31,139 research outputs found
The beginnings of geography teaching and research in the University of Glasgow: the impact of J.W. Gregory
J.W. Gregory arrived in Glasgow from Melbourne in 1904 to take up the post of foundation Professor of Geology in the University of Glasgow. Soon after his arrival in Glasgow he began to push for the setting up of teaching in Geography in Glasgow, which came to pass in 1909 with the appointment of a Lecturer in Geography. This lecturer was based in the Department of Geology in the University's East Quad. Gregory's active promotion of Geography in the University was matched by his extensive writing in the area, in textbooks, journal articles and popular books. His prodigious output across a wide range of subject areas is variably accepted today, with much of his geomorphological work being judged as misguided to varying degrees. His 'social science' publications - in the areas of race, migration, colonisation and economic development of Africa and Australia - espouse a viewpoint that is unacceptable in the twenty-first century. Nonetheless, that viewpoint sits squarely within the social and economic traditions of Gregory's era, and he was clearly a key 'Establishment' figure in natural and social sciences research in the first half of the twentieth century. The establishment of Geography in the University of Glasgow remains enduring testimony of J.W. Gregory's energy, dedication and foresight
The production of glow precursors by oxidative erosion of spacecraft surfaces
Erosion rates of organic materials are measured during a recent flight of the shuttle (STS-8). Several forms of carbon and a variety of thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers are exposed to the ram beam of atomic oxygen. Arrhenius energies of about 1000 to 2000 cal/mole were measured from the rate dependencies on temperature. If some simple assumptions are made about the chemical nature of the desorbed species, the data can be used to estimate production rates at surfaces in orbit under different conditions of temperature, oxygen atom flux, and material surface conditions
Control of long-range correlations in turbulence
The character of turbulence depends on where it develops. Turbulence near
boundaries, for instance, is different than in a free stream. To elucidate the
differences between flows, it is instructive to vary the structure of
turbulence systematically, but there are few ways of stirring turbulence that
make this possible. In other words, an experiment typically examines either a
boundary layer or a free stream, say, and the structure of the turbulence is
fixed by the geometry of the experiment. We introduce a new active grid with
many more degrees of freedom than previous active grids. The additional degrees
of freedom make it possible to control various properties of the turbulence. We
show how long-range correlations in the turbulent velocity fluctuations can be
shaped by changing the way the active grid moves. Specifically, we show how not
only the correlation length but also the detailed shape of the correlation
function depends on the correlations imposed in the motions of the grid. Until
now, large-scale structure had not been adjustable in experiments. This new
capability makes possible new systematic investigations into turbulence
dissipation and dispersion, for example, and perhaps in flows that mimic
features of boundary layers, free streams, and flows of intermediate character.Comment: This paper has been accepted to Experiments in Fluids. 25 pages, 10
figure
Survey of hydrogen production and utilization methods. Volume 1: Executive summary
The use of hydrogen as a synthetic fuel is considered. Processes for the production of hydrogen are described along with the present and future industrial uses of hydrogen as a fuel and as a chemical feedstock. Novel and unconventional hydrogen-production techniques are evaluated, with emphasis placed on thermochemical and electrolytic processes. Potential uses for hydrogen as a fuel in industrial and residential applications are identified and reviewed in the context of anticipated U.S. energy supplies and demands. A detailed plan for the period from 1975 to 1980 prepared for research on and development of hydrogen as an energy carrier is included
Liquid oil painting: Free and forced convection in an enclosure with mechanical and thermal forcing
A fluid dynamics video is linked to this article, which have been submitted
to the Gallery of Fluid Motion as part of the 65th American Physical Society
meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, held in San Diego, California, USA,
over 17-20 November 2012. The video serves to visualize flows generated in a
rectangular enclosure that are subjected to both mechanical and thermal forcing
through a common horizontal boundary. This system exhibits features consistent
with either horizontal convection or lid-driven cavity flows depending on the
ratio between thermal and mechanical stirring, and three different cases are
visualized in the linked videos.Comment: 2 video files attached, 4 pages, 1 figure. This article is submitted
accompanying a video submitted to the Gallery of Fluid Motion as part of the
65th Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting of the American Physical Society
(17-20 November, San Diego, CA, USA
A problem structuring method for ecosystem-based management : the DPSIR modelling process
The purpose of this paper is to learn from Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory to inform the development of Problem Structuring Methods (PSMs) both in general and in the specific context of marine management. The focus on marine management is important because it is concerned with a CAS (formed through the interconnection between natural systems, designed systems and social systems) which exemplifies their particularly ‘wicked' nature. Recognition of this compels us to take seriously the need to develop tools for knowledge elicitation and structuring which meet the demands of CAS. In marine management, chief among those tools is the DPSIR (Drivers - Pressures - State Changes - Impacts - Responses) model and, although widely applied, the extent to which it is appropriate for dealing with the demands of a CAS is questionable. Such questioning is particularly pertinent in the context of the marine environment where there is a need to not only recognise a broad range of stakeholders (a question of boundary critique) but also to manage competing knowledge (economic, local and scientific) and value claims. Hence this paper emphasises how a CAS perspective might add impetus to the development of a critical perspective on DPSIR and PSM theory and practice to promote a more systemic view of decision-making and policy development
Structural Reorganization of Parallel Actin Bundles by Crosslinking Proteins: Incommensurate States of Twist
We construct a coarse-grained model of parallel actin bundles crosslinked by
compact, globular bundling proteins, such as fascin and espin, necessary
components of filapodial and mechanosensory bundles. Consistent with structural
observations of bundles, we find that the optimal geometry for crosslinking is
overtwisted, requiring a coherent structural change of the helical geometry of
the filaments. We study the linker-dependent thermodynamic transition of
bundled actin filaments from their native state to the overtwisted state and
map out the "twist-state'' phase diagram in terms of the availability as well
as the flexibility of crosslinker proteins. We predict that the transition from
the uncrosslinked to fully-crosslinked state is highly sensitive to linker
flexibility: flexible crosslinking smoothly distorts the twist-state of bundled
filaments, while rigidly crosslinked bundles undergo a phase transition,
rapidly overtwisting filaments over a narrow range of free crosslinker
concentrations. Additionally, we predict a rich spectrum of intermediate
structures, composed of alternating domains of sparsely-bound (untwisted) and
strongly-bound (overtwisted) filaments. This model reveals that subtle
differences in crosslinking agents themselves modify not only the detailed
structure of parallel actin bundles, but also the thermodynamic pathway by
which they form.Comment: Main Text (25 pages, 7 figures) with supporting material (12 pages, 9
figures, 2 tables
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