Prediction of Blast-Induced Ground Vibrations: A Comparison Between Empirical and Artificial-Neural-Network Approaches

Ground vibrations are a critical factor in the rock blasting process. The instantaneous load application exerted by the gas pressure during the detonation process acts on the blasthole walls creating dynamic stresses in the adjacent rock. This triggers different sorts of stress waves, mainly divided into two categories: body and surface waves. The first comprises the P and the S waves, while the second comprises Rayleigh waves. These waves spread concentrically starting at the blast location and move along the ground surface and its interior, being attenuated as they reach further distances. In most cases, and accepting the hypothesis that the attenuation of the vibrational waves is proportional to the distance and inverse to the energy released during the blast, the vibration from a large blast can be perceived from far away. In any case, the ground vibrations can affect pit slopes’ stability, and they can also damage man-made structures. Therefore, ground vibrations need to be predicted, monitored, and controlled to minimize the vibration-caused disturbance to nearby or far elements. The assessment of vibrations produced by blasting has traditionally relied on maximum charge weight per delay scaling laws. These two-parameter or three-parameter models depend on a curve fit to measured data. In this approach (scaled laws), the ground vibration waveforms are not used in the vibration level estimation, neither are other blast design parameters, such as burden, spacing, hole diameter, explosive density, uniaxial compressive strength of the rock, Young’s modulus, subdrilling, stemming, and charge length, to name a few. To provide a more comprehensive approach to ground vibration modeling, including the aforementioned variables, artificial neural networks (ANN) have been employed in several studies worldwide with promising results. The present thesis uses ANN applied to ground vibration modeling, considering the blasting parameters in the input, unlike the empirical approaches, using data from an open-pit gold mine in La Libertad region, Peru. The results from this study are then compared against the traditional scaled distance approach. Two datasets were used, the first was comprised of 178 shots and the second, 80 shots. The first dataset was collected at the La Arena community, and the second was collected at the La Ramada community. Both of these communities are the most populated in the direct area of influence of the mine. When comparing the measured and predicted PPV values using the scale-distance method in the La Arena community, the coefficient of determination () found was 0.1166, while the found when comparing the measured and predicted PPV values using the optimum trained artificial network was 0.5915. Following the same comparison, the value found in the La Ramada community was 0.1035 using the scaled distance method, and the found using the optimum trained artificial network was 0.5139

下顎側方偏位を有する不正咬合症例のCBCTによる三次元形態の特徴について

神奈川歯科大学201

La universidad y la efectividad del desarrollo comunitario: La promoción de la apropiación comunitaria en las Regiones Autónomas de Nicaragua

In little more than six decades of theory and practice, development has become one of the most controversial and elusive concepts in its achievement. At first, there was the steady belief that solely economic development would result in a trickle-down effect of benefits to the entire society, further leading to modernity, democracy and social wellbeing. The lack of a fast, significant, equitable and sustainable reduction of poverty has increasingly dragged attention to collectivity, affective ties and cultural identity for bringing about inclusive development. This is a doctoral research in the development studies field focused on community ownership as a key variable for assessing the effectiveness of community development accompaniment processes. It had its basis in a case study research methodology- carried out in three communities (Tuara, Españolina and El Carao), a main outcome of this PhD thesis is a community ownership accompaniment model. This conceptual and methodological model is derived from the collective agency, social capital and participation theories.En más de 65 años de teorización y práctica, el desarrollo ha constituido uno de los conceptos más controvertidos y esquivos en su realización. Inicialmente, se consideraba que el desarrollo económico guiado por el libre mercado o el Estado, produciría una serie de beneficios que se distribuirían en cascada a todos los miembros de la sociedad, generando modernidad, el florecimiento de la democracia y un estado general de bienestar social. La imposibilidad de un rápido, significativo, equitativo y sostenido alivio de la pobreza ha replanteado en años recientes el poder que tiene la colectividad, los lazos afectivos y la identidad para un desarrollo inclusivo. Este trabajo resulta de una investigación doctoral en el campo de los estudios de desarrollo, que ha centrado su análisis en la apropiación comunitaria como una variable clave para determinar la efectividad de los procesos de acompañamiento al desarrollo comunitario. Basada en un estudio de casos múltiples (comunidades de Tuara, Españolina y El Carao), esta tesis doctoral resulta principalmente en una propuesta de modelo conceptual y metodológico de acompañamiento a la apropiación comunitaria, a partir de las perspectivas de la agencia colectiva, capital social y participació

La universidad y la efectividad del desarrollo comunitario: La promoción de la apropiación comunitaria en las Regiones Autónomas de Nicaragua

