5,062 research outputs found
FARMERS' VEG RISK PERCEPTIONS AND ADOPTION OF VEG CROP INSURANCE
Producer survey results are analyzed to determine factors influencing value-enhanced grain (VEG) risk perceptions and VEG crop insurance adoption. VEG production is perceived to be riskier than commodity production. VEG types, input costs, and production problems affect risk perceptions. Factors including previous insurance use impact VEG crop insurance adoption.Risk and Uncertainty,
Dynamics of Limit Cycle Oscillator Subject to General Noise
The phase description is a powerful tool for analyzing noisy limit cycle
oscillators. The method, however, has found only limited applications so far,
because the present theory is applicable only to the Gaussian noise while noise
in the real world often has non-Gaussian statistics. Here, we provide the phase
reduction for limit cycle oscillators subject to general, colored and
non-Gaussian, noise including heavy-tailed noise. We derive quantifiers like
mean frequency, diffusion constant, and the Lyapunov exponent to confirm
consistency of the result. Applying our results, we additionally study a
resonance between the phase and noise.Comment: main paper: 4 pages, 2 figure; auxiliary material: 5-7 pages of the
document, 1 figur
Magnetic and electrical properties of (Pu,Lu)Pd3
We present measurements of the magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and
electrical resistivity of PuLuPd, with =0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5,
0.8 and 1. PuPd is an antiferromagnetic heavy fermion compound with
~K. With increasing Lu doping, both the Kondo and RKKY interaction
strengths fall, as judged by the Sommerfeld coefficient and N\'eel
temperature . Fits to a crystal field model of the resistivity also
support these conclusions. The paramagnetic effective moment
increases with Lu dilution, indicating a decrease in the
Kondo screening. In the highly dilute limit, approaches
the value predicted by intermediate coupling calculations. In conjunction with
an observed Schottky peak at 60~K in the magnetic heat capacity,
corresponding to a crystal field splitting of 12~meV, a mean-field
intermediate coupling model with nearest neighbour interactions has been
developed.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure
Seismic wave amplification: Basin geometry vs soil layering.
International audienceThe main purpose of the paper is to analyze seismic site effects in alluvial basins and to discuss the influence of the knowledge of the local geology on site amplification simulations. Wave amplification is due to a combined effect of impedance ratio between soil layers and surface wave propagation due to the limited extent of the basin. In this paper, we investigate the influence of the complexity of the soil layering (simplified or detailed layering) on site effects in both time and frequency domain. The analysis is performed by the Boundary Element Method. The European test site of Volvi (Greece) is considered and 2D amplification in the basin is investigated for various soil models. Seismic signals are computed in time domain for synthetic Ricker signals as well as actual measurements. They are analyzed in terms of amplification level as well as time duration lengthening (basin effects) for both SH and SV waves. These results show that the geometry of the basin has a very strong influence on seismic wave amplification in terms of both amplification level and time duration lengthening. The combined influence of geometry/layering of alluvial basins seems to be very important for the analysis of 2D (3D) site effects but a simplified analysis could sometimes be sufficient. In the case of Volvi European test site, this influence leads to (measured and computed) 2D amplification ratios far above 1D estimations from horizontal layering descriptions
Modeling seismic wave propagation and amplification in 1D/2D/3D linear and nonlinear unbounded media
To analyze seismic wave propagation in geological structures, it is possible
to consider various numerical approaches: the finite difference method, the
spectral element method, the boundary element method, the finite element
method, the finite volume method, etc. All these methods have various
advantages and drawbacks. The amplification of seismic waves in surface soil
layers is mainly due to the velocity contrast between these layers and,
possibly, to topographic effects around crests and hills. The influence of the
geometry of alluvial basins on the amplification process is also know to be
large. Nevertheless, strong heterogeneities and complex geometries are not easy
to take into account with all numerical methods. 2D/3D models are needed in
many situations and the efficiency/accuracy of the numerical methods in such
cases is in question. Furthermore, the radiation conditions at infinity are not
easy to handle with finite differences or finite/spectral elements whereas it
is explicitely accounted in the Boundary Element Method. Various absorbing
layer methods (e.g. F-PML, M-PML) were recently proposed to attenuate the
spurious wave reflections especially in some difficult cases such as shallow
numerical models or grazing incidences. Finally, strong earthquakes involve
nonlinear effects in surficial soil layers. To model strong ground motion, it
is thus necessary to consider the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of soils and
simultaneously investigate seismic wave propagation in complex 2D/3D geological
structures! Recent advances in numerical formulations and constitutive models
in such complex situations are presented and discussed in this paper. A crucial
issue is the availability of the field/laboratory data to feed and validate
such models.Comment: of International Journal Geomechanics (2010) 1-1
Fabrication and characterization of dual function nanoscale pH-scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) probes for high resolution pH mapping
The easy fabrication and use of nanoscale dual function pH-scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) probes is reported. These probes incorporate an iridium oxide coated carbon electrode for pH measurement and an SICM barrel for distance control, enabling simultaneous pH and topography mapping. These pH-SICM probes were fabricated rapidly from laser pulled theta quartz pipets, with the pH electrode prepared by in situ carbon filling of one of the barrels by the pyrolytic decomposition of butane, followed by electrodeposition of a thin layer of hydrous iridium oxide. The other barrel was filled with an electrolyte solution and Ag/AgCl electrode as part of a conductance cell for SICM. The fabricated probes, with pH and SICM sensing elements typically on the 100 nm scale, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and various electrochemical measurements. They showed a linear super-Nernstian pH response over a range of pH (pH 2–10). The capability of the pH-SICM probe was demonstrated by detecting both pH and topographical changes during the dissolution of a calcite microcrystal in aqueous solution. This system illustrates the quantitative nature of pH-SICM imaging, because the dissolution process changes the crystal height and interfacial pH (compared to bulk), and each is sensitive to the rate. Both measurements reveal similar dissolution rates, which are in agreement with previously reported literature values measured by classical bulk methods
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