Roosevelt Fountain Wind-Driven VFD Pump Control

The Roosevelt Fountain is a centerpiece of the Brookfield Zoo. The largest jet can send water vertically up to 18.3m. On windy days, water from the main jet blows mist outside the boundaries of the fountain and onto the civilian walkway. This affects the visitors of the zoo. The present countermeasure to this complication requires a manual valve adjustment or temporary pump shutdown. This causes the zoo staff to have to divert from their usual tasks, wasting time. This countermeasure also wastes energy, causing the zoo to overspend on electricity

Rubidium Fluoride Post-Deposition Treatment: Impact on the Chemical Structure of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Surface and CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Interface in Thin-Film Solar Cells.

We present a detailed characterization of the chemical structure of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film surface and the CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interface, both with and without a RbF post-deposition treatment (RbF-PDT). For this purpose, X-ray photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy, as well as synchrotron-based soft X-ray emission spectroscopy have been employed. Although some similarities with the reported impacts of light-element alkali PDT (i.e., NaF- and KF-PDT) are found, we observe some distinct differences, which might be the reason for the further improved conversion efficiency with heavy-element alkali PDT. In particular, we find that the RbF-PDT reduces, but not fully removes, the copper content at the absorber surface and does not induce a significant change in the Ga/(Ga + In) ratio. Additionally, we observe an increased amount of indium and gallium oxides at the surface of the treated absorber. These oxides are partly (in the case of indium) and completely (in the case of gallium) removed from the CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interface by the chemical bath deposition of the CdS buffer

Synthetic Spectra from PIC Simulations of Relativistic Collisionless Shocks

We extract synthetic photon spectra from first-principles particle-in-cell simulations of relativistic shocks propagating in unmagnetized pair plasmas. The two basic ingredients for the radiation, namely accelerated particles and magnetic fields, are produced self-consistently as part of the shock evolution. We use the method of Hededal & Nordlund (2005) and compute the photon spectrum via Fourier transform of the electric far-field from a large number of particles, sampled directly from the simulation. We find that the spectrum from relativistic collisionless shocks is entirely consistent with synchrotron radiation in the magnetic fields generated by Weibel instability. We can recover the so-called "jitter'' regime only if we artificially reduce the strength of the electromagnetic fields, such that the wiggler parameter K = qB lambda/mc^2 becomes much smaller than unity ("B" and "lambda" are the strength and scale of the magnetic turbulence, respectively). These findings may place constraints on the origin of non-thermal emission in astrophysics, especially for the interpretation of the hard (harder than synchrotron) low-frequency spectrum of Gamma-Ray Bursts.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ Letter

Pseudomonas aeruginosa: the making of a pathogen

Peer reviewe

Nitric Oxide Bioavailability at Peak Dynamic Handgrip Exercise in Young Metabolic Syndrome Women

The bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to contribute to vascular function during peak exercise. Young women with Metabolic Syndrome (MetSyn) have presented with a deficit in vascular conductance during exercise hyperemia. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to measure changes in bioavailable blood NO levels at rest and during peak handgrip exercise to determine the mechanistic role of NO on dynamic vascular conductance in women with MetSyn compared to healthy controls during small muscle exercise. METHODS: In this study, 16 participants (7 MetSyn and 9 Controls) performed graded dynamic handgrip while beat-to-beat blood pressure (CNAP finger plethysmography), brachial artery diameter and blood flow with Doppler ultrasound and B-mode imaging were measured continuously. Exercise workload was increased in a ramp fashion (0.5 kg/min) at 30 contraction/min until task. At rest and immediately upon task failure, a venipuncture was performed to take rest and peak venous NO levels to be later measured by EPR Spectroscopy (Bruker Biospin EleXsys-II E-540 EPR L-band) at the UNM Health Science Center and Colorimetric Nitrate/Nitrite commercial ELISA kit. Whole blood was drawn into a prepared vacutainer in a 1:1 venous blood with deferoxamine (DF) chelator, in diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) Krebs buffer. Plasma was preserved with EDTA and all samples were immediately flash frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 degrees Celsius. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in resting NO values (p=0.034) and end NO concentration values (p=0.053) between MetSyn and control groups. However, the MetSyn showed higher resting and peak NO values than control group as measured by ELISA. The change in plasma NO did not show any significant changes from rest to peak exercise in both groups (MetSyn p=0.757, control p=0.562). However, EPR indicated a significance between rest and peak exercise (p\u3c0.05). There was no significant change in NO between the groups (p=0.633). The MetSyn group has a significantly diminished arterial conductance in the brachial artery during handgrip as well as an attenuated response in the femoral artery during dynamic leg kick. CONCLUSION: The colorimetric nitrate/nitrite ELISA did not prove to be a sensitive enough technique to measure the degree of change of NO concentrations at peak exercise. The whole blood EPR technique in our laboratory is a more robust signal for identifying these changes in a wider range of concentrations between rest and peak. Future projects include an expansion of the standard curve for NO EPR to identify the potential differences at rest between the two research groups as well as to identify any health disparate differences between the regional populations of New Mexico and West Texas. Research reported in this publication was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medicine Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103451

