76 FR 43699 - List of Additional Lands Affected by White Earth Reservation Land Settlement Act of 1985

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-21

... Earth Reservation Land Settlement Act of 1985 AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice lists additional allotments or interest therein on the White Earth Chippewa...) of the White Earth Reservation Land Settlement Act of 1985 (the Act). This notice is required by...

The long-range non-additive three-body dispersion interactions for the rare gases, alkali, and alkaline-earth atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Li-Yan; Yan, Zong-Chao; Shi, Ting-Yun; Babb, James F.; Mitroy, J.

2012-03-01

The long-range non-additive three-body dispersion interaction coefficients Z111, Z112, Z113, and Z122 are computed for many atomic combinations using standard expressions. The atoms considered include hydrogen, the rare gases, the alkali atoms (up to Rb), and the alkaline-earth atoms (up to Sr). The term Z111 arising from three mutual dipole interactions is known as the Axilrod-Teller-Muto coefficient or the DDD (dipole-dipole-dipole) coefficient. Similarly, the terms Z112, Z113, and Z122 arise from the mutual combinations of dipole (1), quadrupole (2), and octupole (3) interactions between atoms and they are sometimes known, respectively, as dipole-dipole-quadrupole, dipole-dipole-octupole, and dipole-quadrupole-quadrupole coefficients. Results for the four Z coefficients are given for the homonuclear trimers, for the trimers involving two like-rare-gas atoms, and for the trimers with all combinations of the H, He, and Li atoms. An exhaustive compilation of all coefficients between all possible atomic combinations is presented as supplementary data.

Combinations of Earth Orientation Measurements: SPACE94, COMB94, and POLE94

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, Richard S.

1996-01-01

A Kalman filter has been used to combine independent measurements of the Earth's orientation taken by the space-geodetic observing techniques of lunar laser ranging, satellite laser ranging, very long baseline interferometry, and the Global Positioning System. Prior to their combination, the data series were adjusted to have the same bias and rate, the stated uncertainties of the measurements were adjusted, and data points considered to be outliers were deleted. The resulting combination, SPACE94, consists of smoothed, interpolated polar motion and UT1-UTC values spanning October 6, 1976, to January 27, 1995, at 1-day intervals. The Kalman filter was then used to combine the space-geodetic series comprising SPACE94 with two different, independent series of Earth orientation measurements taken by the technique of optical astrometry. Prior to their combination with SPACE94, the bias, rate and annual term of the optical astrometric series were corrected, the stated uncertainties of the measurements were adjusted, and data points considered to be outliers were deleted. The adjusted optical astrometric series were then combined with SPACE94 in two steps: (1) the Bureau International de l'Heure (BIH) optical astrometric series was combined with SPACE94 to form COMB94, a combined series of smoothed, interpolated polar motion and UT1-UTC values spanning January 20, 1962, to January 27, 1995, at 5-day intervals, and (2) the International Latitude Service (ILS) optical astrometric series was combined with COMB94 to form POLE94, a combined series of smoothed, interpolated polar motion values spanning January 20, 1900, to January 21, 1995, at 30.4375-day intervals.

Combinations of Earth Orientation Observations: SPACE94, COMB94, and POLE94

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, R. S.

1995-01-01

A Kalman filter has been used to combine all publicly available, independently determined measurements of the Earth's orientation taken by the modern, space-geodetic techniques of very long baseline interferometry, satellite laser ranging, lunar laser ranging, and the global positioning system. Prior to combining the data, tidal terms were removed from the UT1 measurements, outlying data points were deleted, series-specific corrections were applied for bias and rate, and the stated uncertainties of the measurements were adjusted by multiplying them by series-specific scale factors. Values for these bias- rate corrections and uncertainty scale factors were determined by an iterative, round-robin procedure wherein each data set is compared, in turn, to a combination of all other data sets. When applied to the measurements, the bias-rate corrections thus determined make the data sets agree with each other in bias and rate, and the uncertainty scale factors thus determined make the residual of each series (when differenced with a combination of all others) have a reduced chi-square of one. The corrected and adjusted series are then placed within an IERS reference frame by aligning them with the IERS Earth orientation series EOP (IERS)90C04. The result of combining these corrected, adjusted and aligned series is designated SPCE94 and spans October 6.0, 1976 to January 27.0, 1995 at daily intervals.

Rigorous Combination of GNSS and VLBI: How it Improves Earth Orientation and Reference Frames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, S. B.; Richard, J. Y.; Bizouard, C.; Becker, O.

2017-12-01

Current reference series (C04) of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) are produced by a weighted combination of Earth orientation parameters (EOP) time series built up by combination centers of each technique (VLBI, GNSS, Laser ranging, DORIS). In the future, we plan to derive EOP from a rigorous combination of the normal equation systems of the four techniques.We present here the results of a rigorous combination of VLBI and GNSS pre-reduced, constraint-free, normal equations with the DYNAMO geodetic analysis software package developed and maintained by the French GRGS (Groupe de Recherche en GeÌodeÌsie Spatiale). The used normal equations are those produced separately by the IVS and IGS combination centers to which we apply our own minimal constraints.We address the usefulness of such a method with respect to the classical, a posteriori, combination method, and we show whether EOP determinations are improved.Especially, we implement external validations of the EOP series based on comparison with geophysical excitation and examination of the covariance matrices. Finally, we address the potential of the technique for the next generation celestial reference frames, which are currently determined by VLBI only.

Flying across Galaxy Clusters with Google Earth: additional imagery from SDSS co-added data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hao, Jiangang; Annis, James; /Fermilab

2010-10-01

Galaxy clusters are spectacular. We provide a Google Earth compatible imagery for the deep co-added images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and make it a tool for examing galaxy clusters. Google Earth (in sky mode) provides a highly interactive environment for visualizing the sky. By encoding the galaxy cluster information into a kml/kmz file, one can use Google Earth as a tool for examining galaxy clusters and fly across them freely. However, the resolution of the images provided by Google Earth is not very high. This is partially because the major imagery google earth used is from Sloan Digitalmore » Sky Survey (SDSS) (SDSS collaboration 2000) and the resolutions have been reduced to speed up the web transferring. To have higher resolution images, you need to add your own images in a way that Google Earth can understand. The SDSS co-added data are the co-addition of {approx}100 scans of images from SDSS stripe 82 (Annis et al. 2010). It provides the deepest images based on SDSS and reach as deep as about redshift 1.0. Based on the co-added images, we created color images in a way as described by Lupton et al. (2004) and convert the color images to Google Earth compatible images using wcs2kml (Brewer et al. 2007). The images are stored at a public server at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and can be accessed by the public. To view those images in Google Earth, you need to download a kmz file, which contains the links to the color images, and then open the kmz file with your Google Earth. To meet different needs for resolutions, we provide three kmz files corresponding to low, medium and high resolution images. We recommend the high resolution one as long as you have a broadband Internet connection, though you should choose to download any of them, depending on your own needs and Internet speed. After you open the downloaded kmz file with Google Earth (in sky mode), it takes about 5 minutes (depending on your Internet connection and the resolution of

Variation of Aging Precipitates and Mechanical Strength of Al-Cu-Li Alloys Caused by Small Addition of Rare Earth Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yun-long; Li, Jin-feng

2017-09-01

The effect of small rare earth (RE) addition of 0.11%Ce, 0.2%Er and 0.082%Sc on aging precipitates and mechanical strength of an Al-(3.3-4.2)Cu-1.2Li-X alloy were investigated. It is found that Cu-rich residual particles containing RE element exist in the solutionized alloy, which leads to a decrease of dissolved Cu concentration in the solutionized matrix. Like RE-free alloy, the main aging precipitate types in RE-containing alloy are T1 (Al2CuLi) and θ' (Al2Cu), but their fraction is decreased. The strength of the corresponding alloys is therefore lowered by the small RE addition. Combined with the analysis of some reported references, it is proposed that the effect of small RE addition on Al-Cu-Li alloy strength is also associated with the Cu and Li concentrations and their ratio.

Combining nutation and surface gravity observations to estimate the Earth's core and inner core resonant frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziegler, Yann; Lambert, Sébastien; Rosat, Séverine; Nurul Huda, Ibnu; Bizouard, Christian

2017-04-01

Nutation time series derived from very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and time varying surface gravity data recorded by superconducting gravimeters (SG) have long been used separately to assess the Earth's interior via the estimation of the free core and inner core resonance effects on nutation or tidal gravity. The results obtained from these two techniques have been shown recently to be consistent, making relevant the combination of VLBI and SG observables and the estimation of Earth's interior parameters in a single inversion. We present here the intermediate results of the ongoing project of combining nutation and surface gravity time series to improve estimates of the Earth's core and inner core resonant frequencies. We use VLBI nutation time series spanning 1984-2016 derived by the International VLBI Service for geodesy and astrometry (IVS) as the result of a combination of inputs from various IVS analysis centers, and surface gravity data from about 15 SG stations. We address here the resonance model used for describing the Earth's interior response to tidal excitation, the data preparation consisting of the error recalibration and amplitude fitting for nutation data, and processing of SG time-varying gravity to remove any gaps, spikes, steps and other disturbances, followed by the tidal analysis with the ETERNA 3.4 software package, the preliminary estimates of the resonant periods, and the correlations between parameters.

Unraveling Recrystallization Mechanisms Governing Texture Development from Rare Earth Element Additions to Magnesium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imandoust, Aidin

The origin of texture components associated with rare-earth (RE) element additions in wrought magnesium (Mg) alloys is a long-standing problem in magnesium technology. The objective of this research is to identify the mechanisms accountable for rare-earth texture during dynamic recrystallization (DRX). Towards this end, we designed binary Mg-Cerium and Mg-Gadolinium alloys along with complex alloy compositions containing zinc, yttrium and Mischmetal. Binary alloys along with pure Mg were designed to individually investigate their effects on texture evolutions, while complex compositions are designed to develop randomized texture, and be used in automotive and aerospace applications. We selected indirect extrusion to thermo-mechanically process our materials. Different extrusion ratios and speeds were designed to produce partially and fully recrystallized microstructures, allowing us to analyze DRX from its early stages to completion. X-ray diffraction, electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to conduct microstructure and texture analyses. Our analyses revealed that rare-earth elements in zinc-containing magnesium alloys promote discontinuous dynamic recrystallization at the grain boundaries. During nucleation, the effect of rare earth elements on orientation selection was explained by the concomitant actions of multiple Taylor axes in the same grain. Isotropic grain growth was observed due to rare earth elements segregating to grain boundaries, which lead to texture randomization. The nucleation in binary Mg-RE alloys took place by continuous formation of necklace structures. Stochastic relaxation of basal and non-basal dislocations into low-angle grain boundaries produced chains of embryos with nearly random orientations. Schmid factor analysis showed a lower net activation of dislocations in RE textured grains compared to ones on the other side of the stereographic triangle. Lower dislocation densities within

Earth rotation and ENSO events: combined excitation of interannual LOD variations by multiscale atmospheric oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dawei; Ding, Xiaoli; Zhou, Yonghong; Chen, Yongqi

2003-03-01

Time series of the length of day characterizing the rate of Earth rotation, the atmospheric angular momentum and the Southern Oscillation Index from 1962 to 2000 are used to reexamine the relationships between the ENSO events and the changes in the length of day, as well as the global atmospheric angular momentum. Particular attention is given to the different effects of the 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 ENSO events on the variations of Earth rotation. The combined effects of multiscale atmospheric oscillations (seasonal, quasi-biennial and ENSO time scales) on the anomalous variations of the interannual rates of Earth rotation are revealed in this paper by studying the wavelet spectra of the data series.

Estimation of the Earth's gravity field by combining normal equation matrices from GRACE and SLR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberkorn, Christoph; Bloßfeld, Mathis; Bouman, Johannes

2014-05-01

Since 2002, GRACE observes the Earth's gravity field with a spatial resolution up to 150 km. The main goal of this mission is the determination of temporal variations in the Earth's gravity field to detect mass displacements. The GRACE mission consists of two identical satellites, which observe the range along the line of sight of both satellites. GRACE observations can be linked with the Earth's gravitational potential, which is expressed in terms of spherical harmonics for global solutions. However, the estimation of low degree coefficients is difficult with GRACE. In contrast to gravity field missions, which observe the gravity field with high spectral resolution, SLR data allow to estimate the lower degree coefficients. Therefore, the coefficient C20 is often replaced by a value derived from Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR). Instead of replacing C20, it can be determined consistently by a combined estimation using GRACE and SLR data. We compute monthly normal equation (NEQ) matrices for GRACE and SLR. Coefficients from monthly GRACE gravity field models of different institutions (Center for Space Research (CSR), USA, Geoforschungszentrum Potsdam (GFZ), Germany and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), USA) and coefficients from monthly gravity field models of our SLR processing are then combined using the NEQ matrices from both techniques. We will evaluate several test scenarios with gravity field models from different institutions and with different set ups for the SLR NEQ matrices. The effect of the combination on the estimated gravity field will be analysed and presented.

Hypervelocity Impact Testing of Materials for Additive Construction: Applications on Earth, the Moon, and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ordonez, Erick; Edmunson, Jennifer; Fiske, Michael; Christiansen, Eric; Miller, Josh; Davis, Bruce Alan; Read, Jon; Johnston, Mallory; Fikes, John

2017-01-01

Additive Construction is the process of building infrastructure such as habitats, garages, roads, berms, etcetera layer by layer (3D printing). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are pursuing additive construction to build structures using resources available in-situ. Using materials available in-situ reduces the cost of planetary missions and operations in theater. The NASA team is investigating multiple binders that can be produced on planetary surfaces, including the magnesium oxide-based Sorel cement; the components required to make Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the common cement used on Earth, have been found on Mars. The availability of OPC-based concrete on Earth drove the USACE to pursue additive construction for base housing and barriers for military operations. Planetary and military base structures must be capable of resisting micrometeoroid impacts with velocities ranging from 11 to 72km/s for particle sizes 200 micrometers or more (depending on protection requirements) as well as bullets and shrapnel with a velocity of 1.036km/s with projectiles 5.66mm diameter and 57.40mm in length, respectively.

Crew Earth Observations: Twelve Years of Documenting Earth from the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Cynthia A.; Stefanov, William L.; Willis, Kimberley; Runco, Susan; Wilkinson, M. Justin; Dawson, Melissa; Trenchard, Michael

2012-01-01

The Crew Earth Observations (CEO) payload was one of the initial experiments aboard the International Space Station, and has been continuously collecting data about the Earth since Expedition 1. The design of the experiment is simple: using state-of-the-art camera equipment, astronauts collect imagery of the Earth's surface over defined regions of scientific interest and also document dynamic events such as storms systems, floods, wild fires and volcanic eruptions. To date, CEO has provided roughly 600,000 images of Earth, capturing views of features and processes on land, the oceans, and the atmosphere. CEO data are less rigorously constrained than other remote sensing data, but the volume of data, and the unique attributes of the imagery provide a rich and understandable view of the Earth that is difficult to achieve from the classic remote sensing platforms. In addition, the length-of-record of the imagery dataset, especially when combined with astronaut photography from other NASA and Russian missions starting in the early 1960s, provides a valuable record of changes on the surface of the Earth over 50 years. This time period coincides with the rapid growth of human settlements and human infrastructure.

Producing Hybrid Metal Composites by Combining Additive Manufacturing and Casting

DOE PAGES

Pawlowski, Alex E.; Splitter, Derek A.; Muth, Thomas R.; ...

2017-10-01

Additive manufacturing by itself provides many benefits, but by combining different materials processing techniques like traditional casting with additive manufacturing to create hybrid processes, custom materials can be tailor-made and mass produced for applications with specific performance needs.

Object attributes combine additively in visual search

PubMed Central

Pramod, R. T.; Arun, S. P.

2016-01-01

We perceive objects as containing a variety of attributes: local features, relations between features, internal details, and global properties. But we know little about how they combine. Here, we report a remarkably simple additive rule that governs how these diverse object attributes combine in vision. The perceived dissimilarity between two objects was accurately explained as a sum of (a) spatially tuned local contour-matching processes modulated by part decomposition; (b) differences in internal details, such as texture; (c) differences in emergent attributes, such as symmetry; and (d) differences in global properties, such as orientation or overall configuration of parts. Our results elucidate an enduring question in object vision by showing that the whole object is not a sum of its parts but a sum of its many attributes. PMID:26967014

Object attributes combine additively in visual search.

PubMed

Pramod, R T; Arun, S P

2016-01-01

We perceive objects as containing a variety of attributes: local features, relations between features, internal details, and global properties. But we know little about how they combine. Here, we report a remarkably simple additive rule that governs how these diverse object attributes combine in vision. The perceived dissimilarity between two objects was accurately explained as a sum of (a) spatially tuned local contour-matching processes modulated by part decomposition; (b) differences in internal details, such as texture; (c) differences in emergent attributes, such as symmetry; and (d) differences in global properties, such as orientation or overall configuration of parts. Our results elucidate an enduring question in object vision by showing that the whole object is not a sum of its parts but a sum of its many attributes.

Semi top-down method combined with earth-bank, an effective method for basement construction.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuan, B. Q.; Tam, Ng M.

2018-04-01

Choosing an appropriate method of deep excavation not only plays a decisive role in technical success, but also in economics of the construction project. Presently, we mainly base on to key methods: “Bottom-up” and “Top-down” construction method. Right now, this paper presents an another method of construction that is “Semi Top-down method combining with earth-bank” in order to take the advantages and limit the weakness of the above methods. The Bottom-up method was improved by using the earth-bank to stabilize retaining walls instead of the bracing steel struts. The Top-down method was improved by using the open cut method for the half of the earthwork quantities.

Formation of H a - hydrogen centers upon additive coloration of alkaline-earth fluoride crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radzhabov, E. A.; Egranov, A. V.; Shendrik, R. Yu.

2017-06-01

The mechanism of coloration of alkaline-earth fluoride crystals CaF2, SrF2, and BaF2 in calcium vapors in an autoclave with a cold zone is studied. It was found that the pressure in the autoclave upon constant evacuation by a vacuum pump within the temperature range of 500-800°C increases due to evaporation of metal calcium. In addition to the optical-absorption bands of color centers in the additively colored undoped crystals or to the bands of divalent ions in the crystals doped with rare-earth Sm, Yb, and Tm elements, there appear intense bands in the vacuum ultraviolet region at 7.7, 7.0, and 6.025 eV in CaF2, SrF2, and BaF2, respectively. These bands belong to the Ha - hydrogen centers. The formation of hydrogen centers is also confirmed by the appearance of the EPR signal of interstitial hydrogen atoms after X-ray irradiation of the additively colored crystals. Grinding of the outer edges of the colored crystals leads to a decrease in the hydrogen absorption-band intensity with depth to complete disappearance. The rate of hydrogen penetration inside the crystal is lower than the corresponding rate of color centers (anion vacancies) by a factor of tens. The visible color density of the outer regions of the hydrogen-containing crystals is several times lower than that of the inner region due to the competition between the color centers and hydrogen centers.

Earth Orientation and Its Excitations by Atmosphere, Oceans, and Geomagnetic Jerks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vondrák, J.; Ron, C.

2015-12-01

In addition to torques exerted by the Moon, Sun, and planets, changes of the Earth orientation parameters (EOP) are known to be caused also by excitations by the atmosphere and oceans. Recently appeared studies, hinting that geomagnetic jerks (GMJ, rapid changes of geomagnetic field) might be associated with sudden changes of phase and amplitude of EOP (Holme and de Viron 2005, 2013, Gibert and Le Mouël 2008, Malkin 2013). We (Ron et al. 2015) used additional excitations applied at the epochs of GMJ to derive its influence on motion of the spin axis of the Earth in space (precession-nutation). We demonstrated that this effect, if combined with the influence of the atmosphere and oceans, improves substantially the agreement with celestial pole offsets observed by Very Long-Baseline Interferometry. Here we concentrate our efforts to study possible influence of GMJ on temporal changes of all five Earth orientation parameters defining the complete Earth orientation in space. Numerical integration of Brzeziński's broad-band Liouville equations (Brzeziński 1994) with atmospheric and oceanic excitations, combined with expected GMJ effects, is used to derive EOP and compare them with their observed values. We demonstrate that the agreement between all five Earth orientation parameters integrated by this method and those observed by space geodesy is improved substantially if the influence of additional excitations at GMJ epochs is added to excitations by the atmosphere and oceans.

Determination of thorium and of rare earth elements in cerium earth minerals and ores

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carron, M.K.; Skinner, D.L.; Stevens, R.E.

1955-01-01

The conventional oxalate method for precipitating thorium and the rare earth elements in acid solution exhibits definite solubilities of these elements. The present work was undertaken to establish conditions overcoming these solubilities and to find optimum conditions for precipitating thorium and the rare earth elements as hydroxides and sebacates. The investigations resulted in a reliable procedure applicable to samples in which the cerium group elements predominate. The oxalate precipitations are made from homogeneous solution at pH 2 by adding a prepared solution of anhydrous oxalic acid in methanol instead of the more expensive crystalline methyl oxalate. Calcium is added as a carrier. Quantitative precipitation of thorium and the rare earth elements is ascertained by further small additions of calcium to the supernatant liquid, until the added calcium precipitates as oxalate within 2 minutes. Calcium is removed by precipitating the hydroxides of thorium and rare earths at room temperature by adding ammonium hydroxide to pH > 10. Thorium is separated as the sebacate at pH 2.5, and the rare earths are precipitated with ammonium sebacate at pH 9. Maximum errors for combined weights of thorium and rare earth oxides on synthetic mixtures are ??0.6 mg. Maximum error for separated thoria is ??0.5 mg.

Earth: Earth Science and Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maynard, Nancy G.

2001-01-01

A major new NASA initiative on environmental change and health has been established to promote the application of Earth science remote sensing data, information, observations, and technologies to issues of human health. NASA's Earth Sciences suite of Earth observing instruments are now providing improved observations science, data, and advanced technologies about the Earth's land, atmosphere, and oceans. These new space-based resources are being combined with other agency and university resources, data integration and fusion technologies, geographic information systems (GIS), and the spectrum of tools available from the public health community, making it possible to better understand how the environment and climate are linked to specific diseases, to improve outbreak prediction, and to minimize disease risk. This presentation is an overview of NASA's tools, capabilities, and research advances in this initiative.

Flare-CME characteristics from Sun to Earth combining observations and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temmer, Manuela; Thalmann, Julia K.; Dissauer, Karin; Veronig, Astrid M.; Tschernitz, Johannes; Hinterreiter, Jürgen; Rodriguez, Luciano

2017-04-01

We analyze the well observed flare-CME event from October 1, 2011 (SOL2011-10-01T09:18) covering the complete chain of action - from Sun to Earth - for a better understanding of the dynamic evolution of the CME and its embedded magnetic field. We study in detail the solar surface and atmosphere from SDO and ground-based instruments associated to the flare-CME and also track the CME signature offlimb from combined EUV and white-light data with STEREO. By applying 3D reconstruction techniques (GCS, total mass) to stereoscopic STEREO-SoHO coronagraph data, we track the temporal and spatial evolution of the CME in interplanetary space and derive its geometry and 3D-mass. We combine the GCS and Lundquist model results to derive the axial flux and helicity of the MC from in situ measurements (Wind). This is compared to nonlinear force-free (NLFF) model results as well as to the reconnected magnetic flux derived from the flare ribbons (flare reconnection flux) and the magnetic flux encompassed by the associated dimming (dimming flux). We find that magnetic reconnection processes were already ongoing before the start of the impulsive flare phase, adding magnetic flux to the flux rope before its final eruption. The dimming flux increases by more than 25% after the end of the flare, indicating that magnetic flux is still added to the flux rope after eruption. Hence, the derived flare reconnection flux is most probably a lower limit for estimating the magnetic flux within the flux rope. We obtain that the magnetic helicity and axial magnetic flux are reduced in interplanetary space by ˜50% and 75%, respectively, possibly indicating to an erosion process. A mass increase of 10% for the CME is observed over the distance range from about 4-20 Rs. The temporal evolution of the CME associated core dimming regions supports the scenario that fast outflows might supply additional mass to the rear part of the CME.

A combined calorimetric and computational study of the energetics of rare earth substituted UO 2 systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Lei; Solomon, Jonathan M.; Asta, Mark

2015-09-01

The energetics of rare earth substituted UO2 solid solutions (U1-xLnxO2-0.5x+y, where Ln = La, Y, and Nd) are investigated employing a combination of calorimetric measurements and density functional theory based computations. Calculated and measured formation enthalpies agree within 10 kJ/mol for stoichiometric oxygen/metal compositions. To better understand the factors governing the stability and defect binding in rare earth substituted urania solid solutions, systematic trends in the energetics are investigated based on the present results and previous computational and experimental thermochemical studies of rare earth substituted fluorite oxides (A1-xLnxO2-0.5x, where A = Hf, Zr, Ce, and Th). A consistent trend towardsmore » increased energetic stability with larger size mismatch between the smaller host tetravalent cation and the larger rare earth trivalent cation is found for both actinide and non-actinide fluorite oxide systems where aliovalent substitution of Ln cations is compensated by oxygen vacancies. However, the large exothermic oxidation enthalpy in the UO2 based systems favors oxygen rich compositions where charge compensation occurs through the formation of uranium cations with higher oxidation states.« less

The Earth & Moon

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-06-04

During its flight, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Earth and Moon. Separate images of the Earth and Moon were combined to generate this view. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00342

Earth Core and Inner Core: What Can We Learn From a Bayesian Inversion of Combined Nutation and Surface Gravimetry Data?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, S. B.; Ziegler, Y.; Rosat, S.; Bizouard, C.

2017-12-01

Nutation time series derived from very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and time varying surface gravity data recorded by superconducting gravimeters (SG) have long been used separately to assess the Earth's interior via the estimation of the free core and inner core resonance effects on nutation or tidal gravity. The results obtained from these two techniques have shown recently to be consistent, making relevant the combination of VLBI and SG observables and the estimation of Earth's interior parameters in a single inversion. We present here the results of combining nutation and surface gravity time series to improve estimates of the Earth's core and inner core resonant frequencies. We use VLBI nutation time series spanning 1984-2016 derived by several analysis centers affiliated to the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry, together with surface gravity data from about 15 SG stations. We address the resonance model used for describing the Earth's interior response to tidal excitation, the data preparation consisting of the error recalibration and amplitude fitting to nutation data, and processing of SG time-varying gravity to remove any gaps, spikes, steps and other disturbances, followed by the tidal analysis with the ETERNA 3.4 software package. New estimates of the resonant periods are proposed and correlations between the parameters are investigated.

Combined proportional and additive residual error models in population pharmacokinetic modelling.

PubMed

Proost, Johannes H

2017-11-15

In pharmacokinetic modelling, a combined proportional and additive residual error model is often preferred over a proportional or additive residual error model. Different approaches have been proposed, but a comparison between approaches is still lacking. The theoretical background of the methods is described. Method VAR assumes that the variance of the residual error is the sum of the statistically independent proportional and additive components; this method can be coded in three ways. Method SD assumes that the standard deviation of the residual error is the sum of the proportional and additive components. Using datasets from literature and simulations based on these datasets, the methods are compared using NONMEM. The different coding of methods VAR yield identical results. Using method SD, the values of the parameters describing residual error are lower than for method VAR, but the values of the structural parameters and their inter-individual variability are hardly affected by the choice of the method. Both methods are valid approaches in combined proportional and additive residual error modelling, and selection may be based on OFV. When the result of an analysis is used for simulation purposes, it is essential that the simulation tool uses the same method as used during analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

World Wind 3D Earth Viewing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Patrick; Maxwell, Christopher; Kim, Randolph; Gaskins, Tom

2007-01-01

World Wind allows users to zoom from satellite altitude down to any place on Earth, leveraging high-resolution LandSat imagery and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation data to experience Earth in visually rich 3D. In addition to Earth, World Wind can also visualize other planets, and there are already comprehensive data sets for Mars and the Earth's moon, which are as easily accessible as those of Earth. There have been more than 20 million downloads to date, and the software is being used heavily by the Department of Defense due to the code s ability to be extended and the evolution of the code courtesy of NASA and the user community. Primary features include the dynamic access to public domain imagery and its ease of use. All one needs to control World Wind is a two-button mouse. Additional guides and features can be accessed through a simplified menu. A JAVA version will be available soon. Navigation is automated with single clicks of a mouse, or by typing in any location to automatically zoom in to see it. The World Wind install package contains the necessary requirements such as the .NET runtime and managed DirectX library. World Wind can display combinations of data from a variety of sources, including Blue Marble, LandSat 7, SRTM, NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, GLOBE, and much more. A thorough list of features, the user manual, a key chart, and screen shots are available at http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov.

Earth From Space: "Beautiful Earth's" Integration of Media Arts, Earth Science, and Native Wisdom in Informal Learning Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casasanto, V.; Hallowell, R.; Williams, K.; Rock, J.; Markus, T.

2015-12-01

"Beautiful Earth: Experiencing and Learning Science in an Engaging Way" was a 3-year project funded by NASA's Competitive Opportunities in Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Science. An outgrowth of Kenji Williams' BELLA GAIA performance, Beautiful Earth fostered a new approach to teaching by combining live music, data visualizations and Earth science with indigenous perspectives, and hands-on workshops for K-12 students at 5 science centers. Inspired by the "Overview Effect," described by many astronauts who were awestruck by seeing the Earth from space and their realization of the profound interconnectedness of Earth's life systems, Beautiful Earth leveraged the power of multimedia performance to serve as a springboard to engage K-12 students in hands-on Earth science and Native wisdom workshops. Results will be presented regarding student perceptions of Earth science, environmental issues, and indigenous ways of knowing from 3 years of evaluation data.

Combined computational-experimental design of high temperature, high-intensity permanent magnetic alloys with minimal addition of rare-earth elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jha, Rajesh

AlNiCo magnets are known for high-temperature stability and superior corrosion resistance and have been widely used for various applications. Reported magnetic energy density ((BH) max) for these magnets is around 10 MGOe. Theoretical calculations show that ((BH) max) of 20 MGOe is achievable which will be helpful in covering the gap between AlNiCo and Rare-Earth Elements (REE) based magnets. An extended family of AlNiCo alloys was studied in this dissertation that consists of eight elements, and hence it is important to determine composition-property relationship between each of the alloying elements and their influence on the bulk properties. In the present research, we proposed a novel approach to efficiently use a set of computational tools based on several concepts of artificial intelligence to address a complex problem of design and optimization of high temperature REE-free magnetic alloys. A multi-dimensional random number generation algorithm was used to generate the initial set of chemical concentrations. These alloys were then examined for phase equilibria and associated magnetic properties as a screening tool to form the initial set of alloy. These alloys were manufactured and tested for desired properties. These properties were fitted with a set of multi-dimensional response surfaces and the most accurate meta-models were chosen for prediction. These properties were simultaneously extremized by utilizing a set of multi-objective optimization algorithm. This provided a set of concentrations of each of the alloying elements for optimized properties. A few of the best predicted Pareto-optimal alloy compositions were then manufactured and tested to evaluate the predicted properties. These alloys were then added to the existing data set and used to improve the accuracy of meta-models. The multi-objective optimizer then used the new meta-models to find a new set of improved Pareto-optimized chemical concentrations. This design cycle was repeated twelve times

Combined 2-micron Dial and Doppler Lidar: Application to the Atmosphere of Earth or Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Koch, Grady J.; Ismail, Syed; Kavaya, Michael; Yu, Jirong; Wood, Sidney A.; Emmitt, G. David

2006-01-01

A concept is explored for combining the Doppler and DIAL techniques into a single, multifunctional instrument. Wind, CO2 concentration, and aerosol density can all be measured. Technology to build this instrument is described, including the demonstration of a prototype lidar. Applications are described for use in the Earth science. The atmosphere of Mars can also be studied, and results from a recently-developed simulation model of performance in the Martian atmosphere are presented.

Strength and microstructure of sintered Si3N4 with rare-earth-oxide additions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, W. A.; Mieskowski, D. M.

1985-01-01

Room temperature, 700-, 1000-, 1200-, and 1370-C examinations of the effect of 1.7-2.6 mol pct rare earth oxide additions to sintered Si3N4 are conducted. While the room temperature-1000 C bend strengths were higher for this material with Y2O3 additions than with CeO2, La2O3, or Sm2O3, the reverse was true at 1200-1370 C. This phenomenon is explained on the basis of microstructural differences, since quantitative microscopy of SEM replicas showed the Si3N4-Y2O3 composition to contain both a higher percentage of elongated grains and a coarser microstructure than the other three alternatives. The elongated grains appear to increase this composition's low temperature strength irrespective of microstructural coarseness; this coarseness, however, decreases strength relative to the other compositions at higher temperatures.

[Therapeutic effects of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with QingyiII catharsis in treatment of oral paraquat poisoning in rabbits].

PubMed

Lu, Yuanlan; Zhou, Manhong; Hu, Jie; Li, Jianguo

2015-04-01

To observe the therapeutic effects of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with Qingyi II catharsis in treatment of oral paraquat poisoning in rabbits. Thirty healthy adult Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: namely control group, model group, gastric lavage group (lavage of 10% fuller earth suspension), catharsis group (Qingyi II catharsis), and combination group (10 minutes after gastric lavage of fuller earth suspension liquid, giving Qingyi II for catharsis), with 6 rabbits in each group. All groups were challenged with paraquat (100 mg/kg) diluted to 5 mL with normal saline by lavage to reproduce the model of acute poisoning, while the control group was given 5 mL of normal saline instead. Each treatment group was treated accordingly at 1 hour after gavages of paraquat, and treatment continued for 3 days. The animal survival rate was observed. Venous blood samples were collected from ear marginal vein to determine the plasma concentration of paraquat by ultraviolet spectrophotometer at 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours after the poisoning. The animals were sacrificed by intravenous air injection on the 8th day after the poisoning, and the right lower lobe of lung was harvested to observe the lung tissue pathological changes with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. (1) Survival rate: the surviving rate of the combination group (6 rabbits) was higher than that of gastric lavage group (5 rabbits), catharsis group (2 rabbits) and model group (0 rabbit) on the 2nd day with statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The survival rate on the 7th day in combination group (5 rabbits) was higher than that of gastric lavage group (3 rabbits), and catharsis group (0 rabbit ) with statistically significant difference (P = 0.003). (2) Plasma concentrations of paraquat: plasma paraquat concentration in all groups peaked at 2 hours after intoxication, and its levels in the gastric lavage, catharsis and combination groups were significantly lower than

Practices of Integrating the Earth Charter into Education Activities in German Federal States of Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathar, Reiner

2010-01-01

The integration of Earth Charter into everyday practice of schools in Germany has to be combined with the curriculum development in different subjects. Two states of Germany started this process by organizing inservice training for primary and secondary teachers. Additionally they translated and adopted the Earth Charter Teachers Guidebook to…

Effects of additives on solidification of API separator sludge.

PubMed

Faschan, A; Tittlebaum, M; Cartledge, F; Eaton, H

1991-08-01

API separator sludge was solidified with various combinations of binders and absorbent soil additives. The binders utilized were Type I Portland Cement, Type C Flyash, and a 1:1 combination of the two. The soil additives used were bentonite, diatomite, Fuller's earth, and two brands of chemically altered bentonites, or organoclays. The effectiveness of the solidification materials was based on their effect on the physical and leaching characteristics of the sludge.It was determined the Portland cement and combination binders provided the sludge with adequate physical and strength characteristics. It was also determined the affinity of each additive for water had an important influence on the physical characteristics of the solidified sludge. The results of the leaching procedure indicated the binders alone reduced the leachability of organic constituents from the sludge by 1/5 to 1/10. It appeared the use of the additives with the binders may have further reduced the leachability of constituents from sludge, with the incorporation of the organoclay additives further reducing leachability by up to 1/2. Also, it appeared the absorbing capacity of the additives was directly related to their ability to reduce the leachability of organic constituents from the sludge.

Z-Earth: 4D topography from space combining short-baseline stereo and lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewez, T. J.; Akkari, H.; Kaab, A. M.; Lamare, M. L.; Doyon, G.; Costeraste, J.

2013-12-01

The advent of free-of-charge global topographic data sets SRTM and Aster GDEM have enabled testing a host of geoscience hypotheses. Availability of such data is now considered standard, and though resolved at 30-m to 90-m pixel size, they are today regarded as obsolete and inappropriate given the regularly updated sub-meter imagery coming through web services like Google Earth. Two features will thus help meet the current topographic data needs of the Geoscience communities: field-scale-compatible elevation datasets (i.e. meter-scale digital models and sub-meter elevation precision) and provision for regularly updated topography to tackle earth surface changes in 4D, while retaining the key for success: data availability at no charge. A new space borne instrumental concept called Z-Earth has undergone phase 0 study at CNES, the French space agency to fulfill these aims. The scientific communities backing this proposal are that of natural hazards, glaciology and biomass. The system under study combines a short-baseline native stereo imager and a lidar profiler. This combination provides spatially resolved elevation swaths together with absolute along-track elevation control point profiles. Acquisition is designed for revisit time better than a year. Intended products not only target single pass digital surface models, color orthoimages and small footprint full-wave-form lidar profiles to update existing topographic coverage, but also time series of them. 3D change detection targets centimetre-scale horizontal precision and metric vertical precision, in complement of -now traditional- spectral change detection. To assess the actual concept value, two real-size experiments were carried out. We used sub-meter-scale Pleiades panchromatic stereo-images to generate digital surface models and check them against dense airborne lidar coverages, one heliborne set purposely flown in Corsica (50-100pts/sq.m) and a second one retrieved from OpenTopography.org (~10pts/sq.m.). In

Remediation of metal polluted soils by phytorremediation combined with biochar addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez, Ana; Paz-Ferreiro, Jorge; Gómez-Limón, Dulce; César Arranz, Julio; Saa, Antonio; Gascó, Gabriel

2016-04-01

The main objective of this work is to optimize and quantify the treatment of metal polluted soils through phytoremediation techniques combined with the addition of biochar. Biochar is a carbon rich material obtained by thermal treatment of biomass in inert atmosphere. In recent years, it has been attracted considerable interest due to their positive effect after soil addition. The use of biochar also seems appropriate for the treatment of metal-contaminated soils decreasing their mobility. Biochar properties highly depend on the raw material composition and manufacturing conditions. This paper is based on the use of manure wastes, rich in nutrients and therefore interesting raw materials for biochar production, especially when combined with phytoremediation techniques since the biochar act as conditioner and slow release fertilizer. We are very grateful to Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spain) for financial support under Project CGL2014-58322-R.

Combined analysis of KamLAND and Borexino neutrino signals from Th and U decays in the Earth's interior

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fogli, G. L.; Rotunno, A. M.; INFN, Sezione di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70126, Bari

2010-11-01

The KamLAND and Borexino experiments have detected electron antineutrinos produced in the decay chains of natural thorium and uranium (Th and U geoneutrinos). We analyze the energy spectra of current geoneutrino data in combination with solar and long-baseline reactor neutrino data, with marginalized three-neutrino oscillation parameters. We consider the case with unconstrained Th and U event rates in KamLAND and Borexino, as well as cases with fewer degrees of freedom, as obtained by successively assuming for both experiments a common Th/U ratio, a common scaling of Th+U event rates, and a chondritic Th/U value. In combination, KamLAND and Borexino canmore » reject the null hypothesis (no geoneutrino signal) at 5{sigma}. Interesting bounds or indications emerge on the Th+U geoneutrino rates and on the Th/U ratio, in broad agreement with typical Earth model expectations. Conversely, the results disfavor the hypothesis of a georeactor in the Earth's core, if its power exceeds a few TW. The interplay of KamLAND and Borexino geoneutrino data is highlighted.« less

Determination of Earth rotation by the combination of data from different space geodetic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Archinal, Brent Allen

1987-01-01

Formerly, Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP), i.e., polar motion and UTI-UTC values, have been determined using data from only one observational system at a time, or by the combination of parameters previously obtained in such determinations. The question arises as to whether a simultaneous solution using data from several sources would provide an improved determination of such parameters. To pursue this reasoning, fifteen days of observations have been simulated using realistic networks of Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) to Lageos, and Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) stations. A comparison has been done of the accuracy and precision of the ERP obtained from: (1) the individual system solutions, (2) the weighted means of those values, (3) all of the data by means of the combination of the normal equations obtained in 1, and (4) a grand solution with all the data. These simulations show that solutions done by the normal equation combination and grand solution methods provide the best or nearly the best ERP for all the periods considered, but that weighted mean solutions provide nearly the same accuracy and precision. VLBI solutions also provide similar accuracies.

On the Sun, Earth, and Clocks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Easton, D.

1985-01-01

Discusses motions of the sun and earth in relation to the accuracy of clocks. Effect of eccentricity of the earth's orbit, efect of inclination of the earth's axis, and combination of these two effects are considered. The accuracy of sundials is also discussed. (DH)

Replacing critical rare earth materials in high energy density magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCallum, R. William

2012-02-01

High energy density permanent magnets are crucial to the design of internal permanent magnet motors (IPM) for hybride and electric vehicles and direct drive wind generators. Current motor designs use rare earth permanent magnets which easily meet the performance goals, however, the rising concerns over cost and foreign control of the current supply of rare earth resources has motivated a search for non-rare earth based permanent magnets alloys with performance metrics which allow the design of permanent magnet motors and generators without rare earth magnets. This talk will discuss the state of non-rare-earth permanent magnets and efforts to both improve the current materials and find new materials. These efforts combine first principles calculations and meso-scale magnetic modeling with advance characterization and synthesis techniques in order to advance the state of the art in non rare earth permanent magnets. The use of genetic algorithms in first principle structural calculations, combinatorial synthesis in the experimental search for materials, atom probe microscopy to characterize grain boundaries on the atomic level, and other state of the art techniques will be discussed. In addition the possibility of replacing critical rare earth elements with the most abundant rare earth Ce will be discussed.

Interacting with Petabytes of Earth Science Data using Jupyter Notebooks, IPython Widgets and Google Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, T. A.; Granger, B.; Grout, J.; Corlay, S.

2017-12-01

The volume of Earth science data gathered from satellites, aircraft, drones, and field instruments continues to increase. For many scientific questions in the Earth sciences, managing this large volume of data is a barrier to progress, as it is difficult to explore and analyze large volumes of data using the traditional paradigm of downloading datasets to a local computer for analysis. Furthermore, methods for communicating Earth science algorithms that operate on large datasets in an easily understandable and reproducible way are needed. Here we describe a system for developing, interacting, and sharing well-documented Earth Science algorithms that combines existing software components: Jupyter Notebook: An open-source, web-based environment that supports documents that combine code and computational results with text narrative, mathematics, images, and other media. These notebooks provide an environment for interactive exploration of data and development of well documented algorithms. Jupyter Widgets / ipyleaflet: An architecture for creating interactive user interface controls (such as sliders, text boxes, etc.) in Jupyter Notebooks that communicate with Python code. This architecture includes a default set of UI controls (sliders, dropboxes, etc.) as well as APIs for building custom UI controls. The ipyleaflet project is one example that offers a custom interactive map control that allows a user to display and manipulate geographic data within the Jupyter Notebook. Google Earth Engine: A cloud-based geospatial analysis platform that provides access to petabytes of Earth science data via a Python API. The combination of Jupyter Notebooks, Jupyter Widgets, ipyleaflet, and Google Earth Engine makes it possible to explore and analyze massive Earth science datasets via a web browser, in an environment suitable for interactive exploration, teaching, and sharing. Using these environments can make Earth science analyses easier to understand and reproducible, which may

Combinations of Adefovir with Nucleoside Analogs Produce Additive Antiviral Effects against Hepatitis B Virus In Vitro

PubMed Central

Delaney, William E.; Yang, Huiling; Miller, Michael D.; Gibbs, Craig S.; Xiong, Shelly

2004-01-01

Combination therapies may be required for long-term management of some patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Adefovir is a nucleotide analog that has similar activity against wild-type and lamivudine-resistant HBV. In contrast to lamivudine, clinical resistance to the prodrug adefovir dipivoxil emerges infrequently. Based on its clinical efficacy and low frequency of resistance, adefovir dipivoxil may form an important component of combination regimens. We therefore investigated the in vitro antiviral efficacy of combinations of adefovir with other nucleoside analogs (lamivudine, entecavir, emtricitabine [FTC],and telbivudine [L-dT]) and the nucleotide analog tenofovir. Using a novel stable cell line that expresses high levels of wild-type HBV, we assayed the antiviral activity of each drug alone and in combination with adefovir. All two-drug combinations resulted in greater antiviral effects than treatments with single agents and could be characterized as additive by the Bliss independence model. Analysis using the Loewe additivity model indicated that adefovir exerted additive antiviral effects when combined with lamivudine, FTC, or L-dT and moderately synergistic effects when combined with entecavir or tenofovir. There was no evidence of cytotoxicity with any of the drugs when used alone or in combination at the tested doses. PMID:15388423

Addition of sucralose enhances the release of satiety hormones in combination with pea protein.

PubMed

Geraedts, Maartje C P; Troost, Freddy J; Saris, Wim H M

2012-03-01

Exposing the intestine to proteins or tastants, particularly sweet, affects satiety hormone release. There are indications that each sweetener has different effects on this release, and that combining sweeteners with other nutrients might exert synergistic effects on hormone release. STC-1 cells were incubated with acesulfame-K, aspartame, saccharine, sucralose, sucrose, pea, and pea with each sweetener. After a 2-h incubation period, cholecystokinin(CCK) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) concentrations were measured. Using Ussing chamber technology, the mucosal side of human duodenal biopsies was exposed to sucrose, sucralose, pea, and pea with each sweetener. CCK and GLP-1 levels were measured in basolateral secretions. In STC-1 cells, exposure to aspartame, sucralose, sucrose, pea, and pea with sucralose increased CCK levels, whereas GLP-1 levels increased after addition of all test products. Addition of sucrose and sucralose to human duodenal biopsies did not affect CCK and GLP-1 release; addition of pea stimulated CCK and GLP-1 secretion. Combining pea with sucrose and sucralose induced even higher levels of CCK and GLP-1. Synchronous addition of pea and sucralose to enteroendocrine cells induced higher levels of CCK and GLP-1 than addition of each compound alone. This study shows that combinations of dietary compounds synergize to enhance satiety hormone release. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Catalytic processes in the atmospheres of earth and Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demore, W. B.; Yung, Y. L.

1982-01-01

Photochemical processes in planetary atmospheres are strongly influenced by catalytic effects of minor constituents. Catalytic cycles in the atmospheres of Earth and Venus are closely related. For example, chlorine oxides (ClOx) act as catalysts in the two atmospheres. On earth, they serve to convert odd oxygen (atomic oxygen and ozone) to molecular oxygen. On Venus they have a similar effect, but in addition they accelerate the reactions of atomic and molecular oxygen with carbon monoxide. The latter process occurs by a unique combination of ClOx catalysis and sulful dioxide photosensitization. The mechanism provides an explanation for the very low extent of carbon dioxide decomposition by sunlight in the Venus atmosphere.

A combined transmission spectrum of the Earth-sized exoplanets TRAPPIST-1 b and c.

PubMed

de Wit, Julien; Wakeford, Hannah R; Gillon, Michaël; Lewis, Nikole K; Valenti, Jeff A; Demory, Brice-Olivier; Burgasser, Adam J; Burdanov, Artem; Delrez, Laetitia; Jehin, Emmanuël; Lederer, Susan M; Queloz, Didier; Triaud, Amaury H M J; Van Grootel, Valérie

2016-09-01

Three Earth-sized exoplanets were recently discovered close to the habitable zone of the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 (ref. 3). The nature of these planets has yet to be determined, as their masses remain unmeasured and no observational constraint is available for the planetary population surrounding ultracool dwarfs, of which the TRAPPIST-1 planets are the first transiting example. Theoretical predictions span the entire atmospheric range, from depleted to extended hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Here we report observations of the combined transmission spectrum of the two inner planets during their simultaneous transits on 4 May 2016. The lack of features in the combined spectrum rules out cloud-free hydrogen-dominated atmospheres for each planet at ≥10σ levels; TRAPPIST-1 b and c are therefore unlikely to have an extended gas envelope as they occupy a region of parameter space in which high-altitude cloud/haze formation is not expected to be significant for hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Many denser atmospheres remain consistent with the featureless transmission spectrum-from a cloud-free water-vapour atmosphere to a Venus-like one.

Effects of various additives on sintering of aluminum nitride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Komeya, K.; Inoue, H.; Tsuge, A.

1982-01-01

Effects of thirty additives on sintering A/N were investigated. The addition of alkali earth oxides and rare earth oxides gave fully densified aluminum nitride. This is due to the formation of nitrogen-containing aluminate liquid in the system aluminum nitride-alkali earth oxides or rare earth oxides. Microstructural studies of the sintered specimens with the above two types of additives suggested that the densification was due to the liquid phase sintering. Additions of silicon compounds resulted in poor densification by the formation of highly refractory compounds such as A/N polytypes.

Sulfur in Earth's Mantle and Its Behavior During Core Formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chabot, Nancy L.; Righter,Kevin

2006-01-01

The density of Earth's outer core requires that about 5-10% of the outer core be composed of elements lighter than Fe-Ni; proposed choices for the "light element" component of Earth's core include H, C, O, Si, S, and combinations of these elements [e.g. 1]. Though samples of Earth's core are not available, mantle samples contain elemental signatures left behind from the formation of Earth's core. The abundances of siderophile (metal-loving) elements in Earth's mantle have been used to gain insight into the early accretion and differentiation history of Earth, the process by which the core and mantle formed, and the composition of the core [e.g. 2-4]. Similarly, the abundance of potential light elements in Earth's mantle could also provide constraints on Earth's evolution and core composition. The S abundance in Earth's mantle is 250 ( 50) ppm [5]. It has been suggested that 250 ppm S is too high to be due to equilibrium core formation in a high pressure, high temperature magma ocean on early Earth and that the addition of S to the mantle from the subsequent accretion of a late veneer is consequently required [6]. However, this earlier work of Li and Agee [6] did not parameterize the metalsilicate partitioning behavior of S as a function of thermodynamic variables, limiting the different pressure and temperature conditions during core formation that could be explored. Here, the question of explaining the mantle abundance of S is revisited, through parameterizing existing metal-silicate partitioning data for S and applying the parameterization to core formation in Earth.

Antimicrobial combinations: Bliss independence and Loewe additivity derived from mechanistic multi-hit models

PubMed Central

Yu, Guozhi; Hozé, Nathanaël; Rolff, Jens

2016-01-01

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antibiotics reduce the net growth rate of bacterial populations they target. It is relevant to understand if effects of multiple antimicrobials are synergistic or antagonistic, in particular for AMP responses, because naturally occurring responses involve multiple AMPs. There are several competing proposals describing how multiple types of antimicrobials add up when applied in combination, such as Loewe additivity or Bliss independence. These additivity terms are defined ad hoc from abstract principles explaining the supposed interaction between the antimicrobials. Here, we link these ad hoc combination terms to a mathematical model that represents the dynamics of antimicrobial molecules hitting targets on bacterial cells. In this multi-hit model, bacteria are killed when a certain number of targets are hit by antimicrobials. Using this bottom-up approach reveals that Bliss independence should be the model of choice if no interaction between antimicrobial molecules is expected. Loewe additivity, on the other hand, describes scenarios in which antimicrobials affect the same components of the cell, i.e. are not acting independently. While our approach idealizes the dynamics of antimicrobials, it provides a conceptual underpinning of the additivity terms. The choice of the additivity term is essential to determine synergy or antagonism of antimicrobials. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolutionary ecology of arthropod antimicrobial peptides’. PMID:27160596

The EarthServer project: Exploiting Identity Federations, Science Gateways and Social and Mobile Clients for Big Earth Data Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbera, Roberto; Bruno, Riccardo; Calanducci, Antonio; Messina, Antonio; Pappalardo, Marco; Passaro, Gianluca

2013-04-01

The EarthServer project (www.earthserver.eu), funded by the European Commission under its Seventh Framework Program, aims at establishing open access and ad-hoc analytics on extreme-size Earth Science data, based on and extending leading-edge Array Database technology. The core idea is to use database query languages as client/server interface to achieve barrier-free "mix & match" access to multi-source, any-size, multi-dimensional space-time data -- in short: "Big Earth Data Analytics" - based on the open standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium Web Coverage Processing Service (OGC WCPS) and the W3C XQuery. EarthServer combines both, thereby achieving a tight data/metadata integration. Further, the rasdaman Array Database System (www.rasdaman.com) is extended with further space-time coverage data types. On server side, highly effective optimizations - such as parallel and distributed query processing - ensure scalability to Exabyte volumes. Six Lighthouse Applications are being established in EarthServer, each of which poses distinct challenges on Earth Data Analytics: Cryospheric Science, Airborne Science, Atmospheric Science, Geology, Oceanography, and Planetary Science. Altogether, they cover all Earth Science domains; the Planetary Science use case has been added to challenge concepts and standards in non-standard environments. In addition, EarthLook (maintained by Jacobs University) showcases use of OGC standards in 1D through 5D use cases. In this contribution we will report on the first applications integrated in the EarthServer Science Gateway and on the clients for mobile appliances developed to access them. We will also show how federated and social identity services can allow Big Earth Data Providers to expose their data in a distributed environment keeping a strict and fine-grained control on user authentication and authorisation. The degree of fulfilment of the EarthServer implementation with the recommendations made in the recent TERENA Study on

ATLAS 1: Encountering Planet Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shea, Charlotte; Mcmahan, Tracy; Accardi, Denise; Tygielski, Michele; Mikatarian, Jeff; Wiginton, Margaret (Editor)

1984-01-01

Several NASA science programs examine the dynamic balance of sunlight, atmosphere, water, land, and life that governs Earth's environment. Among these is a series of Space Shuttle-Spacelab missions, named the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS). During the ATLAS missions, international teams of scientists representing many disciplines combine their expertise to seek answers to complex questions about the atmospheric and solar conditions that sustain life on Earth. The ATLAS program specifically investigates how Earth's middle atmosphere and upper atmospheres and climate are affected by both the Sun and by products of industrial and agricultural activities on Earth.

Contributions to the Earth's Obliquity Rate, Precession, and Nutation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, James G.

1994-01-01

The precession and nutation of the Earth's equator arise from solar, lunar, and planetary torques on the oblate Earth. The mean lunar orbit plane is nearly coincident with the ecliptic plane. A small tilt out of the ecliptic is caused by planetary perturbations and the Earth's gravitational harmonic J(sub 2). These planetary perturbations on the lunar orbit result in torques on the oblate Earth which contribute to precession, obliquity rate, and nutation while the J(sub 2) perturbations contribute to precession and nutation. Small additional contributions to the secular rates arise from tidal effects and planetary torques on the Earth's bulge. The total correction to the obliquity rate is -0.024 sec/century, it is an observable motion in space (the much larger conventional obliquity rate is wholly from the motion of the ecliptic, not the equator), and it is not present in the IAU-adopted expressions for the orientation of the Earth's equator. The effects have generally been allowed for in past nutation theories and some precession theories. For the planetary effect, the contributions to the 18.6 yr nutation are -0.03 mas (milliarcseconds) for the in-phase Delta(psi) plus out-of-phase contributions of 0.14 mas in Delta(psi) and -0.03 mas in Delta(sub epsilon). The latter terms demonstrate that out-of-phase contributions can arise by means other than dissipation. The sum of the contributions to the precession rate is considered and the inferred value of the moment of inertia combination (C-A)/C, which is used to scale the coefficients in the nutation series, is evaluated. Using an updated value for the precession rate, the rigid body (C-A)/C =0.003 273 763 4 which, in combination with a satellite-derived J(sub 2), gives a normalized polar moment of inertia C/MR(exp 2) = 0.330 700 7. The planetary contributions to the precession and obliquity rates are not constant for long times causing accelerations in both quantities. Acceleration in precession also arises from

Acute toxicity of two generic drilling fluids and six additives, alone and combined, to mysids (Mysidopsis bahia)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parrish, P.R.; Macauley, J.M.; Montgomery, R.M.

1988-01-01

Toxicity tests were conducted with two laboratory-prepared generic drilling fluids (muds) and six commonly used drilling-fluid additives to determine their toxicity, alone and combined, to mysids (Mysidopsis bahia). In 25 tests, the acute toxicity of combinations of one, two, or three of the drilling-fluid additives mixed with either drilling fluid was less than the toxicity predicted from the empirical 96-h LC50s for drilling fluid additive(s) and/or drilling fluid alone; the observed 96-h LC50s of the mixtures were from 1.3 to 23.6 times the values predicted from the presumption of additive toxicity.

Google Earth and Geo Applications: A Toolset for Viewing Earth's Geospatial Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuxen-Bettman, K.

