Virus removal in ceramic depth filters based on diatomaceous earth.

Science.gov (United States)

Michen, Benjamin; Meder, Fabian; Rust, Annette; Fritsch, Johannes; Aneziris, Christos; Graule, Thomas

2012-01-17

Ceramic filter candles, based on the natural material diatomaceous earth, are widely used to purify water at the point-of-use. Although such depth filters are known to improve drinking water quality by removing human pathogenic protozoa and bacteria, their removal regarding viruses has rarely been investigated. These filters have relatively large pore diameters compared to the physical dimension of viruses. However, viruses may be retained by adsorption mechanisms due to intermolecular and surface forces. Here, we use three types of bacteriophages to investigate their removal during filtration and batch experiments conducted at different pH values and ionic strengths. Theoretical models based on DLVO-theory are applied in order to verify experimental results and assess surface forces involved in the adsorptive process. This was done by calculation of interaction energies between the filter surface and the viruses. For two small spherically shaped viruses (MS2 and PhiX174), these filters showed no significant removal. In the case of phage PhiX174, where attractive interactions were expected, due to electrostatic attraction of oppositely charged surfaces, only little adsorption was reported in the presence of divalent ions. Thus, we postulate the existence of an additional repulsive force between PhiX174 and the filter surface. It is hypothesized that such an additional energy barrier originates from either the phage's specific knobs that protrude from the viral capsid, enabling steric interactions, or hydration forces between the two hydrophilic interfaces of virus and filter. However, a larger-sized, tailed bacteriophage of the family Siphoviridae was removed by log 2 to 3, which is explained by postulating hydrophobic interactions.

Increase the Visibility of Microbial Growth in a Winogradsky Column by Substituting Diatomaceous Earth for Sediment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas G. Benoit

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The difficulty students have seeing the color associated with microbial growth in a traditional Winogradsky column can be overcome by substituting diatomaceous earth (DE for sediment. Microbial growth in a DE column is visible from the early stages of ecological succession and the colors produced appear more vibrant. A flat-sided tissue culture flask can be used as a column container to provide a large surface area for observation. The enhanced visual experience provided by a DE column increases student engagement and learning. Editor's Note:The ASM advocates that students must successfully demonstrate the ability to explain and practice safe laboratory techniques. For more information, read the laboratory safety section of the ASM Curriculum Recommendations: Introductory Course in Microbiology and the Guidelines for Biosafety in Teaching Laboratories, available at www.asm.org. The Editors of JMBE recommend that adopters of the protocols included in this article follow a minimum of Biosafety Level 1 practices.

STUDY ON EFFICACY OF DIATOMACEOUS EARTH TO AMELIORATE AFLATOXIN - INDUCED PATHO-MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN LYMPHOID ORGANS OF BROILER CHICKEN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.W. Lakkawar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The efficacy of Diatomaceous earth (DAE in reducing the detrimental effects of aflatoxin (AF in broiler diet was evaluated. DAE was supplemented 2000 mg/kg of feed along with 0.5 and 1 ppm of AF in feed. A total of 240 healthy day old broiler chicks were divided into 6 groups comprising of control and treatment groups. Feeding of AF resulted in reduction in size of the thymus, spleen and bursa of Fabricius. In addition, petechial haemorrhages were observed on the surface of the thymus. Histopathology revealed varying degree of lymphocytolysis and depletion of lymphoid cells in thymus, spleen and bursa of Fabricius. In addition, the ceacal tonsils also revealed a mild to moderate degree of lymphoid depletion. The supplementation of DAE to aflatoxin-mixed feed revealed significant improvement characterised by decreased severity of lesions in lymphoid organs. The macroscopic and microscopic changes in the birds fed DAE in combination with AF included those that were observed in AF- alone fed birds, but of reduced magnitude and severity. The study concluded that 2% DAE in feed can be effectively used to reduce the the histotoxic effects of aflatoxin on lymphoid organs in broiler chicken.

Factors affecting Diatomaceous Earth effectiveness in the control of Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) adults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alves, Luis F.A.; Oliveira, Daian G.P.; Neves, Pedro M.O.J

2008-01-01

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a potential alternative to control the lesser mealworm of poultry farms Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer). Our study aimed to understand the role of some of the environmental and insect behavioral factors play on DE effectiveness, such as the substrate (chicken food and poultry house litter), temperature and DE repellent activity on lesser mealworm adults. Mortality was higher at the highest temperature (32 deg C), and it increased with DE concentration (53 and 84% respectively, for concentrations of 86 and 172 g/m2) (P < 0.05). The substrate also influenced DE effectiveness: 95% mortality was observed in the feed, against 4% in the poultry litter. Part of these results can be attributed to the removal of DE particles by the poultry bedding, as supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and rhodamine concentration on the surface of the insects. As to insect behavior, DE had a repellent effect, since trap capture decreased nearly 50% in traps containing DE as opposed to those containing only food. Therefore, environmental factors do affect the DE effectiveness, and they must be taken into consideration when looking into developing control strategies in the field. (author)

Copper removal from acid mine drainage-polluted water using glutaraldehyde-polyethyleneimine modified diatomaceous earth particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikael Larsson

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Mine waters and tailings generated from mining and mineral processing activities often have detrimental impact on the local environment. One example is acid mine drainage, in which sulphides in the mining waste react with water and oxygen to produce an acidic environment that subsequently dissolves host rock minerals from the waste containing toxic metals and trace elements. Copper is one such metal of significance, as it is mined at large volumes in sulphide containing ores. It has strong biocidal activity that greatly affects ecosystems. We have previously reported that glutaraldehyde (GA-crosslinked polyethyleneimine (PEI has strong affinity and selectivity for copper and that diatomaceous earth (DE particles can be modified with the material to form a copper-extraction resin. In this study, the copper uptake of GA-PEI-DE particles was investigated from synthetic and real acid mine drainage samples under different pHs and their copper removal performance was compared with that of selected commercial resins. The results revealed that copper could effectively and preferentially bind to the material at pH 4, and that the copper could be completely eluted by lowering of the pH. In addition, effective copper uptake and elution was demonstrated using real legacy acid mine drainage water from Mount Lyell in Tasmania.

Uniform surface modification of diatomaceous earth with amorphous manganese oxide and its adsorption characteristics for lead ions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Song; Li, Duanyang; Su, Fei; Ren, Yuping; Qin, Gaowu, E-mail: lis@atm.neu.edu.cn

2014-10-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A uniform MnO{sub 2} layer was anchored onto diatomite surface. • Kinetics and isotherms over MnO{sub 2} modified diatomite were studied. • The Pb(II) adsorption is based on ion-exchange mechanism. - Abstract: A novel method to produce composite sorbent material compromising porous diatomaceous earth (DE) and surface functionalized amorphous MnO{sub 2} is reported. Via a simple in situ redox reaction over the carbonized DE powders, a uniform layer of amorphous MnO{sub 2} was anchored onto the DE surface. The hybrid adsorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The batch method has been employed to investigate the effects of surface coating on adsorption performance of DE. According to the equilibrium studies, the adsorption capacity of DE for adsorbing lead ions after MnO{sub 2} modification increased more than six times. And the adsorption of Pb{sup 2+} on the MnO{sub 2} surface is based on ion-exchange mechanism. The developed strategy presents a novel opportunity to prepare composite adsorbent materials by integrating nanocrystals with porous matrix.

Effect of diatomaceous earth on parasite load, egg production, and egg quality of free-range organic laying hens.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, D C; Yee, A; Rhee, Y-J; Cheng, K M

2011-07-01

The effectiveness of diatomaceous earth (DE) as a treatment against parasites and to increase feed efficiency and egg production of organically raised free-range layer hens was evaluated in 2 breeds of commercial egg layers [Bovan Brown (BB) and Lowmann Brown (LB)] that differ in their resistance to internal parasitic infections. Half the hens of each breed were fed diets supplemented with DE (2%). Their internal parasite loads were assessed by biweekly fecal egg counts (FEC) and by postmortem examination of the gastrointestinal tract. Supplementing DE in diets of LB hens, the more parasite-resistant breed, did not significantly affect their FEC and adult parasite load. However, BB hens treated with dietary DE had significantly lower Capillaria FEC, slightly lower Eimeria FEC, fewer birds infected with Heterakis, and significantly lower Heterakis worm burden than control BB hens. Both BB and LB hens fed the diet containing DE were significantly heavier, laid more eggs, and consumed more feed than hens fed the control diet, but feed efficiency did not differ between the 2 dietary treatments. Additionally, BB hens consuming the DE diet laid larger eggs containing more albumen and yolk than hens consuming the control diet. In a subsequent experiment, the effectiveness of DE to treat a Northern fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) infestation was tested. Relative to controls, both breeds of hens that were dusted with DE had reduced number of mites. The results of this study indicate the DE has the potential to be an effective treatment to help control parasites and improve production of organically raised, free-range layer hens.

Evolution of permeability in diatomaceous rocks mediated by pressure solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuhara, Hideaki; Kinoshita, Naoki; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Kishida, Kiyoshi

2007-01-01

A conceptual model is presented to follow the evolution of permeability in diatomaceous rocks mediated by pressure solution. The progress of compaction and the evolution of permeability may be followed with time. Specifically, the main minerals of diatomaceous rocks that are quartz, cristobalite, and amorphous silica, are focused to examine differences of the permeability evolutions among them at effective stresses of 5, and 10 MPa, and temperatures of 20 and 90degC. The rates and magnitudes of permeability reduction increase with increase of the dissolution rate constants. Ultimate permeabilities reduce to the order of 90% at the completion of dissolution-mediated compaction. (author)

Effect of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Wise) Brown and Smith(Ascomycota: Hypocreales) alone or in combination with diatomaceous earth against Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae) and Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michalaki, M P; Athanassiou, C G; Steenberg, Tove

2007-01-01

moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The fungus was added in stored wheat at two dose rates, 200 and 400 ppm, at two temperature levels, 20 and 25 °C alone or in combination with the diatomaceous earth formulation SilicoSec®. Mortality of the exposed individuals was measured after...... 7, 14 and 21 d of exposure. For both T. confusum adults and larvae, mortality was higher at 20 than at 25 °C. In the case of T. confusum larvae, after 14 d of exposure, mortality on wheat treated with the highest dose of P. fumosoroseus with SilicoSec® was signiWcantly higher than that of Silico...

A Comparative Study of Mn/Co Binary Metal Catalysts Supported on Two Commercial Diatomaceous Earths for Oxidation of Benzene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Tomatis

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Two commercial diatomaceous earths were used as supports for the preparation of Mn/Co binary metal catalysts at different metal loads (5 to 10 wt % Mn and 5 to 15 wt % Co by incipient wetness deposition. The activity of the prepared catalysts towards the complete oxidation of benzene to CO2 and water was investigated between 100 and 400 °C. Raw supports and synthesized catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2 physisorption, SEM-EDS, H2-TPR, and TPD. The purification treatment of food-grade diatomite significantly affected the crystallinity of this support while reducing its specific surface area (SSA. A loss of SSA, associated with the increase in the metal load, was observed on samples prepared on natural diatomite, while the opposite trend occurred with food-grade diatomite-supported catalysts. Metal nanoparticles of around 50 nm diameter were observed on the catalysts’ surface by SEM analysis. EDS analysis confirmed the uniform deposition of the active phases on the support’s surface. A larger H2 consumption was found by TPR analysis of natural diatomite-based samples in comparison to those prepared at the same metal load on food-grade diatomite. During the catalytic oxidation experiment, over 90% conversion of benzene were achieved at a reaction temperature of 225 °C by all of the prepared samples. In addition, the formation of coke during the oxidation tests was demonstrated by TGA analysis and the soluble fraction of the produced coke was characterized by GC-MS.

Influence of entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae, alone and in combination with diatomaceous earth and thiamethoxam on mortality, progeny production, mycosis, and sporulation of the stored grain insect pests.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashraf, Misbah; Farooq, Muhammad; Shakeel, Muhammad; Din, Naima; Hussain, Shahbaz; Saeed, Nadia; Shakeel, Qaiser; Rajput, Nasir Ahmed

2017-12-01

The stored grain insects cause great damage to grains under storage conditions. Synthetic insecticides and fumigants are considered as key measures to control these stored grain insect pests. However, the major issue with these chemicals is grain contamination with chemical residues and development of resistance by insect pests to these chemicals. Biological control is considered as a potential alternative to chemical control especially with the use of pathogens, alone or in combination with selective insecticides. The present study was conducted to evaluate the synergism of Metarhizium anisopliae with diatomaceous earth (DE) and thiamethoxam against four insect pests on the stored wheat grains. In the first bioassay, the M. anisopliae was applied at 1.4 × 10 4 and 1.4 × 10 6 conidia/ml alone and in integration with two concentrations (250 and 500 ppm) of tested DE. The tested fungus when combined with DE and thiamethoxam possessed synergistic impact as compared to their individual efficacy. Adult mortality increased with respect to increased exposure interval and doses. In the second bioassay, M. anisopliae was applied at 1.4 × 10 4 conidia/ml individually and in combination with three concentrations (0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 ppm) of thiamethoxam. Results concluded that M. anisopliae integrated with DE and thiamethoxam provides more effective control of stored grain insect pests.

EFFECT OF DIATOMEAOUS EARTH TREATMENT USING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE AND SULFURIC ACID ON KINETICS OF CADMIUM(II ADSORPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuryono Nuryono

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In this research, treatment of diatomaceous earth, Sangiran, Central Java using hydrogen chloride (HCl and sulfuric acid (H2SO4 on kinetics of Cd(II adsorption in aqueous solution has been carried out. The work was conducted by mixing an amount of grounded diatomaceous earth (200 mesh in size with HCl or H2SO4 solution in various concentrations for two hours at temperature range of 100 - 150oC. The mixture was then filtered and washed with water until the filtrate pH is approximately 7 and then the residue was dried for four hours at a temperature of 70oC. The product was used as an adsorbent to adsorb Cd(II in aqueous solution with various concentrations. The Cd(II adsorbed was determined by analyzing the rest of Cd(II in the solution using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The effect of treatment was evaluated from kinetic parameter of adsorption rate constant calculated based on the simple kinetic model. Results showed  that before equilibrium condition reached, adsorpstion of Cd(II occurred through two steps, i.e. a step tends to follow a reaction of irreversible first order  (step I followed by reaction of reversible first order (step II. Treatment with acids, either hydrogen chloride or sulfuric acid, decreased adsorption rate constant for the step I from 15.2/min to a range of 6.4 - 9.4/min.  However, increasing concentration of acid (in a range of concentration investigated did not give significant and constant change of adsorption rate constant. For step II process,  adsorption involved physical interaction with the sufficient low adsorption energy (in a range of 311.3 - 1001 J/mol.     Keywords: adsorption, cdmium, diatomaceous earth, kinetics.

LABORATORY TESTS ON INSECTICIDAL EFFECTIVENESS OF DISODIUM OCTABORATE TETRAHYDRATE, DIATOMACEOUS EARTH AND AMORPHOUS SILICA GEL AGAINST Sitophilus oryzae (L. AND THEIR EFFECT ON WHEAT BULK DENSITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zlatko Korunić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We examined insecticide effectiveness of three different inert dusts: disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT and diatomaceous earth (DE Celatom® Mn 51 applied as powder and suspension, and silica gel Sipernat® 50 S applied as powder against Sitophilus oryzae (L. and their reduction of grain bulk density. Sipernat® 50 S was the most effective dust with a very fast initial effectiveness. DE and DOT generated similar effectiveness against S. oryzae. DOT generated low initial effectiveness but after prolonged exposure time of 8 and especially after 21 days, the mortality was very high (100%, similar to the effectiveness of DE. The similar order of dusts was obtained in the reduction of wheat bulk density. Applied at dose of 200 and 500 ppm, the lowest bulk density difference in regard to bulk density of untreated wheat had DOT (-1.1 and -1.9 kg hl-1, respectively, followed by Celatom® Mn 51 (-3.5 and -4.3 kg hl-1, respectively and Sipernat® 50 S (-5.2 and -5.5 kg hl-1, respectively. Due to the effect on wheat bulk density DOT belongs to the group with the least negative effect on bulk density and therefore, it is a promising dust to control stored grain insect pests.

Formation of a vitreous phase at the surface of some commercial diatomaceous earth prevents the onset of oxidative stress effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghiazza, Mara; Gazzano, Elena; Bonelli, Barbara; Fenoglio, Ivana; Polimeni, Manuela; Ghigo, Dario; Garrone, Edoardo; Fubini, Bice

2009-01-01

To understand the effect of the commercial processing of diatomaceous earths (DEs) on their ultimate surface structure and potential toxicity, we investigated the influence of the industrial processing and the nature of the deposit. Two flux calcined specimens from different deposits, DE/1-FC and DE/2-FC, and the simply calcined sample DE/1-C, from the same deposit as DE/1-FC, were compared in both their bulk and their surface properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis in a heating chamber revealed the presence of cristobalite in all samples, more abundant on the flux calcined ones. The crystal lattice is probably imperfect, as the alpha-beta transition, visible by XRD in DE/1-FC and DE/2-FC, is not detected by differential scanning calorimetry. Progressive etching with HF solutions suggests that most of the crystalline phase is at the core and not at the outer region of the samples. The combined use of spectroscopic (UV-vis and IR) and calorimetric techniques (heat of adsorption of water as a measure of hydrophilicity) reveals that DE/1-FC and DE/2-FC particles have an external layer of glass, absent in DE/1-C, where iron impurities act as network-forming and sodium ions as modifier species, with few patches of a hydrophobic phase, the latter relatable to a heated pure silica phase. When tested on a macrophage cell line (MH-S) in comparison with appropriate positive and negative controls (an active and an inactive quartz dust, respectively), only DE/1-C exhibited a cell damage and activation similar to that of active quartz (measured by lactate dehydrogenase release, peroxidation of membrane lipids and synthesis of NO). It is likely that the presence of a vitreous phase mitigates or even eliminates the cellular responses of silica in DE.

Efficacy of adsorbents (bentonite and diatomaceous earth) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) in alleviating the toxic effects of aflatoxin in chicks.

Science.gov (United States)

Dos Anjos, F R; Ledoux, D R; Rottinghaus, G E; Chimonyo, M

2015-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of bentonite clay (BC), diatomaceous earth (DE) and turmeric powder (TUM) in alleviating the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A total of 250 Ross-308 d-old male broiler chicks were assigned to 10 dietary treatments (5 replicates of 5 chicks) from hatch to d 21. Dietary treatments were: basal diet; basal diet plus AFB1 (2 mg) or BC (0.75%), or DE (0.75%), or TUM (200 mg/kg curcuminoids) and different combinations of AFB1, BC, DE and TUM. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed gain (FG) of the birds fed on BC or DE separately were not different from control birds. Birds fed on TUM only had similar FI and FG but lower BWG than control chicks. Aflatoxin B1 reduced FI, BWG and serum concentrations of glucose, albumin, total protein calcium, but increased FG and relative liver and kidney weights. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1 and BC had similar FI and FG to control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of DE and AFB1 had lower FI (23.1%) and BWG (28.6%) compared with control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of TUM and AFB1 also had decreased FI (26.2 %) and BWG (31%) compared with control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1, BC and TUM consumed significantly higher amounts of feed compared with chicks fed on only AF, but gained less when compared with control diet chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1, DE and TUM diet had poorer growth performance than those fed on AFB1 alone. None of the combination diets reduced the severity of liver lesions.

The occurrence of triglycerides in Namibian Shelf diatomaceous ooze

Science.gov (United States)

Boon, Jaap J.; Irene, W.; Rijpstra, C.; de Leeuw, J. W.; Burlingame, A. L.

1980-01-01

The triglyceride fraction, isolated from extractable lipids of a diatomaceous ooze off shore Walvis Bay (S.W. Africa) by TLC methods, was analyzed by direct probe low and high resolution mass spectrometry. The mass spectral data reveal the fatty acid moieties and their relative distribution in the triglycerides identified. The C 12, C 14, C 15 and C 16 are the major composing fatty acid moieties. The triglycerides are thought to be present in protective structures such as diatom spores, which were found to be present by scanning electron microscopy.

Development of a promising filtration method for liquid clarification in nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, E.D.; Knauer, J.B.; Byrd, L.A.; Ross, R.G.; Savage, H.C.

1982-01-01

Conclusions reached are that deep beds of diatomaceous earths are especially attractive for clarification of radioactive solutions, or slurries containing insoluble radioactive material, because the diatomaceous material provides a noncompressible medium that is retentive for a wide variety of particle sizes. Also, the diatomaceous material, because of its inorganic composition, is resistant to degradation by radiation from the retained particulate matter. Its silicious character is especially appropriate for conversion to vitrified or cement-type waste forms. This paper studied the use of diatomaceous earth to filter synthetic TMI-2 water, reprocessing dissolver solutions, and zinc bromide solutions (hot-cell shielding)

Novel approach to high-throughput determination of endocrine disruptors using recycled diatomaceous earth as a green sorbent phase for thin-film solid-phase microextraction combined with 96-well plate system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirschner, Nicolas; Dias, Adriana Neves; Budziak, Dilma; da Silveira, Cristian Berto; Merib, Josias; Carasek, Eduardo

2017-12-15

A sustainable approach to TF-SPME is presented using recycled diatomaceous earth, obtained from a beer purification process, as a green sorbent phase for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA), benzophenone (BzP), triclocarban (TCC), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) and 2-ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) in environmental water samples. TF-SPME was combined with a 96-well plate system allowing for high-throughput analysis due to the simultaneous extraction/desorption up to 96 samples. The proposed sorbent phase exhibited good stability in organic solvents, as well as satisfactory analytical performance. The optimized method consisted of 240 min of extraction at pH 6 with the addition of NaCl (15% w/v). A mixture of MeOH:ACN (50:50 v/v) was used for the desorption the analytes, using a time of 30 min. Limits of detection varied from 1 μg L -1 for BzP and TCC to 8 μg L -1 for the other analytes, and R 2 ranged from 0.9926 for 4-MBC to 0.9988 for BPA. This novel and straightforward approach offers an environmentally-friendly and very promising alternative for routine analysis. . The total sample preparation time per sample was approximately 2.8 min, which is a significant advantage when a large number of analytical run is required. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Original Researc Original Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

RAGHAVENDRA

2015-03-15

Mar 15, 2015 ... powder were evaluated against the maize weevil in n laid out in a randomized complete ..... diatomaceous earth with plant extracts, insecticides and ... commercial neem product Azal-T/S (1 gm kg-1) resulted in higher mortality ...

Particulate collection in a low level radioactive waste incinerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudnick, S.N.; Leith, D.; First, M.W.

1976-01-01

As designed, sintered stainless steel filters will clean the gas from the secondary cyclone at a low level radioactive waste incinerator. Using bench scale apparatus, asbestos floats and diatomaceous earth were evaluated as filter aids to prevent clogging of the sintered metal interstices and to decrease filter penetration. Both precoats prevented irreversible pressure drop increase, and decreased cold DOP penetration from 80% to less than 1%. To collect the same quantity of fly ash, less diatomaceous earth was needed than asbestos floats. A back-up study evaluated a moving bed of sodium carbonate pellets in lieu of the sintered metal filters. Since identical sodium carbonate pellets are used to neutralize hydrogen chloride in the incinerator, their use in a moving bed has the advantages of trouble free disposal and cost free replacement. Co, counter, and cross-current beds were studied and gave fly ash penetrations less than 0.1% at moderate pressure drop

Ultra-Sensitive Lab-on-a-Chip Detection of Sudan I in Food using Plasmonics-Enhanced Diatomaceous Thin Film.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Xianming; Squire, Kenny; Chong, Xinyuan; Wang, Alan X

2017-09-01

Sudan I is a carcinogenic compound containing an azo group that has been illegally utilized as an adulterant in food products to impart a bright red color to foods. In this paper, we develop a facile lab-on-a-chip device for instant, ultra-sensitive detection of Sudan I from real food samples using plasmonics-enhanced diatomaceous thin film, which can simultaneously perform on-chip separation using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and highly specific sensing using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. Diatomite is a kind of nature-created photonic crystal biosilica with periodic pores and was used both as the stationary phase of the TLC plate and photonic crystals to enhance the SERS sensitivity. The on-chip chromatography capability of the TLC plate was verified by isolating Sudan I in a mixture solution containing Rhodamine 6G, while SERS sensing was achieved by spraying gold colloidal nanoparticles into the sensing spot. Such plasmonics-enhanced diatomaceous film can effectively detect Sudan I with more than 10 times improvement of the Raman signal intensity than commercial silica gel TLC plates. We applied this lab-on-a-chip device for real food samples and successfully detected Sudan I in chili sauce and chili oil down to 1 ppm, or 0.5 ng/spot. This on-chip TLC-SERS biosensor based on diatomite biosilica can function as a cost-effective, ultra-sensitive, and reliable technology for screening Sudan I and many other illicit ingredients to enhance food safety.

EFFICACY OF NIGERIA-DERIVED DIATOMACEOUS EARTH ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ACSS

DE, was tested as a standard check. The rates tested ..... (Cressington Carbon Coater; Balzers Union Med. 010 Au/Pt ..... particles may have offset the benefits of its high. Silica content .... In: A study of Private Sector Participation in National.

Particulate collection in a low level radioactive waste incinerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudnick, S.N.; Leith, D.; First, M.W.

1976-01-01

As designed, sintered stainless steel filters will clean the gas from the secondary cyclone at a low level radioactive waste incinerator. Bench-scale apparatus was used to evaluate asbestos floats and diatomaceous earth as filter aids to prevent clogging of the sintered metal interstices and to decrease filter penetration. Both precoats prevented irreversible pressure drop increase, and decreased cold DOP penetration from 80 percent to less than 1 percent. Less diatomaceous earth was needed than asbestos floats, to collect the same quantity of fly ash. A back-up study evaluated a moving bed of sodium carbonate pellets in lieu of the sintered metal filters. Since identical sodium carbonate pellets are used to neutralize hydrogen chloride in the incinerator, their use in a moving bed has the advantages of trouble free disposal and cost free replacement. Co - , counter, and cross-current beds were studied and gave fly ash penetrations less than 0.1 percent at moderate pressure drop. The filter cake which forms on the pellet surfaces decreases penetration greatly

Insecticidal effect and impact of fitness of three diatomaceous earths on different maize hybrids for the eco-friendly control of the invasive stored-product pest Prostephanus truncatus (Horn).

Science.gov (United States)

Kavallieratos, Nickolas G; Athanassiou, Christos G; Peteinatos, Gerassimos G; Boukouvala, Maria C; Benelli, Giovanni

2018-04-01

Diatomaceous earths (DEs) are able to successfully protect grain commodities from noxious stored-product insect and mite infestations; however, their effectiveness may be moderated by the grain hybrid or variety they are applied to. There is a gap of information on the comparison of the efficacy of different DEs when are applied on different maize hybrids against Prostephanus truncatus (Horn). Therefore, here we tested three commercially available DEs (DEA-P at 75 and 150 ppm, Protect-It at 500 ppm, and PyriSec at 500 ppm) on five different maize hybrids (Calaria, Doxa, Rio Grande, Sisco, and Studio) for the control of P. truncatus adults in terms of mortality (at 7 and 14 days), progeny production, properties of the infested maize hybrids (number and weight of kernels with or without holes, number of holes per kernel) and the adherence level of the tested DEs to the kernels. DEA-P was very effective at 75 ppm while a considerable proportion of the exposed P. truncatus adults was still alive after 14 days of exposure on all maize hybrids treated with 500 ppm of Protect-It or PyriSec, even though it was 3.3 times higher than the maximal application tested dose of DEA-P. Apart from parental mortality, DEA-P was able to reduce P. truncatus progeny production in all hybrids contrary to Protect-It or PyriSec. The adherence ratios were always higher for DEA-P than Protect-It or PyriSec to all maize hybrids. The highest numbers of kernels (or weight of kernels) without holes were noticed after their treatment with DEA-P. Doxa and Sisco performed better than Calaria, Rio Grande, or Studio based on the differences found concerning the numbers of kernels without holes at treatments with DEA-P and Protect-It. Overall, the findings of our study indicate the high potentiality of DEA-P as protectant of different maize hybrids to P. truncatus infestations at low doses, a fact that could help the eco-friendly management of this noxious species in the stored

Fundamental characteristics and simplified evaluation method of dynamic earth pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nukui, Y.; Inagaki, Y.; Ohmiya, Y.

1989-01-01

In Japan, a method is commonly used in the evaluation of dynamic earth pressure acting on the underground walls of a deeply embedded nuclear reactor building. However, since this method was developed on the basis of the limit state of soil supported by retaining walls, the behavior of dynamic earth pressure acting on the embedded part of a nuclear reactor building may differ from the estimated by this method. This paper examines the fundamental characteristics of dynamic earth pressure through dynamic soil-structure interaction analysis. A simplified method to evaluate dynamic earth pressure for the design of underground walls of a nuclear reactor building is described. The dynamic earth pressure is fluctuating earth pressure during earthquake

Chemical characterization of vermicompost of sewage sludge with different proportions of diatomaceous material

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabíola M. Braga

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The pursuit for waste recovery has been the best way to contribute to environmental sustainability. The mix of sewage sludge (SS from Sewage Treatment Plant with diatomaceous material containing oil (DE, used as a filter in biofuel production, can form a substrate rich in minerals and organic matter through vermicomposting. Therefore, this study aimed to produce vermicompost using worms, Eisenia foetida, from a pre-compost (PC of sewage sludge and garden pruning residues mixed with different proportions of DE in relation to PC: 0; 7.53; 15.06; 22.59; and 30.12% v/v. The design was randomized complete blocks with five treatment replicates. The chemical characteristics of the vermicompost were analyzed after a period of four months. The proportion of up to 30.12% v/v of DE met the criteria established for agriculture uses, registration and marketing of the product as organic compost in accordance with the Normative Instructions SDA 27/2006 and 25/2009 from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Método QuEChERS para determinação de ocratoxina a e citrinina em arroz e farelo de arroz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen C. dos S. Hackbart

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The present study was carried out to establish the optimal conditions for performing ochratoxin A (OTA and citrinin (CIT extraction using the QuEChERS method in rice. Employing the factorial experimental design, variables that significantly influenced the extraction stages were determined. The following variables were analyzed: addition of water, acidification of acetonitrile with glacial acetic acid, as well as amounts of magnesium sulfate, sodium acetate, sodium citrate and diatomaceous earth. The best combining procedure resulted in a predictive model using more water and less diatomaceous earth. Recoveries of CIT and OTA were 78-105%.

Self-assembled micro-structured sensors for food safety in paper based food packaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hakovirta, M., E-mail: marko.hakovirta@storaenso.com; Aksoy, B.; Hakovirta, J.

2015-08-01

Natural self-assembled microstructured particles (diatomaceous earth) were used to develop a gas sensor paper with detection mechanism based on visible and distinct color changes of the sensor paper when exposed to volatile basic nitrogen compounds. The coating formulation for paper was prepared by applying diatomites, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and pH sensitive dyes on acidic paper substrate. The surface coating was designed to allow a maximum gas flow through the diatomite sensors. The produced sensor paper was tested for sensitivity using different ammonia concentrations and we observed a sensitivity lower limit at 63 ppm. As a comparison, the results show comparable sensitivity levels to carbon nanotube based sensor technologies reported in literature. - Highlights: • Novel sensor paper was developed using micro-structured diatomaceous earth and pH sensitive dye. • The functionality is based on pH sensitive dye to indicate spoilage of meat or fish by color change. • Diatomaceous earth was successfully immobilized to the polyvinyl alcohol coating. • The coating was engineered to maximize the exposure of the diatom morphology. • The sensor paper achieved very high sensitivities for ammonia gas detection.

Self-assembled micro-structured sensors for food safety in paper based food packaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakovirta, M.; Aksoy, B.; Hakovirta, J.

2015-01-01

Natural self-assembled microstructured particles (diatomaceous earth) were used to develop a gas sensor paper with detection mechanism based on visible and distinct color changes of the sensor paper when exposed to volatile basic nitrogen compounds. The coating formulation for paper was prepared by applying diatomites, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and pH sensitive dyes on acidic paper substrate. The surface coating was designed to allow a maximum gas flow through the diatomite sensors. The produced sensor paper was tested for sensitivity using different ammonia concentrations and we observed a sensitivity lower limit at 63 ppm. As a comparison, the results show comparable sensitivity levels to carbon nanotube based sensor technologies reported in literature. - Highlights: • Novel sensor paper was developed using micro-structured diatomaceous earth and pH sensitive dye. • The functionality is based on pH sensitive dye to indicate spoilage of meat or fish by color change. • Diatomaceous earth was successfully immobilized to the polyvinyl alcohol coating. • The coating was engineered to maximize the exposure of the diatom morphology. • The sensor paper achieved very high sensitivities for ammonia gas detection

Mit Wasser aushärtende Alginatzusammensetzungen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ippel, D.; Timmerman, G.; Timmermans, J.W.; Soest, van J.J.G.

2005-01-01

Water-hardenable alginate compositions contain as filler a combination comprising (A) cellulose or a water-insoluble derivative and (B) starch or a water-insoluble derivative, optionally together with a diatomaceous earth, perlite, talc or argillaceous earth filler. Water-hardenable alginate

26 CFR 1.613-2 - Percentage depletion rates.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

.... Clay, refractory and fire. 6 Diatomaceous earth. Dolomite. Fedlspar. Flake Graphite. 5 Applicable only... dimension stone or ornamental stone. Fluorspar Fullers earth. Barnet. Gilsonite. Granite Lepidolite...). (ii) Clay, refractory and fire—Clay which has a pyrometric cone equivalent of 19 or higher. (iii...

Tested Tools You Can Use: Evaluating Earth System Science Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S. P.; Prakash, A.; Reider, D.; Baker, D.

2006-12-01

Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century (ESSE 21) has created a public access on-line evaluation resource available at http://esse21.usra.edu/evaltoolkit in collaboration with the ESSE 21 institutions, PIs, and evaluators. The purpose of the ESSE toolkit is to offer examples of how evaluation and assessment are/have been used in Earth System Science courses and programs. Our goal is to help instructors recognize different types of assessment and evaluation tools and uses that have proved useful in these courses and provide models for designing assessments in new courses. We have included actual examples of evaluations used by ESSE institution faculty in their own courses. This is not a comprehensive toolkit on educational evaluation and assessment, but it does provide several examples of evaluations that have been used successfully in Earth System Science courses and links to many good web resources on course evaluation. We have provided examples of assessments that are designed to collect information from students before, during and after courses. Some, presented in different formats, are designed to assess what students learn, others are designed to provide course instructors with information they can use to revise their courses. These assessments range from content tests to portfolios, from feedback forms to interviews, and from concept maps to attitude surveys.

75 FR 12723 - Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-17

...); Paprika color--dried powder and vegetable oil extract (CAS 68917-78-2); Pumpkin juice color (pigment CAS...; Calcium carbonate; Calcium chloride; Carageenan; Dairy cultures; Diatomaceous earth; Enzymes; Flavors...

Efficiency of inert mineral dusts in the control of corn weevil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos F. Jairoce

2016-02-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Corn weevil (Sitophilus zeamais may cause great losses in the crop and in stored corn grains. This insect is controlled with the use of chemical insecticides, which may cause serious damage to human health. One alternative of control is the use of inert dusts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of inert dusts in the control of S. zeamais under laboratory conditions. The experiment was conducted in 2014, in a completely randomized design, and the treatments consisted of basalt dust with three different granulometries (A, B and C and diatomaceous earth, each of which at the doses of 2 and 4 kg t-1 and a control (no application. Each treatment had four replicates, and the sample unit consisted of 20 g of corn grains infected with 10 adults of S. zeamais kept in temperature-controlled chamber at 25 °C, 70% RH and photophase of 12 h. The dust efficiency was calculated using the equation of Abbott. The mortality rate was higher with the use of diatomaceous earth, reaching 100% after 5 days of exposure and the percentage of control for basalt dusts, 29 days after treatment, was above 80%.

21 CFR 178.3620 - Mineral oil.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Mansville Company, diatomaceous earth, or equivalent. Magnesium oxide-Celite 545 mixture (2+1) by weight... seeds (for example, beans, peas, rice, and lentils); whole root crop vegetables of the types identified...

Pest control in stored products using diatomaceous earth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fetyukhina E.G.

2017-05-01

Full Text Available in the All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center the DEBUZZZER, dried diatomite powder of light beige color, has been presented by the Diamix Company for official testing in order to obtain the state registration of the Ministry of Agriculture. This article presents the results of laboratory studies of the DEBUZZZER preparation based on the diatomite against pests of stocks while processing wheat grain. It also shows the effectiveness of the DEBUZZZER against adult species of grain and rice weevils, their total death occurred on the 6th and 14th days accordingly, and the weight loss was up to 50%. The authors present the susceptibility to this drug by the imago of large and small meal worm, which was used to process the grain, and it caused 100% mortality on the 6th and 14th days and a decrease in the weight of test objects by 41.8 and 60.6%, accordingly. The vital activity of the larvae of the yellow mealworm beetle has decreased as a result of weight loss by 41.8%. However, the larvae remained viable and developed till pupal stage and imago despite weight loss, and death was indicated in only 6.7% of the species. The DEBUZZZER diatom powder implementation was not effective enough against the larvae of two species of Trogodermaspp.: khapra beetle and warehouse beetle, their mortality was 11.7 and 3.3% on the 20th day, accordingly. According to the authors, more frequent processing of the stored products is necessary for successful pest control.

Significance of Kaduna River to Kaduna Refining and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

River through the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) plants and .... Other less-common process involves filtering heated crude using diatomaceous earth ..... Water is polluted by the fallout from air pollution and by refinery.

Inert powders alone or in combination with neem oil for controlling Spodoptera eridania and Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae

OpenAIRE

Kelly Christiane Constanski Silva; Janaina Zorzetti; Patricia Helena Santoro; Adriano Thibes Hoshino; Pedro Manuel Oliveira Janeiro Neves

2016-01-01

Laboratory studies was carry out to evaluated the potential of inert powders: bentonite, kaolin and diatomaceous earth (DE) applied as dust and aqueous suspension alone and associated with neem oil to the control Spodoptera eridania and Spodoptera frugiperda second instar larvae. In dust applications, 100% mortality of S. eridania, at the concentrations of 1.5 and 2.0 grams of bentonite, and 93.3% of S. frugiperda, at the concentration of 2.0 g were observed. DE at the height concentration (2...

Valorization of beer brewing wastes by composting

OpenAIRE

Silva, Maria Elisabete; Brás, Isabel

2017-01-01

The aim of this work was to study the viability of recycling the residual yeast and diatomaceous earth (RYDE) slurry generated by the beer brewing industry by composting with animal manures, as well as to evaluate the quality of the composts obtained. Two pilot composting trials were carried out with different mixes: cow manure/RYDE slurry (Pile CM) and sheep manure/RYDE slurry (Pile SM). For all piles, wood chips were applied as bulking agent. The process was monitored b...

