Academic literature on the topic 'Small areal layers'

Australia's little known woodlands once covered huge areas of the eastern side of our continent. Woodlands are distinguished from forests by the fact that their canopies do not touch, tree heights are usually lower and they usually have a grassy understorey. They support a fascinating and diverse array of birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs, invertebrates and plants, and have been under massive pressure from grazing and agriculture over the past 200 years. In many cases only small remnant patches of some types of woodland survive. Understanding and appreciating woodlands is an important way forward for promoting their sustainable management and conservation.
 Woodlands: A Disappearing Landscape explains with lucid text and spectacular photographs the role that woodlands play in supporting a range of native plants and animals that has existed there for millions of years.
 The book is set out as a series of logically linked chapters working from the woodland canopy (the tree crowns), through the understorey, the ground layers, and to the lowest lying parts of landscape – wetlands, creeks and dams. Each chapter illustrates many key topics in woodland biology with text and images, explaining important aspects of woodland ecology as well as woodland management and conservation.

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of different disturbances (both natural and anthropogenic) on species composition and stand structure of old-growth mixed mountain forests in the Western Carpathians. These stands are usually dominated by beech, fir and spruce, mixed in different proportions. The tree main species represent different growth strategies, and they compete against each other. The longevity of trees makes the factors influencing the stand structure difficult to identify, even during longitudinal studies conducted on permanent research plots. That is why dendroecological techniques, based upon the annual variability of tree rings, are commonly used to analyze the disturbance histories of old-growth stands. Dendroecological methods make it possible to reconstruct the stand history over several centuries in the past by analyzing the frequency, intensity, duration and spatial scale of disturbances causing the death of trees. Combining the dendroecological techniques with the detailed measurements of stand structure, snag volume, CWD volume, and the analyses of regeneration species composition and structure allows us to identify the factors responsible for the changes in dynamics of mixed mountain forests. Various disturbance agents affect some species selectively, while some disturbances promote the establishment of tree seedlings of specific species by modifying environmental conditions. Describing the disturbance regime requires a broad scope of data on stand structure, on dead wood and tree regeneration, while various factors affecting all the stages of tree growth should be taken into consideration. On the basis of the already published data from permanent sample plots, combined with the available disturbance history analyses from the Western Carpathians, three research hypotheses were formulated. 1. The species composition of mixed mountain forests has been changing for at least several decades. These directional changes are the consequence of simultaneous conifer species decline and expansion of beech. 2. The observed changes in species composition of mixed mountain forests are the effect of indirect anthropogenic influences, significantly changing tree growth conditions also in the forests that are usually considered natural or near-natural. Cumulative impact of these indirect influences leads to the decrease of fir share in the tree layer (spruce decline has also been observed recently),and it limits the representation of this species among seedlings and saplings. The final effect is the decrease of fir and spruce share in the forest stands. 3. Small disturbances, killing single trees or small groups of trees, and infrequent disturbances of medium size and intensity dominate the disturbance regime in mixed mountain forests. The present structure of beech-fir-spruce forests is shaped both by complex disturbance regime and indirect anthropogenic influences. The data were gathered in permanent sample plots in strictly protected areas of Babia Góra, Gorce, and Tatra National Parks, situated in the Western Carpathians. All plots were located in the old-growth forest stands representing Carpathian beech forest community. The results of the measurements of trees, snags, coarse woody debris (CWD) and tree regeneration were used for detailed description of changes in the species composition and structure of tree stands. Tree ring widths derived from increment cores were used to reconstruct the historical changes in tree growth trends of all main tree species, as well as the stand disturbance history within the past two to three hundred years. The analyses revealed complex disturbance history in all of the three forest stands. Intermediate disturbances of variable intensity occurred, frequently separated by the periods of low tree mortality lasting from several decades up to over one hundred years. The intervals between the disturbances were significantly shorter than the expected length of forest developmental cycle, in commonly used theories describing the dynamics of old-growth stands. During intermediate disturbances up to several dozen percent of canopy trees were killed. There were no signs of stand-replacing disturbances, killing all or nearly all of canopy trees. The periods of intense tree mortality were followed by subsequent periods of increased sapling recruitment. Variability in disturbance intensity is one of the mechanisms promoting the coexistence of beech and conifer species in mixed forests. The recruitment of conifer saplings depended on the presence of larger gaps, resulting from intermediate disturbances, while beech was more successful in the periods of low mortality. However, in the last few decades, beech seems to benefit from the period of intense fir mortality. This change results from the influence of long-term anthropogenic disturbances, affecting natural mechanisms that maintain the coexistence of different tree species and change natural disturbance regimes. Indirect anthropogenic influence on tree growth was clearly visible in the gradual decrease of fir increments in the twentieth century, resulting from the high level of air pollution in Europe. Synchronous decreases of fir tree rings’ widths were observed in all three of the sample plots, but the final outcomes depended on the fir age. In most cases, the damage to the foliage limited the competitive abilities of fir, but it did not cause a widespread increase in tree mortality, except for the oldest firs in the BGNP (Babia Góra National Park) plot. BGNP is located in the proximity of industrial agglomeration of Upper Silesia, and it could be exposed to higher level of air pollution than the other two plots. High level of fir regeneration browsing due to the deer overabundance and insufficient number of predators is the second clear indication of the indirect anthropogenic influence on mixed mountain forests. Game impact on fir regeneration is the most pronounced in Babia Góra forests, where fir was almost completely eliminated from the saplings. Deer browsing seems to be the main factor responsible for limiting the number of fir saplings and young fir trees, while the representation of fir among seedlings is high. The experiments conducted in fenced plots located in the mixed forests in BGNP proved that fir and sycamore were the most preferred by deer species among seedlings and saplings. In GNP (Gorce National Park) and TNP (Tatra National Park), the changes in species composition of tree regeneration are similar, but single firs or even small groups of firs are present among saplings. It seems that all of the analysed mixed beech-fir-spruce forests undergo directional changes, causing a systematic decrease in fir representation, and the expansion of beech. This tendency results from the indirect anthropogenic impact, past and present. Fir regeneration decline, alongside with the high level of spruce trees’ mortality in recent years, may lead to a significant decrease in conifers representation in the near future, and to the expansion of beech forests at the cost of mixed ones.

