Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Kernel Polynomial Method (KPM) has been successfully applied to tight-binding electronic structure calculations as an O(N) method. Here the authors extend this method to nonorthogonal basis sets with a sparse overlap matrix S and a sparse Hamiltonian H. Since the KPM method utilizes matrix vector multiplications it is necessary to apply S{sup {minus}1}H onto a vector. The multiplication of S{sup {minus}1} is performed using a preconditioned conjugate gradient method and does not involve the explicit inversion of S. Hence the method scales the same way as the original KPM method, i.e. O(N), although there is an overhead due to the additional conjugate gradient part. The authors show an application of this method to defects in a titanate/platinum interface and to a large scale electronic structure calculation of amorphous diamond.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) can fully use the frequency band and transmit data at high speeds. The ADSP-TS101 is a high performance digital signal processor (DSP) with good properties that include parallel processing and a high speed. Aimed at the real-time processing requirement of the OFDM algorithm, an underwater acoustic communication system with real-time processing capability is carried out. The system is mainly composed of multiple ADSP-TS101s, a multi-channel synchronous sample module and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip. The multiprocessor structure is made up of a cluster/data flow associated multiprocessing parallel processing structure as the operation kernel, and a multi-channel synchronous sample module is designed to realize no phase warp amo...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

During the last few decades, accuracy in photon and electron radiotherapy has increased substantially. This is partly due to enhanced linear accelerator technology, providing more flexibility in field definition (e.g. the usage of computer-controlled dynamic multileaf collimators), which led to intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Important improvements have also been made in the treatment planning process, more specifically in the dose calculations. Originally, dose calculations relied heavily on analytic, semi-analytic and empirical algorithms. The more accurate convolution/superposition codes use pre-calculated Monte Carlo dose "kernels" partly accounting for tissue density heterogeneities. It is generally recognized that the Monte Carlo method is able to increase accuracy even furt...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sectors of Zea mays cobs, with and without kernels were cultured in vitro in the presence and absence of fluridone. Cultured kernels, cob tissue, and embryos developed...Full Text Available

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Many thermoluminescent materials has been developed and used for photon personal dosimetry but no one has all desired characteristics alone. These characteristics include robustness, high sensitivity, energy photon independence, large range of photon energy detection, good reproducibility, small fading and simple glow curve with peaks above 150 deg C. Calcium Sulfate Dysprosium doped (CaSO{sub 4}:Dy) phosphor Thermoluminescent Dosimeter (TLD) has been used by many laboratories, mainly in Brazil and India. Another interesting phosphor is Calcium Fluoride (CaF{sub 2}). These phosphor advantages begin to be more required and its disadvantages have became more apparent, in a global market more and more competitive. These phosphors are used in environmental and area monitoring, once they present more sensibility than other phosphors, like LiF:Mg. Theirs mainly disadvantage is a strong energetic dependence response, which must be corrected for theirs application in the field, where photon ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sugar release from the pedicel tissue of maize (Zea mays L.) kernels was studied by removing the distal portion of the kernel and the lower endosperm, followed by replacement of the...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

During the last few decades, accuracy in photon and electron radiotherapy has increased substantially. This is partly due to enhanced linear accelerator technology, providing more flexibility in field definition (e.g. the usage of computer-controlled dynamic multileaf collimators), which led to intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Important improvements have also been made in the treatment planning process, more specifically in the dose calculations. Originally, dose calculations relied heavily on analytic, semi-analytic and empirical algorithms. The more accurate convolution/superposition codes use pre-calculated Monte Carlo dose 'kernels' partly accounting for tissue density heterogeneities. It is generally recognized that the Monte Carlo method is able to increase accuracy even further. Since the second half of the 1990s, several Monte Carlo dose engines for radiotherapy treatment planning have been introduced. To enable the use of a ...

Science.gov (United States)

We propose a quantum secure direct communication scheme based on non-orthogonal entangled pairs and local measurement. In this scheme, we use eight non-orthogonal entangled pairs to act as quantum channels. Due to the non-orthogonality of the quantum channels, the present protocol can availably prohibit from all kinds of valid eavesdropping and acquire a secure quantum channel. By local measurement, the sender acquires a secret random sequence. The process of encoding on the random sequence is identical to the one in one-time-pad. So the present protocol is secure. Even for a highly lossy channel, our scheme is also valid. The scheme is feasible with present-day techniques.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The interpretation of soil amelioration experiments with peanuts is made difficult by the unpredictibility of the crop and by the many factors altered when ameliorating acid soils. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of lime and gypsum applications on peanut kernel yield via the three first order yield components, pods per ha, kernels per pod, and kernel mass. On an acid medium sandy loam soil (typic Plinthustult), liming resulted in a highly significant kernel yield increase of 117% whereas gypsum applications were of no significant benefit. As indicated by path coefficient analysis, an increase in the number of pods per ha was markedly more important in increasing yield than an increase in either the number of kernels per pod or kernel mass. Furthermore, exch. Al was found to be particularly detrimental to pod number. It was postulated ...

CERN Document Server

Focusing on Sobolev inequalities and their applications to analysis on manifolds and Ricci flow, "Sobolev Inequalities, Heat Kernels under Ricci Flow, and the Poincare Conjecture" introduces the field of analysis on Riemann manifolds and uses the tools of Sobolev imbedding and heat kernel estimates to study Ricci flows, especially with surgeries. The author explains key ideas, difficult proofs, and important applications in a succinct, accessible, and unified manner. The book first discusses Sobolev inequalities in various settings, including the Euclidean case, the Riemannian case,

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Monte Carlo method is used to analyse the dose fall-off at the exit surface of a megavoltage photon beam. The convolution/superposition method of dose calculation using Monte-Carlo-generated homogeneous photon kernels is shown to be in error for exit dose calculation. Instead, photon kernels that incorporate modelling of the exit surface were generated, also using Monte Carlo, to analyse the problem, and the calculated dose fall-off using these kernels agrees well with measured data. In addition, the physics underlying the characteristics of the dose fall-off is analysed based on complete Monte Carlo modelling. Practical improvements to the convolution/superposition method are suggested. (Author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High-energy ionizing radiation is a prominent modality for the treatment of many cancers. The approaches to electron dose calculation can be categorized into semi-empirical models (e.g. Fermi-Eyges, convolution-superposition) and probabilistic methods (e.g. Monte Carlo). A third approach to dose calculation has only recently attracted attention in the medical physics community. This approach is based on the deterministic kinetic equations of radiative transfer. We derive a macroscopic partial differential equation model for electron transport in tissue. This model involves an angular closure in the phase space. It is exact for the free streaming and the isotropic regime. We solve it numerically by a newly developed HLLC scheme based on Berthon et al (2007 J. Sci. Comput. 31 347-89) that exactly preserves the key properties of the analytical solution on the discrete level. We discuss several test cases taken from the medical physics literature. A test case with an ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experiments were conducted to confirm the isotropic spatial resolution of multislice CT with a 0.5 mm slice thickness. Isotropic spatial resolution means that the spatial resolution in the transaxial plane (X-Y plane) and that in the longitudinal direction (Z direction) are equivalent. To obtain point spread function (PSF) values in the X-Y-Z directions, three-dimensional voxel data were obtained by helical scanning of a bead phantom. The modulation transfer function (MTF) values were then obtained by three-dimensional Fourier transform of the PSF. Evaluation of the spatial resolution in the X-Y-Z directions by the MTF values showed that the spatial resolution in the Z direction does not depend on the reconstruction kernel used. It was also found that the spatial resolution in the Z direction, as compared with that in the X-Y plane, is superior with the standard kernel for the abdomen and is inferior with the high-definition ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

DNA barcodes linked to genetic features greatly facilitate screening these features in pooled formats using microarray hybridization, and new tools are needed to design large sets of barcodes to allow...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A monoclonal antibody raised against carboxyl-linked IAA was used in Western blot analysis of storage proteins from kernels of Avena sativa, Pennisetum americanum, Sorghum bicolor,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In germinating oil palm (Elaeis guineensis var D × P) seedling, an active lipase was present in the shoot but absent from both the kernel and the haustorium. It has an optimum...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundGene regulation is a key mechanism in higher eukaryotic cellular processes. One of the major challenges in gene regulation studies is to identify regulators affecting the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol occurs in both the kernel and vegetative shoot of germinating Zea mays seedlings. The effect of a gravitational stimulus on the transport...Full Text Available

CERN Document Server

We construct representation of the Separated Variables (SoV) for the quantum SL(2,R) Heisenberg closed spin chain and obtain the integral representation for the eigenfunctions of the model. We calculate explicitly the Sklyanin measure defining the scalar product in the SoV representation and demonstrate that the language of Feynman diagrams is extremely useful in establishing various properties of the model. The kernel of the unitary transformation to the SoV representation is described by the same "pyramid diagram" as appeared before in the SoV representation for the SL(2,C) spin magnet. We argue that this kernel is given by the product of the Baxter Q-operators projected onto a special reference state.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Convolution/superposition (C/S) is regarded as the standard dose calculation method in most modern radiotherapy treatment planning systems. Different implementations of C/S could result in significantly different dose distributions. This paper addresses two major implementation issues associated with collapsed cone C/S: one is how to utilize the tabulated kernels instead of analytical parametrizations and the other is how to deal with voxel size effects. Three methods that utilize the tabulated kernels are presented in this paper. These methods differ in the effective kernels used: the differential kernel (DK), the cumulative kernel (CK) or the cumulative-cumulative kernel (CCK). They result in slightly different computation times but significantly different voxel size effects. Both simulated and real multi-resolution dose calculations are presented. For ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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CERN Document Server

A general quantum adiabatic theorem with and without the time-dependent orthogonalization is proven, which can be applied to understand the origin of activation energies in chemical reactions. Further proofs are also developed for the oscillating Schwinger Hamiltonian to establish the relationship between the internal (due to time-dependent eigenfunctions) and external (due to time-dependent Hamiltonian) time scales. We prove that this relationship needs to be taken as an independent quantum adiabatic approximation criterion. We give four examples, including logical expositions based on the spin-1/2 two-level system to address the gapped and gapless (due to energy level crossings) systems, as well as to understand how does this theorem allows one to study dynamical systems such as chemical reactions.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Starting with a #LAMBDA#-nucleus potential, a semi-empirical formula, which gives a fairly satisfactory account of the ground state #LAMBDA#-binding energy of light hypernuclei, if the very light nuclei are ignored has been obtained. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the convolution/superposition method of photon beam dose calculations, inhomogeneities are usually handled by using some form of scaling involving the relative electron densities of the inhomogeneities. In this paper the accuracy of density scaling as applied to primary electrons generated in photon interactions is examined. Monte Carlo calculations are compared with density scaling calculations for air and cork slab inhomogeneities. For individual primary photon kernels as well as for photon interactions restricted to a thin layer, the results can differ significantly, by up to 50%, between the two calculations. However, for realistic photon beams where interactions occur throughout the whole irradiated volume, the discrepancies are much less severe. The discrepancies for the kernel calculation are attributed to the scattering characteristics of the electrons and the consequent oversimplified modeling used in the density scaling method. A ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Researchers investigated several supercomputer architectures in the context of assessing their performance in solving PDE problems. Main results are: assessed various classes of paralled and vector supercomputers and parallel software issues toward solving PDE problems; developed a multipipeline networking technique for compound vector processing; developed an orthogonal multiprocessor for large-grain scientific computations; improved parallel efficiency of a domain decomposition method, the DD algorithm.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An explicite PN solution of the multi-dimensional homogeneous neutron transport equation is given by expanding the angular flux into a series of geometry-independent spherical harmonics operators. An algorithm is developed for representing the spherical harmonic operators in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. The general formulae are applied to two-dimensional spherical geometry; detailed P3 formulae are given. (orig.).

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements are made in horizontal planes in a simplified scale model of a spray dryer using water as fluid. The sample rate was sufficient to resolve phenomena at lower frequencies. Data reveal asymmetric velocity fields in both mean fields and dynamics. Data were analysed using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD). An important periodic event is an elongation of the jet core cross section that results in a downstream displacement of the jet towards the chamber wall.

