942 research outputs found

    Heavy Ions in the October 1989 Solar Flares Observed on the Galileo Spacecraft

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    Composition measurements were made of the energetic particles produced in the series of large flares which began on 19 October 1989, using the Galileo Heavy Ion Counter which is sensitive to nuclei ranging from carbon (Z=6) to nickel (Z=28) over an energy range from about 5 MeV/nucleon to >70 MeV/nucleon. The observations are unique in that clean, statistically well-measured abundances are available for heavy ions for an unusually large flare. For elements with low First Ionization Potential (FIP), these results show the same correlation of relative abundances with the ion charge to mass ratio as the earlier Voyager observations of solar energetic particles 1 . After correction for selection on the basis of this charge to mass ratio, the abundances of all the elements measured show the expected step-function correlation with FIP, when compared to the spectroscopic photspheric abundances

    Active flutter control for flexible vehicles, volume 1

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    An active flutter control methodology based on linear quadratic gaussian theory and its application to the control of a super critical wing is presented. Results of control surface and sensor position optimization are discussed. Both frequency response matching and residualization used to obtain practical flutter controllers are examined. The development of algorithms and computer programs for flutter modeling and active control design procedures is reported

    Hunting and trapping strategies in the coastal mountains of northern Lebanon during the Epipalaeolithic

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    Relative to other regions of the Levant, our knowledge of the adaptations of Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherers to the late Pleistocene environments of the coastal mountains of the central and northern Levant are extremely limited. However, recently excavations at two adjacent caves at Moghr el-Ahwal in the Qadisha Valley of northern Lebanon have provided a rich record, particularly of hunting and trapping strategies from the period following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) until the Bølling/Allerød interstadial. The dominant prey species, which varied in proportions through time, included: wild goat; roe, red and fallow deer; as well as fox, hare, squirrel and partridge. These document the exploitation of a wide spectrum of habitats, and demonstrate the expansion of forest cover through this period. Comparisons are made with food procurement strategies through the Epipalaeolithic in the wider region

    Gender differences in recreational and transport cycling : a cross-sectional mixed-methods comparison of cycling patterns, motivators, and constraints

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    BackgroundGender differences in cycling are well-documented. However, most analyses of gender differences make broad comparisons, with few studies modeling male and female cycling patterns separately for recreational and transport cycling. This modeling is important, in order to improve our efforts to promote cycling to women and men in countries like Australia with low rates of transport cycling. The main aim of this study was to examine gender differences in cycling patterns and in motivators and constraints to cycling, separately for recreational and transport cycling. MethodsAdult members of a Queensland, Australia, community bicycling organization completed an online survey about their cycling patterns; cycling purposes; and personal, social and perceived environmental motivators and constraints (47% response rate). Closed and open-end questions were completed. Using the quantitative data, multivariable linear, logistic and ordinal regression models were used to examine associations between gender and cycling patterns, motivators and constraints. The qualitative data were thematically analyzed to expand upon the quantitative findings. ResultsIn this sample of 1862 bicyclists, men were more likely than women to cycle for recreation and for transport, and they cycled for longer. Most transport cycling was for commuting, with men more likely than women to commute by bicycle. Men were more likely to cycle on-road, and women off-road. However, most men and women did not prefer to cycle on-road without designed bicycle lanes, and qualitative data indicated a strong preference by men and women for bicycle-only off-road paths. Both genders reported personal factors (health and enjoyment related) as motivators for cycling, although women were more likely to agree that other personal, social and environmental factors were also motivating. The main constraints for both genders and both cycling purposes were perceived environmental factors related to traffic conditions, motorist aggression and safety. Women, however, reported more constraints, and were more likely to report as constraints other environmental factors and personal factors. ConclusionDifferences found in men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s cycling patterns, motivators and constraints should be considered in efforts to promote cycling, particularly in efforts to increase cycling for transport. <br /

    Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic burials from the north Lebanese highlands in their regional context

