Reproduction of Array Observation Records by Means of Centrifuge Shaking Table Model

This paper shows the effects of the degree of consolidation of the soft clay layer on the strong motion response. Seismic behavior of the Kobe artificial islands during the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nambu earthquake is studied by using centrifuge shaking table test. At the earthquake, it is known that the liquefaction damage of artificial island was different from each other. Authors consider the reason why is due to the degree of consolidation of clay layer underlying the reclaimed ground. The model grounds used for the centrifuge test are made by the clay and fill material sampled from Kobe artificial island, and each clay layer of models is consolidated as the same degree as the sites. First, from the viewpoint of the reproducibility of in-situ behavior, the seismic response and the ground settlement are compared with observation data. Next, we compare the seismic response of the test results of the different degree of consolidation. It is found that the degree of consolidation and the shear strength of the clay layer significantly affect the ground behavior. The large damage is not always come to being on the ground with soft clay layer

Аналіз та інтерпретація художнього тексту. Спецкурс зі світової літератури: навч.-метод. посіб.

У посібнику пропонується тематика та короткий виклад лекцій, плани семінарських занять зі зразками авторської інтерпретації художніх текстів, списки науково-методичної літератури, питання до модульних контрольних робіт, тематика індивідуальних науково-дослідницьких робіт. До семінарських занять додаються хрестоматійні матеріали. Для студентів та магістрантів філологічних факультетів вищих навчальних закладів, вчителів загальноосвітніх навчальних закладів, викладачів

Applicability of molding procedures in laboratory mix tests for quality control and assurance of the deep mixing method

The deep mixing method (DMM) has been applied in many construction projects. The laboratory mix test is essential to the quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) of deep mixing methods. The procedures used for the preparation of specimens in the laboratory mix test greatly affect the physical and mechanical properties of the stabilized soils. Different procedures are applied in different countries/regions. With the increasingly globalized DMM market, it is desirable that a common understanding of the nature of the laboratory mix test and internationally accepted guidelines to conduct it be established in order to guarantee the QC/QA of DMMs. As part of an international collaborative study, the influence of different molding techniques for the laboratory preparation of specimens was studied. Five different molding techniques were tested in four organizations. The results showed that the molding techniques considerably influenced the magnitude and variation of the unconfined compressive strength and the wet unit weight of the stabilized specimens. The applicability of the molding techniques was discussed in terms of their undrained shear strength and the liquidity index of the soil and binder mixture, and the usefulness of the techniques was demonstrated. (C) 2015 The Japanese Geotechnical Societ

The tremendous potential of deep-sea mud as a source of rare-earth elements

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系Potential risks of supply shortages for critical metals including rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) have spurred great interest in commercial mining of deep-sea mineral resources. Deep-sea mud containing over 5,000 ppm total REY content was discovered in the western North Pacific Ocean near Minamitorishima Island, Japan, in 2013. This REY-rich mud has great potential as a rare-earth metal resource because of the enormous amount available and its advantageous mineralogical features. Here, we estimated the resource amount in REY-rich mud with Geographical Information System software and established a mineral processing procedure to greatly enhance its economic value. The resource amount was estimated to be 1.2 Mt of rare-earth oxide for the most promising area (105 km2 × 0-10 mbsf), which accounts for 62, 47, 32, and 56 years of annual global demand for Y, Eu, Tb, and Dy, respectively. Moreover, using a hydrocyclone separator enabled us to recover selectively biogenic calcium phosphate grains, which have high REY content (up to 22,000 ppm) and constitute the coarser domain in the grain-size distribution. The enormous resource amount and the effectiveness of the mineral processing are strong indicators that this new REY resource could be exploited in the near future. © 2018 The Author(s)

Novel, Objective, Multivariate Biomarkers Composed of Plasma Amino Acid Profiles for the Diagnosis and Assessment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal disorder that is associated with a limited number of clinical biomarkers. In order to facilitate the diagnosis of IBD and assess its disease activity, we investigated the potential of novel multivariate indexes using statistical modeling of plasma amino acid concentrations (aminogram). METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We measured fasting plasma aminograms in 387 IBD patients (Crohn's disease (CD), n = 165; ulcerative colitis (UC), n = 222) and 210 healthy controls. Based on Fisher linear classifiers, multivariate indexes were developed from the aminogram in discovery samples (CD, n = 102; UC, n = 102; age and sex-matched healthy controls, n = 102) and internally validated. The indexes were used to discriminate between CD or UC patients and healthy controls, as well as between patients with active disease and those in remission. We assessed index performances using the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC AUC). We observed significant alterations to the plasma aminogram, including histidine and tryptophan. The multivariate indexes established from plasma aminograms were able to distinguish CD or UC patients from healthy controls with ROC AUCs of 0.940 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.898-0.983) and 0.894 (95%CI: 0.853-0.935), respectively in validation samples (CD, n = 63; UC, n = 120; healthy controls, n = 108). In addition, other indexes appeared to be a measure of disease activity. These indexes distinguished active CD or UC patients from each remission patients with ROC AUCs of 0.894 (95%CI: 0.853-0.935) and 0.849 (95%CI: 0.770-0.928), and correlated with clinical disease activity indexes for CD (r(s) = 0.592, 95%CI: 0.385-0.742, p<0.001) or UC (r(s) = 0.598, 95%CI: 0.452-0.713, p<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we demonstrated that established multivariate indexes composed of plasma amino acid profiles can serve as novel, non-invasive, objective biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of IBD, providing us with new insights into the pathophysiology of the disease

Sustainable land reclamation in coastal area

Many land reclamation projects have been carried out worldwide for many years to create new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lakebeds for several purposes. Historically, agriculture was the first drive for land reclamation, followed by urbanization and industrialization. Recent worldwide globalization has enhanced international trading and promoted many land reclamation projects in coastal areas. Land reclamation requires a large amount of relatively high-quality fill soil, which is used to obtain from mountains, rivers and seabeds. For this purpose, many land reclamation projects have been carried out together with other projects, such as dredging projects at rivers and coastal areas and/or the development of mountainous areas. Recently, it has become difficult to obtain such soil at reasonable cost because of restricted environmental protection, which requires the use of lower-quality soil as a reclamation material. Reclaimed land and sea walls are highly susceptible to ground instability, ground settlement and soil liquefaction, which can amplify the amount of damage to buildings and infrastructure there. Various ground improvement techniques have been developed to assure the stability of the sea wall and reduce and accelerate the ground settlement of reclaimed land. As environmental issues have become very critical in recent years, it is necessary to develop sustainable land reclamation techniques to promote the beneficial use of dredged soil and waste, minimize the environmental impact and create a rich natural environment. In this manuscript, the history of land reclamation in the Tokyo Bay area is briefly introduced, and current technologies regarding ground improvement and preservation of environmental conditions are presented to determine the future trends of sustainable land reclamation technologies