Localized Input Research Articles

Mass spectrometric comparison of swift heavy ion-induced and anaerobic thermal degradation of polymers

The study of polymers irradiated by highly energetic ions and the resulting radiation-induced degradation is of major importance for space and particle accelerator applications. The mechanism of ion-induced molecular fragmentation of polyethylene, polyethyleneimine and polyamide was investigated by means of mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the introduction of nitrogen and oxygen into the polymer influences the stability rendering aliphatic polymers with heteroatoms less stable. A comparison to thermal decomposition data from literature reveals that ion-induced degradation is different in its bond fracture mechanism. While thermal degradation starts at the weakest bond, which is usually the carbon-heteroatom bond, energetic ion irradiation leads in the first step to scission of all types of bonds creating smaller molecular fragments. This is due to the localized extreme energy input under non-equilibrium conditions when the ions transfer kinetic energy onto electrons. These findings are of relevance for the choice of polymers for long-term application in both space and accelerator facilities.

The seawater osmium isotope record of South China Sea: Implications on its history and evolution

The South China Sea is the largest marginal basin in the world, and is located in the confluence of three major tectonic plates (Pacific-Philippine Sea, Indo-Australia, Eurasia). Its tectonic history and evolution throughout the Cenozoic has been the subject of much discussion with regards to its mechanism, timing, and relationship to neighboring geological features. We conducted the first Re-Os isotope study of the South China Sea cores recovered from ocean drilling (ODP-Ocean Drilling Program and IODP-International Ocean Discovery Program) and from Philippine oil exploration wells in order to investigate whether or not the basin's tectonic evolution will be reflected in the seawater Os isotope record. These cores represent the northern and southern conjugate margins of the South China Sea, and should have complementary records of the tectonic events in the basin. We found three important negative anomalies in the South China Sea's seawater Os isotope record at 35–33Ma, 26–23Ma, and ~13–6Ma, which are temporally related to tectono-magmatic events. At the northern margin, the record starts with the lowest (187Os/188Os)i values of 0.37 and 0.32 for the oldest samples, which then progresses to more radiogenic values for younger sediments. The trend is consistent with the start of seafloor spreading at ~33Ma that saw the peak in the flux of mantle-derived material, which later slowed down until the second peak between 26 and 23Ma. However, these unradiogenic values also mark the Eocene-Oligocene Transition and more likely implies South China Sea connectivity to global ocean circulation since pre-Oligocene. In both margins, slight to marked decrease in (187Os/188Os)i values deviate from the global trend and coincides with the ridge jump at ~23Ma. In the southern conjugate margin, (187Os/188Os)i show a general decreasing tendency opposite that of the northern margin and the global trend starting from Mid- to Late Miocene (~13–6Ma). Mass balance modeling suggests that the two younger negative excursions may be accounted for by mantle and hydrothermal Os inputs of ~372mol/my at ~23Ma and post ~13Ma. We suggest that the post ~13Ma protracted decrease in (187Os/188Os)i values for the southern margin reflects localized input of mantle-derived lithogenic Os from the Luzon Arc combined with post-spreading magmatic intrusions, and possibly gradual changes in paleoceanographic condition at the southern East Sub-basin.

Different depths, different fauna: habitat influences on the distribution of groundwater invertebrates

At regional and catchment scales, geology and hydrogeology strongly influence the distribution of groundwater invertebrates (stygofauna), but the fine scale distribution of stygofauna in sedimentary aquifers remains poorly studied. In this study, we examine the small-scale distribution of stygofauna in sediments of a perched aquifer in an upland swamp in south eastern Australia. We installed a series of piezometers which accessed either the full sediment profile or one of four discrete sedimentary layers in the swamp. Piezometers were sampled for stygofauna and 2H and 18O isotopes in the groundwater. The swamp contained a taxonomically diverse and abundant stygofauna, which was distributed throughout the swamp and similar in composition to that of other aquifers in the region. There were strong temporal changes in the faunal assemblages but the stimuli for these changes remain unknown. Isotope analysis indicated that the swamp water was well mixed despite localised inputs of groundwater from springs. Accordingly, we could not explore the relative influence of groundwater inputs on fauna; however, we have shown clearly that stygofauna were strongly influenced by sediment properties, with the abundance of stygofauna in the dense, fine sandy sediments being significantly lower than in the coarser sedimentary layers above and below.

