Search

International audience; New data on the variation of the thermal expansion of ice Ih with temperature at ambient pressure together with new evaluations of the bulk modulus and earlier data for the heat capacity provide the basis for a coherent thermodynamic modeling of the main thermophysical properties of ice Ih over its whole range of stability. The quasi-harmonic approximation with one Debye term and seven Einstein terms, together with explicit anharmonicity, represents the dominant contribution next to minor “anomalies” from hydrogen ordering and lattice defects. The model accurately fits the main features of all experimental data and provides a basis for the comparison with earlier determinations of the phonon density of states and the Grüneisen parameters.

Die Sonographie ist ein ubiquitar vorhandenes, patientenschonendes Verfahren, das neben der korperlichen Untersuchung und Anamneseerhebung in der Notfallsituation ohne wesentlichen Zeitverlust wichtige Informationen zur klinischen Ersteinschatzung bietet. Sie ermoglicht als primares bildgebendes Verfahren bei Patienten in der Notaufnahme oder auf Intensivstation eine rasche Diagnosestellung und Therapiesteuerung oder hilft, wichtige Differenzialdiagnosen auszuschliesen und weitere diagnostische Masnahmen einzuleiten. Bei traumatisierten Patienten lasst sich mittels „(extended) focussed assessment with sonography in trauma“ ([e]FAST) schnellstmoglich freie Flussigkeit darstellen oder ausschliesen. Basierend auf einer leitsymptomorientierten bzw. klinisch integrierten Abdomensonographie gelingt es, eine Vielzahl intraabdomineller Pathologien, wie Abszesse, Ileus, Harnstau etc., sicher zu detektieren. Die Kontrastmittelsonographie liefert bei bestimmten Fragestellungen in der Notfallsituation zugig und ohne zusatzliche Belastung des Patienten weitere wichtige Informationen. So lassen sich Parenchymdefekte oder noch aktive Blutungen nach abdominellem Trauma rasch und klar darstellen. Bei kontrollbedurftigen Befunden kann die Sonographie jederzeit ohne groseren Aufwand wiederholt werden. Einfache ultraschallgesteuerte Interventionen, wie die diagnostische oder therapeutische Aszitespunktion, konnen schnell erlernt und zugig durchgefuhrt werden. Es ist wichtig, den Blick fur haufige abdominelle Sonopathologien zu trainieren und die Limitationen dieser Untersuchungsmethode zu kennen.

REBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7}$−x (REBCO, RE = rare earth) compounds with different single RE elements were grown via TFA-MOD (metal-organic deposition of trifluoroacetates) to clarify their T$_{c}$ values when grown by the same preparation method and their processing windows; here: the crystallisation temperatures at a constant process gas composition (pO$_{2}$, pH$_{2}$O). We focussed on the lanthanides (Ln) Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er and Yb as substituents for Y in the REBCO phase and investigated their growth behaviour in terms of resulting physical (inductive T$_{c}$ and J$_{c}$(77 K)) and structural properties (determined by XRD, SEM, TEM). All phases were grown as pristine films on LaAlO$_{3}$ and SrTiOx$_{3}$ and compared to their respective nanocomposites with 12 mol% BaHfO$_{3}$ for in-field pinning enhancement. With regard to T$_{c}$ and J$_{c}$(77 K), the optima of both values shift towards higher growth temperatures for increasing and decreasing RE ion size with respect to yttrium. Highest T$_{c}$ values achieved so far do not show a trend that can solely be related to the RE ionic size. On the contrary, T$_{c,90}$ values of the LnBCO compounds from Sm to Er range between 94.0 and 95.3 K and are, therefore, significantly larger than the highest values of the average-size non-lanthanide, Y, with T$_{c,90}$ = 91.5 K. J$_{c,sf}$ values at 77 K seem to plateau between 5 and 6 MA cm$^{-2}$ from Sm to Er and are again clearly above the maximum values we ever achieved for Y with 4.2 MA cm$^{-2}$. REBCO phase formations of the very small Yb and large Nd turned out to be more difficult and require further adjustment of growth parameters. All REBCO phases investigated here show distinct dependences of T$_{c}$ on the lattice parameter c.

A 46-year-old woman presented with recurrent right upper quadrant pain. Abdominal ultrasound revealed an inhomogeneous liver lesion (4 × 7 cm) with complex echotexture. Since further contrast-enhanced imaging tests were inconclusive and lesion integrity remained unclear, a left hemihepatectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed a hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma. Hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma is a rare, mostly benign, mesenchymal hepatic tumor, composed of smooth muscle cells, adipose tissue, and blood vessels of varying proportions, and its correct diagnosis remains a clinical challenge.Eine 46-jährige Patientin stellte sich mit persistierenden rechtsseitigen Oberbauchschmerzen vor. Sonographisch zeigte sich eine 4 × 7 cm große echokomplexe Raumforderung im linken Leberlappen mit ungewöhnlichem Kontrastierungsverhalten. Bei progredienten Beschwerden, einer Tumorgröße5 cm und unklarer Dignität erfolgte eine Hemihepatektomie links. Histologisch konnte die Diagnose eines hepatischen epitheloiden Angiomyolipoms gestellt werden. Hepatische Angiomyolipome sind äußerst seltene, gemischtzellige und meist benigne Tumoren der Leber, deren Identifikation eine diagnostische Herausforderung darstellt.

