Old Galaxies at High Redshift and the Cosmological Constant

In a recent striking discovery, Dunlop {\bf \it et al} observed a galaxy at redshift z=1.55 with an estimated age of 3.5 Gyr. This is incompatible with age estimates for a flat matter dominated universe unless the Hubble constant is less than $45 kms^{-1}Mpc^{-1}$. While both an open universe, and a universe with a cosmological constant alleviate this problem, I argue here that this result favors a non-zero cosmological constant, especially when considered in light of other cosmological constraints. In the first place, for the favored range of matter densities, this constraint is more stringent than the globular cluster age constraint, which already favors a non-zero cosmological constant. Moreover, the age-redshift relation for redshifts of order unity implies that the ratio between the age associated with redshift 1.55 and the present age is also generally larger for a cosmological constant dominated universe than for an open universe. In addition, structure formation is generally suppressed in low density cosmologies, arguing against early galaxy formation. The additional constraints imposed by the new observation on the parameter space of $h$ vs $\Omega_{matter}$ (where $H= 100 h kms^{-1}Mpc^{-1}$) are derived for both cosmologies. For a cosmological constant dominated universe this constraint is consistent with the range allowed by other cosmological constraints, which also favor a non-zero value.Comment: latex, 10 pages, including two embedded postscript figure

Cell wall microstructure, pore size distribution and absolute density of hemp shiv

This paper, for the first time, fully characterizes the intrinsic physical parameters of hemp shiv including cell wall microstructure, pore size distribution and absolute density. Scanning electron microscopy revealed microstructural features similar to hardwoods. Confocal microscopy revealed three major layers in the cell wall: middle lamella, primary cell wall and secondary cell wall. Computed tomography improved the visualization of pore shape and pore connectivity in three dimensions. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) showed that the average accessible porosity was 76.67 ± 2.03% and pore size classes could be distinguished into micropores (3–10 nm) and macropores (0.1–1 µm and 20–80 µm). The absolute density was evaluated by helium pycnometry, MIP and Archimedes’ methods. The results show that these methods can lead to misinterpretation of absolute density. The MIP method showed a realistic absolute density (1.45 g cm−3) consistent with the density of the known constituents, including lignin, cellulose and hemi-cellulose. However, helium pycnometry and Archimedes’ methods gave falsely low values owing to 10% of the volume being inaccessible pores, which require sample pretreatment in order to be filled by liquid or gas. This indicates that the determination of the cell wall density is strongly dependent on sample geometry and preparation

The thickness of the shower disc as observed in showers produced by primaries above 10 (19)eV

The thickness of the shower disk has been measured in showers initiated by primaries of energy to 10 the 19th power eV using the large area water Cerenkov detectors of the Haverah Park array. Results are presented which (1) provide supporting evidence for the accuracy of analysis procedures in giant showers, (2) offer an evaluation of the mini-array technique for the detection of giant showers and (3) extend earlier work on developmental fluctuations above 10 to the 19th power eV

Quadtrees as an Abstract Domain

Quadtrees have proved popular in computer graphics and spatial databases as a way of representing regions in two dimensional space. This hierarchical data-structure is flexible enough to support non-convex and even disconnected regions, therefore it is natural to ask whether this datastructure can form the basis of an abstract domain. This paper explores this question and suggests that quadtrees offer a new approach to weakly relational domains whilst their hierarchical structure naturally lends itself to representation with boolean functions

Contrasting the beam interaction characteristics of selected lasers with a partially stabilised zirconia (PSZ) bio-ceramic

Differences in the beam interaction characteristics of a CO2 laser, a Nd:YAG laser, a high power diode laser (HPDL) and an excimer laser with a partially stabilised zirconia (PSZ) bio-ceramic have been studied. A derivative of Beer-Lambert’s law was applied and the laser beam absorption lengths of the four lasers were calculated as 33.55 x 10-3 cm for the CO2 laser, 18.22 x 10-3 cm for the Nd:YAG laser, 17.17 x 10-3 cm for the HPDL and 8.41 x 10-6 cm for the excimer laser. It was determined graphically that the fluence threshold values at which significant material removal was effected by the CO2 laser, the Nd:YAG laser, the HPDL and the excimer laser were 52 J/cm2, 97 J/cm2, 115 J/cm2 and 0.48 J/cm2 respectively. The thermal loading value for the CO2 laser, the Nd:YAG laser, the HPDL and the excimer laser were calculated as being 1.55 kJ/cm3, 5.32 kJ/cm3, 6.69 kJ/cm3 and 57.04 kJ/cm3 respectively

Effective forecasting for supply-chain planning: an empirical evaluation and strategies for improvement

Demand forecasting is a crucial aspect of the planning process in supply-chain companies. The most common approach to forecasting demand in these companies involves the use of a simple univariate statistical method to produce a forecast and the subsequent judgmental adjustment of this by the company's demand planners to take into account market intelligence relating to any exceptional circumstances expected over the planning horizon. Based on four company case studies, which included collecting more than 12,000 forecasts and outcomes, this paper examines: i) the extent to which the judgmental adjustments led to improvements in accuracy, ii) the extent to which the adjustments were biased and inefficient, iii) the circumstances where adjustments were detrimental or beneficial, and iv) methods that could lead to greater levels of accuracy. It was found that the judgmentally adjusted forecasts were both biased and inefficient. In particular, market intelligence that was expected to have a positive impact on demand was used far less effectively than intelligence suggesting a negative impact. The paper goes on to propose a set of improvements that could be applied to the forecasting processes in the companies and to the forecasting software that is used in these processes