674 research outputs found
Spectral aerosol extinction (SpEx): a new instrument for in situ ambient aerosol extinction measurements across the UV/visible wavelength range
We introduce a new instrument for the measurement of in situ ambient aerosol extinction over the 300– 700 nm wavelength range, the spectral aerosol extinction (SpEx) instrument. This measurement capability is envisioned to complement existing in situ instrumentation, allowing for simultaneous measurement of the evolution of aerosol optical, chemical, and physical characteristics in the ambient environment. In this work, a detailed description of the instrument is provided along with characterization tests performed in the laboratory. Measured spectra of NO2 and polystyrene latex spheres (PSLs) agreed well with theoretical calculations. Good agreement was also found with simultaneous aerosol extinction measurements at 450, 530, and 630 nm using CAPS PMex instruments in a series of 22 tests including nonabsorbing compounds, dusts, soot, and black and brown carbon analogs. SpEx measurements are expected to help identify the presence of ambient brown carbon due to its 300 nm lower wavelength limit compared to measurements limited to longer UV and visible wavelengths. Extinction spectra obtained with SpEx contain more information than can be conveyed by a simple power law fit (typically represented by Ångström exponents). Planned future improvements aim to lower detection limits and ruggedize the instrument for mobile operation
Wave modelling in a cylindrical non-uniform helicon discharge
A radio frequency (RF) field solver based on Maxwell's equations and a cold
plasma dielectric tensor is em- ployed to describe wave phenomena observed in a
cylindrical non-uniform helicon discharge. The experiment is carried out on a
recently built linear plasma-material interaction machine: the MAGnetized
Plasma In- teraction Experiment (MAGPIE) [B. D. Blackwell, J. F. Caneses, C.
Samuell, J. Wach, J. Howard, and C. S. Corr, submitted on 25 March 2012 to
Plasma Sources Science and Technology], in which both plasma density and static
magnetic field are functions of axial position. The field strength increases by
a factor of 15 from source to target plate, and plasma density and electron
temperature are radially non-uniform. With an enhancement factor of 9.5 to the
electron-ion Coulomb collision frequency, 12% reduction in the antenna radius,
and the same other conditions as employed in the experiment, the solver
produces axial and radial profiles of wave amplitude and phase that are
consistent with measurements. Ion-acoustic turbulence, which can happen if
electron drift velocity exceeds the speed of sound in magnetized plasmas, may
account for the factor of 9.5 used to match simulated results with experimental
data. To overcome the single m vacuum solu- tion limitations of the RF solver,
which can only compute the glass response to the same mode number of the
antenna, we have adjusted the antenna radius to match the wave field strength
in the plasma.(not finished because of the limited number of characters, please
see the full paper)Comment: Submitted to Physics of Plasmas on 30 April 201
Observational evidence for the convective transport of dust over the central United States
Bulk aerosol composition and aerosol size distributions measured aboard the DC-8 aircraft during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Experiment mission in May/June 2012 were used to investigate the transport of mineral dust through nine storms encountered over Colorado and Oklahoma. Measurements made at low altitudes (\u3c5 km mean sea level (MSL)) in the storm inflow region were compared to those made in cirrus anvils (altitude \u3e 9 km MSL). Storm mean outflow Ca2+ mass concentrations and total coarse (1 µm \u3c diameter \u3c 5 µm) aerosol volume (Vc) were comparable to mean inflow values as demonstrated by average outflow/inflow ratios greater than 0.5. A positive relationship between Ca2+, Vc, ice water content, and large (diameter \u3e 50 µm) ice particle number concentrations was not evident; thus, the influence of ice shatter on these measurements was assumed small. Mean inflow aerosol number concentrations calculated over a diameter range (0.5 µm \u3c diameter \u3c 5.0 µm) relevant for proxy ice nuclei (NPIN) were ~15–300 times higher than ice particle concentrations for all storms. Ratios of predicted interstitial NPIN (calculated as the difference between inflow NPIN and ice particle concentrations) and inflow NPIN were consistent with those calculated for Ca2+ and Vc and indicated that on average less than 10% of the ingested NPIN were activated as ice nuclei during anvil formation. Deep convection may therefore represent an efficient transport mechanism for dust to the upper troposphere where these particles can function as ice nuclei cirrus forming in situ
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Handedness and behavioural inhibition system/behavioural activation system (BIS/BAS) scores: A replication and extension of Wright, Hardie, and Wilson (2009)
The Annett Hand Preference Questionnaire (AHPQ) as modified by Briggs and Nebes was administered along with Carver and White's behavioural inhibition system (BIS) and behavioural activation system (BAS) scale and a shortened form of the Big Five personality questionnaire to 92 university students. After eliminating the data from five respondents who reported having changed handedness and one outlier, there was a significant sex difference in mean BIS scores, with females (n = 43) scoring higher than males (n = 43). Replicating the results of Wright, Hardie and Wilson, non-right-handers (n = 36) had significantly higher mean BIS score than right-handers (n = 50). Controlling for sex of participant, neuroticism and BAS sub-scale scores in hierarchical regression analyses left this BIS effect substantially unaffected. There was no handedness or sex difference on any of the three BAS sub-scales. Further analyses revealed no association between strength, as distinct from direction, of handedness and BIS (or BAS) scores. The findings are discussed with reference to recent developments in reinforcement sensitivity theory on which BIS/BAS variables are based
Development and Validation of the Behavioral Tendencies Questionnaire
At a fundamental level, taxonomy of behavior and behavioral tendencies can be described
in terms of approach, avoid, or equivocate (i.e., neither approach nor avoid). While there are
numerous theories of personality, temperament, and character, few seem to take advantage
of parsimonious taxonomy. The present study sought to implement this taxonomy by
creating a questionnaire based on a categorization of behavioral temperaments/tendencies
first identified in Buddhist accounts over fifteen hundred years ago. Items were developed
using historical and contemporary texts of the behavioral temperaments, described as
“Greedy/Faithful”, “Aversive/Discerning”, and “Deluded/Speculative”. To both maintain
this categorical typology and benefit from the advantageous properties of forced-choice
response format (e.g., reduction of response biases), binary pairwise preferences for items
were modeled using Latent Class Analysis (LCA). One sample (n1 = 394) was used to estimate
the item parameters, and the second sample (n2 = 504) was used to classify the participants
using the established parameters and cross-validate the classification against
multiple other measures. The cross-validated measure exhibited good nomothetic span
(construct-consistent relationships with related measures) that seemed to corroborate the
ideas present in the original Buddhist source documents. The final 13-block questionnaire
created from the best performing items (the Behavioral Tendencies Questionnaire or BTQ)
is a psychometrically valid questionnaire that is historically consistent, based in behavioral
tendencies, and promises practical and clinical utility particularly in settings that teach and
study meditation practices such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
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