东北太平洋胡安·德富卡隆起西翼晚第四纪以来的碳酸盐记录

通过对东北太平洋胡安·德富卡隆起西翼沉积柱样中的碳酸盐含量和浮游有孔虫氧同位素测试以及浮游有孔虫丰度、溶解指数和粗组分的统计,发现在晚第四纪约65 ka以来碳酸盐含量变化幅度大(0 4%~77 2%),相差非常悬殊,但其变化未呈现出冰期时溶解作用减弱、间冰期时溶解作用强烈这样明显的旋回性。粗组分分析结果显示,地层中有明显的浊流沉积发育。另外,碳酸盐含量和浮游有孔虫丰度分析结果揭露了研究区的 CCD在3 500 m左右。研究认为,在约65 ka来水深浅于3 500 m的区域碳酸盐含量的无规律性变化应与浊流沉积影响有直接的关系,而水深深于3 500 m的区域碳酸盐含量主要受控于深海碳酸盐的溶解作用。     

Alternating Gaussian process modulated renewal processes for modeling threshold exceedances and durations

It is often of interest to model the incidence and duration of threshold exceedance events for an environmental variable over a set of monitoring locations. Such data arrive over continuous time and can be considered as observations of a two-state process yielding, sequentially, a length of time in the below threshold state followed by a length of time in the above threshold state, then returning to the below threshold state, etc. We have a two-state continuous time Markov process, often referred to as an alternating renewal process. The process is observed over a truncated time window and, within this window, duration in each state is modeled using a distinct cumulative intensity specification. Initially, we model each intensity over the window using a parametric regression specification. We extend the regression specification adding temporal random effects to enrich the model using a realization of a log Gaussian process over time. With only one type of renewal, this specification is referred to as a Gaussian process modulated renewal process. Here, we introduce Gaussian process modulation to the intensity for each state. Model fitting is done within a Bayesian framework. We clarify that fitting with a customary log Gaussian process specification over a lengthy time window is computationally infeasible. The nearest neighbor Gaussian process, which supplies sparse covariance structure, is adopted to enable tractable computation. We propose methods for both generating data under our models and for conducting model comparison. The model is applied to hourly ozone data for four monitoring sites at different locations across the United States for the ozone season of 2014. For each site, we obtain estimated profiles of up-crossing and down-crossing intensity functions through time. In addition, we obtain inference regarding the number of exceedances, the distribution of the duration of exceedance events, and the proportion of time in the above and below threshold state for any time interval.     

Using a Gaussian mathematical model to define eruptive stages of young volcanic rocks in Tengchong based on laser 40Ar/39Ar dating

Reconstruction of Quaternary environments, late Cenozoic geodynamics and evaluation of volcanic hazards, all depend on the precise delineation of eruptive stages. In recent years, laser ~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar dating methods have been widely used for dating young volcanic rocks, given their stable automated testing process, very low background level and high sensitivity, which meet the requirements for precise dating of young samples. This paper applied high-precision laser ~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar dating to the main volcanic units in the Tengchong area and obtained ages in the range of 0.025–5.1 Ma using conventional data processing methods. However, conventional dating highlighted issues related to very low radiogenic ~(40)Ar content, accidental errors and poor data stability, which led to huge age deviations. Moreover, lacking a unified timescale, conventional methods were unable to strictly define the stages of the Tengchong volcanic eruptions, leading to ongoing controversy. In this study, we applied a Gaussian mathematical model to deal with all 378 original ages from 13 samples. An apparent age-probability diagram,consisting of three independent waveforms, have been obtained. The corresponding isochron ages of these three waveforms suggest there were three volcanic eruptive stages, namely during the Pliocene(3.78±0.04 Ma), early Middle Pleistocene(0.63±0.03 Ma) and late Middle Pleistocene to early Late Pleistocene(0.139±0.005 Ma). These results accurately define eruptive stages in the Tengchong area.     

