Photometric minimum confirmation and eclipse modelling for the symbiotic system EG Andromedae

Photometric observations carried out from October to November 1991 of the symbiotic system EG Andromedae are here presented. The secondary minimum has been repeated with a period of about 480 days, as inferred from the orbital elements (P = 482 days, Skopalet al., 1991). The light curve shape led us to suggest a model in which two hot spots result through evaporation from a low mass red giant by a compact object.     

Multiscale characterization and modeling of granular materials through a computational mechanics avatar: a case study with experiment

Through a first-generation computational mechanics avatar that directly links advanced X-ray computed tomographic experimental techniques to a discrete computational model, we present a case study where we made the first attempt to characterize and model the grain-scale response inside the shear band of a real specimen of Caicos ooids subjected to triaxial compression. The avatar has enabled, for the first time, the transition from faithful representation of grain morphologies in X-ray tomograms of granular media to a morphologically accurate discrete computational model. Grain-scale information is extracted and upscaled into a continuum finite element model through a hierarchical multiscale scheme, and the onset and evolution of a persistent shear band is modeled, showing excellent quantitative agreement with experiment in terms of both grain-scale and continuum responses in the post-bifurcation regime. More importantly, consistency in results across characterization, discrete analysis and continuum response from multiscale calculations are found, achieving the first and long sought-after quantitative breakthrough in grain-scale analysis of real granular materials.     

Structure and properties of the Adriatic crust in the central‐eastern Southern Alps (Italy) from local earthquake tomography

Structure and properties of the Adriatic crust were determined from local earthquake tomography around the Giudicarie fault zone (central‐eastern Southern Alps, Italy). Tomographic results, based on well‐suited 436 revised earthquakes (period 1994–2007), have a resolution comparable to the scale of regional geological domains and tectonic structures. The observed strong velocity anomalies correlate well with lithological variations corresponding to different geological domains (particularly magmatic complexes at depth) and with high fracturing and/or presence of fluids along active fault systems (South Giudicarie and Valsugana–Bassano del Grappa–Montello thrusts).     

The effect of different intensity measures and earthquake directions on the seismic assessment of skewed highway bridges

In this study the probable seismic behavior of skewed bridges with continuous decks under earthquake excitations from different directions is investigated.A 45° skewed bridge is studied.A suite of 20 records is used to perform an Incremental Dynamic Analysis(IDA) for fragility curves.Four different earthquake directions have been considered:-45°, 0°, 22.5°, 45°.A sensitivity analysis on different spectral intensity measures is presented; efficiency and practicality of different intensity measures have been studied.The fragility curves obtained indicate that the critical direction for skewed bridges is the skew direction as well as the longitudinal direction.The study shows the importance of finding the most critical earthquake in understanding and predicting the behavior of skewed bridges.     

A new macromodel for the assessment of the seismic response of infilled RC frames

Numerous research studies have proved that numerical models aiming at an accurate evaluation of the seismic response of RC framed buildings cannot ignore the inelastic behaviour of infills and the interaction between infill and frame elements. To limit the high computational burden of refined non-linear finite element models, in the latest decades, many researchers have developed simplified infill models by means of single or multiple strut-elements. These models are low time-consuming and thus adequate for static and dynamic analyses of multi-storey structures. However, their simulation of the seismic response is sometimes unsatisfying, particularly in the presence of infill walls with regular or (particularly) irregular distributions of openings. This paper presents a new 2D plane macro-element, which provides a refined simulation of the non-linear cyclic response of infilled framed structures at the expense of a limited computational cost. The macro-element consists of an articulated quadrilateral panel, a single 1D diagonal link, and eight 2D links and is able to model the shear and flexural behaviour of the infill and the non-linear flexural/sliding interaction between infill and surrounding frame. The proposed macro-element has been implemented into the open source software OpenSees and used to simulate the response of single-storey, single-span RC infilled frame prototypes tested by other authors. The above prototypes are selected as made of different masonry units and characterised by full or open geometric configuration.     

