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Geological investigation of palaeotsunamis in the Samoan islands: interim report and research directions
Get PDFThe Komandorsky seismic gap has distinctive boundaries and a length of 650 km. Its period of “seismic silence” comes close to the maximum recurrence interval for great earthquakes in the Aleutian Island Arc - the stress concentration here probably having reached the critical value. So,estimation of possible earthquake and tsunami characteristics within this gap becomes a significant problem. The closest analog of a similar gap is the area where the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman catastrophic event occurred. Thus, for the present study we used the same modeling scheme as we used for that event. It was assumed that a source length of 650 km, consisting of 9 blocks, and an
earthquake with a moment magnitude MW=8.5. Several block motion scenarios were considered. The tsunami generation and propagation in the Pacific Ocean and the possible wave characteristics on near
and far-field coasts were estimated. Modeling of such an event showed that the wave heights on different Pacific coasts will vary from 3 to 9 meters. A tsunami wave with a 9-meter height is capable in causing significant loss of human life and economic damage.© 2013, Tsunami Society International
Synthesis, structure and gas-phase reactivity of a silver hydride complex ag-3{(PPh2)(2)CH2}(3)(mu(3)-H)(mu(3)-Cl) BF4
No full textMass spectrometry shows the way! MS analysis of silver salts treated with sodium borohydride in the presence of a bis(phosphino) ligand revealed the formation of novel silver hydride nanocluster cations instead of all silver nanocluster cations. This serendipitous discovery prompted the condensed-phase synthesis, isolation, and characterization of [Ag3{(Ph2P)2CH2}3(μ3-H)(μ3-Cl)]BF4⋅0.5 CHCl3. © 2013, Wiley‐Vch Verlag
Pyrochlore based glass-ceramics for the immobilization of actinide-rich nuclear wastes: from concept to reality
No full textPyrochlore based glass-ceramics have been developed, from concept to reality, for the immobilization of actinide-rich nuclear wastes. Compared with zirconolite based glass-ceramics, they are less sensitive to the processing redox conditions and can double actinide waste loadings thus decreasing volumes of the consolidated waste forms, and subsequently reducing the interim storage and disposal costs. More importantly, they provide an alternative flexible system to tackle radioactive wastes arising from the advanced nuclear reactors. © 2012, Elsevier B.V
Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards
No full textFew subjects have caught the attention of the entire world as much as those dealing
with natural hazards. The first decade of this new millennium provides a litany of tragic examples of various hazards that turned into disasters affecting millions of individuals around the globe. The human losses (some 225,000 people) associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the economic costs (approximately 200 billion USD) of the 2011 Tohoku Japan earthquake, tsunami and reactor event, and the collective social impacts of human tragedies experienced during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 all provide repetitive reminders that we humans are temporary guests occupying a very active and angry planet. Any examples may have been cited here to stress the point
that natural events on Earth may, and often do, lead to disasters and catastrophes when
humans place themselves into situations of high risk.
Few subjects share the true interdisciplinary dependency that characterizes the field of
natural hazards. From geology and geophysics to engineering and emergency response
to social psychology and economics, the study of natural hazards draws input from an
impressive suite of unique and previously independent specializations. Natural hazards
provide a common platform to reduce disciplinary boundaries and facilitate a beneficial
synergy in the provision of timely and useful information and action on this critical subject
matter.
As social norms change regarding the concept of acceptable risk and human migration
leads to an explosion in the number of megacities, coastal over-crowding and unmanaged
habitation in precarious environments such as mountainous slopes, the vulnerability of
people and their susceptibility to natural hazards increases dramatically. Coupled with the
concerns of changing climates, escalating recovery costs, a growing divergence between
more developed and less developed countries, the subject of natural hazards remains on
the forefront of issues that affect all people, nations, and environments all the time.
This treatise provides a compendium of critical, timely and very detailed information and essential facts regarding the basic attributes of natural hazards and concomitant disasters.© 2013, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Custom Electronics Design
No full textThe Australian Synchrotron has recently bid to be the host institute for a number of international conferences spanning a variety of fields associated with synchrotron science. Led by Dean Morris – Head of Operations and together with Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau, we identified six meetings that the Australian Synchrotron could offer substantial contributions to, and where Melbourne would be an ideal destination as a host city.
In partnership with MCVB, Australian Synchrotron employees who are leaders in their respective fields have prepared comprehensive bid proposals that demonstrate the wealth of knowledge available to delegates by hosting. Combined with the strong conference management capabilities of the AS External Relations team and the appeal of Melbourne as an international destination, we have been successful in securing these six international meetings which will be held over the next three years.
4th Accelerator Reliability Workshop - ARW2013
14 – 19 April 2013 at the Australian Synchrotron’s National Centre for Synchrotron Science.
This meeting will attract around 120 accelerator scientists from across the globe and showcase the outstanding reliability record of the Australian Synchrotron.
