68,609 research outputs found
Rocketdyne's advanced coal slurry pumping program
The Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International Corporation is conducting a program for the engineering, fabrication, and testing of an experimental/prototype high-capacity, high-pressure centrifugal slurry feed pump for coal liquefaction purposes. The abrasion problems in a centrifugal slurry pump are primarily due to the manner in which the hard, solid particles contained in the slurry are transported through the hydraulic flow passages within the pump. The abrasive particles can create scraping, grinding, cutting, and sandblasting effects on the various exposed parts of the pump. These critical areas involving abrasion and impact erosion wear problems in a centrifugal pump are being addressed by Rocketdyne. The mechanisms of abrasion and erosion are being studied through hydrodynamic analysis, materials evaluation, and advanced design concepts
ASCA observations of massive medium-distant clusters of galaxies. II
We have selected seven medium-distant clusters of galaxies (z ~ 0.1 - 0.3)
for multi-wavelength observations with the goal of investigating their
dynamical state. Following Paper I (Pierre et al. 1999) which reported the ASCA
results about two of them, we present here the analysis of the ASCA
observations of the other five clusters; RXJ1023.8-2715 (A3444),
RXJ1031.6-2607, RXJ1050.5-0236 (A1111), RXJ1203.2-2131(A1451), and
RXJ1314.5-2517. Except for RXJ1031.6, whose X-ray emission turned out to be
dominated by an AGN, the ASCA spectra are well fitted by a one-temperature thin
thermal plasma model. We compare the temperature-luminosity relation of our
clusters with that of nearby ones (z<0.1). Two clusters, RXJ1050.5 and
RXJ1023.8, show larger luminosities than the bulk of clusters at similar
temperatures, which suggests the presence of a cooling flow. The temperature
vs. iron-abundance relationship of our sample is consistent with that of nearby
clusters.Comment: 9 pages, 20 figures, A&AS in pres
Genetic algorithms: a pragmatic, non-parametric approach to exploratory analysis of questionnaires in educational research
Data from a survey to determine student attitudes to their courses are used as an example to show how genetic algorithms can be used in the analysis of questionnaire data. Genetic algorithms provide a means of generating logical rules which predict one variable in a data set by relating it to others. This paper explains the principle underlying genetic algorithms and gives a non-mathematical description of the means by which rules are generated. A commercially available computer program is used to apply genetic algorithms to the survey data. The results are discussed
The Quantum Cosmological Wavefunction at Very Early Times for a Quadratic Gravity Theory
The quantum cosmological wavefunction for a quadratic gravity theory derived
from the heterotic string effective action is obtained near the inflationary
epoch and during the initial Planck era. Neglecting derivatives with respect to
the scalar field, the wavefunction would satisfy a third-order differential
equation near the inflationary epoch which has a solution that is singular in
the scale factor limit . When scalar field derivatives are included,
a sixth-order differential equation is obtained for the wavefunction and the
solution by Mellin transform is regular in the limit. It follows that
inclusion of the scalar field in the quadratic gravity action is necessary for
consistency of the quantum cosmology of the theory at very early times.Comment: Tex, 13 page
Sewing sound quantum flesh onto classical bones
Semiclassical transformation theory implies an integral representation for
stationary-state wave functions in terms of angle-action variables
(). It is a particular solution of Schr\"{o}dinger's time-independent
equation when terms of order and higher are omitted, but the
pre-exponential factor in the integrand of this integral
representation does not possess the correct dependence on . The origin of
the problem is identified: the standard unitarity condition invoked in
semiclassical transformation theory does not fix adequately in a
factor which is a function of the action written in terms of and
. A prescription for an improved choice of this factor, based on
succesfully reproducing the leading behaviour of wave functions in the vicinity
of potential minima, is outlined. Exact evaluation of the modified integral
representation via the Residue Theorem is possible. It yields wave functions
which are not, in general, orthogonal. However, closed-form results obtained
after Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization bear a striking resemblance to the exact
analytical expressions for the stationary-state wave functions of the various
potential models considered (namely, a P\"{o}schl-Teller oscillator and the
Morse oscillator).Comment: RevTeX4, 6 page
One- and two-axis squeezing of atomic ensembles in optical cavities
The strong light-matter coupling attainable in optical cavities enables the
