51,840 research outputs found
Architecture of orogenic belts and convergent zones in Western Ishtar Terra, Venus
Linear mountain belts in Ishtar Terra were recognized from Pioneer-Venus topography, and later Arecibo images showed banded terrain interpreted to represent folds. Subsequent analyses showed that the mountains represented orogenic belts, and that each had somewhat different features and characteristics. Orogenic belts are regions of focused shortening and compressional deformation and thus provide evidence for the nature of such deformation, processes of crustal thickening (brittle, ductile), and processes of crustal loss. Such information is important in understanding the nature of convergent zones on Venus (underthrusting, imbrication, subduction), the implications for rates of crustal recycling, and the nature of environments of melting and petrogenesis. The basic elements of four convergent zones and orogenic belts in western Ishtar Terra are identified and examined, and then assess the architecture of these zones (the manner in which the elements are arrayed), and their relationships. The basic nomenclature of the convergent zones is shown
Ames ER-2 ozone measurements
The objective of this research is to study ozone (O3) in the stratosphere. Measurements of the ozone mixing ratio at 1 s intervals are obtained with an ultraviolet photometer which flies on the ER-2 aircraft. The photometer determines the amount of ozone in air by measuring the transmission of ultraviolet light through a fixed path with and without ambient O3 present
Assessment of Real Estate Brokerage Service Quality with a Practicing Professional's Instrument
This study explores factors that affect service quality for a large residential real estate brokerage in a diverse midwestern city. It examines the extent to which overall service quality influences homebuyers to recommend the brokerage firm and to use the firm for future transactions. A Linear Structural Relations model is fit to data using the firm's service quality instrument. Results indicate statistically significant relationships between both agent characteristics and the tangible aspects of the firm, and three measures of overall service quality. Implications for the real estate industry are discussed and suggestions for improvement and future research are provided.
Variational QMC study of a Hydrogen atom in jellium with comparison to LSDA and LSDA-SIC solutions
A Hydrogen atom immersed in a finite jellium sphere is solved using
variational quantum Monte Carlo (VQMC). The same system is also solved using
density functional theory (DFT), in both the local spin density (LSDA) and
self-interaction correction (SIC) approximations. The immersion energies
calculated using these methods, as functions of the background density of the
jellium, are found to lie within 1eV of each other with minima in approximately
the same positions. The DFT results show overbinding relative to the VQMC
result. The immersion energies also suggest an improved performance of the SIC
over the LSDA relative to the VQMC results. The atom-induced density is also
calculated and shows a difference between the methods, with a more extended
Friedel oscillation in the case of the VQMC result.Comment: 16 pages, 9 Postscript figure
Photoelectrochemical water splitting: silicon photocathodes for hydrogen evolution
The development of low cost, scalable, renewable energy technologies is one of today's most pressing scientific challenges. We report on progress towards the development of a photoelectrochemical water-splitting system that will use sunlight and water as the inputs to produce renewable hydrogen with oxygen as a by-product. This system is based on the design principle of incorporating two separate, photosensitive inorganic semiconductor/liquid junctions to collectively generate the 1.7-1.9 V at open circuit needed to support both the oxidation of H_2O (or OH^-) and the reduction of H^+ (or H_2O). Si microwire arrays are a promising photocathode material because the high aspect-ratio electrode architecture allows for the use of low cost, earth-abundant materials without sacrificing energy-conversion efficiency, due to the orthogonalization of light absorption and charge-carrier collection. Additionally, the high surfacearea design of the rod-based semiconductor array inherently lowers the flux of charge carriers over the rod array surface relative to the projected geometric surface of the photoelectrode, thus lowering the photocurrent density at the solid/liquid junction and thereby relaxing the demands on the activity (and cost) of any electrocatalysts. Arrays of Si microwires grown using the Vapor Liquid Solid (VLS) mechanism have been shown to have desirable electronic light absorption properties. We have demonstrated that these arrays can be coated with earth-abundant metallic catalysts and used for photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen. This development is a step towards the demonstration of a complete artificial photosynthetic system, composed of only inexpensive, earth-abundant materials, that is simultaneously efficient, durable, and scalable
Mechano-transduction: from molecules to tissues.
