New biorthogonal potential–density basis functions

We use the weighted integral form of spherical Bessel functions and introduce a new analytical set of complete and biorthogonal potential–density basis functions. The potential and density functions of the new set have finite central values and they fall off, respectively, similar to   r ^{−(1+ l )}  and   r ^{−(4+ l )}  at large radii, where l is the latitudinal quantum number of spherical harmonics. The lowest order term associated with   l = 0  is the perfect sphere of de Zeeuw. Our basis functions are intrinsically suitable for the modelling of three-dimensional, soft-centred stellar systems and they complement the basis sets of Clutton-Brock, Hernquist & Ostriker and Zhao. We test the performance of our functions by expanding the density and potential profiles of some spherical and oblate galaxy models.     

Assessment of Relationship Between Grouted Values and Calculated Values in the Bazoft Dam Site

Seepage through foundation and abutments of a dam can potentially result in a waste of the water stored in dam reservoir, erosion of foundation materials, and development of uplift pressure in dam foundation which, consequently, threatens the long-term stability of the dam. In this study, the grout volume is estimated based on parameters such as joint aperture, the maximum penetration length of the grout, and calculated grout take in Bazoft dam site. Bazoft Dam is a hydroelectric supply and double-curvature arch dam with a height of 211 m located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province of Iran. The bedrock of Bazoft dam site consists of Asemari Formation (limy marl and marly lime), in the middle and upper parts of left abutment, and Jahrom Formation (limestone and dolomite) in the right abutment, river bed, and lower part of left abutment. The joint apertures were calculated based on the permeability and the joint spacing. Next, the maximum penetration length of the grout and grout volume were calculated. Using a statistical analysis, the relationship of the joint aperture, maximum penetration length, and the calculated grout volume with real grout take was also investigated. The results show that the grout take can be predicted with appropriate accuracy based on the calculated grout volume.     

Robust Automatic Reduction of Multibeam Bathymetric Data Based on M-estimators

Multibeam echosounders have commonly been employed for a wide range of applications including offshore survey, navigation, hydrogeology, and oceanography. Because the tremendous volume of the bathymetric data is demanding for some purposes and requires significant storage space, the data reduction plays a prominent role in practice. Additionally, the multibeam soundings are inevitably contaminated with sporadic outliers, and as such, the data cleaning can be challenging especially in shallow waters. We present a speedily robust method for reliably reducing the volume of the bathymetric data within grid cells. In this respect, robust M-estimators are recursively applied to the data in a patch-wise manner to alleviate the undesirable effects of the outlying observations. Accordingly, the reduced bathymetry is automatically made unaffected by the possible outliers once their equivalent weights have been downweighted. The performance of the presented method has been demonstrated by synthetic datasets and an experimental dataset collected by an ATLAS FS 20/100 kHz shallow-water multibeam echosounder in the offshore waters of Kish wharf. The reliability, efficiency, and capability of the proposed method have been verified, which makes it quite possible to meet the IHO requirements for special-order seafloor mapping.     

Diatoms as a source for 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl steroids in sediments and petroleum

Analysis of the sterol composition of more than 100 diatom cultures, representing all major marine diatom orders, indicates that this group of algae may be an important source for 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl steroids in sediments and petroleum, as their precursors, i.e. 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterols, were present in 22 of the cultures. The phylogenetic positions of diatom species that produce 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterols show that, within the centric diatoms, only a specific group of diatoms is able to produce these sterols, while within the pennate diatoms, a phylogenetic relationship between 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterol-producing diatoms is less apparent. Based on the phylogenetic relationship, it is suggested that diatoms inherited the ability of producing these sterols from a single common ancestor, which originated between 150 and 100 Ma ago. Co-injection of an authentic 23R,24R-dimethyl-5α-cholestane standard with extracts confirmed its presence in sediments. We also tentatively identified three other 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterane isomers having different side-chain stereo-configurations and observed that some of the isomers co-elute with other steranes including 24-ethyl-5α-cholestane.     

