An evaluation of possible relationships between solar activity and tree-ring growth in western North America

Relationship between tree ring growth variations and solar activity since 1700 in western North Americ

CO-Dark Star Formation and Black Hole Activity in 3C 368 at z = 1.131: Coeval Growth of Stellar and Supermassive Black Hole Masses

We present the detection of four far-infrared fine-structure oxygen lines, as well as strong upper limits for the CO(2-1) and [N II] 205 um lines, in 3C 368, a well-studied radio-loud galaxy at z = 1.131. These new oxygen lines, taken in conjunction with previously observed neon and carbon fine-structure lines, suggest a powerful active galactic nucleus (AGN), accompanied by vigorous and extended star formation. A starburst dominated by O8 stars, with an age of ~6.5 Myr, provides a good fit to the fine-structure line data. This estimated age of the starburst makes it nearly concurrent with the latest episode of AGN activity, suggesting a link between the growth of the supermassive black hole and stellar population in this source. We do not detect the CO(2-1) line, down to a level twelve times lower than the expected value for star forming galaxies. This lack of CO line emission is consistent with recent star formation activity if the star-forming molecular gas has low metallicity, is highly fractionated (such that CO is photodissociated through much of the clouds), or is chemically very young (such that CO has not yet had time to form). It is also possible, though we argue unlikely, that the ensemble of fine structure lines are emitted from the region heated by the AGN.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Resolving Star Formation on Sub-Kiloparsec Scales in the High-Redshift Galaxy SDP.11 Using Gravitational Lensing

We investigate the properties of the interstellar medium, star formation, and the current-day stellar population in the strongly-lensed star-forming galaxy H-ATLAS J091043.1-000321 (SDP.11), at z = 1.7830, using new Herschel and ALMA observations of far-infrared fine-structure lines of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. We report detections of the [O III] 52 um, [N III] 57 um, and [O I] 63 um lines from Herschel/PACS, and present high-resolution imaging of the [C II] 158 um line, and underlying continuum, using ALMA. We resolve the [C II] line emission into two spatially-offset Einstein rings, tracing the red- and blue-velocity components of the line, in the ALMA/Band-9 observations at 0.2" resolution. The values seen in the [C II]/FIR ratio map, as low as ~ 0.02% at the peak of the dust continuum, are similar to those of local ULIRGs, suggesting an intense starburst in this source. This is consistent with the high intrinsic FIR luminosity (~ 3 x 10^12 Lo), ~ 16 Myr gas depletion timescale, and < 8 Myr timescale since the last starburst episode, estimated from the hardness of the UV radiation field. By applying gravitational lensing models to the visibilities in the uv-plane, we find that the lensing magnification factor varies by a factor of two across SDP.11, affecting the observed line profiles. After correcting for the effects of differential lensing, a symmetric line profile is recovered, suggesting that the starburst present here may not be the result of a major merger, as is the case for local ULIRGs, but instead could be powered by star-formation activity spread across a 3-5 kpc rotating disk.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Pre-cruise and site surveys : a synthesis of marine geological and geophysical data on the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana transform margin

ODP Leg 159 is the first drilling cruise dedicated to assess the sedimentary, tectonic, and thermal processes as well as the subsidence history operating during and after continental transform margin formation, the challenge being to improve and develop geological models applied to this specific type of ocean-continent boundary. The location of the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Transform Margin, within an equatorial region and located between two different oceanic basins (Central and South Atlantic) of different ages, also provided paleoceanographic potential for Leg 159. The marine geological and geophysical surveys briefly presented above, and with which Leg 159 was planned, have already provided noteworthy data making this segment of transform margin a well-investigated example of this type. It is anticipated that continuous coring and logging at all selected Leg 159 sites will answer many of the questions still in discussion and open new trends of investigation. (Résumé d'auteur

Morphometric analysis of the submarine arc volcano Monowai (Tofua – Kermadec Arc) to decipher tectono-magmatic interactions

