An electrical counting technique applied to a statistical study of atmospheric pressure fluctuations

A method has been presented for detecting and electrically tabulating fluctuations of dynamic and static pressures in the atmosphere. The method is used to present, in tabulated form, the data necessary for computations of the means, standard deviations, and correlation coefficient for two electrical signals representing the fluctuations of static and dynamic pressures. From the results, conclusions are drawn that the fluctuations in static and dynamic pressures are uncorrelated, that the standard deviation of both the static and dynamic pressure fluctuations increase in fairly regular fashion with increased wind speed, and that the ratio of the standard deviations of static and dynamic pressure fluctuations has a rough dependence on wind speed;The tabulating technique has a wide application for statistical examination of any variable that can be reduced to an electrical signal. The technique combines the advantages of relatively small lag error, compactness, and versatility with the ability to tabulate the data as they are accumulated, thus eliminating the time consuming process of manually transferring the data from conventional tape records.</p

Economic analysis of biofuels production in arid regions

The objective of this study is to develop a model to evaluate the economic feasibility of biofuels production, and in particular to isolate the variables crucial to feasibility. The model constructed to define these variables is unique in its ability to accommodate a variety of plants and to integrate all portions of the production process; it was tested on a case study of a Euphorbia lathyris industry. The model minimizes costs of production to determine the best configuration for the industry. Total cost equals the sum of costs incurred in each segment of the process: growth, harvest, transport, and extraction. The solution is determined through a non-linear transportation- transshipment algorithm which describes production as a series of nodes and links. Specific application of the model was analysis of E. lathyris biofuel production in Arizona. Simulations were run examining the sensitivity of biocrude cost to changes in input parameters. Conclusions are summarized as follows. * No change in any single element can reduce final cost sufficiently to enable competitive production in the near future. * The major factor necessary to bring cost into range is improvement in biological yield. Two components of equal importance are tonnage produced per acre and percentage extractables recovered in processing. * Lowering cropping costs provided the most effective improvements of economic inputs. Perennial crops significantly reduced farm costs. * Transportation costs outweighed economies of scale in extraction; extractor location close to crops is more efficient than centralized. The cost minimization model was successfully used to isolate the critical factors for an E. lathyris industry in an arid region. Results determine that this industry would not be competitive in Arizona without dramatic improvements in yields and moderate changes in a combination of input costs. Viability is critically dependent on improvements in tonnage yield produced per acre and percent extractables recovered.hydrology collectio

Intresseväckande interaktion för stora digitala bildarkiv

Samhället idag sitter på ett stort kulturarv av bilder som nu digitaliserats i stora digitala bildarkiv. För att allmänheten ska få möjlighet att ta del av detta så har denna studie undersökt hur man kan skapa en interaktiv tjänst som ger åtkomst till ett stort antal bilder med en intresseväckande visuell upplevelse. För att besvara detta har en kvalitativ studie genomförts med en blandning av forskning genom design och fallstudie. Studiens har bestått av intervjuer med en intendent på Norrköpings stadsmuseum och fokusgrupper som besvarar målgruppens efterfrågan. Utifrån detta skapades designförslag som testades med hjälp av användbarhetstester och som därefter utvärderades genom en induktiv kvalitativ analys. Studiens resultat visar att skapandet av en interaktiv tjänst som ger åtkomst till ett stort antal bilder med en intresseväckande visuell upplevelse bör utgå från en tydlig och engagerande interaktion. Med bilder som får ta stor plats och med element som kan öka intresset i form av karta som visualliserar bildens position och tidslinje som ger möjlighet till filtrering

Intresseväckande interaktion för stora digitala bildarkiv

Samhället idag sitter på ett stort kulturarv av bilder som nu digitaliserats i stora digitala bildarkiv. För att allmänheten ska få möjlighet att ta del av detta så har denna studie undersökt hur man kan skapa en interaktiv tjänst som ger åtkomst till ett stort antal bilder med en intresseväckande visuell upplevelse. För att besvara detta har en kvalitativ studie genomförts med en blandning av forskning genom design och fallstudie. Studiens har bestått av intervjuer med en intendent på Norrköpings stadsmuseum och fokusgrupper som besvarar målgruppens efterfrågan. Utifrån detta skapades designförslag som testades med hjälp av användbarhetstester och som därefter utvärderades genom en induktiv kvalitativ analys. Studiens resultat visar att skapandet av en interaktiv tjänst som ger åtkomst till ett stort antal bilder med en intresseväckande visuell upplevelse bör utgå från en tydlig och engagerande interaktion. Med bilder som får ta stor plats och med element som kan öka intresset i form av karta som visualliserar bildens position och tidslinje som ger möjlighet till filtrering

