X-ray absorption spectroscopic analysis of raw and processed hog manure

Non-Peer ReviewedAnaerobic digestion technology is a process that allows livestock producers to generate electricity and heat by digesting manure. Clear-Green Environmental Inc. uses this process to make biogas from hog manure. Raw manure is pumped into a digester where it is digested anaerobically by mesophyllic bacteria. The digested manure is transferred to a dual purpose tank (DPT) which serves as a secondary digester from which the biogas is collected. Carbon is the only nutrient consumed in the digester and the by-product of this process is used in fertilizers. It has not been shown if there is a change in speciation of key elements like nitrogen and phosphorus upon digestion. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure spectroscopy (XANES) was used to characterize the nitrogen, phosphorous and iron found in raw and digested hog manure. Two detection modes, Total Electron Yield (TEY) and Fluorescence Yield (FY) were used for data collection. Raw hog manure contained organic nitrogen, phosphates and ferrous iron. Digested hog manure contained organic and inorganic nitrogen, phosphates as well as a mix of ferrous and ferric iron

Electronic structure of NiS1−x_{1-x}Sex_x across the phase transition

We report very highly resolved photoemission spectra of NiS(1-x)Se(x) across the so-called metal-insulator transition as a function of temperature as well as composition. The present results convincingly demonstrate that the low temperature, antiferromagnetic phase is metallic, with a reduced density of states at E$_F$. This decrease is possibly due to the opening of gaps along specific directions in the Brillouin zone caused by the antiferromagnetic ordering.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, 3 postscript figure

Adaptive light-sheet fluorescence microscopy with a deformable mirror for video-rate volumetric imaging

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) achieves optically sectioned imaging with the relatively low photobleaching and phototoxic effect. To achieve high-speed volumetric LSFM imaging without perturbing the sample, it is necessary to use some form of remote refocusing in the detection beam path. Previous work used electrically tunable lenses, tunable acoustic gradient index of refraction lenses, or the remote-refocusing approach of Botcherby et al. [Opt. Lett. 32(14), 2007 (2007)] to achieve remote refocusing. However, these approaches generally only provide low-order defocus correction, which is not compatible with higher-NA objectives that require higher order defocus corrections or reduce the optical throughput. In order to simultaneously achieve high-speed remote refocusing and correct system aberrations, we employ a deformable mirror in the detection path that is capable of providing higher orders of defocus and aberration correction in an optical system with an NA of 0.72–0.75. We demonstrate high-speed volumetric imaging at 26.3 volumes per second and 35 frames per volume for a defocus range of −50 to 50 μm

VOLCANIC HAZARD ASSESSMENT AT SANTORINI VOLCANO: A REVIEW AND A SYNTHESIS IN THE LIGHT OF THE 2011-2012 SANTORINI UNREST

Το 2011 και το πρώτο εξάμηνο του 2012 η Σαντορίνη γνώρισε την πρώτη σεισμο-ηφαιστειακή κρίση από το 1950, όπως αυτή ανιχνεύθηκε από τα μόνιμα εγκατεστημένα δίκτυα παρακολούθησης και ένα μεγάλο αριθμό παροδικών μετρήσεων. Η διέγερση αυτή χαρακτηρίστηκε από μικρού μεγέθους, αλλά έντονη σεισμική δραστηριότητα, σημαντική ανύψωση και διόγκωση του νησιού, αλλαγές της θερμοκρασίας του νερού και των γεωχημικών αερίων. Ενώ η διέγερση έληξε την άνοιξη του 2012, το παγκόσμιο ενδιαφέρον οδήγησε στην εκπόνηση αρκετών μελετών, σε μια προσπάθεια να αξιολογηθούν τα πιθανά σενάρια για την εξέλιξη της διέγερσης. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, συνοψίζουμε τα σημαντικότερα ευρήματα σχετικά με την επικινδυνότητα του ευρύτερου ηφαιστειακού συγκροτήματος της Σαντορίνης, καθώς και τις πληροφορίες που πρέπει να ληφθούν υπόψη για τη διαχείριση μιας πιθανής μελλοντικής ηφαιστειακής κρίσης.In 2011 and the first half of 2012 Santorini experienced its first seismo-volcanic unrest since 1950, as detected by the permanently installed monitoring networks and a large number of campaign measurements. The unrest was characterized by small magnitude but intense seismic activity, significant uplift and inflation deformation rates, and changes of water temperature as well as of fluid and soil gases. While the unrest ended in the spring of 2012, the world-wide interest led to the performance of several studies, in an attempt to assess the possible scenarios for the unrest evolution. Within this framework, we summarize the most important findings regarding the volcanic hazard assessment of the broader Santorini volcanic complex, as well as the constraints that need to be taken into account for a possible future volcanic crisis management

Some factors influencing populations of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) in the north central states: Resistance of corn, time of planting and weather conditions Part II, 1958-1962

