794 research outputs found
Transport into the south polar vortex in early spring
Estimates of the mean circulation and diffusive transport of ozone and other species into the Antarctic polar vortex during the spring of 1987 are made using data from the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment. Measurements of long-lived tracers of tropospheric origin remained relatively constant at the levels of the maximum rate of decline of ozone during September. At lower levels in the stratosphere some evidence exists to support intrusions of tropospheric or low latitude air. Given the distribution in latitude and height of these tracers measured from the ER-2 aircraft, it can be inferred that the Lagrangian or diabatic mean circulation was zero or downward over Antarctica during the period of the ozone decline. The observation of a decline in ozone therefore requires a photochemical sink for ozone. The magnitude of the required photochemical sink must be sufficient to offset the transport of ozone into the polar region and produce the observed decline. Quasi-isentropic mixing and downward motion are coupled and are difficult to estimate from a single tracer. The full suite of measured tracers and auxiliary information are brought together to provide an estimate of the rate at which air is cycled through the polar vortex during spring. Estimates of large scale transport of potential vorticity and ozone from previous years are generally consistent with the data from the airborne experiment in suggesting a relatively slow rate of mass flow through the polar vortex in the lower stratosphere during September
Internal kinematics of spiral galaxies in distant clusters. Part II. Observations and data analysis
We have conducted an observing campaign with FORS at the ESO-VLT to explore
the kinematical properties of spiral galaxies in distant galaxy clusters. Our
main goal is to analyse transformation- and interaction processes of disk
galaxies within the special environment of clusters as compared to the
hierarchical evolution of galaxies in the field. Spatially resolved MOS-spectra
have been obtained for seven galaxy clusters at 0.3<z<0.6 to measure rotation
velocities of cluster members. For three of the clusters, Cl0303+17, Cl0413-65,
and MS1008-12, for which we presented results including a TF-diagram in Ziegler
et al. 2003, we describe here in detail the observations and data analysis.
Each of them was observed with two setups of the standard FORS MOS-unit.With
typical exposure times of >2 hours we reach an S/N>5 in the emission lines
appropriate for the deduction of the galaxies' internal rotation velocities
from [OII], Hbeta, or [OIII] profiles. Preselection of targets was done on the
basis of available redshifts as well as from photometric and morphological
information gathered from own observations, archive data, and from the
literature. Emphasis was laid on the definition of suitable setups to avoid the
typical restrictions of the standard MOS unit for this kind of observations. In
total we assembled spectra of 116 objects of which 50 turned out to be cluster
members. Position velocity diagrams, finding charts as well as tables with
photometric, spectral, and structural parameters of individual galaxies are
presented.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysics. A version with full resolution figures can be downloaded from
http://www.uni-sw.gwdg.de/~vwgroup/publications.htm
Effect of high-pressure hot-water washing treatment on fruit quality, insects, and disease in apples and pears Part III. Use of silicone-based materials and mechanical methods to eliminate surface pests
Surface arthropods on pome fruits can cause export problems and disrupt commercial markets. Eliminating insects and mites on the packing line would be the last opportunity to provide for pest-free produce. In this study, an experimental packing line was used to evaluate techniques using different surfactant baths, pressurized water sprays, and styles of rotating brushes to remove field-collected and laboratory-reared grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus (Ehrhorn) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), the diapausing two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and the woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausman) (Homoptera: Aphididae). The organosilicone Silwet L-77 was no more effective than a silicone-based food grade defoamer in aiding removal. Mechanical methods, such as the style of rotating brushes and pressurized sprays, were significantly effective in removing surface arthropods. No improvement in removal occurred when pressure was increased beyond 420 kPa. These techniques can be easily adapted to commercial facilities and will reduce the incidence of surface arthropods on marketed fresh fruits
Optical Monitoring of BL Lacertae Object S5 0716+714 with a Novel Multi-Peak Interference Filter
We at first introduce a novel photometric system, which consists of a Schmidt
telescope, an objective prism, a CCD camera, and, especially, a multi-peak
interference filter. The multi-peak interference filter enables light in multi
passbands to pass through it simultaneously. The light in different passbands
is differentially refracted by the objective prism and is focused on the CCD
separately, so we have multi "images" for each object on the CCD frames. This
system enables us to monitor blazars exactly simultaneously in multi wavebands
on a single telescope, and to accurately trace the color change during the
variation. We used this novel system to monitor the BL Lacertae object S5
0716+714 during 2006 January and February and achieved a very high temporal
resolution. The object was very bright and very active during this period. Two
strong flares were observed, with variation amplitudes of about 0.8 and 0.6
mags in the band, respectively. Strong bluer-when-brighter correlations
were found for both internight and intranight variations. No apparent time lag
was observed between the - and -band variations, and the observed
bluer-when-brighter chromatism may be mainly attributed to the larger variation
amplitude at shorter wavelength. In addition to the bluer-when-brighter trend,
the object also showed a bluer color when it was more active. The observed
variability and its color behaviors are consistent with the shock-in-jet model.Comment: 30 pages, 22 figures, accepted by A
2QZJ215454.3-305654: a radio-quiet BL Lac object or lineless QSO?
High signal-to-noise spectroscopy has established a redshift of z=0.494 for
the source 2QZJ215454.3-305654, originally selected from the 2dF/6dF QSO
Redshift Surveys as one of 45 candidate BL Lac objects displaying a featureless
continuum at optical wavelengths. Radio observations using the Australia
Telescope Compact Array at 1.4 GHz place a 3\sigma upper limit on the object's
radio flux density of approx 0.14mJy. The radio-to-optical flux ratio of this
object is thus more than 7 times lower than the lowest such ratio observed in
BL Lac objects. While the optical properties of 2QZJ215454.3-305654 are
consistent with a BL Lac identification, the lack of radio and/or X-ray
emission is not. It is uncertain whether this object is an AGN dominated by
optical continuum emission from an accretion disk, or is similar to a BL Lac
object with optical nonthermal emission from a relativistic jet.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRA
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