Modelling quasi-three-dimensional distribution of solar irradiance on complex terrain

Author(s):  
Wenjie Liu ◽  
Huade Guan ◽  
Hugo A. Gutiérrez-Jurado ◽  
Eddie W. Banks ◽  
Xinguang He ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Ehara ◽  
Shuji Sumida ◽  
Tetsuaki Osafune ◽  
Eiji Hase

As shown previously, Euglena cells grown in Hutner’s medium in the dark without agitation accumulate wax as well as paramylum, and contain proplastids showing no internal structure except for a single prothylakoid existing close to the envelope. When the cells are transferred to an inorganic medium containing ammonium salt and the cell suspension is aerated in the dark, the wax was oxidatively metabolized, providing carbon materials and energy 23 for some dark processes of plastid development. Under these conditions, pyrenoid-like structures (called “pro-pyrenoids”) are formed at the sites adjacent to the prolamel larbodies (PLB) localized in the peripheral region of the proplastid. The single prothylakoid becomes paired with a newly formed prothylakoid, and a part of the paired prothylakoids is extended, with foldings, in to the “propyrenoid”. In this study, we observed a concentration of RuBisCO in the “propyrenoid” of Euglena gracilis strain Z using immunoelectron microscopy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayami Nishiwaki ◽  
Takamoto Okudaira ◽  
Kazuhiko Ishii ◽  
Muneki Mitamura

AbstractThe geometries (i.e., dip angles) of active faults from the surface to the seismogenic zone are the most important factors used to evaluate earthquake ground motion, which is crucial for seismic hazard assessments in urban areas. In Osaka, a metropolitan city in Japan, there are several active faults (e.g., the Uemachi and Ikoma faults), which are inferred from the topography, the attitude of active faults in surface trenches, the seismic reflection profile at shallow depths (less than 2 km), and the three-dimensional distribution of the Quaternary sedimentary layers. The Uemachi and Ikoma faults are N–S-striking fault systems with total lengths of 42 km and 38 km, respectively, with the former being located ~ 12 km west of the latter; however, the geometries of each of the active faults within the seismogenic zone are not clear. In this study, to examine the geometries of the Uemachi and Ikoma faults from the surface to the seismogenic zone, we analyze the development of the geological structures of sedimentary layers based on numerical simulations of a two-dimensional visco-elasto-plastic body under a horizontal compressive stress field, including preexisting high-strained weak zones (i.e., faults) and surface sedimentation processes, and evaluate the relationship between the observed geological structures of the Quaternary sediments (i.e., the Osaka Group) in the Osaka Plain and the model results. As a result, we propose geometries of the Uemachi and Ikoma faults from the surface to the seismogenic zone. When the friction coefficient of the faults is ~ 0.5, the dip angles of the Uemachi and Ikoma faults near the surface are ~ 30°–40° and the Uemachi fault has a downward convex curve at the bottom of the seismogenic zone, but does not converge to the Ikoma fault. Based on the analysis in this study, the dip angle of the Uemachi fault zone is estimated to be approximately 30°–40°, which is lower than that estimated in the previous studies. If the active fault has a low angle, the width of the fault plane is long, and thus the estimated seismic moment will be large.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin Yu ◽  
Chang Tang Chang ◽  
Chih Ming Ma

AbstractThe traffic congestion in the Hsuehshan tunnel and at the Toucheng interchange has led to traffic-related air pollution with increasing concern. To ensure the authenticity of our simulation, the concentration of the last 150 m in Hsuehshan tunnel was simulated using the computational fluid dynamics fluid model. The air quality at the Toucheng interchange along a 2 km length highway was simulated using the California Line Source Dispersion Model. The differences in air quality between rush hours and normal traffic conditions were also investigated. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with installed PM2.5 sensors was developed to obtain the three-dimensional distribution of pollutants. On different roads, during the weekend, the concentrations of pollutants such as SOx, CO, NO, and PM2.5 were observed to be in the range of 0.003–0.008, 7.5–15, 1.5–2.5 ppm, and 40–80 μg m− 3, respectively. On weekdays, the vehicle speed and the natural wind were 60 km h− 1 and 2.0 m s− 1, respectively. On weekdays, the SOx, CO, NO, and PM2.5 concentrations were found to be in the range of 0.002–0.003, 3–9, 0.7–1.8 ppm, and 35–50 μg m− 3, respectively. The UAV was used to verify that the PM2.5 concentrations of vertical changes at heights of 9.0, 7.0, 5.0, and 3.0 m were 45–48, 30–35, 25–30, and 50–52 μg m− 3, respectively. In addition, the predicted PM2.5 concentrations were 40–45, 25–30, 45–48, and 45–50 μg m− 3 on weekdays. These results provide a reference model for environmental impact assessments of long tunnels and traffic jam-prone areas. These models and data are useful for transportation planners in the context of creating traffic management plans.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoyo Y. Irie ◽  
Tohru Irie ◽  
Alejandro A. Espinoza Orías ◽  
Kazuyuki Segami ◽  
Norimasa Iwasaki ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study investigated in vivo the three-dimensional distribution of CT attenuation in the lumbar spine pedicle wall measured in Hounsfield Unit (HU). Seventy-five volunteers underwent clinical lumbar spine CT scans. Data was analyzed with custom-written software to determine the regional variation in pedicle wall attenuation values. A cylindrical coordinate system oriented along the pedicle’s long axis was used to calculate the pedicular wall attenuation distribution three-dimensionally and the highest attenuation value was identified. The pedicular cross-section was divided into four quadrants: lateral, medial, cranial, and caudal. The mean HU value for each quadrant was calculated for all lumbar spine levels (L1–5). The pedicle wall attenuation was analyzed by gender, age, spinal levels and anatomical quadrant. The mean HU values of the pedicle wall at L1 and L5 were significantly lower than the values between L2–4 in both genders and in both age groups. Furthermore, the medial quadrant showed higher HU values than the lateral quadrant at all levels and the caudal quadrant showed higher HU values at L1–3 and lower HU values at L4–5 than the cranial quadrant. These findings may explain why there is a higher incidence of pedicle screw breach in the pedicle lateral wall.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (26) ◽  
pp. 14987-14995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratan Othayoth ◽  
George Thoms ◽  
Chen Li

Effective locomotion in nature happens by transitioning across multiple modes (e.g., walk, run, climb). Despite this, far more mechanistic understanding of terrestrial locomotion has been on how to generate and stabilize around near–steady-state movement in a single mode. We still know little about how locomotor transitions emerge from physical interaction with complex terrain. Consequently, robots largely rely on geometric maps to avoid obstacles, not traverse them. Recent studies revealed that locomotor transitions in complex three-dimensional (3D) terrain occur probabilistically via multiple pathways. Here, we show that an energy landscape approach elucidates the underlying physical principles. We discovered that locomotor transitions of animals and robots self-propelled through complex 3D terrain correspond to barrier-crossing transitions on a potential energy landscape. Locomotor modes are attracted to landscape basins separated by potential energy barriers. Kinetic energy fluctuation from oscillatory self-propulsion helps the system stochastically escape from one basin and reach another to make transitions. Escape is more likely toward lower barrier direction. These principles are surprisingly similar to those of near-equilibrium, microscopic systems. Analogous to free-energy landscapes for multipathway protein folding transitions, our energy landscape approach from first principles is the beginning of a statistical physics theory of multipathway locomotor transitions in complex terrain. This will not only help understand how the organization of animal behavior emerges from multiscale interactions between their neural and mechanical systems and the physical environment, but also guide robot design, control, and planning over the large, intractable locomotor-terrain parameter space to generate robust locomotor transitions through the real world.


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