Genetic differentiation of the soft shore barnacle Fistulobalanus albicostatus (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Balanomorpha) in the West Pacific

This study examined the phylogeography of the barnacle Fistulobalanus albicostatus, which inhabits mangroves and estuarine shores in the West Pacific. Differentiation in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 12S ribosomal RNA (12S) genes of 401 specimens of F. albicostatus was examined in samples from 16 locations in the West Pacific, ranging from Honshu to Southern China. Our results revealed that F. albicostatus comprises two major clades exhibiting a COI divergence ranging from 1.25% to 2.8%. Clade A demonstrated the widest distribution, ranging from Japan to China, and was divided into three subclades occurring in the South China Sea (A1), Okinawa (A2), and Honshu, Korea and Qingdao (A3). Clade B was determined to be endemic to Okinawa; i.e. two endemic lineages occur in this island. Thus, F. albicostatus resembles several inter‐tidal species in having clades that are endemic to Okinawan waters. Nevertheless, in contrast to the rocky inter‐tidal barnacles Tetraclita spp. and Chthamalus malayensis, F. albicostatus was not found to be separated into continental and oceanic populations, but instead is divided into northern and southern clades, probably because of the Yangtze River discharge, which limits gene flow between the northern and southern populations.     

Blast simulation of explosives buried in saturated sand

Shallow buried explosives pose a significant threat to lightweight vehicles and their onboard personnel. To date, designers of lightweight vehicles are limited in their knowledge of what occurs during the blast. The high intensity, short term loading imparted by the explosion is enormously complex and can be significantly affected by a number of parameters including the size, shape, type, detonation point and depth of burial (DOB) of the explosive and the type, density and water content of the soil. Recent advancements in numerical simulations have enabled the complex blast event to be accurately modelled by coupling Eulerian and Lagrangian analyses: the former is well suited to modelling the blast and while the latter, the structural response. Further validation of the modelling technique is considered in the current paper, which details simulations performed utilising the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian analysis to study the blast output of explosives buried in saturated sand. These experiments varied explosive charge size, its depth of burial, the target stand-off (SO) distance and the dimensions of the target plate. The investigation concludes with a discussion of the accuracy of the numerical simulations when compared with the experimental observations.     

Parameter identification for leaky aquifers using global optimization methods

In the past, graphical or computer methods were usually employed to determine the aquifer parameters of the observed data obtained from field pumping tests. Since we employed the computer methods to determine the aquifer parameters, an analytical aquifer model was required to estimate the predicted drawdown. Following this, the gradient‐type approach was used to solve the nonlinear least‐squares equations to obtain the aquifer parameters. This paper proposes a novel approach based on a drawdown model and a global optimization method of simulated annealing (SA) or a genetic algorithm (GA) to determine the best‐fit aquifer parameters for leaky aquifer systems. The aquifer parameters obtained from SA and the GA almost agree with those obtained from the extended Kalman filter and gradient‐type method. Moreover, all results indicate that the SA and GA are robust and yield consistent results when dealing with the parameter identification problems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A fast method of flood discharge estimation

Discharge, especially during flood periods, is among the most important information necessary for flood control, water resources planning and management. Owing to the high flood velocities, flood discharge usually cannot be measured efficiently by conventional methods, which explains why records of flood discharge are scarce or do not exist for the watersheds in Taiwan. A fast method of flood discharge estimation is presented. The greatest advantage of the proposed method is its application to estimate flood discharge that cannot be measured by conventional methods. It has as its basis the regularity of open‐channel flows, i.e. that nature maintains a constant ratio of mean to maximum velocities at a given channel section by adjusting the velocity distribution and the channel geometry. The maximum velocity at a given section can be determined easily over a single vertical profile, which tends to remain invariant with time and discharge, and can be converted to the mean velocity of the entire cross‐section by multying by the constant ratio. Therefore the mean velocity is a common multiple of maximum velocity and the mean/maximum velocity ratio. The channel cross‐sectional area can be determined from the gauge height, the water depth at the y‐axis or the product of the channel width multiplied by the water depth at the y‐axis. Then the most commonly used method, i.e. the velocity–area method, which determines discharge as the product of the cross‐sectional area multiplied by mean velocity, is applied to estimate the flood discharge. Only a few velocity measurements on the y‐axis are necessary to estimate flood discharge. Moreover the location of the y‐axis will not vary with time and water stage. Once the relationship of mean and maximum velocities is established, the flood estimation can be determined efficiently. This method avoids exposure to hazardous environments and sharply reduces the measurement time and cost. The method can be applied in both high and low flows in rivers. Available laboratory flume and stream‐flow data are used to illustrate accuracy and reliability, and results show that this method can quickly and accurately estimate flood discharges. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic isolation of rigid cylindrical tanks using friction pendulum bearings