Thermodynamic modeling of fluids (liquids and gases) uses mostly series expansions which diverge at low temperatures and do not fit to the behavior of metastable quenched fluids (amorphous, glass like solids). These divergences are removed in the present approach by the use of reasonable forms for the “cold” potential energy and for the thermal pressure of the fluid system. Both terms are related to the potential energy and to the thermal pressure of the crystalline phase in a coherent way, which leads to simpler and non diverging series expansions for the thermal pressure and thermal energy of the fluid system. Data for solid and fluid argon are used to illustrate the potential of the present approach.

Abdominal ultrasound is established as an important and low-risk diagnostic procedure in emergency and intensive care medicine that allows rapid and precise diagnosis in symptomatic patients and helps to evaluate which further diagnostic steps are needed. Abdominal ultrasound should be performed as the initial imaging modality in all symptomatic patients in an emergency or intensive care unit and can be used with great accuracy to detect the presence of various abdominal pathologies, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm, abscess, ureterolithiasis or free fluid. Furthermore ultrasound represents the imaging modality of choice for guiding many diagnostic and interventional percutaneous procedures in emergency and intensive care medicine and can be used e. g. to drain pleural fluid or abdominal abscesses. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can additionally be performed to provide a more reliable assessment of solid organ injuries and has the potential to detect parenchymal lesions or active bleeding from a variety of traumatic origins. Abdominal ultrasound is aimed to integrate rapidly detectable sonographic findings into the clinical context. To ensure required standards, regular training is necessary and it is important to understand methodological limitations.

A new approach for the deposition of layers for coated conductors has been developed. High-frequency surface acoustic waves (SAWs) were applied for the atomization of precursor solutions into an ultrafine aerosol. The deposition via aerosol droplet condensation offers several advantages over existing deposition methods including ink jet printing and dip coating, e.g., a variable droplet size and the possibility of gel condensation in the aerosol phase due to solvent evaporation. In the future, a combination of two or more SAW atomizers might enable the simultaneous deposition of separate solutions and even nanoparticle dispersions. First, experiments were performed using water-based and propionic-acid-based mixed lanthanum and zirconium precursor solutions. These solutions are supplied to a SAW device via a stainless steel capillary, leading to continuous aerosol production. The aerosol droplets of the precursor solution were deposited on biaxial textured Ni-5 at.%W tapes having an area of 1-cm width and about 5-cm length and were subsequently crystallized into a continuous thin La 2 Zr 2 O 7 buffer layer in a tube furnace. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the La 2 Zr 2 O 7 films have high crystalline quality with a strong (001)-orientation. Furthermore, microstructural analysis on the deposited films showed homogeneous and dense layers.

Changes in the electronic structure of solids under strong compression can be noticed in many cases by close inspection of the Equations of State (EOS), which provide special information on the given thermodynamic system as partial derivatives of the total energy. However, effects of anomalous changes in the electronic structure may be often observed only, when the regular behaviour is well defined. On the basis of an EOS-form interpolating with an Adapted Polynomial (APL) between very strong and moderate compression differences between ‘regular’ and ‘anomalous’ compressive behaviour are illustrated with discussions of the EOS for Al, Cu, Ag, and Au as regular in comparison with the EOS of Ce and Pr representing anomalous cases.

May, W. E., Johnson, E. N., Sapsford, K. L., Stevenson, F. C., Lafond, G. P., Holzapfel, C. B. and Holm, F. A. 2014. Tolerance of annual canarygrass (Phalaris canariensis L.) to combinations of MCPA, clopyralid, fluroxypyr and florasulam. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 701–708. Annual canarygrass (Phalaris canariensis L.) is a cereal crop that is primarily grown on the Canadian prairies as feed for caged birds. To widen the spectrum of herbicide options for producers, two experiments were conducted with the following nine herbicide treatments (application rates in parentheses expressed as g a.i. ha−1): weed-free control; single and double applications of MCPA (560)+clopyralid (100) (Curtail M); MCPA (562)+fluroxypyr (108) (Trophy); and MCPA (560)+clopyralid (100)+fluroxypyr (144) (Prestige); florasulam (5)+MCPA (420) (Frontline); difenzoquat (700)+MCPA (560)+clopyralid (100) (Avenge+Curtail M); and a single application of difenzoquat (700). Experiment 2 included the same herbicide treatments in factorial combinations with two application times; crop growth stages of two to three leaf (2–3 lf) and four to five leaf (4–5 lf). Experiments were conducted at Indian Head, Scott, and Saskatoon, SK, in 2001 to 2003. In exp. 1, difenzoquat caused up to 30% crop injury when combined with MCPA+clopyralid at the 2× rate, but improved crop yield relative to other herbicides because it reduced yield interference from wild oat infestations at Indian Head in 2002. In exp. 2, the 2× rate of florasulam+MCPA resulted in the greatest visual injury, with higher levels recorded at the 2–3 lf; however, seed yield reduction was greater when applied at the 4–5 lf. In summary, annual canarygrass was tolerant to combinations of MCPA, clopyralid, and fluroxypyr, herbicides which control important weed species in prairie fields.

Surface properties of Co-doped BaFe 2 As 2 (Ba-122) thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on MgO with Fe buffer layer and CaF 2 substrates were inspected by atomic force microscopy, scanning spreading resistance microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, auger electron spectroscopy/microscopy and point contact spectroscopy (PCS). Selected PCS spectra were fitted by extended 1D BTK model. The measurements were done on as-received as well as ion beam etched surfaces. Our results show that the substrate is considerably influencing the surface properties of the films, particularly the topography and surface conductivity distribution, what can affect results obtained by surface-sensitive techniques like PCS.

