Introduction to the Apollo collections: Part 2: Lunar breccias

Basic petrographic, chemical and age data for a representative suite of lunar breccias are presented for students and potential lunar sample investigators. Emphasis is on sample description and data presentation. Samples are listed, together with a classification scheme based on matrix texture and mineralogy and the nature and abundance of glass present both in the matrix and as clasts. A calculus of the classification scheme, describes the characteristic features of each of the breccia groups. The cratering process which describes the sequence of events immediately following an impact event is discussed, especially the thermal and material transport processes affecting the two major components of lunar breccias (clastic debris and fused material)

Dydrogesterone and norethisterone regulate expression of lipoprotein lipase and hormones-sensitive lipase in human subcutaneous abdominal adipocytes

Aim: In premenopausal women, hyper-androgenicity is associated with central obesity and an increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated the effects of dydrogesterone (DYD)(a non-androgenic progestogen) and norethisterone (NET)(an androgenic progestogen) on lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and glycerol release in adipocytes isolated from subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue. Methods: Adipose tissue was obtained from 12 non-diabetic women, mean age 51 years (range 37-78) and mean BMI 25.4kg/m2 (range 20.3-26.4). Adipocytes were treated with increasing doses of DYD and NET for 48 hours prior to protein extraction. Effects on lipogenesis and lipolysis were assessed using western blotting to determine the expression of key enzymes, LPL (56kDa) and HSL (84kDa) respectively. Measurement of glycerol release into the medium provided an assessment of lipolytic activity. Results: Expression of LPL was increased by DYD and NET (mean protein expression relative to control ± SEM); with greatest effect at 10-8M for DYD: 2.32±0.51(p0.05). Conclusions: DYD and NET significantly increased LPL expression relative to control whilst significantly reducing HSL expression. At the concentrations studied, similar effects were observed with the androgenic NET and the non-androgenic DYD despite differing effects on the lipid profile when taken in combination with estrogen. Further work in this area may improve knowledge about the effects of different progestogens on body fat distribution and enable progestogen use to be tailored to the individual to achieve maximal benefits

Waste Corn as a Source of Inoculum of Aspergillus Flavus, the Cause of Aflatoxin

Aspergillus Flavus occurs worldwide in diverse habitats on a variety of plant and animal substrates. In the United States, contamination of susceptible crops particularly maize, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts has become a major health concern because of the development of the carcinogen, aflatoxin. Extensive research into all aspects of the biology of A. flavus over the past twenty years still has left many unanswered but very basic questions about the ecology of this important organism

Introducing a comprehensive data reduction algorithm for high-precision U-Th geochronology with isotope dilution MC-ICP-MS

Multi collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) is being increasingly utilized for U-Th geochronology of carbonate deposits with comparable precision to thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) [1, 2]. While attention has been paid to propagation of uncertainties for U-Th-Pb analysis by TIMS and the isochron technique [3,4], a comprehensive data processing scheme is lacking for MC-ICP-MS. To address this need, we have developed an algorithm in Mathematica application to allow for step-by-step monitoring of the data reduction process. The program is flexible and affords the user easy control over input variables. Adjustments for background and spike isotope contributions, abundance sensitivity and instrumental mass bias are implemented through the code, followed by age calculation and propagation of uncertainties with Monte Carlo simulation. A rigorous standard bracketing procedure was adopted using Uranium (CRM-112A) and Th (IRMM-035) standard solutions, doped with IRMM-3636a ^(233)U/^(236)U “double-spike”, to account for deviations of isotope ratios from certificate values and improve accuracy. Following a single U/TEVA extraction chromatography step to separate U from Th, ten replicate ages from a speleothem in Cathedral Cave (CC), Utah showed excellent agreement (R^2 = 0.999) with results previously measured at the University of Minnesota by single collection ICP-MS [5]. The external reproducibility of our analytical technique was evaluated by analyzing six aliquots of an in-house standard, prepared by homogenizing a piece of the CC speleothem, which returned a mean age of 21468±120 y (2SD). A limited amount of the standard powder is available upon request for interlaboratory calibration. We have successfully dated 36 samples from caves in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Iran

STROZ Lidar Results at the MOHAVE III Campaign, October, 2009, Table Mountain, CA

During October, 2009 the GSFC STROZ Lidar participated in a campaign at the JPL Table Mountain Facility (Wrightwood, CA, 2285 m Elevation) to measure vertical profiles of water vapor from near the ground to the lower stratosphere. On eleven nights, water vapor, aerosol, temperature and ozone profiles were measured by the STROZ lidar, two other similar lidars, frost-point hygrometer sondes, and ground-based microwave instruments made measurements. Results from these measurements and an evaluation of the performance of the STROZ lidar during the campaign will be presented in this paper. The STROZ lidar was able to measure water vapor up to 13-14 km ASL during the campaign. We will present results from all the STROZ data products and comparisons with other instruments made. Implications for instrumental changes will be discussed