Rare earth, major and trace element composition of Leg 127 sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, R.W.; Buchholtz ten Brink, Marilyn R.; Brumsack, Hans-Juergen; Gerlach, David C.; Russ III, G. Price

1992-01-01

The relative effects of paleoceanographic and paleogeographic variations, sediment lithology, and diagenetic processes on the final preserved chemistry of Japan Sea sediments are evaluated by investigating the rare earth element (REE), major element, and trace element concentrations in 59 squeeze-cake whole-round and 27 physical-property sample residues from Sites 794, 795, and 797, cored during ODP Leg 127. The most important variation in sedimentary chemical composition is the increase in SiO2 concentration through the Pliocene diatomaceous sequences, which dilutes most other major and trace element components by various degrees. This biogenic input is largest at Site 794 (Yamato Basin), moderately developed at Site 797 (Yamato Basin), and of only minor importance at Site 795 (Japan Basin), potentially reflecting basinal contrasts in productivity with the Yamato Basin recording greater biogenic input than the Japan Basin and with the easternmost sequence of Site 794 lying beneath the most productive waters. There are few systematic changes in solid-phase chemistry resulting from the opal-A/opal-CT or opal-CT/quartz silica phase transformations. Most major and trace element concentrations are controlled by the aluminosilicate fraction of the sediment, although the effects of diagenetic silica phases and manganese carbonates are of localized importance. REE total abundances (IREE) in the Japan Sea are strongly dependent upon the paleoceanographic position of a given site with respect to terrigenous and biogenic sources. REE concentrations at Site 794 overall correspond well to aluminosilicate chemical indices and are strongly diluted by SiO2 within the upper Miocene-Pliocene diatomaceous sequence. Eu/Eu* values at Site 794 reach a maximum through the diatomaceous interval as well, most likely suggesting an association of Eu/Eu* with the siliceous component, or reflecting slight incorporation of a detrital feldspar phase. XREE at Site 795 also is affiliated strongly

40 CFR 141.550 - Is my system required to meet subpart T combined filter effluent turbidity limits?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Enhanced Filtration and Disinfection-Systems Serving Fewer Than 10,000 People Combined Filter... utilize filtration other than slow sand filtration or diatomaceous earth filtration must meet the combined...

78 FR 65561 - D-Glucopyranose, oligomeric, decyl octyl glycosides; Exemption from the Requirement of a Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

... metabolize D-glucopyranose, oligomeric, C 10 -C 16 -alkyl glycosides to water-soluble substances... polyoxyethylene polymers and fatty acids; carriers such as clay and diatomaceous earth; thickeners such as... exposure through drinking water and in residential settings, but does not include occupational exposure...

Courtland Target Assembly Facility Environmental Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

2006-10-01

Draft Environmental Assessment 2-17 tributyl phosphate (TBP)6, diatomaceous earth, talcum powder, cornmeal , water, steel, and plastic. 2.2.2... cornmeal , water, steel, and plastic that would not qualify as hazardous materials. TBP is non-explosive, non-flammable, and stable under normal

Geohydrological investigation of an uranium anomaly near Vanzylsrus in the Northern Cape Province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, M.; Talma, A.S.; Vogel, J.C.

1982-01-01

An anomaly, caused by low-grade uranium accumulations in organic-rich diatomaceous earth deposits, was located by an airborne radiometric survey near Vanzylsrus in the Northern Cape. Low-grade uraniferous calcrete also occurs in the vicinity of the anomaly. A significant uranium anomaly was found along the whole course of the palaeodrainage with the highest values occuring behind a dolerite dyke a few kilometres south of the confluence. A multidisciplinary approach in corporating geohydrology, water geochemistry, isotopic data and radiometric borehole logging studies was used to evaluate its potential

La chaux et la diatomite comme moyens de lutte alternatifs contre Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

OpenAIRE

Buchholz , Sven; Merkel , Katharina; Spiewok , Sebastian; Pettis , Jeff S.; Duncan , Michael; Spooner-Hart , Robert; Ulrichs , Christian; RITTER , Wolfgang; Neumann , P.

2009-01-01

International audience; Aiming at alternative small hive beetle control, slaked lime, powdered limestone and diatomaceous earth (Fossil Shield® FS 95, FS 90.0 and FS 90.0s) were evaluated for their effects on pupation and adult emergence in the laboratory. Limestone, FS 90.0 and FS 95 showed no significant effect. Slaked lime in autoclaved soil prevented pupation, but was lethal only in high dosages of 10 and 15 g per 100 g soil. In non-autoclaved soil, low slaked lime dosages of 0.5 and 5 g ...

Rapid Evaluation of Radioactive Contamination in Rare Earth Mine Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, N.

2017-12-01

In order to estimate the current levels of environmental radioactivity in Bayan Obo rare earth mine and to study the rapid evaluation methods of radioactivity contamination in the rare earth mine, the surveys of the in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry and gamma dose rate measurement were carried out around the mining area and living area. The in-situ gamma-ray spectrometer was composed of a scintillation detector of NaI(Tl) (Φ75mm×75mm) and a multichannel analyzer. Our survey results in Bayan Obo Mine display: (1) Thorium-232 is the radioactive contamination source of this region, and uranium-238 and potassium - 40 is at the background level. (2) The average content of thorium-232 in the slag of the tailings dam in Bayan Obo is as high as 276 mg/kg, which is 37 times as the global average value of thorium content. (3) We found that the thorium-232 content in the soil in the living area near the mining is higher than that in the local soil in Guyang County. The average thorium-232 concentrations in the mining areas of the Bayan Obo Mine and the living areas of the Bayan Obo Town were 18.7±7.5 and 26.2±9.1 mg/kg, respectively. (4) It was observed that thorium-232 was abnormal distributed in the contaminated area near the tailings dam. Our preliminary research results show that the in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry is an effective approach of fast evaluating rare earths radioactive pollution, not only can the scene to determine the types of radioactive contamination source, but also to measure the radioactivity concentration of thorium and uranium in soil. The environmental radioactive evaluation of rare earth ore and tailings dam in open-pit mining is also needed. The research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41674111).

Butanol/Gasoline Test Plan

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

authorities. METHODS FOR CLEANING UP: Contain spillage and then collect with non-combustible absorbent material, (e.g. sand, soil , diatomaceous earth...SARA 311/312 Hazards: Fire Hazard, Acute Health Hazard, and Chronic Health Hazard CERCLA SECTION 103 and SARA SECTION 304 (RELEASE TO THE ENVIROMENT

76 FR 64384 - Petitions for Modification of Application of Existing Mandatory Safety Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-18

..., commonly called ``beer'', to be used at the Lompoc Plant for use in chemical testing that is part of... agent utilized during the brewing process for beer. The finished diatomaceous earth products are... the brewing process, following fermentation, which results in the creation of the alcohol- containing...

40 CFR 141.173 - Filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Enhanced Filtration and Disinfection-Systems Serving 10,000 or More People § 141.173 Filtration. A public water system subject to the requirements of this subpart that does... treatment, direct filtration, slow sand filtration, or diatomaceous earth filtration. A public water system...

Detection of mineral impurities in diatomite ores

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guatame Garcia, L.A.; Buxton, M.W.N.; Fiore, Saverio

2017-01-01

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is commonly used in the industry for the manufacturing of filters, where diatomite is preferred due to its low chemical reactivity and high porosity. Diatomite deposits with major amounts of mineral impurities, such as carbonates, present a problem in the production DE. In

75 FR 28488 - Silver Nitrate; Exemption from the Requirement of a Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-21

... ( regulations.gov ) under the docket number EPA-HQ-OPP- 2009-0663. Silver nitrate is a water soluble inorganic... polymers and fatty acids; carriers such as clay and diatomaceous earth; thickeners such as carrageenan and... for which there is reliable information.'' This includes exposure through drinking water and in...

Evaluation of the Efficiency of Clay Pots in Removal of Water Impurities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K Naddafi , AH Mahvi, S Nasseri, M Mokhtari, H Zeraati

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Recently, inexpensive technologies for drinking water supply in small communities are highly considered in developing countries. One of these technologies is the application of ceramic filters that are usually made of diatomaceous earth or clay soil. This research was carried out to determine the efficiency of clay pots (as a filter in removing water impurities. Pilot and the related clay parts were manufactured and its efficiency in removing TDS, hardness, NO3-, color and turbidity was measured by passing water through the clay pipes. The results showed that the clay filters had not the potential to remove hardness, EC, TDS and nitrate of water. However, they showed excellent efficiency in turbidity removal (≥ 90% and could significantly decrease the color of the water (≥ 60%.

Tratamento inseticida e qualidade de sementes de milho durante o armazenamento Insecticide treatment and seed quality of corn during storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar José Smiderle

1999-01-01

Full Text Available A presente pesquisa objetivou verificar os efeitos dos inseticidas deltametrina, clorpirifos, fosfina e da terra diatomácea no controle de insetos em sementes de milho, armazenadas durante 12 meses, visando oferecer alternativas de produtos inseticidas, utilizando delineamento inteiramente casualizado. As sementes do híbrido AG 303, tratadas com deltametrina e clorpirifos, aplicados na forma isolada ou em combinação, fosfina e terra diatomácea, foram acondicionadas em sacos de papel multifoliado e armazenadas por doze meses (maio/1997 a abril/1998 em condições normais de ambiente. Em intervalos bimestrais, sete épocas no total, as sementes foram submetidas às seguintes determinações: exame de sementes infestadas, massa de 100 sementes, teste de germinação, teste de frio, envelhecimento acelerado, condutividade elétrica, emergência de plântulas em campo e velocidade de emergência de plântulas. A análise dos dados e interpretação dos resultados permitiram concluir que: os inseticidas deltametrina e clorpirifos (isolados ou associados, a terra diatomácea e a fosfina promovem, de maneira similar, o controle de insetos-praga que ocorrem no armazenamento e não causam toxicidade às sementes; a qualidade fisiológica das sementes é efetivamente preservada pelos tratamentos com inseticidas químicos e terra diatomácea.To study the effects of insecticides (deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos, phosphin, and diatomaceous earth on the insect control of stored corn seeds during 12 months, this research was performed to find an alternative product, using a randomized design. Seeds of the hybrid AG 303 were treated with either isolated or combined deltamethrin and chlorpyrifos, phosphin and diatomaceous earth, and they were further arranged into multifoliated paper bags and stored for twelve months (May/1997 through April/1998 under normal environmental conditions. Seeds were submitted to an infested seed exam, mass of 100 seeds, germination

Redistribution Principle Approach for Evaluation of Seismic Active Earth Pressure Behind Retaining Wall

Science.gov (United States)

Maskar, A. D.; Madhekar, S. N.; Phatak, D. R.

2017-11-01

The knowledge of seismic active earth pressure behind the rigid retaining wall is very essential in the design of retaining wall in earthquake prone regions. Commonly used Mononobe-Okabe (MO) method considers pseudo-static approach. Recently there are many pseudo-dynamic methods used to evaluate the seismic earth pressure. However, available pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic methods do not incorporate the effect of wall movement on the earth pressure distribution. Dubrova (Interaction between soils and structures, Rechnoi Transport, Moscow, 1963) was the first, who considered such effect and till date, it is used for cohesionless soil, without considering the effect of seismicity. In this paper, Dubrova's model based on redistribution principle, considering the seismic effect has been developed. It is further used to compute the distribution of seismic active earth pressure, in a more realistic manner, by considering the effect of wall movement on the earth pressure, as it is displacement based method. The effects of a wide range of parameters like soil friction angle (ϕ), wall friction angle (δ), horizontal and vertical seismic acceleration coefficients (kh and kv); on seismic active earth pressure (Kae) have been studied. Results are presented for comparison of pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic methods, to highlight the realistic, non-linearity of seismic active earth pressure distribution. The current study results in the variation of Kae with kh in the same manner as that of MO method and Choudhury and Nimbalkar (Geotech Geol Eng 24(5):1103-1113, 2006) study. To increase in ϕ, there is a reduction in static as well as seismic earth pressure. Also, by keeping constant ϕ value, as kh increases from 0 to 0.3, earth pressure increases; whereas as δ increases, active earth pressure decreases. The seismic active earth pressure coefficient (Kae) obtained from the present study is approximately same as that obtained by previous researchers. Though seismic earth

Evaluation of performance under fire of compressed earth blocks

OpenAIRE

Buson, M.; Lopes, N.; Varum, H.; Sposto, R. M.; Real, P. Vila

2012-01-01

In this paper are presented and discussed the main results of fire resistance tests on walls made of soil-cement and Kraftterra compressed earth blocks (CEB). Within this research it was intended to evaluate the fire resistance of walls made with CEB, with and without cellulose pulp incorporation deriving from recycling of cement sacks. Firstly, it is described the Kraftterra production processes and the fire resistance test campaign. Then, the performance of the blocks under anal...

RESFRIAMENTO ARTIFICIAL E USO DE TERRA DE DIATOMÁCEA PARA O CONTROLE DE INSETOS EM GRÃOS DE TRIGO ARMAZENADOS EM SILOS DE CONCRETO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Bochi da Silva Volk

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of artificial cooling associated with the use of diatomaceous earth to control insects in grains of wheat stored in concrete silos. We used two concrete silos, with a static capacity of 2.500 t (Silo A and the other with static capacity of 5.000 t (Silo B. The surface of the grain silos were treated with diatom earth with a commercial assay (1.0 kg / t of product. For the cooling of the grains, cold air was blown through the aeration system silos until the grains reach a temperature of 17 ° C between the layers. After cooling, it is the retention period of five months. The monitoring of insects in the Silo A was accomplished by collecting infested grain and / or insects with probes. In Silo B, the monitoring was done through the capture of insects with traps of the type calador. In The Silo, were not detected representative quantities of insects in grain up to 120 days, when the collections were made with probes in the layer below the grain treated with diatomaceous earth. In Silo B, where the collection of insects was performed with traps of the type calador, increased population of insects of the species O. surinamensis and R. dominica with the extension of storage. This increase in the number of insects was greater after 60 days of the early experiments. This is happening due to the presence of insects in grain mass before cooling. The use of cooling associated with the inert powder has an effective control of insects in grain mass.

Production of Working Reference Materials for the Capability Evaluation Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillip D. Noll, Jr.; Robert S. Marshall

1999-03-01

Nondestructive waste assay (NDA) methods are employed to determine the mass and activity of waste-entrained radionuclides as part of the National TRU (Trans-Uranic) Waste Characterization Program. In support of this program the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Mixed Waste Focus Area developed a plan to acquire capability/performance data on systems proposed for NDA purposes. The Capability Evaluation Project (CEP) was designed to evaluate the NDA systems of commercial contractors by subjecting all participants to identical tests involving 55 gallon drum surrogates containing known quantities and distributions of radioactive materials in the form of sealed-source standards, referred to as working reference materials (WRMs). Although numerous Pu WRMs already exist, the CEP WRM set allows for the evaluation of the capability and performance of systems with respect to waste types/configurations which contain increased amounts of {sup 241}Am relative to weapons grade Pu, waste that is dominantly {sup 241}Am, as well as wastes containing various proportions of depleted uranium. The CEP WRMs consist of a special mixture of PuO{sub 2}/AmO{sub 2} (IAP) and diatomaceous earth (DE) or depleted uranium (DU) oxide and DE and were fabricated at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The IAP WRMS are contained inside a pair of welded inner and outer stainless steel containers. The DU WRMs are singly contained within a stainless steel container equivalent to the outer container of the IAP standards. This report gives a general overview and discussion relating to the production and certification of the CEP WRMs.

Removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from biogas for the community in the province of Maha Sarakham

Science.gov (United States)

Pinate, W.; Dangphonthong, D.; Sirirach, S.; Sukkhon, S.

2017-09-01

Biogas produced from the fermentation in the province of Maha Sarakham of excreta from cow dung, fattening pigs and buffalo dung in small scale farms contained hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at 764, 926 and 1,103 ppm, respectively. This gas has offensive smell and is corrosive to motor and metal stove of farmers, thus needs to be eliminated. The adsorbent granules soaking in FeCl3 and NaOH made from grey cement mixed with diatomaceous earth or fine sand. The experiment cow dung, fattening pigs and buffalo dung farms revealed that the adsorbent granules made from fine sand mixed with grey cement had better efficiency in reducing H2S than diatomaceous earth plus grey cement or scrap iron (97.1-91.4 vs. 86.0-64.3 and 77.9-89.4%, Pbiogas from 3,141 to 0 ppm in the first day and to 6 ppm on day 25 of using period, during which the colour of adsorbent granules changed from red brown to dark brown.

Combination of diatomaceous earth and powder deltamethrin for insect control in stored corn Combinação de terra de diatomácea e deltametrina em pó para o controle de insetos em milho armazenado

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiane Cristina Ceruti

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The use of diatomaceous earth (DE is a very efficient insect control measure in stored grain IPM due to its low cost, easy application, reduction of active ingredient residues, lower environmental contamination and operator safety. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of different dosages of DE mixed with powder deltamethrin for controlling Sitophilus zeamais in stored corn. Samples of 100 g of clean and dry corn, in three replicates, were submitted to the following treatments: DE (Keepdry®, at the dosages of 500, 750 and 1000 g/t; powder deltamethrin (K-Obiol® at 0,5 g a.i. /t and 1,0 g a.i. /t; and combinations of the lowest and highest DE dosages with the two dosages of deltamethrin. Thirty adults of S. zeamais were placed in each vial with the treated grains and kept in environment chambers at 25ºC. Mortality was evaluated from the 1st to the 28th day. In the treatments mixing DE with deltamethrin or deltamethrin alone, the mortalyti was registered since the first day. In the treatments using only DE, the first dead insects were recorded after the 3rd day, especially in the highest dosages. After the 7th day, however, there was no statistical difference among all treatments, except for the lowest dosage of DE which reached a satisfactory control level only by the 14th day. It was concluded that treatments using DE combined with low dosages of powder deltamethrin represent an efficient control measure against S. zeamais in stored corn because insect mortality is faster than in treatments using DE alone and residues of active ingredients are much lower than using the insecticide in high dosages.O uso de terra de diatomácea (TD representa uma medida de controle importante em programas de MIP de armazenamento devido ao baixo custo, facilidade de aplicação, redução do nível de resíduos de ingrediente ativo e da contaminação ambiental e maior segurança para o operador. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a

Evaluation of Rare Earth Element Extraction from North Dakota Coal-Related Feed Stocks

Science.gov (United States)

Laudal, Daniel A.

The rare earth elements consist of the lanthanide series of elements with atomic numbers from 57-71 and also include yttrium and scandium. Due to their unique properties, rare earth elements are crucial materials in an incredible array of consumer goods, energy system components and military defense applications. However, the global production and entire value chain for rare earth elements is dominated by China, with the U.S. currently 100% import reliant for these critical materials. Traditional mineral ores including previously mined deposits in the U.S., however, have several challenges. Chief among these is that the content of the most critical and valuable of the rare earths are deficient, making mining uneconomical. Further, the supply of these most critical rare earths is nearly 100% produced in China from a single resource that is only projected to last another 10 to 20 years. The U.S. currently considers the rare earths market an issue of national security. It is imperative that alternative domestic sources of rare earths be identified and methods developed to produce them. Recently, coal and coal byproducts have been identified as one of these promising alternative resources. This dissertation details a study on evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of rare earth element recovery from North Dakota lignite coal and lignite-related feedstocks. There were four major goals of this study: i) identify lignite or lignite-related feedstocks with total rare earth element content above 300 parts per million, a threshold dictated by the agency who funded this research as the minimum for economic viability, ii) determine the geochemistry of the feedstocks and understand the forms and modes of occurrence of the rare earth elements, information necessary to inform the development of extraction and concentration methods, iii) identify processing methods to concentrate the rare earth elements from the feedstocks to a target of two weight percent, a value

Evaluation of Earth's Geobiosphere Emergy Baseline and the Emergy of Crustal Cycling

Science.gov (United States)

De Vilbiss, Chris

This dissertation quantitatively analyzed the exergy supporting the nucleosynthesis of the heavy isotopes, Earth's geobiosphere, and its crustal cycling. Exergy is that portion of energy that is available to drive work. The exergy sources that drive the geobiosphere are sunlight, Earth's rotational kinetic energy and relic heat, and radionuclides in Earth's interior. These four exergy sources were used to compute the Earth's geobiosphere emergy baseline (GEB), expressed as a single unit, solar equivalent joules (seJ). The seJ of radionuclides were computed by determining the quantity of gravitational exergy that dissipated in the production of both sunlight and heavy isotopes. This is a new method of computing solar equivalences also was applied to Earth's relic heat and rotational energy. The equivalent quantities of these four exergy sources were then added to express the GEB. This new baseline was compared with several other contemporary GEB methods. The new GEB is modeled as the support to Earth's crustal cycle and ultimately to the economical mineral deposits used in the US economy. Given the average annual cycling of crustal material and its average composition, specific emergies were calculated to express the average emergy per mass of particular crustal minerals. Chemical exergies of the minerals were used to develop transformities and specific emergies of minerals at heightened concentrations, i.e. minable concentrations. The effect of these new mineral emergy values were examined using the US economy as an example. The final result is an 83% reduction in the emergy of limestone, a 91% reduction in the aggregated emergy of all other minerals, and a 23% reduction in the emergy of the US economy. This dissertation explored three unique and innovative methods to compute the emergy of Earth's exergy sources and resources. First was a method for computing the emergy of radionuclides. Second was a method to evaluate the Earth's relic heat and dissipation of

Introducing Multisensor Satellite Radiance-Based Evaluation for Regional Earth System Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Matsui, T.; Santanello, J.; Shi, J. J.; Tao, W.-K.; Wu, D.; Peters-Lidard, C.; Kemp, E.; Chin, M.; Starr, D.; Sekiguchi, M.;

Radiation effects on Fischer-Tropsch syntheses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatada, M.; Matsuda, K.

1977-01-01

Radiation effects on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has been examined using high dose rate electron beams and Fe-Cu-diatomaceous earth catalyst. Yields of saturated hydrocarbons were found to increase by irradiation, but the yields of these compounds were decreased by raising reaction temperature without irradiation, suggesting the presence of radiation chemical process in catalytic reactions. (author)

An improved Rosetta pedotransfer function and evaluation in earth system models

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y.; Schaap, M. G.

2017-12-01

Soil hydraulic parameters are often difficult and expensive to measure, leading to the pedotransfer functions (PTFs) an alternative to predict those parameters. Rosetta (Schaap et al., 2001, denoted as Rosetta1) are widely used PTFs, which is based on artificial neural network (ANN) analysis coupled with the bootstrap re-sampling method, allowing the estimation of van Genuchten water retention parameters (van Genuchten, 1980, abbreviated here as VG), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), as well as their uncertainties. We present an improved hierarchical pedotransfer functions (Rosetta3) that unify the VG water retention and Ks submodels into one, thus allowing the estimation of uni-variate and bi-variate probability distributions of estimated parameters. Results show that the estimation bias of moisture content was reduced significantly. Rosetta1 and Posetta3 were implemented in the python programming language, and the source code are available online. Based on different soil water retention equations, there are diverse PTFs used in different disciplines of earth system modelings. PTFs based on Campbell [1974] or Clapp and Hornberger [1978] are frequently used in land surface models and general circulation models, while van Genuchten [1980] based PTFs are more widely used in hydrology and soil sciences. We use an independent global scale soil database to evaluate the performance of diverse PTFs used in different disciplines of earth system modelings. PTFs are evaluated based on different soil characteristics and environmental characteristics, such as soil textural data, soil organic carbon, soil pH, as well as precipitation and soil temperature. This analysis provides more quantitative estimation error information for PTF predictions in different disciplines of earth system modelings.

Freva - Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework for Scientific Infrastructures in Earth System Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Kadow, Christopher; Illing, Sebastian; Kunst, Oliver; Schartner, Thomas; Kirchner, Ingo; Rust, Henning W.; Cubasch, Ulrich; Ulbrich, Uwe

2016-04-01

The Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework (Freva - freva.met.fu-berlin.de) is a software infrastructure for standardized data and tool solutions in Earth system science. Freva runs on high performance computers to handle customizable evaluation systems of research projects, institutes or universities. It combines different software technologies into one common hybrid infrastructure, including all features present in the shell and web environment. The database interface satisfies the international standards provided by the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). Freva indexes different data projects into one common search environment by storing the meta data information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets in a database. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy-to-handle search tool supports users, developers and their plugins to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. Facilitation of the provision and usage of tools and climate data automatically increases the number of scientists working with the data sets and identifying discrepancies. The integrated web-shell (shellinabox) adds a degree of freedom in the choice of the working environment and can be used as a gate to the research projects HPC. Plugins are able to integrate their e.g. post-processed results into the database of the user. This allows e.g. post-processing plugins to feed statistical analysis plugins, which fosters an active exchange between plugin developers of a research project. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a database

Freva - Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework for Scientific HPC Infrastructures in Earth System Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Kadow, C.; Illing, S.; Schartner, T.; Grieger, J.; Kirchner, I.; Rust, H.; Cubasch, U.; Ulbrich, U.

2017-12-01

The Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework (Freva - freva.met.fu-berlin.de) is a software infrastructure for standardized data and tool solutions in Earth system science (e.g. www-miklip.dkrz.de, cmip-eval.dkrz.de). Freva runs on high performance computers to handle customizable evaluation systems of research projects, institutes or universities. It combines different software technologies into one common hybrid infrastructure, including all features present in the shell and web environment. The database interface satisfies the international standards provided by the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). Freva indexes different data projects into one common search environment by storing the meta data information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets in a database. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy-to-handle search tool supports users, developers and their plugins to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. The integrated web-shell (shellinabox) adds a degree of freedom in the choice of the working environment and can be used as a gate to the research projects HPC. Plugins are able to integrate their e.g. post-processed results into the database of the user. This allows e.g. post-processing plugins to feed statistical analysis plugins, which fosters an active exchange between plugin developers of a research project. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a database. Configurations and results of the tools can be shared among scientists via shell or web system. Furthermore, if configurations match

Evaluating rare earth element availability: a case with revolutionary demand from clean technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Elisa; Sherman, Andrew M; Wallington, Timothy J; Everson, Mark P; Field, Frank R; Roth, Richard; Kirchain, Randolph E

2012-03-20

The future availability of rare earth elements (REEs) is of concern due to monopolistic supply conditions, environmentally unsustainable mining practices, and rapid demand growth. We present an evaluation of potential future demand scenarios for REEs with a focus on the issue of comining. Many assumptions were made to simplify the analysis, but the scenarios identify some key variables that could affect future rare earth markets and market behavior. Increased use of wind energy and electric vehicles are key elements of a more sustainable future. However, since present technologies for electric vehicles and wind turbines rely heavily on dysprosium (Dy) and neodymium (Nd), in rare-earth magnets, future adoption of these technologies may result in large and disproportionate increases in the demand for these two elements. For this study, upper and lower bound usage projections for REE in these applications were developed to evaluate the state of future REE supply availability. In the absence of efficient reuse and recycling or the development of technologies which use lower amounts of Dy and Nd, following a path consistent with stabilization of atmospheric CO(2) at 450 ppm may lead to an increase of more than 700% and 2600% for Nd and Dy, respectively, over the next 25 years if the present REE needs in automotive and wind applications are representative of future needs.

Evaluation of an earth heat storage system in a solar energy greenhouse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Q.; Langrell, J.; Boris, R. [Manitoba Univ., Winnipeg, MB (Canada). Dept. of Biosystems Engineering

2010-07-01

Greenhouses store solar energy in the walls and floors during the daytime and release the stored energy back to the greenhouse at night. In this study, an earth heat storage system was constructed and tested in a solar energy greenhouse in order to enhance energy storage. The system consisted of a network of perforated pipes buried in the soil at depths from 0.3 to 1 m. The warm air near the greenhouse ceiling was drawn to the buried pipes. Soil and air temperatures were recorded at various locations by a network of thermocouples. The energy balance was analyzed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the earth heat storage system. The temperature profiles in the soil were used to determine the summer recharge and winter energy depletion behaviour of the system.

New earth system model for optical performance evaluation of space instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Dongok; Kim, Sug-Whan; Breault, Robert P

2017-03-06

In this study, a new global earth system model is introduced for evaluating the optical performance of space instruments. Simultaneous imaging and spectroscopic results are provided using this global earth system model with fully resolved spatial, spectral, and temporal coverage of sub-models of the Earth. The sun sub-model is a Lambertian scattering sphere with a 6-h scale and 295 lines of solar spectral irradiance. The atmospheric sub-model has a 15-layer three-dimensional (3D) ellipsoid structure. The land sub-model uses spectral bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) defined by a semi-empirical parametric kernel model. The ocean is modeled with the ocean spectral albedo after subtracting the total integrated scattering of the sun-glint scatter model. A hypothetical two-mirror Cassegrain telescope with a 300-mm-diameter aperture and 21.504 mm × 21.504-mm focal plane imaging instrument is designed. The simulated image results are compared with observational data from HRI-VIS measurements during the EPOXI mission for approximately 24 h from UTC Mar. 18, 2008. Next, the defocus mapping result and edge spread function (ESF) measuring result show that the distance between the primary and secondary mirror increases by 55.498 μm from the diffraction-limited condition. The shift of the focal plane is determined to be 5.813 mm shorter than that of the defocused focal plane, and this result is confirmed through the estimation of point spread function (PSF) measurements. This study shows that the earth system model combined with an instrument model is a powerful tool that can greatly help the development phase of instrument missions.

GLOBE Mission Earth: The evaluation of the first year's implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Adaktylou, N. E.; Hedley, M. L.; Darche, S.; Harris-Stefanakis, E.; Silberglitt, M. D.; Struble, J.; Bingham, P.; Czajkowski, K.

2017-12-01

Here we present the evaluation findings for the first year of implementation of the `Mission Earth' Program.`Mission Earth' proposes the systematic embedding of GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) resources and NASA assets into the curricula of schools along the K-12 continuum, leveraging existing partnerships and networks. The main goal of the program is to create developmentally appropriate, vertically-integrated K-12 materials and activities,, supported by high quality professional development and ongoing support, engaging teachers from all grades. Its team consists of 5 geographically distributed universities and research institutions that have developed a curriculum progression following research-based best practices, have conducted the year's trainings for selected cohorts of teachers. The evaluation is a continuous process over the program's five year duration to examine implementation and opportunities for improvement. A broad set of data collection tools include a diagnostic component (needs assessment for teachers, capacity assessment for the school environment) and an assessment of implementation component (surveys for teachers and trainers, pre- and post tests for students, classroom observations, teacher interviews, portfolios). The tools used are validated instruments or ones modified to serve the program needs. The patterns emerging from the data provided information on: i) the quality of the intervention as to its design and content, ii) the alignment with the needs of the participants, iii) the implementation phase, iii) changes in the content knowledge of the students and their attitudes toward science, iv) changes in the facility of teachers to teach science in their classrooms after the professional development and materials provided, v) challenges and facilitators of implementation. Based on findings the program evaluation identifies additions/adjustments to be adopted in the following year.

A program wide framework for evaluating data driven teaching and learning - earth analytics approaches, results and lessons learned

Science.gov (United States)

Wasser, L. A.; Gold, A. U.

2017-12-01

There is a deluge of earth systems data available to address cutting edge science problems yet specific skills are required to work with these data. The Earth analytics education program, a core component of Earth Lab at the University of Colorado - Boulder - is building a data intensive program that provides training in realms including 1) interdisciplinary communication and collaboration 2) earth science domain knowledge including geospatial science and remote sensing and 3) reproducible, open science workflows ("earth analytics"). The earth analytics program includes an undergraduate internship, undergraduate and graduate level courses and a professional certificate / degree program. All programs share the goals of preparing a STEM workforce for successful earth analytics driven careers. We are developing an program-wide evaluation framework that assesses the effectiveness of data intensive instruction combined with domain science learning to better understand and improve data-intensive teaching approaches using blends of online, in situ, asynchronous and synchronous learning. We are using targeted online search engine optimization (SEO) to increase visibility and in turn program reach. Finally our design targets longitudinal program impacts on participant career tracts over time.. Here we present results from evaluation of both an interdisciplinary undergrad / graduate level earth analytics course and and undergraduate internship. Early results suggest that a blended approach to learning and teaching that includes both synchronous in-person teaching and active classroom hands-on learning combined with asynchronous learning in the form of online materials lead to student success. Further we will present our model for longitudinal tracking of participant's career focus overtime to better understand long-term program impacts. We also demonstrate the impact of SEO optimization on online content reach and program visibility.

Earth Sciences Data and Information System (ESDIS) program planning and evaluation methodology development

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, William B.

1995-01-01

An Earth Sciences Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project Management Plan (PMP) is prepared. An ESDIS Project Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) consistent with the developed PMP is also prepared. ESDIS and related EOS program requirements developments, management and analysis processes are evaluated. Opportunities to improve the effectiveness of these processes and program/project responsiveness to requirements are identified. Overall ESDIS cost estimation processes are evaluated, and recommendations to improve cost estimating and modeling techniques are developed. ESDIS schedules and scheduling tools are evaluated. Risk assessment, risk mitigation strategies and approaches, and use of risk information in management decision-making are addressed.

Ground-state properties of rare-earth metals: an evaluation of density-functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Söderlind, Per; Turchi, P E A; Landa, A; Lordi, V

2014-01-01

The rare-earth metals have important technological applications due to their magnetic properties, but are scarce and expensive. Development of high-performance magnetic materials with less rare-earth content is desired, but theoretical modeling is hampered by complexities of the rare earths electronic structure. The existence of correlated (atomic-like) 4f electrons in the vicinity of the valence band makes any first-principles theory challenging. Here, we apply and evaluate the efficacy of density-functional theory for the series of lanthanides (rare earths), investigating the influence of the electron exchange and correlation functional, spin-orbit interaction, and orbital polarization. As a reference, the results are compared with those of the so-called ‘standard model’ of the lanthanides in which electrons are constrained to occupy 4f core states with no hybridization with the valence electrons. Some comparisons are also made with models designed for strong electron correlations. Our results suggest that spin–orbit coupling and orbital polarization are important, particularly for the magnitude of the magnetic moments, and that calculated equilibrium volumes, bulk moduli, and magnetic moments show correct trends overall. However, the precision of the calculated properties is not at the level of that found for simpler metals in the Periodic Table of Elements, and the electronic structures do not accurately reproduce x-ray photoemission spectra. (paper)

Evaluation of Big Data Containers for Popular Storage, Retrieval, and Computation Primitives in Earth Science Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Das, K.; Clune, T.; Kuo, K. S.; Mattmann, C. A.; Huang, T.; Duffy, D.; Yang, C. P.; Habermann, T.

2015-12-01

Data containers are infrastructures that facilitate storage, retrieval, and analysis of data sets. Big data applications in Earth Science require a mix of processing techniques, data sources and storage formats that are supported by different data containers. Some of the most popular data containers used in Earth Science studies are Hadoop, Spark, SciDB, AsterixDB, and RasDaMan. These containers optimize different aspects of the data processing pipeline and are, therefore, suitable for different types of applications. These containers are expected to undergo rapid evolution and the ability to re-test, as they evolve, is very important to ensure the containers are up to date and ready to be deployed to handle large volumes of observational data and model output. Our goal is to develop an evaluation plan for these containers to assess their suitability for Earth Science data processing needs. We have identified a selection of test cases that are relevant to most data processing exercises in Earth Science applications and we aim to evaluate these systems for optimal performance against each of these test cases. The use cases identified as part of this study are (i) data fetching, (ii) data preparation for multivariate analysis, (iii) data normalization, (iv) distance (kernel) computation, and (v) optimization. In this study we develop a set of metrics for performance evaluation, define the specifics of governance, and test the plan on current versions of the data containers. The test plan and the design mechanism are expandable to allow repeated testing with both new containers and upgraded versions of the ones mentioned above, so that we can gauge their utility as they evolve.

Evaluating The Global Inventory of Planetary Analog Environments on Earth: An Ontological Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Conrad, P. G.

2010-12-01

Introduction: Field sites on Earth are routinely used to simulate planetary environments so that we can try to understand the evidence of processes such as sedimentary deposition, weathering, evolution of habitable environments, and behavior of spacecraft and instrumentation prior to selection of mission architectures, payload investigations and landing sites for in situ exploration of other planets. The rapid evolution of astrobiology science drivers for space exploration as well as increasing capability to explore planetary surfaces in situ has led to a proliferation of declarations that various Earth environments are analogs for less accessible planetary environments. We have not yet progressed to standardized measures of analog fidelity, and the analog value of field sites can be variable de-pending upon a variety of factors. Here we present a method of evaluating the fidelity and hence utility of analog environments by using an ontological approach to evaluating how well the analogs work. The use of ontologies as specification constructs is now quite common in artificial intelligence, systems engineering, business development and various informatics systems. We borrow from these developments just as they derive from the original use of ontology in philosophy, where it was meant as a systematic approach to describing the fundamental elements that define “being,” or existence [1]. An ontology is a framework for the specification of a concept or domain of interest. The knowledge regarding that domain, eg., inventory of objects, hierarchical classes, relationships and functions is what describes and defines the domain as a declarative formalism [2]. In the case of planetary environments, one can define a list of fundamen-tal attributes without which the domain (environment) in question must be defined (classified) otherwise. In particu-lar this is problematic when looking at ancient environments because of their alteration over time. In other words, their

Development of a Field Laundry Wastewater Recycling System

Science.gov (United States)

1986-04-01

its physical , chemical, and toxicological properties . Chemical interactions may also occur in laundry water that may result in additional compounds of...was used to prepare a diatomite slurry needed to precoat the septums in the diatomaceous earth filter. II 6 If Sx COLLECTION TANK (CT) Figure 3...biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) bottles were then taken. The samples were divided into fractions for replicate testing of chemical and physical

Remoção dos corantes azul brilhante, amarelo crepúsculo e amarelo tartrazina de soluções aquosas utilizando carvão ativado, terra ativada, terra diatomácea, quitina e quitosana: estudos de equilíbrio e termodinâmica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Luiz Dotto

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This work compared activated carbon, activated earth, diatomaceous earth, chitin and chitosan to removal acid blue 9, food yellow 3 and FD&C yellow nº 5 dyes from aqueous solutions with different pH values (2-10. In the best process condition for each dye, equilibrium studies were carried out at different temperatures (from 298 to 328 K and Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich models were fitted with experimental data. In addition, entropy change, Gibbs free energy change and enthalpy change were obtained in order to verify the thermodynamic adsorption behavior.

