Drying of porous building materials: hydraulic diffusivity and front propagation

One-dimensional drying of a porous building material is modelled as a nonlinear diffusion process. The most difficult case of strong surface drying when an internal drying front is created is treated in particular. Simple analytical formulae for the drying front and moisture profiles during second stage drying are obtained when the hydraulic diffusivity is known. The analysis demonstrates the origin of the constant drying front speed observed elsewhere experimentally. Application of the formulae is illustrated for an exponential diffusivity and applied to the drying of a fired clay brick.

Validation of assembled nucleic acid-based tests in diagnostic microbiology laboratories

Medical microbiology and virology laboratories use nucleic acid tests (NAT) to detect genomic material of infectious organisms in clinical samples. Laboratories choose to perform assembled (or in-house) NAT if commercial assays are not available or if assembled NAT are more economical or accurate. One reason commercial assays are more expensive is because extensive validation is necessary before the kit is marketed, as manufacturers must accept liability for the performance of their assays, assuming their instructions are followed. On the other hand, it is a particular laboratory's responsibility to validate an assembled NAT prior to using it for testing and reporting results on human samples. There are few published guidelines for the validation of assembled NAT. One procedure that laboratories can use to establish a validation process for an assay is detailed in this document. Before validating a method, laboratories must optimise it and then document the protocol. All instruments must be calibrated and maintained throughout the testing process. The validation process involves a series of steps including: (i) testing of dilution series of positive samples to determine the limits of detection of the assay and their linearity over concentrations to be measured in quantitative NAT; (ii) establishing the day-to-day variation of the assay's performance; (iii) evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of the assay as far as practicable, along with the extent of cross-reactivity with other genomic material; and (iv) assuring the quality of assembled assays using quality control procedures that monitor the performance of reagent batches before introducing new lots of reagent for testing.

Robust bucket position tracking for a large hydraulic excavator

The device we study is the excavation arm of a large hydraulic mining shovel having a multi-loop kinematic form. We describe an iterative algorithm that allows the position of the bucket to be tracked from measurements of the linear actuator extensions. The important characteristic of this algorithm is that it is numerically well-behaved when the linkage is close to singular configurations. While we focus on a specific device, the algorithm is easy to adapt to other multi-loop linkages. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydraulic properties of layered soils influence survival of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth.) during water stress

Survival of vegetation on soil-capped mining wastes is often impaired during dry seasons due to the limited amount of water stored in the shallow soil capping. Growth and survival of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) during soil drying on various layered capping sequences constructed of combinations of topsoil, subsoil, seawater-neutralised residue sand and low grade bauxite was determined in a glasshouse. The aim was to describe the survival of Rhodes grass in terms of plant and soil water relationships. The soil water characteristic curve and soil texture analysis was a good predictor of plant survival. The combination of soil with a high water holding capacity and low soil water diffusivity (e.g. subsoil with high clay contents) with soil having a high water holding capacity and high diffusivity (e.g. residue sand) gave best survival during drying down (up to 88 days without water), whereas topsoil and low grade bauxite were unsuitable (plants died within 18-39 days). Clayey soil improved plant survival by triggering a water stress response during peak evaporative water demand once residue sand dried down and its diffusivity fell below a critical range. Thus, for revegetation in seasonally dry climates, soil capping should combine one soil with low diffusivity and one or more soils with high total water holding capacity and high diffusivity.

