Mathematicians take a stand

We survey the reasons for the ongoing boycott of the publisher Elsevier. We examine Elsevier's pricing and bundling policies, restrictions on dissemination by authors, and lapses in ethics and peer review, and we conclude with thoughts about the future of mathematical publishing.Comment: 5 page

Meaning above the head: combinatorial constraints on the visual vocabulary of comics

“Upfixes” are “visual morphemes” originating in comics where an element floats above a character’s head (ex. lightbulbs or gears). We posited that, similar to constructional lexical schemas in language, upfixes use an abstract schema stored in memory, which constrains upfixes to locations above the head and requires them to “agree” with their accompanying facial expressions. We asked participants to rate and interpret both conventional and unconventional upfixes that either matched or mismatched their facial expression (Experiment 1) and/or were placed either above or beside the head (Experiment 2). Interpretations and ratings of conventionality and face–upfix matching (Experiment 1) along with overall comprehensibility (Experiment 2) suggested that both constraints operated on upfix understanding. Because these constraints modulated both conventional and unconventional upfixes, these findings support that an abstract schema stored in long-term memory allows for generalisations beyond memorised individual items

Dynamic Tensile Strength of Lunar Rock Types

The dynamic tensile strengths of four rocks have been determined. A flat plate impact experiment is used to generate ∼1-μs-duration tensile stress pulses in rock samples by superposing rarefaction waves to induce fracture. A gabbroic anorthosite and a basalt were selected because they are the same rock types as occur on the lunar highlands and mare, respectively. Although these have dynamic tensile strengths which lie within the ranges 153–174 MPa and 157–179 –MPa, whereas Arkansas novaculite and Westerly granite exhibit dynamic tensile strengths of 67–88 MPa and 95–116 MPa, respectively, the effect of chemical weathering and other factors, which may affect application of the present results to the moon, have not been explicitly studied. The reported tensile strengths are based on a series of experiments on each rock where determination of incipient spallation is made by terminal microscopic examination. These data are generally consistent with previous determinations, at least one of which was for a significantly chemically altered (hydroxylated) but physically coherent rock. The tensile failure data do not bear a simple relation to compressive results and imply that any modeling involving rock fracture consider the tensile strength of igneous rocks under impulse loads distinct from the values for static tensile strength. Generally, the dynamic tensile strengths of nonporous igneous rocks range from ∼ 100 to 180 MPa, with the more basic, and even amphibole-bearing samples, yielding the higher values

Ballistic magnon heat conduction and possible Poiseuille flow in the helimagnetic insulator Cu2_2OSeO3_3

We report on the observation of magnon thermal conductivity $\kappa_m\sim$ 70 W/mK near 5 K in the helimagnetic insulator Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$, exceeding that measured in any other ferromagnet by almost two orders of magnitude. Ballistic, boundary-limited transport for both magnons and phonons is established below 1 K, and Poiseuille flow of magnons is proposed to explain a magnon mean-free path substantially exceeding the specimen width for the least defective specimens in the range 2 K $<T<$ 10 K. These observations establish Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$ as a model system for studying long-wavelength magnon dynamics.Comment: 10pp, 9 figures, accepted PRB (Editor's Suggestion

Plasma Reforming of Diesel Fuel

The use of a plasma reformer for the generation of hydrogen rich gas from diesel fuel has been investigated. A system that is normally used for investigating natural gas reforming has been modified in order to investigate the reforming of heavy liquid fuels. The composition of the reformate has been investigated as a function of the composition of the reagents. The use of a one-step reformer/water shifter was studied. Good reforming, with no noticeable soot production, was obtained. The specific energy consumption was equal to that previously obtained with methane reforming, with much reduced concentration of methane in the reformate. 1. Introduction. Thermal plasma technology can be efficiently used in the production of hydrogen and hydrogen-rich gases from methane and a variety of fuels [1-3]. The thermal plasma is a highly energetic state of matter that is characterized by extremely high temperatures (several thousand degrees Celsius) and high degree of dissociation and substantial degree of ionization. The hig

A C.elegans inspired robotic model for pothole detection

Animals navigate complex and variable environments, but often use only limited sensory information. Here we present a simulated robot system using a C. elegans inspired sensory model and navigation strategy and demonstrate its ability to successfully identify specific, discretely located cues. We show a range of conditions under which this approach has performance benefits over other search strategies