Reliability of Conventional Settlement Evaluation for Circular Foundations on Stone Columns

The unit cell idealization has been long adopted in the settlement prediction of stone column-reinforced soils. This paper tests the accuracy of this modeling concept against trusted settlement values of engineering foundations. It is believed that in order to bestow the outcome of this study adequate generality different soil properties and foundation geometries need to be considered. It was, nevertheless, found impracticable to collect field settlement records for all the analyzed cases. The authors, therefore, appealed to the back analysis concept to construct a reliable mathematical model, calibrated against settlement records of full-scale field load test. This model, which is capable of reproducing the real field settlements, is then employed as a generic tool to obtain trusted settlement values for a variety of cases with essential geometrical similarity. The investigation revealed that the unit cell analysis may, in some cases, lead to erroneous estimation for the settlements of foundations with limited extents. Correction factors, dependent on the treated soil properties as well as the foundation size, are introduced.     

Floc meal as potential substitute for soybean meal in tilapia diets under biofloc system conditions

This study was conducted to evaluate the ef fect of replacing soybean meal(SBM) by low protein ?oc meal(LPFM; 24% CP) in tilapia diets on growth performance, feed utilization and ?sh chemical composition. Three isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were formulated; control diet(C; without LPFM),FM 25(25% of SBM protein was substituted by LPFM) and FM 50(50% of SBM protein was substituted by LPFM). Nine 55 l circular plastic tanks were stocked by 12 ?sh to form three experimental groups.No dif ferences in tilapia performance were observed between the control and the FM 25 diet. Chemical composition of ?sh did not dif fer signi?cantly among treatments except for protein and selenium contents where the highest values were recorded in the control treatment. The highest mineral content was recorded in ?oc collected from the control tanks, while calcium content showed its highest value in ?oc collected from FM 50 e ? uent. These data indicate that replacing soybean meal with LPFM up to 25%, had no negative ef fect on growth performance and potentially may improve the system sustainability. Meanwhile, the adverse ef fect of more inclusion of LPFM in tilapia diet may be attributed to the higher content of ash. In other word,minerals seem to cause more energy utilization in ?sh fed ?oc meal since it is needed to maintain osmotic homeostasis.     

Floc meal as potential substitute for soybean meal in tilapia diets under biofloc system conditions

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) by low protein floc meal (LPFM; 24% CP) in tilapia diets on growth performance, feed utilization and fish chemical composition. Three isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were formulated; control diet (C; without LPFM), FM ₂₅ (25% of SBM protein was substituted by LPFM) and FM ₅₀ (50% of SBM protein was substituted by LPFM). Nine 55l circular plastic tanks were stocked by 12 fish to form three experimental groups. No differences in tilapia performance were observed between the control and the FM ₂₅ diet. Chemical composition of fish did not differ significantly among treatments except for protein and selenium contents where the highest values were recorded in the control treatment. The highest mineral content was recorded in floc collected from the control tanks, while calcium content showed its highest value in floc collected from FM ₅₀ effluent. These data indicate that replacing soybean meal with LPFM up to 25%, had no negative effect on growth performance and potentially may improve the system sustainability. Meanwhile, the adverse effect of more inclusion of LPFM in tilapia diet may be attributed to the higher content of ash. In other word, minerals seem to cause more energy utilization in fish fed floc meal since it is needed to maintain osmotic homeostasis.

     

Head-on collision between positron acoustic waves in homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas

The head-on collision between positron acoustic solitary waves (PASWs) as well as the production of rogue waves (RWs) in homogeneous and PASWs in inhomogeneous unmagnetized plasma systems are investigated deriving the nonlinear evolution equations. The plasmas are composed of immobile positive ions, mobile cold and hot positrons, and hot electrons, where the hot positrons and hot electrons are assumed to follow the Kappa distributions. The evolution equations are derived using the appropriate coordinate transformation and the reductive perturbation technique. The effects of concentrations, kappa parameters of hot electrons and positrons, and temperature ratios on the characteristics of PASWs and RWs are examined. It is found that the kappa parameters and temperature ratios significantly modify phase shifts after head-on collisions and RWs in homogeneous as well as PASWs in inhomogeneous plasmas. The amplitudes of the PASWs in inhomogeneous plasmas are diminished with increasing kappa parameters, concentration and temperature ratios. Further, the amplitudes of RWs are reduced with increasing charged particles concentration, while it enhances with increasing kappa- and temperature parameters. Besides, the compressive and rarefactive solitons are produced at critical densities from KdV equation for hot and cold positrons, while the compressive solitons are only produced from mKdV equation for both in homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas.     

DEM and GIS analysis of sub-watersheds to evaluate relative tectonic activity. A case study of the North–south axis (Central Tunisia)

Morphotectonic analysis using geomorphic indexes has been developed as a basic tool to identify recent tectonic deformation in specific areas.This study was undertaken to develop an integrated quantitative geomorphic analysis of tectonic activity in the North–south axis, central of Tunisia. Different geomorphic indexes, including elongation ratio (E), drainage basin asymmetry (Af), hypsometric integral (Hi), Valley floor width-to-height ratio (Vf), mountain front sinuosity (Smf), and stream length gradient index (SL) were calculated. The relationships between the calculated indexes, their correlations and their significance (based on p-values) were also investigated.. Using the hierarchical cluster analysis based on Ward’s method, these indexes were classified into three classes describing the relative, different effect of tectonics in each fault segment. The higher deformation is concentrated in the NE-SW Boudinar fault, followed, in order of decreasing activity, by Goubrar, Gouleb, and Majoura normal faults. This pattern of variation in the relative degree of tectonic activity is consistent with field evidence.     

