116 research outputs found
Delivery of Dark Material to Vesta via Carbonaceous Chondritic Impacts
NASA's Dawn spacecraft observations of asteroid (4) Vesta reveal a surface
with the highest albedo and color variation of any asteroid we have observed so
far. Terrains rich in low albedo dark material (DM) have been identified using
Dawn Framing Camera (FC) 0.75 {\mu}m filter images in several geologic
settings: associated with impact craters (in the ejecta blanket material and/or
on the crater walls and rims); as flow-like deposits or rays commonly
associated with topographic highs; and as dark spots (likely secondary impacts)
nearby impact craters. This DM could be a relic of ancient volcanic activity or
exogenic in origin. We report that the majority of the spectra of DM are
similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites mixed with materials indigenous to
Vesta. Using high-resolution seven color images we compared DM color properties
(albedo, band depth) with laboratory measurements of possible analog materials.
Band depth and albedo of DM are identical to those of carbonaceous chondrite
xenolith-rich howardite Mt. Pratt (PRA) 04401. Laboratory mixtures of Murchison
CM2 carbonaceous chondrite and basaltic eucrite Millbillillie also show band
depth and albedo affinity to DM. Modeling of carbonaceous chondrite abundance
in DM (1-6 vol%) is consistent with howardite meteorites. We find no evidence
for large-scale volcanism (exposed dikes/pyroclastic falls) as the source of
DM. Our modeling efforts using impact crater scaling laws and numerical models
of ejecta reaccretion suggest the delivery and emplacement of this DM on Vesta
during the formation of the ~400 km Veneneia basin by a low-velocity (<2
km/sec) carbonaceous impactor. This discovery is important because it
strengthens the long-held idea that primitive bodies are the source of carbon
and probably volatiles in the early Solar System.Comment: Icarus (Accepted) Pages: 58 Figures: 15 Tables:
The Effects of Home Computers on Educational Outcomes: Evidence from a Field Experiment with Schoolchildren
Are home computers are an important input in the educational production
function? To address this question, we conduct a field experiment
involving the provision of free computers to schoolchildren for home
use. Low-income children attending middle and high schools in 15 schools
in California were randomly selected to receive free computers and
followed over the school year. The results indicate that the experiment
substantially increased computer ownership and total computer use among
the schoolchildren with no substitution away from use at school or other
locations outside the home. We find no evidence that the home computers
improved educational outcomes for the treatment group. From detailed
administrative data provided by the schools and a follow-up survey, we
find no evidence of positive effects on a comprehensive set of outcomes
such as grades, test scores, credits, attendance, school enrollment,
computer skills, and college aspirations. The estimates also do not
indicate that the effects of home computers on educational outcomes are
instead negative. Our estimates are precise enough to rule out even
modestly-sized positive or negative impacts. The lack of a positive net
effect on educational outcomes may be due to displacement from
non-educational uses such as for games, social networking, and
entertainment. We find evidence that total hours of computer use for
games and social networking increases substantially with having a home
computer, and increases more than total hours of computer use for schoolwork
The DECam Ecliptic Exploration Project (DEEP) II. Observational Strategy and Design
We present the DECam Ecliptic Exploration Project (DEEP) survey strategy
including observing cadence for orbit determination, exposure times, field
pointings and filter choices. The overall goal of the survey is to discover and
characterize the orbits of a few thousand Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) using
the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
(CTIO) Blanco 4 meter telescope. The experiment is designed to collect a very
deep series of exposures totaling a few hours on sky for each of several 2.7
square degree DECam fields-of-view to achieve a magnitude of about 26.2 using a
wide VR filter which encompasses both the V and R bandpasses. In the first
year, several nights were combined to achieve a sky area of about 34 square
degrees. In subsequent years, the fields have been re-visited to allow TNOs to
be tracked for orbit determination. When complete, DEEP will be the largest
survey of the outer solar system ever undertaken in terms of newly discovered
object numbers, and the most prolific at producing multi-year orbital
information for the population of minor planets beyond Neptune at 30 au.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figures and 4 table
Overview of Phobos/Deimos Regolith Ion Sample Mission (PRISM) Concept
Far more definitive information on composition is required to resolve the question of origin for the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. Current infrared spectra of the objects are inconclusive due to the lack of strong diagnostic features.Definitive compositional measurements of Phobos could be obtained using in-situ X-ray, gamma-ray, or neutronspectroscopy or collecting and returning samples to Earth for analysis. We have proposed, in lieu of those methods, toderive Phobos and Deimos compositional data from secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurements by calibratingthe instrument to elemental abundance measurements made for known samples in the laboratory. We describe thePhobos/Deimos Regolith Ion Sample Mission (PRISM) concept here. PRISM utilizes a high-resolution TOF plasma composition analyzer to make SIMS measurements by observing the sputtered species from various locations of the moons' surfaces. In general, the SIMS technique and ion mass spectrometers complement and expand quadrupole mass spectrometer measurements by collecting ions that have been energized to higher energies, 50-100 eV, and making measurements at very low densities and pressures. Furthermore, because the TOF technique accepts all masses all the time,it obtains continuous measurements and does not require stepping through masses. The instrument would draw less than10 W and weigh less than 5 kg. The spacecraft, nominally a radiation-hardened 12U CubeSat, would use a low-thrust SolarElectric Propulsion system to send it on a two-year journey to Mars, where it would co-orbit with Deimos and then Phobo
Mouse RC/BTB2, a Member of the RCC1 Superfamily, Localizes to Spermatid Acrosomal Vesicles
Mouse RC/BTB2 is an unstudied protein of the RCC1 (Regulator of Chromosome Condensation) superfamily. Because of the significant remodeling of chromatin that occurs during spermiogenesis, we characterized the expression and localization of mouse RC/BTB2 in the testis and male germ cells. The Rc/btb2 gene yields two major transcripts: 2.3 kb Rc/btb2-s, present in most somatic tissues examined; and 2.5 kb Rc/btb2-t, which contains a unique non-translated exon in its 5′-UTR that is only detected in the testis. During the first wave of spermatogenesis, Rc/btb2-t mRNA is expressed from day 8 after birth, reaching highest levels of expression at day 30 after birth. The full-length protein contains three RCC1 domains in the N-terminus, and a BTB domain in the C-terminus. In the testis, the protein is detectable from day 12, but is progressively up-regulated to day 30 and day 42 after birth. In spermatids, some of the protein co-localizes with acrosomal markers sp56 and peanut lectin, indicating that it is an acrosomal protein. A GFP-tagged RCC1 domain is present throughout the cytoplasm of transfected CHO cells. However, both GFP-tagged, full-length RC/BTB2 and a GFP-tagged BTB domain localize to vesicles in close proximity to the nuclear membrane, suggesting that the BTB domain might play a role in mediating full-length RC/BTB2 localization. Since RCC1 domains associate with Ran, a small GTPase that regulates molecular trafficking, it is possible that RC/BTB2 plays a role in transporting proteins during acrosome formation
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