Storage tanks are vulnerable to earthquakes, as numerous major earthquakes have demonstrated. The trend of recent revisions to make seismic design criteria for large‐scale industrial storage tanks increasingly stringent has made development of cost‐effective earthquake‐resistant design and retrofit techniques for industrial tanks imperative. This study assesses the feasibility of seismic base isolation for making liquid‐filled storage tanks earthquake resistant. The sliding‐type friction pendulum seismic (FPS) bearings are considered rather than the elastomeric bearings because the dynamic characteristics of an FPS‐isolated tank remain unchanged regardless of the storage level. This work has devised a hybrid structural‐hydrodynamic model and solution algorithm, which would permit simple, accurate and efficient assessment of the seismic response of rigid cylindrical storage tanks in the context of seismic isolation. Extensive numerical simulations confirm the effectiveness of seismic base isolation of rigid cylindrical tanks using FPS bearings. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

对研制云南山地水土流失动态监测系统的初步尝试

采用基于3S技术的定量遥感方法，对1998年和1999年金沙江一级支流龙川江上游小流域进行了水土流失动态监测和防治决策分析。结果表明，1999年为涝年，侵蚀总量高达869008.97t，强度及其以上侵蚀级别的侵蚀量占总量的86．39％，侵蚀模数平均为7703.87t/km^2。1998年为旱年，流失情况较1999年的轻微。1999年中度及其以上侵蚀级别的侵蚀面积占流失总面积的32．41％，而1998年只占26．09％。1999年需要治理和急需治理的面积占侵蚀总面积的15．45％和0．82％，而998年的治理面积较低。本研究采用的技术在国内具有先进性和快速，准确，经济等优点，在云南山地有广阔的运用推广前景。     

Interference effect of two closely-spaced shallow strip foundations on geogrid-reinforced sand

Summary Geotextiles and geogrids are now being used extensively in many civil engineering construction works. This study presents some laboratory model test results for the ultimate bearing capacity of an isolated, and two closely-spaced, strip foundations resting on unreinforced sand, and sand reinforced with layers of geogrid. Based on the model test results, the variation of the group efficiency with the centre-to-centre spacing of the foundation has been determined.     

Application of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) in monitoring slope movements in Nainital,Uttarakhand Lesser Himalaya,India

Orogenic movements and sub-tropical climate have rendered the slopes of the Himalayan region intensely deformed and weathered. As a result, the incidences of slope failure are quite common all along the Himalayan region. The Lesser Himalayan terrane is particularly vulnerable to mass-movements owing to geological fragility, and many parts of it are bearing a high-risk of associated disaster owing to the high population density. An important step towards mitigation of such disasters is the monitoring of slope movement. Towards this, the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique can be applied. In the present study, the PSI technique is employed in Lesser Himalayan town of Nainital in Uttarakhand state of India to decipher and monitor slope movements. A total of 15 multi-date ENVISAT ASAR satellite images, acquired during August 2008 to August 2010 period, were subjected to PSI, which revealed a continuous creep movement along the hillslopes located towards the eastern side of the Nainital lake. The higher reaches of the hill seem to be experiencing accelerated creep of \({\sim }21\) mm/year, which decreases downslope to \({\sim }5\) mm/year. Based on spatial pattern of varying PSI Mean LOS Velocity (MLV) values, high (H), moderate (M), low (L) and very low (S) creeping zones have been delineated in the hillslopes. Given the long history of mass movements and continuously increasing anthropogenic activities in Nainital, these results call for immediate measures to avert any future disaster in the town.     

Australasian microtektites in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea: Implications for age,size, and location of the impact crater

Abstract— Microtektites from two deep‐sea cores in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea are identified as belonging to the Australasian tektite strewn field based on the morphology, chronostratigraphic occurrence, and geographical location of these microtektites. The higher concentrations of microtektites (>1000/cm²) in the marginal seas of the western Pacific, with the peak concentration in the South China Sea, support the hypothesis of a large impact crater in Indochina. These two new occurrences lead to a more precise dating of the impact event at 793 ka, whereas the size of the Australasian source crater on the Indochina Peninsula is estimated to be 90–116 km.