Eric M., E-mail: hess@ast.uct.ac.za, E-mail: ewilcots@astro.wisc.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 (United States)

2013-11-01

We present an analysis of the neutral hydrogen (H I) content and distribution of galaxies in groups as a function of their parent dark matter halo mass. The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey α.40 data release allows us, for the first time, to study the H I properties of over 740 galaxy groups in the volume of sky common to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and ALFALFA surveys. We assigned ALFALFA H I detections a group membership based on an existing magnitude/volume-limited SDSS Data Release 7 group/cluster catalog. Additionally, we assigned group ''proximity' membership to H I detected objects whose optical counterpart falls below the limiting optical magnitude—thereby not contributing substantially to the estimate of the group stellar mass, but significantly to the total group H I mass. We find that only 25% of the H I detected galaxies reside in groups or clusters, in contrast to approximately half of all optically detected galaxies. Further, we plot the relative positions of optical and H I detections in groups as a function of parent dark matter halo mass to reveal strong evidence that H I is being processed in galaxies as a result of the group environment: as optical membership increases, groups become increasingly deficient of H I rich galaxies at their center and the H I distribution of galaxies in the most massive groups starts to resemble the distribution observed in comparatively more extreme cluster environments. We find that the lowest H I mass objects lose their gas first as they are processed in the group environment, and it is evident that the infall of gas rich objects is important to the continuing growth of large scale structure at the present epoch, replenishing the neutral gas supply of groups. Finally, we compare our results to those of cosmological simulations and find that current models cannot simultaneously predict the H I selected halo occupation distribution for both low and high mass halos.

The Epoch Pilot Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Uhlenberg, Donald M.; Molenaar, Richard A.

1982-01-01

Describes a program for high school students who are between their junior and senior years which provides an opportunity to take part in aviation courses at the University of North Dakota. Students take courses leading to a private pilot license, and earn college credit for their efforts. (JN)

The Epoch of Reionization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zaroubi, Saleem

2013-01-01

The Universe's dark ages end with the formation of the first generation of galaxies. These objects start emitting ultraviolet radiation that carves out ionized regions around them. After a sufficient number of ionizing sources have formed, the ionized fraction of the gas in the Universe rapidly

Physicists epoch and personalities

CERN Document Server

Feinberg, E L; Leonidov, A V

2011-01-01

The book is a collection of memoirs on famous Soviet physicists of the 20th century, such as Tamm, Vavilov, Sakharov, Landau and others. The narrative is situated within a remarkably well-described historical, cultural and social context. Of special interest are the chapters devoted to Soviet and German atomic projects.

A 6% measurement of the Hubble parameter at z ∼0.45: direct evidence of the epoch of cosmic re-acceleration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moresco, Michele; Cimatti, Andrea; Citro, Annalisa [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna, V.le Berti Pichat, 6/2, 40127, Bologna (Italy); Pozzetti, Lucia [INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, 40127 Bologna (Italy); Jimenez, Raul; Verde, Licia [ICREA and ICC, University of Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Barcelona 08028 (Spain); Maraston, Claudia; Thomas, Daniel; Wilkinson, David [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, Dennis Sciama Building, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, PO1 3FX (United Kingdom); Tojeiro, Rita, E-mail: michele.moresco@unibo.it, E-mail: lucia.pozzetti@oabo.inaf.it, E-mail: a.cimatti@unibo.it, E-mail: rauljimenez@g.harvard.edu, E-mail: claudia.maraston@port.ac.uk, E-mail: liciaverde@icc.ub.edu, E-mail: daniel.thomas@port.ac.uk, E-mail: annalisa.citro@unibo.it, E-mail: rmftr@st-andrews.ac.uk, E-mail: david.wilkinson@port.ac.uk [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Saint Andrews, KY16 9SS (United Kingdom)

2016-05-01

Deriving the expansion history of the Universe is a major goal of modern cosmology. To date, the most accurate measurements have been obtained with Type Ia Supernovae (SNe) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), providing evidence for the existence of a transition epoch at which the expansion rate changes from decelerated to accelerated. However, these results have been obtained within the framework of specific cosmological models that must be implicitly or explicitly assumed in the measurement. It is therefore crucial to obtain measurements of the accelerated expansion of the Universe independently of assumptions on cosmological models. Here we exploit the unprecedented statistics provided by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS, [1-3]) Data Release 9 to provide new constraints on the Hubble parameter H ( z ) using the cosmic chronometers approach. We extract a sample of more than 130000 of the most massive and passively evolving galaxies, obtaining five new cosmology-independent H ( z ) measurements in the redshift range 0.3 < z < 0.5, with an accuracy of ∼11–16% incorporating both statistical and systematic errors. Once combined, these measurements yield a 6% accuracy constraint of H ( z = 0.4293) = 91.8 ± 5.3 km/s/Mpc. The new data are crucial to provide the first cosmology-independent determination of the transition redshift at high statistical significance, measuring z {sub t} = 0.4 ± 0.1, and to significantly disfavor the null hypothesis of no transition between decelerated and accelerated expansion at 99.9% confidence level. This analysis highlights the wide potential of the cosmic chronometers approach: it permits to derive constraints on the expansion history of the Universe with results competitive with standard probes, and most importantly, being the estimates independent of the cosmological model, it can constrain cosmologies beyond—and including—the ΛCDM model.

A 6% measurement of the Hubble parameter at z ∼0.45: direct evidence of the epoch of cosmic re-acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moresco, Michele; Cimatti, Andrea; Citro, Annalisa; Pozzetti, Lucia; Jimenez, Raul; Verde, Licia; Maraston, Claudia; Thomas, Daniel; Wilkinson, David; Tojeiro, Rita

2016-01-01

Deriving the expansion history of the Universe is a major goal of modern cosmology. To date, the most accurate measurements have been obtained with Type Ia Supernovae (SNe) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), providing evidence for the existence of a transition epoch at which the expansion rate changes from decelerated to accelerated. However, these results have been obtained within the framework of specific cosmological models that must be implicitly or explicitly assumed in the measurement. It is therefore crucial to obtain measurements of the accelerated expansion of the Universe independently of assumptions on cosmological models. Here we exploit the unprecedented statistics provided by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS, [1-3]) Data Release 9 to provide new constraints on the Hubble parameter H ( z ) using the cosmic chronometers approach. We extract a sample of more than 130000 of the most massive and passively evolving galaxies, obtaining five new cosmology-independent H ( z ) measurements in the redshift range 0.3 < z < 0.5, with an accuracy of ∼11–16% incorporating both statistical and systematic errors. Once combined, these measurements yield a 6% accuracy constraint of H ( z = 0.4293) = 91.8 ± 5.3 km/s/Mpc. The new data are crucial to provide the first cosmology-independent determination of the transition redshift at high statistical significance, measuring z t = 0.4 ± 0.1, and to significantly disfavor the null hypothesis of no transition between decelerated and accelerated expansion at 99.9% confidence level. This analysis highlights the wide potential of the cosmic chronometers approach: it permits to derive constraints on the expansion history of the Universe with results competitive with standard probes, and most importantly, being the estimates independent of the cosmological model, it can constrain cosmologies beyond—and including—the ΛCDM model.

THE TYPE II SUPERNOVA RATE IN z {approx} 0.1 GALAXY CLUSTERS FROM THE MULTI-EPOCH NEARBY CLUSTER SURVEY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graham, M. L.; Sand, D. J. [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (United States); Bildfell, C. J.; Pritchet, C. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3055, STN CSC, Victoria BC V8W 3P6 (Canada); Zaritsky, D.; Just, D. W.; Herbert-Fort, S. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Hoekstra, H. [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, NL-2333 CA Leiden (Netherlands); Sivanandam, S. [Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada); Foley, R. J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2012-07-01

We present seven spectroscopically confirmed Type II cluster supernovae (SNe II) discovered in the Multi-Epoch Nearby Cluster Survey, a supernova survey targeting 57 low-redshift 0.05 < z < 0.15 galaxy clusters with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. We find the rate of Type II supernovae within R{sub 200} of z {approx} 0.1 galaxy clusters to be 0.026{sup +0.085}{sub -0.018}(stat){sup +0.003}{sub -0.001}(sys) SNuM. Surprisingly, one SN II is in a red-sequence host galaxy that shows no clear evidence of recent star formation (SF). This is unambiguous evidence in support of ongoing, low-level SF in at least some cluster elliptical galaxies, and illustrates that galaxies that appear to be quiescent cannot be assumed to host only Type Ia SNe. Based on this single SN II we make the first measurement of the SN II rate in red-sequence galaxies, and find it to be 0.007{sup +0.014}{sub -0.007}(stat){sup +0.009}{sub -0.001}(sys) SNuM. We also make the first derivation of cluster specific star formation rates (sSFR) from cluster SN II rates. We find that for all galaxy types the sSFR is 5.1{sup +15.8}{sub -3.1}(stat) {+-} 0.9(sys) M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} (10{sup 12} M{sub Sun }){sup -1}, and for red-sequence galaxies only it is 2.0{sup +4.2}{sub -0.9}(stat) {+-} 0.4(sys) M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} (10{sup 12} M{sub Sun }){sup -1}. These values agree with SFRs measured from infrared and ultraviolet photometry, and H{alpha} emission from optical spectroscopy. Additionally, we use the SFR derived from our SNII rate to show that although a small fraction of cluster Type Ia SNe may originate in the young stellar population and experience a short delay time, these results do not preclude the use of cluster SN Ia rates to derive the late-time delay time distribution for SNe Ia.

Improved survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes among extremely premature infants born near the limit of viability.

Science.gov (United States)

Younge, Noelle; Smith, P Brian; Gustafson, Kathryn E; Malcolm, William; Ashley, Patricia; Cotten, C Michael; Goldberg, Ronald N; Goldstein, Ricki F

2016-04-01

Infants born near the limit of viability are at high risk for death or adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. It is unclear whether these outcomes have improved over the past 15 years. To determine if death and neurodevelopmental impairment have declined over the past 15 years in infants born at 22 to 24 weeks' gestation. Retrospective cohort study. We identified infants born at 22 to 24 weeks' gestation in our center in two epochs: 1998-2004 (Epoch 1) and 2005-2011 (Epoch 2). The primary outcome, death or neurodevelopmental impairment, was evaluated at 17-25 months' corrected gestational age with neurologic exams and Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Perinatal characteristics, major morbidities, and outcomes were compared between epochs. Birth weight and gestational age were similar between 170 infants in Epoch 1 and 187 infants in Epoch 2. Mortality was significantly lower in Epoch 2, 55% vs. 42% (p=0.02). Among surviving infants, late-onset sepsis (pNeurodevelopmental impairment among surviving infants declined from 68% in Epoch 1 to 47% in Epoch 2, p=0.02. Odds of death or NDI were significantly lower in Epoch 2 vs. Epoch 1, OR=0.31 (95% confidence interval; 0.16, 0.58). Risk of death or neurodevelopmental impairment decreased over time in infants born at 22 to 24 weeks' gestation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early Paleogene Orbital Variations in Atmospheric CO2 and New Astronomical Solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Zeebe, R. E.

2017-12-01

Geologic records across the globe show prominent variations on orbital time scales during numerous epochs going back hundreds of millions of years. The origin of the Milankovic cycles are variations in orbital parameters of the bodies of the Solar System. On long time scales, the orbital variations can not be computed analytically because of the chaotic nature of the Solar System. Thus, numerical solutions are used to estimate changes in, e.g., Earth's orbital parameters in the past. The orbital solutions represent the backbone of cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology, now widely used in geology and paleoclimatology. Hitherto only two solutions for Earth's eccentricity appear to be used in paleoclimate studies, provided by two different groups that integrated the full Solar System equations over the past >100 Myr. In this presentation, I will touch on the basic physics behind, and present new results of, accurate Solar System integrations for Earth's eccentricity over the past hundred million years. I will discuss various limitations within the framework of the present simulations and compare the results to existing solutions. Furthermore, I will present new results from practical applications of such orbital solutions, including effects of orbital forcing on coupled climate- and carbon cycle variations. For instance, we have recently revealed a mechanism for a large lag between changes in carbon isotope ratios and eccentricity at the 400-kyr period, which has been observed in Paleocene, Oligocene, and Miocene sections. Finally, I will present the first estimates of orbital-scale variations in atmospheric CO2 during the early Paleogene.

Dynamics of Large-Scale Solar-Wind Streams Obtained by the Double Superposed Epoch Analysis: 2. Comparisons of CIRs vs. Sheaths and MCs vs. Ejecta

Science.gov (United States)

Yermolaev, Y. I.; Lodkina, I. G.; Nikolaeva, N. S.; Yermolaev, M. Y.

2017-12-01

This work is a continuation of our previous article (Yermolaev et al. in J. Geophys. Res. 120, 7094, 2015), which describes the average temporal profiles of interplanetary plasma and field parameters in large-scale solar-wind (SW) streams: corotating interaction regions (CIRs), interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs including both magnetic clouds (MCs) and ejecta), and sheaths as well as interplanetary shocks (ISs). As in the previous article, we use the data of the OMNI database, our catalog of large-scale solar-wind phenomena during 1976 - 2000 (Yermolaev et al. in Cosmic Res., 47, 2, 81, 2009) and the method of double superposed epoch analysis (Yermolaev et al. in Ann. Geophys., 28, 2177, 2010a). We rescale the duration of all types of structures in such a way that the beginnings and endings for all of them coincide. We present new detailed results comparing pair phenomena: 1) both types of compression regions ( i.e. CIRs vs. sheaths) and 2) both types of ICMEs (MCs vs. ejecta). The obtained data allow us to suggest that the formation of the two types of compression regions responds to the same physical mechanism, regardless of the type of piston (high-speed stream (HSS) or ICME); the differences are connected to the geometry ( i.e. the angle between the speed gradient in front of the piston and the satellite trajectory) and the jumps in speed at the edges of the compression regions. In our opinion, one of the possible reasons behind the observed differences in the parameters in MCs and ejecta is that when ejecta are observed, the satellite passes farther from the nose of the area of ICME than when MCs are observed.

Sleep-stage transitions during polysomnographic recordings as diagnostic features of type 1 narcolepsy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Julie Anja Engelhard; Carrillo, Oscar; Leary, Eileen B.

2015-01-01

Objective: Type 1 narcolepsy/hypocretin deficiency is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep fragmentation, and cataplexy. Short rapid eye movement (REM) latency (≤15 min) during nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) or during naps of the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) defines a sleep......-onset REM sleep period (SOREMP), a diagnostic hallmark. We hypothesized that abnormal sleep transitions other than SOREMPs can be identified in type 1 narcolepsy. Methods: Sleep-stage transitions (one to 10 epochs to one to five epochs of any other stage) and bout length features (one to 10 epochs) were...... of 19 cases and 708 sleep-clinic patients was used for the validation. Results: (1) ≥5 transitions from ≥5 epochs of stage N1 or W to ≥2 epochs of REM sleep, (2) ≥22 transitions from ≥3 epochs of stage N2 or N3 to ≥2 epochs of N1 or W, and (3) ≥16 bouts of ≥6 epochs of N1 or W were found to be highly...

Palynology and clay mineralogy of the Deccan volcanic associated ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

DCFB) sequence at Ninama in Saurashtra, Gujarat yielded palynoassemblage comprising at least 12 genera and 14 species including Paleocene taxa such as Intrareticulites brevis, Neocouperipollis spp., Striacolporites striatus, Retitricolpites ...

Paleobotanical Evidence for Near Present-Day Levels of Atmospheric CO2 During Part of the Tertiary

Science.gov (United States)

Royer, Dana L.; Wing, Scott L.; Beerling, David J.; Jolley, David W.; Koch, Paul L.; Hickey, Leo J.; Berner, Robert A.

2001-06-01

Understanding the link between the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and Earth's temperature underpins much of paleoclimatology and our predictions of future global warming. Here, we use the inverse relationship between leaf stomatal indices and the partial pressure of CO2 in modern Ginkgo biloba and Metasequoia glyptostroboides to develop a CO2 reconstruction based on fossil Ginkgo and Metasequoia cuticles for the middle Paleocene to early Eocene and middle Miocene. Our reconstruction indicates that CO2 remained between 300 and 450 parts per million by volume for these intervals with the exception of a single high estimate near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. These results suggest that factors in addition to CO2 are required to explain these past intervals of global warmth.

Heavy ion therapy: Bevalac epoch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, J.R.

1993-10-01

An overview of heavy ion therapy at the Bevelac complex (SuperHILac linear accelerator + Bevatron) is given. Treatment planning, clinical results with helium ions on the skull base and uveal melanoma, clinical results with high-LET charged particles, neon radiotherapy of prostate cancer, heavy charged particle irradiation for unfavorable soft tissue sarcoma, preliminary results in heavy charged particle irradiation of bone sarcoma, and irradiation of bile duct carcinoma with charged particles and-or photons are all covered

Adubação foliar: I. Épocas de aplicação de fósforo na cultura da soja Leaf fertilization: I. Epochs of phosphorus application on soybeans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Milanez de Rezende

2005-12-01

+ R1 + R4 + R6 respectivamente.The search for new alternatives in order to increase soybeans productivity has been constant objective of researchers and farmers. The crop responses to phosphorus application in the soil are well defined, being this nutrient very important on its development and yield. The leaf fertilization on this crop appears as a new rationale option, mainly when the plant nutrient levels are low. So, this work aimed to study the effect of phosphorus leaf fertilization, applied at different plant stage, including: V5, R1, R4, V5 + R1, V5 + R4, R1 + R4, V5 + R1 + R4, V5 + R1 + R4 + R6 and test plot. The experiment was installed in a soybeans crop, Monarca cultivar, at Palmital Farm, Ijaci county, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, using a totally randomized design, with 9 treatments and 3 replications. The chelate Quimifol P30 in liquid form with 30% of the nutrient soluble in CNA + water in the, with doses of 2 l. ha-1, was utilized as phosphorus source, using the applications performed with a constant pressure CO2-nebulizer. The different epochs of phosphorous application significantly altered the grains yield, proportioning significant increases, up to 16% for the V5, V5 + R1, V5 + R4, V5 + R1 + R4, V5 + R1 + R4 + R6 epochs, when compared to the test plot, clearly expressing the positive effect of these applications at V5 stage. The plant height, first legume insertion, and lodging index characteristics were not significantly altered by the different epochs evaluated. It was observed significant response for the nutrient leaf amounts only in the case of K and Zn indices, exclusively in the V5 + R4, and in the V5, V5 + R1 and V5 + R1 + R4 + R6 treatments, respectively.

HST/COS OBSERVATIONS OF THE QUASAR HE 2347-4342: PROBING THE EPOCH OF He II PATCHY REIONIZATION AT REDSHIFTS z = 2.4-2.9

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shull, J. Michael; France, Kevin; Danforth, Charles W.; Smith, Britton; Tumlinson, Jason

2010-01-01

We report ultraviolet spectra of the high-redshift (z em ∼ 2.9) quasar, HE 2347 - 4342, taken by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. Spectra in the G130M (medium resolution, 1135-1440 A) and G140L (low resolution, 1030-2000 A) gratings exhibit patchy Gunn-Peterson absorption in the 303.78 A Lyα line of He II between z = 2.39-2.87 (G140L) and z = 2.74-2.90 (G130M). With COS, we obtain better spectral resolution, higher signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), and better determined backgrounds than previous studies, with sensitivity to abundance fractions x He I I ∼ 0.01 in filaments of the cosmic web. The He II optical depths from COS are higher than those with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer and range from τ He I I ≤ 0.02 to τ He I I ≥ 5, with a slow recovery in mean optical depth to (τ He I I ) ≤ 2 at z abs ∼ z QSO and minimal 'proximity effect' of flux transmission at the He II edge. We propose a QSO systemic redshift z QSO = 2.904 ± 0.002, some Δz = 0.019 higher than that derived from O I λ1302 emission. Three long troughs (4-10 A or 25-60 Mpc comoving distance) of strong He II absorption between z = 2.75and2.90 are uncharacteristic of the intergalactic medium if He II reionized at z r ∼ 3. Contrary to recent indirect estimates (z r = 3.2 ± 0.2) from H I optical depths, the epoch of He II reionization may extend to z ∼< 2.7.

Stratigraphy and Folding in the Cenozoic Cover of a Fold-Thrust Belt in the Nallıhan Region (Ankara, Central Turkey)

Science.gov (United States)

Karaaǧaç, Serdal; Koral, Hayrettin

2017-04-01

This study investigates stratigraphy and structural features in the Cenozoic sedimentary sequence of the fold-thrust belt of the Nallıhan-Ankara region, located to the north of the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan Suture Zone. Permian-Triassic age marble intercalated with schist-phyllites, the upper Jurassic-lower Cretaceous age limestone and the upper Cretaceous age sandstone-shale alternation compose the basement in the study area. These rocks are unconformably overlain by the Cenozoic age terrestrial sedimentary and volcanic units. The Cenozoic stratigraphy begins with the Paleocene-Eocene age coal-bearing, at times, volcanic intercalated conglomerate-sandstone-mudstone alternation of alluvial-fluvial origins (Aksaklar Formation) and the tuff intercalated with lacustrine limestone, bituminous limestone (Kabalar Formation). These units are conformably overlain by the Eocene age basalt-andesite and pyroclastic rocks (Meyildere volcanics). The Paleocene-Eocene aged units are unconformably overlain by the conglomerate-sandstone-mudstone-marl of a lower-middle Miocene lacustrine environment (Hançili Formation). The terrestrial conglomerate-sandstone alternation (Örencik Formation) is the youngest unit in the Cenozoic stratigraphy, and is assumed to be of Pliocene age based its stratigraphic position on older units. Field study shows existence of both folds and faults in the sedimentary cover. Stereographic projections of bedding measured in the field shows N25W/45NW and N60W/4SE-oriented fold axes in the Paleocene-Eocene age units. There are also N76W/12SE and N88E/8NE-oriented folds. The difference in fold-axis orientations suggests that some folds may have been rotated in blocks bound by faults during the post-Paleocene/Eocene period. Whereas, the lower-middle Miocene units manifest N88W/13SE-oriented fold axes. It is thus proposed that the observed difference in the azimuth of fold axes represent two different folding phases, one with NE-SW and the other with N

The Study of enclaves and relative age of plutonic bodies in the Alvand Plutonic complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sepahi Gerow, A. A.; Moien-Vaziri, H.

2000-01-01

The study of enclaves and field observations indicate that: The Alvand plutonic complex comprise several plutonic phases with sharp contact and different ages. The older plutonic rocks are composed of gabbro, diorite and tonalites. The porphyroid granites were formed at least in two phases and they are younger than gabbros, diorites and tonalites. The hololeucocratic granitoids were also formed in two phases and they are the youngest plutonic phase in the Alvand plutonic complex. The granitic rocks are magmatic and they are not metasomatic in origin. The porphyroid granites (monzogranites and granodiorites) are S-type (Anatexites). According to radiometric ages and relative ages we believe that mafic plutonism have occurred during pre-middle Cretaceous to Paleocene ages and felsic plutonism have occurred during middle Cretaceouc to Paleocene ages

Plate-wide stress relaxation explains European Palaeocene basin inversions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, S.B.; Thomsen, Erik; Hansen, D.L.

