Application of recurrent radon precursors for forecasting large earthquakes (Mw > 6.0) near Antung,Taiwan

Radon anomalies in groundwater were recorded prior to three major earthquakes – (1) 2003 M_w = 6.8 Chengkung, (2) 2006 M_w = 6.1 Taitung, and (3) 2008 M_w = 5.4 Antung. The epicenters were located 24 km, 52 km, and 13 km, respectively, from the Antung radon-monitoring station. Prior to the three major earthquakes, radon decreased from background levels of 29.3 ± 1.7, 28.2 ± 2.1, and 27.2 ± 1.8 Bq dm^?3 to minima of 12.1 ± 0.3, 13.7 ± 0.3, and 17.8 ± 1.6 Bq dm^?3, respectively. Based on the radon precursory data, this paper correlates the observed radon minima with earthquake magnitude and precursory time. The correlations provide a possible means for forecasting local disastrous earthquakes in the southern segment of coastal range and longitudinal valley of eastern Taiwan.     

Radon anomalies precursory to the 2003 Mw = 6.8 Chengkung and 2006 Mw = 6.1 Taitung earthquakes in Taiwan

Contrary to the normally observed increase in groundwater radon that occurs prior to earthquakes, we have measured anomalous decreases in radon concentration prior to the 2003 M_W = 6.8 Chengkung and 2006 M_W = 6.1 Taitung earthquakes that occurred within a 55 km radius from the Antung D1 monitoring well in eastern Taiwan. The v-shaped pattern of radon anomalies recognized at Antung is valuable for detecting the aseismic strain precursory to potentially disastrous earthquakes in a fractured aquifer surrounded by ductile aquitard in seismotectonic environments in this area.     

Variation of radon flux along active fault zones in association with earthquake occurrence

Radon flux measurements were carried out at three radon stations along an active fault zone in the Langadas basin, Northern Greece by various techniques for earthquake prediction studies. Specially made devices with alpha track-etch detectors (ATDs) were installed by using LR-115, type II, non-strippable cellulose nitrate films (integrating method of measurements). Continuous monitoring of radon gas exhaling from the ground was also performed by using silicon diode detectors, Barasol and Clipperton type, in association with various probes and sensors including simultaneously registration of the meteorological parameters, such as precipitation height (rainfall events), temperature and barometric pressure. The obtained radon data were studied in parallel with the data of seismic events, such as the magnitude, M_L of earthquakes, the epicentral distance, the hypocentral distance and the energy released during the earthquake event occurred at the fault zone during the period of measurements to find out any association between the rad on flux and the meteorological and seismological parameters. Seismic events with magnitude M_L ≥ 4.0 appeared to be preceded by large precursory signals produced a well-defined “anomaly” (peak) of radon flux prior to the event. In the results, the radon peaks in the obtained spectra appeared to be sharp and narrow. The rise time of a radon peak, that is the time period from the onset of a radon peak until the time of radon flux maximum is about a week, while the after time, that is the time interval between the time of radon flux maximum and the time of a seismic event ranges from about 3 weeks or more.     

Continuous radon monitoring in soil gas towards earthquake precursory studies in basaltic region

The Koyna-Warna region, near the west coast of India, is well known for reservoir-triggered seismicity. The seismic activity in this region greatly increased following the construction of an artificial reservoir across the Koyna River during the 1960s. A destructive earthquake of M 6.3 occurred on December 10, 1967, and further 19 earthquakes of M>5 have been recorded during the preceding 40 years until 2007. The soil gas radon (²²²Rn) has been studied as an earthquake precursor by continuous monitoring (hourly) at two sites around the Warna reservoir. One site has a multi-sensor probe (installed at three different depths), together with a rainfall recording facility, and another probe is mounted on a hillock at Nivle. During the study period (2005–2007), a total of 11 earthquakes (including 2 aftershocks) of M 4–4.8 were recorded. Most of these events had recorded precursory radon signals. For a given earthquake, the ²²²Rn precursory signatures were recorded at one of the two sites only. Even multiple depth probes showed discordant behaviour in recording temporal Rn variation. Causes of non-concurrence in Rn recording between sites and probes, including the combined effect of site heterogeneity, focal depth, epicentral distance, earthquake magnitude, faults responsible for the earthquake, etc, are discussed.     

