Determining acoustical directionality in an impedance tube using multiple fixed microphones

Acoustic impedance of a port or object is a valuable piece of knowledge describing how well sound is transmitted or reflected. The commonly used slotted-line method is labourious and time consuming, requiring manual movement to find the maxima and minima at each frequency. This paper outlines a technique to computationally determine the magnitude and phase of the constituent travelling waves from the standing plane sound wave measurements in an impedance tube. Measured magnitude and phase data from multiple fixed microphones carefully spaced along the length of the impedance tube is numerically fitted to incident and reflected wave models, which can then be used to calculate the complex acoustic impedance at each frequency of interest

Acoustic Vector-Corrected Impedance Meter

We describe the development of a novel instrument intended for the measurement of the acoustical reflection coefficient of materials. The instrument effectively implements a one-port vector-corrected network analyzer in the acoustic, rather than the electromagnetic, domain. Employing the well-documented methods of error correction familiar to microwave engineers, this instrument permits automated measurement of an acoustic impedance presented to a waveguide port. A dual-directional coupler allows a working frequency range of well over an octave. In principle, a set of six couplers would allow measurement from 100 to 50000 Hz

Vehicle lead-acid battery state-of-charge meter

We describe a state-of-charge, or “residual-capacity” meter for lead-acid batteries that intelligently synthesizes coulometric and terminal-voltage methods in a new algorithm to provide reliable, continuous readout of remaining capacity. Novel electronic circuit design eliminates the need to install a shunt in the vehicle. The meter learns the characteristics of a battery to which it is attached, removing the need for setup, customisation, programming or calibration at time of installation or battery replacement. The meter can thus be installed by unqualified personnel. Initial measurements suggest the design to be robust and accurate

Effects of contaminants of emerging concern on Megaselia scalaris (Lowe, Diptera: Phoridae) and its microbial community.

Drought, rising temperatures, and expanding human populations are increasing water demands. Many countries are extending potable water supplies by irrigating crops with wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains biologically active, long-lived pharmaceuticals, even after treatment. Run-off from farms and wastewater treatment plant overflows contribute high concentrations of pharmaceuticals to the environment. This study assessed the effects of common pharmaceuticals on a cosmopolitan saprophagous insect, Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae). Larvae were reared on artificial diets spiked with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) at environmentally relevant concentrations. Female flies showed no oviposition preference for treated or untreated diets. Larvae exposed to caffeine in diets showed increased mortality, and larvae fed antibiotics and hormones showed signs of slowed development, especially in females. The normal sex ratio observed in M. scalaris from control diets was affected by exposure to caffeine and pharmaceutical mixture treatments. There was an overall effect of treatment on the flies' microbial communities; notably, caffeine fed insects displayed higher microbial variability. Eight bacterial families accounted for approximately 95% of the total microbes in diet and insects. Our results suggest that CECs at environmentally relevant concentrations can affect the biology and microbial communities of an insect of ecological and medical importance

Research and education in management of large- scale technical programs. Appendix A - Uses and misuses of computers in urban affairs. Appendix B - Build, a community development simulation game. Appendix C - Urban simulation and gaming, preliminary experience and perspectives. Appendix D - Public attitudes toward programs of large- scale technological change, some reflections and policy prescriptions Semiannual progress report

Research and education in management of large scale technical programs - computers in urban affair

Properties of scalar--isoscalar mesons from multichannel interaction analysis below 1800 MeV

Scalar-isoscalar mesons are studied using an unitary model in three channels: pi-pi, K-anti K and an effective 2pi-2pi. All the solutions, fitted to the pi-pi and K-anti K data, exhibit a wide f0(500), a narrow f0(980) and two relatively narrow resonances, lying on different sheets between 1300 MeV and 1500 MeV. These latter states are similar to the f0(1370) and f0(1500) seen in experiments at CERN. Branching ratios are compared with available data. We have started investigations of some crossing symmetry and chiral constraints imposed near the pi-pi threshold on the scalar-isoscalar, scalar-isotensor and P-wave pi-pi amplitudes.Comment: Talk given at XVth Particles and Nuclei Int. Conf. (PANIC99), Uppsala, Sweden, June 10-16, 1999; 4 pages, 3 figures, file espcrc1.sty include

