Seasonal variation of the soil seed bank of grasses in central Argentina as related to grazing and shrub cover

The objectives of this research were to (a) study seasonal variation of the seed bank of grasses in two areas with different grazing history, (b) analyse the effect of the presence of shrubs on the seed bank and (c) study seed viability and dormancy in buried seeds of Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis. The seed density of grasses was in general low and showed seasonal variation. Most of the grasses showed maximum seed density in December when seed dispersal occurs. Shrub cover did not show a marked influence in seed accumulation. The relatively high number of damaged seeds suggests that predation may be an important factor in seed bank dynamics in the Caldenal. Seeds of dominant perennial forage grasses showed dormancy that could explain, at least in part, persistence of these species in spite of periodical disturbance.     

THE DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES OF METROPOLITAN POPULATION DECONCENTRATION IN THE U.S.

Although the recent growth in the nonmetropolitan population of the U.S. is now well documented, little attention has been given to the consequences these trends will have on the future composition and growth of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan regions. This paper discusses the feedback effects of migration on the future age structure and population growth of both regions during the period 1975–2000.     

基于随机分析的滑坡稳定性二元评价方法

对利用随机分析方法建立安全系数与可靠性相耦合的滑坡稳定性二元评价体系进行了探索。利用随机分析方法可确定滑坡安全系数的分布形态,计算出最大可能安全系数下的滑坡破坏概率P_f,用最大可能安全系数和可靠性得出可靠安全系数来评价该滑坡的稳定性。在折减后的安全系数的极限状态中,根据典型的不同最大可能安全系数及相应的临界破坏概率,建立了二元滑坡稳定性分区,用于滑坡稳定性评价。研究实例表明:利用随机分析方法建立这种二元体系是可行的,可以更加精确和客观的对滑坡稳定性做出评价。     

东北地区农业结构转型时期土地利用变化的成因与效应

During the last decade of the 20th century, extensive conversion in agricultural land use took place in Northeast China. The goal of this study is to ascertain its spatial distribution and regional differentiation, determine its causes, and analyze its environmental impact, Especially we attempt to elucidate how institutional constraints have facilitated the change at a time of agrarian restructuring when newly emerging free market was hybridized with the former planned economy. Information on six categories of land use was mapped from interpretation of Landsat TM images recorded in 1990,1995 and 2000. Most of land use changes took place during the first half of the decade, coinciding with abrupt and chaotic changes in government directives. Farmland was changed mainly to woodland,water body and built-up areas while woodland and grassland were converted chiefly to farmland.Spatially, the change from farmland to woodland was restricted to the west of the study area. The change from grassland to farmland took place in the grazing and farming interlocked west. These chaotic and occasionally conflicting changes were largely caused by lack of stability and consistency in agricultural land use policies promulgated. They have exerted adverse impacts on the local environment, including land degradation, increased flooding, and modified climate regime.     

Soil–pile–structure interaction: experimental outcomes from shaking table tests

An effective way to study the complex seismic soil‐structure interaction phenomena is to investigate the response of physical scaled models in 1‐g or n‐g laboratory devices. The outcomes of an extensive experimental campaign carried out on scaled models by means of the shaking table of the Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamics Engineering, University of Bristol, UK, are discussed in the present paper. The experimental model comprises an oscillator connected to a single or a group of piles embedded in a bi‐layer deposit. Different pile head conditions, that is free head and fixed head, several dynamic properties of the structure, including different masses at the top of the single degree of freedom system, excited by various input motions, e.g. white noise, sinedwells and natural earthquake strong motions recorded in Italy, have been tested. In the present work, the modal dynamic response of the soil–pile–structure system is assessed in terms of period elongation and system damping ratio. Furthermore, the effects of oscillator mass and pile head conditions on soil–pile response have been highlighted, when the harmonic input motions are considered. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

遥感地面辐射观测中的视场效应问题研究

以典型的垄行作物玉米为研究对象，提出了一种新的视场效应分析方法：网格模型法。该方法将目标空间和测量空间网格化，然后在网格空间计算观测视场内的组分比例，进而确定组合信号值。本文采用网格模型法分析了垄行作物亮叶、暗叶、亮土、暗土四分量在传感器视场中面积权重变化、空隙率的变化、方向亮温的变化、红波段反射率的变化、红外波段反射率的变化以及植被指数NDVI的变化率，研究了不同观测角度情况下视场效应的变化。     

Using input–output methods to assess the effects of fishing and aquaculture on a regional economy: The case of Galicia,Spain

This paper uses an input–output model to quantify the socioeconomic impact of fishing and aquaculture on Galicia, one of Spain's most important maritime regions. Results indicate that the carryover effects of these production activities are important for Galicia's economy because they contribute not only to job creation but also to possibilities for obtaining income in other economic sectors. These sectors’ combined production in 2013 was almost a million euros, and that production was estimated to account for nearly 2% of the regional economy's value added and for more than 17,000 full-time jobs. Together these contributions amounted to some €1.7 billion in production and €975 million in value added to other Galician economic activities. At the same time, fishing and aquaculture were responsible for creating the equivalent of more than 14,000 full-time jobs in other economic activities.     

基于两阶段稳定图的随机子空间识别结构模态参数

基于振动的结构健康监测的前提是从振动测试信号中提取结构模态参数。随机子空间方法是近年来发展起来的一种线性系统辨识方法,可以有效地从环境激励的结构响应信号中提取结构模态参数。在随机子空间识别方法中,确定系统的阶数是该方法的关键工作,稳定图方法是一种比较新颖的确定系统阶次的方法。但是随机子空间方法容易产生虚假模态,这也是随机子空间方法的一个主要缺陷。因此针对于这一缺陷提出了一种基于两阶段稳定图的随机子空间识别结构模态参数方法,该方法的基本思想是将在现场采集的结构的输出信号进行分段,将各段信号用随机子空间结合稳定图进行识别,然后将所有各段所识别的模态参数再一次用稳定图方法进行分析,得出结构的模态参数。最后用一三跨连续梁的数值模型对该方法进行验证,结果表明该方法具有良好的识别效果。     

Seismic microzonation studies for the city of Ragusa (Italy)

The seismic history of the city of Ragusa (Italy), the geotechnical characterisation of the subsoil and the site response analysis should be correctly evaluated for the definition of the Seismic Geotechnical Hazard of the city of Ragusa, through geo-settled seismic microzoning maps. Basing on the seismic history of the city of Ragusa, the following earthquake scenarios have been considered: the “Val di Noto” earthquake of January 11, 1693 (with intensity X–XI on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=7.41 and epicentral distance of about 53 km); the “Etna” earthquake of February 20, 1818 (with intensity IX on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=6.23 and epicentral distance of about 64 km); the Vizzini earthquake of April 13, 1895 (with intensity I=VII–VIII on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=5.86 and epicentral distance of about 26 km); the “Modica” earthquake of January 23, 1980 (with intensity I=V–VI on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=4.58 and epicentral distance of about 10 km); the “Sicilian” earthquake of December 13, 1990 (with intensity I=VII on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=5.64 and epicentral distance of about 50 km). Geotechnical characterisation has been performed by in situ and laboratory tests, with the definition of shear wave velocity profiles in the upper 30 m of soil. Soil response analyses have been evaluated for about 120 borings location by some non-linear 1-D models. Finally the seismic microzonation of the city of Ragusa has been obtained in terms of maps with different peak ground acceleration at the surface; shaking maps for the central area of the city of Ragusa were generated via GIS for the earthquake scenarios.