Emplacement of sandstone intrusions during contractional tectonics

Acknowledgments We acknowledge the support of sponsoring companies of Phase 3 of the Sand Injection Research Group (SIRG). We are very grateful to John Waldron and Jessica Ross for the constructive reviews of the manuscript. We also wish to thank and acknowledge the continuing help and access provided by the Bureau of Land Management.Peer reviewedPostprin

Developing Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curves From Satellite-Based Precipitation: Methodology and Evaluation

Given the continuous advancement in the retrieval of precipitation from satellites, it is important to develop methods that incorporate satellite-based precipitation data sets in the design and planning of infrastructure. This is because in many regions around the world, in situ rainfall observations are sparse and have insufficient record length. A handful of studies examined the use of satellite-based precipitation to develop intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves; however, they have mostly focused on small spatial domains and relied on combining satellite-based with ground-based precipitation data sets. In this study, we explore this issue by providing a methodological framework with the potential to be applied in ungauged regions. This framework is based on accounting for the characteristics of satellite-based precipitation products, namely, adjustment of bias and transformation of areal to point rainfall. The latter method is based on previous studies on the reverse transformation (point to areal) commonly used to obtain catchment-scale IDF curves. The paper proceeds by applying this framework to develop IDF curves over the contiguous United States (CONUS); the data set used is Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks – Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CDR). IDFs are then evaluated against National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 to provide a quantitative estimate of their accuracy. Results show that median errors are in the range of (17–22%), (6–12%), and (3–8%) for one-day, two-day and three-day IDFs, respectively, and return periods in the range (2–100) years. Furthermore, a considerable percentage of satellite-based IDFs lie within the confidence interval of NOAA Atlas 14

WTO accession, the changing competitiveness of foreign-financed firms and regional development in Guangdong of southern China

This paper investigates the changing competitiveness of foreign-financed manufacturing firms and its implications for regional development in Guangdong province of southern China in the run-up to World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. It is argued that transnational corporations (TNCs) and some competitive, large-scale, locally-funded firms in Guangdong will triumph after WTO accession. The crowding-out process of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Guangdong will be accelerated in the near future, as they are competing directly with TNCs, and as their competitive advantages are diminishing, due to bureaucratic red tape and the rigorous enforcement of new government policies. Due to close business linkages with local privately-funded firms, the competitiveness and vitality of foreign-financed enterprises will have profound long term effects on the economic development of Guangdong, before and after WTO accession

Size matters: the value of small populations for wintering waterbirds

Protecting systematically selected areas of land is a major step towards biodiversity conservation worldwide. Indeed, the identification and designation of protected areas more often than not forms a core component of both national and international conservation policies. In this paper we provide an overview of those Special Protection Areas and Ramsar Sites that have been classified in Great Britain as of 1998/99 for a selection of wintering waterbird species, using bird count data from the Wetland Bird Survey. The performance of this network of sites is remarkable, particularly in comparison with published analyses of networks elsewhere in the world. Nevertheless, the current site-based approach, whilst having the great benefit of simplicity, is deliberately biased towards aggregating species at the expense of the more dispersed distribution species. To ensure that the network continues successfully to protect nationally and internationally important waterbird populations, efforts now need to concentrate on the derivation of species-specific representation targets and, in particular, the ways in which these can be incorporated into the site selection process. Although these analyses concern the performance of protected areas for waterbirds in Great Britain, the results have wide-ranging importance for conservation planning in general and the design of protected area networks

Three-Dimensional Bar Structure and Disc/Bulge Secular Evolution

Kn-band imaging of a sample of 30 edge-on spiral galaxies with a boxy or peanut-shaped (B/PS) bulge is discussed. Galaxies with a B/PS bulge tend to have a more complex morphology than galaxies with other bulge types, unsharp-masked images revealing structures that trace the major orbit families of three-dimensional bars. Their surface brightness profiles are also more complex, typically containing 3 or more clearly separated regions, including a shallow or flat intermediate region (Freeman Type II profiles), suggestive of bar-driven transfer of angular momentum and radial redistribution of material. The data also suggest abrupt variations of the discs' scaleheights, as expected from the vertical resonances and instabilities present in barred discs but contrary to conventional wisdom. Counter to the standard `bulge + disc' model, we thus propose that galaxies with a B/PS bulge are composed of a thin concentrated disc (a disc-like bulge) contained within a partially thick bar (the B/PS bulge), itself contained within a thin outer disc. The inner disc most likely formed through bar-driven processes while the thick bar arises from buckling instabilities. Both are strongly coupled dynamically and are formed mostly of the same (disc) material.Comment: 6 pages, including 1 figure. To appear in "Island Universes: Structure and Evolution of Disk Galaxies", ed. R. de Jong (Springer: Dordrecht

Circuit and plasticity defects in the developing somatosensory cortex of FMR1 knock-out mice

