Spring Flowers: Harvest of a Sensitive Eye

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Eloise; Levin, Ted

1978-01-01

Defining and describing a number of spring flowers, this article includes illustrations and explanations that demonstrate "art and science are born of the same parents". The flowers discussed are skunk cabbage, bellwort, spring beauty, jack-in-the-pulpit, Solomon's seal, wild geranium, showy orchids, moccasin flower, bluets, apple, and Indian…

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1985

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Topic include: NASA TU Services; New Product Ideas; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.

A Design Method for Topologically Insulating Metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matlack, Kathryn; Serra-Garcia, Marc; Palermo, Antonio; Huber, Sebastian; Daraio, Chiara

Topological insulators are a unique class of electronic materials that exhibit protected edge states that are insulating in the bulk, and immune to back-scattering and defects. Discrete models, such as mass-spring systems, provide a means to translate these properties, based on the quantum hall spin effect, to the mechanical domain. This talk will present how to engineer a 2D mechanical metamaterial that supports topologically-protected and defect-immune edge states, directly from the mass-spring model of a topological insulator. The design method uses combinatorial searches plus gradient-based optimizations to determine the configuration of the metamaterials building blocks that leads to the global behavior specified by the target mass-spring model. We use metamaterials with weakly coupled unit cells to isolate the dynamics within our frequency range of interest and to enable a systematic design process. This approach can generally be applied to implement behaviors of a discrete model directly in mechanical, acoustic, or photonic metamaterials within the weak-coupling regime. This work was partially supported by the ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship, and by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Nanoarchaeota, Their Sulfolobales Host, and Nanoarchaeota Virus Distribution across Yellowstone National Park Hot Springs

PubMed Central

Munson-McGee, Jacob H.; Field, Erin K.; Bateson, Mary; Rooney, Colleen; Stepanauskas, Ramunas

2015-01-01

Nanoarchaeota are obligate symbionts with reduced genomes first described from marine thermal vent environments. Here, both community metagenomics and single-cell analysis revealed the presence of Nanoarchaeota in high-temperature (∼90°C), acidic (pH ≈ 2.5 to 3.0) hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) (United States). Single-cell genome analysis of two cells resulted in two nearly identical genomes, with an estimated full length of 650 kbp. Genome comparison showed that these two cells are more closely related to the recently proposed Nanobsidianus stetteri from a more neutral YNP hot spring than to the marine Nanoarchaeum equitans. Single-cell and catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) analysis of environmental hot spring samples identified the host of the YNP Nanoarchaeota as a Sulfolobales species known to inhabit the hot springs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Nanoarchaeota are widespread in acidic to near neutral hot springs in YNP. An integrated viral sequence was also found within one Nanoarchaeota single-cell genome and further analysis of the purified viral fraction from environmental samples indicates that this is likely a virus replicating within the YNP Nanoarchaeota. PMID:26341207

Changing the science education paradigm: from teaching facts to engaging the intellect: Science Education Colloquia Series, Spring 2011.

PubMed

Fischer, Caleb Nathaniel

2011-09-01

Dr. Jo Handelsman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University, is a long-time devotee of scientific teaching, receiving this year's Presidential Award for Science Mentoring. She gave a seminar entitled "What is Scientific Teaching? The Changing Landscape of Science Education" as a part of the Scientific Education Colloquia Series in spring 2011. After dissecting what is wrong with the status quo of American scientific education, several ideological and practical changes are proposed, including active learning, regular assessment, diversity, and mentorship. Copyright © 2011.

Australian DefenceScience. Volume 12, Number 3, Spring

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

Australian DEFENCESCIENCE Spring Issue Volume 12 Number 3 2004 Autonomous UAV flight a world first Missile countermeasures – from flares to lasers...4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Australian DefenceScience. Volume 12 , Number 3 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S...ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12 . DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public

75 FR 52369 - Notice of Inventory Completion: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-25

... the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. In the 1930s or early 1940s, human... territory of the present- day Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, which is composed of Wasco, Warm Springs, and Paiute bands and tribes. The Columbia River-based Wasco were the...

Improvement of capabilities of the Distributed Electrochemistry Modeling Tool for investigating SOFC long term performance

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

Gonzalez Galdamez, Rinaldo A.; Recknagle, Kurtis P.

2012-04-30

This report provides an overview of the work performed for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) modeling during the 2012 Winter/Spring Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). A brief introduction on the concept, operation basics and applications of fuel cells is given for the general audience. Further details are given regarding the modifications and improvements of the Distributed Electrochemistry (DEC) Modeling tool developed by PNNL engineers to model SOFC long term performance. Within this analysis, a literature review on anode degradation mechanisms is explained and future plans of implementing these into the DEC modeling tool are alsomore » proposed.« less

Thermophiles in the genomic era: Biodiversity, science, and applications.

PubMed

Urbieta, M Sofía; Donati, Edgardo R; Chan, Kok-Gan; Shahar, Saleha; Sin, Lee Li; Goh, Kian Mau

2015-11-01

Thermophiles and hyperthermophiles are present in various regions of the Earth, including volcanic environments, hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, geysers, coastal thermal springs, and even deep-sea hydrothermal vents. They are also found in man-made environments, such as heated compost facilities, reactors, and spray dryers. Thermophiles, hyperthermophiles, and their bioproducts facilitate various industrial, agricultural, and medicinal applications and offer potential solutions to environmental damages and the demand for biofuels. Intensified efforts to sequence the entire genome of hyperthermophiles and thermophiles are increasing rapidly, as evidenced by the fact that over 120 complete genome sequences of the hyperthermophiles Aquificae, Thermotogae, Crenarchaeota, and Euryarchaeota are now available. In this review, we summarise the major current applications of thermophiles and thermozymes. In addition, emphasis is placed on recent progress in understanding the biodiversity, genomes, transcriptomes, metagenomes, and single-cell sequencing of thermophiles in the genomic era. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PolyMUMPs MEMS device to measure mechanical stiffness of single cells in aqueous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warnat, S.; King, H.; Forbrigger, C.; Hubbard, T.

2015-02-01

A method of experimentally determining the mechanical stiffness of single cells by using differential displacement measurements in a two stage spring system is presented. The spring system consists of a known MEMS reference spring and an unknown cellular stiffness: the ratio of displacements is related to the ratio of stiffness. A polyMUMPs implementation for aqueous media is presented and displacement measurements made from optical microphotographs using a FFT based displacement method with a repeatability of ~20 nm. The approach was first validated on a MEMS two stage spring system of known stiffness. The measured stiffness ratios of control structures (i) MEMS spring systems and (ii) polystyrene microspheres were found to agree with theoretical values. Mechanical tests were then performed on Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s yeast) in aqueous media. Cells were placed (using a micropipette) inside MEMS measuring structures and compressed between two jaws using an electrostatic actuator and displacements measured. Tested cells showed stiffness values between 5.4 and 8.4 N m-1 with an uncertainty of 11%. In addition, non-viable cells were tested by exposing viable cells to methanol. The resultant mean cell stiffness dropped by factor of 3 × and an explicit discrimination between viable and non-viable cells based on mechanical stiffness was seen.

78 FR 72865 - Export Trade Certificate of Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-04

...., Carson City, NV Cobham, Arlington, VA Colt Defense, LLC, West Hartford, CT Computer Sciences Corporation...., Exton, PA ARINC Aerospace, Annapolis, MD Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, Manassas, VA AUSCO, Inc... Springs, CA Science Applications International Corporation, McLean, VA Seal Science, Inc., Irvine, CA...

Insecticide Exposure in Parkinsonism.

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

lab during the Fall, 1997 semester and Human Anatomy lab during the Spring, 1998 semester. 16 Teaching Assistantship, Department of Biological...Sciences, Clemson University, SC Assisted and taught Human Anatomy lab during the Fall, 1995 and Spring, 1996 semesters. SPECIAL TRAINING/CERTIFICATION

ScienceCast 157: Colliding Atmospheres - Mars vs Comet Siding Spring

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-06

Comet Siding Spring is about to fly historically close to Mars. The encounter could spark Martian auroras, a meteor shower, and other unpredictable effects. Whatever happens, NASA's fleet of Mars satellites will have a ringside seat.

The "Next Generation Science Standards" and the Earth and Space Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wysession, Michael E.

2013-01-01

The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"), due to be released this spring, represents a revolutionary step toward establishing modern, national K-12 science education standards. Based on the recommendations of the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting…

Opening the black box of spring water microbiology from alpine karst aquifers to support proactive drinking water resource management

PubMed Central

Savio, Domenico; Stadler, Philipp; Reischer, Georg H.; Kirschner, Alexander K.T.; Demeter, Katalin; Linke, Rita; Blaschke, Alfred P.; Sommer, Regina; Szewzyk, Ulrich; Wilhartitz, Inés C.; Mach, Robert L.; Stadler, Hermann

2018-01-01

Over the past 15 years, pioneering interdisciplinary research has been performed on the microbiology of hydrogeologically well‐defined alpine karst springs located in the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) of Austria. This article gives an overview on these activities and links them to other relevant research. Results from the NCA springs and comparable sites revealed that spring water harbors abundant natural microbial communities even in aquifers with high water residence times and the absence of immediate surface influence. Apparently, hydrogeology has a strong impact on the concentration and size of the observed microbes, and total cell counts (TCC) were suggested as a useful means for spring type classification. Measurement of microbial activities at the NCA springs revealed extremely low microbial growth rates in the base flow component of the studied spring waters and indicated the importance of biofilm‐associated microbial activities in sediments and on rock surfaces. Based on genetic analysis, the autochthonous microbial endokarst community (AMEC) versus transient microbial endokarst community (TMEC) concept was proposed for the NCA springs, and further details within this overview article are given to prompt its future evaluation. In this regard, it is well known that during high‐discharge situations, surface‐associated microbes and nutrients such as from soil habitats or human settlements—potentially containing fecal‐associated pathogens as the most critical water‐quality hazard—may be rapidly flushed into vulnerable karst aquifers. In this context, a framework for the comprehensive analysis of microbial pollution has been proposed for the NCA springs to support the sustainable management of drinking water safety in accordance with recent World Health Organization guidelines. Near‐real‐time online water quality monitoring, microbial source tracking (MST) and MST‐guided quantitative microbial‐risk assessment (QMRA) are examples of the proposed analytical tools. In this context, this overview article also provides a short introduction to recently emerging methodologies in microbiological diagnostics to support reading for the practitioner. Finally, the article highlights future research and development needs. This article is categorized under: 1Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation2Science of Water > Water Extremes3Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems PMID:29780584

Opening the black box of spring water microbiology from alpine karst aquifers to support proactive drinking water resource management.

PubMed

Savio, Domenico; Stadler, Philipp; Reischer, Georg H; Kirschner, Alexander K T; Demeter, Katalin; Linke, Rita; Blaschke, Alfred P; Sommer, Regina; Szewzyk, Ulrich; Wilhartitz, Inés C; Mach, Robert L; Stadler, Hermann; Farnleitner, Andreas H

2018-01-01

Over the past 15 years, pioneering interdisciplinary research has been performed on the microbiology of hydrogeologically well-defined alpine karst springs located in the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) of Austria. This article gives an overview on these activities and links them to other relevant research. Results from the NCA springs and comparable sites revealed that spring water harbors abundant natural microbial communities even in aquifers with high water residence times and the absence of immediate surface influence. Apparently, hydrogeology has a strong impact on the concentration and size of the observed microbes, and total cell counts (TCC) were suggested as a useful means for spring type classification. Measurement of microbial activities at the NCA springs revealed extremely low microbial growth rates in the base flow component of the studied spring waters and indicated the importance of biofilm-associated microbial activities in sediments and on rock surfaces. Based on genetic analysis, the autochthonous microbial endokarst community (AMEC) versus transient microbial endokarst community (TMEC) concept was proposed for the NCA springs, and further details within this overview article are given to prompt its future evaluation. In this regard, it is well known that during high-discharge situations, surface-associated microbes and nutrients such as from soil habitats or human settlements-potentially containing fecal-associated pathogens as the most critical water-quality hazard-may be rapidly flushed into vulnerable karst aquifers. In this context, a framework for the comprehensive analysis of microbial pollution has been proposed for the NCA springs to support the sustainable management of drinking water safety in accordance with recent World Health Organization guidelines. Near-real-time online water quality monitoring, microbial source tracking (MST) and MST-guided quantitative microbial-risk assessment (QMRA) are examples of the proposed analytical tools. In this context, this overview article also provides a short introduction to recently emerging methodologies in microbiological diagnostics to support reading for the practitioner. Finally, the article highlights future research and development needs. This article is categorized under: 1Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation2Science of Water > Water Extremes3Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems.

Incorporation of Scientific Ballooning into Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanover, N.; Stochaj, S.; Petty, C.

1999-12-01

We are augmenting the science curriculum of the Roswell Independent School District in Roswell, NM, to take advantage of the proximity of a NASA scientific balloon base. The basic science related to balloon experimentation is being incorporated into the K-12 science curriculum via the discussion of topics such as atmospheric properties, weather, phases of matter, plotting skills, and communications in the context of a high-altitude balloon flight. These efforts will culminate in the construction of balloon-borne instruments by high school students, which will be launched during the spring of 2000. A demonstration flight, launched in the spring of 1999, was used to build student enthusiasm and community support for this program, which is funded by the NASA/IDEAS program.

Apparatus measures swelling of membranes in electrochemical cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hennigan, T. J.

1965-01-01

Apparatus consisting of a pressure plate unit, four springs of known spring constant and a micrometer measures the swelling and force exerted by the polymer membranes of alkaline electrochemical cells.

Investigation of membrane mechanics using spring networks: application to red-blood-cell modelling.

PubMed

Chen, Mingzhu; Boyle, Fergal J

2014-10-01

In recent years a number of red-blood-cell (RBC) models have been proposed using spring networks to represent the RBC membrane. Some results predicted by these models agree well with experimental measurements. However, the suitability of these membrane models has been questioned. The RBC membrane, like a continuum membrane, is mechanically isotropic throughout its surface, but the mechanical properties of a spring network vary on the network surface and change with deformation. In this work spring-network mechanics are investigated in large deformation for the first time via an assessment of the effect of network parameters, i.e. network mesh, spring type and surface constraint. It is found that a spring network is conditionally equivalent to a continuum membrane. In addition, spring networks are employed for RBC modelling to replicate the optical tweezers test. It is found that a spring network is sufficient for modelling the RBC membrane but strain-hardening springs are required. Moreover, the deformation profile of a spring network is presented for the first time via the degree of shear. It is found that spring-network deformation approaches continuous as the mesh density increases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring Preschool Children's Science Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Ying; Piasta, Shayne B.; Bowles, Ryan P.

2015-01-01

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to describe children's science content knowledge and examine the early predictors of science content knowledge in a sample of 194 typically developing preschool children. Children's science content knowledge was assessed in the fall (Time 1) and spring (Time 2) of the preschool year. Results showed…

Active Cells for Multifunctional Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-24

techniques to explore a variety of cell designs.  Designed a simplified active cell using Nitinol as the actuation method and relying on Joule heating...for contraction of the cell.  Developed manufacturing techniques for reliably creating Nitinol spring coils in a variety of diameters and gauges...design of the active cells to maximum the stroked length of the active cells by tuning the stiffness of a passive spring in parallel with the Nitinol

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Performance Composite Data Products: Spring 2018

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

Kurtz, Jennifer M; Sprik, Samuel; Ainscough, Christopher D

This publication includes 22 composite data products (CDPs) produced in Spring 2018 for fuel cell electric vehicle performance in the categories of deployment, driving behavior, fuel economy, fueling behavior, and hydrogen performance.

Photonics in Switching. Organization of the 1993 Photonics Science Topical Meetings Held in Palm Springs, California on March 15 - 17, 1993. Technical Digest

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-03-17

placed on the number of inputs and outputs. For the TeO2 material used in this design, the TB is approximately 1000. Due to the over-resolved...Design of the acoustooptic crossbar switch Figure 2 shows a numerical simulation of the momentum space of an 8 by 8 switch in TeO2 . This switch...results Figure 4 shows switching results from a preliminary demonstration of a three by three switch in a beam-steered flint glass cell. The scope trace

Science and Engineering Degree Completion by Gender. Snapshot™ Report, Spring 2017

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Student Clearinghouse, 2017

2017-01-01

From 2006 to 2016, degree completion in the so-called "hard sciences" increased in prevalence for both genders. Excluding social sciences and psychology, the percentage of bachelor's degrees accounted for by science and engineering disciplines increased five percentage points for men, and two percentage points for women. This brief…

"The Science Teacher": Spring 2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Steve

2004-01-01

The chemistry articles published in the September through December 2003 issues of "The Science Teacher (TST)" are examined. Topics on buoyancy, density, molar volumes of gases, absorption spectra and the electromagnetic spectrum are discussed.

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1976. Volume 1, No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Topics covered include : Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; and Mathematics and Information Sciences. Also included are NEW PRODUCT IDEAS: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products.

A Lending Library of Physics Demonstrations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pizzo, Joseph F., Jr.

Twenty-three self-contained single concept physics demonstration packages were designed and constructed at Lamar University (Texas). Each package was available for loan to pre-college science instructors in southeastern Texas in the spring and summer of 1987. During the spring, three high school physics teachers used the demonstrations and…

Diagnostic Approach to Acute Diarrheal Illness in a Military Population on Training Exercises in Thailand, a Region of Campylobacter Hyperendemicity

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

Center (Silver Spring, MD) and the Armed Forces Research Institute FIG. 1. Posttest probability of Campylobacter-associated illness based on the...Sanders5 Enteric Diseases Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland1; Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok...Thailand2; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research , Silver Spring, Maryland3; Naval Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit 6, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii4

MEMS squeezer for the measurement of single cell rupture force, stiffness change, and hysteresis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barazani, B.; Warnat, S.; Fine, A.; Hubbard, T.

2017-02-01

A MEMS squeezer able to compress single living cells underwater until rupture was designed and tested. The relatively large motion range of the device in aqueous media (~2.5 µm) allows provoking cell disruption while measuring cell mechanical properties before and after membrane rupture. An AC driven electrothermal micro actuator with mechanical amplification pressed single cells against a reference back spring. Deformations of the cell and the reference spring were measured with nanoscale resolution using optical Fourier transform techniques. The motion of the reference spring divided by the cell deformation provides the cell stiffness relative to the reference spring constant. An abrupt change in the cell stiffness and the appearance of cracks indicated the cell wall rupture force was reached. A total of 22 baker’s yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were squeezed with the micro device. The average force necessary to rupture the cell membrane was 0.47  ±  0.1 µN. Before rupture the cells had an average stiffness of 9.3  ±  3.1 N m-1 the post-rupture stiffness dropped to 0.94  ±  0.57 N m-1. Cell hysteresis was also measured: cells squeezed and released before reaching the rupture force showed residual deformations below 100 nm, while cells squeezed past the rupture force and then released showed residual deformations between 490 and 990 nm.

Earth Science: 49 Science Fair Projects Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonnet, Robert L.; Keen, G. Daniel

This book offers a large collection of Earth science projects and project ideas for students, teachers, and parents. The projects described are complete but can also be used as spring boards to create expanded projects. Overviews, organizational direction, suggested hypotheses, materials, procedures, and controls are provided. The projects…

Lower Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Anhydrous Ammonia Application Prior to Soil Freezing in Late Fall Than Spring Pre-Plant Application.

PubMed

Tenuta, Mario; Gao, Xiaopeng; Flaten, Donald N; Amiro, Brian D

2016-07-01

Fall application of anhydrous ammonia in Manitoba is common but its impact on nitrous oxide (NO) emissions is not well known. A 2-yr study compared application before freeze-up in late fall to spring pre-plant application of anhydrous ammonia on nitrous oxide (NO) emissions from a clay soil in the Red River Valley, Manitoba. Spring wheat ( L.) and corn ( L.) were grown on two 4-ha fields in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Field-scale flux of NO was measured using a flux-gradient micrometeorological approach. Late fall treatment did not induce NO emissions soon after application or in winter likely because soil was frozen. Application time did alter the temporal pattern of emissions with late fall and spring pre-plant applications significantly increasing median daily NO flux at spring thaw and early crop growing season, respectively. The majority of emissions occurred in early growing season resulting in cumulative emissions for the crop year being numerically 33% less for late fall than spring pre-plant application. Poor yield in the first year with late fall treatment occurred because of weed and volunteer growth with delayed planting. Results show late fall application of anhydrous ammonia before freeze-up increased NO emissions at thaw and decreased emissions for the early growing season compared to spring pre-plant application. However, improved nitrogen availability of late fall application to crops the following year is required when planting is delayed because of excessive moisture in spring. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Prospective Science Teachers' Subject-Matter Knowledge about Overflow Container

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ültay, Eser

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine prospective science teachers' subject-matter knowledge (SMK) about overflow container. This study was carried out in the form of a case study in spring term of the academic year of 2013-2014 with seven sophomore prospective science teachers who were studying at Elementary Science Teaching Department in…

Impact of Integrated Science and English Language Arts Literacy Supplemental Instructional Intervention on Science Academic Achievement of Elementary Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marks, Jamar Terry

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design study was to determine if any differences existed in upper elementary school students' science academic achievement when instructed using an 8-week integrated science and English language arts literacy supplemental instructional intervention in conjunction with traditional science classroom instruction as compared to when instructed using solely traditional science classroom instruction. The targeted sample population consisted of fourth-grade students enrolled in a public elementary school located in the southeastern region of the United States. The convenience sample size consisted of 115 fourth-grade students enrolled in science classes. The pretest and posttest academic achievement data collected consisted of the science segment from the Spring 2015, and Spring 2016 state standardized assessments. Pretest and posttest academic achievement data were analyzed using an ANCOVA statistical procedure to test for differences, and the researcher reported the results of the statistical analysis. The results of the study show no significant difference in science academic achievement between treatment and control groups. An interpretation of the results and recommendations for future research were provided by the researcher upon completion of the statistical analysis.

The Science of Addiction: Drugs, Brains, and Behavior

MedlinePlus

... Issue Past Issues The Science of Addiction: Drugs, Brains, and Behavior Past Issues / Spring 2007 Table of ... Americans understand addiction as a chronic but treatable brain disease. The eye-opening documentary, Addiction , first aired ...

Ex vivo regenerative effects of a spring water.

PubMed

Nicoletti, Giovanni; Saler, Marco; Pellegatta, Tommaso; Tresoldi, Marco Mario; Bonfanti, Viola; Malovini, Alberto; Faga, Angela; Riva, Federica

2017-12-01

Previous experiments by our group have indicated the regenerative effects of a spring water (Comano), which was possibly associated with the native non-pathogenic bacterial flora. The present study aimed to confirm these regenerative properties in a human ex vivo experimental model in the context of physiological wound healing. Human 6-mm punch skin biopsies harvested during plastic surgery sessions were injured in their central portion to induce skin loss and were cultured in either conventional medium (controls) or medium powder reconstituted with filtered Comano spring water (treated samples). At 24, 48 and 72 h the specimens were observed following staining with hematoxylin and eosin, Picrosirius Red, orcein and anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Compared with the controls, the treated samples exhibited reduced overall cell infiltration, evidence of fibroblasts, stimulation of cell proliferation and collagen and elastic fiber regeneration. In the spring water, in addition to 12 resident non-pathogenic bacterial strains exhibiting favorable metabolic activities, more unknown non-pathogenic species are being identified by genomic analysis. In the present study, the efficacy of this 'germ-free', filtered spring water in wound regeneration was indicated. Thus, the Comano spring water microbiota should be acknowledged for its regenerative properties.

22nd Spring Research Festival Showcases Fort Detrick Science | Poster

Cancer.gov

Rainy weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of visitors to the 2018 Spring Research Festival, which brought together scientists from the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL), NCI at Frederick, and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and showcased the important research that takes place every day at Fort Detrick.

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families: Connecting Local Libraries with NASA Scientists and Education Programs to Engage Girls in STEM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleacher, L. V.; Meinke, B.; Hauck, K.; Soeffing, C.; Spitz, A.

2014-01-01

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families (NS4G) partners NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education programs with public libraries to provide hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities and career information for girls and their families, along with training for librarians, in conjunction with Women's History Month (March). NS4G is a collaboration among education teams within the four NASA SMD education and public outreach (E/PO) Forums: Planetary, Earth, Astrophysics, and Heliophysics. It began in 2012 as an Astrophysics-led program (Astro4Girls) with 9 events around the country. Upon expanding among the four Forums, over 73 events were held in Spring 2013 (Fig. 1), with preparations underway for events in Spring 2014. All events are individually evaluated by both the student participants and participating librarians to assess their effectiveness in addressing audience needs.

How Partners are Producing Science and Addressing Issues of Scale for Springs Management in the Desert Southwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, G.; Springer, A. E.; Misztal, L.; Grabau, M.

2017-12-01

Climate changes in the arid Southwest are expected to further stress critical water sources, such as springs, in the near future. Springs are abundant features in the Southwest, providing habitat for listed species and water for wildlife, agricultural, cities, recreation, and the base flow for many rivers. But springs occupy a small fraction of the land area and, as a result, they have not been significantly studied or mapped. Managers recognize that effective stewardship of these critical resources requires a landscape-scale understanding of distribution, ecological integrity, and risks; access to comprehensive inventory, assessment and restoration protocols; and local implementation. They need easy access to information at varying scales to respond to stressors like climate change. The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Sky Island Alliance, and Springs Stewardship Institute worked with scientists, resource managers, and conservationists to develop and increase access to data by involving them in the entire research process through field surveys, workshops, trainings, and development of products needed to solve critical management challenges. We built on and connected existing efforts underway in the Southwest, including developing: 1) Springs Inventory Protocol, 2) an online geospatial database, 3) methodologies for climate-savvy monitoring and 4) a springs restoration handbook. We also worked with partners to evaluate the condition and risk of springs' resources at the local scale to create products used in site-specific management planning. Our results indicate that coproduction resulted in more understanding of common issues, more focus on solving management challenges, and increased use of the science and protocols produced. Information developed through this project assists managers in understanding how their springs contribute at local and landscape scales. New information developed through this project is being used in support of planning and decisions that address resource protection at the regional level and in climate change adaptation planning for natural resources. This work highlights the need to increase collaboration and coproduction of information tailored for management issues at different spatial and temporal scales.

Valve Cap For An Electric Storage Cell

DOEpatents

Verhoog, Roelof; Genton, Alain

2000-04-18

The valve cap for an electric storage cell includes a central annular valve seat (23) and a membrane (5) fixed by its peripheral edge and urged against the seat by a piston (10) bearing thereagainst by means of a spring (12), the rear end of said spring (12) bearing on the endwall (8) of a chamber (20) formed in the cap and containing the piston (10) and the spring. A vent (19) puts the chamber (20) into communication with the atmosphere. A central orifice (26, 28) through the piston (10) and the membrane (5), enables gas from within the cell to escape via the top vent (19) when the valve opens.

Pre-Teacher Case Study Analysis of Teaching Life and Earth Science in Multicultural Middle School Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGinnis, J. Randy

Intending teachers in two science education methods classes (Fall Quarter, n=27; Spring Quarter, n=21) read and discussed a qualitative study describing science teaching and learning in a culturally diverse middle school. The two primary participants in the qualitative study were a white female veteran life science teacher and a white male…

First International Conference between West and East—Leonardo and Lao-Tze. Western Science Meets Eastern Wisdom. Experiences of Scientists and Intellectuals for the Creation of a New Paradigm of Modern Science

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

The Conference was organized and supported by: Nei Dan School (European School of Internal Martial Arts), NIB (Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Bioengineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Institute of Cardiology, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna), WACIMA (Worldwide Association Chinese Internal Martial Arts), Arti D’Oriente (Magazine of Eastern culture and traditions), Nuovo Orizzonte (Taiji Quan School in Florence), Samurai (Journal on Martial Arts), and Pinus (First National Institute for the Unification of Medical Strategies). Nei Dan School (www.taichineidan.com, neidan@libero.it) was in charge of the organization. Future meetings of the Centro studi ‘Tao and Science’ will take place in spring 2007 in Firenze and in October 2007 in Bologna. For information: E-mail: neidan@libero.it; web site: www.taichineidan.com, www.taoandscience.com PMID:18317548

Integration of basic science and clinical medicine: the innovative approach of the cadaver biopsy project at the Boston University School of Medicine.

PubMed

Eisenstein, Anna; Vaisman, Lev; Johnston-Cox, Hillary; Gallan, Alexander; Shaffer, Kitt; Vaughan, Deborah; O'Hara, Carl; Joseph, Lija

2014-01-01

Curricular integration has emerged as a consistent theme in medical education reform. Vertical integration of topics such as pathology offers the potential to bring basic science content into the clinical arena, but faculty/student acceptance and curricular design pose challenges for such integration. The authors describe the Cadaver Biopsy Project (CBP) at Boston University School of Medicine as a sustainable model of vertical integration. Faculty and select senior medical students obtained biopsies of cadavers during the first-year gross anatomy course (fall 2009) and used these to develop clinical cases for courses in histology (spring 2010), pathology (fall 2010-spring 2011), and radiology (fall 2011 or spring 2012), thereby linking students' first experiences in basic sciences with other basic science courses and later clinical courses. Project goals included engaging medical stu dents in applying basic science princi ples in all aspects of patient care as they acquire skills. The educational intervention used a patient (cadaver)-centered approach and small-group, collaborative, case-based learning. Through this project, the authors involved clinical and basic science faculty-plus senior medical students-in a collaborative project to design and implement an integrated curriculum through which students revisited, at several different points, the microscopic structure and pathophysiology of common diseases. Developing appropriate, measurable out comes for medical education initiatives, including the CBP, is challenging. Accumu lation of qualitative feedback from surveys will guide continuous improvement of the CBP. Documenting longer-term impact of the curricular innovation on test scores and other competency-based outcomes is an ultimate goal.

Smooth muscle-like tissue constructs with circumferentially oriented cells formed by the cell fiber technology.

PubMed

Hsiao, Amy Y; Okitsu, Teru; Onoe, Hiroaki; Kiyosawa, Mahiro; Teramae, Hiroki; Iwanaga, Shintaroh; Kazama, Tomohiko; Matsumoto, Taro; Takeuchi, Shoji

2015-01-01

The proper functioning of many organs and tissues containing smooth muscles greatly depends on the intricate organization of the smooth muscle cells oriented in appropriate directions. Consequently controlling the cellular orientation in three-dimensional (3D) cellular constructs is an important issue in engineering tissues of smooth muscles. However, the ability to precisely control the cellular orientation at the microscale cannot be achieved by various commonly used 3D tissue engineering building blocks such as spheroids. This paper presents the formation of coiled spring-shaped 3D cellular constructs containing circumferentially oriented smooth muscle-like cells differentiated from dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. By using the cell fiber technology, DFAT cells suspended in a mixture of extracellular proteins possessing an optimized stiffness were encapsulated in the core region of alginate shell microfibers and uniformly aligned to the longitudinal direction. Upon differentiation induction to the smooth muscle lineage, DFAT cell fibers self-assembled to coiled spring structures where the cells became circumferentially oriented. By changing the initial core-shell microfiber diameter, we demonstrated that the spring pitch and diameter could be controlled. 21 days after differentiation induction, the cell fibers contained high percentages of ASMA-positive and calponin-positive cells. Our technology to create these smooth muscle-like spring constructs enabled precise control of cellular alignment and orientation in 3D. These constructs can further serve as tissue engineering building blocks for larger organs and cellular implants used in clinical treatments.

Smooth Muscle-Like Tissue Constructs with Circumferentially Oriented Cells Formed by the Cell Fiber Technology

PubMed Central

Hsiao, Amy Y.; Okitsu, Teru; Onoe, Hiroaki; Kiyosawa, Mahiro; Teramae, Hiroki; Iwanaga, Shintaroh; Kazama, Tomohiko; Matsumoto, Taro; Takeuchi, Shoji

2015-01-01

The proper functioning of many organs and tissues containing smooth muscles greatly depends on the intricate organization of the smooth muscle cells oriented in appropriate directions. Consequently controlling the cellular orientation in three-dimensional (3D) cellular constructs is an important issue in engineering tissues of smooth muscles. However, the ability to precisely control the cellular orientation at the microscale cannot be achieved by various commonly used 3D tissue engineering building blocks such as spheroids. This paper presents the formation of coiled spring-shaped 3D cellular constructs containing circumferentially oriented smooth muscle-like cells differentiated from dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. By using the cell fiber technology, DFAT cells suspended in a mixture of extracellular proteins possessing an optimized stiffness were encapsulated in the core region of alginate shell microfibers and uniformly aligned to the longitudinal direction. Upon differentiation induction to the smooth muscle lineage, DFAT cell fibers self-assembled to coiled spring structures where the cells became circumferentially oriented. By changing the initial core-shell microfiber diameter, we demonstrated that the spring pitch and diameter could be controlled. 21 days after differentiation induction, the cell fibers contained high percentages of ASMA-positive and calponin-positive cells. Our technology to create these smooth muscle-like spring constructs enabled precise control of cellular alignment and orientation in 3D. These constructs can further serve as tissue engineering building blocks for larger organs and cellular implants used in clinical treatments. PMID:25734774

e-Alert from Fermilab Education Office November 2014 - Spring 2015

Science.gov Websites

math enrichment classes. Fermilab Friends for Science Education offers scholarships for teachers to out our new space for curriculum committees to examine the breadth of up-to-date K-12 math and science

77 FR 23498 - Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-19

... Taylor Museum and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science... Davis, Chief of Staff, President's Office, Colorado College, Armstrong Hall, Room 201, 14 E. Cache La... objects, as well as other cultural items were removed from Canyon de Chelly, Apache County, AZ, under the...

Science and Technology Text Mining: Mexico Core Competencies

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

leaf represents germination nutrient comparative recovered juvenile nutritional winter_spring white difficult spring_summer segment requirements eggs... nutritional ) focuses on diets for small shrimp, emphasizing impact on feed consumption, weight increase, and nutrition . Factor 4 (patients, patient...species, Yucatan , dry season, Campeche, feeding, sex, reproduction) focuses on reproductive and feeding habits of species of both sexes as a function

21st Annual Spring Research Festival Highlights Science, Celebrates Collaboration | Poster

Cancer.gov

For two days at the annual Spring Research Festival, Fort Detrick was abuzz with scientific discussion as researchers and visitors from the site’s many resident government agencies and contractors gathered to share findings and recognize collaborative research. Each year, the festival focuses on intermural scientific work, as well as challenges and discoveries in the fight

Blinn College Final Grade Distribution Report for Spring 1994 Semester. Student Performance Report. International Research Document No. 012E.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blinn Coll., Brenham, TX.

Blinn College final course grade distributions are summarized for spring 1990 to 1994 in this four-part report. Section I presents tables of final grade distributions by campus and course in accounting; agriculture; anthropology; biology; business; chemistry; child development; communications; computer science; criminal justice; drama; emergency…

Problems with the application of hydrogeological science to regulation of Australian mining projects: Carmichael Mine and Doongmabulla Springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currell, Matthew J.; Werner, Adrian D.; McGrath, Chris; Webb, John A.; Berkman, Michael

2017-05-01

Understanding and managing impacts from mining on groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) and other groundwater users requires development of defensible science supported by adequate field data. This usually leads to the creation of predictive models and analysis of the likely impacts of mining and their accompanying uncertainties. The identification, monitoring and management of impacts on GDEs are often a key component of mine approvals, which need to consider and attempt to minimise the risks that negative impacts may arise. Here we examine a case study where approval for a large mining project in Australia (Carmichael Coal Mine) was challenged in court on the basis that it may result in more extensive impacts on a GDE (Doongmabulla Springs) of high ecological and cultural significance than predicted by the proponent. We show that throughout the environmental assessment and approval process, significant data gaps and scientific uncertainties remained unresolved. Evidence shows that the assumed conceptual hydrogeological model for the springs could be incorrect, and that at least one alternative conceptualisation (that the springs are dependent on a deep fault) is consistent with the available field data. Assumptions made about changes to spring flow as a consequence of mine-induced drawdown also appear problematic, with significant implications for the spring-fed wetlands. Despite the large scale of the project, it appears that critical scientific data required to resolve uncertainties and construct robust models of the springs' relationship to the groundwater system were lacking at the time of approval, contributing to uncertainty and conflict. For this reason, we recommend changes to the approval process that would require a higher standard of scientific information to be collected and reviewed, particularly in relation to key environmental assets during the environmental impact assessment process in future projects.

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. School Level Management Information Booklet for SY89-90.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dependents Schools (DOD), Washington, DC. Pacific Region.

Each year, beginning in the early spring, Department of Defense Dependent Schools, Pacific Region conducts a Junior Science and Humanities Symposium program. The information for putting together such a program is contained in this document. Students are invited to conduct original research in the sciences, mathematics, the humanities, and computer…

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1978. Volume 3, No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Topics covered include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology; New Product Ideas: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1981. Volume 6, No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Topics include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you In learning about and applying NASA technology; New Product Ideas: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1984. Volume 8, No. 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Topics include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology. New Product Ideas: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1977. Volume 2, No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Topics: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology; New Product Ideas: A summary of selted innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1979. Volume 4, No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Topics covered include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology; New Product Ideas: A summary of selected Innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences;

Science and Technology Teachers' Views about the Causes of Laboratory Accidents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine science and technology teachers' views about the causes of the problems encountered in laboratories. In this research, phenomenology, a qualitative research design, was used. 21 science and technology teachers who were working in elementary schools in Eskisehir during the 2010-2011 spring semester were the…

Opinions of Secondary School Science and Mathematics Teachers on STEM Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Bekir; Türk, Cumhur

2018-01-01

In this study, the opinions of middle school science teachers and mathematics teachers towards STEM education were examined. The research was carried out for 30 hours with 28 middle school science and mathematics teachers who were working in Istanbul during the spring semester of 2016-2017 academic year. 75% of these teachers are female teachers…

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1983. Volume 7, No. 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Topics include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology. New Product Ideas: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences;

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring 1980. Volume 5, No. 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Topics include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology; New Product Ideas: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.

Hollow fiber clinostat for simulating microgravity in cell culture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhodes, Percy H. (Inventor); Miller, Teresa Y. (Inventor); Snyder, Robert S. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A clinostat for simulating microgravity on cell systems carried in a fiber fixedly mounted in a rotatable culture vessel is disclosed. The clinostat is rotated horizontally along its longitudinal axis to simulate microgravity or vertically as a control response. Cells are injected into the fiber and the ends of the fiber are sealed and secured to spaced end pieces of a fiber holder assembly which consists of the end pieces, a hollow fiber, a culture vessel, and a tension spring with three alignment pins. The tension spring is positioned around the culture vessel with its ends abutting the end pieces for alignment of the spring. After the fiber is secured, the spring is decompressed to maintain tension on the fiber while it is being rotated. This assures that the fiber remains aligned along the axis of rotation. The fiber assembly is placed in the culture vessel and culture medium is added. The culture vessel is then inserted into the rotatable portion of the clinostat and subjected to rotate at selected rpms. The internal diameter of the hollow fiber determines the distance the cells are from the axis of rotation.

[Kinetic study of neutrophil and macrophage cell reproduction and differentiation in the common frog at different seasons of the year].

PubMed

Goryshina, E N

1980-07-01

A supposed life-span of hemosiderin-containing macrophages in the frog spleen has been described on the basis of their morphology, changes in the number of nuclei, and results of autoradiographic studies of DNA synthesis in various seasons. The hibernating stages of the lines are hemocytoblasts, mononuclear and moderately polynuclear macrophages, which renew the phagocytosis and nuclear division at the beginning of spring. A new population of monomuclear macrophages develops from hemocytoblasts during spring. Large polynuclear forms appear during spring and summer, reach their maximal size and erythrophagocytotic activity towards the end of summer, and die in winter. The most part of the stored pigments is removed from the spleen. DNA synthesis and division occur asynchronously in the nuclei of one cell. Some pathologic forms of macrophages are described. The similarity in the proliferation cell kinetics of neutrophilic and macrophagal lines confirms a close relation between the two. The role of temperature and photoperiod in the regulations of proliferative activity of these cells during spring is discussed.

Florida SpringBoard® Schools Efficacy Study. Statistical Report 2015-1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niu, Sunny; Li, Jun; Merriman, Jennifer; Matos-Elefonte, Haifa

2015-01-01

In this study, we compare SpringBoard® (SB) schools that had continuously used the SB English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum for at least three years with comparable non-SB schools. For high schools, the outcomes examined were school-level AP® participation and performance for a) all AP subjects, b) ELA and social science AP subjects, and c) ELA…

| Earthscope

Science.gov Websites

Array Funded Projects Geochronology Synthesis Workshops Scientific Publications Science Nuggets ES Synthesis Workshop 06-12 | 06-14 IRIS Workshop: Foundations, Frontiers, and Future Facilities for Seismology 06-15 | Call for Science Nuggets this spring! 07-26 | 07-28 Midcontinent Rift Synthesis Workshop See

Thermal conductor for high-energy electrochemical cells

DOEpatents

Hoffman, Joseph A.; Domroese, Michael K.; Lindeman, David D.; Radewald, Vern E.; Rouillard, Roger; Trice, Jennifer L.

2000-01-01

A thermal conductor for use with an electrochemical energy storage device is disclosed. The thermal conductor is attached to one or both of the anode and cathode contacts of an electrochemical cell. A resilient portion of the conductor varies in height or position to maintain contact between the conductor and an adjacent wall structure of a containment vessel in response to relative movement between the conductor and the wall structure. The thermal conductor conducts current into and out of the electrochemical cell and conducts thermal energy between the electrochemical cell and thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed between the conductor and the wall structure. The thermal conductor may be fabricated to include a resilient portion having one of a substantially C-shaped, double C-shaped, Z-shaped, V-shaped, O-shaped, S-shaped, or finger-shaped cross-section. An elastomeric spring element may be configured so as to be captured by the resilient conductor for purposes of enhancing the functionality of the thermal conductor. The spring element may include a protrusion that provides electrical insulation between the spring conductor and a spring conductor of an adjacently disposed electrochemical cell in the presence of relative movement between the cells and the wall structure. The thermal conductor may also be fabricated from a sheet of electrically conductive material and affixed to the contacts of a number of electrochemical cells.

An efficient biological pathway layout algorithm combining grid-layout and spring embedder for complicated cellular location information

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Graph drawing is one of the important techniques for understanding biological regulations in a cell or among cells at the pathway level. Among many available layout algorithms, the spring embedder algorithm is widely used not only for pathway drawing but also for circuit placement and www visualization and so on because of the harmonized appearance of its results. For pathway drawing, location information is essential for its comprehension. However, complex shapes need to be taken into account when torus-shaped location information such as nuclear inner membrane, nuclear outer membrane, and plasma membrane is considered. Unfortunately, the spring embedder algorithm cannot easily handle such information. In addition, crossings between edges and nodes are usually not considered explicitly. Results We proposed a new grid-layout algorithm based on the spring embedder algorithm that can handle location information and provide layouts with harmonized appearance. In grid-layout algorithms, the mapping of nodes to grid points that minimizes a cost function is searched. By imposing positional constraints on grid points, location information including complex shapes can be easily considered. Our layout algorithm includes the spring embedder cost as a component of the cost function. We further extend the layout algorithm to enable dynamic update of the positions and sizes of compartments at each step. Conclusions The new spring embedder-based grid-layout algorithm and a spring embedder algorithm are applied to three biological pathways; endothelial cell model, Fas-induced apoptosis model, and C. elegans cell fate simulation model. From the positional constraints, all the results of our algorithm satisfy location information, and hence, more comprehensible layouts are obtained as compared to the spring embedder algorithm. From the comparison of the number of crossings, the results of the grid-layout-based algorithm tend to contain more crossings than those of the spring embedder algorithm due to the positional constraints. For a fair comparison, we also apply our proposed method without positional constraints. This comparison shows that these results contain less crossings than those of the spring embedder algorithm. We also compared layouts of the proposed algorithm with and without compartment update and verified that latter can reach better local optima. PMID:20565884

Resistance to alveolar shape change limits range of force propagation in lung parenchyma.

PubMed

Ma, Baoshun; Smith, Bradford J; Bates, Jason H T

2015-06-01

We have recently shown that if the lung parenchyma is modeled in 2 dimensions as a network of springs arranged in a pattern of repeating hexagonal cells, the distortional forces around a contracting airway propagate much further from the airway wall than classic continuum theory predicts. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that this occurs because of the negligible shear modulus of a hexagonal spring network. We simulated the narrowing of an airway embedded in a hexagonal network of elastic alveolar walls when the hexagonal cells of the network offered some resistance to a change in shape. We found that as the forces resisting shape change approach about 10% of the forces resisting length change of an individual spring the range of distortional force propagation in the spring network fell of rapidly as in an elastic continuum. We repeated these investigations in a 3-dimensional spring network composed of space-filling polyhedral cells and found similar results. This suggests that force propagation away from a point of local parenchymal distortion also falls off rapidly in real lung tissue. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heat tolerance and expression of protein synthesis elongation factors, EF-Tu and EF-1a, in spring wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Protein elongation factors, EF-Tu and EF-1a, have been implicated in cell response to heat stress. In spring wheat, EF-Tu displays chaperone activity and reduces thermal aggregation of Rubisco activase. Similarly, in mammalian cells, EF-1a displays chaperone-like activity and regulates the expressio...

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-07-01

Astronaut Donald Thomas conducts the Fertilization and Embryonic Development of Japanese Newt in Space (AstroNewt) experiment at the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) inside the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 (IML-2) science module. The AstroNewt experiment aims to know the effects of gravity on the early developmental process of fertilized eggs using a unique aquatic animal, the Japanese red-bellied newt. The newt egg is a large single cell at the begirning of development. The Japanese newt mates in spring and autumn. In late autumn, female newts enter hibernation with sperm in their body cavity and in spring lay eggs and fertilize them with the stored sperm. The experiment takes advantage of this feature of the newt. Groups of newts were sent to the Kennedy Space Center and kept in hibernation until the mission. The AAEU cassettes carried four newts aboard the Space Shuttle. Two newts in one cassette are treated by hormone injection on the ground to simulate egg laying. The other two newts are treated on orbit by the crew. The former group started maturization of eggs before launch. The effects of gravity on that early process were differentiated by comparison of the two groups. The IML-2 was the second in a series of Spacelab flights designed to conduct research by the international science community in a microgravity environment. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the IML-2 was launched on July 8, 1994 aboard the STS-65 Space Shuttle mission, Orbiter Columbia.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-07-01

Astronaut Donald Thomas conducts the Fertilization and Embryonic Development of Japanese Newt in Space (AstroNewt) experiment at the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) inside the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 (IML-2) science module. The AstroNewt experiment aims to know the effects of gravity on the early developmental process of fertilized eggs using a unique aquatic animal, the Japanese red-bellied newt. The newt egg is a large single cell at the begirning of development. The Japanese newt mates in spring and autumn. In late autumn, female newts enter hibernation with sperm in their body cavity and in spring lay eggs and fertilized them with the stored sperm. The experiment takes advantage of this feature of the newt. Groups of newts were sent to the Kennedy Space Center and kept in hibernation until the mission. The AAEU cassettes carried four newts aboard the Space Shuttle. Two newts in one cassette are treated by hormone injection on the ground to simulate egg laying. The other two newts are treated on orbit by the crew. The former group started maturization of eggs before launch. The effects of gravity on that early process were differentiated by comparison of the two groups. The IML-2 was the second in a series of Spacelab flights designed to conduct research by the international science community in a microgravity environment. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the IML-2 was launch on July 8, 1994 aboard the STS-65 Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia mission.

Measuring Classroom Assessment Practice Using Instructional Artifacts: A Validation Study of the QAS Notebook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Jose Felipe; Borko, Hilda; Stecher, Brian; Luskin, Rebecca; Kloser, Matt

2012-01-01

We report the results of a pilot validation study of the Quality Assessment in Science Notebook, a portfolio-like instrument for measuring teacher assessment practices in middle school science classrooms. A statewide sample of 42 teachers collected 2 notebooks during the school year, corresponding to science topics taught in the fall and spring.…

A case for ancient springs in Arabia Terra, Mars.

PubMed

Allen, Carlton C; Oehler, Dorothy Z

2008-12-01

Based on new image data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a case can be made that several structures in Vernal Crater, Arabia Terra are ancient springs. This interpretation is based on comprehensive geomorphologic analysis coupled with assessment of multiple hypotheses. The structures identified extend across several kilometers and are exceptional in that nothing with their detail and scale has been reported from Mars. The deposits are associated with an extensive fracture system that may have facilitated upward flow of warm fluids. Several additional spring-like features occur in Vernal Crater, and it is possible that these are part of a major province of spring activity. Since springs are environments where life could have evolved on Mars, where that life could have found refuge as the climate became colder and drier, and where signatures of that life may be preserved, Vernal Crater may be a site of major astrobiological importance.

Metazoan tRNA introns generate stable circular RNAs in vivo.

PubMed

Lu, Zhipeng; Filonov, Grigory S; Noto, John J; Schmidt, Casey A; Hatkevich, Talia L; Wen, Ying; Jaffrey, Samie R; Matera, A Gregory

2015-09-01

We report the discovery of a class of abundant circular noncoding RNAs that are produced during metazoan tRNA splicing. These transcripts, termed tRNA intronic circular (tric)RNAs, are conserved features of animal transcriptomes. Biogenesis of tricRNAs requires anciently conserved tRNA sequence motifs and processing enzymes, and their expression is regulated in an age-dependent and tissue-specific manner. Furthermore, we exploited this biogenesis pathway to develop an in vivo expression system for generating "designer" circular RNAs in human cells. Reporter constructs expressing RNA aptamers such as Spinach and Broccoli can be used to follow the transcription and subcellular localization of tricRNAs in living cells. Owing to the superior stability of circular vs. linear RNA isoforms, this expression system has a wide range of potential applications, from basic research to pharmaceutical science. © 2015 Lu et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

Geological Education and the Senior Citizen.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkin, Robert P.

1982-01-01

Although most educational programs for senior citizens emphasize arts and crafts, model science programs designed specifically for seniors, emphasizing geological science, have been developed at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs). The programs have been well received and can be useful in integrating or mainstreaming seniors into the…

Literary Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrison, Megan R.

2000-01-01

Explains the use of literacy in science education. Uses "Silent Spring", a book on environmental issues, to encourage students to think about the role of water in balancing the earth's system and possible actions against environmental concerns. Creates an environment for students to discuss their knowledge on the use of the pesticide…

Tile Drainage Nitrate Losses and Corn Yield Response to Fall and Spring Nitrogen Management.

