Float-polishing process and analysis of float-polished quartz

A fluid-mechanical model is developed for the float-polishing process. In this model laminar flow between the sample and the lap results in pressure gradients at the grooves that support the sample on a fluid layer. The laminar fluid motion also produces supersmooth, damage-free surfaces. Quartz substrates for applications in high-stress environments were float polished, and their surfaces were analyzed by optical scatterometry, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The removal of 100 µm of material by a lapping-polishing process, with final float polishing, left low levels of subsurface damage, with a surface roughness of approximately 0.2-nm rms

PEArL: a systems approach to demonstrating authenticity in information systems design

The process of information systems (IS) design has been dominated by the demands inherent in providing a technical solution to a perceived problem or need. Engineering IS design methods applied in order to satisfy the problem situation tend to have a preoccupation with verifying specifications as being mathematically correct. Diffculties arise when the ideas underpinning verification are extended in an attempt to ‘prove’ the validity of a proposed design for an IS. A pure engineering approach does not facilitate a response to the subjective elements within social situations, which experience has shown to be essential in demonstrating the pertinence of new designs to those concerned. We suggest that, by applying interpretivist systems ideas, it is possible to support concerned individuals in reflecting upon crucial aspects of the inquiry, enabling those individuals to judge the relevance or ‘authenticity’ of the learning, according to their own values and beliefs. The elements of participants, engagement, authority, relationships and learning are suggested as being crucial. These make up the mnemonic PEArL, which is offered as an aide-mémoire for those concerned with IS design

A Different Kind of Kid, A Different Kind of Teacher Education: Middle Grades Teachers Reflect on Their Preparation to Teach Young Adolescents

Good teaching at the middle grades comes out of a deep understanding of the unique cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and moral needs of young adolescents. Therefore specialized preparation is necessary to help teacher candidates understand how to operationalize the intersection of young adolescent development and the effective pedagogy that addresses their needs. This paper focuses on a qualitative study of experienced middle school teachers who graduated from a middle level preparation program or an elementary or secondary preparation program in terms of how well prepared they felt and feel to meet the widely varied needs of young adolescents. Confidence in preparation leads to high self-efficacy, which is important for perseverance and effectiveness. Graduates of a middle level preparation program reported higher levels of confidence in their preparation to teach young adolescents

Case Study: Producer concerns and perceptions regarding the effect of methane on cattle production and the environment: A survey of Nebraska producers

Enteric methane production from cattle and its effect on climate change has been a topic of debate. Multiple studies have explored methods to reduce cattle enteric methane production while simultaneously improving performance. However, most strategies developed have not been widely implemented by cattle producers. Knowledge of producer concerns and perceptions on methane production from cattle and its effect on the environment may be limited. Therefore, the objectives of this survey were to determine what Nebraska producers know about methane production by cattle and how it affects performance and to determine whether different age groups, regions of Nebraska, and production size and type affects producer opinions on enteric methane production and climate change. The survey had a response rate of 22%. Regarding climate change, approximately 39% of producers disagreed, 33% were neutral, and 28% agreed they were concerned. However, producers in central and eastern Nebraska were closer to neutral than producers in western Nebraska (P \u3c 0.05). Younger producers perceived cattle to have a more positive effect on the environment and reported that they were more likely to adopt new management techniques that have been shown to improve animal performance than older producers (P \u3c 0.05). Most producers reported receiving production-related information from veterinarians (47.6%), followed by the “other” category (34.9%), the University of Nebraska (15.6%), and state and federal governments, which were the lowest (1.4 and 0.6%, respectively). In the last 3 yr, approximately 57% of producers attended one or fewer extension meetings, but 37% had not attended any extension meetings

Non-destructive assay of nuclear waste containers using muon scattering tomography in the Horizon2020 CHANCE project

Methods for the non-destructive assay of nuclear waste drums are of great importance to the nuclear waste management community, especially where loss in continuity of knowledge about the content of drums happened or chemical processes altering the contents of the drums may occur. Muon scattering tomography has been shown to be a promising technique for the non-destructive assay of nuclear waste drums in a safe way. By measuring tracks of muons entering and leaving the probed sample and extracting scattering angles from the tracks, it is possible to draw conclusions about the contents of the sample and its spatial arrangement. Within the CHANCE project, a newly built large-scale mobile detector system for scanning and imaging the contents of nuclear waste drums using atmospheric muons is currently undergoing commissioning

Case Study: Producer concerns and perceptions regarding the effect of methane on cattle production and the environment: A survey of Nebraska producers

