Loss Dependence on Geometry and Applied Power in Superconducting Coplanar Resonators

The loss in superconducting microwave resonators at low-photon number and low temperatures is not well understood but has implications for achievable coherence times in superconducting qubits. We have fabricated single-layer resonators with a high quality factor by patterning a superconducting aluminum film on a sapphire substrate. Four resonator geometries were studied with resonant frequencies ranging from 5 to 7 GHz: a quasi-lumped element resonator, a coplanar strip waveguide resonator, and two hybrid designs that contain both a coplanar strip and a quasi-lumped element. Transmitted power measurements were taken at 30 mK as a function of frequency and probe power. We find that the resonator loss, expressed as the inverse of the internal quality factor, decreases slowly over four decades of photon number in a manner not merely explained by loss from a conventional uniform spatial distribution of two-level systems in an oxide layer on the superconducting surfaces of the resonator.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to ASC 2010 conference proceeding

Lightweight Concrete Aggregate from South Dakota Shales

The development of South Dakota shales for a lightweight concrete aggregate by the Agricultural Engineering Department of the Agricultural Experiment Station was prompted by several factors. First of all, an abundant supply of various shales is in existence west of the Missouri River in the state. The shortage of the finished product is nationwide, and the need for a good aggregate in farm building is pressing. Also, the existing plants in production are somewhat scattered, which increases the transportation charges and the cost to consumer. At the present time, there is no high quality lightweight aggregate produced in the state. There are a few plants in operation producing a small amount of perlite, froth-like particles of acidic volcanic glass, white to gray in color. A considerable volume of cinders from power plants and furnaces is being used. The tremendous growth of the building block industry in the last 15 years has been one of the outstanding construction developments in America, as product sales multiplied 80 times in the 10 years prior to 1946. During World War II, increased construction brought about a scarcity and restricted use of highly competitive building materials. However, the tremendous growth of the building block industry has not been due to scarcity of other materials alone, since concrete blocks have been utilized more and more in building construction since the depression days of the early thirties. An acute shortage of good lightweight aggregates has existed for approximately eight years. This may be partially attributed to the change-over to various furnace fuels from coal and the increased use of powdered coal, eliminating to a marked degree, clinkers and cinders that have been used in large quantities in the past for concrete aggregates. There also has been an increasing market for precast building units. Using lightweight aggregate concrete in large commercial buildings has augmented the enormous demand for suitable aggregates and also contributed to the market shortage. Private industry and various governmental agencies have undertaken considerable investigation in developing lightweight aggregates from shales, clays, slates, and slag. The Bureau of Mines has published information on the different aspects= of the industry from time to time. Also, a cooperative project has been carried out by the Bureau of Mines, Norris, Tennessee, in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Geologists and engineers of the Tennessee Valley Authority have investigated raw materials, procured samples, and estimated manufacturing costs of shales in Tennessee.2 Since the wide range of geological formations over the state makes it impossible to give reliable recommendations as to the possibilities of the raw shale for a concrete aggregate without a careful and detailed laboratory study of the specific shale in question, this research was undertaken. The purpose of this research was to determine the feasibility of obtaining a finished product from raw shales suitable for concrete and concrete block construction which would have as many desirable characteristics as possible. The results are given in this preliminary report

Some psychological and social factors in relapse after long-term abstinence in substance use disorder

Background Knowledge about psychological and social factors in SUD recovery is scarce. There is even less comprehension of the factors associated with relapse for people in long-term recovery. Objective The objective of this thesis has been to investigate psychological and social factors associated with relapse after long-term abstinence. Specifically, it investigates psychological functioning and recovery over five years, and drug-free friendships and alcohol and substance use trajectories over four years. However, to achieve this aim, it was necessary to conduct a systematic review of relapse operationalisations after short-term and long-term abstinence, and remission, recovery, slip and lapse. This review provided a foundation for investigating relapse after long-term abstinence, as a better overview of previous research made it possible to operationalise the relapse concept in accordance with prior research. Method and hypotheses The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines and publishing a PROSPERO protocol. Next, two quantitative analyses were conducted using statistical modelling. These studies are based on the Stayer study (n = 208) that contains measures on psychological and social factors collected annually across five years. We postulated that improvement in psychological functioning would increase the chance of recovery and reduce the risk of relapse across five years. In the third study, we hypothesised that having drug-free friendships would reduce alcohol and substance use levels. Furthermore, we postulated that debut age and gender were associated with alcohol and substance use trajectories across four years. Results In the systematic review (paper I), we found that there was neither consensus on relapse operationalisations nor differentiation between early and late relapse. We found that there were significantly more short-term than long-term studies. In paper II, we found that improvement in psychological functioning aids recovery across five years. However, we found an annual decline in recovery scores, indicating that improvement in psychological functioning may be important to obtain recovery, but not sufficient to maintain it. In paper III, we found that alcohol and substance use trajectories were mostly stable across four years, i.e. from first to fifth follow-up. We found that neither having drug-free friendships nor gender and debut age seemed to influence alcohol and substance use trajectories across four years. Conclusions In our review, we conclude that there is less knowledge about relapse after long-term abstinence, i.e. relapses happening after two years of recovery. The SUD research field appears not to differentiate between early and late relapse. Moreover, there are variations in the operationalisations of relapse, as they seem to differ in degrees of detail when representing relapse. Operationalisations of remission and recovery appear to favour abstinence over other functional measures, which is contrary to the recovery literature. Relapse seems to be regarded as a static phenomenon rather than dynamic and as an endpoint and not a change point. The variation in relapse operationalisations may make it difficult to aggregate study results and build on previous research. Theknowledge base on relapse prevention after two years of recovery is scarce, which may lead to suboptimal long-term treatment. In paper II, we conclude that improvement in psychological functioning is important for obtaining recovery, but insufficient to maintain recovery consistently across five years. Hence, there is a need for other improvements in personal and social functioning to increase the chance of obtaining and maintaining recovery. In paper III, we discuss discrepancies between our results and previous research. Contrary to previous research, drug-free relationships were found to have little influence on reducing alcohol and drug use, while debut age and gender were unrelated to use trajectories. We conclude that research and theory on social determinants and social recovery indicate that there exists such a relationship and that there are good reasons to believe that positive support from others and a positive environment aid recovery. Consequently, our findings warrant more research

