1,579 research outputs found
Simulation of an 1857-like Mw 7.9 San Andreas Fault Earthquake and the Response of Tall Steel Moment Frame Buildings in Southern California – A Prototype Study
In 1857, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred on the San Andreas fault, starting at Parkfield and rupturing
in a southeasterly direction for more than 360 km. Such a unilateral rupture produces significant directivity
toward the San Fernando and Los Angeles basins. The strong shaking in the basins due to this earthquake
would have had significant long-period content (2-8 s), and the objective of this study is to quantify the impact
of such an earthquake on two 18-story steel moment frame building models, hypothetically located at 636 sites
on a 3.5 km grid in southern California. End-to-end simulations include modeling the source and rupture of a
fault at one end, numerically propagating the seismic waves through the earth structure, simulating the damage
to engineered structures and estimating the economic impact at the other end using high-performance computing.
In this prototype study, we use an inferred finite source model of the magnitude 7.9, 2002 Denali fault
earthquake in Alaska, and map it onto the San Andreas fault with the rupture originating at Parkfield and
propagating southward over a distance of 290 km. Using the spectral element seismic wave propagation code,
SPECFEM3D, we simulate an 1857-like earthquake on the San Andreas fault and compute ground motions at
the 636 analysis sites. Using the nonlinear structural analysis program, FRAME3D, we subsequently analyze
3-D structural models of an existing tall steel building designed using the 1982 Uniform Building Code (UBC),
as well as one designed according to the 1997 UBC, subjected to the computed ground motion at each of these
sites. We summarize the performance of these structural models on contour maps of peak interstory drift.
We then perform an economic loss analysis for the two buildings at each site, using the Matlab Damage and
Loss Analysis (MDLA) toolbox developed to implement the PEER loss-estimation methodology. The toolbox
includes damage prediction and repair cost estimation for structural and non-structural components and allows
for the computation of the mean and variance of building repair costs conditional on engineering demand
parameters (i.e. inter-story drift ratios and peak floor accelerations). Here, we modify it to treat steel-frame
high-rises, including aspects such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, traction elevators, and the
possibility of irreparable structural damage. We then generate contour plots of conditional mean losses for the
San Fernando and the Los Angeles basins for the pre-Northridge and modern code-designed buildings, allowing
for comparison of the economic effects of the updated code for the scenario event. In principle, by simulating
multiple seismic events, consistent with the probabilistic seismic hazard for a building site, the same basic
approach could be used to quantify the uncertain losses from future earthquakes
Decoupling Graphene from SiC(0001) via Oxidation
When epitaxial graphene layers are formed on SiC(0001), the first carbon
layer (known as the "buffer layer"), while relatively easy to synthesize, does
not have the desirable electrical properties of graphene. The conductivity is
poor due to a disruption of the graphene pi-bands by covalent bonding to the
SiC substrate. Here we show that it is possible to restore the graphene
pi-bands by inserting a thin oxide layer between the buffer layer and SiC
substrate using a low temperature, CMOS-compatible process that does not damage
the graphene layer
Inferring a DNA sequence from erroneous copies
AbstractWe suggest a novel approach for efficiently reconstructing an original DNA sequence from erroneous copies
Hard x-ray photon-in-photon-out spectroscopy with lifetime resolution – of XAS, XES, RIXSS and HERFD
Spectroscopic techniques that aim to resolve the electronic configuration and local coordination of a central
atom by detecting inner-shell radiative decays following photoexcitation using hard X-rays are presented. The
experimental setup requires an X-ray spectrometer based on perfect crystal Bragg optics. The possibilities arising from
non-resonant (X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy - XES) and resonant excitation (Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering
Spectroscopy – RIXSS, High-Energy-Resolution Fluorescence Detected (HERFD) XAS) are discussed when the
instrumental energy broadenings of the primary (beamline) monochromator and the crystal spectrometer for x-ray
emission detection are on the order of the core hole lifetimes of the intermediate and final electronic states. The small