ISTAT census layers, realized by ISTAT since 1991, are in update; this kind of digital cartography divides the entire national territory in very small enumeration areas to which are linked all the variables gathered during the census surveys. This layer, thanks to the several pieces of information related to each enumeration area, has a huge value for the statistical description of the Italian situation also regarding land cover and land use themes. Therefore, to further enrich the information assets of the ISTAT cartography, Environment and Territory Service of the Institute aims to produce an implementation of the enumeration areas layer to homogenise them with regard their land cover and land use. In addition, this is achieved through a specific code (Cod_TIPO_S) that can be related to the European frame LUCAS (Land Use and Cover Area Survey) legend. LUCAS survey represents the official frame for the dissemination of land cover and use statistics at continental level. For our purpose a specific transcoding table has been created between COD_TIPO_S and LUCAS legend. New enumeration areas layer provides for 47 legend entries In this brief paper both the work carried out and some provisional results for some of the major Italian urban areas are illustrated. The activities are in progress and are based on GIS algorithm and Python scripts.

AbstractCross-layer resiliency has become a critical deciding factor for any successful product. This chapter focuses on monitor circuits that are essential in realizing the cross-layer resiliency. The role of monitor circuits is to establish a bridge between the hardware and other layers by providing information about the devices and the operating environment in run-time. This chapter explores delay-based monitor circuits for design automation with the existing cell-based design methodology. The chapter discusses several design techniques to monitor parameters of threshold voltage, temperature, leakage current, critical delay, and aging. The chapter then demonstrates a reconfigurable architecture to monitor multiple parameters with small area footprint. Finally, an extraction methodology of physical parameters is discussed for model-hardware correlation. Utilizing the cell-based design flow, delay-based monitors can be placed inside the target digital circuit and thus a better correlation between monitor and target circuit behavior can be realized.

AbstractContact-free temperature determination is based on the measurements of electromagnetic radiation. The corresponding physical laws are related to the properties of black bodies. This background allows for the development of thermometric and thermographic systems for remote temperature measurements. Precise absolute temperature data, required in hyperthermia, do not only depend on the technical quality of the systems (hardware and software) and their calibration, but also depend on accurate determination of the emissivity of human skin. Pyrometers are restricted to temperature measurements within a small area (measurement spot), while thermographic cameras allow measurements across a relatively large region on the target area in real time. The subdivision of the IR image into spatially separated pixels allows access to temperature data of small areas on the skin and thus combines thermometry and thermography. Quality assurance standards of the European Society of Hyperthermic Oncology for water-filtered IR-A-hyperthermia (wIRA-HT) are met, except for the accuracy of the absolute temperature. Since the relation between the temperatures at the skin surface and in deeper tissue layers, considering irradiation and heating time, in wIRA-HT can be assessed, the temperature needed for efficient thermal treatment of superficial tumors within superficial tissue layers can therefore be achieved in a controlled manner.

This section provides a comprehensive overview of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, focusing on their anatomical characteristics, vascularization, innervation, and clinical relevance. The duodenum, the initial segment of the small intestine, is divided into four parts: superior, descending, inferior, and ascending. The inner surface of the duodenum features numerous folds and villi that increase its surface area for nutrient absorption. Its wall structure comprises several layers, including the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa. The arterial supply to the duodenum includes branches from the Right gastric artery, Supraduodenal artery, Right gastro-omental artery, superior pancreaticoduodenal artery, and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery. Venous drainage from the duodenum occurs through the splenic (lienal), Superior mesenteric, and Hepatic portal veins. Lymphatic drainage follows a similar path, with lymph nodes along the arteries. Neural innervation of the duodenum involves the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, facilitating the regulation of digestive processes. Clinically, conditions such as duodenal ulcers and obstructions are common issues affecting the duodenum, necessitating a thorough understanding of its anatomy for effective diagnosis and treatment. Moving to the jejunum and ileum, this section highlights the differences between these two parts of the small intestine. The jejunum, which follows the duodenum, is characterized by a thicker wall, larger diameter, and more prominent circular folds than the ileum. The ileum, the final part of the small intestine, has a thinner wall, smaller diameter, and fewer circular folds. It also features Peyer’s patches, lymphoid tissues crucial for immune function. The mesentery, a fold of the peritoneum, supports the jejunum and ileum, providing a conduit for blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics. A notable clinical condition associated with the ileum is the ileal diverticulum (Meckel’s diverticulum), a congenital anomaly that can lead to complications such as bleeding or inflammation. The wall structure of the small intestine is similar to that of the duodenum, with adaptations that facilitate absorption. Circular folds, or plicae circulares, are prominent in the jejunum and gradually diminish towards the ileum, vital in increasing the surface area for nutrient absorption. In clinical practice, understanding the anatomical and functional distinctions between the jejunum and ileum and their common pathologies is essential for accurate diagnosis and effective management of gastrointestinal disorders.

