Preparing new librarians for career and organizational impact

The purpose of this case study is to report on the activities and outcomes of a facilitated group of new librarians in one Australian university. The aims of the librarians are to increase professional networking, to promote career development, to enhance job satisfaction and retention of motivated staff, to grow participants' sense of responsibility for organisational progress, and to develop willingness to take initiative in presenting good ideas for service improvement

Preparing new librarians for career and organizational impact

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Measurement of Resonant Frequency and Quality Factor of Microwave Resonators: Comparison of Methods

Precise microwave measurements of sample conductivity, dielectric, and magnetic properties are routinely performed with cavity perturbation measurements. These methods require the accurate determination of quality factor and resonant frequency of microwave resonators. Seven different methods to determine the resonant frequency and quality factor from complex transmission coefficient data are discussed and compared to find which is most accurate and precise when tested using identical data. We find that the nonlinear least-squares fit to the phase vs. frequency is the most accurate and precise when the signal-to-noise ratio is greater than 65. For noisier data, the nonlinear least squares fit to a Lorentzian curve is more accurate and precise. The results are general and can be applied to the analysis of many kinds of resonant phenomena.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figure

From zonal flow to convection rolls in Rayleigh-B\'enard convection with free-slip plates

Rayleigh-B\'enard (RB) convection with free-slip plates and horizontally periodic boundary conditions is investigated using direct numerical simulations. Two configurations are considered, one is two-dimension (2D) RB convection and the other one three-dimension (3D) RB convection with a rotating axis parallel to the plate. We explore the parameter range of Rayleigh numbers Ra from $10^7 to$10^9$and Prandtl numbers$Pr$from$1$to$100. We show that zonal flow, which was observed, for example, by Goluskin \emph{et al}. \emph{J. Fluid. Mech.} 759, 360-385 (2014) for \Gamma=2$, is only stable when$\Gamma$is smaller than a critical value, which depends on$Ra$and$Pr$. With increasing$\Gamma$, we find a second regime in which both zonal flow and different convection roll states can be statistically stable. For even larger$\Gamma$, in a third regime, only convection roll states are statistically stable and zonal flow is not sustained. For the 3D simulations, we fix$Ra=10^7$and$Pr=0.71$, and compare the flow for$\Gamma=8$and$\Gamma = 16$. We demonstrate that with increasing aspect ratio$\Gamma$, zonal flow, which was observed for small$\Gamma=2\pi by von Hardenberg \emph{et al}. \emph{Phys. Rev. Lett.} 15, 134501 (2015), completely disappears for \Gamma=16$. For such large$\Gamma$only convection roll states are statistically stable. In between, here for medium aspect ratio$\Gamma = 8$, the convection roll state and the zonal flow state are both statistically stable. What state is taken depends on the initial conditions, similarly as we found for the 2D case.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figure

Haze in the Klang Valley of Malaysia

Continuous measurements of dry aerosol light scattering (Bsp) were made at two sites in the Klang Valley of Malaysia between December 1998 and December 2000. In addition 24-h PM2.5 samples were collected on a one-day-in-six cycle and the chemical composition of the aerosol was determined. Periods of excessive haze were defined as 24-h average Bsp values greater than 150 Mm-1 and these occurred on a number of occasions, between May and September 1999, during May 2000, and between July and September 2000. The evidence for smoke being a significant contributor to aerosol during periods of excessive haze is discussed and includes features of the aerosol chemistry, the diurnal cycle of Bsp, and the coincidence of forest fires on Sumatra during the southwest (SW) monsoon period, as well as transport modelling for one week of the southwest Monsoon of 2000. The study highlights that whilst transboundary smoke is a major contributor to poor visibility in the Klang Valley, smoke from fires on Peninsular Malaysia is also a contributor, and at all times, the domestic source of secondary particle production is present

Identifying Capacity for Local Community Participation in Wildlife Management Planning Case 1: White-tailed Deer Issues at Fire Island National Seashore

Click on the PDF for an Executive Summary and the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

