Infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a public health problem in many parts of the world, due to its frequency, complications and socio-economic consequences. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in rural areas and in urban areas. This cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of HBV infection from 2015-2018 at CHR-Sokodé and USP of Ogaro. Biological data of 3000 participants (500 per year in each zone) enrolled and results of HBsAg were assessed during the study period. Female are represented 60% with average age comprised between [20, 29] years old. The high rate of participants enrolled (45.10%) are come for the monitoring of pregnancy. The prevalence of VHB during the study are 20.33% (610/3000), high prevalence (6.27%) and the means of VHB prevalence are shown in the age range between [30; 39] with 12.17% (365/3000) of female and 8.17% (235/3000) of male are positive after diagnostic detection of HBsAg (antigen of Hepatitis B virus). The prevalence of HBV in rural zone (Ogaro) are 5.23% and 15.07% in urban zone (Sokodé) and the high prevalence (17.50%) are shown in urban zone. The high prevalence of young suggests that some effort will be due to sensibilized young for HBV sexual transmission and the way of prevention. In addition, some research would be done in research of alternative therapy against this infection.

Eight samples of limestones and marbles were studied by neutron diffraction to collect 2 Quantitative Texture (i.e., Crystallographic Preferred Orientations or CPO) of calcite deforming at 3 different depths in the crust. We studied the different Texture patterns developed in shear zones at 4 different depth and their influence on seismic anisotropies. Samples were collected in the French and 5 Italian Alps, Apennines, and Paleozoic Sardinian basement. They are characterized by isotropic to 6 highly anisotropic (e.g., mylonite shear zone) fabrics. Mylonite limestones occur as shear zone horizons 7 within the Cenozoic Southern Domain in Alpine thrust-and-fold belts (Italy), the Briançonnais domain 8 of the Western Alps (Italy-France border), the Sardinian Paleozoic back-thrusts or in the Austroalpine 9 intermediate units. The analyzed marbles were collected in the Carrara Marble, in the Austroalpine Units 10 in the Central (Mortirolo) and Western Alps (Valpelline). The temperature and depth of development of fabrics vary from < 100◦C, to 800◦C and depth from <10 km to about 30 km, corresponding from upper 12 to lower crust conditions. Quantitative Texture Analysis shows different types of patterns for calcite: 13 random to strongly textured. Textured types may be further separated in orthorhombic and monoclinic 14 (Types A and B), based on the angle defined with the mesoscopic fabrics. Seismic anisotropies were 15 calculated by homogenizing the single crystal elastic tensor, using the Orientation Distribution Function 16 calculated by the Quantitative Texture Analysis. The resulting P- and S-waves anisotropies show a wide 17 variability due to the textural types, temperature and pressure conditions, and dip of the shear planes.

The paper provides information on significant contamination of real laboratory water with hydrophilic microimpurities. This fact suggests that researchers are practically dealing with microdispersed systems. However, this fact is usually neglected in the discussions of the causes of the anomalous properties of water. We will show that, when exposed to various factors of physical nature, water demonstrates reactions of the same type, namely, increased pH and electrical conductivity, reduced redox potential and viscosity, and enhanced bioavailability. Each exposure is accompanied by the destruction of aggregates of the dispersed phase and its transition to a fine-dispersed state. The relationship between this phenomenon and the change in the physicochemical properties of water is discussed.

