8,159 research outputs found
Fluorine gas as a cleaning agent for Apollo bulk-sample containers
A technique has been developed for cleaning Apollo bulk sample containers using fluorine gas as the cleaning agent
Restoration of eucalypt grassy woodland: effects of experimental interventions on ground-layer vegetation
We report on the effects of broad-scale restoration treatments on the ground layer of eucalypt grassy woodland in south-eastern Australia. The experiment was conducted in two conservation reserves from which livestock grazing had previously been removed. Changes in biomass, species diversity, ground-cover attributes and life-form were analysed over a 4-year period in relation to the following experimental interventions: (1) reduced kangaroo density, (2) addition of coarse woody debris and (3) fire (a single burn). Reducing kangaroo density doubled total biomass in one reserve, but no effects on exotic biomass, species counts or ground cover attributes were observed. Coarse woody debris also promoted biomass, particularly exotic annual forbs, as well as plant diversity in one of the reserves. The single burn reduced biomass, but changed little else. Overall, we found the main driver of change to be the favourable growth seasons that had followed a period of drought. This resulted in biomass increasing by 67%, (mostly owing to the growth of perennial native grasses), whereas overall native species counts increased by 18%, and exotic species declined by 20% over the 4-year observation period. Strategic management of grazing pressure, use of fire where biomass has accumulated and placement of coarse woody debris in areas of persistent erosion will contribute to improvements in soil and vegetation condition, and gains in biodiversity, in the future.Funding and in-kind logistic support for this project was
provided by the ACT Government as part of an Australian Research
Council Linkage Grant (LP0561817; LP110100126). Drafts of the
manuscript were read by Saul Cunningham and Ben Macdonald
A New Pathway for the Preparation of Highly Qualified Teachers: The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
This article reports on the development and initial implementation of a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, an accelerated graduate program that encourages and scaffolds individuals with existing disciplinary expertise in entering the teaching profession. First, the context for developing the program is outlined. Next, the unique structure of the 15-month program, which consists of three blocks, is described. Expectations about students are then shared, quality control features of the program are highlighted, and the lessons we learned about program development and implementation are detailed. Finally, thoughts about the future of this program and others of its type are shared based upon our experience
Shot Noise Suppression in Avalanche Photodiodes
We identify a new shot noise suppression mechanism in a thin (~100 nm)
heterostructure avalanche photodiode. In the low-gain regime the shot noise is
suppressed due to temporal correlations within amplified current pulses. We
demonstrate in a Monte Carlo simulation that the effective excess noise factors
can be <1, and reconcile the apparent conflict between theory and experiments.
This shot noise suppression mechanism is independent of known mechanisms such
as Coulomb interaction, or reflection at heterojunction interfaces.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., accepted for publicatio
Radio Sources in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. I. Radio Source Populations
We present the first results from a study of the radio continuum properties
of galaxies in the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey, based on thirty 2dF fields
covering a total area of about 100 square degrees. About 1.5% of galaxies with
b(J) < 19.4 mag are detected as radio continuum sources in the NRAO VLA Sky
Survey (NVSS). Of these, roughly 40% are star-forming galaxies and 60% are
active galaxies (mostly low-power radio galaxies and a few Seyferts). The
combination of 2dFGRS and NVSS will eventually yield a homogeneous set of
around 4000 radio-galaxy spectra, which will be a powerful tool for studying
the distriibution and evolution of both AGN and starburst galaxies out to
redshift z=0.3.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
The Interaction between the ISM and Star Formation in the Dwarf Starburst Galaxy NGC 4214
We present the first interferometric study of the molecular gas in the
metal-poor dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 4214. Our map of the 12CO(1-0) emission,
obtained at the OVRO millimeter array, reveals an unexpected structural wealth.
We detected three regions of molecular emission in the north-west (NW),
south-east (SE) and centre of NGC 4214 which are in very different and distinct
evolutionary stages (total molecular mass: 5.1 x 10^6 M_sun). These differences
are apparent most dramatically when the CO morphologies are compared to optical
ground based and HST imaging: massive star formation has not started yet in the
NW region; the well-known starburst in the centre is the most evolved and star
formation in the SE complex started more recently. We derive a star formation
efficiency of 8% for the SE complex. Using high--resolution VLA observations of
neutral hydrogen HI and our CO data we generated a total gas column density map
for NGC 4214 (HI + H_2). No clear correlation is seen between the peaks of HI,
CO and the sites of ongoing star formation. This emphasizes the irregular
nature of dwarf galaxies. The HI and CO velocities agree well, so do the
H-alpha velocities. In total, we cataloged 14 molecular clumps in NGC 4214. Our
results from a virial mass analysis are compatible with a Galactic CO-to-H_2
conversion factor for NGC 4214 (lower than what is usually found in metal-poor
dwarf galaxies).Comment: accepted for publication in the AJ (February 2001), full ps file at:
ftp://ftp.astro.caltech.edu/users/fw/ngc4214/walter_prep.p
On the stratigraphic integrity of leaf-wax biomarkers in loess paleosols
Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate reconstructions based on molecular
proxies, such as those derived from leaf-wax biomarkers, in loess-paleosol
sequences represent a promising line of investigation in Quaternary research.
The main premise of such reconstructions is the synsedimentary deposition of
biomarkers and dust, which has become a debated subject in recent years. This
study uses two independent approaches to test the stratigraphic integrity of
leaf-wax biomarkers: (i) long-chain n-alkanes and fatty acids are
quantified in two sediment-depth profiles in glacial till on the Swiss
Plateau, consisting of a Holocene topsoil and the underlying B and C
horizons. Since glacial sediments are initially very poor in organic matter,
significant amounts of leaf-wax biomarkers in the B and C horizons of those
profiles would reflect postsedimentary root-derived or microbial
contributions. (ii) Compound-specific radiocarbon measurements are conducted
on n-alkanes and n-alkanoic (fatty) acids from several depth intervals in
the loess section "Crvenka", Serbia, and the results are compared to
independent estimates of sediment age.
<br><br>
We find extremely low concentrations
of plant-wax n-alkanes and fatty acids in the B and C horizons below the
topsoils in the sediment profiles. Moreover, compound-specific radiocarbon
analysis yields plant-wax <sup>14</sup>C ages that agree well with published
luminescence ages and stratigraphy of the Serbian loess deposit. Both
approaches confirm that postsedimentary, root-derived or microbial
contributions are negligible in the two investigated systems. The good
agreement between the ages of odd and even homologues also indicates that
reworking and incorporation of fossil leaf waxes is not particularly relevant
either
- …