Availability,affordability and accessibility of food in Khartoum

The failure of some individuals and groups to command adequate food can be accounted for through the analysis of the interplay of three mechanisms, namely food availability, food affordability and food accessibility. In Khartoum, as the case is in many other state-capitals, availability of food is not a major constraint in the dynamics of the food system. Of more significance for the configuration of the space of vulnerability are the processes related to affordability and accessibility, which combine to configurate the space of vulnerability. Occupation, place of residence, ethnic belonging and, of late, political allegiance define to a large extent the location of people in this space.     

Electron-acoustic solitons in plasma with nonthermal electrons

Nonlinear electron-acoustic solitary waves (EASWs) are studied using Sagdeev’s pseudo-potential technique in a collisionless unmagnetized plasma consisting of a cold electron fluid, nonthermal hot electrons and stationary ions. It is shown that the presence of fast nonthermal electrons may modify the parametric region where electron-acoustic solitons may exist. Our investigation is of wide relevance to astronomers and space scientists working on interstellar space plasmas.     

Removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions using Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge

Adsorption and desorption of uranium(VI) from dilute aqueous solutions by Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge was studied in a batch mode. The potential of Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge to remove uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions has been investigated at different conditions of solution pH, metal ion concentrations, biosorbent dosage, biosorbent particle size, contact time and temperature. The results indicated that biosorption capacity of Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge was strongly affected by the medium pH, the biosorbent dose, metal ion concentrations and medium temperature. Reduction in particle size increased the biosorption capacity. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to biosorption data to determine the biosorption characteristics. An optimum biosorption capacity (57.75 mg/g) was achieved with pH 4.0, particle size 0.255 mm, biosorbent dose 0.5 g/100 mL and initial uranium(VI) concentration of 100 mg/L. Uranium(VI) removal by Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge was rapid, the equilibrium was established within 60 min and pseudo-second-order model was found to fit with the experimental data. The biosorption process decreased with an increase in the temperature indicating its exothermic nature. Pretreatments of biomass with different reagents affected its biosorption capacity. A significant increase (34 %) in biosorption capacity (83.25 mg/g) was observed with benzene treatment. Fourier-transform infra-red studies showed the involvement of carbonyl, carboxyl and amide groups in the biosorption process. The results indicated that sulfuric acid had the best effects as an eluent showing 93.24 % desorption capacity.     

Laboratory study of soil-CFRP interaction using pull-out test

Soil is a material which is weak in tension; however, different materials such as geotextiles are used to address this inadequacy. In recent years more than one million square metres of geotextiles were used for reinforcing soil. Nevertheless, there are several significant problems associated with geotextiles, such as creep, low modulus of elasticity and susceptibility to aggressive environments. Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) was introduced over two decades ago to the field of structural engineering and it can also be used in geotechnical engineering. CFRP has all the benefits associated with geotextiles and it boasts a higher strength, higher modulus, no creep and reliability in aggressive environments. In this investigation, the interface properties of CFRP-sand and fine sand were investigated using the pull-out test. The pull-out test device was designed and assembled using a triaxial loading device and a direct shear device. In the pull-out test, the normal force applied by the triaxial loading and pull-out force is applied by a direct shear device. CFRP samples were prepared in the lab. Precast and cast-in-place samples were tested. The pull-out force and corresponding displacements of each of the materials were recorded and compared.     

Distribution of heavy metals in the clastic fine-grained sediments of Gavkhuni playa lake (Southeast of Isfahan,Iran)