2005-01-01

of the in-plane tectonic stress. The onset of relaxation inversions was plate-wide and simultaneous, and may have been triggered by stress changes caused by elevation of the North Atlantic lithosphere by the Iceland plume or the drop in NS convergence rate between Africa and Europe.......During Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic times many Paleozoic and Mesozoic rifts and basin structures in the interior of the European continent underwent several phases of inversion. The main phases occurred during the Late Cretaceous and Middle Paleocene, and have been explained by pulses...... Paleocene phase was characterized by domal uplift of a wider area with only mild fault movements, and formation of more distal and shallow marginal troughs. A simple flexural model explains how domal, secondary inversion follows inevitably from primary, convergence related inversion upon relaxation...

Galaxy formation in the reionization epoch as hinted by Wide Field Camera 3 observations of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Haojing; Windhorst, Rogier A.; Cohen, Seth H.; Hathi, Nimish P.; Ryan, Russell E.; O'Connell, Robert W.; McCarthy, Patrick J.

2010-01-01

towards z ∼ 6. In this scenario, the majority of the stellar mass that the universe assembled through the reionization epoch seems still undetected by current observations at z ∼ 6. (research papers)

Inflation in a closed universe

Science.gov (United States)

Ratra, Bharat

2017-11-01

To derive a power spectrum for energy density inhomogeneities in a closed universe, we study a spatially-closed inflation-modified hot big bang model whose evolutionary history is divided into three epochs: an early slowly-rolling scalar field inflation epoch and the usual radiation and nonrelativistic matter epochs. (For our purposes it is not necessary to consider a final dark energy dominated epoch.) We derive general solutions of the relativistic linear perturbation equations in each epoch. The constants of integration in the inflation epoch solutions are determined from de Sitter invariant quantum-mechanical initial conditions in the Lorentzian section of the inflating closed de Sitter space derived from Hawking's prescription that the quantum state of the universe only include field configurations that are regular on the Euclidean (de Sitter) sphere section. The constants of integration in the radiation and matter epoch solutions are determined from joining conditions derived by requiring that the linear perturbation equations remain nonsingular at the transitions between epochs. The matter epoch power spectrum of gauge-invariant energy density inhomogeneities is not a power law, and depends on spatial wave number in the way expected for a generalization to the closed model of the standard flat-space scale-invariant power spectrum. The power spectrum we derive appears to differ from a number of other closed inflation model power spectra derived assuming different (presumably non de Sitter invariant) initial conditions.

Assembling the Infrared Extragalactic Background Light with CIBER-2: Probing Inter-Halo Light and the Epoch of Reionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Bock, James

We propose to carry out a program of observations with the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER-2). CIBER-2 is a near-infrared sounding rocket experiment designed to measure spatial fluctuations in the extragalactic background light. CIBER-2 scientifically follows on the detection of fluctuations with the CIBER-1 imaging instrument, and will use measurement techniques developed and successfully demonstrated by CIBER-1. With high-sensitivity, multi-band imaging measurements, CIBER-2 will elucidate the history of interhalo light (IHL) production and carry out a deep search for extragalactic background fluctuations associated with the epoch of reionization (EOR). CIBER-1 has made high-quality detections of large-scale fluctuations over 4 sounding rocket flights. CIBER-1 measured the amplitude and spatial power spectrum of fluctuations, and observed an electromagnetic spectrum that is close to Rayleigh-Jeans, but with a statistically significant turnover at 1.1 um. The fluctuations cross-correlate with Spitzer images and are significantly bluer than the spectrum of the integrated background derived from galaxy counts. We interpret the CIBER-1 fluctuations as arising from IHL, low-mass stars tidally stripped from their parent galaxies during galaxy mergers. The first generation of stars and their remnants are likely responsible for the for the reionization of the intergalactic medium, observed to be ionized out to the most distant quasars at a redshift of 6. The total luminosity produced by first stars is uncertain, but a lower limit can be placed assuming a minimal number of photons to produce and sustain reionization. This 'minimal' extragalactic background component associated with reionization is detectable in fluctuations at the design sensitivity of CIBER-2. The CIBER-2 instrument is optimized for sensitivity to surface brightness in a short sounding rocket flight. The instrument consists of a 28 cm wide-field telescope operating in 6 spectral bands

Constraining the Evolution of the Ionizing Background and the Epoch of Reionization with z~6 Quasars. II. A Sample of 19 Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xiaohui; Strauss, Michael A.; Becker, Robert H.; White, Richard L.; Gunn, James E.; Knapp, Gillian R.; Richards, Gordon T.; Schneider, Donald P.; Brinkmann, J.; Fukugita, Masataka

2006-07-01

We study the evolution of the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at the end of the reionization epoch using moderate-resolution spectra of a sample of 19 quasars at 5.745.7: the GP optical depth evolution changes from τeffGP~(1+z)4.3 to (1+z)>~11, and the average length of dark gaps with τ>3.5 increases from 80 comoving Mpc. The dispersion of IGM properties along different lines of sight also increases rapidly, implying fluctuations by a factor of >~4 in the UV background at z>6, when the mean free path of UV photons is comparable to the correlation length of the star-forming galaxies that are thought to have caused reionization. The mean length of dark gaps shows the most dramatic increase at z~6, as well as the largest line-of-sight variations. We suggest using dark gap statistics as a powerful probe of the ionization state of the IGM at yet higher redshift. The sizes of H II regions around luminous quasars decrease rapidly toward higher redshift, suggesting that the neutral fraction of the IGM has increased by a factor of >~10 from z=5.7 to 6.4, consistent with the value derived from the GP optical depth. The mass-averaged neutral fraction is 1%-4% at z~6.2 based on the GP optical depth and H II region size measurements. The observations suggest that z~6 is the end of the overlapping stage of reionization and are inconsistent with a mostly neutral IGM at z~6, as indicated by the finite length of the dark absorption gaps. Based on observations obtained with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation, with the MMT Observatory, a joint facility of the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution, and with the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4 m Mayall Telescope. This paper

Basement tectonics and flexural subsidence along western continental margin of India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.K. Pandey

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The Paleocene-recent post-rift subsidence history recorded in the Mumbai Offshore Basin off western continental margin of India is examined. Results obtained through 2-D flexural backstripping modelling of new seismic data reveal considerable thermo-tectonic subsidence over last ca. 56 Myr. Reverse post-rift subsidence modelling with variable β stretching factor predicts residual topography of ca. 2000 m to the west of Shelf Margin Basin and fails to restore late Paleocene horizon and the underlying igneous basement to the sea level. This potentially implies that: (1 either the igneous basement formed during the late Cretaceous was emplaced under open marine environs; or (2 a laterally varying cumulative subsidence occurred within Mumbai Offshore Basin (MOB during ca. 68 to ca. 56 Ma. Pre-depositional topographic variations at ca. 56 Ma across the basin could be attributed to the extensional processes such as varied lower crustal underplating along Western Continental Margin of India (WCMI. Investigations about basement tectonics after unroofing of sediments since late Paleocene from this region support a transitional and heavily stretched nature of crust with high to very high β factors. Computations of past sediment accumulation rates show that the basin sedimentation peaked during late Miocene concurrently with uplift of Himalayan–Tibetan Plateau and intensification of Indian monsoon system. Results from basin subsidence modelling presented here may have significant implications for further studies attempting to explore tectono–climatic interactions in Asia.

Diagenesis of sedimentary phosphorite deposits in Djebel Onk basin, Algeria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Redjehimi, Hacène; Friis, Henrik; Boutaleb, Abdelhak

affecting the Upper Paleocene phosphorites of the Djebel Onk include: (1) accumulation of phosphate grains, (2) compaction, (3) dolomite cementation, (3) minor amount of other diagenetic mineral cements: opal-CT, K-feldspar overgrowth, clinoptinolite and pyrite, (4) dissolution of dolomite crystals...

Climate and sea-level changes across a shallow marine Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary succession in Patagonia, Argentina

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellekoop, Johan; Holwerda, Femke; Prámparo, Mercedes B.; Willmott, Veronica; Schouten, Stefan; Cúneo, Nestor R.; Scasso, Roberto A.; Brinkhuis, Henk

2017-01-01

Upper Maastrichtian to lower Paleocene, coarse-grained deposits of the Lefipán Formation in Chubut Province, (Patagonia, Argentina) provide an opportunity to study environmental changes across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) boundary in a shallow marine depositional environment. Marine

Scaled biotic disruption during early Eocene global warming events

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gibbs, S.J.; Bown, P.R.; Murphy, B.H.; Sluijs, A.; Edgar, K.M.; Pälike, H.; Bolton, C.T.; Zachos, J.C.

2012-01-01

Late Paleocene and early Eocene hyperthermals are transient warming events associated with massive perturbations of the global carbon cycle, and are considered partial analogues for current anthropogenic climate change. Because the magnitude of carbon release varied between the events, they are

Detailed measured sections, cross sections, and paleogeographic reconstructions of the upper cretaceous and lower tertiary nonmarine interval, Wind River Basin, Wyoming: Chapter 10 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas resources in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.

2007-01-01

Detailed measured sections and regional stratigraphic cross sections are used to reconstruct facies maps and interpret paleogeographic settings for the interval from the base of Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Formation to top of lower member of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming. The Mesaverde Formation spans the time during which the Upper Cretaceous seaway retreated eastward out of central Wyoming in Campanian time and the initial stages of the Lewis transgression in earliest Maastrichtian time. This retreat stalled for a considerable period of time during deposition of the lower part of the Mesaverde, creating a thick buildup of marginal marine sandstones and coaly coastal plain deposits across the western part of the basin. The Lewis sea transgressed into the northeast part of Wind River Basin, beginning in early Maastrichtian time during deposition of the Teapot Sandstone Member of the Mesaverde Formation. The Meeteetse Formation, which overlies the Teapot, was deposited in a poorly-drained coastal plain setting southwest of the Lewis seaway. The Lewis seaway, at maximum transgression, covered much of the northeast half of the Wind River Basin area but was clearly deflected around the present site of the Wind River Range, southwest of the basin, providing the first direct evidence of Laramide uplift on that range. Uplift of the Wind River Range continued during deposition of the overlying Maastrichtian Lance Formation. The Granite Mountains south of the basin also became a positive feature during this time. A rapidly subsiding trough during the Maastrichtian time formed near the presentday trough of the Wind River Basin in which more than 6,000 feet of Lance was deposited. The development of this trough appears to have begun before the adjacent Owl Creek Mountains to the north started to rise; however, a muddy facies in the upper part of Lance in the deep subsurface, just to the south, might be interpreted to indicate that the

Functional coupling networks inferred from prefrontal cortex activity show experience-related effective plasticity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaia Tavoni

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Functional coupling networks are widely used to characterize collective patterns of activity in neural populations. Here, we ask whether functional couplings reflect the subtle changes, such as in physiological interactions, believed to take place during learning. We infer functional network models reproducing the spiking activity of simultaneously recorded neurons in prefrontal cortex (PFC of rats, during the performance of a cross-modal rule shift task (task epoch, and during preceding and following sleep epochs. A large-scale study of the 96 recorded sessions allows us to detect, in about 20% of sessions, effective plasticity between the sleep epochs. These coupling modifications are correlated with the coupling values in the task epoch, and are supported by a small subset of the recorded neurons, which we identify by means of an automatized procedure. These potentiated groups increase their coativation frequency in the spiking data between the two sleep epochs, and, hence, participate to putative experience-related cell assemblies. Study of the reactivation dynamics of the potentiated groups suggests a possible connection with behavioral learning. Reactivation is largely driven by hippocampal ripple events when the rule is not yet learned, and may be much more autonomous, and presumably sustained by the potentiated PFC network, when learning is consolidated. Cell assemblies coding for memories are widely believed to emerge through synaptic modification resulting from learning, yet their identification from activity is very arduous. We propose a functional-connectivity-based approach to identify experience-related cell assemblies from multielectrode recordings in vivo, and apply it to the prefrontal cortex activity of rats recorded during a task epoch and the preceding and following sleep epochs. We infer functional couplings between the recorded cells in each epoch. Comparisons of the functional coupling networks across the epochs allow us

Preliminary Results From the Chicxulub Post-Impact Sediments: XRF and Physical Properties Data

Science.gov (United States)

Gebhardt, C.; Perez-Cruz, L. L.; Chenot, É.; Christeson, G. L.; Le Ber, E.; Lofi, J.; Nixon, C.; Rae, A.; Expedition 364 Science Party, I. I.

2017-12-01

In spring 2016, joint IODP/ICDP Expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater, offshore the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A continuous core was drilled (Hole M0077A) and recovered a sequence of Paleogene post-impact rocks, suevites, impact-melt rocks and granitic basement between 505.7 m and 1334.7 m below sea floor (bsf). The Chicxulub crater was formed 66 million years ago by an impact. This catastrophic event was directly linked to a major mass extinction. For this study, we concentrate on the post-impact sediments (505.7 to 617.3 m bsf; 48 to 66 Ma). The main goal of drilling the post-impact section was to study the pace and mode of recovery of life in the ocean after the impact, and to analyze the paleoenvironmental changes across the Paleocene and Eocene. The late Paleocene and Eocene are characterized by a series of transient warming events, so-called hyperthermals that were associated with increased atmospheric pCO2. Here, we present preliminary geochemical and physical properties data from the 112 m of Paleogene sediments. XRF data show high log (Ca/Ti) values between 617 and 598 m bsf (Paleocene and early Eocene), and lower values between 598 and 505 m bsf. In particular the upper part is characterized by high-frequency fluctuations in log (Ca/Ti) reflecting repeated changes in lithology. These were presumably caused by Milankovitch cycles. Low log (Ba/Ti) values characterize the lowermost part of the record between 617 and 610, followed by a gradual increase to higher values, presumably indicating an increase in primary productivity towards the end of the Paleocene. Values remain at this higher level between 605 and 540 m bsf. Hyperthermals are characterized by strong positive log (Ba/Ti) peaks, likely pointing at highly elevated primary productivity levels during these short-lived events. Between 540 and 505 m bsf, log (Ba/Ti) values are more variable and drop occasionally to values as low as were encountered in the lowermost part

Palaeoceanographic and biotic response during early Eocene extreme global warming events. Geologica Ultraiectina (328)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stap, H.L.

2010-01-01

Studying past intervals of abrupt global warming and massive carbon release can improve our knowledge in ways relevant to understanding future climate change. Possible paleo-analogues for future climate change are the early Paleogene hyperthermal events, such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Epoch-based analysis of speech signals

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

on speech production characteristics, but also helps in accurate analysis of speech. .... include time delay estimation, speech enhancement from single and multi- ...... log. (. E[k]. ∑K−1 l=0. E[l]. ) ,. (7) where K is the number of samples in the ...

Nature(andculture in the anthropocene epoch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grażyna Gajewska

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with a New Understanding of nature and culture, which is being crystallized in the intellectual current defined by the name of post-humanities. The starting point for the analysis of work of art from the area of bioart – transgenic plant named Edunia, which is a part of a larger project Natural History of the Enigma. Edunia, which does not occur in nature but was created by the artist Eduardo Kac by means of specialists in the field of genetic engineering. A new form of life defined as plantimal shows a DNA expression of the artist included into decorative flowers of petunia. Rose petals of flowers are “interspersed” by dark red vessels the feature of which is the expression of Kac’s gene; this because the artist took care of that that his DNA was found just in the venation of the flower. In the article I present two interpretation paths of this work of bioart which, however, are not a sharp counterpoint to one another, but somewhat differently place accents between nature and culture in their mutual entanglements. One of these paths may be defined as an attempt at making others realise or reminding them about our evolutional species condition, while the other one as an attempt at treating nature as an important actor of the sociopolitical activities.

Time-resolved Polarimetry of the Superluminous SN 2015bn with the Nordic Optical Telescope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leloudas, Giorgos; Maund, Justyn R.; Gal-Yam, Avishay

2017-01-01

We present imaging polarimetry of the superluminous supernova SN 2015bn, obtained over nine epochs between -20 and +46 days with the Nordic Optical Telescope. This was a nearby, slowly evolving Type I superluminous supernova that has been studied extensively and for which two epochs of spectropol......We present imaging polarimetry of the superluminous supernova SN 2015bn, obtained over nine epochs between -20 and +46 days with the Nordic Optical Telescope. This was a nearby, slowly evolving Type I superluminous supernova that has been studied extensively and for which two epochs...... of spectropolarimetry are also available. Based on field stars, we determine the interstellar polarization in the Galaxy to be negligible. The polarization of SN 2015bn shows a statistically significant increase during the last epochs, confirming previous findings. Our well-sampled imaging polarimetry series allows us...

Evolution of the Chos Malal and Agrio fold and thrust belts, Andes of Neuquén: Insights from structural analysis and apatite fission track dating

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas Vera, E. A.; Mescua, J.; Folguera, A.; Becker, T. P.; Sagripanti, L.; Fennell, L.; Orts, D.; Ramos, V. A.

2015-12-01

The Chos Malal and Agrio fold and thrust belts are located in the western part of the Neuquén basin, an Andean retroarc basin of central-western Argentina. Both belts show evidence of tectonic inversion at the western part during Late Cretaceous times. The eastern part is dominated by late Miocene deformation which also partially reactivated the western structures. This work focuses on the study of the regional structure and the deformational event that shaped the relief of this part of the Andes. Based on new field work and structural data and previously published works a detailed map of the central part of the Neuquén basin is presented. Three regional structural cross sections were surveyed and balanced using the 2d Move™ software. In order to define a more accurate uplift history, new apatite fission track analyses were carried on selected structures. These data was used for new thermal history modeling of the inner part of the Agrio and Chos Malal fold and thrust belts. The results of the fission track analyses improve the knowledge of how these fold and thrust belts have grown trough time. Two main deformational events are defined in Late Cretaceous to Paleocene and Late Miocene times. Based on this regional structural analysis and the fission track data the precise location of the orogenic front for the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene times is reconstructed and it is proposed a structural evolution of this segment of the Andes. This new exhumation data show how the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene event was a continuous and uninterrupted deformational event.

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronological and sedimentological study of the Simao Basin, Yunnan: Implications for the Early Cenozoic evolution of the Red River

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yi; Yan, Maodu; Fang, Xiaomin; Song, Chunhui; Zhang, Weilin; Zan, Jinbo; Zhang, Zhiguo; Li, Bingshuai; Yang, Yongpeng; Zhang, Dawen

2017-10-01

The paleo-Red River is suggested to have been a continental-scale drainage system connecting the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea. However, the evolution of the paleo-Red River is still under debate. This study presents new results from sedimentological analyses and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic data from fluvial sedimentary rocks of Paleocene to Oligocene age of the Simao Basin to constrain the nature of the paleo-drainage system of the Red River. The detrital zircon U-Pb results reveal multiple age groups at 190-240 Ma, 260-280 Ma, 450-540 Ma, 1700-1900 Ma and 2400-2600 Ma for the Paleocene to late Eocene Denghei Formation (Fm.), but only one conspicuous peak at 220-240 Ma for the late Eocene-Oligocene Mengla Fm. Provenance analyses illustrate that the former likely had source areas that included the Hoh-Xil, Songpan-Ganzi, northern Qiangtang, Yidun and western Yangtze Terranes, which are consistent with the catchments of the Upper and Lower Jinshajiang Segments, whereas the latter mainly transported material from a limited number of sources, such as the Lincang granitic intrusions west of the Simao Basin. Integrated with available detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic and paleogeographic data, our study suggests the existence of a paleo-Red River during the Paleocene to late Eocene that was truncated and lost its northern sources after approximately 35 Ma, due to left-lateral strike-slip faulting of the Ailao Shan-Red River and clockwise rotation of the Lanping-Simao Terrane.

FORMATION EPOCHS, STAR FORMATION HISTORIES, AND SIZES OF MASSIVE EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES IN CLUSTER AND FIELD ENVIRONMENTS AT z = 1.2: INSIGHTS FROM THE REST-FRAME ULTRAVIOLET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rettura, Alessandro; Demarco, R.; Ford, H. C.; Rosati, P.; Gobat, R.; Nonino, M.; Fosbury, R. A. E.; Menci, N.; Strazzullo, V.; Mei, S.

2010-01-01

We derive stellar masses, ages, and star formation histories (SFHs) of massive early-type galaxies in the z = 1.237 RDCS1252.9-2927 cluster and compare them with those measured in a similarly mass-selected sample of field contemporaries drawn from the Great Observatories Origin Deep Survey South Field. Robust estimates of these parameters are obtained by comparing a large grid of composite stellar population models with 8-9 band photometry in the rest-frame near-ultraviolet, optical, and IR, thus sampling the entire relevant domain of emission of the different stellar populations. Additionally, we present new, deep U-band photometry of both fields, giving access to the critical far-ultraviolet rest frame, in order to empirically constrain the dependence of the most recent star formation processes on the environment. We also analyze the morphological properties of both samples to examine the dependence of their scaling relations on their mass and environment. We find that early-type galaxies, both in the cluster and in the field, show analogous optical morphologies, follow comparable mass versus size relation, have congruent average surface stellar mass densities, and lie on the same Kormendy relation. We also show that a fraction of early-type galaxies in the field employ longer timescales, τ, to assemble their mass than their cluster contemporaries. Hence, we conclude that while the formation epoch of early-type galaxies only depends on their mass, the environment does regulate the timescales of their SFHs. Our deep U-band imaging strongly supports this conclusion. We show that cluster galaxies are at least 0.5 mag fainter than their field contemporaries of similar mass and optical-to-infrared colors, implying that the last episode of star formation must have happened more recently in the field than in the cluster.

