2,326 research outputs found
An x ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of Au(x)In(y) alloys
Four gold-indium alloys were studied by x ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The binding energies and intensity ratios of the Au 4f7/2 and In 3d5/2 core levels were determined for the bulk alloy compositions of Au(10 percent In), Au3In, AuIn, and AuIn2. These values were determined for the native oxides on the materials, for the surfaces prepared by ion bombardment to remove the oxide and for surfaces scraped in-situ with a ceramic tool to expose the bulk composition. These results furnish calibration values that allow determination of the composition of thin films of this alloy system. In addition the binding energies add to the data base for understanding the effect of alloying on core level binding energies. As an illustration, these results are used to determine the composition of a series of alloy films formed by incongruent evaporation of an alloy charge
Providing adhesion for a miniture mobile intra-abdominal device based on biomimetic principles
This paper investigates the surface adhesion
characteristics required for a miniature mobile device to
move around the abdominal cavity. Such a device must
be capable of adhering to the tissue lining and move
freely across the upper surface of the insufflated
abdomen. Accordingly, the potential of utilising bioinspired
solutions to facilitate wet adhesion is assessed
Swimming in Granular Media
We study a simple model of periodic contraction and extension of large
intruders in a granular bed to understand the mechanism for swimming in an
otherwise solid media. Using an event-driven simulation, we find optimal
conditions that idealized swimmers must use to critically fluidize a sand bed
so that it is rigid enough to support a load when needed, but fluid enough to
permit motion with minimal resistance. Swimmers - or other intruders - that
agitate the bed too rapidly produce large voids that prevent traction from
being achieved, while swimmers that move too slowly cannot travel before the
bed re-solidifies around them i.e., the swimmers locally probe the fundamental
time-scale in a granular packing
Football 4 Peace versus (v) Homophobia: A critical exploration of the links between theory, practice and intervention
In this chapter, we draw on our different past trajectories to explore the links between theories of sexualities and genders, and anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic and anti-biphobic intervention within UK University footballing contexts. Our critical reflections include over a decade of involvement with scholarship and campaigning surrounding gender and sexuality in football (Caudwell) and significant project development of the Football 4 Peace International reconciliation initiative (Spacey). We seek to plot the ways scholarship, especially theories of gender and sexualities, informs grassroots praxis. More specifically, we focus on the idea of making a difference when it comes to social divisions and inequalities vis-Ã -vis sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). During our discussions we draw from a range of research materials, including the voices of young people and students to demonstrate the ways participation in football can help, as well as hinder, anti-discriminatory policy and practice at the level of the locale
A radio tracking study of the movements and foraging ecology of female New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) at Cape Foulwind
BPS solitons in Lifshitz field theories
Lorentz-invariant scalar field theories in d+1 dimensions with second-order
derivative terms are unable to support static soliton solutions that are both
finite in energy and stable for d>2, a result known as Derrick's theorem.
Lifshitz theories, which introduce higher-order spatial derivatives, need not
obey Derrick's theorem. We construct stable, finite-energy, static soliton
solutions in Lifshitz scalar field theories in 3+1 dimensions with dynamical
critical exponent z=2. We exhibit three generic types: non-topological point
defects, topological point defects, and topological strings. We focus mainly on
Lifshitz theories that are defined through a superpotential and admit BPS
solutions. These kinds of theories are the bosonic sectors of supersymmetric
theories derived from the stochastic dynamics of a scalar field theory in one
higher dimension. If nature obeys a Lifshitz field theory in the ultraviolet,
then the novel topological defects discussed here may exist as relics from the
early universe. Their discovery would prove that standard field theory breaks
down at short distance scales.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures; v2: references added and the x-axis scale of
each figure has been change
How Can Micro-Level Household Information Make a Difference for Agricultural Policy Making: Selected Examples from the KAMPAP Survey of Smallholder Agriculture and Non Farm Activities for Selected Districts in Kenya
Agriculture forms the foundation of Kenya’s economy. However, the information base on agriculture % including basic indicators on farmers’ input, production, and marketing behavior, household food consumption patterns, etc. % is weak and largely outdated. Agricultural policy is largely made on the basis of conventional wisdom about the way things work. In a dynamic, evolving economy, long-standing perceptions may become increasingly inconsistent with current reality, particularly when the system has been exposed to dramatic changes such as structural adjustment, market liberalization, and the advent of new technology. In such a setting, entrenched perceptions about the way farmers, traders and consumers actually behave may lead to unintended and even counterproductive government policy. This paper aims to demonstrate how monitoring the rural economy through timely, periodic and reasonably representative household surveys can inform debate on existing and emerging policy issues.kenya, agricultural policy, food security, household, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Security and Poverty, q12,
Detection of carbon monoxide in the high-resolution day-side spectrum of the exoplanet HD 189733b
[Abridged] After many attempts over more than a decade, high-resolution
spectroscopy has recently delivered its first detections of molecular
absorption in exoplanet atmospheres, both in transmission and thermal emission
spectra. Targeting the combined signal from individual lines in molecular
bands, these measurements use variations in the planet radial velocity to
disentangle the planet signal from telluric and stellar contaminants. In this
paper we apply high resolution spectroscopy to probe molecular absorption in
the day-side spectrum of the bright transiting hot Jupiter HD 189733b. We
observed HD 189733b with the CRIRES high-resolution near-infrared spectograph
on the Very Large Telescope during three nights. We detect a 5-sigma absorption
signal from CO at a contrast level of ~4.5e-4 with respect to the stellar
continuum, revealing the planet orbital radial velocity at 154+4/-3 km s-1.
This allows us to solve for the planet and stellar mass in a similar way as for
stellar eclipsing binaries, resulting in Ms= 0.846+0.068/-0.049 Msun and Mp=
1.162+0.058/-0.039 MJup. No significant absorption is detected from H2O, CO2 or
CH4 and we determined upper limits on their line contrasts here. The detection
of CO in the day-side spectrum of HD 189733b can be made consistent with the
haze layer proposed to explain the optical to near-infrared transmission
spectrum if the layer is optically thin at the normal incidence angles probed
by our observations, or if the CO abundance is high enough for the CO
absorption to originate from above the haze. Our non-detection of CO2 at 2.0
micron is not inconsistent with the deep CO2 absorption from low resolution
NICMOS secondary eclipse data in the same wavelength range. If genuine, the
absorption would be so strong that it blanks out any planet light completely in
this wavelength range, leaving no high-resolution signal to be measured.Comment: A&A, accepted for publication. Fig.1 reduced in qualit
Library
This history for the Library was collected to commemorate DMACC\u27s 50th anniversary celebration during the 2015-16 academic year
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