PubMed

Pittelkow, Cameron M; Clover, Matthew W; Hoeft, Robert G; Nafziger, Emerson D; Warren, Jeffery J; Gonzini, Lisa C; Greer, Kristin D

2017-09-01

Nitrogen (N) management strategies that maintain high crop productivity with reduced water quality impacts are needed for tile-drained landscapes of the US Midwest. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of N application rate, timing, and fall nitrapyrin addition on tile drainage nitrate losses, corn ( L.) yield, N recovery efficiency, and postharvest soil nitrate content over 3 yr in a corn-soybean [ (L.) Merr.] rotation. In addition to an unfertilized control, the following eight N treatments were applied as anhydrous ammonia in a replicated, field-scale experiment with both corn and soybean phases present each year in Illinois: fall and spring applications of 78, 156, and 234 kg N ha, fall application of 156 kg N ha + nitrapyrin, and sidedress (V5-V6) application of 156 kg N ha. Across the 3-yr study period, increases in flow-weighted NO concentrations were found with increasing N rate for fall and spring N applications, whereas N load results were variable. At the same N rate, spring vs. fall N applications reduced flow-weighted NO concentrations only in the corn-soybean-corn rotation. Fall nitrapyrin and sidedress N treatments did not decrease flo8w-weighted NO concentrations in either rotation compared with fall and spring N applications, respectively, or increase corn yield, crop N uptake, or N recovery efficiency in any year. This study indicates that compared with fall N application, spring and sidedress N applications (for corn-soybean-corn) and sidedress N applications (for soybean-corn-soybean) reduced 3-yr mean flow-weighted NO concentrations while maintaining yields. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Microscopic physical biomarkers in carbonate hot springs: implications in the search for life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, C. C.; Albert, F. G.; Chafetz, H. S.; Combie, J.; Graham, C. R.; Kieft, T. L.; Kivett, S. J.; McKay, D. S.; Steele, A.; Taunton, A. E.;

Stream temperature medelling and fibre optic distributed temperature sensing to quantify groundwater discharge in the Ngongotaha Stream, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moridnejad, Maryam; Cameron, Stewart; Shamseldin, Asaad; Ward, Nick Dudley; Verhagen, Floris

2015-04-01

To characterize stream/groundwater interaction, fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (FODTS) was deployed over a 1 km reach in the Ngongotaha Stream, Rotorua, New Zealand in January 2013. The cable was deployed at the streambed near the left and right banks as the groundwater fed springs discharge laterally at both banks. Temperature profiles measured by FODTS were used to identify the location of springs using a constant temperature method (20 min averaged temperature data) (Lowry et al., 2007; Matheswaran et al., 2014; Selker et al., 2006a) and a standard deviation of diurnal temperature method (Lowry et al., 2007; Matheswaran et al., 2014). Both methods identified 13 individual springs at the right and left banks in an approximately 115 m reach. The left and right bank temperature profiles showed that full mixing of the spring and stream water does not occur between most of the springs due to their close spacing. Groundwater discharge quantification based on FODTS data is typically made using a simple steady state thermal mixing model (Briggs et al., 2012a; Selker et al.,2006a; Westhoff et al., 2007). This formula is not applicable in streams like the Ngongotaha where springs are closely spaced and groundwater and surface water are not well mixed between springs. To address this issue, a new approach was developed in this study in which a one dimensional heat transport model was fitted to the FODTS measurements, where the main calibration parameters of interest were the unknown spring discharges. Datasets of measured temperatures at the left and right bank were transformed to a new single dataset using a weighted average where the weights reflect the degree of mixing downstream of a spring. Model calibration helped to find the optimum value of the weights in the springs section. For a spring on the left bank the weighted average was skewed towards the left bank data, and vice-versa for a right bank spring. Upstream of the spring section, a non-weighted average was applied. Streamflow gauging upstream and downstream of the study reach showed that the stream gains ~ 500 L/s from groundwater which was used to find the mixing ratios of the left and right banks. The new model allowed the spring discharge to be quantified in the complex hydrogeological setting. The results showed consistency with the findings of previous study in the Ngongotaha Stream catchment (Kov'ǎcov'a et al., 2008). Refrences Briggs, M. A., Lautz, L. K., McKenzie, J. M., 2012a. A comparison of fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing to traditional methods of evaluating groundwater inflow to streams. Hydrological Processes 26 (9), 1277-1290. Kov'ǎcov'a, E., White, P., (N.Z.), G. S., Staff, G. S. N., 2008. Groundwater Catchments for Individual Springs in Ngongotaha andWaiowhiro Surface Catchments, Lake Rotorua. GNS Science report. GNS Science. Lowry, C. S., Walker, J. F., Hunt, R. J., Anderson, M. P., 2007. Identifying spatial variability of groundwater discharge in a wetland stream using a distributed temperature sensor. Water Resources Research 43 (10). Matheswaran, K., Blemmer, M., Rosbjerg, D., Boegh, E., 2014. Seasonal variations in groundwater upwelling zones in a danish lowland stream analyzed using distributed temperature sensing (dts). Hydrological Processes 28 (3), 1422-1435. Selker, J., van de Giesen, N., Westhoff, M., Luxemburg, W., Parlange, M. B., 2006a. Fiber optics opens window on stream dynamics. Geophysical Research Letters 33 (24). Westhoff, M. C., Savenije, H. H. G., Luxemburg, W. M. J. ., Stelling, G. S., van de Giesen, N. C., Selker, J. S., Pfister, L., Uhlenbrook, S., 2007. A distributed stream temperature model using high resolution temperature observations. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11 (4), 1469-1480.

Crossword Puzzles as Learning Tools in Introductory Soil Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbarick, K. A.

2010-01-01

Students in introductory courses generally respond favorably to novel approaches to learning. To this end, I developed and used three crossword puzzles in spring and fall 2009 semesters in Introductory Soil Science Laboratory at Colorado State University. The first hypothesis was that crossword puzzles would improve introductory soil science…

Determination of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Level of Awareness of Environmental Ethics in Relation to Different Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keles, Özgül; Özer, Nilgün

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to determine the pre-service science teachers' awareness levels of environmental ethics in relation to different variables. The sampling of the present study is comprised of 1,023 third and fourth year pre-service science teachers selected from 12 different universities in the spring term of 2013-2014 academic…

76 FR 24974 - Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Science Research and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-03

... 7, 2011..... 8 a.m.-5 p.m..... L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Neurobiology-C June 8, 2011..... 6 p.m.-10 p.m.... Crowne Plaza DC/Silver Spring. June 9-10, 2011.. 8 a.m.-5 p.m..... Crowne Plaza Hotel Silver Spring. Mental Health and Behav Sci-A. June 9, 2011..... 8 a.m.-5 p.m..... L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. The addresses of...

Air and Space Power Journal. Volume 17, Number 1, Spring 2003

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

Targeting: New Sciences Provide Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Col Robert W. Freniere, USAF Cmdr John Q... effects . Secretary Rumsfeld summed up the task ahead when he said the US military must be prepared “to defend our nation against the unknown, the...in Los Angeles, Califor­ nia, on 15 November 2002. 11 12 AIR & SPACE POWER JOURNAL SPRING 2003 can to maximize the effectiveness of our space

Smith college secondary math and science outreach program

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

Powell, J.A.; Clark, C.

1994-12-31

The Smith College Secondary Math and Science Outreach Program works collaboratively with front-line educators to encourage young women students of all abilities, especially underrepresented and underserved minorities, to continue studying math and science throughout high school. The program includes three main components: (1) Twenty-five to thirty teams of math/science teachers and guidance counselors participate in a year-long program which begins with a three-day Current Students/Future Scientists and Engineering Workshop. This event includes a keynote address, presentations and workshops by successful women in science and engineering, and hands-on laboratory sessions. Each participant receives a stipend and free room and board. Returningmore » to their schools, the teacher-counselor teams implement ongoing plans designed to counteract gender bias in the sciences and to alert female students to the broad range of math, science, and engineering career choices open to them. A follow-up session in the spring allows the teams to present and discuss their year-long activities. (2) TRI-ON, a day of science for 120 ninth- and tenth- grade girls from schools with a large underserved and underrepresented population, is held in early spring. Girls discover the excitement of laboratory investigation and interact with female college science and math majors. (3) Teaching Internships, initiated in 1991, involve ten to fifteen Smith College math and science majors in teaching in public schools. The teaching interns experience the rewards and challenges of classroom teaching, and they also serve as role models for younger students.« less

Radioprotective Effects of Sulfur-containing Mineral Water of Ramsar Hot Spring with High Natural Background Radiation on Mouse Bone Marrow Cells.

PubMed

Heidari, A H; Shabestani Monfared, A; Mozdarani, H; Mahmoudzadeh, A; Razzaghdoust, A

2017-12-01

We intend to study the inhibitory effect of sulfur compound in Ramsar hot spring mineral on tumor-genesis ability of high natural background radiation. The radioprotective effect of sulfur compounds was previously shown on radiation-induced chromosomal aberration, micronuclei in mouse bone marrow cells and human peripheral lymphocyte. Ramsar is known for having the highest level of natural background radiation on Earth. This study was performed to show the radioprotective effect of sulfur-containing Ramsar mineral water on mouse bone marrow cells. Mice were fed three types of water (drinking water, Ramsar radioactive water containing sulfur and Ramsar radioactive water whose sulfur was removed). Ten days after feeding, mice were irradiated by gamma rays (0, 2 and 4 Gy). 48 and 72 hours after irradiating, mice were killed and femurs were removed. Frequency of micronuclei was determined in bone marrow erythrocytes. A significant reduction was shown in the rate of micronuclei polychromatic erythrocyte in sulfur-containing hot spring water compared to sulfur-free water in hot spring mineral water. Gamma irradiation induced significant increases in micronuclei polychromatic erythrocyte (MNPCE) and decreases in polychromatic erythrocyte/polychromatic erythrocyte + normochromatic erythrocyte ratio (PCEs/PCEs+NCEs) (P < 0.001) in sulfur-containing hot spring water compared to sulfur-free hot spring mineral water. Also, apparently there was a significant difference between drinking water and sulfur-containing hot spring water in micronuclei polychromatic erythrocyte and polychromatic erythrocyte/polychromatic erythrocyte+ normochromatic erythrocyte ratio. The results indicate that sulfur-containing mineral water could result in a significant reduction in radiation-induced micronuclei representing the radioprotective effect of sulfur compounds.

Microbes Characteristics in Groundwater Flow System in Mountainous Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Chisato; Tsujimura, Maki; Kato, Kenji; Sakakibara, Koichi; Ogawa, Mahiro; Sugiyama, Ayumi; Nagaosa, Kazuyo

2017-04-01

We focus on a possibility of microbes as a tracer for groundwater flow investigation. Some previous papers showed that the total number of prokaryotes in groundwater has correlation with depth and geology (Parkes et al., 1994; Griebler et al., 2009; Kato et al., 2012). However, there are few studies investigating both microbe characteristics and groundwater flow system. Therefore, we investigated a relationship between the total number of prokaryotes and age of spring water and groundwater. Intensive field survey was conducted at four mountainous areas, namely Mt. Fuji (volcano), a headwater at Mt. Setohachi, a headwater at River Oi and a headwater at River Nagano underlain by volcanic lava at Mt. Fuji, granite at Mt. Setohachi and sedimentary rock at River Oi and River Nagano. We collected totally 40 spring water/ groundwater samples in these mountainous areas in October 2015, August, October and November 2016 and analyzed concentration of inorganic ions, the stable isotopes of oxygen - 18, deuterium, CFCs and SF6. Also, we counted prokaryotic cells under the epifluorescence microscopy after fixation and filteration. The total number of prokaryotes in the spring water/ groundwater ranged from 1.0×102 to 7.0×103cells mL-1 at the Mt. Fuji, 1.3×104 to 2.7×105cells mL-1 at Mt. Setohachi, 3.1×104cells mL-1 at River Oi and 1.8×105 to 3.2×106cells mL-1 at River Nagano. The SF6 age of the spring water/ groundwater ranged from 8 to 64 years at Mt. Fuji, 2 to 32.5 years at Mt. Setohachi, 2.5 years at River Oi and 15 to 16 years at River Nagano. The total number of prokaryotes showed a clear negative correlation with residence time of spring water/ groundwater in all regions. Especially the prokaryotes number increased in the order of 102 cells mL-1 with decreasing of residence time in approximately 10 years in the groundwater and spring water with the age less than 15 years.

Site-based data curation based on hot spring geobiology

PubMed Central

Palmer, Carole L.; Thomer, Andrea K.; Baker, Karen S.; Wickett, Karen M.; Hendrix, Christie L.; Rodman, Ann; Sigler, Stacey; Fouke, Bruce W.

2017-01-01

Site-Based Data Curation (SBDC) is an approach to managing research data that prioritizes sharing and reuse of data collected at scientifically significant sites. The SBDC framework is based on geobiology research at natural hot spring sites in Yellowstone National Park as an exemplar case of high value field data in contemporary, cross-disciplinary earth systems science. Through stakeholder analysis and investigation of data artifacts, we determined that meaningful and valid reuse of digital hot spring data requires systematic documentation of sampling processes and particular contextual information about the site of data collection. We propose a Minimum Information Framework for recording the necessary metadata on sampling locations, with anchor measurements and description of the hot spring vent distinct from the outflow system, and multi-scale field photography to capture vital information about hot spring structures. The SBDC framework can serve as a global model for the collection and description of hot spring systems field data that can be readily adapted for application to the curation of data from other kinds scientifically significant sites. PMID:28253269

Constructing a scientist: expert authority and public images of Rachel Carson.

PubMed

Hecht, David K

2011-01-01

This article uses the voluminous public discourse around Rachel Carson and her controversial bestseller "Silent Spring" to explore Americans' views on science and scientists. Carson provides a particularly interesting case study because of intense and public debates over whether she was a scientist at all, and therefore whether her book should be granted legitimacy as science. Her career defied easy classification, as she acted variously as writer, activist, and environmentalist in addition to scientist. Defending her work as legitimate science, which many though not all commentators did, therefore became an act of defining what both science and scientists could and should be. This article traces the variety of nonscientific images and narratives readers and writers assigned to Carson, such as 'reluctant crusader' and 'scientist-poet'. It argues that nonscientific attributes were central to legitimating her as both admirable person and admirable scientist. It explores how debates over "Silent Spring" can be usefully read as debates over the desirability of putatively nonscientific attributes in the professional work of a scientist. And it examines the nature of Carson's very democratized image for changing notions of science and scientists in 1960s United States politics and culture.

Clinical Course of Homozygous Hemoglobin Constant Spring in Pediatric Patients.

PubMed

Komvilaisak, Patcharee; Jetsrisuparb, Arunee; Fucharoen, Goonnapa; Komwilaisak, Ratana; Jirapradittha, Junya; Kiatchoosakun, Pakaphan

2018-04-17

Hemoglobin (Hb) Constant Spring is an alpha-globin gene variant due to a mutation of the stop codon resulting in the elongation of the encoded polypeptide from 141 to 172 amino acid residues. Patients with homozygous Hb Constant Spring are usually mildly anemic. We retrospectively describe clinical manifestations, diagnosis, laboratory investigations, treatment, and associated findings in pediatric patients with homozygous Hb Constant Spring followed-up at Srinagarind Hospital. Sixteen pediatric cases (5 males and 11 females) were diagnosed in utero (N=6) or postnatal (n=10). Eleven cases were diagnosed with homozygous Hb Constant Spring, 4 with homozygous Hb Constant Spring with heterozygous Hb E, and 1 with homozygous Hb Constant Spring with homozygous Hb E. Three cases were delivered preterm. Six patients had low birth weights. Clinical manifestations included fetal anemia in 6 cases, hepatomegaly in 1 case, hepatosplenomegaly in 2 cases, splenomegaly in 1 case. Twelve cases exhibited early neonatal jaundice, 9 of which required phototherapy. Six cases received red cell transfusions; 1 (3), >1 (3). After the first few months of life, almost all patients had mild microcytic hypochromic anemia and an increased reticulocyte count with a wide red cell distribution (RDW), but no longer required red cell transfusion. At 1 to 2 years of age, some patients still had mild microcytic hypochromic anemia and some had normocytic hypochromic anemia with Hb around 10 g/dL, increased reticulocyte count and wide RDW. Associated findings included hypothyroidism (2), congenital heart diseases (4), genitourinary abnormalities (3), gastrointestinal abnormalities (2), and developmental delay (1). Pediatric patients with homozygous Hb Constant Spring developed severe anemia in utero and up to the age of 2 to 3 months postnatal, requiring blood transfusions. Subsequently, their anemia was mild with no evidence of hepatosplenomegaly. Their Hb level was above 9 g/dL with hypochromic microcytic blood pictures as well as wide RDW. Blood transfusions have not been necessary since then.

MSaTERs: Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators & Researchers of The Ohio State University. Proceedings of the Annual Spring Conference (3rd, Columbus, OH, May 15, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costner, Kelly M., Ed.; Reed, Michelle K., Ed.

The Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators and Researchers of The Ohio State University (MSaTERs-OSU) is a student organization that grew out of the former OSU Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OSU-CTM). Papers from the third annual conference include: (1) "Gender, Ethnicity, and Science" (Terry Arambula-Greenfield); (2)…

Active elastic dimers: cells moving on rigid tracks.

PubMed

Lopez, J H; Das, Moumita; Schwarz, J M

2014-09-01

Experiments suggest that the migration of some cells in the three-dimensional extracellular matrix bears strong resemblance to one-dimensional cell migration. Motivated by this observation, we construct and study a minimal one-dimensional model cell made of two beads and an active spring moving along a rigid track. The active spring models the stress fibers with their myosin-driven contractility and α-actinin-driven extendability, while the friction coefficients of the two beads describe the catch and slip-bond behaviors of the integrins in focal adhesions. In the absence of active noise, net motion arises from an interplay between active contractility (and passive extendability) of the stress fibers and an asymmetry between the front and back of the cell due to catch-bond behavior of integrins at the front of the cell and slip-bond behavior of integrins at the back. We obtain reasonable cell speeds with independently estimated parameters. We also study the effects of hysteresis in the active spring, due to catch-bond behavior and the dynamics of cross linking, and the addition of active noise on the motion of the cell. Our model highlights the role of α-actinin in three-dimensional cell motility and does not require Arp2/3 actin filament nucleation for net motion.

Learning to Provide 3D Virtual Reference: A Library Science Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Megan; Purpur, Geraldine; Abbott, Lisa T.

2009-01-01

In spring semester 2009, two of the authors taught LIB 5020--Information Sources & Services to graduate library science students at Appalachian State University. The course covers information seeking patterns and provides an overview of reference services. The course is also designed to examine and evaluate library reference materials and…

Navigator. Volume 45, Number 3, Spring 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Science Education Leadership Association, 2009

2009-01-01

The National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) was formed in 1959 to meet a need to develop science education leadership for K-16 school systems. "Navigator" is published by NSELA to provide the latest NSELA events. This issue of "Navigator" includes the following items: (1) A Message from the President (Brenda Wojnowski); (2) NSELA…

Future Think Program, San Jose City College, Spring Semester, 1974: Final Report of Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DCM Associates, San Francisco, CA.

San Jose City College's Future Think Program consists of the following courses: Language, Culture, and Change; Third World Since 1945; Marriage and Family; Ecology and Man; Science Fiction; Introduction to Literature: Science Fiction; Introduction to Sociology; and Sociology/Fiction of the Future. An evaluation by an independent consulting firm…

Shadows on the Internet. Teaching Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leyden, Michael

1997-01-01

Describes a world-wide science project aiming to help students measure the absence of light. The project is accomplished through the Internet. On the first day of Spring, students from all over the world will measure their shadows (absence of light) and use the information to compare and contrast data with that of other students participating in…

NASA Tech Briefs, Spring/Summer 1982. Volume 6, No. 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Topics covered include: NASA TU Services: Technology Utilization services that can assist you in learning about and applying NASA technology. New Product Ideas: A summary of selected innovations of value to manufacturers for the development of new products; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences; Mechanics; and Machinery.

USSR and Eastern Europe Scientific Abstracts, Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences, Number 85

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-01-12

OF INVESTIGATION OF SAMPLES OF SPRING WHEAT OF THE WORLD -WIDE COLLECTION OF THE ALL-UNION SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE...Institute of Agri- culture on about 2,000 specimens of spring wheat from 50 nations of the world taken from the collection of the Ail-Union Scientific...for 2-3 weeks, while leukemoid reactions during other diseases were found much less frequently. In $k.1% of the patients with eosinophilia

Basic Biological Concepts: What Should the World's Children Know? Proceedings from the International Union of Biological Sciences and the Commission for Biological Education (IUBS/CBE) Symposium (Colorado Springs, Colorado, August 30-September 5, 1992).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWethy, Patricia J., Ed.

Science is not a phenomenon restricted to one group of people. Instead it is something that is experienced by all, though often its form is unrecognized. Because science is experienced by many, one would expect that different groups of people would share common experiences in science. In an effort to determine whether there are similarities in…

The Lassen Astrobiology Intern Program - Concept, Implementation and Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Des Marais, D. J.; Dueck, S. L.; Davis, H. B.; Parenteau, M. N.; Kubo, M. D.

2014-12-01

The program goal was to provide a hands-on astrobiology learning experience to high school students by introducing astrobiology and providing opportunities to conduct field and lab research with NASA scientists. The program sought to increase interest in interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, math and related careers. Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP), Red Bluff High School and the Ames Team of the NASA Astrobiology Institute led the program. LVNP was selected because it shares aspects of volcanism with Mars and it hosts thermal springs with microbial mat communities. Students documented volcanic deposits, springs and microbial mats. They analyzed waters and sampled rocks, water and microorganisms. They cultured microorganisms and studied chemical reactions between rocks and simulated spring waters. Each student prepared a report to present data and discuss relationships between volcanic rocks and gases, spring waters and microbial mats. At a "graduation" event the students presented their findings to the Red Bluff community. They visited Ames Research Center to tour the facilities and learn about science and technology careers. To evaluate program impact, surveys were given to students after lectures, labs, fieldwork and discussions with Ames scientists. Students' work was scored using rubrics (labs, progress reports, final report, presentation). Students took pre/post tests on core astrobiology concepts. Parents, teachers, rangers, Ames staff and students completed end-of-year surveys on program impact. Several outcomes were documented. Students had a unique and highly valued learning experience with NASA scientists. They understood what scientists do through authentic scientific work, and what scientists are like as individuals. Students became knowledgeable about astrobiology and how it can be pursued in the lab and in the field. The students' interest increased markedly in astrobiology, interdisciplinary studies and science generally.

Assessment of Legionella pneumophila in recreational spring water with quantitative PCR (Taqman) assay.

PubMed

Shen, Shu-Min; Chou, Ming-Yuan; Hsu, Bing-Mu; Ji, Wen-Tsai; Hsu, Tsui-Kang; Tsai, Hsiu-Feng; Huang, Yu-Li; Chiu, Yi-Chou; Kao, Erl-Shyh; Kao, Po-Min; Fan, Cheng-Wei

2015-07-01

Legionella spp. are common in various natural and man-made aquatic environments. Recreational hot spring is frequently reported as an infection hotspot because of various factors such as temperature and humidity. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) had been used for detecting Legionella, several inhibitors such as humic substances, calcium, and melanin in the recreational spring water may interfere with the reaction thus resulting in risk underestimation. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiencies of conventional and Taqman quantitative PCR (qPCR) on detecting Legionella pneumophila in spring facilities and in receiving water. In the results, Taqman PCR had much better efficiency on specifying the pathogen in both river and spring samples. L. pneumophila was detected in all of the 27 river water samples and 45 of the 48 hot spring water samples. The estimated L. pneumophela concentrations ranged between 1.0 × 10(2) and 3.3 × 10(5) cells/l in river water and 72.1-5.7 × 10(6) cells/l in hot spring water. Total coliforms and turbidity were significantly correlated with concentrations of L. pneumophila in positive water samples. Significant difference was also found in water temperature between the presence/absence of L. pneumophila. Our results suggest that conventional PCR may be not enough for detecting L. pneumophila particularly in the aquatic environments full of reaction inhibitors.

Natural fluoride levels in some springs and streams from the late Maastrichtian Ajali formation in Ohafia-Arochukwu area of south eastern Nigeria.

PubMed

Ibe, K K; Adlegbembo, A O; Mafeni, J O; Danfillo, I S

1999-09-01

The aim of this study was to provide baseline data on the fluoride levels in waters associated with the late Maastrichtian Ajali formation in Ohafia-Arochukwu area of South Eastern Nigeria. Water samples from 14 artesian, perched springs and eight streams from the formation were collected with plastic containers. Fluoride analysis was carried out with inductively coupled plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) equipment at the laboratories of the Department of Earth Science, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. The results showed that fluoride occurred in only one of the 14 spring water samples. Fluoride level in the sample was 0.03 ppm. The spring water, which contained some fluoride, was possibly associated with another rock formation: namely, the limestone bearing Nsukka formation, which overlies the Ajali formation. No fluoride was observed in all the stream water samples. This study reported the absence of fluoride in spring and stream waters associated with the late Maastrichtian formations in Nigeria.

View from... JSAP Spring Meeting 2016: Ultrashort interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horiuchi, Noriaki

2016-06-01

At the 63rd Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics, scientists described how femtosecond laser pulses can be used to perform tasks such as quantum beat spectroscopy, control of magnetization, cell sorting and crystal growth.

The Effect of Peer Teaching on Mathematics Academic Achievement of the Undergraduate Students in Oman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdelkarim, Ra'ed; Abuiyada, Reem

2016-01-01

This study explored the effects of peer teaching on mathematics academic achievement of the undergraduate students in Oman. The sample of this study composed of (32) undergraduate female students enrolled in the course, "Mathematics for Social Sciences I" in Mathematics and Sciences Unit in Dhofar University in spring semester 2014-2015.…

The Role of Motivating Tasks and Personal Goal Orientations in Students' Coping Strategies in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subasi, Münevver; Tas, Yasemin

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate coping strategies of middle school students in science classes in relation to students' goal orientations and motivating tasks conducted in the classroom environment. The study was conducted in spring semester of 2015-2016 academic year. Sample of the study consists of 316 middle school students receiving education…

"You Need to Have a Street Beat": A Qualitative Study of Faculty Research Needs and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe-Gulick, Amalia; Valentine, Greta; Brooks-Kieffer, Jamene

2017-01-01

In the spring of 2015, 14 faculty members in social science or in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) spoke with a working group from the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries regarding their research needs and challenges. Their responses highlighted a dynamic research environment in which individual researchers desire to…

Teachers and Marine Education: A Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milkent, Marlene M.; And Others

A survey of Alabama and Mississippi high school science teachers was conducted in the spring of 1979 as an initial step in the Man and the Gulf of Mexico (MGM) marine education project. Most teachers surveyed had little or no formal coursework pertaining to the marine sciences. The teachers felt they did not have adequate knowledge for teaching…

Space Astrometry Science with Gaia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignard, Francois

2009-05-01

The European Space Agency has formally approved in spring 2006 the overall funding of its next space astrometry mission Gaia scheduled for a launch in spring 2012. The mission will create an extraordinarily precise three-dimensional map of about one billion stars throughout our Galaxy and beyond from repeated astrometric and photometric observations over about five years. End-of-mission expected accuracies in wide angle astrometry fall in the 7-25 muas range for start brighter than 15 mag and sub-mas at the faint end (20 mag). The science covered by Gaia is broad and extends from galactic and stellar astrophysics to solar systems dynamics and physics and the construction of an inertial frame in the visible with extragalactic sources. Fundamental physics with general relativity testing will also be a major product of the mission. In the presentation I will overview the Gaia science case, stressing more specifically the astrometric side of the expected results and provide few hints on the overall organisation of the data analysis entrusted to the Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC).

Silent Spring, the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s book

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Editorial David Pimentel is a professor of ecology and agricultural sciences at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853–0901. His Ph.D. is from Cornell University and had postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago, MIT, and fellowship at Oxford University (England). He was awarded a distinguished honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts. His research spans the fields of energy, population ecology, biological pest control, pesticides, sustainable agriculture, land and water conservation, livestock, and environmental policy. Pimentel has published more than 700 scientific papers and 37 books and has served on many national and government committees including the National Academy of Sciences; President’s Science Advisory Council; U.S Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare; Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress; and the U.S. State Department. He is currently Editorial Advisor for BMC Ecology. In this article, he reflects on 50 years since the publication of Rachel Carson’s influential book, Silent Spring. PMID:23016519

Growth and Mortality of Coccolithophores during spring in the Celtic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayers, K.; Poulton, A. J.; Giering, S. L. C.; Daniels, C. J.; Wells, S. R.; Tarran, G.

2016-02-01

Coccolithophores are an important group of single celled protists which dominate pelagic calcite production, however little is currently known about the mortality rates within this group, or their importance in shelf seas regarding productivity and nutrient recycling. Measurements of coccolithophore calcification and cellular calcite quotas, as well as dilution experiments for microzooplankton grazing rates, were made during a spring cruise (April, 2015) in the Celtic Sea (NW European Shelf) and within an April bloom of Emiliania huxleyi. Calcite production and coccolithophore cell numbers showed a general positive trend throughout the progression of the spring bloom, ranging from 15 - 34µmol C m-3d-1 and 6 - 94 cells ml-1. Cell normalised calcification rates declined from 3 - 0.6 pmol C cell-1d-1 due to a shift from a mixed community to an E. huxleyi dominated one. Within the E. huxleyi bloom we recorded high daily calcite production (6049 µmol C m-3d-1) and cell normalised calcification of 3 pmol C cell-1d-1. This is significantly higher than E. huxleyi dominated sites in the Iceland Basin and more similar to a bloom on the Patagonian Shelf. Within the E. huxleyi bloom, mortality rates were 0.23 d-1 compared with growth rates of 0.29 d-1, meaning 80% of daily calcification was removed by grazers. In this study, coccolithophore mortality rates are presented from the central Celtic Sea throughout spring, and compared with an April E. huxleyi bloom in terms of species composition, trends in calcite production and composition of the phytoplankton community. These observations will potentially elucidate the role grazing plays in the fate of calcium carbonate, bloom formation and community composition.

Spring and fall bloom evolutions estimated from 8 day composite satellite chlorophyll data in the East/Japan Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, B.; Cho, Y.; Kim, S.; Kim, K.

2012-12-01

Bong-Guk Kim1, Yang-Ki Cho1, Sangil Kim2, Kwang-Yul, Kim1 1 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea 2 College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA To understand the ocean carbon cycle, estimating the ocean biomass is necessary and it has been done by various methods. Satellite observation is one of beneficial methods to investigate ocean biomass. Satellite data enable us to monitor chlorophyll-a for wide area with high resolution and frequency. The East/Japan Sea, which called as 'miniature ocean' due to its rapid turnover circulation, is one of the most productive ocean. With the concerning global warming, a number of studies on temporal and spatial distribution of satellite chlorophyll in the East/Japan Sea have been processed. However, most of these studies have used monthly data set which can not resolve detail evolution of chlorophyll-a. In this study, detail evolutions of spring and fall bloom are investigated by the CSEOF (Cyclo-Stationary EOF) analysis of 8-day composite MODIS chlorophyll data from July 2002 to February 2012. For the CSEOF analysis, optimal interpolation (OI) method was applied to fill the blank data which is critical problem in satellite data. Spring bloom started at western Japanese coast on 57th day of the year. And it gradually moves eastern coast of Korean and then moves to northern Primorye coast. Spring bloom spreads entire the East/Japan Sea on 113th day of the year and then, it disappears from the southern East/Japan Sea. Spring bloom ends in the northern East/Japan Sea. In the case of fall bloom, it starts at Korean coast on 265th day of the year, and it moves to the north along the Korean coast by 329th day of the year. After that day, fall bloom ends near the northern coast of Korea on 353rd day of the year.

Fluoride content and distribution pattern in groundwater of eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou, China.

PubMed

Luo, Kunli; Liu, Yonglin; Li, Huijie

2012-02-01

For study, the fluoride (F) content and distribution pattern in groundwater of eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou fluorosis area in southwestern China, the F content of 93 water samples [groundwater (fissure water, cool spring, and hot springs), rivers water] and 60 rock samples were measured. The result shows the F content of the fissure water and cold spring water is 0.027-0.47 mg/L, and river water is 0.048-0.224 mg/L. The F content of hot spring water is 1.02-6.907 mg/L. The drinking water supplied for local resident is mainly from fissure water, cool spring, and river water. And the F content in all of them is much lower than the Chinese National Standard (1.0 mg/L), which is the safe intake of F in drinking water. The infected people in eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou fluorosis area have very little F intake from the drinking water. The hot spring water in fluorosis area of eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou, southwest China has high F content, which is not suitable for drinking. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Prioritizing conservation potential of arid-land montane natural springs and associated riparian areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, B.C.; Matusik-Rowan, P. L.; Boykin, K.G.

2002-01-01

Using inventory data and input from natural resource professionals, we developed a classification system that categorizes conservation potential for montane natural springs. This system contains 18 classes based on the presence of a riparian patch, wetland species, surface water, and evidence of human activity. We measured physical and biological components of 276 montane springs in the Oscura Mountains above 1450 m and the San Andres Mountains above 1300 m in southern New Mexico. Two of the 18 classes were not represented during the inventory, indicating the system applies to conditions beyond the montane springs in our study area. The class type observed most often (73 springs) had a riparian patch, perennial surface water, and human evidence. We assessed our system in relation to 13 other wetland and riparian classification systems regarding approach, area of applicability, intended users, validation, ease of use, and examination of system response. Our classification can be used to rapidly assess priority of conservation potential for isolated riparian sites, especially springs, in arid landscapes. We recommend (1) including this classification in conservation planning, (2) removing deleterious structures from high-priority sites, and (3) assessing efficiency and use of this classification scheme elsewhere. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Supraglacial sulfur springs and associated biological activity in the Canadian high arctic - signs of life beneath the ice

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grasby, Stephen E.; Allen, Carlton C.; Longazo, Teresa G.; Lisle, John T.; Griffin, Dale W.; Beauchamp, Benoit

2003-01-01

Unique springs, discharging from the surface of an arctic glacier, release H2S and deposit native sulfur, gypsum, and calcite. The presence of sulfur in three oxidation states indicates a complex series of redox reactions. Physical and chemical conditions of the spring water and surrounding environment, as well as mineralogical and isotopic signatures, suggest biologically mediated reactions. Cell counts and DNA analyses confirm bacteria are present in the spring system, and a limited number of sequenced isolates suggests that complex communities of bacteria live within the glacial system.

CHIMAERA System for Cloud Retrievals v 6.0.85

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wind, Galina; Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin; Arnold, Tom; King, Michael D.

2015-01-01

Organizers of the MODIS-VIIRS Science Team Meeting, held May 18-22, 2015 in Silver Spring, MD plan to post the presentations and posters to the NASA MODIS website: http:modis.gsfc.nasa.govsci_teammeetings201505index.php. The MODIS Science Team Meeting is held twice a year, so that the members of the science team may assemble and discuss data they have collected, ideas they have formed, and future issues that apply to the MODIS Mission.

BIOLAB experiment development status 2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinckmann, Enno; Manieri, Pierfilippo

2005-08-01

BIOLAB, ESA's major facility for biological Space research on the International Space Station (ISS), will accommodate the first two batches of experiments after its launch with the "Columbus" Laboratory (spring 2007). Seven experiments have been selected for development: three of the first batch have concluded Phase A/B with the testing of the breadboards, in which the main functions of the scientific studies can be simulated and defined for further inputs to the final design of the experiment hardware. The biological specimens of the first batch are scorpions, plant seedlings, bacteria suspensions and cell cultures of mammalian and invertebrate origin. The experiment protocols request demanding resources ranging from life support for the entire mission (90 days) to skilled crew operations and transport/storage in deep freezers. Even more sophisticated experiments are in preparation for the second batch, dealing with various cell culture systems. This presentation gives an overview about the experiment development status, whilst the science background and breadboard test results will be presented by the respective experiment teams.

Excess nitrogen in selected thermal and mineral springs of the Cascade Range in northern California, Oregon, and Washington: Sedimentary or volcanic in origin?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mariner, R.H.; Evans, William C.; Presser, T.S.; White, L.D.

2003-01-01

Anomalous N2/Ar values occur in many thermal springs and mineral springs, some volcanic fumaroles, and at least one acid-sulfate spring of the Cascade Range. Our data show that N2/Ar values are as high as 300 in gas from some of the hot springs, as high as 1650 in gas from some of the mineral springs, and as high as 2400 in gas from the acid-sulfate spring on Mt. Shasta. In contrast, gas discharging from hot springs that contain nitrogen and argon solely of atmospheric origin typically exhibits N2/Ar values of 40-80, depending on the spring temperature. If the excess nitrogen in the thermal and mineral springs is of sedimentary origin then the geothermal potential of the area must be small, but if the nitrogen is of volcanic origin then the geothermal potential must be very large. End-member excess nitrogen (??15N) is +5.3% for the thermal waters of the Oregon Cascades but is only about +1% for fumaroles on Mt. Hood and the acid-sulfate spring on Mt. Shasta. Dissolved nitrogen concentrations are highest for thermal springs associated with aquifers between 120 and 140??C. Chloride is the major anion in most of the nitrogen-rich springs of the Cascade Range, and N2/Ar values generally increase as chloride concentrations increase. Chloride and excess nitrogen in the thermal waters of the Oregon Cascades probably originate in an early Tertiary marine formation that has been buried by the late Tertiary and Quaternary lava flows of the High Cascades. The widespread distribution of excess nitrogen that has been generated in low to moderate-temperature sedimentary environments is further proof of the restricted geothermal potential of the Cascade Range. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Geochemistry and geobiology of a present-day serpentinization site in California: The Cedars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrill, Penny L.; Kuenen, J. Gijs; Johnson, Orion J.; Suzuki, Shino; Rietze, Amanda; Sessions, Alex L.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Nealson, Kenneth H.

2013-05-01

Ultra-basic (pH 11-12) reducing (-656 to -585 mV) groundwater springs discharging from serpentinized peridotite of The Cedars, CA, were investigated for their geochemistry and geobiology. The spring waters investigated were of meteoric origin; however, geochemical modeling suggests that there were two sources of groundwater, a shallow source with sufficient contact with The Cedars' peridotite body to be altered geochemically by serpentinization, and a deeper groundwater source that not only flows through the peridotite body but was also in contact with the marine sediments of the Franciscan Subduction Complex (FSC) below the peridotite body. We propose that the groundwater discharging from lower elevations (GPS1 and CS1) reflect the geochemistry of the deeper groundwater in contact with FSC, while groundwaters discharging from springs at higher elevations (NS1 and BSC) were a mixture of the shallow peridotite-only groundwater and the deeper groundwater that has been in contact with the FSC. Cell densities of suspended microbes within these waters were extremely low. In the NS1 and BSC spring fluids, cell densities ranged from 102 to 103 cells/ml, while suspended cells at GPS were lower than 10 cells/mL. However, glass slides incubated in the BSC and GPS1 springs for 2-3 weeks were colonized by cells with densities ranging from 106 to 107 cells/cm2 attached to their surfaces. All of the springs were very low (⩽1 μM) in several essential elements and electron acceptors (e.g. nitrate/ammonium, sulfate, and phosphate) required for (microbial) growth, which is not uncommon at sites of continental serpentinization. Gases rich in N2, H2, and CH4 were exsolving from the springs. The stable carbon isotope value (δ13CCH4 = -68 ± 0.6‰) and the CH4/C2+ (>103) of methane and other gaseous hydrocarbons exsolving from NS1 were typical of microbially sourced methane, whereas the isotope values and the CH4/C2+ of BSC and CS1 springs were more enriched in 13C and had CH4/C2+ < 103, suggesting a mixture of microbial and non-microbial methane. The concentrations of aromatic compounds, and ethane, propane, iso- and n-butane were well described by simple physical mixing between the aromatic- and alkane-poor, shallow groundwater and the relatively aromatic, and alkane-rich groundwater that flows through both the peridotite and the FSC suggesting that these aromatic and alkane compounds originated in the deeper FSC groundwater and are not produced in the shallow peridotite-only groundwater. The aromatic compounds most probably originated from the diagenesis/degradation of organic matter in the marine sediments below the peridotite body, while the gaseous alkanes may have multiple sources including thermal degradation of the organic matter in the marine sediments below the peridotite body and possibly by abiogenic reactions occurring within the peridotite body. This geochemical study demonstrates the complexity of The Cedars, and the possible sources of hydrocarbons at continental sites of serpentinization.

Ammonia oxidation driven by archaea rather than bacteria in the hot spring at Tengchong geothermal field, China.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shun; Peng, Xiaotong; Xu, Hengchao; Li, Jiwei; Ta, Kaiwen

2015-04-01

The occurrence of microbial mediated ammonia oxidation and these organisms are present in large numbers in natural environments indicated a potential biogeochemical role for them in the global nitrogen cycle. However, very little is understood about their role and contribution to nitrification in the high temperature extreme environments. Here we explore the ammonia oxidation rates and abundance of potential ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in upper and bottom sediments from Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The 15N-incorporating AOA cells and cell aggregated were detected with Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Nano secondary ion mass spectrometry (Nano-SIMS). Ammonia oxidation rates measured using 15N-NO3- pool dilution in upper and bottom sediments (without NH4+ stimulated) were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1h-1, respectively. Close relatives of the autotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing archaeon 'Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii' represented the most abundant OTU in both of the two spring sediments by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Furthermore, it should be noted that no ammonia-oxidizing bacterial clones detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present at 2.75-9.80×105 and 0.128-1.96×108 gene copies g-1 sediment. Based on the reaction rates and AOA abundance, we estimated the cell-specific nitrification rates were 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which are comparable to those observed in estuary environment. We suggest that AOA have the responsibility in nitrification in this hot spring, and these archaea rather than bacteria may be considered as a driver in nitrogen cycling in terrestrial hot ecosystems. Key words: ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA); nitrification; ammonia-oxidizing rate; hot spring;

Single-gender mathematics and science classes and the effects on urban middle school boys and girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudler, Dawn M.

This study compared the differences in the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) mathematics and science achievement scores of boys and girls in Grade 7 at two urban middle schools. The data allowed the researcher to determine to what degree boys and girls in Grade 7 differ in their mathematics and science achievements within a single-gender environment versus a coeducational learning environment. The study compared any differences between boys and girls in Grade 7 within a single-gender environment in the subjects of mathematics and science, as measured by the CRCT assessments. The study also compared differences between boys and girls in Grade 7 within a coeducational environment in the subjects of mathematics and science, as measured by the CRCT assessments. Two middle schools were used within the study. One middle school was identified as a single-gender school (Middle School A); the other was identified as a coeducational school (Middle School B). This quantitative study applied the use of a descriptive research design. In addition, CRCT scores for the subjects of mathematics and science were taken during the spring of 2008 from both middle schools. Data were measured using descriptive statistics and independent t test calculations. The frequency statistics proceeded to compare each sample performance levels. The data were described in means, standard deviations, standard error means, frequency, and percentages. This method provided an excellent description of a sample scored on the spring 2008 CRCT mathematics and science assessments.

An Evaluation of the Computer Science 11E Course Offered During the Spring Semester of 1973.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durward, M. Lynne; Ellis, E. N.

The evaluation of Computer Science 11E, a locally-developed course offered in six Vancouver secondary schools, consisted of four parts: a questionnaire to teachers concerning all aspects of their courses, as well as their own evaluation of the program, a questionnaire to students designed to determine their attitude toward the course and what they…

Science and Math Assessment in K-6 Rural and Small Schools. Rural, Small Schools Network Information Exchange: Number 14, Spring 1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast & Islands, Andover, MA.

This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other resources concerning the assessment of science and math in small, rural elementary schools. Articles include: (1) "Standards, Assessment, and Educational Quality" (Lauren B. Resnick); (2) "A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment" (Grant Wiggins); (3) "How World-Class…

75 FR 23242 - International Whaling Commission; 62nd Annual Meeting; Announcement of Public Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-03

... be held in the NOAA Science Center Room, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. FOR FURTHER... posted on the IWC Secretariat's website at http://www.iwcoffice.org . NOAA will hold meetings prior to...., Seattle, WA 98115. The May 26 meeting will be held in the NOAA Science Center Room, 1301 East-West Highway...

SERS internship Fall 1992--Spring 1993: Abstract and research papers

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

Not Available

1993-08-05

This report contains the abstracts and research papers by students on a variety of topics in engineering, genetics, solid state physics, thermonuclear energy, astrophysics, and other science related topics.

Support grid for fuel elements in a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Finch, Lester M.

1977-01-01

A support grid is provided for holding nuclear fuel rods in a rectangular array. Intersecting sheet metal strips are interconnected using opposing slots in the strips to form a rectangular cellular grid structure for engaging the sides of a multiplicity of fuel rods. Spring and dimple supports for engaging fuel and guide rods extending through each cell in the support grid are formed in the metal strips with the springs thus formed being characterized by nonlinear spring rates.

The Effects of School Gardens on Children's Science Knowledge: A randomized controlled trial of low-income elementary schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, Nancy M.; Myers, Beth M.; Todd, Lauren E.; Barale, Karen; Gaolach, Brad; Ferenz, Gretchen; Aitken, Martha; Henderson, Charles R., , Jr.; Tse, Caroline; Pattison, Karen Ostlie; Taylor, Cayla; Connerly, Laura; Carson, Janet B.; Gensemer, Alexandra Z.; Franz, Nancy K.; Falk, Elizabeth

2015-11-01

This randomized controlled trial or 'true experiment' examines the effects of a school garden intervention on the science knowledge of elementary school children. Schools were randomly assigned to a group that received the garden intervention (n = 25) or to a waitlist control group that received the garden intervention at the end of the study (n = 24). The garden intervention consisted of both raised-bed garden kits and a series of 19 lessons. Schools, located in the US states of Arkansas, Iowa, Washington, and New York, were all low-income as defined by having 50% or more children qualifying for the federal school lunch program. Participants were students in second, fourth, and fifth grade (ages 6-12) at baseline (n = 3,061). Science knowledge was measured using a 7-item questionnaire focused on nutritional science and plant science. The survey was administered at baseline (Fall 2011) and at three time points during the intervention (Spring 2012, Fall 2012, and Spring 2013). Garden intervention fidelity (GIF) captured the robustness or fidelity of the intervention delivered in each classroom based on both lessons delivered and garden activities. Analyses were conducted using general linear mixed models. Survey data indicated that among children in the garden intervention, science knowledge increased from baseline to follow-up more than among control group children. However, science knowledge scores were uniformly poor and gains were very modest. GIF, which takes into account the robustness of the intervention, revealed a dose-response relation with science knowledge: more robust or substantial intervention implementations corresponded to stronger treatment effects.

75 FR 39665 - Marine Mammals; File No. 14534

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-12

... Office of Science and Technology, Silver Spring, MD (Responsible Party: Ned Cyr, Director) has been... permit: (1) was applied for in good faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered...

Effect of Cloud Fraction on Near-Cloud Aerosol Behavior Based on MODIS and CALIPSO Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshak, A.; Varnai, T.; Yang, W.

2015-01-01

Organizers of the MODIS-VIIRS Science Team Meeting, held May 18-22, 2015 in Silver Spring, MD plan to post the presentations and posters to the NASA MODIS website: http:modis.gsfc.nasa.govsci_teammeetings201505index.php. The MODIS Science Team Meeting is held twice a year, so that the members of the science team may assemble and discuss data they have collected, ideas they have formed, and future issues that apply to the MODIS Mission.

Weight compensation characteristics of Armeo®Spring exoskeleton: implications for clinical practice and research.

PubMed

Perry, Bonnie E; Evans, Emily K; Stokic, Dobrivoje S

2017-02-17

Armeo®Spring exoskeleton is widely used for upper extremity rehabilitation; however, weight compensation provided by the device appears insufficiently characterized to fully utilize it in clinical and research settings. Weight compensation was quantified by measuring static force in the sagittal plane with a load cell attached to the elbow joint of Armeo®Spring. All upper spring settings were examined in 5° increments at the minimum, maximum, and two intermediate upper and lower module length settings, while keeping the lower spring at minimum. The same measurements were made for minimum upper spring setting and maximum lower spring setting at minimum and maximum module lengths. Weight compensation was plotted against upper module angles, and slope was analyzed for each condition. The Armeo®Spring design prompted defining the slack angle and exoskeleton balance angle, which, depending on spring and length settings, divide the operating range into different unloading and loading regions. Higher spring tensions and shorter module lengths provided greater unloading (≤6.32 kg of support). Weight compensation slope decreased faster with shorter length settings (minimum length = -0.082 ± 0.002 kg/°; maximum length = -0.046 ± 0.001 kg/°) independent of spring settings. Understanding the impact of different settings on the Armeo®Spring weight compensation should help define best clinical practice and improve fidelity of research.

Dynamics of late spring and summer phytoplankton communities on Georges Bank, with emphasis on diatoms, Alexandrium spp., and other dinoflagellates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gettings, Rachel M.; Townsend, David W.; Thomas, Maura A.; Karp-Boss, Lee

2014-05-01

We analyzed the distribution, abundance, and succession patterns of major phytoplankton taxa on Georges Bank in relation to hydrography, nutrients, and size-fractionated chlorophyll concentrations (>20 μm; <20 μm) on three oceanographic cruises from late spring through summer 2008 (28 April-5 May, 27 May-4 June, and 27 June-3 July). The April-May phytoplankton community was dominated numerically by the diatoms Skeletonema spp., Thalassiosira spp., Coscinodiscus spp., and Chaetoceros spp., with highest total diatom cell densities exceeding 200,000 cells l-1 on the Northeast Peak. In May-June, low nitrate and silicate concentrations over the Bank, along with patches of slightly elevated ammonium, were apparently supporting a predominantly dinoflagellate population; the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium spp. reached 13,000 cells l-1. Diatom cell densities on the second cruise in May-June were less than 60,000 cells l-1 and their spatial distributions did not overlap with the highest cell densities of Alexandrium spp. or other dinoflagellates. On the third and last cruise, in June-July, reduced nitrate and silicate concentrations were accompanied by a shift in the phytoplankton community: Alexandrium spp. cell densities were lower and heterotrophic and mixotrophic dinoflagellates, notably Polykrikos spp., Gyrodinium spp., Gymnodinium spp., and Prorocentrum spp., had become more abundant. Patches of regenerated silicate during the June-July period appeared to support a post-spring-bloom diatom community on the central crest of the Bank (total diatom cell densities >180,000 cellsl-1) of Leptocylindrus spp., Dactyliosolen spp., and Guinardia flaccida. Multivariate statistical analyses of phytoplankton taxa and station locations revealed distinct assemblages of diatom and dinoflagellate taxa on the Bank throughout the late spring and summer. Results are interpreted in the ecological context of earlier-reported laboratory culture experiments on the competitive interactions between Alexandrium fundyense and diatoms.

Superconductivity at Dawn of the Iron Age

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

Tesanovic, Zlatko

2010-03-03

Superconductivity is a stunning quantum phenomenon and among the deepest paradigms in all of physics. From fundamental theories of the universe to strange goings-on in exotic materials to medical imaging and cell phones, its conceptual and practical dimensions span a reach as wide as anything in science. Twenty-odd years ago, the discovery of copper oxides ushered in a new era of high-temperature superconductivity, and the joyous exuberance that followed - with physicists throwing everything from fancy gauge theories to synchrotron radiation into its kitchen sink - only recently began to show any signs of waning. In the spring of 2008,more » as if on cue, a new family of iron pnictide high-temperature superconductors burst on the scene, hinting at an alternative route to room-temperature superconductivity and all of its momentous consequences. Fueled by genuine excitement - and a bit of hype - the iron-based superconductivity turned into a science blockbuster of 2009. I will present a pedagogical review of this new field, contrast the physics of iron- and copper-based systems, and speculate on the microscopic origins of the two types of high-temperature superconductivity.« less

Superconductivity at Dawn of the Iron Age

ScienceCinema

Tesanovic, Zlatko

2018-01-12

Superconductivity is a stunning quantum phenomenon and among the deepest paradigms in all of physics. From fundamental theories of the universe to strange goings-on in exotic materials to medical imaging and cell phones, its conceptual and practical dimensions span a reach as wide as anything in science. Twenty-odd years ago, the discovery of copper oxides ushered in a new era of high-temperature superconductivity, and the joyous exuberance that followed - with physicists throwing everything from fancy gauge theories to synchrotron radiation into its kitchen sink - only recently began to show any signs of waning. In the spring of 2008, as if on cue, a new family of iron pnictide high-temperature superconductors burst on the scene, hinting at an alternative route to room-temperature superconductivity and all of its momentous consequences. Fueled by genuine excitement - and a bit of hype - the iron-based superconductivity turned into a science blockbuster of 2009. I will present a pedagogical review of this new field, contrast the physics of iron- and copper-based systems, and speculate on the microscopic origins of the two types of high-temperature superconductivity.

Carbonate ion-enriched hot spring water promotes skin wound healing in nude rats.

PubMed

Liang, Jingyan; Kang, Dedong; Wang, Yingge; Yu, Ying; Fan, Jianglin; Takashi, En

2015-01-01

Hot spring or hot spa bathing (Onsen) is a traditional therapy for the treatment of certain ailments. There is a common belief that hot spring bathing has therapeutic effects for wound healing, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To examine this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of Nagano hot spring water (rich in carbonate ion, 42°C) on the healing process of the skin using a nude rat skin wound model. We found that hot spring bathing led to an enhanced healing speed compared to both the unbathed and hot-water (42°C) control groups. Histologically, the hot spring water group showed increased vessel density and reduced inflammatory cells in the granulation tissue of the wound area. Real-time RT-PCR analysis along with zymography revealed that the wound area of the hot spring water group exhibited a higher expression of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 compared to the two other control groups. Furthermore, we found that the enhanced wound healing process induced by the carbonate ion-enriched hot spring water was mediated by thermal insulation and moisture maintenance. Our results provide the evidence that carbonate ion-enriched hot spring water is beneficial for the treatment of skin wounds.

Determination of Teacher Candidates' Views Concerning V Diagrams Used in General Biology Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kayacan, Kadriye

2018-01-01

This study was conducted within the scope of the General Biology Laboratory II course, which was taught in the Science Teaching Department in the Spring semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. The study group consisted of 40 teacher candidates in their second year in the Science Teaching Department at a state university in Konya. The purpose of…

Science is a gateway for democracy.

PubMed

Jaoua, Mohamed

2014-06-01

The Arab Spring of 2011 has highlighted an unprecedent fact in the region: it was the young and educated population who established the spearheading of change, and led their countries to democracy. In this paper, we try to analyze how science has been a key factor in these moves, in Tunisia as well as in Egypt, and how it can help to anchor democracy in these countries.

