Measurements of radon concentration in drinking water samples from Kastamonu (Turkey)

Concentration of ²²²Rn was determined in selected natural spring and tap water samples collected during spring and summer seasons from Kastamonu, Turkey. The aim of this work was to produce a map of the radon concentrations in water sources of the province and to determine any potential radiological risk for the local population. Radon measurements were performed by an AlphaGUARD radon gas analyser. The average radon concentrations were found to vary from 0.39±0.02 to 12.73±0.39 Bq l^?1 for natural springs and from 0.36±0.04 to 9.29±0.45 Bq l^?1 for tap water in spring, from 0.50±0.09 to 19.21±1.00 Bq l^?1 for natural springs and from 0.31±0.03 to 13.14±0.38 Bq l^?1 for tap water in summer. Furthermore, the results are compared with international recommendations and concentrations reported for other countries. Doses resulting from the consumption of these waters were calculated. The effective dose equivalents due to the intake of the ²²²Rn present in these waters are expected to range from 0.93 to 32.54 μSv y^?1 in summer and from 0.80 to 49.09 μSv y^?1 in spring.     

A short walk through quantum optomechanics

This paper gives a brief review of the basic physics of quantum optomechanics and provides an overview of some of its recent developments and current areas of focus. It first outlines the basic theory of cavity optomechanical cooling and gives a brief status report of the experimental state‐of‐the‐art. It then turns to the deep quantum regime of operation of optomechanical oscillators and covers selected aspects of quantum state preparation, control and characterization, including mechanical squeezing and pulsed optomechanics. This is followed by a discussion of the “bottom‐up” approach that exploits ultracold atomic samples instead of nanoscale systems. It concludes with an outlook that concentrates largely on the functionalization of quantum optomechanical systems and their promise in metrology applications.     

The Applications of Order Reduction Methods in Nonlinear Dynamic Systems

Two different order reduction methods of the deterministic and stochastic systems are discussed in this paper. First, the transient proper orthogonal decomposition (T-POD) method is introduced based on the high-dimensional nonlinear dynamic system. The optimal order reduction conditions of the T-POD method are provided by analyzing the rotor-bearing system with pedestal looseness fault at both ends. The efficiency of the T-POD method is verified via comparing with the results of the original system. Second, the polynomial dimensional decomposition (PDD) method is applied to the 2 DOFs spring system considering the uncertain stiffness to study the amplitude-frequency response. The numerical results obtained by the PDD method agree well with the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. The results of the PDD method can approximate to MCS better with the increasing of the polynomial order. Meanwhile, the Uniform-Legendre polynomials can eliminate perturbation of the PDD method to a certain extent via comparing it with the Gaussian-Hermite polynomials.     

Spatiotemporal patterns of stable isotopes and hydrochemistry in springs and river flow of the upper Karkheh River Basin,Iran

Karst springs of the Zagros Mountains contribute a significant amount to agricultural and human water demands of western and south-western Iran. For an adequate management of available water resources in semi-arid and arid regions, sufficient hydrological monitoring is needed, and hydro-chemical and isotope hydrological data provide important additional information. About 350 water samples were collected from precipitation, river water, and karst springs of the upper part of the Karkheh River Basin (20,895 km²) located between 33°35^′ and 34°55^′ North and 46°22^′ and 49°10^′ East with elevations ranging from 928 to 3563 m above sea level. Sampling was conducted in monthly time resolution from August 2011 to July 2012. All samples were analysed for hydro-chemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, and major ions) and stable isotopes (deuterium, oxygen-18). Isotope values of precipitation indicate a local meteoric water line (Zagros MWL δ²H=6.8 δ¹⁸O+10.1; R²=0.99) situated between the Mediterranean MWL and Global MWL. Spring and river water isotope values vary between?7.1 and?4.1 ‰, and?38 and?25 ‰ for δ¹⁸O and δ²H, respectively, responding to winter snowmelt and evaporation. This work implements stable isotopes and hydro-chemical information of springs and river water to understand hydrological and hydro-geological interrelations in karstic semi-arid areas and helps to improve the current water resources management practices of western Iran.     

