124,477 research outputs found
An integrated tool for real time prediction of hydrological response of steep-slopes in shallow pyroclastic deposits
No full textA large part of the mountains of Campania, in southern Italy, are interested by catastrophic flowslides triggered by
heavy rainfalls. The slopes are covered by shallow deposits of loose pyroclastic soils in unsaturated conditions,
which equilibrium is assured by the contribution of apparent cohesion due to soil suction. Hence, a key tool
for the prediction of slope stability is the short-term forecasting of intense and persistent rainfall events and the
subsequent analysis of the hydrological response of the shallow covers during such events.
To this aim a numerical tool, is presented, consisting of a module for stochastic short-term rainfall prediction and
3D finite volumes model of infiltration and seepage through porous medium, provided with a geotechnical module
for slope stability analysis.
The presented predictor of rainfall evolution consists of an event based stochastic model, allowing formulating
real time predictions of the future evolution of a storm, conditioned to the observed part of the storm.
The 3D code (I-MOD3D) was calibrated through back-analysis of infiltration tests on slope model (Olivares et
al. 2009) and of in situ suction measurements (Olivares and Damiano, 2007) collected in a instrumented site
on a slope where recently a catastrophic flowslide occurred. The calibrated model has been applied to real time
predictions of the slope response during some observed storms, showing the reliability of the results of the
proposed model, which may represent a useful tool for decision making to implement early warning systems.
Olivares L. and Damiano E. (2007). Post-failure mechanics of landslides: laboratory investigation of flowslides in
pyroclastic soils. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering ASCE, 133(1): 51-62
Olivares L., Damiano E, Greco R, Zeni L, Picarelli L, Minardo A, Guida A, Bernini R (2009). An Instrumented Flume to Investigate the Mechanics of Rainfall-Induced Landslides in Unsaturated Granular Soils.
GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL, vol. 32; p. 1-11, ISSN: 0149-6115
El Olivares de Marañón
No full textThis article reproduces Sir John Elliott’s lecture “The Olivares of Marañón”, given at the Marañón Week in 2007 “Marañón and the biographical genre”. The renowned British historian discusses here Gregorio Marañón’s book El Conde Duque de Olivares. La Pasión de Mandar (The Count-Duke of Olivares. A Passion for Leading) influenced his interest in Olivares, and analyses the strengths and weaknesses of Marañon’s work in detail.Este artículo recoge la intervención de John Elliott “El Olivares de Marañón” en la Semana Marañón 2007, “Marañón y la biografía”, donde el eminente historiador británico explicó la influencia que El Conde-Duque de Olivares. La pasión de mandar, de Gregorio Marañón ejerció en su interés por el personaje. También se analiza de manera pormenorizada las luces y las sombras del trabajo de Marañón
Juntar erarios y montes de piedad: un arbitrio barroco ante las Cortes de Castilla
No full textEditada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaLas dificultades financieras de la Corona española en el Siglo de Oro favorecieron la propuesta de emparejar los ya conocidos montes de piedad con unos nuevos «erarios públicos», que facilitarían fondos a la Corona y a los particulares sin caer en la práctica nefanda de la usura, contratando a censo y no a préstamo. Las Cortes de Castilla comenzaron apadrinando el proyecto, pero lo hundieron para evitar que el Conde Duque de Olivares lo convirtiese en un instrumento de recaudación coactiva de la Hacienda. Queda patente que las Cortes de Castilla mantenían sus poderes de resistencia un siglo después de la derrota de Villalar. Por eso, los memoriales de los arbitristas no eran dirigidos sólo al Rey y sus ministros, sino también a las Cortes, que reflejaban una opinión pública muy viva y sensible. El análisis del contrato de censo, con el que se evitaba la condena teológica de la usura, ayuda a trazar la lenta penetración del espíritu capitalista en la España barroca.Given the financial difficulties of the Spanish Crown in the 17th century, a willing ear was turned to proposals for combining Italian type Monti di Pietà with Crown chartered erarios, to finance both the Crown and private borrowers: nefarious usury was avoided by granting loans under the guise of a mortgage or lien. The Cortes of Castille favoured the project, but later scuppered it to stop the Count Duke of Olivares from using it as a taxing device. The study makes it clear that the Cortes kept their powers of resistance for a century after the rout of the Comuneros at Villalar: hence the abundance of projects addressed to the Cortes and a lively and sensitive public opinion, beside those addressed to the King and his ministers. The analysis of loans granted under mortgages and liens helps map the slow progress of the spirit of capitalism in baroque Spain.Publicad
