The Theory of the Nucleon Spin

I discuss two topics of current interest in the study of the spin structure of the nucleon. First, I discuss whether there is a sum rule for the components of the nucleon's angular moments. Second, I discuss the measurement of the nucleon's transversity distribution in light of recent results reported by the HERMES collaboration at DESY.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX using rspublic.cls and BoxedEPS macros; as submitted to Phil Trans A of the Royal Society for forthcoming volume: The Quark Structure of Matter; email correspondence to [email protected]

Impact of Extreme Climate Events on Rice-Based Farming System : Case Study at Bandung District

Bandung District is found to be an area that is vulnerable to the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Whenever ENSO occurs, this district is always suffering from drought and flood leading to significant crop production lost. The vulnerable areas to flood and drought are Bojongsoang and Ciparay. The objectives of the study are : a) to identify problems related climate risks in rice-based farming system and the adaptation of mechanism to cope with climate extreme; b) to elucidate relationship of ENSO development with rainfall variability and effect of rainfall to flood and drought occurrences; and c) to evaluate economics loss due to climate extreme. Assessment of farming system at the study sites was conducted using Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) method. Farmer's annual income were analyzed using frequency analysis of gross margin. The results showed that Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in Tropical Pacific has significantly affected on rainfall in Ciparay sub-District. The raise in SST anomaly is clearly a subject to delay the rainy season, to prolong the dry season period, and to decrease rainfall amount up to below normal, while the decreasing of SST anomaly resulting high intensity of rainfall in the rainy season and lower in the dry season. Whenever ENSO occurs, most farmers is always suffering from drought and flood leading to significant crop failure. Most farmers realized that climate has been changed and recently there is a trend uncertainly of rainfall pattern (proved by 84% of respondents). Nevertheless, they are still using traditional way to determine the beginning of planting season. Results showed that Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) have smaller value in floods and droughts than normal conditions. Annual net income analysis suggests that many farmers will have negative annual income either at first or second crops fail. Based on the interviews with local authorities and farmers, it is needed to increase awareness of decision maker, extension workers and farmers to climate extremes and to improve their capacity to manage climate risks

Organic Single-Crystal Field-Effect Transistors

We present an overview of recent studies of the charge transport in the field effect transistors on the surface of single crystals of organic low-molecular-weight materials. We first discuss in detail the technological progress that has made these investigations possible. Particular attention is devoted to the growth and characterization of single crystals of organic materials and to different techniques that have been developed for device fabrication. We then concentrate on the measurements of the electrical characteristics. In most cases, these characteristics are highly reproducible and demonstrate the quality of the single crystal transistors. Particularly noticeable are the small sub-threshold slope, the non-monotonic temperature dependence of the mobility, and its weak dependence on the gate voltage. In the best rubrene transistors, room-temperature values of $\mu$ as high as 15 cm$^2$/Vs have been observed. This represents an order-of-magnitude increase with respect to the highest mobility previously reported for organic thin film transistors. In addition, the highest-quality single-crystal devices exhibit a significant anisotropy of the conduction properties with respect to the crystallographic direction. These observations indicate that the field effect transistors fabricated on single crystals are suitable for the study of the \textit{intrinsic} electronic properties of organic molecular semiconductors. We conclude by indicating some directions in which near-future work should focus to progress further in this rapidly evolving area of research.Comment: Review article, to appear in special issue of Phys. Stat. Sol. on organic semiconductor

A numerical study of a method for measuring the effective in situ sound absorption coefficient

The accuracy of a method [Wijnant et al., “Development and applica- tion of a new method for the in-situ measurement of sound absorption”, ISMA 31, Leuven, Belgium (2010).], for measurement of the effective area-averaged in situ sound absorption coefficient is investigated. Based on a local plane wave assump- tion, this method can be applied to sound fields for which a model is not available. Investigations were carried out by means of finite element simulations for a typical case. The results show that the method is a promising method for determining the effective area-averaged in situ sound absorption coefficient in complex sound fields