Random lasing in an Anderson localizing optical fiber

A directional random laser mediated by transverse Anderson localization in a disordered glass optical fiber is reported. Previous demonstrations of random lasers have found limited applications because of their multi-directionality and chaotic fluctuations in the laser emission. The random laser presented in this paper operates in the Anderson localization regime. The disorder induced localized states form isolated local channels that make the output laser beam highly directional and stabilize its spectrum. The strong transverse disorder and longitudinal invariance result in isolated lasing modes with negligible interaction with their surroundings, traveling back and forth in a Fabry–Perot cavity formed by the air–fiber interfaces. It is shown that if a localized input pump is scanned across the disordered fiber input facet, the output laser signal follows the transverse position of the pump. Moreover, a uniformly distributed pump across the input facet of the disordered fiber generates a laser signal with very low spatial coherence that can be of practical importance in many optical platforms including image transport with fiber bundles.

Differential intra-specific stemflow funnelling efficiencies of Caragana korshinskii within arid desert ecosystems

Abstract Stemflow is known as a highly localized point input of rainwater and solutes around tree/shrub bases where roots are concentrated, thus having considerable effects on hydrology and biogeochemistry of vegetated ecosystems. Stemflow shows a pronounced inter-specific variation due to morphological differences among species, while the intra-specific variation of stemflow has been poorly explored. We systematically examined the effects of shrub morphological metrics on intra-specific funnelling efficiencies by quantifying the stemflow of nine shrubs of Caragana korshinskii within a water-limited arid desert ecosystem of northern China. Stemflow volume was used to compare the absolute amount of stemflow generated by shrubs of varying size, and funnelling ratio was used to assess their funnelling efficiencies. Both rainfall depth and shrub morphological metrics significantly affected stemflow volume, while funnelling ratio was more associated with shrub morphology. Under the same rainfall condition, smaller shrubs produced lower volumes of stemflow, while gaining access to rainfall via higher funnelling ratio than larger shrubs. Our findings highlight a large variation in funnelling efficiency among individual shrubs within the same species, and in particular, smaller shrubs might profit more from sporadic small rainfall events than larger shrubs.

A Gabor-based network for heterogeneous face recognition

In this paper, we propose a single hidden-layer Gabor-based network for heterogeneous face recognition. The proposed input layer contains novel computational units which propagate geometrically localized input image sub-blocks to hidden nodes. The propagated pixels are then convolved with a set of Gabor kernels followed by a randomly weighted summation and a non-linear activation function operation. The output layer adopts a linear weighting scheme which can be deterministically estimated similar to that in extreme learning machine. Our experiments on three experimental scenarios using BERC visual-thermal infrared database and CASIA visual-near infrared database show promising results for the proposed network.

Laser welding of dissimilar metallic materials with use of diffractive optical elements

A use of laser technology it is progressive in the welding of dissimilar materials. Pulsed laser welding of an aluminum alloy AK4 and a titanium alloy VT5-1 was performed. Processing conditions were determined, the realization of which during melting of materials in the heat-affected zone makes it possible to obtain a homogeneous structure without voids and shells, potentially producing sufficiently sound welded joints. To create the required power density distribution across the laser beam, it was found expedient to use diffractive optical elements. Aluminum and copper were welded by continuous laser beam. It is determined that laser action with its well-defined and precise localized heat input makes it possible to significantly reduce the growth of intermetallic compound layers.

