Search results for "MPT"

Do terrorism, organized crime (drug production), and state weakness affect contemporary armed conflicts? An empirical analysis

2015

ABSTRACTIn 2014, the UN Security Council emphasized the dangers of terrorism, criminal activity (especially drug production and trafficking), and state weakness in conflict areas. However, neither policy debates nor scholarly analyses have focussed on the potential impact of these elements on conflict dynamics and characteristics, and the investigated partial relationships have led to inconclusive results. This article explores the presence in armed conflicts of terrorist groups among fighting parties, major drug production (indicating the presence of activities typical of criminal organizations), and state failure in the period 1990–2011. Focussing on intrastate conflicts, this article hig…

An insight into the electrical energy demand of friction stir welding processes: the role of process parameters, material and machine tool architectu…

2018

The manufacturing sector accounts for a high share of global electrical energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, and therefore, the environmental impact of production processes is being more and more investigated. An analysis of power and energy consumption in friction stir welding processes can contribute to the characterization of the process from a new point of view and also provide useful information about the environmental impact of the process. An in-depth analysis of electrical energy demand of friction stir welding is here proposed. Different machine tool architectures, including an industrial dedicated machine, have been used to weld aluminum and steel sheets under different process …

The impact of the volumetric swelling behavior on the water uptake of gas shale

2018

Abstract Water uptake of gas shales is commonly considered one of the most important factors responsible for fluid loss during flowback operations after hydraulic fracturing. Imbibition experiments cover a key role in this context to analyze the impact of several factors (such as mineralogical composition, fluids composition, anisotropic structure, volumetric swelling) that contribute to the water uptake in these unconventional reservoirs. The aim of this study is the quantification of the impact of the volumetric response (swelling and shrinkage) of gas shales on the water uptake during imbibition and desiccation processes. An experimental methodology to quantify the volumetric response du…

Comparison of fully non-stationary artificial accelerogram generation methods in reproducing seismicity at a given site

2020

Abstract Seismic input modelling is a crucial step when Non-Linear Time-History Analyses (NLTHAs) are performed, the seismic response of structures being highly responsive to the input employed. When natural accelerograms able to represent local seismicity are not available, the use of generated accelerograms is an efficient solution for input modelling. The aim of the present paper is to compare four methods for generating fully non-stationary artificial accelerograms on the basis of a target spectrum, identified using seven recorded accelerograms registered in the neighbourhood of the construction site during a single event, assumed as target accelerograms. For each method, seven accelero…

El arte de la platería en la Concatedral de San Nicolás de Alicante

2020

The Co-cathedral of San Nicolás de Alicante still preserves an important treasure of pieces of silverware, ranging from the 17th to the 20th centuries, although the greatest development was known during the 18th century, with sumptuous commissions to the most prominent silversmiths both locally as at regional and national level. In this way, it can be said that the Alicante trousseau is a good example of a temple that, once built, focuses its efforts on the collection of silverware objects that enhance the cult and its ceremonies.

2019

Final disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plants (NPPs) is an ethical issue with implications within and across generations. We address this issue from the perspective of nuclear communities that host nuclear waste disposal sites. These are primarily the communities that face injustice due to the potential radiological risks. A resident survey (n = 454) was conducted in two Finnish nuclear communities, i.e. Eurajoki and Pyhajoki, that are being considered as alternative sites for a second repository for SNF. The nuclear waste management (NWM) company Posiva is already building a repository in Eurajoki, the first in Finland. These communities are in different stages of th…

Subjective Logic-Based In-Network Data Processing for Trust Management in Collocated and Distributed Wireless Sensor Networks

2018

While analyzing an explosive amount of data collected in today’s wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the redundant information in the sensed data needs to be handled. In-network data processing is a technique which can eliminate or reduce such redundancy, leading to minimized resource consumption. On the other hand, trust management techniques establish trust relationships among nodes and detect unreliable nodes. In this paper, we propose two novel in-network data processing schemes for trust management in static WSNs. The first scheme targets at networks, where sensor nodes are closely collocated to report the same event. Considering both spatial and temporal correlations, this scheme generat…

Terrorism in the Website

2020

Without any doubt, terrorism causes higher levels of anxiety and very well enhances our fears as never before. The post 9/11 context witnesses the multiplication of xenophobic expressions, such as Islamophobia or tourist-phobia, only to name a few. These expressions result from a culture of intolerance, which not only was enrooted in the ideological core of western capitalism but was accelerated just after 9/11. Some voices emphasize the needs of employing technology to make this world a safer place. This chapter goes in a contradictory direction. The authors focus on the ethical limitations of technologies when they are subordinated to the ideals of zero-risk society. Echoing Sunstein and …

Water retention and swelling behaviour of granular bentonites for application in Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) systems

2016

Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) systems are used as efficient hydraulic barriers in landfills for the disposal of hazardous municipal wastes. Along with geotextiles, bentonite materials are chosen as one of the primary components of GCLs due to their high retention, adsorption, and swelling capacities. GCLs are manufactured using bentonites at a high total suction and hydrated through the uptake of liquid from the subsoil and the confined material as soon as they are installed. Bentonites may exhibit considerable volume change upon wetting. Depending on the confinement stress, the void ratio may significantly increase with a decrease in suction, particularly at higher degrees of saturation. T…

Pathogenic Escherichia coli Among Asymptomatic Children and Associated Factors

2020

Abstract Although Escherichia coli is a part of the commensal flora of the gastrointestinal tract, pathogenic types of E. coli can cause diarrhea, especially in children. Pathogenic types are found also in healthy individuals, but prevalence of pathogenic E. coli among asymptomatic children varies and has not been studied in Latvia. The aim of the study was to determine prevalence of pathogenic E. coli among asymptomatic children and identify factors associated with presence of bacterium. Children (aged 0.5–8 years) without acute gastrointestinal symptoms were included in a cross-sectional study. Parents were asked to answer a questionnaire (demographic data, parental education, type of del…