Dynamic interaction analysis of a circular cylindrical shell of finite length in a half-space

A study on the transient response of a circular cylindrical shell of finite length embedded in a homogeneous, isotropic and linear elastic half-space is presented. The soil-structure system is subjected to suddenly applied explosion waves. The numerical method employed is a combination of the time domain semi-analytical boundary element method used for the semi-infinite soil medium and the finite strip method used for the circular cylindrical shell. The two methods are combined through equilibrium and compatibility conditions at the soil-structure interface. The dynamic responses at the interface between the soil medium and the structure for every time step are obtained. Numerical examples are presented in detail to demonstrate the use and versatility of the proposed method. The following parameters are found to affect the response: (1) the slenderness ratio of the length over the diameter of the shell, L/D; (2) the relative wall thickness, h/a; (3) the relative stiffness ratio between the shell and the medium, E_s/E_m; and (4) the incidence angle of the explosion wave, α.     

“醉汉林”作为滑坡和边坡变形特征标志的意义——以陕西陇县地区为例

“醉汉林”一般被当做滑坡存在的一种标志。在陕西宝鸡地区进行地质灾害详细调查的过程中,发现变形边坡也有“醉汉林”分布。对陕西陇县郭家庄变形边坡“醉汉林”的树木倾斜角与边坡的倾角进行了测量,并结合几何学分析,认为树木倾斜角反映了边坡倾角的变化,并得出边坡倾角不断变陡是该地区边坡变形的一种主要方式的结论。研究结果表明,“醉汉林”有着多样而具体的指示意义:“醉汉林”记录了边坡变形的历史,可以作为区分滑坡与变形边坡的标志,“醉汉林”可以指示滑坡及边坡的状态,还可以判断滑坡剪出口是否存在。     

Inflation in Bianchi type-IX Einstein-Cartan Cosmological Model

Within the framework of Einstein-Cartan theory with Weyssenhoff fluid, we investigate an inflation model for an anisotropic Bianchi type-IX cosmological model. The system of field equations is solved numerically and an inflation epoch is achieved. The general condition for the inflation to occur is also discussed. This anisotropic model evolves quickly towards to an isotropic one.     

Frequency analysis of coupled shear wall assemblies

The finite strip procedure is used to predict the free vibration response of both planar and non-planar coupled shear wall assemblies. The solid walls are considered as vertical cantilever strips and a comparison is made between modelling the spandrel beams as discrete beams and as an equivalent continuum with orthotropic plate properties. It is shown that both approaches lead to essentially the same frequencies. The effects of vertical inertial forces and shear deflection are included, and structures considered may have properties that vary with height. The method presented appears to be more versatile than previously published techniques and numerical comparisons with existing methods indicate the predicted results to be accurate.     

High-energy particle acceleration and production of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays in the giant lobes of Centaurus A

The nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A is poorly studied at high frequencies with conventional radio telescopes because of its very large angular size, but is one of a very few extragalactic objects to be detected and resolved by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP ). We have used the five-year WMAP data for Cen A to constrain the high-frequency radio spectra of the 10° giant lobes and to search for spectral changes as a function of position along the lobes. We show that the high-frequency radio spectra of the northern and southern giant lobes are significantly different: the spectrum of the southern lobe steepens monotonically (and is steeper further from the active nucleus) whereas the spectrum of the northern lobe remains consistent with a power law. The inferred differences in the northern and southern giant lobes may be the result of real differences in their high-energy particle acceleration histories, perhaps due to the influence of the northern middle lobe, an intermediate-scale feature which has no detectable southern counterpart. In light of these results, we discuss the prospects for Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detections of inverse-Compton emission from the giant lobes and the lobes' possible role in the production of the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR) detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory. We show that the possibility of a Fermi detection depends sensitively on the physical conditions in the giant lobes, with the northern lobe more likely to be detected, and that any emission observed by Fermi is likely to be dominated by photons at the soft end of the Fermi energy band. On the other hand, we argue that the estimated conditions in the giant lobes imply that UHECRs can be accelerated there, with a potentially detectable γ-ray signature at TeV energies.     

The radio counterpart of the likely TeV binary HESS J0632+057

The few known γ-ray binary systems are all associated with variable radio and X-ray emission. The TeV source HESS J0632+057, apparently associated with the Be star MWC 148, is plausibly a new member of this class. Following the identification of a variable X-ray counterpart to the TeV source we conducted Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and Very Large Array (VLA) observations in 2008 June–September to search for the radio counterpart of this object. A point-like radio source at the position of the star is detected in both 1280-MHz GMRT and 5-GHz VLA observations, with an average spectral index, α, of ∼0.6. In the VLA data there is significant flux variability on ∼month time-scales around the mean flux density of ≈0.3 mJy. These radio properties (and the overall spectral energy distribution) are consistent with an interpretation of HESS J0632+057 as a lower power analogue of the established γ-ray binary systems.     

An integrated web-based air pollution decision support system – a prototype

To efficiently and effectively monitor and mitigate air pollution in the urban environment, it is of paramount importance to integrate into a unified whole air pollutant concentration databases coming from different sources including the ground-based stations, mobile sensors, remote sensing, atmospheric-chemical-transport models and social media for the analysis and unraveling of the complex air pollution processes in space and time. This study constructs and implements for the first time a prototype of the fully integrated air pollution decision support system (APDSS) that put together in an integrated manner all relevant multi-scale, multi-type and multi-source data for decision-making on urban air pollution. The prototype contains the main system that handles the multi-source, multi-type and multi-scale databases, queries, visualization and data mining algorithms and the integrated modules that individually and holistically capitalize on the power of the ground-based stations, ground and aerial mobile sensors, satellite-borne remote-sensing technologies, atmospheric-chemical-transport models and social media. It renders a solid scientific foundation and system development methodology for the study of the spatiotemporal air pollution profiles crucial to the mitigation of urban air pollution. Real-life applications of the prototype are employed to illustrate the functionality of the APDSS.     

Molluscan lysosomal responses as a diagnostic tool for the detection of a pollution gradient in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong

Sub-cellular perturbations in the lysosomal compartment of molluscan haemocytes were examined in mussels (Perna viridis), collected along a pollution gradient. The neutral red technique was validated using a well defined contamination gradient among indigenous populations from five stations along Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. Condition indices (shell length:dry tissue wt) and tissue metal concentrations were also measured in an attempt to identify a relationship between contamination level and adverse physiological effects. Correlations were found between lysosomal retention time and condition along the pollution gradient. There were significant differences between mussels collected from stations on offshore islands and those collected from inner harbour sites (p < 0.05). There was, however, little correlation between metal concentrations and retention time or condition (p > 0.05).     

Effect of Copper on Activity and Feeding in the Subtidal Prosobranch Babylonia lutosa (Lamarck) (Gastropoda: Buccinidae)

Individuals of the subtidal gastropod Babylonia lutosa were exposed to three sublethal concentrations of copper (0.02, 0.06 and 0.20 ppm) for four weeks. The percentage of normally active individuals (body extended and moving with the foot attached) decreased and the percentage of snails retracted (body extended, foot not attached, unable to move) and in a distressed stage (body retracted within the shell) increased with increase in copper concentration. Exposure to copper also decreased significantly the ability of an individual to move, and to burrow, but the effect was only observed in week 1, individuals were fully recovered in week 2. Feeding, however, was not affected, both in terms of the percentage number of individuals which fed, and the time spent feeding. Results were discussed with respect to the potential of using this animal as a bioassay tool in monitoring the effect of environmental perturbations on the subtidal community in Hong Kong.