5,528 research outputs found
Array automated assembly task, phase 2. Low cost silicon solar array project
Several modifications instituted in the wafer surface preparation process served to significantly reduce the process cost to 1.55 cents per peak watt in 1975 cents. Performance verification tests of a laser scanning system showed a limited capability to detect hidden cracks or defects, but with potential equipment modifications this cost effective system could be rendered suitable for applications. Installation of electroless nickel plating system was completed along with an optimization of the wafer plating process. The solder coating and flux removal process verification test was completed. An optimum temperature range of 500-550 C was found to produce uniform solder coating with the restriction that a modified dipping procedure is utilized. Finally, the construction of the spray-on dopant equipment was completed
An Empirical Evaluation of the Performance of Real-Time Illumination Approaches: Realistic Scenes in Augmented Reality
Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality (AR/VR/MR) systems have been developed in general, with many of these applications having accomplished significant results, rendering a virtual object in the appropriate illumination model of the real environment is still under investigation. The entertainment industry has presented an astounding outcome in several media form, albeit the rendering process has mostly been done offline. The physical scene contains the illumination information which can be sampled and then used to render the virtual objects in real-time for realistic scene. In this paper, we evaluate the accuracy of our previous and current developed systems that provide real-time dynamic illumination for coherent interactive augmented reality based on the virtual object’s appearance in association with the real world and related criteria. The system achieves that through three simultaneous aspects. (1) The first is to estimate the incident light angle in the real environment using a live-feed 360∘ camera instrumented on an AR device. (2) The second is to simulate the reflected light using two routes: (a) global cube map construction and (b) local sampling. (3) The third is to define the shading properties for the virtual object to depict the correct lighting assets and suitable shadowing imitation. Finally, the performance efficiency is examined in both routes of the system to reduce the general cost. Also, The results are evaluated through shadow observation and user study
Microalgae for municipal wastewater nutrient remediation: mechanisms, reactors and outlook for tertiary treatment
This review explores the use of microalgae for nutrient removal in municipal wastewater treatment, considering recent improvements in the understanding of removal mechanisms and developments of both suspended and non-suspended systems. Nutrient removal is associated to both direct and indirect uptake, with the former associated to the biomass concentration and growth environment (reactor). Importantly, direct uptake is influenced by the Nitrogen:Phosphorus content in both the cells and the surrounding wastewater, with opposite trends observed for N and P. Comparison of suspended and non-suspended systems revealed that whilst all were capable of achieving high levels of nutrient removal, only non-suspended immobilized systems could do so with reduced hydraulic retention times of less than 1 day. As microalgae are photosynthetic organisms, the metabolic processes associated with nutrient assimilation are driven by light. Optimization of light delivery remains a key area of development with examples of improved mixing in suspended systems and the use of pulsating lights to enhance light utilization and reduce costs. Recent data provide increased confidence in the use of microalgae for nutrient removal in municipal wastewater treatment, enabling effluent discharges below 1 mg L−1 to be met whilst generating added value in terms of bioproducts for energy production or nutrient recovery. Ultimately, the review suggests that future research should focus on non-suspended systems and the determination of the added value potential. In so doing, it is predicted that microalgae systems will be significant in the delivery of the circular economy
Superconducting gap anisotropy of LuNi2B2C thin films from microwave surface impedance measurements
Surface impedance measurements of LuNi2B2C superconducting thin films as a
function of temperature have been performed down to 1.5 K and at 20 GHz using a
dielectric resonator technique. The magnetic penetration depth closely
reproduces the standard B.C.S. result, but with a reduced value of the energy
gap at low temperature. These data provide evidence for an anisotropic s-wave
character of the order parameter symmetry in LuNi2B2C. From the evaluation of
the real part of complex conductivity, we have observed constructive (type II)
coherence effects in the electromagnetic absorption below Tc.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
A first measurement of the interaction cross section of the tau neutrino
The DONuT experiment collected data in 1997 and published first results in
2000 based on four observed charged-current (CC) interactions. The
final analysis of the data collected in the experiment is presented in this
paper, based on protons on target using the 800 GeV
Tevatron beam at Fermilab. The number of observed CC interactions is
9, from a total of 578 observed neutrino interactions. We calculated the
energy-independent part of the tau-neutrino CC cross section (), relative to the well-known and cross sections. The
ratio / was found to be
. The CC cross section was found to be cm. Both results are in
agreement the Standard Model.Comment: 37 pages, 15 figure
The K2K SciBar Detector
A new near detector, SciBar, for the K2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation
expe riment was installed to improve the measurement of neutrino energy
spectrum and to study neutrino interactions in the energy region around 1 GeV.
