Main Infrastructure Research Articles

Monitoring surface changes in discontinuous permafrost terrain using small baseline SAR interferometry, object-based classification, and geological features: a case study from Mayo, Yukon Territory, Canada

Permafrost-induced deformation of ground features is threating infrastructure in northern communities. An understanding of permafrost distribution is therefore critical for sustainable adaptation planning and infrastructure maintenance. Considering the large area underlain by permafrost in the Yukon Territory, there is a need for baseline information to characterize the permafrost in this region. In this study, the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technique was used to identify areas of ground movement likely caused by changes in permafrost. The DInSAR technique was applied to a series of repeat-pass C-band RADARSAT-2 observations collected in 2015 over the Village of Mayo, in central Yukon Territory, Canada. The conventional DInSAR technique demonstrated that ground deformation could be detected in this area, but the resulting deformation maps contained errors due to a loss of coherence from changes in vegetation and atmospheric phase delay. To address these limitations, the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) InSAR technique was applied to reduce phase error, thus improving the deformation maps. To understand the relationship between the deformation maps and land cover types, an object-based Random Forest classification was developed to classify the study area into different land cover types. Integration of the InSAR results and the classification map revealed that the built-up class (e.g., airport) was affected by subsidence on the order of −2 to −4 cm. The spatial extent of the surface displacement map obtained using the SBAS InSAR technique was then correlated with the surficial geology map. This revealed that much of the main infrastructure in the Village of Mayo is underlain by interbedded glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments, the latter of which caused the most damage to human made structures. This study provides a method for permafrost monitoring that builds upon the synergistic use of the SBAS InSAR technique, object-based image analysis, and surficial geology data.

Low Cost Video Streaming through Mobile Edge Caching: Modelling and Optimization

Caching content at the edge of mobile networks is considered as a promising way to deal with the data tsunami. In addition to caching at fixed base stations or user devices, it has been recently proposed that an architecture with public or private transportation acting as mobile relays and caches might be a promising middle ground. While such mobile caches have mostly been considered in the context of delay tolerant networks, in this paper we argue that they could be used for low cost video streaming without the need to impose any delay on the user. Users can prefetch video chunks into their playout buffer from encountered vehicle caches (at low cost) or stream from the cellular infrastructure (at higher cost) when their playout buffer empties while watching the content. Our main contributions are: (i) to model the playout buffer in the user device and analyze its idle periods which correspond to bytes downloaded from the infrastructure; (ii) to optimize the content allocation to mobile caches; and to minimize the expected number of non-offloaded bytes. We perform trace-based simulations to support our findings showing that up to 60 percent of the original traffic could be offloaded from the main infrastructure.

Infrastructure governance: Causes for the poor sectoral coordination among infrastructure sectors of Addis Ababa

Sectoral coordination in urban infrastructure development and service provision plays an important role in determining the urban economic and physical development and has indispensable role in the livelihood of urban dwellers, efficiency and effectiveness of service providers and development of any country. However, Ethiopian cities/town administrations and policy makers pay meagre attention to the interdependencies among infrastructure systems, the urban functions to be served and to the sustainability of the facilities in their strategy and urban development policy.This article looks into the process of urban infrastructure development and service provision in the Addis Ababa to identify the root causes for the poor level of inter sectoral coordination among infrastructure sectors of Addis Ababa. In doing so, the study focus on the four main infrastructure sectors of Addis Ababa; Water and sewerage, Electricity, Telecommunication, and Road sectors. Based on the overall analysis and results of the study, it is concluded that the current governance arrangements in terms of institutional arrangement, financial arrangements and regulatory frameworks were found to be less effective and unsuitable for a multi actor system, in this case, coordination among interdependent infrastructure sectors of Addis Ababa. These factors; institutional, regulatory and financial arrangements, were found to have strong relationships and significant influence on the process of infrastructure development and service provision as well as level of inter-sectoral coordination indicating an urge and need for the current governance arrangement to be made more effective and compatible for the existing infrastructure needs and requirements.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned from the Project 15.3.1.017 „Risk Management for Large Scale Infrastructures in the Romanian-Bulgarian CrossBorder Area“

