Optimization for performance-based design under seismic demands,including social costs

Performance-based design in earthquake engineering is a structural optimization problem that has, as the objective, the determination of design parameters for the minimization of total costs, while at the same time satisfying minimum reliability levels for the specifi ed performance criteria. Total costs include those for construction and structural damage repairs, those associated with non-structural components and the social costs of economic losses, injuries and fatalities. This paper presents a general framework to approach this problem, using a numerical optimization strategy and incorporating the use of neural networks for the evaluation of dynamic responses and the reliability levels achieved for a given set of design parameters. The strategy is applied to an example of a three-story offi ce building. The results show the importance of considering the social costs, and the optimum failure probabilities when minimum reliability constraints are not taken into account.     

A mixed continuous and discrete nonlinear constrained algorithm for optimizing ship hull structural design

A nonlinear search algorithm for optimizing constrained design of ship structures is presented. The decision variables can be continuous or discrete and the constraints can be homogeneous or inequality nonlinear functions of those variables. The algorithm does not use gradients; therefore, it can work with non-systematized functions such as tables or another class of design routine. It was tested in the structural design of a Patrol Boat and has proved to be a powerful tool decreasing the time expended in preliminary design when it is done by the conventional spiral approach.     

The oxidation of S(IV) during riming by cloud droplets

Experiments have been performed to investigate whether the process of freezing during riming in clouds may induce oxidation of dissolved SO₂ to SO ₄ ^2– . The experiments were conducted in a cold room at varying temperatures between –6 and –15 °C. Solutions containing dissolved SO₂ and NH₄OH in various proportions, in the range of concentrations between 3×10^–5 and 10^–3 M, were sprayed. Rime was collected on a rotating cylinder and analyzed. Absorption of oxygen from laboratory air was prevented, except in the spray, to avoid spurious oxidation. Blank experiments were made at +3 to +6 °C. The results indicate clearly that, as the dominant cation becomes NH ₄ ⁺ rather than H⁺, substantial oxidation of S(IV) occurs during riming. This is consistent with redox reactions taking place as a result of charge separation at the ice-water interface during freezing.     

First Late Triassic Record of a Paleoentomofauna from South America(Malargüe Basin,Mendoza Province,Argentina)

<正>Late Middle Triassic to early Late Triassic insects from Argentina have been previously described from the Bermejo and Cuyana Basins where they have been recovered from the Ischichuca-Los Rastros and Potrerillos-Cacheuta Formations,respectively.The insect fauna discussed herein was collected during field studies in 1986/1987 from the Llantenes section(Norian to Rhaetian? Late Triassic),which is situated in the Malargue Basin in southern Mendoza province.The insect remains were found in the upper part of the Llantenes section (Llantenes Formation),which is built up of two coarsening-upwards cycles reflecting a deltaic progradation of a fluvial into a lacustrine environment(lower part),succeeded by repeated progradations into a floodplain-dominated environment(upper part;with finds of insects,conchostracans,fish remains,plant fragments,and drifted logs).The new finds represent the youngest Triassic insect records described from Argentina and even from South America in its entirety.There is only one contemporaneous fossil assemblage in Gondwana:in the Clarence/Moreton Basin(Aberdare Conglomerate;Late Norian)in Australia.The new Triassic insects include an impression of an isolated Mecopterida-like wing(Mendozachorista volkheimeri gen.et sp.nov.; Mendozachoristidae fam.nov.),coleopteran elytra of the Permosynidae(Ademosyne rosenfeldi sp.nov.and Ademosyne llantenesensis sp.nov.)and other isolated body fragments.This new Late Triassic entomofauna from Argentina is of considerable importance in the reconstruction of the biotic recovery of continental environments in Gondwana after the catastrophic mass extinction at the P/T boundary.     

Nutrients and Abiotic Stress Interact to Control Ergot Plant Disease in a SW Atlantic Salt Marsh

Over the last decades, human activities have strongly affected ecosystems, with pervasive increases in nutrient loadings, abiotic stress, and altered herbivore pressure. The evaluation of how those environmental factors interact to influence plant–pathogen interactions under natural conditions becomes essential to fully understand the ecology of diseases and anticipate the possible effects of global change on natural and agricultural systems. In a SW Atlantic salt marsh, we performed a field factorial experiment to evaluate the effect of herbivory, salinity, and nutrient availability, three main limiting factors for salt marsh plant growth, on the infection of the fungus Claviceps purpurea (ergot) upon the cordgrass Spartina densiflora. Results show that herbivory has no effect but both nutrients and salinity increase fungal infection. The combined effect of salinity and nutrients is not additive but interactive. Salinity stress increases infection at ambient nutrient levels but in combination with fertilizer it buffers the higher infection produced by increased nutrient availability. Since both, nitrogen availability and salinity are factors predicted to globally increase due to human impact on ecosystems, this interaction between environmental factors and ergot infection can have strong effects on natural and productive agricultural systems.     