A mechanism for radon decline prior to the 1978 Izu-Oshima-Kinkai earthquake in Japan

Precursory changes in the radon concentration of groundwater were observed by Wakita et al. (1980) prior to the 1978 Izu-Oshima-Kinkai earthquake of magnitude 7.0. Mechanisms for interpreting the anomalous radon decrease are examined in this paper. The SKE-1 well is situated in a volcanic-rock fractured aquifer of limited recharge. Given these geological conditions, the dilation of brittle rock mass occurred at a rate faster than the recharge of groundwater and gas saturation developed in newly created cracks preceding the earthquake. Radon volatilization into the gas phase can explain the anomalous decrease of radon precursory to the 1978 earthquake. To support the hypothesis, vapor–liquid two-phase radon-partitioning experiments were conducted at formation temperature (14 °C) using formation water from the SKE-1 well. Experimental data indicated that the decrease in radon concentration from 483 ± 3 count/min to 439 ± 7 count/min required a gas saturation of 2.35% developed in rock cracks through the dilatancy process.     

The first estimations of soil-radon activity near faults in Central Mongolia

Estimation of soil-radon activity, Q was first carried out for faults in Central Mongolia. Eight study sites were located in epicentral zones of Mogod (M = 7.8; 05 January 1967) and Avdar (M = 3.8; 22 March 2009) earthquakes, and in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar, where small seismic events (M = 1.0–2.5) occurred in the past few years. Profile radon surveys were conducted at fifteen faults that differ in size and geodynamic activity, yet clearly topographically manifested as scarps or straightened segments of valleys of ephemeral streams.By applying the formalized method of processing of the survey results, it was possible to reveal radon anomalies and to establish that their shape, intensity and contrast are mainly determined by the structure of the fault zone. Due to heterogeneous permeability of fault zones, shapes and quantitative parameters of radon anomalies are variable at different faults and in individual cross-sections of one and the same fracture. Radon anomalies in Central Mongolia are diverse, yet the most frequent are the cases where (1) a radon anomaly is discontinuous in shape due to the presence of small domains with minimum values of Q; (2) a major part of the anomaly is located in one fault wall; and (3) a fault scarp is marked by a minimum value of Q. In Central Mongolia, intensities of radon anomalies, Q_max near neotectonic faults differ by more than an order of magnitude. The most intense anomaly (20,200 Bq/m³) is registered at Hustai fault in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar, which indicates the importance of assessment of radon hazard for the capital city of Mongolia, where almost half the population of the country reside. The contrast of radon anomaly, K_Q is determined as a ratio of a maximum value of Q_max to a minimum value of Q_min outside the fault zone; it varies from 1.4 to 17.3 for faults of Central Mongolia. Faults characterized by ultra-high (K_Q > 10), high (10 ≥ K_Q > 5), increased (5 ≥ K_Q > 3), medium (3 ≥ K_Q > 2) and low (K_Q ≤ 2) radon activity are distinguished. A relative index, K_Q can be effectively applied for assessment of geodynamic activity of faults in Central Mongolia. On the one hand, it correlates with sizes and seismic potential of the studied faults; on the other hand, it significantly reduces the complicating influence of regional factors, such as radioactivity of rocks, sediment thickness, meteorological conditions of measurements, etc.The application of K_Q, the formalized method of detection of radon anomalies, long-distance base cross-sections, and reduction of the measurement interval near faults – these key features of the profile survey are recommendable for further more accurate estimations on the basis of the first measurements of soil-radon activity in Central Mongolia.     

