Improved evaluation of inelastic displacement demands for short‐period masonry structures

This work discusses the simplified estimation of earthquake‐induced nonlinear displacement demands as required by nonlinear static procedures, with particular attention on short‐period masonry structures. The study focuses on systems with fundamental periods between 0.1 and 0.5 s, for which inelastic amplification of the elastic displacement demand is more pronounced; hysteretic force‐displacement relationships characteristic of masonry structures are adopted, because these structures are more commonly found within the considered period range. Referring to the results of nonlinear dynamic analyses of single‐degree‐of‐freedom oscillators, some limitations of the Eurocode 8 and Italian Building Code formulations are first discussed, then an improved equation is calibrated that relates inelastic and elastic displacement demands. Numerical values of the equation parameters are obtained, considering the amount of hysteretic energy dissipation associated with various damage mechanisms observed in masonry structures. Safety factors are also calculated to determine several percentiles of the displacement demand. It is shown that the proposed equation can be extended to more dissipative systems. Finally, the same formulation is adapted to the estimation of seismic displacements when elastic analysis procedures are employed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparisons among the five ground-motion models developed using RESORCE for the prediction of response spectral accelerations due to earthquakes in Europe and the Middle East

This article presents comparisons among the five ground-motion models described in other articles within this special issue, in terms of data selection criteria, characteristics of the models and predicted peak ground and response spectral accelerations. Comparisons are also made with predictions from the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) models to which the models presented here have similarities (e.g. a common master database has been used) but also differences (e.g. some models in this issue are nonparametric). As a result of the differing data selection criteria and derivation techniques the predicted median ground motions show considerable differences (up to a factor of two for certain scenarios), particularly for magnitudes and distances close to or beyond the range of the available observations. The predicted influence of style-of-faulting shows much variation among models whereas site amplification factors are more similar, with peak amplification at around 1s. These differences are greater than those among predictions from the NGA models. The models for aleatory variability (sigma), however, are similar and suggest that ground-motion variability from this region is slightly higher than that predicted by the NGA models, based primarily on data from California and Taiwan.     

Benthic control upon the morphology of transported fine sediments in a low‐gradient stream

The structure of fluvial sediments in streams has environmental implications to contaminant fate, nutrient budgeting and the carbon flux associated with fine particulate organic matter (FPOM). However, the influence of sediment structure is lacking in environmental predictive models. To this end, the present study links field‐based results of sediment aggregate structure to seasonal biological functions in the surface fine‐grained laminae (SFGL) of a low‐gradient stream. Fluvial sediment collection, microscopy and image analysis are used to show that aggregates collected over a 20 month time period support the concept that aggregate structure can vary seasonally in low‐gradient streams where temporarily stored sediment is prominent. Results show that the structure of the transported aggregates is more irregular in the summer with the structure being elongated about the long axes. In the winter, the aggregate structure is compacted and more spherical. Statistical analysis and results suggest that heterotrophic and autotrophic biological activity within the SFGL exhibits seasonal control upon the morphology of transported sediments. Implications of this research are highlighted through calculations of the reactive surface area of the transported suspended sediment load. The surface area of transported sediment is estimated to be 40% greater in the summer as compared to the winter time period, which implies that (i) the affinity of sediments to sorb contaminants is higher in summer months and (ii) the downstream reactivity of FPOM in large rivers, lakes and estuaries is not just a function of microbial drivers but also the seasonally dependent structure of transported FPOM derived from low‐order streams. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Keratose-dominated sponge grounds from temperate mesophotic ecosystems (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Differently from the North Atlantic Ocean, only few examples of sponge grounds are known from the Mediterranean Sea, mainly thriving in the deep sea. In this study, a novel temperate mesophotic ecosystem dominated by massive keratose sponges is reported from the Ligurian deep continental shelf. An extensive Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) survey allowed to study the structure and large-scale distribution of this biocoenosis. The sponge grounds here described are highly fragmented, being formed by a large number of dense, discrete aggregations of Sarcotragus foetidus (up to 7.7 specimens/m²) and other sponges, including Spongia lamella and Axinella polypoides. They mainly occur on flat, patchy and highly silted hardgrounds between 40 and 70 m depth. These sponge-dominated ecosystems have an exceptionally wide spatial distribution, estimated to cover up to nearly 200 hectares, with the largest sponge grounds occurring along the westernmost part of the Ligurian coast, probably in relation to more suitable oceanographic conditions. The dominant sponge species reach considerable heights (up to 65 cm), greatly increasing the habitat three-dimensionality and acting as poles of attraction for a diverse sessile and vagile fauna. In addition, the high abundance of the keratose sponge grounds at mesophotic depths might represent a larval source for shallow-water populations that in the last decades have been stricken by several mass mortality events.     

