Comparison of Cartesian grid configurations for application of the finite-difference time-domain method to electromagnetic scattering by dielectric particles

Two grid configurations can be employed to implement the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique in a Cartesian system. One configuration defines the electric and magnetic field components at the cell edges and cell-face centers, respectively, whereas the other reverses these definitions. These two grid configurations differ in terms of implication on the electromagnetic boundary conditions if the scatterer in the FDTD computation is a dielectric particle. The permittivity has an abrupt transition at the cell interface if the dielectric properties of two adjacent cells are not identical. Similarly, the discontinuity of permittivity is also observed at the edges of neighboring cells that are different in terms of their dielectric constants. We present two FDTD schemes for light scattering by dielectric particles to overcome the above-mentioned discontinuity on the basis of the electromagnetic boundary conditions for the two Cartesian grid configurations. We also present an empirical approach to accelerate the convergence of the discrete Fourier transform to obtain the field values in the frequency domain. As a new application of the FDTD method, we investigate the scattering properties of multibranched bullet-rosette ice crystals at both visible and thermal infrared wavelengths.     

Performance of a cylindrical tissue-equivalent proportional counter for use in neutron monitoring

Tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPC) allow the measurements of the absorbed dose and the ambient dose equivalent for neutron fields. A device based on this approach, called NAUSICAA((1,2)), has already been developed by IRSN to be used in high energy neutron fields for space applications. The response of this detector underestimates significantly the dose equivalent at low energies (several hundred keV) which represent the major component of neutron fields at workplaces in the nuclear industry. A counter with a similar geometry (cylindrical detector) and a lower gas pressure was studied in order to simulate a 1 microm biological site. In 2003, the performance of the device was further improved by adding a small amount of 3He to the tissue-equivalent gas (propane based) in order to increase the response for the lower energies of neutrons. Three amplification circuits were used to cover lineal energy range from 10(-1) to 10(4) keV microm(-1). Tests were performed in monoenergetic neutron and source fields. This paper presents the experimental results obtained with this change.     

Numerical and experimental results of the operational neutron dosemeter 'Saphydose-N'

Since 1993, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has lead, in association with Electricité de France (EDF), a R&D study of a neutron personal electronic dosemeter. This dosemeter, called 'Saphydose-N', is manufactured by the SAPHYMO company. This paper presents first the optimisation of some detector components using Monte Carlo calculations, and second the test of the manufactured Saphydose-N under radiation following the IEC 1323 standard's recommendations for active personal neutron dosemeters. The measurements with the manufactured dosemeter were performed on the one hand at PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) in mono-energetic neutron fields and, on the other hand at IRSN in neutron fields generated by a thermal facility (SIGMA), radionuclide ISO sources and a realistic spectrum (CANEL/T400). The manufactured dosemeter Saphydose-N was also tested during measurement campaigns of the European programme EVIDOS ('Evaluation of Individual Dosimetry in Mixed Neutron and Photon Radiation Fields') at different nuclear workplaces. The study showed that Saphydose-N complies with the recommendations of standard IEC 1323 and can be used at any workplace with no previous knowledge of the neutron field characteristics.     

Investigations on reproducing kernel particle method enriched by partition of unity and visibility criterion

This work introduces a numerical integration technique based on partition of unity (PU) to reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) and presents an implementation of the visibility criterion for meshfree methods. According to the theory of PU and the inherent features of Gaussian quadrature, the convergence property of the PU integration is studied in the paper. Moreover, the practical approaches to implement the PU integration are presented in different strategies. And a method to carry out visibility criterion is presented to handle the problems with a complex domain. Furthermore, numerical examples have been performed on the h-version and p-like version convergence studies of the PU integration and the validity of visibility criterion. The results demonstrate that PU integration is a feasible and effective numerical integration technique, and RKPM enriched by PU integration and visibility criterion is of more efficiency, versatility and high performance.The project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant number 10202018.     

Effect of a calcium peroxide seed coating on the establishment of winter wheat subjected to pre-emergence waterlogging

Post-germination but pre-emergence waterlogging of winter wheat for 3 days or more, delayed emergence and decreased the final number of plants in two experiments on sandy loam and clay soils in outdoor conditions. Coating seeds with calcium peroxide improved emergence to a small extent, but would appear to offer only a small benefit to establishment of wheat already treated with insecticide/fungicide dressings and sown under normal conditions in the field.     

