3,378 research outputs found
Method of radiographic inspection of wooden members
The invention is a method to be used for radiographic inspection of a wooden specimen for internal defects which includes the steps of introducing a radiopaque penetrant into any internal defects in the specimen through surface openings; passing a beam of radiation through a portion of the specimen to be inspected; and making a radiographic film image of the radiation passing through the specimen, with the radiopaque penetrant in the specimen absorbing the radiation passing through it, thereby enhancing the resulting image of the internal defects in the specimen
Geometric gauge potentials and forces in low-dimensional scattering systems
We introduce and analyze several low-dimensional scattering systems that
exhibit geometric phase phenomena. The systems are fully solvable and we
compare exact solutions of them with those obtained in a Born-Oppenheimer
projection approximation. We illustrate how geometric magnetism manifests in
them, and explore the relationship between solutions obtained in the diabatic
and adiabatic pictures. We provide an example, involving a neutral atom dressed
by an external field, in which the system mimics the behavior of a charged
particle that interacts with, and is scattered by, a ferromagnetic material. We
also introduce a similar system that exhibits Aharonov-Bohm scattering. We
propose some practical applications. We provide a theoretical approach that
underscores universality in the appearance of geometric gauge forces. We do not
insist on degeneracies in the adiabatic Hamiltonian, and we posit that the
emergence of geometric gauge forces is a consequence of symmetry breaking in
the latter.Comment: (Final version, published in Phy. Rev. A. 86, 042704 (2012
Supply chain optimisation of pyrolysis plant deployment using goal programming
This paper presents a goal programming model to optimise the deployment of pyrolysis plants in Punjab, India. Punjab has an abundance of waste straw and pyrolysis can convert this waste into alternative bio-fuels, which will facilitate the provision of valuable energy services and reduce open field burning. A goal programming model is outlined and demonstrated in two case study applications: small scale operations in villages and large scale deployment across Punjab's districts. To design the supply chain, optimal decisions for location, size and number of plants, downstream energy applications and feedstocks processed are simultaneously made based on stakeholder requirements for capital cost, payback period and production cost of bio-oil and electricity. The model comprises quantitative data obtained from primary research and qualitative data gathered from farmers and potential investors. The Punjab district of Fatehgarh Sahib is found to be the ideal location to initially utilise pyrolysis technology. We conclude that goal programming is an improved method over more conventional methods used in the literature for project planning in the field of bio-energy. The model and findings developed from this study will be particularly valuable to investors, plant developers and municipalities interested in waste to energy in India and elsewhere
Quantum dynamics and breakdown of classical realism in nonlinear oscillators
The dynamics of a quantum nonlinear oscillator is studied in terms of its
quasi-flow, a dynamical mapping of the classical phase plane that represents
the time-evolution of the quantum observables. Explicit expressions are derived
for the deformation of the classical flow by the quantum nonlinearity in the
semiclassical limit. The breakdown of the classical trajectories under the
quantum nonlinear dynamics is quantified by the mismatch of the quasi-flow
carried by different observables. It is shown that the failure of classical
realism can give rise to a dynamical violation of Bell's inequalities.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, no figure
Heisenberg Evolution WKB and Symplectic Area Phases
The Schrodinger and Heisenberg evolution operators are represented in quantum
phase space by their Weyl symbols. Their semiclassical approximations are
constructed in the short and long time regimes. For both evolution problems,
the WKB representation is purely geometrical: the amplitudes are functions of a
Poisson bracket and the phase is the symplectic area of a region in phase space
bounded by trajectories and chords. A unified approach to the Schrodinger and
Heisenberg semiclassical evolutions is developed by introducing an extended
phase space. In this setting Maslov's pseudodifferential operator version of
WKB analysis applies and represents these two problems via a common higher
dimensional Schrodinger evolution, but with different extended Hamiltonians.
The evolution of a Lagrangian manifold in the extended phase space, defined by
initial data, controls the phase, amplitude and caustic behavior. The
symplectic area phases arise as a solution of a boundary condition problem.
Various applications and examples are considered.Comment: 32 pages, 7 figure
Form factor for a family of quantum graphs: An expansion to third order
For certain types of quantum graphs we show that the random-matrix form
factor can be recovered to at least third order in the scaled time from
periodic-orbit theory. We consider the contributions from pairs of periodic
orbits represented by diagrams with up to two self-intersections connected by
up to four arcs and explain why all other diagrams are expected to give
higher-order corrections only.