AbstractWe consider an adhesive contact between a thin soft layer on a rigid substrate and a rigid cylindrical indenter (“line contact”) taking the surface tension of the layer into account. First, it is shown that the boundary condition for the surface outside the contact area is given by the constant contact angle—as in the case of fluids in contact with solid surfaces. In the approximation of thin layer and under usual assumptions of small indentation and small inclination angles of the surface, the problem is solved analytically. In the case of a non-adhesive contact, surface tension makes the contact stiffer (at the given indentation depth, the contact half-width becomes smaller and the indentation force larger). In the case of adhesive contact, the influence of surface tension seems to be more complicated: For a flat-ended punch, it increases with increasing the surface tension, while for a wedge, it decreases. Thus, the influence of the surface tension on the adhesion force seems to be dependent on the particular geometry of the contacting bodies.

AbstractMany aspects affect the accuracy of the geographical information system- and statistically-based susceptibility maps. These aspects can be divided into four categories related to: (α) study area, (β) scale, (γ) input data, and (δ) methods, used for susceptibility calculation, landslide representation and map visualisation. Most of these aspects have an impact on the others and each of them is very complex. Due to the complexity of this issue, the article is limited to two aspects, i.e. scale and one of the crucial causal factors, namely geology. The selection of the research area is a key aspect in susceptibility mapping. The research area can influence the choice of scale (pixel size), input data, and methods. In the case of the young glacial Lower Vistula and Central Radunia Valleys, small-scale susceptibility maps give an inaccurate conclusion: on the continental scale, the susceptibility of these areas is underpredicted; on the national scale, the susceptibility is usually overpredicted. The geological structure of young glacial river valleys is complex due to the presence of alternating permeable (sands, gravels) and non-permeable (clays, silts) sediments in the profile, which affects water circulation on the slope and landslide activation. According to the prediction rate method for the Lower Vistula Valley and the classification and regression trees method for the Central Radunia Valley, the maps of surface deposits were of little relevance to landslide susceptibility prediction. However, the inclusion of a quasi-three-dimensional geological model—a typical lithologic sequence layer in the susceptibility mapping of the Vistula Valley, shows that it is one of the most important factors.

AbstractSupra-national thematic Land Use Cover (LUC) datasets are not very common. While there are several general datasets mapping all the land uses or covers in different supra-national areas across the world, LUC datasets with a similar extent that focus on the mapping of specific land covers in greater thematic detail are scarce. In this chapter, we review six different supra-national thematic LUC datasets. Three others were also found in the literature, but are not fully available for download, namely the TREES Vegetation Map of Tropical South America, the Central Africa—Vegetation map and FACET. The Circumpolar Arctic Region Vegetation dataset was also excluded from this review because of its specificity and coarse scale (1:7,500,000). Europe is the continent with the most relevant, most updated and most detailed LUC thematic datasets at supra-national scales. This is due to the work being done by the European Commission through its Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Copernicus Land Monitoring Programme. The High-Resolution Layers (HRL) provide very detailed information, both thematically and spatially (from 10 m), for five different themes: imperviousness, tree cover, grasslands, water and wet covers, and small woody features. The European Settlement Map also provides information on built-up areas at very detailed scales (from 2.5 m). HRL and ESM are recently launched datasets which, therefore, do not provide a long series of historical data. In addition, ESM is an experimental dataset produced within the framework of a research project funded by the European Commission and no updates are expected. The datasets reviewed in this chapter for other parts of the world focus on vegetation covers of tropical forests and other relevant areas in terms of biodiversity and environmental studies. These datasets were produced within projects funded by the European Commission and the United States Agency for International Development. Unlike the previous datasets for Europe, they are already outdated and are usually produced at coarser spatial resolutions: Insular Southeast Asia—Forest Cover Map (1 km, 1998/00); Continental Southeast Asia—Forest Cover Map (1 km, 1998/02). For its part, the Congo Basin Monitoring dataset, although outdated, provides information at a higher resolution (57 m) for two different dates: 1990, 2000. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission also produced an African cropland mask as a source of information for policy-makers. Of all the datasets reviewed in this chapter, it is the only one to focus on agricultural covers. It was obtained from data fusion at 250 m. Consequently, it does not show the cropland areas of Africa for a specific date across the whole continent.

