Millipeds from the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota, USA, with an account of Pseudopolydesmus serratus (Say, 1821) (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae); first published records from six states and the District of Columbia

The diplopod orders Callipodida and Polydesmida, and their respective families Abacionidae and Xystodesmidae, are initially recorded from South Dakota as is Polydesmidae from North Dakota. Other new records of indigenous taxa include Abacion Rafinesque, 1820/A. texense (Loomis, 1937) and Pleuroloma/P. flavipes, both by Rafinesque, 1820, from South Dakota, and Pseudopolydesmus Attems, 1898/P. serratus (Say, 1821) from Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. New records of Aniulus garius Chamberlin, 1912, A. (Hakiulus) d. diversifrons (Wood, 1867), and Oriulus venustus (Wood, 1864) (Julida: Parajulidae) are provided for western Minnesota and/or eastern North Dakota. Published records from these states are summarized, and the introduced taxa, Julidae/Cylindroiulus Verhoeff, 1894/C. caeruleocinctus (Wood, 1864) and Paradoxosomatidae/Oxidus Cook, 1911/O. gracilis (C. L. Koch, 1847), are newly recorded from the Dakotas. The distribution of P. serratus, which extends from Maine to South Carolina and the Florida panhandle, west to Texas, and north to Fargo, North Dakota is described and discussed. This distribution exhibits a prominent southeastern lacuna which we hypothesize suggests replacement by younger, more successful species, as postulated for a similar distributional gap in Scytonotus granulatus (Say, 1821)

A cometary ion mass spectrometer

The development of flight suitable analyzer units for that part of the GIOTTO Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS) experiment designated the High Energy Range Spectrometer (HERS) is discussed. Topics covered include: design of the total ion-optical system for the HERS analyzer; the preparation of the design of analyzing magnet; the evaluation of microchannel plate detectors and associated two-dimensional anode arrays; and the fabrication and evaluation of two flight-suitable units of the complete ion-optical analyzer system including two-dimensional imaging detectors and associated image encoding electronics

A study of ion composition and dynamics at Comet Halley

This report details the participation by Lockheed co-investigators in the reduction, analysis, and interpretation of data obtained by the Ion Mass Spectrometer onboard the Giotto mission to Comet Halley. The data analysis activities and much of the scientific collaboration was shared by this team. One objective of the effort under this contract was to use data obtained by the Giotto Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS) during the encounter with comet Halley for the purpose of advancing our understanding of the chemistry and physics of the interaction of the solar wind with comets and obtaining new information on the comet's composition. An additional objective was to make this unique data set available in a format which can be easily used by the reset of the cometary science community for other analysis in the future. The IMS has two sensors: the High Intensity Spectrometer (HIS) and the High Energy Range Spectrometer (HERS)

Public Health Laboratories: Unprepared and Overwhelmed

Addresses the role of public health labs within the public health system and their ability to respond to specific chemical weapon events. Provides recommendations for improving response to terrorism as well as more conventional threats

Heat transfer of a single wall carbon nanotube

A non equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation was used to calculate thermal conductivity of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). Effective thermal conductivity was calculated for the same SWNT surrounded by nitrogen at 250K and 290K at 8 bar. Heat flux was created by implementing Nose-Hoover thermostats at the ends of the SWNT. Using Fourier's Law thermal conductivity was calculated. For both simulations thermal conductivity increased when the temperature difference between the two ends was small. As the temperature difference increased the thermal conductivity reached a constant value of around 160 W/mK in a vacuum with end temperatures close to 330K or 310 K

Technology-Training for Preservice Teachers in Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education Affiliated with Selected Teacher Education Professional Organizations: The State of Practice in 2008

By means of a researcher-created survey instrument, this study sought to determine: 1) whether teacher education programs differ in the ways in which they deliver technology training for preservice teachers; 2) to what degree technology training for preservice teachers is offered partially online or completely online and/or as distance learning; and, 3) whether schools, colleges, or departments of education (SCDEs) make provisions for preparing preservice teachers to be online teachers in a virtual classroom or school. The findings, based on the responses of 41 participants, showed that most schools, colleges, and departments of education in the study rely primarily on a stand-alone technology course and integrating technology into other education courses. Although schools, colleges, and departments of education in this study offer some education courses online, few (less than 12%) of them characterized their technology courses for preservice teachers as “online.” In addition, only 14% of those participating in this study indicated their programs directly address the competencies needed for teachers to be online instructors in virtual setting

Water resources management in the eastern Caribbean : a study of the two small island developing states, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados

Water resource management is currently an issue of major significance at a global level both in terms of policy-making and academia. Small island states represent a special group, with Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, even more particular cases. Development, industrialisation, tourism and resource usage continue to intensify, placing considerable pressures on freshwater supply, demand and quality. This situation is accentuated by the uncertainties surrounding changes in global climatic conditions. Furthermore, water security is not an end in itself, but a means to other ends: health, industrial and agricultural production, for example. These sectors in turn introduce a range of social, economic and environmental issues and problems. This project aims to evaluate the current freshwater management practices in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados and propose various options for sustainable water resources management which may then improve water security. In Barbados, water resources are limited, as extractions from groundwater aquifers have reached the safe yield points. This is currently placing major constraints on a number of developmental proposals. Although in general, the water reserves in Trinidad and Tobago are abundant in relation to demand, wide regional disparities exist. Shortages are related to this uneven distribution but moreover, because of the inefficient operations of the national water authority. Through the rehabilitation and modernisation of the systems at the water authorities, coupled with the upgrading of the existing water legislation, tariff structure and the regulatory framework, water security in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados can be greatly improved

The Washington Memorial Chapel: Historic Structure Report and Condition Assessment

The following report is a formal record of the history and current physical state of the Washington Memorial Chapel located within the Valley Forge National Historical Park in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The report is divided into three sections: historical background, condition assessment, and recommendations for treatment of the decorative limestone. The historical description explores the story of the site, of the church founders, and of the building itself. The conditions assessment contains an analysis of selected exterior building materials and their current condition. The final section of the report presents a general conservation treatment plan for the long-term preservation of the severely deteriorated limestone tracery. This report is guided by the author’s personal interpretation of the site as a place of both religious and national significance