Coronal abundance of elements and a model of the quiet Sun from radio observations

It is shown that the combined use of radio observations of the quiet Sun and UV line intensities allows to compute the absolute coronal abundance of the elements. The abundances found by this method agree very well with the most recent determinations. A model of the transition region and corona in hydrostatic equilibrium is also presented. Similarities and differences with models based on UV observations are discussed.     

A proof of Nekhoroshev's theorem for the stability times in nearly integrable Hamiltonian systems

In the present paper we give a proof of Nekhoroshev's theorem, which is concerned with an exponential estimate for the stability times in nearly integrable Hamiltonian systems. At variance with the already published proof, which refers to the case of an unperturbed Hamiltonian having the generic property of steepness, we consider here the particular case of a convex unperturbed Hamiltonian. The corresponding simplification in the proof might be convenient for an introduction to the subject.     

On the non-linear ‘squeezing’ effects around circular tunnels

An analysis is presented of the non-linear creep effects around a deep circular tunnel driven in ‘squeezing’ ground. The time-dependent behaviour of the geotechnical medium is described by means of a simple viscoplastic rheological model capable of approximating primary, secondary and tertiary creep behaviours. It is shown that tertiary creep can be allowed for by providing a suitable law governing the variation of some material parameters (such as viscosity) with stresses and strains. The basic operations of the ‘evolutive’ procedure adopted for time integration are outlined. Along each time integration step, quadratic variations of the stress and strain fields and linear variations of the material parameters are assumed. The results of various finite element analyses are presented concerning both lined and unlined cases. For the lined cases, the influence of the liner stiffness and of the time elapsed between the end of excavation and the liner installation is considered.     

A nonlinear programming analysis of unconfined steady-state seepage

A finite element, variable mesh analysis of unconfined steady-state seepage problems is presented based on a nonlinear programming algorithm. It is shown that the minimization of an objective function which merely represents a measure of the total flux leaving or entering the mesh at the free surface nodes (except those that belong also to pervious boundaries) does not permit a unique definition of the free surface geometry. This problem, which is apparently related to the numerical instabilities often met when using variable mesh approaches, can be eliminated by adding to the objective function a term representing a sort of overall ‘regularity’ condition for the shape of the free surface. The modified solution procedure turns out to be stable and able to provide meaningful results for practical problems even when rather coarse meshes are adopted.     

Flow in coronal loops with a mass source

This research studies the flow of plasma inside a coronal loop in which an injection of plasma through the lateral surface is permitted. The flow is assumed steady and polytropic. The problem covers two cases: (a) upflow at one footpoint, downflow at the other; (b) downflow at both footpoints. The first case can be shown to be quite similar to that of a mass-conserving flow with variable cross section; the second, instead, is characterized by solutions with a different type of topology; its main new feature is the obvious fact that all the solutions pass through a single point going from negative to positive velocities. In this second case the density ratio between footpoints and top can be much smaller than in a mass conserving flow. This can explain some properties of observed loops.     

High‐resolution topography and anthropogenic feature extraction: testing geomorphometric parameters in floodplains

In floodplains, anthropogenic features such as levees or road scarps, control and influence flows. An up‐to‐date and accurate digital data about these features are deeply needed for irrigation and flood mitigation purposes. Nowadays, LiDAR Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) covering large areas are available for public authorities, and there is a widespread interest in the application of such models for the automatic or semiautomatic recognition of features. The automatic recognition of levees and road scarps from these models can offer a quick and accurate method to improve topographic databases for large‐scale applications. In mountainous contexts, geomorphometric indicators derived from DTMs have been proven to be reliable for feasible applications, and the use of statistical operators as thresholds showed a high reliability to identify features. The goal of this research is to test if similar approaches can be feasible also in floodplains. Three different parameters are tested at different scales on LiDAR DTM. The boxplot is applied to identify an objective threshold for feature extraction, and a filtering procedure is proposed to improve the quality of the extractions. This analysis, in line with other works for different environments, underlined (1) how statistical parameters can offer an objective threshold to identify features with varying shapes, size and height; (2) that the effectiveness of topographic parameters to identify anthropogenic features is related to the dimension of the investigated areas. The analysis also showed that the shape of the investigated area has not much influence on the quality of the results. While the effectiveness of residual topography had already been proven, the proposed study underlined how the use of entropy can anyway provide good extractions, with an overall quality comparable to the one offered by residual topography, and with the only limitation that the extracted features are slightly wider than the investigated one. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Mössbauer and FTIR study of synthetic amphiboles along the magnesioriebeckite – ferri-clinoholmquistite join

