Radon variations in a Hungarian village

 A steady radon exhalation is assumed in most publications. In a village of North-East Hungary, however, high radon concentrations have been measured, differing strongly in neighbouring houses and varying in time, due to the interplay of geochemical phenomena. Received: 20 November 1995 · Accepted: 18 June 1996     

Reliability assessment of serviceability performance of braced retaining walls using a neural network approach

In urban environments, one major concern with deep excavations in soft clay is the potentially large ground deformations in and around the excavation. Excessive movements can damage adjacent buildings and utilities. There are many uncertainties associated with the calculation of the ultimate or serviceability performance of a braced excavation system. These include the variabilities of the loadings, geotechnical soil properties, and engineering and geometrical properties of the wall. A risk‐based approach to serviceability performance failure is necessary to incorporate systematically the uncertainties associated with the various design parameters. This paper demonstrates the use of an integrated neural network–reliability method to assess the risk of serviceability failure through the calculation of the reliability index. By first performing a series of parametric studies using the finite element method and then approximating the non‐linear limit state surface (the boundary separating the safe and ‘failure’ domains) through a neural network model, the reliability index can be determined with the aid of a spreadsheet. Two illustrative examples are presented to show how the serviceability performance for braced excavation problems can be assessed using the reliability index. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Realisation of a celestial system based on VLBI geodynamics programs

The relative orientations of various VLBI celestial reference frames are evaluated on the basis of coordinate differences of common sources. It is shown that an accuracy better than 0.001 can be achieved. Possible regional deformations in the different catalogues are investigated; they are found to reach a few 0.001 in some restricted zones. The application of these studies to the realisation of a combined celestial reference frame consistent with the BIH Terrestrial System is outlined.     

The wadic project: A comprehensive field evaluation of directional wave instrumentation

The results of a comprehensive field trial of nearly all commercially available directional wave measurement systems at the Edda field in the North Sea during winter 1985-86 are presented. The results summarize the accuracy of the principal engineering wave parameters from each system and the dependence on sea state. Limiting factors on system performance and operational problems are also included in the assessment. Overall experience has been good with systems utilizing widely different measurement principles returning consistent results.     

Diffusion-deposition patterns in Martian streaks

The spreading angle of a number of light and dark Martian streaks is determined from selected Mariner 9 images. The resulting frequency distributions of spreading half-angles have maxima at ～5° for light, and ～7° for dark streaks; however the dark streaks have a secondary maximum spreading angle at ～14°. The smaller values, which include most streaks, are interpreted as crater-wake spreading phenomena. The larger value, found in only a few dark streaks or “tails,” may result from atmospheric diffusion and subsequent deposition of material from isolated sources such as vents or blowouts. An atmospheric diffusion-deposition analysis is presented, assuming this streak origin, from which it is possible to deduce the eddy diffusivity, K, in Mars' boudary layer. Calculated K values are found to agree with various theoretical estimates. They lie in the range 10⁷ and 10⁹ cm² sec^?1 and exhibit the proper scale dependence. Thus it appears that, in addition to streak-derived wind direction patterns and speed information, it is possible in a few cases to derive information on Mars' boundary-layer turbulence from streak-spreading measurements.     

极端洪水导致的湖泊水位抬升和氮磷输入增加对苦草(Vallisneria natans)的复合影响

据全球气候变化模型预测,未来极端洪水事件将呈现增多和加剧态势。极端洪水对沉水植物功能性状、生长发育状况及整个生态系统均有深远的影响,研究极端洪水对沉水植物生长发育的影响对理解和预测气候变化过程中水生态系统的变化具有重要意义。本文针对极端洪水事件引起的水位急剧上升和营养负荷量增加双重效应,在实验周期90 d内设置对照(水位保持75 cm)、2种极端洪水条件(水位在第1天从75 cm快速上升至150 cm + NP输入、水位从75 cm逐步上升至150 cm + NP输入)以及水位保持75 cm + NP输入4项处理(后3项处理中营养输入总量相同),研究了极端洪水对沉水植物苦草(Vallisneria natans)生长、繁殖对策及生物量分配的影响,实验过程中还同步监测了浮游植物、附着藻类和水体营养状况(TN和TP)。在苦草的17个测定指标中,只有根生物量分配和有性繁殖分配在4个处理下无明显变化。从水位的单独作用看,相对于营养增加且水位恒定的处理,两种洪水条件(水位急剧上升和逐步上升)均降低了苦草的分株数、叶片数、间隔子数、间隔子总长、最大根长、花果数以及各器官生物量和总生物量,促进了人工基质表面附着藻类的生长。水位急剧上升时,植株对间隔子的生物量投资倾向于最小,而株高和植株对叶的生物量投资倾向于最大。从营养负荷的单独作用来看,相对于对照组,营养增加且水位恒定的处理中水体N浓度显著增加,促进浮游植物和苦草表面附着藻类的生长,但是从二者的Chl.a浓度来看,浮游植物遮光作用相对较大,抑制了苦草叶、根和间隔子的生长,但有性繁殖生物量无明显变化。从水位和营养负荷联合作用的模式来看,水位上升和营养负荷两个环境因素的联合作用会使入湖营养负荷加强水位上升对沉水植物生长的影响效应,二者的联合作用使叶、根、间隔子和有性繁殖生物量均大大降低。因此,极端洪水对沉水植物的不利影响较大,一方面水位抬升会直接影响沉水植物,另一方面会通过浮游植物间接影响沉水植物生长发育。     

The age of the Lower Carboniferous conglomerate at Lligwy Bay,Anglesey

The Lower Carboniferous conglomerate at Lligwy Bay, Anglesey, is shown to be underlain as well as overlain by limestones of D₁ age so that the conglomerate is of intra-D₁ age. It is considered to have been deposited very close to a coastline.     

Reconstruction of palaeosalinity using carbon isotopes and benthic associations: a comparison

Carbon and oxygen isotopes were determined on 40 recrystallized shells of Late Jurassic bivalves from the Lusitanian Basin of Portugal. In contrast with the oxygen isotopes, which exhibited considerable diagenetic distortion, the carbon isotopes are thought to preserve a record of the salinity of the Jurassic marginal marine seas in which these bivalves lived. The reconstructed palaeosalinities range from 35%o (euhaline) to 5% (oligohaline). Comparing these values with the palaeosalinity reconstructed from a palaeoecological analysis of 17 stratigraphic levels within the basin, the independently derived values agree in most cases. Strongly differing values are explained as being due to biotic factors and to diagenetic distortion of the isotopic signal; they are less likely to be due to smallscale time-averaging or insufficient microstratigraphic sampling. On the whole, the carbon isotope analyses are thought to produce reasonable palaeosalinity values, although data from infaunal, originally aragonitic bivalves appear to be less reliable than those from epifaunal bivalves with a predominantly or exclusively calcitic shell. As diagenetic alteration of the carbon isotope signal is, however, unpredictable and biotic effects on the isotopic composition are insufficiently known, palaeosalinity reconstructions based on stable isotope data should be supported by palaeoecological data.