ALBERT

Description: We investigate how the choice of injection mode impacts transport properties in kilometer-scale three-dimensional discrete fracture networks (DFN). The choice of injection mode, resident or flux-weighted, is designed to mimic different physical phenomena. It has been hypothesized that solute plumes injected under resident conditions evolve to behave similarly to solutes injected under flux-weighted conditions. Previously, computational limitations have prohibited the large scale simulations required to investigate this hypothesis. We investigate this hypothesis by using a high performance DFN suite, dfnWorks , to simulate flow in kilometer-scale three-dimensional DFNs based on fractured granite at the Forsmark site in Sweden, and adopt a Lagrangian approach to simulate transport therein. Results show that after traveling through a pre-equilibrium region both injection methods exhibit linear scaling of the first moment of travel time and power law scaling of the breakthrough curve with similar exponents, slightly larger than two. The physical mechanisms behind this evolution appear to be the combination of in-network channeling of mass into larger fractures, which offer reduced resistance to flow, and in-fracture channeling, which results from the topology of the DFN. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Hydrologic ensemble forecasts driven by atmospheric ensemble prediction systems need statistical post-processing in order to account for systematic errors in terms of both location and spread. Runoff is an inherently multivariate process with typical events lasting from hours in case of floods to weeks or even months in case of droughts. This calls for multivariate post-processing techniques that yield well calibrated forecasts in univariate terms and ensure a realistic temporal dependence structure at the same time. To this end, the univariate ensemble model output statistics (EMOS) post-processing method is combined with two different copula approaches that ensure multivariate calibration throughout the entire forecast horizon. The domain of this study covers three sub-catchments of the river Rhine that represent different sizes and hydrological regimes: the Upper Rhine up to the gauge Maxau, the river Moselle up to the gauge Trier, and the river Lahn up to the gauge Kalkofen. In this study the two approaches to model the temporal dependence structure are ensemble copula coupling (ECC), which preserves the dependence structure of the raw ensemble, and a Gaussian copula approach (GCA), which estimates the temporal correlations from training observations. The results indicate that both methods are suitable for modelling the temporal dependencies of probabilistic hydrologic forecasts. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: A three-dimensional mathematical model that describes transport of contaminant in a horizontal aquifer with simultaneous diffusion into a fractured clay formation is proposed. A group of semi-analytical solutions is derived based on specific initial and boundary conditions as well as various source functions. The analytical model solutions are evaluated by numerical Laplace inverse transformation and analytical Fourier inverse transformation. The model solutions can be used to study the fate and transport in a three-dimensional spatial domain in which a non-aqueous phase liquid exists as a pool atop a fractured low permeability clay layer. The non-aqueous phase liquid gradually dissolves into the groundwater flowing past the pool, while simultaneously diffusing into the fractured clay formation below the aquifer. Mass transfer of the contaminant into the clay formation is demonstrated to be significantly enhanced by the existence of the fractures, even though the volume of fractures is relatively small compared to the volume of the clay matrix. The model solution is a useful tool in assessing contaminant attenuation processes in a confined aquifer underlain by a fractured clay formation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Parasite host range can be influenced by physiological, behavioral, and ecological factors. Combining data sets on host–parasite associations with phylogenetic information of the hosts and the parasites involved can generate evolutionary hypotheses about the selective forces shaping host range. Here, we analyzed associations between the nest-parasitic flies in the genus Philornis and their host birds on Trinidad. Four of ten Philornis species were only reared from one species of bird. Of the parasite species with more than one host bird species, P. falsificus was the least specific and P. deceptivus the most specific attacking only Passeriformes. Philornis flies in Trinidad thus include both specialists and generalists , with varying degrees of specificity within the generalists. We used three quantities to more formally compare the host range of Philornis flies: the number of bird species attacked by each species of Philornis , a phylogenetically informed host specificity index (Poulin and Mouillot's S TD ), and a branch length-based S TD . We then assessed the phylogenetic signal of these measures of host range for 29 bird species. None of these measures showed significant phylogenetic signal, suggesting that clades of Philornis did not differ significantly in their ability to exploit hosts. We also calculated two quantities of parasite species load for the birds – the parasite species richness, and a variant of the S TD index based on nodes rather than on taxonomic levels – and assessed the signal of these measures on the bird phylogeny. We did not find significant phylogenetic signal for the parasite species load or the node-based S TD index. Finally, we calculated the parasite associations for all bird pairs using the Jaccard index and regressed these similarity values against the number of nodes in the phylogeny separating bird pairs. This analysis showed that Philornis on Trinidad tend to feed on closely related bird species more often than expected by chance. Host range, parasite species load, and community similarity are important descriptors of host-parasite interactions. We used a phylogenetic approach to explore host-associations between birds and their Philornis parasites on the island of Trinidad.

Description: The search for novel chemical architectures displaying improved biological properties is a never-ending synthetic challenge. In this context many new test structures are often conceived by selecting and replicating specific design elements from naturally occurring molecules and displaying them in an alternative format by way of a new chemical assembly. Constructing these newly designed compounds can be a timely and expensive process especially when a large quantity of the target material is required for physiochemical and property testing. To permit easier scale up and safer working practice many chemical researchers are employing flow chemistry approaches to aid in their synthesis challenges. Herein we report on the preparation of a key spirocyclic lactone using flow based reaction processing techniques.

