Fast iterative solution of large undrained soil‐structure interaction problems

In view of rapid developments in iterative solvers, it is timely to re‐examine the merits of using mixed formulation for incompressible problems. This paper presents extensive numerical studies to compare the accuracy of undrained solutions resulting from the standard displacement formulation with a penalty term and the two‐field mixed formulation. The standard displacement and two‐field mixed formulations are solved using both direct and iterative approaches to assess if it is cost‐effective to achieve more accurate solutions. Numerical studies of a simple footing problem show that the mixed formulation is able to solve the incompressible problem ‘exactly’, does not create pressure and stress instabilities, and obviate the need for an ad hoc penalty number. In addition, for large‐scale problems where it is not possible to perform direct solutions entirely within available random access memory, it turns out that the larger system of equations from mixed formulation also can be solved much more efficiently than the smaller system of equations arising from standard formulation by using the symmetric quasi‐minimal residual (SQMR) method with the generalized Jacobi (GJ) preconditioner. Iterative solution by SQMR with GJ preconditioning also is more elegant, faster, and more accurate than the popular Uzawa method. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prediction of Flyrock in Mine Blasting: A New Computational Intelligence Approach

Natural Resources Research - Blasting is the predominant rock fragmentation technique in civil constructions, underground and surface mines. Flyrock is the unwanted throw of rock fragments during...     

Biomarker responses in Macoma nasuta (Bivalvia) exposed to sediments from northern San Francisco Bay

Our study investigates biomarker responses and survival of Macoma nasuta exposed to sediments collected from six locations in northern San Francisco Bay. Biomarkers analyzed were stress proteins (hsp70) in gill, mantle and digestive gland, lysosomal membrane damage and histopathologic lesions. Sediments and clam tissues were analyzed for a comprehensive suite of heavy metals and trace organic pollutants. Sediment grain size and organic carbon content were determined. Clams accumulated metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (aldrin and p,p^′-DDT and its metabolites p,p^′-DDD and p,p^′-DDE). Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis revealed that mortality, hsp70 in gill and histopathologic lesion scores in gonads, and lysosomal membrane damage were significantly correlated with tissue concentrations of DDT and/or its metabolites. Tissue concentrations of metals, in particular nickel, chromium, and copper, were associated with macrophage aggregates in digestive gland and germ cell necrosis. Cadmium was linked to mortality and lysosomal membrane damage.     

Sublethal toxicity of orchard stormwater runoff in Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) larvae

The sublethal effects of stormwater runoff from sections of a plum orchard treated with esfenvalerate or diazinon were evaluated in 7-day-old Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) larvae. Fish were exposed to eight runoff samples using the USEPA standard static renewal method for 96 h acute toxicity testing, then transferred to clean water for three-month to assess the survival, growth, histopathological abnormalities, and heat stress proteins (hsp). No significant mortality was observed at 96 h in exposed fish. At one week, histopathological abnormalities included severe glycogen depletion, cytoplasmic protein droplets, vacuolar degeneration, and cell necroses in liver of all exposure groups. Pyknotic nerve cells were seen in brain of one exposure group. Significantly higher cumulative mortality, lower condition factor, and elevated hsp60 and hsp70 levels (p < 0.05) were occurred in several exposure groups. No histopathological abnormalities were observed after three months in any exposure group. This study confirms that standard acute toxicity tests have underestimated the toxicity of stormwater runoff, and although splittail larvae survived the 96 h exposure, they exhibited reduced survival and growth and showed signs of cellular stress even after a three month recovery period.     

Improved flood susceptibility mapping using a best first decision tree integrated with ensemble learning techniques

Improving the accuracy of flood prediction and mapping is crucial for reducing damage resulting from flood events. In this study, we proposed and validated three ensemble models based on the Best First Decision Tree (BFT) and the Bagging (Bagging-BFT), Decorate (Bagging-BFT), and Random Subspace (RSS-BFT) ensemble learning techniques for an improved prediction of flood susceptibility in a spatially-explicit manner. A total number of 126 historical flood events from the Nghe An Province (Vietnam) were connected to a set of 10 flood influencing factors (slope, elevation, aspect, curvature, river density, distance from rivers, flow direction, geology, soil, and land use) for generating the training and validation datasets. The models were validated via several performance metrics that demonstrated the capability of all three ensemble models in elucidating the underlying pattern of flood occurrences within the research area and predicting the probability of future flood events. Based on the Area Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUC), the ensemble Decorate-BFT model that achieved an AUC value of 0.989 was identified as the superior model over the RSS-BFT (AUC = 0.982) and Bagging-BFT (AUC = 0.967) models. A comparison between the performance of the models and the models previously reported in the literature confirmed that our ensemble models provided a reliable estimate of flood susceptibilities and their resulting susceptibility maps are trustful for flood early warning systems as well as development of mitigation plans.     

