A Dodecalogue of Basic Didactics from Applications of Abstract Differential Geometry to Quantum Gravity

We summarize the twelve most important in our view novel concepts that have arisen, based on results that have been obtained, from various applications of Abstract Differential Geometry (ADG) to Quantum Gravity (QG). The present document may be used as a concise, yet informal, discursive and peripatetic conceptual guide-cum-terminological glossary to the voluminous technical research literature on the subject. In a bonus section at the end, we dwell on the significance of introducing new conceptual terminology in future QG research by means of `poetic language'Comment: 16 pages, preliminary versio

Assessment of surface solar irradiance derived from real-time modelling techniques and verification with ground-based measurements

This study focuses on the assessment of surface solar radiation (SSR) based on operational neural network (NN) and multi-regression function (MRF) modelling techniques that produce instantaneous (in less than 1 min) outputs. Using real-time cloud and aerosol optical properties inputs from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on board the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), respectively, these models are capable of calculating SSR in high resolution (1 nm, 0.05 degree, 15 min) that can be used for spectrally integrated irradiance maps, databases and various applications related to energy exploitation. The real-time models are validated against ground-based measurements of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) in a temporal range varying from 15 min to monthly means, while a sensitivity analysis of the cloud and aerosol effects on SSR is performed to ensure reliability under different sky and climatological conditions. The simulated outputs, compared to their common training dataset created by the radiative transfer model (RTM) libRadtran, showed median error values in the range −15 to +15 % for the NN that produces spectral irradiances (NNS), 5–6 % underestimation for the integrated NN and close to zero errors for the MRF technique. The verification against BSRN revealed that the real-time calculation uncertainty ranges from −100 to +40 and −20 to +20 W/m^2, for the 15 min and monthly mean global horizontal irradiance (GHI) averages, respectively, while the accuracy of the input parameters, in terms of aerosol and cloud optical thickness (AOD and COT), and their impact on GHI, was of the order of 10 % as compared to the ground-based measurements. The proposed system aims to be utilized through studies and real-time applications which are related to solar energy production planning and use

Experimental study of the turbulent structure of the surface marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer over the Aegean Pelagos under etesian winds

In order to study the physical processes of the turbulent transportation of mass and energy within the surface Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer over the Aegean Pelagos, field measurements were conducted on the island of Skyros, mainly under the etesian winds, during summer 2011. Α meteorological mast was installed close to the shoreline, instrumented with fast anemometer (sonic) and hydrometer measuring the three components of the wind, the virtual temperature and water vapor at 10m height with a sampling frequency of 20Hz. At the same mast slow response sensors were measuring wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity at three levels (2, 6 and 10 m). Weak stable to near neutral flows were recorded during the experimental period. The eddy correlation analysis re-vealed the momentum and heat fluxes values which are presented and discussed. The estimated values are related both with stability and wind speed variations

Dust impact on surface solar irradiance assessed with model simulations, satellite observations and ground-based measurements

This study assesses the impact of dust on surface solar radiation focussing on an extreme dust event. For this purpose, we exploited the synergy of AERONET measurements and passive and active satellite remote sensing (MODIS and CALIPSO) observations, in conjunction with radiative transfer model (RTM) and chemical transport model (CTM) simulations and the 1-day forecasts from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The area of interest is the eastern Mediterranean where anomalously high aerosol loads were recorded between 30 January and 3 February 2015. The intensity of the event was extremely high, with aerosol optical depth (AOD) reaching 3.5, and optical/microphysical properties suggesting aged dust. RTM and CTM simulations were able to quantify the extent of dust impact on surface irradiances and reveal substantial reduction in solar energy exploitation capacity of PV and CSP installations under this high aerosol load. We found that such an extreme dust event can result in Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) attenuation by as much as 40–50 % and a much stronger Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) decrease (80–90 %), while spectrally this attenuation is distributed to 37 % in the UV region, 33 % in the visible and around 30 % in the infrared. CAMS forecasts provided a reliable available energy assessment (accuracy within 10 % of that obtained from MODIS). Spatially, the dust plume resulted in a zonally averaged reduction of GHI and DNI of the order of 150 W/m^2 in southern Greece, and a mean increase of 20 W/m^2 in the northern Greece as a result of lower AOD values combined with local atmospheric processes. This analysis of a real-world scenario contributes to the understanding and quantification of the impact range of high aerosol loads on solar energy and the potential for forecasting power generation failures at sunshine-privileged locations where solar power plants exist, are under construction or are being planned

