An Isle Near Terra Australis Incognita: Henry Neville’s Mental Experiment and Political Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes

The paper analyzes the ideas of H. Neville’s philosophical novel “The Isle of Pines”. The scope of the research is to make sense of its place within the context of Early Modern political philosophy, and especially its linkage with the Hobbesian theories of human nature, sovereignty and inevitable conflict engaging pre-political communities into bellum omnium contra omnes. Rethinking Hobbesian views on the natural state Neville replaces his mechanical interpretation of human’s passions and behavioral patterns with a historical perspective. Taking into his account contemporary ethnographical knowledge Neville set a mental experiment and found out that a Hobbesian trap before the emergence of a state was not inevitable as well as the lack of social norms. We argue that Neville’s novel was an attempt to escape Hobbesian pessimism and to describe the emergence of social and political structures as a historical and evolutionary proces

The Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycling and the Initial Mass of Water on the Unfrozen Water Content of Calcium Bentonites Modified by Copper Ions

This research was conducted with the use of the DSC method; it involved the examination of the unfrozen water content in two model (source) calcium bentonites (≥75% smectite), after one to three freeze-thaw cycles in the natural state, as well as after the ion exchange for a potentially toxic element (Cu2+). The freeze-thaw cycles do not affect the unfrozen water content at a given negative temperature in a statistically significant manner. However, a statistically significant influence of temperature, the initial mass of the water, and the clay type on the change of the unfrozen water content was found. Moreover, the empirical models of predicting the unfrozen water in the bentonite after the exchange for Cu2+ ion were created, for which the parameter was the mass of the water and the mass of the dry soil, at the temperature of −2 °C.

Assessing the Geothermal Resource Potential of an Active Oil Field by Integrating a 3D Geological Model With the Hydro-Thermal Coupled Simulation

Assessment of available geothermal resources in the deep oil field is important to the synergy exploitation of oil and geothermal resources. A revised volumetric approach is proposed in this work for evaluating deep geothermal potential in an active oil field by integrating a 3D geological model into a hydrothermal (HT)-coupled numerical model. Based on the analysis of the geological data and geothermal conditions, a 3D geological model is established with respect to the study area, which is discretized into grids or elements represented in the geological model. An HT-coupled numerical model was applied based on the static geological model to approximate the natural-state model of the geothermal reservoir, where the thermal distribution information can be extracted. Then the geothermal resource in each small grid element is calculated using a volumetric method, and the overall geothermal resource of the reservoirs can be obtained by making an integration over each element of the geological model. A further parametric study is carried out to investigate the influence of oil and gas saturations on the overall heat resources. The 3D geological model can provide detailed information on the reservoir volume, while the HT natural-state numerical model addressed the temperature distribution in the reservoir by taking into account complex geological structures and contrast heterogeneity. Therefore, integrating the 3D geological modeling and HT numerical model into the geothermal resource assessment improved its accuracy and helped to identify the distribution map of the available geothermal resources, which indicate optimal locations for further development and utilization of the geothermal resources. The Caofeidian new town Jidong oil field serves as an example to depict the calculation workflow. The simulation results demonstrate in the Caofeidian new town geothermal reservoir that the total amount of geothermal resources, using the proposed calculation method, is found to be 1.23e+18 J, and the total geothermal fluid volume is 8.97e+8 m3. Moreover, this approach clearly identifies the regions with the highest potential for geothermal resources. We believe this approach provides an alternative method for geothermal potential assessment in oil fields, which can be also applied globally.

Porous Organic Nanofiber Polymers as Superfast Adsorbents for Capturing Pharmaceutical Contaminants in Water

The development of simple, low-cost adsorbents is critical for waste management in the medical industry (in particular, pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) waste) to restore the natural state of...

Residue from coal combustion for plastic soil improvement

The combustion of coal in Hoffman-type furnaces generates ash as one of the process residues. This research seeks to make use of this residue to improve plastic subgrade soils in tertiary roads, considering that in Colombia a large percentage of these are not paved. A soil with high plasticity has been selected to make mixtures with ash dosages that vary from 0% to 15% with respect to the dry weight of the soil. To determine the variation of the physical and mechanical properties of the soil-ash mixtures tests of consistency limits, compaction tests, and California bearing ratio were carried out. The results showed that the mixture in which 12% of the coal combustion residue is added to the soil, as a percentage for the dry weight of the soil, has a better physical behavior and bearing capacity than the soil in its natural state. obtaining an increase of up to 75% in the California bearing ratio.

