Investigation of influence of tunneling on existing building and tunnel: model tests and numerical simulations

To investigate the realistic ground behavior during tunneling, a new device has been developed. With the new device, model tests of tunnel excavation considering an existing tunnel and an existing building were carried out. Non-linear finite element analyses corresponding to the model tests were also conducted using FEMtij-2D software where an elastoplastic subloading t _ij model was used to describe the mechanical behavior of soil. Earth pressure distribution around the tunnels and ground movements during tunnel excavation depend on the distance and position between the twin tunnels. There is a significant effect of tunneling on the existing foundation of building even in the case where the tunnel is constructed in deep underground. The numerical analyses capture well the results of the model tests.     

Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the Sea of Okhotsk during late summer of 2006

The Sea of Okhotsk is one of the most productive marine basins in the world ocean and plays an important role in transport of organic carbon and iron to the western subarctic Pacific. We report the first measurements of phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates in the Sea of Okhotsk, in late summer of 2006. The study area can be divided into two areas: nutrient-sufficient waters on the continental shelf along the east coast of Sakhalin Island and in the vicinity of Bussol Strait, and surface nutrient-depleted waters beyond the shelf break and in the vicinity of Sakhalin Bay. Phytoplankton growth rate in the studied area was strongly affected by nutrient availability, with high phytoplankton growth rate (0.55±0.14 d^?1) in the nutrient-replete region and severely depressed growth (0.03±0.05 d^?1) in the nutrient-depleted region. On the other hand, microzooplankton grazing rates in both the nutrient-replete and nutrient-depleted regions were approximately the same (0.26±0.20 d^?1 vs. 0.27±0.24 d^?1). Consequently, microzooplankton grazing consumed <50% of the phytoplankton growth in nutrient-rich waters but >3 times the phytoplankton growth in nutrient-depleted waters. Phytoplankton physiological condition as measured by the maximum photochemical quantum efficiency (F_v/F_m) of algal photosystem II (PS II) showed a general trend in agreement with the in situ growth rate of phytoplankton. In contrast to the phytoplankton community, picophytoplankton, especially the cyanobacteria Synechococcus, showed no nutrient effect on their growth, and the growth and mortality rates were well balanced, suggesting that they have a low nutrient requirement and their biomass was controlled principally by microzooplankton grazing.     

An interpretation of the decay characteristics of solar hard X-ray bursts

A simple trap model of solar hard X-ray bursts is discussed in which nonthermal electrons trapped in a magnetic bottle precipitate into the lower chromosphere through the resonant scattering by whistlers. In such a model, the X-ray spectra produced from trapped and precipitating electrons have different spectral shape, and both of the spectra will initially soften with time, provided the precipitation dominates over collisional degradation.     

On the Origin of S0 Stellar Populations

We investigate a one-zone chemo-photometric evolutionary model of truncated spiral galaxies with and without starbursts in order to explore the origin of the spectrophotometric properties of S0s. First, we show that 1) the tight U-V colour–magnitude (CM) relation cannot reject the model with a starburst and 2) the model with a starburst can explain the difference in the I-K colour–magnitude relation between S0 galaxies and spiral galaxies. Next, we demonstrate how we can distinguish the truncated spirals with a starburst from those without a starburst by using the CaII–Hδ/λ4045 diagram (proposed by Leonardi and Rose, 1996) and the 1550-V colour. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Estimation of canopy drying time after rainfall using sap flow measurements in an emergent tree in a lowland mixed‐dipterocarp forest in Sarawak,Malaysia

This study emphasizes the importance of canopy drying time (CDT) after rainfall in a lowland tropical rain forest. In this study, we estimate CDT using sap flow velocities measured by a heat‐pulse method in an emergent tree in a lowland mixed‐dipterocarp forest. Estimated CDT (ECDT) for each rain event has been defined as the time from rainfall cessation to the specific time derived from the difference between diurnal courses of sap flow velocities on a rainy day versus bright days. ECDT could be derived for 22 rain events that were grouped into two types, depending on whether rainfall ceased before or after noon. The ECDTs were distributed more widely and with greater values when rainfall ceased before noon (Type 1) than after noon (Type 2). The ECDTs of both Type 1 and Type 2 decreased with increases in net radiation (Rn) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) after rainfall. This result shows that ECDT is determined mainly by post‐rainfall evaporation rates. The sap flow velocity as a detector of canopy wetness worked out well because of the specific rainfall characteristics at this site. The practical limitations of the method using sap flow velocities are discussed in relation to rainfall characteristics and time lags between transpirations and sap flow velocities. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.