Published in Agron. J. 105:1–10 (2013) doi:10.2134/agronj2012.0221 Available freely online through the author-supported open access option. Copyright © 2013 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. T global arable land base is estimated at 1.351 billion hectares which amounts to about 0.19 ha per person based on a population of 7 billion (World Fact Book, 2012). With the projected population increase to 9 billion by 2050, the per capita arable land amount will be 0.15 ha per person but in actual fact much less because an extra 2 billion people will require additional land for infrastructure. Also, the fact that 93 to 99% of the food consumed by humans comes from the land (Pimentel and Pimentel, 2000; Smil, 2000) implies that food production per unit area will have to increase. However, 45% of global arable soils are aff ected by degradation (Lal, 2007). Th e Food and Agriculture Organization endorses conservation agriculture as the key step to meeting the long-term global demand for food, feed, and fi ber for the projected 9 billion people by 2050 (Mackenzie, 2009). Irrigated land comprises about 7% of the total arable land area (World Fact Book, 2012) and land under irrigation will probably not increase to make up for short falls in food production because of competing fresh water needs by a growing population. Th erefore dry land farming systems will need to become more productive which means more water effi cient. Th e positive benefi ts of no-till production systems on crop production (Lafond et al., 1996, 2006b), economic performance (Gray et al., 1996; Zentner et al., 2002; Holm et al., 2006) and energy use effi ciency (Zentner et al., 2004) are well recognized in the Northern Great Plains. More recent no-till studies have demonstrated additional yield increases in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and canola (Brassica napus L.) as length of time under no-till increases (Lafond et al., 2011). Additional benefi ts from no-till can be obtained if crops are seeded into tall stubble. Increases in grain yield and water use effi ciency have been observed for spring wheat (Cutforth and McConkey, 1997), canola (Cutforth et al., 2006), fi eld pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) (Cutforth et al., 2002) when seeding into >30 cm tall stubble. Tall stubble reduces water loss from evaporation at the soil surface and increases water available for transpiration, thereby explaining the greater reported crop water use effi ciencies and grain yields when compared to shorter or no stubble. Growing crops into tall stubble combined with long-term no-till represents an important approach to increasing crop production under semiarid dryland farming conditions. Given the reported benefi ts of no-till production systems, seeding into standing stubble and through surface residues has challenges. One solution to reduce plugging is to increase the row spacing. Th e common accepted knowledge is that narrow row spacing gives greater grain yields in cereal crops (Austenson and Larter, 1969; Briggs, 1975; Bauder, 1990; Chen et al., 2008). However, other studies have shown that it is possible to use wider spacing without experiencing grain yield losses. Research with no-till winter wheat showed equivalent yields between 18 and 36 cm under semiarid conditions (McCleod et al., 1996) and among 10-, 20-, and 30-cm row spacing under subhumid conditions (Lafond and Gan, 1999). With spring wheat, no diff erences in yield were observed among 10-, 20-, and 30-cm row spacing under no-till (Lafond, 1994; Bailey et al., 1998) and conventional till systems (Lafond and Derksen, 1996) and between 23 and 30 cm with no-till (Johnston and Stevenson, 2001) under subhumid conditions. No grain yield diff erences were observed among 10-, 20-, and 30-cm spacing in barley with no-till (Lafond, 1994; Bailey et al., 1998) and conventional till (Lafond and Derksen, 1996) under subhumid ABSTRACT

Published in Agron. J. 104:1501–1509 (2012) Posted online 6 Aug. 2012 doi:10.2134/agronj2011.0339 Copyright © 2012 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. N practices can improve soil organic matter, soil moisture, and total and available soil N, and have benefited farming systems of the northern Great Plains (Sharifi et al., 2008; Lafond and Clayton, 2010; Lafond et al., 2011). Results from studies at different locations in this region suggest that increases in C, N, and water holding capacity of NT soils along with aging of the NT system continue to improve the quality of NT soils. Across the three major soil zones of Saskatchewan, continuous NT increased potentially mineralizable soil N by 16 to 40 kg ha–1 compared to a conventional-till (CT) treatment (Liang et al., 2004). In the black soils of this province, Schoenau et al. (2008) measured greater soil available N and P following 28 yr of continuous NT compared to 5 yr of continuous NT history in the same field. As a result of improved soil quality and soil moisture, the BNF of legume crops has gradually increased in NT systems (Matus et al., 1997; van Kessel and Hartley, 2000). However, NT practices and other crop managements can increase the level of soil N to the point where soil NO3–N can inhibit legume BNF. Legumes preferentially use N from soil than taking N from the atmosphere, as the latter requires more energy (Graham and Vance, 2003). Moreover, a high level of soil NO3–N strongly inhibits nitrogenase activity and thereby lowers BNF (Peoples et al., 1995; Lucinski et al., 2002). In faba bean (Vicia faba L.), the proportion of plant N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) was strongly inhibited by soil NO3–N (Lopez-Bellido et al., 2006). Doughton et al. (1993) found that the BNF of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) was inhibited by high soil NO3–N after chemical fallow compared to after sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Yet, a reduction in BNF will not manifest itself in plant biomass, N content and grain yield if the reduction in BNF is compensated by soil N uptake (George et al., 1988; Doughton et al., 1993; Reiter et al., 2002). In addition to the effect on BNF, accumulated soil N due to long-term NT can stimulate vegetative growth, lower HI, and affect yield production of the field crops. As an indeterminate crop, lentil simultaneously develops leaves, flowers and pods until stress terminates vegetative growth (Erskine and Goodrich, 1991). Therefore, response of lentil yield to high soil N can be different from that of field crops with determinate growth habits. In soybean [Glycine max L.(Merr.)], application of 150 kg ha–1 N fertilizer increased vegetative biomass, resulted in lodging, and lowered grain yield of an indeterminate cultivar, whereas it improved the yield of semi-determinate cultivars (Wallace et al., 1990). Application of 90 kg ha–1 N fertilizer increased lentil biomass by 50% and reduced HI by 6% compared to a nonfertilized treatment; however, grain yield was increased or remained independent of the N fertilizer treatments (Bremer et al., ABSTRACT