CERN Document Server

Standard methods in non-linear analysis are used to show that there exists a parabolic branching of solutions of the Lichnerowicz-York equation with an unscaled source. We also apply these methods to the extended conformal thin sandwich formulation and show that if the linearised system develops a kernel solution for sufficiently large initial data then we obtain parabolic solution curves for the conformal factor, lapse and shift identical to those found numerically by Pfeiffer and York. The implications of these results for constrained evolutions are discussed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Both the accuracy and real-time are quite strictly required for the RCS thermal-hydraulic model of the simulation of nuclear power station. So, a large amount of reasonable simplifications should be carried on. The author introduces the RCS thermal-hydraulic model of the full scope simulator of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, and emphasizes on the fundamental hypotheses and computation method of its kernel part--DEFI programme.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The convolution/superposition calculations for radiotherapy dose distributions are traditionally performed by convolving polyenergetic energy deposition kernels with TERMA (total energy released per unit mass) precomputed in each voxel of the irradiated phantom. We propose an alternative method in which the TERMA calculation is replaced by random sampling of photon energy, direction and interaction point. Then, a direction is randomly sampled from the angular distribution of the monoenergetic kernel corresponding to the photon energy. The kernel ray is propagated across the phantom, and energy is deposited in each voxel traversed. An important advantage of the explicit sampling of energy is that spectral changes with depth are automatically accounted for. No spectral or kernel hardening corrections are needed. Furthermore, the continuous sampling of photon direction allows us to model sharp changes in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experimental investigations are presented which demonstrate that the weak ferromagnets are special materials of a larger group of magnets which exhibit two magnetic ordering structures. In weak ferromagnets the main order is antiferromagnetic with a small ferromagnetic component existing in addition. On the other hand, materials in which other combinations of the two basic ordering structures coexist are also known. Common to all these non-collinear spin structures is that the moment components of the two magnetic structures are orthogonal. In the weak ferromagnets this orthogonality manifests already in the paramagnetic phase as a crossover from an isotropic to an anisotropic susceptibility with respect to the applied magnetic field: at high temperatures the antiferromagnetic Curie-Weiss law of the total moment is observed while for T->Tc crossover to a second Curie-Weiss law due to the weak ferromagnetic component occurs. For ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The band structure (BS) of crystalline Bi_2Se_2Te both pure as well as deposited on Si or SiO_2 (substrates) was calculated for the first time. The calculation approach consists of an orthogonalization of the plane wave basis set with respect to the core-like orbitals and the application of the Perdew-Alder exchange-correlation scheme. In addition, a virtual crystal approach was applied. Experimental ellipsometric spectra were used as a criterion of the advantages of the different calculation techniques. The results of traditional one-electron methods of BS calculations, using norm-conserving pseudo-potential (NCPP), and full linear augmented plane wave (FLAPW), were compared with the experimental data. Better agreement with experiment is achieved when the NCPP wave functions are orthogonalized to the 4dBi core-like states. Concerning the LMTO and the FLAPW all-electron methods, only appropriate application of the virtual crystal approximation ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The wave equation for spin;1/2 tachyons is derived from the Dirac equation and the principle of relativity extended to superluminal Lorentz frames. From this wave equation and the Dirac equation infinite velocity spinor transformations are obtained. They yield bispinors of the plane-wave states of the tachyon, their interpretation and covariant orthogonality relations satisfied by them. The transformation properties of the bispinors under Lorentz transformation are discussed. The boundary conditions for the free propagator of wave functions of tachyons are obtained and the propagator is constructed. Then the covariant S-matrix for scattering from an electromagnetic field is derived. It is applied to the scattering of electron-tachyons from the Coulomb field.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

It is shown that when a quantum mechanical oscillator is parametrically excited there are special values of the parameters for which the system will pass periodically through a lattice of coherent states associated with the modular group [Gamma]. It is shown that these [Gamma] transits can be used to determine unknown parameters. A method is given for detecting the transits experimentally and is made possible by the existence of three families of states associated with modular forms that are orthogonal to the lattice. For isotropic states the three families occur in [ital D]-mode systems with [ital D][gt]10, 14, and 26.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

It is shown that all contracting, spatially homogeneous, orthogonal Bianchi cosmologies that are sourced by an ultra-stiff fluid with an arbitrary and, in general, varying equation of state asymptote to the spatially flat and isotropic universe in the neighbourhood of the big crunch singularity. This result is employed to investigate the asymptotic dynamics of a collapsing Bianchi type IX universe sourced by a scalar field rolling down a steep, negative exponential potential. A toroidally compactified version of M*-theory that leads to such a potential is discussed and it is shown that the isotropic attractor solution for a collapsing Bianchi type IX universe is supersymmetric when interpreted in an 11-dimensional context.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We consider the dynamics toward the initial singularity of Bianchi type IX vacuum and orthogonal perfect fluid models with a linear equation of state. The 'Bianchi type IX attractor theorem' states that the past asymptotic behavior of generic type IX solutions is governed by Bianchi type I and II vacuum states (Mixmaster attractor). We give a comparatively short and self-contained new proof of this theorem. The proof we give is interesting in itself, but more importantly it illustrates and emphasizes that type IX is special, and to some extent misleading when one considers the broader context of generic models without symmetries.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study assesses the current state of undergraduate instruction in empirical research methods in communication and offers recommendations for enhancing such instruction. Responses to an online questionnaire were received from 149 communication-related programs at four-year colleges and universities. Just over 85% of responding programs offered an empirical methods course. Although the course often covered both qualitative and quantitative methods, instruction was heavily slanted toward quantitative methods and topics common to both qualitative and quantitative inquiry. The empirical methods course was usually required for graduation, but it was typically not well integrated with the rest of the curriculum and taken late in students' undergraduate careers. Additional analyses examined st...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

(1975). Germany Gils, HJ Rebel, H. Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FR

Science.gov (United States)

... times, in Iran (Persia), the Arabian Gulf region, East Africa, territories of the former Ottoman Empire, parts of Eastern Europe ...

Science.gov (United States)

A novel phantom has been developed to measure the modulation transfer function (MTF) in 3D for x-ray computed tomography. The phantom consists of three tungsten wires, positioned nearly orthogonal to each other. Simultaneous measurements of the MTF are taken at various locations along the three orthogonal reconstructed planes. Our computed mammotomography (CmT) system uses a Varian Paxscan 2520 digital x-ray detector which can be positioned anywhere in ~2pi steradian band and can have arbitrary trajectories. With a half-cone beam geometry and with the phantom positioned near the center of rotation, projection images are acquired over 360 degrees. Various 3D orbits are evaluated including vertical axis of rotation and saddle. Reconstructions were performed using an iterative ordered-subsets transmission algorithm on rebinned projection images, using various numbers of iterations. Rotation of reconstructed slices isolated each wire into its own ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We performed experimental studies on the convolution/superposition method reported in the former companion paper (Iwasaki in Radiol Phys Technol 4, 2011) using 10-MV X-ray beams from open-jaw-collimated fields. The method uses primary and scatter dose kernels formed for energy bins of X-ray spectra reconstructed as a function of off-axis distance. We made a comparison of calculations and measurements in water phantoms and thorax-like phantoms with respect to percentage depth dose curves, tissue???phantom ratio curves, and dose profiles. We made the dose calculation by taking into account the beam-hardening effect with depth and the off-axis radiation-softening effect. We found that the method could be used, in general, for performing accurate dose calculations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

New partial differential equations (PDEs) for the full order weak schemes of the Langevin simulations are formulated. They are solved recursively in full order series solutions with respect to {radical}(t) (the full order weak Taylor schemes). Arbitrariness involved in the solutions is analyzed and clarified in detail. Specific solutions within some orders are presented as examples of the weak Taylor schemes. These PDEs and their solutions will serve for further developments of efficient higher order Runge-Kutta-like schemes. The similar formulation is possible for the imaginary time Hamiltonian evolution kernels as well. (orig.). 9 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of this study was to test a large sample of different coronary artery stents using four image reconstruction approaches with respect to lumen visualization, lumen attenuation, and image noise in 64-slice multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in vitro and to provide a catalogue of currently used coronary artery stents when imaged with state-of the-art MDCT. We examined 68 different coronary artery stents (57 stainless steel, four cobalt-chromium, one cobalt-alloy, two nitinol, four tantalum) in a coronary artery phantom (vessel diameter 3 mm, intravascular attenuation 250 HU, extravascular density -70). Stents were imaged in axial orientation with standard parameters: 32x0.6 collimation, pitch 0.24, 680 mAs, 120 kV, rotation time 0.37 s. Four different image reconstructions were obtained with varying convolution kernels and section thicknesses: (1) soft, 0.6 mm, (2) soft, 0.75, (3) medium soft, 0.6, and (4) stent-optimized sharp, 0.6. To evaluate ...

Science.gov (United States)

In this work, energy-based features for gear fault diagnosis and prediction are proposed. The instantaneous energy density is shown to obtain high values when defected teeth are engaged. Three methods are compared in terms of sensitivity, reliability and computation effectiveness. The Wigner Ville distribution is contrasted to the wavelet transform and the newly proposed empirical mode decomposition scheme. It is shown that all three methods are capable of a reliable prediction. An empirical law, which relates the energy content to the crack magnitude is established.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper tests the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis for four local (SOx, NOx, CO, VOC) and two global (CO2, GHG) air pollutants. Using a new panel data set of thirty OECD countries, the paper finds that the postulated inverted U-shaped relationship between income and pollution does not hold for all gases. A meaningful Environmental Kuznets Curve exists only for CO, VOC and NOx, where for CO2 the curve is monotonically increasing. For GHG there is indication of an inverted U-shaped relationship between income and pollution, but still most countries are on the increasing path of the curve and hence the future development of the curve is uncertain. For SOx it was found that emissions follow an U-shaped curve. Based on the empirical results, the paper concludes that the Environmental Kuznets Curve does not hold for all gases, it is rather an empirical artefact than a regularity.

CERN Document Server

Using ultra-high-frequency data extracted from the order flows of 23 stocks traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, we study the empirical regularities of order placement in the opening call auction, cool period and continuous auction. The distributions of relative logarithmic prices against reference prices in the three time periods are qualitatively the same with quantitative discrepancies. The order placement behavior is asymmetric between buyers and sellers and between the inside-the-book orders and outside-the-book orders. In addition, the conditional distributions of relative prices in the continuous auction are independent of the bid-ask spread and volatility. These findings are crucial to build an empirical behavioral microscopic model based on order flows for Chinese stocks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woven Kevlar fabrics exhibit a number of beneficial mechanical properties which include strength, flexibility, and relatively low density. The desire to engineer or design Kevlar fabrics for specific applications has stimulated interest in the development of theoretical models which relate their effective mechanical properties to specific aspects of the fabric morphology and microstructure. In this work the author provides a theoretical investigation of the large deformation elastic response of a plane woven Kevlar fabric and compares these theoretical results with experimental data obtained from uniaxially loaded Kevlar fabrics. The theoretical analysis assumes the woven fabric to be a regular network of orthogonal interlaced yarns and the individual yarns are modeled as extensible elastica, thus coupling stretching and bending effects at the outset. This comparison of experiment with theory indicates that the deformation of woven fabric can be quite accurately ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We develop a systematic framework for studying target space duality at the classical level. We show that target space duality between manifolds M and M-tilde arises because of the existence of a very special symplectic manifold. This manifold locally looks like MxM-tilde and admits a double fibration. We analyze the local geometric requirements necessary for target space duality and prove that both manifolds must admit flat orthogonal connections. We show how abelian duality, nonabelian duality and Poisson-Lie duality are all special cases of a more general framework. As an example we exhibit new (nonlinear) dualities in the case M=M-tilde=R{sup n}.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The detection of explosives is a notoriously difficult problem, especially at stand-off distances, due to their (generally) low vapor pressure, environmental and matrix interferences, and packaging. We are exploring optimal dynamic detection to exploit the best capabilities of recent advances in laser technology and recent discoveries in optimal shaping of laser pulses for control of molecular processes to significantly enhance the standoff detection of explosives. The core of the ODD-Ex technique is the introduction of optimally shaped laser pulses to simultaneously enhance sensitivity of explosives signatures while reducing the influence of noise and the signals from background interferents in the field (increase selectivity). These goals are being addressed by operating in an optimal nonlinear fashion, typically with a single shaped laser pulse inherently containing within it coherently locked control and probe sub-pulses. With sufficient bandwidth, the technique is capable of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We consider the dynamics towards the initial singularity of Bianchi type IX vacuum and orthogonal perfect fluid models with a linear equation of state. Surprisingly few facts are known about the 'Mixmaster' dynamics of these models, while at the same time most of the commonly held beliefs are rather vague. In this paper, we use Mixmaster facts as a base to build an infrastructure that makes it possible to sharpen the main Mixmaster beliefs. We formulate explicit conjectures concerning (i) the past asymptotic states of type IX solutions and (ii) the relevance of the Mixmaster/Kasner map for generic past asymptotic dynamics. The evidence for the conjectures is based on a study of the stochastic properties of this map in conjunction with dynamical systems techniques. We use a dynamical systems formulation, since this approach has so far been the only successful path to obtain theorems, but we also make comparisons with the 'metric' ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The steam generator inspection and maintenance device has an articulated arm formed at least by two rigid segments connected by a pivot and two plates on the ends of the arms by articulated joints which enable them to rotate about two orthogonal axis. One of the axis is parralel to the axis of the pivot between the arm sections while the other is perpendicular to the surface of the corresponding plate. Each of the plates carries coupling elements which are able to engage with the perforations of the heat exchanger tube plates and also a support for a maintenance tool.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In a series of recent papers, Corben recovered various properties of many hadronic resonances by considering them as compounds of a bradyon and of one (or more) tachyons. In this note it is explained why that success follows from considering the tachyon four-momenta orthogonal to the bradyon one, and why, in such a case, the bradyon and tachyons can be formally dealt with as non-interacting even when they keep participating in the ''self-trapping''. Finally an attempt is made to understand (on the basis of the model by Caldirola, Pavsic and Recami where hadrons are considered as ''strong black-holes'') why in general those compound hadrons decay and why in this decay the trapped tachyons are, quantum-mechanically, emitted in the corresponding bradyonic form.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A theoretical study of an exciton confined in a quantum ring is presented. The quantum ring is described as a two-dimensional circular quantum dot with a repulsive core, which is modelled with the help of two Gaussian functions. We have applied the variational method and investigated the evolution of the low-energy exciton spectrum with the change of the confinement potential. The calculations have been performed for the recently produced self-assembled ring-shaped InGaAs quantum dots. We have shown that the repulsive core strongly increases the radiative transition probability from the exciton ground state at the expense of the decreasing probability of the transitions from the excited states. This effect results from the orthogonality properties of the exciton wavefunctions, which are specific to the quantum-ring confinement potential. We have studied the characteristic features of the exciton spectrum, which can be used as a signature of the presence of the ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Game theory models of animal contests make many non-mutually exclusive predictions, complicating empirical tests. These predictions regard the relationship between contest parameters and fighting ability,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The empirical evidence that human color categorization exhibits some universal patterns beyond superficial discrepancies across different cultures is a major breakthrough in cognitive science. As observed...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Empirical treatment is best guided by current surveillance of local resistance patterns. The goal of this study is to characterize the prevalence of antimicrobial nonsusceptibility within pneumococcal...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The high-energy reaction cross sections of Li and Be isotopes are calculated using a simplified Glauber model and densities constrained by the empirical binding energies. We find excellent agreement with experiment, reproducing the large increase for the most neutron-rich nuclei.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundMolecular docking methods are commonly used for predicting binding modes and energies of ligands to proteins. For accurate complex geometry and binding energy estimation,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This article compared conceptual and empirical strengths of alternative methods for estimating racial disparities using non-linear models of health care access. Three methods were presented...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The claim that focus evokes a set of alternatives is a central issue in several accounts of the effects of focus on interpretation. This article presents two empirical studies that examine whether this property of focus is independent of contextual conditions. The syntactic operation at issue is object-fronting in German, Spanish, Greek, and Hungarian licensed by contexts involving focus on the object constituent. This operation evokes the intuition that the fronted referent excludes some or all relevant alternatives. The presented experiments deal with the question whether this interpretative property obligatorily accompanies the operation at issue or not. The empirical findings show that in German, Spanish, and Greek this intuition depends on properties of the context and is sensitive to...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The mathematical apparatus of quantum-mechanical angular momentum (re)coupling, developed originally to describe spectroscopic phenomena in atomic, molecular, optical and nuclear physics, is embedded in modern algebraic settings which emphasize the underlying combinatorial aspects. SU(2) recoupling theory, involving Wigner's 3nj symbols, as well as the related problems of their calculations, general properties, asymptotic limits for large entries, nowadays plays a prominent role also in quantum gravity and quantum computing applications. We refer to the ingredients of this theory-and of its extension to other Lie and quantum groups-by using the collective term of 'spin networks'. Recent progress is recorded about the already established connections with the mathematical theory of discrete orthogonal polynomials (the so-called Askey scheme), providing powerful tools based on asymptotic expansions, which correspond on the physical side to ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Local communities in southern Africa derive many benefits from marula [Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. subsp. caffra (Sond.) Kokwaro]. These include the contribution of this species towards health, nutrition, food security and conservation by sharing local skills and knowledge related to it. Marula fruits can be eaten fresh, squeezed to make juice, brewed in traditional beer or used to make jam and jelly. The kernels are also edible and can be pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetics, i.e., for skin and hair application. The bark, roots, seeds and leaves are exploited for traditional medicinal purposes. Marula has acquired significant commercial value since its fruits and other products have entered local, regional and international trade in southern Africa. To diversify frui...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We report on the improvement of Critical Dimension (CD) linearity on a photomask by applying the concept of process proximity correction to a laser lithographic process used for fabrication of photomasks. Rule-based Laser Process proximity Correction (LPC) was performed using an automated optical proximity correction tool and we obtained dramatic improvement of CD linearity on a photomask. A study on model-based LPC was executed using a two-Gaussian kernel function and we extracted model parameters for the laser lithographic process by fitting the model-predicted CD linearity data with measured ones. Model-predicted bias values of isolated space (I/S), Arrayed Contact (A/C) and Isolated Contact (I/C) were in good agreement with those obtained by the nonlinear curve-fitting method used for the rule-based LPC.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