Silencing of the Fmr1 gene causes fragile X syndrome. Although defects in synaptic plasticity in the cerebral cortex have been linked to cognitive impairments in Fmr1 knock-out (ko) mice, the specific cortical circuits affected in the syndrome are unknown. Here, we investigated the development of excitatory projections in the barrel cortex of Fmr1 ko mice. In 2-week-old Fmr1 ko mice, a major ascending projection connecting layer 4 (L4) to L3 (L4-->L3), was defective in multiple and independent ways: its strength was reduced, caused by a lower connection probability; the axonal arbors of L4 cells were spatially diffuse in L2/3; the L4-->L3 projection did not show experience-dependent plasticity. By 3 weeks, the strength of the L4-->L3 projection was similar to that of wild type. Our data indicate that Fmr1 shapes sensory cortical circuits during a developmental critical period

Use of prescribed medications in a South Australian community sample

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Objective: To determine the extent of self-reported use of prescription medications in an Australian community sample. Design, setting and participants: Face-to-face interviews with a random, representative sample of the South Australian population (aged ≥ 15 years) living in metropolitan and rural areas. The study, a Health Omnibus Survey, was conducted between March and June 2004. Main outcome measures: Reported number of prescribed medications used per person, most common categories of medication, and use by individuals of multiple medications for the same body system. Results: From 4700 households selected, 3015 participants were interviewed (65.9% response rate). Of respondents, 46.8% were using prescribed medications; 171 respondents (5.7%) were taking six or more medications, and four were taking 16 or more; 23.2% were using medications for the cardiovascular system, with 11.9% using agents acting on the renin–angiotensin system. Prescription medication use increased with age, with over 10% of respondents aged ≥ 55 years using six or more medications. Conclusions: Use of multiple prescribed medications was common, with the potential for significant drug interactions. Assuming a similar pattern of medication use Australia-wide, reducing the number of prescribed medications by one for people taking six or more medications would save the federal government about $380 million a year.Robert D Goldney and Laura J Fishe

Field test of multi-hop image sensing network prototype on a city-wide scale

Open Access funded by Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommuniocations Under a Creative Commons license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Wireless multimedia sensor network drastically stretches the horizon of traditional monitoring and surveillance systems, of which most existing research have utilised Zigbee or WiFi as the communication technology. Both technologies use ultra high frequencies (mainly 2.4 GHz) and suffer from relatively short transmission range (i.e. 100 m line-of-sight). The objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility and potential of transmitting image information using RF modules with lower frequencies (e.g. 433 MHz) in order to achieve a larger scale deployment such as a city scenario. Arduino platform is used for its low cost and simplicity. The details of hardware properties are elaborated in the article, followed by an investigation of optimum configurations for the system. Upon an initial range testing outcome of over 2000 m line-of-sight transmission distance, the prototype network has been installed in a real life city plot for further examination of performance. A range of suitable applications has been proposed along with suggestions for future research.Peer reviewe

Bar Diagnostics in Edge-On Spiral Galaxies. I. The Periodic Orbits Approach

We develop diagnostics to detect the presence and orientation of a bar in an edge-on disk, using its kinematical signature in the position-velocity diagram (PVD) of a spiral galaxy observed edge-on. Using a well-studied barred spiral galaxy mass model, we briefly review the orbital properties of two-dimensional non-axisymmetric disks and identify the main families of periodic orbits. We use those families as building blocks to model real galaxies and calculate the PVDs obtained for various realistic combinations of periodic orbit families and for a number of viewing angles with respect to the bar. We show that the global structure of the PVD is a reliable bar diagnostic in edge-on disks. Specifically, the presence of a gap between the signatures of the families of periodic orbits in the PVD follows directly from the non-homogeneous distribution of the orbits in a barred galaxy. Similarly, material in the two so-called forbidden quadrants of the PVD results from the elongated shape of the orbits. We show how the shape of the signatures of the dominant x1 and x2 families of periodic orbits in the PVD can be used efficiently to determine the viewing angle with respect to the bar and, to a lesser extent, to constrain the mass distribution of an observed galaxy. We also address the limitations of the models when interpreting observational data.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures (AASTeX, aaspp4.sty). Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Bar Diagnostics in Edge-On Spiral Galaxies. II. Hydrodynamical Simulations

We develop diagnostics based on gas kinematics to identify the presence of a bar in an edge-on spiral galaxy and determine its orientation. We use position-velocity diagrams (PVDs) obtained by projecting edge-on two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the gas flow in a barred galaxy potential. We show that when a nuclear spiral is formed, the presence of a gap in the PVDs, between the signature of the nuclear spiral and that of the outer parts of the disk, reliably indicates the presence of a bar. This gap is due to the presence of shocks and inflows in the simulations, leading to a depletion of the gas in the outer bar region. If no nuclear spiral signature is present in a PVD, only indirect arguments can be used to argue for the presence of a bar. The shape of the signature of the nuclear spiral, and to a lesser extent that of the outer bar region, allows to determine the orientation of the bar with respect to the line-of-sight. The presence of dust can also help to discriminate between viewing angles on either side of the bar. Simulations covering a large fraction of parameter space constrain the bar properties and mass distribution of observed galaxies. The strongest constraint comes from the presence or absence of the signature of a nuclear spiral in the PVD.Comment: 25 pages (AASTeX, aaspp4.sty), 11 jpg figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Online manuscript with PostScript figures available at: http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~bureau/pub_list.htm