Instrument quickly transposes ground reference target to eye level

Optical alignment of equipment is facilitated by a traverse target with a string suspending a plumb bob to transpose the ground level point to eye level operation. This instrument appreciably decreases the time required from the present method but achieves the same degree of precision

A cross sectional study of the prevalence, risk factors and population attributable fractions for limb and body lesions in lactating sows on commercial farms in England

Background: Lesions on sows' limbs and bodies are an abnormality that might impact on their welfare. The prevalence of and risks for limb and body lesions on lactating sows on commercial English pig farms were investigated using direct observation of the sows and their housing. Results: The prevalence of lesions on the limbs and body were 93% (260/279) and 20% (57/288) respectively. The prevalence of limb and body lesions was significantly lower in outdoor-housed sows compared with indoor-housed sows. Indoor-housed sows had an increased risk of wounds (OR 6.8), calluses (OR 8.8) and capped hock (OR 3.8) on their limbs when housed on fully slatted floors compared with solid concrete floors. In addition, there was an increased risk of bursitis (OR 2.7), capped hock (OR 2.3) and shoulder lesions (OR 4.8) in sows that were unwilling to rise to their feet. There was a decreased risk of shoulder lesions (OR 0.3) and lesions elsewhere on the body (OR 0.2) in sows with more than 20 cm between their tail and the back of the crate compared with sows with less than 10 cm. Conclusion: The sample of outdoor housed sows in this study had the lowest prevalence of limb and body lesions. In lactating sows housed indoors there was a general trend for an increased risk of limb and body lesions in sows housed on slatted floors compared with those housed on solid concrete floors with bedding. Sows that were less responsive to human presence and sows that had the least space to move within their crates had an additional increased risk of lesions

Electron paramagnetic resonance and photochromism of N3V0\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{0} in diamond

The defect in diamond formed by a vacancy surrounded by three nearest-neighbor nitrogen atoms and one carbon atom, $\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}$, is found in $\approx98\%$ of natural diamonds. Despite $\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{0}$ being the earliest electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum observed in diamond, to date no satisfactory simulation of the spectrum for an arbitrary magnetic field direction has been produced due to its complexity. In this work, $\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{0}$ is identified in $^{15}\mathrm{N}$-doped synthetic diamond following irradiation and annealing. The $\mathrm{^{15}N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{0}$ spin Hamiltonian parameters are revised and used to refine the parameters for $\mathrm{^{14}N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{0}$, enabling the latter to be accurately simulated and fitted for an arbitrary magnetic field direction. Study of $\mathrm{^{15}N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{0}$ under excitation with green light indicates charge transfer between $\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}$ and $\mathrm{N_s}$. It is argued that this charge transfer is facilitated by direct ionization of $\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}^{-}$, an as-yet unobserved charge state of $\mathrm{N}_{3}\mathrm{V}$

The correlation between water production rates and visual magnitudes in comets

From the visual magnitudes of the International Comet Quarterly data base and the OH radio lines measured at the Nancay radio telescope, the law log Q(H2O) = 30.74 (+/-0.02) - 0.240 (+/-.003) m(sub h) is derived from a sample of 13 comets

Cooking for Ohio Families

PDF pages: 14

First observational application of a connectivity--based helicity flux density

Measuring the magnetic helicity distribution in the solar corona can help in understanding the trigger of solar eruptive events because magnetic helicity is believed to play a key role in solar activity due to its conservation property. A new method for computing the photospheric distribution of the helicity flux was recently developed. This method takes into account the magnetic field connectivity whereas previous methods were based on photospheric signatures only. This novel method maps the true injection of magnetic helicity in active regions. We applied this method for the first time to an observed active region, NOAA 11158, which was the source of intense flaring activity. We used high-resolution vector magnetograms from the SDO/HMI instrument to compute the photospheric flux transport velocities and to perform a nonlinear force-free magnetic field extrapolation. We determined and compared the magnetic helicity flux distribution using a purely photospheric as well as a connectivity-based method. While the new connectivity-based method confirms the mixed pattern of the helicity flux in NOAA 11158, it also reveals a different, and more correct, distribution of the helicity injection. This distribution can be important for explaining the likelihood of an eruption from the active region. The connectivity-based approach is a robust method for computing the magnetic helicity flux, which can be used to study the link between magnetic helicity and eruptivity of observed active regions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; published online in A&A 555, L6 (2013