GPS Medium-Range Kinematic Positioning for the Seafloor Geodesy of Eastern Taiwan

To realize the plate motion of the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) and the characteristics of crustal deformation in the plate boundary zone between the PSP and Eurasia Plate, three seafloor geodetic arrays using a combination of GPS kinematic positioning and acoustic ranging techniques have been established off eastern Taiwan since 2008. Each array is composed of three transponders deployed on the ocean bottom in a triangular shape and has been observed at least two times since 2009. The GPS kinematic positioning in the relative distance ranging from 80 to 120 km off the eastern coast of Taiwan plays a main role in the whole seafloor geodetic deformation system. Seven stations from Taiwan Continuous GPS Array are taken as reference sites and three or four rover GPS units are set up on the vessel or buoy. Both on-land reference and onboard rover receivers record data in sampling rates of 1 and 5 Hz to determine the instantaneous positions of transducer onboard which transmits and receives the acoustic signal to and from seafloor transponders and the attitude of vessel or buoy in kinematic mode. We compare the results of medium-range kinematic positioning between the on-land reference stations and rovers onboard by the GrafNav and Bernese V5.0 software, respectively. In addition, we determine the attitude at all times by way of computing the inter-distance of rover receivers onboard. Hence there are two positioning results can be estimated which are direct (by short relative distances from onboard) and indirect (by medium-range kinematic mode for each GPS unit from on-land continuous stations) methods, and the difference reveals in decimeter level

Immobilization of halophilic Aspergillus awamori EM66 exochitinase on grafted k-carrageenan-alginate beads

A novel extreme halophilic exochitinase enzyme was produced by honey isolate Aspergillus awamori EM66. The enzyme was immobilized successfully on k-carrageenan-alginate gel carrier (CA) with 93 % immobilization yield. The immobilization process significantly improved the enzyme specific activity 2.6-fold compared to the free form. The significant factors influencing the immobilization process such as enzyme protein concentration and loading time were studied. Distinguishable characteristics of optimum pH and temperature, stability at different temperatures and NaCl tolerance for free and immobilized enzyme were studied. The immobilization process improved optimum temperature from 35 to 45 °C. The immobilized enzyme retained 76.70 % of its activity after 2 h at 75 °C compared to complete loss of activity for the free enzyme. The reusability test proved the durability of the CA gel beads for 28 cycles without losing its activity

Weibull-Linear Exponential Distribution and Its Applications

In this article, a new four-parameter lifetime distribution, namely, the Weibull-Linear exponential distribution is defined and studied. Several of its structural properties such as quartiles, moments, mean waiting time, mean residual lifetime, Renyi entropy, mode, and order statistics are derived. Based on the idea of the Weibull T − X family, the new density function of this model is developed. The model parameters, as well as some of the lifetime parameters (reliability and failure rate functions), are estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Asymptotic confidence intervals estimates of the model parameters are also evaluated by using the Fisher information matrix. Moreover, to construct the asymptotic confidence intervals of the reliability and failure rate functions, we need to find their variance of them, which are approximated by the delta method. A real data set is used to illustrate the application of the Weibull-Linear Exponential distribution

Elastic fibres in alcoholic liver disease

The literature on the contribution of elastic fibre deposition to alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is limited. We studied: (1) 180 liver biopsies from ARLD patients; (2) 20 ARLD explant livers; (3) 213 liver biopsies with non-ARLD injury. Elastic fibres were assessed in terms of their distribution around hepatocytes [pericellular elastosis (PCE)] and within bridging fibrous septa (septal elastosis) and scored using a semiquantitative system. We also investigated the composition of the elastic fibres (oxytalan, elaunin and mature elastic fibres) in 20 cases. PCE was associated with steatohepatitis in ARLD patients and with ARLD when compared to non-ARLD cases (p < 0.001). Oxytalan fibres were identified in PCE in ARLD biopsies and broken dense perisinusoidal mature elastic fibres in explanted livers. Septal elastosis increased from intermediate to advanced fibrosis stage. Early septal elastosis contained oxytalan fibres, whereas septal elastosis at more advanced stages contained mainly mature elastic fibres. PCE is a typical feature of steatohepatitis in ARLD and includes oxytalan fibres. Septal elastosis is a gradual process with a transition from oxytalan to mature elastic fibres usually present in explanted livers. There may be different dynamics in the assembly and reabsorption of pericellular and septal elastic fibres, and a potential role for stratification of patients with advanced stage ARLD

Interseismic Deformation and Moment Deficit Along the Manila Subduction Zone and the Philippine Fault System

We examine interseismic coupling of the Manila subduction zone and fault activity in the Luzon area using a block model constrained by GPS data collected from 1998 to 2015. Estimated long-term slip rates along the Manila subduction zone show a gradual southward decrease from 90–100 mm/yr at the northwest tip of Luzon to 65–80 mm/yr at the southern portion of the Manila Trench. We provide two block models (models A and B) to illustrate possible realizations of coupling along the Manila Trench, which may be used to infer future earthquake rupture scenarios. Model A shows a low coupling ratio of 0.34 offshore western Luzon and continuous creeping on the plate interface at latitudes 18–19°N. Model B includes the North Luzon Trough Fault and shows prevalent coupling on the plate interface with a coupling ratio of 0.48. Both models fit GPS velocities well, although they have significantly different tectonic implications. The accumulated strain along the Manila subduction zone at latitudes 15–19°N could be balanced by earthquakes with composite magnitudes of Mw 8.8–9.2, assuming recurrence intervals of 500–1000 years. GPS observations are consistent with full locking of the majority of active faults in Luzon to a depth of 20 km. Inferred moments of large inland earthquakes in Luzon fall in the range of Mw 6.9–7.6 assuming a recurrence interval of 100 years