Geometry of Brittle and Ductile Bedrock Structures Influencing Groundwater Hydrology Adjacent to the Chlor-alkali Superfund Site, Berlin, NH

Mercury and PCB contaminants continue to leach out of the bedrock and till beneath the former chlor-alkali facility despite remedial efforts to prevent the escape of toxins in the 1990s. This study defines how contaminants could be escaping the site through bedrock structures. Bedrock geology mapping in Berlin, NH was conducted as part of a USGS/NHDES State Map program to define bedrock units and structural features within the northern half of the Berlin 7.5’ Quadrangle. In addition, the identification of groundwater transmissible features in the area continued previous efforts to define the escape of contaminants via groundwater flow from the chlor-alkali facility. Previous USGS reports recorded bedrock units and features from the riverbank adjacent to the site and identified fracture domains based on local field data.The updated regional bedrock data allowed us to better identify and contextualize brittle and ductile structures recorded at the chlor-alkali facility. The research also produced an expanded dataset of groundwater transmissible features measured in the field, including Mesozoic joint fractures, silicified zones, cylindrical folds and chlorite schist xenoliths. Lastly, a LiDAR hillshade analysis of fractures across the entire quadrangle was conducted. LiDAR hillshade raster imagery on ArcGIS was not available during previous studies, and this analysis provided a valuable way to confirm fracture domains at a regional scale. Measurements of brittle and ductile features surrounding the chlor-alkali facility indicated the presence of a syncline structure running from the chlor-alkali facility towards the Androscoggin River. This structure could facilitate groundwater flow from the site to the river. Fractures were found to primarily exist in three main domains: NE-SW, NW-SE and E-W. Fractures striking NE-SW appeared to dominate the domain surrounding the chlor-alkali facility

The teaching/research nexus: possibilities and strategies

One aspect of the curriculum refresh project that has received relatively little fanfare is that of the teaching/research nexus. While this concept encompasses a number of different modes, emphasis tends to lie on discipline research as a means of informing teaching. Inevitably this focus reflects academics’ own identity as discipline scholars and the traditional image of academics expert in their discipline. In this session, the presenters open up the possibilities of expanding academics’ discipline identity to embrace the scholarship of teaching and learning through another domain of the teaching/research nexus – that of research on our own teaching. This session takes participants on a guided tour of strategies on, and approaches to, this aspect of the scholarship of teaching and learning. In doing so, it underscores the value of such research to curriculum and also to our identity as educators in the tropics

The transition of identity from discipline scholar to scholar of teaching and learning: Tensions and reflections on the path to a fusion epistemology

The past decade has seen a significantly greater emphasis placed upon teaching and learning, and the scholarship associated with it (SoTL), in Australian universities and internationally (Vardi, 2011; Hubball, Clarke & Poole, 2010; Brawley, Kelly & Timms, 2009). For many, this shift represents long overdue recognition of the centrality and importance of learning and teaching activities in higher education (Boyer, 1990; Chalmers, 2011). For individual academics however, opportunities to engage more fully in the SoTL may also present challenges to their core identities as discipline scholars and practitioners, and involve an epistemological shift towards educational and even managerial orientations (Ramsden, 1998). Such transitions and transformations are seldom easy and often present challenges not only to the academic's own sense of identity, but to their relationships with colleagues and peers within and outside their disciplines. Academic identity is a complex construct. Becher and Trowler (2001) for example, describe 'tribes' within academia, and identify hierarchies based on discipline identities that embody a discipline-based epistemology. Outside a purely discipline context, Boyer (1990) articulates the domains of the academic's role including research and the SoTL. However, the rapidly changing institutional context is creating pressures and presenting challenges for individual academics, with implications for the formation and nature of identity (Billot, 2010). Clegg (2011) agrees that traditional academic identities are under threat but argues that new ways of constituting and imagining the 'self' are emerging as the pressures of neo-liberalism continue to bite. Opportunities for subversion, resilience and creativity in the creation and enactment of academic identities remain (Smith, 2010). For academics working within professional disciplines, tensions between primary identification as a professional or as a discipline academic may be further compounded by the opportunities and challenges associated with engaging in the SoTL. For some academics, discipline epistemologies may merge with the SoTL forging a fused professional identity. The authors of this paper are both professional practitioners (law and social work) who entered the university as discipline-based scholars. Their respective interests in T&L have lead them both down a path that has involved transitioning from this discipline-based orientation to identities, and to organisational roles, primarily grounded in the SoTL. Appointed for a two-year period as 'Faculty Curriculum Scholars' as part of a university-wide refresh of the curriculum, the authors have engaged in a process of personal and professional transition, intended and unintended, that has spoken directly to issues of academic identity. As these roles draw to a close, and they prepare to return to their discipline-based positions, the authors reflect on the lessons that have been learned from this journey. In particular, the paper presents a model for understanding the tension between discipline-based and T&L-based orientations and identifies the professional and personal benefits and costs attached to choosing a pathway that leads away from a discipline focus and towards a more generic orientation to learning and teaching

The distance and internal composition of the neutron star in EXO 0748-676 with XMM-Newton

