Investigating the Distribution and Source(s) of Lunar Volatiles

Following the renewed interest in the volatile inventory of the Moon witnessed in the last decade, from both sample studies and data from orbital missions, it is timely to reassess the distribution and likely source(s) of light element volatiles (C, N, He, Ne, and Ar) in a diverse suite of lunar mare basalts and soils, providing new insights about volatiles indigenous to the lunar interior, volatiles produced in situ at the lunar surface, and volatiles delivered to and implanted into the lunar surface. Simultaneous static-mode mass spectrometric measurements of these key volatiles, extracted from the same aliquot of sample by high-resolution stepped combustion, enable a more detailed identification of the different volatile components present by comparing their varying release patterns across a range of temperature steps. Taken in context with other studies of different volatile elements, this new data contributes towards a greater understanding of the Earth-Moon system, with additional implications for future in situ resource utilisation at the lunar surface. With an average δ15N value of +0.93 ± 9.39 ‰, the indigenous N component measured in mare basalts is most compatible with a CO carbonaceous chondrite source for nitrogen in the lunar interior, although some caveats exist. Variations in abundance and isotopic composition of indigenous nitrogen imply a heterogeneous lunar mantle. Assuming up to ~50 % loss of solar wind 36Ar from lunar soils, nitrogen trapped in soils can be reconciled with up to 87 % being contributed from a non-solar source with an isotopic composition of between +87 ‰ and +160 ‰. Noble gases in soils are dominated by solar wind components, with only minor amounts of cosmogenic neon being released at the highest temperature steps. In mare basalts, noble gases are a mixture of trapped, radiogenic, and cosmogenic components (from which cosmogenic production rates can be calculated and exposure ages for previously undated samples suggeste

Family-Centred Unemployment in Four Disadvantaged Areas in Australia

Australia’s unemployment rate is one of the lowest of any OECD country. However, for families with children, partnered and lone parents, the rate of unemployment and most importantly joblessness is one of the highest at 14.7% and 46% respectively in 2009. This research project aims to better understand problems and issues that face families in which there is at least one family member who is long­term unemployed. The study focuses on the experiences on jobless families in four disadvantaged areas in Australia, with three surveyed at the beginning of the global financial crisis (GFC) and one area to be studied post the GFC. This paper will present methodologies of quantitative survey of long term jobless coupled with qualitative data obtained from the conduct of focus groups and interviews; and findings of the major contributors of the jobless families’ current circumstances including lack of basic skills and qualifications, low levels of formal education and deep lack of confidence and motivation.

Managing Relationships: Insights from a Student Gratitude Model

This paper develops a student relationship model which highlights the role of gratitude in impacting students’ positive perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions towards their higher education providers. Using theories from services marketing and positive psychology, we develop and test a gratitude relationship model. A field survey, employing existing measures, was used to elicit data from 1,104 respondents of public, private, and semi-public Pakistani universities. The results of this current research empirically demonstrate the role of gratitude as a mediating mechanism that explains the impact of a university’s relationship investments on students’ positive perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. This study contributes to higher education and services marketing literature by examining the emergent role of gratitude in students’ perceptions of investments made by their universities and students’ positive emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions, such as involvement and long-term relationship intentions, respectively. This research encourages university decision-makers to implement relationship-building strategies beyond that of the purely economic, such as scholarships, that seek to enhance the emotion of gratitude, which will lead to higher levels of perceived value of the relationship, involvement, and intentions to build long-term relationships with the university. This is the first study that highlights the role of gratitude as having an impact on students’ perceptions, attitude, and behavioral intentions. Our student relationship model offers a better psychological explanation of how student gratitude may generate direct benefits for universities

Mechanism of Vanadium Leaching during Surface Weathering of Basic Oxygen Furnace Steel Slag Blocks: A Microfocus X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Electron Microscopy Study