EVIDENCE FOR PopIII-LIKE STELLAR POPULATIONS IN THE MOST LUMINOUS Lyα EMITTERS AT THE EPOCH OF REIONIZATION: SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobral, David; Santos, Sérgio [Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade de Lisboa, OAL, Tapada da Ajuda, PT1349-018 Lisbon (Portugal); Matthee, Jorryt; Röttgering, Huub J. A. [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Darvish, Behnam; Mobasher, Bahram; Hemmati, Shoubaneh [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Schaerer, Daniel, E-mail: sobral@iastro.pt [Observatoire de Genève, Département d’Astronomie, Université de Genève, 51 Ch. des Maillettes, 1290 Versoix (Switzerland)

2015-08-01

Faint Lyα emitters become increasingly rarer toward the reionization epoch (z ∼ 6–7). However, observations from a very large (∼5 deg{sup 2}) Lyα narrow-band survey at z = 6.6 show that this is not the case for the most luminous emitters, capable of ionizing their own local bubbles. Here we present follow-up observations of the two most luminous Lyα candidates in the COSMOS field: “MASOSA” and “CR7.” We used X-SHOOTER, SINFONI, and FORS2 on the Very Large Telescope, and DEIMOS on Keck, to confirm both candidates beyond any doubt. We find redshifts of z = 6.541 and z = 6.604 for “MASOSA” and “CR7,” respectively. MASOSA has a strong detection in Lyα with a line width of 386 ± 30 km s{sup −1} (FWHM) and with very high EW{sub 0} (>200 Å), but undetected in the continuum, implying very low stellar mass and a likely young, metal-poor stellar population. “CR7,” with an observed Lyα luminosity of 10{sup 43.92±0.05} erg s{sup −1} is the most luminous Lyα emitter ever found at z > 6 and is spatially extended (∼16 kpc). “CR7” reveals a narrow Lyα line with 266 ± 15 km s{sup −1} FWHM, being detected in the near-infrared (NIR) (rest-frame UV; β = −2.3 ± 0.1) and in IRAC/Spitzer. We detect a narrow He ii 1640 Å emission line (6σ, FWHM = 130 ± 30 km s{sup −1}) in CR7 which can explain the clear excess seen in the J-band photometry (EW{sub 0} ∼ 80 Å). We find no other emission lines from the UV to the NIR in our X-SHOOTER spectra (He ii/O iii] 1663 Å > 3 and He ii/C iii] 1908 Å > 2.5). We conclude that CR7 is best explained by a combination of a PopIII-like population, which dominates the rest-frame UV and the nebular emission, and a more normal stellar population, which presumably dominates the mass. Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3 observations show that the light is indeed spatially separated between a very blue component, coincident with Lyα and He ii emission, and two red components (∼5 kpc away), which

Survival and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes among Periviable Infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Younge, Noelle; Goldstein, Ricki F; Bann, Carla M; Hintz, Susan R; Patel, Ravi M; Smith, P Brian; Bell, Edward F; Rysavy, Matthew A; Duncan, Andrea F; Vohr, Betty R; Das, Abhik; Goldberg, Ronald N; Higgins, Rosemary D; Cotten, C Michael

2017-02-16

Data reported during the past 5 years indicate that rates of survival have increased among infants born at the borderline of viability, but less is known about how increased rates of survival among these infants relate to early childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes. We compared survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes among infants born at 22 to 24 weeks of gestation, as assessed at 18 to 22 months of corrected age, across three consecutive birth-year epochs (2000-2003 [epoch 1], 2004-2007 [epoch 2], and 2008-2011 [epoch 3]). The infants were born at 11 centers that participated in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. The primary outcome measure was a three-level outcome - survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, survival with neurodevelopmental impairment, or death. After accounting for differences in infant characteristics, including birth center, we used multinomial generalized logit models to compare the relative risk of survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, survival with neurodevelopmental impairment, and death. Data on the primary outcome were available for 4274 of 4458 infants (96%) born at the 11 centers. The percentage of infants who survived increased from 30% (424 of 1391 infants) in epoch 1 to 36% (487 of 1348 infants) in epoch 3 (Pneurodevelopmental impairment increased from 16% (217 of 1391) in epoch 1 to 20% (276 of 1348) in epoch 3 (P=0.001), whereas the percentage of infants who survived with neurodevelopmental impairment did not change significantly (15% [207 of 1391] in epoch 1 and 16% [211 of 1348] in epoch 3, P=0.29). After adjustment for changes in the baseline characteristics of the infants over time, both the rate of survival with neurodevelopmental impairment (as compared with death) and the rate of survival without neurodevelopmental impairment (as compared with death) increased over time (adjusted relative risks, 1.27 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.01 to 1.59] and 1

Ten scenarios from early radiation to late time acceleration with a minimally coupled dark energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fay, Stéphane, E-mail: steph.fay@gmail.com [Palais de la Découverte, Astronomy Department, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 75008 Paris (France)

2013-09-01

We consider General Relativity with matter, radiation and a minimally coupled dark energy defined by an equation of state w. Using dynamical system method, we find the equilibrium points of such a theory assuming an expanding Universe and a positive dark energy density. Two of these points correspond to classical radiation and matter dominated epochs for the Universe. For the other points, dark energy mimics matter, radiation or accelerates Universe expansion. We then look for possible sequences of epochs describing a Universe starting with some radiation dominated epoch(s) (mimicked or not by dark energy), then matter dominated epoch(s) (mimicked or not by dark energy) and ending with an accelerated expansion. We find ten sequences able to follow this Universe history without singular behaviour of w at some saddle points. Most of them are new in dark energy literature. To get more than these ten sequences, w has to be singular at some specific saddle equilibrium points. This is an unusual mathematical property of the equation of state in dark energy literature, whose physical consequences tend to be discarded by observations. This thus distinguishes the ten above sequences from an infinity of ways to describe Universe expansion.

Ten scenarios from early radiation to late time acceleration with a minimally coupled dark energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fay, Stéphane

2013-01-01

We consider General Relativity with matter, radiation and a minimally coupled dark energy defined by an equation of state w. Using dynamical system method, we find the equilibrium points of such a theory assuming an expanding Universe and a positive dark energy density. Two of these points correspond to classical radiation and matter dominated epochs for the Universe. For the other points, dark energy mimics matter, radiation or accelerates Universe expansion. We then look for possible sequences of epochs describing a Universe starting with some radiation dominated epoch(s) (mimicked or not by dark energy), then matter dominated epoch(s) (mimicked or not by dark energy) and ending with an accelerated expansion. We find ten sequences able to follow this Universe history without singular behaviour of w at some saddle points. Most of them are new in dark energy literature. To get more than these ten sequences, w has to be singular at some specific saddle equilibrium points. This is an unusual mathematical property of the equation of state in dark energy literature, whose physical consequences tend to be discarded by observations. This thus distinguishes the ten above sequences from an infinity of ways to describe Universe expansion

Deformation analyse of the high point field Košická Nová Ves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sedlák Vladimír

2003-09-01

Full Text Available From the science point of view the deformation measurements serve to an objective determination of movements and from the technical point of view the deformation measurements serve to a determinantion of the building technologies and the construction procedures. Detrmined movements by means of using the geodetic terrestrial or satellite navigation technologies give informations about displacements in a concrete time information on the base of repeated geodetic measurements in the concrete time intervals (epochs.Level deformation investigation of the point of the monitoring station stabled in the fill slope territory Košická Nová Ves is the main task of the presented paper. Level measurements are realized in autumn 2000 (the epoch 200.9 - it is considered as the first epoch of the deformation measurement, and in spring 2001 (the epoch 2001.3 – it is considered as the second epoch of the deformation measurement.

Age of Tertiary volcanic rocks on the West Greenland continental margin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Lotte M.; Pedersen, Asger Ken; Tegner, Christian

2016-01-01

across the entire North Atlantic Igneous Province. A quiescent 58–56 Ma period correlates with similar periods in East Greenland and the Faroes, and the Naqerloq Formation is coeval with the Eocene basalts in East Greenland. The Paleocene and Eocene tholeiitic basalts are distinguishable chemically...

The Paleogene Period

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vandenberghe, N.; Hilgen, F.J.; Speijer, R.J.

2012-01-01

ABSTRACT All Paleocene stages (i.e., Danian, Selandian and Thanetian) have formally ratified definitions, and so have the Ypresian and Lutetian Stages in the Eocene, and the Rupelian Stage in the Oligocene. The Bartonian, Priabonian and Chattian Stages are not yet formally defined. After the global

Tectonic inversion in the Wandel Sea Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svennevig, Kristian; Guarnieri, Pierpaolo; Stemmerik, Lars

2016-01-01

Sheet and an upper Hondal Elv Thrust Sheet separated by a subhorizontal fault: the Central Detachment. The style of deformation and the structures described are interpreted as the result of Paleocene-Eocene N-S directed compression resulting in basin inversion with strike-slip faults only having minor...

Paleomagnetic Constraints From the Baoshan Area on the Deformation of the Qiangtang-Sibumasu Terrane Around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Shihu|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/411296248; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/269263624; Deng, Chenglong; Advokaat, Eldert L.; Zhu, Rixiang

The Sibumasu Block in SE Asia represents the eastward continuation of the Qiangtang Block. Here we report a detailed rock magnetic and paleomagnetic study on the Middle Jurassic and Paleocene rocks from northern Sibumasu, to document the crustal deformation during the India-Asia collision since the

Coal geology of the Paleocene-Eocene Calvert Bluff Formation (Wilcox Group) and the Eocene Manning Formation (Jackson Group) in east-central Texas; field trip guidebook for the Society for Organic Petrology, Twelfth Annual Meeting, The Woodlands, Texas, August 30, 1995

Science.gov (United States)

Warwick, Peter D.; Crowley, Sharon S.

1995-01-01

The Jackson and Wilcox Groups of eastern Texas (fig. 1) are the major lignite producing intervals in the Gulf Region. Within these groups, the major lignite-producing formations are the Paleocene-Eocene Calvert Bluff Formation (Wilcox) and the Eocene Manning Formation (Jackson). According to the Keystone Coal Industry Manual (Maclean Hunter Publishing Company, 1994), the Gulf Coast basin produces about 57 million short tons of lignite annually. The state of Texas ranks number 6 in coal production in the United States. Most of the lignite is used for electric power generation in mine-mouth power plant facilities. In recent years, particular interest has been given to lignite quality and the distribution and concentration of about a dozen trace elements that have been identified as potential hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. As pointed out by Oman and Finkelman (1994), Gulf Coast lignite deposits have elevated concentrations of many of the HAPs elements (Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Mn, Se, U) on a as-received gm/mmBtu basis when compared to other United States coal deposits used for fuel in thermo-electric power plants. Although regulations have not yet been established for acceptable emissions of the HAPs elements during coal burning, considerable research effort has been given to the characterization of these elements in coal feed stocks. The general purpose of the present field trip and of the accompanying collection of papers is to investigate how various aspects of east Texas lignite geology might collectively influence the quality of the lignite fuel. We hope that this collection of papers will help future researchers understand the complex, multifaceted interrelations of coal geology, petrology, palynology and coal quality, and that this introduction to the geology of the lignite deposits of east Texas might serve as a stimulus for new ideas to be applied to other coal basins in the U.S. and abroad.

Denudation and uplift of the Mawson Escarpment (eastern Lambert Graben, Antarctica) as indicated by apatite fission track data and geomorphological observation

Science.gov (United States)

Lisker, F.; Gibson, H.; Wilson, C.J.; Läufer, A.

2007-01-01

Analysis of three vertical profiles from the southern Mawson Escarpment (Lambert Graben) reveals apatite fission track (AFT) ages ranging from 102±20 to 287±23 Ma and mean lengths of 12.2 to 13.0 μm. Quantitative thermal histories derived from these data consistently indicate onset of slow cooling below 110°C began sometime prior to 300 Ma, and a second stage of rapid cooling from paleotemperatures up to ≤100°C to surface temperatures occurred in the Late Cretaceous – Paleocene. The first cooling phase refers to Carboniferous – Jurassic basement denudation up to 5 km associated with the initial rifting of the Lambert Graben. The presence of the ancient East Antarctic Erosion Surface and rapid Late Cretaceous – Paleocene cooling indicate a second denudational episode during which up to 4.5 km of sedimentary cover rocks were removed, and that is likely linked to the Cretaceous Gondwana breakup between Antarctica and India and subsequent passive continental margin formation.

Fossil Scenedesmus (Chlorococcales) from the Raton Formation, Colorado and New Mexico, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Farley, Fleming R.

1989-01-01

Fossilized coenobia of the alga Scenedesmus (Chlorococcales) were recovered in palynomorph assemblages from a lower Paleocene mudstone in the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene Raton Formation of Colorado and New Mexico. This is the first description of fossil Scenedesmus from Tertiary rocks. Two species, Scenedesmus tschudyi sp. nov. and Scenedesmus hanleyi sp. nov., are present in the assemblages. Coenobia of S. tschudyi sp. nov. are characterized by lunate terminal cells and fusiform median cells. As in species of modern Scenedesmus, coenobia of S. tschudyi sp. nov. occur with four or eight cells. Coenobia of S. hanleyi sp. nov. have four oval cells and are smaller than coenobia of S. tschudyi sp. nov. Fossil coenobia of Scenedesmus co-occur with the fossil alga Pediastrum in Raton Formation mudstones. Because these genera co-occur in modern lakes and ponds, the co-occurrence of fossil Scenedesmus and Pediastrum in ancient nonmarine rocks is interpreted to indicate deposition of sediment in freshwater lakes and ponds. ?? 1989.

The origin and distribution of HAPs elements in relation to maceral composition of the A1 lignite bed (Paleocene, Calvert Bluff Formation, Wilcox Group), Calvert mine area, east-central Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Crowley, Sharon S.; Warwick, Peter D.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Pontolillo, James

1997-01-01

The origin and distribution of twelve potentially Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs; As, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and U) identified in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments were examined in relation to the maceral composition of the A1 bed (Paleocene, Calvert Bluff Formation, Wilcox Group) of the Calvert mine in east-central Texas. The 3.2 m-thick A1 bed was divided into nine incremental channel samples (7 lignite samples and 2 shaley coal samples) on the basis of megascopic characteristics. Results indicate that As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Sb, and U are strongly correlated with ash yield and are enriched in the shaley coal samples. We infer that these elements are associated with inorganic constituents in the coal bed and may be derived from a penecontemporaneous stream channel located several kilometers southeast of the mining block. Of the HAPs elements studied, Mn and Hg are the most poorly correlated to ash yield. We infer an organic association for Mn; Hg may be associated with pyrite. The rest of the trace elements (Be, Co, and Se) are weakly correlated with ash yield. Further analytical work is necessary to determine the mode of occurrence for these elements. Overall, concentrations of the HAPs elements are generally similar to or less than those reported in previous studies of lignites of the Wilcox Group, east-central region, Texas. Petrographic analysis indicates the following ranges in composition for the seven lignite samples: liptinites (5–8%), huminites (88–95%), and inertinites (trace amounts to 7%). Samples from the middle portion of the A1 bed contain abundant crypto-eugelinite compared to the rest of the samples; this relationship suggests that the degradation of plant material was an important process during the development of the peat mire. With the exception of Hg and Mn, relatively low levels of the HAPs elements studied are found in the samples containing abundant crypto-eugelinite. We infer that the peat-forming environment for this

Calculation of Source and Strucutral Parameters at Regional and Teleseismic Distances

Science.gov (United States)

1987-02-28

Plateau is supported by 500,000 km» of these Late Cretaceous to Paleocene age volcanics ( Auden ,1975). The basalts are believed to be the thickest...191. Auden , J.B. (1975). Seismicity associated with the Koyna Reservoir, Maharashtra, Prepared for the Government of India by the United Nations

The Influence of Biot’s Coefficient on the Estimation of Effective Stress on Deep Sea Sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Awadalkarim, Ahmed; Fabricius, Ida Lykke

In this paper we addresse the changes in physical properties of the Eocene and Paleocene shale from the Atlantic Basin, as a function of burial diagenesis. We also showed the influence of using correct Biot’s coefficient (β) on the estimation of vertical effective stress. We correlated our porosity...

THE WYOMING SURVEY FOR Hα. III. A MULTI-WAVELENGTH LOOK AT ATTENUATION BY DUST IN GALAXIES OUT TO z ∼ 0.4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, Carolynn A.; Dale, Daniel A.; Barlow, Rebecca J.; Cohen, Seth A.; Cook, David O.; Johnson, L. C.; Kattner, ShiAnne M.; Staudaher, Shawn M.; Lee, Janice C.

2010-01-01

We report results from the Wyoming Survey for Hα (WySH), a comprehensive four-square degree survey to probe the evolution of star-forming galaxies over the latter half of the age of the universe. We have supplemented the Hα data from WySH with infrared data from the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Survey and ultraviolet data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer Deep Imaging Survey. This data set provides a multi-wavelength look at the evolution of the attenuation by dust, and here we compare a traditional measure of dust attenuation (L(TIR)/L(FUV)) to a diagnostic based on a recently developed robust star formation rate (SFR) indicator, [Ha obs +24μm]/Ha obs . With such data over multiple epochs, the evolution in the attenuation by dust with redshift can be assessed. We present results from the ELAIS-N1 and Lockman Hole regions at z ∼ 0.16, 0.24, 0.32, and 0.40. While the ensemble averages of both diagnostics are relatively constant from epoch to epoch, each epoch individually exhibits a larger attenuation by dust for higher SFRs. Hence, an epoch-to-epoch comparison at a fixed SFR suggests a mild decrease in dust attenuation with redshift.

Early cenozoic differentiation of polar marine faunas.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Alistair Crame

Full Text Available The widespread assumption that the origin of polar marine faunas is linked to the onset of major global cooling in the Late Eocene-Early Oligocene is being increasingly challenged. The Antarctic fossil record in particular is suggesting that some modern Southern Ocean taxa may have Early Eocene or even Paleocene origins, i.e. well within the Early Cenozoic greenhouse world. A global analysis of one of the largest marine clades at the present day, the Neogastropoda, indicates that not only is there a decrease in the number of species from the tropics to the poles but also a decrease in the evenness of their distribution. A small number of neogastropod families with predominantly generalist trophic strategies at both poles points to the key role of seasonality in structuring the highest latitude marine assemblages. A distinct latitudinal gradient in seasonality is temperature-invariant and would have operated through periods of global warmth such as the Early Cenozoic. To test this concept a second global analysis was undertaken of earliest Cenozoic (Paleocene neogastropods and this does indeed show a certain degree of faunal differentiation at both poles. The Buccinidae, s.l. is especially well developed at this time, and this is a major generalist taxon at the present day. There is an element of asymmetry associated with this development of Paleocene polar faunas in that those in the south are more strongly differentiated than their northern counterparts; this can in turn be linked to the already substantial isolation of the southern high latitudes. The key role of seasonality in the formation of polar marine faunas has implications for contemporary ecosystem structure and stability.

Global change during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sluijs, A.

2006-01-01

Proxy data indicate that atmospheric CO2 concentrations expected for the next centuries have not been equaled since the early Paleogene, approximately 66 to 45 Million years (Ma) ago. The early Paleogene global climate appears to have been substantially warmer than that of present day, likely in

An Upper Paleocene Antigonia-like fish from Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonde, Niels Christensøn

1997-01-01

), but highly derived fishes, toothless with strong body armour and some strong fin spines. The phylogenetic analyses of these fishes indicate that much convergent evolution and a number of reversals must have occurred, both in this very advanced group of "higher" teleosteans and within the acanthopts...

geochemistry of the paleocene limestones of ewekoro formation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DELL

Ife Journal of Science vol. 18, no. 3 (2016) .... American and African plates and subsequent opening of Gulf ... the boundary between Benin Republic and. Nigeria to ... layer of the Cretaceous sequence. ... These were studied under a flat stage.

The Evolution of the Faint End of the UV Luminosity Function during the Peak Epoch of Star Formation (1 < z < 3)

Science.gov (United States)

Alavi, Anahita; Siana, Brian; Richard, Johan; Rafelski, Marc; Jauzac, Mathilde; Limousin, Marceau; Freeman, William R.; Scarlata, Claudia; Robertson, Brant; Stark, Daniel P.; Teplitz, Harry I.; Desai, Vandana

2016-11-01

We present a robust measurement of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and its evolution during the peak epoch of cosmic star formation at 1\\lt z\\lt 3. We use our deep near-ultraviolet imaging from WFC3/UVIS on the Hubble Space Telescope and existing Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)/WFC and WFC3/IR imaging of three lensing galaxy clusters, Abell 2744 and MACS J0717 from the Hubble Frontier Field survey and Abell 1689. Combining deep UV imaging and high magnification from strong gravitational lensing, we use photometric redshifts to identify 780 ultra-faint galaxies with {M}{UV}\\lt -12.5 AB mag at 1\\lt z\\lt 3. From these samples, we identified five new, faint, multiply imaged systems in A1689. We run a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the completeness correction and effective volume for each cluster using the latest published lensing models. We compute the rest-frame UV LF and find the best-fit faint-end slopes of α =-1.56+/- 0.04, α =-1.72+/- 0.04, and α =-1.94+/- 0.06 at 1.0\\lt z\\lt 1.6, 1.6\\lt z\\lt 2.2, and 2.2\\lt z\\lt 3.0, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the UV LF becomes steeper from z˜ 1.3 to z˜ 2.6 with no sign of a turnover down to {M}{UV}=-14 AB mag. We further derive the UV LFs using the Lyman break “dropout” selection and confirm the robustness of our conclusions against different selection methodologies. Because the sample sizes are so large and extend to such faint luminosities, the statistical uncertainties are quite small, and systematic uncertainties (due to the assumed size distribution, for example) likely dominate. If we restrict our analysis to galaxies and volumes above \\gt 50 % completeness in order to minimize these systematics, we still find that the faint-end slope is steep and getting steeper with redshift, though with slightly shallower (less negative) values (α =-1.55+/- 0.06, -1.69 ± 0.07, and -1.79 ± 0.08 for z˜ 1.3, 1.9, and 2.6, respectively). Finally, we conclude that the faint star

Thermogenic methane release as a cause for the long duration of the PETM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frieling, Joost; Svensen, Henrik H.; Planke, Sverre; Cramwinckel, Margot J.; Selnes, Haavard; Sluijs, Appy

2016-01-01

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) (∼56 Ma) was a ∼170,000-y (∼170-kyr) period of global warming associated with rapid and massive injections of 13C-depleted carbon into the ocean-atmosphere system, reflected in sedimentary components as a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Carbon

and Balder (T50)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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The stratigraphy of the Faroe – Shetland Basin, within which the Flett Sub-Basin is located, was influenced by the underlying Cretaceous topography which shows a series of fault bounded basins trending in the northeast - southwest direction (Fig. 1). For the Paleocene to Early. Eocene stratigraphic succession, Ebdon et al.

Blodigt allvar

OpenAIRE

Corinne, Lundqvist; Linnea, Ström

2017-01-01

This student thesis examines what discourses exist within Libresse's advertising for sanitary products and if these have evolved over time. To examine this, two epochs have been selected; the first epoch covers the years 1990 to 2003 and the latter epoch covering 2014 to 2017. The purpose of this study has been to probe whether factors such as new media development and increased involvement in feminist issues can interact with the possible development of Libresse advertising. The purpose has ...

Tradespace and Affordability - Phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-31

Java EE, tool, it will be easier and more useful to incorporate it into a RESTful web service, on which a variety of end-user clients could draw...while within-epoch metrics summarize the impact of that particular epoch on the systems. Normalized Pareto Trace is an example cross-epoch metric...with type indicated, as well as “value aspect” usually related to ilities. For clarity, a K-percent fuzzy Pareto front includes all designs within

Changes in the influence of the western Pacific subtropical high on Asian summer monsoon rainfall in the late 1990s

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yanyan; Wang, Bin; Li, Xiaofan; Wang, Huijun

2017-10-01

The Year-to-year variability of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) is primarily controlled by atmosphere-ocean interaction (AOI) between the WPSH and the Indo-Pacific warm pool dipole SST anomalies (AOI mode) and the anomalous SST forcing from the equatorial central Pacific (the CP forcing mode). In this study, we show that the impacts of the WPSH variability on Asian summer monsoon rainfall have changed after the late 1990s. Before the late 1990s (the PRE epoch), the WPSH primarily affects East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and had little influence on Indian summer monsoon (ISM), whereas after the late 1990s (the POST epoch), the WPSH has strengthened its linkage to the ISM while weakened its relationship with the EASM. This epochal change is associated with a change in the leading circulation mode in the Asia-WP region. During the PRE (POST) epoch the WPSH variation is mainly controlled by the AOI (CP forcing) that mainly affects EASM (ISM). The epochal change of the leading mode may be attributed to the change of the ENSO properties in late 1990s: the CP types of El Nino become a leading ENSO mode in the POST epoch. This work provides a new perspective for understanding decadal changes of the ENSO-monsoon relationship through subtropical dynamics.

