Changes in the internal spatial structure of post-communist Prague*

The article overviews the most important changes in the internal urban structure of Prague since 1989. Post-communist urban development has been influenced by government-directed reforms of political and economic system, internationalisation and globalisation, public policies favouring unregulated market development, economic restructuring in terms of deindustrialisation and growth of producer services, and increasing social differentiation. The three most transparent processes of urban change in Prague have been (1) commercialisation of the historical core; (2) revitalisation of some inner city neighbourhoods; and (3) residential and commercial suburbanisation in the outer city. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Using longitudinal employer dynamics (LED) data for the analysis of Memphis Aerotropolis,Tennessee

We used Longitudinal Employer Dynamics (LED) data for the analysis of the local workforce and job markets in Shelby County, Tennessee, which includes the city of Memphis. Memphis has earned the unique reputation in the US as America's Aerotropolis. However, the model has not yet received full attention by the urban geography community. This study analyzes the Memphis Aerotropolis (MA) defined as an economic hub extending outward from the Memphis International Airport into a surrounding area that specializes in transportation and warehousing. Our findings reveal polycentric pattern of employment which we grouped into centers, subcenters, and clusters. To understand industrial specialization of job areas, we used location quotient analysis. The area around the airport is consistent with the “Aerotropolis” concept, and attracts both jobs (it is the largest job concentration in the region) and housing. The area also has a greater share of higher-paying jobs, however female and minority workers benefit less than white male workers. This study contributes to the body of research on the spatial aspects of racial, gender, and paying/earning characteristics of both jobs and workers of a current-day metropolis. Availability of the LED data enables easy replication of the analysis of the local job and labor structure elsewhere within the United States.     

Predictions for the clustering properties of the Lyman-alpha forest – I. One-point statistics

We present predictions for the one-point probability distribution and cumulants of the transmitted QSO flux in the high redshift Lyman- α forest. We make use of the correlation between the Lyman- α optical depth and the underlying matter density predicted by gravitational instability theory and seen in numerical hydrodynamic simulations. We have modelled the growth of matter fluctuations using the non-linear shear‐free dynamics, an approximation which reproduces well the results of perturbation theory for the cumulants in the linear and weakly non-linear clustering regime. As high matter overdensities tend to saturate in spectra, the statistics of the flux distribution are dominated by weakly non-linear overdensities. As a result, our analytic approach can produce accurate predictions, when tested against N -body simulation results, even when the underlying matter field has root-mean-square fluctuations larger than unity. Our treatment can be applied to either Gaussian or non-Gaussian initial conditions. Here we concentrate on the former case, but also include a study of a specific non-Gaussian model. We discuss how the methods and predictions we present can be used as a tool to study the generic clustering properties of the Lyman- α forest at high redshift. With such an approach, rather than concentrating on simulating specific cosmological models, we may be in a position to directly test our assumptions for the Gaussian nature of the initial conditions, and the gravitational instability origin of structure itself. In a separate paper we present results for two-point statistics.     

Reliability analysis of soil nail internal limit states using default FHWA load and resistance models

Abstract

Reliability analyses of nail pullout, nail-in-tension, and system reliability of internal limit states are presented for both permanent and temporary soil nails that are designed using default Federal Highway Administration nail load and resistance models within traditional deterministic allowable stress design (ASD) framework. The model uncertainty, correlations between soil strength parameters, between model factor, and nominal load term, and between the two internal limit states, and influence of model factor fittings are all addressed in the analyses. This study provides a general idea of the reliability that is implicitly embedded in current ASD-based soil nail internal limit state designs.     

Planetary core size: A seismological approach

A key parameter for understanding the geodynamics of a terrestrial planet is the size of its core. Numerical evaluation of 28 different interior structure models of Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, and Mars suggests that there is an almost linear relationship between the core radius and the extent of the seismic P-wave core shadow. A scaling law is derived from a simple mantle density and velocity model that permits the interpretation of respective seismic measurements on terrestrial planetary bodies.     

包心构造是铝土矿床的成因标志

铝土矿床的包心构造,即粘土岩层包裹铝土矿体,是腐植酸长期分解土壤硅酸盐,而导致土壤剖面的垂直分层。具备垂直渗水系统的地形,如岩溶洼地、平顶山丘,是成矿的先决条件之一。铝岩系是一套陆相地层,夹在地层剖面的基底岩层风化侵蚀面之上,和其上发育植被的沉积间断面之下。铝土矿是陆上成矿,是植物化学风化残积矿床。