Modeling forced-choice response formats
No full textTo counter response distortions associated with the use of rating scales in personality and similar assessments, test items may be presented in so-called ‘forced-choice’ formats. Respondents may be asked to rank-order a number of items, or distribute a fixed number of points between several items – therefore they are forced to make a choice. Until recently, basic classical scoring methods were applied to such formats, leading to scores relative to the person’s mean (ipsative scores). While interpretable in intra-individual assessments, ipsative scores are problematic when used for inter-individual comparisons. Recent advances in estimation methods enabled rapid development of item response models for comparative data, including the Thurstonian IRT model (Brown & Maydeu-Olivares, 2011a), the Multi-Unidimensional Pairwise Preference model (Stark, Chernyshenko & Drasgow, 2005), and others. Appropriate item response modeling enables estimation of person scores that are directly interpretable for inter-individual comparisons, without the distortions and artifacts produced by ipsative scoring
A laboratory and numerical investigation on a post-seismic induced settlement in Southern Italy.
No full textIn the years following the Irpinia earthquake (1980), the old town of Bisaccia, located on a conglomerate hill overlaying a thick clay formation, experienced a slow subsidence revealed by topographic measurements. The paper summarizes the results of the numerical simulations of the effects of the Irpinia earthquake on the Bisaccia hill. The input data for the analyses were the acceleration records of the seismic event at the site and the geotechnical characterization obtained by dynamic and cyclic torsional tests on undisturbed clay shales. The analyses confirmed the hypothesis that the town subsidence was caused by a post-cyclic soil re-compression as a consequence of the earthquake-induced pore pressures. In fact, the computed shear strains generated by the earthquake within the clay shale deposit often trespassed the volumetric threshold strain; the consequent pore pressure buildup should then justify the observed settlements
El asiento de avería y el origen de la compañía privilegiada en España
No full textEl presente artículo analiza cómo la autonomía patrimonial del capital destinado a la organización de las flotas con América acabó adquiriendo la forma de una verdadera compañía privilegiada de comercio, antecedente directo de la actual sociedad anónima, cuando la Corona dejó por entero a los particulares la administración de la avería a través del sistema de asientos. Los paralelismos de los asientos con las compañías llegaron a ser tan grandes que los funcionarios a quienes el conde-duque de Olivares encomendó el estudio de las compañías extranjeras, con objeto de introducirlas en España, vieron en los asientos una verdadera compañía privilegiada.This paper analyses how the progressive autonomy of the capital used to arrange the treasure fleets from Seville to America derived in a real chartered company, a precedent of today’s joint-stock company, when the Crown finally privatised it through the asientos de avería. The parallelism among the asientos and the companies were so noticeable that the public officers appointed by the Count-Duke of Olivares to study the foreign companies couldn’t detect any difference between both institutions.Publicad
Observations on the pre- and post-cyclic compression and stiffness properties of a reconstituted high plasticity clay.
No full textDiscussion on “A laboratory study of the strength of four stiff clays” di J.B. Burland, S. Rampello, V.N. Georgiannou, G. Calabresi
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Mcallen G.I. Forum plays Santa Claus on Christmas Day. (L. to R.) Nick Olabarita, Fidencio de Leon, and Elias Olivares (photograph)
No full textMcAllen G.I. Forum plays Santa Claus on Christmas Day. (L. to R.) Nick Olabarita, Fidencio de Leon, and Elias Olivares
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