An observational study of snow aging and the seasonal variation of snow albedo by using data from Col de Porte,France

An 18-year long （1993-2011） comprehensive dataset of snow and meteorological variables from Col de Porte, France is used to analyze the variation of shortwave broadband albedo with elapsed time after snowfalls （snow aging） during each snow season. The effects of air temperature, snow surface temperature and snow depth on snow albedo are investigated. An index based on the accumulation of air temperature over several consecutive days with daily mean higher than 2.5 ℃ is proposed to divide each snow-covered period into a dry and the following wet snow season when this index reaches 18 ℃. The results indicate that snow surface albedo decreases exponentially with time in both dry and wet snow seasons. Snow albedo reduction with snow aging is small at low surface temperature and the reduction rate increases with the rise of surface temperature. However, the reduction rate is widely scattered within the observed range of temperature, implying a loose relationship between snow albedo and snow surface temperature. Snow albedo in wet snow season is generally smaller and decreases faster than in dry snow season. For Col de Porte site, snow depths to effectively mask the underlying surface are 21 and 33 cm in dry and wet snow season respectively.     

Pollen-inferred Holocene vegetation and climate histories in Taro Co,southwestern Tibetan Plateau

A 310-cm-long sediment core, covering the last 10,200 years, was collected from Taro Co on the south- western Tibetan Plateau and analyzed for pollen, grain size and total inorganic carbon content. The pollen data showed that vegetation changed from alpine steppe to alpine meadow during 10,200-8,900 cal a BP, to alpine steppe dominated by Artemisia during 8,900-7,400 cal a BP, to alpine meadow during 7,400-3,300 cal a BP and to alpine steppe after 3,300 cal a BP. Correspondingly, the pollen, grain size and total inorganic carbon content results revealed climatic change in this area over four stages. The initial stage was from 10,200 to 8,900 cal a BP, during which the climate changed from cold-dry to warm-humid. The second stage （8,900-7,400 cal a BP） was characterized by a warm and dry climate. However, at approximately 7,400 cal a BP, the climate began to become cold andhumid, which continued until 3,300 cal a BP. The last stage, from 3,300 cal a BP to present, was characterized as cold and increasingly arid. Climatic events of the early and mid-late Holocene showed that the area was significantly affected by the westerlies. However, the mid-Holocene climate in Taro Co was controlled by the Indian monsoon. The mid-late Holocene depositional environment record of Taro Co was very important to further elaborate the degree of influence by the westerlies or Indian monsoon.     

Precision blasting， current status and its prospective

Precision blasting, which is different from traditional control blasting, is regarded as the sign of new development stage of engineering blasting. The definition, connotation, technology system and current situa- tion of its application and development were described briefly. With regard to the prospect of precision blasting, following aspects for further study are recommended ： a. A multiple disciplinary study should be developed for a more understanding on the explosive energy release and quantitative blasting design; b. according to the require- ments of digital blasting objective, syncretic study of precision blasting and technology should be enhanced; c. numerical simulation was an important tool for optimizing engineering blasting scheme and blasting harmful effects control, a more elaborate precision numerical simulation method should be studied furthermore; d. the modernization and standardization of precision blasting construction should be enhanced.     

Research and design of the main equipments and structure of Xiangjiaba shiplift

The type of pinion and rack vertical shiplifts has been developed in recent a couple of years in the construction of dams. But the design methods and methodologies have rarely been discussed in literature. The Xiangjiaba shiplift is the second shiplift of this type following the Three Gorges shiplift. Being aimed at the technological rationality of the design in synthetically considering security, economy and applicability, this paper presents the research results of some vital issues relating the design of the Xiangjiaba shiplift, including the determination of design water depth of ship chamber based on fluid numeral computation and physical model test, the optimum design of general layout of main equipments and the civil structure of the Xiangjiaba shiplift, the finite element method （FEM） analysis of stress, vibration modes and the buckling of ship chamber, antiseismic research and the design of structures and mechanisms of the shiplift and the optimum design of driving mechanisms. This research provides the theoretical basis for the design of the Xiangjiaba shiplift. The design principles and research methods are valuable for the design of the same type of shiplifts.     

