Influence of shotcrete composition on load‐level estimation in NATM‐tunnel shells: Micromechanics‐based sensitivity analyses

Displacement measurement‐based estimations of loads and utilization degrees in shotcrete tunnel shells as part of the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), have become standard tools in tunnel practice; their quality, however, may crucially depend on the knowledge of the actual shotcrete composition after spraying. To shed light on this issue, we here determine, based on experimentally validated micromechanical representations of shotcrete, the hydration degree‐dependent elastic, creep, and strength properties of different shotcretes, characterized by water cement ratios (w/c) between 0.4 and 0.6, aggregate cement ratios (a/c) between 3.5 and 5, and Young's modulus of aggregates (E_agg) between 40 and 80 GPa. These properties are fed into a structural shell model of the Sieberg tunnel, and this model is subjected to displacement fields approximated from daily displacement measurements at five selected points along the shell's inner surface. Resulting stresses and forces in the tunnel shell allow for analyzing the influence of shotcrete composition on load‐level estimation in NATM tunnel shells: The magnitudes of circumferential and longitudinal normal forces increase significantly with decreasing w/c, while a/c and E_agg have the inverse and relatively minor effect. The utilization degree is virtually insensitive to changes in w/c(especially at early ages), and only slightly decreases with decreasing a/c and E_agg. The location of maximum loading is unaffected by the shotcrete composition underlying the analysis. Conclusively, location and magnitude of maximum utilization degrees are very robust estimates (not affected by limited knowledge on the shotcrete composition), whereas realistic estimation of stresses and forces does require more accurate consideration of shotcrete composition. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

无人机组网遥感实时任务观测的冗余容错控制方案

中小型无人机（UAV）越来越多地应用于各种实时静态和动态任务中,已成为对人类非常有用的辅助工具。适合无人机在各种条件下进行监视和测量的因素有很多,但无人机在执行不同的实时任务时仍会受到各种挑战,且一旦在任务执行过程中任何一个约束的及时响应缺失,将会影响任务的总体结果,导致整个任务部分或完全失败,在实际中很难建立完美系统。因此,在系统中引入冗余容错来最小化故障概率并增强其鲁棒性非常重要。其中,根本问题是随着系统复杂性的增加,除非对其采取补偿措施,否则其可靠性会急剧下降。冗余容错是通过添加一个或多个模块（通常采用并行配置）作为备份来引入冗余。为了提高极端条件下航空遥感任务无人机网络系统的鲁棒性和成功率,本文将基于冗余的容错控制技术引入无人机网络设计中,确定了不同限制条件下的最佳网络解决方案。组网设计是在不同观测条件下的遥感任务如“大尺度生态监测”、“中尺度洪灾监测”、“小尺度安全监测” 中,通过同步监控进行主动合作的包括多个无人机的网络。多无人机网络作为冗余容错体系结构时可以通过添加多个无人机作为备份使得系统可以容错,而无人机在不同极端条件下的位置和视角则可以作为冗余容错的场景设置。当组网方案中的无人机位置和视角超过设定的阈值时可以被认为是故障的,其将被分离并不考虑进一步分析。通过以上方式,无人机网络可以在极端条件下得到组网控制方案的有效输出,进而保证遥感观测任务的顺利进行。     

Integration of geoelectric and hydrochemical approaches for delineation of groundwater potential zones in alluvial aquifer

Geoelectric and hydrochemical approaches are employed to delineate the ground-water potential zones in District Okara, a part of Bari Doab, Punjab, Pakistan. Sixty-seven VES surveys are conducted with the Electrical Resistivity Meter. The resultant resistivity verses depth model for each site is estimated using computer-based software IX1D. Aquifer thickness maps and interpreted resistivity maps were generated from interpreted VES results. Dar-Zarrouk parameters, transverse resistance (TR), longitudinal conductance (SL) and anisotropy (λ) were also calculated from resistivity data to delineate the potential zones of aquifer. 70% of SL value is ≤3S, 30% of SL value is > 3S. According to SL and TR values, the whole area is divided into three potential zones, high, medium and low potential zones. The spatial distribution maps show that north, south and central parts of study area are marked as good potential aquifer zones. Longitudinal conductance values are further utilized to determine aquifer protective capacity of area. The whole area is characterized by moderate to good and up to some extent very good aquifer protective area on the basis of SL values. The groundwater samples from sixty-seven installed tube wells are collected for hydro-chemical analysis. The electrical conductivity values are determined. Correlation is then developed between the EC (μS/cm) of groundwater samples vs. interpreted aquifer resistivity showing R2 value 0.90.     

