Spectral evidence for carbonates on Mars: Hydrous carbonates

Although many of the spectral features of the Martian samples studied are not unique mineralogical indicators, much of the current spectral data is consistent with (possibly abundant) hydrous carbonates on the surface of Mars. The absorption features in the measured samples were quite weak compared with those of anhydrous carbonates. The weak features imply that significantly more hydrous carbonates can be incorporated onto the surface before becoming spectrally evident; however, exact limits have yet to be determined. The stability of these materials in the Martian environment is not known, but their formation and occurrence in low temperature terrestrial environments makes them appealing candidates for weathering products on Mars

New spectral observations of Callisto and leading/trailing hemisphere distinctions

In December 1989 and January 1990, new observations of the leading and trailing edges of Callisto were made from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Using the Cool Grating Array Spectrometer, spectral coverage was obtained from 1.89 to 2.46 microns and from 2.8 to 4.2 microns for both the leading and trailing hemispheres. In addition, spectral coverage of the leading hemisphere was obtained from 1.30 to 2.55 microns and from 4.2 to 4.8 microns. Interpretations of the data are given

Evidence for ammonium-bearing minerals in Ceres

Evidence for ammonium-bearing minerals was found on the surface of the largest asteroid Ceres. The presence of ammonium-bearing clays suggests that Ceres has experienced a period of alteration by substantial amounts of an ammonium-bearing fluid. The presence of the ammonium-bearing clays does not preclude Ceres maintaining a volatile inventory in the core or in a volatile-rich zone at some distance below the surface. Telescopic observations of Ceres, using the 3.0 meter NASA Infrared telescope facility prompted this reevaluation of its surface mineralogy

They are different: molecular approach on Tirathaba pest infesting on oil palm and coconut tree

There are some confusion among agriculturists on the species of Tirathba beetles that are infesting on oil palm and coconut trees. Many thought they are the same species.nIn this study, the mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) of Tirathaba pest infested oil palm and coconut tree were compared. The mitochondrial DNAnCytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of the targeted Tirathaba sp. infesting onnoil palm and coconut tree were sequenced. The sequences were trimmed to remove gaps and produce a final aligned fragment of 603 bp for oil palm Tirathaba samplenand 602 bp for coconut pest sample. The DNA sequences were analyzed with other Tirathaba sp. sequences available in Gene bank using phylogenetic tree constructed with Neighbor-Joining (NJ) and genetic distance analysis algorithms. The result of this study indicates they were two different species. This knowledge will provide important data elements in the development of pest management strategy

Development of Regional Supply Functions and a Least-Cost Model for Allocating Water Resources in Utah: A Parametric Linear Programming Approach

The development and allocation of the water resourcse within a state require water planners to prepare plans far in advance of the actual time new facilities are required. It is not easy to identify and evaluate all the possible alternatives for providing water which incorporate broad objectives such as economic efficiency, social welfare, regional development, recreation benefits, and conservation of environment. Water resources development entails the modification of a natural hydrologic system to better meet man\u27s needs. The interrelationships among elements of the hydrologic system to better meet man\u27s needs. The interrelationships among elements of the hydrologic system are relatively simple in comparison to the social, legal, economic, and institutional interdependencies involved. The relationships are so complex as to require that planning of water resource development be accomplished on a systems basis. It has become apparent that water resource planning must consider mass transfer of water encompassing areas which have potential for economic growth competing with other areas already highly developed economically. The wisest political decisions and the greatest benefit to the public will result if a method is used to explore the probable consequences of alternative water resources development and management policies and plans. The objective of this study is to extend the capability of systems analysis and operations research to the problem of interregional planning of water resources allocation for the State of Utah. The hydrologic characteristics and cost of water in each of the ten hydrologic study units of the state were determined. Hydrolgoci data from hydrologic inventories and estimates from the Utah Division of Water Resources were used to determine availability, reservoir storage-draft relationships, evaporation loss from reservoirs, agricultural use return flow, and municipal and industrial use return flow. Cost data were developed for storage facilities, diversion and canal works, artificial recharge facilties, treatment of waste water, and treatment of municipal supply. Supply functions for water in each of the ten hydrologic study units of the state were determined. Two sets of functions were developed--one for agricultural use and one for municipal and industrical use. Parametric linear programming was employed to develop a function map of the shadow price (marginal cost) of water for each of the two uses. The shadow price of imported water (value) to each of the study units was also determined to show the possible economic consequences of inter-basin transfers. In general, imported water was of little or no value if water presently being evaporated from Great Salt Lake is available for diversion upstream. A statewide model was developed to determine a least-cost allocation of water resources to meet projected requirements. This linear programming allocation model was developed subject to constraints such as hydrologic characteristics, limits on inter-basin transfers, limits on artificial groundwater recharge, and existing water requirements. Parametric programming was utilized to determine the impact of changing availability which reflects policies regarding inflow requirements of the Great Salt Lake and interstate agreemetns, increased agricultural use and municiapl and industrical use which reflects population increases projected for the future and changing groundwater availability which reflects legal constraints. The primary facotr affecting inter-basin transfer of Colorado River water is the degree to which evaporation from Great Salt Lake is reduced

Improving Community Advisory Board Engagement In Precision Medicine Research To Reduce Health Disparities

Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are used in efforts to reduce health disparities; however, there is little documentation in the literature regarding their use in precision medicine research. In this case study, an academic-CAB partnership developed a questionnaire and patient educational materials for two precision smoking cessation interventions that involved use of genetic information. The community-engaged research (CEnR) literature provided a framework for enhancing benefits to CAB members involved in developing research documents for use with a low-income, ethnically diverse population of smokers. The academic partners integrated three CEnR strategies: 1) in-meeting statements acknowledging their desire to learn from community partners, 2) in-meeting written feedback to and from community partners, and 3) a survey to obtain CAB member feedback post-meetings. Strategies 1 and 2 yielded modifications to pertinent study materials, as well as suggestions for improving meeting operations that were then adopted, as appropriate, by the academic partners. The survey indicated that CAB members valued the meeting procedure changes which appeared to have contributed to improvements in attendance and satisfaction with the meetings. Further operationalization of relevant partnership constructs and development of tools for measuring these aspects of community-academic partnerships is warranted to support community engagement in precision medicine research studies

Assessing the accuracy of a large observational registry of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE To evaluate the accuracy of an observational database that tracks real-world treatment outcomes for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. METHODS We audited 245 randomly sampled eyes from 189 patients with 3,356 visits from 11 doctors in the Fight Retinal Blindness! DATABASE Sex, birth year, previous treatments received, treatment, and visual acuity were validated against the clinical notes. Error rates, the proportion of missed visits (the number of visits present in the patient record but not entered into Fight Retinal Blindness!), the level of agreement using Cohen's kappa (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficients, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. A visual acuity error was defined as an absolute difference of ≥5 letters. RESULTS The overall error rate was 3.5% (95% confidence interval: 3.1-3.9). The error rate for visual acuity was 5.1% (95% confidence interval: 4.2-5.9) and <5% for the remaining fields. The level of agreement for each field ranged from good to excellent (κ or intraclass correlation ≥ 0.75). The positive predictive value and negative predictive value for visits were 99% and 89%, respectively. The proportion of missed visits was 10.2%. CONCLUSION Accuracy of the Fight Retinal Blindness! database was good (>95%). The rate of missed visits was high, possibly due to the high burden of retrospective data entry or patients switching practitioners during treatment

Mechanical properties of bamboo and bamboo composites: a review

This article discuses on the studies that have been done by previous researchers on the mechanical properties of bamboo. Nowadays, natural fibre composites have gained the attentions of many industries as alternative materials due to their various advantages such as sustainable, abundant, low cost and good specific strength. With the current emphasis on environmental friendliness and sustainability, natural fibre composites are more preferred over conventional fibre which is normally non-biodegradable. Bamboo is a type of natural fibre composites that are widely used in many industries such as in construction and furnishing. Hence, it is crucial to study the mechanical properties of bamboo to make sure it is safe for certain applications. However, there are many factors that determine the mechanical properties of bamboo such as species, age and so on. This journal compiles and reviews on some of the researches on the mechanical properties of pure bamboo and bamboo composites such as their tensile properties, compressive properties, impact strength and fracture toughness. The reviews include how the researchers set up their experiments, the bamboo species used and the results obtained. Since bamboo are constantly exposed to harsh environment such as rain and river, the effect of moisture/ water content on the mechanical properties of bamboo are also reviewed and it exposed that moisture content has drastic effect on the mechanical properties of bamboo

Influence of Model Grid Size on the Estimation of Surface Fluxes Using the Two Source Energy Balance Model and sUAS Imagery in Vineyards

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key variable for hydrology and irrigation water management,with significant importance in drought-stricken regions of the western US. This is particularly true for California, which grows much of the high-value perennial crops in the US. The advent of small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) with sensor technology similar to satellite platforms allows for the estimation of high-resolution ET at plant spacing scale for individual fields. However, while multiple efforts have been made to estimate ET from sUAS products, the sensitivity of ET models to different model grid size/resolution in complex canopies, such as vineyards, is still unknown.The variability of row spacing, canopy structure, and distance between fields makes this information necessary because additional complexity processing individual fields. Therefore, processing the entire image at a fixed resolution that is potentially larger than the plant-row separation is more efficient.From a computational perspective, there would be an advantage to running models at much coarser resolutions than the very fine native pixel size from sUAS imagery for operational applications. In this study, the Two-Source Energy Balance with a dual temperature (TSEB2T) model, which uses remotely sensed soil/substrate and canopy temperature from sUAS imagery, was used to estimate ET and identify the impact of spatial domain scale under different vine phenological conditions. The analysis relies upon high-resolution imagery collected during multiple years and times by the Utah State University Aggie Air TM sUAS program over a commercial vineyard located near Lodi, California.This project is part of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Grape Remote Sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX). Original spectral and thermal imagery data from sUAS were at 10 cm and 60 cm per pixel, respectively, and multiple spatial domain scales (3.6, 7.2,14.4, and 30 m) were evaluated and compared against eddy covariance (EC) measurements. Results indicated that the TSEB2T model is only slightly affected in the estimation of the net radiation (Rn) and the soil heat flux (G) at different spatial resolutions, while the sensible and latent heat fluxes (HandLE, respectively) are significantly affected by coarse grid sizes. The results indicated overestimation of H and underestimation of LE values, particularly at Landsat scale (30 m). This refers to the non-linear relationship between the land surface temperature (LST) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at coarse model resolution. Another predominant reason for LE reduction in TSEB2T was the decrease in the aerodynamic resistance (Ra), which is a function of the friction velocity (u∗)that varies with mean canopy height and roughness length. While a small increase in grid size can be implemented, this increase should be limited to less than twice the smallest row spacing present in the sUAS imagery. The results also indicated that the mean LE at field scale is reduced by 10% to 20% at coarser resolutions, while the with-in field variability in LE values decreased significantly at the larger grid sizes and ranged between approximately 15% and 45%. This implies that, while the field-scale values of LE are fairly reliable at larger grid sizes, the with-in field variability limits its use for precision agriculture applications