乔治·埃勒理·海耳:美国天体物理学之父、大科学的先驱

乔治·埃勒理·海耳是美国天体物理学之父,他在19世纪末20世纪初的一系列关于太阳光谱和恒星性质的实验和理论研究工作,为20世纪古典天文学向现代天体物理学的转化和太阳物理学的发展奠定了坚实的基础。同时,他也是一位科学事业卓越的组织者、一位造诣极高的仪器制造专家,特别是他所推动和主持建造的威尔逊山天文台和帕洛马山天文台100和200英寸望远镜,实开超大型科学仪器制造的先河,标志了美国大科学时代来临。这使他成为当之无愧的美国大科学的先驱。

宇宙中最神秘的天体——类星体(二):寻找类星体

利用第二次世界大战中的无线电技术,射电天文学在战后得以蓬勃发展。1963年,通过证认3 C射电源表,发现了类星体。类星体在各电磁波段都有辐射,因此有多种方法可以寻找类星体。作者利用无缝光谱方法,找到第一颗中国人的类星体,并首次使用美国的海耳5 m望远镜。

伯克利的《量子物理学史档案(AHQP)》

量子物理学史档案现已成为科学史工作者们的宝贵精神财富.戈革撰写的《伯克利的〈量子物理学史档案(AHQP)>》一文介绍了他所见到的AHQP的情况,文末还谈了感想,颇值一读.

Age and Growth Characteristics of Crimson Sea Bream Paragyrops edita Tanaka in Beibu Gulf

Age and growth characteristics of crimson sea bream Paragyrops edita Tanaka in Beibu Gulf were studied through bottom trawling and gillnet fleets fishing from July 2006 to December 2007. A total number of 1155 individuals, ranging from 49 to 249mm in standard length was examined. The age of the fish was determined from sagittal otoliths. One year growth was made up of one translucent and one opaque zone. A maximum likelihood estimation procedure was used to fit the Von Bertalanffy, Logistic and Gompertz growth functions to the length-at-age data. ARSS indicated that there were no significant differences in growth between sexes in the three growth models （P〉0.05）, and the Von Bertalanffy growth function Lr=292.8{1 cxp[-0.167（t＋1.l16）]} was selected as the most appropriate growth model according to Akaike＇s information criterion （AIC）.

Age and Growth of Chub Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the East China and Yellow Seas Using Sectioned Otolith Samples

Although chub mackerel （Scomberjaponicus） is a primary pelagic fish species, we have only limited knowledge on its key life history processes. The present work studied the age and growth of chub mackerel in the East China and Yellow Seas. Age was determined by interpreting and counting growth rings on the sagitta otoliths of 252 adult fish caught by the Chinese commercial purse seine fleet during the period from November 2006 to January 2007 and 150 juveniles from bottom trawl surveys on the spawning ground in May 2006. The difference between the assumed birth date of 1st April and date of capture was used to adjust the age determined from counting the number of complete translucent rings. The parameters of three commonly used growth models, the von Bertalanffy, Logistic and Gompertz models, were estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Based on the Akaike Information Criterion （AIC）, the yon Bertalanffy growth model was found to be the most appropriate model. The size-at-age and size-at-maturity values were also found to decrease greatly compared with the results achieved in the 1950s, which was caused by heavy exploitation over the last few decades.

Simulation and verifi cation of an air-gun array wavelet in time-frequency domain based on van der waals gas equation

An air gun generates acoustic signals for seismic exploration by releasing a high-pressure gas.A large error is always gradually introduced into the ideal-gas model when the pressure in the air-gun chamber exceeds 100 atm.In the van der Waals non-ideal-gas theory,the gas in the air gun can be regarded as an actual gas,and the error is less than 2%.The van der Waals model is established in combination with the quasi-static open thermodynamic system and bubble-motion equation by considering the bubble rise,bubble interaction,and throttling eff ect.The mismatch between the van der Waals and ideal-gas models is related to the pressure.Theoretically,under high-pressure conditions,the van der Waals air-gun model yields results that are closer to the measured results.Marine vertical cables are extended to the seafl oor using steel cables that connect the cement blocks,but the corresponding hydrophones are suspended in the seawater.Thus,noise associated with ships,ocean surges,and coupling problems is avoided,and the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution of marine seismic data are improved.This acquisition method satisfies the conditions of recording air-gun far-fi eld wavelets.According to an actual vertical-cable observation system,the van der Waals air-gun model is used to model the wavelet of different azimuth and take-off angles.The characteristics of the experimental and simulated data demonstrate good agreement,which indicates that the van der Waals method is accurate and reliable.The accuracy of the model is directly related to the resolution,thus aff ecting the resolution ability of the stratum.

