Entropy Identity and Material-Independent Equilibrium Conditions in Relativistic Thermodynamics

On the basis of the balance equations for energy-momentum, spin, particle and entropy density, an approach is considered which represents a comparatively general framework for special- and general-relativistic continuum thermodynamics. In the first part of the paper, a general entropy density 4-vector, containing particle, energy-momentum, and spin density contributions, is introduced which makes it possible, firstly, to judge special assumptions for the entropy density 4-vector made by other authors with respect to their generality and validity and, secondly, to determine entropy supply and entropy production. Using this entropy density 4-vector, in the second part, material-independent equilibrium conditions are discussed. While in literature, at least if one works in the theory of irreversible thermodynamics assuming a Riemann space-time structure, generally thermodynamic equilibrium is determined by introducing a variety of conditions by hand, the present approach proceeds as follows: For a comparatively wide class of space-time geometries the necessary equilibrium conditions of vanishing entropy supply and entropy production are exploited and, afterwards, supplementary conditions are assumed which are motivated by the requirement that thermodynamic equilibrium quantities have to be determined uniquely.Comment: Research Paper, 30 page

Breaking Open the Black Boxes: media archaeology, anarchaeology and media materiality

An essay on the emergent methodology of media archaeology, in relation to the material turn in approaches to digital media. In particular, this article advocates taking up Siegfried Zielinski's concept of 'anarchaeology', but in a different sense to the way it was originally proposed, in order to emphasise the political potentials of a media (an)archaeological methodological approach

Grain Sorghum Yield Response to Water Availability

Yield effects of irrigation on sorghum and corn were compared, but this report is merely focused on the sorghum phase of the crop rotation. Mean yield for irrigated sorghum was 168 bu/a, whereas dryland yield was 145 bu/a. The latter represents a yield improvement of 24 bu/a, an increase of approximately 2 bu/a per unit (in.) of water applied (considering a total of 11 in. of water applied in the irrigation block). The irrigated sorghum used a mean of 7.8 in. more water than the dryland, which suggests that the dryland sorghum consumed 3.4 in. more water from the soil profile than the irrigated sorghum (this value assumes no water losses due to runoff or deep percolation and is calculated from total precipitation and irrigation as well as changes in profile water status). Water use efficiency, or WUE, was calculated as the ratio of yield to water use. A trend for superior WUE of 6.5 bu/in. was documented under dryland conditions, compared with 5.6 bu/in. for irrigated sorghum

Association Between Statin Use and Prevalence of Exercise-Related Injuries: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Amateur Runners in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are the first-choice therapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Some maintain that statins cause adverse musculoskeletal outcomes in highly active individuals, but few studies have examined the effects of statins on exercise-related injuries. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the prevalence of exercise-related injuries between runners who do or do not use statins. METHODS: Amateur runners (n = 4460) completed an extensive online questionnaire on their exercise patterns and health status. Participants replied to questions on the prevalence of exercise-related injuries in the previous year. Injuries were divided into general injuries, tendon- and ligament-related injuries, and muscle-related injuries. Participants were also queried about statin use: the type of statin, statin dose, and duration of treatment. Runners were divided into statin users, non-statin users with hypercholesterolemia, and controls for analysis. RESULTS: The crude odds ratios (ORs) for injuries, tendon- or ligament-related injuries, and muscle-related injuries in statin users compared with controls were 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79-1.66), 1.10 (95% CI 0.71-1.72), and 1.15 (95% CI 0.69-1.91), respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and metabolic equivalent of task (MET) h/week of exercise, the ORs were 1.11 (95% CI 0.76-1.62), 1.06 (95% CI 0.68-1.66), and 0.98 (95% CI 0.58-1.64), respectively. Similar effect measures were found when comparing non-statin users with hypercholesterolemia and controls. CONCLUSION: We did not find an association between statin use and the prevalence of exercise-related injuries or tendon-, ligament-, and muscle-related injuries. Runners receiving statins should continue normal physical activity without concern for increased risk of injuries

Use of the Dual-Probe Heat-Pulse Technique to Monitor Soil Water Content in the Vadose Zone

