Development of a new laboratory technique for high-temperature thermal emission spectroscopy of silicate melts

With the prevalence of glass and molten silicates in volcanic environments, and the important role of surface emissivity in thermal infrared (TIR) measurements, it is imperative to characterize accurately the spectral features associated with silicate glasses and melts. A microfurnace has been developed specifically for use with a laboratory Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer to collect the first in situ TIR emission spectra of actively melting and cooling silicate glasses. The construction, implementation, and calibration of the microfurnace spectrometer system are presented here. Initial testing of the microfurnace is also discussed, which includes acquisition of thermal emission spectra of a quartz powder (unmelted), a melted and cooled oligoclase feldspar, and glassy melt of rhyolitic composition. Unlike a solid material, which may only have bending and stretching vibrations within its molecular structure, a fully molten material will exhibit several more degrees of freedom in structural movement, thus changing its spectral character. Differences in spectral behavior and morphology are observed between a glass in a solid state and its molten counterpart, confirming previous field measurements of lower emissivity upon melting. This laboratory microfurnace system has been designed to quantify the TIR emission spectral behavior of glassy materials in various physical states. Ultimately, it is hoped that the microfurnace data will help improve the ability of field-based, airborne, and spaceborne TIR data to characterize glassy volcanic terranes

Implications of Reactions Between SO2 and Basaltic Glasses for the Mineralogy of Planetary Crusts

Basalts are ubiquitous in volcanic systems on several planetary bodies, including the Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter's moon Io, and are commonly associated with sulfur dioxide (SO2) degassing. We present the results of an experimental study of reactions between SO2 and basaltic glasses. We examined Fe‐free basalt, and Fe‐bearing tholeiitic and alkali basalts with a range of Fe3+/Fetotal (0.05 to 0.79) that encompass the oxygen fugacities proposed for most terrestrial planetary bodies. Tholeiitic and alkali basalts were exposed to SO2 at 600, 700, and 800 C for 1 hr and 24 hr. Surface coatings formed on the reacted basalts; these contain CaSO4, MgSO4, Na2SO4, Na2Ca(SO4)2, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, Fe‐Ti‐(Al)‐oxides, and TiO2. Additionally, the SO2‐basalt reaction drives nucleation of crystalline phases in the substrate to form pyroxenes and possible Fe‐oxides. A silica‐rich layer forms between the substrate and sulfate coatings. More oxidized basalts may readily react with SO2 to form coatings dominated by large Ca‐sulfate and oxide grains. On less oxidized basalts (NNO−1.5 to NNO−5), reactions with SO2 will form thin, fine‐grained aggregates of sulfates; such materials are less readily detected by spectroscopy and spectrometry techniques. In contrast, in very reduced basalts (lower than NNO−5), typical of the Moon and Mercury, SO2 is typically a negligible component in the magmatic gas, and sulfides are more likely.This research was supported by the Australian Research Council funding to King (DP150104604 and FT130101524). Renggli was supported by an ANU PhD scholarship. Palm was supported by the John and Kerry Lovering Scholarship (RSES, ANU). The Ion Probe Facility at the University of Western Australia is supported by the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility, AuScope, the Science and Industry Endowment Fund, and the State Government of Western Australia

Is emotional intelligence a mediator or moderator of the stress process? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

MAISS, (Managed Access to Integrated Support Services) as defined within Midland Health's service requirement definition, will be the single means of access to all support services for people with disabilities living within the Midland Health region. It must, therefore be considered, if not as the single most significant service purchased for people with disabilities then as one of the major disability service initiatives to have developed from the 1992 health reforms. For people with disabilities, the manner in which the MAISS services are delivered, the level of skill of the people delivering the services, and the subsequent availability of flexible, responsive service provision, will be the test of the Governments ability to achieve stated health reform outcomes. These outcomes were clearly articulated by people with disabilities themselves within the Self Help and Empowerment document, developed from the Consensus Development Conferences of the Core Services Committee. This research took the form of an evaluation of the impact which MAISS has had on the expressed feelings of self help and empowerment for one group of significant services users. The MAISS concept as delivered by one of three contracted providers, is examined to determine whether or not MAISS services are perceived by people with disabilities as having resulted in an enhancement of their perceived empowerment or mastery over the decisions which impact upon their lives. Judgments are made on the extent to which the MAISS concept and its implementation is seen to be supporting the enablement of people with disabilities. The research identifies those aspects of service delivery which most significantly contribute to expressed feelings of empowerment. Investigation was undertaken through the development of a structured questionnaire. This questionnaire was used as the single means of data collection. The questionnaire was developed from a conceptual framework based upon the New Zealand Standards for Needs Assessment developed and promoted by the Ministry of Health. The key recommendations made within this study relate to the need for assessment services to utilize assessment practices which foster the integrity and internal validity of the assessment process. The study also recommends that there needs to be a greater sharing of knowledge and accuracy of information in interactions between providers and consumers of services. Finally the research notes the need for continued investigation into the concept and implementation of services as defined within MAISS as such services continue to act as the major gatekeeper for people with disabilities seeking access to essential support services

Characterization of mineral coatings associated with a Pleistocene-Holocene rock art style: The Northern Running Figures of the East Alligator River region, western Arnhem Land, Australia

This data article contains mineralogic and chemical data from mineral coatings associated with rock art from the East Alligator River region. The coatings were collected adjacent to a rock art style known as the “Northern Running Figures” for the purposes of radiocarbon dating (doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.11.016; (T. Jones, V. Levchenko, P.L. King, U. Troitzsch, D. Wesley, 2017) [1]). This contribution includes raw and processed powder X-ray Diffraction data, Scanning Electron Microscopy energy dispersive spectroscopy data, and Fourier Transform infrared spectral data.This research was supported by Australian Research Council grants to King (FT130101524 and DP150104604). The Centre for Advanced Microscopy is supported by the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility (AMMRF)