LLNL is developing the nuclear fusion based Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) power plant concept. The baseline design uses a depleted uranium (DU) fission fuel blanket with a flowing molten salt coolant (flibe) that also breeds the tritium needed to sustain the fusion energy source. Indirect drive targets, similar to those that will be demonstrated on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), are ignited at 13Hz providing a 500MW fusion source. The DU is in the form of a uranium oxycarbide kernel in modified TRISO-like fuel particles distributed in a carbon matrix forming 2-cm-diameter pebbles. The thermal power is held at 2000MW by continuously varying the 6Li enrichment in the coolants. There are many options to be considered in the engine design including target yield, U-to-C ratio in th...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

We examine moving average (MA) filters for estimating the integrated variance (IV) of a financial asset price in a framework where high-frequency price data are contaminated with market microstructure noise. We show that the sum of squared MA residuals must be scaled to enable a suitable estimator of IV. The scaled estimator is shown to be consistent, first-order efficient, and asymptotically Gaussian distributed about the integrated variance under restrictive assumptions. Under more plausible assumptions, such as time-varying volatility, the MA model is misspecified. This motivates an extensive simulation study of the merits of the MA-based estimator under misspecification. Specifically, we consider nonconstant volatility combined with rounding errors and various forms of dependence between the noise and efficient returns. We benchmark the scaled MA-based estimator to subsample and realized kernel estimators and find that the MA-based estimator performs well ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUND: High levels of g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) accumulate in plant tissues under various stresses. GABA accumulation is also influenced by cultivar. This aim of this study was to select the most promising cultivar of fava bean for GABA accumulation and to optimise the culture conditions for GABA production in germinated fava beans by response surface methodology based on central composite design (CCD). RESULTS: GABA content and glutamate decarboxylase activity in germinated seeds of cultivar S2 were significantly higher than those in other cultivars (P < 0.05). A significant negative correlation (r = -0.765, P < 0.05) between germination percentage and 1000-kernel weight was observed. There was a linear relationship between GABA content and sprout length (R2 = 0.816). The regression...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A nonlinear free boundary-value problem of supercavitating flow past n + 1 hydrofoils is analyzed. To describe the cavities' closure mechanism, the Tulin-Terentev single-spiral-vortex model is employed. The flow domain is considered as the image of an (n + 1)-connected circular domain. The conformal map is constructed in terms of the solutions to two Riemann-Hilbert problems of the theory of symmetric automorphic functions. One of the problems is homogeneous and its coefficients are continuous functions while the second problem is inhomogeneous and has discontinuous coefficients. The exact solutions to the problems are found by using quasiautomorphic and quasimultiplicative analogs of the Cauchy kernel. The case of a single plate is considered in detail and the numerical results are report...

CERN Document Server

We construct the Baxter Q-operator and the representation of the Separated Variables (SoV) for the homogeneous open SL(2,R) spin chain. Applying the diagrammatical approach, we calculate Sklyanin's integration measure in the separated variables and obtain the solution to the spectral problem for the model in terms of the eigenvalues of the Q-operator. We show that the transition kernel to the SoV representation is factorized into the product of certain operators each depending on a single separated variable. As a consequence, it has a universal pyramid-like form that has been already observed for various quantum integrable models such as periodic Toda chain, closed SL(2,R) and SL(2,C) spin chains.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A number of procedures in diagnostic radiology and cardiology make use of long exposures to x-rays from fluoroscopy units. Although numerous studies have been performed to measure or calculate skin dose from these procedures, there have only been a handful of studies to determine the dose to the other organs. This thesis was focused on devising a method to calculate the absorbed dose to underlying tissues and organs. The work was performed in several stages. First, a commercial convolution/superposition-based treatment planning system used in radiation oncology was modified and complemented to make it usable with the low energies of x-rays used in diagnostic radiology. This required generation of energy deposition kernels in the kilovoltage energy range. The kernels were generated using the EGS4 Monte Carlo system of codes and added to the treatment planning system. The treatment planning system was then evaluated for its accuracy of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In radiotherapy treatment planning, convolution/superposition algorithms currently represent the best practical approach for accurate photon dose calculation in heterogeneous tissues. In this work, the implementation, accuracy and performance of the FFT convolution (FFTC) and multigrid superposition (MGS) algorithms are presented. The FFTC and MGS models use the same 'TERMA' calculation and are commissioned using the same parameters. Both models use the same spectra, incorporate the same off-axis softening and base incident lateral fluence on the same measurements. In addition, corrections are explicitly applied to the polyenergetic and parallel kernel approximations, and electron contamination is modelled. Spectra generated by Monte Carlo (MC) modelling of treatment heads are used. Calculations using the MC spectra were in excellent agreement with measurements for many linear accelerator types. To speed up the calculations, a number of calculation techniques were ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Using Monte Carlo simulation and the convolution/superposition algorithm, this work examines percent depth dose curves of the central axis in an acrylic phantom (20x20x20 cm"3) with variously sized air cavities (20x20x1.0, 20x20x2.0, 20x20x3.0, 20x20x4.0 and 20x20x4.95 cm"3 for study of longitudinal electron disequilibrium (ED) and 3.6x3.6x4.95, 4.5x4.5x4.95, 5.4x5.4x4.95 and 20x20x4.95 cm"3 for study of lateral ED). Radiochromic film samples are also measured to verify the Monte Carlo results. The Monte Carlo simulation is performed using OMEGA/BEAM and DOSXYZ codes, and the convolution/superposition calculation relies on an ADAC commercial treatment planning system. Underestimating the dose kernel expansion leads to overestimating the dose of what was found in the air cavity of ED using the convolution/superposition algorithm. Consequently, the dose in the rebuild-up region is influenced. The influenced region is on the acrylic phantom surface to a depth of about ...

CERN Document Server

We present a set of structural parameters for the central parts of 57 early-type galaxies observed with the Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope. These parameters are based on a new empirical law that successfully characterizes the centers of early type galaxies. This empirical law assumes that the surface brightness profile is a combination of two power laws with different slopes gamma and beta for the inner and outer regions. Conventional structural parameters such as core radius and central surface brightness are replaced by break radius r_b, where the transition between power-law slopes takes place, and surface brightness mu_b at that radius. An additional parameter alpha describes the sharpness of the break. The structural parameters are derived using a chi-squared minimization process applied to the mean surface brightness profiles. The resulting model profiles generally give very good agreement to the observed profiles out to ...

CERN Document Server

It is well known that if one integrates a Schur function indexed by a partition $\\lambda$ over the symplectic (resp. orthogonal) group, the integral vanishes unless all parts of $\\lambda$ have even multiplicity (resp. all parts of $\\lambda$ are even). In a recent paper of Rains and Vazirani, Macdonald polynomial generalizations of these identities and several others were developed and proved using Hecke algebra techniques. However at $q=0$ (the Hall-Littlewood level), these approaches do not work, although one can obtain the results by taking the appropriate limit. In this paper, we develop a direct approach for dealing with this special case. This technique allows us to prove some identities that were not amenable to the Hecke algebra approach, as well as to explicitly control the nonzero values. Moreover, we are able to generalize some of the identities by introducing extra parameters. This leads us to a finite-dimensional analog of a recent result of Warnaar, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In interventional radiology (IVR) of cerebral aneurysms, it is important to understand the form and physical relationships between the cerebral aneurysm and the surrounding vessels. However, because the vessels in the head area are highly complex, it can be difficult to comprehend the structure using conventional angiography. Therefore, three-dimensional rotational angiography (3D-RA) has been used in recent years. This article discusses studies of the spatial resolution of 3D-RA. We reconstructed 3D-RA of an acrylic slit phantom (slit widths: 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5 mm) and examined spatial resolution by visual evaluation and profile curves. When the slit phantom was arranged to avoid the effect of beam hardening, the spatial resolution of 3D-RA was found to be as high as 0.75 mm. When the slit phantom was placed orthogonal to the rotational axis of the C-arm, the spatial resolution of 3D-RA was decreased because of the cone angle effect of X-rays. However, it was ...

CERN Document Server

Femtocells are assuming an increasingly important role in the coverage and capacity of cellular networks. In contrast to existing cellular systems, femtocells are end-user deployed and controlled, randomly located, and rely on third party backhaul (e.g. DSL or cable modem). Femtocells can be configured to be either open access or closed access. Open access allows an arbitrary nearby cellular user to use the femtocell, whereas closed access restricts the use of the femtocell to users explicitly approved by the owner. Seemingly, the network operator would prefer an open access deployment since this provides an inexpensive way to expand their network capabilities, whereas the femtocell owner would prefer closed access, in order to keep the femtocell's capacity and backhaul to himself. We show mathematically and through simulations that the reality is more complicated for both parties, and that the best approach depends heavily on whether the multiple access scheme is ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

To systematically analyze the dynamical implications of the matter content in cosmology, we generalize earlier dynamical systems approaches so that perfect fluids with a general barotropic equation of state can be treated. We focus on locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi type IX and Kantowski-Sachs orthogonal perfect fluid models, since such models exhibit a particularly rich dynamical structure and also illustrate typical features of more general cases. For these models, we recast Einstein's field equations into a regular system on a compact state space, which is the basis for our analysis. We prove that models expand from a singularity and recollapse to a singularity when the perfect fluid satisfies the strong energy condition. When the matter source admits Einstein's static model, we present a comprehensive dynamical description, which includes the qualitative asymptotic behavior, of models in the neighborhood of the Einstein model; the results refute earlier ...

Science.gov (United States)

The aim of the present study focuses on experimentally demonstrating the efficacy of using angularly-variable fiber geometry to achieve the desired tissue-layer selection and probing depths with the further objective of enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of spectral diagnosis in stratified architectures that resemble human cervical epithelia. The morphological and biochemical features of epithelial tissue vary in accordance with tissue depths; consequently, the accuracy of spectroscopic diagnosis of epithelial dysplasia may be enhanced by probing the optical properties of this tissue. When correlated to cellular dysplasia, layer-specific changes in tissue optical properties may be deciphered by reflectance spectroscopy coupled with angularly-variable fiber geometry. This study addresses the utility of using such angularly-variable fiber geometry for resolving spatially-specific spectral signatures of tissue pathology. This is accomplished by interpreting and analyzing the ...

CERN Document Server

The complete complementary code (CCC) is a sequence family with ideal correlation sums which was proposed by Suehiro and Hatori. Numerous literatures show its applications to direct-spread code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems for inter-channel interference (ICI)-free communication with improved spectral efficiency. In this paper, we propose a systematic framework for the construction of CCCs based on $N$-shift cross-orthogonal sequence families ($N$-CO-SFs). We show theoretical bounds on the size of $N$-CO-SFs and CCCs, and give a set of four algorithms for their generation and extension. The algorithms are optimal in the sense that the size of resulted sequence families achieves theoretical bounds and, with the algorithms, we can construct an optimal CCC consisting of sequences whose lengths are not only almost arbitrary but even variable between sequence families. We also discuss the family size, alphabet size, and lengths of constructible CCCs based ...

