Rugged, low-conductance, heat-flow probe

Lightweight, compact probe structure has low thermal conductance to enable accurate measurement of slight temperature gradients. Probe combines ruggedness, high precision, accuracy, and stability. Device can withstand vibration, shock, acceleration, temperature extremes, and high vacuums, and should interest industrial engineers and geologists

SEM and EBSD investigations of high-chromium cast irons

High-chromium white cast irons are alloys that are based on the iron-chromium-carbon system and are classified in ISO 21988-2006 as abrasion-resistant cast irons that contain greater than 11% chromium. High-chromium white irons are primarily used as castings and hard-facing weld deposits in equipment requiring resistance to abrasive and erosive wear under moderate impact loading conditions. These materials are used in the mining and chemical processing plants in applications such as grinding mills, slurry pumps, chute liners and pipes. The microstructures of high-chromium white irons contain a substantial proportion of chromium rich carbides that are harder than silica sand, which is a commonly encountered wear medium in mineral processing plants. High-chromium white irons are generally heat treated to develop maximum hardness via the precipitation of secondary carbides in the ferrous matrix during ageing at elevated temperatures and destabilisation of austenite, which subsequently transforms to martensite on cooling to room temperature

Sketchnote Components, Design Space Dimensions, and Strategies for Effective Visual Note Taking

Sketchnoting is a form of visual note taking where people listen to, synthesize, and visualize ideas from a talk or other event using a combination of pictures, diagrams, and text. Little is known about the design space of this kind of visual note taking. With an eye towards informing the implementation of digital equivalents of sketchnoting, inking, and note taking, we introduce a classification of sketchnote styles and techniques, with a qualitative analysis of 103 sketchnotes, and situated in context with six semi-structured follow up interviews. Our findings distill core sketchnote components (content, layout, structuring elements, and visual styling) and dimensions of the sketchnote design space, classifying levels of conciseness, illustration, structure, personification, cohesion, and craftsmanship. We unpack strategies to address particular note taking challenges, for example dealing with constraints of live drawings, and discuss relevance for future digital inking tools, such as recomposition, styling, and design suggestions

Convergence in drought stress, but a divergence of climatic drivers across a latitudinal gradient in a temperate broadleaf forest

Aim: Information about climate stressors on tree growth is needed in order to assess the impacts of global change on forest ecosystems. Broad-scale patterns of climatic limitations on tree growth remain poorly described across eastern North American deciduous forests. We examined the response of broadleaf tree species to climate in relation to their taxonomy, functional traits and geographical location. Location: Eastern North America (32–45° N; 70–88° W). Methods: We used a network of 86 tree-ring width chronologies from eight species that cover a wide range of ecological and climatic conditions. Species were analysed individually or combined according to taxa and wood anatomical functional traits. We identified climate stressors through correlations between growth and climate (from 1916 to 1996). We also explored patterns in the climate responses of these species with two clustering techniques. Results: We found strong correlations between water availability and growth for all species. With few exceptions, this drought stress was independent of taxonomy or wood anatomical functional group. Depending on latitude, however, different climatic drivers governed this common drought response. In the cool, northern part of our network, forest growth was most strongly limited by precipitation variability, whereas maximum temperature was a stronger limiting factor than precipitation in the wetter and warmer southern parts. Main conclusions: Our study highlights the sensitivity of broadleaf temperate forests to drought stress at annual to decadal scales, with few species-specific differences. The roles of temperature and precipitation on drought-sensitivity differ at opposing ends of our subcontinental-scale network. The impact of future environmental changes on these forests will ultimately depend on the balance between temperature and precipitation changes across this latitudinal gradient

Understanding Multi-Device Usage Patterns: Physical Device Configurations and Fragmented Workflows

To better ground technical (systems) investigation and interaction design of cross-device experiences, we contribute an in-depth survey of existing multi-device practices, including fragmented workflows across devices and the way people physically organize and configure their workspaces to support such activity. Further, this survey documents a historically significant moment of transition to a new future of remote work, an existing trend dramatically accelerated by the abrupt switch to work-from-home (and having to contend with the demands of home-at-work) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 97 participants, and collected photographs of home setups and open-ended answers to 50 questions categorized in 5 themes. We characterize the wide range of multi-device physical configurations and identify five usage patterns, including: partitioning tasks, integrating multi-device usage, cloning tasks to other devices, expanding tasks and inputs to multiple devices, and migrating between devices. Our analysis also sheds light on the benefits and challenges people face when their workflow is fragmented across multiple devices. These insights have implications for the design of multi-device experiences that support people's fragmented workflows

Solidification of Simulated Liquid Effluents Originating From Sodium-Bearing Waste at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, FY-03 Report