Description: This work focuses on the implementation of a Shallow Water-Exner model for compound natural channels with complex geometry and movable bed within the finite volume framework. The model is devised for compound channels modeling: cross-section overbanks are treated with fixed bed conditions, while the main channel is left free to modify its morphology. A capacitive approach is used for bedload transport modeling, in which the solid flow rates are estimated with bedload transport formulas. The model equations pose some numerical issues in the case of natural channels, where bedload transport may occur for both subcritical and supercritical flows and geometry varies in space. An explicit path-conservative scheme, designed to overcome all these issues, is presented in the paper. The scheme solves liquid and solid phases dynamics in a coupled manner, in order to correctly model near critical currents/channel interactions and is well-balanced, that is able to properly reproduce steady states. The Roe and Osher Riemann solvers are implemented, so as to take into account the spatial geometry variations of natural channels. The scheme reaches up to 2 nd order accuracy. Validation is performed with fixed and movable bed test cases whose analytical solution is known, and with flume experimental data. An application of the model to a real case study is also shown. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: In this paper we use a physical modelling approach to explore the effect of lateral confinement on gravel bed river planform style, bed morphology, and sediment transport processes. A set of 27 runs was performed in a large flume (25 m long, 2.9 m wide), with constant longitudinal slope (0.01) and uniform grain size (1 mm), changing the water discharge (1.5 to 2.5 l/s) and the channel width (0.15 m to 1.5 m) to model a wide range of channel configurations, from narrow, straight, embanked channels to wide braided networks. The outcomes of each run were characterized by a detailed digital elevation model describing channel morphology, a map of dry areas and areas actively transporting sediment within the channel, and continuous monitoring of the amount of sediment transported through the flume outlet. Analysis reveals strong relationships between unit stream power and parameters describing the channel morphology. In particular, a smooth transition is observed between narrow channels with an almost rectangular cross section profile (with sediment transport occurring across the entire channel width) and complex braided networks where only a limited proportion (30%) of the bed is active. This transition is captured by descriptors of the bed elevation frequency distribution, e.g. standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. These summary statistics represent potentially useful indicators of bed morphology that are compared with other commonly used summary indicators such as the braiding index and the type and number of bars. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: We analyzed individual variation in work load (nest visit rate) during chick-rearing, and the consequences of this variation in terms of breeding productivity, in a highly synchronous breeder, the European starling ( Sturnus vulgaris ) focusing on female birds. There was marked (10- to 16-fold) variation in total, female and male nest visit rates, among individuals, but individual variation in female nest visit rate was independent of environment (rainfall, temperature) and metrics of individual quality (laying date, clutch size, amount of male provisioning help), and was only weakly associated with chick demand (i.e., day 6 brood size). Female nest visit rate was independent of date and experimentally delayed birds provisioned at the same rate as peak-nesting birds; supporting a lack of effect of date per se. Brood size at fledging was positively but weakly related to total nest visit rate (male + female), with 〉fivefold variation in nest visit rate for any given brood size, and in females brood size at fledging and chick mass at fledging were independent of female nest visit rate, that is, individual variation in workload was not associated with higher productivity. Nevertheless, nest visit rate in females was repeatable among consecutive days (6–8 posthatching), and between peak (first) and second broods, but not among years. Our data suggest that individual females behave as if committed to a certain level of parental care at the outset of their annual breeding attempt, but this varies among years, that is, behavior is not fixed throughout an individual's life but represents an annually variable decision. We suggest females are making predictable decisions about their workload during provisioning that maximizes their overall fitness based on an integration of information on their current environment (although these cues currently remain unidentified). Traditional metrics of parental workload vary considerably and we elucidate an uncoupling of female provisioning effort and fitness benefits. We suggest females are making predictable decisions about their workload during provisioning that maximizes their overall fitness based on an integration of information on their current environment.

Description: Mass transfer from single CO 2 Taylor bubbles in vertical mini channels was measured for channel hydraulic diameters, D h , from 5.5 to 8.0 mm. The effects of channel geometries on the mass transfer were also investigated by using square ducts and circular pipes. Bubble rising velocities, v B , in the ducts were much faster than those in the pipes due to large liquid flow areas in the corners of the ducts. The values of mass transfer coefficients, k L , in the pipes were almost the same as those in the ducts, in spite of a large difference in v B . Sherwood numbers, Sh D , using D h as a characteristic length are well correlated in terms of the Eötvös number. The proposed Sh D correlation can well predict a long-term dissolution process of a Taylor bubble.

Description: The phase-field method coupled with the Navier-Stokes equations is a rather new approach for scale-resolving numerical simulation of interfacial two-phase flows. The intention is to implement it as finite-volume method in the open source library for computational continuum mechanics OpenFOAM® and make it freely available. An overview on the governing equations is given and the numerical method is shortly discussed. The focus is on application and validation of the code for some fundamental wetting phenomena, namely the capillary rise in a narrow channel and the spreading of a droplet on a flat surface, which is chemically homogeneous or regularly patterned. The numerical results on static meshes agree well with analytical solutions and experimental/numerical results from literature. Also, first 3D finite-volume simulations with adaptive mesh refinement near the interface are presented as a key element to achieve CPU-time efficient simulations. A phase-field method for interface resolving numerical simulations of two-phase flows is presented and implemented in OpenFOAM®. The method is validated for several capillary flows with moving contact lines and is used to study dynamic droplet spreading on a flat surface by three-dimensional simulations with adaptive mesh refinement near the interface.