The Compressive Behavior and Crashworthiness of Cork: A Review

Cork, a natural material from renewable resources, is currently attracting increasing interest in different industrial fields because of its cellular structure and the presence of the flexible suberin as its main chemical component. In an agglomerated form, it proved to be a compelling product not only as a thermal and acoustic insulator, but also as core material in sandwich structures and as a liner or padding in energy absorbing equipment. From this perspective, the assessment of its compressive response is fundamental to ensure the right out-of-plane stiffness required to a core material and the proper crashworthiness in the safety devices. Considering the complex nature of cork and the resulting peculiar compressive response, the present review article provides an overview of this paramount property, assessing the main parameters (anisotropy, temperature, strain rate, etc.) and the peculiar features (near-zero Poisson’s ratio and unique dimensional recovery) that characterize it in its natural state. Furthermore, considering its massive exploitation in the agglomerated form, the design parameters that allow its compressive behavior to be tailored and the operating parameters that can affect its crashworthiness were assessed, reporting some potential industrial applications.

Features of the distribution of the suspended form of iron in the water column of the Caspian Sea

Статья посвящена изучению распределения железа в водной взвеси Среднего Каспия. Актуальность работыопределяется необходимостью оценки естественного состоя­ния морской среды и фиксации ее базового состояния (в том числе различных форм химических элементов) для дальнейшего использования с целью мониторинга экологической ситуации на шельфе Каспийского моря в условиях интенсификации геологоразве­дочных работ и разработки месторождений нефти. Цель работы. Установить характерные особенности поведения взвешенного железа в водах Среднего Каспия. Материалы и методы работы. Изучался материал, отобранный в 1989-1990 годах в ходе выполнения рейсов исследовательских судов. Принадлежащих Каспийскому НИИ рыбного хозяйства, до начала освоения нефтегазовых месторождений. Он представлен отфильтрованными частицами взвеси из 178 проб воды, взятых из различных слоев водной толщи на 63 станциях. Определение содержаний железа проводилось на спектрографе PGS-2 способом испарения. Результаты работы. Минимальные концентрации взвешенной формы железа в поверхностном слое водной толщи установлены на участке внутреннего шельфа и подводного склона котловины Среднего Каспия, что связано с выносом твердых частиц дрейфовыми течениями. Концентрации взвешенной формы железа в поверхностном слое возрастают к середине моря, что обусловлено стягиванием взвешенных частиц центростремительными силами циклонального течения. Придонный слой отличается повышенными концентрациями взвешенной формы железа. Возле дельт рек они связаны с оседанием выносимых с суши твердых частиц. Аномально высокие содержания взвешенной формы железа в придонном горизонте центральной части Среднекаспийской котловины, фиксируемые на отдельных станциях, обусловлены поступлением железа с эманациями донных грязевых вулканов и его коагуляцией в условиях щелочной среды. В целом, с увеличением глубины наблюдается последовательный рост концентраций взвешенной формы железа. Это связано с изменением солености и усилением вертикальной стратификации (уменьшением солености поверхностного горизонта и увеличением солености глубоких слоев). Это приводит к коагу­ляции и флокуляции органических и металлор­ганических коллоидов и переводу растворенного железа во взвесь The article is devoted to the study of the distribution of iron in the water suspension of the Middle Caspian Sea. The relevance of the work is determined by the need to assess the natural state of the marine environment and fix its basic state (including various forms of chemical elements) for further use in order to monitor the environmental situation on the shelf of the Caspian Sea in the conditions of intensification of exploration and development of oil fields. Aim. To establish the characteristic features of the behavior of suspended iron in the waters of the Middle Caspian. Materials and methods. The material selected in 1989-1990 during the voyages of research vessels was studied. owned by the Caspian Research Institute of Fisheries, before the development of oil and gas fields. It is represented by filtered suspended particles from 178 water samples taken from various layers of the water column at 63 stations. Determination of iron content was carried out on the PGS-2 spectrograph by evaporation. Results. The minimum concentrations of the suspended form of iron inthe surface layer of the water column were established on the section of the inner shelf and the underwater slope of the Middle Caspian basin, which is associated with the removal of solid particles by drift currents. The concentrations of the suspended form of iron in the surface layer increase towards the middle of the sea, which is caused by the contraction of suspended particles by the centripetal forces of the cyclonic current. The bottom layer is characterized by increased concentrations of the suspended form of iron. Near river deltas, they are associated with the subsidence of solid particles carried out from the land. Abnormally high concentrations of suspended iron in the bottom horizon of the central part of the Middle Caspian basin, recorded at individual stations, are due to the influx of iron with emanations of bottom mud volcanoes and its coagulation in an alkaline environment. In general, with increasing depth, there is a consistent increase in the concentrations of the suspended form of iron. This is due to a change in salinity and an increase in vertical stratification (a decrease in the salinity of the surface horizon and an increase in the salinity of the deep layers). This leads to coagulation and flocculation of organic and organometallic colloids and the transfer of dissolved iron into suspension.

