The context of the Local Volume: structures and motions in the nearby universe

The 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) and the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) provide the most complete maps of the large-scale structures and motions in the nearby universe. These maps have been used to reconstruct the density field in the local volume, and to predict the corresponding velocity field and the dipole of the Local Group motion.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in "Galaxies in the Local Volume", 2008, eds B. Koribalski and H. Jerjen, Springer Astrophysics and Space Science Series (proceedings of conference held in Sydney on 8-13 July 2007

Neutron Star Vortex Dynamics and Magnetic Field Decay: Implications for High Density Nuclear Matter

We investigate the effect of the density-dependent proton and neutron gaps on vortex dynamics in neutron stars. We argue that the persistence of neutron star magnetic fields on timescales of $10^9$ y suggests a superconducting gap curve with local maximum at intermediate density. We discuss the implications for exotic core phenomena such as pion/kaon condensation or a transition to quark matter.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, uses LaTe

Managing the trade-off implications of global supply

The cost versus response trade-off is a growing logistics issue due to many markets being increasingly characterized by demand uncertainty and shorter product life cycles. This is exacerbated further with supply increasingly moving to low cost global sources. However, the poor response implications of global supply are often not addressed or even acknowledged when undertaking such decisions. Consequently, various practical approaches to minimising, postponing or otherwise managing the impact of the demand uncertainty are often only adopted retrospectively. Even though such generic solutions are documented through case examples we lack effective tools and concepts to support the proactive identification and resolution of such trade-offs. This paper reports on case-based theory building research, involving three cases from the UK and USA used in developing a conceptual model with associated tools, in support of such a process

Evolution of active and polar photospheric magnetic fields during the rise of Cycle 24 compared to previous cycles

The evolution of the photospheric magnetic field during the declining phase and minimum of Cycle 23 and the recent rise of Cycle 24 are compared with the behavior during previous cycles. We used longitudinal full-disk magnetograms from the NSO's three magnetographs at Kitt Peak, the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) Vector Spectro-Magnetograph (VSM), the Spectromagnetograph and the 512-Channel Magnetograph instruments, and longitudinal full-disk magnetograms from the Mt. Wilson 150-foot tower. We analyzed 37 years of observations from these two observatories that have been observing daily, weather permitting, since 1974, offering an opportunity to study the evolving relationship between the active region and polar fields in some detail over several solar cycles. It is found that the annual averages of a proxy for the active region poloidal magnetic field strength, the magnetic field strength of the high-latitude poleward streams, and the time derivative of the polar field strength are all well correlated in each hemisphere. These results are based on statistically significant cyclical patterns in the active region fields and are consistent with the Babcock-Leighton phenomenological model for the solar activity cycle. There was more hemispheric asymmetry in the activity level, as measured by total and maximum active region flux, during late Cycle 23 (after around 2004), when the southern hemisphere was more active, and Cycle 24 up to the present, when the northern hemisphere has been more active, than at any other time since 1974. The active region net proxy poloidal fields effectively disappeared in both hemispheres around 2004, and the polar fields did not become significantly stronger after this time. We see evidence that the process of Cycle 24 field reversal has begun at both poles.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Towards the architecture of an instructional multimedia database

The applicability of multimedia databases in education may be extended if they can serve multiple target groups, leading to affordable costs per unit for the user. In this contribution, an approach is described to build generic multimedia databases to serve that purpose. This approach is elaborated within the ODB Project ('Instructional Design of an Optical DataBase'); the term optical refers to the use of optical storage media to hold the audiovisual components. The project aims at developing a database in which a hypermedia encyclopedia is combined with instructional multimedia applications for different target groups at different educational levels. The architecture of the Optical Database will allow for switching between application types while working (for instance from tutorial instruction via the encyclopedia to a simulation and back). For instruction, the content of the database is thereby organized around so-called standard instruction routes: one route per target group. In the project, the teacher is regarded as the manager of instruction.\ud \ud From that perspective, the database is primarily organized as a teaching facility. Central to the research is the condition that the architecture of the Optical Database has to enable teachers to select and tailor instruction routes to their needs in a way that is perceived as logical and easy to use

