Search results for "technical"
showing 10 items of 955 documents
Coseismic Damage at an Archaeological Site in Sicily, Italy: Evidence of Roman Age Earthquake Surface Faulting
2018
Archaeoseismology can provide a useful chronological tool for constraining earthquakes and documenting significant evidence that would otherwise be lost. In this paper, we report a case of surface faulting on ancient man-made structures belonging to the archaeological site of Santa Venera al Pozzo situated along the eastern flank of Mt. Etna volcano in eastern Sicily (southern Italy), which is affected by well-developed tectonic faults. Geological surveys highlight a set of fractures affecting the archaeological ruins, suggesting the occurrence of a capable fault zone across the area. An integrated geophysical survey was carried out in order to identify the main subsurface tectonic disconti…
Safeguarding historic towns on hilltops threatened by land sliding: The case of San Fratello in Sicily
2015
The paper presents the case history of San Fratello, a small town in the Nebrodi Mountains in Sicily rich in history and having very peculiar environmental and cultural characteristics. Both slopes of the narrow ridge where San Fratello lies were affected in 1754, 1922, 1986 and 2010 by very large landslides. The landslide of February 2010 is largely the reactivation of that of 1754. It destroyed many infrastructures and seriously damaged more than 200 buildings and caused the evacuation of 25% of the population. Emergency actions to block regression of uphill movements and secure the buildings and their inhabitants as quickly as possible, were carried out. The sliding slope down to the tow…
Meccanismi di collasso nelle Latomie di Siracusa
2015
The aim of this work is to support, through geomechanical methods, the historical hypothesis proposed by the archaeologists according to which the Latomiae of Syracuse, ancient Greek quarries, were originally mainly developed underground. In order to reach this objective, the finite elements numerical modelling was applied. The input data were inferred from the geologic history, from different archaeological reports and from the geomechanical characterization both of the intact rock and of the rock mass. The study highlighted the geotechnical events which modified the shape and the safety conditions of these amazing ancient quarries over the centuries.
Terreni collassabili e processi di instabilità nella Valle dei Templi
2015
The sacral complex of the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, included in the UNESCO Heritage Site List, stands over the crest of a rigid calcarenite cuesta, which overlies a layer of partially saturated carbonate sand. The environment is highly prone to landslides and the calcarenite stratum is often in limit equilibrium conditions. Toppling phenomena threaten some of the more relevant archaeological structures such as the Giunone's Temple, the Vulcano's Temple, the Santuario rupestre and the palaeochristian Necropolis. As highlighted by several previous studies, the instabilities and the recession of slopes have been caused by the undermining of slopes combined with the discontinuity pattern. …
LONG-TERM STRUCTURAL DEFICIENCIES IN A MAT FOUNDATION ON CLAY SOIL
2013
A 3-story building with a mat foundation consisting of a slab on a grid of grade beams performed poorly on clay soil. Cracking of the slab became rogressively worse as a result of the incorrect esign and fluctuations in the groundwater pressure under the foundation. The cyclic presence and absence of water rusted the steel reinforcement, and the sulfates in the clay soil caused formation of ettringite in the concrete. Plastic hinges formed in the slab and settlements occurred, causing damage to the beams. The situation is still in progress and may lead to the collapse of the structure under normal service conditions. The geotechnical and structural investigations performed to survey and ass…
Geophysical and geotechnical investigations to support the restoration project of the Roman ‘Villa del Casale’, Piazza Armerina, Sicily, Italy
2011
A multidisciplinary geophysical and geotechnical study, including some non-invasive geophysical applications, was carried out during the restoration of the ‘Villa del Casale’, a Roman villa discovered near Piazza Armerina (Sicily, Italy) in 1929, famous for its Roman floor mosaics. The project aims were to characterize the geology of the subsoil and provide information for solving the main building structural problems including the subsidence of some parts of the floor and the detachment of the tesserae (i.e., the tiles) of the mosaics. Another goal was the detailed study of the underground structures of the Corridor of the Great Hunt, a part of the villa strongly affected by subsidence and…
HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: A COMPARISON OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL FACULTIES
2016
INTRODUCTION: A healthy lifestyle is related to healthy practices, such as healthy diet, avoidance of psychoactive stimulants, appropriate level of physical activity, preventive behaviors, coping with stress, positive social relationships, and adjustments. University students do not usually engage in a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, excessive alcohol drinking among students is truly a health problem. OBJECTIVES : The primary objective of this study was to examine the association between alcohol drinking and healthy behaviors in undergraduate students from a large public technical university in the south of Poland (Europe). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used with participants of 283 sec…
How does public spending affect technical efficiency? Some evidence from 15 European countries
2020
The relationship between government size and economic growth has been widely debated. Revisiting the subject from a distinct angle with respect to the mainstream approach, we provide an empirical analysis of the impact of government size on technical efficiency. The aim of this paper is to estimate the impact of public sector's size and of public expenditure components on 15 European countries’ technical efficiency from 1996 to 2014 by using a True Random Effect model. Using the total public expenditure as a proxy for the government size we estimate simultaneously national optimal production function and technical efficiency by controlling for income distribution and institutional quality. …
ICT History Study as Corporate Philanthropy in Latvia
2019
There are two ICT museums in Latvia: the Riga Technical University Telecommunications Museum and the Computing Museum of the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Latvia. Historical studies can be carried out at museums, institutes and universities, and professional communities. The type of history study funding can also vary. The article describes the possibilities for financing of computer museums. A comparison of museum metrics in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia is subject to discussion. This comparison outlines the possible future museum reforms in the Baltic States. The authors review the public and private fu…
Review of the relationship between aggregates geology and Los Angeles and micro-Deval tests
2021
Rock aggregates constitute the enormous volume of inert construction material used around the globe. The petrologic description as igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic types establishes the intrinsic formation pattern of the parent rock. The engineering properties of these rocks vary due to the differences in the transformation process (e.g. hydrothermal deposits) and weathering effect. The two most common mechanical tests used to investigate the performance of aggregates are the Los Angeles (LA) and micro-Deval (MD) tests. This study reviewed the geological parameters (including mineralogy, grain and crystal size, grain shape, and porosity) and the relationship to Los Angeles and micro-De…