Regional stress field in Yunnan revealed by the focal mechanisms of moderate and small earthquakes

We determined focal mechanism solutions of 627 earthquakes of magnitude M ≥ 3.0 in Yunnan from January 2008 to May 2018 by using broadband waveforms recorded by 287 permanent and temporary regional stations. The results clearly revealed predominantly strike-slip faulting characteristics for earthquakes in Yunnan, with focal depths concentrated in the top 10 km of the crust. The earthquake mechanisms obtained were combined with the global centroid moment tensor solutions of 80 additional earthquakes from 1976 to 2016 to invert for the regional variations of stress field orientation by using a damped regional-scale stress inversion scheme.Results of the stress field inversion confirmed that the Yunnan region is under a strike–slip stress regime, with both maximum and minimum stress axes being nearly horizontal. The maximum compressional axes are primarily oriented in a northwest-southeast direction, and they experience a clockwise rotation from north to south, whereas the maximum extensional axes are oriented largely northeast-southwest. The maximum compressional axes are in line with the global positioning system–inferred horizontal velocity field and the southeastward escape of the Sichuan–Yunnan Rhombic Block, whereas the maximum extensional axes are consistent with anisotropy derived from SKS splitting. Against the strike–slip background, normal faulting stress regimes can be seen in the Tengchong volcanic area as well as in other areas with complex crisscrossing fault zones.

Characterization of astrocytes and microglial cells in the hippocampal CA1 region after transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats treated with Ilexonin A

Ilexonin A is a compound isolated from the root of Ilex pubescens,a traditional Chinese medicine.Ilexonin A has been shown to play a neuroprotective role by regulating the activation of astrocytes and microglia in the peri-infarct area after ischemia.However,the effects of ilexonin A on astrocytes and microglia in the infarct-free region of the hippocampal CA1 region remain unclear.Focal cerebral ischemia models were established by 2-hour occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in rats.Ilexonin A(20,40 or 80 mg/kg)was administered immediately after ischemia/reperfusion.The astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein,microglia marker Iba-1,neural stem cell marker nestin and inflammation markers were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot assay.Expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-αand interleukin 1βwere determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in the hippocampal CA1 tissue.Astrocytes were activated immediately in progressively increasing numbers from 1,3,to 7 days post-ischemia/reperfusion.The number of activated astrocytes further increased in the hippocampal CA1 region after treatment with ilexonin A.Microglial cells remained quiescent after ischemia/reperfusion,but became activated after treatment with ilexonin A.Ilexonin A enhanced nestin expression and reduced the expression of tumor necrosis factor-αand interleukin 1βin the hippocampus post-ischemia/reperfusion.The results of the present study suggest that ilexonin A has a neuroprotective effect in the hippocampus after ischemia/reperfusion,probably through regulating astrocytes and microglia activation,promoting neuronal stem cell proliferation and reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors.This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital,China.

Treatable focal region modulated by double excitation signal superimposition to realize platform temperature distribution during transcranial brain tumor therapy with high-intensity focused ultrasound

Recently, the phase compensation technique has allowed the ultrasound to propagate through the skull and focus into the brain. However, the temperature evolution during treatment is hard to control to achieve effective treatment and avoid over-high temperature. Proposed in this paper is a method to modulate the temperature distribution in the focal region. It superimposes two signals which focus on two preset different targets with a certain distance. Then the temperature distribution is modulated by changing triggering time delay and amplitudes of the two signals. The simulation model is established based on an 82-element transducer and computed tomography （CT） data of a volunteer＇s head. A finite- difference time-domain （FDTD） method is used to calculate the temperature distributions. The results show that when the distances between the two targets respectively are 7.5-12.5 mm on the acoustic axis and 2.0-3.0 mm in the direction perpendicular to the acoustic axis, a focal region with a uniform temperature distribution （64-65 ℃） can be created. Moreover, the volume of the focal region formed by one irradiation can be adjusted （26.8-266.7 mm3） along with the uniform temperature distribution. This method may ensure the safety and efficacy of HIFU brain tumor therapy.

