Constrains on f(T) gravity with the strong gravitational lensing data

Strong lensing is an effective way to probing the properties of dark energy.In this paper,we use the strong lensing data to constrain the f(T)theory,which is a new modified gravity to explain the present accelerating cosmic expansion without the need of dark energy.In our discussion,the CMB and BAO data are also added to constrain model parameters tightly and three different f(T)models are studied.We find that strong lensing has an important role on constraining f(T)models,and once the CMB+BAO data is added,a tighter constraint is obtained.However,the consistency of our result with what is obtained from SNIa+CMB+BAO is actually model-dependent.     

VIS/NIR高光谱成像在中国云冈石窟砂岩风化状况分布研究中的进展

云冈石窟大部分雕凿在长石石英砂岩上,因受环境、岩性等因素影响,目前风化状况严重,其中主要为粉状风化。基于高光谱成像技术研究云冈石窟砂岩风化状况的整体有效评估方式,采集目标物400～1 000nm的高光谱数据,采用对数残差法进行归一化处理,参照归一化处理后的反射率数据,按照这区间的反射率分布范围将风化程度分为强风化和弱风化。同时在envi平台下对砂岩的风化状况分布进行分级可视化表述。将可视化结果与现场病害分布状况比对,结果表明可视化的表述与实际观测结果基本一致,高光谱技术可用于砂岩的粉状风化状况估测。     

A study of surface changes of wood-polypropylene composites as the result of exterior weathering

Outdoor applications of composites raised questions about their durability. In this study, the effects of outdoor weathering on the properties of wood-polypropylene composites with and without pigments were examined. The composites were placed outdoors for one year, and their colour changes were evaluated after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of weathering. The weathering resulted in considerable colour fading of the composites. Composites containing darker colour pigments had better colour stability. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that surface cracks caused by weathering in a wood-polypropylene composite having a higher polypropylene content were less abundant, and the deterioration of the surface layer was lower compared to composites containing less polymer. Measurements of melting temperatures by differential scanning calorimetry gave a consistent picture of polypropylene degradation in the surface layer. After weathering, a decrease in Charpy impact strength was found for composites characterised by higher moisture absorption.     

The Universe Accelerated Expansion using Extra-dimensions with Metric Components Found by a New Equivalence Principle

Curved multi-dimensional space-times (5D and higher) are constructed by embedding them in one higher-dimensional flat space. The condition that the embedding coordinates have a separable form, plus the demand of an orthogonal resulting space-time, implies that the curved multi-dimensional space-time has 4D de-Sitter subspaces (for constant extra-dimensions) in which the 3D subspace has an accelerated expansion. A complete determination of the curved multi-dimensional spacetime geometry is obtained provided we impose a new type of “equivalence principle”, meaning that there is a geodesic which from the embedding space has a rectliniar motion. According to this new equivalence principle, we can find the extra-dimensions metric components, each curved multi-dimensional spacetime surface’s equation, the energy-momentum tensors and the extra-dimensions as functions of a scalar field. The generic geodesic in each 5D spacetime are studied: they include solutions where particle’s motion along the extra-dimension is periodic and the 3D expansion factor is inflationary (accelerated expansion). Thus, the 3D subspace has an accelerated expansion.     

Some Stratigraphic Control Problems

In this paper, we are interested in lithology diffusion models applied in the field of stratigraphic basin simulations for large-scale depositional transport processes of sediments. Such models describe erosion-sedimentation processes and take into account limited weathering via nonstandard unilateral problems. Various theoretical results, illustrations, and numerical solutions are presented for the monolithologic column case. A new conservation law involved in modeling is formulated, and mathematical tools for solving the problem are described.     

A PRELIMINARY RESEARCH ON WEATHERING PROCESS IN CASEY STATION, EAST ANTARCTIC

The chief aim of this preliminary work is to investigate the weathering process of the bed rock and moraine in Antarctic by the method of sedimentology. Microfractures, the depth of which is less than 1 cm, and macrofissures are formed through frost weathering process. The chemical composition of the weathering products are observably related to their size due to migration process. Weathering materials are relatively rich in rare-earth elements of Ce family. Weathering clay minerals are mainly illite hydromica which can considerably absorb the elements of Ti, K, Cs, Rb, Sc, Sb, As and Fe. The weathering crust of the bed rock has hardly any CaCO_3 component, it belongs to primigenial debris weathering crust, with only a slight As pollution.     

Elucidation of the accelerated sulfur vulcanization of bio oil-extended natural rubber compounds

The elucidation of the role of bio-oils on the accelerated sulfur vulcanization of natural rubber (NR) compounds is discussed in this study. Two types of bio-oil, palm oil and soybean oil, were studied in direct comparison with a distillate aromatic extract oil (DAE) as a reference. The scorch and cure times of the bio-oil-extended NR compounds were shorter than those containing DAE. The use of bio-oils gave a higher cure reaction rate constant along with a lower activation energy than the use of DAE. The attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that the fatty acid segment of the bio-oils can react with zinc oxide to give zinc carboxylate, which is then involved in and promotes the vulcanization reaction. The use of bio-oils to increase the rate of vulcanization strongly influenced the crosslink density of the obtained NR vulcanizates, yielding NR vulcanizates with a lower crosslinking density. It is proposed here that the bio-oils might consume the curing agent via the reaction between their own unsaturated fatty acid and sulfur. This was supported by the increased viscosity of the oils after exposure to sulfur at a high temperature. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the bio-oil-extended NR compounds were lower and higher, respectively, than the NR extended with DAE oil due to the lower crosslink density of the bio oil-extended NR vulcanizates.     

Accelerated Microbial Degradation of Poly(L-lactide)

Acceleration of the biodegradation of poly(L -lactide) (PLA) was studied. We found that the degradation rate of high molecular weight (1.3×10⁵) PLA film was greatly increased by the addition of gelatin into the culture medium of the microorganisms. 100 mg of PLA film was almost completely degraded by the fungus, Tritirachium album (eukaryotic microorganisms), and by an actinomycete, Saccharothrix waywayandensis (prokaryotic microorganisms). In addition to gelatin, various insoluble proteins, peptides and amino acids also accelerate the biodegradation of PLA. Silk fibroin was the best inducer for the production of PLA-degrading enzymes of an actinomycete, Amycolatopsis orientalis.     

Global weathering of aromatic engineering thermoplastics

The rates of gloss loss and color shift for 24 aromatic engineering thermoplastics at nine exposure sites world-wide have been compared relative to a commercial Miami exposure site. The scatter among individual samples was large, but on average, light dose alone was enough to account for almost all of the rate differences among the various sites for these materials. Temperature, humidity, rainfall, and acid rain seemed to play minor roles for most samples. Samples containing no particulate pigment had more erratic gloss loss and showed some dependency on the amount of rainfall. The overall “cleanliness” of the samples seemed to be an important factor in gloss retention, and washing protocols during the exposure period and before readings were important variables in cases of slow erosion and/or no particulate pigment. Microbial growth (fungus) was observed on Miami samples after 12–18 months of exposure, but none was seen at any other site.

Relative to Miami defined as 1.0, the average rates of color shift and gloss loss were approximately 0.67 in the northern U.S., 0.8 in the central U.S., and 1.15 in the U.S. desert southwest. Southern Europe was nearly as harsh as Miami, while Northern Europe was comparable to the northern U.S. Northern Europe was found to be somewhat harsher than expected while the northern U.S. was slightly less harsh than expected based on light dose or temperature-weighted light dose. These conclusions apply only to aromatic engineering plastics and should not be assumed to hold for other kinds of materials, such as polyolefins or coatings, without experimental verification.