Model tests on XCC-piled embankment under dynamic train load of high-speed railways

Piled embankments, which offer many advantages, are increasingly popular in construction of high-speed railways in China. Although the performance of piled embankment under static loading is well-known, the behavior under the dynamic train load of a high-speed railway is not yet understood. In light of this, a heavily instrumented piled embankment model was set up, and a model test was carried out, in which a servo-hydraulic actuator outputting M-shaped waves was adopted to simulate the process of a running train. Earth pressure, settlement, strain in the geogrid and pile and excess pore water pressure were measured. The results show that the soil arching height under the dynamic train load of a high-speed railway is shorter than under static loading. The growth trend for accumulated settlement slowed down after long-term vibration although there was still a tendency for it to increase. Accumulated geogrid strain has an increasing tendency after long-term vibration. The closer the embankment edge, the greater the geogrid strain over the subsoil. Strains in the pile were smaller under dynamic train loads, and their distribution was different from that under static loading. At the same elevation, excess pore water pressure under the track slab was greater than that under the embankment shoulder.     

Preliminary study on assessment of nutrient transport in the Taihu Basin based on SWAT modeling

With the Taihu Basin as a study area, using the spatially distributed and mechanism-based SWAT model, preliminary simulations of nutrient transport in the Taihu Basin during the period of 1995:_2002 has been carried out. The topography, soil, meteorology and land use with industrial point pollution discharge, the loss of agricultural fertilizers, urban sewerage, and livestock drainages were all considered in the boundary conditions of the simulations. The model was calibrated and validated against water quality monitoring data from 2001 to 2002. The results show that the annual total productions of nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) into Lake Taihu are 40000t and 2000t respectively. Nutrient from the Huxi Region is a major resource for Lake Taihu. The non-point source (surface source) pollution is the main form of catchment sources of nutrients into Lake Taihu, occupied TN 53% and TP 56% respectively. TN and TP nutrients from industrial point pollution discharge are 30% and 16%, and sewerage in both forms of point source and non-point source are TN 31% and TP 47%. Both the loss of agricultural fertilizers and livestock drainages from the catchment should be paid more attention as an important nutrient source. The results also show that SWAT is an effective model for the simulation of temporally and spatially nutrient changes and for the assessment of the trends in a catchment scale.     

Effect of agrochemicals on macroinvertebrate assemblages in Pampasic streams,Buenos Aires,Argentina

Agricultural practices have been intensified in recent decades in Argentina. The Pampa plain is the main agricultural region of the country. The effect of increased application of agrochemicals on the invertebrate fauna of the Pampasic streams remains unreported. In the present study, we compared the abundance and composition of invertebrate assemblages in seven Pampasic streams with contrasting soil use in their basins. Two streams run through intensively cropped plots, two drain basins with livestock fields, while the other three are located within a biosphere Reserve. Higher nutrient and insecticide concentrations were measured in the streams draining cropped basins, related with pesticide applications and crop fertilization. The invertebrate assemblage composition of the cropped streams differed significantly from the others and between the two. Present evidence suggests that the impact of agrochemicals results in a change in composition with decreased abundance or absence of sensitive species such as Hyalellidae, Caenidae, Baetidae and Curculionidae and increased abundance of more tolerant taxa: Ostracoda, Glossiphoniidae (Hirudinea), Ancylidae (Gundlanchia), Ampullariidae (Pomacea canaliculata), Sphaeriidae and Dugesiidae. Available information suggests that macrophyte cover and composition also influence the invertebrate assemblages of the Pampasic streams.     

Intercomparison of IRS-P4-MSMR derived geophysical products with DMSP-SSM/I and TRMM-TMI finished products

In this paper, MSMR geophysical products like Integrated Water Vapour (IWV), Ocean Surface Wind Speed (OWS) and Cloud Liquid Water (CLW) in different grids of 50, 75 and 150 kms are compared with similar products available from other satellites like DMSP-SSM/I and TRMMTMI. MSMR derived IWV, OWS and CLW compare well with SSM/I and TMI finished products. Comparison of MSMR derived CLW with that derived from TMI and SSM/I is relatively in less agreement. This is possibly due to the use of 37 GHz in SSM/I and TMI that is highly sensitive to CLW, while 37 GHz channels are not available on MSMR. Monthly comparison of MSMR geophysical products with those from TMI is all carried out for climatological purpose. The monthly comparisons were much better compared to instantaneous comparisons. In this paper, details of the data analysis and comparison results are presented. The usefulness of the MSMR vis-à-vis other sensors is also discussed.     

A review of methods used to determine the fractal dimension of linear features

An in-depth review of the more commonly applied methods used in the determination of the fractal dimension of one-dimensional curves is presented. Many often conflicting opinions about the different methods have been collected and are contrasted with each other. In addition, several little known but potentially useful techniques are also reviewed. General recommendations which should be considered whenever applying any method are made.     