Present Tectonic Stress Field in the Capital Region of China Inverted from Focal Mechanisms of Small and Strong Earthquakes

A dense seismic network was installed in the capital region of China in recent years,which makes it possible to resolve the focal mechanisms of small earthquakes. We gathered large earthquake focal mechanisms from the last fifty years and moderate or small earthquake focal mechanisms from between 2002 and 2004,and calculated the present tectonic stress field of the capital region by the grid search method, which weighs different sized earthquakes and can improve the accuracy of the stress field inversion. The analysis of inversion results of different sub-regions shows that the azinuth of the maximum principal compressive stress axis is NE43°- 86° in the Beijing-Zhangjiakou-Datong area,NE38°-86° in the Tangshan area,and NE79°- 81° in the Xingtai area. Inversion results of this paper are similar to previous results,which proves the correctness of the approach. As revealed by the results,the stress field of the capital region is characterized by overall consistency and sub-regional differences. This study provides reference for earthquake mechanism explanation and geodynamics research.

Biological Characteristics of Carex brunnescens for Sand Fixation in the Source Region of the Yellow River

Carex brunnescens, a pioneer plant that has an excellent ability to fix sand in the source region of the Yellow River （Maqu）, plays an important role in maintaining the ecosystem stability of alpine grassland in Maqu. In this study, the biological characteristics （phonological characters, the growth process of overground and underground organs, and the morphological characters of underground organs） of C. brunnescens were studied by a field observation experiment. The results showed that C. brunnescens had the characteristics of turning green earlier than other plants, a long growth period, and two flowering and fruiting cycles. The leaf width, length and number of a single plant, and the density, coverage and leaf density of community increased significantly from the leaf extension period to the fruit mature period and then tended to be stable in the withering period, while the plant height and leaf area of a single plant and the leaf area of community rose significantly at first and then decreased. Underground stems （horizontal and vertical stems） and roots of C. brunnescens could survive in sand at a depth of 0-60 cm. The number of middle roots （0.2-0.5 mm in diameter） was the largest in all soil layers （0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm）, and the total length of fine roots （〈0.2 mm） were the maximum in the sand at a depth of 20-40 cm, while the total length of middle roots was the maximum in the sand layer at a depth of 0-20 cm. The length, fresh weight and dry weight of the main root, horizontal and vertical stems was the maximum in the sand layer at a depth of 10-30 cm and was the minimum in the sand layer at a depth of 40-50 cm. It is concluded that C. brunnescens can well adapt to the alpine sand habitat of Maqu, can be used as the constructive species for ecological restoration in the alpine desertified grassland of Maqu, and has good popularization and application prospects.

Determinations of directions of the mean stress field in Sichuan-Yunnan region from a number of focal mechanism solutions

Based on the spatial orientation and slip direction of the fault plane solutions, we present the expression of corresponding mechanical axis tensor in geographic coordinate system, and then put forward a method for calculating average mechanical axis tensor and its eigenvalues, which involves solving the corresponding eigenequation. The method for deducing mean stress field from T, B, and P axes parameters of a number of focal mechanism solutions has been verified by inverting data of mean stress fields in Fuyun region and in Tangshan region with fitting method of slip direction, and both results are consistent. To study regional average stress field, we need to choose a population of focal mechanism solutions of earthquakes in the massifs where there are significant tectonic structures. According to the focal mechanism solutions of 256 moderate-strong earthquakes occurred in 13 seismic zones of Sichuan-Yunnan region, the quantitative analysis results of stress tensor in each seismic zone have been given. The algorithm of such method is simple and convenient, which makes the method for analyzing tectonic stress field with large amount of focal mechanism solution data become quantified.

Estimation of the stress levels in the focal region before and after the 2001 M=8.1 Western Kunlun Mountain Pass earth-quake

A method estimating the stress level in the focal region of an earthquake is proposed here. Taking the 2001 M=8.1 Western Kunlun Mountain Pass earthquake as an example, we estimate its stress level in the focal region before and after it by this method. The results show that the stress level in the focal region just prior to the initiation of this event is approximately 6.3-8 MPa, and about 5-6.7 MPa remained in the focal region after its occurrence. The stress in the focal region decreased by roughly twenty percent after this event.

Applying artificial neural networks to achieve quantitative division of potential focal regions

There are put forward in this paper the principle of using artificial neural networks to determine the featureswhich reflect seismotectonics and seismicity of the potential focal regions and the method to divide quantitativelythe potential focal regions. The calculation of the actual data of North China area shows that it may fully reveal the relations between the potential focal regions and their controling characteristics by the method, of which the principle is concise and convenient to apply, the calculated results reasonable, the division in a meticulous way and the achievement practicable.

