ALBERT

Description: We used a one-dimensional simulation program Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in 1 Dimension (SCAPS-1D) to investigate Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide- (CIGS-) based solar cells properties. Starting with a conventional ZnO-B/i-ZnO/CdS/CIGS structure, we simulated the parameters of current-voltage characteristics and showed how the absorber layer thickness, hole density, and band gap influence the short-circuit current density (), open-circuit voltage (), fill factor (FF), and efficiency of solar cell. Our simulation results showed that all electrical parameters are greatly affected by the absorber thickness (w) below 1000 nm, due to the increase of back-contact recombination and very poor absorption. Increasing hole density (p) or absorber band gap () improves and leads to high efficiency, which equals value of 16.1% when p = 1016 cm−3 and  eV. In order to reduce back-contact recombination, the effect of a very thin layer with high band gap inserted near the back contact and acting as electrons reflector, the so-called back-electron reflector (EBR), has been investigated. The performances of the solar cells are significantly improved, when ultrathin absorbers (w 〈 500 nm) are used; the corresponding gain of due to the EBR is 3 mA/cm2. Our results are in good agreement with those reported in the literature from experiments.

Description: The work presents comparisons of the flame stabilization characteristics of axisymmetric disk and 2D slender bluff-body burner configurations, operating with inlet mixture stratification, under ultralean conditions. A double cavity propane air premixer formed along three concentric disks, supplied with a radial equivalence ratio gradient the afterbody disk recirculation, where the first flame configuration is stabilized. Planar fuel injection along the center plane of the leading face of a slender square cylinder against the approach cross-flow results in a stratified flame configuration stabilized alongside the wake formation region in the second setup. Measurements of velocities, temperatures, and chemiluminescence, local extinction criteria, and large-eddy simulations are employed to examine a range of ultralean and close to extinction flame conditions. The variations of the reacting front disposition within these diverse reacting wake topologies, the effect of the successive suppression of heat release on the near flame region characteristics, and the reemergence of large-scale vortical activity on approach to lean blowoff (LBO) are investigated. The cross-correlation of the performance of these two popular flame holders that are at the opposite ends of current applications might offer helpful insights into more effective control measures for expanding the operational margin of a wider range of stabilization configurations.

Description: The problem of exponential stability for the uncertain neutral Markovian jump systems with interval time-varying delays and nonlinear perturbations is investigated in this paper. This study starts from the corresponding nominal systems with known and partially unknown transition rates, respectively. By constructing a novel augmented Lyapunov functional which contains triple-integral terms and fully utilizes the bound of the delay, the delay-range-dependent and rate-dependent exponential stability criteria are developed by the Lyapunov theory, reciprocally convex lemma, and free weighting matrices. Then, the results about nominal systems are extended to the uncertain case. Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Description: The local fractional Schrödinger equations in the one-dimensional Cantorian system are investigated. The approximations solutions are obtained by using the local fractional series expansion method. The obtained solutions show that the present method is an efficient and simple tool for solving the linear partial differentiable equations within the local fractional derivative.

Description: Changes of antioxidant properties of -lipoic acid (LA) after UV irradiation were studied. LA is the typical drug used in diabetic neuropathy. Quenching of free radicals is an important factor of therapy by using this substance. -Lipoic acid is exposed to UV irradiation during the storage. The aim of our studies was to examine the effect of UV irradiation on the interactions of LA with free radicals. The -lipoic acid was irradiated by UVA 315–400 nm light during 10 to 110 minutes by intervals of 10 minutes. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used as the experimental technique. The antioxidant properties of LA were spectroscopically confirmed. The strong effect of UV irradiation on interactions of -lipoic acid with free radicals was observed. It was pointed out that interactions of LA with free radicals decrease after its exposition on UV. The interactions of LA with free radicals were higher after the sample irradiation during 10 minutes than for the samples irradiated longer (20–110 minutes). The results are important for problems connected with photomedicine; they pointed out that -lipoic acid should not be stored on UV exposition. Application of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to characterize interactions of pharmacological substance with free radicals was confirmed.

Description: Copper antimony sulfide (CAS) is a relatively new class of sustainable absorber material, utilizing cost effective and abundant elements. Band gap engineered, modified CAS thin films were synthesized using electrodeposition and elevated temperature sulfurization approach. A testing analog of copper zinc antimony sulfide (CZAS) film-electrolyte interface was created in order to evaluate photoelectrochemical performance of the thin film of absorber materials. Eu3+/Eu2+ redox couple was selected for this purpose, based on its relative band offset with copper antimony sulfide. It was observed that zinc has a significant effect on CAS film properties. An enhanced photocurrent was observed for CAS film, modified with zinc addition. A detailed investigation has been carried out by changing stoichiometry, and corresponding surface and optical characterization results have been evaluated. A summary of favorable processing parameters of the films showing enhanced photoelectrochemical response is presented.

Description: In CdS/CdTe solar cells, chemical interdiffusion at the interface gives rise to the formation of an interlayer of the ternary compound . In this work, we evaluate the effects of this interlayer in CdS/CdTe photovoltaic cells in order to improve theoretical results describing experimental - (capacitance versus voltage) characteristics. We extended our previous theoretical methodology developed on the basis of three cardinal equations (Castillo-Alvarado et al., 2010). The present results provide a better fit to experimental data obtained from CdS/CdTe solar cells grown in our laboratory by the chemical bath deposition (for CdS film) and the close-spaced vapor transport (for CdTe film) techniques.

Description: In a silicon wafer-based photovoltaic (PV) module, significant power is lost due to current transport through the ribbons interconnecting neighbour cells. Using halved cells in PV modules is an effective method to reduce the resistive power loss which has already been applied by some major PV manufacturers (Mitsubishi, BP Solar) in their commercial available PV modules. As a consequence, quantitative analysis of PV modules using halved cells is needed. In this paper we investigate theoretically and experimentally the difference between modules made with halved and full-size solar cells. Theoretically, we find an improvement in fill factor of 1.8% absolute and output power of 90 mW for the halved cell minimodule. Experimentally, we find an improvement in fill factor of 1.3% absolute and output power of 60 mW for the halved cell module. Also, we investigate theoretically how this effect confers to the case of large-size modules. It is found that the performance increment of halved cell PV modules is even higher for high-efficiency solar cells. After that, the resistive loss of large-size modules with different interconnection schemes is analysed. Finally, factors influencing the performance and cost of industrial halved cell PV modules are discussed.

Description: In three-phase photovoltaic (PV) system, three-phase filter inductors are important part for the output electrical power quality. The comparison analyses of three-phase discrete filter inductors and two kinds of three-phase integrated filter inductors in three-phase PV inverter are proposed. Firstly, the three-phase PV inverter operation with discrete filter inductors is analyzed, and the design of discrete filter inductors is given; then operation of the three-phase PV inverter with three-phase integrated five-limb magnetic core filter inductors is analyzed, the design of integrated filter inductors with five-limb magnetic core is given, then the operation of three-phase PV inverter with three-phase integrated three-limb magnetic core filter inductors is analyzed, and the design of integrated filter inductors with three limbs magnetic core is given. The conclusion of comparison between three-phase discrete filter inductors and two kinds of three-phase integrated filter inductors is done; it means that the three-phase discrete filter inductors can achieve better output electrical power quality with lower power density and three-phase integrated filter inductors can achieve higher power density with lower output electrical power quality. Finally, the experiment results are given to compare the volume and filter effect of three kinds of filter inductors in three-phase PV inverter.

Description: Beyond multifractional Brownian motion: new stochastic models for geophysical modelling Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 643-655, 2013 Author(s): J. Lévy Véhel Multifractional Brownian motion (mBm) has proved to be a useful tool in various areas of geophysical modelling. Although a versatile model, mBm is of course not always an adequate one. We present in this work several other stochastic processes which could potentially be useful in geophysics. The first alternative type is that of self-regulating processes : these are models where the local regularity is a function of the amplitude, in contrast to mBm where it is tuned exogenously. We demonstrate the relevance of such models for digital elevation maps and for temperature records. We also briefly describe two other types of alternative processes, which are the counterparts of mBm and of self-regulating processes when the intensity of local jumps is considered in lieu of local regularity: multistable processes allow one to prescribe the local intensity of jumps in space/time, while this intensity is governed by the amplitude for self-stabilizing processes .

Description: The problem of robust fault tolerant control for continuous-time fractional-order (FO) systems with interval parameters and sensor faults of has been investigated. By establishing sensor fault model and state observer, an observer-based FO output feedback controller is developed such that the closed-loop FO system is asymptotically stable, not only when all sensor components are working well, but also in the presence of sensor components failures. Finally, numerical simulation examples are given to illustrate the application of the proposed design method.

Description: The rural/remote IMPROVE network (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) and the Environmental Protection Agency's urban Chemical Speciation Network have measured PM2.5 organic (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) since 1989 and 2000, respectively. We aggregated OC and EC data from 2007 to 2010 at over 300 sites from both networks in order to characterize the spatial and seasonal patterns in rural and urban carbonaceous aerosols. The spatial extent of OC and EC was more regional in the eastern United States relative to more localized concentrations in the West. The highest urban impacts of OC and EC relative to background concentrations occurred in the West during fall and winter. Urban and rural carbonaceous aerosols experienced a large (although opposite) range in seasonality in the West compared to a much lower seasonal variability in the East. Long-term (1990–2010) trend analyses indicated a widespread decrease in rural TC (TC = OC + EC) across the country, with positive, though insignificant, trends in the summer and fall in the West. Short-term trends indicated that urban and rural TC concentrations have both decreased since 2000, with the strongest and more spatially homogeneous urban and rural trends in the West relative to the East.