The binary metallic magnesium diboride (MgB 2 ) is a promising superconductor with a remarkably high transition temperature of 39 K. The upper critical field H c2 ( T ) of MgB 2 is strongly influenced by the two-gap nature of the superconductivity in this material and can be enhanced by strong impurity scattering. This was particularly demonstrated for thin films. MgB 2 has a great potential for high current–high-field applications, because grain boundaries are no barriers for the current flow, but rather useful as pinning centers. Long MgB 2 wires produced by the low-cost powder-in-tube processing route are meanwhile commercially available.

The Fe-based superconductors (FBS) present a large variety of compounds whose properties are affected to different extents by their crystal structures. Amongst them, the $\it{RE}$FeAs(O,F) ($\it{RE}$1111, where $\it{RE}$ is a rare earth element) is the family with the highest critical temperature $T_c$ but also with a large anisotropy and Josephson vortices as demonstrated in the flux-flow regime in Sm1111 ($T_c$ $\sim$ 55 K). Here we focus our attention on the pinning properties of the lower-$T_c$ Nd1111 in the flux-creep regime. We demonstrate that for H//c critical current density $J_c$ at high temperatures is dominated by point-defect pinning centres, whereas at low temperatures surface pinning by planar defects parallel to the $\it{c}$-axis and vortex shearing prevail. When the field approaches the $\it{ab}$-planes, two different regimes are observed at low temperatures as a consequence of the transition between 3D-Abrikosov and 2D-Josephson vortices: one is determined by the formation of a vortex staircase structure and one by lock-in of the vortices parallel to the layers. This is the first study on FBS showing this behaviour in a full temperature, field, and angular range and it demonstrates that, despite the lower $T_c$ and anisotropy of Nd1111 with respect to Sm1111, this compound is substantially affected by intrinsic pinning generating a strong $\it{ab}$-peak in $J_c$., Comment: Final version available on Scientific Reports (Open access)

The year-to-year variability of seed yield in annual canarygrass ( Phalaris canariensis L.) is a major concern among growers. A field experiment was conducted at 13 site-years across Saskatchewan to determine the response of annual canarygrass seed yield to K and Cl, and to provide better recommendations to producers on the use of KCl fertilizer in annual canarygrass based on soil test results. Potassium did not affect the yield or development of annual canarygrass over a range of 155 to 717 kg K ha -1 in the top 15 cm of soil. Chloride had a large impact on annual canarygrass seed yield; seed yield increased by approximately 24% when Cl was added in the form of KCl or CaCl 2 when averaged across all sites. The seed yield increased because the application of Cl increased panicle size (seeds panicle -1 ). The magnitude of the response tended to increase as level of Cl in the soil decreased. Annual canarygrass growers need to measure Cl when using soil tests to determine fertilizer requirements. It is recommended that 9.1 kg Cl ha -1 in the form of 20 kg ha -1 of KCl be applied when the Cl level in the surface soil (0-15 cm) is below 70 kg Cl ha -1 . The findings encourage growers to conduct individual field test strips to determine the strength of the Cl response.

Meeting the needs of an increasing population requires protection of our arable land base and improvements in productivity. The study compared soil quality characteristics and crop yield to nitrogen (N) fertilizer in two adjacent fields; one field managed with no-till for 31 years while the other for 9 years. In 2003, the two fields along with native prairie were sampled for soil quality parameters across two landscape positions. A small plot study involving five rates of urea N (0, 30, 60 90 and 120 kg N ha −1 ) and two phosphorus fertilizer placement methods (seed-placed vs side-banded) was conducted on the two adjacent fields for the period 2002–2009. The rates of N were superimposed on the same plots each year whereas wheat and canola were normally grown in alternate years. An N balance was conducted after 8 years to account for inputs and outputs of N. Soil bulk density values were 0.98 g cm −3 for native prairie and 1.46 for LTNT and STNT in the 0–15 cm soil layer. The native prairie had 48.2 t ha −1 of SOC vs 44.4 and 36.7 for LTNT and STNT, respectively, in the 0–15 cm soil layer and no detectable differences for the 15–30 cm soil layer in 2003. Potentially mineralizable N using the Hot KCl digestion in the 0–15 cm soil layer was 60 kg ha −1 of ammonium nitrogen for native prairie and 30 and 22 kg ha −1 for LTNT and STNT, respectively. For amino sugar-N, native prairie had 558 kg ha −1 vs 462 and 370 kg ha −1 for the LTNT and STNT, respectively. This indicates a positive relationship between SOC levels measured and potentially mineralizable N reflecting differences in land management. Phosphorus fertilizer placed in the side-band with N yielded 3.5% more than seed-placed phosphorus in spring wheat and no difference in canola. Grain yields were 14% and 16% more for LTNT than STNT in spring wheat and canola, respectively. Maximum grain N removal averaged in wheat was 87 kg ha −1 for LTNT and 74 kg ha −1 for STNT and 71 and 65.4 kg ha −1 in canola, respectively. A positive N balance was obtained provided that 60 kg ha −1 of N was applied every year and no accumulation of nitrate-N was noted even with rates that exceeded N removal in the grain. This supports the view that no-till combined with continuous cropping and proper fertility represents a path to sustaining the global soil resource.

Ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD) is one of the major approaches to realise highly textured templates for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x (YBCO) coated conductors. Whereas IBAD-MgO is mostly used so far in such buffer architectures, TiN is a suitable alternative for this approach as it is showing a similar textured nucleation required for fast processing. Highly textured TiN films were prepared by ion beam assisted pulsed laser deposition on Hastelloy as well as on stainless steel using a Ta 0.75 Ni 0.25 or Y 2 O 3 bed layer. The biaxial texture was preserved to a higher thickness using homoepitaxial growth at higher temperatures and transferred to a second SrZrO 3 buffer layer. Finally, YBCO layers with an in-plane and out-of-plane alignment of less than 6° and 3°, respectively, were prepared on the buffered metal tapes leading to critical current densities well above 1 MA/cm 2 . The microstructure of the different architectures was studied in detail.

Biaxially textured Ce 2 Y 2 O 7 (CYO) films were deposited on Ni–5at.%W (Ni–5W) tapes by a DC reactive sputtering technique in a reel-to-reel system. Subsequent YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ (YBCO) films were prepared using pulsed laser deposition leading to a simplified coated conductor architecture of YBCO/CYO/Ni–5W. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed an epitaxial growth of the CYO buffer layer with a texture spread down to 2.2° and 4.7° for the out-of-plane and in-plane alignment, respectively. Microstructural investigations showed a dense, smooth and crack-free surface morphology for CYO film up to a thickness of 350 nm, implying an effective suppression of cracks due to the incorporation of Y in CeO 2 . The superconducting transition temperature T c of about 90 K with a narrow transition of 0.8 K and the inductively measured critical current density J c of about 0.7 MA/cm 2 indicate the potential of the single CYO buffer layer.

Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) offers the opportunity to prepare highly textured templates for YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) coated conductors. We investigated a new simplified buffer layer architecture on mechanically polished stainless steel tapes with an amorphous Ta0.75Ni0.25 bed layer. Cube textured TiN layers have been prepared by ion beam assisted pulsed laser deposition on these substrates. Consequently, highly textured YBCO layers were obtained with an (103) in-plane alignment of Δφ = 5.9° using an additional SrZrO3 buffer layer. A maximum critical current density of about 2.9 MA/cm2 was measured at 77 K in self-field. The films showed an improved Jc(H)-behavior compared to standard YBCO coated conductors.

Campbell, C. A., Lafond, G. P., VandenBygaart, A. J., Zentner, R. P., Lemke, R., May, W. E. and Holzapfel, C. B. 2011. Effect of crop rotation, fertilizer and tillage management on spring wheat grain yield and N and P content in a thin Black Chernozem: A long-term study. Can. J. Plant Sci. 91: 467–483. We analyzed the agronomic data from a 50-yr crop rotation experiment being conducted on a fine-textured, thin Black Chernozem at Indian Head, Saskatchewan in Canada. Our objective was to determine how a change from conventional-till to no-till, together with an increase in N fertilizer rates recommended by the Saskatchewan Soil Testing Laboratory has affected wheat yields and N and P balance in the systems over the past 20 yr. The treatments assessed were fertilized (N+P) and unfertilized fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (F-W), F-W-W, and continuous wheat (ContW), and unfertilized legume green manure (LGM)-W-W and F-W-W-brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.)/alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay (H)-H-H. On average, N...

Including grain-legumes in cropping systems contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and enhances agronomic and economic performance of cropping systems. The objective was to examine the potential for increasing the frequency of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) (FP) in a spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (W)-based cropping system. Three crop rotations, continuous pea (C-Pea), W-FP, and W-W-FP, were evaluated over a 10-yr period (1998―2007) at Indian Head, SK. During the FPphase of C-Pea and W-FP, three starter N rates (5, 20, 40 kg N ha ―1 ) were applied. One rate of N (80 kg N ha ―1 ) was used in W. Rotation and N had similar effects on plant densities in either crop. Field pea grain yields were 25% lower with C-Pea than W-FP or W-W-FP but similar between W-FP and W-W-FP. Starter N had some effect on FP grain yields at the higher N rate in W-FP but not C-Pea. Spring wheat grain yields were 3% greater on FP than W stubble. Grain protein in FP was 3.1% higher on C-Pea than W-P or W-W-FP while grain protein in W was 1 g kg ―1 higher on FP than W stubble. Crop water use efficiency in FP and W was not affected by crop rotation. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that the frequency of FP in cropping systems in the subhumid and semiarid areas can be increased intermittently with only a 1-yr cereal break between FP crops when combined with proper integrated crop management practices.