Coping Strategies of Family Members of Hospitalized Psychiatric Patients

This exploratory research paper investigated the coping strategies of families of hospitalized psychiatric patients and identified their positive and negative coping strategies. In this paper, the coping strategies of 45 family members were examined using a descriptive, correlational, mixed method research approach. Guided by the Neuman Systems Model and using the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales and semistructured interviews, this paper found that these family members used more emotion-focused coping strategies than problem-focused coping strategies. The common coping strategies used by family members were communicating with immediate family, acceptance of their situation, passive appraisal, avoidance, and spirituality. The family members also utilized resources and support systems, such as their immediate families, mental health care professionals, and their churches

Corn residue stocking rate affects cattle performance but not subsequent grain yield

This study investigated effects of stocking rate on cattle performance, quality and quantity of corn residue, and impact of residue removal on grain yield for 5 yr at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln West Central Water Resources Field Laboratory near Brule, NE. Four removal treatments—1) no removal (control), 2) grazing at 2.5 animal unit month (AUM)/ ha, 3) grazing at 5.0 AUM/ha, and 4) baling—were applied to a center pivot–irrigated corn field (53 ha). The field was divided into eight 6.6-ha paddocks to which replicated treatments were assigned. Samples of residue were collected in October and March (before and after residue removal) using ten 0.5-m2 quadrats per treatment replication. Residue was separated into 5 plant parts—stem, cob, leaf, husk, and grain—and analyzed for nutrient content. Esophageally fistulated cattle were used to measure diet quality. Cattle assigned to the 2.5 AUM/ha stocking rate treatment gained more BW (P \u3c 0.01) and BCS (P \u3c 0.01) than cattle assigned to the 5.0 AUM/ha treatment. Leaf contained the most (P \u3c 0.01) CP and husk had the greatest (P \u3c 0.01) in vitro OM disappearance (IVOMD) but the CP and IVOMD of individual plant parts did not differ (P \u3e 0.69) between sampling dates. Amount of total residue was reduced (P \u3c 0.05) by baling and both grazing treatments between October and March but was not different (P \u3e 0.05) in control paddocks between sampling dates. As a proportion of the total residue, stem increased (P \u3c 0.01) and husk decreased (P \u3c 0.01) between October and March. Diet CP content was similar (P = 0.10) between sampling dates for the 2 grazing treatments but IVOMD was greater after grazing in the 2.5 AUM/ha grazing treatment (P = 0.04). Subsequent grain yields were not different (P = 0.16) across all 4 residue removal treatments. At the proper stocking rate, corn residue grazing results in acceptable animal performance without negatively impacting subsequent corn grain production

The Phase Space and Stellar Populations of Cluster Galaxies at z ~ 1: Simultaneous Constraints on the Location and Timescale of Satellite Quenching

We investigate the velocity vs. position phase space of z ~ 1 cluster galaxies using a set of 424 spectroscopic redshifts in 9 clusters drawn from the GCLASS survey. Dividing the galaxy population into three categories: quiescent, star-forming, and poststarburst, we find that these populations have distinct distributions in phase space. Most striking are the poststarburst galaxies, which are commonly found at small clustercentric radii with high clustercentric velocities, and appear to trace a coherent ``ring" in phase space. Using several zoom simulations of clusters we show that the coherent distribution of the poststarbursts can be reasonably well-reproduced using a simple quenching scenario. Specifically, the phase space is best reproduced if satellite quenching occurs on a rapid timescale (0.1 < tau_{Q} < 0.5 Gyr) after galaxies make their first passage of R ~ 0.5R_{200}, a process that takes a total time of ~ 1 Gyr after first infall. We compare this quenching timescale to the timescale implied by the stellar populations of the poststarburst galaxies and find that the poststarburst spectra are well-fit by a rapid quenching (tau_{Q} = 0.4^{+0.3}_{-0.4} Gyr) of a typical star-forming galaxy. The similarity between the quenching timescales derived from these independent indicators is a strong consistency check of the quenching model. Given that the model implies satellite quenching is rapid, and occurs well within R_{200}, this would suggest that ram-pressure stripping of either the hot or cold gas component of galaxies are the most plausible candidates for the physical mechanism. The high cold gas consumption rates at z ~ 1 make it difficult to determine if hot or cold gas stripping is dominant; however, measurements of the redshift evolution of the satellite quenching timescale and location may be capable of distinguishing between the two.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the Ap