Pristine Early Eocene Wood Buried Deeply in Kimberlite from Northern Canada

We report exceptional preservation of fossil wood buried deeply in a kimberlite pipe that intruded northwestern Canada's Slave Province 53.3±0.6 million years ago (Ma), revealed during excavation of diamond source rock. The wood originated from forest surrounding the eruption zone and collapsed into the diatreme before resettling in volcaniclastic kimberlite to depths >300 m, where it was mummified in a sterile environment. Anatomy of the unpermineralized wood permits conclusive identification to the genus Metasequoia (Cupressaceae). The wood yields genuine cellulose and occluded amber, both of which have been characterized spectroscopically and isotopically. From cellulose d O and d H measurements, we infer that Early Eocene paleoclimates in the western Canadian subarctic were 12-17°C warmer and four times wetter than present. Canadian kimberlites offer Lagerstätte-quality preservation of wood from a region with limited alternate sources of paleobotanical information. © 2012 Wolfe et al.

A late-Middle Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 6) vegetated surface buried by Old Crow tephra at the Palisades, interior Alaska

A 40 cm thick primary bed of Old Crow tephra (131 ± 11 ka), an important stratigraphic marker in eastern Beringia, directly overlies a vegetated surface at Palisades West, on the Yukon River in central Alaska. Analyses of insect, bryophyte, and vascular plant macrofossils from the buried surface and underlying organic-rich silt suggest the local presence of an aquatic environment and mesic shrub-tundra at the time of tephra deposition. Autochthonous plant and insect macrofossils from peat directly overlying Old Crow tephra suggest similar aquatic habitats and hydric to mesic tundra environments, though pollen counts indicate a substantial herbaceous component to the regional tundra vegetation. Trace amounts of arboreal pollen in sediments associated with the tephra probably reflect reworking from older deposits, rather than the local presence of trees. The revised glass fission-track age for Old Crow tephra places its deposition closer to the time of the last interglaciation than earlier age determinations, but stratigraphy and paleoecology of sites with Old Crow tephra indicate a late Marine Isotope Stage 6 age. Regional permafrost degradation and associated thaw slumping are responsible for the close stratigraphic and paleoecological relations between Old Crow tephra and last interglacial deposits at some sites in eastern Beringia. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of buried high-Z layers on fast electron propagation

By extending a prior model [A. R. Bell, J.R. Davies, S. M. Guerin, Phys. Rev. E 58, 2471 (1998)], the magnetic field generated during the transport of a fast electron beam driven by an ultraintense laser in a solid target is derived analytically and applied to estimate the effect of such field on fast electron propagation through a buried high-Z layer in a lower-Z target. It is found that the effect gets weaker with the increase of the depth of the buried layer, the divergence of the fast electrons, and the laser intensity, indicating that magnetic field effects on the fast electron divergence as measured from K-a X-ray emission may need to be considered for moderate laser intensities. On the basis of the calculations, some considerations are made on how one can mitigate the effect of the magnetic field generated at the interface.

Improved Thermal Performance of SOI Using Compound Buried Layer

The buried oxide (BOX) layer in silicon on insulator (SOI) was replaced by a compound buried layer (CBL) containing layers of SiO2, polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon), and SiO2. The undoped polysilicon in the CBL acted as a dielectric with a higher thermal conductivity than SiO2. CBL provides a reduced thermal resistance with the same equivalent oxide thickness as a standard SiO2 buried layer. Thermal resistance was further reduced by lateral heat flow through the polysilicon. Reduction in thermal resistance by up to 68% was observed, dependent on polysilicon thickness. CBL SOI substrates were designed and manufactured to achieve a 40% reduction in thermal resistance compared with an 1.0-μm SiO2 BOX. Power bipolar transistors with an active silicon layer thickness of 13.5 μm manufactured on CBL SOI substrates showed a 5%-17% reduction in thermal resistance compared with the standard SOI. This reduction was dependent on transistor layout geometry. Between 65% and 90% of the heat flow from these power transistors is laterally through the thick active silicon layer. Analysis confirmed that CBL SOI provided a 40% reduction in the vertical path thermal resistance. Devices employing thinner active silicon layers will achieve the greater benefit from reduction in vertical path thermal resistance offered by CBL SOI.

Buried Treasure: The Economics of Leak Detection and Water Loss Prevention in Ontario

On average approximately 13% of the water that is withdrawn by Canadian municipal water suppliers is lost before it reaches final users. This is an important topic for several reasons: water losses cost money, losses force water agencies to draw more water from lakes and streams thereby putting more stress on aquatic ecosystems, leaks reduce system reliability, leaks may contribute to future pipe failures, and leaks may allow contaminants to enter water systems thereby reducing water quality and threatening the health of water users. Some benefits of leak detection fall outside water agencies’ accounting purview (e.g. reduced health risks to households connected to public water supply systems) and, as a result, may not be considered adequately in water agency decision-making. Because of the regulatory environment in which Canadian water agencies operate, some of these benefits-especially those external to the agency or those that may accrue to the agency in future time periods- may not be fully counted when agencies decide on leak detection efforts. Our analysis suggests potential reforms to promote increased efforts for leak detection: adoption of a Canada-wide goal of universal water metering; development of full-cost accounting and, pricing for water supplies; and co-operation amongst the provinces to promulgate standards for leak detection efforts and provide incentives to promote improved efficiency and rational investment decision-making.