Use of diatomaceous to liquid organic wastes adsorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanhueza M, Azucena; Padilla S, Ulises

1999-01-01

Background: One of the radioactive wastes that the Radioactive Wastes Management Unit must process are organic liquids from external generators and from sections of the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CCHEN). The wastes from external generators contain H 3 and C 14; while the wastes from the CCHEN are contaminated with uranium. The total volume of liquid organic wastes that must be treated is 5 m3. The options recommended for processing these wastes are incineration or the adsorption of the organic liquid by some adsorbing medium and its subsequent immobilization in cement molds. Due to the cost of incineration, the adsorption method was chosen for study. Objective: To find the optimum amount of adsorbent to be saturated with radioactive organic liquid from liquid scintillation and to study immobilization in cement molds. Methodology: Adsorption granulated (1568 Merck) and diatom earth were tested as adsorbent mediums. The adsorbents were mixed in different ratios of volume with the organic liquid. Then the waste was mixed with different water/cement ratios to define the best immobilization conditions. Conclusions: The tests carried out with 2 adsorbents recommended in the literature and available in the CCHEN show that as adsorbent waste ratio decreases, the percentage of liquid adsorbed increases, as expected: a greater volume of adsorbent retains a greater quantity of liquid, with an increase in the final volume, depending on the adsorbent used. Of these adsorbents, the diatom earth was better for treating liquid organic wastes. It had 100% adsorption and an increased volume of 0%, which is more than enough from the volumetric point of view of waste management. The ratio 0.8 liquid/adsorbent also showed good characteristics, but more study is needed to decide on the above, since liquid remains to be adsorbed. This work must continue to study the repeatability of results, to obtain physical and radiological characteristics for the immobilized products and to

Greenhouse Earth: A Traveling Exhibition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booth, W.H.; Caesar, S.

1992-09-01

The Franklin Institute Science Museum provided an exhibit entitled the Greenhouse Earth: A Traveling Exhibition. This 3500 square-foot exhibit on global climate change was developed in collaboration with the Association of Science-Technology Centers. The exhibit opened at The Franklin Institute on February 14, 1992, welcoming 291,000 visitors over its three-month stay. During its three-year tour, Greenhouse Earth will travel to ten US cities, reaching two million visitors. Greenhouse Earth aims to deepen public understanding of the scientific issues of global warming and the conservation measures that can be taken to slow its effects. The exhibit features hands-on exhibitry, interactive computer programs and videos, a theater production, a ''demonstration cart,'' guided tours, and lectures. supplemental educational programs at the Institute included a teachers preview, a symposium on climate change, and a ''satellite field trip.'' The development of Greenhouse Earth included front-end and formative evaluation procedures. Evaluation includes interviews with visitors, prototypes, and summative surveys for participating museums. During its stay in Philadelphia, Greenhouse Earth was covered by the local and national press, with reviews in print and broadcast media. Greenhouse Earth is the first large-scale museum exhibit to address global climate change

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION USING EARTH OBSERVATION TECHNIQUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Ito

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we introduce to secondary education an Earth observation technique using synthetic aperture radar (SAR. The goal is to increase interest in and raise the awareness of students in the Earth observation technique through practical activities. A curriculum is developed based on the result of questionnaire surveys of school teachers. The curriculum is composed of 16 units. Teaching materials related to the Earth observation technique are researched and developed. We designed a visual SAR processor and a small corner reflector (CR as a new teaching technique. In teaching sessions at secondary school, the developed teaching materials and software were used effectively. In observation experiments, students set up CRs that they had built, and ALOS PALSAR was able to clearly observe all of the CRs. The proposed curriculum helped all of the students to understand the usefulness of the Earth observation technique.

As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb pressurized liquid extraction with acetic acid from marine sediment and soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreda-Pineiro, Jorge; Alonso-Rodriguez, Elia; Lopez-Mahia, Purificacion; Muniategui-Lorenzo, Soledad; Prada-Rodriguez, Dario; Moreda-Pineiro, Antonio; Bermejo-Barrera, Adela; Bermejo-Barrera, Pilar

2006-01-01

Rapid leaching procedures by Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) have been developed for As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb leaching from environmental matrices (marine sediment and soil samples). The Pressurized Liquid Extraction is completed after 16 min. The released elements by acetic acid Pressurized Liquid Extraction have been evaluated by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The optimum multi-element leaching conditions when using 5.0 ml stainless steel extraction cells, were: acetic acid concentration 8.0 M, extraction temperature 100 deg. C, pressure 1500 psi, static time 5 min, flush solvent 60%, two extraction steps and 0.50 g of diatomaceous earth as dispersing agent (diatomaceous earth mass/sample mass ratio of 2). Results have showed that high acetic acid concentrations and high extraction temperatures increase the metal leaching efficiency. Limits of detection (between 0.12 and 0.5 μg g -1 ) and repeatability of the over-all procedure (around 6.0%) were assessed. Finally, accuracy was studied by analyzing PACS-2 (marine sediment), GBW-07409 (soil), IRANT-12-1-07 (cambisol soil) and IRANT-12-1-08 (luvisol soil) certified reference materials (CRMs). These certified reference materials offer certified concentrations ranges between 2.9 and 26.2 μg g -1 for As, from 0.068 to 2.85 μg g -1 for Cd, between 26.4 and 90.7 μg g -1 for Cr, from 9.3 to 40.0 μg g -1 for Ni and between 16.3 and 183.0 μg g -1 for Pb. Recoveries after analysis were between 95.7 and 105.1% for As, 96.2% for Cd, 95.2 and 100.6% for Cr, 95.7 and 103% for Ni and 94.2 and 105.5% for Pb

Detection of mineral impurities in diatomite ores

OpenAIRE

Guatame Garcia, L.A.; Buxton, M.W.N.; Fiore, Saverio

2017-01-01

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is commonly used in the industry for the manufacturing of filters, where diatomite is preferred due to its low chemical reactivity and high porosity. Diatomite deposits with major amounts of mineral impurities, such as carbonates, present a problem in the production DE. In this study, samples from a diatomite deposit with known presence of carbonate were analysed. With the aim of estimating the carbonate content, the samples were analysed with infrared (IR) spectroscop...

Evaluating the impact of geologic heritage on Earth science literacy: Adapting best practices from pedagogy and interpretation (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Semken, S. C.

2013-12-01

How might we authentically and practically evaluate the effects of a geologic heritage place or program on public Earth science literacy? This pedagogical form of evaluation is distinct from the evaluation of a place for its geological importance, heritage value, economic or cultural impact, and so on. Best evaluation practices from the realms of formal education, informal education, and interpretation start with a coherent set of evaluable learning outcomes, ideally recapitulated in one or more 'big ideas' that capture the essential attributes of the place or program. Learning outcomes may be classified as cognitive, affective, or psychomotor. Cognitive learning outcomes in a geoheritage context are the Earth-science concepts a visitor or student would be expected to uncover through on-site or virtual exploration of the stratigraphy, structure, landforms, and processes in a place. The Earth Science Literacy Principles (ESLP), and similar literacy documents relating to atmosphere, oceans, and climate; offer a template for mapping localized concepts onto more global ones. Quantitative instruments to evaluate understanding of the ESLP are in development, and the ESLP also map directly onto measures used in formal educational assessment, notably the Next Generation Science Standards in the USA. Nongeological place meanings (a component of sense of place) may suggest other cognitive outcomes. Affective learning outcomes for visitors and students in geoheritage sites are less readily defined, but may include place attachment (also a component of sense of place), attitudes, and interest. Multiple quantitative and qualitative methods of evaluating these outcomes exist. Psychomotor learning outcomes are even muddier, but accessibility (defined by statutes) offers a potential starting point. In practice, evaluation may be conducted synchronously or asynchronously with visitors' or students' interaction with the geoheritage place or program. Evaluation programs are typically

Evaluating predictions of ICME arrival at Earth and Mars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falkenberg, Thea Vilstrup; Taktakishvili, A.; Pulkkinen, A.

2011-01-01

We present a study of interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) propagation to Earth and Mars. Because of the significant space weather hazard posed by ICMEs, understanding and predicting their arrival and impact at Mars is important for current and future robotic and manned missions...... to the planet. We compare running ENLILv2.6 with coronal mass ejection (CME) input parameters from both a manual and an automated method. We analyze shock events identified at Mars in Mars Global Surveyor data in 2001 and 2003, when Earth and Mars were separated by...

Uraniferous surficial deposits in Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hambleton-Jones, B.B.; Levin, M.; Wagener, G.F.

1986-01-01

Surficial uranium deposits are located in the north-western Cape Province of South Africa, in the Namib Desert east of Walvis Bay in South West Africa/Namibia and in the Serule Block of Botswana. They have been classified into the valley-fill, lacustrine, and pedogenic types. Carnotite is the main uranium-bearing mineral in the larger surficial deposits, with other minerals such as soddyite and phosphuranylite occurring locally. Uraninite or urano-organic complexes occur in the reducing environments of the diatomaceous earth, peat-rich deposits. Economically, the valley-fill type is the most important, with the largest deposits occurring in South West Africa/Namibia. In South West Africa/Namibia the valley-fill surficial uranium deposits occur in the Tumas and Langer Heinrich formations of the Teriary to Recent Namib Group. The Tubas, Langer Heinrich, and Welwitchia deposits are discussed: in them, carnotite occurs in calcareous and gypsiferous fluvial gravels. The pedogenic deposit at Mile 72 occurs in weathered granite and overlying gypcrete and has little economic potential. The economic potential of the surficial deposits in the north-western Cape Province is very limited in comparison with their South West African/Namibian counterparts, but the most important deposits are the lacustrine type, in particular those containing peat and diatomaceous earth. The mechanisms for the precipitation and preservation of the uranium are discussed

Carbon stocks and fluxes in the high latitudes: using site-levelbreak data to evaluate Earth system models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chadburn, S. E.; Krinner, G.; Porada, P.

2017-01-01

from northward expansion of vegetation under climate warming. Here we evaluate the simulation of tundra carbon stocks and fluxes in three land surface schemes that each form part of major Earth system models (JSBACH, Germany; JULES, UK; ORCHIDEE, France). We use a site-level approach in which...

Radiometric measurements on the fabrication of non-destructive assay standards for WIPP-Performance Demonstration Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, A.S.; Marshall, R.S.

1997-04-01

The Inorganic Elemental Analysis Group of LANL has prepared several different sets of working reference materials (WRMs). These WRMs are prepared by blending quantities of nuclear materials (plutonium, americium, and enriched uranium) with diatomaceous earth. The blends are encapsulated in stainless steel cylinders. These WRMs are being measured as blind controls in neutron and gamma based non-destructive assay (NDA) instruments. Radiometric measurements on the blending homogeneity and verification on a set of sixty three plutonium based WRMs are discussed in this paper

Evaluating Land-Atmosphere Moisture Feedbacks in Earth System Models With Spaceborne Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, P. A.; Randerson, J. T.; Lawrence, D. M.; Swenson, S. C.

2016-12-01

We have developed a set of metrics for measuring the feedback loop between the land surface moisture state and the atmosphere globally on an interannual time scale. These metrics consider both the forcing of terrestrial water storage (TWS) on subsequent atmospheric conditions as well as the response of TWS to antecedent atmospheric conditions. We designed our metrics to take advantage of more than one decade's worth of satellite observations of TWS from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) along with atmospheric variables from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), and Clouds and the Earths Radiant Energy System (CERES). Metrics derived from spaceborne observations were used to evaluate the strength of the feedback loop in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large Ensemble (LENS) and in several models that contributed simulations to Phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). We found that both forcing and response limbs of the feedback loop were generally stronger in tropical and temperate regions in CMIP5 models and even more so in LENS compared to satellite observations. Our analysis suggests that models may overestimate the strength of the feedbacks between the land surface and the atmosphere, which is consistent with previous studies conducted across different spatial and temporal scales.

The Earth System Model

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeberl, Mark; Rood, Richard B.; Hildebrand, Peter; Raymond, Carol

2003-01-01

The Earth System Model is the natural evolution of current climate models and will be the ultimate embodiment of our geophysical understanding of the planet. These models are constructed from components - atmosphere, ocean, ice, land, chemistry, solid earth, etc. models and merged together through a coupling program which is responsible for the exchange of data from the components. Climate models and future earth system models will have standardized modules, and these standards are now being developed by the ESMF project funded by NASA. The Earth System Model will have a variety of uses beyond climate prediction. The model can be used to build climate data records making it the core of an assimilation system, and it can be used in OSSE experiments to evaluate. The computing and storage requirements for the ESM appear to be daunting. However, the Japanese ES theoretical computing capability is already within 20% of the minimum requirements needed for some 2010 climate model applications. Thus it seems very possible that a focused effort to build an Earth System Model will achieve succcss.

Results of scatterometer systems analysis for NASA/MSC Earth Observation Sensor Evaluation Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishen, K.; Vlahos, N.; Brandt, O.; Graybeal, G.

1971-01-01

Radar scatterometers have applications in the NASA/MSC Earth Observation Aircraft Program. Over a period of several years, several missions have been flown over both land and ocean. In this paper a system evaluation of the NASA/MSC 13.3-GHz Scatterometer System is presented. The effects of phase error between the Scatterometer channels, antenna pattern deviations, aircraft attitude deviations, environmental changes, and other related factors such as processing errors, system repeatability, and propeller modulation, were established. Furthermore, the reduction in system errors and calibration improvement was investigated by taking into account these parameter deviations. Typical scatterometer data samples are presented.

An attempt to prepare and characterize a soil reference material for Cr(VI) and Cr(III)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solano, G.; Katz, S.A.; Holzbecher, J.; Chatt, A.

1994-01-01

Reference materials for the speciation and quantification of chromium in contaminated soils were prepared by impregnating diatomaceous earth with BaCrO 4 and Cr 2 O 3 . The chromium concentrations of these materials were confirmed to be 200 mg/kg both by atomic absorption spectrometry and by instrumental neutron activation analysis, but monthly assays over two calendar quarters of the reference material impregnated with BaCrO 4 revealed the hexavalent chromium was not stable in this matrix. (author) 6 refs,; 2 tabs

Evaluating Educational Resources for Inclusion in the Dig Texas Instructional Blueprints for Earth & Space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, B. E.; Bohls-Graham, E.; Martinez, A. O.; Ellins, K. K.; Riggs, E. M.; Serpa, L. F.; Stocks, E.; Fox, S.; Kent, M.

2014-12-01

Today's instruction in Earth's systems requires thoughtful selection of curricula, and in turn, high quality learning activities that address modern Earth science. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which are intended to guide K-12 science instruction, further demand a discriminating selection process. The DIG (Diversity & Innovation in Geoscience) Texas Instructional Blueprints attempt to fulfill this practice by compiling vetted educational resources freely available online into units that are the building blocks of the blueprints. Each blueprint is composed of 9 three-week teaching units and serves as a scope and sequence for teaching a one-year Earth science course. In the earliest stages of the project, teams explored the Internet for classroom-worthy resources, including laboratory investigations, videos, visualizations, and readings, and submitted the educational resources deemed suitable for the project into the project's online review tool. Each team member evaluated the educational resources chosen by fellow team members according to a set of predetermined criteria that had been incorporated into the review tool. Resources rated as very good or excellent by all team members were submitted to the project PIs for approval. At this stage, approved resources became candidates for inclusion in the blueprint units. Team members tagged approved resources with descriptors for the type of resource and instructional strategy, and aligned these to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Earth and Space Science and the Earth Science Literacy Principles. Each team then assembled and sequenced resources according to content strand, balancing the types of learning experiences within each unit. Once units were packaged, teams then considered how they addressed the NGSS and identified the relevant disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. In addition to providing a brief overview of the project, this

Comparative evaluation of an ultraviolet and an orthochromatic rare-earth imaging system for veterinary radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pugh, C.R.; Wortman, J.A.; Lloyd, J.K.F.; Saunders, H.M.; Biery, D.N.; Rhodes, W.H.; Evans, S.M.; Walker, L.M.; Green, P.; Mendez-Aguillar, R.

1995-01-01

The relative quality and speed of a new ultraviolet-emitting screen, ultraviolet-sensitive film rare-earth system (DuPont Ultra-Vision) was compared to an orthochromatic rare-earth system (Kodak Lanex) in a clinical trial. Seven different sets of radiographs of a human foot phantom, or actual canine anatomical structures (tarsus, pelvis, skull, chest, abdomen) were evaluated independently by radiologists, radiology residents and technicians who were unaware of the screen/film combinations used. The 400-speed, Ultra-Vision Rapid/UVG screen/film combination produced superior image detail compared to blue/green emitting 400 and 200-speed screen/film combinations. The image detail of the Ultra-Vision Rapid/UVG system was nearly equivalent to that produced using a 100-speed, fine-detail blue/green emitting screen/film combination. A 200-speed Ultra-Vision system was also tested and produced thoracic and abdominal radiographs of equivalent to slightly superior quality than those produced using blue/green emitting system

Earth mortars and earth-lime renders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Fernandes

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Earth surface coatings play a decorative architectural role, apart from their function as wall protection. In Portuguese vernacular architecture, earth mortars were usually applied on stone masonry, while earth renders and plasters were used on indoors surface coatings. Limestone exists only in certain areas of the country and consequently lime was not easily available everywhere, especially on granite and schist regions where stone masonry was a current building technique. In the central west coast of Portugal, the lime slaking procedure entailed slaking the quicklime mixed with earth (sandy soil, in a pit; the resulting mixture would then be combined in a mortar or plaster. This was also the procedure for manufactured adobes stabilized with lime. Adobe buildings with earth-lime renderings and plasters were also traditional in the same region, using lime putty and lime wash for final coat and decoration. Classic decoration on earth architecture from the 18th-19th century was in many countries a consequence of the François Cointeraux (1740-1830 manuals - Les Cahiers d'Architecture Rurale" (1793 - a French guide for earth architecture and building construction. This manual arrived to Portugal in the beginning of XIX century, but was never translated to Portuguese. References about decoration for earth houses were explained on this manual, as well as procedures about earth-lime renders and ornamentation of earth walls; in fact, these procedures are exactly the same as the ones used in adobe buildings in this Portuguese region. The specific purpose of the present paper is to show some cases of earth mortars, renders and plasters on stone buildings in Portugal and to explain the methods of producing earth-lime renders, and also to show some examples of rendering and coating with earth-lime in Portuguese adobe vernacular architecture.

A participative model for undertaking and evaluating scientific communication in Earth Observation

Science.gov (United States)

L'Astorina, Alba; Tomasoni, Irene

2015-04-01

Public communication of Science and Technology (PCST) is an integral part of the mission of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and widely carried out among the scientific community. Recently it has also become a research field investigating practices, channels, tools and models of public engagement and their impact on the relation between Science and Society. Understanding such aspects is increasingly considered relevant for an effective and aware outreach. Within this context, CNR has adopted some innovative communication approaches addressed to different publics, such as stakeholders, users, media, young people and the general public, using participative methodologies. Besides being practices of communication promoting the scientific culture, such initiatives aim at understanding the models at the basis of the relationship between the scientific community and the public. To what extent do scientists put their communication and involvement strategies in discussion? Do they use to have a real exchange with their publics in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the participatory techniques they adopt in communicating and disseminating their activities? In this paper we present a case study of a communication and educational proposal recently developed by CNR in order to promote a mutual exchange between Education/School and Research, that are the most important actors in the production and the revision of the scientific knowledge. The proposal brings an ongoing CNR research project (its steps, subjects, tools, activities, costs etc) in classrooms, making use of interactive Earth Sciences workshops conducted directly by researchers. The ongoing CNR project shared with students studies Innovative Methodologies of Earth Observation supporting the Agricultural sector in Lombardy. It aims at exploiting the Aerospace Earth Observation (EO) tools to develop dedicated agricultural downstream services that will bring added economic value and benefits for Lombardy

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Working Reference Material Production Pla

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, Amy; Thronas, Denise; Marshall, Robert

1998-11-04

This Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Working Reference Material Production Plan was written for LLNL by the Los Alamos National Laboratory to address key elements of producing seven Pu-diatomaceous earth NDA Working Reference Materials (WRMS). These WRMS contain low burnup Pu ranging in mass from 0.1 grams to 68 grams. The composite Pu mass of the seven WRMS was designed to approximate the maximum TRU allowable loading of 200 grams Pu. This document serves two purposes: first, it defines all the operations required to meet the LLNL Statement of Work quality objectives, and second, it provides a record of the production and certification of the WRMS. Guidance provided in ASTM Standard Guide C1128-89 was used to ensure that this Plan addressed all the required elements for producing and certifying Working Reference Materials. The Production Plan was written to provide a general description of the processes, steps, files, quality control, and certification measures that were taken to produce the WRMS. The Plan identifies the files where detailed procedures, data, quality control, and certification documentation and forms are retained. The Production Plan is organized into three parts: a) an initial section describing the preparation and characterization of the Pu02 and diatomaceous earth materials, b) middle sections describing the loading, encapsulation, and measurement on the encapsulated WRMS, and c) final sections describing the calculations of the Pu, Am, and alpha activity for the WRMS and the uncertainties associated with these quantities.

Conductividad térmica efectiva en cerámicas porosas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Peña Rodríguez

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The effective thermal conductivity at room temperature of porous ceramics that were produced by the method of casting in plaster molds from mixtures of kaolin clay, diatomaceous earth and calcium carbonate (CaCO3 is reported. To produce samples, the diatomite concentration was changed between 30 and 90%, maintaining the percentage of CaCO3 in 10 % percent. Sodium silicate was used as deflocculant, ranging from 0.5% to 2.1%, increasing along with the concentration of diatomite. The process of homogenization of the slip was performed using a reference flocculator F6 E & Q 300T at 200 rpm. The drying was carried out at room temperature for 24 hours and later in a Memmert D-91126 forced circulation oven, at 110 ± 5 ° C for the same period. The sintering was performed in a Terrigeno MM80 muffle, with a heating ramp of 5 ° C by minute at maximum temperature of 950 °C for two hours. The determination of bulk density and percentage of water absorption was made according to the NTC 4321-3 standard. While the effective thermal conductivity (ke of the samples was measured using the TPS 2500 system, which uses the physical principle of the flat transient heat source (TPS, and the hot disk sensor. The results show that as the concentration diatomaceous earth increases, the density and the effective thermal conductivity decreases while the percentage of water absorption increases.

Comprehensive evaluation of attitude and orbit estimation using real earth magnetic field data

Science.gov (United States)

Deutschmann, Julie; Bar-Itzhack, Itzhack

1997-01-01

A single, augmented extended Kalman filter (EKF) which simultaneously and autonomously estimates spacecraft attitude and orbit was developed and tested with simulated and real magnetometer and rate data. Since the earth's magnetic field is a function of time and position, and since time is accurately known, the differences between the computed and measured magnetic field components, as measured by the magnetometers throughout the entire spacecraft's orbit, are a function of orbit and attitude errors. These differences can be used to estimate the orbit and attitude. The test results of the EKF with magnetometer and gyro data from three NASA satellites are presented and evaluated.

Universities Earth System Scientists Program

Science.gov (United States)

Estes, John E.

1995-01-01

This document constitutes the final technical report for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Grant NAGW-3172. This grant was instituted to provide for the conduct of research under the Universities Space Research Association's (USRA's) Universities Earth System Scientist Program (UESSP) for the Office of Mission to Planet Earth (OMTPE) at NASA Headquarters. USRA was tasked with the following requirements in support of the Universities Earth System Scientists Programs: (1) Bring to OMTPE fundamental scientific and technical expertise not currently resident at NASA Headquarters covering the broad spectrum of Earth science disciplines; (2) Conduct basic research in order to help establish the state of the science and technological readiness, related to NASA issues and requirements, for the following, near-term, scientific uncertainties, and data/information needs in the areas of global climate change, clouds and radiative balance, sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and the processes that control them, solid earth, oceans, polar ice sheets, land-surface hydrology, ecological dynamics, biological diversity, and sustainable development; (3) Evaluate the scientific state-of-the-field in key selected areas and to assist in the definition of new research thrusts for missions, including those that would incorporate the long-term strategy of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). This will, in part, be accomplished by study and evaluation of the basic science needs of the community as they are used to drive the development and maintenance of a global-scale observing system, the focused research studies, and the implementation of an integrated program of modeling, prediction, and assessment; and (4) Produce specific recommendations and alternative strategies for OMTPE that can serve as a basis for interagency and national and international policy on issues related to Earth sciences.

Towards Big Earth Data Analytics: The EarthServer Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, Peter

2013-04-01

Big Data in the Earth sciences, the Tera- to Exabyte archives, mostly are made up from coverage data whereby the term "coverage", according to ISO and OGC, is defined as the digital representation of some space-time varying phenomenon. Common examples include 1-D sensor timeseries, 2-D remote sensing imagery, 3D x/y/t image timeseries and x/y/z geology data, and 4-D x/y/z/t atmosphere and ocean data. Analytics on such data requires on-demand processing of sometimes significant complexity, such as getting the Fourier transform of satellite images. As network bandwidth limits prohibit transfer of such Big Data it is indispensable to devise protocols allowing clients to task flexible and fast processing on the server. The EarthServer initiative, funded by EU FP7 eInfrastructures, unites 11 partners from computer and earth sciences to establish Big Earth Data Analytics. One key ingredient is flexibility for users to ask what they want, not impeded and complicated by system internals. The EarthServer answer to this is to use high-level query languages; these have proven tremendously successful on tabular and XML data, and we extend them with a central geo data structure, multi-dimensional arrays. A second key ingredient is scalability. Without any doubt, scalability ultimately can only be achieved through parallelization. In the past, parallelizing code has been done at compile time and usually with manual intervention. The EarthServer approach is to perform a samentic-based dynamic distribution of queries fragments based on networks optimization and further criteria. The EarthServer platform is comprised by rasdaman, an Array DBMS enabling efficient storage and retrieval of any-size, any-type multi-dimensional raster data. In the project, rasdaman is being extended with several functionality and scalability features, including: support for irregular grids and general meshes; in-situ retrieval (evaluation of database queries on existing archive structures, avoiding data

ELF-VLF communications through-the-Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Buettner, H. M.; Burke, G. J.; Didwall, E. M.; Holladay, G.; Lytle, R. J.

1985-06-01

We use computer models and experiments to explore the feasibility of communication between points underground and on the Earth's surface. Emphasis is placed on ELF-VLF electromagnetic propagation through the Earth; nominally, we investigated propagation in the 200 Hz-30 kHz frequency range. The computer modeling included calculations of the fields of a point electric or magnetic source in a homogeneous half space or a stratified Earth. Initial results for an insulated antenna of finite length are also considered. The experiments involved through-the-Earth transmissions at two locations in Pennsylvania, both of which had large formations of limestone. Initial results indicate that information rates as high as kbits/s may be possible for subsurface depths of 300 m or less. Accuracy of these estimates depends on the electromagnetic propagation constants of the rock, the noise characteristics, and modulation scheme. Although a nuisance for evaluating through-the-Earth propagation, the existence of subsurface metal conductors can improve the transmission character of the site.

A framework for evaluating the accessibility of raw materials from end-of-life products and the Earth's crust.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Sandra R; Wäger, Patrick A; Turner, David A; Shaw, Peter J; Williams, Ian D

2017-10-01

An increasing number of geochemically scarce metallic raw materials are entering into our lives via new technologies. A reversal of this trend is not foreseeable, leading to concerns regarding the security of their supply. However, the evaluation of raw material supply is currently hampered by inconsistent use of fundamental terminologies and incomplete assessment criteria. In this paper, we aim to establish a consistent framework for evaluating raw material supply from both anthropogenic and geological sources. A method for concept extraction was applied to evaluate systematically the use of fundamental terms in the evaluation of raw material supply. The results have shown that 'availability' is commonly used in raw material supply evaluations, whilst other researchers suggest that raw material supply should be evaluated based on 'accessibility'. It was revealed that 'accessibility' actually comprises two aspects: 'availability' and 'approachability'. Raw material 'approachability' has not previously been explicitly addressed at a system level. A novel, consistent framework for evaluating raw material supply was therefore developed. To demonstrate the application of the established framework, we evaluated the raw material supply of four rare earth element case studies. Three case studies are End-of-Life products (the anthroposphere) from Switzerland: (i) phosphors in fluorescent lamps, (i) permanent magnets in the drive motors of electric cars and (iii) fibre optic cable. The fourth case study source is the Earth's crust (the geosphere): Mount Weld deposit in Australia. The framework comprises a comprehensive evaluation of six components relating to raw material mining and processing: their geological knowledge, eligibility, technology, economic, societal and environmental impacts. Our results show that metals are not considered to be fully accessible in any of the case studies due to a lack of necessary technologies and potential societal and environmental

Design, Development and Preliminary Student Evaluation of Virtual Field Guides as aids to teaching and learning in the Earth sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Stott, Tim

2010-05-01

In Universities the benefits of teaching and learning through fieldwork has been brought under closer examination in recent years (e.g. Andrews et al., 2003) and the notion of supporting fieldwork in the Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (GEES) disciplines has been gathering momentum over the past decade as evidenced by conferences on ‘Supporting fieldwork using information technology' (Maskall et al., 2007) and a Higher Education Academy GEES Virtual Fieldwork Conference at University of Worcester (May 2007). Virtual environments and e-learning resources have been shown to help students become active rather than passive learners by appealing to their multi-sensory learning ability with interactive media (Fletcher et al., 2002; 2007). Research on glacial and fluvial processes has been conducted since 2003 by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) staff, sometimes in collaboration with other Universities, at field sites in the French Alps, Swiss Alps and Cariboo Mountains in British Columbia. A virtual field guide (VFG) (www.virtualalps.co.uk) has been developed which uses maps, site photos, panorama movies, video clips, a google earth tour, student exercises using hydrological and glacial datasets collected in the field and revision exercises. A preliminary evaluation of this learning resource has been carried out with two groups of LJMU students and an article written (Stott et al. 2009a). The Ingleton Waterfalls VFG (http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/BIE/ingleton/) was developed by LJMU staff to meet the needs of Foundation degree and undergraduate students. A workshop was presented at the Earth Science Teachers Association 2008 Annual Conference at LJMU, and a subsequent article written (Stott et al. 2009b). The final section of this presentation will summarise some staff perspectives and raises some questions and issues concerned with development and accessibility of VFGs in the light of new developments of a ‘semantic web' at LJMU (Carmichael, 2009). Andrews

Riding the Hype Wave: Evaluating new AI Techniques for their Applicability in Earth Science

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, R.; Zhang, J.; Maskey, M.; Lee, T. J.

2016-12-01

Every few years a new technology rides the hype wave generated by the computer science community. Converts to this new technology who surface from both the science community and the informatics community promulgate that it can radically improve or even change the existing scientific process. Recent examples of new technology following in the footsteps of "big data" now include deep learning algorithms and knowledge graphs. Deep learning algorithms mimic the human brain and process information through multiple stages of transformation and representation. These algorithms are able to learn complex functions that map pixels directly to outputs without relying on human-crafted features and solve some of the complex classification problems that exist in science. Similarly, knowledge graphs aggregate information around defined topics that enable users to resolve their query without having to navigate and assemble information manually. Knowledge graphs could potentially be used in scientific research to assist in hypothesis formulation, testing, and review. The challenge for the Earth science research community is to evaluate these new technologies by asking the right questions and considering what-if scenarios. What is this new technology enabling/providing that is innovative and different? Can one justify the adoption costs with respect to the research returns? Since nothing comes for free, utilizing a new technology entails adoption costs that may outweigh the benefits. Furthermore, these technologies may require significant computing infrastructure in order to be utilized effectively. Results from two different projects will be presented along with lessons learned from testing these technologies. The first project primarily evaluates deep learning techniques for different applications of image retrieval within Earth science while the second project builds a prototype knowledge graph constructed for Hurricane science.

Moving Towards a Science-Driven Workbench for Earth Science Solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Graves, S. J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Law, E.; Yang, C. P.; Keiser, K.

2017-12-01

The NSF-funded EarthCube Integration and Test Environment (ECITE) prototype was proposed as a 2015 Integrated Activities project and resulted in the prototyping of an EarthCube federated cloud environment and the Integration and Testing Framework. The ECITE team has worked with EarthCube science and technology governance committees to define the types of integration, testing and evaluation necessary to achieve and demonstrate interoperability and functionality that benefit and support the objectives of the EarthCube cyber-infrastructure. The scope of ECITE also includes reaching beyond NSF and EarthCube to work with the broader Earth science community, such as the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) to incorporate lessons learned from other testbed activities, and ultimately provide broader community benefits. This presentation will discuss evolving ECITE ideas for a science-driven workbench that will start with documented science use cases, map the use cases to solution scenarios that identify the available technology and data resources that match the use case, the generation of solution workflows and test plans, the testing and evaluation of the solutions in a cloud environment, and finally the documentation of identified technology and data gaps that will assist with driving the development of additional EarthCube resources.

Impacts on Explorer 46 from an Earth orbiting population

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, D. J.

1985-01-01

Explorer 46 was launched into Earth orbit in August 1972 to evaluate the effectiveness of using double-wall structures to protect against meteoroids. The data from the Meteoroid Bumper Experiment on Explorer 46 is reexamined and it is concluded that most of the impacts originated from an Earth orbiting population. The probable source of this orbiting population is solid rocket motors fired in Earth orbit.

NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative

Science.gov (United States)

Schwerin, T. G.; Callery, S.; Chambers, L. H.; Riebeek Kohl, H.; Taylor, J.; Martin, A. M.; Ferrell, T.

2016-12-01

The NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) is led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies with partners at three NASA Earth science Centers: Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Langley Research Center. This cross-organization team enables the project to draw from the diverse skills, strengths, and expertise of each partner to develop fresh and innovative approaches for building pathways between NASA's Earth-related STEM assets to large, diverse audiences in order to enhance STEM teaching, learning and opportunities for learners throughout their lifetimes. These STEM assets include subject matter experts (scientists, engineers, and education specialists), science and engineering content, and authentic participatory and experiential opportunities. Specific project activities include authentic STEM experiences through NASA Earth science themed field campaigns and citizen science as part of international GLOBE program (for elementary and secondary school audiences) and GLOBE Observer (non-school audiences of all ages); direct connections to learners through innovative collaborations with partners like Odyssey of the Mind, an international creative problem-solving and design competition; and organizing thematic core content and strategically working with external partners and collaborators to adapt and disseminate core content to support the needs of education audiences (e.g., libraries and maker spaces, student research projects, etc.). A scaffolded evaluation is being conducted that 1) assesses processes and implementation, 2) answers formative evaluation questions in order to continuously improve the project; 3) monitors progress and 4) measures outcomes.

Increasing participation in the Earth sciences through engagement of K-12 educators in Earth system science analysis, inquiry and problem- based learning and teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Burrell, S.

2012-12-01

Given low course enrollment in geoscience courses, retention in undergraduate geoscience courses, and granting of BA and advanced degrees in the Earth sciences an effective strategy to increase participation in this field is necessary. In response, as K-12 education is a conduit to college education and the future workforce, Earth science education at the K-12 level was targeted with the development of teacher professional development around Earth system science, inquiry and problem-based learning. An NSF, NOAA and NASA funded effort through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies led to the development of the Earth System Science Educational Alliance (ESSEA) and dissemination of interdisciplinary Earth science content modules accessible to the public and educators. These modules formed the basis for two teacher workshops, two graduate level courses for in-service teachers and two university course for undergraduate teacher candidates. Data from all three models will be presented with emphasis on the teacher workshop. Essential components of the workshop model include: teaching and modeling Earth system science analysis; teacher development of interdisciplinary, problem-based academic units for implementation in the classroom; teacher collaboration; daily workshop evaluations; classroom observations; follow-up collaborative meetings/think tanks; and the building of an on-line professional community for continued communication and exchange of best practices. Preliminary data indicate increased understanding of Earth system science, proficiency with Earth system science analysis, and renewed interest in innovative delivery of content amongst teachers. Teacher-participants reported increased student engagement in learning with the implementation of problem-based investigations in Earth science and Earth system science thinking in the classroom, however, increased enthusiasm of the teacher acted as a contributing factor. Teacher feedback on open

Earth Observation Data for Mapping and Evaluation of Ecosystem Services to Improve Human Livelihoods and Conserve Species

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Aurelie C.; Bhagabati, Nirmal

2010-12-01

Mapping and evaluating ecosystem services is of increasing concern and urgency for conservation organizations such as WWF. Coupling biodiversity assessments with ecosystem services e.g., carbon sequestration, water regulation, sediment reduction, is an effective way to visualize additional financial and human benefits of conservation for decision makers. WWF is eager to apply various Earth Observation data to conservation applications for consistent mapping and monitoring of natural ecosystems and the potential impacts of their loss on humans and wildlife alike. Such examples include forest carbon mapping, integrated evaluation of ecosystem services (via the InVEST tool) and bundling endangered Tiger habitat with various ecosystem services for bundled benefits.

Arsenic species determination in human scalp hair by pressurized hot water extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Morado Piñeiro, Andrés; Moreda-Piñeiro, Jorge; Alonso-Rodríguez, Elia; López-Mahía, Purificación; Muniategui-Lorenzo, Soledad; Prada-Rodríguez, Darío

2013-02-15

Analytical methods for the determination of total arsenic and arsenic species (mainly As(III) and As(V)) in human scalp hair have been developed. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to ICP-MS have been used for total arsenic and arsenic species determination, respectively. The proposed methods include a "green", fast, high efficient and automated species leaching procedure by pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE). The operating parameters for PHWE including modifier concentration, extraction temperature, static time, extraction steps, pressure, mean particle size, diatomaceous earth (DE) mass/sample mass ratio and flush volume were studied using design of experiments (Plackett-Burman design PBD). Optimum condition implies a modifier concentration (acetic acid) of 150 mM and powdered hair samples fully mixed with diatomaceous earth (DE) as a dispersing agent at a DE mass/sample mass ratio of 5. The extraction has been carried out at 100°C and at an extraction pressure of 1500 psi for 5 min in four extraction step. Under optimised conditions, limits of quantification of 7.0, 6.3 and 50.3 ng g(-1) for total As, As(III) and As(V), respectively were achieved. Repeatability of the overall procedure (4.4, 7.2 and 2.1% for total As, As(III) and As(V), respectively) was achieved. The analysis of GBW-07601 (human hair) certified reference material was used for validation. The optimised method has been finally applied to several human scalp hair samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparing rare earth-silicon-iron-aluminum alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchant, J.D.; Morrice, E.; Herve, B.P.; Wong, M.M.

1980-01-01

As part of its mission to assure the maximum recovery and use of the Nation's mineral resources, the Bureau of Mines, investigated an improved procedure for producing rare earth-silicon alloys. For example, a charge consisting of 681 grams of mixed rare-earth oxides, 309 grams of ferrosilicon (75 wt-pct Si), and 182 grams of aluminum metal along with a flux consisting of 681 grams of CaO and 45 grams of MgO was reacted at 1500 0 C in an induction furnace. Good slag-metal separation was achieved. The alloy product contained, in weight-percent, 53 RE, 28 Si, 11 Fe, and 4 Al with a rare earth recovery of 80 pct. In current industrial practice rare earth recoveries are usually about 60 pct in alloy products that contain approximately 30 wt-pct each of rare earths and silicon. Metallurgical evaluations showed the alloys prepared in this investigation to be as effective in controlling the detrimental effect of sulfur in steel and cast iron as the commercial rare earth-silicon-iron alloys presently used in the steel industry

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science. Sohini Ganguly. Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science. Volume 119 Issue 5 October 2010 pp 675-699. Evaluation of phase chemistry and petrochemical aspects of Samchampi–Samteran differentiated alkaline complex of Mikir Hills, northeastern India.

