9,452 research outputs found
Customer Concerns about Uncertainty and Willingness to Pay in Leasing Solar Power Systems
Although solar power systems are considered as one of the most promising renewable energy sources, some uncertain factors as well as the high cost could be barriers which create customer resistance. Leasing instead of purchase, as one type of product service system, could be an option to reduce consumer concern on such issues. This study focuses on consumer concerns about uncertainty and willingness to pay for leasing solar power systems. Conjoint analysis method is used to find part worth utilities and estimate gaps of willingness to pay between attribute levels, including various leasing time lengths. The results show the part worth utilities an d relative importance of four major attributes, including leasing time. Among concerns about uncertainties, government subsidy, electricity price, reliability, and rise of new generation solar power systems were found to be significantly related to the additional willingness-to-pay for a shorter leasing time. Cluster analysis is used to identify two groups standing for high and low concerns about uncertainty. People with more concerns tend to pay more for a shorter lease time
A two-dimensional numerical study of the flow inside the combustion chambers of a motored rotary engine
A numerical study was performed to investigate the unsteady, multidimensional flow inside the combustion chambers of an idealized, two-dimensional, rotary engine under motored conditions. The numerical study was based on the time-dependent, two-dimensional, density-weighted, ensemble-averaged conservation equations of mass, species, momentum, and total energy valid for two-component ideal gas mixtures. The ensemble-averaged conservation equations were closed by a K-epsilon model of turbulence. This K-epsilon model of turbulence was modified to account for some of the effects of compressibility, streamline curvature, low-Reynolds number, and preferential stress dissipation. Numerical solutions to the conservation equations were obtained by the highly efficient implicit-factored method of Beam and Warming. The grid system needed to obtain solutions were generated by an algebraic grid generation technique based on transfinite interpolation. Results of the numerical study are presented in graphical form illustrating the flow patterns during intake, compression, gaseous fuel injection, expansion, and exhaust
Dispersion spreading of polarization-entangled states of light and two-photon interference
We study the interference structure of the second-order intensity correlation
function for polarization-entangled two-photon light obtained from type-II
collinear frequency-degenerate spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC).
The structure is visualised due to the spreading of the two-photon amplitude as
two-photon light propagates through optical fibre with group-velocity
dispersion (GVD). Because of the spreading, polarization-entangled Bell states
can be obtained without any birefringence compensation at the output of the
nonlinear crystal; instead, proper time selection of the intensity correlation
function is required. A birefringent material inserted at the output of the
nonlinear crystal (either reducing the initial o-e delay between the oppositely
polarized twin photons or increasing this delay) leads to a more complicated
interference structure of the correlation function.Comment: Extended version of our recent PRL paper. Submitted to PR
Nd-142/Nd-144 in SNCs and early differentiation of a heterogeneous Martian mantle
Sm/Nd correlated variations in Nd-142/Nd-144 have been observed for mineral phases of achondrites from decay of live Sm-146 in the early solar system. Crystallization ages of shergottites-nakhlites-Chassigny (SNC) meteorites are less than or = 1.3 Ga, so variations of Nd-142/Nd-144 among mineral phases of the SNC's are not expected. However, if SNC's were derived from source reservoirs of differing Sm/Nd ratios, established while Sm-146 was still alive, and which remained isolated except for magma extraction, then variations in Nd-142/Nd-144 would exist among individual SNC meteorites. Rb-Sr and U-Pb isotopic data for the shergottites imply differentiation of their parent planet approximately 4.6 Ga ago. The confirmation of the conclusion that the nakhlites and shergottites were derived from different source regions, and that, consequently, the shergottite parent body (SPB) mantle was heterogeneous is presented
Quantum interference by two temporally distinguishable pulses
We report a two-photon interference effect, in which the entangled photon
pairs are generated from two laser pulses well-separated in time. In a single
pump pulse case, interference effects did not occur in our experimental scheme.
