Research on graphite reinforced glass matrix composites

A composite that can be used at temperatures up to 875 K with mechanical properties equal or superior to graphite fiber reinforced epoxy composites is presented. The composite system consist of graphite fiber, uniaxially or biaxially, reinforced borosilicate glass. The mechanical and thermal properties of such a graphite fiber reinforced glass composite are described, and the system is shown to offer promise as a high performance structural material. Specific properties that were measured were: a modified borosilicate glass uniaxially reinforced by Hercules HMS graphite fiber has a three-point flexural strength of 1030 MPa, a four-point flexural strength of 964 MPa, an elastic modulus of 199 GPa and a failure strain of 0.0052. The preparation and properties of similar composites with Hercules HTS, Celanese DG-102, Thornel 300 and Thornel Pitch graphite fibers are also described

FOOD TRADE FLOWS OF THE DELAWARE RIVER PORT SYSTEM

Agribusiness,

The Optimal Single Copy Measurement for the Hidden Subgroup Problem

The optimization of measurements for the state distinction problem has recently been applied to the theory of quantum algorithms with considerable successes, including efficient new quantum algorithms for the non-abelian hidden subgroup problem. Previous work has identified the optimal single copy measurement for the hidden subgroup problem over abelian groups as well as for the non-abelian problem in the setting where the subgroups are restricted to be all conjugate to each other. Here we describe the optimal single copy measurement for the hidden subgroup problem when all of the subgroups of the group are given with equal a priori probability. The optimal measurement is seen to be a hybrid of the two previously discovered single copy optimal measurements for the hidden subgroup problem.Comment: 8 pages. Error in main proof fixe

Finite automata for caching in matrix product algorithms

A diagram is introduced for visualizing matrix product states which makes transparent a connection between matrix product factorizations of states and operators, and complex weighted finite state automata. It is then shown how one can proceed in the opposite direction: writing an automaton that ``generates'' an operator gives one an immediate matrix product factorization of it. Matrix product factorizations have the advantage of reducing the cost of computing expectation values by facilitating caching of intermediate calculations. Thus our connection to complex weighted finite state automata yields insight into what allows for efficient caching in matrix product algorithms. Finally, these techniques are generalized to the case of multiple dimensions.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figures, LaTeX; numerous improvements have been made to the manuscript in response to referee feedbac

Coherence-Preserving Quantum Bits

Real quantum systems couple to their environment and lose their intrinsic quantum nature through the process known as decoherence. Here we present a method for minimizing decoherence by making it energetically unfavorable. We present a Hamiltonian made up solely of two-body interactions between four two-level systems (qubits) which has a two-fold degenerate ground state. This degenerate ground state has the property that any decoherence process acting on an individual physical qubit must supply energy from the bath to the system. Quantum information can be encoded into the degeneracy of the ground state and such coherence-preserving qubits will then be robust to local decoherence at low bath temperatures. We show how this quantum information can be universally manipulated and indicate how this approach may be applied to a quantum dot quantum computer.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Research on Graphite Reinforced Glass Matrix Composites

This report contains the results obtained in the first twelve months of research under NASA Langley Contract NAS1-14346 for the origination of graphite-fiber reinforced glass matrix composites. Included in the report is a summary of the research by other investigators in this area. The method selected to form the composites consisted of pulling the graphite fiber through a slurry containing powdered glass, winding up the graphite fiber and the glass it picks up on a drum, drying, cutting into segments, loading the tape segment into a graphite die, and hot pressing. During the course of the work, composites were made with a variety of graphite fibers in a C.G.W. 7740 (Pyrex) glass matrix. The graphite fibers used included Hercules HMS, Hercules HTS, Thornel 300S, and Celanese DG-102 and, of these, the Hercules HMS and Celanese DG-102 graphite fibers in C.G.W. 7740 gave the most interesting but widely different results. Hercules HMS fiber in C.G.W. 7740 glass (Pyrex) showed an average four-point flexural strength of 848 MPa or 127,300 psi. As the test temperature was raised from room temperature to 560 C in argon or vacuum, the strength was higher by 50 percent. However, in air, similar tests at 560 C gave a severe loss in strength. These composites also have good thermal cycle properties in argon or vacuum, greatly increased toughness compared to glass, and no loss in strength in a 100 cycle fatigue test. Celanese DG-102 fiber in C.G.W. 7740 glass (Pyrex) had a much lower flexural strength but did not suffer any loss in this strength when samples were heated to 560 C in air for 4 hrs

Evolution of the Dark Matter Distribution with 3-D Weak Lensing

We present a direct detection of the growth of large-scale structure, using weak gravitational lensing and photometric redshift data from the COMBO-17 survey. We use deep R-band imaging of two 0.25 square degree fields, affording shear estimates for over 52000 galaxies; we combine these with photometric redshift estimates from our 17 band survey, in order to obtain a 3-D shear field. We find theoretical models for evolving matter power spectra and correlation functions, and fit the corresponding shear correlation functions to the data as a function of redshift. We detect the evolution of the power at the 7.7 sigma level given minimal priors, and measure the rate of evolution for 0<z<1. We also fit correlation functions to our 3-D data as a function of cosmological parameters sigma_8 and Omega_Lambda. We find joint constraints on Omega_Lambda and sigma_8, demonstrating an improvement in accuracy by a factor of 2 over that available from 2D weak lensing for the same area.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures; submitted to MNRA

Arkansas Small-Grain Cultivar Performance Tests 2007-2008

Small-grain cultivar performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. The tests provide information to companies developing cultivars and/or marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating cultivar recommendations for smallgrain producer

Getting to What Is: Poetry as a Genre of Access for Multilingual Learners

This paper explores the poetry writing of 15, multilingual ninth graders to construct a practitioner framework for analyzing writing as discourse with multilingual learners (MLs). Grounded in an understanding of poetry as a genre of access for both teachers and students, we asked: How does poetry—read as a specific, situated discourse—reveal linguistic and cultural competence among MLs in an urban, high-school classroom? Using four tools of Critical Discourse Analysis—situated meaning, significance building, connections building, and identity building—we analyzed student poetry produced via an online mentoring platform. Through applying these lenses, three major themes emerged, which structured our framework: language experimentation, ascribing meaning to adversity, and cultural exchange. We illustrate each component of our framework through a close reading of one poem, “Bolsillos.” Poetry itself emerges as a discourse providing practitioners access to students’ lived realities, what we term What is. We argue that broader frameworks for approaching student writing can offer a safe space for students to experiment with language, develop unique voices, and make sense of adversity in their lives, evidencing students’ literary deftness in a way that is not manifest in high-stakes writing assessments or conventional classroom writing tasks. We conclude that this approach also provides teachers with critical insight into students’ culture, experiences, and talents, challenging preconceived notions about MLs’ capacity to become proficient in a variety of literacies and affirming linguistic diversity as an asset