Strain to alter the covalency and superconductivity in transition metal diborides

Among layered metal diborides, MB2, only MgB2 is a superconductor. However, a strategically applied mechanical stress that removes metal–boron covalency can turn ScB2 into a superconductor with the same mechanism

Power-over-Tether UAS Leveraged for Nearly Indefinite Meteorological Data Acquisition In the Platte River Basin

The integration of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) has increased in the field of agriculture. These systems can provide data that was previously difficult to obtain to help increase efficiency and production. Typical commercial off the shelf (COTS) UASs have significant limitations in the form of small payloads, and short flight times which inhibit their ability to provide significant quantities of useful data. We present the development of a novel power-over-tether UAS that leverages the physical presence of the tether to integrate sensors at multiple altitudes along the tether. The UAS can acquire data nearly indefinitely to sense atmospheric conditions and gradients along the tether. We present the development of the prototyped system, along with the results of field experiments where we demonstrate 6 hours of continuous flight at 50 feet altitude, and a 1 hour flight at sunset to acquire atmospheric temperature from an array of sensors. An evaluation of the systems performance is presented along with a discussion of the systems future implications

NRES/METR/BSEN 479/879: Hydroclimatology—A Peer Review of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio

Rising temperatures and extreme hydrometeorological and climate events are evidences of a changing climate. An increasing population together with their demands for food, energy and water make changes in climate evidence the need to train a new generation of multidisciplinary professionals with a clear understanding of the effects of a changing climate in their activities. Historically, climate sciences were used for scientific and weather operational contexts and engineers applied stationary assumptions for multi-term planning. My goal is to identify elements built from classroom experiences about (a) the suitability of a hydroclimatology course for engineers and scientists; (b) the multidisciplinary skills; (c) computational skills. I developed a completely new course in content and format. The content aims to show students local-to-global hydroclimatological experiences on science, engineering and entrepreneurship as “intellectual incentives”. The format aims to explore different forms of communicating knowledge from theoretical (lectures) to practical (labs), to explanatory (discussions). I assessed two classic aspects: (a) understanding; (b) application on three groups of students from environmental, engineering (3), and atmospheric (3) backgrounds. While analytical understanding was based on the students responses in what I call a 3-dimentional assessment (multiple choice, specific question responses, and analytical responses) the midterm, the practical understanding was based on students performance to use computational and modeling skills