Analysis of partially penetrating slug tests in a stratified formation by alternating piezometer and tube methods

In partially penetrating slug tests, hydraulic conductivity (K) estimates might not necessarily be valid because of vertical flows in heterogeneous formations. We assess the error in hypothetical stratified formations by numerical sensitivity analysis, and propose an effective method for compensation by incorporating two types of casing configuration (piezometer and tube). The hypothetical stratified formation consists of completely horizontal layers, each 1 m thick; the permeability is different between, but not within, layers. In this study, conductivity estimates in the piezometer and tube methods are calculated by assigning various patterns of conductivity to the test, upper, and lower layers: KT, KU, and KL. The effect of vertical flow becomes significant when KT is small relative to KU or KL, and KL is more important than KU because the base of the borehole is open to the lower formation. The conductivity ratios (estimate over actual value) are treated as approximately linearly dependent on logarithms of KT/KU and KT/KL, so that conductivity estimates can be straightforwardly derived from one piezometer measurement and two tube measurements at the top and bottom of the screen. The linear relations are evaluated and constant parameters are determined under specific conditions. This study also recommends alternating piezometer and tube methods in the drilling procedure because the actual variation of K with depth is larger than that found using isolated measurements, as shown in a field study of alluvial fan gravel deposits in Sapporo, Japan

Preliminary research on the dominant factors in paranormal beliefs (2) : Effects of social-psychological factors

The purpose of this paper is to examine effects of dominant social-psychological factors on paranormal belief. I focused three explanatory variables : attitude toward science, mass media use and interpersonal communication about paranormal phenomena. Four hundred and eighty-two undergraduates (225 women and 257 men) completed the paranormal belief scale, the attitude toward science scale, questions about their mass media use, and questions about their interpersonal communication about paranormal phenomena. By factor analysis, paranormal belief was classified into four groups : supernatural power, ghost and reincarnation, superstition, and existences of undefined creatures and cultures. As a result of multiple regression analysis, paranormal belief were positively associated with the acceptance of those phenomena in interpersonal communication. Belief about supernatural power and belief about ghost and reincarnation were also associated with a factor in attitude toward science, spirituality. Women and men were very different from each other in dominant factors on belief in superstition and belief in existences of undefined creatures and cultures

Preliminary research on the dominant factors in paranormal beliefs (1) : Effects of personal factors

In 1990s, concerns to paranormal phenomena are mentioned to be greater among young Japanese people, which phenomena were new types of religion, supernatural powers, an afterlife, a personality stereotype by blood-typing, and ghost stories at school by comics and films. The present study aimed to investigate interests and paranormal beliefs and the effects of personal factors on the paranormal beliefs, using 321 undergraduates. Degrees of interest and belief concerning to 10 supernatural phenomena were lower than those in the previous studies. From the results of multiple regression analysis, affecting factors were different among four types of paranormal phenomena. Beliefs in existences of ghost and reincarnation and superstition were mainly affected by external attribution such as fate, fortune, and anti-scientism. On the other hand, level of anxiety affected only beliefs in existences of undefined creatures and cultures. Time perspective, however, affected none of supernatural phenomena

Effects of Morality, Dominance, and Relational Maturity on Perception of Intimate Partner Violence

The effects of morality, social dominance orientation, and relational maturity on perception of intimate partner violence (IPV) were investigated in a sample of 300 Japanese male in their 30s. After reading a description of an IPV scenario involving a hypothetical couple, participants responded to items of victim (i.e., wife) blame. We expected that men with higher self-rated morality, higher social dominance orientation and less mature relationships with their own partners would show the highest victim blame. However, we found that men who rated themselves as having high morality blamed the victim more than those who did not, regardless of their dominance orientation and relational maturity. The results suggested that morality might play an important role in IPV.本研究はJSPS科研費JP263808440の助成を受けたものである

Structure analysis of Zn-Mg-Ho icosahedral quasicrystal by modified Rietveld method using ellipsoid and sphere windows

