7,640 research outputs found
Meteorological regimes for the classification of aerospace air quality predictions for NASA-Kennedy Space Center
A method is described for developing a statistical air quality assessment for the launch of an aerospace vehicle from the Kennedy Space Center in terms of existing climatological data sets. The procedure can be refined as developing meteorological conditions are identified for use with the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion (REED) description. Classical climatological regimes for the long range analysis can be narrowed as the synoptic and mesoscale structure is identified. Only broad synoptic regimes are identified at this stage of analysis. As the statistical data matrix is developed, synoptic regimes will be refined in terms of the resulting eigenvectors as applicable to aerospace air quality predictions
Techniques for the observation of micrometeorite craters in metal substrates utilizing electron micrographic replica methods
Thin film replica technique for obtaining high quality electron micrographs of craters in metal substrates formed by microscopic hypervelocity particle impac
Semi-leptonic decays heavy-light to heavy light
We present results for the QCD matrix elements involved in semi-leptonic
decays of B-mesons into pseudo scalar heavy light states. The application of
NRQCD heavy quarks allows for quark masses around the physical b-quark. We
investigate the dependence of the form factors on the external momenta and
looked at the mass dependence at zero recoil. For the first time, results for
radially excited decay products are presented.Comment: 3 pages LaTeX, 5 figures, Talk given at LATTICE99(Heavy Quarks), June
29th to July 3rd, 1999, Pisa, Ital
B Physics with NRQCD: A Quenched Study
We present results on the spectrum of B mesons and heavy baryons, using a
non-relativistic formulation for the heavy and a clover action for the light
quark. We also discuss B meson decay constants and their dependency upon the
heavy meson mass.Comment: 4 pages, uuencoded compressed postscript file, contribution to
LATTICE 9
Advanced optimal extraction for the Spitzer/IRS
We present new advances in the spectral extraction of point-like sources
adapted to the Infrared Spectrograph onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. For
the first time, we created a super-sampled point spread function of the
low-resolution modules. We describe how to use the point spread function to
perform optimal extraction of a single source and of multiple sources within
the slit. We also examine the case of the optimal extraction of one or several
sources with a complex background. The new algorithms are gathered in a plugin
called Adopt which is part of the SMART data analysis software.Comment: Accepted for publication in PAS
Finding the future:evolving interaction design
The main aim of this project is to design and prototype a simplified example of a mobile operating system that makes use of both edge swipe control and 'smart' graphical instructions. The research will consider how these methods can be used to design a truly inclusive and accessible interface. The effectiveness of these features will be validated through user experiments and focus groups over the course of the project, with the findings of user testing used to inform design practice
Scaling and Further Tests of Heavy Meson Decay Constant Determinations from Nonrelativistic QCD
We present results for the B_s meson decay constant f_{B_s} from simulations
at three lattice spacings in the range a^{-1}=1.1 to 2.6 GeV using NRQCD heavy
quarks and clover light quarks in the quenched approximation. We study scaling
of this quantity and check the consistency between mesons decaying from rest
and from a state with nonzero spatial momentum. The cancellation of power law
contributions that arise in the NRQCD formulation of heavy-light currents is
discussed. On the coarsest lattice the D_s meson decay constant f_{D_s} is
calculated. Our best values for the decay constants are given by f_{B_s} =
187(4)(4)(11)(2)(7)(6) MeV and f_{D_s} = 223(6)(31)(38)(23)(9)(^{+3}_{-1}) MeV.Comment: 29 pages with 7 postscript figures, improved error analysis, version
to appear in Physical Review
Animated virtual agents to cue user attention: comparison of static and dynamic deictic cues on gaze and touch responses
This paper describes an experiment developed to study the performance of virtual agent animated cues within digital interfaces. Increasingly, agents are used in virtual environments as part of the branding process and to guide user interaction. However, the level of agent detail required to establish and enhance efficient allocation of attention remains unclear. Although complex agent motion is now possible, it is costly to implement and so should only be routinely implemented if a clear benefit can be shown. Pevious methods of assessing the effect of gaze-cueing as a solution to scene complexity have relied principally on two-dimensional static scenes and manual peripheral inputs. Two experiments were run to address the question of agent cues on human-computer interfaces. Both experiments measured the efficiency of agent cues analyzing participant responses either by gaze or by touch respectively. In the first experiment, an eye-movement recorder was used to directly assess the immediate overt allocation of attention by capturing the participant’s eyefixations following presentation of a cueing stimulus. We found that a fully animated agent could speed up user interaction with the interface. When user attention was directed using a fully animated agent cue, users responded 35% faster when compared with stepped 2-image agent cues, and 42% faster when compared with a static 1-image cue. The second experiment recorded participant responses on a touch screen using same agent cues. Analysis of touch inputs confirmed the results of gaze-experiment, where fully animated agent made shortest time response with a slight decrease on the time difference comparisons. Responses to fully animated agent were 17% and 20% faster when compared with 2-image and 1-image cue severally. These results inform techniques aimed at engaging users’ attention in complex scenes such as computer games and digital transactions within public or social interaction contexts by demonstrating the benefits of dynamic gaze and head cueing directly on the users’ eye movements and touch responses
Temperature, inocula and substrate: contrasting electroactive consortia, diversity and performance in microbial fuel cells
The factors that affect microbial community assembly and its effects on the performance of bioelectrochemical systems are poorly understood. Sixteen microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactors were set up to test the importance of inoculum, temperature and substrate: Arctic soil versus wastewater as inoculum; warm (26.5°C) versus cold (7.5°C) temperature; and acetate versus wastewater as substrate. Substrate was the dominant factor in determining performance and diversity: unexpectedly the simple electrogenic substrate delivered a higher diversity than a complex wastewater. Furthermore, in acetate fed reactors, diversity did not correlate with performance, yet in wastewater fed ones it did, with greater diversity sustaining higher power densities and coulombic efficiencies. Temperature had only a minor effect on power density, (Q10: 2 and 1.2 for acetate and wastewater respectively): this is surprising given the well-known temperature sensitivity of anaerobic bioreactors. Reactors were able to operate at low temperature with real wastewater without the need for specialised inocula; it is speculated that MFC biofilms may have a self-heating effect. Importantly, the warm acetate fed reactors in this study did not act as direct model for cold wastewater fed systems. Application of this technology will encompass use of real wastewater at ambient temperatures
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