Heavy metals in particulate matter in Spokane County

Heavy metals in particulate matter (e.g., dust) have multiple negative health ramifications for humans including cancer, infertility, and reduced lung function. The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) has seven air quality monitoring stations around Spokane County to measure total levels of PM2.5 (particles with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers) and PM10 (particles with a diameter less than 10 micrometers). For comparison, the width of a human hair is between 50 and 70 micrometers. The objective of this research is to examine the heavy metal composition of the particulate matter including elements such as lead, copper, and zinc. We obtained air filters from the SRCAA which had accumulated particulate matter in rural or urban environments including Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge and downtown Spokane over discrete time periods in 2013 and 2014. A microwave digestion method using nitric acid was developed to extract particulate matter from the filters. To determine the heavy metal content of the filters, we are in the process of analyzing the digestions using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES)

Luttinger liquid behavior in multi-wall carbon nanotubes

The low-energy theory for multi-wall carbon nanotubes including the long-ranged Coulomb interactions, internal screening effects, and single-electron hopping between graphite shells is derived and analyzed by bosonization methods. Characteristic Luttinger liquid power laws are found for the tunneling density of states, with exponents approaching their Fermi liquid value only very slowly as the number of conducting shells increases. With minor modifications, the same conclusions apply to transport in ropes of single-wall nanotubes.Comment: 4 pages Revte

Superconductivity in carbon nanotube ropes

We investigate the conditions in which superconductivity may develop in ropes of carbon nanotubes. It is shown that the interaction among a large number of metallic nanotubes favors the appearance of a metallic phase in the ropes, intermediate between respective phases with spin-density-wave and superconducting correlations. These arise in samples with about 100 metallic nanotubes or more, where the long-range Coulomb interaction is very effectively reduced and it may be overcome by the attractive interaction from the exchange of optical phonons within each nanotube. We estimate that the probability for the tunneling of Cooper pairs between neighboring nanotubes is much higher than that for single electrons in a disordered rope. The effect of pair hopping is therefore what establishes the intertube coherence, and the tunneling amplitude of the Cooper pairs dictates the scale of the transition to the superconducting state.Comment: 12 page

In situ δ7Li, Li/Ca, and Mg/Ca analyses of synthetic aragonites

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 12 (2011): Q03001, doi:10.1029/2010GC003322.In situ secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses of δ7Li, Li/Ca, and Mg/Ca were performed on five synthetic aragonite samples precipitated from seawater at 25°C at different rates. The compositions of δ7Li in bulk aragonites and experimental fluids were measured by multicollector inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Both techniques yielded similar δ7Li in aragonite when SIMS analyses were corrected to calcium carbonate reference materials. Fractionation factors α7Li/6Li range from 0.9895 to 0.9923, which translates to a fractionation between aragonite and fluid from −10.5‰ to −7.7‰. The within-sample δ7Li range determined by SIMS is up to 27‰, exceeding the difference between bulk δ7Li analyses of different aragonite precipitates. Moreover, the centers of aragonite hemispherical bundles (spherulites) are enriched in Li/Ca and Mg/Ca relative to spherulite fibers by up to factors of 2 and 8, respectively. The Li/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios of spherulite fibers increase with aragonite precipitation rate. These results suggest that precipitation rate is a potentially important consideration when using Li isotopes and elemental ratios in natural carbonates as a proxy for seawater composition and temperature.SIMS analyses were supported by U.S. NSF, EAR, Instrumentation and Facilities Program. The development of the method for bulk d7Li analysis and the MC‐ICP‐MS measurements were covered by NSF grant EAR/IF‐0318137. Precipitation experiments were supported by NSF through grants OCE‐0402728, OCE‐0527350, and OCE‐0823527 to Glenn Gaetani and Anne Cohen and through grant EAR‐0337481 to Bruce Watson

Seismic structure of the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge : correlations with seismicity and hydrothermal activity