Potentiometric and F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic study of fluoride substitution in the GaAl12 polyoxocation: implications for aluminum (hydr)oxide mineral surfaces

Fluoride replacement of oxygens in the GaO₄Al₁₂(OH)₂₄(H₂O)127+(aq) molecule [GaAl₁₂] was studied via ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at 4 < pH < 5 and 278 K in order to elucidate similar reactions at the surfaces of clays. Peaks are identified in the ¹⁹F-NMR spectra that correspond to both terminal and bridging fluorides on the GaAl₁₂ molecule, with relative peak positions similar to those previously identified in fluoridated aluminum (hydr)oxide mineral surfaces (Nordin, J. P., Sullivan, D. J., Phillips, B. L., and Casey, W. H. [1999], “Mechanisms for fluoride-promoted dissolution of bayerite [β-Al(OH)₃(s)] and boehmite [γ-AlOOH(s)]-¹⁹F-NMR spectroscopy and aqueous surface chemistry,” Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta63, 3513-3524). Fluoride substitutes for oxygen at three different sites in the GaAl₁₂ molecule, but at dramatically different rates.The kinetics of fluoride substitution follow a rate law that includes parallel and reversible transfer of fluoride from nonbridging sites to the two bridging sites. The essential features of the rate law are as follows: (1) fluoride replaces bound water molecules (η-OH₂) within minutes at 278 K at rates that are quantitatively similar to fluoride uptake by Al(H₂O)63+(aq) to form AlF²⁺(aq) at similar conditions; (2) fluoride substitutes onto the two topologically distinct μ₂-OH sites at different rates, as was previously observed for oxygen exchange, but here, the reaction is complete in hours to days at 278 K. Most importantly, rates of fluoride substitution onto μ₂-OH sites are 10² times more rapid than the corresponding rates of oxygen exchange with bulk waters, indicating that fluoride considerably labilizes the molecule, as is also observed at the surfaces of minerals. The largest cause of this labilization is the reduced molecular charge on the GaAl₁₂ upon replacement of bound waters by fluoride, which for mineral surfaces corresponds to a reduction in surface charge density.     

Habitable zones and UV habitable zones around host stars

Ultraviolet radiation is a double-edged sword to life. If it is too strong, the terrestrial biological systems will be damaged. And if it is too weak, the synthesis of many biochemical compounds cannot go along. We try to obtain the continuous ultraviolet habitable zones, and compare the ultraviolet habitable zones with the habitable zones of host stars. Using the boundary ultraviolet radiation of ultraviolet habitable zone, we calculate the ultraviolet habitable zones of host stars with masses from 0.08 to 4.00 M _⊙. For the host stars with effective temperatures lower than 4,600 K, the ultraviolet habitable zones are closer than the habitable zones. For the host stars with effective temperatures higher than 7,137 K, the ultraviolet habitable zones are farther than the habitable zones. For a hot subdwarf as a host star, the distance of the ultraviolet habitable zone is about ten times more than that of the habitable zone, which is not suitable for the existence of life.     

aiNet- and GIS-based regional prediction system for the spatial and temporal probability of rainfall-triggered landslides

We developed a real-time forecasting system, aiNet-GISPSRIL, for evaluating the spatiotemporal probability of occurrence of rainfall-triggered landslides. In this system, the aiNet (a kind of artificial neutral network based on a self-organizing system) and GIS are merged for integrating the rainfall conditions into various environmental factors that influence the landslide occurrence and for simulating the complex non-linear relationships between landslide occurrence and its related conditions. Zhejiang Province (101,800 km² in area), located in the southeast coastal region of China, is highly prone to the occurrence of landslides during intensive rainfall. Since 2003, the aiNet-GISPSRIL has been used to predict landslides during the rainy seasons in the region. The aiNet-GISPSRIL uses the regional 24-h forecast rainfall information and the real-time rainfall monitoring data from the rain-gauge network as its inputs, and then provides 24-h forecast of the landslide probability for every 1 × 1-km grid cell within the region. Verification studies on the performance of the aiNet-GISPSRIL show that the system has successfully predicted the dates and localities of 304 landslides (accounting for 66.2% of reported landslides during the period). During the period from 2003 to 2007, because the system provided the probability levels of landslide occurrences up to 24-h in advance, gave locations of potential landslides, and timely warned those individuals at high-risk areas, more than 1700 persons living in the risk sites had been evacuated to safe ground before the landslides occurred and thus casualty was avoided. This highly computerized, easy-operating system can be used as a prototype for developing forecasting systems in other regions that are prone to rainfall-triggered landslides.     

Estimates of non-tidal exchange transport between the Sea of Okhotsk and the North Pacific

The outflow from the Sea of Okhotsk to the North Pacific is important in characterising the surface-to-intermediate-depth water masses in the Pacific Ocean. The two basins are separated by the Kuril Islands with numerous straits, among which the Bussol and the Kruzenshterna Straits are deeper than 1000 m. The physics governing the transport between the two basins is complicated, but when the semidiurnal and diurnal tides are subtracted, the observed density and velocity structures across the Bussol Strait suggest a significant contribution from geostrophic balance. Using a two-layer model with the interface at 27.5σ _θ , part of the upper layer transport that is not driven by tides is estimated using two previously unexplored data sets: outputs from the Ocean General Circulation Model for Earth Simulator (OFES), and historical hydrographic data. The Pacific water flows into the Sea of Okhotsk through the northeastern straits. The greatest inflow is through the Kruzenshtern Strait, but the OFES results show that the contributions from other shallower straits are almost half of the Kruzenshtern inflow. Similarly, the outflow from the Sea of Okhotsk is through the southwestern straits of the Kuril Islands with the largest Bussol Strait contributing 60% of the total outflow. The OFES and hydrographic estimates agree that the exchange is strongest in February to March, with an inflow of about −6 to −12 Sv (negative indicates the flow from the North Pacific, 1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s⁻¹), and an outflow from the Sea of Okhotsk of about +8 to +9 Sv (positive indicates the flow from the Sea of Okhotsk), which is weakest in summer (−3 to +1 Sv through the northeastern straits and +0 to +3 Sv through the southwestern straits). The estimated seasonal variation is consistent with a simple analytic model driven by the difference in sea surface height between the two basins.