AbstractAbundant, well-preserved, waterlogged macrobotanical remains were found in a thick cultural organic layer associated with the Late Neolithic pile-dwelling site of Ploča Mičov Grad, Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia. Located in a biogeographically transitional zone between Mediterranean, alpine and continental regions, and on a topographically accessible link between imposing mountain ranges, the site presents a valuable opportunity to explore how, with the movement of people, plant foods and/or ideas, new subsistence strategies were established in the area. Here, we present the first archaeobotanical results from this lakeshore settlement to investigate changing subsistence strategies. We find that during the Late Neolithic occupation phase lasting an estimated 100 years, populations at the site of Ploča Mičov Grad cultivated a range of cereals (particularly einkorn, emmer, and barley), pulses (including lentil, pea, and bitter vetch) and oil-seed crops (flax and opium poppy), alongside a variety of collected fruits and nuts (such as almond, pistachio, blackberries and strawberry). Crop processing techniques are inferred from the partially charred glume bases consistent with singeing of cereal ears to remove awns before dehusking and from the weed seeds which resemble those found in fine-sieving by-products. Using functional weed ecology, we infer that theagrosystem at Ploča Mičov Grad resembles high-input practices suggesting that cultivation was small-scale and labour-intensive. Such inferences are often not possible due to the preservation conditions of terrestrial assemblages, resulting in a lack of extensive weed datasets in the southwestern Balkans and southern Europe more broadly. Archaeobotanical research on wetland prehistoric sites from this region is currently limited. Our new work highlights the potential of such sites in this area for better understanding of the spread ofagriculture and patterns of plant food use during the Neolithic in the southwestern Balkans.

During the early research phase of a large Arts-Sciences-Design collaboration in the UK, I joined a site visit to the Portland stone quarry on the south coast of the UK, part of the area designated as the “Jurassic Coastline” World Heritage Site. I was part of a small team com-prised of meteorologist Dr. Janet Barlow, composer and sound expert Holger Zschenderlein, and myself as artist and designer. We were in the midst of exploring concepts of time, mate-rial evidence, data, and embodied cognition/experience especially connected with complex systems in the atmosphere and our understanding of them.We started our process by visiting the Portland Stone quarry (Portland Bill, Dorset UK). This site presents a kind of “time interface” in two entirely different ways: 1) the collision of a rock formation of equatorial marine origin; Portland Bill itself as part of an “object” traveling from the equator eventually to what is now the south coast of England and embedding in the sedimentary rocks of that place. Here the differences in material properties along the collision zone altered the local erosion behavior and continues to modify the coastline. Places are acces-sible where a cross section of the collision zone can be seen; and 2) places where a vertical slice is visible through the integral, layered record within the Portland stone itself of alternating periods of forestation, shoreline formation, and subsequent reforestation forming a kind of “grammar” of observable repetition.

Abstract Sections of CDA 706 piping and Monel 400 tubing were severely pitted after exposure to marine and estuarine waters. Pits developed under surface deposits of mixed bacterial communities containing 104-105 sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Localized corrosion was attributed to a combination of differential aeration cells, a large cathode::small anode surface area, concentration of chlorides, development of acidity within the pits and the specific reactions of the base metals with sulfides produced by the SRB. Chlorine and sulfur reacted selectively with the iron and nickel in the alloys. Nickel had been removed from the pitted areas leaving a copper-rich, spongy pit interior. SRB isolated from in-service corroding systems were used to inoculate copper-and nickel-containing foils for laboratory studies. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS) were used to characterize the topography and chemical composition of the wet biofilm/corrosion layers. The thickness, tenacity and chemistry of the sulfide layers as well as the severity of localized corrosion varied among the alloys and mixed cultures.

Abstract For the proper adhesion of a coating, rusts, contaminants and damaged shop primers are removed by the grit blast on block surface of ships and offshore structures. However, the flash rusts are easily produced while block is waited for coating on its surfaces, especially in rainy season. The flash rusts on the blasted surface shall be removed by the re-blast or power tool cleaning. The purpose of this study is to review the effect of the flash rust and surface roughness on the coating performance. The performance of epoxy coated steel with the flash rust was evaluated by adhesion forces and delamination areas through the pull-off test, visual inspection and electrochemical test. Our results indicate that the rust layer on substrate reduced the adhesion and accelerated the disbondment of epoxy coatings, but a small amount of flash rusts flash which is flash rust area ratio below 20 to 30 percent hardly affect the adhesion and performance of coatings.

ABSTRACT Benzotriazole and its derivatives, tolyltriazole and butylbenzotriazole, have proven themselves as excellent corrosion inhibitors for copper and copper alloys under a wide variety of conditions. Chlorine, a popular oxidizing biocide in the industrial water treatment industry, has been reported to affect the protective triazole inhibitor layer (film) formed on copper. In an attempt to expand further on the interaction between chlorine and the triazole inhibitor layer, surface analyses were employed on tolyl triazole and butyl benzotri azole and the results compared to previously reported electrochemical findings. The impact of chlorine on triazole inhibitor layers should be divided into two steps. The first step is a penetration of the inhibitor film. The triazole film on copper is too thin to be a static barrier between the metal and aqueous environment. Instead the layer is the result of a dynamic equilibrium between the inhibitor film formation and the corrosion reaction of the underlying metal. Therefore, it can be penetrated by water and chlorine molecules, as well as protons, chloride and metallic ions. This penetration results in copper corrosion and is immediately detected via electrochemistry. The second step is a degradation of the inhibitor film, which takes some time, and can best be observed via surface analyses. Once film degradation has started, penetration is enhanced, and both processes lead to excessive copper corrosion rates. This is particularly the case in the absence of residual inhibitor, available in the bulk water, to repassivate areas of the film affected by chlorine. The current triazole inhibitors react differently to both steps of the chlorine interaction. An evaluation of the two isomers found in commercially available tolyltriazole - 4-methylbenzotriazole and 5-methylbenzotri azole - indicated only small differences in adsorption and stability between them.

