A laboratory method for precisely determining the micro-volume-magnitudes of liquid efflux

Micro-volumetric quantities of ejected liquid are made to produce equal volumetric displacements of a more dense material. Weight measurements are obtained on the displaced heavier liquid and used to calculate volumes based upon the known density of the heavy medium

Quantum Computing Assisted Medium Access Control for Multiple Client Station Networks

A medium access control protocol based on quantum entanglement has been introduced by Berces and Imre (2006) and Van Meter (2012). This protocol entirely avoids collisions. It is assumed that the network consists of one access point and two client stations. We extend this scheme to a network with an arbitrary number of client stations. We propose three approaches, namely, the qubit distribution, transmit first election and temporal ordering protocols. The qubit distribution protocol leverages the concepts of Bell-EPR pair or W state triad. It works for networks of up to four CSs. With up to three CSs, there is no probability of collision. In a four-CS network, there is a low probability of collision. The transmit first election protocol and temporal ordering protocols work for a network with any number of CSs. The transmit first election builds upon the concept of W state of size corresponding to the number of client stations. It is fair and collision free. The temporal ordering protocol employs the concepts of Lehmer code and quantum oracle. It is collision free, has a normalized throughput of 100% and achieves quasi-fairness.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables; manuscript under revie

Inventaire des mauvaises herbes dans les pépinières ornementales du Québec

Un inventaire des mauvaises herbes réalisé au cours de l'été 1986 a permis de visiter 53% des superficies en production ornementale au Québec. Les infestations de mauvaises herbes étaient maintenues à de faibles niveaux dans les pépinières visitées grâce aux sarclages manuels et aux hersages mécaniques fréquents. L'inventaire a révélé que les mauvaises herbes vivaces étaient les plus difficiles à réprimer dans les pépinières. Les mauvaises herbes vivaces les plus fréquemment rencontrées étaient la vesce jargeau (Vicia cracca), le chiendent (Agropyron repens), la prèle des champs (Equisetum arvense) et le souchet comestible (Cyperus esculentus). Les mauvaises herbes identifiées dans les pépinières étaient, pour la plupart, des espèces communes à d'autres cultures. Toutefois, la rorippe d'Islande (Rorippa islandica), la rorippe sylvestre (Rorippa sylvestris) et la cardamine de Pennsylvanie (Cardamine pensylvanica), mauvaises herbes moins connues, ont démontré un fort potentiel d'envahissement dans les pépinières ornementales.A weed survey of fields in ornamental production was conducted in Quebec in 1986 during which 53 % of the production sites were visited. Because of the intensity of hand-weeding and mechanical cultivation used in the fields, no major weed infestations were observed. Weeds most difficult to control were mainly perennial species such as tufted vetch (Vicia cracca), quackgrass (Agropyron repens), field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), and yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus). Most of the weeds identified were species common to other crops. However, marsh yellow cress (Rorippa islandica), yellow field cress (Rorippa sylvestris), and bitter cress (Cardaminepensylvanica) were lesser known weed species that showed a great potential of increase in ornamental nursery production

Newinsights in the ontogeny and taphonomy of the Devonian acanthodian Triazeugacanthus affinis from the Miguasha Fossil-Lagerstatte, Eastern Canada

Progressive biomineralization of a skeleton occurs during ontogeny in most animals. In fishes, larvae are poorly mineralized, whereas juveniles and adults display a progressively more biomineralized skeleton. Fossil remains primarily consist of adult specimens because the fossilization of poorly-mineralized larvae and juveniles necessitates exceptional conditions. The Miguasha Fossil-Lagerstatte is renowned for its Late Devonian vertebrate fauna, revealing the exceptional preservation of fossilized ontogenies for 14 of the 20 fish species from this locality. The mineralization of anatomical structures of the acanthodian Triazeugacanthus affinis from Miguasha are compared among larval, juvenile and adult specimens using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry. Chemical composition of anatomical structures of Triazeugacanthus reveals differences between cartilage and bone. Although the histology and anatomy is well-preserved, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry shows that the original chemical composition of bone is altered by diagenesis; the mineral phase of the bone (i.e., hydroxyapatite) is modified chemically to form more stable carbonate-fluorapatite. Fluorination occurring in mineralized skeletal structures of adult Triazeugacanthus is indicative of exchanges between groundwater and skeleton at burial, whereas the preservation of larval soft tissues is likely owing to a rapid burial under anoxic conditions. The exceptional state of preservation of a fossilized ontogeny allowed us to characterize chemically the progressive mineralization of the skeleton in a Devonian early vertebrate

Characterization of the K2-18 multi-planetary system with HARPS: A habitable zone super-Earth and discovery of a second, warm super-Earth on a non-coplanar orbit