Receipt from Geo. Lloyd of St. Catharines for work done regarding heating and pipes

Receipt from Geo. Lloyd of St. Catharines for work done regarding heating and pipes, Jan. 1, 1877.

Receipt from Chatfield and Neelon, St. Catharines for various fittings and pipes

Receipt from Chatfield and Neelon, St. Catharines for various fittings and pipes, May 13, 1887.

Receipt from George Lloyd, dealer in stoves and ranges, St. Catharines for range and pipes

Receipt from George Lloyd, dealer in stoves and ranges, St. Catharines for range and pipes, July 1, 1887.

Development of Free Space Method for Material Characterisation and GPR Study & A Case Study on Biological Samples

The thesis mainly focuses on material characterization in different environments: freely available samples taken in planar fonn, biological samples available in small quantities and buried objects.Free space method, finds many applications in the fields of industry, medicine and communication. As it is a non-contact method, it can be employed for monitoring the electrical properties of materials moving through a conveyor belt in real time. Also, measurement on such systems at high temperature is possible. NID theory can be applied to the characterization of thin films. Dielectric properties of thin films deposited on any dielectric substrate can be determined. ln chemical industry, the stages of a chemical reaction can be monitored online. Online monitoring will be more efficient as it saves time and avoids risk of sample collection.Dielectric contrast is one of the main factors, which decides the detectability of a system. lt could be noted that the two dielectric objects of same dielectric constant 3.2 (s, of plastic mine) placed in a medium of dielectric constant 2.56 (er of sand) could even be detected employing the time domain analysis of the reflected signal. This type of detection finds strategic importance as it provides solution to the problem of clearance of non-metallic mines. The demining of these mines using the conventional techniques had been proved futile. The studies on the detection of voids and leakage in pipes find many applications.The determined electrical properties of tissues can be used for numerical modeling of cells, microwave imaging, SAR test etc. All these techniques need the accurate determination of dielectric constant. ln the modem world, the use of cellular and other wireless communication systems is booming up. At the same time people are concemed about the hazardous effects of microwaves on living cells. The effect is usually studied on human phantom models. The construction of the models requires the knowledge of the dielectric parameters of the various body tissues. lt is in this context that the present study gains significance. The case study on biological samples shows that the properties of normal and infected body tissues are different. Even though the change in the dielectric properties of infected samples from that of normal one may not be a clear evidence of an ailment, it is an indication of some disorder.ln medical field, the free space method may be adapted for imaging the biological samples. This method can also be used in wireless technology. Evaluation of electrical properties and attenuation of obstacles in the path of RF waves can be done using free waves. An intelligent system for controlling the power output or frequency depending on the feed back values of the attenuation may be developed.The simulation employed in GPR can be extended for the exploration of the effects due to the factors such as the different proportion of water content in the soil, the level and roughness of the soil etc on the reflected signal. This may find applications in geological explorations. ln the detection of mines, a state-of-the art technique for scanning and imaging an active mine field can be developed using GPR. The probing antenna can be attached to a robotic arm capable of three degrees of rotation and the whole detecting system can be housed in a military vehicle. In industry, a system based on the GPR principle can be developed for monitoring liquid or gas through a pipe, as pipe with and without the sample gives different reflection responses. lt may also be implemented for the online monitoring of different stages of extraction and purification of crude petroleum in a plant.Since biological samples show fluctuation in the dielectric nature with time and other physiological conditions, more investigation in this direction should be done. The infected cells at various stages of advancement and the normal cells should be analysed. The results from these comparative studies can be utilized for the detection of the onset of such diseases. Studying the properties of infected tissues at different stages, the threshold of detectability of infected cells can be determined.

Buried-object detection using free-space time-domain near-field measurements

The detection of buried objects using time-domain freespace measurements was carried out in the near field. The location of a hidden object was determined from an analysis of the reflected signal. This method can be extended to detect any number of objects. Measurements were carried out in the X- and Ku-bands using ordinary rectangular pyramidal horn antennas of gain 15 dB. The same antenna was used as the transmitter and recei er. The experimental results were compared with simulated results by applying the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain(FDTD)method, and agree well with each other. The dispersi e nature of the dielectric medium was considered for the simulation.

PIPES : Plan Integral de Prevención Escolar.

Este libro es la presentación de un programa de la FAD: el PIPES o Plan Integral de Prevención Escolar. Se trata de un plan general de intervención educativo-escolar para la prevención del consumo de drogas que intenta, a través de la implicación y el compromiso de la comunidad escolar, poner en marcha programas preventivos dirigidos a los alumn@s, con la finalidad de que consigan estilos de vida más saludables y sean capaces de manejar mejor las presiones hacia los consumos. Es un programa integral, abierto y flexible que expone numerosas estrategias debido al amplio abanico de destinatarios: toda la comunidad escolar.