Effect of combining a DC bias current with an AC transport current on AC losses in a High Temperature Superconductor

Creating complex flux configurations by superposing a dc current or magnetic field onto the ac current in a type II superconducting tape should lead to a variety of peculiar behaviors. An example is the appearance of the Clem valley, a minimum in the ac losses as a function of the dc bias amplitude, which has been theoretically studied by LeBlanc et al., in the continuation of Clem's calculations. These situations have been investigated by applying a dc current to a silver-gold sheathed Bi-2223 tape at 77 K (critical current 29 A), in addition to the usual ac transport current. The ac losses were measured by the null calorimetric method to ensure that the total losses were being accounted for. These were recorded for different values of the ac and dc currents, leading to the observation of two different behaviors depending on the ac current. Our revelation of the Clem valley is, to our knowledge, the first experimental validation of this phenomenon in high temperature superconductors, and may provide a simple way of reducing the ac loss in industrial applications of these materials.Comment: 4 pages,4 figures - ASC 9

CO2 Hydrogenation to Formate and Formic Acid by Bimetallic Palladium-Copper Hydride Clusters.

Mass spectrometric analysis of the anionic products of interaction between bimetallic palladium-copper tetrahydride anions, PdCuH4-, and carbon dioxide, CO2, in a reaction cell shows an efficient generation of the PdCuCO2H4- intermediate and formate/formic acid complexes. Multiple structures of PdCuH4- and PdCuCO2H4- are identified by a synergy between anion photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The higher energy PdCuH4- isomer is shown to drive the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2, emphasizing the importance of accounting for higher energy isomers for cluster catalytic activity. This study represents the first example of CO2 hydrogenation by bimetallic hydride clusters

Active Matter

How would the use of multiple heat sources present in the café environment (coffee cups, laptops, etc) create distinctions within an existing tabletop by use of thermos chromic paint? This investigation rethinks the expression of the existing café table at the AA with regard to material activation and location

People make, and patterns break, FM

Purpose : Reports a service ecosystem in FM as a basis for understanding peoples’ roles Theory : The service ecosystem model Design/methodology/approach: Interpretive, but realistic, qualitative research into perceptions of FM excellence Findings : The importance of perceptions and narratives in shaping FM services. Originality/value, Presents the first mapped example of a service ecosystem and shows how it can be used in practice

KickSoul: A Wearable System for Feet Interactions with Digital Devices

In this paper we present a wearable device that maps natural feet movements into inputs for digital devices. KickSoul consists of an insole with sensors embedded that tracks movements and triggers actions in devices that surround us. We present a novel approach to use our feet as input devices in mobile situations when our hands are busy. We analyze natural feet?s movements and their meaning before activating an action. This paper discusses different applications for this technology as well as the implementation of our prototype

Arteriovenous Blood Metabolomics: A Readout of Intra-Tissue Metabostasis.

The human circulatory system consists of arterial blood that delivers nutrients to tissues, and venous blood that removes the metabolic by-products. Although it is well established that arterial blood generally has higher concentrations of glucose and oxygen relative to venous blood, a comprehensive biochemical characterization of arteriovenous differences has not yet been reported. Here we apply cutting-edge, mass spectrometry-based metabolomic technologies to provide a global characterization of metabolites that vary in concentration between the arterial and venous blood of human patients. Global profiling of paired arterial and venous plasma from 20 healthy individuals, followed up by targeted analysis made it possible to measure subtle (<2 fold), yet highly statistically significant and physiologically important differences in water soluble human plasma metabolome. While we detected changes in lactic acid, alanine, glutamine, and glutamate as expected from skeletal muscle activity, a number of unanticipated metabolites were also determined to be significantly altered including Krebs cycle intermediates, amino acids that have not been previously implicated in transport, and a few oxidized fatty acids. This study provides the most comprehensive assessment of metabolic changes in the blood during circulation to date and suggests that such profiling approach may offer new insights into organ homeostasis and organ specific pathology

Lipidomic analysis of serum from horses with strongyle infection

The development of techniques capable of accurate diagnosis of strongyle infections is at the forefront of research in equine parasitology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential, for using lipidomics in the diagnosis of strongyle infection. Blood and fecal samples were collected from 30 horses. Fecal egg count (FEC) results were used to select the serum samples from six uninfected horses (negative controls) and from the five horses with the highest burdens. The lipid portion of serum samples was extracted and analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. The concentrations of 66 lipid metabolites differed between infected and uninfected horses (p<0.025). Database comparison of mass/charge (m/z) ratios and retention times were used to tentatively identify 16 of these metabolites. The roles of these metabolites and reasons for the observable changes were discussed. These results demonstrate the potential for the use of high resolution lipidomic analysis, for the development of a diagnostic technique capable of detecting, and perhaps stratifying, equine strongyle infection

Lipidomic analysis of serum from horses with strongyle infection

The development of techniques capable of accurate diagnosis of strongyle infections is at the forefront of research in equine parasitology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential, for using lipidomics in the diagnosis of strongyle infection. Blood and fecal samples were collected from 30 horses. Fecal egg count (FEC) results were used to select the serum samples from six uninfected horses (negative controls) and from the five horses with the highest burdens. The lipid portion of serum samples was extracted and analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. The concentrations of 66 lipid metabolites differed between infected and uninfected horses (p<0.025). Database comparison of mass/charge (m/z) ratios and retention times were used to tentatively identify 16 of these metabolites. The roles of these metabolites and reasons for the observable changes were discussed. These results demonstrate the potential for the use of high resolution lipidomic analysis, for the development of a diagnostic technique capable of detecting, and perhaps stratifying, equine strongyle infection