Biomarkers of neurodegenerative disorders: How good are they?

Biomarkers are very important indicators of normal and abnormal biological processes. Specific changes in pathologies, biochemistries and genetics can give us comprehensive information regarding the nature of any particular disease. A good biomarker should be precise and reliable, distinguishable between normal and interested disease, and differential between different diseases. It is believed that biomarkers have great potential in predicting chances for diseases, aiding in early diagnosis, and setting standards for the development of new remedies to treat diseases. New technologies have enabled scientists to identify biomarkers of several different neurodegenerative diseases. The followings, for instance, are only a few of the many new biomarkers that have been recently identified: the phosphorylated tau protein and aggregated β-amyloid peptide for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), α-synuclein contained Lewy bodies and altered dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging for Parkinson’s disease (PD), SOD mutations for familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and CAG repeats resulted from Huntington’s gene mutations in Huntington’s disease (HD). This article will focus on the most-recent findings of biomarkers belonging to the four mentioned neurodegenerative diseases.

Archaeoacoustics Analysis and Ceremonial Customs in an Ancient Hypogeum

The archeaoacoustic properties and the historical rituals of two ancient unaergrounu ~Ly~,u~ ~,~ v Malta is more widely known and researched; the second in Italy has been studied by SB Research Group （SBRG] and presents some similarities to the Maltese hypogeum. The results show that archaeoacoustics is an interesting new method for reanalyzing ancient sites, and it uses different study parameters to re-discover forgotten technology which operates on the human emotional sphere. The effect on the psyche of ancient people through the acoustic proprieties suggests that the builders of these sites had knowledge of this process and probably used it to enhance their rituals.

Confirmation of the Record of the Serpent Eel, Ophisurus serpens （Family： Ophichthidae） from Mersin Bay （NE Mediterranean, Turkey）

A specimen of the serpent eel, Ophisurus serpens, with a total length of 190.2 cm was caught off the coast of Mersin （Incekum）, Turkey on November 2014 during trawling. This manuscript presents the first digitized specimen of O. serpens from the Mersin Bay （northeastern Mediterranean）, and hence, confirms the presence of the species in the northeastern Mediterranean despite a suspicious previous report, possibly mistaken with Echelus myrus, of the species from Yumurtahk Bay. Remarks on the morphology and geographical distribution of the species in the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey are given.

Otolith chemical signatures of spottedtail goby Synechogobius ommaturus in coastal waters of China

This study explores the potential existence of local stocks of Synechogobius ommaturus using otolith chemical signatures. The concentrations of 10 elements （K, Ca, Na, Mg, St, Pb, Ba, Mn, Co, Zn） in the otoliths from eight stocks （Dandong, Dalian, Tianjin, Dongying, Weihai, Qingdao, Ganyu and Xiamen） ofS. ommaturus were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and regressed against otolith weight. No significant correlation between otolith weight and concentrations of Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Co, Ba, Zn and Pb were observed. Concentrations of K and Mn were correlated with otolith weight. Consequently, the residuals of the regressions were used instead of the original concentrations in subsequent analyses. Analysis of variance （ANOVA） showed no significant difference between males and females in otolith chemical signatures. Differences were found among the locations for K, Sr, Mn, Co, Ba, Pb, but not for Ca, Na, Mg and Zn. Residuals of the regressions of elemental concentrations against otolith weight that fitted the normal distribution and homogeneity were studied by discriminant analysis. The success of the discriminant function to predict the location of S. ommaturus capture ranged from 100% for Weihai and Xiamen stocks, to only 44.4% and 62.5% for Qingdao and Dandong stocks, respectively. The average prediction success was 80.3%.

