Nexus between natural and technical disaster shocks,resource depletion and growth-specific factors: evidence from quantile regression

Natural Hazards - Debris flows are a hazardous natural calamity in mountainous regions of Nepal. Torrential rainfall within a very short period of the year is the main triggering factor for...     

Effects of Dietary Protein Level on Growth and Utilization of Protein and Energy by Juvenile Mangrove Red Snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus )

1Introduction The mangrove red snapper,Lutjanus argentimacu-latus(Forsskal,1775)is a carnivorous,warm-watereuryhaline fish that is considerably cultured in South-east Asia,Southern China and the Middle East(Le-ung et al.,1999;Estudillo et at.,2000;Ng et al.,2000;Catacutan et al.,2001).In Pakistan,it isknown for its good quality meat and also for its highconsumption rate.Although it fetches a premiumprice at local markets(Anonymous,2002),the in-creasing demand has generated interest towar…     

Nonlinear kinetic Alfven waves in space plasmas with generalized ($$) distribution

In this paper, we have investigated linear and nonlinear propagation of kinetic Alfven waves in which the electrons have been assumed to follow generalized (\(r,q\)) distribution. We have shown that (\(r,q\)) distribution gives us most of the distributions observed in space plasmas. We have varied the flatness parameter \(r\) and the tail parameter \(q\) to explore the linear and nonlinear propagation characteristics of kinetic Alfven waves. We have also discussed the limiting cases. It has been shown that our results agree well with Fast and Freja observations of the nonlinear kinetic Alfven waves. An important feature of our study is the formation of rarefactive solitary structures. It has been shown that this result cannot be obtained with Maxwellian distribution and that it agrees well with the observations of Fast and Freja satellites.     

Another Look at the Nexus Among Energy Consumption,Natural Resources,and Gross Capital Formation: Evidence from Pakistan

Natural Resources Research - Natural resources are a nation’s wealth, and the use of this wealth depends on the nation’s developmental objective. The goal of this work is to determine...     

Change in low flows due to catchment management dynamics—Application of a comparative modelling approach

Understanding the natural low flow of a catchment is critical for effective water management policy in semi-arid and arid lands. The Geba catchment in Ethiopia, forming the headwaters of Tekeze-Atbara basin was known for its severe land degradation before the recent large scale Soil and Water conservation (SWC) programs. Such interventions can modify the hydrological processes by changing the partitioning of the incoming rainfall on the land surface. However, the literature lacks studies to quantify the hydrological impacts of these interventions in the semi-arid catchments of the Nile basin. Statistical test and Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA) were used to identify the trends of streamflow in two comparatives adjacent (one treated with intensive SWC intervention and control with fewer interventions) catchments. A distributed hydrological model was developed to understand the differences in hydrological processes of the two catchments. The statistical and IHA tools showed that the low flow in the treated catchment has significantly increased while considerably decreased in the control catchment. Comparative analysis confirmed that the low flow in the catchment with intensive SWC works was greater than that of the control by >30% while the direct runoff was lower by >120%. This implies a large proportion of the rainfall in the treated catchment is infiltrated and recharge aquifers which subsequently contribute to streamflow during the dry season. The proportion of soil storage was more than double compared to the control catchment. Moreover, hydrological response comparison from pre- and post-intervention showed that a drastic reduction in direct runoff (>84%) has improved the low flow by >55%. This strongly suggests that the ongoing intensive SWC works have significantly improved the low flows while it contributed to the reduction of total streamflow in the catchment.     

TM reflection from an insulating layer within a lossy half-space

In this paper the possibility of detecting a semi-insulating layer in a homogeneous half-space model of the earth is examined using VHF electromagnetic waves (30–300 MHz). The scheme is to employ an obliquely incident TM (transverse magnetic) plane wave. The corresponding TM reflection coefficient in the vicinity of the Brewster angle null is then considered for possible clues. It is shown that when the host medium is not excessively lossy, the TM reflection coefficient shows significant deviation from the homogeneous half-space case. The measurement and interpretation have possible relevance to the detection of liquid hazardous waste layers at depth.     

Beach erosion along the coastline of Alexandria, Egypt

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Development of peer‐to‐peer (P2P) internet online hybrid test system

A new Internet online hybrid test system, designated the ‘peer‐to‐peer (P2P) Internet online hybrid test system’, is proposed. In the system, the simulated structure is divided into multiple substructures, and each substructure is analysed numerically or tested physically in parallel at geographically distributed locations. The equations of motion are not formulated for the entire structure but for each substructure separately. Substructures are treated as highly independent systems, and only standard I/O, i.e. displacements and forces at the boundaries, are used as interfaces. A ‘Coordinator’ equipped with an iterative algorithm based on quasi‐Newton iterations is developed to achieve compatibility and equilibrium at boundaries. A test procedure, featuring two rounds of quasi‐Newton iterations and using assumed elastic stiffness, is adopted to avoid iteration for the substructure being tested physically. A fast and stable solution using a socket mechanism is developed for data exchange over the Internet. Demonstration tests applied to a base‐isolated structure was conducted, and the results are compared with an online hybrid test using the conventional test method. The results obtained from the P2P Internet hybrid test match very closely those obtained from the conventional tests. Investigations are also carried out on time consumption and control accuracy. The results show that the Internet data exchange solution using the socket mechanism is fast, and tests were completed successfully under the constructed Internet online hybrid test environment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shake‐table experiment on reinforced concrete structure containing masonry infill wall

A hypothetical 5‐storey prototype structure with reinforced concrete (RC) frame and unreinforced masonry (URM) wall is considered. The paper focuses on a shake‐table experiment conducted on a substructure of this prototype consisting of the middle bays of its first storey. A test structure is constructed to represent the selected substructure and the relationship between demand parameters of the test structure and those of the prototype structure is established using computational modelling. The dynamic properties of the test structure are determined using a number of preliminary tests before performing the shake‐table experiments. Based on these tests and results obtained from computational modelling of the test structure, the test ground motions and the sequence of shakings are determined. The results of the shake‐table tests in terms of the global and local responses and the effects of the URM infill wall on the structural behaviour and the dynamic properties of the RC test structure are presented. Finally, the test results are compared to analytical ones obtained from further computational modelling of the test structure subjected to the measured shake‐table accelerations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rôle de l'halocinèse dans l'évolution du bassin d'Essaouira (Sud-Ouest marocain)

The seismic reflection studies carried in the Essaouira Basin, intermediate zone between the High Atlas and the Atlantic Margin, show the presence of halokinetic structures that played a significant role in the evolution of the basin. Salt dynamics was controlled by the Atlantic rifting and the Atlasic orogen. These tectonic controls and the margin segmentation are responsible for the diachronism of salt movement. Halokinesis varied in time and space in the basin and was more active offshore, where autochtonous and allochtonous salt layers are present. To cite this article: K. Mehdi et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).