Growth of a mat-forming photograph in the presence of UV radiation

Knowledge of the survival and growth of microorganisms in the presence of ultraviolet radiation is important for understanding the potential for life to exist in environments exposed to high fluxes of UV radiation. The growth of a mat-forming phototrophic prokaryote, Chloroflexus aurantiacus, was examined in the presence of continuous high UV irradiation under otherwise optimal growth conditions. Evidence was sought for an intrinsic ability to grow in the presence of UV radiation in a carefully chosen organism known to be unusually resistant to UV radiation, of ancient lineage among the phototrophs, to resemble ancient microfossils from the Precambrian, and to be a mat-former. It was assumed that even a high intrinsic UV resistance would be inadequate for survival and growth in the presence of very high UV fluxes, and iron (Fe3+) was selected as a common, abundant UV-absorbing substance that might protest microorganisms growing in or under iron-bearing sediments. The effectiveness of Fe(3+) was tested as a UV protective agent at low concentrations in thin layers. It was concluded that intrinsic UV resistance in some organisms may account for growth, not just survival, of these organisms when exposed to high UV fluxes under otherwise optimal growth conditions in an anoxic environment. It was also concluded that Fe(3+) bearing sediments of 1 mm or less in thickness may provide an adequate shield against high UV fluxes permitting the growth of microorganisms just below their surface. As long as growth conditions were met, then the evolution and development of microorganisms would not be hampered by high UV fluxes impinging upon the surface of iron-bearing sediments

The extrapolation of laboratory and aircraft radar sea return data to spacecraft altitudes

Laboratory measurements show that the spectra of capillary waves grow with wind speed over six orders of magnitude. The scatter in the data can be partially understood and predicted from a combination of turbulence theory, radar theory, and the small sample theory of statistical inference. When these results are applied to a prediction of the sea return values to be obtained by S193 on Skylab, it can be shown that the size of the illuminated patch effectively averages out the horizontal scales of gustiness, so that the measurement will correspond to the synoptic scale wind

Transverse and secondary voltages in BSCCO single crystals

Multicontact configuration is one of the most powerful arrangements for electrical transport measurements applied to study vortex phase transition and vortex phase dimensionality in strongly anisotropic high-Tc superconducting materials. In this paper we present electrical transport measurements using a multiterminal configuration, which prove both the existence of guided vortex motion in BSCCO single crystals near the transition temperature and that secondary voltage in zero external magnetic field is induced by thermally activated vortex loop unbinding. The phase transition between the bound and unbound states of the vortex loops was found to be below the temperature where the phase coherence of the superconducting order parameter extends over the whole volume of the sample. We show experimentally that 3D/2D phase transition in vortex dimensionality is a length-scale-dependent layer decoupling process and takes place simultaneously with the 3D/2D phase transition in superconductivity at the same temperature.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Physica

Renormalization-Group Analysis of Layered Sine-Gordon Type Models

We analyze the phase structure and the renormalization group (RG) flow of the generalized sine-Gordon models with nonvanishing mass terms, using the Wegner-Houghton RG method in the local potential approximation. Particular emphasis is laid upon the layered sine-Gordon (LSG) model, which is the bosonized version of the multi-flavour Schwinger model and approaches the sum of two ``normal'', massless sine-Gordon (SG) models in the limit of a vanishing interlayer coupling J. Another model of interest is the massive sine-Gordon (MSG) model. The leading-order approximation to the UV (ultra-violet) RG flow predicts two phases for the LSG as well as for the MSG, just as it would be expected for the SG model, where the two phases are known to be separated by the Coleman fixed point. The presence of finite mass terms (for the LSG and the MSG) leads to corrections to the UV RG flow, which are naturally identified as the ``mass corrections''. The leading-order mass corrections are shown to have the following consequences: (i) for the MSG model, only one phase persists, and (ii) for the LSG model, the transition temperature is modified. Within the mass-corrected UV scaling laws, the limit of J -> 0 is thus nonuniform with respect to the phase structure of the model. The modified phase structure of general massive sine-Gordon models is connected with the breaking of symmetries in the internal space spanned by the field variables. For the LSG, the second-order subleading mass corrections suggest that there exists a cross-over regime before the IR scaling sets in, and the nonlinear terms show explicitly that higher-order Fourier modes appear in the periodic blocked potential.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figure

Preliminary S-193 RADSCAT oceanographic data for Skylab 2

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Renormalization Group Study of the Intrinsic Finite Size Effect in 2D Superconductors

Vortices in a thin-film superconductor interact logarithmically out to a distance on the order of the two-dimensional (2D) magnetic penetration depth $\lambda_\perp$, at which point the interaction approaches a constant. Thus, because of the finite $\lambda_\perp$, the system exhibits what amounts to an {\it intrinsic} finite size effect. It is not described by the 2D Coulomb gas but rather by the 2D Yukawa gas (2DYG). To study the critical behavior of the 2DYG, we map the 2DYG to the massive sine-Gordon model and then perform a renormalization group study to derive the recursion relations and to verify that $\lambda_\perp$ is a relevant parameter. We solve the recursion relations to study important physical quantities for this system including the renormalized stiffness constant and the correlation length. We also address the effect of current on this system to explain why finite size effects are not more prevalent in experiments given that the 2D magnetic penetration depth is a relevant parameter.Comment: 8 pages inRevTex, 5 embedded EPS figure

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's Construction Industry

The construction industry is integral to New Jersey's economy, employing over 160,000 people. Nationally and in New Jersey, the construction industry is thriving, injecting billions of dollars into the state. Jobs in the industry are changing with an influx of new technology and new building materials, requiring that workers have more technical expertise than in the past. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key construction occupations and identifies strategies for meeting the key workforce challenges facing the industry

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's Health Care Industry

The health care industry in New Jersey employs almost 350,000 people. However, state, national, and international shortages of nurses is raising widespread concern in the industry. Jobs in the industry are changing in response to pressures to control costs and the demands of an increasingly consolidated industry. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key health care occupations and identifies strategies for meeting the workforce challenges facing the industry