AB311. SPR-38 Clarification of the innervation of genitourinary structures: a neuronal tracing study in female mongrel hound dogs

ObjectiveMany studies focus on either afferent or efferent inputs (but not both), or on one structure of the genitourinary system. Only a few recent studies include information on inputs from sympathetic chain ganglia (SCG), and even fewer have examined the possibility of direct motor (autonomic or somatic) inputs from spinal cord ventral horns to genitourinary end organs. We sought to clarify origins of afferent and efferent information conveyed between the spinal cord, peripheral nervous system ganglia and genitourinary structures using retrograde and anterograde dye tracing methods.MethodsRetrograde dyes were injected into the bladder wall, EUS and clitoris of 14 female mongrel dogs (fluorogold, true blue, or nuclear yellow). Dorsal root ganglia (DRG), SCG, caudal mesenteric ganglion (CMG), pelvic plexus ganglia and spinal cord ventral horns were collected and examined for dye-labeled neuronal cell bodies. Detrusor muscle intramural ganglia were examined by injecting an anterograde dye (DiI) into the pelvic nerve’s anterior vesicle branch.ResultsRetrograde labeled cells were observed in several DRG, representative of afferent input from the bladder, EUS and clitoris. Anterograde labeling revealed a number of intramural ganglia in the bladder wall after distal pelvic nerve labeling. Sympathetic efferents included: (I) labeled cells in the CMG primarily from the bladder, yet small numbers from the EUS and clitoris; (II) labeled cells in SCG primarily from the bladder (widespread) and more localized input from EUS and clitoris; and (III) labeled cells in the intermediolateral cell column of thoracolumbar cord segments directly to the bladder and clitoris, a locale typically considered as sympathetic. Parasympathetic efferents included: (I) labeled neurons in pelvic plexus ganglia in bladder mesenteries; and (II) cells in lamina VII of sacral cord segments directly to the bladder and clitoris, a locale typically considered as sympathetic. Lastly, somatic (skeletal muscle) efferents to the EUS were evident as retrogradely labeled cells in sacral lamina IX cells.ConclusionsAfferent and efferent inputs to genitourinary structures are complex, yet a clear knowledge is needed to understand dysfunction after spinal cord injury and mechanisms underlying chronic pain syndromes in this region.Funding Source(s)NIH-NINDS NS070267

How northern freshwater input can stabilise thermohaline circulation

The North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) carries heat and salt towards the Arctic. This circulation is partly sustained by buoyancy loss and is generally believed to be inhibited by northern freshwater input as indicated by the ‘box-model’ of Stommel (1961). The inferred freshwater-sensitivity of the THC, however, varies considerably between studies, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The northernmost branch of the Atlantic THC, which forms a double estuarine circulation in the Arctic Mediterranean, is one example where both buoyancy loss and buoyancy gain facilitate circulation. We have built on Stommel's original concept to examine the freshwater-sensitivity of a double estuarine circulation. The net inflow into the double estuary is found to be more sensitive to a change in the distribution of freshwater than to a change in the total freshwater input. A double estuarine circulation is more stable than a single overturning, requiring a larger amount and more localised freshwater input into regions of buoyancy loss to induce a thermohaline ‘collapse’. For the Arctic Mediterranean, these findings imply that the Atlantic inflow may be relatively insensitive to increased freshwater input. Complementing Stommel's thermal and haline flow regimes, the double estuarine circulation allows for a third: the throughflow regime. In this regime, a THC with warm poleward surface flow can be sustained without production of dense water; a decrease in high-latitude dense water formation does therefore not necessarily affect regional surface conditions as strongly as generally thought.

Comparison of soil macro-invertebrate communities in Malaysian oil palm plantations with secondary forest from the viewpoint of litter decomposition

Biodiversity decline in rapidly expanding oil palm plantations is of global concern. Many studies have demonstrated that fauna species diversity is lower in oil palm plantations than forests. However, information about the flow-on effects of these declines in species diversity on ecosystem functioning is scarce for oil palm plantations. Litter decomposition performed by soil organisms is a vital ecosystem function that regulates nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Some studies have found a high level of redundancy among litter decomposing species. In order to evaluate the effects of the conversion of forests to oil palm plantations on decomposition, we investigated the abundance and biomass of soil macro-invertebrates at sites in two oil palm plantations and a secondary forest in Malaysia. Biodiversity of soil macro-invertebrates were lower in the oil palm plantations than in the secondary forest. The abundance and biomass of surface–living litter transformers was lower in oil palm plantations than forest, probably due to the isolated piles of frond litter that occur in plantations, instead of the more continuous litter layer observed in forests. However, we found dense populations of wood (litter)–feeding termites in the thick rachises of fronds heaped on the ground surface. A pantropical earthworm species, Pontoscolex corethrurus, which buries the litter through cast deposition, abounded more in the oil palm plantations than in the secondary forest. These characteristics of soil macro-invertebrates have also been reported in other oil palm plantations. Thus, we conclude that the conversion of forests to oil palm plantations may reduce diversity of soil macro-invertebrates, increase the heterogeneity of macro-invertebrates distribution and decrease populations of some functional groups of soil macro-invertebrates. However, overall, forest conversion does not appear to have a negative impact on the decomposition process to a great extent, owing to the colonization of plantation sites by other groups of decomposer animals that are favored by disturbance and/or the great amount of localized input of fresh fronds pruned at the time of fruit harvesting.