The Sol Hamed (SH) area is a part of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) ophiolites occurred within Onib-Sol Hamed suture zone in the southern Eastern Desert of Egypt. The ophiolitic assemblages in this area are represented by serpentinite, metagabbro and arc assemblages represented by metavolcanics. They later intruded by gabbroes and granites. Geochemically, the compatible trace elements (Cr=2426–2709 ppm, Ni=1657–2377 ppm and Co=117–167 ppm) enrichment in SH serpentinites indicate derivation from a depleted mantle peridotite source. They show affinity to the typical metamorphic peridotites. The normative compositions reflect harzburgitic mantle source. Their Al2O3 contents (0.05–1.02 wt. %) are akin to oceanic and active margin peridotites and Pan-African serpentinites. The Cr and TiO2 contents indicate supra-subduction zone (SSZ) environment. Their Al2O3/SiO2 and MgO/SiO2 ratios support the SSZ affinity and are similar to ANS peridotites with fore-arc setting. Moreover, their Al2O3 and CaO depletion is typical of fore-arc peridotites. Structurally, the area represents four deformational events can be well-known in the Neoproterozoic rocks (D1, D2, D3 and D4); D1: E–W thrust faults and related E–W (F1) folds; D2: NW–SE thrust faults and related NW–SE (F2) folds were formed; D3: conjugate NNW-trending sinistral and NNE-trending dextral transpression, as well as N–trending tight folds (F3) and D4: is E–W dextral strike-slip and dip-slip normal faults striking NNW–SSE to N–S and E–W may be related to Red Sea rifting. There are major three fault sets affected the area. The first set trend mainly NE-SW and is manifested in the volcanic-sedimentary assemblage and Gabal SH and have important role in mineralization. The second set trend E-W affecting all the basement rocks and disturbs the first fault set. The third set trend N-S affected all the rock units. Magnesite mineralization in SH serpentinites is cryptocrystalline formed due to hydrothermal alteration of the serpentinite host rocks. It is occur as snow-white veins and stock-works. These characteristics are typical of Kraubath type magnesite deposits. Gold mineralization is confined to malachite-bearing quartz veins, smoky quartz veins and alteration zones. Malachite-bearing quartz veins trending NW-SE cut through gabbroic rocks and exhibit mylonitic structure. They are fractured containing malachite and disseminated sulfide minerals. Smoky quartz veins trending NE-SW with SE steeply dipping intrude the meta-andesite. They are intensively sheared containing iron oxides in the fissures. The gold grades increase with arsenopyrite occurrences. On the other hand, the barren quartz veins are nearly vertical with E-W directions. Alteration zones with NW-SE trend and nearly vertical dip intrude metagabbros and metavolcanics. Hematite, limonite, goethite and fresh pyrite characterize these zones. They occur mainly neighboring the auriferous quartz veins.

The existence of the exclusion zone (EZ), a layer of water in which plastic microspheres are repelled from hydrophilic surfaces, has now been independently demonstrated by several groups. A better understanding of the mechanisms which generate EZs would help with understanding the possible importance of EZs in biology and in engineering applications such as filtration and microfluidics. Pollack theorizes that EZ water exists in a new phase which has a layered structure. We note several problems with Pollack's proposed structure, some of which were noted in the 1960's when a similar structure was proposed for ``polywater''. We argue that Schurr's diffusiophoresis based theory presents a compelling alternative explanation for the core EZ phenomena, although there remain other findings from Pollack's lab it does not explain. Among other things, Schurr's theory makes predictions about the growth of the EZ with time which have been confirmed by Florea et al.\ and others. In this work we also introduce and explore a novel hypothesis - that some aspects of EZ phenomena may be attributable to repulsive van der Waals forces. Finally, we touch on several possible confounding factors that make experimentation on EZs difficult, such as charged surface groups, dissolved solutes, and adsorbed nanobubbles.

The Greenland Ice Sheet is now the largest land ice contributor to global sea level rise, largely driven by increased surface meltwater runoff from the ablation zone, i.e. areas of the ice sheet where annual mass losses exceed gains. This small but critically important area of the ice sheet has expanded in size by ~50% since the early 1960s, and satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool for monitoring the physical processes that influence its surface mass balance. This review synthesizes key remote sensing methods and scientific findings from satellite remote sensing of the Greenland Ice Sheet ablation zone, covering progress in 1) radar altimetry, 2) laser (lidar) altimetry, 3) gravimetry, 4) multispectral optical imagery and, 5) microwave and thermal imagery. Physical characteristics and quantities examined include surface elevation change, gravimetric mass balance, reflectance, albedo, and mapping of surface melt extent and glaciological facies and zones. The review concludes that future progress will benefit most from methods that combine multi-sensor, multi-wavelength, and cross-platform datasets designed to discriminate the widely varying surface processes in the ablation zone. Specific examples include fusing laser altimetry, radar altimetry, and optical stereophotogrammetry to enhance spatial measurement density, cross-validate surface elevation change, and diagnose radar elevation bias; fusing optical imagery, radar imagery, and microwave scatterometry to discriminate between snow, liquid water, refrozen meltwater, and bare ice near the equilibrium line altitude; combining optical reflectance with laser altimetry to map supraglacial lake, stream, and crevasse bathymetry; and monitoring the inland migration of snowlines, surface melt extent, and supraglacial hydrologic features.

