Identification of compounds from Etonia rosemary \u3ci\u3e(Conradina etonia)\u3c/i\u3e

Mosquitoes transmit pathogens that result in diseases harmful to human, livestock, and wildlife hosts. Numerous measures can be used to reduce insect-borne disease risk to humans, and one approach is the use of topical repellents to prevent host-seeking arthropods from taking a blood meal. A current emphasis in the development of new repellents is that they be safe. Therefore, natural products sources are increasingly being explored. Compounds from plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae) have been demonstrated to be insect repellents. This study examines compounds from Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia) to identify compounds for examination as insect repellents. Samples of Etonia rosemary were passively extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol and analyzed by GC/MS. This extraction method was chosen to eliminate thermal degradation of plant components that can occur during the distillation procedure. Additional headspace volatile compounds from this plant were identified using microscale purge-and-trap GC/MS. A variety of terpenes, terpenic alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes were identified in the extracts with terpenes and short-chained aldehydes detected in greatest abundance

The use of fluorescein patterns as a guide in fitting rigid gas permeable contact lenses

The fitting of Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses is a process that is not complete without a final lens on• evaluation of overall fit. For a great majority of practitioners, this evaluation involves observing fluorescein pooling patterns underneath the contact lens using cobalt blue light. To gain confidence in correctly interpreting these patterns, a great many lens fitting patterns need to be seen. We feel that there is a great need for a simple yet thorough compilation of fluorescein pattern photographs that can be used as a teaching supplement both in classroom and clinic to show how changing lens parameter

Design and Implementation of a Thermoelectric Cooling Solution for a CCD-based NUV Spectrograph

The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) is a 6U CubeSat designed to obtain transit spectra of more than ten close-orbiting exoplanets. To this end, CUTE houses a near-ultraviolet (~250 – 330 nm) spectrograph based around a novel rectangular Cassegrain telescope; the spectrograph sensor is an off-the-shelf Teledyne e2v CCD. To achieve desired spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), dark current is reduced by cooling the CCD to a temperature of −50 °C with a thermoelectric cooler (TEC). The TEC is driven by a constant current buck converter with an H-bridge topology for bidirectional current control. The packaging of the CCD imposes a maximum time rate of change of temperature of 5 K/min. A cascaded software control loop (discussed here) was developed that constrains this time rate of change within allowable bounds while simultaneously driving the CCD temperature to a desired setpoint. Criteria for sizing a TEC to the application and initial laboratory results are discussed, as well as digital filtering methods employed and possible solutions to integral wind-up

Extending HyperTransport Protocol for Improved Scalability

HyperTransport 3.10 is the best open standard communication technology for chip-to-chip interconnects. However, its extraordinary features are of little help when building mid- and large-scale systems because it is unable to natively scale beyond 8 computing nodes. Therefore, it must be complemented by other interconnect technologies. The HyperTransport Consortium has intensively stimulated discussions among its high-level members in order to overcome those shortcomings. The result is the High Node Count HyperTransport Specification, which defines protocol extensions to the HyperTransport I/O Link Specification Rev. 3.10 that enable HyperTransport to natively support high numbers of computing nodes, typical of large scale server clustering and High Performance Computing (HPC) applications. This extension has been carefully designed in such a way that it extends the maximum number of connected devices to a number large enough to support current and future scalability requirements, while preserving the excellent features that made HyperTransport successful and keeping full backward compatibility with it

Crustal Accretion in the Gulf of California: An Intermediaterate Spreading Axis

An important objective of Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 65 was to study crustal accretion at an ocean ridge axis with an intermediate-spreading rate for comparison with previously studied sections displaying slowand fast-spreading rates. The southern Gulf of California was selected for this purpose because the basement displays high seismic velocities (comparable to those observed for Cretaceous basement in the western North Atlantic) and high ambient sedimentation rates, which facilitated penetration of zero-age basement. Four sites were drilled, forming an axial transect immediately south of the Tamayo Fracture Zone (Figs. 1 and 2) and providing a series of characteristic sections into the crust. This chapter attempts to provide a brief synthesis of the results from Leg 65, focusing particularly on the lithology, geochemistry, and paleomagnetic properties of the cored basement material. From these data, we present an interpretation of the processes of magmatic evolution and crustal accretion occurring at the Gulf of California spreading axis

Size-fractionated characterization and quantification of nanoparticle release rates from a consumer spray product containing engineered nanoparticles

This study describes methods developed for reliable quantification of size- and element-specific release of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) from consumer spray products. A modified glove box setup was designed to allow controlled spray experiments in a particle-minimized environment. Time dependence of the particle size distribution in a size range of 10-500nm and ENP release rates were studied using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). In parallel, the aerosol was transferred to a size-calibrated electrostatic TEM sampler. The deposited particles were investigated using electron microscopy techniques in combination with image processing software. This approach enables the chemical and morphological characterization as well as quantification of released nanoparticles from a spray product. The differentiation of solid ENP from the released nano-sized droplets was achieved by applying a thermo-desorbing unit. After optimization, the setup was applied to investigate different spray situations using both pump and gas propellant spray dispensers for a commercially available water-based nano-silver spray. The pump spray situation showed no measurable nanoparticle release, whereas in the case of the gas spray, a significant release was observed. From the results it can be assumed that the homogeneously distributed ENP from the original dispersion grow in size and change morphology during and after the spray process but still exist as nanometer particles of size <100nm. Furthermore, it seems that the release of ENP correlates with the generated aerosol droplet size distribution produced by the spray vessel type used. This is the first study presenting results concerning the release of ENP from spray product

The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment: The First Dedicated Ultraviolet Exoplanet Mission

The past few years of space mission development have seen an increase in the use of small satellites as platforms for dedicated astrophysical research; they offer unique capabilities for time-domain science and complementary advantages over large shared resource facilities like the Hubble Space Telescope, including: (1) low cost and relatively quick development timelines; (2) observing strategies dedicated to niche but important science questions; and (3) ample opportunity for students and early career scientists and engineers to be involved on the front lines of space mission development. The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) is a NASA-supported 6U CubeSat assembled and tested at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics within the University of Colorado Boulder. It is designed to observe the evolving atmospheres on short-period exoplanets with a dedicated science mission unachievable by current and planned future space missions. CUTE operates with a bandpass of ∼2487 – 3376 Å and an average spectral resolution element of 3.9 Å. The mission launched in September of 2021 and is in the process of conducting transit spectroscopy of approximately one dozen short-period exoplanets during its primary mission. This proceeding describes the overall CUTE satellite program, including the mission development integration and testing, anticipated science return, and lessons learned to improve both universities’ and commercial companies’ ability to create and collaborate on successful academically and research-focused small satellite missions. While CubeSats are becoming increasingly accessible and utilized for scientific research and student education, CUTE serves as an example that university small satellite programs have specific needs to successfully and efficiently achieve both scientific and educational elements. These include (1) a minimum threshold of commercial-off-the-shelf product quality, performance, and support; (2) specific and timely guidelines from launch service providers regarding launch readiness and delivery requirements; (3) and sufficient funding to provide multi-disciplinary engineering and program management support across the developmental life-cycle of the mission