RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
A new study supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation shows, for the first time, how heat moves — or rather, doesn’t — between materials in a high-energy-density plasma state. The work is expected to provide a better understanding of inertial confinement fusion experiments, which aim to reliably achieve fusion ignition on Earth using lasers. How heat flows between a hot plasma and a material’s surface is also important in other technologies, including semiconductor etching and vehicles that fly at hypersonic speeds.
High-energy-density plasmas are produced only at extreme pressures and temperatures. The study shows that interfacial thermal resistance, a phenomenon known to impede heat transfer in less extreme conditions, also prevents heat flow between different materials in a dense, super-hot plasma state. The research is published in Nature Communications and was led by Thomas White, a physicist at the University of Nevada, Reno, and his former doctoral student, Cameron Allen. White is a recipient of an NSF Faculty Early Career Development grant.
“Understanding how energy flows across a boundary is a fundamental question, and this work provides us with new insights into how this happens in the exceptionally energy-dense environments that one finds inside of stars and planetary cores,” says Jeremiah Williams, a program director for the NSF Plasma Physics program.
RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
Estimating the pose of hand-held objects is a critical and challenging problem in robotics and computer vision. While leveraging multi-modal RGB and depth data is a promising solution, existing approaches still face challenges due to hand-induced occlusions and multimodal data fusion. In a new study, researchers developed a novel deep learning framework that addresses these issues by introducing a novel vote-based fusion module and a hand-aware pose estimation module.
Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.
RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
In-brief analysis
May 1, 2025
Data source: CME Group, Bloomberg L.P.
Note: Refinery margin is calculated as the 3-2-1 crack spread on the U.S. Atlantic Coast, which represents two barrels of gasoline and one barrel of distillate fuel oil minus three barrels of Brent crude oil. 1Q25=first quarter of 2025
During the first quarter of 2025 (1Q25), crude oil prices generally decreased while U.S. refinery margins initially increased before decreasing in the final month of the quarter. In this quarterly update, we review petroleum markets price developments in 1Q25, covering crude oil prices, refinery margins, biofuel compliance credit prices, and natural gas plant liquids prices.
Crude oil prices
After reaching a quarterly high of $82 per barrel (b) on January 15, crude oil prices generally declined through the end of the first quarter, settling at $75/b
Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.
RSS feed source: National Science Foundation
The Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering at Tulane University is seeking applicants for a Post Doctor appointment. We are specifically seeking outstanding applicants with a background in hydraulics, hydrology, coastal hydrodynamics and numerical modeling of riverine and coastal systems. This position reports to Dr. Ehab Meselhe.
Roles and Responsibilities:
· Develop and apply numerical models, perform data analysis and interpretation of dynamic riverine and coastal systems and simulation results
· Write technical papers, present at meetings, workshops and technical conferences
· Conduct various research tasks such as code development and customizations as needed
· Participate in field data collection in support of research and modeling activities
· Participate in writing proposals to generate external funding streams.
The successful candidate will be a self-motivated, results-driven professional with sound judgement, excellent interpersonal skills, and the flexibility to adjust to changing priorities in a demanding, fast-paced environment. The department expects to
Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.