Evaluation of pseudostatic active earth pressure coefficient of cantilever retaining walls

A stress plasticity solution is proposed for evaluating the gravitational and dynamic active earth pressures on cantilever retaining walls with long heel. The solution takes into account the friction angle of the soil, wall roughness, backfill inclination and horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations. It is validated by means of the comparison with both traditional limit equilibrium methods (e.g. Mononobe–Okabe equations) and static and pseudostatic numerical FLAC analyses. For numerical analyses the soil is modelled as an elasto-plastic non-dilatant medium obeying the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion, while the wall is elastic. The solutions for the horizontal and vertical seismic coefficients are proposed, which allow one to determine the intensity of the active thrust and its inclination δ with respect to the horizontal. It is demonstrated that the latter also depends on the soil friction angle φ. The inclination in seismic conditions δ_E is greater than the one in static conditions, δ_S, usually adopted in both cases. As a matter of fact, since wall stability conditions improve with the increase of inclination δ, the present method gives solutions that are less onerous than traditional ones, producing less conservative wall designs. Finally pseudostatic results are compared with proper dynamic analyses (by FLAC code) performed utilising four Italian accelerometric time-histories as input ground motion.     

Toxicity of 1,4-dichlorobenzene in sediments to juvenile polychaete worms

Investigation of sediment contamination associated with a marine sewage outfall in Victoria (BC, Canada) found elevated concentrations of 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB). Juvenile polychaete worm (Neanthes) growth was significantly reduced at or near the outfall, roughly corresponding to elevated 1,4-DCB concentrations. There are few data on 1,4-DCB toxicity to marine organisms and no published literature on its toxicity to benthic marine organisms. To determine whether reduced polychaete growth (measured as dry weight) was due to 1,4-DCB exposure, a laboratory investigation was conducted. Uncontaminated marine sediment was spiked with 1,4-DCB and juvenile Neanthes were exposed in 20-d sublethal toxicity tests. There were no adverse effects on survival at any test concentration; mean survival was 80–100%. Statistically significant decreases in average dry weight only occurred at the highest 1,4-DCB concentration (19,900 μg/kg, dry weight); this represented a 1,4-DCB concentration more than 10 times higher than previously measured at the outfall (1710 μg/kg, dry weight). There were no adverse effects on survival or dry weight at the range of concentrations previously measured in sediments from the vicinity of the outfall.     

Heat diffusion time in neutron star crusts

We examine the role of the crust heat capacity on the cooling history of a neutron star. We find that taking into account the non-uniform structure of the crust, a sizeable increase in the heat diffusion time should be expected.     

Synchronous Scan and Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Water-Soluble Organic Compounds in Atmospheric Aerosols

Three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of water-soluble organic compounds (WSOC) from aerosol samples were measured and compared with those reported in the literature for natural dissolved organic matter. The EEM profiles of the WSOC presented three characteristic excitation/emission (_Exc/_Em) peaks: 240/405 nm, 310/405 nm and 280/340 nm. The fluorescence intensities at _Exc/_Em240/405 nm and _Exc/_Em310/405 nm are located at wavelengths shorter than those reported for aquatic humic substances, indicating a smaller content of both aromatic structures and condensed unsaturated bond systems in the WSOC fraction. The EEM profiles of fractions obtained by the isolation procedure of the WSOC by the XAD resins showed that a fractionation has occurred and the XAD-8 eluate is highly representative of the total WSOC of collected aerosol. Synchronous scan spectra were more detailed than conventional fluorescence emission spectra, appearing more suitable for studying multicomponent samples such as the WSOC from atmospheric aerosols.     

Expériences numériques lagrangiennes à partir de modèles eulériens

Résumé

On examine les performances des schémas numériques utilisés habituellements dans les simulations lagrangiennes réalisées à partir de modèles eulériens. Deux problèmes sont essentiellement abordés : la consistance numérique de la trajectoire lagrangienne et la fiabilité des statistique d'ensemble sur les grandeurs représentatives de la dynamique.

Un critère de qualité concernant la trajectoire est proposé et analysé en fonction des degrés de régularité des schémas d'interpolation spatiale.     

Air–Water CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Fluxes and Net Ecosystem Production Changes in a Baja California Coastal Lagoon During the Anomalous North Pacific Warm Condition

The present study examines the temporal variability of air–water CO₂ fluxes (FCO₂) and seawater carbonate chemistry in a Baja California coastal lagoon during an exceptionally warm anomaly that was developed in Northeast Pacific coasts during 2014. This oceanographic condition led to a summer-like season (weak upwelling condition) during the study period, which reached a maximum surface temperature anomaly of 2 °C in September 2014. San Quintín Bay acts as a source of CO₂ to the atmosphere in 2014 (3.3 ± 4.8 mmol C m^?2 day^?1) with the higher positive fluxes mainly observed in summer months (9.0 ± 5.3 mmol C m^?2 day^?1). Net ecosystem production (NEP) switched seasonally between net heterotrophy and net autotrophy during the study period, with an annual average of 2.2 ± 7.1 mmol C m^?2 day^?1, which indicates that San Quintín Bay was a net autotrophic system during the atypical warm oceanographic condition in 2014. This pattern of seasonal variations in the carbon balance at San Quintín Bay appears to be linked to the life cycle of benthic communities, which play an important role in the whole-ecosystem metabolism. Under the limited input from external sources coupled with an increase in seawater temperatures, the recycled benthic carbon and nutrient fluxes play a major role to sustain water-column processes within the bay. Since the upwelling condition may influence the magnitude of the air–water CO₂ fluxes, our results clearly indicated that San Quintín Bay is a net source of carbon to the atmosphere regardless of the adjacent oceanic conditions. Our study sheds light on the carbon dynamics and its metabolic implications in a shallow coastal ecosystem under a regional warm anomaly and contributes potentially relevant information in view of the likely future scenario of global climate change.