However, by introducing a second pump pulse delayed in time, quantum
interference was then observed. The visibility of the interference fringes
shows dependence on the delay time between two laser pulses. The results are
explained in terms of indistinguishability of biphoton amplitudes which
originated from two temporally separated laser pulses.Comment: two-column, 4pages, submitted to PRA, minor change
GRID2D/3D: A computer program for generating grid systems in complex-shaped two- and three-dimensional spatial domains. Part 2: User's manual and program listing
An efficient computer program, called GRID2D/3D, was developed to generate single and composite grid systems within geometrically complex two- and three-dimensional (2- and 3-D) spatial domains that can deform with time. GRID2D/3D generates single grid systems by using algebraic grid generation methods based on transfinite interpolation in which the distribution of grid points within the spatial domain is controlled by stretching functions. All single grid systems generated by GRID2D/3D can have grid lines that are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order. Also, grid lines can intersect boundaries of the spatial domain orthogonally. GRID2D/3D generates composite grid systems by patching together two or more single grid systems. The patching can be discontinuous or continuous. For continuous composite grid systems, the grid lines are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order except at interfaces where different single grid systems meet. At interfaces where different single grid systems meet, the grid lines are only differentiable up to the first-order. For 2-D spatial domains, the boundary curves are described by using either cubic or tension spline interpolation. For 3-D spatial domains, the boundary surfaces are described by using either linear Coon's interpolation, bi-hyperbolic spline interpolation, or a new technique referred to as 3-D bi-directional Hermite interpolation. Since grid systems generated by algebraic methods can have grid lines that overlap one another, GRID2D/3D contains a graphics package for evaluating the grid systems generated. With the graphics package, the user can generate grid systems in an interactive manner with the grid generation part of GRID2D/3D. GRID2D/3D is written in FORTRAN 77 and can be run on any IBM PC, XT, or AT compatible computer. In order to use GRID2D/3D on workstations or mainframe computers, some minor modifications must be made in the graphics part of the program; no modifications are needed in the grid generation part of the program. The theory and method used in GRID2D/3D is described
GRID2D/3D: A computer program for generating grid systems in complex-shaped two- and three-dimensional spatial domains. Part 1: Theory and method
An efficient computer program, called GRID2D/3D was developed to generate single and composite grid systems within geometrically complex two- and three-dimensional (2- and 3-D) spatial domains that can deform with time. GRID2D/3D generates single grid systems by using algebraic grid generation methods based on transfinite interpolation in which the distribution of grid points within the spatial domain is controlled by stretching functions. All single grid systems generated by GRID2D/3D can have grid lines that are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order. Also, grid lines can intersect boundaries of the spatial domain orthogonally. GRID2D/3D generates composite grid systems by patching together two or more single grid systems. The patching can be discontinuous or continuous. For continuous composite grid systems, the grid lines are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order except at interfaces where different single grid systems meet. At interfaces where different single grid systems meet, the grid lines are only differentiable up to the first-order. For 2-D spatial domains, the boundary curves are described by using either cubic or tension spline interpolation. For 3-D spatial domains, the boundary surfaces are described by using either linear Coon's interpolation, bi-hyperbolic spline interpolation, or a new technique referred to as 3-D bi-directional Hermite interpolation. Since grid systems generated by algebraic methods can have grid lines that overlap one another, GRID2D/3D contains a graphics package for evaluating the grid systems generated. With the graphics package, the user can generate grid systems in an interactive manner with the grid generation part of GRID2D/3D. GRID2D/3D is written in FORTRAN 77 and can be run on any IBM PC, XT, or AT compatible computer. In order to use GRID2D/3D on workstations or mainframe computers, some minor modifications must be made in the graphics part of the program; no modifications are needed in the grid generation part of the program. This technical memorandum describes the theory and method used in GRID2D/3D
Measurement of the Dynamical Structure Factor of a 1D Interacting Fermi Gas
We present measurements of the dynamical structure factor of an
interacting one-dimensional (1D) Fermi gas for small excitation energies. We
use the two lowest hyperfine levels of the Li atom to form a
pseudo-spin-1/2 system whose s-wave interactions are tunable via a Feshbach
resonance. The atoms are confined to 1D by a two-dimensional optical lattice.
Bragg spectroscopy is used to measure a response of the gas to density
("charge") mode excitations at a momentum and frequency . The
spectrum is obtained by varying , while the angle between two laser
beams determines , which is fixed to be less than the Fermi momentum
. The measurements agree well with Tomonaga-Luttinger theory
La selva e il colle. La ermeneutica dei generi nel primo canto dell'Inferno
L'articolo legge il primo canto dell'Inferno secondo la prospettiva della ermeneutica dei generi sessuali. La iniziale contrapposizione, che criminalizza il femminile come genere basso e negativo nella linea della misoginia antica e medievale, si trasforma, nella seconda parte del canto, in una visione modernamente complementare dei generi, nella quale il femminile viene anzi ridefinito come categoria culturalmente alta e positiva
Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd Study of Asuka 881394: Evidence of "Late" Metamorphism
The Asuka 881394 achondrite contains fossil Al-26 and Mn-53 [1,2,3] and has a Pb-207/Pb-206 age of 4566.5 plus or minus 0.2 Ma [3], the oldest for an achondrite. Preliminary results showed initial Sm-146/Sm-144 = (7.4 plus or minus 1.2) x 10(exp -3), indicative of an ancient age, but Rb-87 - Sr-87 and Sm-147 - Nd-143 ages of 4370 plus or minus 60 and 4490 plus or minus 20 Ma, resp. [1], were younger than expected from the presence of short-lived nuclides. We revisit the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd chronology of A881394 in an attempt to establish whether late metamorphism led to inconsistency in its apparent ages
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