A4_5 Solar Propelled Rocket

In this paper we discuss whether it would be feasible to replace the current Soyuz rocket’s Earth launch phase, with the radiation pressure from reflected solar radiation. We find that the mirror would need an area 2.05 × 105 km^2 in an ideal situation. This is deemed too large to be practical

Phylogenetic relationships of the Wolbachia of nematodes and arthropods

Wolbachia are well known as bacterial symbionts of arthropods, where they are reproductive parasites, but have also been described from nematode hosts, where the symbiotic interaction has features of mutualism. The majority of arthropod Wolbachia belong to clades A and B, while nematode Wolbachia mostly belong to clades C and D, but these relationships have been based on analysis of a small number of genes. To investigate the evolution and relationships of Wolbachia symbionts we have sequenced over 70 kb of the genome of wOvo, a Wolbachia from the human-parasitic nematode Onchocerca volvulus, and compared the genes identified to orthologues in other sequenced Wolbachia genomes. In comparisons of conserved local synteny, we find that wBm, from the nematode Brugia malayi, and wMel, from Drosophila melanogaster, are more similar to each other than either is to wOvo. Phylogenetic analysis of the protein-coding and ribosomal RNA genes on the sequenced fragments supports reciprocal monophyly of nematode and arthropod Wolbachia. The nematode Wolbachia did not arise from within the A clade of arthropod Wolbachia, and the root of the Wolbachia clade lies between the nematode and arthropod symbionts. Using the wOvo sequence, we identified a lateral transfer event whereby segments of the Wolbachia genome were inserted into the Onchocerca nuclear genome. This event predated the separation of the human parasite O. volvulus from its cattle-parasitic sister species, O. ochengi. The long association between filarial nematodes and Wolbachia symbionts may permit more frequent genetic exchange between their genomes

Adiantum capillus-veneris (Maidenhair Fern) along the Vale of Glamorgan Coastline, South Wales, UK: a comparison of surveys over 30 years

Adiantum capillus-veneris (Maidenhair Fern), occurs on all continents except the Antarctic, and is considered stable worldwide (Lansdown & Bilz, 2013). In the UK the vascular plants red data list reports the status of A. capillusveneris as of ‘least concern’ (Cheffings et al., 2005). Native populations occur mainly in crevices or on tufa deposits, limited to a few scattered coastal localities (Stewart et al., 1994). Wales is home to about 25% of the UK’s native population (Dines, 2008) mainly concentrated along the Vale of Glamorgan Coastline and to a lesser extent in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. The earliest record (Llwyd, 1698), at Jacksons Bay, Barry Island suggest populations have been persistent for at least 300 years. Historical records for A. capillus- veneris can also be found for Porthkerry; 1838, Dunraven Bay; 1849, Aberthaw; 1862 and Font-y-Gary, 1927 and A. capillus-veneris is still present at all of the aforementioned sites. A. capillus-veneris’s natural habitat in South Wales is primarily restricted to active post glacial tufaceous cliff face seepages which are frequently, but not entirely, associated with the Jurassic Lias bedrock that defines the Vale of Glamorgan ‘Heritage Coast’. The interbedded nature of the Jurassic Lias rocks, with relatively impermeable, thinly interbedded limestones and calcareous mudstones (Wilson et al., 1990), favours the slow diffuse seepage of groundwater across large areas of cliff face supporting the formation of tufa. Tufa forms when groundwater, supersaturated with calcium carbonate dissolved from the bedrock aquifer, re-deposits the material on contact with the atmosphere. Three surveys across the Vale of Glamorgan coastline have been undertaken, the first by Peter S. Jones (1983-4) then Kate Pryor 1996 (reported in Pryor, 2001) and again in 2015 by the authors. Molecular studies of several populations along the coast (Pryor, 2001 & Pryor et al., 2001) provide insight into the genetics of satellite populations, however further discussion of this is outside of the scope of this note. The aim of this survey was to collate and compare the locations of populations recorded over the last 30 years. It is hoped that this will serve as a useful baseline for repeat surveys in the future

Streams Going Notts: The tidal debris finder comparison project

While various codes exist to systematically and robustly find haloes and subhaloes in cosmological simulations (Knebe et al., 2011, Onions et al., 2012), this is the first work to introduce and rigorously test codes that find tidal debris (streams and other unbound substructure) in fully cosmological simulations of structure formation. We use one tracking and three non-tracking codes to identify substructure (bound and unbound) in a Milky Way type simulation from the Aquarius suite (Springel et al., 2008) and post-process their output with a common pipeline to determine the properties of these substructures in a uniform way. By using output from a fully cosmological simulation, we also take a step beyond previous studies of tidal debris that have used simple toy models. We find that both tracking and non-tracking codes agree well on the identification of subhaloes and more importantly, the {\em unbound tidal features} associated with them. The distributions of basic properties of the total substructure distribution (mass, velocity dispersion, position) are recovered with a scatter of $\sim20$. Using the tracking code as our reference, we show that the non-tracking codes identify complex tidal debris with purities of $\sim40$. Analysing the results of the substructure finders, we find that the general distribution of {\em substructures} differ significantly from the distribution of bound {\em subhaloes}. Most importantly, both bound and unbound {\em substructures} together constitute $\sim18$ of the host halo mass, which is a factor of $\sim2$ higher than the fraction in self-bound {\em subhaloes}. However, this result is restricted by the remaining challenge to cleanly define when an unbound structure has become part of the host halo. Nevertheless, the more general substructure distribution provides a more complete picture of a halo's accretion history.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Geodynamic setting and origin of the Oman/UAE ophiolite