In this report, the mechanism and methods of fixation of acidic waste effluents in grout form are explored. From the variations in the pH as a function of total solids addition to acidic waste effluent solutions, the stages of gellation, liquefaction, slurry formation and grout development are quantitatively revealed. Experimental results indicate the completion of these reaction steps to be significant for elimination of bleed liquid and for setting of the grout to a dimensionally stable and hardened solid within a reasonable period of about twenty eight days that is often observed in the cement and concrete industry. The reactions also suggest increases in the waste loading in the direction of decreasing acid molarity. Consequently, 1.0 molar SBW-180 waste is contained in higher quantity than the 2.8 molar SBW-189, given the same grout formulation for both effluents. The variations in the formulations involving components of slag, cement, waste and neutralizing agent are represented in the form of a ternary formulation map. The map in turn graphically reveals the relations among the various formulations and grout properties, and is useful in predicting the potential directions of waste loading in grouts with suitable properties such as slurry viscosity, Vicat hardness, and mechanical strength. A uniform formulation for the fixation of both SBW-180 and SBW-189 has emerged from the development of the formulation map. The boundaries for the processing regime on this map are 100 wt% cement to 50 wt% cement / 50 wt% slag, with waste loadings ranging from 55 wt% to 68 wt%. Within these compositional bounds all the three waste streams SBW-180, SBW-189 and Scrub solution are amenable to solidification. A large cost advantage is envisaged to stem from savings in labor, processing time, and processing methodology by adopting a uniform formulation concept for fixation of compositionally diverse waste streams. The experimental efforts contained in this report constitute the first attempt at developing a uniform methodology

Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 12

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University’s main alumni publication

Committee Influence Over Controversial Policy: The Reproductive Policy Case

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74678/1/j.1541-0072.1999.tb01964.x.pd

Metabolomics demonstrates divergent responses of two Eucalyptus species to water stress

Past studies of water stress in Eucalyptus spp. generally highlighted the role of fewer than five “important” metabolites, whereas recent metabolomic studies on other genera have shown tens of compounds are affected. There are currently no metabolite profiling data for responses of stress-tolerant species to water stress. We used GC–MS metabolite profiling to examine the response of leaf metabolites to a long (2 month) and severe (Ψpredawn < −2 MPa) water stress in two species of the perennial tree genus Eucalyptus (the mesic Eucalyptus pauciflora and the semi-arid Eucalyptus dumosa). Polar metabolites in leaves were analysed by GC–MS and inorganic ions by capillary electrophoresis. Pressure–volume curves and metabolite measurements showed that water stress led to more negative osmotic potential and increased total osmotically active solutes in leaves of both species. Water stress affected around 30–40% of measured metabolites in E. dumosa and 10–15% in E. pauciflora. There were many metabolites that were affected in E. dumosa but not E. pauciflora, and some that had opposite responses in the two species. For example, in E. dumosa there were increases in five acyclic sugar alcohols and four low-abundance carbohydrates that were unaffected by water stress in E. pauciflora. Re-watering increased osmotic potential and decreased total osmotically active solutes in E. pauciflora, whereas in E. dumosa re-watering led to further decreases in osmotic potential and increases in total osmotically active solutes. This experiment has added several extra dimensions to previous targeted analyses of water stress responses in Eucalyptus, and highlights that even species that are closely related (e.g. congeners) may respond differently to water stress and re-waterin

Synergies Among Environmental Science Research and Monitoring Networks: A Research Agenda

Many research and monitoring networks in recent decades have provided publicly available data documenting environmental and ecological change, but little is known about the status of efforts to synthesize this information across networks. We convened a working group to assess ongoing and potential cross-network synthesis research and outline opportunities and challenges for the future, focusing on the US-based research network (the US Long-Term Ecological Research network, LTER) and monitoring network (the National Ecological Observatory Network, NEON). LTER-NEON cross-network research synergies arise from the potentials for LTER measurements, experiments, models, and observational studies to provide context and mechanisms for interpreting NEON data, and for NEON measurements to provide standardization and broad scale coverage that complement LTER studies. Initial cross-network syntheses at co-located sites in the LTER and NEON networks are addressing six broad topics: how long-term vegetation change influences C fluxes; how detailed remotely sensed data reveal vegetation structure and function; aquatic-terrestrial connections of nutrient cycling; ecosystem response to soil biogeochemistry and microbial processes; population and species responses to environmental change; and disturbance, stability and resilience. This initial study offers exciting potentials for expanded cross-network syntheses involving multiple long-term ecosystem processes at regional or continental scales. These potential syntheses could provide a pathway for the broader scientific community, beyond LTER and NEON, to engage in cross-network science. These examples also apply to many other research and monitoring networks in the US and globally, and can guide scientists and research administrators in promoting broad-scale research that supports resource management and environmental policy