Micro-bioreactors controlled with photonic ionogel actuators

In the recent years, advances in micro-fluidic techniques for environmental applications have brought wide opportunities for improving of the capacity to monitor water quality. However, the development of fully integrated micro-fluidic devices capable of performing complex functions requires the integration of micro-valve with appropriate performance, since they are essential tools for the control and manipulation of flows in micro-channels.[1] Ionogels with incorporated spiropyran can be used as valves by photopolymerizing the gels in certain shapes. Depending on the ionic liquid, ionogels give the possibility of tuning several micro-valve actuation times and so independently control liquid flows within the channels under a common illumination source

Addressing Health Disparities in Refugees

I completed the required 300 hours of my fieldwork internship at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Oakland, CA. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a non-profit international organization that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and aids displaced individuals in rebuilding their lives in new countries by providing support in health care, finance, education, infrastructure, and resettlement. I worked as a Health Access/Intensive Case management Intern. As a Health Access Program Intern, it was my job to ensure that refugees coming to the United States had a place to seek medical care, advice, and preventative services. In order to improve access to health care for refugees, I assisted clients in choosing a medical provider, and accompanied clients to health screenings and follow up appointments with providers. I was also responsible for the development and implementation of a culturally competent educational curriculum targeted towards newly arrived pregnant women. The curriculum included information on navigating the U.S. health care system, prenatal and postpartum care, and nutrition and exercise

Microbial electrocatalysis with Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilm on stainless steel cathodes

Stainless steel and graphite electrodes were individually addressed and polarized at−0.60V vs. Ag/AgCl in reactors filled with a growth medium that contained 25mM fumarate as the electron acceptor and no electron donor, in order to force the microbial cells to use the electrode as electron source. When the reactor was inoculated with Geobacter sulfurreducens, the current increased and stabilized at average values around 0.75Am−2 for graphite and 20.5Am−2 for stainless steel. Cyclic voltammetry performed at the end of the experiment indicated that the reduction started at around −0.30V vs. Ag/AgCl on stainless steel. Removing the biofilm formed on the electrode surface made the current totally disappear, confirming that the G.sulfurreducens biofilm was fully responsible for the electrocatalysis of fumarate reduction. Similar current densities were recorded when the electrodes were polarized after being kept in open circuit for several days. The reasons for the bacteria presence and survival on non-connected stainless steel coupons were discussed. Chronoamperometry experiments performed at different potential values suggested that the biofilm-driven catalysis was controlled by electrochemical kinetics. The high current density obtained, quite close to the redox potential of the fumarate/succinate couple, presents stainless steel as a remarkable material to support biocathodes

Is corruption efficiency-enhancing? A case study of nine Central and Eastern European countries

We investigate the role of corruption in the business environment in explaining the efficiency of within-sector production factor allocation across firms in nine Central and Eastern European countries in the period 2003-2012. Using a conditional convergence model, we find evidence of a positive relationship between corruption growth and both labour and capital misallocation dynamics, once country framework conditions are controlled for: the link between corruption and input misallocation dynamics is larger the smaller the country, the lower the degree of political stability and of civil liberties, and the weaker the quality of its regulations. As input misallocation is one of the determinants of productivity growth, we further show that the relationship between changes in corruption and TFP growth is indeed negative. Our results hold when we tackle a possible omitted variable bias by instrumenting corruption with two instrumental variables (the percentage of women in Parliament and freedom of the press)

Multimodal Plane Wave Imaging for Non-destructive Testing

International audienceUltrasonic imaging with high frame rates is of great interest in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to perform fast inspections. In this communication, we propose a new fast imaging method for NDT which is derived from the medical Plane Wave Imaging (PWI). The PWI method is applied to immersion-testing configurations (plane or complex water/steel interface between the probe and the image area) and to different imaging modes (imaging with direct or half-skip wave paths) according to the type of defects (point-like or extended crack-types defects)

Plane Wave Imaging for ultrasonic non-destructive testing: Generalization to multimodal imaging

