Microgreen Growth In Microgravity Versus Earth: A UB-Student Spaceflight Experimental Project Mission 12

Faculty Research Day 2018: Student Spaceflight Experiments Program FinalistThe experiment will give us a better understanding of growing a plant in space versus Earth. The purpose of this experiment is to compare the growth rate of microgreens in gravity versus microgravity. We want to see the similarities and differences of growing microgreens in the different conditions. The Veggie system was launched in 2014 according to Herridge, L., astronauts were able to grow red romaine lettuce in 2015 at the ISS according to Foley, K.E. Instead of growing red romaine lettuce, microgreens will be used. Gardener’s Gold potting soil was chosen as the dirt for this experiment because it is all organic and plants will grow a lot faster with this brand, which also contains fertilizer. This was obtained at Ganim's Garden Center in Fairfield CT, which is also available at other garden centers as well. Microgreen seeds were used for this experiment because it’s very versatile, easy to grow, and it’s an edible plant. It was also obtained from Ganim’s Garden Center, but these seeds could be obtained almost any garden center

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80

We report object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80 is undergoing a sustained activity outburst, lasting over 15 months thus far. These findings stem in part from our NASA Partner Citizen Science project Active Asteroids (http://activeasteroids.net), which we introduce here. We acquired new observations of 282P via our observing campaign (Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, Lowell Discovery Telescope, and the Gemini South telescope), confirming 282P was active on UT 2022 June 7, some 15 months after 2021 March images showed activity in the 2021/2022 epoch. We classify 282P as a member of the Quasi-Hilda Objects, a group of dynamically unstable objects found in an orbital region similar to, but distinct in their dynamical characteristics to, the Hilda asteroids (objects in 3:2 resonance with Jupiter). Our dynamical simulations show 282P has undergone at least five close encounters with Jupiter and one with Saturn over the last 180 years. 282P was most likely a Centaur or Jupiter Family Comet (JFC) 250 years ago. In 350 years, following some 15 strong Jovian interactions, 282P will most likely migrate to become a JFC or, less likely, a main-belt asteroid. These migrations highlight a dynamical pathway connecting Centaurs and JFC with Quasi-Hildas and, potentially, active asteroids. Synthesizing these results with our thermodynamical modeling and new activity observations, we find volatile sublimation is the primary activity mechanism. Observations of a quiescent 282P, which we anticipate will be possible in 2023, will help confirm our hypothesis by measuring a rotation period and ascertaining spectral type.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure

Unsteady supersonic cascade theory including nonlinear thickness effects

Several problems are treated which arise in the study of generalized airforces in unsteady supersonic cascades having subsonic axial velocity. The finite cascade of oscillating wedges is first solved numerically. When the thickness is very small, the general nonlinear solution agrees with results based on the linear theory of characteristics, while for the single wedge oscillating near shock detachment it agrees closely with Carrier's exact solution. There is some indication that thickness effects are reduced by cascading. Next, the finite cascade of oscillating flat plates is solved analytically, to the third power of oscillation frequency. The generalized surface pressure is shown to agree with exact numerical results for moderate blade index, but diverges in the far field of the cascade. For comparison with the finite cascade, there is presented finally an elementary periodic solution for the infinite cascade. A simple relationship between the two basic cascade models is developed. The investigation is presently restricted to flow regions upstream of Mach wave reflections in the blade passages.http://archive.org/details/unsteadysuperson00chadResearch Associate, Naval Surface Weapons CenterApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Reactions of Methyl Perfluoroalkyl Ethers with Isopropyl Alcohol: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

The reaction of an isomeric mixture of the methyl perfluoroalkyl ether, C4F9OCH3 (Novec-7100), in the presence of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and/or water has been studied by measuring the rate of product formation using an ion-selective electrode (ISE) for fluoride ion, Karl Fisher coulometric titrations for water, and 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy for product identification and rate studies. The results showed the methyl perfluoroalkyl ether to be very stable with products forming at the rate of ∼1 ppm per year at a laboratory temperature of 20 °C. Measurements over the temperature range of 6° to 100 °C were made on samples aged for periods up to 1.8 years. Density functional theory calculations (DFT, B3LYP/6-31+G(d)) were employed to investigate different reaction pathways and formulate the probable reaction mechanism. The experimental enthalpy (ΔH⧧) and entropy (ΔS⧧) of activation were determined based on several different kinetic measurements. The ΔH⧧ values are in the range of 20–25 kcal/mol and the corresponding ΔS⧧ values range from −32 to −15 cal/(mol K). These are in good agreement with the theoretical values. While the range of ΔH⧧ values does not change appreciatively, the ΔS⧧ values are dependent on the proportion of vapor to liquid involved in the reaction of C4F9OCH3 with IPA so that the more vapor the more negative the ΔS⧧ value

Odour dialects among wild mammals

Across multiple taxa, population structure and dynamics depend on effective signalling between individuals. Among mammals, chemical communication is arguably the most important sense, underpinning mate choice, parental care, territoriality and even disease transmission. There is a growing body of evidence that odours signal genetic information that may confer considerable benefits including inbreeding avoidance and nepotism. To date, however, there has been no clear evidence that odours encode population-level information in wild mammals. Here we demonstrate for the first time the existence of ‘odour dialects’ in genetically distinct mammalian subpopulations across a large geographical scale. We found that otters, Lutra lutra, from across the United Kingdom possess sex and biogeography-specific odours. Subpopulations with the most distinctive odour profiles are also the most genetically diverse but not the most genetically differentiated. Furthermore, geographic distance between individuals does not explain regional odour differences, refuting other potential explanations such as group odour sharing behaviour. Differences in the language of odours between subpopulations have the potential to affect individual interactions, which could impact reproduction and gene-flow