Correlations between heavy metals and organic carbon extracted by dry oxidation procedure in urban roadside soils

The organic fraction in soils has a significant influence on heavy metal transport. In this study, the organic carbon content was measured by dry oxidation procedure from 21 Xuzhou urban roadside soils to assess the relationships between the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cr) and the amount of organic carbon. The anthropogenic heavy metals (e.g. Pb, Cu, Zn) were strongly correlated with organic carbon (denoted by C_org−c) extracted by dry oxidation while natural heavy metal (e.g. Cr) showed no correlation to the C_org−c. The anthropogenic heavy metals were also strongly correlated with the amount of the total carbon. These results show that the anthropogenic heavy metals are mainly enriched in the organic matter in the Xuzhou urban roadside soils.     

Nonlinear dynamic finite element simulation of Alibey earth dam

In this study, dynamic behavior and earthquake resistance of Alibey earth dam was investigated. The dam was modeled with four node plane-strain finite elements (FE) and displacement-pore pressure coupled FE analyses were performed. Nonlinear material models such as pressure dependent and independent multi yield materials were implemented during the analyses. Transient dynamic FE analyses were performed with Newmark method. The Newton-Raphson solution scheme was adopted to solve the equations. Liquefaction and/or cyclic mobility effects were considered during the analysis. For the FE analyses, OpenSees (Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation) framework was adopted.     

Drought and institutional adaptation in the Great Plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan, 1914–1939

Agriculture in the southern Great Plains of Canada has been particularly vulnerable to prolonged episodes of drought. Using climate data and a precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration index, the extent of the region’s exposure to drought is examined. Between 1914 and 1917, the Dry Belt was particularly vulnerable to drought, whereas after 1928, a much larger region known as the Palliser Triangle covering most of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan was much more exposed to drought. These droughts provoked major institutional adaptation, in particular the establishment of the Special Areas Board by the Government of Alberta, and the creation of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration by the Government of Canada. Both organizations have proved to be relatively permanent public adaptations to the natural hazard of drought in the region. Moreover, these earlier experiences with prolonged drought as well as institution-building may be of value in helping the residents of the Palliser Triangle adapt to predicted climate changes in the future as well as anticipate some of the barriers to effective institutional adaptation.     

An alternative approach to the structural motion analysis of wedge-beam offshore structures supporting a load

For convenience of dynamic analysis, some offshore structures such as fixed-type platforms are often modeled as the wedge beams supporting tip lumped masses. It is well-known that, due to the effect of the surrounding water, the natural frequencies of a beam in air (or dry beam) are different from those of the same beam immersed in water (or wet beam). However, if the natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of a dry beam are calculated by taking account of the “added mass” for the immersed beam, then the last natural frequencies and mode shapes will be equal to the corresponding ones of the wet beam. Based on the last concept, the closed form solutions for natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of the dry beam were determined first, then the partial differential equation of motion for the wet beam was transformed into a matrix equation by using the expansion theorem and the foregoing closed form solutions of free vibration responses for the dry beam. Solving the last matrix equation will give the required natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of the wet beam. The formulation of this paper is available for the fully or partially immersed double tapered beams with either circular, square or rectangular cross-sections. The taper ratio for width and that for depth may be equal or unequal. The numerical results of this paper were compared with the existing results or the finite-element-method results and good agreement was achieved.     

Evaluation of the Risk of Marine Slope Instability: A Pseudo-3D Approach for Application to Large Areas

This article presents a methodology developed to evaluate the instability of submarine slopes that extend over a large area. Special attention was paid to (1) the complex geometry (bathymetry) and the expanse of the slope, (2) the heterogeneity of the sediment, and (3) the distribution of the pore pressure. The safety factor was considered as a spatially varying quantity. The General Formulation (GLE, Fredlund and Krahn 1977), which fully satisfies equilibrium conditions, was used for evaluating the stability of the marine slope. The submarine slope failure, which occurred on 16 October 1979 during the construction of the new Nice airport, was studied in order to test the developed model. Geotechnical parameters were taken from experimental tests carried out by IFREMER on 19 cores extracted at different depths (from 27 m to 1300 m) (Cochonat, Bourillet, and Savoye, 1993; Mulder et al., 1994). Many scenarios were proposed in order to explain the cause of the Nice slope failure (Habib, 1994). In this article, two of those scenarios were tested. Simulation results are presented and discussed.     

