Seismic collapse analysis of reinforced concrete framed structures using the finite element method

A new finite element code using the Adaptively Shifted Integration (ASI) technique with a linear Timoshenko beam element is applied to the seismic collapse analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures. This technique can express member fracture as a plastic hinge located at either end of an element with simultaneous release of the resultant forces in the element. Contact between members is also considered in order to obtain results that agree more closely with actual behavior, such as intermediate‐layer failure. By using the proposed code, sufficiently reliable solutions have been obtained, and the results reveal that this code can be used in the numerical estimation of the seismic design of RC framed structures. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Cenozoic volcanic activity in the Chugoku area, southwest Japan arc during back-arc basin opening and reinitiation of subduction

Abstract Temporal–spatial variations in Late Cenozoic volcanic activity in the Chugoku area, southwest Japan, have been examined based on 108 newly obtained K–Ar ages. Lava samples were collected from eight Quaternary volcanic provinces (Daisen, Hiruzen, Yokota, Daikonjima, Sambe, Ooe–Takayama, Abu and Oki) and a Tertiary volcanic cluster (Kibi Province) to cover almost all geological units in the province. Including published age data, a total of 442 Cenozoic radiometric ages are now available. Across‐arc volcanic activity in an area approximately 500 km long and 150 km wide can be examined over 26 million years. The period corresponds to syn‐ and post‐back‐arc basin opening stages of the island arc. Volcanic activity began in the central part of the rear‐arc ca 26 Ma. This was followed by arc‐wide expansion at 20 Ma by eruption at two rear‐arc centers located at the eastern and western ends. Expansion to the fore‐arc occurred between 20 and 12 Ma. This Tertiary volcanic arc was maintained until 4 Ma with predominant alkali basalt centers. The foremost‐arc zone activity ceased at 4 Ma, followed by quiescence over the whole arc between 4 and 3 Ma. Volcanic activity resumed at 3 Ma, covering the entire rear‐arc area, and continued until the present to form a Quaternary volcanic arc. Adakitic dacite first occurred at 1.7 Ma in the middle of the arc, and spread out in the center part of the Quaternary volcanic arc. Alkali basalt activities ceased in the area where adakite volcanism occurred. Fore‐arc expansion of the volcanic arc could be related to the upwelling and expansion of the asthenosphere, which caused opening of the Japan Sea. Narrowing of the volcanic zone could have been caused by progressive Philippine Sea Plate subduction. Deeper penetration could have caused melting of the slab and resulted in adakites. Volcanic history in the Late Cenozoic was probably controlled by the history of evolution of the upper mantle structure, coinciding with back‐arc basin opening and subsequent reinitiation of subduction.     

Existence of eddies at crossroad of the Indonesian seas

An eddy-resolving Indo-Pacific ocean circulation model was applied to highlight the behavior of eddies throughout the Indonesian seas. The complexity of the topography and coastline at the entrance of the Makassar Strait induce an eddy-type throughflow, instead of a straightforward flow. A sill and a narrow passage in the Makassar strait creates a barrier and impedes the continuation of eddies from the Pacific ocean, but the existence of a steep deep basin (>500 m depth) between the Java and Flores seas indicates a possible area for eddies. Based on our numerical results, we described the presence of a unique eddy structure north of Lombok Island, which we designated the “Lombok Eddy” and verified it by performing a drifter release field experiment and reviewing monthly mean climatology data from the World Ocean Atlas 2001 and XBT PX2 track data. NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, satellite observation data, and mixed layer depth analysis were also used to confirm these processes. By analyzing numerical simulation results and available temperature datasets, two additional eddies were found. All eddies form primarily due to eastward local winds correlated with seasonal monsoon winds during the austral summer. These eddies vary synchronously at an interannual time scale. Together, they are referred to as the Lombok Eddy Train (LET), which affects the surface layer down to a depth of 60 m, and the intensity of the eddy system is strongly affected by mixed layer depth variability from December to February.     

Dynamics and hotspots of soil erosion and management scenarios of the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Most of the lowland in the central rift valley of Ethiopia is arid or semiarid and in degradation,with frequent occurrence of droughts.Soil erosion by water during the rainy season is a serious problem...     

Effects of high CO2 seawater on the copepod (Acartia tsuensis) through all life stages and subsequent generations

We studied the effects of exposure to seawater equilibrated with CO(2)-enriched air (CO(2) 2380 ppm) from eggs to maturity and over two subsequent generations on the copepod Acartia tsuensis. Compared to the control (CO(2) 380 ppm), high CO(2) exposure through all life stages of the 1st generation copepods did not significantly affect survival, body size or developmental speed. Egg production and hatching rates were also not significantly different between the initial generation of females exposed to high CO(2) and the 1st and 2nd generation females developed from eggs to maturity in high CO(2). Thus, the copepods appear more tolerant to increased CO(2) than other marine organisms previously investigated for CO(2) tolerance (i.e., sea urchins and bivalves). However, the crucial importance of copepods in marine ecosystems requires thorough evaluation of the overall impacts of marine environmental changes predicted to occur with increased CO(2) concentrations, i.e., increased temperature, enhanced UV irradiation, and changes in the community structure and nutritional value of phytoplankton.     

