16,139 research outputs found
Vacuum test fixture improves leakage rate measurements
Cylindrical chamber, consisting of two matching halves, forms a vacuum test fixture for measuring leakage rates of individual connections, brazed joints, and entrance ports used in closed fluid flow line systems. Once the chamber has been sufficiently evacuated, atmospheric pressure holds the two halves together
Ideal, Defective, and Gold--Promoted Rutile TiO2(110) Surfaces: Structures, Energies, Dynamics, and Thermodynamics from PBE+U
Extensive first principles calculations are carried out to investigate
gold-promoted TiO2(110) surfaces in terms of structure optimizations,
electronic structure analyses, ab initio thermodynamics calculations of surface
phase diagrams, and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. All computations
rely on density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation
(PBE) and account for on-site Coulomb interactions via inclusion of a Hubbard
correction, PBE+U, where U is computed from linear response theory. This
approach is validated by investigating the interaction between TiO2(110)
surfaces and typical probe species (H, H2O, CO). Relaxed structures and binding
energies are compared to both data from the literature and plain PBE results.
The main focus of the study is on the properties of gold-promoted titania
surfaces and their interactions with CO. Both PBE+U and PBE optimized
structures of Au adatoms adsorbed on stoichiometric and reduced TiO2 surfaces
are computed, along with their electronic structure. The charge rearrangement
induced by the adsorbates at the metal/oxide contact are also analyzed and
discussed. By performing PBE+U ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, it is
demonstrated that the diffusion of Au adatoms on the stoichiometric surface is
highly anisotropic. The metal atoms migrate either along the top of the
bridging oxygen rows, or around the area between these rows, from one bridging
position to the next along the [001] direction. Approximate ab initio
thermodynamics predicts that under O-rich conditions, structures obtained by
substituting a Ti5c atom with an Au atom are thermodynamically stable over a
wide range of temperatures and pressures.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Mycorrhizae and Establishment of Trees on Strip-Mined Land
Author Institution: USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Forestry Sciences LaboratoryMARX, DONALD H. Mycorrhizae and establishment of trees on strip-mined land. Ohio J. Sci. 75(6): 288, 1975
Varying Coefficient Tensor Models for Brain Imaging
We revisit a multidimensional varying-coefficient model (VCM), by allowing regressor coefficients to vary smoothly in more than one dimension, thereby extending the VCM of Hastie and Tibshirani. The motivating example is 3-dimensional, involving a special type of nuclear magnetic resonance measurement technique that is being used to estimate the diffusion tensor at each point in the human brain. We aim to improve the current state of the art, which is to apply a multiple regression model for each voxel separately using information from six or more volume images. We present a model, based on P-spline tensor products, to introduce spatial smoothness of the estimated diffusion tensor. Since the regression design matrix is space-invariant, a 4-dimensional tensor product model results, allowing more efficient computation with penalized array regression
Singular components of spectral measures for ergodic Jacobi matrices
For ergodic 1d Jacobi operators we prove that the random singular components
of any spectral measure are almost surely mutually disjoint as long as one
restricts to the set of positive Lyapunov exponent. In the context of extended
Harper's equation this yields the first rigorous proof of the Thouless' formula
for the Lyapunov exponent in the dual regions.Comment: to appear in the Journal of Mathematical Physics, vol 52 (2011
Quantum Fluctuations Driven Orientational Disordering: A Finite-Size Scaling Study
The orientational ordering transition is investigated in the quantum
generalization of the anisotropic-planar-rotor model in the low temperature
regime. The phase diagram of the model is first analyzed within the mean-field
approximation. This predicts at a phase transition from the ordered to
the disordered state when the strength of quantum fluctuations, characterized
by the rotational constant , exceeds a critical value . As a function of temperature, mean-field theory predicts a range of
values of where the system develops long-range order upon cooling, but
enters again into a disordered state at sufficiently low temperatures
(reentrance). The model is further studied by means of path integral Monte
Carlo simulations in combination with finite-size scaling techniques,
concentrating on the region of parameter space where reentrance is predicted to
occur. The phase diagram determined from the simulations does not seem to
exhibit reentrant behavior; at intermediate temperatures a pronounced increase
of short-range order is observed rather than a genuine long-range order.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, RevTe
An analysis of the evolving role of information technology with respect to selected standard and its impact on internal audit
Published ArticleModern organizations are increasingly dependent on information technology (IT) for various reasons: to enhance their operational efficiency, reduce costs or even attain a competitive advantage. The role of information technology in the organization continues to evolve and this has an impact on the internal audit functions that serve these organizations.
This study investigated whether the King III report, Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) standards and Institute of Internal Audit (IIA)standards assist the internal audit function in addressing the impact of information technology on the organization and, as a result, the internal audit function itself. This was performed by way of a literature study on the internal audit function and the selected standards and corporate governance framework, the role of information technology in both the organization and the internal audit function, as well as an empirical study detailing a comparative analysis of the King III report, ISACA standards and IIA standards, utilizing keysuccess factors.
The study identified an alignment of the key principles and elements identified in the King III report, ISACA standards and IIA standards, as well as support for IT-related reviews. The comparative analysis performed resulted in the formulation of key internal audit success factors, which compared favourably to those identified in the literature review. The study indicated that the King III report, ISACA standards and IIA standards assisted the internal audit function by addressing IT-related risks, controls and governance elements
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