Modification of MCM‐41 with Anionic Surfactant: A Convenient Design for Efficient Removal of Cationic Dyes from Wastewater

The potential of MCM‐41 for the removal of cationic dyes from water solution was evaluated using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) for the surface modification of this mesoporous material. Admicelle structures formed on the surface of the calcined MCM‐41 are capable of removing organic pollutants and cationic species from water environment. The structural, textural, and surface chemical characteristics of the prepared SDS‐modified MCM‐41 (SDS‐MCM‐41) were studied. The adsorption capacity of SDS‐MCM‐41 was evaluated for methylene blue (MB) as a target cationic dye. Equilibrium adsorption isotherm data were manipulated employing nonlinear regression analysis. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips isotherm models were examined. The adsorption data were well fitted to both Langmuir and Sips isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity of SDS‐MCM‐41 for MB, based on Langmuir and Sips models, were 290.8 and 297.3 mg g^?1, respectively. Ethanol was found to be an effective solvent for partial regeneration of the adsorbent.     

Performance of quasilinear elastic constitutive models in simulation of geosynthetic encased columns

Past numerical simulations of geosynthetic encased columns (GECs) using different versions of the quasilinear elastic hyperbolic model for the encased granular material have, in certain cases, yielded unrealistic results. In this paper the cause of such results is investigated by performing three-dimensional finite element analyses of GECs in soft clay, utilizing three common functional forms of the hyperbolic model for the encased granular material. Results indicate that one form of the hyperbolic model can predict an unrealistic lateral response for GECs during application of load to the column. In addition, the inability of hyperbolic models to properly account for soil behavior near failure compromises their ability to realistically capture the behavior of encased granular soil in GECs. Modeling the behavior of soil near failure is essential for properly simulating the behavior of GECs, as soil shear failure is necessary to mobilize the tensile stresses in the encasement and improve the stress–displacement response of the GEC. Although this type of hyperbolic model behavior was demonstrated for the specific case of encased soil in a GEC, the limitations of the hyperbolic model described herein apply equally to other geotechnical problems in which some portion of the soil mass is at or near failure.     

Factors affecting landslides occurrence in agro-ecological zones in the Merek catchment, Iran

Part of the mountainous semi-arid areas of Iran is geologically and topographically susceptible to landslides. A study was conducted at the Merek catchment, Iran which is geologically characterized by limestone, sandstone, shale and marls so as to determine the factors responsible for the occurrence of landslides. In this study, geomorphological units within the catchment were mapped by overlapping geological, topographical, land use and erosion data, using satellite image and GIS. Rocks and soils were sampled within each unit to determine their physico-chemical and mineralogical properties. It was found that landslides have affected about 15% of the Merek catchment and that their occurrence were promoted by unstable soils, being eroded at the rate of 18.57 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. These landslides were initiated by crack formation in areas having smectite, a mineral which can swell and contract, depending on the availability of water. Smectite is the dominant mineral in about 80% of the area affected by landslides. Low aggregate stability in the topsoil further promotes the occurrence of landslides. Field verification showed that landslides occur mainly in the forest where the canopy cover is less than 15% with slope of 10-40%. Deforestation, overgrazing and improper tillage practices were found to accelerate landslides in this catchment.     

Numerical simulation of groundwater flow and contamination transport in Nahavand plain aquifer,west of Iran

Numerical simulation of groundwater flow used for the estimation of hydraulic and hydrologic parameters which is an important tool for the management of aquifers. This study presents the results of a mathematical model developed for the simulation of groundwater flow in Nahavand plain aquifer in the southwest Hamadan province. For this purpose Groundwater Modeling Software (GMS) was used which supports the MODFLOW-2000 code. After gathering required data such as the hydrological, hydrogeological and topography maps, a 3D hydrogeological model of plain was constructed with borehole and surface elevation data. Then MODFLOW was used for simulation of flow. After initial simulation of the flow, the model was calibrated in steady state with trial-and-error and parameter estimation methods the observed head of groundwater table monitoring data of 1997. Results of calibration show that error between observed head and computed head is in allowable range. Also results of computed head with model show that groundwater flow is in the direction of the dominate slope (southeast to northwest). Finally MODPATH code which simulates advective transport of particles was used for estimation of flow path and source of contaminants.     

Wind energy potential assessment using Weibull distribution with various numerical estimation methods: a case study in Mersing and Port Dickson,Malaysia

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - In this study, the Weibull distribution with various numerical estimation methods is utilized for the assessment of wind energy potential in Mersing and Port...     