Description: The Doppler velocity dealiasing technique based on alias-robust VAD and variational (AR-Var) analyses developed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory for radar data quality control and assimilation is further improved in its two-step procedures: the reference check in the first step and the continuity check in the second step. In the first step, the alias-robust variational analysis is modified adaptively and used in place of the alias-robust velocity-azimuth display (VAD) analysis for all scan modes (rather than solely the WSR-88D volume coverage pattern 31 with the Nyquist velocity reduced below 12 m s−1 and the TDWR Mod80 with reduced below 15 m s−1), so more raw data can pass the stringent threshold conditions used by the reference check in the first step. This improves the dealiased data coverage without false dealiasing to better satisfy the high data quality standard required by radar data assimilation. In the second step, new procedures are designed and added to the continuity check to increase the dealiased data coverage over storm-scale areas threatened by intense mesocyclones and their generated tornados. The performances of the improved dealiasing technique versus the existing techniques are exemplified by the results obtained for tornadic storms scanned by the operational KTLX radar in Oklahoma.

Description: Composite silicon dioxide-titanium dioxide (SiO2-TiO2) films are deposited on a large area of 15.6 × 15.6 cm2 textured multicrystalline silicon solar cells to increase the incident light trapped within the device. For further improvement of the antireflective coatings (ARCs) quality, dimethylformamide (DMF) solution is added to the original SiO2-TiO2 solutions. DMF solution solves the cracking problem, thus effectively decreasing reflectance as well as surface recombination. The ARCs prepared by sol-gel process and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on multicrystalline silicon substrate are compared. The average efficiency of the devices with improved sol-gel ARCs is 16.3%, only 0.5% lower than that of devices with PECVD ARCs (16.8%). However, from equipment depreciation point of view (the expiration date of equipment is generally considered as 5 years), the running cost (USD/watt) of sol-gel technique is 80% lower than that of PECVD method for the first five years and 66% lower than that of PECVD method from the start of the sixth year. This result proves that sol-gel-deposited ARCs process has potential applications in manufacturing low-cost, large-area solar cells.

Description: With the water and soil conservation forests of Robinia pseudoacacia in the Malian beach of Hongqi farm, Ji County, Shanxi province, as the research object, this study estimated the potential evapotranspiration in the open space outside the forest and at the heights of 3 m, 6 m, and 10 m in the forests with the climate data during 2011-2012 and the upgraded Penman-Monteith formula; then, this study explored the microclimate characteristics inside and outside the Robinia pseudoacacia forest and thereafter revealed the vertical variation rules of potential evapotranspiration of Robinia pseudoacacia. The results indicate that the air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and potential evapotranspiration at different heights above the ground surface showed similar changing trends, but with some variation during different periods. In addition, the weather also had impacts on the potential evapotranspiration. In April, July, and October, the change of potential evapotranspiration of the Robinia pseudoacacia forests showed a bimodal curve in the sunny days and rainy days, while it showed a single-peak curve with quite small fluctuation in the rainy days. However, it showed a single-peak pattern even in the sunny days in January, and it showed no fluctuation in the snowy days in January.

Description: This paper is the second in a series of papers considering symmetry properties of bosonic quantum systems over 2D graphs, with continuous spins, in the spirit of the Mermin-Wagner theorem. In the model considered here the phase space of a single spin is where is a -dimensional unit torus with a flat metric. The phase space of spins is , the subspace of formed by functions symmetric under the permutations of the arguments. The Fock space yields the phase space of a system of a varying (but finite) number of particles. We associate a space with each vertex of a graph satisfying a special bidimensionality property. (Physically, vertex represents a heavy “atom” or “ion” that does not move but attracts a number of “light” particles.) The kinetic energy part of the Hamiltonian includes (i) , the minus a half of the Laplace operator on , responsible for the motion of a particle while “trapped” by a given atom, and (ii) an integral term describing possible “jumps” where a particle may join another atom. The potential part is an operator of multiplication by a function (the potential energy of a classical configuration) which is a sum of (a) one-body potentials , , describing a field generated by a heavy atom, (b) two-body potentials , , showing the interaction between pairs of particles belonging to the same atom, and (c) two-body potentials , , scaled along the graph distance between vertices , which gives the interaction between particles belonging to different atoms. The system under consideration can be considered as a generalized (bosonic) Hubbard model. We assume that a connected Lie group acts on , represented by a Euclidean space or torus of dimension , preserving the metric and the volume in . Furthermore, we suppose that the potentials , , and are -invariant. The result of the paper is that any (appropriately defined) Gibbs states generated by the above Hamiltonian is -invariant, provided that the thermodynamic variables (the fugacity and the inverse temperature ) satisfy a certain restriction. The definition of a Gibbs state (and its analysis) is based on the Feynman-Kac representation for the density matrices.

Description: In an effort to investigate a possible relation between geometry and information, we establish a relation of the Ricci scalar in the Robertson-Walker metric of the cosmological Friedmann model to the number of information and entropy . This is with the help of a previously derived result that relates the Hubble parameter to the number of information . We find that the Ricci scalar has a dependence which is inversely proportional to the number of information and entropy . Similarly, a nonzero number of information would imply a finite Ricci scalar, and therefore space time will unfold. Finally, using the maximum number of information existing in the universe, we obtain a numerical value for the Ricci scalar to be .

Description: Simplified PRBMs of spatial compliant multi-beam modules for planar motion Mechanical Sciences, 4, 311-318, 2013 Author(s): G. Hao PRBMs (pseudo-rigid-body models) have been becoming important engineering technologies/methods in the field of compliant mechanisms to simplify the design and analysis through the use of the knowledge body of rigid-body mechanisms coupling with springs. This article addresses the PRBMs of spatial multi-beam modules for planar motion, which are composed of three or more symmetrical wire/slender beams parallel to each other where the planar twisting DOF (degree of freedom) is assumed to be very small for specific applications/loading conditions. Simplified PRBMs are firstly proposed through replacing each beam in spatial multi-beam module with a rigid-body link plus two identical spherical joints at its two ends. The characteristics factor, bending stiffness and twisting stiffness for the spherical joint are determined. Load-displacement equations are then derived for a class of spatial multi-beam modules and general spatial multi-beam modules using the virtual work principle and kinematic relationships. Finally, nonlinear FEA (finite element analysis) is employed with comparisons with the PRBMs. The present PRBMs have shown the ability to predict the primary nonlinear constraint characteristics such as load-stiffening effect, cross-axis coupling in the two primary translational directions and buckling load.

Description: The use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is experimented with to improve the performance of a dual fuel compression ignition (CI) engine running on Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME) blends. Diesel is used as a reference fuel for the dual fuel engine results. During the experimentation, the engine performance is measured in terms of brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and exhaust emission is measured in terms of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), and oxides of nitrogen (). Dual fuel engine with LPG showed a reduction in and smoke emission; however, it suffers from high HC and CO emission, particularly, at lower loads due to poor ignition. Comparison of performance and emissions is done for diesel and blends of KOME. Results showed that using KOME blends (10% and 20%) has improved the CI engine performance with a reduction in HC and CO emissions.

Description: This work presents a study of the possibility for extending the well-known results of E. Verlinde concerning the entropic nature of gravity to the ultraviolet region (Planck’s energies) and also the derivation of quantum corrections to Einstein Equations.

Description: n-type ZnO:Cu photoanodes were fabricated by simple spray pyrolysis deposition technique. Influence of low concentration (range ~10−4–10−1%) of Cu doping in hexagonal ZnO lattice on its photoelectrochemical performance has been investigated. The doped photoanodes displayed 7-time enhanced conversion efficiencies with respect to their undoped counterpart, as estimated from the photocurrents generated under simulated solar radiation. This is the highest enhancement in the solar conversion efficiency reported so far for the Cu-doped ZnO. This performance is attributed to the red shift in the band gap of the Cu-doped films and is in accordance with the incident-photon-current-conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements. Electrochemical studies reveal an n-type nature of these photoanodes. Thus, the study indicates a high potential of doped ZnO films for solar energy applications, in purview of the development of simple nanostructuring methodologies.

Description: I discuss briefly in this review, dedicated to the centenary of the birth of the great neutrino physicist Bruno Pontecorvo, the following ideas he proposed: (i) the radiochemical method of neutrino detection; (ii) the universality of the weak interaction; (iii) the accelerator neutrino experiment which allowed to prove that muon and electron neutrinos are different particles (the Brookhaven experiment). I consider in some details Pontecorvo's pioneering idea of neutrino masses, mixing, and oscillations and the development of this idea by Pontecorvo, by Pontecorvo and Gribov, and by Pontecorvo and myself.

Description: Low-mass dilepton spectra as measured in high-energy heavy-ion collisions are a unique tool to obtain spectroscopic information about the strongly interacting medium produced in these reactions. Specifically, in-medium modifications of the vector spectral function, which is well known in the vacuum, can be deduced from the thermal radiation off the expanding QCD fireball. This, in particular, allows to investigate the fate of the resonance in the dense medium and possibly infer from it signatures of the (partial) restoration of chiral symmetry, which is spontaneously broken in the QCD vacuum. After briefly reviewing calculations of thermal dilepton emission rates from hot QCD matter, utilizing effective hadronic theory, lattice QCD, or resummed perturbative QCD, we focus on applications to dilepton spectra at heavy-ion collider experiments at RHIC and LHC. This includes invariant-mass spectra at full RHIC energy with transverse-momentum dependencies and azimuthal asymmetries, as well as a systematic investigation of the excitation function down to fixed-target energies, thus making contact to previous precision measurements at the SPS. Furthermore, predictions for the energy frontier at the LHC are presented in both dielectron and dimuon channels.

Description: This study presents wavelets-computational aspects of Sterian-realistic approach to uncertainty principle in high energy physics. According to this approach, one cannot make a device for the simultaneous measuring of the canonical conjugate variables in reciprocal Fourier spaces. However, such aspects regarding the use of conjugate Fourier spaces can be also noticed in quantum field theory, where the position representation of a quantum wave is replaced by momentum representation before computing the interaction in a certain point of space, at a certain moment of time. For this reason, certain properties regarding the switch from one representation to another in these conjugate Fourier spaces should be established. It is shown that the best results can be obtained using wavelets aspects and support macroscopic functions for computing (i) wave-train nonlinear relativistic transformation, (ii) reflection/refraction with a constant shift, (iii) diffraction considered as interaction with a null phase shift without annihilation of associated wave, (iv) deflection by external electromagnetic fields without phase loss, and (v) annihilation of associated wave-train through fast and spatially extended phenomena according to uncertainty principle.

