Low-TT Phononic Thermal Conductivity in Superconductors with Line Nodes

The phonon contribution to the thermal conductivity at low temperature in superconductors with line nodes is calculated assuming that scattering by both nodal quasiparticles and the sample boundaries is significant. It is determined that, within the regime in which the quasiparticles are in the universal limit and the phonon attenuation is in the hydrodynamic limit, there exists a wide temperature range over which the phonon thermal conductivity varies as $T^2$. This behaviour comes from the fact that transverse phonons propagating along certain directions do not interact with nodal quasiparticles and is thus found to be required by the symmetry of the crystal and the superconducting gap, independent of the model used for the electron-phonon interaction. The $T^2$-dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity occurs over a well-defined intermediate temperature range: at higher $T$ the temperature-dependence is found to be linear while at lower $T$ the usual $T^3$ (boundary-limited) behaviour is recovered. Results are compared to recent measurements of the thermal conductivity of Tl2201, and are shown to be consistent with the data.Comment: 4 page

Osmotic Relations of Some Plants of the Northern Marshall Islands

Osmotic relations of several strand species were investigated by determining osmotic potentials and sodium contents of leaf samples collected in the field, by measuring the electrical conductivity of groundwaters and soil solutions, and by growing seedlings in the greenhouse in culture solutions with varying levels of added salt. Mean of the field-collected leaves ranged from - 1.9 to - 3.1 M Pascals, compared with that of seawater at - 2.7 M Pa. Sodium contents of the leaves were high, commonly being 1 to 3% of the dry weight. Groundwaters mostly ranged in electrical conductivity from 16 to 50 mmhos/cm (equal to about 0.86 to 2.7 M Pa). In culture solutions, seedlings of four shrubby species (Cordia subcordata Lam., Guettarda speciosa L., Scaevola sericea Vahl, and Tournefortia argentea L.f.) and a native variety of squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) all grew well at solution of -0.28 M Pa, but were depressed to about 50% yield at -0.42 M Pa . The woody species declined to about 10-20% yield at - 1.4 M Pa, and grew only a little at - 2.8 M Pa (a solution equal in to that of seawater)

Spatiotemporal patterns and agro-ecological risk factors for cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (Alabama Rot) in dogs in the UK

Seasonal outbreaks of cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) have been reported annually in UK dogs since 2012, yet the aetiology of the disease remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to explore whether any breeds had an increased or decreased risk of being diagnosed with CRGV, and to report on age and sex distributions of CRGV cases occurring in the UK. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 101 dogs diagnosed with CRGV between November 2012 and May 2017 with a denominator population of 446,453 dogs from the VetCompass database. Two Kennel Club breed groups—hounds (odds ratio (OR) 10.68) and gun dogs (OR 9.69)—had the highest risk of being diagnosed with CRGV compared with terriers, while toy dogs were absent from among CRGV cases. Females were more likely to be diagnosed with CRGV (OR 1.51) as were neutered dogs (OR 3.36). As well as helping veterinarians develop an index of suspicion for the disease, better understanding of the signalment risk factors may assist in the development of causal models for CRGV and help identify the aetiology of the disease

TimeSets: timeline visualization with set relations

In this paper, we introduce a novel timeline visualization technique, TimeSets, that helps make sense of complex temporal datasets by showing the set relationships among individual events. TimeSets visually groups events that share a topic, such as a place or a person, while preserving their temporal order. It dynamically adjusts the level of detail for each event to suit the amount of information and display estate. Various design options were explored to address issues such as one event belonging to multiple topics. A controlled experiment was conducted to evaluate its effectiveness by comparing it to the KelpFusion method. The results showed significant advantage in accuracy and user preference

Powertrain dynamics and control of a two speed dual clutch transmission for electric vehicles

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the application of torque based powertrain control for multi-speed power shifting capable electric vehicles. To do so simulation and experimental studies of the shift transient behaviour of dual clutch transmission equipped electric vehicle powertrains is undertaken. To that end a series of power-on and power-off shift control strategies are then developed for both up and down gear shifts, taking note of the friction load requirements to maintain positive driving load for power-on shifting. A mathematical model of an electric vehicle powertrain is developed including a DC equivalent circuit model for the electric machine and multi-body dynamic model of the powertrain system is then developed and integrated with a hydraulic clutch control system model. Integral control of the powertrain is then performed through simulations on the develop powertrain system model for each of the four shift cases. These simulation results are then replicated on a full scale powertrain test rig. To evaluate the performance of results shift duration and vehicle jerk are used as metrics to demonstrate that the presented strategies are effective for shift control in electric vehicles. Qualitative comparison of both theoretical and experimental results demonstrates reasonable agreement between simulated and experimental outcomes

Performing research: four contributions to HCI

This paper identifies a body of HCI research wherein the researchers take part in digitally mediated creative experiences alongside participants. We present our definition and rationale for "self-situated performance research" based on theories in both the HCI and performance literatures. We then analyse four case studies of this type of work, ranging from overtly "performative" staged events to locative audio and public making. We argue that by interrogating experience from within the context of self-situated performance, the 'performer/researcher' extends traditional practices in HCI in the following four ways: developing an intimate relationship between researchers and participants, providing new means of making sense of interactions, shaping participants' relationship to the research, and enabling researchers to refine their work as it is being conducted

Abstract machines: overlaying virtual worlds on physical rides

Overlaying virtual worlds onto existing physical rides and altering the sensations of motion can deliver new experiences of thrill, but designing how motion is mapped between physical ride and virtual world is challenging. In this paper, we present the notion of an abstract machine, a new form of intermediate design knowledge that communicates motion mappings at the level of metaphor, mechanism and implementation. Following a performance-led, in-the-wild approach we report lessons from creating and touring VR Playground, a ride that overlays four distinct abstract machines and virtual worlds on a playground swing. We compare the artist's rationale with riders' reported experiences and analysis of their physical behaviours to reveal the distinct thrills of each abstract machine. Finally, we discuss how to make and use abstract machines in terms of heuristics for designing motion mappings, principles for virtual world design and communicating experiences to riders