Large calcite and bulk-rock volume loss in metacarbonate xenoliths from the Qu,rigut massif (French Pyrenees)

Chemical mass transfer was quantified in a metacarbonate xenolith enclosed within the granodiorite of the Qu,rigut massif (Pyrenees, France). Mass balance calculations suggest a strong decrease of CaO, SrO and CO(2) contents (up to -90%), correlated with a decrease of modal calcite content as the contact is approached. Most other chemical elements behave immobile during metasomatism. They are therefore passively enriched. Only a small increase of SiO(2), Al(2)O(3) and Fe(2)O(3) contents occurs in the immediate vicinity of the contact. Hence, in this study, skarn formation is characterized by the lack of large chemical element influx from the granitoid protolith. A large decrease of the initial carbonate volume (up to -86%) resulted from a combination of decarbonation reactions and loss of CaO and CO(2). The resulting volume change has potentially important consequences for the interpretation of stable isotope profiles: the isotope alteration could have occured over greater distances than those observed today.

Bulk-plasmon dispersion relations in metals

Using an extended-random-phase-approximation sum-rule technique, we have investigated the bulk-plasmon dispersion relation, incorporating in a simple way exchange and correlation effects within the jellium model. The results obtained are compared with recent experimental findings. The key role played by exchange and correlation effects in improving the agreement between theory and experiment is stressed. The static polarizability has also been calculated as a function of q. The formulas can be easily modified to incorporate band-structure effects (through an intraband electron effective mass) and core-polarization effects (through a static dielectric constant).

Method to estimate soil macroporosity and microporosity based on sand content and bulk density

Macroporosity is often used in the determination of soil compaction. Reduced macroporosity can lead to poor drainage, low root aeration and soil degradation. The aim of this study was to develop and test different models to estimate macro and microporosity efficiently, using multiple regression. Ten soils were selected within a large range of textures: sand (Sa) 0.07-0.84; silt 0.03-0.24; clay 0.13-0.78 kg kg-1 and subjected to three compaction levels (three bulk densities, BD). Two models with similar accuracy were selected, with a mean error of about 0.02 m³ m-3 (2 %). The model y = a + b.BD + c.Sa, named model 2, was selected for its simplicity to estimate Macro (Ma), Micro (Mi) or total porosity (TP): Ma = 0.693 - 0.465 BD + 0.212 Sa; Mi = 0.337 + 0.120 BD - 0.294 Sa; TP = 1.030 - 0.345 BD 0.082 Sa; porosity values were expressed in m³ m-3; BD in kg dm-3; and Sa in kg kg-1. The model was tested with 76 datum set of several other authors. An error of about 0.04 m³ m-3 (4 %) was observed. Simulations of variations in BD as a function of Sa are presented for Ma = 0 and Ma = 0.10 (10 %). The macroporosity equation was remodeled to obtain other compaction indexes: a) to simulate maximum bulk density (MBD) as a function of Sa (Equation 11), in agreement with literature data; b) to simulate relative bulk density (RBD) as a function of BD and Sa (Equation 13); c) another model to simulate RBD as a function of Ma and Sa (Equation 16), confirming the independence of this variable in relation to Sa for a fixed value of macroporosity and, also, proving the hypothesis of Hakansson & Lipiec that RBD = 0.87 corresponds approximately to 10 % macroporosity (Ma = 0.10 m³ m-3).

Bulk and single-particle properties of hyperonic matter at finite temperature

Bulk and single-particle properties of hot hyperonic matter are studied within the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation extended to finite temperature. The bare interaction in the nucleon sector is the Argonne V18 potential supplemented with an effective three-body force to reproduce the saturating properties of nuclear matter. The modern Nijmegen NSC97e potential is employed for the hyperon-nucleon and hyperon-hyperon interactions. The effect of temperature on the in-medium effective interaction is found to be, in general, very small and the single-particle potentials differ by at most 25% for temperatures in the range from 0 to 60 MeV. The bulk properties of infinite matter of baryons, either nuclear isospin symmetric or a Beta-stable composition that includes a nonzero fraction of hyperons, are obtained. It is found that the presence of hyperons can modify the thermodynamical properties of the system in a non-negligible way.