Preparation, Characterization, and Comparison of Thermal Properties of Aromatic Polyether Imides

Two aromatic polyimides were prepared by two- step way. Firstly, the poly（amic acid）s were synthesized from 1, 3 - bis（4 - aminophenoxy）benzene and two different aromatic dianhydrides. Secondly, polyimides were prepared via thermal imidization of poly（amic acid） precursors. The polyimides prepared were insoluble in common organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, chloroform and N, N- dimethyiformamide. The inherent viscosities of poly（amic acid）s were 1.82 dL/g and 2.67 dL/g. The high inherent viscosities were due to the strong intra- or intermolecular hydrogen interaction. The polyimides were characterized by mechanical and thermal analysis. It was found that the samples are of excellent thermal stability, higher glass-transition temperature and excellent dynamic mechanical and thermal properties.     

Anomalous top-quark coupling effects in rare B and K decays

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is performing direct searches for top-quark anomalous flavor-changing neutral current （FCNC） processes. However, these processes may be correlated closely with the low-energy rare B and K meson decays. In this paper, we review the anomalous top-quark coupling effects in these low-energy flavor transitions, summarize the flavor constraints and discuss their implications for direct detection of top-FCNC processes at the Large Hadron Collider.     

Entransy: its physical basis,applications and limitations

In this paper, the physical basis and application conditions of the entransy theory are reviewed and discussed. Entransy can be obtained from the analogy between heat and electrical conductions. It is a state value and the‘‘potential energy’’ of heat. From the viewpoint of thermomass, it reflects the thermal energy of the thermomass in an object. Furthermore, it was also related to the microstate number and is a single value function of the microstate number. The concepts of entransy, entransy flux and entransy dissipation can be used to express the least action of heat transfer. The entransy balance equations for heat transfer and thermodynamic processes and their applications to thermal systems are also reviewed. The differences between the entransy theory, constructal theory, entropy generation minimization, exergy analyses method, principle of uniformity of temperature difference field and field synergy（coordination） principle are also discussed. The entransy theory is different from the other discussed theories. The limitations of the entransy theory are also discussed.     

4 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler used for terahertz space application

Terahertz(THz) frequency region, defined from0.1 to 10 THz, is an important frequency band for radio astronomy and atmospheric science. As NbN Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor(SIS) mixers used for terahertz detection, which are studied by the Purple Mountain Observatory(PMO), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), work at 8–10 K, and require condition of micro vibrations, its astronomical observation in aerospace is limited by suitable refrigeration method. 4 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler developed by Key Laboratory of Space Energy Conversion Technologies(SECT), Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry(TIPC), CAS, offers an opportunity for the application of SIS mixers. This article introduces the progress of the two-stage high frequency pulse tube cryocooler researched by TIPC. The cryocooler has reached a no load temperature of 4.5 K which is the lowest temperature for this kind of cryocooler reported so far. The successful coupling between the THz component and the high frequency pulse tube cryocooler lays a solid foundation for space detection in the terahertz band.     

Distribution of a-MSH-like immunoreactive cells in the nervous system,Hatschek's pit and other tissues of amphioxus,Branchiostoma belcheri

Immunohistochemical localization of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone （α-MSH） in the nervous system, Hatschek＇s pit and other tissues of amphioxus （Branchiostorna belcheri） was performed using the antibody against synthetic α-MSH. The results revealed that α-MSH-like immunoreactive cells were distributed at the dorsal side and ventral side of brain vesicle, the dorsal side and the surrounding of nerve tube, and in the epithelial cells of Hatschek＇s pit, the zone 1, 3, and 6 of endostyle and gut. The immunoreactive substance was also found in the primary oocytes of the small and large growth stage of ovary and early stage spermatogenic cells in testis. These findings indicate that α-MSH is an ancient and highly conserved hormone and it is extensively distributed in amphioxus. Although Hatschek＇s pit in amphioxus does not have a structure of the intermediate lobe of vertebrate adenohypophysis, it has already hosted α-MSH-like endocrine cells, implying that the functional differentiation of α-MSH-like cells occurred earlier than the differentiation of the tissue structure. The results of the present study provided a new evidence for the endocrinology of Hatschek＇s pit and for the origin and evolution of vertebrate adenohypophysis.     