Social Influences on the Degree of Stop Voicing in Inland California

This paper examines social influences on the realization of voiced stops in inland California. We analyzed sociolinguistic interviews with 62 white residents from Redding, Merced, and Bakersfield (which mark the northern, middle, and southern points of California’s Central Valley), balanced for sex, class, age, and whether a speaker earns their livelihood off the land. We follow Jaciewicz, Fox, and Lyle (2009) in examining the extent of voicing during stop closures (duration of voicing during closure relative to total duration of closure), and also adopt a novel measure of the magnitude of voicing, which captures the intensity of a stop closure relative to the following vowel. Mixed effects linear regression models were constructed for both voicing measures, with a number of linguistic and social predictors considered in addition to random effects. Results show that the extent of voicing measure was insufficiently sensitive to differentiate speakers, as nearly everyone exhibited voicing throughout the closure. The voicing intensity measure, however, was shown to reveal significant effects of place of articulation, closure duration, and ties to the land. Most importantly, speakers who earn their livelihood off the land exhibit significantly stronger voiced stops than those who do not. We argue that even though strongly voiced stops likely entered California during a large-scale in-migration of Southerners during the Dust Bowl (Jaciewicz et al. 2009 report more extensive voicing among women from the South compared to the Midwest), they have since taken on locally significant indexicalities reflecting the values and ideals of land-oriented communities throughout the Central Valley (and do not simply mean “Southern”). Our findings also raise questions about where the linguistic limits of socially structured variation lie, given the systematic social patterning observed here for low-level phonetic details (i.e., voicing intensity) that likely operate far below the level of consciousness

Extreme rainfall variability in Australia: Patterns, drivers and predictability

Leading patterns of observed monthly extreme rainfall variability in Australia are examined using an Empirical Orthogonal Teleconnection (EOT) method. Extreme rainfall variability is more closely related to mean rainfall variability during austral summer than in winter. The leading EOT patterns of extreme rainfall explain less variance in Australia-wide extreme rainfall than is the case for mean rainfall EOTs. We illustrate that, as with mean rainfall, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has the strongest association with warm-season extreme rainfall variability, while in the cool-season the primary drivers are atmospheric blocking and the subtropical ridge. The Indian Ocean Dipole and Southern Annular Mode also have significant relationships with patterns of variability during austral winter and spring. Leading patterns of summer extreme rainfall variability have predictability several months ahead from Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and as much as a year in advance from Indian Ocean SSTs. Predictability from the Pacific is greater for wetter than average summer months than for months that are drier than average, whereas for the Indian Ocean the relationship has greater linearity. Several cool-season EOTs are associated with mid-latitude synoptic-scale patterns along the south and east coasts. These patterns have common atmospheric signatures denoting moist onshore flow and strong cyclonic anomalies often to the north of a blocking anti-cyclone. Tropical cyclone activity is observed to have significant relationships with some warm season EOTs. This analysis shows that extreme rainfall variability in Australia can be related to remote drivers and local synoptic-scale patterns throughout the year

High Streets for All

This study takes one of the most commonplace and everyday experiences of the city – the high street – and explores its social value from the perspective of Londoners. Social value is most commonly understood to be made up of economic, social and environmental aspects. Together with existing knowledge and new primary research, the study uses this evidence to set out the strategic case for advocacy, intervention and investment in London’s high streets

A global Mars dust composition refined by the Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer in Gale Crater

Modern Martian dust is similar in composition to the global soil unit and bulk basaltic Mars crust, but it is enriched in S and Cl. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover analyzed air fall dust on the science observation tray (o-tray) in Gale Crater to determine dust oxide compositions. The o-tray dust has the highest concentrations of SO3 and Cl measured in Mars dust (SO3 8.3%; Cl 1.1 wt %). The molar S/Cl in the dust (3.35 ± 0.34) is consistent with previous studies of Martian dust and soils (S/Cl = 3.7 ± 0.7). Fe is also elevated ~25% over average Mars soils and the bulk crust. These enrichments link air fall dust with the S-, Cl-, and Fe-rich X-ray amorphous component of Gale Crater soil. Dust and soil have the same S/Cl, constraining the surface concentrations of S and Cl on a global scale

Characteristics of pebble- and cobble-sized clasts along the Curiosity rover traverse from Bradbury Landing to Rocknest

We have assessed the characteristics of clasts along Curiosity's traverse to shed light on the processes important in the genesis, modification, and transportation of surface materials. Pebble- to cobble-sized clasts at Bradbury Landing, and subsequentl

Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected oxidized nitrogen-bearing compounds during pyrolysis of scooped aeolian sediments and drilled sedimentary deposits within Gale crater. Total N concentrations ranged from 20 to 250 nmol N per sample. After subtraction of known N sources in SAM, our results support the equivalent of 110–300 ppm of nitrate in the Rocknest (RN) aeolian samples, and 70–260 and 330–1,100 ppm nitrate in John Klein (JK) and Cumberland (CB) mudstone deposits, respectively. Discovery of indigenous martian nitrogen in Mars surface materials has important implications for habitability and, specifically, for the potential evolution of a nitrogen cycle at some point in martian history. The detection of nitrate in both wind-drifted fines (RN) and in mudstone (JK, CB) is likely a result of N2 fixation to nitrate generated by thermal shock from impact or volcanic plume lightning on ancient Mars. Fixed nitrogen could have facilitated the development of a primitive nitrogen cycle on the surface of ancient Mars, potentially providing a biochemically accessible source of nitrogen