Luminescence thermochronometry of feldspar minerals: Optimisation of measurement conditions for the derivation of thermal kinetic parameters using isothermal holding experiments

Luminescence thermochronometry is sensitive to very low temperatures (below ∼120 °C), and enables the resolution of thermal histories over sub-Quaternary timescales. Here we apply a multi-elevated-temperature post-infrared infrared-stimulated luminescence (MET-pIR-IRSL) measurement protocol to feldspar minerals to extract thermal histories. These thermal histories depend on the thermal stability of the MET signal, and are based on the thermal kinetic parameters extracted from isothermal decay experiments. However, the derived thermal kinetic parameters vary with experimental conditions, specifically with the isothermal holding temperatures (ITL) used. We analyse samples with independently known thermal histories, together with synthetic thermal history samples and samples with unknown thermal histories to test the validity of thermal kinetic parameters obtained from different combinations of isothermal holding data. This approach is tested on feldspars of different mineralogies and lithologies. We find that the temperatures inferred from inverting the data change, depending both on the number and on the highest ITL temperature used for thermal kinetic parameter derivation. Analysed samples validate the MET-pIR-IRSL protocol for extracting thermal histories, and we suggest that four isothermal holding temperatures between 190 and 250 °C are used for appropriate thermal kinetic parameter derivation

Electroantennogram responses from olfactory receptors in Dαcus oleαe

Ουσίες που βρέθηκαν σε αρσενικά ή θηλυκά άτομα του εντόμου Dacus oleae και που αναφέρονται σαν φερομόνες, διεγείρουν δηλαδή κάποια μορφή βιολογικής αντίδρασης σε δοκιμές εργαστηρίου ή αγρού, εξετάστηκαν με την τεχνική του ηλεκτροαντενογράφου (ΗΑΓ). Ουσίες που δεν απαντώνται στο έντομο αυτό και που επελέγησαν για ειδικούς λόγους, εξετάστηκαν επίσης με την ίδια τεχνική σαν πιθανές φερομόνες. Όλες οι ουσίες που εξετάστηκαν ανεξάρτητα αν απαντώνται στο έντομο ή όχι, έδειξαν αντίδραση κάποιου βαθμού και στα δυο φύλα του εντόμου που προέρχονταν είτε από τεχνητή εκτροφή είτε από άγριους πληθυσμούς. Η ουσία 1,7-διοξασπυρο (5,5) ενδεκάνιο, η κύρια φερομόνη τουδάκου, έδειξε την ισχυρότερη αντίδραση σε μικρές συγκεντρώσεις. Στη μεγαλύτερη συγκέντρωση που δοκιμάστηκε, η εννεανάλη, ένα από τα τέσσερα συστατικά του μίγματος φερομόνης, έδειξε την ισχυρότερη αντίδραση. Οι αντιδράσεις του εντόμου στις διάφορες ουσίες μετά από εθισμό των αισθητηρίων οσφρήσεως στην κύρια φερομόνη ή στην εννεανάλη, έδειξαν ότι οι δυο αυτές ουσίες ανιχνεύονται από διαφορετικά αισθητήρια. Η ευαισθησία και η εξειδίκευση των αισθητηρίων σχολιάζεται με βάση τις ηλεκτροφυσιολογίες αυτές παρατηρήσεις.Substances found in Dacus oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae) male or female flies which have been reported as pheromones, i.e. elicit some form of biological activity in laboratory or field bioassays, were tested with the electroantennogram technique (EAG). Substances of non-insect origin were also tested as possible pheromone candi­dates. All substances of insect or non-insect origin elicited an EAG response to both sexes of lab-cultured or wild insects but 1,7 dioxaspiro [5,5] undecane, the major pheromone component, has a lower response threshold value than all other compounds. At the maximum stimulus concentration the response to nonanal reaches a value higher than that elicited by all other compounds. EAG responses to various compounds, after receptor adaptation to the major pheromone compound and nonanal, showed that these two compounds are detected by different sets of receptors. Other comments on the sensitivity and specificity of antennal receptors are also presented

