Landfill site selection using combination of fuzzy logic and multi-attribute decision-making approach

During the last decades, growth of urbanization and industrialization led to an increase in solid waste generation. Landfilling is the most prevalent ultimate disposal method for the municipal solid wastes in developing countries. The rapid municipal solid waste generation in Markazi province (central part of Iran) causes the need for precision in finding a suitable landfill site selection. In the present study, 12 factors (environmental and socioeconomic factors) have been applied to select the landfill site in Markazi province, Iran. The different methods including the analytic network process (ANP) combined with fuzzy linguistic quantifier, ordered weighted average (OWA), and weighted linear combination (WLC) approach in geographic information system was applied to find an appropriate landfill site. The OWA operator function permits the evaluation of the wide spectrum of consequences (with different scenario) obtained from different management strategies. Results revealed that integration of fuzzy logic, ANP, and OWA provides flexible and better ideas compared to the Boolean logic and WLC to select a suitable landfill site.     

Diagnostic of a Solar Flare via Analyses of Emission in Spectral Lines of Highly Ionized Iron

An analysis of the dynamics of the electron temperature of the solar atmosphere in regions where solar flares appear is presented. The temperatures are estimated from the emission in spectral lines of ions with various degrees of ionization. The emission of ionized helium and highly ionized iron was used. Images of preflare states and of flares from the archive of the American SDO spacecraft are analyzed. A solar flare is usually preceded by the registration of a bright glowing structure above the action region, with a temperature exceeding that of the corona. This preflare structure (~10¹⁰ cm) is identified with the development of a system of currents, which, according to numerical simulations, is responsible for the accumulation of energy above the active region before the flare. After several tens of hours of a slow increase in the brightness of the preflare glow in the 94 Å iron (FeXVIII) line, the emission in the 193 Å line of FeXXIV increases sharply, indicating a flare-like growth of the temperature up to at least 20 MK. This growth of the emission coincides with the onset of the solar flare. The observed dynamics of the emission in spectral lines of highly ionized ions is consistent with an electrodynamic model of a solar flare based on the accumulation of magnetic energy in a current sheet above the active region and the explosive release of the stored energy. Studies of mechanisms for solar flares are of special importance in connection with the discovery of solar cosmic rays. Information from the worldwide network of neutron monitors and from the GOES spacecraft has made it possible to firmly state that the source of solar rays is solar flares, not shocks generated by such flares. It cannot be ruled out that a similar mechanism, not shocks, is also responsible for the acceleration of cosmic rays in the Galaxy.     

Element zoning trends in olivine phenocrysts from a supposed primary high-magnesian andesite: an electron- and ion-microprobe study

Electron and ion-probe microanalysis have been used to obtain zoning profiles for major and trace elements in olivine phenocrysts from a high-magnesian andesite from Shodo-Shima island, southwest Japan. This rock was previously thought to represent undifferentiated, primary magma. Some crystals have unzoned cores, while others show cores which are reversely zoned with respect to Mg/ (Mg+Fe), Ni, Mn and Cr. In addition, some Ni profiles show a normally zoned hump at the most central portions of the reversely zoned crystals. All crystals show normally zoned rims. The Li concentrations are constant throughout the cores of all crystals studied, but rise sharply, by a factor of up to at least six, in the rims. The Ca and Co concentrations are essentially constant throughout all the crystals. Mechanisms for producing the observed zoning profiles are discussed, and it is concluded that the reverse zoning was produced by the introduction of crystals into a less differentiated magma than that in which they grew. The reversely zoned crystals could therefore represent xenocrysts which were introduced into an undifferentiated magma, or phenocrysts introduced into a more primitive magma by a magma mixing process. The Ni profiles are used to estimate the residence time of these crystals in the more primitive magma. The following trace element partition co-efficients have been estimated for the olivine-groundmass system in this rock: D ^Ni=16; D ^Mn=1.1; D ^Co=4.2; D ^Ca =0.02; D ^Ti=0.005; D ^V=0.05; D ^Sc=0.2; D ^Na=0.0002. Studies of trace element zoning will become increasingly important as the new generation of trace element microprobes become available but a larger database of experimentally determined values for trace element partition coefficients and diffusion coefficients in crystals and magmas, and a better understanding of other disequilibrium processes are required to fully exploit the new data.     

Date of minimum of the “protracted” solar cycle 23

We offer an interpretation of the now widely discussed protracted onset of the epoch of solar activity minimum after cycle 23. The interpretation appeals to the Gnevyshev-Ohl rule, but in the context of a new statistical quantity-the product of the cycle amplitude by its duration. Considering this quantity, which has the same physical meaning as that of the integrated characteristic used by Gnevyshev and Ohl, yields a probable estimate for the onset of the minimum of the current cycle in the interval 2009.0–2012.4.     

Land Cover Change Characteristics of North-South Transect in Northeast Asia from 2001 to 2012

Northeast Asia is an area with relative concentrations of resources, a complex ecological environment pattern, and a marked human-land contrast relationship. This area has significance for analyzing land cover patterns and variations for regional sustainable development among the trans-boundary areas of China, Russia, and Mongolia. In this paper, the transect analysis research tool and transfer matrix method are used to capture the regional land cover change characteristics by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) datasets recorded from 2001 to 2012.The spatial distribution results show that forests have increased dramatically, cropland increased marginally, and grassland and shrubs decreased totally. The inter-annual variation, results show a steady and slowly increasing trend for grassland and shrubs, dramatic fluctuation features with an increasing trend for forest land, and zigzag wave changing characteristic for cropland. The total land use dynamic degree (TLUDD)was steady, with an overall slightly increasing trend.     

Evaluation of CBM reservoir fracture characteristics by azimuthal AVA inversion

Exploitation of coalbed methane (CBM) is directly affected by the strike and density of fractures, particularly because fractures can act as conduits for water and gas (after desorption). To realize the azimuthal amplitude versus angle (AVA) inversion for a CBM reservoir, we treated reservoirs whose fractures are aligned vertically as being equivalent to a horizontal transverse isotropic medium and simplified the P-P wave reflection coefficient formula to an approximately linear equation. Then, we adopted a modified damping least squares algorithm to solve the azimuthal AVA inversion problem. With edited macro-bins, corrected residual moveout, and normalized amplitude, the azimuthal gathers exhibited unambiguous azimuthal AVA characteristics. The #3 CBM reservoir in the Qinshui Basin was selected for a case study. The density and strike of the reservoir fractures were obtained and analyzed, and the reservoir was divided into three classes according to fracture density. Finally, in comparison with the gas production data, we confirmed that the inversion results and reservoir classification were both reasonable and credible.     

Relativistic reference frames including time scales: Questions and answers

The subject of relativistic reference frames in astronomy is discussed with respect to the problems and needs of the various user groups. For didactical reasons the discussion is presented in form of a sequence of questions and answers.     

Acute Toxicity of Sodium Nitrite on Channa punctatus (BLOCH) and Mystus (Mystus) vittatus (BLOCH)

This paper deals with the toxicity of sodium nitrite to freshwater fishes, Channa punctatus (BL.) and Mystus (M). vittatus (Bl.) as to determine the acute toxicity. The LC 50 values were obtained by using a static bioassay method for a period of 24, 48, 72 and 96 hour intervals. The LC 50 values of sodium nitrite for C. punctatus were 375, 325, 250 and 200 ppm and for M. (M). vittatus 164, 140, 90 and 64 ppm, respectively. A profuse mucus secretion was evident at higher concentrations as compared to lower ones. The probable causes of mortality of the fishes are also discussed.