Based on the geochemical analysis of the volcanic material from the sediment core AMK-340, central zone of the Reykjanes Ridge, we could detect two ash-bearing sediment units accumulated during the Termination I. They correlate to the Ash Zone I in the North Atlantic Late Quaternary sediments having an age of 12170-12840, within the Younger Dryas cold chronozone, and 13600-14540 years, within and Bølling-Allerød warm chronozone. The ash of the Younger Dryas unit is presented mostly by the mafic and persilicic material originated from the Icelandic volcanoes; Vedde Ash is presented in one sediment sample from this unit. The ash of the Bølling-Allerød unit is presented mostly by the mafic shards which are related to the basalts of the rift zone on the Reykjanes Ridge, having presumably the local origin. A detection of Vedde Ash helped to specify the timing of the previously reconstructed paleoceanographic changes for the Termination I in the point of study: a significant warming in the area could occur as early as 300 years prior to the end of the conventional Younger Dryas cold chronozone.

Surface urban heat island (SUHI) depicts the deteriorating thermal environment in high-density cities and local climate zone (LCZ) classification provides a universal protocol for SUHI identification. In this study, taking the central urbanized area of Guangzhou in the humid subtropical region of China as the study area, the maps or images of LCZ, land surface temperature (LST), SUHI and urban design factors were achieved by using Landsat satellite data, GIS database and a series of retrieval and classification algorithms, and the urban design factors influencing SUHI were investigated based on 625 samples of LCZs. The results show that in the summer daytime under the clear sky condition, the LST varied greatly from 26 °C to 40 °C and the SUHI changed in a wide range of -6 °C to 8 °C in the LCZs of the study area. Seven and five urban design factors influencing the summer daytime SUHI were identified for the two dominant LCZ of LCZs 1-5 (LCZ 1 to LCZ 5) and the mixed LCZ (containing at least three types of LCZs), respectively. The summer daytime SUHI prediction models were obtained by using the step-wise multiple linear regression, with the performance of R2 of 0.697, RMSE of 1.21 °C, and the d value of 0.81 for the model of LCZs 1-5, and the values of 0.666, 1.66 °C, and 0.76 for the model of the mixed LCZ, indicating that the models can predict the changes of SUHI with LCZs to a large and satisfactory extent. This study presents a methodology to efficiently achieve a large sample of SUHI and urban design factors of LCZs in the largely urbanized cities, and provides information beneficial to the urban designs and regenerations in the humid subtropical region.

Both sand and fly ash were found to be promising for phosphorus removal in bioretention systems. However, nutrient removal in bioretention systems with sand, soil and fly ash was still uncertain due to a lack of data about the influence of layer structure and submerged zone. In this study, a mixture with sand, soil and fly ash (1:1:1) was selected as the base in bioretention systems with different packed layer structures and heights of submerged zone. The comparison of multi-layered structure with mixed structure implied that the used bioretention system with multi-layered structure was superior to that with mixed structure for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The investigation of the influence of submerged zones on nutrient removal indicated that the submerged zone could significantly improve nitrate removal efficiency with 67.52%-86.32%, while sharply reduce the removal of ammonia nitrogen (from 95.15% to 51.81%) and TP (from 88.66% to 44.50%). Overall evaluation of the effect of packed layer structures and submerged zones suggested that the bioretention system with multi-layered structure at the height of submerged zone at 20-40cm was the most satisfactory, due to its microbial environment.

We apply deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to estimate wave breaking type from close-range monochrome infrared imagery of the surf zone. Image features are extracted using six popular CNN architectures developed for generic image feature extraction. Logistic regression on these features is then used to classify breaker type. The six CNN-based models are compared without and with augmentation, a process that creates larger training datasets using random image transformations. The simplest model performs optimally, achieving average classification accuracies of 89% and 93%, without and with image augmentation respectively. Without augmentation, average classification accuracies vary substantially with CNN model. With augmentation, sensitivity to model choice is minimized. A class activation analysis reveals the relative importance of image features to a given classification. During its passage, the front face and crest of a spilling breaker are more important than the back face. Whereas for a plunging breaker, the crest and back face of the wave are most important. This suggests that CNN-based models utilize the distinctive `streak' temperature patterns observed on the back face of plunging breakers for classification.