Application and evaluation of the mass spectrometric isotope dilution technique in the determination of rare earths in geological materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moraes, N.M.P. de.

1988-01-01

Establishment of the experimental procedures employed in the rare earth element determination of geological samples by mass spectrometric isotope dilution analysis is discussed in the present work. The procedures involve preparation and calibration of the isotope tracers isotope dilution, dissolution in a teflon pressure vessel, chemical separation and isotope analysis using a fully automated Micromass VG ISOTOPES model 354 thermal ionization mass spectrometer. For the initial chemical separation of total rare earths the cationic resin was employed and HC1 and HNO 3 acids as eluents. In the second step rare earths elements were separated into individual (La, Ce and Nd) and subgroups (Sm-Eu-Gd, Yb-Er-Dy) fractions using the same cationic resin and α-HIBA as eluent. Nine elements La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er and Yb are determined by this method in the ''United States Geological Survey'' (USGS) standard samples GSP-1, AGV-1 and G-2, with an overall precision of +- 1 to 2% and an accuracy of 5%. The concentration of rare earth element determined in the standard sample PCC-1 showed that the total analytical blanks are in submicrogram levels. The concentration of rare earth elements in the same USGS standard samples were also determined by Instrumental neutron activation analysis, neutron activation analysis with chemical separation before irradiation and inductively coupled argon plasma spectroscopy. The chemical procedures employed for these methods are the same as that used for mass spectrometric isotope dilution. Based on the results obtained, each method was evaluated pointing out their merits and defects. The study clearly showed that the chemical procedure employed for all these techniques was satisfactory. (author) [pt

Criteria for the evaluation and certification of long-term digital archives in the earth sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Klump, Jens

2010-05-01

Digital information has become an indispensable part of our cultural and scientific heritage. Scientific findings, historical documents and cultural achievements are to a rapidly increasing extent being presented in electronic form - in many cases exclusively so. However, besides the invaluable advantages offered by this form, it also carries a serious disadvantage: users need to invest a great deal of technical effort in accessing the information. Also, the underlying technology is still undergoing further development at an exceptionally fast pace. The rapid obsolescence of the technology required to read the information combined with the frequently imperceptible physical decay of the media themselves represents a serious threat to preservation of the information content. Many data sets in earth science research are from observations that cannot be repeated. This makes these digital assets particularly valuable. Therefore, these data should be kept and made available for re-use long after the end of the project from which they originated. Since research projects only run for a relatively short period of time, it is advisable to shift the burden of responsibility for long-term data curation from the individual researcher to a trusted data repository or archive. But what makes a trusted data repository? Each trusted digital repository has its own targets and specifications. The trustworthiness of digital repositories can be tested and assessed on the basis of a criteria catalogue. This is the main focus of the work of the nestor working group "Trusted repositories - Certification". It identifies criteria which permit the trustworthiness of a digital repository to be evaluated, both at the organisational and technical levels. The criteria are defined in close collaboration with a wide range of different memory organisations, producers of information, experts and other interested parties. This open approach ensures a high degree of universal validity, suitability for

Retrofitting and operation solid radwaste system Dresden Station, Units 2 and 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Testa, J.; Homer, J.C.

1982-01-01

Units 2 and 3 at Dresden Station are twin 794 MW (net) BWR units that became operational in 1970 and 1971. The waste streams are typical of BWR stations, namely, bead resin and filter sludge (powdered resins and diatomaceous earth), evaporator concentrate containing approximately 25% dissolved solids and dry active waste. The original solid radwaste system utilized cement for solidification in open top 55 gallon drums. Remote handling was provided by means of a monorail with moving platforms supporting the drums. A relatively light-weight compactor was used to compact DAW into 55 gallon drums. Difficulties were experienced with this system

An Earth-sized planet with an Earth-like density.

Science.gov (United States)

Pepe, Francesco; Cameron, Andrew Collier; Latham, David W; Molinari, Emilio; Udry, Stéphane; Bonomo, Aldo S; Buchhave, Lars A; Charbonneau, David; Cosentino, Rosario; Dressing, Courtney D; Dumusque, Xavier; Figueira, Pedro; Fiorenzano, Aldo F M; Gettel, Sara; Harutyunyan, Avet; Haywood, Raphaëlle D; Horne, Keith; Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; Lovis, Christophe; Malavolta, Luca; Mayor, Michel; Micela, Giusi; Motalebi, Fatemeh; Nascimbeni, Valerio; Phillips, David; Piotto, Giampaolo; Pollacco, Don; Queloz, Didier; Rice, Ken; Sasselov, Dimitar; Ségransan, Damien; Sozzetti, Alessandro; Szentgyorgyi, Andrew; Watson, Christopher A

2013-11-21

Recent analyses of data from the NASA Kepler spacecraft have established that planets with radii within 25 per cent of the Earth's (R Earth symbol) are commonplace throughout the Galaxy, orbiting at least 16.5 per cent of Sun-like stars. Because these studies were sensitive to the sizes of the planets but not their masses, the question remains whether these Earth-sized planets are indeed similar to the Earth in bulk composition. The smallest planets for which masses have been accurately determined are Kepler-10b (1.42 R Earth symbol) and Kepler-36b (1.49 R Earth symbol), which are both significantly larger than the Earth. Recently, the planet Kepler-78b was discovered and found to have a radius of only 1.16 R Earth symbol. Here we report that the mass of this planet is 1.86 Earth masses. The resulting mean density of the planet is 5.57 g cm(-3), which is similar to that of the Earth and implies a composition of iron and rock.

Towards earth AntineutRino TomograpHy (EARTH)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Meijer, R. J.; Smit, F. D.; Brooks, F. D.; Fearick, R. W.; Wortche, H. J.; Mantovani, F.

2006-01-01

The programme Earth AntineutRino TomograpHy (EARTH) proposes to build ten underground facilities each hosting a telescope. Each telescope consists of many detector modules, to map the radiogenic heat sources deep in the interior of the Earth by utilising direction sensitive geoneutrino detection.

Recent research in earth structure, earthquake and mine seismology, and seismic hazard evaluation in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wright, C

2003-07-01

Full Text Available of earthquakes, earthquake hazard and earth structure in South Africa was prepared for the centennial handbook of the Interna- tional Association of Seismology and the Physics of the Earth?s Interior(IASPEI).3 Referencestothesescompletedinthelastfour...

Contextualizing Earth Science Professional Development Courses for Geoscience Teachers in Boston: Earth Science II (Solid Earth)

Science.gov (United States)

Pringle, M. S.; Kamerer, B.; Vugrin, M.; Miller, M.

2009-12-01

Earth Science II: The Solid Earth -- Earth History and Planetary Science -- is the second of two Earth Science courses, and one of eleven graduate level science Contextualized Content Courses (CCC), that have been developed by the Boston Science Partnership as part of an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership program. A core goal of these courses is to provide high level science content to middle and high school teachers while modeling good instructional practices directly tied to the Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts science curriculum frameworks. All of these courses emphasize hands-on, lab-based, inquiry-driven, student-centered lessons. The Earth Science II team aimed to strictly adhere to ABC (Activity Before Concept) and 5E/7E models of instruction, and limited lecture or teacher-centered instruction to the later “Explanation” stages of all lessons. We also introduced McNeill and Krajick’s Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) model of scientific explanation for middle school classroom discourse, both as a powerful scaffold leading to higher levels of accountable talk in the classroom, and to model science as a social construct. Daily evaluations, dutifully filled out by the course participants and diligently read by the course instructors, were quite useful in adapting instruction to the needs of the class on a real-time basis. We find the structure of the CCC teaching teams - university-based faculty providing expert content knowledge, K-12-based faculty providing age appropriate pedagogies and specific links to the K-12 curriculum - quite a fruitful, two-way collaboration. From the students’ perspective, one of the most useful takeaways from the university-based faculty was “listening to experts model out loud how they reason,” whereas some of the more practical takeaways (i.e., lesson components directly portable to the classroom?) came from the K-12-based faculty. The main takeaways from the course as a whole were the promise to bring more hands

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science. Monica Sharma. Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science. Volume 124 Issue 4 June 2015 pp 861-874. Evaluation of official tropical cyclone landfall forecast issued by India Meteorological Department · M Mohapatra D P Nayak Monica Sharma R P Sharma B K ...

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science. Samadrita Mukherjee. Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science. Volume 122 Issue 3 June 2013 pp 869-886. Evaluation of topographic index in relation to terrain roughness and DEM grid spacing · Samadrita Mukherjee Sandip Mukherjee R D Garg A Bhardwaj ...

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science. J U Chukudebelu. Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science. Volume 123 Issue 3 April 2014 pp 491-502. Evaluation of soil corrosivity and aquifer protective capacity using geoelectrical investigation in Bwari basement complex area, Abuja · A E Adeniji O V ...

Multi-objective optimization of GENIE Earth system models.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Andrew R; Myerscough, Richard J; Voutchkov, Ivan I; Marsh, Robert; Cox, Simon J

2009-07-13

The tuning of parameters in climate models is essential to provide reliable long-term forecasts of Earth system behaviour. We apply a multi-objective optimization algorithm to the problem of parameter estimation in climate models. This optimization process involves the iterative evaluation of response surface models (RSMs), followed by the execution of multiple Earth system simulations. These computations require an infrastructure that provides high-performance computing for building and searching the RSMs and high-throughput computing for the concurrent evaluation of a large number of models. Grid computing technology is therefore essential to make this algorithm practical for members of the GENIE project.

Rare earth metals, rare earth hydrides, and rare earth oxides as thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasgnier, M.

1980-01-01

The review deals with pure rare earth materials such as rare earth metals, rare earth hydrides, and rare earth oxides as thin films. Several preparation techniques, control methods, and nature of possible contaminations of thin films are described. These films can now be produced in an extremely well-known state concerning chemical composition, structure and texture. Structural, electric, magnetic, and optical properties of thin films are studied and discussed in comparison with the bulk state. The greatest contamination of metallic rare earth thin films is caused by reaction with hydrogen or with water vapour. The compound with an f.c.c. structure is the dihydride LnH 2 (Ln = lanthanides). The oxygen contamination takes place after annealing at higher temperatures. Then there appears a compound with a b.c.c. structure which is the C-type sesquioxide C-Ln 2 O 3 . At room atmosphere dihydride light rare earth thin films are converted to hydroxide Ln(OH) 3 . For heavy rare earth thin films the oxinitride LnNsub(x)Osub(y) is observed. The LnO-type compound was never seen. The present review tries to set the stage anew for the investigations to be undertaken in the future especially through the new generations of electron microscopes

Evaluating Regional Scale Deforestation in the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model

Science.gov (United States)

Longobardi, P.; Montenegro, A.; Beltrami, H.; Eby, M.

2011-12-01

Forests play a key role in influencing the Earths climate and at the same time are affected by changing climates. At this point it is estimated that 15-30% of Earths natural forests have already been converted to pasture or cropland. With such large amounts of forest being converted to cropland and grassland, it is important to determine the climatic effects of these actions. To date, most modelling efforts towards understanding the climatic effects of deforestation have simulated global deforestation or have been based on experiments where trees were removed from large areas, i.e. the entire Amazon or all forests above 50 N. Here we use the University of Victoria Earth System Climate model which contains a fully coupled carbon cycle, to evaluate the response to deforestation of 10%, 25%, 50% and 100% of the forested areas in three latitude bands: high (above 50°N), mid (above ± 30°) and low (between ± 30°). All simulations were transient simulations, allowing for changes to atmospheric forcings following the A2 emissions scenario. High latitude deforestation lead to cooling (-.05 °C to -0.45 °C) and increase in soil carbon (0.5 to 3 x 1014 kg) for all fractions of deforestation. Due in part to the increase in soil carbon, there was a decrease in atmospheric CO2 in the 50% (-20 ppm) and 100% (-60 ppm) high-latitude deforestation simulations. Low-latitude deforestation initially produced warming in all scenarios (0.1 to 0.25 °C), although all were colder (-0.05 to -0.1 °C) than the control by the end of the simulation. Atmospheric CO2 increased in all simulations (40 to 80 ppm), as well as soil carbon (2 to 16 x 1013 kg). Mid-latitude deforestation also lead to initial warming (0.01 to 0.1 °C) followed by cooling (-0.01 to -0.1 °C). Mid latitude deforestation also produced an increase in soil carbon (2 to 10 x 1013 kg), and atmospheric CO2 (0 to 25ppm). In all three latitude bands forest dieback was observed. Results range from 7% to 37% for high

Evaluating Middle School Students' Spatial-scientific Performance in Earth-space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Wilhelm, Jennifer; Jackson, C.; Toland, M. D.; Cole, M.; Wilhelm, R. J.

2013-06-01

Many astronomical concepts cannot be understood without a developed understanding of four spatial-mathematics domains defined as follows: a) Geometric Spatial Visualization (GSV) - Visualizing the geometric features of a system as it appears above, below, and within the system’s plane; b) Spatial Projection (SP) - Projecting to a different location and visualizing from that global perspective; c) Cardinal Directions (CD) - Distinguishing directions (N, S, E, W) in order to document an object’s vector position in space; and d) Periodic Patterns - (PP) Recognizing occurrences at regular intervals of time and/or space. For this study, differences were examined between groups of sixth grade students’ spatial-scientific development pre/post implementation of an Earth/Space unit. Treatment teachers employed a NASA-based curriculum (Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning), while control teachers implemented their regular Earth/Space units. A 2-level hierarchical linear model was used to evaluate student performance on the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) and four spatial-mathematics domains, while controlling for two variables (gender and ethnicity) at the student level and one variable (teaching experience) at the teacher level. Overall LPCI results show pre-test scores predicted post-test scores, boys performed better than girls, and Whites performed better than non-Whites. We also compared experimental and control groups’ by spatial-mathematics domain outcomes. For GSV, it was found that boys, in general, tended to have higher GSV post-scores. For domains CD and SP, no statistically significant differences were observed. PP results show Whites performed better than non-Whites. Also for PP, a significant cross-level interaction term (gender-treatment) was observed, which means differences in control and experimental groups are dependent on students’ gender. These findings can be interpreted as: (a) the experimental girls scored higher than the

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science. Ali Asgari. Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science. Volume 123 Issue 2 March 2014 pp 365-379. Numerical evaluation of seismic response of shallow foundation on loose silt and silty sand · Ali Asgari Aliakbar Golshani Mohsen Bagheri · More Details Abstract ...

Capturing near-Earth asteroids around Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Hasnain, Zaki; Lamb, Christopher A.; Ross, Shane D.

2012-12-01

The list of detected near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) is constantly growing. NEAs are likely targets for resources to support space industrialization, as they may be the least expensive source of certain needed raw materials. The limited supply of precious metals and semiconducting elements on Earth may be supplemented or even replaced by the reserves floating in the form of asteroids around the solar system. Precious metals make up a significant fraction NEAs by mass, and even one metallic asteroid of ˜1km size and fair enrichment in platinum-group metals would contain twice the tonnage of such metals already harvested on Earth. There are ˜1000 NEAs with a diameter of greater than 1 km. Capturing these asteroids around the Earth would expand the mining industry into an entirely new dimension. Having such resources within easy reach in Earth's orbit could provide an off-world environmentally friendly remedy for impending terrestrial shortages, especially given the need for raw materials in developing nations. In this paper, we develop and implement a conceptually simple algorithm to determine trajectory characteristics necessary to move NEAs into capture orbits around the Earth. Altered trajectories of asteroids are calculated using an ephemeris model. Only asteroids of eccentricity less than 0.1 have been studied and the model is restricted to the ecliptic plane for simplicity. We constrain the time of retrieval to be 10 years or less, based on considerations of the time to return on investment. For the heliocentric phase, constant acceleration is assumed. The acceleration required for transporting these asteroids from their undisturbed orbits to the sphere of influence of the Earth is the primary output, along with the impulse or acceleration necessary to effect capture to a bound orbit once the Earth's sphere of influence is reached. The initial guess for the constant acceleration is provided by a new estimation method, similar in spirit to Edelbaum's. Based on the

Optimal Safety Earthing – Earth Electrode Sizing Using A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper a deterministic approach in the sizing of earth electrode using the permissible touch voltage criteria is presented. The deterministic approach is effectively applied in the sizing of the length of earth rod required for the safe earthing of residential and facility buildings. This approach ensures that the earthing ...

Mixed waste: The treatment of organic radioactive waste by means of adsorbents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanhueza-Mir, A.; Morales-Galarce, T.

2001-01-01

Full text: The work described in this paper has been carried in the radioactive waste treatment facilities of the Nuclear Research Center Lo Aguirre, CEN LA, which are operated by Radioactive Waste Management Unit, UGDR. This last, centralizes its activities in order to manage all radioactive waste generated in the country due to the nuclear development. Features of danger and risks presented by organic radioactive liquid waste, make the need to develop a practicable alternative for its treatment and to allow the conditioning towards a suitable final disposal The raw material for this work, is an organic liquid waste arising from scintillation techniques, contaminated with Tritium. This mixed waste has to be treated and then conditioned in a solid form within a 200 I container, according with actual acceptance criteria for our temporary store for radioactive waste. The best formulation which allows to immobilize the liquid waste was determined. The first step consists in the adsorption treatment that waste is humbled. From the available adsorbents, two types were studied: adsorption granulat and diatomaceous earth. From the waste management standpoint, results with diatomaceous earth present physical characteristics better than the other Following, the second stage is the immobilization, which is achieved in a cement matrix made with puzzolanic cement (Polpaico 400) made in Chile. Later, due to cost and availability in the country, the diatomaceous earth is selected for the study, in the form of celite which is comparatively economic. The best mixture, with regard to physical feature, has the following composition: a 0.35 (w/w) water/cement ratio, which represents the needed quantity to obtain workability in the mixture, and it is the minimum amount of water to hydrating the cement; a waste/adsorbent ratio of 0.5 (v/v), in which the organic liquid is completely adsorbed and it is incorporated into the crystalline system of the solid form; and an adsorbed waste

Introduction. Progress in Earth science and climate studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, J Michael T

2008-12-28

In this introductory paper, I review the 'visions of the future' articles prepared by top young scientists for the second of the two Christmas 2008 Triennial Issues of Phil. Trans. R. Soc.A, devoted respectively to astronomy and Earth science. Topics covered in the Earth science issue include: trace gases in the atmosphere; dynamics of the Antarctic circumpolar current; a study of the boundary between the Earth's rocky mantle and its iron core; and two studies of volcanoes and their plumes. A final section devoted to ecology and climate covers: the mathematical modelling of plant-soil interactions; the effects of the boreal forests on the Earth's climate; the role of the past palaeoclimate in testing and calibrating today's numerical climate models; and the evaluation of these models including the quantification of their uncertainties.

"New Space Explosion" and Earth Observing System Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Stensaas, G. L.; Casey, K.; Snyder, G. I.; Christopherson, J.

2017-12-01

This presentation will describe recent developments in spaceborne remote sensing, including introduction to some of the increasing number of new firms entering the market, along with new systems and successes from established players, as well as industry consolidation reactions to these developments from communities of users. The information in this presentation will include inputs from the results of the Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) 2017 Civil Commercial Imagery Evaluation Workshop and the use of the US Geological Survey's Requirements Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observation (RCA-EO) centralized Earth observing systems database and how system performance parameters are used with user science applications requirements.

Evaluating water controls on vegetation growth in the semi-arid sahel using field and earth observation data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdi, Abdulhakim M.; Boke-Olen, Niklas; Tenenbaum, David E.

2017-01-01

Water loss is a crucial factor for vegetation in the semi-arid Sahel region of Africa. Global satellite-driven estimates of plant CO2 uptake (gross primary productivity, GPP) have been found to not accurately account for Sahelian conditions, particularly the impact of canopy water stress. Here, we...... identify the main biophysical limitations that induce canopy water stress in Sahelian vegetation and evaluate the relationships between field data and Earth observation-derived spectral products for up-scaling GPP. We find that plant-available water and vapor pressure deficit together control the GPP...

Modeling Earth Albedo for Satellites in Earth Orbit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bhanderi, Dan; Bak, Thomas

2005-01-01

Many satellite are influences by the Earthøs albedo, though very few model schemes exist.in order to predict this phenomenon. Earth albedo is often treated as noise, or ignored completely. When applying solar cells in the attitude hardware, Earth albedo can cause the attitude estimate to deviate...... with as much as 20 deg. Digital Sun sensors with Earth albedo correction in hardware exist, but are expensive. In addition, albedo estimates are necessary in thermal calculations and power budgets. We present a modeling scheme base4d on Eartht reflectance, measured by NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer......, in which the Earth Probe Satellite has recorded reflectivity data daily since mid 1996. The mean of these data can be used to calculate the Earth albedo given the positions of the satellite and the Sun. Our results show that the albedo varies highly with the solar angle to the satellite's field of view...

Earth as an extrasolar planet: Earth model validation using EPOXI earth observations.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Tyler D; Meadows, Victoria S; Crisp, David; Deming, Drake; A'hearn, Michael F; Charbonneau, David; Livengood, Timothy A; Seager, Sara; Barry, Richard K; Hearty, Thomas; Hewagama, Tilak; Lisse, Carey M; McFadden, Lucy A; Wellnitz, Dennis D

2011-06-01

The EPOXI Discovery Mission of Opportunity reused the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft to obtain spatially and temporally resolved visible photometric and moderate resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observations of Earth. These remote observations provide a rigorous validation of whole-disk Earth model simulations used to better understand remotely detectable extrasolar planet characteristics. We have used these data to upgrade, correct, and validate the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory three-dimensional line-by-line, multiple-scattering spectral Earth model. This comprehensive model now includes specular reflectance from the ocean and explicitly includes atmospheric effects such as Rayleigh scattering, gas absorption, and temperature structure. We have used this model to generate spatially and temporally resolved synthetic spectra and images of Earth for the dates of EPOXI observation. Model parameters were varied to yield an optimum fit to the data. We found that a minimum spatial resolution of ∼100 pixels on the visible disk, and four categories of water clouds, which were defined by using observed cloud positions and optical thicknesses, were needed to yield acceptable fits. The validated model provides a simultaneous fit to Earth's lightcurve, absolute brightness, and spectral data, with a root-mean-square (RMS) error of typically less than 3% for the multiwavelength lightcurves and residuals of ∼10% for the absolute brightness throughout the visible and NIR spectral range. We have extended our validation into the mid-infrared by comparing the model to high spectral resolution observations of Earth from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, obtaining a fit with residuals of ∼7% and brightness temperature errors of less than 1 K in the atmospheric window. For the purpose of understanding the observable characteristics of the distant Earth at arbitrary viewing geometry and observing cadence, our validated forward model can be

Digital Earth - A sustainable Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Mahavir

2014-02-01

All life, particularly human, cannot be sustainable, unless complimented with shelter, poverty reduction, provision of basic infrastructure and services, equal opportunities and social justice. Yet, in the context of cities, it is believed that they can accommodate more and more people, endlessly, regardless to their carrying capacity and increasing ecological footprint. The 'inclusion', for bringing more and more people in the purview of development is often limited to social and economic inclusion rather than spatial and ecological inclusion. Economic investment decisions are also not always supported with spatial planning decisions. Most planning for a sustainable Earth, be at a level of rural settlement, city, region, national or Global, fail on the capacity and capability fronts. In India, for example, out of some 8,000 towns and cities, Master Plans exist for only about 1,800. A chapter on sustainability or environment is neither statutorily compulsory nor a norm for these Master Plans. Geospatial technologies including Remote Sensing, GIS, Indian National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), Indian National Urban Information Systems (NUIS), Indian Environmental Information System (ENVIS), and Indian National GIS (NGIS), etc. have potential to map, analyse, visualize and take sustainable developmental decisions based on participatory social, economic and social inclusion. Sustainable Earth, at all scales, is a logical and natural outcome of a digitally mapped, conceived and planned Earth. Digital Earth, in fact, itself offers a platform to dovetail the ecological, social and economic considerations in transforming it into a sustainable Earth.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Attitude and Orbit Estimation Using Actual Earth Magnetic Field Data

Science.gov (United States)

Deutschmann, Julie K.; Bar-Itzhack, Itzhack Y.

2000-01-01

A single, augmented Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), which simultaneously and autonomously estimates spacecraft attitude and orbit has been developed and successfully tested with real magnetometer and gyro data only. Because the earth magnetic field is a function of time and position, and because time is known quite precisely, the differences between the computed and measured magnetic field components, as measured by the magnetometers throughout the entire spacecraft orbit, are a function of both orbit and attitude errors. Thus, conceivably these differences could be used to estimate both orbit and attitude; an observability study validated this assumption. The results of testing the EKF with actual magnetometer and gyro data, from four satellites supported by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Guidance, Navigation, and Control Center, are presented and evaluated. They confirm the assumption that a single EKF can estimate both attitude and orbit when using gyros and magnetometers only.

On-capillary sample cleanup method for the electrophoretic determination of carbohydrates in juice samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales-Cid, Gabriel; Simonet, Bartolomé M; Cárdenas, Soledad; Valcárcel, Miguel

2007-05-01

On many occasions, sample treatment is a critical step in electrophoretic analysis. As an alternative to batch procedures, in this work, a new strategy is presented with a view to develop an on-capillary sample cleanup method. This strategy is based on the partial filling of the capillary with carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotube (c-SWNT). The nanoparticles retain interferences from the matrix allowing the determination and quantification of carbohydrates (viz glucose, maltose and fructose). The precision of the method for the analysis of real samples ranged from 5.3 to 6.4%. The proposed method was compared with a method based on a batch filtration of the juice sample through diatomaceous earth and further electrophoretic determination. This method was also validated in this work. The RSD for this other method ranged from 5.1 to 6%. The results obtained by both methods were statistically comparable demonstrating the accuracy of the proposed methods and their effectiveness. Electrophoretic separation of carbohydrates was achieved using 200 mM borate solution as a buffer at pH 9.5 and applying 15 kV. During separation, the capillary temperature was kept constant at 40 degrees C. For the on-capillary cleanup method, a solution containing 50 mg/L of c-SWNTs prepared in 300 mM borate solution at pH 9.5 was introduced for 60 s into the capillary just before sample introduction. For the electrophoretic analysis of samples cleaned in batch with diatomaceous earth, it is also recommended to introduce into the capillary, just before the sample, a 300 mM borate solution as it enhances the sensitivity and electrophoretic resolution.

Low-energy near Earth asteroid capture using Earth flybys and aerobraking

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Minghu; McInnes, Colin; Ceriotti, Matteo

2018-04-01

Since the Sun-Earth libration points L1 and L2 are regarded as ideal locations for space science missions and candidate gateways for future crewed interplanetary missions, capturing near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) around the Sun-Earth L1/L2 points has generated significant interest. Therefore, this paper proposes the concept of coupling together a flyby of the Earth and then capturing small NEAs onto Sun-Earth L1/L2 periodic orbits. In this capture strategy, the Sun-Earth circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP) is used to calculate target Lypaunov orbits and their invariant manifolds. A periapsis map is then employed to determine the required perigee of the Earth flyby. Moreover, depending on the perigee distance of the flyby, Earth flybys with and without aerobraking are investigated to design a transfer trajectory capturing a small NEA from its initial orbit to the stable manifolds associated with Sun-Earth L1/L2 periodic orbits. Finally, a global optimization is carried out, based on a detailed design procedure for NEA capture using an Earth flyby. Results show that the NEA capture strategies using an Earth flyby with and without aerobraking both have the potential to be of lower cost in terms of energy requirements than a direct NEA capture strategy without the Earth flyby. Moreover, NEA capture with an Earth flyby also has the potential for a shorter flight time compared to the NEA capture strategy without the Earth flyby.

High-Definition Television (HDTV) Images for Earth Observations and Earth Science Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Julie A.; Holland, S. Douglas; Runco, Susan K.; Pitts, David E.; Whitehead, Victor S.; Andrefouet, Serge M.

2000-01-01

As part of Detailed Test Objective 700-17A, astronauts acquired Earth observation images from orbit using a high-definition television (HDTV) camcorder, Here we provide a summary of qualitative findings following completion of tests during missions STS (Space Transport System)-93 and STS-99. We compared HDTV imagery stills to images taken using payload bay video cameras, Hasselblad film camera, and electronic still camera. We also evaluated the potential for motion video observations of changes in sunlight and the use of multi-aspect viewing to image aerosols. Spatial resolution and color quality are far superior in HDTV images compared to National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) video images. Thus, HDTV provides the first viable option for video-based remote sensing observations of Earth from orbit. Although under ideal conditions, HDTV images have less spatial resolution than medium-format film cameras, such as the Hasselblad, under some conditions on orbit, the HDTV image acquired compared favorably with the Hasselblad. Of particular note was the quality of color reproduction in the HDTV images HDTV and electronic still camera (ESC) were not compared with matched fields of view, and so spatial resolution could not be compared for the two image types. However, the color reproduction of the HDTV stills was truer than colors in the ESC images. As HDTV becomes the operational video standard for Space Shuttle and Space Station, HDTV has great potential as a source of Earth-observation data. Planning for the conversion from NTSC to HDTV video standards should include planning for Earth data archiving and distribution.

Digital Earth 2020: Towards the vision for the next decade

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Craglia, M.; Bie, de K.; Jackson, D.; Pesaresi, M.; Remetey-Fulopp, G.; Wang, C.; Annoni, A.; Bian, L.; Campbell, F.; Skidmore, A.K.; Woodgate, P.

2012-01-01

This position paper is the outcome of a brainstorming workshop organised by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) in Beijing in March 2011. It argues that the vision of Digital Earth (DE) put forward by Vice-President Al Gore 13 years ago needs to be re-evaluated in the light of the

Space exercise and Earth benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Macias, Brandon R; Groppo, Eli R; Eastlack, Robert K; Watenpaugh, Donald E; Lee, Stuart M C; Schneider, Suzanne M; Boda, Wanda L; Smith, Scott M; Cutuk, Adnan; Pedowitz, Robert A; Meyer, R Scott; Hargens, Alan R

2005-08-01

The detrimental impact of long duration space flight on physiological systems necessitates the development of exercise countermeasures to protect work capabilities in gravity fields of Earth, Moon and Mars. The respective rates of physiological deconditioning for different organ systems during space flight has been described as a result of data collected during and after missions on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Mir, and bed rest studies on Earth. An integrated countermeasure that simulates the body's hydrostatic pressure gradient, provides mechanical stress to the bones and muscles, and stimulates the neurovestibular system may be critical for maintaining health and well being of crew during long-duration space travel, such as a mission to Mars. Here we review the results of our studies to date of an integrated exercise countermeasure for space flight, lower body negative pressure (LBNP) treadmill exercise, and potential benefits of its application to athletic training on Earth. Additionally, we review the benefits of Lower Body Positive Pressure (LBPP) exercise for rehabilitation of postoperative patients. Presented first are preliminary data from a 30-day bed rest study evaluating the efficacy of LBNP exercise as an integrated exercise countermeasure for the deconditioning effects of microgravity. Next, we review upright LBNP exercise as a training modality for athletes by evaluating effects on the cardiovascular system and gait mechanics. Finally, LBPP exercise as a rehabilitation device is examined with reference to gait mechanics and safety in two groups of postoperative patients.

Optical MEMS for earth observation payloads

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, B.; Lobb, D. R.; Freire, M.

2017-11-01

An ESA study has been taken by Lusospace Ltd and Surrey Satellite Techonoly Ltd (SSTL) into the use of optical Micro Eletro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) for earth Observation. A review and analysis was undertaken of the Micro-Optical Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) available in the market with potential application in systems for Earth Observation. A summary of this review will be presented. Following the review two space-instrument design concepts were selected for more detailed analysis. The first was the use of a MEMS device to remove cloud from Earth images. The concept is potentially of interest for any mission using imaging spectrometers. A spectrometer concept was selected and detailed design aspects and benefits evaluated. The second concept developed uses MEMS devices to control the width of entrance slits of spectrometers, to provide variable spectral resolution. This paper will present a summary of the results of the study.

Micropore-free surface-activated carbon for the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins-dibenzofurans and non-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls in environmental samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemmochi, Yukio; Tsutsumi, Kaori; Arikawa, Akihiro; Nakazawa, Hiroyuki

2002-11-22

2,3,7,8-Substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and non-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) account for almost all of the total toxic equivalents (TEQ) in environmental samples. Activated carbon columns are used to fractionate the samples for GC-MS analysis or bioassay. Micropore-free surface-activated carbon is highly selective for PCDD/Fs and non-ortho-PCBs and can improve the conventional activated carbon column clean-up. Along with sulfuric acid-coated diatomaceous earth columns, micropore-free surface-activated carbon provides a rapid, robust, and high-throughput sample preparation method for PCDD/Fs and non-ortho-PCBs analysis.

Effects of Wastes from the Brewing Industry in Lightweight Aggregates Manufactured with Clay for Green Roofs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romina D. Farías

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the effects of sieved wastes generated from the brewing industry on lightweight aggregates manufactured with clay. Sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, bagasse and diatomaceous earth were used to obtain the samples. These wastes are usually dumped in landfills, but the current increase in restrictions on dumping and interest in improving the environment make our proposal for gaining value from these wastes a significant contribution. Laboratory tests show that the new aggregate has low bulk density and increased water absorption and porosity. The thermographic camera results provide evidence that new aggregates have significant insulating properties and are suitable for use on green roofs.

Effects of Wastes from the Brewing Industry in Lightweight Aggregates Manufactured with Clay for Green Roofs

Science.gov (United States)

Farías, Romina D.; Martínez García, Carmen; Cotes Palomino, Teresa; Martínez Arellano, Myriam

2017-01-01

This study investigates the effects of sieved wastes generated from the brewing industry on lightweight aggregates manufactured with clay. Sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, bagasse and diatomaceous earth were used to obtain the samples. These wastes are usually dumped in landfills, but the current increase in restrictions on dumping and interest in improving the environment make our proposal for gaining value from these wastes a significant contribution. Laboratory tests show that the new aggregate has low bulk density and increased water absorption and porosity. The thermographic camera results provide evidence that new aggregates have significant insulating properties and are suitable for use on green roofs. PMID:28772892

Army Programmatic Environmental Assessment of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

Petroleum distillates  Powertrain  Pro Lock Pipe Sealant  Polyfunctional Dimethyacrylate esters  Mechanical  TT‐E‐529G Yellow  Enamel   Petroleum...907E)  Petroleum oil, Copper powder   Mechanical  White  Enamel   Toluene, Acetone, Xylene, Propane, Isobutane, n‐ Butane, Ethylbenzene, Petroleum...Diatomaceous earth, Yellow Iron   Oxide Pigment   External finish paint  Penetrant, Liquid    Surface  Crack  detector  Penetrant, Liquid    Used to

Rare earths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cranstone, D A

1979-01-01

Rare earth elements are commonly extracted from the minerals monazite, bastnaesite, and xenotine. New uses for these elements are constantly developing; they have found applications in glass polishing, television tube phosphors, high-strength low-alloy steels, magnets, catalysts, refractory ceramics, and hydrogen sponge alloys. In Canada, rare earths have been produced as byproducts of the uranium mining industry, but there was no production of rare earths in 1978 or 1979. The world sources of and markets for the rare earth elements are discussed.

Earth-ionosphere cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran, A.; Polk, C.

1976-01-01

To analyze ELF wave propagation in the earth-ionosphere cavity, a flat earth approximation may be derived from the exact equations, which are applicable to the spherical cavity, by introducing a second-order or Debye approximation for the spherical Hankel functions. In the frequency range 3 to 30 Hz, however, the assumed conditions for the Debye approximation are not satisfied. For this reason an exact evaluation of the spherical Hankel functions is used to study the effects of the flat earth approximation on various propagation and resonance parameters. By comparing the resonance equation for a spherical cavity with its flat earth counterpart and by assuming that the surface impedance Z/sub i/ at the upper cavity boundary is known, the relation between the eigenvalue ν and S/sub v/, the sine of the complex angle of incidence at the lower ionosphere boundary, is established as ν(ν + 1) = (kaS/sub v/) 2 . It is also shown that the approximation ν(ν + 1) approximately equals (ν + 1/2) 2 which was used by some authors is not adequate below 30 Hz. Numerical results for both spherical and planar stratification show that (1) planar stratification is adequate for the computation of the lowest three ELF resonance frequencies to within 0.1 Hz; (2) planar stratification will lead to errors in cavity Q and wave attenuation which increase with frequency; (3) computation of resonance frequencies to within 0.1 Hz requires the extension of the lower boundary of the ionosphere to a height where the ratio of conduction current to displacement current, (sigma/ωepsilon 0 ), is less than 0.3; (4) atmospheric conductivity should be considered down to ground level in computing cavity Q and wave attenuation

A Recursive Formula for the Evaluation of Earth Return Impedance on Buried Cables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reynaldo Iracheta

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an alternative solution based on infinite series for the accurate and efficient evaluation of cable earth return impedances. This method uses Wedepohl and Wilcox’s transformation to decompose Pollaczek’s integral in a set of Bessel functions and a definite integral. The main feature of Bessel functions is that they are easy to compute in modern mathematical software tools such as Matlab. The main contributions of this paper are the approximation of the definite integral by an infinite series, since it does not have analytical solution; and its numerical solution by means of a recursive formula. The accuracy and efficiency of this recursive formula is compared against the numerical integration method for a broad range of frequencies and cable  configurations. Finally, the proposed method is used as a subroutine for cable parameter calculation in the inverse Numerical Laplace Transform (NLT to obtain accurate transient responses in the time domain.

ISS EarthKam: Taking Photos of the Earth from Space

Science.gov (United States)

Haste, Turtle

2008-01-01

NASA is involved in a project involving the International Space Station (ISS) and an Earth-focused camera called EarthKam, where schools, and ultimately students, are allowed to remotely program the EarthKAM to take images. Here the author describes how EarthKam was used to help middle school students learn about biomes and develop their…

Analyzing Earth Science Research Networking through Visualizations

Science.gov (United States)

Hasnain, S.; Stephan, R.; Narock, T.

2017-12-01

Using D3.js we visualize collaboration amongst several geophysical science organizations, such as the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP). We look at historical trends in Earth Science research topics, cross-domain collaboration, and topics of interest to the general population. The visualization techniques used provide an effective way for non-experts to easily explore distributed and heterogeneous Big Data. Analysis of these visualizations provides stakeholders with insights into optimizing meetings, performing impact evaluation, structuring outreach efforts, and identifying new opportunities for collaboration.

Rare earth germanates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondar', I.A.; Vinogradova, N.V.; Dem'yanets, L.N.

1983-01-01

Rare earth germanates attract close attention both as an independent class of compounds and analogues of a widely spread class of natural and synthetic minerals. The methods of rare earth germanate synthesis (solid-phase, hydrothermal) are considered. Systems on the basis of germanium and rare earth oxides, phase diagrams, phase transformations are studied. Using different chemical analysese the processes of rare earth germanate formation are investigated. IR spectra of alkali and rare earth metal germanates are presented, their comparative analysis being carried out. Crystal structures of the compounds, lattice parameters are studied. Fields of possible application of rare earth germanates are shown

Rare earth sulfates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komissarova, L.N.; Shatskij, V.M.; Pokrovskij, A.N.; Chizhov, S.M.; Bal'kina, T.I.; Suponitskij, Yu.L.

