Selection of TBM and geotechnical assessment of a microtunnel in a difficult geological environment: a case of a natural gas pipeline beneath an active landslide (Albania)

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - This present paper presents an adopted methodology for Micro Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) selection, based on the results of a...     

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DROUGHT AND FAMINE IN ETHIOPIA Editor: Abdul Mejid Hussein. African Environment Special Report No. 2, The International African Institute, London, 1976,121 pp. £1.50.

HEDGING (A Practical conservation handbook) Alan Brooks, The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, The Zoological Gardens, Regents Park, London, 1975. 117 pp. £2.10 inc. postage.

THREE JOURNALS Habitat: Published by : The Council for Nature, The Zoological Gardens, Regents Park, NW1 4RY. At £2.50, or £5.00 per annum.

Recreation News: Published by: The Countryside Commission , John Dower House, Crescent Place, Cheltenham, Glos., GL50 3RA.

The International Journal of Environmental Studies: Published by : Gordon Breach Science Publishers Ltd., 42 William IV Street. London, W.C.2. £17.50 for individuals, £35.00 for Libraries. Habitat

A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE J.J. Bagley, Phillimore & Co. Ltd., London & Chichester 1976. 128 pp. £4.95.     

An overview of 21 global and 43 regional land-cover mapping products

Land-cover (LC) products, especially at the regional and global scales, comprise essential data for a wide range of environmental studies affecting biodiversity, climate, and human health. This review builds on previous compartmentalized efforts by summarizing 23 global and 41 regional LC products. Characteristics related to spatial resolution, overall accuracy, time of data acquisition, sensor used, classification scheme and method, support for LC change detection, download location, and key corresponding references are provided. Operational limitations and uncertainties are discussed, mostly as a result of different original modelling outcomes. Upcoming products are presented and future prospects towards increasing usability of different LC products are offered. Despite the common realization of product usage by non-experts, the remote-sensing community has not fully addressed the challenge. Algorithmic development for the effective representation of inherent product limitations to facilitate proper usage by non-experts is necessary. Further emphasis should be placed on international coordination and harmonization initiatives for compatible LC product generation. We expect the applicability of current and future LC products to increase, especially as our environmental understanding increases through multi-temporal studies.     

Estimating the geotechnical properties of heterogeneous rock masses such as flysch

The design of tunnels and slopes in heterogeneous rock masses such as flysch presents a major challenge to geologists and engineers. The complex structure of these materials, resulting from their depositional and tectonic history, means that they cannot easily be classified in terms of widely used rock mass classification systems. A methodology for estimating the Geological Strength Index and the rock mass properties for these geological formations is presented in this paper. Electronic Publication     

Determination of Turbidity in Kourris Dam in Cyprus Utilizing Landsat TM Remotely Sensed Data

Determination of turbidity is a common component of water-quality assessments. In regions where there are a lot of inland waters such as dams, sampling even a small proportion of those dams for monitoring and assessing water quality is cost prohibitive. Satellite remote sensing has the potential to be a powerful tool for assessing water quality over large spatial scales. The overall objective of this study was to examine whether Landsat-5 TM (Thematic Mapper) and Landsat-7 ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper) could be used to measure turbidity across theKourris Dam, which is the biggest dam in Cyprus. This paper presents the results obtained by applying the linear regression analysis in order to examine the relationship between the turbidity measurements measured in-situ during the satellite overpass against at-satellite atmospheric corrected reflectance values. It has been found that the reflectance, after atmospheric correction, at LandsatTMBands 1 and 3 is strongly related with turbidity levels after linear regression analysis. The most significant correlation was occurred when reflectance in TM band 3 and logarithmic reflectance in TM band 3 were correlated with turbidity measurements. Indeed, the correlation coefficient (R) when atmospheric corrected reflectance (ρ) in the LandsatTMband 3 were correlated against turbidity, before atmospheric correction was R = 0.38 and after atmospheric correction was R = 1; and when atmospheric corrected logarithmic reflectance (Log ρ) in the Landsat TM band 3 were correlated against turbidity, before atmospheric correction was R = 0.46 and after atmospheric correction was R = 1.     

A study of the effect of some factors influencing Alinite clinker formation

Research interest in chloride salts has been revived due to the new technological trends in cements following the development of Alinite Technology. Thus, the present work, which is a part of an extensive program, deals with the searching of the effect of LSF, MgO, alkalies and chlorides on the formation of Alinite clinker. In this context, seven raw mixes were prepared by varying the factors mentioned. The clinkers formed were studied by means of both XRD and chemical analysis. Useful information is derived concerning the influence of these factors on Alinite clinker formation.     

Geologie des barrages dans les regions karstiques de grece quelques considerations generales—Quelques cas particuliers

Carbonate rock distribution state, as well as structural and paleogeographic influence on the karst and on hydrogeological bassin distinction are briefly discussed, in relation to civil work construction. Need for covering wide areas during hydrogeological studies for water-tightness problems identification is stressed and confrontation measures for water-tightness problems are illustrated, based on experience from certain particular cases.     

Chemical Modeling of Acid-Base Properties of Soluble Biopolymers Derived from Municipal Waste Treatment Materials

This work reports a study of the proton-binding capacity of biopolymers obtained from different materials supplied by a municipal biowaste treatment plant located in Northern Italy. One material was the anaerobic fermentation digestate of the urban wastes organic humid fraction. The others were the compost of home and public gardening residues and the compost of the mix of the above residues, digestate and sewage sludge. These materials were hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions to yield the biopolymers by saponification. The biopolymers were characterized by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and potentiometric titration. The titration data were elaborated to attain chemical models for interpretation of the proton-binding capacity of the biopolymers obtaining the acidic sites concentrations and their protonation constants. The results obtained with the models and by NMR spectroscopy were elaborated together in order to better characterize the nature of the macromolecules. The chemical nature of the biopolymers was found dependent upon the nature of the sourcing materials.