Linking physiological processes with mangrove forest structure: phosphorus deficiency limits canopy development, hydraulic conductivity and photosynthetic carbon gain in dwarf Rhizophora mangle

Spatial gradients in mangrove tree height in barrier islands of Belize are associated with nutrient deficiency and sustained flooding in the absence of a salinity gradient. While nutrient deficiency is likely to affect many parameters, here we show that addition of phosphorus (P) to dwarf mangroves stimulated increases in diameters of xylem vessels, area of conductive xylem tissue and leaf area index (LAI) of the canopy. These changes in structure were consistent with related changes in function, as addition of P also increased hydraulic conductivity (K-s), stomatal conductance and photosynthetic assimilation rates to the same levels measured in taller trees fringing the seaward margin of the mangrove. Increased xylem vessel size and corresponding enhancements in stern hydraulic conductivity in P fertilized dwarf trees came at the cost of enhanced midday loss of hydraulic conductivity and was associated with decreased assimilation rates in the afternoon. Analysis of trait plasticity identifies hydraulic properties of trees as more plastic than those of leaf structural and physiological characteristics, implying that hydraulic properties are key in controlling growth in mangroves. Alleviation of P deficiency, which released trees from hydraulic limitations, reduced the structural and functional distinctions between dwarf and taller fringing tree forms of Rhizophora mangle.

Variation in hydraulic conductivity of mangroves: influence of species, salinity, and nitrogen and phosphorus availability

We investigated how species identity and variation in salinity and nutrient availability influence the hydraulic conductivity of mangroves. Using a fertilization study of two species in Florida, we found that stem hydraulic conductivity expressed on a leaf area basis (K-leaf) was significantly different among species of differing salinity tolerance, but was not significantly altered by enrichment with limiting nutrients. Reviewing data from two additional sites (Panama and Belize), we found an overall pattern of declining leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity (K-leaf) with increasing salinity. Over three sites, a general pattern emerges, indicating that native stem hydraulic conductivity (K-h) and K-leaf are less sensitive to nitrogen (N) fertilization when N limits growth, but more sensitive to phosphorus (P) fertilization when P limits growth. Processes leading to growth enhancement with N fertilization are probably associated with changes in allocation to leaf area and photosynthetic processes, whereas water uptake and transport processes could be more limiting when P limits growth. These findings suggest that whereas salinity and species identity place broad bounds on hydraulic conductivity, the effects of nutrient availability modulate hydraulic conductivity and growth in complex ways.

Submerged and unsubmerged natural hydraulic jumps in a bedrock step-pool mountain channel (Fig. 1 Classical hydraulic jump with partially developed inflow conditions)

Fig. 1. Classical hydraulic jump with partially developed inflow conditions. F1 = 13.6, V1 = 4.7 m/s, B = 0.25 m, h = 0.020 mm, d1 = 0.012 mm, Q = 14 L/s. Photo courtesy of Dr. Hubert Chanson. published in: Geomorphology Volume 82, Issues 1-2, 6 December 2006, Pages 146-159 The Hydrology and Geomorphology of Bedrock Rivers doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.09.024 Submerged and unsubmerged natural hydraulic jumps in a bedrock step-pool mountain channel Brett L. Vallé and Gregory B. Pasternacka

Effect of cultivation on soil C contents and saturated hydraulic conductivity

The irrigation of pasture with saline, Na-contaminated industrial wastewater typically results in an increase in soil ESP. From current knowledge (derived largely from cultivated agricultural soils), although these sodic soils are likely to remain stable whilst irrigated with effluent (due to the effluent’s large electrolyte concentration), during rainfall periods of low electrolyte concentration these soils would be expected to disperse. However, effluent irrigated pasture soils have been observed to maintain their structure even during intense rainfall events. Three soil types were collected (Sodosol, Vertosol and Dermosol), each with a cultivated/non-cultivated pair. The soils were equilibrated with various SAR solutions and then leached with deionised water to allow the measurement of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat). At low SARs, Ksat tended to be greater in non-cultivated than cultivated soils and is attributable to a loss of structure associated with cultivation. In addition, as SAR increased, the reduction in relative Ksat tended to be significantly greater in cultivated than non-cultivated soils. The relatively rapid saturated hydraulic conductivity in the non-cultivated soils at large SARs is due to a greater aggregate stability due to greater soil C content. For the sustainable disposal of saline effluent, it is therefore necessary to ensure that soils remain undisturbed and preferably under pasture, thus maximising soil structural stability and hydraulic conductivity.