4,110 research outputs found
Absorbing boundaries in the conserved Manna model
The conserved Manna model with a planar absorbing boundary is studied in
various space dimensions. We present a heuristic argument that allows one to
compute the surface critical exponent in one dimension analytically. Moreover,
we discuss the mean field limit that is expected to be valid in d>4 space
dimensions and demonstrate how the corresponding partial differential equations
can be solved.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; v1 was changed by replacing the co-authors name
"L\"ubeck" with "Lubeck" (metadata only
Estimating annual groundwater recharge coefficient for karst aquifers of the southern Apennines (Italy)
Abstract. To assess the mean annual groundwater recharge of the karst aquifers in the southern Apennines (Italy), the estimation of the mean annual groundwater recharge coefficient (AGRC) was conducted by means of an integrated approach based on hydrogeological, hydrological, geomorphological, land use and soil cover analyses. Starting from the hydrological budget equation, the coefficient was conceived as the ratio between the net groundwater outflow and the precipitation minus actual evapotranspiration (P − ETR) for a karst aquifer. A large part of the southern Apennines, which is covered by a meteorological network containing 40 principal karst aquifers, was studied. Using precipitation and air temperature time series gathered through monitoring stations operating in the period 1926–2012, the mean annual P − ETR was estimated, and its distribution was modelled at a regional scale by considering the orographic barrier and rain shadow effects of the Apennine chain, as well as the altitudinal control. Four sample karst aquifers with available long spring discharge time series were identified for estimating the AGRC. The resulting values were correlated with other parameters that control groundwater recharge, such as the extension of outcropping karst rocks, morphological settings, land use and covering soil type. A multiple linear regression between the AGRC, lithology and the summit plateau and endorheic areas was found. This empirical model was used to assess the AGRC and mean annual groundwater recharge in other regional karst aquifers. The coefficient was calculated as ranging between 50 and 79%, thus being comparable with other similar estimations carried out for karst aquifers of European and Mediterranean countries. The mean annual groundwater recharge for karst aquifers of the southern Apennines was assessed by these characterizations and validated by a comparison with available groundwater outflow measurements. These results represent a deeper understanding of an aspect of groundwater hydrology in karst aquifers which is fundamental for the formulation of appropriate management models of groundwater resources at a regional scale, also taking into account mitigation strategies for climate change impacts. Finally, the proposed hydrological characterizations are also supposed to be useful for the assessment of mean annual runoff over carbonate mountains, which is another important topic concerning water management in the southern Apennines
Study of a high spatial resolution 10B-based thermal neutron detector for application in neutron reflectometry: the Multi-Blade prototype
Although for large area detectors it is crucial to find an alternative to
detect thermal neutrons because of the 3He shortage, this is not the case for
small area detectors. Neutron scattering science is still growing its
instruments' power and the neutron flux a detector must tolerate is increasing.
For small area detectors the main effort is to expand the detectors'
performances. At Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) we developed the Multi-Blade
detector which wants to increase the spatial resolution of 3He-based detectors
for high flux applications. We developed a high spatial resolution prototype
suitable for neutron reflectometry instruments. It exploits solid 10B-films
employed in a proportional gas chamber. Two prototypes have been constructed at
ILL and the results obtained on our monochromatic test beam line are presented
here
Order Parameter and Scaling Fields in Self-Organized Criticality
We present a unified dynamical mean-field theory for stochastic
self-organized critical models. We use a single site approximation and we
include the details of different models by using effective parameters and
constraints. We identify the order parameter and the relevant scaling fields in
order to describe the critical behavior in terms of usual concepts of non
equilibrium lattice models with steady-states. We point out the inconsistencies
of previous mean-field approaches, which lead to different predictions.