The paper presents the main results from the implementation of the project 15.3.1.017 „Risk Management for Large Scale Infrastructures in the Romanian-Bulgarian Cross-Border Area“, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Programme Interreg V-A Romania – Bulgaria. The project includes a study of the main infrastructure objects from the chemical industry, energy and transport infrastructures. Documents have been developed in order to raise the awareness of the population in the crossborder region. The knowledge of the trainees has been assessed in respect to risk management and the information related to it. The paper presents a statistical analysis of the questionnaires completed during the project.

Level crossings – legal situation, design conditions, accidents and it’s causes

Level crossing is the most dangerous place at which most accidents take place in connection with railway vehicles. While going by train in Poland we pass a level crossing almost every 1.5 km. Many of them do not have any safety devices like light or sound signal or car stops. In Poland there are almost 15 000 level crossings at which around 200 accidents happen with 50 fatalities in a year. These numbers are rising although PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. (the main rail infrastructure manager) implements many projects for infrastructure revitalisations and modernisations.In this report the basic types of level crossings and current legal situation are described. Also, basic guidelines and troubles with the subject in question are shown. The author discusses statistical data about accidents and shows its most frequent causes. At the end, the author tries to analyze if it is

Achieving success in the Digital Equalizer Program through project management

Subject area The case deals with project management principles that are required for implementing a social project in India. Study level/applicability The study has been carried out at primary schools in an underdeveloped state, namely, Odisha, in India. Case overview The case illustrates a project management approach for improving primary education in a government set up. The bureaucracy set up in education in a state like Odisha, India, needs to undergo radical changes. To be effective, an education system requires an optimal integration of the three main components, namely, people, infrastructure (this includes technology) and pedagogical processes. Using a public–private partnership model, American India Foundation (AIF) through its Digital Equalizer (DE) Program has been able to make a positive impact in an underdeveloped tribal dominated district like Keonjhar. The case study also illustrates the detailed execution plan predicated on total system planning, required to achieve this amount of success. The case study also explains how to measure success through different metrics where intervention has to be at multiple levels. The learning from the case study can also be adopted for designing an implementation strategy in other states. Expected learning outcomes Expected learning outcomes are as follows: how to approach implementation of technology-based intervention with involvement of all stakeholders; learn project management techniques related to digital learning model implementation; understand the DE methodology; and understand the challenges faced while implementing the DE Program. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 7: Management Science.

ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF MRT’S CIRCULAR TU

ABSTRACT Jakarta MRT was one of solution to solve the traffic jam in Jakarta. There are two physical constructions which serves as the main infrastructure of Jakarta MRT, elevated and underground track. It is not only the first MRT in Indonesia but also, the first large-scale underground works in Jakarta. The physical construction of underground structure became an interesting case to be researched. The use of precast concrete tunnel lining (PCTL) segment was necessary to hold the loads and to provide the space for underground track. In designing the tunnel lining, calculation of the member forces and safety check are necessary to determine the amount of rebar and the dimension, and also to know the value of safety, so, the tunnel lining can be used as the function. According to the guidelines for the design of shield tunnel lining issued by International Tunnelling Association (ITA, 2000), the member forces of tunnel lining could be calculated by (1) Elastic Equation Method, (2) Bedded Frame Method, (3) Finite Element Method (FEM). In this research, the member forces of tunnel lining are calculated using analytical method, without computer program. Therefore, method (1) is used to know the value of each member forces to be used for designing the reinforcement bars. The member forces are analysed for tunnel lining with 6.8 m outer diameters, 1.5 m width and 0.25 m thickness in Jakarta MRT CP106 (Bundaran HI). Based on research which has been done, obtained the maximum values for positive bending moment in the tunnel crown (I¸ = 0°) is 101.352 kN.m, for negative bending moment in the tunnel axis (I¸ = 90°) is -281.394 kN.m. In contrary, the value of maximum axial force is in the tunnel axis (I¸ = 90°) is 1094.538 kN, for minimum axial force is in the tunnel crown (I¸ = 0°) is 904.674 kN. While, the value of maximum shear force is in (I¸ = 120°) is 118.740 kN, for minimum shear force is in (I¸ = 30°) is -66.866 kN. The result of safety checks against member forces in tunnel lining, the value of nominal bending moment multiplied by reduction factor (I• · Mn) is 296.263 kN.m, bigger than the value of ultimate bending moment (Mu) is 281.394 kN.m. For the value of nominal shear force multiplied by reduction factor (I• · Vn) is 136.095 kN, bigger than the value of ultimate shear force (Vu) is 118.740 kN. While, safety check against thrust force of shield jack obtained the value of maximum compressive stress of concrete segment (𝜎𝑐) is 5.016 MN/m2, bigger than the value of allowable stress (𝜎𝑐𝑎) is 16 MN/m2. Keywords: Jakarta MRT, underground, tunnel lining, member forces, Elastic Equation Method.

