In this work, total smooth air-water interfacial areas were measured for a series of nine natural and model sandy porous media as a function of water saturation using synchrotron X-ray microtomography. Interfacial areas decreased linearly with water satuation, while the estimated maximum interfacial area compared favorably to the media geometric surface areas. Importantly, relative interfacial ...

This paper solves the long-standing problem of establishing the fundamental physical link between the radiative transfer theory and macroscopic electromagnetics in the case of elastic scattering by a sparse discrete random medium. The radiative transfer equation (RTE) is derived directly from the macroscopic Maxwell equations by computing theoretically the appropriately defined so-called Poynti...

Solar thermal fuels (STF) store the energy of sunlight, which can then be released later in the form of heat, offering an emission-free and renewable solution for both solar energy conversion and storage. However, this approach is currently limited by the lack of low-cost materials with high energy density and high stability. In this Letter, we present an ab initio high-throughput computational...

It is pointed out that the previous energy-momentum tensors of Minkowski and Abraham for the electromagnetic field in continuous media are based on a covariant formulation which does not reflect a symmetry inherent to the system. Instead, taking into account the intrinsic invariance under Lorentz transformations involving the reduced speed of light in such a medium, a compact and fully consiste...

This paper presents a methodology and instrumentation system for the indirect measurement of the thermal diffusivity of a soil at a given depth from measuring its temperature at that depth. The development has been carried out considering its application to the design and sizing of very low enthalpy geothermal energy (VLEGE) systems, but it can has many other applications, for example in constr...

Vertical motions have been computed for a &day period during which an upper tropospheric cold Low moved through the eastern Caribbean, and a kinetic energy budget for the region has been constructed. During the first 3 days, the kinetic energy inside the volume increased. The computations indicate that the increase was caused by lateral advection of kinetic energy into the volume plus a small i...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the Ramadan intermittent fast (RIF) on aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance in elite judo athletes (Judokas) maintaining their usual training loads. Physical performance tests (squat jump [SJ]), countermovement jump [CMJ], 30-second repeated jump, 30-m sprint, and the multistage fitness test) and fatigue scores were measured in...

Habitat use by the Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) and discovery of feeding territoriality are discussed here. The results showed the existence of a territorial individual defending an area (2,564.46 +/- 943.56 m(2)) close to the mangrove, and non-territorial individuals (9.17 +/- 2.54) in the rest of a demarcated area (mean area for the non-territorial: 893.25 +/- 676.72). A weak positive...

The preparation of the first porphyrin-corrole dyad through click chemistry is described. The absorption, the emission and the electrochemical properties were investigated and suggested an efficient excited state interaction between the porphyrin and the corrole unit. Theoretical calculations were performed and proved that the dyad can potentially act as a molecular system for solar energy conv...

In everyday practice, geothermal energy is treated both by us professionals, and regular users as one of renewable energy sources. Although we tend to concentrate on its utility and technical value, geothermal is also part of our civilization and history. Therefore, it is worthwhile to spend some time investigating this kind of energy to learn its role and place in historical and cultural herit...