The dual-probe heat-pulse (DPHP) technique is emerging as a useful technique for measuring soil volumetric water content (θ). However, few published data are available regarding the performance of the DPHP technique under field conditions. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the DPHP technique for measuring θ under field conditions. We used 24 DPHP sensors to monitor θ in a soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] field during the 2001 and 2002 growing seasons. The DPHP sensors demonstrated durability in field conditions and clear sensitivity to temporal and spatial variations of θ at the scale of measurement. The mean θ measured by the DPHP sensors (θDPHP) was on average 0.040 m3 m−3 larger than the mean θ measured by soil sampling (θSS). The response of the DPHP sensors was linear. Regressions of θDPHP vs. θSS yielded r 2 values of 0.949 and 0.843 at depths of 7.5 and 37.5 cm. The DPHP technique showed good resolution with RMSE values for the regression of 0.009 and 0.011 m3 m−3 at the two measurement depths. The slopes of the regressions were 0.75 rather than 1.0. Errors in θSS are a likely cause of this low slope. We shifted all the θ values for each sensor up or down by a constant value to make the first θ measurement from each sensor equal θ determined from soil sampling near that sensor at the time of installation. This simple matching point procedure improved the accuracy of the DPHP technique, resulting in a −0.024 m3 m−3 average difference between θDPHP and θSS Also, the matching point procedure markedly reduced the variability between sensors, reducing the average SD from 0.063 to 0.026 m3 m−3 This procedure requires no additional soil sampling and is recommended for field applications of the DPHP technique.This article is published as Ochsner, Tyson E., Robert Horton, and Tusheng Ren. "Use of the dual-probe heat-pulse technique to monitor soil water content in the vadose zone." Vadose Zone Journal 2, no. 4 (2003): 572-579. doi: 10.2136/vzj2003.5720. Posted with permission.</p

Impact of Cover Crops and Phosphorus Fertilizer Management on Nutrient Cycling in No-Tillage Corn-Soybean Rotation

The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of cover crops and different fertilizer management techniques on the amount of nutrients being removed and recycled in the soil system. This study was conducted at Ashland Bottoms, KS, from 2014-2016. A 2 × 3 factorial design with three replicates was utilized in this study. The fertilizer management treatments included a control of 0 lb/a P2O5, along with fall broadcast and spring injected applications of P2O5 based on a build and maintain recommendation system. Results show that total uptake of K2O and recycling of P2O5 and K2O are directly influenced by cover cropping. Application of P2O5 fertilizer also statistically impacted the yield of soybeans during the 2016 growing season

The techno-ecological practice as the politics of ontological coalitions

The paper focuses on the art projects aimed at visualizing (grasping) the physical or biological phenomena through interfaces and / or installations designed specifically for such purpose. Such works often mirror the post-­digital condition of our time where the digital technologies constitute the common background for everyday activities, no longer having the allure of "new" and "exciting" (Berry, Dieter et al., 2015). In this process, both the networked technologies of wireless communication and the act of crossing the boundaries between the digital and the physical play the crucial role as the post-­digital networked imagery increasingly becomes directly connected to the physical environment. I would like to ponder on the questions of processuality and relationality involved in such instances where the complexity of the hybrid works of art clearly transgresses the paradigm of representationalism (Thrift, 2008;; Anderson and Harrison, 2010;; Kember and Zylinska, 2012). The particular attention is given to the fact that such artworks bond different ontological realms (discursive, physical, digital) and different agents (human and non-­human, carbon-­based and software-­based) forging “ontological coalitions” (Malafouris, 2013). Throughout the article the mutlirealist and relational perspective is offered, inspired by the propositions of Gilbert Simondon and Etienne Souriau. Based on the research project supported by National Science Centre Poland ("The aesthetics of post-­digital imagery: between new materialism and object-­oriented philosophy", 2016/21/B/HS2/00746)

The influence of speed and size on avian terrestrial locomotor biomechanics: predicting locomotion in extinct theropod dinosaurs

How extinct, non-avian theropod dinosaurs moved is a subject of considerable interest and controversy. A better understanding of non-avian theropod locomotion can be achieved by better understanding terrestrial locomotor biomechanics in their modern descendants, birds. Despite much research on the subject, avian terrestrial locomotion remains little explored in regards to how kinematic and kinetic factors vary together with speed and body size. Here, terrestrial locomotion was investigated in twelve species of ground-dwelling bird, spanning a 1,780-fold range in body mass, across almost their entire speed range. Particular attention was devoted to the ground reaction force (GRF), the force that the feet exert upon the ground. Comparable data for the only other extant obligate, striding biped, humans, were also collected and studied. In birds, all kinematic and kinetic parameters examined changed continuously with increasing speed, while in humans all but one of those same parameters changed abruptly at the walk-run transition. This result supports previous studies that show birds to have a highly continuous locomotor repertoire compared to humans, where discrete ‘walking’ and ‘running’ gaits are not easily distinguished based on kinematic patterns alone. The influences of speed and body size on kinematic and kinetic factors in birds are developed into a set of predictive relationships that may be applied to extinct, non-avian theropods. The resulting predictive model is able to explain 79–93% of the observed variation in kinematics and 69–83% of the observed variation in GRFs, and also performs well in extrapolation tests. However, this study also found that the location of the whole-body centre of mass may exert an important influence on the nature of the GRF, and hence some caution is warranted, in lieu of further investigation