Application of chiral nuclear forces to light nuclei

In these proceedings, we discuss the current status of nuclear bound state predictions based on chiral nuclear interactions. Results of ordinary $s$- and $p$-shell nuclei and light hypernuclei are shown.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, corrected typos in Table 5, version as publishe

Digital image correlation (DIC) analysis of the 3 December 2013 Montescaglioso landslide (Basilicata, Southern Italy). Results from a multi-dataset investigation

Image correlation remote sensing monitoring techniques are becoming key tools for providing effective qualitative and quantitative information suitable for natural hazard assessments, specifically for landslide investigation and monitoring. In recent years, these techniques have been successfully integrated and shown to be complementary and competitive with more standard remote sensing techniques, such as satellite or terrestrial Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry. The objective of this article is to apply the proposed in-depth calibration and validation analysis, referred to as the Digital Image Correlation technique, to measure landslide displacement. The availability of a multi-dataset for the 3 December 2013 Montescaglioso landslide, characterized by different types of imagery, such as LANDSAT 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) and TIRS (Thermal Infrared Sensor), high-resolution airborne optical orthophotos, Digital Terrain Models and COSMO-SkyMed Synthetic Aperture Radar, allows for the retrieval of the actual landslide displacement field at values ranging from a few meters (2–3 m in the north-eastern sector of the landslide) to 20–21 m (local peaks on the central body of the landslide). Furthermore, comprehensive sensitivity analyses and statistics-based processing approaches are used to identify the role of the background noise that affects the whole dataset. This noise has a directly proportional relationship to the different geometric and temporal resolutions of the processed imagery. Moreover, the accuracy of the environmental-instrumental background noise evaluation allowed the actual displacement measurements to be correctly calibrated and validated, thereby leading to a better definition of the threshold values of the maximum Digital Image Correlation sub-pixel accuracy and reliability (ranging from 1/10 to 8/10 pixel) for each processed dataset

The Direct Detection of Lyman Continuum Emission from Star-forming Galaxies at z~3

We present the results of rest-frame UV spectroscopic observations of a sample of 14 z ~ 3 star-forming galaxies in the SSA 22a field. These spectra are characterized by unprecedented depth in the Lyman continuum region. For the first time, we have detected escaping ionizing radiation from individual galaxies at high redshift, with 2 of the 14 objects showing significant emission below the Lyman limit. We also measured the ratio of emergent flux density at 1500 Å to that in the Lyman continuum region, for the individual detections (C49 and D3) and the sample average. If a correction for the average IGM opacity is applied to the spectra of the objects C49 and D3, we find f_(1500)/f_(900,corr,C49) = 4.5 and f_(1500)/f_(900,corr,D3) = 2.9. The average emergent flux density ratio in our sample is = 22, implying an escape fraction ~4.5 times lower than inferred from the composite spectrum from Steidel and coworkers. If this new estimate is representative of LBGs, their contribution to the metagalactic ionizing radiation field is J_ν(900) ~ 2.6 × 10^(-22) ergs s^(-1) cm^(-2) Hz^(-1) sr^(-1), comparable to the contribution of optically selected quasars at the same redshift. The sum of the contributions from galaxies and quasars is consistent with recent estimates of the level of the ionizing background at z ~ 3, inferred from the H I Lyα forest optical depth. There is significant variance among the emergent far-UV spectra in our sample, yet the factors controlling the detection or nondetection of Lyman continuum emission from galaxies are not well determined. Because we do not yet understand the source of this variance, significantly larger samples will be required to obtain robust constraints on the galaxy contribution to the ionizing background at z ~ 3 and beyond

Economic Integration in East Asia: Trends, Prospects, and a Possible Roadmap

This paper, which is a revised version of the ADB Working Paper on Regional Economic Integration No. 2, reviews trends in East Asian regionalism in the areas of trade and investment, money and finance, and infrastructure. It finds that trade and, to a lesser extent, financial integration is starting to increase in the region. It also finds that business cycles are starting to be more synchronized, enhancing the case for further monetary integration among these countries. The paper also outlines a roadmap for East Asian integration.