Security enhancement technique in cognitive networks

Networking provides the main infrastructure for different recent applications. These applications are targets for various types of attacks. This research mainly focuses on evaluating the techniques used within cognitive system specifically CRN to ensure the security of the data as well as securing the communication. This will include the development of safety technologies in wireless communication in CRNs and also within wired exchanges in the core network. The study will also incorporate security mechanisms into cognitive network fundamentals as well as designing of monitoring framework (Spec Monitor) to monitor the system and detect malicious and abnormal behaviors. The research will evaluate security development techniques such as spectrum sensing in the cognitive network and non-parametric passive traffic monitoring in cognitive systems. A detailed technique is proposed to overcome the increasing complexity threats in Cognitive networks. The major focus of this technique is on host based approach and network based approach. Henceforth, there has been a comparative study on various attributes of information security.

The Study of Building Korean Popular Music Archive: Focused on the opinions of the people working on popular music area

본 연구는 대중음악 아카이브의 가치와 특성에 대한 고찰을 통해 국내 실정에 맞는 공식적인 대중음악 아카이브의 구축방안을 제시하고자 한다. 이에 본 연구는 국내에서 활동 중인 대중음악관계자들을 대상으로 표적집단면접(F.G.I)을 실시하여 대 중음악 아카이브의 구축방안을 다음과 같이 도출하였다. 먼저 건립방안으로 대중음악 아카이브는 ‘한국영상자료원’을 벤치마킹하며, 정부주도의 운영이 아닌 정부와 민간, 시장의 비영리부문 등 다양한 의견의 상호작용에 기반을 둔 민·관 합작의 방식으로 건립되어야 한다. 다음으로 대중음악 아카이브의 운영 모델은 도서관, 기록관, 박물관의 기능을 결합한 복합문화공간인 ‘라키비움(Larchivieum)’을 지향한다. 대중음악 아카이브의 세부 운영방안은 자료수집방안, 음반목록구축방안, 서비스제공 및 학예시스템 운영방안으로 나누어 제시할 수 있다. 먼저 자료수집방안으로 현재 정부 기관이 보유한 대중음악기록물들의 보존 여부를 면밀하게 크로스 체크할 필요가 있으며, 동시에 민간의 영역에서의 자료보유현황조사도 병행되어야 한다. 또한 개인소장자가 보유하고 있는 대중음악 기록물의기증 및 임대 시스템을 도입하는 동시에, 대중음악 자료를 구매하기 위한 적절한 예산편성이 필요하다. 다음은 음반목록구축방안으로서, 공식적인 통합음반목록구축은 대중음악 아카이브가 수행해야 할 핵심적인 업무이며 공신력 있는 대중음악 정보를 확산시키고 대중음악 연구를 진작시킨다는 점에서 의의가 있다. 통합음반목록 구축을 위해서는 건립논의 단계인 마스터플랜 작업에서부터 적절한 예산책정이 필요하며, 목록작성을 위한 방대한 음반 데이터의 표준화작업과 이에 상응하는 전문적인 연구 작업이 뒷받침되어야 한다. 끝으로 서비스 및 학예시스템 운영방안으로 대중음악 아카이브는 기본적으로 전시와 체험을 병행하는 시스템으로 구성되어야 하며, 적절한 전시기획을 통한 다양한 체험프로그램의 제공이 필요하다. 또한 대중음악 아카이브의 지속가능한 서비스 제공을 위해서는 자료를 정기적으로 업데이트하고 다양한 전시기획을 수행할 수 있는 대중음악 전문 학예사의 양성과 이들에 대한 연구 지원이 필수적이다. 