Runoff modelling in glacierized Central Asian catchments for present-day and future climate

A conceptual precipitation–runoff model was applied in five glacierized catchments in Central Asia. The model, which was first developed and applied in the Alps, works on a daily time step and yields good results in the more continental climate of the Tien Shan mountains for present-day climate conditions. Runoff scenarios for different climates (doubling of CO2) and glacierization conditions predict an increased flood risk as a first stage and a more complex picture after a complete glacier loss: a higher discharge during spring due to an earlier and more intense snowmelt is followed by a water deficiency in hot and dry summer periods. This unfavourable seasonal redistribution of the water supply has dramatic consequences for the Central Asian lowlands, which depend to a high degree on the glacier melt water for irrigation and already nowadays suffer from water shortages

Phonon Raman scattering of perovskite LaNiO3 thin films

We report an investigation of perovskite-type LaNiO3 thin films by Raman scattering in both various scattering configurations and as a function of temperature. The room-temperature Raman spectra and the associated phonon mode assignment provide reference data for phonon calculations and for the use of Raman scattering for structural investigations of LaNiO3, namely the effect of strain in thin films or heterostructures. The temperature-dependent Raman spectra from 80 to 900 K are characterized by the softening of the rotational A1g mode, which suggest a decreasing rhombohedral distortion towards the ideal cubic structure with increasing temperature

Treatment of malunion in ankle fractures

Malunions are fractured bones that have healed in pathological positions. This leads to nonphysiological load transfer. Clinical symptoms at the ankle may include swelling, pain and impaired function. Lateral, posterolateral or posteromedial subluxation of the talus will be visible on the radiographs. Surgical correction may be indicated if the malunion is symptomatic. Different osteotomies have been described, but the goal of surgery will always be the reduction and retention of the subluxed talus in an effort to recreate stable conditions.Eighty percent of patients show good results with significant pain reduction in mid-term follow-up studies. Ankle arthrodesis after corrective osteotomy is rarely necessar

Critical Scaling Properties at the Superfluid Transition of 4^4He in Aerogel

We study the superfluid transition of $^4$He in aerogel by Monte Carlo simulations and finite size scaling analysis. Aerogel is a highly porous silica glass, which we model by a diffusion limited cluster aggregation model. The superfluid is modeled by a three dimensional XY model, with excluded bonds to sites on the aerogel cluster. We obtain the correlation length exponent $\nu=0.73 \pm 0.02$, in reasonable agreement with experiments and with previous simulations. For the heat capacity exponent $\alpha$, both experiments and previous simulations suggest deviations from the Josephson hyperscaling relation $\alpha=2-d\nu$. In contrast, our Monte Carlo results support hyperscaling with $\alpha= -0.2\pm 0.05$. We suggest a reinterpretation of previous experiments, which avoids scaling violations and is consistent with our simulation results.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Shape-induced phenomena in the finite size antiferromagnets

It is of common knowledge that the direction of easy axis in the finite-size ferromagnetic sample is controlled by its shape. In the present paper we show that a similar phenomenon should be observed in the compensated antiferromagnets with strong magnetoelastic coupling. Destressing energy which originates from the long-range magnetoelastic forces is analogous to demagnetization energy in ferromagnetic materials and is responsible for the formation of equilibrium domain structure and anisotropy of macroscopic magnetic properties. In particular, crystal shape may be a source of additional uniaxial magnetic anisotropy which removes degeneracy of antiferromagnetic vector or artificial 4th order anisotropy in the case of a square cross-section sample. In a special case of antiferromagnetic nanopillars shape-induced anisotropy can be substantially enhanced due to lattice mismatch with the substrate. These effects can be detected by the magnetic rotational torque and antiferromagnetic resonance measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B, v.75, N17, 200