Description: Entropy creation in multiparticle system is investigated by analysing the experimental data on ion-ion collisions at AGS and SPS energies and the results thus obtained are compared with those predicted by multiphase transport and correlation-free Monte Carlo models. Entropies produced in limited- and full-phase space are observed to increase with increasing beam energy. The entropy values, normalized to the maximum rapidity and plotted against pseudorapidity (bin width also normalized to the maximum rapidity), are found to be energy independent, exhibiting a kind of entropy scaling. Such scaling is observed in the full phase space as well as in the regions confined to the forward or backward hemispheres. The findings also reveal that there exist strong correlations amongst the particles produced in the forward and backward hemispheres around the midrapidity. These correlations are found to be of short range in nature, and the contributions from the long-range correlations seem to be absent. PACS numbers: 25.75-q, 25.75.Gz.

Description: The golden ratio is an astonishing number in high-energy physics, neutrino physics, and cosmology. The Kolmogorov −5/3 law plays a role in describing energy transfer of random data or random functions. The contributions of this essay are in twofold. One is to express the Kolmogorov −5/3 law by using the golden ratio. The other is to represent the fractal dimension of random data following the Kolmogorov −5/3 law with the golden ratio. It is our hope that this essay may be helpful to provide a new outlook of the Kolmogorov −5/3 law from the point of view of the golden ratio.

Description: Non-extensivity and long-range correlations in the earthquake activity at the West Corinth rift (Greece) Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 713-724, 2013 Author(s): G. Michas, F. Vallianatos, and P. Sammonds In the present work the statistical properties of the earthquake activity in a highly seismic region, the West Corinth rift (Central Greece), are being studied by means of generalized statistical physics. By using a dataset that covers the period 2001–2008, we investigate the earthquake energy distribution and the distribution of the time intervals (interevent times) between the successive events. As has been reported previously, these distributions exhibit complex statistical properties and fractality. By using detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), a well-established method for detection of long-range correlations in non-stationary signals, it is shown that long-range correlations are also present in the earthquake activity. The existence of these properties motivates us to use non-extensive statistical physics (NESP) to investigate the statistical properties of the frequency-magnitude and the interevent time distributions, along with other well-known relations in seismology, such as the gamma distribution for interevent times. The results of the analysis indicate that the statistical properties of the earthquake activity can be successfully reproduced by means of NESP and that the earthquake activity at the West Corinth rift is correlated at all-time scales.

Description: The land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) is the synthetic result of natural processes and human activities; it largely depends on the surface vegetation conditions, and the mutual conversion among land cover types can accelerate or alleviate the regional and global climate changes. Aiming at analyzing the regional climatic effects of the conversion from grassland to forestland, especially in the long term perspective, we carried out the comparison simulation using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model in Fujian province, results indicated that this conversion had a significant influence on the regional climate; the annual average temperature decreased by 0.11°C and the annual average precipitation increased by 46 mm after 11.2% of the grassland was converted into the forestland in the study area from 2000 to 2008. In the future (form 2010 to 2050), the conversion from grassland to forestland is significant under two representative concentration pathways (RCPs) (RCP6 and RCP8.5); the spatial pattern of this conversion under the two scenarios is simulated by dynamic of land system (DLS); then, the regional climate effects of the conversion are simulated using WRF model.

Description: The singularly perturbed method (SPM) is proposed to obtain the analytical solution for the delayed supercritical process of nuclear reactor with temperature feedback and small step reactivity inserted. The relation between the reactivity and time is derived. Also, the neutron density (or power) and the average density of delayed neutron precursors as the function of reactivity are presented. The variations of neutron density (or power) and temperature with time are calculated and plotted and compared with those by accurate solution and other analytical methods. It is shown that the results by the SPM are valid and accurate in the large range and the SPM is simpler than those in the previous literature.

Description: An innovative process for fission based 99Mo production has been developed under Isotope Technologies Dresden (ITD) GmbH (former Hans Wälischmiller GmbH (HWM), Branch Office Dresden), and its functionality has been tested and proved at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad. Targets made from uranium aluminum alloy clad with aluminum were irradiated in the core of Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1). In the mean time more than 50 batches of fission molybdenum-99 (99Mo) have been produced meeting the international purity/pharmacopoeia specifications using this ROMOL-99 process. The process is based on alkaline dissolution of the neutron irradiated targets in presence of NaNO3, chemically extracting the 99Mo from various fission products and purifying the product by column chromatography. This ROMOL-99 process will be described in some detail.

Description: We address the neutrino radiation of plausible accreting supermassive black holes closely linking to the 5 nuclear components of galaxy samples of Mrk 261/262 and Mrk 266. We predict a time delay before neutrino emission of the same scale as the age of the Universe. The ultrahigh energy neutrinos are produced in superdense protomatter medium via simple (quark or pionic reactions) or modified URCA processes (G. Gamow was inspired to name the process URCA after the name of a casino in Rio de Janeiro). The resulting neutrino fluxes for quark reactions are ranging from to , where is the opening parameter. For pionic and modified URCA reactions, the fluxes are and , respectively. These fluxes are highly beamed along the plane of accretion disk, peaked at ultrahigh energies, and collimated in smaller opening angle .

Description: The periodic solution of fractional oscillation equation with periodic input is considered in this work. The fractional derivative operator is taken as, where the initial time is ; hence, initial conditions are not needed in the model of the present fractional oscillation equation. With the input of the harmonic oscillation, the solution is derived to be a periodic function of time t with the same circular frequency as the input, and the frequency of the solution is not affected by the system frequency c as is affected in the integer-order case. These results are similar to the case of a damped oscillation with a periodic input in the integer-order case. Properties of the periodic solution are discussed, and the fractional resonance frequency is introduced.

Description: This paper represents a novel modeling technique of PV module with a fuzzy logic based MPPT algorithm and boost converter in Simulink environment. The prime contributions of this work are simplification of PV modeling technique and implementation of fuzzy based MPPT system to track maximum power efficiently. The main highlighted points of this paper are to demonstrate the precise control of the duty cycle with respect to various atmospheric conditions, illustration of PV characteristic curves, and operation analysis of the converter. The proposed system has been applied for three different PV modules SOLKAR 36 W, BP MSX 60 W, and KC85T 87 W. Finally the resultant data has been compared with the theoretical prediction and company specified value to ensure the validity of the system.

Description: The study investigated the potential of water hyacinths and phytoplankton scum, an aquatic weed, as binder for production of fuel briquettes. It also evaluated some physical and combustion characteristics. The water hyacinths were manually harvested, cleaned, sun-dried, and milled to particle sizes distribution ranging from

Description: Designing hybrid flexure systems and elements using Freedom and Constraint Topologies Mechanical Sciences, 4, 319-331, 2013 Author(s): J. B. Hopkins In this paper we introduce the principles necessary to synthesize hybrid flexure systems and elements. Flexure systems consist of rigid bodies that are joined together by flexure elements that elastically deform to guide the system's rigid bodies with desired degrees of freedom (DOFs). The principles introduced here for synthesizing hybrid flexure systems and elements are extensions of the Freedom and Constraint Topologies (FACT) synthesis approach. FACT utilizes a comprehensive library of geometric shapes from which designers can rapidly consider and compare a multiplicity of flexure concepts that achieve any desired set of DOFs. Prior to this paper, designers primarily used these shapes to synthesize parallel and serial flexure systems and elements. With this paper, designers may now use these same shapes to synthesize more general flexures that consist of various combinations of parallel and serial systems and elements (i.e., hybrid configurations). As such, designers can access a larger body of flexure solutions that satisfy demanding design requirements. Instructions for helping designers utilize or avoid the advantages and challenges of over-, under-, and exact-constraint are also provided. Hybrid systems and elements are analysed and designed as case studies.

Description: A chitosan binder-based TiO2 photoelectrode is used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images revealed that the grain size, thickness, and distribution of TiO2 films are affected by the chitosan content. With addition of 2.0 wt% chitosan to the TiO2 film (D2), the surface pore size became the smallest, and the pores were fairly evenly distributed. The electron transit time, electron recombination lifetime, diffusion coefficient, and diffusion length were analyzed by IMVS and IMPS. The best DSSC, with 2.0 wt% chitosan addition to the TiO2 film, had a shorter electron transit time, longer electron recombination lifetime, and larger diffusion coefficient and diffusion length than the other samples. The results of 2.0 wt% chitosan-added TiO2 DSSCs are an electron transit time of  s, electron recombination lifetime of  s, diffusion coefficient of  cm2 s−1, diffusion length of 14.81 μm, and a solar conversion efficiency of 4.18%.

Description: Nitrogen modified zinc sulfide photocatalysts were successfully prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and surface area analysis. Thermal decomposition of the semisolid was carried out under nitrogen conditions at 500°C for 2 hours, and a series of nitrogen-doped ZnS photocatalysts were produced by controlling inflow flow rate of nitrogen at 15–140 mL/min. Optical characterizations of the synthesized N-doping ZnS substantially show the shifted photoabsorption properties from ultraviolet (UV) region to visible light. The band gaps of nitrogen-doped ZnS composite catalysts were calculated to be in the range of 2.58~2.74 eV from the absorptions edge position. The 15N/ZnS catalyst shows the highest photocatalytic activity, which results in 75.7% degradation of Orange II dye in 5 hrs by visible light irradiation, compared with pristine ZnS and higher percentage N-doping ZnS photocatalysts.

Description: This paper considers a composite cylindrical structure, with low-enriched uranium (LEU) foil enclosed between two aluminum 6061-T6 cylinders. A recess is cut all around the outer circumference of the inner tube to accommodate the LEU foil of open-cross section. To obtain perfect contact at the interfaces of the foil and the tubes, an internal pressure is applied to the inner tube, thereby plastically and elastically deforming it. The residual stresses resulting from the assembly process are used along with a thermal stress model to predict the stress margins in the cladding during irradiation. The whole process was simulated as a steady-state two-dimensional problem using the commercial finite element code Abaqus FEA. The irradiation behavior of the annular target has been presented, and the effect of the assembly residual stresses has been discussed.