Flow and transport processes in soil and rock play a critical role in agricultural non-point source pollution (ANSP) loads. In this study, we investigated the ANPS load discharged into rivers from an irrigation district in the Tibetan Plateau, and simulated ANPS load using a distributed model involving detailed descriptions of flow and ANPS transport and transformation processes in the soil and rock. Experiments were conducted for two years to measure soil water content and nitrogen concentrations and the quality and quantity of lateral flow in the rock and at the drainage canal outlet during the highland barley growing period. A distributed model, in which the subsurface lateral flow was described using a step-wise method, was developed to simulate flow and ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen transport. Sobol’s method was used to evaluate the sensitivity of simulated flow and transport processes to model inputs. The results showed that, with a 21.2% increase of rainfall and irrigation in the highland barley growing period, the average NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations in the soil layer decreased by 10.8% and 14.3%, respectively, due to increased deep seepage. Deep seepage of rainfall water accounted for 0–52.4% of total rainfall, whereas deep seepage of irrigation water accounted for 36.6–45.3% of total irrigation. NH4+-N and NO3--N discharged into the drainage channel represented 19.9–30.4% and 19.4–26.7% of the deep seepage, respectively. The mean Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients, root mean square errors, and cumulative deviations between the measured and simulated flow rates and NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations at the surface drainage canal outlet were 0.694, 0.081, and 0.242, respectively, indicating that the proposed method can effectively describe the hydrological and ANPS pollution migration in the plateau irrigation zone. The Sobol’ sensitivity analysis results demonstrated that subsurface lateral flow had the most important first order and total effect on the simulated flow and NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations at the surface drainage outlet.

In order to study the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of Permian A-type granites and their relationships with hydrothermal mineralization along the Hegenshan-Heihe suture zone (HHSZ) in northeastern China, we select the newly discovered Hongyan Cu-polymetallic deposit in the northeastern part of the HHSZ that develops three stages of mineralization associated with the Shanshenfu alkali-feldspar granite (SAFG). The zircon U-Pb dating and whole rock geochemistry suggest that the SAFG is a typical A-type granite formed in the Early Permian. The zircon Hf isotopes and trace elements suggest that the SAFG has high Ti-in-zircon temperature (721–990℃), high magmatic oxygen fugacity and largely positive εHf(t) (+6.0 to +9.9). Therefore, we propose that the SAFG was derived from the crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization of the charnockitized juvenile crust. The high oxygen fugacity favors the chalcophile elements (e.g., Cu, Au, Ag) of the source region enriched in the fluid phases after magmatic fractional crystallization, consequently facilitating subsequent hydrothermal mineralization, which is also consistent with the characteristics of ore-forming fluids that changed from the initial high temperature, high salinity, high fO2 and CO2-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids of stage I to CO2-poor, dilute, and cooling meteoric fluids of stage III. Combined with regional geological background, the Permian A2-type granites along the HHSZ can be formed in post-collisional slab break-off process. In subsequent exploration for hydrothermal deposits along the HHSZ, the Permian A-type granites with arc-related juvenile crustal source and high fO2 have great potential and need more attention.

This study aims to determine the optimal configuration (position and operation duration) for wall mounted mechanical mixers based on the comparison of three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling results and physical data collected from the treatment plant. A three-dimensional model of anoxic zone 1, 2 and 3 of Northern Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located at Cairns Regional Council, Cairns, Queensland, Australia was developed and validated. The model was used to simulate the flow pattern of the WWTP and the simulation results are in good agreement with the physical data varying between 0% to 15% in key locations. The anoxic zones were subject to velocities less than the desired 0.3 metres per second however results for suspended solids concentration indicate that good mixing is being achieved. Results for suspended solids concentrations suggest that the anoxic zones are towards the upper limits recommended by literature for specific power dissipation. The duration for operation of mechanical mixers was investigated and identified that the duration could be reduced from 900 seconds down to 150 seconds. Alternative mixer positioning was also investigated and identified positioning which would increase the average flow velocity with decreased duration (150 seconds). The study identified that Council may achieve savings of $24,000 per year through optimisation of the mechanical mixers.