Planetary milling technique has been a very promising way to obtain bulk superconductors with very high critical current density, Jc, albeit a detail characterisation of milled secondary phase precursor powders in particular has not been reported to date. Hence we report systematic studies of the effect of addition of planetary milled Gd2BaCuO5 (Gd-211) on the final microstructures and superconducting properties of air-processed Gd–Ba–Cu–O/Ag bulk samples. Average size of Gd-211 precursor particles, which were planetary milled with 1.0 mm ZrO2 beads, has been observed to decrease significantly from 1.03 μm to 0.52 μm with increasing milling duration. Besides the size distribution of milled Gd-211 was narrow compared to that of the reference powder. A small amount of Zr was detected, however, in the milled Gd-211 powder by the inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and its content was increased with increasing milling period, which led to an inhomogeneous bulk microstructure. Significantly, the average size of Gd-211 particles milled for 45 min has been observed to decrease from 0.73 μm to 0.48 μm without severe contamination of Zr when the diameter of the beads were reduced from 1.0 mm to 0.3 mm. Trapped magnetic field of single grain Gd–Ba–Cu–O/Ag bulk sample with 32 mm in diameter prepared from almost Zr free Gd-211 fine particles recorded over 1.5 T at 77 K, which was almost 1.3 times greater than that of the reference sample. Nevertheless the repulsive force of both bulk samples showed around 57 N at a gap of zero between the sample surface and SmCo5 permanent magnet.

Pulsed laser deposition was used in combination with real time reflection high energy electron diffraction to prepare layer-by-layer grown La 1 − x Sr x CoO 3 films on single terminated substrates. The films exhibit an epitaxially and completely strained film growth resulting in an atomic flat surface with terrace structure. The films were compared to similar layers grown by off-axis laser deposition under higher oxygen partial pressure. With decreasing oxygen pressure an increased unit cell volume and decreasing magnetic moment was observed. Furthermore, we exemplarily show the preparation of layer-by-layer grown LaCoO 3 |SrTiO 3 multilayers.

Differences in response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer will affect the production economics of field crops. Currently, there is limited information comparing the agronomic and economic performance of juncea canola (Brassica juncea L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) to napus canola (Brassica napus L.) and flax (Linum ustitatissimum L.) in Saskatchewan under no-till practices. A study of these species was carried out at five Saskatchewan locations over 3 yr and included eight nitrogen rates. All four species had a curvilinear increase in grain yield as N rate increased with the largest yield response observed in napus canola to as much as 200 kg N ha-1. The majority of the increase in flax grain yield occurred as the N rate increased from 10 to 90 kg ha-1, while most of the increase in grain yield of juncea canola and sunflower occurred as N increased from 10 to 70 kg ha-1. Biplot analysis indicated that grain yield variation was reduced at and above 50 kg N ha-1 in flax, napus canola and juncea canola, but not in sunflower. Analysis indicated that a wide range of N rates would provide a similar adjusted gross return within each crop with the exact N range being determined by crop price and nitrogen cost. The N rate affected the kernel weight of sunflower but not the kernel weight of other crops. The protein concentration of all the species increased as N rate increased. Seed oil concentration tended to decrease as the N rate increased, but this was not consistent. In conclusion, higher yielding cultivars of sunflower and juncea canola are needed before they will replace a large acreage of flax or napus canola; however, in the drier regions of the Saskatchewan there is potential to expand sunflower production.Key words: Brassica juncea, Helianthus annuus, Brassica napus, Linum usitatissimum, nitrogen, economic analysis

Hybrid structures based on superconducting Nb and highly coercive ferromagnetic SmCo 5 films grown on MgO(100) substrates were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition under UHV conditions. Thin film architectures of SmCo 5 on Nb and the reversed system both with and without Cr spacer layer between superconductor and ferromagnet were examined by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction concerning their microstructure and epitaxial relationship, respectively. For SmCo 5 on Nb with thick intermediate Cr spacer the epitaxial relationship MgO(001)[100]//Cr(001)[110]//Nb(001)[110]//Cr(001)[110]// SmCo 5 (11-20)[0001]//Cr(001)[110] was found. With decreasing thickness of the Cr spacer layer the strength of the texture decreases and finally crystallinity of SmCo 5 is lost. In the reversed layer system, Nb on Cr on SmCo 5 , with decreasing thickness of the Cr spacer layer the epitaxial relationships change from SmCo 5 (11-20)[0001]//Nb(001)[110] to local SmCo 5 (11-20) [0001]//Nb(110)[1-11] and the Nb texture changes from the (001)[110] component to a 〈110〉 fibre. The orientation relationships observed are discussed with regard to elastic strain energy minimization.

A series of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 (GZO) single buffer layers with different thicknesses were epitaxially grown on highly textured Ni–5 at.% W tapes using pulsed laser deposition. These allow the subsequent growth of high-quality superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ layers. The superconducting transition temperature T c reaches a maximum value of 92.4 K as well as a narrow transition width of 0.8 K for the optimized GZO layer thickness. The inductive measurements show the critical current density as high as 1.2 MA/cm 2 at 77 K in self-field, indicating that a GZO single buffer layer is a suitable alternative for simplifying the second generation high T c superconducting coated conductors architecture.

