On flow of a heat conducting fluid through a porous medium

Summary . A two-space singular perturbation technique is employed to derive approximate governing equations for flow of a viscous heat-conducting fluid through a rigid porous solid. It is assumed that buoyancy forces are significant, and it is shown that standard approximations used in the study of flow through a porous medium are valid provided that Gr ≫ 1, where Gr is a Grashof number calculated using a typical pore radius as the length scale. Results previously derived in the literature for flow through an isotropic random array of spherical particles are used to show how the permeability and conductivity tensors can be calculated for a problem of interest in planetary science.     

Comparison of Positron Emission Tomography and X-ray radiography for studies of physical processes in sandstone

The migration of moisture in cores of porous homogeneous sandstone of Ledian age (Belgian Eocene, Tertiary) is monitored with PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and micro-focus X-ray radiography. In the case of PET, a nuclear medical imaging technique, ⁵⁵Co-EDTA (Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic acid) and R-¹⁸F were used as water-soluble tracers. The X-ray projection method has evolved from the better-known medical technique and allows a fast and accurate determination of the two-dimensional transient moisture content profiles. Results indicate that both techniques can deliver important information concerning physical processes in situ.     

The use of X-ray tomography in the study of water repellents and consolidants

To reduce the weathering rate of natural building stones, a wide variety of water repellents and consolidants are commercially available. Although a lot of research is performed on these products, it remains difficult to determine which product is appropriate to use for a certain type of building stone. Each type of building stone has its own petrographic characteristics (mineralogy, texture, …), leading to typical physical and technical properties which influence its rate of decay. The localisation of the products inside a stone type is not only depending on the properties of the products themselves, but also linked to the texture and structure of the stone. The impregnation depth of the products strongly influences their efficiency and is therefore a key issue in the determination if a product is functional for a certain type of stone. X-ray micro-CT has recently been introduced as a non-destructive material evaluation technique for engineering and geology purposes. The fact that micro-CT can provide information about the internal structure and properties of natural building stones, is a major advantage in the study of their conservation. Firmly linked with more classical research techniques, this non-destructive technique offers an extra dimension to the cultural heritage research.In this paper, non-destructive X-ray computed micro-tomography (micro-CT) turns out to be a powerful tool as it can visualise the presence of water repellents and consolidants inside the stone and can help to detect the influence that these treatments exert on porosity and pore-size distribution. For the visualization of the product its atomic number and density and the amount of product inside the natural building stone is crucial. Besides the contrast in attenuation, the resolution of the micro-CT also needs to be taken into account to obtain a good contrast between stone and product. By doping with 3-bromopropyltrimethoxysilane, more contrast occurs between the stone material and the conservation product. When the amount of product inside the samples is very low and the product is homogeneously spread inside the sample, the doped product is difficult to distinguish from the stone material due to the resolution of the micro-CT. When the amount of doped product inside the stone material reaches a certain threshold value, the dope will appear in the 2D cross-sections derived from micro-CT, creating a good visualization of the products inside the stone samples.     

Cognitive and Affective Predictors of Illinois Residents’ Perceived Risks from Gray Wolves

Abstract

Increasing wolf populations are a concern for wildlife managers in the Midwestern U.S. Understanding the psychological mechanisms that contribute to public perceptions of risk will enable development of strategies that seek to mitigate these risks, and suggest where outreach efforts may facilitate acceptance of wolves. We examined the psychological factors that influence Illinois residents’ perceived risks from wolves. We hypothesized that individuals’ perceived risks from wolves were a function of their attitudes toward wolves, negative affect toward wolves, and basic beliefs about wildlife. Data were obtained from a survey of the Illinois public (n?=?784). Negative affect and attitudes toward wolves were direct predictors of perceived risks. Basic beliefs predicted attitudes and negative affect toward wolves. Negative affect predicted attitudes. Basic beliefs had direct and indirect effects on perceived risks.     

