20,520 research outputs found
Collisions of small ice particles under microgravity conditions (II): Does the chemical composition of the ice change the collisional properties?
Context: Understanding the collisional properties of ice is important for
understanding both the early stages of planet formation and the evolution of
planetary ring systems. Simple chemicals such as methanol and formic acid are
known to be present in cold protostellar regions alongside the dominant water
ice; they are also likely to be incorporated into planets which form in
protoplanetary disks, and planetary ring systems. However, the effect of the
chemical composition of the ice on its collisional properties has not yet been
studied. Aims: Collisions of 1.5 cm ice spheres composed of pure crystalline
water ice, water with 5% methanol, and water with 5% formic acid were
investigated to determine the effect of the ice composition on the collisional
outcomes. Methods: The collisions were conducted in a dedicated experimental
instrument, operated under microgravity conditions, at relative particle impact
velocities between 0.01 and 0.19 m s^-1, temperatures between 131 and 160 K and
a pressure of around 10^-5 mbar. Results: A range of coefficients of
restitution were found, with no correlation between this and the chemical
composition, relative impact velocity, or temperature. Conclusions: We conclude
that the chemical composition of the ice (at the level of 95% water ice and 5%
methanol or formic acid) does not affect the collisional properties at these
temperatures and pressures due to the inability of surface wetting to take
place. At a level of 5% methanol or formic acid, the structure is likely to be
dominated by crystalline water ice, leading to no change in collisional
properties. The surface roughness of the particles is the dominant factor in
explaining the range of coefficients of restitution
Method of statistical filtering
Minimal formula for bounding the cross correlation between a random forcing function and the state error when this correlation is unknown is used in optimal linear filter theory applications. Use of the bound results in overestimation of the estimation-error covariance
Schizophrenia and Its Treatment by Insulin and Cardiazol
(1) An account of schizophrenia and its various types is given. (2) The technique of the insulin and cardiazol treatment is given in detail along with complications and theories regarding the rationale. (3) Five cases treated with insulin are described in detail and the results of experiments on the pupils, blood sugar, pulse rate and blood pressure are shown. A table of results is given. (4) The rationale of the treatment is discussed and a stimulation of both sides of the autonomic nervous system is shown to occur
A novel topology of high-speed SRM for high-performance traction applications
A novel topology of high-speed Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM) for high-performance traction applications is presented in this article. The target application, a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) in the sport segment poses very demanding specifications on the power and torque density of the electric traction machine. After evaluating multiple alternatives, the topology proposed is a 2-phase axial flux machine featuring both segmented twin rotors and a segmented stator core. Electromagnetic, thermal and mechanical models of the proposed topology are developed and subsequently integrated in an overall optimisation algorithm in order to find the optimal geometry for the application. Special focus is laid on the thermal management of the machine, due to the tough thermal conditions resulting from the high frequency, high current and highly saturated operation. Some experimental results are also included in order to validate the modelling and simulation results
Ground-based detection of a cloud of methanol from Enceladus: When is a biomarker not a biomarker?
Saturn's moon Enceladus has vents emerging from a sub-surface ocean, offering
unique probes into the liquid environment. These vents drain into the larger
neutral torus in orbit around Saturn. We present a methanol (CH3OH) detection
observed with IRAM 30-m from 2008 along the line-of-sight through Saturn's
E-ring. Additionally, we also present supporting observations from the Herschel
public archive of water (ortho-H2O; 1669.9 GHz) from 2012 at a similar
elongation and line-of-sight. The CH3OH 5(1,1)-4(1,1) transition was detected
at 5.9 sigma confidence. The line has 0.43 km/s width and is offset by +8.1
km/s in the moon's reference frame. Radiative transfer models allow for gas
cloud dimensions from 1750 km up to the telescope beam diameter ~73000 km.