Introduction to uranium geology of the Kaycee area in Johnson county, Wyoming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Wuwei

2004-01-01

The geology of the Kaycee uranium deposit is introduced in three aspects: regional setting, stratigraphy and structure. At the same time, uranium and vanadium mineralization of significant economic potential have been reported in the sandstones and conglomerates from Paleocene to Eocene period in the eastern and northeastern part of Kaycee, Wyoming. (authors)

Paleocene–Eocene warming and biotic response in the epicontinental West Siberian Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frieling, J.; Iakovleva, A.I.; Reichart, G.-J.; Aleksandrova, G.N.; Gnibidenko, Z.N.; Schouten, S.; Sluijs, A.

2014-01-01

We present a Paleocene–Eocene (ca. 60–52 Ma) sea-surface temperature record from sediments deposited in the epicontinental West Siberian Sea. TEX86 paleothermometry indicates long-term late Paleocene (~17 °C ca. 59 Ma) to early Eocene (26 °C at 52 Ma) sea-surface warming, consistent with trends

An integrated subsurface analysis of clastic remobilization and injection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Katrine Juul; Clausen, O.R.

2014-01-01

extending from the top of the Paleocene Lista Formation to the base of the injectites indicate that the source sand was located within the Lista Formation; possibly deposited in a distinct valley cut into the top of the Chalk Group. The geometry of the observed injectites ranges from a basal sill with wings...

Rainfall variability over South-east Asia - connections with Indian monsoon and ENSO extremes: new perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Kripalani, R. H.; Kulkarni, Ashwini

1997-09-01

Seasonal and annual rainfall data for 135 stations for periods varying from 25 to 125 years are utilized to investigate and understand the interannual and short-term (decadal) climate variability over the South-east Asian domain. Contemporaneous relations during the summer monsoon period (June to September) reveal that the rainfall variations over central India, north China, northern parts of Thailand, central parts of Brunei and Borneo and the Indonesian region east of 120°E vary in phase. However, the rainfall variations over the regions surrounding the South China Sea, in particular the north-west Philippines, vary in the opposite phase. Possible dynamic causes for the spatial correlation structure obtained are discussed.Based on the instrumental data available and on an objective criteria, regional rainfall anomaly time series for contiguous regions over Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Philippines are prepared. Results reveal that although there are year-to-year random fluctuations, there are certain epochs of the above- and below-normal rainfall over each region. These epochs are not forced by the El Niño/La Nina frequencies. Near the equatorial regions the epochs tend to last for about a decade, whereas over the tropical regions, away from the Equator, epochs last for about three decades. There is no systematic climate change or trend in any of the series. Further, the impact of El Niño (La Nina) on the rainfall regimes is more severe during the below (above) normal epochs than during the above (below) normal epochs. Extreme drought/flood situations tend to occur when the epochal behaviour and the El Niño/La Nina events are phase-locked.

Rifting to India-Asia Reactivation: Multi-phase Structural Evolution of the Barmer Basin, Rajasthan, northwest India

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, M. J.; Bladon, A.; Clarke, S.; Najman, Y.; Copley, A.; Kloppenburg, A.

2015-12-01

The Barmer Basin, situated within the West Indian Rift System, is an intra-cratonic rift basin produced during Gondwana break-up. Despite being a prominent oil and gas province, the structural evolution and context of the rift within northwest India remains poorly understood. Substantial subsurface datasets acquired during hydrocarbon exploration provide an unrivalled tool to investigate the tectonic evolution of the Barmer Basin rift and northwest India during India-Asia collision. Here we present a structural analysis using seismic datasets to investigate Barmer Basin evolution and place findings within the context of northwest India development. Present day rift structural architectures result from superposition of two non-coaxial extensional events; an early mid-Cretaceous rift-oblique event (NW-SE), followed by a main Paleocene rifting phase (NE-SW). Three phases of fault reactivation follow rifting: A transpressive, Late Paleocene inversion along localised E-W and NNE-SSW-trending faults; a widespread Late Paleocene-Early Eocene inversion and Late Miocene-Present Day transpressive strike-slip faulting along NW-SE-trending faults and isolated inversion structures. A major Late Eocene-Miocene unconformity in the basin is also identified, approximately coeval with those identified within the Himalayan foreland basin, suggesting a common cause related to India-Asia collision, and calling into question previous explanations that are not compatible with spatial extension of the unconformity beyond the foreland basin. Although, relatively poorly age constrained, extensional and compressional events within the Barmer Basin can be correlated with regional tectonic processes including the fragmentation of Gondwana, the rapid migration of the Greater Indian continent, to subsequent collision with Asia. New insights into the Barmer Basin development have important implications not only for ongoing hydrocarbon exploration but the temporal evolution of northwest India.

Comparing particle-size distributions in modern and ancient sand-bed rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Hajek, E. A.; Lynds, R. M.; Huzurbazar, S. V.

2011-12-01

Particle-size distributions yield valuable insight into processes controlling sediment supply, transport, and deposition in sedimentary systems. This is especially true in ancient deposits, where effects of changing boundary conditions and autogenic processes may be detected from deposited sediment. In order to improve interpretations in ancient deposits and constrain uncertainty associated with new methods for paleomorphodynamic reconstructions in ancient fluvial systems, we compare particle-size distributions in three active sand-bed rivers in central Nebraska (USA) to grain-size distributions from ancient sandy fluvial deposits. Within the modern rivers studied, particle-size distributions of active-layer, suspended-load, and slackwater deposits show consistent relationships despite some morphological and sediment-supply differences between the rivers. In particular, there is substantial and consistent overlap between bed-material and suspended-load distributions, and the coarsest material found in slackwater deposits is comparable to the coarse fraction of suspended-sediment samples. Proxy bed-load and slackwater-deposit samples from the Kayenta Formation (Lower Jurassic, Utah/Colorado, USA) show overlap similar to that seen in the modern rivers, suggesting that these deposits may be sampled for paleomorphodynamic reconstructions, including paleoslope estimation. We also compare grain-size distributions of channel, floodplain, and proximal-overbank deposits in the Willwood (Paleocene/Eocene, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA), Wasatch (Paleocene/Eocene, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, USA), and Ferris (Cretaceous/Paleocene, Hanna Basin, Wyoming, USA) formations. Grain-size characteristics in these deposits reflect how suspended- and bed-load sediment is distributed across the floodplain during channel avulsion events. In order to constrain uncertainty inherent in such estimates, we evaluate uncertainty associated with sample collection, preparation, analytical

USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters

Science.gov (United States)

Warwick, Peter D.; Coleman, James; Hackley, Paul C.; Hayba, Daniel O.; Karlsen, Alexander W.; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Swanson, Sharon M.; Kennan, Lorcan; Pindell, James; Rosen, Norman C.

2007-01-01

This report presents a review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2007 assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata underlying the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and state waters. Geochemical, geologic, geophysical, thermal maturation, burial history, and paleontologic studies have been combined with regional cross sections and data from previous USGS petroleum assessments have helped to define the major petroleum systems and assessment units. Accumulations of both conventional oil and gas and continuous coal-bed gas within these petroleum systems have been digitally mapped and evaluated, and undiscovered resources have been assessed following USGS methodology.The primary source intervals for oil and gas in Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs are coal and shale rich in organic matter within the Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) and Sparta Formation of the Claiborne Group (Eocene); in addition, Cretaceous and Jurassic source rocks probably have contributed substantial petroleum to Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs.For the purposes of the assessment, Paleogene strata have divided into the following four stratigraphic study intervals: (1) Wilcox Group (including the Midway Group and the basal Carrizo Sand of the Claiborne Group; Paleocene-Eocene); (2) Claiborne Group (Eocene); (3) Jackson and Vicksburg Groups (Eocene-Oligocene); and (4) the Frio-Anahuac Formations (Oligocene). Recent discoveries of coal-bed gas in Paleocene strata confirm a new petroleum system that was not recognized in previous USGS assessments. In total, 26 conventional Paleogene assessment units are defined. In addition, four Cretaceous-Paleogene continuous (coal-bed gas) assessment units are included in this report. Initial results of the assessment will be released as USGS Fact Sheets (not available at the time of this writing).Comprehensive reports for each assessment unit are planned to be released via the internet and distributed on CD-ROMs within the next year.

Plasma Sterilization: New Epoch in Medical Textiles

Science.gov (United States)

Senthilkumar, P.; Arun, N.; Vigneswaran, C.

2015-04-01

Clothing is perceived to be second skin to the human body since it is in close contact with the human skin most of the times. In hospitals, use of textile materials in different forms and sterilization of these materials is an essential requirement for preventing spread of germs. The need for appropriate disinfection and sterilization techniques is of paramount importance. There has been a continuous demand for novel sterilization techniques appropriate for use on various textile materials as the existing sterilization techniques suffer from various technical and economical drawbacks. Plasma sterilization is the alternative method, which is friendlier and more effective on the wide spectrum of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. Basically, the main inactivation factors for cells exposed to plasma are heat, UV radiation and various reactive species. Plasma exposure can kill micro-organisms on a surface in addition to removing adsorbed monolayer of surface contaminants. Advantages of plasma surface treatment are removal of contaminants from the surface, change in the surface energy and sterilization of the surface. Plasma sterilization aims to kill and/or remove all micro-organisms which may cause infection of humans or animals, or which can cause spoilage of foods or other goods. This review paper emphasizes necessity for sterilization, essentials of sterilization, mechanism of plasma sterilization and the parameters influencing it.

z~2: An Epoch of Disk Assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Raymond C.; Kassin, Susan A.; Weiner, Benjamin; Heckman, Timothy M.; Trump, Jonathan; SIGMA, DEEP2

2018-01-01

At z = 0, the majority of massive star-forming galaxies contain thin, rotationally supported gas disks. It was once accepted that galaxies form thin disks early: collisional gas with high velocity dispersion should dissipate energy, conserve angular momentum, and develop strong rotational support in only a few galaxy crossing times (~few hundred Myr). However, this picture is complicated at high redshift, where the processes governing galaxy assembly tend to be violent and inhospitable to disk formation. We present results from our SIGMA survey of star-forming galaxy kinematics at z = 2. These results challenge the simple picture described above: galaxies at z = 2 are unlike local well-ordered disks. Their kinematics tend to be much more disordered, as quantified by their low ratios of rotational velocity to gas velocity dispersion (Vrot/σg): less than 35% of galaxies have Vrot/σg > 3. For comparison, nearly 100% of local star-forming galaxies meet this same threshold. We combine our high redshift sample with a similar low redshift sample from the DEEP2 survey. This combined sample covers a continuous redshift baseline over 0.1 < z < 2.5, spanning 10 Gyrs of cosmic time. Over this period, galaxies exhibit remarkably smooth kinematic evolution on average. All galaxies tend towards rotational support with time, and it is reached earlier in higher mass systems. This is due to both a significant decline in gas velocity dispersion and a mild rise in ordered rotational motions. These results indicate that z = 2 is a period of disk assembly, during which the strong rotational support present in today’s massive disk galaxies is only just beginning to emerge.

Diagenesis and reservoir properties of Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary sandstones: the GANT-1 well, western Nuussuaq, central West Greenland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kierkegaard, Thomas

1998-08-01

The main purpose of this study is to describe the diagenetic alterations occurring in the Cretaceous to Lower Paleocene sedimentary succession of the GANT-1 well, and to determine the diagenetic and detrital factors which control present porosity and permeability. The GANT-1 well is located on north-western Nuussuaq, central West Greenland. The West Greenland margin is a continental margin subdivided into linked basins where Cretaceous to Lower Tertiary and probably older sediments have been deposited. In the Nuussuaq area these sediments are overlain by a succession of Early Tertiary basaltic volcanic rocks which reaches a combined thickness of around 2-2.5 km. Although the reservoir properties of the sandstone intervals in the GANT-1 and GANE-1 wells are generally relatively poor, it is suggested that moderate to good properties may be found in certain intervals within the Maastrichtian-Paleocene succession. However, the reason for the locally enhanced reservoir properties in GANT-1 was not clarified by this study due to the lack of regional petrographical data. (EG) EFP-96. 41 refs., 3 maps

/sup 40/Ar//sup 39/Ar and K-Ar dating of altered glassy volcanic rocks: the Dabi Volcanics, P. N. G

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, D.A. (Australian National Univ., Canberra. Dept. of Geology); McDougall, I. (Australian National Univ., Canberra. Research School of Earth Sciences)

1982-11-01

K-Ar and /sup 40/Ar//sup 39/Ar ages have been determined for altered submarine tholeiitic and boninite (high-Mg andesite) lavas from the Dabi Volcanics, Cape Vogel Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. /sup 40/Ar//sup 39/Ar whole rock total fusion and plateau ages identify a Late Paleocene age for the tholeiitic lavas (58.9 +- 1.1 Ma), and also for the boninitic lavas (58.8 +- 0.8 Ma). Apparent K-Ar ages for the same samples range from 27.2 +- 0.7 to 63.9 +- 4.5 Ma, and young K-Ar ages for glassy boninites are probably due to variable radiogenic /sup 40/Ar(/sup 40/Ar*) loss. These new ages effectively reconcile previously ambiguous age data for the Dabi Volcanics, and indicate contemporaneous tholeiitic and boninitic volcanism occurring in southeast PNG during the Late Paleocene. Smectites, developed as alteration products after glass in oceanic lavas commonly do not retain /sup 39/Ar during or subsequent to irradiation, but in some cases may contain /sup 40/Ar*. The results are discussed.

40Ar/39Ar and K-Ar dating of altered glassy volcanic rocks: the Dabi Volcanics, P.N.G

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, D.A.; McDougall, I.

1982-01-01

K-Ar and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages have been determined for altered submarine tholeiitic and boninite (high-Mg andesite) lavas from the Dabi Volcanics, Cape Vogel Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar whole rock total fusion and plateau ages identify a Late Paleocene age for the tholeiitic lavas (58.9 +- 1.1 Ma), and also for the boninitic lavas (58.8 +- 0.8 Ma). Apparent K-Ar ages for the same samples range from 27.2 +- 0.7 to 63.9 +- 4.5 Ma, and young K-Ar ages for glassy boninites are probably due to variable radiogenic 40 Ar( 40 Ar*) loss. These new ages effectively reconcile previously ambiguous age data for the Dabi Volcanics, and indicate contemporaneous tholeiitic and boninitic volcanism occurring in southeast PNG during the Late Paleocene. Smectites, developed as alteration products after glass in oceanic lavas commonly do not retain 39 Ar during or subsequent to irradiation, but in some cases may contain 40 Ar*. The results are discussed. (author)

Petroleum resources assessment (I)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-01

This report consists of 2 subjects. 1) Petroleum resources assessment on the western part of the Kunsan Basin: Palynomorphs including spores, pollen and organic-walled microfossils and calcareous microfossils such as ostracods, charophytes and gastropods were studied for the biostratigraphic work of Kachi-1 and IIH-1Xa wells. Based on available well data, the rifting probably began in the Cretaceous time had continued until Paleocene. It is considered that compressional force immediately after rifting event deformed sedimentary sections. During the period of Paleocene to middle Miocene, the sediments were deposited in stable environment without particular tectonic event. 2) Petroliferous basin analysis in Taegu area (II): The Nakdong and Jinju formations contain abundant black shales, and thermal maturity of the organic matter reached at the final stage of dry gas generation. These formations also contain thick sandstones which can act as a petroleum reservoir. However, reservoir quality of the sandstones is poor (porosity: < 5%; permeability: < 0.001 md). In these sandstones, secondary pores such as dissolution pores and micropores can act as a tight gas reservoir. (author). 56 refs., 24 tabs., 68 figs.

Odds Ratio Product of Sleep EEG as a Continuous Measure of Sleep State

Science.gov (United States)

Younes, Magdy; Ostrowski, Michele; Soiferman, Marc; Younes, Henry; Younes, Mark; Raneri, Jill; Hanly, Patrick

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: To develop and validate an algorithm that provides a continuous estimate of sleep depth from the electroencephalogram (EEG). Design: Retrospective analysis of polysomnograms. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: 114 patients who underwent clinical polysomnography in sleep centers at the University of Manitoba (n = 58) and the University of Calgary (n = 56). Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: Power spectrum of EEG was determined in 3-second epochs and divided into delta, theta, alpha-sigma, and beta frequency bands. The range of powers in each band was divided into 10 aliquots. EEG patterns were assigned a 4-digit number that reflects the relative power in the 4 frequency ranges (10,000 possible patterns). Probability of each pattern occurring in 30-s epochs staged awake was determined, resulting in a continuous probability value from 0% to 100%. This was divided by 40 (% of epochs staged awake) producing the odds ratio product (ORP), with a range of 0–2.5. In validation testing, average ORP decreased progressively as EEG progressed from wakefulness (2.19 ± 0.29) to stage N3 (0.13 ± 0.05). ORP sleep and ORP > 2.0 predicted wakefulness in > 95% of 30-s epochs. Epochs with intermediate ORP occurred in unstable sleep with a high arousal index (> 70/h) and were subject to much interrater scoring variability. There was an excellent correlation (r2 = 0.98) between ORP in current 30-s epochs and the likelihood of arousal or awakening occurring in the next 30-s epoch. Conclusions: Our results support the use of the odds ratio product (ORP) as a continuous measure of sleep depth. Citation: Younes M, Ostrowski M, Soiferman M, Younes H, Younes M, Raneri J, Hanly P. Odds ratio product of sleep EEG as a continuous measure of sleep state. SLEEP 2015;38(4):641–654. PMID:25348125

Single-trial log transformation is optimal in frequency analysis of resting EEG alpha.

Science.gov (United States)

Smulders, Fren T Y; Ten Oever, Sanne; Donkers, Franc C L; Quaedflieg, Conny W E M; van de Ven, Vincent

2018-02-01

The appropriate definition and scaling of the magnitude of electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillations is an underdeveloped area. The aim of this study was to optimize the analysis of resting EEG alpha magnitude, focusing on alpha peak frequency and nonlinear transformation of alpha power. A family of nonlinear transforms, Box-Cox transforms, were applied to find the transform that (a) maximized a non-disputed effect: the increase in alpha magnitude when the eyes are closed (Berger effect), and (b) made the distribution of alpha magnitude closest to normal across epochs within each participant, or across participants. The transformations were performed either at the single epoch level or at the epoch-average level. Alpha peak frequency showed large individual differences, yet good correspondence between various ways to estimate it in 2 min of eyes-closed and 2 min of eyes-open resting EEG data. Both alpha magnitude and the Berger effect were larger for individual alpha than for a generic (8-12 Hz) alpha band. The log-transform on single epochs (a) maximized the t-value of the contrast between the eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions when tested within each participant, and (b) rendered near-normally distributed alpha power across epochs and participants, thereby making further transformation of epoch averages superfluous. The results suggest that the log-normal distribution is a fundamental property of variations in alpha power across time in the order of seconds. Moreover, effects on alpha power appear to be multiplicative rather than additive. These findings support the use of the log-transform on single epochs to achieve appropriate scaling of alpha magnitude. © 2018 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The redshift number density evolution of Mg II absorption systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhi-Fu

2013-01-01

We make use of the recent large sample of 17 042 Mg II absorption systems from Quider et al. to analyze the evolution of the redshift number density. Regardless of the strength of the absorption line, we find that the evolution of the redshift number density can be clearly distinguished into three different phases. In the intermediate redshift epoch (0.6 ≲ z ≲ 1.6), the evolution of the redshift number density is consistent with the non-evolution curve, however, the non-evolution curve over-predicts the values of the redshift number density in the early (z ≲ 0.6) and late (z ≳ 1.6) epochs. Based on the invariant cross-section of the absorber, the lack of evolution in the redshift number density compared to the non-evolution curve implies the galaxy number density does not evolve during the middle epoch. The flat evolution of the redshift number density tends to correspond to a shallow evolution in the galaxy merger rate during the late epoch, and the steep decrease of the redshift number density might be ascribed to the small mass of halos during the early epoch.

Monitoring the Black Hole Binary GRS 1758-258 with INTEGRAL and RXTE

Science.gov (United States)

Pottschmidt, Katja; Chernyakova, Masha; Lubinski, Piotr; Migliari, Simone; Smith, David M.; Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Tomsick, John A.; Bezayiff, N.; Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Kretschmar, Peter;

Hydrologic Cycle Response to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum at Austral, High-Latitude Site 690 as Revealed by In Situ Measurements of Foraminiferal Oxygen Isotope and Mg/Ca Ratios

Science.gov (United States)

Kozdon, R.; Kelly, D.; Fournelle, J.; Valley, J. W.

2012-12-01

Earth surface temperatures warmed by ~5°C during an ancient (~55.5 Ma) global warming event termed the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM). This transient (~200 ka) "hyperthermal" climate state had profound consequences for the planet's surficial processes and biosphere, and is widely touted as being an ancient analog for climate change driven by human activities. Hallmarks of the PETM are pervasive carbonate dissolution in the ocean basins and a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) recorded in variety of substrates including soil and marine carbonates. Together these lines of evidence signal the rapid (≤30 ka) release of massive quantities (≥2000 Gt) of 13C-depleted carbon into the exogenic carbon cycle. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on pedogenic features in paleosols, clay mineralogy and sedimentology of coastal and continental deposits, and land-plant communities indicate that PETM warmth was accompanied by a major perturbation to the hydrologic cycle. Micropaleontological evidence and n-alkane hydrogen isotope records indicate that increased poleward moisture transport reduced sea-surface salinities (SSSs) in the central Arctic Ocean during the PETM. Such findings are broadly consistent with predictions of climate model simulations. Here we reassess a well-studied PETM record from the Southern Ocean (ODP Site 690) in light of new δ18O and Mg/Ca data obtained from planktic foraminiferal shells by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), respectively. The unparalleled spatial resolution of these in situ techniques permits extraction of more reliable δ18O and Mg/Ca data by targeting of minute (≤10 μm spots), biogenic domains within individual planktic foraminifera that retain the original shell chemistry (Kozdon et al. 2011, Paleocean.). In general, the stratigraphic profile and magnitude of the δ18O decrease (~2.2‰) delimiting PETM warming in our SIMS-generated record are similar to those of

A Temporal Domain Decomposition Algorithmic Scheme for Large-Scale Dynamic Traffic Assignment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric J. Nava

2012-03-01

This paper presents a temporal decomposition scheme for large spatial- and temporal-scale dynamic traffic assignment, in which the entire analysis period is divided into Epochs. Vehicle assignment is performed sequentially in each Epoch, thus improving the model scalability and confining the peak run-time memory requirement regardless of the total analysis period. A proposed self-turning scheme adaptively searches for the run-time-optimal Epoch setting during iterations regardless of the characteristics of the modeled network. Extensive numerical experiments confirm the promising performance of the proposed algorithmic schemes.

Technen elements of recent history of information technologies with epistemological conclusions

CERN Document Server

Wierzbicki, Andrzej Piotr

2015-01-01

The book expresses the conviction that the art of creating tools ? Greek techne ? changes its character together with the change of civilization epochs and co-determines such changes. This does not mean that tools typical for a civilization epoch determine it completely, but they change our way of perceiving and interpreting the world. There might have been many such epochs in the history of human civilization (much more than the three waves of agricultural, industrial and information civilization). This is expressed by the title Technen of the book, where n denotes a subsequent civilization e

Summary of the stratigraphy and structural elements related to plate convergence of the Quetta-Muslim Bagh-Sibi region, Balochistan, west-central Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Maldonado, Florian; Mengal, Jan M.; Khan, Shahid H.; Warwick, Peter D.