Investigation of the Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Teaching Science and Attitudes towards Teaching Profession of the Candidate Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uyanik, Gökhan

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the attitudes of the primary school teacher candidates towards teaching profession and self-efficacy beliefs in teaching science. The research was conducted with a survey model. The sample of the study consisted of 182 teacher candidates who were studying at the 2015-2016 spring term from Kastamonu…

Astronaut Mike Hopkins Visit to Maryland Science Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-09

NASA Astronaut Mike Hopkins explains what it was like to live on the International Space Station for 6 months to seventh graders from Clear Spring Middle School at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, MD on Monday, June 9, 2014. Hopkins served on Expeditions 37 and 38 with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy and returned home in March, 2014. (Photo Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

In Situ Water Vapor Measurements Using Coupled UV Fragment Fluorescence/Absorption Spectroscopy in Support of CRYSTAL-FACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, James G.

2004-01-01

Understanding the coupling of dynamics, chemistry, and radiation within the context of the NASA Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) and the national Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) requires, as a first-order priority, high spatial resolution, high-accuracy observations of water in its various phases. Given the powerful diagnostic importance of the condensed phases of water for dynamics and the impact of phase changes in water on the radiation field, the accurate, in situ observation of water vapor is of central importance to CRYSTAL FACE (CF). This is clear both from the defined scientific objectives of the NRA and from developments in the coupled fields of stratosphere/troposphere exchange, cirrus cloud formation/removal and mechanisms for the distribution of water vapor in the middle/upper troposphere. Accordingly, we were funded under NASA Grant NAG5-11548 to perform the following tasks for the CF mission: 1. Prepare the water vapor instrument for integration into the WB57F and test flights scheduled for Spring 2002. 2. Calibrate and prepare the water vapor instrument for the Summer 2002 CF science flights based in Jacksonville, Florida. 3. Provide both science and engineering support for the above-mentioned efforts. 4. Analyze and interpret the CF data in collaboration with other mission scientists. 5. Attend the science workshop in Spring 2003. 6. Publish the data and analysis in peer-reviewed journals.

21st Annual Spring Research Festival Highlights Science, Celebrates Collaboration | Poster

Cancer.gov

For two days at the annual Spring Research Festival, Fort Detrick was abuzz with scientific discussion as researchers and visitors from the site’s many resident government agencies and contractors gathered to share findings and recognize collaborative research. Each year, the festival focuses on intermural scientific work, as well as challenges and discoveries in the fight against cancer and infectious diseases. Spread across three separate venues and packed with seven events that included lectures, a poster session, and a vendor expo, this year’s festival did just that.

International Earth Science Constellation Mission Operations Working Group September 27-29, 2016 Aqua Spring 2017 IAM Series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Good, Susan M.

2016-01-01

This Aqua Spring 2017 IAM Series powerpoint presentation will be presented at the MOWG meeting in Albuquerque, NM. Topics to be discussed are: recap Aqua 2016 IAM campaign maneuver results and post 2016 IAM MLT evolution; current DMU strategy; 2017 IAM campaign dates and planning; Aqua latest lifetime MLT team predictions. Susan Good is a contractor who supports David Tracewell in code 595 therefore this is being routed through 595. Eric Moyer, ESMO Deputy Project Manager-Technical has reviewed and approved this presentation.

Spring 1991 Meeting outstanding papers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The Atmospheric Sciences Committee has presented Kaye Brubaker and Jichun Shi with Outstanding Student Paper awards for presentations given at the AGU 1991 Spring Meeting, held in Baltimore May 28-31.Brubaker's paper, “Precipitation Recycling Estimated from Atmospheric Data,” presented quantitative estimates of the contribution of locallyevaporated moisture to precipitation over several large continental regions. Recycled precipitation is defined as water that evaporates from the land surface of a specified region and falls again as precipitation within the region. Brubaker applied a control volume analysis based on a model proposed by Budyko.

The Dependency in the Elasticity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Wall upon Cell Viability and Membrane Integrity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McPherson, Dacia; Zhu, Chenhui; Yi, Youngwoo; Clark, Noel

2007-03-01

In this study the elastic spring constant of the yeast cell wall is probed with the atomic force microscope (AFM) under variable conditions. Cells were sequentially analyzed in rich growth medium (YPD), a 0.8 M NaCl rich growth medium solution and an injection of 0.01% sodium azide solution. Cells in late log phase, which have variable diameters within three to five microns, were immobilized on a patterned silicon substrate with holes approximately 3.8um in diameter and 1.5um deep that was functionalized with polyethylenimine prior to cell application. Force curves were taken moving laterally across the cell in one dimension after exposure to each medium. Spring constants of the cells, calculated from force curves, displayed a positional dependency and marked differences in high osmolarity medium and after the injection of sodium azide. This study demonstrates the ability of the AFM to investigate changes in cell morphology and correlate those findings to underlying physiological processes.

Fostering science communication via direct outreach by scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viñas, M.; Weiss, P. L.; O'Neil, K.; Richardson, R. M.

2010-12-01

While the bread-and-butter of the press operation at the American Geophysical Union remains issuing press releases and organizing press conferences for mainstream media, the implosion of specialized science coverage in print media, TV, and radio, and the heated public debates on science issues require us to find other ways to get science and scientists into the public eye. This means getting volunteers--small armies of scientists interested in and able to communicate with the public. At AGU, we have three programs to foster direct communication between scientists and the public: (1) A suite of blogs launched in Fall 2010, written by external Earth and space science bloggers for an audience of scientists and lay public. We will report on whom the bloggers are, their motivations, who makes up their audiences, what incentives AGU uses to encourage them to participate in this project, blog network traffic, and resources needed to support them. (2) "The Plainspoken Scientist", a science communication-oriented blog for an audience of scientists, was launched in spring 2010 and is a mixture of guest posts and in-house articles. We will report on the response to and effects of the science communication blog, how we obtain and use guest posts from volunteers, and traffic. (3) We began professional development workshops at scientific meetings in spring 2009 to help scientists brush up on how to communicate with the media and the public. We will report on the motivations and interests of the participants in the professional development workshops, impacts, and the lessons we have learned about how to provide useful workshops.

Managing Annual Flood Risk and Reducing Socioeconomic Flood Impacts in Rural Arctic through Science-Community Collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kontar, Y. Y.

2016-12-01

Multiple Arctic riverine communities face flood risk every spring. Within hours floodwater and ice debris destroy entire communities, displacing hundreds of people. In FY 2015-2016 an international project entitled Reducing Spring Flood Impacts for Wellbeing of Communities of the North was successfully conducted with the goal to identify best practices in managing the risk and reducing the socioeconomic impacts of floods associated with spring river ice breakup. In this presentation, we will elaborate on socioeconomic impacts of breakup floods, including long-term evacuation of population, loss of means of livelihoods, and ecosystem resource loss. We will also compare and contrast spring flood risk management and reduction strategies and their effectiveness in Alaska and Sakha Republic (Siberia), Russia. The findings are based on surveys completed by the representatives of adverse populations in two flood-prone communities in Alaska and Sakha Republic, as well as a series of roundtable discussions and interviews between social and geoscientists, emergency managers, and community leaders.

Teaching Basic Science Environmentally. Concept: Plants Reproduce Their Own Kind.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busch, Phyllis

1987-01-01

Offers suggestions for spring activities focusing on plant reproduction both indoors and outdoors. Suggests planting seeds to observe, measure, and record effects of temperature, moisture, fertilizer. Recommends outdoor study of the horsetail plant. (NEC)

Phoenix Lander Amid Disappearing Spring Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-01-11

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander, its backshell and heatshield visible within this enhanced-color image of the Phoenix landing site taken on Jan. 6, 2010 by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment HiRISE camera on NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

A 5MV Tandetron to Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

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

Tengblad, Olof

1999-11-16

A 5MV Tandetron accelerator is being projected for the Center of Material Analysis of the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. The accelerator will be dedicated to Material Science but it meant to be open to all fields of science and industry that can profit from this kind of installations. Estimated construction time and delivery of the accelerator implies that the first experiments can be performed in the spring 2001.

Interview with 2018 Hooke medal winner Andrew McAinsh.

PubMed

2018-03-14

Andrew McAinsh received his PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK, working in the laboratory of Steve Jackson on DNA damage and repair mechanisms in yeast. He then joined the laboratory of Peter Sorger as a Jane Coffin Childs Fellow to work as a post-doc on kinetochore biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA. In 2005, he returned to the UK to establish his independent laboratory at the Marie Curie Research Institute, Surrey, before moving to the University of Warwick in 2009 to co-found the Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology (CMCB). Subsequently, Andrew was appointed Professor of Cell Biology and became a Wellcome Senior Investigator, and was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. He co-directs the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, and in 2017 became Head of Division of Biomedical Sciences at Warwick Medical School. Andrew is interested in understanding how the chromosomal multi-protein complex, the kinetochore, ensures error-free chromosome segregation. He is the recipient of the 2018 Hooke medal, established to recognize an emerging leader in cell biology. The Hooke medal is awarded at the annual spring meeting of the British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB). © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Space Projects and Research by Kids (SPARK): A Web Based Research Journal for Middle School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limaye, S. S.; Pertzborn, R. A.

1999-05-01

Project SPARK is designed to facilitate opportunities for upper elementary and middle school students to develop the necessary skills to conduct investigations that focus on the subjects of astronomy, space exploration, and earth remote sensing. This program actively engages students in conducting their own research project to acquire increased understanding and content knowledge in the space sciences. While the development of scientific inquiry skills and content literacy is the primary focus, students also enhance their critical thinking, analytical, technological and communications skills. As in the professional science community, the web based SPARK Journal presents an avenue for students to effectively communicate the results of their investigations and work to classmates as well as the "global learning community" via the world wide web. Educational outreach staff at the Sapce Science and Engineering Center have developed active partnerships with teachers and schools throughout Wisconsin to facilitate the development of standards based curriculum and research projects focusing on current topics in the space sciences. Student research projects and activities arising from these initiatives were submitted in the Spring and Fall of 1998 for inclusion in SPARK, Volume 1. The second volume of SPARK will be published in Spring, 1999. Support for the development of this journal was provided by the NASA/IDEAS Program.

Mars Comet Encounter Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-09

Panelists, from left, Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, Carey Lisse, senior astrophysicist, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, Kelly Fast, program scientist, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, and Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, senior research scientist, Space Science Institute, Rancho Cucamonga Branch, California, are seen during a media briefing where they outlined how space and Earth-based assets will be used to image and study comet Siding Spring during its Sunday, Oct. 19 flyby of Mars, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. (Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Mars Comet Encounter Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-09

Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, left, is seen with fellow panelists Carey Lisse, senior astrophysicist, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, Kelly Fast, program scientist, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, and Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, senior research scientist, Space Science Institute, Rancho Cucamonga Branch, California during a media briefing where they outlined how space and Earth-based assets will be used to image and study comet Siding Spring during its Sunday, Oct. 19 flyby of Mars, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

State of STEM (SoSTEM) Address

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-29

Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, left, is interviewed by Montgomery Blair High School Student Newspaper “Silver Chips” Online Editor-in-Chief Aanchal Johri, center, and Photo Editor Emma Howells, from Silver Spring, MD. ahead of the annual White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) address, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Southeast Ecological Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pawlitz, Rachel J.

2010-01-01

Aquatic ecosystems, from deep sea reefs and coastal marshes to freshwater springs and wetlands, are home to diverse assemblages of life. These commercially and ecologically important systems are part of our national heritage, and are often treasured places or refuges that protect rare or threatened species. In the water-rich Southeastern United States, managers face the challenge of understanding how water and land use affect the region's aquatic life. The Southeast Ecological Science Center (SESC) helps address that challenge by providing objective science that can be used to evaluate proposed actions and develop management strategies.

Science, Technology, and Warfare. Proceedings of the Military History Symposium (3rd) Held at the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado) on 8-9 May 1969

DTIC Science & Technology

1970-09-01

between science-technology and warfare. The stereotyped theory of a linear relationship between science, technology, and warfare satisfies the facts...therefore discarded piecemeal. Only with Mahan’s theory did this condition change. Morison then considers the opposite problem today: one in which the...1938), 1:531. = A s is now very well known, the impetus theory expounded with variations by all the most important writers on philosophy of motion

76 FR 7155 - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Announcement of Billfish and Swordfish Catch Card Pilot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-09

... Office of Science and Technology, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. FOR FURTHER... landings information. Marinas, tackle shops and other private businesses will be asked to serve as catch...

Hubble's View of Comet Siding Spring

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

MARCH 27, 2014: Comet Siding Spring is plunging toward the Sun along a roughly 1-million-year orbit. The comet, discovered in 2013, was within the radius of Jupiter's orbit when the Hubble Space Telescope photographed it on March 11, 2014. Hubble resolves two jets of dust coming from the solid icy nucleus. These persistent jets were first seen in Hubble pictures taken on Oct. 29, 2013. The feature should allow astronomers to measure the direction of the nucleus's pole, and hence, rotation axis. The comet will make its closest approach to our Sun on Oct. 25, 2014, at a distance of 130 million miles, well outside Earth's orbit. On its inbound leg, Comet Siding Spring will pass within 84,000 miles of Mars on Oct. 19, 2014, which is less than half the Moon's distance from Earth. The comet is not expected to become bright enough to be seen by the naked eye. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J.-Y. Li (Planetary Science Institute) NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Langley's DEVELOP Team Applies NASA's Earth Observations to Address Environmental Issues Across the Country and Around the Globe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childs, Lauren M.; Miller, Joseph E.

2011-01-01

The DEVELOP National Program was established over a decade ago to provide students with experience in the practical application of NASA Earth science research results. As part of NASA's Applied Sciences Program, DEVELOP focuses on bridging the gap between NASA technology and the public through projects that innovatively use NASA Earth science resources to address environmental issues. Cultivating a diverse and dynamic group of students and young professionals, the program conducts applied science research projects during three terms each year (spring, summer, and fall) that focus on topics ranging from water resource management to natural disasters.

Sources and Chronology of Nitrate Contamination of Spring Waters: Integrating Science and Policy Decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, B. G.; Stevenson, J. A.

2002-12-01

Human health and ecological concerns have arisen regarding spring waters in Florida as a steady increase in nitrate concentrations has been observed during the past 30 years. The extensive aesthetic, cultural, and recreational value of these springs, which also supply water for human consumption and support critical ecological habitats, could be threatened by the presence of nitrate. As part of the response to these concerns by the State of Florida, several research studies have used various chemical and isotopic tracers to determine sources of nitrate contamination and age of ground water discharging from springs. Since 1997, 60 water samples have been collected from 44 springs and analyzed for isotopic (15N, 3H/3He, 18O, 2H, 13C) and other chemical tracers (CFCs, major ions, dissolved gases, SF6). Delta 15N values of nitrate ranged from 2.6 to 12.9 per mil (median = 5.8 per mil) and indicated that nitrate in most spring waters originated from synthetic fertilizers. CFCs, 3H/3He, and SF6, used to estimate the residence time of ground water discharging from springs, indicated that spring-water ages ranged from 5 to 39 years. Concentrations of these multiple transient tracers are consistent with a two-component hydrologic model with mixtures of varying proportions of young water (less than 8 years) from the shallow part of the aquifer system and older water (20-50 years) from the deeper part of the flow system. Given residence times of 20-40 years for ground water discharging from most springs, it could take decades for nitrate concentrations to decrease to near background levels, even with immediate reductions in nitrogen inputs to the land surface. These research results are being used by the State of Florida to inform elected officials, water-resource mangers, and planners that decisions about land use today will affect the quality of ground water in springs for decades.

MSaTERs: Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators & Researchers of The Ohio State University. Proceedings of the Annual Spring Conference (5th, Columbus, Ohio, May 5, 2001).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Marlena F., Ed.

The Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators and Researchers of The Ohio State University (MSaTERs-OSU) is a student organization that grew out of the former Ohio State University Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OSU-CTM). Papers from the fifth annual conference include: (1) "Models of the Structure of Matter: Why Should We Care…

MSaTERs: Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators and Researchers of The Ohio State University. Proceedings of the Annual Spring Conference (2nd, May 16, 1998, Columbus, OH).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Michelle K., Ed.; Costner, Kelly M., Ed.

The Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators and Researchers of The Ohio State University (MSaTERS-OSU) is a newly formed student organization. Papers from the conference include: (1) "Was the Geometry Course, The Nature of Proof, Taught by Harold Pascoe Fawcett the Best Course Ever Taught in Secondary School?" (Frederick Flener); (2) "A…

76 FR 74777 - National Marine Protected Areas Center External Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-01

... through targeted science, information resources, coordination and policy development. An external review..., 1305 East-West Highway, Rm. 11401, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT....mpa.gov SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MPA Center's external review will encompass program activities...

Inspire Day

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohach, Barbara M.; Meade, Birgitta

2014-01-01

The authors collaborated on hosting a "Spring Inspire Day." planned and delivered by preservice elementary teachers as a social studies/science methods project. Projects that have authentic application opportunities can make learning meaningful for prospective teachers as well as elementary students. With the impetus for an integrated…

Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonse, Jörn; Zergioti, Ioanna; Delaporte, Philippe; Scarisoreanu, Nicu Doinel

2016-06-01

This special issue represents the proceedings of the Symposium CC "Laser and plasma processing for advanced applications in material science" held from May 11th to 15th 2015 in the Lille Grand Palais, France, during the annual Spring Meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS).

NOVA[R] Spring 2002 Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Peter; Ransick, Kristi; Rosene, Dale; Sammons, James

The guide presents lesson plans from "NOVA" which targets middle school and junior high school students and meet the National Science Education Standards. Lessons include: (1) "Neanderthals on Trial"; (2) "Fireworks"; (3) "Secrets, Lies and Atomic Spies"; (4) "Bioterror"; (5) "The Missing…

Experiments in Horticultural Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arbel, Illil

1992-01-01

Investigates the use of temperature and light to change the usual intervals for plant germinating, sprouting, and flowering. Provides simple experimental procedures and discussions regarding photoperiodism, forced branching before spring, and various types of seed dormancy, including physical dormancy, physiological dormancy, and double dormancy.…

Compression simulations of plant tissue in 3D using a mass-spring system approach and discrete element method.

PubMed

Pieczywek, Piotr M; Zdunek, Artur

2017-10-18

A hybrid model based on a mass-spring system methodology coupled with the discrete element method (DEM) was implemented to simulate the deformation of cellular structures in 3D. Models of individual cells were constructed using the particles which cover the surfaces of cell walls and are interconnected in a triangle mesh network by viscoelastic springs. The spatial arrangement of the cells required to construct a virtual tissue was obtained using Poisson-disc sampling and Voronoi tessellation in 3D space. Three structural features were included in the model: viscoelastic material of cell walls, linearly elastic interior of the cells (simulating compressible liquid) and a gas phase in the intercellular spaces. The response of the models to an external load was demonstrated during quasi-static compression simulations. The sensitivity of the model was investigated at fixed compression parameters with variable tissue porosity, cell size and cell wall properties, such as thickness and Young's modulus, and a stiffness of the cell interior that simulated turgor pressure. The extent of the agreement between the simulation results and other models published is discussed. The model demonstrated the significant influence of tissue structure on micromechanical properties and allowed for the interpretation of the compression test results with respect to changes occurring in the structure of the virtual tissue. During compression virtual structures composed of smaller cells produced higher reaction forces and therefore they were stiffer than structures with large cells. The increase in the number of intercellular spaces (porosity) resulted in a decrease in reaction forces. The numerical model was capable of simulating the quasi-static compression experiment and reproducing the strain stiffening observed in experiment. Stress accumulation at the edges of the cell walls where three cells meet suggests that cell-to-cell debonding and crack propagation through the contact edge of neighboring cells is one of the most prevalent ways for tissue to rupture.

Genome-wide specificity of DNA binding, gene regulation, and chromatin remodeling by TALE- and CRISPR/Cas9-based transcriptional activators.

PubMed

Polstein, Lauren R; Perez-Pinera, Pablo; Kocak, D Dewran; Vockley, Christopher M; Bledsoe, Peggy; Song, Lingyun; Safi, Alexias; Crawford, Gregory E; Reddy, Timothy E; Gersbach, Charles A

2015-08-01

Genome engineering technologies based on the CRISPR/Cas9 and TALE systems are enabling new approaches in science and biotechnology. However, the specificity of these tools in complex genomes and the role of chromatin structure in determining DNA binding are not well understood. We analyzed the genome-wide effects of TALE- and CRISPR-based transcriptional activators in human cells using ChIP-seq to assess DNA-binding specificity and RNA-seq to measure the specificity of perturbing the transcriptome. Additionally, DNase-seq was used to assess genome-wide chromatin remodeling that occurs as a result of their action. Our results show that these transcription factors are highly specific in both DNA binding and gene regulation and are able to open targeted regions of closed chromatin independent of gene activation. Collectively, these results underscore the potential for these technologies to make precise changes to gene expression for gene and cell therapies or fundamental studies of gene function. © 2015 Polstein et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Toward High School Biology: Helping Middle School Students Understand Chemical Reactions and Conservation of Mass in Nonliving and Living Systems.

PubMed

Herrmann-Abell, Cari F; Koppal, Mary; Roseman, Jo Ellen

2016-01-01

Modern biology has become increasingly molecular in nature, requiring students to understand basic chemical concepts. Studies show, however, that many students fail to grasp ideas about atom rearrangement and conservation during chemical reactions or the application of these ideas to biological systems. To help provide students with a better foundation, we used research-based design principles and collaborated in the development of a curricular intervention that applies chemistry ideas to living and nonliving contexts. Six eighth grade teachers and their students participated in a test of the unit during the Spring of 2013. Two of the teachers had used an earlier version of the unit the previous spring. The other four teachers were randomly assigned either to implement the unit or to continue teaching the same content using existing materials. Pre- and posttests were administered, and the data were analyzed using Rasch modeling and hierarchical linear modeling. The results showed that, when controlling for pretest score, gender, language, and ethnicity, students who used the curricular intervention performed better on the posttest than the students using existing materials. Additionally, students who participated in the intervention held fewer misconceptions. These results demonstrate the unit's promise in improving students' understanding of the targeted ideas. © 2016 C. F. Herrmann-Abell et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Single-Cell-Genomics-Facilitated Read Binning of Candidate Phylum EM19 Genomes from Geothermal Spring Metagenomes

PubMed Central

Becraft, Eric D.; Dodsworth, Jeremy A.; Murugapiran, Senthil K.; Ohlsson, J. Ingemar; Briggs, Brandon R.; Kanbar, Jad; De Vlaminck, Iwijn; Quake, Stephen R.; Dong, Hailiang; Hedlund, Brian P.

2015-01-01

The vast majority of microbial life remains uncatalogued due to the inability to cultivate these organisms in the laboratory. This “microbial dark matter” represents a substantial portion of the tree of life and of the populations that contribute to chemical cycling in many ecosystems. In this work, we leveraged an existing single-cell genomic data set representing the candidate bacterial phylum “Calescamantes” (EM19) to calibrate machine learning algorithms and define metagenomic bins directly from pyrosequencing reads derived from Great Boiling Spring in the U.S. Great Basin. Compared to other assembly-based methods, taxonomic binning with a read-based machine learning approach yielded final assemblies with the highest predicted genome completeness of any method tested. Read-first binning subsequently was used to extract Calescamantes bins from all metagenomes with abundant Calescamantes populations, including metagenomes from Octopus Spring and Bison Pool in Yellowstone National Park and Gongxiaoshe Spring in Yunnan Province, China. Metabolic reconstruction suggests that Calescamantes are heterotrophic, facultative anaerobes, which can utilize oxidized nitrogen sources as terminal electron acceptors for respiration in the absence of oxygen and use proteins as their primary carbon source. Despite their phylogenetic divergence, the geographically separate Calescamantes populations were highly similar in their predicted metabolic capabilities and core gene content, respiring O2, or oxidized nitrogen species for energy conservation in distant but chemically similar hot springs. PMID:26637598

Leopold Fellows meet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, Dennis L.

Communicating the results of environmental science research to nonscientists was the focus of a week-long meeting of fellows of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program (ALLP) in June. Participating were 20 mid-career university facultymembers, the first group of ALLP fellows to be selected.Discussions were held on the role of scientists in society, techniques for effective leadership, improving communications skills, and working productively with news media. The training program considers both print and broadcast media as well as other outreach vehicles. The meeting was held at Kah Nee Ta Resort on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Warm Springs, Oregon, June 15-21, 1999.

Effect of temperature on the orthodontic clinical applications of niti closed-coil springs

PubMed Central

Espinar-Escalona, Eduardo; Llamas-Carreras, José M.; Barrera-Mora, José M.; Abalos-Lasbrucci, Camilo

2013-01-01

NiTi spring coils were used to obtain large deformation under a constant force. The device consists on a NiTi coil spring, superelastic at body temperature, in order to have a stress plateau during the austenitic retransformation during the unloading. The temperature variations induced changes in the spring force. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the temperature variations in the spring forces and corrosion behaviour simulating the ingestion hot/cold drinks and food. Study Design: The springs were subjected to a tensile force using universal testing machine MTS-Adamel (100 N load cell). All tests were performed in artificial saliva maintained at different temperatures. The corrosion tests were performed according to the ISO-standard 10993-15:2000. Results: The increase in temperature of 18oC induced an increase in the spring force of 30%. However, when the temperature returns to 37oC the distraction force recovers near the initial level. After cooling down the spring to 15oC, the force decreased by 46%. This investigation show as the temperature increase, the corrosion potential shifts towards negative values and the corrosion density is rising. Conclusions: The changes of the temperatures do not modify the superelastic behaviour of the NiTi closed-coil springs. The corrosion potential of NiTi in artificial saliva is decreasing by the rise of the temperatures. Key words:Superelasticity, NiTi, springs, orthodontic, coils, recovery, temperature. PMID:23722142

Total Water Measurements Using In Situ UV Fragment Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Support of CRYSTAL-FACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, James G.

2004-01-01

Given both the powerful diagnostic importance of the condensed phases of water for dynamics and the impact of phase changes in water on the radiation field, the accurate, in situ observation of total water is of central importance to CRYSTAL-FACE. This is clear both from the defined scientific objectives of the NRA and from developments in the coupled fields of stratosphere/troposphere exchange, cirrus cloud formation/removal and mechanisms for the distribution of water vapor in the middle/upper troposphere. Accordingly, we were funded under NASA Grant NAG5-115487 to perform the following tasks for the CRYSTAL-FACE mission that took place in Key West, Florida, during July 2001: 1) Prepare the Total Water instrument for integration into the WB57F and test flights scheduled for Spring 2002. 2) Calibrate and prepare the Total Water instrument for the Summer 2002 CRYSTAL-FACE science flights based in Jacksonville, Florida. 3) Provide both science and engineering support for the above-mentioned efforts. 4) Analyze and interpret the CRYSTAL-FACE data in collaboration with the other mission scientists. 5) Attend the proposed science workshop in Spring 2003. 6) Publish the data and analysis in peer-reviewed journals.

E. U. Condon: Science, Religion, and Scientific Responsibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, Michael

2006-03-01

In the spring of 1947, Walter Michels, a long-time friend and professor of physics at Bryn Mawr College, introduced Condon to Quakerism. In December of that year, Condon was accepted into membership in the Religious Society of Friends. The main purpose of this talk is to consider Condon's views on science and religion that he began setting forth in 1948. Further, Condon's views, which emphasize the ``harmony of science and religion,'' are compared and contrasted with the views of I. I. Rabi and Arthur Compton on science and religion. The talk concludes with a discussion of Condon's views on the responsibilities of scientists. In certain ways, Condon's views on science, religion, and scientific responsibility represent a philosophical minimalism with respect to their commitments.

Spring temperature responses of oaks are synchronous with North Atlantic conditions during the last deglaciation

Treesearch

Steven L. Voelker; Paul-Emile Noirot-Cosson; Michael C. Stambaugh; Erin R. McMurry; Frederick C. Meinzer; Barbara Lachenburch; Richard P. Guyette

2012-01-01

Paleoclimate proxies based on the measurement of xylem cell anatomy have rarely been developed across the temperature range of a species or applied to wood predating the most recent millennium. Here we describe wood anatomy-based proxies for spring temperatures in central North America from modern bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.). The strong...

Microbial life in Champagne Pool, a geothermal spring in Waiotapu, New Zealand.

PubMed

Hetzer, Adrian; Morgan, Hugh W; McDonald, Ian R; Daughney, Christopher J

2007-07-01

Surveys of Champagne Pool, one of New Zealand's largest terrestrial hot springs and rich in arsenic ions and compounds, have been restricted to geological and geochemical descriptions, and a few microbiological studies applying culture-independent methods. In the current investigation, a combination of culture and culture-independent approaches were chosen to determine microbial density and diversity in Champagne Pool. Recovered total DNA and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) content of spring water revealed relatively low values compared to other geothermal springs within New Zealand and are in good agreement with low cell numbers of 5.6 +/- 0.5 x 10(6) cells/ml obtained for Champagne Pool water samples by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA (small-subunit ribosomal nucleic acid) gene clone library analyses of environmental DNA indicated the abundance of Sulfurihydrogenibium, Sulfolobus, and Thermofilum-like populations in Champagne Pool. From these results, media were selected to target the enrichment of hydrogen-oxidizing and sulfur-dependent microorganisms. Three isolates were successfully obtained having 16S rRNA gene sequences with similarities of approximately 98% to Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, 94% to Sulfurihydrogenibium azorense, and 99% to Thermococcus waiotapuensis, respectively.

Solar Eclipse Engagement and Outreach in Madras and Warm Springs, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirk, M. S.; Pesnell, W. D.; Ahern, S.; Boyle, M.; Gonzales, T.; Leone, C.

2017-12-01

The Central Oregon towns of Madras and Warm Springs were in an ideal location to observe the total solar eclipse of 2017. In anticipation of this event, we embarked on a yearlong partnership to engage and excite these communities. We developed educational events for all students in the school district, grades K-12, as well as two evening keynote addresses during an eclipse week in May. This eclipse week provided resources, learning opportunities, and safety information for all students and families prior to the end of the school year. With the collaboration of graphic design students at Oregon State University, we produced static educational displays as an introduction to the Museum at Warm Springs' exhibit featuring eclipse art. The weekend before the eclipse, we gave away 15,000 pairs of solar viewing glasses to the local community and manned a science booth at the Oregon Solarfest to engage the arriving eclipse tourists. These efforts culminated on Monday, August 21st with tens of thousands of people viewing eclipse totality in Madras and Warm Springs.

Recent Update on MODIS/VIIRS Deep Blue Data Continuity and New Aerosol Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsu, N. Christina; Sayer, Andrew M.; Lee, Jaehwa; Bettenhausen, Corey; Carletta, N.; Tsay, Si-Chee

2016-01-01

The MODIS VIIRS 2016 Science Team Meeting was held June 6-10, 2016 at the Sheraton in Silver Spring, MD. The organizers plan to post the presentations and posters here: http:modis.gsfc.nasa.govsci_teammeetings201606.

International Earth Science Constellations (ESC) Introduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guit, William J.

2016-01-01

This presentation will discuss NASA HQ perspective, current state of the mission, Landsat 7 and Terra exit plans, long term plans for all mission, CARA updates, Spring 2016 IAM series plans and current status, CCS future release plans, and results of covariance calculation meetings.

PETC Review, Issue 5, Spring 1992

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

Blaustein, B D; Reiss, J; Tarquinio, M A

1992-04-01

This issue of PETC Review contains short discussion on the following topics: advanced coal preparation processes, new scrubbers for flue gas desulfurization, PETC's Coal Preparation Process Research Facility, and PETC's Science Outreach Program. Supplemental sections on publications, highlights, calendars, etc. are also included. (VC)

A Portuguese Spring

EPA Science Inventory

The author was in Portugal on a two-month Embassy Science Fellows Program [http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/fs/2003/17863.htm]. The U.S. State Department draws upon other federal agencies to provide scientific and technical expertise to American embassies around the world. Portugal...

The effects of calculator-based laboratories on standardized test scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Charlotte Bethany Rains

Nationwide, the goal of providing a productive science and math education to our youth in today's educational institutions is centering itself around the technology being utilized in these classrooms. In this age of digital technology, educational software and calculator-based laboratories (CBL) have become significant devices in the teaching of science and math for many states across the United States. Among the technology, the Texas Instruments graphing calculator and Vernier Labpro interface, are among some of the calculator-based laboratories becoming increasingly popular among middle and high school science and math teachers in many school districts across this country. In Tennessee, however, it is reported that this type of technology is not regularly utilized at the student level in most high school science classrooms, especially in the area of Physical Science (Vernier, 2006). This research explored the effect of calculator based laboratory instruction on standardized test scores. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of traditional teaching methods versus graphing calculator teaching methods on the state mandated End-of-Course (EOC) Physical Science exam based on ability, gender, and ethnicity. The sample included 187 total tenth and eleventh grade physical science students, 101 of which belonged to a control group and 87 of which belonged to the experimental group. Physical Science End-of-Course scores obtained from the Tennessee Department of Education during the spring of 2005 and the spring of 2006 were used to examine the hypotheses. The findings of this research study suggested the type of teaching method, traditional or calculator based, did not have an effect on standardized test scores. However, the students' ability level, as demonstrated on the End-of-Course test, had a significant effect on End-of-Course test scores. This study focused on a limited population of high school physical science students in the middle Tennessee Putnam County area. The study should be reproduced in various school districts in the state of Tennessee to compare the findings.

Mars Comet Encounter Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-09

Dwayne Brown, NASA public affairs officer, left, moderates a media briefing where panelist, seated from left, Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, Carey Lisse, senior astrophysicist, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, Kelly Fast, program scientist, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, and Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, senior research scientist, Space Science Institute, Rancho Cucamonga Branch, California, outlined how space and Earth-based assets will be used to image and study comet Siding Spring during its Sunday, Oct. 19 flyby of Mars, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. (Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Experience the natural sciences: Programs for teachers at the University of Hawaii at Hilo

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

Hapai, M.N.

1994-12-31

Since 1988, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Science and Education faculty have jointly created programs for pre- and in-service teachers, and to improve science teaching, to increase the number of science teachers, and to improve scientific literacy in the general population. The National Sciences major, approved in 1991, with both elementary and secondary teaching options, has gone from three degree seeking candidates in the fall of 1991 to fifty-nine in the spring of 1994. The major provides elementary teachers with a general science degree and teaching certification; and secondary teachers with a more intense general science degree, a specializedmore » minor, and teaching certification. Additionally, a new 18 credit Natural Sciences Certificate for in-service elementary teachers, designed to enhance their scientific background and classroom methodology, has already attracted over 250 teachers within the last year.« less

Community Survey Results for Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge: Completion Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sexton, Natalie R.; Stewart, Susan C.; Koontz, Lynne

2008-01-01

This report provides a summary of results for the survey of residents of communities adjacent to Rappahannock River Valley NWR conducted from the spring through the summer in 2006. This research was commissioned by the Northeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in support of the Rappahannock River Valley NWR CCP and conducted by the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch (PASA) of the U.S. Geological Survey/Fort Collins Science Center.

Neurale Netwerken en Radarsystemen (Neural Networks and Radar Systems)

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

general issues in cognitive science", Parallel distributed processing, Vol 1: Foundations, Rumelhart et al. 1986 pp 110-146 THO rapport Pagina 151 36 D.E...34Neural networks (part 2)",Expert Focus, IEEE Expert, Spring 1988. 61 J.A. Anderson, " Cognitive and Psychological Computations with Neural Models", IEEE...Pagina 154 69 David H. Ackley, Geoffrey E. Hinton and Terrence J. Sejnowski, "A Learning Algorithm for Boltzmann machines", cognitive science 9, 147-169

Repeated tracer tests in a karst system with concentrated allogenic recharge (Johnsbachtal, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birk, Steffen; Wagner, Thomas; Pauritsch, Marcus; Winkler, Gerfried

2015-04-01

The Johnsbachtal (Austria) is a high Alpine headwater catchment covering an area of approximately 65 km², which is equipped with a hydrometeorological monitoring network (Strasser at al. 2013). The catchment is composed of carbonate rocks and crystalline rocks belonging to the Northern Calceraous Alps and the Greywacke Zone. The largest spring within the catchment, the Etzbach spring, is bound on karstified carbonate rocks of the Greywacke Zone. A stream sink located at a distance of approximately 1 km from the spring was used as injection point for repeated tracer tests in the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. In each case the tracer was recovered at the spring indicating an allogenic recharge component from the crystalline parts of the catchment. The spring discharge at the times of the three tracer tests varied between approximately 0.3 and 0.6 m³/s. Likewise the tracer travel times and thus the flow velocities were found to be different. Surprisingly, the largest tracer travel time (and thus lowest flow velocity) was obtained in 2013 when the spring discharge was highest (0.6 m³/s). In addition, the flow velocities in 2012 and 2014 were found to be clearly different, although the spring discharge was similar (roughly 0.3 m³/s) in both tests. Thus, the tracer velocity appears to be not correlated with the spring discharge. Field observations indicate that this finding can potentially be attributed to complexities at both the injection location (e.g., plugging of injection points and thus different flow paths) and the sampling point (i.e., the spring, which is composed of several outlet points representing different subcatchments). References: Strasser, U., Marke, T., Sass, O., Birk, S., Winkler, G. (2013): John's creek valley: a mountainous catchment for long-term interdisciplinary human-environment system research in Upper Styria (Austria). Environmental Earth Sciences, doi: 10.1007/s12665-013-2318-y

Honors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2012-02-01

Marshall Shepherd, professor of geography in the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Athens, began a 1-year term as president-elect of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) on 22 January. In 2013 he will assume the presidency of the society. Also, five AGU members recently were elected as AMS councilors, with terms expiring in 2015: José Fuentes, Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Richard Johnson, Atmospheric Science Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins; Christa Peters-Lidard, Hydrological Sciences Branch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; Wassila Thiaw, Climate Prediction Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Camp Springs, Md.; and Chidong Zhang, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Fla.

Engineered elastomeric proteins with dual elasticity can be controlled by a molecular regulator.

PubMed

Cao, Yi; Li, Hongbin

2008-08-01

Elastomeric proteins are molecular springs that confer excellent mechanical properties to many biological tissues and biomaterials. Depending on the role performed by the tissue or biomaterial, elastomeric proteins can behave as molecular springs or shock absorbers. Here we combine single-molecule atomic force microscopy and protein engineering techniques to create elastomeric proteins that can switch between two distinct types of mechanical behaviour in response to the binding of a molecular regulator. The proteins are mechanically labile by design and behave as entropic springs with an elasticity that is governed by their configurational entropy. However, when a molecular regulator binds to the protein, it switches into a mechanically stable state and can act as a shock absorber. These engineered proteins effectively mimic and combine the two extreme forms of elastic behaviour found in natural elastomeric proteins, and thus represent a new type of smart nanomaterial that will find potential applications in nanomechanics and material sciences.

Bioinspired spring origami.

PubMed

Faber, Jakob A; Arrieta, Andres F; Studart, André R

2018-03-23

Origami enables folding of objects into a variety of shapes in arts, engineering, and biological systems. In contrast to well-known paper-folded objects, the wing of the earwig has an exquisite natural folding system that cannot be sufficiently described by current origami models. Such an unusual biological system displays incompatible folding patterns, remains open by a bistable locking mechanism during flight, and self-folds rapidly without muscular actuation. We show that these notable functionalities arise from the protein-rich joints of the earwig wing, which work as extensional and rotational springs between facets. Inspired by this biological wing, we establish a spring origami model that broadens the folding design space of traditional origami and allows for the fabrication of precisely tunable, four-dimensional-printed objects with programmable bioinspired morphing functionalities. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators: Efforts to Improve Math and Science Learning Opportunities in Early Childhood Classrooms.

PubMed

Piasta, Shayne B; Logan, Jessica A R; Pelatti, Christina Yeager; Capps, Janet L; Petrill, Stephen A

2015-05-01

Because recent initiatives highlight the need to better support preschool-aged children's math and science learning, the present study investigated the impact of professional development in these domains for early childhood educators. Sixty-five educators were randomly assigned to experience 10.5 days (64 hours) of training on math and science or on an alternative topic. Educators' provision of math and science learning opportunities were documented, as were the fall-to-spring math and science learning gains of children ( n = 385) enrolled in their classrooms. Professional development significantly impacted provision of science, but not math, learning opportunities. Professional development did not directly impact children's math or science learning, although science learning was indirectly affected via the increase in science learning opportunities. Both math and science learning opportunities were positively associated with children's learning. Results suggest that substantive efforts are necessary to ensure that children have opportunities to learn math and science from a young age.

Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators: Efforts to Improve Math and Science Learning Opportunities in Early Childhood Classrooms

PubMed Central

Piasta, Shayne B.; Logan, Jessica A. R.; Pelatti, Christina Yeager; Capps, Janet L.; Petrill, Stephen A.

2014-01-01

Because recent initiatives highlight the need to better support preschool-aged children’s math and science learning, the present study investigated the impact of professional development in these domains for early childhood educators. Sixty-five educators were randomly assigned to experience 10.5 days (64 hours) of training on math and science or on an alternative topic. Educators’ provision of math and science learning opportunities were documented, as were the fall-to-spring math and science learning gains of children (n = 385) enrolled in their classrooms. Professional development significantly impacted provision of science, but not math, learning opportunities. Professional development did not directly impact children’s math or science learning, although science learning was indirectly affected via the increase in science learning opportunities. Both math and science learning opportunities were positively associated with children’s learning. Results suggest that substantive efforts are necessary to ensure that children have opportunities to learn math and science from a young age. PMID:26257434

SERS internship: Spring 1994 abstracts and research papers

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

Goldman, B.

1994-05-06

This document contains abstracts from the science and engineering research semester from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Projects cover many areas in the fields of contaminant removal from the environment, physics, and genetics research. Individual projects were processed separately for the Department of Energy databases.

A Cooking Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Wynn D., Ed.

This cooking curriculum, issued by the Washington District Early Childhood Council, details specific ways in which language arts, math, science, and social studies may be taught through cooking specific recipes. Cooking activities and recipes are presented for the fall, winter, and spring months, and guidelines are provided for preparing…

Iodomethane phytotoxicity: potential role of plant nutrient uptake

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the spring of 2006 multi-year studies were initiated to evaluate the efficacy of Midas™ (iodomethane:chloropicrin 50:50, Arysta LifeScience Corp., Cary, NC) for production of ornamental cockscomb (Celosia argentea var. cristata) in Martin County, Florida. Treatments were untreated check, Midas™ a...

The EPA CompTox Chemistry Dashboard - an online resource for environmental chemists (ACS Spring Meeting)

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Computational Toxicology Program integrates advances in biology, chemistry, and computer science to help prioritize chemicals for further research based on potential human health risks. This work involves computational and data drive...

PETC Review, Issue 5, Spring 1992

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

Blaustein, B.D.; Reiss, J.; Tarquinio, M.A.

1992-07-01

This issue of PETC Review contains short discussion on the following topics: advanced coal preparation processes, new scrubbers for flue gas desulfurization, PETC`s Coal Preparation Process Research Facility, and PETC`s Science Outreach Program. Supplemental sections on publications, highlights, calendars, etc. are also included. (VC)

Onboard Detection of Active Canadian Sulfur Springs: A Europa Analogue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castano, Rebecca; Wagstaff, Kiri; Gleeson, Damhnait; Pappalardo, Robert; Chien, Steve; Tran, Daniel; Scharenbroich, Lucas; Moghaddam, Baback; Tang, Benyang; Bue, Brian;

Seasonal variation in effectiveness of the boar-operated system to deliver baits to wild boar.

PubMed

Ferretti, Francesco; Coats, Julia; Cowan, Dave P; Pietravalle, Stéphane; Massei, Giovanna

2018-02-01

Wild boar and feral pig numbers are growing worldwide and have substantial economic and environmental impacts. Bait-delivered pharmaceuticals such as disease vaccines, toxicants and contraceptives are advocated to mitigate these impacts. Effective campaigns based on these pharmaceuticals rely on optimising the target species' bait uptake, which may differ between seasons. We investigated seasonal differences in the use of Boar-Operated Systems (BOSs) by wild boar and non-target species in an English woodland. In a pre-trial phase (BOS left open), wild boar, wild mammals, birds, livestock and companion animals fed on the peanuts and maize used as bait in the BOS. During the trial (BOS closed), only wild boar consumed the baits. Wild boar visited and fed from a larger number of BOSs in spring than in summer or winter. No aggressive intra-group interactions were recorded when wild boar fed from the BOSs but adult males were observed to monopolise two BOSs. Group size was highest in spring and bait uptake was lowest in winter. The study confirmed the species-specificity of the BOS throughout the year and highlighted that, at least in this area, bait uptake by wild boar for baits delivered through the BOS would be maximised in spring. © 2017 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Springtime phytoplankton dynamics in Arctic Krossfjorden and Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen) as a function of glacier proximity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piquet, A. M.-T.; van de Poll, W. H.; Visser, R. J. W.; Wiencke, C.; Bolhuis, H.; Buma, A. G. J.

2014-04-01

The hydrographic properties of the Kongsfjorden-Krossfjorden system (79° N, Spitsbergen) are affected by Atlantic water incursions as well as glacier meltwater runoff. This results in strong physical gradients (temperature, salinity and irradiance) within the fjords. Here, we tested the hypothesis that glaciers affect phytoplankton dynamics as early as the productive spring bloom period. During two campaigns in 2007 (late spring) and 2008 (early spring) we studied hydrographic characteristics and phytoplankton variability along two transects in both fjords, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-CHEMTAX pigment fingerprinting, molecular fingerprinting (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, or DGGE) and sequencing of 18S rRNA genes. The sheltered inner fjord locations remained colder during spring as opposed to the outer locations. Vertical light attenuation coefficients increased from early spring onwards, at all locations, but in particular at the inner locations. In late spring meltwater input caused stratification of surface waters in both fjords. The inner fjord locations were characterized by overall lower phytoplankton biomass. Furthermore HPLC-CHEMTAX data revealed that diatoms and Phaeocystis sp. were replaced by small nano- and picophytoplankton during late spring, coinciding with low nutrient availability. The innermost stations showed higher relative abundances of nano- and picophytoplankton throughout, notably of cyanophytes and cryptophytes. Molecular fingerprinting revealed a high similarity between inner fjord samples from early spring and late spring samples from all locations, while outer samples from early spring clustered separately. We conclude that glacier influence, mediated by early meltwater input, modifies phytoplankton biomass and composition already during the spring bloom period, in favor of low biomass and small cell size communities. This may affect higher trophic levels especially when regional warming further increases the period and volume of meltwater.

Springtime phytoplankton dynamics in the Arctic Krossfjorden and Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen) as a function of glacier proximity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piquet, A. M.-T.; van de Poll, W. H.; Visser, R. J. W.; Wiencke, C.; Bolhuis, H.; Buma, A. G. J.

2013-10-01

The hydrographic properties of the Kongsfjorden - Krossfjorden system (79° N, Spitsbergen) are affected by Atlantic water incursions as well as glacier meltwater runoff. This results in strong physical gradients (temperature, salinity and irradiance) within the fjords. Here, we tested the hypothesis that glaciers affect phytoplankton dynamics as early as the productive spring bloom period. During two campaigns in 2007 (late spring) and 2008 (early spring) we studied hydrographic characteristics and phytoplankton variability along 2 transects in both fjords, using HPLC-CHEMTAX pigment fingerprinting, molecular fingerprinting (DGGE) and sequencing of 18S rRNA genes. The sheltered inner fjord locations remained colder during spring as opposed to the outer locations. Vertical light attenuation coefficients increased from early spring onwards, at all locations, but in particular at the inner locations. During the end of spring, meltwater input had stratified surface waters throughout the fjords. The inner fjord locations were characterized by overall lower phytoplankton biomass. Furthermore HPLC-CHEMTAX data revealed that diatoms and Phaeocystis sp. were replaced by small nano- and picophytoplankton during late spring, coinciding with low nutrient availability. The innermost stations showed higher relative abundances of nano- and picophytoplankton throughout, notably of cyanophytes and cryptophytes. Molecular fingerprinting revealed a high similarity between inner fjord samples from early spring and late spring samples from all locations, while outer samples from early spring clustered separately. We conclude that glacier influence, mediated by early meltwater input, modifies phytoplankton biomass and composition already during the spring bloom period, in favor of low biomass and small cell size communities. This may affect higher trophic levels especially when regional warming further increases the period and volume of meltwater.

Single-Cell-Genomics-Facilitated Read Binning of Candidate Phylum EM19 Genomes from Geothermal Spring Metagenomes.

PubMed

Becraft, Eric D; Dodsworth, Jeremy A; Murugapiran, Senthil K; Ohlsson, J Ingemar; Briggs, Brandon R; Kanbar, Jad; De Vlaminck, Iwijn; Quake, Stephen R; Dong, Hailiang; Hedlund, Brian P; Swingley, Wesley D

2016-02-15

The vast majority of microbial life remains uncatalogued due to the inability to cultivate these organisms in the laboratory. This "microbial dark matter" represents a substantial portion of the tree of life and of the populations that contribute to chemical cycling in many ecosystems. In this work, we leveraged an existing single-cell genomic data set representing the candidate bacterial phylum "Calescamantes" (EM19) to calibrate machine learning algorithms and define metagenomic bins directly from pyrosequencing reads derived from Great Boiling Spring in the U.S. Great Basin. Compared to other assembly-based methods, taxonomic binning with a read-based machine learning approach yielded final assemblies with the highest predicted genome completeness of any method tested. Read-first binning subsequently was used to extract Calescamantes bins from all metagenomes with abundant Calescamantes populations, including metagenomes from Octopus Spring and Bison Pool in Yellowstone National Park and Gongxiaoshe Spring in Yunnan Province, China. Metabolic reconstruction suggests that Calescamantes are heterotrophic, facultative anaerobes, which can utilize oxidized nitrogen sources as terminal electron acceptors for respiration in the absence of oxygen and use proteins as their primary carbon source. Despite their phylogenetic divergence, the geographically separate Calescamantes populations were highly similar in their predicted metabolic capabilities and core gene content, respiring O2, or oxidized nitrogen species for energy conservation in distant but chemically similar hot springs. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Sea Floor: A Living Learning Residential Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guentzel, J. L.; Rosch, E.; Stoughton, M. A.; Bowyer, R.; Mortensen, K.; Smith, M.

2016-02-01

Living learning communities are collaborations between university housing and academic departments designed to enhance the overall student experience by integrating classroom/laboratory learning, student life and extracurricular activities. At Coastal Carolina University, the residential community associated with the Marine Science program is known as the Sea Floor. Students selected to become members of the Sea Floor remain "in residence" for two consecutive semesters. These students are first-time freshman that share a common course connection. This course is usually Introduction to Marine Science (MSCI 111) or MSCI 399s, which are one credit field/laboratory centered internships. The common course connection is designed so residents can establish and maintain an educational dialog with their peers. Activities designed to enhance the students' networking skills and educational and social development skills include monthly lunches with marine science faculty and dinner seminars with guest speakers from academia, industry and government. Additionally, each semester several activities outside the classroom are planned so that students can more frequently interact with themselves and their faculty and staff partners. These activities include field trips to regional aquariums, local boat trips that include water sample collection and analysis, and an alternative spring break trip to the Florida Keys to study the marine environment firsthand. The resident advisor that supervises the Sea Floor is usually a sophomore or junior marine science major. This provides the residents with daily communication and mentoring from a marine science major that is familiar with the marine science program and residence life. Assessment activities include: a university housing community living survey, student interest housing focus groups, fall to spring and fall to fall retention, and evaluation of program advisors and program activities.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Navigation Strategy for the Comet Siding Spring Encounter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menon, Premkumar R.; Wagner, Sean V.; Martin-Mur, Tomas J.; Jefferson, David C.; Ardalan, Shadan M.; Chung, Min-Kun J.; Lee, Kyong J.; Schulze, William B.

2015-01-01

Comet Siding Spring encountered Mars on October 19, 2014 at a distance of about 140,500 km - the nearest comet flyby of a planet in recorded history. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was able to detect the comet, gather science data, and capture images of the comet as it approached Mars. To help protect MRO from the incoming comet particles, two propulsive maneuvers were performed to position the spacecraft behind Mars at the arrival time of the expected peak particle fluency. This paper documents the strategy that the MRO Navigation Team executed to mitigate risk from the comet particles while allowing scientific observations of the comet flyby.

GOES Full Disk Shows First Day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-20

This full-disk image from NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite was captured at 11:45 UTC (7:45 a.m. EDT) and shows the Americas on March 20, 2014. This date marks the start of astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere. Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Analytical model for viscous damping and the spring force for perforated planar microstructures acting at both audible and ultrasonic frequencies

PubMed Central

Homentcovschi, Dorel; Miles, Ronald N.