Science.gov (United States)

Four questions are posed: (1) Is knowledge utilization a rhetorical evocation? (2) Is the conjunction of knowledge with utility part of a cultural system of common sense? (3) Is utility a normative or a descriptive concept? and (4) How does the concept of knowledge utilization figure in the specialized discourse of social scientists? This paper analyzes the concept of knowledge utilization from the perspective of philosophy of language and philosophy of science. Knowledge utilization is a rhetorical evocation that implies concepts of action and knowledge. It is supported by two conceptual fusions. The fusion of value and utility draws on common sense, but does not exhaust colloquial understandings about knowledge and action. The conceptual fusion of knowledge and truth is consistent with common sense but disregards scientific criticism. Both conceptual fusions are thus problematic. But empirical conditions associated with the concept of knowledge utilization mask ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The paper seeks to illuminate everyday work practices in the economic spaces of Malaysia's business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. It draws upon empirical evidence from call centre staff and promotes analytical sensitivity to the experience of labour and spatiotemporal relations within the offshore back offices of multinational corporations located in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. The analysis provides an empirical snapshot of how IT-facilitated work practices in the global information economy are embedded and socially reproduced in everyday settings. To this end, the paper engages anthropologically with BPO labour, and critiques -globalist- representations of economic and social transformation frequently articulated through an abstract, dehumanized space of networks and flows often seen to wa...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Based on the quarterly data from four open economies (the US, the UK, Canada, and Italy) and estimated correlations and impulse responses within the traditional vector autoregressive (VAR) analysis, we find that inflation, both in the short and long term, negatively affects consumption and investment, and has a positive influence on the current account. We propose an infinite-horizon optimizing model of an open economy with a fixed rate of time preference that explains these empirics. In this type of economy, households consume both durable and non-durable goods, firms operate under costly investment, and all the transactions involving consumption and investment are subject to cash-in-advance (CIA) constraints. Employing the new ?sign restriction? identification procedure due to Uhlig (J M...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The aim of this work is the development and experimental validation of a detailed dynamic fuel cell model using the gPROMS modeling environment. The model is oriented towards optimization and control and it relies on material and energy balances as well as electrochemical equations including semi-empirical equations. For the experimental validation of the model a fully automated and integrated hydrogen fuel cell testing unit was used. The predictive power of the model has been compared with the data obtained during load change experiments. A sensitivity analysis has been employed to reveal the most critical empirical model parameters that should be estimated using a systematic estimation procedure. Model predictions are in good agreement with experimental data under a wide range of operati...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show that the need to communicate the value of libraries is growing, and especially now during the global financial crisis. As a response library valuation research is expanding and there is now a need for a status report. Design/methodology/approach - The library valuation field is developing towards generating a critical mass of empirical studies. The focus of the meta-analytical review is on the subgroup that reports a return on investment (ROI) or a cost-benefit ratio. Meta-analysis is a quantitative analysis of findings of previous studies, conducted to infer general findings and lessons from prior empirical research. The dataset is 38 library valuation studies reporting a return on investment figure or cost-benefit ratio. Findings - Of the 38...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper provides a systematic empirical analysis of the role of the housing market in the macroeconomy in the US and the euro area. First, it establishes some stylised facts concerning key variables in the housing market on the two sides of the Atlantic, such as real house prices, residential investment and mortgage debt. It then presents evidence from Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVAR) by focusing on the effects of monetary policy, credit supply and housing demand shocks on the housing market and the broader economy. The analysis shows that similarities outweigh differences as far as the housing market is concerned. The empirical evidence suggests a stronger role for housing in the transmission of monetary policy shocks in the US. The evidence is less clear-cut for housing demand...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this paper, an empirical model is developed for electricity consumption of the Jordanian industrial sector based on multivariate linear regression to identify the main drivers behind electricity consumption. In addition, projection of electricity consumption for the industrial sector based on time series forecasting is presented. It was found that industrial production outputs and capacity utilization are the two most important variables that affect demand on electrical power and the multivariate linear regression model can be used adequately to simulate industrial electricity consumption with very high coefficient of determination. To illustrate the importance of integrating energy efficiency within national energy plans, the impact of implementing high-efficiency motors was investigat...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) can overcome the mode mixing problem of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and therefore provide more precise decomposition results. Wavelet neural network (WNN) possesses the advantages of both wavelet transform and artificial neural networks. This paper combines the merits of EEMD and WNN to propose an automated and effective fault diagnosis method of locomotive roller bearings. First, the vibration signals captured from the locomotive roller bearings are preprocessed by EEMD method and intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are produced. Second, a kurtosis based method is presented and used to select the sensitive IMF. Third, time- and frequency-domain features are extracted from the sensitive IMF, its frequency spectrum and its envelope spe...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The present emphasis on inherent safety for LMR designs has resulted in a need to represent the various reactivity feedback mechanisms as accurately as possible. The dominant negative reactivity feedback has been found to result from radial expansion of the core for most postulated ATWS events. For this reason, a more detailed model for calculating the reactivity feedback from radial core expansion has been recently developed for use with the SASSYS/SAS4A Code System. The purpose of this summary is to present an extension to the model so that it is more suitable for handling a core restraint design as used in FFTF, and to compare the SASSYS/SAS4A results using this model to the empirical correlation presently being used to account for radial core expansion reactivity feedback to FFTF.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We present an empirical model for periodic variations of diurnal and sub-diurnal Earth rotation parameters (ERPs) that was derived based on the transformation of normal equation (NEQ) systems of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observing sessions. NEQ systems that contain highly resolved polar motion and UT1-TAI with a temporal resolution of 15?min were generated and then transformed to the coefficients of the tidal ERP model to be solved for. To investigate the quality of this model, comparisons with empirical models from the Global Positioning System (GPS), another VLBI model and the model adopted by the conventions of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) were performed. The absolute coefficients of these models agree almost completely within 7.5?...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this article we evaluate a US Forest Service plan to mitigate damages from an invasive insect on public, forested land. We develop a dynamic model of infestation and control to explicitly account for biological interactions, baseline conditions, and uncertainty, thus creating a more complete picture of policy impacts than a static cost benefit analysis could provide. We combine the results of the dynamic model with an empirical study of nonmarket forest benefits to create a bioeconomic model of ecosystem management. Estimating the empirical model in a Bayesian framework allows us to treat the economic coefficients of the dynamic model as random variables. We specify distributions for the biological parameters and examine the effects of both biological and economic uncertainty on the pre...

CERN Document Server

In longitudinal and spatial studies, observations often demonstrate strong correlations that are stationary in time or distance lags, and the times or locations of these data being sampled may not be homogeneous. We propose a nonparametric estimator of the correlation function in such data, using kernel methods. We develop a pointwise asymptotic normal distribution for the proposed estimator, when the number of subjects is fixed and the number of vectors or functions within each subject goes to infinity. Based on the asymptotic theory, we propose a weighted block bootstrapping method for making inferences about the correlation function, where the weights account for the inhomogeneity of the distribution of the times or locations. The method is applied to a data set from a colon carcinogenesis study, in which colonic crypts were sampled from a piece of colon segment from each of the 12 rats in the experiment and the expression level of p27, an important cell cycle ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

IMRT optimization requires a fast yet relatively accurate algorithm to calculate the iteration dose with small memory demand. In this paper, we present a dose calculation algorithm that approaches these goals. By decomposing the infinitesimal pencil beam (IPB) kernel into the central axis (CAX) component and lateral spread function (LSF) and taking the beam's eye view (BEV), we established a non-voxel and non-beamlet-based dose calculation formula. Both LSF and CAX are determined by a commissioning procedure using the collapsed-cone convolution/superposition (CCCS) method as the standard dose engine. The proposed dose calculation involves a 2D convolution of a fluence map with LSF followed by ray tracing based on the CAX lookup table with radiological distance and divergence correction, resulting in complexity of O(N"3) both spatially and temporally. This simple algorithm is orders of magnitude faster than the CCCS method. Without pre-calculation of beamlets, its ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A comprehensive attenuation data of dose equivalent for point isotropic monoenergetic neutron sources up to 400MeV in infinite shields of water, ordinary concrete and iron has been calculated using the ANISN-JR code and a neutron-photon multigroup macroscopic cross section HIL086R. The attenuation factors were fitted to a 4th order polynomial exponent formula, making possible to use easily for point kernel codes. Additional data in finite shielding geometry was also calculated to correct the effect due to infinite medium, giving the maximum correction of 0.23 in the region for more 400 cm distance from neutron source of 400 MeV in iron shield. Effective attenuation length for monoenergetic neutrons have been studied in detail. Subsequently, it was shown that the attenuation length was strongly dependent upon the penetration length and the Moyer`s formula using a single attenuation length brought large error into the dose estimation behind thick shields for the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This book examines some of the basic principles behind chemical reactions kinetics. Topics considered include ab initio determination of potential energy for chemical reactions; semi-empirical potential energy surfaces; general theory of reactive scattering: different equation approach; and integral equation approach to reactive scattering.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The thermal decrease of the order parameter can empirically be described by a single T{sup {epsilon}} power law with an exponent {epsilon} which depends on the dimensionality of the magnetic interactions and on whether the spin quantum number is integral or half-integral. We present experimental examples in which the order parameter shows a crossover between different T{sup {epsilon}} power laws as a function of temperature. This indicates that the magnetic interactions can change their dimensionality as a function of temperature. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Structural instabilities are now being found in many high-temperature superconductors. Compounds with the A-15 (#beta#-W) structure comprise the most important group of these materials, and their properties have been extensively studied for over 15 years. A review is given of some of these results, particularly those relating to the elastic behavior. The empirical relation of the structural instability and the anharmonicity to the high superconducting transition temperature is discussed.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The Matthew effect refers to the adage written some two-thousand years ago in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “For to all those who have, more will be given.” Even two millennia later, this...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The point-defect-impurity pair diffusion model proposed recently by Mulvaney and Richardson is adopted and modified to simulate the coupled diffusion of phosphorus and self-interstitials in phosphorus-implanted silicon. The assumption of implantation-induced, but empirically determined initial interstitial distributions of Gaussian shape allows a simulation of the net effect of transient enhanced diffusion. As a result an improved modeling of phosphorus diffusion in silicon is achieved for a broad range of ion-implantation and annealing conditions. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This project is designed to establish one basis for empirically linking aspects of management and organizational design to the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Current work is focusing on (a) reviewing existing literature relevant to this linkage, and (b) isolating and incorporating numerous safety relevant indicators. Later stages of this project will involve hypothesis development, data collection and analysis.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The polymer industry is a young industry that has undergone tremendous growth and change over the last sixty years. Many important discoveries in polymer science have been accidental. Most of the learning has been by trial and error and most of the understanding is still basically empirical--make a polymer material or compound and then put it to the test to study what it is and how it performs. This article provides an overview of what polymers and polymer compounds are, why they behave as they do, and it discusses several examples of failures of rubber and plastic components.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Results are presented of an empirical analysis of the global thermodynamical requirements of the winds in the outer atmospheres of a representative sample of red giant stars of low- and intermediate-mass range. Results indicate that the mass-loss rates in these stars are not strongly dependent on the actual physical processes driving the winds. It is suggested that nonlinear processes act to regulate wind energy fluxes. Possible mechanisms responsible for the chromospheric heating and the mass loss in the low- and intermediate-mass giant stars are discussed. 151 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The electron structure of the A-15 compounds is studied by accounting for the Hubbard energy as the highest energy parameter. The conditions for the Cooper instability origination are obtained. The superconducting transition temperature dependence on the degree of filling the d- and p-shells of the transition and nontransition elements is determined. The relationship between the transition temperature and the energy jumpover along the chains, which allows comparison with the experiment, is established. Qualitative explanation of the Mattias empiric rules is presented

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A non-recursive model is proposed and empirically tested with data of opponents of nuclear power. In explaining conventional and unconventional participation the theory of collective action is applied and modified in two respects: the perceived influence on the elimination of collective evils are taken into account; the selective incentives considered are non-material ones. These modifications proved to be valid: the collective good variables and non-material incentives were important determinants for the two forms of participation. Another result was that there is a reciprocal causal relationship between conventional and unconventional participation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The low excitation energy spectroscopy of /sup 86/Sr, /sup 88/Sr, /sup 89/Sr, /sup 86/Rb, and /sup 87/Rb nuclear systems was studied via one-nucleon transfer reactions. The strontium isotopes, /sup 87/Sr and /sup 88/Sr, were used as targets in this study. Spectroscopic strengths were extracted from the measured transfer reaction cross sections and the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) analysis. Efforts have been made to accomplish a complete detection of spectroscopic strengths through the excitation energy region where levels can be resolved and identified. A shell model sum rule analysis is then made. Diagonal matrix elements for the effective two-nucleon interaction were deduced from empirical energy centroid. Matrix elements normalized by their empirical monopole energy was plotted against the semiclassical angle between two spins. They were compared with various analytical function forms of the effective two-nucleon interaction ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This supplement is published once a year as a complement to the Short- Term Energy Outlook, Quarterly Projections. The purpose of the Supplement is to review the accuracy of the forecasts published in the Outlook, make comparisons with other independent energy forecasts, and examine current energy topics that affect the forecasts. Chap. 2 analyzes the response of the US petroleum industry to the recent four Federal environmental rules on motor gasoline. Chap. 3 compares the EIA base or mid case energy projections for 1995 and 1996 (as published in the first quarter 1995 Outlook) with recent projections made by four other major forecasting groups. Chap. 4 evaluates the overall accuracy. Chap. 5 presents the methology used in the Short- Term Integrated Forecasting Model for oxygenate supply/demand balances. Chap. 6 reports theoretical and empirical results from a study of non-transportation energy demand by sector. The empirical analysis involves ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Removing noise from data is often the first step in data analysis. Denoising techniques should not only reduce the noise, but do so without blurring or changing the location of the edges. Many approaches have been proposed to accomplish this; in this paper, they focus on one such approach, namely the use of non-linear diffusion operators. This approach has been studied extensively from a theoretical viewpoint ever since the 1987 work of Perona and Malik showed that non-linear filters outperformed the more traditional linear Canny edge detector. They complement this theoretical work by investigating the performance of several isotropic diffusion operators on test images from scientific domains. They explore the effects of various parameters such as the choice of diffusivity function, explicit and implicit methods for the discretization of the PDE, and approaches for the spatial discretization of the non-linear operator etc. They also compare these schemes with simple spatial filters and ...