Assessing movements of three buoy line types using DSTmilli Loggers: Implications for entanglements of bottlenose dolphins in the crab pot fishery

A study was conducted in October 2006 in the Charleston, South Carolina area to test the movements of three different buoy line types to determine which produced a preferred profile that could reduce the risk of dolphin entanglement. Tests on diamond-braided nylon commonly used in the crab pot fishery were compared with stiffened line of Esterpro and calf types in both shallow and deep water environments using DSTmilli data loggers. Loggers were placed at intervals along the lines to record depth, and thus movements, over a 24 hour period. Three observers viewed video animations and charts created for each of the six trial days from the collected logger data and provided their opinions on the most desirable line type that fit set criteria. A quantitative analysis (ANCOVA) of the data was conducted taking into consideration daily tidal fluctuations and logger movements. Loggers tracking the tides had an r2 value approaching 1.00 and produced little movement other than with the tides. Conversely, r2 values approaching 0.00 were less affected by tidal movement and influenced by currents that cause more erratic movement. Results from this study showed that stiffened line, in particular the medium lay Esterpro type, produced the more desirable profiles that could reduce risk of dolphin entanglement. Combining the observer’s results with the ANCOVA results, Esterpro was chosen nearly 60% of the time as opposed to the nylon line which was only chosen 10% of the time. ANCOVA results showed that the stiffened lines performed better in both the shallow and deep water environments, while the nylon line only performed better during one trial in a deep water set, most probably due to the increased current velocities experienced that day. (58pp.)(PDF contains 68 pages

On the precision of the theoretical predictions for pi pi scattering

In a recent paper, Pelaez and Yndurain evaluate some of the low energy observables of pi pi scattering and obtain flat disagreement with our earlier results. The authors work with unsubtracted dispersion relations, so that their results are very sensitive to the poorly known high energy behaviour of the scattering amplitude. They claim that the asymptotic representation we used is incorrect and propose an alternative one. We repeat their calculations on the basis of the standard, subtracted fixed-t dispersion relations, using their asymptotics. The outcome fully confirms our earlier findings. Moreover, we show that the Regge parametrization proposed by these authors for the region above 1.4 GeV violates crossing symmetry: Their ansatz is not consistent with the behaviour observed at low energies.Comment: Added more material, mostly in Sects. 7, 8 and 9, in support of the same conclusions. Latex, 28 pages, 3 figure

String Theory and Water Waves

We uncover a remarkable role that an infinite hierarchy of non-linear differential equations plays in organizing and connecting certain {hat c}<1 string theories non-perturbatively. We are able to embed the type 0A and 0B (A,A) minimal string theories into this single framework. The string theories arise as special limits of a rich system of equations underpinned by an integrable system known as the dispersive water wave hierarchy. We observe that there are several other string-like limits of the system, and conjecture that some of them are type IIA and IIB (A,D) minimal string backgrounds. We explain how these and several string-like special points arise and are connected. In some cases, the framework endows the theories with a non-perturbative definition for the first time. Notably, we discover that the Painleve IV equation plays a key role in organizing the string theory physics, joining its siblings, Painleve I and II, whose roles have previously been identified in this minimal string context.Comment: 49 pages, 4 figure

Chiral two-loop pion-pion scattering parameters from crossing-symmetric constraints

Constraints on the parameters in the one- and two-loop pion-pion scattering amplitudes of standard chiral perturbation theory are obtained from explicitly crossing-symmetric sum rules. These constraints are based on a matching of the chiral amplitudes and the physical amplitudes at the symmetry point of the Mandelstam plane. The integrals over absorptive parts appearing in the sum rules are decomposed into crossing-symmetric low- and high-energy components and the chiral parameters are finally related to high-energy absorptive parts. A first application uses a simple model of these absorptive parts. The sensitivity of the results to the choice of the energy separating high and low energies is examined with care. Weak dependence on this energy is obtained as long as it stays below ~560 MeV. Reliable predictions are obtained for three two-loop parameters.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures in .eps files, Latex (RevTex), our version of RevTex runs under Latex2.09, submitted to Phys. Rev. D,minor typographical corrections including the number at the end of the abstract, two sentences added at the end of Section 5 in answer to a referee's remar