Inelastic seismic response of one-way plan-asymmetric systems under bi-directional ground motions

The static design requirements of some seismic codes, such as the Eurocode 8 and—in most cases—the Uniform Building Code, to allow for the effects of earthquake excitation acting in a direction other than the principal axes of the structure do not apply to one-way asymmetric systems. Therefore, with some exceptions, no specific provisions are considered for such systems to cover effects of structural asymmetry on the behaviour of elements located along the symmetric system direction. Aimed towards fulfilling this need, in this paper, a wide parametric study of the inelastic response of one-way asymmetric systems designed according to Uniform Building Code is carried out, considering two-component earthquake excitations. The analyses show that the maximum ductility demands on elements aligned along the asymmetric system direction are very close to, and even lower than, those obtained for symmetric reference systems. Conversely, the symmetric direction elements undergo significantly larger inelasticity than if they were located in symmetric reference systems. Subsequently, the overstrength needed by the symmetric direction elements to prevent such additional ductility demands for several stiffness and plan configurations is quantified. It is concluded that one-way asymmetry should be considered by seismic codes as an intrinsic system property, thus implying that specific provisions should be included for designing elements located along the symmetric system direction, in addition to those currently subscribed to design the asymmetric direction elements. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An individual-based population dynamic model for estimating biomass yield and nutrient fluxes through an off-shore mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) farm

The fluxes of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus through an off-shore long-line Mytilus galloprovincialis farm during a typical rearing cycle were estimated by combining a simple population dynamic model, based on a new individual model, and a set of field data, concerning the composition of the seston, as well as that of mussel meat and faeces. The individual model, based on an energy budget, was validated against a set of original field data, which were purposely collected from July 2006 to May 2007 in the North-Western Adriatic Sea (Italy) and was further tested using historical data. The model was upscaled to the population level by means of a set of Monte Carlo simulations, which were used for estimating the size structure of the population. The daily fluxes of C, N and P associated with mussel filtration, excretion and faeces and pseudo-faeces production were integrated over the 10-month-long rearing cycle and compared with the total amount of C, N and P removed by harvesting. The results indicate that the individual model compares well with an existing literature model and provides reliable estimations of the growth of mussel specimen over a range of trophic conditions which are typical of the Northern Adriatic Sea coastal area. The results of the budget calculation indicate that, even though the harvest represents a net removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from the ecosystem, the mussel farm increases the retention time of both nutrients in the coastal area, via the deposition of faeces and pseudo-faeces on the sea-bed. In fact, the amount of nitrogen associated with deposition is approximately twice the harvested one and the amount of phosphorus is approximately five times higher. These findings are in qualitative agreement with the results of literature budget and model calculations carried out in a temperate coastal embayment. This agreement suggests that the proper assessment of the overall effect of long-line mussel farming on both the benthic and pelagic ecosystem asks for an integrated modelling approach, which should include the dynamic of early diagenesis processes, as well as of that of nutrients released from the surface sediment.     

Schooling behaviour and environmental forcing in relation to anchoveta distribution: An analysis across multiple spatial scales

The Peruvian anchovy or anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) supports the highest worldwide fishery landings and varies in space and time over many scales. Here we present the first comprehensive sub-mesocale study of anchoveta distribution in relation to the environment. During November 2004, we conducted a behavioural ecology survey off central Peru and used a series of observational and sampling tools including SST and CO₂ sensors, Niskin bottles, CTD probes, zooplankton sampling, stomach content analysis, echo-sounder, multibeam sonar, and bird observations. The sub-mesoscale survey areas were chosen from mesoscale acoustic surveys. A routine coast-wide (2000 km) acoustic survey performed just after the sub-mesoscale surveys, provided information at an even larger population scale. The availability of nearly concurrent sub-mesoscale, mesoscale and coast-wide information on anchoveta distribution allowed for a unique multi-scale synthesis. At the sub-mesoscale (100s m to km) physical processes (internal waves and frontogenesis) concentrated plankton into patches and determined anchoveta spatial distribution. At the mesoscale (10s km) location relative to the zone of active upwelling (and age of the upwelled water) and the depth of the oxycline had strong impacts on the anchoveta. Finally, over 100s km the size of the productive area, as defined by the upwelled cold coastal waters, was the determining factor. We propose a conceptual view of the relative importance of social behaviour and environmental (biotic and abiotic) processes on the spatial distribution of anchoveta. Our ecological space has two y-axis; one based on self-organization (social behaviour), and the other based on the environmental processes. At scales from the individual (10s cm), to the nucleus (m), social behaviour (e.g. the need to school) drives spatial organization. At scales larger than the school, environmental forces are the main driver of fish distribution. The conceptual ecosystem models presented in this paper may provide the final links needed to develop accurate forecasts of the spatial distribution of anchoveta over multiple scales.     