Earthquake risk assessment of buildings accounting for human evacuation

A primary goal of earthquake engineering is to protect society from the possible negative consequences of future earthquakes. Conventionally, this goal has been achieved indirectly by reducing seismic damage of the built environment through better building codes, or more comprehensibly, by minimizing seismic risk. However, the effect that building damage has on occupants is not explicitly taken into account while designing infrastructure. Consequently, this paper introduces a conceptual framework and numerical algorithm to assess earthquake risk on building occupants during seismic events, considering the evacuation process of the structure. The framework combines probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, inelastic structural response analysis and damage assessment, and couples these results with the response of evacuating agents. The results are cast as probability distributions of variables that measure the overall performance of the system (e.g., evacuation times, number of injured people, and repair costs) for specific time windows. As a testbed, the framework was applied to the response of a reinforced concrete frame building that exemplifies the use of all steps of the methodology. The results suggest that this seismic risk evaluation framework of structural systems that combine the response of a physical model with human agents can be extended to a wide variety of other situations, including the assessment of mitigation actions in communities and people to improve their earthquake resilience. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Bioassay for the Cytotoxicity of Gemcitabine Using the Marine Ciliate Euplotes vannus

This study investigated the cytotoxicity of gemcitabine using the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus as the test organism.The median lethal concentrations(LC_(50) values)were determined using acute toxicity tests within an exposure time of 30 min with 0,6,12,24,and 48 mg mL~(-1) gemcitabine.The median inhibition effect(IC_(50) value)on the growth of the ciliate cells was examined using chronic toxicity tests within 5 days(120 h)after exposure for 30 min with 0,0.7,3.5,7,and 14 mg mL~(-1) gemcitabine.The 30-min LC_(50)value was 10.66~-mg mL ~1.The LC_(50) values decreased with increasing exposure times and well fitted to the toxicity curve equation LC_(50)=10.93+28.4e~(-0.19t)(R~2=0.93;P0.05,t=exposure time).The IC_(50) value for growth rates was 7.05 mg mL~(-1),and the inhibition effect on growth rates well fitted to the model equation r_%=0.8681e~(-0.0782Cgem)(r_%means growth rate with inhibition by gemcitabine,C_(gem) means concentrations of gemcitabine,R~2=0.99 and P0.05).The LC_(50) values of a wide range of gemcitabine concentrations could therefore be predicted for any given exposure time.These results suggest that the clinical dose of gemcitabine(20 mg mL~(-1))was higher than the 30-min LC_(50) value,which was almost the same as the 6-min LC_(50) value(19.88 mg mL~(-1))for E.vannus cells.The results also demonstrate that E.vannus can be used as a robust test organism for bioassays of chemotherapeutic drugs during short exposure periods.     

Correction to: Textural Quantification and Classification of Drill Cores for Geometallurgy: Moving Toward 3D with X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (μCT)

Natural Resources Research - The original version of the article unfortunately contained an error in Table 9. In article PDF, Table 7 was inadvertently repeated in place of...     

Spatial optimization for land acquisition problems: A review of models,solution methods,and GIS support

This article reviews the interdisciplinary research field of spatial optimization for land acquisition problems. We start with a theoretical framework to identify three categories of spatial optimization models: problems with aspatial constraints, location models, and problems with topological constraints. Exact, heuristic, and metaheuristic approaches to solving these problems are critically discussed. Tools that are available in commercial and open‐source GIS packages are reviewed from four aspects. We first survey the off‐the‐shelf support and then the development environments in these packages. A case study of the one‐center problem is used to illustrate the computational performance of different solution methods. Finally the advantages and disadvantages of current GIS data models are discussed. The article concludes with challenges and future directions for solving spatial optimization problems for land acquisition.     