A millimeter-wave antireflection coating for cryogenic silicon lenses

We have developed and tested an antireflection (AR) coating method for silicon lenses at cryogenic temperatures and millimeter wavelengths. Our particular application is a measurement of the cosmic microwave background. The coating consists of machined pieces of Cirlex glued to the silicon. The measured reflection from an AR coated flat piece is less than 1.5% at the design wavelength. The coating has been applied to flats and lenses and has survived multiple thermal cycles from 300 to 4 K. We present the manufacturing method, the material properties, the tests performed, and estimates of the loss that can be achieved in practical lenses

Detection of Gravitational Wave - An Application of Relativistic Quantum Information Theory

We show that a passing gravitational wave may influence the spin entropy and spin negativity of a system of $N$ massive spin-1/2 particles, in a way that is characteristic of the radiation. We establish the specific conditions under which this effect may be nonzero. The change in spin entropy and negativity, however, is extremely small. Here, we propose and show that this effect may be amplified through entanglement swapping. Relativistic quantum information theory may have a contribution towards the detection of gravitational wave.Comment: 9 page

Design and fabrication of 3D-printed anatomically shaped lumbar cage for intervertebra disc (IVD) degeneration treatment

Spinal fusion is the gold standard surgical procedure for degenerative spinal conditions when conservative therapies have been unsuccessful in rehabilitation of patients. Novel strategies are required to improve biocompatibility and osseointegration of traditionally used materials for lumbar cages. Furthermore, new design and technologies are needed to bridge the gap due to the shortage of optimal implant sizes to fill the intervertebral disc defect. Within this context, additive manufacturing technology presents an excellent opportunity to fabricate ergonomic shape medical implants. The goal of this study is to design and manufacture a 3D-printed lumbar cage for lumbar interbody fusion. Optimisations of the proposed implant design and its printing parameters were achieved via in silico analysis. The final construct was characterised via scanning electron microscopy, contact angle, x-ray micro computed tomography (μCT), atomic force microscopy, and compressive test. Preliminary in vitro cell culture tests such as morphological assessment and metabolic activities were performed to access biocompatibility of 3D-printed constructs. Results of in silico analysis provided a useful platform to test preliminary cage design and to find an optimal value of filling density for 3D printing process. Surface characterisation confirmed a uniform coating of nHAp with nanoscale topography. Mechanical evaluation showed mechanical properties of final cage design similar to that of trabecular bone. Preliminary cell culture results showed promising results in terms of cell growth and activity confirming biocompatibility of constructs. Thus for the first time, design optimisation based on computational and experimental analysis combined with the 3D-printing technique for intervertebral fusion cage has been reported in a single study. 3D-printing is a promising technique for medical applications and this study paves the way for future development of customised implants in spinal surgical applications

Synchronous Disease Kinetics in a Murine Model for Enterohemorrhagic E. coli Infection Using Food-Borne Inoculation

Upon colonization of the intestinal epithelium, the attaching and effacing (AE) pathogen Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) effaces microvilli and forms pedestal-like structures beneath the adherent bacterium. The production of one of its virulence factors, the phage-encoded Shiga toxin (Stx) results in systemic disease, including the development of renal failure. Although EHEC does not productively infect conventional mice, EHEC infection can be modeled in mice utilizing a derivative of the natural murine AE pathogen Citrobacter rodentium(CR). Gavage of mice with CR(ΦStx2dact), a C. rodentium lysogenized by a phage encoding an Stx variant with high potency in mice, features AE lesion formation on intestinal epithelium and Stx-mediated systemic disease, including renal damage. This model is somewhat limited by mouse-to-mouse variation in the course of disease, with the time to severe morbidity (and required euthanasia) varying by as many as 5 days, a feature that limits pathological analysis at defined stages of disease. In the current study, we altered and optimized the preparation, dose, and mode of delivery of CR(ΦStx2dact), using food-borne route of infection to generate highly synchronous disease model. We found that food-borne inoculation of as few as 3 x 104 CR(ΦStx2dact) resulted in productive colonization and severe systemic disease. Upon inoculation of 1 x 108 bacteria, the majority of infected animals suffered weight loss beginning 5 days post-infection and all required euthanasia on day 6 or 7. This enhanced murine model for EHEC infection should facilitate characterization of the pathology associated with specific phases of Stx-mediated disease