Factors affecting the coprecipitation of inorganic phosphate with calcite in hardwaters—I Laboratory studies

Results are presented for the coprecipitation of inorganic phosphate on calcite and interpreted using a chemical model. The model is used to elucidate why three different chalk waters (two natural and one artificial) coprecipitated different surface densities of phosphorus under similar conditions. Inhibitors of calcite growth such as magnesium and iron have a substantial effect on the amount of phosphorus coprecipitated on calcite, whereas a humic acid material had very little effect. The complete inhibition of calcite growth by inorganic phosphate is also demonstrated.     

Factors affecting the coprecipitation of inorganic phosphate with calcite in hardwaters—II Recirculating experimental stream system

Calcite precipitation and phosphate coprecipitation on calcite observed in experimental stream systems has been studied in detail and the results analysed using chemical kinetic models. Two series of experiments were done in the experimental stream systems, both under dark conditions, one without sediment and the other with a flint gravel substrate. The major effect of the gravel was to release inorganic phosphate into the water and so replace a fraction of the phosphate which had been coprecipitated. Under laboratory conditions this release was enough to lead to an increase in phosphate concentration and eventually completely inhibit calcite growth.     

Restoration of the outer treasury and exhibition of the section of arms and armours in Topkapı palace museum

This article aims at telling the story of restoration and exhibition of the Section of Arms and Armours (the Outer Treasury) in Topkap? Palace Museum. During this process, not only was the structure experiencing restoration and consolidation, but also was the first archeological excavation being realized in a closed space in the Topkap? Palace complex, with the discovery of Byzantine reminiscences underground becoming a significant part of the new exhibiton.After being restored between 2008 and 2010, the Outer Treasury was transformed into a new exhibition project, aiming at the integration of contemporary strategies of exhibition design and technology. Its purpose was not simply to highlight the glory of the Ottoman history, but to engage visitors in a complete sensory experience by making full use of the esthetics of the work of art on display of the Ottoman legacy. Topkap? Palace's architecture, archeology and selected collection of arms and armours are being exhibited by means of contemporary media instruments, such as film, music, graphics and costume arts.     

Modeling groundwater flow in the agricultural area of Gümüşhacıköy (Amasya, Turkey)

The Gümü?hac?köy Plain is the most productive agricultural area in the central/northern part of Turkey. Although the Quaternary/Pliocene granular deposits beneath the Plain have formed an important aquifer/water resource, excessive pumping in the last two decades, mainly for irrigation, has resulted in a significant depletion of the reservoir with some 30% of the total resource being lost in the last 40 years. The paper reports a groundwater flow model developed to allow the sustainability of the groundwater resource to be monitored such that appropriate measures can be undertaken.     

Factors Shaping the Dynamics of Housing Affordability in Australia 2001–06

This paper investigates factors shaping the dynamics of housing affordability in Australia over the period 2001–06. Panel model findings indicate that those with children and the unwaged are more prone to persistent housing affordability stress. However, residential moves during spells of housing affordability stress alleviate housing cost burdens. Survival in affordable housing has become progressively more difficult over the 2001–06 timeframe, an unsurprising finding given a house price boom over the period of analysis. Residential moves are again influential, but those made by households during a spell in affordable housing are associated with the onset of housing affordability stress.     

Residential satisfaction assessment of a 1970s modernist housing community in Istanbul: searching for the reasons behind the preservation of a housing community’s current architectural status against the urban transformation movements affecting the entire city

Going against the mainstream popularity of high-rise housing developments dominating the Turkish construction market in the late twentieth century, Haluk Baysal and Melih Birsel collaboratively built the Istanbul Yesilkoy Housing Community project in 1973 using the principles of modern architecture. Although the modern lifestyle dominant in the design of this housing project did not emerge from the principles of life inherent to Turkish domestic architecture, this study examines how this project could remain resistant to the destructive force of a possible earthquake in a location where the land value is higher than many other districts of Istanbul. This study’s research question is whether or not the survival of this residential housing community could be attributed to residential satisfaction. The study’s research method was a residential satisfaction survey and factor analyses. The results showed that the continued existence of the residential community in the midst of the urban transformation movement is because the community satisfied its residents’ needs for safety, centrality, and neighbourliness.