2008-01-01

The paper presents a model for the squeezed film damping, the resistance of the holes, and the corresponding spring forces for a periodic perforated microstructure including the effects of compressibility, inertia, and rarefied gas. The viscous damping and spring forces are obtained by using the continuity equation. The analytical formula for the squeezed film damping is applied to analyze the response of an ultrasonic transducer. The inclusion of these effects in a model significantly improves the agreement with measured results. Finally, it is shown that the frequency dependence of the total damping and total spring force for a cell are very similar to those corresponding to a rectangular open microstructure without holes. A separate analysis reveals the importance of each particular correction. The most important is the compressibility correction; the inertia has to be considered only for determining the spring force and the damping force for sufficiently high frequencies. PMID:18646964

Development of a Spring-Loaded Impact Device to Deliver Injurious Mechanical Impacts to the Articular Cartilage Surface

PubMed Central

Alexander, Peter G.; Song, Yingjie; Taboas, Juan M.; Chen, Faye H.; Melvin, Gary M.; Manner, Paul A.

2013-01-01

Objective: Traumatic impacts on the articular joint surface in vitro are known to lead to degeneration of the cartilage. The main objective of this study was to develop a spring-loaded impact device that can be used to deliver traumatic impacts of consistent magnitude and rate and to find whether impacts cause catabolic activities in articular cartilage consistent with other previously reported impact models and correlated with the development of osteoarthritic lesions. In developing the spring-loaded impactor, the operating hypothesis is that a single supraphysiologic impact to articular cartilage in vitro can affect cartilage integrity, cell viability, sulfated glycosaminoglycan and inflammatory mediator release in a dose-dependent manner. Design: Impacts of increasing force are delivered to adult bovine articular cartilage explants in confined compression. Impact parameters are correlated with tissue damage, cell viability, matrix and inflammatory mediator release, and gene expression 24 hours postimpact. Results: Nitric oxide release is first detected after 7.7 MPa impacts, whereas cell death, glycosaminoglycan release, and prostaglandin E2 release are first detected at 17 MPa. Catabolic markers increase linearly to maximal levels after ≥36 MPa impacts. Conclusions: A single supraphysiologic impact negatively affects cartilage integrity, cell viability, and GAG release in a dose-dependent manner. Our findings showed that 7 to 17 MPa impacts can induce cell death and catabolism without compromising the articular surface, whereas a 17 MPa impact is sufficient to induce increases in most common catabolic markers of osteoarthritic degeneration. PMID:26069650

Changes in the midgut cells in the European cave spider, Meta menardi, during starvation in spring and autumn.

PubMed

Lipovšek, Saška; Leitinger, Gerd; Novak, Tone; Janžekovič, Franc; Gorgoń, Szymon; Kamińska, Karolina; Rost-Roszkowska, Magdalena

2018-03-01

During the growth period, in surface habitats, spiders catch enough prey to feed normally. In contrast, in the cave entrance zone, prey may be relatively scarce. Meta menardi inhabits this cave section, resulting in temporary starvation. We studied structural changes in the midgut epithelial cells of M. menardi during a short-term and a medium-term controlled starvation to mimic the occasional starvation in caves, during spring and autumn. Digestive cells, secretory cells and adipocytes were examined before the experimental starvation, in the middle and at the end of starvation. We used light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and specific histochemical methods for the detection of lipids, polysaccharides and proteins. Detection of lysosomes, autolysosomes and apoptosis was also carried out. The general structures of the cells did not change during the experimental starvation in either season, while some specific differences in the ultrastructure were observed. In both sexes, in both seasons, the amounts of lipids, glycogen and proteins decreased during starvation. Larger amounts of lipids were found in autumn, while there were no significant differences in the amounts of glycogen and proteins. In both sexes, in both seasons, autophagy and apoptosis intensified with starvation in progress, but more intensively in females. Thus, autumn individuals, in contrast to spring ones, compile energy-supplying stores to confront the subsequent winter deficiency of prey in caves, while the cellular ultrastructures undergo the same starvation-dependant changes at any time during the growth period.

KSC-03pd1204

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - JoAnn Morgan, director, External Relations and Business Development, speaks to the students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03pd1203

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - JoAnn Morgan, director, External Relations and Business Development, speaks to the students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03pd1205

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - JoAnn Morgan, director, External Relations and Business Development, speaks to the students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03PD-1203

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - JoAnn Morgan, director, External Relations and Business Development, speaks to the students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03PD-1205

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - JoAnn Morgan, director, External Relations and Business Development, speaks to the students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03PD-1201

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Gregg Buckingham, University Affairs officer, External Relations and Business Development Directorate, addresses students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03PD-1202

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Gregg Buckingham, University Affairs officer, External Relations and Business Development Directorate, addresses students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

KSC-03PD-1204

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - JoAnn Morgan, director, External Relations and Business Development, speaks to the students of MESA, the New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program. The students are visiting KSC, touring facilities and meeting with mentors. MESA students, high school seniors who hold grade-point averages of at least 3.2 and who tutor other students in math and science, have made the spring trip for the past 14 years. The MESA program has close ties to the NASA Training Project at the University of New Mexico.

An Analysis of Navy Managed Child Development Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

education system. The statistics gathered look at ethnicity/ sex /socio-economic background as well as results from various science, math, and language...Department. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED386297.pdf Laughlin, L. (2013). Who’s minding the kids ? Childcare arrangements: Spring 2011

Expectations of Internet Education: Casper College's Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Gerald E.

The Internet Based Distance Learning (IBDL) classes provided in Wyoming's Casper College have the potential to benefit all involved. The "Cyber Semester," which began in the spring of 1997, consisted of four typical freshman classes (Physical Geography, Precalculus Algebra, English Composition I, and Political Science) that were offered…

How well do ITS rDNA sequences differentiate species of true morels (Morchella)?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Arguably more mycophiles hunt true morels (Morchella) during their brief fruiting season each spring in the Northern Hemisphere than any other wild edible fungus. Concerns about overharvesting by individual collectors and commercial enterprises make it essential that science-based management practic...

Women in science & engineering scholarships and summer camp outreach programs : year 7.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-08-01

Since the UTC Scholarship program began in the spring of 2005 and continues today on the S&T campus, numerous female students : have benefitted tremendously from this source of financial aid. The program began in the first few years with 15-30 awards...

78 FR 20110 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-03

... Project Science to Practice: Developing and Testing a Marketing Strategy for Preventing Alcohol-related... marketing strategy for The Safer Campuses and Communities intervention, a comprehensive, community-based... the spring and fall semester of the 2012-2013 academic years, and will constitute a marketing strategy...

Chemistry without Borders: Careers, Research, and Entrepreneurship

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This book is based on two symposia of the American Chemical Society (ACS): 1) “The Transnational Practice of Chemistry and Allied Sciences and Engineering: Study, Research and Careers without Borders” held at the Spring National Meeting in Denver in March 2015, and 2) “International Entrepreneurship...

Geysers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Donald E.

One of a series of general interest publications on science topics, the booklet provides those interested in geysers with a nontechnical introduction to the subject. Separate sections examine the nature and workings of geysers--why geysers erupt, where they occur, the cause of volcanoes and hot springs, the deep circulation of water in geyser…

Transport of suspended solids from a karstic to an alluvial aquifer: The role of the karst/alluvium interface

USGS Publications Warehouse

Massei, N.; Lacroix, M.; Wang, H.Q.; Mahler, B.J.; Dupont, J.P.

2002-01-01

This study focuses on the coupled transport of dissolved constituents and particulates, from their infiltration on a karst plateau to their discharge from a karst spring and their arrival at a well in an alluvial plain. Particulate markers were identified and the transport of solids was characterised in situ in porous and karstic media, based on particle size analyses, SEM, and traces. Transport from the sinkhole to the spring appeared to be dominated by flow through karst: particulate transport was apparently conservative between the two sites, and there was little difference in the overall character of the particle size distribution of the particulates infiltrating the sinkhole and of those discharging from the spring. Qualitatively, the mineralogy of the infiltrating and discharging material was similar, although at the spring an autochthonous contribution from the aquifer was noted (chalk particles eroded from the parent rock by weathering). In contrast, transport between the spring and the well appears to be affected by the overlying alluvium: particles in the water from the well, showed evidence of considerable size-sorting. Additionally, SEM images of the well samples showed the presence of particles originating from the overlying alluvial system; these particles were not found in samples from the sinkhole or the spring. The differences between the particulates discharging from the spring and the well indicate that the water pumped from the alluvial plain is coming from the karst aquifer via the very transmissive, complex geologic interface between the underlying chalk formation and the gravel at the base of the overlying alluvial system. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Liquid cooled, linear focus solar cell receiver

DOEpatents

Kirpich, A.S.

1983-12-08

Separate structures for electrical insulation and thermal conduction are established within a liquid cooled, linear focus solar cell receiver for use with parabolic or Fresnel optical concentrators. The receiver includes a V-shaped aluminum extrusion having a pair of outer faces each formed with a channel receiving a string of solar cells in thermal contact with the extrusion. Each cell string is attached to a continuous glass cover secured within the channel with spring clips to isolate the string from the external environment. Repair or replacement of solar cells is effected simply by detaching the spring clips to remove the cover/cell assembly without interrupting circulation of coolant fluid through the receiver. The lower surface of the channel in thermal contact with the cells of the string is anodized to establish a suitable standoff voltage capability between the cells and the extrusion. Primary electrical insulation is provided by a dielectric tape disposed between the coolant tube and extrusion. Adjacent solar cells are soldered to interconnect members designed to accommodate thermal expansion and mismatches. The coolant tube is clamped into the extrusion channel with a releasably attachable clamping strip to facilitate easy removal of the receiver from the coolant circuit.

Liquid cooled, linear focus solar cell receiver

DOEpatents

Kirpich, Aaron S.

1985-01-01

Separate structures for electrical insulation and thermal conduction are established within a liquid cooled, linear focus solar cell receiver for use with parabolic or Fresnel optical concentrators. The receiver includes a V-shaped aluminum extrusion having a pair of outer faces each formed with a channel receiving a string of solar cells in thermal contact with the extrusion. Each cell string is attached to a continuous glass cover secured within the channel with spring clips to isolate the string from the external environment. Repair or replacement of solar cells is effected simply by detaching the spring clips to remove the cover/cell assembly without interrupting circulation of coolant fluid through the receiver. The lower surface of the channel in thermal contact with the cells of the string is anodized to establish a suitable standoff voltage capability between the cells and the extrusion. Primary electrical insulation is provided by a dielectric tape disposed between the coolant tube and extrusion. Adjacent solar cells are soldered to interconnect members designed to accommodate thermal expansion and mismatches. The coolant tube is clamped into the extrusion channel with a releasably attachable clamping strip to facilitate easy removal of the receiver from the coolant circuit.

Community Involvement as an Effective Institutional Control at the Weldon Spring Site, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Site

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

Deyo, Y.E.; Pauling, T.

2006-07-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP) was conducted for the purpose of remediating a portion of a former trinitrotoluene and dinitrotoluene production plant that was operational from 1941 to 1945 and a former uranium refinery that was operational from 1957 to 1966. Surface remediation activities concluded in 2001 with the completion of a 45-acre (.18 square kilometer) on-site engineered disposal facility. Long-term surveillance and maintenance activities at the site were officially transferred to the DOE Office of Legacy Management in 2003. The Weldon Spring Site is located within the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitanmore » area (population 3 million). DOE's close relationship with surrounding land owners created a need for innovative solutions to long-term surveillance and maintenance issues at the site. Through a Secretarial proclamation, a plan was established for development of a comprehensive public involvement and education program. This program would act as an institutional control to communicate the historical legacy of the site and would make information available about contamination present at the site to guide people in making decisions about appropriate site activities. In August 2002, the Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center opened to the public with exhibits about the history of the area, the remediation work that was completed, and a site information repository that is available to visitors. In addition, the Hamburg Trail for hiking and biking was constructed as a joint DOE/MDC effort. The 8-mile trail travels through both DOE and MDC property; a series of historical markers posted along its length to communicate the history of the area and the remediation work that was done as part of WSSRAP activities. A ramp and viewing platform with informational plaques were constructed on the disposal cell to provide an additional mechanism for public education. With a basic marketing program, site visitor-ship has been steadily increasing. In 2005, approximately 15,400 visitors were associated with Interpretive Center operations and outreach activities. Science-oriented educational programs that directly relate to past remediation activities and present long-term surveillance and maintenance issues have been developed and are presented to St. Louis area school groups and other community-based organizations. Other innovative programs have been developed to address daily maintenance issues at the site and to promote beneficial community re-use of the property. Approximately 30,000 square feet of the former Administration Building has been transferred through a use-permit to Lindenwood University, a local institution with a total enrollment of about 12,000 students. Lindenwood is establishing a satellite college campus in the building in exchange for providing basic maintenance and payment of utilities for both the Administration Building and Interpretive Center. A volunteer program developed to address maintenance of the native plant gardens that surround the Interpretive Center has a current enrollment of approximately 25 volunteers. Another volunteer group of prairie ecosystem experts has been meeting regularly for the last 3 years to assist the site in long-term management of the established prairie surrounding the disposal cell. Public support of these community involvement activities at the site is strong. DOE has worked closely with the Weldon Spring Citizens Commission in developing the concepts for this approach and the Commission has helped promote these activities within the community. It is expected that continued public education in this manner will only serve to strengthen the institutional control commitments at the Weldon Spring Site. (authors)« less

Changes in apoplastic peroxidase activity and cell wall composition are associated with cold-induced morpho-anatomical plasticity of wheat leaves.

PubMed

Lorenzo, M; Pinedo, M L; Equiza, M A; Fernández, P V; Ciancia, M; Ganem, D G; Tognetti, J A

2018-02-14

Temperate grasses, such as wheat, become compact plants with small thick leaves after exposure to low temperature. These responses are associated with cold hardiness, but their underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we analyse the effects of low temperature on leaf morpho-anatomical structure, cell wall composition and activity of extracellular peroxidases, which play key roles in cell elongation and cell wall thickening, in two wheat cultivars with contrasting cold-hardening ability. A combined microscopy and biochemical approach was applied to study actively growing leaves of winter (ProINTA-Pincén) and spring (Buck-Patacón) wheat developed under constant warm (25 °C) or cool (5 °C) temperature. Cold-grown plants had shorter leaves but longer inter-stomatal epidermal cells than warm-grown plants. They had thicker walls in metaxylem vessels and mestome sheath cells, paralleled with accumulation of wall components, predominantly hemicellulose. These effects were more pronounced in the winter cultivar (Pincén). Cold also induced a sharp decrease in apoplastic peroxidase activity within the leaf elongating zone of Pincén, and a three-fold increase in the distal mature zone of the leaf. This was consistent with the enhanced cell length and thicker cell walls in this cultivar at 5 °C. The different response to low temperature of apoplastic peroxidase activity and hemicellulose between leaf zones and cultivar types suggests they might play a central role in the development of cold-induced compact morphology and cold hardening. New insights are presented on the potential temperature-driven role of peroxidases and hemicellulose in cell wall dynamics of grasses. © 2018 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Initiative bridges gap among humanities, science, and society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frodeman, Robert

The environmental challenges we face today are inherently cross-disciplinary in nature. Addressing questions of global climate change, damaged mine lands, or the restoration of urban landscapes requires the integration of scientific information with ethical, historical, and cultural perspectives. But how can society better approach the challenge of usefully combining such values with the insights of science for effective decision-making?New Directions in the Earth Sciences and the Humanities focuses on this question. Launched in the spring of 2001 with a $15,000 grant from the Colorado School of Mines, New Directions consists of a series of projects based on the premise that the humanities represent a largely untapped resource for helping the Earth sciences relate more effectively to society.

Differential regulation of sodium-potassium pump isoforms during smolt development and seawater exposure of Atlantic salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCormick, Stephen D.; Regish, Amy M.; Christensen, Arne K.; Björnsson, Björn Thrandur

2013-01-01

Freshwater and seawater isoforms of the alpha subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) have previously been identified in gill ionocytes of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). In the present study we examine the abundance and cellular localization of these isoforms during the parr–smolt transformation, a developmental process that is preparatory for seawater entry. The abundance of NKAα1a was lower in smolts than in parr, remained relatively constant during spring and decreased in summer. NKAα1b increased tenfold in smolts during spring, peaking in late April, coincident with downstream migration and increased salinity tolerance. NKAα1b increased a further twofold after seawater exposure of smolts, whereas NKAα1a decreased by 98%. The abundance of NKAα1b-positive, and NKAα1b and NKAα1a co-labeled ionocytes increased during smolt development, whereas the number of NKAα1a cells decreased. After seawater exposure of smolts, NKAα1b-positive ionocytes increased, NKAα1a-positive cells decreased, and co-labeled cells disappeared. Plasma growth hormone and cortisol increased during spring in smolts, but not in parr, peaking just prior to the highest levels of NKAα1b. The results indicate that the increase in the abundance of NKAα1b during smolt development is directly linked to the increase in salinity tolerance that occurs at this stage, but that significant changes also occur after seawater exposure. Spring increases in circulating levels of growth hormone and cortisol indicate that these hormones may be instrumental in upregulating NKAα1b during smolt development.

Preparation-free method for detecting Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the presence of spinach, spring lettuce mix, and ground beef particulates.

PubMed

Maraldo, David; Mutharasan, Raj

2007-11-01

We show the detection of 100 cells per ml of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the presence of spinach, spring lettuce mix, and ground beef washes and particulate matter with piezoelectric-excited millimeter-sized cantilever (PEMC) sensors. The PEMC sensors (sensing area, 2 mm2) were immobilized with polyclonal antibody specific to E. coli O157:H7 (EC) and were exposed to 10 aqueous washes of locally purchased spinach, spring lettuce mix, and ground beef for testing if EC was present. Absence of resonance frequency shift indicated that EC was not present in the 30 samples tested. Following the last sample in each food matrix, 1,000 cells per ml of EC were spiked into the sample container, and resonance frequency change was monitored. The total resonance frequency change was 880 +/- 5, 1,875 +/- 8, and 1,417 +/- 4 Hz for spinach, spring lettuce mix, and ground beef, respectively. A mixture of the three food matrices spiked with 100 cells per ml of EC gave a sensor response of 260 +/- 15 Hz. The resonance frequency changes are approximately 40% lower than our previously reported study on ground beef. It is suggested that the reduction in sensitivity is due to differences in pathogen adherence to food matrices, which affects target binding to the sensor surface. We conclude that detection selectivity is conserved in the three food matrices examined and that the magnitude of sensor response is a function of the food matrix.

sts105-714-028

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-20

STS105-714-028 (20 August 2001) --- Backdropped by Lake Michigan, this distant view shows the recently deployed small science satellite called Simplesat, which is an engineering satellite, designed to evaluate the use of inexpensive commercial hardware for spacecraft. It was spring-ejected from a canister at the rear of the Shuttle's cargo bay.

Forging a 21st Century Model for Undergraduate Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musante, Susan

2011-01-01

Not all biology students get to experience scientific research firsthand, but the National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI) is working to change that. The NGRI is the first initiative to spring from Howard Hughes Medical Institute's (HHMI) new Science Education Alliance (SEA). At present, a competitive application process determines which…

Colorado Student Assessment Program Technical Report, 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

This report presents the results of the statewide spring 2000 administration of the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). Third-grade students were assessed in Reading; fourth- and seventh-grade students were assessed in Reading and Writing; and eighth-grade students were assessed in Mathematics and Science. The assessments were developed by…

75 FR 43929 - National Weather Service (NWS) Strategic Plan, 2011-2020

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-27

... management, and private sector, research and operations partners. NWS invites comments on the contents of... 18234, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. E-mail comments to nws.great.ideas@noaa.gov . NWS prefers that... prediction and monitoring. NOAA's commitment to science, service, and stewardship informs society to respond...

Delivering an Informational Hub for Data at the National Center for Computational Toxicology (ACS Spring Meeting) 7 of 7

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Computational Toxicology Program integrates advances in biology, chemistry, and computer science to help prioritize chemicals for further research based on potential human health risks. This work involves computational and data drive...

Springing into Inquiry: Using Student Ideas to Investigate Seasons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Jesse; Kruse, Jerrid

2012-01-01

Although inquiry is more engaging and results in more meaningful learning (Minner, Levy, and Century 2010) than traditional science classroom instruction, actually involving students in the process is difficult. Furthermore, many students have misconceptions about Earth's seasons, which are supported by students' prior knowledge of heat sources.…

Challenges of Using CSCL in Open Distributed Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsen, Anders Grov; Instefjord, Elen J.

As a compulsory part of the study in Pedagogical Information Science at the University of Bergen and Stord/Haugesund College (Norway) during the spring term of 1999, students participated in a distributed group activity that provided experience on distributed collaboration and use of online groupware systems. The group collaboration process was…

Teaching Planetary Science as Part of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margot, Jean-Luc; Greenberg, Adam H.

2017-10-01

In Spring 2016 and 2017, UCLA offered a course titled "EPSS C179/279 - Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Theory and Applications". The course is designed for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students in the science, technical, engineering, and mathematical fields. Each year, students designed an observing sequence for the Green Bank telescope, observed known planetary systems remotely, wrote a sophisticated and modular data processing pipeline, analyzed the data, and presented their results. In 2016, 15 students participated in the course (9U, 5G; 11M, 3F) and observed 14 planetary systems in the Kepler field. In 2017, 17 students participated (15U, 2G; 10M, 7F) and observed 10 planetary systems in the Kepler field, TRAPPIST-1, and LHS 1140. In order to select suitable targets, students learned about planetary systems, planetary habitability, and planetary dynamics. In addition to planetary science fundamentals, students learned radio astronomy fundamentals, collaborative software development, signal processing techniques, and statistics. Evaluations indicate that the course is challenging but that students are eager to learn because of the engrossing nature of SETI. Students particularly value the teamwork approach, the observing experience, and working with their own data. The next offering of the course will be in Spring 2018. Additional information about our SETI work is available at seti.ucla.edu.

View from ... JSAP Spring meeting 2014: Strive for efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horiuchi, Noriaki

2014-06-01

A high energy conversion efficiency and a low fabrication cost are required to make the widespread implementation of solar cells attractive. Researchers are striving to enhance cell performance by developing heterojunction techniques, introducing photonic-crystal structures and proposing new device designs.

Science Missions Enabled by the Ares V

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Worden, Simon Peter; Weiler, Edward J.

2008-01-01

NASA's planned heavy-lift Ares V rocket is a centerpiece of U.S. Space Exploration Policy. With approximately 30% more capacity to Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) than the Saturn V, Ares V could also enable additional science and exploration missions currently unachievable or extremely unworkable under current launch vehicle architectures. During the spring and summer of 2008, NASA held two workshops dedicated to the discussion of these new mission concepts for the Ares V rocket. The first workshop dealt with astronomy and astrophysics, and the second dealt primarily with planetary science and exploration, but did touch on Earth science and heliophysics. We present here the summary results and outcomes of these meetings, including a discussion of specific mission concepts and ideas, as well as suggestions on design for the Ares V fairing and flight configurations that improve science return.

NASA Space Science Resource Catalog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teays, T.

2000-05-01

The NASA Office of Space Science Resource Catalog provides a convenient online interface for finding space science products for use in classrooms, science museums, planetariums, and many other venues. Goals in developing this catalog are: (1) create a cataloging system for all NASA OSS education products, (2) develop a system for characterizing education products which is meaningful to a large clientele, (3) develop a mechanism for evaluating products, (4) provide a user-friendly interface to search and access the data, and (5) provide standardized metadata and interfaces to other cataloging and library systems. The first version of the catalog is being tested at the spring 2000 conventions of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and will be released in summer 2000. The catalog may be viewed at the Origins Education Forum booth.

A calibration method for the higher modes of a micro-mechanical cantilever

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shatil, N. R.; Homer, M. E.; Picco, L.; Martin, P. G.; Payton, O. D.

2017-05-01

Micro-mechanical cantilevers are increasingly being used as a characterisation tool in both material and biological sciences. New non-destructive applications are being developed that rely on the information encoded within the cantilever's higher oscillatory modes, such as atomic force microscopy techniques that measure the non-topographic properties of a sample. However, these methods require the spring constants of the cantilever at higher modes to be known in order to quantify their results. Here, we show how to calibrate the micro-mechanical cantilever and find the effective spring constant of any mode. The method is uncomplicated to implement, using only the properties of the cantilever and the fundamental mode that are straightforward to measure.

Diversity of Cultured Thermophilic Anaerobes in Hot Springs of Yunnan Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, L.; Lu, Y.; Dong, X.; Liu, X.; Wei, Y.; Ji, X.; Zhang, C.

2010-12-01

Thermophilic anaerobes including Archaea and Bacteria refer to those growing optimally at temperatures above 50°C and do not use oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor for growth. Study on thermophilic anaerobes will help to understand how life thrives under extreme conditions. Meanwhile thermophilic anaerobes are of importance in potential application and development of thermophilic biotechnology. We have surveyed culturable thermophilic anaerobes in hot springs (pH6.5-7.5; 70 - 94°C) in Rehai of Tengchong, Bangnazhang of Longlin, Eryuan of Dali,Yunnan, China. 50 strains in total were cultured from the hot springs water using Hungate anaerobic technique, and 30 strains were selected based on phenotypic diversity for analysis of 16S rDNA sequences. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 28 strains belonged to the members of five genera: Caldanaerobacter, Calaramator, Thermoanaerobacter, Dictyoglomus and Fervidobacterium, which formed five branches on the phylogenetic tree. Besides, 2 strains of methanogenic archaea were obtained. The majority of the isolates were the known species, however, seven strains were identified as novel species affiliated to the five genera based on the lower 16S rDNA sequence similarities (less than 93 - 97%) with the described species. This work would provide the future study on their diversity, distribution among different regions and the potential application of thermophilic enzyme. Supported by State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences(SKLMR-080605)and the Foundation of State Natural Science (30660009, 30960022, 31081220175).

Identification and quantitative detection of Legionella spp. in various aquatic environments by real-time PCR assay.

PubMed

Kao, Po-Min; Tung, Min-Che; Hsu, Bing-Mu; Chiu, Yi-Chou; She, Cheng-Yu; Shen, Shu-Min; Huang, Yu-Li; Huang, Wen-Chien

2013-09-01

In this study, a SYBR green quantitative real-time PCR was developed to quantify and detect the Legionella spp. in various environmental water samples. The water samples were taken from watershed, water treatment plant, and thermal spring area in Taiwan. Legionella was detected in 13.6 % (24/176), and the detection rate for river water, raw drinking water, and thermal spring water was 10, 21.4, and 16.6 %, respectively. Using real-time PCR, concentration of Legionella spp. in detected samples ranged between 9.75 × 10(4) and 3.47 × 10(5) cells/L in river water, 6.92 × 10(4) and 4.29 × 10(5) cells/L in raw drinking water, and 5.71 × 10(4) and 2.12 × 10(6) cells/L for thermal spring water samples. The identified species included Legionella pneumophila (20.8 %), Legionella jordanis (4.2 %), Legionella nautarum (4.2 %), Legionella sp. (4.2 %), and uncultured Legionella sp. (66.6 %). The presence of L. pneumophila in aquatic environments suggested a potential public health threat that must be further examined.

Research in karst aquifers developed in high-mountain areas combining KARSYS models with springs discharge records. Picos de Europa, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballesteros, Daniel; Meléndez, Mónica; Malard, Arnauld; Jiménez-Sánchez, Montserrat; Heredia, Nemesio; Jeannin, Pierre-Yves; García-Sansegundo, Joaquín

2014-05-01

The study of karst aquifers developed in high-mountain areas is quite complex since the application of many techniques of hydrogeology in these areas is difficult, expensive, and requires many hours of field work. In addition, the access to the study area is usually conditioned by the orography and the meteorological conditions. A pragmatic approach to study these aquifers can be the combination of geometric models of the aquifer with the monitoring of the discharge rate of springs and the meteorological records. KARSYS approach (Jeannin et al. 2013) allows us to elaborate a geometric model of karst aquifers establishing the boundaries of the groundwater bodies, the main drainage axes and providing evidences of the catchment delineation of the springs. The aim of this work is to analyse the functioning of the karst aquifer from the western and central part of the Picos de Europa Mountains (Spain) combining the KARSYS approach, the discharge record from two springs and the meteorological records (rain, snow and temperature). The Picos de Europa (North Spain) is a high-mountains area up to 2.6 km altitude with 2,500 mm/year of precipitations. The highest part of these mountains is covered by snow four to seven months a year. The karst aquifer is developed in Carboniferous limestone which is strongly compartmentalized in, at least, 17 groundwater bodies. The method of work includes: 1) the elaboration of a hydrogeological 3D model of the geometry of the karst aquifers by KARSYS approach, 2) the definition of the springs catchment areas based on the hydrogeological 3D model, 3) the selection of two representative springs emerging from the aquifers to study it, 4) the continuous monitoring of water levels in two karst springs since October 2013, 5) the transformation of the water level values to flow values using height-stream relation curves constructed by measures of the spring discharge, and 5) the comparison of the spring discharge rate records and meteorological measurements with the geometry, extension and elevation of the springs catchment areas. This comparison allows us to characterize the functioning of the karst aquifer, validating the dimensioning of the catchment, identify other overflow springs, etc. Pressure sensors have been placed into caves of springs with the purpose of establishing quantitative relations between hydraulic heads and discharge rates in these aquifers. Jeannin et al. 2013. Environmental Earth Sciences, 69, 999-1013.

Folding Elastic Thermal Surface - FETS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Urquiza, Eugenio; Zhang, Burt X.; Thelen, Michael P.; Rodriquez, Jose I.; Pellegrino, Sergio

2013-01-01

The FETS is a light and compact thermal surface (sun shade, IR thermal shield, cover, and/or deployable radiator) that is mounted on a set of offset tape-spring hinges. The thermal surface is constrained during launch and activated in space by a thermomechanical latch such as a wax actuator. An application-specific embodiment of this technology developed for the MATMOS (Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer) project serves as a deployable cover and thermal shield for its passive cooler. The FETS fits compactly against the instrument within the constrained launch envelope, and then unfolds into a larger area once in space. In this application, the FETS protects the passive cooler from thermal damage and contamination during ground operations, launch, and during orbit insertion. Once unfolded or deployed, the FETS serves as a heat shield, intercepting parasitic heat loads by blocking the passive cooler s view of the warm spacecraft. The technology significantly enhances the capabilities of instruments requiring either active or passive cooling of optical detectors. This can be particularly important for instruments where performance is limited by the available radiator area. Examples would be IR optical instruments on CubeSATs or those launched as hosted payloads because radiator area is limited and views are often undesirable. As a deployable radiator, the panels making up the FETS are linked thermally by thermal straps and heat pipes; the structural support and deployment energy is provided using tape-spring hinges. The FETS is a novel combination of existing technologies. Prior art for deployable heat shields uses rotating hinges that typically must be lubricated to avoid cold welding or static friction. By using tape-spring hinges, the FETS avoids the need for lubricants by avoiding friction altogether. This also eliminates the potential for contamination of nearby cooled optics by outgassing lubricants. Furthermore, the tape-spring design of the FETS is also self-locking so the panels stay in a rigid and extended configuration after deployment. This unexpected benefit makes the tape-spring hinge design of the FETS a light, simple, reliable, compact, non-outgassing hinge, spring, and latch. While tape-spring hinges are not novel, they have never been used to deploy passive unfolding thermal surfaces (radiator panels, covers, sun shades, or IR thermal shields). Furthermore, because this technology is compact, it has minimal impact on the launch envelope and mass specifications. FETS enhances the performance of hosted payload instruments where the science data is limited by dark noise. Incorporating FETS into a thermal control system increases radiator area, which lowers the optical detector temperature. This results in higher SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) and improved science data.

A fast mass spring model solver for high-resolution elastic objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Mianlun; Yuan, Zhiyong; Zhu, Weixu; Zhang, Guian

2017-03-01

Real-time simulation of elastic objects is of great importance for computer graphics and virtual reality applications. The fast mass spring model solver can achieve visually realistic simulation in an efficient way. Unfortunately, this method suffers from resolution limitations and lack of mechanical realism for a surface geometry model, which greatly restricts its application. To tackle these problems, in this paper we propose a fast mass spring model solver for high-resolution elastic objects. First, we project the complex surface geometry model into a set of uniform grid cells as cages through *cages mean value coordinate method to reflect its internal structure and mechanics properties. Then, we replace the original Cholesky decomposition method in the fast mass spring model solver with a conjugate gradient method, which can make the fast mass spring model solver more efficient for detailed surface geometry models. Finally, we propose a graphics processing unit accelerated parallel algorithm for the conjugate gradient method. Experimental results show that our method can realize efficient deformation simulation of 3D elastic objects with visual reality and physical fidelity, which has a great potential for applications in computer animation.

Nuclear reactor spacer grid and ductless core component

DOEpatents

Christiansen, David W.; Karnesky, Richard A.

1989-01-01

The invention relates to a nuclear reactor spacer grid member for use in a liquid cooled nuclear reactor and to a ductless core component employing a plurality of these spacer grid members. The spacer grid member is of the egg-shell type and is constructed so that the walls of the cell members of the grid member are formed of a single thickness of metal to avoid tolerance problems. Within each cell member is a hydraulic spring which laterally constrains the nuclear material bearing rod which passes through each cell member against a hardstop in response to coolant flow through the cell member. This hydraulic spring is also suitable for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor. A core component constructed of, among other components, a plurality of these spacer grid members, avoids the use of a full length duct by providing spacer sleeves about the sodium tubes passing through the spacer grid members at locations between the grid members, thereby maintaining a predetermined space between adjacent grid members.

Exploring Preschool Children’s Science Content Knowledge

PubMed Central

Guo, Ying; Piasta, Shayne B.; Bowles, Ryan P.

2014-01-01

Research Findings The purpose of this study was to describe children’s science content knowledge and examine the early predictors of science content knowledge in a sample of 194 typically developing preschool children. Children’s science content knowledge was assessed in the fall (Time 1) and spring (Time 2) of the preschool year. Results showed that children exhibited significant gains in science content knowledge over the course of the preschool year. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicated that the level of maternal education (i.e., holding at least a bachelor’s degree) significantly predicted children’s Time 1 science content knowledge. Children’s cognitive, math, and language skills at Time 1 were all significant concurrent predictors of Time 1 science content knowledge. However, only Time 1 math skills significantly predicted residualized gains in science content knowledge (i.e., Time 2 scores with Time 1 scores as covariates). Practice or Policy Factors related to individual differences in young children’s science content knowledge may be important for early childhood educators to consider in their efforts to provide more support to children who may need help with science learning. PMID:25541574

Human Performance Optimization: An Evolving Charge to the Department of Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

University of the Health Sciences hosted a conference in June 2006 entitled ~Human Performance Opti- mization in the Department of Defense: Charting a Course...20814, INaval M«!lcal Research Center. 503 Robert Grant AI’enue. SUvcr Spring, MO 20910, IU.S. AIr Fort.’t Office of the Surgeon General, 110 Luke...AI’enue. Suite 400. BoIlIng Alr Foree Baile. DC 203.12·7050. §School of Nursing. Uniformed 5c,,1ctS Unh’erslty of the Health Sciences , 4301 Jon~ Bridlle

NASA/NOAA/AMS Earth Science Electronic Theater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasler, Fritz

1999-01-01

Selections from the following very large Earth science observed & simulated datasets shown from: Historical: GOES-10 & AVHRR, SeaWIFS, TRMM, Meteosat, GMS, FY2, and ADEOS. and Simulated: EOS-AM1, Landsat 7, Astrovision, and 3D numerical storm model. Also highlights of the 1998 Hurricane & Severe Storm Seasons will be reviewed. A spectacular animations of La Nina season hurricanes: Bonnie, Georges, etc. 5000 frame 5-min GOES 10 continuous 28 day animation of the'98 Spring tornadic thunderstorm season and other special GOES test datasets will be shown.

The Science Teacher: Spring 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Steve

2008-06-01

This article reviews chemistry-related articles published between Summer 2007 and February 2008, in The Science Teacher ( TST ). A new TST column addresses safety-with emphases in reviewed articles on chemical hygiene plans, bloodborne pathogens, ionizing radiation, eyewash and shower stations, electrical safety, and chemical management. In addition, activities for teaching about ionic compounds, an inquiry-based lab and card sorting project on freezing point depressions, and a simulation of Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment are described. Also included is a career focus on a green product chemist. Supplementary JCE articles for these articles and topics are referenced.

Tips for the First-Year Health Sciences Librarian.

PubMed

Brackett, Alexandria

2016-01-01

A new librarian offers advice and insights about what she has learned from working at a library within a health science center. The librarian earned her MLIS in spring 2015, and while she had previous teaching experience, she realized there was much more learning needed to properly teach medical, graduate and allied health students, faculty, and residents. In this "one-year on the job" column, the librarian describes the different teaching experiences today's librarians encounter, and reflects on what she has learned from them and how they shape her view of the profession.

Boosting the Supply and Effectiveness of Washington's STEM Teachers. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Teacher Project, 2010

2010-01-01

In the spring of 2009, the Partnership for Learning (PFL) asked The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to analyze challenges Washington faces in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instruction and to make recommendations to overcome these challenges as part of a new STEM initiative. This initiative aims to dramatically raise student…

From Website to Moodle in a Blended Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buus, Lillian

2016-01-01

This paper presents findings collected from a collaborative implementation project established in Spring 2008 between Aalborg University's IT-department in the Faculty of Social Science (FSS) and the E-Learning Cooperation Unit (ELSA) with the view to implement Moodle in FSS. The purpose of this cooperation was conceived from an organisational…

If Inquiry Is So Great, Why Isn't Everyone Doing It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reiff, Rebecca

This study compared preservice teachers' beliefs (taken from journal reflections) about inquiry before, during, and after their field placement experiences. The subjects of the study were preservice students (n=48) enrolled in an elementary science methods course at a large midwestern university during the spring semester of 2001. Most of the…

Chronicles of the Sea: The History and Literature of Man's Voyages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roderer, Lawrence C.; Lacy, Richard

In spring 1984, an interdisciplinary course on the history and literature of man's voyages and relationship with the sea was introduced at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC). The course was team taught from the perspectives of the social sciences and English departments, incorporating fiction and non-fiction sources related to…

Experiences of York Graduates--Two Years Later.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grayson, J. Paul

This study examined outcomes for graduates of York University (Ontario) immediately and 2 years after graduation. An initial survey was conducted at the time students graduated from the university's faculties of Arts, Fine Arts, Pure and Applied Science, and the Schulich School of Business (SSB) in the fall of 1995 and the spring of 1996. Two…

Introduction of Interactive Learning into French University Physics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudolph, Alexander L.; Lamine, Brahim; Joyce, Michael; Vignolles, Hélène; Consiglio, David

2014-01-01

We report on a project to introduce interactive learning strategies (ILS) to physics classes at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, one of the leading science universities in France. In Spring 2012, instructors in two large introductory classes, first-year, second-semester mechanics, and second-year introductory electricity and magnetism,…

California Ocean Research: A Sea Grant Sampler. Sea Grant Publication No. 65, Spring 1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownlee, Shannon; And Others

This booklet, written, illustrated, edited, and produced by four interns from the science writing program of the University of California, Santa Cruz, explains seven ocean research projects. The projects are in the fields of: energy, marine education, fishery management, coastal zone management, marine advisory services, aquaculture, and new…

77 FR 51788 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review; Institute of Education Sciences; Education Longitudinal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-27

...; Education Longitudinal Study 2002 (ELS:2002) Third Follow-Up Postsecondary Transcripts (ELS:2002 PETS) and Financial Aid Feasibility Study (ELS:2002 FAFS) SUMMARY: The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) is a nationally representative study of two high school grade cohorts (spring 2002 tenth-graders and...

Measuring Student Engagement in an Online Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigatel, Paula; Williams, Vicki

2015-01-01

In an effort to measure the effectiveness of faculty development courses promoting student engagement, the faculty development unit of Penn State's Online Campus conducted a pilot study within a large online Bachelor of Science in Business (BSB) program. In all, 2,296 students were surveyed in the spring and summer semesters of 2014 in order to…

Preliminary Investigation of the 1991 Medical College Admission Test Factor Structure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Weichang; Mitchell, Karen J.

A substantially revised Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was introduced in spring 1991. The new examination is designed to assess critical thinking skills, basic concepts and problem solving facility in science, and writing skills. This paper reports preliminary findings on the factor structure of the revised MCAT, which consists of four…

Understanding Perspective and Context in Medical Specialty Choice and Physician Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Denise D.; Borges, Nicole J.

2004-01-01

In its 2004 spring report, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) posits that Behavioral Sciences provides a perspective that can assist physicians in understanding their patients as embedded in a larger social and environmental context (Patricia A. Cuff and Neal Vanselow, Editors, Improving Medical Education: Enhancing the Behavioral and Social Science…

Amazing Muses of Science: An Interdisciplinary Project Creates Awareness of Female Scientists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Beverly

2016-01-01

This article describes an interdisciplinary project that created awareness of female scientists in a public Montessori classroom. Every spring, the author's sixth-grade students write an educational play in which the entire class participates. Following an underwhelming response to asking students who are their favorite female scientists, the…

A Utopia in the Desert Where 24 Bright Young Men Cope with Loneliness, Hard Work, and Philosophy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirschorn, Michael W.

1987-01-01

At Deep Springs College, in a remote California desert valley, 24 male students from the top 1 percent of the high school applicant pool spend 2 years running a ranch and studying a curriculum that leans toward literature and away from the sciences. (MSE)

Salamander Saver

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilseman, Kelly; Hoffmann, Kristine

2016-01-01

On a spring morning in Maine, traps made of nets rise above vernal pools in a small wetland, ready to collect salamanders. The traps were designed by groups of rural and urban high school students from Maine and Massachusetts participating in the University of Maine Upward Bound Math Science Program (UBMS) at the university campus in Orono, Maine.…

Science 101: What Causes Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Bill

2016-01-01

What causes severe thunderstorms and tornadoes? Tornadoes, often accompanied by severe thunderstorms and hail, form in pretty much the same way as severe thunderstorms. In the continental United States, tornadoes usually form in spring and summer, when warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico moves across the continent from southeast to northwest…

A Proper Splitting Theater Distribution Model for Improving Force Flow Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs ( UCCS ) in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. In May of 2003, MAJ Flores was commissioned...through the UCCS Reserve Officer Training Corp in the Aviation (AV) Branch and was activated into the Active Duty in June of 2003. After activation

Classroom Ideas-Spring 1983. Intermediate Edition. Volume 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Bakersfield, Ca. Div. of Instructional Services.

One of a series of activity guides, this publication offers a variety of learning activities and resource materials for intermediate grade students. The activities and resources include: a calendar which lists important days and birthdays in March, April, and May; poems; word puzzles and other puzzles; science activities; language arts activities;…

Mars Comet Encounter Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-09

Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington gives remarks during a media briefing where he and other panelists outlined how space and Earth-based assets will be used to image and study comet Siding Spring during its Sunday, Oct. 19 flyby of Mars, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Relationships between Personality Type and Teaching Efficacy of Student Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, T. Grady; Mowen, Diana L.; Edgar, Don W.; Harlin, Julie F.; Briers, Gary E.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships exist between teaching efficacy and personality type of student teachers. The population of interest was all agricultural science student teachers at Texas A&M University. The sampling frame included all student teachers during the spring and fall semesters of 2005 (n= 72). Teaching…

New Directions for Information Education: Perspectives of the Stakeholders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marouf, Laila; ur Rehman, Sajjad

2007-01-01

This study was conducted with the purpose of assessing the Master's program in Library and Information Science at Kuwait University as well as its further development, based on the insights and perceptions of employers, professionals, academics, and students. Three focus group interviews with 32 participants were conducted during spring 2006.…

Of Brains and Safety: Neuroscience for 5-Year-Olds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cynkar, Donna; Rutledge-Gorman, Mark

2004-01-01

Spring is the traditional time in Maplewood Elementary School Kindergarten when science instruction receives particular emphasis. It is also a time of promoting greater safety awareness as children increase their outdoor activities on the longer, warmer days. In May 2003, the authors planned to make a link between neuroscience and safety in a…

Seasonal changes of the mineral contents in the rumen of wild Yeso sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis).

PubMed

Hayashida, Maki; Souma, Kousaku; Hanagata, Osamu; Okamoto, Masayo; Masuko, Takayoshi

2012-03-01

The rumen contents were collected from 36 wild Yeso sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) captured by deer culling or by hunting in the spring, summer, autumn and winter in Hokkaido, Japan. Botanical classification was conducted, and the contents of mineral (calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)) were measured. The animals were captured around pastures or fallow field areas in the Kushiro area. The rumen contents consisted of grasses and Sasa sp. leaves regardless of the season. Leaves and bark were ingested in the spring, autumn and winter. The macro-mineral contents in the rumen showed seasonal changes. In the summer, the Ca, K and P contents were high, and the Na content was low. There were no seasonal changes in the Fe content. The P, Na and Fe contents were higher than the animals' requirements. In a future survey, it is needed to determine the mineral contents of the food ingested by wild Yeso sika deer. © 2011 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2011 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

The Emirates Space Data Center, a PDS4-Compliant Data Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeWolfe, A. W.; Al Hammadi, O.; Amiri, S.

2017-12-01

As part of the UAE's Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), we are constructing a data archive to preserve and distribute science data from this and future missions. The archive will be publicly accessible and will provide access to Level 2 and 3 science data products from EMM, as well as ancillary data such as SPICE kernels and mission event timelines. As a member of the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA), the UAE has committed to making its archive PDS4-compatible, and maintaining the archive beyond the end of the mission. EMM is scheduled to begin collecting science data in spring 2021, and the archive is expected to begin releasing data in September 2021.

Moderate summer heat stress does not modify immunological parameters of Holstein dairy cows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacetera, Nicola; Bernabucci, Umberto; Ronchi, Bruno; Scalia, Daniela; Nardone, Alessandro

2002-02-01

The study was undertaken during spring and summer months in a territory representative of the Mediterranean climate to assess the effects of season on some immunological parameters of dairy cows. Twenty Holstein cows were used. Eleven of those cows gave birth during spring; the remaining nine cows gave birth in summer. The two groups of cows were homogeneous for parity. Values of air temperatures and relative humidity were recorded both during spring and summer, and were utilized to calculate the temperature humidity index (THI). One week before the expected calving, rectal temperatures and respiratory rates of the cows were recorded (1500 hours), and cell-mediated immunity was assessed by measuring the proliferation of mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Within 3 h of calving, one colostrum sample was taken from each cow and analysed to determine content of immunoglobulin (Ig) G1, IgG2, IgM and IgA. At 48 h after birth, passive immunization of the calves was assessed by measuring total serum IgG. During summer, daytime (0900-2000 hours) THI values were above the upper critical value of 72 [75.2, (SD 2.6)] indicating conditions that could represent moderate heat stress. That THI values were able to predict heat stress was confirmed by the values of rectal temperatures and respiratory rates, which were higher ( P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively) during summer. Proliferation of PBMC, the colostral concentration of Ig fractions and serum levels of IgG in their respective offspring did not differ between spring and summer cows. Results indicated that moderate heat stress due to the hot Mediterranean summer does not modify cell-mediated immunity, the protective value of colostrum and passive immunization of the offspring in dairy cows.

Citizen Science Data and Scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, S.; Wasser, L. A.

2013-12-01

There is rapid growth in the collection of environmental data by non experts. So called ';citizen scientists' are collecting data on plant phenology, precipitation patterns, bird migration and winter feeding, mating calls of frogs in the spring, and numerous other topics and phenomena related to environmental science. This data is generally submitted to online programs (e.g Project BudBurst, COCORaHS, Project Feederwatch, Frogwatch USA, etc.)and is freely available to scientists, educators, land managers, and decisions makers. While the data is often used to address specific science questions, it also provides the opportunity to explore its utility in the context of ecosystem scaling. Citizen science data is being collected and submitted at an unprecedented rate and is of a spatial and temporal scale previously not possible. The amount of citizen science data vastly exceeds what scientists or land managers can collect on their own. As such, it provides opportunities to address scaling in the environmental sciences. This presentation will explore data from several citizen science programs in the context of scaling.

Fossilization Processes in Thermal Springs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farmer, Jack D.; Cady, Sherry; Desmarais, David J.; Chang, Sherwood (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

To create a comparative framework for the study of ancient examples, we have been carrying out parallel studies of the microbial biosedimentology, taphonomy and geochemistry of modem and sub-Recent thermal spring deposits. One goal of the research is the development of integrated litho- and taphofacies models for siliceous and travertline sinters. Thermal springs are regarded as important environments for the origin and early evolution of life on Earth, and we seek to utilize information from the fossil record to reconstruct the evolution of high temperature ecosystems. Microbial contributions to the fabric of thermal spring sinters occur when population growth rates keep pace with, or exceed rates of inorganic precipitation, allowing for the development of continuous biofilms or mats. In siliceous thermal springs, microorganisms are typically entombed while viable. Modes of preservation reflect the balance between rates of organic matter degradation, silica precipitation and secondary infilling. Subaerial sinters are initially quite porous and permeable and at temperatures higher than about 20 C, organic materials are usually degraded prior to secondary infilling of sinter frameworks. Thus, organically-preserved microfossils are rare and fossil information consists of characteristic biofabrics formed by the encrustation and underplating of microbial mat surfaces. This probably accounts for the typically low total organic carbon values observed in thermal spring deposits. In mid-temperature, (approx. 35 - 59 C) ponds and outflows, the surface morphology of tufted Phormidium mats is preserved through mat underplating by thin siliceous: crusts. Microbial taxes lead to clumping of ceils and/or preferred filament orientations that together define higher order composite fabrics in thermal spring stromatolites (e.g. network, coniform, and palisade). At lower temperatures (less than 35 C), Calothrix mats cover shallow terracette pools forming flat carpets or pustular surfaces that produce palisade and "shrub" fabrics, respectively. At finer scales, composite fabrics are seen to consist distinctive associations of microstructures formed by the encrustation of individual cells and filaments. Composite fabrics survive the diagenetic transitions from primary opaline silica to quartz and are known from subaerial thermal spring deposits as old as Lower Carboniferous. However, fossil microorganisms tend to be rare in older deposits, and are usually preserved only where cells or sheaths have been stained by iron oxides. In subaqueous mineralizing springs at lower temperatures, early infilling leads to a more rapid and complete reduction in porosity and permeability. This process, along with the slower rates of microbial degradation at lower temperatures, creates a more favorable situation for organic matter preservation. Application of this taphonomic model to the Rhynie Chert, previously interpreted as subaerial, suggest it was probably deposited in a subaqueous spring setting at lower temperatures.

Getting Students to Observe the Night Sky, Even When Your Sky is Cloudy Half the Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipman, Harry L.

2010-01-01

Teachers of introductory astronomy classes often wish to get our students to look at the night sky However, most educational institutions in America are located in regions where cloudy nights are relatively common. This paper describes a low cost way to integrate observations into a course which lacks a dedicated astronomy lab. Students in two large. general science classes in fall 2008 and spring 2009 were asked to participate in one of two global star-counting projects. The fall project was coordinated by UCAR and asked for observations of the constellation Cygnus (http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/starcount/results.html). The spring project was run by Project Globe and asked for observations of the constellation Orion. (http://www.globe.gov/GaN/ ). In both cases, students simply find the constellation, match the star pattern to charts that go to different limiting magnitudes, and report the data to the coordinating organization. A copy of the report is sent to the course instructor. The instructor can ask for additional information. Did it work? The success of this project was evaluated by analyzing the e-mail messages that students returned in response to the assignment. In both courses, a very large majority of the students actually did the exercise and submitted a report. Students reported that observing the sky in this way was satisfying to them., and sometimes the reports were quite enthusiastic. In spring 2009, some preparatory activies were conducted during class that were designed to sensitize students to the beauty of the sky. Analysis of student reports indicated that these preparatory activities were helpful, but not as helpful as the instructor would like. This research is part of the Teacher Professional Continuum project at the University of Delaware, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Composition of particulate organic matter sampled in the troposphere over Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belan, Boris D.; Voronetskaya, Natalya G.; Pevneva, Galina S.; Golovko, Anatoly K.; Kozlov, Alexander S.; Simonenkov, Denis V.; Tolmachev, Gennadii N.