Description: Physical properties of the Cornell potential in the complex-mass scheme are investigated. Two exact asymptotic solutions of relativistic wave equation for the coulombic and linear components of the potential are used to derive the resonance complex-mass formula. The centered masses and total widths of the leading -family resonances are calculated.

Description: Diamond-like carbon films were electrodeposited on n-Si substrate to realize an n-Si/DLC PV structure. The films thus obtained were characterized by FESEM, XPS, FTIR, and Raman studies. Solar cell characteristics were also investigated critically. Maximum efficiency of 3.7% was obtained for the best n-Si(100)/DLC structure. Carrier life time was obtained from decay measurement. It was observed that photoinduced charge separation in n-Si(100)/DLC structure was associated with an increase in the dielectric constant and a decrease in the device resistance. The process, being reproducible, cheap, and scalable, involving significantly less process steps, is likely to usher a new hope to the current competitive scenario of PV technology.

Description: Nonlinear integrable couplings of super Broer-Kaup-Kupershmidt hierarchy based upon an enlarged matrix Lie super algebra were constructed. Then its super Hamiltonian structures were established by using super trace identity, and the conserved functionals were proved to be in involution in pairs under the defined Poisson bracket. As its reduction, nonlinear integrable couplings of the classical integrable hierarchy were obtained.

Description: Magnetic field and dynamic pressure ULF fluctuations in coronal-mass-ejection-driven sheath regions Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1559-1567, 2013 Author(s): E. K. J. Kilpua, H. Hietala, H. E. J. Koskinen, D. Fontaine, and L. Turc Compressed sheath regions form ahead of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) that are sufficiently faster than the preceding solar wind. The turbulent sheath regions are important drivers of magnetospheric activity, but due to their complex internal structure, relatively little is known on the distribution of the magnetic field and plasma variations in them. In this paper we investigate ultra low frequency (ULF) fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and in dynamic pressure ( P dyn ) using a superposed epoch analysis of 41 sheath regions observed during solar cycle 23. We find strongest fluctuation power near the shock and in the vicinity of the ICME leading edge. The IMF and P dyn ULF power have different profiles within the sheath; the former is enhanced in the leading part of the sheath, while the latter is increased in the trailing part of the sheath. We also find that the ICME properties affect the level and distribution of the ULF power in sheath regions. For example, sheath regions associated with strong or fast ICMEs, or those that are crossed at intermediate distances from the center, have strongest ULF power and large variation in the power throughout the sheath region. The weaker or slower ICMEs, or those that are crossed centrally, have in general considerably weaker ULF power with relatively smooth profiles. The strong and abrupt decrease of the IMF ULF power at the ICME leading edge could be used to distinguish the ICME from the preceding sheath plasma.

Description: Molybdenum-99 is the parent of Technetium-99m, which is used in nearly 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures. The medical community has been plagued by Mo-99 shortages due to aging reactors, such as the NRU (National Research Universal) reactor in Canada. There are currently no US producers of Mo-99, and NRU is scheduled for shutdown in 2016, which means that another Mo-99 shortage is imminent unless a potential domestic Mo-99 producer fills the void. Argonne National Laboratory is assisting two potential domestic suppliers of Mo-99 by examining the effects of a uranyl nitrate versus a uranyl sulfate target solution configuration on Mo-99 production. Uranyl nitrate solutions are easier to prepare and do not generate detectable amounts of peroxide upon irradiation, but a high radiation field can lead to a large increase in pH, which can lead to the precipitation of fission products and uranyl hydroxides. Uranyl sulfate solutions are more difficult to prepare, and enough peroxide is generated during irradiation to cause precipitation of uranyl peroxide, but this can be prevented by adding a catalyst to the solution. A titania sorbent can be used to recover Mo-99 from a highly concentrated uranyl nitrate or uranyl sulfate solution; however, different approaches must be taken to prevent precipitation during Mo-99 production.

Description: We report results of combined experimental and theoretical studies of black tea waste extract (BTE) as a potential sensitizer for TiO2-dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). UV-vis absorption data revealed that BTE contains theaflavin. DSSC sensitized with pigment complexes of BTE showed a photon-energy conversion efficiency of %, while a significant increase (%) is observed when pH of the pigment solution was lowered. The HOMO and LUMO energy levels were calculated using experimental data of UV-vis absorption and cyclic voltammetry. These calculations revealed a reduction of the band gap by 0.17 eV and more negativity of HOMO level of acidified pigment, compared to that of original pigment. Combined effect of these developments caused the enhanced efficiency of DSSC. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) computational calculations were carried out to study the four theaflavin analogues which are responsible for the dark colour of BTE. According to the calculations, two theaflavin analogues, theaflavin and theaflavin digallate, are the most probable sensitizers in this dye-sensitized solar cell system.

Description: The impact of initial spread calibration on the RELO ensemble and its application to Lagrangian dynamics Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 621-641, 2013 Author(s): M. Wei, G. Jacobs, C. Rowley, C. N. Barron, P. Hogan, P. Spence, O. M. Smedstad, P. Martin, P. Muscarella, and E. Coelho A number of real-time ocean model forecasts were carried out successfully at Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to provide modeling support and numerical guidance to the CARTHE GLAD at-sea experiment during summer 2012. Two RELO ensembles and three single models using NCOM and HYCOM with different resolutions were carried out. A calibrated ensemble system with enhanced spread and reliability was developed to better support this experiment. The calibrated ensemble is found to outperform the un-calibrated ensemble in forecasting accuracy, skill, and reliability for all the variables and observation spaces evaluated. The metrics used in this paper include RMS error, anomaly correlation, PECA, Brier score, spread reliability, and Talagrand rank histogram. It is also found that even the un-calibrated ensemble outperforms the single forecast from the model with the same resolution. The advantages of the ensembles are further extended to the Lagrangian framework. In contrast to a single model forecast, the RELO ensemble provides not only the most likely Lagrangian trajectory for a particle in the ocean, but also an uncertainty estimate that directly reflects the complicated ocean dynamics, which is valuable for decision makers. The examples show that the calibrated ensemble with more reliability can capture trajectories in different, even opposite, directions, which would be missed by the un-calibrated ensemble. The ensembles are applied to compute the repelling and attracting Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs), and the uncertainties of the LCSs, which are hard to obtain from a single model forecast, are estimated. It is found that the spatial scales of the LCSs depend on the model resolution. The model with the highest resolution produces the finest, small-scale, LCS structures, while the model with lowest resolution generates only large-scale LCSs. The repelling and attracting LCSs are found to intersect at many locations and create complex mesoscale eddies. The fluid particles and drifters in the middle of these tangles are subject to attraction and repulsion simultaneously from these two kinds of LCSs. As a result, the movements of particles near the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) location are severely limited. This is also confirmed by the Lagrangian trajectories predicted by the ensembles.

Description: Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: toward subgrid-scale predictability Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 605-620, 2013 Author(s): M. Nogueira, A. P. Barros, and P. M. A. Miranda Rain and cloud fields produced by fully nonlinear idealized cloud resolving numerical simulations of orographic convective precipitation display statistical multiscaling behavior, implying that multifractal diagnostics should provide a physically robust basis for the downscaling and sub-grid scale parameterizations of moist processes. Our results show that the horizontal scaling exponent function (and respective multiscaling parameters) of the simulated rainfall and cloud fields varies with atmospheric and terrain properties, particularly small-scale terrain spectra, atmospheric stability, and advective timescale. This implies that multifractal diagnostics of moist processes for these simulations are fundamentally transient, exhibiting complex nonlinear behavior depending on atmospheric conditions and terrain forcing at each location. A particularly robust behavior found here is the transition of the multifractal parameters between stable and unstable cases, which has a clear physical correspondence to the transition from stratiform to organized (banded and cellular) convective regime. This result is reinforced by a similar behavior in the horizontal spectral exponent. Finally, our results indicate that although nonlinearly coupled fields (such as rain and clouds) have different scaling exponent functions, there are robust relationships with physical underpinnings between the scaling parameters that can be explored for hybrid dynamical-statistical downscaling.

Description: Cluster observation of few-hour-scale evolution of structured plasma in the inner magnetosphere Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1569-1578, 2013 Author(s): M. Yamauchi, I. Dandouras, H. Rème, R. Lundin, and L. M. Kistler Using Cluster Ion Spectrometry (CIS) data from the spacecraft-4 perigee traversals during the 2001–2006 period (nearly 500 traversals after removing those that are highly contaminated by radiation belt particles), we statistically examined the local time distribution of structured trapped ions at sub- to few-keV range as well as inbound–outbound differences of these ion signatures in intensities and energy–latitude dispersion directions. Since the Cluster orbit during this period was almost constant and approximately north–south symmetric at nearly constant local time near the perigee, inbound–outbound differences are attributed to temporal developments in a 1–2 h timescale. Three types of structured ions at sub- to few keV range that are commonly found in the inner magnetosphere are examined: – Energy–latitude dispersed structured ions at less than a few keV, – Short-lived dispersionless ion stripes at wide energy range extending 0.1–10 keV, – Short-lived low-energy ion bursts at less than a few hundred eV. The statistics revealed that the wedge-like dispersed ions are most often observed in the dawn sector (60% of traversals), and a large portion of them show significant enhancement during the traversals at all local times. The short-lived ion stripes are predominantly found near midnight, where most stripes are significantly enhanced during the traversals and are associated with substorm activities with geomagnetic AL 〈 −300 nT. The low-energy bursts are observed at all local times and under all geomagnetic conditions, with moderate peak of the occurrence rate in the afternoon sector. A large portion of them again show significant enhancement or decay during the traversals.

Description: Piecewise linear parabolic trough collector (PLPTC) is designed and developed to concentrate solar radiation on monocrystalline silicon based photovoltaic module. A theoretical model is used to perform electrical energy and exergy analysis of low-concentration photovoltaic (LCPV) system working under actual test conditions (ATC). The exergy efficiency of LCPV system is in the range from 5.1% to 4.82% with increasing rate of input exergy rate from 30.81 W to 96.12 W, when concentration ratio changes from 1.85 to 5.17 Sun. Short-circuit current shows increasing trend with increasing input exergy rate of ≈0.011 A/W. Power conversion efficiency decreases from 7.07 to 5.66%, and open-circuit voltage decreases from 9.86 to 8.24 V with temperature coefficient of voltage  V/K under ATC. The results confirm that the commercially available silicon solar PV module performs satisfactorily under low concentration.

