Space-based geoengineering: challenges and requirements

The prospect of engineering the Earth's climate (geoengineering) raises a multitude of issues associated with climatology, engineering on macroscopic scales, and indeed the ethics of such ventures. Depending on personal views, such large-scale engineering is either an obvious necessity for the deep future, or yet another example of human conceit. In this article a simple climate model will be used to estimate requirements for engineering the Earth's climate, principally using space-based geoengineering. Active cooling of the climate to mitigate anthropogenic climate change due to a doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration in the Earth's atmosphere is considered. This representative scenario will allow the scale of the engineering challenge to be determined. It will be argued that simple occulting discs at the interior Lagrange point may represent a less complex solution than concepts for highly engineered refracting discs proposed recently. While engineering on macroscopic scales can appear formidable, emerging capabilities may allow such ventures to be seriously considered in the long term. This article is not an exhaustive review of geoengineering, but aims to provide a foretaste of the future opportunities, challenges, and requirements for space-based geoengineering ventures

Moving Beyond Lip Service: The Clinical Reasoning Behind Practicing Strengths

Social work has a long tradition of advocating for practice from the strengths perspective. However, it is unclear whether schools are truly preparing students for strengths based practice or whether they are simply teaching them to use the vocabulary of strengths without the clinical reasoning skills to switch paradigms from deficits to strengths, moving beyond lip service to real strengths-based practice. To explore this issue, data from an exercise in an MSW course was explored using qualitative methodology. The findings support that in addition to using a strengths vocabulary, other components are necessary for true implementation of a strengths approach. First, the data revealed a strengths-oriented structural model of an ideal process of clinical reasoning for approaching a client situation. Second, the process includes recognizing client strengths, reflecting on them with the client, and encouraging repetition and reinforcement of the client’s positive attitudes and actions. Finally, true strengths based understanding requires moving from social worker in the role of expert to social worker engaged in collaborative empowerment practice. These findings have implications for social work practice and education

Survival and Response Molting of Mud Crab (Scylla Olivacea) Injected with Murbey (Morus Spp.) Leave Extract

The soft shell crab productivity has been hampered due to the long rearing time and unsimultaneous molting of the crab. This study aimed to determine the effect of murbey (Morus spp.) leave extract as molting stimulant on Scylla olivacea and its best extract dosage to be applied in soft shell crabs production technology. Application of murbey extract was conducted by using injection method with 5 treatments such as (a) 0 ppm (as control); (b) 100 ppm; (c) 125 ppm; and (d) 150 ppm for 12 individual per treatment. The results showed that the highest molting percentage (50%) was obtained at the concentration of 100 ppm. Meanwhile, the control (0 ppm), 125 ppm, and 150 ppm treatments displayed the same molting response (33.3%). The fastest latent molting time (29 days) was found at the treatment of 125 ppm and the slowest one of 44 days at 100 and 150 ppm treatments. The best growth of crabs injected with murbey leaves extract was at the concentration of 100 ppm with the carapace width of 6.0 mm and the body weight of 32.98 g, while the lowest was obtained at the concentration of 150 ppm with the carapace width of 3.8 mm and the body weight of 25.43 g. Crabs treated with murbey extract at the concentrations of 100, 125, and 150 ppm exhibited survival rate of 91.7 % vs. the control of 83.3%. Murbey leaves extract have been proven to be effective in stimulating molting mud crab (Scylla olivacea). The 100 ppm exhibited the best response for growth and molting percentage, while the 125 ppm showed the best performance for latent period molting of the crab

Properties of HxTaS2

The preparation of Hx TaS2 (0 \u3c x \u3c 0.87) is described. The compounds are only marginally stable at room temperature, slowly evolving H2S and H2 (and possibly Hp in air). Magnetic susceptibility data show that a low temperature transformation in 2H ... TaS2 (at so•K) is suppressed with the addition of hydrogen, and· at the same time the superconducting transition temperature T c rises from 0.8 to ~4.2•K at x = 0.11. Heat capacity measurements near this concentration show the superconductivity to be a bulk effect. Finally, by correlation of this data with susceptibility and T c measurements in other intercalation compounds, we suggest that the rise of T c (at low electron transfer) is due to suppression of the low temperature transformation and not due to an excitonic mechanism of superconductivity