2011-01-01

Obduction of an ophiolite complex onto the northwestern continental margin of the India plate occurred during the Late Cretaceous to early Paleocene, followed by collision of the ophiolitic complex of the India plate with the Eurasia plate in the Eocene. Lower Eocene marine strata overlie the ophiolitic complex suggesting that suturing was completed by early Eocene time.

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Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan - Krishtel

Maastrichtian age. The Overlying sediments com- tain microfauna of P2 zone of the Paleocene (60–. 65 Ma). The biostratigraphy therefore limits the age of the Deccan to 73–60 Ma (Jaeger et al 1989). The magnetostratigraphy (figure 1) typically con- sists of a poorly exposed lower normal polarity zone, overlain by a middle ...

The VLA Sky Survey (VLASS): Overview and First Results

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Steven T.; VLASS Survey Team, Survey Science Group (SSG)

2018-01-01

The VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) is a 5520 hour spectropolarimetric synoptic survey covering the 33885 square degrees of the sky above Declination -40 degrees from 2-4 GHz at 2.5" angular resolution using the upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). Over the survey duration of 7 years, each area of the sky will be covered in 3 epochs spaced 32 months apart, to a projected depth of 0.12mJy/beam rms noise per epoch and 0.07mJy/beam for 3 epochs combined. The VLASS employs on-the-fly mosaicking (OTFM) to rapidly scan the sky with a net speed of approximately 20 sq. degrees per hour. The high-level science goals for the survey include the identification and precise location of radio transients, the measurement of magnetic fields in our galaxy and beyond, and the study of radio emission from galaxies and active galactic nuclei throughout the Universe. The ability of the VLASS to see through dust allows us to unveil phenomena such as hidden cosmic explosions, emission from deep within our galaxy, and supermassive black holes buried within host galaxies.The VLASS was proposed in 2014 by our community-led Survey Science Group (SSG). VLASS Pilot observations were taken in mid-2016, and the first epoch covering half the area (VLASS1.1) commenced in September 2017. The raw data from the VLASS are available in the NRAO archive immediately with no proprietary period. The Basic Data Products (BDP) that will be produced by the survey team are public and will additionally include: calibrated visibility data, quick-look continuum images (with a goal of posting to the archive within 1 week of observation), single-epoch and cumulative combined-epoch images, spectral image cubes, and basic object catalogs. Single-epoch and cumulative images are in intensity and linear polarization (Stokes IQU). In addition to the BDP provided by NRAO and served through the NRAO archive, there are plans for Enhanced Data Products and Services to be provided by the community in partnership with the

Was the Universe actually radiation dominated prior to nucleosynthesis?

Science.gov (United States)

Giblin, John T.; Kane, Gordon; Nesbit, Eva; Watson, Scott; Zhao, Yue

2017-08-01

Maybe not. String theory approaches to both beyond the Standard Model and inflationary model building generically predict the existence of scalars (moduli) that are light compared to the scale of quantum gravity. These moduli become displaced from their low energy minima in the early Universe and lead to a prolonged matter-dominated epoch prior to big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). In this paper, we examine whether nonperturbative effects such as parametric resonance or tachyonic instabilities can shorten, or even eliminate, the moduli condensate and matter-dominated epoch. Such effects depend crucially on the strength of the couplings, and we find that unless the moduli become strongly coupled, the matter-dominated epoch is unavoidable. In particular, we find that in string and M-theory compactifications where the lightest moduli are near the TeV scale, a matter-dominated epoch will persist until the time of big bang nucleosynthesis.

MEASURING THE UNDETECTABLE: PROPER MOTIONS AND PARALLAXES OF VERY FAINT SOURCES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lang, Dustin; Hogg, David W.; Jester, Sebastian; Rix, Hans-Walter

2009-01-01

The near future of astrophysics involves many large solid-angle, multi-epoch, multiband imaging surveys. These surveys will, at their faint limits, have data on a large number of sources that are too faint to be detected at any individual epoch. Here, we show that it is possible to measure in multi-epoch data not only the fluxes and positions, but also the parallaxes and proper motions of sources that are too faint to be detected at any individual epoch. The method involves fitting a model of a moving point source simultaneously to all imaging, taking account of the noise and point-spread function (PSF) in each image. By this method it is possible to measure the proper motion of a point source with an uncertainty close to the minimum possible uncertainty given the information in the data, which is limited by the PSF, the distribution of observation times (epochs), and the total signal-to-noise in the combined data. We demonstrate our technique on multi-epoch Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) imaging of the SDSS Southern Stripe (SDSSSS). We show that with our new technique we can use proper motions to distinguish very red brown dwarfs from very high-redshift quasars in these SDSS data, for objects that are inaccessible to traditional techniques, and with better fidelity than by multiband imaging alone. We rediscover all 10 known brown dwarfs in our sample and present nine new candidate brown dwarfs, identified on the basis of significant proper motion.

A ROBUST REGISTRATION ALGORITHM FOR POINT CLOUDS FROM UAV IMAGES FOR CHANGE DETECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Al-Rawabdeh

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Landslides are among the major threats to urban landscape and manmade infrastructure. They often cause economic losses, property damages, and loss of lives. Temporal monitoring data of landslides from different epochs empowers the evaluation of landslide progression. Alignment of overlapping surfaces from two or more epochs is crucial for the proper analysis of landslide dynamics. The traditional methods for point-cloud-based landslide monitoring rely on using a variation of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP registration procedure to align any reconstructed surfaces from different epochs to a common reference frame. However, sometimes the ICP-based registration can fail or may not provide sufficient accuracy. For example, point clouds from different epochs might fit to local minima due to lack of geometrical variability within the data. Also, manual interaction is required to exclude any non-stable areas from the registration process. In this paper, a robust image-based registration method is introduced for the simultaneous evaluation of all registration parameters. This includes the Interior Orientation Parameters (IOPs of the camera and the Exterior Orientation Parameters (EOPs of the involved images from all available observation epochs via a bundle block adjustment with self-calibration. Next, a semi-global dense matching technique is implemented to generate dense 3D point clouds for each epoch using the images captured in a particular epoch separately. The normal distances between any two consecutive point clouds can then be readily computed, because the point clouds are already effectively co-registered. A low-cost DJI Phantom II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV was customised and used in this research for temporal data collection over an active soil creep area in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The customisation included adding a GPS logger and a Large-Field-Of-View (LFOV action camera which facilitated capturing high-resolution geo-tagged images

a Robust Registration Algorithm for Point Clouds from Uav Images for Change Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Rawabdeh, A.; Al-Gurrani, H.; Al-Durgham, K.; Detchev, I.; He, F.; El-Sheimy, N.; Habib, A.

2016-06-01

Landslides are among the major threats to urban landscape and manmade infrastructure. They often cause economic losses, property damages, and loss of lives. Temporal monitoring data of landslides from different epochs empowers the evaluation of landslide progression. Alignment of overlapping surfaces from two or more epochs is crucial for the proper analysis of landslide dynamics. The traditional methods for point-cloud-based landslide monitoring rely on using a variation of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) registration procedure to align any reconstructed surfaces from different epochs to a common reference frame. However, sometimes the ICP-based registration can fail or may not provide sufficient accuracy. For example, point clouds from different epochs might fit to local minima due to lack of geometrical variability within the data. Also, manual interaction is required to exclude any non-stable areas from the registration process. In this paper, a robust image-based registration method is introduced for the simultaneous evaluation of all registration parameters. This includes the Interior Orientation Parameters (IOPs) of the camera and the Exterior Orientation Parameters (EOPs) of the involved images from all available observation epochs via a bundle block adjustment with self-calibration. Next, a semi-global dense matching technique is implemented to generate dense 3D point clouds for each epoch using the images captured in a particular epoch separately. The normal distances between any two consecutive point clouds can then be readily computed, because the point clouds are already effectively co-registered. A low-cost DJI Phantom II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was customised and used in this research for temporal data collection over an active soil creep area in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The customisation included adding a GPS logger and a Large-Field-Of-View (LFOV) action camera which facilitated capturing high-resolution geo-tagged images in two epochs

Paleocene-Eocene carbon isotopic excursion (CIE) from the shallow ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

36

Methodology. 117. Excellent .... system (~40-80 m water depth; Hottinger, 1997; Zhang et al., 2017) as evident from the. 190 presence .... presence of this stepped CIE profile has been put forward in support for the complete and. 298 ... generated. The paper is a result of a pre-decision effort in connection with a prospective.

Paleocene coal deposits of the Wilcox group, central Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Hook, Robert W.; Warwick, Peter D.; SanFilipo, John R.; Schultz, Adam C.; Nichols, Douglas J.; Swanson, Sharon M.; Warwick, Peter D.; Karlsen, Alexander K.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Valentine, Brett J.

2011-01-01

Coal deposits in the Wilcox Group of central Texas have been regarded as the richest coal resources in the Gulf Coastal Plain. Although minable coal beds appear to be less numerous and generally higher in sulfur content (1 percent average, as-received basis; table 1) than Wilcox coal deposits in the Northeast Texas and Louisiana Sabine assessment areas (0.5 and 0.6 percent sulfur, respectively; table 1), net coal thickness in coal zones in central Texas is up to 32 ft thick and more persistent along strike (up to 15 mi) at or near the surface than coals of any other Gulf Coast assessment area. The rank of the coal beds in central Texas is generally lignite (table 1), but some coal ranks as great as subbituminous C have been reported (Mukhopadhyay, 1989). The outcrop of the Wilcox Group in central Texas strikes northeast, extends for approximately 140 mi between the Trinity and Colorado Rivers, and covers parts of Bastrop, Falls, Freestone, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Milam, Navarro, Robertson, and Williamson Counties (Figure 1). Three formations, in ascending order, the Hooper, Simsboro, and Calvert Bluff, are recognized in central Texas (Figure 2). The Wilcox Group is underlain conformably by the Midway Group, a mudstone-dominated marine sequence, and is overlain and scoured locally by the Carrizo Sand, a fluvial unit at the base of the Claiborne Group.

Hydrocarbon source rock potential evaluation of the Late Paleocene ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

63

research is available on its source rock potential evaluation at Nammal Gorge Section in the Salt. Range, Potwar Basin .... methods of Tucker (2003) and Assaad (2008) have been followed. A total of fifteen ..... Business Media. Baker D M, Lillie ...

Interpretation of observed cosmic microwave background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfven, H.; Mendis, A.

1977-01-01

It is stated that the observed cosmic microwave background radiation, which closely fits a 2.7 K black body spectrum, is generally claimed to be the strongest piece of evidence in support of hot big bang cosmologies by its proponents. It is here stated that the observed radiation corresponds to the distribution of dust in galaxies or protogalaxies with a temperature approximately 110 K at the epoch corresponding to Z approximately 40, and not to a plasma of temperature > approximately 3000 K at an earlier epoch (Z > approximately 1000), as indicated by the canonical model of big bang cosmologies. The claim that the latter lends strong support to hot big bang cosmologies is stated to be without foundation. It is concluded that the microwave background radiation must be explained not in terms of a coupling between matter and radiation at the present epoch, but in terms of a coupling in a previous epoch within the framework of an evolutionary cosmology. (U.K.)

Division of volcanic activity cycles in the late mesozoic in South Jiangxi and North Guangdong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Qinglong; Wu Jianhua

1999-01-01

Based on stratigraphical unconformity, rock association, fossil assemblage, isotope age and tectonic features, the volcanic activity in late Mesozoic in south Jiangxi and north Guandong can be divided into four cycles: Yutian volcanic activity cycle, Lianhuazhai volcanic activity cycle. Banshi volcanic activity cycle and Nanxiong volcanic activity cycle. Yutian volcanic cycle which occurs in middle Jurassic epoch is the bimodal rock association composed of rhyolite and basalt. Lianhuazhai volcanic cycle which occurs in late Jurassic epoch is unimodal rock association composed of rhyolite. Banshi volcanic cycle occurs from the late stage of early Cretaceous to the early stage of late Cretaceous epoch. There are two types of rock associations related to this cycle: unimodal rock association composed of rhyolite or basalt and bimodal rock association composed of rhyolite and basalt. Nanxiong volcanic activity cycle which occurred in late stage of late Cretaceous epoch is the unimodal rock association composed of basalt which is the interlayer of the red sedimentary series

The Soft State of Cygnus X-1 Observed With NuSTAR: A Variable Corona and a Stable Inner Disk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walton, D. J.; Tomsick, J. A.; Madsen, K. K.

2016-01-01

We present a multi-epoch hard X-ray analysis of Cygnus X-1 in its soft state based on four observations with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Despite the basic similarity of the observed spectra, there is clear spectral variability between epochs. To investigate this variabilit...

Assessment of Differing Definitions of Accelerometer Nonwear Time

Science.gov (United States)

Evenson, Kelly R.; Terry, James W., Jr.

2009-01-01

Measuring physical activity with objective tools, such as accelerometers, is becoming more common. Accelerometers measure acceleration multiple times within a given frequency and summarize this as a count over a pre-specified time period or epoch. The resultant count represents acceleration over the epoch length. Accelerometers eliminate biases…

Queue-length balance equations in multiclass multiserver queues and their generalizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boon, M.A.A.; Boxma, O.J.; Kella, O.; Miyazawa, M.

2017-01-01

A classical result for the steady-state queue-length distribution of single-class queueing systems is the following: The distribution of the queue length just before an arrival epoch equals the distribution of the queue length just after a departure epoch. The constraint for this result to be valid

Queue-length balance equations in multiclass multiserver queues and their generalizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boon, M.; Boxma, O.J.; Kella, O.; Miyazawa, M.

2017-01-01

A classical result for the steady-state queue-length distribution of single-class queueing systems is the following: the distribution of the queue length just before an arrival epoch equals the distribution of the queue length just after a departure epoch. The constraint for this result to be valid

Evidence of reworked Cretaceous fossils and their bearing on the existence of Tertiary dinosaurs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eaton, J.G. (Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (USA)); Kirkland, J.I. (Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln (USA)); Doi, K. (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder (USA))

1989-06-01

The Paleocene Shotgun fauna of Wyoming includes marine sharks as well as mammals. It has been suggested that the sharks were introduced from the Cannonball Sea. It is more likely that these sharks were reworked from a Cretaceous rock sequence that included both marine and terrestrial deposits as there is a mixture of marine and freshwater taxa. These taxa have not been recorded elsewhere after the Cretaceous and are not known from the Cannonball Formation. Early Eocene localities at Raven Ridge, Utah, similarly contain teeth of Cretaceous marine and freshwater fish, dinosaurs, and Eocene mammals. The Cretaceous teeth are well preserved, variably abraded, and serve to cast doubts on criteria recently used to claim that dinosaur teeth recovered from the Paleocene of Montana are not reworked. Another Eocene locality in the San Juan Basin has produced an Eocene mammalian fauna with diverse Cretaceous marine sharks. Neither the nature of preservation nor the degree of abrasion could be used to distinguish reworked from contemporaneous material. The mixed environments represented by the fish taxa and recognition of the extensive pre-Tertiary extinction of both marine and freshwater fish were employed to recognize reworked specimens.

An improved test for periodicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, S.R.

1990-01-01

I discuss two widely used methods of testing for periodicity, phase dispersion minimization and epoch-folding. Using an analysis of variance approach, I demonstrate the close relationship between these two methods. I also show that the significance test sometimes used in phase dispersion minimization is statistically inaccurate, and that the test used in epoch-folding is an approximation valid only for large sample sizes. I propose a new test statistic, applicable to either epoch-folding or PDM, which is statistically sound for all sample sizes, and which is also more sensitive to periodicity than the test statistics previously used with these two methods. (author)

Results From PAPER/HERA

Science.gov (United States)

Pober, Jonathan C.

2018-05-01

The Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER) was a first-generation 21 cm cosmology experiment with the specific goal of detecting the power spectrum of the 21 cm emission from the Epoch of Reionization. Analysis of PAPER data is still ongoing, but lessons learned from PAPER to date have played a critical role in designing the next-generation Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) experiment. This article reviews five key design choices made by PAPER: use of a non-imaging configuration, redundancy, short baselines, small antenna elements, and a large instantaneous bandwidth. We describe the impact of these choices and the role they played in designing HERA.

Transient analysis of one-sided Lévy-driven queues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Starreveld, N.J.; Bekker, R.; Mandjes, M.

2016-01-01

In this article, we analyze the transient behavior of the workload process in a Lévy-driven queue. We are interested in the value of the workload process at a random epoch; this epoch is distributed as the sum of independent exponential random variables. We consider both cases of spectrally

Transient analysis of one-sided Lévy-driven queues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Starreveld, N.J.; R. Bekker (Rene); M.R.H. Mandjes (Michel)

2016-01-01

textabstractIn this article, we analyze the transient behavior of the workload process in a Lévy-driven queue. We are interested in the value of the workload process at a random epoch; this epoch is distributed as the sum of independent exponential random variables. We consider both cases of

THE FIRST DETECTION OF PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY IN A Y DWARF: WISE J140518.39+553421.3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushing, Michael C.; Hardegree-Ullman, Kevin K.; Trucks, Jesica L.; Morley, Caroline V.; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Gizis, John E.; Marley, Mark S.; Gelino, Christopher R.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Mace, Gregory N.; Carey, Sean J.

2016-01-01

We present the first detection of the photometric variability in a spectroscopically confirmed Y dwarf. The Infrared Array Camera on board the Spitzer Space Telescope was used to obtain time series photometry of WISE J140518.39+553421.3 at 3.6 and 4.5 μ m over a 24-hr period at two different epochs separated by 149 days. Variability is evident at 4.5 μ m in the first epoch and at 3.6 and 4.5 μ m in the second epoch, which suggests that the underlying cause or causes of this variability change on the timescales of months. The second-epoch [3.6] and [4.5] light curves are nearly sinusoidal in form, in phase, have periods of roughly 8.5 hr, and have semi-amplitudes of 3.5%. We find that a simple geometric spot model with a single bright spot reproduces these observations well. We also compare our measured semi-amplitudes of the second-epoch light curves to predictions of the static, one-dimensional, partly cloudy, and hot spot models of Morley and collaborators, and find that neither set of models can reproduce the observed [3.6] and [4.5] semi-amplitudes simultaneously. Therefore, more advanced two-dimensional or three-dimensional models that include time-dependent phenomena like vertical mixing, cloud formation, and thermal relaxation are sorely needed in order to properly interpret our observations.

Electrical source imaging of interictal spikes using multiple sparse volumetric priors for presurgical epileptogenic focus localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregor Strobbe

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Electrical source imaging of interictal spikes observed in EEG recordings of patients with refractory epilepsy provides useful information to localize the epileptogenic focus during the presurgical evaluation. However, the selection of the time points or time epochs of the spikes in order to estimate the origin of the activity remains a challenge. In this study, we consider a Bayesian EEG source imaging technique for distributed sources, i.e. the multiple volumetric sparse priors (MSVP approach. The approach allows to estimate the time courses of the intensity of the sources corresponding with a specific time epoch of the spike. Based on presurgical averaged interictal spikes in six patients who were successfully treated with surgery, we estimated the time courses of the source intensities for three different time epochs: (i an epoch starting 50 ms before the spike peak and ending at 50% of the spike peak during the rising phase of the spike, (ii an epoch starting 50 ms before the spike peak and ending at the spike peak and (iii an epoch containing the full spike time period starting 50 ms before the spike peak and ending 230 ms after the spike peak. To identify the primary source of the spike activity, the source with the maximum energy from 50 ms before the spike peak till 50% of the spike peak was subsequently selected for each of the time windows. For comparison, the activity at the spike peaks and at 50% of the peaks was localized using the LORETA inversion technique and an ECD approach. Both patient-specific spherical forward models and patient-specific 5-layered finite difference models were considered to evaluate the influence of the forward model. Based on the resected zones in each of the patients, extracted from post-operative MR images, we compared the distances to the resection border of the estimated activity. Using the spherical models, the distances to the resection border for the MSVP approach and each of the different time

Look-ahead policies for admission to a single server loss system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nawijn, W.M.

1990-01-01

Consider a single server loss system in which the server, being idle, may reject or accept an arriving customer for service depending on the state at the arrival epoch. It is assumed that at every arrival epoch the server knows the service time of the arriving customer, the arrival time of the next

Joint distribution of sojourn time and queue length in the M/G/1 queue with (in)finite capacity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boxma, O.J.

1984-01-01

For the M/G/1 queue we study the joint distribution of the number of customers x present immediately before an arrival epoch and of the residual service time ¿ of the customer in service at this epoch. The correlation coefficient (x, ¿) is shown to be positive (negative) when the service time

Transient analysis of one-sided Lévy-driven queues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Starreveld, N.; Bekker, R.; Mandjes, M.R.H.

2015-01-01

In this paper we analyze the transient behavior of the workload process in a Lévy input queue. We are interested in the value of the workload process at a random epoch; this epoch is distributed as the sum of independent exponential random variables. We consider both cases of spectrally one-sided

Terrestrial floral change during the ETM2 hyperthermal

Science.gov (United States)

Wing, S. L.; Currano, E. D.

2017-12-01

Hyperthermal events during the Eocene are defined by negative shifts in carbon isotope composition, global temperature increase and carbonate dissolution in marine settings. These features suggest repeated releases of large amounts of carbon followed by increasing concentration of CO2in the atmosphere and ocean, climate change, and biotic responses such as rapid evolution and changes in geographic range and trophic relationships. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 56.0 Ma) is the largest Eocene hyperthermal in terms of carbon cycle, climate and biotic effects, including dwarfing of mammalian lineages. Terrestrial floral turnover at the PETM documented in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA, is very high. Almost all late Paleocene species, most belonging to mesic, warm-temperate lineages, disappeared during the PETM. The PETM flora was composed of species belonging to dry tropical lineages present only during the body of the PETM. Most mesic, warm-temperate species returned to the area immediately after the PETM. Such extreme change in floral composition makes it difficult to assess how much floral turnover is associated with how much change in temperature. The ETM2 hyperthermal event ( 53.7 Ma) is characterized by a carbon isotope excursion and warming about half as great as during the PETM, and by half as much mammalian dwarfing. Here we report on a new fossil flora from ETM2 that demonstrates the magnitude of floral change was also less than during the PETM. Some characteristic PETM plant species reappeared in the Bighorn Basin during ETM2, including species of Fabaceae that dominate PETM assemblages but are less common during ETM2. Many stratigraphically long-ranging plant species that preferred mesic climates remain common in the ETM2 flora. We conclude that warm climate during ETM2 shifted ranges of plant species such that some PETM species returned to northern Wyoming, but was not so severe as to cause local extirpation of species preferring 'background

El paleoceno de la alta cadena (subbetico interno, Cordillera Betica implicaciones en la evolución geodinamica del paleomargen sud-iberico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martín-Martín, M.

