Search results for "Civil Engineering"
showing 10 items of 1216 documents
Biotechnology Applications of Plant Callus Cultures
2019
In ethnopharmacology, and especially in traditional Chinese medicine, medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years. Similarly, agricultural plants have been used throughout the history of mankind. The recent development of the genetic engineering of plants to produce plants with desirable features adds a new and growing dimension to humanity’s usage of plants. The biotechnology of plants has come of age and a plethora of bioengineering applications in this context have been delineated during the past few decades. Callus cultures and suspension cell cultures offer a wide range of usages in pharmacology and pharmacy (including Chinese medicine), as well as in agriculture and horticu…
Modelling aspects of forest decline in Germany: II. Application and validation of an integrated soil-plant-model
1998
Abstract In 1993 the German Federal Environmental Agency initiated a project to evaluate the forest decline research of the period 1982–1992 in Germany. The soil-plant-model PLOT applied here was developed to integrate the research results. It consists of a soil module, BODEN, and a plant module. FICHTE, which both include several submodels. For validation of submodels, modules, and the whole model, a stepwise procedure was chosen and parts will be presented here. Focussing on soil processes and nutritional aspects, the model performance as well as the applicability range and limits are shown. The underlying cause-effect-relationships and the theoretical aspects of the modelling exercise ar…
An optimal dimensioning method of a green wall structure for noise pollution reduction
2021
International audience; This paper concern the optimization of a multilayered green wall structure including substrate and foliage in order to reduce as much as possible backward noise reflection and forward transmission from the wall. Each component involved in the wall structure is fully characterized experimentally to get its transfer matrix. Simulation demonstrated that foliage layer superimposed to substrate layer doesn’t affect the transmission losses but contributes greatly to the increase of return losses of the green wall structure. To achieve the best performances in terms of return and forward losses as well as frequency bandwidth, the methods of optimization are discussed inclu…
Hydropower Generation on The Nysa Klodzka River
2014
Abstract Adopted in 2009, the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources sets out the rules for how Poland is to achieve the 15% target of total primary energy from renewables by 2020. However, there are fears that the goals set out in this Directive may not be met. The share of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in national energy consumption (150 TWh) is estimated at 8.6 TWh in 2009 and 12 TWh in 2011 (5.7 and 8% respectively). The level of RES in Poland until 2005 was approx. 7.2%. The analysis of RES technologies currently in use in Poland shows that in terms of the share in the total capacity, the 750 hydro-electric …
A parsimonious dynamic model for river water quality assessment
2010
Water quality modelling is of crucial importance for the assessment of physical, chemical, and biological changes in water bodies. Mathematical approaches to water modelling have become more prevalent over recent years. Different model types ranging from detailed physical models to simplified conceptual models are available. Actually, a possible middle ground between detailed and simplified models may be parsimonious models that represent the simplest approach that fits the application. The appropriate modelling approach depends on the research goal as well as on data available for correct model application. When there is inadequate data, it is mandatory to focus on a simple river water qua…
Subsecond pore‐scale displacement processes and relaxation dynamics in multiphase flow
2014
With recent advances at X‐ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) synchrotron beam lines, it is now possible to study pore‐scale flow in porous rock under dynamic flow conditions. The collection of four‐dimensional data allows for the direct 3‐D visualization of fluid‐fluid displacement in porous rock as a function of time. However, even state‐of‐the‐art fast‐μCT scans require between one and a few seconds to complete and the much faster fluid movement occurring during that time interval is manifested as imaging artifacts in the reconstructed 3‐D volume. We present an approach to analyze the 2‐D radiograph data collected during fast‐μCT to study the pore‐scale displacement dynamics on the time s…
Stormwater infiltration trenches: a conceptual modelling approach.
2009
In recent years, limitations linked to traditional urban drainage schemes have been pointed out and new approaches are developing introducing more natural methods for retaining and/or disposing of stormwater. These mitigation measures are generally called Best Management Practices or Sustainable Urban Drainage System and they include practices such as infiltration and storage tanks in order to reduce the peak flow and retain part of the polluting components. The introduction of such practices in urban drainage systems entails an upgrade of existing modelling frameworks in order to evaluate their efficiency in mitigating the impact of urban drainage systems on receiving water bodies. While s…
Uncertainty in urban flood damage assessment due to urban drainage modelling and depth-damage curve estimation
2010
Due to the increased occurrence of flooding events in urban areas, many procedures for flood damage quantification have been defined in recent decades. The lack of large databases in most cases is overcome by combining the output of urban drainage models and damage curves linking flooding to expected damage. The application of advanced hydraulic models as diagnostic, design and decision-making support tools has become a standard practice in hydraulic research and application. Flooding damage functions are usually evaluated by a priori estimation of potential damage (based on the value of exposed goods) or by interpolating real damage data (recorded during historical flooding events). Hydrau…
Evaluating the citywide Edinburgh 20mph speed limit intervention effects on traffic speed and volume: A pre-post observational evaluation.
2021
Objectives Traffic speed is important to public health as it is a major contributory factor to collision risk and casualty severity. 20mph (32km/h) speed limit interventions are an increasingly common approach to address this transport and health challenge, but a more developed evidence base is needed to understand their effects. This study describes the changes in traffic speed and traffic volume in the City of Edinburgh, pre- and 12 months post-implementation of phased city-wide 20mph speed limits from 2016–2018. Methods The City of Edinburgh Council collected speed and volume data across one full week (24 hours a day) pre- and post-20mph speed limits for 66 streets. The pre- and post-sp…
Estimation of urban structural flood damages: the case study of Palermo
2000
Abstract The estimation of flood damage is a fundamental step in the economic analysis of a flood control projects. In particular, frequency–damage functions, derived from the hydrologic, hydraulic and damage relationships, are one of the fundamental pieces of information upon which expenditure decisions are based. The aim of this study has been to develop an empirical frequency–damage relationship, obtained by means of detailed local studies, which could be a judgement tool for flood mitigation measures in strongly urbanised drainage areas. Monuments and other estates having a cultural or artistic significance have been specifically taken into account. The analysis has been carried out for…