Since fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate is no longer available for general use in Canada, there is much discussion about the best management practices to minimize nitrogen (N) loss when fertilizing winter wheat. In two separate trials we compared several fall and spring N management options with the standard practice of spring-applied ammonium nitrate. In Study 1, the use of a coulter in fall or spring reduced seed yields, even when ammonium nitrate (AN) was broadcast in the spring, indicating crop damage. Spring broadcast applications of urea and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) produced yields equivalent to spring broadcast AN. Urea applied at the time of planting produced seed yields relative to spring application of AN. The late fall UAN treatment had lower yields than when this product was applied in the spring. Protein levels varied among site-years, but were generally lower than the marketing target of 115 g kg-1, which indicates less than optimal N levels or N uptake. In both studies, late fall surface banded UAN was inferior to other products and timings. In Study 2, seed yield and protein content were similar for all forms of urea placed at seeding, and these were similar to spring broadcast AN. We also found that under the relatively low fall and spring moisture conditions encountered in Study 2 protected N sources did not increase N use efficiency.Key words: Winter wheat, nitrogen, protein, yield

The crystallographic and magnetic texture of epitaxial, hard magnetic Sm 2 Co 7 films prepared on Cr-buffered MgO single-crystal substrates are analyzed. Substrate symmetry, deposition temperature, and deposition rate are systematically varied, resulting in a variety of different, but epitaxial orientations. On Cr-buffered MgO(001), Sm 2 Co 7 grows with three different types of orientations: one inplane orientation with the c-axis aligned in the substrate plane parallel to MgO[100] and [010], and two tilted orientations, where the c-axes of the Sm 2 Co 7 crystals have a 45° and 60° orientation to the substrate plane. The volume fraction of the tilted orientations decreases with decrease in the Sm 2 Co 7 deposition temperature. A lower limit is given by the epitaxial growth temperature, which is necessary to form a fully crystalline, epitaxial film. This temperature can be reduced by lowering the deposition rate. Thus, almost completely inplane aligned films can be achieved by a low-rate/low-temperature deposition. On a Cr-buffered MgO(01 1) substrate Sm 2 Co 7 grows with a single orientation, i.e., with the c-axis aligned onto the substrate plane parallel to MgO[100]. The findings are discussed considering elastic strain minimization, thermodynamics and kinetics of film growth, surface faceting, and Co-particle formation.

Traditionally, farmers have delayed seeding to manage wild oat (Avena fatua L.) in tame oat (Avena sativa L.) crops, but this practice can adversely affect grain yield and quality. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of using high seeding rates with early-seeded oat to maintain grain yield and quality, and (2) to determine an optimum seeding rate to manage wild oat and maximize grain yield and quality. The factors of interest were wild oat density (low and high density), seeding date (early May, mid May, early June and mid June), and tame oat seeding rate (150, 250, 350 and 450 viable seeds m-2). The study was conducted at Indian Head and Saskatoon, SK, in 2002, 2003 and 2004, at Winnipeg, MB, in 2002, and at Morden, MB, in 2003 and 2004. Wild oat biomass, wild oat panicle density and wild oat seed in the harvested sample decreased as seeding rate increased, while tame oat biomass and grain yield increased. Wild oat density ranged between 0 and 100 plants m-2 with averages of 10 plants m-2 in the low density treatment and 27 plants m-2 in the high density treatment. At low seeding rates, grain yield decreased with increasing wild oat density. The difference in grain yield between the two wild oat densities decreased as the seeding rate increased. There was a curvilinear decrease in grain yield as seeding was delayed. A seeding date × seeding rate interaction was noted for test weight, plump seed, thin seed and groat yield. Seed quality improved as seeding rate increased for only the mid-June seeding date. Even though the mid-June test weight increased as the seeding rate increased it was always lower than the early May test weight at any seeding rate. The results from this study established that in the presence of wild oats, early seeding of tame oat is possible providing high seeding rates, 350 plants m-2 are used.Key words: Wild oat competition, wild oat density, wild oat biomass, grain yield, grain quality

Ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) was used in combination with pulsed laser deposition to develop a conductive biaxially textured buffer architecture based on IBAD-TiN for coated conductor applications. Highly textured TiN layers were prepared on Hastelloy substrates with an amorphous Y2O3 seed layer. The cube textured nucleation layer was preserved to higher thicknesses using homoepitaxial growth. A double layer of Au and Ir was used to reduce the lattice misfit between TiN and YBCO. Finally, a 120 nm thick Nb:SrTiO3 layer was deposited to ensure the epitaxial growth of the superconducting YBCO layer at higher oxygen pressures. In-situ RHEED measurements revealed an undisturbed epitaxial growth of the complete buffer layer stack. The buffered tape was successfully used for the deposition of a 300 nm thick YBa2Cu3O7-x layer, showing an in-plane FWHM value of 7.2deg and a critical temperature T c of about 88 K. The results are promising for the development of a completely electrical conductive buffer architecture based on the IBAD approach.

A procedure is developed for assessing the epitaxy of La2- xZr2+ xO7 (LZO) layers on NiW RABITS. Comparing XRD patterns ( thetas -2thetas scans and 2D rocking curves) of LZO films of known thickness (ellipsometry or reflectometry measurements) with those of standard samples (100% epitaxial LZO film and an isotropic LZO pellet of known density), we estimate the epitaxial (EF), and polycrystalline (PF) fractions of LZO within the layer. The procedure was tested using MOD-LZO(100 nm)/NiW tape samples with EF varied from 3 to 90% (reproducibly prepared by varying the humidity of Ar - 5%H2 gas during heat treatment). A qualitative agreement with RHEED and quantitative (within plusmn 10%) agreement with the EBSD results was shown. Correlation between EF and J c in 600 nm thick YBCO layer deposited on MOD-LZO/NiW using thermal coevaporation enables us to impose the EF = 80% margin on the quality of LZO layer for the particular conductor architecture.