Taking into account the CH3OH lifetime against solar photodissociation and the
redshifted line velocity, there are two possible explanations for the CH3OH
emission: methanol is primarily a secondary product of chemical interactions
within the neutral torus that (1) spreads outward throughout the E-ring or (2)
originates from a compact, confined gas cloud lagging Enceladus by several
km/s. We find either scenario to be consistent with significant redshifted H2O
emission (4 sigma) measured from the Herschel public archive. The measured
CH3OH:H2O abundance (> 0.5 per cent) significantly exceeds the observed
abundance in the direct vicinity of the vents (~0.01 per cent), suggesting
CH3OH is likely chemically processed within the gas cloud with methane (CH4) as
its parent species.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the International
Journal of Astrobiology (IJA
Soft-tissue specimens from pre-European extinct birds of New Zealand
We provide the first complete review of soft tissue remains from New Zealand birds that became extinct prior to European settlement (c. AD 1800). These rare specimens allow insights into the anatomy and appearance of the birds that are not attainable from bones. Our review includes previously unpublished records of ‘lost’ specimens, and descriptions of recently discovered specimens such as the first evidence of soft tissues from the South Island goose (Cnemiornis calcitrans). Overall, the soft tissue remains are dominated by moa (with specimens from each of the six genera), but also include specimens from Finsch's duck (Chenonetta finschi) and the New Zealand owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles novaezealandiae). All desiccated soft tissue specimens that have radiocarbon or stratigraphic dates are late Holocene in age, and most have been found in the semi-arid region of Central Otago
The size, density, and formation of the Orcus-Vanth system in the Kuiper belt
The Kuiper belt object Orcus and its satellite Vanth form an unusual system
in the Kuiper belt. Orcus is amongst the largest objects known in the Kuiper
belt, but the relative size of Vanth is much larger than that of the tiny
satellites of the other large objects. From Hubble Space Telescope observations
we find that Orcus and Vanth have different visible colors and that Vanth does
not share the water ice absorption feature seen in the infrared spectrum of
Orcus. We also find that Vanth has a nearly face-on circular orbit with a
period of 9.5393 +-0.0001 days and semimajor axis of 8980+-20 km, implying a
system mass of 6.32+- 0.01 X 10^20 kg or 3.8% the mass of dwarf planet Eris.
From Spitzer Space Telescope observations we find that the thermal emission
is consistent with a single body with diameter 940+-70 km and a geometric
albedo of 0.28+-0.04. Assuming equal densities and albedos, this measurements
implies sizes of Orcus and Vanth of 900 and 280 km, respectively, and a mass
ratio of 33. Assuming a factor of 2 lower albedo for the non-icy Vanth,
however, implies sizes of 820 and 640 km and a mass ratio of 2. The measured
density depends on the assumed albedo ratio of the two objects but is
approximately 1.5+-0.3 g cm^-3$, midway between typical densities measured for
larger and for smaller objects. The orbit and mass ratio is consistent with
formation from a giant impact and subsequent outward tidal evolution and even
consistent with the system having now achieved a double synchronous state. The
system can equally well be explained, however, by initial eccentric capture,
Kozai cycling which increases the eccentricity and decreases the pericenter of
the orbit of Vanth, and subsequent tidal evolution inward.Comment: Submitted to A
Effect of folic acid supplementation in pregnancy on preeclampsia: The folic acid clinical trial study
Copyright © 2013 Shi Wu Wen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Preeclampsia (PE) is hypertension with proteinuria that develops during pregnancy and affects at least 5% of pregnancies. The Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation in Pregnancy on Preeclampsia: the Folic Acid Clinical Trial (FACT) aims to recruit 3,656 high risk women to evaluate a new prevention strategy for PE: supplementation of folic acid throughout pregnancy. Pregnant women with increased risk of developing PE presenting to a trial participating center between 80/7 and 166/7 weeks of gestation are randomized in a 1: 1 ratio to folic acid 4.0 mg or placebo after written consent is obtained. Intent-to-treat population will be analyzed. The FACT study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2009, and regulatory approval from Health Canada was obtained in 2010. A web-based randomization system and electronic data collection system provide the platform for participating centers to randomize their eligible participants and enter data in real time. To date we have twenty participating Canadian centers, of which eighteen are actively recruiting, and seven participating Australian centers, of which two are actively recruiting. Recruitment in Argentina, UK, Netherlands, Brazil, West Indies, and United States is expected to begin by the second or third quarter of 2013. This trial is registered with NCT01355159. © 2013 Shi Wu Wen et al.The Canadian Institutes of Healt
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