Introduction: Gramsci Past and Present

Revisiting Gramsci’s Notebooks offers a rich collection of historical, philosophical, and political studies addressing the thought of Antonio Gramsci, one of the most significant intellects of the twentieth century. Based on thorough analyses of Gramsci’s texts, these interdisciplinary investigations engage with ongoing debates in different fields of study. They are exciting evidence of the enduring capacity of Gramsci’s thought to generate and nurture innovative inquiries across diverse themes. Gathering scholars from different continents, the volume represents a global network of Gramscian thinkers from early-career researchers to experienced scholars. Combining rigorous explication of the past with a strategic analysis of the present, these studies mobilise underexplored resources from the Gramscian toolbox to confront the actuality of our ‘great and terrible’ world

Resonant Raman scattering based approaches for the quantitative assessment of nanometric ZnMgO layers in high efficiency chalcogenide solar cells

This work reports a detailed resonant Raman scattering analysis of ZnMgO solid solution nanometric layers that are being developed for high efficiency chalcogenide solar cells. This includes layers with thicknesses below 100 nm and compositions corresponding to Zn/(Zn + Mg) content rations in the range between 0% and 30%. The vibrational characterization of the layers grown with different compositions and thicknesses has allowed deepening in the knowledge of the sensitivity of the different Raman spectral features on the characteristics of the layers, corroborating the viability of resonant Raman scattering based techniques for their non-destructive quantitative assessment. This has included a deeper analysis of different experimental approaches for the quantitative assessment of the layer thickness, based on (a) the analysis of the intensity of the ZnMgO main Raman peak; (b) the evaluation of the changes of the intensity of the main Raman peak from the subjacent layer located below the ZnMgO one; and (c) the study of the changes in the relative intensity of the first to second/third order ZnMgO peaks. In all these cases, the implications related to the presence of quantum confinement effects in the nanocrystalline layers grown with different thicknesses have been discussed and evaluated

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Attenuation by Acute Consumption of Essential Amino Acids

BACKGROUND: Essential amino acids have been known to be necessary for protein nutrition whether they are obtained by eating proteins or by a formula of the essential amino acids. Studies have consistently demonstrated the acute benefits of protein supplementation on post-exercise muscle anabolism, which may facilitate the recovery of muscle function and performance. However, when protein supplements have been provided in research studies, acute changes in post-exercise protein synthesis and anabolic intracellular signaling have not resulted in measureable reductions in muscle damage and enhanced recovery of muscle function. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to implement a specific content of essential amino acid supplements combined with a resistance and aerobic exercise routine and quantify the difference in strength, endurance and flexibility, during the time commonly associated with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), between the first and last days of exercise. METHODS: In this study, 24 participants (12 EAA and 12 Controls) completed an exercise routine (sit and reach, shoulder flexibility distance, Maximum Voluntary Contraction Isometric Handgrip, 20 meters sprint (timed), push-ups (reps), 5 minutes rest (¼ bottle consumption of drink), chin-ups (reps) or flexed arm hang (time), 5 minutes rest (¼ bottle consumption of drink), dips (rep), 10 minute rest (¼ bottle consumption of drink), and a 1.5 mile run) for three consecutive days. At the end of first and last exercise visit, a venipuncture was performed to measure Creatine Kinase levels to be later measured by a commercial ELISA kit. The study participants were randomly assigned to either the EAA (6.6g) per day (EAA + Gatorade) group or the control (Gatorade) group. The study design is a double blind as neither the recording analysis researchers or study participants were aware of the assigned group. RESULTS: Both groups maintained the initial flexibility respectively throughout the three days of exercise. However, the EAA group randomly was more flexible (p\u3e0.05 Sit and Reach) at the first visit. For the resistance/power activities, the EAA group improved over the three day in the repetitions for push-ups and dips compared to the controls and from day 1. The control group had no significant change from day 1 to 3 in dips and chin-ups. The EAA group was faster in the 20-meter sprint and 1.5 mile run on the last day of exercise compared to the first while the control group was slower ; however, both group’s changes were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The EAA group had an improvement over the three days of exercise compared to the placebo group. The data given in the results supports the initial claim that acute ingestion of this amino acid supplement provides increased athletic performance in sedentary participants as well as decreases the DOMS symptoms accompanied with the commencement of a new exercise regime. Research reported in this publication was supported by a research contract with Calwood Nutritionals

Who owns the diamonds? The occult eco-nomy of diamond mining in Sierra Leone

Much of the literature on Sierra Leonean diamonds focuses on the role that this mineral resource played in the recent civil conflict (1991–2002). However, the political-economic perspective that is common to these analyses has lost sight of the main actors in this social reality. What do miners think of diamonds? Like their Malagasy colleagues engaged in the search for sapphires, the Sierra Leonean diamond miners often maintain that they do not know what diamonds could possibly be used for. What is specific to the diamond mining areas in this West African country is that suspicions and fantasies about the uses of diamonds go hand in hand with the idea that these precious stones belong to invisible spiritual entities known locally as djinns or dεbul dεn. Although this article aims to analyse the occult imaginary of diamond miners, it takes a different stand from the occult economies approach. By combining a historical-imaginative perspective with a historical and ecological one, this article intends to highlight the indissoluble interweaving of material and imaginative processes of artisanal diamond production in the context of Sierra Leone's mines

Management learning at the speed of life:Designing reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials

This paper introduces the concept of "management learning at the speed of life" as a metaphor to inspire millenials. Millenials may face three major problems in relation to management learning: lack of concentration, lack of engagement, and lack of socialization. Management learning at the speed of life addresses these potential problems through three dimensions: reflective, creative, and collaborative learning. This paper illustrates the benefits of reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials using practices from leadership and personal development courses that were offered over seven years in Canada, Turkey, and the UK. These courses incorporated the latest technology that brought the course activities up to the speed of life