Experimental and modeling study on the ignition delay times of ammonia/methane mixtures at high dilution and high temperatures

Ammonia is a promising alternative clean fuel due to its carbon-free character and high hydrogen density. However, the low reactivity of ammonia and the potential high NO_x emissions hinder its applications. Blending methane into ammonia can effectively improve the reactivity of pure NH₃. In addition, lean combustion, as a high-efficiency and low-pollution combustion technology, is an effective measure to control the potential increase in NO_x emissions. In the present work, the ignition delay times (IDTs) of NH₃/CH₄ mixtures highly diluted in Ar (98%) with CH₄ mole fractions of 0%, 10%, and 50% were measured in a shock tube at an equivalence ratio of 0.5, pressures of 1.75 and 10 bar and a temperature range of 1421 K - 2149 K. A newly comprehensive kinetic model (named as HUST-NH₃ model) for the NH₃/CH₄ mixtures oxidation was developed based on our previous work. Four kinetic models, the HUST-NH₃ model, Glarborg model [19], Okafor model [7], and CEU model [10], were evaluated against the ignition delay times, laminar flame speeds, and species profiles of pure ammonia and ammonia/methane mixtures from the present work and literature. The simulation results indicated that the HUST-NH₃ model shows the best performance among the above four models. Kinetic analysis results indicated that the absence of NH₃ + M = NH₂ + H + M (R819) and N₂H₂ + M = H + NNH + M (R902) in the CEU model and Okafor model cause the deviations between the experimental and simulation results. The overestimation of the rate constants of NH₂ + NO = NNH + OH (R838) in the Glarborg model is the main reason for the overprediction of the NH₃ laminar flame speeds.     

The concentrations and exposure doses of radon and thoron in residences of the rural areas of Kosovo and Metohija

This paper deals with the results of indoor radon and thoron concentrations and exposure doses obtained for 63 dwellings out of the 14 rural communities of Central Kosovo, North Kosovo and Prizren region. These research activities are part of overall radiological research that has systematically been carried out since 1986, particularly in Kosovo and Metohija regions. Passive radon/thoron discriminative detectors, exposed for three months, were used. The arithmetic mean concentrations of indoor radon and thoron are C_Rn = 429 Bq m^?3 C_Tn = 85 Bq m^?3.     

How to compare the SU(5) value of sin2θw with experiments?

We establish the relation between κsin²θ_w to be found from neutral-current experiments and sin²θ_w(Q) for Q=M_W predicted by grand unified theories. We then calculate sin²θ_W(M_W) in the minimal SU(5) model taking the M_W as well as M_x threshold effects into account. We find that these two threshold effects on sin²θ_W(M_W) cancel with each other and sin²θ_W(M_W)=0.211± 0.005.     

Abnormal behaviour of some parameters revealed in the Georgian SSR before the Armenia earthquake of December 7, 1988: a preliminary report

Summary For more than ten years several measurements sites able to detect geophysical and geochemical precursory phenomena of earthquakes have been working in Soviet Georgia. On the occasion of the destructive Armenia earthquake of December 7, 1988 (M=6.9) premonitory signals relative to geophysical and geochemical parameters seem to be observed. In this paper anomalous variations of the water level in a well, of the helium content in thermal waters and of the electromagnetic signals in air, obtained in three measurements sites located at about 80 km from the epicentre, are reported. These variations appear beginning from about a month up to some hours before the occurrence of the earthquake and it seems reasonable to consider them as short-time or very short-time precursory phenomena of the earthquake.     

Examination of the influence of molecular weight on polymer laser ablation: polystyrene at 248 nm

Following previous studies on the influence of the polymer molecular weight (M_W) on the ablation of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at 248 nm, this work extends the examination to the ablation of polystyrene (PS) at 248 nm. The ablation threshold and the etching rates are found to be nearly independent of M_W. Optical microscopy demonstrates an excellent crater morphology, few small bubbles are formed on the surface of the low M_W. Examination of the formation kinetics of products in the irradiation of samples doped with the photoreactive iodophenanthrene demonstrates that high temperatures develop upon irradiation, suggesting that thermal mechanism dominates in the ablation of PS at 248 nm. In similarity to the etching rates, the attained temperatures are largely independent of the PS M_W. The factors for the weak dependence of the process on PS M_W are discussed.     