Enhancement of the benthic communities around an isolated island in the Antarctic Ocean

Insular marine biotas are often richer in faunal diversity than those from the open sea in the same geographical region. The existence of particular island effects were tested under polar conditions by comparing infaunal benthic assemblages on Peter I Island with those of similar latitudes in the open ocean at the Bellingshausen Sea and also from the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Sampling was carried out aboard the R/V Hespérides during the expedition named BENTART-2003 from 24 January to 3 March 2003. Benthic samples were collected at 18 stations ranging from 90 to 2 044 m depth, using an USNEL-type box corer (BC) dredge. Representatives of 32 higher taxa of invertebrates were found. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed various patterns in the data. First, significant differences in polychaete abundance were detected between the stations located in the open sea and the remaining sites (island plus mainland sites). Bivalve abundances were also distinct between island and mainland sampling sites. Sediment columns taken from the island seafloor exhibited the highest rate of bioturbation by the infauna. These findings confirm the model that islands develop distinct assemblages characterized by the enhancement of the benthic communities even in cold waters. Several abiotic factors were measured simultaneously at the seafloor and along the water column to investigate faunal distribution patterns. Significant correlations were found between the benthic assemblages and a combination of two environmental variables: "island effect" (measured as a categorical variable) and the redox state of sediments. Richer and more complex benthic assemblages were found in Peter I Island’s sea bottom, whereas the more depauperate bottoms remained in the open sea.     

Limnological studies of Amarga Lagoon,Chile: A saline lake in Patagonian South America

Amarga Lagoon, lat. 50°29 S and long. 73°45 S, it is located at the Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. The physical, chemical, and biological features of the lake were studied. According to salinity, the lake is mesosaline. Sodium and chloride were the dominant ions. Nitrogen was potentially limiting for phytoplankton growth. One Cyanophyceae species andArtemia were the predominant species in the plankton.Artemia provided abundant food for flamingoes.     

Effects of organic carbon consumption on denitrifier community composition and diversity along dissolved oxygen vertical profiles in lake sediment surface

At present, the understanding of the dynamics of denitrifiers at different dissolved oxygen (DO) layers under organic carbon consumption within the surface sediments remains inadequate. In this study, high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR targeting nirS gene were used to analyze the denitrifier abundance dynamics, community composition, and structure for aerobic (DO 0.5–6.9 mg/L), hypoxic-anoxic (DO 0–0.5 mg/L), and anoxic (DO 0 mg/L) layers in surface sediments under organic carbon consumption. Based on the analysis of nirS gene abundance, the values of denitrifying bacteria decreased with organic carbon consumption at different DO layers. When the bacterial species abundance at the genus level were compared between the high-carbon and low-carbon sediments, there was significant increase in 6 out of 36, 7 out of 36 and 6 out of 36 genera respectively for the aerobic, hypoxic-anoxic and anoxic layers. On the other hand, 14 out of 36, 9 out of 36 and 15 out of 36 genera showed significant decrease in bacterial species abundance respectively for the aerobic, hypoxic-anoxic and anoxic layers. Additionally, 14 out of 36, 20 out of 36, and 15 out of 36 genera had no change in bacterial species abundance respectively for the aerobic, hypoxic-anoxic, and anoxic layers. This indicates that the carbon utilization ability of different denitrifiers on each DO layers was generally different from each other. Diversity of denitrifying bacteria also presented significant differences in different DO layers between the high- and low-carbon content sediment layers. Moreover, under the high-carbon and low-carbon content, the abundance of nirS gene showed a high peak within the hypoxic-anoxic regions, suggesting that this region might be the main distribution area for the denitrifying bacteria within the surface sediments. Furthermore, community of unique denitrifiers occurred in different DO layers and the adaptive changes of the denitrifier community followed the organic carbon consumption.     

Applications of an orbiting gravity gradiometer

Considering present attempts to develop a gradiometer with an accuracy between 10⁻³ E and 10⁻⁴ E, two applications for such a device have been studied: (a) mapping the gravitational field of the Earth, and (b) estimating the geocentric distance of a satellite carrying the instrument. Given a certain power spectrum for the signal and 10⁻⁴ E (rms) of white measurement noise, the results of an error analysis indicate that a six-month mission in polar orbit at a height of 200 km, with samples taken every three seconds, should provide data for estimating the spherical harmonic potential coefficients up to degree and order 300 with less than 50% error, and improve the coefficients through degree 30 by up to four orders of magnitude compared to existing models. A simulation study based on numerical orbit integrations suggests that a simple adjustment of the initial conditions based on gradiometer data could produce orbits where the geocentric distance is accurate to 10 cm or better, provided the orbits are 2000 km high and some improvement in the gravity field up to degree 30 is first achieved. In this sense, the gravity-mapping capability of the gradiometer complements its use in orbit refinement. This idea can be of use in determining orbits for satellite altimetry. Furthermore, by tracking the gradiometer-carrying spacecraft when it passes nearly above a terrestrial station, the geocentric distance of this station can also be estimated to about one decimeter accuracy. This principle could be used in combination with VLBI and other modern methods to set up a world-wide 3-D network of high accuracy.     

Marine ecosystem-based management in the Southern Cone of South America: Stakeholder perceptions and lessons for implementation

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has recently received considerable attention. However, examples of empirical approaches to marine EBM are scarce. Therefore, empirical information on the presence of EBM elements within existing policies and the way they may provide settings and lessons for EBM implementation is timely. This study analyses stakeholders’ perceptions on the existence of EBM principles in current marine management practices and policies, and how they determine perceptions for success and satisfaction regarding coastal management within selected case studies drawn from four developing countries in the Southern Cone of South America. Patterns of response across study sites show that although EBM principles as such are not explicitly included in management/conservation plans, there are policies (mainly local), which generate conditions for more explicit inclusion of them. These are based on participatory bottom-up planning, place-based management and consensus reaching: all elements included within the theoretical literature on EBM implementation.