     

Estimation of environmental impacts on the water quality of Incesu-Dokuzpınar Springs in Kayseri,Turkey

Industrial and agricultural activities have directly or indirectly affected the concentrations of a large number of inorganic chemicals in groundwater, for example NO₃, N₂, Cl, SO₄, H⁺, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Cu, B, Pb and Zn, as well as a wide variety of pesticides and other organic compounds. For reactive contaminants like NO₃, it is recommended that a combination of hydrochemical and environmental-tracer analytical approaches might be required to resolve changing inputs from subsequent alterations as causes of concentration gradients in groundwater. The water type of ncesu-Dokuzpnar Springs is mainly Na–Mg–Ca–Cl–HCO₃. Note that the water types of the Springs were directly related to the hydrogeochemical properties of outcrops at the study area. Thus, the high concentration of Ca⁺² and HCO₃ is mainly related to the high CO₂ contents in the marbles, whereas the high Na concentration arises from the existing syenite, volcanic ash, basalt and clay units, although the ncesu-Dokuzpnar Springs cover most of the drinking and irrigation water demands at the study area. Therefore, relevant hydrogeochemical and statistical studies were carried out for estimating the mentioned environmental impacts on the water quality of ncesu-Dokuzpnar Springs.     

Factors affecting stress distribution of a 3×3 pile group in dry sand based on three-dimensional large shaking table tests

To investigate the factors influencing stress distributions of piles during earthquakes, a physical model test was conducted using the large shaking table at E-defense. The tests were run on a 3×3 pile group supporting a foundation with and without a superstructure set in a dry sand deposit prepared in a cylindrical laminar box. Experimental variables included the natural period of a superstructure and the presence of foundation embedment. Based on the test results and discussions, the following conclusions are made: (1) When the natural period of a superstructure was shorter than or close to that of the ground, the inertial force of the superstructure mainly controlled pile stresses, in which both shear force and bending moment tended to be the largest in the leading pile. When the overturning moment is small in this case, sway motion dominates in which bending moment has maxima at both pile head and a certain depth in the ground. When the overturning moment becomes large enough to induce a rotation of foundation, by contrast, rocking motion dominates in which pile bending moment is small at the pile head, increasing with depth with a peak at some depth; (2) When the natural period of superstructure was much longer than that of the ground, the inertial force from the superstructure gets small and ground displacement may control the pile stresses in such a way that the shear forces at the pile heads were almost the same within a pile group. In this case, pile stress distributions with depth were mainly controlled by the sway motion due to the ground displacement, in which bending moment becomes a maximum only at the pile head and decreases with depth; and (3) The combination of the effects of the sway and rocking motions on pile stress varied depending on such factors as the presence of foundation embedment, natural periods of superstructures, aspect ratios of structures (height/width) and ground displacement.     

Study of correlation between specific energy of cutting and physical properties of rock and prediction of excavation rate for lignite mines in Çayırhan area,Turkey

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Laboratory specific energy (SE) is a reliable indicator to evaluate the rock cuttability and efficiency for mechanical excavation in mining and...     

Evolutionary game of investors’ opportunistic behaviour during the operational period in PPP projects

In public–private partnership (PPP) projects, during the operational period, private investors are prone to act opportunistically in pursuit of their own gain. Based on the perspectives of government’s administrative supervisory functions, this paper analyses the issue of strategic choice for opportunistic behaviour by the government and private investors during the operational period of projects using evolutionary game theory. The results show that there is not a single set of evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) between the government and the investors. The end results of the evolutionary game are related to the initial states of the system. Conditions that would dissuade investors from adopting an opportunistic behaviour, and settings that would encourage government to supervise closely, are explored. Punishments set by the government, which would then lead to different ultimate choices made by these two parties, are also discussed. Finally, the paper proposes a few policy recommendations for government supervision on the basis of parametric analysis. The findings also serve as a reference for the decision-making process of the government and the investors.     

