Exact seismic response of smooth rigid retaining walls resting on stiff soil

The assessment of forces exerted on walls by the backfill is a recurrent problem in geotechnical engineering, owing to its relevance for both retaining systems and underground structures. In particular, the work by Arias and colleagues, and later also the one by Veletsos and Younan, among others, becomes pertinent when considering pressure increments on underground structures triggered by seismic events. As a first step, they studied the response of a rigid retaining wall resting on rigid bedrock subjected to SV waves, introducing some simplifying assumptions. This paper presents the exact solution to this reference problem. The solution is given in horizontal wavenumber domain; hence, it comes in terms of inverse Fourier transforms, which can be approximated numerically in Mathematica , which in turn are verified against finite‐element simulations. Specific features of this exact solution that were not captured by prior engineering approximations are highlighted and discussed

On the fundamental resonant mode of inhomogeneous soil deposits

The problem of estimating seismic ground deformation is central to state-of-practice procedures of designing and maintaining infrastructure in earthquake-prone areas. Particularly, the problem of estimating the displacement field in a soft shallow layer overlying rigid bedrock induced by simple shear wave excitation has been favored by engineers due to its simplicity combined with inherent relevance for practical scenarios. We here derive analytical estimates for both the fundamental frequency and the amplitude of the first resonant mode of such systems by applying an intuitive argument based on resonance of single-degree-of-freedom systems. Our estimates do not presuppose a continuous velocity distribution, and can be used for fast assessment of site response in seismic hazard assessment and engineering design. On the basis of the said estimates of fundamental frequency and amplitude, we next propose a novel definition of “equivalent homogeneous shear modulus” of the inhomogeneous deposit, and we show that the response of the fundamental mode is controlled primarily by the properties of the layers contiguous to the bedrock. We finally discuss the validity of our argument, and evaluate the accuracy of our results by comparison with analytical and numerical solutions

Geometrical Optics applied to 1D Site Response of Inhomogeneous Soil Deposits

The technique referred as Geometrical Optics entails considering the wave propagation in a heterogeneous medium as if it happened with infinitely small wavelength. This classic simplification allows to obtain useful approximate analytical results in cases where complete description of the waveform behavior is virtually unattainable, hence its wide use in Physics. This approximation is also commonly termed Ray Theory, and it has already been thoroughly applied in Seismology. This text presents an application of Geometrical Optics to 1D Site Response (1DSR): it is used herein to, first, explain and elucidate the generality of some previous observations and results; second, to partially settle an open question in 1DSR, namely “what are the equivalent homogeneous properties that yield the same response, in terms of natural frequencies and resonance amplitude, for a certain inhomogeneous site?”, provided few assumptions

Intrinsic Magnetism in Nanosheets of SnO2_{2}: A First-principles Study

We propose intrinsic magnetism in nanosheets of SnO$_{2}$, based on first-principles calculations. The electronic structure and spin density reveal that $p$ orbitals of the oxygen atoms, surrounding Sn vacancies, have a non itinerant nature which gives birth to localized magnetism. A giant decrease in defect formation energies of Sn vacancies in nanosheets is observed. We, therefore, believe that native defects can be stabilized without any chemical doping. Nanosheets of different thicknesses are also studied, and it is found that it is easier to create vacancies, which are magnetic, at the surface of the sheets. SnO$_{2}$ nanosheets can, therefore, open new opportunities in the field of spintronics.Comment: J. Magn. Magn. Mate. 2012 (Accepted

Immobilization of arsenic from copper smelter waste

Arsenic is an inconvenient impurity for copper smelters and its problematic its bound to worsen as concentrates become dirtier. Air emissions are prevented during the off-gas treatment so it deports to liquid effluents and dusts. From effluents it cannot be removed easily together with other metals and specific removal needs to be considered. At industrial level the preferred choice is precipitation and copper smelters thus seek precipitates that are safe enough for inexpensive landfill disposal. The literature review identified the most common methods used by industry as well as more novel proposals to remove arsenic from solution. When precipitates or other types of solids are still too hazardous for safe disposal, it is possible to stabilise them with other methods discussed. The experimental work tested one solid stabilisation approach, vitrification, on hazardous copper smelter waste. Next, after producing an arsenic bearing solution similar to copper smelter effluents by leaching the same waste, five precipitation methods were tested: high iron arsenical ferrihydrite, a two-step process using aluminium and iron, arsenate hydroxyapatite, gypsum seeded scorodite and ferrous arsenate (symplesite). The short term leaching behaviour of the solids was tested with 24 hour bottle tests performed at different pH conditions. The results showed that all methods produced solids somewhat safer than the original one, but only the symplesite and two step precipitation methods have resulted in solids safe enough for landfill disposal. A preliminary cost estimation shows that these methods could be competitive with existing processes, while producing a safer solid. Regarding vitrification of the current waste, even though the particular conditions of the test were unable to produce a safe enough solid, the waste proved amenable to the process