2015-04-01

In this paper we present some results of the analysis of organic compounds contained in the particulate matter sampled in the Siberian air shed during monthly research flights in 2012-2013. Aerosol sampling was performed in the tropospheric layer from 500 to 7000 m over the Karakan pine forest located on the east bank of the Novosibirsk Reservoir (River Ob). The Optik TU-134 aircraft laboratory was used as a research platform for in-situ measurements of atmospheric trace gas species and aerosols, as well as a particulate matter collection on PTFE filters. Analysis of the particulate organic matter sampled in the Siberian air shed in 2012-2013 allowed us to draw the following conclusions: the total content of n-alkanes increases in the spring and decreases in the winter. the length of the n-alkane homologous series had no seasonal dependence. maximum in the molecular weight distribution of n-alkanes varies depending on the season; compounds with C17, C22 and C25 chains dominated in winter and spring 2012, whereas in summer - C17 ones; in 2013 compounds with C17 chains dominated in winter, C18-C20 - in spring, and C21 and C23 - in summer. Carbon preference index (CPI) value for a given chain length of the homologous series (on the average from C12 to C28) did not reflect the contribution of sources of n-alkanes in the atmosphere. This work was supported by Interdisciplinary integration projects of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science No. 35, No. 70 and No. 131; the Branch of Geology, Geophysics and Mining Sciences of RAS (Program No. 5); State contracts of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia No. 14.604.21.0100, (RFMTFIBBB210290) and No. 14.613.21.0013 (RFMEFI61314X0013); and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants No. 14-05-00526 and 14-05-00590).

Characterization of culturable bacteria isolated from hot springs for plant growth promoting traits and effect on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedling.

PubMed

Patel, Kinjal Samir; Naik, Jinal Hardik; Chaudhari, Sejal; Amaresan, Natarajan

2017-04-01

To elucidate the functional diversity of hot spring bacteria, 123 bacteria were isolated and screened for evaluating their multifunctional plant growth promoting (PGP) properties. The antagonistic activity against different phytopathogens showed the presence of a high amount of biocontrol bacteria in the hot springs. During screening for PGP properties, 61.0% isolates showed production of indole acetic acid and 23.6% showed inorganic phosphate solubilization qualitatively. For production of extracellular enzymes, it was found that 61.0% isolates produced lipase, 56.9% produced protease, and 43.9% produced cellulase. In extreme properties, half of the isolates showed tolerance to 5% NaCl (w/v) and 48.8% isolates survived heat shock at 70°C. The identification of 12 multipotential bacteria based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the bacteria belonged to Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus and Bacillus spp. Bacterization of tomato seeds showed that the hot spring bacteria promoted shoot height, fresh shoot weight, root length, and fresh root weight of tomato seedlings, with values ranging from 3.12% to 74.37%, 33.33% to 350.0%, 16.06% to 130.41%, and 36.36% to 318.18%, respectively, over the control. This research shows that multifunctional bacteria could be isolated from the hot springs. The outcome of this research may have a potential effect on crop production methodologies used in saline and arid environments. Copyright © 2017 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The concepts of science in Japanese and Western education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawasaki, Ken

1996-01-01

Using structural linguistics, the present article offers an impartial frame of reference to analyze science education in the non-Western world. In Japan, science education has been free from epistemological reflection because Japan regards science only as effective technology for modernization. By not taking account of the world-view aspect of science, Japan can treat science as not self-referential. Issues of science education are then rather simple; they are only concerned with the question of ‘how to’, and answers to this question are judged according to the efficiency achieved for modernization. Science, however, is a way of seeing ‘nature’. This word is generally translated into Japanese as ‘shizen’ which has a totally different connotation and therefore does not lead to an understanding of the Western scientific spirit. Saussure's approach to language is used to expose the consequences of the misinterpretations that spring from this situation. In order to minimize or prevent these misinterpretations, it is emphasized that science education should be identified with foreign language education in the non-Western world.

Pain and distress induced by elastomeric and spring separators in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment.

PubMed

Al-Balbeesi, Hana O; Bin Huraib, Sahar M; AlNahas, Nadia W; AlKawari, Huda M; Abu-Amara, Abdulrahman B; Vellappally, Sajith; Anil, Sukumaran

2016-01-01

The objective of the present investigation is to evaluate patients' pain perception and discomfort, the duration of pain and the level of self-medication over time during tooth separation, and the effectiveness of elastomeric and spring types of orthodontic separators in Saudi population. The study group consisted of 30 female adolescent patients who had elastomeric/spring separators as part of their orthodontic treatment. A self-administrated questionnaire comprising 16 multiple choice questions and another with visual analog scale were used to record the patient's pain perceptions at 4 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days from the time of insertion. The level of pain and discomfort during these time periods were assessed by a visual analog scale. After a separation period of 7 days, the amount of separation was measured with a leaf gauge. Type and frequency of analgesic consumption was also recorded. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 (IBM SPSS -Chicago, IL: SPSS Inc.,) was used for statistical analysis. The data showed significant increase in the level of pain at 4 hours, 24 hours, and 3 days from separator placement. The elastomeric separators produced significantly more separation than the spring separators and also caused maximum pain during the first 3 days after insertion. However, there was no significant difference between the score of pain between two separators at all time intervals. Both elastomeric and spring separators showed comparative levels of pain and discomfort during the early phase of separation. Elastomeric separators were found to be more effective in tooth separation than spring separators. However, further studies are necessary to substantiate this preliminary observation.

Potential effects of existing and proposed groundwater withdrawals on water levels and natural groundwater discharge in Snake Valley, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah, White Pine County, Nevada, and surrounding areas in Utah and Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Masbruch, Melissa D.; Gardner, Philip M.

2014-01-01

Applications have been filed for several water-right changes and new water rights, with total withdrawals of about 1,800 acre-feet per year, in Snake Valley near Eskdale and Partoun, Utah. The Bureau of Land Management has identified 11 sites where the Bureau of Land Management holds water rights and 7 other springs of interest that could be affected by these proposed groundwater withdrawals. This report presents a hydrogeologic analysis of areas within Snake Valley to assess the potential effects on Bureau of Land Management water rights and other springs of interest resulting from existing and proposed groundwater withdrawals. A previously developed numerical groundwater-flow model was used to quantify potential groundwater drawdown and the capture, or groundwater withdrawals that results in depletion, of natural discharge resulting from existing and proposed groundwater withdrawals within Snake Valley. Existing groundwater withdrawals were simulated for a 50-year period prior to adding the newly proposed withdrawals to bring the model from pre-development conditions to the start of 2014. After this initial 50-year period, existing withdrawals, additional proposed withdrawals, and consequent effects were simulated for periods of 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years. Downward trends in water levels measured in wells indicate that the existing groundwater withdrawals in Snake Valley are affecting water levels. The numerical model simulated similar downward trends in water levels. The largest simulated drawdowns caused by existing groundwater withdrawals ranged between 10 and 26 feet and were near the centers of the agricultural areas by Callao, Eskdale, Baker, Garrison, and along the Utah-Nevada state line in southern Snake Valley. The largest simulated water-level declines were at the Bureau of Land Management water-rights sites near Eskdale, Utah, where simulated drawdowns ranged between 2 and 8 feet at the start of 2014. These results were consistent with, but lower than, observations from several wells monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey that indicated water-level declines of 6 to 18 feet near the Eskdale area since the mid-1970s and 1980s. The model cells where the simulated capture of natural groundwater discharge resulting from the existing withdrawals was greatest were those containing Kane Spring, Caine Spring, and Unnamed Spring 5, where existing groundwater withdrawals capture 13 to 29 percent of the total simulated natural discharge in these cells. Simulated drawdown and simulated capture of natural groundwater discharge resulting from the proposed withdrawals started in as few as 5 years at seven of the sites. After 100 years, four sites showed simulated drawdowns ranging between 1 and 2 feet; eight sites showed simulated drawdowns ranging between 0.1 and 0.9 feet; and five sites showed no simulated drawdown resulting from the proposed withdrawals. The largest amounts of simulated capture of natural groundwater discharge resulting from the proposed withdrawals after 100 years were in the model cells containing Coyote Spring, Kane Spring, and Caine Spring, which had capture amounts ranging between 5.5 and 9.1 percent of the total simulated natural discharge in these cells.

Assessment of orthodontic biomaterials' cytotoxicity: an in vitro study on cell culture.

PubMed

Sodor, Alina; Ogodescu, Alexandru Simion; Petreuş, Tudor; Şişu, Alina Maria; Zetu, Irina Nicoleta

2015-01-01

Orthodontists use various biomaterials such as molar bands, brackets, archwires, transpalatal archwires, facial masks and other auxiliary devices. One of the essential properties of these materials should be the biocompatibility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of some orthodontic biomaterials like stainless steel archwires, brackets and NiTi (nickel-titanium alloy) coil springs. The studies were performed in vitro using human fibroblasts cultures on which the orthodontic materials were applied. The positive control was the copper amalgam. Readings of the cell reactions were performed at three and six days. It was observed that the materials used in the study cause cell alterations of variable intensity. The metallic brackets represent an important cell stress factor causing shape changes. For the metallic brackets, a preferential tropism for different areas of the bracket was also obvious. We observed a preferential tropism for the areas between the NiTi coil spring spirals. For the stainless steel archwires, we observed at six days a decay of cell density and also a higher amount of cells near the archwire areas on which bends were performed. All biomaterials analyzed in our study cause cellular changes of varying intensity without necessarily showing a cytotoxic character.

Dynamics of natural prokaryotes, viruses, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates in alpine karstic groundwater

PubMed Central

Wilhartitz, Inés C; Kirschner, Alexander K T; Brussaard, Corina P D; Fischer, Ulrike R; Wieltschnig, Claudia; Stadler, Hermann; Farnleitner, Andreas H

2013-01-01

Abstract Seasonal dynamics of naturally occurring prokaryotes, viruses, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates in two hydro-geologically contrasting alpine karst springs were monitored over three annual cycles. To our knowledge, this study is the first to shed light on the occurrence and possible interrelationships between these three groups in karstic groundwater. Hydrological and microbiological standard indicators were recovered simultaneously in order to estimate surface influence, especially during rainfall events. Data revealed a strong dependence of the microbial communities on the prevailing hydrological situation. Prokaryotic numbers averaged 5.1 × 107 and 1.3 × 107 cells L−1, and heterotrophic nanoflagellate abundance averaged 1.1 × 104 and 3 × 103 cells L−1 in the limestone spring type (LKAS2) and the dolomitic spring type (DKAS1), respectively. Viral abundance in LKAS2 and DKAS1 averaged 9.4 × 108 and 1.1 × 108 viruses L−1. Unlike in DKAS1, the dynamic spring type LKAS2 revealed a clear difference between base flow and high discharge conditions. The virus-to-prokaryotes ratio was generally lower by a factor of 2–3, at higher average water residence times. Furthermore, the high prokaryotes-to-heterotrophic nanoflagellate ratios, namely about 4700 and 5400 for LKAS2 and DKAS1, respectively, pointed toward an uncoupling of these two groups in the planktonic fraction of alpine karstic aquifers. Seasonal dynamics of naturally occurring prokaryotes, viruses and heterotrophic nanoflagellates in two hydro-geologically contrasting alpine karst springs were monitored over three annual cycles. Data revealed a strong dependence of the microbial communities on the prevailing hydrological situation. PMID:23828838

Focused campaign increases activity among participants in Nature's Notebook, a citizen science project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crimmins, Theresa M.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Rosemartin, Alyssa H.; Surina, Echo M.; Marsh, Lee; Denny, Ellen G.

2014-01-01

Citizen science projects, which engage non-professional scientists in one or more stages of scientific research, have been gaining popularity; yet maintaining participants’ activity level over time remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for a short-term, focused campaign to increase participant activity in a national-scale citizen science program. The campaign that we implemented was designed to answer a compelling scientific question. We invited participants in the phenology-observing program, Nature’s Notebook, to track trees throughout the spring of 2012, to ascertain whether the season arrived as early as the anomalous spring of 2010. Consisting of a series of six electronic newsletters and costing our office slightly more than 1 week of staff resources, our effort was successful; compared with previous years, the number of observations collected in the region where the campaign was run increased by 184%, the number of participants submitting observations increased by 116%, and the number of trees registered increased by 110%. In comparison, these respective metrics grew by 25, 55, and 44%, over previous years, in the southeastern quadrant of the United States, where no such campaign was carried out. The campaign approach we describe here is a model that could be adapted by a wide variety of programs to increase engagement and thereby positively influence participant retention.

Hydrogeochemical signatures of thermal springs compared to deep formation water of North Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozau, Elke; van Berk, Wolfgang

2014-05-01

Thermal springs and hot deep formation waters can be used for geothermal energy production. Depending on the chemical composition of the used waters, geothermal power plants have to deal with scaling and corrosion effects. Therefore, the understanding of the hydrogeochemical behaviour of such waters can be helpful to enhance the efficiency of the energy production. This study is comparing hydrogeochemical characteristics of thermal springs in the Harz Mountains (North Germany) and deep formation water of the North German Basin. The Harz Mountains consist of uplifted Palaeozoic rocks, whereas the North German Basin consists of sedimentary layers of Permian, Mesozoic and Cenozoic age. Volcanic rocks are included in the Permian layers. The thickness of the sedimentary basin varies between 2 km and more than 8 km. The deep aquifers of the North German Basin are mostly not involved in the recent meteoric water cycle. Their waters have contents of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) up to about 400 g/L. Thermal springs of the Harz Mountains are situated close to the main fracture system of the region. These springs are connected to the meteoric water cycle and display lower contents of TDS (< 25 g/L). In both geological systems the TDS content is increasing with depth and temperature. The elemental ratios of the waters (e.g., Na/Cl, Cl/Br, Na/Ca) indicate similar hydrogeochemical formation processes in the Harz Mountains and the North German Basin. The concentrations of calcium, sodium, and chloride differ due to salt dissolution and feldspar transformation (albitisation) in the thermal springs as well as in the deep formation waters. Based on today's knowledge hydrochemical and stratigraphical data from the North German Basin can be used to elucidate the geological origin of the thermal springs in the Harz Mountains. Acknowledgements. The presented data are results of the collaborative research program "gebo" (Geothermal energy and high performance drilling), financed by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony and the company Baker Hughes.

Proton-conducting membranes for PEM fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Vona, M. L.; Knauth, P.; Alberti, G.

This special volume of the «Journal of Power Sources» contains some of the most relevant papers submitted at the occasion of the symposium «Materials for PEM Fuel Cells», organized by us at the European Materials Research Society Spring Meeting from June 8 to 12, 2009 in Strasbourg, France.

Metagenomic Analysis of Hot Springs in Central India Reveals Hydrocarbon Degrading Thermophiles and Pathways Essential for Survival in Extreme Environments.

PubMed

Saxena, Rituja; Dhakan, Darshan B; Mittal, Parul; Waiker, Prashant; Chowdhury, Anirban; Ghatak, Arundhuti; Sharma, Vineet K

2016-01-01

Extreme ecosystems such as hot springs are of great interest as a source of novel extremophilic species, enzymes, metabolic functions for survival and biotechnological products. India harbors hundreds of hot springs, the majority of which are not yet explored and require comprehensive studies to unravel their unknown and untapped phylogenetic and functional diversity. The aim of this study was to perform a large-scale metagenomic analysis of three major hot springs located in central India namely, Badi Anhoni, Chhoti Anhoni, and Tattapani at two geographically distinct regions (Anhoni and Tattapani), to uncover the resident microbial community and their metabolic traits. Samples were collected from seven distinct sites of the three hot spring locations with temperature ranging from 43.5 to 98°C. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V3 hypervariable region and shotgun metagenome sequencing uncovered a unique taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the resident thermophilic microbial community in these hot springs. Genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation pathways, such as benzoate, xylene, toluene, and benzene were observed to be abundant in the Anhoni hot springs (43.5-55°C), dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Acidovorax sp., suggesting the presence of chemoorganotrophic thermophilic community with the ability to utilize complex hydrocarbons as a source of energy. A high abundance of genes belonging to methane metabolism pathway was observed at Chhoti Anhoni hot spring, where methane is reported to constitute >80% of all the emitted gases, which was marked by the high abundance of Methylococcus capsulatus . The Tattapani hot spring, with a high-temperature range (61.5-98°C), displayed a lower microbial diversity and was primarily dominated by a nitrate-reducing archaeal species Pyrobaculum aerophilum . A higher abundance of cell metabolism pathways essential for the microbial survival in extreme conditions was observed at Tattapani. Taken together, the results of this study reveal a novel consortium of microbes, genes, and pathways associated with the hot spring environment.

Genetic and Molecular Analysis of the Mechanisms by which TSC Regulates Neuronal Differentiation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

2004 Programmed autophagy in the Drosophila fat body is in- duced by ecdysone through regulation of the PI3K pathway. Dev. Cell 7: 179–192. Sarbassov...embryonic Drosophila CNS. Mech. Dev. 64: 137–151. Scott, R. C., O. Schuldiner and T. P. Neufeld, 2004 Role and reg- ulation of starvation-induced autophagy ...in The Development of Drosophila melanogaster , edited by M. Bates and A. Martinez-Arias. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Snow cover and snow goose Anser caerulescens caerulescens distribution during spring migration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hupp, Jerry W.; Zacheis, Amy B.; Anthony, R. Michael; Robertson, Donna G.; Erickson, Wallace P.; Palacios, Kelly C.

2001-01-01

Arctic geese often use spring migration stopover areas when feeding habitats are partially snow covered. Melting of snow during the stopover period causes spatial and temporal variability in distribution and abundance of feeding habitat. We recorded changes in snow cover and lesser snow goose Anser caerulescens caerulescens distribution on a spring migration stopover area in south-central Alaska during aerial surveys in 1993-1994. Our objectives were to determine whether geese selected among areas with different amounts of snow cover and to assess how temporal changes in snow cover affected goose distribution. We also measured temporal changes in chemical composition of forage species after snow melt. We divided an Arc/Info coverage of the approximately 210 km2 coastal stopover area into 2-km2 cells, and measured snow cover and snow goose use of cells. Cells that had 10-49.9% snow cover were selected by snow geese, whereas cells that lacked snow cover were avoided. In both years, snow cover diminished along the coast between mid-April and early May. Flock distribution changed as snow geese abandoned snow-free areas in favour of cells where snow patches were interspersed with bare ground. Snow-free areas may have been less attractive to geese because available forage had been quickly exploited as bare ground was exposed, and because soils became drier making extraction of underground forage more difficult. Fiber content of two forage species increased whereas non-structural carbohydrate concentrations of forage plants appeared to diminish after snow melt, but changes in nutrient concentrations likely occurred too slowly to account for abandonment of snow-free areas by snow geese.

Desynchronizations in bee-plant interactions cause severe fitness losses in solitary bees.

PubMed

Schenk, Mariela; Krauss, Jochen; Holzschuh, Andrea

2018-01-01

Global warming can disrupt mutualistic interactions between solitary bees and plants when increasing temperature differentially changes the timing of interacting partners. One possible scenario is for insect phenology to advance more rapidly than plant phenology. However, empirical evidence for fitness consequences due to temporal mismatches is lacking for pollinators and it remains unknown if bees have developed strategies to mitigate fitness losses following temporal mismatches. We tested the effect of temporal mismatches on the fitness of three spring-emerging solitary bee species, including one pollen specialist. Using flight cages, we simulated (i) a perfect synchronization (from a bee perspective): bees and flowers occur simultaneously, (ii) a mismatch of 3 days and (iii) a mismatch of 6 days, with bees occurring earlier than flowers in the latter two cases. A mismatch of 6 days caused severe fitness losses in all three bee species, as few bees survived without flowers. Females showed strongly reduced activity and reproductive output compared to synchronized bees. Fitness consequences of a 3-day mismatch were species-specific. Both the early-spring species Osmia cornuta and the mid-spring species Osmia bicornis produced the same number of brood cells after a mismatch of 3 days as under perfect synchronization. However, O. cornuta decreased the number of female offspring, whereas O. bicornis spread the brood cells over fewer nests, which may increase offspring mortality, e.g. due to parasitoids. The late-spring specialist Osmia brevicornis produced fewer brood cells even after a mismatch of 3 days. Additionally, our results suggest that fitness losses after temporal mismatches are higher during warm than cold springs, as the naturally occurring temperature variability revealed that warm temperatures during starvation decreased the survival rate of O. bicornis. We conclude that short temporal mismatches can cause clear fitness losses in solitary bees. Although our results suggest that bees have evolved species-specific strategies to mitigate fitness losses after temporal mismatches, the bees were not able to completely compensate for impacts on their fitness after temporal mismatches with their food resources. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

Thermodynamic Model of Spatial Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Miron; Allen, P.

1998-03-01

We develop and test a thermodynamic model of spatial memory. Our model is an application of statistical thermodynamics to cognitive science. It is related to applications of the statistical mechanics framework in parallel distributed processes research. Our macroscopic model allows us to evaluate an entropy associated with spatial memory tasks. We find that older adults exhibit higher levels of entropy than younger adults. Thurstone's Law of Categorical Judgment, according to which the discriminal processes along the psychological continuum produced by presentations of a single stimulus are normally distributed, is explained by using a Hooke spring model of spatial memory. We have also analyzed a nonlinear modification of the ideal spring model of spatial memory. This work is supported by NIH/NIA grant AG09282-06.

Science and Technology Community in Crisis

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-01

centralized, highly bureaucratic, support system that considers itself an end, a point noted in the management literature by Peter Drucker :48 “What...Review Quarterly, Spring 2000. 48 Drucker , Peter F., Management : Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, Apr 1993. 43 regionalization of personnel...technical areas as information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, etc. Peter Drucker , the well-known management expert once commented: “In

The Influence of Hands On Physics Experiments on Scientific Process Skills According to Prospective Teachers' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirça, Necati

2013-01-01

In this study, relationship between prospective science and technology teachers' experiences in conducting Hands on physics experiments and their physics lab I achievement was investigated. Survey model was utilized and the study was carried out in the 2012 spring semester. Seven Hands on physics experiments were conducted with 28 prospective…

12 Scientists Will Share $120-Million from Saudis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guterman, Lila

2008-01-01

This spring 12 scientists found themselves in an unusual position--they have to figure out how to spend $2-million every year for the next five years. The money adds up to $10-million per researcher. In May the researchers made a pilgrimage to the source of the generous grants: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, a graduate…

Exploring Young Children's Response to Three Genres of Literature in Small-Peer Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Jennifer Adams

2010-01-01

This teacher research studied second graders' small-group, peer-led discussions about three genres of literature--realistic fiction, biography picture books, and science information books--across one school year (during three units in the fall, winter, and spring). It set out to explore how this peer talk, in general, mediated children's responses…

ORGANIZATION 5, NOVA SCIENCE UNIT 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1964

A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS TO BE PERFORMED WITH SMALL APPARATUS BY STUDENTS IS PRESENTED. PREPARATION OF DATA SHEETS AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS ARE ENCOURAGED. IN THE CATEGORY OF MATTER AND MOLECULES, THE CONCEPT TO BE DEVELOPED IS THE DETERMINATION OF WHETHER THERE ARE EMPTY SPACES IN AIR AND IN LIQUIDS. EXPERIMENTS WITH INERTIA, THE LAW OF SPRINGS,…

The Sweet Taste of Spring: An Integrated Approach to a Springtime Phenomenon.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Heather; Bullock, Rodger

A visit to a maple sugar bush has become a traditional springtime ritual for many school classes in northern areas. The sensations and experiences from this early springtime activity can be used for a number of study areas, including science, mathematics, art, social studies, home economics, language arts and health. This document provides…

78 FR 42966 - Advisory Committee for Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2013-N-0001... advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The meeting will be open to the public. Name..., Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 31, rm. 2417, Silver Spring, MD 20993...

Modeling and Control of State-Affine Probabilistic Systems for Atomic-Scale Dynamics

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

Analysis for Nonlinear Systems. New York: Spring -Verlag, 1987. [5] M. Itoh, "Atomic-scale homoepitaxial growth simulations of reconstructed III-V surfaces...Ridge, NJ; 1995. -- SSC function of the Node 182 [2] M. K. Weldon , K. T. Queeney, J. Eng Jr., K. Raghavachari, and Y. J. Chabal, "The surface science

Ever Fly a Tetrahedron?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Kenneth

2004-01-01

Few things capture the spirit of spring like flying a kite. Watching a kite dance and sail across a cloud spotted sky is not only a visually appealing experience it also provides a foundation for studies in science and mathematics. Put simply, a kite is an airfoil surface that flies when the forces of lift and thrust are greater than the forces of…

Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak Link. Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooney, Sondra; Bottoms, Gene

This research brief describes a study of the readiness for high school of eighth-graders who participated in the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB) Middle Grades Assessment in spring 2000. The assessment included testing in reading, math, and science, and surveys of students and teachers. Following the 2000-01 school year, SREB gathered…

Introducing Computational Thinking to Young Learners: Practicing Computational Perspectives through Embodiment in Mathematics Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Woonhee; Ahn, Junghyun; Black, John B.

2017-01-01

A science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-influenced classroom requires learning activities that provide hands-on experiences with technological tools to encourage problem-solving skills (Brophy et al. in "J Eng Educ" 97(3):369-387, 2008; Mataric et al. in "AAAI spring symposium on robots and robot venues: resources for AI…

Math and science community college faculty: A culture apart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Jane

This is a quantitative, survey-based study of Iowa community college faculty members. The survey was administered in the spring of 2011 to all faculty members identified by their colleges as being employed full time. This study compares the demographics of math and science faculty members to faculty within the arts and sciences who do not teach math or science. Comparisons of how the two groups interact with students and what they identify as barriers to student success are included, as well as their attitudes about mentoring, encouraging students, and their roles in student recruitment and student retention. Highly correlated variables are grouped as factors and used in the construction of prediction models for faculty engagement in student recruitment and student retention efforts. A contrast in the cultures of the math/science faculty members as compared to the non-math/science faculty is considered for its impact on faculty engagement with students and those variables believed to support undergraduate student success.

Identification of subsurface microorganisms at Yucca Mountain. Quarterly report, July 1, 1995--September 30, 1995

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

Stetzenbach, L.D.

1995-12-01

More than 1100 bacterial isolates were obtained over a two year period from 31 springs in a region along the southern boarder of California and Nevada. Water samples were collected from 17 springs in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and 14 springs in Death Valley National Park. Bacteria isolated from these samples were subjected to extraction and gas chromatography to determine the cellular fatty acid profile of each isolate. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) extracted from cell membranes were separated and classified using the Hewlett Packard by gas chromatography. The FAME profiles of each isolate were then subjected to clustermore » analysis by the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages. During this quarter the relatedness of FAME patterns of bacterial isolates were examined at the genus level by counting the number of clusters produced in a MIDI dendrogram at a Euclidian distance of 25. This information was then used to determine microbiological relationships among springs.« less

Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) Observations of Dust Opacity During Aerobraking and Science Phasing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Michael D.; Pearl, John C.; Conrath, Barney J.; Christensen, Philip R.

1999-01-01

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) arrived at Mars in September 1997 near Mars southern spring equinox and has now provided monitoring of conditions in the Mars atmosphere for more than half a Mars year. The large majority of the spectra taken by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) are in a nadir geometry (downward looking mode) where Mars is observed through the atmosphere. Most of these contain the distinct spectral signature of atmospheric dust. For these nadir-geometry spectra we retrieve column-integrated infrared aerosol (dust) opacities. TES observations during the aerobraking and science-phasing portions of the MGS mission cover the seasonal range L(sub s)=184 deg - 28 deg. Excellent spatial coverage was obtained in the southern hemisphere. Northern hemisphere coverage is generally limited to narrow strips taken during the periapsis pass but is still very valuable. At the beginning of the mission the 9-(micron)meter dust opacity at midsouthern latitudes was low (0.15-0.25). As the season advanced through southern spring and into summer, TES observed several regional dust storms (including the Noachis dust storm of November 1997) where peak 9-(micron)meter dust opacities approached or exceeded unity, as well as numerous smaller local storms. Both large and small dust storms exhibited significant changes in both spatial coverage and intensity over a timescale of a day. Throughout southern spring and summer the region at the edge of the retreating southern seasonal polar ice cap was observed to be consistently more dusty than other latitudes.

Force spectroscopy of membrane hardness of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells before and after differentiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Sangwoo; Yang, Woochul; Choi, Yun Kyong; Park, Jung Keuck

2014-05-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is utilized in many studies for measuring the structure and the physical characteristics of soft and bio materials. In particular, the force spectroscopy function in the AFM system allows us to explore the mechanical properties of bio cells. In this study, we probe the variation in the membrane hardness of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells (SH-cells) before and after differentiation by using force spectroscopy. The SH-cell, which is usually differentiated by using a chemical treatment with retinoic acid (RA), is a neuronal cell line employed widely as an in-vitro model for neuroscience research. In force spectroscopy, the force-distance curves are obtained from both the original and the RA-treated cells while the AFM tip approaches and pushes on the cell membranes. The slope deduced from linear region in the force-distance curve is the spring constant and corresponds to the hardness of the cell membrane. The spring constant of the RA-treated cells (0.597 ± 0.010 nN/nm) was smaller than that of the original cells (0.794 ± 0.010 nN/nm), reflecting a hardness decrease in the cells differentiated with the RA treatments. The results clearly demonstrated that the differentiated cells are softer than the original cells. The change in the elasticity of the differentiated cells might be caused by morphological modification during differentiation process. We suggest that force spectroscopy can be employed as a novel method to determine the degree of differentiation of stem cells into various functional cells.

'Big bang' of B-cell development revealed.

PubMed

Murre, Cornelis

2018-01-15

Earlier studies have identified transcription factors that specify B-cell fate, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be revealed. Two new studies by Miyai and colleagues (pp. 112-126) and Li and colleagues (pp. 96-111) in this issue of Genes & Development provide new and unprecedented insights into the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that establish B-cell identity. © 2018 Murre; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Using multiple geochemical tracers to characterize the hydrogeology of the submarine spring off Crescent Beach, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swarzenski, P.W.; Reich, C.D.; Spechler, R.M.; Kindinger, J.L.; Moore, W.S.

2001-01-01

A spectacular submarine spring is located about 4 km east of Crescent Beach, FL, in the Atlantic Ocean. The single vent feature of Crescent Beach Spring provides a unique opportunity to examine onshore-offshore hydrogeologic processes, as well as point source submarine ground water discharge. The Floridan aquifer system in northeastern Florida consists of Tertiary interspersed limestone and dolomite strata. Impermeable beds confine the water-bearing zones under artesian pressure. Miocene and younger confining strata have been eroded away at the vent feature, enabling direct hydrologic communication of Eocene ground water with coastal bottom waters. The spring water had a salinity of 6.02, which was immediately diluted by ambient seawater during advection/mixing. The concentration of major solutes in spring water and onshore well waters confirm a generalized easterly flow direction of artesian ground water. Nutrient concentrations were generally low in the reducing vent samples, and the majority of the total nitrogen species existed as NH3. The submarine ground water tracers, Rn-222 (1174 dpm I-1, dpm), methane (232 nM) and barium (294.5 nM) were all highly enriched in the spring water relative to ambient seawater. The concentrations of the reverse redox elements U, V and Mo were expectedly low in the submarine waters. The strontium isotope ratio of the vent water (87Sr/86Sr = 0.70798) suggests that the spring water contain an integrated signature indicative of Floridan aquifer system ground water. Additional Sr isotopic ratios from a series of surficial and Lower Floridan well samples suggest dynamic ground water mixing, and do not provide clear evidence for a single hydrogeologic water source at the spring vent. In this karst-dominated aquifer, such energetic mixing at the vent feature is expected, and would be facilitated by conduit and fractured flow. Radium isotope activities were utilized to estimate flow-path trajectories and to provide information on potential travel times between an onshore well and the spring. Using either 223Ra and 224Ra or 228Ra, and qualifying this approach with several key assumptions, estimates of water mass travel times from an upper Floridan well in Crescent Beach to the submarine vent feature (distance =4050 m) are in the order of ??? 0.01-0.1 m min-1. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

12. VIEW OF TYPICAL CELL LOCKING MECHANISM, BUILDING 220 CELL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. VIEW OF TYPICAL CELL LOCKING MECHANISM, BUILDING 220 CELL BLOCK 'A'. THE FACE PLATE OF THE CELL LOCK IS SHOWN REMOVED, EXPOSING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC LOCKING MECHANISM COMPRISING OF 2 MICROSWITCHES FOR LOCK POSITION INDICATION (FRONT LEFT CENTER AND REAR RIGHT CENTER OF PANEL); KEY SLOT MECHANICAL LOCK; LOCK SPRING (UPPER RIGHT OF PANEL); ELECTRIC SOLENOID (BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF PANEL); AND MISCELLANEOUS MECHANICAL LINKAGES. - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Brig, Neville Way near Ninth Street at Marine Barracks, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

Eclipse '17 at Indiana University Bloomington

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desai, Karna Mahadev; Pilachowski, Catherine A.

2017-01-01

August 21, 2017, is the first day of fall classes at Indiana University Bloomington. On campus, we will host viewing stations to assist students, faculty, and community members to watch the eclipse safely. The Kirkwood Observatory solar telescope will provide an online view of the event. Science teachers of Indiana will be surveyed to understand their needs to be prepared for the first week of classes. Working this spring with K12 educators and other local organizations involved in science outreach, we will help to prepare Indiana classrooms to take advantage of the August event to meet the goals of Indiana’s state science standards with eclipse-related activities at all grade levels. These activities are aimed at increasing the scientific literacy in rural Indiana.

Careers in Science Journalism and Writing.

PubMed

Pearson, Helen

2017-09-01

Science journalists cover some of the most complex, exciting, and important issues of our day, ranging from the impacts of climate change to emerging infectious diseases. They use words, sounds, images, and graphics to create compelling stories about science that appear in newspapers and magazines, in print and online, on the radio and TV, and in podcasts and videos. The field is undergoing rapid change, which presents both challenges and opportunities. The migration of readers and advertising to the internet and digital platforms has led to declining sales of print publications. This means that jobs are now scarce in traditional print media, but that there are growing opportunities to produce digital content. Copyright © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Patenting the life sciences at the European Patent Office.

PubMed

Gates, Christina

2014-10-23

The European patent system is very much like those of the United States and other major countries. Patent applications can be filed as a first filing, as a priority application, or as a national phase of a Patent Cooperation Treaty application. The applications are searched, rigorously examined, and ultimately granted, with the time periods varying somewhat depending on the application type. The object of this article is to highlight some of the differences between the U.S. and European systems, particularly as they relate to life sciences. Copyright © 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Impact of molecule-based magnetic materials: A critical outlook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rentschler, Eva; Affronte, Marco; Massobrio, Carlo; Rabu, Pierre; Veciana, Jaume

2009-05-01

A critical outlook of the field of molecular magnetic materials is presented. This article is inspired by an international symposium devoted to the " Design, Characterization and Modelling of Molecule-Based Magnetic Materials (DCM4-II)" that took place at Strasbourg (France), from May 28th to June 1st, within the E-MRS 2007 Spring Meeting (Symposium R) organized by the European Materials Research Society in collaboration with the European Science Foundation. A series of papers linked to this symposium are published in this issue and in the previous issue (Volume 11, Issue 4) of Solid State Sciences.

Exploring the erodibility of sediments and harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Butman, Bradford; Dickhudt, Patrick J.; Keafer, Bruce A.

2012-01-01

Investigators at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are cooperating with scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to investigate harmful algal blooms along the New England coast in the Gulf of Maine. These blooms are caused by cysts of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense that overwinter in the bottom sediments and germinate in spring. Depending on conditions such as temperature, light, nutrient levels, and currents, these single-celled organismscan create a bloom along the coast, called ‘red tides.’Shellfish that have ingested these cells in sufficient concentration can become toxic to humans and require that the shellfisheries be closed. After the spring bloom, the organisms form cysts that sink to the sea floor and are sequestered in the bottom sediments over the winter.

Preferential soft-tissue preservation in the Hot Creek carbonate spring deposit, British Columbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rainey, Dustin K.; Jones, Brian

2010-05-01

The relict Holocene Hot Creek carbonate spring deposit in southeast British Columbia is characterized by excellent preservation of soft-tissue organisms (e.g. cyanobacteria), but poor preservation of organisms with hard-tissue (e.g. wood, diatoms). The deposit is formed mainly of calcified cyanobacteria, with fewer mineralized macrophytes (plants), bryophytes (mosses), wood, and diatoms. Cyanobacteria grew as solitary filaments ( Lyngbya) and as radiating hemispherical colonies ( Rivularia). Both were preserved by encrustation and encapsulation while alive, and as casts after filament death and decay. Sheath impregnation was rare to absent. Filament encrustation, whereby calcite crystals nucleated on, and grew away from the sheath exterior, produced moulds that replicated external filament morphology, but hastened filament decay. Filament encapsulation, whereby calcite nucleated in the vicinity of, and grew towards the encapsulated filament, promoted sheath preservation even after trichome decay. Subsequent calcite precipitation inside the hollow sheath generated sheath casts. The inability of mineralizing spring water to penetrate durable cell walls meant that bryophytes, macrophytes, and most wood was preserved by encrustation. Some wood resisted complete decay for several thousand years, and its lignified cell walls allowed rare permineralizations. Diatoms were not preserved in the relict deposit because the frustules were dissolved by the basic spring water. Amorphous calcium carbonate produced by photosynthetic CO 2 removal may have acted as nucleation sites for physicochemically precipitated calcite. Thus, metabolic activities of floral organisms probably initiated biotic mineralization, but continuous inorganic calcite precipitation on and in flora ensured that soft tissues were preserved.

Natural and Artificial (fluorescent) Tracers to Characterise Hydrogeological Functioning and to Protect Karst Aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreo, B.; Mudarra, M.; Marin, A. I.; Barberá, J. A.

2012-12-01

The hydrogeological functioning and response of karst aquifers can be determined by the joint use of natural hydrogeochemical tracers, especially total organic carbon (TOC) and intrinsic fluorescence of water, together with artificial (fluorescent) tracers, under the same hydrodynamic conditions. Sharp and rapid variations in discharge, temperature, electrical conductivity and water chemistry, particularly of natural tracers of infiltration (TOC, intrinsic fluorescence and NO3-) recorded in karst spring water, confirm the existence of well developed karst conduits in the sector of the aquifer being drained, with rapid flows and very short water transit times from the surface to the springs (Mudarra et al., 2011). This is in agreement with the evidence obtained from breakthrough curves of fluorescent dye tracers (uranine, eosine, etc.). However, time lags between maximum concentrations of natural (especially TOC and intrinsic fluorescence) and artificial tracers show that the global system response is faster than that produced from a recharge concentrated at a point on the surface, even in karst sinkholes. Response and transit times of water through the karst can be calculated using both natural and artificial tracers, but flow velocities can really only be quantified using artificial tracers. Analysis of the responses obtained by natural tracers of infiltration (global system response) and artificial tracers (single response) in karst waters has revealed the usefulness and complementarity of both techniques for characterising the hydrogeological functioning of karst aquifers and, even more important, for validating contamination vulnerability mapping in these medium (Zwahlen, 2004; Andreo et al., 2006). In recent decades, several methods have been developed for such vulnerability mapping, but little progress has been made in validating their results. This validation is essential for the adequate protection of water resources in karst media, as has been shown in recent research (Marin et al., 2012; Ravbar et al., 2012). References: Andreo B, Goldscheider N, Vadillo I, Vías JM, Neukum C, Sinreich M, Jiménez P, Brechenmacher J, Carrasco F, Hötzl H, Perles MJ, Zwahlen F (2006a): Karst groundwater protection: First application of a Pan-European Approach to vulnerability, hazard and risk mapping in the Sierra de Líbar (Southern Spain). Science of the Total Environment, 357 1-3: 54-73. Marín AI, Andreo B and Dörfliger N (2012): Comparative application of two methods (COP and PaPRIKa) for groundwater vulnerability mapping in Mediterranean karst aquifers (France and Spain). Environmental Earth Sciences, 65: 2407-2421. Mudarra M, Andreo B and Baker A (2011): Characterisation of dissolved organic matter in karst spring waters using intrinsic fluorescence: Relationship with infiltration processes. Science of Total Environment, 40: 3448-3462. Ravbar N, Barberá JA, Petric M, Kogovsek J and Andreo B (2012): Study of hydrodynamic behaviour of a complex karst system under low-flow conditions using natural and artificial tracers (springs of the Unica River, SW Slovenia Environmental Earth Sciences, 65: 2259-2272. Zwahlen F -Editor- (2004). Vulnerability and risk mapping for the protection of carbonate (karst) aquifers, final report (COST action 620). - European Commission, Directorate-General XII Science, Research and Development: 297 pp.

Human Performance and Biosystems (Spring Review)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

public release; distribution is unlimited Areas of Emphasis Biofilms/Nanowires – microbe communication, extracellular electron transfer, cyborg ...Artificial Photosynthesis • Algal oil generation • Biofilm, Nanowires, Cyborg Cell • tDCS • Biomarkers 5 Distribution A: Approved for public...release; distribution is unlimited Program Interactions BRI magnetic navigation Microbes/nanowires tDCS/ Cyborg cell Synthetic Biology

Influences of sea ice on eastern Bering Sea phytoplankton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qianqian; Wang, Peng; Chen, Changping; Liang, Junrong; Li, Bingqian; Gao, Yahui

2015-03-01

The influence of sea ice on the species composition and cell density of phytoplankton was investigated in the eastern Bering Sea in spring 2008. Diatoms, particularly pennate diatoms, dominated the phytoplankton community. The dominant species were Grammonema islandica (Grunow in Van Heurck) Hasle, Fragilariopsis cylindrus (Grunow) Krieger, F. oceanica (Cleve) Hasle, Navicula vanhoeffenii Gran, Thalassiosira antarctica Comber, T. gravida Cleve, T. nordenskiöeldii Cleve, and T. rotula Meunier. Phytoplankton cell densities varied from 0.08×104 to 428.8×104 cells/L, with an average of 30.3×104 cells/L. Using cluster analysis, phytoplankton were grouped into three assemblages defined by ice-forming conditions: open water, ice edge, and sea ice assemblages. In spring, when the sea ice melts, the phytoplankton dispersed from the sea ice to the ice edge and even into open waters. Thus, these phytoplankton in the sea ice may serve as a "seed bank" for phytoplankton population succession in the subarctic ecosystem. Moreover, historical studies combined with these results suggest that the sizes of diatom species have become smaller, shifting from microplankton to nannoplankton-dominated communities.

Cold-stenothermic spring fauna in mountainous headwaters of the National Park Kellerwald-Edersee in Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiss, Martin; Zaenker, Stefan; Chifflard, Peter

2017-04-01

Since 2002, spring habitat investigations and mapping campaigns were executed in the National Park Kellerwald-Edersee (Central Germany, Federal State of Hesse). 693 springs are currently assessed within an ongoing ecological-faunistic inventory with additional data about physico-chemical properties and hydrological conditions of the spring water (e.g. pH value, electrical conductivity, water temperature and flow velocity). 1029 taxa are found so far, whereby, springs are investigated as a land-water ecotone where aquatic and terrestrial fauna was detected. Data continuously stored in the data base of the Hesse Biospeleological Register (Reiss, Steiner, Zaenker 2009) coupled with a Geographical Information System. Spring habitats can be characterized as mostly undisturbed, oligotrophic and near natural structured with heterogenous microhabitat conditions. Nearly 90 percentages of the springs are helocrenic habitats with a diffuse and low discharge, temporally dried out, but staying under wet substrate conditions. 85 percentages of the springs occurring under forests without any cultivation or forest management use. Coarse mineral substrate dominating slightly, followed up by fine mineral substrate types. Most common mineral related microhabitats are microlithal (coarse gravel) and psammopelal (fine silt). The high microhabitat diversity depends mostly to forest correlated organic substrate types. Here, most dominant are CPOM (leaf litter) and woody debris (deadwood). Substrate richness is significantly correlated to preferential fauna colonization of different, partly rare or endangered species. Undisturbed conditions are also characterized by relative cold stenothermy and oligotrophy. The latter is indicated by a very low electrical conductivity (Mean: 236 µS*cm-1). The mean annual water temperature is 9° Celsius with low amplitudes of max. and min. values. Spring water is nearly neutral and there is no identifiable trend in acidification (mean pH value of 6,9). Due to nearly unaffected ecohydrological properties, in particular: relative consistently cold water temperature with low amplitudes (cold stenothermy), mostly low flow velocity and an intermittent discharge regime a very unique and specific adapted spring fauna composition for the German low mountain ranges can be characterized. Cold stenothermic and spring related species are very frequent in relative occurrence and abundance. We analyzed a map based and representative distribution for the entire large-scale protected area of the National Park Kellerwald-Edersee according to Bythinella dunkeri (spring snail), Crenobia alpina (planarian), Crunoecia irrorata (caddisfly) and Niphargus schellenbergi (groundwater amphipod). We discuss the potential of ecohydrological research on possible climate change predictions and consequences on the distribution of cold stenothermic and spring dwelling species within the special context of research goals in National Parks. Here, an idea of a new approach for an ecohydrological assessment by indicating cold stenothermic taxa is given as an outlook. References Reiss, M., Steiner, H. & S. Zaenker (2009): The Biospeleological Register of the Hesse Federation for Cave and Karst Research (Germany). Cave and Karst Science 35(1), pp.25-34.

Seasonal variations of phytoplankton assemblages and its relation to environmental variables in a scallop culture sea area of Bohai Bay, China.

PubMed

Chen, Yang-Hang; Gao, Ya-Hui; Chen, Chang-Ping; Liang, Jun-Rong; Sun, Lin; Zhen, Yu; Qiao, Ling

2016-12-15

Seasonal variations of phytoplankton assemblages were examined in a scallop culture sea area of Bohai Bay (China) with regard to some major physical and chemical variables. Samples were collected at three stations from July 2011 to September 2013. A total of 134 species belong to 4 phyla were identified, of which 104 were diatoms, 27 were dinoflagellates, 1 was euglenophyte and 2 were chrysophytes. The cells abundance in autumn (55.44×10 3 cells/L) was higher than that in summer (6.99×10 3 cells/L), spring (3.46×10 3 cells/L) and winter (2.69×10 3 cells/L). The Shannon-Wiener diversity index was higher in summer (3.06), followed by spring (3.02) and winter (2.91), and low in autumn (1.40). Results of canonical correspondence analysis showed that phosphate, salinity, temperature, silicate and DIN/SiO 2 ratio were the most important environmental factors influencing the variation of phytoplankton community structure. It is suggested that eutrophication resulted from scallop culture would cause a potential red tide risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soft-short management and remediation in 10-year-old NiCds in Geo orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flordeliza, Nicanor A.; Bounds, Ronald W.

1996-01-01

After 10 years in Geo orbit, during the spring 1993 eclipse season, soft shorts occurred in cells of two of the three batteries on the F2R spacecraft On battery #1, the cell soft short turned suddenly into a hard short; the resulting sudden 1.2V fall in battery voltage and rise in temperature was observed via telemetry. On battery #3, the deleterious impact of its soft short increased day by day, manifesting itself as a drop in battery voltage part-way through each eclipse, causing high loading on the remaining good battery. This paper reports how by planned charge management, including applying (against-the-book) overcharge ratios (C/D) exceeding 1.75, the battery #3 cell soft short was 'built down' until the cell voltage fade ceased. The problem with the battery #3 soft-shorted cell was fought with partial success throughout the latter half of the fall 93 season, and the lessons learned were applied to alleviate the problem during the spring 94 and fall 94 eclipse seasons. The life of the spacecraft was successfully prolonged until it was retired in March 1995.

Hydrogeochemistry of the Catskill Mountains of New York.

PubMed

Parisio, Steven J; Halton, Casey R; Bowles, Emily K; Keimowitz, Alison R; Corey, Karen; Myers, Kellie; Adams, Morton S

2013-09-01

Major ion chemistry of Catskill region groundwater is characterized on the basis of 207 analyses compiled from three sources, including a web-based U.S. Geological Survey database, state agency regulatory compliance data, and sampling of trailside springs performed by the authors. All samples were analyzed for the complete set of major ions, including calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate. Groundwater in pristine, high-elevation areas of the Catskill Peaks was found to be predominantly of calcium bicarbonate, calcium sulfate, or calcium bicarbonate-sulfate types, with relatively low ionic strength. Groundwater at lower elevations along the margins of the region or in valley bottoms was predominantly of sodium-chloride or sodium-bicarbonate types, showing the effects of road salt and other local pollution sources. Nitrate and sulfate enrichment attributable to regional air pollution sources were most evident in the high-elevation spring samples, owing to the generally low concentrations of other major ions. Trailside springs appear to be viable low-cost sources for obtaining samples representative of groundwater, especially in remote and inaccessible areas of the Catskill forest preserve. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

Relative importance of population size, fishing pressure and temperature on the spatial distribution of nine Northwest Atlantic groundfish stocks.

PubMed

Adams, Charles F; Alade, Larry A; Legault, Christopher M; O'Brien, Loretta; Palmer, Michael C; Sosebee, Katherine A; Traver, Michele L

2018-01-01

The spatial distribution of nine Northwest Atlantic groundfish stocks was documented using spatial indicators based on Northeast Fisheries Science Center spring and fall bottom trawl survey data, 1963-2016. We then evaluated the relative importance of population size, fishing pressure and bottom temperature on spatial distribution with an information theoretic approach. Northward movement in the spring was generally consistent with prior analyses, whereas changes in depth distribution and area occupancy were not. Only two stocks exhibited the same changes in spatiotemporal distribution in the fall as compared with the spring. Fishing pressure was the most important predictor of the center of gravity (i.e., bivariate mean location of the population) for the majority of stocks in the spring, whereas in the fall this was restricted to the east-west component. Fishing pressure was also the most important predictor of the dispersion around the center of gravity in both spring and fall. In contrast, biomass was the most important predictor of area occupancy for the majority of stocks in both seasons. The relative importance of bottom temperature was ranked highest in the fewest number of cases. This study shows that fishing pressure, in addition to the previously established role of climate, influences the spatial distribution of groundfish in the Northwest Atlantic. More broadly, this study is one of a small but growing body of literature to demonstrate that fishing pressure has an effect on the spatial distribution of marine resources. Future work must consider both fishing pressure and climate when examining mechanisms underlying fish distribution shifts.

Relative importance of population size, fishing pressure and temperature on the spatial distribution of nine Northwest Atlantic groundfish stocks

PubMed Central

Alade, Larry A.; Legault, Christopher M.; O’Brien, Loretta; Palmer, Michael C.; Sosebee, Katherine A.; Traver, Michele L.

2018-01-01

The spatial distribution of nine Northwest Atlantic groundfish stocks was documented using spatial indicators based on Northeast Fisheries Science Center spring and fall bottom trawl survey data, 1963–2016. We then evaluated the relative importance of population size, fishing pressure and bottom temperature on spatial distribution with an information theoretic approach. Northward movement in the spring was generally consistent with prior analyses, whereas changes in depth distribution and area occupancy were not. Only two stocks exhibited the same changes in spatiotemporal distribution in the fall as compared with the spring. Fishing pressure was the most important predictor of the center of gravity (i.e., bivariate mean location of the population) for the majority of stocks in the spring, whereas in the fall this was restricted to the east-west component. Fishing pressure was also the most important predictor of the dispersion around the center of gravity in both spring and fall. In contrast, biomass was the most important predictor of area occupancy for the majority of stocks in both seasons. The relative importance of bottom temperature was ranked highest in the fewest number of cases. This study shows that fishing pressure, in addition to the previously established role of climate, influences the spatial distribution of groundfish in the Northwest Atlantic. More broadly, this study is one of a small but growing body of literature to demonstrate that fishing pressure has an effect on the spatial distribution of marine resources. Future work must consider both fishing pressure and climate when examining mechanisms underlying fish distribution shifts. PMID:29698454

Convection and the seeding of the North Atlantic bloom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Asaro, Eric A.

Observations of vertical velocities in deep wintertime mixed layers using neutrally buoyant floats show that the convectively driven vertical velocities, roughly 1000 m per day, greatly exceed the sinking velocities of phytoplankton, 10 m or less per day. These velocities mix plankton effectively and uniformly across the convective layer and are therefore capable of returning those that have sunk to depth back into the euphotic zone. This mechanism cycles cells through the surface layer during the winter and provides a seed population for the spring bloom. A simple model of this mechanism applied to immortal phytoplankton in the subpolar Labrador Sea predicts that the seed population in early spring will be a few percent of the fall concentration if the plankton sink more slowly than the mean rate at which the surface well-mixed layer grows over the winter. Plankton that sink faster than this will mostly sink into the abyss with only a minute fraction remaining by spring. The shallower mixed layers of mid-latitudes are predicted to be much less effective at maintaining a seed population over the winter, limiting the ability of rapidly sinking cells to survive the winter.

The effect of mechanical vibration on orthodontically induced root resorption.

