916 research outputs found
Emotional response to images of wind turbines: a psychophysiological study of their visual impact on the landscape
YesSocial acceptance for wind turbines is variable, providing a challenge to the implementation of this energy source. Psychological research could contribute to the science of climate change. Here we focus on the emotional responses to the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape, a factor which dominates attitudes towards this technology. Participants in the laboratory viewed images of turbines and other constructions (churches, pylons and power-plants) against rural scenes, and provided psychophysiological and self-report measures of their emotional reactions. We hypothesised that the emotional response to wind turbines would be more negative and intense than to control objects, and that this difference would be accentuated for turbine opponents. As predicted, the psychophysiological response to turbines was stronger than the response to churches, but did not differ from that of other industrial constructions. In contrast with predictions, turbines were rated as less aversive and more calming compared with other industrial constructions, and equivalent to churches. Supporters and non-supporters did not differ significantly from each other. We discuss how a methodology using photo manipulations and emotional self-assessments can help estimate the emotional reaction to the visual impact on the landscape at the planning stage for new wind turbine applications.This work was partly funded by an ESRC First Grant RES-061-25-0512 to D
Logarithmic extensions of minimal models: characters and modular transformations
We study logarithmic conformal field models that extend the (p,q) Virasoro
minimal models. For coprime positive integers and , the model is defined
as the kernel of the two minimal-model screening operators. We identify the
field content, construct the W-algebra W(p,q) that is the model symmetry (the
maximal local algebra in the kernel), describe its irreducible modules, and
find their characters. We then derive the SL(2,Z) representation on the space
of torus amplitudes and study its properties. From the action of the
screenings, we also identify the quantum group that is Kazhdan--Lusztig-dual to
the logarithmic model.Comment: 43pp., AMSLaTeX++. V3: Some explanatory comments added, notational
inaccuracies corrected, references adde
Unexpected Sources of Strontium to the Neuse and Cape Fear River Basins, North Carolina: Implications for the Global Strontium Isotope Budget in Seawater
Water, bedrock, and saprolite samples from the Neuse and Cape Fear River basins, North Carolina, were analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr and [Sr] to evaluate the control of exposed bedrock on fluvial Sr isotopic compositions and the influence of geology on Sr delivered to the ocean. The 87Sr/86Sr and [Sr] of the two rivers start low and rise downstream, eventually approximating recent ocean isotopic compositions before entering their estuaries. Groundwater samples from the headwaters have 87Sr/86Sr ratios that are lower than expected from the dominant exposed bedrock. The isotopic compositions of bedrock and saprolite samples vary predictably with rock type and age and show no correlation with degree of weathering. The data indicate that dominant surficial bedrock is not the primary source of Sr to the headwaters of the rivers. Rather, mafic dikes that focus groundwater flow and are more easily weathered than their silicic hosts impact the 87Sr/86Sr of the waters more than their limited exposure might suggest. Furthermore, the Sr isotopic composition of the water delivered to the marine environment is buffered by groundwater from coastal plain sedimentary rocks, leaving no evidence of upstream geology. The data suggest that rock type and structure exert significant control on the Sr isotope geochemistry of groundwater that enters into streams. Considering the global fluvial Sr budget, these results emphasize that, in some settings, (1) rock exposure area can be a poor indication of the geologic influence on Sr isotopic compositions of surface waters, and (2) downstream Sr isotopic compositions may not reflect upstream geology
Unravelling the effect of fluorinated ligands in hybrid EUV photoresists by X-ray spectroscopy
Extended multiplet structure in Logarithmic Conformal Field Theories
We use the process of quantum hamiltonian reduction of SU(2)_k, at rational
level k, to study explicitly the correlators of the h_{1,s} fields in the
c_{p,q} models. We find from direct calculation of the correlators that we have
the possibility of extra, chiral and non-chiral, multiplet structure in the
h_{1,s} operators beyond the `minimal' sector. At the level of the vacuum null
vector h_{1,2p-1}=(p-1)(q-1) we find that there can be two extra non-chiral
fermionic fields. The extra indicial structure present here permeates
throughout the entire theory. In particular we find we have a chiral triplet of
fields at h_{1,4p-1}=(2p-1)(2q-1). We conjecture that this triplet algebra may
produce a rational extended c_{p,q} model. We also find a doublet of fields at
h_{1,3p-1}=(\f{3p}{2}-1)(\f{3q}{2}-1). These are chiral fermionic operators if
p and q are not both odd and otherwise parafermionic.Comment: 24 pages LATEX. Minor corrections and extra reference
Marine mammal distribution and abundance in an offshore sub-region of the northeastern Chukchi Sea during the open-water season