Focal region field of a two dimensional Gregorian system coated with isotropic Chiral medium

Focal region field of a two dimensional Gregorian system coated with chiral medium is analyzed at high frequency. Maslov's method is used because the Geometrical Optics approximation fails at focal points. Maslov’s method combines the simplicity of ray theory and the generality of Fourier transform. Fields patterns are calculated numerically and the results are plotted. The effects of thickness of chiral layer, chirality parameter of the chiral medium and permittivity of the medium are analyzed. The problem of simple dielectric layer is discussed as a special case of this problem.

Variation of stress field in the source region around a strong shock：an example

An earthquake with magnitude 6.6 occurred on November 16,1983 in the Kaoiki,Hawii.The hierarchical clustering analyses were made by stages for the focal mechanism solutions of 74 earthquakes with M≥3.0 in this area from 1977 to 1985,it was found that each type of focal mechanism is roughly with invariable percentage,and that the strike-slip events including the mainshock,which did not appear in other stages,occurred in the stage around M=6.6 mainshock.The dominant types in the other stages were depressed in the period around the mainshock. This is a believable precursor phenomena.orientation of the principal axes of stress field was inversed by fitting slip vector based on the focal mechanisms in the different periods.The results show that the stress field around the main shock with M=6.6 was more stable,its maximum and minimum principal axes is nearly horizontal in EW and NS direction respectively,the middle one is nearly vertical.The middle principal axis of stress field in the other periods appeared to be horizontal and the corresponding seismic rupture horizontally slip with a small dip.The significant difference between the stress field of source region in the period around the strong shock and that in the other periods shows that the seismogeny and occurrence of the strong shock were controlled by the variation of stress field.The characteristic environment factors of Kaoiki region and its effects were discussed.

Increase in medium-size rainfall events will enhance the C-sequestration capacity of biological soil crusts

Biological soil crusts(BSCs) play important roles in the carbon(C) balance in arid regions. Net C balance of BSCs is strongly dependent on rainfall and consequent activation of microbes in the BSCs. The compensation-rainfall size for BSCs(the minimum rainfall amount for a positive net C balance) is assumed to be different with BSCs of different developmental stages. A field experiment with simulated rainfall amount(SRA) of 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mm was conducted to examine the C fluxes and compensation-rainfall size of BSCs in different parts of fixed dunes in the ecotone between the Badain Jaran Desert and the Minqin Oasis. We found algae-lichen crust on the interdunes and crest, algae crust on the leeward side, and lichen-moss crust on the windward. Even a small rainfall(1 mm) can activate both photosynthesis and respiration of all types of BSCs. The gross ecosystem production, ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem exchange were significantly affected by SRA, hours after the simulated rainfall, position on a dune, and their interactions. The rapid activation of photosynthesis provides a C source and therefore could be responsible for the increase of C efflux after each rewetting. C-uptake and-emission capacity of all the BSCs positively correlated with rainfall size, with the lowest C fluxes on the leeward side. The compensation rainfall for a net C uptake was 3.80, 15.54, 8.62, and 1.88 mm for BSCs on the interdunes, the leeward side, the crest, and the windward side, respectively. The whole dune started to show a net C uptake with an SRA of 5 mm and maximized with an SRA of about 30 mm. The compensation-rainfall size is negatively correlated with chlorophyll content. Our results suggest that BSCs will be favored in terms of C balance, and sand dune stabilization could be sustained with an increasing frequency of 5-10 mm rainfall events in the desert-oasis transitional zone.-

Geochemistry of upper Permian siliceous rocks from the Lower Yangtze region, southeastern China:implications for the origin of chert and Permian ocean chemistry

The Permian Chert Event is of great significance to understanding the geological evolution of the entire Permian; however,the origin of widespread chert formation is debated. We report new geochemical data from deep-marine siliceous rocks of the upper Permian Da-long Formation, Lower Yangtze region, southeastern China. Their geochemical results show that these thin-bedded siliceous rocks have a clear biologic origin, with rare to no evidence of hydrothermal influence. The values of Al/(Al + Fe + Mn) and Eu/Eu~* are 0.60-0.84(mean = 0.72) and 0.45-1.08(mean = 0.77), respectively, and Mn/Ti ratios are relatively low(mean = 0.72). The correlations of LaN/CeN, LaN/YbN, and Fe203/Ti02 with Al_2 O_3/(Al_2 O_3 + Fe_2 O_3), along with the Ce anomaly, indicate that the Da-long siliceous rocks were deposited at a transitional zone between a continental margin and the open ocean; i.e., relatively close to terrestrial sediment input and far from hydrothermal activity. The accumulation of chert is related to its unique paleogeographic location in an equatorial setting with many submarine paleo-highlands.Intense upwelling and frequent local volcanism are the main factors that promoted the development of siliceous rocks in the studied area. Ocean acidification triggered by large-scale volcanism(Large Igneous Province) during the late Permian led to extensive silica precipitation and preservation.