In little more than six decades of theory and practice, development has become one of the most controversial and elusive concepts in its achievement. At first, there was the steady belief that solely economic development would result in a trickle-down effect of benefits to the entire society, further leading to modernity, democracy and social wellbeing. The lack of a fast, significant, equitable and sustainable reduction of poverty has increasingly dragged attention to collectivity, affective ties and cultural identity for bringing about inclusive development. This is a doctoral research in the development studies field focused on community ownership as a key variable for assessing the effectiveness of community development accompaniment processes. It had its basis in a case study research methodology- carried out in three communities (Tuara, Españolina and El Carao), a main outcome of this PhD thesis is a community ownership accompaniment model. This conceptual and methodological model is derived from the collective agency, social capital and participation theories.En más de 65 años de teorización y práctica, el desarrollo ha constituido uno de los conceptos más controvertidos y esquivos en su realización. Inicialmente, se consideraba que el desarrollo económico guiado por el libre mercado o el Estado, produciría una serie de beneficios que se distribuirían en cascada a todos los miembros de la sociedad, generando modernidad, el florecimiento de la democracia y un estado general de bienestar social. La imposibilidad de un rápido, significativo, equitativo y sostenido alivio de la pobreza ha replanteado en años recientes el poder que tiene la colectividad, los lazos afectivos y la identidad para un desarrollo inclusivo. Este trabajo resulta de una investigación doctoral en el campo de los estudios de desarrollo, que ha centrado su análisis en la apropiación comunitaria como una variable clave para determinar la efectividad de los procesos de acompañamiento al desarrollo comunitario. Basada en un estudio de casos múltiples (comunidades de Tuara, Españolina y El Carao), esta tesis doctoral resulta principalmente en una propuesta de modelo conceptual y metodológico de acompañamiento a la apropiación comunitaria, a partir de las perspectivas de la agencia colectiva, capital social y participació

A Comprehensive Instrument for Identifying Critical Information Infrastructure Services

Kriitiliste Informatsiooni Infrastruktuuride (KII) teenuste kindlaks määramine on üks valituste ja organisatsioonide peamisi prioriteete. KII on ühtlasi kaaluka küberturvalisuse poliitika kriitiline osa. Nii avalikus kui erasektoris Kriitilise Infrastruktuuri (KI) haavatavus suureneb, sest kasvab omavahel ühilduvate hädavajalike teenuste arv, samaaegselt tõuseb ka tõenäosus vahelesegamisteks. Hädavajalike teenuste lubamatute vahelesegamiste mõju võib välja viia arenguteni, kus aset leiab hävitav kaskaadeffekt, mille tagajärjeks on riikliku infrastruktuurisüsteemi kokkuvarisemine. Antud lõputöö eesmärgiks on tutvustada ainulaadset kõikehõlmavat instrumenti, mis toetab eskaleeritud KII teenuste kindlaksmääramist, ja põhineb kolmel analüütilisel komponendil. Nendeks on: peamiste sidusrühmade kindlaks määramine kui täpne terminoloogia loomaks terminitest ühist arusaama; kohaldatava maatriksina töötav kalkuleerimisprotsess kriitiliste reastuste otstarbeks; ja, illustratiivne raamistik nimega 360-kraadi-tagasiside, mis kinnistab terviklikku lähenemist. Terminoloogiline edasiarendus tuleneb vahendi loomisest, mis võtab arvesse esialgseid leide, see tagab KIIde vallas suurema selguse ja täpsuse. Unikaalseid tunnusjooni omavad KIId peaksid olema hinnatud iseseisvalt. Seda vaatamata KIIde ühistele joontele KIde teiste tahkudega. Vahendi kohaldatavus on näitlikustatud Kolumbia juhtumikirjelduses, kus on illustreerivalt toodud seos kahe potensiaalse hädavajaliku teenuse vahel. Juhtumikirjedluses on ühtlasi kaardistatud nende tõenäoline paiknemine riikliku kaitse prioriteetide seas. Antud lõputöö kombineerib kvalitatiivseid ja kvantiatiivseid meetodeid, sisaldab võrdlusanalüüsi teoreetilisi sisendite kohta. Lõputöö tugineb peamiselt dokumentide analüüsil, ametlikest kanalitest pärineval sekundaarselt statistilisel infol, poolstruktureeritud intervjuudel ja juhtumikirjeldusel, mis annab tööle praktilise kaalutluse. Käesolev magistritöö on kirjutatud inglise keeles, koosneb 56 leheküljest, 22 näidetest ja 26 tabelitest.The identification of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) services has become a top priority for governments and organizations, and a crucial component of a sound cyber security policy. As the interconnectivity of essential services spreads, the probability of disruptions increases and with it the vulnerability of all Critical Infrastructure (CI) sectors public and private. The impact of an undue interruption of essential services may develop in a devastating cascading effect and the collapse of a country’s infrastructures system. The purpose of this work is to introduce an original comprehensive instrument that supports the escalated identification of CII services on the basis of three analytical components: the identification of main stakeholders, as an accurate terminology for establishing a common understanding of the terms; the calculating process for criticality ranking that works as an adaptable matrix; and, an illustrative framework called the 360- DEGREE-FEEDBACK that applies the complete perspective. Terminological development preceded the formulation of the instrument considering preliminary findings on that the field of CII warrants more clarity and precision, and that the CIIs, despite their commonalities with other dimensions of CIs, possess unique characteristics that should be assessed independently. The applicability of the instrument is illustrated in a case study of Colombia, which is used to exemplify the relationship between two potential essential services and map the likely position of them in the table of national protection priorities. This study combines qualitative and quantitative methods, benchmarking theoretical contributions, and relying mainly on documentary analysis, secondary statistical data from official sources, semi-structure interviews and a case study of practical implications. This thesis is written in English and is 56 pages long, including 22 figures and 26 tables

