Surface Oxidation Study of Uranium Dioxide under Wet and Dry Conditions

The surface oxidation of pressed uranium dioxide (UO2) powder under controlled environmental conditions and the oxidation and reduction of pressed uranium trioxide (UO3) powder are presented. This is a continuing research project in the investigation of the oxidation of UO2 powder using Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopy. UO2 particles exposed to the ambient atmosphere will oxidize into a number of chemical complexes (specifically hydrates, hydroxides, and carbonates). During certain of these oxidation processes, the uranium ion can lose two of its electrons and change from uranous (UIV+) to uranyl (UVI+). This research is an attempt to monitor and control the oxidation of UO2 as well as the development of the uranyl ion from the uranous ion and model their behavior under both wet and dry atmospheric conditions. Two UO2 samples were created by pressing UO2 powder into a tungsten screen and were then subjected to a pure, dry oxygen environment and a wet oxygen environment at temperatures below 200°C. The UO2 oxidation was periodically monitored with in-situ PL spectroscopy. Using this analysis method, I was not able to successfully distinguish between the different uranium oxide compounds as they were formed under the different weathering conditions enforced at this temperature

A Rare Case of Hip Pain Secondary to Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis

A 19-year-old Asian male presented to our emergency department with atraumatic right hip pain radiating to the right groin associated with pain on ambulation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the right hip with and without contrast revealed the diagnosis. Pigmented villonodular synovitis is a rare, monoarticular benign tumor originating from the synovium of the joint. The treatment is synovectomy of the pathological joint to prevent further disease progression

Measuring Students’ Motivation: Validity Evidence for the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory

This study provides validity evidence for the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (MUSIC Inventory; Jones, 2012), which measures college students’ beliefs related to the five components of the MUSIC Model of Motivation (MUSIC model; Jones, 2009). The MUSIC model is a conceptual framework for five categories of teaching strategies (i.e., eMpowerment, Usefulness, Success, Interest, and Caring) that were derived from research and theory as ones that are critical to students’ motivation (Jones, 2009). Participants included 338 undergraduate students who provided questionnaire responses in reference to 221 different courses at a large public U.S. university. Our analyses included classical item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, the calculation of Rasch measurement scales, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Results support the validity of scores produced by the MUSIC Inventory for use with college students. This inventory could be useful to instructors and researchers interested in assessing the effects of instruction on students’ motivational beliefs

Contingency power for small turboshaft engines using water injection into turbine cooling air

Because of one engine inoperative requirements, together with hot-gas reingestion and hot day, high altitude takeoff situations, power augmentation for multiengine rotorcraft has always been of critical interest. However, power augmentation using overtemperature at the turbine inlet will shorten turbine life unless a method of limiting thermal and mechanical stresses is found. A possible solution involves allowing the turbine inlet temperature to rise to augment power while injecting water into the turbine cooling air to limit hot-section metal temperatures. An experimental water injection device was installed in an engine and successfully tested. Although concern for unprotected subcomponents in the engine hot section prevented demonstration of the technique's maximum potential, it was still possible to demonstrate increases in power while maintaining nearly constant turbine rotor blade temperature

Epistemological Issues in Counselor Preparation: An Examination of Constructivist and Phenomenological Assumptions

This article clarifies how the epistemological issues of belief justification and truth values relate to counselor preparation methods. Exploring constructivism and phenomenology in detail as well as aspects of positivism relevant to counselor education, we highlight how specific philosophical assumptions about student learning inform counselor education. We propose that counselor educators and researchers may benefit from exploring phenomenology as a supplementary instructional approach to constructivism

Consequences of Pathogen Lists: Why Some Diseases May Continue to Plague Us

The current strategy used by many funding agencies for determining how money is spent on research to help prevent infectious disease outbreaks is based on pathogen-specific priority lists. Listing disease threats provides focus for business and research planning conducive to specific goals of developing a drug, or a vaccine, or other particular product. But, this singular type of focus has consequences. This perspective explores the consequences of lists, and describes how parallel programming independent of disease lists that address what we need to do to prevent and mitigate emerging disease risks may provide benefits out of reach of a singular focus on what products we need to have

The Effects of Prices and Policies on the Demand for Marijuana: Evidence from the National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse

Recent studies have shown that efforts to curb alcohol use by increasing the price of alcohol and limiting youth's access have succeeded, but they may have had the unintended consequencce of increasing marijuana use. This possibility is troubling in light of a recent government report that shows that marijuana use among teens more than doubled between 1990 and 1997. What impact will the proposed large increase in cigarette prices have on the demand for other substances such as marijuana? To better understand how the demand for marijuana responds to changes in the policies and prices that affect its use, we explore the National Household Survy on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Overall, we find that marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco are complements, sot that increasing the price of any one will decrease the demand for marijuana. The results of this paper will help guide the creation of comprehensive policies that curb the use of marijuana in two ways: first, they quantify the effects of policies aimed at curbing the use of each substance, allowing policymakers to evaluate alternative policy options; and second, they clarify the dynamics and interactions between alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use in response to government policies.

Climate Variability and Impact at NASA's Marshal Space Flight Center

Climate analysis for the Southeast U. S. has indicated that inland regions have experienced an average temperature increase of 2F since 1970. This trend is generally characterized by warmer winters with an indication of increased precipitation in the Fall season. Extended periods of limited rainfall in the Spring and Summer periods have had greater areal coverage and, at other times the number of precipitation events has been increasing. Climate model projections for the next 10-70 years indicate warmer temperatures for the Southeast U.S., particularly in the Spring and Summer, with some indication of more extremes in temperature and precipitation as shown in the table below. The realization of these types of regional climate changes in the form of extended heat waves and droughts and their subsequent stress on facilities, infrastructure, and workforce could have substantial impact on the activities and functions of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. This presentation will present the results of an examination of the 100 year temperature and precipitation record for MSFC. Local warming has cause an increase in daily maximum and minimum temperatures by nearly 3F, with a substantial increase in the number of maximum temperatures exceeding 90F and a decrease in the number of days with minimum temperatures below freezing. These trends have substantial impact of the number of heating / cooling degree days for the area. Yearly precipitation totals are inversely correlated with the change in mean temperature and the frequency of heavy rain events has remain consistent with the changes in yearly totals. An extended heat wave index was developed which shows an increase in frequency of heat waves over the last 35 years and a subsequent reduction in precipitation during the heat waves. This trend will contribute to more intense drought conditions over the northern Alabama region, increasing the potential of destructive wildfires in and around the Center. MSFC has begun using this climate change information to adapt short-term and long-term plans for Center operations

What is the initial work-up in the diagnosis of hypertension?

Patients with a new diagnosis of hypertension should be evaluated with a history and physical exam and the following initial studies: serum potassium and creatinine, fasting serum glucose and lipid panel, hematocrit, urinalysis, and electrocardiogram (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, based on a consensus of expert opinion). Consensus is lacking for measuring serum sodium, calcium, and uric acid. Testing for microalbuminuria is optional in the work-up for a patient without diabetes (SOR: C, expert consensus). Some expert panels list limited echocardiography as another option