Resonant Nuclear Fusion Processes and the Gamma Rays of SS 433

Gamma-ray spectral lines have recently been reported coming from the celestial object SS 433, which is known to emit high-speed jets in opposite directions. The proposed identification of the lines as coming from fusion reactions on nitrogen nuclei as part of the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle operating in the jets has now received observational support. Predictions of strengths and widths of additional lines which, if seen, would provide valuable new information about conditions giving rise to the jets are presented.     

Jets in extragalactic radio sources

Observations now require that there be a continuous supply of energy to the giant extragalactic radio sources. These observations also suggest that this energy input may be in the form of streams or jets of gas emanating from the centers of galaxies and quasi-stellar objects. Current data indicate that the large-scale jet structures are not moving with relativistic speeds, as previously proposed. Slow-moving jets, which possess turbulent interiors and are dominated by relatively cool gas, can account for the observed jet properties at optical and radio wavelengths. Extremely small-scale jets observed adjacent to the central energy source may or may not be in relativistic motion.     

California current eddy formation: ship, air, and satellite results

Until recently, quantitative measurements of the circulation of the California Current were limited to hydrographic determinations [See figure in the PDF file] of temperature and salinity. This information is now being augmented by satellite data. Clouds permitting, satellite scanner systems can locate major ocean frontal boundaries if they are associated with even quite weak horizontal sea-surface temperature gradients. The satellite data are most usefully interpreted in a region such as that encompassing the California Current, where the surface and main thermocline temperature distributions bear some relation to each other. In such a region, it is possible to make interpretations of circulation based on satellite-derived sea-surface temperature patterns. The correctness of these interpretations depends heavily on the availability of historical and present-day subsurface data, collected by conventional methods from ships and aircraft. Satellite infrared scanners, in addition to providing information on circulation with vastly increased spatial resolution, have the potential (with cooperative weather) for providing increased time resolution. These improvements in resolution have permitted us to see that much of the spatial variation in the California Current takes place along welldefined fronts and to observe the evolution of one particular meander.     

Emergence of anoxia in the California current large marine ecosystem

Eastern boundary current systems are among the world's most productive large marine ecosystems. Because upwelling currents transport nutrient-rich but oxygen-depleted water onto shallow seas, large expanses of productive continental shelves can be vulnerable to the risk of extreme low-oxygen events. Here, we report the novel rise of water-column shelf anoxia in the northern California Current system, a large marine ecosystem with no previous record of such extreme oxygen deficits. The expansion of anoxia highlights the potential for rapid and discontinuous ecosystem change in productive coastal systems that sustain a major portion of the world's fisheries.     

Short-period climatic fluctuations: effects on diatom biomass

An analysis of the weekly averages of diatom biomass measured near the coast of Southern California (32 degrees 50'N, 117 degrees 10'W) during the period from 1928 through 1939 indicates that three major blooms account for 85 percent of each year's diatom biomass. The average duration of a single bloom is 5.5 weeks. The diatom blooms coincide with upwelling, but their individual characteristics depend on the detailed features of the circulation patterns of the water masses. That is, if upwelling takes place after a large influx of subtropical or even tropical water because of the slackening California Current, the resulting diatom blooms are smaller by several orders of magnitude than those observed when the flow of the current is strong. This influx of subtropical water into the region is reflected in positive anomalies of temperature, salinity, and sea level.     

Evidence for Alfvén waves in solar x-ray jets

Coronal magnetic fields are dynamic, and field lines may misalign, reassemble, and release energy by means of magnetic reconnection. Giant releases may generate solar flares and coronal mass ejections and, on a smaller scale, produce x-ray jets. Hinode observations of polar coronal holes reveal that x-ray jets have two distinct velocities: one near the Alfvén speed ( approximately 800 kilometers per second) and another near the sound speed (200 kilometers per second). Many more jets were seen than have been reported previously; we detected an average of 10 events per hour up to these speeds, whereas previous observations documented only a handful per day with lower average speeds of 200 kilometers per second. The x-ray jets are about 2 x 10(3) to 2 x 10(4) kilometers wide and 1 x 10(5) kilometers long and last from 100 to 2500 seconds. The large number of events, coupled with the high velocities of the apparent outflows, indicates that the jets may contribute to the high-speed solar wind.     