A probability distribution for depth-limited extreme wave heights in a sea state

A model for the depth-limited distribution of the highest wave in a sea state is presented. The distribution for the extreme wave height is based on a probability density function (pdf) for depth-limited wave height distribution for individual waves [Méndez, F.J., Losada, I.J., Medina, R. 2004. Transformation model of wave height distribution. Coastal Eng, Vol. 50, 97:115.] and considers the correlation between consecutive waves. The model is validated using field data showing a good representation of the extreme wave heights in the surf zone. Some important statistical wave heights are parameterized obtaining useful expressions that can be used in further calculations.     

中缓倾角结构面分类及其抗剪强度的研究

西南某坝区中缓倾角结构面具有分别倾向上游和下游的空间分布规律。根据结构面接触情况,首先将结构面分为刚性结构面和软弱结构面两大类。其中,刚性结构面属于裂隙型;软弱结构面根据其物质组成和结构特征,可以细分为岩块岩屑型、岩屑夹泥型、泥夹岩屑型3个亚类。断层类结构面具有垂直于断层走向,由高高程到低高程,由泥夹岩屑型岩屑夹泥型岩屑砾型裂隙型逐渐过渡的发育规律。最后在分析抗剪试验资料和分类及发育规律的基础上,提出了抗剪强度指标的建议值。     

Passage time, viability, and germination of seeds ingested by foxes

Seed passage through the gut of vertebrates is critical for endozoochorus seed dispersal because it may influence seed viability and germination capacity. Foxes are important fruit-eaters and presumed seed dispersers in the Chaco ecoregion. We experimentally assessed the seed passage time (SPT) and its effect on seed viability and germination in two fox species (Pseudalopex gymnocercus and Cerdocyon thous) that occur in the Chaco. Passage time was measured using both artificial seeds of three sizes and wild seeds of four native fleshy-fruit species commonly consumed by foxes (Ziziphus mistol, Acacia aroma, Celtis tala, and Syagrus romanzoffiana). The average SPT was 6.8 h for the Pampa fox and 7.7 h for the crab-eating fox. Passage time did not differ either among seeds of different sizes or between fox species. Passage through digestive tract of both fox species did not affect seed survival, whereas germination rate was slightly improved. Our data suggest that both fox species are legitimate seed dispersers of the four species studied, having a positive effect on both germination rate and dispersal distance from the parent plant.     

滑坡稳定性分析与安全系数取值研究

在地质灾害中,滑坡灾害分布最广、发生频率最高、危害最大,是我国地质灾害防治的主要对象。滑坡研究的主要任务之一是稳定性分析。论文针对三板溪水电站进水口滑坡和水布垭水电站大岩淌滑坡,分别采用刚体极限平衡法、块体单元法、有限单元法对稳定安全系数和条间推力分布曲线进行分析和比较,研究各种方法的差异和计算精度,以及各种方法稳定安全系数的取值标准,希望为水利水电工程边坡设计规范有关有限单元法、块体单元法条目的编写和相应的允许安全系数取值标准的制定提供一定的参考。研究结果表明:①块体单元法计算的安全系数与刚体极限平衡法计算的安全系数可以采用相同的取值标准,而有限单元法计算的安全系数取值标准可适当降低;②块体单元法计算的条间水平推力、条间剪切力与刚体极限平衡法(尤其是Sarma法)计算的条间水平推力、条间剪切力非常相近,有限单元法计算的条间水平推力、条间剪切力较小;③分析方法、力学模型与参数取值应与安全系数取值标准相匹配。