Colombia and the Intelligence Cycle in the 21st Century, the Digital Age

Luuretsükkel on luureinfo analüüsimise ja kogumise peamine protsess, mida kasutatakse\n\rkogu maailmas. Kuna see süsteem on vananenud, siis ei saa see lahendada neid ülesandeid,\n\rmida tehnoloogia areng ja digiajastu on kaasa toonud. Info liigub küberruumis.\n\rLuuretsükkel kasutab erinevaid luureinfo vorme, tarvitades otsingus, kogumises, analüüsis\n\rja levitamises kaasaegseid tehnoloogilisi vahendeid. Luures on teada ebaõnnestumisi, mis\n\rtulenesid sellest, et ei suudetud jälgida luuretsüklit info muutumise kiiruse või\n\rolemasolevatest tehnoloogilistest süsteemidest puuduliku teadlikkuse tõttu.\n\rLuureprotsessi tuleb integreerida tehnoloogia ja küberruumiga, et 21. sajandil luurevõimet\n\rarendada. On vaja kasutada kõiki ressursse ja integreerida kõiki\n\rolemasolevaid tehnoloogilisi allikaid põhilistest protsessidest alates.\n\rTäielik protsess, mis ühendab luureinfo saamise protsessi küberruumi ja infotehnoloogia\n\rkasutamisega, on vajalik selleks, et olemasolevat informatsiooni kasutada ja kindlustada.\n\rSee uurimistöö pakub uut, luure läbiviimiseks mõeldut mikrotsüklite protsessi. See koosneb\n\rviiest mikrotsüklist ja selle eesmärk on luure protsesside ja tehnoloogiate integreerimine, et\n\rsaada paremaid tulemusi 21. sajandi luure arengutes.The intelligence cycle is the main process in developing and obtaining intelligence used worldwide. Currently, it has problems and is outdated because it was not created to face the challenges that technology and the digital age have brought about. Information moves and travels in cyberspace, which are current as well as the future land of conflicts. The intelligence cycle is using technology systems through different forms of intelligence taking advantage of current technological developments for the search, collection, analysis and dissemination, but is not being fully exploited. Cases have been observed, where intelligence failed because of not following the intelligence cycle due to the speed of information or lack of knowledge of technological systems at the service of intelligence. The intelligence process must be integrated and work hand in hand with technology and the cyberspace, developing intelligence for the 21st century. It is necessary to use all resources and integrate all existing technological sources starting from the core of the process. \n\rA complete process that integrates the process of obtaining intelligence with the use and exploitation of cyberspace and information technology is required for increasing, securing and exploiting all available information. In the development of this thesis, a new process of micro cycles for intelligence has been developed. It consists of five micro cycles and its purpose is to integrate intelligence processes and technology for better results in this new era of intelligence development in 21st century