Multiwavelength Study of two Unidentified γ-ray Sources

Most counterparts of the identified low-latitude γ-ray sources are isolated neutron stars (INSs). Since INSs are characterized by an extremely high value of f _X/f _opt, a systematic X-ray/optical coverage of the fields of unidentified low-latitude γ-ray sources is the best way to unveil INS counterparts of unidentified sources. Since the low-latitude sources are heavily affected by the interstellar absorption in both the X-ray and optical bands, we decided to apply the above strategy to two middle-latitude EGRET sources, which could belong to a local galactic population: 3EG J0616-3310 and 3EG J1249-8330. Here we report on the global X-ray characterization of about 300 objects, on their candidate optical counterparts and on the preliminary results of their identification.     

Freezing-resistant liquid water in porous media, a possible mechanism to account for the fluidized transport of sediments on Mars: an example from East Gorgonum crater

ABSTRACT A mudflow-like deposit resting on the bottom of the East Gorgonum Crater (Mars; 37.4°S, 168.0°W) may provide new insight regarding the debate on the existence of water over the Martian surface. Because water in a mudflow is confined to a porous medium, we analyse this case from the perspective of non-equilibrium systems. Fluids confined to porous media behave in a special way, the system being ruled by kinetic restrictions, which alter the expected thermodynamic equilibrium. These non-equilibrium conditions allow the existence of pure liquid water to temperatures as low as − 40 °C, and even less if the system includes brines. Thus, application of the triple point diagram of water on the Martian surface may constitute a simplistic approach if we are dealing with confined, and yet moving, water in the form of a mudflow. We further suggest that the V-shaped channels excavated alongside the mudflow may have been caused by water rejected by syneresis from the moving sediment. We finally indicate that the series of deeply entrenched channels and debris aprons that occur only in the northern half of the crater might be related to the regional slope, which decreases in altitude to the south.     

Orbital structure of self-consistent triaxial stellar systems

We used a multipolar code to create, through the dissipationless collapses of systems of 1,000,000 particles, three self-consistent triaxial stellar systems with axial ratios corresponding to those of E4, E5 and E6 galaxies. The E5 and E6 models have small, but significant, rotational velocities although their total angular momenta are zero, that is, they exhibit figure rotation; the rotational velocity decreases with decreasing flattening of the models and for the E4 model it is essentially zero. Except for minor changes, probably caused by unavoidable relaxation effects, the systems are highly stable. The potential of each system was subsequently approximated with interpolating formulae yielding smooth potentials, stationary for the non-rotating model and stationary in the rotating frame for the rotating ones. The Lyapunov exponents could then be computed for randomly selected samples of the bodies that make up the different systems, allowing the recognition of regular and partially and fully chaotic orbits. Finally, the regular orbits were Fourier analyzed and classified using their locations on the frequency map. As it could be expected, the percentages of chaotic orbits increase with the flattening of the system. As one goes from E6 through E4, the fraction of partially chaotic orbits relative to that of fully chaotic ones increases, with the former surpassing the latter in model E4; the likely cause of this behavior is that triaxiality diminishes from E6 through E4, the latter system being almost axially symmetric. We especulate that some of the partially chaotic orbits may obey a global integral akin to the long axis component of angular momentum. Our results show that is perfectly possible to have highly stable triaxial models with large fractions of chaotic orbits, but such systems cannot have constant axial ratios from center to border: a slightly flattened reservoir of highly chaotic orbits seems to be mandatory for those systems.     

Scaling laws and coherent structures in the solar wind

The interplanetary medium is characterized by a very high Reynolds number and is pervaded by fluctuations providing information on a wide range of scales, from fractions of second up to the solar rotation period. In the past decade or so, turbulence in the solar wind has been used as a large wind tunnel to investigate scaling laws of turbulent fluctuations and multifractal models. Moreover, new interesting insights in the theory of turbulence have been derived from the point of view which considers a turbulent flow as a complex system, a sort of benchmark for the theory of dynamical systems. Important finding like the lack of a strict self-similarity of the fluctuations with the consequent nonapplicability of strict scale invariance, the strong anisotropy of velocity and magnetic field fluctuations, the clear lack of equipartition between magnetic and kinetic fluctuations all contributed to suggest the idea that interplanetary fluctuations could possibly be due to a mixture of propagating waves and static structures convected by the wind. In this paper we further discuss this point and bring new evidence about the fact that the presence of a background magnetic field introduces not only a symmetry breaking in interplanetary space but also organizes fluctuations about its large scale orientation.