Heterotrophic bacteria in the northern Adriatic Sea: seasonal changes and ectoenzyme profile

A seasonal study of the quantitative and qualitative distribution of heterotrophic bacterial community was carried out in the Adriatic Sea between April 1995 and January 1996, in order to evaluate its spatial and temporal variability and metabolic potential in the degradation processes of organic matter. The culturable bacteria (CFU) ranged between 0.1 and 22% of total bacterioplankton with a maximum percentage in surface samples of coastal zones. Their distribution was generally affected by the prevailing hydrological conditions. At the coastal stations about 44-75% of CFU variance could be explained by river runoff. The changes in the composition of heterotrophic bacterial community showed a seasonal succession of main bacterial groups, with a prevalence of Gram negative, non fermenting bacteria in the cold period (April-January) and an increase of Vibrionaccae and pigmented bacteria in summer. The seasonal variations were more important at the stations influenced by rivers than offshore. The bacterial community showed a greater versatility for organic polymers hydrolysis in the offshore station than in the coastal areas. Over 60% of all isolated heterotrophic bacteria expressed peptidase, lipase and phosphatase ectoenzymes activities, in all seasons and showed an increasing trend in warm period (in July October). The alpha- and beta-glucosidase potentials of bacteria were lower (20% on average) and showed different pattern during the year. These results suggest different role of the bacterial community in the decomposition of organic matter in the Adriatic Sea. Since only 20% of bacterial strains expressed glucosidase activity, carbohydrate-rich polymers such as mucilage might accumulate.     

Space-wise approach to satellite gravity field determination in the presence of coloured noise

For many years, the gravity field of the Earth was only seen by satellite geodesy as the main factor affecting the orbit and consequently it was retrieved together with a number of other orbital perturbations. Since the advent of a new generation of accelerometers, non-gravitational perturbations can be separated from the gravity effects and a new era of gravity field estimates from space has been born. During preparatory data analysis for new missions performed by the geodetic community, three approaches have been proposed and numerically tested: the brute force method (direct approach), the semi-analytical (time-wise) method and the space-wise method. In particular, the time-wise method takes advantage of the incoming time flow of data and, after performing a Fourier transform of the observation equations, exploits the prevailing block diagonal structure of the normal equations to estimate the spherical harmonic coefficients of the gravity field. Complementary to this is the space-wise approach, which goes back to the traditional computation of the harmonic coefficients by an integration technique or by least-squares collocation. Some advantages and disadvantages are peculiar to both methods, particularly the space-wise approach, which has for a long time ignored the marked signature of the noise spectrum due to the specific measuring conditions of space-borne accelerometers. The application of a proper Wiener filter, exploiting the correlation along the orbit, embedded into an iterative scheme, seems to be the answer. The solution to this major problem of the space-wise approach is illustrated and simulation results are discussed.     

Behaviour of volatiles in the magmatic solutions and energetic implications

Energetic investigation on the eruptive activity presupposes the knowledge of the distribution and dynamics of volatiles within the magmatic melt. In this paper balance distributions are studied in case of: an initial constant contents; a variable contents; a volatile pseudo-enrichment caused by crystalline separation; a pseudo-increase with depth in relation to the variation of the equilibrium contents with the external pressure. Diffusion of volatiles causes their migration toward the surface. The emission of free volatiles with the subsequent expansion produces the eruptive phenomena. Computation of the energy of expelled masses can be made if the magmatic pressure at the vent and the mixing ratio are known. Data performed on the occasion of the Vesuvian paroxysm of March, 1944 are 1.8×10¹² joule for the fountain phase and 3.3×10¹⁴ joule for the whole paroxysm. By assuming mean values if the expelled masses (M) (in gr) are known, the energy (E) (in joule) may be calculated by the relationE=48M.