Perfect-fluid sources for the Levi-Civita metric

Cylindrically symmetric perfect fluid solutions are derived for the Levi-Civita metric. The pressure P is finite. The matter density is greater than the stresses in the material. The solutions are inside cylinders of bounded radius at which the pressure vanishes. The range of σ, for which the sources have been matched to the Levi-Civeta metric is ∞>σ>0. The solutions are regular and satisfy energy conditions     

Effects of Replacing Fishmeal with Animal By-products Meal Supplementation in Diets on the Growth and Nutrient Utilization of Mangrove Red Snapper

A feeding trial was conducted for 75 d to evaluate the nutritive value of a mixture of animal by-products(MAB) as a possible protein source in diets for juvenile mangrove red snapper,Lutjanus argentimaculatus(mean initial body weight,30 g). Fish were fed one of five isonitrogenous diets(40% crude protein) replacing 0,25%(MAB25),50%(MAB50),75%(MAB75) and 100%(MAB100) of fish meal protein with similar percentages of MAB. The MAB consisted of 25% cow liver meal,20% leather meal,20% meat and bone meal,15% blood meal,10% APC(poultry feather meal),8% poultry manure dried,1.5% choline and 0.5% chromic oxide. After 75 d of feeding,fish fed with diets MAB50,MAB75 and MAB100 exhibited significantly lower growth per-formance than that of fish fed with control and MAB25 diets. The optimum level of MAB was estimated to be 23%. Replacement of fish meal by MAB23% showed the following performance:maximum weight gain,510%;SGR,2.39% and FCE,2.83%. The MAB substitution up to 75% of fish meal protein in diets did not show differences in apparent protein digestibility(83.6% for MAB25,79.2% for MAB50,78.7% for MAB75) compared with control(83.4%),whereas in MAB100 group digestibility(65.3%) was sig-nificantly lower than in other groups. The apparent phosphorus absorption of test diet groups was significantly higher(37.1% for MAB25,28.5% for MAB50,55.6% for MAB75 and 54.5% for MAB100) than that of control(11.2%). The levels of protein and ash in the whole body,carcass and viscera increased as MAB substitution in diets increased,whereas lipids and moisture remained con-sistent among all treatment groups. These results showed that approximately 23% of fish meal protein could be replaced by a mixture of animal by-products for juvenile snapper growing from 30 g to 167 g in 75 d without compromising growth performance and feed efficiency.     

Initial velocity model construction of seismic tomography in near-surface applications

The impact of initial velocity models on final image reconstruction results and how to construct a proper initial velocity model in near-surface tomography studies are investigated on a two-layer synthetic model with gradually increasing velocity with depth. Refraction initial velocity models and linear velocity function models are tested on both synthetic and field data to obtain images close to reality. It is concluded that velocity function type initial models should be preferred in soft alluvial deposits that exist within the investigated depths, whereas refraction initial models should be preferred in the groundwater table or with strong refractors' existence within the investigated depths to obtain optimum subsurface images in refraction–diving wave seismic tomography.     

Magnetic resistivity and Hall currents effects on the stability of a self-gravitating plasma of varying density in variable magnetic field

The effect of Hall currents have been studied on the instability of a stratified layer of a self-gravitating finitely conducting plasma of varying density. It is assumed that the plasma is permeated by a variable horizontal magnetic field stratified vertically. The stability analysis has been carried out for longitudinal mode of wave propagation. The solution has been obtained through integral equation approach. The dispersion relation has been derived and solved numerically. It is found that both the Hall currents and finite conductivity have a destabilizing influence on the growth rate of the unstable mode of disturbance.     

An Empirical Model for Significant Duration of the Ground Motions Containing Velocity Pulses

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - ln this study, two relationships have been presented for predicting the significant duration values $$({{D}_{{s5 - 75}}}$$ and $${{D}_{{s5 - 95}}})~$$ of...     

Re-appraisal of earthquake catalog in the Pamir―Hindu Kush region,emphasizing the early and modern instrumental earthquake events

Journal of Seismology - The Pamir-Hindu Kush region is seismically the most dynamic and active zone that went through many devastating earthquakes. While much research is ongoing to produce seismic...     

