FORMS OF PROPERTY RIGHTS AND THE IMPACTS OF CHANGING OWNERSHIP

Land Economics/Use,

Casting And Solidification Technology (CAST): Directional solidification phenomena in a metal model at reduced gravity

The Casting and Solidification Technology (CAST) experiment will study the phenomena that occur during directional solidification of an alloy, e.g., constitutional supercooling, freckling, and dendrite coarsening. The reduced gravity environment of space will permit the individual phenomena to be examined with minimum complication from buoyancy driven flows

An optical study of grain formation: Casting and solidification technology (2-IML-1)

By studying the unidirectional growth of a metal-model material in microgravity, an attempt is made to characterize alloy solidification. Using holograms and supporting temperature measurements obtained during processing in the Fluids Experiment System (FES), the solute and thermal fields associated with the dendrite growth front and extraneous nucleation will be measured and compared to a theoretical (computational) model. Ground based supporting experiments include particle tracking to measure the velocity fields, and optical phase shift techniques (confocal optical signal processing, interferometry, and Schlieren) to study thermal and solutal fields

Ranking the geothermal potential of radiothermal granites in Scotland: are any others as hot as the Cairngorms?

Prior investigations concur that the granite plutons in Scotland which are most likely to prove favourable for geothermal exploration are the Ballater, Bennachie, Cairngorm and Mount Battock plutons, all of which have heat production values greater than 5 μW m−3. This heat production arises from the significant concentrations of potassium, uranium and thorium in some granite plutons. A new field-based gamma-ray spectrometric survey targeted plutons that were poorly surveyed in the past or near areas of high heat demand. This survey identifies several other plutons (Ben Rhinnes, Cheviot, Hill of Fare, Lochnagar and Monadhliath) with heat production rates between 3 and 5 μW m−3 that could well have geothermal gradients sufficient for direct heat use rather than higher temperatures required for electricity generation. The Criffel and Cheviot plutons are examples of Scottish granites that have concentric compositional zonation and some zones have significantly higher (up to 20%) heat production rates than others in the same plutons. However, the relatively small surface areas of individual high heat-production zones mean that it is unlikely to be worthwhile specifically targeting them

Gamma-ray spectrometry in the field: Radioactive heat production in the Central Slovakian Volcanic Zone

We report 62 sets of measurements from central-southern Slovakia, obtained using a modern portable gamma-ray spectrometer, which reveal the radioactive heat production in intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks of the Late Cenozoic Central Slovakian Volcanic Zone. Sites in granodiorite of the Štiavnica pluton are thus shown to have heat production in the range ~ 2.2–4.9 μW m− 3, this variability being primarily a reflection of variations in content of the trace element uranium. Sites in dioritic parts of this pluton have a lower, but overlapping, range of values, ~ 2.1–4.4 μW m− 3. Sites that have been interpreted in adjoining minor dioritic intrusions of similar age have heat production in the range ~ 1.4–3.3 μW m− 3. The main Štiavnica pluton has zoned composition, with potassium and uranium content and radioactive heat production typically increasing inward from its margins, reflecting variations observed in other granodioritic plutons elsewhere. It is indeed possible that the adjoining dioritic rocks, hitherto assigned to other minor intrusions of similar age, located around the periphery of the Štiavnica pluton, in reality provide further evidence for zonation of the same pluton. The vicinity of this pluton is associated with surface heat flow ~ 40 mW m− 2 above the regional background. On the basis of our heat production measurements, we thus infer that the pluton has a substantial vertical extent, our preferred estimate for the scale depth for its downward decrease in radioactive heat production being ~ 8 km. Nonetheless, this pluton lacks any significant negative Bouguer gravity anomaly. We attribute this to the effect of the surrounding volcanic caldera, filled with relatively low-density lavas, ‘masking’ the pluton's own gravity anomaly. We envisage that emplacement occurred when the pluton was much hotter, and thus of lower density, than at present, its continued uplift, evident from the local geomorphology, being the isostatic consequence of localized erosion. The heat production in this intrusion evidently plays a significant role, hitherto unrecognized, in the regional geothermics

Deaf-Blindness and Autistic Spectrum Disorder

One factor that stands out regarding individuals who are deaf-blind and autistic is the dearth of literature and research about the condition. In addition to discussing the possible reasons for this, the paper covers the diagnosis of autism in those who are deaf-blind, some of the etiologies of the syndrome of autism and deaf-blindness, and some data on the current prevalence of the condition

National Use of IUCN Knowledge Products in the New World: A Study of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and National Reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Biodiversity loss continues to be an increasing concern to conservationists, governments, society and policymakers. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) currently serves as the key multilateral environmental agreement to provide a framework for protecting global biodiversity. Parties to the CBD are required to develop and submit a National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) and National Reports to the CBD. These documents serve as the principal instruments used by governments and stakeholders to identify priorities, implement and track progress of the CBD at the national level. New World countries hold a large proportion of the planet’s biodiversity and are suffering some of the most dramatic declines in species populations and biodiversity. Over the past 50 years, the IUCN has been producing biodiversity and conservation knowledge products that are fundamental for tracking the progress of the many international targets, such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals. The goal of this study is to examine if New World countries are using IUCN knowledge products to help construct NBSAPs or National Reports. 234 documents (69 NBSAPs and 162 National Reports) were analyzed for IUCN knowledge product keywords. A total of 196 documents had at least one mention of an IUCN knowledge product and 42 had no mention of any of the knowledge products. 89.4% of keyword coded segments dealt with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN publications, GBIF, Protected Areas Categories, KBAs, GISD, ECOLEX, the Red List of Ecosystems and WDPA had small percentages of the remaining coded segments (10.6% total). There was no mention of GRIIS, IBAT, the Green List of Species or the Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas or the Green List of Species in any of the documents. Further studies should investigate awareness levels of IUCN knowledge products among appointed national focal points for the CBD, particularly in those countries with low levels of knowledge product use, to determine reasons why they may, or may not being using them in NBSAP and National Report Development and explore potential avenues to increase awareness and use at the national level. IUCN knowledge products should continue to form an integral part of future indicators during this critical moment for biodiversity conservation

Fifty years of Research on the Intelligence of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: A Review of Literature and Discussion of Implications

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Perspectives on Deafness and Mental Health

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