Retreat of the Smith Sound Ice Stream in the Early Holocene

Nares Strait, a major connection between the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay, was blocked by coalescent Innuitian and Greenland ice sheets during the last glaciation. This paper focuses on the events and processes leading to the opening of the strait and the environmental response to establishment of the Arctic‐Atlantic throughflow. The study is based on sedimentological, mineralogical and foraminiferal analyses of radiocarbon‐dated cores 2001LSSL‐0014PC and TC from northern Baffin Bay. Radiocarbon dates on benthic foraminifera were calibrated with ΔR = 220±20 years. Basal compact pebbly mud is interpreted as a subglacial deposit formed by glacial overriding of unconsolidated marine sediments. It is overlain by ice‐proximal (red/grey laminated, ice‐proximal glaciomarine unit barren of foraminifera and containing >2 mm clasts interpreted as ice‐rafted debris) to ice‐distal (calcareous, grey pebbly mud with foraminifera indicative of a stratified water column with chilled Atlantic Water fauna and species associated with perennial and then seasonal sea ice cover) glacial marine sediment units. The age model indicates ice retreat into Smith Sound as early as c. 11.7 and as late as c. 11.2 cal. ka BP followed by progressively more distal glaciomarine conditions as the ice margin retreated toward the Kennedy Channel. We hypothesize that a distinct IRD layer deposited between 9.3 and 9 (9.4–8.9 1σ) cal. ka BP marks the break‐up of ice in Kennedy Channel resulting in the opening of Nares Strait as an Arctic‐Atlantic throughflow. Overlying foraminiferal assemblages indicate enhanced marine productivity consistent with entry of nutrient‐rich Arctic Surface Water. A pronounced rise in agglutinated foraminifers and sand‐sized diatoms, and loss of detrital calcite characterize the uppermost bioturbated mud, which was deposited after 4.8 (3.67–5.55 1σ) cal. ka BP. The timing of the transition is poorly resolved as it coincides with the slow sedimentation rates that ensued after the ice margins retreated onto land.     

Causes of Weather-Related Crashes in Salt Lake County,Utah

In 2010, the World Health Organization declared 2011 to 2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety in response to the enormous toll that roadway crashes take on individuals, communities, and national economies. More than 6.2 million vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2015, resulting in around 2.4 million injuries and more than 35,000 fatalities. Motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2015 had an economic cost of $836 billion, equal to nearly 5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. For this study, more than 122,000 crashes occurring in Salt Lake County, Utah, from 2012 to 2016 were analyzed to see how weather conditions affected the number and type of crashes observed. Approximately 12 percent of crashes occurred under “adverse weather conditions.” Weather-related crashes were most likely in the winter season and were very highly correlated with monthly snowfall. Although the greatest number of crashes occurred during evening rush hours, adverse weather-related crashes made up a larger percentage of crashes from 5 to 7 a.m. Although excessive speed was much more likely to be a factor in crashes during adverse weather, such crashes, on average, were less severe. Roadway slope also played a significant role, with slight increases causing more crashes.     

Obstacle‐limited service coverage: A new geospatial approach

Service coverage is a crucial component of spatial decision‐making involving facility siting. Determining coverage requires knowledge about travel behavior and accessibility across a region, as well as supporting methods of measurement and derivation when actual travel cannot necessarily be observed. When service is provided using vehicles that move freely without the restriction posed by roads (e.g., airplanes, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles/drones, boats, ships, and submarines), straight‐line travel is regularly assumed. However, this common assumption is often violated by geographical obstructions, resulting in overestimated service coverage. To date, no methods have been developed capable of accounting for obstacle‐limited service coverage. Existing methods either completely ignore obstructions or crudely estimate impacts on travel. In this research, we develop a novel method, ESP‐Cover, capable of deriving accurate obstacle‐limited coverage without introducing representation errors. A location siting problem involving drone‐based package delivery is presented to highlight the necessity of explicitly accounting for obstacles in system design. The assessment results demonstrate the importance of accurate derivation of the obstacle‐limited coverage for spatial decision‐making and the accuracy of the ESP‐Cover method in coverage derivation.