Catastrophic movement of rocks and proposed solutions to avoid its risks in the Abu El-Reesh area, northeast Aswan City, Egypt

Catastrophic mass movement of rocks and torrents affected the Abu El-Reesh area, northeast of Aswan City. The present article aims to evaluate the potential catastrophic movement of rocks, delineate the risk zones, and suggest suitable solutions to avoid the potential risks in this area. The sedimentary succession of Abu El-Reesh area is mainly represented by the Nubian sandstone sequence of Upper Cretaceous (up to 60?m thick) forming a huge scarp at the eastern border of the study area. This sequence comprises two vertically successive rock formations: Timsah Shale Formation and Umm Barmil Sandstone Formation. The Timsah Shale Formation forms the lower part of the sedimentary succession with a thickness of 6?C40?m. It is composed of shale beds with intercalations of sandstones, siltstones, and mudstones. This formation is overlain by the Umm Barmil Sandstone Formation, representing the cap rock of the succession, with a thickness of 4?C20?m. The western scarp face has an irregular concave slope, with slope angles ranging from 22° to 46° in the lower part of scarp and become steep (60°?C86°) at its upper part. The drainage patterns are mainly coarse dendritic and discharge into the Nile River, passing through densely populated zones. These zones are exposed to the torrents during rare rainfall events. Three sets of vertical joints (trending NNW, NNE, and WNW) dissect the cap rocks and intersect with the horizontal bedding planes to form separated cubes and polygonal blocks. Potential catastrophic movement of rocks in Abu El-Reesh area is related to several reasons, including: existence of competent sandstones underlain by incompetent shales, dissection of the coherent cap rock due to intersection of vertical joint sets and bedding planes, presence of exposures with steep slopes, rainfall, and human activities (mining works, sewage water, and irrigation). Based on the dominance of either one or more of these reasons, three subareas (El-Khalasab, El-Shadeeda and El-Aqaba) represent the main risk zones, subjected to rock movements and torrents in the study area. Several solutions have been suggested for avoiding the risks related to the potential catastrophic movement of the rocks and torrents in the study area. The fractured rock masses at the top of scarp should be released either mechanically or manually. All buildings that were built on the slope surface of the scarp should be removed. Also, buildings which were constructed in the inlets of wadis and through the rain spillways should be removed. An unsafe boundary separating safe building borders from unsafe zone (with average width 50?m from the base of scarp) is delineated. As a result, resettlement for people living in this unsafe zone should be transferred to another safe area.     

Environmental isotope study of seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifer (Syria)

Seawater intrusion into the shallow aquifer in the Syrian coast, north of Latakia (Damsarkho, Ras Ibn Hani) and south of Tartous (Al Hamidieh, Ein Zarka) was studied using hydrochemical and isotopic techniques. The electrical conductivity (EC) distribution map north of Latakia revealed that mixing in this area is the consequence of a frontal intrusion of seawater within the fresh groundwater aquifer which, in turn, results from intensive pumping since the 1960s which has lowered the water table inland below sea level. In Ein Zarka, south of Tartous, in contrast, the EC distribution revealed that seawater intrusion is due to local up-coning as a result of intensive pumping. The deuterium and oxygen-18 relationship is that of a mixing line with a slope of 5.55, indicating an intrusion between freshwater and seawater. In addition, the relationship between oxygen-18 and chloride reveals that the mixing has a dominant role compared to evaporation process. The mixing ratios are estimated to be between 6 and 10% north of Latakia, while they do not exceed 3% south of Tartous. A tritium model was applied to compute the “mean transit time”, which is estimated to be around 10 years, on average, to reach the equilibrium that existed originally between the fresh groundwater and seawater, provided that severe pumping is completely halted and the aquifer is naturally recharged by rainfall and deep percolation of irrigation water, thereby allowing the restoration of the hydraulic gradient. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Y. Yurtsever.     

Interpretation of Self-potential Anomalies over Two-dimensional Plates by Gradient Analysis

—Numerical horizontal self-potential gradients obtained from self-potential data using filters of successive window lengths can be used to determine the depth and width of a 2-D plate. For a fixed window length the depth is determined iteratively using a simple formula for each half width value. The computed depths are plotted against the half width values representing a continuous window curve. The solution for the depth and the half width of the buried structure is read at the common intersection of the window curves. The method is applied to synthetic data with and without random errors.     

Operational performance of current synthetic aperture radar sensors in mapping soil surface characteristics in agricultural environments: application to hydrological and erosion modelling

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors are often used to characterize the surface of bare soils in agricultural environments. They enable the soil moisture and roughness to be estimated with constraints linked to the configurations of the sensors (polarization, incidence angle and radar wavelength). These key soil characteristics are necessary for different applications, such as hydrology and risk prediction. This article reviews the potential of currently operational SAR sensors and those planned for the near future to characterize soil surface as a function of users' needs. It details what it is possible to achieve in terms of mapping soil moisture and roughness by specifying optimal radar configurations and the precision associated with the estimation of soil surface characteristics. The summary carried out for the present article shows that mapping soil moisture is optimal with SAR sensors at low incidence angles (<35 ). This configuration, which enables an estimated moisture accuracy greater than 6% is possible several times a month taking into account all the current and future sensors. Concerning soil roughness, it is best mapped using three classes (smooth, moderately rough, and rough). Such mapping requires high‐incidence data, which is possible with certain current sensors (RADARSAT‐1 and ASAR both in band C). When L‐band sensors (ALOS) become available, this mapping accuracy should improve because the sensitivity of the radar signal to Soil Surface Characteristics (SSC) increases with wavelength. Finally, the polarimetric mode of certain imminent sensors (ALOS, RADARSAT‐2, TerraSAR‐X, etc.), and the possibility of acquiring data at very high spatial resolution (metre scale), offer great potential in terms of improving the quality of SSC mapping. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.