754 research outputs found
TWITTER IN THE MARKETING
We report on a compact and highly efficient diode-end-pumped TEM00 Nd:YVO4 slab laser with an output power of 103 W and beam quality M2 1.5. The optical-to-optical efficiency was 41.5%. In electro-optically Q-switched operation. 83 W of average power at a pulse-repetition rate of 50 kHz with a pulse length of 11.3 ns was obtained. At a pulse-repetition rate of 10 kHz, 5.6 mJ of pulse energy, and 870 kW of peak power were measured
Maternal nicotine exposure during pregnancy and developtnent of etnphysetna-like datnage'in the offspring
The aim of this investigation was to determine whether nicotine exposure (1 mg/kg body mass/d) during pregnancy and lactation contributes to the rupturing of alveolar septa in the lungs ofneonatal rats. These rats received nicotine only via the placenta and mother's milk. The results show that maternal nicotine exposure interferes with elastic tissue formation. It also interferes with alveoli formation and causes the development of emphysema- like lesions. It is therefore suggested that maternal nicotine intake frolll smoking during pregnancy and lactation may interfere with lung developlllent and maturation to an extent that increases susceptibility to emphysema
A magma ocean origin to divergent redox evolutions of rocky planetary bodies and early atmospheres
Magma oceans were once ubiquitous in the early solar system, setting up the initial conditions for different evolutionary paths of planetary bodies. In particular, the redox conditions of magma oceans may have profound influence on the redox state of subsequently formed mantles and the overlying atmospheres. The relevant redox buffering reactions, however, remain poorly constrained. Using first-principles simulations combined with thermodynamic modeling, we show that magma oceans of Earth, Mars, and the Moon are likely characterized with a vertical gradient in oxygen fugacity with deeper magma oceans invoking more oxidizing surface conditions. This redox zonation may be the major cause for the Earth’s upper mantle being more oxidized than Mars’ and the Moon’s. These contrasting redox profiles also suggest that Earth’s early atmosphere was dominated by CO and H O, in contrast to those enriched in H O and H for Mars, and H and CO for the Moon. 2 2 2 2
Decision support for the selection of optimal tower site locations for early-warning wildfire detection systems in South Africa
Effective early detection of forest fires can be achieved by specialised systems of tower-mounted cameras. Foresters and locals with intimate knowledge of the terrain traditionally plan the tower site locations – without the aid of computational optimisation tools. However, such knowledge and expertise may not be available to system planners when entering vast new territories. The process of selecting multiple tower sites from a large number of potential site locations with the aim of maximising system visibility of smoke above a prescribed region is a complex combinatorial optimisation problem. We present two recent applications of novel site-selection frameworks for tower-mounted camera-based wildfire detection systems (CWDS), which have been under development with guidance from experts from the South African developed ForestWatch wildfire detection system. A novel single-site search framework determined alternatives for 13 proposed sites in South Africa's Mpumalanga province, of which 6 alternatives were chosen over the initially proposed sites. The system site selection framework was showcased in determining a four-camera CWDS layout in South Africa's Southern Cape – significantly improving on the detection capability of the layout initially proposed by technical experts
Predicting the solar maximum with the rising rate
The growth rate of solar activity in the early phase of a solar cycle has
been known to be well correlated with the subsequent amplitude (solar maximum).
It provides very useful information for a new solar cycle as its variation
reflects the temporal evolution of the dynamic process of solar magnetic
activities from the initial phase to the peak phase of the cycle. The
correlation coefficient between the solar maximum (Rmax) and the rising rate
({\beta}a) at {\Delta}m months after the solar minimum (Rmin) is studied and
shown to increase as the cycle progresses with an inflection point (r = 0.83)
at about {\Delta}m = 20 months. The prediction error of Rmax based on {\beta}a
is found within estimation at the 90% level of confidence and the relative
prediction error will be less than 20% when {\Delta}m \geq 20. From the above
relationship, the current cycle (24) is preliminarily predicted to peak around
October 2013 with a size of Rmax =84 \pm 33 at the 90% level of confidence.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in SCIENCE CHINA
Physics,Mechanics & Astronom
A tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transition in a ferroelectric perovskite: the structure of PbZr(0.52)Ti(0.48)O3
The perovskite-like ferroelectric system PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 (PZT) has a nearly
vertical morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) around x=0.45-0.50. Recent
synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction measurements by Noheda et al. [Appl. Phys.
Lett. 74, 2059 (1999)] have revealed a new monoclinic phase between the
previously-established tetragonal and rhombohedral regions. In the present work
we describe a Rietveld analysis of the detailed structure of the tetragonal and
monoclinic PZT phases on a sample with x= 0.48 for which the lattice parameters
are respectively: at= 4.044 A, ct= 4.138 A, at 325 K, and am= 5.721 A, bm=
5.708 A, cm= 4.138 A, beta= 90.496 deg., at 20K. In the tetragonal phase the
shifts of the atoms along the polar [001] direction are similar to those in
PbTiO3 but the refinement indicates that there are, in addition, local
disordered shifts of the Pb atoms of ~0.2 A perpendicular to the polar axis..