A cooperative project was conducted by the agricultural experiment stations of Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio and the U. S. Department of Agriculture to study the effects of weather, planting date and resistant hybrids as factors influencing populations of the European com borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner). Identical studies were carried out at Ankeny, Iowa; Waseca, Minnesota; and Wooster, Ohio, during a 10-year period, 1953-1962. The first 4 years of the study (1953-56) were reported by Everett et al. (1958). The work reported herein is a companion bulletin to the Everett et al. (1958) publication and deals with the results of experiments conducted during 1958-1962. The experimental design was a randomized block, split plot with five replications. The whole plot treatments were four hybrid-planting date combinations consisting of early- or late-planting dates and susceptible or resistant hybrids. The subplot treatments consisted of a factorial arrangement of all possible combinations of three levels of infestation (zero, natural and natural + 3 egg masses) by first brood and the same three levels of infestation by second-brood borers. Temperature and rainfall records were kept at each of the three stations. Borer population and injury to the plant were recorded at the end of the first brood and in the fall. Yield data were collected

Paradoxical evidence on ethnic inequities in child welfare: towards a research agenda

This paper aims to compare developments in theory and evidence about ethnic disparities in the USA with findings from the Child Welfare Inequalities Project in England with a view to identifying key issues for a future research agenda. It has a particular focus on the relevance of the concept of the Hispanic Paradox for disparate intervention rates between ethnic populations in England. Three key theoretical dimensions for explaining such disparities are identified and outlined: artefactual, demand and supply factors. Findings from the study in England are then introduced to explore the relevance of these dimensions in a data set of over 14,000 individual children who were either on child protection plans (with substantiated child abuse or neglect) or who were ‘looked after children: in out-of-home care, at the 31st March 2015. While some ethnic populations were experiencing much more difficult average socio-economic circumstances (SEC) than others (using deprivation scores for small neighbourhoods as a proxy measure of family SEC), such factors were only a partial explanation for differential intervention rates between ethnic groups. Overall, large differences in intervention rates were found between ethnic categories and sub-categories which also confounded simply attributing disparities to either cultural differences, such as family patterns, or to individual or institutionalised discrimination. The potential for cost saving if intervention rates could match those ethnic groups with the lowest levels of service use would be considerable. More research is needed to ensure that data is comprehensive, reliable and valid, that there is better understanding of how socio-economic factors affect service demand and what characteristics of different ethnic populations and different approaches to service provision contribute to differential intervention rates. Key elements of such a research agenda are identified

Stability of Bose Einstein condensates of hot magnons in YIG

We investigate the stability of the recently discovered room temperature Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of magnons in Ytrrium Iron Garnet (YIG) films. We show that magnon-magnon interactions depend strongly on the external field orientation, and that the BEC in current experiments is actually metastable - it only survives because of finite size effects, and because the BEC density is very low. On the other hand a strong field applied perpendicular to the sample plane leads to a repulsive magnon-magnon interaction; we predict that a high-density magnon BEC can then be formed in this perpendicular field geometry.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter

Symplectic potentials and resolved Ricci-flat ACG metrics

We pursue the symplectic description of toric Kahler manifolds. There exists a general local classification of metrics on toric Kahler manifolds equipped with Hamiltonian two-forms due to Apostolov, Calderbank and Gauduchon(ACG). We derive the symplectic potential for these metrics. Using a method due to Abreu, we relate the symplectic potential to the canonical potential written by Guillemin. This enables us to recover the moment polytope associated with metrics and we thus obtain global information about the metric. We illustrate these general considerations by focusing on six-dimensional Ricci flat metrics and obtain Ricci flat metrics associated with real cones over L^{pqr} and Y^{pq} manifolds. The metrics associated with cones over Y^{pq} manifolds turn out to be partially resolved with two blowup parameters taking special (non-zero)values. For a fixed Y^{pq} manifold, we find explicit metrics for several inequivalent blow-ups parametrised by a natural number k in the range 0<k<p. We also show that all known examples of resolved metrics such as the resolved conifold and the resolution of C^3/Z_3 also fit the ACG classification.Comment: LaTeX, 34 pages, 4 figures (v2)presentation improved, typos corrected and references added (v3)matches published versio

Anomalous behavior of spin wave resonances in Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As thin films

We report ferromagnetic and spin wave resonance absorption measurements on high quality epitaxially grown Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As thin films. We find that these films exhibit robust ferromagnetic long-range order, based on the fact that up to seven resonances are detected at low temperatures, and the resonance structure survives to temperatures close to the ferromagnetic transition. On the other hand, we observe a spin wave dispersion which is linear in mode number, in qualitative contrast with the quadratic dispersion expected for homogeneous samples. We perform a detailed numerical analysis of the experimental data and provide analytical calculations to demonstrate that such a linear dispersion is incompatible with uniform magnetic parameters. Our theoretical analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance data, combined with the knowledge that strain-induced anisotropy is definitely present in these films, suggests that a spatially dependent magnetic anisotropy is the most likely reason behind the anomalous behavior observed.Comment: 9 pages, including 6 figure