Statistical analysis of soil variability in a humid forest landscape of Central Cameroon

The quantitative evaluation of key factors of soil variability together with the spatial pattern of underlying variables are important steps in understanding the functioning of soilscapes. Fifteen physical and chemical variables describing 24 pedons were used to elucidate processes of soil differentiation in a humid forest environment in Southern Cameroon. Landscape positions delineated on the basis of remote-sensed imageries included flat convex summits (FCS), linear valley slopes (LVS), colluvial inland valleys (CIV), and alluvial floodplain. Ordination by principal component analysis (PCA) resulted in a three-factor model, which efficiently summarized the dataset explaining 81.4% of total soil variance (TSV). The pedogenetic factor of ferralitization emerged as the main factor accounting for 43.7% of TSV. Identified underlying processes included basic cation leaching, solum acidification, and in situ clay build up. Cation exchange properties as influenced by organic constituents and soil available P were the second and third most important factors associated with 26.7 and 11.4% of TSV respectively. Organic constituents and related biological processes had strong control on nutrient availability and cation-exchange properties, while soil available phosphorus (AP) showed a strong dependence on potential acidity and organic matter mineralization status. The analysis of variance highlighted significant differences for most soil properties across landscape position and soil depth except for organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus. All the soils, however, have low pH, low basic cation saturation, and correlatively high exchangeable Al irrespective of their position in the landscape.     

Identification of modal parameters of non‐classically damped linear structures under multi‐component earthquake loading

A method for parametric system identification of classically damped linear system in frequency domain is adopted and extended for non‐classically damped linear systems subjected up to six components of earthquake ground motions. This method is able to work in multi‐input/multi‐output (MIMO) case. The response of a two‐degree‐of‐freedom model with non‐classical damping, excited by one‐component earthquake ground motion, is simulated and used to verify the proposed system identification method in the single‐input/multi‐output case. Also, the records of a 10 storey real building during the Northridge earthquake is used to verify the proposed system identification method in the MIMO case. In this case, at first, a single‐input/multi‐output assumption is considered for the system and modal parameters are identified, then other components of earthquake ground motions are added, respectively, and the modal parameters are identified again. This procedure is repeated until all four components of earthquake ground motions which are measured at the base level of the building are included in the identification process. The results of identification of real building show that consideration of non‐classical damping and inclusion of the multi‐components effect of earthquake ground motions can improve the least‐squares match between the finite Fourier transforms of recorded and calculated acceleration responses. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implications of broad dose distributions obtained with the single-aliquot regenerative-dose method on quartz fine-grains from loess

Six samples were collected from a section of Peoria Loess in Eustis, North America, for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz, and all except one (LV90) produced narrow dose distributions. A comparative study was conducted on this sample and on a ‘well-behaved’ sample (LV91), involving other dating methods and examination of the quartz OSL. These investigations revealed differences in the quartz OSL growth with dose, OSL response to thermal treatments and the range of components within the OSL signals. An ultra-fast component was found in LV90 that displayed a higher rate of sensitivity change than the fast component and this had a malign influence on the determination of the equivalent dose. The distinctive luminescence characteristics of LV90 imply either a change in wind dynamics and/or the source area for the silt.     

地磁Z分量低点时间季节性变化研究

通过小波分析和频谱分析,发现Z分量低点时间的小波变换结果曲线(α=6)明显地随节气而变化;对地磁Z分量低点时间季节性变化进行了初步的比较分析.     

Principal axes of m-DOF structures PartⅠ:Static loading

This paper is the first in a two-part series that discusses the principal axes of M-DOF structures subjected to static and dynamic loads. The primary purpose of this series is to understand the magnitude of the dynamic response of structures to enable better design of structures and control modification devices/systems. Under idealized design conditions, the structural responses are obtained by using single direction input ground motions in the direction of the intended control devices/systems,and by assuming that the responses of the structure is decoupleable in three mutually perpendicular directions. This standard practice has been applied to both new and retrofitted structures using various seismic protective systems. Very limited information is available on the effects of neglecting the impact of directional couplings (cross effects - of which torsion is a component) of the dynamic response of structures. In order to quantify such effects, it is necessary to examine the principal axes of structures under both static and dynamic loading.This first paper deals with quantitative definitions of principal axes and "cross effects" of three-dimensional structures under static load by using linear algebra. It shows theoretically that, for three-dimensional structures, such principal axes rarely exist. Under static loading conditions, the cross effect is typically small and negligible from the viewpoint of engineering applications. However, it provides the theoretical base for subsequent quantification of the response couplings under dynamic loads, which is reported in part Ⅱ of this series.     

补偿电流对核旋分量仪的影响及补偿稳流装置

着重讨论补偿电流对核旋分量磁力仪在观测地磁场垂直分量中的影响,介绍了补偿稳流装置和在大连地磁台应用的效果。     

Flow and fracture maps for basaltic rock deformation at high temperatures

Understanding how the strength of basaltic rock varies with the extrinsic conditions of stress state, pressure and temperature, and the intrinsic rock physical properties is fundamental to understanding the dynamics of volcanic systems. In particular it is essential to understand how rock strength at high temperatures is limited by fracture. We have collated and analysed laboratory data for basaltic rocks from over 500 rock deformation experiments and plotted these on principal stress failure maps. We have fitted an empirical flow law (Norton’s law) and a theoretical fracture criterion to these data. The principal stress failure map is a graphical representation of ductile and brittle experimental data together with flow and fracture envelopes under varying strain rate, temperature and pressure. We have used these maps to re-interpret the ductile–brittle transition in basaltic rocks at high temperatures and show, conceptually, how these failure maps can be applied to volcanic systems, using lava flows as an example.     

Late Mesozoic crust-mantle interaction and lower crust components in South China: A geochemical study of mafic granulite xenoliths from Cenozoic basalts

Mafic granulite xenoliths have been discovered in many volcanoes (especially alkali basalt and kimberlite) all over the world. They formed generally in lower crust, and recorded lots of in- formation on the lithosphere formation and crust-mantle interacti…     

A technique to improve the empirical mode decomposition in the Hilbert-Huang transform

The Hilbert-based time-frequency analysis has promising capacity to reveal the time-variant behaviors of a system. To admit well-behaved Hilbert transforms, component decomposition of signals must be performed beforehand. This was first systematically implemented by the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in the Hilbert-Huang transform, which can provide a time-frequency representation of the signals. The EMD, however, has limitations in distinguishing different components in narrowband signals commonly found in free-decay vibration signals. In this study, a technique for decomposing components in narrowband signals based on waves’ beating phenomena is proposed to improve the EMD, in which the time scale structure of the signal is unveiled by the Hilbert transform as a result of wave beating, the order of component extraction is reversed from that in the EMD and the end effect is confined. The proposed technique is verified by performing the component decomposition of a simulated signal and a free decay signal actually measured in an instrumented bridge structure. In addition, the adaptability of the technique to time-variant dynamic systems is demonstrated with a simulated time-variant MDOF system.     

提高地磁绝对观测数据精度的有效途径

经过长期观察发现用CZM-2型核旋仪(及其同类仪器)进行定点观测读数时,运用分量仪线圈“单向”旋转的方法进行分量观测,再加上做好一些其它辅助措施,能够充分消除人为因素和仪器本身误差所带来的影响,明显提高仪器的观测精度,达到使观测资料更加准确的目的。