CERN Document Server

Production in economy is a set of firms' activities as suppliers and customers; a firm buys goods from other firms, puts added-values and sells products to others in a giant network of production. Empirical study has been lacking despite of the fact that the structure of production network is important to understand and make models for many aspects of dynamics in economy. We study a nation-wide production network comprising a million of firms and millions of supplier-customer links by using recent statistical methods developed in physics. We show in the empirical analysis scale-free degree distribution, disassortativity, correlation of degree to firm-size, and community structure having sectoral and regional modules. Since suppliers usually provide credit to their customers, who supply to theirs in turn, each link is actually a creditor-debtor relation. We also study chains of failures or bankruptcies that take place along those links in the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this report, we have examined some of the fundamental mechanisms expected to be at work during mobilization of the waste within the double-shell tanks at Hanford. The motivation stems from the idea that in order to properly apply correlations derived from scaled tests, one would have to ensure that appropriate scaling laws are utilized. Further, in the process of delineating the controlling mechanisms during mobilization, the currently used computational codes are being validated and strengthened based on these findings. Experiments were performed at 1/50-scale, different from what had been performed in the previous fiscal years (i.e., 1/12- and 1/25-scale). It was anticipated that if the current empirical correlations are to work, they should be scale invariant. The current results showed that linear scaling between the 1/25-scale and 1/50-scale correlations do not work well. Several mechanisms were examined in the scaled tests which might have contributed to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A dust extraction system removes the contaminated air at source by means of a hood. The extraction system for dust is essentially a ducted air system that prevents excessive employee exposure to dust in the working zone. The four major mechanisms that remove the contaminants in an extraction system are: - capture of contaminants by hoods - transport of contaminated air in duct network - separation of dust in the collector - exhaust of clean air through stack. The current methods of design are based on empirical relations, multi-variable tables, graphs and nomographs that have been derived from the principle of fluid mechanics and particle dynamics. However, the empirical formulae, tables and graphs are used in different geographical locations of the world having different environmental conditions and geo-characteristics of dust particles. Therefore, it is required to establish a rational design method that will be based on analysis of each ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

One of the most profound features of electricity spot prices are the price spikes. Markov regime-switching (MRS) models seem to be a natural candidate for modeling this spiky behavior. However, in the studies published so far, the goodness-of-fit of the proposed models has not been a major focus. While most of the models were elegant, their fit to empirical data has either been not examined thoroughly or the signs of a bad fit ignored. With this paper we want to fill the gap. We calibrate and test a range of MRS models in an attempt to find parsimonious specifications that not only address the main characteristics of electricity prices but are statistically sound as well. We find that the best structure is that of an independent spike 3-regime model with time-varying transition probabilities, heteroscedastic diffusion-type base regime dynamics and shifted spike regime distributions. Not only does it allow for a seasonal spike intensity throughout the year and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We review the development and application of kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to investigate defect and dopant diffusion in ion implanted silicon. In these type of Monte Carlo models, defects and dopants are treated at the atomic scale, and move according to reaction rates given as input principles. These input parameters can be obtained from first principles calculations and/or empirical molecular dynamics simulations, or can be extracted from fits to experimental data. Time and length scales differing several orders of magnitude can be followed with this method, allowing for direct comparison with experiments. The different approaches are explained and some results presented.

Science.gov (United States)

The quasi-static normal indentation of sandwich panels with quasi-isotropic laminated composite skins and honeycomb or foam cores, by spherical indentors, has been investigated using experiments and finite element analysis. The experimental program emphasized the effects of indentor size on the resulting load indentation responses, failure mechanisms in the skin and the core, and the measurement of contact areas between indentor and the target. The sandwich panels were indented up to the initiation of skin fracture and the resulting contact data was used to characterize contact power laws. A non-linear finite element model was developed based on the experimental observations to systematically explore the indentation behavior of diverse sandwich configurations and to investigate the contact pressure distributions. The finite element model was used as an experimental tool in the development of a simple non-dimensional semi-empirical model that was based on the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The absorption, emission and magnetic circular dichroism spectra of the anionic complex (Cp_3Pr. NCS)"- were measured at room and low temperatures. On the basis of these spectra the electronic structure in the f-f range could be derived. The parameters of an empirical Hamiltonian were fitted to the experimentally determined crystal field splitting pattern. Compared with the previously examined neutral Cp_3 Pr.X complexes the quadratic crystal field parameter B_0"2 is considerably reduced.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new empirical expression is presented for the T/sub c/ of A-15 compounds, T/sub c/ = 210 2R/sub A/-d/sub 0//R/sub B/..sqrt..M/sub A/ x R/sup 3//sub A/g-barZ-bary/sub B//RB/R/sup 3//sub B/n-baray/sub A//R/sub A/, from which the effects of some structural factors on T/sub c/ for high-T/sub c/ superconductors are obvious.

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Taboada et al. have recently developed a computer model to predict gamma radiation doses to aircrews flying through nuclear-debris clouds. Although the model has the advantages of taking a large number of parameters into account and using the benchmark DELFIC code to model cloud dynamics, it takes up to 20 min for a single run on a mainframe computer. Results from a number of runs have been generalized into empirical formulae. From these results it is possible to estimate worst case gamma radiation doses for complex scenarios using a hand calculator.

CERN Document Server

The phase transition is a performance measure of the sparsity-undersampling tradeoff in compressed sensing (CS). This letter reports, for the first time, the existence of an exact phase transition for the $\\ell_1$ minimization approach to the complex valued CS problem. This discovery is not only a complementary result to the known phase transition of the real valued CS but also shows considerable superiority of the phase transition of complex valued CS over that of the real valued CS. The results are obtained by extending the recently developed ONE-L1 algorithms to complex valued CS and applying their optimal and iterative solutions to empirically evaluate the phase transition.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of moral conflicts in information systems development by studying student perceptions in an information systems (IS) project course implemented in close collaboration with information technology firms. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on an empirical case study. Students' perceptions of moral conflicts were gathered through diaries, drawings, and questionnaires; and the analysis was inspired by phenomenography. Findings - The analysis reveals six types of moral conflicts. Students face conflicts related to their work tasks and to human and outside parties, and inherent in them is an inclination to moral failure in terms of doing something they perceive to be morally wrong, and also the desire for moral success...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report a study of the nonmetal-metal transition of free-standing Pd{sub N} clusters (2{<=}N{<=}21) carried out through two different theoretical approaches that are extensively employed in electronic structure calculations: a semi-empirical tight-binding (TB) model and an ab initio DFT pseudopotential model. The calculated critical size for the metallic transition decreases rapidly with the temperature and an oscillatory dependence with the cluster size is obtained, particularly in the DFT approach. The TB model describes the metallic behavior for cluster sizes beyond N{approx}12 well. Our obtained critical size at room temperature is of the order of the experimental estimation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A local Heine-Abarenkov model potential is proposed for zinc blende-type crystals. The potential parameters are determined by satisfying the zero pressure condition and the first zero of the empirical pseudopotential interpolated from band calculations. Two sets of parameters are presented for thirteen tetrahedral compounds such as AlP, AlAs, AlSb, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InP, InAs, InSb, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, and CdTe.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The L-subshell and total M-shell X-ray production cross sections of Ta, W, Pt, Au, Pb and Bi have been measured by protons of energy between 0.7 and 2.4 MeV. The obtained results for X-ray production cross sections have been compared with the existing experimental data, prediction of the ECPSSR theory and also with fitted empirical cross sections of Strivay and Weber.

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The paper describes an application of the tree classification method Random Forest (RF), as used in the analysis of data from the ground-based gamma telescope MAGIC. In such telescopes, cosmic gamma-rays are observed and have to be discriminated against a dominating background of hadronic cosmic-ray particles. We describe the application of RF for this gamma/hadron separation. The RF method often shows superior performance in comparison with traditional semi-empirical techniques. Critical issues of the method and its implementation are discussed. An application of the RF method for estimation of a continuous parameter from related variables, rather than discrete classes, is also discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The results of this study show that Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion in homogeneous turbulence can be formulated in terms of the Eulerian space-time velocity autocorrelation function. Numerical results obtained using this approach agree with results obtained by Taylor (1921) using the Lagrangian autocorrelation function. Use was made of the equivalence of the Lagrangian and Eulerian Monte Carlo approaches to derive analytic relations between the Lagrangian integral time scale and the Eulerian integral space and time scales. These analytic results were verified by comparison to Monte Carlo simulations and to other theoretical results. They are in general agreement with many existing theories and semi-empirical relations.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The influence of Confucian culture in Chinese Mainland China is reflected in the current situation and contextual trends of educational research content of educational thought of Confucianism, educational issues grounded on theoretical views of Confucianism, and the influence of the inclusiveness of Confucianism. In terms of research method, the current situation of educational research is reflected in empirical research whose methods value the construction of the metaphysical theoretical system, the guiding role of educational theories for educational reform practice, and research that enriches the literature. In terms of research value, the current situation of educational research is reflected in studies that focus on human nature, human relations, thoughts, willpower, emotion, human ri...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We propose unsteady-state reverse osmosis cell modelling in two dimensions. The convection-diffusion equation describing the concentration of the relevant chemical species is solved by a finite difference technique, while the velocity field is described by empirical expressions for spiral-wound membrane cells. A non-constant permeability is introduced to take into account the effects of membrane compaction at high operating pressures. The role of concentration polarization is discussed for different values of the parameters describing the global process. Finally, the model is applied to predict the effects of a pulsating flow where a cyclic pressure feed is adopted to enhance the permeate flux. In this context, an experimental validation of the model is proposed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A methodology of tsunami PSA was developed in this study. A tsunami PSA consists of tsunami hazard analysis, tsunami fragility analysis and system analysis. In the case of tsunami hazard analysis, evaluation of tsunami return period is major task. For the evaluation of tsunami return period, numerical analysis and empirical method can be applied. The application of this method was applied to a nuclear power plant, Ulchin 56 NPP, which is located in the east coast of Korean peninsula. Through this study, whole tsunami PSA working procedure was established and example calculation was performed for one of real nuclear power plant in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An empirical model of detonator electrical performance which describes the resistance of the exploding bridgewire (EBW) or exploding foil initiator (EFI or slapper) as a function of energy, deposition will be described. This model features many parameters that can be adjusted to obtain a close fit to experimental data. This has been demonstrated using recent experimental data taken with the cable discharge system located at Sandia National Laboratories. This paper will be a continuation of the paper entitled ``Cable Discharge System for Fundamental Detonator Studies`` presented at the 2nd NASA/DOD/DOE Pyrotechnic Workshop.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The establishment of workable collaborative relations with indigenous elites formed a vital part of the maintenance of the British Empire. This was especially so in the Malay States, where the Malay rulers enjoyed considerable local prestige as religious leaders and as the organising principle of Malay society itself. As the case of Sultan Ibrahim of Johore demonstrates, nevertheless, indigenous collaborators were no mere puppets and enjoyed considerable freedom of action to frustrate and impede the policies of their imperial overlords. Sultan Ibrahim presents a particularly interesting case study as his 64-year reign more or less spanned the entire period of formal British rule in Malaya.

Science.gov (United States)

The first candidate rotavirus vaccine was a live attenuated oral vaccine made by the classical empirical method of serial passage of virus in tissue culture cells. Current tetravalent vaccine candidates that are in the final stages of efficacy testing in the United States were made by genetic reassortment. This article briefly highlights how advances in the basic understanding of the molecular biology of rotaviruses have facilitated vaccine development. New approaches for second-generation vaccines and improvements in vaccine efficacy based on further exploitation of the tools and knowledge of rotavirus molecular biology and pathogenesis are discussed. PMID:8752289

Science.gov (United States)

In the present work we introduce a novel multi-agent model with the aim to reproduce the dynamics of a double auction market at microscopic time scale through a faithful simulation of the matching mechanics in the limit order book. The agents follow a noise decision making process where their actions are related to a stochastic variable, the market sentiment, which we define as a mixture of public and private information. The model, despite making just few basic assumptions over the trading strategies of the agents, is able to reproduce several empirical features of the high-frequency dynamics of the market microstructure not only related to the price movements but also to the deposition of the orders in the book.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Telecare has become an increasingly common medical service in recent years. However, new service must be close to the market and be market-driven to have a high likelihood of success. This article analyzes the business model of a telecardiology service managed by a general hospital. The methodology of the article is as follows: (1) initially it describes the elements of the service based on the ontology of the business model, (2) then it transfers these elements into the choices for business model dynamic loops and examines their validity, and (3) finally provides an empirical financial analysis of the service to assess the profit-making possibilities.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The empirical formula of blowoff and flashback of the premixed methane-air Bunsen (Cylindrical) burner at high temperature were introduced. The experimental range was 303 K < T{sub u} < 1,023 K, 0.1 MPa < P < 0.3 MPa, and 0.45 < {theta} < 1 and the ambient was air. The empirical formula of blowoff are: U{sub b} {proportional_to} S{sup 2}{sub u}T{sup -2.38}{sub u}P{sup 0.79} and also, M{sub b}P{sup -1.29} {proportional_to} exp(-E/(RT{sub B})) where U{sub b} and M{sub b} are blowoff velocity and blowoff mass flow rate, S{sub u} is burning velocity, and T{sub B} is adiabatic flame temperature. The latter formula is independent of T{sub u}; and S{sub u}, and much easier for handling. The empirical formula of flashback is: U{sub b} {proportional_to} S{sup 2}{sub u}(T{sup -1}{sub u}T{sup -0.5}{sub m})P This formula seems in good accordance at T{sub u} higher than 573K. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crystalline Pd_9Si_2 possesses an orthorhombic structure (Pnma) that is characterized by augmented triangular prismatic coordination of the silicon atoms such as that which occurs in several metal-rich transition-metal silicides. Recent neutron diffraction results for deuterium solution in this crystalline phase have indicated that deuterium occupies only one type of interstice, i.e., a Pd-defined pyramidal site in a four-fold position situated on a quadrilateral face of an empty triangular prism. The vibrational dynamics of both H and D located at this site were investigated by neutron vibrational spectroscopy. The low-temperature density of states (DOS) of H in Pd_9Si_2H_0_._2_5 indicates three well-defined optic vibrations located at 49.4, 67.2 and 75.5 meV. The lowest-energy feature is assigned to the normal-mode vibration perpendicular to the pyramidal base and the two higher-energy features are assigned to the two orthogonal normal-mode vibrations parallel to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

