Au Fe vs Cu thermocouples

A calibration of gold iron thermocouples is given

Superconductivity in Dense MgB2MgB_2 Wires

$MgB_2$ becomes superconducting just below 40 K. Whereas porous polycrystalline samples of $MgB_2$ can be synthesized from boron powders, in this letter we demonstrate that dense wires of $MgB_2$ can be prepared by exposing boron filaments to $Mg$ vapor. The resulting wires have a diameter of 160 ${\mu}m$, are better than 80% dense and manifest the full $\chi = -1/4{\pi}$ shielding in the superconducting state. Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements indicate that $MgB_2$ is a highly conducting metal in the normal state with $\rho (40 K)$ = 0.38 $\mu Ohm$-$cm$. Using this value, an electronic mean free path, $l \approx 600~\AA$ can be estimated, indicating that $MgB_2$ wires are well within the clean limit. $T_c$, $H_{c2}(T)$, and $J_c$ data indicate that $MgB_2$ manifests comparable or better superconducting properties in dense wire form than it manifests as a sintered pellet.Comment: Figures' layout fixe

Why Was There a Harmful Algal Bloom in 2015: The Relative Growth of Toxic and Non-toxic Diatoms as a Function of Temperature

A coastwide bloom of the toxigenic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia in 2015 resulted in the largest recorded outbreak and unprecedented levels of the neurotoxin, domoic acid (DA), along the North American west coast. The scientific community has suggested that warmer ocean temperatures were the main cause of this harmful algal bloom (HAB), but little scientific evidence to support the relationship between temperature, and the growth and toxicity of Pseudo-nitzschia has been provided for local isolates of these diatoms. To gain insight into bloom dynamics, a laboratory study was conducted to examine the growth of toxic and non-toxic phytoplankton species at a range of temperatures. Non- (or low) toxic diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia fraudulenta, Skeletonema costatum, and Chaetoceros decipiens were isolated from the 2015 bloom, and cultured at eight temperature conditions (5.6, 6.8, 8.7, 10.8, 13.3, 15.2, 17.2, 19.0°C). A total of 48 cultures (6 tubes per condition), with duplicates at each temperature, were grown in a temperature gradient incubator and monitored for 31 days over three complete growth cycles (runs) of exponential and stationary growth. Specific growth rates, determined from daily measures of in vivo fluorescence, indicate that by Run 3, there was no growth at 5.6°C for Chaetoceros decipiens, and a large decline in the growth rate for Skeletonema costatum at 17.2 and 19.0°C. Pseudo-nitzschia fraudulenta demonstrated the greatest growth rates of all species from 10.8 to 19.0°C, and exhibited the broadest range of elevated growth rates. These temperature results indicate that Skeletonema costatum does not thrive in ocean temperatures above 15°C, and is outcompeted by other algae, including both species of Pseudo-nitzschia. Results of this study will greatly aid oceanographers in determining the dominant species in a coastal region as a function of ambient ocean temperature conditions

Method for producing strain tolerant multifilamentary oxide superconducting wire

A strain tolerant multifilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments

Strain tolerant microfilamentary superconducting wire

A strain tolerant microfilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments

Method of increasing magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron alloy rods

This invention comprises a method of increasing the magnetostrictive response of rare earth iron (RFe) magnetostrictive alloy rods by a thermal-magnetic treatment. The rod is heated to a temperature above its Curie temperature, viz. from 400 rod is at that temperature, a magnetic field is directionally applied and maintained while the rod is cooled, at least below its Curie temperature

Analysis of Geometrical Relationships and Friction Losses in Small-Diameter Lay-Flat Polyethylene Pipes

[EN] The use of lay-flat polyethylene pipes to irrigate horticultural crops has been receiving widespread attention in the last decade, due to the significant improvements in their hydraulic performance, their potentially high application efficiency, and their limited installation costs. However, even if hydraulic design procedures for conventional microirrigation systems are fairly well established, there is still the need to know how different pipe-wall thicknesses of lay-flat pipes can affect the pipe geometry under different operating pressures as well as the related consequences on friction losses. This paper, after comparing two different procedures (caliper and photographic) to assess the geometry of lay-flat polyethylene pipes under different operating pressures, analyzes the friction losses per unit of pipe length, J, in order to identify and to assess a procedure for their evaluation. Hydrostatic tests, initially carried out on pipes with wall thicknesses of 6, 8, and 10 thousandth of an inch (mil), evidenced that the pipe dimensions measured with both methods are quite similar, despite the generally higher standard deviations characterizing caliper measurements when compared to photographic method. Tests allowed to verify that most of the changes in pipe dimensions occur within a range of pressure from 0 kPa to about 30 kPa, with pipe horizontal width and vertical height quite similar at higher pressures and pipes have a tendency to become circular. Additionally, due to the elasticity of the material, over a certain limit of water pressure, both the pipe dimensions tend to rise, with a trend depending on pipe thickness. According to the experimental data, the relationships between pipe effective diameter and water pressure were then determined for the three considered pipes. Moreover, based on measured friction losses and pipe effective diameters, it was confirmed that the relationship between the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor, f, and the Reynolds number, R, can be described by a power equation in which, by assuming a value of -0.25 for the exponent, it results a coefficient c = 0.285, lower than the theoretical. For the three investigated pipes the errors associated to estimated J were finally evaluated by considering (1) the experimental relationships between friction factor and Reynolds number as well as between pipe diameter and operating pressure (Case A); (2) the same value of c, but pipe effective diameters of 16.20, 16.10, and 15.85 mm corresponding to p = p(lim) (Case B); (3) the standard procedure, with a value of c = 0.302 and the pipe diameter equal to 16.10 mm, as suggested by the manufacturer. The results evidenced that suitable estimations of J need to account for the variations of the pipe effective diameter with water pressure. On the other hand, incorrect values of pipe diameter combined with inexact values of the friction factor generate inaccurate estimations of friction losses, with unavoidable consequences in pipe design. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.The research was cofinanced by Universita di Palermo (FFR 2011) and Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universita e della Ricerca (PRIN 2010). All the authors setup the research and discussed the results. V. Alagna and D. Autovino carried out the experimental measurements and G. Provenzano wrote the paper. A special thank to the Committee for International Relations Office (CORI) of University of Palermo to support the research cooperation with the University of Valencia.Provenzano, G.; Alagna, V.; Autovino, D.; Manzano Juarez, J.; Rallo, G. (2016). Analysis of Geometrical Relationships and Friction Losses in Small-Diameter Lay-Flat Polyethylene Pipes. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 142(2):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000958S19142