The sedimentary basin of Gavkhuni playa lake includes two sedimentary environments of delta and playa lake. These environments consist of mud, sand and salt flats. There are potentials for concentration of heavy metals in the fine-grained sediments (silt and clay) of the playa due to existence of Pb/Zn ore deposits, industrial and agricultural regions in the water catchment of Zayandehrud River terminating to this area. In order to study the concentration of heavy metals and the controlling factors on their distribution in the fine-grained sediments, 13 samples were taken from the muddy facies and concentration of the heavy metals were determined. The results showed that the heavy metal concentrations range in the sediments (in ppm) are Mn (395.5–1,040), Sr (100.4–725.76), Pb (14.66–91.06), Zn (23.59–80.9), Ni (37–73.66), Cu (13.83–29.83), Co (5.73–13.78), Ag (3.03–4.76) and Cd (2.3–5.5) in their order of abundances. The concentration of Ag is noticeable in the sediments relative to the average concentration of this element in mud sediments. The amounts of Pb and Zn are relatively high in all the samples in comparison with the other elements. The concentration of Ni is relatively high in the oxidized samples. The distribution of Pb is directly related to organic matter content of the sediments. The concentrations of Zn, Sr, Cu, Co and Cd in the samples of the playa are lower than those in the delta. The amount of illite is another factor influencing Zn and Pb concentrations. Sr is more concentrated in the sediments with the high content of calcium carbonate. The distribution pattern of Cu, Co, Pb and Mn resembles to that of the clay content of the sediments. The clay content shows positive correlations with Co, Cu and Mn concentrations and negative correlation with Ag. The Sr and Ag concentrations are positively correlated with the amount of CaCO₃. The amounts of Co, Cu, Ni and Mn show negative correlations with the calcium carbonate content. Pb and Co are noticeably correlated with Mn.     

Investigation of surface and subsurface displacements due to multiple tunnels excavation in urban area

Underground structures are currently widely used and are built as urbanism develops. The interactions between perpendicularly crossing and parallel tunnels in the Tehran region are investigated by using a full three-dimensional (3D) finite difference analysis with elastic-plastic material models. Special attention is paid to the effect of subsequent tunneling on the support system, i.e., the shotcrete lining and rock bolts of the existing tunnel. Eventually, as the tunnels are excavated at certain levels, the interaction between the tunnels will certainly have a significant influence on both stress distribution and consequently deformations. Since multilayer tunneling is a three-dimensional phenomenon in nature, 3D numerical solutions must be utilized for analyzing effect of perpendicularly crossing tunnels at various levels. As Tohid twin tunnels and Line 7 pass beneath the Line 4 metro tunnel, changes in stress distribution, deformations, and surface settlements are studied for various conditions and the results are presented in this paper. Consequently, it is shown that there is a significant interaction between tunnels that necessitate certain preventive measures to maintain a stable tunneling operation.     

Brittleness Effect on Rock Fatigue Damage Evolution

The damage evolution mechanism of rocks is one of the most important aspects in studying of rock fatigue behavior. Fatigue damage evolution of three rock types (onyx marble, sandstone and soft limestone) with different brittleness were considered in the present study. Intensive experimental tests were conducted on the chosen rock samples and acoustic emission (AE) sensors were used in some of them to monitor the fracturing process. Experimental tests indicated that brittleness strongly influences damage evolution of rocks in the course of static and dynamic loading. AE monitoring revealed that micro-crack density induced by the applied loads during different stages of the failure processes increases as rock brittleness increases. Also, results of fatigue tests on the three rock types indicated that the rock with the most induced micro-cracks during loading cycles has the least fatigue life. Furthermore, the condition of failure surfaces of the studied rocks samples, subjected to dynamic and static loading, were evaluated and it was concluded that the roughness of failure surfaces is influenced by loading types and rock brittleness. Dynamic failure surfaces were rougher than static ones and low brittle rock demonstrate a smoother failure surface compared to high brittle rock.     

Investigation of SVM and Level Set Interactive Methods for Road Extraction from Google Earth Images

Currently, methods of extracting spatial information from satellite images are mainly based on visual interpretations and drawing the consequences by human factor, which is both costly and time consuming. A large volume of data collected by satellite sensors, and significant improvement in spatial and spectral resolution of these images require the development of new methods for optimal use of these data in order to produce rapid economic and updating road maps. In this study, a new automatic method is proposed for road extraction by integrating the SVM and Level Set methods. The estimated probability of classification by SVM is used as input in Level Set Method. The average of completeness, correctness, and quality was 84.19, 88.69 and 76.06% respectively indicate high performance of proposed method for road extraction from Google Earth images.