Registration and rectification needs of geology

Geologic applications of remotely sensed imaging encompass five areas of interest. The five areas include: (1) enhancement and analysis of individual images; (2) work with small area mosaics of imagery which have been map projection rectified to individual quadrangles; (3) development of large area mosaics of multiple images for several counties or states; (4) registration of multitemporal images; and (5) data integration from several sensors and map sources. Examples for each of these types of applications are summarized

Bottom-up and climatic forcing on the worldwide population of leatherback turtles

Nesting populations of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Atlantic and western Indian Oceans are increasing or stable while those in the Pacific are declining. It has been suggested that leatherbacks in the eastern Pacific may be resource limited due to environmental variability derived from the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but this has yet to be tested. Here we explored bottom-up forcing and the responding reproductive output of nesting leatherbacks worldwide. We achieved this through an extensive review of leatherback nesting and migration data and by analyzing the spatial, temporal, and quantitative nature of resources as indicated by net primary production at post-nesting female migration and foraging areas. Leatherbacks in the eastern Pacific were the smallest in body size and had the lowest reproductive output due to less productive and inconsistent resources within their migration and foraging areas. This derived from natural interannual and multidecadal climate variability together with an influence of anthropogenic climate warming that is possibly affecting these natural cycles. The reproductive output of leatherbacks in the Atlantic and western Indian Oceans was nearly twice that of turtles in the eastern Pacific. The inconsistent nature of the Pacific Ocean may also render western Pacific leatherbacks susceptible to a more variable reproductive output; however, it appears that egg harvesting on nesting beaches is their major threat. We suggest that the eastern Pacific leatherback population is more sensitive to anthropogenic mortality due to recruitment rates that are lower and more variable, thus accounting for much of the population differences compared to Atlantic and western Indian turtles

Experimental Investigation of Solid and Liquid Aerosol Transport in a Horizontal Square Channel

Various industrial applications such as medical/pharmaceutical sprays, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and other solid/liquid atomization processes benefit from the characterization of flow and deposition mechanisms of solid/liquid aerosols. This work aimed to experimentally study the transport of solid and liquid aerosol particles which represented aerosolized fission products in a nuclear reactor. We measured the flow field, free-stream concentration, and surface deposition of solid/liquid aerosols flowing in a horizontal square channel with Reynolds number of 750-7,000. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was applied to acquire the flow field characteristics such as mean velocity fields and turbulent kinetic energy. The effects of Reynolds number and particle diameter were investigated by studying the particle deposition and penetration of two micron-sized particle types. The experimental results of particle deposition velocity agreed well with the correlations published previously and with the associated numerical results. For the Reynolds numbers tested in this study, solid and liquid particle deposition was found to be governed by gravitational sedimentation. Increasing the Reynolds number for a given particle diameter increased the particle relaxation time and penetration efficiency but decreased the particle deposition velocity. Decreasing the particle diameter for a given Reynolds number increased the effect of gravitation sedimentation. By altering the surface properties with the addition of a carbon nanotube coating, the penetration was shown to decrease for the same flow conditions when compared with a smooth surface. Secondary flow vortices located in the corners, unique to turbulent flow in a square channel, were experimentally shown to increase particle deposition in the corners

Earth Observing System, volume IIa: Data and Information System, Report of the EOS Data Panel

The purpose of this report is to provide NASA with a rationale and recommendations for planning, implementing, and operating an Earth Observing System data and information system that can evolve to meet the Earth Observing System\u27s needs in the 1990s. The Earth Observing System (EOS), defined by the EOS Science and Mission Requirements Working Group, consists of a suite of instruments in low Earth orbit acquiring measurements of the Earth\u27s atmosphere, surface, and interior; an information system to support scientific research; and a vigorous program of scientific research, stressing study of global-scale processes that shape and influence the Earth as a system. The EOS data and information system is conceived as a complete research information system that would transcend the traditional mission data system, and include additional capabilities such as maintaining long-term, time-series data bases and providing access by EOS researchers to relevant non-EOS data. The Working Group recommends that the EOS data and information system be initiated now, with existing data, and that the system evolve into one that can meet the intensive research and data needs that will exist when EOS spacecraft are returning data in the 1990s

Immigration in the 21st Century: Perspectives on Law and Policy

The program consisted of a keynote presentation by Linda Chavez, Chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, followed by a panel featuring Leticia Saucedo, Associate Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Law Vegas; Andrea Rahal, Associate at McCandlish Holton, PC in Richmond; Robert Redmond, Jr., Partner at Williams Mullen in Richmond; Michael Hethmon, General Counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute; and Tim Freilich, Legal Director of the Legal Aid Justice Center\u27s Immigration Advocacy Program. Christopher Nugent, Senior Counsel at Holland & Knight, D.C. Office, served as moderator

Phage-inducible chromosomal islands as a diagnostic platform to capture and detect bacterial pathogens

Phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) are a family of phage satellites that hijack phage components to facilitate their mobility and spread. Recently, these genetic constructs are repurposed as antibacterial drones, enabling a new toolbox for unorthodox applications in biotechnology. To illustrate a new suite of functions, the authors have developed a user-friendly diagnostic system, based upon PICI transduction to selectively enrich bacteria, allowing the detection and sequential recovery of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The system enables high transfer rates and sensitivities in comparison with phages, with detection down to ≈50 CFU mL−1. In contrast to conventional detection strategies, which often rely on nucleic acid molecular assays, and cannot differentiate between dead and live organisms, this approach enables visual sensing of viable pathogens only, through the expression of a reporter gene encoded in the PICI. The approach extends diagnostic sensing mechanisms beyond cell-free synthetic biology strategies, enabling new synthetic biology/biosensing toolkits

Herbicide Evaluation in Arkansas Rice, 1998

Weed control is economically important for production of rice, a major crop in Arkansas. These findings summarize efforts of the team of Arkansas scientists working on weed control strategies for rice during 1998. Various technologies were evaluated in field studies involving the major weed problems and rice production systems used in the state. Results from these studies will add to the arsenal of weed control options for producers. The preliminary results reported here generally warrant further testing for more advanced findings and for the labeling of new technologies and, finally, are the basis for updating safe, effective, and economical recommendations to Arkansas rice producers