Analytical study of performance evaluation for seismic retrofitting of reinforced concrete building using 3D dynamic nonlinear finite element analysis

This paper presents three-dimensional fi nite element (FE) analyses of an all-frame model of a three-story reinforced concrete (RC) building damaged in the 1999 Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake. Non-structural brick walls of the building acted as a seismic resistant element although their contributions were neglected in the design. Hence, the entire structure of a typical frame was modeled and static and dynamic nonlinear analyses were conducted to evaluate the contributions of the brick walls. However, the results of the analyses were considerably overestimated due to coarse mesh discretizations, which were unavoidable due to limited computer resources. This study corrects the overestimations by modifying (1) the tensile strengths and (2) shear stiffness reduction factors of concrete and brick. The results indicate that brick walls improve frame strength although shear failures are caused in columns shortened by spandrel walls. Then, the effectiveness of three types of seismic retrofi ts is evaluated. The maximum drift of the firstoor is reduced by 89.3%, 94.8%, and 27.5% by Steel-confi ned, Full-RC, and Full-brick models, respectively. Finally, feasibility analyses of models with soils were conducted. The analyses indicated that the soils elongate the natural period of building models although no signifi cant differences were observed.     

Long-term simulations of the sulfur concentrations over the China, Japan and Korea: A model comparison study

Three comprehensive acid deposition models were used to simulate the sulfur concentrations over northeast Asia over the period covering entire year of 2002, and discussed the aggregated uncertainties and discrepancies of the three models. The participating models are from the countries participating in the project of Longrange Transboundary Air Pollutants in Northeast Asia (LTP): China, Japan and Korea. The Eulerian Model-3/CMAQ (by China), Regional Air Quality Model (RAQM, by Japan), and Comprehensive Acid Deposition Model (CADM, by Korea) were employed by each country with common emissions data established by the administrative agencies of China, Japan and Korea. The episodic simulation results between 1 to 15, March 2002 are also presented, during which aircraft measurements were carried out over the Yellow sea. The episodic results show both a wide short-term variability in simulations against measurements, and maximum concentration differences of 3～5 times among the three models, requiring that further attention before confidence among the three models can be claimed for short-term simulations. However, the year-long cumulative simulations showed almost the same general features, with lower aggregated uncertainties between the three models, produced by the long term integration over northeast Asia.     

Explosive volcanic eruptions triggered by cosmic rays: Volcano as a bubble chamber

Volcanoes with silica-rich and highly viscous magma tend to produce violent explosive eruptions that result in disasters in local communities and that strongly affect the global environment. We examined the timing of 11 eruptive events that produced silica-rich magma from four volcanoes in Japan (Mt. Fuji, Mt. Usu, Myojin-sho, and Satsuma-Iwo-jima) over the past 306 years (from AD 1700 to AD 2005). Nine of the 11 events occurred during inactive phases of solar magnetic activity (solar minimum), which is well indexed by the group sunspot number. This strong association between eruption timing and the solar minimum is statistically significant to a confidence level of 96.7%. This relationship is not observed for eruptions from volcanoes with relatively silica-poor magma, such as Izu-Ohshima. It is well known that the cosmic-ray flux is negatively correlated with solar magnetic activity, as the strong magnetic field in the solar wind repels charged particles such as galactic cosmic rays that originate from outside of the solar system. The strong negative correlation observed between the timing of silica-rich eruptions and solar activity can be explained by variations in cosmic-ray flux arising from solar modulation. Because silica-rich magma has relatively high surface tension (~ 0.1 Nm^?1), the homogeneous nucleation rate is so low that such magma exists in a highly supersaturated state without considerable exsolution, even when located relatively close to the surface, within the penetration range of cosmic-ray muons (1–10 GeV). These muons can contribute to nucleation in supersaturated magma, as documented by many authors studying a bubble chamber, via ionization loss. This radiation-induced nucleation can lead to the pre-eruptive exsolution of H₂O in the silica-rich magma. We note the possibility that the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption was triggered by the same mechanism: an increase in cosmic-ray flux triggered by Typhoon Yunya, as a decrease in atmospheric pressure results in an increase in cosmic-ray flux. We also speculate that the snowball Earth event was triggered by successive large-scale volcanic eruptions triggered by increased cosmic-ray flux due to nearby supernova explosions.     