Multiple subglacial till deposition: A modern exemplar for Quaternary palaeoglaciology

The sedimentology of a vertical succession of alternating beds of massive and fissile diamictons on a þorisjökull plateau icefield outlet foreland is employed to assess the evolution of subglacial traction tills at the margins of active temperate glaciers with deformable substrates, where tills appear to form sub-marginal incrementally thickened wedges that display multiple till emplacement events, potentially of annual scale. Lodged boulders display strong A-axes and surface striae alignments which parallel surface flutings, indicating that fluting construction and till emplacement were related to moulding by consistent glacier flow from the SSW during the Little Ice Age. In contrast, clast macrofabrics at the sub-boulder size, not unlike those reported from other Icelandic tills, are not as strong as would be expected in a subglacially sheared medium, indicating shear strains too low for a steady state strain signature. This separation of fabric data has isolated the strain signatures of the lodgement and deformation components of subglacial traction till, whereby the orientations of the largest, lodged clasts record high cumulative shear strains and those of the sub-boulder sized clasts record greater susceptibility to deformation of their enclosing matrix. This is likely due to the effect of clast collisions in clast rich till and the perturbations set up by the numerous large boulders, consistent with observations on till fabrics in flutings and around lodged clasts. A/B plane macrofabric data display unusually high degrees of isotropy, reflective of the more variable orientations of A/B planes, which are thought to reflect A/B plane susceptibility to dip parallel or anastomosing shear planes. A wide range of clast angularity values reflects the localized input of freshly plucked and hence relatively highly angular blocks to the deforming layer, a characteristic of stepped bedrock profiles beneath the snouts of mountain glaciers. Finally, we hypothesize that the massive and fissile units may represent A and B horizons of subglacial deforming layer couplets, and that each couplet could record seasonal emplacement and partial inter-couplet modification near the ice margin. If the latter is the case, then less than 1 m of subglacial till is advected to the glacier margin per (annual?) deformation event.

Microstructure of arc brazed and diffusion bonded joints of stainless steel and SiC reinforced aluminum matrix composite

Joint interfaces of aluminum and stainless steel often exhibit intermetallics of Al-Fe, which limit the joint strength. In order to reduce these brittle phases in joints of aluminum matrix composites (AMC) and stainless steel, diffusion bonding and arc brazing are used. Due to the absence of a liquid phase, diffusion welding can reduce the formation of these critical in- termetallics. For this joining technique, the influence of surface treatments and adjusted time- temperature-surface-pressure-regimes is investigated. On the other hand, arc brazing offers the advantage to combine a localized heat input with the application of a low melting filler and was conducted using the system Al-Ag-Cu. Results of the joining tests using both approaches are described and discussed with regard to the microstructure of the joints and the interfaces.

Fabrication of Carbon Nanotube - Chromium Carbide Composite Through Laser Sintering

Ceramics often have high hardness and strength, and good wear and corro- sion resistance, and hence have many important applications, which, however, are often limited by their poor fracture toughness. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may enhance ceramic fracture toughness, but hot pressing (which is one typical approach of fabri- cating CNT-ceramic composites) is difficult to apply for applications that require localized heat input, such as fabricating composites as surface coatings. Laser beam may realize localized material sintering with little thermal effect on the surrounding regions. However, for the typical ceramics for hard coating applications (as listed in Ref.(1)), previous work on laser sintering of CNT-ceramic composites with mechanical property characterizations has been very limited. In this paper, research work has been reported on the fabrication and characterization of CNT-ceramic composites through laser sintering of mixtures of CNTs and chromium carbide powders. Under the studied conditions, it has been found that laser-sintered composites have a much higher hardness than that for plasma-sprayed composites reported in the literature. It has also been found that the composites obtained by laser sintering of CNTs and chromium

