Modelling pH-Dependent and Microstructure-Dependent Streaming Potential Coefficient and Zeta Potential of Porous Sandstones

In this paper, we have significantly modified an existing model for calculating the zeta potential and streaming potential coefficient of porous media and tested it with a large, recently published, high-quality experimental dataset. The newly modified model does not require the imposition of a zeta potential offset but derives its high salinity zeta potential behaviour from Stern plane saturation considerations. The newly modified model has been implemented as a function of temperature, salinity, pH, and rock microstructure both for facies-specific aggregations of the new data and for individual samples. Since the experimental data include measurements on samples of both detrital and authigenic overgrowth sandstones, it was possible to model and test the effect of widely varying microstructural properties while keeping lithology constant. The results show that the theoretical model represents the experimental data very well when applied to model data for a particular lithofacies over the whole salinity, from 10^?5 to 6.3 mol/dm³, and extremely well when modelling individual samples and taking individual sample microstructure into account. The new model reproduces and explains the extreme sensitivity of zeta and streaming potential coefficient to pore fluid pH. The low salinity control of streaming potential coefficient by rock microstructure is described well by the modified model. The model also behaves at high salinities, showing that the constant zeta potential observed at high salinities arises from the development of a maximum charge density in the diffuse layer as it is compressed to the thickness of one hydrated metal ion.     

Vascular morphology by three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging

A three-dimensional examination of blood vessels is provided using MR data from seven cases. The vascular surfaces are constructed with an algorithm that automatically follows the selected artery or vein and generates a projected three-dimensional gradient shaded image. Fast 3DFT pulse sequences were optimized to enhance the time-of-flight contrast of the intravascular region. By increasing the surface threshold value in a three-dimensional head study, the flesh of a patient's face was peeled away to demonstrate the superfacial temporal artery. Gated cardiac images show the great vessels and cardiac chambers. A three-dimensional view of the aorta shows an irregular surface in the vicinity of an adrenal tumor. 3D MR exams provide a non-invasive technique for assessing vascular morphology in a clinical setting.     

A Hybrid Improvement Heuristic for the One-Dimensional Bin Packing Problem

We propose in this work a hybrid improvement procedure for the bin packing problem. This heuristic has several features: the use of lower bounding strategies; the generation of initial solutions by reference to the dual min-max problem; the use of load redistribution based on dominance, differencing, and unbalancing; and the inclusion of an improvement process utilizing tabu search. Encouraging results have been obtained for a very wide range of benchmark instances, illustrating the robustness of the algorithm. The hybrid improvement procedure compares favourably with all other heuristics in the literature. It improved the best known solutions for many of the benchmark instances and found the largest number of optimal solutions with respect to the other available approximate algorithms.     

New results for aggregating integer-valued equations

A variety of results have been given for aggregating integer-valued (diophantine) equations whose variables are restricted to nonnegative integers. In each, integer weights are identified for the equations so that their linear combination yields a single equation with the same solution set of the original system of equations. Because the coefficients of the aggregated equation tend to achieve unwieldy sizes as the number of original equations increases, the goal is to identify weights so these coefficients will lie in a range as limited as possible. We give theorems which separately and in combination provide new methods for aggregating general integer-valued equations. Our results include formulations that do not require linearity of the original system, or nonnegativity of component variables. We also demonstrate that our theorems yield as special cases earlier results (analytical formulae) conjectured to yield the smallest possible weights for less general domains. As another application, the presented results were used to develop a highly efficient approach for the integer knapsack problem. Empirical outcomes show that the developed solution procedure is significantly superior to advanced branch and bound methods (previously established to be the most efficient knapsack solution procedures).     

An effective modeling and solution approach for the generalized independent set problem

The generalized independent set (GIS) problem was first introduced by Hochbaum and Pathria (Forest Sci 43(4), 544–554, 1997) and independently explored in greater detail by Hochbaum (Manage Sci 50(6), 709–123, 2004). This problem, with applications in forest management and a variety of related areas, is a generalization of the classical maximum independent set problem. In this paper we highlight a natural, nonlinear formulation for the problem that is an attractive alternative to the linear model found in the literature. The effectiveness of this alternative formulation is demonstrated by computational experience on test problems of varying size and density, disclosing a dramatic reduction in the time to obtain optimal and near optimal solutions and an ability to solve much larger problems.     

The decay of theZ boson into four massive fermions

We calculate, the partial width for the tree level decay of theZ boson into four massive fermions atO(α²) and \(O(\alpha _s^2 )\) . Analytic expressions for the helicity amplitudes are presented. We also present ‘observable’ widths for the case when the fermions are energetic and well separated, and make a comparison between the massive and massless matrix elements in this region. We make a direct comparison between the four fermion decay and the production and decay of the Higgs boson via the Bjorken mechanism, \(Z \to H\mu ^ + \mu ^ - \to q\bar q\mu ^ + \mu ^ - \) . Provided the detector resolution is good, \(\Delta m_{q\bar q} \) ～ few GeV, the Higgs signal stands clearly above the four fermion background for all Higgs boson masses considered.     

The gauge theorem for a class of additive functionals of zero energy

Summary In earlier works, the gauge theorem was proved for additive functionals of Brownian motion of the form ₀ ^t q(B _s )ds, whereq is a function in the Kato class. Subsequently, the theorem was extended to additive functionals with Revuz measures in the Kato class. We prove that the gauge theorem holds for a large class of additive functionals of zero energy which are, in general, of unbounded variation. These additive functionals may not be semi-martingales, but correspond to a collection of distributions that belong to the Kato class in a suitable sense. Our gauge theorem generalizes the earlier versions of the gauge theorem.Research supported in part by NSA grant MDA-92-H-30324     

Comparison of direct kinetic phosphorescence analysis and recovery corrected kinetic phosphorescence analysis for the determination of natural uranium in human tissues

Summary In the analysis of biological samples with sub ng/g uranium concentrations, pre-concentration has been shown to improve the detection limit for the determination of uranium. Recovery corrected kinetic phosphorescence analysis (KPA) combines pre-concentration and separation of uranium by anion-exchange from human tissues dissolved in 6M HCl, with the radiochemical yield determined by alpha-spectrometry, using ²³²U as a tracer. Total uranium is determined by KPA after correction for chemical recovery. Twenty-one randomly selected dissolved tissue samples from the United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries (USTUR) Case 0242 were chosen for comparative analyses. The set of samples included dissolved bone and soft tissues. Uranium concentrations for seven of the samples had not been previously reported. Direct KPA could not be used to determine uranium concentrations of five unreported tissues. Three of these tissues had uranium concentrations at or below the KPA L_Q value of 0.028 ng/ml and two tissues had known matrix interferences. All seven of the unreported tissues were successfully analyzed by recovery corrected KPA; concentrations ranged from 9 to 1380 ng per tissue, including those that could not be analyzed by direct KPA due to matrix problems. Recovery corrected KPA gives results similar to direct KPA where matrix interferences and low detection limits are not encountered. A comparison of the direct method of KPA versus recovery corrected KPA shows marked improvement for the determination of uranium in samples that heretofore either uranium was not detected or the sample had to be drastically diluted to minimize matrix effects in order to measure uranium.