Compact strain-sensitive flexible photonic crystals for sensors

A promising fabrication route to produce absorbing flexible photonic crystals is presented, which exploits self-assembly during the shear processing of multi-shelled polymer spheres. When absorbing material is incorporated in the interstitial space surrounding high-refractive-index spheres, a dramatic enhancement in the transmission edge on the short-wavelength side of the band gap is observed. This effect originates from the shifting optical field spatial distribution as the incident wavelength is tuned around the band gap, and results in a contrast up to 100 times better than similar but nonabsorbing photonic crystals. An order-of-magnitude improvement in strain sensitivity is shown, suggesting the use of these thin films in photonic sensors

Optimal use of animal slurries for input reduction and protection of the environment in sustainable agricultural systems.

End of Project ReportThis work was funded by the EU Air Programme (AIR-CT 94-1276) 1st October 1994 - 30th September 1997The objectives of manure management in sustainable agricultural systems are to optimise nutrient recovery by the crop and to reduce nutrient losses to the environment. However, farmers still have many practical problems in adopting and applying the research developed for improving manure management strategies. This project identified and addressed three of these problems. These concerned the provision of decision support in relation to environmental risk assessment and application decision strategies; determining the nutrient value of slurry and the development of manure application technology.European Structural Funding (EAGGF

The effect of simulated post weld heat treatment temperature overshoot on microstructural evolution in P91 and P92 power plant steels

Creep strength enhanced ferritic (CSEF) steels, in particular modified 9Cr steels Grade 91 and 92, are becoming more widely used in the electrical power generation industry for the construction of header and steam piping in advanced coal-fired power plants. They typically enter service having received a standard high temperature normalizing treatment following by a lower temperature tempering treatment designed to produce an optimum microstructural condition. However, situations may arise in practice, particularly during welding operations for example, whereby the component may receive an additional heat treatment which briefly exceeds the Ac, and possibly the Ac , temperature before stabilizing at the tempering temperature. In this research, simulated post weld heat treatments (PWHT) have been applied to Grade 91 and 92 materials using carefully controlled heating and cooling rates within a dilatometer. Peak temperatures applied were below Ac, between Ac and Ac, and above Ac, prior to a subsequent heat treatment at 750°C for 2 hours. Hardness measurements demonstrated a significant reduction once the Ac temperature was exceeded. Advanced electron microscopy has been carried out to investigate the effect of the PWHT excursions on subsequent microstructural evolution. Electron back scatter diffraction has been used to quantify the nature of the martensite laths and grain structure changes as a function of temperature. The detailed size distribution of carbides within the microstructure has also been determined using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy. These results are discussed in respect of the likely consequences of such a PWHT overshoot on subsequent mechanical properties during high temperature service. Copyright © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute Distributed by ASM International®. All rights reserved

Visitors' expenditure behaviour at cultural events: The case of Christmas markets.

This paper examines the determinants of visitors' expenditure behaviour at cultural events. The authors analyse visitors' expenditure at the micro-level, dividing it into expenditure on accommodation and expenditure on food and beverages. The explicative variables taken into account are socio-demographic, economic, psychological and trip-related attributes. An ad hoc survey was conducted on the three most famous Christmas markets in the north of Italy in December 2008 and 2009. To achieve their aims, the authors use the robust double-hurdle model. The results indicate that travel purpose, region of origin, perception of the event, length of stay and age are significant factors influencing both the propensity to spend and the amount of money actually spent during visits. The findings will provide destination managers and tourism businesses with practical knowledge useful for destination marketing, event development and customer service

Research Update: Energy Strategies for Dry Cows

This information was presented at the 2014 Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers, organized by the Department of Animal Science In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Softcover copies of the entire conference proceedings may be purchased at http://ansci.cals.cornell.edu/extension-outreach/adult-extension/dairy-management/order-proceedings-resources or by calling (607)255-4285

On the Schr\"odinger Equation for the Supersymmetric FRW Model

We consider a time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) model. We show that for this purpose it is possible to include an additional action invariant under reparametrization of time. The last one does not change the equations of motion for the minisuperspace model, but changes only the constraint. The same procedure is applied to the supersymmetric case.Comment: 15 pages. Revtex. Accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

The Origin of Galactic Cosmic Rays

Motivated by recent measurements of the major components of the cosmic radiation around 10 TeV/nucleon and above, we discuss the phenomenology of a model in which there are two distinct kinds of cosmic ray accelerators in the galaxy. Comparison of the spectra of hydrogen and helium up to 100 TeV per nucleon suggests that these two elements do not have the same spectrum of magnetic rigidity over this entire region and that these two dominant elements therefore receive contributions from different sources.Comment: To be published in Physical Review D, 13 pages, with 3 figures, uuencode