Deriving preference order of post-mining land-uses through MLSA framework: application of an outranking technique

This study intends to take advantage of a previously developed framework for mined land suitability analysis (MLSA) consisted of economical, social, technical and mine site factors to achieve a partial and also a complete pre-order of feasible post-mining land-uses. Analysis by an outranking multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) technique, called PROMETHEE (preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation), was taken into consideration because of its clear advantages on the field of MLSA as compared with MADM ranking techniques. Application of the proposed approach on a mined land can be completed through some successive steps. First, performance of the MLSA attributes is scored locally by each individual decision maker (DM). Then the assigned performance scores are normalized and the deviation amplitudes of non-dominated alternatives are calculated. Weights of the attributes are calculated by another MADM technique namely, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in a separate procedure. Using the Gaussian preference function beside the weights, the preference indexes of the land-use alternatives are obtained. Calculation of the outgoing and entering flows of the alternatives and one by one comparison of these values will lead to partial pre-order of them and calculation of the net flows, will lead to a ranked preference for each land-use. At the final step, utilizing the PROMETHEE group decision support system which incorporates judgments of all the DMs, a consensual ranking can be derived. In this paper, preference order of post-mining land-uses for a hypothetical mined land has been derived according to judgments of one DM to reveal applicability of the proposed approach.     

Region-specific deterministic and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis of Kanpur city

A seismic hazard map of Kanpur city has been developed considering the region-specific seismotectonic parameters within a 500-km radius by deterministic and probabilistic approaches. The maximum probable earthquake magnitude (M _max) for each seismic source has been estimated by considering the regional rupture characteristics method and has been compared with the maximum magnitude observed \(\left ({M_{\max }^{\text {obs}}}\right )\), \(M_{\max }^{\text {obs}} +0.5\) and Kijko method. The best suitable ground motion prediction equations (GMPE) were selected from 27 applicable GMPEs based on the ‘efficacy test’. Furthermore, different weight factors were assigned to different M _max values and the selected GMPE to calculate the final hazard value. Peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration at 0.2 and 1 s were estimated and mapped for worst-case scenario and 2 and 10% probability of exceedance for 50 years. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) showed a variation from 0.04 to 0.36 g for DSHA, from 0.02 to 0.32 g and 0.092 to 0.1525 g for 2 and 10% probability in 50 years, respectively. A normalised site-specific design spectrum has been developed considering three vulnerable sources based on deaggregation at the city center and the results are compared with the recent 2011 Sikkim and 2015 Nepal earthquakes, and the Indian seismic code IS 1893.     

Spatial and temporal variabilities of hypoxia in the Rappahannock River,Virginia

Hypoxia/anoxia in bottom waters of the Rappahannock River, a tributary estuary of Chesapeake Bay, was observed to persist throughout the summer in the deep basin near the river mouth; periodic reoxygenation of bottom water occurred on the shallower sill at the river mouth. The reoxygenation events were closely related to spring tide mixing. The dissolved oxygen (DO) in surface waters was always near or at the saturation level, while that of bottom waters exhibited a characteristic spatial pattern. The bottom DO decreased upriver from river mouth, reaching a minimum upriver of the deepest point of the river and increasing as the water becaume shallower further upriver. A model was formulated to describe the longitudinal distribution of DO in bottom waters. The model is based on Lagrangian concept—following a water parcel as it travels upriver along the estuarine bottom. The model successfully describes the characteristic distribution of DO and also explains the shifting of the minimum DO location in response to spring-neap cycling. A diagnostic study with the model provided insight into relationships between the bottom DO and the competing factors that contribute to the DO budget of bottom waters. The study reveals that both oxygen demand, either benthic or water column demand, and vertical mixing have a promounced effect on the severity of hypoxia in bottom waters of an estary. However, it is the vertical mixing which controls the longitudinal location of the minimum DO. The strength of gravitational circulation is also shown to affect the occurrence of hypoxia. An estuary with stronger circulation tends to have less chance for hypoxia to occur. The initial DO deficit of bottom water entering an estuary has a strong effect on DO concentration near the river mouth, but its effect diminishes in the upriver direction.