For a large family of graphs with ergodic classical dynamics the diagrams
that exist in the absence of time-reversal symmetry sum to zero. The mechanism
for this cancellation is rather general which suggests that it may also apply
at higher-orders in the expansion. This expectation is in full agreement with
the fact that in this case the linear- contribution, the diagonal
approximation, already reproduces the random-matrix form factor for .
For systems with time-reversal symmetry there are more diagrams which
contribute at third order. We sum these contributions for quantum graphs with
uniformly hyperbolic dynamics, obtaining , in agreement with
random-matrix theory. As in the previous calculation of the leading-order
correction to the diagonal approximation we find that the third order
contribution can be attributed to exceptional orbits representing the
intersection of diagram classes.Comment: 23 pages (including 4 fig.) - numerous typos correcte
1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic studies of the ferriheme resonances of three low-spin complexes of wild-type nitrophorin 2 and nitrophorin 2(V24E) as a function of pH
The ferriheme resonances of the low-spin (S = 1/2) complexes of wild-type (wt) nitrophorin 2 (NP2) and its heme pocket mutant NP2(V24E) with imidazole (ImH), histamine (Hm), and cyanide (CN−) as the sixth ligand have been investigated by NMR spectroscopy as a function of pH (4.0–7.5). For the three wt NP2 complexes, the ratio of the two possible heme orientational isomers, A and B, remains almost unchanged (ratio of A:B approximately 1:6 to 1:5) over this wide pH range. However, strong chemical exchange cross peaks appear in the nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy/exchange spectroscopy (NOESY/EXSY) spectra for the heme methyl resonances at low pH (pH* 4.0–5.5), which indicate chemical exchange between two species. We have shown these to be two different exogenous ImH or Hm orientations that are denoted B and B′, with the ImH plane nearly parallel and perpendicular to the ImH plane of the protein-provided His57, respectively. The wt NP2–CN complex also shows EXSY cross peaks due to chemical exchange, which is shown to be a result of interchange between two ruffling distortions of the heme. The same ruffling distortion interchange is also responsible for the ImH and Hm chemical exchange. For the three NP2(V24E) ligand complexes, no EXSY cross peaks are observed, but the A:B ratios change dramatically with pH. The fact that heme favors the A orientation highly for NP2(V24E) at low pH as compared with wt NP2 is believed to be due to the steric effect of the V24E mutation. The existence of the B′ species at lower pH for wt NP2 complexes and the increase in A heme orientation at lower pH for NP2(V24E) are believed to be a result of a change in structure near Glu53 when it is protonated at low pH. 1H{13C} heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) spectra are very helpful for the assignment of heme and nearby protein side chain resonances
The distribution of extremal points of Gaussian scalar fields
We consider the signed density of the extremal points of (two-dimensional)
scalar fields with a Gaussian distribution. We assign a positive unit charge to
the maxima and minima of the function and a negative one to its saddles. At
first, we compute the average density for a field in half-space with Dirichlet
boundary conditions. Then we calculate the charge-charge correlation function
(without boundary). We apply the general results to random waves and random
surfaces. Furthermore, we find a generating functional for the two-point
function. Its Legendre transform is the integral over the scalar curvature of a
4-dimensional Riemannian manifold.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, corrected published versio
Adiabatic motion of a neutral spinning particle in an inhomogeneous magnetic field
The motion of a neutral particle with a magnetic moment in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is considered. This situation, occurring, for example, in a Stern-Gerlach experiment, is investigated from classical and semiclassical points of view. It is assumed that the magnetic field is strong or slowly varying in space, i.e., that adiabatic conditions hold. To the classical model, a systematic Lie-transform perturbation technique is applied up to second order in the adiabatic-expansion parameter. The averaged classical Hamiltonian contains not only terms representing fictitious electric and magnetic fields but also an additional velocity-dependent potential. The Hamiltonian of the quantum-mechanical system is diagonalized by means of a systematic WKB analysis for coupled wave equations up to second order in the adiabaticity parameter, which is coupled to Planck’s constant. An exact term-by-term correspondence with the averaged classical Hamiltonian is established, thus confirming the relevance of the additional velocity-dependent second-order contribution
- …