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Abstract: This study introduces a novel geotechnical composite material comprising two types of fill material sourced from the paper industry-deinking paper sludge ash (DPSA) and deinking paper sludge (DPS). Five composites with different DPSA and DPS contents were investigated. Two composites were selected for further analyses. The technology and procedure for composite installation were implemented in field tests. The composites with 80% and 70% DPSA exhibited the elasticity required to withstand minor landslide slip deformations, in addition to achieving sufficiently high values of uniaxial compressive strength. The composites had a low maximum dry density value, which led to fewer settlements in the entire support structure. The enhanced shear characteristics can enable the construction of a thinner retaining wall. The delay between preparation and installation of the composites was further investigated. The field tests confirmed that the composites with 80% and 70% DPSA can be installed on the construction site 4 h and even 24 h after mixing. In 2018, a retaining wall structure with 70% DPSA and 30% DPS was successfully implemented near a railway line using conventional technology as followed-up research to the herein presented study. Results have been derived from work performed in the scope of the H2020 Paperchain project in which novel circular economy models centered on the valorization of the waste streams generated by the pulp and paper industry as secondary raw material for several resource-intensive sectors, including the construction sector, have been developed. Environmental benefits are savings in natural raw materials, reduction of landfill disposal as well as CO2 emission reduction.
Keywords: deinking paper sludge ash, deinking paper sludge, secondary resources, fill material, geotechnical structure, landslide, open access
Published in DiRROS: 04.07.2023; Views: 134; Downloads: 118
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Abstract: Hydraulic actions on bridges are a leading cause of failure, especially due to the occurrence of scour erosion. Due to climate change, flooding and scour risks are exacerbating for bridges worldwide, leading to a significant stress burden on asset management agencies. Assessing structures for scour has received significant attention in recent years, however, there are few studies which investigate the influence of scour on the components of a bridge to understand how various elements interact. Moreover, the presence of debris loading, which can occur due to flooding causing debris to become lodged at structures, has not received significant attention. Debris can worsen scour conditions and increase hydraulic loading on a bridge. In this paper, an analysis of the response of various components of a roadway bridge when exposed to extreme flooding is conducted. The influence of scour and debris on hydraulic loading, internal forces, modal periods, and utilization ratios of various bridge components is ascertained. A numerical model is developed using OpenSees employing two different methods to model the soil-structure interaction. Results for several flooding scenarios show how the various bridge elements are influenced by variations in water height and velocity, scour depth, and presence of debris.
Keywords: local scour, wood debris, flooding, resilience, soil-structure interaction, bridges, open access
Published in DiRROS: 29.05.2023; Views: 179; Downloads: 146
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Abstract: A study of the phytochemical and molecular characteristics of ten Micromeria and six Clinopodium taxa (family Lamiaceae) distributed in the Balkan Peninsula was carried out. The phytochemicals detected in essential oils by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and molecular data amplified fragment length polymorphism were used to study the taxonomic relationships among the taxa and the correlations between phytochemical and molecular data. STRUCTURE analysis revealed three genetic groups, while Bayesian Analysis of Population Structure grouped the studied taxa into 11 clusters nested in the groups obtained by STRUCTURE. Principal components analysis performed with the 21 most represented compounds in the essential oils yielded results that were partly consistent with those obtained by STRUCTURE and neighbour-joining analyses. However, their geographic distributions did not support the genetic grouping of the studied taxa and populations. The Mantel test showed a significant correlation between the phytochemical and genetic data (r = 0.421, p < 0.001). Genetic distance explained 17.8% of the phytochemical distance between populations. The current taxonomic position of several of the studied taxa is yet to be satisfactorily resolved, and further studies are needed. Such future research should include nuclear and plastid DNA sequences from a larger sample of populations and individuals.
Keywords: AFLP, Balkan peninsula, BAPS, essential oils, Mantel test, PCA, structure
Published in DiRROS: 08.03.2023; Views: 266; Downloads: 124
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Abstract: European wildlife has been subjected to intensifying levels of anthropogenic impact throughout the Holocene, yet the main genetic partitioning of many species is thought to still reflect the late-Pleistocene glacial refugia. We analyzed 26,342 nuclear SNPs of 464 wild boar (Sus scrofa) across the European continent to infer demographic history and reassess the genetic consequences of natural and anthropogenic forces. We found that population fragmentation, inbreeding and recent hybridization with domestic pigs have caused the spatial genetic structure to be heterogeneous at the local scale. Underlying local anthropogenic signatures, we found a deep genetic structure in the form of an arch-shaped cline extending from the Dinaric Alps, via Southeastern Europe and the Baltic states, to Western Europe and, finally, to the genetically diverged Iberian peninsula. These findings indicate that, despite considerable anthropogenic influence, the deeper, natural continental structure is still intact. Regarding the glacial refugia, our findings show a weaker signal than generally assumed, but are nevertheless suggestive of two main recolonization routes, with important roles for Southern France and the Balkans. Our results highlight the importance of applying genomic resources and framing genetic results within a species’ demographic history and geographic distribution for a better understanding of the complex mixture of underlying processes.
Keywords: spatial genetic structure, European wild boar, demographic history
Published in DiRROS: 03.02.2023; Views: 194; Downloads: 135
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Keywords: pig, pig breeds, mutations, causal mutations, candidate mutations, genetic structure, pig morphological traits, productive traits, meat quality, reproductive traits, disease resistance traits
Published in DiRROS: 06.09.2022; Views: 331; Downloads: 0