The diagnostics of natural landscapes geoecological state in the course of the permafrost zone economic development should be based on the assessment of the destructive cryogenic processes formation. It is expedient to consider it in terms of landscapes resistance to cryogenic processes increase. The choice of lithocryogenic stability parameters is substantiated. These are: permafrost distribution over the area, its annual mean temperature and ice content, protective properties of the vegetation and etc. Cryogenic processes activation is estimated with regard to their area, development rate and attenuation, natural landscapes damage, hazard for engineering facilities operation. The assessment procedure, and the way of improving expert numerical scores are shown. At Geography Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the authors have developed a number of the approved methods of making evaluation maps of different scales applying the methods of landscape indication, modern methods of space images decoding, methods of expert scores, the method statistical calculations and methods of spatial GIS-analysis. The technique of Atlas geo-information mapping on the landscape basis has been introduced in seven atlases at scales from 1:3 000 000 to 1:20 000 000. These maps are widely used in design and survey organizations and in education.

Solar radiation is closely related to the energy buildings consume for cooling, heating, and lighting purposes. Glazing is the only material of the building envelope that transmits solar radiation and needs to be appropriately designed to reduce energy cㅈonsumption. Currently, smart glass technology is being actively investigated and developed for effective solar radiation control. Among the various types of smart glass, electrochromic glazing is one of the most promising technologies, as it can adjust transmittance on its own, has a wider transmittance range in both the clear and darkened states, and consumes less electricity. Considering the importance of solar radiation adjustment in electrochromic glazing technology, this study attempted to develop an optimal control method for electrochromic glazing. Toward this goal, the solar radiation incident on vertical surfaces and outdoor temperature conditions were controlled in three regions with different climatic characteristics, and the annual cooling, heating, and lighting loads, discomfort glare, and interior illumination were analyzed. This approach enabled the optimal conditions with respect to visual comfort to be determined. Subsequently, the EDPI (Energy and daylight performance index) was used to optimize control conditions for each region, thereby producing integrated evaluations from results with different units and properties. The proposed control method will be utilized to develop a control algorithm and a control system to reduce building energy consumption.

The study compared antibacterial potential of hydrolysates of casein and alpha-lactalbumin from cow and goat milk on diarrhea-causing Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Milk samples were aseptically obtained from lactating cows and goats. The samples were skimmed; casein was isolated using acetic acid and alpha-lactalbumin by filtrate thermoprecipitation at 75 °C. 50% of each isolate was reconstituted in a buffer and hydrolyzed with papain at 55 °C for 2 hours. The hydrolysates were heated to 75 °C to inactivate papain, cooled and their antibacterial activity determined by disc diffusion method. Results showed alpha-lactalbumins had higher degrees of hydrolysis and antibacterial activity than caseins; goat alpha-lactalbumin had the highest antibacterial activity with mean inhibition zones of 19.60 mm and 19.50 mm on E. coli and S. aureus. Cow alpha-lactalbumin inhibited E. coli more than S. aureus with inhibition zones of 16.80 mm and 12.50 mm. Cow and goat milk casein hydrolysates inhibited E. coli with mean inhibition zones of 8.00 mm and 10.90 mm and inhibited S. aureus with inhibition zones of 4.13 mm and 1.90 mm respectively. The research showed that the milk hydrolysates can be a source of antibiotics for diarrhea treatment. Research should be done to establish the peptide fractions associated with the observed bioactivity.

In the northern Fennoscandian Shield, a vanadium mineralization occurs in the Paleoproterozoic Pechenga–Imandra-Varzuga (PIV) riftogenic structure. It is localized in sulfide ores hosted by sheared basic and ultrabasic metavolcanics in the Pyrrhotite Ravine and Bragino areas and was formed at the latest stages of the Lapland-Kola orogeny 1.90–1.86 Ga ago. An additional formation of vanadium minerals derived from contact metamorphism and metasomatism produced by the Devonian Khibiny alkaline massif in the Pyrrhotite Ravine area. Vanadium forms its own rare minerals (karelianite, coulsonite, kyzylkumite, goldmanite, mukhinite, etc.), as well as it can be an isomorphic admixture in rutile, ilmenite, crichtonite group, micas, chlorites, etc. Vanadium originated from two sources: (1) basic and ultrabasic volcanics initially enriched in vanadium and (2) metasomatizing fluids that circulated along shear zones. The crystallization of vanadium and vanadium-bearing minerals was accompanied by chromium and scandium mineralization. Vanadium mineralization in Paleoproterozoic formations throughout the world is briefly considered. The simultaneous development of vanadium, chromium and scandium mineralizations is a unique feature of the Kola sulfide ores. In other regions sulfide ores contain only two of these three mineralizations produced by one ore-forming process.