Nuclear pairing: surface or bulk?

We analyze how the spatial localization properties of pairing correlations are changing in a major neutron shell of heavy nuclei. It is shown that the radial distribution of the pairing density depends strongly on whether the chemical potential is close to a low or a high angular momentum level and has little sensitivity to whether the pairing force acts at the surface or in the bulk. The pairing density averaged over one major shell is, however, rather flat, exhibiting little dependence on the pairing force. Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations for the isotopic chain 100-132Sn are presented for demonstration purposes.

Comment on "Influence of bulk properties on the surface structure of finite nuclei"

We comment on a recent paper by Uma Maheswari et al. in which it is claimed that quantal calculations of the half-infinite nuclear matter, in contrast to semiclassical approximations, exhibit an unusually strong dependence of the 90%10% surface thickness of the density profile on the Fermi momentum kF at saturation. This conclusion was carried over to the surface incompressibility. On the contrary we find essential agreement between semiclassical and quantal results and very weak dependence on kF of the quantities in question.

Self-sustained spatiotemporal oscillations induced by membrane-bulk coupling

We propose a novel mechanism leading to spatiotemporal oscillations in extended systems that does not rely on local bulk instabilities. Instead, oscillations arise from the interaction of two subsystems of different spatial dimensionality. Specifically, we show that coupling a passive diffusive bulk of dimension d with an excitable membrane of dimension d-1 produces a self-sustained oscillatory behavior. An analytical explanation of the phenomenon is provided for d=1. Moreover, in-phase and antiphase synchronization of oscillations are found numerically in one and two dimensions. This novel dynamic instability could be used by biological systems such as cells, where the dynamics on the cellular membrane is necessarily different from that of the cytoplasmic bulk.

Measurements of the bulk and interfacial velocity profiles in oscillating Newtonian and Maxwellian fluids

We present the dynamic velocity profiles of a Newtonian fluid (glycerol) and a viscoelastic Maxwell fluid (CPyCl-NaSal in water) driven by an oscillating pressure gradient in a vertical cylindrical pipe. The frequency range explored has been chosen to include the first three resonance peaks of the dynamic permeability of the viscoelastic-fluid¿pipe system. Three different optical measurement techniques have been employed. Laser Doppler anemometry has been used to measure the magnitude of the velocity at the center of the liquid column. Particle image velocimetry and optical deflectometry are used to determine the velocity profiles at the bulk of the liquid column and at the liquid-air interface respectively. The velocity measurements in the bulk are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions of a linear theory. The results, however, show dramatic differences in the dynamic behavior of Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids, and demonstrate the importance of resonance phenomena in viscoelastic fluid flows, biofluids in particular, in confined geometries.

CHARACTERIZATION OF BULK SOIL HUMIN AND ITS ALKALINE-SOLUBLE AND ALKALINE-INSOLUBLE FRACTIONS

Humic substances are the major components of soil organic matter. Among the three humic substance components (humic acid, fulvic acid, and humin), humin is the most insoluble in aqueous solution at any pH value and, in turn, the least understood. Humin has poor solubility mainly because it is tightly bonded to inorganic soil colloids. By breaking the linkage between humin and inorganic soil colloids using inorganic or organic solvents, bulk humin can be partially soluble in alkali, enabling a better understanding of the structure and properties of humin. However, the structural relationship between bulk humin and its alkaline-soluble (AS) and alkaline-insoluble (AIS) fractions is still unknown. In this study, we isolated bulk humin from two soils of Northeast China by exhaustive extraction (25 to 28 times) with 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH + 0.1 mol L-1 Na4P2O7, followed by the traditional treatment with 10 % HF-HCl. The isolated bulk humin was then fractionated into AS-humin and AIS-humin by exhaustive extraction (12 to 15 times) with 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH. Elemental analysis and solid-state 13C cross-polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (13C CPMAS NMR) spectroscopy were used to characterize and compare the chemical structures of bulk humin and its corresponding fractions. The results showed that, regardless of soil types, bulk humin was the most aliphatic and most hydrophobic, AS-humin was the least aliphatic, and AIS-humin was the least alkylated among the three humic components. The results showed that bulk humin and its corresponding AS-humin and AIS-humin fractions are structurally differed from one another, implying that the functions of these humic components in the soil environment differed.

