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Mechanical Stratigraphy of the Utica Shale, Eastern New York State

The mechanical stratigraphy of the Upper Ordovician Utica Shale is characterized by studying outcrops and core located in Montgomery County, eastern New York State. Previous studies of the Utica Shale in New York State have focused on characterizing fracture orientations, distinguishing fracture generations, and establishing a relationship between fracture density and proximity to faults, but fractures in outcrops of the Utica Shale have not been studied in the context of mechanical stratigraphy. The composition, sedimentary texture, strength, and thickness of individual beds within the Flat Creek Shale and Dolgeville Formation are studied to better understand the nature of fracture propagation in thinly-bedded mudrocks. The Flat Creek Shale and Dolgeville Formation are fine-grained clastic rocks containing varying amounts of detrital carbonate grains. There are also multiple bentonite layers within both members. A fracture bedding termination analysis is conducted at three outcrops of the Flat Creek Shale to identify mechanical interfaces in the vertical section. A Schmidt Hammer is used to measure rock strengths approximately every .2 vertical meters, and samples are collected throughout the section to be analyzed with XRD. Utica Core 74 NY-05 is described in terms of bedding thicknesses, lithofacies, and sedimentary texture. Three thin sections are analyzed with multiple petrographic microscopes to identify common textures and mechanical flaws associated with individual lithofacies. The combination of the fracture bedding termination analysis, rock strength measurement, core description, petrographic investigation, and XRD analysis assist with characterizing the mechanical behavior of these rocks. The fracture bedding termination analysis indicates that bentonites are responsible for approximately 51% of identifiable fracture terminations in the Flat Creek Shale; therefore bentonites act as mechanical barriers to fracture propagation. The bentonites exhibit significantly lower present day rock strength values and are primarily composed of clay minerals. While the remaining 49% of vein-filled fracture terminations occur in shale layers, there are few shale mechanical interfaces identified. The observation that bentonite horizons form significant mechanical barriers to fracture propagation has important implications for modeling subsurface fracture networks, because bentonites are widespread in basins, and are easily distinguished on gamma ray logs

¿Es sencilla la vida?

Steve Jones considera que la biología es ahora una ciencia más coherente de lo que se pensaba hace 20 años. Pero ahora esta ciencia necesitará un tiempo de reflexión. La secuencia del DNA es mucho más complicada de lo que nadie podía imaginar. En su opinión, la mayoría de los descubrimientos recientes encajan con las ideas de Darwin. = Steve Jones believes biology is now being perceived as a more coherent science that it was 20 years ago. He claims, however, biology will now enter a period of reflection. A DNA sequence has proven to be much more complicated than anyone had previosly envisioned. In his opinion, the majority of the most recent discoveries fit in perfectly with Darwins's ideas

The Work, The Worker And The Machine: Learning Through Communities Of Practice In Manufacturing

This study examined the learning process associated with problem solving contexts among manufacturing workers. Using a modified critical incident method, we interviewed twenty machine operators from three organizations about problems they encountered in work. The findings suggest that learning is mediated through a triadic, dialogical relationship of the worker, the work, and his or her machine. The ongoing process of becoming a machine operator is embedded in these relationships and within a broader community of practice. Recent changes in the nature of work and the workplace are renewing emphasis on workrelated learning. Many of these changes are being implemented to help organizations remain competitive. Organizations are using formal training programs to help their workers address this need. As Rowden (1966), suggests, “a literate, educated, inquisitive, problem solving workforce is essential to the survival and competitiveness of business and industry” (p.3). The U.S. industry spends more than $120 billion annually on formal training programs and related costs (Day, 1998). Yet, the effectiveness of such training programs remains in question. Only a small minority of workers regard the knowledge and skills they gained through employers’ training programs as important (Livingstone, 2001). Furthermore, craftsman, laborers and operators are not able to use their skills and abilities within their work and are dissatisfied with opportunities to improve their skills (NRC, 1999; Freeman, 1999). Such studies raise questions about the applicability of formal workplace education and training to what it is that workers need to know. Nowhere is this problem more evident than in the relatively new area of training for problem solving among front line manufacturing workers. As the limitations of formal training for problem solving have become increasingly apparent, more attention has turned to informal learning in the workplace and the role that the work context itself plays in developing requisite knowledge and skills among manufacturing workers. In this study, we focus on workers’ experiences of problems within the context of their work and how these contexts foster their learning and development

