1,721,070 research outputs found
Recent slope failures in the Dolomites (Northeastern Italian Alps) in a context of climate change
Full text linkAnalysis of microseismic signals and temperature recordings for rock slope stability investigations in high mountain areas
Full text linkThe permafrost degradation is a probable cause for the increase of rock instabilities and rock falls observed in recent years in high mountain areas, particularly in the Alpine region. The phenomenon causes the thaw of the ice filling rock discontinuities; the water deriving from it subsequently freezes again inducing stresses in the rock mass that may lead, in the long term, to rock falls. To investigate these processes, a monitoring system composed by geophones and thermometers was installed in 2007 at the Carrel hut (3829m a.s.l., Matterhorn, NW Alps). In 2010, in the framework of the Interreg 2007-2013 Alcotra project no. 56 MASSA, the monitoring system has been empowered and renovated in order to meet project needs. In this paper, the data recorded by this renewed system between 6 October 2010 and 5 October 2011 are presented and 329 selected microseismic events are analysed. The data processing has concerned the classification of the recorded signals, the analysis of their distribution in time and the identification of the most important trace characteristics in time and frequency domain. The interpretation of the results has evidenced a possible correlation between the temperature trend and the event occurrence. The research is still in progress and the data recording and interpretation are planned for a longer period to better investigate the spatial-temporal distribution of microseismic activity in the rock mass, with specific attention to the relation of microseismic activity with temperatures. The overall goal is to verify the possibility to set up an effective monitoring system for investigating the stability of a rock mass under permafrost conditions, in order to supply the researchers with useful data to better understand the relationship between temperature and rock mass stability and, possibly, the technicians with a valid tool for decision-makin
Environmental Background in Apricena Quarries (Apulia, Southern Italy)
No full textThis paper, which originates from a systematic elaboration of the available data, aims to
provide a detailed overview of the resources of ornamental stone quarried in the Apricena-
Poggio Imperiale basin. After describing the general geological and geomorphological features
of the basin, the results of a detailed survey of stratigraphic successions are provided, which
enable different sectors of the basin to be defined more clearly. Quarrying techniques, stone
processing methods and the use made of several types of Apricena stone and marble are also
illustrated here. The closure of a quarry due to defects in the quality of the exploited stone,
which may become apparent during the quarrying process, is without doubt one of the most
significant aspects which contribute to an adverse impact on the environment. It therefore
becomes obvious that the preliminary geotechnical and geological surveys are of crucial
importance in order to optimize exploitation of the deposits. In addition the preliminary studies
also help to reduce or minimize any environmental impact that may result from the quarrying
procedures and/or the closure of the quarry. The proliferation of quarries in the Apricena-
Poggio Imperiale basin has resulted in irreversible changes in the ecology of the landscape,
damage to morphological structures, interference with groundwater circulation and the
presence of widespread waste dumps. Detailed analytical study of the cartography has
underlined an unsuitability of the regional regulations which authorize or prohibit quarrying
activity with very little proper consideration of the geological and naturalistic profile of the
quarries
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Data Mining and Data-Driven Modelling in Engineering Geology Applications
No full textDuring the last decade, the increasing monitoring and measurement data availability as well as a diffused power of computation, is encouraging scientists and practitioners at using data mining techniques to improve the knowledge of natural and engineering system and to model identified from data, namely data-driven models. Interesting results, both from the practical and scientific viewpoints can be obtained. Here a review of some of the mostly used data driven techniques is given, showing how they are used in an Engineering Geology framework.
Some specific examples are provided, emphasizing potentialities of data-driven modelling applied to Engineering Geology
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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