Morphometric analysis of multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data is applied to Monowai, a submarine volcano of the active Tofua–Kermadec Arc to map and document the structure and evolution of the volcanic centre. Low rates of erosion and sedimentation, and pervasive tectonic and magmatic processes, allow quantification through detailed structural analysis and measurement of deformation. The Slope, Aspect, Curvature, Rugosity, and Hydrology (flow) tools of ArcGIS provide a robust structural interpretation and the development of a model of Monowai evolution.A nested caldera structure with a volume of ~ 31 km3 and a stratovolcano of ~ 18 km3 dominate the magmatic constructs. The outer caldera is elongate along 125°, and the inner caldera along 135°. Numerous parasitic cones and fissure ridges are also observed, oriented at 039° and 041°, respectively. Northeast trending faults (with a regional average strike of 031°) are widespread within this part of the backarc, forming a nascent rift graben to the west of the Monowai caldera complex. The distribution of throw varies spatially, reaching a maximum total along-rift of 320 m and across rift of 120 m, with greater throw values measured in the west.Elongation directions of the two nested calderas are near-perpendicular to the trends of faults and fissure ridges. The inner caldera is more orthogonal to the magmatic constructs (fissure ridges and aligned vent cones) and the outer caldera is approximately orthogonal to the regional fault fabric, suggesting a strong interaction between magmatic and tectonic processes, and the directions of the horizontal principal stress. We present a detailed morphometric analysis of these relationships and the data are used to interpret the spatial and temporal evolution of the tectono-magmatic system at Monowai, and classify the type of rifting as transtensional. Similar analysis is possible elsewhere in the Kermadec backarc and within other regions of submarine volcanism

Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Transient Direct Expansion Heat Pump

Geothermal heat pump technology is currently one of the most interesting technologies used to heat buildings. There are two designs used in the industry: geothermal heat pump using a secondary ground loop and Direct Expansion (DX) ground source heat pump. The latter is less used, possibly because less research has been carried out for the design of this kind of heat pump. In this paper, a transient model using the Comsol Multiphysic of a DX ground heat pump is presented in heating mode with R22, and a comparison with experimental results is presented with a 24-hour test. It is shown that the model was adequately validated by our experiment with only a maximum difference of 15%. Following this validation, a parametric analysis was realised on the geometry of the borehole. This study concluded that to have the best heat extraction of the ground, the pipes shank spacing need to be important without increasing the borehole diameter.Article History: Received January 16th 2017; Received in revised form May 28th 2017; Accepted June 6th 2017; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Rousseau, C., Fannou, J.L.C., Lamarche, L. and Kajl, S. (2017) Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Transient Direct Expansion Heat Pump. International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 6(2), 145-155.https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.2.145-15

Effects of a healthy meal course on spontaneous energy intake, satiety and palatability

Many food components can influence satiety or energy intake. Combined together, these food components could represent an interesting dietary strategy in the prevention and treatment of obesity. The aims of this study were: 1) to determine the effect of a functional food in the form of a healthy meal course on subsequent energy intake and satiety; 2) to verify if it is possible to maintain palatability while preserving the satiating effects of the test meal. Thirteen subjects were invited to eat two lunch sessions: healthy and control meal courses (2090 kJ/meal). Anthropometric and ad libitum food intake measurements, and visual analogue scales (VAS) were performed during the two lunch sessions. The healthy main course acutely decreased energy intake during the rest of the meal ( − 744 kJ, P ≤ 0·0001) and lipid ( − 6 %, P ≤ 0·0001) compared with the control meal. VAS ratings during the course of the testing showed a meal effect for hunger, desire to eat and prospective food consumption (P ≤ 0·05) and a time effect for all appetite sensations (P ≤ 0·0001). VAS scores on hunger ratings were lower for the healthy meal (P ≤ 0·05), whereas fullness ratings were higher shortly after the healthy main course (P ≤ 0·05). The healthy meal produced a slightly higher palatability rating but this effect was not statistically significant. These results suggest that it is possible to design a healthy meal that decreases spontaneous energy intake and hunger without compromising palatability

Compilation and validation of SAR and optical data products for a complete and global map of inland/ocean water tailored to the climate modeling community

Accurate maps of surface water extent are of paramount importance for water management, satellite data processing and climate modeling. Several maps of water bodies based on remote sensing data have been released during the last decade. Nonetheless, none has a truly (90°N/90°S) global coverage while being thoroughly validated. This paper describes a global, spatially-complete (void-free) and accurate mask of inland/ocean water for the 2000–2012 period, built in the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). This map results from the synergistic combination of multiple individual SAR and optical water body and auxiliary datasets. A key aspect of this work is the original and rigorous stratified random sampling designed for the quality assessment of binary classifications where one class is marginally distributed. Input and consolidated products were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively against a reference validation database of 2110 samples spread throughout the globe. Using all samples, overall accuracy was always very high among all products, between 98% and 100%. The CCI global map of open water bodies provided the best water class representation (F-score of 89%) compared to its constitutive inputs. When focusing on the challenging areas for water bodies’ mapping, such as shorelines, lakes and river banks, all products yielded substantially lower accuracy figures with overall accuracies ranging between 74% and 89%. The inland water area of the CCI global map of open water bodies was estimated to be 3.17 million km2 ± 0.24 million km2. The dataset is freely available through the ESA CCI Land Cover viewer