我国农村剩余劳动力:就业现状、成因与转移途径

目前我国存在着数量可观的农村剩余劳动力 ,研究农村剩余劳动力转移具有重大现实意义。农村剩余劳动力的出现具有深刻的历史根源 ,因而 ,农村剩余劳动力的转移就要在深化体制改革的前提下 ,打破城乡分割的二元结构 ,并立足现实 ,将农业内部吸收与推进城镇多元化有机结合起来 ,以切实促进农村剩余劳动力的有效转移。     

电力市场交易模式的现状与发展趋势

介绍了电力工业放松管制后出现的新实体，详细分析了英国和美国加州的电力市场模式和最新发展，讨论了加州的电力危机。得到一些启示。根据英国和加州电力市场的经验和教训，建议我国采用简化的市场结构；除独立省网外首先建立区域级电力市场进而建立国家级电力市场；市场交易种类多样性，避免过分依赖现货市场；成立PX与DGC－一体化的ISO；研究基于e-commerce的ISO可行性。此外，针对诸如能源短缺、环保、市场监管、系统规划与投资、需求侧管理以及资源优化配置等问题提出了建议。     

Planktonic foraminifera of the California Current reflect 20th-century warming

It is currently unclear whether observed pelagic ecosystem responses to ocean warming, such as a mid-1970s change in the eastern North Pacific, depart from typical ocean variability. We report variations in planktonic foraminifera from varved sediments off southern California spanning the past 1400 years. Increasing abundances of tropical/subtropical species throughout the 20th century reflect a warming trend superimposed on decadal-scale fluctuations. Decreasing abundances of temperate/subpolar species in the late 20th century indicate a deep, penetrative warming not observed in previous centuries. These results imply that 20th-century warming, apparently anthropogenic, has already affected lower trophic levels of the California Current.     

Rapid progression of ocean acidification in the California Current System

Nearshore waters of the California Current System (California CS) already have a low carbonate saturation state, making them particularly susceptible to ocean acidification. We used eddy-resolving model simulations to study the potential development of ocean acidification in this system up to the year 2050 under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A2 and B1 scenarios. In both scenarios, the saturation state of aragonite ?(arag) is projected to drop rapidly, with much of the nearshore region developing summer-long undersaturation in the top 60 meters within the next 30 years. By 2050, waters with ?(arag) above 1.5 will have largely disappeared, and more than half of the waters will be undersaturated year-round. Habitats along the sea floor will become exposed to year-round undersaturation within the next 20 to 30 years. These projected events have potentially major implications for the rich and diverse ecosystem that characterizes the California CS.     

Planktonic Foraminifera: field experiment on production rate

In a study of the rate of production of four species of planktonic Foraminifera in the region of the California Current it was found that their life spans are of the order of 1 month. Reproduction seems to take place mainly in the upper hundred meters. Results are in contrast to previous evidence presented in favor of yearly life cycles and maturing at great depth in other species of planktonic Foraminifera.     

中加燕麦科研合作现状与发展对策

[目的]系统了解我国与加拿大在燕麦科研合作方面的历史和现状,为相关部门决策及科研工作提供参考.[方法]分析中加燕麦科研合作现状及合作中存在的问题,在此基础上提出相关的对策建议.[结果]中加燕麦科研合作领域涉及燕麦产业发展各方面,主要合作形式包括研究人员互换交流、联合开展研究、联合组织研讨会和科技开发及成果示范推广等.合作中主要存在燕麦科技合作有待向产业化方向推进、科技合作领域亟待深入发展、缺乏长效合作机制及服务平台等问题.[建议]应提高燕麦产业化合作水平、拓展中加燕麦科技合作方向、建立中加双边常设的农业合作机构与机制等,以促进中加燕麦科研合作可持续发展.     

Large-scale,decelerating, relativistic x-ray jets from the microquasar XTE J1550-564

We have detected, at x-ray and radio wavelengths, large-scale moving jets from the microquasar XTE J1550-564. Plasma ejected from near the black hole traveled at relativistic velocities for at least 4 years. We present direct evidence for gradual deceleration in a relativistic jet. The broadband spectrum of the jets is consistent with synchrotron emission from high-energy (up to 10 tera-electron volts) particles that were accelerated in the shock waves formed within the relativistic ejecta or by the interaction of the jets with the interstellar medium. XTE J1550-564 offers a rare opportunity to study the dynamical evolution of relativistic jets on time scales inaccessible for active galactic nuclei jets, with implications for our understanding of relativistic jets from Galactic x-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei.     