General Overview of Olive Cultivation in the Southeastern Anatolia Region

The olive is an agricultural product that can be processed into olive oil and table olives. In addition, the by-products of olive production also find many uses. Due to the specific climatic requirements of the olive tree, olives are primarily cultivated in Mediterranean countries. The olive tree is widely distributed across Turkey. The Aegean, Marmara, Mediterranean, and southeastern Anatolia regions are the leading olive-producing regions of Turkey. Similar to most olive-cultivating countries around the world, the majority （nearly 73%） of the olives produced in Turkey are processed into olive oil. The average annual production of olive oil in Turkey is 150,000 t. The leading olive-producing provinces in the southeastern Anatolia region are, in descending order of importance, Gaziantep, Kills, Sanllurfa, Mardin, Adlyaman, Slrnak, and Diyarbaklr.

Stock discrimination of spottedtail goby (Synechogobius ommaturus) in the Yellow Sea by analysis of otolith shape

Otolith shape is species specific and is an ideal marker of fish population affiliation. In this study, otolith shape of spottedtail goby Synechogobius ommaturus is used to identify stocks in different spawning locations in the Yellow Sea. The main objectives of this study are to explore the potential existence of local stocks of spottedtail goby in the Yellow Sea by analysis of otolith shape, and to investigate ambient impacts on otolith shape. Spottedtail goby was sampled in five locations in the Yellow Sea in 2007 and 2008. Otoliths are described using variables correlated to size (otolith area, perimeter, length, width, and weight) and shape (rectangularity, circularity, and 20 Fourier harmonics). Only standardized otolith variables are used so that the effect of otolith size on the shape variables could be eliminated. There is no significant difference among variables of sex, year, and side (left and right). However, the otolith shapes of the spring stocks and the autumn stocks differ significantly. Otolith shape differences are greater among locations than between years. Correct classification rate of spottedtail goby with the otolith shape at different sampling locations range from 29.7%–77.4%.

Evaluation of removal of the size effect using data scaling and elliptic Fourier descriptors in otolith shape analysis, exemplified by the discrimination of two yellow croaker stocks along the Chinese coast

Removal of the length ef fect in otolith shape analysis for stock identification using length scaling is an important issue; however, few studies have attempted to investigate the ef fectiveness or weakness of this methodology in application. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether commonly used size scaling methods and normalized elliptic Fourier descriptors(NEFDs) could ef fectively remove the size ef fect of fish in stock discrimination. To achieve this goal, length groups from two known geographical stocks of yellow croaker, L arimichthys polyactis, along the Chinese coast(five groups from the Changjiang River estuary of the East China Sea and three groups from the Bohai Sea) were subjected to otolith shape analysis. The results indicated that the variation of otolith shape caused by intra-stock fish length might exceed that due to inter-stock geographical separation, even when otolith shape variables are standardized with length scaling methods. This variation could easily result in misleading stock discrimination through otolith shape analysis. Therefore, conclusions about fish stock structure should be carefully drawn from otolith shape analysis because the observed discrimination may primarily be due to length ef fects, rather than dif ferences among stocks. The application of multiple methods, such as otoliths shape analysis combined with elemental fingering, tagging or genetic analysis, is recommended for sock identification.

Serum level of MMP-2,MMP-9 and Ox-LDL in Alzheimer's disease with hyperlipoidemia

Objective：To investigate serum levels of MMP-2,MMP-9, oxidized low-density lipoprotein （ox-LDL） in Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） patients and study the possible pathway and mechanism of AD with abnormal lipid metabolism. Methods： Subjects in this study were divided into 4 groups ： normal lipid group without AD （N）, hyperlipoidemia group without AD （H）, normal group with AD （A）, hyper- lipoidemia group with AD （AH）. There were 15 individuals in each group. MMP-2, MMP-9, ox-LDL was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （EL1SA）. Serum lipids levels were measured by biochemical methods. Results： The serum levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, ox-LDL were significantly higher in H, A and AH groups than those in N group. Those of ox-LDL in H, AH groups was higher than that of in A group. The serum level of MMP-2, MMP-9 in AH groups were higher than that of in H group. The score of mini-mental state examination （MMSE） in A and AD groups was negatively correlated with the serum level of ox-LDL. Relationship between the score of MMSE and the serum level of ox-LDL in AD groups and non-AD groups had statistical significance. Conclusion： MMP-2, MMP-9, ox-LDL and abnor- mal lipid metabolism may participate in pathogenesis of AD, in which abnormal lipid metabolism induces expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9 and ox-LDL. Oxidative stress and blood-brain barrier disruption might ac- celerate the process of AD.

