Framework for probabilistic assessment of landslide: a case study of El Berrinche

Slope failure or landslide is a complex geological/geotechnical problem that involves much uncertainty. In this work, a framework for probabilistic assessment of landslide is presented with a focus on the El Berrinche landslide, Honduras. One unique feature of this case study involving the El Berrinche landslide is that the stability analysis has to be carried out with limited data. Another challenge in this study is to assess possible remedial measures in a way that can easily be communicated to the government and the public. A reliability-based framework for a probabilistic assessment is proposed. With this approach, different levels of risk for landslide are assessed and the associated costs are estimated; and all information is integrated into the decision-making process for choosing a remedial action.     

Effects of excitation frequency on detection accuracy of orthogonal wavelet decomposition for structural health monitoring

Accurate estimation of stiffness loss is a challenging problem in structural health monitoring. In this study orthogonal wavelet decomposition is used for identifying the stiffness loss in a single degree of freedom spring-mass-damper system. The effects of excitation frequency on accuracy of damage detection is investigated. Results show that pseudo-alias effects caused by the orthogonal wavelet decomposition (OWD), affect damage detectability. It is demonstrated that theproposed approach is sunable for damage detection when the excitation frequency is relatively low. This study shows how a priori knowledge about the signal and ability to control the sampling frequency can enhance damage detectability.     

Preface to the Special Issue on Antarctic Meteorology and Climate:Past,Present and Future

<正>The Antarctic, including the continent of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, is a critically important part of the Earth system. Research in Antarctic meteorology and climate has always been a challenging endeavor. Studying and predicting weather patterns in the Antarctic are important for understanding their role in local-to-global processes and facilitating field     

Recovering physical parameters from galaxy spectra using MOPED

We derive physical parameters of galaxies from their observed spectra using MOPED, the optimized data compression algorithm of Heavens, Jimenez & Lahav. Here we concentrate on parametrizing galaxy properties, and apply the method to the NGC galaxies in Kennicutt's spectral atlas. We focus on deriving the star formation history, metallicity and dust content of galaxies. The method is very fast, taking a few seconds of CPU time to estimate ∼17 parameters, and is therefore specially suited to studying large data sets, such as the Anglo-Australian two-degree-field (2dF) galaxy survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Without the power of MOPED, the recovery of star formation histories in these surveys would be impractical. In Kennicutt's atlas, we find that for the spheroidals a small recent burst of star formation is required to provide the best fit to the spectrum. There is clearly a need for theoretical stellar atmospheric models with spectral resolution better than 1 Å if we are to extract all the rich information that large redshift surveys contain in their galaxy spectra.     

Spectroscopic Observations of Subfuors (Exors). I. V1118 Ori

Spectroscopic observations of the star V1118 Ori during the 1992-94 outburst showed that, as during the 1989 outburst, the spectrum resembles that of a T Tauri star with strong hydrogen and Ca II lines, as well as Fe I, Fe II, He I, and Na I lines of moderate intensity.     

Hipparcos and the age of the Galactic disc

We use the Hipparcos colour–magnitude diagram of field stars with Tycho colours to make a new minimum age estimate for the Galactic disc. The method is based on fits to the red envelope of subgiants in the Hipparcos colour–magnitude diagram with synthetic isochrones covering the range of disc metal abundance. The colours and luminosities of the isochrones as a function of abundance are checked using new techniques involving 'red-clump' stars in the giant branch region and on the main sequence using G and K dwarfs. We derive a minimum disc age of 8 Gyr, in good agreement with other methods.     

