1,408 research outputs found
Modelling mineral dust using stereophotogrammetry
Real, three-dimensional shape of a dust particle is derived from a pair of scanning-electron microscope images by means of stereophotogrammetry. The resulting shape is discretized, and preliminary discrete-dipole-approximation computations for the single dust particle reveal that scattering by such an irregular shape differs notably from scattering by a sphere or a Gaussian random sphere which both are frequently used shape models for dust particles
Single scattering by realistic, inhomogeneous mineral dust particles with stereogrammetric shapes
Light scattering by single, inhomogeneous mineral dust particles was
simulated based on shapes and compositions derived directly from measurements
of real dust particles instead of using a mathematical shape model. We
demonstrate the use of the stereogrammetric shape retrieval method in the context
of single-scattering modelling of mineral dust for four different dust types
â all of them inhomogeneous â ranging from compact, equidimensional shapes
to very elongated and aggregate shapes. The three-dimensional particle shapes
were derived from stereo pairs of scanning-electron microscope images, and
inhomogeneous composition was determined by mineralogical interpretation of
localized elemental information based on energy-dispersive spectroscopy.
Scattering computations were performed for particles of equal-volume
diameters, from 0.08 ÎŒm up to 2.8 ÎŒm at 550 nm wavelength, using the
discrete-dipole approximation. Particle-to-particle variation in scattering
by mineral dust was found to be quite considerable and was not well
reproduced by simplified shapes of homogeneous spheres, spheroids, or
Gaussian random spheres. Effective-medium approximation results revealed that
particle inhomogeneity should be accounted for even for small amounts of
absorbing media (here up to 2% of the volume), especially when considering
scattering by inhomogeneous particles at size parameters 3<<i>x</i><8. When
integrated over a log-normal size distribution, the linear depolarization
ratio and single-scattering albedo were also found to be sensitive to
inhomogeneity. The methodology applied is work-intensive and the
light-scattering method used quite limited in terms of size parameter
coverage. It would therefore be desirable to find a sufficiently accurate but
simpler approach with fewer limitations for single-scattering modelling of
dust. For validation of such a method, the approach presented here could be
used for producing reference data when applied to a suitable set of target
particles
Non-Gaussianity from Instant and Tachyonic Preheating
We study non-Gaussianity in two distinct models of preheating: instant and
tachyonic. In instant preheating non-Gaussianity is sourced by the local terms
generated through the coupled perturbations of the two scalar fields. We find
that the non-Gaussianity parameter is given by ,
where is a coupling constant, so that instant preheating is unlikely to be
constrained by WMAP or Planck. In the case of tachyonic preheating
non-Gaussianity arises solely from the instability of the tachyon matter and is
found to be large. We find that for single field inflation the present WMAP
data implies a bound on the scale of tachyonic
instability. We argue that the tachyonic preheating limits are useful also for
string-motivated inflationary models.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, additional discussion, improved constraint on the
scale of tachyonic preheatin
Physical growing media characteristics of Sphagnum biomass dominated by Sphagnum fuscum (Schimp.) Klinggr
The surface biomass of moss dominated by Sphagnum fuscum (Schimp.) Klinggr. (Rusty Bog-moss) was harvested from a sparsely drained raised bog. Physical properties of the Sphagnum moss were determined and compared with those of weakly and moderately decomposed peats. Water retention curves (WRC) and saturated hydraulic conductivities (K-s) are reported for samples of Sphagnum moss with natural structure, as well as for samples that were cut to selected fibre lengths or compacted to different bulk densities. The gravimetric water retention results indicate that, on a dry mass basis, Sphagnum moss can hold more water than both types of peat under equal matric potentials. On a volumetric basis, the water retention of Sphagnum moss can be linearly increased by compacting at a gravimetric water content of 2 (g water / g dry mass). The bimodal water retention curve of Sphagnum moss appears to be a consequence of the natural double porosity of the moss matrix. The 6-parameter form of the double-porosity van Genuchten equation is used to describe the volumetric water retention of the moss as its bulk density increases. Our results provide considerable insight into the physical growing media properties of Sphagnum moss biomass.Peer reviewe
Dialogue based interfaces for universal access.
Conversation provides an excellent means of communication for almost all people. Consequently, a conversational interface is an excellent mechanism for allowing people to interact with systems. Conversational systems are an active research area, but a wide range of systems can be developed with current technology. More sophisticated interfaces can take considerable effort, but simple interfaces can be developed quite rapidly. This paper gives an introduction to the current state of the art of conversational systems and interfaces. It describes a methodology for developing conversational interfaces and gives an example of an interface for a state benefits web site. The paper discusses how this interface could improve access for a wide range of people, and how further development of this interface would allow a larger range of people to use the system and give them more functionality
Kahler potentials for the MSSM inflation and the spectral index
Recently it has been argued that some of the fine-tuning problems of the MSSM
inflation associated with the existence of a saddle point along a flat
direction may be solved naturally in a class of supergravity models. Here we
extend the analysis and show that the constraints on the Kahler potentials in
these models are considerably relaxed when the location of the saddle point is
treated as a free variable. We also examine the effect of supergravity
corrections on inflationary predictions and find that they can slightly alter
the value of the spectral index. As an example, for flat direction field values
we find while the
prediction of the MSSM inflation without any corrections is .Comment: 13 pages, one figure. Typos corrected and a reference adde
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