1986-01-01

Results of experimental works on the study of synthesis conditions, structure and physico-chemical properties of rare earth, scandium and yttrium sulfates, have been generalized. Phase diagrams of solubility and fusibility, thermodynamic and crystallochemical characteristics, thermal stability of hydrates and anhydrous sulfates of rare earths, including normal, double (with cations of alkali and alkaline-earth metals), ternary and anion-mixed sulfates of rare earths, as well as their adducts, are considered. The state of ions of rare earths, scandium and yttrium in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions is discussed. Data on the use of rare earth sulfates are given

Climate Model Evaluation using New Datasets from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)

Science.gov (United States)

Loeb, Norman G.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Doelling, David R.

2008-01-01

There are some in the science community who believe that the response of the climate system to anthropogenic radiative forcing is unpredictable and we should therefore call off the quest . The key limitation in climate predictability is associated with cloud feedback. Narrowing the uncertainty in cloud feedback (and therefore climate sensitivity) requires optimal use of the best available observations to evaluate and improve climate model processes and constrain climate model simulations over longer time scales. The Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) is a satellite-based program that provides global cloud, aerosol and radiative flux observations for improving our understanding of cloud-aerosol-radiation feedbacks in the Earth s climate system. CERES is the successor to the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), which has widely been used to evaluate climate models both at short time scales (e.g., process studies) and at decadal time scales. A CERES instrument flew on the TRMM satellite and captured the dramatic 1998 El Nino, and four other CERES instruments are currently flying aboard the Terra and Aqua platforms. Plans are underway to fly the remaining copy of CERES on the upcoming NPP spacecraft (mid-2010 launch date). Every aspect of CERES represents a significant improvement over ERBE. While both CERES and ERBE measure broadband radiation, CERES calibration is a factor of 2 better than ERBE. In order to improve the characterization of clouds and aerosols within a CERES footprint, we use coincident higher-resolution imager observations (VIRS, MODIS or VIIRS) to provide a consistent cloud-aerosol-radiation dataset at climate accuracy. Improved radiative fluxes are obtained by using new CERES-derived Angular Distribution Models (ADMs) for converting measured radiances to fluxes. CERES radiative fluxes are a factor of 2 more accurate than ERBE overall, but the improvement by cloud type and at high latitudes can be as high as a factor of 5

CAS Panel Proposes Priorities for Earth Science in Next Two Decades

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2004-01-01

@@ CAS member Zhao Zhongxian, director of Working Committee on Consultation and Evaluation of the CAS Academic Divisions (CASAD),has announced that the Academic Division of Earth Sciences has drafted a consultative report on planning and strategic studies of the mid- and long-term development for earth sciences in China.

Internal Charging Design Environments for the Earths Radiation Belts

Science.gov (United States)

Minow, Joseph I.; Edwards, David L.

2009-01-01

Relativistic electrons in the Earth's radiation belts are a widely recognized threat to spacecraft because they penetrate lightly shielded vehicle hulls and deep into insulating materials where they accumulate to sufficient levels to produce electrostatic discharges. Strategies for evaluating the magnitude of the relativistic electron flux environment and its potential for producing ESD events are varied. Simple "rule of thumb" estimates such as the widely used 10(exp 10) e-/sq cm fluence within 10 hour threshold for the onset of pulsing in dielectric materials provide a quick estimate of when to expect charging issues. More sophisticated strategies based on models of the trapped electron flux within the Earth s magnetic field provide time dependent estimates of electron flux along spacecraft orbits and orbit integrate electron flux. Finally, measurements of electron flux can be used to demonstrate mean and extreme relativistic electron environments. This presentation will evaluate strategies used to specify energetic electron flux and fluence environments along spacecraft trajectories in the Earth s radiation belts.

Digital Earth – A sustainable Earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahavir

2014-01-01

All life, particularly human, cannot be sustainable, unless complimented with shelter, poverty reduction, provision of basic infrastructure and services, equal opportunities and social justice. Yet, in the context of cities, it is believed that they can accommodate more and more people, endlessly, regardless to their carrying capacity and increasing ecological footprint. The 'inclusion', for bringing more and more people in the purview of development is often limited to social and economic inclusion rather than spatial and ecological inclusion. Economic investment decisions are also not always supported with spatial planning decisions. Most planning for a sustainable Earth, be at a level of rural settlement, city, region, national or Global, fail on the capacity and capability fronts. In India, for example, out of some 8,000 towns and cities, Master Plans exist for only about 1,800. A chapter on sustainability or environment is neither statutorily compulsory nor a norm for these Master Plans. Geospatial technologies including Remote Sensing, GIS, Indian National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), Indian National Urban Information Systems (NUIS), Indian Environmental Information System (ENVIS), and Indian National GIS (NGIS), etc. have potential to map, analyse, visualize and take sustainable developmental decisions based on participatory social, economic and social inclusion. Sustainable Earth, at all scales, is a logical and natural outcome of a digitally mapped, conceived and planned Earth. Digital Earth, in fact, itself offers a platform to dovetail the ecological, social and economic considerations in transforming it into a sustainable Earth

Why Earth Science?

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Michael J.

2004-01-01

This article briefly describes Earth science. The study of Earth science provides the foundation for an understanding of the Earth, its processes, its resources, and its environment. Earth science is the study of the planet in its entirety, how its lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere work together as systems and how they affect…

The Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Harries, J. E.; Russell, J. E.; Hanafin, J. A.; Brindley, H.; Futyan, J.; Rufus, J.; Kellock, S.; Matthews, G.; Wrigley, R.; Last, A.; Mueller, J.; Mossavati, R.; Ashmall, J.; Sawyer, E.; Parker, D.; Caldwell, M.; Allan, P. M.; Smith, A.; Bates, M. J.; Coan, B.; Stewart, B. C.; Lepine, D. R.; Cornwall, L. A.; Corney, D. R.; Ricketts, M. J.; Drummond, D.; Smart, D.; Cutler, R.; Dewitte, S.; Clerbaux, N.; Gonzalez, L.; Ipe, A.; Bertrand, C.; Joukoff, A.; Crommelynck, D.; Nelms, N.; Llewellyn-Jones, D. T.; Butcher, G.; Smith, G. L.; Szewczyk, Z. P.; Mlynczak, P. E.; Slingo, A.; Allan, R. P.; Ringer, M. A.

2005-07-01

This paper reports on a new satellite sensor, the Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) experiment. GERB is designed to make the first measurements of the Earth's radiation budget from geostationary orbit. Measurements at high absolute accuracy of the reflected sunlight from the Earth, and the thermal radiation emitted by the Earth are made every 15 min, with a spatial resolution at the subsatellite point of 44.6 km (north south) by 39.3 km (east west). With knowledge of the incoming solar constant, this gives the primary forcing and response components of the top-of-atmosphere radiation. The first GERB instrument is an instrument of opportunity on Meteosat-8, a new spin-stabilized spacecraft platform also carrying the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared (SEVIRI) sensor, which is currently positioned over the equator at 3.5°W. This overview of the project includes a description of the instrument design and its preflight and in-flight calibration. An evaluation of the instrument performance after its first year in orbit, including comparisons with data from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) satellite sensors and with output from numerical models, are also presented. After a brief summary of the data processing system and data products, some of the scientific studies that are being undertaken using these early data are described. This marks the beginning of a decade or more of observations from GERB, as subsequent models will fly on each of the four Meteosat Second Generation satellites.

Determination of rare earth elements in aluminum by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahanti, H.S.; Barnes, R.M.

1983-01-01

Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy is evaluated for the determination of 14 rare earth elements in aluminum. Spectral line interference, limit of detection, and background equivalent concentration values are evaluated, and quantitative recovery is obtained from aluminum samples spiked with rare earth elements. The procedure is simple and suitable for routine process control analysis. 20 references, 5 tables

Earth observation from the manned low Earth orbit platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Huadong; Dou, Changyong; Zhang, Xiaodong; Han, Chunming; Yue, Xijuan

2016-05-01

The manned low Earth orbit platforms (MLEOPs), e.g., the U.S. and Russia's human space vehicles, the International Space Station (ISS) and Chinese Tiangong-1 experimental space laboratory not only provide laboratories for scientific experiments in a wide range of disciplines, but also serve as exceptional platforms for remote observation of the Earth, astronomical objects and space environment. As the early orbiting platforms, the MLEOPs provide humans with revolutionary accessibility to the regions on Earth never seen before. Earth observation from MLEOPs began in early 1960s, as a part of manned space flight programs, and will continue with the ISS and upcoming Chinese Space Station. Through a series of flight missions, various and a large amount of Earth observing datasets have been acquired using handheld cameras by crewmembers as well as automated sophisticated sensors onboard these space vehicles. Utilizing these datasets many researches have been conducted, demonstrating the importance and uniqueness of studying Earth from a vantage point of MLEOPs. For example, the first, near-global scale digital elevation model (DEM) was developed from data obtained during the shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM). This review intends to provide an overview of Earth observations from MLEOPs and present applications conducted by the datasets collected by these missions. As the ISS is the most typical representative of MLEOPs, an introduction to it, including orbital characteristics, payload accommodations, and current and proposed sensors, is emphasized. The advantages and challenges of Earth observation from MLEOPs, using the ISS as an example, is also addressed. At last, a conclusive note is drawn.

Earth Rotation

Science.gov (United States)

Dickey, Jean O.

1995-01-01

The study of the Earth's rotation in space (encompassing Universal Time (UT1), length of day, polar motion, and the phenomena of precession and nutation) addresses the complex nature of Earth orientation changes, the mechanisms of excitation of these changes and their geophysical implications in a broad variety of areas. In the absence of internal sources of energy or interactions with astronomical objects, the Earth would move as a rigid body with its various parts (the crust, mantle, inner and outer cores, atmosphere and oceans) rotating together at a constant fixed rate. In reality, the world is considerably more complicated, as is schematically illustrated. The rotation rate of the Earth's crust is not constant, but exhibits complicated fluctuations in speed amounting to several parts in 10(exp 8) [corresponding to a variation of several milliseconds (ms) in the Length Of the Day (LOD) and about one part in 10(exp 6) in the orientation of the rotation axis relative to the solid Earth's axis of figure (polar motion). These changes occur over a broad spectrum of time scales, ranging from hours to centuries and longer, reflecting the fact that they are produced by a wide variety of geophysical and astronomical processes. Geodetic observations of Earth rotation changes thus provide insights into the geophysical processes illustrated, which are often difficult to obtain by other means. In addition, these measurements are required for engineering purposes. Theoretical studies of Earth rotation variations are based on the application of Euler's dynamical equations to the problem of finding the response of slightly deformable solid Earth to variety of surface and internal stresses.

An Earth-sized planet with an Earth-like density

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pepe, Francesco; Cameron, Andrew Collier; Latham, David W.

2013-01-01

significantly larger than the Earth. Recently, the planet Kepler-78b was discovered(8) and found to have a radius of only 1.16R(circle plus). Here we report that the mass of this planet is 1.86 Earth masses. The resulting mean density of the planet is 5.57 g cm(-3), which is similar to that of the Earth...

The Earth Observing System (EOS) nickel-hydrogen battery

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Charles W.

1992-01-01

Information is given in viewgraph form on the Earth Observing System (EOS) nickel hydrogen battery. Information is given on the life evaluation test, cell characteristics, acceptance and characterization tests, and the battery system description.

Applying the global positioning system and google earth to evaluate the accessibility of birth services for pregnant women in northern Malawi.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Solomon Chih-Cheng; Wang, Jung-Der; Yu, Joseph Kwong-Leung; Rn, Tzu-Yi Chiang; Chan, Chang-Chuan; Rn, Hsiu-Hung Wang; Nyasulu, Yohane M Z; Kolola-Dzimadzi, Rose

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to validate the combined use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Google Earth for measuring the accessibility of health care facilities for pregnant women in northern Malawi. We used GPS and Google Earth to identify 5 major health care facilities in Mzuzu (Malawi) and the homes of 79 traditional birth attendants (TBAs). The distance and time required for each TBA to reach the nearest health care facility were measured by both GPS and by self-report of the TBAs. A convenience sample of 1138 pregnant women was interviewed about their choices of birth sites for current and previous pregnancies and the time and cost required to access health care facilities. The correlation coefficient between the objective measurements by GPS and subjective reports by TBAs for time required from their homes to health care facilities was 0.654 (P birth at a health care facility. However, only 48.7% of women actually gave birth in a health care facility in a previous pregnancy, and 32.6% were assisted by TBAs. Combined GPS and Google Earth can be useful in the evaluation of accessibility of health care facilities, especially for emergency obstetric care. © 2011 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

EarthLabs - Investigating Hurricanes: Earth's Meteorological Monsters

Science.gov (United States)

McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

2007-12-01

Earth science is one of the most important tools that the global community needs to address the pressing environmental, social, and economic issues of our time. While, at times considered a second-rate science at the high school level, it is currently undergoing a major revolution in the depth of content and pedagogical vitality. As part of this revolution, labs in Earth science courses need to shift their focus from cookbook-like activities with known outcomes to open-ended investigations that challenge students to think, explore and apply their learning. We need to establish a new model for Earth science as a rigorous lab science in policy, perception, and reality. As a concerted response to this need, five states, a coalition of scientists and educators, and an experienced curriculum team are creating a national model for a lab-based high school Earth science course named EarthLabs. This lab course will comply with the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The content will focus on Earth system science and environmental literacy. The lab experiences will feature a combination of field work, classroom experiments, and computer access to data and visualizations, and demonstrate the rigor and depth of a true lab course. The effort is being funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. One of the prototype units of the course is Investigating Hurricanes. Hurricanes are phenomena which have tremendous impact on humanity and the resources we use. They are also the result of complex interacting Earth systems, making them perfect objects for rigorous investigation of many concepts commonly covered in Earth science courses, such as meteorology, climate, and global wind circulation. Students are able to use the same data sets, analysis tools, and research techniques that scientists employ in their research, yielding truly authentic learning opportunities. This month-long integrated unit uses hurricanes as the story line by

Chemical evolution of the Earth: Equilibrium or disequilibrium process?

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, M.

1985-01-01

To explain the apparent chemical incompatibility of the Earth's core and mantle or the disequilibrium process, various core forming mechanisms have been proposed, i.e., rapid disequilibrium sinking of molten iron, an oxidized core or protocore materials, and meteorite contamination of the upper mantle after separation from the core. Adopting concepts used in steady state thermodynamics, a method is devised for evaluating how elements should distribute stable in the Earth's interior for the present gradients of temperature, pressure, and gravitational acceleration. Thermochemical modeling gives useful insights into the nature of chemical evolution of the Earth without overly speculative assumptions. Further work must be done to reconcile siderophile elements, rare gases, and possible light elements in the outer core.

ANALISIS PENGENDALIAN KUALITAS MEMBRAN DALAM PERVAPORASI ETANOL-AIR DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE STATISTICAL QUALITY CONTROL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miftahul Djana

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Pervaporation is an alternative separation process using membrane which allows separations of organic mixtures and dehydrates organic solvents with low energy consumption. The purpose of this experiment is to analyze the influence of operating parameters such as feed temperature, times, variation of feed ethanol water mixtures, variation of membranes on pervaporation performance shown by the flux and selectivity by using ceramic membranes with variation of diatomaceous earth and clay as separation. Pervaporation process performance is determined from permeate selectivity and flux. Increase of permeate selectivity and flux means also increasing performace of pervaporation. However, increasing product flux may contribute on decreasing selectivity. The research consists of membrane preparation, pervaporation process, and optimization. Feed of this research are ethanol-water mixture with temperature varying between 40-60oC and downstream pressure 0.5 mbar. Ceramic membrane is used and modification with 30,60,90% of diatomaceous earth. From the results, the membranes have successfully improved the flux of this research..The results showed that the operating conditions of 0,5mbar pressure of permeate, the variation in temperatures of 40ºC, 50ºC and º, th variation of membranes and times produces the flux increases and selectivity decreases.In these conditions the maximum temperature, 60ºC gives the flux of 0,1945 l/m2.hr and the selectivity of 1,7198. In these conditions produce fuel grade ethanol with purity levels reached 98% from 95% ethanol feed.The test results indicated the mean value of t = 31.400> t table = 2.00 and sig. =0,000 <α = 0.05, thus the average (mean of 1.806 issignificant. Thus the hypothesis that the level of damage membrane of the product significantly affect the processproduction is not proven.

Geosciences program annual report 1978. [LBL Earth Sciences Division

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Witherspoon, P.A.

1978-01-01

This report is a reprint of the Geosciences section of the LBL Earth Sciences Division Annual Report 1978 (LBL-8648). It contains summary papers that describe fundamental studies addressing a variety of earth science problems of interest to the DOE. They have applications in such diverse areas as geothermal energy, oil recovery, in situ coal gasification, uranium resource evaluation and recovery, and earthquake prediction. Completed work has been reported or likely will be in the usual channels. (RWR)

Proceedings of the Near-Earth-Object Interception Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Canavan, G. J. (Editor); Solem, J. C. (Editor); Rather, John D. G. (Editor)

1993-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters sponsored the Near-Earth-Object Interception Workshop hosted by the Los Alamos National Laboratory on 14-16 Jan. 1992 at the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Workshop evaluated the issues involved in intercepting celestial objects that could hit the Earth. It covered the technologies for acquiring, tracking, and homing, as well as those for sending interceptors to inspect, rendezvous with, land on, irradiate, deflect, or destroy them. This report records the presentations and technical options reviewed.

Digital Earth reloaded - Beyond the next generation

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlers, M.; Woodgate, P.; Annoni, A.; Schade, S.

2014-02-01

Digital replicas (or 'mirror worlds') of complex entities and systems are now routine in many fields such as aerospace engineering; archaeology; medicine; or even fashion design. The Digital Earth (DE) concept as a digital replica of the entire planet occurs in Al Gore's 1992 book Earth in the Balance and was popularized in his speech at the California Science Center in January 1998. It played a pivotal role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth that achieved many elements of this vision. Almost 15 years after Al Gore's speech, the concept of DE needs to be re-evaluated in the light of the many scientific and technical developments in the fields of information technology, data infrastructures, citizen?s participation, and earth observation that have taken place since. This paper intends to look beyond the next generation predominantly based on the developments of fields outside the spatial sciences, where concepts, software, and hardware with strong relationships to DE are being developed without referring to this term. It also presents a number of guiding criteria for future DE developments.

Red-emitting alkaline-earth rare-earth pentaoxometallates powders ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Moisture-insensitive metal carboxylates that are mostly liquids at room temperature have been first applied to ... alkaline-earth ion, or possibly even a rare-earth ion and alkali metal ... sion spectra of the powders were recorded on a fluorescent.

Assessment of trading partners for China's rare earth exports using a decision analytic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Chunyan; Lei, Yalin; Ge, Jianping

2014-01-01

Chinese rare earth export policies currently result in accelerating its depletion. Thus adopting an optimal export trade selection strategy is crucial to determining and ultimately identifying the ideal trading partners. This paper introduces a multi-attribute decision-making methodology which is then used to select the optimal trading partner. In the method, an evaluation criteria system is established to assess the seven top trading partners based on three dimensions: political relationships, economic benefits and industrial security. Specifically, a simple additive weighing model derived from an additive utility function is utilized to calculate, rank and select alternatives. Results show that Japan would be the optimal trading partner for Chinese rare earths. The criteria evaluation method of trading partners for China's rare earth exports provides the Chinese government with a tool to enhance rare earth industrial policies.

Earth - South America (first frame of Earth Spin Movie)

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

This color image of the Earth was obtained by Galileo at about 6:10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Dec. 11, 1990, when the spacecraft was about 1.3 million miles from the planet during the first of two Earth flybys on its way to Jupiter. The color composite used images taken through the red, green and violet filters. South America is near the center of the picture, and the white, sunlit continent of Antarctica is below. Picturesque weather fronts are visible in the South Atlantic, lower right. This is the first frame of the Galileo Earth spin movie, a 500- frame time-lapse motion picture showing a 25-hour period of Earth's rotation and atmospheric dynamics.

Evaluating Middle School Students' Spatial-Scientific Performance within Earth/Space Astronomy in Terms of Gender and Race/Ethnicity

Science.gov (United States)

Wilhelm, Jennifer; Toland, Michael D.; Cole, Merryn

2017-01-01

Differences were examined between groups of sixth grade students? spatial-scientific development pre/post implementation of an Earth/Space unit. Treatment teachers employed a spatially-integrated Earth/Space curriculum, while control teachers implemented their Business as Usual (BAU) Earth/Space units. A multi-level modeling approach was used in a…

Modern Publishing Approach of Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Timothy F.

2015-01-01

Filling a needed scholarly publishing avenue for astronomy education researchers and earth science education researchers, the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education - JAESE published its first volume and issue in 2014. The Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education - JAESE is a scholarly, peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original discipline-based education research and evaluation, with an emphasis of significant scientific results derived from ethical observations and systematic experimentation in science education and evaluation. International in scope, JAESE aims to publish the highest quality and timely articles from discipline-based education research that advance understanding of astronomy and earth sciences education and are likely to have a significant impact on the discipline or on policy. Articles are solicited describing both (i) systematic science education research and (ii) evaluated teaching innovations across the broadly defined Earth & space sciences education, including the disciplines of astronomy, climate education, energy resource science, environmental science, geology, geography, agriculture, meteorology, planetary sciences, and oceanography education. The publishing model adopted for this new journal is open-access and articles appear online in GoogleScholar, ERIC, and are searchable in catalogs of 440,000 libraries that index online journals of its type. Rather than paid for by library subscriptions or by society membership dues, the annual budget is covered by page-charges paid by individual authors, their institutions, grants or donors: This approach is common in scientific journals, but is relatively uncommon in education journals. Authors retain their own copyright. The journal is owned by the Clute Institute of Denver, which owns and operates 17 scholarly journals and currently edited by former American Astronomical Society Education Officer Tim Slater, who is an endowed professor at the University of Wyoming and

Positively charged microporous ceramic membrane for the removal of Titan Yellow through electrostatic adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xiuting; Li, Na; Zhu, Mengfu; Zhang, Lili; Deng, Yu; Deng, Cheng

2016-06-01

To develop a depth filter based on the electrostatic adsorption principle, positively charged microporous ceramic membrane was prepared from a diatomaceous earth ceramic membrane. The internal surface of the highly porous ceramic membrane was coated with uniformly distributed electropositive nano-Y2O3 coating. The dye removal performance was evaluated through pressurized filtration tests using Titan Yellow aqueous solution. It showed that positively charged microporous ceramic membrane exhibited a flow rate of 421L/(m(2)·hr) under the trans-membrane pressure of 0.03bar. Moreover it could effectively remove Titan Yellow with feed concentration of 10mg/L between pH3 to 8. The removal rate increased with the enhancement of the surface charge properties with a maximum rejection of 99.6%. This study provides a new and feasible method of removing organic dyes in wastewater. It is convinced that there will be a broad market for the application of charged ceramic membrane in the field of dye removal or recovery from industry wastewater. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Building a Dashboard of the Planet with Google Earth and Earth Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, R. T.; Hancher, M.

2016-12-01

In 2005 Google Earth, a popular 3-D virtual globe, was first released. Scientists immediately recognized how it could be used to tell stories about the Earth. From 2006 to 2009, the "Virtual Globes" sessions of AGU included innovative examples of scientists and educators using Google Earth, and since that time it has become a commonplace tool for communicating scientific results. In 2009 Google Earth Engine, a cloud-based platform for planetary-scale geospatial analysis, was first announced. Earth Engine was initially used to extract information about the world's forests from raw Landsat data. Since then, the platform has proven highly effective for general analysis of georeferenced data, and users have expanded the list of use cases to include high-impact societal issues such as conservation, drought, disease, food security, water management, climate change and environmental monitoring. To support these use cases, the platform has continuously evolved with new datasets, analysis functions, and user interface tools. This talk will give an overview of the latest Google Earth and Earth Engine functionality that allow partners to understand, monitor and tell stories about of our living, breathing Earth. https://earth.google.com https://earthengine.google.com

Inaugeral lecture - Meteorite impacts on Earth and on the Earth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There is some controversial evidence for the theory that the first life on Earth itself may have been transported here on meteorites from Mars. The possibility of a major meteorite impact on Earth in the near future emphasizes the dramatic nature of these recent discoveries, which are having deep impacts in the Earth sciences ...

Observed tidal braking in the earth/moon/sun system

Science.gov (United States)

Christodoulidis, D. C.; Smith, D. E.; Williamson, R. G.; Klosko, S. M.

1987-01-01

The low degree and order terms in the spherical harmonic model of the tidal potential were observed through the perturbations which are induced on near-earth satellite orbital motions. Evaluations of tracking observations from 17 satellites and a GEM-T1 geopotential model were used in the tidal recovery which was made in the presence of over 600 long-wavelength coefficients from 32 major and minor tides. Wahr's earth tidal model was used as a basis for the recovery of the ocean tidal terms. Using this tidal model, the secular change in the moon's mean motion due to tidal dissipation was found to be -25.27 + or - 0.61 arcsec/century squared. The estimation of lunar acceleration agreed with that observed from lunar laser ranging techniques (-24.9 + or - 1.0 arcsec/century squared), with the corresponding tidal braking of earth's rotation being -5.98 + or - 0.22 x 10 to the minus 22 rad/second squared. If the nontidal braking of the earth due to the observed secular change in the earth's second zonal harmonic is considered, satellite techniques yield a total value of the secular change of the earth's rotation rate of -4.69 + or - 0.36 x 10 to the minus 22 rad/second squared.

Primary screen for potential sheep scab control agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, J A; Prickett, J C; Collins, D A; Weaver, R J

2016-07-15

The efficacy of potential acaricidal agents were assessed against the sheep scab mite Psoroptes ovis using a series of in vitro assays in modified test arenas designed initially to maintain P. ovis off-host. The mortality effects of 45 control agents, including essential oils, detergents, desiccants, growth regulators, lipid synthesis inhibitors, nerve action/energy metabolism disruptors and ecdysteroids were assessed against adults and nymphs. The most effective candidates were the desiccants (diatomaceous earth, nanoclay and sorex), the growth regulators (buprofezin, hexythiazox and teflubenzuron), the lipid synthesis inhibitors (spirodiclofen, spirotetramat and spiromesifen) and the nerve action and energy metabolism inhibitors (fenpyroximate, spinosad, tolfenpyrad, and chlorantraniliprole). Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of four rare-earth film-screen combinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nettle, J.R.L.; Ritchings, R.T.

1980-01-01

Objective and subjective assessments were made on four film-screen combinations at 140 kV for use on an EMI body scanner. The combinations used were: 3M XD film + Trimax Alpha 8 screens; Agfa Gevaert RP film + MR600 screens; Kodak Ortho G film + Lanex regular screens and Ilford type S film + rare earth rapid R screens. The objective assessment is based on the optical density of the image of a test object on a radiograph. Receiver operating characteristic techniques are used in the subjective assessment. The best results in each assessment were obtained using the Kodak Ortho G film + Lanex regular screens. (author)

Preparation and characteristics of various rare earth nitrides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imamura, H.; Imahashi, T.; Zaimi, M.; Sakata, Y.

2008-01-01

Active nanocrystalline nitrides of EuN and YbN with high surface areas were successfully prepared by the thermal decomposition of the rare earth amides (Eu(NH 2 ) 2 , Yb(NH 2 ) 2 and Yb(NH 2 ) 3 ). For the preparation of CeN, PrN and NdN, the direct reaction of the rare earth metals with ammonia was extensively studied to determine optimal conditions. In the reaction of rare earth metals with ammonia, hydrides besides the nitrides were competitively formed. The reaction conditions such as temperatures and ratios of ammonia to rare earth metal were crucial in preferential formation of nitride. The nanocrystalline YbN and EuN readily absorbed large amounts of ammonia even at room temperature upon contact with ammonia (13.3 kPa). The absorbed ammonia existed in at least two forms on/in the nitride; the one was surface-adsorbed ammonia and the other ammonia absorbed in the nitride in a decomposed state. The properties of ammonia absorbed by the nitride were further evaluated by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), FT-IR and XRD techniques

Heavy rare earths, permanent magnets, and renewable energies: An imminent crisis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith Stegen, Karen

2015-01-01

This article sounds the alarm that a significant build-out of efficient lighting and renewable energy technologies may be endangered by shortages of rare earths and rare earth permanent magnets. At the moment, China is the predominant supplier of both and its recent rare earth industrial policies combined with its own growing demand for rare earths have caused widespread concern. To diversify supplies, new mining—outside of China—is needed. But what many observers of the “rare earth problem” overlook is that China also dominates in (1) the processing of rare earths, particularly the less abundant heavy rare earths, and (2) the supply chains for permanent magnets. Heavy rare earths and permanent magnets are critical for many renewable energy technologies, and it will require decades to develop new non-Chinese deposits, processing capacity, and supply chains. This article clarifies several misconceptions, evaluates frequently proposed solutions, and urges policy makers outside of China to undertake measures to avert a crisis, such as greater support for research and development and for the cultivation of intellectual capital. - Highlights: • Rare earths are needed for many efficient lighting and renewable energy technologies. • The industries for rare earths and permanent magnets are dominated by China. • China's reliability is compromised, necessitating non-Chinese mining and processing. • Recycling, substitution and reducing rare earth content are long-term solutions only. • Policy makers should support development of supply chains and intellectual capital

Evaluating the Impact of Data Placement to Spark and SciDB with an Earth Science Use Case

Science.gov (United States)

Doan, Khoa; Oloso, Amidu; Kuo, Kwo-Sen; Clune, Thomas; Yu, Hongfeng; Nelson, Brian; Zhang, Jian

2016-01-01

We investigate the impact of data placement for two Big Data technologies, Spark and SciDB, with a use case from Earth Science where data arrays are multidimensional. Simultaneously, this investigation provides an opportunity to evaluate the performance of the technologies involved. Two datastores, HDFS and Cassandra, are used with Spark for our comparison. It is found that Spark with Cassandra performs better than with HDFS, but SciDB performs better yet than Spark with either datastore. The investigation also underscores the value of having data aligned for the most common analysis scenarios in advance on a shared nothing architecture. Otherwise, repartitioning needs to be carried out on the fly, degrading overall performance.

Earth analysis methods, subsurface feature detection methods, earth analysis devices, and articles of manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

West, Phillip B [Idaho Falls, ID; Novascone, Stephen R [Idaho Falls, ID; Wright, Jerry P [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-09-27

Earth analysis methods, subsurface feature detection methods, earth analysis devices, and articles of manufacture are described. According to one embodiment, an earth analysis method includes engaging a device with the earth, analyzing the earth in a single substantially lineal direction using the device during the engaging, and providing information regarding a subsurface feature of the earth using the analysis.

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Standards Process Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Ullman, Richard E.; Enloe, Yonsook

2007-01-01

NASA has impaneled several internal working groups to provide recommendations to NASA management on ways to evolve and improve Earth Science Data Systems. One of these working groups is the Standards Process Group (SPC). The SPG is drawn from NASA-funded Earth Science Data Systems stakeholders, and it directs a process of community review and evaluation of proposed NASA standards. The working group's goal is to promote interoperability and interuse of NASA Earth Science data through broader use of standards that have proven implementation and operational benefit to NASA Earth science by facilitating the NASA management endorsement of proposed standards. The SPC now has two years of experience with this approach to identification of standards. We will discuss real examples of the different types of candidate standards that have been proposed to NASA's Standards Process Group such as OPeNDAP's Data Access Protocol, the Hierarchical Data Format, and Open Geospatial Consortium's Web Map Server. Each of the three types of proposals requires a different sort of criteria for understanding the broad concepts of "proven implementation" and "operational benefit" in the context of NASA Earth Science data systems. We will discuss how our Standards Process has evolved with our experiences with the three candidate standards.

Temporal Variability of Observed and Simulated Hyperspectral Earth Reflectance

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Yolanda; Pilewskie, Peter; Kindel, Bruce; Feldman, Daniel; Collins, William D.

2012-01-01

The Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) is a climate observation system designed to study Earth's climate variability with unprecedented absolute radiometric accuracy and SI traceability. Observation System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) were developed using GCM output and MODTRAN to simulate CLARREO reflectance measurements during the 21st century as a design tool for the CLARREO hyperspectral shortwave imager. With OSSE simulations of hyperspectral reflectance, Feldman et al. [2011a,b] found that shortwave reflectance is able to detect changes in climate variables during the 21st century and improve time-to-detection compared to broadband measurements. The OSSE has been a powerful tool in the design of the CLARREO imager and for understanding the effect of climate change on the spectral variability of reflectance, but it is important to evaluate how well the OSSE simulates the Earth's present-day spectral variability. For this evaluation we have used hyperspectral reflectance measurements from the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY), a shortwave spectrometer that was operational between March 2002 and April 2012. To study the spectral variability of SCIAMACHY-measured and OSSE-simulated reflectance, we used principal component analysis (PCA), a spectral decomposition technique that identifies dominant modes of variability in a multivariate data set. Using quantitative comparisons of the OSSE and SCIAMACHY PCs, we have quantified how well the OSSE captures the spectral variability of Earth?s climate system at the beginning of the 21st century relative to SCIAMACHY measurements. These results showed that the OSSE and SCIAMACHY data sets share over 99% of their total variance in 2004. Using the PCs and the temporally distributed reflectance spectra projected onto the PCs (PC scores), we can study the temporal variability of the observed and simulated reflectance spectra. Multivariate time

The Lifeworld Earth and a Modelled Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Juuti, Kalle

2014-01-01

The goal of this paper is to study the question of whether a phenomenological view of the Earth could be empirically endorsed. The phenomenological way of thinking considers the Earth as a material entity, but not as an object as viewed in science. In the learning science tradition, tracking the process of the conceptual change of the shape of the…

Incorporating Geoethics in Introductory Earth System Science Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, J.

2014-12-01

The integrative nature of Earth System Science courses provides extensive opportunities to introduce students to geoethical inquiry focused on globally significant societal issues. Geoscience education has traditionally lagged in its efforts to increase student awareness of the significance of geologic knowledge to understanding and responsibly confronting causes and possible solutions for emergent, newly emerging, and future problems of anthropogenic cause and consequence. Developing an understanding of the human impact on the earth system requires early (lower division) and for geoscience majors, repeated (upper division) curricular emphasis on the interactions of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and pedosphere across space and through time. Capturing the interest of university students in globally relevant earth system issues and their ethical dimensions while first learning about the earth system is an important initial step in bringing geoethical deliberation and awareness to the next generation of geoscientists. Development of a new introductory Earth System Science course replacing a traditional introductory Physical Geology course at Montana State University has involved abandonment of concept-based content organization in favor of a place-based approach incorporating examination of the complex interactions of earth system components and emergent issues and dilemmas deriving from the unique component interactions that characterize each locale. Thirteen different place-based week-long modules (using web- and classroom-based instruction) were developed to ensure cumulative broad coverage across the earth geographically and earth system components conceptually. Each place-based instructional module contains content of societal relevance requiring synthesis, critical evaluation, and reflection by students. Examples include making linkages between deforestation driven by economics and increased seismicity in Haiti, agriculture and development

Problem of simulating the Earth's induction effects in modeling polar magnetic substorms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mareschal, M.

1976-01-01

A major problem encountered in trying to model the current system associated with a polar magnetic substorm from ground-based magnetic observations is the difficulty of adequately evaluating the earth's induction effects. Two methods for simulating these effects are reviewed here. Method 1 simply reduces the earth to a perfect conductor and leads to very simple field equations. Method 2 considers the earth as a ''horizontally'' layered body of finite conductivity but requires a large amount of computational time. The performances of both methods are compared when the substorm current system can be approximated by an infinitely long electrojet flowing over a flat earth. In this case it appears that for most substorm modeling problems it is sufficient to treat the earth as a perfect conductor. The depth of this perfect conductor below the earth's surface should be selected in function of the source frequency content

Toxicological Evaluations of Rare Earths and Their Health Impacts to Workers: A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyung Taek Rim

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In concert with the development of new materials in the last decade, the need for toxicological studies of these materials has been increasing. These new materials include a group of rare earths (RE. The use of RE nanotechnology is being considered in some green applications, to increase their efficiency by using nano-sized RE compounds, and therefore hazard evaluation and risk assessment are highly recommended. This review was conducted through an extensive contemplation of the literatures in toxicology with in vitro and in vivo studies. Major aspects reviewed were the toxicological evaluations of these elements and metallic compounds at the molecular and cellular level, animal and human epidemiological studies and environmental and occupational health impacts on workers. We also discuss the future prospect of industries with appliances using RE together with the significance of preventive efforts for workers’ health. To establish a safe and healthy working environment for RE industries, the use of biomarkers is increasing to provide sustainable measure, due to demand for information about the health risks from unfavorable exposures. Given the recent toxicological results on the exposure of cells, animals and workers to RE compounds, it is important to review the toxicological studies to improve the current understanding of the RE compounds in the field of occupational health. This will help to establish a sustainable, safe and healthy working environment for RE industries.

Kieselgur - mining, processing and use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paschen, S.

1986-04-01

Kieselgur, also known as diatomite or diatomaceous earth is a soft rocklike material consisting of skeletal remains of microscopic unicellular algea of the diatom family. Smaller or larger deposits are known all over the world, of fresh-water or marine origin, fomed in the tertiary or quaternary period of earth's history. - Kieselgur is a predominantly amorphous opaline silica (silicon dioxide). The crude ore contains impurities such as organic matter, clay, sand and metal salts. - Following processing in shelf furnaces or rotary tube furnaces, milling and air separation the Kieselgur is obtained as a fine powder of brown, punk or white color. The finished product mainly consists of silica and varying amounts of water-insoluble oxides of iron, calcium, aluminium and traces of other oxides. - Kieselgur is chemically inert, highly porous and has a large surface area. It is suited for applications in filtration as filter aid for alluvial filters, and also as special filler and carrier in various branches in industry.

Atmospheric acceleration and Earth-expansion deceleration of the Earth rotation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenbin Shen

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Previous studies suggest that tidal friction gives rise to the secular deceleration of the Earth rotation by a quantity of about 2.25 ms/cy. Here we just consider additional contributions to the secular Earth rotation deceleration. Atmospheric solar semi-diurnal tide has a small amplitude and certain amount of phase lead. This periodic global air-mass excess distribution exerts a quasi-constant torque to accelerate the Earth's spin rotation. Using an updated atmospheric tide model, we re-estimate the amounts of this atmospheric acceleration torque and corresponding energy input, of which the associated change rate in LOD (length of day is −0.1 ms/cy. In another aspect, evidences from space-geodesy and sea level rise observations suggest that Earth expands at a rate of 0.35 mm/yr in recent decades, which gives rise to the increase of LOD at rate of 1.0 ms/cy. Hence, if the previous estimate due to the tidal friction is correct, the secular Earth rotation deceleration due to tidal friction and Earth expansion should be 3.15 ms/cy.