Observations of thermospheric vector wind over Yellow River Station during auroral substorm events

Strong disturbances associated with auroral substorms originate from the ionosphere-magnetosphere owing to the effects of the solar wind, and the wind field in the ionosphere is related to such substorm activity. Here, we describe the analysis of four auroral substorm events, for which we employed an all-sky Fabry-Perot interferometer to observe the two-dimensional horizontal wind field and combined the results with data from an all-sky charge-coupled device imager, a fluxgate magnetometer installed at Yellow River Station, and the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network. The results demonstrate that, during auroral substorms, the vector wind field is related closely to variations in the ion drift and geomagnetic field. Moreover, we observed a changing wind field of approximately 300 rn/s in response to variations in the electric and magnetic fields （likely caused by ion drag） and a disturbance of about 200 m/s that we attribute to the interaction of Joule heating and ion drag.     

40Ar/39Ar ages and stable isotopes of supergene jarosite from the Baiyin VHMS ore field,NE Tibetan Plateau with paleoclimatic implications

Supergene jarosite is widely distributed in weathering profiles derived from hypogene sulfide ores.Precise40Ar/39Ar dating and determination of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of supergene jarosite can not only place tight constraints on the timing and history of continental weathering and supergene enrichment of sulfide ore deposits,but also shed significant insights into paleoclimatic conditions and tectonic uplift responsible for the weathering.In this paper,we present a preliminary study of40Ar/39Ar geochronology and stable isotope geochemistry of supergene jarosite from the early Paleozoic Zheyaoshan volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit of the Baiyin ore field located in the eastern portion of the Qilian Mountain along the northeastern(NE)margin of the Tibetan Plateau in an attempt to better understand the climatic conditions prevailed during the pervasive weathering in the region.Jarosite from the Zheyaoshan mining area occurs either as gravels within alluvial deposits over low-relief flat-top hills or cm-wide veins crosscutting weathered sulfide ores or their wall rocks.The gravels consist of massive jarosite aggregates with tabular crystal morphology and contain 8.21 wt%–8.31 wt%K2O on average.Two jarosite grains extracted from the gravels(08-02-2 and 08-02-5)yield well-defined40Ar/39Ar plateauages of 37.1±0.3 and 41.2±0.4 Ma(2r),respectively.They have dD values of-133%and-156%,and d18OSO4values of 2.6%and 2.5%.The vein-type jarosite consists of hexagonal pyramid crystals and contains much lower K2O,averaging at 2.44 wt%–2.72 wt%.Two jarosite veins(06-16-3 and 06-16-4)yield similar plateau ages of 3.2±0.1 and 3.3±0.1 Ma(2r),respectively.These jarosite veins have dD values of-158%and-160%,and d18OSO4values of 2.8%and 2.5%.The40Ar/39Ar ages indicate that sulfide ores of the Zheyaoshan deposit must have been brought to the surface since the late Eocene,and subsequently subjected to prolonged oxidation and supergene enrichment.The precipitation and preservation of jarosite in weathering profiles indicate that arid–semiarid climatic conditions must have been prevailed since the late Eocene.The hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of the jarosite further point to variation of climatic conditions in the area,with the Pliocene being slightly cooler relative to the late Eocene.Given that weathering profiles overlying sulfide ore deposits are widely distributed along the Qilian Mountain,systematic studies of40Ar/39Ar geochronology and stable isotope geochemistry of jarosite-group minerals from these profiles would provide valuable information on the timing and evolution of regional tectonic uplift,paleoclimatic changes,and supergene mineralization in this mountainous belt along the NE edge of the Tibetan Plateau.     