Abstract Reservoir characterization is a critical factor in reservoir management, optimizing production, and enhancing recovery. Lack of understanding of reservoir characteristics is one of the leading causes of mistakes in constructing the static reservoir model. Understanding the three-dimensional variability of any reservoir static model requires an understanding of its depositional environment. This paper is about improving the geostatistical resolution of two or three-dimensional digital recordings by using outcrop analogs to help with small and large-scale reservoir modeling challenges. The investigation was conducted on one carbonate outcrop in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, namely the Wadi Ghalilah formations. Initially, easily spottable characteristics of the reservoir formation were noted. Following that, the outcrop was categorized into various units. Each observed zone has provided details about the formation characteristics, the fracture and matrix network, and the lithology. Easily noticeable color changes were observed. Additionally, fossil impressions and iron-stained formations were observed at the outcrop. The layers and their thickness, matrix network, fracture network, their intensity, and orientation were observed at small-scale and large-scale. The formation characteristics hinted at the porosity and permeability of the outcrop. The observed formation characteristics and geometry properties were inputted into the static model, and subsequently, data was entered into the dynamic model to minimize the uncertainties in both the reservoir models. The areal sweep efficiency is expected to be fine during waterflooding in a small, patterned reservoir whereas water injection doesn’t appear to be a suitable option at Wasia and Thamama outcrops due to the presence of seal layers and vertical heterogeneities.

Effective cooling lies at the heart of reactor design and safe operation. Materials for cooling systems include solid porous media (e.g. metal foam). This is due to the large surface area per unit volume and the random internal structure of such porous medium. The former promotes heat exchange rates by providing large surface area, while the latter enhances it by providing vigorous mixing of the working fluid, which gives rise to what is called dispersion (an added mechanism of heat transfer). Hence, momentum transport in porous media is critical for heat transfer analysis, computation and design. Porous media are also used as storage of nuclear waste. In such applications, the porous medium is confined by solid boundaries. These impermeable boundaries give rise to shear stress and boundary layers, which strongly influence the velocity field and the pressure drop inside the porous medium. The velocity field directly influence the heat transfer rate, while the pressure drop determines the required pumping power. The Brinkman-extended Darcy equation describes the momentum transport due to fully developed Newtonian fluid flow in confined porous media. This equation is an extension of the famous Darcy equation, and it contains the viscous shear at the boundaries as well as the viscous shear on the internal surface of the porous medium. The equation is solved analytically inside and outside the boundary layer in a cylindrical porous-media system. As, expected, the volume-averaged velocity decays as the distance from the boundary increases. The mean and maximum velocities are obtained and their behavior is investigated in terms of the Darcy number and the ratio of the effective to the actual fluid viscosity. The friction factor is defined based on the mean velocity and is found to be inversely proportional to the Reynolds number, the Darcy number and the mean velocity. The analytical velocity can be directly substituted in the governing convection heat transfer equation to assess the heat transfer performance of confined cylindrical heat exchange systems.

Liquid-cooled small channel heat sinks are a promising heat dissipation method for high power electronic devices. Traditional mini and microchannel heat sinks consist of a single layer of high aspect ratio rectangular channels. An alternative approach investigated in this paper is to stack multiple layers of low aspect ratio (circular or square cross-section) channels together to create multiple layer minichannel heat sinks. These multilayer heat sinks can achieve high heat flux due to the high heat transfer coefficients from small channels coupled with the large surface areas from the multilayer structure. In this research, multilayer copper and silicon carbide (SiC) minichannel heat sinks were experimentally and computationally characterized in single-phase flow over various flow rates. The experimental data indicated that in many cases, multilayer heat sinks have significant advantages over single-layer equivalents with reductions in thermal resistance and pressure drop. In order to investigate the optimal design of such structures, a detailed 3-D resistance network model was developed and used to predict the heat sink surface temperature and fluid pressure drop. The model uses an uncoupled approach and was validated by compared with conjugate CFD simulations and the experimental data. An extensive parametric study was performed on copper and SiC heat sinks with respect to channel geometry, number of layers, and thermal conductivity. The simulations indicated that for a fixed overall heat sink flow rate, an optimum number of channel layers exists for copper and SiC because of the competing trends of increasing surface area and decreasing per channel flow rate as the number of layers increases. In addition, the heat sink “effectiveness” decreases with increasing number of layers as the thermal resistance from the top surface, where heat is applied, to the lower layers of the heat sink becomes excessive. In the simulation the optimized number of layers is highly dependent on material, channel width, channel aspect ratio, and wall thickness. If the pumping power is an important issue for the optimization, the heat sink with medium channel width is a wise choice, which achieves small thermal resistance with reasonable pressure drop.

