Thermal front variability along the North Atlantic Current observed using satellite microwave and infrared data

Thermal fronts detected using multiple satellite sensors have been integrated to provide new information on the spatial and seasonal distribution of oceanic fronts in the North Atlantic. The branching of the North Atlantic Current (NAC) as it encounters the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is reflected in surface thermal fronts, which preferentially occur at the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) and several smaller fracture zones. North of the CGFZ there are few thermal fronts, contrasting with the region to the south, where there are frequent surface thermal fronts that are persistent seasonally and interannually. The alignment of the fronts confirms that the shallower Reykjanes Ridge north of the CGFZ is more of a barrier to water movements than the ridge to the south. Comparison of front distributions with satellite altimetry data indicates that the MAR influence on deep ocean currents is also frequently exhibited in surface temperature. The improved spatial and temporal resolution of the front analysis has revealed consistent seasonality in the branching patterns. These results contribute to our understanding of the variability of the NAC, and the techniques for visualising oceanic fronts can be applied in other regions to reveal details of surface currents that cannot be resolved using satellite altimetry or in situ measurements.

Type II-P supernovae as standardized candles: improvements using near-infrared data

We present the first near-infrared Hubble diagram for Type II-P supernovae (SNe), to further explore their value as distance indicators. We use a modified version of the standardized candle method, which relies on the tight correlation between the absolute magnitudes of Type II-P SNe and their expansion velocities during the plateau phase. Although our sample contains only 12 II-P SNe and they are necessarily local (z

Identifying clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared satellite data

We describe a new method of identifying night-time clouds over the Pierre Auger Observatory using infrared data from the Imager instruments on the GOES-12 and GOES-13 satellites. We compare cloud identifications resulting from our method to those obtained by the Central Laser Facility of the Auger Observatory. Using our new method we can now develop cloud probability maps for the 3000 km2 of the Pierre Auger Observatory twice per hour with a spatial resolution of ∼2.4 km by ∼5.5 km. Our method could also be applied to monitor cloud cover for other ground-based observatories and for space-based observatories.

Raman and infrared spectroscopic study of the borate mineral kaliborite

We have studied the mineral kaliborite. The sample originated from the Inder B deposit, Atyrau Province, Kazakhstan, and is part of the collection of the Geology Department of the Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The mineral is characterized by a single intense Raman band at 756 cm−1 assigned to the symmetric stretching modes of trigonal boron. Raman bands at 1229 and 1309 cm−1 are assigned to hydroxyl in-plane bending modes of boron hydroxyl units. Raman bands are resolved at 2929, 3041, 3133, 3172, 3202, 3245, 3336, 3398, and 3517 cm−1. These Raman bands are assigned to water stretching vibrations. A very intense sharp Raman band at 3597 cm−1 with a shoulder band at 3590 cm−1 is assigned to the stretching vibration of the hydroxyl units. The Raman data are complimented with infrared data and compared with the spectrum of kaliborite downloaded from the Arizona State University database. Differences are noted between the spectrum obtained in this work and that from the Arizona State University database. This research shows that minerals stored in a museum mineral collection age with time. Vibrational spectroscopy enhances our knowledge of the molecular structure of kaliborite.

Infrared studies on the conformation of synthetic alamethicin fragments and model peptides containing .alpha.-aminoisobutyric acid

ABSTRACT: Infrared studies of synthetic alamethicin fragments and model peptides containing a-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) have been carried out in solution. Tripeptides and larger fragments exhibit a strong tendency to form /3 turns, stabilized by 4 - 1 10-atom hydrogen bonds. Dipeptides show less well-defined structures, though C5 and C7 conformations are detectable. Conformational restrictions imposed by Aib residues result in these peptides populating a limited range of states. Integrated intensities of the hydrogen-bonded N-H stretching band can be used to quantitate the number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Predictions made from infrared data are in excellent agreement with nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray diffraction studies. Assignments of the urethane and tertiary amide carbonyl groups in the free state have been made in model peptides. Shifts to lower frequency on hydrogen bonding are observed for the carbonyl groups. The 1-6 segment of alamethicin is shown to adopt a 310 helical structure stabilized by four intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The fragments Boc-Leu-Aib-Pro-Val-Aib-OMe (1 2-1 6) and Boc-Gly-Leu-Aib-Pro-Val-Aib-OMe (1 1-1 6) possess structures involving 4 - 1 and 5 - 1 hydrogen bonds. Supporting evidence for these structures is obtained from proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies.