Tall gastrodis tuber combined with antiepileptic drugs repairs abnormal perfusion foci in focal epilepsy

One hundred patients with focal epilepsy were recruited for the present study and their seizures controlled with antiepileptic drugs. The patients then orally received a capsule of tall gastrodis tuber powder, a traditional Chinese drug, and underwent single photon emission computed tomography, long-term electroencephalogram, and CT/MRI. Blood drug levels were monitored throughout the study. Before treatment with tall gastrodis tuber, 35 of the 100 cases had abnormal CT/MRI scans; 79 cases had abnormal single photon emission computed tomography images; 86 cases had abnormal electroencephalogram; and a total of 146 abnormal perfusion foci were observed across the 100 subjects. After treatment, the number of patients with normal single photon emission computed tomography images increased by 12; normal electroencephalogram was observed in an additional 27 cases and the number of patients with epileptiform discharge decreased by 29 （34% of 86）; the total number of abnormal perfusion foci decreased by 52 （36%） and changes in abnormal loci were visible in 65 patients. These changes indicate that the administration of tall gastrodis tuber in combination with antiepileptic drugs repairs abnormal perfusion foci in patients with focal epilepsy Our results demonstrate that traditional Chinese drugs can repair abnormal perfusion foci and, as such, are a promising new pathway in the treatment of focal epilepsy.

Visual-simulation region proposal and generative adversarial network based ground military target recognition

Ground military target recognition plays a crucial role in unmanned equipment and grasping the battlefield dynamics for military applications, but is disturbed by low-resolution and noisyrepresentation. In this paper, a recognition method, involving a novel visual attention mechanismbased Gabor region proposal sub-network(Gabor RPN) and improved refinement generative adversarial sub-network(GAN), is proposed. Novel central-peripheral rivalry 3D color Gabor filters are proposed to simulate retinal structures and taken as feature extraction convolutional kernels in low-level layer to improve the recognition accuracy and framework training efficiency in Gabor RPN. Improved refinement GAN is used to solve the problem of blurry target classification, involving a generator to directly generate large high-resolution images from small blurry ones and a discriminator to distinguish not only real images vs. fake images but also the class of targets. A special recognition dataset for ground military target, named Ground Military Target Dataset(GMTD), is constructed. Experiments performed on the GMTD dataset effectively demonstrate that our method can achieve better energy-saving and recognition results when low-resolution and noisy-representation targets are involved, thus ensuring this algorithm a good engineering application prospect.

Study on the Recent Tectonic Stress Field in the Yunnan Region

In this paper, using focal mechanism solutions of moderate-strong earthquakes in Yunnan and its adjacent areas, and based on the statistical analysis of the parameters of focal mechanism solutions, we discussed in detail the earthquake fault types and the characteristics of the modern tectonic stress field in the Yunnan region. The results show that most moderate-strong earthquakes occurring in the Yunnan region are of the strike-slip type, amounting to 80% of the total. Normal faulting and normal with strike-slip and reverse and reverse with strike-slip earthquakes is almost equivalent in proportion, about 8% each. The tectonic stress field of the Yunnan region is near-horizontal, and the dips of earthquake fault planes are large. There are three main dynamic sources acting on the Yunnan region: one is the NE, NNE and NNW-directed acting force from Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam; the second is the SE-SSE directed force from the Sichuan and Sichuan-Yunnan rhombus block and the third is the NW-NNW directed force from the South China block. These three acting forces have controlled the faulting behavior of the main faults and the characteristics of strong earthquake activity of Yunnan and its adjacent regions.

Study on the Recent Tectonic Stress Field in the “Huoshan Seismic Window” Region

The focal mechanisms of 62 moderate-small earthquakes since 1980 in the ＂ Huoshan seismic window＂ region are calculated with the method developed recently by Snoke, combining the use of the first motion of P, SV and SH waves with their amplitude ratios. Based on these abundant focal mechanisms, the mean tectonic stress field in the ＂Huoshan seismic window＂ region is inverted with the average stress tensor method, and the result shows that the ＂Huoshan seismic window＂ region is horizontally compressed in the near EW direction and horizontally dilated in the near NS direction, which is in accord with statistical results of focal mechanism parameters. We estimate the difference （also referred to as consistency parameter 0） between the force axis direction of the focal mechanism solution and the mean stress tensor, then further analyze the variation characteristics of 0 versus time, and the relationship with moderately strong earthquakes in the east China region. The result indicates that 0 in the ＂ Huoshan seismic window＂ region is in good correspondence with moderately strong earthquakes in the East China region. When 0 is lower than the mean value, corresponding moderately strong earthquakes may occur in the East China region.

