Interaction cross sections and charged pion spectra in p + C interactions at 31 GeV/c were measured with the large-acceptance NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS. These data are required to improve predictions of the neutrino flux for the T2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment in Japan. A set of data collected during the first NA61/SHINE run in 2007 with an isotropic graphite target with a thickness of 4% of a nuclear interaction length was used for the analysis. The measured p + C inelastic and production cross sections are 257.2 ± 1.9 ± 8.9 and 229.3 ± 1.9 ± 9.0 mb, respectively. Inclusive production cross sections for negatively and positively charged pions are presented as functions of laboratory momentum in ten intervals of the laboratory polar angle covering the range from 0 up to 420 mrad. The spectra are compared with predictions of several hadron production models.

As part of the Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE‐P) mission, ozonesondes were used to make ozone vertical profile measurements at nine locations in the North Pacific. At most of the sites there is a multiyear record of observations. From locations in the western Pacific (Hong Kong; Taipei; Jeju Island, Korea; and Naha, Kagoshima, Tsukuba, and Sapporo, Japan), a site in the central Pacific (Hilo, Hawaii), and a site on the west coast of the United States (Trinidad Head, California) both a seasonal and event specific picture of tropospheric ozone over the North Pacific emerges. Ozone profiles over the North Pacific generally show a prominent spring maximum throughout the troposphere. This maximum is tied to the location of the jet stream and its influence on stratosphere‐troposphere exchange and the increase in photochemical ozone production through the spring. Prominent layers of enhanced ozone in the middle and upper troposphere north of about 30°N seem to be more closely tied to stratospheric intrusions while biomass burning leads to layers of enhanced ozone in the lower and upper troposphere at Hong Kong (22°N) and Taipei (25°N). The lower free tropospheric layers at Hong Kong are associated with burning in SE Asia, but the upper layer may be associated with either equatorial Northern Hemisphere burning in Africa or SE Asian biomass burning. In the boundary layer at Taipei very high mixing ratios of ozone were observed that result from pollution transport from China in the spring and local urban pollution during the summer. At the ozonesonde site near Tokyo (Tsukuba, 36°N) very large enhancements of ozone are seen in the boundary layer in the summer that are characteristic of urban air pollution. At sites in the mid and eastern Pacific the signature of transport of polluted air from Asia is not readily identifiable from the ozonesonde profile. This is likely due to the more subtle signal and the fact that from the ozone profile and meteorological data by themselves it is difficult to identify such a signal. During the TRACE‐P intensive campaign period (February–April 2001), tropospheric ozone amounts were generally typical of those seen in the long‐term records of the stations with multiyear soundings. The exception was the upper troposphere over Hong Kong and Taipei where ozone amounts were lower in 2001.

Spectra of positively charged kaons in p + C interactions at 31 GeV/c were measured with the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS. The analysis is based on the full set of data collected in 2007 with a graphite target with a thickness of 4% of a nuclear interaction length. Interaction cross sections and charged pion spectra were already measured using the same set of data. These new measurements in combination with the published ones are required to improve predictions of the neutrino flux for the T2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment in Japan. In particular, the knowledge of kaon production is crucial for precisely predicting the (2012) a function of laboratory momentum in two intervals of the laboratory polar angle covering the range from 20 to 240 mrad. The kaon spectra are compared with predictions of several hadron production models. Using the published pion results and the new kaon data, the K + /π + ratios are computed.

Abstract. The accuracy of total ozone computed from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) optimal estimation (OE) ozone profile algorithm (SOE) applied to the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is assessed through comparisons with ground-based Brewer spectrometer measurements from 2005 to 2008. We also compare the three OMI operational ozone products, derived from the NASA Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) algorithm, the KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithm, and KNMI's Optimal Estimation (KOE) algorithm. The best agreement is observed between SAO and Brewer, with a mean difference of within 1 % at most individual stations. The KNMI OE algorithm systematically overestimates Brewer total ozone by 2 % at low and mid-latitudes and 5 % at high latitudes while the TOMS and DOAS algorithms underestimate it by ∼ 1.65 % on average. Standard deviations of ∼ 1.8 % are calculated for both SOE and TOMS, but DOAS and KOE have higher values of 2.2 % and 2.6 %, respectively. The stability of the SOE algorithm is found to have insignificant dependence on viewing geometry, cloud parameters, or total ozone column. In comparison, the KOEBrewer differences are significantly correlated with solar and viewing zenith angles and show significant deviations depending on cloud parameters and total ozone amount. The TOMS algorithm exhibits similar stability to SOE with respect to viewing geometry and total column ozone, but has stronger cloud parameter dependence. The dependence of DOAS on observational geometry and geophysical conditions is marginal compared to KOE, but is distinct compared to the SOE and TOMS algorithms. Comparisons of all four OMI products with Brewer show no apparent long-term drift, but seasonal features are evident, especially for KOE and TOMS. The substantial differences in the KOE vs. SOE algorithm performance cannot be sufficiently explained by the use of soft calibration (in SOE) and the use of different a priori error covariance matrices; however, other algorithm details cause fitting residuals larger by a factor of 2-3 for KOE.

A gerotor pump is suitable for oil hydraulics of machine tools, automotive engines, compressors, construction, and other various applications. In particular, the pump is an essential machine element that feeds lubricant oil in an automotive engine. The main components of the pump are the two rotors. Usually, the outer one is characterized by lobes with a circular shape, while the inner rotor profile is determined as a conjugate to the other. In this study, the design optimization has been carried out to determine the design parameters that maximize the specific flow rate and minimize the flow rate irregularity. The integrated system, which is composed of three main modules, has been developed through AutoLISP, Visual Basic language, and the CAD method, and considers various design parameters. An optimally designed model for a general type of gerotor pump has been generated and experimentally verified for its pump performances. Results obtained using the system enable the designer and manufacturer of the oil pump to be more efficient in this field.