Evaluation of photografted charged sites within polymer monoliths in capillary columns using contactless conductivity detection

Capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) is presented as a novel and versatile means of visualising discrete zones of charged functional groups grafted onto polymer based monoliths. Monoliths were formed within 100 μm UV transparent fused silica capillaries and photografting methods were subsequently used to graft a charged functional monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) onto discrete regions of the “generic” monolith using a photomask. Post-modification monolith evaluation involves scanning the C4D detector along the length of the monolith to obtain a profile of the exact spatial location of grafted charged functionalities with millimetre accuracy. The methodology was extended to the visualisation of several zones of immobilised protein (bovine serum albumin) using photografted azlactone groups to enable covalent attachment of the protein to the monolith at precise locations along its length. In addition, the extent of non-specific binding of protein to the ungrafted regions of the monolith due to hydrophobic interactions could be monitored as an increase in background conductivity of the stationary phase. Finally, the technique was cross-validated using fluorescence microscopy by immobilising green fluorescent protein (GFP) in discrete zones and comparing the profiles obtained using both complementary techniques

Zero temperature black holes in semiclassical gravity

The semiclassical Einstein equations are solved to first order in $\epsilon = \hbar/M^2$ for the case of an extreme or nearly extreme Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black hole perturbed by the vacuum stress-energy of quantized free fields. It is shown that, for realistic fields of spin 0, 1/2, or 1, any zero temperature black hole solution to the equations must have an event horizon at $r_h < |Q|$, with $Q$ the charge of the black hole. It is further shown that no black hole solutions with $r_h < |Q|$ can be obtained by solving the semiclassical Einstein equations perturbatively.Comment: 7 pages, to appear in the Proceedings of the Ninth Marcel Grossmann Meeting, change in titl

Cultural Awareness and Change Management: Embracing the Benefits of Merging a Community College with a University in Atlantic Canada

The organizational merger of two post-secondary organizations is fraught with synergies and complications that lend themselves to positive and negative outcomes of the joining. The need for a consolidated credential pathway model that defined the academic and administrative authorities of the merged organization was required. The organizational improvement plan (OIP) reviews the historical context of Ocean Institute of Eastern University (OIEU) to uncover the cultural underpinnings of resistance that exhibited themselves. While blind resistance exists within almost every organization, including true ideological resistance, within the context of OIEU, most of the resistance is rooted in political resistance, where some feel they will lose their power base, status, and role within the organization. Leading an organization through change involving many systems, structures, and functions requires a humanistic leadership approach combining transformational and distributed leadership principles. Ownership of the change is realized through appreciative inquiry and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to encourage stakeholders the ability to own and effect change in the organization. As per Edgar Schein’s change model, leading through change will require the organization to unfreeze, learn new things, and re-freeze. This change process is fundamental to all organizational change models. It is specifically well-considered for OIEU, frozen in a three-decade position of two academic authorities. The OIP will propose a solution to address the dichotomy in credential pathways, thus enabling OIEU to realize its full potential within the post-secondary landscape

Sensitivity of the r-process to nuclear masses

The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is thought to be responsible for the creation of more than half of all elements beyond iron. The scientific challenges to understanding the origin of the heavy elements beyond iron lie in both the uncertainties associated with astrophysical conditions that are needed to allow an r-process to occur and a vast lack of knowledge about the properties of nuclei far from stability. There is great global competition to access and measure the most exotic nuclei that existing facilities can reach, while simultaneously building new, more powerful accelerators to make even more exotic nuclei. This work is an attempt to determine the most crucial nuclear masses to measure using an r-process simulation code and several mass models (FRDM, Duflo-Zuker, and HFB-21). The most important nuclear masses to measure are determined by the changes in the resulting r-process abundances. Nuclei around the closed shells near N=50, 82, and 126 have the largest impact on r-process abundances irrespective of the mass models used.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in European Physical Journal

Design of a Ballistically-Launched Foldable Multirotor

The operation of multirotors in crowded environments requires a highly reliable takeoff method, as failures during takeoff can damage more valuable assets nearby. The addition of a ballistic launch system imposes a deterministic path for the multirotor to prevent collisions with its environment, as well as increases the multirotor’s range of operation and allows deployment from an unsteady platform. In addition, outfitting planetary rovers or entry vehicles with such deployable multirotors has the potential to greatly extend the data collection capabilities of a mission. A proof-of-concept multirotor aircraft has been developed, capable of transitioning from a ballistic launch configuration to a fully controllable flight configuration in midair after launch. The transition is accomplished via passive unfolding of the multirotor arms, triggered by a nichrome burn wire release mechanism. The design is 3D printable, launches from a three-inch diameter barrel, and has sufficient thrust to carry a significant payload. The system has been fabricated and field tested from a moving vehicle up to 50mph to successfully demonstrate the feasibility of the concept and experimentally validate the design’s aerodynamic stability and deployment reliability