Additively manufactured MEMS multiplexed coaxial electrospray sources for high-throughput, uniform generation of core–shell microparticles

his study reports the first MEMS multiplexed coaxial electrospray sources in the literature. Coaxial electrospraying is a microencapsulation technology based on electrohydrodynamic jetting of two immiscible liquids, which allows precise control with low size variation of the geometry of the core–shell particles it generates, which is of great importance in numerous biomedical and engineering applications, e.g., drug delivery and self-healing composites. By implementing monolithic planar arrays of miniaturized coaxial electrospray emitters that work uniformly in parallel, the throughput of the compound microdroplet source is greatly increased, making the microencapsulation technology compatible with low-cost commercial applications. Miniaturized core–shell particle generators with up to 25 coaxial electrospray emitters (25 emitters cm−2) were fabricated via stereolithography, which is an additive manufacturing process that can create complex microfluidic devices at a small fraction of the cost per device and fabrication time associated with silicon-based counterparts. The characterization of devices with the same emitter structure but different array sizes demonstrates uniform array operation. Moreover, the data demonstrate that the per-emitter current is approximately proportional to the square root of the flow rate of the driving liquid, and it is independent of the flow rate of the driven liquid, as predicted by the theory. The core/shell diameters and the size distribution of the generated compound microparticles can be modulated by controlling the flow rates fed to the emitters.Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterre

Las áreas naturales protegidas y la tenencia agrícola de la tierra: caso parque nacional nevado de Toluca

el análisis de las actividades clandestinas y las acciones gubernamentales que se han ejercido. También muestra como las localidades, se encuentran estructuradas en las actividades económicas y como han generado presión en masa forestal en el Nevado de Toluca por las actividades clandestinas generadas por los habitantes para complementar sus ingresos. Y por último se hace mención de las Políticas y programas de Conservación planificadas para el Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna del Parque Nevado de Toluca a través de la subzonificación de sus espacios y aprovechamientos ecoturisticos.tiene como objetivo dar a conocer una descripción del Parque Nacional Nevado de Toluca, mostrando las 23 localidades dentro del mismo, de esta manera se muestran las políticas de sustentabilidad y de la agricultura, por lo que se mencionan diversos conceptos de intercambios de los bienes y servicios ambientales

Superparamagnetic Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3 hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Indexación: ScieloBackground: The progress in material science and the recent advances in biodegradable/biocompatible polymers and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have led to develop innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for diseases based on multifunctional nanoparticles, which include contrast medium for magnetic resonance imaging, agent for hyperthermia and nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery. The aim of this work is to synthesize and characterize superparamagnetic iron oxide (magnetite), and to encapsulate them into poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Results: The magnetite nanoparticles were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and exhibited a size of 22.3 ± 8.8 nm measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Polymeric PHBV nanoparticles loaded with magnetite (MgNPs) were analyzed using dynamic light scattering and showed a size of 258.6 ± 35.7 nm and a negative zeta potential (-10.8 ± 3.5 mV). The TEM examination of MgNPs exhibited a spherical core-shell structure and the magnetic measurements showed in both, non-encapsulated magnetite and MgNPs, a superparamagnetic performance. Finally, the in vitro studies about the magnetic retention of MgNPs in a segment of small intestine of rats showed an active accumulation in the region of the magnetic field. Conclusions: The results obtained make the MgNPs suitable as potential magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, also promoting hyperthermia and even as potential nanocarriers for site-specific transport and delivery of drugs. Keywords: hyperthermia, magnetic resonance image (MRI), magnetite, PHBV, polymeric nanoparticles.http://ref.scielo.org/cxt57

Contribution of green turtles Chelonia mydas to total herbivore biomass in shallow tropical habitats of oceanic islands

Green turtles are megaherbivores with a key role in the dynamics of tropical seagrass meadows, but little is known about their relevance as herbivores in tropical reef habitats. We conducted underwater censuses of green turtles, herbivorous fishes and sea urchins in two distinct tropical regions: Fernando de Noronha (Western Atlantic Ocean) and the Hawaiian Archipelago (Central Pacific Ocean), to assess the contribution of green turtles to the total herbivore biomass in shallow reef habitats of tropical oceanic islands. Juvenile green turtles ranging 40-60 cm were observed at most of the surveyed sites, and hence, could be considered typical components of the shallow reef fauna of tropical oceanic islands. Furthermore, they were usually one of the most abundant species of roving herbivores in many of the sites surveyed. However, the biomass of green turtles was usually much lower than the aggregated biomass of fishes or sea urchins, which usually constituted most of the total herbivore biomass. Green turtles made a major contribution to the total herbivore biomass only in sheltered sites with low rugosity, low coral cover and high algal cover. Further investigation on the trophic redundancy between herbivores is required to assess the actual relevance of green turtles in reef ecosystems of oceanic islands, compared to herbivorous fishes and sea urchins, because different herbivores may target different algal resources and complementarity may be needed to maintain ecosystem functioning across large, naturally varied reefscapes