Low-dimensional nonlinearity of ENSO and its impact on predictability

Using a hybrid coupled model, we perform a bred vector (BV) analysis and retrospective ENSO (El Niño and the Southern Oscillation) forecast for the period from 1881 to 2000. The BV local dimension and BV-skewness inherent to the intensity of nonlinearity are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on exploring the nature of the low-dimensional nonlinearity of the ENSO system and the relationship between BV-skewness and model prediction skills. The results show that ENSO is a low-dimensional nonlinear system, and the BV-skewness is a good measure of its predictability at the decadal/interdecadal time scales. As the low-dimensional nonlinearity of ENSO is weakened, high predictability is attained, and vice versa. The low-dimensional nonlinearity of ENSO is also investigated and verified using observations.Another finding in this study is the relationship between the error growth rate (BV-rate) and actual prediction skill. While there is a good positive correlation between them in some decades, the BV-rate demonstrates a strong inverse correlation with the prediction skill in other decades. The BV-rate components contributed by the nonlinear process play a dominant role in quantifying ENSO predictability. The possible mechanism for the link between BV-rate, BV-skewness and ENSO predictability is discussed.     

Use of chemical etching of CR-39 foils at elevated temperature for fast neutron personnel monitoring in India

CR-39 Solid State Nuclear Track Detecting foils (SSNTD), along with 1 mm thick polyethylene radiator, sealed in triple laminated pouches, are used for country wide Fast Neutron Personnel Monitoring in India. With the present system of processing by elevated temperature electrochemical etching (ETECE) and evaluation using automatic image analysis, only 16 foils are processed at a time and it is useful over the dose equivalent range 0.2 mSv to 10 mSv. It has been reported that, by processing CR-39 of good detection efficiency by chemical etching at elevated temperature, more numbers of foils can be processed simultaneously. In the present study, CR-39 foils from Pershore Moulding (UK) have been chemically etched using 7 N KOH under various conditions of temperature and etching durations and evaluated using high magnification microscope. The duration of chemical etching, has been optimized at a constant temperature of 60°C for chemical etching process. The characteristics of the chemically etched CR-39 foils are compared with the characteristics of the CR-39 foils processed by the existing system of ETECE and the detailed results are presented in the full text of the paper. It has been observed that by chemical etching process, the dose equivalent range of CR-39 foils can be extended above 60 mSv.      

自由摆的平板控制系统设计

为了实现对基于自由摆的平板的控制,建立了基于自由摆的平板控制系统.首先分析平板的控制转角与自由摆转角的关系,推导出关系式,再对控制单元、反馈单元进行分析比较给出方案,采用32位LPC2138(ARM7)处理器为平板控制系统的中央控制单元,实现由高精度电位器测量出摆动角度后由步进电机控制的平板在周期摆动中做相应反馈调整,然后在现有器件的基础上编制出控制软件,在设备上进行调试,最后对系统的精度进行分析并进行实际测量.测量结果表明激光笔在摆动中照射在靶板上的光斑偏离基准线最大0.89cm,基本满足对平板的控制要求.     

Granular dampers for the reduction of vibrations of an oscillatory saw

Instruments for surgical and dental application based on oscillatory mechanics submit unwanted vibrations to the operator’s hand. Frequently the weight of the instrument’s body is increased to dampen its vibration. Based on recent research regarding the optimization of granular damping we developed a prototype granular damper that attenuates the vibrations of an oscillatory saw twice as efficiently as a comparable solid mass.     

Effect of Temperature on Henry's Constant in Simple Mixtures

Abstract

The molecular theory of dense fluids is progressing rapidly and its extension to mixtures is well underway. The purpose of this note is to call attention to a possibly serious difficulty in comparing experimental Henry's constants with those calculated from theory. The difficulty arises because whereas theorists choose temperature and density as independent variables, experimental equilibrium measurements on mixtures are often made along the saturation line where (at fixed composition) temperature and density are not both independent variables. Unless Henry's constants are defined with care, the effect of temperature on Henry's constants calculated from molecular theory may be qualitatively different from that observed.     

A non-conforming monolithic finite element method for problems of coupled mechanics

In this study, a Lagrange multiplier technique is developed to solve problems of coupled mechanics and is applied to the case of a Newtonian fluid coupled to a quasi-static hyperelastic solid. Based on theoretical developments in [57], an additional Lagrange multiplier is used to weakly impose displacement/velocity continuity as well as equal, but opposite, force. Through this approach, both mesh conformity and kinematic variable interpolation may be selected independently within each mechanical body, allowing for the selection of grid size and interpolation most appropriate for the underlying physics. In addition, the transfer of mechanical energy in the coupled system is proven to be conserved. The fidelity of the technique for coupled fluid–solid mechanics is demonstrated through a series of numerical experiments which examine the construction of the Lagrange multiplier space, stability of the scheme, and show optimal convergence rates. The benefits of non-conformity in multi-physics problems is also highlighted. Finally, the method is applied to a simplified elliptical model of the cardiac left ventricle.     

Propagation of generalized Mathieu–Gauss beams through paraxial misaligned optical systems

Based on the generalized diffraction integral, we derive an analytical formula for generalized Mathieu–Gauss beams (gMGBs) passing through an apertured misaligned optical system. Furthermore, we use the fact that a hard aperture function can be expanded into a finite sum of complex Gaussian functions to establish an approximate propagation equation of gMGBs through paraxial circularly apertured optical system. As an example, the propagation of ordinary and modified zeroth order MGBs through a misaligned thin lens is studied numerically.     

Hyperbolicity of C~1 -star invariant sets for C~1 -class dynamical systems

In this paper, we simply prove, in the framework of Liao, the hyperbolicity of C 1 -star invariant sets of C 1 -class differential systems on a closed manifold of dimension≤ 4, without using the C 1 -connecting lemma and even the ergodic closing lemma.     

Cosmological constant from quarks and torsion

We present a simple and natural way to derive the observed small, positive cosmological constant from the gravitational interaction of condensing fermions. In the Riemann‐Cartan spacetime, torsion gives rise to the axial–axial vector four‐fermion interaction term in the Dirac Lagrangian for spinor fields. We show that this nonlinear term acts like a cosmological constant if these fields have a nonzero vacuum expectation value. For quark fields in QCD, such a torsion‐induced cosmological constant is positive and its energy scale is only about 8 times larger than the observed value. Adding leptons to this picture could lower this scale to the observed value.