{sup 188}Re is a {beta}{sup -} (Emax=2.12 MeV) and {gamma} (155 keV) emitter. Since its chemistry is similar to that of the largely employed tracer, {sup 99m}Tc, molecules of hyaluronic acid (HA) have been labelled with {sup 188}Re to produce a target specific radiopharmaceutical. The radiolabeled compound, i.v. injected in healthy mice, is able to accumulate into the liver after a few minutes. To study the effect of metabolic radiotherapy in mice, we have built a small gamma camera based on a matrix of YAP:Ce crystals, with 0.6x0.6x10 mm{sup 3} pixels, read out by a R2486 Hamamatsu PSPMT. A high-sensitivity 20 mm thick lead parallel-hole collimator, with hole diameter 1.5 mm and septa of 0.18 mm, is placed in front of the YAP matrix. Preliminary results obtained with various phantoms containing a solution of {sup 188}Re and with C57 black mice injected with the {sup 188}Re-HA solution are presented. To increase the space resolution and to obtain two orthogonal ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy for treating a cervix carcinoma has become popular, because it eliminates many of the problems associated with conventional brachytherapy. In order to improve the clinical effectiveness with HDR brachytherapy, a dose calculation algorithm, optimization procedures, and image registrations need to be verified by comparing the dose distributions from a planning computer and those from a humanoid phantom. In this study, the humanoid phantom was fabricated in order to verify the absolute doses and the relative dose distributions. The measured doses from the humanoid phantom were then compared with the treatment planning system for the dose verification. The humanoid phantom needs to be designed such that the dose distributions can be quantitatively evaluated thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) chips with a dimension of 1/8 and film dosimetry with a spatial resolution of <1 mm used to measure the radiation dosages in the phantom. The humanoid phantom ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose: To report our clinical experiences with on-board imager (OBI) kV image verification for cranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and radiotherapy (SRT) treatments. Methods and Materials: Between January 2007 and May 2008, 42 patients (57 lesions) were treated with SRS with head frame immobilization and 13 patients (14 lesions) were treated with SRT with face mask immobilization at our institution. No margin was added to the gross tumor for SRS patients, and a 3-mm three-dimensional margin was added to the gross tumor to create the planning target volume for SRT patients. After localizing the patient with stereotactic target positioner (TaPo), orthogonal kV images using OBI were taken and fused to planning digital reconstructed radiographs. Suggested couch shifts in vertical, longitudinal, and lateral directions were recorded. kV images were also taken immediately after treatment for 21 SRS patients and on a weekly basis for 6 SRT patients to assess any ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This manual describes the use of the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator. Xyce has been designed as a SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, and has been written to support the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. This development has focused on improving capability over the current state-of-the-art in the following areas: (1) Capability to solve extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms (up to thousands of processors). Note that this includes support for most popular parallel and serial computers; (2) Improved performance for all numerical kernels (e.g., time integrator, nonlinear and linear solvers) through state-of-the-art algorithms and novel techniques. (3) Device models which are specifically tailored to meet Sandia's needs, including some radiation-aware devices (for Sandia users only); and (4) Object-oriented code design and implementation using ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

For a given linac design, the dosimetric characteristics of a photon beam are determined uniquely by the energy and radial distributions of the electron beam striking the x-ray target. However, in the usual commissioning of a beam from measured data, a large number of variables can be independently tuned, making it difficult to derive a unique and self-consistent beam model. For example, the measured dosimetric penumbra in water may be attributed in various proportions to the lateral secondary electron range, the focal spot size and the transmission through the tips of a non-divergent collimator; the head-scatter component in the tails of the transverse profiles may not be easy to resolve from phantom scatter and head leakage; and the head-scatter tails corresponding to a certain extra-focal source model may not agree self-consistently with in-air output factors measured on the central axis. To reduce the number of adjustable variables in beam modelling, we replace the focal and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) is a new pencil beam convolution/superposition algorithm proposed by Varian for photon dose calculations. The configuration of AAA depends on linear accelerator design and specifications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of AAA for an Elekta SL25 linear accelerator for small fields and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatments in inhomogeneous media. The accuracy of AAA was evaluated in two studies. First, AAA was compared both with Monte Carlo (MC) and the measurements in an inhomogeneous phantom simulating lung equivalent tissues and bone ribs. The algorithm was tested under lateral electronic disequilibrium conditions, using small fields (2x2 cm"2). Good agreement was generally achieved for depth dose and profiles, with deviations generally below 3% in lung inhomogeneities and below 5% at interfaces. However, the effects of attenuation and scattering close to the bone ribs were not fully taken into ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The status of Monte Carlo system for the simulation of Bremsstrahlung in arbitrary decays and for the decay itself of #tau# -lepton is reviewed. During the last #tau# -lepton conference in 2010 several developments of the last two years have been presented: (i) For the TAUOLA Monte Carlo generator of #tau# -lepton decays, automated and simultaneous use of many versions of form-factors for the calculation of optional weights for fits was developed and checked to work in Belle and BaBar software environment. On-going work on alternative parameterizations of hadronic decays is presented too. (ii) The TAUOLA universal interface based on HepMC (the C++ event record) is now public. A similar interface for PHOTOS is now also public. (iii) Extension of PHOTOS Monte Carlo for QED Bremsstrahlung in decays featuring kernels based on complete first order matrix element are gradually becoming widely available thanks to properties of the new, HepMC based interface. (iv) Tests of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

I present an exact calculation of free-electron-laser (FEL) eigenmodes (fundamental as well as higher order modes) in the exponential-gain regime. These eigenmodes specify transverse profiles and exponential growth rates of the laser field, and they are self-consistent solutions of the coupled Maxwell-Vlasov equations describing the FEL interaction taking into account the effects due to energy spread, emittance and betatron oscillations of the electron beam, and diffraction and guiding of the laser field. The unperturbed electron distribution is assumed to be of Gaussian shape in four dimensional transverse phase space and in the energy variable, but uniform in longitudinal coordinate. The focusing of the electron beam is assumed to be matched to the natural wiggler focusing in both transverse planes. With these assumptions the eigenvalue problem can be reduced to a numerically manageable integral equation and solved exactly with a kernel iteration method. An ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The methodology of achieving a high power density (HPD, or brake mean effective pressure) direct-injection Diesel engine has been studied, which is directed to using high fuel/air ratio, high-speed and ceramic engine components. Among the main thrust to achieve these engine changes for an advanced Diesel engine is the design of a high injection pressure (HIP) fuel system. During the course of the present study, two Cummins 903 engines mated with a Rutger-built HIP were employed to investigate the engine response to HIP and in-cylinder processes by using the Rutgers high-speed infrared (IR) spectral digital imaging system. Five separate technical publications were prepared to report results obtained from the study. The main findings include: The HIP system permits engine operation at an air/fuel ratio of as rich as 18 to 1 with smoke emission not worse than with the conventional mechanical (low pressure) injection system; A high injection pressure improves HPD of a Diesel engine; A HIP ...

Science.gov (United States)

Minimum weight design is an important criterion in aircraft and spacecraft because it allows either an increased pay-load or higher performance. As a result, the use of composite sandwich panels has grown due to their light weight and high rigidity. In order to further increase the efficiency of these structures, designers have used different materials in different shapes in the facesheets and in the core. One of the most recent innovations has been the use of a uniform net of carbon fibre/epoxy as the facesheets. In the present study, the optimal design of sandwich plates with heterogeneous, facesheets is treated. The plate mass is minimized, considering the first natural frequency and certain failure loads as constraints. Weight reduction is obtained by defining a nonuniform distribution of composite material in the facesheets. Initially, the facesheets are assumed to be constructed of composite strips in a regular pattern. During the optimization process, both the widths of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report summarizes the major features of the advisory tool `TUNDTEMP`, developed to act as a decision support in the continuous steel casting process. `TUNDTEMP` provides a means to predict abnormal phenomena of temperature origin in the casting that may be difficult to foresee in practical situations. The heart of the system is a semi-empirical calculation model that yields an estimate of the evolution of the tundish temperature of the liquid steel on the basis of a few important casting factors. The user interface of the system is to a large extent based on the visual presentation of the simulated results. The system also contains an optional rule based mechanism that provides assistance in the result interpretation and, if wished, linguistically formulates action recommendations. A separate program has been built for the tuning of the calculation model and for maintenance of the system. At the end of the report, the different tuning parameters are listed and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The collapsar scenario for long gamma-ray bursts requires rapidly rotating Wolf-Rayet stars as progenitor stars. We highlight two possible ways out of the dilemma that the strong winds of Wolf-Rayet lead to a fast spin-down. One way is to restrict the duration of the Wolf-Rayet phase to a short time span at the end of the star's evolution. We show that this appears to apply to GRB 021004. The other way is to choose a sub-solar metallicity, thus limiting the Wolf-Rayet wind efficiency. We discuss corresponding stellar evolution models and show that a metallicity limit of about 1/10th solar, as it is required by the models, may be consistent with the empirical gamma-ray burst rate.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The paper investigates early Soviet policies regarding the institution of waqf (charitable endowment) in Turkestan, questioning the issue of the post-colonial character of the early Soviet administration. After taking into consideration practices related to waqf management in modern Muslim states and European colonial empires, the paper briefly describes the tsarist administrative approach to the issue. We then address the ambiguity inherent in Soviet policies on waqf requisition and restitution during Civil War years. In the section that follows we deal with different groups of Muslim intellectuals that attempted to use the Soviet state in their mutual struggle over authority in Central Asian society and describe the creation and functioning of the bureaucracies responsible for managing w...

CERN Document Server

In this work, we aim to gain a better understanding of the volatility smile observed in options markets through microsimulation (MS). We adopt two types of active traders in our MS model: speculators and arbitrageurs, and call and put options on one underlying asset. Speculators make decisions based on their expectations of the asset price at the option expiration time. Arbitrageurs trade at different arbitrage opportunities such as violation of put-call parity. Difference in liquidity among options is also included. Notwithstanding its simplicity, our model can generate implied volatility (IV) curves similar to empirical observations. Our results suggest that the volatility smile is related to the competing effect of heterogeneous trading behavior and the impact of differential liquidity.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The General Electric Test Reactor emergency cooling system performance was tested by intentionally scramming the reactor and then terminating the power to the primary pump. Certain transient thermal-hydraulic data were obtained preceding and during the established natural convection cooling loop composed of the upward flow through the core and the downward flow through the pool. An analysis was performed to permit the data to be extrapolated to obtain distributed fuel element flow rates and bulk temperature rises during the established cooling loop. The earliest time for the quasi-steady natural cooling loop to develop is about 2.5 min following scram. The cladding hot-spot temperature does not exceed the local saturation temperature after quasi-steady flow is established. Data are presented to assist in the modeling of the GETR natural convection loop. Semi-empirical relationships for friction factor and Nusselt number are also presented.

CERN Document Server

Simple, one-zone models for inhomogeneous chemical evolution of the Galactic halo are used to predict the number fraction of zero-metallicity, Population III stars, which currently is empirically estimated at < 4e-4. These analytic models minimize the number of free parameters, highlighting the most fundamental constraints on halo evolution. There are disagreements of at least an order of magnitude between observations and predictions in limiting cases for both homogeneous Simple Model and Simple Inhomogeneous Model (SIM). Hence, this demonstrates a quantitative, unambiguous discrepancy in the observed and expected fraction of Population III stars. We explore how the metallicity distribution of the parent enrichment events f(z_0) drives the SIM and predictions for the Population III fraction. The SIM shows that the previously-identified "high halo" and "low halo" populations are consistent with a continuous evolutionary progression, and therefore may not ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The study aimed to determine the chemical effects on the K and L X-ray intensity ratios and the K and L X-ray production cross sections for gold compounds. The K shell fluorescence yields and L shell average yields were also investigated. The samples were excited by 59.5keV ?-rays from an 241Am annular radioactive source and 123.6keV ?-rays from a 57Co annular radioactive source. K and L X-rays emitted from samples were counted by an Ultra-LEGe detector with a resolution of 0.150keV at 5.9keV. The experimental values were compared with theoretical, the semi-empirical and other experimental values.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively.

CERN Document Server

The emission of the plerion G21.5-0.9 appears more extended in X rays than in radio. This is an unexpected result because it would imply that short-lived X-ray electrons may reach distances even larger than radio electrons. Applying an empirical relationship between dust scattering optical depth and photoelectric column density, the measured column density leads to a large optical depth at 1 keV, of about 1. Therefore we investigate the hypothesis that the detected halo be an effect of dust scattering, re-analyzing an Cal/PV XMM-Newton observation of G21.5-0.9 and critically examining it in terms of a dust scattering model. We also present a spectral analysis of a prominent extended feature in the northern sector of the halo.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A new evaluation (UKFY2) has been prepared of the independent and cumulative yields of the products of fission induced by thermal, fast, and 14 MeV neutrons in nuclides important for reactor design and operation and for fuel and waste management. Three spontaneously fissioning nuclides were also considered. The evaluation used a database that is considered to be complete up to early 1989. Careful study was made of experimental uncertainties and discrepancies, emphasizing the need for further measurements. Gaps in the data were filled by interpolation and extrapolation, using fits to empirical models. The yields were subsequently adjusted to fit physical constraints of the fissioning process. This paper describes the evaluation, which was submitted and accepted for inclusion in the JEF2 file. The file was produced in January 1990 and a revision of cumulative yield uncertainties distributed in January 1991.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study uses the European Patent Office worldwide patent database and applies two-stage interactive data collection methods to reveal the evolving technological interdependence for China's emerging biofuel industry. Three findings are excerpted from our empirical results. First, due to dominant patterns of business ownership, China's biofuel technology is seen as largely based on the evolutionary strength of the foodstuff and chemical fields. Second, China's biofuel technology development has evolved in the mode of 'forward engineering', led by Chinese universities rather than initiated by the public research institutes as in the experience of other East Asian latecomers. Third, our patent map and technology trajectory analyses illustrate that China's biofuel technology tends to be appl...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Using gasoline as an example of additives for cold start improvement, fuel vapor composition of methanol-gasoline mixtures, fuel evaporation rate in consideration of temperature drop due to heat of fuel evaporation, air fuel ratio, stoichiometric air fuel ratio and excess air ratio of fuel vapor were calculated. The mixture formation of methanol-gasoline mixtures at low temperature in otto cycle engines was studied. Van Laar's empirical formula was used to estimate the partial pressure of high-percentage methanol blends. It was found that the most part of fuel vapor is occupied by gasoline, even when a small amount of gasoline is added to methanol resulting to an extremely small excess air ratio. It is obvious that this vapor pressure adjustment using gasoline is the dominant factor for improvement in cold startability. (10 figs, 1 tab, 10 refs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the study, wind data from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) are used to determine atmospheric circulation changes which are empirically associated with the air temperature changes. Some understanding of the natural processes which produce climate change is anticipated from the study of these associations. Systematic changes of wind in US coastal regions with periods of climate warming and cooling suggest circulation changes, in addition to carbon dioxide-controlled radiation effects, could produce the climate changes indicated by air temperature. A statistical procedure for analyses of COADS was used to determine decade-period vector wind-field differences from the COADS record period. The statistical procedure for these analyses is explained and the wind differences are compared to summaries of mid-Atlantic coast island-station observations.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper consists the radiation streaming analysis of Horizontal Flux Unit (HFU) penetrations in Calandria Vault of 540 MWe PHWR. There are total 7 HFU penetrations on west wall of calandria vault. As these penetrations are in accessible area, a detailed analysis has been carried out to find the neutron and gamma dose rates around these penetrations when reactor is operating. Analysis has been carried out Using the computer code MCNP and DOT-III. Based on the predictions at HFU penetrations, shielding arrangement was recommended. Neutron and gamma dose rate higher than estimated were observed at TAPS-4. This was because of installed shield not being similar to recommended one due to site conditions. Subsequently semi-empirical calculations using measured data were carried out by MCNP to further augment the existing shield taking into consideration the space limitations at site. (author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

