Large-Scale Mapping Observations of the C i (3P1-3P0) and CO (J = 3-2) Lines toward the Orion A Molecular Cloud

Large-scale mapping observations of the 3P1-3P0 fine-structure transition of atomic carbon (C i, 492 GHz) and the J=3-2 transition of CO (346 GHz) toward the Orion A molecular cloud have been carried out with the Mount Fuji submillimeter-wave telescope. The observations cover 9 deg2 and include the Orion Nebula M42 and the L1641 dark cloud complex. The C i emission extends over almost the entire region of the Orion A cloud and is surprisingly similar to that of 13CO (J=1-0). The CO (J=3-2) emission shows a more featureless and extended distribution than C i. The C i/CO (J=3-2) integrated intensity ratio shows a spatial gradient running from the north (0.10) to the south (1.2) of the Orion A cloud, which we interpret as a consequence of the temperature gradient. On the other hand, the C i/13CO (J=1-0) intensity ratio shows no systematic gradient. We have found a good correlation between the C i and 13CO (J=1-0) intensities over the Orion A cloud. This result is discussed on the basis of photodissociation region models.     

The arch systems,cavities and prominences in the helmet streamer observed at the solar eclipse,November 12, 1966

Arch systems lying above quiescent prominences in the solar corona have long drawn the attention of eclipse observers, and such formations have been investigated since the end of the last century. Almost every eclipse photograph shows one or more arches, and in most cases the arch system is accompanied by a quiescent prominence below it and a helmet streamer above it. Also, in some cases there is a dark cavity between the arch system and the prominence.On large-scale photographs obtained at the November 12, 1966 eclipse, detailed photometry has been carried out on a formation in the corona composed of a helmet streamer straddling two multiple-arch systems each with a dark cavity and a quiescent prominence. The excess of electrons in the arches and the deficiency in the cavities are evaluated. We find that the formation of a prominence requires much more material than available in the cavity before depletion. Consequently the condensation theory of coronal matter into prominences seems to have difficulties explaining the necessary amount of matter in the cases where coronal arches - delineating magnetic field lines above the cavity - may exclude inflow of material from the corona. We comment on the low velocity of solar wind in the helmet streamer.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Production of the Blood Pressure Lowing Peptides from Brown Alga （ Undaria pinnatifida ）

Brown alga （ Undaria pinnatifida） was treated with alginate lyase and hydrolyzed using 17 kinds of proteases and the inhibitory activity of the hydrolysates for the angiotensin-I-converting enzyme （ACE） was measured. Four hydrolysates with potent ACE-inhibitory activity were administered singly and orally to spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs）. The systolic blood pressure of SHRs decreases significantly after single oral administration of the brown alga hydrolysates by pro- tease S ＇ Amano＇ （from Bacillus stearothermophilus） at the concentration of 10 （mg protein） （kg body weight）^ - 1. In the 17 weeks of feeding experiment, 7-week-old SHRs were fed standard diet supplemented with the brown alga hydrolysates for 10 weeks. In SHRs fed 1.0 and 0.1% brown alga hydrolysates, elevating of systolic bloodpressure was significantly suppressed for 7 weeks. To elucidate the active components, the brown alga hydrolysates were fractionated by 1-butanol extraction and HPLC on a reverse-phase column. Seven kinds of ACE-inhibitory peptides were isolated and identified by amino acid composition analysis, sequence analysis, and LC-MS with the results Val-Tyr, Ile-Tyr, Ala-Trp, Phe-Tyr, Val-Trp, Ile-Trp, and Leu-Trp. Each peptide was determined to have an antihypertensive effect after a single oral administration in SHRs. The brown alga hydrolysates were also confirmed to decrease the blood pressure in humans.     

