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Improvement plans for the RHIC/AGS on-line model environments (open access)

Improvement plans for the RHIC/AGS on-line model environments

The on-line models for Relativistic Ion Collider (RHIC) and the RHIC pre-injectors (the AGS and the AGS Booster) can be thought of as containing our best collective knowledge of these accelerators. As we improve these on-line models we are building the framework to have a sophisticated model-based controls system. Currently the RHIC on-line model is an integral part of the controls system, providing the interface for tune control, chromaticity control, and non-linear chromaticity control. What we discuss in this paper is our vision of the future of the on-line model environment for RHIC and the RHIC preinjectors. Although these on-line models are primarily used as Courant-Snyder parameter calculators using live machine settings, we envision expanding these environments to encompass many other problem domains.
Date: August 31, 2009
Creator: Brown, K. A.; Ahrens, L.; Beebe-Wang, J.; Morris, J.; Nemesure, S.; Robert-Demolaize, G. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Limits on the Superconducting Order Parameter in NdFeAsO_{1-x}F_y from Scanning SQUID Microscopy (open access)

Limits on the Superconducting Order Parameter in NdFeAsO_{1-x}F_y from Scanning SQUID Microscopy

Identifying the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in the recently-discovered ferrooxypnictide family of superconductors, RFeAsO{sub 1-x}F{sub y}, where R is a rare earth, is a high priority. Many of the proposed order parameters have internal {pi} phase shifts, like the d-wave order found in the cuprates, which would result in direction-dependent phase shifts in tunneling. In dense polycrystalline samples, these phase shifts in turn would result in spontaneous orbital currents and magnetization in the superconducting state. We perform scanning SQUID microscopy on a dense polycrystalline sample of NdFeAsO{sub 0.94}F{sub 0.06} with T{sub c} = 48K and find no such spontaneous currents, ruling out many of the proposed order parameters.
Date: January 8, 2009
Creator: Hicks, Clifford W.; Lippman, Thomas M.; Huber, Martin E.; Ren, Zhi-An; Yang, Jie; Zhao, Zhong-Xian et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Impact of drought on U.S. steam electric power plant cooling water intakes and related water resource management issues. (open access)

Impact of drought on U.S. steam electric power plant cooling water intakes and related water resource management issues.

This report was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Existing Plants Research Program, which has an energy-water research effort that focuses on water use at power plants. This study complements their overall research effort by evaluating water availability at power plants under drought conditions. While there are a number of competing demands on water uses, particularly during drought conditions, this report focuses solely on impacts to the U.S. steam electric power plant fleet. Included are both fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants. One plant examined also uses biomass as a fuel. The purpose of this project is to estimate the impact on generation capacity of a drop in water level at U.S. steam electric power plants due to climatic or other conditions. While, as indicated above, the temperature of the water can impact decisions to halt or curtail power plant operations, this report specifically examines impacts as a result of a drop in water levels below power plant submerged cooling water intakes. Impacts due to the combined effects of excessive temperatures of the returned cooling water and elevated temperatures of receiving waters (due to high ambient temperatures associated with drought) may be examined in …
Date: April 3, 2009
Creator: Kimmell, T. A.; Veil, J. A. & Division, Environmental Science
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A detailed kinetic modeling study of toluene oxidation in a premixed laminar flame (open access)

A detailed kinetic modeling study of toluene oxidation in a premixed laminar flame

An improved chemical kinetic model for the toluene oxidation based on experimental data obtained in a premixed laminar low-pressure flame with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization and molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS) techniques has been proposed. The present mechanism consists of 273 species up to chrysene and 1740 reactions. The rate constants of reactions of toluene, decomposition, reaction with oxygen, ipso-additions and metatheses with abstraction of phenylic H-atom are updated; new pathways of C{sub 4} + C{sub 2} species giving benzene and fulvene are added. Based on the experimental observations, combustion intermediates such as fulvenallene, naphtol, methylnaphthalene, acenaphthylene, 2-ethynylnaphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, 1-methylphenanthrene, pyrene and chrysene are involved in the present mechanism. The final toluene model leads to an overall satisfactory agreement between the experimentally observed and predicted mole fraction profiles for the major products and most combustion intermediates. The toluene depletion is governed by metathese giving benzyl radicals, ipso-addition forming benzene and metatheses leading to C{sub 6}H{sub 4}CH{sub 3} radicals. A sensitivity analysis indicates that the unimolecular decomposition via the cleavage of a C-H bond has a strong inhibiting effect, while decomposition via C-C bond breaking, ipso-addition of H-atom to toluene, decomposition of benzyl radicals and reactions related to C{sub 6}H{sub …
Date: December 18, 2009
Creator: Tian, Zhenyu; Pitz, William J.; Fournet, Rene; Glaude, Pierre-Alexander & Battin-Leclerc, Frederique
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy and water sector policy strategies for drought mitigation. (open access)