2016-12-01

Earth scientists measure and derive fundamental data that can be of broad general interest to the public and policy makers. Yet, one of the challenges that has always faced the Earth science community is how to present their data and findings in an easy-to-use and compelling manner. Google's Geo Tools offer an efficient and dynamic way for scientists, educators, journalists and others to both access data and view or tell stories in a dynamic three-dimensional geospatial context. Google Earth in particular provides a dense canvas of satellite imagery on which can be viewed rich vector and raster datasets using the medium of Keyhole Markup Language (KML). Through KML, Google Earth can combine the analytical capabilities of Earth Engine, collaborative mapping of My Maps, and storytelling of Tour Builder and more to make Google's Geo Applications a coherent suite of tools for exploring our planet.https://earth.google.com/https://earthengine.google.com/https://mymaps.google.com/https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/https://www.google.com/streetview/

Earth Science Europe "Is Earth Science Europe an interesting and useful construct?"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludden, John

2015-04-01

In 2014 we managed to have a group of earth scientists from across the spectrum: from academic, survey, industry and government, pull together to create the first output for Earth Science Europe http://www.bgs.ac.uk/earthScienceEurope/downloads/EarthScienceEuropeBrochure.pdf In this document we stated that Earth scientists need a united, authoritative voice to enhance the status and impact of Earth science across Europe. The feeling was that there were many diverse infrastructure and research initiatives spanning the terrestrial and oceanic realms and science ranged from historical geology to active dynamics on Earth, and that a level of coordination and mutual knowledge sharing was necessary. In addition to a better understanding of the Earth in general, we thought there was a need to have Earth Science Europe develop a strategic research capacity in geohazards, georesources and environmental earth sciences, through a roadmap addressing fundamental and societal challenges. This would involve a robust research infrastructure to deliver strategic goals, enabling inspirational research and promoting solutions to societal challenges. In this talk I will propose some next steps and discuss what this "authoritative voice" could look like and ask the question - "is Earth Science Europe and interesting and useful concept?"

Foundations for a multiscale collaborative Earth model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afanasiev, Michael; Peter, Daniel; Sager, Korbinian; Simutė, Saulė; Ermert, Laura; Krischer, Lion; Fichtner, Andreas

2016-01-01

We present a computational framework for the assimilation of local to global seismic data into a consistent model describing Earth structure on all seismically accessible scales. This Collaborative Seismic Earth Model (CSEM) is designed to meet the following requirements: (i) Flexible geometric parametrization, capable of capturing topography and bathymetry, as well as all aspects of potentially resolvable structure, including small-scale heterogeneities and deformations of internal discontinuities. (ii) Independence of any particular wave equation solver, in order to enable the combination of inversion techniques suitable for different types of seismic data. (iii) Physical parametrization that allows for full anisotropy and for variations in attenuation and density. While not all of these parameters are always resolvable, the assimilation of data that constrain any parameter subset should be possible. (iv) Ability to accommodate successive refinements through the incorporation of updates on any scale as new data or inversion techniques become available. (v) Enable collaborative Earth model construction. The structure of the initial CSEM is represented on a variable-resolution tetrahedral mesh. It is assembled from a long-wavelength 3-D global model into which several regional-scale tomographies are embedded. We illustrate the CSEM workflow of successive updating with two examples from Japan and the Western Mediterranean, where we constrain smaller scale structure using full-waveform inversion. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of the CSEM to act as a vehicle for the combination of different tomographic techniques with a joint full-waveform and traveltime ray tomography of Europe. This combination broadens the exploitable frequency range of the individual techniques, thereby improving resolution. We perform two iterations of a whole-Earth full-waveform inversion using a long-period reference data set from 225 globally recorded earthquakes. At this early stage

Methanol synthesis using a catalyst combination of alkali or alkaline earth salts and reduced copper chromite

DOEpatents

Tierney, J.W.; Wender, I.; Palekar, V.M.

1995-01-24

The present invention relates to a novel route for the synthesis of methanol, and more specifically to the production of methanol by contacting synthesis gas under relatively mild conditions in a slurry phase with a catalyst combination comprising reduced copper chromite and basic alkali salts or alkaline earth salts. The present invention allows the synthesis of methanol to occur in the temperature range of approximately 100--160 C and the pressure range of 40--65 atm. The process produces methanol with up to 90% syngas conversion per pass and up to 95% methanol selectivity. The only major by-product is a small amount of easily separated methyl formate. Very small amounts of water, carbon dioxide and dimethyl ether are also produced. The present catalyst combination also is capable of tolerating fluctuations in the H[sub 2]/CO ratio without major deleterious effect on the reaction rate. Furthermore, carbon dioxide and water are also tolerated without substantial catalyst deactivation.

Methanol synthesis using a catalyst combination of alkali or alkaline earth salts and reduced copper chromite

DOEpatents

Tierney, John W.; Wender, Irving; Palekar, Vishwesh M.

1995-01-01

The present invention relates to a novel route for the synthesis of methanol, and more specifically to the production of methanol by contacting synthesis gas under relatively mild conditions in a slurry phase with a catalyst combination comprising reduced copper chromite and basic alkali salts or alkaline earth salts. The present invention allows the synthesis of methanol to occur in the temperature range of approximately 100.degree.-160.degree. C. and the pressure range of 40-65 atm. The process produces methanol with up to 90% syngas conversion per pass and up to 95% methanol selectivity. The only major by-product is a small amount of easily separated methyl formate. Very small amounts of water, carbon dioxide and dimethyl ether are also produced. The present catalyst combination also is capable of tolerating fluctuations in the H.sub.2 /CO ratio without major deleterious effect on the reaction rate. Furthermore, carbon dioxide and water are also tolerated without substantial catalyst deactivation.

Earth and Space Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meeson, Blanche W.

1999-01-01

Workshop for middle and high school teachers to enhance their knowledge of the Earth as a system. NASA data and materials developed by teachers (all available via the Internet) will be used to engage participants in hands-on, investigative approaches to the Earth system. All materials are ready to be applied in pre-college classrooms. Remotely-sensed data will be used in combination with familiar resources, such as maps, to examine global climate change.

Effect of combinations of additives on the performance of lithium ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santee, Stuart; Xiao, Ang; Yang, Li; Gnanaraj, Joe; Lucht, Brett L.

Commercial lithium-ion batteries have excellent performance at room temperature for a few years. However, the calendar life and thermal stability (>50 °C) need to be improved for many applications, including electric vehicles. We have conducted an investigation of the effect of thermal stabilizing additives, including dimethyl acetamide, vinylene carbonate, and lithium bis(oxalato) borate, on the performance of lithium ion batteries stored at 70 °C for one month. The reactions of the lithium hexafluorophosphate/carbonate electrolyte, with and without electrolyte additives, with the surface of the electrodes after initial formation cycling have been analyzed via a combination of IR-ATR and XPS.

Secular changes in Earth's shape and surface mass loading derived from combinations of reprocessed global GPS networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booker, David; Clarke, Peter J.; Lavallée, David A.

2014-09-01

The changing distribution of surface mass (oceans, atmospheric pressure, continental water storage, groundwater, lakes, snow and ice) causes detectable changes in the shape of the solid Earth, on time scales ranging from hours to millennia. Transient changes in the Earth's shape can, regardless of cause, be readily separated from steady secular variation in surface mass loading, but other secular changes due to plate tectonics and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) cannot. We estimate secular station velocities from almost 11 years of high quality combined GPS position solutions (GPS weeks 1,000-1,570) submitted as part of the first international global navigation satellite system service reprocessing campaign. Individual station velocities are estimated as a linear fit, paying careful attention to outliers and offsets. We remove a suite of a priori GIA models, each with an associated set of plate tectonic Euler vectors estimated by us; the latter are shown to be insensitive to the a priori GIA model. From the coordinate time series residuals after removing the GIA models and corresponding plate tectonic velocities, we use mass-conserving continental basis functions to estimate surface mass loading including the secular term. The different GIA models lead to significant differences in the estimates of loading in selected regions. Although our loading estimates are broadly comparable with independent estimates from other satellite missions, their range highlights the need for better, more robust GIA models that incorporate 3D Earth structure and accurately represent 3D surface displacements.

Selective Emitter Pumped Rare Earth Laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chubb, Donald L. (Inventor); Patton, Martin O. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A selective emitter pumped rare earth laser provides an additional type of laser for use in many laser applications. Rare earth doped lasers exist which are pumped with flashtubes or laser diodes. The invention uses a rare earth emitter to transform thermal energy input to a spectral band matching the absorption band of a rare earth in the laser in order to produce lasing.

Earth radiation balance and climate: Why the Moon is the wrong place to observe the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandel, Robert S.

1994-06-01

Increasing 'greenhouse' gases in the Earth's atmosphere will perturb the Earth's radiation balance, forcing climate change over coming decades. Climate sensitivity depends critically on cloud-radiation feedback: its evaluation requires continual observation of changing patterns of Earth radiation balance and cloud cover. The Moon is the wrong place for such observations, with many disadvantages compared to an observation system combining platforms in low polar, intermediate-inclination and geostationary orbits. From the Moon, active observations are infeasible; thermal infrared observations require very large instruments to reach spatial resolutions obtained at much lower cost from geostationary or lower orbits. The Earth's polar zones are never well observed from the Moon; other zones are invisible more than half the time. The monthly illumination cycle leads to further bias in radiation budget determinations. The Earth will be a pretty sight from the Earth-side of the Moon, but serious Earth observations will be made elsewhere.

Effects of Combining Na and Sr additions on Eutectic Modification in Al-Si alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, G. L.; Gu, N. J.; Zhou, B. J.

2017-09-01

Experiments were designed to investigate the effects of strontium and sodium modified on the eutectic silicon for Al-Si alloy. It was found that combining addition of Na and Sr did not appear to cause deleterious interactions of modification, at at the same time, Sr-Na was fairly constant with holding time and without obvious modification fading. Addition of Na-Sr modifier could take effect quickly and decrease incubation period.

Earth and Its Moon, as Seen From Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-06

This composite image of Earth and its moon, as seen from Mars, combines the best Earth image with the best moon image from four sets of images acquired on Nov. 20, 2016, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Each was separately processed prior to combining them so that the moon is bright enough to see. The moon is much darker than Earth and would barely be visible at the same brightness scale as Earth. The combined view retains the correct sizes and positions of the two bodies relative to each other. HiRISE takes images in three wavelength bands: infrared, red, and blue-green. These are displayed here as red, green, and blue, respectively. This is similar to Landsat images in which vegetation appears red. The reddish feature in the middle of the Earth image is Australia. Southeast Asia appears as the reddish area (due to vegetation) near the top; Antarctica is the bright blob at bottom-left. Other bright areas are clouds. These images were acquired for calibration of HiRISE data, since the spectral reflectance of the Moon's near side is very well known. When the component images were taken, Mars was about 127 million miles (205 million kilometers) from Earth. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21260

Water in the Earth's Interior: Distribution and Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peslier, Anne H.; Schönbächler, Maria; Busemann, Henner; Karato, Shun-Ichiro

2017-10-01

The concentration and distribution of water in the Earth has influenced its evolution throughout its history. Even at the trace levels contained in the planet's deep interior (mantle and core), water affects Earth's thermal, deformational, melting, electrical and seismic properties, that control differentiation, plate tectonics and volcanism. These in turn influenced the development of Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and life. In addition to the ubiquitous presence of water in the hydrosphere, most of Earth's "water" actually occurs as trace amounts of hydrogen incorporated in the rock-forming silicate minerals that constitute the planet's crust and mantle, and may also be stored in the metallic core. The heterogeneous distribution of water in the Earth is the result of early planetary differentiation into crust, mantle and core, followed by remixing of lithosphere into the mantle after plate-tectonics started. The Earth's total water content is estimated at 18_{-15}^{+81} times the equivalent mass of the oceans (or a concentration of 3900_{-3300}^{+32700} ppm weight H2O). Uncertainties in this estimate arise primarily from the less-well-known concentrations for the lower mantle and core, since samples for water analyses are only available from the crust, the upper mantle and very rarely from the mantle transition zone (410-670 km depth). For the lower mantle (670-2900 km) and core (2900-4500 km), the estimates rely on laboratory experiments and indirect geophysical techniques (electrical conductivity and seismology). The Earth's accretion likely started relatively dry because it mainly acquired material from the inner part of the proto-planetary disk, where temperatures were too high for the formation and accretion of water ice. Combined evidence from several radionuclide systems (Pd-Ag, Mn-Cr, Rb-Sr, U-Pb) suggests that water was not incorporated in the Earth in significant quantities until the planet had grown to ˜60-90% of its current size, while core formation

Contributions to the Earth's obliquity rate, precession, and nutation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, James G.

1994-01-01

The precession and nutation of the Earth's equator arise from solar, lunar, and planetary torques on the oblate Earth. The mean lunar orbit plane is nearly coincident with the ecliptic plane. A small tilt out of the ecliptic is caused by planetary perturbations and the Earth's gravitational harmonic J(sub2). These planetary perturbations on the lunar orbit result in torques on the oblate Earth which contribute to precession, obliquity rate, and nutation while the J(sub 2) perturbations contribute to precession and nutation. Small additional contributions to the secular rates arise from tidal effects and planetary torques on the Earth's bulge. The total correction to the obliquity rate is -0.024sec/century, it is an observable motion in space (the much larger conventional obliquity rate is wholly from the motion of the ecliptic, not the equator), and it is not present in the IAU-adopted expressions for the orientation of the Earth's equator. The J(sub2) effects have generally been allowed for in past nutation theories and some procession theories. For the planetary effect, the contributions to the 18.6 yr nutation are -0.03 mas (milliarcseconds) for the in-phase Delta phi plus out-of-phase contributions of 0.14 mas in Delta phi and -0.03 mas in Delta epsilon. The latter terms demonstrate that out-of-phase contributions can arise by means other than dissipation. The sum of the contributions to the precession rate is considered and the inferred value of the moment of inertia combination (C-A)/C, which is used to scale the coefficients in the nutation series, is evaluated. Using an updated value for the precession rate, the rigid body (C-A)/C = 0.003 273 763 4 which, in combination with a satellite-derived J(sub2), gives a normalized polar moment of inertia C/MR(exp2) = 0.330 700 7. The planetary contributions to the precession and obliquity rates are not constant for long times causing accelerations in both quantities. Acceleration in precession also arises from tides

Early Earth slab stagnation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrusta, R.; Van Hunen, J.

2016-12-01

At present day, the Earth's mantle exhibits a combination of stagnant and penetrating slabs within the transition zone, indicating a intermittent convection mode between layered and whole-mantle convection. Isoviscous thermal convection calculations show that in a hotter Earth, the natural mode of convection was dominated by double-layered convection, which may imply that slabs were more prone to stagnate in the transition zone. Today, slab penetration is to a large extent controlled by trench mobility for a plausible range of lower mantle viscosity and Clapeyron slope of the mantle phase transitions. Trench mobility is, in turn, governed by slab strength and density and upper plate forcing. In this study, we systematically investigate the slab-transition zone internation in the Early Earth, using 2D self-consistent numerical subduction models. Early Earth's higher mantle temperature facilitates decoupling between the plates and the underlying asthenosphere, and may result in slab sinking almost without trench retreat. Such behaviour together with a low resistance of a weak lower mantle may allow slabs to penetrate. The ability of slab to sink into the lower mantle throughout Earth's history may have important implications for Earth's evolution: it would provide efficient mass and heat flux through the transition zone therefore provide an efficient way to cool and mix the Earth's mantle.

Astrobiology and the Possibility of Life on Earth and Elsewhere…

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottin, Hervé; Kotler, Julia Michelle; Bartik, Kristin; Cleaves, H. James; Cockell, Charles S.; de Vera, Jean-Pierre P.; Ehrenfreund, Pascale; Leuko, Stefan; Ten Kate, Inge Loes; Martins, Zita; Pascal, Robert; Quinn, Richard; Rettberg, Petra; Westall, Frances

2017-07-01

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary scientific field not only focused on the search of extraterrestrial life, but also on deciphering the key environmental parameters that have enabled the emergence of life on Earth. Understanding these physical and chemical parameters is fundamental knowledge necessary not only for discovering life or signs of life on other planets, but also for understanding our own terrestrial environment. Therefore, astrobiology pushes us to combine different perspectives such as the conditions on the primitive Earth, the physicochemical limits of life, exploration of habitable environments in the Solar System, and the search for signatures of life in exoplanets. Chemists, biologists, geologists, planetologists and astrophysicists are contributing extensively to this interdisciplinary research field. From 2011 to 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) had the initiative to gather a Topical Team of interdisciplinary scientists focused on astrobiology to review the profound transformations in the field that have occurred since the beginning of the new century. The present paper is an interdisciplinary review of current research in astrobiology, covering the major advances and main outlooks in the field. The following subjects will be reviewed and most recent discoveries will be highlighted: the new understanding of planetary system formation including the specificity of the Earth among the diversity of planets, the origin of water on Earth and its unique combined properties among solvents for the emergence of life, the idea that the Earth could have been habitable during the Hadean Era, the inventory of endogenous and exogenous sources of organic matter and new concepts about how chemistry could evolve towards biological molecules and biological systems. In addition, many new findings show the remarkable potential life has for adaptation and survival in extreme environments. All those results from different fields of science are guiding our

HMMR (High-Resolution Multifrequency Microwave Radiometer) Earth observing system, volume 2e. Instrument panel report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Recommendations and background are provided for a passive microwave remote sensing system of the future designed to meet the observational needs of Earth scientist in the next decade. This system, called the High Resolution Multifrequency Microwave Radiometer (HMMR), is to be part of a complement of instruments in polar orbit. Working together, these instruments will form an Earth Observing System (EOS) to provide the information needed to better understand the fundamental, global scale processes which govern the Earth's environment. Measurements are identified in detail which passive observations in the microwave portion of the spectrum could contribute to an Earth Observing System in polar orbit. Requirements are established, e.g., spatial and temporal resolution, for these measurements so that, when combined with the other instruments in the Earth Observing System, they would yield a data set suitable for understanding the fundamental processes governing the Earth's environment. Existing and/or planned sensor systems are assessed in the light of these requirements, and additional sensor hardware needed to meet these observational requirements are defined.

Fast and simultaneously determination of light and heavy rare earth elements in monazite using combination of ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and multivariate analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anggraeni, Anni; Arianto, Fernando; Mutalib, Abdul; Pratomo, Uji; Bahti, Husein H.

2017-05-01

Rare Earth Elements (REE) are elements that a lot of function for life, such as metallurgy, optical devices, and manufacture of electronic devices. Sources of REE is present in the mineral, in which each element has similar properties. Currently, to determining the content of REE is used instruments such as ICP-OES, ICP-MS, XRF, and HPLC. But in each instruments, there are still have some weaknesses. Therefore we need an alternative analytical method for the determination of rare earth metal content, one of them is by a combination of UV-Visible spectrophotometry and multivariate analysis, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Principal Component Regression (PCR), and Partial Least Square Regression (PLS). The purpose of this experiment is to determine the content of light and medium rare earth elements in the mineral monazite without chemical separation by using a combination of multivariate analysis and UV-Visible spectrophotometric methods. Training set created 22 variations of concentration and absorbance was measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, then the data is processed by PCA, PCR, and PLSR. The results were compared and validated to obtain the mathematical equation with the smallest percent error. From this experiment, mathematical equation used PLS methods was better than PCR after validated, which has RMSE value for La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd, Sm, Eu, and Tb respectively 0.095; 0.573; 0.538; 0.440; 3.387; 1.240; 1.870; and 0.639.

Earth Rotation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickey, Jean O.

1995-01-01

The study of the Earth's rotation in space (encompassing Universal Time (UT1), length of day, polar motion, and the phenomena of precession and nutation) addresses the complex nature of Earth orientation changes, the mechanisms of excitation of these changes and their geophysical implications in a broad variety of areas. In the absence of internal sources of energy or interactions with astronomical objects, the Earth would move as a rigid body with its various parts (the crust, mantle, inner and outer cores, atmosphere and oceans) rotating together at a constant fixed rate. In reality, the world is considerably more complicated, as is schematically illustrated. The rotation rate of the Earth's crust is not constant, but exhibits complicated fluctuations in speed amounting to several parts in 10(exp 8) [corresponding to a variation of several milliseconds (ms) in the Length Of the Day (LOD) and about one part in 10(exp 6) in the orientation of the rotation axis relative to the solid Earth's axis of figure (polar motion). These changes occur over a broad spectrum of time scales, ranging from hours to centuries and longer, reflecting the fact that they are produced by a wide variety of geophysical and astronomical processes. Geodetic observations of Earth rotation changes thus provide insights into the geophysical processes illustrated, which are often difficult to obtain by other means. In addition, these measurements are required for engineering purposes. Theoretical studies of Earth rotation variations are based on the application of Euler's dynamical equations to the problem of finding the response of slightly deformable solid Earth to variety of surface and internal stresses.

Earth-approaching asteroid streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drummond, J. D.

1991-01-01

Three association patterns have been noted among 139 earth-approaching asteroids on the basis of current orbital similarity; these asteroid streams, consisting of two groups of five members and one of four, can be matched to three of the four meteorite-producing fireball streams determined by Halliday et al. (1990). If the asteroid streams are true nonrandom associations, the opportunity arises for studies of an 'exploded' asteroid in the near-earth environment. Near-earth asteroid-search projects are encouraged to search the mean orbit of the present streams in order to discover additional association members.

A Combined Length-of-Day Series Spanning 1832-1997

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, Richard S.

1999-01-01

The Earth's rotation is not constant but exhibits minute changes on all observable time scales ranging from subdaily to secular. This rich spectrum of observed Earth rotation changes reflects the rich variety of astronomical and geophysical phenomena that are causing the Earth's rotation to change, including, but not limited to, ocean and solid body tides, atmospheric wind and pressure changes, oceanic current and sea level height changes, post-glacial rebound, and torques acting at the core-mantle boundary. In particular, the decadal-scale variations of the Earth's rotation are thought to be largely caused by interactions between the Earth's outer core and mantle. Comparing the inferred Earth rotation variations caused by the various core-mantle interactions to observed variations requires Earth rotation observations spanning decades, if not centuries. During the past century many different techniques have been used to observe the Earth's rotation. By combining the individual Earth rotation series determined by each of these techniques, a series of the Earth's rotation can be obtained that is based upon independent measurements spanning the greatest possible time interval. In this study, independent observations of the Earth's rotation are combined to generate a length-of-day series spanning 1832-1997. The observations combined include lunar occultation measurements spanning 1832-1955, optical astrometric measurements spanning 1956-1982, lunar laser ranging measurements spanning 1970-1997, and very long baseline interferometric measurements spanning 1978-1998. These series are combined using a Kalman filter developed at JPL for just this purpose. The resulting combined length-of-day series will be presented and compared with other available length-of-day series of similar duration.

A conservative method of testing whether combination analgesics produce additive or synergistic effects using evidence from acute pain and migraine.

PubMed

Moore, R A; Derry, C J; Derry, S; Straube, S; McQuay, H J

2012-04-01

Fixed-dose combination analgesics are used widely, and available both on prescription and over-the-counter. Combination drugs should provide more analgesia than with any single drug in the combination, but there is no evidence in humans about whether oral combinations have just additive effects, or are synergistic or even subadditive. We suggest that the measured result for the combination would be the summation of the absolute benefit increase (effect of active drug minus effect of placebo) of each component of a combination if effects were (merely) additive, and greater than the sum of the absolute benefits if they were synergistic. We tested measured effects of combination analgesics against the sum of the absolute benefits in acute pain and migraine using meta-analysis where individual components and combinations were tested against placebo in the same trials, and verified the result with meta-analyses where individual components and combinations were tested against placebo in different trials. Results showed that expected numbers needed to treat (NNT) for additive effects were generally within the 95% confidence interval of measured NNTs. This was true for combinations of paracetamol plus ibuprofen and paracetamol plus opioids in acute pain, and naproxen plus sumatriptan in migraine, but not where efficacy was very low or very high, nor combinations of paracetamol plus dextropropoxyphene. There was no evidence of synergy, defined as supra-additive effects. © 2011 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

Earth science big data at users' fingertips: the EarthServer Science Gateway Mobile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbera, Roberto; Bruno, Riccardo; Calanducci, Antonio; Fargetta, Marco; Pappalardo, Marco; Rundo, Francesco

2014-05-01

The EarthServer project (www.earthserver.eu), funded by the European Commission under its Seventh Framework Program, aims at establishing open access and ad-hoc analytics on extreme-size Earth Science data, based on and extending leading-edge Array Database technology. The core idea is to use database query languages as client/server interface to achieve barrier-free "mix & match" access to multi-source, any-size, multi-dimensional space-time data -- in short: "Big Earth Data Analytics" - based on the open standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium Web Coverage Processing Service (OGC WCPS) and the W3C XQuery. EarthServer combines both, thereby achieving a tight data/metadata integration. Further, the rasdaman Array Database System (www.rasdaman.com) is extended with further space-time coverage data types. On server side, highly effective optimizations - such as parallel and distributed query processing - ensure scalability to Exabyte volumes. In this contribution we will report on the EarthServer Science Gateway Mobile, an app for both iOS and Android-based devices that allows users to seamlessly access some of the EarthServer applications using SAML-based federated authentication and fine-grained authorisation mechanisms.

Is the Combination of Insecticide and Mating Disruption Synergistic or Additive in Lightbrown Apple Moth, Epiphyas postvittana?

PubMed Central

Baker, Greg; Salehi, Latif; Woods, Bill

2016-01-01

Pest suppression from combinations of tactics is fundamental to pest management and eradication. Interactions may occur among tactical combinations and affect suppression. The best case is synergistic, where suppression from a combination is greater than the sum of effects from single tactics (AB >> A+B). We explored how mating disruption and insecticide interacted at field scale, additively or synergistically. Use of a pheromone delivery formulation (SPLAT™) as either a mating disruption treatment (i.e. a two-component pheromone alone) or as a lure and kill treatment (i.e. the two-component pheromone plus a permethrin insecticide) was compared for efficacy against the lightbrown apple moth Epiphyas postvittana. Next, four point-source densities of the SPLAT™ formulations were compared for communication disruption. Finally, the mating disruption and lure and kill treatments were applied with a broadcast insecticide. Population assessment used virgin female traps and synthetic pheromone in replicated 9-ha vineyard plots compared with untreated controls and insecticide-treated plots, to investigate interactions. Lure and kill and mating disruption provided equivalent suppression; no additional benefit accrued from including permethrin with the pheromone suggesting lack of contact. The highest point-source density tested (625/ha) was most effective. The insect growth regulator methoxyfenoxide applied by broadcast application lowered pest prevalence by 70% for the first ten weeks compared to pre-trial. Pheromone addition suppressed the pest further by an estimated 92.5%, for overall suppression of 97.7% from the treatment combination of insecticide plus mating disruption. This was close to that expected for an additive model of interactivity between insecticide and mating disruption (AB = A+B) estimated from plots with single tactics as 98% suppression in a combination. The results indicate the need to examine other tactical combinations to achieve the potential

Is the Combination of Insecticide and Mating Disruption Synergistic or Additive in Lightbrown Apple Moth, Epiphyas postvittana?

PubMed

Suckling, David M; Baker, Greg; Salehi, Latif; Woods, Bill

2016-01-01

Pest suppression from combinations of tactics is fundamental to pest management and eradication. Interactions may occur among tactical combinations and affect suppression. The best case is synergistic, where suppression from a combination is greater than the sum of effects from single tactics (AB > A+B). We explored how mating disruption and insecticide interacted at field scale, additively or synergistically. Use of a pheromone delivery formulation (SPLAT™) as either a mating disruption treatment (i.e. a two-component pheromone alone) or as a lure and kill treatment (i.e. the two-component pheromone plus a permethrin insecticide) was compared for efficacy against the lightbrown apple moth Epiphyas postvittana. Next, four point-source densities of the SPLAT™ formulations were compared for communication disruption. Finally, the mating disruption and lure and kill treatments were applied with a broadcast insecticide. Population assessment used virgin female traps and synthetic pheromone in replicated 9-ha vineyard plots compared with untreated controls and insecticide-treated plots, to investigate interactions. Lure and kill and mating disruption provided equivalent suppression; no additional benefit accrued from including permethrin with the pheromone suggesting lack of contact. The highest point-source density tested (625/ha) was most effective. The insect growth regulator methoxyfenoxide applied by broadcast application lowered pest prevalence by 70% for the first ten weeks compared to pre-trial. Pheromone addition suppressed the pest further by an estimated 92.5%, for overall suppression of 97.7% from the treatment combination of insecticide plus mating disruption. This was close to that expected for an additive model of interactivity between insecticide and mating disruption (AB = A+B) estimated from plots with single tactics as 98% suppression in a combination. The results indicate the need to examine other tactical combinations to achieve the potential

Combined Treatment of Xenon and Hypothermia in Newborn Rats - Additive or Synergistic Effect?

PubMed Central

Sabir, Hemmen; Walløe, Lars; Dingley, John; Smit, Elisa; Liu, Xun; Thoresen, Marianne

2014-01-01

Background Breathing the inert gas Xenon (Xe) enhances hypothermic (HT) neuroprotection after hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in small and large newborn animal models. The underlying mechanism of the enhancement is not yet fully understood, but the combined effect of Xe and HT could either be synergistic (larger than the two effects added) or simply additive. A previously published study, using unilateral carotid ligation followed by hypoxia in seven day old (P7) rats, showed that the combination of mild HT (35°C) and low Xe concentration (20%), both not being neuroprotective alone, had a synergistic effect and was neuroprotective when both were started with a 4 h delay after a moderate HI insult. To examine whether another laboratory could confirm this finding, we repeated key aspects of the study. Design/Methods After the HI-insult 120 pups were exposed to different post-insult treatments: three temperatures (normothermia (NT) NT37°C, HT35°C, HT32°C) or Xe concentrations (0%, 20% or 50%) starting either immediately or with a 4 h delay. To assess the synergistic potency of Xe-HT, a second set (n = 101) of P7 pups were exposed to either HT35°C+Xe0%, NT+Xe20% or a combination of HT35°C+Xe20% starting with a 4 h delay after the insult. Brain damage was analyzed using relative hemispheric (ligated side/unligated side) brain tissue area loss after seven day survival. Results Immediate HT32°C (p = 0.042), but not HT35°C significantly reduced brain injury compared to NT37°C. As previously shown, adding immediate Xe50% to HT32°C increased protection. Neither 4 h-delayed Xe20%, nor Xe50% at 37°C significantly reduced brain injury (p>0.050). In addition, neither 4 h-delayed HT35°C alone, nor HT35°C+Xe20% reduced brain injury. We found no synergistic effect of the combined treatments in this experimental model. Conclusions Combining two treatments that individually were ineffective (delayed HT35°C and delayed Xe20%) did not exert neuroprotection when combined

Tunable, rare earth-doped solid state lasers

DOEpatents

Emmett, John L.; Jacobs, Ralph R.; Krupke, William F.; Weber, Marvin J.

1980-01-01

Laser apparatus comprising combinations of an excimer pump laser and a rare earth-doped solid matrix, utilizing the 5d-4f radiative transition in a rare earth ion to produce visible and ultra-violet laser radiation with high overall efficiency in selected cases and relatively long radiative lifetimes.

Combined use of LiDAR data and multispectral earth observation imagery for wetland habitat mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapinel, Sébastien; Hubert-Moy, Laurence; Clément, Bernard

2015-05-01

Although wetlands play a key role in controlling flooding and nonpoint source pollution, sequestering carbon and providing an abundance of ecological services, the inventory and characterization of wetland habitats are most often limited to small areas. This explains why the understanding of their ecological functioning is still insufficient for a reliable functional assessment on areas larger than a few hectares. While LiDAR data and multispectral Earth Observation (EO) images are often used separately to map wetland habitats, their combined use is currently being assessed for different habitat types. The aim of this study is to evaluate the combination of multispectral and multiseasonal imagery and LiDAR data to precisely map the distribution of wetland habitats. The image classification was performed combining an object-based approach and decision-tree modeling. Four multispectral images with high (SPOT-5) and very high spatial resolution (Quickbird, KOMPSAT-2, aerial photographs) were classified separately. Another classification was then applied integrating summer and winter multispectral image data and three layers derived from LiDAR data: vegetation height, microtopography and intensity return. The comparison of classification results shows that some habitats are better identified on the winter image and others on the summer image (overall accuracies = 58.5 and 57.6%). They also point out that classification accuracy is highly improved (overall accuracy = 86.5%) when combining LiDAR data and multispectral images. Moreover, this study highlights the advantage of integrating vegetation height, microtopography and intensity parameters in the classification process. This article demonstrates that information provided by the synergetic use of multispectral images and LiDAR data can help in wetland functional assessment

China's rare-earth industry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tse, Pui-Kwan

2011-01-01

Introduction China's dominant position as the producer of over 95 percent of the world output of rare-earth minerals and rapid increases in the consumption of rare earths owing to the emergence of new clean-energy and defense-related technologies, combined with China's decisions to restrict exports of rare earths, have resulted in heightened concerns about the future availability of rare earths. As a result, industrial countries such as Japan, the United States, and countries of the European Union face tighter supplies and higher prices for rare earths. This paper briefly reviews China's rare-earth production, consumption, and reserves and the important policies and regulations regarding the production and trade of rare earths, including recently announced export quotas. The 15 lanthanide elements-lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium (atomic numbers 57-71)-were originally known as the rare earths from their occurrence in oxides mixtures. Recently, some researchers have included two other elements-scandium and yttrium-in their discussion of rare earths. Yttrium (atomic number 39), which lies above lanthanum in transition group III of the periodic table and has a similar 3+ ion with a noble gas core, has both atomic and ionic radii similar in size to those of terbium and dysprosium and is generally found in nature with lanthanides. Scandium (atomic number 21) has a smaller ionic radius than yttrium and the lanthanides, and its chemical behavior is intermediate between that of aluminum and the lanthanides. It is found in nature with the lanthanides and yttrium. Rare earths are used widely in high-technology and clean-energy products because they impart special properties of magnetism, luminescence, and strength. Rare earths are also used in weapon systems to obtain the same properties.

Skylab explores the Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Data from visual observations are integrated with results of analyses of approxmately 600 of the nearly 2000 photographs taken of Earth during the 84-day Skylab 4 mission to provide additional information on (1) Earth features and processes; (2) operational procedures and constraints in observing and photographing the planet; and (3) the use of man in real-time analysis of oceanic and atmospheric phenomena.

Additional increased effects of mannitol-temozolomide combined treatment on blood-brain barrier permeability.

PubMed

Choi, Chunggab; Kim, Hye Min; Shon, Jeeheun; Park, Jiae; Kim, Hyeong-Taek; Oh, Seung-Hun; Kim, Nam Keun; Kim, Ok Joon

2018-03-04

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is major obstacle in drug or stem cell treatment in chronic stroke. We hypothesized that adding mannitol to temozolomide (TMZ) is a practically applicable method for resolving the low efficacy of intravenous mannitol therapy. In this study, we investigated whether BBB permeability could be increased by this combined treatment. First, we established a chronic ischemic stroke rat model and examined changes in leakage of Evans blue dye within a lesion site, and in expression of tight junction proteins (TJPs), by this combined treatment. Additionally, in an in vitro BBB model using trans-wells, we analyzed changes in diffusion of a fluorescent tracer and in expression of TJPs. Mannitol-TMZ combined treatment not only increased the amount of Evans blue dye within the stroke lesion site, but also reduced occludin expression in rat brain microvessels. The in vitro study also showed that combined treatment increased the permeability for two different-sized fluorescent tracers, especially large size, and decreased expression of TJPs, such as occludin and ZO-1. Increased BBB permeability effects were more prominent with combined than with single treatments. Mannitol-TMZ combined treatment induced a decrease of TJPs with a consequent increase in BBB permeability. This combined treatment is clinically useful and might provide new therapeutic options by enabling efficient intracerebral delivery of various drugs that could not otherwise be used to treat many CNS diseases due to their inability to penetrate the BBB. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rare earth metal-containing ionic liquids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prodius, Denis; Mudring, Anja-Verena

As an innovative tool, ionic liquids (ILs) are widely employed as an alternative, smart, reaction media (vs. traditional solvents) offering interesting technology solutions for dissolving, processing and recycling of metal-containing materials. The costly mining and refining of rare earths (RE), combined with increasing demand for high-tech and energy-related applications around the world, urgently requires effective approaches to improve the efficiency of rare earth separation and recovery. In this context, ionic liquids appear as an attractive technology solution. Finally, this paper addresses the structural and coordination chemistry of ionic liquids comprising rare earth metals with the aim to add to understandingmore » prospects of ionic liquids in the chemistry of rare earths.« less

Rare earth metal-containing ionic liquids

DOE PAGES

Prodius, Denis; Mudring, Anja-Verena

2018-03-07

As an innovative tool, ionic liquids (ILs) are widely employed as an alternative, smart, reaction media (vs. traditional solvents) offering interesting technology solutions for dissolving, processing and recycling of metal-containing materials. The costly mining and refining of rare earths (RE), combined with increasing demand for high-tech and energy-related applications around the world, urgently requires effective approaches to improve the efficiency of rare earth separation and recovery. In this context, ionic liquids appear as an attractive technology solution. Finally, this paper addresses the structural and coordination chemistry of ionic liquids comprising rare earth metals with the aim to add to understandingmore » prospects of ionic liquids in the chemistry of rare earths.« less

Continuous and pulsed laser high power beam combiner for additive manufacturing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassignana, Marta; Califano, Alessio; Pescarmona, Francesco; Braglia, Andrea; Perrone, Guido

2018-02-01

Laser-based additive manufacturing (AM) from metal powders is emerging as the new industrial revolution, although current fabrication approaches still require long mechanical post-processing to improve the final surface quality and meet the design tolerances. To overcome this limitation, the next generation machines are expected to complement laser AM with laser ablation (LA) to implement surface finishing and micro texturing already during the device growth process. With this aim, a new beam combiner to allow the real-time interchange of additive and subtractive processes using the same scanner head has been designed. Extensive tests have been carried out using a 6 kW continuous-wave laser similar to that used for the metal powder fusion and a nanosecond 100W pulsed source similar to that used for laser ablation.

Accessibility of near-Earth asteroids, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hulkower, Neal D.; Child, Jack B.

1991-01-01

Previous research which analyzed the accessibility of all known near-Earth asteroids is updated. Since then, many new near-Earth asteroids have been discovered, and 1928 DB, the most accessible asteroid at that time, has been recovered. Many of these recently discovered near-Earth asteroids have promising orbital characteristics. In addition to accessibility (as defined by minimum global delta v), ideal rendezvous opportunities are identified.

Using geoneutrinos to constrain the radiogenic power in the Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šrámek, Ondřej; Roskovec, Bedřich; Wipperfurth, Scott A.; Xi, Yufei; McDonough, William F.

2017-04-01

The Earth's engine is driven by unknown proportions of primordial energy and heat produced in radioactive decay. Unfortunately, competing models of Earth's composition reveal an order of magnitude uncertainty in the amount of radiogenic power driving mantle dynamics. Together with established geoscientific disciplines (seismology, geodynamics, petrology, mineral physics), experimental particle physics now brings additional constraints to our understanding of mantle energetics. Measurements of the Earth's flux of geoneutrinos, electron antineutrinos emitted in β- decays of naturally occurring radionuclides, reveal the amount of uranium and thorium in the Earth and set limits on the amount of radiogenic power in the planet. Comparison of the flux measured at large underground neutrino experiments with geologically informed predictions of geoneutrino emission from the crust provide the critical test needed to define the mantle's radiogenic power. Measuring geoneutrinos at oceanic locations, distant from nuclear reactors and continental crust, would best reveal the mantle flux and by performing a coarse scale geoneutrino tomography could even test the hypothesis of large heterogeneous structures in deep mantle enriched in heat-producing elements. The current geoneutrino detecting experiments, KamLAND in Japan and Borexino in Italy, will by year ˜ 2020 be supplemented with three more experiments: SNO+ in Canada, and JUNO and Jinping in China. We predict the geoneutrino flux at all experimental sites. Within ˜ 8 years from today, the combination of data from all experiments will exclude end-member compositional models of the silicate Earth at the 1σ level, reveal the radiogenic contribution to the global surface heat loss, and provide tight limits on radiogenic power in the Earth's mantle. Additionally, we discuss how the geoneutrino measurements at the three relatively near-lying (≤ 3000 km) detectors KamLAND, JUNO, and Jinping may be harnessed to improve the

Combined aerobic and resistance training: are there additional benefits for older hypertensive adults?

PubMed Central

Lima, Leandra G.; Bonardi, José T.M.; Campos, Giulliard O.; Bertani, Rodrigo F.; Scher, Luria M.L.; Moriguti, Júlio C.; Ferriolli, Eduardo; Lima, Nereida K.C.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the effects of a combination of aerobic and resistance training to those of isolated aerobic training on blood pressure, body composition, and insulin sensitivity in hypertensive older adults. METHOD: Forty-four patients were randomly assigned to the aerobic group, resistance and aerobic group, and control group. Before and after 10 weeks, the following data were obtained: 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure data, abdominal circumference, waist circumference, body mass index, lean mass, fat mass, and insulin sensitivity. The study was conducted with 3 training sessions per week. RESULTS: Comparison revealed significant reductions in the body mass index, abdominal and waist circumferences, and ambulatory blood pressure (24-hour, wakefulness and sleep systolic/diastolic blood pressures) in both the aerobic group and the resistance and aerobic (combined) group. The fat mass only changed in the combined group. There was no difference in the insulin sensitivity in any group. CONCLUSIONS: The combined treatment and aerobic treatment alone were equally effective in reducing the blood pressure, body mass index, and abdominal and waist circumferences, although the addition of the resistance component also helped reduce the fat mass. PMID:28658436

The Earth Tides.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Judah

1982-01-01

In addition to oceans, the earth is subjected to tidal stresses and undergoes tidal deformations. Discusses origin of tides, tidal stresses, and methods of determining tidal deformations (including gravity, tilt, and strain meters). (JN)

Earth as Seen from Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

On its 449th martian day, or sol (April 29, 2005), NASA's Mars rover Opportunity woke up approximately an hour after sunset and took this picture of the fading twilight as the stars began to come out. Set against the fading red glow of the sky, the pale dot near the center of the picture is not a star, but a planet -- Earth.

Earth appears elongated because it moved slightly during the 15-second exposures. The faintly blue light from the Earth combines with the reddish sky glow to give the pale white appearance.

The images were taken with Opportunity's panoramic camera, using 440-nanometer, 530-nanometer, and 750-nanometer color filters. In processing on the ground, the images were shifted slightly to compensate for Earth's motion between one image and the next.

A combination of additives can synergically decrease acrylamide content in gingerbread without compromising sensory quality.

PubMed

Komprda, Tomáš; Pridal, Antonin; Mikulíková, Renata; Svoboda, Zdeněk; Cwiková, Olga; Nedomová, Šárka; Sýkora, Vladimír

2017-02-01

The present study tested whether replacement of the leavening agent ammonium carbonate by sodium hydrogen carbonate in combination with calcium cation and acidifying agent will synergically decrease acrylamide (AA) content in gingerbread. The type of leavening agent and the presence of Ca 2+ and citric acid accounted for 33.6%, 13.2% and 53.2% of the explained variability of the AA content, respectively (P < 0.01). The AA content in gingerbread produced with (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 alone was 186.5 µg kg -1 . Irrespective of other tested additives, NaHCO 3 decreased (P < 0.05) AA content to 42% compared to (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 . Combination of NaHCO 3 + CaCl 2 + citric acid in dough reduced (P < 0.05) AA content below the limit of detection (25 µg kg -1 ). The AA content in gingerbread (y; µg kg -1 ) decreased with an increasing number of additives used (x) according to the equation y = 158.8 - 47.94x (r 2 = 0.42; P < 0.0001). A comprehensive sensory analysis did not indicate any significant deterioration (P > 0.05) in the organoleptic quality of gingerbread produced using calcium cation and citric acid. The present study demonstrates that the combination of additives NaHCO 3 /Ca 2+ /citric acid synergically decreases AA content in gingerbread without compromising the sensory quality. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Plants with genetically modified events combined by conventional breeding: an assessment of the need for additional regulatory data.

PubMed

Pilacinski, W; Crawford, A; Downey, R; Harvey, B; Huber, S; Hunst, P; Lahman, L K; MacIntosh, S; Pohl, M; Rickard, C; Tagliani, L; Weber, N

2011-01-01

Crop varieties with multiple GM events combined by conventional breeding have become important in global agriculture. The regulatory requirements in different countries for such products vary considerably, placing an additional burden on regulatory agencies in countries where the submission of additional data is required and delaying the introduction of innovative products to meet agricultural needs. The process of conventional plant breeding has predictably provided safe food and feed products both historically and in the modern era of plant breeding. Thus, previously approved GM events that have been combined by conventional plant breeding and contain GM traits that are not likely to interact in a manner affecting safety should be considered to be as safe as their conventional counterparts. Such combined GM event crop varieties should require little, if any, additional regulatory data to meet regulatory requirements. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Earth Viewing Applications Laboratory (EVAL). Instrument catalog

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

There were 87 instruments described that are used in earth observation, with an additional 51 instruments containing references to programs and their major functions. These instruments were selected from such sources as: (1) earth observation flight program, (2) operational satellite improvement programs, (3) advanced application flight experiment program, (4) shuttle experiment definition program, and (5) earth observation aircraft program.

Combination inhaled steroid and long-acting beta₂-agonist in addition to tiotropium versus tiotropium or combination alone for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Rojas-Reyes, Maria Ximena; García Morales, Olga M; Dennis, Rodolfo J; Karner, Charlotta

2016-06-06

The long-acting bronchodilator tiotropium and single-inhaler combination therapy of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta2-agonists (ICS/LABA) are commonly used for maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Combining these treatments, which have different mechanisms of action, may be more effective than administering the individual components. To assess relative effects of the following treatments on markers of exacerbations, symptoms, quality of life and lung function in patients with COPD.• Tiotropium plus LABA/ICS versus tiotropium.• Tiotropium plus LABA/ICS versus LABA/ICS. We searched the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of Trials (April 2015), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.ClinicalTrials.gov), the World Health Organization (WHO) trials portal and reference lists of relevant articles. We included parallel, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) lasting three months or longer conducted to compare ICS and LABA combination therapy in addition to inhaled tiotropium versus tiotropium alone or combination therapy alone. We independently assessed trials for inclusion, then extracted data on trial quality and outcome results. We contacted study authors to ask for additional information. We collected trial information on adverse effects. Tiotropium plus LABA/ICS versus tiotropiumWe included six studies (1902 participants) with low risk of bias that compared tiotropium in addition to inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta2-agonist combination therapy versus tiotropium alone. Investigators found no statistically significant differences in mortality between treatments (odds ratio (OR) 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55 to 5.91; two studies; 961 participants), a reduction in all-cause hospitalisations with the use of combined therapy (tiotropium + LABA/ICS) (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.92; two studies; 961 participants; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 19.7, 95% CI 10.75 to

Selenium Sequestration in a Cationic Layered Rare Earth Hydroxide: A Combined Batch Experiments and EXAFS Investigation.

PubMed

Zhu, Lin; Zhang, Linjuan; Li, Jie; Zhang, Duo; Chen, Lanhua; Sheng, Daopeng; Yang, Shitong; Xiao, Chengliang; Wang, Jianqiang; Chai, Zhifang; Albrecht-Schmitt, Thomas E; Wang, Shuao

2017-08-01

Selenium is of great concern owing to its acutely toxic characteristic at elevated dosage and the long-term radiotoxicity of 79 Se. The contents of selenium in industrial wastewater, agricultural runoff, and drinking water have to be constrained to a value of 50 μg/L as the maximum concentration limit. We reported here the selenium uptake using a structurally well-defined cationic layered rare earth hydroxide, Y 2 (OH) 5 Cl·1.5H 2 O. The sorption kinetics, isotherms, selectivity, and desorption of selenite and selenate on Y 2 (OH) 5 Cl·1.5H 2 O at pH 7 and 8.5 were systematically investigated using a batch method. The maximum sorption capacities of selenite and selenate are 207 and 124 mg/g, respectively, both representing the new records among those of inorganic sorbents. In the low concentration region, Y 2 (OH) 5 Cl·1.5H 2 O is able to almost completely remove selenium from aqueous solution even in the presence of competitive anions such as NO 3 - , Cl - , CO 3 2- , SO 4 2- , and HPO 4 2- . The resulting concentration of selenium is below 10 μg/L, well meeting the strictest criterion for the drinking water. The selenate on loaded samples could be desorbed by rinsing with concentrated noncomplexing NaCl solutions whereas complexing ligands have to be employed to elute selenite for the material regeneration. After desorption, Y 2 (OH) 5 Cl·1.5H 2 O could be reused to remove selenate and selenite. In addition, the sorption mechanism was unraveled by the combination of EDS, FT-IR, Raman, PXRD, and EXAFS techniques. Specifically, the selenate ions were exchanged with chloride ions in the interlayer space, forming outer-sphere complexes. In comparison, besides anion exchange mechanism, the selenite ions were directly bound to the Y 3+ center in the positively charged layer of [Y 2 (OH) 5 (H 2 O)] + through strong bidentate binuclear inner-sphere complexation, consistent with the observation of the higher uptake of selenite over selenate. The results presented in

Alaska's rare earth deposits and resource potential

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, James C.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.

2012-01-01

Alaska’s known mineral endowment includes some of the largest and highest grade deposits of various metals, including gold, copper and zinc. Recently, Alaska has also been active in the worldwide search for sources of rare earth elements (REE) to replace exports now being limitedby China. Driven by limited supply of the rare earths, combined with their increasing use in new ‘green’ energy, lighting, transportation, and many other technological applications, the rare earth metals neodymium, europium and, in particular, the heavy rare earth elements terbium, dysprosium and yttrium are forecast to soon be in critical short supply (U.S. Department of Energy, 2010).

Polymer monolithic capillary microextraction combined on-line with inductively coupled plasma MS for the determination of trace rare earth elements in biological samples.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin; Chen, Beibei; He, Man; Hu, Bin

2013-07-01

A rapid and sensitive method based on polymer monolithic capillary microextraction combined on-line with microconcentric nebulization inductively coupled plasma MS has been developed for the determination of trace/ultratrace rare earth elements in biological samples. For this purpose, the iminodiacetic acid modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate-trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate) monolithic capillary was prepared and characterized by SEM and FTIR spectroscopy. Factors affecting the extraction efficiency, such as sample pH, sample flow rate, sample/eluent volume, and coexisting ions were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the LODs for rare earth elements were in the range of 0.08 (Er) to 0.97 ng/L (Nd) with a sampling frequency of 8.5 h(-1), and the RSDs were between 1.5% (Sm) and 7.4% (Nd) (c = 20 ng/L, n = 7). The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of trace/ultratrace rare earth elements in human urine and serum samples, and the recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 82-105%. The developed method was simple, rapid, sensitive, and favorable for the analysis of trace/ultratrace rare earth elements in biological samples with limited sample volume. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Earth Science

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-01-01

In July 1990, the Marshall Space Flight Center, in a joint project with the Department of Defense/Air Force Space Test Program, launched the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) using an Atlas I launch vehicle. The mission was designed to study the effects of artificial ion clouds produced by chemical releases on the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere, and to monitor the effects of space radiation environment on sophisticated electronics.

Our Mission to Planet Earth: A guide to teaching Earth system science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, and El Nino are naturally occurring events over which humans have no control. But can human activities cause additional environmental change? Can scientists predict the global impacts of increased levels of pollutants in the atmosphere? Will the planet warm because increased levels of greenhouse gases, produced by the burning of fossil fuels, trap heat and prevent it from being radiated back into space? Will the polar ice cap melt, causing massive coastal flooding? Have humans initiated wholesale climatic change? These are difficult questions, with grave implications. Predicting global change and understanding the relationships among earth's components have increased in priority for the nation. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with many other government agencies, has initiated long-term studies of earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land masses using observations from satellite, balloon, and aircraft-borne instruments. NASA calls its research program Mission to Planet Earth. Because NASA can place scientific instruments far above earth's surface, the program allows scientists to explore earth's components and their interactions on a global scale.

EarthLabs - Investigating Hurricanes: Earth's Meteorological Monsters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

2007-12-01

Earth science is one of the most important tools that the global community needs to address the pressing environmental, social, and economic issues of our time. While, at times considered a second-rate science at the high school level, it is currently undergoing a major revolution in the depth of content and pedagogical vitality. As part of this revolution, labs in Earth science courses need to shift their focus from cookbook-like activities with known outcomes to open-ended investigations that challenge students to think, explore and apply their learning. We need to establish a new model for Earth science as a rigorous lab science in policy, perception, and reality. As a concerted response to this need, five states, a coalition of scientists and educators, and an experienced curriculum team are creating a national model for a lab-based high school Earth science course named EarthLabs. This lab course will comply with the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The content will focus on Earth system science and environmental literacy. The lab experiences will feature a combination of field work, classroom experiments, and computer access to data and visualizations, and demonstrate the rigor and depth of a true lab course. The effort is being funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. One of the prototype units of the course is Investigating Hurricanes. Hurricanes are phenomena which have tremendous impact on humanity and the resources we use. They are also the result of complex interacting Earth systems, making them perfect objects for rigorous investigation of many concepts commonly covered in Earth science courses, such as meteorology, climate, and global wind circulation. Students are able to use the same data sets, analysis tools, and research techniques that scientists employ in their research, yielding truly authentic learning opportunities. This month-long integrated unit uses hurricanes as the story line by

C3: A Collaborative Web Framework for NASA Earth Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foughty, E.; Fattarsi, C.; Hardoyo, C.; Kluck, D.; Wang, L.; Matthews, B.; Das, K.; Srivastava, A.; Votava, P.; Nemani, R. R.

2010-12-01

The NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) is a new collaboration platform for the Earth science community that provides a mechanism for scientific collaboration and knowledge sharing. NEX combines NASA advanced supercomputing resources, Earth system modeling, workflow management, NASA remote sensing data archives, and a collaborative communication platform to deliver a complete work environment in which users can explore and analyze large datasets, run modeling codes, collaborate on new or existing projects, and quickly share results among the Earth science communities. NEX is designed primarily for use by the NASA Earth science community to address scientific grand challenges. The NEX web portal component provides an on-line collaborative environment for sharing of Eearth science models, data, analysis tools and scientific results by researchers. In addition, the NEX portal also serves as a knowledge network that allows researchers to connect and collaborate based on the research they are involved in, specific geographic area of interest, field of study, etc. Features of the NEX web portal include: Member profiles, resource sharing (data sets, algorithms, models, publications), communication tools (commenting, messaging, social tagging), project tools (wikis, blogs) and more. The NEX web portal is built on the proven technologies and policies of DASHlink.arc.nasa.gov, (one of NASA's first science social media websites). The core component of the web portal is a C3 framework, which was built using Django and which is being deployed as a common framework for a number of collaborative sites throughout NASA.

Earth's Reflection: Albedo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillette, Brandon; Hamilton, Cheri

2011-01-01

When viewing objects of different colors, you might notice that some appear brighter than others. This is because light is reflected differently from various surfaces, depending on their physical properties. The word "albedo" is used to describe how reflective a surface is. The Earth-atmosphere has a combined albedo of about 30%, a number that is…

Visualizing Moon Data and Imagery with Google Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss-Malik, M.; Scharff, T.; Nefian, A.; Moratto, Z.; Kolb, E.; Lundy, M.; Hancher, M.; Gorelick, N.; Broxton, M.; Beyer, R. A.

