A Preliminary Survey of the Level of Microbiological Pollution of Major Rivers in Northern Greece

The objective of the present survey was to assess the microbiological quality of river waters used mainly to irrigate the large plains of Macedonia and Thessaly in Northern Greece. Five rivers (Aliakmonas, Axios, Loudias, Mavroneri and Pineios) were sampled during a 10‐month period (June 2002 – March 2003) for Total Microbial Flora (TMF) at 22 °C and 37 °C, Total Coliforms (TC), Fecal Coliforms (FC), enterococci, staphylococci, Pseudomonas, fungi, Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. The results indicate moderate to high microbiological pollution, with the highest levels of microbial pollution found in Mavroneri and Pineios Rivers, and moderate pollution levels in Aliakmonas, Axios and Loudias Rivers. The extent of microbiological pollution is accentuated by the fact that Giardia‐ and/or Cryptosporidium cysts were detected in nine out of eleven samples collected in June 2002 with excessive Giardia counts demonstrated for Pineios River. The microbiological pollution of the surveyed rivers is attributed to various degrees of human interference and to lack of ample pollution monitoring systems, which emphasize the need for implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.     

Hazard assessment of volcanic ballistic impacts at Mt Chihshin,Tatun Volcano Group,northern Taiwan

The assessment of vulnerability provides valuable knowledge in the risk assessment steps of a risk governance process. Given the multiscale, multilevel, and multisectorial aspects of flood risk, the diversified entities that directly and indirectly intervene in risk management require specific outputs from the assessment studies. Urban areas in estuarine margins are particularly exposed and vulnerable to flooding. Such interface conditions are found in the Old City Centre of the Seixal, located in the Tagus estuary, Portugal. Here, two distinct methodologies were applied for the assessment of territorial vulnerability. A regional, lower-scale, methodology explores the application of the statistical procedure based on the SoVI^® at the statistical block level. A second, local and higher-scale, methodology is based in data collected through field matrices at the building and statistical sub-block level. Comparison of results revealed that the lower-scale assessment provides information on the vulnerability drivers at the regional and municipal level. Nevertheless, only at a higher-scale, it is possible to characterize and differentiate the smaller geographical units of analysis that compose the Old City Centre of Seixal. The lower-scale vulnerability assessment allows a strategic response, based on adaptation measures such as spatial planning, institutional capacity building and public awareness. The local level assessment provides more accurate knowledge to support local emergency planning and the allocation of operational and material resources at the urban level. Nevertheless, rather than antagonistic, both models can be considered as complementary, having in mind the requirements of an holistic flood risk governance model.     

A finite differences formulation for the linear and nonlinear dynamics of 2D catenary risers

A finite differences (FD) solution method is proposed for the numerical treatment of the dynamic equilibrium problem of 2D catenary risers. The method is based on the so-called Box approximation, which in the scope of the present contribution is applied to the complete nonlinear model as well as to the reduced linearized formulation. The application of the Box method transforms the original governing systems into convenient sets of algebraic equations, which in turn are solved efficiently by the relaxation method. Extensive numerical calculations are presented that describe the dynamic behaviour of the structure and evaluate the amplification in loading due to the dynamic components. The effect of the geometric nonlinearities is assessed through comparative calculations that concern both mathematical formulations examined in the present, i.e. the complete nonlinear, and the reduced linearized model. Special attention is paid to the heave excitations as they amplify significantly the magnitudes of the loading components.     

A statistical analysis of the H/L ratio of ordinary chondrite finds and falls: A comparison of Oman finds with other populations

Hot and cold deserts have been thoroughly searched for meteorites in the past decades, which has led to a large inventory of classified meteorites. H‐ and L‐chondrites are the most abundant meteorites in all collections, and many authors used the H/L ratio as a characteristic parameter in comparing meteorite populations. H/L ratios (after pairing) vary from 0.90 in observed falls up to 1.74 in El Médano (Atacama Desert). In this study, we investigate the H/L ratio of 965 unpaired H‐ and L‐chondrites collected in Oman and compare this population with observed falls and other hot desert collections. We find a mass dependence of the H/L ratio among hot desert finds and identify mechanisms such as fragmentation during weathering and fall that have an impact on the H/L ratio. We employ the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Mann–Whitney U statistical tests to compare the mass distributions of H‐ and L‐chondrites and to test the relationship between the similarity of mass distributions and the H/L ratio. We conclude that the variations of the H/L ratios observed in various populations are a sampling artifact resulting from secondary effects and observational bias, expressed in differences of the H and L mass distributions which are not observed in falls, and not due to variations in H/L of the meteorite flux. The H/L ratio of 0.90 observed among recent falls is considered as most representative for the overall meteorite flux, at least since the Late Pleistocene.     

Response of seismically isolated structures to rocking‐type excitations

In this paper, the origin of rocking‐type excitations and their effects on the response of base isolated structures are studied. In particular, the role of kinematic interaction in the determination of the rocking excitation is highlighted. The cases of surface foundations subjected to horizontally propagating waves, as well as of embedded foundations under vertically incident shear waves are examined. The validity of the kinematic interaction based on the rigid base mat assumption is discussed. It is shown that, in the case of classical horizontal isolation, rocking input may amplify significantly the response of the lower non‐isolated modes. The examination of full three‐dimensional isolation and active and semi‐active control methods demonstrates the efficacy of these methods to improve the performance of seismically isolated structures subjected to rocking excitations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potential merits for substorm research from imaging of charge-exchange neutral atoms

The in situ observations of the Earth magnetosphere performed over the past decades of space research have provided a rather good understanding of many partial localized processes of the magnetospheric substorm. The continuing lack of global observations inhibits the construction of a coherent picture of the substorm as a whole, which is actually determined by the coupling of the partial processes. In this context the importance of global observations for the advancement of magnetospheric substorm studies is critical. This paper presents briefly a promising technique of global observations, namely the imaging of charge exchange neutral atoms, or neutral atom imaging (NAI) of the magnetosphere. Model and theoretical estimates of charge-exchange neutral atom fluxes, as well as appropriate spacecraft orbit and instrumentation requirements are presented and discussed for specific regions of interest and vantage points. The potential merits of NAI for substorm research are presented along with possible combinations with other types of observational methods. Substorm issues that would benefit from NAI should include among others the assessment of the ionospheric contribution to the hot magnetospheric plasma, the relative importance of various ionospheric ion source regions, the resolution of spatial and temporal characteristics of substorm ion injections. NAI observations can be precious complements to local observations and lead to the understanding of how local processes, many of which are resolved quite well today, combine to form the global process of the magnetospheric substorm.     

Dynamics of flexible systems with partial lift-off

The dynamic behaviour of a simplified model of a multi-storey building, supported by an elastic foundation and allowed to uplift, is examined. The building is modelled by an n-degree-of-freedom oscillator, while the foundation is represented by a viscously damped two-spring model which permits uplift. This model has been shown in previous studies to be an accurate approximation to the more realistic but more complex Winkler foundation. Approximate values for the characteristic frequencies of the interacting system are presented and a simple, first-mode solution is developed. The response of the system is non-linear and the apparent fundamental period increases with the amount of lift-off. In contrast to the first mode of the superstructure which participates strongly in the interaction, the second and higher modes of the building are not affected significantly by either the interaction with the soil or the uplift. The study shows that lift-off results in larger rocking motion of the structure, but it is not clear from the analysis and the example whether the interfloor displacements are consistently increased or decreased, since this appears to depend on the properties of the system and the excitation.