Accelerated expansion of the universe in a non-trivial extra-dimensional topology

The recent observational available data for an accelerated expansion state of the present universe, obtained from distant SNeIa gave strong support to the search of alternative cosmologies. Recently, there have been a number of different attempts to modify Einstein’s gravity to yield accelerated expansion at late times. Unfortunately, many of the theoretical models discussed in the literature are plagued with theoretical problems, in particular the singularity problem at the origin of time. In the present work we have analyzed a multidimensional spacetime Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) model with a decaying cosmological constant and a varying gravitational constant. Many interesting consequences are revealed, in particular the behavior of the scale factor and the shape of the universe in terms of the number of extra dimensions.     

Instabilities in a nonstationary model of self-gravitating disks. II. Warp modes of vertical oscillations

Gravitational instabilities with respect to warp modes of vertical oscillations are examined for nonlinearly nonequilibrium disk models with isotropic and anisotropic velocity diagrams. Nonstationary analogs of the dispersion relations for vertical oscillations in these models are derived in a general form. A detailed study is made of the major large scale oscillatory modes, which correspond primarily to the most common type of warp in the form of an integral sign, as well as to dome-shaped, U-shaped, and precessional warps. Critical diagrams showing the initial virial relation as a function of the rotation parameter for the nonstationary model are constructed for each of these vertical oscillation modes. A comparative analysis is made of the growth rates of the instabilities for these modes in order to determine the dependence of the characteristic times for their appearance on the basic physical parameters of the two models.     

Application of an Improved Flow-Stress-Damage Model to the Criticality Assessment of Water Inrush in a Mine: a Case Study

This paper presents a case study of water inrush on a mine working face from roof strata. The flow-rock failure process analysis (F-RFPA^2D) code with an improved flow-stress-damage (FSD) model was adopted to perform the failure and coupling analysis. The improved FSD model was used to represent the permeability variation at the four stages (elastic, damaged, cracked, and crack closure) of the rock failure process. The fracture initiation, propagation, and coalescence in the stressed strata and the seepage field evolution in the stress field are represented visually during the whole process of water inrush. The failure zone with high permeability induced by mining disturbance becomes the water-conducting zone after full excavation of the coal seam. The height of the water-conducting zone obtained in this study is in reasonable accordance with that predicted by an empirical formula. It is definitely clarified that the water inrush from the roof strata is induced by the failure zone full of vertical coalesced mine fractures. It is unlikely that roof accidents resulting in water inrush would occur if the water-conducting zone does not grow upwards into the aquifer. The main task for mine extraction under a confined aquifer is to locate the aquifer and find the maximum height of the water-conducting zone, which is very important for mine construction and support design.     

A finite element method for modeling coupled flow and deformation in porous fractured media

Modeling the flow in highly fractured porous media by finite element method (FEM) has met two difficulties: mesh generation for fractured domains and a rigorous formulation of the flow problem accounting for fracture/matrix, fracture/fracture, and fracture/boundary fluid mass exchanges. Based on the recent theoretical progress for mass balance conditions in multifractured porous bodies, the governing equations for coupled flow and deformation in these bodies are first established in this paper. A weak formulation for this problem is then established allowing to build a FEM. Taking benefit from recent development of mesh‐generating tools for fractured media, this weak formulation has been implemented in a numerical code and applied to some typical problems of hydromechanical coupling in fractured porous media. It is shown that in this way, the FEM that has proved its efficiency to model hydromechanical phenomena in porous media is extended with all its performances (calculation time, couplings, and nonlinearities) to fractured porous media. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using large‐scale climatic patterns for improving long lead time streamflow forecasts for Gunnison and San Juan River Basins

In a water‐stressed region, such as the western United States, it is essential to have long lead times for streamflow forecasts used in reservoir operations and water resources management. Current water supply forecasts provide a 3‐month to 6‐month lead time, depending on the time of year. However, there is a growing demand from stakeholders to have forecasts that run lead times of 1 year or more. In this study, a data‐driven model, the support vector machine (SVM) based on the statistical learning theory, was used to predict annual streamflow volume with a 1‐year lead time. Annual average oceanic–atmospheric indices consisting of the Pacific decadal oscillation, North Atlantic oscillation (NAO), Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO), and a new sea surface temperature (SST) data set for the ‘Hondo’ region for the period of 1906–2006 were used to generate annual streamflow volumes for multiple sites in the Gunnison River Basin and San Juan River Basin, both located in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Based on the performance measures, the model showed very good forecasts, and the forecasts were in good agreement with measured streamflow volumes. Inclusion of SST information from the Hondo region improved the model's forecasting ability; in addition, the combination of NAO and Hondo region SST data resulted in the best streamflow forecasts for a 1‐year lead time. The results of the SVM model were found to be better than the feed‐forward, back propagation artificial neural network and multiple linear regression. The results from this study have the potential of providing useful information for the planning and management of water resources within these basins. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monthly variations of net heat flux at the air‐sea interface in coastal waters near Jeddah,Red Sea

Abstract

Based on 16 years of oceanographic and meteorological data the monthly variations of the net heat flux at the air‐sea interface in coastal waters near Jeddah show that the sea gains an average of about 14 ±2 W m^?2 from April to October and loses about 79± 4W m^?2from November to March. The loss of heat during the winter months is not compensated by the gain during the summer months and therefore leads to an annual average deficit of 25 ± 3 Wm^?2. The gain during summer may not favour the formation of a strong seasonal thermocline.     

Stability Behavior and Thermodynamic States of Iron and Manganese in Sandy Soil Aquifer,Manukan Island,Malaysia

A total of 20 soil samples were collected from 10 boreholes constructed in the low lying area, which included ancillary samples taken from the high elevation area. Redox processes were investigated in the soil as well as groundwater in the shallow groundwater aquifer of Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia. Groundwater samples (n = 10) from each boreholes were also collected in the low lying area to understand the concentrations and behaviors of Fe and Mn in the dissolved state. This study strives to obtain a general understanding of the stability behaviors on Fe and Mn at the upper unsaturated and the lower-saturated soil horizons in the low lying area of Manukan Island as these elements usually play a major role in the redox chemistry of the shallow groundwater. Thermodynamic calculations using PHREEQC showed that the groundwater samples in the study area are oversaturated with respect to goethite, hematite, Fe(OH)₃ and undersaturated with respect to manganite and pyrochroite. Low concentrations of Fe and Mn in the groundwater might be probably due to the lack of minerals of iron and manganese oxides, which exist in the sandy aquifer. In fact, high organic matters that present in the unsaturated horizon are believed to be responsible for the high Mn content in the soil. It was observed that the soil samples collected from high elevation area (BK) comprises considerable amount of Fe in both unsaturated (6675.87 mg/kg) and saturated horizons (31440.49 mg/kg) compared to the low Fe content in the low lying area. Based on the stability diagram, the groundwater composition lies within the stability field for Mn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ under suboxic condition and very close to the FeS/Fe²⁺ stability boundary. This study also shows that both pH and Eh values comprise a strong negative value thus suggesting that the redox potential is inversely dependent on the changes of pH.