Description: Effects on the optical, electrical, and photocatalytic properties of undoped CuS thin films nanodisks vacuum annealed at different temperatures were investigated. The chemical bath prepared CuS thin films were obtained at 40°C on glass substrates. The grain size of  nm was computed directly from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images. The electrical properties were measured by means of both Hall effect at room temperature and dark resistivity as a function of the absolute temperature 100–330 K. The activation energy values were calculated as 0.007, 0.013, and 0.013 eV for 100, 150, and 200°C, respectively. The energy band gap of the films varied in the range of 1.98 up to 2.34 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the CuS thin film was evaluated by employing the degradation of aqueous methylene blue solution in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The CuS sample thin film annealed in vacuum at 150°C exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity in presence of hydrogen peroxide.

Description: The recent announcement of a discovery of a possible Higgs-like particle—its spin and parity are yet to be determined—at the LHC with a mass of 126 GeV necessitates a fresh look at the nature of the electroweak symmetry breaking, in particular if this newly-discovered particle will turn out to have the quantum numbers of a Standard Model Higgs boson. Even if it were a 0+ scalar with the properties expected for a SM Higgs boson, there is still the quintessential hierarchy problem that one has to deal with and which, by itself, suggests a new physics energy scale around 1 TeV. This paper presents a minireview of one possible scenario: the formation of a fermion-antifermion condensate coming from a very heavy fourth generation, carrying the quantum number of the SM Higgs field, and thus breaking the electroweak symmetry.

Description: Viscous hydrodynamical modeling of relativistic heavy ion collisions has been highly successful in explaining bulk of the experimental data in RHIC and LHC energy collisions. We briefly review viscous hydrodynamics modeling of high energy nuclear collisions. Basic ingredients of the modeling, the hydrodynamic equations, relaxation equations for dissipative forces, are discussed. Hydrodynamical modeling being a boundary value problem, we discuss the initial conditions, freeze-out process. We also show representative simulation results in comparison with experimental data. We also discuss the recent developments in event-by-event hydrodynamics.

Description: The removal of volatile radionuclides generated during used nuclear fuel reprocessing in the US is almost certain to be necessary for the licensing of a reprocessing facility in the US. Various control technologies have been developed, tested, or used over the past 50 years for control of volatile radionuclide emissions from used fuel reprocessing plants. The US DOE has sponsored, since 2009, an Off-gas Sigma Team to perform research and development focused on the most pressing volatile radionuclide control and immobilization problems. In this paper, we focus on the control requirements and methodologies for 85Kr and 129I. Numerous candidate technologies have been studied and developed at laboratory and pilot-plant scales in an effort to meet the need for high iodine control efficiency and to advance alternatives to cryogenic separations for krypton control. Several of these show promising results. Iodine decontamination factors as high as 105, iodine loading capacities, and other adsorption parameters including adsorption rates have been demonstrated under some conditions for both silver zeolite (AgZ) and Ag-functionalized aerogel. Sorbents, including an engineered form of AgZ and selected metal organic framework materials (MOFs), have been successfully demonstrated to capture Kr and Xe without the need for separations at cryogenic temperatures.

Description: The aim of the COBRA experiment is to prove the existence of neutrinoless double-beta-decay (-decay) and to measure its half-life. For this purpose a detector array made of cadmium-zinc-telluride (CdZnTe) semiconductor detectors is operated at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy. This setup is used to investigate the experimental issues of operating CdZnTe detectors in low-background mode and to identify potential background components, whilst additional studies are proceeding in surface laboratories. The experiment currently consists of monolithic, calorimetric detectors of coplanar grid design (CPG detectors). These detectors are 1 × 1 × 1 cm3 and are arranged in 4 × 4 detector layers. Ultimately four layers will be installed by the end of 2013, of which two are currently operating. To date 82.3 kg·days of data have been collected. In the region of interest for 116Cd around 2.8 MeV, the median energy resolution is 1.5% FWHM, and a background level near 1 counts/keV/kg/y has been reached. This paper gives an overview of the current status of the experiment and future perspectives.

Description: The Nile Delta major cities, particularly Cairo, experienced stagnant air pollution episodes, known as Black Cloud, every year over the past decade during autumn. Low-elevated thermal inversion layers play a crucial role in intensifying pollution impacts. Carbon monoxide, ozone, atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and methane measurements from the tropospheric emission spectrometer (TES) on board the Aura have been used to assess the dominant component below the inversion layer. In this study, time series analysis, autocorrelations, and cross correlations are performed to gain a better understanding of the connections between those parameters and their local effect. Satellite-based data were obtained for the years 2005–2010. The parameters mentioned were investigated throughout the whole year in order to study the possible episodes that take place in addition to their change from year to year. Ozone and carbon monoxide were the two major indicators to the most basic episodes that occur over Cairo and the Delta region.

Description: Decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant involves multiple problems. One of them is personnel radiation safety during the performance of dismantling activities. In this paper, modeling results of radiation doses during the dismantling of the pressurized tank from the emergency core cooling system (ECCS PT) of RBMK-1500 reactor are presented. The radiological surveys indicate that the inner surface of the ECCS PT is contaminated with radioactive products of corrosion and sediments due to the radioactive water. The effective doses to the workers have been modeled for different strategies of ECCS PT dismantling. In order to select the optimal personnel radiation safety, the modeling has been performed by the means of computer code “VISIPLAN 3D ALARA Planning tool” developed by SCK CEN (Belgium). The impacts of dismantling tools, shielding types, and extract ventilation flow rate on effective doses during the dismantling of ECCS PT have been analyzed. The total effective personnel doses have been obtained by summarizing the effective personnel doses from various sources of exposure, that is, direct radiation from radioactive equipment, internal radiation due to inhalation of radioactive aerosols, and direct radiation from radioactive aerosols arising during hot cutting in premises. The uncertainty of the collective doses is also presented in this paper.

Description: We employ the complex method to research the integrality of the Fisher equations with degree three. We obtain the sufficient and necessary condition of the integrable of the Fisher equations with degree three and the general meromorphic solutions of the integrable Fisher equations with degree three, which improves the corresponding results obtained by Feng and Li (2006), Guo and Chen (1991), and Ağırseven and Öziş (2010). Moreover, all are new general meromorphic solutions of the Fisher equations with degree three for . Our results show that the complex method provides a powerful mathematical tool for solving a large number of nonlinear partial differential equations in mathematical physics.

Description: Recently, control and synchronization of fractional chaotic systems have increasingly attracted much attention in the fractional control community. In this paper we introduce a novel class of fractional chaotic systems in the pseudo state space and propose an adaptive sliding mode control scheme to stabilize the chaotic systems in the presence of uncertainties and external disturbances whose bounds are unknown. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive sliding mode control technique, numerical simulations of control design of fractional Lorenz's system and Chen's system are presented.

Description: The far-infrared absorption coefficient of HCl diluted in liquid Ar has been calculated by using a mixed classical-quantum stochastic simulation approach. The simulated spectra have been compared with the available experimental data at different thermodynamic conditions without using ad hoc fitting parameters. Despite the fact that some discrepancies can be observed in the high frequency side of the far-infrared bands, a reasonable agreement has been found between the theoretical and the experimental spectral profiles. Both, classical and quantum simulated line shapes were comparatively analyzed, determining the time scales involved in the rotational spectra.

Description: A top-down model to generate ensembles of runoff from a large number of hillslopes Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 683-704, 2013 Author(s): P. R. Furey, V. K. Gupta, and B. M. Troutman We hypothesize that total hillslope water loss for a rainfall–runoff event is inversely related to a function of a lognormal random variable, based on basin- and point-scale observations taken from the 21 km 2 Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed (GCEW) in Mississippi, USA. A top-down approach is used to develop a new runoff generation model both to test our physical-statistical hypothesis and to provide a method of generating ensembles of runoff from a large number of hillslopes in a basin. The model is based on the assumption that the probability distributions of a runoff/loss ratio have a space–time rescaling property. We test this assumption using streamflow and rainfall data from GCEW. For over 100 rainfall–runoff events, we find that the spatial probability distributions of a runoff/loss ratio can be rescaled to a new distribution that is common to all events. We interpret random within-event differences in runoff/loss ratios in the model to arise from soil moisture spatial variability. Observations of water loss during events in GCEW support this interpretation. Our model preserves water balance in a mean statistical sense and supports our hypothesis. As an example, we use the model to generate ensembles of runoff at a large number of hillslopes for a rainfall–runoff event in GCEW.

Description: A mechanism for catastrophic filter divergence in data assimilation for sparse observation networks Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 705-712, 2013 Author(s): G. A. Gottwald and A. J. Majda We study catastrophic filter divergence in data assimilation procedures whereby the forecast model develops severe numerical instabilities leading to a blow-up of the solution. Catastrophic filter divergence can occur in sparse observational grids with small observational noise for intermediate observation intervals and finite ensemble sizes. Using a minimal five-dimensional model, we establish that catastrophic filter divergence is a numerical instability of the underlying forecast model caused by the filtering procedure producing analyses which are not consistent with the true dynamics, and stiffness caused by the fast attraction of the inconsistent analyses towards the attractor during the forecast step.

Description: The standard air density of 1.225 kg m−3 is often used in determining the energy output of a wind turbine although the energy output is dependent on a site's air density. By using measurements of temperature, dew-point temperature, and pressure, we calculate the monthly air density of moist tropical climates at two sites in the small-island state of Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, we calculate the energy output of a BOREAS 30 kW small wind turbine using the 10 m level wind speed distribution extrapolated to hub height. The average air densities at Crown Point and Piarco were 1.156 kg m−3 and 1.159 kg m−3, respectively, and monthly air densities at both sites were at most 6% less than standard air density. The difference in energy output of the BOREAS 30 kW calculated using standard air density over that using the local site's air density could provide electrical energy for the continuous monthly operation of 6 light bulbs rated at 50 W at Crown Point and 4 light bulbs at Piarco. Thus, communities interested in implementing wind turbine technologies must use the local air density of the site when sizing a wind turbine system for its needs.

