781 research outputs found

    A modification of the convective constraint release mechanism in the molecular stress function model giving enhanced vortex growth

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    The molecular stress function model with convective constraint release (MSF with CCR) constitutive model [J. Rheol. 45 (2001), 1387] is capable of fitting all viscometric data for IUPAC LDPE, with only two adjustable parameters (with difference found only on reported ¿steady-state¿ elongational viscosities). The full MSF with CCR model is implemented in a backwards particle-tracking implementation, using an adaptive method for the computation of relative stretch that reduces simulation time many-fold, with insignificant loss of accuracy. The model is shown to give improved results over earlier versions of the MSF (without CCR) when compared to well-known experimental data from White and Kondo [J. non-Newt. Fluid Mech., 3 (1977), 41]; but still to under-predict contraction flow opening angles. The discrepancy is traced to the interaction between the rotational dissipative function and the large stretch levels caused by the contraction flow. A modified combination of dissipative functions in the constraint release mechanism is proposed, which aims to reduce this interaction to allow greater strain hardening in a mixed flow. The modified constraint release mechanism is shown to fit viscometric rheological data equally well, but to give opening angles in the complex contraction flow that are much closer to the experimental data from White and Kondo. It is shown (we believe for the first time) that a constitutive model demonstrates an accurate fit to all planar elongational, uniaxial elongational and shear viscometric data, with a simultaneous agreement with this well-known experimental opening angle data. The sensitivity of results to inaccuracies caused by representing the components of the deformation gradient tensor to finite precision is examined; results are found to be insensitive to even large reductions in the precision used for the representation of components. It is shown that two models that give identical response in elongational flow, and a very similar fit to available shear data, give significantly different results in flows containing a mix of deformation modes. The implication for constitutive models is that evaluation against mixed deformation mode flow data is desirable in addition to evaluation against viscometric measurements

    A study of the quadratic molecular stress function constitutive model in simulation

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    Constitutive models that conform to separable KBKZ specification have been shown to fit steady-state strain hardening rheological data in planar and uniaxial elongational flows, but with inaccuracy in the rate of strain hardening. The single parameter Molecular Stress Function model of Wagner [Rheol. Acta, 39 (2000), 97-109] has been shown to accurately fit the rise-rate in experimental data for a number of strain hardening and strain softening materials. We study this models accuracy against the well characterised IUPAC LDPE data, and present a method for full implementation of this model for flow solution which is suitable for incorporating into existing separable KBKZ software. A new method for particle tracking in arbitrarily aligned meshes, which is efficient and robust, is given. The Quadratic Molecular Stress Function (QMSF) model is compared to existing separable KBKZ based models, including one which is capable of giving planar strain hardening; the QMSF is shown to fit experimental rheological and contraction flow data more convincingly. The issue of `negative correction pressures¿ notable in some Doi-Edwards based models is addressed. The cause is identified, and leads to a logical method of calculation which does not give these anomalous results

    Phosphorus in the landscape: diffuse sources to surface waters. Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation. Occasional Paper 16/98