Abstract Focused ion beam (FIB) techniques are often used when delayering semiconductor devices. However, using FIB technology for device delayering has limitations. One of these limitations prevents the exposure of a large slope area on the sample, which reveals all layers simultaneously. The delayering process is complex and requires prior process knowledge, such as cross-section architecture, composition, and layer uniformity. This paper discusses advances in semiconductor device deprocessing for product development, failure analysis, and quality control using low-energy, argon broad ion beam (BIB) milling. Ar BIB milling is a practical solution for accurate delayering of advanced microelectronic devices. Results of the spot milling of a whole 300 mm wafer experiment and top-down delayering of wafer pieces experiment show that successful device delayering can be achieved by either spot milling or layer-by-layer milling. These two strategies are easily achieved, for either small wafer pieces or full 300 mm wafer investigation.

The influence of the number and size of the jet shear layers, at a constant total hole area, was investigated in a propane fuelled conical grid plate flame stabiliser. The combustion inefficiency, NOx and flame stability were determined for shear layer designs with 90, 8 and 4 holes. The total shear layer volume increased as the number of holes was reduced and combustion within these larger shear layers was responsible for the superior flame stability and combustion efficiency, but higher NOx emissions. Large shear layers and hence a small number of holes were necessary to achieve an adequate performance at a 400K inlet temperature, but at 600K the 90 hole system had the best combination of low NOx and combustion inefficiency. However, the 8 hole system had a performance close to the 90 hole system at 600K and better than it at 400K and was concluded to be the preferable design.

Abstract The Daqing Sartu Oilfield in China has entered a high water cut development stage, with a structural area of 500 square kilometers and remaining oil reserves of 1.5 billion tons. The sandstone reservoir in Sartu Oilfield is thin, with a general single-layer thickness of 2-3m and a maximum single-layer thickness of 12m. It is difficult to identify and predict sandstones and compare small layers between wells using low frequency seismic data. For conventional low-frequency seismic high pass filtering analysis, it was found that high-frequency signals above 200Hz have a high signal-to-noise ratio. For shallow small-scale VSP data analysis, it is believed that high-frequency attenuation of seismic waves mainly occurs in the shallow layers. Applying a broadband high-resolution seismic method with invention patents, extracting high-frequency attenuation parameters of seismic waves from direct waves of shallow small-scale VSP data, deconvoluting ground seismic data, restoring high-frequency attenuation of seismic waves, and obtaining broadband high-resolution seismic data. Calculate the thickness of thicker channel sand bodies using the time difference method. The main frequency of the surface broadband ultra-high resolution seismic in the Sartu Oilfield is 170Hz, with the resolution increase of over 300%. The main frequency of the surface broadband ultra-high resolution seismic in Sichun basin is about 300Hz, with the resolution increase of over 800%. The standard for broadband ultra-high resolution seismic is sedimentary lens imaging, which means that the thickness changes of small layers or small layer groups are clear. For the first time, the lens like structure characteristics of the thick channel sand body in the Sartu oil layer and the reflection wave characteristics of the riverbed have been discovered. The riverbed is a major geological event similar to a fault, and it is particularly important for small layer comparison. The seismic reflection waves inside the river sand body are intermittent, with strong and weak, reflecting the changes in the interlayers in the sandstone. For the first time, a typical highlight feature of channel sand oil and gas reservoirs in the Sartu oil layer was discovered - strong reflection of dipole phase waveforms. Consistent with the typical bright spots of marine thick oil and gas reservoirs abroad. This achievement has broad guiding significance for the exploration and development of high-quality thin layer reservoirs with low acoustic impedance and bright spots. For the first time, the time difference method was used to calculate the thickness of thicker channel sand bodies. The thickness chart shows that the planar characteristics of the channel sand bodies in the Sartu oilfield are strip-shaped and lumpy. The ultra-high resolution seismic provides an important basis for the comparison of small layers in oil fields, and is of great significance for the study of remaining oil distribution in oil fields.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) store charge by adsorbing ions at the electrode-electrolyte interface, offering fast charge/discharge rates, high power density, minimal heat generation, and long cycle life. These characteristics make EDLCs ideal for memory backup in electronic devices and power assistance in electric and hybrid vehicles. However, their energy density is lower than that of batteries, necessitating improvements in electrical capacity and potential. Traditionally, activated carbon with a high specific surface area has been used, but recent research focuses on mesoporous carbon materials for better ion diffusion. This study uses resorcinol-formaldehyde-carbon cryogel (RFCC) with mesopores and organic electrolytes with a wider electrochemical window. Various RFCCs with different pore sizes were synthesized and evaluated. Comprehensive investigations into the pore structures and surface properties of both synthesized carbon gels and commercial mesoporous materials were conducted. EDLCs with organic electrolytes were fabricated, and their electrochemical performance was analyzed. Findings indicate that mesoporous carbon gels significantly enhance capacity in high-rate charge-discharge cycles due to improved ion diffusion, highlighting their potential in optimizing EDLC performance.</div></div>

Identifies concepts for mitigating the hazards that can result from a ruptured pipeline. SRI was asked specifically to evaluate blast hazards and identify ideas, materials, methods, and technologies that show promise for mitigating blast effects in high-consequence areas. This report presents indings, recommends concepts for hazard mitigation, and lays the groundwork for evaluating and further developing the envisioned concepts through computational modeling and small-scale testing.

