13,373 research outputs found
Optimization of microwave radiometric systems for earth resource surveys Final report
Optimization of passive microwave radiometric systems for earth resource surveys from ground and aircraft based measurement
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Rapid ice aggregation process revealed through triple-wavelength Doppler spectra radar analysis
Rapid aggregation of ice particles has been identified by combining data from three co-located, vertically-pointing radars operating at different frequencies. A new technique has been developed that uses the Doppler spectra from these radars to retrieve the vertical profile of ice particle size distributions.
The ice particles grow rapidly from a maximum size of 0.75 mm to 5 mm while falling less than 500 m and in under 10 minutes. This rapid growth is shown to agree well with theoretical estimates of aggregation, with aggregation efficiency close to 1, and is inconsistent with other growth processes, e.g. growth by deposition, riming. The aggregation occurs in the middle of the cloud, and is not present throughout the entire lifetime of the cloud. However, the layer of rapid aggregation is very well defined, at a constant height, where the temperature is −15 °C, and lasts for at least 20 minutes (approximate horizontal distance: 24 km). Immediately above this layer, the radar Doppler spectra is bi-modal, which signals the formation of new small ice particles at that height. We suggest that these newly formed particles, at approximately −15 °C, grow dendritic arms, enabling them to easily interlock and accelerate the aggregation process. The estimated aggregation efficiency in the studied cloud is between 0.7 and 1, consistent with recent laboratory studies for dendrites at this temperature.
A newly developed method for retrieving the ice particle size distribution using the Doppler spectra allows these retrievals in a much larger fraction of the cloud than existing DWR methods. Through quantitative comparison of the Doppler spectra from the three radars we are able to estimate the ice particle size distribution at different heights in the cloud. Comparison of these size distributions with those calculated with more basic radar-derived values and more restrictive assumptions agree very well; however, the newly developed method allows size distribution retrieval in a larger fraction of the cloud because it allows us to isolate the signal from the larger (non-Rayleigh scattering) particles in the distribution and allows for deviation from the assumed shape of the distribution
Somatostatin agonist pasireotide inhibits exercise stimulated growth in the male Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus)
R.Dumbell was supported by a University of Aberdeen PhD studentship and a research visit grant awarded by the British Society of Neuroendocrinology. Further support was provided by the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (Barrett and the German Research Foundation (DFG; STE 331/8-1; Steinlechner lab). We are grateful for technical assistance from Dana Wilson at RINH and Siegried Hiliken at UVMH, and thank Dr Claus-Dieter Mayer of Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland for valuable advice on statistical analysis.Peer reviewedPostprin
Flow Characteristics in HyperVapotron Elements Operating with Nanofluids
HyperVapotrons are highly robust and efficient heat exchangers able to transfer high heat fluxes of the order of 10-20MW/m2. They employ the Vapotron effect, a complex two phase heat transfer mechanism, which is strongly linked to the hydrodynamic structures present in the coolant flow inside the devices. HyperVapotrons are currently tested in the Joined European Torus (JET) and the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) fusion experiments and are considered a strong candidate for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The efficiency of heat transfer and the reliability of the components of a fusion power plant are important factors to ensure its longevity and economical sustainability. Optimisation of the heat transfer performance of these devices by the use of nanofluids is investigated in this paper. Nanofluids are advanced two phase coolants that exhibit heat transfer augmentation phenomena. A cold isothermal nanofluid flow is established inside two HyperVapotron models representing the geometries used at JET and MAST. A hybrid particle image velocimetry method is then employed to map in high spatial resolution (30μm) the flow fields inside each replica. The instantaneous and mean flow structures of a nanofluid are compared to those present during the use of a traditional coolant (water) in order to detect any departure from the hydrodynamic design operational regime of the device. It was discovered that the flow field of the JET model is considerably affected when using nanofluids, while the flow in the MAST geometry does not change significantly by the introduction of nanofluids. Evidence of a shear thinning mechanism is found inside the momentum boundary layer of the nanofluid flows and it might be important to calculating the pumping power losses of a functional nuclear fusion power plant cooling system ran with nanofluids instead of water. This work is a continuation of a previous study on HyperVapotrons and nanofluids, as documented by [1-3]
Does the Isotropy of the CMB Imply a Homogeneous Universe? Some Generalised EGS Theorems
We demonstrate that the high isotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB), combined with the Copernican principle, is not sufficient to prove
homogeneity of the universe -- in contrast to previous results on this subject.
The crucial additional factor not included in earlier work is the acceleration
of the fundamental observers. We find the complete class of irrotational
perfect fluid spacetimes admitting an exactly isotropic radiation field for
every fundamental observer and show that are FLRW if and only if the
acceleration is zero. While inhomogeneous in general, these spacetimes all
possess three-dimensional symmetry groups, from which it follows that they also
admit a thermodynamic interpretation. In addition to perfect fluids models we
also consider multi-component fluids containing non-interacting radiation, dust
and a quintessential scalar field or cosmological constant in which the
radiation is isotropic for the geodesic (dust) observers. It is shown that the
non-acceleration of the fundamental observers forces these spacetimes to be
FLRW. While it is plausible that fundamental observers (galaxies) in the real
universe follow geodesics, it is strictly necessary to determine this from
local observations for the cosmological principle to be more than an
assumption. We discuss how observations may be used to test this.Comment: replaced with final version. Added discusion and ref
A Lorentzian Signature Model for Quantum General Relativity
We give a relativistic spin network model for quantum gravity based on the
Lorentz group and its q-deformation, the Quantum Lorentz Algebra.
We propose a combinatorial model for the path integral given by an integral
over suitable representations of this algebra. This generalises the state sum
models for the case of the four-dimensional rotation group previously studied
in gr-qc/9709028.
As a technical tool, formulae for the evaluation of relativistic spin
networks for the Lorentz group are developed, with some simple examples which
show that the evaluation is finite in interesting cases. We conjecture that the
`10J' symbol needed in our model has a finite value.Comment: 22 pages, latex, amsfonts, Xypic. Version 3: improved presentation.
Version 2 is a major revision with explicit formulae included for the
evaluation of relativistic spin networks and the computation of examples
which have finite value
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Spectroscopy of the Nova-like BB Doradus
We present an analysis of the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
({\it{FUSE}}) spectra of the little-known southern nova-like BB Doradus. The
spectrum was obtained as part of our Cycle 8 {\it FUSE} survey of high
declination nova-like stars.
The FUSE spectrum of BB Dor, observed in a high state, is modeled with an
accretion disk with a very low inclination (possibly lower than 10deg).
Assuming an average WD mass of 0.8 solar leads to a mass accretion rate of
1.E-9 Solar mass/year and a distance of the order of 650 pc, consistent with
the extremely low galactic reddening in its direction. The spectrum presents
some broad and deep silicon and sulfur absorption lines, indicating that these
elements are over-abundant by 3 and 20 times solar, respectively
Ab-initio shell model with a core
We construct effective 2- and 3-body Hamiltonians for the p-shell by
performing 12\hbar\Omega ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM) calculations for
A=6 and 7 nuclei and explicitly projecting the many-body Hamiltonians onto the
0\hbar\Omega space. We then separate these effective Hamiltonians into 0-, 1-
and 2-body contributions (also 3-body for A=7) and analyze the systematic
behavior of these different parts as a function of the mass number A and size
of the NCSM basis space. The role of effective 3- and higher-body interactions
for A>6 is investigated and discussed
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