Radio and near-infrared observations of the steep spectrum Galactic plane radio source WKB 0314+57.8

Radio and near-infared observations towards the steep spectrum Galactic plane radio source WKB 0314+57.8 are presented, in order to clarify the nature of this source. The radio observations include archival and survey data, together with new Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations at 617 MHz. The near-infrared observations are in the J and K bands, from the Gemini instrument on the Shane 3-m telescope. The radio observations show that WKB 0314+57.8 is extended, with an very steep spectrum (with flux density proportional to frequency to -2.5 power between 40 MHz and 1.5 GHz). The colour--magnitude diagram constructed from near-infrared observations of the field suggests the presence of a z approx 0.08 galaxy cluster behind the Galactic plane, reddened by about 6 magnitudes of visual extinction. Although the steep spectrum source has no obvious identification, two other radio sources in the field covered by the near-infrared observations have tentative identifications with galaxies. These observations indicate that WKB 0314+57.8 is a relic source in a cluster of galaxies, not a pulsar.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in MNRAS, typos correcte

Quantification of contaminants associated with LDEF

The quantification of contaminants on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) and associated hardware or tools is addressed. The purpose of this study was to provide a background data base for the evaluation of the surface of the LDEF and the effects of orbital exposure on that surface. This study necessarily discusses the change in the distribution of contaminants on the LDEF with time and environmental exposure. Much of this information may be of value for the improvement of contamination control procedures during ground based operations. The particulate data represents the results of NASA contractor monitoring as well as the results of samples collected and analyzed by the authors. The data from the tapelifts collected in the Space Shuttle Bay at Edwards Air Force Base and KSC are also presented. The amount of molecular film distributed over the surface of the LDEF is estimated based on measurements made at specific locations and extrapolated over the surface area of the LDEF. Some consideration of total amount of volatile-condensible materials available to form the resultant deposit is also presented. All assumptions underlying these estimates are presented along with the rationale for the conclusions. Each section is presented in a subsection for particles and another for molecular films

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE: FILLING A NICHE MARKET

In less than a decade, the number of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects has grown to more than 400. Our research suggests that CSA shareholders' social objectives dominate their decision to join. Standard economic objectives and "club-related" objectives contribute to the decision, but are clearly secondary. Our research also suggests the CSA movement will continue to grow. Its emphasis on social objectives, its inability to supply food year around, and the ongoing development of size-neutral organic technologies, however, will probably keep it from becoming a major market channel in the next century.Agribusiness,

Introduction to the Apollo collections: Part 2: Lunar breccias

Basic petrographic, chemical and age data for a representative suite of lunar breccias are presented for students and potential lunar sample investigators. Emphasis is on sample description and data presentation. Samples are listed, together with a classification scheme based on matrix texture and mineralogy and the nature and abundance of glass present both in the matrix and as clasts. A calculus of the classification scheme, describes the characteristic features of each of the breccia groups. The cratering process which describes the sequence of events immediately following an impact event is discussed, especially the thermal and material transport processes affecting the two major components of lunar breccias (clastic debris and fused material)

Migration and generation of contaminants from launch through recovery: LDEF case history

It is possible to recreate the contamination history of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) through an analysis of its contaminants and selective samples that were collected from surfaces with better documented exposure histories. This data was then used to compare estimates based on monitoring methods that were selected for the purpose of tracking LDEF's exposure to contaminants. The LDEF experienced much more contamination than would have been assumed based on the monitors. Work is still in progress but much of what was learned so far is already being used in the selection of materials and in the design of systems for space. Now experiments are being prepared for flight to resolve questions created by the discoveries on the LDEF. A summary of what was learned about LDEF contaminants over the first year since recovery and deintegration is presented. Over 35 specific conclusions in 5 contamination related categories are listed

High Speed Photometry of SDSS J013701.06-091234.9

We present high speed photometry of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey cataclysmic variable SDSS J013701.06-091234.9 in quiescence and during its 2003 December superoutburst. The orbital modulation at 79.71\pm0.01 min is double humped; the superhump period is 81.702\pm0.007 min. Towards the end of the outburst late superhumps with a period of 81.29\pm0.01 min were observed. We argue that this is a system of very low mass transfer rate, and that it probably has a long outburst interval.Comment: 5 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Free Appropriate Public Education, the U.S. Supreme Court, and developing and implementing Individualized Education Programs

In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990) established the essential obligation of special education law, which is to develop a student’s individualized special education program that enables them to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE was defined in the federal law as special education and related services that: (a) are provided at public expense, (b) meet the standards of the state education agency, (c) include preschool, elementary, or secondary education, and (d) are provided in conformity with a student’s individualized education program (IEP). Thus, the IEP is the blueprint of an individual student’s FAPE. The importance of FAPE has been shown in the number of disputes that have arisen over the issue. In fact 85% to 90% of all special education litigation involves disagreements over the FAPE that students receive. FAPE issues boil down to the process and content of a student’s IEP. In this article, we differentiate procedural (process) and substantive (content) violations and provide specific guidance on how to avoid both process and content errors when drafting and implementing students’ IEPs

The Interaction of Retention, Recruitment, and Density-Dependent Mortality in the Spatial Placement of Marine Reserves

Population density can affect rates of mortality and individual growth. We measured these for the non-exploited bluehead wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum, at three sites around St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Previous work demonstrated that differences in the degree of larval retention in these sites results in very large differences in recruitment intensity. Post-settlement mortality differed among sites and was positively related to recruitment density. Post-settlement growth differences were small. Because of strong mortality effects early in life, adult densities and size/age distributions differed among sites and did not reflect differences in recruitment rate. The site with the highest retention and recruitment (Butler Bay) had many small fish, while the two other sites with lower recruitment rates (Jacks Bay and Green Cay) had proportionally more large fish. These differences resulted in large differences in egg production. Per capita production was highest at the lowest density site (Green Cay). Total egg production at Green Cay was 75% that at Butler Bay, despite only having half the population size, and the highest overall production was at Jacks Bay, with low retention and moderate recruitment. In terms of marine reserve location, sites predicted to have high retention and recruitment may not always be the sites of highest egg production due to density-dependent processes, and it is important to consider the relative values of self-recruitment and larval export in reserve design

A warped disk model for M33 and the 21-cm line width in spiral galaxies

To determine the actual HI distribution and the velocity field in the outermost disk of the spiral galaxy M33, a tilted-ring model is fitted to 21-cm line data taken with the Arecibo Telescope. Since M33 is one of the main calibrators for the extragalactic distance scale derived through the Tully-Fisher relation, the outer disk warping is of interest for a correct determination and deprojection of the galaxy's line width. Even though our best model predicts small effects on the observed line width of M33, we show that similar outer disk warping in galaxies oriented differently along our line of sight could affect the widths considerably. Therefore there may be systematic effects in the determination of the rotation velocities and dynamic masses of spiral galaxies, whose exact value depends also on which method is used for measuring the galaxy's total line width.Comment: 27 pages, ps files only, ApJ in pres

Critical fluctuations and random-anisotropy glass transition in nematic elastomers

We carry out a detailed deuterium NMR study of local nematic ordering in polydomain nematic elastomers. This system has a close analogy to the random-anisotropy spin glass. We find that, in spite of the quadrupolar nematic symmetry in 3-dimensions requiring a first-order transition, the order parameter in the quenched ``nematic glass'' emerges via a continuous phase transition. In addition, by a careful analysis of the NMR line shape, we deduce that the local director fluctuations grow in a critical manner around the transition point. This could be the experimental evidence for the Aizenman-Wehr theorem about the quenched impurities changing the order of discontinuous transition