Soil-Saprolite Profiles Derived from Mafic Rocks in the North Carolina Piedmont: II. Association of Free Iron Oxides with Soils and Clays

The association of free Fe oxides with soils and clays from two Enon sandy loam (Ultic Hapludalfs, fine, mixed, thermic) soilsaprolite profiles was studied. Goethite was the dominant Fe oxide identified. Lepidocrocite was detected in trace amounts in some samples. FeCBD/clay ratios were highest in the epipedons of these soils suggesting the concentrating of Fe oxides as a result of aluminosilicate mineral weathering. External (BET-N2) surface area measurements of non-deferrated and deferrated clays were analyzed in conjunction with electron micrographs of selected clay fractions to determine the association of free Fe oxides with aluminosilicate clays as a function of depth in the profile. Free Fe oxides were found to exist mainly as small, discrete clusters in the A and B horizons of both profiles and specific of the clay surface decreased as a result of treatment for Fe removal. However, external surface areas increased for the saprolite (Cr) horizon clays after deferration. One subfraction identified as having an increase in surface area after deferration was fine clay from the Cr2 horizon, Enon (metagabbro) profile. Chemical data and electron micrographs suggest that either partial dissolution of small, poorly crystalline aluminosilicate clays or removal of some Fe or non-Fe oxide aggregating agent results in breakdown of the fine clays into smaller particles of higher net specific surface

Soil-Saprolite Profiles Derived from Mafic Rocks in the North Carolina Piedmont: I. Chemical, Morphological, and Mineralogical Characteristics and Transformations

The chemical, morphological and mineralogical properties of two Enon sandy loam (fine, mixed, thermic Ultic Hapludalfs) soilsaprolite profiles, one formed on gabbro and the other on metagabbro, are compared. Clay skins are scarce and stress cutans common in the argillic horizons of these soils. Iron-manganese concretions are concentrated in soil horizons immediately above the argillic horizons. The high shrink-swell capacities and slow permeabilities of the argillic horizons result in relatively shallow depths to paralithic contact with saprolite. The parent rock from the Enon profile near Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina is a medium-grained metagabbro with chlorite, hornblende, quartz, and calcic plagioclase feldspar as the dominant primary minerals. Chlorite weathers to regularly interstratified chlorite-vermiculite, which alters to randomly interstratified chlorite-vermiculite and smectite. Particle size decreases with each mineral alteration. Hornblende weathers to smectite and goethite. Calcic plagioclase feldspar transforms to kaolinite in the saprolite and soil horizons. Quartz is relatively resistant to chemical weathering. The parent rock of the Enon profile near Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina is a coarse-grained gabbro with hornblende and calcic plagioclase feldspar as the dominant primary minerals. Hornblende transforms to smectite and goethite. Calcic plagioclase feldspar alters to kaolinite in the saprolite and soil horizon

Factors influencing the inspirational effect of major sports events on audience sport participation behaviour

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the factors that determine the extent to which spectators attending one-off sports events feel inspired to increase their own participation in sport. The research considers both the socio-demographic and sport participation profile of the audience as well as the characteristics of an event as predictors of inspiration. The methodological approach involved secondary analysis of data collected from audiences across 10 events held in England since 2010. The findings are based on an aggregate sample of 7458 respondents. The statistical method used to analyse the data was multinomial logistic regression. The results show that the majority of respondents were inspired by the event that they attended, but the strength of the inspiration effect varied significantly according to their age; place of residence; ethnic origin; sport participation profile; and whether or not they had been exposed to information about opportunities to undertake sport. Moreover, events featuring team sports, non-age restricted events and elite events incorporating a mass participation component were also found to be positively related to inspiration. Several policy implications are identified for event organizers and public funders of both elite and community sport

Nano-porosity in GaSb induced by swift heavy ion irradiation

Nano-porous structures form in GaSb after ion irradiation with 185 MeV Au ions. The porous layer formation is governed by the dominant electronic energy loss at this energy regime. The porous layer morphology differs significantly from that previously reported for low-energy, ion-irradiated GaSb. Prior to the onset of porosity, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy indicates the formation of small vacancy clusters in single ion impacts, while transmission electron microscopy reveals fragmentation of the GaSb into nanocrystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix. Following this fragmentation process, macroscopic porosity forms, presumably within the amorphous phase.The authors thank the Australian Research Council for support and the staff at the ANU Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility for their continued technical assistance. R.C.E. acknowledges the support from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U.S. DOE (Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER45656)

Modern ‘live’ football: moving from the panoptican gaze to the performative, virtual and carnivalesque

Drawing on Redhead's discussion of Baudrillard as a theorist of hyperreality, the paper considers the different ways in which the mediatized ‘live’ football spectacle is often modelled on the ‘live’ however eventually usurps the ‘live’ forms position in the cultural economy, thus beginning to replicate the mediatized ‘live’. The blurring of the ‘live’ and ‘real’ through an accelerated mediatization of football allows the formation of an imagined community mobilized by the working class whilst mediated through the sanitization, selling of ‘events’ and the middle classing of football, through the re-encoding of sporting spaces and strategic decision-making about broadcasting. A culture of pub supporting then allows potential for working-class supporters to remove themselves from the panoptican gazing systems of late modern hyperreal football stadia and into carnivalesque performative spaces, which in many cases are hyperreal and simulated themselves