Hydrothermal alteration and REE-Th mineralization at the Rodeo de Los Molles deposit,Las Chacras batholith,central Argentina

REE (rare-earth-element) and Th mineralization at the Rodeo de Los Molles deposit occurs within an elliptical body of hydrothermally altered rocks (fenite) located in a biotite monzogranite of the Las Chacras batholith. Ore assemblages are found as isolated patches of intergrown britholite, allanite, apatite, bastnaesite, fluorite, sphene, quartz, and aegirine-augite, as well as nodules of uranothorite and late-stage veins of calcite, fluorite, and bastnaesite. Composition-volume computations suggest that the fenite was produced by alteration of the biotite monzogranite by addition of K and Na, and loss of Ca and Sr. Petrographic evaluations indicate that microcline and plagioclase have been replaced by perthite, and biotite was converted to aggregates of clinochlore, anatase, kaolinite, and hematite. Relict biotite is characterized by lower Fe/(Fe+Mg) and Ti values with progressive alteration. Fluorine-rich phlogopite is present in mineralized areas, but textural evidence suggests that it was not produced via biotite alteration. Mass-balance constraints also show that Ca and Mg in ore zones may result from redistribution, rather than their being a result of external derivation. The ¹⁸O values of quartz (8.6–11.1) and feldspar (7.8–10.6) suggest that feldspar continued to exchange oxygen isotopes with a fluid to lower temperatures than did quartz. Feldspars equilibrated with a fluid of ¹⁸O8 at a fluid/rock ratio less than 1. The ¹⁸O values of quartz and aegirine-augite that crystallized during REE mineralization also suggest equilibration with a fluid of ¹⁸O8. The D values of biotite (-83 to-120) are relatively low for igneous rocks and are thought to have resulted from exsolution of a D-enriched magmatic vapor. The D values of both mineralized and barren fenites are consistent with equilibration with fluid of magmatic origin. Meteoric water was involved in the production of calcite and clinochlore alteration, and late-stage calcite-fluorite-bastnaesite veins. The ¹³C values of calcite and bastnaesite (-7.8 to-13.5%) suggest that carbon was derived by leaching of carbon from igneous and/or enclosing metamorphic rock types, and that a majority of carbon ultimately was derived from sedimentary organic meterial.     

Method for the determination of density and phase functions of interplanetary dust

A new method of determination of the scattered light intensity, $\text{j}\text{(r,ε)}$, by a unit-volume of interplanetary space is presented. From ground base Zodiacal Light measurements and the experimental results of Pioneer X the density, ρ(r), and phase functions, σ(ε), are obtained without any previous assumptions about them.     

An aromatase inhibitor and tamoxifen decrease plasma levels of o,p-DDT and its metabolites in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The objective of this study was to determine if tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor (4-hydroxyandrostenedione; 4-OHA) affected plasma concentrations of o,p^′-DDT and its metabolites, o,p^′-DDD and o,p^′-DDE, in mature tilapia. Male and female tilapia were injected 6 times intraperitoneally with o,p^′-DDT (40 mg/kg) alone or in combination with 4-OHA (2 mg/kg) over a 12 day period. An additional group of male fish was injected with tamoxifen (5 mg/kg) plus o,p^′-DDT. At the end of the treatment period, plasma samples were extracted and analyzed by GC/ECD. Females injected only with o,p^′-DDT had significantly higher levels of o,p^′-DDT compared with males. Interestingly, females and males treated concomitantly with o,p^′-DDT and 4-OHA or tamoxifen had significantly lower concentrations of plasma o,p^′-DDT (about 50%) compared with fish treated with only o,p^′-DDT. These initial results suggest that an interaction between endocrine-active compounds occurs in vivo in tilapia and may involve alterations in metabolism of o,p^′-DDT.     

Optical and radio studies of radio sources

We present the classification of optical identifications and radio spectra of six radio sources from a complete (in flux density) sample in the declination range 10° to 12°30′ (J2000.0). The observations were carried out with the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope (Russia) in the wavelength range 3600–10000 Å, the 2.1-m GHAO telescope (Mexico) in the range 4200–9000 Å, and the RATAN-600 radio telescope in the frequency range 0.97–21.7 GHz. Three of the six objects under study are classified as quasars, one is a BL Lac object, one is an absorption-line radio galaxy, and one is an emission-line radio galaxy. Five objects have flat radio spectra, and one object has a power-law radio spectrum. All of the radio sources identified as quasars or BL Lac objects show variable radio flux densities. The spectra of three objects were separated into extended and compact components.