4,538 research outputs found
On the localization properties of an RPWELL gas-avalanche detector
A study of the localization properties of a single-element Resistive Plate
WELL (RPWELL) detector is presented. The detector comprises of a single-sided
THick Gaseous Electron Multiplier (THGEM) coupled to a segmented readout anode
through a doped silicate-glass plate of 10 cm bulk
resistivity. Operated in ambient Ne/(5CH) gas, the detector has been
investigated with 150 GeV muons at CERN-SPS. Signals induced through the
resistive plate on anode readout strips were recorded with APV25/SRS
electronics. The experimental results are compared with that of Monte Carlo
simulations. The effects of various physics phenomena on the position
resolution are discussed. The measured position resolution in the present
configuration is 0.28 mm RMS - compatible with the holes-pattern of the
multiplier. Possible ways for improving the detector position resolution are
suggested
How managers use the Stockdale Paradox to balance âthe now and the nextâ
Recent discussions of leadership paradoxes have suggested that managers who can hold seemingly opposed, yet interrelated perspectives, are more adaptive and effective. One such paradox that has received relatively little attention is the âStockdale Paradox,â named after Admiral James Stockdale, an American naval officer who was held captive for seven and one-half years during the Vietnam War and survived imprisonment in large part because he held beliefs of optimism about the future, while simultaneously acknowledging the current reality of the desperate situation in which he found himself. This contradictory tension enabled him and his followers to emerge from their situation not just unbroken, but stronger. Such paradoxical thinking has been empirically supported by mental contrasting research demonstrating the effectiveness of visualizing a positive future yet recognizing the reality of the current situation. This apparent dichotomy provides an important lesson for leaders who must remain optimistic, yet face the reality of their present condition, and is symbolic of an overarching, general tension leaders face in addressing âthe now and the next.
Never Underestimate the Power of a Backhoe: Integrating Single Points of Failure into Strategic Planning
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is probably used more often than any other management technique in strategic decision making. There appears to be a greater emphasis, however, on identifying strengths and opportunities while weaknesses and threats are examined less closely. Such bias may be problematic because firms may overlook single points of failure (SPOFs), which are elements that, upon malfunction, render an entire system unavailable or unreliable. These threats and weaknesses are most often presented in information technology and engineering discussions of equipment, machine, and device breakdowns, but may have applicability in a number of other areas important to organizations including people; materials and supplies; methods and processes; and shock eventsânatural and human-made disasters. To be resilient in todayâs 24-7, 365 days a year global business world, it is critical that organizations effectively anticipate, evaluate, prepare for, and mitigate SPOF risks that can have a seriously negative impact on a firmâs performance. The paper concludes with a three-step approach to help managers reduce and effectively respond to SPOFs. Companies that integrate the concept of SPOFs into their strategic planning could develop high-impact management skill, leading to improved corporate profitability
Womenâs Empowerment Campaigns: Helpful or Harmful to the Workplace?
Womenâs empowerment campaigns create greater equality for women in numerous areas including social, political, economic, and occupational fields. However, the current #MeToo and Timeâs Up movements have become increasingly hostile toward men. This hostility has developed an anti-male environment that may be perceived by men as unfair restrictions on their behavior and boundaries on their autonomy. This leads to adoption of behavior and attitudes opposite of the intended effects and that may do more harm than good. This response is explained as psychological reactance. The authors discuss its harmful impact in the workplace offer suggestions for mitigating these situations
A variant of the Mukai pairing via deformation quantization
We give a new method to prove a formula computing a variant of Caldararu's
Mukai pairing \cite{Cal1}. Our method is based on some important results in the
area of deformation quantization. In particular, part of the work of Kashiwara
and Schapira in \cite{KS} as well as an algebraic index theorem of Bressler,
Nest and Tsygan in \cite{BNT},\cite{BNT1} and \cite{BNT2} are used. It is hoped
that our method is useful for generalization to settings involving certain
singular varieties.Comment: 8 pages. Comments and suggestions welcom
Simulation of gain stability of THGEM gas-avalanche particle detectors
Charging-up processes affecting gain stability in Thick Gas Electron
Multipliers (THGEM) were studied with a dedicated simulation toolkit.
