210Po and 210Pb variations in fish species from the Aegean Sea and the contribution of 210Po to the radiation dose

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the significance of natural radionuclides, particularly (210)Po, in the marine environment. (210)Po, a naturally occurring alpha emitter, accumulates in marine organisms and reflects differences in their diets. In the literature, there is no data for (210)Po and (210)Pb activity concentrations for fish species on the Turkish coast of Aegean Sea. Therefore, in this study, multiple fish species were collected from six stations seasonally on the Turkish coast of Aegean Sea and were analyzed for their (210)Po and (210)Pb content. The (210)Po and (210)Pb concentrations in the fish samples were found to vary from undetectable levels to 499 ± 44 Bq kg(-1) dry weight (dw) and from 1.0 ± 0.3 Bq kg(-1) to 35 ± 4.0 Bq kg(-1) (dw), respectively. There were no significant differences in the activity concentrations of (210)Po and (210)Pb in fish samples between seasons (ANOVA, P>0.05). The highest dose contribution of (210)Po to humans was calculated to be 10,530 μSv year(-1).     

A regularized fiber element model for reinforced concrete shear walls

Reinforced concrete shear walls are used because they provide high lateral stiffness and resistance to extreme seismic loads. However, with the increase in building height, these walls have become slenderer and hence responsible of carrying larger axial and shear loads. Because 2D/3D finite element inelastic models for walls are still complex and computationally demanding, simplified but accurate and efficient fiber element models are necessary to quickly assess the expected seismic performance of these buildings. A classic fiber element model is modified herein to produce objective results under particular loading conditions of the walls, that is, high axial loads, low axial loads, and nearly constant bending moment. To make it more widely applicable, a shear model based on the modified compression field theory was added to this fiber element. Consequently, this paper shows the formulation of the proposed element and its validation with different experimental results of cyclic tests reported in the literature. It was found that in order to get objective responses in the element, the regularization techniques based on fracture energy had to be modified, and nonlinearities because of buckling and fracture of steel bars, concrete crushing, and strain penetration effects were needed to replicate the experimental cyclic behavior. Thus, even under the assumption of plane sections, which makes the element simple and computationally efficient, the proposed element was able to reproduce the experimental data, and therefore, it can be used to estimate the seismic performance of walls in reinforced concrete buildings. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The water and trace element contents of melt inclusions across an active subduction zone

Water concentrations of olivine-hosted melt inclusions show no consistent variation across the northern part of the Central American subduction zone in southeastern Guatemala. Magmatic water contents remain moderately high (~2 wt%) throughout the back-arc region. Melt inclusions from some of these back-arc basalts also have notably high CO₂ contents (>900 ppm CO₂). The B and B/Ce ratios of melt inclusions systematically decline across the arc, the first parameters to exhibit systematic changes across southeastern Guatemala. It appears, therefore, that dehydration-driven, flux-melting persists across the arc, although decompression melting is of approximately equal importance in the back-arc region. Dehydration of the slab/wedge region is regarded as semi-continuous down-dip, to depths of at least 175–200 km. Moderate water contents are maintained by stepwise dehydration reactions, while truly incompatible fluid mobile elements are progressively stripped from the Cocos plate. The notably high CO₂ contents of some back-arc basalts may indicate increasing devolatilization of subducted carbonate sediments with slab depth. The moderate H₂O contents of back-arc basaltic magmas has likely contributed to their early fractionation of clinopyroxene around the Moho.Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove     

The concentrations of radioactive and trace elements in the granulites from the south-east margin of the Bohemian Massif (Czechoslovakia)

Summary The distribution of radioactive elements(Th, U, K) and trace elements(Rb, Sr, Ba, Pb, Zr, Ti, Cu, Cr, Ni, V) of acid granulites from the south-east margin of the Bohemian Massif (SW Moravia) was under study. The investigated rocks are characterized by a great variability ofTh/U ratios andTh andU contents; a linear relationship between theTh andU values was observed. A close relation between theU and biotite contents with a statistically significant linear correlation coefficient of +0.85 was found. In agreement with geological and petrological investigations, the concentrations of radioactive elements correspond to the contents observed in the rocks with metamorphic intensity between the amphibolite and granulite facies. The investigated rocks have extremely lowSr concentrations distinguishing them from other acid granulites of the world.Rb contents are rather variable reaching, however, the highest values among the acid granulites of various granulite areas.     

The Žermanice sill: new insights into the mineralogy,petrology, age,and origin of the teschenite association rocks in the Western Carpathians,Czech Republic

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The Žermanice locality represents the best-exposed example of the meta-basaltoid/meta-gabbroic rock type of the teschenite association. It forms a...     

Improving school children’s understanding of water scarcity with a co-produced book on groundwater in Central Chile

Water scarcity is a critical issue worldwide, and Chile is no exception. Since 2010, Central Chile has been enduring an ongoing water crisis due to the coupled effects of a severe drought and the overuse of water resources, especially groundwater. Rural communities have been strongly impacted, mainly because wells from which drinking water is supplied show a dramatic drop in water levels, and some have even dried up. The water scarcity scenario requires the integration of actors and disciplines to increase awareness of groundwater; however, how to make this valuable element visible in society is an issue that remains open to debate. This paper describes and reflects on the process of making educational material about groundwater and water scarcity for children to promote public awareness. Based on transdisciplinary and co-designing processes, this work describes the social perceptions of groundwater among children and community leaders, as well as how scientific information and local knowledge of water scarcity could be integrated into a book for the young population. This research finds that educational projects on groundwater resources increase people’s awareness of the role of this hidden resource in the water cycle. Such projects encourage the creation of grounded and contextualised materials that incorporate the knowledge and experience already present in the communities, increasing public awareness of the role of groundwater and associated water scarcity issues, thereby integrating academia and society. This approach could be a tool to lay the foundations for successfully addressing the water crisis in Chile over generations.