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    The National Eutrophication Management Program (NEMP) and Environment Australia convened a workshop to develop a coherent overview of the sources and transport of diffuse phosphorus in Australian catchments based on the latest knowledge. The Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC) and the Murray–Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) jointly fund NEMP. A select group of scientists attended the workshop and developed a coherent statement about phosphorus sources and transport in Australian catchments. The group did not extend this statement to include recommended management practices. This paper reports the findings from the workshop. State governments have developed algal and nutrient management strategies in response to concerns about the frequency and severity of algal blooms, including cyanobacterial blooms, in Australian rivers and estuaries. There is an emphasis on phosphorus management, particularly in rural environments, now that nutrients are recognised as fundamental drivers of algal growth. Best management practices (BMPs) were developed for these strategies on the basis of the limited scientific evidence that was available at the time. The absence of a significant body of Australian information meant that there was a reliance on overseas research findings to develop such BMPs. A number of research projects have been completed in recent years on the sources and transport of nutrients in Australian catchments that challenge the Northern Hemisphere model of nutrient behaviour and will have implications for future development of BMPs. Principal conclusions 1. The studies presented in the workshop demonstrate that control of phosphorus entering surface waters must start with land management that minimises accelerated erosion and overland flow of water potentially rich in phosphorus. Heavily grazed lands, irrigation areas and intensive animal and horticultural industries are at risk, especially at the onset of rainy seasons and during periods of high rain intensity. 2. The transport of phosphorus from diffuse sources in landscapes can occur in both dissolved and particulate form. This can be due to different mobilisation and delivery mechanisms operating in different environments. Phosphorus mobilisation and delivery 1. Diffuse sources of phosphorus are the dominant component in most Australian catchments. Episodic rainfall is responsible for the bulk of phosphorus loss from the landscape. The mechanisms vary with each catchment. 2. Particulate phosphorus is carried by overland flow, resulting from run-off and erosion. In high to medium rainfall environments most is carried as filterable reactive phosphorus of less than 0.45 microns. Although most of the coarser materials from high parts of the landscape are deposited before they reach a watercourse, the particles ultimately carried into drainage lines are phosphorus-enriched by processes of sorting and filtration. 3. In river systems studied in the Murray–Darling Basin river sediments that originate from gully erosion and stream-bank collapse of readily dispersible soils carry most of the diffuse-source phosphorus. It is very likely that most of the phosphorus on these sediments is ‘native’ phosphorus coming from subsoils. 2 Phosphorus in the landscape: diffuse sources to surface waters Although the major episodes of gully formation occurred several decades ago, inputs of sediments and phosphorus from these sources continue at a high rate. Reduced input rates can best be achieved by targeting the gullies themselves and stabilising them by conservation works—particularly in small headwater catchments. 4. In larger dry-land catchments, fertiliser phosphorus is generally not an important component of phosphorus loss/export, although it may be locally significant. 5. Local soil, vegetation, terrain and climate conditions dictate whether surface erosion is the dominant source of phosphorus into a watercourse. To describe phosphorus exports from a specific landscape by surface erosion requires local studies. However, guidelines can be developed for management purposes to identify and minimise sources of phosphorus carried by overland flow. 6. Potential sources of diffuse phosphorus run-off occur wherever fertilisers are applied to soils that are already wet at the surface, or that may become wet by seasonally emerging groundwater. The magnitude of the loss will be greater if the application occurs on bare soils, or if it is next to a waterbody. 7. Dissolved phosphorus (from fertilisers and other sources) is readily mobilised and transported directly where the soil has both little ability to bind the phosphorus and a high leaching rate, as occurs in sandy regions of high rainfall around the continent. Phosphorus-laden water then travels via overland or shallow sub-surface flow to surface waterbodies quite quickly, unless other processes impede the movement. If the dissolved phosphorus moves via deep groundwater the time scales for its reappearance in surface water are generally large. 8. Dissolved phosphorus may also enter tributary waterbodies in headwater catchments via shortcircuit pathways, such as macropores, but this is only likely to be important over distances of hundreds of metres. However, these sub-surface pathways may reduce the effectiveness of local management practices that do not take them into account. 9. Large amounts of dissolved phosphorus are also being produced from irrigated dairy pastures (and possibly from other irrigation enterprises also). There is little or no sub-surface movement because soils are generally high in clay and flat. Phosphorus-laden water is pumped or drained across the land surface to channels. The time scale of dissolved phosphorus movement is comparable with the time with which the water itself moves. Once within drainage channels and streambeds the dissolved phosphorus fraction may be partially re-adsorbed onto particulates. 10. Large quantities of dissolved phosphorus are found in surface waters next to areas where animal excreta or over-fertilised market gardens give rise to phosphorus in surface wastewater that flows directly into waterways. These situations are most likely to arise in catchments that contain mixtures of horticultural, dairying, hobby-farming and similar land uses. Where farm dams are abundant a significant fraction of this phosphorus will not enter streams but will be retarded or retained in the landscape

    Sediment tracing from the catchment to reef 2016 to 2018: Flood plume, marine sediment trap and logger data time series

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    The sediment dynamics at marine sites in the inshore GBRL region likely fall into three separate categories including sites where: 1. input of new terrigenous sediments have by far the greatest influence on sediment exposure and subsequent resuspension (e.g. Dunk Island, Orpheus Island, Havannah Island, Cleveland Bay?); 2. input of new terrigenous sediments are at least equivalent to resuspension events which likely increases upon larger river discharge events (e.g. Cleveland Bay?, Orchard Rocks). 3. input of new terrigenous sediments are less than or equal to common resuspension events (e.g. Middle Reef, Geoffrey Bay). This provides some of the first empirical data to support the findings of the satellite photic depth modelling of Fabricius et al. (2014, 2016) where the delivery of new terrigenous sediment considerably influences water clarity on the inshore Great Barrier Reef

    An excess Ra-226 chronology for deep-sea sediments from Saanich Inlet, British Columbia

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    To further explore the efficacy of 226Ra(excess) dating for deep-sea sediments, previously dated varve sediments from Saanich Inlet were investigated. Ages obtained using 226Ra(excess) are comparable to the varve ages in the upper 20-25 m of the sedimentary record, but radiometric ages for those sediments older than c. 4000 yr BP are significant underestimates. This results from major changes in sedimentation within Saanich Inlet around 4000 yr BP linked to rising sea levels, with younger sediments characterised by a higher biogenic contribution resulting from the establishment of an anoxic fjord environment. The older sediments were deposited in a shallow water inlet characterised by variable Ra mass balance and non-radiogenic losses. Therefore, while 226Ra(excess) can produce reliable dates, its application may be limited where the relative significance of authigenic and allogenic input and bottom water anoxia have been variable and where closed-system behaviour is compromised