Evaluation on Gambiered Guangdong Silk＇s Ecological Properties

To evaluate gambiered Guangdong silk＇s ecology properties, the raw materials ecology, production ecology and use ecology are analyzed; and the safety to human is tested according to GB/T18885 - 2002. Gambiered Guangdong silk is a kind of natural product. All its raw materials are reproducible and degradable natural resources, and it can decompose completely when being discarded. R is comfortable to wear, and easy to clean and dry. It is mainly manufactured by dip-dyeing in dye yam solution, and insolating under the burning sun. The production energy is solar, a kind of clean and reproducible energy. The production process is clean and environmental friendly. There is neither the utilization of synthetic dyestuff and chemical auxiliary, nor the discharge of environment pollutant, and even the dreg of dye yam is used as fuel. The safety test results show that pH value of water extract, heavy metal content （except for Pb content）, color fastness and odor meet the requirements of GB/T18885 - 2002 and Okeo-tex standard 100.     

Effect of strain rate on the compressive deformation behaviors of lotus-type porous copper

Lotus-type porous copper was fabricated by unidirectional solidification, and compressive experiments were subsequently conducted in the strain rate range of 10-3–2400 s-1 with the compressive direction parallel to the pores. A GLEEBLE-1500 thermal-mechanical simulation system and a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) were used to investigate the effect of strain rate on the compressive deformation behaviors of lotus-type porous copper. The influence mechanism of strain rate was also analyzed by the strain-controlling method and by high-speed photography. The results indicated that the stress-strain curves of lotus-typed porous copper consist of a linear elastic stage, a plateau stage, and a densification stage at various strain rates. At low strain rate (< 1.0 s-1), the strain rate had little influence on the stress-strain curves; but when the strain rate exceeded 1.0 s-1, it was observed to strongly affect the plateau stage, showing obvious strain-rate-hardening characteristics. Strain rate also influenced the densification initial strain. The densification initial strain at high strain rate was less than that at low strain rate. No visible inhomogeneous deformation caused by shockwaves was observed in lotus-type porous copper during high-strain-rate deformation. However, at high strain rate, the bending deformation characteristics of the pore walls obviously differed from those at low strain rate, which was the main mechanism by which the plateau stress exhibited strain-rate sensitivity when the strain rate exceeded a certain value and exhibited less densification initial strain at high strain rate.     

Key technologies of precision demolition blasting of ultra-long urban viaduct in complicated surroundings

The key technologies of precision blasting were put forward based on the characteristics of urban via- duct blasting demolition in complicated surroundings. Initial bending instability mechanics model of reinforcing steel bar frame of blasting fragmented pier and sequenced collapsed dynamic model were established for quanti- tative blasting design. Technologies of water pressure blasting were applied in multi-cell box girder fragmenta- tion. The detonating network of non-electric duplication crossover was adopted for the safety and reliability of ultra-long delay. The rationality of blasting scheme and parameters were validated by physical model test. Harm- ful effects were forecasted and controlled by integrated protective technologies. Specialization, cooperation, pre- cision, execution （SCPE） project management method was put forward for precision management. The key tech- nologies of precision demolition blasting can provide reference for similar proiects.     

Preparation and Structural Analysis of Lanthanide Complexes with α-Hydroxyl-phenyl-acetic Acid and 1, 10-Phenanthroline as Ligands

A series of ternary lanthanide complexes Ln （C6H5CHOHCOO）3（phen） （H2O） （Ln= La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu） were synthesized with α-hydroxyl-phenyl-acetic acid and 1, 10-phenanthroline （phen） as ligands. The sturcture and property of complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1^H-NMR, UV and TGA, and the coordinate mede of both ligands was discussed. It was shown that the co-ordinate mode of 1, 10-phenanthroline was chelated, while α-hydraxyl-phenyl-acetate ion was monedentate or bridging. The mechanism of thermal determinde by thermogravimetry was indicated that the degree of co-ordinate ability of ligand was： α-hydroxyl-phenyl-acetate ion 〉 1, 10- phenanthroline（phen）.     

The Romantic Elements in the Daffodils --Half Blue,Half Golden

William Wordsworth, the representative of the romantic writers and a great writer of the nature, has made great contribution in poetic theory. Daffodils is one of the many poems written by Wordsworth on the beauty of nature. His great imagination, with the poet＇s philosophical and somewhat mystical thought, is deeply rooted in the poetical creation. In this paper, his most representative poem is closely examined to appreciate how Wordsworth combines his deep love for nature and his romantic language in his great poem.     