A study on the focal parameters of Shidian M=5.9 earthquake sequences in 2001

On the basis of about 300 earthquake wave forms observed in the Shidian MS=5.9 sequences on April 12, 2001 recorded in Kunming Digital Seismic Network, the spectra of shear wave have been used to estimate the focal parameters of these earthquake sequences. The results show that within the magnitude range of 1.5~5.3, the seis-mic moments are 1010~1016 N?m, the corner frequencies are 0.2~0.8 Hz, radii of the focal rupture are 200~2 500 m and the stress drops are 0.1×105~20×105Pa. Through the statistical analyses of variation of corner frequency fc and stress drop ?σ with time, it is discovered that the average corner frequency of the foreshock sequences is obviously lower than that of the aftershock sequences. Contrarily, the average stress drops ?σ of the foreshock sequences are clearly higher than that of the aftershocks. It is considered that these variation characteristics of av-erage corner frequency and stress drops before and after the main shock have index significance to the precursory information before a strong earthquake. The higher stress drops for the foreshock sequences show that the higher shear stresses have been stored in the area of main shock. After the main shock, most of the stresses have been released, so the aftershock sequences show a rupture process of lower stresses.

Characteristic of Rare EarthDistribution in Biologic Chains of RE-Rich Back-ground Regions

REE contents of water and vegetables, from two typical RE-rich background regionsand normal region in Gainan,Jiangxi Province, China, indicatethat REE contents are markedlydifferent in water and vegetables.There are average 0.03 mg·L-1and 0. 11 mg·L-1 REE in water ofA and B regions. As REE contentsof vegetables for A region are different from B region, it suggeststhat there are a lot of factors controlling REE distribution betweenvegetables. Comparing with thenormal region, soluble RE contentsin water of the RE-rich backgroundregions are factors of 68 and 18than that of the normal region.REE contents of the most plantsand crops in A and B regions arehigher than that in the normal region. It is clear that REE are theindispensable elements of plantsduring their growing period. Asthere are unusually higher REEcontents of some plants in A and Bthan in the normal regions, it isconsidered to result from absorbingREE passively during the period ofplants and crops growing up.

The Focal Depth Analysis of the Inner Mongolia-Ningxia Border Area Earthquakes

We selected the 103 M_L≥2. 5 earthquake waveform data from the Inner Mongolia-Ningxia border during 2009-2015,which was recorded by the Inner Mongolia Digital Seismic Networks and used the simplex method, Hyposat method, double difference location method,and deterministic method (PTD) for the determination of focal depth,and compared the results. The CAP moment tensor inversion method is used to determine the focal depths of the Alxa Left Banner M5. 8 and M4. 2 earthquakes. The final results of the focal depth by the deterministic method (PTD) and the double difference location method fit well with the tectonic characteristics of the Inner Mongolia-Ningxia border area,but those of the simplex method and the Hyposat method do not. The average depth of the Inner Mongolia-Ningxia border seismic tectonic zone is 13. 32 ± 8 km.

The Study on the Strong Ground Motion Attenuation Relationship in the Pishan Area,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Small earthquake data from the Pishan MS6.5 aftershocks is collected by the Xinjiang Regional Digital Seismic Observation Network.Five parameters of the focal region are obtained by micro genetic inversion:stress dropΔσof 75.95 bars,quality factor parameters Q0of 186.33 andηof 0.26,geometric attenuation parameters R1of 72.18km and R2of 139.70km.We calculate the Fourier spectrum and combine it with the random phase spectrum to get the ground motion time history,and build the strong motion acceleration attenuation relationship.The strong ground motion acceleration attenuation of the Pishan area is thus obtained.Because of the insufficiency of strong ground motion records,we added the records from the Wuqia MS6.9 earthquake on October 5,2008,the Akto MS6.2 earthquake on October 6,2008,and the Lop MS6.0 earthquake on March 9,2012 to the data.The comparison of the calculation results and the empirical attenuation relationships with strong ground motion records reveal that the strong motion data of Pishan and Lop earthquakes is higher than the empirical attenuation relationships.The Wuqia MS6.9 earthquake strong motion data is consistent with Yu Yanxiangs(2013)short axis result,and lower than the present result.