energy bandwidth in the emission detection yields line-sharpened absorption features. In transition metal compounds,
electron-electron interactions as well as orbital splittings and fractional population can be revealed. Combination with
EXAFS spectroscopy enables to extent the k-range beyond unwanted absorption edges in the sample that limit the
EXAFS range in conventional absorption spectroscopy
Studies on the Mechanisms of Microbial Adaptation to the Physical Environment
The environmental factors which affect humans and other animals also influence the microorganisms which are such an important part of our ecology. Some of the microorganisms are very closely associated with animals, living in the digestive tract and synthesizing essential nutrients for the host. For these microbes, most external physical changes are of little consequence, because they are well shielded by the animals' homeostatic systems. The vast majority of microorganisms, however, live free in nature, especially in the soil and oceans. It has been estimated that the upper 15 cm of a fertile soil may contain over 4000 kg of bacteria and fungi per hectare. These organisms are responsible for degrading the complex molecules of plants and animals when they die, eventually producing simple organics, carbon dioxide, and inorganics, which are then used for the next cycle of plant growth. It is believed that over 90 % of the biologically produced carbon dioxide results from the metabolic activity of bacteria and fungi. In addition to recycling plant nutrients, soil bacteria also provide new nutrients through 'fixation' of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia and nitrate, the forms which can be used by plants. Microorganisms so have an enormous capacity for detoxifying both natural and man-made poisons. All of these functions of microorganisms are essential to the operation of the material cycles on Earth. This is true of all locations on the planet, regardless of the climate or other environmental factors. In fact, one of the most impressive attributes of microorganisms is their ability to adapt to every stable environment on Earth. These include such extremes as polar regions, hot springs, water saturated with salt, mountain tops, ocean depths, acid and alkaline waters, deserts, intense radioactivity, soil and water contaminated with toxic chemicals or petroleum, and areas devoid of oxygen
Electronic characterization of redox (non)-innocent Fe2S2 reference systems:a multi K-edge X-ray spectroscopic study
Di-iron dithiolate hydrogenase model complexes are promising systems for electrocatalytic production of dihydrogen and have therefore been spectroscopically and theoretically investigated in this study. The direct effect of ligand substitution on the redox activity of the complex is examined. In order to understand and eventually optimize such systems, we characterised both metal and ligand in detail, using element specific X-ray absorption Fe- and S-K edge XAS. The (electronic) structure of three different [Fe2S2] hydrogenase systems in their non-reduced state was investigated. The effect of one- and two-electron reduction on the (electronic) structure was subsequently investigated. The S K-edge XAS spectra proved to be sensitive to delocalization of the electron density into the aromatic ring. The earlier postulated charge and spin localization in these complexes could now be measured directly using XANES. Moreover, the electron density (from S K-edge XANES) could be directly correlated to the Fe–CO bond length (from Fe K-edge EXAFS), which are in turn both related to the reported catalytic activity of these complexes. The delocalization of the electron density into the conjugated π-system of the aromatic moieties lowers the basicity of the diiron core and since protonation occurs at the diiron (as a rate determining step), lowering the basicity decreases the extent of protonation and consequently the catalytic activity
Computing exact P-values for DNA motifs
Motivation: Many heuristic algorithms have been designed to approximate P-values of DNA motifs described by position weight matrices, for evaluating their statistical significance. They often significantly deviate from the true P-value by orders of magnitude. Exact P-value computation is needed for ranking the motifs. Furthermore, surprisingly, the complexity of the problem is unknown. Results: We show the problem to be NP-hard, and present MotifRank, software based on dynamic programming, to calculate exact P-values of motifs. We define the exact P-value on a general and more precise model. Asymptotically, MotifRank is faster than the best exact P-value computing algorithm, and is in fact practical. Our experiments clearly demonstrate that MotifRank significantly improves the accuracy of existing approximation algorithms
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