The image performance of acoustic and ultrasound sensors depends on several fundamental parameters such as depth of focus or spatial resolution. There are currently two different type of acoustic diffractive lenses: those which form a diffraction-limited spot with a shallow depth of focus (zone plates) and lenses which form an extended focus (quasi-Bessel beams). In this paper, we investigate a pupil-masked Soret zone plate which allows the tunability of a normalized angular spectrum. It is shown that the depth of focus and the spatial resolution can be modified, without changing the lens structure, by choosing the size of the amplitude pupil mask. This effect is based on the transformation of spherically converging waves into quasi-conical waves, due to the apodization of the central part of the zone plate. The theoretical analysis is verified with both numerical simulations and experimental measurements. A Soret zone plate immersed in water with D/2F=2.5 and F=4.5$\lambda$, changes its depth of focus from 2.84$\lambda$ to 5.9$\lambda$ and the spatial resolution increases from 0.81$\lambda$ to 0.64$\lambda$ at a frequency of 250 kHz, by modifying the pupil mask dimensions of the Soret zone plate.

Ferrite body is the origin of crack and corrosion initiation of steels. Distribution and density of ferrite in seven steel ingots were examined by light optical microscopy and computational modeling in the study to explore the correlation of ferrite formation to chemical composition and mushy zone temperature in ingot forming. The central segregation phenomenon in ferrite distribution was observed in all the examined steel specimens except 0Cr17Ni4Cu4Nb stainless steel. No significant difference was found in distribution and density of ferrite amongst zones of the surface, ½ radius and core in neither risers nor tails of 0Cr17Ni4Cu4Nb ingots. Additionally, fewer ferrite was found in 0Cr17Ni4Cu4Nb compared to other examined steels. The difference of ferrite formation in 0Cr17Ni4Cu4Nb elicited a debate on the traditional models explicating ferrite formation. Considering the compelling advantages in mechanical strength, plasticity and corrosion resistance, further investigation on the unusual ferrite formation in 0Cr17Ni4Cu4Nb would help understand the mechanism to improve steel quality. In summary, we observed that ferrite formation in steel was correlated with mushy zone temperature. The advantages of 0Crl7Ni4Cu4Nb in corrosion resistance and mechanical stability could be resulted from that fewer ferrites formed and distributed in a scattered manner in microstructure of the steel.

Major marine construction projects, resulting in the release of sediments, are subject to environmental assessment and other regulatory approval processes. An important tool used for this is the development of specialized numerical methods for these marine activities. An integrated set of numerical methods addresses four distinct topics: the near-field release and mixing of suspended sediments into the water column (i.e. the initial dilution zone); the transport of the suspended sediments under the influence of complex ocean currents in the far-field; the settling of the transported suspended sediments onto the seabed; and the potential for resuspension of the deposited sediments due to sporadic occurrences of unusually large near-bottom currents. A review of projects subjected to environmental assessment in the coastal waters of British Columbia from the year 2006 to 2017, is presented to illustrate the numerical models being used and their ongoing development. Improvements include higher resolution model grids to better represent the near-field, the depiction of particle size dependent vertical settling rates and the computation of resuspension of initially deposited sediments, especially in relation to temporary subsea piles of sediments arising from trenching for marine pipelines. The ongoing challenges for this numerical modeling application area are also identified.

Rockburst is a hazardous phenomenon in deep tunnels influenced by geological structural planes like faults, joints, and shear planes. Small-scale shear-plane-like structures have damaging impact on the boundaries of the tunnel, which accumulate high stresses. Such a shear plane was exposed in the side wall of the right headrace tunnel in the Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project. This project is constructed in the tectonically active Himalayas with high stress conditions. A shear plane combined with high stress conditions is very dangerous in deep excavations. The influence of a shear zone on rockburst occurrence near a tunnel is studied. The FLAC3D explicit code simulated the shear zone in the right tunnel, revealing that the stresses are concentrated near the shear zone, with no stress concentration in the left tunnel, which has neither shear zone nor rockburst. Rock mass was displaced near this shear zone even before excavation. Modeling results confirm that the side wall shear zone of the tunnel has a major influence on rockburst occurrence. A shear slip along this plane released huge amounts of energy, causing human fatalities and property damage. A numerical simulation validates the actual conditions and helps us understand the phenomenon of stress concentration near the shear zone and its impact during deep tunneling.