High soil loads on buried pipelines can lead to unacceptably high pipeline strains developed in response to permanent ground displacement. Common causes of permanent ground displacement are related to slope instability as a result of heavy precipitation or ground subsidence. In addition, several permanent ground displacement hazards are related to earthquakes including surface fault displacement, triggered landslide movement, surface ground settlement related to liquefaction, and lateral spread displacement. Result: Four specific areas of investigation were completed: 1.Performed baseline tests in moist sand to confirm minimal difference in horizontal soil restraint between moist and dry sand. 2.Performed tests to gauge the variation in horizontal load reduction with separation between the pipe and an inclined trench wall lined with two layers of geotextile. 3.Performed tests in compacted 19 mm (0.75 in) minus sand and crushed limestone (referred to locally in British Columbia as road mulch) to attempt to provide larger difference between horizontal forces developed with and without lining a trench wall with geotextile. 4.Performed tests to attempt to confirm oblique horizontal-axial soil restraint behavior reported in small-scale tests and centrifuge tests. Benefit: Rather than undertake further physical testing to better understand how the presence of single or dual layers of geotextile fabric changes the mechanisms by which soil restraint develops for horizontal ground displacement, future efforts should focus on numerical simulation preferably using discrete element methods. Until full-scale test data are available to confirm consistent prediction of oblique horizontal-axial soil restraint, the practice of treating horizontal and axial soil springs independently in the analysis of buried pipeline response to ground displacement, as is the current practice, should be maintained.

This study focused on improving light weight deflectometer (LWD) testing protocols and understanding material and equipment variability. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) adopted the LWD test for its efficiency and effectiveness in measuring soil stiffness, a crucial parameter for pavement structural layers. However, challenges remain for implementing LWD testing, particularly in small construction areas. There are also challenges with establishing standardized performance-related criteria for various subgrade treatments. To address these obstacles, this research aimed to develop maximum allowable deflections for compaction quality assurance without relying on site-specific test sections. A large-scale laboratory testing facility was established at the INDOT research center and equipped with advanced sensing systems and a sandbox for controlled testing environments. Finite element (FE) models simulate material behavior under LWD testing conditions by using the viscoelastic plastic model to predict realistic deflection basins for different materials. Initial findings suggest that Dynatest LWD equipment provides more reliable results compared to Zorn LWD equipment, based on FE simulations. This study underscored the need for standardized calculation protocols and aimed to refine LWD testing procedures, enhancing the durability and reliability of pavement structures across various construction scenarios.

The project area covers approximately 300 km[superscript 2] encompassing parts of Amphoe Sop Prap, Amphoe Ko Kha, and Amphoe Mae Tha of Changwat Lampang. The area is mainly occupied by sedimentary (and metamorphic) rocks of Permian, Triassic, Tertiary and Quaternary ages. The Triassic rocks include the Phra That, the Pha Kan, and the Hong Hoi Formations of the Lampang Group. Igneous rocks comprise Permo-Triassic volcanics, Triassic granodiorite, and Cenozoic basalts. Sapphires are frequently found in alluvial and residual deposits, particularly in the northern basaltic area. Sapphires in the south terrain are also encountered in stream channels flowing from nearby Cenozoic basaltic crater. Sapphires are normally blue, dark blue, greenish blue, and dark brown, and occur as angular to subangular forms, ranging size from 0.5 to 6 cm. Basalts in the project area can be geographically subdivided into 2 terrains the north and the south. The northern terrain (Nam Cho Basalt) covers approximately 3 km[superscript 2] in Thambon Nam Cho, Amphoe Mae Tha. The basalts occur as one major flow layer, that flowed following the hill slope. The rocks are characterized by reddish brown vesicular rocks (top), and black dense rocks (bottom). They are generally present as fine-grained and porphyritic. Ultramafic nodules of lherzolite comprising olivine, pyroxene and spinel and megacrysts of olivine, and pyroxene, are often observed in this terrain. Microscopically, the northern basalts invariability occur as microporphyritic to porphyritic, aphanitic. Phenocrysts of olivine and pyroxene are generally surrounded by small plagioclase- microlite groundmass and glass. The basalts are typically composed of plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, opaque minerals, and other accessories. Average grain size is relatively smaller than that of the south basalts. The southern terrain (Sop Prap-Ko Kha Basalt) can be subdivided into 5 flow layers. Good exposures are typically present at road cut quarries between kms 586-569 on the highway number 1, nearby the volcanic crater. The area covers approximately 55 km[superscript 2] between Amphoe Ko Kha and Amphoe Sop Prap. These five basaltic flows are similarly characterized by vesicular, or massive, microporphyritic-porphyritic, fine-grained to aphanitic rocks. Phenocrysts of oviline frequently occur in most flows. These basalt flows microscopically comprise similar characteristics, mostly they always contain plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, opaque minerals, and other accessories. Intersertal, and subophitic textures are frequently present in these basalts. Ultramafic nodules are rarely found in this basaltic terrain. Geochemically, that Nam Cho and Sop Prap-Ko Kha Basalts can be clearly divided by difference in major and trace- element contents. Though several variation diagrams display similar trend. The Nam Cho basalts are mainly classified as basanite, where as the Sop Prap-Ko Kha basalts are dominantly alkaline-olivene basalt base on normative plagioclase and hyperstene and/or nepheline. Rare-earth element concentrations show similar chondrite-normalized patterns for most basalt groups. Calculated Mg-values indicate crystal fractionation process of the derivative magmas. [superscript40] Ar/[superscript 39] Ar geochronological data are clearly concluded that Sop Prap-Ko Kha Basalts, ranging in age from younger than 2.30 to 2.41 Ma, are older than Nam Cho Basalts (ca. 2.02 Ma). Therefore, it is tentatively inferred that basalts from both terrains were probably originated from derivative magmas, which are evolved by similar processes, as crustal fraction with subsequent crustal contamination process. However, these derivate magmas may have been derived from different originated sources and primary magmas with low degree of partial melting in mantle. The occurrence of sapphires possibly indicates partial melting of primary magma at high depth and pressure, and crustal fractionations of derivative magma route to 8-10 kbar. Then Nam Cho Basalt can be regarded as gem-related and formed different derivative magma from mantle source region.