Application of otolith shape analysis for stock discrimination and species identification of five goby species(Perciformes: Gobiidae) in the northern Chinese coastal waters

We tested the use of otolith shape analysis to discriminate between species and stocks of five goby species( Ctenotrypauchen chinensis, Odontamblyopus lacepedii, Amblychaeturichthys hexanema, Chaeturichthys stigmatias, and Acanthogobius hasta) found in northern Chinese coastal waters. The five species were well differentiated with high overall classification success using shape indices(83.7%), elliptic Fourier coefficients(98.6%), or the combination of both methods(94.9%). However, shape analysis alone was only moderately successful at discriminating among the four stocks(Liaodong Bay, LD; Bohai Bay, BH; Huanghe(Yellow) River estuary HRE, and Jiaozhou Bay, JZ stocks) of A. hasta(50%–54%) and C. stigmatias(65.7%–75.8%). For these two species, shape analysis was moderately successful at discriminating the HRE or JZ stocks from other stocks, but failed to effectively identify the LD and BH stocks. A large number of otoliths were misclassified between the HRE and JZ stocks, which are geographically well separated. The classification success for stock discrimination was higher using elliptic Fourier coefficients alone(70.2%) or in combination with shape indices(75.8%) than using only shape indices(65.7%) in C. stigmatias whereas there was little difference among the three methods for A. hasta. Our results supported the common belief that otolith shape analysis is generally more effective for interspecific identification than intraspecific discrimination. Moreover, compared with shape indices analysis, Fourier analysis improves classification success during inter- and intra-species discrimination by otolith shape analysis, although this did not necessarily always occur in all fish species.

Vernacular Building Heritage in the Eastern Black Sea Region in Turkey

The eastern Black Sea Region, in Turkey, has a significantly authentic characteristic as regards to its rural architecture. The climate, geography, and local living culture in the region have developed an invaluable rural built environment in terms of cultural heritage, Thus, the architectural heritage of the region shows the perfect balance between the nature and human life, there is a need to understand the value of the vernacular architecture heritage in the region, The architecture is a response to functional requirements as well as environmental factors. Indeed, rural architectural of this region is a reflection of the cultural values of the society, behavioural patterns of the people and environmental factors from the past. In this study, the aim is understand and appreciate this heritage through systematic surveying and documentation in eastern Black Sea Region composed from Trabzon, Rize and Artvin Cities. Further aims are the establishment of an architectural typology based on the plan, faqade and site plan, and materials use, with the goal to develop guidelines for new buildings in the region.

Pyrolytic and kinetic analysis of coastal plant Xanthium sibiricum

The fuel properties of coastal plant Xanthium sibiricum were investigated in thermogravimetrics.The distributed activation energy model was employed in the kinetic analysis and a simplified mathematical model that can predict the thermogravimetry curves was proposed.The results show that the initial decomposition temperature tends to increase with the heating rate.The distributed E values ranged from 169.08 to 177.43 kJ/mol,and the frequency factor values ranged from 6.59× 10~8 to 1.22×10^(12)/s at different conversion rates.Furthermore,the prediction made with the simplified mathematical model perfectly matched the experimental data,and the model was found to be simple and accurate for the prediction of devolatilization curves.

The Effects of Temperature and Humidity around the Beehives on the Distribution of Nosema ceranae, and also Geographical and Seasonal Activity of the Infection in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey.

20 localities were randomly selected in Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey and samples were collected from around the beehives from April to September. Total of 4,640 dead adult worker bees were examined during the study. Total infection rate in worker bees was 21.23%. Nosema ceranae was identified in all localities with molecular techniques. Temperature and humidity values were measured from around the beehives during field studies. The infection rate ofN. ceranae increased proportionally with increasing temperature and humidity factors. Humidity was more effective than temperature on the infection rate ofN. ceranae. The seasonal activity ofN. ceranae was studied. The highest infection rates were observed in June and July. N. ceranae infection rate was higher in localities that were in low-altitude than in localities that were in high-altitude.