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (2007): B02401, doi:10.1029/2005JB004210.Multichannel seismic reflection data collected in July 2002 at the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge, show a midcrustal reflector underlying all of the known high-temperature hydrothermal vent fields in this area. On the basis of the character and geometry of this reflection, its similarity to events at other spreading centers, and its polarity, we identify this as a reflection from one or more crustal magma bodies rather than from a hydrothermal cracking front interface. The Endeavour magma chamber reflector is found under the central, topographically shallow section of the segment at two-way traveltime (TWTT) values of 0.9–1.4 s (∼2.1–3.3 km) below the seafloor. It extends approximately 24 km along axis and is shallowest beneath the center of the segment and deepens toward the segment ends. On cross-axis lines the axial magma chamber (AMC) reflector is only 0.4–1.2 km wide and appears to dip 8–36° to the east. While a magma chamber underlies all known Endeavour high-temperature hydrothermal vent fields, AMC depth is not a dominant factor in determining vent fluid properties. The stacked and migrated seismic lines also show a strong layer 2a event at TWTT values of 0.30 ± 0.09 s (380 ± 120 m) below the seafloor on the along-axis line and 0.38 ± 0.09 s (500 ± 110 m) on the cross-axis lines. A weak Moho reflection is observed in a few locations at TWTT values of 1.9–2.4 s below the seafloor. By projecting hypocenters of well-located microseismicity in this region onto the seismic sections, we find that most axial earthquakes are concentrated just above the magma chamber and distributed diffusely within this zone, indicating thermal-related cracking. The presence of a partially molten crustal magma chamber argues against prior hypotheses that hydrothermal heat extraction at this intermediate spreading ridge is primarily driven by propagation of a cracking front down into a frozen magma chamber and indicates that magmatic heat plays a significant role in the hydrothermal system. Morphological and hydrothermal differences between the intermediate spreading Endeavour and fast spreading ridges are attributable to the greater depth of the Endeavour AMC and the corresponding possibility of axial faulting.E.V.A. was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the WHOI-MIT Joint Program, and the WHOI Deep Ocean Exploration Institute. This work was also supported by OCE-0002551 to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, OCE-0002488 to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and OCE-0002600 to Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Osseous metaplasia in an ulcerating tubular adenoma of the colon: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Heterotopic bone is rarely found in the gastrointestinal tract. Here we report a rare case of metaplastic ossification within a benign ulcerating adenoma and review the literature concerning the aetiology.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 63-year-old woman, who presented with a history of melaena, was found at colonoscopy to have a pedunculated ulcerating polyp. Histological examination demonstrated multiple areas of osseous metaplasia within the polyp stroma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Heterotopic ossification in colonic adenomas is a particularly rare phenomenon, with the majority of cases occurring within malignant lesions. The suggested mechanisms for its aetiology still remain unclear.</p

How academic librarians, IT staff and research administrators perceive and relate to research

Academic libraries are changing how they support research. For example, their involvement in Research Data Management (RDM) implies a much deeper relationship with researchers throughout the research lifecycle. Perhaps we are witnessing a shift from support to partnership. The study reported here examined how librarians, IT staff and research administrators see research and their own relation to it. Within an interpretative methodology, twenty semi-structured interviews with librarians, IT staff and research administrators were analysed thematically. Librarians often talked about research via the discourse of research-led teaching. They also conceived of it via notions of collection and to a lesser extent through reference work or copyright expertise. They saw some of their own continuing professional development or service development work as akin to the work of university researchers, but at the other end of a spectrum. Some saw a categorical difference and considered that research was only conducted by people who had a job title of researcher. IT managers tended to see research via infrastructure or specialist expertise. But at least one IT staff member saw himself as both partly a researcher and a bridge between research and support. Research administrators tended to see research through the roles of administrative support and policy influence. In summary, seven broad narratives about research were identified, namely: influencing researchers to align with policy; being a researcher; being a bridge with research; offering expertise; providing infrastructure; supporting a research/teaching nexus; relieving researchers of administrative burdens. As institutions develop research partnerships, e.g. around RDM, training and curricula will need to expand existing conceptions and build deeper empathetic relationships with research

