15,072 research outputs found
Feasibility Study of Radiation Pyrometer for Nuclear Rocket Application Final Report
Radiation pyrometer for nuclear applicatio
Exponential localization in one-dimensional quasiperiodic optical lattices
We investigate the localization properties of a one-dimensional bichromatic
optical lattice in the tight binding regime, by discussing how exponentially
localized states emerge upon changing the degree of commensurability. We also
review the mapping onto the discrete Aubry-Andre' model, and provide evidences
on how the momentum distribution gets modified in the crossover from extended
to exponentially localized states. This analysis is relevant to the recent
experiment on Anderson localization of a noninteracting Bose-Einstein
condensate in a quasiperiodic optical lattice [G. Roati et al., Nature 453, 895
(2008)].Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Inductive Reasoning Games as Influenza Vaccination Models: Mean Field Analysis
We define and analyze an inductive reasoning game of voluntary yearly
vaccination in order to establish whether or not a population of individuals
acting in their own self-interest would be able to prevent influenza epidemics.
We find that epidemics are rarely prevented. We also find that severe epidemics
may occur without the introduction of pandemic strains. We further address the
situation where market incentives are introduced to help ameliorating
epidemics. Surprisingly, we find that vaccinating families exacerbates
epidemics. However, a public health program requesting prepayment of
vaccinations may significantly ameliorate influenza epidemics.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure
Local dissipation effects in two-dimensional quantum Josephson junction arrays with magnetic field
We study the quantum phase transitions in two-dimensional arrays of
Josephson-couples junctions with short range Josephson couplings (given by the
Josephson energy) and the charging energy. We map the problem onto the solvable
quantum generalization of the spherical model that improves over the mean-field
theory method. The arrays are placed on the top of a two-dimensional electron
gas separated by an insulator. We include effects of the local dissipation in
the presence of an external magnetic flux f in square lattice for several
rational fluxes f=0,1/2,1/3,1/4 and 1/6. We also have examined the T=0
superconducting-insulator phase boundary as function of a dissipation alpha for
two different geometry of the lattice: square and triangular. We have found
critical value of the dissipation parameter independent on geometry of the
lattice and presence magnetic field.Comment: accepted to PR
Dealing with mobility: Understanding access anytime, anywhere
The rapid and accelerating move towards the adoption and use of mobile technologies has increasingly provided people and organisations with the ability to work away from the office and on the move. The new ways of working afforded by these technologies are often characterised in terms of access to information and people ‘anytime, anywhere’. This paper presents a study of mobile workers that highlights different facets of access to remote people and information, and different facets of anytime, anywhere. Four key factors in mobile work are identified from the study: the role of planning, working in ‘dead time’, accessing remote technological and informational resources, and monitoring the activities of remote colleagues. By reflecting on these issues, we can better understand the role of technology and artefact use in mobile work and identify the opportunities for the development of appropriate technological solutions to support mobile workers
Coating selection program - Theory
Heat balance equations for optimizing optical coating patterns for spacecraft temperature control syste
Meal replacement soups and shakes: do they have a place in public health practice to manage weight loss?
Organic carbon compounds associated with deep soil carbon stores
Aims
Organic carbon has been reported in deep regolithic profiles to depths of tens of metres, but the composition of the carbon compounds is unknown.
Methods
Residual carbon in the form of non-volatile low molecular weight compounds (LMWC) was characterised in three deep soil profiles to a depth of 19 m under farmland in south-western Australia following extraction with ethyl acetate and analysis by GC/MS. Pyrolysis and off-line thermochemolysis were used to characterise macromolecular organic carbon (MOC) to a depth of 29 m at a fourth site.
Results
Three compound classes occurred across the three different field locations: (1) terpenes, (2) fatty acids, amides and alcohols, and (3) plant steroids; indicating the influence of input of the past and present vegetation. Compounds related to fatty acids were the predominant residual carbon species in deep soils, and may be derived from plants and microorganisms. Biomarkers such as lignin, polysaccharides, proteins and terpenes at 0–0.1 m implied influences of vegetation, fire events and microorganisms. Pyrolysis found that polysaccharides were distributed mainly from 0 to 0.1 m, while aromatic compounds were consistently detected down to 29 m.
Conclusions
Carbon was stabilised in the form of aromatic compounds in deep soil, whereas other carbon sources such as cellulose, chitin, and N-containing compounds were confined to the surface soil. LMWC (Z)-docos-13-enamide and bis(6-methylheptyl) phthalate, were the main components throughout the soil profiles representing 53–81% of the LMWC, and were a greater proportion of the organic matter at depths of 18–19 m
Ground-simulation investigations of VTOL airworthiness criteria for terminal-area operations
Several ground-based simulation experiments undertaken to investigate concerns related to tilt-rotor aircraft airworthiness were conducted. The experiments were conducted on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center's Vertical Motion Simulator, which permits simulation of a wide variety of aircraft with a high degree of fidelity of motion cueing. Variations in conversion/deceleration profile, type of augmentation or automation, level of display assistance, and meteorological conditions were considered in the course of the experiments. Certification pilots from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) participated, in addition to NASA research pilots. The setup of these experiments on the simulator is summarized, and some of the results highlighted
Cooling effects of urban vegetation: The role of golf courses
Increased heat in urban environments, from the combined effects of climate change and land use/land cover change, is one of the most severe problems confronting cities and urban residents worldwide, and requires urgent resolution. While large urban green spaces such as parks and nature reserves are widely recognized for their benefits in mitigating urban heat islands (UHIs), the benefit of urban golf courses is less established. This is the first study to combine remote sensing of golf courses with Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) of vegetation cover. Using ArborCamTM multispectral, high-resolution airborne imagery (0.3 × 0.3 m), this study develops an approach that assesses the role of golf courses in reducing urban land surface temperature (LST) relative to other urban land-uses in Perth, Australia, and identifies factors that influence cooling. The study revealed that urban golf courses had the second lowest LST (around 31 °C) after conservation land (30 °C), compared to industrial, residential, and main road land uses, which ranged from 35 to 37 °C. They thus have a strong capacity for summer urban heat mitigation. Within the golf courses, distance to water bodies and vegetation structure are important factors contributing to cooling effects. Green spaces comprising tall trees (>10 m) and large vegetation patches have strong effects in reducing LST. This suggests that increasing the proportion of large trees, and increasing vegetation connectivity within golf courses and with other local green spaces, can decrease urban LST, thus providing benefits for urban residents. Moreover, as golf courses are useful for biodiversity conservation, planning for new golf course development should embrace the retention of native vegetation and linkages to conservation corridors
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