Estimation of mean spectral directions in random seas

A method for obtaining the directional spectrum, on assuming that the frequencies of the elementary waves are all different from one another, is re-proposed in a form suitable for applications to sea states near a coast. The method is applied to an interval of 10 h during which the sea state remained basically steady state off the beach at Reggio Calabria (east coast of the Straits of Messina). It is shown that the directional spectrum converges as the length of the time series data grows. A numerical simulation of a 10 h sea state confirms that the directional spectrum converges as the length of the time series grows, and the convergence is onto the known directional spectrum used to make the numerical simulation. Through the numerical simulation, it is proved that the method, generally, is suitable for applications even with short time series of wind waves (duration of about 100T_p). Finally, it is shown that the method is not necessarily inadequate even with short records of multimodal sea states with different modal directions, modal amplitude ratios and intermodal distances.     

Biomonitoring of Trace Metals by Different species of Lichens (Parmelia) in North-West Italy

The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were measured in four different species of lichens (Parmelia caperata, P. pastillifera, P. saxatilis, P. sulcata) sampled in North-West Italy, in order to obtain maps showing metal distribution and the degree of deviation from background (natural) conditions. Significant differences among the species were found for Zn, Mn, Pb and V, suggesting that the combined use of mixed species in biomonitoring surveys can affect the interpretation of results. Results obtained for Parmelia caperata samples have been compared with background (natural) levels, and maps showing the distribution of each metal expressed as deviation from background levels have been obtained. Overall such maps show a medium to high alteration degree in the study area.     

Processes controlling very low sedimentation rates on the continental slope of the Gonone-Orosei canyon system,NE Sardinia—terrestrial and oceanic significance

The narrow shelf and upper slope immediately above the Gonone canyon head off NE Sardinia represent areas of very low sedimentation rates. Along the sides of the canyon head (1,600 m water depth), the sediment deposits are homogeneous but show alternating light-grey intervals rich in carbonate and dark-grey ones rich in organic matter, possibly related to distal turbidite processes. Deposits older than 50,000 years are already encountered at core depths of 2.50 m, the sedimentation rates varying from 6–21 cm/10³ years in the lower parts of two cores and from 1.5–3 cm/10³ years in the upper parts. At about 35,000 years BP, both cores show a simultaneous drop in sedimentation rate by a factor of 3, probably in response to local mechanisms of channel avulsion. Lithological, mineralogical and geochemical properties reveal the environmental factors which are responsible for the extremely slow sediment accumulation. The southernmost sector of the coast, and partly also of the shelf, consists of Jurassic limestones which supply only small amounts of fine-grained material transported in suspension. During the last sea-level highstand, the accumulation of the Cedrino River pro-delta remained restricted to the coast, the low siliciclastic sediment yields resulting in poor shelf sediment trapping. The present morphology of the canyon head prevented the occurrence of gravity processes in the deeper part of the canyon system, including the coring sites. Accordingly, deposition was mainly fed by hemipelagic material of planktonic origin, together with only moderate terrigenous inputs. On a wider late Pleistocene timescale, seismic data indicate the occurrence of a coarse-grained, layered turbidite facies, implying a very different architecture of the canyon drainage system probably prior to 60,000 years BP.     

Statistical properties of dissipation bursts within turbulence: Solar flares and geomagnetic activity

We investigate some statistical properties of the solar soft X-ray flux and of the Auroral Electrojet (AE) index. For both these signals, the probability density functions (PDFs) of normalized differences are shown to display wide, non-Gaussian tails. The shape of the PDFs is nearly unchanged as the timelag, used to calculate differences, varies. Moreover, the two time series are characterized by a power-law distribution for waiting times between successive bursts and by a clear departure from an hypothesis of locally Poisson statistics. A similar behavior is found in a shell model of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence.     

Hydraulic failure of diaphragm walls: a possible methodology for safety improvement

The paper presents a methodology aimed at reducing—or even avoiding—the risk of heave and uplift failures of reinforced concrete diaphragm walls. The method is based on the simple concept of increasing the drainage capacity of the embedded portion of the retaining walls. The behaviour of a strutted excavation in a cohesionless soil below groundwater is examined by means of two distinct series of numerical analyses, respectively focused on the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of the retaining system. It is shown that, for some frequent cases, such methodology is capable to improve the safety of the retaining system with respect to both hydraulic and geotechnical limit states.     

A method for designing the longitudinal spacing of slope-stabilising shafts

The work at hand deals with the design of the longitudinal spacing among rows of closely spaced large-diameter shafts used to stabilise a precarious slope. The problem under consideration is idealised through a conceptual framework where an unstable mass of an infinitely long slope pushes a stable portion of soil adjacent to shafts, leading to failure along a slip surface passing through the upper end of the reinforcement elements. By exploiting the upper bound theorem of plastic collapse, a closed-form solution is derived for the load required for the failure of the stable mass as a function of geometrical and mechanical parameters of the slope and the soil. Results are validated through physical model tests by means of geotechnical centrifuge. Given the satisfactory agreement between analytical and experimental results, the model is extended to evaluate the safety conditions of the reinforced slope.     

Time-clustering analysis of volcanic occurrence sequences

We investigate the time dynamics of worldwide volcanic activity in order to find the presence of time correlation structures, by applying the Fano factor (FF) method. The analysis, performed on 35 time-occurrence volcanic eruptive sequences with volcanic explosivity index (VEI≥0) has revealed fractal behaviors in the most of the data sets considered, with fractal exponent α ranging from ∼0.2 to 0.9.     

Advanced frame element for seismic analysis of masonry structures: model formulation and validation

This paper presents a masonry panel model for the nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of masonry buildings suitable for the seismic assessment of new and existing structures. The model is based on an equivalent frame idealization of the structure and stems from previous research on force‐based frame elements. The element formulation considers axial, bending, and shear deformations within the framework of the Timoshenko beam theory. A phenomenological cyclic section law that accounts for the shear panel response is coupled, through equilibrium between shear and bending forces along the element, with a fiber‐section model that accounts for the axial and bending responses. The proposed panel model traces with a low computational burden and numerical stability the main aspects of the structural behavior of masonry panels and is suitable for analyses of multi‐floor buildings with a relatively regular distribution of openings and with walls and floors organized to grant a box‐like behavior under seismic loads. The model capabilities are validated though analyses of simple unreinforced masonry panels and comparisons with published experimental results. The model accuracy is strongly dependent on the fiber and shear constitutive laws used. However, the formulation is general, and laws different from those employed in this study are easily introduced without affecting the model formulation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.