Biomass Burning and Gas Flares create the extreme West African Aerosol Plume Which Perturbs the Hadley Circulation and thereby Changes Europe’s Winter Climate

Three significant changes have occurred in the winter climate in Europe recently: increased UK flooding; Iberian drought; and warmer temperatures north of the Alps. The literature links all three to a persistent, significant increase in sea level pressure over Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, Iberia and the Eastern Atlantic (SEMIEA) which changes the atmospheric circulation system: forcing cold fronts to the north away from Iberia; and creating a south westerly flow around the northern perimeter of the high-pressure region bringing warmer, moist air from the subtropical Atlantic to the UK and Europe which increases precipitation in the UK and raises the temperature in Europe. I use the Last Millennium Ensemble, MERRA-2 and Terra-NCEP data to demonstrate that the extreme, anthropogenic, West African aerosol Plume (WAP) which only exists from December to April perturbs the northern, regional Hadley Circulation creating the high pressure in the SEMIEA. I also show that the anthropogenic WAP has only existed in its extreme form in recent decades as the two major sources of the WAP aerosols: biomass burning; and gas flaring have both increased significantly since 1950 due to: a four-fold increase in population; and gas flaring rising from zero to 7.4 billion m3/annum and note that this time span coincides with the changes in the three elements of the winter climate of Europe. I also suggest that it may be possible to eliminate the WAP and return the winter climate of Europe to its natural state after the crucial first step of recognising the cause of the changes is taken.

Human-wildlife conflict and community perceptions towards wildlife conservation in and around Wof-Washa Natural State Forest, Ethiopia: a case study of human grivet monkey conflict

Background: Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is predicted to increase globally in the vicinity of protected areas and occurs in several different contexts and involves a range of animal taxonomic groups whose needs and requirements overlap with humans. Human-monkey conflict exists in different forms more in developing countries and ranks amongst the main threats to biodiversity conservation. Grivet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops aethiops) are any slender agile Old-World monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus. This study was conducted to investigate the status of human grivet monkey conflict and the attitude of local communities towards grivet monkey conservation in and around Wof-Washa Natural State Forest (WWNSF), Ethiopia from September 2017 to May 2018. Questionnaire survey (143) was used to study the human-grivet monkey conflict and its conservation status. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the responses were compared using a nonparametric Pearson chi-square test. Results: Majority of respondents from both gender (male= 67.1%; female= 74.1%) were not supporting grivet monkey conservation due to its troublesome crop damaging effect. There was significant difference in respondents perceptions towards grivet monkey conservation based on distance of farmland from the forest (χ2= 12.7, df =4, P = 0.013). There was no significant difference in the techniques used by villagers to deter crop raiders (χ2= 14.73, df =15, P = 0.47). There was significant difference in respondents expectations on the mitigation measures to be taken by government (χ2= 40.01, df =15, P = 0.000). Based on the questionnaire result, 42.5 ± SD 8.68 of respondents in all villages elucidated that the causes of crop damage was habitat degradations.Conclusion: The encroachment of local communities in to the forest area and exploitation of resources that would be used by grivet monkey and enhanced crop damage by grivet monkey exacerbated the HGMC in the study area. As a result grivet monkeys have been killed relentlessly as a consequence of crop damage. This was due to negative energy developed in human perspective. Thus, awareness creation education program and feasible crop damage prevention techniques need to be implemented.

Rare and Unusual Raptors of Northern Belize

The second smallest country in Central America, Belize has a stunning array of natural areas that is only matched by the remarkable diversity of animals that call them home. A small human population and strong conservation ethics have preserved nearly 75 percent of Belize in its natural state. This guide lists some of the rarer and more unusual raptors you might encounter while birding in northern Belize.