Economic Integration in East Asia: Trends, Prospects, and a Possible Roadmap

This paper reviews trends in East Asian regionalism in the areas of trade and investment, money and finance, and infrastructure. It presents various measures of trade and financial integration. An important finding of the paper is that increasing trade and financial integration in the region is now starting to lead to a synchronization of business cycles in a selected group of countries, further enhancing the case for monetary integration among these countries. The paper also outlines a roadmap for East Asian integration.ASEAN/East Asian economic cooperation and integration; business cycle synchronization; free trade agreements; policy coordination

How significant is the impact of irrigation on the local hydroclimate in Californias Central Valley? Comparison of model results with ground and remote-sensing data

The effect of irrigation on regional climate has been studied over the years. However, in most studies, the model was usually set at coarse resolution, and the soil moisture was set to field capacity at each time step. We reinvestigated this issue over the Central Valley of California's agricultural area by: (1) using the regional climate model at different resolutions down to the finest resolution of 4 km for the most inner domain, covering California's Central Valley, the central coast, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and water; (2) using a more realistic irrigation scheme in the model through the use of different allowable soil water depletion configurations; and (3) evaluating the simulated results against satellite and in situ observations available through the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS). The simulation results with fine model resolution and with the more realistic irrigation scheme indicate that the surface meteorological fields are noticeably improved when compared with observations from the CIMIS network and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data. Our results also indicate that irrigation has significant impacts on local meteorological fields by decreasing temperature by 3°-7°C and increasing relative humidity by 9-20%, depending on model resolutions and allowable soil water depletion configurations. More significantly, our results using the improved model show that the effects of irrigation on weather and climate do not extend very far into nonirrigated regions. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union

Predictions for the heavy-ion programme at the Large Hadron Collider

I review the main predictions for the heavy-ion programme at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, as available in early April 2009. I begin by remembering the standard claims made in view of the experimental data measured at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN and at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the BNL. These claims will be used for later discussion of the new opportunities at the LHC. Next I review the generic, qualitative expectations for the LHC. Then I turn to quantitative predictions: First I analyze observables which characterize directly the medium produced in the collisions - bulk observables or soft probes -: multiplicities, collective flow, hadrochemistry at low transverse momentum, correlations and fluctuations. Second, I move to calibrated probes of the medium i.e. typically those whose expectation in the absence of any medium can be described in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) using perturbative techniques (pQCD), usually called hard probes. I discuss particle production at large transverse momentum and jets, heavy-quark and quarkonium production, and photons and dileptons. Finally, after a brief review of pA collisions, I end with a summary and a discussion about the potentiality of the measurements at the LHC - particularly those made during the first run - to further substantiate or, on the contrary, disproof the picture of the medium that has arisen from the confrontation between the SPS and RHIC data, and theoretical models.Comment: 64 pages, 40 figures, 7 tables; invited review for "Quark-Gluon Plasma 4"; v2: small changes, some predictions and references added, final versio

Lutz-Kelker bias in pulsar parallax measurements

Lutz & Kelker showed that parallax measurements are systematically overestimated because they do not properly account for the larger volume of space that is sampled at smaller parallax values. We apply their analysis to neutron stars, incorporating the bias introduced by the intrinsic radio luminosity function and a realistic Galactic population model for neutron stars. We estimate the bias for all published neutron star parallax measurements and find that measurements with less than ~95% certainty, are likely to be significantly biased. Through inspection of historic parallax measurements, we confirm the described effects in optical and radio measurements, as well as in distance estimates based on interstellar dispersion measures. The potential impact on future tests of relativistic gravity through pulsar timing and on X-ray--based estimates of neutron star radii is briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 3 tables, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in MNRA

A high resolution coupled hydrologic–hydraulic model (HiResFlood-UCI) for flash flood modeling

HiResFlood-UCI was developed by coupling the NWS's hydrologic model (HL-RDHM) with the hydraulic model (BreZo) for flash flood modeling at decameter resolutions. The coupled model uses HL-RDHM as a rainfall-runoff generator and replaces the routing scheme of HL-RDHM with the 2D hydraulic model (BreZo) in order to predict localized flood depths and velocities. A semi-automated technique of unstructured mesh generation was developed to cluster an adequate density of computational cells along river channels such that numerical errors are negligible compared with other sources of error, while ensuring that computational costs of the hydraulic model are kept to a bare minimum. HiResFlood-UCI was implemented for a watershed (ELDO2) in the DMIP2 experiment domain in Oklahoma. Using synthetic precipitation input, the model was tested for various components including HL-RDHM parameters (a priori versus calibrated), channel and floodplain Manning n values, DEM resolution (10 m versus 30 m) and computation mesh resolution (10 m+ versus 30 m+). Simulations with calibrated versus a priori parameters of HL-RDHM show that HiResFlood-UCI produces reasonable results with the a priori parameters from NWS. Sensitivities to hydraulic model resistance parameters, mesh resolution and DEM resolution are also identified, pointing to the importance of model calibration and validation for accurate prediction of localized flood intensities. HiResFlood-UCI performance was examined using 6 measured precipitation events as model input for model calibration and validation of the streamflow at the outlet. The Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) obtained ranges from 0.588 to 0.905. The model was also validated for the flooded map using USGS observed water level at an interior point. The predicted flood stage error is 0.82 m or less, based on a comparison to measured stage. Validation of stage and discharge predictions builds confidence in model predictions of flood extent and localized velocities, which are fundamental to reliable flash flood warning