Description: This paper is concerned with a viscous shallow water equation, which includes both the viscous Camassa-Holm equation and the viscous Degasperis-Procesi equation as its special cases. The optimal control under boundary conditions is given, and the existence of optimal solution to the equation is proved.

Description: Using the coupled WRF-Noah model, we conducted two experiments to investigate impacts of the interannual variability of leaf area index (LAI) on the surface air temperature (SAT) in eastern China. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observed dynamic LAI data from 2002 to 2009 were used in one modeling experiment, and the climatological seasonal cycle of the MODIS LAI was used in the other experiment. The results show that the use of dynamic LAI improves model performance. Compared with the use of climatological LAI, the use of dynamic LAI may reduce the warm (cool) bias in the years with large positive (negative) LAI anomalies. The reduction of the warm bias results from the modeled cooling effect of LAI increase through reducing canopy resistance, promoting transpiration, and decreasing sensible heat flux. Conversely, the reduction of cool bias is a result of the warming effect of negative anomaly of LAI. The use of dynamic LAI can improve model performance in summer and to a lesser extent, spring and autumn. Moreover, the dynamic LAI exerts a detectable influence on SAT in the WRF model when the LAI anomaly is at least 20% of the climatological LAI.

Description: The afforestation is one of the most noticeable human activities that affect the climate through influencing not only the carbon sink but also the thermal properties of the land surface. This research accessed the potential effects of artificial vegetation change on the regional climate in Jiangxi Province, China. Based on simulation with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, a comparative analysis was carried out on the future temperature and precipitation under four hypothetical vegetation cover scenarios. The simulation results indicated that the vegetation change would have significant effects on the regional climate. The simulated effects of annual average temperature showed a decreasing order: evergreen broadleaf 〉 evergreen needleleaf 〉 deciduous needleleaf 〉 deciduous broadleaf, and the effects of annual average precipitation of the evergreen forests would be bigger than those of the deciduous forests. The deciduous forests play a positive role in decreasing the annual average temperature, while the evergreen forests promote the annual average temperature rise. Besides, the expansion of deciduous forests may result in severe drought in the summer in Jiangxi Province. These conclusions are of important policy implication to the future afforestation in Jiangxi Province, China, and other regions of the world.

Description: This work presented the successful fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cell using polyaniline base (EB), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), organic dye (rhodamine B or riboflavin), zinc oxide (ZnO), and indium tin oxide (ITO). The electrical properties of the resultant devices were investigated by measuring the current density voltage (-), capacitance voltage (-), and impedance measurements under both dark and illuminated conditions. The photovoltaic cell characteristics, that is, open circuit voltage (), short circuit current density (), and energy conversion efficiency (), were evaluated under illumination and were found to be 0.48 mA/cm2, 400 mV, and 0.224%, respectively, for ITO/EB-MWCNTs/ZnO-rhodamine B/ITO heterostructure. Using impedance spectra, it was found that the series resistances of this type of solar cell are 62 and 60 Ω under darkness and illumination, respectively.

Description: Yunnan province is the core region of the drought in the Southwest China, which makes the region become the hot spot in the meteorological research. However, among the various influencing factors of the drought in Yunnan province, the influence of the land use/cover change (LUCC) on the drought has not been quantitatively analyzed. The LUCC in recent decades was first quantitatively analyzed in this study. Given the fact that severe drought in Yunnan province is mainly due to much-less-than-normal precipitation and much-warmer-than-normal surface temperature, this study focused on the future spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the temperature and precipitation, which have great impacts on the drought. Finally, the influencing factors of drought in Yunnan province were simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and the risk of drought was spatially analyzed with the meteorological drought composite index. The results indicate that the large-area forest plays a more important role in alleviating the risk of drought than other vegetation types do. Besides, the changes of the landscape structure resulting from the urban expansion play a significant role in intensifying the risk of drought.

Description: Recently, we introduced a type of autocorrelation function (ACF) to describe a long-range dependent (LRD) process indexed with two parameters, which takes standard fractional Gaussian noise (fGn for short) as a special case. For simplicity, we call it the generalized fGn (GfGn). This short paper gives the power spectrum density function (PSD) of GfGn.

Description: Underground muon intensities up to 10000 m.w.e. and angular distribution up to 6500 m.w.e. in standard rock have been investigated using Geant4 simulation package. Muons with energies above 100 GeV were distributed from the ground level taking into account the muon charge ratio of ~1.3 at sea level. The simulated differential muon intensities are in good agreement with the intensities given in the literature. Furthermore, the simulation results for the integrated intensities are consistent with the experimental data, particularly at depths above 4000 m.w.e., where the simulation gives slightly smaller intensities than the experimental ones. In addition, the simulated exponent n at different underground depths agrees well with the experimental points, especially above ~2000 m.w.e.

Description: This paper describes an approach to measure the entrepreneurship orientation of online P2P lending platforms. The limitations of existing methods for calculating entropy of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVIFSs) are significantly improved by a new entropy measure of IVIFS considered in this paper, and then the essential properties of the proposed entropy are introduced. Moreover, an evaluation procedure is proposed to measure entrepreneurship orientation of online P2P lending platforms. Finally, a case is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method.

Description: Influence of the terrestrial magnetic field geometry on the cutoff rigidity of cosmic ray particles Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1637-1643, 2013 Author(s): K. Herbst, A. Kopp, and B. Heber Studies of the propagation of charged energetic particles in the Earth's magnetic field go back to Carl Størmer. In the end, his investigations finally lead to the definition of the so-called cutoff rigidity R C ; that is, the minimum momentum per charge a particle must have in order to reach a certain geographical location. Employing Monte Carlo simulations with the PLANETOCOSMICS code we investigate the correlation between the geomagnetic field structure and the cutoff rigidity. We show that the geometry of the magnetic field has a considerable influence on the resulting cutoff rigidity distribution. Furthermore, we will present a simple geometry-based parameter, δ B , which is able to reflect the location-dependent cutoff rigidity. We show that this correlation is also visible in the temporal evolution of the Earth's magnetic field, at least over the last 100 yr. Using latitude scans with neutron monitors, changes of the relative counting rates at different positions are calculated, showing small variations for, e.g., Kiel and Moscow, while large ones occur at Mexico City as well as on the British Virgin Islands.

Description: Electron acceleration at Jupiter: input from cyclotron-resonant interaction with whistler-mode chorus waves Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1619-1630, 2013 Author(s): E. E. Woodfield, R. B. Horne, S. A. Glauert, J. D. Menietti, and Y. Y. Shprits Jupiter has the most intense radiation belts of all the outer planets. It is not yet known how electrons can be accelerated to energies of 10 MeV or more. It has been suggested that cyclotron-resonant wave-particle interactions by chorus waves could accelerate electrons to a few MeV near the orbit of Io. Here we use the chorus wave intensities observed by the Galileo spacecraft to calculate the changes in electron flux as a result of pitch angle and energy diffusion. We show that, when the bandwidth of the waves and its variation with L are taken into account, pitch angle and energy diffusion due to chorus waves is a factor of 8 larger at L -shells greater than 10 than previously shown. We have used the latitudinal wave intensity profile from Galileo data to model the time evolution of the electron flux using the British Antarctic Survey Radiation Belt (BAS) model. This profile confines intense chorus waves near the magnetic equator with a peak intensity at ∼5° latitude. Electron fluxes in the BAS model increase by an order of magnitude for energies around 3 MeV. Extending our results to L = 14 shows that cyclotron-resonant interactions with chorus waves are equally important for electron acceleration beyond L = 10. These results suggest that there is significant electron acceleration by cyclotron-resonant interactions at Jupiter contributing to the creation of Jupiter's radiation belts and also increasing the range of L -shells over which this mechanism should be considered.

Description: The coupling between the solar wind and proton fluxes at GEO Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1631-1636, 2013 Author(s): R. J. Boynton, S. A. Billings, O. A. Amariutei, and I. Moiseenko The relationship between the solar wind and the proton flux at geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) is investigated using the error reduction ratio (ERR) analysis. The ERR analysis is able to search for the most appropriate inputs that control the evolution of the system. This approach is a black box method and is able to derive a mathematical model of a system from input-output data. This method is used to analyse eight energy ranges of the proton flux at GEO from 80 keV to 14.5 MeV. The inputs to the algorithm were solar wind velocity, density and pressure; the Dst index; the solar energetic proton (SEP) flux; and a function of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) tangential magnitude and clock angle. The results show that for lowest five energy channels (80 to 800 keV) the GEO proton fluxes are controlled by the solar wind velocity with a lag of two to three days. However, above 350 keV, the SEP fluxes, accounts for a significant portion of the GEO proton flux variance. For the highest three energy channels (0.74 to 14.5 MeV), the SEPs account for the majority of the ERR. The results also show an anisotropy of protons with gyrocenters inside GEO and outside GEO, where the protons inside GEO are controlled partly by the Dst index and also an IMF-clock angle function.

Description: Nanofiltration for water and wastewater treatment – a mini review Drinking Water Engineering and Science, 6, 47-53, 2013 Author(s): H. K. Shon, S. Phuntsho, D. S. Chaudhary, S. Vigneswaran, and J. Cho The application of membrane technology in water and wastewater treatment is increasing due to stringent water quality standards. Nanofiltration (NF) is one of the widely used membrane processes for water and wastewater treatment in addition to other applications such as desalination. NF has replaced reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in many applications due to lower energy consumption and higher flux rates. This paper briefly reviews the application of NF for water and wastewater treatment including fundamentals, mechanisms, fouling challenges and their controls.

