Solar-Terrestrial Signal Record in Tree Ring Width Time Series from Brazil

This work investigates the behavior of the sunspot number and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) signal recorded in the tree ring time series for three different locations in Brazil: Humaitá in Amaz?nia State, Porto Ferreira in S?o Paulo State, and Passo Fundo in Rio Grande do Sul State, using wavelet and cross-wavelet analysis techniques. The wavelet spectra of tree ring time series showed signs of 11 and 22?years, possibly related to the solar activity, and periods of 2–8?years, possibly related to El Ni?o events. The cross-wavelet spectra for all tree ring time series from Brazil present a significant response to the 11-year solar cycle in the time interval between 1921 to after 1981. These tree ring time series still have a response to the second harmonic of the solar cycle (5.5?years), but in different time intervals. The cross-wavelet maps also showed that the relationship between the SOI x tree ring time series is more intense, for oscillation in the range of 4–8?years.     

A phased approach to enable hybrid simulation of complex structures

Hybrid simulation has been shown to be a cost-effective approach for assessing the seismic performance of structures. In hybrid simulation,critical parts of a structure are physically tested,while the remaining portions of the system are concurrently simulated computationally,typically using a finite element model. This combination is realized through a numerical time-integration scheme,which allows for investigation of full system-level responses of a structure in a cost-effective manner. However,conducting hybrid simulation of complex structures within large-scale testing facilities presents significant challenges. For example,the chosen modeling scheme may create numerical inaccuracies or even result in unstable simulations; the displacement and force capacity of the experimental system can be exceeded; and a hybrid test may be terminated due to poor communication between modules(e.g.,loading controllers,data acquisition systems,simulation coordinator). These problems can cause the simulation to stop suddenly,and in some cases can even result in damage to the experimental specimens; the end result can be failure of the entire experiment. This study proposes a phased approach to hybrid simulation that can validate all of the hybrid simulation components and ensure the integrity largescale hybrid simulation. In this approach,a series of hybrid simulations employing numerical components and small-scale experimental components are examined to establish this preparedness for the large-scale experiment. This validation program is incorporated into an existing,mature hybrid simulation framework,which is currently utilized in the Multi-Axial Full-Scale Sub-Structuring Testing and Simulation(MUST-SIM) facility of the George E. Brown Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation(NEES) equipment site at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A hybrid simulation of a four-span curved bridge is presented as an example,in which three piers are experimentally controlled in a total of 18 degrees of freedom(DOFs). This simulation illustrates the effectiveness of the phased approach presented in this paper.     

Mugil curema as a PAH bioavailability monitor for Atlantic west sub-tropical estuaries

This work aimed to evaluate the use of Mugil curema as a biomonitor for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability. Fish biliary metabolites from low-contaminated (Cananéia) and contaminated (Santos) Brazilian estuaries were analysed using a high-performance liquid chromatography apparatus coupled to fluorescence detectors connected in a series. In the Cananéia and Santos estuaries, total metabolite levels ranged from 0.85 to 34.4 μg g^? 1 of bile and from 4.06 to 528 μg g^? 1 of bile, respectively. Metabolite levels were not influenced by feeding status or sexual hormones (p < 0.05), thus suggesting that M. curema is a good biomonitor for PAH bioavailability. In estuarine regions, it is possible to sample both the male and female genders of this species in any reproductive period.     

Climatic risk zoning for potential occurrence of cacao moniliasis disease in Northeastern Brazil under the influence of ENSO phases

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Air temperature and relative humidity are the main drivers of many fungal diseases, such as moniliasis (Moniliophthora roreri), which affects cocoa production...     

On some aspects of peaks-over-threshold modeling of floods under nonstationarity using climate covariates

This paper discusses some aspects of flood frequency analysis using the peaks-over-threshold model with Poisson arrivals and generalized Pareto (GP) distributed peak magnitudes under nonstationarity, using climate covariates. The discussion topics were motivated by a case study on the influence of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on the flood regime in the Itajaí river basin, in Southern Brazil. The Niño3.4 (DJF) index is used as a covariate in nonstationary estimates of the Poisson and GP distributions scale parameters. Prior to the positing of parametric dependence functions, a preliminary data-driven analysis was carried out using nonparametric regression models to estimate the dependence of the parameters on the covariate. Model fits were evaluated using asymptotic likelihood ratio tests, AIC, and Q–Q plots. Results show statistically significant and complex dependence relationships with the covariate on both nonstationary parameters. The nonstationary flood hazard measure design life level (DLL) was used to compare the relative performances of stationary and nonstationary models in quantifying flood hazard over the period of records. Uncertainty analyses were carried out in every step of the application using the delta method.     

A first classification scheme of flow-bed interaction for clay-laden density currents and soft substrates

Many aquatic environments exhibit soft, muddy substrates, but this important property has largely been ignored in process-based models of Earth-surface flow. Novel laboratory experiments were carried out to shed light on the feedback processes that occur when particulate density currents (turbidity currents) move over a soft mud substrate. These experiments revealed multiple types of flow-bed interaction and large variations in bed deformation and bed erosion, which are interpreted to be related to the interplay between the shear forces of the current and the stabilising forces in the bed. Changes in this force balance were simulated by varying the clay concentrations in the flow and in the bed. Five different interaction types are described, and dimensional and non-dimensional phase diagrams for flow-bed interaction are presented.     

Thermal Drying and Alkaline Treatment of Biosolids: Effects on Nitrogen Mineralization

Biosolids from the Cañeveralejo WWTP were dehydrated by filter press and then applied two processes to reduce pathogens (PRP): thermally dried biosolid (TDB) and alkalinized biosolid (AB). Untreated, dehydrated biosolid (DB) was used as a control. We evaluated the impact of thermal drying and alkaline treatments on nitrogen mineralization in these substrates. Moreover, agronomic rates for biosolid applications to sugarcane were estimated for each of the treatments leading to application rates of 35.8, 36.4, and 54.5 t/ha for DB, TDB, and AB, respectively, to meet the nitrogen requirement (200 kg N/ha) for sugarcane cultivation (Saccharum officinarum). The results showed that the biosolid rates used increased the mineral nitrogen content of soils by an average of 93.8 and 439.8 mg/kg for all biosolids and the PRP (thermal drying and alkaline treatment) in biosolids had significant effects on mineralization rate, showing better results for the TDBs.     

Modal response analysis of multi‐support structures using a random vibration approach

A formulation is developed for modal response analysis of multi‐support structures using a random vibration approach. The spectral moments of the structural response are rigorously decomposed into contributions from spectral moments of uncoupled modal responses. An advantage of the proposed formulation is that the total dynamic response can be obtained on the basis of mode by mode uncoupled analyses. The contributions to the total response from modal responses under individual support ground motions and under cross‐correlated pairs of support ground motions can be recognized explicitly. The application and performance of the formulation is illustrated by means of an example using a well‐established coherency spectrum model and widely known power spectra models, such as white noise and Kanai–Tajimi. The first three spectral moments of displacement, shear, and bending moment responses are computed, showing that the formulation produces the same results as the exact solution. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.