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    Archaeological human remains and their funerary contexts provide valuable insights into social and ideological lives as well as the origins, health and activities of past communities. In the southern Levant extensive cemeteries from the Late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) and Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) have been recognized, although burials from earlier periods are sparse. Elsewhere in the Levant the record from the whole Epipalaeolithic is poor. Excavations at two adjacent caves at Moghr el-Ahwal in the Qadisha Valley of northern Lebanon have provided a window into human lives and mortuary practices from an otherwise poorly known region. This includes material from contexts with radiocarbon dates ranging from the late Kebaran, Geometric Kebaran and Natufian (c. 19–13.8 ka cal BP), as well as directly dated skeletal material from the mid to late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (c. 9.9–9.5 ka cal BP). Although this forested mountain area may have been isolated from other regions in the Levant, the burial practices show links to the wider area

    Absolute Calibration of the Auger Fluorescence Detectors

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    Absolute calibration of the Pierre Auger Observatory fluorescence detectors uses a light source at the telescope aperture. The technique accounts for the ombined effects of all detector components in a single measurement. The calibrated 2.5 m diameter light source fills the aperture, providing uniform illumination to each pixel. The known flux from the light source and the response of the acquisition system give the required calibration for each pixel. In the lab, light source uniformity is studied using CCD images and the intensity is measured relative to NIST-calibrated photodiodes. Overall uncertainties are presently 12%, and are dominated by systematics.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure. Submitted to the 29th ICRC, Pune, Indi

    Relation of the Radial Gradient of Cosmic-Ray Protons to the Size of the Solar-Modulation Region

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    The radial intensity-gradient of cosmic-ray protons has been calculated for a range of values of the distance to the boundary of a spherically symmetric solar-modulation region. We find that the radial dependence of the gradients may be described in terms of two characteristic domains of the modulation region: (a) an "inner region" where the gradients are relatively small and constant, and (b), an "outer region"' where the gradients are large and show a strong radial dependence. The magnitude of the gradient in the inner region is small for reasonable values for the physical parameters of the modulation mechanism

    Energy spectra of elements with 18 or = Z or = 28 between 10 and 300 GeV/amu

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    The HEAO-3 Heavy Nuclei Experiment is composed of ionization chambers above and below a plastic Cerenkov counter. The energy dependence of the abundances of elements with atomic number, Z, between 18 and 28 at very high energies where they are rare and thus need the large area x time are measured. The measurements of the Danish-French HEAO-3 experiment (Englemann,, et al., 1983) are extended to higher energies, using the relativistic rise of ionization signal as a measure of energy. Source abundances for Ar and Ca were determined

    Development of tools for the analysis of messages in controlled social network environments

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    There is sometimes more demand for the attention of healthcare providers than there is supply to go around. This study evaluates a way to make expert mental health social workers more efficient at the task of moderating controlled access social network discussion boards. Sometimes, moderators need to make authoritative posts on these boards known as interventions. These are useful when needed but unnecessary interventions may degrade the benefits of organic discussion. For this study an automated decision aiding system (ADAS) tool was developed which provided the automated analysis and visualization of messages and message sentiment. This tool was designed as a means to make the expert moderators more efficient so more individuals could utilize a discussion board without proportional increase in expert moderators and the associated expense. This study determined that the custom designed automated decision-aiding system had no significant effect on participants determining if messages from such a discussion board are deserving of an intervention response for the measures of accuracy, elapsed time, or judgement confidence. The abstraction of context provided by the ADAS in this study is suspected to explain the lack of significant results, and future work would focus on identifying the level of context supply humans would require for the ADAS to have an effect

    Integrating methods for ecosystem service assessment and valuation: mixed methods or mixed messages?

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    A mixed-method approach was used to assess and value the ecosystem services derived from the Dogger Bank, an extensive shallow sandbank in the southern North Sea. Three parallel studies were undertaken that 1) identified and quantified, where possible, how indicators for ecosystem service provision may change according to two future scenarios, 2) assessed members of the public's willingness-to-pay for improvements to a small number of ecosystem services as a consequence of a hypothetical management plan, and 3) facilitated a process of deliberation that allowed members of the public to explore the uses of the Dogger Bank and the conflicts and dilemmas involved in its management. Each of these studies was designed to answer different and specific research questions and therefore contributes different insights about the ecosystem services delivered by the Dogger Bank. This paper explores what can be gained by bringing these findings together post hoc and the extent to which the different methods are complementary. Findings suggest that mixed-method research brings more understanding than can be gained from the individual approaches alone. Nevertheless, the choice of methods used and how these methods are implemented strongly affects the results obtained
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