Description: Korea imports about 97% of its energy resources due to a lack of available energy resources. In this status, the role of nuclear power in electricity generation is expected to become more important in future years. In particular, a fast reactor system is one of the most promising reactor types for electricity generation, because it can utilize efficiently uranium resources and reduce radioactive waste. Acknowledging the importance of a fast reactor in a future energy policy, the long-term advanced SFR development plan was authorized by KAEC in 2008 and updated in 2011 which will be carried out toward the construction of an advanced SFR prototype plant by 2028. Based upon the experiences gained during the development of the conceptual designs for KALIMER, KAERI recently developed advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) design concepts of TRU burner that can better meet the generation IV technology goals. The current status of nuclear power and SFR design technology development program in Korea will be discussed. The developments of design concepts including core, fuel, fluid system, mechanical structure, and safety evaluation have been performed. In addition, the advanced SFR technologies necessary for its commercialization and the basic key technologies have been developed including a large-scale sodium thermal-hydraulic test facility, super-critical Brayton cycle system, under-sodium viewing techniques, metal fuel development, and developments of codes, and validations are described as R&D activities.

Description: Classification and prediction problems using spectral data lead to high-dimensional data sets. Spectral data are, however, different from most other high-dimensional data sets in that information usually varies smoothly with wavelength, suggesting that fitted models should also vary smoothly with wavelength. Functional data analysis, widely used in the analysis of spectral data, meets this objective by changing perspective from the raw spectra to approximations using smooth basis functions. This paper explores linear regression and linear discriminant analysis fitted directly to the spectral data, imposing penalties on the values and roughness of the fitted coefficients, and shows by example that this can lead to better fits than existing standard methodologies.

Description: Sub-inertial modulation of nonlinear Kelvin waves in the coastal zone Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20, 357-364, 2013 Author(s): D. V. Stepanov and V. V. Novotryasov Observational evidence is presented for interaction between nonlinear internal Kelvin waves at the ω t,i (where the ω t is the semidiurnal frequency and the ω i is the inertial frequency) and random oscillations of the background coastal current at the sub-inertial Ω frequency in the Japan/East Sea. Enhanced coastal currents at the sum ω + and difference ω-frequencies ω ± =ω t,i ± Ω have properties of propagating Kelvin waves, which suggests permanent energy exchange from the sub-inertial band to the mesoscale ω ± band. This interaction may be responsible for a greater-than-predicted intensification, steepening and breaking of boundary-trapped Kelvin waves. The problem of interaction between the nonlinear Kelvin wave at the frequency ω and the low-frequency narrowband noise with representative frequency Ω≪ω is investigated using the theory of nonlinear weak dispersion waves.

Description: We give new characterizations of Riesz-type frames, on equivalent conditions for a continuous frame to be a Riesz-type frame and on equivalency relations between Riesz-type frames and continuous frames. We characterize also the Riesz-type frames by using a bounded linear operator . Finally, we study the stability of alternate duals of continuous frames and we prove that if two continuous frames are close to each other, then we can find alternate duals of them which are close to each other.

Description: This study used natural dyes as sensitizers of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to replace expensive chemical synthetic dyes. We prepared two natural dyes, chlorophyll dye and anthocyanin dye, by extracting them from wormwood and purple cabbage, respectively. Moreover, we mixed the prepared chlorophyll dye and anthocyanin dye at 5 different volume ratios to form cocktail dyes. For preparation of photoelectrode, P25 TiO2 nanoparticles were used to prepare paste, which was coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glass by the spin coating method at different spin coating speeds in order to form TiO2 thin films with different thicknesses. The DSSC prepared by the cocktail dye achieves photoelectric conversion efficiency (η) of 1.95%, open-circuit voltage () of 0.765 V, and short-circuit current density () of 5.83 mA/cm2. Moreover, the prepared DSSC sensitized solely by chlorophyll extract of wormwood achieved a photoelectric conversion efficiency (η) of 0.9%, whereas the DSSC sensitized solely by anthocyanin extract of purple cabbage achieved a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 1.47%, achieving the longest lifetime of electrons amongst these three dyes.

Description: Positron lifetime and Doppler broadening measurements were carried out on nanocrystalline (grain size ~60–65 nm) samples of the Cr3+-substituted cobalt ferrite system with general chemical formula CoCrxFe2−xO4 (−2.0) synthesized by the coprecipitation technique. The results indicated selective trapping of positrons in large vacancy clusters initially at the tetrahedral (A-) sites and then with Cr3+-substitution up to concentration , at the octahedral (B-) sites. The results are consistent with the cation distribution determined from X-ray diffraction line intensity calculations, which indicated partial inversion of the inverse spinel ferrite, subsequent stabilization over a range of substitution ( to 1.7), and finally the full inversion to the normal spinel chromite (CoCr2O4, ). In the intermediate range of substitution, lattice contraction prevented a fraction of Co2+ ions released from the (B-) sites from entering the tetrahedral sites, and these vacancies at the (A-) sites trapped positrons. Although the samples were composed of nanocrystalline grains, only an insignificant fraction of positrons were diffused and annihilated at the grain surfaces, since the grain sizes and the thermal diffusion length of positrons nearly overlapped.

Description: The buoy observation network in the East China Sea is used to assist the determination of the characteristics of tropical cyclone structure in August 2012. When super typhoon “Haikui” made landfall in northern Zhejiang province, it passed over three buoys, the East China Sea Buoy, the Sea Reef Buoy, and the Channel Buoy, which were located within the radii of the 13.9 m/s winds, 24.5 m/s winds, and 24.5 m/s winds, respectively. These buoy observations verified the accuracy of typhoon intensity determined by China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The East China Sea Buoy had closely observed typhoons “Bolaven” and “Tembin,” which provided real-time guidance for forecasters to better understand the typhoon structure and were also used to quantify the air-sea interface heat exchange during the passage of the storm. The buoy-measured wind and pressure time series were also used to correct the intensity of “Damrey” initially determined by CMA.

Description: A statistical study on O + flux in the dayside magnetosheath Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1005-1010, 2013 Author(s): R. Slapak, H. Nilsson, and L. G. Westerberg Studies on terrestrial oxygen ion (O + ) escape into the interplanetary space have considered a number of different escape paths. Recent observations however suggest a yet insufficiently investigated additional escape route for hot O + : along open magnetic field lines in the high altitude cusp and mantle. Here we present a statistical study on O + flux in the high-latitude dayside magnetosheath. The O + is generally seen relatively close to the magnetopause, consistent with observations of O + flowing primarily tangentially to the magnetopause. We estimate the total escape flux in this region to be ~ 7 × 10 24 s −1 , implying this escape route to significantly contribute to the overall total O + loss into interplanetary space.

Description: A simple phenomenological relationship between the ridge distribution in and the single-particle distribution in can be established from the PHOBOS data on both distributions. The implication points to the possibility that it is not necessary to have long-range longitudinal correlation to explain the data. An interpretation of the relationship is then developed, based on the recognition that longitudinal uncertainty of the initial configuration allows for non-Hubble-like expansion at early time. It is shown that the main features of the ridge structure can be explained in a model where transverse correlation stimulated by semihard partons is the principal mechanism. This work is related to the azimuthal anisotropy generated by minijets in Au-Au collisions at 0.2 TeV on the one hand and to the ridge structure seen in collisions at 7 TeV on the other hand.

Description: Simulation of the influence of historical land cover changes on the global climate Annales Geophysicae, 31, 995-1004, 2013 Author(s): Y. Wang, X. Yan, and Z. Wang In order to estimate biogeophysical effects of historical land cover change on climate during last three centuries, a set of experiments with a climate system model of intermediate complexity (MPM-2) is performed. In response to historical deforestation, the model simulates a decrease in annual mean global temperature in the range of 0.07–0.14 °C based on different grassland albedos. The effect of land cover changes is most pronounced in the middle northern latitudes with maximum cooling reaching approximately 0.6 °C during northern summer. The cooling reaches 0.57 °C during northern spring owing to the large effects of land surface albedo. These results suggest that land cover forcing is important for study on historical climate change and that more research is necessary in the assessment of land management options for climate change mitigation.

Description: Super Typhoon Saomai (2006, 08W), which caused historical disaster in the landfall region, is the most powerful typhoon ever making landfall in Mainland China since 1949. The impact of Tropical Storm Bopha (2006, 10W) on Saomai is regarded as a binary tropical cyclone (TC) interaction. In order to quantify the influence of Bopha on the intensity of Saomai, a set of numerical experiments are performed by artificially modifying the intensity of Bopha in its initial conditions. It is shown that changing the intensity of Bopha has significant effects on simulating Saomai’s intensities, structures, and tracks. We find that moisture transport is a pivotal process of binary TC interaction. It is interesting that there are opposite effects by Bopha at different development stages of Saomai. The existence of Bopha and increasing its intensity would weaken Saomai at its intensifying stage while intensifying Saomai at its weakening stage. A possible explanation of these effects is the direction change of moisture transport from/to Saomai at its intensifying/weakening stages through the channel. It may suggest a significant relevance for operational intensity forecasts under active binary TC interaction.

Description: A graph-theoretic approach to sparse matrix inversion for implicit differential algebraic equations Mechanical Sciences, 4, 243-250, 2013 Author(s): H. Yoshimura In this paper, we propose an efficient numerical scheme to compute sparse matrix inversions for Implicit Differential Algebraic Equations of large-scale nonlinear mechanical systems. We first formulate mechanical systems with constraints by Dirac structures and associated Lagrangian systems. Second, we show how to allocate input-output relations to the variables in kinematical and dynamical relations appearing in DAEs by introducing an oriented bipartite graph. Then, we also show that the matrix inversion of Jacobian matrix associated to the kinematical and dynamical relations can be carried out by using the input-output relations and we explain solvability of the sparse Jacobian matrix inversion by using the bipartite graph. Finally, we propose an efficient symbolic generation algorithm to compute the sparse matrix inversion of the Jacobian matrix, and we demonstrate the validity in numerical efficiency by an example of the stanford manipulator.