ARTEAM - Advanced ray tracing with earth atmospheric models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kunz, G.J.; Moerman, M.M.; Eijk, A.M.J. van

2002-01-01

The Advanced Ray Tracing with Earth Atmospheric Models (ARTEAM) aims at a description of the electro-optical propagation environment in the marine atmospheric surface layer. For given meteorological conditions, the model evaluates height- and range-resolved transmission losses, refraction and

Data Assimilation: Making Sense of Earth Observation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Albert Lahoz

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Climate change, air quality and environmental degradation are important societal challenges for the 21st Century. These challenges require an intelligent response from society, which in turn requires access to information about the Earth System. This information comes from observations and prior knowledge, the latter typically embodied in a model describing relationships between variables of the Earth System. Data assimilation provides an objective methodology to combine observational and model information to provide an estimate of the most likely state and its uncertainty for the whole Earth System. This approach adds value to the observations – by filling in the spatio-temporal gaps in observations; and to the model – by constraining it with the observations. In this review paper we motivate data assimilation as a methodology to fill in the gaps in observational information; illustrate the data assimilation approach with examples that span a broad range of features of the Earth System (atmosphere, including chemistry; ocean; land surface; and discuss the outlook for data assimilation, including the novel application of data assimilation ideas to observational information obtained using Citizen Science. Ultimately, a strong motivation of data assimilation is the many benefits it provides to users. These include: providing the initial state for weather and air quality forecasts; providing analyses and reanalyses for studying the Earth System; evaluating observations, instruments and models; assessing the relative value of elements of the Global Observing System (GOS; and assessing the added value of future additions to the GOS.

Rare earths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The conference was held from September 12 to 13, 1984 in Jetrichovice, Czechoslovakia. The participants heard 16 papers of which 4 were inputted in INIS. These papers dealt with industrial separation processes of rare earths, the use of chemical methods of separation from the concentrate of apatite and bastnesite, the effect of the relative permittivity of solvents in the elution of rare earth elements from a cation exchanger, and the determination of the content of different rare earth elements using X-ray fluorescence analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy. (E.S.)

Thermochemical and thermophysical properties of alkaline-earth perovskites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanaka, Shinsuke; Kurosaki, Ken; Maekawa, Takuji; Matsuda, Tetsushi; Kobayashi, Shin-ichi; Uno, Masayoshi

2005-01-01

In order to contribute to safety evaluation of high burnup oxide fuels, we studied the thermochemical and thermophysical properties of alkaline-earth perovskites known as oxide inclusions. Polycrystalline samples of alkaline-earth perovskites, BaUO 3 , BaZrO 3 , BaCeO 3 , BaMoO 3 , SrTiO 3 , SrZrO 3 , SrCeO 3 , SrMoO 3 , SrHfO 3 and SrRuO 3 , were prepared and the thermal expansion coefficient, melting temperature, elastic moduli, Debye temperature, microhardness, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity were measured. The relationship between some physical properties was studied

Satellite measurements of the earth's crustal magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Schnetzler, C. C.

1989-01-01

The literature associated with the Magsat mission has evaluated the capabilities and limitations of satellite measurements of the earth's crustal magnetic field, and demonstrated that there exists a 300-3000 km magnetic field, related to major features in the earth's crust, which is primarily caused by induction. Due to its scale and sensitivity, satellite data have been useful in the development of models for such large crustal features as subduction zones, submarine platforms, continental accretion boundaries, and rifts. Attention is presently given to the lack of agreement between laboratory and satellite estimates of lower crustal magnetization.

Early Earth(s) Across Time and Space

Science.gov (United States)

Mojzsis, S.

2014-04-01

The geochemical and cosmochemical record of our solar system is the baseline for exploring the question: "when could life appear on a world similar to our own?" Data arising from direct analysis of the oldest terrestrial rocks and minerals from the first 500 Myr of Earth history - termed the Hadean Eon - inform us about the timing for the establishment of a habitable silicate world. Liquid water is the key medium for life. The origin of water, and its interaction with the crust as revealed in the geologic record, guides our exploration for a cosmochemically Earth-like planets. From the time of primary planetary accretion to the start of the continuous rock record on Earth at ca. 3850 million years ago, our planet experienced a waning bolide flux that partially or entirely wiped out surface rocks, vaporized oceans, and created transient serpentinizing atmospheres. Arguably, "Early Earths" across the galaxy may start off as ice planets due to feeble insolation from their young stars, occasionally punctuated by steam atmospheres generated by cataclysmic impacts. Alternatively, early global environments conducive to life spanned from a benign surface zone to deep into crustal rocks and sediments. In some scenarios, nascent biospheres benefit from the exogenous delivery of essential bio-elements via leftovers of accretion, and the subsequent establishment of planetary-scale hydrothermal systems. If what is now known about the early dynamical regime of the Earth serves as any measure of the potential habitability of worlds across space and time, several key boundary conditions emerge. These are: (i) availability and long-term stability of liquid water; (ii) presence of energy resources; (iii) accessibility of organic raw materials; (iv) adequate inventory of radioisotopes to drive internal heating; (v) gross compositional parameters such as mantle/core mass ratio, and (vi) P-T conditions at or near the surface suitable for sustaining biological activity. Life could

Distributed Space Mission Design for Earth Observation Using Model-Based Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Nag, Sreeja; LeMoigne-Stewart, Jacqueline; Cervantes, Ben; DeWeck, Oliver

2015-01-01

Distributed Space Missions (DSMs) are gaining momentum in their application to earth observation missions owing to their unique ability to increase observation sampling in multiple dimensions. DSM design is a complex problem with many design variables, multiple objectives determining performance and cost and emergent, often unexpected, behaviors. There are very few open-access tools available to explore the tradespace of variables, minimize cost and maximize performance for pre-defined science goals, and therefore select the most optimal design. This paper presents a software tool that can multiple DSM architectures based on pre-defined design variable ranges and size those architectures in terms of predefined science and cost metrics. The tool will help a user select Pareto optimal DSM designs based on design of experiments techniques. The tool will be applied to some earth observation examples to demonstrate its applicability in making some key decisions between different performance metrics and cost metrics early in the design lifecycle.

Contextualizing Earth Science Professional Development Courses for Geoscience Teachers in Boston

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, R. F.; Pelletier, P.; Dorsen, J.; Douglas, E. M.; Pringle, M. S.; Karp, J.

2009-12-01

Inquiry-based, hands-on, graduate content courses have been developed specifically for Boston Public School middle school teachers of Earth Science. Earth Science I: Weather and Water and Earth Science II: The Solid Earth--Earth History and Planetary Systems have been taught a total of seven times to over 120 teachers. Several key attributes to these successful courses have been identified, including co-instruction by a university professor and a high school and a middle school teacher that are familiar with the Boston curriculum, use of hands-on activities that are closed related to those used in the Boston curriculum, pre- and post-course local field trips, and identification of key learning objectives for each day. This model of professional development was developed over several years in all disciplines (Earth Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry) by the Boston Science Partnership (BSP), an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership program. One of the core strategies of the BSP is these Contextualized Content Courses (CCC), graduate level, lab-based courses taught at either UMass Boston or Northeastern University during summer intensive or semester formats. Two of the eleven courses developed under the grant are Earth Science I & II. This presentation shares the model of the CCC, the impact on teacher participants, the value of these courses for the professor, and lessons learned for successful professional development. Findings about the courses’ impact and effectiveness come from our external evaluation by the Program Evaluation Research Group (PERG). The combination of content and modeling good instructional practices have many positive outcomes for teachers, including increased self-efficacy in science understanding and teaching, positive impacts on student achievement, and teacher shifts from more traditional, more lecture-based instructional models to more inquiry approaches. STEM faculty members become involved in science education and learn and practice new

Rare earths and rare earth alloys electrolytic preparation process and device for this process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seon, F.; Barthole, G.

1986-01-01

Electrolysis of a molten salt of rare earth or rare earth alloy for preparation of the metal or alloy is described. The molten salt bath comprises at least a rare earth chloride, at least an alkaline or alkaline earth chloride and at least an alkaline or alkaline earth fluoride [fr

The representation of tropical upper tropospheric water in EC Earth V2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnston, M.S. [Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Goeteburg (Sweden); Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Norrkoeping (Sweden); Eriksson, P.; Murtagh, D.P. [Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Goeteburg (Sweden); Eliasson, S. [Luleaa University of Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Kiruna (Sweden); Jones, C.G. [Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Norrkoeping (Sweden); Forbes, R.M. [ECMWF, Reading, Berkshire (United Kingdom)

2012-12-15

Tropical upper tropospheric humidity, clouds, and ice water content, as well as outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), are evaluated in the climate model EC Earth with the aid of satellite retrievals. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and Microwave Limb Sounder together provide good coverage of relative humidity. EC Earth's relative humidity is in fair agreement with these observations. CloudSat and CALIPSO data are combined to provide cloud fractions estimates throughout the altitude region considered (500-100 hPa). EC Earth is found to overestimate the degree of cloud cover above 200 hPa and underestimate it below. Precipitating and non-precipitating EC Earth ice definitions are combined to form a complete ice water content. EC Earth's ice water content is below the uncertainty range of CloudSat above 250 hPa, but can be twice as high as CloudSat's estimate in the melting layer. CERES data show that the model underestimates the impact of clouds on OLR, on average with about 9 W m{sup -2}. Regionally, EC Earth's outgoing longwave radiation can be {proportional_to}20 W m{sup -2} higher than the observation. A comparison to ERA-Interim provides further perspectives on the model's performance. Limitations of the satellite observations are emphasised and their uncertainties are, throughout, considered in the analysis. Evaluating multiple model variables in parallel is a more ambitious approach than is customary. (orig.)

Diagnostic study about lanthanides (rare earths)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, G.F.

1985-01-01

The world situation of rare earths (lanthanides) is evaluated, and a comparison of the Brazilian situation in respect to other countries is established, concerning the following aspects: geology of mineral deposits; main sources, uses, reserves and production; their consumption, prices and state-of-art of geological researches and industrial processes for physical and chemical separation / concentration of these elements. (C.L.B.) [pt

Origin of the Earth and planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safronov, V.S.; Ruskol, E.L.

1982-01-01

The present state of the Schmidt hypothesis on planets formation by combining cold solid particles and bodies in the protoplanet dust cloud is briefly outlined in a popular form. The most debatable problems of the planet cosmogony: formation of and processes in a protoplanet cloud, results of analytical evaluations and numerical simulation of origin of the Earth and planets-giants are discussed [ru

Rare Earth Oxide Thin Films

CERN Document Server

Fanciulli, Marco

2007-01-01

Thin rare earth (RE) oxide films are emerging materials for microelectronic, nanoelectronic, and spintronic applications. The state-of-the-art of thin film deposition techniques as well as the structural, physical, chemical, and electrical properties of thin RE oxide films and of their interface with semiconducting substrates are discussed. The aim is to identify proper methodologies for the development of RE oxides thin films and to evaluate their effectiveness as innovative materials in different applications.

The "Earth Physics" Workshops Offered by the Earth Science Education Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Stephen

2012-01-01

Earth science has a part to play in broadening students' learning experience in physics. The Earth Science Education Unit presents a range of (free) workshops to teachers and trainee teachers, suggesting how Earth-based science activities, which show how we understand and use the planet we live on, can easily be slotted into normal science…

Building A Collaborative And Distributed E&O Program For EarthScope

Science.gov (United States)

Hall-Wallace, M. K.; Boyd, T.; Richard, G.; Ellins, K.; Meertens, C.; Semken, S.; Taber, J.; Benthien, M.; Wald, L.; Marvinney, R.

2003-12-01

EarthScope's education and outreach (E&O) mission is to ensure that the EarthScope experiment creates as its legacy a public more knowledgeable and understanding of the scientific and societal contributions made by the EarthScope experiment and Earth science. It will fulfill this commitment by developing and disseminating programs and products that utilize the data, models, technology and discoveries of EarthScope. The EarthScope Education and Outreach Network (EON), consisting of local EON alliances, the EarthScope facilities, partner organizations and a coordinating office, will facilitate this E&O mission. The local EON alliances, which will vary in size and purpose to respond quickly and to meet the specific needs in a region, will carry out the bulk of the effort. Thus, EarthScope EON can provide customized services that engage culturally, economically and geographically diverse audiences at the national and local scales. The EarthScope facilities and research community will provide access to data, models, and visualization tools for educational purposes. Partnerships with other national and local science education and outreach programs at colleges, universities, research facilities and professional societies within the EarthScope community as well as relevant programs at museums and parks, state geologic surveys and emergency management agencies, and K-12 schools are critical to EON's success. These partnerships will allow EON to use existing resources, networks and expertise to gear up quickly and efficiently. As EON develops, it will reciprocate by contributing new resources and expertise to the partnerships that help improve public understanding of Earth systems overall and promote effective application of EarthScope discoveries. In this presentation, we will outline major programs and products envisioned for EarthScope, plans for evaluating those programs locally and nationally, and mechanisms for collaborating with existing E&O programs.

Modeling of the Earth's gravity field using the New Global Earth Model (NEWGEM)

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yeong E.; Braswell, W. Danny

1989-01-01

Traditionally, the global gravity field was described by representations based on the spherical harmonics (SH) expansion of the geopotential. The SH expansion coefficients were determined by fitting the Earth's gravity data as measured by many different methods including the use of artificial satellites. As gravity data have accumulated with increasingly better accuracies, more of the higher order SH expansion coefficients were determined. The SH representation is useful for describing the gravity field exterior to the Earth but is theoretically invalid on the Earth's surface and in the Earth's interior. A new global Earth model (NEWGEM) (KIM, 1987 and 1988a) was recently proposed to provide a unified description of the Earth's gravity field inside, on, and outside the Earth's surface using the Earth's mass density profile as deduced from seismic studies, elevation and bathymetric information, and local and global gravity data. Using NEWGEM, it is possible to determine the constraints on the mass distribution of the Earth imposed by gravity, topography, and seismic data. NEWGEM is useful in investigating a variety of geophysical phenomena. It is currently being utilized to develop a geophysical interpretation of Kaula's rule. The zeroth order NEWGEM is being used to numerically integrate spherical harmonic expansion coefficients and simultaneously determine the contribution of each layer in the model to a given coefficient. The numerically determined SH expansion coefficients are also being used to test the validity of SH expansions at the surface of the Earth by comparing the resulting SH expansion gravity model with exact calculations of the gravity at the Earth's surface.

Beautiful Earth: Inspiring Native American students in Earth Science through Music, Art and Science

Science.gov (United States)

Casasanto, V.; Rock, J.; Hallowell, R.; Williams, K.; Angell, D.; Beautiful Earth

2011-12-01

The Beautiful Earth program, awarded by NASA's Competitive Opportunities in Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Science (EPOESS), is a live multi-media performance at partner science centers linked with hands-on workshops featuring Earth scientists and Native American experts. It aims to inspire, engage and educate diverse students in Earth science through an experience of viewing the Earth from space as one interconnected whole, as seen through the eyes of astronauts. The informal education program is an outgrowth of Kenji Williams' BELLA GAIA Living Atlas Experience (www.bellagaia.com) performed across the globe since 2008 and following the successful Earth Day education events in 2009 and 2010 with NASA's DLN (Digital Learning Network) http://tinyurl.com/2ckg2rh. Beautiful Earth takes a new approach to teaching, by combining live music and data visualizations, Earth Science with indigenous perspectives of the Earth, and hands-on interactive workshops. The program will utilize the emotionally inspiring multi-media show as a springboard to inspire participants to learn more about Earth systems and science. Native Earth Ways (NEW) will be the first module in a series of three "Beautiful Earth" experiences, that will launch the national tour at a presentation in October 2011 at the MOST science museum in collaboration with the Onandaga Nation School in Syracuse, New York. The NEW Module will include Native American experts to explain how they study and conserve the Earth in their own unique ways along with hands-on activities to convey the science which was seen in the show. In this first pilot run of the module, 110 K-12 students with faculty and family members of the Onandaga Nations School will take part. The goal of the program is to introduce Native American students to Earth Sciences and STEM careers, and encourage them to study these sciences and become responsible stewards of the Earth. The second workshop presented to participants will be the

Digital Earth reloaded – Beyond the next generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehlers, M; Woodgate, P; Annoni, A; Schade, S

2014-01-01

Digital replicas (or 'mirror worlds') of complex entities and systems are now routine in many fields such as aerospace engineering; archaeology; medicine; or even fashion design. The Digital Earth (DE) concept as a digital replica of the entire planet occurs in Al Gore's 1992 book Earth in the Balance and was popularized in his speech at the California Science Center in January 1998. It played a pivotal role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth that achieved many elements of this vision. Almost 15 years after Al Gore's speech, the concept of DE needs to be re-evaluated in the light of the many scientific and technical developments in the fields of information technology, data infrastructures, citizen?s participation, and earth observation that have taken place since. This paper intends to look beyond the next generation predominantly based on the developments of fields outside the spatial sciences, where concepts, software, and hardware with strong relationships to DE are being developed without referring to this term. It also presents a number of guiding criteria for future DE developments

Raising awareness for research on earth walls, and earth scientific aspects

Science.gov (United States)

van den Ancker, Hanneke; Jungerius, Pieter Dirk; Baas, Henk; Groenewoudt, Bert; Peen, Charlotte

2013-04-01

A conference to raise awareness In the Netherlands, little research on earth walls has been done. To improve attention for earth walls, a number of organisations, including Geoheritage NL, organized a conference at the RCE, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. The conference* presented a state-of-the-art of research done. The book with the presentations, and extra case studies added, was published in December 2012. The book concludes with a research action list, including earth science research, and can be downloaded freely from the internet. It has English summaries. The earth science aspects Historical earth walls do not only add cultural value to a landscape, but also geodiversity value. Apart from geomorphological aspects, the walls contain information about past land- and climate conditions: - They cover up a former topography, a past landscape. A relevant source of scientific information where lands are levelled, as is the case in many parts of The Netherlands; - The soil formation under the earth wall is a reference soil. The soil formation in the top of the wall gives insight in the rate of soil formation in relationship with the age and parent material of the wall; - The soil profiles of different age have ecological significance. Older walls with a more pronounced soil formation often hold forest flora that has disappeared from the surrounding environment, such as historical bush or tree species, autogenetic DNA material or a specific soil fauna; - The materials in the earth walls tell about the process of wall-building. Paleosols and sedimentary structures in the earth walls, in the gullies and colluvial fans along the walls contain information about past land management and climate. - The eroded appearance of the earth walls is part of their history, and contain information about past management and land conditions, has ecological relevance, for example for insects, and is often visually more interesting. Insight in the rates of erosion are

Extraction of rare earths from iron-rich rare earth deposits

OpenAIRE

Bisaka, K.; Thobadi, I.C.; Pawlik, C.

2017-01-01

Rare earth metals are classified as critical metals by the United Nations, as they have found wide application in the fabrication of magnets, particularly those used in green energy technologies which mitigate global warming. Processing of ores containing rare earth elements is complex, and differs according to the nature of each ore. In the conventional process, run of mine (ROM) ores are processed in a physical separation plant to produce a concentrate from which rare earth elements are ext...

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Implication of surface modified NZVI particle retention in the porous media: Assessment with the help ... to evaluate the effect of particle retention on the porous media properties and its implication on ... Journal of Earth System Science | News.

Development of EarthCube Governance: An Agile Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Pearthree, G.; Allison, M. L.; Patten, K.

2013-12-01

Governance of geosciences cyberinfrastructure is a complex and essential undertaking, critical in enabling distributed knowledge communities to collaborate and communicate across disciplines, distances, and cultures. Advancing science with respect to 'grand challenges," such as global climate change, weather prediction, and core fundamental science, depends not just on technical cyber systems, but also on social systems for strategic planning, decision-making, project management, learning, teaching, and building a community of practice. Simply put, a robust, agile technical system depends on an equally robust and agile social system. Cyberinfrastructure development is wrapped in social, organizational and governance challenges, which may significantly impede progress. An agile development process is underway for governance of transformative investments in geosciences cyberinfrastructure through the NSF EarthCube initiative. Agile development is iterative and incremental, and promotes adaptive planning and rapid and flexible response. Such iterative deployment across a variety of EarthCube stakeholders encourages transparency, consensus, accountability, and inclusiveness. A project Secretariat acts as the coordinating body, carrying out duties for planning, organizing, communicating, and reporting. A broad coalition of stakeholder groups comprises an Assembly (Mainstream Scientists, Cyberinfrastructure Institutions, Information Technology/Computer Sciences, NSF EarthCube Investigators, Science Communities, EarthCube End-User Workshop Organizers, Professional Societies) to serve as a preliminary venue for identifying, evaluating, and testing potential governance models. To offer opportunity for broader end-user input, a crowd-source approach will engage stakeholders not involved otherwise. An Advisory Committee from the Earth, ocean, atmosphere, social, computer and library sciences is guiding the process from a high-level policy point of view. Developmental

China's rare-earth industry

Science.gov (United States)

Tse, Pui-Kwan

2011-01-01

Introduction China's dominant position as the producer of over 95 percent of the world output of rare-earth minerals and rapid increases in the consumption of rare earths owing to the emergence of new clean-energy and defense-related technologies, combined with China's decisions to restrict exports of rare earths, have resulted in heightened concerns about the future availability of rare earths. As a result, industrial countries such as Japan, the United States, and countries of the European Union face tighter supplies and higher prices for rare earths. This paper briefly reviews China's rare-earth production, consumption, and reserves and the important policies and regulations regarding the production and trade of rare earths, including recently announced export quotas. The 15 lanthanide elements-lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium (atomic numbers 57-71)-were originally known as the rare earths from their occurrence in oxides mixtures. Recently, some researchers have included two other elements-scandium and yttrium-in their discussion of rare earths. Yttrium (atomic number 39), which lies above lanthanum in transition group III of the periodic table and has a similar 3+ ion with a noble gas core, has both atomic and ionic radii similar in size to those of terbium and dysprosium and is generally found in nature with lanthanides. Scandium (atomic number 21) has a smaller ionic radius than yttrium and the lanthanides, and its chemical behavior is intermediate between that of aluminum and the lanthanides. It is found in nature with the lanthanides and yttrium. Rare earths are used widely in high-technology and clean-energy products because they impart special properties of magnetism, luminescence, and strength. Rare earths are also used in weapon systems to obtain the same properties.

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics, maximum entropy production and Earth-system evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleidon, Axel

2010-01-13

The present-day atmosphere is in a unique state far from thermodynamic equilibrium. This uniqueness is for instance reflected in the high concentration of molecular oxygen and the low relative humidity in the atmosphere. Given that the concentration of atmospheric oxygen has likely increased throughout Earth-system history, we can ask whether this trend can be generalized to a trend of Earth-system evolution that is directed away from thermodynamic equilibrium, why we would expect such a trend to take place and what it would imply for Earth-system evolution as a whole. The justification for such a trend could be found in the proposed general principle of maximum entropy production (MEP), which states that non-equilibrium thermodynamic systems maintain steady states at which entropy production is maximized. Here, I justify and demonstrate this application of MEP to the Earth at the planetary scale. I first describe the non-equilibrium thermodynamic nature of Earth-system processes and distinguish processes that drive the system's state away from equilibrium from those that are directed towards equilibrium. I formulate the interactions among these processes from a thermodynamic perspective and then connect them to a holistic view of the planetary thermodynamic state of the Earth system. In conclusion, non-equilibrium thermodynamics and MEP have the potential to provide a simple and holistic theory of Earth-system functioning. This theory can be used to derive overall evolutionary trends of the Earth's past, identify the role that life plays in driving thermodynamic states far from equilibrium, identify habitability in other planetary environments and evaluate human impacts on Earth-system functioning. This journal is © 2010 The Royal Society

Mission to Planet Earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, G.S.; Backlund, P.W.

1992-01-01

Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) is NASA's concept for an international science program to produce the understanding needed to predict changes in the earth's environment. NASA and its interagency and international partners will place satellites carrying advanced sensors in strategic earth orbits to gather multidisciplinary data. A sophisticated data system will process and archive an unprecedented amount of information about the earth and how it works as a system. Increased understanding of the earth system is a basic human responsibility, a prerequisite to informed management of the planet's resources and to the preservation of the global environment. 8 refs

Mission to Planet Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Tilford, Shelby G.; Asrar, Ghassem; Backlund, Peter W.

1994-01-01

Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) is NASA's concept for an international science program to produce the understanding needed to predict changes in the Earth's environment. NASA and its interagency and international partners will place satellites carrying advanced sensors in strategic Earth orbits to gather multidisciplinary data. A sophisticated data system will process and archive an unprecedented amount of information about the Earth and how it works as a system. Increased understanding of the Earth system is a basic human responsibility, a prerequisite to informed management of the planet's resources and to the preservation of the global environment.

EarthServer: Cross-Disciplinary Earth Science Through Data Cube Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, P.; Rossi, A. P.

2016-12-01

The unprecedented increase of imagery, in-situ measurements, and simulation data produced by Earth (and Planetary) Science observations missions bears a rich, yet not leveraged potential for getting insights from integrating such diverse datasets and transform scientific questions into actual queries to data, formulated in a standardized way.The intercontinental EarthServer [1] initiative is demonstrating new directions for flexible, scalable Earth Science services based on innovative NoSQL technology. Researchers from Europe, the US and Australia have teamed up to rigorously implement the concept of the datacube. Such a datacube may have spatial and temporal dimensions (such as a satellite image time series) and may unite an unlimited number of scenes. Independently from whatever efficient data structuring a server network may perform internally, users (scientist, planners, decision makers) will always see just a few datacubes they can slice and dice.EarthServer has established client [2] and server technology for such spatio-temporal datacubes. The underlying scalable array engine, rasdaman [3,4], enables direct interaction, including 3-D visualization, common EO data processing, and general analytics. Services exclusively rely on the open OGC "Big Geo Data" standards suite, the Web Coverage Service (WCS). Conversely, EarthServer has shaped and advanced WCS based on the experience gained. The first phase of EarthServer has advanced scalable array database technology into 150+ TB services. Currently, Petabyte datacubes are being built for ad-hoc and cross-disciplinary querying, e.g. using climate, Earth observation and ocean data.We will present the EarthServer approach, its impact on OGC / ISO / INSPIRE standardization, and its platform technology, rasdaman.References: [1] Baumann, et al. (2015) DOI: 10.1080/17538947.2014.1003106 [2] Hogan, P., (2011) NASA World Wind, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Computing for Geospatial Research

Evaluation of the effect of heavy rare earth elements on the microstructure and mechanical and electrical properties of zirconia - Yttria ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazar, Dolores Ribeiro Ricci

2002-01-01

The use of Yttria concentrates for synthesis and processing of zirconia based ceramics, applied as structural and solid electrolyte materials, was investigated in this work. Terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium and ytterbium are chemical elements, classified as heavy rare earths, that can be found in those concentrates due to their association with yttrium ores. The ceramic characteristics were compared to zirconia - Yttria and zirconia - Yttria - rare earth oxide systems. The dopant content was 3 and 9 mol%. The raw materials were prepared by the coprecipitation route using solutions from the chemical processing of zircon and monazite ores and obtained by dissolution of high purity rare earth oxides. In the first part of this work, calcination, milling and ceramic processing were studied to produce ceramics with densities up to 95% TD. Samples were prepared in optimized conditions for the evaluation of the effect of each heavy rare earth element. Powders were characterized by chemical analysis. X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, gas adsorption (BET) and laser diffraction for the determination of the agglomerate size distributions. Green pellets were characterized by mercury porosimetry and the sintering kinetic was studied by dilatometry. The characterization of the as-sintered pellets was performed by the apparent density measurement (Archimedes method). X-ray diffraction, microstructure analysis by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Vickers indentation tests for hardness and fracture toughness determination, dynamic mechanical analysis for the elastic modulus measurement, and impedance spectroscopy for electrical resistivity measurement. It was observed that the presence of heavy rare earths in a concentrate containing 85 wt% of Yttria has no significant influence on the properties of zirconia based ceramics. TZP ceramics, containing 3 mol% of dopants, have grain size smaller than 0.4μm, and Vickers hardness and

Showmaker-Levy 9 and plume-forming collisions on Earth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boslough, M.B.E.; Crawford, D.A.

1995-12-31

Computational models for the July, 1994 collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter have provided a framework for interpreting the observational data. Imaging, photometry, and spectroscopy data from ground-based, Hubble Space Telescope, and Galileo spacecraft instruments are consistent with phenomena that were dominated by the generation of incandescent fireballs that were ballistically ejected to high altitudes, where they formed plumes that subsequently collapsed over large areas of Jupiter`s atmosphere. Applications of similar computational models to collisions into Earth`s atmosphere show that a very similar sequence of events should take place for NEO impacts with energies as low as 3 megatons, recurring on 100 year timescales or less. This result suggests that the 1908 Tunguska event was a plume-forming atmospheric explosion, and that some of the phenomena associated with it might be related to the ejection and collapse of a high plume. Hazards associated with plume growth and collapse should be included in the evaluation of the impact threat to Earth, and opportunities should be sought for observational validation of atmospheric impact models by exploiting data already being collected from the natural flux of multi-kiloton to megaton sized objects that constantly enter Earth`s atmosphere on annual to decadal timescales.

Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Thai Monazite by Inductively Coupled Plasma and Nuclear Analytical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busamongkol, Arporn; Ratanapra, Dusadee; Sukharn, Sumalee; Laoharojanaphand, Sirinart

2003-10-01

The inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) for the determination of individual rare-earth elements (REE) was evaluated by comparison with instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The accuracy and precision of INAA and ICP-AES were evaluated by using standard reference material IGS-36, a monazite concentrate. For INAA, the results were close to the certified value while ICP-AES were in good agreement except for some low concentration rare earth. The techniques were applied for the analysis of some rare earth elements in two Thai monazite samples preparing as the in-house reference material for the Rare Earth Research and Development Center, Chemistry Division, Office of Atoms for Peace. The analytical results obtained by these techniques were in good agreement with each other

GeoDash: Assisting Visual Image Interpretation in Collect Earth Online by Leveraging Big Data on Google Earth Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Markert, K. N.; Ashmall, W.; Johnson, G.; Saah, D. S.; Anderson, E.; Flores Cordova, A. I.; Díaz, A. S. P.; Mollicone, D.; Griffin, R.

2017-12-01

Collect Earth Online (CEO) is a free and open online implementation of the FAO Collect Earth system for collaboratively collecting environmental data through the visual interpretation of Earth observation imagery. The primary collection mechanism in CEO is human interpretation of land surface characteristics in imagery served via Web Map Services (WMS). However, interpreters may not have enough contextual information to classify samples by only viewing the imagery served via WMS, be they high resolution or otherwise. To assist in the interpretation and collection processes in CEO, SERVIR, a joint NASA-USAID initiative that brings Earth observations to improve environmental decision making in developing countries, developed the GeoDash system, an embedded and critical component of CEO. GeoDash leverages Google Earth Engine (GEE) by allowing users to set up custom browser-based widgets that pull from GEE's massive public data catalog. These widgets can be quick looks of other satellite imagery, time series graphs of environmental variables, and statistics panels of the same. Users can customize widgets with any of GEE's image collections, such as the historical Landsat collection with data available since the 1970s, select date ranges, image stretch parameters, graph characteristics, and create custom layouts, all on-the-fly to support plot interpretation in CEO. This presentation focuses on the implementation and potential applications, including the back-end links to GEE and the user interface with custom widget building. GeoDash takes large data volumes and condenses them into meaningful, relevant information for interpreters. While designed initially with national and global forest resource assessments in mind, the system will complement disaster assessments, agriculture management, project monitoring and evaluation, and more.

GeoDash: Assisting Visual Image Interpretation in Collect Earth Online by Leveraging Big Data on Google Earth Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Markert, Kel; Ashmall, William; Johnson, Gary; Saah, David; Mollicone, Danilo; Diaz, Alfonso Sanchez-Paus; Anderson, Eric; Flores, Africa; Griffin, Robert

2017-01-01

Collect Earth Online (CEO) is a free and open online implementation of the FAO Collect Earth system for collaboratively collecting environmental data through the visual interpretation of Earth observation imagery. The primary collection mechanism in CEO is human interpretation of land surface characteristics in imagery served via Web Map Services (WMS). However, interpreters may not have enough contextual information to classify samples by only viewing the imagery served via WMS, be they high resolution or otherwise. To assist in the interpretation and collection processes in CEO, SERVIR, a joint NASA-USAID initiative that brings Earth observations to improve environmental decision making in developing countries, developed the GeoDash system, an embedded and critical component of CEO. GeoDash leverages Google Earth Engine (GEE) by allowing users to set up custom browser-based widgets that pull from GEE's massive public data catalog. These widgets can be quick looks of other satellite imagery, time series graphs of environmental variables, and statistics panels of the same. Users can customize widgets with any of GEE's image collections, such as the historical Landsat collection with data available since the 1970s, select date ranges, image stretch parameters, graph characteristics, and create custom layouts, all on-the-fly to support plot interpretation in CEO. This presentation focuses on the implementation and potential applications, including the back-end links to GEE and the user interface with custom widget building. GeoDash takes large data volumes and condenses them into meaningful, relevant information for interpreters. While designed initially with national and global forest resource assessments in mind, the system will complement disaster assessments, agriculture management, project monitoring and evaluation, and more.

The theory of Earth constructed by the method of full energy minimisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasiliev, B.V.

1999-01-01

The problem of whether the appearance of electrical polarization of the core of a planet can be energetically advantageous is discussed. It is shown that for the Earth, this is energetically advantageous if it is connected with metallizing of the core and is accompanied by a pressure and density jump on the core-mantle interface. This makes is possible to construct an intrinsic self-consistent theory of the Earth. The calculate density distributions, the moment of inertia, and the magnetic moment of the Earth evaluated in the framework of the discussed theory are in a agreement with measurement results

Joule-heated glass-furnace system for the incineration of low-level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, K.M.; Klingler, L.M.; Doty, J.W.; Kramer, D.P.

1982-01-01

For the past 1-1/2 years, Mound has been preparing and evaluating a commercially available joule-heated glass furnace unit, coupled with a wet scrubbing system. The purpose of the glass furnace evaluation is to advance and document incinerator technology for such combustibles as solids, resins, and sludges, and to develop a stable waste form for subsequent disposal. Four (4) waste nonradioactive types were selected to determine the combustion efficiency of the furnace unit: (1) dry solid waste composed of paper, plastics, rubber, and cloth, (2) ion exchange resin of both the anionic and cationic type, (3) filter sludge composed of diatomaceous earth, organic cellulosic filter aid, and powdered ion exchange resin, and (4) cartridge filters having glass and plastic filter surfaces and nonmetallic cores. When completed, the combustion efficiency experiments for the proposed nonradioactive waste-types revealed the ability of the furnace to easily incinerate waste at feedrates of up to 150 lb/hr. During the course of the experiments, combustibles in the offgas remained consistently low, suggesting excellent combustion efficiency. Furthermore, ash produced by the combustion process was effectively incorporated into the melt by convective currents in the glass. Future work on the glass furnace incinerator will include spiking the waste to determine radioisotope behavior in the furnace

Clinical comparison of conventional and rare earth screen-film systems for cephalometric radiographs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaugars, G.E.; Fatouros, P.

1982-01-01

This study compared cephalometric and P-A skull films taken with conventional (CaWO4) screens and rare earth screens. Patient exposure was reduced by 17 to 55 percent on two different x-ray machines by the use of rare earth screens. Results from 130 clinical evaluations showed that the diagnostic quality of radiographs taken with either system was roughly comparable. This presents a persuasive argument for the use of rare earth screens since the diagnostic quality of the films can be maintained while significantly reducing the patient's exposure to radiation

Earth

CERN Document Server

Carter, Jason

2017-01-01

This curriculum-based, easy-to-follow book teaches young readers about Earth as one of the eight planets in our solar system in astronomical terms. With accessible text, it provides the fundamental information any student needs to begin their studies in astronomy, such as how Earth spins and revolves around the Sun, why it's uniquely suitable for life, its physical features, atmosphere, biosphere, moon, its past, future, and more. To enhance the learning experience, many of the images come directly from NASA. This straightforward title offers the fundamental information any student needs to sp

Article coated with flash bonded superhydrophobic particles

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, John T [Clinton, TN; Blue, Craig A [Knoxville, TN; Kiggans, Jr., James O [Oak Ridge, TN

2010-07-13

A method of making article having a superhydrophobic surface includes: providing a solid body defining at least one surface; applying to the surface a plurality of diatomaceous earth particles and/or particles characterized by particle sizes ranging from at least 100 nm to about 10 .mu.m, the particles being further characterized by a plurality of nanopores, wherein at least some of the nanopores provide flow through porosity, the particles being further characterized by a plurality of spaced apart nanostructured features that include a contiguous, protrusive material; flash bonding the particles to the surface so that the particles are adherently bonded to the surface; and applying a hydrophobic coating layer to the surface and the particles so that the hydrophobic coating layer conforms to the nanostructured features.

Uranium occurrences in the surficial deposits of Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hambleton-Jones, B.B.

1982-01-01

This paper outlines the geology of the Tertiary to Recent(10 to 0,1 Ma) surficial uranium deposits in South West Africa/Namibia and South Africa. They occur mainly in the Namib Desert to the east of Walvis Bay in South West Africa/Namibia and in the north-western Cape Province of South Africa. All the deposits can be classified as fluviatile, lacustrine/pan, or pedogenic types. The economic potential of the surficial uranium deposits in the north-western Cape is insignificant compared with their South West African/Namibian counterparts. Most of the deposits occur in gypsiferous fluviatile gravels and lacustrine/pan sediments. The largest of the deposits is a lacustrinal, peat-rich, diatomaceous earth type. The mechanisms for the precipitation of the uranium are discussed

Influence of slip-surface geometry on earth-flow deformation, Montaguto earth flow, southern Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Guerriero, L.; Coe, Jeffrey A.; Revellio, P.; Grelle, G.; Pinto, F.; Guadagno, F.

2016-01-01

We investigated relations between slip-surface geometry and deformational structures and hydrologic features at the Montaguto earth flow in southern Italy between 1954 and 2010. We used 25 boreholes, 15 static cone-penetration tests, and 22 shallow-seismic profiles to define the geometry of basal- and lateral-slip surfaces; and 9 multitemporal maps to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of normal faults, thrust faults, back-tilted surfaces, strike-slip faults, flank ridges, folds, ponds, and springs. We infer that the slip surface is a repeating series of steeply sloping surfaces (risers) and gently sloping surfaces (treads). Stretching of earth-flow material created normal faults at risers, and shortening of earth-flow material created thrust faults, back-tilted surfaces, and ponds at treads. Individual pairs of risers and treads formed quasi-discrete kinematic zones within the earth flow that operated in unison to transmit pulses of sediment along the length of the flow. The locations of strike-slip faults, flank ridges, and folds were not controlled by basal-slip surface topography but were instead dependent on earth-flow volume and lateral changes in the direction of the earth-flow travel path. The earth-flow travel path was strongly influenced by inactive earth-flow deposits and pre-earth-flow drainages whose positions were determined by tectonic structures. The implications of our results that may be applicable to other earth flows are that structures with strikes normal to the direction of earth-flow motion (e.g., normal faults and thrust faults) can be used as a guide to the geometry of basal-slip surfaces, but that depths to the slip surface (i.e., the thickness of an earth flow) will vary as sediment pulses are transmitted through a flow.