Energy and water sector policy strategies for drought mitigation.

Tensions between the energy and water sectors occur when demand for electric power is high and water supply levels are low. There are several regions of the country, such as the western and southwestern states, where the confluence of energy and water is always strained due to population growth. However, for much of the country, this tension occurs at particular times of year (e.g., summer) or when a region is suffering from drought conditions. This report discusses prior work on the interdependencies between energy and water. It identifies the types of power plants that are most likely to be susceptible to water shortages, the regions of the country where this is most likely to occur, and policy options that can be applied in both the energy and water sectors to address the issue. The policy options are designed to be applied in the near term, applicable to all areas of the country, and to ease the tension between the energy and water sectors by addressing peak power demand or decreased water supply.
Date: March 1, 2009
Creator: Kelic, Andjelka; Vugrin, Eric D.; Loose, Verne W. & Vargas, Vanessa N.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
First polarized proton collision at a beam energy of 250 GeV in RHIC (open access)

First polarized proton collision at a beam energy of 250 GeV in RHIC

After providing collisions of polarized protons at a beam energy of 100 GeV since 2001, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL had its first opportunity to collide polarized protons at its maximum beam energy of 250 GeV in the 2009 polarized proton operations. Equipped with two full Siberian snakes [1] in each ring, RHIC preserves polarization during acceleration from injection to 100 GeV with precise control of the betatron tunes and vertical orbit distortions. However, the strong intrinsic spin resonances beyond 100 GeV are more than two times stronger than those below 100 GeV, requiring much tighter tolerances on vertical orbit distortions and betatron tunes. With the currently achieved orbit correction and tune control, average polarizations of {approx_equal} 42% at top energy and average polarizations of {approx_equal} 55% at injection energy were achieved. Polarization measurements as a function of beam energy also indicated aU polarization losses occurred around three strong intrinsic resonances at 136 GeV, 199.3 GeV and 220.8 GeV Peak luminosity of 122 x 10{sup 30} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} was also demonstrated. This paper presents the performance of the first RHIC 250 GeV operation and discusses the depolarization issues encountered during the run.
Date: May 4, 2009
Creator: Bai,M.; Ahrens, L.; Alekseev, I. G.; Alessi, J. & al., et
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
DEMONSTRATION OF THE DWPF FLOWSHEET IN THE SRNL SHIELDED CELLS WITH TANK 40 AND H CANYON NEPTUNIUM (open access)

DEMONSTRATION OF THE DWPF FLOWSHEET IN THE SRNL SHIELDED CELLS WITH TANK 40 AND H CANYON NEPTUNIUM

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) is currently processing Sludge Batch 5 (SB5) from Tank 40. SB5 contains the contents of Tank 51 from November 2008, qualified by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the heel in Tank 40 remaining from Sludge Batch 4. Current Liquid Waste Operations (LWO) plans are to (1) decant supernatant from Tank 40 to remove excess liquid caused by a leaking slurry pump and (2) receive a Np stream from H Canyon It should be noted that the Np stream contains significant nitrate requiring addition of nitrite to Tank 40 to maintain a high nitrite to nitrate ratio for corrosion control. SRNL has been requested to qualify the proposed changes; determine the impact on DWPF processability in terms of hydrogen generation, rheology, etc.; evaluate antifoam addition strategy; and evaluate mercury stripping. Therefore, SRNL received a 3 L sample of Tank 40 following the transfer of Tank 51 to Tank 40 (Tank Farm Sample HTF-40-08-157 to be used in testing and to perform the required Waste Acceptance Product Specifications radionuclide analyses). Based on Tank Farm projections, SRNL decanted a portion* of the sample, added sodium nitrite, and added a Np solution from H Canyon representative …
Date: April 28, 2009
Creator: Pareizs, J; Bradley Pickenheim, B; Cj Bannochie, C & Michael Stone, M
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 9, 2009 (open access)

Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 9, 2009

None
Date: January 1, 2009
Creator: Stiner, K.S.; Graham, S.; Khan, M.; Dilks, J. & Mayer, D.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
The K- pi+ S-wave from the D+ --> k- pi+ pi+ Decay (open access)

The K- pi+ S-wave from the D+ --> k- pi+ pi+ Decay

Using data from FOCUS (E831) experiment at Fermilab, we present a model independent partial-wave analysis of the K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} S-wave amplitude from the decay D{sup +} {yields} K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}. The S-wave is a generic complex function to be determined directly from the data fit. The P- and D-waves are parameterized by a sum of Breit-Wigner amplitudes. The measurement of the S-wave amplitude covers the whole elastic range of the K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} system.
Date: May 1, 2009
Creator: Link, J. M.; Yager, P. M.; /UC, Davis; Anjos, J. C.; Bediaga, I.; Castromonte, C. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The K- pi+ S-wave from the D+ --> K- pi+ pi+ Decay (open access)

The K- pi+ S-wave from the D+ --> K- pi+ pi+ Decay

Using data from FOCUS (E831) experiment at Fermilab, we present a model independent partial-wave analysis of the K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} S-wave amplitude from the decay D{sup +} {yields} K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}. The S-wave is a generic complex function to be determined directly from the data fit. The P- and D-waves are parameterized by a sum of Breit-Wigner amplitudes. The measurement of the S-wave amplitude covers the whole elastic range of the K{sup -}{sup +} system.
Date: May 1, 2009
Creator: Link, J. M.; Yager, P. M.; /UC, Davis; Anjos, J. C.; Bediaga, I.; Castromonte, C. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Thermal neutron imaging in an active interrogation environment (open access)

Thermal neutron imaging in an active interrogation environment

Gain an in-depth understanding of the role of quark flavor.
Date: July 3, 2009
Creator: Jaffe, D. E.; Marciano, W.; Soni, A.; Parsa, Z. & Van de Water,R.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Improving performance via mini-applications. (open access)

Improving performance via mini-applications.

Application performance is determined by a combination of many choices: hardware platform, runtime environment, languages and compilers used, algorithm choice and implementation, and more. In this complicated environment, we find that the use of mini-applications - small self-contained proxies for real applications - is an excellent approach for rapidly exploring the parameter space of all these choices. Furthermore, use of mini-applications enriches the interaction between application, library and computer system developers by providing explicit functioning software and concrete performance results that lead to detailed, focused discussions of design trade-offs, algorithm choices and runtime performance issues. In this paper we discuss a collection of mini-applications and demonstrate how we use them to analyze and improve application performance on new and future computer platforms.
Date: September 1, 2009
Creator: Crozier, Paul Stewart; Thornquist, Heidi K.; Numrich, Robert W. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN); Williams, Alan B.; Edwards, Harold Carter; Keiter, Eric Richard et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of High-Temperature Exposure of Photovoltaic Modules: Preprint (open access)

Evaluation of High-Temperature Exposure of Photovoltaic Modules: Preprint

This paper documents measured and modeled PV-module temperatures and evaluates these in the context of the requirements for accelerated testing.
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: Kurtz, S.; Miller, D.; Kempe, M.; Bosco, N.; Whitefield, K.; Wohlgemuth, J. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
On-Going Evaluation of Traffic Control Devices (open access)

On-Going Evaluation of Traffic Control Devices

"This project was established to provide a means of conducting small-scale research activities on an as needed basis so that the results could be available within months of starting the specific research. This report summarizes the small-scale research activities that were conducted between September 2008 and August 2009." (p. i).
Date: November 2009
Creator: Carlson, Paul J.; Bligh, Roger P.; Pike, Adam; Miles, Jeffrey D.; Menges, Wanda L. & Paulus, Susan
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Data Assimilation Tools for CO2 Reservoir Model Development – A Review of Key Data Types, Analyses, and Selected Software (open access)