Numerical modelling of the effect of horizontal drains in centrifuge tests on soil-structure interaction in liquefiable soils

Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering - The research presented herein was carried out in the framework of the H2020 LIQUEFACT project ( http://www.LIQUEFACT.eu/ ). This paper presents the results of a...     

A framework for predicting abrasion rupture of crusts in wind erosion

Crusts play a crucial role in the reduction or control of wind erosion. In this regard, the resilience and durability of crusts are of prime importance. Crusts have high resilience and durability against wind flow shear stresses; however, they are prone to abrasion induced by saltating particles. Therefore, estimating crust durability in abrasion rupture has practical importance. In this study, a cyanocrust and a biocemented sand crust were subjected to a controlled flux of saltating particles for different sandblasting periods to provide a framework for predicting crust rupture. The velocity and pre- and post-collision energy of the saltating particles were measured using high-speed photography. The changes in the strength of the crusts after different periods of sandblasting were determined using a scratch test. The results suggested that the average strength of the cyanocrust and biocemented sand crust became 0.25 and 0.7 of their corresponding initial values after 30 min of sandblasting. Also, the average stiffness of the cyanocrust and biocemented sand crust decreased to 0.5 and 0.9 of their initial values, respectively. Furthermore, the amount of impact energy absorbed by the crusts increased by the deterioration of the crusts. Compiling the results of the wind tunnel experiment and scratch tests yielded an exponential equation which can be used to estimate crust durability in a given condition of saltation. Based on this equation, the cyanocrust and biocemented sand crust will break down entirely after 23 and 449 min, respectively, at a wind velocity of 6.8 m/s and a saltation flux of 1 g/s/m.     

Comparison of Volterra Model and Artificial Neural Networks for Rainfall–Runoff Simulation

This study evaluates the performances of two distinct linear and non-linear models for simulating non-linear rainfall–runoff processes and their applications to flood forecasting in the Navrood River basin, Iran. Due to the excellent capacity of the artificial neural networks [multilayer perceptron (MLP)] and Volterra model, these models were used to approximate arbitrary non-linear rainfall–runoff processes. The MLP model was trained using two different training algorithms. The Volterra model was applied as a linear model [the first-order Volterra (FOV) model] and solved using the traditional ordinary least-square (OLS) method. Storm events within the Navrood River basin were used to verify the suitability of the two models. The models’ performances were evaluated and compared using five performance criteria namely coefficient of efficiency, root mean square error, error of total volume, relative error of peak discharge, and error of time for peak to arrive. Results indicated that the non-linear MLP models outperform the linear FOV model. The latter was ineffective because of the non-linearity of the rainfall–runoff process. Moreover, the OLS method is inefficient when the FOV model has many parameters that must be estimated.     

A GIS-based earthquake damage assessment and settlement methodology

Earthquakes have a greater effect on society than most people think. These effects range from structural damages to economic impacts and fatalities. An earthquake only lasts for a few seconds and the aftershocks may continue for days, but the damage does continue for years. Residential site safety and earthquake damage assessment studies play a crucial role in developing reliable rehabilitation and development programs, improving preparedness and mitigating losses in urbanized areas. The extremely densely populated metropolis of Tehran, which totals of 7,768,561 for 22 districts (according to the 2006 population census), coupled with the fragility of houses and infrastructure, highlight the necessity of a reliable earthquake damage assessment based on essential datasets, such as building resistance attributes, building population, soil structures, streets network and hazardous facilities. This paper presents a GIS-based model for earthquake loss estimation for a district in Tehran, Iran. Damages to buildings were calculated only for the ground shaking effect of one of the region's most active faults, the Mosha Fault in a likely earthquake scenario. Earthquake intensity for each building location was estimated based on attenuation relation and the ratio of damage was obtained from customized fragility curves. Human casualties and street blockages caused by collapsed buildings were taken into account in this study, as well. Finally, accessibility verification found locations without clear passages for temporary settlements by buildings via open streets. The model was validated using the 2003 Bam earthquake damages. The proposed model enables the decision-makers to make more reliable decisions based on various spatial datasets before and after an earthquake occurs. The results of the earthquake application showed total losses as follows: structural damages reaching 64% of the building stock, a death rate of 33% of all the residents, a severe injury rate reaching 27% of the population and street closures upwards of 22% due to building collapse.