Surface greenhouse gas fluxes downwind of a penguin colony in the maritime sub-Antarctic

The relationship between ammonia (NH3) concentrations downwind from a penguin colony and local surface greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes was investigated on the remote sub-Antarctic Bird Island (54°00′S, 38°03′W) during summer 2010 (November and December). A Macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) colony (40,000 pairs) at Goldcrest Point is a large point source of NH3 on the island and a measurement transect of 23 m, 36 m, 70 m, 143 m and 338 m was set up downwind from the colony. Atmospheric NH3 concentrations measured by passive diffusion samplers declined from 23 μg m−3 close to the colony to less than 1 μg m−3 338 m downwind. As increased nitrogen (N) deposition can affect soil carbon (C) and N cycling, it can therefore potentially influence GHG and nitric oxide (NO) emission rates. However, in this study, a clear correlation between surface GHG fluxes and atmospheric NH3 concentrations could not be established. Average fluxes for nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) over the entire transect and the eight week study period ranged from 7 to 23 μg N2O–N m−2 h−1, −5.5–245 μg CH4 m−2 h−1, and CO2 respiration rates averaged 2.2 μmol m−2 s−1. Laboratory studies using intact soil cores from the transect also did not show any significant correlation between atmospheric NH3 concentrations and N2O, NO, CH4 emissions or CO2 respiration rates. Overall, fluxes measured in the laboratory study reflected the high variability measured in the field. Large changes in soil depth along the transect, due to the topography of the island, possibly influenced fluxes more than NH3 concentration and seabirds appeared to have a more localised input (e.g. ground nesting birds). However, warmer temperatures might have a large potential to increase GHG fluxes in this ecosystem. This study confirms that GHG fluxes do occur in these ornithogenic ecosystems, however, the scale of the impact remains largely unquantified due to high uncertainties and high spatial variability.

IRIS observations of the Mg ii h and k lines during a solar flare

The bulk of the radiative output of a solar flare is emitted from the chromosphere, which produces enhancements in the optical and UV continuum, and in many lines, both optically thick and thin. We have, until very recently, lacked observations of two of the strongest of these lines: the Mg II h & k resonance lines. We present a detailed study of the response of these lines to a solar flare. The spatial and temporal behaviour of the integrated intensities, k/h line ratios, line of sight velocities, line widths and line asymmetries were investigated during an M class flare (SOL2014-02-13T01:40). Very intense, spatially localised energy input at the outer edge of the ribbon is observed, resulting in redshifts equivalent to velocities of ~15-26km/s, line broadenings, and a blue asymmetry in the most intense sources. The characteristic central reversal feature that is ubiquitous in quiet Sun observations is absent in flaring profiles, indicating that the source function increases with height during the flare. Despite the absence of the central reversal feature, the k/h line ratio indicates that the lines remain optically thick during the flare. Subordinate lines in the Mg II passband are observed to be in emission in flaring sources, brightening and cooling with similar timescales to the resonance lines. This work represents a first analysis of potential diagnostic information of the flaring atmosphere using these lines, and provides observations to which synthetic spectra from advanced radiative transfer codes can be compared.

Feedback control for some solutions of the sine-Gordon equation

Evolution of an initial localized bell-shaped state for the sine-Gordon equation is considered. It is obtained numerically that variation in the parameters of the localized input gives rise to different propagating waves as time goes. The speed gradient feedback control method is employed to achieve unified wave profile weakly dependent on initial conditions. Two speed-gradient like algorithms are developed and compared. It is shown that the algorithm using coefficient at the second spatial derivative term in the sine-Gordon equation allows one to generate the same wave with prescribed energy from different initial states having different energies.

