Seismic Wave Propagation Characteristics and Their Effects on the Dynamic Response of Layered Rock Sites

To investigate the seismic response of layered rock sites, a multidomain analysis method was proposed. Three finite element models with infinite element boundaries for layered sites were analysed. The results of this multidomain analysis show that stratum properties and elevation have an impact on wave propagation characteristics and the dynamic response of layered sites. Compared with the rock mass, the overlying gravel soil has a greater dynamic amplification effect at the sites. A time domain analysis parameter PGA(IMF) was proposed to analyse the effects of different strata on the seismic magnification effect of layered sites, and its application was also discussed in comparison with PGA. According to the frequency domain analysis, the interface of the rock mass strata has a low impact on the Fourier spectrum characteristics of the sites, but gravel soil has a great magnification effect on the spectrum amplitude in the high-frequency band (≥30 Hz) of waves. Moreover, the stratum properties have a great influence on the shape and peak value of the Hilbert energy and marginal spectrum at layered sites. When waves propagate from hard rock to soft rock, the peak value of the Hilbert energy spectrum changes from single to multiple peaks; then, in gravelly soil, the Hilbert energy spectral peak, its nearby amplitude and the amplitude in the high-frequency band (28–36 Hz) are obviously amplified. The frequency components and amplitude of the marginal spectrum become more abundant and larger from rock to gravelly soil in the high-frequency band (28–35 Hz).

Runoff Prediction Based on the Discharge of Pump Stations in an Urban Stream Using a Modified Multi-Layer Perceptron Combined with Meta-Heuristic Optimization

Runoff in urban streams is the most important factor influencing urban inundation. It also affects inundation in other areas as various urban streams and rivers are connected. Current runoff predictions obtained using a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) exhibit limited accuracy. In this study, the runoff of urban streams was predicted by applying an MLP using a harmony search (MLPHS) to overcome the shortcomings of MLPs using existing optimizers and compared with the observed runoff and the runoff predicted by an MLP using a real-coded genetic algorithm (RCGA). Furthermore, the results of the MLPHS were compared with the results of the MLP with existing optimizers such as the stochastic gradient descent, adaptive gradient, and root mean squared propagation. The runoff of urban steams was predicted based on the discharge of each pump station and rainfall information. The results obtained with the MLPHS exhibited the smallest error of 39.804 m3/s when compared to the peak value of the observed runoff. The MLPHS gave more accurate runoff prediction results than the MLP using the RCGA and that using existing optimizers. The accurate prediction of the runoff in an urban stream using an MLPHS based on the discharge of each pump station is possible.

A study on the consumptive use of water by kharif rice at Canning (West Bengal)

Based on the data for the period from 1977 to 1992 during the kharif season. mean weekly evapotranspiration (ET) and its contribution for different phases to total evaporative loss have been worked out for kharif rice at Canning. The evapotranspiration-evaporation ratio (ET/EP) and crop coefficient (Kc) have been round to attain peak values during the flowering stage. A relationship between ET/EP and number of days from transplanting has been developed and this relationship helps in detero\ining ET from a knowledge of EP and date of transplanting. Ratio of evapotranspiration to total shortwave radiation (ET/R2) which represents the combined effect of energy balance components. also reaches its peak value during the flowering stage. Among the four different energy summation indices. the potential evapotranspiration seems to be a better parameter for identification of growth stages of the crop. Water use efficiency of kharif rice shows significant year-to-year variations.

A prominent maximum in surface ozone concentration during winter months at Pune (India)

ABSTRACT. Concentration of ozone near the ground has been recorded at Pune (India) since 1972 with the help of a continuous surface ozone recorder using electro-chemical sensor. The analysis of the records of winter season indicates a sharp rise in ozone amount in the forenoon around 1000 to 1200 LST. Prior to 1985 this forenoon: higher value in surface ozone concentration was followed by another maximum in the afternoon hours coinciding with the maximum temperature epoch of the day. After 1985 the surface ozone data indicates that the forenoon peak value has become invariably higher than the afternoon value. Due to increasing concentration of anthropogenic gases in the atmosphere there is a possibility of photochemical production of ozone in the troposphere which may give rise to higher surface ozone values, when the meteorological conditions are favourable for the accumulation of such gases which are involved in ozone production.

Dynamics of two-dimensional multi-peak solitons based on the fractional Schrödinger equation

We address the propagation dynamics of two-dimensional multi-peak solitons in the optical lattices based on the fractional Schrödinger equation. The effect of Lévy index and lattice depth on the band-gap structure of optical lattices are presented. Two-, three-, four-, six- and eight-peak solitons all can exist in the first gap and be stable in a wide region of their existence domain. The effective width, maximal peak value and the power of soliton are also studied. It indicates that the Lévy index plays a significant role on the properties of solitons.