University of Arizona, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Progress Report No. 4

This title from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics Reports collection is made available by the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences and the University Libraries, University of Arizona. If you have questions about titles in this collection, please contact [email protected]

Comments on Report of Tucson Community Goals Conference

No date on item.This item is part of the Water Resources Research Center collection. It was digitized from a physical copy provided by the Water Resources Research Center at The University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact the Center, (520) 621-9591 or see http://wrrc.arizona.edu

A Study of the Trajectories and Diffusion Patterns of Ground-Generated Airborne Particulates under Orographic Wind Flow Conditions

In late June and early July, 1956, a series of experiments were performed to determine the wind structure over an orographic barrier and to ascertain whether ground-generated aerosols reach cloud heights in such a situation. Zinc sulphide particles were dispersed in an oil fog from a ground-located fog generator and collections were made using airborne impactors. Particles were found at elevations of at least 14,000 feet at distances out to at least 20 miles. However, "plumes" were found to be considerably broader than had been anticipated and the structure of the wind over a mountain ridge is judged to be substantially more complex than has been assumed in cloud-seeding operations.The research reported in this document has been made possible through support and sponsorship extended by the National Science Foundation, under Contract No. NSF-G1101. It is published for technical information only, and does not necessarily represent recommendations or conclusions of the sponsoring agency.This title from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics Reports collection is made available by the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences and the University Libraries, University of Arizona. If you have questions about titles in this collection, please contact [email protected]

Evaluation of Effects of Airborne Silver-Iodide Seeding of Convective Clouds

Final Report to the National Science Foundation – 1962Observations of the convective clouds over the mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona show that a large fraction of them reach temperatures far below freezing but fail to produce precipitation. During the summer periods of the years 1957 through 1960, a randomized cloud seeding experiment was conducted to test if these clouds could be modified by airborne silveriodide seeding. The essential features of the experimental design were the following: 1) An objective technique was evolved for predicting days with suitable clouds; 2) one of a pair of two adjacent days was seeded on a random basis; 3) measurements on all days were made with rain gages, radar and a pair of ground-located aerial cameras mounted at the ends of a 3-mile base leg, and visual observations were made of cloud-to-ground lightning; 4) the signrank test was used to make statistical evaluation of the effects of seeding. The results after four years are the following: 1, The rainfall statistics do not allow a conclusion that seeding had any effect. Statistically, the rainfall on both seeded and not-seeded days was the same. However, the sensitivity of the tests to changes in the quantity of precipitation was quite low. 2. The frequency of occasions of large thunderstorm echoes was statistically the same on seeded and not-seeded days. 3. The cloud-census and radar studies suggest that in some cases, seeding may have led to the initiation of precipitation echoes. 4. Although there were more cloud-to-ground lightning strokes on seeded days, the differences between their occurrence on seeded and not-seeded days were not statistically significant. Evidence is presented indicating that precipitation in convective clouds is not initiated by the ice-crystal process. Samples of days with heavy rain and light rain were compared in order to study the factors governing the quantity of rain. It was not possible to show that there was any relation between the region of echo initiation and the quantity of precipitation. On the other hand, it is clear that on days with heavy rain there were many more large clouds. The observations are best explained if it is assumed that the quantity of rain is governed by those properties of the atmosphere which determine the number and size of the convective clouds. The microphysical processes which determine the region of precipitation initiation do not appear to be as important as was once suspected. A new program of seeding tests is described which should be more sensitive to changes in quantity of rainfall. It differs in several fundamental aspects from the program conducted during the period 1957 to 1960.This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants G 4175, G 5607 and G 8216.This title from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics Reports collection is made available by the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences and the University Libraries, University of Arizona. If you have questions about titles in this collection, please contact [email protected]