Pre-printInternational audienceThis paper describes a new ultrasonic array imaging method for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) which is derived from the medical Plane Wave Imaging (PWI) technique. The objective is to perform fast ultrasound imaging with high image quality. The approach is to transmit plane waves at several angles and to record the back-scattered signals with all the array elements. Focusing in receive is then achieved by coherent summations of the signals in every point of a region of interest. The medical PWI is generalized to immersion setups where water acts as a coupling medium and to multimodal (direct, half-skip modes) imaging in order to detect different types of defects (inclusions, porosities, cracks). This method is compared to the Total Focusing Method (TFM) which is the reference imaging technique in NDT. First, the two post-processing algorithms are described. Then experimental results with the array probe either in contact or in immersion are presented. A good agreement between the TFM and the PWI is observed, with three to ten times less transmissions required for the PWI

An Evaluation Of Static and Dynamic Yoga Training Programs

While traditional yoga programs focus on static stretching and core stability, Essentrics yoga relies more heavily on full-body stretch and strengthening regiments coupled with dynamic movements such as ceiling reaches, side-to-side bends, lunges, and side leg lifts. Through the incorporation of more dynamic movements, Essentrics yoga is thought to elicit greater improvements in overall body composition, flexibility, and balance. PURPOSE: To examine the benefits of a 6-weeks long Essentrics (dynamic) program compared to standard (static) Yoga on body composition, flexibility, and balance. METHODS: Thirty-one participants (24 females and 7 males, age = 20.4 ± 0.2yrs, and BMI = 22.58 ± 0.55kg/m2) were assigned to two groups – a standard Yoga (YOG, n = 20) and an Essentrics (ESS, n = 11) group. For 6 weeks, both groups attended a 45–50-minute class, 3 times per week. Body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), flexibility (sit-and-reach), balance (lower extremity Y-balance), as well anthropometric measurements were assessed at the beginning and end of the 6-week program. Measurements of the balance test included 3 reaches and their combined values [anterior (ANT), posteromedial (PM), posterolateral (PL), and composite reach distance (CRD)]. All reaches were averaged for the right and left sides and then normalized to leg length. Data were analyzed using an ANOVA with repeated measures (p \u3c 0.05), and a post-hoc test was performed if any significant main or interaction effects were found. RESULTS: Interestingly, the total body fat percentage was significantly reduced only in the YOG group (24.44 ± 6.73 to 23.51 ± 6.32%, p=.002). There were no significant group differences between YOG and ESS in balance and flexibility. However, balance was improved after the 6-week workout programs; PM (87.13 ± 11.64cm to 92.25 ± 9.91cm, p=.001), PL (82.88 ± 11.28 to 88.62 ± 9.62cm, p=.002), CRD (225.96 ± 27.17 to 238.26 ± 22.98cm, p=.001), normalized PM (98.31 ± 11.68 to 104.27 ± 11.14%, p=.001), normalized PL (93.60 ± 11.98 to 100.15 ± 10.70%, p=.001), and normalized CRD (255.12 ± 27.89 to 269.21 ± 25.07%, p=.001). Additionally, flexibility was improved from 51.42 ± 8.24 to 53.38 ± 7.04cm (p=.010) after the 6-week workout programs, while total body fat percentage was significantly reduced only in the YOG group (24.44 ± 6.73 to 23.51 ± 6.32%, p=.002). CONCLUSION: Whether an individual prefers a static or dynamic yoga program, both show improvements in flexibility and balance; however, neither program had a significant benefit over the other

Active boundary layers in confined active nematics

The roleofboundary layers inconventional liquidcrystals is commonly related to the mesogen anchoring on confining walls. In the classical view, anchoring enslaves the orientational field of the passive material under equilibrium conditions. In this work, we show that an active nematic can develop active boundary layers that topologically polarize the confining walls. We find that negatively-charged defects accumulate in the boundary layer, regardless of the wall curvature, and they influence the overall dynamics of the system to the point of fully controlling the behavior of the active nematic in situations of strong confinement. Further, we show that wall defects exhibit behaviors that are essentially different from those of their bulk counterparts, such as high motility or the ability to recombinewith another defect of like-sign topological charge. These exotic behaviors result from a change of symmetry induced by the wall in the director field around the defect. Finally, we suggest that the collective dynamics of wall defects might be described in terms of a model equation for one-dimensional spatio-temporal chaos