For companies, relationships with external actors may constitute intangible assets. Many firms have put in place key account management programs in order to pay sufficient attention to strategically important customers and the marketing literature has studied such programs. However, a company's relationship portfolio also comprises relationships with other types of actors. The objective of this paper is to show that ? across the different types of external relationships a company may develop ? some relationships have more importance than others and, hence, are key. The authors argue that, as a consequence, the keyness of certain relationships has led to the emergence of approaches which can be referred to as key relationship management. For this purpose, the authors first present empirical...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary 1.-The metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) predicts that, after correcting for body mass variation among organisms, the rates of most biological processes will vary as a universal function of temperature. However, empirical support for -universal temperature dependence- (UTD) is currently equivocal and based on studies of a limited number of traits. 2.-In many ectothermic animals, the rate at which females produce mature eggs is temperature dependent and may be an important factor in determining the costs of reproduction. 3.-We tested whether the rate of egg maturation in marine turtles varies with environmental temperature as predicted by MTE, using the time separating successive clutches of individual females to estimate the rate at which eggs are formed. We also assessed the pheno...

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Abstract: The current financial crisis has now led most major central banks to rely on quantitative easing. The unique Japanese experience of quantitative easing is the only experience which enables us to judge this therapy's effectiveness and the timing of the exit strategy. In this paper, we provide a new empirical framework to examine the effectiveness of Japanese monetary policy during the ''lost'' decade and quantify the effect of quantitative easing on Japan's activity and prices. We combine advantages of Markov-switching VAR methodology with those of factor analysis to establish two major findings. First, we show that the decisive change in regime occurred in two steps: it crept out from late 1995 and established itself durably in February 1999. Second, we show for the first time th...

Science.gov (United States)

Repetitively Q-switched operation of an end-pumped Nd:YAG laser over the range of 200 Hz to 3 kHz using an intracavity chopper is demonstrated. Performance is shown to be comparable to that achieved with an acousto-optic Q switch under similar conditions. The advantages and limitations of the mechanical Q switch are described. Parametric variations of output coupling and pump power lead to an extended empirical description of repetitively Q-switched laser operation. The insertion loss as a function of aperture-edge penetration into the resonator is reported, and a definition of the mechanical Q-switch opening time is provided. Q-switched pulsewidths as short as 35 ns were obtained for the Nd:YAG laser, with a peak power-enhancement factor in excess of 300. PMID:20862099

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Introduction: Restrictions in prescribing broad spectrum antimicrobials have been part of a strategy to reduce Clostridium difficile cases in the UK in recent years. However, there has been little work on assessing the safety of alternative antimicrobial agents. Methods: We performed an uncontrolled prospective observational survey over a 1-year period to determine the effectiveness and safety of a new antimicrobial stewardship programme in a district hospital in the UK. Results: In total, 227 Gram-negative bacteraemias (203 episodes) occurred in the study period. Guidelines were adequate in 194 of 203 (95%) episodes and 163 episodes (80.2%) received adequate therapy. Patients in the inadequate therapy group had >2-fold increased likelihood of death [odds ratio (OR) = 2.63, 95% confidence ...

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This paper employs a new approach in order to investigate the underlying relationship between stock markets and exchange rates. Current approaches suggest that the relative equity market performance of two countries is linked to their exchange rate. In contrast, this study proposes an alternative approach where one global variable - global equity market returns - is believed to have an effect on exchange rates, with the relative interest rate level of a currency determining the sign of the relationship. Our empirical findings suggest that exchange rates and global stock market returns are strongly linked. The value of currencies with higher interest rates is positively related with global equity returns, whereas the value of currencies with lower interest rates is negatively related with g...

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Since its first inception in the debate on the relationship between environment and growth in 1992, the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis (EKC hereafter) has been subject of continuous and intense scrutiny. The most recent line of investigation criticizes the EKC hypothesis on more fundamental grounds, in that it stresses the lack of sufficient statistical testing of the empirical relationship and questions the very existence of the notion of EKC. Attention is in particular drawn on the stationarity properties of the series involved?per capita emissions or concentrations and per capita GDP?and, in case of presence of unit roots, on the cointegration property that must be present for the EKC to be a well-defined concept. Only at that point can the researcher ask whether the long-run re...

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Ockham?s razor is the principle that, all other things being equal, scientists ought to prefer simpler theories. In recent years, philosophers have argued that simpler theories make better predictions, possess theoretical virtues like explanatory power, and have other pragmatic virtues like computational tractability. However, such arguments fail to explain how and why a preference for simplicity can help one find true theories in scientific inquiry, unless one already assumes that the truth is simple. One new solution to that problem is the Ockham efficiency theorem (Kelly 2002, Minds Mach 14:485?505, 2004, Philos Sci 74:561?573, 2007a, b, Theor Comp Sci 383:270?289, c, d; Kelly and Glymour 2004), which states that scientists who heed Ockham?s razor retract their opinions less often and s...

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Turbulent premixed methane-air combustion in a cylindrical chamber is numerically simulated considering radiation effect. Reaction rates are considered as minimum rates between Arrhenius rates and eddy break up rates. A five step reduced mechanism is used. Turbulent modeling is done via standard k-{epsilon} model imposed by empirical inlet boundary conditions. Source terms of energy equation consist of reaction rates and radiation effects. The discrete ordinate method (DOM) is employed to solve the radiative transfer equation (RTE) and the weighted sum of gray gas model (WSGGM) is imposed to consider radiation effect of non-gray gases. The results indicate that in the case of turbulent combusting flows, the effect of radiation of gases can affect the temperature and species concentrations. The numerical results obtained considering radiation effect are closer to the experimental data than that of the case without radiation effect. (author)

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We have measured production cross-sections of the new neutron-rich isotopes {sup 58}Ti, {sup 61}V, {sup 63}Cr, {sup 66}Mn, {sup 69}Fe, {sup 71}Co and neighbouring isotopes that have been identified as projectile fragments from reactions between a 500 MeV/u {sup 86}Kr beam and a beryllium target. The isotope identification was performed with the zero-degree magnetic spectrometer FRS at GSI, using in addition time-of-flight and energy-loss mesurements. The experimental production cross-sections for the new nuclides and neighbouring isotopes are compared with an empirical parameterization. The resulting prospects for reaching even more neutron-rich isotopes, such as the doubly-magic nuclide {sup 78}Ni, are discussed. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have measured production cross-sections of the new neutron-rich isotopes "5"8Ti, "6"1V, "6"3Cr, "6"6Mn, "6"9Fe, "7"1Co and neighbouring isotopes that have been identified as projectile fragments from reactions between a 500 MeV/u "8"6Kr beam and a beryllium target. The isotope identification was performed with the zero-degree magnetic spectrometer FRS at GSI, using in addition time-of-flight and energy-loss measurements. The experimental production cross-sections for the new nuclides and neighbouring isotopes are compared with an empirical parametrization. The resulting prospects for reaching even more neutronrich isotopes, such as the doubly-magic nuclide "7"8Ni, are discussed. (orig.).

CERN Document Server

Two constructions due to Dr\\'apal produce a group by modifying exactly one quarter of the Cayley table of another group. We present these constructions in a compact way, and generalize them to Moufang loops, using loop extensions. Both constructions preserve associators, the associator subloop, and the nucleus. We conjecture that two Moufang 2-loops of finite order $n$ with equivalent associator can be connected by a series of constructions similar to ours, and offer empirical evidence that this is so for $n=16$, 24, 32; the only interesting cases with $n\\le 32$. We further investigate the way the constructions affect code loops and loops of type $M(G, 2)$. The paper closes with several conjectures and research questions concerning the distance of Moufang loops, classification of small Moufang loops, and generalizations of the two constructions.

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Abstract In this paper we propose a smooth transition tree model for both the conditional mean and variance of the short-term interest rate process. The estimation of such models is addressed and the asymptotic properties of the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator are derived. Model specification is also discussed. When the model is applied to the US short-term interest rate we find: (1) leading indicators for inflation and real activity are the most relevant predictors in characterizing the multiple regimes' structure; (2) the optimal model has three limiting regimes. Moreover, we provide empirical evidence of the power of the model in forecasting the first two conditional moments when it is used in connection with bootstrap aggregation (bagging). Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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The perceptual center (P-center) is fundamental to the timing of heterogeneous event sequences, including music and speech. Unfortunately, there is currently no comprehensive and reliable model of P-centers in acoustic events, so P-centers must instead be measured empirically. This study reviews existing measurement methods and evaluates two methods in detail?the rhythm adjustment method and a new method based on the phase correction response (PCR) in a synchronous tapping task. The two methods yielded consistent P-center estimates and showed no evidence of P-center context dependence. The PCR method appears promising because it is accurate and efficient and does not require explicit perceptual judgments. As a secondary result, the magnitude of the PCR is shown to vary systematically with ...

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Radon migration in porous, earthen materials is characterized by diffusion in both the air and water components of the system as well as by the interaction of the radon between the air and water. The size distribution and configuration of the pore spaces and their moisture distributions are key parameters in determining the radon diffusion coefficient for the bulk material. A mathematical model is developed and presented for calculating radon diffusion coefficients solely from the moisture content and pore size distribution of a soil, reducing the need for resorting to radon diffusion measurements. The resulting diffusion coefficients increase with the median pore diameter of the soil and decrease with increasing widths of the pore size distribution. The calculated diffusion coefficients are suitable for use in simple homogeneous-medium diffusion expressions for predicting radon transport and compare well with measured diffusion coefficients and with empirical ...

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The biosorption of lead, copper and zinc ions on Rhizopus arrhizus has been studied for three single-component and two binary systems. The equilibrium data have been analysed using the Freundlich adsorption model. The characteristic parameters for the Freundlich adsorption model have been determined and the competition coefficients for the competitive biosorption of Pb(II)-Cu(II) at pH 4.0 and 5.0, and Pb(II)-Zn(II) at pH 5.0 have been calcualted. For the individual single-component isotherms, lead has the highest biosorption capacity followed by copper, then zinc. The capacity of lead in the two binary systems is always significantly greater than those of the other metal ions, in agreement with the single-component data. Only a partial selectivity for copper ions has been obtained at pH 4.0. (orig.)

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The slumping of the GCC currencies against other major currencies and the ensuing rising imported inflation have sparked an ongoing debate about the viability of the dollar peg. This paper extends and applies the contribution of Berger et al. (2001) to the largest economies of the GCC, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, by introducing a foreign inflation dimension. Empirical estimations suggest little or no evidence supporting the suitability of a fixed exchange rate regime in any of the three analyzed economies. It is this paper's contention that policy makers ought to play an immediate and active role in identifying a suitable more flexible exchange rate regime as well as an achievable timeline and road map to effectively abandoning the dollar peg.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper, 0.75Pb(Fe2/3W1/3)O3-0.25PbTiO3-0.15 wt% MnO (0.75PFW-0.25PT-0.15 wt% MnO) ceramics are synthesized by two different methods, the conventional direct oxide synthesized (DS) method and two-step indirect synthesized (IS) method. The low-field dielectric responses are investigated by using the empirical law, the Curie-Weiss law, the modified-Landau theory and the spin-glass model. Due to the IS method, the lattice structure and the grain structure of the samples are changed. Furthermore, the dielectric properties are evidently modified. It is suggested that the ordering degree of B-site cations is enhanced by using the IS synthesized method.

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By analogy with the concepts of human learning, we show and introduce a new method to obtain least product cost and price that includes the effect of innovation and technological learning in manufacturing and production. This key result is a new paradigm instead of the usual economic 'power law' formulation. The new analysis is based on extensive analysis of many technological systems, and is directly related to the presence of learning as experience is accumulated. The results agree with the observed data. By using a consistent basis, the method replaces previous empirical 'power law' descriptions of the technological learning curve with a new 'marginal minimum cost equation' (MCE). (author)

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In this paper we show that the recent model by Gilles Duranton [Duranton, G., 2007. Urban evolutions: The fast, the slow, and the still. American Economic Review 97, 197-221] performs remarkably well in replicating the city size distribution of West Germany, much better than the simple rank-size rule known as Zipfs law. The main mechanism of this theoretical framework is the "churning" of industries across cities. Little is known in urban economics about the determinants of local industry turnover so far. We present an empirical analysis of the excess churning index for West German cities, which describes the strength of intra-city industry reallocations over time. We find that urban growth and industry turnover are not notably correlated: Some, but not all fast-growing cities have notably...

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This paper discusses the link between R&D and productivity across the European industrial and service sectors. The empirical analysis is based on both the European sectoral OECD data and on a unique micro-longitudinal database consisting of 532 top European R&D investors. The main conclusions are as follows. First, the R&D stock has a significant positive impact on labor productivity; this general result is largely consistent with previous literature in terms of the sign, the significance, and the magnitude of the estimated coefficients. More interestingly, both at sectoral and firm levels the R&D coefficient increases monotonically (both in significance and magnitude) when we move from the low-tech to the medium- and high-tech sectors. This outcome means that corporate R&D investment is m...