Mass exchange processes with input

We investigate a system of interacting clusters evolving through mass exchange and supplemented by input of small clusters. Three possibilities depending on the rate of exchange generically occur when input is homogeneous: continuous growth, gelation, and instantaneous gelation. We mostly study the growth regime using scaling methods. An exchange process with reaction rates equal to the product of reactant masses admits an exact solution which allows us to justify the validity of scaling approaches in this special case. We also investigate exchange processes with a localized input. We show that if the diffusion coefficients are mass-independent, the cluster mass distribution becomes stationary and develops an algebraic tail far away from the source.

Interplay of disorder andPTsymmetry in one-dimensional optical lattices

We study a one-dimensional binary optical lattice in the presence of diagonal disorder and alternating gain and loss, and examine the light transport phenomena for localized and extended input beams. In the pure $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric case, we derive an exact expression for the behavior of light localization in terms of typical parameters of the system. Within the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric region light localization becomes constant as a function of the strength of the gain and loss parameter, but outside the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric window, light localization increases as the gain and loss parameter increases. When disorder is added, we observe that the presence of gain and loss inhibits (favors) the transport for localized (extended) excitations.

An Improved Empirical Model for Retrieving Bottom Reflectance in Optically Shallow Water

Satellite remote sensing has become an essential observing system to obtain comprehensive information on the status of coastal habitats. However, a significant challenge in remote sensing of optically shallow water is to correct the effects of the water column. This challenge becomes particularly difficult due to the spatial and temporal variability of water optical properties. In order to model the light distribution for optically shallow water and retrieve the bottom reflectance, a parameterized model was proposed by introducing an important adjusted factor g. The synthetic data sets generated by HYDROLIGHT were utilized to train a neural network (NN) and then to derive the adjustable parameter values. The parameter g was found to vary with water depth, water optical properties, and bottom reflectance. Specifically, it revealed two obvious patterns among the different benthic habitat types. In coral reef, seagrass, and macrophyte habitats, g exhibited a remarkable peak at about 550 nm. The peak has a value of about 2.47-2.49. In white sand or hardpan habitats, g spectra are relatively flat. The semi-empirical model was applied to calculate the bottom reflectance from the new weighting factor, the downward diffuse attenuation coefficient, and the irradiance reflectance just below the sea surface collected in Sanya Bay in 2008 and 2009. Good agreement between the predicted and measured values demonstrated that the weighting factor g is an effective tool to modify the model for interpreting and predicting bottom reflectance without the need for any localized input (R <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> > 0.79).

Throughfall heterogeneity in tropical forested landscapes as a focal mechanism for deep percolation

Forest structure can both reduce and intensify precipitation inputs to the ground surface at fine spatial scales. Areas of localized input at the soil surface may have large effects on deep drainage because of the strongly nonlinear relationship between soil water content (SWC) and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. We therefore explored the following questions: Does forest structure that creates high spatial heterogeneity in canopy throughfall also create associated deep percolation pathways capable of quickly moving water beyond the rooting zone? Or alternatively, do soil properties resulting from biological activity (e.g. root networks) reduce SWC heterogeneity created by the focused inputs from the canopy and eliminate the potential for these deep percolation pathways? We explored these questions by measuring spatial variation in both throughfall and SWC within 8 forested plots of the Sarapiquí region, Costa Rica where soil texture is relatively homogeneous within deep, clay-rich soils. A novel method that combined soil augering and frequency domain reflectometry was used to assess SWC profiles below the most extreme wet and dry throughfall locations within each plot. Findings revealed relatively homogeneous soil moisture within the surface root zone (0–90 cm depth) with SWC values of roughly 45%. Below the root zone, SWC heterogeneity increased, with the wettest throughfall sites having significantly (α = 0.05) higher SWC than their paired driest throughfall end-members (by 2–15%). Below approximately 130 cm depth, SWC homogeneity was observed again. Physically-based modeling in HYDRUS-3D supports these findings and suggests processes that may explain these changes in SWC patterns observed with increasing depth, such as redistribution through macropores, focused deep-percolation, and lateral downslope flow, respectively. This is the first field-based study that explores the linkage between throughfall heterogeneity and focused deep-percolation, and therefore advances the integrated understanding of how the structure, diversity, and spatial heterogeneity of forests influence their hydrologic outputs.