Numerical simulations confirm the validity of our results beyond mean-field
theory.Comment: 4 RevTex pages and 2 postscript figure
A Comparative Study of RANS, URANS and NLES Approaches for Flow Prediction in Pin Fin Array
Gas Turbine are nowadays largely used for aircraft propulsion and land-based power generation. The increased attention to environmental aspects has promoted research and development efforts both from manufacturers and research centres. The latest developments in turbinecooling technologies play a critical role in the attempt to increase the efficiency and the specific power of the most advanced designs. Pin fin arrays, in particular, are widely used in jet engine application because of their ability to enhance cooling by providing extended surfaces for conduction and convection. They are also known to be an effective means to create turbulence which naturally increases heat transfer. Pin fin turbulators are typically located inside the trailing edge of high pressure turbine blade where they also act as a structural support. The optimum shapes and spacing of such elements are usually determined experimentally, or more recently, by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). On the other hand, the comprehension of the real physics controlling the heat transfer enhancement process and the role played by the large scale vortical structures generated by the inserts, still represent a great challenge for fluid mechanic researchers. The problem has been intensively investigated by Ames et al. (2005) by means of an experimental campaign on pin fin matrix. From the numerical point of view, the principal bottleneck of the CFD approach as applied to this kind of massively unsteady flow is related to the high computational cost and to the reliability of the turbulence models. The main objective of this work is to offer a critical analysis of the performance of a cooling device consisting of a pin fin turbulators geometry, as predicted by different CFD models of various complexity, using similar computational technology to integrate the corresponding governing equations. Local velocity and turbulence distributions are presented and compared with available experimental data
A Comparative Study of RANS, URANS and NLES Approaches for Flow Prediction in Pin Fin Array
Gas Turbine are nowadays largely used for aircraft propulsion and land-based power generation. The increased attention to environmental aspects has promoted research and development efforts both from manufacturers and research centres. The latest developments in turbinecooling technologies play a critical role in the attempt to increase the efficiency and the specific power of the most advanced designs. Pin fin arrays, in particular, are widely used in jet engine application because of their ability to enhance cooling by providing extended surfaces for conduction and convection. They are also known to be an effective means to create turbulence which naturally increases heat transfer. Pin fin turbulators are typically located inside the trailing edge of high pressure turbine blade where they also act as a structural support. The optimum shapes and spacing of such elements are usually determined experimentally, or more recently, by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). On the other hand, the comprehension of the real physics controlling the heat transfer enhancement process and the role played by the large scale vortical structures generated by the inserts, still represent a great challenge for fluid mechanic researchers. The problem has been intensively investigated by Ames et al. (2005) by means of an experimental campaign on pin fin matrix. From the numerical point of view, the principal bottleneck of the CFD approach as applied to this kind of massively unsteady flow is related to the high computational cost and to the reliability of the turbulence models. The main objective of this work is to offer a critical analysis of the performance of a cooling device consisting of a pin fin turbulators geometry, as predicted by different CFD models of various complexity, using similar computational technology to integrate the corresponding governing equations. Local velocity and turbulence distributions are presented and compared with available experimental data
A transition from river networks to scale-free networks
A spatial network is constructed on a two dimensional space where the nodes
are geometrical points located at randomly distributed positions which are
labeled sequentially in increasing order of one of their co-ordinates. Starting
with such points the network is grown by including them one by one
according to the serial number into the growing network. The -th point is
attached to the -th node of the network using the probability: where is the degree of the -th node
and is the Euclidean distance between the points and . Here
is a continuously tunable parameter and while for one gets
the simple Barab\'asi-Albert network, the case for
corresponds to the spatially continuous version of the well known Scheidegger's
river network problem. The modulating parameter is tuned to study the
transition between the two different critical behaviors at a specific value
which we numerically estimate to be -2.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figur
Short period attractors and non-ergodic behavior in the deterministic fixed energy sandpile model
We study the asymptotic behaviour of the Bak, Tang, Wiesenfeld sandpile
automata as a closed system with fixed energy.