Environmental Justice and Extractive Industries: The Lummi Nation and Amazonian Indigenous

The negative impacts created by the operations of extractive industries are disproportionately felt by indigenous peoples around the world. Frequently, environmental justice organizations led by non-indigenous individuals or groups make efforts to support the work of these indigenous communities who are fighting to protect their peoples, cultures, and environments from mining, drilling, or other extractive operations. However, oftentimes environmental justice actors, no matter how well-intentioned, do not act in ways that are beneficial to indigenous efforts or respectful of indigenous peoples. This research study looks to examine how indigenous peoples who are fighting against extractive industries on their lands view the support of non-indigenous environmental justice actors who are wanting to support their causes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with indigenous individuals in the Ecuadorian Amazon and indigenous members of the Lummi Nation, both of whom have had their cultures impacted by extractive industries. Grounded theory was used to analyze the data gathered and draw conclusions. In a second level of the exploratory study, ethnographic techniques were utilized to produce findings aimed at demonstrating how better methodology and research practices could have led to more statistically significant results in the initial research phase

Impact of inter-correlated initial binary parameters on double black hole and neutron star mergers

The distributions of the initial main-sequence binary parameters are one of the key ingredients in obtaining evolutionary predictions for compact binary (BH-BH / BH-NS / NS-NS) merger rates. Until now, such calculations were done under the assumption that initial binary parameter distributions were independent. Here, we implement empirically derived inter-correlated distributions of initial binary parameters primary mass (M1), mass ratio (q), orbital period (P), and eccentricity (e). Unexpectedly, the introduction of inter-correlated initial binary parameters leads to only a small decrease in the predicted merger rates by a factor of 2 $-$ 3 relative to the previously used non-correlated initial distributions. The formation of compact object mergers in the isolated classical binary evolution favors initial binaries with stars of comparable masses (q = 0.5 $-$ 1) at intermediate orbital periods (log P (days) = 2 $-$ 4). New distributions slightly shift the mass ratios towards smaller values with respect to the previously used flat q distribution, which is the dominant effect decreasing the rates. New orbital periods only negligibly increase the number of progenitors. Additionally, we discuss the uncertainty of merger rate predictions associated with possible variations of the massive-star initial mass function (IMF). We argue that evolutionary calculations should be normalized to a star formation rate (SFR) that is obtained from the observed amount of UV light at wavelength 1500{\AA} (SFR indicator). In this case, contrary to recent reports, the uncertainty of the IMF does not affect the rates by more than a factor of 2. Any change to the IMF slope for massive stars requires a change of SFR in a way that counteracts the impact of IMF variations on the merger rates. In contrast, we suggest that the uncertainty in cosmic SFR at low metallicity can be a significant factor at play.Comment: accepted for publication in A&

Universal dielectric loss in amorphous solids from simultaneous bias and microwave field

We derive the ac dielectric loss in glasses due to resonant processes created by two-level systems and a swept electric field bias. It is shown that at sufficiently large ac fields and bias sweep rates the nonequilibrium loss tangent created by the two fields approaches a universal maximum determined by the bare linear dielectric permittivity. In addition this nonequilibrium loss tangent is derived for a range of bias sweep rates and ac amplitudes and show that the loss tangent creates a predicted loss function that can be understood in a Landau-Zener theory and which can be used to extract the TLS density, dipole moment, and relaxation rate.Comment: To appear in Physical Review Letters, 4 pages, 3 figure

Selection of Motor Oil

SummaryKnowledge of different types and classifications of crankcase oils means savings when selecting motor lubricants. In many cases farmers take recommendations of dealers and salesmen when buying oils, because of confusion on types and grades, different engines and conditions under which engines operate.Crankcase oils perform four main functions in internal combustion engines. They are:I. Lubricating- this is accomplished by forming a protective film between bearing surfaces to prevent metal to metal contact. Friction and abrasive wear is reduced.2. Sealing - oil forms a seal between piston, rings and cylinder wall to prevent loss of power and crankcase contamination.3. Cooling - oil helps to carry away a large amount of heat produced in the engine.4. Cleaning - oil aids in keeping engines clean by holding impurities or sediments in suspension and reducing deposit formation.Some other functions include: reducing noise, cushioning shock, and protection of parts. How well these functions are performed depends on type and quality of oil used in the engine

The South Dakota Pasture Furrower

After several years of research and field testing, agricultural engineers have introduced a new model tractor-drawn pasture furrower specifically designed to overcome these objections. It can be made in a well-equipped farm shop from commercially available parts. Detailed plans and design information for construction of the pasture furrower are included in the back (pages 11 -15) of this publication. Method of operation and results of testing are included in the discussion which follows

Comparison of Heating Efficiency of a Heat Pump to Electric Heating Panels

Several questions may be raised about the practicability of the heating feature of a heat pump. Is the heat pump as economical to operate as the ordinary air conditioner and a separate heating system? What months during the year could the heat pump be operated to the best advantage? Could the heat pump supply all the heat requirements for South Dakota conditions? Because there were so many unknown factors involved it was impossible to estimate the operating cost by calculation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the operating efficiency of a commercially available heat pump air conditioner ( window model) with that of an electric heating panel under actual operating conditions in a single room