A structure analysis of Zn-Mg-Ho icosahedral quasicrystal was carried out by the powder X-ray diffraction method using synchrotron radiation (Lambda=0.73490 A) at SPring-8. The intensity distribution was analyzed by the Rietveld method modified for an icosahedral quasicrystal, in which simplified models were assumed: ellipsoid and spherical windows were assumed at five crystallographic sites in a F-type hypercubic unit cell. The analysis revealed the presence of an almost perfect Penrose tiling with edge length 5.20 A. The vertices are occupied alternatively by Zn and Mg, and almost all of the edge centers of the Penrose rhombohedra are occupied by 0.8Zn and 0.2Mg. Ho and Mg atoms tend to be present on the body diagonal of the prolate rhombohedra. Good agreement between the measured and calculated intensity distribution using the simplified model suggests the applicability and the limitation of structure analysis using the powder X-ray diffraction method.Comment: 10 pages, 3 tables, 3 figure

Environmental DNA preserved in marine sediment for detecting jellyfish blooms after a tsunami

堆積物の環境DNAで探る過去の出来事 --津波直後のクラゲ大発生を検知--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-08-23.Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be a powerful tool for detecting the distribution and abundance of target species. This study aimed to test the longevity of eDNA in marine sediment through a tank experiment and to use this information to reconstruct past faunal occurrence. In the tank experiment, juvenile jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) were kept in flow-through tanks with marine sediment for two weeks. Water and sediment samples from the tanks were collected after the removal of fish. In the field trial, sediment cores were collected in Moune Bay, northeast Japan, where unusual blooms of jellyfish (Aurelia sp.) occurred after a tsunami. The samples were analyzed by layers to detect the eDNA of jellyfish. The tank experiment revealed that after fish were removed, eDNA was not present in the water the next day, or subsequently, whereas eDNA was detectable in the sediment for 12 months. In the sediment core samples, jellyfish eDNA was detected at high concentrations above the layer with the highest content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reflecting tsunami-induced oil spills. Thus, marine sediment eDNA preserves a record of target species for at least one year and can be used to reconstruct past faunal occurrence

Cav2.3 (α1E) Ca2+ channel participates in the control of sperm function

AbstractTo know the function of the Ca2+ channel containing α12.3 (α1E) subunit (Cav2.3 channel) in spermatozoa, we analyzed Ca2+ transients and sperm motility using a mouse strain lacking Cav2.3 channel. The averaged rising rates of Ca2+ transients induced by α-D-mannose–bovine serum albumin in the head region of Cav2.3−/− sperm were significantly lower than those of Cav2.3+/+ sperm. A computer-assisted sperm motility assay revealed that straight-line velocity and linearity were greater in Cav2.3−/− sperm than those in Cav2.3+/+ sperm. These results suggest that the Cav2.3 channel plays some roles in Ca2+ transients and the control of flagellar movement

モンゴルコク カチクニュウ オヨビ ニュウセイヒンチュウ ノ サイキン ノ クローン ライブラリーホウ ニヨル カイセキ

Various animal milks and their dairy products like AIRAG (fermented horse milk) and yogurt are very popular among Mongolian people. The climate of Mongolia is very severe, and they preserve their health by the intake of above animal milks and dairy products. In this study, we explored the diversity of bacteria in Mongolian animal milks (Cow, Horse, Goat, and Camel), AIRAG, and Camel milk yogurt by the clone library method of their 16S rRNA genes. Firstly, we prepared the whole genomic DNA from four animal milks and two dairy products, and amplified each 16S rRNA genes by PCR. PCR products (about 1.4kbp) were cloned into pGEM-T vector, and analyzed DNA sequences of totally 79 clones from AIRAG, Camel milk yogurt, and four animal milks. It was revealed that homologous clones to Lactobacillus helveticus are dominant in the clone libraries of both dairy products, whereas the other clones to Lactococcus from AIRAG, and Acetobacter from camel milk yogurt. Furthermore, We found that homologous clones to Lactococcus are dominant in Mongolian cow and horse milks, whereas Leuconostoc in camel milk. Therefore, it might be useful information for screening the bioactive strains from milk products in Mongolia

Structural Modulations in the Intermediate Phase of Antiferroelectric PbHfO3

金沢大学国際基幹教育院We determine the crystal structure of the intermediate antiferroelectric (A2) phase of PbHfO3 by a Rietveld method using X-ray and neutron diffraction. The structure can be described by modulations associated with the lattice vibrational mode Σ3(TO) with q (0.15,0.15,0)and the Rxy 25 mode, although the latter modulation is relatively distorted. The size of the orthorhombic unit cell is p2 × 10p2 × 2 times as large as that of the high-temperature cubic cell. The space group is Pbam-D9 2h (No. 55), and is the same as that of the room-temperature antiferroelectric (A1) phase of PbHfO3. © 2018 Physical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.Embargo Period 12 month