SH wave propagation in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic plate with an imperfect magnetoelectroelastic interface

In this paper, we investigate the SH wave propagation in a layered piezoelectric (PE) and piezomagnetic (PM) plate with an imperfect magnetoelectroelastic interface. A linear magnetoelectroelastic spring model is used to describe the weakness of the imperfect interface. On the basis of this model, dispersion curves and mode shapes of the SH waves are computed. In particular, a PZT-5A/CoFe₂O₄ composite plate is considered in the numerical examples to calculate the dispersion curves and the mode shapes for different combinations of the magnetic, electrical and elastic spring constants. The effects of the layer thickness ratio and the electric-magnetic boundary conditions on the dispersion curves are discussed in details. Our results show that for a general weak bonding case, the high modes of the dispersion curves are not monotonous in the range of small wave numbers. With the layer thickness ratio increasing, the wave velocities of the SH waves increase. The electric boundary conditions mainly determine the dispersion curves of the SH waves in the case of a small layer thickness ratio, i.e. a large thickness of the PE layer. The present results have relevant applications in the nondestructive testing and evaluation of the layered PE/PM plate-like wave devices.     

Stress memory polymers

Like shape memory polymers, a novel phenomenon of stress memory was shown in which the stress of a material can respond to an external stimulus. This concept was further enlightened by a switch‐spring‐frame model that would eliminate the limitation of existing models which overlooked the stimulus responsive nature of such polymers. The discovery being reported in this article was stemmed from a real case study into shape memory polymer fibers in compression stocking for varicose veins. The breakthrough of stress memory enabled researchers to develop applications needing stimuli‐responsive forces, which can broaden the horizon of such smart polymers in emerging smart products in many multidisciplinary fields such as sensors, stress garments, and massage devices, electronic skins, and artificial muscles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 893–898     

Some intriguing items in the history of scientific balances

The short survey covers the development of the balance since its invention in the Neolithic era. Scales have been used most probably first as tools in trading, but already in Old Egyptian papyrus its use in techniques is documented. Its theory was cleared by Aristotle and Archimedes and at least at that time it was used as a scientific instrument. Today the balance is still the most widely used instrument in science and there are still improvements.     

双向弹簧夹层假定的弹性地基上双层板的解

建立了轴对称条件下,层间有双向弹簧夹层的弹性地基上双层板力学模型,应用Hankel(汉克尔)变换法推演得到了任意轴对称荷载作用下的Winkler(文克勒)地基、双参数地基和弹性半空间体地基上无限大双层板的一般解析解,给出了双层板的挠度、弯矩、剪力,以及层间反力和位移的计算公式.进而,利用该力学模型的解,分析了层间条件对双层板挠度、弯矩的影响规律,计算了上、下层板的中性轴位置,讨论了层间双向弹簧系数的取值方法.结果表明:1)随着层间竖向弹簧参数增大,上层板挠度和弯曲应力减小,下层板挠度和弯曲应力增大;随着层间水平摩阻参数增大,上、下层板的挠度和弯矩均减小;2)当双层板的剪切和压缩效应系数分别取2/3,3/5时,双层板的剪切和压缩效应可较好地被考虑;3)上、下层板的中性轴位置是变化的,它随着距荷载圆中心点的距离增大而向上、下层板各自中面趋近.     

基于Matlab/Simulink的三弹簧谐振子微振动的仿真实验

建立了三弹簧振子耦合系统微振动的实验模型,利用Matlab/Simulink仿真软件对该实验进行仿真建模,讨论系统在不同实验参数下从周期振动到混沌的各种动力学状态。仿真实验结果表明,参数的选取对系统微振动的动力学行为有着很大的影响。     

分析表面裂纹的一种新方法

本文作者综合了线弹簧模型及边界元法的优点,开发了一种新的线弹簧边界元法.该方法把表面裂纹这一三维问题简化为拟一维问题,可用于分析受到多种载荷作用的含表面裂纹的板.本文对该方法进行了理论分析和数值验证,报告了计算结果.结果表明,该方法经济有效.利用该方法仅使用个人计算机就可以分析表面裂纹问题.