PubMed

Yadav, Sumit; Dobie, Thomas; Assefnia, Amir; Kalajzic, Zana; Nanda, Ravindra

2016-09-01

To investigate the effect of low-frequency mechanical vibration (LFMV) on orthodontically induced root resorption. Forty male CD1, 12-week-old mice were used for the study. The mice were randomly divided into five groups: group 1 (baseline)-no spring and no mechanical vibration, group 2-orthodontic spring but no vibration, group 3-orthodontic spring and 5 Hz of vibration applied to the maxillary first molar, group 4-orthodontic spring and 10 Hz of vibration applied to maxillary first molar, and group 5-orthodontic spring and 20 Hz of vibration applied to maxillary first molar. In the different experimental groups, the first molar was moved mesially for 2 weeks using a nickel-titanium coil spring delivering 10 g of force. LFMVs were applied at 5 Hz, 10 Hz, and 20 Hz. Microfocus X-ray computed tomography imaging was used to analyze root resorption. Additionally, to understand the mechanism, we applied LFMV to MC3T3 cells, and gene expression analyses were done for receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG). Orthodontic tooth movement leads to decreased root volume (increased root resorption craters). Our in vivo experiments showed a trend toward increase in root volume with different frequencies of mechanical vibration. In vitro gene expression analyses showed that with 20 Hz of mechanical vibration, there was a significant decrease in RANKL and a significant increase in OPG expression. There was a trend toward decreased root resorption with different LFMVs (5 Hz, 10 Hz, and 20 Hz); however, it was not more statistically significant than the orthodontic-spring-only group.

Complexity Theory 101 for Educators: A Fictional Account of a Graduate Seminar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurtry, Angus

2008-01-01

The following fictional account of a seminar on complexity science and its relevance for education makes use of several real events. The first is an actual seminar that took place during the spring of 2005, in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta. The second is the collective creation of the Complexity and Education…

The Extent of Instructor Participation in an Online Computer Science Course How Much Is Enough?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslanyilmaz, Abdurrahman; Sullins, John

2013-01-01

This study compares the discussion participation and performance of 7 undergraduate students enrolled in an e-commerce programming course during the spring semester of 2010 to that of 13 students enrolled in the same course during fall of that year. In the former course, the instructor participated in the required discussion only at the very end…

Between Anecdote and Science: Using E-Mail To Learn about Student Experiences. AIR 1997 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furlong, Deborah K.

Institutional research has long relied on surveys to learn about student experiences. This study describes and evaluates two methods of using electronic mail to gather information from students about their experiences. Data were based on two case studies conducted during spring 1996 and fall 1997 at a 5,000-student state university. The report…

William H. Taft High School, Project Adelante. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1982-1983. [Final Report].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keyes, Jose Luis; Schulman, Robert

Project Adelante, in its third and final year of funding, provided instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish language skills, as well as bilingual instruction in mathematics, science, and social studies, to 230 (fall semester) and 235 (spring semester) limited English proficient Hispanic students at Willaim H. Taft High School,…

The Corporatization of Schooling and its Effects on the State of Music Education: A Critical Deweyan Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prest, Anita

2013-01-01

In recent years, several corporate leaders have lobbied for schools to promote studies in science, mathematics, and technology to better prepare students for the kinds of jobs these business leaders anticipate will exist in the future. This spring, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, called for "higher standards and accountability in schools…

NAVO MSRC Navigator. Spring 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

EINSTEIN and DAVINCI Come to the MSRC The Porthole 19 Visitors to the Naval Oceanographic Office Major Shared Resource Center Navigator Tools and...traditionally considered one of the leading track guidance tools for forecasters. As an example, we consider the case of Hurricane Figure 2. The...MSRC NAVIGATOR EINSTEIN and DAVINCI Come to the MSRC Christine Cuicchi, Computational Science and Applications Lead, NAVO MSRC The Technology

Australian DefenceScience. Volume 15, Number 3, Spring

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

ignition, high pressure sealing, ignitor and propellent design, and ballistics instrumentation . Validation of simulation models of internal ballistics...supplementing visual information obtained by sources such as radiography and scanning electron microscopy, revealing details about features that are not...otherwise visible. Hence, it can assist with the inspection of vital component parts that are subject to high stresses, like aircraft engine turbine

Integrating Digital Humanities into the Library and Information Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moazeni, Sarah Leila

2015-01-01

Digital Humanities (DH) is a hot topic, in demand and on the rise. This article begins with excerpts from job listings that were posted to the American Library Association's job list in a two-month span in spring 2015 and they seem to indicate that DH is an increasingly important competency and interest for academic librarians who perform…

Change in Length of Growing Season by State, 1895-2015

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This map shows the total change in length of the growing season, time of first fall frost and time of last spring frost from 1895 to 2015 for each of the contiguous 48 states. Data were provided by Dr. Kenneth Kunkel of NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites. For more information: www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators

Examining the Computer Self-Efficacy Perceptions of Gifted Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Abdullah; Öztürk, Mesut; Doruk, Muhammet; Yilmaz, Alper

2013-01-01

This study was conducted in order to determine the computer self-efficacy perceptions of gifted students. The research group of this study is composed of gifted students (N = 36) who were studying at the Science and Arts Center in Gümüshane province in the spring semester of the 2012-2013 academic year. The "Computer Self-Efficacy Perception…

Metric Selection for Ecosystem Restoration

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

focus on wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, oyster reefs, riparian forest, and wet prairie (Miner 2005). The objective of these Corps...of coastal habitats, Volume Two: Tools for monitoring coastal habitats. NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision Analysis Series No. 23. Silver Spring, MD...NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Thom, R. M., and K. F. Wellman. 1996. Planning aquatic ecosystem restoration monitoring programs

Mars Comet Encounter Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-09

Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, senior research scientist, Space Science Institute, Rancho Cucamonga Branch, California, right, gives remarks during a media briefing where she and other panelists outlined how space and Earth-based assets will be used to image and study comet Siding Spring during its Sunday, Oct. 19 flyby of Mars, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Using semi-automated curation workflows to collect, organize, and curate the data and models necessary to support the EPA CompTox chemical dashboard (ACS Spring meeting)

EPA Science Inventory

With the increasing need to leverage data and models to perform cutting edge analyses within the environmental science community, collection and organization of that data into a readily accessible format for consumption is a pressing need. The EPA CompTox chemical dashboard is i...

Twenty-First Asilomar Conference on Polymeric Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-10

Silver Spring, MD a ’Micro- and Nano- Layered Polymer Composites" Professor Eric Baer Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH "Theoretical...Corporation Roswell, GA 30076 Dr. Zhong-he Shen Nalge Nunc International Naperville, IL 60563 Dr. Mark Sinsky Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company...on Polymers February 22-25, 1998 Micro-arid Nano- Layered Polymer Composites Eric Baer Department of Macromolecular Science Case Western

CCR scientists gain new understanding of cellular mechanisms during infection | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

A new study published August 10, 2017, in Molecular Cell reveals how changes in the architecture of the nucleus can enable B lymphocytes to spring to action during an immune system attack and help fight infection. The discovery could lead scientists to a better understanding of how some tumor cells, especially blood cancer cells, make similar transitions from a dormant to an

Isolation of High-Molecular-Weight DNA from Monolayer Cultures of Mammalian Cells Using Proteinase K and Phenol.

PubMed

Green, Michael R; Sambrook, Joseph

2017-07-05

This procedure is the method of choice for purification of mammalian genomic DNA from monolayer cultures when large amounts of DNA are required, for example, for Southern blotting. Approximately 200 µg of mammalian DNA, 100-150 kb in length, is obtained from 5 × 10 7 cultured aneuploid cells (e.g., HeLa cells). © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Sources of self-efficacy in an undergraduate introductory astronomy course for non-science majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Brooke L.

The role of the astronomy laboratory on non-science major student self-efficacy is investigated through combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The Astronomy Diagnostic Test 2.0 is distributed to an introductory astronomy laboratory for non-science major class in the Spring of 2005. The ADT 2.0 is used to draw comparisons between interview subjects and the remaining class. Eight subjects were interviewed three times throughout the semester in order to determine the important contributing factors to the subjects' self-efficacy beliefs. Results of the quantitative data suggest that the interview participants' general science self-efficacy did not significantly increase over the course of the semester. Results of the quantitative data suggest the most important contributor to the subjects' self-efficacy in the laboratory is verbal persuasion. The results of this limited study suggest that the astronomy laboratory experience is a strong contributor to student self-efficacy beliefs.

Making the Case: Workforce, Education, Public Outreach and Communications as Mission-Critical Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Squires, Gordon K.; Brewer, Janesse; Dawson, Sandra; Program Organizing Committee "Making the Case" workshop 2017

2018-01-01

Increasingly, next-generation science projects will never see first light, or will lose their “right to operate” if they are unable to be responsive to emerging societal values and interests. Science projects with a robust and professional Workforce, Education, Public Outreach and Communications (WEPOC) architecture are able to engage and welcome public discourse about science, trade-offs, and what it means to be a good neighbor in a community. In this talk I will update the latest WEPOC efforts for TMT & NASA projects at Caltech/IPAC, and highlight how WEPOC has entered the critical path for many large, international science projects. I will also present a draft working document being developed by many of the world's largest astronomy and high-energy physics WEPOC leaders as an outcome from a "Making the Case" conference held at Caltech in spring 2017.

The LCOGT Science Archive and Data Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lister, Tim; Walker, Z.; Ciardi, D.; Gelino, C. R.; Good, J.; Laity, A.; Swain, M.

2013-01-01

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) is building and deploying a world-wide network of optical telescopes dedicated to time-domain astronomy. In the past year, we have deployed and commissioned four new 1m telescopes at McDonald Observatory, Texas and at CTIO, Chile, with more to come at SAAO, South Africa and Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. To handle these new data sources coming from the growing LCOGT network, and to serve them to end users, we have constructed a new data pipeline and Science Archive. We describe the new LCOGT pipeline, currently under development and testing, which makes use of the ORAC-DR automated recipe-based data reduction pipeline and illustrate some of the new data products. We also present the new Science Archive, which is being developed in partnership with the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) and show some of the new features the Science Archive provides.

Pop-up exhibits as an outreach tool: Connecting academic and public audiences with library resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, S.; Teplitzky, S.

2016-12-01

Subject specialty libraries like the Earth Sciences and Map Library at UC Berkeley thrive on active user communities, but promoting awareness of resources and services can be slow and time-consuming. In Fall 2014, two new librarians there introduced a series of monthly pop-up exhibits called "Maps and More" in order to help build that community. Now in their third year, the show-and-tell sessions are designed to lure visitors into the library and spark new connections among students, researchers and librarians, and renewed engagement with library collections. The librarians surveyed participants in spring 2015 and fall 2016 to assess the impact of "Maps and More" in terms of visitors' perception of the events and awareness of library services and materials. One significant finding from the spring 2015 survey is that a quarter of respondents had never been to the Earth Sciences and Map Library before the session. The exhibits draw in participants from a range of departments, including significant numbers from Seismology, Earth and Planetary Science, Geography, as well as members of the public. Sessions held on Cal Day - the university's annual public open house with 30-40,000 public visitors - were particularly good outreach experiences. Partnerships with other units have great potential for expanding the reach of these events. The Maps and More exhibits have proven to be a successful outreach tool for raising the profile of the library collections and services and helping users understand maps as research materials.

Tree rings and the local environment

Treesearch

Kevin T. Smith

2011-01-01

The amount of wood produced by a tree each year depends on tree condition, genetic programming, and growing conditions. Wood is mature xylem, the result of inward cell divisions by the vascular cambium, the new cell generator located between the wood and the inner bark (phloem). In temperate climatic zones, where a spring and summer growing season alternates with...

Metagenomic Analysis of Hot Springs in Central India Reveals Hydrocarbon Degrading Thermophiles and Pathways Essential for Survival in Extreme Environments

PubMed Central

Saxena, Rituja; Dhakan, Darshan B.; Mittal, Parul; Waiker, Prashant; Chowdhury, Anirban; Ghatak, Arundhuti; Sharma, Vineet K.

2017-01-01

Extreme ecosystems such as hot springs are of great interest as a source of novel extremophilic species, enzymes, metabolic functions for survival and biotechnological products. India harbors hundreds of hot springs, the majority of which are not yet explored and require comprehensive studies to unravel their unknown and untapped phylogenetic and functional diversity. The aim of this study was to perform a large-scale metagenomic analysis of three major hot springs located in central India namely, Badi Anhoni, Chhoti Anhoni, and Tattapani at two geographically distinct regions (Anhoni and Tattapani), to uncover the resident microbial community and their metabolic traits. Samples were collected from seven distinct sites of the three hot spring locations with temperature ranging from 43.5 to 98°C. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V3 hypervariable region and shotgun metagenome sequencing uncovered a unique taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the resident thermophilic microbial community in these hot springs. Genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation pathways, such as benzoate, xylene, toluene, and benzene were observed to be abundant in the Anhoni hot springs (43.5–55°C), dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Acidovorax sp., suggesting the presence of chemoorganotrophic thermophilic community with the ability to utilize complex hydrocarbons as a source of energy. A high abundance of genes belonging to methane metabolism pathway was observed at Chhoti Anhoni hot spring, where methane is reported to constitute >80% of all the emitted gases, which was marked by the high abundance of Methylococcus capsulatus. The Tattapani hot spring, with a high-temperature range (61.5–98°C), displayed a lower microbial diversity and was primarily dominated by a nitrate-reducing archaeal species Pyrobaculum aerophilum. A higher abundance of cell metabolism pathways essential for the microbial survival in extreme conditions was observed at Tattapani. Taken together, the results of this study reveal a novel consortium of microbes, genes, and pathways associated with the hot spring environment. PMID:28105025

In situ ecophysiology of Aigarchaeota from an oxic, hot-spring filamentous 'streamer' community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beam, J.; Jay, Z.; Tringe, S. G.; Glavina del Rio, T.; Rusch, D.; Schmid, M.; Wagner, M.; Inskeep, W.

2014-12-01

The candidate phylum Aigarchaeota contains thermophilic archaea from terrestrial, subsurface, and marine geothermal ecosystems. The phylogeny and metabolic potential of Aigarchaeota has been deduced from several recent single-cell amplified genomes; however, an accurate description of their metabolism, potential ecological interactions, and role in biogeochemical cycling is lacking. Here we report possible ecological interactions and the in situ metabolism of an uncultivated lineage of Aigarchaeota from an oxic, terrestrial hot-spring filamentous 'streamer' community (Octopus Spring, pH = 8; T = 78 - 84 °C, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was combined with detailed genomic and transcriptomic reconstruction to elucidate the ecophysiological role of Aigarchaeota in these streamer communities. This novel population of Aigarchaeota are filamentous (~500 nm diameter by ~10-30 μm length), which is consistent with the morphology predicted by the presence and transcription of a single actin-encoding gene. Aigarchaeota filaments are intricately associated with other community members, which include both thermophilic bacteria and archaea. Metabolic reconstruction suggests that this aigarchaeon is an aerobic, chemoorganotroph. A single heme copper oxidase complex was identified in de novo genome assemblies, and was highly transcribed in environmental samples. Potential electron donors include acetate, fatty acids, sugars, peptides, and aromatic compounds. Transcripts related to genes specific to each of these potential electron donors were identified, indicating that this population of Aigarchaeota likely utilizes a broad range of reduced carbon substrates. Potential electron donors for this population may include extracellular polymeric substances produced by other microorganisms in close proximity. Flagellum genes were also highly transcribed, which suggests a potential mechanism for motility and/or cell-cell attachment. This study provides the first evidence for the in situ metabolism and possible ecological interactions of a novel lineage of Aigarchaeota that are globally distributed in oxic hot-spring ecosystems.

Mechanics of a heartbeat

NSF Multimedia

2017-05-31

Microtubule network in a heart cell at rest and microtubules decorated with a fluorescent protein so they can be visualized with high-resolution microscopy. (Bottom) Compressed microtubules buckle and provide a spring-like resistance to contraction.

STORMVEX: The Storm Peak Lab Cloud Property Validation Experiment Science and Operations Plan

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

Mace, J; Matrosov, S; Shupe, M

2010-09-29

During the Storm Peak Lab Cloud Property Validation Experiment (STORMVEX), a substantial correlative data set of remote sensing observations and direct in situ measurements from fixed and airborne platforms will be created in a winter season, mountainous environment. This will be accomplished by combining mountaintop observations at Storm Peak Laboratory and the airborne National Science Foundation-supported Colorado Airborne Multi-Phase Cloud Study campaign with collocated measurements from the second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2). We describe in this document the operational plans and motivating science for this experiment, which includes deployment of AMF2 to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The intensive STORMVEX field phasemore » will begin nominally on 1 November 2010 and extend to approximately early April 2011.« less

Experimental Constraints on Hot Spring Fluid Chemistry in Back Arc Basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaen, A. T.; Saccocia, P. J.; Seewald, J.

2010-12-01

Many axial hot springs from back-arc basins are characterized by low pH and high metal concentrations compared to fluids from the mid-ocean ridge. Such differences are likely related to the presence of felsic crust and the involvement of acidic magmatic fluids in back-arc hydrothermal systems. Previous experiments that reacted fresh andesite with seawater at elevated T and P yielded pH values significantly higher than those observed in back-arc basin hot springs. Moreover, ocean drilling beneath back-arc basin hot springs revealed acid-sulfate alteration assemblages, suggesting at least transient involvement of magmatic fluids. Here we report the results of two laboratory experiments designed to assess fluid chemistry in equilibrium with acid-sulfate alteration assemblages at sub-seafloor conditions typically associated with back-arc hot springs. Both experiments reacted a K-Ca-Na-Cl fluid with a pyrophyllite-pyrite-anhydrite-quartz assemblage (PPAQ). In addition, alunite was added to the assemblage in one experiment (PPAQA). Both experiments were conducted in a flexible-cell hydrothermal apparatus utilizing an inert Au-Ti reaction cell. Fluid samples were withdrawn from the reaction cell as a function of time and temperature and analyzed for major anions, cations, pH (25C), H2, and H2S to monitor reaction progress. In the PPAQ experiment, pH varied from 3.1 to 3.4 from 350 to 365C at 0.25 Kb. At 385C, 0.26 Kb, pH dropped to 2.74, close to the value observed in many BAB hot springs. H2S varied from 2 mmol/kg at 350C, 0.25 Kb to 11 mmol/kg at 385C, 0.26 Kb. In general, K decreased and Ca increased with increasing T and decreasing P while SO4 remained low (<1 mmol/kg). In the PPAQA experiment, fluid pH was much lower, varying from 2.2 to 1.5 from 250 to 350C, 0.25 Kb. H2S was low (<1 mmol/kg) at these same conditions. Similarly, H2 was <0.003 mmol/kg, consistent with relatively oxidizing conditions. K concentration remained nearly constant while Ca increased with decreasing T. SO4 varied inversely with Ca, varying from 35 to 4 mmol/kg from 350 to 250C, respectively. Thus, the presence of alunite in the alteration assemblage yields an extremely acid fluid, depleted in H2S and enriched in SO4 compared to fluids from the PPAQ experiment. These results suggest that the composition of hot spring fluids from back-arc environments is consistent with fluid-mineral equilibria involving acid-sulfate mineral assemblages. Such assemblages may be produced by previous episodes of magmatic degassing. Accordingly, the presence of highly acidic vent fluids may reflect an important role for magmatic fluids during crustal alteration processes, but does not require the presence of an actively degassing magma chamber.

A three-dimensional collagen-fiber network model of the extracellular matrix for the simulation of the mechanical behaviors and micro structures.

PubMed

Dong, Shoubin; Huang, Zetao; Tang, Liqun; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Yongrou; Jiang, Yi

2017-07-01

The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural and biochemical support to cells and tissues, which is a critical factor for modulating cell dynamic behavior and intercellular communication. In order to further understand the mechanisms of the interactive relationship between cell and the ECM, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) collagen-fiber network model to simulate the micro structure and mechanical behaviors of the ECM and studied the stress-strain relationship as well as the deformation of the ECM under tension. In the model, the collagen-fiber network consists of abundant random distributed collagen fibers and some crosslinks, in which each fiber is modeled as an elastic beam and a crosslink is modeled as a linear spring with tensile limit, it means crosslinks will fail while the tensile forces exceed the limit of spring. With the given parameters of the beam and the spring, the simulated tensile stress-strain relation of the ECM highly matches the experimental results including damaged and failed behaviors. Moreover, by applying the maximal inscribed sphere method, we measured the size distribution of pores in the fiber network and learned the variation of the distribution with deformation. We also defined the alignment of the collagen-fibers to depict the orientation of fibers in the ECM quantitatively. By the study of changes of the alignment and the damaged crosslinks against the tensile strain, this paper reveals the comprehensive mechanisms of four stages of 'toe', 'linear', 'damage' and 'failure' in the tensile stress-strain relation of the ECM which can provide further insight in the study of cell-ECM interaction.

Involvements of PCD and changes in gene expression profile during self-pruning of spring shoots in sweet orange (Citrus sinensis).

PubMed

Zhang, Jin-Zhi; Zhao, Kun; Ai, Xiao-Yan; Hu, Chun-Gen

2014-10-13

Citrus shoot tips abscise at an anatomically distinct abscission zone (AZ) that separates the top part of the shoots into basal and apical portions (citrus self-pruning). Cell separation occurs only at the AZ, which suggests its cells have distinctive molecular regulation. Although several studies have looked into the morphological aspects of self-pruning process, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, the hallmarks of programmed cell death (PCD) were identified by TUNEL experiments, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and histochemical staining for reactive oxygen species (ROS) during self-pruning of the spring shoots in sweet orange. Our results indicated that PCD occurred systematically and progressively and may play an important role in the control of self-pruning of citrus. Microarray analysis was used to examine transcriptome changes at three stages of self-pruning, and 1,378 differentially expressed genes were identified. Some genes were related to PCD, while others were associated with cell wall biosynthesis or metabolism. These results strongly suggest that abscission layers activate both catabolic and anabolic wall modification pathways during the self-pruning process. In addition, a strong correlation was observed between self-pruning and the expression of hormone-related genes. Self-pruning plays an important role in citrus floral bud initiation. Therefore, several key flowering homologs of Arabidopsis and tomato shoot apical meristem (SAM) activity genes were investigated in sweet orange by real-time PCR and in situ hybridization, and the results indicated that these genes were preferentially expressed in SAM as well as axillary meristem. Based on these findings, a model for sweet orange spring shoot self-pruning is proposed, which will enable us to better understand the mechanism of self-pruning and abscission.

Determination of GHG and ammonia emissions from stored dairy cattle slurry by using a floating dynamic chamber.

PubMed

Minato, Keiko; Kouda, Yasuyuki; Yamakawa, Masaaki; Hara, Satoshi; Tamura, Tadashi; Osada, Takashi

2013-02-01

We developed a system for measuring emissions from stored slurry by using a floating dynamic chamber. CH(4) , CO(2) , N(2) O and NH(3) emitted from the storage tank of a dairy cattle farm in eastern Hokkaido were measured during summer 2008 (7/16-8/6), fall 2008 (10/2-10/26), spring 2009 (6/2-6/21) and winter 2009 (3/11). Average daily gas emission rates in summer, fall and spring were, respectively, 54.8, 54.2 and 34.3 g/m(2) for CH(4) ; 602, 274 and 254 g/m(2) for CO(2) ; 55.4, 68.2 and trace mg/m(2) for N(2) O; and 0.55, 0.73 and 0.46 g/m(2) for NH(3) . CH(4) , CO(2) and NH(3) emission rates during the brief measurement period in winter were reduced to 1/4, 1/23 and 1/2, respectively, of summer emission rate levels. All gas emissions showed diurnal fluctuation and were greatest during the daytime, when the ambient temperature rose. CH(4) , NH(3) and CO(2) emissions increased significantly during the daytime, and the daily emission (in grams) of each gas was positively correlated with maximum daily temperature. According to the combined spring, summer and fall measurements, the CH(4) , N(2) O and NH(3) annual emission factors were 1.42% (g CH(4) /g volatile solids), 0.02% (g N(2) O-N/g total N) and 0.43% (g NH(3) -N/g total N), respectively. © 2012 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2012 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

CCR scientists gain new understanding of cellular mechanisms during infection | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

A new study published August 10, 2017, in Molecular Cell reveals how changes in the architecture of the nucleus can enable B lymphocytes to spring to action during an immune system attack and help fight infection. The discovery could lead scientists to a better understanding of how some tumor cells, especially blood cancer cells, make similar transitions from a dormant to an active state. Read more. . .

Serious Learning with Science Comics: "Antarctic Log" as a Tool for Understanding Climate Research in AntarcticaScience comics open doors, providing multiple entry points for diverse learners. Karen Romano Young, award-winning author, presents "Antarctic Log", a comic about her spring 2018 Palmer Station tour, a tool for teaching and inspiration.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, K. R.

2017-12-01

Graphic nonfiction: what is it? Some call these books and articles science comics, but they're no joke: created through research and direct experience by artists invested in creating multiple entry points for new learners, comics can open doors for discovery as introduction, enrichment, or as a vital center point to teaching. Find out what educational pedagogists, scientists, and - yes! - students themselves think about reading, viewing, learning from, and creating science comics in the classroom. Karen Romano Young is the award-winning author of traditional and graphic fiction and nonfiction for children, including Doodlebug, the forthcoming Diving for Deep-Sea Dragons, and the Odyssey/Muse magazine comics feature Humanimal Doodles. In spring 2018 (Antarctic autumn) Young will work as part of a Bigelow Laboratory team studying the production of DMSP by phytoplankton, and the resulting cloud formation. This is invisible stuff, difficult for lay audiences to envision and comprehend. But the audience is already forming around "Antarctic Log," a science comic that tells the story of the science and the experience of doing climate research at Palmer Station as winter draws near. Science comics aren't just for enrichment. They're an invitation, providing multiple entry points for diverse learners. I have received unanticipated support from education groups (including NSTA and IRA), parenting groups, and special educators because these highly visual presentations of middle grade and middle school level material makes the stories and concepts accessible to atypical fiction- and science-reading audiences. As a result, I've learned a great deal about the underlying differences between my material and traditional, text-oriented materials in which visuals may be highly coordinated but are still ancillary. An article that might seem forbidding as text appears open to interpretation in my format, so that readers can pick where to begin reading and how to proceed through the story. This presentation is intended to inspire discussion of why visual text is effective and how to use it in formal and informal learning. It will draw on criticism of such works as well as case studies of ways they have been used with children.

The significance of turbulent flow representation in single-continuum models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reimann, T.; Rehrl, C.; Shoemaker, W.B.; Geyer, T.; Birk, S.

2011-01-01

Karst aquifers exhibit highly conductive features caused from rock dissolution processes. Flow within these structures can become turbulent and therefore can be expressed by nonlinear gradient functions. One way to account for these effects is by coupling a continuum model with a conduit network. Alternatively, turbulent flow can be considered by adapting the hydraulic conductivity within the continuum model. Consequently, the significance of turbulent flow on the dynamic behavior of karst springs is investigated by an enhanced single-continuum model that results in conduit-type flow in continuum cells (CTFC). The single-continuum approach CTFC represents laminar and turbulent flow as well as more complex hybrid models that require additional programming and numerical efforts. A parameter study is conducted to investigate the effects of turbulent flow on the response of karst springs to recharge events using the new CTFC approach, existing hybrid models, and MODFLOW-2005. Results reflect the importance of representing (1) turbulent flow in karst conduits and (2) the exchange between conduits and continuum cells. More specifically, laminar models overestimate maximum spring discharge and underestimate hydraulic gradients within the conduit. It follows that aquifer properties inferred from spring hydrographs are potentially impaired by ignoring flow effects due to turbulence. The exchange factor used for hybrid models is necessary to account for the scale dependency between hydraulic properties of the matrix continuum and conduits. This functionality, which is not included in CTFC, can be mimicked by appropriate use of the Horizontal Flow Barrier package for MODFLOW. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

1999 Horton Research Grants awarded

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The Horton (Hydrology) Research Grant Committee presented three grants at the 1999 AGU Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last June. S. Jean Birks is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Tom Edwards and Victoria Remenda (Queen's University). The title of her Ph.D. dissertation is “Long-term Natural Tracer Migration in Thick Unfractured Clay: Implications for Reconstructing the Post-glacial Isotopic History of Precipitation from Aquitards in the Northern Great Plains.” Jean received her B.Sc. in geography and environmental science from McMaster University and her M.Sc. in hydrogeology from Queen's University.

Using high-resolution HiRISE digital elevation models to study early activity in polar regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portyankina, G.; Pommerol, A.; Aye, K.; Thomas, N.; Mattson, S.; Hansen, C. J.

2013-12-01

Martian polar areas are known for their very dynamic seasonal activity. It is believed that many observed seasonal phenomena here (cold CO2 jets, seasonal ice cracks, fan deposits, blotches) are produced by spring sublimation of CO2 slab ice. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) has exceptional capabilities to image polar areas at times when surface processes there are most active, i.e. in early local spring. HiRISE data can be also used to create digital elevation models (DEMs) of the martian surface if two images with similar lighting but different observation geometry are available. Polar areas pose some specific problems in this because of the oblique illumination conditions and seasonally changing ice cover. Nevertheless, HiRISE DEMs with spatial resolution up to 1 meter were produced for a few polar locations with active spring sublimation. These DEMs improve our ability to directly compare observations from different local times, sols, seasons and martian years. These observations may now be orthorectified by projecting them onto the well-defined topography thus eliminating the ambiguities of different observational geometries. In addition, the DEM can serve as a link between the observations and models of seasonal activity. Observations of martian polar areas in springs of multiple martian years have led to the hypothesis that meter-scale topography is triggering the activity in early spring. Solar energy input is critical for the timing of spring activity. In this context, variations of surface inclination are important especially in early spring, when orientation towards the sun is one of critical parameters determining the level of solar energy input, the amount of CO2 sublimation, and hence the level of any activity connected to it. In the present study existing DEMs of two polar locations serve as model terrains to test the previously proposed hypothesis of early initialization of CO2 activity by solar illumination. We use the NAIF SPICE system to calculate precise energy input to each surface facet accounting for their slope and aspect orientation and shadowing by neighbor terrains. We show that the energy distribution over the surface is highly heterogeneous and maximized on the sides of the channels and other small topographical features. Our study supports the hypothesis that solar energy input in polar areas in spring is directly related to the activity observed.

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

Haber, Carl

Summer Lecture Series 2006: Physicist Carl Haber and colleagues have found a way to digitize century-old recordings believed to be unplayable, and as a result, some of the music and spoken word recordings in the Library of Congress collection may spring back to life. Learn how basic scientific research done at Berkeley Lab may yield results of benefit in other areas of science and culture. Series: "Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Summer Lecture Series"

Secure Container For Discarded Hypodermic Needles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Angelene M.

1992-01-01

Container designed for safe retention of discarded blood-collecting hypodermic needles and similar sharp objects used in life-science experiments aboard spacecraft. Needles inserted through self-closing lid and retained magnetically. They are inserted, sharp end first, through spring-loaded flap. Long needles and needles on syringes cannot turn around in container. Can be emptied, cleaned, and reused. Used on Earth to provide unusually secure containment of sharp objects.

The Effectiveness of the Learning-Cycle Method on Teaching DC Circuits to Prospective Female and Male Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ates, Salih

2005-01-01

This study was undertaken to explore the effectiveness of the learning-cycle method when teaching direct current (DC) circuits to university students. Four Physics II classes participated in the study, which lasted approximately two and a half weeks in the middle of the spring semester of 2003. Participants were 120 freshmen (55 females and 65…

Materials Processes (MP) Engineering Internship Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomsik, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

This poster illustrates my major and minor projects worked on during my entire time interning at KSC in the Materials Science Branch. My major projects consist of three Failure Analyses, a research project on Magnesium Alloys, and the manufacturing and mechanical testing of the Advanced Plant Habitat. My three Failure Analyses are Umbilical Testing Ground Plates, Lithium Ion Battery Locking Spring Blade, and a Liquid Oxygen Poppet.

Multiscale Modeling and Process Optimization for Engineered Microstructural Complexity

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-26

Ferroelectric Ceramics , Materials Science Forum, 404-407, 413-418 2002. 42. R. T. Brewer, H. A. Atwater Rapid biaxial texture development during...Multiscale Study of Internal Stress and Texture in Electroceramics, 106th Annual Meeting of the American Ceramic Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, 20...Rogan, Texture and Strain Analysis of PZT by In-Situ Neutron Diffraction, MRS Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA; April 2002. 43. E. Ustundag

Barrier Island Ecology: A Professional Development Activity for Faculty and Staff of Calhoun Community College. Field Trip Reference Booklet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collier, Don; And Others

As part of the Professional Development Workshop at Calhoun Community College, the Department of Natural Sciences conducted the third annual Spring Wilderness Pilgrimage in March 1989, a week-long environmental awareness field trip for faculty and staff. Designed as a study of the plants and animals on a barrier island off the coast of Florida,…

"Ground Control to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students...": Space Camp Provides Lessons in Science, Math, Teamwork, and Fun

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Becky

2007-01-01

In this article, the author describes the Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where deaf and hard of hearing students can pilot spaceships, conduct experiments, and dodge meteorites. Each year in the spring, students from schools all over the United States attend a one-week, hands-on learning experience in…

Demonstrating the value of a social science research program to a natural resource management agency

Treesearch

Pamela J. Jakes; John F. Dwyer; Deborah S. Carr

1998-01-01

With ever tightening resources to address an increased number of diverse and complex issues, it has become common for scientists and managers to be called upon to demonstrate the value of their programs. In the spring of 1995, social scientists at the USDA Forest Service North Central Forest Experiment Station we so called upon. This paper discusses an effort to...

SERS internship Spring 1995 abstracts and research papers

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

Davis, B.

Presented topics varied over many fields in science and engineering. Botany on grasses in California, real time face recognition technology, thermogravimetric studies on corrosion and finite element modeling of the human pelvis are examples of discussed subjects. Further fields of study are carcinogenics, waste management, radar imaging, automobile accessories, document searching on the internet, and shooting stars. Individual papers are indexed separately on EDB.

Determination of in-service needs of Turkish high school science teachers in Istanbul

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogan, Feral

The purposes of this study were to identify the in-service needs of high school science teachers in Istanbul, Turkey according to the subgroups such as school type and gender and determine the priority obstacles preventing these science teachers from attendance at in-service programs. Moreover, this study aimed to find the other greatest needs of high school science teachers that are not mentioned in the survey instrument. The data for this research was gathered by conducting a survey in Istanbul, Turkey in Fall 2001 and Spring 2002 Semesters. Turkish translation of the modified version of a science teacher's needs inventory, Science Teacher Inventory of Need (STIN), entitled STIN-2 was used as the survey instrument. The subjects consisted of 75 high school science teachers who were selected from 369 high schools by using stratified random sampling in grades nine through eleven. By personally administering the survey, 422 science teachers from 75 high schools completed the survey and a 97% response rate was achieved. The results obtained in this study show that Turkish high school science teachers in Istanbul have a number of shared needs. One other indication is that they also have a number of needs, which are specific to subgroups of those science teachers.

AGU Public Affairs: How to Get Involved in Science Policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landau, E. A.; Hankin, E. R.; Uhlenbrock, K. M.

2012-12-01

AGU Public Affairs offers many ways for its members to get involved in science policy at different levels of participation, whether you would love to spend a year working as a resident science expert in a congressional office in Washington, D.C., or would rather simply receive email alerts about Earth and space science policy news. How you can get involved: Sign up for AGU Science Policy Alerts to receive the most relevant Earth and space science policy information delivered to your email inbox. Participate in one of AGU's Congressional Visits Days to speak with your legislators about important science issues. Attend the next AGU Science Policy Conference in spring 2013. Participate in events happening on Capitol Hill, and watch video of past events. Learn about AGU Embassy Lectures, where countries come together to discuss important Earth and space science topics. Learn how you can comment on AGU Position Statements. Apply to be an AGU Congressional Science Fellow, where you can work in a congressional office for one year and serve as a resident science expert, or to be an AGU Public Affairs Intern, where you can work in the field of science policy for three months. The AGU Public Affairs Team will highlight ways members can be involved as well as provide information on how the team is working to shape policy and inform society about the excitement of AGU science.

A reversal of the shift towards earlier spring phenology in several Mediterranean reptiles and amphibians during the 1998-2013 warming slowdown.

PubMed

Prodon, Roger; Geniez, Philippe; Cheylan, Marc; Devers, Florence; Chuine, Isabelle; Besnard, Aurelien

2017-12-01

Herps, especially amphibians, are particularly susceptible to climate change, as temperature tightly controls many parameters of their biological cycle-above all, their phenology. The timing of herps' activity or migration period-in particular the dates of their first appearance in spring and first breeding-and the shift to earlier dates in response to warming since the last quarter of the 20 th century has often been described up to now as a nearly monotonic trend towards earlier phenological events. In this study, we used citizen science data opportunistically collected on reptiles and amphibians in the northern Mediterranean basin over a period of 32 years to explore temporal variations in herp phenology. For 17 common species, we measured shifts in the date of the species' first spring appearance-which may be the result of current changes in climate-and regressed the first appearance date against temperatures and precipitations. Our results confirmed the expected overall trend towards earlier first spring appearances from 1983 to 1997, and show that the first appearance date of both reptiles and amphibians fits well with the temperature in late winter. However, the trend towards earlier dates was stopped or even reversed in most species between 1998 and 2013. We interpret this reversal as a response to cooling related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in the late winter and early spring. During the positive NAO episodes, for certain species only (mainly amphibians), the effect of a warm weather, which tends to advance the phenology, seems to be counterbalanced by the adverse effects of the relative dryness. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Specific Changes of Exocarp and Mesocarp Occurring during Softening Differently Affect Firmness in Melting (MF) and Non Melting Flesh (NMF) Fruits

PubMed Central

Onelli, E.; Ghiani, A.; Gentili, R.; Serra, S.; Musacchi, S.; Citterio, S.

2015-01-01

Melting (MF) and non melting flesh (NMF) peaches differ in their final texture and firmness. Their specific characteristics are achieved by softening process and directly dictate fruit shelf life and quality. Softening is influenced by various mechanisms including cell wall reorganization and water loss. In this work, the biomechanical properties of MF Spring Crest’s and NMF Oro A’s exocarp and mesocarp along with the amount and localization of hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids were investigated during fruit ripening and post-harvest. The objective was to better understand the role played by water loss and cell wall reorganization in peach softening. Results showed that in ripe Spring Crest, where both cell turgor loss and cell wall dismantling occurred, mesocarp had a little role in the fruit reaction to compression and probe penetration response was almost exclusively ascribed to the epidermis which functioned as a mechanical support to the pulp. In ripe Oro A’s fruit, where cell wall disassembly did not occur and the loss of cell turgor was observed only in mesocarp, the contribution of exocarp to fruit firmness was consistent but relatively lower than that of mesocarp, suggesting that in addition to cell turgor, the integrity of cell wall played a key role in maintaining NMF fruit firmness. The analysis of phenols suggested that permeability and firmness of epidermis were associated with the presence of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids. PMID:26709823

Light-induced motility of thermophilic Synechococcus isolates from Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park.

PubMed

Ramsing, N B; Ferris, M J; Ward, D M

1997-06-01

This study demonstrates light-induced motility of two thermophilic Synechococcus isolates that are morphologically similar but that belong to different cyanobacterial lineages. Both isolates migrated away from densely inoculated streaks to form fingerlike projections extending toward or away from the light source, depending on the light intensity. However, the two isolates seemed to prefer widely different light conditions. The behavior of each isolate was controlled by several factors, including temperature, preacclimation of inocula, acclimation during the experiment, and strain-specific genetic preferences for different light conditions (adaptation). Time-lapse microscopy confirmed that these projections were formed by actively gliding cells and were not simply the outcome of directional cell division. The observed motility rates of individual cells of 0.1 to 0.3 micrometers s-1 agreed well with the distance traversed by the projections, 0.3 to 0.5 mm h-1, suggesting that most cells in each projection are travelling in the same direction. The finding of motility among two phylogenetically unaffiliated unicellular cyanobacteria suggests that this trait may be widespread among this group. If so, this would have important implications for experiments on colonization, succession, diel positioning, and photosynthetic activity in hot spring mats dominated by Synechococcus-like cyanobacteria.

Extracting tissue and cell outlines of Arabidopsis seeds using refraction contrast X-ray CT at the SPring-8 facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, Daisuke; Tamaoki, Daisuke; Hayami, Masato; Uesugi, Kentaro; Takeuchi, Akihisa; Suzuki, Yoshio; Karahara, Ichirou; Mineyuki, Yoshinobu

2012-07-01

How biological form is determined is one of the important questions in developmental biology. Physical forces are thought to be the primary determinants of the biological forms, and several theories for this were proposed nearly a century ago. To evaluate how physical forces can influence biological forms, precise determination of cell and tissue shapes and their geometries is necessary. Computed tomography (CT) is useful for visualizing three-dimensional structures without destroying a sample. Because recent progress in micro-CT has enabled visualizing cells and tissues at the sub-micron level, we investigated if we could extract cell and tissue outlines of seeds using refraction contrast X-ray CT available at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. We used Arabidopsis seeds because Arabidopsis is a well-known model plant and its seed size is small enough to obtain whole images using the X-ray CT experimental system. We could trace the outlines of tissues in dry seeds using beamline BL20B2 (10 keV, 2.4µm.pixel-1). Although we could also detect the outlines of some cell types, the image resolution was not adequate to extract whole cell edges. To detect the edges of cells in the epidermis and cortex, we obtained CT images using beamline BL20XU (8 keV, 0.5 µm.pixel-1). With these CT images, we could extract the facets and edges of each cell and determine cell vertices. This method enabled us to compare the numbers of cell facets among various cell types. We could also describe cell geometry as a set of points that showed these cell vertices.

Design, Development and Testing of Airplanes for Mars Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, David W.

2004-01-01

The opportunity for a piggyback mission to Mars aboard an Ariane 5 rocket in the early spring of 1999 set off feverish design activity at several NASA centers. This report describes the contract work done by faculty, students, and consultants at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo California (Cal poly/SLO) to support the NASA/Ames design, construction and test efforts to develop a simple and robust Mars Flyer configuration capable of performing a practical science mission on Mars. The first sections will address the conceptual design of a workable Mars Flyer configuration which started in the spring and summer of 1999. The following sections will focus on construction and flight test of two full-scale vehicles. The final section will reflect on the overall effort and make recommendations for future work.

Contrasting growth phenology of native and invasive forest shrubs mediated by genome size.

PubMed

Fridley, Jason D; Craddock, Alaä

2015-08-01

Examination of the significance of genome size to plant invasions has been largely restricted to its association with growth rate. We investigated the novel hypothesis that genome size is related to forest invasions through its association with growth phenology, as a result of the ability of large-genome species to grow more effectively through cell expansion at cool temperatures. We monitored the spring leaf phenology of 54 species of eastern USA deciduous forests, including native and invasive shrubs of six common genera. We used new measurements of genome size to evaluate its association with spring budbreak, cell size, summer leaf production rate, and photosynthetic capacity. In a phylogenetic hierarchical model that differentiated native and invasive species as a function of summer growth rate and spring budbreak timing, species with smaller genomes exhibited both faster growth and delayed budbreak compared with those with larger nuclear DNA content. Growth rate, but not budbreak timing, was associated with whether a species was native or invasive. Our results support genome size as a broad indicator of the growth behavior of woody species. Surprisingly, invaders of deciduous forests show the same small-genome tendencies of invaders of more open habitats, supporting genome size as a robust indicator of invasiveness. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Strong Seasonality of Marine Microbial Eukaryotes in a High-Arctic Fjord (Isfjorden, in West Spitsbergen, Norway)

PubMed Central

Vader, Anna; Stübner, Eike I.; Reigstad, Marit

2016-01-01

The Adventfjorden time series station (IsA) in Isfjorden, West Spitsbergen, Norway, was sampled frequently from December 2011 to December 2012. The community composition of microbial eukaryotes (size, 0.45 to 10 μm) from a depth of 25 m was determined using 454 sequencing of the 18S V4 region amplified from both DNA and RNA. The compositional changes throughout the year were assessed in relation to in situ fjord environmental conditions. Size fractionation analyses of chlorophyll a showed that the photosynthetic biomass was dominated by small cells (<10 μm) most of the year but that larger cells dominated during the spring and summer. The winter and early-spring communities were more diverse than the spring and summer/autumn communities. Dinophyceae were predominant throughout the year. The Arctic Micromonas ecotype was abundant mostly in the early-bloom and fall periods, whereas heterotrophs, such as marine stramenopiles (MASTs), Picozoa, and the parasitoid marine alveolates (MALVs), displayed higher relative abundance in the winter than in other seasons. Our results emphasize the extreme seasonality of Arctic microbial eukaryotic communities driven by the light regime and nutrient availability but point to the necessity of a thorough knowledge of hydrography for full understanding of their succession and variability. PMID:26746718

Comparative genomics provides evidence for the 3-hydroxypropionate autotrophic pathway in filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and in hot spring microbial mats.

PubMed

Klatt, Christian G; Bryant, Donald A; Ward, David M

2007-08-01

Stable carbon isotope signatures of diagnostic lipid biomarkers have suggested that Roseiflexus spp., the dominant filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria inhabiting microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs, may be capable of fixing bicarbonate via the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway, which has been characterized in their distant relative, Chloroflexus aurantiacus. The genomes of three filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic Chloroflexi isolates (Roseiflexus sp. RS-1, Roseiflexus castenholzii and Chloroflexus aggregans), but not that of a non-photosynthetic Chloroflexi isolate (Herpetosiphon aurantiacus), were found to contain open reading frames that show a high degree of sequence similarity to genes encoding enzymes in the C. aurantiacus pathway. Metagenomic DNA sequences from the microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs also contain homologues of these genes that are highly similar to genes in both Roseiflexus spp. and Chloroflexus spp. Thus, Roseiflexus spp. appear to have the genetic capacity for carbon dioxide reduction via the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway. This may contribute to heavier carbon isotopic signatures of the cell components of native Roseiflexus populations in mats compared with the signatures of cyanobacterial cell components, as a similar isotopic signature would be expected if Roseiflexus spp. were participating in photoheterotrophic uptake of cyanobacterial photosynthate produced by the reductive pentose phosphate cycle.

A New Camera for Powder Diffraction of Macromolecular Crystallography at SPring-8

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

Miura, Keiko; Inoue, Katsuaki; Goto, Shunji

2004-05-12

A powder diffractometer of Guinier geometry was developed and tested on a beamline, BL40B2, at SPring-8. The long specimen-to-detector distance, 1,000 mm, is advantageous in recording diffraction from Bragg spacing of 20 nm or larger. The angular resolution, 0.012 degrees, was realized together with the focusing optics, the long specimen-to-detector distance and the small pixel size of Blue-type Imaging Plate detector. Such a high resolution makes the peak separation possible in the powder diffraction from microcrystals with large unit cell and low symmetry of biological macromolecules.

Compartmentalized storage tank for electrochemical cell system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piecuch, Benjamin Michael (Inventor); Dalton, Luke Thomas (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A compartmentalized storage tank is disclosed. The compartmentalized storage tank includes a housing, a first fluid storage section disposed within the housing, a second fluid storage section disposed within the housing, the first and second fluid storage sections being separated by a movable divider, and a constant force spring. The constant force spring is disposed between the housing and the movable divider to exert a constant force on the movable divider to cause a pressure P1 in the first fluid storage section to be greater than a pressure P2 in the second fluid storage section, thereby defining a pressure differential.

Feature: Controlling Seasonal Allergies | NIH Medlineplus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Seasonal Allergies Controlling Seasonal Allergies Past Issues / Spring 2012 Table of Contents In ... to allergens, helping to prevent allergic reactions. Seasonal Allergy Research at NIH Allergen and T-Cell Reagent ...

Cold, Flu, or Allergy? Know the Difference for Best Treatment

MedlinePlus

... you have allergies and breathe in things like pollen or pet dander, the immune cells in your ... allergen, which may be about 6 weeks during pollen seasons in the spring, summer, or fall. Colds ...

Viscous damping and spring force in periodic perforated planar microstructures when the Reynolds’ equation cannot be applied

PubMed Central

Homentcovschi, Dorel; Miles, Ronald N.

2010-01-01

A model of squeeze-film behavior is developed based on Stokes’ equations for viscous, compressible isothermal flows. The flow domain is an axisymmetrical, unit cell approximation of a planar, periodic, perforated microstructure. The model is developed for cases when the lubrication approximation cannot be applied. The complex force generated by vibrations of the diaphragm driving the flow has two components: the damping force and the spring force. While for large frequencies the spring force dominates, at low (acoustical) frequencies the damping force is the most important part. The analytical approach developed here yields an explicit formula for both forces. In addition, using a finite element software package, the damping force is also obtained numerically. A comparison is made between the analytic result, numerical solution, and some experimental data found in the literature, which validates the analytic formula and provides compelling arguments about its value in designing microelectomechanical devices. PMID:20329828

Spatial distribution of residence time, microbe and storage volume of groundwater in headwater catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujimura, Maki; Ogawa, Mahiro; Yamamoto, Chisato; Sakakibara, Koichi; Sugiyama, Ayumi; Kato, Kenji; Nagaosa, Kazuyo; Yano, Shinjiro

2017-04-01

Headwater catchments in mountainous region are the most important recharge area for surface and subsurface waters, and time and stock information of the water is principal to understand hydrological processes in the catchments. Also, a variety of microbes are included in the groundwater and spring water, and those varies in time and space, suggesting that information of microbe could be used as tracer for groundwater flow system. However, there have been few researches to evaluate the relationship among the residence time, microbe and storage volume of the groundwater in headwater catchments. We performed an investigation on age dating using SF6 and CFCs, microbe counting in the spring water, and evaluation of groundwater storage volume based on water budget analysis in 8 regions underlain by different lithology, those are granite, dacite, sedimentary rocks, serpentinite, basalt and volcanic lava all over Japan. We conducted hydrometric measurements and sampling of spring water in base flow conditions during the rainless periods 2015 and 2016 in those regions, and SF6, CFCs, stable isotopic ratios of oxygen-18 and deuterium, inorganic solute concentrations and total number of prokaryotes were determined on all water samples. Residence time of spring water ranged from 0 to 16 years in all regions, and storage volume of the groundwater within topographical watershed was estimated to be 0.1 m to 222 m in water height. The spring with the longer residence time tends to have larger storage volume in the watershed, and the spring underlain by dacite tends to have larger storage volume as compared with that underlain by sand stone and chert. Also, total number of prokaryotes in the spring water ranged from 103 to 105 cells/mL, and the spring tends to show clear increasing of total number of prokaryotes with decreasing of residence time. Thus, we observed a certain relationship among residence time, storage volume and total number of prokaryotes in the spring water, and these parameters are effective to evaluate hydrological characteristics in the headwaters, and the microbe information could be an excellent tracer for groundwater flow research.

Biological Characterization of Microenvironments in a Hypersaline Cold Spring Mars Analog

PubMed Central

Sapers, Haley M.; Ronholm, Jennifer; Raymond-Bouchard, Isabelle; Comrey, Raven; Osinski, Gordon R.; Whyte, Lyle G.

2017-01-01

While many habitable niches on Earth are characterized by permanently cold conditions, little is known about the spatial structure of seasonal communities and the importance of substrate-cell associations in terrestrial cyroenvironments. Here we use the 16S rRNA gene as a marker for genetic diversity to compare two visually distinct but spatially integrated surface microbial mats on Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian high arctic, proximal to a perennial saline spring. This is the first study to describe the bacterial diversity in microbial mats on Axel Heiberg Island. The hypersaline springs on Axel Heiberg represent a unique analog to putative subsurface aquifers on Mars. The Martian subsurface represents the longest-lived potentially habitable environment on Mars and a better understanding of the microbial communities on Earth that thrive in analog conditions will help direct future life detection missions. The microbial mats sampled on Axel Heiberg are only visible during the summer months in seasonal flood plains formed by melt water and run-off from the proximal spring. Targeted-amplicon sequencing revealed that not only does the bacterial composition of the two mat communities differ substantially from the sediment community of the proximal cold spring, but that the mat communities are distinct from any other microbial community in proximity to the Arctic springs studied to date. All samples are dominated by Gammaproteobacteria: Thiotichales is dominant within the spring samples while Alteromonadales comprises a significant component of the mat communities. The two mat samples differ in their Thiotichales:Alteromonadales ratio and contribution of Bacteroidetes to overall diversity. The red mats have a greater proportion of Alteromonadales and Bacteroidetes reads. The distinct bacterial composition of the mat bacterial communities suggests that the spring communities are not sourced from the surface, and that seasonal melt events create ephemerally habitable niches with distinct microbial communities in the Canadian high arctic. The finding that these surficial complex microbial communities exist in close proximity to perennial springs demonstrates the existence of a transiently habitable niche in an important Mars analog site. PMID:29312221

Biological Characterization of Microenvironments in a Hypersaline Cold Spring Mars Analog.