Geology and geochronology of the Betara region in south-southeastern Brazil: Evidence for possible Statherian (1.80–1.75 Ga) and Calymmian (1.50–1.45 Ga) extension events

The results of geological mapping, chemical analysis and radiometric dating of metabasic rocks of Betara Formation, and mapping and dating of those present in the Betara basement nucleus together with mylonitic granodiorite and syenogranite are reported here. U–Pb analysis of bulk zircon fractions from the metabasic rocks of the basement nucleus yielded a Statherian age of 1790 ± 22 Ma, while the metabasic rocks from the upper part of the Betara Formation yielded a Calymmian age between 1500 and 1450 Ma. This age is a minimum for the deposition of the Betara Formation. The older metabasic rocks are associated with post-tectonic, possibly anorogenic syenogranite, while the younger ones are gabbro or very porphyritic ankaramite whose REE patterns are consistent with crystallization from an N-MORB parent magma. The observations and data point to the probable events associated with extensional processes of the end of Paleoproterozoic and early Mesoproterozoic. Similar registers of Statherian (1.80–1.75 Ga) and Calymmian (1.50–1.45 Ga) extensional events are recorded in other parts of the South American and African continents. The Neoproterozoic witnessed the formation and junction of the tectonic slices which formed the Apiaí domain during the assemblage of western Gondwana.     

Ground subsidence in Semarang-Indonesia investigated by ALOS–PALSAR satellite SAR interferometry

The focus of this study is investigation of land subsidence in Semarang city Indonesia with the use of Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) of ALOS–PALSAR satellite. We processed 22 ascending SAR images during January 2007 to January 2009 plus two descending SAR images acquired on 6 June 2006 and 17 June 2007. The time series analysis of interferometry was performed by using 12 pairs of interferogram relative to 21 January 2007 and 8 pairs of interferogram relative 24 January 2008. The topographic phase contribution was removed using the 3-arcsec (90 m) Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), Digital Elevation Model (DEM). We performed precision baseline estimation to vanish the fringes from baseline effect between master and slave data. In order to investigate the contribution of horizontal movement in our analysis, we constructed two interferograms of ascending orbit and descending orbit. The time series results exhibited that the area is subsiding continuously without a significant seasonal effect during January 2007 to January 2009. The land subsidence observed from InSAR data is approximately up to 8 cm/year. Three cross sections on image displacement show the extreme land subsidence occurred especially along the coastal area and lowland area where this area is considered as industrial with high-density settlements, consuming a lot of groundwater, and land is changed from agriculture and cultivation purposes to industrial estates and house. Our result also shows a consistency with historical pattern of subsidence measured by leveling data. The results highlight the potential use of InSAR measurements to provide better constraints for land subsidence in Semarang city Indonesia.     

Subduction–accretion–collision history along the Gondwana suture in southern India: A laser ablation ICP-MS study of zircon chronology

We report the petrological characteristics and preliminary zircon geochronology based on laser ablation ICP mass spectrometry of the various units in an accretionary belt within the Palghat-Cauvery Shear/Suture Zone in southern India, a trace of the Cambrian Gondwana suture. Zircons extracted from a plagiogranite in association with an ophiolite suite within this suture possess internal structure that suggests magmatic crystallization, and yield mid Neoproterozoic ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 817 ± 16 Ma (error: 1σ) constraining the approximate timing of birth of the Mozambique Ocean floor. Compiled age data on zircons separated from a quartzite and metamorphosed banded iron formation within the accretionary belt yields a younger intercept age of 759 ± 41 Ma (error: 1σ) which we relate to a mid Neoproteozoic magmatic arc. Detrital zircons extracted from the quartzite yield ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age peaks of about 1.9–2.6 Ga suggesting that they were sourced from multiple protolithis of Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic. Metamorphic overgrowths on some zircon grains record ca. 500–550 Ma ages which are in good harmony with the known ages for the timing of high-grade metamorphism in this zone during the final stage of continent collision associated with the birth of the Gondwana supercontinent in the latest Neoproterozoic-Cambrian. The preliminary geochronological results documented in our study correlate with the subduction–accretion–collision history associated with the closure of the Mozambique Ocean and the final amalgamation of the Gondwana supercontinent.     