© 2017 American Chemical Society. Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking slag is enriched in potentially toxic V which may become mobilized in high pH leachate during weathering. BOF slag was weathered under aerated and air-excluded conditions for 6 months prior to SEM/EDS and μXANES analysis to determine V host phases and speciation in both primary and secondary phases. Leached blocks show development of an altered region in which free lime and dicalcium silicate phases were absent and Ca-Si-H was precipitated (CaCO 3 was also present under aerated conditions). μXANES analyses show that V was released to solution as V(V) during dicalcium silicate dissolution and some V was incorporated into neo-formed Ca-Si-H. Higher V concentrations were observed in leachate under aerated conditions than in the air-excluded leaching experiment. Aqueous V concentrations were controlled by Ca 3 (VO 4 ) 2 solubility, which demonstrate an inverse relationship between Ca and V concentrations. Under air-excluded conditions Ca concentrations were controlled by dicalcium silicate dissolution and Ca-Si-H precipitation, leading to relatively high Ca and correspondingly low V concentrations. Formation of CaCO 3 under aerated conditions provided a sink for aqueous Ca, allowing higher V concentrations limited by kinetic dissolution rates of dicalcium silicate. Thus, V release may be slowed by the precipitation of secondary phases in the altered region, improving the prospects for slag reuse

Birch bark tar in early Medieval England:continuity of tradition or technological revival?

International audienc

The Relevance of the Colon to Zinc Nutrition

Globally, zinc deficiency is widespread, despite decades of research highlighting its negative effects on health, and in particular upon child health in low-income countries. Apart from inadequate dietary intake of bioavailable zinc, other significant contributors to zinc deficiency include the excessive intestinal loss of endogenously secreted zinc and impairment in small intestinal absorptive function. Such changes are likely to occur in children suffering from environmental (or tropical) enteropathy (EE)—an almost universal condition among inhabitants of developing countries characterized by morphologic and functional changes in the small intestine. Changes to the proximal gut in environmental enteropathy will likely influence the nature and amount of zinc delivered into the large intestine. Consequently, we reviewed the current literature to determine if colonic absorption of endogenous or exogenous (dietary) zinc could contribute to overall zinc nutriture. Whilst we found evidence that significant zinc absorption occurs in the rodent colon, and is favoured when microbially-fermentable carbohydrates (specifically resistant starch) are consumed, it is unclear whether this process occur in humans and/or to what degree. Constraints in study design in the few available studies may well have masked a possible colonic contribution to zinc nutrition. Furthermore these few available human studies have failed to include the actual target population that would benefit, namely infants affected by EE where zinc delivery to the colon may be increased and who are also at risk of zinc deficiency. In conducting this review we have not been able to confirm a colonic contribution to zinc absorption in humans. However, given the observations in rodents and that feeding resistant starch to children is feasible, definitive studies utilising the dual stable isotope method in children with EE should be undertaken.G.L. Gopalsamy, D.H Alpers, H.J Binder, C.D. Tran, B.S. Ramakrishna, I. Brown, M. Manary, Elissa Mortimer and G.P. Youn

Mechanism of Vanadium Leaching during Surface Weathering of Basic Oxygen Furnace Steel Slag Blocks: A Microfocus X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Electron Microscopy Study

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking slag is enriched in potentially toxic V which may become mobilized in high pH leachate during weathering. BOF slag was weathered under aerated and air-excluded conditions for 6 months prior to SEM/EDS and μXANES analysis to determine V host phases and speciation in both primary and secondary phases. Leached blocks show development of an altered region in which free lime and dicalcium silicate phases were absent and Ca–Si–H was precipitated (CaCO₃ was also present under aerated conditions). μXANES analyses show that V was released to solution as V(V) during dicalcium silicate dissolution and some V was incorporated into neo-formed Ca–Si–H. Higher V concentrations were observed in leachate under aerated conditions than in the air-excluded leaching experiment. Aqueous V concentrations were controlled by Ca₃(VO₄)₂ solubility, which demonstrate an inverse relationship between Ca and V concentrations. Under air-excluded conditions Ca concentrations were controlled by dicalcium silicate dissolution and Ca–Si–H precipitation, leading to relatively high Ca and correspondingly low V concentrations. Formation of CaCO₃ under aerated conditions provided a sink for aqueous Ca, allowing higher V concentrations limited by kinetic dissolution rates of dicalcium silicate. Thus, V release may be slowed by the precipitation of secondary phases in the altered region, improving the prospects for slag reuse