3,253 research outputs found
Non-principal surface waves in deformed incompressible materials
The Stroh formalism is applied to the analysis of infinitesimal surface wave propagation in a statically, finitely and homogeneously deformed isotropic half-space. The free surface is assumed to coincide with one of the principal planes of the primary strain, but a propagating surface wave is not restricted to a principal direction. A variant of Tazievâs technique [R.M. Taziev, Dispersion relation for acoustic waves in an anisotropic elastic half-space, Sov. Phys. Acoust. 35 (1989) 535â538] is used to obtain an explicit expression of the secular equation for the surface wave speed, which possesses no restrictions on the form of the strain energy function. Albeit powerful, this method does not produce a unique solution and additional checks are necessary. However, a class of materials is presented for which an exact secular equation for the surface wave speed can be formulated. This class includes the well-known MooneyâRivlin model. The main results are illustrated with several numerical examples
A shallow-water model for hydraulically transcritical flows
This document describes a numerical model that was developed to study two-dimensional,
reduced-gravity, shallow-water flows. When the dynamics of these flows is strongly nonlinear, the flow may become hydraulically supercritical and discontinuities in the flow field may arise. The presence of discontinuities in the flow field requires a special numerical treatment in order to maintain both accuracy and stability in the numerically-approximated solution.
In this model, a shock-capturing scheme called the Essentially Non-Oscillatory (ENO)
scheme is implemented. The ENO scheme is a high-order, adaptive-stencil, finite-difference,
characteristic-based scheme for hyperbolic equations that has been applied widely to flows governed by the Euler equations of gas dynamics. The model described in this document was developed for geophysical applications, and therefore includes the effects of rotation (constant Coriolis parameter), forcing (time dependent and/or spatially varying), and bottom
drag (linear or nonlinear). The presentation includes the mathematical formulation of
the model as well as instructions on how to prepare and execute model runs.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under Grant Number N00014-93-1-1369
Linking mineralisation process and sedimentary product in terrestrial carbonates using a solution thermodynamic approach
Determining the processes which generate terrestrial carbonate deposits
(tufas, travertines and to a lesser extent associated chemical sediments such
as calcretes and speleothems) is a long-standing problem. Precipitation of
mineral products from solution reflects a complex combination of biological,
equilibrium and kinetic processes, and the different morphologies of
carbonate sediment produced by different processes have yet to be clearly
demarked. Building on the groundbreaking work of previous authors, we propose
that the underlying control on the processes leading to the deposition of
these products can be most parsimoniously understood from the thermodynamic
properties of their source solutions. Here, we report initial observations of
the differences in product generated from spring and lake systems spanning a
range of temperatureâsupersaturation space. We find that at high
supersaturation, biological influences are masked by high rates of
physico-chemical precipitation, and sedimentary products from these settings
infrequently exhibit classic "biomediated" fabrics such as clotted micrite.
Likewise, at high temperature (>40 °C) exclusion of vascular
plants and complex/diverse biofilms can significantly inhibit the magnitude
of biomediated precipitation, again impeding the likelihood of encountering
the "bio-type" fabrics.
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Conversely, despite the clear division in product between extensive tufa
facies associations and less spatially extensive deposits such as oncoid
beds, no clear division can be identified between these systems in
temperatureâsupersaturation space. We reiterate the conclusion of previous
authors, which demonstrate that this division cannot be made on the basis of
physico-chemical characteristics of the solution alone. We further provide a
new case study of this division from two adjacent systems in the UK, where
tufa-like deposition continuous on a metre scale is happening at a site with
lower supersaturation than other sites exhibiting only discontinuous
(oncoidal) deposition. However, a strong microbiological division is
demonstrated between these sites on the basis of suspended bacterial cell
distribution, which reach a prominent maximum where tufa-like deposits are
forming.