Prediction of pile response to lateral spreading by 3-D soil–water coupled dynamic analysis: Shaking in the direction perpendicular to ground flow

The 1995 Kobe earthquake seriously damaged numerous buildings with pile foundations adjacent to quay walls. The seismic behavior of a pile group is affected by movement of quay walls, pile foundations, and liquefied backfill soil. For such cases, a three-dimensional (3-D) soil–water coupled dynamic analysis is a promising tool to predict overall behavior. We report predictions of large shake table test results to validate 3-D soil–water coupled dynamic analyses, and we discuss liquefaction-induced earth pressure on a pile group during the shaking in the direction perpendicular to ground flow. Numerical analyses predicted the peak displacement of footing and peak bending moment of the group pile. The earth pressure on the pile in the crustal layer is most important for the evaluation of the peak bending moment along the piles. In addition, the larger curvatures in the bending moment distribution along the piles at the water side in the liquefied ground were measured and predicted.     

A computational procedure for joining separate map sheets

Map sheets have been often used as a basic spatial unit for managing spatial data produced from paper maps. This often results in incompatibility between adjacent map sheets, because spatial objects do not cross the boundaries smoothly and even the boundaries themselves do not match their neighbors exactly. To solve the problem this paper proposes a computational procedure for joining separate map sheets to obtain seamless spatial data. Line objects digitized separately in different map sheets are considered, which are frequently used to represent road networks, gas pipelines, and boundaries of polygon objects. The procedure consists of three steps: (1) extraction of end nodes, (2) detection of matching nodes, and (3) transformation of the map sheet. Each step goes interactively so that unexpected errors can be avoided by human observation. To test the validity of the procedure, map sheets are combined containing the road network data of Tokyo 23-ku area, Japan. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Improved Estimates of Wide-Ranging Sea Surface Temperature from GMS S-VISSR Data

We have developed an algorithm to estimate the wide-ranging Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data from the GMS-5 (Geostationary Meteorological Satellite) S-VISSR (Stretched-Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer). Better SST estimates are realized by averaging the temporal variation of the VISSR calibration table and decreasing noise of the split-window terms using a spatial filter. The effects of the satellite zenith angle were examined in detail for better estimates, and VISSR-derived SSTs with root-mean-square (rms) error of 0.8 K were achieved using a new algorithm. The accuracy of SST estimates has been improved by using the temporal-spatial average of the split-window terms. Using the new techniques, we demonstrate that the hourly wide-ranging SST image data can be used to study the daily variations of SSTs in the Northern and Southern Pacific Oceans.     

Star formation in NGC 6334 I and I(N)

The northern section of the molecular cloud complex NGC 6334 has been mapped in the CO and CS spectral line emission and in continuum emission at a wavelength of 1300 μm. Our observations highlight the two dominant sources, I and I(N), and a host of weaker sources. NGC 6334 I is associated with a cometary ultracompact H  ii region and a hot, compact core ≤10 arcsec in size. Mid-infrared and CH₃OH observations indicate that it is also associated with at least two protostellar sources, each of which may drive a molecular outflow. For region I we confirm the extreme high-velocity outflow first discovered by Bachiller & Cernicharo and find that it is very energetic with a mechanical luminosity of 390 L_⊙. A dynamical age for the outflow is ∼3000 yr. We also find a weaker outflow originating from the vicinity of NGC 6334 I. In CO and CS this outflow is quite prominent to the north-west, but much less so on the eastern side of I, where there is very little molecular gas. Spectral survey data show a molecular environment at position I which is rich in methanol, methyl formate and dimethyl ether, with lines ranging in energy up to 900 K above the ground state. NGC 6334 I(N) is more dense than I, but cooler, and has none of the high-excitation lines observed toward I. I(N) also has an associated outflow, but it is less energetic than the outflow from I. The fully sampled continuum map shows a network of filaments, voids and cores, many of which are likely to be sites of star formation. A striking feature is a narrow, linear ridge which defines the western boundary. It is unclear if there is a connection between this filament and the many potential sites of star formation, or if the filament existed prior to the star formation activity.