Symmetry-Breaking in a Porous Cavity with Moving Side Walls

In this paper, a numerical investigation of the steady laminar mixed convection flow in a porous square enclosure has been considered. This structure represents a practical system such as an external through flow of cooled-air an electronic device from its moving sides. The heating was supplied by an internal volumetric source with an uniform distribution at the middle part of its bottom, while the other walls were assumed thermally insulated. Moreover, the momentum transfer in the porous substrate was numerically investigated using the Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer law. The governing equations of the posed problem have been solved by applying the finite difference technique on non-uniform grids. For all simulations, the Reynolds number and the porosity have been fixed respectively to Re=100 and φ=0.9. Darcy’s value was varied in the range from 0.001 to 0.1. The results detected the existence of a radical change in the contour patterns for Richardson number equal to 11.76 and 11.77 with fixed Da=0.1. This behavior signified that the fluid is fully convected for higher Darcy number.

The Effects of Wearing a Medical Mask on the Masticatory and Neck Muscle Activity in Healthy Young Women

The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of wearing a medical mask on masticatory and neck muscle activity in healthy young women. We recruited 66 healthy women aged from 18 to 30 years (mean 23.6 ± 2.3 years). The temporalis anterior (TA), the superficial part of the masseter muscle (MM), the anterior bellies of the digastric muscle (DA), and the middle part of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) potentials were recorded at rest and during functional activity using an eight-channel device for surface electromyography—BioEMG IIITM. There was a statistically significant decrease in mean TA activity during medical mask measurement compared to no mask examination at rest (2.16 µV vs. 2.58 µV; p = 0.05; ES = 0.2). Significant decreases in resting RMS values were also observed during the medical mask phase in comparison to no mask examination concerning the left MM (1.75 µV vs. 2.17 µV; p = 0.01; ES = 0.3), and mean bioelectrical activity of the MM (1.81 µV vs. 2.15 µV; p = 0.02; ES = 0.2). The differences between the two conditions did not reach the assumed significance level (p > 0.05) in terms of other indices. Wearing a medical mask has a small effect on decreasing the resting potentials of the temporalis anterior and masseter muscles without changing the parameters of activity and asymmetry within the stomatognathic system.

Plant invasions in riparian areas of the Middle Danube Basin in Serbia

Riparian areas experience strong invasion pressures worldwide and represent important points of spread for invasive alien plants (IAPs) in the European mainland. The Danube Basin is a well-known point of high plant invasion levels. Given that the middle part of the Danube Basin is critically understudied and the general lack of data for Serbia, the study aimed to provide an insight into the spatial patterns of plant invasions in the riparian areas of Serbia (Middle Danube Basin area). A total of 250 field sites, distributed along 39 rivers (nine catchment areas) and six canal sections, were studied during a four-year period (2013–2016) for the presence and abundance of IAPs. At the landscape scale, we studied distribution patterns of IAPs, differences in invasion levels in different catchment areas and between rivers and canals. At the local scale, we investigated how the proximity to roads/railway lines, housing areas, different land-use types (primarily agriculture), and dominant vegetation on site related to invasion patterns. Of the 26 studied IAPs, those with a well-known weedy behavior, long history of cultivation and strong affinity for riparian areas prevailed in the study area. Riparian zones of the Danube catchment exhibited the highest invasion levels in terms of IAPs richness and abundance, followed by the catchment areas of the Timok, Sava and Zapadna Morava rivers. Surprisingly, the Danube-Tisa-Danube canal network had the lowest invasion level. At the local scale, agriculture in proximity of the field site and dominant vegetation on site were observed as significant predictors of the invasion level. On the other hand, proximity to roads/railway lines and housing areas was not related to the invasion level. Finally, our study provides the first systematic overview of IAPs’ distribution data for riparian areas of the Middle Danube Basin in Serbia, which could provide a basis for long-term monitoring of IAPs and development of future management plans.

