The Physics of Maxwell's demon and information

Maxwell's demon was born in 1867 and still thrives in modern physics. He plays important roles in clarifying the connections between two theories: thermodynamics and information. Here, we present the history of the demon and a variety of interesting consequences of the second law of thermodynamics, mainly in quantum mechanics, but also in the theory of gravity. We also highlight some of the recent work that explores the role of information, illuminated by Maxwell's demon, in the arena of quantum information theory.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures. v2: some refs added, figs improve

From least action in electrodynamics to magnetomechanical energy -- a review

The equations of motion for electromechanical systems are traced back to the fundamental Lagrangian of particles and electromagnetic fields, via the Darwin Lagrangian. When dissipative forces can be neglected the systems are conservative and one can study them in a Hamiltonian formalism. The central concepts of generalized capacitance and inductance coefficients are introduced and explained. The problem of gauge independence of self-inductance is considered. Our main interest is in magnetomechanics, i.e. the study of systems where there is exchange between mechanical and magnetic energy. This throws light on the concept of magnetic energy, which according to the literature has confusing and peculiar properties. We apply the theory to a few simple examples: the extension of a circular current loop, the force between parallel wires, interacting circular current loops, and the rail gun. These show that the Hamiltonian, phase space, form of magnetic energy has the usual property that an equilibrium configuration corresponds to an energy minimum.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, 65 reference

USGS Indiana Dunes Microclimate Existence Exploration

Some years ago, the USGS at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore started to collect data to study the climate of the park and search for the existence of microclimates. A microclimate is defined as the climate of a very small or restricted area, or when that differs significantly from the area around it. A benefit of finding whether or not a microclimate exists is the ability to identify which areas of the park are better suited to particular animals. At the Dunes, the Karner blue butterfly is only able to withstand certain conditions in nature in a particular microclimate. At the Dunes National Lakeshore, there is a unique geographical area created by the sand dunes. Certain sides of the dunes receive more sunlight or more wind than other areas. Also, some areas are grassy, whereas others are more sandy. The difference in soil aids in creating different microclimates within the park. In order to verify the existence of microclimates and which specific microclimates exist within the park, we must have data. Over these years, the staff of the USGS has placed sensor stations to collect light and temperature data. Each station has four sensors, and each collected data readings every thirty minutes. The sensor data is then retrieved and manually checked for errors and cleaned. For this project, we will be doing many analyses with this same data that they have collected, which they have provided to us. Some of our responsibilities include bringing the data together into one uniform dataset, analyzing this data to provide environmental information around the park, and providing graphs and data counts to test the quality of the data

Disordered eating in elite youth athletes: A scoping review of studies published since 2000

Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to explore what is known about eating disorders and disordered eating in elite youth athletes aged 12–18. This review intended to explore what is known about the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of these conditions. Design: Scoping Review. Method: A scoping review was conducted following the Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodology. Six key databases were searched to identify articles for inclusion: PsycInfo, MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Data was subsequently extracted and summarised in line with the research questions. Results: In total, 21 studies were found that met inclusion criteria. The included studies overwhelmingly focused on girls, European populations, and used a cross-sectional quantitative study design. Where clinical interview was used, there were higher rates of eating disorders among elite youth athletes compared to the general youth population. The most cited risk factors included female gender, leanness sports, and those with higher body mass index. Eating disorders and disordered eating were found to be associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety but there was limited investigation of other associated outcomes. Conclusions: Findings from this review suggest that elite youth athletes are at risk of eating disorders and disordered eating. However, significant limitations in the field exist and further research is needed using clinical interview and population specific screening tools to better understand the prevalence, risk factors and outcomes of disordered eating and eating disorders to support this population

Raspberry SCI: An Inexpensive High Performance Computing Cluster for WRF Simulations within the Valparaiso University Meteorology Program

An inexpensive high performance computing cluster constructed of Raspberry Pis is compared to a standard multi-core computer server that is capable of running the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to simulate various weather phenomenon from severe weather outbreaks to high impact lake effect snow bands that blanket Valpo in snow. The initial idea for this project came from similar work being done at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Numerous Raspberry Pis, small inexpensive computers, are connected to each other, resulting in a total of 40 to 50 cores. The high computing power allows for substantial weather simulations to be completed. The Raspberry Pi cluster is then compared to a 15-core server to assess the effectiveness of running the WRF. The clock-time completion of the WRF simulations serve as a comparison between the two systems. This poster describes the variability of using the Raspberry Pi cluster for use in an educational setting and research within the meteorology program at Valparaiso University. We thank the University Guild for their funding that made this project possible

Raspberry SCI: An Inexpensive High Performance Computing Cluster for WRF Simulations within the Valparaiso University Meteorology Program

An inexpensive high performance computing cluster constructed of Raspberry Pis is compared to a standard multi-core computer server that is capable of running the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to simulate various weather phenomenon from severe weather outbreaks to high impact lake effect snow bands that blanket Valpo in snow. The initial idea for this project came from similar work being done at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Numerous Raspberry Pis, small inexpensive computers, are connected to each other, resulting in a total of 40 to 50 cores. The high computing power allows for substantial weather simulations to be completed. The Raspberry Pi cluster is then compared to a 15-core server to assess the effectiveness of running the WRF. The clock-time completion of the WRF simulations serve as a comparison between the two systems. This poster describes the variability of using the Raspberry Pi cluster for use in an educational setting and research within the meteorology program at Valparaiso University. We thank the University Guild for their funding that made this project possible