Assessment of changes in urban green spaces of Mashad city using satellite data

Green spaces play important functions in urban environments. Reducing air pollution, providing shade and habitat for arboreal birds, producing oxygen, providing shelter against winds, recreational and aesthetic qualities and architectural applications are the main functions of urban green spaces. With the rapid change of urban area in Mashad city during the past decades, green spaces have been fragmented and dispersed causing impairment and dysfunction of these important urban elements. The objective of this study was to detect changes in extent and pattern of green areas of Mashad city and to analyze the results in terms of landscape ecology principles and functioning of the green spaces. In this research, we classified a Landsat TM and an IRS LISS-III image belonging to the years 1987 and 2006, respectively. We then used a post-classification comparison to determine the changes in green space areas of Mashad city during the 19 years covered by the images. Then, we applied landscape ecology calculations to derive metrics that quantified pattern of the changes in the green areas. The results showed that during 19 years from 1987, a significant decrease had occurred in the extent of urban green spaces with a concomitant fragmentation resulting in downgrading and destruction of the functions and services these areas provide. We conclude that the general quality of life in the central parts of the city has been diminished. We also state that a combination of remote sensing image classification, landscape metrics assessment and vegetation indices can provide a tool for assessing life quality and its trend for urban areas.     

Optimizing 3-D seismic survey design parameters using genetic algorithm—a case study in southwest of Iran

The crucial advantages of a 3-D seismic survey are the proper migration of the reflection points and the more accurate study on the structural and stratigraphic targets, reservoir characterization, and joint study. In this article we will focus on Pardis Project in southwest of Iran where no 3-D seismic survey has ever been carried out. The local geological information, previous 2-D seismic, VSP data, and interval velocity information obtained from check shots were taken into consideration to determine the requirements of the survey. The objective is to adequately sample the primary and secondary targets at the depth of 1,200 and 5,000 m, respectively. On the base of the logic dominating a genetic algorithm, the best operational layout was offered to satisfy the geophysical requirements looking forward to satisfy financial constraints. Using Genetic Algorithm Toolbox in MATLAB, we could formulate a mathematical constrained optimization problem. Applying this technique we derived nominal designs which are needed to be evaluated to make sure how well they could image the targets.     

Integrable models of galactic discs with double nuclei

We introduce a new class of 2D mass models, whose potentials are of Stäckel form in elliptic coordinates. Our model galaxies have two separate strong cusps that form double nuclei. The potential and surface density distributions are locally axisymmetric near the nuclei and become highly non-axisymmetric outside the nucleus. The surface density diverges toward the cuspy nuclei with the law     Our model is sustained by four general types of regular orbits: butterfly , nucleophilic banana , horseshoe and aligned loop orbits. Horseshoes and nucleophilic bananas support the existence of cuspy regions. Butterflies and aligned loops control the non-axisymmetric shape of outer regions. Without any need for central black holes, our distributed mass models resemble the nuclei of M31 and NGC 4486B. It is also shown that the self-gravity of the stellar disc can prevent the double nucleus to collapse.     

The Use of Polyphenolic Compounds from Black Tea for the Solid Phase Extraction and Determination of Trace Iron in Drinking Water

A simple and selective solid phase extraction procedure for the trace analysis of iron(III) in water samples has been developed. Sodium dodecyl sulfate coated alumina, modified with polyphenolic compounds (extracted from black tea) was used for the extraction and preconcentration of iron(III) from water samples before determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Due to the complexation reaction between iron(III) and polyphenol compounds, iron(III) was quantitatively extracted on the proposed sorbent and then eluted by 2.0 mL of HCl (1.0 mol/L). The effects of extraction parameters, such as pH and volume of sample solution, amount of polyphenolic compounds, type of eluting agent and the effect of interfering ions on the extraction of iron(III), were investigated. It was found that the proposed method had a good linear range (15.0–100.0 μg/L) and a low detection limit (10.0 μg/L). The procedure was successfully applied for iron determination in drinking water samples.     

