Wide Range Thin-Film Ceramic Metal-Alloy Thermometers with Low Magnetoresistance

Many thermal measurements in high magnetic fields require thermometers that are sensitive over a wide temperature range, are low mass, have a rapid thermal response, and have a minimal, easily correctable magnetoresistance. Here we report the development of a new granular-metal oxide ceramic composite (cermet) for this purpose formed by co-sputtering of the metallic alloy nichrome Ni0.8Cr0.2 and the insulator silcon dioxide SiO2. The resulting thin films are sensitive enough to be used from room temperature down to below 100 mK in magnetic fields up to at least 35 tesla

Darwin\u27s Bee-Trap: The Kinetics of Catasetum, a New World Orchid

The orchid genera Catasetum employs a hair-trigger activated, pollen release mechanism, which forcibly attaches pollen sacs onto foraging insects in the New World tropics. This remarkable adaptation was studied extensively by Charles Darwin and he termed this rapid response sensitiveness. Using high speed video cameras with a frame speed of 1000 fps, this rapid release was filmed and from the subsequent footage, velocity, speed, acceleration, force and kinetic energy were computed