Ti64 alloy plays a significant role in the biomedical applications such as bioimplants for its excellent biocompatibility. Its usage can be further extended by improving the surface hardness and wear resistance. In this respect, laser surface glazing (LSG), an advanced surface modification technique, is very useful which can produce thin hardened surface layer and strong metallurgical bonding. Investigation of temporal and spatial temperature distributions of laser glazed surface of materials are essential because temperature plays significant role in achieving required surface properties. Therefore, in this study, a 3D Finite element analysis has been developed to perform transient thermal analysis of LSG for Ti64 alloy. The model investigated temperature distribution, depth of modified zone and heating and cooling. The results show that the peak temperature is attained 2095 K for 300 W laser power, 0.2 mm beam width and 0.15 ms residence time. Since this temperature is above the melting point (1933 K) of Ti64 alloy, the melt depth is calculated 22.5 μm. Furthermore, from the simulation results, the average heating and cooling rates are estimated 1.19×10⁷ Ks^-1 and 2.71×10⁶ Ks^-1 respectively which indicate the presence of hard phases in the modified zone.

A low-cost data logging platform is presented for environmental monitoring projects that provides long-term operation in remote or submerged environments. Three premade “breakout boards” from the open-source Arduino ecosystem are assembled into the core of the platform. The components are selected based on low-cost and ready availability, making the loggers easy to build and modify without specialized tools, or a significant background in electronics. Power optimization techniques are explained. The platform has proven to be highly reliable, and capable of operating for more than a year on standard AA batteries. The flexibility of the system is illustrated with two ongoing field studies recording drip rates in a cave, and water flow in a flooded cave system.

Growing crystals of nickel niobate (NiNb2O6), we noticed that changing growth conditions allowed our material to enter different areas of the phase diagram. In particular, we found that excess material accumulated within and above the liquid zone. Analysis showed that this was an unincorporated constituent. Changing the ratio of the constituent oxides - an excess of ~4% of either NiO or Nb2O5 gave us the opportunity to investigate changes in zone stability, melting temperature and quality of the resulting crystal. We found that a small excess of nickel oxide decreases the melting temperature significantly, and created the best pseudo-rutile NiNb2O6 crystal studied, while higher amounts of niobium oxide allowed us to stabilize the NiNb2O6 columbite phase. This research reinforces the idea that self-flux as a travelling solvent can significantly impact crystal growth parameters and quality.

Outdoor lighting is becoming increasingly widespread, and residents are suffering from serious light pollution as a result. Residents’ awareness of their rights to protection has gradually increased. However, due to the sometimes-inaccessible nature of residential vertical light incidence intensity data and the high cost of obtaining specific measurements, there is no appropriate hierarchic compensation for residents suffering from different degrees of light pollution. It is therefore important to measure light pollution levels and their damage at the neighborhood scale to provide residents with basic materials for proper protection and to create more politically suitable solutions. This article presents a light pollution assessment method that is easy to perform, is low-cost, and has a short data-processing cycle. This method can be used to monitor residential zone light pollution in other cities. We chose three open areas to test the spatial variation pattern of light intensity. The results are in accordance with spatial interpolation patterns and can be fit, with high precision, using the IDW method. This approach can also be used in 3 dimensions to quantitatively evaluate the distribution of light intensity distribution. We use a mixed-use zone in Beijing known as The Place as our case study area. The vertical illumination at the windows of residential buildings ranges from 2 lux to 23 lux; the illumination in some areas is far higher than the value recommended by CIE. Such severe light pollution can seriously interfere with people's daily lives and has a serious influence on their rest and health. The results of this survey will serve as an important database to assess whether the planning of night-time lighting is scientific and whether it provides residents with a basis for the protection of their rights.