On the Functions of Euphemism in Social Communication

In the process of social linguistic communication, due to the different circumstances and conditions, people can not express certain things clearly in a direct way when they come across something painful, unpleasant, disgusted and even embarrassing. Instead, they have to use some vague, implicit, mild and euphemistic expressions, so as to achieve the purpose of expressing feelings and exchanging ideas and thoughts in an appropriate and light atmosphere. This paper tries to deal with the application of euphemisms in various fields, thereby reveal some main functions of euphemism, i.e. avoidance function, politeness function, gloss-over function and disguise function.     

Distribution and origin of high magnetic anomalies at Luobusa Ophiolite in Southern Tibet

The Luobusa Ophiolite,Southern Tibet,lies in the eastern portion of Indus–Yarlung Zangbo suture zone that separates Eurasia from the Indian continent.An aeromagnetic reconnaissance survey has revealed an EWtrending Yarlung Zangbo River aeromagnetic anomaly zone,and it is considered to be caused mainly by the Indus–Yarlung Zangbo Ophiolite.The Luobusa Ophiolite reflects the eastern portion of the Yarlung Zangbo River aeromagnetic anomaly zone.Conventionally,the ultramafic rock in the Luobusa Ophiolite is considered as the origin of the high magnetic anomalies.However,results from the surface magnetic survey and the magnetic susceptibility measurements from drill cores indicate that the high magnetic anomalies are distributed inhomogeneously in the Luobusa Ophiolite.In some cases,the susceptibility exhibits more than 30 times difference between two sides of the same sample.A fact emerged that the susceptibility of dunite with serpentinization is higher than that of fresh dunite,harzburgite and chromite when we analyzed the measurement results.In order to understand the origin of the high magnetic anomalies,we measured the density and susceptibility of 17 samples,microscopic and electron probe analyses have been performed as well.The result indicates the presence of dunite with serpentinization containing an abundant of micro-fissures filled with magnetite.Olivine has a susceptibility of about 2.7–351(910-5SI),pyroxene about 16–320,and chromite about200–800.All these units feature relatively low susceptibility in ultramafic rock,and only the magnetite is characterized by a high susceptibility of about 200,000(910-5SI).Based on these observations,we conclude that the precipitation of magnetite in the process of serpentinization of the olivine caused by the geological process in the Luobusa Ophiolite is the origin of high magnetic anomalies.     

Thermoelectric properties of Al substituted misfit cobaltite Ca3（Co1-xAlx）4O9 at low temperature

Thermoelectric properties of Al substituted compounds Ca3（Co1-xAlx）4O9 （x=0, 0.03, 0.05）, prepared by a sol-gel process, have been investigated in the temperature range 305-20 K. The results indicate that after Al substitution for Co in Ca3（Co1-xAlx）4O9, the direct current electrical resistivity and thermopower increase due to the reduction of carrier concentration. Experiments show that Al substitution results in decreased lattice thermal conductivity. The figure of merit of temperature behavior suggests that Ca3（Co0.97Al0.03）4O9 would be a promising candidate thermoelectric material for high-temperature thermoelectric application.     

Equilibrium between titanium ions and high-purity titanium electrorefining in a NaCl-KCl melt

TiCl_x (x = 2.17) was prepared by using titanium sponge to reduce the concentration of TiCl₄ in a NaCl-KCl melt under negative pressure. The as-prepared NaCl-KCl-TiCl_x melt was employed as the electrolyte, and two parallel crude titanium plates and one high-purity titanium plate were used as the anode and cathode, respectively. A series of electrochemical tests were performed to investigate the influence of electrolytic parameters on the current efficiency and quality of cathodic products. The results indicated that the quality of cathodic products was related to the current efficiency, which is significantly dependent on the current density and the initial concentration of titanium ions. The significance of this study is the attainment of high-purity titanium with a low oxygen content of 30×10-6.