108 research outputs found
A novel scene-recording spectroradiometer
In this paper we describe an innovative approach to providing both a
synthesised dual-beam capability and a permanent photographic record of the
precise area sensed by a spectroradiometer. These advances have been achieved
without modifying the spectroradiometer and may be used with a wide range of
commercially-available spectroradiometers
A new dual-beam technique for precise measurements of spectral reflectance in the field
Field spectral measurements made using the single - beam method often include errors due to variation in illumination between measurement of the target and the
reference (panel or cosine -corrected receptor). Although the dual-beam method avoids these errors, it introduces greater complexity due to the need to intercalibrate the two sensor heads used, and it is significantly more expensive. This paper describes an alternative dual-beam method which uses a neural network to estimate the complete irradiance spectrum from measurements made in 7 narrow bands. These narrow band measurements of irradiance may be made with a simple
filter-based radiometer, thus avoiding the expense and complexity of a second spectroradiometer. The new technique has been tested using irradiance spectra from both continental and maritime locations
The check of QCD based on the tau-decay data analysis in the complex q^2-plane
The thorough analysis of the ALEPH data on hadronic tau-decay is performed in
the framework of QCD. The perturbative calculations are performed in 3 and
4-loop approximations. The terms of the operator product expansion (OPE) are
accounted up to dimension D=8. The value of the QCD coupling constant
alpha_s(m_tau^2)=0.355 pm 0.025 was found from hadronic branching ratio R_tau.
The V+A and V spectral function are analyzed using analytical properties of
polarization operators in the whole complex q^2-plane. Borel sum rules in the
complex q^2 plane along the rays, starting from the origin, are used. It was
demonstrated that QCD with OPE terms is in agreement with the data for the
coupling constant close to the lower error edge alpha_s(m_tau^2)=0.330. The
restriction on the value of the gluonic condensate was found
=0.006 pm 0.012 GeV^2. The analytical perturbative QCD was
compared with the data. It is demonstrated to be in strong contradiction with
experiment. The restrictions on the renormalon contribution were found. The
instanton contributions to the polarization operator are analyzed in various
sum rules. In Borel transformation they appear to be small, but not in spectral
moments sum rules.Comment: 24 pages; 1 latex + 13 figure files. V2: misprints are corrected,
uncertainty in alpha_s is explained in more transparent way, acknowledgement
is adde
On the Behavior of the Effective QCD Coupling alpha_tau(s) at Low Scales
The hadronic decays of the tau lepton can be used to determine the effective
charge alpha_tau(m^2_tau') for a hypothetical tau-lepton with mass in the range
0 < m_tau' < m_tau. This definition provides a fundamental definition of the
QCD coupling at low mass scales. We study the behavior of alpha_tau at low mass
scales directly from first principles and without any renormalization-scheme
dependence by looking at the experimental data from the OPAL Collaboration. The
results are consistent with the freezing of the physical coupling at mass
scales s = m^2_tau' of order 1 GeV^2 with a magnitude alpha_tau ~ 0.9 +/- 0.1.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review D, added
references, some text added, no results nor figures change
To wet or not to wet: that is the question
Wetting transitions have been predicted and observed to occur for various
combinations of fluids and surfaces. This paper describes the origin of such
transitions, for liquid films on solid surfaces, in terms of the gas-surface
interaction potentials V(r), which depend on the specific adsorption system.
The transitions of light inert gases and H2 molecules on alkali metal surfaces
have been explored extensively and are relatively well understood in terms of
the least attractive adsorption interactions in nature. Much less thoroughly
investigated are wetting transitions of Hg, water, heavy inert gases and other
molecular films. The basic idea is that nonwetting occurs, for energetic
reasons, if the adsorption potential's well-depth D is smaller than, or
comparable to, the well-depth of the adsorbate-adsorbate mutual interaction. At
the wetting temperature, Tw, the transition to wetting occurs, for entropic
reasons, when the liquid's surface tension is sufficiently small that the free
energy cost in forming a thick film is sufficiently compensated by the fluid-
surface interaction energy. Guidelines useful for exploring wetting transitions
of other systems are analyzed, in terms of generic criteria involving the
"simple model", which yields results in terms of gas-surface interaction
parameters and thermodynamic properties of the bulk adsorbate.Comment: Article accepted for publication in J. Low Temp. Phy
Interdisciplinary and multi-institutional higher learning : reflecting on a South African case study investigating complex and dynamic environmental challenges
Complex social-ecological problems need sustained
interdisciplinary engagements across multiple disciplines, yet
academic offerings continue to reflect disciplinary silos. To
address this, a five-year program, within a developing country
context, was conceived to follow an interdisciplinary research
mode using a team of students and supervisors from various
institutions across the disciplines of ecology, hydrology and
economics. By using a flexible student training model, regional/
site specific knowledge was developed while simultaneously
developing a shared vision and a model to combine information
from each student project. Graduates felt enabled by the
program that actively encouraged interdisciplinary interactions
and engagements while simultaneously furthering disciplinary
development. Cross disciplinary communication, was
achieved through multiple engagement opportunities and
common research outputs, all facilitated by an external
boundary organization. While lengthy time frames are required
for such collaborative interdisciplinary programs, researchers,
higher learning institutions and funding agencies should not
avoid this type of program and investment.The Water Research Commission of South
Africahttp://www.journals.elsevier.com/current-opinion-in-environmental-sustainability2017-04-30hb2016Economic
Monopolium: the key to monopoles
Dirac showed that the existence of one magnetic pole in the universe could offer an explanation for the discrete nature of the electric charge. Magnetic poles appear naturally in most Grand Unified Theories. Their discovery would be of greatest importance for particle physics and cosmology. The intense experimental search carried thus far has not met with success. Moreover, if the monopoles are very massive their production is outside the range of present day facilities. A way out of this impasse would be if the monopoles bind to form monopolium, a monopole- antimonopole bound state, which is so strongly bound, that it has a relatively small mass. Under these circumstances it could be produced with present day facilities and the existence of monopoles could be indirectly proven. We study the feasibility of detecting monopolium in present and future accelerators
Short and long-term effects of tillage systems and nutrient sources on soil physical properties of a Southern Brazilian Hapludox
Effects of two different deep digital flexor tenotomy techniques on distal articular angles of equine cadaver forelimbs
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