Planning and Leveraging Event Portfolios: Towards a Holistic Theory

This conceptual paper seeks to advance the discourse on the leveraging and legacies of events by examining the planning, management, and leveraging of event portfolios. This examination shifts the common focus from analyzing single events towards multiple events and purposes that can enable cross-leveraging among different events in pursuit of attainment and magnification of specific ends. The following frameworks are proposed: (1) event portfolio planning and leveraging, and (2) analyzing events networks and inter-organizational linkages. These frameworks are intended to provide, at this infancy stage of event portfolios research, a solid ground for building theory on the management of different types and scales of events within the context of a portfolio aimed to obtain, optimize and sustain tourism, as well as broader community benefits

Methodological quality of systematic reviews of animal studies: a survey of reviews of basic research

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews can serve as a tool in translation of basic life sciences research from laboratory to human research and healthcare. The extent to which reviews of animal research are systematic and unbiased is not known. METHODS: We searched, without language restrictions, Medline, Embase, bibliographies of known reviews (1996–2004) and contacted experts to identify citations of reviews of basic science literature which, as a minimum, performed search of a publicly available resource. From these we identified reviews of animal studies where laboratory variables were measured or where treatments were administered to live animals to examine their effects, and compared them with reviews of bench studies in which human or animal tissues, cell systems or organ preparations were examined in laboratories to better understand mechanisms of diseases. RESULTS: Systematic reviews of animal studies often lacked methodological features such as specification of a testable hypothesis (9/30, 30%); literature search without language restriction (8/30, 26.6%); assessment of publication bias (5/30, 16.6%), study validity (15/30, 50%) and heterogeneity (10/30, 33.3%); and meta-analysis for quantitative synthesis (12/30, 40%). Compared to reviews of bench studies, they were less prone to bias as they specified the question (96.6% vs. 80%, p = 0.04), searched multiple databases (60% vs. 26.6%, p = 0.01), assessed study quality (50% vs. 20%, p = 0.01), and explored heterogeneity (33.3% vs. 2.2%, p = 0.001) more often. CONCLUSION: There seems to be a gradient of frequency of methodological weaknesses among reviews: Attempted systematic reviews of whole animal research tend to be better than those of bench studies, though compared to systematic reviews of human clinical trials they are apparently poorer. There is a need for rigour when reviewing animal research

Factors Affecting Repeat Visitation and Flow-on Tourism as Sources of Event Strategy Sustainability

The sustainability of including medium sized one-time sport events in an event portfolio is examined with reference to the capacity of one such event to stimulate flow-on tourism (i.e. tourism activities beyond the event but around the time of the event), a desire to return to the destination, and positive word-of-mouth. Relationships among four motives (socialising, escape, learning about the destination, and learning about athletics), identification with the event (self and social identity), previous visitation to the host destination, information search, tourism activities, and likelihood of recommending and/or returning to the host destination were examined for four categories of attendees at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships: primary purpose spectators, casual spectators, athletes, and non-athlete participants. All four categories of attendee engaged in some information search and participated in flow-on tourism, but to a low degree. Information search fostered flow-on tourism. Classic tourism activities (e.g. sightseeing, visiting museums) were motivated by a desire to learn about the destination, and encouraged future visitation and likelihood of recommendation. It is concluded that medium-sized one-time sport events can play a sustainable role in event portfolios, but their efficacy requires greater integration of destination experiences with the event. It is suggested that future work should examine the means to cultivate that integration, including creation of more effective alliances between destination marketers and event organizers

Spent fuel waste form characteristics: Grain and fragment size statistical dependence for dissolution response

The Yucca Mountain Project of the US Department of Energy is investigating the suitability of the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, NV, for a high-level nuclear waste repository. All of the nuclear waste will be enclosed in a container package. Most of the nuclear waste will be in the form of fractured UO{sub 2} spent fuel pellets in Zircaloy-clad rods from electric power reactors. If failure of both the container and its enclosed clad rods occurs, then the fragments of the fractured UO{sub 2} spent fuel will be exposed to their surroundings. Even though the surroundings are an unsaturated zone, a possibility of water transport exists, and consequently, UO{sub 2} spent fuel dissolution may occur. A repository requirement imposes a limit on the nuclide release per year during a 10,000 year period; thus the short term dissolution response from fragmented fuel pellet surfaces in any given year must be understood. This requirement necessitates that both experimental and analytical activities be directed toward predicting the relatively short term dissolution response of UO{sub 2} spent fuel. The short term dissolution response involves gap nuclides, grain boundary nuclides, and grain volume nuclides. Analytical expressions are developed that describe the combined geometrical influences of grain boundary nuclides and grain volume nuclides on the dissolution rate of spent fuel. 7 refs., 1 fig