Quantification of Reef Fish Assemblages: A Comparison of Several In Situ Methods

On two coral reef biotopes off St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands a total of 41 in situ visual assessments of reef fish assemblages were conducted using six different methods. These methods included: transect, quadrat, random count, clnetransect, cineturret, and still photography. The dependent variables (numbers of species and species diversity) were examined for possible influence by the independent sample variables (time of day, amount of observation, time, reef site, and census method). Cluster analyses indicated that all methods gather data which allow community separation based on the sample variables. However, methods which tend to produce more information in terms of more species and numbers of individuals tend to recognize these sample variables more distinctly. Census assessment methods strongly Influenced the dependent variables. It is suspected that the amount of time employed for each method may be the most Important feature influencing in situ reef fish assemblage assessments

Water-Based Pressure-Sensitive Paints

Water-based pressure-sensitive paints (PSPs) have been invented as alternatives to conventional organic-solvent-based pressure-sensitive paints, which are used primarily for indicating distributions of air pressure on wind-tunnel models. Typically, PSPs are sprayed onto aerodynamic models after they have been mounted in wind tunnels. When conventional organic-solvent-based PSPs are used, this practice creates a problem of removing toxic fumes from inside the wind tunnels. The use of water-based PSPs eliminates this problem. The waterbased PSPs offer high performance as pressure indicators, plus all the advantages of common water-based paints (low toxicity, low concentrations of volatile organic compounds, and easy cleanup by use of water)

Development of a Pressure Sensitive Paint System for Measuring Global Surface Pressures on Rotorcraft Blades

This paper will describe the results from a proof of concept test to examine the feasibility of using Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) to measure global surface pressures on rotorcraft blades in hover. The test was performed using the U.S. Army 2-meter Rotor Test Stand (2MRTS) and 15% scale swept rotor blades. Data were collected from five blades using both the intensity- and lifetime-based approaches. This paper will also outline several modifications and improvements that are underway to develop a system capable of measuring pressure distributions on up to four blades simultaneously at hover and forward flight conditions

Diffuse versus square-well confining potentials in modelling AA@C60_{60} atoms

Attention: this version-$2$ of the manuscript differs from its previously uploaded version-$1$ (arXiv:1112.6158v1) and subsequently published in 2012 J. Phys. B \textbf{45} 105102 only by a removed typo in Eq.(2) of version-$1$; there was the erroneous factor "2" in both terms in the right-hand-side of the Eq.(2) of version-$1$. Now that the typo is removed, Eq.(2) is correct. A perceived advantage for the replacement of a discontinuous square-well pseudo-potential, which is often used by various researchers as an approximation to the actual C$_{60}$ cage potential in calculations of endohedral atoms $A$@C$_{60}$, by a more realistic diffuse potential is explored. The photoionization of endohedral H@C$_{60}$ and Xe@C$_{60}$ is chosen as the case study. The diffuse potential is modelled by a combination of two Woods-Saxon potentials. It is demonstrated that photoionization spectra of $A$@C$_{60}$ atoms are largely insensitive to the degree $\eta$ of diffuseness of the potential borders, in a reasonably broad range of $\eta$'s. Alternatively, these spectra are found to be insensitive to discontinuity of the square-well potential either. Both potentials result in practically identical calculated spectra. New numerical values for the set of square-well parameters, which lead to a better agreement between experimental and theoretical data for $A$@C$_{60}$ spectra, are recommended for future studies.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

The Flame Emission of Indium from a Pyrotechnical View

Until today, all blue‐colored light‐generating pyrotechnics are still based on copper and a halogen‐source providing the blue‐emitting species copper(I) chloride, copper(I) bromide or copper(I) iodide. The use of indium as a potential halogen‐free blue light emitter in modern pyrotechnics is described. Therefore, metallic indium was introduced as both fuel and colorant in various pyrotechnical formulations including guanidine nitrate or potassium nitrate as oxidizing agent as well as magnesium, hexamethylentetramine and 5‐amino‐1H‐tetrazole as fuel. The effect of incandescence was examined by applying different magnesium contents within the mixtures. Emission spectra and occurring emission lines of indium‐based pyrotechnical compositions were recorded and evaluated for the first time. Since the expected blue flame color could not be completely achieved, the emission of indium was discussed from an academic point of view

Experimental study and calculation of the electron transfer coefficients on the dissolution behavior of chitosan in organic acids

Chitosan (CH) consists of water-insoluble N-acetylglucosamine and D-glucosamine molecules and has a higher solubility at a pH below six. This studyevaluated the solubility of chitosan in solutions of organic acids for the formation of films. HyperChemTMsoftware was used to perform the quantum analysis. In the experimental trials, the total soluble mass (TSM) and the viscosity of the solutions were measured by capillary viscometer. The chitosan filmswere made by the plate melting method, and the filmcharacteristics were evaluated. A quantum simulation suggested that lactic acid (LA) has a greater stability to react with chitosan. It was then verified experimentally that LA is a better solvent for chitosan due to the increase in its viscosity. The chemical interaction between CH and LA in solution favors the polymerization of films with better physical properties. We thereforeconclude that the uniformity in the formation of films of this polymer depends on the chemical interaction between the CH and the acid and not on the degree of solubility of the polymer

The SCEC/USGS Dynamic Earthquake Rupture Code Verification Exercise

Numerical simulations of earthquake rupture dynamics are now common, yet it has been difficult to test the validity of thesesimulations because there have been few field observations and no analytic solutions with which to compare the results. This paper describes the Southern California Earthquake Center/U.S. Geological Surve(SCEC/USGS) Dynamic Earthquake Rupture Code Verification Exercise, where codes that simulate spontaneous rupture dynamics in three dimensions are evaluated and the results produced by these codes are compared using Web-based tools. This is the first time that a broad and rigorous examination of numerous spontaneous rupture codes has been performed—a significant advance in this science. The automated process developed to attain this achievement provides for a future where testing of codes is easily accomplished. Scientists who use computer simulations to understand earthquakes utilize a range of techniques. Most of these assume that earthquakes are caused by slip at depth on faults in the Earth, but hereafter the strategies vary. Among the methods used in earthquake mechanics studies are kinematic approaches and dynamic approaches. The kinematic approach uses a computer code that prescribes the spatial and temporal evolution of slip on the causative fault (or faults). These types of simulations are very helpful, especially since they can be used in seismic data inversions to relate the ground motions recorded in the field to slip on the fault(s) at depth. However, these kinematic solutions generally provide no insight into the physics driving the fault slip or information about why the involved fault(s) slipped that much (or that little). In other words, these kinematic solutions may lack information about the physical dynamics of earthquake rupture that will be most helpful in forecasting future events. To help address this issue, some researchers use computer codes to numerically simulate earthquakes and construct dynamic, spontaneous rupture (hereafter called “spontaneous rupture”) solutions. For these types of numerical simulations, rather than prescribing the slip function at each location on the fault(s), just the friction constitutive properties and initial stress conditions are prescribed. The subsequent stresses and fault slip spontaneously evolve over time as part of the elasto-dynamic solution. Therefore, spontaneous rupture computer simulations of earthquakes allow us to include everything that we know, or think that we know, about earthquake dynamics and to test these ideas against earthquake observations