Recently, the neutron star X-ray binary EXO 0748-676 underwent a transition to quiescence. We analyzed an XMM-Newton observation of this source in quiescence, where we fitted the spectrum with two different neutron-star atmosphere models. From the fits we constrained the allowed parameter space in the mass-radius diagram for this source for an assumed range of distances to the system. Comparing the results with different neutron-star equations of state, we constrained the distance to EXO 0748-676. We found that the EOS model 'SQM1' is rejected by the atmosphere model fits for the known distance, and the 'AP3' and 'MS1' is fully consistent with the known distance.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, submitted to MNRAS on June 20, 101

Sustainability and curriculum design: exploring issues of ecology in law and social work education

James Cook University has positioned itself as the "University for the Tropics", an identity that necessitates a deep concern with issues of sustainability. As part of university wide efforts to refresh the existing curriculum to better reflect such concerns, the authors were appointed as curriculum scholars and tasked with building capacity for curriculum design amongst academics in a range of disciplines. The disciplines of law and social work, with their traditional focus on social rather than environmental concerns, present particular challenges when moving towards the development of sustainability-oriented educational practices. Previous attempts at introducing sustainability perspectives into discipline-based higher education have often resulted in piecemeal or "add-on" curricular solutions. Yet the very nature of sustainability as a concept suggests that a more holistic and integrated approach is required. This paper discusses the use of ecology as a conceptual framework, or thematic lens, that can serve as a foundation for the re-imagining of discipline-based curriculum. Drawing on insights from curriculum development, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and education for sustainability, the authors develop a framework for an approach to law and social work education that is grounded in ecological understandings, and reflects a sustainability orientation while remaining true to the fundamental concerns of each discipline

CHANGES IN STROKE KINEMATICS DURING RESISTED AND ASSISTED FREESTYLE SWIMMING

Ten subjects swam 50m freestyle trials using; resisted (RS), assisted (AS), and free swimming (FS). Data from 2 underwater cameras were combined to provide a 3-D reconstruction of each trial. During RS, the stroke length (SL), mean 3D resultant hand velocity and average forward velocity (AV) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased compared to the FS trial. During RS, the swimmers were unable to generate enough force to prevent the tether from slowing them down. Further, calculations suggest that the average propulsive force acting on the swimmer was not increased during RS. During the AS trial SL, stroke rate and AV increased, while maximum hand depth decreased relative to the FS trial. There appear to be some positive benefits, however the technique changes found during both RS and AS result in these forms of training remaining questionable

The regulation of copper stress response genes in the Polychaete Nereis diversicolor during prolonged extreme copper contamination

Polychaetes are frequented in toxicological studies, one reason being that some members occupy shallow burrows in sediments and are maximally exposed to the contaminants that accumulate within them. We have been studying one population of the polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor exhibiting inheritable tolerance to extreme copper contamination in estuarine sediment. Using transcriptome sequencing data we have identified a suite of genes with putative roles in metal detoxification and tolerance, and measured their regulation. Copper tolerant individuals display significantly different gene expression profiles compared to animals from a nearby population living without remarkable copper levels. Gene transcripts encoding principle copper homeostasis proteins including membrane copper ion transporters, copper ion chaperones and putative metallothionein-like proteins were significantly more abundant in tolerant animals occupying contaminated sediment. In contrast, those encoding antioxidants and cellular repair pathways were unchanged. Nontolerant animals living in contaminated sediment showed no difference in copper homeostasis-related gene expression but did have significantly elevated levels of mRNAs encoding Glutathione Peroxidase enzymes. This study represents the first use of functional genomics to investigate the copper tolerance trait in this species and provides insight into the mechanism used by these individuals to survive and flourish in conditions which are lethal to their conspecifics

Sustainability evaluation of community-based, solar photovoltaic projects in Malawi

Background: A novel project sustainability framework is used to evaluate 65 off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system projects in Malawi. This study addresses PV projects serving rural public facilities, a solution known to have had historical issues with poor sustainability. A recent countrywide program targeting such facilities was evaluated against existing projects to determine whether this latest iteration offered better results. Method: Sustainability is defined at the project-level with metrics justified under the main themes of technical, economic, social, and organizational. Data captured for each project is based on a custom survey and interview of key stakeholders. Projects are grouped according to age, project implementer, income level, and PV system size to compare relative results. Results: The sustainability outlook for each project is evaluated. We find sustainability for most projects to be low. Social sustainability was weak with many projects due to low local community stakeholder engagement in terms of numbers of stakeholders, meeting frequency, and community contributions. Organizational challenges included a lack of key management positions in place and extremely limited training provisions. Furthermore, the evaluation highlights the economic health of the system to be key to sustainability, with the "healthiest" projects affording only 37% of expected operations and maintenance costs. Relative to expected demand, systems were found to be undersized for both panels (53% of required) and batteries (57%). Users reported achieving only 60% of their desired consumption. Poor sizing standards related to the lack of load profiles for first-time electricity users as well as poor quality components reduced the overall technical sustainability. Conclusion: Rural public facilities with solar PV in Malawi are not well served by isolated community management. Improved sustainability requires the establishment of a robust financial framework prior to project development that includes formal local government support. This paper discusses ideal management frameworks and their ultimate implications for project developers, policy makers, and the research community