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We conclude that at high supersaturation, the thermodynamic properties of
solutions provide a highly satisfactory means of linking process and product,
raising the opportunity of identifying water characteristics from
sedimentological/petrological characteristics of ancient deposits. At low
supersaturation, we recommend that future research focuses on
geomicrobiological processes rather than the more traditional, inorganic
solution chemistry approach dominant in the past
Vanadium removal and recovery from bauxite residue leachates by ion exchange
Bauxite residue is an important by-product of the alumina industry, and current management practices do not allow their full valorisation, especially with regard to the recovery of critical metals. This work aims to test the efficiency of ion exchange resins for vanadium (V) removal and recovery from bauxite residue leachates at alkaline pH (11.5 and 13). As an environmental pollutant, removal of V from leachates may be an obligation of bauxite residue disposal areas (BRDA) long-term management requirements. Vanadium removal from the leachate can be coupled with the recovery, and potentially can be used to offset long-term legacy treatment costs in legacy sites. Kinetics studies were performed to understand the adsorption process. The rate kinetics for the V adsorption was consistent with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, with a higher adsorption rate for pH 11.5 (1.2Â min(-1)). Adsorption isotherm data fitted better to Freundlich equations than to the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity (Langmuir value q max) was greatest for pH 13 (9.8Â mg VÂ g(-1) resin). In column tests, breakthrough was reached at 70 bed volumes with the red mud leachate at pH 13, while no breakthrough was achieved with the effluent at pH 11.5. In regeneration, 42 and 76Â % of V were eluted from the resin with 2Â M NaOH from the red mud leachate at pH 13 and 11.5, respectively. Further optimization will be needed to upscale the treatment
Conserving nature out of fear or knowledge? Using threatening versus connecting messages to generate support for environmental causes
Threatening and connecting messages are two types of appeals commonly used to encourage conservation behaviors, yet little research has examined their psychological impacts and behavioral outcomes. This paper describes two studies contrasting these approaches with a neutral comparison and testing their effects on state levels of negative affect, caring, and openness, psychological states which we expected in turn would encourage conservation behavior. Participants viewed visually identical nature videos with no text, connecting text or negative text. They then reported on their state experiences, and were asked to engage in conservation behaviors, including supporting conservation organizations. Findings showed that connecting messages increased caring and openness, and decreased negative affect, and by doing so elicited more conservation behaviors. On the other hand, threatening messages showed no beneficial effects above a neutral comparison without an appeal. Our findings, which we contextualize in motivational theory, can be used to inform the use of messages to promote conservation.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2015.04.00
Frequentist Analysis of the Parameter Space of Minimal Supergravity
We make a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of minimal supergravity
(mSUGRA), in which, as well as the gaugino and scalar soft
supersymmetry-breaking parameters being universal, there is a specific relation
between the trilinear, bilinear and scalar supersymmetry-breaking parameters,
A_0 = B_0 + m_0, and the gravitino mass is fixed by m_{3/2} = m_0. We also
consider a more general model, in which the gravitino mass constraint is
relaxed (the VCMSSM). We combine in the global likelihood function the
experimental constraints from low-energy electroweak precision data, the
anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, the lightest Higgs boson mass M_h, B
physics and the astrophysical cold dark matter density, assuming that the
lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is a neutralino. In the VCMSSM, we find
a preference for values of m_{1/2} and m_0 similar to those found previously in
frequentist analyses of the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) and a model with common
non-universal Higgs masses (NUHM1). On the other hand, in mSUGRA we find two
preferred regions: one with larger values of both m_{1/2} and m_0 than in the
VCMSSM, and one with large m_0 but small m_{1/2}. We compare the probabilities
of the frequentist fits in mSUGRA, the VCMSSM, the CMSSM and the NUHM1: the
probability that mSUGRA is consistent with the present data is significantly
less than in the other models. We also discuss the mSUGRA and VCMSSM
predictions for sparticle masses and other observables, identifying potential
signatures at the LHC and elsewhere.Comment: 18 pages 27 figure
The emerging specialty of perioperative medicine: a UK survey of the attitudes and behaviours of anaesthetists
Background:
In 2014, the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) launched the Perioperative Medicine Programme to facilitate the delivery of best preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care through implementation of evidence-based medicine to reduce variation and improve postoperative outcomes. However, variation exists in the establishment of perioperative medicine services in the UK. This survey explored attitudes and behaviours of anaesthetists towards perioperative medicine, described current anaesthetic-led perioperative medicine services across the UK and explored barriers to anaesthetic involvement in perioperative medicine.
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Methods:
Survey content based on the RCoA vision document was refined and validated using an expert panel. An anonymous electronic survey was then sent by email to the members of the RCoA.