The monoclinic structure can be viewed as a condensation along one of the
directions of the local displacements present in the tetragonal phase. It
equally well corresponds to a freezing-out of the local displacements along one
of the directions recently reported by Corker et al.[J. Phys. Condens.
Matter 10, 6251 (1998)] for rhombohedral PZT. The monoclinic structure
therefore provides a microscopic picture of the MPB region in which one of the
"locally" monoclinic phases in the "average" rhombohedral or tetragonal
structures freezes out, and thus represents a bridge between these two phases.Comment: REVTeX, 7 figures. Modifications after referee's suggestion: new
figure (figure 5), comments in 2nd para. (Sect.III) and in 2nd & 3rd para.
(Sect. IV-a), in the abstract: "...of ~0.2 A perpendicular to the polar
axis.
Bifurcations of a driven granular system under gravity
Molecular dynamics study on the granular bifurcation in a simple model is
presented. The model consists of hard disks, which undergo inelastic
collisions; the system is under the uniform external gravity and is driven by
the heat bath. The competition between the two effects, namely, the
gravitational force and the heat bath, is carefully studied. We found that the
system shows three phases, namely, the condensed phase, locally fluidized
phase, and granular turbulent phase, upon increasing the external control
parameter. We conclude that the transition from the condensed phase to the
locally fluidized phase is distinguished by the existence of fluidized holes,
and the transition from the locally fluidized phase to the granular turbulent
phase is understood by the destabilization transition of the fluidized holes
due to mutual interference.Comment: 35 pages, 17 figures, to be published in PR
The Solar Cycle: A new prediction technique based on logarithmic values
A new prediction technique based on logarithmic values is proposed to predict
the maximum amplitude (Rm) of a solar cycle from the preceding minimum aa
geomagnetic index (aamin). The correlation between lnRm and lnaamin (r = 0.92)
is slightly stronger than that between Rm and aamin (r = 0.90). From this
method, cycle 24 is predicted to have a peak size of Rm (24) = 81.7(1\pm13.2%).
If the suggested error in aa (3 nT) before 1957 is corrected, the correlation
coefficient between Rm and aamin (r = 0.94) will be slightly higher, and the
peak of cycle 24 is predicted much lower, Rm(24) = 52.5\pm13.1. Therefore, the
prediction of Rm based on the relationship between Rm and aamin depends greatly
on the accurate measurement of aa.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space
Scienc
Exploring morphological correlations among H2CO, 12CO, MSX and continuum mappings
There are relatively few H2CO mappings of large-area giant molecular cloud
(GMCs). H2CO absorption lines are good tracers for low-temperature molecular
clouds towards star formation regions. Thus, the aim of the study was to
identify H2CO distributions in ambient molecular clouds. We investigated
morphologic relations among 6-cm continuum brightness temperature (CBT) data
and H2CO (111-110; Nanshan 25-m radio telescope), 12CO (1--0; 1.2-m CfA
telescope) and midcourse space experiment (MSX) data, and considered the impact
of background components on foreground clouds. We report simultaneous 6-cm H2CO
absorption lines and H110\alpha radio recombination line observations and give
several large-area mappings at 4.8 GHz toward W49 (50'\times50'), W3
(70'\times90'), DR21/W75 (60'\times90') and NGC2024/NGC2023 (50'\times100')
GMCs. By superimposing H2CO and 12CO contours onto the MSX color map, we can
compare correlations. The resolution for H2CO, 12CO and MSX data was about 10',
8' and 18.3", respectively. Comparison of H2CO and 12CO contours, 8.28-\mu m
MSX colorscale and CBT data revealed great morphological correlation in the
large area, although there are some discrepancies between 12CO and H2CO peaks
in small areas. The NGC2024/NGC2023 GMC is a large area of HII regions with a
high CBT, but a H2CO cloud to the north is possible against the cosmic
microwave background. A statistical diagram shows that 85.21% of H2CO
absorption lines are distributed in the intensity range from -1.0 to 0 Jy and
the \Delta V range from 1.206 to 5 km/s.Comment: 18 pages, 22 figures, 5 tables. Accepted to be published in
Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Observation and Assignment of Silent and Higher Order Vibrations in the Infrared Transmission of C60 Crystals
We report the measurement of infrared transmission of large C60 single
crystals. The spectra exhibit a very rich structure with over 180 vibrational
absorptions visible in the 100 - 4000 cm-1 range. Many silent modes are
observed to have become weakly IR-active. We also observe a large number of
higher order combination modes. The temperature (77K - 300K) and pressure (0 -
25KBar) dependencies of these modes were measured and are presented. Careful
analysis of the IR spectra in conjunction with Raman scattering data showing
second order modes and neutron scattering data, allow the selection of the 46
vibrational modes C60. We are able to fit *all* of the first and second order
data seen in the present IR spectra and the previously published Raman data
(~300 lines total), using these 46 modes and their group theory allowed second
order combinations.Comment: REVTEX v3.0 in LaTeX. 12 pages. 8 Figures by request. c60lon
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