Erratum

In the article "Mathematicians recognize major discoveries" by Gina Kolata (Research News, 15 Aug., p. 722), Fields Medal winner Michael Freedman was incorrectly described as being a member of the University of Southern California faculty. Freedman is Charles Lee Powell Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego. In addition, several names in the article were spelled incorrectly. Field's should have been Fields, Nevalinna and Navanlinna should have been Nevanlinna, Kirky should have been Kirby, Aryiyah should have been Atiyah, and Strasen should have been Strassen.     

A magnetized jet from a massive protostar

Synchrotron emission is commonly found in relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and microquasars, but so far its presence in jets from young stellar objects (YSOs) has not been proved. Here, we present evidence of polarized synchrotron emission arising from the jet of a YSO. The apparent magnetic field, with strength of ~0.2 milligauss, is parallel to the jet axis, and the polarization degree increases toward the jet edges, as expected for a confining helical magnetic field configuration. These characteristics are similar to those found in AGN jets, hinting at a common origin of all astrophysical jets.     

Spatial scales of current speed and phytoplankton biomass fluctuations in lake tahoe

Spectral analysis of current speed and chlorophyll a measurements in Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, indicates that considerably more variance exists at longer length scales in chlorophyll than in the current speeds. Increasingly, above scales of approximately 100 meters, chlorophyll does not behave as a simple passive contaminant distributed by turbulence, which indicates that biological processes contribute significantly to the observed variance at these large length scales.     

Enhanced turbulence and energy dissipation at ocean fronts

The ocean surface boundary layer mediates air-sea exchange. In the classical paradigm and in current climate models, its turbulence is driven by atmospheric forcing. Observations at a 1-kilometer-wide front within the Kuroshio Current indicate that the rate of energy dissipation within the boundary layer is enhanced by one to two orders of magnitude, suggesting that the front, rather than the atmospheric forcing, supplied the energy for the turbulence. The data quantitatively support the hypothesis that winds aligned with the frontal velocity catalyzed a release of energy from the front to the turbulence. The resulting boundary layer is stratified in contrast to the classically well-mixed layer. These effects will be strongest at the intense fronts found in the Kuroshio Current, the Gulf Stream, and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, all of which are key players in the climate system.     

Astrophysical jets

Astrophysical jets are linear structures associated with stars and galaxies which span about seven orders of magnitude in size; the largest jets emanating from galaxies are about 100 times the size of our galaxy and are the largest single objects in the universe. Jets associated with stars are composed of ionized gas moving away from the star with velocities of a few hundred kilometers per second. Extragalactic jets are composed of relativistic particles, magnetic field, and probably additional amounts of cooler ionized plasma either originally ejected in the jet or entired by it out of the surrounding gaseous medium. The initial outflow velocity for extragalactic jets may be relativistic, and average outflow speeds of several thousand kilometers per second are likely. The energy flux carried by extragalactic jets may be in excess of 10(46) ergs per second, depending upon the nature of the jet. A definition of jet properties, deduced from their interaction with the ambient medium, can place essential constraints on models for the central power source in the parent galaxy or quasi-stellar object where they originate.     

Strain in southern california: measured uniaxial north-South regional contraction

The plate tectonics model of the Pacific moving northwest relative to North America implies that the regional strain in California should be simple shear across a vertical plane striking N45 degrees W or equivalently equal parts of north-south contraction and east-west extension. Measurements of the strain accumulation at seven separate sites in southern California in the interval 1972 through 1978 indicate a remarkably consistent uniaxial north-south contraction of about 0.3 part per million per year; the expected east-west extension is absent. It is not clear whether the period from 1972 through 1978 is anomalous or whether the secular strain in southern California is indeed a uniaxial north-south contraction.     

当前城市园林绿地养护技术及管理研究——以常德市园林绿地养护为例

绿地养护是园林绿化得以存续、发展的根本保证,但当前城市绿地养护水平却不尽人意。分析了城市园林绿地的特点,提出了在绿地养护时应遵守的原则,指出了目前在绿地养护中存在的问题和不足,并通过综合分析总结,提出为提高绿地养护技术和管理水平的5条建议。