1,327 research outputs found
Air quality monitoring and modelling techniques for street canyons : the Paris experience
A better understanding of the dispersion and transformation of atmospheric pollutants in urban micro-environments is required to address the increasing public concern about human exposure in such areas. A joint research program has been established between INERIS (France) and University of Greenwich (UK) with the aim of developing efficient air quality monitoring and modelling methodologies to cover the needs of public health and road traffic managers in Europe. An intensive monitoring campaign was conducted at a representative canyon street in Paris in winter 1998. This experiment was designed to establish the spatial and temporal variation of pollution within the canyon, and test readily available dispersion models. Active and passive techniques were used to sample a wide range of traffic generated pollutants (VOC and inorganic gases) at different heights and distances from the kerb. Local meteorological and traffic information was also obtained. The observed CO and NO concentrations were compared with predicted values, calculated using AEOLIUS, the street canyon model developed by the UK Meteorological Office. The results demonstrate strong spatial pollution gradients within the canyon, large differences between roadside and background pollution levels, and pronounced temporal variability
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Laser induced fluorescence imaging of thermal damage in polymer matrix composites
A simple, fluorescence-based imaging system was developed for identifying regions of thermal damage in polymer-matrix composites (PMCs). PMCs have important applications where low weight and high mechanical strength are needed. One concern in the aerospace industry is the tendency of some PMC materials to become irreversibly damaged when exposed to high temperatures. Traditional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques are capable of detecting physical flaws, such as cracks and delaminations, but have not proven effective for detecting initial heat damage, which occurs on a molecular scale. Spectroscopic techniques such as laser-induced fluorescence provide an attractive means for detecting thermal damage on large, irregularly shaped surfaces. This paper describes instrumentation capable of rapidly detecting thermal damage in graphite/epoxy components
Status of inshore demersal scalefish stocks on the south coast of Western Australia. NRM Project 12034 Final Report
Inshore demersal scalefish in waters of 20-250 m depth in the South Coast Bioregion (SCB) are an important resource targeted by commercial, recreational and charter fishing sectors
Magnetoresistance of UPt3
We have performed measurements of the temperature dependence of the
magnetoresistance up to 9 T in bulk single crystals of UPt3 with the magnetic
field along the b axis, the easy magnetization axis. We have confirmed previous
results for transverse magnetoresistance with the current along the c axis, and
report measurements of the longitudinal magnetoresistance with the current
along the b axis. The presence of a linear term in both cases indicates broken
orientational symmetry associated with magnetic order. With the current along
the c axis the linear term appears near 5 K, increasing rapidly with decreasing
temperature. For current along the b axis the linear contribution is negative.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Quantum Fluids and Solids Conference
(QFS 2006
Programming Groups of Rational Agents
Abstract. In this paper, we consider the problem of effectively pro-gramming groups of agents. These groups should capture structuring mechanisms common in multi-agent systems, such as teams, cooperative groups, and organisations. Not only should individual agents be dynamic and evolving, but the groups in which the agents occur must be open, flexible and capable of similar evolution and restructuring. We enable the description and implementation of such groups by providing an extension to our previous work on programming languages for agent-based systems based on executable temporal and modal logics. With such formalism as a basis, we consider the grouping aspects within multi-agent systems. In particular, we describe how this logic-based approach to grouping has been implemented in Java and consider how this language can be used for developing multi-agent systems.
Rearranging Edgeworth-Cornish-Fisher Expansions
This paper applies a regularization procedure called increasing rearrangement
to monotonize Edgeworth and Cornish-Fisher expansions and any other related
approximations of distribution and quantile functions of sample statistics.
Besides satisfying the logical monotonicity, required of distribution and
quantile functions, the procedure often delivers strikingly better
approximations to the distribution and quantile functions of the sample mean
than the original Edgeworth-Cornish-Fisher expansions.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure
Density functional study of the adsorption of K on the Ag(111) surface
Full-potential gradient corrected density functional calculations of the
adsorption of potassium on the Ag(111) surface have been performed. The
considered structures are Ag(111) (root 3 x root 3) R30degree-K and Ag(111) (2
x 2)-K. For the lower coverage, fcc, hcp and bridge site; and for the higher
coverage all considered sites are practically degenerate.
Substrate rumpling is most important for the top adsorption site. The bond
length is found to be nearly identical for the two coverages, in agreement with
recent experiments. Results from Mulliken populations, bond lengths, core level
shifts and work functions consistently indicate a small charge transfer from
the potassium atom to the substrate, which is slightly larger for the lower
coverage.Comment: to appear in Phys Rev
Study of heterogeneous nucleation of eutectic Si in high-purity Al-Si alloys with Sr addition
The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM InternationalAl-5 wt pct Si master-alloys with controlled Sr and/or P addition/s were produced using super purity Al 99.99 wt pct and Si 99.999 wt pct materials in an arc melter. The master-alloy was melt-spun resulting in the production of thin ribbons. The Al matrix of the ribbons contained entrained Al-Si eutectic droplets that were subsequently investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermodynamic calculations, and transmission electron microscopy techniques were employed to examine the effect of the Sr and P additions on eutectic undercoolings and nucleation phenomenon. Results indicate that, unlike P, Sr does not promote nucleation. Increasing Sr additions depressed the eutectic nucleation temperature. This may be a result of the formation of a Sr phase that could consume or detrimentally affect potent AlP nucleation sites.This work is financially supported by the
Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and managerially supported from the OAD
Velocity-force characteristics of an interface driven through a periodic potential
We study the creep dynamics of a two-dimensional interface driven through a
periodic potential using dynamical renormalization group methods. We find that
the nature of weak-drive transport depends qualitatively on whether the
temperature is above or below the equilibrium roughening transition
temperature . Above , the velocity-force characteristics is Ohmic,
with linear mobility exhibiting a jump discontinuity across the transition. For
, the transport is highly nonlinear, exhibiting an interesting
crossover in temperature and weak external force . For intermediate drive,
, we find near a power-law velocity-force characteristics
, with , and well-below ,
, with . In the limit
of vanishing drive () the velocity-force characteristics crosses over
to , and is controlled by soliton nucleation.Comment: 18 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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