2009-12-01

There is a vast store of planetary geospatial data that has been collected by NASA but is difficult to access and visualize. Virtual globes have revolutionized the way we visualize and understand the Earth, but other planetary bodies including Mars and the Moon can be visualized in similar ways. Extraterrestrial virtual globes are poised to revolutionize planetary science, bring an exciting new dimension to science education, and allow ordinary users to explore imagery being sent back to Earth by planetary science satellites. The original Google Moon Web site was a limited series of maps and Apollo content. The new Moon in Google Earth feature provides a similar virtual planet experience for the Moon as we have for the Earth and Mars. We incorporated existing Clementine and Lunar Orbiter imagery for the basemaps and a combination of Kaguya LALT topography and some terrain created from Apollo Metric and Panoramic images. We also have information about the Apollo landings and other robotic landers on the surface, as well as historic maps and charts, and guided tours. Some of the first-released LROC imagery of the Apollo landing sites has been put in place, and we look forward to incorporating more data as it is released from LRO, Chandraayan-1, and Kaguya. These capabilities have obvious public outreach and education benefits, but the potential benefits of allowing planetary scientists to rapidly explore these large and varied data collections — in geological context and within a single user interface — are also becoming evident. Because anyone can produce additional KML content for use in Google Earth, scientists can customize the environment to their needs as well as publish their own processed data and results for others to use. Many scientists and organizations have begun to do this already, resulting in a useful and growing collection of planetary-science-oriented Google Earth layers. Screen shot of Moon in Google Earth, a freely downloadable application for

Unraveling Recrystallization Mechanisms Governing Texture Development from Rare-Earth Element Additions to Magnesium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imandoust, Aidin; Barrett, Christopher D.; Al-Samman, Talal; Tschopp, Mark A.; Essadiqi, Elhachmi; Hort, Norbert; El Kadiri, Haitham

2018-03-01

The origin of texture components often associated with rare-earth element (REE) additions in wrought magnesium alloys is a long-standing problem in magnesium technology. While their influence on the texture is unquestionable, it is not yet clear why certain texture components, such as < 11\\bar{2}1 > ||{extrusion}{direction}, are favored over other components typically observed in traditional magnesium alloys. The objective of this research is to identify the mechanisms accountable for these RE textures during early stages of recrystallization. Electron backscattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses reveal that REEs in zinc-containing magnesium alloys corroborate discontinuous dynamic recrystallization. REEs promote isotropic growth for all nuclei generated through the bulging mechanism. During nucleation, the effect of REEs on orientation selection was explained by the diversified activity of both < 10\\bar{1}0 > and [0001] Taylor axes in the same grain with a marked preference for [0001] rotations to occur first. During nuclei growth, no growth preference was observed when sufficient REEs are added in the zinc-containing magnesium alloys, instead isotropic nuclei growth across all grain orientations occurs. This phenomenon is attributed to REEs segregating to grain boundaries (GBs), in agreement with prior computational and theoretical results (Barrett et al., Scripta Mater 146:46-50, 2018) that show a more isotropic GB energy and mobility after segregation.

Uderstanding Snowball Earth Deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbot, D. S.

2012-12-01

Earth, a normally clement planet comfortably in its star's habitable zone, suffered global or nearly global glaciation at least twice during the Neoproterozoic era (at about 635 and 710 million years ago). Viewed in the context of planetary evolution, these pan-global glaciations (Snowball Earth events) were extremely rapid, lasting only a few million years. The dramatic effect of the Snowball Earth events on the development of the planet can be seen through their link to rises in atmospheric oxygen and evolutionary innovations. These potential catastrophes on an otherwise clement planet can be used to gain insight into planetary habitability more generally. Since Earth is not currently a Snowball, a sound deglaciation mechanism is crucial for the viability of the Snowball Earth hypothesis. The traditional deglaciation mechanism is a massive build up of CO2 due to reduced weathering during Snowball Earth events until tropical surface temperatures reach the melting point. Once initiated, such a deglaciation might happen on a timescale of only dozens of thousands of years and would thrust Earth from the coldest climate in its history to the warmest. Therefore embedded in Snowball Earth events is an even more rapid and dramatic environmental change. Early global climate model simulations raised doubt about whether Snowball Earth deglaciation could be achieved at a CO2 concentration low enough to be consistent with geochemical data, which represented a potential challenge to the Snowball Earth hypothesis. Over the past few years dust and clouds have emerged as the essential missing additional processes that would allow Snowball Earth deglaciation at a low enough CO2 concentration. I will discuss the dust and cloud mechanisms and the modeling behind these ideas. This effort is critical for the broader implications of Snowball Earth events because understanding the specific deglaciation mechanism determines whether similar processes could happen on other planets.

Atorvastatin Combined Nitroglycerin Therapy Confer Additive Effects on Rabbits with Dyslipidemia.

PubMed

Yang, Fang; Wang, Jindong; Li, Fei; Cui, Lei

2016-06-01

Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) is beneficial for inhibiting Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2) expression. However, the effect of exogenous NO on ROCK2 expression is less investigated. Rabbits with dyslipidemia were produced and randomly assigned into untreated, atorvastatin, nitroglycerin and combined groups (n=10 in each group). Medication therapy was lasted for 2 weeks. Parameters of interest including lipid profiles, liver enzyme, C-reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), NO level and ROCK2 level were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks of dyslipidemia establishment and 2 weeks of medication treatment. No significant difference in parameters was found between groups at baseline. With 2 weeks of dyslipidemia establishment, as compared to baseline, serum levels of lipid profiles, CRP and MDA were profoundly elevated. In addition, reduced NO generation and enhanced ROCK2 expression were also observed. With 2 weeks of medication therapy, lipid profiles, systemic inflammation (reflected as serum CRP level) and oxidation (reflected as serum MDA level) were improved in the atorvastatin and combined groups but not in the nitroglycerin group (P<0.05). Furthermore, increased NO production in accompany with reduced ROCK2 expression were observed in both the atorvastatin and nitroglycerin groups, and these benefits were further enhanced by combined therapy (P<0.05). No liver enzymes elevation was observed after 2 weeks of medication therapy. Nitroglycerin-derived exogenous NO could effectively inhibit ROCK2 expression in rabbits with dyslipidemia which is independent of lipid-modification, and these efficacies could be enhanced by statins therapy. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Let Our Powers Combine! Harnessing NASA's Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET) in Worldview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Min Minnie; Ward, Kevin; Boller, Ryan; Gunnoe, Taylor; Baynes, Kathleen; King, Benjamin

2016-01-01

Constellations of NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites orbit the earth to collect images and data about the planet in near real-time. Within hours of satellite overpass, you can discover where the latest wildfires, severe storms, volcanic eruptions, and dust and haze events are occurring using NASA's Worldview web application. By harnessing a repository of curated natural event metadata from NASA Earth Observatory's Natural Event Tracker (EONET), Worldview has moved natural event discovery to the forefront and allows users to select events-of-interest from a curated list, zooms to the area, and adds the most relevant imagery layers for that type of natural event. This poster will highlight NASA Worldviews new natural event feed functionality.

Understanding the Earth's Mantle Through Advanced Elasticity Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marquardt, Hauke; Schulze, Kirsten; Kurnosov, Alexander; Buchen, Johannes; Frost, Daniel; Boffa Ballaran, Tiziana; Marquardt, Katharina; Kawazoe, Takaaki

2017-04-01

Constraints on the inner structure, chemical and mineralogical composition as well as dynamics of Earth's mantle can be derived through comparison of laboratory elasticity data to seismological observables. A quantitative knowledge of the elastic properties of mantle minerals, and their variations with chemical composition, at pressure and temperature conditions of Earth's mantle is key to construct reliable synthetic mineral physics-based seismic velocity models to be compared to seismic observables. We will discuss results of single-crystal elasticity measurements on Earth mantle minerals that have been conducted using the combined Brillouin scattering and x-ray diffraction (XRD) system at BGI Bayreuth in combination with advanced sample preparation using the focused ion beam (FIB) technique [1] that allows for tailoring sizes and shapes of tiny single-crystals. In our experiments, multiple FIB-prepared single-crystals were loaded in a single sample chamber of a resistively-heated diamond-anvil cell (DAC). The possiblity to measure simultaneously acoustic wave velocities and density (unit-cell parameters) in the DAC in combination with the multi-sample approach facilitates direct quantification of the effects of chemical substitution on the elasticity and seismic wave velocities at non-ambient conditions. Our experimental approach eliminates uncertainties arising from the combination of data collected under (potentially) different conditions in several DAC runs, in different laboratories and/or from using different pressure-temperature sensors. We will present our recent experiments on the elasticity of single-crystal Fe-Al-bearing bridgmanite in the lower mantle and discuss implications for the composition and oxidation state of Earth's lower mantle. We will further discuss our laboratory data on the effects of 'water' and iron on the seismic wave velocities of ringwoodite in Earth's transition zone and outline implications for mapping 'water' in the transition

Models of the Earth's Core.

PubMed

Stevenson, D J

1981-11-06

Combined inferences from seismology, high-pressure experiment and theory, geomagnetism, fluid dynamics, and current views of terrestrial planetary evolution lead to models of the earth's core with the following properties. Core formation was contemporaneous with earth accretion; the core is not in chemical equilibrium with the mantle; the outer core is a fluid iron alloy containing significant quantities of lighter elements and is probably almost adiabatic and compositionally uniform; the more iron-rich inner solid core is a consequence of partial freezing of the outer core, and the energy release from this process sustains the earth's magnetic field; and the thermodynamic properties of the core are well constrained by the application of liquid-state theory to seismic and laboratory data.

Models of the earth's core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevenson, D. J.

1981-01-01

Combined inferences from seismology, high-pressure experiment and theory, geomagnetism, fluid dynamics, and current views of terrestrial planetary evolution lead to models of the earth's core with five basic properties. These are that core formation was contemporaneous with earth accretion; the core is not in chemical equilibrium with the mantle; the outer core is a fluid iron alloy containing significant quantities of lighter elements and is probably almost adiabatic and compositionally uniform; the more iron-rich inner solid core is a consequence of partial freezing of the outer core, and the energy release from this process sustains the earth's magnetic field; and the thermodynamic properties of the core are well constrained by the application of liquid-state theory to seismic and labroatory data.

Charge transfer in rare earth oxide hybrid solar cells revealed through ultrafast spectroscopic measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, Bill; Fernando, Kasun; Alphenaar, Bruce; Liu, Jinjun

2014-03-01

Hybrid inorganic-organic solar cells typically combine a transition metal oxide (such as TiO2) and organic dye or polymer absorber to form the donor acceptor pair. Here, Oxidized neodymium (Nd2O3) particles are combined with [6,6]-Phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) to form the active layer of a bulk heterojunction solar cell. The addition of the Nd2O3 results in an enhancement in the short circuit current and open circuit voltage compared to pure PCBM. We also studied the ultrafast dynamics of photoexcitation in pristine PCBM film, and their blends with the rare earth oxide neodymium particles using the pump-probe photomodulation (PM) spectroscopy with ~30 fs time resolution. Our transient PM spectrum covers spectral range of 430 nm to 730 nm. Although the spectra of Nd2O3/PCBM are very similar with pristine PCBM, the recombination kinetics of photogenerated excitons decay rate increases with the addition of Nd2O3, and ground state photobleaching is also observed. Taken together this provides evidence for the charge transfer between the organic and rare earth inorganic components. Supported by the DOE-EPSCoR fund DOE BES (DE-FG02-07ER46375) at University of Louisville.

Earth as art three

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2010-01-01

For most of us, deserts, mountains, river valleys, coastlines even dry lakebeds are relatively familiar features of the Earth's terrestrial environment. For earth scientists, they are the focus of considerable scientific research. Viewed from a unique and unconventional perspective, Earth's geographic attributes can also be a surprising source of awe-inspiring art. That unique perspective is space. The artists for the Earth as Art Three exhibit are the Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 satellites, which orbit approximately 705 kilometers (438 miles) above the Earth's surface. While studying the images these satellites beam down daily, researchers are often struck by the sheer beauty of the scenes. Such images inspire the imagination and go beyond scientific value to remind us how stunning, intricate, and simply amazing our planet's features can be. Instead of paint, the medium for these works of art is light. But Landsat satellite sensors don't see light as human eyes do; instead, they see radiant energy reflected from Earth's surface in certain wavelengths, or bands, of red, green, blue, and infrared light. When these different bands are combined into a single image, remarkable patterns, colors, and shapes emerge. The Earth as Art Three exhibit provides fresh and inspiring glimpses of different parts of our planet's complex surface. The images in this collection were chosen solely based on their aesthetic appeal. Many of the images have been manipulated to enhance color variations or details. They are not intended for scientific interpretation only for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Evidence for a near-Earth asteroid belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabinowitz, D. L.; Gehrels, T.; Scotti, J. V.; Mcmillan, R. S.; Perry, M. L.; Wisniewski, W.; Larson, S. M.; Howell, E. S.; Mueller, B. E. A.

1993-01-01

In January 1991, the 0.9-m Spacewatch telescope made the first observation of an asteroid outside Earth's atmosphere but in the neighborhood of the Earth-moon system. Since then, more than 40 Earth-approaching asteroids have been discovered, including 13 smaller than 50 m. Using these data, one of us has shown that there is an excess of Earth-approaching asteroids with diameters less than 50 m, relative to the population inferred from the distribution of larger objects. Here we argue that these smaller objects - characterized by low eccentricities, widely ranging inclinations and unusual spectral properties - form a previously undetected asteroid belt concentrated near Earth. The recent discovery of additional small Earth-approaching asteroids supports this conclusion.

Enhancement of the red emission in CaTiO 3:Pr 3+ by addition of rare earth oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xianmin; Zhang, Jiahua; Zhang, Xia; Chen, Li; Luo, Yongshi; Wang, Xiao-jun

2007-02-01

Enhancement of the 1D 2- 3H 4 red emission of CaTiO 3:Pr 3+ with addition of rare earth oxides Ln 2O 3 (Ln = Lu, La, Gd) is reported. Ca 2+ and Ti 4+ in CaTiO 3 can be substituted by Ln 3+ ions as donors and acceptors, respectively. Ca 2+ and Ti 4+ vacancies, as quenching centers in the host, are effectively suppressed by the self-compensation, leading to the increase of lifetimes and then the emission efficiency of 1D 2. The red fluorescence intensity for CaTiO 3:Pr 3+ phosphor co-doped with 5 mol% Lu 2O 3 is nearly 3 times greater than that of the Lu-free samples.

Improvements and Additions to NASA Near Real-Time Earth Imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cechini, Matthew; Boller, Ryan; Baynes, Kathleen; Schmaltz, Jeffrey; DeLuca, Alexandar; King, Jerome; Thompson, Charles; Roberts, Joe; Rodriguez, Joshua; Gunnoe, Taylor;

Combining MHD Airbreathing and Fusion Rocket Propulsion for Earth-to-Orbit Flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froning, H. D.; Miley, G. H.; Luo, Nie; Yang, Yang; Momota, H.; Burton, E.

2005-02-01

Previous studies have shown that Single-State-to-Orbit (SSTO) vehicle propellant can be reduced by Magnets-Hydro-Dynamic (MHD) processes that minimize airbreathing propulsion losses and propellant consumption during atmospheric flight. Similarly additional reduction in SSTO propellant is enabled by Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) fusion, whose more energetic reactions reduce rocket propellant needs. MHD airbreathing propulsion during an SSTO vehicle's initial atmospheric flight phase and IEC fusion propulsion during its final exo-atmospheric flight phase is therefore being explored. Accomplished work is not yet sufficient for claiming such a vehicle's feasibility. But takeoff and propellant mass for an MHD airbreathing and IEC fusion vehicle could be as much as 25 and 40 percent less than one with ordinary airbreathing and IEC fusion; and as much as 50 and 70 percent less than SSTO takeoff and propellant mass with MHD airbreathing and chemical rocket propulsion. Thus this unusual combined cycle engine shows great promise for performance gains beyond contemporary combined-cycle airbreathing engines.

You are here: Earth as seen from Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-11

This is the first image ever taken of Earth from the surface of a planet beyond the Moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit one hour before sunrise on the 63rd martian day, or sol, of its mission. The image is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera showing a broad view of the sky, and an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera of Earth. The contrast in the panoramic camera image was increased two times to make Earth easier to see. The inset shows a combination of four panoramic camera images zoomed in on Earth. The arrow points to Earth. Earth was too faint to be detected in images taken with the panoramic camera's color filters. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05547

HABEBEE: habitability of eyeball-exo-Earths.

PubMed

Angerhausen, Daniel; Sapers, Haley; Citron, Robert; Bergantini, Alexandre; Lutz, Stefanie; Queiroz, Luciano Lopes; da Rosa Alexandre, Marcelo; Araujo, Ana Carolina Vieira

2013-03-01

Extrasolar Earth and super-Earth planets orbiting within the habitable zone of M dwarf host stars may play a significant role in the discovery of habitable environments beyond Earth. Spectroscopic characterization of these exoplanets with respect to habitability requires the determination of habitability parameters with respect to remote sensing. The habitable zone of dwarf stars is located in close proximity to the host star, such that exoplanets orbiting within this zone will likely be tidally locked. On terrestrial planets with an icy shell, this may produce a liquid water ocean at the substellar point, one particular "Eyeball Earth" state. In this research proposal, HABEBEE: exploring the HABitability of Eyeball-Exo-Earths, we define the parameters necessary to achieve a stable icy Eyeball Earth capable of supporting life. Astronomical and geochemical research will define parameters needed to simulate potentially habitable environments on an icy Eyeball Earth planet. Biological requirements will be based on detailed studies of microbial communities within Earth analog environments. Using the interdisciplinary results of both the physical and biological teams, we will set up a simulation chamber to expose a cold- and UV-tolerant microbial community to the theoretically derived Eyeball Earth climate states, simulating the composition, atmosphere, physical parameters, and stellar irradiation. Combining the results of both studies will enable us to derive observable parameters as well as target decision guidance and feasibility analysis for upcoming astronomical platforms.

Large Igneous Provinces, Sulfur Aerosols, and Initiation of Snowball Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macdonald, F. A.; Wordsworth, R. D.

2015-12-01

The events that led to the initiation of Snowball Earth remain poorly understood. Proposed scenarios include a methane addiction, a biological innovation that led to an increase in organic carbon burial and anaerobic remineralization, or an increase in global weatherability due to a paleogeography with a preponderance of low latitude continents, and the subareal implacement of large igneous provinces (LIPs) at the equator. The Franklin LIP was emplaced between 730 and 710 Ma and covers an area of over 2.25 Mkm2 with lavas, sills, and dikes extending over much of northern Laurentia from Alaska through northern Canada to Greenland and potentially to Siberia. The most precise geochronological constraints on the Franklin LIP overlap with the onset of the Sturtian Snowball Earth glaciation, which began between 717 and 716 Ma and marked the first glaciation in over 1 billion years. The Franklin LIP is the largest preserved Neoproterozoic LIP and one of the largest in Earth History. Additionally, it was emplaced at equatorial latitudes with associated sills that invaded epicontinental sulfur evaporite basins, potentially maximizing environmental effects. Here we explore the hypothesis that the Sturtian Snowball Earth was initiated in part by an increase in planetary albedo from the conversion of volcanic SO2/H2S emissions to tropospheric and stratospheric sulfate aerosols through a combination of geochemical and modeling studies.

Efficacy of a feed-additive antibacterial combination for improving feedlot cattle performance and health.

PubMed Central

Gallo, G F; Berg, J L

1995-01-01

The effectiveness of a feed-additive antimicrobial combination for improving feedlot performance and health was tested using 4325 high-risk feeder calves randomly allocated to a control group or an experimental group. The experimental group received the conventional ration plus a feed additive containing 700 mg per head/day of chlortetracycline and sulfamethazine from arrival at the feedlot to day 56 of the feeding period. The inclusion of the feed additive to the ration significantly improved average daily gain for days 0-28 (P = 0.0163) and 0-56 (P = 0.0001), and the feed conversion for days 0-28 (P = 0.0061) and 0-56 (P = 0.0004). Additionally, the use of the feed additive significantly reduced the rate of bovine respiratory disease morbidity for days 0-28 (P = 0.0014) and 0-56 (P = 0.0001), the rate of relapses and mortality for days 0-56 (P = 0.0151 and P = 0.0209, respectively), and the rate of animals diagnosed with chronic respiratory disease for days 0-28 and 0-56 (P = 0.0009 and P = 0.0002, respectively). Performance and health improvements produced by the use of the feed additive were cost-effective. PMID:7600512

Teaching earth science

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alpha, Tau Rho; Diggles, Michael F.

1998-01-01

This CD-ROM contains 17 teaching tools: 16 interactive HyperCard 'stacks' and a printable model. They are separated into the following categories: Geologic Processes, Earthquakes and Faulting, and Map Projections and Globes. A 'navigation' stack, Earth Science, is provided as a 'launching' place from which to access all of the other stacks. You can also open the HyperCard Stacks folder and launch any of the 16 stacks yourself. In addition, a 17th tool, Earth and Tectonic Globes, is provided as a printable document. Each of the tools can be copied onto a 1.4-MB floppy disk and distributed freely.

Irradiation and additive combinations on the pathogen reduction and quality of poultry meat.

PubMed

Ahn, Dong U; Kim, Il Suk; Lee, Eun Joo

2013-02-01

Reduction of foodborne illnesses and deaths by improving the safety of poultry products is one of the priority areas in the United States, and developing and implementing effective food processing technologies can be very effective to accomplish that goal. Irradiation is an effective processing technology for eliminating pathogens in poultry meat. Addition of antimicrobial agents during processing can be another approach to control pathogens in poultry products. However, the adoption of irradiation technology by the meat industry is limited because of quality and health concerns about irradiated meat products. Irradiation produces a characteristic aroma as well as alters meat flavor and color that significantly affect consumer acceptance. The generation of a pink color in cooked poultry and off-odor in poultry by irradiation is a critical issue because consumers associate the presence of a pink color in cooked poultry breast meat as contaminated or undercooked, and off-odor in raw meat and off-flavor in cooked meat with undesirable chemical reactions. As a result, the meat industry has difficulties in using irradiation to achieve its food safety benefits. Antimicrobials such as sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, and potassium benzoate are extensively used to extend the shelf-life and ensure the safety of meat products. However, the use of these antimicrobial agents alone cannot guarantee the safety of poultry products. It is known that some of the herbs, spices, and antimicrobials commonly used in meat processing can have synergistic effects with irradiation in controlling pathogens in meat. Also, the addition of spices or herbs in irradiated meat improves the quality of irradiated poultry by reducing lipid oxidation and production of off-odor volatiles or masking off-flavor. Therefore, combinations of irradiation with these additives can accomplish better pathogen reduction in meat products than using them alone even at lower levels of antimicrobials/herbs and

Beautiful Earth: Inspiring Native American students in Earth Science through Music, Art and Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casasanto, V.; Rock, J.; Hallowell, R.; Williams, K.; Angell, D.; Beautiful Earth

2011-12-01

The Beautiful Earth program, awarded by NASA's Competitive Opportunities in Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Science (EPOESS), is a live multi-media performance at partner science centers linked with hands-on workshops featuring Earth scientists and Native American experts. It aims to inspire, engage and educate diverse students in Earth science through an experience of viewing the Earth from space as one interconnected whole, as seen through the eyes of astronauts. The informal education program is an outgrowth of Kenji Williams' BELLA GAIA Living Atlas Experience (www.bellagaia.com) performed across the globe since 2008 and following the successful Earth Day education events in 2009 and 2010 with NASA's DLN (Digital Learning Network) http://tinyurl.com/2ckg2rh. Beautiful Earth takes a new approach to teaching, by combining live music and data visualizations, Earth Science with indigenous perspectives of the Earth, and hands-on interactive workshops. The program will utilize the emotionally inspiring multi-media show as a springboard to inspire participants to learn more about Earth systems and science. Native Earth Ways (NEW) will be the first module in a series of three "Beautiful Earth" experiences, that will launch the national tour at a presentation in October 2011 at the MOST science museum in collaboration with the Onandaga Nation School in Syracuse, New York. The NEW Module will include Native American experts to explain how they study and conserve the Earth in their own unique ways along with hands-on activities to convey the science which was seen in the show. In this first pilot run of the module, 110 K-12 students with faculty and family members of the Onandaga Nations School will take part. The goal of the program is to introduce Native American students to Earth Sciences and STEM careers, and encourage them to study these sciences and become responsible stewards of the Earth. The second workshop presented to participants will be the

Individual and combined in vitro (anti)androgenic effects of certain food additives and cosmetic preservatives.

PubMed

Pop, Anca; Drugan, Tudor; Gutleb, Arno C; Lupu, Diana; Cherfan, Julien; Loghin, Felicia; Kiss, Béla

2016-04-01

The individual and combined (binary mixtures) (anti)androgenic effect of butylparaben (BuPB), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and propyl gallate (PG) was evaluated using the MDA-kb2 cell line. Exposing these cells to AR agonists results in the expression of the reporter gene (encoding for luciferase) and luminescence can be measured in order to monitor the activity of the reporter protein. In case of the evaluation of the anti-androgenic effect, the individual test compounds or binary mixtures were tested in the presence of a fixed concentration of a strong AR agonist (1000 pM 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone; DHT). Cell viability was assessed using a resazurin based assay. For PG, this is the first report in the literature concerning its (anti)androgenic activity. In case of both individual and mixture testing none of the compounds or binary combinations showed androgenic activity. When tested in the presence of DHT, BuPB, BHA and BHT proved to be weak anti-androgens and this was confirmed during the evaluation of binary mixtures (BuPB+BHA, BuPB+BHT and BHA+BHT). Besides performing the in vitro testing of the binary combinations, two mathematical models (dose addition and response addition) were evaluated in terms of accuracy of prediction of the anti-androgenic effect of the selected binary mixtures. The dose addition model guaranteed a good correlation between the experimental and predicted data. However, no estimation was possible in case of mixtures containing PG, due to the lack of effect of the compound in case of the individual testing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Charge-separated and molecular heterobimetallic rare earth-rare earth and alkaline earth-rare earth aryloxo complexes featuring intramolecular metal-pi-arene interactions.

PubMed

Deacon, Glen B; Junk, Peter C; Moxey, Graeme J; Ruhlandt-Senge, Karin; St Prix, Courtney; Zuniga, Maria F

2009-01-01

Treatment of a rare earth metal (Ln) and a potential divalent rare earth metal (Ln') or an alkaline earth metal (Ae) with 2,6-diphenylphenol (HOdpp) at elevated temperatures (200-250 degrees C) afforded heterobimetallic aryloxo complexes, which were structurally characterised. A charge-separated species [(Ln'/Ae)(2)(Odpp)(3)][Ln(Odpp)(4)] was obtained for a range of metals, demonstrating the similarities between the chemistry of the divalent rare earth metals and the alkaline earth metals. The [(Ln'/Ae)(2)(Odpp)(3)](+) cation in the heterobimetallic structures is unusual in that it consists solely of bridging aryloxide ligands. A molecular heterobimetallic species [AeEu(Odpp)(4)] (Ae = Ca, Sr, Ba) was obtained by treating an alkaline earth metal and Eu metal with HOdpp at elevated temperatures. Similarly, [BaSr(Odpp)(4)] was prepared by treating Ba metal and Sr metal with HOdpp. Treatment of [Ba(2)(Odpp)(4)] with [Mg(Odpp)(2)(thf)(2)] in toluene afforded [Ba(2)(Odpp)(3)][Mg(Odpp)(3)(thf)]. Analogous solution-based syntheses were not possible for [(Ln'/Ae)(2)(Odpp)(3)][Ln(Odpp)(4)] complexes, for which the free-metal route was essential. As a result of the absence of additional donor ligands, the crystal structures of the heterobimetallic complexes feature extensive pi-Ph-metal interactions involving the pendant phenyl groups of the Odpp ligands, thus enabling the large electropositive metal atoms to attain coordination saturation. The charge-separated heterobimetallic species were purified by extraction with toluene/thf mixtures at ambient temperature (Ba-containing compounds) or by extraction with toluene under pressure above the boiling point of the solvent (other products). In donor solvents, heterobimetallic complexes other than those containing barium were found to fragment into homometallic species.

Liraglutide, leptin, and their combined effects on feeding: additive intake reduction through common intracellular signaling mechanisms

PubMed Central

Kanoski, Scott E.; Ong, Zhi Yi; Fortin, Samantha M.; Schlessinger, Elizabeth S.; Grill, Harvey J.

2014-01-01

Aims Glucagon like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists and leptin each exert anorexigenic effects. In combination, the intake inhibitory and weight loss effects are greater than either treatment alone, however the mechanisms unclear. Materials and methods Effects of liraglutide (a long-acting GLP-1 analogue) and leptin co-treatment, delivered in low or moderate doses subcutaneously (SC) or to the 3rd ventricle respectively, on cumulative intake, meal patterns, and hypothalamic expression of intracellular signaling proteins [phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (pSTAT3) and protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B)] were examined in lean rats. Results A low-dose combination of liraglutide (25μg/kg) and leptin (0.75μg) additively reduced cumulative food intake and body weight, a result mediated predominantly through a significant reduction in meal frequency that was not present with either drug alone. Liraglutide treatment alone also reduced meal size; an effect not enhanced with leptin co-administration. Moderate doses of liraglutide (75μg/kg) and leptin (4μg) examined separately each reduced meal frequency, cumulative food intake, and body weight; only liraglutide reduced meal size. In combination these doses did not further enhance the anorexigenic effects of either treatment alone. Ex vivo immunoblot showed elevated pSTAT3 in hypothalamic tissue following liraglutide-leptin co-treatment, an effect greater than leptin treatment alone. In addition, SC liraglutide reduced expression of PTP1B (a negative regulator of leptin receptor signaling), revealing a potential mechanism for the enhanced pSTAT3 response following liraglutide-leptin co-administration. Conclusions Collectively, these results provide novel behavioral and molecular mechanisms underlying the additive reduction in food intake and body weight following liraglutide-leptin combination treatment. PMID:25475828

Connecting Earth observation to high-throughput biodiversity data.

PubMed

Bush, Alex; Sollmann, Rahel; Wilting, Andreas; Bohmann, Kristine; Cole, Beth; Balzter, Heiko; Martius, Christopher; Zlinszky, András; Calvignac-Spencer, Sébastien; Cobbold, Christina A; Dawson, Terence P; Emerson, Brent C; Ferrier, Simon; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Herold, Martin; Jones, Laurence; Leendertz, Fabian H; Matthews, Louise; Millington, James D A; Olson, John R; Ovaskainen, Otso; Raffaelli, Dave; Reeve, Richard; Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Rodgers, Torrey W; Snape, Stewart; Visseren-Hamakers, Ingrid; Vogler, Alfried P; White, Piran C L; Wooster, Martin J; Yu, Douglas W

2017-06-22

Understandably, given the fast pace of biodiversity loss, there is much interest in using Earth observation technology to track biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services. However, because most biodiversity is invisible to Earth observation, indicators based on Earth observation could be misleading and reduce the effectiveness of nature conservation and even unintentionally decrease conservation effort. We describe an approach that combines automated recording devices, high-throughput DNA sequencing and modern ecological modelling to extract much more of the information available in Earth observation data. This approach is achievable now, offering efficient and near-real-time monitoring of management impacts on biodiversity and its functions and services.

Methanol synthesis using a catalyst combination of alkali or alkaline earth salts and reduced copper chromite for methanol synthesis

DOEpatents

Tierney, John W.; Wender, Irving; Palekar, Vishwesh M.

1993-01-01

The present invention relates to a novel route for the synthesis of methanol, and more specifically to the production of methanol by contacting synthesis gas under relatively mild conditions in a slurry phase with a catalyst combination comprising reduced copper chromite and basic alkali salts or alkaline earth salts. The present invention allows the synthesis of methanol to occur in the temperature range of approximately 100.degree.-160.degree. C. and the pressure range of 40-65 atm. The process produces methanol with up to 90% syngas conversion per pass and up to 95% methanol selectivity. The only major by-product is a small amount of easily separated methyl formate. Very small amounts of water, carbon dioxide and dimethyl ether are also produced. The present catalyst combination also is capable of tolerating fluctuations in the H.sub.2 /CO ratio without major deleterious effect on the reaction rate. Furthermore, carbon dioxide and water are also tolerated without substantial catalyst deactivation.

Autonomous celestial navigation based on Earth ultraviolet radiance and fast gradient statistic feature extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Shan; Zhang, Hanmo

2016-01-01

To meet the requirement of autonomous orbit determination, this paper proposes a fast curve fitting method based on earth ultraviolet features to obtain accurate earth vector direction, in order to achieve the high precision autonomous navigation. Firstly, combining the stable characters of earth ultraviolet radiance and the use of transmission model software of atmospheric radiation, the paper simulates earth ultraviolet radiation model on different time and chooses the proper observation band. Then the fast improved edge extracting method combined Sobel operator and local binary pattern (LBP) is utilized, which can both eliminate noises efficiently and extract earth ultraviolet limb features accurately. And earth's centroid locations on simulated images are estimated via the least square fitting method using part of the limb edges. Taken advantage of the estimated earth vector direction and earth distance, Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is applied to realize the autonomous navigation finally. Experiment results indicate the proposed method can achieve a sub-pixel earth centroid location estimation and extremely enhance autonomous celestial navigation precision.

Semantic Web Data Discovery of Earth Science Data at NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hegde, Mahabaleshwara; Strub, Richard F.; Lynnes, Christopher S.; Fang, Hongliang; Teng, William

2008-01-01

Mirador is a web interface for searching Earth Science data archived at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). Mirador provides keyword-based search and guided navigation for providing efficient search and access to Earth Science data. Mirador employs the power of Google's universal search technology for fast metadata keyword searches, augmented by additional capabilities such as event searches (e.g., hurricanes), searches based on location gazetteer, and data services like format converters and data sub-setters. The objective of guided data navigation is to present users with multiple guided navigation in Mirador is an ontology based on the Global Change Master directory (GCMD) Directory Interchange Format (DIF). Current implementation includes the project ontology covering various instruments and model data. Additional capabilities in the pipeline include Earth Science parameter and applications ontologies.

Earth as art 4

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2016-03-29

Landsat 8 is the latest addition to the long-running series of Earth-observing satellites in the Landsat program that began in 1972. The images featured in this fourth installment of the Earth As Art collection were all acquired by Landsat 8. They show our planet’s diverse landscapes with remarkable clarity.Landsat satellites see the Earth as no human can. Not only do they acquire images from the vantage point of space, but their sensors record infrared as well as visible wavelengths of light. The resulting images often reveal “hidden” details of the Earth’s land surface, making them invaluable for scientific research.As with previous Earth As Art exhibits, these Landsat images were selected solely for their aesthetic appeal. Many of the images have been manipulated to enhance color variations or details. They are not intended for scientific interpretation—only for your viewing pleasure. What do you see in these unique glimpses of the Earth’s continents, islands, and coastlines?

Effects of combined thiamethoxam and diatomaceous earth on mortality and progeny production of four Pakistani populations of Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae) on wheat, rice and maize

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bioassays were conducted to evaluate the effects of combining thiamethoxam at 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 mg/kg with the diatomaceous earth (DE) formulation, SilicoSec, at the rate of 100 mg/kg against four diverse populations of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae) th...

Half-sandwich rare-earth-catalyzed olefin polymerization, carbometalation, and hydroarylation.

PubMed

Nishiura, Masayoshi; Guo, Fang; Hou, Zhaomin

2015-08-18

The search for new catalysts for more efficient, selective chemical transformations and for the synthesis of new functional materials has been a long-standing research subject in both academia and industry. To develop new generations of catalysts that are superior or complementary to the existing ones, exploring the potential of untapped elements is an important strategy. Rare-earth elements, including scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides (La-Lu), constitute one important frontier in the periodic table. Rare-earth elements possess unique chemical and physical properties that are different from those of main-group and late-transition metals. The development of rare-earth-based catalysts by taking the advantage of these unique properties is of great interest and importance. The most stable oxidation state of rare-earth metals is 3+, which is difficult to change under many reaction conditions. The oxidative addition and reductive elimination processes often observed in catalytic cycles involving late transition metals are generally difficult in the case of rare-earth complexes. The 18-electron rule that is applicable to late-transition-metal complexes does not fit rare-earth complexes, whose structures are mainly governed by the sterics (rather than the electron numbers) of the ligands. In the lanthanide series (La-Lu), the ionic radius gradually decreases with increasing atomic number because of the influence of the 4f electrons, which show poor shielding of nuclear charge. Rare-earth metal ions generally show strong Lewis acidity and oxophilicity. Rare-earth metal alkyl and hydride species are highly reactive, showing both nucleophilicity and basicity. The combination of these features, such as the strong nucleophilicity and moderate basicity of the alkyl and hydride species and the high stability, strong Lewis acidity, and unsaturated C-C bond affinity of the 3+ metal ions, can make rare-earth metals unique candidates for the formation of excellent single

Earth retaining structures manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-29

The objectives of this policy are to obtain statewide uniformity, establish standard : procedures and delineate responsibility for the preparation and review of plans, : design and construction control of earth retaining structures. In addition, it i...

Improvement of the Earth's gravity field from terrestrial and satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, Richard H.

1992-01-01

The determination of the Earth's gravitational potential can be done through the analysis of satellite perturbations, the analysis of surface gravity data, or both. The combination of the two data types yields a solution that combines the strength of each method: the longer wavelength strength in the satellite analysis with the better high frequency information from surface gravity data. Since 1972, Ohio State has carried out activities that have provided surface gravity data to a number of organizations who have developed combination potential coefficient models that describe the Earth's gravitational potential.

Physical and electrochemical properties of alkaline earth doped, rare earth vanadates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adijanto, Lawrence; Balaji Padmanabhan, Venu; Holmes, Kevin J.; Gorte, Raymond J.; Vohs, John M.

2012-06-01

The effect of partial substitution of alkaline earth (AE) ions, Sr2+ and Ca2+, for the rare earth (RE) ions, La3+, Ce3+, Pr3+, and Sm3+, on the physical properties of REVO4 compounds were investigated. The use of the Pechini method to synthesize the vanadates allowed for high levels of AE substitution to be obtained. Coulometric titration was used to measure redox isotherms for these materials and showed that the addition of the AE ions increased both reducibility and electronic conductivity under typical solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode conditions, through the formation of compounds with mixed vanadium valence. In spite of their high electronic conductivity, REVO4-yttira stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite anodes exhibited only modest performance when used in SOFCs operating with H2 fuel at 973 K due to their low catalytic activity. High performance was obtained, however, after the addition of a small amount of catalytically active Pd to the anode.

Layer growth kinetics and wear resistance of martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel plasma nitrocarburized at 460°C with rare earth addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, R. L.; Qiao, Y. J.; Yan, M. F.; Fu, Y. D.

2013-09-01

To study the effect of rare earth (RE) addition on low temperature plasma nitrocarburizing of martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel, 17-4PH stainless steel was plasma nitrocarburized at 460 °C for different times with RE addition. The modified layers were tested by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, microhardness tester and pin-on-disc tribometer. The experimental results show that the layer depth of plasma RE nitrocarburized layer can be increased up to 56% compared with plasma nitrocarburizing without RE addition. Incorporation of RE element is beneficial to the formation of nitrogen and carbon expanded martensite (α'N). The surface microhardness of plasma RE nitrocarburized layer can be increased to 1286 HV and higher up to 80 HV than that obtained from the conventional treated one. The friction coefficient of martensitic stainless steel can be dramatically decreased by low temperature plasma nitrocarburizing with RE addition, and the friction coefficient of the modified specimens decrease gradually with increasing process time in the present test condition.

Multi-source Geospatial Data Analysis with Google Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, T.

2014-12-01

The Google Earth Engine platform is a cloud computing environment for data analysis that combines a public data catalog with a large-scale computational facility optimized for parallel processing of geospatial data. The data catalog is a multi-petabyte archive of georeferenced datasets that include images from Earth observing satellite and airborne sensors (examples: USGS Landsat, NASA MODIS, USDA NAIP), weather and climate datasets, and digital elevation models. Earth Engine supports both a just-in-time computation model that enables real-time preview and debugging during algorithm development for open-ended data exploration, and a batch computation mode for applying algorithms over large spatial and temporal extents. The platform automatically handles many traditionally-onerous data management tasks, such as data format conversion, reprojection, and resampling, which facilitates writing algorithms that combine data from multiple sensors and/or models. Although the primary use of Earth Engine, to date, has been the analysis of large Earth observing satellite datasets, the computational platform is generally applicable to a wide variety of use cases that require large-scale geospatial data analyses. This presentation will focus on how Earth Engine facilitates the analysis of geospatial data streams that originate from multiple separate sources (and often communities) and how it enables collaboration during algorithm development and data exploration. The talk will highlight current projects/analyses that are enabled by this functionality.https://earthengine.google.org

Probing Earth's State of Stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delorey, A. A.; Maceira, M.; Johnson, P. A.; Coblentz, D. D.

2016-12-01

The state of stress in the Earth's crust is a fundamental physical property that controls both engineered and natural systems. Engineered environments including those for hydrocarbon, geothermal energy, and mineral extraction, as well those for storage of wastewater, carbon dioxide, and nuclear fuel are as important as ever to our economy and environment. Yet, it is at spatial scales relevant to these activities where stress is least understood. Additionally, in engineered environments the rate of change in the stress field can be much higher than that of natural systems. In order to use subsurface resources more safely and effectively, we need to understand stress at the relevant temporal and spatial scales. We will present our latest results characterizing the state of stress in the Earth at scales relevant to engineered environments. Two important components of the state of stress are the orientation and magnitude of the stress tensor, and a measure of how close faults are to failure. The stress tensor at any point in a reservoir or repository has contributions from both far-field tectonic stress and local density heterogeneity. We jointly invert seismic (body and surface waves) and gravity data for a self-consistent model of elastic moduli and density and use the model to calculate the contribution of local heterogeneity to the total stress field. We then combine local and plate-scale contributions, using local indicators for calibration and ground-truth. In addition, we will present results from an analysis of the quantity and pattern of microseismicity as an indicator of critically stressed faults. Faults are triggered by transient stresses only when critically stressed (near failure). We show that tidal stresses can trigger earthquakes in both tectonic and reservoir environments and can reveal both stress and poroelastic conditions.

Deep-space and near-Earth optical communications by coded orbital angular momentum (OAM) modulation.

PubMed

Djordjevic, Ivan B

2011-07-18

In order to achieve multi-gigabit transmission (projected for 2020) for the use in interplanetary communications, the usage of large number of time slots in pulse-position modulation (PPM), typically used in deep-space applications, is needed, which imposes stringent requirements on system design and implementation. As an alternative satisfying high-bandwidth demands of future interplanetary communications, while keeping the system cost and power consumption reasonably low, in this paper, we describe the use of orbital angular momentum (OAM) as an additional degree of freedom. The OAM is associated with azimuthal phase of the complex electric field. Because OAM eigenstates are orthogonal the can be used as basis functions for N-dimensional signaling. The OAM modulation and multiplexing can, therefore, be used, in combination with other degrees of freedom, to solve the high-bandwidth requirements of future deep-space and near-Earth optical communications. The main challenge for OAM deep-space communication represents the link between a spacecraft probe and the Earth station because in the presence of atmospheric turbulence the orthogonality between OAM states is no longer preserved. We will show that in combination with LDPC codes, the OAM-based modulation schemes can operate even under strong atmospheric turbulence regime. In addition, the spectral efficiency of proposed scheme is N2/log₂N times better than that of PPM.

The Earth Observation Data for Habitat Monitoring (EODHaM) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, Richard; Blonda, Palma; Bunting, Peter; Jones, Gwawr; Inglada, Jordi; Arias, Marcela; Kosmidou, Vasiliki; Petrou, Zisis I.; Manakos, Ioannis; Adamo, Maria; Charnock, Rebecca; Tarantino, Cristina; Mücher, Caspar A.; Jongman, Rob H. G.; Kramer, Henk; Arvor, Damien; Honrado, Joāo Pradinho; Mairota, Paola

2015-05-01

To support decisions relating to the use and conservation of protected areas and surrounds, the EU-funded BIOdiversity multi-SOurce monitoring System: from Space TO Species (BIO_SOS) project has developed the Earth Observation Data for HAbitat Monitoring (EODHaM) system for consistent mapping and monitoring of biodiversity. The EODHaM approach has adopted the Food and Agriculture Organization Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) taxonomy and translates mapped classes to General Habitat Categories (GHCs) from which Annex I habitats (EU Habitats Directive) can be defined. The EODHaM system uses a combination of pixel and object-based procedures. The 1st and 2nd stages use earth observation (EO) data alone with expert knowledge to generate classes according to the LCCS taxonomy (Levels 1 to 3 and beyond). The 3rd stage translates the final LCCS classes into GHCs from which Annex I habitat type maps are derived. An additional module quantifies changes in the LCCS classes and their components, indices derived from earth observation, object sizes and dimensions and the translated habitat maps (i.e., GHCs or Annex I). Examples are provided of the application of EODHaM system elements to protected sites and their surrounds in Italy, Wales (UK), the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal and India.

An Analysis of Earth Science Data Analytics Use Cases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shie, Chung-Lin; Kempler, Steve

2014-01-01

The increase in the number and volume, and sources, of globally available Earth science data measurements and datasets have afforded Earth scientists and applications researchers unprecedented opportunities to study our Earth in ever more sophisticated ways. In fact, the NASA Earth Observing System Data Information System (EOSDIS) archives have doubled from 2007 to 2014, to 9.1 PB (Ramapriyan, 2009; and https:earthdata.nasa.govaboutsystem-- performance). In addition, other US agency, international programs, field experiments, ground stations, and citizen scientists provide a plethora of additional sources for studying Earth. Co--analyzing huge amounts of heterogeneous data to glean out unobvious information is a daunting task. Earth science data analytics (ESDA) is the process of examining large amounts of data of a variety of types to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations and other useful information. It can include Data Preparation, Data Reduction, and Data Analysis. Through work associated with the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Federation, a collection of Earth science data analytics use cases have been collected and analyzed for the purpose of extracting the types of Earth science data analytics employed, and requirements for data analytics tools and techniques yet to be implemented, based on use case needs. ESIP generated use case template, ESDA use cases, use case types, and preliminary use case analysis (this is a work in progress) will be presented.

Effect of the addition of low rare earth elements (lanthanum, neodymium, cerium) on the biodegradation and biocompatibility of magnesium.

PubMed

Willbold, Elmar; Gu, Xuenan; Albert, Devon; Kalla, Katharina; Bobe, Katharina; Brauneis, Maria; Janning, Carla; Nellesen, Jens; Czayka, Wolfgang; Tillmann, Wolfgang; Zheng, Yufeng; Witte, Frank

2015-01-01

Rare earth elements are promising alloying element candidates for magnesium alloys used as biodegradable devices in biomedical applications. Rare earth elements have significant effects on the high temperature strength as well as the creep resistance of alloys and they improve magnesium corrosion resistance. We focused on lanthanum, neodymium and cerium to produce magnesium alloys with commonly used rare earth element concentrations. We showed that low concentrations of rare earth elements do not promote bone growth inside a 750 μm broad area around the implant. However, increased bone growth was observed at a greater distance from the degrading alloys. Clinically and histologically, the alloys and their corrosion products caused no systematic or local cytotoxicological effects. Using microtomography and in vitro experiments, we could show that the magnesium-rare earth element alloys showed low corrosion rates, both in in vitro and in vivo. The lanthanum- and cerium-containing alloys degraded at comparable rates, whereas the neodymium-containing alloy showed the lowest corrosion rates. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Google Earth Engine: a new cloud-computing platform for global-scale earth observation data and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, R. T.; Hansen, M. C.

2011-12-01

Google Earth Engine is a new technology platform that enables monitoring and measurement of changes in the earth's environment, at planetary scale, on a large catalog of earth observation data. The platform offers intrinsically-parallel computational access to thousands of computers in Google's data centers. Initial efforts have focused primarily on global forest monitoring and measurement, in support of REDD+ activities in the developing world. The intent is to put this platform into the hands of scientists and developing world nations, in order to advance the broader operational deployment of existing scientific methods, and strengthen the ability for public institutions and civil society to better understand, manage and report on the state of their natural resources. Earth Engine currently hosts online nearly the complete historical Landsat archive of L5 and L7 data collected over more than twenty-five years. Newly-collected Landsat imagery is downloaded from USGS EROS Center into Earth Engine on a daily basis. Earth Engine also includes a set of historical and current MODIS data products. The platform supports generation, on-demand, of spatial and temporal mosaics, "best-pixel" composites (for example to remove clouds and gaps in satellite imagery), as well as a variety of spectral indices. Supervised learning methods are available over the Landsat data catalog. The platform also includes a new application programming framework, or "API", that allows scientists access to these computational and data resources, to scale their current algorithms or develop new ones. Under the covers of the Google Earth Engine API is an intrinsically-parallel image-processing system. Several forest monitoring applications powered by this API are currently in development and expected to be operational in 2011. Combining science with massive data and technology resources in a cloud-computing framework can offer advantages of computational speed, ease-of-use and collaboration, as

Volatile accretion history of the Earth.

PubMed

Wood, B J; Halliday, A N; Rehkämper, M

2010-10-28

It has long been thought that the Earth had a protracted and complex history of volatile accretion and loss. Albarède paints a different picture, proposing that the Earth first formed as a dry planet which, like the Moon, was devoid of volatile constituents. He suggests that the Earth's complement of volatile elements was only established later, by the addition of a small veneer of volatile-rich material at ∼100 Myr (here and elsewhere, ages are relative to the origin of the Solar System). Here we argue that the Earth's mass balance of moderately volatile elements is inconsistent with Albarède's hypothesis but is well explained by the standard model of accretion from partially volatile-depleted material, accompanied by core formation.

Enhancing GIS Capabilities for High Resolution Earth Science Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koziol, B. W.; Oehmke, R.; Li, P.; O'Kuinghttons, R.; Theurich, G.; DeLuca, C.

2017-12-01

Applications for high performance GIS will continue to increase as Earth system models pursue more realistic representations of Earth system processes. Finer spatial resolution model input and output, unstructured or irregular modeling grids, data assimilation, and regional coordinate systems present novel challenges for GIS frameworks operating in the Earth system modeling domain. This presentation provides an overview of two GIS-driven applications that combine high performance software with big geospatial datasets to produce value-added tools for the modeling and geoscientific community. First, a large-scale interpolation experiment using National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) catchments, a high resolution rectilinear CONUS grid, and the Earth System Modeling Framework's (ESMF) conservative interpolation capability will be described. ESMF is a parallel, high-performance software toolkit that provides capabilities (e.g. interpolation) for building and coupling Earth science applications. ESMF is developed primarily by the NOAA Environmental Software Infrastructure and Interoperability (NESII) group. The purpose of this experiment was to test and demonstrate the utility of high performance scientific software in traditional GIS domains. Special attention will be paid to the nuanced requirements for dealing with high resolution, unstructured grids in scientific data formats. Second, a chunked interpolation application using ESMF and OpenClimateGIS (OCGIS) will demonstrate how spatial subsetting can virtually remove computing resource ceilings for very high spatial resolution interpolation operations. OCGIS is a NESII-developed Python software package designed for the geospatial manipulation of high-dimensional scientific datasets. An overview of the data processing workflow, why a chunked approach is required, and how the application could be adapted to meet operational requirements will be discussed here. In addition, we'll provide a general overview of OCGIS

A revised, hazy methane greenhouse for the Archean Earth.

PubMed

Haqq-Misra, Jacob D; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn D; Kasting, Patrick J; Kasting, James F

2008-12-01

Geological and biological evidence suggests that Earth was warm during most of its early history, despite the fainter young Sun. Upper bounds on the atmospheric CO2 concentration in the Late Archean/Paleoproterozoic (2.8-2.2 Ga) from paleosol data suggest that additional greenhouse gases must have been present. Methanogenic bacteria, which were arguably extant at that time, may have contributed to a high concentration of atmospheric CH4, and previous calculations had indicated that a CH4-CO2-H2O greenhouse could have produced warm Late Archean surface temperatures while still satisfying the paleosol constraints on pCO2. Here, we revisit this conclusion. Correction of an error in the CH4 absorption coefficients, combined with the predicted early onset of climatically cooling organic haze, suggest that the amount of greenhouse warming by CH4 was more limited and that pCO2 must therefore have been 0.03 bar, at or above the upper bound of the value obtained from paleosols. Enough warming from CH4 remained in the Archean, however, to explain why Earth's climate cooled and became glacial when atmospheric O2 levels rose in the Paleoproterozoic. Our new model also shows that greenhouse warming by higher hydrocarbon gases, especially ethane (C2H6), may have helped to keep the Late Archean Earth warm.

High Frequency Variations of Earth Rotation Parameters from GPS and GLONASS Observations

PubMed Central

Wei, Erhu; Jin, Shuanggen; Wan, Lihua; Liu, Wenjie; Yang, Yali; Hu, Zhenghong

2015-01-01

The Earth's rotation undergoes changes with the influence of geophysical factors, such as Earth's surface fluid mass redistribution of the atmosphere, ocean and hydrology. However, variations of Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP) are still not well understood, particularly the short-period variations (e.g., diurnal and semi-diurnal variations) and their causes. In this paper, the hourly time series of Earth Rotation Parameters are estimated using Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and combining GPS and GLONASS data collected from nearly 80 sites from 1 November 2012 to 10 April 2014. These new observations with combining different satellite systems can help to decorrelate orbit biases and ERP, which improve estimation of ERP. The high frequency variations of ERP are analyzed using a de-trending method. The maximum of total diurnal and semidiurnal variations are within one milli-arcseconds (mas) in Polar Motion (PM) and 0.5 milli-seconds (ms) in UT1-UTC. The semidiurnal and diurnal variations are mainly related to the ocean tides. Furthermore, the impacts of satellite orbit and time interval used to determinate ERP on the amplitudes of tidal terms are analyzed. We obtain some small terms that are not described in the ocean tide model of the IERS Conventions 2010, which may be caused by the strategies and models we used or the signal noises as well as artifacts. In addition, there are also small differences on the amplitudes between our results and IERS convention. This might be a result of other geophysical excitations, such as the high-frequency variations in atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) and hydrological angular momentum (HAM), which needs more detailed analysis with more geophysical data in the future. PMID:25635416

Another Earth 2.0? Not So Fast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Guinan, Edward

2016-11-01

The number of confirmed exoplanets now exceeds 3000, with an additional nearly 5000 exoplanet candidates awaiting confirmation in the NASA Exoplanet Archive (2016). Nearly weekly we hear about the detection of a new exoplanet similar in mass to Earth and located in the so-called habitable zone around its host star. The excitement is understandable given our desire to find a second Earth. However, the excitement should not lead to an over-interpretation of the findings, because the claim can only be to have some crude similarity to Earth based on a few selected geophysical parameters. Only a very small fraction of these planets will actually be Earth-like. Earth-like would imply multiple environmental habitats and presence of a sizable biosphere and complex ecosystems, without which Earth, as we experience it, would not exist. Thus, it should be clearly communicated to the public that we are probably still many years away from having the technological capability to detect an Earth-like planet or Earth 2.0 with adequate certainty.

Towards Big Earth Data Analytics: The EarthServer Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumann, Peter

2013-04-01

import and, hence, duplication); the aforementioned distributed query processing. Additionally, Web clients for multi-dimensional data visualization are being established. Client/server interfaces are strictly based on OGC and W3C standards, in particular the Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS) which defines a high-level raster query language. We present the EarthServer project with its vision and approaches, relate it to the current state of standardization, and demonstrate it by way of large-scale data centers and their services using rasdaman.

Rare Earth Polyoxometalates.

PubMed

Boskovic, Colette

2017-09-19

Longstanding and important applications make use of the chemical and physical properties of both rare earth metals and polyoxometalates of early transition metals. The catalytic, optical, and magnetic features of rare earth metal ions are well-known, as are the reversible multielectron redox and photoredox capabilities of polyoxomolybdates and polyoxotungstates. The combination of rare earth ions and polyoxometalates in discrete molecules and coordination polymers is of interest for the unique combination of chemical and physical properties that can arise. This Account surveys our efforts to synthesize and investigate compounds with rare earth ions and polyoxometalates (RE-POMs), sometimes with carboxylate-based organic coligands. Our general synthetic approach is "bottom-up", which affords well-defined nanoscale molecules, typically in crystalline form and amenable to single-crystal X-ray diffraction for structure determination. Our particular focus is on elucidation of the physical properties conferred by the different structural components with a view to ultimately being able to tune these properties chemically. For this purpose, we employ a variety of spectroscopic, magnetochemical, electrochemical, and scattering techniques in concert with theoretical modeling and computation. Studies of RE-POM single-molecule magnets (SMMs) have utilized magnetic susceptibility, inelastic neutron scattering, and ab initio calculations. These investigations have allowed characterization of the crystal field splitting of the rare earth(III) ions that is responsible for the SMM properties of slow magnetic relaxation and magnetization quantum tunneling. Such SMMs are promising for applications in quantum computing and molecular spintronics. Photophysical measurements of a family of hybrid RE-POMs with organic ligands have afforded insights into sensitization of Tb(III) and Eu(III) emission through both organic and polyoxometalate chromophores in the same molecule. Detailed

Another Earth 2.0? Not So Fast.

PubMed

Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Guinan, Edward

2016-11-01

The number of confirmed exoplanets now exceeds 3000, with an additional nearly 5000 exoplanet candidates awaiting confirmation in the NASA Exoplanet Archive ( 2016 ). Nearly weekly we hear about the detection of a new exoplanet similar in mass to Earth and located in the so-called habitable zone around its host star. The excitement is understandable given our desire to find a second Earth. However, the excitement should not lead to an over-interpretation of the findings, because the claim can only be to have some crude similarity to Earth based on a few selected geophysical parameters. Only a very small fraction of these planets will actually be Earth-like. Earth-like would imply multiple environmental habitats and presence of a sizable biosphere and complex ecosystems, without which Earth, as we experience it, would not exist. Thus, it should be clearly communicated to the public that we are probably still many years away from having the technological capability to detect an Earth-like planet or Earth 2.0 with adequate certainty. Key Words: Habitable zone-Second Earth-Habitable planet-Habitability-Life. Astrobiology 16, 817-821.

