A User‐Friendly Workbook to Facilitate Rapid and Accurate Rare Earth Element Analyses by ICP‐MS for Multispiked Samples

The rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used as geochemical tracers in the earth, planetary, and ocean sciences. Inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) has become the method of choice to analyze REE concentrations because it can rapidly measure the entire REE spectrum at the same time. This Technical Report presents a user‐friendly "REE Calculation Workbook" in Microsoft Excel to be used for calculating REE abundances in samples equilibrated with a multielement REE spike. This Workbook can be conveniently used to calculate REE concentrations in natural samples for spiked and unspiked elements measured by ICP‐MS. For the spiked elements, their concentrations are calculated using isotope dilution equations. Using these spiked elements as references, concentrations of the four mono‐isotopic REE elements, and other REE elements that are treated as mono‐isotopic elements (in our case, La and Lu), can be calculated. The REE Workbook can be easily set up for use with different REE spikes. Evaluation of our analytical quality using a quadrupole ICP‐MS on 10‐ml‐sized seawater samples shows that our analyses are comparable to high‐precision thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) studies, with much less time spent processing and analyzing, and with the added advantages of determining mono‐isotopic elements. An important result is the clear demonstration of enrichments in Gd and Er compared to neighboring elements in seawater samples. In addition, we compare and evaluate commonly used reference standards BCR‐1, Post‐Archean Australian Shale (PAAS), and North American Shale Composite (NASC)

Quark cluster signatures in deuteron electromagnetic interactions

A suggestion is made for distinguishing 2N and 6q short range correlations within the deuteron. The suggestion depends upon observing high momentum backward nucleons emerging from inelastic electromagnetic scattering from a deuteron target. A simple model is worked out to see the size of effects that may be expected.Comment: 18 pages (3 figures available as hard copy), WM-94-10

Statistical properties of the GALEX spectroscopic stellar sample

The GALEX General Data Release 4/5 includes 174 spectroscopic tiles, obtained from slitless grism observations, for a total of more than 60,000 ultraviolet spectra. We have determined statistical properties of the sample of GALEX stars. We have defined a suitable system of spectroscopic indices, which measure the main mid-UV features at the GALEX low spectral resolution and we have employed it to determine the atmospheric parameters of of stars in the range 4500<Teff<9000 K. Our preliminary results indicate that the sample is formed by a majority of main sequence F- and G-type stars, with metallicity [M/H]>-1 dex.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science, UV universe special issu

Non-static Dimensional Reduction of QED_3 at Finite Temperature

We study an extreme non-static limit of 2+1-dimensional QED obtained by making a dimensional reduction so that all fields are spatially uniform but time dependent. This dimensional reduction leads to a 0+1-dimensional field theory that inherits many of the features of the 2+1-dimensional model, such as Chern-Simons terms, time-reversal violation, an analogue of parity violation, and global U(2) flavor symmetry. At one-loop level, interactions induce a Chern-Simons term at finite T with coefficient tanh(beta m_F/2), where m_F is the fermion mass. The finite temperature two loop self-energies are also computed, and are non-zero for all temperatures.Comment: 28 pp, 11 figures, uses axodraw.st

Optimization of culture media to produce Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 in a handcrafted bioreactor