Struktur Dan Komposisi Vegetasi Mangrove Di Kawasan Laguna Segara Anakan Cilacap

In coastal areas, mangrove communities have many functions economically, physically, and ecologically. One of the mangrove forest areas that is experiencing rapid decline in area is the Segara Anakan Lagoon, Cilacap. The purpose of this study was to determine the structure and composition of mangrove vegetation. Vegetation data was collected by purposive sampling method and each station was made 9 sampling plots. The results found that there are 12 species consisting of 4 major mangrove families, 1 minor mangrove family and 2 associated mangrove families. In general, the mangrove tree vegetation in the eastern part of Segara Anakan is dominated by Aegiceras corniculatum with an INP ranging from 38.99-67.23%, the middle part is dominated by Nypa fruticans with an INP ranging from 47.80-70.18% and the western part is dominated by Sonneratia alba with an INP of 56.32%. Environmental quality measures include water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, soil pH, water pH, TSS, total soil N, organic C, soil phosphate still support mangrove life.

Spatiotemporal Variation of Drought and Its Correlation With Plant Species of Yunnan Province, China

Drought is the main natural disaster in Yunnan Province, China. In the present paper monthly precipitation observation data from Yunnan Province durign the period of 1966 - 2015 were used. From the data, the selected percentage of precipitation anomalies was used as drought index. By applying the ArcGIS inverse distance interpolation method and Mann Kendall non parametric trend test method the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of drought in Yunnan province were analyzed. Results show that the drought in Yunnan Province has a slightly upward trend. In spring and winter, there is a tendency to become wet but in summer and autumn, the tendency is shown by dry condition. It was observed that the studied area is prone to a severe drought in winter, and there will be more droughts in the east part, the northwest part, and the southwest part of Yunnan province when it is autumn. In other periods, severe doughts usually attack the middle part of Yunnan province, which can be proved by the characteristics of vegetation distribution. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(4): 1133-1142, 2021 (December)

Petrophysical Properties and Digenetic Evolution of Shuaiba Formation in Nasiriyah Oil Field, Southern Iraq

Shuaiba Formation is a carbonate succession deposited within Aptian Sequences. This research deals with the petrophysical and reservoir characterizations characteristics of the interval of interest in five wells of the Nasiriyah oil field. The petrophysical properties were determined by using different types of well logs, such as electric logs (LLS, LLD, MFSL), porosity logs (neutron, density, sonic), as well as gamma ray log. The studied sequence was mostly affected by dolomitization, which changed the lithology of the formation to dolostone and enhanced the secondary porosity that replaced the primary porosity. Depending on gamma ray log response and the shale volume, the formation is classified into three zones. These zones are A, B, and C, each can be split into three rock intervals in respect to the bulk porosity measurements. The resulted porosity intervals are: (I) High to medium effective porosity, (II) High to medium inactive porosity, and (III) Low or non-porosity intervals. In relevance to porosity, resistivity, and water saturation points of view, there are two main reservoir horizon intervals within Shuaiba Formation. Both horizons appear in the middle part of the formation, being located within the wells Ns-1, 2, and 3. These intervals are attributed to high to medium effective porosity, low shale content, and high values of the deep resistivity logs. The second horizon appears clearly in Ns-2 well only.

Temporal variability of catches, distribution and dynamics of length of Russian sturgeon in waters of the Caspian Sea in 2015 –2020

The paper presents long-term data on catches, distribution and length dynamics of Russian sturgeon in the waters of the Caspian Sea for the summer-autumn periods in 2015-2020. When considering the catches in the different parts of the sea there is found their annual variability, which is especially noticeable in the shallow zone in the North Caspian (0.31-2.0 specimens/trawl) and in the Middle Caspian (0-1.31 specimens/trawl). In the course of determining the reasons for the interannual dynamics of catches there were revealed several decadal rises. The dependence of decadal catches on the temperature of the bottom water layer was analyzed. The highest rise in catches was observed in the first decade of September when the temperature of water lowered up to 20.0-15.0 °C. The increase was observed due to migrating individuals to the shallow zone of the Northern Caspian Sea from shallow waters. Despite the variability of catches, the localization of Russian sturgeon schooling in the northern and middle part of the sea during the summer-autumn periods of 2015-2020 has certain similar features and trends. Sturgeon species fed mainly on shallow banks and deep dumps, where the largest catches of sturgeon were recorded from 5.0 to 12.0 specimens/trawl. The absence of sturgeon at depths of up to 3.0 m isobath in the last five years is due to the water heating up to 27.6-28.8 °C. The decrease in the length of the Russian sturgeon observed in recent years is due to an increase in the proportion of youngsters (19.2-70.0%) against the background of a decrease in the adult population. It should be noted that from 2017 to 2019 there were not found the adult species in the catches by fishing nets, which indicates their continued re-moval from the population.

