13,771 research outputs found
Quantum bounds for gravitational de Sitter entropy and the Cardy-Verlinde formula
We analyze different types of quantum corrections to the Cardy-Verlinde
entropy formula in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe and in an (anti)-de
Sitter space. In all cases we show that quantum corrections can be represented
by an effective cosmological constant which is then used to redefine the
parameters entering the Cardy-Verlinde formula so that it becomes valid also
with quantum corrections, a fact that we interpret as a further indication of
its universality. A proposed relation between Cardy-Verlinde formula and the
ADM Hamiltonian constraint is given.Comment: LaTeX file, 15 pages, reference is adde
The spectral content of SDO/AIA 1600 and 1700 \AA\ filters from flare and plage observations
The strong enhancement of the ultraviolet emission during solar flares is
usually taken as an indication of plasma heating in the lower solar atmosphere
caused by the deposition of the energy released during these events. Images
taken with broadband ultraviolet filters by the {\em Transition Region and
Coronal Explorer} (TRACE) and {\em Atmospheric Imaging Assembly} (AIA 1600 and
1700~\AA) have revealed the morphology and evolution of flare ribbons in great
detail. However, the spectral content of these images is still largely unknown.
Without the knowledge of the spectral contribution to these UV filters, the use
of these rich imaging datasets is severely limited. Aiming to solve this issue,
we estimate the spectral contributions of the AIA UV flare and plage images
using high-resolution spectra in the range 1300 to 1900~\AA\ from the Skylab
NRL SO82B spectrograph. We find that the flare excess emission in AIA 1600~\AA\
is { dominated by} the \ion{C}{4} 1550~\AA\ doublet (26\%), \ion{Si}{1}
continua (20\%), with smaller contributions from many other chromospheric lines
such as \ion{C}{1} 1561 and 1656~\AA\ multiplets, \ion{He}{2} 1640~\AA,
\ion{Si}{2} 1526 and 1533~\AA. For the AIA 1700~\AA\ band, \ion{C}{1} 1656~\AA\
multiplet is the main contributor (38\%), followed by \ion{He}{2} 1640 (17\%),
and accompanied by a multitude of other, { weaker} chromospheric lines, with
minimal contribution from the continuum. Our results can be generalized to
state that the AIA UV flare excess emission is of chromospheric origin, while
plage emission is dominated by photospheric continuum emission in both
channels.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Skylab NRL SO82B data used in this
work available at http://dx.doi.org/10.5525/gla.researchdata.68
The Use of Online Panel Data in Management Research: A Review and Recommendations
Management scholars have long depended on convenience samples to conduct research involving human participants. However, the past decade has seen an emergence of a new convenience sample: online panels and online panel participants. The data these participants provide—online panel data (OPD)—has been embraced by many management scholars owing to the numerous benefits it provides over “traditional” convenience samples. Despite those advantages, OPD has not been warmly received by all. Currently, there is a divide in the field over the appropriateness of OPD in management scholarship. Our review takes aim at the divide with the goal of providing a common understanding of OPD and its utility and providing recommendations regarding when and how to use OPD and how and where to publish it. To accomplish these goals, we inventoried and reviewed OPD use across 13 management journals spanning 2006 to 2017. Our search resulted in 804 OPD-based studies across 439 articles. Notably, our search also identified 26 online panel platforms (“brokers”) used to connect researchers with online panel participants. Importantly, we offer specific guidance to authors, reviewers, and editors, having implications for both micro and macro management scholars
SONTRAC: an imaging spectrometer for solar neutrons
An instrument capable of unambiguously determining the energy and direction of incident neutrons has important applications in solar physics-as well as environmental monitoring and medical/radiological sciences. The SONTRAC (SOlar Neutron TRACking) instrument is designed to operate in the neutron energy range of 20-250 MeV. The measurement principle is based on non-relativistic double scatter of neutrons off ambient protons (n-p scattering) within a block of densely packed scintillating fibers. Using this double-scatter mode it is possible to uniquely determine neutron energy and direction on an event-by-event basis. A fully operational science model of such an instrument has been built using 300 μm (250 μm active) scintillating fibers. The science model consists of a 5×5×5 cm cube of orthogonal plastic scintillating fiber layers. Two orthogonal imaging chains, employing image intensifiers and CCD cameras, allow full 3-dimensional reconstruction of scattered proton particle tracks. We report the results of the science model instrument calibration using 35-65 MeV protons. The proton calibration is the first step toward understanding the instrument response to n-p scatter events. Preliminary results give proton energy resolution of 2% (6%) at 67.5 (35) MeV, and angular resolution of 2° (4.5°) at 67.5 (35) MeV. These measurements are being used to validate detailed instrument simulations that will be used to optimize the instrument design and develop quantitative estimates of science return. Based on the proton calibration, neutron energy and angular resolution for a 10×10×10 cm version of SONTRAC is expected to be ~5% an
