Design, fabrication, testing and delivery of a solar collector

A two phase program encompassing the redesign and fabrication of a solar collector which is low in cost and aesthetically appealing is described. Phase one work reviewed the current collector design and developed a low-cost design based on specific design/performance/cost requirements. Throughout this phase selected collector component materials were evaluated by testing and by considering cost, installation, maintainability and durability. The resultant collector design was composed of an absorber plate, insulation, frame, cover, desiccant and sealant. In Phase two, three collector prototypes were fabricated and evaluated for both nonthermal and thermal characteristics. Tests included static load tests of covers, burst pressure tests of absorber plates, and tests for optical characteristics of selective absorber plate coatings. The three prototype collectors were shipped to Marshall Space Flight Center for use in their solar heating and cooling test facility

A SOCIAL COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF A SMALL-SCALE CLAM FISHERY IN THE EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

When a proposal was advanced in 1991 to harvest the wedge clam Donax serra in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, for commercial gain, it elicited a huge public outcry. In order to shed light on the issue, a social costbenefit analysis (CBA), based on a biologically sustainable extraction rate of 100 ton of clams per year, was carried out on its commercial exploitation. Because fishery activities might exact a price on society in the form of negatively altering the quality of people\'s recreation experience in the area, as well as damage the aesthetic and ecological attributes of the beach system, such external effects were identified and valuated. Results from the CBA yielded positive net present values (NPVs) for project options involving live clams being sold on the export market (to Hong Kong) for R24.70 kg-1 and negative NPVs for domestic market options (Johannesburg and Cape Town), where the clam would be sold for R6.50 kg-1. Assuming a discount rate of 8&#37, the highest NPV was obtained for the scenario in which total production was sold on the foreign market and the firm rented facilities of an existing organization. The external cost was the single largest component of the cost of the fishery. The conclusion drawn is that the social benefit of the project exceeds the social cost – a conclusion which supports commercial exploitation of clam stocks along the St Francis Bay beach, but one which does not include the osts associated with policing.Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 159–16

Low-temperature reactions: Tunnelling in space.

International audienceChemical reactions with activation barriers generally slow to a halt in the extreme cold of dense interstellar clouds. Low-temperature experiments on the reaction of OH with methanol have now shown that below 200 K there is a major acceleration in the rate that can only be explained by enhanced quantum mechanical tunnelling through the barrier

A measurement system for vertical seawater profiles close to the air–sea interface

This paper describes a near-surface ocean profiler, which has been designed to precisely measure vertical gradients in the top 10 m of the ocean. Variations in the depth of seawater collection are minimized when using the profiler compared to conventional CTD/rosette deployments. The profiler consists of a remotely operated winch mounted on a tethered yet free-floating buoy, which is used to raise and lower a small frame housing sensors and inlet tubing. Seawater at the inlet depth is pumped back to the ship for analysis. The profiler can be used to make continuous vertical profiles or to target a series of discrete depths. The profiler has been successfully deployed during wind speeds up to 10 m s−1 and significant wave heights up to 2 m. We demonstrate the potential of the profiler by presenting measured vertical profiles of the trace gases carbon dioxide and dimethylsulfide. Trace gas measurements use an efficient microporous membrane equilibrator to minimize the system response time. The example profiles show vertical gradients in the upper 5 m for temperature, carbon dioxide and dimethylsulfide of 0.15 °C, 4 µatm and 0.4 nM respectively

The inverse resonance problem for perturbations of algebro-geometric potentials

We prove that a compactly supported perturbation of a rational or simply periodic algebro-geometric potential of the one-dimensional Schr\"odinger equation on the half line is uniquely determined by the location of its Dirichlet eigenvalues and resonances.Comment: 14 page

Beagle 2: Seeking the signatures of life on Mars

ESA's Beagle 2 lander will land on Mars to search for signatures of present and past life. A Gas Analysis Package (GAP) with a mass spectrometer, XRF, Mossbauer, stereo cameras, microscope, environmental sensors, rock corer/grinder, and a Mole attachment are on the lander

Developing an On-Line Interactive Health Psychology Module.

On-line teaching material in health psychology was developed which ensured a range of students could access appropriate material for their course and level of study. This material has been developed around the concept of smaller 'content chunks' which can be combined into whole units of learning (topics), and ultimately, a module. On the basis of the underlying philosophy that the medium is part of the message, we considered interactivity to be a key element in engaging the student with the material. Consequently, the key aim of this development was to stimulate and engage students, promoting better involvement with the academic material, and hence better learning. It was hoped that this was achieved through the development of material including linked programmes and supporting material, small Java Scripts and basic email, forms and HTML additions. This material is outlined as are some of the interactive activities introduced, and the preliminary student and tutor experience described