Discontinuity, decision and conflict

Summary The motivation for this paper arises out of the authors experiences in modelling real decision makers where the decisions show not only a continuous response to a continuously changing environment but also sudden or discontinuous changes. The theoretical basis involves a parametric characterisation of the environment, a decision makers perception of it in terms of a twice differentiable Distribution Function and a bounded Loss Function. Under a specified, minimizing dynamic, the resultant Expected Loss Function satisfies the conditions for a potential function and Thoms Catastrophe Classification Theorem may be used to assess the singularity points and the thresholds at which jump decisions are taken. The paper describes the theory, summarises some results on unimodal distributions illustrated by jump decisions and population polarisation. Mixture distributions are then examined and the E^* models defined. These are then briefly illustrated by reference to models which have been constructed in relation to Prison Riots, Agricultural and Economic modelling.     

Randomised hough transform with error propagation for line and circle detection

In this paper, we introduce a new Randomised Hough Transform aimed at improving curve detection accuracy and robustness, as well as computational efficiency. Robustness and accuracy improvement is achieved by analytically propagating the errors with image pixels to the estimated curve parameters. The errors with the curve parameters are then used to determine the contribution of pixels to the accumulator array. The computational efficiency is achieved by mapping a set of points near certain selected seed points to the parameter space at a time. Statistically determined, the seed points are points that are most likely located on the curves and that produce the most accurate curve estimation. Further computational advantage is achieved by performing progressive detection. Examples of detection of lines using the proposed technique are given in the paper. The concept can be extended to non-linear curves such as circles and ellipses. ID="A1"Correspondance and offprint requests to: Q. Ji, Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. E-mail: qji@ecse.rpi.edu     

Car insurance and the risk of car crash injury

Despite speculation about the role of vehicle insurance in road traffic accidents, there is little research estimating the direction or extent of the risk relationship. Data from the Auckland Car Crash Injury Study (1998–1999) were used to examine the association between driving an uninsured motor vehicle and car crash injury. Cases were all cars involved in crashes in which at least one occupant was hospitalized or killed anywhere in the Auckland region. Controls were 588 drivers of randomly selected cars on Auckland roads. Participants completed a structured interview. Uninsured drivers had significantly greater odds of car crash injury compared to insured drivers after adjustment for age, sex, level of education, and driving exposure (odds ratio 4.77, 95% confidence interval 2.94–7.75). The causal mechanism for insurance and car crash injury is not easily determined. Although we examined the effects of multiple potential confounders in our analysis including socioeconomic status and risk-taking behaviours, both of which have been previously observed to be associated with both insurance status and car crash injury, residual confounding may partly explain this association. The estimated proportion of drivers who are uninsured is between 5 and 15% in developed countries, representing a significant public health problem worthy of further investigation.     

Review of stress corrosion cracking of pipeline steels in “low” and “high” pH solutions

This paper reviews the current understanding of the mechanisms of stress corrosion cracking of pipeline steels. The similarities, the differences and the influencing factors are considered for the high pH stress corrosion cracking caused by a concentrated bicarbonate-carbonate solution, and for the low pH stress corrosion cracking due to a diluter solution. For high pH stress corrosion cracking, it is well accepted that the mechanism involves anodic dissolution for crack initiation and propagation. In contrast, it has been suggested that the low pH stress corrosion cracking is associated with the dissolution of the crack tip and sides, accompanied by the ingress of hydrogen into the pipeline steel. But the precise influence of hydrogen on the mechanism needs to be further studied.     

Review on research of room temperature magnetic refrigeration

Room temperature magnetic refrigeration is a new highly efficient and environmentally protective technology. Although it has not been maturely developed, it shows great applicable prosperity and seems to be a substitute for the traditional vapor compression technology. In this paper, the concept of magnetocaloric effect is explained. The development of the magnetic material, magnetic refrigeration cycles, magnetic field and the regenerator of room temperature magnetic refrigeration is introduced. Finally some typical room temperature magnetic refrigeration prototypes are reviewed.