    Thermoluminescence of zircon: a kinetic model

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    The mineral zircon, ZrSiO4, belongs to a class of promising materials for geochronometry by means of thermoluminescence (TL) dating. The development of a reliable and reproducible method for TL dating with zircon requires detailed knowledge of the processes taking place during exposure to ionizing radiation, long-term storage, annealing at moderate temperatures and heating at a constant rate (TL measurements). To understand these processes one needs a kinetic model of TL. This paper is devoted to the construction of such amodel. The goal is to study the qualitative behaviour of the system and to determine the parameters and processes controlling TL phenomena of zircon. The model considers the following processes: (i) Filling of electron and hole traps at the excitation stage as a function of the dose rate and the dose for both (low dose rate) natural and (high dose rate) laboratory irradiation. (ii) Time dependence of TL fading in samples irradiated under laboratory conditions. (iii) Short time annealing at a given temperature. (iv) Heating of the irradiated sample to simulate TL experiments both after laboratory and natural irradiation. The input parameters of the model, such as the types and concentrations of the TL centres and the energy distributions of the hole and electron traps, were obtained by analysing the experimental data on fading of the TL-emission spectra of samples from different geological locations. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data were used to establish the nature of the TL centres. Glow curves and 3D TL emission spectra are simulated and compared with the experimental data on time-dependent TL fading. The saturation and annealing behaviour of filled trap concentrations has been considered in the framework of the proposed kinetic model and comparedwith the EPR data associated with the rare-earth ions Tb3+ and Dy3+, which play a crucial role as hole traps and recombination centres. Inaddition, the behaviour of some of the SiOmn− centres has been compared with simulation results.

    Regional foreign direct investment and wage spillovers:plant level evidence from the UK electronics industry

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    This paper examines the extent to which foreign investment in the UK generates wage spillovers in the domestic sector of the economy using a simultaneous dynamic panel data model and focusing on the electronics sector, possibly the most ‘globalized’ sector of UK manufacturing. It finds evidence that the higher wages paid by foreign firms cause wages in the domestic sector to be bid up. This phenomenon is, however, largely confined to the region where foreign direct investment takes place

    Use of mixed methods designs in substance research: a methodological necessity in Nigeria

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    The utility of mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) is becoming increasingly accepted in health sciences, but substance studies are yet to substantially benefit from such utilities. While there is a growing number of mixed methods alcohol articles concerning developed countries, developing nations are yet to embrace this method. In the Nigerian context, the importance of mixed methods research is yet to be acknowledged. This article therefore, draws on alcohol studies to argue that mixed methods designs will better equip scholars to understand, explore, describe and explain why alcohol consumption and its related problems are increasing in Nigeria. It argues that as motives for consuming alcohol in contemporary Nigeria are multiple, complex and evolving, mixed method approaches that provide multiple pathways for proffering solutions to problems should be embraced

    Predictors of linkage to care following community-based HIV counseling and testing in rural Kenya

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    Despite innovations in HIV counseling and testing (HCT), important gaps remain in understanding linkage to care. We followed a cohort diagnosed with HIV through a community-based HCT campaign that trained persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) as navigators. Individual, interpersonal, and institutional predictors of linkage were assessed using survival analysis of self-reported time to enrollment. Of 483 persons consenting to follow-up, 305 (63.2%) enrolled in HIV care within 3 months. Proportions linking to care were similar across sexes, barring a sub-sample of men aged 18–25 years who were highly unlikely to enroll. Men were more likely to enroll if they had disclosed to their spouse, and women if they had disclosed to family. Women who anticipated violence or relationship breakup were less likely to link to care. Enrolment rates were significantly higher among participants receiving a PLHA visit, suggesting that a navigator approach may improve linkage from community-based HCT campaigns.Vestergaard Frandse

    Non-state space: The strategic ejection of dangerous and high maintenance urban space

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    Some commentators have characterised so-called ‘no-go’ areas as sites in which the exercise of authority is prevented. Here we suggest that many such spaces are produced by state, policing and citizen repertoires that aim to minimise the costs and risks of engaging, supporting and servicing such spaces and their populations. In this article we locate strategies of public spending, policing and political action that offer a governing logic in which neighbourhoods are essentially subtracted from the constitution of the city. During such designations the assurances of citizenship, vitality of civic institutions and presence of policing may be partially or wholly suspended. We present a framework for the identification of such strategies in which these forms of social, political and spatial exiting are described as being autotomic in nature – spaces that are ejected in order to avoid losses or further damage to the body politic of the city in ways akin to the response of certain animals that protect themselves from predation by shedding a limb or body part. This term adds force and depth to assessments of the ways in which both temporary and more sustained exits by policing, management and state servicing are designed in order to avoid responsibility over, or engagement with, spaces that are deemed a threat in order to maintain the integrity of the remaining, included city
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