Seton Lake is a freshwater fiord located in southwestern British Columbia, roughly 4 km west of Lillooet and 250 km north-northeast of Vancouver. Located in the Coast Mountains, it is an alpine lake about 22-km long and roughly 1-1.5 km wide. It is separated from nearby Anderson Lake, located to the west, by a large pre-historic rock avalanche deposit at Seton Portage. The lake stands at about 243 m above sea level and is up to about 150 m deep (BC gov., 1953). Water level is controlled by a hydroelectric dam (i.e., Seton dam) located at the eastern end of the lake. Here, the lake drains east into Seton Canal, a 5 km diversion of the flow of the Seton River, which begins at the Seton dam. The Seton Canal pushes water to the Seton Powerhouse, a hydroelectric generating station at the Fraser River, just south of the community of Sekw'el'was and confluence of the Seton River, which drains into the Fraser River at Lillooet. Seton Portage, Shalatlh, South Shalatlh, Tsal'alh (Shalath), Sekw'el'was (Cayoosh Creek), and T'it'q'et (Lillooet) are communities that surround the lake. Surrounded by mountainous terrain, the lake is flanked at mid-slope by glacial and colluvial sediments deposited during the last glacial and deglacial periods (Clague, 1989; Jakob, 2018). The bedrock consists mainly of mafic to ultramafic volcanic rocks with minor carbonate and argillite from the Carboniferous to Middle Jurassic periods (Journeay and Monger, 1994). As part of the Public Safety Geoscience Program at the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada), our goal is to provide baseline geoscience information to nearby communities, stakeholders and decision-makers. Our objective was to see what kind of sediments were deposited and specifically if we could identify underwater landslide deposits. Thus, we surveyed the lake using a Pinger SBP sub bottom profiler made by Knudsen Engineering Ltd., with dual 3.5 / 200 kHz transducers mounted to a small boat (see photo). This instrument transmits sound energy down through the water column that reflects off the lake bottom surface and underlying sediment layers. At the lake surface, the reflected sound energy is received by the profiler, recorded on a laptop computer, and integrated with GPS data. These data are processed to generate a two-dimensional image (or profile) showing the character of the lake bottom and underlying sediments along the route that the boat passed over. Our survey in 2022 recorded 98 profiles along Seton Lake. The red transect lines show the locations of the 20 profiles displayed on the poster. The types of sediments observed are mostly fine-grained glaciolacustrine sediments that are horizontally bedded with a subtle transition between glaciolacustrine to lacustrine (e.g., profiles A-A'; C-C'; F-F'; S-S'). Profile S-S' displays this transition zone. The glaciolacustrine sediments probably were deposited as the Cordilleran Ice Sheet retreated from the local area (~13,000-11,000 years ago; Clague, 2017) and the lacustrine sediments, after the ice receded to present-day conditions. Some of the parallel reflections are interrupted, suggesting abrupt sedimentation by deposits that are not horizontally bedded; these are interpreted as landslide deposits (see pink or blue deposits on profiles). The deposits that show disturbance in the sedimentation found within the horizontal beds are thought to be older landslides (e.g., blue arrows/deposits in profiles C-C'; E-E'; F-F'; G-G'; I-I'; J-J'; K-K'; N-N'; P-P'; Q-Q'; R-R'; T-T'; U-U'), but the ones that are found on top of the horizontally laminated sediments (red arrows/pink deposits), and close to the lake wall, are interpreted to be younger (e.g., profiles B-B'; C-C'; H-H'; K-K'; M-M'; O-O'; P-P'; Q-Q'). At the fan delta just west of Seton dam, where there was no acoustic signal penetration, it is interpreted that the delta failed and brought down coarser deposits at the bottom of the lake (e.g., profiles H-H'; M-M'; and perhaps K-K'). However, these could be glacial deposits, bedrock, or other coarser deposits. Some of the deposits that reflect poor penetration of the acoustic signal, below the glaciolacustrine sediments, could represent glacial deposits, old landslide deposits, or perhaps the presence of gas (orange arrows; e.g, B-B'; D-D'; J-J'; O-O', T-T'). The preliminary results from sub bottom profiling reveal that there are underwater landslides deposits of widely varying ages buried in the bottom of the lake. However, the exact timing of these is not known. Hence our preliminary survey gives an overview of the distribution of landslides where there seems to be a larger number of landslides recorded in the narrower eastern portion of the lake.