Spatial variations of shallow and deep soil moisture in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

Soil moisture in deep soil layers is an important relatively stable water resource for vegetation growth in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Characterizing the spatial variations of deep soil moisture with respect to the topographic conditions has significant importance for vegetation restoration. In this study, we focused on analyzing the spatial variations and factors influencing soil moisture content (SMC) in shallow (0–2 m) and deep (2–8 m) soil layers, based on soil moisture observations in the Longtan watershed, Dingxi, Gansu province. The vegetation type of each sampling site for each comparison is same and varies by different positions, gradients, or aspects. The following discoveries were captured: (1) in comparison with shallow SMC, slope position and slope aspect may affect shallow soil moisture more than deep layers, while slope gradient affects both shallow and deep soil moisture significantly. This indicates that a great difference in deep soil hydrological processes between shallow and deep soil moisture remains that can be attributed to the introduced vegetation and topography. (2) A clear negative relationship exists between vegetation growth condition and deep soil moisture, which indicates that plants under different growing conditions may differ in consuming soil moisture, thus causing higher spatial variations in deep soil moisture. (3) The dynamic role of slope position and slope aspect on deep soil moisture has been changed due to large-scale plantation in semi-arid environment. Consequently, vegetation growth conditions and slope gradients may become the key factors dominating the spatial variations in deep soil moisture

Slow light in paraffin-coated Rb vapor cells

We present preliminary results from an experimental study of slow light in anti-relaxation-coated Rb vapor cells, and describe the construction and testing of such cells. The slow ground state decoherence rate allowed by coated cell walls leads to a dual-structured electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) spectrum with a very narrow (<100 Hz) transparency peak on top of a broad pedestal. Such dual-structure EIT permits optical probe pulses to propagate with greatly reduced group velocity on two time scales. We discuss ongoing efforts to optimize the pulse delay in such coated cell systems.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Journal of Modern Optic

Temperature and Kinematics of CIV Absorption Systems

We use Keck HIRES spectra of three intermediate redshift QSOs to study the physical state and kinematics of the individual components of CIV selected heavy element absorption systems. Fewer than 8 % of all CIV lines with column densities greater than 10^{12.5} cm^{-2} have Doppler parameters b < 6 km/s. A formal decomposition into thermal and non-thermal motion using the simultaneous presence of SiIV gives a mean thermal Doppler parameter b_{therm}(CIV) = 7.2 km/s, corresponding to a temperature of 38,000 K although temperatures possibly in excess of 300,000 K occur occasionally. We also find tentative evidence for a mild increase of temperature with HI column density. Non-thermal motions within components are typically small (< 10 km/s) for most systems, indicative of a quiescent environment. The two-point correlation function (TPCF) of CIV systems on scales up to 500 km/s suggests that there is more than one source of velocity dispersion. The shape of the TPCF can be understood if the CIV systems are caused by ensembles of objects with the kinematics of dwarf galaxies on a small scale, while following the Hubble flow on a larger scale. Individual high redshift CIV components may be the building blocks of future normal galaxies in a hierarchical structure formation scenario.Comment: submitted to the ApJ Letters, March 16, 1996 (in press); (13 Latex pages, 4 Postscript figures, and psfig.sty included

Hadronic Vacuum Polarization and the Lamb Shift

Recent improvements in the determination of the running of the fine-structure constant also allow an update of the hadronic vacuum-polarization contribution to the Lamb shift. We find a shift of -3.40(7) kHz to the 1S level of hydrogen. We also comment on the contribution of this effect to the determination by elastic electron scattering of the r.m.s. radii of nuclei.Comment: 7 pages, latex, 1 figure -- Submitted to Phys. Rev. A -- epsfig.sty require

Atomic structure of Ge quantum dots on the Si(001) surface

In situ morphological investigation of the {105} faceted Ge islands on the Si(001) surface (hut clusters) have been carried out using an ultra high vacuum instrument integrating a high resolution scanning tunnelling microscope and a molecular beam epitaxy vessel. Both species of hut clusters--pyramids and wedges--were found to have the same structure of the {105} facets which was visualized. Structures of vertexes of the pyramidal clusters and ridges of the wedge-shaped clusters were revealed as well and found to be different. This allowed us to propose a crystallographic model of the {105} facets as well as models of the atomic structure of both species of the hut clusters. An inference is made that transitions between the cluster shapes are impossible.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Accepted to JETP Letters (publication date 2010-03-25

Effect of arsenic on spatial pattern of radial oxygen loss and iron plaque formation in rice

The effects of different arsenic (As) treatments on spatial pattern of radial oxygen loss (ROL), iron (Fe) plaque formation and As accumulation in rice were investigated using three rice genotypes, planted under greenhouse conditions. Arsenic was applied to soil at 50 and 100 mg/kg, with untreated soil used as a control having an average As concentration of 8.5 mg/kg. It was demonstrated that the ratio of ROL in root tips to that at the root base slightly decreased with increasing As concentration, suggesting that the spatial ROL patterns in these groups may be shifted from the “tight” barrier towards the “partial” barrier form. Furthermore, increasing As concentration led to a increase in Fe plaque formation on root surfaces. In addition, root As concentrations of genotypes in 50 and 100 mg/kg As treatments were significantly higher than that of control treatment (P<0.05). Grain As concentration of genotype Nanyangzhan (with lower ROL) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of genotype CNT87059-3 with higher ROL

Hidden one-dimensional electronic structure and non-Fermi liquid angle resolved photoemission line shapes of η\eta-Mo4_4O11_{11}

We report angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) spectra of $\eta$-Mo$_4$O$_{11}$, a layered metal that undergoes two charge density wave (CDW) transitions at 109 K and 30 K. We have directly observed the ``hidden one-dimensional (hidden-1d)'' Fermi surface and an anisotropic gap opening associated with the 109 K transition, in agreement with the band theoretical description of the CDW transition. In addition, as in other hidden-1d materials such as NaMo$_6$O$_{17}$, the ARPES line shapes show certain anomalies, which we discuss in terms of non-Fermi liquid physics and possible roles of disorder.Comment: 3 figures; Erratum added to include missed reference