Multi-criteria Evaluation of Bran Use to Promote Circularity in the Cereal Production Chain

Natural Resources Research - A reliable and realistic subsurface resource spatial modeling is a common and critical task for geosciences projects (mining, petroleum and environmental) because the...     

Dynamics of magma mixing and degassing recorded in plagioclase at Stromboli (Aeolian Archipelago,Italy)

Crystal-rich materials (scoriae and lava flows) emitted during the 1985–2000 activity of Stromboli were taken into consideration for systematic study of bulk rock/matrix glass chemistry and in particular for the study of chemical and textural zoning of plagioclase, the most abundant mineral phase. Over the considered time period, bulk rock composition remained fairly constant in both major (SiO₂ 49.2–50.9 wt% and K₂O 1.96–2.18 wt%) and trace elements. The quite constant chemistry of matrix glasses also indicates that the degree of crystallization of magma was maintained at around 50 vol%. Plagioclase ranges in composition between An₆₂ and An₈₈ and is characterized by alternating, <10–100 m thick, bytownitic and labradoritic concentric layers, although the dominant and representative plagioclase of scoriae is An_68. The labradoritic layers (An_62–70) show small-scale (1–5 µm), oscillatory zoning, are free of inclusions, and appear to record episodes of slow crystal growth in equilibrium with a degassed liquid having the composition of the matrix glass. In contrast the bytownitic layers (An₇₀-An₈₈) are patchy zoned, show sieve structure with abundant micrometric glass inclusions and voids, and are attributed to rapid crystal growth.A key to understanding the origin of bytownitic layers can be retrieved from the texture and composition of the coronas of plagioclase xenocrysts, inherited from crystal-rich magma, in nearly aphyric pumice which are erupted during more energetic events and represent a deep, volatile-rich, HK-basaltic magma. They show a continuum from fine-sieve to evident skeletal texture from the inner to the outer part of the corona associated with normal compositional zoning from An₉₀ to An₇₅. In the light of these observations, we propose that input of H₂O-rich melt blobs, and their mixing with the residing magma, causes partial dissolution of the labradoritic layers followed by the growth of bytownitic composition whose sieve texture attests of rapid crystallization occurring under undercooling conditions mainly induced by degassing. As a whole, the zoning of plagioclase in the scoriae records successive and discrete intrusions of volatile-rich magma blobs, its degassing and mixing with the resident degassed magma at shallow level.Editorial responsibility: T.L. GroveAn erratum to this article can be found at     

Lessons learned from two case histories of seismic microzonation in Italy

The prediction of the variability of the seismic ground motion in a given built-up area is considered an effective tool to plan appropriate urban development, to undertake actions on seismic risk mitigation and to understand the damage pattern caused by a strong-motion event. The procedures for studying the seismic response and the seismic microzonation of an urban area are well established; nevertheless, some controversial points still exists and are discussed here. In this paper, the selection of a reference input motion, the construction of a subsoil model and the seismic response analysis procedures are discussed in detail, based on the authors’ experience in two Italian case histories: the seismic microzonation of the city of Benevento, which was a predictive study, and the simulation of seismic response and damage distribution in the village of San Giuliano di Puglia, which was a retrospective analysis.     

Reply to Comment on “Impact of groundwater withdrawals on the interaction of multi-layered aquifers in the Viterbo geothermal area (central Italy)”: report published in Hydrogeology Journal (2013) 21:1339–1353, by Antonella Baiocchi,Francesca Lotti and Vincenzo Piscopo

Hydrogeology Journal -     

Preboreal climatic oscillations recorded by pollen and foraminifera in the southern Adriatic Sea

Core SA03-1 from the southern Adriatic Sea (EC-Eurostrataform project) provides new information about climate changes and palaeocirculation in the Adriatic region during the last deglaciation. The results of an integrated study based on pollen and foraminifera records of the part of the core spanning the late Pleistocene–early Holocene transition (including the late Younger Dryas, the Preboreal and the beginning of the Boreal) are presented. The major vegetation changes and the short-term oscillations occurred during the early Holocene warming in the southern Adriatic basin on the basis of a high-resolution pollen record are documented. Vegetation changes are correlated to short-term oscillations detected in the foraminifera record during the same interval. The two independent terrestrial and marine proxies indicate at least three short-term cold and dry oscillations occurring at 11.2–11, 10.8–10.4 and 10 cal ka BP, according to the age–depth model adopted in this study. Finally, adopting an event-stratigraphy approach, the comparison of these results with two western Mediterranean records of Preboreal short-term oscillations suggest the occurrence of synchronous bio-events in the Mediterranean basin.     

Variation of infiltration rate through karstic surfaces due to land use changes: A case study in Murgia (SE-Italy)

Groundwaters of the Murgia carbonate aquifer represent the main groundwater resource of the Apulia region (SE Italy). In the highlands (Alta Murgia) karst crops out in different forms and textures which have been preserved up to the 1970s: little evolved agriculture and sheep rearing produced only a marginal modification of the epikarst while a high degree of division into parcels by drystone walls helped in preserving soils from erosion. In the last years the original scenery of the Alta Murgia changed due to widespread transformations of surface karstic textures for agricultural purposes, with undeniable negative consequences on the hydrogeological balance, concerning both the infiltration and the runoff terms. Stone shattering led to flattening and deep alteration of a large part of the original karstic landscape and to demolition of drystone walls.In a study area of about 139 km² located in the Alta Murgia, the comparison of aerial photos related to the period 1950–2001 indicated that stone shattering had occurred for about 42% of the area.The hydrological behaviour of the first soil layer of experimental parcels representing both shattered stone and natural karstic surface textures was analysed by using the numerical model Hydrus-2D with the aim of estimating the variation on infiltration rate due to stone shattering. Intensive field and laboratory measurements concerned soil texture, soil water content, pressure head, saturated hydraulic conductivity, pan evaporation and meteorological parameters.     