본 연구는 대중음악 아카이브에 대한 심도 있는 고찰을 시도하여 대중음악 아카이브는 한국 대중음악의 뿌리를 보존하고 역사성을 재고하며, 한국 대중음악의 위상을 전 세계에 알리는 사회적 기반 시설임을 강조한 점과, 대중음악 아카이브의 구축을 위한 실질적인 가이드라인의 제시를 통해 국내 실정에 맞는 공식적인 대중음악 아카이브의 구축방안을 제시했다는 점에서 그 의의를 찾을 수 있다.This study is to provide official plan for building Korean popular music archive with its value and property. This study has executed Focus Group Interview (F.G.I) to the people who work in pop-music industry and derivated the plan for building the pop-music archive as follows. Firstly, the pop-music archive benchmarks ‘Korean Federation of Film Archives’ and it shall not be a government-led organization but a public-private joint organization based on the interaction of various opinions of the government, private, and non-profit organization. Next, the pop-music archive’s operation model shall pursue complex cultural space, called ‘Larchivieum’ which is a combination of library, archives, and museum. The details of the operation of the pop-music archive can be divided into data collection plan, music catalog building plan, service provision, and curriculum system management plan. First of all, it is necessary to cross-check the preservation of pop-music materials currently owned by government agencies and private organizations. Also, individuals’ pop-music materials’ donation and rent system have to be introduced and proper compilation of budget has to be set in order to purchase pop-music material. Next, as music catalog building plan, building official integrated music catalog is the core task of popular music archive and this work is to spread credible pop-music information and to accelerate pop-music study. In order to build integrated pop-music catalog, proper budget plan is needed from the establishment stage while making the master plan and standardizing massive music data and corresponding study has to be backed up to build the music catalog. Finally, as service and curriculum system management plan, pop-music archive has to be configured with displaying and experiencing section with proper displaying plan for public while providing various experiencing program. Furthermore, in order to provide continuous service of pop-music archive, professional curator has to regularly update the music material and establish various exhibition planning. Support for nurturing professional curator and the study is greatly needed. This study attempted to investigate the public music archive in detail, so that the building and operation of the popular music archive will be the main infrastructure of preserving the roots of Korean popular music, enhancing its history, and promoting the status of Korean pop music to the world. It is worth emphasizing that this study suggests that the establishment of official popular music archive for domestic situation by presenting practical guideline for construction of public music archive.

Direct whole-genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum specimens from dried erythrocyte spots