Channel bends are one of the most important characteristic features of natural streams. These bends often create the conditions for a hyporheic zone, which has been recognized as a critical component of stream ecosystems. The streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity (K_v), vertical hydraulic gradient (VHG) and Darcian flux (DF) in the hyporheic zone were estimated at 61 locations along a channel bend of the Beiluo River during July 2015 and January 2016. All the streambed attributes showed great spatial variability along the channel bend. Both upward fluxes and downward fluxes occurred during the two test periods, most of studied stream sections were controlled by downwelling, indicating stream water discharge into the subsurface. The average downward flux was higher at the downstream side than at the upstream side of the channel bend, especially in July 2015. The distribution of streambed sediment grain size has a significant influence on the variability of K_v; high percentages of silt and clay sediments generally lead to low K_v values. Higher K_v at the depositional left bank at the upstream site shifted toward the erosional right bank at the downstream site, with K_v values positively correlated with the water depth. This study suggested that the variabilities of K_v and VHG were influenced by the stream geomorphology and that the distribution of K_v was inversely related, to a certain extent, to the distribution of VHG across the channel bend. K_v and VHG were found to have opposite effects on the DF, and the close relationship between K_v and DF indicated that the water fluxes were mainly controlled by K_v.

P-band radar remote sensing applied during the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) mission has shown great potential for estimation of root zone soil moisture. When retrieving the soil moisture profile (SMP) from P-band radar, a mathematical function describing the vertical moisture distribution is required. Because only a limited number of observations are available, the number of free parameters of the mathematical model must not exceed the number of observed data. For example, a second order polynomial that contains 3 free parameters was presumed based on in-situ SMP data. The polynomial is currently parameterized based on 3 backscatter observations provided by AirMOSS (i.e. one frequency at three polarizations of HH, VV and HV). In this paper, a more realistic, physically-based SMP model containing 3 free parameters is derived based on a solution to Richards’ equation for unsaturated flow in soils. Evaluation of the new SMP model based on both numerical simulations and measured data revealed that it exhibits greater flexibility for fitting measured and simulated SMPs than the currently applied polynomial. It is also demonstrated that the new SMP model can be reduced to a second order polynomial at the expense of fitting accuracy.

The mineralogical indices, e.g., Quartz Index (QI), Carbonate Index (CI), Mafic Index (MI) for ASTER multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) data have been applied to various geological materials. The indices are proved to be robust in extracting geological information at the local scale. Considering the relatively narrow spatial coverage of each ASTER scene compared to LANDSAT, many scenes are needed when mosaicking the images to be mapped at regional scales. We develop a system to search ASTER data for a target area given the vast and expanding ASTER data archive. The data is then conditioned, prioritized, and the indices are calculated before finally mosaicking the imagery. The maps of the indices covering the very wide region of the central Tibetan Plateau are produced with this system. The characteristic features of the indices relating to their geology in the study area are analyzed and discussed. Many interesting lithological and structural information that are not currently well understood in the central Tibetan Plateau, the highest and most extensive plateau in the world, with an average elevation of over 4,500 meters above sea level, for example, distributions of the mafic-ultramafic rocks along the suture zones, the quarzitic and marine sedimentology accreted to the Eurasian continent and sulfate layers related to the Tethys and neo-Tethys geological setting can be retrieved from the processed ASTER images.

Riparian zones represent ecotones between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and are of utmost importance to biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Modelling/mapping of these valuable and fragile areas is needed for an improved ecosystem management, based on an accounting of changes and on monitoring of their functioning in time. In Europe, the main legislative driver behind this goal is the European Commission’s Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, on one hand aiming at reducing biodiversity loss, on the other hand enhancing ecosystem services by 2020, and restoring them as far as feasible. A model, based on Earth Observation data, including Digital Elevation Models, hydrological, soil, land cover/land use data, and vegetation indices is employed in a multi-modular and stratified approach, based on fuzzy logic and object based image analysis, to delineate potential, observed and actual riparian zones. The approach is designed in an open modular way, allowing future modifications and repeatability. The results represent a first step of a future monitoring and assessment campaign for European riparian zones and their implications on biodiversity and on ecosystem functions and services. Considering the complexity and the enormous extent of the area, covering 39 European countries, including Turkey, the level of detail is unprecedented. Depending on the accounting modus, 0.95%–1.19% of the study area can be attributed as actual riparian area (considering Strahler’s stream orders 3-8, based on the Copernicus EU-Hydro dataset), corresponding to 55,558–69.128 km². Similarly depending on the accounting approach, the potential riparian zones are accounted for about 3-5 times larger. Land cover/land use in detected riparian areas was mainly of semi-natural characteristics, while the potential riparian areas are predominately covered by agriculture, followed by semi-natural and urban areas.