The combined effects of vinclozolin and procymidone do not deviate from expected additivity in vitro and in vivo.

PubMed

Nellemann, Christine; Dalgaard, Majken; Lam, Henrik Rye; Vinggaard, Anne Marie

2003-02-01

The combination effects of the well-known antiandrogenic fungicides, vinclozolin and procymidone, were tested both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro both vinclozolin and procymidone significantly inhibited the binding of agonist to the androgen receptor with the concentration that resulted in 50% inhibition (IC(50)) values of 0.1 and 0.6 micro M, respectively. By applying the isobole method, the effect of combining the two pesticides in vitro was found to be additive. In castrated testosterone-treated rats the administration of vinclozolin starting at 10 mg/kg led to a decrease in organ weight of all tested reproductive organs. The levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were increased significantly with doses of 100 mg/kg vinclozolin and above. Expression of the androgen-responsive gene, TRPM-2, was increased starting at 100 mg/kg vinclozolin. For procymidone, reproductive organ weights were diminished at 10 mg/kg and LH was increased at a concentration of 25 mg/kg and above, compared to the testosterone-treated controls. FSH was significantly increased only at 25 mg/kg procymidone. The studied gene expressions were changed by 100 mg/kg procymidone. Dosing the animals with a combination of a 1:1 mixture of vinclozolin and procymidone resulted in a weight reduction in the reproductive organs and an increase of serum LH and FSH as early as with 10 mg/kg combined dose. The relative expressions of TRPM-2 and PBP C3 were changed compared to controls at 100 mg/kg. The level of 5-HT in the rat brain was increased after a dose of 10 mg/kg. Using the isobole method, comparisons of the observed and predicted effects assuming additivity on reproductive organ weights, hormone levels, and gene expression showed agreement and thus the combination effects are suggested to be additive in vivo as well as in vitro.

Advanced Earth Observation System Instrumentation Study (aeosis)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, R.; Grant, F.; Malchow, H.; Walker, B.

1975-01-01

Various types of measurements were studied for estimating the orbit and/or attitude of an Earth Observation Satellite. An investigation was made into the use of known ground targets in the earth sensor imagery, in combination with onboard star sightings and/or range and range rate measurements by ground tracking stations or tracking satellites (TDRSS), to estimate satellite attitude, orbital ephemeris, and gyro bias drift. Generalized measurement equations were derived for star measurements with a particular type of star tracker, and for landmark measurements with a multispectral scanner being proposed for an advanced Earth Observation Satellite. The use of infra-red horizon measurements to estimate the attitude and gyro bias drift of a geosynchronous satellite was explored.

Mapping Near-Earth Hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-06-01

proxy for its size is a poor approximation, due to asteroids large spread in albedos. Roughly 23% of NEOs larger than 140 m have absolute magnitudes fainter than H = 22 mag, the authors show which is the value usually assumed as the default absolute magnitude of a 140 m NEO.Fraction of NEOs weve detected as a function of time based on the authors simulations of the current surveys (red), LSST plus the current surveys (black), NEOCam plus the current surveys (blue), and the combined result for all surveys (green). [Grav et al. 2016]Taking this into account, Grav and collaborators then use information about the planned LSST survey strategies and detection limits to test what fraction of this synthetic NEO population LSST will be able to detect in its proposed 10-year mission.The authors find that, within 10 years, LSST will likely be able to detect only 63% of NEOs larger than 140 m. Luckily, LSST may not have to work alone; in addition to the current surveys in operation, a proposed infrared space-based survey mission called NEOCam is planned for launch in 2021. If NEOCam is funded, it will complement LSSTs discovery capabilities, potentially allowing the two surveys to jointly achieve the 90% detection goal within a decade.CitationT. Grav et al 2016 AJ 151 172. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/6/172

The OpenEarth Framework (OEF) for the 3D Visualization of Integrated Earth Science Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadeau, David; Moreland, John; Baru, Chaitan; Crosby, Chris

2010-05-01

Data integration is increasingly important as we strive to combine data from disparate sources and assemble better models of the complex processes operating at the Earth's surface and within its interior. These data are often large, multi-dimensional, and subject to differing conventions for data structures, file formats, coordinate spaces, and units of measure. When visualized, these data require differing, and sometimes conflicting, conventions for visual representations, dimensionality, symbology, and interaction. All of this makes the visualization of integrated Earth science data particularly difficult. The OpenEarth Framework (OEF) is an open-source data integration and visualization suite of applications and libraries being developed by the GEON project at the University of California, San Diego, USA. Funded by the NSF, the project is leveraging virtual globe technology from NASA's WorldWind to create interactive 3D visualization tools that combine and layer data from a wide variety of sources to create a holistic view of features at, above, and beneath the Earth's surface. The OEF architecture is open, cross-platform, modular, and based upon Java. The OEF's modular approach to software architecture yields an array of mix-and-match software components for assembling custom applications. Available modules support file format handling, web service communications, data management, user interaction, and 3D visualization. File parsers handle a variety of formal and de facto standard file formats used in the field. Each one imports data into a general-purpose common data model supporting multidimensional regular and irregular grids, topography, feature geometry, and more. Data within these data models may be manipulated, combined, reprojected, and visualized. The OEF's visualization features support a variety of conventional and new visualization techniques for looking at topography, tomography, point clouds, imagery, maps, and feature geometry. 3D data such as

Guided earth boring tool

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mc Donald, W.J.; Pittard, G.T.; Maurer, W.C.

A controllable tool for drilling holes in the earth is described comprising a hollow elongated rigid supporting drill pipe having a forward end for entering the earth, means supporting the drill pipe for earth boring or piercing movement, including means for moving the drill pipe longitudinally for penetrating the earth, the drill pipe moving means being constructed to permit addition and removal of supporting drill pipe during earth penetrating operation, a boring mole supported on the forward end of the hollow low drill pipe comprising a cylindrical housing supported on and open to the forward end of the drill pipe,more » a first means on the front end for applying a boring force to the soil comprising an anvil having a striking surface inside the housing and a boring surface outside the housing, a second means comprising a reciprocally movable hammer positioned in the housing to apply a percussive force to the anvil striking surface for transmitting a percussive force to the boring force applying means, and means permitting introduction of air pressure supplied through the hollow pipe into the housing for operating the hammer and for discharging spent air from the housing to the hole being bored, and the tool being operable to penetrate the earth upon longitudinal movement of the drill rod by the longitudinal rod moving means and operation of the mole by reciprocal movement of the hammer.« less

Equation of State of Fe3C and Implications for the Carbon Content of Earth's Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, A.; Brauser, N.; Thompson, E. C.; Chidester, B.; Greenberg, E.; Prakapenka, V. B.; Campbell, A.

2017-12-01

Carbon is a common component in protoplanetary cores, as represented by iron meteorites. Therefore, along with silicon, oxygen, and other light elements, it is likely to be an alloying component with iron in Earth's core. Previous studies of the densities of iron carbides have not reached the combined pressure and temperature conditions relevant to Earth's core. To better understand the geophysical implications of carbon addition to Earth's core, we report P-V-T measurements of Fe3C to pressures and temperatures exceeding 110 GPa and 2500 K, using synchrotron X-ray diffraction in a laser heated diamond anvil cell. Fitting these measurements to an equation of state and assuming 1.5% density change upon melting and a 4000 K core-mantle boundary temperature, we report a value of 6 wt% carbon necessary to match the PREM density in the outer core. This value should be considered an upper bound due to the likely presence of other light elements.

Space-based infrared near-Earth asteroid survey simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tedesco, Edward F.; Muinonen, Karri; Price, Stephan D.

2000-08-01

We demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of using a satellite-based sensor with visual and infrared focal plane arrays to search for that subclass of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) with orbits largely interior to the Earth's orbit. A space-based visual-infrared system could detect approximately 97% of the Atens and 64% of the IEOs (the, as yet hypothetical, objects with orbits entirely Interior to Earth's Orbit) with diameters greater than 1 km in a 5-year mission and obtain orbits, albedos and diameters for all of them; the respective percentages with diameters greater than 500 m are 90% and 60%. Incidental to the search for Atens and IEOs, we found that 70% of all Earth-Crossing Asteroids (ECAs) with diameters greater than 1 km, and 50% of those with diameters greater than 500 m, would also be detected. These are the results of a feasibility study; optimizing the concept presented would result in greater levels of completion. The cost of such a space-based system is estimated to be within a factor of two of the cost of a ground-based system capable of about 21st magnitude, which would provide only orbits and absolute magnitudes and require decades to reach these completeness levels. In addition to obtaining albedos and diameters for the asteroids discovered in the space-based survey, a space-based visual-infrared system would obtain the same information on virtually all NEOs of interest. A combined space-based and ground-based survey would be highly synergistic in that each can concentrate on what it does best and each complements the strengths of the other. The ground-based system would discover the majority of Amors and Apollos and provide long-term follow-up on all the NEOs discovered in both surveys. The space-based system would discover the majority of Atens and IEOs and provide albedos and diameters on all the NEOs discovered in both surveys and most previously discovered NEOs as well. Thus, an integrated ground- and space-based system could accomplish

Research and Teaching About the Deep Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Michael L.; Mogk, David W.; McDaris, John

2010-08-01

Understanding the Deep Earth: Slabs, Drips, Plumes and More; Virtual Workshop, 17-19 February and 24-26 February 2010; Images and models of active faults, subducting plates, mantle drips, and rising plumes are spurring new excitement about deep-Earth processes and connections between Earth's internal systems and plate tectonics. The new results and the steady progress of Earthscope's USArray across the country are also providing a special opportunity to reach students and the general public. The pace of discoveries about the deep Earth is accelerating due to advances in experimental, modeling, and sensing technologies; new data processing capabilities; and installation of new networks, especially the EarthScope facility. EarthScope is an interdisciplinary program that combines geology and geophysics to study the structure and evolution of the North American continent. To explore the current state of deep-Earth science and ways in which it can be brought into the undergraduate classroom, 40 professors attended a virtual workshop given by On the Cutting Edge, a program that strives to improve undergraduate geoscience education through an integrated cooperative series of workshops and Web-based resources. The 6-day two-part workshop consisted of plenary talks, large and small group discussions, and development and review of new classroom and laboratory activities.

Constraining proposed combinations of ice history and Earth rheology using VLBI determined baseline length rates in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitrovica, J. X.; Davis, J. L.; Shapiro, I. I.

1993-01-01

We predict the present-day rates of change of the lengths of 19 North American baselines due to the glacial isostatic adjustment process. Contrary to previously published research, we find that the three dimensional motion of each of the sites defining a baseline, rather than only the radial motions of these sites, needs to be considered to obtain an accurate estimate of the rate of change of the baseline length. Predictions are generated using a suite of Earth models and late Pleistocene ice histories, these include specific combinations of the two which have been proposed in the literature as satisfying a variety of rebound related geophysical observations from the North American region. A number of these published models are shown to predict rates which differ significantly from the VLBI observations.

Constraining proposed combinations of ice history and earth rheology using VLBI determined baseline length rates in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitrovica, J. X.; Davis, J. L.; Shapiro, I. I.

1993-01-01

We predict the present-day rates of change of the lengths of 19 North American baselines due to the glacial isostatic adjustment process. Contrary to previously published research, we find that the three-dimensional motion of each of the sites defining a baseline, rather than only the radial motions of these sites, needs to be considered to obtain an accurate estimate of the rate of change of the baseline length. Predictions are generated using a suite of Earth models and late Pleistocene ice histories; these include specific combinations of the two which have been proposed in the literature as satisfying a variety of rebound related geophysical observations from the North American region. A number of these published models are shown to predict rates which differ significantly from the Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) observations.

The formation of crystals in glasses containing rare earth oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadzil, Syazwani Mohd; Hrma, Pavel; Crum, Jarrod; Siong, Khoo Kok; Ngatiman, Mohammad Fadzlee; Said, Riduan Mt

2014-02-01

Korean spent nuclear fuel will reach the capacity of the available temporary storage by 2016. Pyroprocessing and direct disposal seems to be an alternative way to manage and reuse spent nuclear fuel while avoiding the wet reprocessing technology. Pyroprocessing produces several wastes streams, including metals, salts, and rare earths, which must be converted into stabilized form. A suitable form for rare earth immobilization is borosilicate glass. The borosilicate glass form exhibits excellent durability, allows a high waste loading, and is easy to process. In this work, we combined the rare earths waste of composition (in wt%) 39.2Nd2O3-22.7CeO2-11.7La2O3-10.9PrO2-1.3Eu2O3-1.3Gd2O3-8.1Sm2O3-4.8Y2O3 with a baseline glass of composition 60.2SiO2-16.0B2O3-12.6Na2O-3.8Al2O3-5.7CaO-1.7ZrO2. Crystallization in waste glasses occurs as the waste loading increases. It may produce complicate glass processing and affect the product quality. To study crystal formation, we initially made glasses containing 5%, 10% and 15% of La2O3 and then glasses with 5%, 10% and 15% of the complete rare earth mix. Samples were heat-treated for 24 hours at temperatures 800°C to 1150°C in 50°C increments. Quenched samples were analyzed using an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Stillwellite (LaBSiO5) and oxyapatite (Ca2La8Si6O26) were found in glasses containing La2O3, while oxyapatite (Ca2La8Si6O26 and NaNd9Si6O26) precipitated in glasses with additions of mixed rare earths. The liquidus temperature (TL) of the glasses containing 5%, 10% and 15% La2O3 were 800°C, 959°C and 986°C, respectively; while TL was 825°C, 1059°C and 1267°C for glasses with 5%, 10% and 15% addition of mixed rare earth oxides. The component coefficients TB2O3, TSiO2, TCaO, and TRE2O3 were also evaluated using a recently published study.

Grid Computing for Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renard, Philippe; Badoux, Vincent; Petitdidier, Monique; Cossu, Roberto

2009-04-01

The fundamental challenges facing humankind at the beginning of the 21st century require an effective response to the massive changes that are putting increasing pressure on the environment and society. The worldwide Earth science community, with its mosaic of disciplines and players (academia, industry, national surveys, international organizations, and so forth), provides a scientific basis for addressing issues such as the development of new energy resources; a secure water supply; safe storage of nuclear waste; the analysis, modeling, and mitigation of climate changes; and the assessment of natural and industrial risks. In addition, the Earth science community provides short- and medium-term prediction of weather and natural hazards in real time, and model simulations of a host of phenomena relating to the Earth and its space environment. These capabilities require that the Earth science community utilize, both in real and remote time, massive amounts of data, which are usually distributed among many different organizations and data centers.

Museum-Based Teacher Professional Development: Peabody Fellows in Earth Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pickering, Jane; Ague, Jay J.; Rath, Kenneth A.; Heiser, David M.; Sirch, James N.

2012-01-01

The Peabody Fellows in Earth Science program was a professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers to enhance their knowledge of, and teaching skills in, the Earth sciences. It combined a summer institute and academic year workshops with the production of new curricular resources on the interpretation of landforms in…

Radioactive rare-earth deposit at Scrub Oaks mine, Morris County, New Jersey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Klemic, Harry; Heyl, A.V.; Taylor, Audrey R.; Stone, Jerome

1959-01-01

A deposit of rare-earth minerals in the Scrub Oaks iron mine, Morris County, N. J., was mapped and sampled in 1955. The rare-earth minerals are mainly in coarse-grained magnetite ore and in pegmatite adjacent to it. Discrete bodies of rare-earth-bearing magnetite ore apparently follow the plunge of the main magnetite ore body at the north end of the mine. Radioactivity of the ore containing rare earths is about 0.2 to 0.6 mllliroentgens per hour. The principal minerals of the deposit are quartz, magnetite, hematite, albiteoligoclase, perthite and antiperthite. Xenotime and doverite aggregates and bastnaesite with intermixed leucoxene are the most abundant rare-earth minerals, and zircon, sphene, chevkinite, apatite, and monazite are of minor abundance in the ore. The rare-earth elements are partly differentiated into cerium-rich bastnaesite, chevkinite, and monazite, and yttrium-rich xenotime and doverite. Apatite, zircon, and sphene contain both cerium and yttrium group earths. Eleven samples of radioactive ore and rock average 0.009 percent uranium, 0.062 percent thorium, 1.51 percent combined rare-earth oxides including yttrium oxide and 24.8 percent iron. Scatter diagrams of sample data show a direct correlation between equivalent uranium, uranium, thorium, and combined rare^ earth oxides. Both cerium- and yttrium-group earths are abundant in the rare-earth minerals. Radioactive magnetite ore containing rare-earth minerals probably formed as a variant of the magnetite mineralization that produced the main iron ore of the Scrub Oaks deposit. The rare-earth minerals and the iron ore were deposited contemporaneously. Zircon crystals, probably deposited at the same time, have been determined by the Larsen method to be about 550 to 600 million years old (late Precambrian age). Uranium, thorium, and rare-earth elements are potential byproducts of iron in the coarse-grained magnetite ore.

Google Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorelick, Noel

2013-04-01

The Google Earth Engine platform is a system designed to enable petabyte-scale, scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets. Earth Engine provides a consolidated environment including a massive data catalog co-located with thousands of computers for analysis. The user-friendly front-end provides a workbench environment to allow interactive data and algorithm development and exploration and provides a convenient mechanism for scientists to share data, visualizations and analytic algorithms via URLs. The Earth Engine data catalog contains a wide variety of popular, curated datasets, including the world's largest online collection of Landsat scenes (> 2.0M), numerous MODIS collections, and many vector-based data sets. The platform provides a uniform access mechanism to a variety of data types, independent of their bands, projection, bit-depth, resolution, etc..., facilitating easy multi-sensor analysis. Additionally, a user is able to add and curate their own data and collections. Using a just-in-time, distributed computation model, Earth Engine can rapidly process enormous quantities of geo-spatial data. All computation is performed lazily; nothing is computed until it's required either for output or as input to another step. This model allows real-time feedback and preview during algorithm development, supporting a rapid algorithm development, test, and improvement cycle that scales seamlessly to large-scale production data processing. Through integration with a variety of other services, Earth Engine is able to bring to bear considerable analytic and technical firepower in a transparent fashion, including: AI-based classification via integration with Google's machine learning infrastructure, publishing and distribution at Google scale through integration with the Google Maps API, Maps Engine and Google Earth, and support for in-the-field activities such as validation, ground-truthing, crowd-sourcing and citizen science though the Android Open Data

Google Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorelick, N.

2012-12-01

The Google Earth Engine platform is a system designed to enable petabyte-scale, scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets. Earth Engine provides a consolidated environment including a massive data catalog co-located with thousands of computers for analysis. The user-friendly front-end provides a workbench environment to allow interactive data and algorithm development and exploration and provides a convenient mechanism for scientists to share data, visualizations and analytic algorithms via URLs. The Earth Engine data catalog contains a wide variety of popular, curated datasets, including the world's largest online collection of Landsat scenes (> 2.0M), numerous MODIS collections, and many vector-based data sets. The platform provides a uniform access mechanism to a variety of data types, independent of their bands, projection, bit-depth, resolution, etc..., facilitating easy multi-sensor analysis. Additionally, a user is able to add and curate their own data and collections. Using a just-in-time, distributed computation model, Earth Engine can rapidly process enormous quantities of geo-spatial data. All computation is performed lazily; nothing is computed until it's required either for output or as input to another step. This model allows real-time feedback and preview during algorithm development, supporting a rapid algorithm development, test, and improvement cycle that scales seamlessly to large-scale production data processing. Through integration with a variety of other services, Earth Engine is able to bring to bear considerable analytic and technical firepower in a transparent fashion, including: AI-based classification via integration with Google's machine learning infrastructure, publishing and distribution at Google scale through integration with the Google Maps API, Maps Engine and Google Earth, and support for in-the-field activities such as validation, ground-truthing, crowd-sourcing and citizen science though the Android Open Data

A possible mechanism to detect super-earth formation in protoplanetary disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Ruobing; Chiang, Eugene; Li, Hui; Li, Shengtai

2017-06-01

Using combined gas+dust global hydrodynamics and radiative transfer simulations, we calculate the distribution of gas and sub-mm-sized dust in protoplanetary disks with a super-Earth at tens of AU, and examine observational signatures of such systems in resolved observations. We confirm previous results that in a typical disk with a low viscosity ($\\alpha\\lesssim10^{-4}$), a super-Earth is able to open two gaps at $\\sim$scale-height away around its orbit in $\\sim$mm-sized dust (St$\\sim$0.01), due to differential dust drift in a perturbed gas background. Additional rings and gaps may also be produced under certain conditions. These features, particularly a signature ``double-gap'' feature, can be detected in a Taurus target by ALMA in dust continuum under an angular resolution of $\\sim0\\arcsec.025$ with two hours of integration. The features are robust --- it can survive in a variety of background disk profiles, withstand modest planetary radial migration ($|r/\\dot{r}|\\sim$ a few Myr), and last for thousands of orbits. Multiple ring/gap systems observed by ALMA were typically modeled using multiple (Saturn-to-Jupiter sized) planets. Here, we argue that a single super-Earth in a low viscosity disk could produce multiple rings and gaps as well. By examining the prevalence of such features in nearby disks, upcoming high angular resolution ALMA surveys may infer how common super-Earth formation events are at tens of au.

The Sun: Source of the Earth's Energy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Barbara J.; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Sun is the primary source of the Earth's energy. However, due to the complexity in the way the energy affects Earth, the various solar sources of the energy, and the variation exhibited by the Sun it is difficult to understand and predict the Earth's response to solar drivers. In addition to visible light the radiant energy of the Sun can exhibit variation in nearly all wavelengths, which can vary over nearly all timescales. Depending on the wavelength of the incident radiation the light can deposit energy in a wide variety or locations and drive processes from below Earth's surface to interplanetary space. Other sources of energy impacting Earth include energetic particles, magnetic fields, and mass and flow variations in the solar wind. Many of these variable energetic processes cannot be coupled and recent results continue to demonstrate that the complex dynamics of the Sun can have a great range of measurable impacts on Earth.

The population of natural Earth satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granvik, Mikael; Vaubaillon, Jeremie; Jedicke, Robert

2012-03-01

We have for the first time calculated the population characteristics of the Earth’s irregular natural satellites (NESs) that are temporarily captured from the near-Earth-object (NEO) population. The steady-state NES size-frequency and residence-time distributions were determined under the dynamical influence of all the massive bodies in the Solar System (but mainly the Sun, Earth, and Moon) for NEOs of negligible mass. To this end, we compute the NES capture probability from the NEO population as a function of the latter’s heliocentric orbital elements and combine those results with the current best estimates for the NEO size-frequency and orbital distribution. At any given time there should be at least one NES of 1-m diameter orbiting the Earth. The average temporarily-captured orbiter (TCO; an object that makes at least one revolution around the Earth in a co-rotating coordinate system) completes (2.88 ± 0.82) rev around the Earth during a capture event that lasts (286 ± 18) d. We find a small preference for capture events starting in either January or July. Our results are consistent with the single known natural TCO, 2006 RH120, a few-meter diameter object that was captured for about a year starting in June 2006. We estimate that about 0.1% of all meteors impacting the Earth were TCOs.

Additive antithrombotic effect of ASP6537, a selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 inhibitor, in combination with clopidogrel in guinea pigs.

PubMed

Sakata, Chinatsu; Suzuki, Ken-Ichi; Morita, Yoshiaki; Kawasaki, Tomihisa

2017-03-05

Clopidogrel (Plavix ® , Sanofi-Aventis), the adenosine diphosphate P2Y 12 receptor antagonist, is reported to be effective in the prevention of cardiovascular events and is often used in combination with aspirin, particularly in high-risk patients. ASP6537 is a reversible cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 inhibitor that is under investigation as an anti-platelet agent. First, we investigated the reversibility of the antiplatelet effect of ASP6537 and its interaction with ibuprofen to compare the usability of ASP6537 with that of aspirin. We then evaluated the antithrombotic effect of ASP6537 in combination with clopidogrel using a FeCl 3 -induced thrombosis model in guinea pigs. ASP6537 exerted reversible antiplatelet activity, and no pharmacodynamic interaction with ibuprofen was noted. When administered as monotherapy, ASP6537 exerted a significant antithrombotic effect at ≥3mg/kg, while aspirin inhibited thrombosis at 100mg/kg. ASP6537 exerted significant additive effects in combination with clopidogrel, and the minimum antithrombotic dose was reduced by concomitant administration of clopidogrel. Our study showed that ASP6537 did not interact with ibuprofen and has clear additive effects in combination with clopidogrel. ASP6537 may therefore represent a promising antiplatelet agent for use in clinical settings in combination with clopidogrel. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alkaline and alkaline earth metal phosphate halides and phosphors

DOEpatents

Lyons, Robert Joseph; Setlur, Anant Achyut; Cleaver, Robert John

2012-11-13

Compounds, phosphor materials and apparatus related to nacaphite family of materials are presented. Potassium and rubidium based nacaphite family compounds and phosphors designed by doping divalent rare earth elements in the sites of alkaline earth metals in the nacaphite material families are descried. An apparatus comprising the phosphors based on the nacaphite family materials are presented herein. The compounds presented is of formula A.sub.2B.sub.1-yR.sub.yPO.sub.4X where the elements A, B, R, X and suffix y are defined such that A is potassium, rubidium, or a combination of potassium and rubidium and B is calcium, strontium, barium, or a combination of any of calcium, strontium and barium. X is fluorine, chlorine, or a combination of fluorine and chlorine, R is europium, samarium, ytterbium, or a combination of any of europium, samarium, and ytterbium, and y ranges from 0 to about 0.1.

The Earth and Environmental Systems Podcast, and the Earth Explorations Video Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shorey, C. V.

2015-12-01

The Earth and Environmental Systems Podcast, a complete overview of the theoretical basics of Earth Science in 64 episodes, was completed in 2009, but has continued to serve the worldwide community as evidenced by listener feedback (e.g. "I am a 65 year old man. I have been retired for awhile and thought that retirement would be nothing more than waiting for the grave. However I want to thank you for your geo podcasts. They have given me a new lease on life and taught me a great deal." - FP, 2015). My current project is a video series on the practical basics of Earth Science titled "Earth Explorations". Each video is under 12 minutes long and tackles a major Earth Science concept. These videos go beyond a talking head, or even voice-over with static pictures or white-board graphics. Moving images are combined with animations created with Adobe After Effects, and aerial shots using a UAV. The dialog is scripted in a way to make it accessible at many levels, and the episodes as they currently stand have been used in K-12, and Freshman college levels with success. Though these videos are made to be used at this introductory level, they are also designed as remedial episodes for upper level classes, freeing up time given to review for new content. When completed, the series should contain close to 200 episodes, and this talk will cover the full range of resources I have produced, plan to produce, and how to access these resources. Both resources are available on iTunesU, and the videos are also available on YouTube.

Rates of Earth degassing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Onions, R. K.

1994-01-01

The degassing of the Earth during accretion is constrained by Pu-U-I-Xe systematics. Degassing was much more efficient during the first 100-200 Ma than subsequently, and it was more complete for Xe than for the lighter gases. More than 90 percent of the degassed Xe escaped from the atmosphere during this period. The combination of fractional degassing of melts and rare gas escape from the atmosphere is able to explain the deficit of terrestrial Xe as a simple consequence of this early degassing history. By the time Xe was quantitatively retained in the atmosphere, the abundances of Kr and the lighter gases in the Earth's interior were similar to or higher than the present-day atmospheric abundances. Subsequent transfer of these lighter rare gases into the atmosphere requires a high rate of post-accretion degassing and melt production. Considerations of Pu-U-Xe systematics suggest that relatively rapid post-accretion degassing was continued to ca. 4.1-4.2 Ga. The present-day degassing history of the Earth is investigated through consideration of rare gas isotope abundances. Although the Earth is a highly degassed body, depleted in rare gases by many orders of magnitude relative to their solar abundances, it is at the present-day losing primordial rare gases which were trapped at the time of accretion.

A Bioengineered Nisin Derivative, M21A, in Combination with Food Grade Additives Eradicates Biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes

PubMed Central

Smith, Muireann K.; Draper, Lorraine A.; Hazelhoff, Pieter-Jan; Cotter, Paul D.; Ross, R. P.; Hill, Colin

2016-01-01

The burden of foodborne disease has large economic and social consequences worldwide. Despite strict regulations, a number of pathogens persist within the food environment, which is greatly contributed to by a build-up of resistance mechanisms and also through the formation of biofilms. Biofilms have been shown to be highly resistant to a number of antimicrobials and can be extremely difficult to remove once they are established. In parallel, the growing concern of consumers regarding the use of chemically derived antimicrobials within food has led to a drive toward more natural products. As a consequence, the use of naturally derived antimicrobials has become of particular interest. In this study we investigated the efficacy of nisin A and its bioengineered derivative M21A in combination with food grade additives to treat biofilms of a representative foodborne disease isolate of Listeria monocytogenes. Investigations revealed the enhanced antimicrobial effects, in liquid culture, of M21A in combination with citric acid or cinnamaldehyde over its wild type nisin A counterpart. Subsequently, an investigation was conducted into the effects of these combinations on an established biofilm of the same strain. Nisin M21A (0.1 μg/ml) alone or in combination with cinnamaldehyde (35 μg/ml) or citric acid (175 μg/ml) performed significantly better than combinations involving nisin A. All combinations of M21A with either citric acid or cinnamaldehyde eradicated the L. monocytogenes biofilm (in relation to a non-biofilm control). We conclude that M21A in combination with available food additives could further enhance the antimicrobial treatment of biofilms within the food industry, simply by substituting nisin A with M21A in current commercial products such as Nisaplin® (Danisco, DuPont). PMID:27965658

New environmentally-benign concepts in wood protection: the combination of organic biocides and non-biocidal additives

Treesearch

Frederick Green; Tor P. Schultz

2003-01-01

The principal wood preservative for residential use is currently a broad-spectrum biocide which contains As, Cr and Cu. However, the use of totally organic wood preservative systems in certain applications or localities may be required in the future. This will greatly increase the price of treated wood. The combination of organic biocides with non-biocidal additives to...

EarthLabs: A National Model for Earth Science Lab Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

2008-12-01

As a response to the need for more rigorous, inquiry-based high school Earth science courses, a coalition of scientists, educators, and five states have created EarthLabs, a set of pilot modules that can serve as a national model for lab-based science courses. The content of EarthLabs chapters focuses on Earth system science and environmental literacy and conforms to the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The effort is funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. The pilot modules present activities on Corals, Drought, Fisheries, and Hurricanes. The Fisheries and Hurricanes units were reviewed and field-tested by educators in Texas and Arizona. The feedback from this evaluation led to revisions of these units and guided development of the Corals and Drought chapters. Each module consists of activities that use online data sets, satellite imagery, web-based readings, and hands-on laboratory experiments. The project comprises two separate websites, one for the instructor and one for students. The instructor's site contains the pedagogical underpinnings for each lab including teaching materials, assessment strategies, and the alignment of activities with state and national science standards. The student site provides access to all materials that students need to complete the activities or, in the case of the hands-on labs, where they access additional information to help extend their learning. There are also formative and summative questions embedded in the student webpages to help scaffold learning through the activities.

Moving Closer to EarthScope: A Major New Initiative for the Earth Sciences*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, D.; Blewitt, G.; Ekstrom, G.; Henyey, T.; Hickman, S.; Prescott, W.; Zoback, M.

2002-12-01

EarthScope is a scientific research and infrastructure initiative designed to provide a suite of new observational facilities to address fundamental questions about the evolution of continents and the processes responsible for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The integrated observing systems that will comprise EarthScope capitalize on recent developments in sensor technology and communications to provide Earth scientists with synoptic and high-resolution data derived from a variety of geophysical sensors. An array of 400 broadband seismometers will spend more than ten years crossing the contiguous 48 states and Alaska to image features that make up the internal structure of the continent and underlying mantle. Additional seismic and electromagnetic instrumentation will be available for high resolution imaging of geological targets of special interest. A network of continuously recording Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and sensitive borehole strainmeters will be installed along the western U.S. plate boundary. These sensors will measure how western North America is deforming, what motions occur along faults, how earthquakes start, and how magma flows beneath active volcanoes. A four-kilometer deep observatory bored directly into the San Andreas fault will provide the first opportunity to observe directly the conditions under which earthquakes occur, to collect fault rocks and fluids for laboratory study, and to monitor continuously an active fault zone at depth. All data from the EarthScope facilities will be openly available in real-time to maximize participation from the scientific community and to provide on-going educational outreach to students and the public. EarthScope's sensors will revolutionize observational Earth science in terms of the quantity, quality and spatial extent of the data they provide. Turning these data into exciting scientific discovery will require new modes of experimentation and interdisciplinary cooperation from the Earth

Using EarthLabs to Enhance Earth Science Curriculum in Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chegwidden, D. M.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.

2012-12-01

As an educator in Texas, a state that values and supports an Earth Science curriculum, I find it essential to educate my students who are our future voting citizens and tax payers. It is important to equip them with tools to understand and solve the challenges of solving of climate change. As informed citizens, students can help to educate others in the community with basic knowledge of weather and climate. They can also help to dispose of the many misconceptions that surround the climate change, which is perceived as a controversial topic. As a participant in a NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to develop and test education resources for the EarthLabs climate literacy collection. I am involved in the multiple phases of the project, including reviewing labs that comprise the Climate, Weather and Biosphere module during the development phase, pilot teaching the module with my students, participating in research, and delivering professional development to other Texas teachers to expose them to the content found in the module and to encourage them to incorporate it into their teaching. The Climate, Weather and the Biosphere module emphasizes different forms of evidence and requires that learners apply different inquiry-based approaches to build the knowledge they need to develop as climate literate citizens. My involvement with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my overall knowledge and confidence to teach about Earth's climate system and climate change. In addition, the project has produced vigorous classroom discussion among my students as well as encouraged me to collaborate with other educators through our delivery of professional development to other teachers. In my poster, I will share my experiences, describe the impact the curriculum has made on my students, and report on challenges and valuable lessons gained by

Strategy for earth explorers in global earth sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The goal of the current NASA Earth System Science initiative is to obtain a comprehensive scientific understanding of the Earth as an integrated, dynamic system. The centerpiece of the Earth System Science initiative will be a set of instruments carried on polar orbiting platforms under the Earth Observing System program. An Earth Explorer program can open new vistas in the earth sciences, encourage innovation, and solve critical scientific problems. Specific missions must be rigorously shaped by the demands and opportunities of high quality science and must complement the Earth Observing System and the Mission to Planet Earth. The committee believes that the proposed Earth Explorer program provides a substantial opportunity for progress in the earth sciences, both through independent missions and through missions designed to complement the large scale platforms and international research programs that represent important national commitments. The strategy presented is intended to help ensure the success of the Earth Explorer program as a vital stimulant to the study of the planet.

Radar Discovery and Characterization of Binary Near-Earth Asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margot, J. L.; Nolan, M. C.; Benner, L. A. M.; Ostro, S. J.; Jurgens, R. F.; Giorgini, J. D.; Slade, M. A.; Howell, E. S.; Campbell, D. B.

2002-01-01

The radar instruments at Arecibo and Goldstone recently provided the first confirmed discoveries of binary asteroids in the near-Earth population. The physical and orbital properties of four near-Earth binary systems are described in detail. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Alkaline earth filled nickel skutterudite antimonide thermoelectrics

DOEpatents

Singh, David Joseph

2013-07-16

A thermoelectric material including a body centered cubic filled skutterudite having the formula A.sub.xFe.sub.yNi.sub.zSb.sub.12, where A is an alkaline earth element, x is no more than approximately 1.0, and the sum of y and z is approximately equal to 4.0. The alkaline earth element includes guest atoms selected from the group consisting of Be, Mb, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra and combinations thereof. The filled skutterudite is shown to have properties suitable for a wide variety of thermoelectric applications.

Obstructive sleep apnea combined dyslipidemia render additive effect on increasing atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases prevalence.

PubMed

Cao, Zhiyong; Zhang, Ping; He, Zhiqing; Yang, Jing; Liang, Chun; Ren, Yusheng; Wu, Zonggui

2016-05-26

Current study was designed to investigate the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) combined dyslipidemia on the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). This was a cross-sectional study and subjects with documented dyslipidemia and without previous diagnosis of OSA were enrolled. Polysomnography was applied to evaluate apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Based on AHI value, subjects were classified into four groups: without OSA, mild, moderate and severe OSA groups. Clinical characteristics and laboratory examination data were recorded. Relationship between AHI event and lipid profiles was analyzed, and logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of OSA combined dyslipidemia on ASCVD prevalence. Totally 248 subjects with dyslipidemia were enrolled. Compared to the other 3 groups, subjects with severe OSA were older, male predominant and had higher smoking rate. In addition, subjects with severe OSA had higher body mass index, waist-hip ratio, blood pressure, and higher rates of overweight and obesity. Serum levels of fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, LDL-C and CRP were all significantly higher. ASCVD prevalence was considerably higher in subjects with severe OSA. AHI event in the severe OSA group was up to 35.4 ± 5.1 events per hour which was significantly higher than the other groups (P < 0.05 for trend). Pearson correlation analysis showed that only LDL-C was positively correlated with AHI events (r = 0.685, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that in unadjusted model, compared to dyslipidemia plus no-OSA group (reference group), OSA enhanced ASCVD risk in subjects with dyslipidemia, regardless of OSA severity. After extensively adjusted for confounding variables, the odds of dyslipidemia plus mild-OSA was reduced to insignificance. While the effects of moderate- and severe-OSA on promoting ASCVD risk in subjects with dyslipidemia remained significant, with severe-OSA most prominent (odds ratio: 1

The first 800 million years of earth's history

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, J. V.

1981-01-01

It is pointed out that there is no direct geological information on the first 750 Ma of earth history. Consequently the reported study is based on controversial inferences drawn from the moon, other planets and meteorites, coupled with backward extrapolation from surviving terrestrial rocks, especially those of Archaean age. Aspects of accretion are considered, taking into account cosmochemical and cosmophysical evidence, a new earth model, and convection systems. Attention is given to phase-equilibrium constraints, estimates of heat production, the bombardment history of the moon and implications for the earth, and the nature of the early crust. From a combination of physical, chemical, and petrological arguments, it is concluded that the earth's surface underwent intense volcanism in the pre-Archaean era, and that the rock types were chemically similar to those found in the early Archaean era.

GJ 581 update: Additional evidence for a Super-Earth in the habitable zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, S. S.; Butler, R. P.; Haghighipour, N.

2012-08-01

We present an analysis of the significantly expanded HARPS 2011 radial velocity data set for GJ 581 that was presented by Forveille et al. (2011). Our analysis reaches substantially different conclusions regarding the evidence for a Super-Earth-mass planet in the star's Habitable Zone. We were able to reproduce their reported χν2 and RMS values only after removing some outliers from their models and refitting the trimmed down RV set. A suite of 4000 N-body simulations of their Keplerian model all resulted in unstable systems and revealed that their reported 3.6σ detection of e=0.32 for the eccentricity of GJ 581e is manifestly incompatible with the system's dynamical stability. Furthermore, their Keplerian model, when integrated only over the time baseline of the observations, significantly increases the χν2 and demonstrates the need for including non-Keplerian orbital precession when modeling this system. We find that a four-planet model with all of the planets on circular or nearly circular orbits provides both an excellent self-consistent fit to their RV data and also results in a very stable configuration. The periodogram of the residuals to a 4-planet all-circular-orbit model reveals significant peaks that suggest one or more additional planets in this system. We conclude that the present 240-point HARPS data set, when analyzed in its entirety, and modeled with fully self-consistent stable orbits, by and of itself does offer significant support for a fifth signal in the data with a period near 32 days. This signal has a false alarm probability of <4 % and is consistent with a planet of minimum mass 2.2 M_⊙, orbiting squarely in the star's habitable zone at 0.13 AU, where liquid water on planetary surfaces is a distinct possibility.

Launch vehicles of the future - Earth to near-earth space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keyworth, G. A., II

Attention is given to criteria for launch vehicles of the future, namely, cost, flexibility of payload size, and routine access to space. The National Aerospace Plane (NASP), an airplane designed to achieve hypersonic speeds using a sophisticated air-breathing engine, is argued to meet these criteria. Little additional oxygen is needed to enter low-earth orbit, and it will return to an airport runway under powered flight. Cost estimates for a NASP-derived vehicle are two to five million dollars for a payload of 20,000 to 30,000 pounds to orbit. For the Shuttle, a comparable payload is nominally about 150 million dollars. NASP estimates for the new single-stage-to-orbit designs are substantially lower than existing launch costs. The NASP also offers fast turnaround and minimal logistics. Access to virtually all near-earth orbits will be provided as well.

Earth Science Teaching Strategies Used in the International Polar Year

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, E. B.

2009-04-01

There are many effective methods for teaching earth science education that are being successfully used during the fourth International Polar Year (IPY). Relevance of IPY and the polar regions is better understood using a systems thinking approach used in earth science education. Changes in components of the earth system have a global effect; and changes in the polar regions will affect the rest of the world regions and vice versa. Teaching strategies successfully used for primary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate student earth science education and IPY education outreach include: 1) engaging students in earth science or environmental research relevant to their locale; 2) blending lectures with research expeditions or field studies, 3) connecting students with scientists in person and through audio and video conferencing; 4) combining science and arts in teaching, learning and communicating about earth science and the polar regions, capitalizing on the uniqueness of polar regions and its inhabitants, and its sensitivity to climate change; and 5) integrating different perspectives: western science, indigenous and community knowledge in the content and method of delivery. Use of these strategies are exemplified in IPY projects in the University of the Arctic IPY Higher Education Outreach Project cluster such as the GLOBE Seasons and Biomes project, the Ice Mysteries e-Polar Books: An Innovative Way of Combining Science and Literacy project, the Resilience and Adaptation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship project, and the Svalbard Research Experience for Undergraduates project.

Combination of RNA interference and virus receptor trap exerts additive antiviral activity in coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis in mice.

PubMed

Stein, Elisabeth A; Pinkert, Sandra; Becher, Peter Moritz; Geisler, Anja; Zeichhardt, Heinz; Klopfleisch, Robert; Poller, Wolfgang; Tschöpe, Carsten; Lassner, Dirk; Fechner, Henry; Kurreck, Jens

2015-02-15

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a major heart pathogen against which no therapy exists to date. The potential of a combination treatment consisting of a proteinaceous virus receptor trap and an RNA interference-based component to prevent CVB3-induced myocarditis was investigated. A soluble variant of the extracellular domain of the coxsackievirus-adenovirus receptor (sCAR-Fc) was expressed from an adenoviral vector and 2 short hairpin RNAs (shRdRp2.4) directed against CVB3 were delivered by an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector. Cell culture experiments revealed additive antiviral activity of the combined application. In a CVB3-induced mouse myocarditis model, both components applied individually significantly reduced inflammation and viral load in the heart. The combination exerted an additive antiviral effect and reduced heart pathology. Hemodynamic measurement revealed that infection with CVB3 resulted in impaired heart function, as illustrated by a drastically reduced cardiac output and impaired contractility and relaxation. Treatment with either sCAR-Fc or shRdRp2.4 significantly improved these parameters. Importantly, the combination of both components led to a further significant improvement of heart function. Combination of sCAR-Fc and shRdRp2.4 exerted additive effects and was significantly more effective than either of the single treatments in inhibiting CVB3-induced myocarditis and preventing cardiac dysfunction. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Supporting Inquiry-based Earth System Science Instruction with Middle and High School Earth Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkel, L.; Varner, R.; Froburg, E.; Smith, M.; Graham, K.; Hale, S.; Laura, G.; Brown, D.; Bryce, J.; Darwish, A.; Furman, T.; Johnson, J.; Porter, W.; von Damm, K.

2007-12-01

The Transforming Earth System Science Education (TESSE) project, a partnership between faculty at the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania State University, Elizabeth City State University and Dillard University, is designed to enrich the professional development of in-service and pre-service Earth science teachers. One goal of this effort is to help teachers use an inquiry-based approach to teaching Earth system science in their classrooms. As a part of the TESSE project, 42 pre-service and in-service teachers participated in an intensive two-week summer institute at UNH taught by Earth scientists and science educators from TESSE partnership institutions. The institute included instruction about a range of Earth science system topics as well as an introduction to teaching Earth science using an inquiry-based approach. In addition to providing teachers with information about inquiry-based science teaching in the form of sample lesson plans and opportunities to revise traditional lessons and laboratory exercises to make them more inquiry-based, TESSE instructors modeled an inquiry- based approach in their own teaching as much as possible. By the end of the Institute participants had developed lesson plans, units, or year-long course overviews in which they were expected to explain the ways in which they would include an inquiry-based approach in their Earth science teaching over the course of the school year. As a part of the project, graduate fellows (graduate students in the earth sciences) will work with classroom teachers during the academic year to support their implementation of these plans as well as to assist them in developing a more comprehensive inquiry-based approach in the classroom.

Data compression for near Earth and deep space to Earth transmission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, Daniel E.

1991-01-01

Key issues of data compression for near Earth and deep space to Earth transmission discussion group are briefly presented. Specific recommendations as made by the group are as follows: (1) since data compression is a cost effective way to improve communications and storage capacity, NASA should use lossless data compression wherever possible; (2) NASA should conduct experiments and studies on the value and effectiveness of lossy data compression; (3) NASA should develop and select approaches to high ratio compression of operational data such as voice and video; (4) NASA should develop data compression integrated circuits for a few key approaches identified in the preceding recommendation; (5) NASA should examine new data compression approaches such as combining source and channel encoding, where high payoff gaps are identified in currently available schemes; and (6) users and developers of data compression technologies should be in closer communication within NASA and with academia, industry, and other government agencies.

A Course in Earth System Science: Developed for Teachers by Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, K.; Read, K.; Charlevoix, D.; Tomkin, J.; Hug, B.; Williams, M.; Pianfetti, E.

2008-12-01

ESES 202 is a new general education course in physical science at the University of Illinois's School of Earth, Society and Environment, designed for pre-service K-8 teachers. The goal of the course is to help future classroom teachers become confident with teaching earth science content. The designers of this course include a faculty expert in earth system science, a pre-service teacher and a former middle school science teacher. The goal of the in the curriculum design was to utilize the unique perspectives and experiences of our team. Our poster will highlight the unique nature of the curriculum development outlining the challenges and successes of designing the course. The general format of the class will be a combination of discussions, hands on experiences, and opportunities for students to design their own lessons. Class meetings will be once per week in a three-hour block, allowing students to immediately transfer new content knowledge into classroom activities. The end goal is that they can use these same activities with their students once they are practicing teachers. The content of the course shall be taught using an earth systems approach by showing the relationships among the four spheres: biosphere, hydrosphere, atmospheric, and anthrosphere. There are five units in the course: Introduction to Earth Systems, Carbon Cycle, Water Quality, El Niño and Climate Change. In addition to the science portion of the course, students will spend time reflecting on the classroom activities from the perspective of future educators. Activities will be presented at a late elementary school level; however, time will be devoted to discussing methods to adapt the lesson to different grade levels and differentiation needs within a classroom. Additionally, students in this course will be instructed on how to utilize a multitude of resources from stream tables to science education databases to prepare them for the dynamic nature of the classroom. By the end of the class

Mott Electrons in an Artificial Graphenelike Crystal of Rare-Earth Nickelate S.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Middey, Srimanta; Meyers, Derek J.; Doennig, D.

2016-02-05

Deterministic control over the periodic geometrical arrangement of the constituent atoms is the backbone of the material properties, which, along with the interactions, define the electronic and magnetic ground state. Following this notion, a bilayer of a prototypical rare-earth nickelate, NdNiO3, combined with a dielectric spacer, LaAlO3, has been layered along the pseudocubic [111] direction. The resulting artificial graphenelike Mott crystal with magnetic 3d electrons has antiferromagnetic correlations. In addition, a combination of resonant X-ray linear dichroism measurements and ab initio calculations reveal the presence of an ordered orbital pattern, which is unattainable in either bulk nickelates or nickelate basedmore » heterostructures grown along the [001] direction. These findings highlight another promising venue towards designing new quantum many-body states by virtue of geometrical engineering.« less

A Rules-Based Service for Suggesting Visualizations to Analyze Earth Science Phenomena.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabhu, A.; Zednik, S.; Fox, P. A.; Ramachandran, R.; Maskey, M.; Shie, C. L.; Shen, S.

2016-12-01

Current Earth Science Information Systems lack support for new or interdisciplinary researchers, who may be unfamiliar with the domain vocabulary or the breadth of relevant data available. We need to evolve the current information systems, to reduce the time required for data preparation, processing and analysis. This can be done by effectively salvaging the "dark" resources in Earth Science. We assert that Earth science metadata assets are dark resources, information resources that organizations collect, process, and store for regular business or operational activities but fail to utilize for other purposes. In order to effectively use these dark resources, especially for data processing and visualization, we need a combination of domain, data product and processing knowledge, i.e. a knowledge base from which specific data operations can be performed. In this presentation, we describe a semantic, rules based approach to provide i.e. a service to visualize Earth Science phenomena, based on the data variables extracted using the "dark" metadata resources. We use Jena rules to make assertions about compatibility between a phenomena and various visualizations based on multiple factors. We created separate orthogonal rulesets to map each of these factors to the various phenomena. Some of the factors we have considered include measurements, spatial resolution and time intervals. This approach enables easy additions and deletions based on newly obtained domain knowledge or phenomena related information and thus improving the accuracy of the rules service overall.

Near-Earth object hazardous impact: A Multi-Criteria Decision Making approach.

PubMed

Sánchez-Lozano, J M; Fernández-Martínez, M

2016-11-16

The impact of a near-Earth object (NEO) may release large amounts of energy and cause serious damage. Several NEO hazard studies conducted over the past few years provide forecasts, impact probabilities and assessment ratings, such as the Torino and Palermo scales. These high-risk NEO assessments involve several criteria, including impact energy, mass, and absolute magnitude. The main objective of this paper is to provide the first Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach to classify hazardous NEOs. Our approach applies a combination of two methods from a widely utilized decision making theory. Specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology is employed to determine the criteria weights, which influence the decision making, and the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to obtain a ranking of alternatives (potentially hazardous NEOs). In addition, NEO datasets provided by the NASA Near-Earth Object Program are utilized. This approach allows the classification of NEOs by descending order of their TOPSIS ratio, a single quantity that contains all of the relevant information for each object.

The Montaguto earth flow: nine years of observation and analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guerriero, L.; Revellino, R; Grelle, G.; Diodato, N; Guadagno, F.M.; Coe, Jeffrey A.

2016-01-01

This paper summarizes the methods, results, and interpretation of analyses carried out between 2006 and 2015 at the Montaguto earth flow in southern Italy. We conducted a multi-temporal analysis of earth-flow activity to reconstruct the morphological and structural evolution of the flow. Data from field mapping were combined with a geometric reconstruction of the basal slip surface in order to investigate relations between basal-slip surface geometry and deformation styles of earth-flow material. Moreover, we reconstructed the long-term pattern of earth-flow movement using both historical observations and modeled hydrologic and climatic data. Hydrologic and climatic data were used to develop a Landslide Hydrological Climatological (LHC) indicator model.

CEOS Committee on Earth Observations Satellites Consolidated Report, 1992

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

A concise overview of the committee on Earth Observations Satellites (CEOS) and its Working Groups, covering the history and purpose of the Committee and its accomplishments to date are provided. The report will be updated annually before each Plenary meeting, and as developments in the Working Groups warrant. The committee on Earth Observations Satellites (originally named the International Earth Observations Satellite committee, IEOS) was treated in 1984, in response to a recommendation from the Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations Working Group on Growth, Technology, and Employment's Panel of Experts on Satellite Remote Sensing. This group recognized the multidisciplinary nature of satellite Earth observations, and the value of coordinating across all proposed missions. Thus, CEOS combined the previously existing groups for coordination on Ocean Remote-Sensing Satellites (CORSS) and coordination on Land Remote-Sensing Satellites (CLRSS), and established a broad framework for coordination across all spaceborne Earth observations missions. The first three LEOS Plenary meetings focused on treating and guiding the Working Groups deemed necessary to carry out the objectives of the CEOS members. After the third meeting, it was agreed that a more active orientation was required by the Plenary, and additional issues were brought before the group at the fourth meeting. At the fifth Plenary, international scientific programs and relevant intergovernmental organizations accepted invitations and participated as affiliate members of CEOS. This enabled progress toward integrating satellite data users' requirements into the CEOS process. Data exchange principles for global change research were also adopted. An interim CEOS Plenary meeting was held in April 1992, in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Brief encapsulations of the Plenary sessions immediately follow the Terms of Reference that govern the activities of CEOS as

Earth as a Tool for Astrobiology—A European Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, Zita; Cottin, Hervé; Kotler, Julia Michelle; Carrasco, Nathalie; Cockell, Charles S.; de la Torre Noetzel, Rosa; Demets, René; de Vera, Jean-Pierre; d'Hendecourt, Louis; Ehrenfreund, Pascale; Elsaesser, Andreas; Foing, Bernard; Onofri, Silvano; Quinn, Richard; Rabbow, Elke; Rettberg, Petra; Ricco, Antonio J.; Slenzka, Klaus; Stalport, Fabien; ten Kate, Inge L.; van Loon, Jack J. W. A.; Westall, Frances

2017-07-01

Scientists use the Earth as a tool for astrobiology by analyzing planetary field analogues (i.e. terrestrial samples and field sites that resemble planetary bodies in our Solar System). In addition, they expose the selected planetary field analogues in simulation chambers to conditions that mimic the ones of planets, moons and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space conditions, as well as the chemistry occurring in interstellar and cometary ices. This paper reviews the ways the Earth is used by astrobiologists: (i) by conducting planetary field analogue studies to investigate extant life from extreme environments, its metabolisms, adaptation strategies and modern biosignatures; (ii) by conducting planetary field analogue studies to investigate extinct life from the oldest rocks on our planet and its biosignatures; (iii) by exposing terrestrial samples to simulated space or planetary environments and producing a sample analogue to investigate changes in minerals, biosignatures and microorganisms. The European Space Agency (ESA) created a topical team in 2011 to investigate recent activities using the Earth as a tool for astrobiology and to formulate recommendations and scientific needs to improve ground-based astrobiological research. Space is an important tool for astrobiology (see Horneck et al. in Astrobiology, 16:201-243, 2016; Cottin et al., 2017), but access to space is limited. Complementing research on Earth provides fast access, more replications and higher sample throughput. The major conclusions of the topical team and suggestions for the future include more scientifically qualified calls for field campaigns with planetary analogy, and a centralized point of contact at ESA or the EU for the organization of a survey of such expeditions. An improvement of the coordinated logistics, infrastructures and funding system supporting the combination of field work with planetary simulation investigations, as well as an optimization of the scientific return and data processing

Arecibo Radar Observations of Near-Earth Asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera-Valentin, Edgard G.; Taylor, Patrick A.; Virkki, Anne; Saran Bhiravarasu, Sriram; Venditti, Flaviane; Zambrano-Marin, Luisa Fernanda; Aponte-Hernandez, Betzaida

2017-10-01

The Arecibo S-Band (2.38 GHz, 12.6 cm; 1 MW) planetary radar system at the 305-m William E. Gordon Telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico is the most active, most powerful, and most sensitive planetary radar facility in the world. As such, Arecibo is vital for post-discovery characterization and orbital refinement of near-Earth asteroids. Since August 2016, the program has observed 100 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), of which 38 are classified as potentially hazardous to Earth and 31 are compliant with the NASA Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS). Arecibo observations are critical for identifying NEAs that may be on a collision course with Earth in addition to providing detailed physical characterization of the objects themselves in terms of size, shape, spin, and surface properties, which are valuable for assessing impact mitigation strategies. Here, we will present a sampling of the asteroid zoo observed by Arecibo, including press-noted asteroids 2014 JO25 and the (163693) Atira binary system.