External forces play complex roles in cell organization, fate, and homeostasis. Changes in these forces, or how cells respond to them, can result in abnormal embryonic development and diseases in adults. How cells sense and respond to these mechanical stimuli requires an understanding of the biophysical principles that underlie changes in protein conformation and result in alterations in the organization and function of cells and tissues. Here, we discuss mechano-transduction as it applies to protein conformation, cellular organization, and multi-cell (tissue) function
Locating the pseudogap closing point in cuprate superconductors: absence of entrant or reentrant behavior
Current descriptions of the pseudogap in underdoped cuprates envision a
doping-dependent transition line which descends monotonically towards
zero just beyond optimal doping. There is much debate as to the location of the
terminal point where vanishes, whether or not there is a phase
transition at and exactly how behaves below within the
superconducting dome. One perspective sees cutting the dome and
continuing to descend monotonically to zero at holes/Cu
referred to here as `entrant behavior'. Another perspective derived from
photoemission studies is that intersects the dome near holes/Cu then turns back below , falling to zero again
around referred to here as `reentrant behavior'. By
examining thermodynamic data for BiSrCaCuO we show
that neither entrant nor reentrant behavior is experimentally supported.
Rather, sharply delimits the pseudogap regime and for
the pseudogap is always present, independent of temperature. Similar
results are found for YCaBaCuO. For both
materials is not a temperature but a crossover scale, , reflecting instead the underlying pseudogap energy which
vanishes as .Comment: 20 Pages, 9 Figures, in press Phys. Rev.
Water turbidity detection using ERTS-1 imagery
ERTS-1 images of two federal reservoirs in Kansas exhibit good correlation with suspended load. The major reservoirs in Kansas, as well as in other Great Plains states, are playing increasingly important roles in flood control, recreation, agriculture, and urban water supply. Satellite imagery may prove useful for acquiring timely low cost water quality data required for optimum management of these fresh water resources
PON1 status does not influence cholinesterase activity in Egyptian agricultural workers exposed to chlorpyrifos.
Animal studies have shown that paraoxonase 1 (PON1) genotype can influence susceptibility to the organophosphorus pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF). However, Monte Carlo analysis suggests that PON1 genotype may not affect CPF-related toxicity at low exposure conditions in humans. The current study sought to determine the influence of PON1 genotype on the activity of blood cholinesterase as well as the effect of CPF exposure on serum PON1 in workers occupationally exposed to CPF. Saliva, blood and urine were collected from agricultural workers (n=120) from Egypt's Menoufia Governorate to determine PON1 genotype, blood cholinesterase activity, serum PON1 activity towards chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPOase) and paraoxon (POase), and urinary levels of the CPF metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy). The PON1 55 (P≤0.05) but not the PON1 192 genotype had a significant effect on CPOase activity. However, both the PON1 55 (P≤0.05) and PON1 192 (P≤0.001) genotypes had a significant effect on POase activity. Workers had significantly inhibited AChE and BuChE after CPF application; however, neither CPOase activity nor POase activity was associated with ChE depression when adjusted for CPF exposure (as determined by urinary TCPy levels) and stratified by PON1 genotype. CPOase and POase activity were also generally unaffected by CPF exposure although there were alterations in activity within specific genotype groups. Together, these results suggest that workers retained the capacity to detoxify chlorpyrifos-oxon under the exposure conditions experienced by this study population regardless of PON1 genotype and activity and that effects of CPF exposure on PON1 activity are minimal
Outstanding Educational Performance Awards: Highlighting High Achieving Arkansas Schools, 2010
So, in this Arkansas Education Report (AER) we aim to highlight excellent performance and give our congratulations. To that end, we are happy to highlight many high performing schools around the state in our now-annual AER entitled the Outstanding Educational Performance Awards
- …