Interstellar cyanomethane

We have made an observational study of the newly identified cyanomethane radical CH2CN and the possibly related species CH3CN with the goals of (1) elucidating the possible role of reactions of the type CnHm(+) + N in astrochemistry, and (2) providing a possible test of Bates's models of dissociative electron recombination. We find a remarkably different abundance ratio CH2CN/CH3CN in TMC-1 and Sgr B2, which we deduce is a result of the large difference in temperature of these objects. Studies of CH2CN and CH3CN in other sources, including two new detections of CH2CN, support this conclusion and are consistent with a monotonic increase in the CH2CN/CH3CN ratio with decreasing temperature over the range 10-120 K. This behavior may be explained by the destruction of CH2CN by reaction with O. If this reaction does not proceed, then CH2CN and CH3CN are concluded to form via different chemical pathways. Thus, they do not provide a test of Bates's conjectures (they do not both form from CH3CNH+). CH2CN is then likely to form via C2H4(+) + N --> CH2CNH+, thus demonstrating the viability of this important reaction in astrochemistry. The T dependence of the CH2CN/CH3CN ratio would then reflect the increasing rate of the C2H4(+) + N reaction with decreasing temperature.     

Improving estimates of oil pollution to the sea from land-based sources

This paper presents improvements to calculation methods used in the National Research Council’s (NRC) Oil in the Sea reports from 2003 and 1985 to estimate land-based contributions of petroleum hydrocarbons to the sea from North America. Using procedures similar to the 2003 report, but with more robust methods for handling non-detections, estimated land-based contributions for 1977 and 2000 were over 50% lower than the best 1996 estimate in the NRC report. The largest loads were from the northeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico region for both the 2003 report and updated calculations. Calculations involved many sources of uncertainty, including lack of available data, variable methods of measuring and reporting data, and variable methods of reporting values below detection limits. This updated analysis of land-based loads of petroleum hydrocarbons to the sea highlights the continued need for more monitoring and research on inputs, fates and effects of these sources.     

Influence of light intensity on diatom physiology and nutrient dynamics in the Oyashio region

The spring diatom bloom characterizes the plankton and nutrient dynamics in the Oyashio region, the westernmost part of the subarctic Pacific. Previous studies have shown that NO₃ was not depleted during the spring bloom, and an increase in the consumption ratio of Si(OH)₄ to NO₃ (ΔSi(OH)₄:ΔNO₃) was observed as the spring bloom progressed. The increase in ΔSi(OH)₄:ΔNO₃ has been suggested to be caused by growth stresses of diatoms, e.g. light limitation by self-shading. In the present study, incubation experiments of sea-surface water from the Oyashio region under saturated irradiance showed that NO₃ was depleted first and ΔSi(OH)₄:ΔNO₃ was more or less constant until the NO₃ depletion occurred. The increase in ΔSi(OH)₄:ΔNO₃ was observed after the NO₃ depletion had occurred in contrast with the field observation. This result of the increase in ΔSi(OH)₄:ΔNO₃ under saturated irradiance after NO₃ depletion suggests that the in situ increase in ΔSi(OH)₄:ΔNO₃ before the NO₃ depletion might be caused by light limitation for diatoms. Responses to a reduction in irradiance were examined using diatom species isolated from the Oyashio region. Variable responses to a reduced irradiance were observed for cell specific C, N, Si and chlorophyll a (Chl) contents. However, the examined diatom species showed similar tendencies for increases in Si:C and Si:N and decreases in C:Chl ratios with the reduction in irradiance. We conclude that light limitation changes the uptake ratio of nutrients and the elemental composition of diatoms and that light limitation is one of the factors influencing the physiology of diatoms and nutrient dynamics in the Oyashio region during the spring bloom.     

Stratigraphic development during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene offshore of the Yellow River delta, Bohai Sea

A 61-m-long sediment core (HB-1) and 690 km of high-resolution seismic profiles from offshore of the Yellow River delta, Bohai Sea, were analyzed to document the stratigraphy and sea-level changes during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating and analyses of benthic foraminifera, ostracods, the mineral composition, and sedimentary characteristics were performed for core HB-1, and seven depositional units (DU 1–DU 7 in descending order) were identified. The seismic reflection data were interpreted in light of the sedimentological data of the core and correlated with other well-studied cores obtained previously in the Bohai Sea area. Seven seismic units (SU 1 to SU 7 in descending order) were distinguished and interpreted as follows: SU 7 corresponds to marine facies in Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5; SU 6, to terrestrial facies in MIS 4; SU 5 and SU 4, to alternating terrestrial and marine facies (DU 7–DU 5) in MIS 3; SU 3, to terrestrial facies (DU 4) in MIS 2; SU 2, to Holocene marine facies (DU 3 and DU 2); and SU 1, to modern Yellow River delta sediments deposited since 1855 (DU 1).The sedimentary facies from DU 7 to DU 5 reflect sea-level fluctuations during MIS 3, and the boundary between DU 5 and DU 6, which coincides with that between SU 4 and SU 5, is a distinctive, laterally continuous, undulating erosion surface, with up to 20 m of relief. This surface reflects subaerial exposure between transgressions during MIS 3. Estimated sea levels during MIS 3 ranged from −35 ± 5 to −60 ± 5 m or lower, with short-term fluctuations of 20 m. Sedimentary environments in the Bohai Sea area were governed mainly by eustatic sea-level changes and the Bohai Strait topography, which controls the entry of sea water into the Bohai Sea area.The mineral composition of the sediment core suggests that the Yellow River did not discharge into the Bohai Sea, or at least did not influence the study area significantly, during parts of MIS 3 and MIS 2 to the early Holocene (11–8.5 cal kyr BP).     