Teach and Touch the Earth and Sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florina Tendea, Camelia

2017-04-01

My name is Camelia Florina Tendea. I am primary school teacher at "Horea, Closca and Crisan" Secondary School, in Brad, a town in the west side of Transylvania. I am permanently interested to develop my knowledge and teaching skills about space sciences (Earth and Sky) because the new generations of students are very well informed and couriouse about these topics. In this context the teachers must be prepared to deal with such requests in school. Introducing of activity: For a primary school teacher is a real challenge teaching about Earth and Sky, so I consider that a collaboration with science teachers, engineers and other specialists in the sciences is absolutely essential and beneficial in the educational design. In my opinion, the contents about Earth ans Sky-Space in a single word- are very attractive for students and they are a permanent source of discoveries and provide a multidisciplinary vision, so required in the education. Possible contents to teach in primary school: about Earth: -Terra -the third Planet from the Sun; How Earth spins; Land and water; The Earth seen from space, Trip between Earth and Moon,Weather Phenomena; the Poles; about Sky: Solar System, Asteroids, Comets, Meteorites; Rosetta Mission or rendez-vous with a comet; Sun.Moon. Earth. Eclipse;Light Pollution and protection of the night sky; Life in Space. Astronauts and experiences; Mission X:- Train Like an Astronaut;About ISS. For teachers it is important to know from the beginning how they teach, a viable support is the teaching of STEM subjects, which provides access to careers in astronomy, science/technology space. We could teach about earth and sky using different kinds of experiments, simulations, hands-on activities, competitions, exhibitions, video presentations. Competences developed in primary school through these contents: Comunication, individual studying, understanding and valorisation of scientific information, relating to the natural environment. In addition, they are

THE GJ1214 SUPER-EARTH SYSTEM: STELLAR VARIABILITY, NEW TRANSITS, AND A SEARCH FOR ADDITIONAL PLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berta, Zachory K.; Charbonneau, David; Bean, Jacob

2011-07-20

The super-Earth GJ1214b transits a nearby M dwarf that exhibits a 1% intrinsic variability in the near-infrared. Here, we analyze new observations to refine the physical properties of both the star and planet. We present three years of out-of-transit photometric monitoring of the stellar host GJ1214 from the MEarth Observatory and find the rotation period to be long, most likely an integer multiple of 53 days, suggesting low levels of magnetic activity and an old age for the system. We show that such variability will not pose significant problems to ongoing studies of the planet's atmosphere with transmission spectroscopy. Wemore » analyze two high-precision transit light curves from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) along with seven others from the MEarth and Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory 1.2 m telescopes, finding physical parameters for the planet that are consistent with previous work. The VLT light curves show tentative evidence for spot occultations during transit. Using two years of MEarth light curves, we place limits on additional transiting planets around GJ1214 with periods out to the habitable zone of the system. We also improve upon the previous photographic V-band estimate for the star, finding V = 14.71 {+-} 0.03.« less

Large Ripples on Earth and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, S. H.; Zimbelman, J. R.; Ward, A. W.

2002-01-01

Aeolian ripples on Earth with wavelengths greater than 50 cm have distinctive attributes, that should be helpful in interpreting ripple-like features on Mars. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Refractive indices of Early Earth organic aerosol analogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavilan, L.; Carrasco, N.; Fleury, B.; Vettier, L.

2017-09-01

Organic hazes in the early Earth atmosphere are hypothesized to provide additional shielding to solar radiation. We simulate the conditions of this primitive atmosphere by adding CO2 to a N2:CH4 gas mixture feeding a plasma. In this plasma, solid organic films were produced simulating early aerosols. We performed ellipsometry on these films from the visible to the near-ultraviolet range. Such measurements reveal how organic aerosols in the early Earth atmosphere preferentially absorb photons of shorter wavelengths than typical Titan tholins, suggesting a coolant role in the early Earth.

Building a better search engine for earth science data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, E. M.; Yang, C. P.; Moroni, D. F.; McGibbney, L. J.; Jiang, Y.; Huang, T.; Greguska, F. R., III; Li, Y.; Finch, C. J.

2017-12-01

Free text data searching of earth science datasets has been implemented with varying degrees of success and completeness across the spectrum of the 12 NASA earth sciences data centers. At the JPL Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) the search engine has been developed around the Solr/Lucene platform. Others have chosen other popular enterprise search platforms like Elasticsearch. Regardless, the default implementations of these search engines leveraging factors such as dataset popularity, term frequency and inverse document term frequency do not fully meet the needs of precise relevancy and ranking of earth science search results. For the PO.DAAC, this shortcoming has been identified for several years by its external User Working Group that has assigned several recommendations to improve the relevancy and discoverability of datasets related to remotely sensed sea surface temperature, ocean wind, waves, salinity, height and gravity that comprise a total count of over 500 public availability datasets. Recently, the PO.DAAC has teamed with an effort led by George Mason University to improve the improve the search and relevancy ranking of oceanographic data via a simple search interface and powerful backend services called MUDROD (Mining and Utilizing Dataset Relevancy from Oceanographic Datasets to Improve Data Discovery) funded by the NASA AIST program. MUDROD has mined and utilized the combination of PO.DAAC earth science dataset metadata, usage metrics, and user feedback and search history to objectively extract relevance for improved data discovery and access. In addition to improved dataset relevance and ranking, the MUDROD search engine also returns recommendations to related datasets and related user queries. This presentation will report on use cases that drove the architecture and development, and the success metrics and improvements on search precision and recall that MUDROD has demonstrated over the existing PO.DAAC search

Efficacy of the addition of salicylic acid to clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide combination for acne vulgaris.

PubMed

Akarsu, Sevgi; Fetil, Emel; Yücel, Filiz; Gül, Eylem; Güneş, Ali T

2012-05-01

Clindamycin phosphate (CDP), benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and salicylic acid (SA) are known to be effective acne therapy agents depending on their anti-inflammatory and comedolytic properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of the addition of SA treatment to CDP and BPO (SA and CDP + BPO) and compare it with CDP + BPO in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris. Forty-nine patients were enrolled in a 12 week prospective, single-blind, randomized, comparative clinical study. Efficacy was assessed by lesion counts, global improvement, quality of life index and measurements of skin barrier functions. Local side effects were also evaluated. Both combinations were effective in reducing total lesion (TL), inflammatory lesion (IL) and non-inflammatory lesion (NIL) counts. There were statistically significant differences between treatment groups for reductions in NIL counts beyond 2 weeks, IL counts and TL counts throughout the all study weeks, and global improvement scores evaluated by patients and investigator at the end of the study in favor of SA and CDP + BPO treatment when compared to CDP + BPO treatment. Both combinations significantly decreased stratum corneum hydration, although skin sebum values decreased with SA and CDP + BPO treatment. These combinations were also well tolerated except significantly higher frequency of mild to moderate transient dryness in patients applied SA and CDP + BPO. The addition of SA to CDP + BPO treatment demonstrated significantly better and faster results in terms of reductions in acne lesion counts and well tolerated except for higher frequency of mild to moderate transient dryness. © 2011 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Virginia Earth Science Collaborative: Developing Highly Qualified Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cothron, J.

2007-12-01

A collaborative of nine institutes of higher education and non-profits and seventy-one school divisions developed and implemented courses that will enable teachers to acquire an Add-On Earth Science endorsement and to improve their skills in teaching Earth Science. For the Earth Science Endorsement, the five courses and associated credits are Physical Geology (4), Geology of Virginia (4), Oceanography (4), Astronomy (3) and Meteorology (3). The courses include rigorous academic content, research-based instructional strategies, laboratory experiences, and intense field experiences. In addition, courses were offered on integrating new technologies into the earth sciences, developing virtual field trips, and teaching special education students. To date, 39 courses have been offered statewide, with over 560 teachers participating. Teachers showed increased conceptual understanding of earth science topics as measured by pre-post tests. Other outcomes include a project website, a collaborative of over 60 IHE and K-12 educators, pilot instruments, and a statewide committee focused on policy in the earth sciences.

Earth rotation excitation mechanisms derived from geodetic space observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Göttl, F.; Schmidt, M.

2009-04-01

Earth rotation variations are caused by mass displacements and motions in the subsystems of the Earth. Via the satellite Gravity and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity field variations can be identified which are caused by mass redistribution in the Earth system. Therefore time variable gravity field models (GFZ RL04, CSR RL04, JPL RL04, ITG-Grace03, GRGS, ...) can be used to derive different impacts on Earth rotation. Furthermore satellite altimetry provides accurate information on sea level anomalies (AVISO, DGFI) which are caused by mass and volume changes of seawater. Since Earth rotation is solely affected by mass variations and motions the volume (steric) effect has to be reduced from the altimetric observations in order to infer oceanic contributions to Earth rotation variations. Therefore the steric effect is estimated from physical ocean parameters such as temperature and salinity changes in the oceans (WOA05, Ishii). In this study specific individual geophysical contributions to Earth rotation variations are identified by means of a multitude of accurate geodetic space observations in combination with a realistic error propagation. It will be shown that due to adjustment of altimetric and/or gravimetric solutions the results for polar motion excitations can be improved.

Earth and Moon as viewed by Mariner 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Mariner 10 was launched on November 3, 1973, 12:45 am PST, from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas/Centaur rocket (a reconditioned Intercontinental Ballistic Missile - ICBM). Within 12 hours of launch the twin cameras were turned on and several hundred pictures of both the Earth and the Moon were acquired over the following days.

The Earth and Moon were imaged by Mariner 10 from 2.6 million km while completing the first ever Earth-Moon encounter by a spacecraft capable of returning high resolution digital color image data. These images have been combined at right to illustrate the relative sizes of the two bodies. From this particular viewpoint the Earth appears to be a water planet!

The Mariner 10 mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

Habitability of the Paleo-Earth as a Model for Earth-like Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendez, A.

2013-05-01

The Phanerozoic is the current eon of Earth's geological history, from 542 million years ago to today, when large and complex life started to populate the ocean and land areas. Our planet became more hospitable and life took the opportunity to evolve and spread globally, especially on land. This had an impact on surface and atmospheric bio-signatures. Future observations of exoplanets might be able to detect similar changes on nearby exoplanets. Therefore, the application of the evolution of terrestrial habitability might help to determine the potential for life on Earth-like exoplanets. Here we evaluated the habitability of Earth during the Phanerozoic as a model for comparison with future observations of Earth-like exoplanets. Vegetation was used as a global indicator of habitability because as a primary producer it provides the energy for many other simple to complex life forms in the trophic scale. Our first proxy for habitability was the Relative Vegetation Density (RVD) derived from our vegetation datasets of the Visible Paleo-Earth. The RVD is a measure similar to vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), that gives a general idea of the global area-weighted fraction of vegetation cover. Our second habitability proxy was the Standard Primary Habitability (SPH) derived from mean global surface temperatures and relative humidity. The RVD is a more direct measure of the habitability of a planet but the SPH is easier to measure by remote sensors. Our analysis shows that terrestrial habitability has been greater than today for most of the Phanerozoic as demonstrated by both the RVD and SPH, with the Devonian and Cretaceous particularly more habitable. The RVD and SPH are generally correlated except around the Permian-Triassic, matching the P-Tr extinction. There has been a marked decrease in terrestrial habitability during the last 100 million years, even superseding the K-Pg extinction. Additional metrics were used to examine

Squeezing clathrate cages to host trivalent rare-earth guests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Jian; He, Yuping; Mordvinova, Natalia E.

Strike difference of the trivalent rare-earth cations from their alkali and alkaline-earth peers is in the presence of localized 4f-electrons and strong spin-orbit coupling. Placing trivalent rare-earth cations inside the fullerene molecules or in between the blocks of itinerant magnetic intermetallics gave rise to plethora of fascinating properties and materials. A long-time missing but hardly desired piece is the semiconducting or metallic compound where rare-earth cations are situated inside the oversized polyhedral cages of three-dimensional framework. In this work we present a synthesis of such compounds, rare-earth containing clathrates Ba 8-xR xCu 16P 30. The unambiguous proofs of their compositionmore » and crystal structure were achieved by a combination of synchrotron powder diffraction, time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction, scanning-transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Our quantum-mechanical calculations and experimental characterizations show that the incorporation of the rare-earth cations significantly enhances the hole mobility and concentration which results in the drastic increase in the thermoelectric performance.« less

Multiple Disk Gaps and Rings Generated by a Single Super-Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Ruobing; Li, Shengtai; Chiang, Eugene; Li, Hui

2017-07-01

We investigate the observational signatures of super-Earths (i.e., planets with Earth-to-Neptune mass), which are the most common type of exoplanet discovered to date, in their natal disks of gas and dust. Combining two-fluid global hydrodynamics simulations with a radiative transfer code, we calculate the distributions of gas and of submillimeter-sized dust in a disk perturbed by a super-Earth, synthesizing images in near-infrared scattered light and the millimeter-wave thermal continuum for direct comparison with observations. In low-viscosity gas (α ≲ {10}-4), a super-Earth opens two annular gaps to either side of its orbit by the action of Lindblad torques. This double gap and its associated gas pressure gradients cause dust particles to be dragged by gas into three rings: one ring sandwiched between the two gaps, and two rings located at the gap edges farthest from the planet. Depending on the system parameters, additional rings may manifest for a single planet. A double gap located at tens of au from a host star in Taurus can be detected in the dust continuum by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) at an angular resolution of ∼0\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 03 after two hours of integration. Ring and gap features persist in a variety of background disk profiles, last for thousands of orbits, and change their relative positions and dimensions depending on the speed and direction of planet migration. Candidate double gaps have been observed by ALMA in systems such as HL Tau (D5 and D6) and TW Hya (at 37 and 43 au); we submit that each double gap is carved by one super-Earth in nearly inviscid gas.

Experimental study of heterogeneous organic chemistry induced by far ultraviolet light: Implications for growth of organic aerosols by CH3 addition in the atmospheres of Titan and early Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Peng; Sekine, Yasuhito; Sasamori, Tsutoni; Sugita, Seiji

2018-06-01

Formation of organic aerosols driven by photochemical reactions has been observed and suggested in CH4-containing atmospheres, including Titan and early Earth. However, the detailed production and growth mechanisms of organic aerosols driven by solar far ultraviolet (FUV) light remain poorly constrained. We conducted laboratory experiments simulating photochemical reactions in a CH4sbnd CO2 atmosphere driven by the FUV radiations dominated by the Lyman-α line. In the experiments, we analyzed time variations in thickness and infrared spectra of solid organic film formed on an optical window in a reaction cell. Gas species formed by FUV irradiation were also analyzed and compared with photochemical model calculations. Our experimental results show that the growth rate of the organic film decreases as the CH4/CO2 ratio of reactant gas mixture decreases, and that the decrease becomes very steep for CH4/CO2 < 1. Comparison with photochemical model calculations suggests that polymerizations of gas-phase hydrocarbons, such as polyynes and aromatics, cannot account for the growth rate of the organic film but that the addition reaction of CH3 radicals onto the organic film with the reaction probability around 10-2 can explain the growth rate. At CH4/CO2 < 1, etching by O atom formed by CO2 photolysis would reduce or inhibit the growth of the organic film. Our results suggest that organic aerosols would grow through CH3 addition onto the surface during the precipitation of aerosol particles in the middle atmosphere of Titan and early Earth. On Titan, effective CH3 addition would reduce C2H6 production in the atmosphere. On early Earth, growth of aerosol particles would be less efficient than those on Titan, possibly resulting in small-sized monomers and influencing UV shielding.

Hydrostatic figure of the earth: Theory and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khan, M. A.

1973-01-01

The complete development of the mathematical theory of hydrostatic equilibrium for the earth is recounted. Modifications of the first order theory are given along with the subsequent extension to the second order. In addition, the equations are presented which resulted from a revision of the second order theory to suit the new applications and data types of the post-artificial earth satellite era.

The size distribution of the earth-approaching asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabinowitz, D. L.

1993-01-01

The discovery circumstances of the first asteroids ever observed outside the earth's atmosphere but within the neighborhood of the earth-moon system are described. Four natural objects with diameters in the range 5-50 m were detected during a search for earth-approaching asteroids conducted each month at the 0.91-m Spacewatch Telescope at Kitt Peak. An additional 19 earth approachers with sizes in the range 50 m to 5 km were discovered. These obervations determine the cumulative flux of asteroids near earth as a function of absolute magnitude. For asteroids larger than about 100 m, a power-law dependence with exponent of about 0.9 is observed, consistent with their evolution from the main-belt population. At about 10 m, the flux is more than two orders of magnitude greater than this power-law extrapolation.

The Power of the Crowd: An Up Close and Personal Perspective on Planet Earth.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdalati, W.

2015-12-01

The space-based view of Earth has changed the way we look at our home planet, providing a perspective on the Earth as a system that can only be realized when viewed from a distance. Throughout my career as a researcher, including 2 years as NASA Chief Scientist, this "power of perspective" has been a tool through which I have engaged both colleagues and the public. These capabilities have transformed our understanding of climate and weather phenomena, ecosystem dynamics, changes in the cryosphere, and much more, through their macro-scale look at the various, highly complex components of the Earth system. But within these domains, there is a tremendous amount of small-scale variability that, if appropriately observed, can reveal new information about how elements within the Earth system work in ways that can directly impact people's lives. Consequently, there is a different power in this additional local perspective: it is one fueled by up-close and personal data collection. Through their engagement and commitment, citizen scientists are providing valuable data as well as personalized experience in the collection of those data. This presentation will include video clips that show a diverse set of citizen science projects in North America and worldwide, illustrating this scientifically useful combination of local and global. Such projects engage citizens and scientists alike in efforts to understand the world in which we live.

Geocenter Coordinates from a Combined Processing of LEO and Ground-based GPS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Männel, Benjamin; Rothacher, Markus

2017-04-01

The GPS observations provided by the global IGS (International GNSS Service) tracking network play an important role for the realization of a unique terrestrial reference frame that is accurate enough to allow the monitoring of the Earth's system. Combining these ground-based data with GPS observations tracked by high-quality dual-frequency receivers on-board Low Earth Orbiters (LEO) might help to further improve the realization of the terrestrial reference frame and the estimation of the geocenter coordinates, GPS satellite orbits and Earth rotation parameters (ERP). To assess the scope of improvement, we processed a network of 50 globally distributed and stable IGS-stations together with four LEOs (GRACE-A, GRACE-B, OSTM/Jason-2 and GOCE) over a time interval of three years (2010-2012). To ensure fully consistent solutions the zero-difference phase observations of the ground stations and LEOs were processed in a common least-square adjustment, estimating GPS orbits, LEO orbits, station coordinates, ERPs, site-specific tropospheric delays, satellite and receiver clocks and ambiguities. We present the significant impact of the individual LEOs and a combination of all four LEOs on geocenter coordinates derived by using a translational approach (also called network shift approach). In addition, we present geocenter coordinates derived from the same set of GPS observations by using a unified approach. This approach combines the translational and the degree-one approach by estimating translations and surface deformations simultaneously. Based on comparisons against each other and against geocenter time series derived by other techniques the effect of the selected approach is assessed.

Combined cetuximab and genistein treatment shows additive anti-cancer effect on oral squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Park, Sung-Jin; Kim, Myung-Jin; Kim, Yu-Kyoung; Kim, Soung-Min; Park, Ju-Yong; Myoung, Hoon

2010-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potency of EGFR pathway inhibition achieved by combining cetuximab, an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, and genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which target extracellular and intracellular domains of the receptor, respectively, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vitro and in vivo. Two OSCC cell lines, HSC3 and KB, were treated with cetuximab (C, 0-400mug/ml), genistein (G, 0-80muM), or a combination of both at a range of concentrations. Downstream protein expression of EGFR, p-EGFR, and p-Akt were evaluated by Western blot. Cell proliferation and apoptosis indices were calculated to assess anti-cancer effects in vitro. The in vivo effects of cetuximab and genistein on tumor cell growth were examined using an OSCC xenografted nude mouse model and immunohistochemical analyses of proliferation (PCNA) and microvessel density (CD31). Treatment of cells with dual anti-EGFR agents reduced the expressions of p-EGFR, and p-Akt in HSC3 cell line, but there was no significant difference in downregulation between cetuximab alone and in combination with genistein in KB cells. Both HSC3 and KB cells showed a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation significantly with single agent treatment and combination (p<0.05). In low concentration, combined cetuximab and genistein therapy resulted in additive growth inhibition and more apoptosis compared to that achieved with single-agent exposure in both cell lines. A combination of cetuximab and genistein significantly inhibited tumor growth and caused a substantial growth delay in in vivo models of both cell lines while each single-agent exposure caused no delay of tumor growth. Immunohistochemical staining with PCNA revealed that the group receiving combined cetuximab and genistein exhibited the lowest number of proliferating cells and microvessel density (p<0.05). Combined therapy with genistein and cetuximab can add the potency of EGFR signaling inhibition. Because not all

The EarthCARE Simulator (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, D. P.; van Zadellhoff, G.; Lajas, D.; Eisinger, M.; Franco, R.

2009-12-01

In recent years, the value of multisensor remote sensing techniques applied to cloud, aerosol, radiation and precipitation studies has become clear. For example, combinations of instruments including lidars and/or radars have proved very useful for profile retrievals of cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties. This is amply illustrated by various results from the ARM (and similar) sites as well as from results derived using the Cloudsat/CALIPSO/A-train combination of instruments. The Earth Clouds Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission is a combined ESA/JAXA mission scheduled for launch in 2013 and has been designed with sensor-synergy playing a driving role in its scientific applications. The EarthCARE mission consists of a cloud profiling Doppler radar, a high-spectral-resolution lidar, a cloud/aerosol imager and a three-view broadband radiometer. As part of the mission development process, a detailed end-to-end multisensor simulation system has been developed. The EarthCARE Simulator (ECSIM) consists of a modular general framework populated by various models. The models within ECSIM are grouped according to the following scheme: 1) Scene creation models (3D atmospheric scene definition) 2) Orbit models (orbit and orientation of the platform as it overflies the scene) 3) Forward models (calculate the signal impinging on the telescope/antenna of the instrument(s) in question) 4) Instrument models (calculate the instrument response to the signals calculated by the Forward models) 5) Retrieval models (invert the instrument signals to recover relevant geophysical information) Within the default ECSIM models crude instrument specific parameterizations (i.e. empirically based Z vs IWC relationships) are avoided. Instead, the radiative transfer forward models are kept as separate as possible from the instrument models. In order to accomplish this, the atmospheric scenes are specified in high detail (i.e. bin resolved cloud size distribution are

Earth Science Data Grid System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Y.; Yang, R.; Kafatos, M.

2004-12-01

The Earth Science Data Grid System (ESDGS) is a software in support of earth science data storage and access. It is built upon the Storage Resource Broker (SRB) data grid technology. We have developed a complete data grid system consistent of SRB server providing users uniform access to diverse storage resources in a heterogeneous computing environment and metadata catalog server (MCAT) managing the metadata associated with data set, users, and resources. We are also developing additional services of 1) metadata management, 2) geospatial, temporal, and content-based indexing, and 3) near/on site data processing, in response to the unique needs of Earth science applications. In this paper, we will describe the software architecture and components of the system, and use a practical example in support of storage and access of rainfall data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) to illustrate its functionality and features.

Additive effect by combination of Akt inhibitor, MK-2206, and PDGFR inhibitor, tyrphostin AG 1296, in suppressing anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell viability and motility.

PubMed

Che, Huan-Yong; Guo, Hang-Yuan; Si, Xu-Wei; You, Qiao-Ying; Lou, Wei-Ying

2014-01-01

The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt pathway and receptor tyrosine kinases regulate many tumorigenesis related cellular processes including cell metabolism, cell survival, cell motility, and angiogenesis. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare type of thyroid cancer with no effective systemic therapy. It has been shown that Akt activation is associated with tumor progression in ATC. Here we observed the additive effect between an Akt inhibitor (MK-2206) and a novel platelet-derived growth factor receptor inhibitor (tyrphostin AG 1296) in ATC therapy. We found an additive effect between MK-2206 and tyrphostin AG 1296 in suppressing ATC cell viability. The combination of MK-2206 and tyrphostin AG 1296 induces additive apoptosis, additive suppression of the Akt signaling pathway, as well as additive inhibition of cell migration and invasion of ATC cells. Furthermore, the combination of MK-2206 and tyrphostin AG 1296 induced additive suppression of ATC tumor growth in vivo. In summary, our studies suggest that the combination of Akt and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors may be an efficient therapeutic strategy for ATC treatment, which might shed new light on ATC therapy.

Statistical Constraints from Siderophile Elements on Earth's Accretion, Differentiation, and Initial Core Stratification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Rourke, J. G.; Stevenson, D. J.

2015-12-01

Abundances of siderophile elements in the primitive mantle constrain the conditions of Earth's core/mantle differentiation. Core growth occurred as Earth accreted from collisions between planetesimals and larger embryos of unknown original provenance, so geochemistry is directly related to the overall dynamics of Solar System formation. Recent studies claim that only certain conditions of equilibration (pressure, temperature, and oxygen fugacity) during core formation can reproduce the available data. Typical analyses, however, only consider the effects of varying a few out of tens of free parameters in continuous core formation models. Here we describe the Markov chain Monte Carlo method, which simultaneously incorporates the large uncertainties on Earth's composition and the parameterizations that describe elemental partitioning between metal and silicate. This Bayesian technique is vastly more computationally efficient than a simple grid search and is well suited to models of planetary accretion that involve a plethora of variables. In contrast to previous work, we find that analyses of siderophile elements alone cannot yield a unique scenario for Earth's accretion. Our models predict a wide range of possible light element contents for the core, encompassing all combinations permitted by seismology and mineral physics. Specifically, we are agnostic between silicon and oxygen as the dominant light element, and the addition of carbon or sulfur is also permissible but not well constrained. Redox conditions may have remained roughly constant during Earth's accretion or relatively oxygen-rich material could have been incorporated before reduced embryos. Pressures and temperatures of equilibration, likewise, may only increase slowly throughout accretion. Therefore, we do not necessarily expect a thick (>500 km), compositionally stratified layer that is stable against convection to develop at the top of the core of Earth (or, by analogy, Venus). A thinner stable layer

Paleopedology Comes Down to Earth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Retallack, Greg J.

1983-01-01

Discusses content, laboratory work, and field studies of a senior-level course in paleopedology (study of fossil soils). The course explores interpretation of ancient terrestrial environments from fossil soils and the study of the fossil record of such soils as an additional approach to earth history. (JN)

The benefit of using additional hydrological information from earth observations and reanalysis data on water allocation decisions in irrigation districts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaune, Alexander; López, Patricia; Werner, Micha; de Fraiture, Charlotte

2017-04-01

Hydrological information on water availability and demand is vital for sound water allocation decisions in irrigation districts, particularly in times of water scarcity. However, sub-optimal water allocation decisions are often taken with incomplete hydrological information, which may lead to agricultural production loss. In this study we evaluate the benefit of additional hydrological information from earth observations and reanalysis data in supporting decisions in irrigation districts. Current water allocation decisions were emulated through heuristic operational rules for water scarce and water abundant conditions in the selected irrigation districts. The Dynamic Water Balance Model based on the Budyko framework was forced with precipitation datasets from interpolated ground measurements, remote sensing and reanalysis data, to determine the water availability for irrigation. Irrigation demands were estimated based on estimates of potential evapotranspiration and coefficient for crops grown, adjusted with the interpolated precipitation data. Decisions made using both current and additional hydrological information were evaluated through the rate at which sub-optimal decisions were made. The decisions made using an amended set of decision rules that benefit from additional information on demand in the districts were also evaluated. Results show that sub-optimal decisions can be reduced in the planning phase through improved estimates of water availability. Where there are reliable observations of water availability through gauging stations, the benefit of the improved precipitation data is found in the improved estimates of demand, equally leading to a reduction of sub-optimal decisions.

China’s Rare Earth Policies: Economic Statecraft or Interdependence?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

statecraft. As evident towards the beginning of the 21st century, China’s policies associated with the rare earths market (e.g., resource quotas...controls approximately 97% of the world’s REE market . These rare earths, which are not widely known because they are so low on the production chain...rare earths as well as access to the developing Chinese market . Additionally, safety and environmental factors will likely raise the cost of

3D Orbit Visualization for Earth-Observing Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacob, Joseph C.; Plesea, Lucian; Chafin, Brian G.; Weiss, Barry H.

2011-01-01

This software visualizes orbit paths for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), but was designed to be general and applicable to any Earth-observing mission. The software uses the Google Earth user interface to provide a visual mechanism to explore spacecraft orbit paths, ground footprint locations, and local cloud cover conditions. In addition, a drill-down capability allows for users to point and click on a particular observation frame to pop up ancillary information such as data product filenames and directory paths, latitude, longitude, time stamp, column-average dry air mole fraction of carbon dioxide, and solar zenith angle. This software can be integrated with the ground data system for any Earth-observing mission to automatically generate daily orbit path data products in Google Earth KML format. These KML data products can be directly loaded into the Google Earth application for interactive 3D visualization of the orbit paths for each mission day. Each time the application runs, the daily orbit paths are encapsulated in a KML file for each mission day since the last time the application ran. Alternatively, the daily KML for a specified mission day may be generated. The application automatically extracts the spacecraft position and ground footprint geometry as a function of time from a daily Level 1B data product created and archived by the mission s ground data system software. In addition, ancillary data, such as the column-averaged dry air mole fraction of carbon dioxide and solar zenith angle, are automatically extracted from a Level 2 mission data product. Zoom, pan, and rotate capability are provided through the standard Google Earth interface. Cloud cover is indicated with an image layer from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) aboard the Aqua satellite, which is automatically retrieved from JPL s OnEarth Web service.

Dynamics of a Snowball Earth ocean.

PubMed

Ashkenazy, Yosef; Gildor, Hezi; Losch, Martin; Macdonald, Francis A; Schrag, Daniel P; Tziperman, Eli

2013-03-07

Geological evidence suggests that marine ice extended to the Equator at least twice during the Neoproterozoic era (about 750 to 635 million years ago), inspiring the Snowball Earth hypothesis that the Earth was globally ice-covered. In a possible Snowball Earth climate, ocean circulation and mixing processes would have set the melting and freezing rates that determine ice thickness, would have influenced the survival of photosynthetic life, and may provide important constraints for the interpretation of geochemical and sedimentological observations. Here we show that in a Snowball Earth, the ocean would have been well mixed and characterized by a dynamic circulation, with vigorous equatorial meridional overturning circulation, zonal equatorial jets, a well developed eddy field, strong coastal upwelling and convective mixing. This is in contrast to the sluggish ocean often expected in a Snowball Earth scenario owing to the insulation of the ocean from atmospheric forcing by the thick ice cover. As a result of vigorous convective mixing, the ocean temperature, salinity and density were either uniform in the vertical direction or weakly stratified in a few locations. Our results are based on a model that couples ice flow and ocean circulation, and is driven by a weak geothermal heat flux under a global ice cover about a kilometre thick. Compared with the modern ocean, the Snowball Earth ocean had far larger vertical mixing rates, and comparable horizontal mixing by ocean eddies. The strong circulation and coastal upwelling resulted in melting rates near continents as much as ten times larger than previously estimated. Although we cannot resolve the debate over the existence of global ice cover, we discuss the implications for the nutrient supply of photosynthetic activity and for banded iron formations. Our insights and constraints on ocean dynamics may help resolve the Snowball Earth controversy when combined with future geochemical and geological observations.

Origin and mixing timescale of Earth's late veneer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prescher, C.; Allu Peddinti, D.; Bell, E. A.; Bello, L.; Cernok, A.; Ghosh, N.; Tucker, J.; Wielicki, M. M.; Zahnle, K. J.

2012-12-01

Experimental studies on the partitioning behavior of highly siderophile elements (HSE) between silicate and metallic melts imply that the Earth's mantle should have been highly depleted in these elements by core formation in an early magma ocean. However, present HSE contents of the Earth's mantle are ~3 orders of magnitude higher than that expected by experiments. The apparent over-abundance of HSE has commonly been explained by the addition of meteoritic material in the "late veneer" which describes the exogenous mass addition following the moon forming impact and concluding with the late heavy bombardment at ~3.8-3.9 Ga. The strongest evidence for this theory is that the platinum group element (PGE) contents in today's mantle are present in chondritic relative abundances, as opposed to a fractionated pattern expected with metal-silicate partitioning. Archean komatiites indicate that the PGE content of the Earth's mantle increased from about half their present abundances at 3.5 Ga to their present abundances at 2.9 Ga. This secular increase in PGE content suggests a progressive mixing of the late veneer material into the Earth's mantle. However, this time scale also implies that the whole mantle was relatively well mixed by 2.9 Ga. We use a compilation of existing isotopic and trace element data in order to constrain the origin and composition of the late veneer. We use PGE abundances, W abundances and W isotopic compositions in chondritic meteorites and the primitive upper mantle to compute the amount of mass delivered during the late veneer and find the late veneer mass to be ~0.6 % the mass of the bulk silicate Earth (consistent with earlier estimates). We also use the 187Re-187Os and 190Pt-186Os systems to constrain the composition and timing of delivery of the impacting population. We model the efficiency of mantle mixing in this time frame by using 3-dimensional numerical geodynamical simulations and geochemical constraints. Initial parameters include the

Rapid prototyping of multi-scale biomedical microdevices by combining additive manufacturing technologies.

PubMed

Hengsbach, Stefan; Lantada, Andrés Díaz

2014-08-01

The possibility of designing and manufacturing biomedical microdevices with multiple length-scale geometries can help to promote special interactions both with their environment and with surrounding biological systems. These interactions aim to enhance biocompatibility and overall performance by using biomimetic approaches. In this paper, we present a design and manufacturing procedure for obtaining multi-scale biomedical microsystems based on the combination of two additive manufacturing processes: a conventional laser writer to manufacture the overall device structure, and a direct-laser writer based on two-photon polymerization to yield finer details. The process excels for its versatility, accuracy and manufacturing speed and allows for the manufacture of microsystems and implants with overall sizes up to several millimeters and with details down to sub-micrometric structures. As an application example we have focused on manufacturing a biomedical microsystem to analyze the impact of microtextured surfaces on cell motility. This process yielded a relevant increase in precision and manufacturing speed when compared with more conventional rapid prototyping procedures.

Isotopic constraints on the age and early differentiation of the Earth.

PubMed

McCulloch, M T

1996-03-01

The Earth's age and early differentiation history are re-evaluated using updated isotopic constraints. From the most primitive terrestrial Pb isotopic compositions found at Isua Greenland, and the Pilbara of Western Australia, combined with precise geochronology of these localities, an age 4.49 +/- 0.02 Ga is obtained. This is interpreted as the mean age of core formation as U/Pb is fractionated due to sequestering of Pb into the Earth's core. The long-lived Rb-Sr isotopic system provides constraints on the time interval for the accretion of the Earth as Rb underwent significant depletion by volatile loss during accretion of the Earth or its precursor planetesimals. A primitive measured 87Sr/86Sr initial ratio of 0.700502 +/- 10 has been obtained for an early Archean (3.46 Ga) barite from the Pilbara Block of Western Australia. Using conservative models for the evolution of Rb/Sr in the early Archean mantle allows an estimate to be placed on the Earth's initial Sr ratio at approximately 4.50 Ga, of 0.69940 +/- 10. This is significantly higher than that measured for the Moon (0.69900 +/- 2) or in the achondrite, Angra dos Reis (0.69894 +/- 2) and for a Rb/Sr ratio of approximately 1/2 of chondrites corresponds to a mean age for accretion of the Earth of 4.48 + /- 0.04 Ga. The now extinct 146Sm-142Nd (T1/2(146)=103 l0(6)yrs) combined with the long-lived 147Sm-143Nd isotopic systematics can also be used to provide limits on the time of early differentiation of the Earth. High precision analyses of the oldest (3.8-3.9 Ga) Archean gneisses from Greenland (Amitsoq and Akilia gneisses), and Canada (Acasta gneiss) do not show measurable (> +/- l0ppm) variations of 142Nd, in contrast to the 33 ppm 142Nd excess reported for an Archean sample. The general lack of 142Nd variations, combined with the presence of highly positive epsilon 143 values (+4.0) at 3.9 Ga, indicates that the record of large-scale Sm/Nd fractionation events was not preserved in the early-Earth from 4

Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets, and Small Bodies of the Solar System (B) Past, Present and Future of Small Body Science and Exploration (B0.4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, Paul; Mazanek, Dan; Reeves, Dan; Chodas, Paul; Gates, Michele; Johnson, Lindley; Ticker, Ronald

2016-01-01

To achieve its long-term goal of sending humans to Mars, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to proceed in a series of incrementally more complex human space flight missions. Today, human flight experience extends only to Low- Earth Orbit (LEO), and should problems arise during a mission, the crew can return to Earth in a matter of minutes to hours. The next logical step for human space flight is to gain flight experience in the vicinity of the Moon. These cis-lunar missions provide a "proving ground" for the testing of systems and operations while still accommodating an emergency return path to the Earth that would last only several days. Cis-lunar mission experience will be essential for more ambitious human missions beyond the Earth-Moon system, which will require weeks, months, or even years of transit time. In addition, NASA has been given a Grand Challenge to find all asteroid threats to human populations and know what to do about them. Obtaining knowledge of asteroid physical properties combined with performing technology demonstrations for planetary defense provide much needed information to address the issue of future asteroid impacts on Earth. Hence the combined objectives of human exploration and planetary defense give a rationale for the Asteroid Re-direct Mission (ARM).

Addition of omega-3 fatty acid and coenzyme Q10 to statin therapy in patients with combined dyslipidemia.

PubMed

Tóth, Štefan; Šajty, Matej; Pekárová, Tímea; Mughees, Adil; Štefanič, Peter; Katz, Matan; Spišáková, Katarína; Pella, Jozef; Pella, Daniel

2017-07-26

Statins represent a group of drugs that are currently indicated in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Their administration can be associated with side effects and the insufficient reduction of triacylglyceride (TAG) levels. This study aimed to assess the effect of the triple combination of statins with omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on parameters associated with atherogenesis and statin side effects. In this pilot randomized double-blind trial, 105 subjects who met the criteria of combined dislipidemia and elevated TAG levels were randomly divided into three groups. In the control group, unaltered statin therapy was indicated. In the second and third groups, omega-3 PUFA 2.52 g/day (Zennix fa Pleuran) and omega-3 PUFA 2.52 g+CoQ10 200 mg/day (Pharma Nord ApS) were added, res//. At the end of the 3-month period (±1 week), all patients were evaluated. Significant reduction of hepatic enzymes activity, systolic blood preasure, inflammatory markers and TAG levels were detected in both groups in comparison to the control group. Activity of SOD and GPx increased significantly after additive therapy. Coenzyme Q10 addition significantly reduced most of the abovementioned parameters (systolic blood preasure, total cholesterol, LDL, hsCRP, IL-6, SOD) in comparison with the statin+omega-3 PUFA group. The intensity of statin adverse effects were significantly reduced in the group with the addition of CoQ10. The results of this pilot study suggest the possible beneficial effects of triple combination on the lipid and non-lipid parameters related to atherogenesis and side effects of statin treatment.

Lunar-based Earth observation geometrical characteristics research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yuanzhen; Liu, Guang; Ye, Hanlin; Guo, Huadong; Ding, Yixing; Chen, Zhaoning

2016-07-01

As is known to all, there are various platforms for carrying sensors to observe Earth, such as automobiles, aircrafts and satellites. Nowadays, we focus on a new platform, Moon, because of its longevity, stability and vast space. These advantages make it to be the next potential platform for observing Earth, enabling us to get the consistent and global measurements. In order to get a better understanding of lunar-based Earth observation, we discuss its geometrical characteristics. At present, there are no sensors on the Moon for observing Earth and we are not able to obtain a series of real experiment data. As a result, theoretical modeling and numerical calculation are used in this paper. At first, we construct an approximate geometrical model of lunar-based Earth observation, which assumes that Earth and Moon are spheres. Next, we calculate the position of Sun, Earth and Moon based on the JPL ephemeris. With the help of positions data and geometrical model, it is possible for us to decide the location of terminator and substellar points. However, in order to determine their precise position in the conventional terrestrial coordinate system, reference frames transformations are introduced as well. Besides, taking advantages of the relative positions of Sun, Earth and Moon, we get the total coverage of lunar-based Earth optical observation. Furthermore, we calculate a more precise coverage, considering placing sensors on different positions of Moon, which is influenced by its attitude parameters. In addition, different ephemeris data are compared in our research and little difference is found.

NASA Earth Science Disasters Program Response Activities During Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, J. R.; Schultz, L. A.; Molthan, A.; Kirschbaum, D.; Roman, M.; Yun, S. H.; Meyer, F. J.; Hogenson, K.; Gens, R.; Goodman, H. M.; Owen, S. E.; Lou, Y.; Amini, R.; Glasscoe, M. T.; Brentzel, K. W.; Stefanov, W. L.; Green, D. S.; Murray, J. J.; Seepersad, J.; Struve, J. C.; Thompson, V.

2017-12-01

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season included a series of storms that impacted the United States, and the Caribbean breaking a 12-year drought of landfalls in the mainland United States (Harvey and Irma), with additional impacts from the combination of Irma and Maria felt in the Caribbean. These storms caused widespread devastation resulting in a significant need to support federal partners in response to these destructive weather events. The NASA Earth Science Disasters Program provided support to federal partners including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Guard Bureau (NGB) by leveraging remote sensing and other expertise through NASA Centers and partners in academia throughout the country. The NASA Earth Science Disasters Program leveraged NASA mission products from the GPM mission to monitor cyclone intensity, assist with cyclone center tracking, and quantifying precipitation. Multispectral imagery from the NASA-NOAA Suomi-NPP mission and the VIIRS Day-Night Band proved useful for monitoring power outages and recovery. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites operated by the European Space Agency were used to create flood inundation and damage assessment maps that were useful for damage density mapping. Using additional datasets made available through the USGS Hazards Data Distribution System and the activation of the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, the NASA Earth Science Disasters Program created additional flood products from optical and radar remote sensing platforms, along with PI-led efforts to derive products from other international partner assets such as the COSMO-SkyMed system. Given the significant flooding impacts from Harvey in the Houston area, NASA provided airborne L-band SAR collections from the UAVSAR system which captured the daily evolution of record flooding, helping to guide response and mitigation decisions for critical infrastructure and public safety. We

An Earth-sized planet with an Earth-like density.

PubMed

Pepe, Francesco; Cameron, Andrew Collier; Latham, David W; Molinari, Emilio; Udry, Stéphane; Bonomo, Aldo S; Buchhave, Lars A; Charbonneau, David; Cosentino, Rosario; Dressing, Courtney D; Dumusque, Xavier; Figueira, Pedro; Fiorenzano, Aldo F M; Gettel, Sara; Harutyunyan, Avet; Haywood, Raphaëlle D; Horne, Keith; Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; Lovis, Christophe; Malavolta, Luca; Mayor, Michel; Micela, Giusi; Motalebi, Fatemeh; Nascimbeni, Valerio; Phillips, David; Piotto, Giampaolo; Pollacco, Don; Queloz, Didier; Rice, Ken; Sasselov, Dimitar; Ségransan, Damien; Sozzetti, Alessandro; Szentgyorgyi, Andrew; Watson, Christopher A

2013-11-21

Recent analyses of data from the NASA Kepler spacecraft have established that planets with radii within 25 per cent of the Earth's (R Earth symbol) are commonplace throughout the Galaxy, orbiting at least 16.5 per cent of Sun-like stars. Because these studies were sensitive to the sizes of the planets but not their masses, the question remains whether these Earth-sized planets are indeed similar to the Earth in bulk composition. The smallest planets for which masses have been accurately determined are Kepler-10b (1.42 R Earth symbol) and Kepler-36b (1.49 R Earth symbol), which are both significantly larger than the Earth. Recently, the planet Kepler-78b was discovered and found to have a radius of only 1.16 R Earth symbol. Here we report that the mass of this planet is 1.86 Earth masses. The resulting mean density of the planet is 5.57 g cm(-3), which is similar to that of the Earth and implies a composition of iron and rock.

ESSEA as an Enhancement to K-12 Earth Systems Science Efforts at San José State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messina, P.; Metzger, E. P.; Sedlock, R. L.

2002-12-01

San José State University's Geology Department has implemented and maintained a two-fold approach to teacher education efforts. Both pre-service and in-service populations have been participants in a wide variety of content-area enrichment, training, and professional development endeavors. Spearheading these initiatives is the Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI); organized in 1990, this program has served more than 1,000 teachers in weekend- and summer-workshops, and field trips. It sustains a network of Bay Area teachers via its Website (http://www.baesi.org), newsletter, and allows teachers to borrow classroom-pertinent materials through the Earth Science Resource Center. The Department has developed a course offering in Earth Systems Science (Geology 103), which targets pre-service teachers within SJSU's multiple-subject credential program. The curriculum satisfies California subject matter competency requirements in the geosciences, and infuses pedagogy into the syllabus. Course activities are intended for pre-service and in-service teachers' adaptation in their own classrooms. The course has been enhanced by two SJSU-NASA collaborations (Project ALERT and the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum), which have facilitated incorporation of NASA data, imagery, and curricular materials. SJSU's M.A. in Natural Science, a combined effort of the Departments of Geology, Biology, and Program in Science Education, is designed to meet the multi-disciplinary needs of single-subject credential science teachers by providing a flexible, individually-tailored curriculum that combines science course work with a science education project. Several BAESI teachers have extended their Earth science knowledge and teaching skills through such projects as field guides to local sites of geological interest; lab-based modules for teaching about earthquakes, rocks and minerals, water quality, and weather; and interactive online materials for students and teachers of science. In

Earth Rings for Planetary Environment Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Jerome; Oldson, John; Levin, Eugene; Carroll, Joseph

2002-01-01

For most of its past, large parts of the Earth have experienced subtropical climates, with high sea levels and no polar icecaps. This warmer environment was punctuated 570, 280, and 3 million years ago with periods of glaciation that covered temperate regions with thick ice for millions of years. At the end of the current ice age, a warmer climate could flood coastal cities, even without human-caused global warming. In addition, asteroids bombard the Earth periodically, with impacts large enough to destroy most life on Earth, and the sun is warming inexorably. This paper proposes a concept to solve these problems simultaneously, by creating an artificial planetary ring about the Earth to shade it. Past proposals for space climate control have depended on gigantic engineering structures launched from Earth and placed in Earth orbit or at the Earth-Sun L1 libration point, requiring fabrication, large launch masses and expense, constant control, and repair. Our solution is to begin by using lunar material, and then mine and remove Earth-orbit-crossing asteroids and discard the tailings into Earth orbit, to form a broad, flat ring like those of Saturn. This solution is evaluated and compared with other alternatives. Such ring systems can persist for thousands of years, and can be maintained by shepherding satellites or by continual replenishment from new asteroids to replace the edges of the ring lost by diffusion. An Earth ring at R = 1.3-1.83 RE would shade only the equatorial regions, moderating climate extremes, and could reverse a century of global warming. It could also absorb particles from the radiation belts, making trips to high Earth orbit and GEO safer for humans and for electronics. It would also light the night many times as bright as the full moon. A preliminary design of the ring is developed, including its location, mass, composition, stability, and timescale required. A one-dimensional climate model is used to evaluate the Earth ring performance

Networking Technologies Enable Advances in Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Marjory; Freeman, Kenneth; Gilstrap, Raymond; Beck, Richard

2004-01-01

This paper describes an experiment to prototype a new way of conducting science by applying networking and distributed computing technologies to an Earth Science application. A combination of satellite, wireless, and terrestrial networking provided geologists at a remote field site with interactive access to supercomputer facilities at two NASA centers, thus enabling them to validate and calibrate remotely sensed geological data in near-real time. This represents a fundamental shift in the way that Earth scientists analyze remotely sensed data. In this paper we describe the experiment and the network infrastructure that enabled it, analyze the data flow during the experiment, and discuss the scientific impact of the results.

Plutonium-fission xenon found in Earth's mantle

PubMed

Kunz; Staudacher; Allegre

1998-05-08

Data from mid-ocean ridge basalt glasses indicate that the short-lived radionuclide plutonium-244 that was present during an early stage of the development of the solar system is responsible for roughly 30 percent of the fissiogenic xenon excesses in the interior of Earth today. The rest of the fissiogenic xenon can be ascribed to the spontaneous fission of still live uranium-238. This result, in combination with the refined determination of xenon-129 excesses from extinct iodine-129, implies that the accretion of Earth was finished roughly 50 million to 70 million years after solar system formation and that the atmosphere was formed by mantle degassing.

Mitigating Climate Change with Earth Orbital Sunshades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coverstone, Victoria; Johnson, Les

2015-01-01

An array of rotating sunshades based on emerging solar sail technology will be deployed in a novel Earth orbit to provide near-continuous partial shading of the Earth, reducing the heat input to the atmosphere by blocking a small percentage of the incoming sunlight, and mitigating local weather effects of anticipated climate change over the next century. The technology will provide local cooling relief during extreme heat events (and heating relief during extreme cold events) thereby saving human lives, agriculture, livestock, water and energy needs. A synthesis of the solar sail design, the sails' operational modes, and the selected orbit combine to provide local weather modification.

Earth observing system - Concepts and implementation strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartle, R. E.

1986-01-01

The concepts of an Earth Observing System (EOS), an information system being developed by the EOS Science and Mission Requirements Working Group for international use and planned to begin in the 1990s, are discussed. The EOS is designed to study the factors that control the earth's hydrologic cycle, biochemical cycles, and climatologic processes by combining the measurements from remote sensing instruments, in situ measurement devices, and a data and information system. Three EOS platforms are planned to be launched into low, polar, sun-synchronous orbits during the Space Station's Initial Operating Configuration, one to be provided by ESA and two by the United States.

Diatomaceous earth and oil enhance effectiveness of Metarhizium anisopliae against Triatoma infestans.

PubMed

Luz, Christian; Rodrigues, Juscelino; Rocha, Luiz F N

2012-04-01

Entomopathogenic fungi, especially Metarhizium anisopliae, have potential for integrated control of peridomestic triatomine bugs. However, the high susceptibility of these vectors to fungal infection at elevated ambient humidities decreases in the comparatively dry conditions that often prevail in their microhabitats. A formulation adapted to this target pest that induces high and quick mortality can help to overcome these drawbacks. In the present study diatomaceous earth, which is used against pests of stored grains or as an additive to mycoinsecticides, delayed but did not reduce in vitro germination of M. anisopliae s.l. IP 46 conidia after >24h agitation without affecting viability, and did not hamper the survival of Triatoma infestans nymphs exposed to treated surfaces. The settling behavior of nymphs on a treated surface in choice tests depended on the concentration of diatomaceous earth and ambient light level. Conidia formulated with diatomaceous earth and a vegetable oil synergized the insecticidal effect of the fungus in nymphs, and quickly killed all treated insects, even at 75% relative humidity (LT(90) 8.3 days) where unformulated conidia caused only 25% mortality after a 25 days exposure. The improved performance of a combined oil and desiccant dust formulation of this Metarhizium isolate raises the likelihood for its successful mycoinsecticidal use for triatomine control and, apparently, against other domestic insect pests. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NASA Captures 'EPIC' Earth Image

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A NASA camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite has returned its first view of the entire sunlit side of Earth from one million miles away. This color image of Earth was taken by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC), a four megapixel CCD camera and telescope. The image was generated by combining three separate images to create a photographic-quality image. The camera takes a series of 10 images using different narrowband filters -- from ultraviolet to near infrared -- to produce a variety of science products. The red, green and blue channel images are used in these color images. The image was taken July 6, 2015, showing North and Central America. The central turquoise areas are shallow seas around the Caribbean islands. This Earth image shows the effects of sunlight scattered by air molecules, giving the image a characteristic bluish tint. The EPIC team is working to remove this atmospheric effect from subsequent images. Once the instrument begins regular data acquisition, EPIC will provide a daily series of Earth images allowing for the first time study of daily variations over the entire globe. These images, available 12 to 36 hours after they are acquired, will be posted to a dedicated web page by September 2015. The primary objective of DSCOVR, a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force, is to maintain the nation’s real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities, which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of space weather alerts and forecasts from NOAA. For more information about DSCOVR, visit: www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/

Earth System Science Education Interdisciplinary Partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzek, M.; Johnson, D. R.

2002-05-01

Earth system science in the classroom is the fertile crucible linking science with societal needs for local, national and global sustainability. The interdisciplinary dimension requires fruitful cooperation among departments, schools and colleges within universities and among the universities and the nation's laboratories and agencies. Teaching and learning requires content which brings together the basic and applied sciences with mathematics and technology in addressing societal challenges of the coming decades. Over the past decade remarkable advances have emerged in information technology, from high bandwidth Internet connectivity to raw computing and visualization power. These advances which have wrought revolutionary capabilities and resources are transforming teaching and learning in the classroom. With the launching of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) the amount and type of geophysical data to monitor the Earth and its climate are increasing dramatically. The challenge remains, however, for skilled scientists and educators to interpret this information based upon sound scientific perspectives and utilize it in the classroom. With an increasing emphasis on the application of data gathered, and the use of the new technologies for practical benefit in the lives of ordinary citizens, there comes the even more basic need for understanding the fundamental state, dynamics, and complex interdependencies of the Earth system in mapping valid and relevant paths to sustainability. Technology and data in combination with the need to understand Earth system processes and phenomena offer opportunities for new and productive partnerships between researchers and educators to advance the fundamental science of the Earth system and in turn through discovery excite students at all levels in the classroom. This presentation will discuss interdisciplinary partnership opportunities for educators and researchers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Adding source positions to the IVS Combination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, S.; Thaller, D.

2016-12-01

Simultaneous estimation of source positions, Earth orientation parameters (EOPs) and station positions in one common adjustment is crucial for a consistent generation of celestial and terrestrial reference frame (CRF and TRF, respectively). VLBI is the only technique to guarantee this consistency. Previous publications showed that the VLBI intra-technique combination could improve the quality of the EOPs and station coordinates compared to the individual contributions. By now, the combination of EOP and station coordinates is well established within the IVS and in combination with other space geodetic techniques (e.g. inter-technique combined TRF like the ITRF). Most of the contributing IVS Analysis Centers (AC) now provide source positions as a third parameter type (besides EOP and station coordinates), which have not been used for an operational combined solution yet. A strategy for the combination of source positions has been developed and integrated into the routine IVS combination. Investigations are carried out to compare the source positions derived from different IVS ACs with the combined estimates to verify whether the source positions are improved by the combination, as it has been proven for EOP and station coordinates. Furthermore, global solutions of source positions, i.e., so-called catalogues describing a CRF, are generated consistently with the TRF similar to the IVS operational combined quarterly solution. The combined solutions of the source positions time series and the consistently generated TRF and CRF are compared internally to the individual solutions of the ACs as well as to external CRF catalogues and TRFs. Additionally, comparisons of EOPs based on different CRF solutions are presented as an outlook for consistent EOP, CRF and TRF realizations.

Summer of Seasons Workshop Program for Emerging Educators in Earth System Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaudhury, S. Raj

2002-01-01

Norfolk State University BEST Lab successfully hosted three Summer of Seasons programs from 1998-2001. The Summer of Seasons program combined activities during the summer with additional seminars and workshops to provide broad outreach in the number of students and teachers who participated. Lessons learned from the each of the first two years of this project were incorporated into the design of the final year's activities. The "Summer of Seasons" workshop program provided emerging educators with the familiarity and knowledge to utilize in the classroom curriculum materials developed through NASA sponsorship on Earth System Science. A special emphasis was placed on the use of advanced technologies to dispel the commonly held misconceptions regarding seasonal, climactic and global change phenomena.

THE COMBINED CARCINOGENIC RISK FOR EXPOSURE TO MIXTURES OF DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS MAY BE LESS THAN ADDITIVE

EPA Science Inventory

The Combined Carcinogenic Risk for Exposure to Mixtures of Drinking Water Disinfection By-Products May be Less Than Additive

Risk assessment methods for chemical mixtures in drinking water are not well defined. Current default risk assessments for chemical mixtures assume...