Data Assimilation Tools for CO2 Reservoir Model Development – A Review of Key Data Types, Analyses, and Selected Software

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has embarked on an initiative to develop world-class capabilities for performing experimental and computational analyses associated with geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to provide science-based solutions for helping to mitigate the adverse effects of greenhouse gas emissions. This Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) initiative currently has two primary focus areas—advanced experimental methods and computational analysis. The experimental methods focus area involves the development of new experimental capabilities, supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory (EMSL) housed at PNNL, for quantifying mineral reaction kinetics with CO2 under high temperature and pressure (supercritical) conditions. The computational analysis focus area involves numerical simulation of coupled, multi-scale processes associated with CO2 sequestration in geologic media, and the development of software to facilitate building and parameterizing conceptual and numerical models of subsurface reservoirs that represent geologic repositories for injected CO2. This report describes work in support of the computational analysis focus area. The computational analysis focus area currently consists of several collaborative research projects. These are all geared towards the development and application of conceptual and numerical models for geologic sequestration of CO2. The software being …
Date: September 30, 2009
Creator: Rockhold, Mark L.; Sullivan, E. C.; Murray, Christopher J.; Last, George V. & Black, Gary D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gene expression profiling--Opening the black box of plant ecosystem responses to global change (open access)

Gene expression profiling--Opening the black box of plant ecosystem responses to global change

The use of genomic techniques to address ecological questions is emerging as the field of genomic ecology. Experimentation under environmentally realistic conditions to investigate the molecular response of plants to meaningful changes in growth conditions and ecological interactions is the defining feature of genomic ecology. Since the impact of global change factors on plant performance are mediated by direct effects at the molecular, biochemical and physiological scales, gene expression analysis promises important advances in understanding factors that have previously been consigned to the 'black box' of unknown mechanism. Various tools and approaches are available for assessing gene expression in model and non-model species as part of global change biology studies. Each approach has its own unique advantages and constraints. A first generation of genomic ecology studies in managed ecosystems and mesocosms have provided a testbed for the approach and have begun to reveal how the experimental design and data analysis of gene expression studies can be tailored for use in an ecological context.
Date: November 1, 2009
Creator: Leakey, Andrew D. B.; Ainsworth, Elizabeth A.; Bernard, Stephanie M.; Markelz, R. J. Cody; Ort, Donald R.; Placella, Sarah A. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Galaxy Mergers and Dark Matter Halo Mergers in LCDM: Mass, Redshift, and Mass-Ratio Dependence (open access)

Galaxy Mergers and Dark Matter Halo Mergers in LCDM: Mass, Redshift, and Mass-Ratio Dependence

We employ a high-resolution LCDM N-body simulation to present merger rate predictions for dark matter halos and investigate how common merger-related observables for galaxies - such as close pair counts, starburst counts, and the morphologically disturbed fraction - likely scale with luminosity, stellar mass, merger mass ratio, and redshift from z = 0 to z = 4. We provide a simple 'universal' fitting formula that describes our derived merger rates for dark matter halos a function of dark halo mass, merger mass ratio, and redshift, and go on to predict galaxy merger rates using number density-matching to associate halos with galaxies. For example, we find that the instantaneous merger rate of m/M > 0.3 mass ratio events into typical L {approx}> fL{sub *} galaxies follows the simple relation dN/dt {approx_equal} 0.03(1+f)Gyr{sup -1} (1+z){sup 2.1}. Despite the rapid increase in merger rate with redshift, only a small fraction of > 0.4L{sub *} high-redshift galaxies ({approx} 3% at z = 2) should have experienced a major merger (m/M > 0.3) in the very recent past (t < 100 Myr). This suggests that short-lived, merger-induced bursts of star formation should not contribute significantly to the global star formation rate at early times, in …
Date: August 3, 2009
Creator: Stewart, Kyle R.; Bullock, James S.; Barton, Elizabeth J.; /UC, Irvine; Wechsler, Risa H. & /KIPAC, Menlo Park /SLAC
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems (open access)

Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems

This Report (SAP 4.2) focuses on the thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems. As defined in this Synthesis and Assessment Report, 'an ecological threshold is the point at which there is an abrupt change in an ecosystem quality, property, or phenomenon, or where small changes in one or more external conditions produce large and persistent responses in an ecosystem'.Ecological thresholds occur when external factors, positive feedbacks, or nonlinear instabilities in a system cause changes to propagate in a domino-like fashion that is potentially irreversible. This report reviews threshold changes in North American ecosystems that are potentially induced by climatic change and addresses the significant challenges these threshold crossings impose on resource and land managers. Sudden changes to ecosystems and the goods and services they provide are not well understood, but they are extremely important if natural resource managers are to succeed in developing adaptation strategies in a changing world. The report provides an overview of what is known about ecological thresholds and where they are likely to occur. It also identifies those areas where research is most needed to improve knowledge and understand the uncertainties regarding them. The report suggests a suite of potential actions that land and resource managers …
Date: January 2009
Creator: U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Post-Hurricane Assessment of Sensitive Habitats of the Flower Garden Banks Vicinity (open access)

Post-Hurricane Assessment of Sensitive Habitats of the Flower Garden Banks Vicinity

This report evaluates the damage cause by Hurricane Rita to the benthic habitats of four banks: Sonnier, McGrail, Geyer, and Bright. They measured the damage to bank caps the community structure, and used SCUBA to video record the evidence.
Date: July 2009
Creator: Robbart, Martha L.; Aronson, Richard B.; Deslarzes, Kenneth J. P.; Precht, William F.; Duncan, Leslie; Zimmer, Beth et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Local and average structures of the spin-glass pyrochlore Y2Mo2O7 from neutron diffraction and neutron pair distribution function analysis (open access)

Local and average structures of the spin-glass pyrochlore Y2Mo2O7 from neutron diffraction and neutron pair distribution function analysis

The observation of canonical spin-glass behavior in the pyrochlore oxide Y{sub 2}Mo{sub 2}O{sub 7} has been a subject of considerable interest as the original structural studies were interpreted in terms of a well-ordered crystallographic model. It is widely held that the stabilization of the spin-glass state requires some level of positional disorder along with frustration. Recent reports from local probe measurements, extended x-ray-absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and {sup 89}Y NMR, have been interpreted in terms of disorder involving the Mo-Mo distances (EXAFS) and multiple Y sites (NMR). This work reports results from temperature-dependent (15--300 K) neutron diffraction (ND) and neutron pair distribution function studies which can provide from the same data set information on both the average and local structures. The principal findings are that: (1) there is no crystallographic phase transition over the temperature region studied within the resolution of the ND data; (2) the diffraction data are well fitted using a fully ordered model but with large and anisotropic displacement parameters for three of the four atomic sites; (3) the pairwise real-space correlation function G(r) shows clear evidence that the principal source of disorder is associated with the Y-O1 atom pairs rather than the Mo-Mo pairs, in disagreement …
Date: January 1, 2009
Creator: Proffen, Thomas Ernst; Kim, Hyunjeong; Greedan, John; Gout, Delphine; Lozano - Gorrin, A D; Derahkshan, Shahab et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Metabolic Flux Analysis of Shewanella spp. Reveals Evolutionary Robustness in Central Carbon Metabolism (open access)

Metabolic Flux Analysis of Shewanella spp. Reveals Evolutionary Robustness in Central Carbon Metabolism

Shewanella spp. are a group of facultative anaerobic bacteria widely distributed in marine and fresh-water environments. In this study, we profiled the central metabolic fluxes of eight recently sequenced Shewanella species grown under the same condition in minimal med-ium with [3-13C] lactate. Although the tested Shewanella species had slightly different growth rates (0.23-0.29 h31) and produced different amounts of acetate and pyruvate during early exponential growth (pseudo-steady state), the relative intracellular metabolic flux distributions were remarkably similar. This result indicates that Shewanella species share similar regulation in regard to central carbon metabolic fluxes under steady growth conditions: the maintenance of metabolic robustness is not only evident in a single species under genetic perturbations (Fischer and Sauer, 2005; Nat Genet 37(6):636-640), but also observed through evolutionary related microbial species. This remarkable conservation of relative flux profiles through phylogenetic differences prompts us to introduce the concept of metabotype as an alternative scheme to classify microbial fluxomics. On the other hand, Shewanella spp. display flexibility in the relative flux profiles when switching their metabolism from consuming lactate to consuming pyruvate and acetate.
Date: August 19, 2009
Creator: Tang, Yinjie J.; Martin, Hector Garcia; Dehal, Paramvir S.; Deutschbauer, Adam; Llora, Xavier; Meadows, Adam et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electrical Resistivity Correlation to Vadose Zone Sediment and Pore-Water Composition for the BC Cribs and Trenches Area (open access)