Enteric methane production from cattle and its effect on climate change has been a topic of debate. Multiple studies have explored methods to reduce cattle enteric methane production while simultaneously improving performance. However, most strategies developed have not been widely implemented by cattle producers. Knowledge of producer concerns and perceptions on methane production from cattle and its effect on the environment may be limited. Therefore, the objectives of this survey were to determine what Nebraska producers know about methane production by cattle and how it affects performance and to determine whether different age groups, regions of Nebraska, and production size and type affects producer opinions on enteric methane production and climate change. The survey had a response rate of 22%. Regarding climate change, approximately 39% of producers disagreed, 33% were neutral, and 28% agreed they were concerned. However, producers in central and eastern Nebraska were closer to neutral than producers in western Nebraska (P \u3c 0.05). Younger producers perceived cattle to have a more positive effect on the environment and reported that they were more likely to adopt new management techniques that have been shown to improve animal performance than older producers (P \u3c 0.05). Most producers reported receiving production-related information from veterinarians (47.6%), followed by the “other” category (34.9%), the University of Nebraska (15.6%), and state and federal governments, which were the lowest (1.4 and 0.6%, respectively). In the last 3 yr, approximately 57% of producers attended one or fewer extension meetings, but 37% had not attended any extension meetings

NUISANCE: a neutrino cross-section generator tuning and comparison framework

NUISANCE is an open source C++ framework which facilitates detailed studies of neutrino interaction cross-section models implemented in Monte Carlo neutrino event generators. It provides a host of automated methods to perform comparisons of multiple generators to published cross-section measurements and each other. External reweighting libraries are used to allow the end-user to evaluate the impact of model parameters variations in the generators with data, or to tune the generator predictions to arbitrary dataset combinations. The design is modular and focusses on ease-of-use to allow new datasets and more generators to be added without requiring detailed understanding of the entire NUISANCE package. We discuss the motivation for the NUISANCE framework and suggested usage cases, alongside a description of its core structure

Energy balance and diurnal variation in methane production as affected by feeding frequency in Jersey cows in late lactation

Methane (CH4) production of ruminants typically increases with increased dry matter intake (DMI). However, few studies have observed the effects of feeding multiple times a day and its effects on diurnal variation in CH4 production and energy balance in late-lactation dairy cattle. A study using headbox-style indirect calorimetry and 12 multiparous (225 ± 16.2 d in milk; mean ± SD) lactating Jersey cows was conducted to determine the effects of feeding twice daily on diurnal variation in CH4 production and total energy balance. A crossover design with 14-d periods (10 d of adaption and 4 d of collection) was used to compare 2 treatments. Treatments consisted of either once a day feeding (1×; 100% of feed given at 1000 h) or twice a day feeding (2×; 50% of feed given at 1000 h and the final 50% at 2000 h) with a common diet fed in both treatments. Dry matter intake was not different between treatments, with a mean of 16.9 ± 0.88 kg/d. Once a day feeding tended to have greater milk yield compared with twice a day feeding (21.2 vs. 20.4 ± 1.59 kg/d, respectively). Milk fat and milk protein percentage were not different, with means of 6.18 ± 0.20% and 3.98 ± 0.08%, respectively. Total CH4 production did not differ between treatments, with a mean of 402.1 ± 20.8 L/d. Similarly, CH4 per unit of milk yield and DMI was not different between treatments, with means of 20.5 ± 1.81 and 23.8 ± 1.21 L/kg, respectively. Feeding frequency did not affect diurnal variation of hourly CH4 production, with a mean of 17.1 ± 0.74 L/h. A trend was observed for a treatment × hour interaction. Methane production per hour increased after the second feeding for cattle fed twice versus once daily. Gross energy, digestible energy, metabolizable energy, and balance (milk plus tissue) per kilogram of DMI did not differ by feeding frequency, with means of 4.41 ± 0.01, 3.05 ± 0.03, 2.63 ± 0.03, and 1.32 ± 0.08 Mcal/ kg of DM, respectively. Metabolizable energy for maintenance was 146 kcal/kg of metabolic body weight, with an efficiency of converting metabolizable energy to net energy balance (milk plus tissue) of 76%. Nitrogen balance did not differ among treatments, with a mean balance of 17.3 ± 13.0 g/d. Therefore, total CH4 production and energy maintenance were not affected by feeding frequency. However, CH4 was variable throughout the day, and caution should be exercised when collecting CH4 samples at a limited number of time points because this may under- or overestimate total production