Remains of a vast Roman pottery production complex were found on the shore of the Plemići Bay (Općina Ražanac, Zadar county) in 2012, and confirmed by geophysical survey. Ground-penetrating radar measurements revealed outline of a rectangular building that finds analogies with Roman storehouses (horreum). The area occupied by remains of the Roman pottery workshop was covered by immense soil-debris flows. Three geological exposures located to the north of the remains of the Roman building were documented using lithological and malacological analysis, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The profiles revealed at least three generations of slope sediments, formed in result of intensive soil or debris flows in a dry climate, most probably in 5th c. AD. In the next, wet phase sediments were transported downslope and deposited on the Roman structures after 5th c. AD. Environmental conditions at Pelmići were supply with paleoclimate evidence from the Adriatic region. At ca. 1.5 cal. BP lake levels in the eastern Adriatic area were drastically reduced, probably because of strong decrease in humidity, correlated with the so-called North Atlantic Bond event 3. The drought was followed by a humid episode, also attested at the Plemići archaeological site.
The suitability of a land plot in a real estate market could be identified as a good investment because the land plot is deemed as popular. This activity is important for economic growth, who is one of the sustainable development goals. Mostly, all research in this field is focused on sustainability as well as the opinions of professionals. However, this field should be explored from another side which is based on real geodata. Criteria and its weight are very important in decision support systems. The correct criteria can help in selection of the best real estate object for an investment, but it is not only useful but also and a challenging task that has not yet been solved. The methods of research are data graphical analysis, correlation, decision supporting systems, etc. The research aims at determining the significance of the connections and using them as the criteria in the selected decision supporting method. In addition, it will be determined which decision supporting method defines the most suitable object for investment. These new criteria are proposed for operation in the land use models. Furthermore, it has been identified as one criterion, which is significant in the urban and agrarian territories. Also it turned out, that the land plot is the most active when it is as far from a densely built-up residential territory as possible and as close to a school, and when the land plot is as large as possible.
A strategic vision to ensure an adequate, safe and secure drinking water supply presents a challenge, particularly for such a small country as Jordan, faced with a critical supply-demand imbalance and a high risk of water quality deterioration. In order to provide sustainable and equitable long-term water management plans for the future, current and future demands, along with available adaptation options should be assessed through community engagement. An analysis of available water resources, existing demands and use per sector served to assess the nation’s historic water status. Taking into account the effect of both population growth and rainfall reduction, future per sector demands were predicted by linear temporal trend analysis. Water sector vulnerability and adaptation options were assessed by engaging thirty five stakeholders. A set of weighed-criterions were selected, adopted, modified, and then framed into comprehensive guidelines. A quantitative ratio-level approach was used to quantify the magnitude and likelihood of risks and opportunities associated with each proposed adaptation measure using the level of effectiveness and severity status. Prioritization indicated that public awareness and training programs were the most feasible and effective adaptation measures, while building new infrastructure was of low priority. Associated barriers were related to a lack of financial resources, institutional arrangements, and data collection, sharing, availability, consistency and transparency, as well as willingness to adapt. Independent community-based watershed-vulnerability analyses to address water integrity at watershed scale are recommended.
Ever rising increase in number of wireless services has prompted the use of spatial multiplexing through null steering.Various algorithms provide electronic control of antenna array pattern. Simulation-driven technique further introduces correction in array factor to account for array geometry. Taguchi method is used here to combat interference in practical antenna arrays of non-isotropic elements, by incorporating the effect of antenna element pattern on array pattern control in the optimization algorithm. 4-element rectangular and bowtie patch antenna arrays are considered to validate the effectiveness of Taguchi optimization. The difference in the computed excitations and accuracy of null steering confirms the dependence of beam pattern on element factor and hence eliminates the need for extra computations performed byconventional algorithms based on array factor correction. Taguchi method employs an orthogonal array and converges rapidly to the desired radiation pattern in 25 iterations, thus signifying it to be computationally cost-effective. A higher gain and a significant reduction in side lobe level (SLL) was obtained for the bowtie array. Further, due to feed along parallel edges of the patch, the radiating edges being slanted to form the bow shape results in a significant reduction in the area as compared with the rectangular patch designed to resonate at the same frequency.
When a truck impacts on a reinforced concrete (RC) column such as a bridge pier at a high velocity, a large reaction force would generate which would damage the truck, hurt the passengers and destroy the column. Lightweight foams with excellent energy absorbing performance are often used as safeguard constructions to resist impact. The impact behavior can be divided into soft and hard impact. In the case of soft impact, the impacted structure deformation is predominant. In the paper, metallic foam safeguarded RC square columns impacted by a rigid block are simulated using the ABAQUS code software, and the influential characteristic of foam density on the peak impact force and ultimate energy absorption is focused on. The simulated results indicate that the foam safeguard constructions play remarkable role on impact resistance. It is exciting that there appears almost an identical critical foam density corresponding to the minimum peak force and the ultimate energy absorption, which is of great significance for engineering design of this type of safeguard constructions to resist impact.
The growth in high-rise building construction has increased the need for hybrid reinforced concrete and steel structural systems. Columns in buildings are the most important elements because of their seismic resistance. Reinforced concrete (RC) columns and steel columns were used herein to form hybrid structural systems combining their distinct advantages. Eleven 3D building models subjected to earthquake excitation with reinforced concrete beams and slabs of 12 floors in height and with different distributions of mixed columns were analyzed by the SAP2000 software in order to investigate the most suitable distributions of a combination of reinforced concrete and steel columns. Top displacements and accelerations, base normal forces, base shear forces, and base bending moments were computed to evaluate the selected hybrid structural systems. The findings are helpful in evaluating the efficiency of the examined hybrid high-rise buildings in resisting earthquakes.
In the years 1987-1989, within the frames of the international program "Greenland Sea Project", the Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences carried out the oceanographic investigations in the energoactive zones of the Northern Atlantic. The paper presents some results of these investigations, characterizing interannual variability of aero- and hydrophysical fields and the causal connections between hydrological and hydrobiological anomalies. Main results of these investigations indicate that the summer season of 1988 was an anomaly in the region of confluence of Barents and Norwegian Seas. This result is irrefutably confirmed by biological data concerning species, and hydrophysical data, such as light attenuation coefficient, fluorescence, spatial distributions of water temperature, salinity, density and current velocity, as well as mass and heat fluxes. It arises from these information that the southern border of the confluence zone was normally the heat „source", while in 1988 it was the heat „sink". The results obtained indicate two reasons responsible for such a situation. The first is the anticyclonic eddy structure of cold Barents Sea waters, penetrating the confluence zone. The second reason seems to be a mechanism blocking the transport of Atlantic water masses through the transect between Faeroe and Shetland Islands.