A series of amphiboles along the magnesioriebeckite—Na₂Mg₃Fe³⁺ ₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂– ferri-clinoholmquistite—Li₂Mg₃Fe³⁺ ₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)2 - join, defined by the ^BLi^B Na_–1 exchange vector, were hydrothermally synthesized at 700°C, 0.4 GPa, NNO + 1 redox conditions. Powder XRD and SEM-EDAX showed a very high (> 90%) amphibole yield for all samples. X-ray patterns were indexed in the C2/m space group; refined cell-parameters show a linear decrease of a and as a function of chemistry. IR spectra in the OH-stretching region show four main and rather sharp bands; these are assigned to Mg and Fe²⁺ at M(1,3), and indicate that the obtained amphiboles depart from the nominal octahedral composition (^M1,3Mg₃). The IR spectra also show that there is an increasing filling-up of the A-site for increasing Na in the system (increasing solid-solution toward, arfvedsonite). Mössbauer spectra show four well-defined quadrupole doublets which are assigned to Fe³⁺ at M2 and to Fe²⁺ at M1, M3 and M4, respectively. The Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ content derived from fitted peak areas show variable Fe³⁺ concentration along the series. Mössbauer spectra also show a distinct alteration of ⁵⁷Fe hyperfine parameters with changing Na–Li at M4. The most evident variation is observed for the quadrupole splitting of Fe³⁺ at M2, which increases by 50% from ferri-clinoholmquistite to magnesio-riebeckite; this suggest that the M2 octahedron in ferri-clinoholmquistite is much closer to the ideal geometry than the M2 octahedron in magnesio-riebeckite. Mössbauer spectra show also a well-defined increase in the Fe²⁺ quadrupole splitting of the M1 and M3 octahedra, which is attributed to the Na–Li distribution at the B-sites.     

GIS morphometric indicators for the analysis of sediment dynamics in mountain basins

Watershed management and headwater reconstruction programs require a reliable knowledge of sediment dynamics. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide the framework for the implementation of different complex techniques for the assessment of shallow landsliding and erosion processes in mountain basins. This paper presents some morphometric indicators aimed at erosion and sediment delivery analysis. The proposed indicators can be easily derived from medium to fine resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEM). Applications conducted in Eastern Italian Alps have shown the adequateness of the proposed approach to address erosion and sediment-related problems. The analysis considered the classification of sediment source areas with regard to their activity, the comparison between drainage basins having different morphological characteristics and the topographic control on sediment transport capacity, with a particular attention to the identification of channel reaches characterised by a low sediment transport capacity.     

The Relation Among Seismic Activity, Volcanic Rock Emplacement and Bouguer Anomalies in Italy

A digitization has been performed of all volcanic rock fragments, main thrust fronts and fold axes from the 'Synthetic Structural Kinematic Map' as well as of all intrasedimentary magnetic bodies from the map of Cassano et al. These two maps complement each other, and the buried magnetized bodies fill the gaps of volcanic rocks in various regions e.g. in Tuscany. Some other major gaps can be found along the Northern Apennines, the Central and Southern Apennines and the Calabrian arc. A comparison of a map representing the 'Log C – seismic macrozonation index' to the pattern of all volcanic rocks, reveals that more seismic energy is released in those areas where volcanic rocks are absent or where their continuity in space is interrupted. Furthermore seismic activity is inhibited in those areas where minimum values of Bouguer anomalies are recorded.