Bridge distress caused by approach embankment settlement

Surtees Bridge, which carries the A66(T) over the River Tees near Thornaby-on-Tees in the UK, has been showing signs of distress that predate its opening in 1981. Subsequent investigations have shown that the bridge distress is related to unexpectedly large settlement of the eastern approach embankment. Recent ground investigations prompted by a proposed widening of the river crossing have produced many new data on the alluvial deposits underlying the site, and explain why embankment settlement was so much larger than originally anticipated. Comparison of the geotechnical parameters obtained from the original and more recent ground investigations suggests that the original investigation significantly underestimated the thickness of an alluvial clay layer underlying the site, and that its coefficient of consolidation was overestimated. Settlement analyses using geotechnical data from the original ground investigations predict moderate embankment settlements occurring principally during construction. Settlement analyses based on all the available data predict far larger embankment settlements occurring over extended time periods. The latter analyses predict an embankment settlement similar to that observed and of sufficient magnitude to cause the observed lateral displacement of the bridge due to lateral loading of its piled foundation

A Metabolomic Approach to the Study of Wine Micro-Oxygenation

Wine micro-oxygenation is a globally used treatment and its effects were studied here by analysing by untargeted LC-MS the wine metabolomic fingerprint. Eight different procedural variations, marked by the addition of oxygen (four levels) and iron (two levels) were applied to Sangiovese wine, before and after malolactic fermentation

An attempt to determine the resistance of poplars to infection by Chondroplea populea (Sacc. Kłęb.) = Dothichiza populea Sacc. et Briard) on the basis of the composition of epiphytic bacterial microflora

Epiphytic bacteria isolated from the bark of shoot nodes of two year poplar cuttings hydrolyse chitin whereas those isolated from the internodes do not show this property. The epiphytic microflora of the sensitive variety P. 'Robusta' embraces coryneform bacteria and Pseudomonas which can as a carbon source utilize o-OH benzoic acid, gentisic acid or trans-cinnamic acid in 10-2M concentration. The resistant variety P. 'NE-42' is featured by Pseudomonas capable of catabolizing only genetisic acid in 10-2M con-centration. The ability of the bacteria to grow media containing either water extracts from the bark or phenolic acids (lignin model precursors) is correlated which the aromatic compound composition of the bark and resistance to infection by fungi