Changes in Habitat Use of Montezuma Quail in Response to Tree Canopy Reduction in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico
Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) are unique among quail with respect to clutch size, diet, covey dynamics, and habitat use. With the exception of a few notable early studies, there is relatively little information on the ecology of Montezuma quail. Pervious research has indicated that one of the primary habitats utilized by Montezuma quail is pinyon–juniper (Pinus spp.–Juniperus spp.) woodlands. Throughout many areas of the southwestern United States, pinyon–juniper woodlands are often targeted for thinning projects. Many studies have been conducted on the amount of canopy cover needed by other quail species. However, data on characteristics of their preferred habitat in many of the mountains they inhabit is limited in the literature and no data are currently published on their response to thinning projects. Therefore, studies are warranted to fill in these missing data, which will increase our knowledge about the habitat requirements of Montezuma quail and allow us to make informed decisions about thinning projects in areas occupied by Montezuma quail. The goal of this research was to evaluate Montezuma quail responses to common silvicultural practices, specifically pinyon–juniper thinning in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. Results of our project indicated that Montezuma quail selected for sites that had been thinned to reduce canopy cover to a 30–40% mosaic. Selection for this habitat was much higher than selection for the surrounding area, which consisted of ≥70% canopy cover (Manly–Chesson Selectivity Index = 1.68). Overall, this study yields vital information for managers considering implanting thinning projects in Montezuma quail habitat
Development and performance of the Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope for SNM detection
FNIT (the Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope), a detector with both imaging and energy measurement capabilities, sensitive to neutrons in the range 0.8-20 MeV, was initially conceived to study solar neutrons as a candidate design for the Inner Heliosphere Sentinel (IHS) spacecraft of NASA\u27s Solar Sentinels program and successively reconfigured to locate fission neutron sources. By accurately identifying the position of the source with imaging techniques and reconstructing the Watt spectrum of fission neutrons, FNIT can detect samples of special nuclear material (SNM), including heavily shielded and masked ones. The detection principle is based on multiple elastic neutron-proton scatterings in organic scintillators. By reconstructing n-p event locations and sequence and measuring the recoil proton energies, the direction and energy spectrum of the primary neutron flux can be determined and neutron sources identified. We describe the design of the FNIT prototype and present its energy reconstruction and imaging performance, assessed by exposing FNIT to a neutron beam and to a Pu fission neutron source
WKB-type Approximation to Noncommutative Quantum Cosmology
In this work, we develop and apply the WKB approximation to several examples
of noncommutative quantum cosmology, obtaining the time evolution of the
noncommutative universe, this is done starting from a noncommutative quantum
formulation of cosmology where the noncommutativity is introduced by a
deformation on the minisuperspace variables. This procedure gives a
straightforward algorithm to incorporate noncommutativity to cosmology and
inflation.Comment: Revtex4, 6 pages, no figure
The complex dynamics of agriculture as a financial asset: introduction to a symposium
The contemporary process of financialization has been a major driver of the remarkable changes witnessed in global food and agricultural markets over the past decade, contributing to the rise and subsequent volatility of food and agricultural commodity prices since 2006. In the wake of these developments it has become clear that the turmoil has intensified the relationship between agriculture and finance in ways that have profound and enduring implications for the sector, and the people whose lives and livelihoods depend upon it.
This symposium brings together four original research articles that contemplate the contemporary relationship between the agrifood and financial sectors. They examine a variety of overlapping themes, including the creation of financial assets from farmland and agricultural commodities, the activities of different types of investors in these assets in specific geographic contexts, and the challenges of governing this activity at the global scale.
These articles show that the period of market volatility that began a decade ago reinvigorated investor interest in financial products linked to agriculture and farming, and inspired the packaging of new farms of financial assets in ways that have affected politics and practice on the ground, and are likely to leave a lasting legacy
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