Analytical Solution Describing the Periodicity of the Elements in the Periodic System

Mathematical formula describing the periodicity of the elements in the periodic system is presented

James Hutton’s geological tours of Scotland : romanticism, literary strategies, and the scientific quest

This article explores a somewhat neglected part of the story of the emergence of geology as a science and discourse in the late eighteenth century – James Hutton’s posthumously published accounts of the geological tours of Scotland that he undertook in the years 1785 to 1788 in search of empirical evidence in support of his theory of the Earth and that he intended to include in the projected third volume of his Theory of the Earth of 1795. The article brings some of the assumptions and techniques of literary criticism to bear on Hutton’s scientific travel writing in order to open up new connections between geology, Romantic aesthetics and eighteenth-century travel writing about Scotland. Close analysis of Hutton’s accounts of his field trips to Glen Tilt, Galloway and Arran, supplemented by later accounts of the discoveries at Jedburgh and Siccar Point, reveals the interplay between desire, travel and the scientific quest and foregrounds the textual strategies that Hutton uses to persuade his readers that they share in the experience of geological discovery and interpretation as ‘virtual witnesses’. As well as allowing us to revisit the interrelation between scientific theory and discovery, this article concludes that Hutton was a much better writer than he has been given credit for and suggests that if these geological tours had been published in 1795 they would have made it impossible for critics to dismiss him as an armchair geologist

Scaling of columnar joints in basalt

We describe field work, analysis, and modeling of columnar joints from the Columbia River Basalt Group. This work is focused on the regions around the Grand Coulee, Snake River, and Columbia Gorge, which form parts of this unusually homogeneous and very large sample of columnar basalt. We examine in detail the scaling relationship between the column width and the size of the striae and relate these quantitatively to thermal and fracture models. We found that the column radius and stria size are proportional to each other and inversely proportional to the cooling rate of the lava. Near a flow margin, our results put observational constraints on diffusive thermal models of joint formation. Deeper than a few meters into a colonnade, our measurements are consistent with a simple advection-diffusion model of two-phase convective cooling within the joints, regardless of the direction of cooling. This model allows an accurate comparison of igneous columnar jointing and joints due to desiccation in laboratory analog systems. We also identify a new length scale in which wavy columns can appear in some colonnades. The mechanisms leading to the wavy columns are likely related to those underlying similar wavy cracks in 2-D analog systems

A morphometric analysis of algal response to low dose, short-term heavy metal exposure

Three algae, Melosira granulata, Fragilaria capucina , and Anacystis cyanea , collected as part of a natural phytoplankton assemblage were found to differ in their cytological responses to low dose short-term exposure to copper and lead. In general, all were more sensitive to copper than to lead. Fragilaria was more sensitive to both metals than the other species examined. Most immediate changes in relative volume categories can be ascribed to changes in vacuole volume that are most likely the result of changes in membrane permeability. There was some degree of accommodation in all three species at 24 hours. These results are discussed in view of the natural environment of the algae, as well as in relationship to previous studies.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41729/1/709_2005_Article_BF01281533.pd

Drying colloidal systems: laboratory models for a wide range of applications

The drying of complex fluids provides a powerful insight into phenomena that take place on time and length scales not normally accessible. An important feature of complex fluids, colloidal dispersions and polymer solutions is their high sensitivity to weak external actions. Thus, the drying of complex fluids involves a large number of physical and chemical processes. The scope of this review is the capacity to tune such systems to reproduce and explore specific properties in a physics laboratory. A wide variety of systems are presented, ranging from functional coatings, food science, cosmetology, medical diagnostics and forensics to geophysics and art