Assessment of sea ice melting rates in the Antarctic from SSM/I observations

Sea ice governs the fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum across the ocean-atmosphere interface. Because it is thin, sea ice is vulnerable to small perturbations within the ocean and the atmosphere, which considerably change the extent and thickness of the polar ice cover. Thus, sea ice is a climate change indicator. The DMSP SSM/I monthly ice concentration data over the Antarctic region have used to calculate the monthly sea ice extents (August to February) for each year during 1988-2006. Melting rates based on seasonal cycle of solar irradiance as well as the SSM/I data have been calculated. Compared to the melting rates based on seasonal cycle of solar irradiance, the SSM/I estimated melting rate, is less in the beginning of September and increases to its peak value by the end of December. The observed melting rate behaviour indicates that apart from the seasonal cycle of solar irradiance, it is controlled by other mechanisms also. The present study estimates the feedback impact factor, response time, accelerating and decelerating melting rate duration for the period 1988-2006.

Bharat mein teen laghu akshaansh kendron ke oopar ozone ke oordhvaadhar vitaran kee ozone sonde aankadon ke dvaara pradarshit pravrtti

This study examines the trends in the vertical distribution of ozone over three low latitude stations in India. The stations are Delhi (28° N, 77° E), Pune (18° N, 74° E) and Thiruvananthapuram (8° N, 76° E) lying in the almost same longitude belt (74-77°) but separated by10o latitude. The balloon ozonesonde data of 45 years (1969 – 2012) have been analyzed. It has been found that ozone trends at different altitudes are different for three stations. The peak value and the altitude of peak value vary from year to year. This is due to solar UV-B variation.

Fabrication of Inkjet-Printed Carbon Nanotube for Enhanced Mechanical and Strain-Sensing Performance

This paper presents fabrication of inkjet-printed carbon nanotube film on flexible substrate for wearable electronics applications. The density of CNT films is optimized by droplet spacing (DS) and multiple passes to provide the best strain behavior. It is found that low-density carbon nanotubes have fewer conductive pathways resulting in less change and low GF under applied strain. Conversely, high-density carbon nanotubes have more conductive paths, and they are not easily broken under strain, resulting in poor strain-sensing ability. The inkjet printing process can adjust uniformity and density of CNT film through DS and multiple passes to optimize its strain characteristics. The highest GF of 3.36 was obtained under strain ranging from 71 to 3128 με when CNT printed by DS of 23 μm and 20 passes. The relative change in resistance under various strains, ranging from 71 to 3128 με had a stable peak value for each 20 strain/release cycle which proved its repeatability and stability. Furthermore, inkjet-printed CNT sensors monitored human movement of various joints and distinguished bending angle demonstrating its potentially practical application in wearable electronics.

A kinetic model considering the decline of antibody level and vaccination of COVID-19

In order to evaluate the decline in antibody levels and the impact of vaccination on the spread of the epidemic, we establish COVID-19 dynamic models that consider the decline in antibody levels and the effects of vaccination, and retrospectively evaluate the epidemic situation in England. Based on the epidemic data in England from September 1 to October 31, 2020, considering the continuous decline in the antibody level of COVID-19 recovers, an improved SEIR infectious disease dynamics model that considers the reinfection of recovers due to the decline in antibody levels is established. The kinetic parameters of the SEIR model are obtained by fitting. On this basis, a SEIRV infectious disease dynamic model with vaccination is established to study the impact of different vaccination rates and vaccine failure rates on the development of the epidemic in England. We obtain the lower the vaccine failure rate, the fewer new cases. When the vaccination rate is fixed at 0.005 (equivalent to 250000 people vaccinated every day), the peak of the epidemic will decrease with the decrease of vaccine failure rate. The peak value when the failure rate is 0.001 is 81.4% lower than the peak value when the failure rate is 0.01, and the peak value when the failure rate is 0.01 is 89.5% lower than the peak value when the failure rate is 0.02. When the failure rate is less than 0.01, the peak time will advance with the decrease of failure rate; when the failure rate is greater than 0.01, the peak time will be delayed with the decrease of failure rate; when the failure rate is 0.01, the peak time is 528 days later than that when the failure rate is 0.001 and 295 days later than that when the failure rate is 0.05. On the 60th day of vaccination, the vaccine failure rate of 0.002 decreases the number of cases by 5.8% compared with the vaccine failure rate of 0.01; on the 70th day of vaccination, the vaccine failure rate of 0.002 reduces the number of cases by 9.1% compared with the vaccine failure rate of 0.01. Therefore, with the extension of time, the vaccine with low failure rate has a more obvious effect on reducing the number of cases than the vaccine with high failure rate. When the vaccine failure rate is fixed at 0.005, we study the impact of different vaccination rates on the spread of the epidemic in England, the result shows that the peak of epidemic situation decreases with the increase of vaccination rate, and the peak time advance with the increase of vaccination rate, when the vaccination rate is 0.025, the peak decreases by 74.8% and the peak time was 114 days earlier than that when the vaccination rate is 0.005. Therefore, the higher the vaccine efficiency and vaccination rate, the lower the peak of the epidemic. On the basis of improving the effectiveness of vaccines, increasing the vaccination rate is of practical significance for controlling the spread of the epidemic.