Renormalization scheme dependence of electroweak radiative corrections

We compare two renormalization schemes of the electroweak standard model: the on-shell scheme withe, M _W ,M _Z ,M _H , and the fermion masses {m _f } as free parameters, and an intermediate scheme where theW boson self energy is renormalized atq ²=0 instead ofq ²=M _W ². TheM _W ?M _Z interdependence, and the differentiale ⁺ e ^?→μ ⁺ μ ^? cross section including polarized beams are calculated in both schemes to one-loop order. We find striking differences between the forward-backward asymmetries and the polarization asymmetries near theZ resonance after inclusion of weak and QED corrections.     

A Class of Well Behaved Charged Analogues of Schwarzchild’s Interior Solution

A class of well behaved charged analogues of Schwarzchild’s interior solution has been obtained using a particular electric intensity. The solutions of this class are utilized to depict a superdense star model with surface density 2×10¹⁴ g cm⁻³. The solution obtained is new and the pressure (p), density (c ² ρ), velocity of sound and (p/(c ² ρ)) are monotonically decreasing towards the pressure free interface. Moreover the adiabatic constant is found to be more than (4/3) which is necessary for stability under radial perturbation. Also the electric intensity increases monotonically towards the surface. The well behaved model has the maximum mass M=1.740793M _Θ , Radius 12.130308 km. The redshift at the center and on the surface is given by z ₀=0.384261 and z _a =0.292489. Out of the models of superdense star obtained couple of models represent Vela Pulsar for (i) α ²=1.03, b=0.33, , Radius=10.8566 km, M=1.18331M _Θ , I=0.642601×10⁴⁵, (ii) α ²=1.1, b=0.3, , Radius=11.197533 km, M=1.311438M _Θ , I=0.774508×10⁴⁵. All the solutions mentioned above are reducible to Schwarzchild interior solution in the absence of charge.     

Highly nonlinear layered spiral microstructured optical fiber

A layered spiral microstructured optical fiber (LS-MOF) is presented, which offers the possibility of a good control of both the dispersion and the nonlinear properties. The proposed design is analyzed using a finite element method considering silica and air as the materials. Zero dispersion, low confinement loss, and a record value of γ = 70.0 W^?1/km for the LS-MOF nonlinear parameter are simultaneously obtained at 1.55 μm, whereas a higher value γ = 169.4 W^?1/km can be achieved at 1.06 μm. Our results demonstrate the great potential of the LS-MOF for several nonlinear applications, namely for an efficient generation of the supercontinuum.     

Gauge boson masses and lepton mixing inO(4)⊗U(1) gauge model

The Cabibbo angle is introduced as a mixing angle of the gauge bosonsW ^± andX ^± in anO(4)?U(1) gauge model. Masses of gauge bosons are calculated to beM _W=82 (input), \(M_z = \sqrt 2 M_W s\gamma = 130\) (γ is mixing angle, sin² γ=0.21),M _x=666, andM _Y=660, in units GeV. TheW _μ ^± andZ _μ ⁰ couple to the familiar charged and neutral currents, respectively. The effective neutrino oscillation angle is found to be the Cabibbo angle.     

High-efficient liquid exfoliation of 2D metal-organic framework using deep-eutectic solvents

The exfoliation of bulk two-dimensional metal–organic framework (MOF) into few-layered nanosheets has attracted much attention recently. In this work, an environmental-friendly route has been developed for layered-MOF (MAMS-1) delamination using deep eutectic solvent (DES), which is more sustainable and efficient alternative than conventional organic solvents for MOF nanosheet preparation. Under sonication condition, DES as solvents, the highest exfoliation rate of MAMS-1 is up to 70% with two host layers via poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) surfactant-assisted method. The presence of tert-butyl exteriors and the atomically thickness endow the MOF nanosheets stable suspension for at least one month. Due to the 2D structure and excellent stability, MAMS-1 nanosheet (MAMS-1-NS) was chosen as a good candidate to encapsulate Eu³⁺ cations. The obtained Eu³⁺@MAMS-1-NS acts as a multi-responsive luminescent sensor through fluorescence quenching, and can specifically recognize Fe³⁺ (LOD = 0.40 μM, K_SV = 1.05 × 10⁵ M^−l), Hg²⁺ (LOD = 0.038 μM, K_SV = 5.78 × 10⁶ M^−l), Cr₂O₇²⁻ (LOD = 0.33 μM, K_SV = 1.55 × 10⁵ M^−l) and MnO₄⁻ (LOD = 0.088 μM, K_SV = 4.49 × 10⁵ M^−l). Compared with bulk Eu³⁺@MAMS-1, the sensitivity of Eu³⁺@MAMS-1-NS is greatly improved owing to its ultrathin nanosheet morphology and highly accessible active sites on the surface.     