Phase-space iterative solvers

I introduce a new iterative method to solve problems in small-strain non-linear elasticity. The method is inspired by recent work in data-driven computational mechanics, which reformulated the classic boundary value problem of continuum mechanics using the concept of "phase space". The latter is an abstract metric space, whose coordinates are indexed by strains and stress components, where each possible state of the discretized body corresponds to a point. Since the phase space is associated to the discretized body, it is finite dimensional. Two subsets are then defined: an affine space termed "physically-admissible set" made up by those points that satisfy equilibrium and a "materially-admissible set" containing points that satisfy the constitutive law. Solving the boundary-value problem amounts to finding the intersection between these two subdomains. In the linear-elastic setting, this can be achieved through the solution of a set of linear equations; when material non-linearity enters the picture, such is not the case anymore and iterative solution approaches are necessary. Our iterative method consists on projecting points alternatively from one set to the other, until convergence. The method is similar in spirit to the "method of alternative projections" and to the "method of projections onto convex sets", for which there is a solid mathematical foundation that furnishes conditions for existence and uniqueness of solutions, upon which we rely to uphold our new method's performance. We present two examples to illustrate the applicability of the method, and to showcase its strengths when compared to the classic Newton-Raphson method, the usual tool of choice in non-linear continuum mechanics.Comment: 22 pages, 7 tables, 6 figure

Identification and Characterization of the Lipid Transport System in the Tarantula Grammostola rosea

Lipids due to its hydrophobic nature are transported in the hemolymph mainly by lipoproteic fractions. In the present work we studied the lipoproteic fractions present in the hemolymph of the spider Grammostola rosea. Through ultracentrifugation two lipoproteic fractions are isolated, one of high density named Gr-HDL (δ = 1.13 - 1.15 g/ml) and the other of very high density called Gr-VHDL (δ = 1.24 - 1.27 g/ml) Gr-VHDL in hemolymph is majority in relation to Gr-HDL. In this sense Gr-VHDL fraction has 98.6% of hemolymphatic proteins, and 89.3% of lipids presents in the hemolymph. Both lipoproteic fractions possess phospholipids such as majority lipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine) and 18:1, 16:0, 18:2 and 18:0 as the major fatty acids. In order to confirm the role played by lipoproteic fractions in vitro assays with different 14C-lipid were performed. It was observed that Gr-VHDL takes up mainly free fatty acids and triacylglycerols unlike that observed for Gr-HDL in relation to phosphatidylcholine. Through electrophoresis it was observed that Gr-VHDL has three proteins: a predominant band of 68 kDa and two others of 99 and 121 kDa. Gr-HDL displayed a predominant band of 93 kDa, and other minority of 249 kDa. In conclusion, this study reports lipid characterization of the lipoproteic fractions present in the hemolymph of the tarantula, G. rosea. The role of each lipoproteic fraction in relation to lipid up- take is sustained by in vitro assays. Similarities and differences are found when it is compared to lipoproteins of only the three species of spiders studied.Fil: Laino, Aldana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; ArgentinaFil: Cunningham, Monica Liliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; ArgentinaFil: Suarez, Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Carlos Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; Argentin

First-principles study of electron transport through the single-molecule magnet Mn12

We examine electron transport through a single-molecule magnet Mn12 bridged between Au electrodes using the first-principles method. We find crucial features which were inaccessible in model Hamiltonian studies: spin filtering and a strong dependence of charge distribution on local environments. The spin filtering remains robust with different molecular geometries and interfaces, and strong electron correlations, while the charge distribution over the Mn12 strongly depends on them. We point out a qualitative difference between locally charged and free-electron charged Mn12