A scoping study of water table excursions induced by seismic and volcanic events

We develop conservative models of water table response to displacements just beneath the water table simulating (1) shallow intrusion of a dike and (2) high level slip on a normal fault locked at the end. For matrix flow, we fine local water table excursions of under 10 m. in cases of isotropic permeability which includes dike inflation of 4 m and fault slips corresponding to earthquakes having a moment magnitude of 7.4. Even for enhancements of vertical permeability up to 10{sup 4}:1, excursions did not exceed 15 m which implies that pumping is strongly volume limited. We also present an analysis of upward directed flow in cracks for the case of earthquake induced pore pressure changes. For matrix properties characteristic of the Calico Hills (vitric) formation and a crack distribution bounding the potential flow capacity of published data, we estimate an upper bound of 0.25 cu m. of ground water per m. of fault length as the amount capable of being pumped to a level 250 m. above the normal water table. While the presence of even larger fractures than assumed might carry more ground water to that level an absolute upper limit of less than 50 cu. m. per m. of fault length is available to be pumped assuming a value n=0.46 for the rock porosity. For less porous rocks typical of the Topopah Spring or Tiva Canyon formations (n{approx}0.10) the upper limit may be reduced to less than 10 cu. m. per m. of fault length. This upper limit depends only upon strain, the height of pumping above the water table and the formation porosity

The need for muscle co-contraction prior to a landing

In landings from a flight phase the mass centre of an athlete experiences rapid decelerations. This study investigated the extent to which co-contraction is beneficial or necessary in drop landings, using both experimental data and computer simulations. High speed video and force recordings were made of an elite martial artist performing drop landings onto a force plate from heights of 1.2 m, 1.5 m and 1.8 m. Matching simulations of these landings were produced using a planar 8-segment torque-driven subject-specific computer simulation model. It was found that there was substantial co-activation of joint flexor and extensor torques at touchdown in all three landings. Optimisations were carried out to determine whether landings could be effected without any co-contraction at touchdown. The model was not capable of landing from higher than 1.05 m with no initial flexor or extensor activations. Due to the force-velocity properties of muscle, co-contraction with net zero joint torque at touchdown leads to increased extensor torque and decreased flexor torque as joint flexion velocity increases. The same considerations apply in any activity where rapid changes in net joint torque are required, as for example in jumps from a running approach

The Blandford-Znajek Process as a Centeral Engine for a Gamma Ray Burst

We investigate the possibility that gamma-ray bursts are powered by a central engine consisting of a black hole with an external magnetic field anchored in a surrounding disk or torus. The energy source is then the rotation of the black hole, and it is extracted electromagnetically via a Poynting flux, a mechanism first proposed by Blandford and Znajek (1997) for AGN. Accounting both for the maximum rotation energy of the hole and for the efficiency of electromagnetic extraction, we find that a maximum of 9% of the rest mass of the hole can be converted to a Poynting flow, i.e. the energy available to produce a gamma-ray burst is 1.6 X 10^{53}M/M_{sun}erg for a black hole of mass M. We show that the black holes formed in a variety of gamma-rayburst scenarios probably contain the required high angular momentum. To extract the energy from a black hole in the required time \lsim1000s a field of 10^{15}G near the black hole is needed. We give an example of a disk-plus-field structure that both delivers the required field and makes the Poynting flux from the hole dominate that ofthe disk. Thereby we demonstrate that the Poynting energy extracted need not be dominated by the disk, nor is limited to the binding energy of the disk. This means that the Blandford-Znajek mechanism remains a very good candidate for powering gamma-ray bursts.Comment: 43 pages, submitted to Physics Repor

Interchain spacing and screening length modification of PSS backbone chains in zwitterion-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate

The interchain spacing and screening length modification of deuterated PSS (d-PSS) backbone chains in zwitterion-doped PEDOT:d-PSS were studied as a function of the doping concentration using small angle neutron scattering. Results suggest that the dopant, 3-(N,N-Dimethylmyristylammonio)propanesulfonate (DYMAP), forms worm-like micelle structures in the PEDOT:d-PSS dispersion that grow in size as the doping concentration increases. The interchain spacing between negatively charged d-PSS remains unaffected by DYMAP up to 15 mM doping concentration. However, from 15 to 25 mM doping concentration, the interchain spacing increases due to steric interactions of grown DYMAP worm-like micelles with the d-PSS chains. At 30 mM doping concentration, the interchain distance between negatively charged d-PSS chains is reduced due to the gelation of the PEDOT:d-PSS dispersion caused by the crosslinking between long DYMAP worm-like micelles and d-PSS chains. Meanwhile, the screening length of the neutralized d-PSS segments attached to the PEDOT oligomers increases as the DYMAP concentration increases form 5 to 30 mM due to the neutralization of the negatively charged d-PSS segments by their Coulomb interaction with the cation in DYMAP

