5,788 research outputs found
Effects of post-fire logging on forest surface air temperatures in the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon, USA
Following stand-replacing wildfire, post-fire (salvage) logging of fire-killed trees is a widely implemented management practice in many forest types. A common hypothesis is that removal of fire-killed trees increases surface temperatures due to loss of shade and increased solar radiation, thereby influencing vegetation establishment and possibly stand development. Six years after a wildfire in a Mediterranean-climate mixed-conifer forest in southwest Oregon, USA, we measured the effects of post-fire logging (> 90 per cent dead tree (snag) removal) on growing season surface air temperatures. Compared with unlogged severely burned forest, post-fire logging did not lead to increased maximum daily surface air temperature. However, dead tree removal was associated with lower nightly minimum temperatures (similar to 1 degrees C) and earlier daytime heating, leading to a 1-2 degrees C difference during the warming portion of the day. Effects varied predictably by aspect. The patterns reported here represent a similar but muted pattern as previously reported for microclimatic changes following clear-cutting of green trees. Effects of microsites such as tree bases on fine-scale temperature regimes require further investigation
Cultivation and anaerobic digestion of Scenedesmus spp. grown in a pilot-scale open raceway
Digestibility of a micro-algal mixture was evaluated by mesophilic anaerobic digestion in continuously-stirred tank reactors. The culture consisted primarily of Scenedesmus spp. continuously cultivated over a 6-month period in a 100 m2 raceway reactor instrumented to record pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature. The raceway received supplementary carbon in the form of flue gas from a diesel boiler (10% CO2) injected into a 1-m deep sump to control pH in the range 7.8–8.0. Dilution was optimised to biomass productivity and gave values of 10–15 and 20–25 g total suspended solids (TSS) m? 2 day? 1 in winter (December–February) and spring (April–May), respectively. The culture for the anaerobic digestion trial was harvested in February by centrifugation to give an algal paste containing 4.3% volatile solids (VS). Semi-continuous digestion at organic loading rates of 2.00, 2.75 and 3.50 g VS l? 1 day? 1 gave volumetric biogas productions of ~ 0.66, ~ 0.83 and ~ 0.99 l l? 1 day? 1, respectively. Specific methane yield ranged from 0.13 to 0.14 l CH4 g? 1 VSadded with biogas methane content ~ 62%. Overall the digestion process was stable, but only ~ 30% VS destruction was achieved indicating low biodegradability, due to the short retention times and the recalcitrant nature of this type of biomas
Influence du phénomène océanique pacifique, "El Nino", sur l'upwelling et le climat de la région du Cabo Frio, sur la côte brésilienne de l'Etat de Rio de Janeiro
Le phénomène océanique pacifique connu sous le nom de "El Nino", peut perturber la circulation atmosphérique de l'Amérique du Sud et le régime des vents sur la côte Atlantique du Sud et du Sud-est du Brésil. Ceci provoque un renforcement ou une disparition de l' "upwelling" local de la région du Cabo Frio (Etat de Rio de Janeiro), avec des conséquences sur le climat et la salinité de la lagune voisine d'Araruama. Etudier ces variations, dans des sédiments lagunaires, devrait permettre d'établir une chronologie des périodes de situation de type "El Nino" et, curieusement, d'enregistrer sur la côte atlantique un phénomène océanique pacifique. (Résumé d'auteur
Operator Ordering in Quantum Radiative Processes
In this work we reexamine quantum electrodynamics of atomic eletrons in the
Coulomb gauge in the dipole approximation and calculate the shift of atomic
energy levels in the context of Dalibard, Dupont-Roc and Cohen-Tannoudji (DDC)
formalism by considering the variation rates of physical observables. We then
analyze the physical interpretation of the ordering of operators in the dipole
approximation interaction Hamiltonian in terms of field fluctuations and
self-reaction of atomic eletrons, discussing the arbitrariness in the
statistical functions in second order bound-state perturbation theory.Comment: Latex file, 12 pages, no figures, includes PACS numbers and minor
changes in the text with the addition of a new sectio
Thermal shape fluctuation effects in the description of hot nuclei
The behavior of several nuclear properties with temperature is analyzed
within the framework of the Finite Temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (FTHFB)
theory with the Gogny force and large configuration spaces. Thermal shape
fluctuations in the quadrupole degree of freedom, around the mean field
solution, are taken into account with the Landau prescription. As
representative examples the nuclei Er, Dy and Hg are
studied. Numerical results for the superfluid to normal and deformed to
spherical shape transitions are presented. We found a substantial effect of the
fluctuations on the average value of several observables. In particular, we get
a decrease in the critical temperature () for the shape transition as
compared with the plain FTHFB prediction as well as a washing out of the shape
transition signatures. The new values of are closer to the ones found in
Strutinsky calculations and with the Pairing Plus Quadrupole model Hamiltonian.Comment: 17 pages, 8 Figure
The security of PSEC-KEM versus ECIES-KEM
Contains fulltext :
33145.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access
The stringy nature of the 2d type-0A black hole
We investigate the thermodynamics of the RR charged two-dimensional type-0A
black hole background at finite temperature, and compare with known 0A matrix
model results. It has been claimed that there is a disagreement for the free
energy between the spacetime and the dual matrix model. Here we find that this
discrepancy is sensitive to how the cutoff is implemented on the spacetime
side. In particular, the disagreement is resolved once we put the cutoff at a
fixed distance away from the horizon, as opposed to a fixed position in space.
