The origin of oil in the Cretaceous succession from the South Pars Oil Layer of the Persian Gulf

The origin of the oil in Barremian–Hauterivian and Albian age source rock samples from two oil wells (SPO-2 and SPO-3) in the South Pars oil field has been investigated by analyzing the quantity of total organic carbon (TOC) and thermal maturity of organic matter (OM). The source rocks were found in the interval 1,000–1,044 m for the Kazhdumi Formation (Albian) and 1,157–1,230 m for the Gadvan Formation (Barremian–Hauterivian). Elemental analysis was carried out on 36 samples from the source rock candidates (Gadvan and Kazhdumi formations) of the Cretaceous succession of the South Pars Oil Layer (SPOL). This analysis indicated that the OM of the Barremian–Hauterivian and Albian samples in the SPOL was composed of kerogen Types II and II–III, respectively. The average TOC of analyzed samples is less than 1 wt%, suggesting that the Cretaceous source rocks are poor hydrocarbon (HC) producers. Thermal maturity and Ro values revealed that more than 90 % of oil samples are immature. The source of the analyzed samples taken from Gadvan and Kazhdumi formations most likely contained a content high in mixed plant and marine algal OM deposited under oxic to suboxic bottom water conditions. The Pristane/nC₁₇ versus Phytane/nC₁₈ diagram showed Type II–III kerogen of mixture environments for source rock samples from the SPOL. Burial history modeling indicates that at the end of the Cretaceous time, pre-Permian sediments remained immature in the Qatar Arch. Therefore, lateral migration of HC from the nearby Cretaceous source rock kitchens toward the north and south of the Qatar Arch is the most probable origin for the significant oils in the SPOL.     

Geochemical evolution and quality assessment of water resources in the Sarcheshmeh copper mine area (Iran) using multivariate statistical techniques

Hydrochemical data were gathered throughout the last 12 years from 57 sampling stations in the drainage basin of the Sarcheshmeh copper mine, Kerman Province, Iran. The mean values of these data for each sampling station were used to evaluate water quality and to determine processes that control water chemistry. Principal component analyses specified the oxidation of sulfide minerals, dissolution of carbonate and sulfate minerals and weathering of silicate minerals as the principal processes responsible for the chemical composition of water in the study area. Q-mode cluster analysis revealed three main water groups. The first group had a Ca-HCO₃–SO₄ composition whereas the second and third groups had Ca–SO₄ and Ca–Mg–SO₄ composition, respectively. The results of this study clearly indicated the role of sulfide minerals oxidation and the buffering processes in the geochemical evolution of water in the Sarcheshmeh area. Due to these processes, extensive changes occurred in the chemical composition of water by passage through the mining area or waste and low-grade dumps, so that the fresh water of the peripheral area of the pit evolved to an acid water rich in sulfate and heavy metals at the outlet of the pit and in the seepages of waste and low-grade dumps.     

A new class of LRS Bianchi type-II dark energy models with variable EoS parameter

A new class of dark energy models in a Locally Rotationally Symmetric Bianchi type-II (LRS B-II) space-time with variable equation of state (EoS) parameter and constant deceleration parameter have been investigated in the present paper. The Einstein’s field equations have been solved by applying a variation law for generalized Hubble’s parameter given by Berman: Nuovo Cimento 74:182 (1983) which generates two types of solutions for the average scale factor, one is of power-law type and other is of the exponential-law form. Using these two forms, Einstein’s field equations are solved separately that correspond to expanding singular and non-singular models of the universe respectively. The dark energy EoS parameter ω is found to be time dependent and its existing range for both models is in good agreement with the three recent observations of (i) SNe Ia data (Knop et al.: Astrophys. J. 598:102 (2003)), (ii) SNe Ia data collaborated with CMBR anisotropy and galaxy clustering statistics (Tegmark et al.: Astrophys. J. 606:702 (2004)) and latest (iii) a combination of cosmological datasets coming from CMB anisotropies, luminosity distances of high redshift type Ia supernovae and galaxy clustering (Hinshaw et al.: Astrophys. J. Suppl. 180:225 (2009); Komatsu et al. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 180:330 (2009)). The cosmological constant Λ is found to be a positive decreasing function of time and it approaches a small positive value at late time (i.e. the present epoch) which is corroborated by results from recent supernovae Ia observations. The physical and geometric behaviour of the universe have also been discussed in detail.     

An interacting and non-interacting two-fluid scenario for dark energy in FRW universe with constant deceleration parameter

In this paper we study the evolution of the dark energy parameter within the scope of a spatially homogeneous and isotropic FRW universe filled with barotropic fluid and dark energy. The scale factor is considered as a power law function of time which yields a constant deceleration parameter. We consider the case when the dark energy is minimally coupled to the perfect fluid as well as direct interaction with it. The cosmic jerk parameter in our derived models is consistent with the recent data of astrophysical observations. It is concluded that in non-interacting case, all the three open, close and flat universes cross the phantom region whereas in interacting case only open and flat universes cross the phantom region. We find that during the evolution of the universe, the equation of state (EoS) for dark energy ω _D changes from ω _D >−1 to ω _D <−1, which is consistent with recent observations.     