Assessment of Kinetic Energy of Meteoroids Detected by Satellite-Based Light Sensors

Radiation energies of bright flashes caused by disintegration of large meteoroids in the atmosphere have been measured using optical sensors on board geostationary satellites. Light curves versus time are available for some of the events. We have worked out several numerical techniques to derive the kinetic energy of the meteoroids that produced the flashes. Spectral opacities of vapor of various types of meteoroids were calculated for a wide range of possible temperatures and densities. Coefficients of conversion of kinetic energy to radiation energy were computed for chondritic and iron meteoroids 10 cm to 10 m in size using radiation–hydrodynamics numerical simulations. Luminous efficiency increases with body size and initial velocity. Some analytical approximations are presented for average conversion coefficients for irons and H-chondrites. A mean value of this coefficient for large meteoroids (1–10 m in size) is about 5–10%. The theory was tested by analyzing the light curves of several events in detail.Kinetic energies of impactors and energy–frequency distribution of 51 bolides, detected during 22 months of systematic observations in 1994–1996, are determined using theoretical values of luminous efficiencies and heat-transfer coefficients. The number of impacts in the energy range from 0.25 to 4 kt TNT is 25 per year and per total surface of the Earth.The energy–frequency distribution is in a rather good agreement with that derived from acoustic observations and the lunar crater record. Acoustic systems have registered one 1 Mt event in 12 years of observation. Optical systems have not detected such an event as yet due to a shorter time of observation. The probability of a 1 Mt impact was estimated by extrapolation of the observational data.     

Investigation of a Tertiary maar structure using three-dimensional resistivity imaging

This paper presents the application of the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method to the investigation of the Tertiary maar structure of Baruth (Germany) known from previous gravimetric surveys. ERT was applied to support the optimum location for a palaeoclimatological drill hole.
  Special modifications of data acquisition, signal processing and inversion are introduced to adapt the method of ERT to the special requirements for the 3-D investigation of structures with horizontal extensions of 1  km or more. More than 5000 dipole–dipole combinations were recorded at three concentric circular electrode arrangements using stand-alone transient data acquisition systems (RefTek).
  We present a fast approximate imaging technique based on the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT). As the complete calculation of the inverse Frechét matrix is avoided, the algorithm is especially suitable for large data and model spaces, where complete inversion is beyond the limits of available computing hardware. The single-step method is applicable to arbitrary irregular electrode layouts. Synthetic tests show that the imaging procedure reconstructs the main features of the subsurface.
  A low-resistivity body could be interpreted as limnic sediments filling the interior of the Tertiary maar crater. Considering the horizontal resistivity gradient, estimates for the lateral and depth extents of the structure were made. An optimum position for a palaeoclimatological borehole was found, and was in good agreement with the gravimetric minimum.     

Monthly Variations of Water Masses in the Yellow and East China Seas, November 6, 1998

The monthly water mass variations in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea are investigated using over 40 years of historical temperature and salinity observations via a cluster analysis that incorporates geographical distance and depth separation in addition to the temperature and salinity. Results delineate monthly variations in the major water masses and provide some insight into formation mechanisms and intermixing. The major water masses include the Kuroshio-East China Sea water (KE), the Yellow Sea surface water (YSS) and bottom cold water (YSB), mixed water (MW), and coastal water (CW). The distribution of the KE water mass reveals the intrusion pattern into the area west of Cheju. A separate mixed water type appears between the KE water mass and the Yellow Sea water masses during winter. The formation mechanism of the YSB appears to be the surface cooling and active mixing in winter. In the East China Sea, during summer, surface water is differentiated from the subsurface water while there is no differentiation during winter. In the Yellow Sea, a three layer system exists in the summer and fall (May–November) while a two layer system exists during the rest of the year. A fresh water mass generated by Yangtze River discharge (YD) is present over the northern East China Sea and the southern Yellow Sea during summer. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.