generation of highly squeezed states of atomic ensembles. It was shown in
[Phys. Rev. A 66, 022314 (2002)] how an effective one-axis twisting Hamiltonian
can be realized in a cavity setup. Here, we extend this work and show how an
effective two-axis twisting Hamiltonian can be realized in a similar cavity
setup. We compare the two schemes in order to characterize their advantages. In
the absence of decoherence, the two-axis Hamiltonian leads to more squeezing
than the one-axis Hamiltonian. If limited by decoherence from spontaneous
emission and cavity decay, we find roughly the same level of squeezing for the
two schemes scaling as (NC)^(1/2) where C is the single atom cooperativity and
N is the total number of atoms. When compared to an ideal squeezing operation,
we find that for specific initial states, a dissipative version of the one-axis
scheme attains higher fidelity than the unitary one-axis scheme or the two-axis
scheme. However, the unitary one-axis and two-axis schemes perform better for
general initial states.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Application of LANDSAT to the management of Delaware's marine and wetland resources
The author has identified the following significant results. LANDSAT data were found to be the best source of synoptic information on the distribution of horizontal water mass discontinuities (fronts) at different portions of the tidal cycle. Distributions observed were used to improve an oil slick movement prediction model for the Delaware Bay. LANDSAT data were used to monitor the movement and dispersion of industrial acid waste material dumped over the continental shelf. A technique for assessing aqueous sediment concentration with limited ground truth was proposed
The Jovian atmospheric window at 2.7 microns: A search for H2S
The atmospheric transmission window at 2.7 microns in Jupiter's atmosphere was observed at a spectral resolution of 0.1/cm from the Kuiiper Airborne Observatory. From an analysis of the CH4 abundance (80 m-am) and the H2O abundance ( 0.0125 cm-am) it was determined that the penetration depth of solar flux at 2.7 microns is near the base of the NH3 cloud layer. The upper limit to H2O at 2.7 microns and other results suggest that photolytic reactions in Jupiter's lower troposphere may not be as significant as was previously thought. A search for H2S in Jupiter's atmosphere yielded an upper limit of 0.1 cm-am. The corresponding limit to the element abundance ratio S/H was approx. 1.7x10(-8), about 10(-3) times the solar value. Upon modeling the abundance and distribution of H2S in Jupiter's atmosphere it was concluded that, contrary to expectations, sulfur-bearing chromophores are not present in significant amounts in Jupiter's visible clouds. Rather, it appears that most of Jupiter's sulfur is locked up as NH4SH in a lower cloud layer. Alternatively, the global abundance of sulfur in Jupiter may be significantly depleted
The sweet smell of success: Enhancing multimedia applications with olfaction
This is the Post-Print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2012 ACMOlfaction, or smell, is one of the last challenges which multimedia applications have to conquer. As far as computerized smell is concerned, there are several difficulties to overcome, particularly those associated with the ambient nature of smell. In this article, we present results from an empirical study exploring users' perception of olfaction-enhanced multimedia displays. Findings show that olfaction significantly adds to the user multimedia experience. Moreover, use of olfaction leads to an increased sense of reality and relevance. Our results also show that users are tolerant of the interference and distortion effects caused by olfactory effect in multimedia
Application of ecological, geological and oceanographic ERTS-1 imagery to Delaware's coastal resources management
The author has identified the following significant results. Data from twelve successful ERTS-1 passes over Delaware Bay have been analyzed with special emphasis on coastal vegetation, land use, current circulation, water turbidity and pollution dispersion. Secchi depth, suspended sediment concentration and transmissivity as measured from helicopters and boats were correlated with ERTS-1 image radiance. Multispectral signatures of acid disposal plumes, sediment plumes and slick were investigated. Ten vegetative cover and water discrimination classes were selected for mapping: (1) forest-land; (2) Phragmites communis; (3) Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata; (4) Spartina alterniflora; (5) cropland; (6) plowed cropland; (7) sand and bare sandy soil; (8) bare mud; (9) deep water; and (10) sediment-laden and shallow water. Canonical analysis predicted good classification accuracies for most categories. The actual classification accuracies were very close to the predicted values with 8 of 10 categories classified with greater than 90% accuracy indicating that representative training sets had been selected
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