Similarity rules of magnetic minor hysteresis loops in Fe and Ni metals

We have studied similarity rules of quasistatic minor hysteresis loops for Fe and Ni single crystals in the wide temperature range from 10 to 600 K. Two similarity rules of M_R*/M_a*∼3/4 and W_R*/W_F*∼1/6, were found in a medium field range where irreversible movement of Bloch walls plays a crucial role for magnetization; M_a*, M_R*, W_F*, and W_R* are magnetization, remanence, hysteresis loss, and remanence work of a minor hysteresis loop. The similarity rules hold true, being almost independent of kinds of ferromagnets, applied stress, and temperature. The origin was discussed from the viewpoint of pinning effects due to dislocations as well as eddy current effects which become predominant at low temperatures for samples with low dislocation density.     

The experimental study of Ba 6pjnk |M| = 0, 1 autoionizing series

The spectra of the Ba 6pnk autoionizing Stark states with |M| = 0, 1, converging to the 6p_1/2⁺ and 6p_3/2⁺ ionization thresholds, are measured as a function of the electric field strength F. Several 6p_jnk Stark manifolds with n = 13–15 have been systematically studied in order to explore their characteristics of configuration interaction. Experimental results are analyzed by fitting them to the Lorentzian profile, from which the positions and widths are determined. Different spectroscopic properties between the Ba 6p_1/2nk and 6p_3/2nk autoionizing Stark states are investigated. Comparison between the Ba 6p_jnk autoionizing Stark states with |M| = 0 and those with |M| = 1 are made.     

Sonochemical reactions with mesoporous alumina

Herein, we report the sonochemical reactions with MSU-X mesoporous alumina (m-Al₂O₃) in aqueous solutions. Sonication (f = 20 kHz, I = 30 W cm^?2, W_aq = 0.67 W mL^?1, T = 36–38 °C, Ar) causes significant acceleration of m-Al₂O₃ dissolution in the pH range of 4–11. Moreover, power ultrasound has a dramatic effect on the textural properties and phase composition of m-Al₂O₃. Short-time sonication at pH = 4 leads to the formation of nanorods and nanofibers of boehmite, AlO(OH). Prolonged ultrasonic treatment causes high aspect morphology transformation to aggregated nanosheets in weakly acid solutions or plated nanocrystals in alkaline solutions. Sonochemical products in alkaline medium are composed principally from boehmite and small amounts of bayerite, Al(OH)₃. Silent hydrolysis of m-Al₂O₃ yields boehmite at pH = 4 and bayerite at pH = 11. The effect of ultrasound on the textural properties of mesoporous alumina as well as on the transformation of nanosized bayerite to boehmite can be consistently attributed to the transient strong heating of the liquid shell surrounding the cavitation bubble which caused the chemical processes similar to those occurred during hydrothermal treatment.     

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma torch treatment of pyrolysis fuel oil in presence of methane and ethane

For the first time, atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment of pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO) was investigated in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma torch reactor. Main parameters including working gas flow rate and Ar/CH₄ ratio along with the effects of separate Ar/C₂H₆ on the cracking of PFO were studied. By increasing the flow of argon and methane, the production rate of hydrocarbons containing ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, C₄, and C₅ increased from 1.72 to 10.48 ml/min for 4000 ml/min argon plus 400 ml/min methane as the working gas. In this case, the production rate of hydrogen increases from 10.58 to 56.86. The production rate of hydrocarbons increased from 3.53 to 13.5 ml/min by decreasing Ar/CH₄ ratio from 40 to 5.6. By changing the type of working gas from methane to ethane, the production of hydrocarbons considerably increased from 6.47 to 17.75 ml/min.