Biodegradability Assessment and Treatability of High Strength Complex Industrial Park Wastewater

Industrial park wastewater (IPWW) includes complex non‐biodegradable organic compounds. A wastewater treatability study using biodegradability assessment approach was carried out for an industrial park housing mainly textile and machinery sectors. Biodegradable and inert chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractions with soluble and particulate counterparts were experimentally estimated by implementing respirometric methods. Aerobic batch test methods and oxygen uptake rate profiles were used to map kinetic parameters and COD fractions. Denitrification potential was also determined by application of anoxic batch tests. Relevant kinetic constants, stoichiometric, and design parameters were determined for biological processes. Tests were carried out for raw and physico‐chemically pre‐treated IPWW. Hence, it was aimed to assess the effects and necessity of pre‐treatment on biological processes. Biological mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification processes were also designed and tested using a bench scale continuous treatment model for pre‐treated IPWW. The sum of initial inert soluble COD fraction and production of soluble microbial products decreased about 25% for the case of pre‐treated IPWW as compared to raw IPWW. Eighty‐three percent total COD and 89% total Kjeldahl nitrogen removal efficiencies were attained for the modeling experiments of pre‐treated IPWW. Results showed the significance of pre‐treatment if complex strength industrial wastewaters are to be biologically treated.     

Impact of mass movements in the Kocaeli Province,Turkey

Recent mass movements in the Kocaeli Province, Turkey in 2010 caused damage to people, property and infrastructure, especially in Izmit and its vicinity. The causes and impact of these mass movements are outlined, so as to increase awareness of their dangerous aspects. Some of these mass movement events took place in urban areas, bringing attention to the need for better and more effective land use practices. The impact of these movements indicates the benefit there would be from geology and engineering geology in the planning of any property development and land use.     

A study of residuals for strong ground motions in Adapazari basin,NW Turkey,by ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs)

The city of Adapazarı — located in the Marmara Region of northwest Turkey — is situated on a deep sedimentary basin and was the city most heavily damaged by the strong ground motion of the 17 August 1999 Kocaeli earthquake (moment magnitude M_w = 7.4). This study determines site amplifications of the attenuation relationships for shallow earthquakes in the Adapazarı basin by using the previous ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) and the traditional spectral ratio method. The site amplifications are determined empirically by averaging the residuals between the observed and predicted peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration (SA) values for various periods. Residuals are significantly correlated with the known characteristics of geological units. A new attenuation model has also been developed for 5% damped spectral acceleration to determine the dependence of strong ground motions on frequency.     

Astrometric Solution of the Multiple System Xy Leo

An astrometric solution, together with time of minimum analysis, has been made for the multiple system XY Leonis (HIP 49136) to identify the properties of the remote companion to the eclipsing pair (AB). From this solution, we derive the inclination of the wide orbit (AB-cd) as 94.4^∘± 0.2^∘, angle of nodes as 247.3^∘± 0.2^∘, and the mass of the wide component (the dwarf binary cd) as 0.98 ± 0.2 M_⊙. This study confirms that the light travel time effect can explain the sinusoidal O−C variation of the eclipsing system.     

Visualization of geotechnical data by means of geographic information system: a case study in Eskisehir city (NW Turkey)

Recently, geographic information system Software’s are widely used in engineering geology applications. Such a study was performed in the Eskisehir urban area of about 30 km² via geo-engineering maps, cross-sections and panel-block diagrams, which are formed to predict the properties of foundation soil. In order to determine the engineering geology properties of the region, physical and mechanical characteristics of the soil profile were tested on 1,011 disturbed and 383 undisturbed samples from a total of 170 boreholes. Topographic, lithological and geotechnical data of the region were compiled as a database in computer. Five geological cross-sections were drawn to decipher specifically the alluvial deposits in detail in densely populated areas. Hence, geological characteristics of the area were evaluated in a three-dimensional mode. Five standard penetration test (SPT) cross-sections at the same directions and SPT, uniaxial compressive strength (qu) and soil class Zonation maps were produced at different depths and panel-block diagrams were also created to define the geo-engineering properties of the investigation area. In this respect, the sub-surface of the study area is fully visualized and useful predictor maps, cross-sections and panel-block diagrams are performed to be used in further studies.     

Editorial

Editorial Introduction

Editorial     

iSERVO: Implementing the International Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory by Integrating Computational Grid and Geographical Information Web Services

We describe the goals and initial implementation of the International Solid Earth Virtual Observatory (iSERVO). This system is built using a Web Services approach to Grid computing infrastructure and is accessed via a component-based Web portal user interface. We describe our implementations of services used by this system, including Geographical Information System (GIS)-based data grid services for accessing remote data repositories and job management services for controlling multiple execution steps. iSERVO is an example of a larger trend to build globally scalable scientific computing infrastructures using the Service Oriented Architecture approach. Adoption of this approach raises a number of research challenges in millisecond-latency message systems suitable for internet-enabled scientific applications. We review our research in these areas.