PEDO-TRANSFER FUNCTIONS FOR ESTIMATING SOIL BULK DENSITY IN CENTRAL AMAZONIA

Under field conditions in the Amazon forest, soil bulk density is difficult to measure. Rigorous methodological criteria must be applied to obtain reliable inventories of C stocks and soil nutrients, making this process expensive and sometimes unfeasible. This study aimed to generate models to estimate soil bulk density based on parameters that can be easily and reliably measured in the field and that are available in many soil-related inventories. Stepwise regression models to predict bulk density were developed using data on soil C content, clay content and pH in water from 140 permanent plots in terra firme (upland) forests near Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil. The model results were interpreted according to the coefficient of determination (R2) and Akaike information criterion (AIC) and were validated with a dataset consisting of 125 plots different from those used to generate the models. The model with best performance in estimating soil bulk density under the conditions of this study included clay content and pH in water as independent variables and had R2 = 0.73 and AIC = -250.29. The performance of this model for predicting soil density was compared with that of models from the literature. The results showed that the locally calibrated equation was the most accurate for estimating soil bulk density for upland forests in the Manaus region.

Can Soil Penetration Resistance and Bulk Density Be Determined in a Single Undisturbed Sample?

Soil quality indicators such as penetration resistance (PR) and bulk density (BD) are traditionally determined in a single undisturbed soil sample. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of PR measurements of undisturbed samples on the determination of BD in the same sample of two soils differing in clay contents. To this end, samples were collected from the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers of two soils of clayey and very clayey texture. Volumetric rings were used to collect a total of 120 undisturbed soil samples from each soil layer that were divided into two subsets containing 60 units each. One sample set, designated “perforated samples”, was used to determine PR and BD in the same undisturbed sample; the other, named “intact samples”, was used to determine BD only. Bulk density values for perforated and intact samples were compared by analysis of variance, using a completely randomized experimental design. Means were compared by the t-test at 5 %. The BD values for the clayey soil were similar in perforated and intact samples from the two layers. However, BD of the very clayey soil was lower in the perforated than in the intact samples at both depths. Therefore, PR and BD in clayey soils can be accurately determined in the same undisturbed sample whereas in very clayey soils, different samples are required for this purpose.

Soil Aggregation, Organic Carbon Concentration, and Soil Bulk Density As Affected by Cover Crop Species in a No-Tillage System

Soil aggregation and the distribution of total organic carbon (TOC) may be affected by soil tillage and cover crops. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of crop rotation with cover crops on soil aggregation, TOC concentration in the soil aggregate fractions, and soil bulk density under a no-tillage system (NTS) and conventional tillage system (CTS, one plowing and two disking). This was a three-year study with cover crop/rice/cover crop/rice rotations in the Brazilian Cerrado. A randomized block experimental design with six treatments and three replications was used. The cover crops (treatments) were: fallow, Panicum maximum, Brachiaria ruziziensis, Brachiaria brizantha, and millet (Pennisetum glaucum). An additional treatment, fallow plus CTS, was included as a control. Soil samples were collected at the depths of 0.00-0.05 m, 0.05-0.10 m, and 0.10-0.20 m after the second rice harvest. The treatments under the NTS led to greater stability in the soil aggregates (ranging from 86.33 to 95.37 %) than fallow plus CTS (ranging from 74.62 to 85.94 %). Fallow plus CTS showed the highest number of aggregates smaller than 2 mm. The cover crops affected soil bulk density differently, and the millet treatment in the NTS had the lowest values. The cover crops without incorporation provided the greatest accumulation of TOC in the soil surface layers. The TOC concentration was positively correlated with the aggregate stability index in all layers and negatively correlated with bulk density in the 0.00-0.10 m layer.