Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA), the cryogenic infrared space telescope recently pre-selected for a ‘Phase A’ concept study as one of the three remaining candidates for European Space Agency (ESA's) fifth medium class (M5) mission, is foreseen to include a far-infrared polarimetric imager [SPICA-POL, now called B-fields with BOlometers and Polarizers (B-BOP)], which would offer a unique opportunity to resolve major issues in our understanding of the nearby, cold magnetised Universe. This paper presents an overview of the main science drivers for B-BOP, including high dynamic range polarimetric imaging of the cold interstellar medium (ISM) in both our Milky Way and nearby galaxies. Thanks to a cooled telescope, B-BOP will deliver wide-field 100–350 $\mu$m images of linearly polarised dust emission in Stokes Q and U with a resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and both intensity and spatial dynamic ranges comparable to those achieved by Herschel images of the cold ISM in total intensity (Stokes I). The B-BOP 200 $\mu$m images will also have a factor $\sim $30 higher resolution than Planck polarisation data. This will make B-BOP a unique tool for characterising the statistical properties of the magnetised ISM and probing the role of magnetic fields in the formation and evolution of the interstellar web of dusty molecular filaments giving birth to most stars in our Galaxy. B-BOP will also be a powerful instrument for studying the magnetism of nearby galaxies and testing Galactic dynamo models, constraining the physics of dust grain alignment, informing the problem of the interaction of cosmic rays with molecular clouds, tracing magnetic fields in the inner layers of protoplanetary disks, and monitoring accretion bursts in embedded protostars.

The seventh annual Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC) was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from February 5 to 7, 2010, with 224 attendees onsite. The theme for the meeting was “Advancing Excellence in Teaching Political Science.” Using the working-group model, the TLC track format encourages in-depth discussion and debate on research dealing with the scholarship of teaching and learning.

The first case of traumatic myositis ossificans (TMO) involving a strap muscle of the neck is reported. TMO typically presents with an unresolved mass following trauma or surgery, requiring differentiation from other soft tissue and bone neoplasms. Opacification may be present on soft tissue X-rays. Computed tomography (CT) scan may demonstrate a characteristic zoning phenomenon to establish the diagnosis. The disorder is frequently self-limiting but surgery may be required for persistent symptoms.

We have investigated the optical transitions present in MBE-grown modulation doped pseudomorphic AlxGa1-xAs/InyGa1-yAs/ GaAs HEMT structures of 120Å InGaAs thickness, y values 0 to 0.28, and x values 0.20 to 0.30. From both 300K electron beam electroreflectance (EBER) and 4K photoluminescence (PL) measurements we observe transitions from the InGaAs strained quantum well layer. The intensity and lineshape of the InGaAs transition in both optical spectra are affected by processing temperatures, and provides an indication of the quality of the HEMT.

In addition to strong, sharp features arising from the GaAs substrate and the superlattice buffer, the EBER data shows important characteristics of the AlGaAs layer which are unavailable from the PL. The latter include the presence of Franz-Keldysh oscillations, from which the crystal quality, composition, and electric field strength within the AlGaAs can be assessed. Specifically, when the growth temperatures are excessive, the disappearance of the Franz-Keldysh oscillations appears to be associated with outdiffusion of In from the strained layer, and consequent deterioration of active device performance.