Pile tunnel interaction : Pile settlement vs ground settlements

The underground space of densely populated cities contains parts of buildings, utility installations, deep foundations, tunnels, and deep excavations. It is possible, and increasing more probable, that new underground constructions will be built within proximity of existing pile foundations. This paper analyses how a new a framework for pile analysis, a modified version of the load transfer method, can be used to predict the consequences of the tunnelling induced settlements on existing piles. The soil settlements are calculated with an analytical solution, and the pile settlements are calculated for different pile lengths, loading conditions, and distances between the pile and the tunnel centreline. The results indicate a wide range of possible pile settlements, in relation to the greenfield settlement trough. A simple interpretation scheme is used to understand the results, showing the importance of the profile of soil settlements along the pile

Phase Space Reduction and the Instanton Crossover in (1+1)-Dimensional Turbulence

We study (1+1)-dimensional turbulence in the framework of the Martin-Siggia-Rose field theory formalism. The analysis is focused on the asymptotic behaviour at the right tail of the probability distribution function (pdf) of velocity differences, where shock waves do not contribute. A BRS-preserving scheme of phase space reduction, based on the smoothness of the relevant velocity fields, leads to an effective theory for a few degrees of freedom. The sum over fluctuations around the instanton solution is written as the expectation value of a functional of the time-dependent physical fields, which evolve according to a set of Langevin equations. A natural regularization of the fluctuation determinant is provided from the fact that the instanton dominates the action for a finite time interval. The transition from the turbulent to the instanton dominated regime is related to logarithmic corrections to the saddle-point action, manifested on their turn as multiplicative power law corrections to the velocity differences pdf.Comment: The revised version contains more detailed discussions on some technical point

Nuevos marcos de siembra para optimizar el crecimiento de maíz forrajero

El marco de siembra tradicional del maíz forrajero está condicionado por el ancho del tractor, en el cual la separación entre filas de siembra es cinco veces la separación entre plantas, lo que genera una baja competencia con malas hierbas ya que el cultivo tarda en cubrir completamente el suelo. Los nuevos prototipos de micro-máquinas que se están diseñando para los tratamientos herbicidas de post-emergencia en maíz facilitarían la modificación del marco de siembra. El objetivo es comprobar la eficacia de nuevos marcos de siembra. Durante 2010 se realizaron ensayos de siembra de maíz forrajero en Madrid y Copenhague. El tratamiento principal fue el marco de siembra tradicional de 75 cm × 15 cm y de 75 cm × 13 cm; y un marco nuevo más cuadrado de 37,5 cm × 30 cm y 32 cm × 32 cm, respectivamente en Madrid y Copenhague. Se consideraron dos subtratamientos: aplicación y no aplicación de herbicida en preemergencia. En ambos casos la producción de biomasa de la parte aérea fue mayor en el nuevo marco. Además, el nuevo marco mostró una mayor eficacia en el control de las malas hierbas por lo que podría reducirse el uso de herbicidas en su cultivo. Habría que poner a punto las nuevas máquinas para que estos marcos puedan llevarse a cabo en fincas comerciales

Even-sowing pattern strategies for a low-input agricultural system in forage maize

The objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of new patterns of sowing and to achieve a low-input organic system in two different environments (northern and southern Europe). The study was motivated by the hypothesis that more even sowing patterns (triangular and square) would significantly enhance the growth and yield of forage maize under widely varying conditions, compared with traditional mechanised rectangular seed patterns. An experiment was conducted in Madrid and duplicated in Copenhagen during 2010. A random block design was used with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement based on two seed-sowing patterns: traditional (rectangular) and new (even) and two weed-management conditions (herbicide use and a low-input system). In both weed-management conditions and locations, the production of aerial maize biomass was greater for the new square seed patterns. In addition, the new pattern showed a greater effectiveness in the control of weeds, both at the initial crop stages (36 and 33% fewer weeds m-2 at the 4- and 8-leaf stages, respectively, in the Copenhagen field experiment) and at the final stage. The final weed biomass for the new pattern was 568 kg ha-1 lower for the Copenhagen experiment and 277 kg ha-1 lower in Madrid field experiments. In the light of these results, the new pattern could potentially reduce the use of herbicides. The results of the experiments support the hypothesis formulated at the beginning of this study that even-sowing patterns would be relatively favourable for the growth and yield of the maize crop. In the near future, new machinery could be used to achieve new seed patterns for the optimisation of biomass yield under low-input systems. This approach is effective because it promotes natural crop-weed competition

Predição De Classes De Solo Por Mineração De Dados Em área Da Bacia Sedimentar Do São Francisco

The objective of this work was to evaluate different strategies for the prediction of soil class distribution on digital soil maps of areas without reference data, in the sedimentary basin of San Francisco, in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The strategies included: Taxonomic generalization, training by field observations, training set expansion, and the use of different data mining algorithms. Four matrices were developed, differentiated by the volume of data for machine learning and by soil taxonomic levels to be predicted. The performance of the machine learning algorithms-Random Forest, J48, and MLP-, associated with discretization, class balancing, variable selection, and expansion of the training set was evaluated. Class balancing, variable discretization by equal frequencies, and the Random Forest algorithm showed the best performances. The representativeness extension of field observations, that assumes a larger training area, brought no predictive gain. Soil taxonomic generalization to the suborder level reduces the fragmentation of mapped polygons and improves the accuracy of digital soil maps. When generated by training on in situ soil observations at the mapping area, digital soil maps are as accurate as those trained on preexistent maps.5191396140