El objetivo de esta investigación fue optimizar un medio nutritivo basado en fertilizantes para el cultivo de Bacillus subtilis en un biorreactor tipo Airlift. Para este fin se analizaron veintisiete medios preparados mediante la combinación de cinco factores con tres niveles que incluyen sacarosa, sulfato de amonio, superfosfato triple de calcio, fórmula UltraK® e inóculo (Serenade® Max).&nbsp; Este biorreactor es un Airlift de 50 L de capacidad, de diseño artesanal elaborado por los autores.&nbsp; Las variables monitoreadas en los medios fueron absorbencia, oxígeno disuelto, pH y temperatura. La primera fue la que se tomó más en cuenta para la optimización pues es el indicador indirecto del crecimiento bacteriano.&nbsp; Se eligió para Señal/Ruido la opción “Más grande es mejor”, obteniendo los análisis de varianza y gráficos de los efectos principales de acuerdo al método Taguchi.&nbsp; Los resultados indicaron que el nivel alto de sacarosa, conjuntamente con el nivel bajo de superfosfato de calcio son importantes para el máximo crecimiento en el tiempo estudiado. En cambio, los componentes como sulfato de amonio, fórmula UltraK® o la cantidad de inóculo no resultaron significativos, lo cual significa que se pueden adicionar en el nivel bajo.&nbsp; Esta nueva información se puede incorporar aplicada a biorreactores de &gt;2500 L que previamente hemos desarrollado.&nbsp; Como conclusión final es que el máximo crecimiento bacteriano depende de un buen suministro de sacarosa, limitando el superfosfato triple de calcio.&nbsp; Adicionalmente, es prudente disminuir las adiciones de sulfato de amonio debido a que reduce el oxígeno disuelto en el medio nutritivo.Objective. To optimize a nutrient medium based on fertilizers for the cultivation of Bacillus subtilis in an Airlift-type handcrafted bioreactor. Design/Methodology/Approach. Twenty-seven nutrient media, fixed by combining five factors with three levels, including sucrose, ammonium sulfate, triple superphosphate, UltraK® formula, and B. subtilis inoculum (Serenade® Max) were tested in a 50L handcrafted by the authors. The variables monitored in the media were absorbance, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature. The first was the one that was considered for optimization as it is the indirect indicator of bacterial growth. On the statistical analysis, the option "Larger is better" was chosen for Signal/Noise for the ANOVA of the main effects according to the Taguchi method.     Results.  The highest level of sucrose, together with the lowest level of triple superphosphate were determinants for maximum growth of Bacillus in the time studied. On the other hand, the components such as ammonium sulfate, UltraK® formula, or the amount of inoculum were not significant, which means that they can be added from the mid to low levels. Study limitations/Implications.  This new information can be scaled to bioreactors of 2500 L for B. subtilis that we have previously developed. Finding/Conclusions. Maximum bacterial growth depends on a good supply of sucrose, limiting triple superphosphate. Additionally, it is prudent to decrease additions of ammonium sulfate because it reduces dissolved oxygen in the nutrient medium

Observation and Modeling of the Solar-Cycle Variation of the Meridional Flow

We present independent observations of the solar-cycle variation of flows near the solar surface and at a depth of about 60 Mm, in the latitude range $\pm45^\circ$. We show that the time-varying components of the meridional flow at these two depths have opposite sign, while the time-varying components of the zonal flow are in phase. This is in agreement with previous results. We then investigate whether the observations are consistent with a theoretical model of solar-cycle dependent meridional circulation based on a flux-transport dynamo combined with a geostrophic flow caused by increased radiative loss in the active region belt (the only existing quantitative model). We find that the model and the data are in qualitative agreement, although the amplitude of the solar-cycle variation of the meridional flow at 60 Mm is underestimated by the model.Comment: To be published in Solar Physcis Topical Issue "Helioseismology, Asteroseismology, and MHD Connections

A Latency-Aware Real-Time Video Surveillance Demo: Network Slicing for Improving Public Safety

© 2021 IEEE.  Personal use of this material is permitted.  Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksWe report the automated deployment of 5G services across a latency-aware, semidisaggregated, and virtualized metro network. We summarize the key findings in a detailed analysis of end-to-end latency, service setup time, and soft-failure detection timeThe research leading to these results has received funding from the EC and BMBF through the METRO-HAUL project (G.A. No. 761727) and OTB-5G+ project (reference No. 16KIS0979K

A home and ambulatory artificial nutrition (NADYA) group report, home parenteral nutrition in Spain, 2013

Aim: to communicate the results of the Spanish Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) registry of the NADYA-SENPE group for the year 2013. Material and methods: data was recorded online by NADYA group collaborators that were responsible of the HPN follow-up from 1st January to 31st December 2013. Results: a total of 197 patients and 202 episodes of HPN were registered from 35 hospitals that represents a rate of 4,22 patients/million habitants/year 2013. The median age was 53 years (IQR 40 – 64) for 189 adult patients and 7 months (IQR 6 – 35,5) for children. The most frequent disease in adults was neoplasm (30,7%) followed by other diseases (20,1%) and mesenteric ischemia (12,7%). Short bowel syndrome and intestinal obstruction (25,9%) were in 35.7% cases the indications for HPN

Bridging the research-implementation gap in IUCN Red List assessments

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is central in biodiversity conservation, but insufficient resources hamper its long-term growth, updating, and consistency. Models or automated calculations can alleviate those challenges by providing standardised estimates required for assessments, or prioritising species for (re-)assessments. However, while numerous scientific papers have proposed such methods, few have been integrated into assessment practice, highlighting a critical research-implementation gap. We believe this gap can be bridged by fostering communication and collaboration between academic researchers and Red List practitioners, and by developing and maintaining user-friendly platforms to automate application of the methods. We propose that developing methods better encompassing Red List criteria, systems, and drivers is the next priority to support the Red List.Peer reviewe

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results