Upwind-biased FORCE schemes with applications to free-surface shallow flows

In this paper we develop numerical fluxes of the centred type for one-step schemes in conservative form for solving general systems of conservation laws in multiple-space dimensions on structured meshes. The proposed method is an extension of the multidimensional FORCE flux developed by Toro et al. (2009) [14]. Here we introduce upwind bias by modifying the shape of the staggered mesh of the original FORCE method. The upwind bias is evaluated using an estimate of the largest eigenvalue, which in any case is needed for selecting a time step. The resulting basic flux is first-order accurate and monotone. For the linear advection equation, the proposed UFORCE method reproduces exactly the upwind Godunov method. Extension to non-linear systems has been done empirically via the two-dimensional inviscid shallow water equations. Second order of accuracy in space and time on structured meshes is obtained in the framework of finite volume methods. The proposed method improves the accuracy of the solution for small Courant numbers and intermediate waves associated with linearly degenerate fields (contact discontinuities, shear waves and material interfaces). It achieves comparable accuracy to that of upwind methods with approximate Riemann solvers, though retaining the simplicity and efficiency of centred methods. The performance of the schemes is assessed on a suite of test problems for the two-dimensional shallow water equations.     

A Novel “Turn On” Glucose-Based Rhodamine B Fluorescent Chemosensor for Mercury Ions Recognition in Aqueous Solution

A novel “turn-on” fluorescent sensor based on glucose and rhodamine B for detection of mercury ions was designed and synthesized. The fluorescent sensor showed an extreme specificity for mercury ions than for other metal ions in aqueous solution. On adding mercury ions to the solution of glucose-based rhodamine B sensor, the absorption and fluorescence signals enhanced remarkably at 567 and 587 nm, respectively. Titration of sensor with mercury ions showed 1:1 stoichiometric reaction. The cyclic voltammetric measurement of an increasing amount of mercury ions in the solution of glucose-based rhodamine B sensor commendably showed the change in the fluorescence characteristics. Furthermore, the successful detection of trace amount of mercury ions in water indicated that glucose-based rhodamine B sensor can be used for the detection of the limited mercury ions in drinking water.     

Data for scaling-up hydrothermal waste water treatment process

Abstract

Hydrothermal oxidation of wastes is developed as an alternative technique in order to limit the toxic end-product formation, the waste volume and the energy supply. We are now working on the transfer of this technology, and so on the determination of data for scaling-up the hydrothermal oxidation process. The main data concern the knowledge of reactive pathway, the determination of reaction kinetic and thermal parameter. Kinetic and thermal data have been determined for the hydrothermal oxidation of acetic acid as well as the reactive pathway of hydrothermal oxidation of a C, H, O, N compound, the fenuron (C₆H₅-NH-CO-N(CH₃)₂).     

Dielectric response of frustrated water down to a single‐molecule contribution

A theory of dielectric response of water under nanoscale confinement was long overdue. This work addresses the problem by establishing a relation between dielectric response and hydrogen‐bond frustration subsumed in a non‐Debye polarization term. The results hold down to the single‐molecule contribution and are validated vis‐à‐vis experimental measurements on a system where dielectric modulation entails removal of a single water molecule. The frustrated dielectric response down to molecular scales is assessed by contrasting two enantiomeric ligands in association with the same protein, with the complexes differing in the removal of a single interfacial water molecule.

     

Box-modeling of bone and tooth phosphate oxygen isotope compositions as a function of environmental and physiological parameters*

A time-dependent box model is developed to calculate oxygen isotope compositions of bone phosphate as a function of environmental and physiological parameters. Input and output oxygen fluxes related to body water and bone reservoirs are scaled to the body mass. The oxygen fluxes are evaluated by stoichiometric scaling to the calcium accretion and resorption rates, assuming a pure hydroxylapatite composition for the bone and tooth mineral. The model shows how the diet composition, body mass, ambient relative humidity and temperature may control the oxygen isotope composition of bone phosphate. The model also computes how bones and teeth record short-term variations in relative humidity, air temperature and δ¹⁸O of drinking water, depending on body mass. The documented diversity of oxygen isotope fractionation equations for vertebrates is accounted for by our model when for each specimen the physiological and diet parameters are adjusted in the living range of environmental conditions.     

Distribution of stable isotopes in surface water along the Danube River in Serbia†

Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes were analysed in water samples from the River Danube and its tributaries during a longitudinal survey performed in August 2005 on Serbian territory. Danube river water data ranged from?80‰ to?66‰ for δ²H, and from?11.2‰ to?9.3‰ for δ¹⁸O with δ values increasing downstream. The isotopic signatures of the adjacent tributaries (the Tisza, the Sava and the Velika Morava) sampled at the locations close to their confluence with the Danube (Titel, Ostru?nica and Ljubi?evski most, respectively) just about the time of the campaign were enriched (?67‰ and?63‰ for δ²H, and?9.3‰ and?8.9‰ for δ¹⁸O) with respect to the Danube water because of their catchment effects. Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope values were used in combination with measured physico-chemical and biological parameters to trace hydrological and transport processes in these river systems. The mixing relationships between the Danube main stream and its tributaries were estimated using the mass balance for isotopic composition and electrical conductivity as conservative parameters. Evidence of an incomplete mixing process at the ?enta location, 8 km below the confluence of the Tisza river, with its participation of 88% was shown by its oxygen-18 content. The correlations between river water isotope composition and physico-chemical and biological parameters are discussed.     