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Results:
Seven hundred fifty-eight UK anaesthetists (4.5% of the RCoA mailing list) responded to the survey. Of these, 64% considered themselves a perioperative doctor, with 65% having changed local services in response to the RCoA vision. Barriers to developing perioperative medicine included insufficient time (75%) and inadequate training (51%). Three quarters of respondents advocate anaesthetists leading the development of perioperative medicine.
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Conclusions:
Despite evidence of emerging services, this survey describes barriers to ongoing development of perioperative medicine. Facilitators may include increased clinical exposure, targeted education and training and collaborative working with other specialties
Creating User-Friendly Tools for Data Analysis and Visualization in K-12 Classrooms: A Fortran Dinosaur Meets Generation Y
During the summer of 2007, as part of the second year of a NASA-funded project in partnership with Christopher Newport University called SPHERE (Students as Professionals Helping Educators Research the Earth), a group of undergraduate students spent 8 weeks in a research internship at or near NASA Langley Research Center. Three students from this group formed the Clouds group along with a NASA mentor (Chambers), and the brief addition of a local high school student fulfilling a mentorship requirement. The Clouds group was given the task of exploring and analyzing ground-based cloud observations obtained by K-12 students as part of the Students' Cloud Observations On-Line (S'COOL) Project, and the corresponding satellite data. This project began in 1997. The primary analysis tools developed for it were in FORTRAN, a computer language none of the students were familiar with. While they persevered through computer challenges and picky syntax, it eventually became obvious that this was not the most fruitful approach for a project aimed at motivating K-12 students to do their own data analysis. Thus, about halfway through the summer the group shifted its focus to more modern data analysis and visualization tools, namely spreadsheets and Google(tm) Earth. The result of their efforts, so far, is two different Excel spreadsheets and a Google(tm) Earth file. The spreadsheets are set up to allow participating classrooms to paste in a particular dataset of interest, using the standard S'COOL format, and easily perform a variety of analyses and comparisons of the ground cloud observation reports and their correspondence with the satellite data. This includes summarizing cloud occurrence and cloud cover statistics, and comparing cloud cover measurements from the two points of view. A visual classification tool is also provided to compare the cloud levels reported from the two viewpoints. This provides a statistical counterpart to the existing S'COOL data visualization tool, which is used for individual ground-to-satellite correspondences. The Google(tm) Earth file contains a set of placemarks and ground overlays to show participating students the area around their school that the satellite is measuring. This approach will be automated and made interactive by the S'COOL database expert and will also be used to help refine the latitude/longitude location of the participating schools. Once complete, these new data analysis tools will be posted on the S'COOL website for use by the project participants in schools around the US and the world
What Causes Carbonates to Form âShrubbyâ Morphologies? An Anthropocene Limestone Case Study
The South Atlantic Aptian âPre-Saltâ shrubby carbonate successions offshore Brazil and Angola are of major interest due to their potential hydrocarbon accumulations. Although the general sedimentology of these deposits is widely recognized to be within saline, alkaline lakes in rift volcanic settings, the specific genesis of shrubby carbonate morphologies remains unclear. This study reports the first petrographically comparable shrubby carbonates amongst other carbonate microfacies from an Anthropocene limestone formed under hyperalkaline (pH 9â12) and hypersaline (conductivity 425â3200 ÎŒS) conditions at ambient temperature (12.5â13°C) (Consett, United Kingdom). This discovery allows us to capitalize on exceptional long-term hydrochemical monitoring efforts from the site, demonstrating that shrubby carbonates occur uniquely within the waters richest in calcium (âŒ240 mg/L) and with highest pH (âŒ12) and consequently with very high levels of supersaturation. However, the physical distribution of shrubs is more comparable with estimated local kinetic precipitation rate than it is to thermodynamic saturation, indicating that the fundamental control on shrub formation arises from crystal surface processes. The shrubby carbonate we report grows in the presence of significant diatomaceous and cyanobacterial biofilms, despite the highly alkaline conditions. These biofilms are lost from the deposited material early due to the high solubility of organic and silica within hyperalkaline settings, and this loss contributes to very high intercrystalline porosity. Despite the presence of these microbes, few if any of the fabrics we report would be considered as âboundstonesâ despite it being clear that most fabrics are being deposited in the presence of abundant extra-cellular polymeric substances. We are aware of no previous petrographic work on anthropogenic carbonates of this type, and recommend further investigation to capitalize on what can be learned from these âaccidental laboratories.â
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