The Swedish Geotechnical Society’s methodology for risk management: a tool for engineers in their everyday work

The Swedish Geotechnical Society has adopted a general methodology for risk management in geotechnical engineering projects to reduce the costs related to negative outcomes of geotechnical risks. This technical note highlights the main features of the methodology and strives to inspire the international geotechnical community to apply sensible risk management methods. In the authors’ opinion, a successful geotechnical risk management needs to be structured, be tailored to the project, and permeate the engineers’ everyday work. Then, sufficient quality can be achieved in the project with larger probability.     

Social–ecological memory in urban gardens—Retaining the capacity for management of ecosystem services

Many ecosystem services are in decline. Local ecological knowledge and associated practice are essential to sustain and enhance ecosystem services on the ground. Here, we focus on social or collective memory in relation to management practice that sustains ecosystem services, and investigate where and how ecological practices, knowledge and experience are retained and transmitted. We analyze such social–ecological memory of allotment gardens in the Stockholm urban area, Sweden. Allotment gardens support ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal and pest regulation in the broader urban landscape. Surveys and interviews were preformed over a four-year period with several hundreds of gardeners. We found that the allotment gardens function as communities-of-practice, where participation and reification interact and social–ecological memory is a shared source of resilience of the community by being both emergent and persistent. Ecological practices and knowledge in allotment gardens are retained and transmitted by imitation of practices, oral communication and collective rituals and habits, as well as by the physical gardens, artifacts, metaphors and rules-in-use (institutions). Finally, a wider social context provides external support through various forms of media, markets, social networks, collaborative organizations, and legal structures. We exemplify the role of urban gardens in generating ecosystem services in times of crisis and change and conclude that stewards of urban green areas and the social memory that they carry may help counteract further decline of critical ecosystem services.     

The Černý Důl deposit (Czechoslovakia): An example of Ni-, Fe-, Ag-, Cu-arsenide mineralization with extremely high activity of arsenic; new data on paxite,novakite and kutinaite

Summary The erný Dl mineralization (Giant Mts., Czechoslovakia) consists of calcite veins cross-cutting metamorphic rocks and exhibiting a complex paragenesis of Ni-, Fe-, (Co)- and Cu-, Ag-arsenides associated with native arsenic. Several new minerals belonging to Cu–As and Cu–Ag–As systems were described from this deposit (koutekite, novakite, paxite, kutinaite). New data on paxite, novakite and kutinaite were obtained. Paxite, CuAs₂, is monoclinic,P2₁/c,a=5.830,b=5.111,c=8.084 Å, =99.7°,Z=4,D _calc=5.97 g/cm³, polysynthetically twinned along (010). Novakite belongs to the Cu–Ag–As system. It is monoclinic,C2/m,Cm orC2,a=16.269,b=11.711,c=10.007 Å, -112.7°,Z=4,D _calc=8.01 g/cm³. The ideal formula is Cu_20+x Ag_1–x As₁₀,x0.16. New microprobe analyses of kutinaite indicate a cell-content of 4 [Cu₁₄Ag₆As₇],D _calc=8.37 g/cm³.

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Résumé La minéralisation du gisement de erný Dl (Monts des Géants, Tchécoslovaquie) se distingue par une paragenèse complexe d'arséniures de Ni, Fe, (Co), Cu et Ag associés à l'arsenic natif, et apparaissant dans des filons de calcite qui recoupent une série de roches métamorphiques. Plusieurs minéraux nouveaux appartenant aux systèmes Cu–As et Cu–Ag–As ont été découverts dans ce gisement (koutekite, novakite, paxite, kutinaïte). De nouvelles données sur la paxite, la novakite et la kutinaïte ont été obtenues. La paxite, CuAs₂, est monoclinique,P2₁/c,a=5,830,b=5,111,c=8,084 Å, =99,7°,Z=4,D _calc=5,97 g/cm³; elle est polysythétiquement maclée suivant (010). La novakite est une phase du système Cu–Ag–As. Elle est monoclinique,C2/m,Cm ouC2,a=16,269,b=11,711,c=10,007 Å, =112,7°,Z=4,D _calc=8,01 g/cm³. Saformule idéale s'écrit Cu_20+x Ag_1–x As₁₀,x0,16. Des analyses de la kutinaïte conduisent à 4 [Cu₁₄Ag₆As₇] par maille,D _calc=8,37 g/cm³.L'étude paragénétique a permis de voir que le système hydrothermal à erný Dl couvre un interval de température large, s'étalant de500° à 100°C environ. Une très forte activité d'arsenic au cours des épisodes minéralisants tardifs a abouti à la cristallisation des arséniures de Cu riches en arsenic, stables à basse température. Cinq épisodes minéralisants ont été reconnus: le dépôt des arséniures de Ni, Fe, (Co) (löllingite, nickéline, pararammelsbergite, chloentite) était suivi de: kutinaïte, koutekite, arsenic natif et arséniures de cuivre riches en arsenic (novakite, Cu₂As, paxite). L'abondance des carbonates laisse entrevoir un rôle de composés ou de complexes de carbone dans l'évolution de ce système hydrothermal fortement réducteur.The study of mineral associations showed that the erný Dl hydrothermal system extended over a large temperature interval from 500° to 100°C. An extremely high arsenic activity during the late mineralization periods lead to the precipitation of low-temperature, As-rich copper arsenides. Five mineralization periods were distinguished: the precipitation of Ni-, Fe-, (Co)-arsenides (löllingite, nickeline, pararammelsbergite, chloanthite) was followed by kutinaite, koutekite, native arsenic and As-rich copper arsenides (novakite, Cu₂As, paxite). The abundance of carbonates suggests a possible role of carbon compounds or complexes in the evolution of this highly reducing hydrothermal system.

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With 2 Figures     

Spatial dynamics of retail structure and the venerable retail hierarchy

The retail system is continuously adapting itself to changing demographic conditions, consumer behavior and economic conditions. Existing retail units, getting larger in order to achieve economics of scale, and new forms of large-scale retailing do not fit easily in the traditional spatial pattern of retail concentrations. Neverteless the spatial distribution of retailing in urban areas, as schematized by Berry thirty-five years ago, still has its value. Through an upward hierarchical movement the retail system has adapted itself to an inflexible spatial system, in which downtown has still a dominant position. Future developments, however, may weaken the position of central shopping areas in favour of peripheral locations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermoelastic stress due to a rectangular heat source in a semi-infinite medium. Presentation of an analytical solution

The thermoelastic response due to a time-dependent rectangular heat source in a semi-infinite medium is analyzed. The problem originates from studies of nuclear waste repositories in rock. Canisters containing heat-emitting nuclear waste are deposited over a large rectangular area deep below the ground surface. The solution for a time-dependent heat source is obtained from the corresponding instantaneous heat source by superposition. The thermoelastic problem for the instantaneous rectangular heat source in a infinite surrounding is solved exactly. An important step is the introduction of so-called quadrantal heat sources. The solution for the rectangle is obtained from four quadrantal solutions. The solution for the quadrantal heat source depends on the three dimelasionless coordinates only. Time occurs in the scale factors only. The condition of zero normal and shear stresses at the ground surface is fulfilled by using a mirror heat source and a boundary solution. The boundary solution accounts for the residual normal stress at the ground surface. Using a Hertzian potential, a surprisingly simple solution is obtained. The final analytical solution is quite tractable considering the complexity of the initial problem. The solution may be used to test numerical models for coupled thermoelastic processes. It may also be used in more detailed numerical simulations of the process near the heat sources as boundary conditions to account for the three-dimensional global process.