Effect of foliation orientation on the P- and S-wave velocity anisotropies and dynamic elastic constants of the quartz-micaschists metamorphic rocks,Angouran mine,Iran

Laboratory measurements are required to study geophysical properties of the subsurface because of lacking direct observation of Earth’s crust. In this research, compressional (P) and shear (S) wave velocity measurements have been conducted on cylindrical specimens of Quartz-micaschist cored using rock blocks taken from the zinc and lead Angouran mine, Zanjan, northwest of Iran. Cylindrical rock specimens were prepared from the blocks by coring in 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° into the foliation direction. P- and S-wave velocities were measured along the cylindrical specimens with different foliation orientations. Percent variations of the P- and S-wave velocities (Thomsen’s anisotropic parameters ε and γ) and constant dynamic modulus of test results have been determined. Percent variations of the P-wave velocity (ε) increase with an increase of the foliation angle with respect to the propagating waves direction by a parabolic function as it shows P-wave velocity differences up to a maximum value of 50 %. Thomsen’s anisotropic parameter of γ has also the same function with the foliation angle. Meanwhile, foliation orientation has a much greater influence on ε than γ for foliation angle from 45° to 90° as \( \frac{\varepsilon }{\gamma } \) ratio increases with an increase of foliation angle. Values of dynamic elastic modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (ν), shear modulus (μ), bulk modulus (K), and Lamé’s constant (λ) increase with the increase of foliation angle with the parabolic function. The results show that dynamic elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, shear modulus, bulk modulus, and Lamé’s constant have anisotropic behavior in relation with the foliation orientation.     

Development of a New Empirical Relation to Assess P-wave Velocity Anisotropy of Rocks

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Several physical parameters and anisotropy related to rock textural arrangements, schistosity and weakness planes such as cracks and joints affect the...     

Practical seismic resilience evaluation and crisis management planning through GIS-based vulnerability assessment of buildings

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how assessment of seismic vulnerability can be effective in protection against earthquakes.Findings are reported from a case study in a densely populated urban area near an active fault,utilizing practical methods and exact engineering data.Vulnerability factors were determined due to technical considerations,and a field campaign was performed to collect the required data.Multi-criteria decision making was carried out by means of an analytical hierarchy process including a fuzzy standardization.Earthquake scenarios were applied through an implicit vulnerability model.GIS was utilized and the results were analyzed by classifying the state of vulnerability in levels as very low,low,moderate,high,and very high.Seismic resilience was evaluated as vulnerabilities below the moderate state,being about 40% in an intensity of 6 Mercalli and less than 10% in 10 Mercalli.It is concluded that seismic resilience in the area studied is not acceptable,the area is vulnerable in the expected scenarios,and due to the high seismicity of the region,proper crisis management planning is required in parallel with attempts toward retrofitting.In this regard,an emergency map was developed with reference to the assessed vulnerabilities.     

Control of disinfection by products formation potential by enhanced coagulation

Jar-test experiments were conducted to study enhanced coagulation effectiveness in removal of disinfection by products (DBPs) from Zayandehrud River at Isfahan Province-the center part of Iran-in 2004. In this study, the removal of suspended and colloidal particles and natural organic matter (NOM) at various coagulant doses and coagulation pHs was assessed through raw and treated water measurements of turbidity, UV₂₅₄ absorbance, TOC, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) was also determined by a mathematical relationship with TOC. Results indicated that NOM removal was a function of coagulant type, coagulant dose, and pH of coagulation. In general, TOC, DOC, and UV₂₅₄ absorbance removal enhanced with increasing coagulant dose. However, further increases in coagulant dosage had little effect on disinfection by-products precursors removal. Ferric chloride was consistently more effective than alum in removing NOM. Coagulation pH was appeared to be a determining factor for maximum NOM removal and the removal of DBPs precursors by enhanced coagulation was significantly enhanced at pH 5.5 in comparison with initial pH of water. Furthermore, it is specified that preadjustment of pH with sulfuric acid reduced the coagulant dosage and thus, production of sludge. The reduction in THMFP was consistent with the trends observed for DBPs precursors removal data (i.e. UV₂₅₄ and TOC data).     

Modeling of the Shale Volume in the Hendijan Oil Field Using Seismic Attributes and Artificial Neural Networks

Petrophysical properties have played an important and definitive role in the study of oil and gas reservoirs, necessitating that diverse kinds of information are used to infer these properties. In this study, the seismic data related to the Hendijan oil field were utilised, along with the available logs of 7 wells of this field, in order to use the extracted relationships between seismic attributes and the values of the shale volume in the wells to estimate the shale volume in wells intervals. After the overall survey of data, a seismic line was selected and seismic inversion methods (model-based, band limited and sparse spike inversion) were applied to it. Amongst all of these techniques, the model-based method presented the better results. By using seismic attributes and artificial neural networks, the shale volume was then estimated using three types of neural networks, namely the probabilistic neural network (PNN), multi-layer feed-forward network (MLFN) and radial basic function network (RBFN).