An epitaxial model for heterogeneous nucleation on potent substrates

© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2012In this article, we present an epitaxial model for heterogeneous nucleation on potent substrates. It is proposed that heterogeneous nucleation of the solid phase (S) on a potent substrate (N) occurs by epitaxial growth of a pseudomorphic solid (PS) layer on the substrate surface under a critical undercooling (ΔT ). The PS layer with a coherent PS/N interface mimics the atomic arrangement of the substrate, giving rise to a linear increase of misfit strain energy with layer thickness. At a critical thickness (h ), elastic strain energy reaches a critical level, at which point, misfit dislocations are created to release the elastic strain energy in the PS layer. This converts the strained PS layer to a strainless solid (S), and changes the initial coherent PS/N interface into a semicoherent S/N interface. Beyond this critical thickness, further growth will be strainless, and solidification enters the growth stage. It is shown analytically that the lattice misfit (f) between the solid and the substrate has a strong influence on both h and ΔT ; h decreases; and ΔT increases with increasing lattice misfit. This epitaxial nucleation model will be used to explain qualitatively the generally accepted experimental findings on grain refinement in the literature and to analyze the general approaches to effective grain refinement.EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Liquid Metal Engineerin

Effect of gluon-exchange pair-currents on the ratio G(E(P))/G(M(P))

The effect of one-gluon-exchange (OGE) pair-currents on the ratio $\mu_p G_E^p/G_M^p$ for the proton is investigated within a nonrelativistic constituent quark model (CQM) starting from $SU(6) \times O(3)$ nucleon wave functions, but with relativistic corrections. We found that the OGE pair-currents are important to reproduce well the ratio $\mu_p G_E^p/G_M^p$. With the assumption that the OGE pair-currents are the driving mechanism for the violation of the scaling law we give a prediction for the ratio $\mu_n G_E^n/G_M^n$ of the neutron.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Cosmic string parameter constraints and model analysis using small scale Cosmic Microwave Background data

We present a significant update of the constraints on the Abelian Higgs cosmic string tension by cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, enabled both by the use of new high-resolution CMB data from suborbital experiments as well as the latest results of the WMAP satellite, and by improved predictions for the impact of Abelian Higgs cosmic strings on the CMB power spectra. The new cosmic string spectra (presented in a previous work) were improved especially for small angular scales, through the use of larger Abelian Higgs string simulations and careful extrapolation. If Abelian Higgs strings are present then we find improved bounds on their contribution to the CMB anisotropies, f10< 0.095, and on their tension, G\mu< 0.57 x 10^-6, both at 95% confidence level using WMAP7 data; and f10 < 0.048 and G\mu < 0.42 x 10^-6 using all the CMB data. We also find that using all the CMB data, a scale invariant initial perturbation spectrum, ns=1, is now disfavoured at 2.4\sigma\ even if strings are present. A Bayesian model selection analysis no longer indicates a preference for strings.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; Minor corrections, matches published versio

Parity Violation in Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering and the Proton's Strange Magnetic Form Factor

We report a new measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in elastic electron scattering from the proton at backward scattering angles. This asymmetry is sensitive to the strange magnetic form factor of the proton as well as electroweak axial radiative corrections. The new measurement of A = -4.92±0.61±0.73 ppm provides a significant constraint on these quantities. The implications for the strange magnetic form factor are discussed in the context of theoretical estimates for the axial corrections

String production after angled brane inflation

We describe string production after angled brane inflation. First, we point out that there was a discrepancy in previous discussions. The expected tension of the cosmic string calculated from the four-dimensional effective Lagrangian did not match the one obtained in the brane analysis. In the previous analysis, the cosmic string is assumed to correspond to the lower-dimensional daughter brane, which wraps the same compactified space as the original mother brane. In this case, however, the tension of the daughter brane cannot depend on the angle (\theta). On the other hand, from the analysis of the effective Lagrangian for tachyon condensation, it is easy to see that the tension of the cosmic string must be proportional to \theta, when \theta << 1. This is an obvious discrepancy that must be explained by consideration of the explicit brane dynamics. In this paper, we will solve this problem by introducing a simple idea. We calculate the tension of the string in the two cases, which matches precisely. The cosmological constraint for angled inflation is relaxed, because the expected tension of the cosmic string becomes smaller than the one obtained in previous arguments, by a factor of \theta.Comment: 13pages, 3 figures, typos correcte