Steering Entropy Revisited

Drivers aim to maintain their vehicle within a number of individualsituated safety margins. Safety margin violations are characterized by rapid strongcorrective steering. Steering entropy was introduced to quantify drivers’ efforts tomaintain their lateral safety margins. In the original steering entropy, severalcomputational assumptions were made. The objective is to scrutinize andmotivate these choices and exemplify the effects of deviations from these choiceswith data from a driver distraction study. The new optimized algorithm is shownto yield significances where a number of classical metrics fail to find anysignificance. Its sensitivity is attributed to the fact that a number of observedchanges in steering behavior all manifest in a widened steering prediction errordistribution which the algorithm picks up sensitively with its log-based weightingof prediction error outliers and its use of a prediction filter that is maximallysensitive to the spectral characteristics of the baseline data

Monitoring the Variable Interstellar Absorption toward HD 219188 with HST/STIS

We discuss the results of continued spectroscopic monitoring of the variable intermediate-velocity (IV) absorption at v = -38 km/s toward HD 219188. After reaching maxima in mid-2000, the column densities of both Na I and Ca II in that IV component declined by factors >= 2 by the end of 2006. Comparisons between HST/STIS echelle spectra obtained in 2001, 2003, and 2004 and HST/GHRS echelle spectra obtained in 1994--1995 indicate the following: (1) The absorption from the dominant species S II, O I, Si II, and Fe II is roughly constant in all four sets of spectra -- suggesting that the total N(H) and the (mild) depletions have not changed significantly over a period of nearly ten years. (2) The column densities of the trace species C I (both ground and excited fine-structure states) and of the excited state C II* all increased by factors of 2--5 between 1995 and 2001 -- implying increases in the hydrogen density n_H (from about 20 cm^{-3} to about 45 cm^{-3}) and in the electron density n_e (by a factor >= 3) over that 6-year period. (3) The column densities of C I and C II* -- and the corresponding inferred n_H and n_e -- then decreased slightly between 2001 and 2004. (4) The changes in C I and C II* are very similar to those seen for Na I and Ca II. The relatively low total N(H) and the modest n_H suggest that the -38 km/s cloud toward HD 219188 is not a very dense knot or filament. Partial ionization of hydrogen appears to be responsible for the enhanced abundances of Na I, C I, Ca II, and C II*. In this case, the variations in those species appear to reflect differences in density and ionization [and not N(H)] over scales of tens of AU.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures, aastex, accepted to Ap

Charging of single Si nanocrystals by atomic force microscopy

Conducting-tip atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to electronically probe silicon nanocrystals on an insulating substrate. The nanocrystal samples were produced by aerosol techniques and size classified; nanocrystal size can be controlled in the size range of 2-50 nm with a size variation of less than 10%. Using a conducting tip, the charge was injected directly into the nanocrystals, and the subsequent dissipation of the charge was monitored. Estimates of the injected charge can be made by comparison of the data with an intermittent contact mode model of the AFM response to the electrostatic force produced by the stored charge

Sustained sensorimotor control as intermittent decisions about prediction errors: computational framework and application to ground vehicle steering

A conceptual and computational framework is proposed for modelling of human sensorimotor control and is exemplified for the sensorimotor task of steering a car. The framework emphasises control intermittency and extends on existing models by suggesting that the nervous system implements intermittent control using a combination of (1) motor primitives, (2) prediction of sensory outcomes of motor actions, and (3) evidence accumulation of prediction errors. It is shown that approximate but useful sensory predictions in the intermittent control context can be constructed without detailed forward models, as a superposition of simple prediction primitives, resembling neurobiologically observed corollary discharges. The proposed mathematical framework allows straightforward extension to intermittent behaviour from existing one-dimensional continuous models in the linear control and ecological psychology traditions. Empirical data from a driving simulator are used in model-fitting analyses to test some of the framework’s main theoretical predictions: it is shown that human steering control, in routine lane-keeping and in a demanding near-limit task, is better described as a sequence of discrete stepwise control adjustments, than as continuous control. Results on the possible roles of sensory prediction in control adjustment amplitudes, and of evidence accumulation mechanisms in control onset timing, show trends that match the theoretical predictions; these warrant further investigation. The results for the accumulation-based model align with other recent literature, in a possibly converging case against the type of threshold mechanisms that are often assumed in existing models of intermittent control