Electrical Resistivity Correlation to Vadose Zone Sediment and Pore-Water Composition for the BC Cribs and Trenches Area

This technical report documents the results of geochemical and soil resistivity characterization of sediment obtained from four boreholes drilled in the BC Cribs and Trench area. Vadose zone sediment samples were obtained at a frequency of about every 2.5 ft from approximately 5 ft bgs to borehole total depth. In total, 505 grab samples and 39 six-inch long cores were obtained for characterization. The pore-water chemical composition data, laboratory-scale soil resistivity and other ancillary physical and hydrologic measurements and analyses described in this report are designed to provide a crucial link between direct measurements on sediments and the surface-based electrical-resistivity information obtained via field surveys. A second goal of the sediment characterization was to measure the total and water-leachable concentrations of key contaminants of concern as a function of depth and distance from the footprints of inactive disposal facilities. The total and water-leachable concentrations of key contaminants will be used to update contaminant distribution conceptual models and to provide more data for improving base-line risk predictions and remedial alternative selections. The ERC “ground truthing” exercise for the individual boreholes showed mixed results. In general, the high concentrations of dissolved salts in the pore waters of sediments from C5923, C5924 and …
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: Serne, R. Jeffrey; Ward, Anderson L.; Um, Wooyong; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Rucker, Dale F.; Lanigan, David C. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The ecology of dust: local- to global-scale perspectives (open access)

The ecology of dust: local- to global-scale perspectives

Emission and redistribution of dust due to wind erosion in drylands drives major biogeochemical dynamics and provides important aeolian environmental connectivity at scales from individual plants up to the global scale. Yet, perhaps because most relevant research on aeolian processes has been presented in a geosciences rather than ecological context, most ecological studies do not explicitly consider dust-driven processes. To bridge this disciplinary gap, we provide a general overview of the ecological importance of dust, examine complex interactions between wind erosion and ecosystem dynamics from the plant-interspace scale to regional and global scales, and highlight specific examples of how disturbance affects these interactions and their consequences. Changes in climate and intensification of land use will both likely lead to increased dust production. To address these challenges, environmental scientists, land managers and policy makers need to more explicitly consider dust in resource management decisions.
Date: January 1, 2009
Creator: Whicker, Jeffrey J; Field, Jason P; Belnap, Jayne; Breshears, David D; Neff, Jason; Okin, Gregory S et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Photometric calibrations for 21st century science (open access)

Photometric calibrations for 21st century science

The answers to fundamental science questions in astrophysics, ranging from the history of the expansion of the universe to the sizes of nearby stars, hinge on our ability to make precise measurements of diverse astronomical objects. As our knowledge of the underlying physics of objects improves along with advances in detectors and instrumentation, the limits on our capability to extract science from measurements is set, not by our lack of understanding of the nature of these objects, but rather by the most mundane of all issues: the precision with which we can calibrate observations in physical units. In principle, photometric calibration is a solved problem - laboratory reference standards such as blackbody furnaces achieve precisions well in excess of those needed for astrophysics. In practice, however, transferring the calibration from these laboratory standards to astronomical objects of interest is far from trivial - the transfer must reach outside the atmosphere, extend over 4{pi} steradians of sky, cover a wide range of wavelengths, and span an enormous dynamic range in intensity. Virtually all spectrophotometric observations today are calibrated against one or more stellar reference sources, such as Vega, which are themselves tied back to laboratory standards in a variety of ways. …
Date: February 1, 2009
Creator: Kent, Stephen; Kaiser, Mary Elizabeth; Deustua, Susana E.; Smith, J. Allyn; Adelman, Saul; Allam, Sahar S. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library