BackgroundPlasmodium falciparum malaria remains a major health burden and genomic research represents one of the necessary approaches for continued progress towards malaria control and elimination. Sample acquisition for this purpose is troublesome, with the majority of malaria-infected individuals living in rural areas, away from main infrastructure and the electrical grid. The aim of this study was to describe a low-tech procedure to sample P. falciparum specimens for direct whole genome sequencing (WGS), without use of electricity and cold-chain.MethodsVenous blood samples were collected from malaria patients in Bandim, Guinea-Bissau and leukocyte-depleted using Plasmodipur filters, the enriched parasite sample was spotted on Whatman paper and dried. The samples were stored at ambient temperatures and subsequently used for DNA-extraction. Ratios of parasite:human content of the extracted DNA was assessed by qPCR, and five samples with varying parasitaemia, were sequenced. Sequencing data were used to analyse the sample content, as well as sample coverage and depth as compared to the 3d7 reference genome.ResultsqPCR revealed that 73% of the 199 samples were applicable for WGS, as defined by a minimum ratio of parasite:human DNA of 2:1. WGS revealed an even distribution of sequence data across the 3d7 reference genome, regardless of parasitaemia. The acquired read depths varied from 16 to 99×, and coverage varied from 87.5 to 98.9% of the 3d7 reference genome. SNP-analysis of six genes, for which amplicon sequencing has been performed previously, confirmed the reliability of the WGS-data.ConclusionThis study describes a simple filter paper based protocol for sampling P. falciparum from malaria patients for subsequent direct WGS, enabling acquisition of samples in remote settings with no access to electricity.

The Impact of Climate on Ecological Design of Semnan City in Iran

Ecological design is defined as any form expression that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes. Ecological design is an integrative ecologically responsible design discipline. Layout of climate is one of the basics for the ecological design of Semnan. In this regards, the ecological design and the architecture of the city of Semnan are the means through which the city reinvents its identity and its structure and renews its face. Creating of healthy and restful occupant environments for human becomes one of the main infrastructure challenges upon modern ecological design and architecture which provides human health. Undoubtedly, there are also reasons for being optimistic upon the level of physical and mental wellbeing of individuals, reducing the incidence of diseases, and/or might reduce their total fuel consumption with adverse health effects, and environmental pollution. In the climate-related topics, the architecture of the building is considered with the climatic conditions of each region, which will result in more human comfort and energy saving in order to control the environmental conditions. The purpose of this research is to identify and review the architectural style and ecological design of the city in accordance with the climate and the climate guidelines that can be used in the areas of stability, comfort, beauty, health, energy efficiency, and the use of important climatic parameters (temperature, relative humidity, ...) extracted from the data bank of the Semnan Synoptic Station (1965-2005) and the Terjung Environmental Indexes. The thermal comfort conditions of the private and public bodies of Mahani and Givoni were reviewed and analyzed for the establishment of the buildings and seasons of the year. The results show that the weather is very cool at night in the months of March and October which are acceptable on the day in comfort area, and June, July and August are acceptable at the level of comfort in the city in the months of November to March in the day and October to March and in the months of April and May. Also, in the area of energy consumption, buildings should be placed in the east-west axis; long openings in the north and south of the building should be reduced to the sun.

The vulnerability of the environment to spills of dangerous substances on highways: A diagnosis based on multi criteria modeling

Highways and freeways are the main infrastructure channel used to transport cargo in Brazil. This cargo often includes dangerous chemical products which can, in the event of an accident, negatively impact the environment. The development and implementation of tools for the rapid diagnosis of environmental vulnerability in the transportation of dangerous goods has been studied. However, for highways and freeways there is a lack of studies based on environmental attributes, and not just based on statistical data which demands a specific period for collection and analysis and only after that the implementation of preventive measures. Thus, evaluation grounded on multiple criteria embedded in Geographic Information System (GIS) has significant potential for the practical implementation of risk management of road transportation of dangerous goods. This study has determined the environmental vulnerability of route BR 050, specifically the segment between the cities of Uberlândia and Uberaba in the state of Minas Gerais, where multi criteria analysis has been efficient in determining the most vulnerable areas. The main attributes analyzed were the drainage density, soil type and geology, determining that in case of an accident with dangerous substances the regional environment would be immediately affected, and so endorsing the use of this tool in many segments involved in environmental management of highway enterprises.