Furthermore, the mass and the entropy of the black hole itself add up to an
analytic contribution to the free energy, which is precisely reproduced by the
0A matrix model. We also use results from the 0A matrix model to predict the
next to leading order contribution to the entropy of the black hole. Finally,
we note that the black hole is characterized by a Hagedorn growth in its
density of states below the Hagedorn temperature. This, together with other
results, suggests there is a phase transition at this temperature.Comment: 1+21 pages; v2: Substantial changes in the body of the paper, main
results the same. Clarified discussion on the thermodynamics, added section
on a phase transition, references added. v3: Typos corrected. v4: Final
version, to appear in JHE
Using learning design as a framework for supporting the design and reuse of OER
The paper will argue that adopting a learning design methodology may provide a vehicle for enabling better design and reuse of Open Educational Resources (OERs). It will describe a learning design methodology, which is being developed and implemented at the Open University in the UK.
The aim is to develop a 'pick and mix' learning design toolbox of different resources and tools to help designers/teachers make informed decisions about creating new or adapting existing learning activities. The methodology is applicable for designers/teachers designing in a traditional context – such as creation of materials as part of a formal curriculum, but also has value for those wanting to create OERs or adapt and repurpose existing OERs. With the increasing range of OERs now available through initiatives as part of the Open Courseware movement, we believe that methodologies, such as the one we describe in this paper, which can help guide reuse and adaptation will become increasingly important and arguably are an important aspect of ensuring longer term sustainability and uptake of OERs. Our approach adopts an empirically based approach to understanding and representing the design process. This includes a range of evaluation studies (capturing of case studies, interviews with designers/teachers, in-depth course evaluation and focus groups/workshops), which are helping to develop our understanding of how designers/teachers go about creating new learning activities. Alongside this we are collating an extensive set of tools and resources to support the design process, as well as developing a new Learning Design tool that helps teachers articulate and represent their design ideas. The paper will describe how we have adapted a mind mapping and argumentation tool, Compendium, for this purpose and how it is being used to help designers and teachers create and share learning activities. It will consider how initial evaluation of the use of the tool for learning design has been positive; users report that the tool is easy to use and helps them organise and articulate their learning designs. Importantly the tool also enables them to share and discuss their thinking about the design process. However it is also clear that visualising the design process is only one aspect of design, which is complex and multi-faceted
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor stimulates energy metabolism in developing cortical neurons.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes the biochemical and morphological differentiation of selective populations of neurons during development. In this study we examined the energy requirements associated with the effects of BDNF on neuronal differentiation. Because glucose is the preferred energy substrate in the brain, the effect of BDNF on glucose utilization was investigated in developing cortical neurons via biochemical and imaging studies. Results revealed that BDNF increases glucose utilization and the expression of the neuronal glucose transporter GLUT3. Stimulation of glucose utilization by BDNF was shown to result from the activation of Na+/K+-ATPase via an increase in Na+ influx that is mediated, at least in part, by the stimulation of Na+-dependent amino acid transport. The increased Na+-dependent amino acid uptake by BDNF is followed by an enhancement of overall protein synthesis associated with the differentiation of cortical neurons. Together, these data demonstrate the ability of BDNF to stimulate glucose utilization in response to an enhanced energy demand resulting from increases in amino acid uptake and protein synthesis associated with the promotion of neuronal differentiation by BDNF
Optimal design of a Low-Cost SAE JA2954 compliant WPT system using NSGA-II
Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems for electric vehicle charging are one of the most promising methods that, given the advantages they bring, will help the desired deployment of electric vehicles. This paper presents a mathematical optimisation method applied to the design of an 11 kW S-S system that complies with the SAE J2954 standard. A proposal is made to calculate the electrical parameters of the circuit based on equations that are compared with the results obtained by simulation with finite elements and experimental measurements, achieving very tight results with a reduced computational time. The NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm is then applied together with the secant method, defining three different scenarios: minimisation of the primary copper volume, minimisation of the secondary copper volume and a compromise solution optimising the total primary and secondary copper volume. The result is a set of Pareto optimal solutions, from which the one that meets the standard can be extracted that suits the designer’s needs
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