| 1. |
- Abramowski, A., et al.
(författare)
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Constraints on the gamma-ray emission from the cluster-scale AGN outburst in the Hydra A galaxy cluster
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 545, s. A103-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. In some galaxy clusters, powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN) have blown bubbles with cluster scale extent into the ambient medium. The main pressure support of these bubbles is not known to date, but cosmic rays are a viable possibility. For such a scenario copious gamma-ray emission is expected as a tracer of cosmic rays from these systems. Aims. Hydra A, the closest galaxy cluster hosting a cluster scale AGN outburst, located at a redshift of 0.0538, is investigated for being a gamma-ray emitter with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) array and the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT). Methods. Data obtained in 20.2 h of dedicated H. E. S. S. observations and 38 months of Fermi-LAT data, gathered by its usual all-sky scanning mode, have been analyzed to search for a gamma-ray signal. Results. No signal has been found in either data set. Upper limits on the gamma-ray flux are derived and are compared to models. These are the first limits on gamma-ray emission ever presented for galaxy clusters hosting cluster scale AGN outbursts. Conclusions. The non-detection of Hydra A in gamma-rays has important implications on the particle populations and physical conditions inside the bubbles in this system. For the case of bubbles mainly supported by hadronic cosmic rays, the most favorable scenario, which involves full mixing between cosmic rays and embedding medium, can be excluded. However, hadronic cosmic rays still remain a viable pressure support agent to sustain the bubbles against the thermal pressure of the ambient medium. The largest population of highly-energetic electrons, which are relevant for inverse-Compton gamma-ray production is found in the youngest inner lobes of Hydra A. The limit on the inverse-Compton gamma-ray flux excludes a magnetic field below half of the equipartition value of 16 mu G in the inner lobes.
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| 2. |
- Power, M. J., et al.
(författare)
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Changes in fire regimes since the Last Glacial Maximum : an assessment based on a global synthesis and analysis of charcoal data
- 2008
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Ingår i: Climate Dynamics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0930-7575 .- 1432-0894. ; 30:7-8, s. 887-907
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fire activity has varied globally and continuously since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in response to long-term changes in global climate and shorter-term regional changes in climate, vegetation, and human land use. We have synthesized sedimentary charcoal records of biomass burning since the LGM and present global maps showing changes in fire activity for time slices during the past 21,000 years (as differences in charcoal accumulation values compared to pre-industrial). There is strong broad-scale coherence in fire activity after the LGM, but spatial heterogeneity in the signals increases thereafter. In North America, Europe and southern South America, charcoal records indicate less-than-present fire activity during the deglacial period, from 21,000 to ∼11,000 cal yr BP. In contrast, the tropical latitudes of South America and Africa show greater-than-present fire activity from ∼19,000 to ∼17,000 cal yr BP and most sites from Indochina and Australia show greater-than-present fire activity from 16,000 to ∼13,000 cal yr BP. Many sites indicate greater-than-present or near-present activity during the Holocene with the exception of eastern North America and eastern Asia from 8,000 to ∼3,000 cal yr BP, Indonesia and Australia from 11,000 to 4,000 cal yr BP, and southern South America from 6,000 to 3,000 cal yr BP where fire activity was less than present. Regional coherence in the patterns of change in fire activity was evident throughout the post-glacial period. These complex patterns can largely be explained in terms of large-scale climate controls modulated by local changes in vegetation and fuel load.
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| 3. |
- Jabado, Rima W., et al.
(författare)
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Troubled waters : Threats and extinction risk of the sharks, rays and chimaeras of the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters
- 2018
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Ingår i: Fish and Fisheries. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1467-2960 .- 1467-2979. ; 19:6, s. 1043-1062
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The extinction risk of sharks, rays and chimaeras is higher than that for most other vertebrates due to low intrinsic population growth rates of many species and the fishing intensity they face. The Arabian Sea and adjacent waters border some of the most important chondrichthyan fishing and trading nations globally, yet there has been no previous attempt to assess the conservation status of species occurring here. Using IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Categories and Criteria and their guidelines for application at the regional level, we present the first assessment of extinction risk for 153 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras. Results indicate that this region, home to 15% of described chondrichthyans including 30 endemic species, has some of the most threatened chondrichthyan populations in the world. Seventy-eight species (50.9%) were assessed as threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable), and 27 species (17.6%) as Near Threatened. Twenty-nine species (19%) were Data Deficient with insufficient information to assess their status. Chondrichthyan populations have significantly declined due to largely uncontrolled and unregulated fisheries combined with habitat degradation. Further, there is limited political will and national and regional capacities to assess, manage, conserve or rebuild stocks. Outside the few deepsea locations that are lightly exploited, the prognosis for the recovery of most species is poor in the near-absence of management. Concerted national and regional management measures are urgently needed to ensure extinctions are avoided, the sustainability of more productive species is secured, and to avoid the continued thinning of the regional food security portfolio.
