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This paper presents a simplified technique to simulate strong ground motion from a finite source of an earthquake. The simplified technique is based on modifications made in the semi empirical technique given by Midorikawa [1993] and later modified by Joshi and Midorikawa [2004]. Modifications in this technique have been made to consider the effect of radiation pattern and seismic moment of the target earthquake. The coastal region of Sumatra Island was struck by a great earthquake of magnitude 9.0 (M_w) on 26th December, 2004. This earthquake is known for its release of high amount of energy and the devastating Tsunami. This earthquake was recorded at several broadband stations including a nearest broadband station located in Indonesia. The source of this earthquake is modeled by a finite rectangular rupture plane. Various locations of nucleation point and different values of rupture velocity have been tested before finalizing the rupture responsible for this earthquake. Iterative modeling and comparison of simulated and observed record due to final model suggests that the rupture initiated at the western end of the rupture plane at a depth of 38 km and started propagating in all direction with a rupture velocity of 3.0 km/s. The final model has been used to simulate record at MDRS and VISK stations located at the coastal region of India and simulated records are compared with observed records at these stations. The comparisons confirm the suitability of final model for predicting strong ground motion and the efficacy of the approach in modeling great earthquake. Strong ground motion has been simulated for the Sumatra earthquake of 26th December, 2004 at various hypothetical stations surrounding the final model of rupture plane. The distribution of peak ground acceleration in the near source region has been computed from simulated record at these stations. The isoacceleration contours shows that high peak acceleration zones of the order of > 2 g are observed in the source zone of this earthquake which gradually decreases with distance. Using the parameters of final model of the Sumatra earthquake a great hypothetical earthquake at northern segment of Andaman ridge has been modeled and records have been simulated at Port Blair (POR) station located in the Andaman Island, India. The simulated records shows that peak ground acceleration of the order of 1.4 g can be observed at POR station due to a hypothetical earthquake in the Andaman Island suggesting high seismic hazard in this region.

Senegal is located in West Africa with a population close to 16 million inhabitants unequally distributed on a land of 196,722 km² area. In the 2000s, a national energy information system (known as SIE-Sénégal) aiming at monitoring and forecasting the energy demand and the efficient planning of the energy infrastructure was put in place in the Ministry of Oil and Energies. A lot of data were recorded of which some are analyzed and presented here for a better understanding of the energy system of Senegal. In the period 2000–2013, the energy demand has been increasing reaching 3.72 Mtoe in 2013. The demand is covered by imported fossil fuels and traditional biomass. The energy consumption has been increasing in the same period from 1.69 Mtoe in 2000 up to 2.56 Mtoe in 2013. The energy pattern shows a lion’s share for the residential sector followed by the transport and industrial sectors. In the residential sector, firewood is the main fuel, and electricity is deemed marginal. The transport sector is dominated by the road subsector where diesel oil represents 81% of the energy use. In the industrial sector, more than 80% of energy used is from fossil origin and the share of coal is becoming significant.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) acknowledge the interlinkages between human well-being, economic prosperity, and a healthy environment, and hence, are associated with a wide range of topical issues that include the securities of water, energy, and food (WEF) resources, poverty eradication, economic development, climate change, health, among others. As SDGs are assessed through targets to be achieved by 2030 and monitored through measurable indicators, nexus planning was applied as a transformative approach to monitor and assess progress toward SDG in 2015 and 2018 using South Africa. WEF nexus-related SDGs that were evaluated include Goals 2 (zero hunger), 6 (clean water and sanitation), and 7 (affordable and clean energy). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to integrate indicators for each of the reference years. Resource management and implementation of WEF-related SDGs improved by 31% (from 0.155 to 0.203) between 2015 and 2018 in South Africa but remained marginally sustainable. The assessment provided an evidence-based support framework for improved and effective management strategies to meet set SDG targets. The connections between the WEF nexus and SDGs strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration among stakeholders, unpack measures for cooperative governance and management, and supporting outcomes that arise from different cross-sectoral interventions. As food production, water provision, and energy accessibility are the major socio-economic and environmental issues currently attracting global attention, the method enhances climate change adaptation.

This paper applies the energy limit concept to the stability problem of structures and structural systems. New concepts such as, the energy capacity that measures accumulated energy in the structure before failure and virtual large displacements that lead to significant plastic deformations are introduced and defined. Proposed theory considers full load cycle, from the initiation of the instability until complete collapse of the structure. New equations for the determination of critical loads are derived, presented, and compared to known results. Proposed new equations take into consideration simultaneous effects of axial, bending, shear and torque deformations. The results of the study are substantiated by comparison with examples with known answers.