Crop residues are considered the feedstock of choice for the production of ethanol, but removing crop residues may negatively impact soil productivity. The objectives were to quantify the proportion of total aboveground crop residues removed through baling and to evaluate the effects of 50 yr of straw removal with baling on soil quality and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. The first study evaluated three harvesting systems and their impact on straw removal with baling. The second study measured straw removal after 50 yr on soil quality and wheat production using a fallow-spring wheat-spring wheat rotation (F-W-W) with three different treatments imposed. One treatment was not fertilized with straw retained, and the other two were fertilized with N and P but one treatment retained the straw while the other had the straw baled every year during the cropping years. The proportion of total aboveground residues other than grain removed with baling ranged from 22 to 35% or 26 to 40% depending on the method of calculation based on the first study. Measurements of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) showed no differences after 50 yr of straw removal, and spring wheat grain yields and grain protein concentration were also not affected based on the second study. The potential therefore exists to use crop residues for ethanol production or other industrial purposes without adversely affecting the long-term productivity of medium- to heavy-textured soils providing that

In the present work, La 2 Zr 2 O 7 (LZO) buffer layers were deposited using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on various metallic substrates including epitaxial pure Ni on a LaAlO 3 (LAO) substrate as well as highly textured Ni–5 at.%W tapes. It is shown that the LZO deposited on pure Ni-buffered LAO exhibits a mixed orientation while LZO on Ni–5 at.%W grows epitaxially. This difference may be explained by the existence of a sulphur superstructure on the surface of Ni–5 at.%W tapes, promoting the epitaxial (0 0 l ) nucleation of seed layers. Highly textured YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ layers were prepared either by using a single buffer layer of LZO or bilayer buffers of CeO 2 /LZO on Ni–5 at.%W. The superconducting transition temperature ( T c ) increases with the LZO thickness, reaching a value of 90 K with a very narrow transition width (1.5 K) for 240 nm thick LZO layers. Inductive J c measurements at 77 K in self-field show a value of about 0.96 MA/cm 2 for the thickest LZO layers, which is comparable to the value observed on standard buffer architectures such as CeO 2 /YSZ/Y 2 O 3 .

An important challenge in N management is matching fertilizer inputs to crop requirements for specific environmental conditions. Field experiments were completed over 3 yr at two locations in Saskatchewan to evaluate the feasibility of using optical sensors and high-N reference plots along with topdressed liquid urea ammonium-nitrate (UAN) to arrive at more optimal N rates for canola (Brassica napus L.). Treatments included N management strategies where the timing and methods of application were varied along with the total quantities of N applied. Sensor-based N management was compared with the predominant practice of banding predetermined amounts of N at seeding. On average, sensor-based N management resulted in a 34 kg N ha-1 reduction in fertilizer use with no effect on seed yields except at Indian Head in 2006 where dry conditions resulted in yield reductions of 370 to 454 kg ha-1 compared with applying canola's entire N requirements at seeding. Sensor-based N management or split-N applications never increased yields relative to applying all N at seeding. Adopting this technology in western Canada will more likely result in reduced N inputs without reducing yield than increased seed yield. While sensor-based N management did not reduce post-harvest residual soil NO3-N levels, agronomic N use efficiency (ANUE) was increased 33% of the time and was never lessened. When significant, the increase in ANUE ranged from 4.8 to 7.8 kg seed kg N applied-1. Overall, optical sensors have potential as a tool for managing N fertility more efficiently in canola production. Key words: Brassica napus, normalized difference vegetation index, urea ammonium-nitrate, nitrogen use efficiency, agriculture, precision

When solid stands of foxtail millet are cut for swath grazing, the grazing season for cattle is extended and winter feeding costs reduced. The economic success of this practice depends on inexpensive weed control. Eight single- and double-rate herbicide combinations (g ai/ha) were evaluated and compared to a weed-free check: MCPA + bromoxynil (280 + 280 or 560 + 560); MCPA + clopyralid (560 + 100 or 1120 + 200); MCPA + fluroxypyr (562 + 108 or 1124 + 216); and MCPA + clopyralid + fluroxypyr (560 + 100 + 144 or 1120 + 200 + 288). This study was conducted at Indian Head, Saskatchewan (SK) in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 and at Scott, SK, in 2006 and 2007. Crop injury and dry matter yield were measured. Results of the study indicate that crop injury exceeded 20% at only one out of six sites at 7 to 14 d after herbicide treatment. Double-rate MCPA + bromoxynil treatments had higher injury ratings than the weed-free check 7 to 14 d after treatment in all site years. As the growing season progressed, injury ratings tended to decline except at Scott in 2007, where injury ratings at the 21 to 35 d period were numerically greater than the other two rating periods. There were no differences among treatments for crop biomass production. We conclude that all four herbicide combinations at the labeled rate are safe to use on foxtail millet in Saskatchewan, and probably in other areas with similar environmental growing conditions.

La2Zr2O7 (LZO) buffer layers have been prepared on Ni-5 at%W tapes using chemical solution deposition. The local texture of the deposited layers has been studied throughout the thickness using ion-beam sputtering and electron back-scattering diffraction (EBSD). The processing conditions have been optimised afterwards based on these results leading to a highly textured surface for annealing temperatures of 1050 �C. YBa2Cu3O7-x layers were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on these single LZO buffer layers and studied in detail using X-ray diffraction and EBSD. A close correlation was found between the surface texture and the superconducting properties. � 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Information regarding the impact of P and KCl rate and placement in conjunction with N rate on durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is limited in the Great Plains. Our objectives were to determine the effects ofN, P, and KCl fertilizer rate and P and KCl placement on grain yield and quality of durum wheat grown on low P soils. Nine combinations of N and P fertilizer and five combinations ofN, P, and KCl applied with the seed and in a side band, were compared over 3 yr at Indian Head, SK, in fields with soil P levels