Description: We study the properties and thermodynamic stability of the plane symmetry black hole from the viewpoint of geometry. We find that the Weinhold curvature gives the first-order phase transition at , where is a parameter of the plane symmetry black hole while the Ruppeiner one shows first-order phase transition points for arbitrary . Considering the Legendre invariant proposed by Quevedo et al., we obtain a unified geometry metric, which contains the information of the second-order phase transition. So, the first-order and second-order phase transitions can be both reproduced from the geometry curvatures. The geometry is also found to be curved, and the scalar curvature goes to negative infinity at the Davie phase transition points beyond semiclassical approximation.

Description: Halogen bonding between pyridine and heptafluoro-2-iodopropane (iso-C3F7I)/heptafluoro-1-iodopropane (1-C3F7I) was studied using a combination of FTIR and 19F NMR. The ring breathing vibration of pyridine underwent a blue shift upon the formation of halogen bonds with both iso-C3F7I and 1-C3F7I. The magnitudes of the shifts and the equilibrium constants for the halogen-bonded complex formation were found to depend not only on the structure of the halocarbon, but also on the solvent. The halogen bond also affected the Cα-F (C-F bond on the center carbon) bending and stretching vibrations in iso-C3F7I. These spectroscopic effects show some solvent dependence, but more importantly, they suggest the possibility of intermolecular halogen bonding among iso-C3F7I molecules. The systems were also examined by 19F NMR in various solvents (cyclohexane, hexane, chloroform, acetone, and acetonitrile). NMR dilution experiments support the existence of the intermolecular self-halogen bonding in both iso-C3F7I and 1-C3F7I. The binding constants for the pyridine/perfluoroalkyl iodide halogen bonding complexes formed in various solvents were obtained through NMR titration experiments. Quantum chemical calculations were used to support the FTIR and 19F NMR observations.

Description: In the last decade, the fast increase of the global energy consumption, mainly related to the strong economic growth in the Far East, and the progressive depletion of the fossil fuels induced a run-up in the world oil price. Both these economic concerns and the growing global pollution pointed out that a transition toward renewable energies is mandatory. Among renewables, the conversion of sunlight into electricity by photovoltaic (PV) devices is a reliable choice to cope the growing energy consumption, due to the huge potentially extractable power (up to 120000 TW). The most important classes of inorganic PV devices developed in the last sixty years will be reviewed in this paper, in order to depict the state of the art of the technologies which dominate the PV market. Some novel concepts which could have an important role in the future of PV will be also described.

Description: One-year continuous measurements of aerosol black carbon (BC) at the background site Preila (55°55′N, 21°00′E, 5 m a.s.l., Lithuania) were performed. Temporal and spatial evolution and transport of biomass burning (BB) and volcanic aerosols observed within this period were explained by the air mass backward trajectory analysis in conjunction with the fire detection data produced by the MODIS Rapid Response System and AERONET database. The surface measurements and analysis of the Angström exponent of the absorption coefficient done separately for shorter and longer wavelengths (i.e.,  nm and  nm) showed that high levels of aerosol BC were related to the transport of air masses rich in BB products from Ukraine caused by active grass burning. During the events the highest mean values of the Angström exponent of the absorption coefficients and  nm were observed ( and , resp.). The ash plume of the Grimsvötn eruption on May 21, 2011 offered an exceptional opportunity to characterize the volcanic aerosols. The largest ash plume (in terms of aerosol optical thickness) over Lithuania was observed at May 24/25, 2011. The highest values of the Angström exponent of the absorption coefficients and  nm were reached ( and , resp.).

Description: IMF effect on the polar cap contraction and expansion during a period of substorms Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1021-1034, 2013 Author(s): A. T. Aikio, T. Pitkänen, I. Honkonen, M. Palmroth, and O. Amm The polar cap boundary (PCB) location and motion in the nightside ionosphere has been studied by using measurements from the EISCAT radars and the MIRACLE magnetometers during a period of four substorms on 18 February 2004. The OMNI database has been used for observations of the solar wind and the Geotail satellite for magnetospheric measurements. In addition, the event was modelled by the GUMICS-4 MHD simulation. The simulation of the PCB location was in a rather good agreement with the experimental estimates at the EISCAT longitude. During the first three substorm expansion phases, neither the local observations nor the global simulation showed any poleward motions of the PCB, even though the electrojets intensified. Rapid poleward motions of the PCB took place only in the early recovery phases of the substorms. Hence, in these cases the nightside reconnection rate was locally higher in the recovery phase than in the expansion phase. In addition, we suggest that the IMF B z component correlated with the nightside tail inclination angle and the PCB location with about a 17-min delay from the bow shock. By taking the delay into account, the IMF northward turnings were associated with dipolarizations of the magnetotail and poleward motions of the PCB in the recovery phase. The mechanism behind this effect should be studied further.

Description: The objective of the present research work is to design user friendly solar cooker which can be commercialized too. This cooker is designed, developed, and tested in our laboratory. The basic principle is to incorporate heating into material by photovoltaic effect and thermal treatment. Different temperatures inside the solar cooker were measured and profile of solar cooker was studied for several days during April, May, and June 2012. It is observed that the designed cooker needs the boosting of only 30 watt power which is generated by a small solar panel connected with it. Heater connected with it can be powered by a solar panel of 75 watt. This boosting can reduce the cooking time. Different recipes were prepared to test its actual performance.

Description: Kinetics of oxidation of xanthine alkaloids, such as Xanthine (XAN), hypoxanthine (HXAN), caffeine (CAF), theophylline (TPL), and theobromine (TBR), have been studied with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) using poly ethylene glycols (PEG) as catalysts. Reaction obeyed first order kinetics in both [CAN] and [Xanthine alkaloid]. Highly sluggish CAN-xanthine alkaloid reactions (in acetonitrile media even at elevated temperatures) are enhanced in presence PEGs (PEG-200, -300, -400, -600). An increase in [PEG] increased the rate of oxidation linearly. This observation coupled with a change in absorption of CAN in presence of PEG, [H–(OCH2–CH2)n–O–NH4Ce(NO3)4(CH3CN)] (PEG bound CAN species), is considered to be more reactive than CAN. The mechanism of oxidation in PEG media has been explained by Menger-Portnoy’s enzymatic model.

Description: The chiral constituent quark model (CQM) with general parameterization method (GPM) has been formulated to calculate the charge radii of the spin octet and decuplet baryons and quadrupole moments of the spin decuplet baryons and spin transitions. The implications of such a model have been investigated in detail for the effects of symmetry breaking and GPM parameters pertaining to the one-, two-, and three-quark contributions. Our results are not only comparable with the latest experimental studies but also agree with other phenomenological models. It is found that the CQM is successful in giving a quantitative and qualitative description of the charge radii and quadrupole moments.

Description: A comparison of bow shock models with Cluster observations during low Alfvén Mach number magnetic clouds Annales Geophysicae, 31, 1011-1019, 2013 Author(s): L. Turc, D. Fontaine, P. Savoini, H. Hietala, and E. K. J. Kilpua Magnetic clouds (MCs) are very geoeffective solar wind structures. Their properties in the interplanetary medium have been extensively studied, yet little is known about their characteristics in the Earth's magnetosheath. The Cluster spacecraft offer the opportunity to observe MCs in the magnetosheath, but before MCs reach the magnetosphere, their structure is altered when they interact with the terrestrial bow shock (BS). The physics taking place at the BS strongly depends on Θ Bn , the angle between the shock normal and the interplanetary magnetic field. However, in situ observations of the BS during an MC's crossing are seldom available. In order to relate magnetosheath observations to solar wind conditions, we need to rely on a model to determine the shock's position and normal direction. Yet during MCs, the models tend to be less accurate, because the Alfvén Mach number ( M A ) is often significantly lower than in regular solar wind. On the contrary, the models are generally optimised for high M A conditions. In this study, we compare the predictions of four widely used models available in the literature (Wu et al., 2000; Chapman and Cairns, 2003; Jeřáb et al., 2005; Měrka et al., 2005b) to Cluster's dayside BS crossings observed during five MC events. Our analysis shows that the Θ Bn angle is well predicted by all four models. On the other hand, the Jeřáb et al. (2005) model yields the best estimates of the BS position during low M A MCs. The other models locate the BS either too far from or too close to Earth. The results of this paper can be directly used to estimate the BS parameters in all studies of MC interaction with Earth's magnetosphere.

Description: Vibration analysis is widely used for rotating machinery diagnostics; however measuring vibration of operational oil well pumps is not possible. The pump’s driver’s current signatures may provide condition-related information without the need for an access to the pump itself. This paper investigates the degree of relationship between the pump’s driver’s current signatures and its induced vibration. This relationship between the driver’s current signatures (DCS) and its vibration signatures (DVS) is studied by calculating magnitude-squared coherence and phase coherence parameters at a certain frequency band using continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The CWT coherence-based technique allows better analysis of temporal evolution of the frequency content of dynamic signals and areas in the time-frequency plane where the two signals exhibit common power or consistent phase behaviour indicating a relationship between the signals. This novel approach is validated by experimental data acquired from 3 kW petroleum pump’s driver. Both vibration and current signatures were acquired under different speed and load conditions. The outcomes of this research suggest the use of DCS analysis as reliable and inexpensive condition monitoring tool, which could be implemented for oil pumps, real-time monitoring associated with condition-based maintenance (CBM) program.

Description: Discrete neural models are of great importance in numerical simulations and practical implementations. In the current paper, a discrete model of continuous-time neural networks with variable and distributed delays is investigated. By Lyapunov stability theory and techniques such as linear matrix inequalities, sufficient conditions guaranteeing the existence and global exponential stability of the unique equilibrium point are obtained. Introduction of LMIs enables one to take into consideration the sign of connection weights. To show the effectiveness of the method, an illustrative example, along with numerical simulation, is presented.

Description: We study complex processes whose evolution in time rests on the occurrence of a large and random number of events. The mean time interval between two consecutive critical events is infinite, thereby violating the ergodic condition and activating at the same time a stochastic central limit theorem that supports the hypothesis that the Mittag-Leffler function is a universal property of nature. The time evolution of these complex systems is properly generated by means of fractional differential equations, thus leading to the interpretation of fractional trajectories as the average over many random trajectories each of which satisfies the stochastic central limit theorem and the condition for the Mittag-Leffler universality.