Was There Savanna Corridor on the Exposed Sunda Shelf During the Last Glacial Period?

To date, it is still heatedly debated that whether the exposed Sunda Shelf was covered by savanna or rainforest in the Last Glacial Period (LGP). A lot of palynological evidences revealed that large increase of non-arboreal pollen did not occurred on the southern South China Sea (SCS), and lowland and montane rainforest pollen were still predominant. Most of the herb-predominated pollen records occurred on the northern Australia, possibly indicating dispersions of herbs from current distribution centers. As a result, we advocated that inland and connected exposed Sunda Shelf around the southern SCS were covered by tropical forests rather than savanna during the LGP, although climate was drier then. This conclusion is not only supported by palaeoclimate-vegetation modeling, but also corresponds with most of the palynological evidences from South America. Current palynological records also showed the lack of palaeoenviromental reconstruction in Southeast Asia, including less pollen records and ambiguous correlations between marine pollen assemblage and its catchment vegetation.     

Selenium-induced teratogenicity in Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus)

Selenium is a potent reproductive and teratogenic environmental contaminant and there are concerns over possible reproductive effects of selenium on the Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) population, a threatened species, in California, USA. In this study, the teratogenic effects of selenium were examined in splittail embryos exposed to 0.0, 5.0, and 15.0 mg l(-1) sodium selenite for 48-h at 18.0 degrees C under static conditions, with renewal every 12 h. Embryo development was evaluated daily for abnormalities from initiation of exposure (stage 27) to initiation of exogenous feeding. At the end of evaluation, prelarvae were preserved for histological analysis. There were no significant differences in mortality or hatching success between control and exposed embryos. Exposed fish had pericardial edema and deformities of skeletal tissues (loss of tail, lordosis, scoliosis, and kyphosis). Other histological alterations were limited to dysplasia, hyperplasia and metaplasia of skeletal tissues in the deformed fish. This study showed that a short exposure of embryos during somite development has significant effects on the musculoskeletal development.     

Trophic status of the Iranian Caspian Sea based on water quality parameters and phytoplankton diversity

The present study attempted to test the applicability of the trophic index (TRIX) for assessing trophic status along the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea (CS). In order to increase the sensitivity of the TRIX for this area, we defined the range (lower and upper limits) from data collected between 1994 and 2005 which have been used as a reference. Several biological and chemical water quality parameters were determined and compared with the TRIX in order to describe the water quality status of the area. Comparisons were also made on two temporarily and spatially varied trophic status at the study site. Sampling was carried out at 36 stations during Phase I (1996–1997: before the introduction of an alien species Mnemiopsis leidyi, as a background data) while 24 stations were sampled during Phase II in 2005 (after the introduction of the alien species). A Parallel Study (as supplementary data) from 16 smaller scale sampling at shallower sites was also included in the discussion (1994–2005 on 18 transects). The results show that nutrient concentration (DIN, DIP compounds), oxygen (as absolute %) deviation from saturation (aD%O), chlorophyll a and also the Caspian Sea Trophic Index (TRIXCS) increase significantly after the introduction of an alien species (p<0.01). During Phase I and the Parallel Study, the phytoplankton community was dominated (based on important species index) by Thalassionema nitzschioides, Skeletonema costatum (Chrysophyta) year round but during Phase II, Spirulina laxissma (Cyanophyta) dominated annually and in autumn, coinciding with the minimum Shannon–Weaver diversity and Evenness indices recorded. Several trophic status indices and indicators were applied and an overall analysis suggested that the area has low trophic level during Phase I and high trophic level during Phase II. During the Parallel Study, low trophic level was recorded during the pre-invasion period and high trophic level for the post-invasion period.