The Boltysh impact crater, Ukraine: smectites from the crater-fill suevites

The Boltysh crater has an entire suite of crater-fill impactites preserved, including two impact melt- bearing breccias. Smectite occurrence in the breccias suggests two stages of alteration; an early hydrothermal mineralization, and a later, low temperature weathering. δD and δ18O of smectite separates are currently being measured and will be presented

Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Is Teacher Certification Area Associated with Academic Outcomes?

Although typically taught by special educators, few studies have examined if certification area is associated with academic outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The purpose of this study was to determine whether students with ASD scored better on language arts and mathematics state assessments depending on teacher certification, and whether these associations varied by assessment type. We analyzed 3 years of state administrative data from students with ASD in grades 4–8 receiving special education services. Results showed students taking the regular or alternate assessment had similar academic outcomes regardless of teacher certification. Students who were taught by special education certified teachers and took the modified assessment had lower academic outcomes. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed

Application of the Laser to Electric Propulsion

Illumination of a metallic surface with focused light from a ruby laser has been shown to produce very high density ion emission, the ionized particles being emitted with substantial initial velocities. Ion currents of several amperes and electron current of hundreds of amperes have been obtained from a surface disc less than 0.020 in diameter. Ion velocities have been measured to be over 4 kilometers per second as emitted, and changed very slowly with changes in laser energy applied to the emitter. Estimates of emitter temperature and plasma density together with electrical measurements of currents and voltages indicate a highly ionized plasma. Mass spectrometer measurements verified that only singly charged atoms were being formed and that ionization of the emitter was over 99 percent complete. These findings suggest that the laser excited emission technique should find favorable application to two types of thrustors. In one type the impulse caused by the relatively high initial velocity of the emitted particles would be used directly; in the second, the high density relatively monoenergetic and highly ionized plasma would be used as an ion or plasma source in an accelerator type thrustors thus obtaining higher ejection velocities and consequent higher values of specific impulse. The experimental results show that thrusts of about 25 millipounds were produced with 196 watts per millipound power consumption. The specific impulse in the direct thrustor example cited was about 600 seconds. When used as an ion source, several amperes of ion current can be obtained at ionization efficiencies of 600 ev per ion when only the laser is used. The energy required for ion production was found to be as low as 30 ev/ion when ionization was enhanced by the external circuit. Thrust and specific impulse in this case are controlled by the accelerating potentials selected for a given engine. The laser excited emission process is inherently free of standby or warmup power requirements; therefore, the cycling of thrustors using this technique could be predicated exclusively on thrust requirements and on the desired precision of control -without penalty of added power consumption, or equipment malfunction caused by fast cycling. A program to establish the applicability of the laser stimulated emission technique to thrustors and to obtain data for design and evaluation of such thrustors is currently being performed under NASA contract NAS 3-5919

A Comparison of Rainfall Estimation Techniques

This study compares two techniques that have been developed for rainfall and streamflow estimation with the aim of identifying strengths and weaknesses of each. The first technique utilises thin plate smoothing splines to develop rainfall surfaces for the catchment, which are then, in conjunction with daily point-wise rainfall data used to determine areal catchment estimates. The second technique develops a regression-based model relating elevation to total annual rainfall in order to scale rainfall for daily mean catchment rainfall estimates. Both approaches are compared in common catchments in the upper Murrumbidgee catchment. The comparison includes using the data from each of the approaches as input to a rainfall-runoff model and by comparison of the quality of modelled results to observed streamflow. The strengths, weaknesses and use for catchment managers in decision making are identified. The study results revealed that where rain station spatial density and data quality are high, both regression and the spline method perform equally as well in estimating long term rainfall trends. In conclusion, catchment managers could apply the simple regression technique over the sophisticated spline method to achieve the comparable results. This is particularly useful where an efficient yet simple method is required for assessing streamflow within similar catchments

Optimization and cost estimation of microalgal lipid extraction using ozone-rich microbubbles for biodiesel production

Harvesting and extracting lipids from the microalgal biomass are the most expensive processes in biodiesel production. This study focuses on reducing the lipid extraction cost using ozone-rich microbubbles technique. The lipid extraction of Dunaliella salina slurry with methanol (1:2 v/v) was performed in a 0.2 L bioreactor at room temperature with direct ozonation (8 mg L−1). When the temperature was increased (60 ̊C) and smaller bubbles were introduced during extraction, the concentration of products increased significantly to around 156%, 88.9% and 150% for 6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one, palmitic acid and stearic acid, respectively. The energy usage for extracting D. salina lipid with ozone has been estimated to be around 2.16 MJ kg−1 dry algae (36% energy) which is a small fraction of the energy that is used in the production of biodiesel, unlike centrifugation and solvent extraction methods, which consume more than 90% of the energy

Support with nutrition for women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer

Nurses are in a unique position to provide nutritional support and information to women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, supporting them with making decisions regarding nutrition and diet. This narrative review evaluated the research evidence relating to: the nutritional challenges experienced during chemotherapy; and the most effective approaches for supporting women with dietary choice. Weight gain was identified as a specific problem for women undergoing chemotherapy. The evidence indicated that information about nutrition and food preparation support may go some way to assisting women in overcoming some of the nutrition related challenges experienced during chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. However, further research is required to better inform person-centred nursing practice in this area.sch_nur27pub5155pub

In-situ nanoSIMS measurements of isotopic hotspots in the CM2 meteorite Cold Bokkeveld

Previous studies have identified iso-topic hotspots in insoluble organic matter (IOM) from carbonaceous chondrites. The origins and formation mechanisms of these hotspots and the host IOM are a matter of ongoing debate. For example, it is not clear whether D and 15N enrichments in IOM formed within a common organic precursor in cold interstellar environments or due to irradiation of organic material in the early Solar System. It is also unclear what effect parent body processes would have had with regard to the alteration of meteoritic IOM. In order to address these issues, more recent studies have attempted to make in-situ measurements of isotopic anomalies in IOM. In this study we present in-situ NanoSIMS isotopic analyses of material within a sample of the CM2 meteorite Cold Bokkeveld, comparing the distribution of hotspots and bulk H, C and N isotopic composition in the rims and interiors of altered chondrules