Submarine volcanic morphology of the western Galapagos based on EM300 bathymetry and MR1 side-scan sonar

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 8 (2007): Q03010, doi:10.1029/2006GC001464.A compilation of high-resolution EM300 multibeam bathymetric and existing MR1 side-scan sonar data was used to investigate the volcanic morphology of the flanks of the western Galápagos Islands. The data portray an assortment of constructional volcanic features on the shallow to deep submarine flanks of Fernandina, Isabela, and Santiago Islands, including rift zones and groups of cones that are considered to be the primary elements in constructing the archipelagic apron. Ten submarine rift zones were mapped, ranging in length from 5 to 20 km, comparable in length to western Canary Island rift zones but significantly shorter than Hawaiian submarine rift zones. A detailed analysis of the northwestern Fernandina submarine rift, including calculated magnetization from a surface-towed magnetic study, suggests that the most recent volcanism has focused at the shallow end of the rift. Small submarine volcanic cones with various morphologies (e.g., pointed, cratered, and occasionally breached) are common in the submarine western Galápagos both on rift zones and on the island flanks where no rifts are present. At depths greater than ∼3000 m, large lava flow fields in regions of low bathymetric relief have been previously identified as a common seafloor feature in the western Galápagos by Geist et al. (2006); however, their source(s) remained enigmatic. The new EM300 data show that a number of the deep lava flows originate from small cones along the mid-lower portion of the NW submarine rift of Fernandina, suggesting that the deep flows owe their origin, at least in part, to submarine rift zone volcanism.Data collected on TN188 was funded by NSF grant OCE0326148 and NOAA grant NA04OAR460009 to S.M.W. Support for data collected on previous multibeam and MR1 cruises was provided by NSF grants OCE9811504 and OCE0002461 (D.J.F.)

Channelized lava flows at the East Pacific Rise crest 9°–10°N : the importance of off-axis lava transport in developing the architecture of young oceanic crust

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 6 (2005): Q08005, doi:10.1029/2005GC000912.Submarine lava flows are the building blocks of young oceanic crust. Lava erupted at the ridge axis is transported across the ridge crest in a manner dictated by the rheology of the lava, the characteristics of the eruption, and the topography it encounters. The resulting lava flows can vary dramatically in form and consequently in their impact on the physical characteristics of the seafloor and the architecture of the upper 50–500 m of the oceanic crust. We have mapped and measured numerous submarine channelized lava flows at the East Pacific Rise (EPR) crest 9°–10°N that reflect the high-effusion-rate and high-flow-velocity end-member of lava eruption and transport at mid-ocean ridges. Channel systems composed of identifiable segments 50–1000 m in length extend up to 3 km from the axial summit trough (AST) and have widths of 10–50 m and depths of 2–3 m. Samples collected within the channels are N-MORB with Mg# indicating eruption from the AST. We produce detailed maps of lava surface morphology across the channel surface from mosaics of digital images that show lineated or flat sheets at the channel center bounded by brecciated lava at the channel margins. Modeled velocity profiles across the channel surface allow us to determine flux through the channels from 0.4 to 4.7 × 103 m3/s, and modeled shear rates help explain the surface morphology variation. We suggest that channelized lava flows are a primary mechanism by which lava accumulates in the off-axis region (1–3 km) and produces the layer 2A thickening that is observed at fast and superfast spreading ridges. In addition, the rapid, high-volume-flux eruptions necessary to produce channelized flows may act as an indicator of the local magma budget along the EPR. We find that high concentrations of channelized lava flows correlate with local, across-axis ridge morphology indicative of an elevated magma budget. Additionally, in locations where channelized flows are located dominantly to the east or west of the AST, the ridge crest is asymmetric, and layer 2A appears to thicken over a greater distance from the AST toward the side of the ridge crest where the channels are located.This work was supported by NSF grant OCE-9819261 (to H.S., M.A.T., and D.J.F.) as well as the Postdoctoral Scholar Program at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with funding provided by the Penzance Endowed Discretionary Fund