Convection theory before relaxation

The well known mixing length theory of convection is revised for times shorter than the effective time of relaxation into diffusion.Using the Cattaneo equation for the heat flux, we show that the revised theory predicts, before relaxation, a convective flux which is quite different from the flux obtained with the Maxwell-Fourier law.Implications of this result in the outcome of some astrophysical processes are commented upon.     

Empirical P-L-C relation for δ scuti stars

Empirical period-luminosity-colour (P-L-C) relations are obtained for the four lowest modes corresponding to radial pulsations. Agreement with predicted values indicates that, in general, both Strömgren photometric calibration and pulsation theory work well for these stars.Paper presented at the 11 th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Hydraulic response of a tidally forced coastal aquifer, Pontal do Paraná, Brazil

The unconfined aquifer supported by the extensive Holocene coastal plain of southern Brazil is found dissected at several places by tidally forced streams. One such unit of coastal plain, falling within the watershed limits of Perequê Stream in Paraná state, was analyzed using MODFLOW to assess the surface and subsurface water components under different stress conditions. The steady-state simulation suggests that ~23,000 m³/day of water forms the total budget of the designated aquifer zone and this zone discharges ~16,000 m³/day across the interface between the freshwater aquifer zone and the sea as direct submarine discharge. The maximum evaporation loss was assumed to be 2,700 m³/day. Any change in effective aquifer storage was insignificant, as there is no large-scale exploitation of local groundwater reserves. A calibration exercise, based on field measurements lasting 1 year, supports validity of the model considered. Simulations representing two different transient conditions point to the dynamic hydraulic response exhibited by the aquifer. A schematic map, showing directions and velocity of subsurface flows, and a three-dimensional model of the groundwater reserve helped to visualize the hydrogeologic changes and to formulate management plans.     

Statistical method of precipitation prediction

Precipitation records from Salamanca (Spain) are being analyzed to detect temporal oscillations. This paper shows a method to identify these signals in order to determine the behaviour of the precipitation time series in this region.     

Soft gamma-ray bursts from the superluminal source GRS 1915+105?

The power required to eject relativistic plasma clouds in the hard X-ray transient GRS 1915+105 is at least 100 times the luminosity of the soft-ray bursts (SGRs) that were observed by BATSE from the same region of the sky in the year 1992. We show that there are spatial, time, and spectral coincidences between GRS 1915+105 and the SGRs observed by BATSE which suggest that they are one and the same source. However, the position of the SGRs is rather uncertain and until better positions are obtained, the question on the association of GRS 1915+105 with the SGRs must remain open.     

goGPS: open-source MATLAB software

GPS Solutions - goGPS is a positioning software application designed to process single-frequency code and phase observations for absolute or relative positioning. Published under a free and...     

Urban Community Garden Agrodiversity and Cultural Identity in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S.

Considerable research has examined the social, cultural, economic, and community benefits of urban gardening. Few studies, however, have empirically assessed factors that influence urban community garden agrodiversity or its relationship to these dimensions of gardening. We conducted an interdisciplinary study of agrodiversity and cultural identity, based certain markers of identity, including how people see themselves with respect to race, ethnicity, or place of origin, in community gardens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We conducted fifty‐six semistructured interviews with gardeners with different cultural identities in eight community gardens on their motivations for urban community gardening during 2014. We conducted plant inventories of the corresponding garden plots and found 104 cultivated edible and ornamental species and 28 varieties representing 34 families. We find that although gardens with culturally diverse gardeners did not have higher species richness, the cultural identity of the gardeners influenced species selection and reason for gardening. Further, the structure, design and species composition of garden plots reflected the identities of garden members. These finding have implications for the recent institutionalization of urban agriculture into city land policies in Philadelphia and other cities in North America.