This paper investigates the existence and extent of economies of scale in depository and settlement systems. Evidence from 16 settlement institutions across different regions for the years 1993–2000 indicates the existence of significant economies of scale. The degree of such economies, however, differs by size of settlement institution and region. While smaller settlement service providers rev...

a simplified approach for nonlinear analysis of the load-displacement response of a single pile and a pile group is presented using the load-transfer approach. a hyperbolic model is used to capture the relationship between unit skin friction and pile-soil relative displacement developed at the pile-soil interface and the load-displacement relationship developed at the pile end. as to the nonlin...

Coral settlement is a key ecological process in the maintenance, recovery and resilience of coral reef ecosystems. Coral reefs in the Persian Gulf survive in one of the world’s most extreme environments, yet there remains limited knowledge of the role of coral settlement considered critical for maintaining population dynamics. Spatial and temporal patterns of coral settlement were examined at 6...

For sessile marine invertebrates, processes contributing to larval release, dispersal, and settlement in favourable habitats are central to patterns of distribution and community structure. We quantified larval release patterns, phototactic behaviour, and settlement in response to environmental cues for the coral reef sponge Luffariella variabilis. Individual sponges released up to 830 larvae d...

Long-term settlement of MSW landfills is a complex process, which is explained by the following two mechanisms: (1) the mechanical long-term compression of degradable organic solids (DOS) and un-degradable organic solids (UDOS); and (2) the decomposition-based compression of the DOS. Based on these two distinct settlement mechanisms, in this study, the authors propose a new estimation model to ...

The bipartite life history of most marine organisms leads to complex patterns of replenishment in benthic populations. High variation in adult spawning, dynamic oceanographic currents, and often unknown larval behaviors create challenges in accurately predicting spatial and temporal patterns in the supply and settlement of pelagic larvae to nearshore juvenile habitats. Yet, understanding and pr...