Rare earth octacyanomolybdates(4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubritskaya, D.I.; Sergeeva, A.N.; Pisak, Yu.V.

1980-01-01

Optimal conditions for synthesis of rare-earth octacyanomolybdates(4) of the Ln 4 [Mo(CN) 8 ] 3 xnH 2 O composition (where Ln is a rare-earth element, other than Pr, Pm, Lu, Tb) have been worked out. The synthesis has been accomplished by neutralization with octacianomolybdic acid with rare-earth carbonates. The composition and structure of the compounds synthesized have been studied by infrared-spectroscopy. It has been established that rare-earth octacyanomolybdates(4) form three isostructural groups

Mapping Earth's electromagnetic dimensionality

Science.gov (United States)

Love, J. J.; Kelbert, A.; Bedrosian, P.

2017-12-01

The form of a magnetotelluric impedance tensor, obtained for a given geographic site through simultaneous measurement of geomagnetic and geoelectric field variation, is affected by electrical conductivity structure beneath the measurement site. Building on existing methods for characterizing the symmetry of magnetotelluric impedance tensors, a simple scalar measure is developed for measuring the (frequency dependent) proportion of the impedance tensor that is not just a one-dimensional (1D) function of depth ("non-1D-ness"). These measures are applied to nearly 1000 impedance tensors obtained during magnetotelluric surveys, those for the continental United States and obtained principally through the National Science Foundation's EarthScope project. Across geomagnetic/geoelectric variational periods ranging from 30 s to 3,000 s, corresponding to crustal and upper mantle depths, it is shown that local Earth structure is very often not simply 1D-depth-dependent - often less than 50% of magnetotelluric impedance is 1D. For selected variational frequencies, non-1D-ness is mapped and the relationship between electromagnetic dimensionality and known geological and tectonic structures is discussed. The importance of using realistic surface impedances to accurately evaluate magnetic-storm geoelectric hazards is emphasized.

Rare earths as a future resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornell, D.H.

1988-01-01

The fourteen rare earth or lanthanide elements have recently emerged as an important natural resource because of the rapidly growing demand in the electronic, chemical and metallurgical industries. The Symposium on rare earth elements as a future resource presented a multidisciplinary review of rare earth chemistry, geology, beneficiation, industrial applications and marketing. Papers by experts in many fields were presented on the following topics: chemical properties of the rare earth elements; the analysis of rare earth elements and minerals; beneficiation and extraction of rare earth elements; economic geochemistry and mineralogy of rare earths; present industrial uses of rare earth elements; the role of rare earth elements in high-temperature superconductors; the technical application of high-temperature superconductors; supply and demand for rare earth products - now and in the future, and the geology of rare earth deposits

Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chevalier, G.; Chevalier, G.; Sinatra, S.T.; Oschman, J.L.; Sokal, K.; Sokal, P.

2012-01-01

Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth. Modern lifestyle separates humans from such contact. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and un wellness. Reconnection with the Earth's electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being. Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits including better sleep and reduced pain from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth's electrons from the ground into the body. This paper reviews the earthing research and the potential of earthing as a simple and easily accessed global modality of significant clinical importance

Next-generation Digital Earth.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodchild, Michael F; Guo, Huadong; Annoni, Alessandro; Bian, Ling; de Bie, Kees; Campbell, Frederick; Craglia, Max; Ehlers, Manfred; van Genderen, John; Jackson, Davina; Lewis, Anthony J; Pesaresi, Martino; Remetey-Fülöpp, Gábor; Simpson, Richard; Skidmore, Andrew; Wang, Changlin; Woodgate, Peter

2012-07-10

A speech of then-Vice President Al Gore in 1998 created a vision for a Digital Earth, and played a role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth, that achieved many but not all the elements of this vision. The technical achievements of Google Earth, and the functionality of this first generation of virtual globes, are reviewed against the Gore vision. Meanwhile, developments in technology continue, the era of "big data" has arrived, the general public is more and more engaged with technology through citizen science and crowd-sourcing, and advances have been made in our scientific understanding of the Earth system. However, although Google Earth stimulated progress in communicating the results of science, there continue to be substantial barriers in the public's access to science. All these factors prompt a reexamination of the initial vision of Digital Earth, and a discussion of the major elements that should be part of a next generation.

Observation and integrated Earth-system science: A roadmap for 2016-2025

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, Adrian; Fellous, Jean-Louis; Ramaswamy, Venkatachalam; Trenberth, Kevin; Asrar, Ghassem; Balmaseda, Magdalena; Burrows, John P.; Ciais, Philippe; Drinkwater, Mark; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Gobron, Nadine; Guilyardi, Eric; Halpern, David; Heimann, Martin; Johannessen, Johnny; Levelt, Pieternel F.; Lopez-Baeza, Ernesto; Penner, Joyce; Scholes, Robert; Shepherd, Ted

2016-05-01

representations of processes that are already incorporated or through adding new processes or components, are discussed. Some important elements of Earth-system models are considered more fully. Data assimilation is discussed not only because it uses observations and models to generate datasets for monitoring the Earth system and for initiating and evaluating predictions, in particular through reanalysis, but also because of the feedback it provides on the quality of both the observations and the models employed. Inverse methods for surface-flux or model-parameter estimation are also covered. Reviews are given of the way observations and the processed datasets based on them are used for evaluating models, and of the combined use of observations and models for monitoring and interpreting the behaviour of the Earth system and for predicting and projecting its future. A set of concluding discussions covers general developmental needs, requirements for continuity of space-based observing systems, further long-term requirements for observations and other data, technological advances and data challenges, and the importance of enhanced international co-operation.

EarthN: A new Earth System Nitrogen Model

OpenAIRE

Johnson, Benjamin W.; Goldblatt, Colin

2018-01-01

The amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere, oceans, crust, and mantle have important ramifications for Earth's biologic and geologic history. Despite this importance, the history and cycling of nitrogen in the Earth system is poorly constrained over time. For example, various models and proxies contrastingly support atmospheric mass stasis, net outgassing, or net ingassing over time. In addition, the amount available to and processing of nitrogen by organisms is intricately linked with and prov...

Earth's variable rotation

Science.gov (United States)

Hide, Raymond; Dickey, Jean O.

1991-01-01

Recent improvements in geodetic data and practical meteorology have advanced research on fluctuations in the earth's rotation. The interpretation of these fluctuations is inextricably linked with studies of the dynamics of the earth-moon system and dynamical processes in the liquid metallic core of the earth (where the geomagnetic field originates), other parts of the earth's interior, and the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Fluctuations in the length of the day occurring on decadal time scales have implications for the topographay of the core-mantle boundary and the electrical, magnetic, ande other properties of the core and lower mantle. Investigations of more rapid fluctuations bear on meteorological studies of interannual, seasonal, and intraseasonal variations in the general circulation of the atmosphere and the response of the oceans to such variations.

[Application of digital earth technology in research of traditional Chinese medicine resources].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jinxin; Liu, Xinxin; Gao, Lu; Wei, Yingqin; Meng, Fanyun; Wang, Yongyan

2011-02-01

This paper describes the digital earth technology and its core technology-"3S" integration technology. The advance and promotion of the "3S" technology provide more favorable means and technical support for Chinese medicine resources survey, evaluation and appropriate zoning. Grid is a mature and popular technology that can connect all kinds of information resources. The author sums up the application of digital earth technology in the research of traditional Chinese medicine resources in recent years, and proposes the new method and technical route of investigation in traditional Chinese medicine resources, traditional Chinese medicine zoning and suitability assessment by combining the digital earth technology and grid.

Melting in super-earths.

Science.gov (United States)

Stixrude, Lars

2014-04-28

We examine the possible extent of melting in rock-iron super-earths, focusing on those in the habitable zone. We consider the energetics of accretion and core formation, the timescale of cooling and its dependence on viscosity and partial melting, thermal regulation via the temperature dependence of viscosity, and the melting curves of rock and iron components at the ultra-high pressures characteristic of super-earths. We find that the efficiency of kinetic energy deposition during accretion increases with planetary mass; considering the likely role of giant impacts and core formation, we find that super-earths probably complete their accretionary phase in an entirely molten state. Considerations of thermal regulation lead us to propose model temperature profiles of super-earths that are controlled by silicate melting. We estimate melting curves of iron and rock components up to the extreme pressures characteristic of super-earth interiors based on existing experimental and ab initio results and scaling laws. We construct super-earth thermal models by solving the equations of mass conservation and hydrostatic equilibrium, together with equations of state of rock and iron components. We set the potential temperature at the core-mantle boundary and at the surface to the local silicate melting temperature. We find that ancient (∼4 Gyr) super-earths may be partially molten at the top and bottom of their mantles, and that mantle convection is sufficiently vigorous to sustain dynamo action over the whole range of super-earth masses.

Project Earth Science

CERN Document Server

Holt, Geoff

2011-01-01

Project Earth Science: Astronomy, Revised 2nd Edition, involves students in activities that focus on Earth's position in our solar system. How do we measure astronomical distances? How can we look back in time as we gaze across vast distances in space? How would our planet be different without its particular atmosphere and distance to our star? What are the geometries among Earth, the Moon, and the Sun that yield lunar phases and seasons? Students explore these concepts and others in 11 teacher-tested activities.

EarthLabs Modules: Engaging Students In Extended, Rigorous Investigations Of The Ocean, Climate and Weather

Science.gov (United States)

Manley, J.; Chegwidden, D.; Mote, A. S.; Ledley, T. S.; Lynds, S. E.; Haddad, N.; Ellins, K.

2016-02-01

EarthLabs, envisioned as a national model for high school Earth or Environmental Science lab courses, is adaptable for both undergraduate middle school students. The collection includes ten online modules that combine to feature a global view of our planet as a dynamic, interconnected system, by engaging learners in extended investigations. EarthLabs support state and national guidelines, including the NGSS, for science content. Four modules directly guide students to discover vital aspects of the oceans while five other modules incorporate ocean sciences in order to complete an understanding of Earth's climate system. Students gain a broad perspective on the key role oceans play in fishing industry, droughts, coral reefs, hurricanes, the carbon cycle, as well as life on land and in the seas to drive our changing climate by interacting with scientific research data, manipulating satellite imagery, numerical data, computer visualizations, experiments, and video tutorials. Students explore Earth system processes and build quantitative skills that enable them to objectively evaluate scientific findings for themselves as they move through ordered sequences that guide the learning. As a robust collection, EarthLabs modules engage students in extended, rigorous investigations allowing a deeper understanding of the ocean, climate and weather. This presentation provides an overview of the ten curriculum modules that comprise the EarthLabs collection developed by TERC and found at http://serc.carleton.edu/earthlabs/index.html. Evaluation data on the effectiveness and use in secondary education classrooms will be summarized.

Studies with the EC-Earth seamless Earth system prediction model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hazeleger, W.; Bintanja, R.

2012-01-01

EC-Earth is a new Earth System Model (ESM) based on the operational seasonal forecast system of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Climate and weather forecasting applications share a common ancestry and are build on the same physical principles. The emerging concept of

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science; Volume 123; Issue 3. Evaluation of regional fracture properties for groundwater development using hydrolithostructural domain approach in variably fractured hard rocks of Purulia district, West Bengal, India. Tapas Acharya Rajesh Prasad S Chakrabarti. Volume 123 Issue ...

Down to Earth with an electric hazard from space

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Jeffrey J.; Bedrosian, Paul A.; Schultz, Adam

2017-01-01

In reaching across traditional disciplinary boundaries, solid-Earth geophysicists and space physicists are forging new collaborations to map magnetic-storm hazards for electric-power grids. Future progress in evaluation storm time geoelectric hazards will come primarily through monitoring, surveys, and modeling of related data.

Detectability of planetary rings around super-earths by direct infrared imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, Carine

2013-01-01

Super-Earths, of which more than 80 have already been discovered, draw a lot of attention. With masses between those of the Earth and Neptune, they are ideal targets for searching for bio-signatures. All the gas giants of the solar system have a ring system, and even the Earth is suspected to have had rings in the past; their presence around super-Earths is thus expected and could give information on the formation process of these planets. The characterization of Super-Earths and their environment has thus become an important goal of modern astronomy. They are still difficult to study because of their small size, but the potential presence of planetary rings can make them easier to observe by the transit method and by direct imaging. This PhD evaluates the possibilities of detecting and characterizing rings around super-Earths by direct infrared imaging with the ELT-METIS instrument. To do this, a model to simulate the thermal emission of a super-Earth and its rings is developed. It is then used to study the influence of physical parameters and orientation of the rings and of planetary orbit on their detectability. The results show that ELT-METIS will be able to detect rings similar to the B and C rings of Saturn, extended within the Roche limit. The super-Earths surrounded by rings will be observable in middle orbit, between about 0.4 and 1 AU, around hot stars within 20 pc of the Sun. It is also shown that the photometric monitoring along the orbit of a super-Earth surrounded by rings should help constrain some of their physical characteristics. (author) [fr

Earth Science Informatics - Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Ramapriyan, H. K.

2017-01-01

Over the last 10-15 years, significant advances have been made in information management, there are an increasing number of individuals entering the field of information management as it applies to Geoscience and Remote Sensing data, and the field of informatics has come to its own. Informatics is the science and technology of applying computers and computational methods to the systematic analysis, management, interchange, and representation of science data, information, and knowledge. Informatics also includes the use of computers and computational methods to support decision making and applications. Earth Science Informatics (ESI, a.k.a. geoinformatics) is the application of informatics in the Earth science domain. ESI is a rapidly developing discipline integrating computer science, information science, and Earth science. Major national and international research and infrastructure projects in ESI have been carried out or are on-going. Notable among these are: the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), the European Commissions INSPIRE, the U.S. NSDI and Geospatial One-Stop, the NASA EOSDIS, and the NSF DataONE, EarthCube and Cyberinfrastructure for Geoinformatics. More than 18 departments and agencies in the U.S. federal government have been active in Earth science informatics. All major space agencies in the world, have been involved in ESI research and application activities. In the United States, the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), whose membership includes over 180 organizations (government, academic and commercial) dedicated to managing, delivering and applying Earth science data, has been working on many ESI topics since 1998. The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)s Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS) has been actively coordinating the ESI activities among the space agencies.The talk will present an overview of current efforts in ESI, the role members of IEEE GRSS play, and discuss

Quantitative analysis or rare earths by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taam, Isabel; Mantovano, J.L.; Gante, Valdir; Jesus, Camila S.

2013-01-01

Rare earths ores and compounds are of growing importance to the worldwide industry. Its applications range from raw material to catalysts, manufacturing of electronics and even super magnets. Therefore, the demand for quick and accurate quantitative analysis methods is continuously growing. Current quantification methods of rare earths involve the separation of these elements by ion exchange and liquid-liquid extraction prior to the analysis itself, processes both time and reagent consuming. In the present work, we propose a method that directly quantifies by XRF technique the following rare earths: La, Pr, Nd, Sm and Gd in a concentrated liquor whose matrix also contains Ca, Y, PO4, U and Th. We evaluated the analytical interference of each element present on the sample on X-rays spectrum. The studied samples are certified standards and the obtained results have been compared to EDTA titration results, an already well-established and widely trusted method.We also measured the matrix effect thus using a complex rare earths standard. Results show that quantification by XRF technique is as accurate as the results in dose titration with EDTA for the same elements, with the advantage of exempting the previous separation step from each rare earth and from other elements present in the matrix (such as U and Th). (author)

The International Year of Planet Earth (2007-2009):Earth Sciences for Society

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Eduardo F.J.de Mulder; Ted Nield; Edward Derbyshire

2006-01-01

Natural disasters like the 2004 tsunami bear graphic testimony to the Earth's incredible power. More effective use of geoscientific knowledge can save lives and protect property. Such knowledge also enables us to satisfy, in a sustainable manner,the growing need for Earth's resources by an expanding human population. Such knowledge is readily available in the practical experience and publications of some half a million Earth scientists all over the world, a professional community that is ready and willing to contribute to a safer, healthier and wealthier society if called upon by politicians and decision makers. Professional guidance by Earth scientists is available in many aspects of everyday life including, for example, identification of the best areas for urban expansion, sites to avoid for waste disposal, the location of new underground fresh water resources, and where certain toxic agents implicated in Earth-related diseases may be located, etc.The International Year of Planet Earth (2007-2009) aims to build on existing knowledge and make it more available for the improvement of everyday life, especially in the less developed countries, as expressed in the Year's subtitle: Earth sciences for Society. Ambitious outreach and science programmes constitute the backbone of the International Year, now politically endorsed by all 191 member states of the United Nations Organisation which has proclaimed 2008, the central year of the triennium, as the UN Year of Planet Earth. This paper describes who is behind the initiative,how it will work, and how the political process leading to United Nations proclamation proceeded. It also describes the financial and organisational aspects of the International Year, sets out the commitments necessary for the realization of the Year's ambitions by all nations, and explains how the raising of US$ 20 million will be approached.

OpenEarth : Using Google Earth as outreach for NCK's data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, G.J.; Baart, F.; Bruens, A.; Damsma, T.; van Geer, P.; Grasmeijer, B.; den Heijer, C.; van Koningsveld, M.; Santinelli, G.

2012-01-01

In 2003 various projects at Deltares and the TU-Delft merged their toolboxes for marine and coastal science and engineering into one toolbox, culminating in 2008 in an open source release, known as OpenEarthTools (OET). OpenEarth adopts the wikipedia approach to growth: web 2.0 crowd sourcing. All

Rare earths: occurrence, production and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murthy, T.K.S.; Mukherjee, T.K.

2002-01-01

The mining and processing of rare earth minerals, particularly of monazite, began in a modest way in 1880s for commercialized production of mantle for gas lighting. For all major applications up to mid-twentieth century- production of lighter flints, misch metal as a metallurgical alloying agent, colouring, decolourizing and polishing agents for glass, petroleum cracking catalysts and arc-carbons, unseparated or partially separated rare earths were adequate. These applications continue till today. With the development and industrial application of powerful techniques like ion exchange and solvent extraction for the separation of rare earths, the decades after 1960 saw increasing utilization of the specific properties of the individual rare earths. Some of these advanced technological applications include: special glass for optical systems including camera lenses, phosphors for colour television, cathode ray tubes and fluorescent lighting, X-ray intensification screens, high intensity permanent magnets, electro optical devices, lasers, hydrogen storage materials, hydride rechargeable batteries, photomagnetic data storage systems, autoexhaust catalysts, special ceramics of unusual toughness, artificial diamonds and nonpoisonous plastic colorants. The topics covered in the book include rare earths: their story identity, rare earth resources, processing of ores and recovery of mixed rare earths products, separation and purification of rare earths, nonmetallic applications of rare earths, rare earth metals: production and applications, rare earth alloys and their applications, analysis of rare earth, processing of rare earth resources in India by Indian Rare Earth Ltd. and availability and market conditions

The earth's gravitational field

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Ramprasad, T.

. But to say that gravity acts downwards is not correct. Gravity acts down, no matter where you stand on the Earth. It is better to say that on Earth gravity pulls objects towards the centre of the Earth. So no matter where you are on Earth all objects fall... pull than objects at the poles. In combination, the equatorial bulge and the effects of centrifugal force mean that sea-level gravitational acceleration increases from about 9.780 m/s² at the equator to about 9.832 m/s² at the poles, so an object...

The Common Framework for Earth Observation Data

Science.gov (United States)

Gallo, J.; Stryker, T. S.; Sherman, R.

2016-12-01

Each year, the Federal government records petabytes of data about our home planet. That massive amount of data in turn provides enormous benefits to society through weather reports, agricultural forecasts, air and water quality warnings, and countless other applications. To maximize the ease of transforming the data into useful information for research and for public services, the U.S. Group on Earth Observations released the first Common Framework for Earth Observation Data in March 2016. The Common Framework recommends practices for Federal agencies to adopt in order to improve the ability of all users to discover, access, and use Federal Earth observations data. The U.S. Government is committed to making data from civil Earth observation assets freely available to all users. Building on the Administration's commitment to promoting open data, open science, and open government, the Common Framework goes beyond removing financial barriers to data access, and attempts to minimize the technical impediments that limit data utility. While Earth observation systems typically collect data for a specific purpose, these data are often also useful in applications unforeseen during development of the systems. Managing and preserving these data with a common approach makes it easier for a wide range of users to find, evaluate, understand, and utilize the data, which in turn leads to the development of a wide range of innovative applications. The Common Framework provides Federal agencies with a recommended set of standards and practices to follow in order to achieve this goal. Federal agencies can follow these best practices as they develop new observing systems or modernize their existing collections of data. This presentation will give a brief on the context and content of the Common Framework, along with future directions for implementation and keeping its recommendations up-to-date with developing technology.

Rare earths 1998 market update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tourre, J.M.

1998-01-01

The rare earth industry has always been a world of rapid change with the emergence of new markets, new ores and new players, as well as the disappearance of old applications. Rare earth based products are used in a great diversity of applications such as hard disk drives, CD drives, batteries, capacitors, pigments, ceramics, polishing powders, fuel cells, flints, catalyst converter, fluid cracking catalysts, etc. South East Asia holds the largest share of the known reserve of rare earth ores and is one of the major markets for rare earth compounds; in the last ten years, China has become the largest producer of rare earth intermediates as well as an important exporter of separated rare earth elements. Today, China has approximately 150 factories producing rare earth compounds, most of which are experiencing financial difficulties due to the lack of knowledge of true market needs, lack of control of their distribution channels and production over-capacity. Recently the Chinese rare earth producers have recognized the situation and efforts are underway to rationalize rare earth production. Japan has dominated many of the major application markets, and is by far the largest market for metal and alloy products. This will remain the case for the next five years; however, new countries are emerging as significant users of rare earth products such as Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia. During the last ten years rare earth producers adjusted to several radical changes that affected the raw materials, the application mix and the price structure. New producers have emerged, especially from China; some have subsequently stopped their activities while others have focused their efforts in a specific market segment

Sun-Earth Scientists and Native Americans Collaborate on Sun-Earth Day

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, C. Y.; Lopez, R. E.; Hawkins, I.

2004-12-01

Sun-Earth Connection scientists have established partnerships with several minority professional societies to reach out to the blacks, Hispanics and Native American students. Working with NSBP, SACNAS, AISES and NSHP, SEC scientists were able to speak in their board meetings and national conferences, to network with minority scientists, and to engage them in Sun-Earth Day. Through these opportunities and programs, scientists have introduced NASA research results as well indigenous views of science. They also serve as role models in various communities. Since the theme for Sun-Earth Day 2005 is Ancient Observatories: Timeless Knowledge, scientists and education specialists are hopeful to excite many with diverse backgrounds. Sun-Earth Day is a highly visible annual program since 2001 that touches millions of students and the general public. Interviews, classroom activities and other education resources are available on the web at sunearthday.nasa.gov.

Development of reduction technology for oxide fuel. Behaviour of rare-earth in lithium reduction process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Tetsuya; Usami, Tsuyoshi; Yuda, Ryoichi; Kurata, Masateru; Moriyama, Hirotake

2000-01-01

Solubility measurements of rare-earth oxides in molten LiCl-Li 2 O salt and reduction tests of UO 2 doped with rare-earth oxides were carried out to determine the behavior of rare-earths in lithium reduction process. The solubility of rare-earth oxides increases in the order of Gd 2 O concentration. In multi-element systems including 6 rare-earth oxides, the solubility of each element is smaller than that in the individual systems. In the reduction tests, more than 90% of UO 2 was reduced within 1 hour after starting reduction and about 7% of rare-earths eluded into the LiCl molten salt bath containing Li 2 O which is formed by the reduction of UO 2 . The rare-earth concentrations in the bath were evaluated using the solubility data, assuming that rare-earth oxides in multi-element systems form solid solution as the equilibrium solid phase and that the activity coefficients in the solid phase are independent of the compositions. The calculated concentrations are consistent with the experimental ones obtained in the reduction tests. (author)

Earth and Universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kosygin, Yu A

1986-12-01

Rocks, the age of which according to certain data exceeds considerably the recognized age of the Earth and approximates the age of the Universe, have been detected on the Earth. There is a necessity to coordinate the geological data with cosmological structures.

Baltic Earth - Earth System Science for the Baltic Sea Region

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Markus; Rutgersson, Anna; Lehmann, Andreas; Reckermann, Marcus

2014-05-01

The Baltic Sea region, defined as its river catchment basin, spans different climate and population zones, from a temperate, highly populated, industrialized south with intensive agriculture to a boreal, rural north. It encompasses most of the Scandinavian Peninsula in the west; most of Finland and parts of Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic states in the east; and Poland and small parts of Germany and Denmark in the south. The region represents an old cultural landscape, and the Baltic Sea itself is among the most studied sea areas of the world. Baltic Earth is the new Earth system research network for the Baltic Sea region. It is the successor to BALTEX, which was terminated in June 2013 after 20 years and two successful phases. Baltic Earth stands for the vision to achieve an improved Earth system understanding of the Baltic Sea region. This means that the research disciplines of BALTEX continue to be relevant, i.e. atmospheric and climate sciences, hydrology, oceanography and biogeochemistry, but a more holistic view of the Earth system encompassing processes in the atmosphere, on land and in the sea as well as in the anthroposphere shall gain in importance in Baltic Earth. Specific grand research challenges have been formulated, representing interdisciplinary research questions to be tackled in the coming years. A major means will be scientific assessments of particular research topics by expert groups, similar to the BACC approach, which shall help to identify knowledge gaps and develop research strategies. Preliminary grand challenges and topics for which Working Groups have been installed include: • Salinity dynamics in the Baltic Sea • Land-Sea biogeochemical feedbacks in the Baltic Sea region • Natural hazards and extreme events in the Baltic Sea region • Understanding sea level dynamics in the Baltic Sea • Understanding regional variability of water and energy exchange • Utility of Regional Climate Models • Assessment of Scenario Simulations

Near Earth Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wolff, Stefan

2006-01-01

, Near Earth Objects: Asteroids and comets following paths that bring them near the Earth. NEOs have collided with the Earth since its formation, some causing local devastation, some causing global climate changes, yet the threat from a collision with a near Earth object has only recently been recognised...... and accepted. The European Space Agency mission Gaia is a proposed space observatory, designed to perform a highly accurate census of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and beyond. Through accurate measurement of star positions, Gaia is expected to discover thousands of extra-solar planets and follow the bending...... of starlight by the Sun, and therefore directly observe the structure of space-time. This thesis explores several aspects of the observation of NEOs with Gaia, emphasising detection of NEOs and the quality of orbits computed from Gaia observations. The main contribution is the work on motion detection...

Earth's electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelley, M.C.

1978-01-01

The earth becomes charged during thunderstorm activity and discharges through the weak conducting atmosphere. Balloon and rocket studies infer that a high altitude electric field penetrates virtually unattenuated through the atmosphere, at least as far as balloon heights. The field has two primary sources. At low and mid latitudes, interaction between the earth's magnetic field and the neutral wind creates electric fields. At latitudes above 60 0 , the high altitude electrical structure is dominated by the interaction between the solar wind and the earth's magnetic field. The auroral light is emitted by atmospheric atoms and molecules excited by electrons with potentials of many thousands volts. The potentials are induced by the solar wind. Recent satellite data shows that the electrons get this energy by passing through a localized electric field about 6000 km above the auroral zone. Several rocket and satellite experiments used to study the earth's electric field are discussed

Earth Orbiting Support Systems for commercial low Earth orbit data relay: Assessing architectures through tradespace exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Palermo, Gianluca; Golkar, Alessandro; Gaudenzi, Paolo

2015-06-01

As small satellites and Sun Synchronous Earth Observation systems are assuming an increased role in nowadays space activities, including commercial investments, it is of interest to assess how infrastructures could be developed to support the development of such systems and other spacecraft that could benefit from having a data relay service in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), as opposed to traditional Geostationary relays. This paper presents a tradespace exploration study of the architecture of such LEO commercial satellite data relay systems, here defined as Earth Orbiting Support Systems (EOSS). The paper proposes a methodology to formulate architectural decisions for EOSS constellations, and enumerate the corresponding tradespace of feasible architectures. Evaluation metrics are proposed to measure benefits and costs of architectures; lastly, a multicriteria Pareto criterion is used to downselect optimal architectures for subsequent analysis. The methodology is applied to two case studies for a set of 30 and 100 customer-spacecraft respectively, representing potential markets for LEO services in Exploration, Earth Observation, Science, and CubeSats. Pareto analysis shows how increased performance of the constellation is always achieved by an increased node size, as measured by the gain of the communications antenna mounted on EOSS spacecraft. On the other hand, nonlinear trends in optimal orbital altitude, number of satellites per plane, and number of orbital planes, are found in both cases. An upward trend in individual node memory capacity is found, although never exceeding 256 Gbits of onboard memory for both cases that have been considered, assuming the availability of a polar ground station for EOSS data downlink. System architects can use the proposed methodology to identify optimal EOSS constellations for a given service pricing strategy and customer target, thus identifying alternatives for selection by decision makers.

The Chinese Society of Rare Earth is Studying The Feasibility of Marketing Rare Earth Futures

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2015-01-01

Lin Donglu,secretary-general of the Chinese Society of Rare Earth recently said,the Chinese Society of Rare Earth undertook the research on subject of the National Social Science Fund Foundation on the reform of Chinese rare earth trading pricing mechanism on promoting RMB globalization,and is focusing on studying the feasibility of marketing rare earth futures variety.

Rare earth germanates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondar', I.A.; Vinogradova, N.V.; Dem'yanets, L.N.

1983-01-01

From the viewpoint of structural chemistry and general regularities controlling formation reactions of compounds and phases in melts, solid and gaseous states, recent achievements in the chemistry of rare earth germanates are generalized. Methods of synthesizing germanates, systems on the base of germanium oxides and rare earths are considered. The data on crystallochemical characteristics are tabulated. Individual compounds of scandium germanate are also characterized. Processes of germanate formation using the data of IR-spectroscopy, X-ray phase analysis are studied. The structure and morphotropic series of rare earth germanates and silicates are determined. Fields of their present and possible future application are considered

Study on networking issues of medium earth orbit satellite communications systems

Science.gov (United States)

Araki, Noriyuki; Shinonaga, Hideyuki; Ito, Yasuhiko

1993-01-01

Two networking issues of communications systems with medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, namely network architectures and location determination and registration methods for hand-held terminals, are investigated in this paper. For network architecture, five candidate architectures are considered and evaluated in terms of signaling traffic. For location determination and registration, two methods are discussed and evaluated.

Rotation of a Moonless Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Lissauer, Jack J.; Barnes, Jason W.; Chambers, John E.

2013-01-01

We numerically explore the obliquity (axial tilt) variations of a hypothetical moonless Earth. Previous work has shown that the Earth's Moon stabilizes Earth's obliquity such that it remains within a narrow range, between 22.1 deg and 24.5 deg. Without lunar influence, a frequency-map analysis by Laskar et al. showed that the obliquity could vary between 0 deg. and 85 deg. This has left an impression in the astrobiology community that a large moon is necessary to maintain a habitable climate on an Earth-like planet. Using a modified version of the orbital integrator mercury, we calculate the obliquity evolution for moonless Earths with various initial conditions for up to 4 Gyr. We find that while obliquity varies significantly more than that of the actual Earth over 100,000 year timescales, the obliquity remains within a constrained range, typically 20-25 deg. in extent, for timescales of hundreds of millions of years. None of our Solar System integrations in which planetary orbits behave in a typical manner show obliquity accessing more than 65% of the full range allowed by frequency-map analysis. The obliquities of moonless Earths that rotate in the retrograde direction are more stable than those of pro-grade rotators. The total obliquity range explored for moonless Earths with rotation periods shorter than 12 h is much less than that for slower-rotating moonless Earths. A large moon thus does not seem to be needed to stabilize the obliquity of an Earth-like planet on timescales relevant to the development of advanced life.

131I levels in cow's milk following ingestion of contaminated alfalfa or sudan grass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, S.C.; Stanley, R.E.; Barth, D.S.

1975-08-01

A dry aerosol, consisting of submicrometer diatomaceous earth particles tagged with 131 I, was released over two different types of growing forage (alfalfa and Sudan grass) at the Experimental Dairy Farm on the Nevada Test Site. Following deposition of the aerosol, the two forage types were chopped and fed to different groups of lactating dairy cows. The dual objectives of the study were to evaluate the relationship of 131 I secretion in milk to the ingestion of different types of contaminated forage and to obtain a further indication of the possible influence on milk radioiodine levels of changing the particle size of the contaminant. The ratios of the peak activity concentrations measured in the milk to the peak activity concentrations in the forage were computed to be 0.0145 for the cows fed contaminated alfalfa and 0.0082 for those fed contaminated Sudan grass. Comparison of the results from this study with those from earlier studies indicates the major effect on activity levels in the milk can be related to forage type. Ingestion of Sudan grass by the cow reduces the transfer of radioiodine to milk by one half compared to ingestion of alfalfa. (U.S.)

Solidification of oils and organic liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, D.E.; Colombo, P.; Neilson, R.M. Jr.

1982-07-01

The suitability of selected solidification media for application in the disposal of low-level oil and other organic liquid wastes has been investigated. In the past, these low-level wastes (LLWs) have commonly been immobilized by sorption onto solid absorbents such as vermiculite or diatomaceous earth. Evolving regulations regarding the disposal of these materials encourage solidification. Solidification media which were studied include Portland type I cement; vermiculite plus Portland type I cement; Nuclear Technology Corporation's Nutek 380-cement process; emulsifier, Portland type I cement-sodium silicate; Delaware Custom Materiel's cement process; and the US Gypsum Company's Envirostone process. Waste forms have been evaluated as to their ability to reliably produce free standing monolithic solids which are homogeneous (macroscopically), contain < 1% free standing liquids by volume and pass a water immersion test. Solidified waste form specimens were also subjected to vibratory shock testing and flame testing. Simulated oil wastes can be solidified to acceptable solid specimens having volumetric waste loadings of less than 40 volume-%. However, simulated organic liquid wastes could not be solidified into acceptable waste forms above a volumetric loading factor of about 10 volume-% using the solidification agents studied

Facile Preparation of Nano-Bi₂MoO₆/Diatomite Composite for Enhancing Photocatalytic Performance under Visible Light Irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Lu; Gong, Jiuyan; Liu, Jianshe; Zhang, Hailong; Song, Wendong; Ji, Lili

2018-02-09

In this work, a new nano-Bi₂MoO₆/diatomite composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) were employed to investigate the morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties. It was shown that nanometer-scaled Bi₂MoO₆ crystals were well-deposited on the surface of Bi₂MoO₆/diatomite. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under the visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. Moreover, trapping experiments were performed to investigate the possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism. The results showed that the nano-Bi₂MoO₆/diatomite composite with the mass ratio of Bi₂MoO₆ to diatomaceous earth of 70% exhibited the highest activity, and the RhB degradation efficiency reached 97.6% within 60 min. The main active species were revealed to be h⁺ and•O 2- . As a photocatalytic reactor, its recycling performance showed a good stability and reusability. This new composite photocatalyst material holds great promise in the engineering field for the environmental remediation.

Geomagnetic field of earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delipetrev, Marjan; Delipetrev, Blagoj; Panovska, Sanja

2008-01-01

In this paper is introduced the theory of geomagnetic field of the Earth. A homogenous and isotropic sphere is taken for a model of Earth with a bar magnet at its center as a magnetic potential. The understanding of the real origin of geomagnetic field produced from differential rotation of inner core with respect to the outer core of Earth is here presented. Special attention is given to the latest observed data of the established net of geomagnetic repeat stations in the Republic of Macedonia. Finally, the maps of elements of geomagnetic field and the equation for calculation of normal magnetic field of Earth are provided. (Author)

Magnetic field of the Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Popov, Aleksey

2013-04-01

The magnetic field of the Earth has global meaning for a life on the Earth. The world geophysical science explains: - occurrence of a magnetic field of the Earth it is transformation of kinetic energy of movements of the fused iron in the liquid core of Earth - into the magnetic energy; - the warming up of a kernel of the Earth occurs due to radioactive disintegration of elements, with excretion of thermal energy. The world science does not define the reasons: - drift of a magnetic dipole on 0,2 a year to the West; - drift of lithospheric slabs and continents. The author offers: an alternative variant existing in a world science the theories "Geodynamo" - it is the theory « the Magnetic field of the Earth », created on the basis of physical laws. Education of a magnetic field of the Earth occurs at moving the electric charge located in a liquid kernel, at rotation of the Earth. At calculation of a magnetic field is used law the Bio Savara for a ring electric current: dB = . Magnetic induction in a kernel of the Earth: B = 2,58 Gs. According to the law of electromagnetic induction the Faradey, rotation of a iron kernel of the Earth in magnetic field causes occurrence of an electric field Emf which moves electrons from the center of a kernel towards the mantle. So of arise the radial electric currents. The magnetic field amplifies the iron of mantle and a kernel of the Earth. As a result of action of a radial electric field the electrons will flow from the center of a kernel in a layer of an electric charge. The central part of a kernel represents the field with a positive electric charge, which creates inverse magnetic field Binv and Emfinv When ?mfinv = ?mf ; ?inv = B, there will be an inversion a magnetic field of the Earth. It is a fact: drift of a magnetic dipole of the Earth in the western direction approximately 0,2 longitude, into a year. Radial electric currents a actions with the basic magnetic field of a Earth - it turn a kernel. It coincides with laws

Safety aspects in rare earths recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, R.

2014-01-01

Recovery of rare earths involves mining of beach sands, mineral separation to obtain monazite and its chemical processing to obtain rare earth composites. The composites are then subjected to further chemical treatment to obtain individual rare earths. Although the separated out rare earths are not radioactive, the process for recovery of rare earths involve both radiological as well as conventional hazards. This paper highlights the safety aspects in the mining, mineral separation and chemical processing of monazite to obtain rare earths

Our Mission to Planet Earth: A guide to teaching Earth system science

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, and El Nino are naturally occurring events over which humans have no control. But can human activities cause additional environmental change? Can scientists predict the global impacts of increased levels of pollutants in the atmosphere? Will the planet warm because increased levels of greenhouse gases, produced by the burning of fossil fuels, trap heat and prevent it from being radiated back into space? Will the polar ice cap melt, causing massive coastal flooding? Have humans initiated wholesale climatic change? These are difficult questions, with grave implications. Predicting global change and understanding the relationships among earth's components have increased in priority for the nation. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with many other government agencies, has initiated long-term studies of earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land masses using observations from satellite, balloon, and aircraft-borne instruments. NASA calls its research program Mission to Planet Earth. Because NASA can place scientific instruments far above earth's surface, the program allows scientists to explore earth's components and their interactions on a global scale.

Moving Closer to EarthScope: A Major New Initiative for the Earth Sciences*

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, D.; Blewitt, G.; Ekstrom, G.; Henyey, T.; Hickman, S.; Prescott, W.; Zoback, M.

