Application of ERTS-1 data to the protection and management of New Jersey's coastal environment

ERTS-1 imagery is being used by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to develop information products that will assist the state in optimally managing its coastal resources and in allocating funds. Interviews with NJDEP personnel have identified significant problem areas in the coastal zone, and the types of remote sensor derived information products that can be used in real-time decision making. Initial analyses of imagery from several successive ERTS-1 orbits have shown the extent, predominant drift, and dispersion characteristics of waste disposal in coastal New Jersey waters. Imagery (MSS Bands 4 and 5) for several orbits, shows that New-York Harbor tidal discharge extending as far south as Long Branch, New Jersey

Effective Transport Template for Particle Separation in Microfluidic Bumper Arrays

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.Microfluidic bumper arrays are increasingly being used for the size-based sorting of particle suspensions. The separation mechanism is based on the interaction between a spatially periodic array of obstacles and the suspended particles as they are driven through the obstacle lattice either by volume forces or by the Stokesian drag of the surrounding fluid. By this mechanism, a focused stream of suspended particles of different sizes entering the lattice splits into different currents, each entraining assigned ranges of particle dimensions, and each characterized by a specific angle with respect to the main device axis. In this work, we build up on recent results stemming from macrotransport process theory to derive a closed-form solution for the steady-state distribution of advecting-diffusing particles in the presence of anisotropic dispersion, which typically characterizes large-scale behavior of particle motion through the periodic lattice. Attention is focused on separation resolution, that ultimately controls the feasibility of the separation in specific applications

Quantitative uniqueness for elliptic equations with singular lower order terms

We use a Carleman type inequality of Koch and Tataru to obtain quantitative estimates of unique continuation for solutions of second order elliptic equations with singular lower order terms. First we prove a three sphere inequality and then describe two methods of propagation of smallness from sets of positive measure.Comment: 23 pages, v2 small changes are done and some mistakes are correcte

Dispersion phenomena in microchannels: Transition from Taylor-Aris to convection-dominated regime

This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.This article addresses the qualitative and quantitative properties of solute transport and dispersion in microchannel of finite-length. As the Peclet number increases a transition from the Taylor-Aris to a new regime referred as convection dominated dispersion occurs, which is controlled by the velocity profile near the stagnation points at the solid walls. The properties characterizing dispersion dominated regime can be used for analytical purposes as a chromatographic-based velocimetry and for determining the eventual occurrence of slip at the solid walls of microchannels

A long-term analysis of efficiency in the Italian banking system from 1861 to 2010

In this paper, we analyse the performance of the Italian banking system in the 1861–2010 period. In this regard, we apply a stochastic frontier analysis cum ARDL procedure. First, we implement stochastic frontier analysis to the cost function of the Italian banking system in order to identify the years in which the banking system allocated its resources most efficiently. To this end, we propose a version of the stochastic frontier in which the inefficiency term is modelled as a linear function of the capital ratio and of the non-core ratio. The underlying hypothesis is that the efficiency of the banking system is guided by its degree of solvency and stability (capital ratio and non-core ratio, respectively). Finally, in order to verify the existence and stability of a long-term relationship between banking efficiency and capital ratio and non-core-ratio, we implement ARDL estimation. In so doing, we verify whether solvency and stability are two important factors in determining the efficiency of the Italian banking system in the long run. We show that the efficiency of the banking system is influenced negatively by the non-core ratio and positively by the capital ratio, respectively. Finally, only the non-core ratio influences the efficiency of the Italian banking system in the long run

Associations between psychopathy and the trait meta-mood scale in incarcerated males:A combined latent variable- and person-centered approach

The present study sought to replicate and extend current knowledge on the relevance of emotion regulation (ER) for psychopathy. In a large sample of incarcerated adult males (N = 578), latent profile analysis (LPA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to examine person- and variable-centered associations between self-reported ER and both self-report and clinical ratings of psychopathy. With LPA, participants were classified into three profiles corresponding to low, medium, and high ER. The low-ER profile displayed higher affective traits across psychopathy assessments compared with the other profiles. The same pattern of findings was evident for overt behavioral features of psychopathy, but not for interpersonal traits. SEM results were consistent with LPA findings: interpersonal (positively), affective, and lifestyle (negatively) facets had unique associations with a superordinate ER latent variable. Findings replicate and extend prior associations between psychopathy and ER and suggest differential links between ER and affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy

Joint inversion of seismic and electrical data in saturated porous media

Joint inversion strategies and physical constraints on model parameters may be used to mitigate equivalence problems caused by solution non-uniqueness. This strategy is quite a common practice in exploration geophysics, where dedicated rock physical studies are usually carried out, while it is not so frequent in near surface geophysics. We use porosity as a constraint among seismic wave velocities and electrical resistivity in a deterministic joint inversion algorithm for surface wave dispersion, P-wave traveltimes and apparent resistivity from vertical electrical sounding. These data are often available for near surface characterization. We show that the physical constraint among model parameters leads to internally consistent geophysical models in which solution non-uniqueness is mitigated. Moreover, an estimate of soil porosity is obtained as a relevant side product of the procedure. In particular, we consider a clean sand deposit and hence the appropriate formulations for the computation of porosity from seismic velocities and resistivity are implemented in the algorithm. We first demonstrate how the non-uniqueness of the solution is reduced in a synthetic case and then we applied the algorithm to a real-case study. The algorithm is here developed for one-dimensional condition and for granular soils to better investigate the physical constraint only, but it can be extended to the two-dimensional or three-dimensional case as well as to other materials with the adoption of proper rock physical relationships