Book Review: Airport Competition: The European Experience

The competitive business environment in aviation industry has changed since European Integration. Not only airlines become more competitive after s­uch integration, but also other main infrastructure of aviation, airports. At the first stage of regional development, competition in airport industry seems to be impossible since all countries in a region still have clear jurisdictional boundaries. The other side of the coin is that airport competition becomes an important issue in a more integrated region, such as European Union (EU). This occurs because an airport owner from another country can buy other airports outside its state jurisdiction, under the same region. Articles in this book prove the claim of the existence of airport competition. Under the introductory part, the editors outlined three cases from EU: UK Civil Aviation Authority action to Heathrow Airport in 2008, Blocked Takeover of Bratislava Airport 2006 and European Commission Prohibition on Subsidies to Ryanair by Brussels South Charleroi Airport 2004. All of the cases are inevitable proofs that airport competition undoubtedly exists in Europe. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22304/pjih.v4n1.a11

Landslide-hazard mapping through multi-technique activity assessment: an example from the Betic Cordillera (southern Spain)

Landslide hazard in a region limited to data from a regional scale about triggering factors is assessed via cross tabulation between determining factors and landslides with recent activity. Firstly, landslide susceptibility was evaluated and validated through a bivariate statistical method between the previously identified stability conditioning factors and the mapped landslides. In this way, the most susceptible areas for assessing landslide hazards were selected. The main problem to solve in this type of research is the landslide activity. For this purpose, several techniques were applied: news reports, differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar, digital photogrammetry, light detection and ranging, photointerpretation, and dendrochronology. Both the strong and weak points of these techniques are also mentioned. The landslide return period was computed via the association between landslide activity and triggering factors, in this case annual rainfall. Finally, landslide hazard was mapped solely based on landslides with recent activity and their computed return period. The relationship between landslide occurrence and triggering factors shows that, according to both the considered assumptions and the observations made, deep-seated landslides are triggered or reactivated together with superficial landslides once every 18 years, while superficial landslides as flows or falls occur once every 5 years. The results show that there is generally a low landslide hazard in the study zone, especially when compared to landslide susceptibility. This means that landslides are mainly dormant from a natural evolution point of view, but could be reactivated as a result of geomorphological, climate, or human changes. In any case, the landslide hazard is successfully assessed, with a prediction of a 6% annual probability of a high hazard in 5% of the area, intersecting with the main infrastructures of the region; thus, control strategies are justified in order to avoid damage in extraordinary rainfall periods.

An intelligent decision making approach for identifying and analyzing airport risks

Airport is a main infrastructure with the risk of danger and catastrophic damages throughout its activities. These dangers can lead to heavy financial damages and casualties. Thus, identification and prioritization of airport risks and their impact on the system are issues by which the airport management can plan control measures in order to increase safety and to improve system performance. In this regard, this study tries to provide a new decision-making approach to prioritize airport risks in order to consider the cause-effect relationships between risks and their relationships with system objectives that indeed reflect the performance of the airport. Proposed decision-making approach uses fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) method and slack-based data envelopment analysis (SBDEA). So that, at first, cognitive map is drawn for airport risks and system objectives (measurement factors); Then, the impact of each risk on measurement factors is evaluated using learning algorithm based on extended Delta rule and risks are prioritized using SBDEA model without outputs. In the proposed decision-making approach, airport risks are considered as alternatives and the impact of each risk on measurement factors (the output of learning algorithm) are considered as evaluation criteria. Results of using proposed approach in Urmia International Airport located at northwestern in Iran show that risks including: “Lack of staff training”, “Inappropriate ground handling” and “Inoperable navigation aid (NAVAID)” are the main risks in this airport.

A multi-aspect online tuning framework for HPC applications

Developing software applications for high-performance computing (HPC) requires careful optimizations targeting a myriad of increasingly complex, highly interrelated software, hardware and system components. The demands placed on minimizing energy consumption on extreme-scale HPC systems and the associated shift towards hete rogeneous architectures add yet another level of complexity to program development and optimization. As a result, the software optimization process is often seen as daunting, cumbersome and time-consuming by software developers wishing to fully exploit HPC resources. To address these challenges, we have developed the Periscope Tuning Framework (PTF), an online automatic integrated tuning framework that combines both performance analysis and performance tuning with respect to the myriad of tuning parameters available to today’s software developer on modern HPC systems. This work introduces the architecture, tuning model and main infrastructure components of PTF as well as the main tuning plugins of PTF and their evaluation.