2002-08-01

Full Text Available No formal formations have been defined taking into account the structural deformation and low quality of the Paleocene outcroppings open platform sediments from the High Chain area (Interna1 Subbetic, Málaga Province. Nevertheless, the better series are indicated, and a division in two depositional sequences are proposed: Lower Paleocene Depositional Sequence (SDPI and Upper Paleocene Depositional Sequence (SDPS, the later being sub-divided in two parasequences (P1 and P2 obtained from the clay mineralogy. The sequences have been defined on the basis of unconformity surfaces interpreted as due to tectonic or eustatic processes. It is proposed the geodynamic evolution of this materials belonging to the South-Iberian paleomargen according with stratigraphical, mineralogical and sedimentary analysis data and shows also the main characteristics of source areas during this period.La complejidad estructural de la región de la Alta Cadena (Subbético Interno de la Provincia de Málaga y la baja calidad de los afloramientos no ha permitido definir formalmente formaciones en los materiales paleocenos de plataforma abierta. No obstante, sí se indican los lugares de mejor exposición de las series, proponiendo una división en dos secuencias deposicionales: Secuencia Deposicional del Paleoceno Inferior (SDPI y Secuencia Deposicional del Paleoceno Superior (SDPS que, a su vez, queda dividida en dos parasecuencias (P1 y P2 obtenidas a partir del estudio mineralógico. Se definen estas secuencias a partir del reconocimiento de las superficies de discontinuidad que las delimitan, siendo éstas interpretadas como debidas a procesos tectónicos, en unos casos, o a procesos eustáticos, en otros. Se propone la evolución geodinámica de estos materiales mediante el estudio estratigráfico, mineralógico y análisis sedimentario. De forma complementaria se apuntan las principales características de sus áreas fuente durante este período.

Eocene Unification of Peruvian and Bolivian Altiplano Basin Depocenters

Science.gov (United States)

Saylor, J.; Sundell, K. E.; Perez, N.; Karsky, N.; Lapen, T. J.; Cárdenas, J.

2017-12-01

Paleogene evolution of the Altiplano basin has been characterized as a flexural foreland basin which developed in response to magmatic and thrust loading along its western margin. Research focused in southern Peru and Bolivia points to broadly synchronous foredeep deposition in a basin assumed to be have been contiguous from at least 14°-23°S. We investigated Paleogene strata exposed on the southwestern margin of Lake Titicaca near the Peru/Bolivia border in order to establish sediment dispersal systems, sediment sources, and the chronology of deposition. A data set of >1,000 paleocurrent measurements throughout the section consistently indicates a western sediment source. The results of detrital zircon mixture modeling are consistent with derivation from Cretaceous volcanic sources, and Cretaceous and Ordovician sedimentary strata exposed in the Western Cordillera. These results confirm previous models in which sedimentary sources for the Altiplano basin are dominated by the Western Cordillera throughout the Paleogene. The detrital zircon signatures from strata in this stratigraphic section where paleocurrent orientation is well constrained provide a benchmark for future research seeking to determine sediment sources for the Altiplano basin. However, refined chronologies based on detrital zircon U-Pb maximum depositional ages (MDAs) point to development of at least two Paleocene depocenters in Peru and Bolivia separated by a zone of nondeposition or erosion in southern Peru. The basal Muñani Formation in southern Peru yields MDAs of 36.9-40.2 Ma, which requires revision of the previously determined middle Paleocene onset of deposition. The Muñani Formation overlies the Vilquechico Group which has been biostratigraphically determined to range from Campanian-Maastrichtian (or possibly Paleocene, 60 Ma). The revised chronology for the Muñani Formation requires a disconformity of at least 20 Myr during which deposition continued in both the Peruvian and Bolivian

Sedimentary basin analysis and petroleum potential of the Cretaceous and Tertiary strata in Korea.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, Jin-Dam; Kwak, Young-Hoon; Bong, Pil-Yoon [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (KR)] (and others)

1999-12-01

Since 1992 sedimentary basin analysis to assess petroleum potential of the Cretaceous and Tertiary strata in the Korean onshore and continental shelf have been carried out. The Cretaceous non-marine strata mainly occupy the Gyeongsang Basin in southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula and small basins such as Haenam and Gyeokpo depressions in western coastal areas. The Tertiary strata are mostly distributed in Domi, Cheju, Socotra subbasins, and Okinawa Trough in the South Continental Shelf, and Kunsan and Heuksan basins in the West. The basin evolution and petroleum potential for each basins are characterized as follow. The Cretaceous Gyeongsang sediments were deposited in three subbasins including Milyang, Euisung and Yongyang subbasins. The black shales in Nakdong and Jinju formations are interpreted to contain abundant organic matter during the deposition, thermal maturity reaching up to the zone of dry gas formation. Because porosity and permeability are too low, the sandstones can act as a tight gas reservoir rather than conventional oil and gas reservoir. The latest Cretaceous strata of Haenam and Kyeokpo depressions in western coastal area are correlated into the Yuchon Volcanic Group of the Gyeongsang Basin. Petroleum potential of the Early Cretaceous basin in the West Continental Shelf could be relatively high in terms of sedimentary basin filled with thick lacustrine sediments. The Kunsan basin in the West Continental Shelf originated in the Early Cretaceous time expanded during the Paleocene time followed by regional erosion at the end of Paleocene on which Neogene sediment have been accumulated. The Paleocene-Eocene sublacustrine shales may play an major role as a source and cap rocks. South Continental Shelf Basin is subdivided by Cheju subbasin in the center, Socotra Subbasin to the west, Domi Subbasin to the northeast and Okinawa Trough to the East. The potential hydrocarbon traps associated with anticline, titled fault blocks, fault, unconformity

HST Archival Imaging of the Light Echoes of SN 1987A

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, S. S.; Hayon, M.; Sugerman, B. E. K.; Crotts, A. P. S.

2002-12-01

We have undertaken a search for light echo signals from Supernova 1987A that have been serendipitously recorded in images taken near the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud by HST. We used the MAST interface to create a database of the 1282 WF/PC, WFPC2 and STIS images taken within 15 arcminutes of the supernova, between 1992 April and 2002 June. These 1282 images are grouped into 125 distinct epochs and pointings, with each epoch containing between 1 and 42 separate exposures. Sorting this database with various programs, aided by the STScI Visual Target Tuner, we have identified 63 pairs of WFPC2 imaging epochs that are not centered on the supernova but that have a significant amount of spatial overlap between their fields of view. These image data were downloaded from the public archive, cleaned of cosmic rays, and blinked to search for light echoes at radii larger than 2 arcminutes from the supernova. Our search to date has focused on those pairs of epochs with the largest degree of overlap. Of 16 pairs of epochs scanned to date, we have detected 3 strong light echoes and one faint, tentative echo signal. We will present direct and difference images of these and any further echoes, as well as the 3-D geometric, photometric and color properties of the echoing dust structures. In addition, a set of 20 epochs of WF/PC and WFPC2 imaging centered on SN 1987A remain to be searched for echoes within 2 arcminutes of the supernova. We will discuss our plans to integrate the high spatial-resolution HST snapshots of the echoes with our extensive, well-time-sampled, ground-based imaging data. We gratefully acknowledge the support of this undergraduate research project through an HST Archival Research Grant (HST-AR-09209.01-A).

Binaural Beat: A Failure to Enhance EEG Power and Emotional Arousal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fran López-Caballero

2017-11-01

Full Text Available When two pure tones of slightly different frequencies are delivered simultaneously to the two ears, is generated a beat whose frequency corresponds to the frequency difference between them. That beat is known as acoustic beat. If these two tones are presented one to each ear, they still produce the sensation of the same beat, although no physical combination of the tones occurs outside the auditory system. This phenomenon is called binaural beat. In the present study, we explored the potential contribution of binaural beats to the enhancement of specific electroencephalographic (EEG bands, as previous studies suggest the potential usefulness of binaural beats as a brainwave entrainment tool. Additionally, we analyzed the effects of binaural-beat stimulation on two psychophysiological measures related to emotional arousal: heart rate and skin conductance. Beats of five different frequencies (4.53 Hz -theta-, 8.97 Hz -alpha-, 17.93 Hz -beta-, 34.49 Hz -gamma- or 57.3 Hz -upper-gamma were presented binaurally and acoustically for epochs of 3 min (Beat epochs, preceded and followed by pink noise epochs of 90 s (Baseline and Post epochs, respectively. In each of these epochs, we analyzed the EEG spectral power, as well as calculated the heart rate and skin conductance response (SCR. For all the beat frequencies used for stimulation, no significant changes between Baseline and Beat epochs were observed within the corresponding EEG bands, neither with binaural or with acoustic beats. Additional analysis of spectral EEG topographies yielded negative results for the effect of binaural beats in the scalp distribution of EEG spectral power. In the psychophysiological measures, no changes in heart rate and skin conductance were observed for any of the beat frequencies presented. Our results do not support binaural-beat stimulation as a potential tool for the enhancement of EEG oscillatory activity, nor to induce changes in emotional arousal.

Binaural Beat: A Failure to Enhance EEG Power and Emotional Arousal.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Caballero, Fran; Escera, Carles

2017-01-01

When two pure tones of slightly different frequencies are delivered simultaneously to the two ears, is generated a beat whose frequency corresponds to the frequency difference between them. That beat is known as acoustic beat. If these two tones are presented one to each ear, they still produce the sensation of the same beat, although no physical combination of the tones occurs outside the auditory system. This phenomenon is called binaural beat. In the present study, we explored the potential contribution of binaural beats to the enhancement of specific electroencephalographic (EEG) bands, as previous studies suggest the potential usefulness of binaural beats as a brainwave entrainment tool. Additionally, we analyzed the effects of binaural-beat stimulation on two psychophysiological measures related to emotional arousal: heart rate and skin conductance. Beats of five different frequencies (4.53 Hz -theta-, 8.97 Hz -alpha-, 17.93 Hz -beta-, 34.49 Hz -gamma- or 57.3 Hz -upper-gamma) were presented binaurally and acoustically for epochs of 3 min (Beat epochs), preceded and followed by pink noise epochs of 90 s (Baseline and Post epochs, respectively). In each of these epochs, we analyzed the EEG spectral power, as well as calculated the heart rate and skin conductance response (SCR). For all the beat frequencies used for stimulation, no significant changes between Baseline and Beat epochs were observed within the corresponding EEG bands, neither with binaural or with acoustic beats. Additional analysis of spectral EEG topographies yielded negative results for the effect of binaural beats in the scalp distribution of EEG spectral power. In the psychophysiological measures, no changes in heart rate and skin conductance were observed for any of the beat frequencies presented. Our results do not support binaural-beat stimulation as a potential tool for the enhancement of EEG oscillatory activity, nor to induce changes in emotional arousal.

Temperature Reconstruction and Biomarker Variation across the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary, Mid-Waipara River, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, K. W.; Hollis, C. J.; Pancost, R. D.

2010-12-01

The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary marks a catastrophic global extinction event, believed to be caused by an asteroid impact in northern Yucatan. Whilst the extent of mass extinction is well documented, there is ongoing debate about the immediate and longer term climatic and environmental changes triggered by the event. The northern South Island of New Zealand has several records of the K/Pg boundary, representing a range of terrestrial and marine environments. Previous studies of terrestrial palynomorphs and siliceous microfossils from these sections suggested significant cooling and terrestrial vegetation reconfiguration in the earliest Paleocene. Extinctions or local disappearances of thermophilic taxa at the K/Pg boundary are consistent with the hypothesis of a short-lived “impact winter”. The Mid-Waipara K/Pg boundary section, north Canterbury, has been identified as suitable for organic geochemical study because sufficient organic carbon is present in the siliciclastic sediments and is thermally immature. Sediments were deposited in outer shelf to upper slope depths under a neritic watermass. New estimates of sea surface temperature variation based on TEX86 elucidate the relationship between biological and climatic changes that followed the K/Pg event. Within the 0.25 m-thick interval identified as the “fern spike” in basal Paleocene sediments in this section there is no indication of a significant change in temperature relative to the Cretaceous (22-25°C). Foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy indicates that this interval spans ~100 kyrs and includes a fern succession from colonising ground ferns to tree ferns, the latter suggesting a temperate, humid climate. The transition from ferns to a conifer-dominated pollen assemblage corresponds with a remarkable decrease in temperature recorded in the TEX86 record. These cool temperatures persist over 10 m. The dominant conifer pollen type over this interval is Phyllocladites mawsonii

Outgassing History and Escape of the Martian Atmosphere and Water Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Lammer, Helmut; Chassefière, Eric; Karatekin, Özgür; Morschhauser, Achim; Niles, Paul B.; Mousis, Olivier; Odert, Petra; Möstl, Ute V.; Breuer, Doris; Dehant, Véronique; Grott, Matthias; Gröller, Hannes; Hauber, Ernst; Pham, Lê Binh San

2013-01-01

The evolution and escape of the martian atmosphere and the planet's water inventory can be separated into an early and late evolutionary epoch. The first epoch started from the planet's origin and lasted ˜500 Myr. Because of the high EUV flux of the young Sun and Mars' low gravity it was accompanied by hydrodynamic blow-off of hydrogen and strong thermal escape rates of dragged heavier species such as O and C atoms. After the main part of the protoatmosphere was lost, impact-related volatiles and mantle outgassing may have resulted in accumulation of a secondary CO2 atmosphere of a few tens to a few hundred mbar around ˜4-4.3 Gyr ago. The evolution of the atmospheric surface pressure and water inventory of such a secondary atmosphere during the second epoch which lasted from the end of the Noachian until today was most likely determined by a complex interplay of various nonthermal atmospheric escape processes, impacts, carbonate precipitation, and serpentinization during the Hesperian and Amazonian epochs which led to the present day surface pressure.

Methods for the determination of lunisolar precession from observations of extragalactic radio sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsmore, B.

1976-01-01

Although it is not practicable at present to determine the position or motion of the equinox using radio techniques, lunisolar precession may be determined from measurements at two epochs of differences of (i) Right Ascension -RA, and (ii) Declinations - Dec., of extragalactic radio sources. The determinations are largely free from systematic errors, and the magnitudes of random errors, arising principally from tropospheric irregularities, are given for observations with the Cambridge 5-km telescope. Some first epoch measure-ments have been made with this instrument and it is estimated that by carrying out second epoch measurements after an interval of 5 yr, the centennial value of lunisolar precession will be determined with a standard error of +- 0''.25. (author)

Kairic Rhythmicity in the Turing-Galaxy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Sisse Siggaard

2001-01-01

This paper explores problems of time and timing in different spaces with refer-ence to two case studies from the epoch of the Turing-Galaxy. Case study 1 is on networked learning communities and case study 2 is an e-learning project in a small multimedia firm in Denmark. Basic assumptions...... are that time has be-come one of our major problems, almost an obstacle rather than a rich source of life, in the epoch of the Turing-galaxy or in the network society, and it is ar-gued, that we have to deal with time in a new way different from during the industrial epoch. In order to discuss these assumptions...

Toward a Communication Theory Focused on Humankind's Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Ternent, William A.; Ternent, Janet A.

This speech presents a model of human communication which integrates the existential philosophy of Martin Buber with the communication views of Jonas Salk. In his book, "The Survival of the Wisest," Salk characterizes an "Epoch A" to describe the values and behaviors of the past and an "Epoch B" to describe the necessary values and behaviors for…

Tectonic stress history and the relationship with uranium mineralization in Shenchong mining area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Mingqiang; Lin Yinshan; Kang Zili

1996-01-01

The rejection method of maximum statistical for principal stress axis is applied to complex granite body, this paper divide mining area tectonic process into six epochs. The relationship between the tectonic process and uranium mineralization is also discussed, and the later 3 times fracture process of Diwa epoch control the removing and gathering of Uranium in this area

Visualizing the Anthropocene: Human Land Use History and Environmental Management

Science.gov (United States)

Richard D. Periman

2006-01-01

The term “Anthropocene” defines the current, human-dominated, geological epoch of human-caused environmental influences. Some researchers believe that the beginning of this epoch coincides with the inception of the Industrial Revolution (Crutzen and Stoermer 2000). Research is revealing that humans have affected environments on global and local scales for millennia....

The effect of the stratospheric QBO on the neutral density of the D region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Selçuk Sağır

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A multiple regression model, which defines relationship between two variables, is used to perform a statistical analysis of the relationship between the stratospheric QBO and the neutral density of the D region (NnD at altitudes of 75 km and 90 km for Singapore station. While performing the analysis, the solar maxima and solar minima epochs of the sun for 21st, 22nd and 23rd solar cycles (SCs are taken into account. Before applying the model for the statistical analysis of the relationship, the stationary of the variables is investigated by using the unit root test. The relationship between the variables is also investigated by using the co-integration test. The relationship between NnD measured at 75 km altitude and QBO obtained at altitude of 10 hPa is observed that it is positive for solar maximum epoch at 21st and 23rd SCs and for solar minimum epoch at 21st SC and is negative at the other epochs. The relationship between NnD measured at 90 km altitude and QBO is observed to be negative at both the solar maxima expect for solar maximum of 23rd SC and the solar minima epochs. The relationship between variables is positive for both phases (east and west of QBO. Thus, QBO leads to a statistical change in the NnD. It may also give rise to changes on the ion chemistry of the D region.

Causal Conceptions in Social Explanation and Moral Evaluation: A Historical Tour.

Science.gov (United States)

Alicke, Mark D; Mandel, David R; Hilton, Denis J; Gerstenberg, Tobias; Lagnado, David A

2015-11-01

Understanding the causes of human behavior is essential for advancing one's interests and for coordinating social relations. The scientific study of how people arrive at such understandings or explanations has unfolded in four distinguishable epochs in psychology, each characterized by a different metaphor that researchers have used to represent how people think as they attribute causality and blame to other individuals. The first epoch was guided by an "intuitive scientist" metaphor, which emphasized whether observers perceived behavior to be caused by the unique tendencies of the actor or by common reactions to the requirements of the situation. This metaphor was displaced in the second epoch by an "intuitive lawyer" depiction that focused on the need to hold people responsible for their misdeeds. The third epoch was dominated by theories of counterfactual thinking, which conveyed a "person as reconstructor" approach that emphasized the antecedents and consequences of imagining alternatives to events, especially harmful ones. With the current upsurge in moral psychology, the fourth epoch emphasizes the moral-evaluative aspect of causal judgment, reflected in a "person as moralist" metaphor. By tracing the progression from the person-environment distinction in early attribution theories to present concerns with moral judgment, our goal is to clarify how causal constructs have been used, how they relate to one another, and what unique attributional problems each addresses. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by Defence Research and Development Canada 2015.

Multiepoch Spectropolarimetry of SN 2011fe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milne, Peter A.; Williams, G. Grant; Smith, Paul S.; Smith, Nathan; Jannuzi, Buell T.; Green, E. M.; Porter, Amber; Leising, Mark D.

2017-01-01

We present multiple spectropolarimetric observations of the nearby Type Ia supernova (SN) 2011fe in M101, obtained before, during, and after the time of maximum apparent visual brightness. The excellent time coverage of our spectropolarimetry has allowed better monitoring of the evolution of polarization features than is typical, which has allowed us new insight into the nature of normal SNe Ia. SN 2011fe exhibits time-dependent polarization in both the continuum and strong absorption lines. At early epochs, red wavelengths exhibit a degree of continuum polarization of up to 0.4%, likely indicative of a mild asymmetry in the electron-scattering photosphere. This behavior is more common in subluminous SNe Ia than in normal events, such as SN 2011fe. The degree of polarization across a collection of absorption lines varies dramatically from epoch to epoch. During the earliest epoch, a λ 4600–5000 Å complex of absorption lines shows enhanced polarization at a different position angle than the continuum. We explore the origin of these features, presenting a few possible interpretations, without arriving at a single favored ion. During two epochs near maximum, the dominant polarization feature is associated with the Si ii λ 6355 Å absorption line. This is common for SNe Ia, but for SN 2011fe the polarization of this feature increases after maximum light, whereas for other SNe Ia, that polarization feature was strongest before maximum light.

Multiepoch Spectropolarimetry of SN 2011fe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milne, Peter A.; Williams, G. Grant; Smith, Paul S.; Smith, Nathan; Jannuzi, Buell T.; Green, E. M. [University of Arizona, Steward Observatory, 933 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Porter, Amber; Leising, Mark D. [118 Kinard Laboratory, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States)

2017-01-20

We present multiple spectropolarimetric observations of the nearby Type Ia supernova (SN) 2011fe in M101, obtained before, during, and after the time of maximum apparent visual brightness. The excellent time coverage of our spectropolarimetry has allowed better monitoring of the evolution of polarization features than is typical, which has allowed us new insight into the nature of normal SNe Ia. SN 2011fe exhibits time-dependent polarization in both the continuum and strong absorption lines. At early epochs, red wavelengths exhibit a degree of continuum polarization of up to 0.4%, likely indicative of a mild asymmetry in the electron-scattering photosphere. This behavior is more common in subluminous SNe Ia than in normal events, such as SN 2011fe. The degree of polarization across a collection of absorption lines varies dramatically from epoch to epoch. During the earliest epoch, a λ 4600–5000 Å complex of absorption lines shows enhanced polarization at a different position angle than the continuum. We explore the origin of these features, presenting a few possible interpretations, without arriving at a single favored ion. During two epochs near maximum, the dominant polarization feature is associated with the Si ii λ 6355 Å absorption line. This is common for SNe Ia, but for SN 2011fe the polarization of this feature increases after maximum light, whereas for other SNe Ia, that polarization feature was strongest before maximum light.

Efficacy of brain-computer interface-driven neuromuscular electrical stimulation for chronic paresis after stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukaino, Masahiko; Ono, Takashi; Shindo, Keiichiro; Fujiwara, Toshiyuki; Ota, Tetsuo; Kimura, Akio; Liu, Meigen; Ushiba, Junichi

2014-04-01

Brain computer interface technology is of great interest to researchers as a potential therapeutic measure for people with severe neurological disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of brain computer interface, by comparing conventional neuromuscular electrical stimulation and brain computer interface-driven neuromuscular electrical stimulation, using an A-B-A-B withdrawal single-subject design. A 38-year-old male with severe hemiplegia due to a putaminal haemorrhage participated in this study. The design involved 2 epochs. In epoch A, the patient attempted to open his fingers during the application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, irrespective of his actual brain activity. In epoch B, neuromuscular electrical stimulation was applied only when a significant motor-related cortical potential was observed in the electroencephalogram. The subject initially showed diffuse functional magnetic resonance imaging activation and small electro-encephalogram responses while attempting finger movement. Epoch A was associated with few neurological or clinical signs of improvement. Epoch B, with a brain computer interface, was associated with marked lateralization of electroencephalogram (EEG) and blood oxygenation level dependent responses. Voluntary electromyogram (EMG) activity, with significant EEG-EMG coherence, was also prompted. Clinical improvement in upper-extremity function and muscle tone was observed. These results indicate that self-directed training with a brain computer interface may induce activity- dependent cortical plasticity and promote functional recovery. This preliminary clinical investigation encourages further research using a controlled design.

The Broadband XMM-Newton and NuSTAR X-ray Spectra of Two Ultraluminous X-ray Sources in the Galaxy IC 342

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rana, Vikram; Harrison, Fiona A.; Bachetti, Matteo

2015-01-01

We present results for two Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs), IC 342 X-1 and IC 342 X-2, using two epochs of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations separated by ∼7 days. We observe little spectral or flux variability above 1 keV between epochs, with unabsorbed 0.3-30 keV luminosities being $1.04+0.0...

A Pelagic Paleocene Seouence in the Biga Peninsula Northwest Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Burak YIKILMAZ

2002-06-01

Full Text Available A sequence of pelagic limestone, calciturbidite, debris flow, greywacke, basalt and limestone blocks. up to several hundred metres across, occur west of the town of Biga in northwest Turkey. The pelagic limestones in this sequence, named as the Ballıkaya formation, comprise pelagic foraminifera of Palaeocene age. Neritic limestone of Mid-Eocene age lies unconformably over the Ballıkaya formation. The age and the sedimentary environment of the Ballıkaya formation indicate the presence of a tectonically active deep-sea environment in northwest Turkey during the Palaeocene, and constrain the main Alpide deformation in northwest Turkey to the Late Palaeocene - Early Eocene interval.

