1,240 research outputs found
Deconvolution of Gas Diffusion Polarization in Ni/Gadolinium-Doped Ceria Fuel Electrodes
The deconvolution of physicochemical processes in impedance spectra of SOCs with nickel/ceria fuel electrodes is challenging as gas diffusion strongly overlaps with the electrochemical processes at fuel and air electrode. To overcome this issue, symmetrical cells were applied and the gas diffusion process at the fuel electrode was quantified by altering the inert component (nitrogen/helium) in a ternary fuel gas mixture. An effective gas transport parameter considering microstructural and geometrical features was derived, enabling a precise quantification of polarization resistances related to gas diffusion and hydrogen electrooxidation. The obtained values were applied to parameterize a dc cell model. The model validation in fuel cell and electrolyzer mode showed an excellent agreement between measured and simulated current/voltage characteristics over a wide range of technically meaningful gas compositions and operating temperatures
The impact of corporate philanthropy on reputation for corporate social performance
This study seeks to examine the mechanisms by which a corporation’s use of philanthropy affects its reputation for corporate social performance (CSP), which the authors conceive of as consisting of two dimensions: CSP awareness and CSP perception. Using signal detection theory (SDT), the authors model signal amplitude (the amount contributed), dispersion (number of areas supported), and consistency (presence of a corporate foundation) on CSP awareness and perception. Overall, this study finds that characteristics of firms' portfolio of philanthropic activities are a greater predictor of CSP awareness than of CSP perception. Awareness increases with signal amplitude, dispersion, and consistency. CSP perception is driven by awareness and corporate reputation. The authors’ contention that corporate philanthropy is a complex variable is upheld, as we find that CSP signal characteristics influence CSP awareness and perception independently and asymmetrically. The authors conclude by proposing avenues for future research
Optimization of Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph for ELTs
We study the optimization of the Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph (APLC) in
the context of exoplanet imaging with ground-based telescopes. The APLC
combines an apodization in the pupil plane with a small Lyot mask in the focal
plane of the instrument. It has been intensively studied in the literature from
a theoretical point of view, and prototypes are currently being manufactured
for several projects. This analysis is focused on the case of Extremely Large
Telescopes, but is also relevant for other telescope designs.
We define a criterion to optimize the APLC with respect to telescope
characteristics like central obscuration, pupil shape, low order segment
aberrations and reflectivity as function of the APLC apodizer function and mask
diameter. Specifically, the method was applied to two possible designs of the
future European-Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT).
Optimum configurations of the APLC were derived for different telescope
characteristics. We show that the optimum configuration is a stronger function
of central obscuration size than of other telescope parameters. We also show
that APLC performance is quite insensitive to the central obscuration ratio
when the APLC is operated in its optimum configuration, and demonstrate that
APLC optimization based on throughput alone is not appropriate.Comment: 9 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Carbon Fiber Insoles Enhance Perception of Performance Despite Variable Objective Outcomes: Specific to the Moderately Active Individual
International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 885-897, 2023. Carbon fiber insoles (CFIs) may benefit performance in elite athletes, however, their use in moderately active individuals has been adopted without evidence supporting such enhancements in this population. Fifteen male subjects performed vertical jump (VJ) and repeat treadmill sprint tests before and after a VO2peak while wearing 1) CFIs and 2) control insoles (CON). Subjects completed a subjective survey regarding their perceived performance abilities for both conditions. There were no significant differences between CFIs and CON in VJ height, sprint distance, heart rate following sprints; and rate of oxygen consumption, perceived fatigue, and perceived exertion at 85% of maximal speed (p \u3e 0.05) during the VO2peak. At maximal speed, although there was no difference between conditions in peak rate of oxygen consumption (95%CI [-4.85, 0.21]) and respiratory exchange ratio (95%CI [-0.01, 0.03]), CFIs resulted in a reduced level of perceived fatigue (95%CI [-1, 0]) and perceived exertion (95%CI [-2, 0]) compared to CON. Subjects subjectively reported increased feelings of “propulsion or explosiveness” (p = 0.026) and being able to “perform better while jumping” (p = 0.029) while wearing CFIs. Heightened perceptions of performance enhancements when wearing CFIs indicate, in the moderately active, perceptual benefits could be more influential for determining CFI use
The Dark Matter Density in the Solar Neighborhood reconsidered
Both the gas flaring and the dip in the rotation curve, which was recently
reconfirmed with precise measurements using the VERA VLBI array in Japan,
suggest doughnut-like substructure in the dark matter (DM) halo. A global fit
to all available data shows that the data are indeed best described by an NFW
DM profile complemented by two doughnut-like DM substructures with radii of 4.2
and 12.4 kpc, which coincide with the local dust ring and the Monocerus ring of
stars, respectively. Both regions have been suggested as regions with tidal
streams from "shredded" satellites. If real, the radial extensions of these
nearby ringlike structures enhance the local dark matter density by a factor of
four to about 1.3 GeV/cm.
It is shown that i) this higher DM density is perfectly consistent with the
local gravitational potential determining the surface density and the local
matter density (Oort limit), ii) previous determinations of the surface density
were biased by the assumption of a smoothly varying DM halo and iii) the
s-shaped gas flaring is explained. Such a possible enhancement of the local DM
density is of great interest for direct DM searches and would change the
directional dependence for indirect DM searches.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, extended version, accepted for publication in
JCA
Comparison of coronagraphs for high contrast imaging in the context of Extremely Large Telescopes
We compare coronagraph concepts and investigate their behavior and
suitability for planet finder projects with Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs,
30-42 meters class telescopes). For this task, we analyze the impact of major
error sources that occur in a coronagraphic telescope (central obscuration,
secondary support, low-order segment aberrations, segment reflectivity
variations, pointing errors) for phase, amplitude and interferometric type
coronagraphs. This analysis is performed at two different levels of the
detection process: under residual phase left uncorrected by an eXtreme Adaptive
Optics system (XAO) for a large range of Strehl ratio and after a general and
simple model of speckle calibration, assuming common phase aberrations between
the XAO and the coronagraph (static phase aberrations of the instrument) and
non-common phase aberrations downstream of the coronagraph (differential
aberrations provided by the calibration unit). We derive critical parameters
that each concept will have to cope with by order of importance. We evidence
three coronagraph categories as function of the accessible angular separation
and proposed optimal one in each case. Most of the time amplitude concepts
appear more favorable and specifically, the Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph
gathers the adequate characteristics to be a baseline design for ELTs.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
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Survival of a long-lived single island endemic, the Raso lark Alauda razae, in relation to age, fluctuating population and rainfall
Abstract: Estimating and understanding variation in survival rates is crucial for the management of threatened species, especially those with limited population sizes and/or restricted ranges. Using a capture-resighting dataset covering 2004–2017, we estimate adult survival in the Raso lark Alauda razae, a Critically Endangered single-island Cape Verdean endemic, whose population varied 25-fold during the study. Average annual adult survival was similar for males (0.813 ± 0.011) and females (0.826 ± 0.011) over the period. These values are high for a temperate passerine but not unusual for an insular tropical species like the lark. The oldest bird was recorded 13 years after first ringing. There was strong evidence that survival varied among years (between 0.57 and 0.95), being generally higher in wetter years. Survival, especially of males, was lower when the population was large, but only in drier years. Survival declined with age but there was no evidence that this decline was other than linear. High survival, even in the face of dry conditions, at least when the population is depressed, has probably contributed to the persistence of the species on its 7 km2 island home over several centuries
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