52,871 research outputs found
Kinesthetic control simulator
A kinesthetic control simulator is reported that has a flat base upon which rests a support structure having a lower spherical surface for rotation on the base plate with columns which support a platform above the support structure at a desired location with respect to the center of curvature of the spherical surface. A handrail is at approximately the elevation of the hips of the operator above the platform with a ring attached to the support structure which may be used to limit the angle of tilt. Five degree freedom-of-motion can be obtained by utilizing an air pad structure for support of the control simulator
Converting NAD83 GPS heights into NAVD88 elevations with LVGEOID, a hybrid geoid height model for the Long Valley volcanic region, California
A GPS survey of leveling benchmarks done in Long
Valley Caldera in 1999 showed that the application of the
National Geodetic Survey (NGS) geoid model GEOID99 to
tie GPS heights to historical leveling measurements would
significantly underestimate the caldera ground deformation (known from other geodetic measurements). The NGS
geoid model was able to correctly reproduce the shape of the
deformation, but required a local adjustment to give a realistic estimate of the magnitude of the uplift. In summer 2006,
the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a new leveling survey
along two major routes crossing the Long Valley region from
north to south (Hwy 395) and from east to west (Hwy 203 –
Benton Crossing). At the same time, 25 leveling bench marks
were occupied with dual frequency GPS receivers to provide a
measurement of the ellipsoid heights. Using the heights from
these two surveys, we were able to compute a precise geoid
height model (LVGEOID) for the Long Valley volcanic region.
Our results show that although the LVGEOID and the latest
NGS GEOID03 model practically coincide in areas outside
the caldera, there is a difference of up to 0.2 m between the
two models within the caldera. Accounting for this difference
is critical when using the geoid height model to estimate the
ground deformation due to magmatic or tectonic activity in the
calder
Spheromak formation and sustainment studies at the sustained spheromak physics experiment using high-speed imaging and magnetic diagnostics
A high-speed imaging system with shutter speeds as fast as 2 ns and double frame capability has been used to directly image the formation and evolution of the sustained spheromak physics experiment (SSPX) [E. B. Hooper et al., Nucl. Fusion 39, 863 (1999)]. Reproducible plasma features have been identified with this diagnostic and divided into three groups, according to the stage in the discharge at which they occur: (i) breakdown and ejection, (ii) sustainment, and (iii) decay. During the first stage, plasma descends into the flux conserver shortly after breakdown and a transient plasma column is formed. The column then rapidly bends and simultaneously becomes too dim to photograph a few microseconds after formation. It is conjectured here that this rapid bending precedes the transfer of toroidal to poloidal flux. During sustainment, a stable plasma column different from the transient one is observed. It has been possible to measure the column diameter and compare it to CORSICA [A. Tarditi et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 36, 132 (1996)], a magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium reconstruction code which showed good agreement with the measurements. Elongation and velocity measurements were made of cathode patterns also seen during this stage, possibly caused by pressure gradients or E×B drifts. The patterns elongate in a toroidal-only direction which depends on the magnetic-field polarity. During the decay stage the column diameter expands as the current ramps down, until it eventually dissolves into filaments. With the use of magnetic probes inserted in the gun region, an X point which moved axially depending on current level and toroidal mode number was observed in all the stages of the SSPX plasma discharge
THE EFFECTS OF THE MICRO-MARKET STRUCTURE ON ILLINOIS ELEVATOR SPATIAL CORN PRICE DIFFERENTIALS
Corn price differentials among Illinois elevators can often exceed transportation costs. Using primary data, we examine the effects of micro-market structure variables on the differentials in bids prices offered by Illinois elevators. Our findings suggest the existence of a highly developed, responsive market of competing firms, operating in an industry that can be characterized by monopsonistic competition, and to some extent by seasonally induced market power. Local supply conditions, firm productive efficiency, and their operating practices influence price differentials. Further, firm type, final market destination of the grain, and period of the marketing year affect price differentials.Market structure, Corn price differentials, Marketing,
Helioseismic Ring Analysis of CME Source Regions
We apply the ring diagram technique to source regions of halo coronal mass
ejections (CMEs) to study changes in acoustic mode parameters before, during,
and after the onset of CMEs. We find that CME regions associated with a low
value of magnetic flux have line widths smaller than the quiet regions implying
a longer life-time for the oscillation modes. We suggest that this criterion
may be used to forecast the active regions which may trigger CMEs.Comment: Accepted for publication in J. Astrophys. Astr. Also available at
http://www2.nso.edu/staff/sushant/paper.htm
Climate Ready Estuaries - COAST in Action: 2012 Projects from Maine and New Hampshire
In summer 2011 the US EPA’s Climate Ready Estuaries program awarded funds to the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) in Portland, Maine, and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) in coastal New Hampshire, to further develop and use COAST (COastal Adaptation to Sea level rise Tool) in their sea level rise adaptation planning processes. The New England Environmental Finance Center worked with municipal staff, elected officials, and other stakeholders to select specific locations, vulnerable assets, and adaptation actions to model using COAST. The EFC then collected the appropriate base data layers, ran the COAST simulations, and provided visual, numeric, and presentation-based products in support of the planning processes underway in both locations. These products helped galvanize support for the adaptation planning efforts. Through facilitated meetings they also led to stakeholders identifying specific action steps and begin to determine how to implement them
Description of superdeformed bands in light N=Z nuclei using the cranked HFB method
Superdeformed states in light nuclei are studied by means of the
self-consistent cranking calculation (i.e., the P + QQ model based on the
cranked Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov method). Analyses are given for two typical
cases of superdeformed bands in the mass region, that is, bands
where backbending is absent (Ca) and present (Ar). Investigations
are carried out, particularly for the following points: cross-shell excitations
in the sd and pf shells; the role of the g and d orbitals; the
effect of the nuclear pairing; and the interplay between triaxiality and band
termination.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev.
Z -> b\bar{b} Versus Dynamical Electroweak Symmetry Breaking involving the Top Quark
In models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking which sensitively
involve the third generation, such as top quark condensation, the effects of
the new dynamics can show up experimentally in Z->b\bar{b}. We compare the
sensitivity of Z->b\bar{b} and top quark production at the Tevatron to models
of the new physics. Z->b\bar{b} is a relatively more sensitive probe to new
strongly coupled U(1) gauge bosons, while it is generally less sensitive a
probe to new physics involving color octet gauge bosons as is top quark
production itself. Nonetheless, to accomodate a significant excess in
Z->b\bar{b} requires choosing model parameters that may be ruled out within run
I(b) at the Tevatron.Comment: LaTex file, 19 pages + 2 Figs., Fermilab-Pub-94/231-
A rotating cavity for high-field angle-dependent microwave spectroscopy of low-dimensional conductors and magnets
The cavity perturbation technique is an extremely powerful method for
measuring the electrodynamic response of a material in the millimeter- and
sub-millimeter spectral range (10 GHz to 1 THz), particularly in the case of
high-field/frequency magnetic resonance spectroscopy. However, the application
of such techniques within the limited space of a high-field magnet presents
significant technical challenges. We describe a 7.62 mm x 7.62 mm (diameter x
length) rotating cylindrical cavity which overcomes these problems.Comment: 11 pages including 8 figure
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