Characterization of a petroleum system in the Himalayan foreland basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sorkhabi, R. [Japan National Oil Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-10-30

The Himalayan foreland basin that is a part of the Tethyan tectonic belt is a potential target for hydrocarbon exploration. Petroleum has been yield in the west part of basin (Pakistan), and in the east part (Myanmar). This study takes aim to the central parts of the Himalayan foreland basin (India and Nepal), and identifies sediments Paleocene in age (the Subathu Formation made up of limestone and shale, and Murree Group made up of mudstone and shale) as source rock (TOC content up to 0.5 %), and also identifies permeable Siwalik sandstone (Paleocene-Middle to Neogene) as reservoir rock (porosity ranges from 4 to 27%, and permeability ranges from 0.1 to 10 millidarcy). Source rock had been occurred thermal maturity by burial in late Miocene. The serious problem is the localization of seals and traps. It indicates a potentiality that suitable trap structures had been formed by Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), close to Lesser Himalaya, lifting up and transporting the Proterozoic shale and carbonate rocks atop the Siwalik sandstone. The overthrust activities of source rock (Subathu-Murree Group) atop the Siwalik are important for formation of seals and traps. Actuary, gas and oil seeps are found not in Tarai (plain) but in the vicinity of the MBT. (translated by NEDO)

Using recurrence plot for determinism analysis of EEG recordings in genetic absence epilepsy rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Gaoxiang; Li, Xiaoli; Dang, Chuangyin; Richards, Douglas A

2008-08-01

Understanding the transition of brain activity towards an absence seizure is a challenging task. In this paper, we use recurrence quantification analysis to indicate the deterministic dynamics of EEG series at the seizure-free, pre-seizure and seizure states in genetic absence epilepsy rats. The determinism measure, DET, based on recurrence plot, was applied to analyse these three EEG datasets, each dataset containing 300 single-channel EEG epochs of 5-s duration. Then, statistical analysis of the DET values in each dataset was carried out to determine whether their distributions over the three groups were significantly different. Furthermore, a surrogate technique was applied to calculate the significance level of determinism measures in EEG recordings. The mean (+/-SD) DET of EEG was 0.177+/-0.045 in pre-seizure intervals. The DET values of pre-seizure EEG data are significantly higher than those of seizure-free intervals, 0.123+/-0.023, (Pdeterminism in EEG epochs was present in 25 of 300 (8.3%), 181 of 300 (60.3%) and 289 of 300 (96.3%) in seizure-free, pre-seizure and seizure intervals, respectively. Results provide some first indications that EEG epochs during pre-seizure intervals exhibit a higher degree of determinism than seizure-free EEG epochs, but lower than those in seizure EEG epochs in absence epilepsy. The proposed methods have the potential of detecting the transition between normal brain activity and the absence seizure state, thus opening up the possibility of intervention, whether electrical or pharmacological, to prevent the oncoming seizure.

Pattern recognition of obstructive sleep apnoea and Cheyne–Stokes respiration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinreich, Gerhard; Teschler, Helmut; Armitstead, Jeff

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the validity of an artificial neural network based on flow-related spectral entropy as a diagnostic test for obstructive sleep apnoea and Cheyne–Stokes respiration. A data set of 37 subjects was used for spectral analysis of the airflow by performing a fast Fourier transform. The examined intervals were divided into epochs of 3 min. Spectral entropy S was applied as a measure for the spread of the related power spectrum. The spectrum was divided into several frequency areas with various subsets of spectral entropy. We studied 11 subjects with obstructive apnoeas (n = 267 epochs), 10 subjects with obstructive hypopnoeas (n = 80 epochs), 11 subjects with Cheyne–Stokes respiration (n = 253 epochs) and 5 subjects with normal breathing in non-REM sleep (n = 174 epochs). Based on spectral entropy an artificial neural network was built, and we obtained a sensitivity of 90.2% and a specificity of 90.9% for distinguishing between obstructive apnoeas and Cheyne–Stokes respiration, and a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 94.6% for discriminating between obstructive hypopnoeas and normal breathing in non-REM sleep. This resulted in an accuracy of 91.5% for identifying flow patterns of obstructive sleep apnoea, Cheyne–Stokes respiration and normal breathing in non-REM sleep. It is concluded that the use of an artificial neural network relying on spectral analysis of the airflow could be a useful method as a diagnostic test for obstructive sleep apnoea and Cheyne–Stokes respiration

Age and geochemistry of Alumine's Ignimbrites, Neuquen province, Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagorio, Silvia; Massaferro, Gabriela

1998-01-01

Geochemical and geochronological data from Alumine riolitic welded tuffs are analysed. Minor elements show enrichment in Rb, Th and K and depletion in Nb, Ti, P and Sr. La/Yb ratios are low. The geochemical features are consistent with a volcanic arc genesis. The radiometric data obtained by K/Ar method point out a Paleocene age for these rocks, allowing to correlate them with the Ventana Formation or the equivalent Auca Pan Formation. (author)

Comparison between the chemistry of igneous and hydrothermal biotite in the igneous rocks of Sakhtehesar mountain

OpenAIRE

Farima Ayati; Sayide Mahdevari

2015-01-01

Sakhtehesar mountain is located in Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt and is composed of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks (Pliocene andesite to dacite) which intruded the volcanics and pyroclastics of Paleocene age. Three alteration zones including potassic, phyllic and propylitic are recognized in the area. In this paper, the mineral chemistry of magmatic and primary biotite and the mineral chemistry of biotite in potassic and phyllic alteration zones have been studied. Investigations show that pri...

The fossil record of turtles in colombia; a review of the discoveries research and future challenges

OpenAIRE

Cadena Rueda, Edwin Alberto

2014-01-01

This is a review article on the fossil record of turtles in Colombia that includes: the early Cretaceous turtles from Zapatocaand Villa de Leyva localities; the giant turtles from the Paleocene Cerrejón and Calenturitas Coal Mines; the early Miocene,earliest record of Chelus from Pubenza, Cundinamarca; the early to late Miocene large podocnemids, chelids and testudinidsfrom Castilletes, Alta Guajira and La Venta; and the small late Pleistocene kinosternids from Pubenza, Cundinamarca. I alsodi...

Low- and intermediate level radioactive waste from Risoe, Denmark. Location studies for potential disposal areas. Report no. 2. Characterization of low permeable and fractured sediments and rocks in Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gravesen, P.; Nilsson, B.; Schack Pedersen, S.A.; Binderup, M.; Laier, T.

2011-07-01

The low and intermediate level radioactive waste from Risoe (the nuclear reactor buildings plus different types of material from the research periods) and radioactive waste from hospitals and research institutes have to be stored in a final disposal in Denmark for at least 300 years. In Denmark, many different kinds of fine-grained sediments and crystalline rocks occur from the ground surface down to 300 meters depth. Therefore, the possible geological situations include sediments and rocks of different composition and age. These situations are geographical distributed over large areas of Denmark. These sediments and rocks are shortly described based on existing information and include five different major types of sediments and rocks: 1: Crystalline granite and gneiss of Bornholm (because these rock types are host for waste disposals in many other countries). 2: Sandstone and shale from Bornholm (as these sediments are rela- tively homogeneous although they have fracture permeability). 3: Chalk and limestone (because these sediments may act as low permeable seals, but in most areas they act as groundwater reservoirs). 4: Fine-grained Tertiary clay deposits (as these sediments have a low permeability, are widely distributed and can reach large thicknesses). 5: Quaternary glacial, interglacial and Holocene clay deposits. These sediments are distributed all over Denmark. Following the descriptions of the geologic deposits, the areas below (including several possible locations for waste disposal sites) are selected for further investigation. The Precambrian basement rocks of Bornholm could be host rocks for the disposal. The rock types for further evaluation will be: Hammer Granite, Vang Granite, Roenne Granite, Bornholm gneiss, Paradisbakke Migmatite and Alminding Granite. In the Roskilde Fjord area around Risoe, a combination of Paleocene clays, meltwater clay and clayey till could be interesting. The area is partly included in the OSD area in North Sjaelland but

Low- and intermediate level radioactive waste from Risoe, Denmark. Location studies for potential disposal areas. Report no. 2. Characterization of low permeable and fractured sediments and rocks in Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gravesen, P.; Nilsson, B.; Schack Pedersen, S.A.; Binderup, M.; Laier, T.

2011-01-01

The low and intermediate level radioactive waste from Risoe (the nuclear reactor buildings plus different types of material from the research periods) and radioactive waste from hospitals and research institutes have to be stored in a final disposal in Denmark for at least 300 years. In Denmark, many different kinds of fine-grained sediments and crystalline rocks occur from the ground surface down to 300 meters depth. Therefore, the possible geological situations include sediments and rocks of different composition and age. These situations are geographical distributed over large areas of Denmark. These sediments and rocks are shortly described based on existing information and include five different major types of sediments and rocks: 1: Crystalline granite and gneiss of Bornholm (because these rock types are host for waste disposals in many other countries). 2: Sandstone and shale from Bornholm (as these sediments are rela- tively homogeneous although they have fracture permeability). 3: Chalk and limestone (because these sediments may act as low permeable seals, but in most areas they act as groundwater reservoirs). 4: Fine-grained Tertiary clay deposits (as these sediments have a low permeability, are widely distributed and can reach large thicknesses). 5: Quaternary glacial, interglacial and Holocene clay deposits. These sediments are distributed all over Denmark. Following the descriptions of the geologic deposits, the areas below (including several possible locations for waste disposal sites) are selected for further investigation. The Precambrian basement rocks of Bornholm could be host rocks for the disposal. The rock types for further evaluation will be: Hammer Granite, Vang Granite, Roenne Granite, Bornholm gneiss, Paradisbakke Migmatite and Alminding Granite. In the Roskilde Fjord area around Risoe, a combination of Paleocene clays, meltwater clay and clayey till could be interesting. The area is partly included in the OSD area in North Sjaelland but

Can sleep quality and wellbeing be improved by changing the indoor lighting in the homes of healthy, elderly citizens?

Science.gov (United States)

Sander, Birgit; Markvart, Jakob; Kessel, Line; Argyraki, Aikaterini; Johnsen, Kjeld

2015-01-01

The study investigated the effect of bright blue-enriched versus blue-suppressed indoor light on sleep and wellbeing of healthy participants over 65 years. Twenty-nine participants in 20 private houses in a uniform settlement in Copenhagen were exposed to two light epochs of 3 weeks with blue-enriched (280 lux) and 3 weeks blue-suppressed (240 lux) indoor light or vice versa from 8 to 13 pm in a randomized cross-over design. The first light epoch was in October, the second in November and the two light epochs were separated by one week. Participants were examined at baseline and at the end of each light epoch. The experimental indoor light was well tolerated by the majority of the participants. Sleep duration was 7.44 (95% CI 7.14–7.74) hours during blue-enriched conditions and 7.31 (95% CI 7.01–7.62) hours during blue-suppressed conditions (p = 0.289). Neither rest hours, chromatic pupillometry, nor saliva melatonin profile showed significant changes between blue-enriched and blue-suppressed epochs. Baseline Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was significantly worse in females; 7.62 (95% CI 5.13–10.0) versus 4.06 (95% CI 2.64–5.49) in males, p = 0.009. For females, PSQI improved significantly during blue-enriched light exposure (p = 0.007); no significant changes were found for males. The subjective grading of indoor light quality doubled from participants habitual indoor light to the bright experimental light, while it was stable between light epochs, although there were clear differences between blue-enriched and blue-suppressed electrical light conditions imposed. Even though the study was carried out in the late autumn at northern latitude, the only significant difference in Actiwatch-measured total blue light exposure was from 8 to 9 am, because contributions from blue-enriched, bright indoor light were superseded by contributions from daylight. PMID:26181467

Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Premature Infants in Singapore.

Science.gov (United States)

Teo, Charmaine M; Poon, Woei Bing; Ho, Selina Ky

2018-02-01

Neonatal care advances have resulted in improved survival but have raised concerns of increase in neurodevelopmental impairment. This study looked at long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes at ages 5 and 8 years of very low birthweight infants born in the 2000s as compared to the 1990s. Neurodevelopmental assessment at 2 years old was compared to that at 5 and 8 years to determine if assessment at 2 years was predictive of later outcomes. A retrospective cohort study of consecutive infants with birthweight less than 1250 grams admitted to a tertiary centre in Singapore between January 1994 to December 1995 (Epoch I) and January 2004 to December 2005 (Epoch II) were included. Neurodevelopmental impairment was defined as having intelligence quotient (IQ) of less than 70, cerebral palsy, legal blindness, or hearing impairment requiring hearing aids. Mean gestational age was lower for Epoch II compared to Epoch I (28.1 ± 2.5 vs 29.4 ± 2.7 weeks, P = 0.004). Death or neurodevelopmental impairment rates did not differ (24.3% and 17.1% at 5 years old, P = 0.398; 29.1% and 25.0% at 8 years old, P = 0.709). There was improvement in visual impairment rate at 8 years in Epoch II (10.7% vs 34.0%, P = 0.024). Mean IQ was better in Epoch II (109 and 107 vs 97 and 99 at 5 [ P = 0.001] and 8 years [ P = 0.047], respectively). All infants with no neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years remained without impairment later on. Over a decade, neurodevelopmental outcomes did not worsen despite lower mean gestational age. Long- term improvement in IQ scores and a reduction in visual impairment rates were seen. Our data suggests that children without neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years are without impairment later on; therefore, they may need only developmental monitoring with targeted assessments instead of routine formal IQ assessments.

Making humor together: phenomenology and interracial humor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael D. Barber

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explains humor through phenomenological concepts and methods. The three major theories of humor: Superiority, Relief, and Incongruity depend on the thwarting of intentional expectations. Since one experiences an incongruity between what is intended and what is actually experienced, the incongruity theory affords the best explanation, but intentionality remains fundamental for all theories. Theorists of humor rightly insist that the enjoyment of humorous incongruity completes the definition of humor, but such enjoyment also depends on a special epoché, usually elicited by the cues of an interlocutor who invites the listener to leap together into the humorous finite province of meaning. In this province, actions and statements, hurtful in everyday life, such as a pie thrown at someone who ducks as the pie hits another, produce laughter. This comic epoché resembles the phenomenological epoché in its distancing from everyday life, and, like the phenomenological epoché, it opens everyday experience to reflection. Although one often experiences and enjoys humor alone, humor is thoroughly intersubjective and more frequently occurs when two persons participate in the humorous epoché together. The opportunities for making humor together are enhanced to the extent the partners differ in their expectations and responses to situations. Those differences, including bodily differences, often result from the complex intersubjective networks, including culture. As in the case of a seemingly solitary activity like reflection, which one learns from others and exercises on one’s own autonomously, one internalizes others’ styles of humor and discovers such internalization through reflection on one’s «because motives». On the basis of these features – intentionality, epoché, and intersubjectivity, the paper concludes by briefly examining an example of interracial humor. Despite the racist character of much interracial humor, the example

A description of communication patterns during CPR in ICU.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Katherine L; Ferri, Susan; Yavorska, Tatyana; Everett, Tobias; Parshuram, Christopher

2014-10-01

Deficiencies in communication in health care are a common source of medical error. Preferred communication patterns are a component of resuscitation teaching. We audio-recorded resuscitations in a mixed paediatric medical and surgical ICU to describe communication. In the intensive care unit, resuscitation events were prospectively audio-recorded by two trained observers (using handheld recorders). Recordings were transcribed and anonymised within 24h. We grouped utterances regarding the same subject matter from beginning (irrespective of response) as a communication epoch. For each epoch, we describe the initiator, audience and content of message. Teamwork behaviours were described using Anesthesia Nontechnical Skills framework (ANTS), a behavioural marker system for crisis-resource management. Consent rates from staff were 139/140 (99%) and parents were 67/92 (73%). We analysed 36min 57s of audio dialogue from 4 cardiac arrest events in 363h of prospective screening. There were 180 communication epochs (1 every 12s): 100 (56%) from the team-leader and 80 (44%) from non-team-leader(s). Team-leader epochs were to give or confirm orders or assert authority (61%), clarify patient history (14%) and provide clinical updates (25%). Non-team-leader epochs were more often directed to the team (65%) than the team-leader (35%). Audio-recordings provided information for 80% of the ANTS component elements with scores of 2-4. Communication epochs were frequent, most from the team-leader. We identified an 'outer loop' of communication between team members not including the team-leader, responsible for 44% of all communication events. We discuss difficulties in this research methodology. Future work includes exploring the process of the 'outer loop' by resuscitation team members to evaluate the optimal balance between single leader and team suggestions, the content of the outer loop discussions and in-event communication strategies to improve outcomes. Crown Copyright © 2014

Relationship between lunar tidal enhancements in the equatorial electrojet and tropospheric eddy heat flux during stratospheric sudden warmings

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, T. A.; Yamazaki, Y.; Stolle, C.; Lühr, H.; Matzka, J.

2017-12-01

A number of studies in recent years have reported about the lunar tidal enhancements in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) from ground- and space-based magnetometer measurements during stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) events. In this study, we make use of the ground magnetometer recordings at Huancayo observatory in Peru for the years 1978 - 2013 to derive a relationship between the lunar tidal enhancements in the EEJ and tropospheric eddy heat fluxes at 100 hPa during the SSW events. Tropospheric eddy heat fluxes are used to quantify the amount of wave activity entering the stratosphere. Anomalously large upward wave activity is known to precede the polar vortex breakdown during SSWs. We make use of the superposed epoch analysis method to determine the temporal relations between lunar tidal enhancements and eddy heat flux anomalies during SSWs, in order to demonstrate the causal relationship between these two phenomena. We also compare the lunar tidal enhancements and eddy heat flux anomalies for vortex split and for vortex displaced SSWs. It is found that larger lunar tidal enhancements are recorded for vortex split events, as compared to vortex displaced events. This confirms earlier observation; larger heat flux anomalies are recorded during vortex split SSW events than the heat flux anomalies during vortex displaced SSW events. Further, the temporal relations of lunar tidal enhancements in the EEJ have been compared separately for both the QBO phases and with the phases of the moon with respect to the central epoch of SSWs by means of the superposed epoch analysis approach. The EEJ lunar tidal enhancements in the east phase of QBO are found to be larger than the lunar tidal enhancements in the west phase of QBO. The phase of moon relative to the central SSW epoch also affects the lunar tidal enhancement in the EEJ. It is found that the lunar tidal enhancements are significantly larger when the day of new or full moon lies near the central SSW epoch, as compared

Early Paleogene variations in the calcite compensation depth: new constraints using old borehole sediments from across Ninetyeast Ridge, central Indian Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Slotnick, B. S.; Lauretano, V.; Backman, J.; Dickens, G. R.; Sluijs, A.; Lourens, L.

2015-03-01

Major variations in global carbon cycling occurred between 62 and 48 Ma, and these very likely related to changes in the total carbon inventory of the ocean-atmosphere system. Based on carbon cycle theory, variations in the mass of the ocean carbon should be reflected in contemporaneous global ocean carbonate accumulation on the seafloor and, thereby, the depth of the calcite compensation depth (CCD). To better constrain the cause and magnitude of these changes, the community needs early Paleogene carbon isotope and carbonate accumulation records from widely separated deep-sea sediment sections, especially including the Indian Ocean. Several CCD reconstructions for this time interval have been generated using scientific drill sites in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; however, corresponding information from the Indian Ocean has been extremely limited. To assess the depth of the CCD and the potential for renewed scientific drilling of Paleogene sequences in the Indian Ocean, we examine lithologic, nannofossil, carbon isotope, and carbonate content records for late Paleocene - early Eocene sediments recovered at three sites spanning Ninetyeast Ridge: Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Sites 213 (deep, east), 214 (shallow, central), and 215 (deep, west). The disturbed, discontinuous sediment sections are not ideal, because they were recovered in single holes using rotary coring methods, but remain the best Paleogene sediments available from the central Indian Ocean. The δ13C records at Sites 213 and 215 are similar to those generated at several locations in the Atlantic and Pacific, including the prominent high in δ13C across the Paleocene carbon isotope maximum (PCIM) at Site 215, and the prominent low in δ13C across the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) at both Site 213 and Site 215. The Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) and the K/X event are found at Site 213 but not at Site 215, presumably because of coring gaps. Carbonate content at both Sites 213 and

Nanofósiles calcáreos paleógenos y biostratigrafía para dos pozos en el este de la Cuenca Austral, Patagonia, Argentina Paleogene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy for two boreholes in the eastern Austral Basin, Patagonia, Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Pablo Pérez Panera

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Calcareous nannofossils from two boreholes (Campo Bola and Sur Río Chico in the subsurface of eastern Austral Basin, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, allowed the identification of Early to Middle Paleocene, Early to Middle Eocene and Late Eocene to Early Oligocene assemblages. These assemblages match the formations logged in the boreholes Campo Bola, Man Aike and Río Leona respectively, and represent three paleogene sedimentary cycles within the basin. These results permitted the reinterpretation of previous data from an adjacent borehole (Cerro Redondo. The southern boreholes (Cerro Redondo and Sur Río Chico yield an Early to Middle Paleocene calcareous nannofossil assemblage and an almost continuous record of nannofossils from Early Eocene to Early Oligocene. A discontinuity is interpreted by the absence of Late Paleocene assemblages. The northern borehole (Campo Bola yield only late Early Eocene to Early Oligocene assemblages. The data also indicates that the Paleogene beds unconformably overlie Upper Cretaceous strata.El estudio de los nanofósiles calcáreos recuperados en muestras de subsuelo de dos pozos de exploración (Campo Bola y Sur Río Chico en el este de la Cuenca Austral, provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina, permitió reconocer asociaciones del Paleoceno Temprano a Medio, Eoceno Temprano a Medio y Eoceno Tardío a Oligoceno Temprano. Estas asociaciones son coincidentes con las formaciones atravesadas en los sondeos hechos en Campo Bola, Man Aike y Río Leona, respectivamente, y representan tres ciclos sedimentarios paleógenos dentro de la cuenca. Estos resultados permitieron la reinterpretación de datos previos de un pozo adyacente (Cerro Redondo. Los pozos ubicados al sur (Cerro Redondo y Sur Río Chico contienen asociaciones de nanofósiles calcáreos del Paleoceno Temprano a Medio y un registro prácticamente continuo de nanofósiles del Eoceno Temprano al Oligoceno Temprano. Se interpreta una discontinuidad por ausencia de

The Rise of Flowering Plants and Land Surface Physics: The Cretaceous and Eocene Were Different

Science.gov (United States)

Upchurch, G. R.; Feild, T.