We explore the full range of energies characterizing the active phase. The
model exhibits strong non-ergodic features by settling into limit-cycles whose
period depends on the energy and initial conditions. The asymptotic activity
(topplings density) shows, as a function of energy density , a
devil's staircase behaviour defining a symmetric energy interval-set over which
also the period lengths remain constant. The properties of -
phase diagram can be traced back to the basic symmetries underlying the model's
dynamics.Comment: EPL-style, 7 pages, 3 eps figures, revised versio
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Drives Expansion of Low-Density Neutrophils Equipped With Regulatory Activities
In human tuberculosis (TB) neutrophils represent the most commonly infected phagocyte but their role in protection and pathology is highly contradictory. Moreover, a subset of low-density neutrophils (LDNs) has been identified in TB, but their functions remain unclear. Here, we have analyzed total neutrophils and their low-density and normal-density (NDNs) subsets in patients with active TB disease, in terms of frequency, phenotype, functional features, and gene expression signature. Full-blood counts from Healthy Donors (H.D.), Latent TB infected, active TB, and cured TB patients were performed. Frequency, phenotype, burst activity, and suppressor T cell activity of the two different subsets were assessed by flow cytometry while NETosis and phagocytosis were evaluated by confocal microscopy. Expression analysis was performed by using the semi-quantitative RT-PCR array technology. Elevated numbers of total neutrophils and a high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio distinguished patients with active TB from all the other groups. PBMCs of patients with active TB disease contained elevated percentages of LDNs compared with those of H.D., with an increased expression of CD66b, CD33, CD15, and CD16 compared to NDNs. Transcriptomic analysis of LDNs and NDNs purified from the peripheral blood of TB patients identified 12 genes differentially expressed: CCL5, CCR5, CD4, IL10, LYZ, and STAT4 were upregulated, while CXCL8, IFNAR1, NFKB1A, STAT1, TICAM1, and TNF were downregulated in LDNs, as compared to NDNs. Differently than NDNs, LDNs failed to phagocyte live Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) bacilli, to make oxidative burst and NETosis, but caused significant suppression of antigen-specific and polyclonal T cell proliferation which was partially mediated by IL-10. These insights add a little dowel of knowledge in understanding the pathogenesis of human TB
Coupled decadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation, regional rainfall and karst spring discharges in the Campania region (southern Italy)
Abstract. Thus far, studies on climate change have focused mainly on the variability of the atmospheric and surface components of the hydrologic cycle, investigating the impact of this variability on the environment, especially with respect to the risks of desertification, droughts and floods. Conversely, the impacts of climate change on the recharge of aquifers and on the variability of groundwater flow have been less investigated, especially in Mediterranean karst areas whose water supply systems depend heavily upon groundwater exploitation. In this paper, long-term climatic variability and its influence on groundwater recharge were analysed by examining decadal patterns of precipitation, air temperature and spring discharges in the Campania region (southern Italy), coupled with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The time series of precipitation and air temperature were gathered over 90 yr, from 1921 to 2010, using 18 rain gauges and 9 air temperature stations with the most continuous functioning. The time series of the winter NAO index and of the discharges of 3 karst springs, selected from those feeding the major aqueducts systems, were collected for the same period. Regional normalised indexes of the precipitation, air temperature and karst spring discharges were calculated, and different methods were applied to analyse the related time series, including long-term trend analysis using smoothing numerical techniques, cross-correlation and Fourier analysis. The investigation of the normalised indexes highlighted the existence of long-term complex periodicities, from 2 to more than 30 yr, with differences in average values of up to approximately ±30% for precipitation and karst spring discharges, which were both strongly correlated with the winter NAO index. Although the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) had already been demonstrated in the long-term precipitation and streamflow patterns of different European countries and Mediterranean areas, the results of this study allow for the establishment of a link between a large-scale atmospheric cycle and the groundwater recharge of carbonate karst aquifers. Consequently, the winter NAO index could also be considered as a proxy to forecast the decadal variability of groundwater flow in Mediterranean karst areas
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