Stress–dilatancy relationships of sand in the simulation of volumetric behavior during cyclic torsional shear loadings

In order to describe the volumetric behavior of soil subjected to shearing, a relationship that deals with the ratio of plastic strain increments to stress ratio (i.e. a stress–dilatancy relationship) is required in addition to the stress–shear strain relationship. In view of the above, stress–dilatancy relationships during cyclic torsional shear loadings were experimentally investigated in the current study. Based on the experimental results, a bilinear non-unique stress–dilatancy model was proposed for stress controlled drained cyclic torsional shear loading. The stress–dilatancy relationships during virgin loading and subsequent cyclic loading were modeled separately by considering the effects of stress history (over-consolidation or normal consolidation). Then the volume change of Toyoura sand specimens subjected to cyclic torsional shear loading was simulated by combining the simulation of stress–shear strain relationship with the proposed stress–dilatancy relationships. It was observed from the comparison of the experiment results with the simulation of volumetric strain that, after combining with accurate modeling of stress–shear strain relationship, the proposed stress–dilatancy relationship can reasonably simulate the volumetric behavior of sand subjected to various drained cyclic torsional shear loadings.     

Restoration of the façade of the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan and the repair of damage to reinforced concrete structures caused by a plane crash: An example of critic conservation

The restoration of the former Pirelli Tower in Milan, which dates back to the early 1950s, is an example of various issues in approaching the “conservation of the new”. This project was completed with the broad use of industrial products that evoked different kinds of reflections, if only within the same planning methodology, common to all interventions of architectural restoration. This restoration constitutes an exemplary episode where only a careful and critical evaluation facilitated the understanding of which elements are important in conservation and which can be substituted or updated. This approach uses case-to-case evaluations. The conservation of “new” architecture is similar to other restoration problems, except for the closeness in time to the original works and, sometimes, with its creator.The main intervention concerns the recovery of the structure with over 10,000 m² of continuous aluminum and glass façade in a skyscraper designed by Italian master Gio Ponti and the repair of the damage to the reinforced concrete (RC) structures (designed by another Italian master, Pier Luigi Nervi) caused by a plane crash. The straightening and repair of the RC using entirely innovative methods and the conservation of the structures of the whole façade also translates into financial savings. Approximately 20% of the savings is derived from the complete substitution of the curtain wall. This idea of authenticity results in a method of restoration in which all single parts may not always be replaced for every functional upgrade. This scenario is important news, especially for modern architecture that usually prefers the value of what appears to be new, showing parts that are always perfect since the time they were built. People also consider the conservation of items that were considered as merely industrial products a few years ago.     

Discussion on article “Surface subsidence induced by twin subway tunneling in soft ground conditions in Istanbul” by Yılmaz Mahmutoğlu,Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 2011 70(1):115–131

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment -     

Heavy metal concentrations in the general population of Andalusia, South of Spain: a comparison with the population within the area of influence of Aznalcóllar mine spill (SW Spain)

Levels of metalloids (As - urine) and heavy metals (Hg - urine, Cd - whole blood and Zn - serum) were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in 601 subjects living in the area affected by the Aznalcóllar mine spill (SW, Spain) and compared with those of a representative sample (960 subjects) selected from the Andalusian community (non-affected area), southern Spain. The characteristic parameters of the analytical method including uncertainty were determined for each metal. Potential associations of metal concentration with age, sex and body mass index as well as life-style habits (smoking, alcohol consumption and food habits) were explored. Concentrations of all the metals studied were statistically higher in the population of the affected area with respect to that of the non-affected area in Andalusia, although levels were always lower or similar to the values reported for the general population and below occupational reference limits. In conclusion, there is a lack of evidence that the spill had any incidence on human health in the population living in the affected area. There are few references in scientific literature reporting values from large series of samples, and hence our data could be useful for further studies.     

