Optimization of microwave radiometric systems for earth resource surveys Final report

Optimization of passive microwave radiometric systems for earth resource surveys from ground and aircraft based measurement

The cyclic oxidation resistance at 1200 C of beta-NiAl, FeAl, and CoAl alloys with selected third element additions

The intermetallic compounds Beta-NiAl, FeAl, and CoAl were tested in cyclic oxidation with selected third element alloy additions. Tests in static air for 200 1-hr cycles at 1200 C indicated by specific weight change/time data and x-ray diffraction analysis that the 5 at percent alloy additions did not significantly improve the oxidation resistance over the alumina forming baseline alloys without the additions. Many of the alloy additions were actually deleterious. Ta and Nb were the only alloy additions that actually altered the nature of the oxide(s) formed and still maintained the oxidation resistance of the protective alumina scale

Cost accounting for brass and bronze foundries

It seems almost unnecessary to assert that a reliable cost accounting system is just as important in foundries as in other divisions of industry, but many foundries are in operation in which a cost accounting system which yields proper cost information is conspicuous by its absence. This is true not only of jobbing foundries, but also of foundries operated in conjunction with machine shops which finish the foundry output. There are instances of concerns which manufacture machines under the direction of managements who insist on having a well developed cost accounting system in the machine shops but give little consideration to such a system in the foundry. Inasmuch as the accumulation of value of the product originates in the foundry, the same care should be taken to ascertain accurate costs in the foundry as in the machine shops

Efficient quantum key distribution secure against no-signalling eavesdroppers

By carrying out measurements on entangled states, two parties can generate a secret key which is secure not only against an eavesdropper bound by the laws of quantum mechanics, but also against a hypothetical "post-quantum" eavesdroppers limited by the no-signalling principle only. We introduce a family of quantum key distribution protocols of this type, which are more efficient than previous ones, both in terms of key rate and noise resistance. Interestingly, the best protocols involve large number of measurements. We show that in the absence of noise, these protocols can yield one secret bit per entanglement bit, implying that the key rates in the no-signalling post-quantum scenario are comparable to the key rates in usual quantum key distribution.Comment: 11 pages, 2 color figures. v2: minor modifications, added references, added note on the relation to quant-ph/060604

Does the Isotropy of the CMB Imply a Homogeneous Universe? Some Generalised EGS Theorems

We demonstrate that the high isotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), combined with the Copernican principle, is not sufficient to prove homogeneity of the universe -- in contrast to previous results on this subject. The crucial additional factor not included in earlier work is the acceleration of the fundamental observers. We find the complete class of irrotational perfect fluid spacetimes admitting an exactly isotropic radiation field for every fundamental observer and show that are FLRW if and only if the acceleration is zero. While inhomogeneous in general, these spacetimes all possess three-dimensional symmetry groups, from which it follows that they also admit a thermodynamic interpretation. In addition to perfect fluids models we also consider multi-component fluids containing non-interacting radiation, dust and a quintessential scalar field or cosmological constant in which the radiation is isotropic for the geodesic (dust) observers. It is shown that the non-acceleration of the fundamental observers forces these spacetimes to be FLRW. While it is plausible that fundamental observers (galaxies) in the real universe follow geodesics, it is strictly necessary to determine this from local observations for the cosmological principle to be more than an assumption. We discuss how observations may be used to test this.Comment: replaced with final version. Added discusion and ref

On possible violation of the CHSH Bell inequality in a classical context

It has been shown that there is a small possibility to experimentally violate the CHSH Bell inequality in a 'classical' context. The probability of such a violation has been estimated in the framework of a classical probabilistic model in the language of a random-walk representation.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Spin Foam Models of Matter Coupled to Gravity

We construct a class of spin foam models describing matter coupled to gravity, such that the gravitational sector is described by the unitary irreducible representations of the appropriate symmetry group, while the matter sector is described by the finite-dimensional irreducible representations of that group. The corresponding spin foam amplitudes in the four-dimensional gravity case are expressed in terms of the spin network amplitudes for pentagrams with additional external and internal matter edges. We also give a quantum field theory formulation of the model, where the matter degrees of freedom are described by spin network fields carrying the indices from the appropriate group representation. In the non-topological Lorentzian gravity case, we argue that the matter representations should be appropriate SO(3) or SO(2) representations contained in a given Lorentz matter representation, depending on whether one wants to describe a massive or a massless matter field. The corresponding spin network amplitudes are given as multiple integrals of propagators which are matrix spherical functions.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, further remarks and references added. Version to appear in Class. Quant. Gra

Fuel poverty, older people and cold weather: An all-island analysis

Executive Summary This report covers a number of different aspects of fuel poverty and older people. 1. An exploration of existing government survey data from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with a particular focus on older people and conducting additional targeted analyses where required. 2. An original survey in the Republic of Ireland exploring the lived experience of older people in cold weather. 3. A feasibility study of data logging thermometers placed in the homes of older tenants in local authority accommodation. 4. Analysis of excess winter mortality among older people including a consideration of differences between the two jurisdictions. Older people on the island of Ireland, as in many other countries, experience a ‘dual burden’ in terms of fuel poverty. They are more likely to experience fuel poverty and are also particularly vulnerable to health and social harm as a result of this experience. The numbers of older people vulnerable to ill-effects from cold homes will rise as numbers of people aged 80 and over, and those living with chronic illness or disability, increase. There were significant differences observed between expenditure-based, and subjective (EU-SILC) based fuel poverty indicators, for older people, and between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland data. This data required careful interpretation. The higher levels of fuel poverty recorded for older people on the island of Ireland appeared to be driven by all aspects of the fuel poverty model - poor housing condition, energy inefficient housing, rising fuel prices and low income. The majority of older people live in their own home and these homes tend to be older properties which are detached or semi-detached. Older people on the island are over-represented among houses which are in poor condition and which lack central heating in both jurisdictions. Lacking central heating was a more common experience for older people in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland. Data on energy efficiency measures were not comparable North/South but similar patterns were observed. Older people were less likely than the general population to have attic/loft or wall insulation or double glazing. Older people were also vulnerable from an income point of view. This would seem to be a particular issue in Northern Ireland where rates of income poverty are significantly increasing. In both jurisdictions older people were heavily reliant on social transfers to keep them out of poverty. Coupled with this, there is evidence that many older people are not claiming their full entitlements. Oil dependency was a particular issue in Northern Ireland. Very significant increases were observed in the price of heating oil, as well as electricity and gas in recent years. There was little available research evidence on the relationship between the older consumer and heating oil suppliers

Extrapolation Method for the No-Core Shell Model

Nuclear many-body calculations are computationally demanding. An estimate of their accuracy is often hampered by the limited amount of computational resources even on present-day supercomputers. We provide an extrapolation method based on perturbation theory, so that the binding energy of a large basis-space calculation can be estimated without diagonalizing the Hamiltonian in this space. The extrapolation method is tested for 3H and 6Li nuclei. It will extend our computational abilities significantly and allow for reliable error estimates.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, PRC accepte

Somatostatin agonist pasireotide inhibits exercise stimulated growth in the male Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus)

R.Dumbell was supported by a University of Aberdeen PhD studentship and a research visit grant awarded by the British Society of Neuroendocrinology. Further support was provided by the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (Barrett and the German Research Foundation (DFG; STE 331/8-1; Steinlechner lab). We are grateful for technical assistance from Dana Wilson at RINH and Siegried Hiliken at UVMH, and thank Dr Claus-Dieter Mayer of Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland for valuable advice on statistical analysis.Peer reviewedPostprin