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| 4. |
- Sherman, C. Samantha, et al.
(författare)
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Half a century of rising extinction risk of coral reef sharks and rays
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sharks and rays are key functional components of coral reef ecosystems, yet many populations of a few species exhibit signs of depletion and local extinctions. The question is whether these declines forewarn of a global extinction crisis. We use IUCN Red List to quantify the status, trajectory, and threats to all coral reef sharks and rays worldwide. Here, we show that nearly two-thirds (59%) of the 134 coral-reef associated shark and ray species are threatened with extinction. Alongside marine mammals, sharks and rays are among the most threatened groups found on coral reefs. Overfishing is the main cause of elevated extinction risk, compounded by climate change and habitat degradation. Risk is greatest for species that are larger-bodied (less resilient and higher trophic level), widely distributed across several national jurisdictions (subject to a patchwork of management), and in nations with greater fishing pressure and weaker governance. Population declines have occurred over more than half a century, with greatest declines prior to 2005. Immediate action through local protections, combined with broad-scale fisheries management and Marine Protected Areas, is required to avoid extinctions and the loss of critical ecosystem function condemning reefs to a loss of shark and ray biodiversity and ecosystem services, limiting livelihoods and food security. © 2023, The Author(s).
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| 5. |
- Wójcik, Natalia A., et al.
(författare)
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Two-step synthesis of niobium doped Na-Ca-(Mg)-P-Si-O glasses
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Science. - : Springer. - 0022-2461 .- 1573-4803. ; 56:12, s. 7613-7625
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Niobium doped biosolubility glasses in the Na–Ca–(Mg)–P–Si–O system were prepared by using an untypical two-step synthesis route. The parent glass was melted in air atmosphere at 1350 °C followed by re-melting the glass in Nb crucible with the addition of metallic Mg/Ca powder in the nitrogen atmosphere. The second melting step was carried out at 1450–1650 °C, using an induction furnace. The topography and structure of the obtained glasses were characterized by confocal microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopic techniques. The chemical compositions were examined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The glasses were found to be of grayish color, X-ray amorphous and having network connectivity between ~ 2.5 and 2.7. The network connectivity of re-melted glasses was lower than the one of the parent glass. The glass structure consists of a highly disrupted silicate network of predominantly Q2 groups as well as isolated orthophosphate tetrahedra. The parent glass contains nanocrystallites consisted of apatitic PO43− groups. The re-melted glasses contain non-apatitic or amorphous calcium phosphates. The obtained glass transition temperatures range from 530 to 568 °C and exhibit higher values for glassed doped with Ca metal. These glasses have improved thermal stability as compared to reference bioglasses. The biosolubility test in phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS) confirms that the glasses have biosolubility properties and HAp formation on the surfaces was observed.
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| 6. |
- Ali, Sharafat, Associate Professor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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A novel approach for processing CaAlSiON glass-ceramics by spark plasma sintering : Mechanical and electrical properties
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of the European Ceramic Society. - : Elsevier. - 0955-2219 .- 1873-619X. ; 42:1, s. 96-104
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lithium containing glassy materials can be used as solid electrolytes or electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density. Conventional melt-quenched Ca11Al14Si16O49N10 glass powder containing 24 e/o N, doped with Li-ions (1, 3, and 6 wt. %) and sintered by spark plasma sintering technique (SPS) was studied. The benefits of using SPS to produce glass-ceramics are rapid heating rates compared to conventional consolidation techniques and tuning of properties, adjusting the temperature, holding time (closed to Tg temperature), heating rate (solidification), and pressure (densification) profile during the heat treatment using SPS. Pure glass and glass-ceramic were obtained under identical SPS conditions and compared with pristine oxynitride and soda-lime-silicate (float) glasses. XRD and SEM analysis confirmed that increasing the amount of Li increases the crystallinity in the glass matrix. Nano-indentation analysis showed a decreased hardness and reduced elastic modulus values with the addition of Li-ions. The direct current conductivity increases with the addition of Li due to the high mobility of Li-ions. However, the float glass sample doped with 6 wt.% of Li exhibits even higher values of D.C. conductivity, than the analogously doped Ca11Al14Si16O49N10 glass. The magnitude of activation energy (more than 1 eV) is typical for an ion hopping mechanism and the D.C. conduction mechanism is dominated by Li+ hopping.