Integrated with Garfield++, it provides an effective platform for systematic
phenomenological studies of charging-up processes in MPGD detectors. We
describe the simulation tool and the fine-tuning of the step-size required for
the algorithm convergence, in relation to physical parameters. Simulation
results of gain stability over time in THGEM detectors are presented, exploring
the role of electrode-thickness and applied voltage on its evolution. The
results show that the total amount of irradiated charge through electrode's
hole needed for reaching gain stabilization is in the range of tens to hundreds
of pC, depending on the detector geometry and operational voltage. These
results are in agreement with experimental observations presented previously
Biosolids-based catalyst for oxidative desulphurization of drop-in fuels derived from waste fats
In this work, the catalytic performance of a biosolids-based catalyst was tested in the oxidative desulphurization process of a model fuel solution containing benzothiophene ([S] of 500 ppm), as well as sulphur-rich products from a two-step thermal conversion process of brown grease to renewable hydrocarbons using biosolids as a water replacement during the hydrolysis step. The catalytic results of the biosolids-based material were compared with a classical Fenton-like reagent and a non-catalytic system. Biosolids-based catalyst outperformed the other systems at low temperature with a full desulphurization of benzothiophene solution achieved at 60 °C after 3 h and a good recyclability after four catalytic runs at 80 °C for 3 h. The desulphurization was less effective for hydrolysed fatty acids and crude pyrolysis oil derived from the conversion of brown grease to renewable hydrocarbons, which was due to the composition of the sulphur containing compounds, but still reached 87.7 ± 3.0 % and 74.7 ± 9.5 %, respectively
Multiple Core-Hole Coherence in X-Ray Four-Wave-Mixing Spectroscopies
Correlation-function expressions are derived for the coherent nonlinear
response of molecules to three resonant ultrafast pulses in the x-ray regime.
The ability to create two-core-hole states with controlled attosecond timing in
four-wave-mixing and pump probe techniques should open up new windows into the
response of valence electrons, which are not available from incoherent x-ray
Raman and fluorescence techniques. Closed expressions for the necessary
four-point correlation functions are derived for the electron-boson model by
using the second order cumulant expansion to describe the fluctuating
potentials. The information obtained from multidimensional nonlinear techniques
could be used to test and refine this model, and establish an anharmonic
oscillator picture for electronic excitations
Desulphurization of drop-in fuel produced through lipid pyrolysis using brown grease and biosolids feedstocks
Biosolids can be incorporated as a water replacement into a two-stage thermal process for biofuel production from brown greases, significantly reducing the overall environmental impact of the process. Unfortunately, the use of biosolids resulted in an appreciable amount of sulphur in the pyrolytic oils produced in the final stage of the process. Here, we first evaluated the relationship between the sulphur content of fatty acids pyrolysis liquid products and pyrolytic conditions. Afterwards, we evaluated the sulphur removal efficiency of several approaches such as distillation, extraction and adsorption. Through a combination of distillation and liquid-liquid extraction, we achieved a desulphurization of up to 95% reaching a final sulphur concentration of 15 ± 4 ppm
The Resistive-Plate WELL with Argon mixtures - a robust gaseous radiation detector
A thin single-element THGEM-based, Resistive-Plate WELL (RPWELL) detector was
operated with 150 GeV/c muon and pion beams in Ne/(5%CH), Ar/(5%CH) and
Ar/(7%CO); signals were recorded with 1 cm square pads and SRS/APV25
electronics. Detection efficiency values greater than 98% were reached in all
the gas mixtures, at average pad multiplicity of 1.2. The use of the
10{\Omega}cm resistive plate resulted in a completely discharge-free
operation also in intense pion beams. The efficiency remained essentially
constant at 98-99% up to fluxes of 10Hz/cm, dropping by a few %
when approaching 10 Hz/cm. These results pave the way towards
cost-effective, robust, efficient, large-scale detectors for a variety of
applications in future particle, astro-particle and applied fields. A potential
target application is digital hadron calorimetry.Comment: presented at the 2016 VIenna Conf. On instrumentation. Submitted to
the Conference proceeding
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