PubMed

Sapers, Haley M; Ronholm, Jennifer; Raymond-Bouchard, Isabelle; Comrey, Raven; Osinski, Gordon R; Whyte, Lyle G

2017-01-01

While many habitable niches on Earth are characterized by permanently cold conditions, little is known about the spatial structure of seasonal communities and the importance of substrate-cell associations in terrestrial cyroenvironments. Here we use the 16S rRNA gene as a marker for genetic diversity to compare two visually distinct but spatially integrated surface microbial mats on Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian high arctic, proximal to a perennial saline spring. This is the first study to describe the bacterial diversity in microbial mats on Axel Heiberg Island. The hypersaline springs on Axel Heiberg represent a unique analog to putative subsurface aquifers on Mars. The Martian subsurface represents the longest-lived potentially habitable environment on Mars and a better understanding of the microbial communities on Earth that thrive in analog conditions will help direct future life detection missions. The microbial mats sampled on Axel Heiberg are only visible during the summer months in seasonal flood plains formed by melt water and run-off from the proximal spring. Targeted-amplicon sequencing revealed that not only does the bacterial composition of the two mat communities differ substantially from the sediment community of the proximal cold spring, but that the mat communities are distinct from any other microbial community in proximity to the Arctic springs studied to date. All samples are dominated by Gammaproteobacteria: Thiotichales is dominant within the spring samples while Alteromonadales comprises a significant component of the mat communities. The two mat samples differ in their Thiotichales:Alteromonadales ratio and contribution of Bacteroidetes to overall diversity. The red mats have a greater proportion of Alteromonadales and Bacteroidetes reads. The distinct bacterial composition of the mat bacterial communities suggests that the spring communities are not sourced from the surface, and that seasonal melt events create ephemerally habitable niches with distinct microbial communities in the Canadian high arctic. The finding that these surficial complex microbial communities exist in close proximity to perennial springs demonstrates the existence of a transiently habitable niche in an important Mars analog site.

The Math You Need at Baylor University: Improving Quantitative Skills in an Introductory Geology Lab Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Browning, S.

2014-12-01

The Math You Need (TMYN) modules were introduced at Baylor University in fall 2012 to address issues of math anxiety common among freshmen non-majors completing their lab science requirement, and to reduce lab time spent reviewing basic math concepts. Modules and associated assessment questions commonly use geoscience examples to illustrate the mathematical principles involved, reinforcing topics addressed in lab. Large enrollments in the course selected for these modules necessitate multiple graduate teaching assistants in the lab, making the online nature of the modules and minimal required involvement of the teaching assistants even more valuable. Students completed three selected modules before encountering associated topics in lab, as well as a pre and post-test to gauge improvement. This presentation will review lessons learned and changes made in the first two years of TMYN at Baylor. Results indicate continued increases in mean pre to post test scores (e.g. 3.2% in fall 2012 to 11.9% in spring 2014), percentage of student pre to post- test improvement (59% in fall 2012 to 72% in spring 2014) and student participation (95 in fall 2012 to 186 in spring 2014). Continued use of these modules is anticipated.

Mucous lysozyme levels in hatchery coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and spring chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) early in the parr-smolt transformation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schrock, R.M.; Smith, S.D.; Maule, A.G.; Doulos, S.K.; Rockowski, J.J.

2001-01-01

Mucous lysozyme concentrations were determined in juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and spring chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) to establish reference levels during the time associated with the parr-smolt transformation. The first reported naris and vent mucous lysozyme levels are provided for spring chinook salmon and coho salmon. Naris mucous lysozyme levels ranged between 300 and 700 ??g ml-1, vent mucous lysozyme from 100 to 300 ??g ml-1, and skin mucous lysozyme levels were below 130 ??g ml-1. Lysozyme levels in the two species showed the same relationship with the highest levels in naris mucous, and the lowest in skin mucous. A seasonal decrease occurred in both species with a significant decrease in naris mucous lysozyme between February and March. Gill ATPase levels used to monitor smolt development during the same period did not reach ranges reported for smolts for either species during emigration. Identification of seasonal levels of lysozyme activity in mucous provides an alternative determination of developmental status prior to release of fish from the hatchery when salmonids are still undergoing the parr-smolt transformation. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

Conceptual astronomy. II. Replicating conceptual gains, probing attitude changes across three semesters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeilik, Michael; Schau, Candace; Mattern, Nancy

1999-10-01

We report on a long-term, large-scale study of a one-semester, conceptually based, introductory astronomy course with data from more than 400 students over three semesters at the University of New Mexico. Using traditional and alternative assessment tools developed for the project, we examined the pre- and postcourse results for Fall 1994, Spring 1995, and Fall 1995. We find our results are robust: novice students show large, positive gains on assessments of conceptual understanding and connected understanding of the knowledge structure of astronomy. We find no relationship between course achievement and completion of prior courses in science or math; we do find a small to moderate relationship between students' science self-image and course achievement. Also, we detect little change over each semester in students' mildly positive incoming attitudes about astronomy and science.

Accelerating Translational Research through Open Science: The Neuro Experiment.

PubMed

Gold, E Richard

2016-12-01

Translational research is often afflicted by a fundamental problem: a limited understanding of disease mechanisms prevents effective targeting of new treatments. Seeking to accelerate research advances and reimagine its role in the community, the Montreal Neurological Institute (Neuro) announced in the spring of 2016 that it is launching a five-year experiment during which it will adopt Open Science-open data, open materials, and no patenting-across the institution. The experiment seeks to examine two hypotheses. The first is whether the Neuro's Open Science initiative will attract new private partners. The second hypothesis is that the Neuro's institution-based approach will draw companies to the Montreal region, where the Neuro is based, leading to the creation of a local knowledge hub. This article explores why these hypotheses are likely to be true and describes the Neuro's approach to exploring them.

Stratospheric balloon observations of comets C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring), C/2014 E2 (Jacques), and Ceres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Andrew F.; Hibbitts, C. A.; Espiritu, R.; McMichael, R.; Fletcher, Z.; Bernasconi, P.; Adams, J. D.; Lisse, C. M.; Sitko, M. L.; Fernandes, R.; Young, E. F.; Kremic, T.

2017-01-01

The Balloon Observation Platform for Planetary Science (BOPPS) was launched from Fort Sumner, New Mexico on September 26, 2014 and observed Oort Cloud comets from a stratospheric balloon observatory, using a 0.8 meter aperture telescope, a pointing system that achieved < 1 arc second pointing stability, and an imaging instrument suite covering the near-ultraviolet to mid-infrared. BOPPS observed two Oort Cloud comets, C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) and C/2014 E2 (Jacques), at the 2.7 μm wavelength of water emission. BOPPS also observed Ceres at 2.7 μm wavelength to characterize the nature of hydrated materials on Ceres. Absolute flux calibrations were made using observations of A0V stars at nearly the same elevations as each target. The Comet Siding Spring brightness in R-band was magnitude R = 10.8 in a photometric aperture of 17.4″. The inferred H2O production rate from Comet Siding Spring was 6 × 1027 s-1, assuming optically thin emissions, which may be a lower limit if optical depth effects are important. A superheat dust population was discovered at Comet Jacques, producing a bright infrared continuum without evidence for line emission. Observations of Ceres from BOPPS and from IRTF, obtained the same night, did not find evidence for a strong water vapor emission near 2.7 μm and led to an approximate upper limit < 7 × 1027 s-1 for water emission from Ceres.

Health and mineral nutrition status of yaks in southern Mustang, Nepal.

PubMed

Kumagai, Hajime; Nakajima, Mitsumi; Anzai, Hiroki; Sakai, Takashi; Oishi, Kazato; Hirooka, Hiroyuki; Shah, Manoj Kumar

2017-08-01

Biochemical values and mineral concentrations in blood plasma were investigated to evaluate the statuses of health and mineral nutrition among yaks in Mustang District, Nepal. In total, 118 plasma samples of female yaks collected in April and September/October of 2013-2015 were offered. Seventy-four percent of yaks showed lower plasma total-cholesterol concentrations than the lowest limit of reference range (100 mg/dL) and the values in spring (83.41 mg/dL) were lower (P < 0.05) than those in autumn (95.05 mg/dL). All the yaks had lower plasma albumin concentrations than the lowest limit of reference range (3.0 g/dL) and 66% of yaks showed lower plasma inorganic phosphorus concentrations than the critical level of phosphorus deficiency (4.5 mg/dL). Thirty-five percent of yaks showed lower plasma calcium concentrations than the lowest limit of normal range (8 mg/dL) and the concentrations were lower in spring than in autumn (P < 0.01). Seventy-five percent of yaks presented lower copper concentrations than the critical level (0.65 mg/L) and the concentrations were lower in spring than in autumn (P < 0.01). Since the low plasma total-cholesterol might have indicated shortage of dry matter and energy intake, attention should be paid to the nutritional statuses of energy, phosphorus, calcium and copper in winter and early spring. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Reflections of a TMS International Scholar: Sharing Research across Cultures and Continents

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

Unocic, Kinga A.

Here, I was honored to be selected as the 2017 Japan Institute of Metals (JIM)/TMS Young Leaders International Scholar, an opportunity made possible by the TMS Foundation. One of the benefits of receiving this award for me was traveling to Japan to visit the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), and attending the 2017 JIM Annual Spring Meeting, held at the Tokyo Metropolitan University.

Army Communicator. Volume 36, Number 1, Spring 2011

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

Contents Voice of the Signal Regiment Art Director/Illustrator Billy Cheney Photography Billy Cheney, Larry Edmond Cover: Warrant officers come from...standing on two arrows, which symbolize the military arts and sciences. The eagle rising is enclosed within a wreath. Warrant officers of the Tank...255A MOS are not knowledge managers. Our 255A are techni- cal officers who operate in the art , skill, and physical realm. They use practical

State of STEM (SoSTEM) Address

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-29

Montgomery Blair High School Student Newspaper “Silver Chips” Online Editor-in-Chief Aanchal Johri, right, and Photo Editor Emma Howells, left, from Silver Spring, MD. interview NASA Astronaut Joe Acaba at the annual White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) address, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The ATLAS-1 Shuttle mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torr, Marsha R.; Sullivan, Kathryn D.

1992-01-01

The Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) encompasses instruments which will be useful in determining long-term solar variability as well as in forging links to the measurements obtained by other spacecraft for the perturbed middle and upper atmosphere. The simultaneous measurements that will be conducted by ATLAS-1 of stratospheric concentrations of ozone, chlorine monoxide and water vapor, at relatively high latitudes during the northern spring, will be especially timely.

Delignification of disposable wooden chopsticks waste for fermentative hydrogen production by an enriched culture from a hot spring.

PubMed

Phummala, Kanthima; Imai, Tsuyoshi; Reungsang, Alissara; Chairattanamanokorn, Prapaipid; Sekine, Masahiko; Higuchi, Takaya; Yamamoto, Koichi; Kanno, Ariyo

2014-06-01

Hydrogen (H2) production from lignocellulosic materials may be enhanced by removing lignin and increasing the porosity of the material prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. Alkaline pretreatment conditions, used to delignify disposable wooden chopsticks (DWC) waste, were investigated. The effects of NaOH concentration, temperature and retention time were examined and it was found that retention time had no effect on lignin removal or carbohydrate released in enzymatic hydrolysate. The highest percentage of lignin removal (41%) was obtained with 2% NaOH at 100°C, correlated with the highest carbohydrate released (67 mg/g pretreated DWC) in the hydrolysate. An enriched culture from a hot spring was used as inoculum for fermentative H2 production, and its optimum initial pH and temperature were determined to be 7.0 and 50°C, respectively. Furthermore, enzymatic hydrolysate from pretreated DWC was successfully demonstrated as a substrate for fermentative H2 production by the enriched culture. The maximum H2 yield and production rate were achieved at 195 mL H2/g total sugars consumed and 116 mL H2/(L·day), respectively. Copyright © 2014 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Human heredity and politics: A comparative institutional study of the Eugenics Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor (United States), the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics (Germany), and the Maxim Gorky Medical Genetics Institute (USSR).

PubMed

Adams, Mark B; Allen, Garland E; Weiss, Sheila Faith

2005-01-01

Despite the fact that much has been written in recent years about the science of heredity under the Third Reich, there is as yet no satisfying analysis of two central questions: What, if anything, was peculiarly "Nazi" about human genetics under National Socialism? How, under whatever set of causes, did at least some of Germany's most well-known and leading biomedical practioners become engaged in entgrenzte Wissenschaft (science without moral boundaries)? This paper attempts to provide some answers to these two questions comparing three institutes that studied eugenics and human heredity in the 1920s and 1930s: the Eugenics Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor, New York, directed by Charles B. Davenport; the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Heredity and Eugenics, in Berlin, directed by Eugen Fischer; and the Maxim Gorky Medical Genetics Institute in Moscow, directed by Solomon G. Levit. The institutes are compared on the basis of the kind and quality of their research in eugenics and medical genetics, organizational structure, leadership, patronage (private or state), and the economic-social-political context in which they functioned.

Effects of Radiation on Proteasome Function in Prostate Cancer Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

California Breast Cancer Research Program Innovative Development and Exploratory Award (IDEA) Competitive Renewal Modulation of...Weissman IL. Establishment of a normal hemato- poietic and leukemia stem cell hierarchy. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 2008;73:439–449. 9 Trott KR...existence of CSCs in solid cancer has been advocated by radiobiologists for decades [Withers et al., 1988; Trott , 1994]. However, until recently this

Special Section: Colorectal Cancer Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

MedlinePlus

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Special Section: Colorectal Cancer Colorectal Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment Past Issues / Spring 2009 ... are placed directly into or near the cancer. Colorectal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells ...

Student-generated illustrations and written narratives of biological science concepts: The effect on community college life science students' achievement in and attitudes toward science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, Robert Christopher

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of two conceptually based instructional strategies on science achievement and attitudes of community college biological science students. The sample consisted of 277 students enrolled in General Biology 1, Microbiology, and Human Anatomy and Physiology 1. Control students were comprised of intact classes from the 2005 Spring semester; treatment students from the 2005 Fall semester were randomly assigned to one of two groups within each course: written narrative (WN) and illustration (IL). WN students prepared in-class written narratives related to cell theory and metabolism, which were taught in all three courses. IL students prepared in-class illustrations of the same concepts. Control students received traditional lecture/lab during the entire class period and neither wrote in-class descriptions nor prepared in-class illustrations of the targeted concepts. All groups were equivalent on age, gender, ethnicity, GPA, and number of college credits earned and were blinded to the study. All interventions occurred in class and no group received more attention or time to complete assignments. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) via multiple regression was the primary statistical strategy used to test the study's hypotheses. The model was valid and statistically significant. Independent follow-up univariate analyses relative to each dependent measure found that no research factor had a significant effect on attitude, but that course-teacher, group membership, and student academic characteristics had a significant effect (p < .05) on achievement: (1) Biology students scored significantly lower in achievement than A&P students; (2) Microbiology students scored significantly higher in achievement than Biology students; (3) Written Narrative students scored significantly higher in achievement than Control students; and (4) GPA had a significant effect on achievement. In addition, given p < .08: (1) Microbiology students averaged lower in achievement than A&P students; (2) Illustration students averaged higher in achievement than Control students; and (3) Written Narrative students averaged higher in achievement than Illustration students. Findings suggest that science achievement can be enhanced via student-generated illustrations and written narratives, these interventions had no effect on attitudes toward science, and the interventions benefited A&P students more than Microbiology and Biology students.

Measuring Feedforward Inhibition and Its Impact on Local Circuit Function.

PubMed

Hull, Court

2017-05-01

This protocol describes a series of approaches to measure feedforward inhibition in acute brain slices from the cerebellar cortex. Using whole-cell voltage and current clamp recordings from Purkinje cells in conjunction with electrical stimulation of the parallel fibers, these methods demonstrate how to measure the relationship between excitation and inhibition in a feedforward circuit. This protocol also describes how to measure the impact of feedforward inhibition on Purkinje cell excitability, with an emphasis on spike timing. © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Radioactive mineral spring precipitates, their analytical and statistical data and the uranium connection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cadigan, R.A.; Felmlee, J.K.

1982-01-01

Major radioactive mineral springs are probably related to deep zones of active metamorphism in areas of orogenic tectonism. The most common precipitate is travertine, a chemically precipitated rock composed chiefly of calcium carbonate, but also containing other minerals. The mineral springs are surface manifestations of hydrothermal conduit systems which extend downward many kilometers to hot source rocks. Conduits are kept open by fluid pressure exerted by carbon dioxide-charged waters rising to the surface propelled by heat and gas (CO2 and steam) pressure. On reaching the surface, the dissolved carbon dioxide is released from solution, and calcium carbonate is precipitated. Springs also contain sulfur species (for example, H2S and HS-), and radon, helium and methane as entrained or dissolved gases. The HS- ion can react to form hydrogen sulfide gas, sulfate salts, and native sulfur. Chemical salts and native sulfur precipitate at the surface. The sulfur may partly oxidize to produce detectable sulfur dioxide gas. Radioactivity is due to the presence of radium-226, radon-222, radium-228, and radon-220, and other daughter products of uranium-238 and thorium-232. Uranium and thorium are not present in economically significant amounts in most radioactive spring precipitates. Most radium is coprecipitated at the surface with barite. Barite (barium sulfate) forms in the barium-containing spring water as a product of the oxidation of sulfur species to sulfate ions. The relatively insoluble barium sulfate precipitates and removes much of the radium from solution. Radium coprecipitates to a lesser extent with manganese-barium- and iron-oxy hydroxides. R-mode factor analysis of abundances of elements suggests that 65 percent of the variance of the different elements is affected by seven factors interpreted as follows: (1) Silica and silicate contamination and precipitation; (2) Carbonate travertine precipitation; (3) Radium coprecipitation; (4) Evaporite precipitation; (5) Hydrous limonite precipitation and coprecipitated elements including uranium; (6) Rare earth elements deposited with detrital contamination (?); (7) Metal carbonate adsorption and precipitation. Economically recoverable minerals occurring at some localities in spring precipitates are ores of iron, manganese, sulfur, tungsten and barium and ornamental travertine. Continental radioactive mineral springs occur in areas of crustal thickening caused by overthrusting of crustal plates, and intrusion and metamorphism. Sedimentary rocks on the lower plate are trapped between the plates and form a zone of metamorphism. Connate waters, carbonate rocks and organic-carbon-bearing rocks react to extreme pressure and temperature to produce carbon dioxide, and steam. Fractures are forced open by gas and fluid pressures. Deep-circulating meteoric waters then come in contact with the reactive products, and a hydrothermal cell forms. When hot mineral-charged waters reach the surface they form the familiar hot mineral springs. Hot springs also occur in relation to igneous intrusive action or volcanism both of which may be products of the crustal plate overthrusting. Uranium and thorium in the sedimentary rocks undergoing metamorphism are sometimes mobilized, but mobilization is generally restricted to an acid hydrothermal environment; much is redeposited in favorable environments in the metamorphosed sediments. Radium and radon, which are highly mobile in both acid and alkaline aqueous media move upward into the hydrothermal cell and to the surface.

Examining the Relationship of Textbooks and Labs on Student Achievement in Eighth-Grade Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugalan, Anacita Noromor

One of the most important objectives of teachers, parents, school administrators, and students is to improve student scores on standardized tests such as the State of Texas Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR) in eighth-grade science. This quasi experimental study examined the science achievement scores between schools that use textbooks and labs when delivering instruction. This study utilized a quantitative approach using archival data and survey design. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multiple regression were used to analyze the data while controlling STAAR eighth-grade reading scores to reveal significant differences between classes. The sample and population for this study were predominantly eighth-grade Hispanic students in South Texas. Analysis of covariance showed that classes that used high labs got higher science scores and that the reading scores were significantly related to science scores. Multiple regression findings indicated that textbooks and labs were significant predictors of student achievement on the STAAR eighth- grade science class result in South Texas for Spring 2015. The findings of this study may serve as a catalyst for improving student achievement in science through changes in textbook adoption and doing labs in science. The result suggests the need to research further to investigate other contributing factors of student achievement.

Stem Cell Sciences plc.

PubMed

Daniels, Sebnem

2006-09-01

Stem Cell Sciences' core objective is to develop safe and effective stem cell-based therapies for currently incurable diseases. In order to achieve this goal, Stem Cell Sciences recognizes the need for multiple technologies and a globally integrated stem cell initiative. The key challenges for the successful application of stem cells in the clinic is the need for a reproducible supply of pure, fully characterized stem cells that have been grown in suitable conditions for use in the clinic.

Impact of GK-12 Fellows on Middle School Students Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagedorn, E. A.; Miller, K. C.; Kennedy, J.

2009-12-01

Here we present key results of a 3-year quasi-experimental impact study of NSF GK-12 fellows on middle school students. The GK-12 program at the University of Texas at El Paso, placed ten science or engineering graduate students into middle school science classrooms for 10 hours per week. In the first year, the fellows were placed with 6th grade students. In successive years, fellows were placed in 7th and then 8th grade classrooms. Most middle school students had a fellow in their classroom for two or three years. The five participating schools had demographic characteristics that included a greater than 75% Hispanic population and greater than 75% free and reduced lunch participation. Five similar middle schools were chosen as a control group. We hypothesized that participating students would not only learn more science than their control group peers but would express more interest in science careers. The graduate fellows and their partner teachers participated in an extensive professional development program focusing on using inquiry science methods effectively in the classroom. Teachers and fellows spent two weeks in a summer institute that included one week at a remote desert research facility and one week at the university. In addition to the summer institute, fellows took a weekly seminar course that focused on current science learning research and inquiry teaching. Several times per semester the teachers and fellows met for shared inquiry science workshops. Two critical components of our impact study were monitoring student progress in science through existing standardized tests (district benchmarks and the 8th grade state science exam) and a yearly open-ended questionnaire asking “what 3 things would you like to do when you are an adult?” We have statewide science test results for the 794 students who had a GK-12 fellow in their classroom for each of the 3 years and 854 students in the control group who had been in their same school for each of the 3 years. An independent samples t-test as well as the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test of the data show that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean raw scores for the treatment and control groups on the state science test. Currently, we are investigating whether there are other crucial differences between the treatment and control groups that might mask any science improvement. For example, we plan to examine the results of 7th grade state reading and mathematics scores as a predictor variable for science achievement. Analysis of the open-ended career responses, shows that in each of the first two years, the number of STEM careers indicated by GK12 impacted middle school students was higher in the spring than in the fall and higher in the spring than those of the control group schools. Data from the third year will be presented at the meeting.

Partners in Physics with Colorado School of Mines' Society of Physics Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Shirley; Stilwell, Matthew; Boerner, Zach

2011-04-01

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Society of Physics Students (SPS) revitalized in 2008 and has since blown up with outreach activity, incorporating all age levels into our programs. In Spring 2010, CSM SPS launched a new program called Partners in Physics. Students from Golden High School came to CSM where they had a college-level lesson on standing waves and their applications. These students then joined volunteers from CSM in teaching local elementary school students about standing waves beginning with a science show. The CSM and high school students then helped the children to build make-and-take demonstrations incorporating waves. This year, rockets are the theme for Partners in Physics and we began with demonstrations with local middle school students. In Spring 2011, CSM SPS will be teaching elementary school students about projectile motion and model rockets along with these middle school students. Colorado School of Mines Department of Physics

Toward operation of series IDs at BL43LXU of SPring-8

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

Baron, A. Q. R.; Tanaka, T.; Soutome, K.

2016-07-27

This paper discusses two issues relating to using 3 small gap insertion devices in series at BL43LXU of SPring-8 to make a uniquely powerful source in the 15-26 keV region of the x-ray spectrum. The issues discussed are (1) damage to the covers of the downstream IDs by radiation from the upstream IDs and (2) proper steering of the electron beam to get the best photon beam properties. After tests in several configurations, including one where an ID was run without an impedance-reducing cover, the damage issue was solved by installing a distributed absorber in the most downstream ID. Themore » steering issues were mostly resolved by the introduction of appropriate corrector magnets and feedback. The paper is written from the viewpoint of an interested beamline scientist impressed with the cooperation of different groups to make a source for new science possible.« less

Is There Natural Killer Cell Memory and Can It Be Harnessed by Vaccination? Vaccination Strategies Based on NK Cell and ILC Memory.

PubMed

Cooper, Megan A; Fehniger, Todd A; Colonna, Marco

2017-12-18

Studies over the last decade have decisively shown that innate immune natural killer (NK) cells exhibit enhanced long-lasting functional responses following a single activation event. With the increased recognition of memory and memory-like properties of NK cells, questions have arisen with regard to their ability to effectively mediate vaccination responses in humans. Moreover, recently discovered innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) could also potentially exhibit memory-like functions. Here, we review different forms of NK cell memory, and speculate about the ability of these cells and ILCs to meaningfully contribute to vaccination responses. Copyright © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Fighting for physics and Earth science in Florida's high schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottle, Paul

2009-11-01

During its Spring 2009 session, the Florida Legislature considered a bill that would have suspended its comprehensive standardized test in high school science and substituted an end-of-course test in biology to satisfy the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. By doing so, the bill would have further deemphasized high school physics and Earth science in a state where physics courses are sometimes not available in high schools (even in International Baccalaureate programs) and where the state's own statistics say that only 16% of high school graduates have taken a physics course. A group of about one hundred science faculty from thirteen colleges and universities in Florida responded with a letter to Governor Crist and visits to legislators asking that the biology-only provisions be defeated (and they were). The group has now produced a white paper on high school science requirements that has been distributed to government and business leaders and been publicized via op-ed pieces and news items in several media outlets statewide. This poster will describe the situation in Florida and the faculty group's efforts. It will also compare Florida's high school requirements in science with those in the other SESAPS states.

Dihydroconiferyl alcohol - A cell division factor from Acer species.

PubMed

Lee, T S; Purse, J G; Pryce, R J; Horgan, R; Wareing, P F

1981-10-01

A compound that stimulated growth of soybean callus was isolated from spring sap of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). Insufficient compound was isolated to permit it to be characterised. A compound with identical properties was isolated from commercial maple syrup, the concentrated spring sap of Acer saccharum L. The compound was identified as 3-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propan-1-ol (dihydroconiferyl alcohol, DCA). DCA was also active in the tobacco callus and radish leaf senescence assays, but was inactive in four other tests for cytokinin activity. DCA acted synergistically with kinetin to promote soybean callus growth. It is concluded that DCA has properties distinct from those of purine cytokinins.

Carbon Nanotube Array for Infrared Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-05

ctron Transport Charact eri stic s of a Carbon nanotub es/S i He terodimensional He tero structure." Materials Research Society, Spring meeting (2008). 3...From - To) 05-12-2008 Final 27 09 2006-26 09 2008 4 . TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a . CONTRACT NUMBER Carbon Nanotube Array for Infrared Detection 5b...Distribution is unlimited 13 . SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14 . ABSTRACT We explore the basic science issues and device potential of our carbon nanotube-silicon (CNT

Roster of NSAP (Navy Science Assistance Program) Field Team Members, Fiscal Years 1971-1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-08-05

CAPTOR Evaluation Program, NSWC. Current Job/Position: Operational Requirements Analyst for a new generation of mines. Current Address: Officer in...to NSAP Field Assignment: General Engineer; combat systems engineering on new ship design concepts, NSWC. Current Job/Position: Electronic Engineer...ADDRESS 12. REPORT DATE Naval Surface Weapons Center (Code D23) 5 August 1985 10901 New Hampshire Avenue 13. NUMBER OF PAGES Silver Spring, MD 20910

In Silico Pharmacophore Model for Tabun-Inhibites Acetylcholinesterase Reactivators: A study of Their Stereoelectronic Properties

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant AVenue, SilVer Spring, Maryland 20910, and Center for AdVanced Studies and Department of Toxicology ...Department of Toxicology , Faculty of Military Health Sciences. Chem. Res. Toxicol. XXXX, , 000 A 10.1021/tx900192u  XXXX American Chemical Society...GA-inhibited AChE derived from theoretical stereoelectronic and three-dimensional (3D) quantitative struc- ture-activity relationship ( QSAR

Magnetic Flyer Facility Correlation and UGT Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-05-01

AND UGT SIMULATION (U) Kaman Sciences Corporation L ~ P.O. Box 7463 I Colorado Springs, Colcerado 80933 ý4 May 1978DC Final Report CONTRACT No. DNA O01...selected underground test ( UGT ) environment on 3DQP; and, (2) To correlate the magnetically driven flyer plate facilities of VKSC with those of the...tailored to matcb the pressure vs. time anid total impulse measurements obtained on UGT events. This matching of experi- mental data required considerable

Big-Data-Driven Stem Cell Science and Tissue Engineering: Vision and Unique Opportunities.

PubMed

Del Sol, Antonio; Thiesen, Hans J; Imitola, Jaime; Carazo Salas, Rafael E

2017-02-02

Achieving the promises of stem cell science to generate precise disease models and designer cell samples for personalized therapeutics will require harnessing pheno-genotypic cell-level data quantitatively and predictively in the lab and clinic. Those requirements could be met by developing a Big-Data-driven stem cell science strategy and community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High Prevalence, Genetic Diversity and Intracellular Growth Ability of Legionella in Hot Spring Environments

PubMed Central

Zhou, Haijian; Wang, Huanxin; Xu, Ying; Zhao, Mingqiang; Guan, Hong; Li, Machao; Shao, Zhujun

2013-01-01

Background Legionella is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, and hot springs are a major source of outbreaks of this disease. It is important from a public health perspective to survey hot spring environments for the presence of Legionella. Methods Prospective surveillance of the extent of Legionella pollution was conducted at three hot spring recreational areas in Beijing, China in 2011. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequence-based typing (SBT) were used to describe the genetic polymorphism of isolates. The intracellular growth ability of the isolates was determined by interacting with J774 cells and plating the dilutions onto BCYE agar plates. Results Overall, 51.9% of spring water samples showed Legionella-positive, and their concentrations ranged from 1 CFU/liter to 2,218 CFU/liter. The positive rates of Legionella were significantly associated with a free chlorine concentration of ≥0.2 mg/L, urea concentration of ≥0.05 mg/L, total microbial counts of ≥400 CFU/ml and total coliform of ≥3 MPN/L (p<0.01). The Legionella concentrations were significantly associated with sample temperature, pH, total microbial counts and total coliform (p<0.01). Legionella pneumophila was the most frequently isolated species (98.9%), and the isolated serogroups included serogroups 3 (25.3%), 6 (23.4%), 5 (19.2%), 1 (18.5%), 2 (10.2%), 8 (0.4%), 10 (0.8%), 9 (1.9%) and 12 (0.4%). Two hundred and twenty-eight isolates were analyzed by PFGE and 62 different patterns were obtained. Fifty-seven L. pneumophila isolates were selected for SBT analysis and divided into 35 different sequence types with 5 main clonal groups. All the 57 isolates had high intracellular growth ability. Conclusions Our results demonstrated high prevalence and genetic polymorphism of Legionella in springs in Beijing, China, and the SBT and intracellular growth assay results suggested that the Legionella isolates of hot spring environments were pathogenic. Improved control and prevention strategies are urgently needed. PMID:23527075

Online analysis: Deeper insights into water quality dynamics in spring water.

PubMed

Page, Rebecca M; Besmer, Michael D; Epting, Jannis; Sigrist, Jürg A; Hammes, Frederik; Huggenberger, Peter

2017-12-01

We have studied the dynamics of water quality in three karst springs taking advantage of new technological developments that enable high-resolution measurements of bacterial load (total cell concentration: TCC) as well as online measurements of abiotic parameters. We developed a novel data analysis approach, using self-organizing maps and non-linear projection methods, to approximate the TCC dynamics using the multivariate data sets of abiotic parameter time-series, thus providing a method that could be implemented in an online water quality management system for water suppliers. The (TCC) data, obtained over several months, provided a good basis to study the microbiological dynamics in detail. Alongside the TCC measurements, online abiotic parameter time-series, including spring discharge, turbidity, spectral absorption coefficient at 254nm (SAC254) and electrical conductivity, were obtained. High-density sampling over an extended period of time, i.e. every 45min for 3months, allowed a detailed analysis of the dynamics in karst spring water quality. Substantial increases in both the TCC and the abiotic parameters followed precipitation events in the catchment area. Differences between the parameter fluctuations were only apparent when analyzed at a high temporal scale. Spring discharge was always the first to react to precipitation events in the catchment area. Lag times between the onset of precipitation and a change in discharge varied between 0.2 and 6.7h, depending on the spring and event. TCC mostly reacted second or approximately concurrent with turbidity and SAC254, whereby the fastest observed reaction in the TCC time series occurred after 2.3h. The methodological approach described here enables a better understanding of bacterial dynamics in karst springs, which can be used to estimate risks and management options to avoid contamination of the drinking water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Did the late spring frost in 2007 and 2011 affect tree-ring width and earlywood vessel size in Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) in northern Poland?

PubMed

Puchałka, Radosław; Koprowski, Marcin; Przybylak, Julia; Przybylak, Rajmund; Dąbrowski, Henryk P

2016-08-01

Trees are sensitive to extreme weather and environmental conditions. This sensitivity is visible in tree-ring widths and cell structure. In our study, we hypothesized that the sudden frost noted at the beginning of May in both 2007 and 2011 affected cambial activity and, consequently, the number and size of vessels in the tree rings. It was decided to test this hypothesis after damage to leaves was observed. The applied response function model did not show any significant relationships between spring temperature and growth. However, this method uses average values for long periods and sometimes misses the short-term effects. This is why we decided to study each ring separately, comparing them with rings unaffected by the late frost. Our study showed that the short-term effect of sudden frost in late spring did not affect tree rings and selected cell parameters. The most likely reasons for this are (i) cambial activity producing the earlywood vessels before the occurrence of the observed leaf damage, (ii) the forest micro-climate protecting the trees from the harsh frost and (iii) the temperature decline being too short-lived an event to affect the oaks. On the other hand, the visible damage may be occasional and not affect cambium activity and tree vitality at all. We conclude that oak is well-adapted to this phenomenon.

A new seasonal-deciduous spring phenology submodel in the Community Land Model 4.5: impacts on carbon and water cycling under future climate scenarios.

PubMed

Chen, Min; Melaas, Eli K; Gray, Josh M; Friedl, Mark A; Richardson, Andrew D

2016-11-01

A spring phenology model that combines photoperiod with accumulated heating and chilling to predict spring leaf-out dates is optimized using PhenoCam observations and coupled into the Community Land Model (CLM) 4.5. In head-to-head comparison (using satellite data from 2003 to 2013 for validation) for model grid cells over the Northern Hemisphere deciduous broadleaf forests (5.5 million km 2 ), we found that the revised model substantially outperformed the standard CLM seasonal-deciduous spring phenology submodel at both coarse (0.9 × 1.25°) and fine (1 km) scales. The revised model also does a better job of representing recent (decadal) phenological trends observed globally by MODIS, as well as long-term trends (1950-2014) in the PEP725 European phenology dataset. Moreover, forward model runs suggested a stronger advancement (up to 11 days) of spring leaf-out by the end of the 21st century for the revised model. Trends toward earlier advancement are predicted for deciduous forests across the whole Northern Hemisphere boreal and temperate deciduous forest region for the revised model, whereas the standard model predicts earlier leaf-out in colder regions, but later leaf-out in warmer regions, and no trend globally. The earlier spring leaf-out predicted by the revised model resulted in enhanced gross primary production (up to 0.6 Pg C yr -1 ) and evapotranspiration (up to 24 mm yr -1 ) when results were integrated across the study region. These results suggest that the standard seasonal-deciduous submodel in CLM should be reconsidered, otherwise substantial errors in predictions of key land-atmosphere interactions and feedbacks may result. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The first decade of oligotrophication in Lake Constance : I. The response of phytoplankton biomass and cell size.

PubMed

Gaedke, Ursula; Schweizer, Anette

1993-03-01

Phytoplankton biomass and species composition were measured with a relatively high temporal resolution (once or twice a week during the growing season) from 1979 to 1989 in Lake Constance/Überlingersee. Over this period soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations during winter mixing were reduced by ca. 50% from 104 to 47 μg 1 -1 , which caused a prolongation and amplification of the epilimnetic P depletion during the growth period. Seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton reacted to the decrease of SRP in the following ways: (1) Algal biomass decreased at least proportionally to the winter SRP concentrations in summer, but not in spring and autumn when biomass fluctuated irregularly. (2) The peak of biomass concentration changed from summer to spring. (3) The earlier onset of epilimnetic P depletion during the season in recent years promoted a stronger growth of some pennate diatoms in spring. It caused an amplification of the silicon depletion in summer, which may cause still greater reduction of diatoms and total algal biomass in summer. (4) Reduction of algal biomass during the clear-water phase proper became shorter and less pronounced. (5) The temporal variability of algal biomass decreased in summer and autumn but not in spring. (6) Average cell sizes remained unchanged in summer and autumn but increased in spring during the beginning of oligotrophication. These results are largely in agreement with other studies on lake restoration and expectations derived from the PEG (Plankton Ecology Group) model (Sommer et al. 1986). They show that a 50% reduction of SRP concentrations during homothermy may have pronounced effects on seasonal dynamics of algal biomass in a large and deep lake. The algal response to the external change of SRP concentrations can be described by the Le Chatelier principle, implying that the internal structure of the system (e.g. species composition) changes in order to minimize the effect of the external pressure (e.g. reduction of total biomass). Suggestions are made as to how this system behaviour may emerge from local interactions.

Continuous earlywood vessels chronologies in floodplain ring-porous species can improve dendrohydrological reconstructions of spring high flows and flood levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kames, S.; Tardif, J. C.; Bergeron, Y.

2016-03-01

Plants respond to environmental stimuli through changes in growth and development. Characteristics of wood cells such as the cross-sectional area of vessel elements (hereafter referred to as vessels) may store information about environmental factors present at the time of vessel differentiation. The analysis of vessel characteristics therefore offers a different time resolution than annual ring width because vessels in tree rings differentiate within days to a few weeks. Little research has been conducted on the sensitivity of earlywood vessels in ring-porous species in response to flooding. The general objectives of this study were to determine the plasticity of earlywood vessel to high flows and spring flooding in floodplain black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.) trees and to assess the utility of developing continuous earlywood vessel chronologies in dendrohydrological reconstruction. In contrast, most dendrohydrological studies until now have mainly used vessel anomalies (flood rings) as discrete variables to identify exceptional flood events. The study area is located in the boreal region of northwestern Québec. Vessel and ring-width chronologies were generated from F. nigra trees growing on the floodplain of Lake Duparquet. Spring discharge had among all hydro-climatic variables the strongest impact on vessel formation and this signal was coherent spatially and in the frequency domain. The mean vessel area chronology was significantly and negatively correlated to discharge and both the linearity and the strength of this association were unique. In floodplain F. nigra trees, spring flooding promoted the formation of more abundant but smaller earlywood vessels. Earlywood vessels chronologies were also significantly associated with other hydrological indicators like Lake Duparquet's ice break-up date and both ice-scar frequency and height chronologies. These significant relationships stress the utility of developing continuous vessels chronologies for hydrological reconstructions prior to instrumental data. Continuous earlywood vessel chronologies may also be useful in determining the impact of altered hydrological regime in floodplain habitat regulated by spring floods. Future research should involve quantifying the impact of high flows and flooding on other cell constituents and also determining the plasticity and utility of continuous anatomical series in floodplain diffuse-porous species.

Determination of the sources of nitrate contamination in karst springs using isotopic and chemical indicators

USGS Publications Warehouse

Panno, S.V.; Hackley, Keith C.; Hwang, H.-H.; Kelly, W.R.

2001-01-01

The sources of nitrate (NO-3) in groundwater of the shallow karst aquifer in southwestern Illinois' sinkhole plain were investigated using chemical and isotopic techniques. The groundwater in this aquifer is an important source of potable water for about half of the residents of the sinkhole plain area. Previous work has shown that groundwater from approximately 18% of the wells in the sinkhole plain has NO-3 concentrations in excess of the USEPA's drinking water standard of 10 mg N/1. Relative to background levels, the NO-3 concentrations in water from 52% of the wells, and probably all of the springs in the study area, are anomalously high, suggesting that sources other than naturally occurring soil organic matter have contributed additional NO-3 to groundwater in the shallow karst aquifer. This information, and the dominance of agriculture in the study area, suggest that agrichemical contributions may be significant. To test this hypothesis, water samples from 10 relatively large karst springs were collected during four different seasons and analyzed for inorganic constituents, dissolved organic carbon, atrazine, and ??15N and ??18O of the NO-3 ions. The isotopic data were most definitive and suggested that the sources of NO-3 in spring water are dominated by N-fertilizer with some possible influence of atmospheric NO-3 and, to a much lesser extent, human and/or animal waste. Differences in the isotopic composition of NO-3 and some of the chemical characteristics were observed during the four consecutive seasons in which spring water samples were collected. Isotopic values for ??15N and ??18O of the NO-3 ranged from 3.2??? to 19.1??? and from 7.2??? to 18.7???, respectively. The trend of ??15N and ??18O data for NO-3 also indicated that a significant degree of denitrification is occurring in the shallow karst hydrologic system (within the soil zone, the epikarst and the shallow karst aquifer) prior to discharging to springs. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Engineering in-plane silicon nanowire springs for highly stretchable electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Zhaoguo; Dong, Taige; Zhu, Zhimin; Zhao, Yaolong; Sun, Ying; Yu, Linwei

2018-01-01

Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is unambiguously the most important semiconductor that underpins the development of modern microelectronics and optoelectronics, though the rigid and brittle nature of bulk c-Si makes it difficult to implement directly for stretchable applications. Fortunately, the one-dimensional (1D) geometry, or the line-shape, of Si nanowire (SiNW) can be engineered into elastic springs, which indicates an exciting opportunity to fabricate highly stretchable 1D c-Si channels. The implementation of such line-shape-engineering strategy demands both a tiny diameter of the SiNWs, in order to accommodate the strains under large stretching, and a precise growth location, orientation and path control to facilitate device integration. In this review, we will first introduce the recent progresses of an in-plane self-assembly growth of SiNW springs, via a new in-plane solid-liquid-solid (IPSLS) mechanism, where mono-like but elastic SiNW springs are produced by surface-running metal droplets that absorb amorphous Si thin film as precursor. Then, the critical growth control and engineering parameters, the mechanical properties of the SiNW springs and the prospects of developing c-Si based stretchable electronics, will be addressed. This efficient line-shape-engineering strategy of SiNW springs, accomplished via a low temperature batch-manufacturing, holds a strong promise to extend the legend of modern Si technology into the emerging stretchable electronic applications, where the high carrier mobility, excellent stability and established doping and passivation controls of c-Si can be well inherited. Project supported by the National Basic Research 973 Program (No. 2014CB921101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61674075), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFA0205003), the Jiangsu Excellent Young Scholar Program (No. BK20160020), the Scientific and Technological Support Program in Jiangsu Province (No. BE2014147-2), the Jiangsu Shuangchuang Team's Personal Program and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the China Scholarship Council and the Postgraduate Program of Jiangsu Province (No. KYZZ160052).

Metagenomic and Clumped Isotopologue Evidence for Microbial Methanogenesis in the Zambales Ophiolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woycheese, K. M.; Meyer-Dombard, D. R.; Cardace, D.; Arcilla, C. A.; Ono, S.

2017-12-01

Active serpentinization occurring in the Zambales Ophiolite Range in the Philippines results in ultrabasic (pH > 10) fluid springs high in dissolved hydrogen and methane. Concentrations of dissolved gases varies between the springs; H2 ranges from 16-20% and CH4 by 8-12% by volume. Hydrogen gas is generated by serpentinization, but the provenance of methane is unknown and thought to be thermogenically derived based on a previously-reported δDCH4 values from the Los Fuegos Eternos gas seep1. Here, we present metagenomic and 13CH3D clumped isotopologue evidence for hydrogenotropic and acetoclastic methanogenesis in fluid springs and sediments collected from Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape, Mangatarem, Pangasinan, the Philippines. Methane gas collected from two springs was analyzed on a tunable infrared laser direct absorption spectroscopy (TILDAS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to determine the equilibration temperature of methane. Stable isotope analysis of methane C and H indicate δ13C vs. PDB ratios near -14‰ and δD vs. SMOW ratios near -367‰. The Δ13CH3D approximately -1.0‰ vs. stochastic distribution, which is "anticlumped" (i.e. values <0‰, at which temperature cannot be expressed) and indicative of microbial methanogenesis2. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis of fluids and sediments from Manleluag reveals an abundance of methanogenesis-related genes. Universal methanogenesis genes encoding methyl-coenzyme M reductase (mcr) and heterodisulfide reductase (hdr) are detected in spring fluids and sediments. Genes encoding key steps of both hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogenesis are present. Universal methane oxidation genes methanol dehydrogenase (mdh) and methane monooxygenase (mmo) are present but less abundant than methanogenesis genes, and not found in all sampling locations. Carbon assimilation genes detected in fluid and sediment metagenomes indicate that the ribulose monophosphate pathway is the predominant methane oxidation mechanism utilized by methanotrophs. This work indicates that the source of microbial methane in Zambales may be very complex and likely involves multiple metabolic pathways. 1. Abrajano et al. (1988). Chem. Geol. 71: 211-222. 2. Wang et al. (2015). Science. 348(6233): 428-431.

Electrothermal fracturing of tensile specimens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blinn, H. O.; Hanks, J. G.; Perkins, H. P.

1970-01-01

Pulling device consisting of structural tube, connecting rod, spring-loaded nuts, loading rod, heating element, and three bulkheads fractures tensile specimens. Alternate heating and cooling increases tensile loading by increments until fracturing occurs. Load cell or strain gage, applied to pulling rod, determines forces applied.

Highly ordered vertical structure of Synechococcus populations within the one-millimeter-thick photic zone of a hot spring cyanobacterial mat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsing, N. B.; Ferris, M. J.; Ward, D. M.

2000-01-01

A variety of contemporary techniques were used to investigate the vertical distribution of thermophilic unicellular cyanobacteria, Synechococcus spp., and their activity within the upper 1-mm-thick photic zone of the mat community found in an alkaline siliceous hot spring in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Detailed measurements were made over a diel cycle at a 61 degrees C site. Net oxygenic photosynthesis measured with oxygen microelectrodes was highest within the uppermost 100- to 200-microm-thick layer until midmorning, but as the day progressed, the peak of net activity shifted to deeper layers, stabilizing at a depth of 300 microm from midday throughout the afternoon. Examination of vertical thin sections by bright-field and autofluorescence microscopy revealed the existence of different populations of Synechococcus which form discrete bands at different vertical positions. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene segments from horizontal cryosections obtained at 100-microm-thick vertical intervals also suggested vertical stratification of cyanobacterial, green sulfur bacterium-like, and green nonsulfur bacterium-like populations. There was no evidence of diel migration. However, image analysis of vertical thin sections revealed the presence of a narrow band of rod-shaped Synechococcus cells in which the cells assumed an upright position. These upright cells, located 400 to 800 microm below the surface, were observed only in mat samples obtained around noon. In mat samples obtained at other time points, the cells were randomly oriented throughout the mat. These combined observations reveal the existence of a highly ordered structure within the very thin photic zone of this hot spring microbial mat, consisting of morphologically similar Synechococcus populations that are likely to be differentially adapted, some co-occurring with green sulfur bacterium-like populations, and all overlying green nonsulfur bacterium-like populations.

ALCF Data Science Program: Productive Data-centric Supercomputing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, Nichols; Vishwanath, Venkatram

The ALCF Data Science Program (ADSP) is targeted at big data science problems that require leadership computing resources. The goal of the program is to explore and improve a variety of computational methods that will enable data-driven discoveries across all scientific disciplines. The projects will focus on data science techniques covering a wide area of discovery including but not limited to uncertainty quantification, statistics, machine learning, deep learning, databases, pattern recognition, image processing, graph analytics, data mining, real-time data analysis, and complex and interactive workflows. Project teams will be among the first to access Theta, ALCFs forthcoming 8.5 petaflops Intel/Cray system. The program will transition to the 200 petaflop/s Aurora supercomputing system when it becomes available. In 2016, four projects have been selected to kick off the ADSP. The selected projects span experimental and computational sciences and range from modeling the brain to discovering new materials for solar-powered windows to simulating collision events at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The program will have a regular call for proposals with the next call expected in Spring 2017.http://www.alcf.anl.gov/alcf-data-science-program This research used resources of the ALCF, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.

Application of EMA-qPCR as a complementary tool for the detection and monitoring of Legionella in different water systems.

PubMed

Qin, Tian; Tian, Zhengan; Ren, Hongyu; Hu, Guangchun; Zhou, Haijian; Lu, Jinxing; Luo, Chengwang; Liu, Zunyu; Shao, Zhujun

2012-05-01

Legionella are prevalent in human-made water systems and cause legionellosis in humans. Conventional culturing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques are not sufficiently accurate for the quantitative analysis of live Legionella bacteria in water samples because of the presence of viable but nonculturable cells and dead cells. Here, we report a rapid detection method for viable Legionella that combines ethidium monoazide (EMA) with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and apply this method to detect Legionella in a large number of water samples from different sources. Results yielded that samples treated with 5 μg/ml EMA for 10 min and subsequently exposed to light irradiation for 5 min were optimal for detecting Legionella. EMA treatment before qPCR could block the signal from approximately 4 log(10) of dead cells. When investigating environmental water samples, the percent-positive rate obtained by EMA-qPCR was significantly higher than conventional PCR and culture methods, and slightly lower than qPCR. The bacterial count of Legionella determined by EMA-qPCR were mostly greater than those determined by culture assays and lower than those determined by qPCR. Acceptable correlations were found between the EMA-qPCR and qPCR results for cooling towers, piped water and hot spring water samples (r = 0.849, P < 0.001) and also found between the EMA-qPCR and culture results for hot spring water samples (r = 0.698, P < 0.001). The results indicate that EMA-qPCR could be used as a complementary tool for the detection and monitoring of Legionella in water systems, especially in hot spring water samples.

Cell Science-02 Payload Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Sarah Diane

2014-01-01

The presentation provides an general overview of the Cell Science-02 science and payload operations to the NASA Payload Operations Integrated Working Group. The overview includes a description of the science objectives and specific aims, manifest status, and operations concept.

Comparison of the effect of ionic liquids containing hexafluorophosphate and trifluoroacetate anions on the inhibition of growth and oxidative stress in spring barley and common radish.

PubMed

Biczak, Robert; Pawłowska, Barbara; Feder-Kubis, Joanna; Telesiński, Arkadiusz

2017-08-01

Ionic liquids are a group of chemical compounds with chemical properties that are of great interest to various fields of science and industry. However, commercial use of these substances raises concern because they may threaten the natural ecosystems. The present study used 2 types of (-)-menthol-containing imidazolium chiral ionic liquids: 1-[(1R,2S,5R)-(-)-menthoxymethyl]-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [Im-Men][PF 6 ] and 1-[(1R,2S,5R)-(-)-menthoxymethyl]-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate [Im-Men][CF 3 CO 2 ]. The effects of these compounds on growth and development of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) and common radish (Raphanus sativus L. subvar. radicula Pers.) were investigated. The present study demonstrated that chiral ionic liquids produced a relatively high phytotoxicity, by shortening the plants' lengths and roots, thus causing a decline in the experimental plants' fresh weights. The investigated ionic liquids also led to a reduction in photosynthetic pigment levels, changes in hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde content, and changes in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase in both plants. Changes in these enzymes were used to indicate oxidative stress levels in spring barley and common radish. It was demonstrated that imidazolium ionic liquid-induced phytotoxicity depended largely on the type of anion. The liquid [Im-Men][PF 6 ] exhibited higher toxicity toward spring barley and common radish seedlings. Common radish was more resistant to chiral ionic liquids. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2167-2177. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Do Memory CD4 T Cells Keep Their Cell-Type Programming: Plasticity versus Fate Commitment? Epigenome: A Dynamic Vehicle for Transmitting and Recording Cytokine Signaling.