Local Organising Committee Chair: Don McGilver
Temporal trends in millet consumption in northern China
No full textTemporal trends in prehistoric millet consumption are investigated in two regions of northern China, in the Wei River valley and a northern zone that encompasses north-eastern Shaanxi, western Shanxi and south-central Inner Mongolia. By directly radiocarbon dating each sample investigated, inferences about the timing of dietary shifts inferred from stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions can be made with a high degree of precision. Evidence presented here indicates that humans living around 4000 years ago in both the Wei River valley and the northern zone were heavily dependent on millet for their subsistence. By ca. 2500 cal. yr BP, a major diversification of diet had occurred in the Wei River valley, with some consuming much larger proportions of C3 foods than previously. These C3 foods may have included the western-derived cereals – wheat, barley and oats – and also rice. © 2014, Elsevier Ltd
Structural and Magnetic Studies of Zn Doped LaRh(1-2x)Cu2xO3
No full textTwo series of Zn doped Rh perovskites LaRh1-2xCux ZnxO3 and La0.75Pb0.25Rh1-2xCuxZnxO3 (0≤ x ≤0.25) were synthesised by solid-state methods and their crystallographic, magnetic, and electric properties investigated. Both series have an orthorhombic perovskite-type structure in space group Pbnm. The increase in Zn content has an obvious impact on the electron delocalisation in which the shift in the average valency of Cu and Rh (+2.5 and +3.5) has resulted in a reduction in cell volumes and an increase in the effective magnetic moments. The Curie–Weiss magnetization curves measured between 5-300K are indicative of antiferromagnetism. The addition of Pb to the A- site decreases the conductivity as anticipated. © 2013 Trans Tech Publication
Automated radiosynthesis of [18F]PBR111 and [18F]PBR102 using the TracerLab FXFN and TracerLab MXFDG module for imaging the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor with PET
No full text[F-18]PBR111 and [F-18]PBR102 are selective radioligands for imaging of the Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor (PBR). We have developed a fully automated method for the radiosynthesis of [F-18]PBR111 and [F-18]PBR102 in the Tracerlab FXFN (30 +/- 2% radiochemical yield non-decay-corrected for both tracers) and Tracerlab MXFDG (25 +/- 2% radiochemical yield non-decay-corrected for both tracers) from the corresponding p-toluenesulfonyl precursors. For all tracers, radiochemical purity was > 99% and specific activity was > 150 GBq/mu mol after less than 60 min of preparation time. © 2012, Elsevier Ltd
Formation of (Cr,Al)UO4 from doped UO2 and its influence on partition of soluble fission products
No full textCrUO4 and (Cr, Al)UO4 have been fabricated by a sol–gel method, studied using diffraction techniques and modelled using empirical pair potentials. Cr2O3 was predicted to preferentially form CrUO4 over entering solution into hyper-stoichiometric UO2+x by atomic scale simulation. Further, it was predicted that the formation of CrUO4 can proceed by removing excess oxygen from the UO2 lattice. Attempts to synthesise AlUO4 failed, instead forming U3O8 and Al2O3. X-ray diffraction confirmed the structure of CrUO4 and identifies the existence of a (Cr, Al)UO4 phase for the first time (with a maximum Al to Cr mole ratio of 1:3). Simulation was subsequently used to predict the partition energies for the removal of fission products or fuel additives from hyper-stoichiometric UO2+x and their incorporation into the secondary phase. The partition energies are consistent only with smaller cations (e.g. Zr4+, Mo4+ and Fe3+) residing in CrUO4, while all divalent cations are predicted to remain in UO2+x. Additions of Al had little effect on partition behaviour. The reduction of UO2+x due to the formation of CrUO4 has important implications for the solution limits of other fission products as many species are less soluble in UO2 than UO2+x. © 2013, Elsevier B.V
Estimating the near-surface daily fine aerosol load using hourly Radon-222 observations
No full textWe investigate the extent to which hourly radon observations can be used to estimate daily PM2.5 loading near the ground. We formulate, test and apply a model that expresses the mean daily PM2.5 load as a linear
combination of observed radon concentrations and differences on a given day. The model was developed using
two consecutive years of observations (2007–2008) at four sites near Sydney, Australia, instrumented with aerosol samplers and radon detectors. Model performance was subsequently evaluated against observations in 2009. After successfully reproducing mean daily radon concentrations (r2≥0.98), we used the model to estimate daily PM2.5 mass, as well as that of selected elements (Si, K, Fe, Zn, H, S and Black Carbon). When, parameterizing the model for elemental mass estimates the highest r2 values were generally obtained for H, BC, K and Si.
Separating results by season, the r2 values for K and BC were higher in winter for all sites, a period of time where
higher concentrations of these elements are seen and a rapid estimation tool would be of particular benefit. The best overall results were obtained in winter for H and BC [r2 = 0.50, 0.68, 0.70, 0.63 (H) and 0.57, 0.57, 0.78, 0.44 (BC)], respectively for Warrawong, Lucas Heights, Richmond and Muswellbrook. Evaluation of model PM2.5
estimates was most successful for days with typical aerosol loads; loads were usually underestimated for, the less
frequent, high–to–extreme pollution days. The best elemental results were obtained for BC at Richmond in winter
(r2 = 0.68). However, for Warrawong and Lucas Heights r2 values increased from 0.26 to 0.60, and from 0.33 to
0.73, respectively, when several particularly high concentration events were excluded from the analysis. The
model performed best at Richmond, an inland site with relatively flat terrain. However, model parameters needto be evaluated for each site. © 2013, Atomospheric Pollution Research (APR)