Experimental Study of the Applicability of the Remotely Positioned Laser Doppler Vibrometer to Rock-Block Stability Assessment

This paper examines a new method for evaluating the stability of rock blocks on slopes using a remotely positioned Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV). A series of experiments using physical models were conducted to evaluate the validity of this new method. Based on the experimental studies, the applicability of LDV was examined by comparing results with a conventional seismometer measurement. To examine the quantitative correlations between vibration properties and the stability of a rock block, the effects on the vibration properties of the size of the rock block, the initial block position, the slope incline, and the type of ground surface were studied. The experimental results showed that LDV measurements agreed with conventional seismometer measurements. There was also a good correlation between vibration properties and rock-block stability. On the other hand, it was found that for a boulder on tightly compacted ground, the application of block stability assessment by tonometry was difficult when measuring microtremors or sloppy vibration due to nearby vehicle traffic. Furthermore, numerical analysis of the slope model was carried out to examine the validity of the model experiment and application of the suggested technique. The results of the analysis demonstrated that the suggested technique was effective for application to stability monitoring of a block and evaluation of the effect of stability measures.     

Influence of non-photosynthetic pigments on light absorption and quantum yield of photosynthesis in the western equatorial Pacific and the Subarctic North Pacific

Regional variations in the contribution of non-photosynthetic pigments (ā _np^*) to the total light absorption of phytoplankton (ā _ph^*) and its influence on the maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis (φ _m) were investigated. In the western equatorial Pacific, the surface ā _np^* : ā _ph^* ratio was higher in the western warm pool than that in the upwelling region. This difference appears to be attributable to severe nitrate depletion and higher percentage of prokaryotes, which can accumulate very high concentrations of zeaxanthin in the western warm pool. In the subarctic North Pacific, the ā _np^* : ā _ph^* ratio was expected to be higher in the Alaskan Gyre where the thermocline is sharper and iron limitation may possibly be more severe than in the Western Subarctic Gyre. However, the ratio was actually higher in the Western Subarctic Gyre, contradictory to our expectations. This east-west variation appears to be attributable to changes in the taxonomic composition; cyanobacteria were more abundant in the Western Subarctic Gyre. The values of ā _np^* : ā _ph^* and its vertical variations were relatively small in the subarctic North Pacific compared to those in the western equatorial Pacific. These inter-regional variations appear to be attributable to the lower solar radiation intensity, smaller percentage of cyanobacteria, and relatively strong vertical mixing in the subarctic North Pacific. The spatial variations in ā _np^* : ā _ph^* significantly influence φ _m. In comparison with φ _m based on the total light absorption (φ _{m ph}), the values corrected for the contribution of non-photosynthetic pigments (φ _{m ps}) showed an increase in both the western equatorial Pacific and the subarctic North Pacific.     

Geostatistical downscaling of fracture surface topography accounting for local roughness

This study proposes a new geostatistical methodology that accounts for roughness characteristics when downscaling fracture surface topography. In the proposed approach, the small-scale fracture surface roughness is described using a “local roughness pattern” that indicates the relative height of a location compared to its surrounding locations, while the large-scale roughness is considered using the surface semivariogram. By accounting for both components–the minimization of the local error variance and the reproduction of the local roughness characteristics–into the objective function of simulated annealing, the fracture surface topography downscaling process was improved compared to standard geostatistical methodologies such as ordinary kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation. Downscaled topography data were then assessed in terms of prediction errors and roughness distribution.