Hypsometric properties of mountain landscape of Hunza River Basin of the Karakoram Himalaya

Within Karakoram Himalaya, Hunza River Basin(study area) is unique for a number of reasons: 1) potential impacts of highly concentrated highpitched mountains and glacial ice; 2) the glaciated portions have higher mean altitude as compared to other glaciated landscapes in the Karakoram; 3) this basin occupies varieties of both clean and debriscovered glaciers and/or ice. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the stability of topographic surface and potential implications of fluctuating glacial-ice causing variations in the movement of material from higher to lower elevations. This paper advocates landscape-level hypsometric investigations of glaciated landscape lies between 2280–7850 m elevation above sea level and non-glaciated landscape between 1461–7570 m. An attempt is made to understand intermediate elevations, which disguise the characteristics of glaciated hypsometries that are highly correlated with the Equilibrium Line Altitude(ELA). However, due to data scarcity for high altitude regions especially above 5000 m elevation, literature values for climatic conditions are used to create a relationship between hypsometry and variations in climate and ELA. The largest glaciated area(29.22%) between 5047 to 5555 m lies in the vertical regime of direct snow-accumulation zone and in the horizontal regime of net-accumulation zone(low velocity, net freezing, and no-sliding). In both landscapes, the hypsometric curves are ‘slow beginning' followed by ‘steep progress' and finally reaching a ‘plateau', reflecting the rapid altitudinal changes and the dominance of fluvial transport resulting in the denudation of land-dwelling and the transport of rock/debris from higher to lower altitudes. Reported slight differences in the average normalized bin altitudes against the cumulative normalized area between glaciated and non-glaciated landscapes are an indicator of slightly different land-forms and landform changes.     

Spatial modeling of Dengue prevalence and kriging prediction of Dengue outbreak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) using presence only data

Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment - During the span of August–October, 2017 a major outbreak of Dengue fever happened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Cases...     

Synthesis,Mechanism, and Performance Assessment of Zero‐Valent Iron for Metal‐Contaminated Water Remediation: A Review

Recently, increased industrial and agriculture activities have resulted in toxic metal ions, which has increased public concern about the quality of surface and groundwater. Various types of physical, biological, and chemical approaches have been developed to remove surface and groundwater metal ions contaminants. Among these practices, zero‐valent iron (ZVI) is the most studied reactive material for environmental clean‐up over the last two decade and so. Although ZVI can remove the contaminants even more efficiently than any other reactive materials. However, low reactivity due to its intrinsic passive layer, narrow working pH, and the loss of hydraulic conductivity due to the precipitation of metal hydroxides and metal carbonates limits its wide‐scale application. The aim of this work is to document properties, synthesis, and reaction mechanism of ZVI for the treatment of metal ions from the surface and groundwater in recent 10 years (2008–2018). So far, different modified techniques such as conjugation with support, bimetal alloying, weak magnetic field, and ZVI/oxidant coupling system have been developed to facilitate the use of ZVI in various environmental remediation scenarios. However, some challenges still remain to be addressed. Therefore, development and research in this field are needed to overcome or mitigate these limitations.     

Astrometric positions of comet Hale-opp (1995 O1) in 1995

Nine positions of comet Hale-Bopp (1995 O1), derived from the X-Y positions on Bosscha Schmidt plates, taken between August 15 to August 22, 1995, are given.     

Structurally controlled landslides in saprolitic soils in Hong Kong

A number of large slope failures which have occurred in Hong Kong have highlighted the important influence that discontinuities in saprolitic soils can have on slope stability. Conventional stability analyses normally adopted for such soils, which assume failure through intact materials of uniform shear strength, are not appropriate if discontinuity-controlled failures can be postulated. Stress history and present-day weathering effects should also be taken into consideration in the assessment of the long-term stability of slopes in weathered rocks in tropical and subtropical regions. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

An environmental geomorphologic approach to site selection for hazardous wastes

Geomorphological features are essential parts of the environment and they represent an important conditioning factor for the development and distribution of certain biological assemblages, as well as for a variety of human activities. However, environmental geomorphology usually receives very limited or no attention at all in the process of environmental impact assessment (EIA). Nevertheless, the site selection process for hazardous wastes in environmental impact studies for individual projects plays an essential role. In order to determine the most suitable site in a region for municipal/hazardous wastes, several criteria are used, including geology, groundwater condition, climate, and land use. The present work describes a methodology taking advantage of environmental geomorphological features, and reducing these criteria in the site selection procedure in land disposal of waste; in addition, a case study is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. The validity of the adopted site screening method is explained. This methodology comprises the use of a single geomorphological map to locate suitable landfilling sites for hazardous waste, instead of using separate maps for geological features, climatic features (temperature, precipitation, and speed and direction of the prevailing wind), slope and erosion. Furthermore, the present study is compared with a previous study performed in the GAP region, where the use of land resources is crucial for agricultural and water management purposes. The application of the described selection process and the verified method in this region shows that the adopted method and detailed criteria are valid.