Biological anthropology in the Indo-Pacific Region: New approaches to age-old questions

Biological anthropological research, the study of both modern and past humans, is a burgeoning field in the Indo-Pacific region. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the unique environments of the Indo-Pacific have resulted in an archaeological record that does not necessarily align with those in the northern hemisphere. New, regionally-specific archaeological models are being developed, and biological anthropological research has an important role to play in establishing past human experience within these models. In the Indo-Pacific, research using ancient and modern human tissues is adding insight into global processes of prehistoric settlement and migrations, subsistence change and human biosocial adaptation. This review synthesises current themes in biological anthropology in this region. It highlights the diverse methods and approaches used by biological anthropologists to address globally-relevant archaeological questions. In recent decades a collaborative approach between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and local communities has become the norm in the region. The many positive outcomes of this multi-disciplinary approach are highlighted here through the use of regionally-specific case studies. This review ultimately aims to stimulate further collaborations between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and the communities in the region, and demonstrate how the evidence from Indo-Pacific research may be relevant to global archaeological models

Evolution of Black Holes in the Galaxy

In this article we consider the formation and evolution of black holes, especially those in binary stars where radiation from the matter falling on them can be seen. We consider a number of effects introduced by some of us, which are not traditionally included in binary evolution of massive stars. These are (i) hypercritical accretion, which allows neutron stars to accrete enough matter to collapse to a black hole during their spiral-in into another star. (ii) the strong mass loss of helium stars, which causes their evolution to differ from that of the helium core of a massive star. (iii) The direct formation of low-mass black holes (M\sim2\msun) from single stars, a consequence of a significant strange-matter content of the nuclear-matter equation of state at high density. We discuss these processes here, and then review how they affect various populations of binaries with black holes and neutron stars.Comment: 46 pages, 1 figure, to be published in Physics Repor

Graded morphologies and the performance of PffBT4T-2OD:PC71BM devices using additive choice

The impact of several solvent processing additives (1-chloronaphthalene, methylnaphthalene, hexadecane, 1-phenyloctane, and p-anisaldehyde), 3% v/v in o-dichlorobenzene, on the performance and morphology of poly[(5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4,7-diyl)-alt-(3,3‴-di(2-octyldodecyl)-2,2′,5′,22033,5″,2‴-quaterthiophen-5,5‴-diyl)] (PffBT4T-2OD):[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM)-based polymer solar cells was investigated. Some additives were shown to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) by ~6%, while others decreased the PCE by ~17–25% and a subset of the additives tested completely eliminated any power conversion efficiency and the operation as a photovoltaic device. Grazing-Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (GIWAXS) revealed a clear stepwise variation in the crystallinity of the systems when changing the additive between the two extreme situations of maximum PCE (1-chloronaphthalene) and null PCE (hexadecane). Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) revealed that the morphology of devices with PCE ~0% was composed of large domains with correlation lengths of ~30 nm, i.e., much larger than the typical exciton diffusion length (~12 nm) in organic semiconductors. The graded variations in crystallinity and in nano-domain size observed between the two extreme situations (1-chloronaphthalene and hexadecane) were responsible for the observed graded variations in device performance

Neutral H density at the termination shock: a consolidation of recent results

We discuss a consolidation of determinations of the density of neutral interstellar H at the nose of the termination shock carried out with the use of various data sets, techniques, and modeling approaches. In particular, we focus on the determination of this density based on observations of H pickup ions on Ulysses during its aphelion passage through the ecliptic plane. We discuss in greater detail a novel method of determination of the density from these measurements and review the results from its application to actual data. The H density at TS derived from this analysis is equal to 0.087 \pm 0.022 cm-3, and when all relevant determinations are taken into account, the consolidated density is obtained at 0.09 \pm 0.022 cm-3. The density of H in CHISM based on literature values of filtration factor is then calculated at 0.16 \pm 0.04 cm-3.Comment: Submitted to Space Science Review