Phytoplankton community structure in Otsuchi Bay,northeastern Japan,after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami

The tsunami caused by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake seriously damaged the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. In addition to its direct disturbance, a tsunami can indirectly affect coastal pelagic ecosystems via topographical and environmental changes. We investigated seasonal changes in the phytoplankton community structure in Otsuchi Bay, northeastern Japan, from May 2011, which was 2 months after the tsunami, to May 2013. The phytoplankton species composition in May 2011 was similar to that observed in May 2012 and 2013. The present results are consistent with the dominant species and water-mass indicator species of phytoplankton in past records. These results suggest that there was no serious effect of the tsunami on the phytoplankton community in Otsuchi Bay. Community analysis revealed that two distinct seasonal communities appeared in each year of the study period. The spring–summer community was characterized by warm-water Chaetoceros species, and dinoflagellates appeared from May to September. The fall–winter community was characterized by cold neritic diatoms, which appeared from November to March. The succession from the spring–summer community to the fall–winter community took place within a particular water mass, and the fall–winter community appeared in both the surface water and the Oyashio water mass, suggesting that water-mass exchange is not the only factor that determines the phytoplankton community structure in Otsuchi Bay.     

Gravitational wave background from neutrino-driven gamma-ray bursts

We study cosmic microwave background (CMB) secondary anisotropies produced by inhomogeneous reionization by means of cosmological simulations coupled with the radiative transfer code crash . The reionization history is consistent with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Thomson optical depth determination. We find that the signal arising from this process dominates over the primary CMB component for   l ≳ 4000  and reaches a maximum amplitude of   l ( l + 1) C_l /2π≃ 1.6 × 10⁻¹³  on arcmin scales (i.e. l as large as several thousands). We then cross-correlate secondary CMB anisotropy maps with neutral hydrogen 21-cm line emission fluctuations obtained from the same simulations. The two signals are highly anticorrelated on angular scales corresponding to the typical size of H  ii regions (including overlapping) at the 21-cm map redshift. We show how the CMB/21-cm cross-correlation can be used: (i) to study the nature of the reionization sources; (ii) to reconstruct the cosmic reionization history; (iii) to infer the mean cosmic ionization level at any redshift. We discuss the feasibility of the proposed experiment with forthcoming facilities.     

Re-connexion of magnetic lines of force: Evolution in incompressible MHD fluids

Time-dependent incompressible MHD solutions in two dimensions are obtained numerically to study the evolutionary process involving a re-connexion of magnetic lines of force. Given an initial antiparallel magnetic field, or a current sheet, to which there is an injection of fluid in a transverse direction, we seek to see how the process of re-connexion builds up. In this numerical experiment, special considerations are given to the confirmation of reconnexion, the formation of X-type magnetic field, the speed of growth, conditions that control the evolution, acceleration of particles, the structure of the diffusion region and so forth. The findings are: magnetic lines of force can re-connect and grow to the X-type configuration in fluids of any finitely large hydromagnetic and hydrodynamic Reynolds numbers; the conditions local to the neutral point are less important than the boundary conditions that set up global flow patterns; acceleration of fluid in bulk only concerns whether the X-type configuration grows to the comparably large extent or not; the electric field at the neutral point due to the rapidly changing magnetic field is less efficient in accelerating charged particles.     

Variable microstructure of peridotite samples from the southern Mariana Trench: Evidence of a complex tectonic evolution

We retrieved samples of peridotite from a dredge haul (KH92-1-D2) collected during Cruise KH92-1 undertaken by the research vessel (R/V) Hakuho in 1992 at the landward trench slope of the southern Mariana Trench (11°41.16′N, 143°29.62′E; depth 6594–7431 m), which is the deepest ocean in the world. Ten of 30 retrieved samples possessed both a foliation and lineation, as assessed from 46 thin sections of various orientations and observations of hand samples. The samples showed marked variation in microstructure, ranging from coarse (> 5 mm) equigranular and intensely elongated textures to finer (< 1 mm) porphyroclastic and fine-grained equigranular textures. Olivine fabrics also varied among the different samples, with (010)[100] and (010)[001] patterns (termed A- and B-type, respectively) observed in samples with coarse textures and no clear patterns observed in samples with fine textures. Even though the peridotite samples were retrieved from a single dredge site, some contain primary tectonic microstructures and some contain secondary microstructures. Recent bathymetric and topographic analyses indicate that the lithosphere in this region is as thin as 20 km. Such a thin lithosphere may have been intensely deformed, even perhaps in the ductile regime, during fore-arc extension; consequently, the observed variations in microstructure within the peridotite samples probably reflect the complex tectonic evolution of the southern Mariana region.