Exploration of spatial design issues at backpacker hostels in Budapest׳s historic center: Informality, density, and adaptability

This paper presents a practice-based research to achieve a deeper understanding of the spatial issues related to backpacker tourism, a booming industry in Budapest. The authors designed six backpacker hostels between 2013 and 2015, and of these, four are presently in operation. Hostels are the main infrastructures within the global network of backpacker tourism. Results from the design process revealed that the creation and operation of hostels are significantly influenced by three issues, namely, informality, density, and adaptability. These issues are negotiated on three interconnected levels: the city, the building, and the interior. The authors developed an experimental structure for dormitory spaces as a conscious reaction to these issues. This experimental structure is presented and evaluated, and further paths of development are formulated based on the results.

Las Nieves: una descripción de su territorio desde la perspectiva de la calidad de vida y la salud

Objetivo: describir el territorio del barrio Las Nieves desde la perspectiva de la calidad de vida y la salud. Metodología: estudio de tipo descriptivo y narrativo desarrollado en dos fases: la primera fue un estudio documental sobre la historia del barrio, los límites del territorio, sus rutas de transporte público y las principales infraestructuras que lo componen; la segunda consistió en un recorrido por el barrio. Con los datos de las dos fases se describió lo observado y su relación con la historia y la realidad presente del barrio. Resultados: la historia de Las Nieves se remonta a los orígenes de Bogotá; emergió en torno a la iglesia y la pila de agua que se instalaron en este sector y se transformó en un sitio de actividad fabril, comercial y lúdica, legal e ilegal. El deterioro del barrio solo se revirtió a partir de finales del siglo XX, gracias a iniciativas privadas de universidades y empresas y a políticas públicas orientadas a recuperar el centro de Bogotá. Conclusión: territorio y población son dos elementos que se interdeterminan. De su confluencia se genera la calidad de vida y la salud de la que gozan o carecen los pobladores. Las Nieves no es la excepción, aún más cuando es un barrio de amplia riqueza cultural e histórica que ha configurado su territorio de forma particular, lo que lo convierte en un baluarte para Bogotá.

Modelling of a Debris Flow Event in the Enna Area for Hazard Assessment

In the paper a modelling of a real debris flow in the Enna area in the south of Italy is described. Starting from the study of the geological framework and the historical background for landslides of the Enna district, the research has focused on the causes triggering the landslides. In order to study the performance of debris flow, the real case of 1st-2nd February 2014 which affected Enna city has been modeled. The event caused damage to private buildings and above all the interruption of the main infrastructure connecting Enna city at the motorway, due to the material on the road. The modelling of the real debris flow using a mono-phase model (FLO-2D) was carried out in order to investigate the global dynamic of the event. The study allows to acquire a better knowledge of the hydraulic parameters that can be used in other modelling events for areas with a similar soil composition in order to assess the most appropriate mitigation works, reducing damage to structures and infrastructures.

Design and construction of simple beam bridges for high-speed rails in China: standardization and industrialization

High-speed rail provides a safe, efficient, and economic transportation system for regions with high population density such as eastern China. To accommodate the rapid development of high-speed rails in China, the bridges with standard spans have been identified as the main infrastructure type. This article provides a state-of-the-art review on the design and construction of the standard simply-supported beam (simple beam) bridges for high-speed rails in China. The structural components discussed include the main girder, deck, and substructure. The live load models, deformation limiting values, and construction methods for the bridges are also discussed. Additionally, the experimental tests were conducted to verify the static and dynamic performances of the structure. The main objective of this paper is to provide the latest design and construction experience of Chinese standard simple beam bridges in high-speed rail and show how a quick and quality engineering has been achieved by utilizing these standardized bridges.