The ~500km-long mid-Cretaceous Semail nappe of the Sultanate of Oman and UAE (henceforth referred to as the Oman ophiolite) is the largest and best-preserved ophiolite complex known. It is of particular importance because it is generally believed to have an internal structure and composition closely comparable to that of crust formed at the present-day East Pacific Rise (EPR), making it our only known on-land analogue for ocean lithosphere formed at a fast spreading rate. On the basis of this assumption Oman has long played a pivotal role in guiding our conceptual understanding of fast-spreading ridge processes, as modern fast-spread ocean crust is largely inaccessible

Galaxies going MAD: The Galaxy-Finder Comparison Project

With the ever increasing size and complexity of fully self-consistent simulations of galaxy formation within the framework of the cosmic web, the demands upon object finders for these simulations has simultaneously grown. To this extent we initiated the Halo Finder Comparison Project that gathered together all the experts in the field and has so far led to two comparison papers, one for dark matter field haloes (Knebe et al. 2011), and one for dark matter subhaloes (Onions et al. 2012). However, as state-of-the-art simulation codes are perfectly capable of not only following the formation and evolution of dark matter but also account for baryonic physics (e.g. hydrodynamics, star formation, feedback) object finders should also be capable of taking these additional processes into consideration. Here we report on a comparison of codes as applied to the Constrained Local UniversE Simulation (CLUES) of the formation of the Local Group which incorporates much of the physics relevant for galaxy formation. We compare both the properties of the three main galaxies in the simulation (representing the MW, M31, and M33) as well as their satellite populations for a variety of halo finders ranging from phase-space to velocity-space to spherical overdensity based codes, including also a mere baryonic object finder. We obtain agreement amongst codes comparable to (if not better than) our previous comparisons, at least for the total, dark, and stellar components of the objects. However, the diffuse gas content of the haloes shows great disparity, especially for low-mass satellite galaxies. This is primarily due to differences in the treatment of the thermal energy during the unbinding procedure. We acknowledge that the handling of gas in halo finders is something that needs to be dealt with carefully, and the precise treatment may depend sensitively upon the scientific problem being studied.Comment: 14 interesting pages, 17 beautiful figures, and 2 informative tables accepted for publication in MNRAS (matches published version

How to create new subduction zones: A global perspective

The association of deep-sea trenches—steeply angled, planar zones where earthquakes occur deep into Earth’s interior—and chains, or arcs, of active, explosive volcanoes had been recognized for 90 years prior to the development of plate tectonic theory in the 1960s. Oceanic lithosphere is created at mid-ocean ridge spreading centers and recycled into the mantle at subduction zones, where down-going lithospheric plates dynamically sustain the deep-sea trenches. Study of subduction zone initiation is a challenge because evidence of the processes involved is typically destroyed or buried by later tectonic and crust-forming events. In 2014 and 2017, the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) specifically targeted these processes with three back-to-back expeditions to the archetypal Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) intra-oceanic arcs and one expedition to the Tonga-Kermadec (TK) system. Both subduction systems were initiated ~52 million years ago, coincident with a proposed major change of Pacific plate motion. These expeditions explored the tectonism preceding and accompanying subduction initiation and the characteristics of the earliest crust-forming magmatism. Lack of compressive uplift in the overriding plate combined with voluminous basaltic seafloor magmatism in an extensional environment indicates a large component of spontaneous subduction initiation was involved for the IBM. Conversely, a complex range of far-field uplift and depression accompanied the birth of the TK system, indicative of a more distal forcing of subduction initiation. Future scientific ocean drilling is needed to target the three-dimensional aspects of these processes at new converging margins

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Three Methods of Recanalization in a Model of the Middle Cerebral Artery: Thrombus Aspiration via a 4F Catheter, Thrombus Aspiration via the GP Thromboaspiration Device, and Mechanical Thrombectomy Using the Solitaire Thrombectomy Device

Introduction. This paper compares different approaches to recanalization in a model of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Methods. An occlusive thrombus (lamb's blood) was introduced into the MCA of a model of the cerebral circulation perfused with Hartmann's solution (80 pulsations/min, mean pressure 90 mm Hg). Three methods of clot retrieval were tested: thrombus aspiration via a 4F catheter (n = 26), thrombus aspiration via the GP thrombus aspiration device (GPTAD) (n = 30), and mechanical thrombectomy via the Solitaire Device (n = 30). Results. Recanalization rate was similar for all 3 approaches (62%, 77%, and 85%). Time to recanalization was faster with aspiration devices (41 SD 42 s for 4F and 61 SD 21 s for GPTAD) than with the Solitaire (197 SD 64 s P < .05 Kruksal-Wallis). Clot fragmentation was the same in the Solitaire (23%) and the GPTAD (23%), but higher with the 4F (53%, P < .05). Conclusion. In this model, thrombus aspiration was faster than mechanical thrombectomy, and similarly effective at recanalization. These results should be confirmed in vivo