Data reduction pipeline for emir, the near-IR multi-object spectrograph for GTC

EMIR (Balcells et al. 2000) is a near-infrared wide-field camera and multi-object spectrograph being built for the GTC. The Data Reduction Pipeline (DRP) will be optimized for handling and reducing near-infrared data acquired with EMIR.

Services for Satellite Data Processing

Data processing services for Meteosat geostationary satellite are presented. Implemented services correspond to the different levels of remote-sensing data processing, including noise reduction at preprocessing level, cloud mask extraction at low-level and fractal dimension estimation at high-level. Cloud mask obtained as a result of Markovian segmentation of infrared data. To overcome high computation complexity of Markovian segmentation parallel algorithm is developed. Fractal dimension of Meteosat data estimated using fractional Brownian motion models.

Raman spectroscopy of gallium based hydrotalcites of formula Mg6Ga2(CO3)(OH)16•4H2O

Insight into the unique structure of hydrotalcites has been obtained using Raman spectroscopy. Gallium containing hydrotalcites of formula Mg4Ga2(CO3)(OH)12•4H2O (2:1 Ga-HT) to Mg8Ga2(CO3)(OH)20•4H2O (4:1 Ga-HT) have been successfully synthesised and characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The d(003) spacing varied from 7.83 Å for the 2:1 hydrotalcite to 8.15 Å for the 3:1 gallium containing hydrotalcite. Raman spectroscopy complemented with selected infrared data has been used to characterise the synthesised gallium containing hydrotalcites of formula Mg6Ga2(CO3)(OH)16•4H2O. Raman bands observed at around 1046, 1048 and 1058 cm-1 were attributed to the symmetric stretching modes of the (CO32-) units. Multiple ν3 CO32- antisymmetric stretching modes are found at around 1346, 1378, 1446, 1464 and 1494 cm-1. The splitting of this mode indicates the carbonate anion is in a perturbed state. Raman bands observed at 710 and 717 cm-1 assigned to the ν4 (CO32-) modes support the concept of multiple carbonate species in the interlayer.

3D thermal mapping of building interiors using an RGB-D and thermal camera

The building sector is the dominant consumer of energy and therefore a major contributor to anthropomorphic climate change. The rapid generation of photorealistic, 3D environment models with incorporated surface temperature data has the potential to improve thermographic monitoring of building energy efficiency. In pursuit of this goal, we propose a system which combines a range sensor with a thermal-infrared camera. Our proposed system can generate dense 3D models of environments with both appearance and temperature information, and is the first such system to be developed using a low-cost RGB-D camera. The proposed pipeline processes depth maps successively, forming an ongoing pose estimate of the depth camera and optimizing a voxel occupancy map. Voxels are assigned 4 channels representing estimates of their true RGB and thermal-infrared intensity values. Poses corresponding to each RGB and thermal-infrared image are estimated through a combination of timestamp-based interpolation and a pre-determined knowledge of the extrinsic calibration of the system. Raycasting is then used to color the voxels to represent both visual appearance using RGB, and an estimate of the surface temperature. The output of the system is a dense 3D model which can simultaneously represent both RGB and thermal-infrared data using one of two alternative representation schemes. Experimental results demonstrate that the system is capable of accurately mapping difficult environments, even in complete darkness.