A combined toxicity study of zinc oxide nanoparticles and vitamin C in food additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yanli; Yuan, Lulu; Yao, Chenjie; Ding, Lin; Li, Chenchen; Fang, Jie; Sui, Keke; Liu, Yuanfang; Wu, Minghong

2014-11-01

At present, safety evaluation standards for nanofood additives are made based on the toxic effects of a single additive. Since the size, surface properties and chemical nature influence the toxicity of nanomaterials, the toxicity may have dramatically changed when nanomaterials are used as food additives in a complex system. Herein, we investigated the combined toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and vitamin C (Vc, ascorbic acid). The results showed that Vc increased the cytotoxicity significantly compared with that of the ZnO only NPs. When the cells were exposed to ZnO NPs at a concentration less than 15 mg L-1, or to Vc at a concentration less than 300 mg L-1, there was no significant cytotoxicity, both in the case of gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1) and neural stem cells (NSCs). However, when 15 mg L-1 of ZnO NPs and 300 mg L-1 of Vc were introduced to cells together, the cell viability decreased sharply indicating significant cytotoxicity. Moreover, the significant increase in toxicity was also shown in the in vivo experiments. The dose of the ZnO NPs and Vc used in the in vivo study was calculated according to the state of food and nutrition enhancer standard. After repeated oral exposure to ZnO NPs plus Vc, the injury of the liver and kidneys in mice has been indicated by the change of these indices. These findings demonstrate that the synergistic toxicity presented in a complex system is essential for the toxicological evaluation and safety assessment of nanofood.At present, safety evaluation standards for nanofood additives are made based on the toxic effects of a single additive. Since the size, surface properties and chemical nature influence the toxicity of nanomaterials, the toxicity may have dramatically changed when nanomaterials are used as food additives in a complex system. Herein, we investigated the combined toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and vitamin C (Vc, ascorbic acid). The results showed that Vc increased the

The Echoes of Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

NASA s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) acquires, archives, and manages data from all of NASA s Earth science satellites, for the benefit of the Space Agency and for the benefit of others, including local governments, first responders, the commercial remote sensing industry, teachers, museums, and the general public. EOSDIS is currently handling an extraordinary amount of NASA scientific data. To give an idea of the volume of information it receives, NASA s Terra Earth-observing satellite, just one of many NASA satellites sending down data, sends it hundreds of gigabytes a day, almost as much data as the Hubble Space Telescope acquires in an entire year, or about equal to the amount of information that could be found in hundreds of pickup trucks filled with books. To make EOSDIS data completely accessible to the Earth science community, NASA teamed up with private industry in 2000 to develop an Earth science "marketplace" registry that lets public users quickly drill down to the exact information they need. It also enables them to publish their research and resources alongside of NASA s research and resources. This registry is known as the Earth Observing System ClearingHOuse, or ECHO. The charter for this project focused on having an infrastructure completely independent from EOSDIS that would allow for more contributors and open up additional data access options. Accordingly, it is only fitting that the term ECHO is more than just an acronym; it represents the functionality of the system in that it can echo out and create interoperability among other systems, all while maturing with time as industry technologies and standards change and improve.

Earth physics and phase transformations program: A concept and proposal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonavito, N. L.; Tanaka, T.

1971-01-01

A program to study the geophysical characteristics of the earth is presented as an integration of the different disciplines that constitute the earth sciences, through the foundation of a generalized geodynamic theory of earth physics. A program is considered for defining the physical constants of the earth's material which parametrize the hydrodynamic equation in the microscopic solid state behavior of the crystals of the lithosphere. In addition, in order to lay the foundation for a generalized theory in earth physics, specific research areas are considered, such as the nature of the kinetics of the phase transitions in mineral assemblages, the equilibrium thermodynamic properties of crystals which are major constituents of mineral assemblages, and the transport properties of pure crystals which are major constituents of mineral assemblages.

Combined effects of high pressure processing and addition of soy sauce and olive oil on safety and quality characteristics of chicken breast meat.

PubMed

Kruk, Zbigniew A; Kim, Hyun Joo; Kim, Yun Ji; Rutley, David L; Jung, Samooel; Lee, Soo Kee; Jo, Cheorun

2014-02-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the combined effect of high pressure (HP) with the addition of soy sauce and/or olive oil on the quality and safety of chicken breast meats. Samples were cut into 100 g pieces and 10% (w/w) of soy sauce (SS), 10% (w/w) of olive oil (OO), and a mixture of both 5% of soy sauce and 5% olive oil (w/w) (SO) were pressurized into meat with high pressure at 300 or 600 MPa. Cooking loss was lower in OO samples than SS samples. With increased pressure to 600 MPa, the oleic acid content of OO samples increased. The total unsaturated fatty acids were the highest in SO and OO 600 MPa samples. Lipid oxidation was retarded by addition of olive oil combined with HP. The addition of olive oil and soy sauce followed by HP decreased the amount of volatile basic nitrogen during storage and reduced the population of pathogens. Sensory evaluation indicated that the addition of olive oil enhanced the overall acceptance and willingness to buy. In conclusion, the combination of HP with the addition of soy sauce and/or olive oil is an effective technology that can improve chemical, health, sensory qualities and safety of chicken breast.

Combined Effects of High Pressure Processing and Addition of Soy Sauce and Olive Oil on Safety and Quality Characteristics of Chicken Breast Meat

PubMed Central

Kruk, Zbigniew A.; Kim, Hyun Joo; Kim, Yun Ji; Rutley, David L.; Jung, Samooel; Lee, Soo Kee; Jo, Cheorun

2014-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the combined effect of high pressure (HP) with the addition of soy sauce and/or olive oil on the quality and safety of chicken breast meats. Samples were cut into 100 g pieces and 10% (w/w) of soy sauce (SS), 10% (w/w) of olive oil (OO), and a mixture of both 5% of soy sauce and 5% olive oil (w/w) (SO) were pressurized into meat with high pressure at 300 or 600 MPa. Cooking loss was lower in OO samples than SS samples. With increased pressure to 600 MPa, the oleic acid content of OO samples increased. The total unsaturated fatty acids were the highest in SO and OO 600 MPa samples. Lipid oxidation was retarded by addition of olive oil combined with HP. The addition of olive oil and soy sauce followed by HP decreased the amount of volatile basic nitrogen during storage and reduced the population of pathogens. Sensory evaluation indicated that the addition of olive oil enhanced the overall acceptance and willingness to buy. In conclusion, the combination of HP with the addition of soy sauce and/or olive oil is an effective technology that can improve chemical, health, sensory qualities and safety of chicken breast. PMID:25049950

On Flare-CME Characteristics from Sun to Earth Combining Remote-Sensing Image Data with In Situ Measurements Supported by Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temmer, Manuela; Thalmann, Julia K.; Dissauer, Karin; Veronig, Astrid M.; Tschernitz, Johannes; Hinterreiter, Jürgen; Rodriguez, Luciano

2017-07-01

We analyze the well-observed flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) from 1 October 2011 (SOL2011-10-01T09:18) covering the complete chain of effects - from Sun to Earth - to better understand the dynamic evolution of the CME and its embedded magnetic field. We study in detail the solar surface and atmosphere associated with the flare and CME using the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and ground-based instruments. We also track the CME signature off-limb with combined extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and white-light data from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). By applying the graduated cylindrical shell (GCS) reconstruction method and total mass to stereoscopic STEREO-SOHO ( Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) coronagraph data, we track the temporal and spatial evolution of the CME in the interplanetary space and derive its geometry and 3D mass. We combine the GCS and Lundquist model results to derive the axial flux and helicity of the magnetic cloud (MC) from in situ measurements from Wind. This is compared to nonlinear force-free (NLFF) model results, as well as to the reconnected magnetic flux derived from the flare ribbons (flare reconnection flux) and the magnetic flux encompassed by the associated dimming (dimming flux). We find that magnetic reconnection processes were already ongoing before the start of the impulsive flare phase, adding magnetic flux to the flux rope before its final eruption. The dimming flux increases by more than 25% after the end of the flare, indicating that magnetic flux is still added to the flux rope after eruption. Hence, the derived flare reconnection flux is most probably a lower limit for estimating the magnetic flux within the flux rope. We find that the magnetic helicity and axial magnetic flux are lower in the interplanetary space by ˜ 50% and 75%, respectively, possibly indicating an erosion process. A CME mass increase of 10% is observed over a range of {˜} 4 - 20 R_{⊙}. The temporal evolution of the CME

Micromagnetics of rare-earth efficient permanent magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischbacher, Johann; Kovacs, Alexander; Gusenbauer, Markus; Oezelt, Harald; Exl, Lukas; Bance, Simon; Schrefl, Thomas

2018-05-01

The development of permanent magnets containing less or no rare-earth elements is linked to profound knowledge of the coercivity mechanism. Prerequisites for a promising permanent magnet material are a high spontaneous magnetization and a sufficiently high magnetic anisotropy. In addition to the intrinsic magnetic properties the microstructure of the magnet plays a significant role in establishing coercivity. The influence of the microstructure on coercivity, remanence, and energy density product can be understood by using micromagnetic simulations. With advances in computer hardware and numerical methods, hysteresis curves of magnets can be computed quickly so that the simulations can readily provide guidance for the development of permanent magnets. The potential of rare-earth reduced and rare-earth free permanent magnets is investigated using micromagnetic simulations. The results show excellent hard magnetic properties can be achieved in grain boundary engineered NdFeB, rare-earth magnets with a ThMn12 structure, Co-based nano-wires, and L10-FeNi provided that the magnet’s microstructure is optimized.

Combining GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper with the ground based Earth Networks Total Lightning Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, M.; Lapierre, J. L.; Zhu, Y.

2017-12-01

Recently, the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) began collecting optical data to locate lightning events and flashes over the North and South American continents. This new instrument promises uniformly high detection efficiency (DE) over its entire field of view, with location accuracy on the order of 10 km. In comparison, Earth Networks Total Lightning Networks (ENTLN) has a less uniform coverage, with higher DE in regions with dense sensor coverage, and lower DE with sparse sensor coverage. ENTLN also offers better location accuracy, lightning classification, and peak current estimation for their lightning locations. It is desirable to produce an integrated dataset, combining the strong points of GLM and ENTLN. The easiest way to achieve this is to simply match located lightning processes from each system using time and distance criteria. This simple method will be limited in scope by the uneven coverage of the ground based network. Instead, we will use GLM group locations to look up the electric field change data recorded by ground sensors near each GLM group, vastly increasing the coverage of the ground network. The ground waveforms can then be used for: improvements to differentiation between glint and lightning for GLM, higher precision lighting location, current estimation, and lightning process classification. Presented is an initial implementation of this type of integration using preliminary GLM data, and waveforms from ENTLN.

Method of increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth sorbents

DOEpatents

Shearer, J.A.; Turner, C.B.; Johnson, I.

1980-03-13

A system and method for increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth carbonates to scrub sulfur dioxide produced during the fluidized bed combustion of coal in which partially sulfated alkaline earth carbonates are hydrated in a fluidized bed to crack the sulfate coating and convert the alkaline earth oxide to the hydroxide. Subsequent dehydration of the sulfate-hydroxide to a sulfate-oxide particle produces particles having larger pore size, increased porosity, decreased grain size and additional sulfation capacity. A continuous process is disclosed.

Method of increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth sorbents

DOEpatents

Shearer, John A.; Turner, Clarence B.; Johnson, Irving

1982-01-01

A system and method for increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth carbonates to scrub sulfur dioxide produced during the fluidized bed combustion of coal in which partially sulfated alkaline earth carbonates are hydrated in a fluidized bed to crack the sulfate coating and convert the alkaline earth oxide to the hydroxide. Subsequent dehydration of the sulfate-hydroxide to a sulfate-oxide particle produces particles having larger pore size, increased porosity, decreased grain size and additional sulfation capacity. A continuous process is disclosed.

Detecting Industrial Pollution in the Atmospheres of Earth-like Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Henry W.; Gonzalez Abad, Gonzalo; Loeb, Abraham

2014-09-01

Detecting biosignatures, such as molecular oxygen in combination with a reducing gas, in the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets has been a major focus in the search for alien life. We point out that in addition to these generic indicators, anthropogenic pollution could be used as a novel biosignature for intelligent life. To this end, we identify pollutants in the Earth's atmosphere that have significant absorption features in the spectral range covered by the James Webb Space Telescope. We focus on tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and trichlorofluoromethane (CCl3F), which are the easiest to detect chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) produced by anthropogenic activity. We estimate that ~1.2 days (~1.7 days) of total integration time will be sufficient to detect or constrain the concentration of CCl3F (CF4) to ~10 times the current terrestrial level.

Investigation of a less rare-earth permanent-magnet machine with the consequent pole rotor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Jingang; Liu, Jiaqi; Wang, Mingqiao; Zheng, Ping; Liu, Yong; Gao, Haibo; Xiao, Lijun

2018-05-01

Due to the rising price of rare-earth materials, permanent-magnet (PM) machines in different applications have a trend of reducing the use of rare-earth materials. Since iron-core poles replace half of PM poles in the consequent pole (CP) rotor, the PM machine with CP rotor can be a promising candidate for less rare-earth PM machine. Additionally, the investigation of CP rotor in special electrical machines, like hybrid excitation permanent-magnet PM machine, bearingless motor, etc., has verified the application feasibility of CP rotor. Therefore, this paper focuses on design and performance of PM machines when traditional PM machine uses the CP rotor. In the CP rotor, all the PMs are of the same polarity and they are inserted into the rotor core. Since the fundamental PM flux density depends on the ratio of PM pole to iron-core pole, the combination rule between them is investigated by analytical and finite-element methods. On this basis, to comprehensively analyze and evaluate PM machine with CP rotor, four typical schemes, i.e., integer-slot machines with CP rotor and surface-mounted PM (SPM) rotor, fractional-slot machines with CP rotor and SPM rotor, are designed to investigate the performance of PM machine with CP rotor, including electromagnetic performance, anti-demagnetization capacity and cost.

The formation of crystals in glasses containing rare earth oxides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fadzil, Syazwani Mohd; Hrma, Pavel; Crum, Jarrod

Korean spent nuclear fuel will reach the capacity of the available temporary storage by 2016. Pyroprocessing and direct disposal seems to be an alternative way to manage and reuse spent nuclear fuel while avoiding the wet reprocessing technology. Pyroprocessing produces several wastes streams, including metals, salts, and rare earths, which must be converted into stabilized form. A suitable form for rare earth immobilization is borosilicate glass. The borosilicate glass form exhibits excellent durability, allows a high waste loading, and is easy to process. In this work, we combined the rare earths waste of composition (in wt%) 39.2Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3}–22.7CeO{sub 2}–11.7La{submore » 2}O{sub 3}–10.9PrO{sub 2}–1.3Eu{sub 2}O{sub 3}–1.3Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}–8.1Sm{sub 2}O{sub 3}–4.8Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} with a baseline glass of composition 60.2SiO{sub 2}–16.0B{sub 2}O{sub 3}–12.6Na{sub 2}O–3.8Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–5.7CaO–1.7ZrO{sub 2}. Crystallization in waste glasses occurs as the waste loading increases. It may produce complicate glass processing and affect the product quality. To study crystal formation, we initially made glasses containing 5%, 10% and 15% of La{sub 2}O{sub 3} and then glasses with 5%, 10% and 15% of the complete rare earth mix. Samples were heat-treated for 24 hours at temperatures 800°C to 1150°C in 50°C increments. Quenched samples were analyzed using an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Stillwellite (LaBSiO{sub 5}) and oxyapatite (Ca{sub 2}La{sub 8}Si{sub 6}O{sub 26}) were found in glasses containing La{sub 2}O{sub 3}, while oxyapatite (Ca{sub 2}La{sub 8}Si{sub 6}O{sub 26} and NaNd{sub 9}Si{sub 6}O{sub 26}) precipitated in glasses with additions of mixed rare earths. The liquidus temperature (T{sub L}) of the glasses containing 5%, 10% and 15% La{sub 2}O{sub 3} were 800°C, 959°C and 986°C, respectively; while T{sub L} was 825°C, 1059°C and 1267°C for

Discover Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steele, Colleen

1998-01-01

Discover Earth is a NASA-sponsored project for teachers of grades 5-12, designed to: (1) enhance understanding of the Earth as an integrated system; (2) enhance the interdisciplinary approach to science instruction; and (3) provide classroom materials that focus on those goals. Discover Earth is conducted by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in collaboration with Dr. Eric Barron, Director, Earth System Science Center, The Pennsylvania State University; and Dr. Robert Hudson, Chair, the Department of Meteorology, University of Maryland at College Park. The enclosed materials: (1) represent only part of the Discover Earth materials; (2) were developed by classroom teachers who are participating in the Discover Earth project; (3) utilize an investigative approach and on-line data; and (4) can be effectively adjusted to classrooms with greater/without technology access. The Discover Earth classroom materials focus on the Earth system and key issues of global climate change including topics such as the greenhouse effect, clouds and Earth's radiation balance, surface hydrology and land cover, and volcanoes and climate change. All the materials developed to date are available on line at (http://www.strategies.org) You are encouraged to submit comments and recommendations about these materials to the Discover Earth project manager, contact information is listed below. You are welcome to duplicate all these materials.

Large-scale additive manufacturing with bioinspired cellulosic materials.

PubMed

Sanandiya, Naresh D; Vijay, Yadunund; Dimopoulou, Marina; Dritsas, Stylianos; Fernandez, Javier G

2018-06-05

Cellulose is the most abundant and broadly distributed organic compound and industrial by-product on Earth. However, despite decades of extensive research, the bottom-up use of cellulose to fabricate 3D objects is still plagued with problems that restrict its practical applications: derivatives with vast polluting effects, use in combination with plastics, lack of scalability and high production cost. Here we demonstrate the general use of cellulose to manufacture large 3D objects. Our approach diverges from the common association of cellulose with green plants and it is inspired by the wall of the fungus-like oomycetes, which is reproduced introducing small amounts of chitin between cellulose fibers. The resulting fungal-like adhesive material(s) (FLAM) are strong, lightweight and inexpensive, and can be molded or processed using woodworking techniques. We believe this first large-scale additive manufacture with ubiquitous biological polymers will be the catalyst for the transition to environmentally benign and circular manufacturing models.

Uncovering the Chemistry of Earth-like Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, L.; Jacobsen, S. B.; Sasselov, D. D.

2015-12-01

We propose to use the evidence from our solar system to understand exoplanets, and in particular, to predict their surface chemistry and thereby the possibility of life. An Earth-like planet, born from the same nebula as its host star, is composed primarily of silicate rocks and an iron-nickel metal core, and depleted in volatile content in a systematic manner. The more volatile (easier to vaporize or dissociate into gas form) an element is in an Earth-like planet, the more depleted the element is compared to its host star. After depletion, an Earth-like planet would go through the process of core formation due to heat from radioactive decay and collisions. Core formation depletes a planet's rocky mantle of siderophile (iron-loving) elements, in addition to the volatile depletion. After that, Earth-like planets likely accrete some volatile-rich materials, called "late veneer". The late veneer could be essential to the origins of life on Earth and Earth-like planets, as it also delivers the volatiles such as nitrogen, sulfur, carbon and water to the planet's surface, which are crucial for life to occur. Here we build an integrative model of Earth-like planets from the bottom up. Thus the chemical compositions of Earth-like planets could be inferred from their mass-radius relations and their host stars' elemental abundances, and the origins of volatile contents (especially water) on their surfaces could be understood, and thereby shed light on the origins of life on them. This elemental abundance model could be applied to other rocky exoplanets in exoplanet systems.

Evidence for magma oceans on asteroids, the moon, and Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, G. Jeffrey; Norman, Marc D.

1992-01-01

There are sound theoretical reasons to suspect that the terrestrial planets melted when they formed. For Earth, the reasons stem largely from the hypothesis that the moon formed as a result of the impact of a Mars-sized planetesimal with the still accreting Earth. Such a monumental event would have led to widespread heating of the Earth and the materials from which the moon was made. In addition, formation of a dense atmosphere on the Earth (and possibly the Moon) would have led to retention of accretional heat and, thus, widespread melting. In other words, contemporary theory suggests that the primitive Moon and terrestrial planets had magma oceans.

Storytelling in Earth sciences: The eight basic plots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Jonathan

2012-11-01

Reporting results and promoting ideas in science in general, and Earth science in particular, is treated here as storytelling. Just as in literature and drama, storytelling in Earth science is characterized by a small number of basic plots. Though the list is not exhaustive, and acknowledging that multiple or hybrid plots and subplots are possible in a single piece, eight standard plots are identified, and examples provided: cause-and-effect, genesis, emergence, destruction, metamorphosis, convergence, divergence, and oscillation. The plots of Earth science stories are not those of literary traditions, nor those of persuasion or moral philosophy, and deserve separate consideration. Earth science plots do not conform those of storytelling more generally, implying that Earth scientists may have fundamentally different motivations than other storytellers, and that the basic plots of Earth Science derive from the characteristics and behaviors of Earth systems. In some cases preference or affinity to different plots results in fundamentally different interpretations and conclusions of the same evidence. In other situations exploration of additional plots could help resolve scientific controversies. Thus explicit acknowledgement of plots can yield direct scientific benefits. Consideration of plots and storytelling devices may also assist in the interpretation of published work, and can help scientists improve their own storytelling.

The measurement of Earth rotation on a deformable Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannon, W. H.

1980-01-01

Until recently, the methods of geodetic positioning on the Earth were limited to a precision of roughly one part in 10 to the 6th power. At this level of precision, the Earth can be regarded as a rigid body since the largest departure of the Earth from rigidity is manifested in the strains of the Earth tides which are of the order of one part in 10 to the 7th power. Long baseline interferometry is expected to routinely provide global positioning to a precision of one part in 10 to the 8th power or better. At this level of precision, all parts of the Earth's surface must be regarded as being, at least potentially, in continual motion relative to the geocenter as a result of a variety of geophysical effects. The general implications of this phenomenon for the theory of the Earth's rotation is discussed. Particular attention is given to the question of the measurement of the 'Earth's rotation vector' on a deformable Earth.

The Coolest Landscape on Mars or Earth

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-12-07

Many Martian landscapes contain features that are familiar to ones we find on Earth, like river valleys, cliffs, glaciers and volcanos. However, Mars has an exotic side too, with landscapes that are alien to Earthlings. This image shows one of these exotic locales at the South Pole. The polar cap is made from carbon dioxide (dry ice), which does not occur naturally on the Earth. The circular pits are holes in this dry ice layer that expand by a few meters each Martian year. New dry ice is constantly being added to this landscape by freezing directly out of the carbon dioxide atmosphere or falling as snow. Freezing out the atmosphere like this limits how cold the surface can get to the frost point at -130 degrees Celsius (-200 F). Nowhere on Mars can ever get any colder this, making this this coolest landscape on Earth and Mars combined. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21216

Spectrometry of the Earth using Neutrino Oscillations

PubMed Central

Rott, C.; Taketa, A.; Bose, D.

2015-01-01

The unknown constituents of the interior of our home planet have provoked the human imagination and driven scientific exploration. We herein demonstrate that large neutrino detectors could be used in the near future to significantly improve our understanding of the Earth’s inner chemical composition. Neutrinos, which are naturally produced in the atmosphere, traverse the Earth and undergo oscillations that depend on the Earth’s electron density. The Earth’s chemical composition can be determined by combining observations from large neutrino detectors with seismic measurements of the Earth’s matter density. We present a method that will allow us to perform a measurement that can distinguish between composition models of the outer core. We show that the next-generation large-volume neutrino detectors can provide sufficient sensitivity to reject extreme cases of outer core composition. In the future, dedicated instruments could be capable of distinguishing between specific Earth composition models and thereby reshape our understanding of the inner Earth in previously unimagined ways. PMID:26489447

Florence Bascom and the Exclusion of Women From Earth Science Curriculum Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Lois

1975-01-01

Numerous excerpts from present day earth science curriculum materials reveal sexual discrimination. In addition, studies of photographs included in the materials reveal a high male dominance. The significant contributions of one earth scientist, Florence Bascom, are remembered. (CP)

The search for life on Earth and other planets.

PubMed

Gross, Michael

2012-04-10

As the NASA rover Curiosity approaches Mars on its quest to look for signs of past or present life there and sophisticated instruments like the space telescopes Kepler and CoRoT keep discovering additional, more Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars, science faces the question of how to spot life on other planets. Even here on Earth biotopes remain to be discovered and explored.

Uncovering the Chemistry of Earth-like Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Li; Jacobsen, Stein; Sasselov, Dimitar D.

2015-01-01

We propose to use evidence from our solar system to understand exoplanets, and in particular, to predict their surface chemistry and thereby the possibility of life. An Earth-like planet, born from the same nebula as its host star, is composed primarily of silicate rocks and an iron-nickel metal core, and depleted in volatile content in a systematic manner. The more volatile (easier to vaporize or dissociate into gas form) an element is in an Earth-like planet, the more depleted the element is compared to its host star. After depletion, an Earth-like planet would go through the process of core formation due to heat from radioactive decay and collisions. Core formation depletes a planet's rocky mantle of siderophile (iron-loving) elements, in addition to the volatile depletion. After that, Earth-like planets likely accrete some volatile-rich materials, called 'late veneer'. The late veneer could be essential to the origins of life on Earth and Earth-like planets, as it also delivers the volatiles such as nitrogen, sulfur, carbon and water to the planet's surface, which are crucial for life to occur. We plan to build an integrative model of Earth-like planets from the bottom up. We would like to infer their chemical compositions from their mass-radius relations and their host stars' elemental abundances, and understand the origins of volatile contents (especially water) on their surfaces, and thereby shed light on the origins of life on them.

Deviation from additivity in mixture toxicity: relevance of nonlinear dose-response relationships and cell line differences in genotoxicity assays with combinations of chemical mutagens and gamma-radiation.

PubMed

Lutz, Werner K; Vamvakas, Spyros; Kopp-Schneider, Annette; Schlatter, Josef; Stopper, Helga

2002-12-01

Sublinear dose-response relationships are often seen in toxicity testing, particularly with bioassays for carcinogenicity. This is the result of a superimposition of various effects that modulate and contribute to the process of cancer formation. Examples are saturation of detoxification pathways or DNA repair with increasing dose, or regenerative hyperplasia and indirect DNA damage as a consequence of high-dose cytotoxicity and cell death. The response to a combination treatment can appear to be supra-additive, although it is in fact dose-additive along a sublinear dose-response curve for the single agents. Because environmental exposure of humans is usually in a low-dose range and deviation from linearity is less likely at the low-dose end, combination effects should be tested at the lowest observable effect levels (LOEL) of the components. This principle has been applied to combinations of genotoxic agents in various cellular models. For statistical analysis, all experiments were analyzed for deviation from additivity with an n-factor analysis of variance with an interaction term, n being the number of components tested in combination. Benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, and dibenz[a,c]anthracene were tested at the LOEL, separately and in combination, for the induction of revertants in the Ames test, using Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and rat liver S9 fraction. Combined treatment produced no deviation from additivity. The induction of micronuclei in vitro was investigated with ionizing radiation from a 137Cs source and ethyl methanesulfonate. Mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells revealed a significant 40% supra-additive combination effect in an experiment based on three independent replicates for controls and single and combination treatments. On the other hand, two human lymphoblastoid cell lines (TK6 and WTK1) as well as a pilot study with human primary fibroblasts from fetal lung did not show deviation from additivity. Data derived from one cell line should therefore

Evaluation of gravitational gradients generated by Earth's crustal structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novák, Pavel; Tenzer, Robert; Eshagh, Mehdi; Bagherbandi, Mohammad

2013-02-01

Spectral formulas for the evaluation of gravitational gradients generated by upper Earth's mass components are presented in the manuscript. The spectral approach allows for numerical evaluation of global gravitational gradient fields that can be used to constrain gravitational gradients either synthesised from global gravitational models or directly measured by the spaceborne gradiometer on board of the GOCE satellite mission. Gravitational gradients generated by static atmospheric, topographic and continental ice masses are evaluated numerically based on available global models of Earth's topography, bathymetry and continental ice sheets. CRUST2.0 data are then applied for the numerical evaluation of gravitational gradients generated by mass density contrasts within soft and hard sediments, upper, middle and lower crust layers. Combined gravitational gradients are compared to disturbing gravitational gradients derived from a global gravitational model and an idealised Earth's model represented by the geocentric homogeneous biaxial ellipsoid GRS80. The methodology could be used for improved modelling of the Earth's inner structure.

Macular Bioaccelerometers on Earth and in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, M. D.; Cutler, L.; Meyer, G.; Vazin, P.; Lam, T.

1991-01-01

Space flight offers the opportunity to study linear bioaccelerometers (vestibular maculas) in the virtual absence of a primary stimulus, gravitational acceleration. Macular research in space is particularly important to NASA because the bioaccelerometers are proving to be weighted neural networks in which information is distributed for parallel processing. Neural networks are plastic and highly adaptive to new environments. Combined morphological-physiological studies of maculas fixed in space and following flight should reveal macular adaptive responses to microgravity, and their time-course. Ground-based research, already begun, using computer-assisted, 3-dimensional reconstruction of macular terminal fields will lead to development of computer models of functioning maculas. This research should continue in conjunction with physiological studies, including work with multichannel electrodes. The results of such a combined effort could usher in a new era in understanding vestibular function on Earth and in space. They can also provide a rational basis for counter-measures to space motion sickness, which may prove troublesome as space voyager encounter new gravitational fields on planets, or must re-adapt to 1 g upon return to earth.

Reference Data Layers for Earth and Environmental Science: History, Frameworks, Science Needs, Approaches, and New Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenhardt, W. C.

2015-12-01

Global Mapping Project, Web-enabled Landsat Data (WELD), International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP), hydrology, solid earth dynamics, sedimentary geology, climate modeling, integrated assessments and so on all have needs for or have worked to develop consistently integrated data layers for Earth and environmental science. This paper will present an overview of an abstract notion of data layers of this types, what we are referring to as reference data layers for Earth and environmental science, highlight some historical examples, and delve into new approaches. The concept of reference data layers in this context combines data availability, cyberinfrastructure and data science, as well as domain science drivers. We argue that current advances in cyberinfrastructure such as iPython notebooks and integrated science processing environments such as iPlant's Discovery Environment coupled with vast arrays of new data sources warrant another look at the how to create, maintain, and provide reference data layers. The goal is to provide a context for understanding science needs for reference data layers to conduct their research. In addition, to the topics described above this presentation will also outline some of the challenges to and present some ideas for new approaches to addressing these needs. Promoting the idea of reference data layers is relevant to a number of existing related activities such as EarthCube, RDA, ESIP, the nascent NSF Regional Big Data Innovation Hubs and others.

NASA's Global Change Master Directory: Discover and Access Earth Science Data Sets, Related Data Services, and Climate Diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aleman, Alicia; Olsen, Lola; Ritz, Scott; Morahan, Michael; Cepero, Laurel; Stevens, Tyler

2011-01-01

NASA's Global Change Master Directory provides the scientific community with the ability to discover, access, and use Earth science data, data-related services, and climate diagnostics worldwide. The GCMD offers descriptions of Earth science data sets using the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) metadata standard; Earth science related data services are described using the Service Entry Resource Format (SERF); and climate visualizations are described using the Climate Diagnostic (CD) standard. The DIF, SERF and CD standards each capture data attributes used to determine whether a data set, service, or climate visualization is relevant to a user's needs. Metadata fields include: title, summary, science keywords, service keywords, data center, data set citation, personnel, instrument, platform, quality, related URL, temporal and spatial coverage, data resolution and distribution information. In addition, nine valuable sets of controlled vocabularies have been developed to assist users in normalizing the search for data descriptions. An update to the GCMD's search functionality is planned to further capitalize on the controlled vocabularies during database queries. By implementing a dynamic keyword "tree", users will have the ability to search for data sets by combining keywords in new ways. This will allow users to conduct more relevant and efficient database searches to support the free exchange and re-use of Earth science data. http://gcmd.nasa.gov/

NASA's Global Change Master Directory: Discover and Access Earth Science Data Sets, Related Data Services, and Climate Diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleman, A.; Olsen, L. M.; Ritz, S.; Stevens, T.; Morahan, M.; Grebas, S. K.

2011-12-01

NASA's Global Change Master Directory provides the scientific community with the ability to discover, access, and use Earth science data, data-related services, and climate diagnostics worldwide.The GCMD offers descriptions of Earth science data sets using the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) metadata standard; Earth science related data services are described using the Service Entry Resource Format (SERF); and climate visualizations are described using the Climate Diagnostic (CD) standard. The DIF, SERF and CD standards each capture data attributes used to determine whether a data set, service, or climate visualization is relevant to a user's needs.Metadata fields include: title, summary, science keywords, service keywords, data center, data set citation, personnel, instrument, platform, quality, related URL, temporal and spatial coverage, data resolution and distribution information.In addition, nine valuable sets of controlled vocabularies have been developed to assist users in normalizing the search for data descriptions. An update to the GCMD's search functionality is planned to further capitalize on the controlled vocabularies during database queries.By implementing a dynamic keyword "tree", users will have the ability to search for data sets by combining keywords in new ways.This will allow users to conduct more relevant and efficient database searches to support the free exchange and re-use of Earth science data.

Aspiring to Spectral Ignorance in Earth Observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, S. A.

2016-12-01

Enabling robust, defensible and integrated decision making in the Era of Big Earth Data requires the fusion of data from multiple and diverse sensor platforms and networks. While the application of standardised global grid systems provides a common spatial analytics framework that facilitates the computationally efficient and statistically valid integration and analysis of these various data sources across multiple scales, there remains the challenge of sensor equivalency; particularly when combining data from different earth observation satellite sensors (e.g. combining Landsat and Sentinel-2 observations). To realise the vision of a sensor ignorant analytics platform for earth observation we require automation of spectral matching across the available sensors. Ultimately, the aim is to remove the requirement for the user to possess any sensor knowledge in order to undertake analysis. This paper introduces the concept of spectral equivalence and proposes a methodology through which equivalent bands may be sourced from a set of potential target sensors through application of equivalence metrics and thresholds. A number of parameters can be used to determine whether a pair of spectra are equivalent for the purposes of analysis. A baseline set of thresholds for these parameters and how to apply them systematically to enable relation of spectral bands amongst numerous different sensors is proposed. The base unit for comparison in this work is the relative spectral response. From this input, determination of a what may constitute equivalence can be related by a user, based on their own conceptualisation of equivalence.

A global estimate of the Earth's magnetic crustal thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vervelidou, Foteini; Thébault, Erwan

2014-05-01

The Earth's lithosphere is considered to be magnetic only down to the Curie isotherm. Therefore the Curie isotherm can, in principle, be estimated by analysis of magnetic data. Here, we propose such an analysis in the spectral domain by means of a newly introduced regional spatial power spectrum. This spectrum is based on the Revised Spherical Cap Harmonic Analysis (R-SCHA) formalism (Thébault et al., 2006). We briefly discuss its properties and its relationship with the Spherical Harmonic spatial power spectrum. This relationship allows us to adapt any theoretical expression of the lithospheric field power spectrum expressed in Spherical Harmonic degrees to the regional formulation. We compared previously published statistical expressions (Jackson, 1994 ; Voorhies et al., 2002) to the recent lithospheric field models derived from the CHAMP and airborne measurements and we finally developed a new statistical form for the power spectrum of the Earth's magnetic lithosphere that we think provides more consistent results. This expression depends on the mean magnetization, the mean crustal thickness and a power law value that describes the amount of spatial correlation of the sources. In this study, we make a combine use of the R-SCHA surface power spectrum and this statistical form. We conduct a series of regional spectral analyses for the entire Earth. For each region, we estimate the R-SCHA surface power spectrum of the NGDC-720 Spherical Harmonic model (Maus, 2010). We then fit each of these observational spectra to the statistical expression of the power spectrum of the Earth's lithosphere. By doing so, we estimate the large wavelengths of the magnetic crustal thickness on a global scale that are not accessible directly from the magnetic measurements due to the masking core field. We then discuss these results and compare them to the results we obtained by conducting a similar spectral analysis, but this time in the cartesian coordinates, by means of a published

A Dynamic Earth: 50 Years of Observations from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Cynthia A.

2013-01-01

Observations of the surface of the Earth began more than a half century ago with the earliest space missions. The global geopolitical environment at the beginning of the space age fueled advances in rocketry and human exploration, but also advances in remote sensing. At the same time that space-based Earth Observations were developing, global investments in infrastructure that were initiated after World War II accelerated large projects such as the construction of highways, the expansion of cities and suburbs, the damming of rivers, and the growth of big agriculture. These developments have transformed the Earth s surface at unprecedented rates. Today, we have a remarkable library of 50 years of observations of the Earth taken by satellite-based sensors and astronauts, and these images and observations provide insight into the workings of the Earth as a system. In addition, these observations record the footprints of human activities around the world, and illustrate how our activities contribute to the changing face of the Earth. Starting with the iconic "Blue Marble" image of the whole Earth taken by Apollo astronauts, we will review a timeline of observations of our planet as viewed from space.

Modelling the near-Earth space environment using LDEF data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atkinson, Dale R.; Coombs, Cassandra R.; Crowell, Lawrence B.; Watts, Alan J.

1992-01-01

Near-Earth space is a dynamic environment, that is currently not well understood. In an effort to better characterize the near-Earth space environment, this study compares the results of actual impact crater measurement data and the Space Environment (SPENV) Program developed in-house at POD, to theoretical models established by Kessler (NASA TM-100471, 1987) and Cour-Palais (NASA SP-8013, 1969). With the continuing escalation of debris there will exist a definite hazard to unmanned satellites as well as manned operations. Since the smaller non-trackable debris has the highest impact rate, it is clearly necessary to establish the true debris environment for all particle sizes. Proper comprehension of the near-Earth space environment and its origin will permit improvement in spacecraft design and mission planning, thereby reducing potential disasters and extreme costs. Results of this study directly relate to the survivability of future spacecraft and satellites that are to travel through and/or reside in low Earth orbit (LEO). More specifically, these data are being used to: (1) characterize the effects of the LEO micrometeoroid an debris environment on satellite designs and components; (2) update the current theoretical micrometeoroid and debris models for LEO; (3) help assess the survivability of spacecraft and satellites that must travel through or reside in LEO, and the probability of their collision with already resident debris; and (4) help define and evaluate future debris mitigation and disposal methods. Combined model predictions match relatively well with the LDEF data for impact craters larger than approximately 0.05 cm, diameter; however, for smaller impact craters, the combined predictions diverge and do not reflect the sporadic clouds identified by the Interplanetary Dust Experiment (IDE) aboard LDEF. The divergences cannot currently be explained by the authors or model developers. The mean flux of small craters (approximately 0.05 cm diameter) is

Use of decimal assay for additivity to demonstrate synergy in pair combinations of econazole, nikkomycin Z, and ibuprofen against Candida albicans in vitro.

PubMed Central

Tariq, V N; Scott, E M; McCain, N E

1995-01-01

Interactions between six compounds (econazole, miconazole, amphotericin B, nystatin, nikkomycin Z, and ibuprofen) were investigated for their antifungal activities against Candida albicans by using pair combinations in an in vitro decimal assay for additivity based on disk diffusion. Additive interactions were observed between miconazole and econazole, amphotericin B and nystatin, and amphotericin B and ibuprofen, while an antagonistic interaction was observed between econazole and amphotericin B. Synergistic interactions were recorded for the combinations of econazole and ibuprofen, econazole and nikkomycin Z, and ibuprofen and nikkomycin Z. PMID:8592989

Low cost Earth attitude sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liberati, Fabrizio; Perrotta, Giorgio; Verzegnassi, Fulvia

2017-11-01

A patent-pending, low-cost, moderate performance, Earth Attitude Sensor for LEO satellites is described in this paper. The paper deals with the system concepts, the technology adopted and the simulation results. The sensor comprises three or four narrow field of view mini telescopes pointed towards the Earth edge to detect and measure the variation of the off-nadir angle of the Earth-to-black sky transition using thermopile detectors suitably placed in the foci of the optical min telescopes. The system's innovation consists in the opto-mechanical configuration adopted that is sturdy and has no moving parts being , thus, inherently reliable. In addition, with a view to reducing production costs, the sensor does without hi-rel and is instead mainly based on COTS parts suitably chosen. Besides it is flexible and can be adapted to perform attitude measurement onboard spacecraft flying in orbits other than LEO with a minimum of modifications to the basic design. At present the sensor is under development by IMT and OptoService.

A combined Earth scanner and momentum wheel for attitude determination and control of small spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialke, Bill

1992-05-01

In order to satisfy the stringent cost and power requirements of small satellites, an advanced SCANWHEEL was designed, built, and qualified by ITHACO, Inc. The T-SCANWHEEL is a modular momentum/reaction wheel with an integral conical Earth scanner. The momentum wheel provides momentum bias and control torques about the pitch axis of a spacecraft. An angled scan mirror coupled to the rotating shaft of the momentum wheel provides a conical scan of the field-of-view of an infrared sensor to provide pitch-and-roll attitude information. By using the same motor and bearings for the momentum wheel and Earth scanner, the overall power consumption is reduced and the system reliability is enhanced. The evolution of the T-SCANWHEEL is presented, including design ground rules, tradeoff analyses, and performance results.

Combination of Osthole and Cisplatin Against Rhabdomyosarcoma TE671 Cells Yielded Additive Pharmacologic Interaction by Means of Isobolographic Analysis.

PubMed

Jarząb, Agata; Łuszczki, Jarogniew; Guz, Małgorzata; Skalicka-Woźniak, Krystyna; Hałasa, Marta; Smok-Kalwat, Jolanta; Polberg, Krzysztof; Stepulak, Andrzej

2018-01-01

Osthole is a simple coumarin that has been found to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticoagulant, anticonvulsant and antiallergic activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the combined anti-proliferative effect of cisplatin (CDDP) and osthole on a rhabdomyosarcoma cell line, and assess the pharmacology of drug-drug interaction between these drugs using isobolographic analysis. The anticancer actions of osthole in combination with CDDP were evaluated using the tetrazolium dye-based MTT cell proliferation assay. Osthole and CDDP applied together augmented their anti-cancer activities and yielded an additive type of pharmacologic interaction by means of isobolographic analysis. Combined therapy using osthole and cisplatin could be suggested as a potential chemotherapy regimen against rhabdomyosarcoma. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Multiscale investigation on the effects of additional weight bearing in combination with low-magnitude high-frequency vibration on bone quality of growing female rats.

PubMed

Zhang, Tianlong; Gao, Jiazi; Fang, Juan; Gong, He

2018-03-01

This study aimed to explore the effects of additional weight bearing in combination with low-magnitude high-frequency vibration (LMHFV; 45 Hz, 0.3 g) on bone quality. One hundred twenty rats were randomly divided into ten groups; namely, sedentary (SED), additional weight bearing in which the rat wears a backpack whose weight is x% of the body weight (WBx; x = 5, 12, 19, 26), basic vibration (V), and additional weight bearing in combination with LMHFV in which the rat wears a backpack whose weight is x% of the body weight (Vx; x = 5, 12, 19, 26). The experiment was conducted for 12 weeks, 7 days per week, and 15 min per day. A three-point bending mechanical test, micro computed tomography, and a nanoindentation test were used. Serum samples were analyzed chemically. Failure load in V19 rats was significantly lower than that in SED rats (P < 0.05). Vx (x = 5, 12, 19, 26) rats showed poor microarchitectures. The content of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b was significantly higher in Vx (x = 5, 12, 19, 26) rats than that in SED rats (P < 0.05). V26 rats demonstrated comparatively better nanomechanical properties of materials than the other vibrational groups. Additional weight bearing in combination with LMHFV negatively affected the macromechanical properties and microarchitecture of bone. Heavy additional weight bearing, such as 26% of body weight, in combination with LMHFV was able to improve the nanomechanical properties of growing bone material compared with LMHFV. A combined mechanical stimulation was used, which may provide useful information to understand the mechanism of this mechanical stimulation on bone.

Uncovering the Chemistry of Earth-like Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Li; Sasselov, Dimitar; Jacobsen, Stein

2015-08-01

We propose to use the evidence from our solar system to understand exoplanets, and in particular, to predict their surface chemistry and thereby the possibility of life. An Earth-like planet, born from the same nebula as its host star, is composed primarily of silicate rocks and an iron-nickel metal core, and depleted in volatile content in a systematic manner. The more volatile (easier to vaporize or dissociate into gas form) an element is in an Earth-like planet, the more depleted the element is compared to its host star. After depletion, an Earth-like planet would go through the process of core formation due to heat from radioactive decay and collisions. Core formation depletes a planet’s rocky mantle of siderophile (iron-loving) elements, in addition to the volatile depletion. After that, Earth-like planets likely accrete some volatile-rich materials, called “late veneer”. The late veneer could be essential to the origins of life on Earth and Earth-like planets, as it also delivers the volatiles such as nitrogen, sulfur, carbon and water to the planet’s surface, which are crucial for life to occur. Here we build an integrative model of Earth-like planets from the bottom up. Thus the chemical compositions of Earth-like planets could be inferred from their mass-radius relations and their host stars’ elemental abundances, and the origins of volatile contents (especially water) on their surfaces could be understood, and thereby shed light on the origins of life on them. This elemental abundance model could be applied to other rocky exoplanets in exoplanet systems.

Small asteroids temporarily captured in the Earth-Moon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jedicke, Robert; Bolin, Bryce; Bottke, William F.; Chyba, Monique; Fedorets, Grigori; Granvik, Mikael; Patterson, Geoff

2016-01-01

We present an update on our work on understanding the population of natural objects that are temporarily captured in the Earth-Moon system like the 2-3 meter diameter, 2006 RH120, that was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey. We use the term `minimoon' to refer to objects that are gravitationally bound to the Earth-Moon system, make at least one revolution around the barycenter in a co-rotating frame relative to the Earth-Sun axis, and are within 3 Earth Hill-sphere radii. There are one or two 1 to 2 meter diameter minimoons in the steady state population at any time, and about a dozen larger than 50 cm diameter. `Drifters' are also bound to the Earth-Moon system but make less than one revolution about the barycenter. The combined population of minimoons and drifters provide a new opportunity for scientific exploration of small asteroids and testing concepts for in-situ resource utilization. These objects provide interesting challenges for rendezvous missions because of their limited lifetime and complicated trajectories. Furthermore, they are difficult to detect because they are small, available for a limited time period, and move quickly across the sky.

Small asteroids temporarily captured in the Earth-Moon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jedicke, Robert; Bolin, Bryce; Bottke, William F.; Chyba, Monique; Fedorets, Grigori; Granvik, Mikael; Patterson, Geoff

2015-08-01

We will present an update on our work on understanding the population of natural objects that are temporarily captured in the Earth-Moon system, such as the 2-3 meter diameter 2006 RH120 that was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey. We use the term 'minimoon' to refer to objects that are gravitationally bound to the Earth-Moon system, make at least one revolution around the barycenter in a co-rotating frame relative to the Earth-Sun axis, and are within 3 Earth Hill-sphere radii. There are one or two 1 to 2 meter diameter minimoons in the steady state population at any time, and about a dozen larger than 50 cm diameter. `Drifters' are also bound to the Earth-Moon system but make less than one revolution about the barycenter. The combined population of minimoons and drifters provide a new opportunity for scientific exploration of small asteroids and testing concepts for in-situ resource utilization. These objects provide interesting challenges for rendezvous missions because of their limited lifetime and complicated trajectories. Furthermore, they are difficult to detect because they are small, available for a limited time period, and move quickly across the sky.

Interplanetary Mission Design Handbook: Earth-to-Mars Mission Opportunities and Mars-to-Earth Return Opportunities 2009-2024

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, L. E.; Kos, L. D.

1998-01-01

This paper provides information for trajectory designers and mission planners to determine Earth-Mars and Mars-Earth mission opportunities for the years 2009-2024. These studies were performed in support of a human Mars mission scenario that will consist of two cargo launches followed by a piloted mission during the next opportunity approximately 2 years later. "Porkchop" plots defining all of these mission opportunities are provided which include departure energy, departure excess speed, departure declination arrival excess speed, and arrival declinations for the mission space surrounding each opportunity. These plots are intended to be directly applicable for the human Mars mission scenario described briefly herein. In addition, specific trajectories and several alternate trajectories are recommended for each cargo and piloted opportunity. Finally, additional studies were performed to evaluate the effect of various thrust-to-weight ratios on gravity losses and total time-of-flight tradeoff, and the resultant propellant savings and are briefly summarized.

Earth as an Extrasolar Planet: Earth Model Validation Using EPOXI Earth Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Tyler D.; Meadows, Victoria S.; Crisp, David; Deming, Drake; A'Hearn, Michael F.; Charbonneau, David; Livengood, Timothy A.; Seager, Sara; Barry, Richard; Hearty, Thomas;

Earth as an Extrasolar Planet: Earth Model Validation Using EPOXI Earth Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Tyler D.; Meadows, Victoria S.; Crisp, David; Deming, Drake; A'Hearn, Michael F.; Charbonneau, David; Livengood, Timothy A.; Seager, Sara; Barry, Richard K.; Hearty, Thomas; Hewagama, Tilak; Lisse, Carey M.; McFadden, Lucy A.; Wellnitz, Dennis D.

2011-06-01

The EPOXI Discovery Mission of Opportunity reused the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft to obtain spatially and temporally resolved visible photometric and moderate resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observations of Earth. These remote observations provide a rigorous validation of whole-disk Earth model simulations used to better understand remotely detectable extrasolar planet characteristics. We have used these data to upgrade, correct, and validate the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory three-dimensional line-by-line, multiple-scattering spectral Earth model. This comprehensive model now includes specular reflectance from the ocean and explicitly includes atmospheric effects such as Rayleigh scattering, gas absorption, and temperature structure. We have used this model to generate spatially and temporally resolved synthetic spectra and images of Earth for the dates of EPOXI observation. Model parameters were varied to yield an optimum fit to the data. We found that a minimum spatial resolution of ∼100 pixels on the visible disk, and four categories of water clouds, which were defined by using observed cloud positions and optical thicknesses, were needed to yield acceptable fits. The validated model provides a simultaneous fit to Earth's lightcurve, absolute brightness, and spectral data, with a root-mean-square (RMS) error of typically less than 3% for the multiwavelength lightcurves and residuals of ∼10% for the absolute brightness throughout the visible and NIR spectral range. We have extended our validation into the mid-infrared by comparing the model to high spectral resolution observations of Earth from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, obtaining a fit with residuals of ∼7% and brightness temperature errors of less than 1 K in the atmospheric window. For the purpose of understanding the observable characteristics of the distant Earth at arbitrary viewing geometry and observing cadence, our validated forward model can be

Earth as an extrasolar planet: Earth model validation using EPOXI earth observations.

PubMed

Robinson, Tyler D; Meadows, Victoria S; Crisp, David; Deming, Drake; A'hearn, Michael F; Charbonneau, David; Livengood, Timothy A; Seager, Sara; Barry, Richard K; Hearty, Thomas; Hewagama, Tilak; Lisse, Carey M; McFadden, Lucy A; Wellnitz, Dennis D

2011-06-01

The EPOXI Discovery Mission of Opportunity reused the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft to obtain spatially and temporally resolved visible photometric and moderate resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observations of Earth. These remote observations provide a rigorous validation of whole-disk Earth model simulations used to better understand remotely detectable extrasolar planet characteristics. We have used these data to upgrade, correct, and validate the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory three-dimensional line-by-line, multiple-scattering spectral Earth model. This comprehensive model now includes specular reflectance from the ocean and explicitly includes atmospheric effects such as Rayleigh scattering, gas absorption, and temperature structure. We have used this model to generate spatially and temporally resolved synthetic spectra and images of Earth for the dates of EPOXI observation. Model parameters were varied to yield an optimum fit to the data. We found that a minimum spatial resolution of ∼100 pixels on the visible disk, and four categories of water clouds, which were defined by using observed cloud positions and optical thicknesses, were needed to yield acceptable fits. The validated model provides a simultaneous fit to Earth's lightcurve, absolute brightness, and spectral data, with a root-mean-square (RMS) error of typically less than 3% for the multiwavelength lightcurves and residuals of ∼10% for the absolute brightness throughout the visible and NIR spectral range. We have extended our validation into the mid-infrared by comparing the model to high spectral resolution observations of Earth from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, obtaining a fit with residuals of ∼7% and brightness temperature errors of less than 1 K in the atmospheric window. For the purpose of understanding the observable characteristics of the distant Earth at arbitrary viewing geometry and observing cadence, our validated forward model can be

Earth as an Extrasolar Planet: Earth Model Validation Using EPOXI Earth Observations

PubMed Central

Meadows, Victoria S.; Crisp, David; Deming, Drake; A'Hearn, Michael F.; Charbonneau, David; Livengood, Timothy A.; Seager, Sara; Barry, Richard K.; Hearty, Thomas; Hewagama, Tilak; Lisse, Carey M.; McFadden, Lucy A.; Wellnitz, Dennis D.

2011-01-01

Abstract The EPOXI Discovery Mission of Opportunity reused the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft to obtain spatially and temporally resolved visible photometric and moderate resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observations of Earth. These remote observations provide a rigorous validation of whole-disk Earth model simulations used to better understand remotely detectable extrasolar planet characteristics. We have used these data to upgrade, correct, and validate the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory three-dimensional line-by-line, multiple-scattering spectral Earth model. This comprehensive model now includes specular reflectance from the ocean and explicitly includes atmospheric effects such as Rayleigh scattering, gas absorption, and temperature structure. We have used this model to generate spatially and temporally resolved synthetic spectra and images of Earth for the dates of EPOXI observation. Model parameters were varied to yield an optimum fit to the data. We found that a minimum spatial resolution of ∼100 pixels on the visible disk, and four categories of water clouds, which were defined by using observed cloud positions and optical thicknesses, were needed to yield acceptable fits. The validated model provides a simultaneous fit to Earth's lightcurve, absolute brightness, and spectral data, with a root-mean-square (RMS) error of typically less than 3% for the multiwavelength lightcurves and residuals of ∼10% for the absolute brightness throughout the visible and NIR spectral range. We have extended our validation into the mid-infrared by comparing the model to high spectral resolution observations of Earth from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, obtaining a fit with residuals of ∼7% and brightness temperature errors of less than 1 K in the atmospheric window. For the purpose of understanding the observable characteristics of the distant Earth at arbitrary viewing geometry and observing cadence, our validated forward

Engaging Middle School Students with Google Earth Technology to Analyze Ocean Cores as Evidence for Sea Floor Spreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prouhet, T.; Cook, J.

2006-12-01

Google Earth's ability to captivate students' attention, its ease of use, and its high quality images give it the potential to be an extremely effective tool for earth science educators. The unique properties of Google Earth satisfy a growing demand to incorporate technology in science instruction. Google Earth is free and relatively easy to use unlike some other visualization software. Students often have difficulty conceptualizing and visualizing earth systems, such as deep-ocean basins, because of the complexity and dynamic nature of the processes associated with them (e.g. plate tectonics). Google Earth's combination of aerial photography, satellite images and remote sensing data brings a sense of realism to science concepts. The unobstructed view of the ocean floor provided by this technology illustrates three-dimensional subsurface features such as rift valleys, subduction zones, and sea-mounts enabling students to better understand the seafloor's dynamic nature. Students will use Google Earth to navigate the sea floor, and examine Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) core locations the from the Glomar Challenger Leg 3 expedition. The lesson to be implemented was expanded upon and derived from the Joint Oceanographic Insitute (JOI) Learning exercise, Nannofossils Reveal Seafloor Spreading. In addition, students take on the role of scientists as they graph and analyze paleontological data against the distance from the Mid Ocean Ridge. The integration of ocean core data in this three-dimensional view aids students' ability to draw and communicate valid conclusions about their scientific observations. A pre and post survey will be given to examine attitudes, self-efficacy, achievement and content mastery to a sample of approximately 300 eighth grade science students. The hypothesis is that the integration of Google Earth will significantly improve all areas of focus as mentioned above.

Search for Dormant Comets in Near-Earth Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yoonyoung

2013-06-01

It is considered that comets have been injected into near-Earth space from outer region (e.g. Kuiper-belt region), providing rich volatile and organic compounds to the earth. Some comets are still active while most of them are dormant with no detectable tails and comae. Here we propose to make a multi-band photometric observation of near-Earth objects (NEOs) with comet-like orbits. We select our targets out of infrared asteroidal catalogs based on AKARI and WISE observations. With a combination of taxonomic types by Subaru observation and albedos by AKARI or WISE, we aim to dig out dormant comet candidates among NEOs. Our results will provide valuable information to figure out the dynamical evolution and fate of comets. We would like to emphasize that this is the first taxonomic survey of dormant comets to utilize the infrared data archive with AKARI and WISE.

Digital Earth - A sustainable Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahavir

2014-02-01

All life, particularly human, cannot be sustainable, unless complimented with shelter, poverty reduction, provision of basic infrastructure and services, equal opportunities and social justice. Yet, in the context of cities, it is believed that they can accommodate more and more people, endlessly, regardless to their carrying capacity and increasing ecological footprint. The 'inclusion', for bringing more and more people in the purview of development is often limited to social and economic inclusion rather than spatial and ecological inclusion. Economic investment decisions are also not always supported with spatial planning decisions. Most planning for a sustainable Earth, be at a level of rural settlement, city, region, national or Global, fail on the capacity and capability fronts. In India, for example, out of some 8,000 towns and cities, Master Plans exist for only about 1,800. A chapter on sustainability or environment is neither statutorily compulsory nor a norm for these Master Plans. Geospatial technologies including Remote Sensing, GIS, Indian National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), Indian National Urban Information Systems (NUIS), Indian Environmental Information System (ENVIS), and Indian National GIS (NGIS), etc. have potential to map, analyse, visualize and take sustainable developmental decisions based on participatory social, economic and social inclusion. Sustainable Earth, at all scales, is a logical and natural outcome of a digitally mapped, conceived and planned Earth. Digital Earth, in fact, itself offers a platform to dovetail the ecological, social and economic considerations in transforming it into a sustainable Earth.

