The Andromeda galaxy (M 31) has experienced a tumultuous merger history as evidenced by the many substructures present in its inner halo. We use planetary nebulae (PNe) as chemodynamic tracers to shed light on the recent merger history of M 31. We identify the older dynamically hotter thicker disc in M 31 and a distinct younger dynamically colder thin disc. The two discs are also chemically distinct with the PN chemodynamics implying their formation in a ‘wet’ major merger (mass ratio ∼ 1:5) ∼ 2.5–4.5 Gyr ago. From comparison of PN line-of-sight velocities in the inner halo substructures with predictions of a major-merger model in M 31, we find that the same merger event that formed the M 31 thick and thin disc is also responsible for forming these substructures. We thereby obtain constraints on the recent formation history of M 31 and the properties of its cannibalized satellite.

The recent studies show that the formation and evolution process of the nearby galaxies are still unclear. By using the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) 3.6m telescope, the PanDAS shows complicated substructures (dwarf satellite galaxies, halo globular clusters, extended clusters, star streams, etc.) in the halo of M31 to ~150 kpc from the center of galaxy and M31-M33 interaction has been studied. In our work, we would like to investigate formation, evolution and interaction of M31 and M33, which are the nearest two spiral galaxies in Local Group. The star cluster systems of the two galaxies are good tracers to study the dynamics of the substructures and the interaction. Since 2010, the Xinglong 2.16m, Lijiang 2.4m and MMT 6.5m telescopes have been used for our spectroscopic observations. The radial velocities and Lick absorption-line indices can thus be measured with the spectroscopy and then ages, metallicities and masses of the star clusters can be fitted with the simple stellar population models. These parameters could be used as the input physical parameters for numerical simulations of M31-M33 interaction.

The ancient marine limestone beds of the upper part of the Guanling Formation, Panxian County, Guizhou Province, SW China, yielded a wide range of high-diversity well-preserved marine reptiles such as the fully aquatic protorosaur with an extremely long neck Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, the oldest mixosaurid ichthyosaurs and lariosaurs. However, there is no precise isotopic age to study the intriguing origin, evolution and emigration history of the important fauna. We report a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon age for a volcanic tuff bed within the upper part of the Guanling Formation. The result indicates that the age of the fossil horizon is 244.0±1.3 Ma, 14 Ma earlier than the previously estimated age based on conodont evidence. We consider that the marine reptiles had a relatively rapid evolution during Middle Triassic time, some 8 Ma after the end-Permian mass extinction.

Ti/AlTiN/Ti-diamondlike carbon (DLC) composite coatings were deposited by mid-frequency magnetron sputtering and Hall ion source-assisted deposition on high-speed steel W18Cr4V substrates. The coating microstructure and mechanical properties, including hardness, elastic modulus, coefficient of friction, and wear properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scratch and ball-on-disk friction tests, respectively. Fairly smooth composite coating with strong interfacial adhesion and good mechanical properties was produced. The substrate bias increases sp3 bonds contents in the DLC layer, thus coating hardness increased from 14 to 24 GPa and elastic modulus from 190 to 230 GPa with the increased substrate bias. Adhesion of interfaces between Ti-DLC and AlTiN layer, AlTiN and the steel substrate decreased with the substrate bias. The coefficient of friction is between 0.10 and 0.15, except when the substrate bias is 500 V, it is 0.2. Composite coating wear resistance increased with the substrate bias.

We give an overview of the science case for spectroscopy of resolved stellar populations beyond the Local Group with the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). In particular, we present science simulations undertaken as part of the EAGLE Phase A design study for a multi–integral-field-unit, near-infrared spectrograph. EAGLE will exploit the unprecedented primary aperture of the E-ELT to deliver AO-corrected spectroscopy across a large (38.5 arcmin2) field, truly revolutionising our view of stellar populations in the Local Volume.

The TRISO fuel has been used in some of the Generation IV nuclear reactor designs [1,2]. It consists of a fuel kernel of UOx coated with several layers of materials with different functions. Pyrolytic carbon (PyC) is one of the materials in the layers. In this study we investigate the possibility of using Glassy Polymeric Carbon (GPC) as an alternative to PyC. In this work, we are comparing the changes in physical and microstructure properties of GPC after exposure to irradiation fluence of 5 MeV Au equivalent to a 1 displacement per atom (dpa) at samples prepared at 1000, 1500 and 2000°C. The GPC material is manufactured and tested at the Center for Irradiation Materials (CIM) at Alabama A&M University. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were used for the analysis.