Electromagnetic field and dynamics of tilted Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes with imperfect fluid in the presence of electromagnetic field. We study the effects of charge with respect to an observer moving radially relative to the fluid, that is, a tilted observer. The relationship between various quantities in the tilted and non-tilted congruences is developed using the Einstein-Maxwell field equations. We explore various factors affecting the inhomogeneities in the energy density of the fluid and also discuss the stability of the non-tilted congruence.     

Analysis of recharge conceptualization in inverse groundwater modelling

ABSTRACT

This study presents a systematic illustration quantifying how misleading the calibration results of a groundwater simulation model can be when recharge rates are considered as the model parameters to be estimated by inverse modelling. Three approaches to recharge estimation are compared: autocalibration (Model 1), the empirical return coefficient method (Model 2), and distributed hydrological modelling using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT (Model 3). The methodology was applied in the Dehloran Plain, western Iran, using the MODFLOW modular flow simulator and the PEST method for autocalibration. The results indicate that, although Model 1 performed the best in simulating water levels at observation wells in the calibration stage, it did not perform satisfactorily in real future scenarios. Model 3, with SWAT-based recharge rates, performed better than the other models in the validation stage. By not evaluating the model performance solely on calibration results, we demonstrate the relative significance of using more accurate recharge estimates when calibrating groundwater simulation models.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR M. Besbes     

A context-aware personalized travel recommendation system based on geotagged social media data mining

The proliferation of digital cameras and the growing practice of online photo sharing using social media sites such as Flickr have resulted in huge volumes of geotagged photos available on the Web. Based on users' traveling preferences elicited from their travel experiences exposed on social media sites by sharing geotagged photos, we propose a new method for recommending tourist locations that are relevant to users (i.e., personalization) in the given context (i.e., context awareness). We obtain user-specific travel preferences from his/her travel history in one city and use these to recommend tourist locations in another city. Our technique is illustrated on a sample of publicly available Flickr dataset containing photos taken in various cities of China. Results show that our context-aware personalized method is able to predict tourists' preferences in a new or unknown city more precisely and generate better recommendations compared to other state-of-the-art landmark recommendation methods.     

Allocation of urban land uses by Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm

Considering the ever-increasing urban population, it appears that land management is of major importance. Land uses must be properly arranged so that they do not interfere with one another and can meet each other's needs as much as possible; this goal is a challenge of urban land-use planning. The main objective of this research is to use Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm to find the optimum arrangement of urban land uses in parcel level, considering multiple objectives and constraints simultaneously. Geospatial Information System is used to prepare the data and to study different spatial scenarios when developing the model. To optimize the land-use arrangement, four objectives are defined: maximizing compatibility, maximizing dependency, maximizing suitability, and maximizing compactness of land uses. These objectives are characterized based on the requirements of planners. As a result of optimization, the user is provided with a set of optimum land-use arrangements, the Pareto-front solutions. The user can select the most appropriate solutions according to his/her priorities. The method was tested using the data of region 7, district 1 of Tehran. The results showed an acceptable level of repeatability and stability for the optimization algorithm. The model uses parcel instead of urban blocks, as the spatial unit. Moreover, it considers a variety of land uses and tries to optimize several objectives simultaneously.     

A multicriteria spatial decision support system for solving emergency service station location problems

Earthquakes occurring in urban areas constitute an important concern for emergency management and rescue services. Emergency service location problems may be formulated in discrete space or by restricting the potential location(s) to a specified finite set of points in continuous space. We propose a Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support System to identify shelters and emergency service locations in urban evacuation planning. The proposed system has emerged as an integration of the geographical information systems (GIS) and the multicriteria Decision-Making method of Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation IV (PROMETHEE IV). This system incorporates multiple and often conflicting criteria and decision-makers’ preferences into a spatial decision model. We consider three standard structural attributes (i.e., durability density, population density, and oldness density) in the form of spatial maps to determine the zones most vulnerable to an earthquake. The information on these spatial maps is then entered into the ArcGIS software to define the relevant scores for each point with regards to the aforementioned attributes. These scores will be used to compute the preference functions in PROMETHEE IV, whose net flow outranking for each alternative will be inputted in ArcGIS to determine the zones that are most vulnerable to an earthquake. The final scores obtained are integrated into a mathematical programming model designed to find the most suitable locations for the construction of emergency service stations. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method and the efficacy of the procedures and algorithms in an earthquake emergency service station planning case study in the city of Tehran.