Collections Are for Collisions: Let Us Design It into the Experience

We talk about collections all the time: how to build and share them; how to provide access; how to enlist the community in selecting; how to prove the value of collections; how to use collection statistics. We even talk about collections that are hidden and how to get rid of the ones we no longer need. What we infrequently discuss is how to get community members connected with the collections. A hot topic of conversation, particularly in the design of work environments, is how to create collisions that lead to good outcomes. In this plenary session, Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian at Temple University, shares insights into why we need to start talking about designing our libraries, both physical and virtual, with collisions in mind. If the whole point of collections is to facilitate interactions with discovery, research, and learning, then we have to come up with better ways to design it into the library experience

High dilution surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid determination of nicotine in e-liquids for electronic cigarettes

The nicotine concentration in e-liquids can be determined by SERS even after the samples are diluted to remove matrix effects.</p

Spectroscopy of Giant Stars in the Pyxis Globular Cluster

The Pyxis globular cluster is a recently discovered globular cluster that lies in the outer halo (R_{gc} ~ 40 kpc) of the Milky Way. Pyxis lies along one of the proposed orbital planes of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and it has been proposed to be a detached LMC globular cluster captured by the Milky Way. We present the first measurement of the radial velocity of the Pyxis globular cluster based on spectra of six Pyxis giant stars. The mean heliocentric radial velocity is ~ 36 km/sec, and the corresponding velocity of Pyxis with respect to a stationary observer at the position of the Sun is ~ -191 km/sec. This radial velocity is a large enough fraction of the cluster's expected total space velocity, assuming that it is bound to the Milky Way, that it allows strict limits to be placed on the range of permissible transverse velocities that Pyxis could have in the case that it still shares or nearly shares an orbital pole with the LMC. We can rule out that Pyxis is on a near circular orbit if it is Magellanic debris, but we cannot rule out an eccentric orbit associated with the LMC. We have calculated the range of allowed proper motions for the Pyxis globular cluster that result in the cluster having an orbital pole within 15 degrees of the present orbital pole of the LMC and that are consistent with our measured radial velocity, but verification of the tidal capture hypothesis must await proper motion measurement from the Space Interferometry Mission or HST. A spectroscopic metallicity estimate of [Fe/H] = -1.4 +/- 0.1 is determined for Pyxis from several spectra of its brightest giant; this is consistent with photometric determinations of the cluster metallicity from isochrone fitting.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, aaspp4 style, accepted for publication in October, 2000 issue of the PAS

Entanglement between two subsystems, the Wigner semicircle and extreme value statistics

The entanglement between two arbitrary subsystems of random pure states is studied via properties of the density matrix's partial transpose, $\rho_{12}^{T_2}$. The density of states of $\rho_{12}^{T_2}$ is close to the semicircle law when both subsystems have dimensions which are not too small and are of the same order. A simple random matrix model for the partial transpose is found to capture the entanglement properties well, including a transition across a critical dimension. Log-negativity is used to quantify entanglement between subsystems and analytic formulas for this are derived based on the simple model. The skewness of the eigenvalue density of $\rho_{12}^{T_2}$ is derived analytically, using the average of the third moment over the ensemble of random pure states. The third moment after partial transpose is also shown to be related to a generalization of the Kempe invariant. The smallest eigenvalue after partial transpose is found to follow the extreme value statistics of random matrices, namely the Tracy-Widom distribution. This distribution, with relevant parameters obtained from the model, is found to be useful in calculating the fraction of entangled states at critical dimensions. These results are tested in a quantum dynamical system of three coupled standard maps, where one finds that if the parameters represent a strongly chaotic system, the results are close to those of random states, although there are some systematic deviations at critical dimensions.Comment: Substantially improved version (now 43 pages, 10 figures) that is accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Wejście od zaplecza: promowanie komunikacji naukowej na uniwersytecie z wykorzystaniem wolnych podręczników

The author describes an innovative project to create alternative open e-textbooks for students of the Temple University, US. All the stages of the implementation of that idea as well as problems faced by the library staff involved in the project have been discussed. Finally, the attitude of lecturers towards the innovative methods of teaching has been presented.Autor przedstawia nowatorski projekt tworzenia alternatywnych otwartych e-podręczników dla studentów Uniwersytetu Temple w Stanach Zjednoczonych. W artykule można odnaleźć wszystkie etapy realizacji tego pomysłu, problemy i zaangażowanie bibliotekarzy, a także stosunek wykładowców do nowatorskich metod nauczania

Present and future of surface-enhanced Raman scattering

The discovery of the enhancement of Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on nanostructured metal surfaces is a landmark in the history of spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Significant experimental and theoretical effort has been directed toward understanding the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect and demonstrating its potential in various types of ultrasensitive sensing applications in a wide variety of fields. In the 45 years since its discovery, SERS has blossomed into a rich area of research and technology, but additional efforts are still needed before it can be routinely used analytically and in commercial products. In this Review, prominent authors from around the world joined together to summarize the state of the art in understanding and using SERS and to predict what can be expected in the near future in terms of research, applications, and technological development. This Review is dedicated to SERS pioneer and our coauthor, the late Prof. Richard Van Duyne, whom we lost during the preparation of this article

Evidence from K2 for rapid rotation in the descendant of an intermediate-mass star

Using patterns in the oscillation frequencies of a white dwarf observed by K2, we have measured the fastest rotation rate, 1.13(02) hr, of any isolated pulsating white dwarf known to date. Balmer-line fits to follow-up spectroscopy from the SOAR telescope show that the star (SDSSJ0837+1856, EPIC 211914185) is a 13,590(340) K, 0.87(03) solar-mass white dwarf. This is the highest mass measured for any pulsating white dwarf with known rotation, suggesting a possible link between high mass and fast rotation. If it is the product of single-star evolution, its progenitor was a roughly 4.0 solar-mass main-sequence B star; we know very little about the angular momentum evolution of such intermediate-mass stars. We explore the possibility that this rapidly rotating white dwarf is the byproduct of a binary merger, which we conclude is unlikely given the pulsation periods observed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure, 1 table; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant Stars IV: The Extended Structure of the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal

We present a large area photometric survey of the Ursa Minor dSph. We identify UMi giant star candidates extending to ~3 deg from the center of the dSph. Comparison to previous catalogues of stars within the tidal radius of UMi suggests that our photometric luminosity classification is 100% accurate. Over a large fraction of the survey area, blue horizontal branch stars associated with UMi can also be identified. The spatial distribution of both the UMi giant stars and the BHB stars are remarkably similar, and a large fraction of both samples of stars are found outside the tidal radius of UMi. An isodensity contour map of the stars within the tidal radius of UMi reveals two morphological peculiarities: (1) The highest density of dSph stars is offset from the center of symmetry of the outer isodensity contours. (2) The overall shape of the outer contours appear S-shaped. We find that previously determined King profiles with ~50' tidal radii do not fit well the distribution of our UMi stars. A King profile with a larger tidal radius produces a reasonable fit, however a power law with index -3 provides a better fit for radii > 20'. The existence of UMi stars at large distances from the core of the galaxy, the peculiar morphology of the dSph within its tidal radius, and the shape of its surface density profile all suggest that UMi is evolving significantly due to the tidal influence of the Milky Way. However, the photometric data on UMi stars alone does not allow us to determine if the candidate extratidal stars are now unbound or if they remain bound to the dSph within an extended dark matter halo. (Abridged)Comment: accepted by AJ, 32 pages, 15 figures, emulateapj5 styl