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The recent literature in the field of supply chain management emphasizes the role of inter-organizational networks and the integration of vertical reproduction networks (supply chains) in particular as a key factor for value creation. However, the literature includes little empirical evidence. This situation suggests the need to appraise investments in such networks or supply chains carefully. How can a decision maker reliably assess the effect of investing in inter-organizational network arrangements on firm value? This article takes up this issue and suggests a framework consisting of five components to help answer the question. The task of the framework is to support the structuring and revelation of the causal chain between investments in the network on the one hand and the effect of t...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Depletion studies are used to infer the presence of mantles and to constrain grain evolutionary models in the diffuse interstellar medium. The presence of these mantles appears to be important in the evolution of the grains inside diffuse as well as dense clouds. In dense clouds where the element-to-element abundances sometimes differ from those found in diffuse clouds, empirical relationships are starting to emerge between gas abundances and various types of peculiar selective extinction. These peculiar extinction curves may be the results of nonvolatile mantle formation on grain cores or may reflect chemical differences due to variations in the intrinsic metalicity from one cloud to another. A simple model of the time evolution of a parcel of gas and dust as observed by the depletion of two elements is presented. Different studies of grain evolution and selective extinction are discussed and compared.

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The languages of the world exhibit a range of formal phenomena (e.g. accenting, syntactic reordering and morphological marking) that are commonly linked to the information-structural notion of focus. Crucially, there does not seem to be a one-to-one mapping between particular formal features (focus marking devices) and focus, neither from a cross-linguistic perspective, nor within individual languages. This raises the question of what is actually being expressed if we say that a constituent is focused in a particular language, and whether, or to what extent, the same semantic or pragmatic content is formally expressed by focus-marking across languages. This special issue addresses the question of focus and its grammatical realization from a number of theoretical and empirical perspectives....

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Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out of the radial distribution function of the hard sphere fluid for a range of densities in the equilibrium fluid and just into the metastable region. The first derivative of the hard-sphere radial distribution function at contact was computed and its density dependence fitted to a simple analytic form. Comparisons were made with semi-empirical formulae from the literature, and of these the formula proposed by Tao et al (1992 Phys. Rev. A 46 8007) was found to be in best agreement with the simulation data, although it slightly underestimates the derivative at the higher packing fractions in excess of about 0.45. Close to contact, within a few per cent of the particle diameter, the radial distribution function can be represented well by a second order polynomial. An exponential function, which has some useful analytic features, can also be applied in this region.

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This report summarizes some experiences gathered when using the semi-empirical temperature model that forms the heart of the steel casting advisory system `TUNDTEMP` in simulating the casting process. The model estimates the evolution of the liquid steel temperature in a tundish of a continuous casting machine through a temperature prediction at a couple of central time instants during the casting process. The results are compared with corresponding actual observations during the castings - measured steel temperatures and recorded casting difficulties and interruptions. Explanations for the possible discrepancies are suggested. Starting from a heuristically chosen set of model parameter values, some developing steps have been tested to reduce the simulation errors. The study concentrates mainly on temperature predictions for single heat castings. At the end of the report, some simulations of sequence castings are also briefly discussed

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Purpose - Burr distribution has been proved to be a useful failure model. It can assume different shapes which allow it to be a good fit for various lifetimes data. Hybrid censoring is an important way of generating lifetimes data. The purpose of this paper is to estimate an unknown parameter of the Burr type XII distribution when data are hybrid censored. Design/methodology/approach - The problem is dealt with through both the classical and Bayesian point of view. Specifically, the methods of estimation used to tackle the problem are maximum likelihood estimation method and Bayesian method. Empirical Bayesian approach is also considered. The performance of all estimates is compared through their mean square error values. The paper employs Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the mean square...

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Alcohol dependence (AD) is clinically and etiologically heterogeneous. The goal of this study was to explore AD subtypes among a sample of 1221 participants in the Irish Affected Sib Pair Study of Alcohol Dependence, all of whom met DSM-IV criteria for AD. Variables used to identify the subtypes included major depressive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, illicit drug dependence (cannabis, sedatives, stimulants, cocaine, opioids, and hallucinogens), nicotine dependence, the personality traits of neuroticism and novelty seeking, and early alcohol use. Using latent class analysis, a 3-class solution was identified as the most parsimonious description of the data. Individuals in a Mild class were least likely to have comorbid psychopathology, whereas a severe class had highest probabi...

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Summary 1. A primary goal of evolutionary ecology is to understand factors selecting for the diversity of life histories. Life-history components, such as time-to-reproduction, adult survivorship and fecundity, might differ among species because of variation in direct and indirect benefits of these life histories in different environments or might have lower-than-expected variability because of phylogenetic constraints. Here, we present a phylogenetic examination of demography and life histories using a data base of 204 terrestrial plant species. 2. Overall, statistical models without phylogeny were preferred to models with phylogeny for vital rates and elasticities, suggesting that they lacked phylogenetic signal and are evolutionarily labile. However, the effect of phylogeny was signific...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The absorption spectra of an unoriented single crystal of the title compound (1) have been measured at room and at low temperatures. Assuming a similar sequence of crystal field (CF) levels as for the previously analyzed Nd[N(SiMe_3)_2]_3 (2) a truncated CF splitting pattern is derived from the spectra obtained. The parameters of an empirical Hamiltonian are fitted to the energies of 71 levels to give an r.m.s. deviation of 24.2 cm"-"1. The parameters obtained are compared with those of 2 and Nd[N(SiMe_3)_2]_3(CNC_6H_1_1)_2 (3). The observed trends of CF parameters are consistent with the results of simple model calculations in the framework of the angular overlap model. (orig.)

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The role of adaptation in the divergence of lineages has long been a central question in evolutionary biology, and as multilocus sequence data sets have become available for a wide range of taxa, empirical estimates of levels of adaptive molecular evolution are increasingly common. Estimates vary widely among taxa, with high levels of adaptive evolution in Drosophila, bacteria, and viruses but very little evidence of widespread adaptive evolution in hominids. Although estimates in plants are more limited, some recent work has suggested that rates of adaptive evolution in a range of plant taxa are surprisingly low and that there is little association between adaptive evolution and effective population size in contrast to patterns seen in other taxa. Here, we analyze data from 35 loci for si...

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Purpose - Based upon the E-VALUE model developed, this paper aims to investigate the impact of e-commerce usage on business performance in the tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional survey is carried out on 165 Malaysian firms involved in the tourism sector (hotels, resorts, and hospitals engaged in health tourism) through the use of a structured questionnaire. Findings - The structural equation modeling results indicate that technology competency, firm size, firm scope, web-technology investment, pressure intensity, and back-end usage have significant influence on e-commerce usage. Among these variables, back-end integration is found to function as a mediator. E-commerce experience (in years) is found to moderate the relationship between e-commerce usage and busin...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dispersed flow film boiling is the heat transfer regime that occurs at high void fractions in a heated channel. The way this transfer mode is modelled in the NRC computer codes (RELAP5 and TRAC) and the validity of the assumption and empirical correlations used is discussed. An extensive review of the theoretical and experimental work related with heat transfer to highly dispersed mixtures reveals the basic deficiencies of these models: the investigation refers mostly to the typical conditions of low rate bottom reflooding, since the simulation of this physical situation by the computer codes has often showed poor results. The alternative models that are available in the literature are reviewed, and their merits and limits are highlighted. The modification that could improve the physics of the models implemented in the codes are identified. (author) 13 figs., 123 refs.

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Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to critically explore business-to-business critical success factors (B2B CSFs) for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the Chinese B2B marketplace, evaluate the findings, and use the generated CSFs to propose a framework to assist in the marketing management of B2B in China. The proposed framework provides a guideline for academics and practitioners and highlights the significant role of each factor in developing and sustaining effective B2B electronic commerce (B2B e-commerce) practice for SMEs. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed framework is constructed by combining the empirical findings and B2B literature. The quantitative (online survey) was targeted at, proprietors, chief executive officers, managing directors, general...

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ContextCost advantage has been one of the primary drivers of successful offshoring engagements of Indian software and services companies. However, the emphasis has shifted to the ability of the vendors to provide high quality over cost advantage in delivering software products and services. Meeting high quality requirements of the clients is a challenge due to the very nature of development and delivery of software through offshoring. ObjectiveThe objective of this research paper is to identify and evaluate the key determinants of quality in the case of software projects delivered through offshoring model. MethodA detailed survey was conducted among project managers/project leaders (leads) of a leading midsize Indian IT services company to evaluate the relationship of the determinants on t...

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Density is useful in deducing the spatial structure of coals. In this paper, nitrogen has been used instead of the commonly employed helium, for the gas displacement pycnometer based density determination of a number of coals of Indian origin. The results show that the nitrogen-based densities are always higher than the helium-based ones. Also, empirical relationships between the helium-based and nitrogen-based coal densities have been developed by two modeling methods, namely, multi-variable regression and artificial neural networks. Although the two models have fared well, the neural network model exhibits a relatively better prediction accuracy and generalization performance than the regression model. This study thus demonstrates that nitrogen, which is cheaper and easily available, can be used gainfully as the probe gas for estimating the true density of coals. 23 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.

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For 170 years, scientists have attempted to explain why consistent temporal patterns of death are observed among individuals within populations. Historical efforts to identify a {open_quotes}law of mortality{close_quotes} from these patterns ended in 1935 when it was declared that such a law did not exist. These empirical tests for a law of mortality were constructed using mortality curves based on all causes of death. We predicted that patterns of mortality consistent with the historical concept of a law would be revealed if mortality curves for species were constructed using only senescent causes of death. Using data on senescent mortality for laboratory animals and humans, we demonstrate that patterns of mortality overlap when compared on a biologically comparable time scale. These results are consistent with the existence of a law of mortality following sexual maturity as asserted by Benjamin Gompertz and Raymond Pearl. The societal, medical, and research ...

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A constitutive model for an explosive consists of three parts: equation of state of reactants, equation of state of products, and reaction rate. In the absence of a good physical theory, models are empirical and based on heuristics. For the HMX based plastic-bonded explosive PBX 9501, three models have previously been calibrated and used in numerical simulations. Here, these three models are compared. They illustrate several generic difficulties with developing and validating models. The available data is insufficient to determine a constitutive model uniquely. Different models can be calibrated to fit the available data yet differ significantly in regions of phase space of importance to applications. Comparing models gives an indication of the uncertainty in model predictions outside the ...

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Recent legislative changes in both Europe and the USA have increased the responsibility of drug developers to purposefully study the agents they market in children so that specific dosing recommendations can be made to assist clinicians in their use. Typically, clinicians use empirical- or experiential-based rationales for selecting the dose to use in children, generally in a manner that attempts to achieve the same dose-exposure or pharmacokinetic profile in children as in adults. However, whether this approach achieves the necessary dose exposure or exposure effect needed may not be systematically explored during off-label use. This creates the opportunity for under- or over-exposure in children, particularly in very young children (i.e., less than 2 years old) where a combination of fac...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preliminary observations on the isothermal carbon transfer in low-carbon Alloy-800 exposed in sodium with AISI-304 type of steel at 550_0 are reported. The alloy was found to undergo a carburization comparable or slightly lower than that observed for the AISI-304 stainless steel for carbon activities above 6 x 10 /sup -3/ at 550_0C, but was not found to decarburize below such a carbon activity value. In the examined range the chemical composition of the alloys does not affect the process out of the experimental uncertainty of measure. Conclusions concerning the effective diffusion for carbon in the alloy are formulated. Preliminary relationships were found for an empirical evaluation of the carburization of the Alloy-800 in sodium of known carbon activity.

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This study validates a research model that examines usage of instant messaging (IM) from the aspect of online social support. Drawing on the social capital theory, this study postulates that IM usage is indirectly affected by social support via the mediation of the following six dimensions of social capital: commitment, reciprocity, shared codes and language, shared narratives, centrality, and network ties. The model tests data obtained from business organizations in Taiwan, and the results suggest that the indirect influence of social support on IM usage through shared codes and language is significant, and the indirect influence of social support on IM usage through centrality is also significant. Managerial implications and limitations of the empirical findings are provided.

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An analytical model is proposed for the design and simulation of in-situ fracture of deep oil sand formations. This model is based on the finite element variational principle in conjunction with special empirical modules to characterize in-situ oil sands behavior. A computer code by the name of SANFRAC was developed to handle the dynamic fracture of formations induced by explosives. Simulation of hydraulic fracture processes can be treated by the same code as special cases using the quasi-static analysis. Numerical case studies by the SANFRAC code indicate that extensive horizontal fracture can be achieved by dynamic loads with proper fracture starters configured at the injection well. The unique advantage of the dynamic fracturing technique over the hydraulic fracture methods is also demonstrated by these studies.

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This paper investigates the relationship between environmental pollution and economic growth in China based on the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, using Chinese provincial data over 1985?2005. Waste gas, waste water and solid wastes are used as environmental indicators and GDP is used as the economic indicator. It is found by panel cointegration test that there is a long-run cointegrating relationship between the per capita emission of three pollutants and the per capita GDP. According to comparisons with the dynamic OLS estimator and the Within OLS estimator, we find that panel cointegration estimation is preferable for all pollutants except for solid wastes. The results also show that all three pollutants are inverse U-shaped, and water pollution has been improved earlier than ga...

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Data were collected on 154 adoptive families with gay/lesbian and straight adoptive parents (154 parent respondents and 210 adolescent respondents). This study was principally interested in factors affecting adolescent attachment including parent sexual orientation, adolescent and parent life satisfaction, and parent level of relationship satisfaction with their adopted child as well as other key parent, child and adoption characteristics. The results suggest that higher level of adopted adolescent attachment to parents is not related to adoptive parent sexual orientation. Adolescent attachment to parents is related to adolescent life satisfaction; parent level of relationship satisfaction with their adopted child, number of placements prior to adoption, and adolescent's current age. Adole...