2010-12-01

The Cretaceous and Eocene have served as the poster children of past greenhouse climates. One difference between the two time periods is that angiosperms (flowering plants) underwent a major diversification and rise to dominance during the mid-Cretaceous to Paleocene. Flowering plants differ from all other living and fossil plants in having significantly higher rates of transpiration and photosynthesis, which in modern leaves correlate with the density of venation (Dv), a feature that can be measured directly from fossils. This increase in Dv, coupled with an increase in the abundance of angiosperms, is thought to have had major impact on the climate system. This is, in part, because transpiration plays an important role in determining the ratio of sensible to latent heat flux from the land surface and in determining precipitation rate in regions such as the equatorial rainforest. Analysis of Dv in fossil leaves indicates two phases of increase in transpiration rate for angiosperms during the Cretaceous-Paleocene. The oldest known angiosperms (Aptian-early Albian) have a low Dv characteristic of extant and fossil ferns and gymnosperms. At this time angiosperms are low-stature plants of minor importance in terms of relative abundance and diversity (ferns, and maximum Dv reaches levels characteristic of many trees from the temperate zone. This first phase coincides with the first local dominance of angiosperms, the first occurrence of moderate to large angiosperm trees (up to 1 m in diameter) , and the first common occurrence of angiosperms in the Arctic. The second phase of Dv increase occurs during the Maastrichtian to Paleocene, where average Dv reaches levels characteristic of modern tropical forests and maximum Dv reaches the level found in highly productive modern vegetation. This second phase coincides with the rise to dominance of angiosperms in regional vegetation, a corresponding decline of conifers and ferns, and the modernization of hydraulic architecture

Cenozoic stratigraphy and structure of the Chesapeake Bay region

Science.gov (United States)

Powars, David S.; Edwards, Lucy E.; Kidwell, Susan M.; Schindler, J. Stephen

2015-01-01

The Salisbury embayment is a broad tectonic downwarp that is filled by generally seaward-thickening, wedge-shaped deposits of the central Atlantic Coastal Plain. Our two-day field trip will take us to the western side of this embayment from the Fall Zone in Washington, D.C., to some of the bluffs along Aquia Creek and the Potomac River in Virginia, and then to the Calvert Cliffs on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We will see fluvial-deltaic Cretaceous deposits of the Potomac Formation. We will then focus on Cenozoic marine deposits. Transgressive and highstand deposits are stacked upon each other with unconformities separating them; rarely are regressive or lowstand deposits preserved. The Paleocene and Eocene shallow shelf deposits consist of glauconitic, silty sands that contain varying amounts of marine shells. The Miocene shallow shelf deposits consist of diatomaceous silts and silty and shelly sands. The lithology, thickness, dip, preservation, and distribution of the succession of coastal plain sediments that were deposited in our field-trip area are, to a great extent, structurally controlled. Surficial and subsurface mapping using numerous continuous cores, auger holes, water-well data, and seismic surveys has documented some folds and numerous high-angle reverse and normal faults that offset Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits. Many of these structures are rooted in early Mesozoic and/or Paleozoic NE-trending regional tectonic fault systems that underlie the Atlantic Coastal Plain. On Day 1, we will focus on two fault systems (stops 1–2; Stafford fault system and the Skinkers Neck–Brandywine fault system and their constituent fault zones and faults). We will then see (stops 3–5) a few of the remaining exposures of largely unlithified marine Paleocene and Eocene strata along the Virginia side of the Potomac River including the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum boundary clay. These exposures are capped by fluvial-estuarine Pleistocene terrace

ENSO shifts and their link to Southern Africa surface air temperature in summer

Science.gov (United States)

Manatsa, D.; Mukwada, G.; Makaba, L.

2018-05-01

ENSO has been known to influence the trends of summer warming over Southern Africa. In this work, we used observational and reanalysis data to analyze the relationship between ENSO and maximum surface air temperature (SATmax) trends during the three epochs created by the ENSO phase shifts around 1977 and 1997 for the period 1960 to 2014. We observed that while ENSO and cloud cover remains the dominant factor controlling SATmax variability, the first two epochs had the predominant La Niña (El Niño)-like events connected to robust positive (negative) trends in cloud fraction. However, this established relationship reversed in the post-1997 La Niña-like dominated epoch which coincided with a falling cloud cover trend. It is established that this deviation from the previously established link within the previous epochs could be due to the post-1998 era in which SATmin was suppressed while SATmax was enhanced. The resulting increase in diurnal temperature range (DTR) could have discouraged the formation of low-level clouds which have relatively more extensive areal coverage and hence allowing more solar energy to reach the surface to boost daytime SATmax. It is noted that these relationships are more pronounced from December to March.

Reconsidering the extinction of ichthyosaurs

OpenAIRE

Fischer, Valentin

2010-01-01

Despite their extreme adaptation to life in open sea, ichthyosaurs were one of the first major groups of post-Triassic marine reptiles to disappear, at the end of Cenomanian, whereas plesiosaurs, mosasaurs and numerous families of marine crocodiles and sea turtles disappeared during the Cretaceous/Paleocene Extinction Event. It has been proposed that unique biological factors drove ichthyosaurs to extinction, namely a break in the food chain at the level of belemnites or a progressive ecologi...

Amélioration du biostratigraphique et outils de reconstruction paléoenvironnementaux basés sur les kystes dinoflagellés crétacés de la Téthys et de l'Atlantique

OpenAIRE

Sánchez Pellicer , Raquel

2016-01-01

In the first chapter, dinocysts are used to recognize the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene stage boundaries in the ODP Hole 959D, on the Côte d’Ivoire–Ghana transform margin. The comparison of my own results with two previous studies of the same cores highlights uncertainties of biostratigraphic approach when dinocyst markers have low occurrence frequencies. The second chapter analyzes the dinocyst distribution along an inshore-offshore transect on the western Iberian Margin during the Albian. ...

GEOM/GEOM[a]/1/ queue with late arrival system with delayed access and delayed multiple working vacations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Jiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers a discrete-time bulk-service queue with infinite buffer space and delay multiple working vacations. Considering a late arrival system with delayed access (LAS-AD, it is assumed that the inter-arrival times, service times, vacation times are all geometrically distributed. The server does not take a vacation immediately at service complete epoch but keeps idle period. According to a bulk-service rule, at least one customer is needed to start a service with a maximum serving capacity 'a'. Using probability analysis method and displacement operator method, the queue length and the probability generating function of waiting time at pre-arrival epochs are obtained. Furthermore, the outside observer’s observation epoch queue length distributions are given. Finally, computational examples with numerical results in the form of graphs and tables are discussed.

Can sleep quality and wellbeing be improved by changing the indoor lighting in the homes of healthy, elderly citizens?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sander, Birgit; Markvart, Jakob; Kessel, Line

2015-01-01

The study investigated the effect of bright blue-enriched versus blue-deprived indoor light on sleep and wellbeing of healthy participants over 65 years. Twenty-nine participants in 20 private houses in a uniform settlement in Copenhagen were exposed over 3 weeks to blue-enriched (280 Lux) and 3...... weeks to blue-deprived (240 Lux) indoor light from 8 to 13 pm in a randomized cross-over design. The two light epochs were separated by one week neutral indoor light. Participants were examined at baseline and at the end of each light epoch. The primary endpoint was sleep duration during the last week...... of each light epoch measured by diary. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburg sleep questionnaire index (PSQI). Circadian rhythm was measured by Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire (MEscore), chromatic pupillometry and melatonin sampling. Actiwatches were used to monitor light exposure and activity...

Mössbauer spectroscopy: epoch-making biological and chemical applications

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lančok, Adriana; Volfová, Lenka

2017-01-01

Roč. 89, č. 4 (2017), s. 461-470 ISSN 0033-4545. [International Conference Solid State Chemistry 2016 /12./. Prague, 18.09.2016-23.09.2016] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1409; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2015088 Grant - others:FUNBIO(XE) CZ.2.16/3.1.00/21568 Institutional support: RVO:61388980 ; RVO:68378271 Keywords : biological tissue * boron chemistry * Fe2+ and Fe3+ * Mössbauer spectrometry * vivianite Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry ; BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism (FZU-D) OBOR OECD: Inorganic and nuclear chemistry ; Atomic, molecular and chemical physics (physics of atoms and molecules including collision, interaction with radiation, magnetic resonances, Mössbauer effect) (FZU-D) Impact factor: 2.626, year: 2016

Heavy metals in human bones in different historical epochs.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-García, M J; Moreno, J M; Moreno-Clavel, J; Vergara, N; García-Sánchez, A; Guillamón, A; Portí, M; Moreno-Grau, S

2005-09-15

The concentration of the metals lead, copper, zinc, cadmium and iron was determined in bone remains belonging to 30 individuals buried in the Region of Cartagena dating from different historical periods and in eight persons who had died in recent times. The metals content with respect to lead, cadmium and copper was determined either by anodic stripping voltammetry or by atomic absorption spectroscopy on the basis of the concentrations present in the bone remains. In all cases, zinc and iron were quantified by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy. The lead concentrations found in the bone remains in our city are greater than those reported in the literature for other locations. This led to the consideration of the sources of these metals in our area, both the contribution from atmospheric aerosols as well as that from the soil in the area. Correlation analysis leads us to consider the presence of the studied metals in the analysed bone samples to be the consequence of analogous inputs, namely the inhalation of atmospheric aerosols and diverse contributions in the diet. The lowest values found in the studied bone remains correspond to the Neolithic period, with similar contents to present-day samples with respect to lead, copper, cadmium and iron. As regards the evolution over time of the concentrations of the metals under study, a clear increase in these is observed between the Neolithic period and the grouping made up of the Bronze Age, Roman domination and the Byzantine period. The trend lines used to classify the samples into 7 periods show that the maximum values of lead correspond to the Roman and Byzantine periods. For copper, this peak is found in the Byzantine Period and for iron, in the Islamic Period. Zinc shows an increasing tendency over the periods under study and cadmium is the only metal whose trend lines shows a decreasing slope.

Masses management in the epoch of the consumer society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Zubarieva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article examines the nature and origins of the idea of the phenomenon of mass, the mass consciousness, determinants of social and political science and philosophical aspects. The influence of external factors on the installation of the masses in the context of socio­psychological, informational  and communicational  components is analyzed. The main characteristics of the consumer society: mass consumption of goods and the formation of an appropriate system of values and attitudes are identified. Outlined the difficulties faced by the researcher mass phenomenon. The theory of Jean Baudrillard about simulation in the media is observed. The views of scientific information and interdependence of meaning, the essential characteristics of the simulation are  investigated. Signs of mass properties: missing attribute, predicate, quality, references are demonstrated. The issue of media terrorism and its impact on the consciousness of the masses in the context of the information war between Russia and Ukraine is examined, the main kinds of informational terrorism and the threats to the informational safety, also the degree of their danger is valued.  The reaction of mass media on terrorism, including the emergence of ethnic conflicts, destructive phenomena in society (depression, disappointment in the state, etc. are shown. The recommendations for effective management of the masses in the era of consumer society, the ability to resist attempts to manipulate them through information flows are provided.

Understanding the epoch of cosmic reionization challenges and progress

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

The aim of this volume is to summarize the current status and future outlook of the reionization field on both the theoretical and observational fronts. It brings together leading experts in many sub-disciplines, highlighting the measurements that are likely to drive the growing understanding of reionization and the cosmic dawn, and lays out a roadmap to interpreting the wealth of upcoming observations. The birth of the first stars and galaxies, and their impact on the diffuse matter perme­ating the early Universe, is one of the final frontiers in cosmology. Recently, measure­ments of the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), sourced only a few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang, provided robust insight into the overall physical content of our Universe. On the other end of the timeline, groundbreaking telescopes provide us a picture of the complexities of the galaxy-rich universe in which we now live. However, we know almost nothing about the astrophysics of the first billion years. ...

Place, Non-Place, Multi-Place and the (Non)Possibilities of Identity: Philosophical, Social, and Communicational Aspects

OpenAIRE

Basia Nikiforova

2016-01-01

Michel Foucault in the text “Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias” wrote that “the present epoch will perhaps be above all the epoch of space”. Space, place, and territories are social productions. Territory is a polysemic concept. Place is “events” created by territories, fluid areas of control produced by territorial negotiation (horizontal dynamics) and negotiations between places (vertical dynamics). Space produces places and is produced by places. Moreover, space, place and territor...

Linking Volcanism and Gas Release from the North East Atlantic Volcanic Province to the PETM: Challenges and Updates

Science.gov (United States)

Svensen, H.; Jones, M. T.; Jerram, D. A.; Planke, S.; Kjoberg, S.; Schmid, D. W.; Iyer, K.; Tegner, C.

2016-12-01

The main phase of the development of the North East Atlantic Volcanic Province took place about 56 Ma and coincides with the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The volcanic activity was characterized by voluminous flood basalts, large plutonic complexes, sub-marine eruptions, widespread tephra deposition, and emplacement of sills and dikes along the continental margins of Norway, Greenland, Ireland, and the UK. Here we review the style and tempo of volcanism during this important period of Earth's history and discuss the sources and volumes of the carbon gases emitted to the ocean and atmosphere. Moreover, we present new data and models from 1) West Greenland showing the impact on sill intrusions on gas generation from heated Cretaceous mudstones, 2) a 3D seismic survey of gas release structures offshore Norway, and 3) Paleocene-Eocene tephra layers from Svalbard and Denmark. Gas migrated out of the contact aureoles by either explosive venting or by slower seepage towards the seafloor as demonstrated by 3D seismic data. Some of the gas was permanently trapped (dry gas and CO2-rich gas) in the source rocks and aureoles. Combined with high-precision zircon ages and a time model for the PETM, our approach may give robust fluxes that can explain both the onset and the body of the PETM.

Multi proxy approach to evaluate and delineate the potential of hot springs in the Kotli District (Kashmir, Pakistan)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anees, M.; Shah, M.; Qureshi, A.; Manzoor, S.

2017-11-01

Tattapani hot springs are located near the Kotli District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. This study evaluates these hot springs based on surface geological information, radon emission measurements, hydro-geochemical and isotopic signatures and potential source mechanisms. Field observations reveal that the hot springs are located at the crest of the Tattapani anticline along the faulted contact of Cambrian carbonates with Paleocene siliciclastics. In addition, remnants of igneous intrusions in the Cambrian carbonates are commonly observed. Spatial distribution of radon emissions (ranging between 2.1 and 29.5KBq m-3) indicates an anomalous zone located over the Cambrian-Paleocene faulted contact. Hydro-geochemical data show sodium-bicarbonate affinity of hot springs. The highest surface temperature of these springs is recorded at 60.8ºC. Average reservoir temperatures based on silica and cation geo-thermometers are 101ºC and 115ºC, respectively. Giggenbach ternary diagram (Na-K-Mg) suggests a non-equilibrium state between fluid and rock, whereas isotopic and chemical data indicate heat loss by conductive cooling and mixing with groundwater during the flow of thermal water up to the surface. Oxygen and deuterium isotopes indicate that thermal water is of meteoric origin, rain and/or snow in the north at higher altitudes providing the potential recharge. Furthermore, absence of tritium in the thermal water suggests a residence time of more than 50 years.

Petroleum systems of the Upper Magdalena Valley, Colombia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarmiento, L.F.; Rangel, A. [Instituto Colombiano del Petroleo, Bucaramanga (Colombia). ECOPETROL

2004-03-01

In the Upper Magdalena Valley, Colombia, four petroleum systems were identified. Two petroleum systems are located in the Girardot sub-basin and the other two in the Neiva sub- basin. Limestones laterally changing to shales of the lower part of the Villeta Gp, deposited during Albian and Turonian marine flooding events, constitutes the main source rocks of the oil families. These rocks contain 1-4% TOC and type II kerogen. The littoral quartz arenites of the Caballos (Albian) and Monserrate (Maastrichtian) Fms. are the main reservoir rocks. Seal rocks are Cretaceous and Paleocene shales. Overburden includes the Cretaceous rocks and the Tertiary molasse deposited simultaneously with development of two opposite verging thrust systems during Cenozoic time. These deformation events were responsible for trap creation. Except for the Villarrica area, where the source rock reached maturity during the Paleocene, generation occurred during Miocene. Two oil families are identified, each in both sub-basins: One derived from a clay-rich source and the second from a carbonate-rich source rock lithofacies of the lower part of Villeta Gp. Geochemical source-rock to oil correlations are demonstrated for the three of the petroleum systems. Up-dip lateral migration distances are relatively short and faults served as vertical migration pathways. A huge amount of oil was probably degraded at surface, as a result of Miocene deformation and erosion. (author)

Paleoenvironmental changes across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary at Flaxbourne River and Woodside Creek, eastern Marlborough, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollis, C.J.; Strong, C.P.; Rodgers, K.A.; Rogers, K.M.

2003-01-01

An integrated study of variation in siliceous microfossils, lithofacies, and other geochemical guides to environmental conditions through the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary transition at Flaxbourne River and Woodside Creek, coastal eastern Marlborough, indicates that the K/T impact disrupted oceanic conditions along the continental margin of eastern New Zealand for c. 1 m.y. Initial effects of the K/T event were a major reduction in carbonate production, associated with calcareous plankton extinctions, and significant increases in terrigenous clay and biogenic silica content. An absence of radiolarian extinctions or significant negative excursions in paleo-productivity indicators (Ba, delta 13 C at the boundary, followed by rapid increases in the abundance of diatoms and spumellarian radiolarians, indicate that biogenic silica production partly compensated for the collapse in calcareous plankton. The earliest Paleocene recovery of calcareous plankton was short-lived, giving way to a progressive increase in siliceous plankton abundance over c. 500,000 yr, which culminated in a c. 400,000 yr episode of peak biogenic silica production. The dominance of siliceous facies, coupled with the abundance of diatoms and spumellarian radiolarians, indicates climatic or oceanic conditions were significantly cooler than in the Late Cretaceous. Stepped increases in biogenic silica production show c. 100,000 yr periodicity, suggesting that Early Paleocene lithofacies changes were influenced by climate forcing agents at the eccentricity bandwidth. (author). 83 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs

Paleoactaea gen. nov. (Ranunculaceae) fruits from the Paleogene of North Dakota and the London Clay.

Science.gov (United States)

Pigg, Kathleen B; Devore, Melanie L

2005-10-01

Paleoactea nagelii Pigg & DeVore gen. et sp. nov. is described for a small, ovoid ranunculaceous fossil fruit from the Late Paleocene Almont and Beicegel Creek floras of North Dakota, USA. Fruits are 5-7 mm wide, 4.5-6 mm high, 10-13 mm long, and bilaterally symmetrical, containing 10-17 seeds attached on the upper margin in 2-3 rows. A distinctive honeycomb pattern is formed where adjacent seeds with prominent palisade outer cell layers abut. Seeds are flattened, ovoid, and triangular. To the inside of the palisade cells, the seed coat has a region of isodiametric cells that become more tangentially elongate toward the center. The embryo cavity is replaced by an opaline cast. This fruit bears a striking resemblance to extant Actaea, the baneberry (Ranunculaceae), an herbaceous spring wildflower of North Temperate regions. A second species, Paleoactaea bowerbanki (Reid & Chandler) Pigg & DeVore nov. comb., is recognized from the Early Eocene London Clay flora, based on a single fruit. This fruit shares most of the organization and structure of P. nagelii but is larger and has a thicker pericarp. This study documents a rare Paleocene occurrence of a member of the buttercup family, a family that is today primarily herbaceous, and demonstrates a North Atlantic connection for an Actaea-like genus in the Paleogene.

[Walking abnormalities in children].

Science.gov (United States)

Segawa, Masaya

2010-11-01

Walking is a spontaneous movement termed locomotion that is promoted by activation of antigravity muscles by serotonergic (5HT) neurons. Development of antigravity activity follows 3 developmental epochs of the sleep-wake (S-W) cycle and is modulated by particular 5HT neurons in each epoch. Activation of antigravity activities occurs in the first epoch (around the age of 3 to 4 months) as restriction of atonia in rapid eye movement (REM) stage and development of circadian S-W cycle. These activities strengthen in the second epoch, with modulation of day-time sleep and induction of crawling around the age of 8 months and induction of walking by 1 year. Around the age of 1 year 6 months, absence of guarded walking and interlimb cordination is observed along with modulation of day-time sleep to once in the afternoon. Bipedal walking in upright position occurs in the third epoch, with development of a biphasic S-W cycle by the age of 4-5 years. Patients with infantile autism (IA), Rett syndrome (RTT), or Tourette syndrome (TS) show failure in the development of the first, second, or third epoch, respectively. Patients with IA fail to develop interlimb coordination; those with RTT, crawling and walking; and those with TS, walking in upright posture. Basic pathophysiology underlying these condition is failure in restricting atonia in REM stage; this induces dysfunction of the pedunculopontine nucleus and consequently dys- or hypofunction of the dopamine (DA) neurons. DA hypofunction in the developing brain, associated with compensatory upward regulation of the DA receptors causes psychobehavioral disorders in infancy (IA), failure in synaptogenesis in the frontal cortex and functional development of the motor and associate cortexes in late infancy through the basal ganglia (RTT), and failure in functional development of the prefrontal cortex through the basal ganglia (TS). Further, locomotion failure in early childhood causes failure in development of functional

Arctic climatechange and its impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic.

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, Charles H; Pershing, Andrew J; Cronin, Thomas M; Ceci, Nicole

2008-11-01

Arctic climate change from the Paleocene epoch to the present is reconstructed with the objective of assessing its recent and future impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic. A recurring theme in Earth's paleoclimate record is the importance of the Arctic atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere in regulating global climate on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. A second recurring theme in this record is the importance of freshwater export from the Arctic in regulating global- to basin-scale ocean circulation patterns and climate. Since the 1970s, historically unprecedented changes have been observed in the Arctic as climate warming has increased precipitation, river discharge, and glacial as well as sea-ice melting. In addition, modal shifts in the atmosphere have altered Arctic Ocean circulation patterns and the export of freshwater into the North Atlantic. The combination of these processes has resulted in variable patterns of freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean and the emergence of salinity anomalies that have periodically freshened waters in the North Atlantic. Since the early 1990s, changes in Arctic Ocean circulation patterns and freshwater export have been associated with two types of ecological responses in the North Atlantic. The first of these responses has been an ongoing series of biogeographic range expansions by boreal plankton, including renewal of the trans-Arctic exchanges of Pacific species with the Atlantic. The second response was a dramatic regime shift in the shelf ecosystems of the Northwest Atlantic that occurred during the early 1990s. This regime shift resulted from freshening and stratification of the shelf waters, which in turn could be linked to changes in the abundances and seasonal cycles of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and higher trophic-level consumer populations. It is predicted that the recently observed ecological responses to Arctic climate change in the North Atlantic will continue into the near future if current trends

Detailed observations of NGC 4151 with IUE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bromage, G.E.; Boksenberg, A.; Clavel, J.

1984-12-01

A detailed analysis is presented of the ultraviolet (lambdalambda 1150-3200 A) absorption spectrum of the NGC 4151 Seyfert nucleus. The IUE data base consisted of high dispersion (Δlambda approx. 0.2 A) spectra at 5 epochs, and 137 low dispersion (Δlambda approx. 4-8 A) spectra at 31 epochs from 1978 February to 1980 May, together with further low dispersion data in 1980-81 with NGC 4151 in a very faint quiescent state. (author)

Production of Purely Gravitational Dark Matter

OpenAIRE

Ema, Yohei; Nakayama, Kazunori; Tang, Yong

2018-01-01

In the purely gravitational dark matter scenario, the dark matter particle does not have any interaction except for gravitational one. We study the gravitational particle production of dark matter particle in such a minimal setup and show that correct amount of dark matter can be produced depending on the inflation model and the dark matter mass. In particular, we carefully evaluate the particle production rate from the transition epoch to the inflaton oscillation epoch in a realistic inflati...