SciBar is a 'fully active' tracking detector with fine segmentation consisting
of plastic scintillator bars. The detector was constructed in summer 2003 and
is taking data since October 2003. The basic design and initial performance is
presented.Comment: 7 pages, 4figures, Contributed to Proceedings of the 10th Vienna
Conference on Instrumentation, Vienna, February 16-21, 200
Is there Evidence for Flat Cores in the Halos of Dwarf Galaxies?: The Case of NGC 3109 and NGC 6822
Two well studied dwarf galaxies -- NGC 3109 and NGC 6822 -- present some of
the strongest observational support for a flat core at the center of galactic
dark matter (DM) halos. We use detailed cosmologically motivated numerical
models to investigate the systematics and the accuracy of recovering parameters
of the galaxies. Some of our models match the observed structure of the two
galaxies remarkably well. Our analysis shows that the rotation curves of these
two galaxies are instead quite compatible with their DM halos having steep
cuspy density profiles. The rotation curves in our models are measured using
standard observational techniques. The models reproduce the rotation curves of
both galaxies, the disk surface brightness profiles as well as the profile of
isophotal ellipticity and position angle. The models are centrally dominated by
baryons; however, the dark matter component is globally dominant. The simulated
disk mass is marginally consistent with a stellar mass-to-light ratio in
agreement with the observed colors. We show that non-circular motions combined
with gas pressure support and projection effects results in a large
underestimation of the circular velocity in the central kpc region,
creating the illusion of a constant density core. Although the systematic
effects mentioned above are stronger in barred systems, they are also present
in axisymetric disks. Our results strongly suggest that there is no
contradiction between the observed rotation curves in dwarf galaxies and the
cuspy central dark matter density profiles predicted by Cold Dark Matter
models.Comment: Accepted for publication in the ApJ. New discussion, figures and one
appendix. High resolution version
at:http://www.astro.washington.edu/octavio/N3109_paper.ps.g
GALEX UV Color-Magnitude Relations and Evidence for Recent Star Formation in Early-type Galaxies
We have used the GALEX UV photometric data to construct a first
near-ultraviolet (NUV) color-magnitude relation (CMR) for the galaxies
pre-classified as early-type by SDSS studies. The NUV CMR is a powerful tool
for tracking the recent star formation history in early-type galaxies, owing to
its high sensitivity to the presence of young stellar populations. Our NUV CMR
for UV-weak galaxies shows a well-defined slope and thus will be useful for
interpreting the restframe NUV data of distant galaxies and studying their star
formation history. Compared to optical CMRs, the NUV CMR shows a substantially
larger scatter, which we interpret as evidence of recent star formation
activities. Roughly 15% of the recent epoch (z < 0.13) bright (M[r] < -22)
early-type galaxies show a sign of recent (< 1Gyr) star formation at the 1-2%
level (lower limit) in mass compared to the total stellar mass. This implies
that low level residual star formation was common during the last few billion
years even in bright early-type galaxies.Comment: This paper will be published as part of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
(GALEX) Astrophysical Journal Letters Special Issue. Links to the full set of
papers will be available at http://www.galex.caltech.edu/PUBLICATIONS/ after
November 22, 200
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