Effects of washings and treatments on the usefulness of hair as a biomarker

Abstract only availableHair is a useful matrix for the analysis of many trace elements found in the human body. Studies show that hair can incorporate trace metals into its structure during the growth process. Hair is an attractive monitor because unlike blood serum and urine, it is a metabolic end product and therefore inert. It is collected non-invasively, easily stored and disposed. Many studies in the literature attempt to correlate trace elements measured in hair to health, pollution exposure or to disease. Trace elements in hair can be accurately measured by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). Hair samples must be cleaned before analysis to remove external contamination, there are many methods of sample cleaning, however there is not a standardized washing procedure. This study investigates pre and post collection cleaning techniques that may alter observed trace element concentrations in the hair. Two separate, post collection washing methods were studied: the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, method, and the University of Missouri Research Reactor, MURR, method. The samples were then analyzed for Se, Ti, Mg, Mn, V, I and Zn using INAA at MURR. Selenium concentrations were unchanged. However, all other elements showed a significant reduction in concentration from the MURR to the IAEA method. It was also hypothesized that pre-collection cleaning with shampoos containing EDTA, a chelating agent, may be responsible for leaching some trace metals from hair. In order to determine the effects of shampoos on the sample, hair from a single subject was treated with three different types of shampoo. Two solutions of each shampoo were prepared in a 1:4, shampoo:water ratio. The hair was then washed in these solutions for either 1 or 24 hours for each type of shampoo. Hair washed with shampoo containing selenium sulfide resulted in a large selenium contamination despite cleaning with both the IAEA and MURR methods. The large variability between the post-collection cleaning techniques shows that a standard preparation method must be established before hair can be accurately used as a biomarker. Further studies must be done to determine if pre-collection shampoo treatment affects the validity of hair as a biomarker for trace elements.NSF-REU/NIH Program in Radiochemistr

Spatial working memory, not IQ or executive function, discriminates early psychosis and clinically vulnerable creative individuals

© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd Aim: While associations between creativity and psychopathology have been well researched, the specific cognitive processes that distinguish highly creative from those with psychopathology warrant further investigation. This study will examine whether IQ, executive function, cognitive inhibition or spatial working memory differentiate individuals with early psychosis, clinically vulnerable creative individuals, creative controls and non-creative controls. Methods: The study sample consisted of 110 participants: early psychosis (n = 21); clinically vulnerable creative controls (n = 25); creative controls (n = 30) and non-creative control (n = 34). The Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis assessed early psychosis participants and the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to screen for psychopathology in the remaining groups. Several cognitive tests were administered: IQ, neurocognitive measures of executive function and spatial working memory. Creativity was assessed using the Torrance Test of Creativity and Creative Achievement Questionnaire. A measure of vividness of mental imagery was also given. Results: Across all cognitive tests, spatial working memory differentiated the early psychosis group from both creative and non-creative control groups. Spatial working memory predicted group membership but vivid imagery was a better predictor of creative achievement. The early psychosis, clinically vulnerable creative and creative groups all recorded significantly higher results on creative achievement and creative cognition compared to non-creative controls. Conclusions: Our results provide further support for spatial working memory as an early neuro-cognitive marker for early psychosis. Spatial working memory, rather than IQ or executive function, may also be an early protective factor for clinically vulnerable young creative individuals

Spatial working memory, not IQ or executive function, discriminates early psychosis and clinically vulnerable creative individuals

Aim: While associations between creativity and psychopathology have been well researched, the specific cognitive processes that distinguish highly creative from those with psychopathology warrant further investigation. This study will examine whether IQ, executive function, cognitive inhibition or spatial working memory differentiate individuals with early psychosis, clinically vulnerable creative individuals, creative controls and non-creative controls. Methods: The study sample consisted of 110 participants: early psychosis (n = 21); clinically vulnerable creative controls (n = 25); creative controls (n = 30) and non-creative control (n = 34). The Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis assessed early psychosis participants and the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to screen for psychopathology in the remaining groups. Several cognitive tests were administered: IQ, neurocognitive measures of executive function and spatial working memory. Creativity was assessed using the Torrance Test of Creativity and Creative Achievement Questionnaire. A measure of vividness of mental imagery was also given. Results: Across all cognitive tests, spatial working memory differentiated the early psychosis group from both creative and non-creative control groups. Spatial working memory predicted group membership but vivid imagery was a better predictor of creative achievement. The early psychosis, clinically vulnerable creative and creative groups all recorded significantly higher results on creative achievement and creative cognition compared to non-creative controls. Conclusions: Our results provide further support for spatial working memory as an early neuro-cognitive marker for early psychosis. Spatial working memory, rather than IQ or executive function, may also be an early protective factor for clinically vulnerable young creative individuals

A genetic and molecular model for flower development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cells in developing organisms do not only differentiate, they differentiate in defined patterns. A striking example is the differentiation of flowers, which in most plant families consist of four types of organs: sepals, petals, stamens and carpels, each composed of characteristic cell types. In the families of flowering plants in which these organs occur, they are patterned with the sepals in the outermost whorl or whorls of the flower, with the petals next closest to the center, the stamens even closer to the center, and the carpels central. In each species of flowering plant the disposition and number (or range of numbers) of these organs is also specified, and the floral 'formula' is repeated in each of the flowers on each individual plant of the species. We do not know how cells in developing plants determine their position, and in response to this determination differentiate to the cell types appropriate for that position. While there have been a number of speculative proposals for the mechanism of organ specification in flowers (Goethe, 1790; Goebel, 1900; Heslop-Harrison, 1964; Green, 1988), recent genetic evidence is inconsistent with all of them, at least in the forms in which they were originally presented (Bowman et al. 1989; Meyerowitz et al. 1989). We describe here a preliminary model, based on experiments with Arabidopsis thaliana. The model is by and large consistent with existing evidence, and has predicted the results of a number of genetic and molecular experiments that have been recently performed