Variability of the health effects of crystalline silica: Fe speciation in industrial quartz reagents and suspended dusts—insights from XAS spectroscopy

We investigated the speciation of Fe in bulk and in suspended respirable quartz dusts coming from ceramic and iron-casting industrial processes via X-ray absorption spectroscopy, with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the variability of crystalline silica toxicity. Four different bulk industrial quartz powders, nominally pure quartz samples with Fe contents below 200 ppm, and three respirable dusts filters were selected. Fe speciation was determined in all samples through a coupled study of the X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure regions, operating at the Fe–K edge. Fe speciation revealed common features at the beginning of the different production processes, whereas significant differences were observed on both respirable dusts and bulk dusts exiting from the production process. Namely, a common pollution of the raw quartz dusts by elemental Fe was evidenced and attributed to residuals of the industrial production of quartz materials. Moreover, the respirable samples indicated that reactivity occurs after the suspension of the powders in air. The gravitational selection during the particle suspension consistently allowed us to clearly discriminate between suspended and bulk dusts. On the basis of the obtained results, we provide an apparent spectroscopic discrimination between the raw materials used in the considered industrial processes, and those that are effectively inhaled by workers. In particular, an amorphous Fe^III oxide, with an unsaturated coordination sphere, can be related to silica reactivity (and health consequences).     

Use of NTv2 transformation grids in engineering applications

This paper describes a technique to transform coordinates between map references based on NTv2 format grids. Using the grids rather than carrying out a transformation allows to avoid map archives doubling, thereby easing “on the fly” transformation between different map representations. The paper also includes a case-study on a highway stretch currently under construction, the ‘Pedemontana Lombarda’ highway.     

Earth walls as repositories of background levels of soil metal contaminants

Data about the background concentration of potentially toxic elements in soils are indispensable for establishing legislative limits, risk thresholds and, in general, assess the intensity of the pollution. Crude earth buildings are diffuse in the Mediterranean area and may be used as archives for original concentration of various metals. The building technique uses local soil which is mixed with water, let dry in formworks and covered with plaster. This has protected the soil material from external additions. The aim of this work was to evaluate the crude earth walls as repositories of the original concentration of some metals. Six crude earth walls were investigated in a location in northwestern Italy. Their concentration in Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured and compared with those of surrounding soil profiles. Also, the results were compared with those of the Province. Organic carbon and pH seem to confirm the different evolution of the soils in the field with respect to that in the wall while iron oxides were not useful in discriminating the samples. Cadmium and Pb appeared to be the most reliable for the evaluation of the accumulated contamination evaluated while Cr and Ni are influenced by the lithogenic substratum.     

Research and development of advanced technologies for landslide hazard analysis in Italy

The Research Centre on Prediction, Prevention and Control of Georisks, "Sapienza Università di Roma" (CERI) was selected as one of the World Centres of Excellence on Landslide Risk Reduction (WCoE) under the title of “Research and development of advanced technologies for landslide hazard analysis in Italy” in the period 2008–2011. The present paper provides background information on the activities carried out by the CERI, in the frame of the WCoE network. Pre-defined purposes have been achieved by the implementation of integrated monitoring systems and early warning systems for landslides movements. The application of GBInSAR technique for monitoring landslides interacting with infrastructures is discussed, and two case histories are presented. It is shown that this technique is particularly suitable for the displacements monitoring of landslides interacting with infrastructures, thanks to its peculiar features (i.e. areal mapping, operability under every weather and lighting conditions and continuous and completely remote monitoring). Hence, it can be considered a very important tool for the reduction of risks connected to the realisation and activity of large infrastructures.     

Coastal deformation between the Versilia and the Garigliano plains (Italy) since the last interglacial stage

The opening of the north‐central Tyrrhenian Sea is the result of the Cretaceous–Paleogene alpine collision, which triggered a series of regional uplift, subsidence and transcurrent tectonic mechanisms along the coastal Tyrrhenian sectors of peninsular Italy. These tectonic processes, in conjunction with the effects of glacio‐ and hydro‐isostasy during the Quaternary, produced substantial crustal responses that, in some cases, reached metres in extent. In the study of coastal neotectonics, geomorphological markers of the last interglacial maximum, corresponding to marine isotope stage 5.5, are generally used to quantify the magnitude of the vertical crustal displacements that have occurred since 125 kyr. Through altimetrical, palaeoenvironmental and chronological reinterpretation of the most significant works published since 1913, combined with an additional set of data reported here, a detailed reconstruction of the shoreline displacements evident along 500 km of coast between northern Tuscany and southern Latium is presented. The reconstruction was carried out by quantifying the vertical movement since the last interglacial period and by identifying the tectonic behaviour of different coastal sectors. This has been done by carefully choosing the eustatic marker, among those available at each study site, in order to minimize the margin of error associated with the measurements. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3D-electrical resistivity tomography monitoring of salt transport in homogeneous and layered soil samples

Monitoring transport of dissolved substances in soil deposits is particularly relevant where safety is concerned, as in the case of geo-environmental barriers. Geophysical methods are very appealing, since they cover a wide domain, localising possible preferential flow paths and providing reliable links between geophysical quantities and hydrological variables. This paper describes a 3D laboratory application of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) used to monitor solute transport processes. Dissolution and transport tests on both homogeneous and heterogeneous samples were conducted in an instrumented oedometer cell. ERT was used to create maps of electrical conductivity of the monitored domain at different time intervals and to estimate concentration variations within the interstitial fluid. Comparisons with finite element simulations of the transport processes were performed to check the consistency of the results. Tests confirmed that the technique can monitor salt transport, infer the hydro-chemical behaviour of heterogeneous geomaterials and evaluate the performances of clay barriers.