An Integrated and Collaborative Approach for NASA Earth Science Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, K.; Lowe, D.; Behnke, J.; Ramapriyan, H.; Behnke, J.; Sofinowski, E.

2012-01-01

Earth science research requires coordination and collaboration across multiple disparate science domains. Data systems that support this research are often as disparate as the disciplines that they support. These distinctions can create barriers limiting access to measurements, which could otherwise enable cross-discipline Earth science. NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is continuing to bridge the gap between discipline-centric data systems with a coherent and transparent system of systems that offers up to date and engaging science related content, creates an active and immersive science user experience, and encourages the use of EOSDIS earth data and services. The new Earthdata Coherent Web (ECW) project encourages cohesiveness by combining existing websites, data and services into a unified website with a common look and feel, common tools and common processes. It includes cross-linking and cross-referencing across the Earthdata site and NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAAC), and by leveraging existing EOSDIS Cyber-infrastructure and Web Service technologies to foster re-use and to reduce barriers to discovering Earth science data (http://earthdata.nasa.gov).

A combined toxicity study of zinc oxide nanoparticles and vitamin C in food additives.

PubMed

Wang, Yanli; Yuan, Lulu; Yao, Chenjie; Ding, Lin; Li, Chenchen; Fang, Jie; Sui, Keke; Liu, Yuanfang; Wu, Minghong

2014-12-21

At present, safety evaluation standards for nanofood additives are made based on the toxic effects of a single additive. Since the size, surface properties and chemical nature influence the toxicity of nanomaterials, the toxicity may have dramatically changed when nanomaterials are used as food additives in a complex system. Herein, we investigated the combined toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and vitamin C (Vc, ascorbic acid). The results showed that Vc increased the cytotoxicity significantly compared with that of the ZnO only NPs. When the cells were exposed to ZnO NPs at a concentration less than 15 mg L(-1), or to Vc at a concentration less than 300 mg L(-1), there was no significant cytotoxicity, both in the case of gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1) and neural stem cells (NSCs). However, when 15 mg L(-1) of ZnO NPs and 300 mg L(-1) of Vc were introduced to cells together, the cell viability decreased sharply indicating significant cytotoxicity. Moreover, the significant increase in toxicity was also shown in the in vivo experiments. The dose of the ZnO NPs and Vc used in the in vivo study was calculated according to the state of food and nutrition enhancer standard. After repeated oral exposure to ZnO NPs plus Vc, the injury of the liver and kidneys in mice has been indicated by the change of these indices. These findings demonstrate that the synergistic toxicity presented in a complex system is essential for the toxicological evaluation and safety assessment of nanofood.

Time-dependent heat transfer in the spherical Earth: Implications on the power and thermal evolution of the core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmeister, A. M.; Criss, R. E.

2015-12-01

We quantitatively investigate the time-dependence of heat conduction for a post-core, spherical Earth that is not convecting, due to compositional layering, based on hundreds of measurements of thermal diffusivity (D) for insulators and metals. Consistency of our solutions for widely ranging input parameters indicates how additional heat transfer mechanisms (mantle magmatism and convection) affect thermal evolution of the core. We consider 1) interior starting temperatures (T) of 273-5000 K, which represent variations in primordial heat, 2) different distributions and decay of long-lived radioactive isotopes, 3) additional heat sources in the core (primordial or latent heat), and 4) variable depth-T dependence of D. Our new analytical solution for cooling of a constant D sphere validates our numerical results. The bottom line is that the thermally insulating nature of minerals, combined with constraints of spherical geometry, limits steep thermal gradients to the upper mantle, consistent with the short length scale (x ~700 km) of cooling over t = 4.5 Ga indicated by dimensional analysis [x2 ~ 4Dt], and with plate tectonics. Consequently, interior temperatures vary little so the core has remained hot and is possibly warming. Findings include: 1) Constant vs. variable D affects thermal profiles only in detail, with D for the metallic core being inconsequential. 2) The hottest zone in Earth may lie in the uppermost lower mantle; 3) Most radiogenic heat is released in Earth's outermost 1000 km thereby driving an active outer shell; 4) Earth's core is essentially isothermal and is thus best described by the liquid-solid phase boundary; 5) Deeply sequestered radioactivity or other heat will melt the core rather than by run the dynamo (note that the heat needed to have melted the outer core is 10% of radiogenic heat generated over Earth's history); 6) Inefficient cooling of an Earth-sized mass means that heat essentially remains where it is generated, until it is removed

Near-Earth Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brophy, John R.; Muirhead, Brian

2013-01-01

The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) concept brings together the capabilities of the science, technology, and the human exploration communities on a grand challenge combining robotic and human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit. This paper addresses the key aspects of this concept and the options studied to assess its technical feasibility. Included are evaluations of the expected number of potential targets, their expected discovery rate, the necessity to adequately characterize candidate mission targets, the process to capture a non-cooperative asteroid in deep space, and the power and propulsion technology required for transportation back to the Earth-Moon system. Viable options for spacecraft and mission designs are developed. Orbits for storing the retrieved asteroid that are stable for more than a hundred years, yet allow for human exploration and commercial utilization of a redirected asteroid, are identified. The study concludes that the key aspects of finding, capturing and redirecting an entire small, near-Earth asteroid to the Earth-Moon system by the first half of the next decade are technically feasible. The study was conducted from January 2013 through March 2013 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with Glenn Research Center (GRC), Johnson Space Center (JSC), Langley Research Center (LaRC), and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

Investigation of Alternative Return Strategies for Orion Trans-earth Injection Design Options

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchand, Belinda G.; Scarritt, Sara K.; Howell, Kathleen C.; Weeks, Michael W.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate alternative return strategies for the Orion trans-Earth injection (TEI) phase. A dynamical systems analysis approach considers the structure of the stable and unstable Sun perturbed Earth-Moon manifolds near the Earth-Moon interface region. A hybrid approach, then, combines the results from this analysis with classical two-body methods in a targeting process that seeks to expand the window of return opportunities in a precision entry scenario. The resulting startup arcs can be used, for instance, to enhance the block set of solutions available onboard during an autonomous targeting process.

Low-energy near Earth asteroid capture using Earth flybys and aerobraking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Minghu; McInnes, Colin; Ceriotti, Matteo

2018-04-01

Since the Sun-Earth libration points L1 and L2 are regarded as ideal locations for space science missions and candidate gateways for future crewed interplanetary missions, capturing near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) around the Sun-Earth L1/L2 points has generated significant interest. Therefore, this paper proposes the concept of coupling together a flyby of the Earth and then capturing small NEAs onto Sun-Earth L1/L2 periodic orbits. In this capture strategy, the Sun-Earth circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP) is used to calculate target Lypaunov orbits and their invariant manifolds. A periapsis map is then employed to determine the required perigee of the Earth flyby. Moreover, depending on the perigee distance of the flyby, Earth flybys with and without aerobraking are investigated to design a transfer trajectory capturing a small NEA from its initial orbit to the stable manifolds associated with Sun-Earth L1/L2 periodic orbits. Finally, a global optimization is carried out, based on a detailed design procedure for NEA capture using an Earth flyby. Results show that the NEA capture strategies using an Earth flyby with and without aerobraking both have the potential to be of lower cost in terms of energy requirements than a direct NEA capture strategy without the Earth flyby. Moreover, NEA capture with an Earth flyby also has the potential for a shorter flight time compared to the NEA capture strategy without the Earth flyby.

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Panelists pose for a group photo at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and highlighted how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Rationally designed mineralization for selective recovery of the rare earth elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatanaka, Takaaki; Matsugami, Akimasa; Nonaka, Takamasa; Takagi, Hideki; Hayashi, Fumiaki; Tani, Takao; Ishida, Nobuhiro

2017-05-01

The increasing demand for rare earth (RE) elements in advanced materials for permanent magnets, rechargeable batteries, catalysts and lamp phosphors necessitates environmentally friendly approaches for their recovery and separation. Here, we propose a mineralization concept for direct extraction of RE ions with Lamp (lanthanide ion mineralization peptide). In aqueous solution containing various metal ions, Lamp promotes the generation of RE hydroxide species with which it binds to form hydrophobic complexes that accumulate spontaneously as insoluble precipitates, even under physiological conditions (pH ~6.0). This concept for stabilization of an insoluble lanthanide hydroxide complex with an artificial peptide also works in combination with stable scaffolds like synthetic macromolecules and proteins. Our strategy opens the possibility for selective separation of target metal elements from seawater and industrial wastewater under mild conditions without additional energy input.

Rationally designed mineralization for selective recovery of the rare earth elements.

PubMed

Hatanaka, Takaaki; Matsugami, Akimasa; Nonaka, Takamasa; Takagi, Hideki; Hayashi, Fumiaki; Tani, Takao; Ishida, Nobuhiro

2017-05-26

The increasing demand for rare earth (RE) elements in advanced materials for permanent magnets, rechargeable batteries, catalysts and lamp phosphors necessitates environmentally friendly approaches for their recovery and separation. Here, we propose a mineralization concept for direct extraction of RE ions with Lamp (lanthanide ion mineralization peptide). In aqueous solution containing various metal ions, Lamp promotes the generation of RE hydroxide species with which it binds to form hydrophobic complexes that accumulate spontaneously as insoluble precipitates, even under physiological conditions (pH ∼6.0). This concept for stabilization of an insoluble lanthanide hydroxide complex with an artificial peptide also works in combination with stable scaffolds like synthetic macromolecules and proteins. Our strategy opens the possibility for selective separation of target metal elements from seawater and industrial wastewater under mild conditions without additional energy input.

21 CFR 573.340 - Diatomaceous earth.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Diatomaceous earth. 573.340 Section 573.340 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FEED AND DRINKING WATER OF ANIMALS Food...

21 CFR 573.340 - Diatomaceous earth.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Diatomaceous earth. 573.340 Section 573.340 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FEED AND DRINKING WATER OF ANIMALS Food...

21 CFR 573.340 - Diatomaceous earth.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Diatomaceous earth. 573.340 Section 573.340 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FEED AND DRINKING WATER OF ANIMALS Food...

21 CFR 573.340 - Diatomaceous earth.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Diatomaceous earth. 573.340 Section 573.340 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FEED AND DRINKING WATER OF ANIMALS Food...

21 CFR 573.340 - Diatomaceous earth.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Diatomaceous earth. 573.340 Section 573.340 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FEED AND DRINKING WATER OF ANIMALS Food...

Discovering and measuring a layered Earth: A foundational laboratory for developing students' understanding of Earth's interior structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubenthal, M.; Braile, L. W.; Olds, S. E.; Taber, J.

2010-12-01

modeled arrivals to the observed data, and when plotted, a notable discrepancy is found. To help interpret the implications of this anomaly the students transfer the data to a second scale model. By extrapolating their data for additional earthquakes students are able to define and measure a boundary for Earth’s outer core. After completing this exercise, not only do students have an understanding of how we know about the structure of Earth, students are more prepared to understand the basics of seismic tomography and the interpretation and limitations of tomographic models.

Use of modified diatomaceous earth for removal and recovery of viruses in water.

PubMed Central

Farrah, S R; Preston, D R; Toranzos, G A; Girard, M; Erdos, G A; Vasuhdivan, V

1991-01-01

Diatomaceous earth was modified by in situ precipitation of metallic hydroxides. Modification decreased the negative charge on the diatomaceous earth and increased its ability to adsorb viruses in water. Electrostatic interactions were more important than hydrophobic interactions in virus adsorption to modified diatomaceous earth. Filters containing diatomaceous earth modified by in situ precipitation of a combination of ferric chloride and aluminum chloride adsorbed greater than 80% of enteroviruses (poliovirus 1, echovirus 5, and coxsackievirus B5) and coliphage MS2 present in tap water at ambient pH (7.8 to 8.3), even after filtration of 100 liters of tap water. Viruses adsorbed to the filters could be recovered by mixing the modified diatomaceous earth with 3% beef extract plus 1 M NaCl (pH 9). Images PMID:1768124

Earth Rotation Monitoring, UT1 Determinaiton and Prediction

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-20

Reference Frame Astron. Astrophys. 355 398–405 [8] Coulot D, Berio P, Biancale R, Loyer S, Soudarin L and Gontier A-M 2007 Toward a direct combination of...Stamatakos N, Brockett G, Carter M S, Stetzler B and Wooden W 2009 Rapid Service/Prediction Centre contribution to 2007 IERS Annual Report pp 68–77 [25...45 57–73 [37] Thaller D, Krügel M, Rothacher M, Tesmer V, Schmid R and Angermann D 2007 Combined Earth orientation parameters based on homogeneous

Biomonitoring and risk assessment on earth and during exploratory missions using AquaHab ®

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slenzka, K.; Dünne, M.; Jastorff, B.

2008-12-01

Bioregenerative closed ecological life support systems (CELSS) will be necessary in the exploration context revitalizing atmosphere, waste water and producing food for the human CELSS mates. During these long-term space travels and stays far away from Earth in an hostile environment as well as far for example from any hospital and surgery potential, it will be necessary to know much more about chemical and drug contamination in the special sense and by human's themselves in detail. Additionally, there is a strong need on Earth for more relevant standardized test systems including aquatic ones for the prospective risk assessment of chemicals and drugs in general on a laboratory scale. Current standardized test systems are mono species tests, and thus do not represent system aspects and have reduced environmental relevance. The experience gained during the last years in our research group lead to the development of a self-sustaining closed aquatic habitat/facility, called AquaHab ® which can serve regarding space exploration and Earth application. The AquaHab ® module can be the home of several fish species, snails, plants, amphipods and bacteria. The possibility to use different effect endpoints with certain beneficial characteristics is the basis for the application of AquaHab ® in different fields. Influence of drugs and chemicals can be tested on several trophic levels and ecosystem levels; guaranteeing a high relevance for aquatic systems in the real environment. Analyses of effect parameters of different complexity (e.g. general biological and water chemical parameters, activity of biotransforming enzymes) result in broad spectra of sensitivity. Combined with residual analyses (including all metabolites), this leads to an extended prospective risk assessment of a chemical on Earth and in a closed Life Support System. The possibility to measure also sensitive "online" parameters (e.g. behavior, respiration/photosynthetic activity) enables a quick and

The EarthKAM project: creating space imaging tools for teaching and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodson, Holly; Levin, Paula; Ride, Sally; Souviney, Randall

2000-07-01

The EarthKAM Project is a NASA-supported partnership of secondary and university students with Earth Science and educational researchers. This report describes an ongoing series of activities that more effectively integrate Earth images into classroom instruction. In this project, students select and analyze images of the Earth taken during Shuttle flights and use the tools of modern science (computers, data analysis tools and the Internet) to disseminate the images and results of their research. A related study, the Visualizing Earth Project, explores in greater detail the cognitive aspects of image processing and the educational potential of visualizations in science teaching and learning. The content and organization of the EarthKAM datasystem of images and metadata are also described. An associated project is linking this datasystem of images with the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names, which will allow users to access a wide range of geographic and political information for the regions shown in EarthKAM images. Another project will provide tools for automated feature extraction from EarthKAM images. In order to make EarthKAM resources available to a larger number of schools, the next important goal is to create an integrated datasystem that combines iterative resource validation and publication, with multimedia management of instructional materials.

Analysis of “Favorable Growth Element” Based on Rare Earth-aluminum Composite Mechanism of Compound Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Baohong; Zeng, Qihui; Zhao, Jin

2018-01-01

Under the background that failure resulted in by high temperature once only aluminum oxide is used as the gasoline additive. This paper, with the purpose to solve this problem, is to synthesize AcAl oxide for gasoline additive. In order to get the rare-earth-aluminum oxide, first, a complex model of rare earth oxide based on theories about ion coordination is established. Then, by the complex model, the type of “compound growth unit” when rare earth elements join the hydrothermal conditions and the inclination that “diversification” might probably happen are deduced. Depending on the results got by complex model, this paper introduces the type of compound and its existence conditions of “Compound growth unit” owned by stable rare-earth-aluminum oxide. By adjusting the compositions of modifier, compound materials of rare earth-aluminum oxide used for gasoline additive is made. By XRD test, aperture test, adsorption test and desorption test, the theoretical deduction is proved to be right. From the experiment, it is concluded that: a dense environment is the pre-condition to form rare-earth-aluminum polymer, which is also an essential condition for the polymer to update to a favorable growth unit and produce mesoporous rare-earth-aluminum oxide with high activity.

Magma Ocean Depth and Oxygen Fugacity in the Early Earth--Implications for Biochemistry.

PubMed

Righter, Kevin

2015-09-01

A large class of elements, referred to as the siderophile (iron-loving) elements, in the Earth's mantle can be explained by an early deep magma ocean on the early Earth in which the mantle equilibrated with metallic liquid (core liquid). This stage would have affected the distribution of some of the classic volatile elements that are also essential ingredients for life and biochemistry - H, C, S, and N. Estimates are made of the H, C, S, and N contents of Earth's early mantle after core formation, considering the effects of variable temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity, and composition on their partitioning. Assessment is made of whether additional, exogenous, sources are required to explain the observed mantle concentrations, and areas are identified where additional data and experimentation would lead to an improved understanding of this phase of Earth's history.

Make Earth science education as dynamic as Earth itself

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lautenbacher, Conrad C.; Groat, Charles G.

2004-12-01

The images of rivers spilling over their banks and washing away entire towns, buildings decimated to rubble by the violent shaking of the Earth's plates, and molten lava flowing up from inside the Earth's core are constant reminders of the power of the Earth. Humans are simply at the whim of the forces of Mother Nature—or are we? Whether it is from a great natural disaster, a short-term weather event like El Nino, or longer-term processes like plate tectonics, Earth processes affect us all. Yet,we are only beginning to scratch the surface of our understanding of Earth sciences. We believe the day will come when our understanding of these dynamic Earth processes will prompt better policies and decisions about saving lives and property. One key place to start is in America's classrooms.

NASA Earth Science Research and Applications Using UAVs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guillory, Anthony R.

2003-01-01

The NASA Earth Science Enterprise sponsored the UAV Science Demonstration Project, which funded two projects: the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) and the UAV Coffee Harvest Optimization experiment. These projects were intended to begin a process of integrating UAVs into the mainstream of NASA s airborne Earth Science Research and Applications programs. The Earth Science Enterprise is moving forward given the positive science results of these demonstration projects to incorporate more platforms with additional scientific utility into the program and to look toward a horizon where the current piloted aircraft may not be able to carry out the science objectives of a mission. Longer duration, extended range, slower aircraft speed, etc. all have scientific advantages in many of the disciplines within Earth Science. The challenge we now face are identifying those capabilities that exist and exploiting them while identifying the gaps. This challenge has two facets: the engineering aspects of redesigning or modifying sensors and a paradigm shift by the scientists.

Leveraging Earth and Planetary Datasets to Support Student Investigations in an Introductory Geoscience Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, Jeffrey; De Paor, Declan

2016-04-01

Engaging undergraduates in discovery-based research during their first two years of college was a listed priority in the 2012 Report of the USA President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and has been the focus of events and publications sponsored by the National Academies (NAS, 2015). Challenges faced in moving undergraduate courses and curricula in this direction are the paired questions of how to effectively provide such experiences to large numbers of students, and how to do so in ways that are cost- and time-effiicient for institutions and instructional faculty. In the geosciences, free access to of a growing number of global earth and planetary data resources and associated visualization tools permits one to build into introductory-level courses straightforward data interrogation and analysis activities that provide students with valuable experiences with the compilation and critical investigation of earth and planetary data. Google Earth provides global Earth and planetary imagery databases that span large ranges in resolution and in time, permitting easy examination of earth surface features and surface features on Mars or the Moon. As well, "community" data sources (i.e., Gigapan photographic collections and 3D visualizations of geologic features, as are supported by the NSF GEODE project) allow for intensive interrogation of specific geologic phenomena. Google Earth Engine provides access to rich satellite-based earth observation data, supporting studies of weather and related student efforts. GeoMapApp, the freely available visualization tool of the Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance (IEDA), permits examination of the seafloor and the integration of a range of third-party data. The "Earth" meteorological website (earth.nullschool.net) provides near real-time visualization of global weather and oceanic conditions, which in combination with weather option data from Google Earth permits a deeper interrogation of atmospheric

Combination of bone morphogenetic protein-2 plasmid DNA with chemokine CXCL12 creates an additive effect on bone formation onset and volume.

PubMed

Wegman, F; Poldervaart, M T; van der Helm, Y J; Oner, F C; Dhert, W J; Alblas, J

2015-07-27

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) gene delivery has shown to induce bone formation in vivo in cell-based tissue engineering. In addition, the chemoattractant stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α, also known as CXCL12) is known to recruit multipotent stromal cells towards its release site where it enhances vascularisation and possibly contributes to osteogenic differentiation. To investigate potential cooperative behaviour for bone formation, we investigated combined release of BMP-2 and SDF-1α on ectopic bone formation in mice. Multipotent stromal cell-seeded and cell-free constructs with BMP-2 plasmid DNA and /or SDF-1α loaded onto gelatin microparticles, were implanted subcutaneously in mice for a period of 6 weeks. Histological analysis and histomorphometry revealed that the onset of bone formation and the formed bone volume were both enhanced by the combination of BMP-2 and SDF-1α compared to controls in cell-seeded constructs. Samples without seeded multipotent stromal cells failed to induce any bone formation. We conclude that the addition of stromal cell-derived factor-1α to a cell-seeded alginate based bone morphogenetic protein-2 plasmid DNA construct has an additive effect on bone formation and can be considered a promising combination for bone regeneration.

Influence of process time on microstructure and properties of 17-4PH steel plasma nitrocarburized with rare earths addition at low temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, M. F.; Liu, R. L.

2010-08-01

17-4PH stainless steel was plasma nitrocarburized at 430 °C for different time with rare earths (RE) addition. Plasma RE nitrocarburized layers were studied by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer, X-ray diffraction, microhardness tests, pin-on-disc tribometer and anodic polarization tests. The results show that rare earths atoms can diffuse into the surface of 17-4PH steel. The modified layer depths increase with increasing process time and the layer growth conforms approximately to the parabolic law. The phases in the modified layer are mainly of γ'-Fe 4N, nitrogen and carbon expanded martensite (α' N) as well as some incipient CrN at short time (2 h). With increasing of process time, the phases of CrN and γ'-Fe 4N increase but α' N decomposes gradually. Interestingly, the peaks of γ'-Fe 4N display a high (2 0 0) plane preferred orientation. The hardness of the modified specimen is more than 1340 HV, which is about 3.7 times higher than that of untreated one. The friction coefficients and wear rates of specimens can be dramatically decreased by plasma RE nitrocarburizing. The surface hardness and the friction coefficients decrease gradually with increasing process time. The corrosion test shows that the 8 h treated specimen has the best corrosion resistance with the characterization of lower corrosion current density, a higher corrosion potential and a large passive region as compared with those of untreated one.

Super-Earths: Atmospheric Accretion, Thermal Evolution and Envelope Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginzburg, Sivan; Inamdar, Niraj K.; Schlichting, Hilke E.

Combined mass and radius observations have recently revealed many short-period planets a few times the size of Earth but with significantly lower densities. A natural explanation for the low density of these super Earths super-Earth is a voluminous gas atmosphere that engulfs more compact rocky cores. Planets with such substantial gas atmospheres may be a missing link between smaller planets, that did not manage to obtain or keep an atmosphere, and larger planets, that accreted gas too quickly and became gas giants gas- . In this chapter we review recent advancements in the understanding of low-density low- super-Earth formation and evolution. Specifically, we present a consistent picture of the various stages in the lives of these planets: gas accretion from the protoplanetary disk, possible atmosphere heating and evaporation mechanisms, collisions between planets, and finally, evolution up to the age at which the planets are observed.

Biological modulation of planetary atmospheres: The early Earth scenario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schidlowski, M.

1985-01-01

The establishment and subsequent evolution of life on Earth had a profound impact on the chemical regime at the planet's surface and its atmosphere. A thermodynamic gradient was imposed on near-surface environments that served as the driving force for a number on important geochemical transformations. An example is the redox imbalance between the modern atmosphere and the material of the Earth's crust. Current photochemical models predict extremely low partial pressures of oxygen in the Earth's prebiological atmosphere. There is widespread consensus that any large-scale oxygenation of the primitive atmosphere was contingent on the advent of biological (autotrophic) carbon fixation. It is suggested that photoautotrophy existed both as a biochemical process and as a geochemical agent since at least 3.8 Ga ago. Combining the stoichiometry of the photosynthesis reaction with a carbon isotope mass balance and current concepts for the evolution of the stationary sedimentary mass as a funion of time, it is possible to quantify, the accumulation of oxygen and its photosynthetic oxidation equivalents through Earth history.

Use of earth field spin echo NMR to search for liquid minerals

DOEpatents

Stoeffl, Wolfgang

2001-01-01

An instrument for measuring the spatial, qualitative and quantitative parameters of an underground nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) active liquid mineral deposit, including oil and water. A phased array of excitation and receiver antennas on the surface and/or in a borehole excites the NMR active nuclei in the deposit, and using known techniques from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the spatial and quantitative distribution of the deposit can be measured. A surface array may utilize, for example, four large (50-500 diameter) diameter wire loops laid on the ground surface, and a weak (1.5-2.5 kHz) alternating current (AC) field applied, matching the NMR frequency of hydrogen in the rather flat and uniform earth magnetic field. For a short duration (a few seconds) an additional gradient field can be generated, superimposed to the earth field, by applying direct current (DC) to the grid (wire loops), enhancing the position sensitivity of the spin-echo and also suppressing large surface water signals by shifting them to a different frequency. The surface coil excitation can be combined with downhole receivers, which are much more radio-quiet compared to surface receivers, and this combination also enhances the position resolution of the MRI significantly. A downhole receiver module, for example, may have a 5.5 inch diameter and fit in a standard six inch borehole having a one-quarter inch thick stainless steel casing. The receiver module may include more than one receiver units for improved penetration and better position resolution.

Evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy and skin safety of a novel color additive in combination with chlorine disinfectants.

PubMed

Tyan, Kevin; Kang, Jason; Jin, Katherine; Kyle, Aaron M

2018-05-23

A novel color additive colorizes chlorine disinfectants blue to improve visibility and enhance spray surface coverage, and it fades to colorless to indicate elapsed contact time. We investigated its interactions with 3 chlorine disinfectants to determine if the additive would adversely affect the disinfectants' antimicrobial efficacy or skin safety. We tested 0.5% sodium hypochlorite, 0.2% calcium hypochlorite, and 0.5% sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) alone versus with color additive. An independent laboratory tested efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholerae, and human coronavirus 229E. An independent laboratory also tested direct skin irritation. Chlorine disinfectants with and without color additive achieved equal levels of efficacy against the tested pathogens. Against S. aureus, 0.5% sodium hypochlorite with and without color additive met Environmental Protection Agency criteria for disinfection success. Against human coronavirus 229E, 0.5% sodium hypochlorite alone failed disinfection success criteria, whereas 0.5% sodium hypochlorite with color additive achieved full viral inactivation (≥4.50 log 10 reduction). Against V. cholerae, 0.2% calcium hypochlorite alone and with color additive achieved 5.99 log 10 and >6.03 log 10 reductions, respectively. Against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, 0.5% NaDCC with and without color additive achieved >4.9 log 10 and >3.54 log 10 reductions, respectively. All 3 chlorine disinfectants with color additive tested as negligible skin irritants. This color additive can be combined with chlorine disinfectants without adversely affecting antimicrobial efficacy or skin safety. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laminated rare earth structure and method of making

DOEpatents

Senor, David J [West Richland, WA; Johnson, Roger N [Richland, WA; Reid, Bruce D [Pasco, WA; Larson, Sandra [Richland, WA

2002-07-30

A laminated structure having two or more layers, wherein at least one layer is a metal substrate and at least one other layer is a coating comprising at least one rare earth element. For structures having more than two layers, the coating and metal substrate layers alternate. In one embodiment of the invention, the structure is a two-layer laminate having a rare earth coating electrospark deposited onto a metal substrate. In another embodiment of the invention, the structure is a three-layer laminate having the rare earth coating electrospark deposited onto a first metal substrate and the coating subsequently abonded to a second metal substrate. The bonding of the coating to the second metal substrate may be accomplished by hot pressing, hot rolling, high deformation rate processing, or combinations thereof. The laminated structure may be used in nuclear components where reactivity control or neutron absorption is desired and in non-nuclear applications such as magnetic and superconducting films.

Grain refinement in heavy rare earth element-free sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets by addition of a small amount of molybdenum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Jin Woo; Lee, Won Suk; Byun, Jong Min

2015-05-07

We employed a modified refractory-metal-addition method to achieve higher coercivity and remanence in heavy rare earth element (HREE)-free Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets. This process involved inducing the formation of a homogeneous secondary phase at the grain boundaries during sintering, making it possible to control the intergrain diffusion by adding small amounts of Mo, a refractory metal. To control the microstructure of the secondary phase effectively, a metal organic compound of the refractory metal was coated on the surfaces of the particles of an HREE-free Nd–Fe–B powder. The average grain size after this process was 5.60 μm, which was approximately 1.8 μm smaller thanmore » that of the HREE-free sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets (7.4 μm). The coercivity of the magnets prepared through this process could be increased from 11.88 kOe to 13.91 kOe without decreasing their remanence.« less

Assessment of trading partners for China's rare earth exports using a decision analytic approach.

PubMed

He, Chunyan; Lei, Yalin; Ge, Jianping

2014-01-01

Chinese rare earth export policies currently result in accelerating its depletion. Thus adopting an optimal export trade selection strategy is crucial to determining and ultimately identifying the ideal trading partners. This paper introduces a multi-attribute decision-making methodology which is then used to select the optimal trading partner. In the method, an evaluation criteria system is established to assess the seven top trading partners based on three dimensions: political relationships, economic benefits and industrial security. Specifically, a simple additive weighing model derived from an additive utility function is utilized to calculate, rank and select alternatives. Results show that Japan would be the optimal trading partner for Chinese rare earths. The criteria evaluation method of trading partners for China's rare earth exports provides the Chinese government with a tool to enhance rare earth industrial policies.

ISS EarthKam: Taking Photos of the Earth from Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haste, Turtle

2008-01-01

NASA is involved in a project involving the International Space Station (ISS) and an Earth-focused camera called EarthKam, where schools, and ultimately students, are allowed to remotely program the EarthKAM to take images. Here the author describes how EarthKam was used to help middle school students learn about biomes and develop their…

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Panelists discuss how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute, moderates a panel at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and highlighted how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The impact of Earth system feedbacks on carbon budgets and climate response.

PubMed

Lowe, Jason A; Bernie, Daniel

2018-05-13

A number of studies have examined the size of the allowable global cumulative carbon budget compatible with limiting twenty-first century global average temperature rise to below 2°C and below 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels. These estimates of cumulative emissions have a number of uncertainties including those associated with the climate sensitivity and the global carbon cycle. Although the IPCC fifth assessment report contained information on a range of Earth system feedbacks, such as carbon released by thawing of permafrost or methane production by wetlands as a result of climate change, the impact of many of these Earth system processes on the allowable carbon budgets remains to be quantified. Here, we make initial estimates to show that the combined impact from typically unrepresented Earth system processes may be important for the achievability of limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The size of the effects range up to around a 350 GtCO 2 budget reduction for a 1.5°C warming limit and around a 500 GtCO 2 reduction for achieving a warming limit of 2°C. Median estimates for the extra Earth system forcing lead to around 100 GtCO 2 and 150 GtCO 2 , respectively, for the two warming limits. Our estimates are equivalent to several years of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions at present rates. In addition to the likely reduction of the allowable global carbon budgets, the extra feedbacks also bring forward the date at which a given warming threshold is likely to be exceeded for a particular emission pathway.This article is part of the theme issue 'The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'. © 2018 The Author(s).

The impact of Earth system feedbacks on carbon budgets and climate response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowe, Jason A.; Bernie, Daniel

2018-05-01

A number of studies have examined the size of the allowable global cumulative carbon budget compatible with limiting twenty-first century global average temperature rise to below 2°C and below 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels. These estimates of cumulative emissions have a number of uncertainties including those associated with the climate sensitivity and the global carbon cycle. Although the IPCC fifth assessment report contained information on a range of Earth system feedbacks, such as carbon released by thawing of permafrost or methane production by wetlands as a result of climate change, the impact of many of these Earth system processes on the allowable carbon budgets remains to be quantified. Here, we make initial estimates to show that the combined impact from typically unrepresented Earth system processes may be important for the achievability of limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The size of the effects range up to around a 350 GtCO2 budget reduction for a 1.5°C warming limit and around a 500 GtCO2 reduction for achieving a warming limit of 2°C. Median estimates for the extra Earth system forcing lead to around 100 GtCO2 and 150 GtCO2, respectively, for the two warming limits. Our estimates are equivalent to several years of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions at present rates. In addition to the likely reduction of the allowable global carbon budgets, the extra feedbacks also bring forward the date at which a given warming threshold is likely to be exceeded for a particular emission pathway. This article is part of the theme issue `The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'.

Additional Developments in Atmosphere Revitalization Modeling and Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coker, Robert F.; Knox, James C.; Cummings, Ramona; Brooks, Thomas; Schunk, Richard G.

2013-01-01

NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program is developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities, and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. These forays beyond the confines of earth's gravity will place unprecedented demands on launch systems. They must launch the supplies needed to sustain a crew over longer periods for exploration missions beyond earth's moon. Thus all spacecraft systems, including those for the separation of metabolic carbon dioxide and water from a crewed vehicle, must be minimized with respect to mass, power, and volume. Emphasis is also placed on system robustness both to minimize replacement parts and ensure crew safety when a quick return to earth is not possible. Current efforts are focused on improving the current state-of-the-art systems utilizing fixed beds of sorbent pellets by evaluating structured sorbents, seeking more robust pelletized sorbents, and examining alternate bed configurations to improve system efficiency and reliability. These development efforts combine testing of sub-scale systems and multi-physics computer simulations to evaluate candidate approaches, select the best performing options, and optimize the configuration of the selected approach. This paper describes the continuing development of atmosphere revitalization models and simulations in support of the Atmosphere Revitalization Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM)

Additional Developments in Atmosphere Revitalization Modeling and Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coker, Robert F.; Knox, James C.; Cummings, Ramona; Brooks, Thomas; Schunk, Richard G.; Gomez, Carlos

2013-01-01

NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program is developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities, and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. These forays beyond the confines of earth's gravity will place unprecedented demands on launch systems. They must launch the supplies needed to sustain a crew over longer periods for exploration missions beyond earth's moon. Thus all spacecraft systems, including those for the separation of metabolic carbon dioxide and water from a crewed vehicle, must be minimized with respect to mass, power, and volume. Emphasis is also placed on system robustness both to minimize replacement parts and ensure crew safety when a quick return to earth is not possible. Current efforts are focused on improving the current state-of-the-art systems utilizing fixed beds of sorbent pellets by evaluating structured sorbents, seeking more robust pelletized sorbents, and examining alternate bed configurations to improve system efficiency and reliability. These development efforts combine testing of sub-scale systems and multi-physics computer simulations to evaluate candidate approaches, select the best performing options, and optimize the configuration of the selected approach. This paper describes the continuing development of atmosphere revitalization models and simulations in support of the Atmosphere Revitalization Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM) project within the AES program.

Moving Towards a Science-Driven Workbench for Earth Science Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, S. J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Law, E.; Yang, C. P.; Keiser, K.

2017-12-01

The NSF-funded EarthCube Integration and Test Environment (ECITE) prototype was proposed as a 2015 Integrated Activities project and resulted in the prototyping of an EarthCube federated cloud environment and the Integration and Testing Framework. The ECITE team has worked with EarthCube science and technology governance committees to define the types of integration, testing and evaluation necessary to achieve and demonstrate interoperability and functionality that benefit and support the objectives of the EarthCube cyber-infrastructure. The scope of ECITE also includes reaching beyond NSF and EarthCube to work with the broader Earth science community, such as the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) to incorporate lessons learned from other testbed activities, and ultimately provide broader community benefits. This presentation will discuss evolving ECITE ideas for a science-driven workbench that will start with documented science use cases, map the use cases to solution scenarios that identify the available technology and data resources that match the use case, the generation of solution workflows and test plans, the testing and evaluation of the solutions in a cloud environment, and finally the documentation of identified technology and data gaps that will assist with driving the development of additional EarthCube resources.

Computational search for rare-earth free hard-magnetic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores Livas, José A.; Sharma, Sangeeta; Dewhurst, John Kay; Gross, Eberhard; MagMat Team

2015-03-01

It is difficult to over state the importance of hard magnets for human life in modern times; they enter every walk of our life from medical equipments (NMR) to transport (trains, planes, cars, etc) to electronic appliances (for house hold use to computers). All the known hard magnets in use today contain rare-earth elements, extraction of which is expensive and environmentally harmful. Rare-earths are also instrumental in tipping the balance of world economy as most of them are mined in limited specific parts of the world. Hence it would be ideal to have similar characteristics as a hard magnet but without or at least with reduced amount of rare-earths. This is the main goal of our work: search for rare-earth-free magnets. To do so we employ a combination of density functional theory and crystal prediction methods. The quantities which define a hard magnet are magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) and saturation magnetization (Ms), which are the quantities we maximize in search for an ideal magnet. In my talk I will present details of the computation search algorithm together with some potential newly discovered rare-earth free hard magnet. J.A.F.L. acknowledge financial support from EU's 7th Framework Marie-Curie scholarship program within the ``ExMaMa'' Project (329386).

Mechanical failure probability of glasses in Earth orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinser, Donald L.; Wiedlocher, David E.

1992-01-01

Results of five years of earth-orbital exposure on mechanical properties of glasses indicate that radiation effects on mechanical properties of glasses, for the glasses examined, are less than the probable error of measurement. During the 5 year exposure, seven micrometeorite or space debris impacts occurred on the samples examined. These impacts were located in locations which were not subjected to effective mechanical testing, hence limited information on their influence upon mechanical strength was obtained. Combination of these results with micrometeorite and space debris impact frequency obtained by other experiments permits estimates of the failure probability of glasses exposed to mechanical loading under earth-orbit conditions. This probabilistic failure prediction is described and illustrated with examples.

Libration-point staging concepts for Earth-Mars transportation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farquhar, Robert; Dunham, David

1986-01-01

The use of libration points as transfer nodes for an Earth-Mars transportation system is briefly described. It is assumed that a reusable Interplanetary Shuttle Vehicle (ISV) operates between the libration point and Mars orbit. Propellant for the round-trip journey to Mars and other supplies would be carried from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the ISV by additional shuttle vehicles. Different types of trajectories between LEO and libration points are presented, and approximate delta-V estimates for these transfers are given. The possible use of lunar gravity-assist maneuvers is also discussed.

The 2009 Earth Science Literacy Principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wysession, M. E.; Budd, D. A.; Campbell, K. M.; Conklin, M. H.; Kappel, E. S.; Ladue, N.; Lewis, G.; Raynolds, R.; Ridky, R. W.; Ross, R. M.; Taber, J.; Tewksbury, B. J.; Tuddenham, P.

2009-12-01

In 2009, the NSF-funded Earth Science Literacy Initiative (ESLI) completed and published a document representing a community consensus about what all Americans should understand about Earth sciences. These Earth Science Literacy Principles, presented as a printed brochure and on the Internet at www.earthscienceliteracy.org, were created through the work of nearly 1000 geoscientists and geoeducators who helped identify nine “big ideas” and seventy-five “supporting concepts” fundamental to terrestrial geosciences. The content scope involved the geosphere and land-based hydrosphere as addressed by the NSF-EAR program, including the fields of geobiology and low-temperature geochemistry, geomorphology and land-use dynamics, geophysics, hydrologic sciences, petrology and geochemistry, sedimentary geology and paleobiology, and tectonics. The ESLI Principles were designed to complement similar documents from the ocean, atmosphere, and climate research communities, with the long-term goal of combining these separate literacy documents into a single Earth System Science literacy framework. The aim of these principles is to educate the public, shape the future of geoscience education, and help guide the development of government policy related to Earth science. For example, K-12 textbooks are currently being written and museum exhibits constructed with these Principles in hand. NPR-funded educational videos are in the process of being made in alignment with the ESLP Principles. US House and Senate representatives on science and education committees have been made aware that the major geoscience organizations have endorsed such a document generated and supported by the community. Given the importance of Earth science in so many societally relevant topics such as climate change, energy and mineral resources, water availability, natural hazards, agriculture, and human impacts on the biosphere, efforts should be taken to ensure that this document is in a position to

[Application of digital earth technology in research of traditional Chinese medicine resources].

PubMed

Liu, Jinxin; Liu, Xinxin; Gao, Lu; Wei, Yingqin; Meng, Fanyun; Wang, Yongyan

2011-02-01

This paper describes the digital earth technology and its core technology-"3S" integration technology. The advance and promotion of the "3S" technology provide more favorable means and technical support for Chinese medicine resources survey, evaluation and appropriate zoning. Grid is a mature and popular technology that can connect all kinds of information resources. The author sums up the application of digital earth technology in the research of traditional Chinese medicine resources in recent years, and proposes the new method and technical route of investigation in traditional Chinese medicine resources, traditional Chinese medicine zoning and suitability assessment by combining the digital earth technology and grid.

Performance-Enhanced Activated Carbon Electrodes for Supercapacitors Combining Both Graphene-Modified Current Collectors and Graphene Conductive Additive

PubMed Central

Wang, Rubing; Qian, Yuting; Li, Weiwei; Zhu, Shoupu; Liu, Fengkui; Guo, Yufen; Chen, Mingliang; Li, Qi; Liu, Liwei

2018-01-01

Graphene has been widely used in the active material, conductive agent, binder or current collector for supercapacitors, due to its large specific surface area, high conductivity, and electron mobility. However, works simultaneously employing graphene as conductive agent and current collector were rarely reported. Here, we report improved activated carbon (AC) electrodes (AC@G@NiF/G) simultaneously combining chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene-modified nickel foams (NiF/Gs) current collectors and high quality few-layer graphene conductive additive instead of carbon black (CB). The synergistic effect of NiF/Gs and graphene additive makes the performances of AC@G@NiF/G electrodes superior to those of electrodes with CB or with nickel foam current collectors. The performances of AC@G@NiF/G electrodes show that for the few-layer graphene addition exists an optimum value around 5 wt %, rather than a larger addition of graphene, works out better. A symmetric supercapacitor assembled by AC@G@NiF/G electrodes exhibits excellent cycling stability. We attribute improved performances to graphene-enhanced conductivity of electrode materials and NiF/Gs with 3D graphene conductive network and lower oxidation, largely improving the electrical contact between active materials and current collectors. PMID:29762528

Performance-Enhanced Activated Carbon Electrodes for Supercapacitors Combining Both Graphene-Modified Current Collectors and Graphene Conductive Additive.

PubMed

Wang, Rubing; Qian, Yuting; Li, Weiwei; Zhu, Shoupu; Liu, Fengkui; Guo, Yufen; Chen, Mingliang; Li, Qi; Liu, Liwei

2018-05-15

Graphene has been widely used in the active material, conductive agent, binder or current collector for supercapacitors, due to its large specific surface area, high conductivity, and electron mobility. However, works simultaneously employing graphene as conductive agent and current collector were rarely reported. Here, we report improved activated carbon (AC) electrodes (AC@G@NiF/G) simultaneously combining chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene-modified nickel foams (NiF/Gs) current collectors and high quality few-layer graphene conductive additive instead of carbon black (CB). The synergistic effect of NiF/Gs and graphene additive makes the performances of AC@G@NiF/G electrodes superior to those of electrodes with CB or with nickel foam current collectors. The performances of AC@G@NiF/G electrodes show that for the few-layer graphene addition exists an optimum value around 5 wt %, rather than a larger addition of graphene, works out better. A symmetric supercapacitor assembled by AC@G@NiF/G electrodes exhibits excellent cycling stability. We attribute improved performances to graphene-enhanced conductivity of electrode materials and NiF/Gs with 3D graphene conductive network and lower oxidation, largely improving the electrical contact between active materials and current collectors.

A review of earth observation using mobile personal communication devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferster, Colin J.; Coops, Nicholas C.

2013-02-01

Earth observation using mobile personal communication devices (MPCDs) is a recent advance with considerable promise for acquiring important and timely measurements. Globally, over 5 billion people have access to mobile phones, with an increasing proportion having access to smartphones with capabilities such as a camera, microphone, global positioning system (GPS), data storage, and networked data transfer. Scientists can view these devices as embedded sensors with the potential to take measurements of the Earth's surface and processes. To advance the state of Earth observation using MPCDs, scientists need to consider terms and concepts, from a broad range of disciplines including citizen science, image analysis, and computer vision. In this paper, as a result of our literature review, we identify a number of considerations for Earth observation using MPCDs such as methods of field collection, collecting measurements over broad areas, errors and biases, data processing, and accessibility of data. Developing effective frameworks for mobile data collection with public participation and strategies for minimizing bias, in combination with advancements in image processing techniques, will offer opportunities to collect Earth sensing data across a range of scales and perspectives, complimenting airborne and spaceborne remote sensing measurements.

Persistent Identifiers in Earth science data management environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weigel, Tobias; Stockhause, Martina; Lautenschlager, Michael

2014-05-01

Globally resolvable Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) that carry additional context information (which can be any form of metadata) are increasingly used by data management infrastructures for fundamental tasks. The notion of a Persistent Identifier is originally an abstract concept that aims to provide identifiers that are quality-controlled and maintained beyond the life time of the original issuer, for example through the use of redirection mechanisms. Popular implementations of the PID concept are for example the Handle System and the DOI System based on it. These systems also move beyond the simple identification concept by providing facilities that can hold additional context information. Not only in the Earth sciences, data managers are increasingly attracted to PIDs because of the opportunities these facilities provide; however, long-term viable principles and mechanisms for efficient organization of PIDs and context information are not yet available or well established. In this respect, promising techniques are to type the information that is associated with PIDs and to construct actionable collections of PIDs. There are two main drivers for extended PID usage: Earth science data management middleware use cases and applications geared towards scientific end-users. Motivating scenarios from data management include hierarchical data and metadata management, consistent data tracking and improvements in the accountability of processes. If PIDs are consistently assigned to data objects, context information can be carried over to subsequent data life cycle stages much easier. This can also ease data migration from one major curation domain to another, e.g. from early dissemination within research communities to formal publication and long-term archival stages, and it can help to document processes across technical and organizational boundaries. For scientific end users, application scenarios include for example more personalized data citation and improvements in the

Estimating Geocenter Motion and Changes in the Earth's Dynamic Oblateness from a Statistically Optimal Combination of GRACE Data and Geophysical Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Y.; Ditmar, P.; Riva, R.

2016-12-01

Time-varying gravity field solutions of the GRACE satellite mission enable an observation of Earth's mass transport on a monthly basis since 2002. One of the remaining challenges is how to complement these solutions with sufficiently accurate estimates of very low-degree spherical harmonic coefficients, particularly degree-1 coefficients and C20. An absence or inaccurate estimation of these coefficients may result in strong biases in mass transports estimates. Variations in degree-1 coefficients reflect geocenter motion and variations in the C20coefficients describe changes in the Earth's dynamic oblateness (ΔJ2). In this study, we developed a novel methodology to estimate monthly variations in degree-1 and C20coefficients by combing GRACE data with oceanic mass anomalies (combination approach). Unlike the method by Swenson et al. (2008), the proposed approach exploits noise covariance information of both input datasets and thus produces stochastically optimal solutions. A numerical simulation study is carried out to verify the correctness and performance of the proposed approach. We demonstrate that solutions obtained with the proposed approach have a significantly higher quality, as compared to the method by Swenson et al. Finally, we apply the proposed approach to real monthly GRACE solutions. To evaluate the obtained results, we calculate mass transport time-series over selected regions where minimal mass anomalies are expected. A clear reduction in the RMS of the mass transport time-series (more than 50 %) is observed there when the degree-1 and C20 coefficients obtained with the proposed approach are used. In particular, the seasonal pattern in the mass transport time-series disappears almost entirely. The traditional approach (degree-1 coefficients based on Swenson et al. (2008) and C20 based on SLR data), in contrast, does not reduce that RMS or even makes it larger (e.g., over the Sahara desert). We further show that the degree-1 variations play a major

Geobiology: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Earth's Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumner, D. Y.

2016-12-01

A topic of study becomes a new field when it provides a useful conceptual framework for understanding suites of important processes. Geobiology integrates microbial biology with Earth sciences in a way that allows us to ask - and answer - deeper questions about Earth and the life on it. Recent studies of the oxidation of Earth's surface exemplify the impact of Geobiology as a new field. For decades, scientists have understood that Earth's surface was oxidized by photosynthesis. Geochemical records indicate dramatic redox changes both globally, e.g. the loss of MIF sulfur signatures due to formation of an ozone layer, and locally, as preserved in sedimentary rocks. However, these records depend critically on the dynamics of both the global biosphere and local microbial ecology. For example, an increase in global redox due to photosynthetic iron oxidation has different biogeochemical implications than an increase from oxygenic photosynthesis; O2 reacts very differently with organic matter and minerals than iron oxyhydroxides do, influencing microbial ecology as well as potential geochemical signatures in sedimentary rocks. Thus, studies of modern microbial communities provide insights into the interactions among metabolisms and geochemical gradients that have shaped Earth's redox history. For example, the ability of cyanobacteria to create O2 oases in benthic mats and soils on land provides a new framework for evaluating redox-sensitive elemental fluxes to the ocean. Similarly, genomic studies of Cyanobacteria have revealed close relatives, Melainabacteria, that are mostly obligate anaerobes. The evolutionary relationships between these two groups, as preserved in their genomes, reflect important microbial processes that led to oxidation of Earth's surface. By combining insights from microbial biology and sedimentary geochemistry, geobiologists will develop significantly more accurate models of the interactions between life and Earth.

The Collaborative Seismic Earth Model Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fichtner, A.; van Herwaarden, D. P.; Afanasiev, M.

2017-12-01

We present the first generation of the Collaborative Seismic Earth Model (CSEM). This effort is intended to address grand challenges in tomography that currently inhibit imaging the Earth's interior across the seismically accessible scales: [1] For decades to come, computational resources will remain insufficient for the exploitation of the full observable seismic bandwidth. [2] With the man power of individual research groups, only small fractions of available waveform data can be incorporated into seismic tomographies. [3] The limited incorporation of prior knowledge on 3D structure leads to slow progress and inefficient use of resources. The CSEM is a multi-scale model of global 3D Earth structure that evolves continuously through successive regional refinements. Taking the current state of the CSEM as initial model, these refinements are contributed by external collaborators, and used to advance the CSEM to the next state. This mode of operation allows the CSEM to [1] harness the distributed man and computing power of the community, [2] to make consistent use of prior knowledge, and [3] to combine different tomographic techniques, needed to cover the seismic data bandwidth. Furthermore, the CSEM has the potential to serve as a unified and accessible representation of tomographic Earth models. Generation 1 comprises around 15 regional tomographic refinements, computed with full-waveform inversion. These include continental-scale mantle models of North America, Australasia, Europe and the South Atlantic, as well as detailed regional models of the crust beneath the Iberian Peninsula and western Turkey. A global-scale full-waveform inversion ensures that regional refinements are consistent with whole-Earth structure. This first generation will serve as the basis for further automation and methodological improvements concerning validation and uncertainty quantification.

Rare-Earth-compound nanowires, nanotubes, and fullerene-like nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and properties.

PubMed

Wang, Xun; Li, Yadong

2003-11-21

Various low-dimensional nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanotubes, nanosheets, and fullerene-like nanoparticles have been selectively synthesized from rare-earth compounds (hydroxides, fluorides) based on a facile hydrothermal method. The subsequent dehydration, sulfidation, and fluoridation processes lead to the formation of rare-earth oxide, oxysulfide, and oxyhalide nanostructures, which can be functionalized further by doping with other rare-earth ions or by coating with metal nanoparticles. Owing to the interesting combination of novel nanostructures and functional compounds, these nanostructures can be expected to bring new opportunities in the vast research areas of and application in biology, catalysts, and optoelectronic devices.

Growth factor withdrawal in combination with sodium butyrate addition extends culture longevity and enhances antibody production in CHO cells.

PubMed

Hong, Jong Kwang; Lee, Gyun Min; Yoon, Sung Kwan

2011-09-10

The effect of growth factor (GF) and sodium butyrate (NaBu) on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell growth, cell viability and antibody production was investigated using shaking flasks in GF-containing and GF-deficient medium containing 0, 1 and 3mM NaBu. The withdrawal of GF and the addition of NaBu suppressed cell growth, but they significantly increased specific antibody productivity, q(Ab). Interestingly, the withdrawal of GF in combination with the addition of NaBu markedly retarded cell death, leading to extended culture longevity. For instance, at 3mM NaBu, cell viability fell below 80% after day 4 in GF-containing medium, but it remained over 80% until day 18 in GF-deficient medium. Due to the enhanced q(Ab) and the extended culture longevity, approximately 2-fold increase in total antibody production was achieved in pseudo-perfusion culture with 1mM NaBu in GF-deficient medium, compared to the culture in GF-containing medium. The effect of GF and NaBu on the change in the expression and activity of cellular proteins, c-Myc, Bcl-2 and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), was also investigated. Both the withdrawal of GF and the addition of NaBu decreased the expression of c-Myc. The expression of Bcl-2 was enhanced by the addition of NaBu in a dose-dependent manner while it was not affected by the withdrawal of GF. In addition, both the withdrawal of GF and the addition of NaBu reduced metabolic rates, q(Glc), q(Lac) and Y(Lac/Glc), and increased PDH activity while not affecting PDH expression, suggesting that they may reduce the glycolytic rates, but enhance the conversion rates of pyruvate to TCA intermediates. Taken together, the withdrawal of GF in combination with the addition of NaBu can be considered as a relevant strategy for alleviating NaBu-induced cell apoptosis and enhancing antibody production since it can be easily implemented as well as enhance q(Ab) and extend culture longevity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Free-Return Earth-Moon Cycler Orbit for an Interplanetary Cruise Ship

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Genova, Anthony L.; Aldrin, Buzz

2015-01-01

A periodic circumlunar orbit is presented that can be used by an interplanetary cruise ship for regular travel between Earth and the Moon. This Earth-Moon cycler orbit was revealed by introducing solar gravity and modest phasing maneuvers (average of 39 m/s per month) which yields close-Earth encounters every 7 or 10 days. Lunar encounters occur every 26 days and offer the chance for a smaller craft to depart the cycler and enter lunar orbit, or head for a Lagrange point (e.g., EM-L2 halo orbit), distant retrograde orbit (DRO), or interplanetary destination such as a near-Earth object (NEO) or Mars. Additionally, return-to-Earth abort options are available from many points along the cycling trajectory.

Digital Earth for Earth Sciences and Public Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foresman, T. W.

2006-12-01

Buckminster Fuller was an early advocate for better comprehension of the planet and its resources related to human affairs. A comprehensive vision was articulated by a US Vice President and quickly adopted by the world's oldest country China.. Digital Earth brings fresh perspective on the current state of affairs and connects citizens with scientists through the applications of 3D visualization, spinning globes, virtual Earths, and the current collaboration with Virtual Globes. The prowess of Digital Earth technology has been so successful in both understanding and communicating the more challenging topics for global change and climate change phenomena that China has assigned it priority status with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. New Zealand has recently begun to adjust its national strategies for sustainability with the technologies of Digital Earth. A comprehensive coverage of the results compiled over the past seven years is presented to place a foundation for the science and engineering community to prepare to align with this compelling science enterprise as a fundamental new paradigm for the registration, storage, and access of science data and information through the emerging Digital Earth Exchange under protocols developed for the Digital Earth Reference Model.

Weighted combination of LOD values oa splitted into frequency windows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez, L. I.; Gambis, D.; Arias, E. F.

In this analysis a one-day combined time series of LOD(length-of-day) estimates is presented. We use individual data series derived by 7 GPS and 3 SLR analysis centers, which routinely contribute to the IERS database over a recent 27-month period (Jul 1996 - Oct 1998). The result is compared to the multi-technique combined series C04 produced by the Central Bureau of the IERS that is commonly used as a reference for the study of the phenomena of Earth rotation variations. The Frequency Windows Combined Series procedure brings out a time series, which is close to C04 but shows an amplitude difference that might explain the evident periodic behavior present in the differences of these two combined series. This method could be useful to generate a new time series to be used as a reference in the high frequency variations of the Earth rotation studies.

A new model of the Earth system nitrogen cycle: how plates and life affect the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, B. W.; Goldblatt, C.