The bright M dwarf K2-18 at 34 pc is known to host a transiting super-Earth-sized planet orbiting within the star's habitable zone; K2-18b. Given the superlative nature of this system for studying an exoplanetary atmosphere receiving similar levels of insolation as the Earth, we aim to characterize the planet's mass which is required to interpret atmospheric properties and infer the planet's bulk composition. We obtain precision radial velocity measurements with the HARPS spectrograph and couple those measurements with the K2 photometry to jointly model the observed radial velocity variation with planetary signals and a radial velocity jitter model based on Gaussian process regression. We measure the mass of K2-18b to be $8.0 \pm 1.9$ M$_{\oplus}$ with a bulk density of $3.7 \pm 0.9$ g/cm$^3$ which may correspond to a predominantly rocky planet with a significant gaseous envelope or an ocean planet with a water mass fraction $\gtrsim 50$%. We also find strong evidence for a second, warm super-Earth K2-18c at $\sim 9$ days with a semi-major axis 2.4 times smaller than the transiting K2-18b. After re-analyzing the available light curves of K2-18 we conclude that K2-18c is not detected in transit and therefore likely has an orbit that is non-coplanar with K2-18b. A suite of dynamical integrations with varying simulated orbital eccentricities of the two planets are used to further constrain each planet's eccentricity posterior from which we measure $e_b < 0.43$ and $e_c < 0.47$ at 99% confidence. The discovery of the inner planet K2-18c further emphasizes the prevalence of multi-planet systems around M dwarfs. The characterization of the density of K2-18b reveals that the planet likely has a thick gaseous envelope which along with its proximity to the Solar system makes the K2-18 planetary system an interesting target for the atmospheric study of an exoplanet receiving Earth-like insolation.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures including 4 interactive figures best viewed in Adobe Acrobat. Submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics. Comments welcom

Heat rejection sublimator

A sublimator includes a sublimation plate having a thermal element disposed adjacent to a feed water channel and a control point disposed between at least a portion of the thermal element and a large pore substrate. The control point includes a sintered metal material. A method of dissipating heat using a sublimator includes a sublimation plate having a thermal element and a control point. The thermal element is disposed adjacent to a feed water channel and the control point is disposed between at least a portion of the thermal element and a large pore substrate. The method includes controlling a flow rate of feed water to the large pore substrate at the control point and supplying heated coolant to the thermal element. Sublimation occurs in the large pore substrate and the controlling of the flow rate of feed water is independent of time. A sublimator includes a sublimation plate having a thermal element disposed adjacent to a feed water channel and a control point disposed between at least a portion of the thermal element and a large pore substrate. The control point restricts a flow rate of feed water from the feed water channel to the large pore substrate independent of time

The critical velocity effect as a cause for the H\alpha emission from the Magellanic stream

Observations show significant H\alpha-emissions in the Galactic halo near the edges of cold gas clouds of the Magellanic Stream. The source for the ionization of the cold gas is still a widely open question. In our paper we discuss the critical velocity effect as a possible explanation for the observed H\alpha-emission. The critical velocity effect can yield a fast ionization of cold gas if this neutral gas passes through a magnetized plasma under suitable conditions. We show that for parameters that are typical for the Magellanic Stream the critical velocity effect has to be considered as a possible ionization source of high relevance.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. accepted, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa

Low Energy Electron Point Projection Microscopy of Suspended Graphene, the Ultimate "Microscope Slide"

Point Projection Microscopy (PPM) is used to image suspended graphene using low-energy electrons (100-200eV). Because of the low energies used, the graphene is neither damaged or contaminated by the electron beam. The transparency of graphene is measured to be 74%, equivalent to electron transmission through a sheet as thick as twice the covalent radius of sp^2-bonded carbon. Also observed is rippling in the structure of the suspended graphene, with a wavelength of approximately 26 nm. The interference of the electron beam due to the diffraction off the edge of a graphene knife edge is observed and used to calculate a virtual source size of 4.7 +/- 0.6 Angstroms for the electron emitter. It is demonstrated that graphene can be used as both anode and substrate in PPM in order to avoid distortions due to strong field gradients around nano-scale objects. Graphene can be used to image objects suspended on the sheet using PPM, and in the future, electron holography

GJ 1252 b: A 1.2 R\u3csub\u3e⊕\u3c/sub\u3e Planet Transiting An M3 Dwarf At 20.4 pc

We report the discovery of GJ 1252 b, a planet with a radius of 1.193 ± 0.074 R⊕ and an orbital period of 0.52 days around an M3-type star (0.381 ± 0.019 M⊕, 0.391 ± 0.020 R⊕) located 20.385 ± 0.019 pc away. We use Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) data, ground-based photometry and spectroscopy, Gaia astrometry, and high angular resolution imaging to show that the transit signal seen in the TESS data must originate from a transiting planet. We do so by ruling out all false-positive scenarios that attempt to explain the transit signal as originating from an eclipsing stellar binary. Precise Doppler monitoring also leads to a tentative mass measurement of 2.09 ± 0.56 M⊕. The host star proximity, brightness (V = 12.19 mag, K = 7.92 mag), low stellar activity, and the system\u27s short orbital period make this planet an attractive target for detailed characterization, including precise mass measurement, looking for other objects in the system, and planet atmosphere characterization