Decomposition of pure states of quantum register

The generalization of Schmidt decomposition due to Cartelet-Higuchi-Sudbery applied to quantum register (a system of N qubits) is shown to acquire direct geometrical meaning: any pure state is canonically associated with a chain of a simplicial complex. A leading vector method is presented to calculate the values of the coefficients of appropriate chain

Hybrid integration of microfabricated chemοcapacitor arrays with miniaturized read-out electronics towards low-power gas sensing module

AbstractA hybrid gas sensing module consisting of an array of 8 polymer coated capacitive sensors and low power read-out electronics is introduced. The chemocapacitor array is fabricated with standard microelectronics/micromachining processes allowing for the realization of planar InterDigitated Electrodes (IDEs). The read-out electronics sub- module consists of an analog multiplexer for the sequential measurement of the sensor array elements, a capacitance to 24-bit converter and a USB to I2C interface. The compact hybrid module has been successfully applied in the detection of sub-100ppm concentrations of p-xylene and toluene. The responses to various humidity levels have been also evaluated

Algebraic description of spacetime foam

A mathematical formalism for treating spacetime topology as a quantum observable is provided. We describe spacetime foam entirely in algebraic terms. To implement the correspondence principle we express the classical spacetime manifold of general relativity and the commutative coordinates of its events by means of appropriate limit constructions.Comment: 34 pages, LaTeX2e, the section concerning classical spacetimes in the limit essentially correcte

The incidence of myelodysplastic syndromes in Western Greece is increasing.

Descriptive epidemiology of the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is always interesting and may reveal time-dependent and geographical variations, as well as occupational exposure. Epidemiological data in Greece are not available by now. We have collected and analyzed medical records of all patients with a documented diagnosis of MDS, performed by an expert hematologist and/or hematopathologist, in the geographical area of Western Greece, during the 20-year period, defined between 1990 and 2009. We have then calculated and described demographic and clinical features of the diagnosed MDS patient population, and assessed the incidence and prevalence rates of MDS in Western Greece, during the above-mentioned period. A total of 855 patients with newly diagnosed MDS have been identified. Refractory anemia was the most common subtype in both FAB and WHO classification systems and in both genders. Del-5q and RARS were more commonly encountered among females, and the dysplastic subtype of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia among males. Trisomy 8 was the most common single cytogenetic abnormality. The crude mean annual incidence rate of MDS was 6.0 per 100,000 inhabitants aged ≥15 years old (all subtypes according to FAB), and it was 4.8 per 100,000 when CMML and RAEB-T were excluded. Crude incidence rate was higher in rural than in urban areas, but this finding was not confirmed after age standardization. Age-standardized mean annual incidence rate in men was 7.9/100,000 and in women 3.4/100,000. A continuously increasing incidence rate of MDS has been observed throughout the study period

Results from the Fourth WMO Filter Radiometer Comparison for aerosol optical depth measurements

This study presents the results of the Fourth Filter Radiometer Comparison that was held in Davos, Switzerland, between 28 September and 16 October 2015. Thirty filter radiometers and spectroradiometers from 12 countries participated including reference instruments from global aerosol networks. The absolute differences of all instruments compared to the reference have been based on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) criterion defined as follows: 95% of the measured data has to be within 0.005±0.001∕m (where m is the air mass). At least 24 out of 29 instruments achieved this goal at both 500 and 865nm, while 12 out of 17 and 13 out of 21 achieved this at 368 and 412nm, respectively. While searching for sources of differences among different instruments, it was found that all individual differences linked to Rayleigh, NO2, ozone, water vapor calculations and related optical depths and air mass calculations were smaller than 0.01 in aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 and 865nm. Different cloud-detecting algorithms used have been compared. Ångström exponent calculations showed relatively large differences among different instruments, partly because of the high calculation uncertainty of this parameter in low AOD conditions. The overall low deviations of these AOD results and the high accuracy of reference aerosol network instruments demonstrated a promising framework to achieve homogeneity, compatibility and harmonization among the different spectral AOD networks in the near future