Process Demonstration For Lunar In Situ Resource Utilization-Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MSFC Independent Research and Development Project No. 5-81)

The purpose of this Focus Area Independent Research and Development project was to conduct, at Marshall Space Flight Center, an experimental demonstration of the processing of simulated lunar resources by the molten oxide electrolysis process to produce oxygen and metal. In essence, the vision was to develop two key technologies, the first to produce materials (oxygen, metals, and silicon) from lunar resources and the second to produce energy by photocell production on the Moon using these materials. Together, these two technologies have the potential to greatly reduce the costs and risks of NASA s human exploration program. Further, it is believed that these technologies are the key first step toward harvesting abundant materials and energy independent of Earth s resources

Ab-initio calculation of the electronic and optical excitations in polythiophene: effects of intra- and interchain screening

We present an calculation of the electronic and optical excitations of an isolated polythiophene chain as well as of bulk polythiophene. We use the GW approximation for the electronic self-energy and include excitonic effects by solving the electron-hole Bethe-Salpeter equation. The inclusion of interchain screening in the case of bulk polythiophene drastically reduces both the quasi-particle band gap and the exciton binding energies, but the optical gap is hardly affected. This finding is relevant for conjugated polymers in general.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Ab-initio prediction of the electronic and optical excitations in polythiophene: isolated chains versus bulk polymer

We calculate the electronic and optical excitations of polythiophene using the GW approximation for the electronic self-energy, and include excitonic effects by solving the electron-hole Bethe-Salpeter equation. Two different situations are studied: excitations on isolated chains and excitations on chains in crystalline polythiophene. The dielectric tensor for the crystalline situation is obtained by modeling the polymer chains as polarizable line objects, with a long-wavelength polarizability tensor obtained from the ab-initio polarizability function of the isolated chain. With this model dielectric tensor we construct a screened interaction for the crystalline case, including both intra- and interchain screening. In the crystalline situation both the quasi-particle band gap and the exciton binding energies are drastically reduced in comparison with the isolated chain. However, the optical gap is hardly affected. We expect this result to be relevant for conjugated polymers in general.Comment: 15 pages including 4 figures; to appear in Phys. Rev. B, 6/15/200

Shared and Disorder-Specific Event-Related Brain Oscillatory Markers of Attentional Dysfunction in ADHD and Bipolar Disorder.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder (BD) often present with overlapping symptoms and cognitive impairments, such as increased fluctuations in attentional performance measured by increased reaction-time variability (RTV). We previously provided initial evidence of shared and distinct event-related potential (ERP) impairments in ADHD and BD in a direct electrophysiological comparison, but no study to date has compared neural mechanisms underlying attentional impairments with finer-grained brain oscillatory markers. Here, we aimed to compare the neural underpinnings of impaired attentional processes in ADHD and BD, by examining event-related brain oscillations during a reaction-time task under slow-unrewarded baseline and fast-incentive conditions. We measured cognitive performance, ERPs and brain-oscillatory modulations of power and phase variability in 20 women with ADHD, 20 women with BD (currently euthymic) and 20 control women. Compared to controls, both ADHD and BD groups showed increased RTV in the baseline condition and increased RTV, theta phase variability and lower contingent negative variation in the fast-incentive condition. Unlike controls, neither clinical group showed an improvement from the slow-unrewarded baseline to the fast-incentive condition in attentional P3 amplitude or alpha power suppression. Most impairments did not differ between the disorders, as only an adjustment in beta suppression between conditions (lower in the ADHD group) distinguished between the clinical groups. These findings suggest shared impairments in women with ADHD and BD in cognitive and neural variability, preparatory activity and inability to adjust attention allocation and activation. These overlapping impairments may represent shared neurobiological mechanisms of attentional dysfunction in ADHD and BD, and potentially underlie common symptoms in both disorders.We thank all who made this research possible: The National Adult ADHD Clinic at the South London and Maudsley Hospital, Dr Helen Costello, Prof Sophia Frangou, Prof Anne Farmer, Jessica Deadman, Hannah Collyer, Sarah-Jane Gregori, and all participants who contributed their time to the study. Dr Giorgia Michelini was supported by a 1+3 PhD studentship awarded by the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London (G9817803). This project was supported by an Economic and Social Research Council studentship to Dr Viryanaga Kitsune (ES/100971X/1). Dr Giorgia Michelini and Prof Philip Asherson are supported by generous grants from the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and South London and Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication

Economic Returns from Treating Sand Shinnery Oak with Tebuthiuron in West Texas

Net returns from control of sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) with tebuthiuron [N-(5-1,1-dimethylethyl 1,3,4,-thiadiazol-2-yl)-N, N′-dimethylurea] were evaluated for Southern High Plains ranges. A forage yield function was estimated with regression using 5 years of herbage yield data from the region. The present value of production was determined for 3 calf prices, 3 discount rates, and 4 tebuthiuron treatment rates. Discounted net returns were generally positive with high and moderate calf prices and low and moderate discount rates. The optimum tebuthiuron treatment rate varies with calf prices, discount rate, and treatment cost.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202