A mass spectrometric line for tritium analysis of water and noble gas measurements from different water amounts in the range of microlitres and millilitres

This paper describes the procedure followed for noble gas measurements for litres, millilitres and microlitres of water samples in our laboratory, including sample preparation, mass spectrometric measurement procedure, and the complete calibrations. The preparation line extracts dissolved gases from water samples of volumes of 0.2 μ l to 3 l and it separates them as noble and other chemically active gases. Our compact system handles the following measurements: (i) determination of tritium concentration of environmental water samples by the ³He ingrowth method; (ii) noble gas measurements from surface water and groundwater; and (iii) noble gas measurements from fluid inclusions of solid geological archives (e.g. speleothems). As a result, the tritium measurements have a detection limit of 0.012 TU, and the expectation value (between 1 and 20 TU) is within 0.2 % of the real concentrations with a standard deviation of 2.4 %. The reproducibility of noble gas measurements for water samples of 20–40 ml allows us to determine solubility temperatures by an uncertainty better than 0.5 °C. Moreover, noble gas measurements for tiny water amounts (in the microlitre range) show that the results of the performed calibration measurements for most noble gas isotopes occur with a deviation of less than 2 %. Theoretically, these precisions for noble gas concentrations obtained from measurements of waters samples of a few microlitres allow us to determine noble gas temperatures by an uncertainty of less than 1 °C. Here, we present the first noble gas measurements of tiny amounts of artificial water samples prepared under laboratory conditions.     

Stable isotope composition of the meteoric precipitation in Croatia

The precipitation is the input into the water system. Its stable isotope composition has to be known for the proper use and management of water resources. Croatia is not well represented in the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) database, and the geomorphology of the country causes specific local conditions. Therefore, at the Stable Isotope Laboratory (SILab), Rijeka, we monitor the stable isotope composition (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) of precipitation. Since δ¹⁸O and δ²H are well correlated, we concentrate the discussion on the δ¹⁸O distribution. Together with GNIP, our database contains 40 stations in Croatia and in the neighbouring countries. Their different latitudes, longitudes and altitudes give information of great detail, including the influence of the topographic structure on the precipitation in the south-eastern part of Europe, as well as the complex interplay of the different climate conditions in the area. Within a few hundred kilometres, the stable isotope values display a significant change from the maritime character in the south (mean δ¹⁸O around?6 to?8%‰) to the continental behaviour in the north (mean δ¹⁸O around?8 to?11%‰). Depending on the location, the mean δ¹⁸O values vary with altitude at a rate of approximately?0.2%‰/100 m and?0.4%‰/100 m, respectively. Also the deuterium excess has been found to depend on location and altitude. The data are being used to construct a δ¹⁸O map for the entire area.     

Open‐cage fullerenes as tailor‐made container for a single water molecule

Water is the most important liquid on earth. Clusters of water have been investigated extensively in an effort to understand the bulk property of water. But the behavior of single water molecule without H‐bond has been rarely studied. Open‐cage [60]fullerenes have been shown to trap a single water molecule selectively over molecules with comparable size and act as the smallest “water bottle”. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy of HDO between 12 145 and 13 160 cm

The high resolution absorption spectrum of monodeuterated water, HDO, has been recorded by Intracavity Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (ICLAS) in the 12 145-13 160 cm⁻¹ region. The achieved sensitivity (noise equivalent absorption on the order of α_min ∼ 10⁻⁹ cm⁻¹) allowed detecting transitions with line strengths as weak as 10⁻²⁷ cm/molecule which is about 50 times lower than the weakest line intensities previously detected in the considered region.The rovibrational assignment of the 1179 lines attributed to the HDO isotopologue was based on the results of the variational calculations of Schwenke and Partridge as well as the recent calculations based on a new HDO potential energy surface refined from the fitting to the available experimental data. The overall agreement between these new calculations and the observed spectrum is very good, the rms deviation of the differences between the calculated and observed energy values being 0.05 cm⁻¹. A set of 304 new experimental HDO energy levels was obtained. In particular, band origins for the (1 2 2), (2 0 2), and (3 1 1) vibrational states, at 12 568.190, 12 644.652, and 12 919.938 cm⁻¹, respectively, and their rotational sublevels are derived for the first time. A detailed HDO database of 1337 transitions was constructed and is provided as Supplementary Material.