Cross-generational trans fat intake exacerbates UV radiation-induced damage in rat skin

AbstractWe evaluated the influence of dietary fats on ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced oxidative damage in skin of rats. Animals from two consecutive generations born of dams supplemented with fats during pregnancy and breastfeeding were maintained in the same supplementation: soybean-oil (SO, rich in n-6 FA, control group), fish-oil (FO, rich in n-3 FA) or hydrogenated-vegetable-fat (HVF, rich in TFA). At 90days of age, half the animals from the 2nd generation were exposed to UVR (0.25J/cm2) 3×/week for 12weeks. The FO group presented higher incorporation of n-3 FA in dorsal skin, while the HVF group incorporated TFA. Biochemical changes per se were observed in skin of the HVF group: greater generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lower mitochondrial integrity and increased Na+K+-ATPase activity. UVR exposure increased skin wrinkles scores and ROS generation and decreased mitochondrial integrity and reduced-glutathione levels in the HVF group. In FO, UVR exposure was associated with smaller skin thickness and reduced levels of protein–carbonyl, together with increased catalase activity and preserved Na+K+-ATPase function. In conclusion, while FO may be protective, trans fat may be harmful to skin health by making it more vulnerable to UVR injury and thus more prone to develop photoaging and skin cancer

Explaining the Higgs Decays at the LHC with an Extended Electroweak Model

We show that the recent discovery of a new boson at the LHC, which we assume to be a Higgs boson, and the observed enhancement in its diphoton decays compared to the SM prediction, can be explained by a new doublet of charged vector bosons from an extended electroweak gauge sector model with SU(3)_C\otimesSU(3)_L\otimesU(1)_X symmetry. Our results show a good agreement between our theoretical expected sensitivity to a 126--125 GeV Higgs boson and the experimental significance observed in the diphoton channel at the 8 TeV LHC. Effects of an invisible decay channel for the Higgs boson are also taken into account, in order to anticipate a possible confirmation of deficits in the branching ratios into $ZZ^*$, $WW^*$, bottom quarks, and tau leptons.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Impactos ambientais do manejo agroecológico da caatinga no Rio Grande do Norte.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os impactos ambientais do manejo agroecológico da caatinga, em unidades de produção familiar no Rio Grande do Norte, pelo método Ambitec de produção animal - dimensão ambiental, desenvolvido pela Embrapa Meio Ambiente. Foram avaliadas sete unidades de produção familiar, em quatro projetos de assentamentos de reforma agrária do Município de Apodi, RN. Os dados para o levantamento foram obtidos por meio de questionários aplicados aos representantes das unidades produtivas familiares, que atribuíram, a cada variável estudada, um valor que representou a alteração proporcionada pela implementação da tecnologia. Após a inserção dos coeficientes de alteração de cada variável dos indicadores por unidade de produção, o coeficiente de impacto foi automaticamente calculado por meio da planilha Ambitec. O manejo agroecológico da caatinga resultou num impacto ambiental positivo, e suas maiores contribuições foram relacionadas aos efeitos positivos dos seguintes indicadores: capacidade produtiva do solo, uso de insumos materiais, qualidade do produto e diminuição da emissão de poluentes à atmosfera. Dois indicadores geraram efeitos negativos: o uso de energia e o uso de recursos naturais. Pela superioridade dos benefícios gerados, o manejo agroecológico da caatinga é uma inovação tecnológica geradora de impactos ambientais positivos

Rediseño del marco de siembra en el cultivo de maíz forrajero

El marco de siembra tradicional del maíz forrajero está condicionado por el ancho de las ruedas del tractor, en el cual la separación entre filas de siembra es cinco veces la separación entre plantas, lo que genera una baja competencia con malas hierbas ya que el cultivo tarda mucho tiempo en cubrir completamente el suelo. Los nuevos prototipos de micromáquinas que se están diseñando para los tratamientos herbicidas de post-emergencia en maíz facilitarían la modificación del marco de siembra. El objetivo de este ensayo ha sido comprobar la eficacia de nuevos marcos de siembra de maíz forrajero, habiéndose estudiado su respuesta en Madrid y Copenhague

Revisiting the Local Scaling Hypothesis in Stably Stratified Atmospheric Boundary Layer Turbulence: an Integration of Field and Laboratory Measurements with Large-eddy Simulations

The `local scaling' hypothesis, first introduced by Nieuwstadt two decades ago, describes the turbulence structure of stable boundary layers in a very succinct way and is an integral part of numerous local closure-based numerical weather prediction models. However, the validity of this hypothesis under very stable conditions is a subject of on-going debate. In this work, we attempt to address this controversial issue by performing extensive analyses of turbulence data from several field campaigns, wind-tunnel experiments and large-eddy simulations. Wide range of stabilities, diverse field conditions and a comprehensive set of turbulence statistics make this study distinct