Do mucous aggregates affect macro-zoobenthic community and mussel culture? A study in a coastal area of the Northwestern Adriatic Sea

In June 2000 and July 2002, two mucous aggregation events of large proportion occurred in the Adriatic Sea. In order to assess the possible effects that the events had on the macrofauna, we studied macro-zoobenthic assemblages and mussel culture (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Structural parameters of macro-zoobenthos and growth parameters of mussels were recorded. The study area was a mussel farm located 5 nautical miles off Porto Caleri (Rovigo, Italy) in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Between May 2000 and August 2002, two sites were sampled in this area and univariate and multivariate techniques were used to describe the macrobenthic community. Two-way ANOVA showed that mean values of species number, density (individuals m(-2)) and Shannon-Wiener's diversity were significantly influenced (p<0.01) by site and period of sampling and by the interactions of these factors. The Pielou's J averages were significantly influenced only by period (p<0.01). Application of Tuckey's HSD test (p<0.05) to factors detected to be significant by ANOVA did not show significant differences between samples collected after the mucous aggregation events and the other periods. Cluster analysis and MDS ordination did not allow a clear distinction between the samples. Concerning mussels, one-way ANOVA showed that mean values of the shell length and the condition index (dry weight/shell weight) were significantly influenced (p<0.001) by the months. The mean values both for shell length and condition index were higher in 2001. The shell length trend revealed a slowing down of growth in June-July 2000 and July-August 2002, and the condition index trend showed a significant fall in samples of June 2000 and July 2002. The growth of M. galloprovincialis might be influenced negatively by mucous aggregates, whereas the soft-bottom macro-zoobenthos seems not to be directly affected by the event.     

Microbiology on Indoor Air `99– What is New and Interesting? An Overview of Selected Papers Presented in Edinburgh,August, 1999

A multidisciplinary approach to microbiological implications of indoor air is fruitful for research as well as management of health and building problems. The Finnish and the Danish mold programs are examples of such productive collaborative studies. Dust samples taken from classrooms in schools where occupants complain of building-related symptoms (BRS) demonstrated an inflammatory potential in vitro, measured as a release of cytokine interleukin (IL)-8. An increase of the metabolite NO and liberation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and other cytokines during exposure were obtained in vivo, was presented based on these programs and on epidemiological studies on residential fungal contamination and health conducted in Canada and The Netherlands. New methods for assessing fungal exposure are PCA analysis for the toxigenic mold Stachybotrys chartarum and EPS-Asp/Pen for detecting of Aspergillus and Penicillium in dust. Based on a limited data set it is shown that emission rates of fungal spores are inversely proportional to relative humidity (RH), directly related to flow rate and to surface loading. Poor maintenance, risk constructions and risk materials are described in several studies as the main causes of water damage in buildings.     

Behaviour of alkylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants in the aquatic environment—III. Occurrence and elimination of their persistent metabolites during infiltration of river water to groundwater

The behaviour of various persistent metabolites derived from nonylphenol polyethoxylate (NPnEO) surfactants was studied during infiltration of river water to groundwater at two field sites situated in the northern part of Switzerland (Glatt River and Sitter River). Nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO), nonylphenol diethoxylate (NP2EO), nonylphenoxy acetic acid (NP1EC) and nonylphenoxy(ethoxy) acetic acid (NP2EC) were observed in the two investigated rivers at relatively high concentrations with average values of the individual types of nonylphenolic compounds ranging from 1.8 to 25 μg/l. The average concentrations of NP, NP1EO and NP2EO in groundwater were significantly lower (range <0.1–1 μg/l) suggesting an efficient elimination of these compounds during infiltration. In contrast, the elimination of nonylphenoxy carboxylic acids was less efficient. Most of the observed elimination occurred in the first 2.5 m of the aquifer, while further decrease in concentration was rather slow. In one sampling period, residual concentrations of nonylphenolic compounds up to 7.2 μg/l were detected in a pumping station used for drinking water supply which is situated 130 m from the Glatt River bed. Concentrations of NP, NP1EO and NP2EO in both river water and groundwater showed a pronounced seasonal variability with higher values observed during winter. The data suggest that low temperatures, which prevail in winter, significantly reduce the elimination efficiency of NP and to a lesser extent of NP1EO, while the behaviour of NP2EO was not affected. Such a behaviour indicates biogical transformation as the responsible elimination process. A comparison of average elimination efficiences of nonylphenolic compounds with those of pentachlorphenol (PCP) and nitrilotriacetate (NTA) gives the following sequence: NTA ≧ NP2EO > NP1EO > NP > PCP > NP1EC = NP2EC.