20,434 research outputs found
Functional PCA of measures for investigating the influence of bioturbation on sediment structure
International audienceAfter describing the main characteristics of grain-size curves, we recall previous results about Principal Components Analysis of absolutely continuous measures, in connection with grain-size curves analysis. This method simultaneously takes into account a chosen reference probability (r.p.) ÎŒ (associated with a Radon-Nikodym derivation operator), and the imposed sampling mesh Tp. The point is that it amounts to usual PCA in some metrics Mâ (Tp; ÎŒ); consequently, analyzing a set of grain-size curves in reference to different r.p.s amounts to carry out PCA with different metrics. Three complementary r.p.s were chosen to analyze a set of 552 grain-size curves issued from an experiment designed for investigating the influence of a Polychaetes, Nereis diversicolor , on the sediment structure. The obtained results show that this worm is actually able to alter the sediment. Furthermore, it is shown that its influence depends on its density in the sedimentary column, but not on its position
Magnetoresistance Anisotropy of Polycrystalline Cobalt Films: Geometrical-Size- and Domain-Effects
The magnetoresistance (MR) of 10 nm to 200 nm thin polycrystalline Co-films,
deposited on glass and insulating Si(100), is studied in fields up to 120 kOe,
aligned along the three principal directions with respect to the current:
longitudinal, transverse (in-plane), and polar (out-of-plane). At technical
saturation, the anisotropic MR (AMR) in polar fields turns out to be up to
twice as large as in transverse fields, which resembles the yet unexplained
geometrical size-effect (GSE), previously reported for Ni- and Permalloy films.
Upon increasing temperature, the polar and transverse AMR's are reduced by
phonon-mediated sd-scattering, but their ratio, i.e. the GSE remains unchanged.
Basing on Potters's theory [Phys.Rev.B 10, 4626(1974)], we associate the GSE
with an anisotropic effect of the spin-orbit interaction on the sd-scattering
of the minority spins due to a film texture. Below magnetic saturation, the
magnitudes and signs of all three MR's depend significantly on the domain
structures depicted by magnetic force microscopy. Based on hysteresis loops and
taking into account the GSE within an effective medium approach, the three MR's
are explained by the different magnetization processes in the domain states.
These reveal the importance of in-plane uniaxial anisotropy and out-of-plane
texture for the thinnest and thickest films, respectively.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Perceived Economic Pressures and Farmer Ethics
We consider the effect of perceived economic pressures on the ethical attitudes of farmers. We hypothesize that an increase in the economic pressures a farmer faces could result in that farmer being more tolerant of unethical conduct than farmers not experiencing economic pressures. To test this hypothesis, we use data from a survey of 3,000 Missouri farmers with farm sales in excess of $10,000 in 2005 in which farmers were asked how acceptable they considered various unethical or questionable farming practices. The survey also contained questions designed to measure perceived economic pressures. We find evidence that economic pressures result in a greater willingness of farmers to tolerate unethical conduct, particularly in the case of actions that have the potential of causing harm or that are influenced by law or contract. We also find that the more frequently a farmer reports observing an unethical action, the more acceptable he is of it.Farm Management,
Disclinations, dislocations and continuous defects: a reappraisal
Disclinations, first observed in mesomorphic phases, are relevant to a number
of ill-ordered condensed matter media, with continuous symmetries or frustrated
order. They also appear in polycrystals at the edges of grain boundaries. They
are of limited interest in solid single crystals, where, owing to their large
elastic stresses, they mostly appear in close pairs of opposite signs. The
relaxation mechanisms associated with a disclination in its creation, motion,
change of shape, involve an interplay with continuous or quantized dislocations
and/or continuous disclinations. These are attached to the disclinations or are
akin to Nye's dislocation densities, well suited here. The notion of 'extended
Volterra process' takes these relaxation processes into account and covers
different situations where this interplay takes place. These concepts are
illustrated by applications in amorphous solids, mesomorphic phases and
frustrated media in their curved habit space. The powerful topological theory
of line defects only considers defects stable against relaxation processes
compatible with the structure considered. It can be seen as a simplified case
of the approach considered here, well suited for media of high plasticity
or/and complex structures. Topological stability cannot guarantee energetic
stability and sometimes cannot distinguish finer details of structure of
defects.Comment: 72 pages, 36 figure
Project SLOPE - Study of Lunar Orbiter Photographic Evaluation Final report
Quantitative measurement methods for evaluating ability of Lunar Orbiter photographs to detect topographic feature
Space biology initiative program definition review. Trade study 4: Design modularity and commonality
The relative cost impacts (up or down) of developing Space Biology hardware using design modularity and commonality is studied. Recommendations for how the hardware development should be accomplished to meet optimum design modularity requirements for Life Science investigation hardware will be provided. In addition, the relative cost impacts of implementing commonality of hardware for all Space Biology hardware are defined. Cost analysis and supporting recommendations for levels of modularity and commonality are presented. A mathematical or statistical cost analysis method with the capability to support development of production design modularity and commonality impacts to parametric cost analysis is provided
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