2017-12-01

Nitrogen is the main component of Earth's atmosphere. It plays a key role in the evolution of the biosphere and surface of Earth [1]. There are contrasting views, however, on how N has evolved on the surface of the Earth over time. Some modeling efforts [e.g., 2] indicate a steady-state level of N in the atmosphere over geologic time, while geochemical [e.g., 3], other proxies [e.g., 4], and more recent models [5] indicate the mass of N in the atmosphere can change dramatically over Earth history. This conundrum, and potential solutions to it, present distinct interpretations of the history of Earth, and teleconnections between the surface and interior of the planet have applications to other terrestrial bodies as well. To help investigate this conundrum, we have constructed an Earth-system N cycle box model. To our knowledge, this is the most capable model for addressing evolution of the N reservoirs of Earth through time. The model combines biologic and geologic processes, driven by a mantle cooling history, to more fully describe the N cycle through geologic history. In addition to a full biologic N cycle (fixing, nitrification, denitrification), we also dynamically solve for PO4 through time and we have a prescribed O2 history. Results indicate that the atmosphere of Earth could have experienced major changes in mass over geologic time. Importantly, the amount of N in the atmosphere today appears to be directly related to the total N budget of the silicate Earth. For example, high initial atmospheric mass, suggested as a solution to the Faint Young Sun Paradox [1], is drawn down over time. This supports work that indicates the mantle has significantly more N than the atmosphere does today [6]. Contrastingly, model runs with low total N result in a crash in atmospheric mass. In nearly all model runs the bulk silicate Earth contains the majority of the planet's N. [1] Goldblatt et al. (2009) Nat. Geosci., 2, 891-896. [2] Berner, R. (2006) Geology., 34, 413

Cosmic signatures in earth's seismic tremor?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulargia, Francesco

2017-01-01

Even in absence of earthquakes, each site on earth experiences continuous elastic vibrations which are mostly traced to the nonlinear interactions of ocean waves. However, the fine structure of the spectrum at mHz frequencies shows many persistent and highly significant narrow bandwidth peaks in surprising coincidence with solar acoustic eigenmodes. The feasibility of a common cosmic origin is evaluated through an estimate of the gravitational wave cross-section of the earth, combined with its elastic response and with the stochastic amplification produced by the interference of the cosmic signal with tremor of oceanic origin. The measured spectral peaks appear compatible with a gravitational monochromatic illumination at strains h ≳ 10-20, larger than those expected for any known gravitational stellar source. Hence, a gravitational source attribution to the tremor spectral peaks would call for a population of unknown non-luminous sources with well-defined mass-distance ratios.

Focusing the EarthScope for a Broader Audience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith-Konter, B. R.

2011-12-01

One of the most challenging milestones of scientific research is often the translation of a technical result into a clear "teachable moment" that is accessible (and interesting!) to a broader audience. The success of this milestone can largely be measured by its effectiveness to inspire interest and enthusiasm in the non-scientist. Moreover, as 4D multimedia now dominates most aspects of our social environment, science "teaching" now also requires intervention of visualization technology and animation to portray research results in an inviting and stimulating manner. In response to these needs, a primary objective of the EarthScope Education and Outreach program is to transform technical science into teachable products for a technologically thriving generation. Following the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)'s lead in developing interactive Earth science kiosk multimedia (bundled in a free product called Active Earth), a major focus of this EarthScope CAREER project is aimed at the construction and installation of customized EarthScope-themed touch screen kiosks in local communities. These kiosks are helping to educate a broader audience about EarthScope's unique instrumentation and observations using interactive animations, games, and virtual field trips. An additional focus of this CAREER project is aimed at the development of several Earthquakes in Action teaching modules for grades 6-12, which have been successfully tested and implemented in both teacher-prep courses and an annual high school summer geosciences camp at the University of Texas at El Paso. These activities are beginning to shape a new pathway for how teachers teach and students learn about planet Earth and its fantastic EarthScope - one click (and touch) at a time.

Servicing and Deployment of National Resources in Sun-Earth Libration Point Orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Folta, David C.; Beckman, Mark; Mar, Greg C.; Mesarch, Michael; Cooley, Steven; Leete, Steven J.

2002-01-01

Spacecraft travel between the Sun-Earth system, the Earth-Moon system, and beyond has received extensive attention recently. The existence of a connection between unstable regions enables mission designers to envision scenarios of multiple spacecraft traveling cheaply from system to system, rendezvousing, servicing, and refueling along the way. This paper presents examples of transfers between the Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon systems using a true ephemeris and perturbation model. It shows the (Delta)V costs associated with these transfers, including the costs to reach the staging region from the Earth. It explores both impulsive and low thrust transfer trajectories. Additionally, analysis that looks specifically at the use of nuclear power in libration point orbits and the issues associated with them such as inadvertent Earth return is addressed. Statistical analysis of Earth returns and the design of biased orbits to prevent any possible return are discussed. Lastly, the idea of rendezvous between spacecraft in libration point orbits using impulsive maneuvers is addressed.

Why Earth Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Michael J.

2004-01-01

This article briefly describes Earth science. The study of Earth science provides the foundation for an understanding of the Earth, its processes, its resources, and its environment. Earth science is the study of the planet in its entirety, how its lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere work together as systems and how they affect…

The additional diagnostic value of a single-session combined scintigraphic and ultrasonographic examination in patients with thyroid and parathyroid diseases.

PubMed

Gedik, G K; Bozkurt, F M; Ugur, O; Grassetto, G; Rubello, D

2008-09-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic efficacy and the clinical impact of scintigraphy combined with ultrasonography (USG) in the management of thyroid and parathyroid disorders in a large series of patients. A total of 387 consecutive patients referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of Hacettepe University in the period from January to September 2007 for investigating a thyroid (N. 339 patients: 232 females and 107 males, mean age+/-SD=48.9+/-13.6 years) or a parathyroid disease (N. 48 patients: 34 females and 14 males, mean age+/-SD=47.4+/-9.6 years) were prospectively evaluated, systematically performing both scintigraphy and USG in a single-day session. All the examinations were independently reviewed by two nuclear medicine physicians; in cases of discrepancy (3%) a final diagnosis was reached by consensus. For thyroid pathologies, USG results were considered to provide additional diagnostic information over scintigraphy: 1) if more nodules were identified; 2) if an irregular hyperactive area at scintigraphy suspicious for the presence of a nodule was clearly characterized at USG; 3) if a nodule missed at scintigraphy because of small size (<1 cm) was well depicted at USG, thus allowing an USG-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to reach a final diagnosis. For parathyroid pathologies, USG was considered to provide additional diagnostic information over scintigraphy if a low intensity radiotracer retention from the parathyroid suspected of being a parathyroid enlargement was clearly depicted at USG. In thyroid diseases, scintigraphy was considered to provide additional diagnostic information over USG, if the functional status of a diffuse or uni- or multi-nodular goiter were clearly defined at scintigraphy. In parathyroid diseases, scintigraphy was considered to provide additional diagnostic information over USG, if the differential diagnosis between a lymph node or a muscle or a vessel depicted at USG was clearly defined as a

Music Education and the Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beauregard, J. L.

2011-12-01

Capturing the interest of non-science majors in science classes can be very difficult, no matter what type of science course it is. At Berklee College of Music, this challenge is especially daunting, as all students are majoring in some type of music program. To engage the Berklee students, I am trying to link the material in Earth science courses to music. The connection between Earth science and music is made in several different ways within the curriculum of each class, with the main connection via a final project. For their projects, students can use any creative outlet (or a standard presentation) to illustrate a point related to the course. Many students have chosen to compose original music and perform it for the class. Some examples of their work will be presented. These original compositions allow students to relate course material to their own lives. Additionally, since many of these students will enter professional careers in the performance and recording industries, the potential exists for them to expose large audiences to the issues of Earth sciences through music.

Assessment of Trading Partners for China's Rare Earth Exports Using a Decision Analytic Approach

PubMed Central

He, Chunyan; Lei, Yalin; Ge, Jianping

2014-01-01

Chinese rare earth export policies currently result in accelerating its depletion. Thus adopting an optimal export trade selection strategy is crucial to determining and ultimately identifying the ideal trading partners. This paper introduces a multi-attribute decision-making methodology which is then used to select the optimal trading partner. In the method, an evaluation criteria system is established to assess the seven top trading partners based on three dimensions: political relationships, economic benefits and industrial security. Specifically, a simple additive weighing model derived from an additive utility function is utilized to calculate, rank and select alternatives. Results show that Japan would be the optimal trading partner for Chinese rare earths. The criteria evaluation method of trading partners for China's rare earth exports provides the Chinese government with a tool to enhance rare earth industrial policies. PMID:25051534

Radiometric calibration of the Earth observing system's imaging sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slater, P. N.

1987-01-01

Philosophy, requirements, and methods of calibration of multispectral space sensor systems as applicable to the Earth Observing System (EOS) are discussed. Vicarious methods for calibration of low spatial resolution systems, with respect to the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), are then summarized. Finally, a theoretical introduction is given to a new vicarious method of calibration using the ratio of diffuse-to-global irradiance at the Earth's surfaces as the key input. This may provide an additional independent method for in-flight calibration.

DETECTING INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION IN THE ATMOSPHERES OF EARTH-LIKE EXOPLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Henry W.; Abad, Gonzalo Gonzalez; Loeb, Abraham, E-mail: henrylin@college.harvard.edu, E-mail: ggonzalezabad@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: aloeb@cfa.harvard.edu

Detecting biosignatures, such as molecular oxygen in combination with a reducing gas, in the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets has been a major focus in the search for alien life. We point out that in addition to these generic indicators, anthropogenic pollution could be used as a novel biosignature for intelligent life. To this end, we identify pollutants in the Earth's atmosphere that have significant absorption features in the spectral range covered by the James Webb Space Telescope. We focus on tetrafluoromethane (CF{sub 4}) and trichlorofluoromethane (CCl{sub 3}F), which are the easiest to detect chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) produced by anthropogenic activity. Wemore » estimate that ∼1.2 days (∼1.7 days) of total integration time will be sufficient to detect or constrain the concentration of CCl{sub 3}F (CF{sub 4}) to ∼10 times the current terrestrial level.« less

Properties of Earth's temporarily-captured flybys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorets, Grigori; Granvik, Mikael

2014-11-01

In addition to the Moon, a population of small temporarily-captured NEOs is predicted to orbit the Earth. The definition of a natural Earth satellite is that it is on an elliptic geocentric orbit within 0.03 au from the Earth. The population is further divided into temporarily-captured orbiters (TCOs, or minimoons, making at least one full revolution around the Earth in a coordinate system co-rotating with the Sun) and temporarily-captured flybys (TCFs) which fail to make a full revolution, but are temporarily on an elliptic orbit around the Earth. Only one minimoon has been discovered to date, but it is expected that next generation surveys will be able to detect these objects regularly.Granvik et al. (2012) performed an extensive analysis of the behaviour of these temporarily-captured objects. One of the main results was that at any given moment there is at least one 1-meter-diameter minimoon in orbit around the Earth. However, the results of Granvik et al. (2012) raised questions considering the NES population such as the bimodality of the capture duration distribution and a distinctive lack of test particles within Earth's Hill sphere, which requires investigating the statistical properties also of the TCF population.In this work we confirm the population characteristics for minimoons described by Granvik et al. (2012), and extend the analysis to TCFs. For the calculations we use a Bulirsch-Stoer integrator implemented in the OpenOrb software package (Granvik et al. 2009). We study, e.g., the capture statistics, residence-time distributions, and steady-state properties of TCFs. Our preliminary results indicate that TCFs may be suitable targets for asteroid-redirect missions. More detailed knowledge of the TCF population will also improve our understanding of the link between temporarily-captured objects and NEOs in general.References: Granvik et al. (2009) MPS 44(12), 1853-1861; Granvik et al. (2012) Icarus 218, 262-277.

Rationally designed mineralization for selective recovery of the rare earth elements

PubMed Central

Hatanaka, Takaaki; Matsugami, Akimasa; Nonaka, Takamasa; Takagi, Hideki; Hayashi, Fumiaki; Tani, Takao; Ishida, Nobuhiro

2017-01-01

The increasing demand for rare earth (RE) elements in advanced materials for permanent magnets, rechargeable batteries, catalysts and lamp phosphors necessitates environmentally friendly approaches for their recovery and separation. Here, we propose a mineralization concept for direct extraction of RE ions with Lamp (lanthanide ion mineralization peptide). In aqueous solution containing various metal ions, Lamp promotes the generation of RE hydroxide species with which it binds to form hydrophobic complexes that accumulate spontaneously as insoluble precipitates, even under physiological conditions (pH ∼6.0). This concept for stabilization of an insoluble lanthanide hydroxide complex with an artificial peptide also works in combination with stable scaffolds like synthetic macromolecules and proteins. Our strategy opens the possibility for selective separation of target metal elements from seawater and industrial wastewater under mild conditions without additional energy input. PMID:28548098

NASA's Earth Science Flight Program overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neeck, Steven P.; Volz, Stephen M.

2011-11-01

NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) conducts pioneering work in Earth system science, the interdisciplinary view of Earth that explores the interaction among the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, land surface interior, and life itself that has enabled scientists to measure global and climate changes and to inform decisions by governments, organizations, and people in the United States and around the world. The ESD makes the data collected and results generated by its missions accessible to other agencies and organizations to improve the products and services they provide, including air quality indices, disaster management, agricultural yield projections, and aviation safety. In addition to four missions now in development and 14 currently operating on-orbit, the ESD is now developing the first tier of missions recommended by the 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey and is conducting engineering studies and technology development for the second tier. Furthermore, NASA's ESD is planning implementation of a set of climate continuity missions to assure availability of key data sets needed for climate science and applications. These include a replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), OCO-2, planned for launch in 2013; refurbishment of the SAGE III atmospheric chemistry instrument to be hosted by the International Space Station (ISS) as early as 2014; and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE FO) mission scheduled for launch in 2016. The new Earth Venture (EV) class of missions is a series of uncoupled, low to moderate cost, small to medium-sized, competitively selected, full orbital missions, instruments for orbital missions of opportunity, and sub-orbital projects.

A 3D Visualization and Analysis Model of the Earth Orbit, Milankovitch Cycles and Insolation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostadinov, Tihomir; Gilb, Roy

2013-04-01

Milankovitch theory postulates that periodic variability of Earth's orbital elements is a major climate forcing mechanism. Although controversies remain, ample geologic evidence supports the major role of the Milankovitch cycles in climate, e.g. glacial-interglacial cycles. There are three Milankovitch orbital parameters: orbital eccentricity (main periodicities of ~100,000 and ~400,000 years), precession (quantified as the longitude of perihelion, main periodicities 19,000-24,000 years) and obliquity of the ecliptic (Earth's axial tilt, main periodicity 41,000 years). The combination of these parameters controls the spatio-temporal patterns of incoming solar radiation (insolation) and the timing of the seasons with respect to perihelion, as well as season duration. The complex interplay of the Milankovitch orbital parameters on various time scales makes assessment and visualization of Earth's orbit and insolation variability challenging. It is difficult to appreciate the pivotal importance of Kepler's laws of planetary motion in controlling the effects of Milankovitch cycles on insolation patterns. These factors also make Earth-Sun geometry and Milankovitch theory difficult to teach effectively. Here, an astronomically precise and accurate Earth orbit visualization model is presented. The model offers 3D visualizations of Earth's orbital geometry, Milankovitch parameters and the ensuing insolation forcings. Both research and educational uses are envisioned for the model, which is developed in Matlab® as a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). We present the user with a choice between the Berger et al. (1978) and Laskar et al. (2004) astronomical solutions for eccentricity, obliquity and precession. A "demo" mode is also available, which allows the three Milankovitch parameters to be varied independently of each other (and over much larger ranges than the naturally occurring ones), so the user can isolate the effects of each parameter on orbital geometry

Ka-Band Waveguide Three-Way Serial Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wintucky, Edwin G.; Freeman, Jon C.; Chevalier, Christine T.

2012-01-01

In this innovation, the three-way combiner consists internally of two branch-line hybrids that are connected in series by a short length of waveguide. Each branch-line hybrid is designed to combine input signals that are in phase with an amplitude ratio of two. The combiner is constructed in an E-plane split-block arrangement and is precision machined from blocks of aluminum with standard WR-28 waveguide ports. The port impedances of the combiner are matched to that of a standard WR-28 waveguide. The component parts include the power combiner and the MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) power amplifiers (PAs). The three-way series power combiner is a six-port device. For basic operation, power that enters ports 3, 5, and 6 is combined in phase and appears at port 1. Ports 2 and 4 are isolated ports. The application of the three-way combiner for combining three PAs with unequal output powers was demonstrated. NASA requires narrow-band solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) at Ka-band frequencies with output power in the range of 3 to 5 W for radio or gravity science experiments. In addition, NASA also requires wideband, high-efficiency SSPAs at Ka-band frequencies with output power in the range of 5 to 15 W for high-data-rate communications from deep space to Earth. The three-way power combiner is designed to operate over the frequency band of 31.8 to 32.3 GHz, which is NASA s deep-space frequency band.

Giant Impacts and Earth's Primordial Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agnor, C.; Asphaug, E.

2002-09-01

atmospheres on the colliding bodies. In addition to exploring the hydrodynamics and efficiency of atmospheric removal via giant impact, we also examine the influence of Earth's protoatmosphere on the ejecta velocity distribution and formation of the proto-lunar disk.

Crew Earth Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Runco, Susan

2009-01-01

Crew Earth Observations (CEO) takes advantage of the crew in space to observe and photograph natural and human-made changes on Earth. The photographs record the Earth's surface changes over time, along with dynamic events such as storms, floods, fires and volcanic eruptions. These images provide researchers on Earth with key data to better understand the planet.

Cosmic Rays at Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grieder, P. K. F.

In 1912 Victor Franz Hess made the revolutionary discovery that ionizing radiation is incident upon the Earth from outer space. He showed with ground-based and balloon-borne detectors that the intensity of the radiation did not change significantly between day and night. Consequently, the sun could not be regarded as the sources of this radiation and the question of its origin remained unanswered. Today, almost one hundred years later the question of the origin of the cosmic radiation still remains a mystery. Hess' discovery has given an enormous impetus to large areas of science, in particular to physics, and has played a major role in the formation of our current understanding of universal evolution. For example, the development of new fields of research such as elementary particle physics, modern astrophysics and cosmology are direct consequences of this discovery. Over the years the field of cosmic ray research has evolved in various directions: Firstly, the field of particle physics that was initiated by the discovery of many so-called elementary particles in the cosmic radiation. There is a strong trend from the accelerator physics community to reenter the field of cosmic ray physics, now under the name of astroparticle physics. Secondly, an important branch of cosmic ray physics that has rapidly evolved in conjunction with space exploration concerns the low energy portion of the cosmic ray spectrum. Thirdly, the branch of research that is concerned with the origin, acceleration and propagation of the cosmic radiation represents a great challenge for astrophysics, astronomy and cosmology. Presently very popular fields of research have rapidly evolved, such as high-energy gamma ray and neutrino astronomy. In addition, high-energy neutrino astronomy may soon initiate as a likely spin-off neutrino tomography of the Earth and thus open a unique new branch of geophysical research of the interior of the Earth. Finally, of considerable interest are the biological

Early differentiation of the Earth and the Moon.

PubMed

Bourdon, Bernard; Touboul, Mathieu; Caro, Guillaume; Kleine, Thorsten

2008-11-28

We examine the implications of new 182W and 142Nd data for Mars and the Moon for the early evolution of the Earth. The similarity of 182W in the terrestrial and lunar mantles and their apparently differing Hf/W ratios indicate that the Moon-forming giant impact most probably took place more than 60Ma after the formation of calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (4.568Gyr). This is not inconsistent with the apparent U-Pb age of the Earth. The new 142Nd data for Martian meteorites show that Mars probably has a super-chondritic Sm/Nd that could coincide with that of the Earth and the Moon. If this is interpreted by an early mantle differentiation event, this requires a buried enriched reservoir for the three objects. This is highly unlikely. For the Earth, we show, based on new mass-balance calculations for Nd isotopes, that the presence of a hidden reservoir is difficult to reconcile with the combined 142Nd-143Nd systematics of the Earth's mantle. We argue that a likely possibility is that the missing component was lost during or prior to accretion. Furthermore, the 142Nd data for the Moon that were used to argue for the solidification of the magma ocean at ca 200Myr are reinterpreted. Cumulate overturn, magma mixing and melting following lunar magma ocean crystallization at 50-100Myr could have yielded the 200Myr model age.

EarthChem and SESAR: Data Resources and Interoperability for EarthScope Cyberinfrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehnert, K. A.; Walker, D.; Block, K.; Vinay, S.; Ash, J.

2008-12-01

Data management within the EarthScope Cyberinfrastructure needs to pursue two goals in order to advance and maximize the broad scientific application and impact of the large volumes of observational data acquired by EarthScope facilities: (a) to provide access to all data acquired by EarthScope facilities, and to promote their use by broad audiences, and (b) to facilitate discovery of, access to, and integration of multi-disciplinary data sets that complement EarthScope data in support of EarthScope science. EarthChem and SESAR, the System for Earth Sample Registration, are two projects within the Geoinformatics for Geochemistry program that offer resources for EarthScope CI. EarthChem operates a data portal that currently provides access to >13 million analytical values for >600,000 samples, more than half of which are from North America, including data from the USGS and all data from the NAVDAT database, a web-accessible repository for age, chemical and isotopic data from Mesozoic and younger igneous rocks in western North America. The new EarthChem GEOCHRON database will house data collected in association with GeoEarthScope, storing and serving geochronological data submitted by participating facilities. The EarthChem Deep Lithosphere Dataset is a compilation of petrological data for mantle xenoliths, initiated in collaboration with GeoFrame to complement geophysical endeavors within EarthScope science. The EarthChem Geochemical Resource Library provides a home for geochemical and petrological data products and data sets. Parts of the digital data in EarthScope CI refer to physical samples such as drill cores, igneous rocks, or water and gas samples, collected, for example, by SAFOD or by EarthScope science projects and acquired through lab-based analysis. Management of sample-based data requires the use of global unique identifiers for samples, so that distributed data for individual samples generated in different labs and published in different papers can be

Synoptic ozone, cloud reflectivity, and erythemal irradiance from sunrise to sunset for the whole earth as viewed by the DSCOVR spacecraft from the earth-sun Lagrange 1 orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Jay; Huang, Liang; McPeters, Richard; Ziemke, Jerry; Cede, Alexander; Blank, Karin

2018-01-01

EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) on board the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) spacecraft is the first earth science instrument located near the earth-sun gravitational plus centrifugal force balance point, Lagrange 1. EPIC measures earth-reflected radiances in 10 wavelength channels ranging from 317.5 to 779.5 nm. Of these channels, four are in the UV range 317.5, 325, 340, and 388 nm, which are used to retrieve O3, 388 nm scene reflectivity (LER: Lambert equivalent reflectivity), SO2, and aerosol properties. These new synoptic quantities are retrieved for the entire sunlit globe from sunrise to sunset multiple times per day as the earth rotates in EPIC's field of view. Retrieved ozone amounts agree with ground-based measurements and satellite data to within 3 %. The ozone amounts and LER are combined to derive the erythemal irradiance for the earth's entire sunlit surface at a nadir resolution of 18 × 18 km2 using a computationally efficient approximation to a radiative transfer calculation of irradiance. The results show very high summertime values of the UV index (UVI) in the Andes and Himalayas (greater than 18), and high values of UVI near the Equator at equinox.

The Role of NASA Observations in Understanding Earth System Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fladeland, Matthew M.

2009-01-01

This presentation will introduce a non-technical audience to NASA Earth science research goals and the technologies used to achieve them. The talk will outline the primary science focus areas and then provide overviews of current and planned missions, in addition to instruments, aircraft, and other technologies that are used to turn data into useful information for scientists and policy-makers. This presentation is part of an Earth Day symposium at the University of Mary.

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

An audience member asks the panelists a question at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Six scientists discussed how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Observation and integrated Earth-system science: A roadmap for 2016-2025

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmons, Adrian; Fellous, Jean-Louis; Ramaswamy, Venkatachalam; Trenberth, Kevin; Asrar, Ghassem; Balmaseda, Magdalena; Burrows, John P.; Ciais, Philippe; Drinkwater, Mark; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Gobron, Nadine; Guilyardi, Eric; Halpern, David; Heimann, Martin; Johannessen, Johnny; Levelt, Pieternel F.; Lopez-Baeza, Ernesto; Penner, Joyce; Scholes, Robert; Shepherd, Ted

2016-05-01

This report is the response to a request by the Committee on Space Research of the International Council for Science to prepare a roadmap on observation and integrated Earth-system science for the coming ten years. Its focus is on the combined use of observations and modelling to address the functioning, predictability and projected evolution of interacting components of the Earth system on timescales out to a century or so. It discusses how observations support integrated Earth-system science and its applications, and identifies planned enhancements to the contributing observing systems and other requirements for observations and their processing. All types of observation are considered, but emphasis is placed on those made from space. The origins and development of the integrated view of the Earth system are outlined, noting the interactions between the main components that lead to requirements for integrated science and modelling, and for the observations that guide and support them. What constitutes an Earth-system model is discussed. Summaries are given of key cycles within the Earth system. The nature of Earth observation and the arrangements for international coordination essential for effective operation of global observing systems are introduced. Instances are given of present types of observation, what is already on the roadmap for 2016-2025 and some of the issues to be faced. Observations that are organised on a systematic basis and observations that are made for process understanding and model development, or other research or demonstration purposes, are covered. Specific accounts are given for many of the variables of the Earth system. The current status and prospects for Earth-system modelling are summarized. The evolution towards applying Earth-system models for environmental monitoring and prediction as well as for climate simulation and projection is outlined. General aspects of the improvement of models, whether through refining the

Coding performance of the Probe-Orbiter-Earth communication link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, D.; Dolinar, S.; Pollara, F.

1993-01-01

The coding performance of the Probe-Orbiter-Earth communication link is analyzed and compared for several cases. It is assumed that the coding system consists of a convolutional code at the Probe, a quantizer and another convolutional code at the Orbiter, and two cascaded Viterbi decoders or a combined decoder on the ground.

Comparison of particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing for locating additional boreholes considering combined variance minimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soltani-Mohammadi, Saeed; Safa, Mohammad; Mokhtari, Hadi

2016-10-01

One of the most important stages in complementary exploration is optimal designing the additional drilling pattern or defining the optimum number and location of additional boreholes. Quite a lot research has been carried out in this regard in which for most of the proposed algorithms, kriging variance minimization as a criterion for uncertainty assessment is defined as objective function and the problem could be solved through optimization methods. Although kriging variance implementation is known to have many advantages in objective function definition, it is not sensitive to local variability. As a result, the only factors evaluated for locating the additional boreholes are initial data configuration and variogram model parameters and the effects of local variability are omitted. In this paper, with the goal of considering the local variability in boundaries uncertainty assessment, the application of combined variance is investigated to define the objective function. Thus in order to verify the applicability of the proposed objective function, it is used to locate the additional boreholes in Esfordi phosphate mine through the implementation of metaheuristic optimization methods such as simulated annealing and particle swarm optimization. Comparison of results from the proposed objective function and conventional methods indicates that the new changes imposed on the objective function has caused the algorithm output to be sensitive to the variations of grade, domain's boundaries and the thickness of mineralization domain. The comparison between the results of different optimization algorithms proved that for the presented case the application of particle swarm optimization is more appropriate than simulated annealing.

One technique for refining the global Earth gravity models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koneshov, V. N.; Nepoklonov, V. B.; Polovnev, O. V.

2017-01-01

The results of the theoretical and experimental research on the technique for refining the global Earth geopotential models such as EGM2008 in the continental regions are presented. The discussed technique is based on the high-resolution satellite data for the Earth's surface topography which enables the allowance for the fine structure of the Earth's gravitational field without the additional gravimetry data. The experimental studies are conducted by the example of the new GGMplus global gravity model of the Earth with a resolution about 0.5 km, which is obtained by expanding the EGM2008 model to degree 2190 with the corrections for the topograohy calculated from the SRTM data. The GGMplus and EGM2008 models are compared with the regional geoid models in 21 regions of North America, Australia, Africa, and Europe. The obtained estimates largely support the possibility of refining the global geopotential models such as EGM2008 by the procedure implemented in GGMplus, particularly in the regions with relatively high elevation difference.

High Temperature Chemistry of Rare Earth Compounds: Dramatic Examples of Periodicity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cater, E. David

1978-01-01

Reports that energy required to promote a 4f electron to the 5d level has a profound and predictable influence on the systematics of reactions involving conversion of rare earth atoms from combined to free states. (Author/MA)

The carbon cycle on early Earth--and on Mars?

PubMed

Grady, Monica M; Wright, Ian

2006-10-29

One of the goals of the present Martian exploration is to search for evidence of extinct (or even extant) life. This could be redefined as a search for carbon. The carbon cycle (or, more properly, cycles) on Earth is a complex interaction among three reservoirs: the atmosphere; the hydrosphere; and the lithosphere. Superimposed on this is the biosphere, and its presence influences the fixing and release of carbon in these reservoirs over different time-scales. The overall carbon balance is kept at equilibrium on the surface by a combination of tectonic processes (which bury carbon), volcanism (which releases it) and biology (which mediates it). In contrast to Earth, Mars presently has no active tectonic system; neither does it possess a significant biosphere. However, these observations might not necessarily have held in the past. By looking at how Earth's carbon cycles have changed with time, as both the Earth's tectonic structure and a more sophisticated biology have evolved, and also by constructing a carbon cycle for Mars based on the carbon chemistry of Martian meteorites, we investigate whether or not there is evidence for a Martian biosphere.

Earth-Space Link Attenuation Estimation via Ground Radar Kdp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolen, Steven M.; Benjamin, Andrew L.; Chandrasekar, V.

2003-01-01

A method of predicting attenuation on microwave Earth/spacecraft communication links, over wide areas and under various atmospheric conditions, has been developed. In the area around the ground station locations, a nearly horizontally aimed polarimetric S-band ground radar measures the specific differential phase (Kdp) along the Earth-space path. The specific attenuation along a path of interest is then computed by use of a theoretical model of the relationship between the measured S-band specific differential phase and the specific attenuation at the frequency to be used on the communication link. The model includes effects of rain, wet ice, and other forms of precipitation. The attenuation on the path of interest is then computed by integrating the specific attenuation over the length of the path. This method can be used to determine statistics of signal degradation on Earth/spacecraft communication links. It can also be used to obtain real-time estimates of attenuation along multiple Earth/spacecraft links that are parts of a communication network operating within the radar coverage area, thereby enabling better management of the network through appropriate dynamic routing along the best combination of links.

Earth-return trajectory options for the 1985-86 Halley opportunity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farquhar, R. W.; Dunham, D. W.

1982-01-01

A unique and useful family of ballistic trajectories to Halley's comet is described. The distinguishing feature of this family is that all of the trajectories return to the Earth's vicinity after the Halley intercept. It is shown that, in some cases, the original Earth-return path can be reshaped by Earth-swingby maneuvers to achieve additional small-body encounters. One mission profile includes flybys of the asteroid Geographos and comet Tempel-2 following the Halley intercept. Dual-flyby missions involving comets Encke and Borrelly and the asteroid Anteros are also discussed. Dust and gas samples are collected during the high-velocity (about 70 km/sec) flythrough of Halley, and then returned to a high-apogee Earth orbit. Aerobraking maneuvers are used to bring the sample-return spacecraft to a low-altitude circular orbit where it can be recovered by the Space Shuttle.

Advances in the NASA Earth Science Division Applied Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedl, L.; Bonniksen, C. K.; Escobar, V. M.

2016-12-01

The NASA Earth Science Division's Applied Science Program advances the understanding of and ability to used remote sensing data in support of socio-economic needs. The integration of socio-economic considerations in to NASA Earth Science projects has advanced significantly. The large variety of acquisition methods used has required innovative implementation options. The integration of application themes and the implementation of application science activities in flight project is continuing to evolve. The creation of the recently released Earth Science Division, Directive on Project Applications Program and the addition of an application science requirement in the recent EVM-2 solicitation document NASA's current intent. Continuing improvement in the Earth Science Applications Science Program are expected in the areas of thematic integration, Project Applications Program tailoring for Class D missions and transfer of knowledge between scientists and projects.

Source positions from VLBI combined solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, S.; Thaller, D.; Engelhardt, G.

2014-12-01

The IVS Combination Center at BKG is primarily responsible for combined Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) products and the generation of a terrestrial reference frame based on VLBI observations (VTRF). The procedure is based on the combination of normal equations provided by six IVS Analysis Centers (AC). Since more and more ACs also provide source positions in the normal equations - beside EOPs and station coordinates - an estimation of these parameters is possible and should be investigated. In the past, the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) was not generated as a combined solution from several individual solutions, but was based on a single solution provided by one AC. The presentation will give an overview on the combination strategy and the possibilities for combined source position determination. This includes comparisons with existing catalogs, quality estimation and possibilities of rigorous combination of EOP, TRF and CRF in one combination process.

Iron-magnesium alloy in the Earth's Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubrovinskaia, N.; Dubrovinsky, L.; Abrikosov, I.

2005-12-01

Composition of the Earth's outer core is a geochemical parameter crucial for understanding the evolution and current dynamics of our planet. Since it was recognized that the liquid metallic outer core is about 10% less dense than pure iron, different elements lighter than iron, including Si, S, O, C, and H, were proposed as major or at least significantly abundant in Earth's core. However, combination of experimental results with theoretical and geochemical considerations shows that it is unlikely that any one of these elements can account for the density deficit on its own. In series of experiments in a multianvil apparatus and in electrically- and laser-heated diamond anvil cells, we demonstrate that high pressure promotes solubility of magnesium in iron and at megabar pressure range more than 10 at% of Mg can dissolve in Fe. At pressures above 95 to 100 GPa, molten iron reacts with periclase MgO forming an iron-magnesium alloy and iron oxide. Our observations suggest that magnesium can be an important light element in Earth's outer core, but it cannot account for the seismologically determined density deficit on its own.

Earth Reflectivity from Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) Earth Polychromatic Camera (EPIC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W.; Knyazikhin, Y.; Wen, G.; Marshak, A.; Yan, G.; Mu, X.; Park, T.; Chen, C.; Xu, B.; Myneni, R. B.

2017-12-01

Earth reflectivity, which is also specified as Earth albedo or Earth reflectance, is defined as the fraction of incident solar radiation reflected back to space at the top of the atmosphere. It is a key climate parameter that describes climate forcing and associated response of the climate system. Satellite is one of the most efficient ways to measure earth reflectivity. Conventional polar orbit and geostationary satellites observe the Earth at a specific local solar time or monitor only a specific area of the Earth. For the first time, the NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) onboard NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) collects simultaneously radiance data of the entire sunlit earth at 8 km resolution at nadir every 65 to 110 min. It provides reflectivity images in backscattering direction with the scattering angle between 168º and 176º at 10 narrow spectral bands in ultraviolet, visible, and near-Infrared (NIR) wavelengths. We estimate the Earth reflectivity using DSCOVR EPIC observations and analyze errors in Earth reflectivity due to sampling strategy of polar orbit Terra/Aqua MODIS and geostationary Goddard Earth Observing System-R series missions. We also provide estimates of contributions from ocean, clouds, land and vegetation to the Earth reflectivity. Graphic abstract shows enhanced RGB EPIC images of the Earth taken on July-24-2016 at 7:04GMT and 15:48 GMT. Parallel lines depict a 2330 km wide Aqua MODIS swath. The plot shows diurnal courses of mean Earth reflectance over the Aqua swath (triangles) and the entire image (circles). In this example the relative difference between the mean reflectances is +34% at 7:04GMT and -16% at 15:48 GMT. Corresponding daily averages are 0.256 (0.044) and 0.231 (0.025). The relative precision estimated as root mean square relative error is 17.9% in this example.

Climate in Earth history

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, W. H.; Crowell, J. C.

1982-01-01

Complex atmosphere-ocean-land interactions govern the climate system and its variations. During the course of Earth history, nature has performed a large number of experiments involving climatic change; the geologic record contains much information regarding these experiments. This information should result in an increased understanding of the climate system, including climatic stability and factors that perturb climate. In addition, the paleoclimatic record has been demonstrated to be useful in interpreting the origin of important resources-petroleum, natural gas, coal, phosphate deposits, and many others.

Earth Observations

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-06-16

ISS024-E-006136 (16 June 2010) --- Polar mesospheric clouds, illuminated by an orbital sunrise, are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 24 crew member on the International Space Station. Polar mesospheric, or noctilucent (?night shining?), clouds are observed from both Earth?s surface and in orbit by crew members aboard the space station. They are called night-shining clouds as they are usually seen at twilight. Following the setting of the sun below the horizon and darkening of Earth?s surface, these high clouds are still briefly illuminated by sunlight. Occasionally the ISS orbital track becomes nearly parallel to Earth?s day/night terminator for a time, allowing polar mesospheric clouds to be visible to the crew at times other than the usual twilight due to the space station altitude. This unusual photograph shows polar mesospheric clouds illuminated by the rising, rather than setting, sun at center right. Low clouds on the horizon appear yellow and orange, while higher clouds and aerosols are illuminated a brilliant white. Polar mesospheric clouds appear as light blue ribbons extending across the top of the image. These clouds typically occur at high latitudes of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and at fairly high altitudes of 76?85 kilometers (near the boundary between the mesosphere and thermosphere atmospheric layers). The ISS was located over the Greek island of Kos in the Aegean Sea (near the southwestern coastline of Turkey) when the image was taken at approximately midnight local time. The orbital complex was tracking northeastward, nearly parallel to the terminator, making it possible to observe an apparent ?sunrise? located almost due north. A similar unusual alignment of the ISS orbit track, terminator position, and seasonal position of Earth?s orbit around the sun allowed for striking imagery of polar mesospheric clouds over the Southern Hemisphere earlier this year.

Trazodone Addition to Paroxetine and Mirtazapine in a Patient with Treatment-Resistant Depression: The Pros and Cons of Combining Three Antidepressants

PubMed Central

Alves, José Carlos; Rego, Raquel Garcia

2016-01-01

Dual antidepressant combination for treatment-resistant depression is a strategy well supported by literature and accepted in clinical practice. Rather, the usefulness of the combination of more than two antidepressants is controversial. This may be related to the possibility of higher side-effect burden and to doubts about its pharmacological effectiveness and therapeutic advantage compared to other standard treatment options. We report a relapse of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms with insomnia that successfully remitted after the addition of trazodone to a dual combination of paroxetine and mirtazapine (in standard effective doses) in a patient with treatment-resistant depression. We also review the literature and discuss the utility of triple antidepressant combination in treatment-resistant depression. This clinical case highlights the utility of combining trazodone as a third antidepressant for the relapse of depressive symptoms after the failure of a dual antidepressant combination. Trazodone may be advantageous in patients presenting recurrence of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms that include sleep problems and/or insomnia and may be particularly useful when benzodiazepines are not recommended. Although its use may be controversial and associated with higher risk of side-effects, more investigation is needed to determine the efficacy and safety for triple antidepressant combinations as reliable strategies for treatment-resistant depression in clinical practice. PMID:27807450

Manifestations of the rotation and gravity of the Earth in high-energy physics experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obukhov, Yuri N.; Silenko, Alexander J.; Teryaev, Oleg V.

2016-08-01

The inertial (due to rotation) and gravitational fields of the Earth affect the motion of an elementary particle and its spin dynamics. This influence is not negligible and should be taken into account in high-energy physics experiments. Earth's influence is manifest in perturbations in the particle motion, in an additional precession of the spin, and in a change of the constitutive tensor of the Maxwell electrodynamics. Bigger corrections are oscillatory, and their contributions average to zero. Other corrections due to the inhomogeneity of the inertial field are not oscillatory but they are very small and may be important only for the storage ring electric dipole moment experiments. Earth's gravity causes the Newton-like force, the reaction force provided by a focusing system, and additional torques acting on the spin. However, there are no observable indications of the electromagnetic effects due to Earth's gravity.

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Dr. Phoebe Cohen, Professor of Geosciences, Williams College, speaks on a panel at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Six scientists discussed how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Dr. Christopher House, Professor of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, speaks on a panel at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Six scientists discussed how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Dr. Dawn Sumner, Professor of Geology, UC Davis, speaks on a panel at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Six scientists discussed how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Dr. Timothy Lyons, Professor of Biogeochemistry, UC Riverside, speaks on a panel at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Six scientists discussed how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Combination Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1990-01-01

The Rayovac TANDEM is an advanced technology combination work light and general purpose flashlight that incorporates several NASA technologies. The TANDEM functions as two lights in one. It features a long range spotlight and wide angle floodlight; simple one-hand electrical switching changes the beam from spot to flood. TANDEM developers made particular use of NASA's extensive research in ergonomics in the TANDEM's angled handle, convenient shape and different orientations. The shatterproof, water resistant plastic casing also draws on NASA technology, as does the shape and beam distance of the square diffused flood. TANDEM's heavy duty magnet that permits the light to be affixed to any metal object borrows from NASA research on rare earth magnets that combine strong magnetic capability with low cost. Developers used a NASA-developed ultrasonic welding technique in the light's interior.

Kepler Mission: Detecting Earth-sized Planets in Habitable Zones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kondo, Yoji; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Kepler Mission, which is presently in Phase A, is being proposed for launch in 5 years for a 4-year mission to determine the frequency of Earth-sized or larger planets in habitable zones in our galaxy. Kepler will be placed in an Earth-trailing orbit to provide stable physical environments for the sensitive scientific instruments. The satellite is equipped with a photometric system with the precision of 10E-5, which should be sufficient for detecting the transits of Earth-sized or larger planets in front of dwarf stars similar to the Sun. Approximately 100,000 or more sun-like stars brighter than the 14th apparently magnitude will be monitored continuously for 4 years in a preselected region of the sky, which is about 100 square degrees in size. In addition, Kepler will have a participating scientist program that will enable research in intrinsic variable stars, interacting binaries including cataclysmic stars and X-ray binaries, and a large number of solar analogs in our galaxy. Several ten thousand additional stars may be investigated in the guest observer program open to the whole world.

Transmission spectroscopy with the ACE-FTS infrared spectral atlas of Earth: A model validation and feasibility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreier, Franz; Städt, Steffen; Hedelt, Pascal; Godolt, Mareike

2018-06-01

Infrared solar occultation measurements are well established for remote sensing of Earth's atmosphere, and the corresponding primary transit spectroscopy has turned out to be valuable for characterization of extrasolar planets. Our objective is an assessment of the detectability of molecular signatures in Earth's transit spectra. To this end, we take a limb sequence of representative cloud-free transmission spectra recorded by the space-borne ACE-FTS Earth observation mission (Hughes et al., ACE infrared spectral atlases of the Earth's atmosphere, JQSRT 2014) and combine these spectra to the effective height of the atmosphere. These data are compared to spectra modeled with an atmospheric radiative transfer line-by-line infrared code to study the impact of individual molecules, spectral resolution, the choice of auxiliary data, and numerical approximations. Moreover, the study serves as a validation of our infrared radiative transfer code. The largest impact is due to water, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, nitric acid, oxygen, and some chlorofluorocarbons (CFC11 and CFC12). The effect of further molecules considered in the modeling is either marginal or absent. The best matching model has a mean residuum of 0.4 km and a maximum difference of 2 km to the measured effective height. For a quantitative estimate of visibility and detectability we consider the maximum change of the residual spectrum, the relative change of the residual norm, the additional transit depth, and signal-to-noise ratios for a JWST setup. In conclusion, our study provides a list of molecules that are relevant for modeling transmission spectra of Earth-like exoplanets and discusses the feasibility of retrieval.

Surface and atmosphere parameter maps from earth-orbiting radiometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gloersen, P.

1976-01-01

Earlier studies have shown that an earth-orbiting electrically scanned microwave radiometer (ESMR) is capable of inferring the extent, concentration, and age of sea ice; the extent, concentration, and thickness of lake ice; rainfall rates over oceans; surface wind speeds over open water; particle size distribution in the deep snow cover of continental ice sheets; and soil moisture content in unvegetated fields. Most other features of the surface of the earth and its atmosphere require multispectral imaging techniques to unscramble the combined contributions of the atmosphere and the surface. Multispectral extraction of surface parameters is analyzed on the basis of a pertinent equation in terms of the observed brightness temperature, the emissivity of the surface which depends on wavelength and various parameters, the sensible temperature of the surface, and the total atmospheric opacity which is also wavelength dependent. Implementation of the multispectral technique is examined. Properties of the surface of the earth and its atmosphere to be determined from a scanning multichannel microwave radiometer are tabulated.

Life Detection on the Early Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Runnegar, B.

2004-01-01

Finding evidence for first the existence, and then the nature of life on the early Earth or early Mars requires both the recognition of subtle biosignatures and the elimination of false positives. The history of the search for fossils in increasingly older Precambrian strata illustrates these difficulties very clearly, and new observational and theoretical approaches are both needed and being developed. At the microscopic level of investigation, three-dimensional morphological characterization coupled with in situ chemical (isotopic, elemental, structural) analysis is the desirable first step. Geological context is paramount, as has been demonstrated by the controversies over AH84001, the Greenland graphites, and the Apex chert microfossils . At larger scales, the nature of sedimentary bedforms and the structures they display becomes crucial, and here the methods of condensed matter physics prove most useful in discriminating between biological and non-biological constructions. Ultimately, a combination of geochemical, morphological, and contextural evidence may be required for certain life detection on the early Earth or elsewhere.

Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, John

2015-01-01

The Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) project is developing technology to build structures on planetary surfaces using in-situ resources. The project focuses on the construction of both 2D (landing pads, roads, and structure foundations) and 3D (habitats, garages, radiation shelters, and other structures) infrastructure needs for planetary surface missions. The ACME project seeks to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of two components needed for planetary surface habitation and exploration: 3D additive construction (e.g., contour crafting), and excavation and handling technologies (to effectively and continuously produce in-situ feedstock). Additionally, the ACME project supports the research and development of new materials for planetary surface construction, with the goal of reducing the amount of material to be launched from Earth.

Use of global positioning system measurements to determine geocentric coordinates and variations in Earth orientation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malla, R. P.; Wu, S.-C.; Lichten, S. M.

1993-01-01

Geocentric tracking station coordinates and short-period Earth-orientation variations can be measured with Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements. Unless calibrated, geocentric coordinate errors and changes in Earth orientation can lead to significant deep-space tracking errors. Ground-based GPS estimates of daily and subdaily changes in Earth orientation presently show centimeter-level precision. Comparison between GPS-estimated Earth-rotation variations, which are the differences between Universal Time 1 and Universal Coordinated Time (UT1-UTC), and those calculated from ocean tide models suggests that observed subdaily variations in Earth rotation are dominated by oceanic tidal effects. Preliminary GPS estimates for the geocenter location (from a 3-week experiment) agree with independent satellite laser-ranging estimates to better than 10 cm. Covariance analysis predicts that temporal resolution of GPS estimates for Earth orientation and geocenter improves significantly when data collected from low Earth-orbiting satellites as well as from ground sites are combined. The low Earth GPS tracking data enhance the accuracy and resolution for measuring high-frequency global geodynamical signals over time scales of less than 1 day.

Core-Mantle Partitioning of Volatile Elements and the Origin of Volatile Elements in Earth and Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Righter, K.; Pando, K.; Danielson, L.; Nickodem, K.

2014-01-01

Depletions of siderophile elements in mantles have placed constraints on the conditions on core segregation and differentiation in bodies such as Earth, Earth's Moon, Mars, and asteroid 4 Vesta. Among the siderophile elements there are a sub-set that are also volatile (volatile siderophile elements or VSE; Ga, Ge, In, As, Sb, Sn, Bi, Zn, Cu, Cd), and thus can help to constrain the origin of volatile elements in these bodies, and in particular the Earth and Moon. One of the fundamental observations of the geochemistry of the Moon is the overall depletion of volatile elements relative to the Earth, but a satisfactory explanation has remained elusive. Hypotheses for Earth include addition during accretion and core formation and mobilized into the metallic core, multiple stage origin, or addition after the core formed. Any explanation for volatile elements in the Earth's mantle must also be linked to an explanation of these elements in the lunar mantle. New metal-silicate partitioning data will be applied to the origin of volatile elements in both the Earth and Moon, and will evaluate theories for exogenous versus endogenous origin of volatile elements.

Melting and vibrational properties of planetary materials under deep Earth conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Jennifer

2013-06-01

The large chemical, density, and dynamical contrasts associated with the juxtaposition of a liquid iron-dominant alloy and silicates at Earth's core-mantle boundary (CMB) are associated with a rich range of complex seismological features. For example, seismic heterogeneity at this boundary includes small patches of anomalously low sound velocities, called ultralow-velocity zones. Their small size (5 to 40 km thick) and depth (about 2800 km) present unique challenges for seismic characterization and geochemical interpretation. In this contribution, we will present recent nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements on iron-bearing silicates, oxides, and metals, and their application towards our understanding of Earth's interior. Specifically, we will present measurements on silicates and oxide minerals that are important in Earth's upper and lower mantles, as well as iron to over 1 megabar in pressure. The nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering method provides specific vibrational information, e.g., the phonon density of states, and in combination with compression data permits the determination of sound velocities and other vibrational information under high pressure and high temperature. For example, accurate determination of the sound velocities and density of chemically complex Earth materials is essential for understanding the distribution and behavior of minerals and iron-alloys with depth. The high statistical quality of the data in combination with high energy resolution and a small x-ray focus size permit accurate evaluation of the vibrational-related quantities of iron-bearing Earth materials as a function of pressure, such as the Grüneisen parameter, thermal pressure, sound velocities, and iron isotope fractionation quantities. Finally, we will present a novel method detecting the solid-liquid phase boundary of compressed iron at high temperatures using synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy. Our approach is unique because the dynamics of

EarthExplorer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houska, Treva

2012-01-01

The EarthExplorer trifold provides basic information for on-line access to remotely-sensed data from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center archive. The EarthExplorer (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/) client/server interface allows users to search and download aerial photography, satellite data, elevation data, land-cover products, and digitized maps. Minimum computer system requirements and customer service contact information also are included in the brochure.

New tools for linking human and earth system models: The Toolbox for Human-Earth System Interaction & Scaling (THESIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, B. C.; Kauffman, B.; Lawrence, P.

2016-12-01

Integrated analysis of questions regarding land, water, and energy resources often requires integration of models of different types. One type of integration is between human and earth system models, since both societal and physical processes influence these resources. For example, human processes such as changes in population, economic conditions, and policies govern the demand for land, water and energy, while the interactions of these resources with physical systems determine their availability and environmental consequences. We have begun to develop and use a toolkit for linking human and earth system models called the Toolbox for Human-Earth System Integration and Scaling (THESIS). THESIS consists of models and software tools to translate, scale, and synthesize information from and between human system models and earth system models (ESMs), with initial application to linking the NCAR integrated assessment model, iPETS, with the NCAR earth system model, CESM. Initial development is focused on urban areas and agriculture, sectors that are both explicitly represented in both CESM and iPETS. Tools are being made available to the community as they are completed (see https://www2.cgd.ucar.edu/sections/tss/iam/THESIS_tools). We discuss four general types of functions that THESIS tools serve (Spatial Distribution, Spatial Properties, Consistency, and Outcome Evaluation). Tools are designed to be modular and can be combined in order to carry out more complex analyses. We illustrate their application to both the exposure of population to climate extremes and to the evaluation of climate impacts on the agriculture sector. For example, projecting exposure to climate extremes involves use of THESIS tools for spatial population, spatial urban land cover, the characteristics of both, and a tool to bring urban climate information together with spatial population information. Development of THESIS tools is continuing and open to the research community.

Comparison of Low Earth Orbit and Geosynchronous Earth Orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. E.

1980-01-01

The technological, environmental, social, and political ramifications of low Earth orbits as compared to geosynchronous Earth orbits for the solar power satellite (SPS) are assessed. The capital cost of the transmitting facilities is dependent on the areas of the antenna and rectenna relative to the requirement of high efficiency power transmission. The salient features of a low orbit Earth orbits are discussed in terms of cost reduction efforts.

Ancient Earth, Alien Earths Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-20

Dr. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Research Space Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks on a panel at the “Ancient Earth, Alien Earths” Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday, August 20, 2014. The event was sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution and was moderated by Dr. David H. Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. Six scientists discussed how research on early Earth could help guide our search for habitable planets orbiting other stars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Satellite probes plasma processes in earth orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christensen, Andrew B.; Reasoner, David L.

1992-01-01

The mission of the DOD/NASA Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) is to deepen understanding of the earth's near-space environment, including the radiation belts and the ionosphere; this will help spacecraft designers protect against radiation-belt particles that affect onboard electronics, solar panel arrays, and crewmembers. Attention is presently given to CRRES's study of ionospheric plasma processes through releases of Ba, Ca, Sr, and Li at altitudes of 400-36,000 km.

Earthspace: A National Clearinghouse For Higher Education In Space And Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

CoBabe-Ammann, Emily; Shipp, S.; Dalton, H.

2012-10-01

The EarthSpace is a searchable database of undergraduate classroom materials for undergraduate faculty teaching earth and space sciences at both the introductory and upper division levels. Modeled after the highly successful SERC clearinghouse for geosciences assets, EarthSpace was designed for easy submission of classroom assets - from homeworks and computerinteractives to laboratories and demonstrations. All materials are reviewedbefore posting, and authors adhere to the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution (CC-BY NC 3.0). If authors wish, their EarthSpace materials are automatically cross-posted to other digital libraries (e.g., ComPADRE) and virtual higher education communities(e.g., Connexions). As new electronic repositories come online, EarthSpace materials will automatically be sent. So faculty submit their materials only once and EarthSpace ensures continual distribution as time goes on and new opportunities arise. In addition to classroom materials, EarthSpace provides news and information about educational research and best practices, funding opportunities, and ongoing efforts and collaborations for undergraduate education. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/earthspace

Earth - South America (first frame of Earth Spin Movie)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

This color image of the Earth was obtained by Galileo at about 6:10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Dec. 11, 1990, when the spacecraft was about 1.3 million miles from the planet during the first of two Earth flybys on its way to Jupiter. The color composite used images taken through the red, green and violet filters. South America is near the center of the picture, and the white, sunlit continent of Antarctica is below. Picturesque weather fronts are visible in the South Atlantic, lower right. This is the first frame of the Galileo Earth spin movie, a 500- frame time-lapse motion picture showing a 25-hour period of Earth's rotation and atmospheric dynamics.

Development of the EarthChem Geochronology and Thermochronology database: Collaboration of the EarthChem and EARTHTIME efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, J. D.; Ash, J. M.; Bowring, J.; Bowring, S. A.; Deino, A. L.; Kislitsyn, R.; Koppers, A. A.

2009-12-01

One of the most onerous tasks in rigorous development of data reporting and databases for geochronological and thermochronological studies is to fully capture all of the metadata needed to completely document both the analytical work as well as the interpretation effort. This information is available in the data reduction programs used by researchers, but has proven difficult to harvest into either publications or databases. For this reason, the EarthChem and EARTHTIME efforts are collaborating to foster the next generation of data management and discovery for age information by integrating data reporting with data reduction. EarthChem is a community-driven effort to facilitate the discovery, access, and preservation of geochemical data of all types and to support research and enable new and better science. EARTHTIME is also a community-initiated project whose aim is to foster the next generation of high-precision geochronology and thermochoronology. In addition, collaboration with the CRONUS effort for cosmogenic radionuclides is in progress. EarthChem workers have met with groups working on the Ar-Ar, U-Pb, and (U-Th)/He systems to establish data reporting requirements as well as XML schemas to be used for transferring data from reduction programs to database. At present, we have prototype systems working for the U-Pb_Redux, ArArCalc, MassSpec, and Helios programs. In each program, the user can select to upload data and metadata to the GEOCHRON system hosted at EarthChem. There are two additional requirements for upload. The first is having a unique identifier (IGSN) obtained either manually or via web services contained within the reduction program from the SESAR system. The second is that the user selects whether the sample is to be available for discovery (public) or remain hidden (private). Search for data at the GEOCHRON portal can be done using age, method, mineral, or location parameters. Data can be downloaded in the full XML format for ingestion back

Application of China-Brazil Earth resources satellite in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Yuliang; Zhao, Shangmin; Zhen, Liu; Bei, Jia

2009-03-01

The launch and successful operation of Chinese-Brazil Earth resources satellite (CBERS-1) in China has accelerated the application of space technology in China. These applications include agriculture, forestry, water conservation, land resources, city planning, environment protection and natural hazards monitoring and so on. The result of these applications provides a scientific basis for government decision making and has created great economic and social benefits in Chinese national economy construction. In this paper we present examples and provide auxiliary documentation of additional applications of the data from Earth resource monitoring.