The Changing Image of the Ottoman Turks in the Habsburg Monarchy During the 18th Century

The old-aged confrontation between “East” and “West”, between “civilization” and “barbarism”, between “Christianity” and “Islam” came to new heights in the early modern times and found its arena in Central Europe. Since the late 15th century, the Ottoman Turks had been feared as menace, as the most dreadful enemies not only of the inhabitants of the Habsburg ruled countries but of the whole world of Christianity, and the Ottoman Turks did pose a permanent threat to their neighbours in Central Europe. The situation changed around 1700 when the Habsburgs succeeded in integrating the entire Hungarian Kingdom into their empire. From the early 18th century onwards the Ottoman Turks were no longer regarded as fierce fighters but increasingly as neighbours living in an unknown and totally different world and gained more and more curious attention. This change was not only the consequence of the new balance in power politics but mainly a sequel of gaining much more information. Up to the late 17th century the knowledge about the Ottoman Turks was based primarily on what had been reported by ambassadors travelling to Constantinople while in the 18th century people of several strands of life reported about their experiences. After the Peace of Passarowitz in 1718 trade agreements between the two states enabled activities of merchants and tradesmen who learned to know things about their eastern neighbours which were totally new to the Middle European contemporaries. Additionally, some elements of this ＂oriental＂ culture were taken over and were to become typical for Central Europe later on. The Turks were curiously observed as strange and fascinating neighbours. In the course of the movement of enlightenment from the middle of the 18th century onwards one aspect of this culture lost much of its dreadfulness： the fact that the Ottoman Turks were infidels. So it did not take very long until Ottomans were seen as being capable of true humanity regardless their religion. In the 19th century the multiethnic state organizations of the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy became outmoded in this age of nationalism. They realized their common interests and started a cooperation which eventually ended up as alliance in theWorld War I. From the point of view of power politics however, the Ottoman Empire was regarded as “sick man at the Bosporus”. In the following the changes of the image are shown as an overview by observing the criteria against the background of the most important historical events. The details of how this process worked are still pretty murky. Further investigations are already on the way and will bring more light into the reasons and the mechanism of this development.

Stratigraphy and otolith microchemistry of the naked carp Gymnocypris przewalskii(Kessler) and their indication for water level of Lake Qinghai during the Ming Dynasty of China

Otoliths are biogenic carbonate minerals in the inner ear of teleost fish, whose compositions can record the physical and chem- ical conditions of the ambient water environment inhabited by individual fish. In this research, the fishbones and otoliths of naked carp sampled near the Bird Island, offshore Lake Qinghai, were dated and analyzed for mineralogy and microchemical compositions. Comparing the microchemical compositions of ancient otoliths with those of modem otoliths, we conclude that the ancient naked carps inhabited a relict lake formed when the lake shrank from a high lake level, by combining with the AMS-lnC ages of fishbones and otoliths, the stratigraphy and surrounding topography of the sample site. AMS-14C dating resuits of ancient fishbones and otoliths show that these naked carps lived from 680 to 300 years ago, i.e. during the Ming Dynasty of China. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns demonstrate that the ancient lapillus is composed of pure aragonite, iden- tical to modem one, indicating that the mineral of lapillus didn＇t change after a long time burial and that the ancient lapillus is suitable for comparative analysis thereafter. Microchemical results show that both ratios of Mg/Ca （（70.12±18.50）× 10-2） and δ18O （（1.76±1.03）‰） of ancient lapilli are significantly higher than those of modem lapilli （average Mg/Ca=（3.1 1±0.41）× 10-5 and δ18O =（-4.82±0.96）‰）. This reflects that the relict water body in which the ancient naked carp lived during the Ming Dynasty was characterized by higher Mg/Ca and δ18O ratios than modem Lake Qinghai, resulting from strong evaporation after being isolated from the main lake, similar to today＇s Lake Gahai. Based upon the stratigraphy and altitude of naked carp re- mains, it can be inferred that the altitude of lake level of Lake Qinghai reached at least 3202 m with a lake area of 4480 km2 during the Ming Dynasty, approximately ~5% larger than it is today.