Two-fluid scenario for dark energy models in an FRW universe-revisited

In this paper we study the evolution of the dark energy parameter within the scope of a spatially homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) model filled with barotropic fluid and dark energy by revisiting the recent results (Amirhashchi et al. in Chin. Phys. Lett. 28:039801, 2011a). To prevail the deterministic solution we select the scale factor which generates a time-dependent deceleration parameter (DP), representing a model which generates a transition of the universe from the early decelerating phase to the recent accelerating phase. We consider the two cases of an interacting and non-interacting two-fluid (barotropic and dark energy) scenario and obtained general results. The cosmic jerk parameter in our derived model is also found to be in good agreement with the recent data of astrophysical observations under the suitable condition. The physical aspects of the models and the stability of the corresponding solutions are also discussed.     

Using Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Maximum A Prior Probability (MAP) in Iterative Self‐Organizing Data (ISODATA)

Abstract

With the availability of high‐resolution satellite imagery featuring as high as 1 meter resolution in the panchromatic mode and 3‐meter resolution in the multispectral mode, there is an interest by many new commercial and public service applications such as cellular telephones coverage area design, urban/land cover planning, and real estate marketing to extract features from images automatically. To that end, the demand for unsupervised classification techniques is growing. In this paper, the Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Maximum A prior Probability (MAP) algorithms are used as decision rules to find boundaries of classes computed by the Iterative Self‐Organizing Data (ISOADATA) algorithm. Different satellite images with different resolutions were used to experiment with these algorithms. The results of comparing and analyzing the algorithms revealed that MAP‐ISODATA performed better than ML‐ISODATA even when the same initial matrix was used. It was shown that there was no significant difference between ML‐ISODATA and MAP‐ISODATA in terms of accuracy. It was also realized that better results could be obtained if homogenous initialization strategies were used.     

Coupling of remote sensing data and environmental-related parameters for dengue transmission risk assessment in Subang Jaya,Malaysia

In Malaysia, the endemic level of dengue fever (DF) has already changed morbidity indicators, and the magnitude of these incidences in the last few years has surpassed the incidences of all other diseases of compulsory notification. The reasons for the dramatic emergence of DF are complex and not well understood. There are many factors that contribute to the epidemiological conditions that favour viral transmission by the main mosquito vector. This study, therefore, is filling this gap by analysing the impact of dengue incidence at a local (Subang Jaya) scale using environmental factors. Meteorological data and land-use pattern were consolidated using geographic information system (GIS) and its components as an analytical tool. We have shown that weather variables (relative humidity, temperature and precipitation) have significant correlation with DF incidence with seasonal variation. Besides land-use pattern, DF incidence shows the higher distribution in the residential area, followed by commercial and industrial area. This is due to the higher population density in residential area as well as favourable places for the breeding of dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitos created by humans in the residential area, especially one-storey houses. The analysis on the trends of DF incidence towards various housing types indicate that most of the victims’ houses fall into interconnection houses and mixed houses types compared to the independent houses area. The outcome driven from this analysis suggested that each character of the environmental factors has their own risk towards dengue incidence. In line with that, it is possible to develop a dynamic model of DF transmission using the knowledge produced by this comprehensive time series data and the results provided by the different analyses.     

Application of the honey-bees mating programming (HBMP) algorithm to sediment concentration modelling

Abstract

The honey-bees mating programming (HBMP) algorithm is introduced as a novel tool for predicting suspended sediment concentration for the Mad River catchment near Arcata, USA. The paper also applies gene expression programming (GEP) as a comparison and shows that these two approaches can the produce transparent, nonlinear relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Some modifications have been made to the HBMP algorithm to improve its capability and efficiency. The results achieved from this method and GEP are compared with two different sediment rating curves based on regression techniques. The findings show that the results from both the HBMP and GEP methods are promising and outperform the results obtained from the sediment rating curves.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor L. See     

Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide by Physico‐Biological Filter Using Mixed Rice Husk Silica and Dried Activated Sludge

This study investigated the effectiveness of a new packing material, namely mixed rice husk silica with dried activated sludge for removing H₂S. Dried sewage sludge was collected from Putrajaya sewage treatment plant in Malaysia. Rice husk silica was prepared at temperature of 800°C, after acid leaching and mixed with dried sewage sludge to be utilized in a polyvinyl chloride filter. The system was operated under variable conditions of two parameters, different inlet gas concentration and different inlet flow rate. H₂S was passed through the filter with one liter of the packing material. More than 99.96% removal efficiency (RE) with empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 90–45 s and 300 ppm inlet concentration was observed. However, the RE decreased to 96.87% with the EBRT of 30 s. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) of 52.32 g/m³/h was obtained with the RE of 96.87% and H₂S mass loading rate of 54 g/m³/h, while at the RE of 99.96%, maximum EC was 26.99 g/m³/h with the H₂S mass‐loading rate of 27 g/m³/h. A strong significant correlation between increasing of H₂S mass loading rate and pressure drop was also detected (p < 0.01). Maximum pressure drop was 3.0 mm H₂O after 53 days of operating time, the EBRT of 30 s, and 54 g/m³/h of H₂S loading rate. These observations suggest that the mixture of rice husk silica with dried activated sludge is a suitable physico‐biological filter for H₂S removal.