PubMed

Johnson, John L; Vahedi, Golnaz

2018-03-01

CD4 + T cells are critical for the elimination of an immense array of microbial pathogens. Although there are aspects of helper T-cell differentiation that can be modeled as a classic cell-fate commitment, CD4 + T cells also maintain considerable flexibility in their transcriptional program. Here, we present an overview of chromatin biology during cellular reprogramming and, within this context, envision how the scope of cellular reprogramming may be expanded to further our understanding of the controversy surrounding CD4 + T lymphocyte plasticity or determinism. Copyright © 2018 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Micro-digitate Silica Structures on Earth and Mars: Potential Biosignatures Revealed in the Geyser Field of El Tatio, Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruff, S. W.; Farmer, J. D.

2015-12-01

Opaline silica outcrops and soil identified by the Spirit rover adjacent to "Home Plate" in Gusev crater are associated with a suite of geologic features that demonstrates that they are the products of a volcanic hydrothermal system, the first such example verified on Mars [1]. Fumarolic acid-sulfate leaching of basaltic precursor materials was suggested as the origin of the opaline silica, based largely on geochemical arguments. A more complete analysis by Ruff et al. [2] included stratigraphic and textural observations of the outcrops to advance the hypothesis of a hot spring and/or geyser-related origin under alkaline-neutral conditions; acid-sulfate leaching appears much less tenable. But the nodular expression of many of the outcrops and sub-cm-scale "digitate protrusions" they contain remained enigmatic, precluding a complete explanation for the silica. Now, new observations of silica deposits produced in small discharge channels from hot springs and geysers in a high elevation geothermal field known as El Tatio in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile reveal remarkably similar features, including infrared spectral characteristics and what we describe here as micro-digitate silica structures. We hypothesize that these structures at El Tatio arise through microbial mediation of silica precipitation, i.e., that they are microstromatolites and that they provide favorable environments for the capture and preservation of microbial biosignatures. Similar features have been identified among hot spring silica deposits in Yellowstone National Park, the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand, and Iceland [e.g., 3; 4; 5]. Our ongoing field and lab studies are intended provide a robust assessment of the biogenicity of the micro-digitate silica structures and other aspects of El Tatio silica sinter deposits and test their viability as direct analogs to similar features found among the Home Plate silica deposits on Mars. [1] Squyres, S. W., et al. (2008), Science, 320, 1063-1067, 10.1126/science.1155429. [2] Ruff, S. W., et al. (2011), J. Geophys. Res., 116, E00F23, 10.1029/2010JE003767. [3] Walter, M. R., et al. (1972), Science, 178, 4059, 402-405. [4] Jones, B., et al. (1997), Palaios, 12, 220-236. [5] Konhauser, K. O., et al. (2001), Sedimentology, 48, 415-433.

Plans of Implementation and Methods for Increasing Student Enrollment in the Earth Systems Science Course at Elizabeth City State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, W.

2001-12-01

This presentation reviews the experience of Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in offering the Earth Systems Science (ESS) online course sponsored the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) and how it relates to our plans to offer the course in the Spring Semester of 2002. The course was offered for the first time at ECSU during the Fall semester 2000. Eight students were enrolled in the course, which may not be considered a large number; however, we felt the administration of the course was successful because of the staff's learning experience. The small number is also a reflection of the nature of ECSU's primary recruitment region of northeastern North Carolina; this area is extremely rural with a smaller population, lower economic development, and fewer cultural amenities than most regions of the state. Our approach to this project is for a long-term effective offering of a course that is much needed, especially in this area of the state. The ultimate goal is to develop ESS as our online offering of courses in the Geoscience Department curriculum as to recruit students who might not have the opportunity to take college-level courses because of daytime work commitments and/or inaccessibility to a local college or university. A major component of ESS is its focus on problem-based learning built upon the life experiences of participating students. Having learned from the previous offering of the course, the following are objectives related to the Spring Semester 2002: 1. To get ESS to become a part of the Geoscience curriculum so that it will be listed on the schedule of classes for the Spring Semester 2002 and each succeeding semester; 2. To aggressively reach out to the public school teachers, especially in the recruitment region of ECSU in northeastern North Carolina, by using effective recruitment strategies; 3. To have an active and continuous communication with prospective students prior to and immediately after the enrollment, as well as being accessible to them during the entire period of the course; and 4. To have students focus on the problem-based aspect of the course as it relates to their life experiences. These objectives are designed to increase enrollment in the course as well as to enhance the retention of participating students.

Stem Cells and Society: An Undergraduate Course Exploring the Intersections among Science, Religion, and Law

PubMed Central

Friedrichsen, Patricia

2009-01-01

The intersection of science and our society has led to legal and ethical issues in which we all play a part. To support development of scientific literacy, college science courses need to engage students in difficult dialogues around ethical issues. We describe a new course, Stem Cells and Society, in which students explore the basic biology of stem cell research and the controversy surrounding it. As part of the course, we highlight the nature of science, looking at the methods and norms within the scientific community. To gain a perspective on the current stem cell controversy, we examine the public debates in the 1970s surrounding in vitro fertilization, the stem cell initiative in Missouri, and the personal and religious viewpoints that have emerged relative to the stem cell debate. In the Stem Cells and Society course, students are challenged to develop and clarify their own personal positions concerning embryonic stem cell research. These positions are grounded in science, religion or personal philosophy, and law. PMID:19255139

[Water pollution and health risks at Yaoundé, Cameroon].

PubMed

Youmbi, Jean Ghislain Tabué; Feumba, Roger; Njitat, Valérie Tsama; de Marsily, Ghislain; Ekodeck, Georges Emmanuel

2013-01-01

The aim of this article consists of developing an ecosystemic approach to collect information about groundwater pollution in order to determine its origin and infer the health risks in Mingoa's watershed through the study of 12 spontaneous settlements. From an environmental point of view, family interviews and direct observations allowed us to inventory springs, wells and latrines, and to collect information. So, we have selected, on the basis of predefined criteria, 21 wells and springs for physico-chemical and bacteriological laboratory analyses. Two hundred children aged less than 5 years were subjected to KOAP examination. A number of 1224 latrines were inventoried, for an average use of 15 people per latrine, producing 913.3 kg/year of excreta. Most of 91% of people use these latrines. The superficial aquifers, connected to the wells and springs, present high values of nitrogen, phosphorous pollutant and fecal contamination indicators (coliforms and fecal streptococcus), which make water inappropriate to human consumption. PCA analysis establishes that water pollution comes mainly from traditional pit latrines. The overall prevalence of diarrhea and parasite infestation was important (=40%). The presence of cysts of Entamoeba histolytica, Ascaris limbricoides, and Entamoeba coli confirms this high prevalence and testify to very approximate hygiene and environment conditions. Copyright © 2013 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Global metagenomic survey reveals a new bacterial candidate phylum in geothermal springs

PubMed Central

Eloe-Fadrosh, Emiley A.; Paez-Espino, David; Jarett, Jessica; Dunfield, Peter F.; Hedlund, Brian P.; Dekas, Anne E.; Grasby, Stephen E.; Brady, Allyson L.; Dong, Hailiang; Briggs, Brandon R.; Li, Wen-Jun; Goudeau, Danielle; Malmstrom, Rex; Pati, Amrita; Pett-Ridge, Jennifer; Rubin, Edward M.; Woyke, Tanja; Kyrpides, Nikos C.; Ivanova, Natalia N.

2016-01-01

Analysis of the increasing wealth of metagenomic data collected from diverse environments can lead to the discovery of novel branches on the tree of life. Here we analyse 5.2 Tb of metagenomic data collected globally to discover a novel bacterial phylum (‘Candidatus Kryptonia') found exclusively in high-temperature pH-neutral geothermal springs. This lineage had remained hidden as a taxonomic ‘blind spot' because of mismatches in the primers commonly used for ribosomal gene surveys. Genome reconstruction from metagenomic data combined with single-cell genomics results in several high-quality genomes representing four genera from the new phylum. Metabolic reconstruction indicates a heterotrophic lifestyle with conspicuous nutritional deficiencies, suggesting the need for metabolic complementarity with other microbes. Co-occurrence patterns identifies a number of putative partners, including an uncultured Armatimonadetes lineage. The discovery of Kryptonia within previously studied geothermal springs underscores the importance of globally sampled metagenomic data in detection of microbial novelty, and highlights the extraordinary diversity of microbial life still awaiting discovery. PMID:26814032

Global metagenomic survey reveals a new bacterial candidate phylum in geothermal springs.

PubMed

Eloe-Fadrosh, Emiley A; Paez-Espino, David; Jarett, Jessica; Dunfield, Peter F; Hedlund, Brian P; Dekas, Anne E; Grasby, Stephen E; Brady, Allyson L; Dong, Hailiang; Briggs, Brandon R; Li, Wen-Jun; Goudeau, Danielle; Malmstrom, Rex; Pati, Amrita; Pett-Ridge, Jennifer; Rubin, Edward M; Woyke, Tanja; Kyrpides, Nikos C; Ivanova, Natalia N

2016-01-27

Analysis of the increasing wealth of metagenomic data collected from diverse environments can lead to the discovery of novel branches on the tree of life. Here we analyse 5.2 Tb of metagenomic data collected globally to discover a novel bacterial phylum ('Candidatus Kryptonia') found exclusively in high-temperature pH-neutral geothermal springs. This lineage had remained hidden as a taxonomic 'blind spot' because of mismatches in the primers commonly used for ribosomal gene surveys. Genome reconstruction from metagenomic data combined with single-cell genomics results in several high-quality genomes representing four genera from the new phylum. Metabolic reconstruction indicates a heterotrophic lifestyle with conspicuous nutritional deficiencies, suggesting the need for metabolic complementarity with other microbes. Co-occurrence patterns identifies a number of putative partners, including an uncultured Armatimonadetes lineage. The discovery of Kryptonia within previously studied geothermal springs underscores the importance of globally sampled metagenomic data in detection of microbial novelty, and highlights the extraordinary diversity of microbial life still awaiting discovery.

Global metagenomic survey reveals a new bacterial candidate phylum in geothermal springs

DOE PAGES

Eloe-Fadrosh, Emiley A.; Paez-Espino, David; Jarett, Jessica; ...

2016-01-27

Analysis of the increasing wealth of metagenomic data collected from diverse environments can lead to the discovery of novel branches on the tree of life. Here we analyse 5.2 Tb of metagenomic data collected globally to discover a novel bacterial phylum (' Candidatus Kryptonia') found exclusively in higherature pH-neutral geothermal springs. This lineage had remained hidden as a taxonomic 'blind spot' because of mismatches in the primers commonly used for ribosomal gene surveys. Genome reconstruction from metagenomic data combined with single-cell genomics results in several high-quality genomes representing four genera from the new phylum. Metabolic reconstruction indicates a heterotrophic lifestylemore » with conspicuous nutritional deficiencies, suggesting the need for metabolic complementarity with other microbes. Co-occurrence patterns identifies a number of putative partners, including an uncultured Armatimonadetes lineage. The discovery of Kryptonia within previously studied geothermal springs underscores the importance of globally sampled metagenomic data in detection of microbial novelty, and highlights the extraordinary diversity of microbial life still awaiting discovery.« less

Microinjector for blasocysts

DOEpatents

Remenyik, Carl J.; Woychik, Richard P.; Patek, David R.; Hawk, James A.; Turner, John C.

1999-01-01

An electromechanical device for driving the tip of a microinjection cannula, or needle, through the outer barrier of a blastocyst, cell, or cell nucleus for the injection of cells or other bioactive materials. Either a flexible frame or a ram moving within a base member is employed. Cannula motion is achieved by means of a piezoelectric stack and spring return system. The thrust motion over a predetermined microscopic distance is achieved without cannula setback prior to the thrust movement. Instead of specially prepared beveled and tipped needles, standard unimproved cannulas or needles can be used.

Microinjector for blasocysts

DOEpatents

Remenyik, C.J.; Woychik, R.P.; Patek, D.R.; Hawk, J.A.; Turner, J.C.

1999-03-02

An electromechanical device is disclosed for driving the tip of a microinjection cannula, or needle, through the outer barrier of a blastocyst, cell, or cell nucleus for the injection of cells or other bioactive materials. Either a flexible frame or a ram moving within a base member is employed. Cannula motion is achieved by means of a piezoelectric stack and spring return system. The thrust motion over a predetermined microscopic distance is achieved without cannula setback prior to the thrust movement. Instead of specially prepared beveled and tipped needles, standard unimproved cannulas or needles can be used. 6 figs.

Hybrid nanogenerators for low frequency vibration energy harvesting and self-powered wireless locating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Ying; Zhang, Hulin; Wang, Jie; Xie, Yuhang; Khan, Saeed Ahmed; Jin, Long; Yan, Zhuocheng; Huang, Long; Pan, Taisong; Yang, Weiqing; Lin, Yuan

2018-01-01

Hybrid energy harvesters based on different physical effects is fascinating, but a rational design for multiple energy harvesting is challenging. In this work, a spring-magnet oscillator-based triboelectric-electromagnetic generator (EMG) with a solar cell cap is proposed. A power was produced by a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and an EMG independently or simultaneously by using a shared spring-magnet oscillator. The oscillator configuration enables versatile energy harvesting with the excellent size scalability and self-packaged structure which can perform well at low frequency ranging from 3.5 to 5 Hz. The solar cell cap mounted above the oscillator can harvest solar energy. Under vibrations at the frequency of 4 Hz, the TENG and the EMG produced maximum output power of 5.46 nW cm-3 and 378.79 μW cm-3, respectively. The generated electricity by the hybrid nanogenerator can be stored in a capacitor or Li-ion battery, which is capable of powering a wireless locator for real-time locating data reporting to a personal cell phone. The light-weight and handy hybrid nanogenerator can directly light a caution light or play as a portable flashlight by shaking hands at night.

Seasonal phenology of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans (Macartney) in Jiaozhou Bay and adjacent coastal Yellow Sea, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weicheng; Sun, Song; Sun, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Fang; Zhang, Guangtao; Zhu, Mingliang

2017-11-01

Seasonal variations in numerical abundance, cell diameter and population carbon biomass of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans were studied for 10 years from 2004 to 2013 in Jiaozhou Bay and adjacent coastal Yellow Sea, China, and their ecological functions were evaluated. In both areas, N. scintillans occurred throughout the year and demonstrated an essentially similar seasonality; the cell abundance increased rapidly from the winter minimum to an annual peak in late spring and early summer, and decreased gradually toward the autumn-winter minimum. The peak abundance differed by years, and there was no consistent trend in long-term numerical variations. The cell diameter also showed a seasonal fluctuation, being larger in spring and early summer than the other seasons. Estimated carbon biomass of N. scintillans population reached to a peak as high as 90.3 mg C/m3, and occasionally exceed over phytoplankton and copepod biomass. Our results demonstrate that N. scintillans in northwestern Yellow Sea displays the seasonal phenology almost identical to the populations in other temperate regions, and play important trophic roles as a heterotroph to interact with sympatric phytoplankton and copepods.

Seasonal photosynthate allocation and leaf chemistry in relation to herbivory in the coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia

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

Mauffette, Y.

1987-01-01

The coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia Nee) is an evergreen tree species distributed along the coastal range of California. The seasonal photosynthate allocation and leaf chemistry were studied on fifteen oak trees from spring 1982 to spring 1984. Branches of Q. agrifolia were labeled with /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ at monthly intervals, to determine photosynthate allocation to growth and to defensive compounds throughout the year. Labeled leaves were chemically analyzed to determine the activity present in various metabolic fractions (sugar, lipid, starch, phenolic, tannin, protein, organic and amino acid, and cell wall material). The utilization of photosynthate for the different chemicalmore » fractions varied during the seasons. New leaves allocated a significant proportion of carbon to phenolics early in the growing season, whereas later in the season more carbon was allocated to cell wall material. Old leaves maintained more consistent allocation patterns throughout seasons, and a large proportion of carbon was devoted to storage products.« less

Carbon isotope fractionation by thermophilic phototrophic sulfur bacteria: evidence for autotrophic growth in natural populations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madigan, M. T.; Takigiku, R.; Lee, R. G.; Gest, H.; Hayes, J. M.

1989-01-01

Purple phototrophic bacteria of the genus Chromatium can grow as either photoautotrophs or photoheterotrophs. To determine the growth mode of the thermophilic Chromatium species, Chromatium tepidum, under in situ conditions, we have examined the carbon isotope fractionation patterns in laboratory cultures of this organism and in mats of C. tepidum which develop in sulfide thermal springs in Yellowstone National Park. Isotopic analysis (13C/12C) of total carbon, carotenoid pigments, and bacteriochlorophyll from photoautotrophically grown cultures of C. tepidum yielded 13C fractionation factors near -20%. Cells of C. tepidum grown on excess acetate, wherein synthesis of the Calvin cycle enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase) was greatly repressed, were isotopically heavier, fractionation factors of ca. -7% being observed. Fractionation factors determined by isotopic analyses of cells and pigment fractions of natural populations of C. tepidum growing in three different sulfide thermal springs in Yellowstone National Park were approximately -20%, indicating that this purple sulfur bacterium grows as a photoautotroph in nature.

A Study of the Connection Among Basin-Fill Aquifers, Carbonate-Rock Aquifers, and Surface-Water Resources in Southern Snake Valley, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2008-01-01

The Secretary of the Interior through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act approved funding for research to improve understanding of hydrologic systems that sustain numerous water-dependent ecosystems on Federal lands in Snake Valley, Nevada. Some of the streams and spring-discharge areas in and adjacent to Great Basin National Park have been identified as susceptible to ground-water withdrawals (Elliott and others, 2006) and research has shown a high potential for ground-water flow from southern Spring Valley into southern Snake Valley through carbonate rocks that outcrop along a low topographic divide known as the Limestone Hills (Welch and others, 2007). Comprehensive geologic, hydrologic, and chemical information will be collected and analyzed to assess the hydraulic connection between basin-fill aquifers and surface-water resources, water-dependent ecological features, and the regional carbonate-rock aquifer, the known source of many high-discharge springs. Understanding these connections is important because proposed projects to pump and export ground water from Spring and Snake Valleys in Nevada may result in unintended capture of water currently supplying springs, streams, wetlands, limestone caves, and other biologically sensitive areas (fig. 1). The methods that will be used in this study may be transferable to other areas in the Great Basin. The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service submitted the proposal for funding this research to facilitate science-based land management. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources and Geologic Disciplines, and the University of Nevada, Reno, will accomplish four research elements through comprehensive data collection and analysis that are concentrated in two distinct areas on the eastern and southern flanks of the Snake Range (fig. 2). The projected time line for this research is from July 2008 through September 2011.

Hydrogen Gas from Serpentinite, Ophiolites and the Modern Ocean Floor as a Source of Green Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coveney, R. M.

2008-12-01

Hydrogen gas is emitted by springs associated with serpentinites and extensive carbonate deposits in Oman, The Philippines, the USA and other continental locations. The hydrogen springs contain unusually alkaline fluids with pH values between 11 and 12.5. Other workers have described off-ridge submarine springs with comparably alkaline fluid compositions, serpentinite, abundant free hydrogen gas, and associated carbonate edifices such as Lost City on the Atlantis Massif 15 km west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (D.S. Kelley and associates, Science 2005). The association of hydrogen gas with ultramafites is a consistent one that has been attributed to a redox couple involving oxidation of divalent iron to the trivalent state during serpentinization, although other possibilities exist. Some of the hydrogen springs on land are widespread. For example in Oman dozens of alkaline springs (Neal and Stanger, EPSL 1983) can be found over thousands of sq km of outcropping ophiolite. While the deposits in Oman and the Philippines are well-known to much of the geochemical community, little interest seems to have been displayed toward either the ophiolitic occurrences or the submarine deposits for energy production. This may be a mistake as the showings because they could lead to an important source of green energy. Widespread skepticism currently exists about hydrogen as a primary energy source. It is commonly said that free hydrogen does not occur on earth and that it is therefore necessary to use other sources of energy to produce hydrogen, obviating the general environmental benefit. However the existence of numerous occurrences of hydrogen gas associated with ophiolites and submarine occurrences of hydrogen suggests the likelihood that natural hydrogen gas may be an important source of clean energy for modern society remaining to be tapped. Calculations in progress should establish whether or not this is likely to be the case.

Detection of Nuclear Weapons and Materials: Science, Technologies, Observations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-06

Nonproliferation Studies , 2004; Michael Levi, On Nuclear Terrorism, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2007; and Carson Mark et al., “Can Terrorists Build...radiation and types of shielding. A DMOA study of real-world data found that the spectra from cargo differed between spring-summer and fall-winter; the study ...Algorithm and Resolution Studies ,” LLNL-TR-401531, December 31, 2007, by Padmini Sokkappa et al., pp. 21-22 This source is a report marked by Lawrence

Center for Automation and Manufacturing Science.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

or conveying any rights or permission to manufacture use, or sell any patented invention that may in any way be related thereto. This report has been...manufacturing will draw upon more of the new technologies, and more deeply, than any other aspect. If the right set of technologies is developed, we... right cavity of the base drives the shoulder joint and upper arm link through four springs, while the motor in the left cavity of the base drives the

Lake Superior lipids

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Fish chemistry data (d13C, d15N, C:N, lipid content) published in Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2015, 29, 2069??2077 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7367This dataset is associated with the following publication:Hoffman , J., M. Sierszen , and A. Cotter. Fish tissue lipid-C:N relationships for correcting ä13C values and estimating lipid content in aquatic food web studies. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. Wiley InterScience, Silver Spring, MD, USA, 29(21): 2069–2077, (2015).

Acquisition Review Quarterly. Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 1995

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

alchemists , the people who tried to make gold for themselves and for the kings. They tried it until young science at the beginning of the age of the...the story of the alchemists and the inventors of the perpetual motion machine because of a rather astounding fact. Constant failures to achieve those...talking about the alchemists and the inventor of the perpetu-mobile. Applicable to the balanced budget, we may ask the impertinent ques- tion; if all

A Study of Wall Jets and Tangentially Blown Wings

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

Blowing coefficient C Chapman’constant CFF Far field constant CL Lift coefficient SCp Pressure coefficient D Reduced exit height E Normalized stagnation...that the wave interactiop zone there is (6(4/ 3 ). 74 C3471A/jos Oil % Rockwell International Science Cenier SC5055.21FR TABLE 4 - PARAMETRIC SUIMMY OF...34Analysis of Embedded Shock Waves Calculated by Relaxation Methods," Proc. Computational Fluid Dynamics Conference, Palm Springs, Calif., July 19-20, 1973, pp

Enlisted Personnel Allocation System (EPAS) Enhancements to the Recruit Quota System (REQUEST) - A Simulation Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

Johnson, Vladimirsky, & Weldon , 2000) has indicated that substantially greater improvements are possible when AA composites are based on full least squares...seniors graduate in the spring of the year, the opportunities in the EOG may not match the REQUEST opportunities for those seniors who graduate at some...for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Zeidner, J., Johnson, C.D., Vladimirsky, Y., & Weldon , S. (2000). Specifications for an operational two-tiered

Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-17

Representative Curt Weldon began a hearing by observing that tactical aviation is “in the midst of a massive train wreck financially.” Representative... Weldon noted that the costs of the F-22 and JSF had increased by “well over 100” and 80% respectively, and one impact of these increases was reduced...unsettled issue. A report by the Defense Science Board published in the Spring of 2000 noted that the defense industry was in the midst of a painful

Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-11

Subcommittee Chairman Representative Curt Weldon began a hearing by observing that tactical aviation is “in the midst of a massive train wreck financially...Representative Weldon noted that the costs of the F-22 and JSF had increased by “well over 100” and 80% respectively, and one impact of these increases...report by the Defense Science Board published in the Spring of 2000 noted that the defense industry was in the midst of a painful transition that was

Moving beyond Bermuda: sharing data to build a medical information commons.

PubMed

Cook-Deegan, Robert; McGuire, Amy L

2017-06-01

The ubiquity of DNA sequencing and the advent of medical imaging, electronic health records, and "omics" technologies have produced a deluge of data. Making meaning of those data-creating scientific knowledge and useful clinical information-will vastly exceed the capacity of even the largest institutions. Data must be shared to achieve the promises of genomic science and precision medicine. © 2017 Cook-Deegan and McGuire; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Effects of Multimodal Approaches to Providing Academic Counseling Feedback on Counseling Outcomes Using the Colorado Educational Interest Indicator

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

six months after treatment using Osipow’s Career Decision Scale, Holland’s My Academic Situation, and the My Academic Behavior Checklist. In addition...information-seeking behavior The only other main effect that reached significance during the preli inary study was class on measures of certainty of...Professor and Counselor Department of Behavioral Sciences and 1980-1983 Leadership, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Counseling

The Astronomy Diagnostic Test: Past, Present and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deming, G. L.; Hufnagel, B. R.

2000-12-01

During 1998, the Collaboration for Astronomy Education Research (Adams, Adrian, Brick, Deming, Hufnagel, Slater, and Zeilik) developed a content-based diagnostic test for undergraduate non-science majors taking their first introductory level astronomy course. Student interviews and written feedback were used to construct a series of questions reflecting the students' natural language and with distractors (wrong answers) that mirror commonly held misconceptions. Version 1.9 of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) was administered during Spring 1999 by volunteers teaching astronomy at 22 institutions across the United States. Minor modifications were made and Version 2.0 was released on June 21, 1999. The ADT 2.0 currently is available to the astronomical community through two websites and we continue to collect pretest/posttest results. Award of an NSF Small Grant for Exploratory Research has enabled us to work with a team of education researchers at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Our database will be subjected to a statistical analysis in order to establish reliability of ADT 2.0. In addition, content, face, and construct validity are being examined. If you are teaching an introductory astronomy course aimed at non-science majors for Spring 2001, your class can be part of this project. We are looking for volunteers! We are also interested in hearing your ideas for a "next-generation" version of the ADT. Funding provided by NSF grant REC-0089239

Spatiotemporal Variation in Avian Migration Phenology: Citizen Science Reveals Effects of Climate Change

PubMed Central

Hurlbert, Allen H.; Liang, Zhongfei

2012-01-01

A growing number of studies have documented shifts in avian migratory phenology in response to climate change, and yet there is a large amount of unexplained variation in the magnitude of those responses across species and geographic regions. We use a database of citizen science bird observations to explore spatiotemporal variation in mean arrival dates across an unprecedented geographic extent for 18 common species in North America over the past decade, relating arrival dates to mean minimum spring temperature. Across all species and geographic locations, species shifted arrival dates 0.8 days earlier for every °C of warming of spring temperature, but it was common for some species in some locations to shift as much as 3–6 days earlier per °C. Species that advanced arrival dates the earliest in response to warming were those that migrate more slowly, short distance migrants, and species with broader climatic niches. These three variables explained 63% of the interspecific variation in phenological response. We also identify a latitudinal gradient in the average strength of phenological response, with species shifting arrival earlier at southern latitudes than northern latitudes for the same degree of warming. This observation is consistent with the idea that species must be more phenologically sensitive in less seasonal environments to maintain the same degree of precision in phenological timing. PMID:22384050

Tools for Science Inquiry Learning: Tool Affordances, Experimentation Strategies, and Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bumbacher, Engin; Salehi, Shima; Wieman, Carl; Blikstein, Paulo

2017-12-01

Manipulative environments play a fundamental role in inquiry-based science learning, yet how they impact learning is not fully understood. In a series of two studies, we develop the argument that manipulative environments (MEs) influence the kind of inquiry behaviors students engage in, and that this influence realizes through the affordances of MEs, independent of whether they are physical or virtual. In particular, we examine how MEs shape college students' experimentation strategies and conceptual understanding. In study 1, students engaged in two consecutive inquiry tasks, first on mass and spring systems and then on electric circuits. They either used virtual or physical MEs. We found that the use of experimentation strategies was strongly related to conceptual understanding across tasks, but that students engaged differently in those strategies depending on what ME they used. More students engaged in productive strategies using the virtual ME for electric circuits, and vice versa using the physical ME for mass and spring systems. In study 2, we isolated the affordance of measurement uncertainty by comparing two versions of the same virtual ME for electric circuits—one with and one without noise—and found that the conditions differed in terms of productive experimentation strategies. These findings indicate that measures of inquiry processes may resolve apparent ambiguities and inconsistencies between studies on MEs that are based on learning outcomes alone.

Removing celiac disease-related gluten proteins from bread wheat while retaining technological properties: a study with Chinese Spring deletion lines

PubMed Central

van den Broeck, Hetty C; van Herpen, Teun WJM; Schuit, Cees; Salentijn, Elma MJ; Dekking, Liesbeth; Bosch, Dirk; Hamer, Rob J; Smulders, Marinus JM; Gilissen, Ludovicus JWJ; van der Meer, Ingrid M

2009-01-01

Background Gluten proteins can induce celiac disease (CD) in genetically susceptible individuals. In CD patients gluten-derived peptides are presented to the immune system, which leads to a CD4+ T-cell mediated immune response and inflammation of the small intestine. However, not all gluten proteins contain T-cell stimulatory epitopes. Gluten proteins are encoded by multigene loci present on chromosomes 1 and 6 of the three different genomes of hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) (AABBDD). Results The effects of deleting individual gluten loci on both the level of T-cell stimulatory epitopes in the gluten proteome and the technological properties of the flour were analyzed using a set of deletion lines of Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring. The reduction of T-cell stimulatory epitopes was analyzed using monoclonal antibodies that recognize T-cell epitopes present in gluten proteins. The deletion lines were technologically tested with respect to dough mixing properties and dough rheology. The results show that removing the α-gliadin locus from the short arm of chromosome 6 of the D-genome (6DS) resulted in a significant decrease in the presence of T-cell stimulatory epitopes but also in a significant loss of technological properties. However, removing the ω-gliadin, γ-gliadin, and LMW-GS loci from the short arm of chromosome 1 of the D-genome (1DS) removed T-cell stimulatory epitopes from the proteome while maintaining technological properties. Conclusion The consequences of these data are discussed with regard to reducing the load of T-cell stimulatory epitopes in wheat, and to contributing to the design of CD-safe wheat varieties. PMID:19351412

Voices from inside the elementary classroom: Three teachers' perspectives on the Alabama Reading Initiative and elementary science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Brenda Hainley

The influences of mandates, particularly the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) as the response to No Child Left Behind (2002), on elementary science education in Alabama were investigated. Teachers' voices provided insights to the status of science education in kindergarten, second grade, and third grade, and all three case participants reported negative influences of ARI on science education in their classrooms. The multiple case study, framed by critical theory and critical pedagogy, indicated that these teachers sometimes accepted marginalized roles in determining curriculum and pedagogy yet at other times made the decisions to empower themselves and negotiate or discard mandates in favor of meeting their children's learning needs or their own professional needs as they perceived them to be. Whether the case participants reached a threshold of resisting mandates or not, they struggled with the view of the political hierarchy that continues to force them into the status of being a technician rather than being a teaching professional. NCLB currently mandates standardized science testing, beginning in the spring of 2008. Historically, standardized testing reduces learning to low-level recall and teaching to rigid, uncreative, uncritical strategies. All of this intersects with science education reform and a national call for more attention to be given to science, technology, and mathematics learning. Research should track the continued influences of intersecting mandates on science education at every level.

Spring bloom onset in the Nordic Seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignot, Alexandre; Ferrari, Raffaele; Mork, Kjell Arne

2016-06-01

The North Atlantic spring bloom is a massive annual growth event of marine phytoplankton, tiny free-floating algae that form the base of the ocean's food web and generates a large fraction of the global primary production of organic matter. The conditions that trigger the onset of the spring bloom in the Nordic Seas, at the northern edge of the North Atlantic, are studied using in situ data from six bio-optical floats released north of the Arctic Circle. It is often assumed that spring blooms start as soon as phytoplankton cells daily irradiance is sufficiently abundant that division rates exceed losses. The bio-optical float data instead suggest the tantalizing hypothesis that Nordic Seas blooms start when the photoperiod, the number of daily light hours experienced by phytoplankton, exceeds a critical value, independently of division rates. The photoperiod trigger may have developed at high latitudes where photosynthesis is impossible during polar nights and phytoplankton enters into a dormant stage in winter. While the first accumulation of biomass recorded by the bio-optical floats is consistent with the photoperiod hypothesis, it is possible that some biomass accumulation started before the critical photoperiod but at levels too low to be detected by the fluorometers. More precise observations are needed to test the photoperiod hypothesis.

Jet-Suspended, Calcite-Ballasted Cyanobacterial Waterwarts in a Desert Spring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pichel-Garcia, Ferran; Wade, Bman D.; Farmer, Jack D.

2002-01-01

We describe a population of colonial cyanobacteria (waterwarts) that develops as the dominant primary producer in a bottom-fed, warm spring in the Cuatro Cienegas karstic region of the Mexican Chihuahuan Desert. The centimeter-sized waterwarts were suspended within a central, conically shaped, 6-m deep well by upwelling waters. Waterwarts were built by an unicellular cyanobacterium and supported a community of epiphytic filamentous cyanobacteria and diatoms but were free of heterotrophic bacteria inside. Sequence analysis of genes revealed that this cyanobacterium is only distantly related to several strains of other unicellular teria Cyanothece, Waterwarts contained orderly arrangements of mineral made up of microcrystalline low-magnesium calcite with high levels of strontium and sulfur. Waterwarts were 95.9% (v/v) glycan, 2.8% cells, and 1.3% mineral grains and had a buoyant density of 1.034 kg/L. An analysis of the hydrological properties of the spring well and the waterwarts demonstrated that both large colony size and the presence of controlled amounts of mineral ballast are required to prevent the population from being washed out of the well. The unique hydrological characteristics of the spring have likely selected for both traits. The mechanisms by which controlled nucleation of extracellular calcite is achieved remain to be explored.

Cell Phones Transform a Science Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madden, Lauren

2012-01-01

A science methods instructor intentionally encouraged cell phone use for class work to discover how cell phones can be used as research tools to enhance the content and engage the students. The anecdotal evidence suggested that students who used their smartphones as research tools experienced the science content and pedagogical information…

Authorized Course of Instruction for the Quinmester Program. Science: Cell Biology, Introduction to Life Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

This instructional package contains two biological units developed for the Dade County Florida Quinmester Program. "Introduction to Life Sciences" develops student understandings of cell structure and function, and compares different levels of cellular organization. "Cell Biology" investigates the origin of modern cellular…

Seasonal and spatial patterns of heterotrophic bacterial production, respiration, and biomass in the subarctic NE Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherry, Nelson D.; Boyd, Philip W.; Sugimoto, Kugako; Harrison, Paul J.

1999-11-01

Heterotrophic bacterial biomass, production, and respiration rates were measured during winter, spring, and summer in the subarctic NE Pacific from September 1995 to June 1997. Sampling took place on six cruises at five hydrographic stations along the east/west line-P transect from slope waters at P4 (1200 m depth) to the open-ocean waters at Ocean Station Papa (OSP) (4250 m depth). Interannual variability was small relative to seasonal and spatial variability. Biomass, derived from cell counts (assuming 20 fg C cell -1), was ca. 12 μg C l -1 in the winter and increased to 20-35 μg C l -1 in the spring and summer all along line-P. Bacterial production from [ 3H]-thymidine and [ 14C]-leucine incorporation rates was lowest in the winter (ca. 0.5 μg C l -1 d -1) with little spatial variability. Production increased 10-fold in spring at P4 (to ca. 4.5 μg C l -1 d -1). In contrast, only a 2-fold increase in bacterial production was observed over this period at the more oceanic stations. Rates of production in late summer were highest over the annual cycle at all stations ranging from ca. 6 at P4 to ca. 2 μg C l -1 d -1 at OSP. Bacterial (<1 μm size fraction) respiration, measured from dark-bottle O 2 consumption over 24 or 48 h, was <10 μg C l -1 d -1 during the winter and spring. Respiration rates increased >10-fold to ca. 100 μg C l -1 d -1 at P4 in the summer, but, interestingly, did not increase from spring to summer at the more oceanic stations. Thus bacterial growth efficiency, defined as production/(production+respiration), decreased in the spring westwards from the slope waters (P4) to the open-ocean (OSP), but increased westwards in the summer. Bacterial production was highly correlated with temperature at OSP ( r2=0.88) and less so at P4 ( r2=0.50). The observed temporal and spatial trends presented in this study suggest that seasonal changes in bacterial biomass were greatly affected by changes in loss processes, that bacterial biomass is regulated by different processes than bacterial production, and that bacterial production alone, without respiration measurements, is not a robust proxy for bacterial activity in the subarctic NE Pacific.

Seasonal changes of nucleotides in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) mantle tissue.

PubMed

Blanco, S L; Suárez, M P; San Juan, F

2006-03-01

Seasonal variations of nucleotides in Mytilus galloprovincialis mantle tissue were analyzed. Separation and quantification was achieved by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Total nucleotides show a pronounced seasonal variation with maximum and minimum values in autumn and spring, respectively. Adenine nucleotides accounted for the major part in spring and summer, guanosine and cytidine nucleotides in winter; uridine nucleotides were relatively constant throughout the year. Their inverse variation suggests inter-conversion among them and the maintenance of the potential cell energy in winter by other triphosphate nucleotides different from ATP. These results reflect environmental and nutritional conditions, and also the reserves and gametogenic cycles taking place in M. galloprovincialis mantle tissue.

Bacillus licheniformis BT5.9 Isolated from Changar Hot Spring, Malang, Indonesia, as a Potential Producer of Thermostable α-amylase

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Darah; Zhu, Han Li; Yusof, Nuraqilah; Isnaeni; Hong, Lim Sheh

2013-01-01

A total of 34 bacterial isolates were obtained from soil samples collected from Changar Hot Spring, Malang, Indonesia. Of these, 13 isolates produced a zone of hydrolysis in starch-nutrient agar medium and generated various amylases in liquid medium. One isolate was selected as the best amylase producer and was identified as Bacillus licheniformis BT5.9. The improvement of culture conditions (initial medium pH of 5.0, cultivation temperature of 50°C, agitation speed of 100 rpm and inoculum size of 1.7 × 109 cells/ml) provided the highest amylase production (0.327 U/ml). PMID:24575243

Potential effects of groundwater pumping on water levels, phreatophytes, and spring discharges in Spring and Snake Valleys, White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halford, Keith J.; Plume, Russell W.

2011-01-01

Assessing hydrologic effects of developing groundwater supplies in Snake Valley required numerical, groundwater-flow models to estimate the timing and magnitude of capture from streams, springs, wetlands, and phreatophytes. Estimating general water-table decline also required groundwater simulation. The hydraulic conductivity of basin fill and transmissivity of basement-rock distributions in Spring and Snake Valleys were refined by calibrating a steady state, three-dimensional, MODFLOW model of the carbonate-rock province to predevelopment conditions. Hydraulic properties and boundary conditions were defined primarily from the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) model except in Spring and Snake Valleys. This locally refined model was referred to as the Great Basin National Park calibration (GBNP-C) model. Groundwater discharges from phreatophyte areas and springs in Spring and Snake Valleys were simulated as specified discharges in the GBNP-C model. These discharges equaled mapped rates and measured discharges, respectively. Recharge, hydraulic conductivity, and transmissivity were distributed throughout Spring and Snake Valleys with pilot points and interpolated to model cells with kriging in geologically similar areas. Transmissivity of the basement rocks was estimated because thickness is correlated poorly with transmissivity. Transmissivity estimates were constrained by aquifer-test results in basin-fill and carbonate-rock aquifers. Recharge, hydraulic conductivity, and transmissivity distributions of the GBNP-C model were estimated by minimizing a weighted composite, sum-of-squares objective function that included measurement and Tikhonov regularization observations. Tikhonov regularization observations were equations that defined preferred relations between the pilot points. Measured water levels, water levels that were simulated with RASA, depth-to-water beneath distributed groundwater and spring discharges, land-surface altitudes, spring discharge at Fish Springs, and changes in discharge on selected creek reaches were measurement observations. The effects of uncertain distributed groundwater-discharge estimates in Spring and Snake Valleys on transmissivity estimates were bounded with alternative models. Annual distributed groundwater discharges from Spring and Snake Valleys in the alternative models totaled 151,000 and 227,000 acre-feet, respectively and represented 20 percent differences from the 187,000 acre-feet per year that discharges from the GBNP-C model. Transmissivity estimates in the basin fill between Baker and Big Springs changed less than 50 percent between the two alternative models. Potential effects of pumping from Snake Valley were estimated with the Great Basin National Park predictive (GBNP-P) model, which is a transient groundwater-flow model. The hydraulic conductivity of basin fill and transmissivity of basement rock were the GBNP-C model distributions. Specific yields were defined from aquifer tests. Captures of distributed groundwater and spring discharges were simulated in the GBNP-P model using a combination of well and drain packages in MODFLOW. Simulated groundwater captures could not exceed measured groundwater-discharge rates. Four groundwater-development scenarios were investigated where total annual withdrawals ranged from 10,000 to 50,000 acre-feet during a 200-year pumping period. Four additional scenarios also were simulated that added the effects of existing pumping in Snake Valley. Potential groundwater pumping locations were limited to nine proposed points of diversion. Results are presented as maps of groundwater capture and drawdown, time series of drawdowns and discharges from selected wells, and time series of discharge reductions from selected springs and control volumes. Simulated drawdown propagation was attenuated where groundwater discharge could be captured. General patterns of groundwater capture and water-table declines were similar for all scenarios. Simulated drawdowns greater than 1 ft propagated outside of Spring and Snake Valleys after 200 years of pumping in all scenarios.

Dinoflagellate cysts and bloom events at Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, México, 1999 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña-Manjarrez, José Luis; Helenes, Javier; Gaxiola-Castro, Gilberto; Orellana-Cepeda, Elizabeth

2005-07-01

Forty-two species of dinoflagellate motile cells and 18 species of organic-walled dinoflagellate resting cysts were identified in samples collected at Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, México, from September 1999 to June 2000. These temperate to cool-temperate species belong mainly to the families Gonyaulacaceae and Protoperidiniaceae. Lingulodinium polyedrum (Stein, 1883) Dodge 1989 was the dominant species both in the sediments and water column. During this period we observed planktonic motile cells, temporary cysts with cellulose walls, and resting cysts with resistant dinosporin walls. Two dinoflagellate blooms occurred in the spring to summer of 2000 allowing us to observe the timing of cyst production. The temporary cysts appeared between these blooms and also in the summer, whereas the resting cysts appeared during the preceding fall and winter. Resting cysts appeared in colder conditions, whereas the temporary cysts were produced within a particular thermal window and under nutrient depletion. Resting cysts were concentrated in discrete areas at depths of less than 25 m, and associated with sediments ranging from silt to fine sand. These cysts were abundant in the surface sediments during summer, fall and winter, whereas the motile cells dominated during the spring and summer, when the two L. polyedrum blooms were observed. The abundance of cells in the plankton, comprising motile cells and temporary cysts, appears to be inversely proportional to the concentration of resting cysts of the same species in the surface sediments.

Constitutive properties of adult mammalian cardiac muscle cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zile, M. R.; Richardson, K.; Cowles, M. K.; Buckley, J. M.; Koide, M.; Cowles, B. A.; Gharpuray, V.; Cooper, G. 4th

1998-01-01

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in the constitutive properties of the cardiac muscle cell play a causative role in the development of diastolic dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cardiocytes from normal and pressure-hypertrophied cats were embedded in an agarose gel, placed on a stretching device, and subjected to a change in stress (sigma), and resultant changes in cell strain (epsilon) were measured. These measurements were used to examine the passive elastic spring, viscous damping, and myofilament activation. The passive elastic spring was assessed in protocol A by increasing the sigma on the agarose gel at a constant rate to define the cardiocyte sigma-versus-epsilon relationship. Viscous damping was assessed in protocol B from the loop area between the cardiocyte sigma-versus-epsilon relationship during an increase and then a decrease in sigma. In both protocols, myofilament activation was minimized by a reduction in [Ca2+]i. Myofilament activation effects were assessed in protocol C by defining cardiocyte sigma versus epsilon during an increase in sigma with physiological [Ca2+]i. In protocol A, the cardiocyte sigma-versus-epsilon relationship was similar in normal and hypertrophied cells. In protocol B, the loop area was greater in hypertrophied than normal cardiocytes. In protocol C, the sigma-versus-epsilon relation in hypertrophied cardiocytes was shifted to the left compared with normal cells. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in viscous damping and myofilament activation in combination may cause pressure-hypertrophied cardiocytes to resist changes in shape during diastole and contribute to diastolic dysfunction.

Potential Polyunsaturated Aldehydes in the Strait of Gibraltar under Two Tidal Regimes

PubMed Central

Morillo-García, Soledad; Valcárcel-Pérez, Nerea; Cózar, Andrés; Ortega, María J.; Macías, Diego; Ramírez-Romero, Eduardo; García, Carlos M.; Echevarría, Fidel; Bartual, Ana

2014-01-01

Diatoms, a major component of the large-sized phytoplankton, are able to produce and release polyunsaturated aldehydes after cell disruption (potential PUAs or pPUA). These organisms are dominant in the large phytoplankton fraction (>10 µm) in the Strait of Gibraltar, the only connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. In this area, the hydrodynamics exerts a strong control on the composition and physiological state of the phytoplankton. This environment offers a great opportunity to analyze and compare the little known distribution of larger sized PUA producers in nature and, moreover, to study how environmental variables could affect the ranges and potential distribution of these compounds. Our results showed that, at both tidal regimes studied (Spring and Neap tides), diatoms in the Strait of Gibraltar are able to produce three aldehydes: Heptadienal, Octadienal and Decadienal, with a significant dominance of Decadienal production. The PUA released by mechanical cell disruption of large-sized collected cells (pPUA) ranged from 0.01 to 12.3 pmol from cells in 1 L, and from 0.1 to 9.8 fmol cell−1. Tidal regime affected the abundance, distribution and the level of physiological stress of diatoms in the Strait. During Spring tides, diatoms were more abundant, usually grouped nearer the coastal basin and showed less physiological stress than during Neap tides. Our results suggest a significant general increase in the pPUA productivity with increasing physiological stress for the cell also significantly associated to low nitrate availability. PMID:24633248

Learning to Communicate Science: Stony Brook University's Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bass, E.

2012-12-01

Stony Brook University offers an unusual series of short courses to help science graduate students learn to communicate more effectively about science with people outside their disciplines, including the public, public officials, potential funders and employers, students, the press, and colleagues in other fields. The courses include six 1-credit (14-hour) modules in oral and written communication that rely on practice and interactive feedback. More than 120 master's and PhD students, from more than 16 departments, have taken at least one of the courses since spring 2011. Most students who try one module end up taking two or three. An additional course for medical and nursing students was added in fall 2012. The courses are offered in the School of Journalism and were developed by the Center for Communicating Science (CCS). CCS was founded in 2009, with the participation of Alan Alda, the actor, writer, and longtime advocate for science, who is a Visiting Professor at Stony Brook. The Communicating Science courses have received strong institutional support and enthusiastic reviews. They are required by two programs, an MA in Marine Conservation and Policy and an Advanced Certificate in Health Communications. Two successive Provosts have subsidized course costs for PhD students, and Graduate School leaders are working to establish a steady funding stream to allow expansion of the program. Our aspiration at CCS is for every science graduate student to receive some training in communicating about science to the public. Several factors have helped in establishing the program: --CCS' multidisciplinary nature helped build support, with participation by faculty from across the campus, including not only the natural sciences, engineering, and medicine, but journalism, theatre arts, and the Writing Program, as well as nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. --Before offering courses, CCS conducted all-day workshops and high-profile activities that generated interest and allowed students, postdocs, faculty and administrators to sample course material. --CCS structured the courses as "bite-size" modules to make them easier to take. Courses are given in the evening, in successive four- or five-week blocks, so a student can take one to six modules in a single semester. At the heart of the effort are two courses: Distilling Your Message, in which students practice speaking clearly, vividly and conversationally at different levels of complexity to different audiences, and Improvisation for Scientists, in which students use improvisational theater exercises to help connect more responsively with their audiences. This is not about acting. It is about paying dynamic attention to the audience, shifting the focus from what the student is saying to what the other person is receiving. Other modules deal with writing for the public; using social media, and connecting with the community. In addition to the 1-credit courses, science graduate students can take a 3-credit course examining how the media cover science and health issues. This course also is taken by students in the journalism MS program, which focuses on science, health and environmental reporting, part of Stony Brook University's multi-pronged effort to improve communication of science to the public.

YES and BEST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ewald, Mary Lou

2002-10-01

As a land-grant institution, Auburn University is committed to serving the citizens of Alabama through extension services and outreach programs. In following this outreach focus, the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) at AU has dedicated considerable resources to science and math related K-12 outreach programs, including two of our newest student-aimed programs: Youth Experiences in Science (YES) and Alabama BEST. Youth Experiences in Science (YES) is a Saturday enrichment program for middle school students. It includes a Fall and Spring Saturday component and a Summer camp experience. Activities include: LEGO's with Computers; Blood, Diseases & Forensics; Geometry of Models & Games; GPS Mapping; Polymer Chemistry; Electronics; and Genetics. Last year (2001-02), over 400 students attended a YES program on our campus. Alabama BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology) is a middle and high school robotics competition co-sponsored by COSAM and the College of Engineering at AU. Teams of students design and build robots and compete in a game format, with a new game theme introduced each year. This year, sixty teams from across Alabama and Georgia will have six weeks to design, build and perfect their robots before competition on October 18 and 19.

Testicular histology and germ cell cytology during spermatogenesis in the Mississippi map turtle, Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii, from Northeast Arkansas.

PubMed

Lancaster, Kelsey; Trauth, Stanley E; Gribbins, Kevin M

2014-01-01

The testicular histology and cytology of spermatogenesis in Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii were examined using specimens collected between July 1996 and May 2004 from counties in northeastern Arkansas. A histological examination of the testes and germ cell cytology indicates a postnuptial testicular cycle of spermatogenesis and a major fall spermiation event. The majority of the germ cell populations in May and June specimens are represented by resting spermatogonia, type A spermatogonia, type B spermatogonia, pre-leptotene spermatocytes, and numerous Sertoli cell nuclei near the basement membrane. The start of proliferation is evident as spermatogonia in metaphase are present near the basal lamina and many of these germ cells have entered meiosis in June seminiferous tubules. Major spermatogenic events occur in the June and July specimens and result in an increased height of the seminiferous epithelium and increased diameter of the seminiferous tubules. The germ cell population during this time is represented by spermatogonia (type A, B, and resting), hypertrophic cells, large populations of early primary spermatocytes, and early round spermatids. By September, the major germ cell population has progressed past meiosis with abundant round and early elongating spermatids dominating the seminiferous epithelium. October seminiferous epithelia are marked by a decreas in height and mature spermatozoa fill the luminal space. Round and elongating spermatids constitute the largest portion of the germ cell population. Following the spermiation event, the testes enter a period of quiescence that lasts till the next spermatogenic cycle, which begins in the subsequent spring. Based on the cytological development of the seminiferous tubules revealed by our study, Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii demonstrates a temporal germ cell development strategy similar to other temperate reptiles. A single major generation of germ cells progresses through spermatogenesis each year resulting in a single spermiation event with sperm stored within the epididymis until the next spring mating season.

Testicular histology and germ cell cytology during spermatogenesis in the Mississippi map turtle, Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii, from Northeast Arkansas

PubMed Central

Lancaster, Kelsey; Trauth, Stanley E; Gribbins, Kevin M

2014-01-01

The testicular histology and cytology of spermatogenesis in Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii were examined using specimens collected between July 1996 and May 2004 from counties in northeastern Arkansas. A histological examination of the testes and germ cell cytology indicates a postnuptial testicular cycle of spermatogenesis and a major fall spermiation event. The majority of the germ cell populations in May and June specimens are represented by resting spermatogonia, type A spermatogonia, type B spermatogonia, pre-leptotene spermatocytes, and numerous Sertoli cell nuclei near the basement membrane. The start of proliferation is evident as spermatogonia in metaphase are present near the basal lamina and many of these germ cells have entered meiosis in June seminiferous tubules. Major spermatogenic events occur in the June and July specimens and result in an increased height of the seminiferous epithelium and increased diameter of the seminiferous tubules. The germ cell population during this time is represented by spermatogonia (type A, B, and resting), hypertrophic cells, large populations of early primary spermatocytes, and early round spermatids. By September, the major germ cell population has progressed past meiosis with abundant round and early elongating spermatids dominating the seminiferous epithelium. October seminiferous epithelia are marked by a decreas in height and mature spermatozoa fill the luminal space. Round and elongating spermatids constitute the largest portion of the germ cell population. Following the spermiation event, the testes enter a period of quiescence that lasts till the next spermatogenic cycle, which begins in the subsequent spring. Based on the cytological development of the seminiferous tubules revealed by our study, Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii demonstrates a temporal germ cell development strategy similar to other temperate reptiles. A single major generation of germ cells progresses through spermatogenesis each year resulting in a single spermiation event with sperm stored within the epididymis until the next spring mating season. PMID:26413408