Performance of masonry buildings during the Emilia 2012 earthquake

The earthquake sequence started on May \(20\) th 2012 in Emilia (Italy) affected a region where masonry constructions represent a large part of the existing building stock and the construction of new modern masonry buildings is a common practice. The paper is focused on the performance of common architectural configurations, typical for residential or business use. The large majority of old masonry buildings is made of fired clay bricks. The seismic performance of these buildings is particularly interesting since major past earthquakes in Italy affected areas with mainly stone masonry structures. Apart from examples showing systematic or peculiar structural deficiencies governing the vulnerability of several buildings, the overall seismic performance of these structures to repeated shaking, with PGA as large as 0.25–0.3 g was rather good, despite the major part of them were only conceived for carrying vertical loads. In fact, seismic design is mandatory in the area only since 2003. Modern low-rise masonry buildings erected after this date and incorporating seismic design and proper detailing resulted in most cases practically undamaged. The examples reported in the paper allow an evaluation of the superior performance of seismically designed modern masonry buildings in comparison to older ones.     

Vent conditions for expected eruptions at Vesuvius

Determining consistent sets of vent conditions for next expected eruptions at Vesuvius is crucial for the simulation of the sub-aerial processes originating the volcanic hazard and the eruption impact. Here we refer to the expected eruptive scales and conditions defined in the frame of the EC Exploris project, and simulate the dynamics of magma ascent along the volcanic conduit for sub-steady phases of next eruptions characterized by intensities of the Violent Strombolian (VS), Sub-Plinian 2 (SP2), and Sub-Plinian 1 (SP1) scale. Sets of conditions for the simulations are determined on the basis of the bulk of knowledge on the past history of Vesuvius [Cioni, R., Bertagnini, A., Santacroce, R., Andronico, D., Explosive activity and eruption scenarios at Somma–Vesuvius (Italy): towards a new classification scheme. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, this issue.]. Volatile contents (H₂O and CO₂) are parameterized in order to account for the uncertainty in their expected amounts for a next eruption. In all cases the flow in the conduit is found to be choked, with velocities at the conduit exit or vent corresponding to the sonic velocity in the two-phase non-equilibrium magmatic mixture. Conduit diameters and vent mixture densities are found to display minimum overlapping between the different eruptive scales, while exit gas and particle velocities, as well as vent pressures, largely overlap. Vent diameters vary from as low as about 5 m for VS eruptions, to 35–55 m for the most violent SP1 eruption scale. Vent pressures can be as low as less than 1 MPa for the lowest volatile content employed of 2 wt.% H₂O and no CO₂, to 7–8 MPa for highest volatile contents of 5 wt.% H₂O and 2 wt.% CO₂ and large eruptive scales. Gas and particle velocities at the vent range from 100–250 m/s, with a tendency to decrease, and to increase the mechanical decoupling between the phases, with increasing eruptive scale. Except for velocities, all relevant vent quantities are more sensitive to the volatile content of the discharged magma for the highest eruptive scales considered.     

Using the applied element method for modelling calcium silicate brick masonry subjected to in‐plane cyclic loading

The response of calcium silicate unreinforced masonry construction to horizontal cyclic loading has recently become the focus of experimental and numerical research, given its extensive use in some areas of the world that are now exposed to induced earthquakes (eg, north of the Netherlands). To assess the seismic behaviour of such construction, a relatively wide range of modelling methodologies are available, amongst which the discrete elements approach, which takes into account the intrinsic heterogeneity of a brick‐mortar assembly, can probably be deemed as the most appropriate computational procedure. On the other hand, however, since discrete elements numerical methods are based on a discontinuum domain, often they are not able to model every stage of the structural response adequately, and because of the high computational burden required, the analysis scale should be chosen carefully. The applied element method is a relatively recent addition to the discrete elements family, with a high potential for overcoming the aforementioned limitations or difficulties. Initially conceived to model blast events and concrete structures, its use in the earthquake engineering field is, of late, increasing noticeably. In this paper, the use of the applied element method to model the in‐plane cyclic response of calcium silicate masonry walls is discussed and scrutinised, also through the comparison with experimental results of in‐plane cyclic shear‐compression tests on unreinforced masonry walls.     

A nonlinear macroelement model for the seismic analysis of masonry buildings

The macroelement technique for modelling the nonlinear response of masonry panels is particularly efficient and suitable for the analysis of the seismic behaviour of complex walls and buildings. The paper presents a macroelement model specifically developed for simulating the cyclic in‐plane response of masonry walls, with possible applications in nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of masonry structures. The model, starting from a previously developed macroelement model, has been refined in the representation of flexural–rocking and shear damage modes, and it is capable of fairly simulating the experimental response of cyclic tests performed on masonry piers. By means of two internal degrees of freedom, the two‐node macroelement permits to represent the coupling of axial and flexural response as well as the interaction of shear and flexural damage. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.