Exeter, A Special Place

Through the Exeter, A Special Place initiative, a $3 million bond for open space protection was passed at the March, 2003 town meeting, with support from 73% of the voters. Prior to the vote, the bond received 100% approval from the Select board. The success of this initiative was due in large part to the public education and outreach campaign conducted for this project. A brochure and four newsletters were developed to increase public awareness of open space issues in Exeter. A number of media articles were written to publicize the efforts of the Special Place committee, and encourage citizens to show their support for bonding funds for open space protection. Several presentations were made, and one-on-one discussions held to educate citizen groups and key decision makers about the issues. These efforts paid dividends, with a strong public mandate for open space protection. As a result of these efforts, an open space committee has been appointed by the select board to carry out the goals of the Exeter, A Special Place initiative and fulfill the wishes of the Exeter voters to protect the town’s natural resources and the unique and special character of the tow

Multi-Messenger Astrology

It has long been accepted that the cosmos determine our personalities, relationships, and even our fate. Unlike our condensed matter colleagues - who regularly use quantum mechanics to determine the healing properties of crystals - astrology techniques have been unchanged since the 19th century. In this paper, we discuss how astrophysical messengers beyond starlight can be used to predict the future and excuse an $\mathcal{O}(1)$ fraction of our negative personality traits.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submission for Acta Prima Aprili

An Extreme FeLoBAL Outflow in the VLT/UVES Spectrum of Quasar SDSS J1321-0041

Context. Quasar outflows are often analyzed to determine their ability to contribute to active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We have identified a broad absorption line (BAL) outflow in the VLT/UVES spectrum of the quasar SDSS J1321-0041. The outflow shows troughs from Fe II, and is therefore identified as an FeLoBAL. It is quite extreme among that population, as it shows C II and Si II BALs. Aims. Outflow systems require a kinetic luminosity above $\sim0.5\%$ of the quasar's luminosity to contribute to AGN feedback. For this reason, we analyzed the spectrum of J1321-0041 to determine the outflow's kinetic luminosity, as well as the quasar's bolometric luminosity. Methods. We measured the ionic column densities from the absorption troughs in the spectrum, and determined the Hydrogen column density and ionization parameter using those column densities as our constraints. We also determined the electron number density $n_e$ based on the ratios between excited state and resonance state column densities of Fe II and Si II. This allowed us to find the distance of the outflow from its central source, as well as its kinetic luminosity. Results. We determined the kinetic luminosity of the outflow to be $8.4^{+13.2}_{-5.3}\times 10^{45}\text{ erg s}^{-1}$, and the quasar's bolometric luminosity to be $1.72\pm0.13\times10^{47}\text{ erg s}^{-1}$, resulting in a ratio of $\dot{E}_k/L_{Bol}=4.8^{+7.7}_{-3.1}\%$. We conclude that this outflow has sufficient kinetic luminosity to contribute to AGN feedback.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to A&

Narrow absorption line Outflow in Seyfert 1 galaxy J1429+4518: Outflow's distance from the central source and its energetics

In the HST/COS spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy 2MASX J14292507+4518318, we have identified a narrow absorption line (NAL) outflow system with a velocity of -151 km s$^{-1}$ This outflow exhibits absorption troughs from the resonance states of ions like CIV, NV, SiIV, and SiII, as well as excited states from CII*, and SiII*. Our investigation of the outflow involved measuring ionic column densities and conducting photoionization analysis. These yield the total column density of the outflow to be estimated as $\log N_{H}$=19.84 [cm$^{-2}]$, its ionization parameter to be $\log U_{H}$=$-$2.0 and its electron number density equal to $\log n_{e}$= 2.75[cm$^{-3}$]. These measurements enabled us to determine the mass-loss rate and the kinetic luminosity of the outflow system to be $Mdot$=0.22[$M_{Sun}$$yr^{-1}$] and $\log Edot_{K}$=39.3 [erg s$^{-1}$], respectively. We have also measured the location of the outflow system to be at $\sim$275 pc from the central source. This outflow does not contribute to the AGN feedback processes due to the low ratio of the outflow's kinetic luminosity to the AGN's Eddington luminosity ($Edot_{K}/L_{Edd}\approx 0.00025 \%$). This outflow is remarkably similar to the two bipolar lobe outflows observed in the Milky Way by XMM-Newton and Chandra.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

BAL Outflow in Quasar B0254-3327B: Analysis and Comparison with Other Extreme UV Outflows

We have identified a broad absorption line (BAL) outflow in the HST/STIS spectrum of the quasar QSO B0254-3327B at velocity v=-3200\text{ km s^{-1}}. The outflow has absorption troughs from ions such as Ne VIII, Na IX, Si XII, and Ne V. We also report the first detection of S XIV absorption troughs, implying very high ionization. Via measurement of the ionic column densities, photoionization analysis, and determination of the electron number density of the outflow, we found the kinetic luminosity of the outflow system to be up to $\sim1\%$ of the quasar's Eddington luminosity, or $\sim5\%$ of the bolometric luminosity, making it a potential contributor to AGN feedback. A solution with two ionization phases was needed, as a single phase was not sufficient to satisfy the constraints from the measured ionic column densities. We find that the ionization parameter of the very high-ionization phase of the outflow is within the expected range of an X-ray warm absorber. We also examined the physical properties of the outflow of Q0254-334 along with previously studied extreme UV outflows, with a total sample of 24 outflow systems, finding a weak negative correlation between outflow velocity and distance from the central source, with larger distances corresponding to slower velocities. The very high-ionization phase of the Q0254-334 outflow has one of the highest ionization parameters of UV absorption outflows to date, which we attribute to the presence of S XIV.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication by MNRA

Molecular Pathways Underlying Adaptive Repair of the Injured Kidney: Novel Donation After Cardiac Death and Acute Kidney Injury Platforms

International audienceObjective: To test the hypothesis that gene expression profiling in peripheral blood from patients who have undergone kidney transplantation (KT) will provide mechanistic insights regarding graft repair and regeneration.Background: Renal grafts obtained from living donors (LD) typically function immediately, whereas organs from donation after cardiac death (DCD) or acute kidney injury (AKI) donors may experience delayed function with eventual recovery. Thus, recipients of LD, DCD, and AKI kidneys were studied to provide a more complete understanding of the molecular basis for renal recovery.Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from LD and DCD/AKI recipients before transplant and throughout the first 30 days thereafter. Total RNA was isolated and assayed on whole genome microarrays.Results: Comparison of longitudinal gene expression between LD and AKI/DCD revealed 2 clusters, representing 141 differentially expressed transcripts. A subset of 11 transcripts was found to be differentially expressed in AKI/DCD versus LD. In all recipients, the most robust gene expression changes were observed in the first day after transplantation. After day 1, gene expression profiles differed depending upon the source of the graft. In patients receiving LD grafts, the expression of most genes did not remain markedly elevated beyond the first day post-KT. In the AKI/DCD groups, elevations in gene expression were maintained for at least 5 days post-KT. In all recipients, the pattern of coordinate gene overexpression subsided by 28 to 30 days.Conclusions: Gene expression in peripheral blood of AKI/DCD recipients offers a novel platform to understand the potential mechanisms and timing of kidney repair and regeneration after transplantation