Central Pontine Myelinolysis in a Child: Clinical Case

Background. Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) is limited symmetric non-inflammatory demyelination in the middle part of pontine. This disease is based on electrolyte balance disorders. Although CPM was firstly described in adults, but it can also occur in children. Every new case of CPM in children has undeniable interest and high scientific and practical significance due to its low incidence. Clinical case description. The child, 7 years old, had acute development, lethargy, multiple vomiting, subfebrile fever, pains in epigastric region. It has happened after drinking an unknown herb growing in the yard and previously covered with the insecticide "Akarin", according to the mother. The child was hospitalized in the pediatric department at the place of residence. The patient developed strabismus, swallowing disorder, and muscle weakness on infusion therapy. Biochemical blood test has shown hypokalemia and hyponatremia. Head MRI has shown symmetrical focal lesion of heterogeneous structure in pontine. Conclusion. Distinctive feature of this case is the development of CPM in a child on the ongoing therapy of hypokalemia and hyponatremia. The timely provision of qualified medical care has favoured the child's recovery.

PALEOENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF A LOWER CRETACEOUS PALEOLAKE FROM THE IGUATU BASIN BASED ON ITS OSTRACOD FAUNA AND XRF DATA

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of a paleoenvironmental study of two Hauterivian–Aptian adjacent sections (Transnordestina A/B) of the Iguatu Basin using ostracods and aided by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), total organic carbon (TOC), total sulfur (S), and spectral analyses. Cluster analysis divided the 10 genera found into two main groups: one composed of Alicenula-Pattersoncypris?-Brasacypris-Hastacypris-Ilyocypris?, and the second composed of Cypridea-Looneyellopsis-Rhinocypris?. The first group is interpreted as representing paleoenvironments with permanent waterbodies, such as lakes, and the second as being indicative of ephemeral settings, such as temporary pools in an inundation plain. XRF analysis using the positive peaks of Ca/Ti and Ca/ΣTi, Fe, Al ratios show a few dry periods, particularly in the lower and middle part of Transnordestina A, between 0 to 175 m and 385 to 475 m, which also display a small number of ostracods. Total S shows several high peaks which might be indicative of gypsum deposition during droughts. Spectral analysis of molar Ti/Al ratio shows two intervals with different sedimentation rates, between 0 and 233 m, and 233 to 836 m. For the first interval, six 100 ka eccentricity cycles were identified; the low number of ostracods for the interval and highly variable Ca/Ti and Ca/ΣTi, Fe, Al values indicate a different sedimentation rate in a drier environment. For the second interval, ten 405 ka cycles were identified; its higher ostracod count and more stable Ca/Ti and Ca/ΣTi, Fe, Al values could be indicative of increasing humidity.

Characteristics of nutrients pollution and ecological risk assessment of heavy metal in sediments of Fenhe River, Taiyuan Section, China

This study was aim to reveal the characteristics of nutrients and heavy metals associated with ecological risks in the sediments of Fenhe River, Taiyuan Section. The concentrations of nutrients (TN, TP, TOM) and heavy metals (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Hg, Cd) were investigated. Spatial distribution, correlation analysis and source identification were facilitated to indicate nutrients and heavy metal pollution's characteristics. Evaluations of heavy metals’ contamination degree were achieved by comprehensive ecological risk indexes including Igeo, Iin, Cf, PLI and RI. The results showed that nutrients were accumulated in the middle part and were mainly from embryophyte, zooplankton and phytoplankton or algae based on C/N values. Large spatial variabilities existed in heavy metals distribution patterns and source identification of heavy metals were natural sources and anthropogenic activities based on PCA model. Results of different ecological risk indexes showed that pollution associated with Hg was rated as moderate ecological risk which was the significant contamination, higher ecological risks mainly existed in the middle part.