\begin{table}%t4
\caption{Physical parameters of the \zabs~= 1.5955, 1.5401 and 1.4649~metal absorbers towards \object{HS~0747+4259} derived by the MCI~procedure with the Haardt \& Madau and modified UV~background spectra (marked, respectively, by~HM96, S1, and~S2 in Fig.~\ref{fig2}). Column densities are given in~\cm.}\label{tbl_4}
%\centerline
{
\begin{tabular}{lccccccc}
\hline
\hline
  &\multicolumn{2}{c}{\zabs=1.5955}& \multicolumn{2}{c}{\zabs=1.5401} &
\multicolumn{3}{c}{\zabs=1.4649}\\
Parameter$^a$ & HM96 & S2 & HM96 & S2 & HM96 & S1  & S2 \\
(1) & (2) & (3) & (4) & (5) & (6) & (7) & (8) \\
\hline
$U_0$&2.4E--1&5.5E--2&1.8E--1&2.7E--2&$\ga$3.4E--1&
$\ga$1.8E--1&$\ga$8.8E--2 \\
$N_{\rm H}$ & 1.0E20 & 1.6E19 & 2.2E18 & 4.7E17 
& 6.8E19 & 2.6E19 & 1.3E19 \\
$\sigma_{v}$, \kms & 32.7 & 29.3 & 13.1 & 12.2 
 & 22.0 & 21.0 & 23.2 \\
$\sigma_{y}$& 0.64 & 0.60 & 0.83 & 0.41 
 & 0.46 & 0.60 & 0.35 \\
$Z_{\rm C}$&6.5E--6 & 4.4E--5 & 2.6E--5 & 1.5E--4 
 & 3.4E--6 & 6.8E--6 & 2.0E--5 \\
$Z_{\rm N}$&$<$4.5E--7 & $<$3.0E--6 & $<$1.1E--5 & $<$3.6E--5 
 & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\
$Z_{\rm O}$&3.2E--5 & 1.5E--4 & 7.4E--5 & 2.7E--4 
  & 1.8E--5 & 3.7E--5 & 6.0E--5 \\
$Z_{\rm Si}$&2.2E--6 & 7.6E--6 & 3.5E--6 & 1.8E--5 
 & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\
$[Z_{\rm C}]$&$-1.57$ &$-0.74$ & $-0.98$ & $-0.21$ 
 & $-1.86$ & $-1.55$ & $-1.10$ \\
$[Z_{\rm N}]$&$<$$-2.1$ & $<$$-1.3$ & $<$$-0.74$ &$<$$-0.2$ 
& $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\
$[Z_{\rm O}]$&$-1.15$ & $-0.50$ & $-0.80$ &$-0.23$ 
 & $-1.40$ & $-1.10$ & $-0.90$ \\
$[Z_{\rm Si}]$&$-1.17$ & $-0.63$ & $-0.99$ &
$-0.26$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\
$N$(H~{\sc i})&2.7E15 & $(2.5\pm0.5)$E15 & 3.5E14 & $(3.4\pm0.6)$E14 
 & 6.8E14 & 6.8E14 & $(7.0\pm2.0)$E14 \\
$N$(C~{\sc iii}) &3.8E13 & $(3.6\pm0.6)$E13&1.6E13$^b$ & 1.3E13$^b$ 
 & 2.6E12 & 2.6E12 &  $(1.8\pm0.9)$E12 \\
$N$(O~{\sc iii}) &1.9E14$^b$ & 9.0E13$^b$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ &
$\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\  
$N$(Si~{\sc iii}) & 2.7E11 & 1.1E12&$\ldots$&$\ldots$ 
 & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$  & $\ldots$ \\
$N$(C~{\sc iv}) &9.0E13&$(9.1\pm0.4)$E13&1.45E13 & $(1.75\pm0.15)$E13 
 & 1.2E13 & 1.1E13 & $(1.2\pm0.1)$E13 \\
$N$(Si~{\sc iv}) &5.2E11 &$(1.00\pm0.15)$E12 & 6.1E11 & $(5.9\pm0.6)$E11 
 & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\
$N$(N~{\sc v}) &$<$7.5E12 &$<$9.5E12 & $<$4.0E12 & $<$4.0E12 &
 $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ & $\ldots$ \\
$N$(O~{\sc vi}) &4.5E14 &$(4.2\pm0.8)$E14 & 1.7E13 & $(1.9\pm0.4)$E13 
 & 1.7E14 & 1.7E14 & $(1.70\pm0.35)$E14 \\
$\langle T \rangle$, K & 3.5E4 & 3.0E4 & 2.8E4 & 2.0E4 
 & $\ga$4.8E4 & $\ga$4.8E4 & $\ga$3.3E4 \\
$n_{\rm H}$, \cmm & 1.2E--4 & 5.1E--4 & 1.9E--4 & 1.2E--3 
& $\la$6.7E--5 & $\la$1.5E--4 & $\la$3.0E--4\\ 
$L$, kpc & 280 & 10 & 4 & 0.13 & $\ga$280 & $\ga$60 & $\ga$15  \\
\hline
\end{tabular}}
\medskip
$^a\;Z_{\rm X} = N_{\rm X}/N_{\rm H}$; $[Z_{\rm X}] = \log~ (N_{\rm X}/N_{\rm H}) -
\log~ (N_{\rm X}/N_{\rm H})_\odot$; $^b$~calculated using the velocity and density
distributions estimated from the metal profiles marked by the horizontal bold lines in Fig.~\ref{fig5} (\zabs~= 1.59) and in Fig.~\ref{fig6} (\zabs~= 1.54). 
\end{table}