Understanding The Nicaraguan Adjustment And Central American Relief Act

On November 19, 1997, President Clinton signed into law the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act\u27 (NACARA)

An experimental study of VLF mode coupling and polarization reversal

VLF mode coupling and polarization reversa

Integrated NTP Vehicle Radiation Design

The development of a nuclear thermal propulsion stage requires consideration for radiation emitted from the nuclear reactor core. Applying shielding mass is an effective mitigating solution, but a better alternative is to incorporate some mitigation strategies into the propulsion stage and crew habitat. In this way, the required additional mass is minimized and the mass that must be applied may in some cases be able to serve multiple purposes. Strategies for crew compartment shielding are discussed that reduce dose from both engine and cosmic sources, and in some cases may also serve to reduce life support risks by permitting abundant water reserves. Early consideration for integrated mitigation solutions in a crewed nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) vehicle will enable reduced radiation burden from both cosmic and nuclear sources, improved thrust-to-weight ratio or payload capacity by reducing 'dead mass' of shielding, and generally support a more robust risk posture for a NTP-powered Mars mission by permitting shorter trip times and increased water reserves

Discovery of a Probiotic to Reduce the Risk of Lactic Acidosis in Cattle

Experiments described here were designed to find a way to reduce the productivity loss that is associated with rumen acidosis. A strain of Prevotella bryantii was selected and isolated based on its ability to grow rapidly on starch and to produce organic acids other than lactic acid. Tests with this strain in vitro and in goats and dairy cows support the concept that this bacterium is able to compete for substrate with lactic acid bacteria and that it has promise as a probiotic inoculant to protect ruminants from lactic acidosis

Water quality impacts of the mountain pine beetle infestation in the Rocky Mountain west

November 2014.Includes bibliographical references.The Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) is the primary cause of insect-induced mortality in pine forests in western North America where some lodgepole forests have experienced more than 90% tree mortality. The implications of MPB infestation on water resources are particularly important in the Rocky Mountains, which serve as the source-water region for more than 60 million people. Two important potential watershed impacts are changes in the hydrologic cycle and water quality. While impacts on the hydrologic cycle have received some attention, the interconnection between these changes and the impacts of the widespread infestation on water quality are not well understood. This study uses a combination of field sample analysis and modeling based in Rocky Mountain National Park to address two potential MPB-driven effects on water quality: increased metal concentrations with ecotoxicological and human health ramifications and the changes in source water contributions to streamflow with possible implications for metal and carbon transport to downstream drinking water supplies. Previous work from the research team at Colorado School of Mines identified increased potential for disinfection byproduct formation at water treatment plants receiving water from heavily MPB-killed forests. These increases exhibited surprising seasonal trends that suggest that the transport of carbon to streams, and thus the flowpaths of water, may be different in MPB-killed forests. The first question was investigated by sequentially extracting trace metals from soils under trees with vary levels of impact, and using geochemical models to identify important process-level drivers of changes in metal mobility. Laboratory results identify redistribution of metals in soils under beetle-killed trees with greater mobilization potential for cadmium, and increases in zinc and copper, likely related to fluxes from needle leachate. Results also align with geochemical models and identify changes in organic carbon inputs as the primary driver of increased metal mobility. The second questions was addressed using a chemical hydrograph separation approach to partition streamwater into the fractions derived from groundwater, rain, and snow. Results demonstrate that fractional late-summer groundwater contributions from impacted watersheds are approximately 30 ± 15% greater after infestation and when compared with a neighboring watershed that experienced earlier and less-severe attack. Water budget analysis compared to published sap flux and remotely sensing studies reveals that this change is consistent with expected increases in groundwater from loss of transpiration across the watershed. A predictive statistical model (calibrated to observations within and around Rocky Mountain National Park) suggests that dissolved organic carbon concentrations in streams will be higher in areas where tree mortality is higher. Although, a strong statistical correlation was not found with the method used. Ultimately, this study identifies process-level hydrologic and biogeochemical changes that improve understanding of the vulnerability of Rocky Mountain water supplies to MPB outbreaks

Employing Cueing Systems to Decode Text and Negotiate Text-Meaning in a Second Language

Many educators state that teaching English-Language Learners (ELLs) is just a matter of good teaching. While effective teaching is something that all children deserve, there are some differences between the approach a teacher may have to take with ELLs and with other students. One aspect of this difference is the fact that, while children go through the same stages of language development, ELLs may be at stages typically not found in other students. Based on a case study of an EL and his teacher, this article explains cueing systems and their role in literacy for ELs

Corn or Sorghum/ Italian Ryegrass Forage Rotation Under Different Cultivation Systems in High Rainfall Areas of Spain

A field assay was established at three locations in northern Spain with the main objective of characterizing forage production and evaluating no-tillage methods as an alternative to the conventional labour practices. Three fields located in Guntìn (Galicia), Grado (Asturias) and Derio (Basque Country) were sown different rotations: Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.)-corn (Zea mays L.) and Italian ryegrass-sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x sudangrass) under two different systems: conventional tillage (T) and no-tillage (NT). Italian ryegrass-corn rotation was more productive than the sorghum x sudangrass rotation in the three sites, with average forage yield varying from 17.8 t DM/ha in Derio to 15.0 t DM/ha in Guntìn. Corn under T treatment produced more than NT treatment (10.5 and 8.9 t DM/ha, respectively). Yield achieved in the T system was not large enough to compensate the extra labour cost involved in the T system