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| 7. |
- Ali, Sharafat, Associate Professor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of composition on the thermal properties and structure of M-Al-Si-O-N glasses, M = Na, Mg, Ca
- 2024
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Ingår i: Progress in Solid State Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0079-6786 .- 1873-1643. ; 74
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The primary objective of this study is to explore the relationship between the composition, structure, and thermal characteristics of M-Al-Si-O-N glasses, with M representing sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), or calcium (Ca). The glasses were prepared by melting in a quartz crucible at 1650 degrees C and AlN precursor (powder) was utilized as a nitrogen source. The measured thermal properties studied were glass transition temperature (Tg), crystallization temperature (Tc), glass stability, viscosity, and thermal expansion coefficient (alpha). The findings indicate that increasing the aluminum content leads to higher glass transition, crystallization temperatures, and viscosities. In contrast, fragility values increase with the Al contents, while modifier elements and silicon content influence thermal expansion coefficient values. FTIR analysis revealed that in all glasses, the dominant IR bands are attributed to the presence of Q2 and Q3 silicate units. The effect of Al is observed as a progressive polymerization of the silicate network resulting from the glass-forming role of Al2O3. In most samples, the Q4 silicate mode was also observed, strongly related to the high Al content. Overall, the study shows that the complexity of composition-property correlations where the structural changes affect the properties of Mg/Ca-based oxynitride glasses has potential implications for their use in various technological fields.
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| 8. |
- Ali, Sharafat, Associate Professor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of the structural and thermal properties of aluminum-rich Ca–Al–Si–O–N glasses
- 2023
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Ingår i: Progress in Solid State Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0079-6786 .- 1873-1643. ; 71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we investigate the structure and thermal properties of aluminum-rich transparent Ca–Al–Si–O–N glasses. The obtained glasses were prepared by a traditional melt-quenching technique at 1650 °C using AlN as the nitrogen source. The obtained glasses have a nAl/nSi>1 and contain up to 17 eq.% of N. The structure of the glasses was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The structure analysis shows a higher preference for Si–N bond formation relative to Al–N bond formation and aluminum is predominately present in tetrahedral coordination as AlO4 units. The thermal properties of samples were studied by differential thermal analysis and the obtained glass transition temperature ranges from 875 °C to 950 °C, and is primarily influenced by the N content. The glass stability can be correlated with both the N and Al contents in the studied glasses. It is improved due to the increased degree of network polymerization by the incorporation of nitrogen.
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| 9. |
- Ali, Sharafat, Associate Professor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis, structural characterization, and thermal properties of Ca- and La-doped soda-lime glasses by laser melting
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Applied Glass Science. - : American Ceramic Society. - 2041-1286 .- 2041-1294. ; 11:4, s. 699-706
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Laser melting techniques have been used in the preparation of unconventional glasscompositions with high melting temperatures. Thus, we wanted to test the feasibilityof using a CO2 laser in the preparation of nitrogen-rich oxynitride glasses and nitridesilicate glasses. Melting from oxides and metallic raw materials, we wanted to studyfirst glass formation and possible evaporation losses of the glass components. Twoglass series were prepared and studied for their structure and thermal properties, onewith Ca2+- and a higher melting La3+-doped soda-lime-silicate (SLS) series. In lessthan 3 minutes of laser melting, spheres of up to 6 mm diameter were successfullyfabricated. The obtained glass samples were homogeneous and transparent in thevisible region. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic analysis confirmed theamorphous nature of the synthesized samples. Sodium losses increase as calcium isadded to the soda-lime-silicate glass. As expected, increasing Ca2+ or La3+ additionlead to increased depolymerization of the silicate network. Moreover, the increasesin Tg with the addition of Ca2+ or La3+ ions indicating strengthening of the sodalime-silicate glass by increasing strength of the M-O bonds of divalent and trivalentions over monovalent sodium ions, weak Na-O bonds also resulting in significantevaporation loss during the short laser melting times. The thermal stability decreasesupon addition of Ca2+ or La3+ ions to the soda-lime-silicate glasses.
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| 10. |
- Bagheri, Maryam, et al.
(författare)
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Coordinated actor model of self-adaptive track-based traffic control systems
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Systems and Software. - : Elsevier. - 0164-1212 .- 1873-1228. ; 143, s. 116-139
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-adaptation is a well-known technique to handle growing complexities of software systems, where a system autonomously adapts itself in response to changes in a dynamic and unpredictable environment. With the increasing need for developing self-adaptive systems, providing a model and an implementation platform to facilitate integration of adaptation mechanisms into the systems and assuring their safety and quality is crucial. In this paper, we target Track-based Traffic Control Systems (TTCSs) in which the traffic flows through pre-specified sub-tracks and is coordinated by a traffic controller. We introduce a coordinated actor model to design self-adaptive TTCSs and provide a general mapping between various TTCSs and the coordinated actor model. The coordinated actor model is extended to build large-scale self-adaptive TTCSs in a decentralized setting. We also discuss the benefits of using Ptolemy II as a framework for model-based development of large-scale self-adaptive systems that supports designing multiple hierarchical MAPE-K feedback loops interacting with each other. We propose a template based on the coordinated actor model to design a self-adaptive TTCS in Ptolemy II that can be instantiated for various TTCSs. We enhance the proposed template with a predictive adaptation feature. We illustrate applicability of the coordinated actor model and consequently the proposed template by designing two real-life case studies in the domains of air traffic control systems and railway traffic control systems in Ptolemy II.
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