The mathematical modelling of cheese ripening

A mathematical model is developed for the ripening of cheese. Such models may assist predicting final cheese quality using measured initial composition. The main constituent chemical reactions are described with ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions to the model equations are found using Matlab. Unknown parameter values have been fitted using experimental data available in the literature. The results from the numerical fitting are in good agreement with the data. Statistical analysis is performed on near infrared data provided to the MISG. However, due to the inhomogeneity and limited nature of the data, not many conclusions can be drawn from the analysis. A simple model of the potential changes in acidity of cheese is also considered. The results from this model are consistent with cheese manufacturing knowledge, in that the pH of cheddar cheese does not significantly change during ripening.

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Investigations of Complexes of Lanthanide Nitrates with N-(4-Hethyl-2-Pyridyl)-Acetamide

New complexes of Lanthanide nitrates with N-(4-methyl-2-pyridyl)-acetamide (4-me-aapH) of the general formulae. [Ln(4-me-aapH)2] [NO3] (where Ln=La=La-Yb and Y)have been synthesized and haracterised by chemical analysis, molar conductivity and physical methods such as infrared, 13C NMR an electronic spectra in the visible region. Molar conductance and infrared data point to the presence to the coordinated nitrates groups. Infrared and 13C NMR data have been interpreted in terms of the coordination of the legand to the metal ion through the oxygen of the secondary amide and nitrogen of the hetrocyclic ring, in a bidentate fashion. Coordination number of ten seems probable for the complexes.

Complexes of Lanthanide Perchlorates with N-(2-Pyrimidyl)benzamide

New complexes of lanthanide perchlorates with N-(2-pyrimidyl)benzamide (BApymH) of the general formulae [Ln(BApymH)4](ClO4)3 (where Ln = La-Yb and Y) have been synthesised and characterised by chemical analysis, molar conductivity and physical methods such as infrared and electronic spectra in the visible region. Molar conductance and infrared data point to the ionic nature of the per-chlorate groups in the complexes. IR data unequivocally proves that the coordination of the ligand to the metal ion takes place in a bidentate fashion through the oxygen of the secondary amide and nitrogen of the pyrimidine ring. From a comparison of the visible electronic spectral shapes of the Nd3+ and Ho3+ complexes with those reported in the literature, an eight coordinate geometry around the metal ion has tentatively been assigned in all the complexes.

2,6-Lutidine-N-oxide complexes of rare-earth bromides

2,6-Lutidine-N-oxide (LNO) complexes of rare-earth bromides of the composition $$MBr_3 .(LNO)_{4_{ - n} } .nH_2 O$$ wheren = l for M = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Ho, Er; andn = 0 for M = Y have been prepared and characterised by analyses, conductance and infrared data. Infrared spectra of the complexes indicate that the coordination of ligand to the metal ion takes place through the oxygen of the ligand, and the water molecule in the complexes present is coordinated to the metal. A coordination number of seven has been suggested to all the rare-earth metal ions.

Mechanism of the addition of alcohols to substituted phenylisothiocyanates : Electrical effects of the substituents on the reaction

The addition reaction of alcohols to substituted phenylisothiocyanates is found to be a second-order reaction. The reaction is catalysed by triethylamine. First-order rate constants of the addition reaction have been determined in excess of ethanol, for a number of substituted phenylisothiocyanates and the rate data give a satisfactory linear correlation with Hammett σ constants of groups. While the energies of activation vary randomly with substitution, the entropies of activation bear a linear relationship to the energies of activation. Infra-red spectra indicate that the thiourethanes which are the products of the addition reaction exist in the thioamide form. The most prominent resonance form which can satisfactorily explain both the kinetic and infrared data, has been suggested.

Force constants and thermodynamic functions of iodine heptafluoride

Normal coordinate analysis of a molecule of the type XY7 (point group D5h) has been carried out using Wilson's FG, matrix method and the results have been utilized to calculate the force constants of IF7 from the available Raman and infrared data. Some of the assignments made previously by Lord and others have been revised and with the revised assignments the thermodynamic quantities of IF7 have been computed from 300°K to 1000°K under rigid rotator and harmonic oscillator approximation.