AbstractThis paper describes the distribution and abundance of marine mammals during the open-water season within and near three offshore oil and gas prospects in the northeastern Chukchi Sea, known as the Klondike, Burger, and Statoil study areas. We collected vessel-based marine mammal data during July–October 2008–2010 along line transects oriented in a north–south direction. Over this period, we surveyed ~18,600km of on-transect effort in the three study areas. Sightings of cetaceans were rare. The bowhead whale was the primary cetacean species sighted and was mostly observed in October (33 of 35 animals). Pinnipeds were the most abundant marine mammals in the study area, with 980 seals and 367 walruses recorded on transect. Most seals were observed as solitary animals, while walruses were often observed in aggregations. We calculated seal and walrus densities using species-specific detection functions corrected for probability of detection. There was high interannual variability in the abundance of seals and walruses that for some species may be related to interannual differences in ice conditions. Notwithstanding this variation, the distribution data suggest that benthic-feeding bearded seals and walruses generally were more common in the Burger and Statoil study areas, which can be characterized as more benthic-dominated ecosystems. The distribution of ringed/spotted seals did not show any statistically significant differences among the study areas, although a slight preference for the Klondike and Statoil study areas was suggested. Both of these study areas are affected by Bering Sea Water from the Central Channel and have a stronger pelagic component than the Burger study area. Continued sampling of these areas will help establish whether the observed trends in marine mammal distribution and abundance are persistent
Soil-landscape and climatic relationships in the middle Miocene of the Madrid Basin
The Miocene alluvial-lacustrine sequences of the Madrid Basin, Spain, formed in highly varied landscapes. The presence of various types of palaeosols allows assessment of the effects of local and external factors onsedimentation, pedogenesis and geomorphological development. In the northern, more arid, tectonicallyactive arca, soils were weakly developed in aggrading alluvial fans, dominated by mass flows. reflecting high sedimentation rates. In more distal parts of the fans and in playa lakes calcretes and dolocretes developed: the former were associated with Mg-poor fan sediments whitc: the latter formed on Mg-rich lake clays exposed during minar lake lowstands. The nonh-east part of the basin had a less arid climate. Alluvial fans in this area were dominated by stream Aood deposits, sourced by carbonate terrains. Floodplain and freshwater lakc deposits formed in distal areas. The high local supply of calcium carbonate may have contributed to the preferential developmenl on calcretes on the fans. Both the fan and floodplain palaeosols exhibit pedofacies relationships and more mature soils developed in settings more distant from the sediment sources. Palaeosols also developed on pond and lake margin carbonates, and led to the formation of palustrine limestones. The spatial distributions and stratigraphies of palaeosols in the Madrid Basin alluvial fans suggest that soil formation was controlled by local factors. These palaeosols differ from those seen in Quatemary fans. Which are characterized by climatically induced periods of stability and instability
On the Completeness of the Set of Classical W-Algebras Obtained from DS Reductions
We clarify the notion of the DS --- generalized Drinfeld-Sokolov ---
reduction approach to classical -algebras. We first strengthen an
earlier theorem which showed that an embedding can be associated to every DS reduction. We then use the fact that a
\W-algebra must have a quasi-primary basis to derive severe restrictions on
the possible reductions corresponding to a given embedding. In the
known DS reductions found to date, for which the \W-algebras are denoted by
-algebras and are called canonical, the
quasi-primary basis corresponds to the highest weights of the . Here we
find some examples of noncanonical DS reductions leading to \W-algebras which
are direct products of -algebras and `free field'
algebras with conformal weights . We also show
that if the conformal weights of the generators of a -algebra
obtained from DS reduction are nonnegative (which isComment: 48 pages, plain TeX, BONN-HE-93-14, DIAS-STP-93-0
Uptake of gases in bundles of carbon nanotubes
Model calculations are presented which predict whether or not an arbitrary
gas experiences significant absorption within carbon nanotubes and/or bundles
of nanotubes. The potentials used in these calculations assume a conventional
form, based on a sum of two-body interactions with individual carbon atoms; the
latter employ energy and distance parameters which are derived from empirical
combining rules. The results confirm intuitive expectation that small atoms and
molecules are absorbed within both the interstitial channels and the tubes,
while large atoms and molecules are absorbed almost exclusively within the
tubes.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, submitted to PRB Newer version (8MAR2K). There
was an error in the old one (23JAN2K). Please download thi
Comparison of three wet-alkaline methods of digestion of biogenic silica in water
Methods for determination of low levels of biogenic silica (0.2–0.4 mg SiO 2 ) in aqueous samples after digestion with three wetalkaline extraction procedures compared favourably in both precision of replicates and recovery of silica utilized by diatoms in budgeted cultures. Leaching samples with 0.2 M NaOH for 10–15 min at 100°C was the least time consuming procedure. Also interference from silicate minerals was lower for this method than leaching with either 0.5 or 5% Na 2 CO 3 for 2 h at 85°C. The use of filters to concentrate samples enables detection of low levels of biogenic silica with colorimetric procedures. Polycarbonate filters are recommended in preference to cellulose acetate or polyvinyl chloride filters for sample collection. Time-course experiments are recommended for establishing digestion times and determining the presence of mineral silicate interference. Wet-alkaline digestion methods are recommended for routine analysis of biogenic silica in suspended matter in preference to infra-red analysis, alkaline fusion and hydrofluoric acid/nitric acid methods.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74725/1/j.1365-2427.1983.tb00658.x.pd
- …