2002-12-01

EarthScope is a scientific research and infrastructure initiative designed to provide a suite of new observational facilities to address fundamental questions about the evolution of continents and the processes responsible for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The integrated observing systems that will comprise EarthScope capitalize on recent developments in sensor technology and communications to provide Earth scientists with synoptic and high-resolution data derived from a variety of geophysical sensors. An array of 400 broadband seismometers will spend more than ten years crossing the contiguous 48 states and Alaska to image features that make up the internal structure of the continent and underlying mantle. Additional seismic and electromagnetic instrumentation will be available for high resolution imaging of geological targets of special interest. A network of continuously recording Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and sensitive borehole strainmeters will be installed along the western U.S. plate boundary. These sensors will measure how western North America is deforming, what motions occur along faults, how earthquakes start, and how magma flows beneath active volcanoes. A four-kilometer deep observatory bored directly into the San Andreas fault will provide the first opportunity to observe directly the conditions under which earthquakes occur, to collect fault rocks and fluids for laboratory study, and to monitor continuously an active fault zone at depth. All data from the EarthScope facilities will be openly available in real-time to maximize participation from the scientific community and to provide on-going educational outreach to students and the public. EarthScope's sensors will revolutionize observational Earth science in terms of the quantity, quality and spatial extent of the data they provide. Turning these data into exciting scientific discovery will require new modes of experimentation and interdisciplinary cooperation from the Earth

Evaluating Ice Nucleating Particle Concentrations From Prognostic Dust Minerals in an Earth System Model

Science.gov (United States)

Perlwitz, J. P.; Knopf, D. A.; Fridlind, A. M.; Miller, R. L.; Pérez García-Pando, C.; DeMott, P. J.

2016-12-01

The effect of aerosol particles on the radiative properties of clouds, the so-called, indirect effect of aerosols, is recognized as one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate prediction. The distribution of water vapor, precipitation, and ice cloud formation are influenced by the atmospheric ice formation, thereby modulating cloud albedo and thus climate. It is well known that different particle types possess different ice formation propensities with mineral dust being a superior ice nucleating particle (INP) compared to soot particles. Furthermore, some dust mineral types are more proficient INP than others, depending on temperature and relative humidity.In recent work, we have presented an improved dust aerosol module in the NASA GISS Earth System ModelE2 with prognostic mineral composition of the dust aerosols. Thus, there are regional variations in dust composition. We evaluated the predicted mineral fractions of dust aerosols by comparing them to measurements from a compilation of about 60 published literature references. Additionally, the capability of the model to reproduce the elemental composition of the simulated dusthas been tested at Izana Observatory at Tenerife, Canary Islands, which is located off-shore of Africa and where frequent dust events are observed. We have been able to show that the new approach delivers a robust improvement of the predicted mineral fractions and elemental composition of dust.In the current study, we use three-dimensional dust mineral fields and thermodynamic conditions, which are simulated using GISS ModelE, to calculate offline the INP concentrations derived using different ice nucleation parameterizations that are currently discussed. We evaluate the calculated INP concentrations from the different parameterizations by comparing them to INP concentrations from field measurements.

Earth science big data at users' fingertips: the EarthServer Science Gateway Mobile

Science.gov (United States)

Barbera, Roberto; Bruno, Riccardo; Calanducci, Antonio; Fargetta, Marco; Pappalardo, Marco; Rundo, Francesco

2014-05-01

The EarthServer project (www.earthserver.eu), funded by the European Commission under its Seventh Framework Program, aims at establishing open access and ad-hoc analytics on extreme-size Earth Science data, based on and extending leading-edge Array Database technology. The core idea is to use database query languages as client/server interface to achieve barrier-free "mix & match" access to multi-source, any-size, multi-dimensional space-time data -- in short: "Big Earth Data Analytics" - based on the open standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium Web Coverage Processing Service (OGC WCPS) and the W3C XQuery. EarthServer combines both, thereby achieving a tight data/metadata integration. Further, the rasdaman Array Database System (www.rasdaman.com) is extended with further space-time coverage data types. On server side, highly effective optimizations - such as parallel and distributed query processing - ensure scalability to Exabyte volumes. In this contribution we will report on the EarthServer Science Gateway Mobile, an app for both iOS and Android-based devices that allows users to seamlessly access some of the EarthServer applications using SAML-based federated authentication and fine-grained authorisation mechanisms.

A study on artificial rare earth (RE2O3) based neutron absorber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KIM, Kyung-O; Kyung KIM, Jong

2015-01-01

A new concept of a neutron absorption material (i.e., an artificial rare earth compound) was introduced for criticality control in a spent fuel storage system. In particular, spent nuclear fuels were considered as a potential source of rare earth elements because the nuclear fission of uranium produces a full range of nuclides. It was also found that an artificial rare earth compound (RE 2 O 3 ) as a High-Level Waste (HLW) was naturally extracted from pyroprocessing technology developed for recovering uranium and transuranic elements (TRU) from spent fuels. In this study, various characteristics (e.g., activity, neutron absorption cross-section) were analyzed for validating the application possibility of this waste compound as a neutron absorption material. As a result, the artificial rare earth compound had a higher neutron absorption probability in the entire energy range, and it can be used for maintaining sub-criticality for more than 40 years on the basis of the neutron absorption capability of Boral™. Therefore, this approach is expected to vastly improve the efficiency of radioactive waste management by simultaneously keeping HLW and spent nuclear fuel in a restricted space. - Highlights: • Quantitative analysis of rare earth elements in PWR spent fuels. • Extraction of artificial rare earth compound using pyroprocessing technology. • Characteristic analysis of artificial rare earth elements. • Performance evaluation of artificial rare earth for criticality control.

Seismological evidence for a localized mushy zone at the Earth?s inner core boundary

OpenAIRE

Tian, Dongdong; Wen, Lianxing

2017-01-01

Although existence of a mushy zone in the Earth?s inner core has been hypothesized several decades ago, no seismic evidence has ever been reported. Based on waveform modeling of seismic compressional waves that are reflected off the Earth?s inner core boundary, here we present seismic evidence for a localized 4?8?km thick zone across the inner core boundary beneath southwest Okhotsk Sea with seismic properties intermediate between those of the inner and outer core and of a mushy zone. Such a ...

The Earth Information Exchange: A Portal for Earth Science From the ESIP Federation

Science.gov (United States)

Wertz, R.; Hutchinson, C.; Hardin, D.

2006-12-01

The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners is a unique consortium of more than 90 organizations that collect, interpret and develop applications for remotely sensed Earth Observation Information. Included in the ESIP network are NASA, NOAA and USGS data centers, research universities, government research laboratories, supercomputer facilities, education resource providers, information technology innovators, nonprofit organizations and commercial enterprises. The consortium's work is dedicated to providing the most up-to-date, science-based information to researchers and decision-makers who are working to understand and address the environmental, economic and social challenges facing our planet. By increasing the use and usability of Earth observation data and linking it with decision-making tools, the Federation partners leverage the value of these important data resources for the betterment of society and our planet. To further the dissemination of Earth Science data, the Federation is developing the Earth Information Exchange (EIE). The EIE is a portal that will provide access to the vast information holdings of the members' organizations in one web-based location and will provides a robust marketplace in which the products and services needed to use and understand this information can be readily acquired. Since the Federation membership includes the federal government's Earth observing data centers, we believe that the impact of the EIE on Earth science research and education and environmental policy making will be profound. In the EIE, Earth observation data, products and services, are organized by the societal benefits categories defined by the international working group developing the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The quality of the information is ensured in each of the Exchange's issue areas by maintaining working groups of issue area researchers and practitioners who serve as stewards for their respective communities. The

Rare earths and actinides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coqblin, B.

1982-01-01

This paper reviews the different properties of rare-earths and actinides, either as pure metals or as in alloys or compounds. Three different cases are considered: (i) First, in the case of 'normal' rare-earths which are characterized by a valence of 3, we discuss essentially the magnetic ordering, the coexistence between superconductivity and magnetism and the properties of amorphous rare-earth systems. (ii) Second, in the case of 'anomalous' rare-earths, we distinguish between either 'intermediate-valence' systems or 'Kondo' systems. Special emphasis is given to the problems of the 'Kondo lattice' (for compounds such as CeAl 2 ,CeAl 3 or CeB 6 ) or the 'Anderson lattice' (for compounds such as TmSe). The problem of neutron diffraction in these systems is also discussed. (iii) Third, in the case of actinides, we can separate between the d-f hybridized and almost magnetic metals at the beginning of the series and the rare-earth like the metals after americium. (orig.)

Flooding Effect on Earth Walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meysam Banimahd

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Earth building is a sustainable, environmentally friendly and economical method of construction that has been used worldwide for many centuries. For the past three decades, earth has seen a revival as a building material for a modern construction method due to its benefits in terms of low carbon content, low cost and energy involved during construction, as well as the fact that it is a sustainable technology of building. Climate change is influencing precipitation levels and patterns around the world, and as a consequence, flood risk is increasing rapidly. When flooding occurs, earth buildings are exposed to water by submersion, causing an increase in the degree of saturation of the earth structures and therefore a decrease of the suction between particles. This study investigated the effect of cycles of flooding (consecutive events of flooding followed by dry periods on earth walls. A series of characterization tests were carried out to obtain the physical and mechanical properties of the studied earth material. In a second stage, Flooding Simulation Tests (FST were performed to explore the earth walls’ response to repeated flooding events. The results obtained for the tested earth wall/samples with reinforced material (straw reveal hydraulic hysteresis when wall/samples are subject to cycles of wetting and drying.

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science; Volume 123; Issue 2 ... Trend analysis and change point detection of annual and seasonal .... Numerical evaluation of seismic response of shallow foundation on loose silt and silty sand ... complex interactions can be a valuable tool to gain new insights for improved seismic ...

Application of clay minerals from Cayo Guan, Cuba, as sorbents of heavy metals and ceramic raw materials; Aplicaciones de los minerales arcillosos de Cayo Guan, Cuba, como adsorbentes de metales pesados y materia prima ceramica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fonseca, D.; Barba, F.; Callejas, P.; Recio, P.

2012-11-01

It has been studied by Analysis Heating Microscope Optical the behaviour of some kaolinitic clays from a reservoir of Cayo Guan rich in iron oxides and low silica content proving to be a refractory materials whose softening appears after 1500 degree centigrade. It has obtained the workability diagram of the different clay minerals calculating the plasticity by the method of Casagrande spoon; only one of the samples is in the area suitable for extrusion. Vitrification diagrams report that the capacity of water absorption is <0.6 % when the temperature of 1400 degree centigrade is achieved. We have designed a program to calculate compositions of porcelain stoneware prepared from these modified clays adding low-cost raw materials that facilitate the formation of glassy phase ((potassium feldspar and glass cullet) and/or increase the silica (sand and diatomaceous earth used as filters in the brewing industry). With one of these compositions, prepared in the laboratory (60 % of clay, 30 % feldspar and 10 % of diatomaceous earth), calcined at 1250 degree centigrade with a heating rate of 15 degree centigrade/min, the results were: water absorption 0.8 %, and linear shrinkage 21 % without any deformation observed. These clays have been treated with acid to eliminate its high iron content and study its application as an sorbent of heavy metals as Cd{sup 2}+, Cr{sup 3}+. The results of the immobilization of these elements have been compared with those obtained with thermally activated vermiculite at 800 degree centigrade, showing that the treated samples show sorption of both cadmium and chromium below the vermiculite, but the non-treated ones are suitable to remove chromium; this is because these clays do not contain in its composition exchangeable ions (Ca{sup {sub 2}} +, Mg{sup 2} +, Na{sup +}, K{sup +}), and even if they are chemically activated only the presence of Fe ions is which produces form bindings (Cr{sub x}.Fe{sub 1}-x) (OH){sub 3} which favor Cr sorption

Enabling the Usability of Earth Science Data Products and Services by Evaluating, Describing, and Improving Data Quality throughout the Data Lifecycle

Science.gov (United States)

Downs, R. R.; Peng, G.; Wei, Y.; Ramapriyan, H.; Moroni, D. F.

2015-12-01

Earth science data products and services are being used by representatives of various science and social science disciplines, by planning and decision-making professionals, by educators and learners ranging from primary through graduate and informal education, and by the general public. The diversity of users and uses of Earth science data is gratifying and offers new challenges for enabling the usability of these data by audiences with various purposes and levels of expertise. Users and other stakeholders need capabilities to efficiently find, explore, select, and determine the applicability and suitability of data products and services to meet their objectives and information needs. Similarly, they need to be able to understand the limitations of Earth science data, which can be complex, especially when considering combined or simultaneous use of multiple data products and services. Quality control efforts of stakeholders, throughout the data lifecycle, can contribute to the usability of Earth science data to meet the needs of diverse users. Such stakeholders include study design teams, data producers, data managers and curators, archives, systems professionals, data distributors, end-users, intermediaries, sponsoring organizations, hosting institutions, and others. Opportunities for engaging stakeholders to review, describe, and improve the quality of Earth science data products and services throughout the data lifecycle are identified and discussed. Insight is shared from the development of guidelines for implementing the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Data Management Principles, the recommendations from the Earth Science Data System Working Group (ESDSWG) on Data Quality, and the efforts of the Information Quality Cluster of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP). Examples and outcomes from quality control efforts of data facilities, such as scientific data centers, that contribute to the usability of Earth science data also are offered.

Earth before life.

Science.gov (United States)

Marzban, Caren; Viswanathan, Raju; Yurtsever, Ulvi

2014-01-09

A recent study argued, based on data on functional genome size of major phyla, that there is evidence life may have originated significantly prior to the formation of the Earth. Here a more refined regression analysis is performed in which 1) measurement error is systematically taken into account, and 2) interval estimates (e.g., confidence or prediction intervals) are produced. It is shown that such models for which the interval estimate for the time origin of the genome includes the age of the Earth are consistent with observed data. The appearance of life after the formation of the Earth is consistent with the data set under examination.

Development of an earth pressure model for design of earth retaining structures in piedmont soil.

Science.gov (United States)

2008-10-01

Anecdotal evidence suggests that earth pressure in Piedmont residual soils is typically over estimated. Such estimates of earth pressure impact the design of earth retaining structures used on highway projects. Thus, the development of an appropriate...

Long-Term Efficacy of Various Natural or "Green" Insecticides against Bed Bugs: A Double-Blind Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Goddard, Jerome

2014-11-28

Bed bugs are resurging throughout the world, and, thus, effective pest control strategies are constantly needed. A few studies have evaluated 25(b) and other natural, or so-called "green" products, as well as over-the-counter insecticides for bed bugs, but additional studies are needed to determine efficacy of bed bug control products. This double-blinded research project was initiated to examine long-term effectiveness of six commercially available natural or "green" insecticides against bed bugs and to compare them with three known traditional residual products. Water was used as a control. Products were evaluated against both susceptible and resistant strains of bed bugs (1200 bugs each), and two different substrates were used. Temprid(®) (Bayer Corporation, Monheim, Germany), Transport(®) (FMC Corp., Philadelphia, PA, USA), Invader(®) (FMC Corporation, Philadelphia, PA USA), Cimexa(®) (Rockwell Laboratories, Kansas City, MO, USA), and BBT-2000(®) (Swepe-Tite LLC, Tupelo, MS, USA) were the only products which showed any substantial (>40%) bed bug control upon exposure to treated substrates after the six-month waiting period, although results with the resistant bed bug strain were much reduced. Alpine dust(®) (BASF Corporation, Florham Park, NJ, USA) killed 27% of bed bugs or less, depending on strain and substrate. EcoRaider(®) (North Bergen, NJ, USA) and Mother Earth D(®) (Whitmire Microgen, Florham Park, NJ, USA) (diatomaceous earth) produced 11% control or less. Cimi-Shield Protect(®) (Pest Barrier, Carson, CA, USA) showed no activity against bed bugs in this study. Analysis using SAS software showed a three-way interaction between treatment, substrate, and bed bug strain (Numerator DF 9; Denominator DF 80; F = 4.90; p < 0.0001).

The naked planet Earth: Most essential pre-requisite for the origin and evolution of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Maruyama

2013-03-01

To satisfy the tight conditions to make the Earth habitable, the formation mechanism of primordial Earth is an important factor. At first, a ‘dry Earth’ must be made through giant impact, followed by magma ocean to float nutrient-enriched primordial continents (anorthosite + KREEP. Late bombardment from asteroid belt supplied water to make 3–5 km thick ocean, and not from icy meteorites from Kuiper belt beyond cool Jupiter. It was essential to meet the above conditions that enabled the Earth as a habitable planet with evolved life forms. The tight constraints that we evaluate for birth and evolution of life on Earth would provide important guidelines for planetary scientists hunting for life in the exo-solar planets.

Implementation of small group discussion as a teaching method in earth and space science subject

Science.gov (United States)

Aryani, N. P.; Supriyadi

2018-03-01

In Physics Department Universitas Negeri Semarang, Earth and Space Science subject is included in the curriculum of the third year of physics education students. There are various models of teaching earth and space science subject such as textbook method, lecturer, demonstrations, study tours, problem-solving method, etc. Lectures method is the most commonly used of teaching earth and space science subject. The disadvantage of this method is the lack of two ways interaction between lecturers and students. This research used small group discussion as a teaching method in Earth and Space science. The purpose of this study is to identify the conditions under which an efficient discussion may be initiated and maintained while students are investigating properties of earth and space science subjects. The results of this research show that there is an increase in student’s understanding of earth and space science subject proven through the evaluation results. In addition, during the learning process, student’s activeness also increase.

Earth as art three

Science.gov (United States)

,

2010-01-01

For most of us, deserts, mountains, river valleys, coastlines even dry lakebeds are relatively familiar features of the Earth's terrestrial environment. For earth scientists, they are the focus of considerable scientific research. Viewed from a unique and unconventional perspective, Earth's geographic attributes can also be a surprising source of awe-inspiring art. That unique perspective is space. The artists for the Earth as Art Three exhibit are the Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 satellites, which orbit approximately 705 kilometers (438 miles) above the Earth's surface. While studying the images these satellites beam down daily, researchers are often struck by the sheer beauty of the scenes. Such images inspire the imagination and go beyond scientific value to remind us how stunning, intricate, and simply amazing our planet's features can be. Instead of paint, the medium for these works of art is light. But Landsat satellite sensors don't see light as human eyes do; instead, they see radiant energy reflected from Earth's surface in certain wavelengths, or bands, of red, green, blue, and infrared light. When these different bands are combined into a single image, remarkable patterns, colors, and shapes emerge. The Earth as Art Three exhibit provides fresh and inspiring glimpses of different parts of our planet's complex surface. The images in this collection were chosen solely based on their aesthetic appeal. Many of the images have been manipulated to enhance color variations or details. They are not intended for scientific interpretation only for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science; Volume 122; Issue 1. Evaluation of OSCAR ocean surface current product in the tropical Indian Ocean using in situ data. Rajesh Sikhakolli Rashmi Sharma Sujit Basu B S Gohil Abhijit Sarkar K V S R Prasad. Volume 122 Issue 1 February 2013 pp 187-199 ...

Short-term capture of the Earth-Moon system

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Yi; de Ruiter, Anton

2018-06-01

In this paper, the short-term capture (STC) of an asteroid in the Earth-Moon system is proposed and investigated. First, the space condition of STC is analysed and five subsets of the feasible region are defined and discussed. Then, the time condition of STC is studied by parameter scanning in the Sun-Earth-Moon-asteroid restricted four-body problem. Numerical results indicate that there is a clear association between the distributions of the time probability of STC and the five subsets. Next, the influence of the Jacobi constant on STC is examined using the space and time probabilities of STC. Combining the space and time probabilities of STC, we propose a STC index to evaluate the probability of STC comprehensively. Finally, three potential STC asteroids are found and analysed.

PREFACE: The 2nd International Conference on Geological, Geographical, Aerospace and Earth Sciences 2014 (AeroEarth 2014)

Science.gov (United States)

Lumban Gaol, Ford; Soewito, Benfano

2015-01-01

The 2nd International Conference on Geological, Geographical, Aerospace and Earth Sciences 2014 (AeroEarth 2014), was held at Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia during 11 - 12 October 2014. The AeroEarth 2014 conference aims to bring together researchers and engineers from around the world. Through research and development, earth scientists have the power to preserve the planet's different resource domains by providing expert opinion and information about the forces which make life possible on Earth. Earth provides resources and the exact conditions to make life possible. However, with the advent of technology and industrialization, the Earth's resources are being pushed to the brink of depletion. Non-sustainable industrial practices are not only endangering the supply of the Earth's natural resources, but are also putting burden on life itself by bringing about pollution and climate change. A major role of earth science scholars is to examine the delicate balance between the Earth's resources and the growing demands of industrialization. Through research and development, earth scientists have the power to preserve the planet's different resource domains by providing expert opinion and information about the forces which make life possible on Earth. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all in the Technical Program Committee who have reviewed the papers and developed a very interesting Conference Program as well as the invited and plenary speakers. This year, we received 98 papers and after rigorous review, 17 papers were accepted. The participants come from eight countries. There are four Parallel Sessions and two invited Speakers. It is an honour to present this volume of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (EES) and we deeply thank the authors for their enthusiastic and high-grade contributions. Finally, we would like to thank the conference chairmen, the members of the steering committee, the organizing committee

COMPASS Final Report: Near Earth Asteroids Rendezvous and Sample Earth Returns (NEARER)

Science.gov (United States)

Oleson, Steven R.; McGuire, Melissa L.

2009-01-01

In this study, the Collaborative Modeling for Parametric Assessment of Space Systems (COMPASS) team completed a design for a multi-asteroid (Nereus and 1996 FG3) sample return capable spacecraft for the NASA In-Space Propulsion Office. The objective of the study was to support technology development and assess the relative benefits of different electric propulsion systems on asteroid sample return design. The design uses a single, heritage Orion solar array (SA) (approx.6.5 kW at 1 AU) to power a single NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster ((NEXT) a spare NEXT is carried) to propel a lander to two near Earth asteroids. After landing and gathering science samples, the Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) vehicle spirals back to Earth where it drops off the first sample s return capsule and performs an Earth flyby to assist the craft in rendezvousing with a second asteroid, which is then sampled. The second sample is returned in a similar fashion. The vehicle, dubbed Near Earth Asteroids Rendezvous and Sample Earth Returns (NEARER), easily fits in an Atlas 401 launcher and its cost estimates put the mission in the New Frontier s (NF's) class mission.

[Study on rapid analysis method of pesticide contamination in processed foods by GC-MS and GC-FPD].

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Maki; Otsuka, Kenji; Tamura, Yasuhiro; Tomizawa, Sanae; Kamijo, Kyoko; Iwakoshi, Keiko; Sato, Chizuko; Nagayama, Toshihiro; Takano, Ichiro

2011-01-01

A simple and rapid method using GC-MS and GC-FPD for the determination of pesticide contamination in processed food has been developed. Pesticides were extracted from a sample with ethyl acetate in the presence of anhydrous sodium sulfate, then cleaned up with a combination of mini-columns, such as macroporous diatomaceous earth, C18, GCB (graphite carbon black) and PSA. Recovery tests of 57 pesticides (known to be toxic or harmful) from ten kinds of processed foods (butter, cheese, corned beef, dried shrimp, frozen Chinese dumplings, grilled eels, instant noodles, kimchi, retort-packed curry and wine) were performed, and the recovery rates were mostly between 70% and 120%. This method can be used to judge whether or not processed foods are contaminated with pesticides at potentially harmful levels.

Carrier effect on separation efficiency of the column in reversed-phase partition chromatography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pszonicka, M.; Siekierski, S.

1972-01-01

Chromatographic columns were filled with carriers of diatomaceous earth type (Hyflo Super Cell, and Celite 545) of large pores, and two microporous silica gels respectively. These columns were used for the separation of europium and gadolinium by reversed-phase partition chromatography in the system: stationary phase-diethylhexylphosphoric acid (HDEHP) mobile phase-0.4 N nitric acid. In each case the separation of the above mentioned elements was achieved. The plate height that characterizes separation efficiency of the column, decreases with the decrease of particle diameter of the carrier. Best columns were obtained from carriers of large pores (Hyflo Super Cell and Celite 545) for which plate hights below 0.1 mm could be achieved. Columns filled with microporous silica gels showed plate heights of 0.2-0.3 mm. (author)

Systems and methods for facilitating hydrogen storage using naturally occurring nanostructure assemblies

Science.gov (United States)

Fliermans,; Carl, B [Augusta, GA

2012-08-07

Some or all of the needs above can be addressed by embodiments of the invention. According to embodiments of the invention, systems and methods for facilitating hydrogen storage using naturally occurring nanostructure assemblies can be implemented. In one embodiment, a method for storing hydrogen can be provided. The method can include providing diatoms comprising diatomaceous earth or diatoms from a predefined culture. In addition, the method can include heating the diatoms in a sealed environment in the presence of at least one of titanium, a transition metal, or a noble metal to provide a porous hydrogen storage medium. Furthermore, the method can include exposing the porous hydrogen storage medium to hydrogen. In addition, the method can include storing at least a portion of the hydrogen in the porous hydrogen storage medium.

NASA Earth Exchange (NEX)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) represents a new platform for the Earth science community that provides a mechanism for scientific collaboration and knowledge sharing....

Earth Science Enterprise Technology Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

1999-01-01

NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) is dedicated to understanding the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment. The goals of ESE are: (1) Expand scientific knowledge of the Earth system using NASA's unique vantage points of space, aircraft, and in situ platforms; (2) Disseminate information about the Earth system; and (3) Enable the productive use of ESE science and technology in the public and private sectors. ESE has embraced the NASA Administrator's better, faster, cheaper paradigm for Earth observing missions. We are committed to launch the next generation of Earth Observing System (EOS) missions at a substantially lower cost than the EOS first series. Strategic investment in advanced instrument, spacecraft, and information system technologies is essential to accomplishing ESE's research goals in the coming decades. Advanced technology will play a major role in shaping the ESE fundamental and applied research program of the future. ESE has established an Earth science technology development program with the following objectives: (1) To accomplish ESE space-based and land-based program elements effectively and efficiently; and (2) To enable ESE's fundamental and applied research programs goals as stated in the NASA Strategic Plan.

Using EarthLabs to Enhance Earth Science Curriculum in Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Chegwidden, D. M.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.

2012-12-01

As an educator in Texas, a state that values and supports an Earth Science curriculum, I find it essential to educate my students who are our future voting citizens and tax payers. It is important to equip them with tools to understand and solve the challenges of solving of climate change. As informed citizens, students can help to educate others in the community with basic knowledge of weather and climate. They can also help to dispose of the many misconceptions that surround the climate change, which is perceived as a controversial topic. As a participant in a NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to develop and test education resources for the EarthLabs climate literacy collection. I am involved in the multiple phases of the project, including reviewing labs that comprise the Climate, Weather and Biosphere module during the development phase, pilot teaching the module with my students, participating in research, and delivering professional development to other Texas teachers to expose them to the content found in the module and to encourage them to incorporate it into their teaching. The Climate, Weather and the Biosphere module emphasizes different forms of evidence and requires that learners apply different inquiry-based approaches to build the knowledge they need to develop as climate literate citizens. My involvement with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my overall knowledge and confidence to teach about Earth's climate system and climate change. In addition, the project has produced vigorous classroom discussion among my students as well as encouraged me to collaborate with other educators through our delivery of professional development to other teachers. In my poster, I will share my experiences, describe the impact the curriculum has made on my students, and report on challenges and valuable lessons gained by

Brokering Capabilities for EarthCube - supporting Multi-disciplinary Earth Science Research

Science.gov (United States)

Jodha Khalsa, Siri; Pearlman, Jay; Nativi, Stefano; Browdy, Steve; Parsons, Mark; Duerr, Ruth; Pearlman, Francoise

2013-04-01

targeted to specific communities. Brokering, as a critical capability for connecting systems, evolves over time through more connections and increased functionality. This adaptive process allows for continual evaluation as to how well science-driven use cases are being met. There is a near term, and possibly unique, opportunity through EarthCube and European e-Infrastructure projects to increase the impact and interconnectivity of projects. In the developments described in this presentation, brokering has been demonstrated to be an essential part of a robust, adaptive technical infrastructure and demonstration and user scenarios can address of both the governance and detailed implementation paths forward. The EarthCube Brokering roadmap proposes the expansion of brokering pilots into fully operational prototypes that work with the broader science and informatics communities to answer these questions, connect existing and emerging systems, and evolve the EarthCube infrastructure.

The Earth is a Planet Too!

Science.gov (United States)

Cairns, Brian

2014-01-01

When the solar system formed, the sun was 30 dimmer than today and Venus had an ocean. As the sun brightened, a runaway greenhouse effect caused the Venus ocean to boil away. At times when Earth was younger, the sun less bright, and atmospheric CO2 less, Earth froze over (snowball Earth). Earth is in the sweet spot today. Venus is closer to sun than Earth is, but cloud-covered Venus absorbs only 25 of incident sunlight, while Earth absorbs 70. Venus is warmer because it has a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere causing a greenhouse effect of several hundred degrees. Earth is Goldilocks choice among the planets, the one that is just right for life to exist. Not too hot. Not too cold. How does the Earth manage to stay in this habitable range? Is there a Gaia phenomenon keeping the climate in bounds? A nice idea, but it doesnt work. Today, greenhouse gas levels are unprecedented compared to the last 450,000 years.

Modeling the earth system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ojima, D. [ed.

1992-12-31

The 1990 Global Change Institute (GCI) on Earth System Modeling is the third of a series organized by the Office for Interdisciplinary Earth Studies to look in depth at particular issues critical to developing a better understanding of the earth system. The 1990 GCI on Earth System Modeling was organized around three themes: defining critical gaps in the knowledge of the earth system, developing simplified working models, and validating comprehensive system models. This book is divided into three sections that reflect these themes. Each section begins with a set of background papers offering a brief tutorial on the subject, followed by working group reports developed during the institute. These reports summarize the joint ideas and recommendations of the participants and bring to bear the interdisciplinary perspective that imbued the institute. Since the conclusion of the 1990 Global Change Institute, research programs, nationally and internationally, have moved forward to implement a number of the recommendations made at the institute, and many of the participants have maintained collegial interactions to develop research projects addressing the needs identified during the two weeks in Snowmass.

The earth's hydrological cycle

CERN Document Server

Bonnet, R-M; Calisto, M; Destouni, G; Gurney, R; Johannessen, J; Kerr, Y; Lahoz, WA; Rast, M

2014-01-01

This book gives a comprehensive presentation of our present understanding of the Earth's Hydrological cycle and the problems, consequences and impacts that go with this topic. Water is a central component in the Earth's system. It is indispensable for life on Earth in its present form and influences virtually every aspect of our planet's life support system. On relatively short time scales, atmospheric water vapor interacts with the atmospheric circulation and is crucial in forming the Earth's climate zones. Water vapor is the most powerful of the greenhouse gases and serves to enhance the tropospheric temperature. The dominant part of available water on Earth resides in the oceans. Parts are locked up in the land ice on Greenland and Antarctica and a smaller part is estimated to exist as groundwater. If all the ice over the land and all the glaciers were to melt, the sea level would rise by some 80 m. In comparison, the total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is small; it amounts to ~ 25 kg/m2, or the ...

Development and Evaluation of the Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases: a High-throughput Fourier-transform Infrared Radiometer for Nadir Earth Observation

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Hirokazu; Shimota, Akiro; Kondo, Kayoko; Okumura, Eisuke; Kameda, Yoshihiko; Shimoda, Haruhisa; Ogawa, Toshihiro

1999-11-01

The interferometric monitor for greenhouse gases (IMG) was the precursor of the high-resolution Fourier-transform infrared radiometer (FTIR) onboard a satellite for observation of the Earth. The IMG endured the stress of a rocket launch, demonstrating that the high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer is indeed feasible for use onboard a satellite. The IMG adopted a newly developed lubricant-free magnetic suspension mechanism and a dynamic alignment system for the moving mirror with a maximum traveling distance of 10 cm. We present the instrumentation of the IMG, characteristics of the movable mirror drive system, and the evaluation results of sensor specifications during space operation.

The Earth's magnetic field yields its secrets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coates, Andrew; Smith, Mark

1985-01-01

The paper reviews the investigations of the earth's magnetosphere, and concentrates on the recent Active Magnetosphere Particle Tracer Explorer mission (AMPTE), which involves satellites from the U.S., West Germany and Britain. The purpose of the AMPTE mission is to examine complex movements of the solar wind and the movement of particles around the magnetosphere. Current results from the mission are briefly described, although some of the data is still being evaluated. (U.K.)

ELF-VLF communications through the Earth Project report for calendar year 1984, revision 1

Science.gov (United States)

Buettner, H. M.; Burker, G. J.; Didwall, E. M.; Holladay, G.; Lytle, R. J.

1985-08-01

We use computer models and experiments to explore the feasibility of communication between points underground and on the Earth's surface. Emphasis is placed on ELF-VLF electromagnetic propagation through the Earth; nominally, we investigated propagation in the 200 Hz-30 kHz frequency range. The computer modeling included calculations of the fields of a point electric or magnetic source in a homogeneous half space or a stratified earth. Initial results for an insulated antenna of finite length are also considered. The experiments involved through-the-Earth transmissions at two locations in Pennsylvania, both of which had large formations of limestone. Initial results indicate that information rates as high as kbits/s may be possible for subsurface depths of 300 m or less. Accuracy of these estimates depends on the electromagnetic propagation constant of the rock, the noise characteristics, and the modulation scheme. Although a nuisance for evaluating through-the-Earth propagation, the existence of subsurface metal conductors can improve the transmission character of the site.

ELF-VLF Communications through the Earth Project report for calendar year 1984. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buettner, H.M.; Burke, G.J.; Didwall, E.M.; Holladay, G.; Lytle, R.J.

1985-08-01

We use computer models and experiments to explore the feasibility of communication between points underground and on the Earth's surface. Emphasis is placed on ELF-VLF electromagnetic propagation through the Earth; nominally, we investigated propagation in the 200 Hz-30 kHz frequency range. The computer modeling included calculations of the fields of a point electric or magnetic source in a homogeneous half space or a stratified earth. Initial results for an insulated antenna of finite length are also considered. The experiments involved through-the-earth transmissions at two locations in Pennsylvania, both of which had large formations of limestone. Initial results indicate that information rates as high as kbits/s may be possible for subsurface depths of 300 m or less. Accuracy of these estimates depends on the electromagnetic propagation constant of the rock, the noise characteristics, and the modulation scheme. Although a nuisance for evaluating through-the-Earth propagation, the existence of subsurface metal conductors can improve the transmission character of the site.

A high-orbit collimating infrared earth simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Guoyu; Jiang Huilin; Fang Yang; Yu Huadong; Xu Xiping; Wang, Lingyun; Liu Xuli; Huang Lan; Yue Shixin; Peng Hui

2007-01-01

The earth simulator is the most important testing equipment ground-based for the infrared earth sensor, and it is also a key component in the satellite controlling system. for three orbit heights 18000Km, 35786Km and 42000Km, in this paper we adopt a project of collimation and replaceable earth diaphragm and develop a high orbit collimation earth simulator. This simulator can afford three angles 15.19 0 , 17.46 0 and 30.42 0 , resulting simulating the earth on the ground which can be seen in out space by the satellite. In this paper we introduce the components, integer structure, and the earth's field angles testing method of the earth simulator in detail. Germanium collimation lens is the most important component in the earth simulator. According to the optical configuration parameter of Germanium collimation lens, we find the location and size of the earth diaphragm and the hot earth by theoretical analyses and optics calculation, which offer foundation of design in the study of the earth simulator. The earth angle is the index to scale the precision of earth simulator. We test the three angles by experiment and the results indicate that three angles errors are all less than ±0.05 0

Separation of Rare Earths from Uranium and Thorium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krebs, Damien

2014-01-01

Greenland Minerals and Energy - Key Highlights – A unique world class mining project: 1. World-class, large scale development project: • Economically robust, proven technology, large-scale, long life production of rare earths concentrate and uranium; • Large JORC resource base to produce ~7kt HREO, 37kt LREO & 3Mlbs U_3O_8 per annum over 30 year mine life; • Ideally located near international airport, existing towns and potential hydro-electric power source. 2. Very attractive commodity portfolio: • Heavy rare earths and uranium are both recognised as strategically important commodities for the future; • Rare earths market characterised by limited capacity and increasing demand (particularly Dy, Nd, Tb, Eu and Y). 3. Strong management and technical team: • Experienced management team with proven track record; • Well-respected and knowledgeable technical/project team in place with exceptional local expertise. 4. Highly advantageous ore-type, makes for simple cost-effective processing, highly scalable production: • High upgrade through beneficiation brings optionality to Kvanefjeld project; • Leaching can be done in Greenland, or owing to the high-grade concentrate, can be shipped to other locations; • Allows to single concentrator in Greenland, multiple refineries/partners globally. 5. Globally significant, long life, low cost, multi-commodity asset: • Company to become one of the largest producers of rare earths globally and a significant U_3O_8 mine; • Potential to supply >20% of global critical (including heavy) rare earth element demand; • Company has low cost of production due to multiple by-product opportunities. 6. Low political risk: • Stable, low-risk operating environment with government looking to develop new industries and employment; • GME fully permitted to evaluate the project, exploration licence now includes radioactive elements; • Management and board have a solid working relationship with the government and are

The role of Facilities in Engaging and Informing the Public of EarthScope Science

Science.gov (United States)

Charlevoix, D. J.; Taber, J. J.; Berg, M.; Dorr, P. M.; McQuillan, P.; Olds, S. E.

2013-12-01

and dissemination of materials for the scientifically interested public at science and technology centers. The presentation will also share techniques used and future plans for evaluation of the public impact of EarthScope.

Raman scattering of rare earth hexaborides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogita, Norio; Hasegawa, Takumi; Udagawa, Masayuki; Iga, Fumitoshi; Kunii, Satoru

2009-01-01

Raman scattering spectra were measured for the rare-earth hexaborides RB 6 (R = Ce, Gd, or Dy). All Raman-active phonons due to B 6 vibrations were observed in the range 600 - 1400 cm -1 . Anomalous peaks were detected below 200 cm -1 , which correspond to vibrations of rare-earth ion excited by second-order Raman scattering process. The intensity and energy of the rare-earth mode decrease with decreasing temperature. This suggests that the rare-earth ion vibrates in a shallow and anharmonic potential due to the boron cage. Using the reported values of mean square displacement of rare-earth ion, we estimated the anharmonic contribution for the rare-earth vibrations.

Publishing in the Refereed International Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education JAESE

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Timothy F.

2015-08-01

Filling a needed scholarly publishing avenue for astronomy education researchers and earth science education researchers, the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education- JAESE was first published in 2014. JAESE is a scholarly, peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original discipline-based education research and evaluation, with an emphasis of significant scientific results derived from ethical observations and systematic experimentation in science education and evaluation. International in scope, JAESE aims to publish the highest quality and timely articles from discipline-based education research that advance understanding of astronomy and earth sciences education and are likely to have a significant impact on the discipline or on policy. Articles are solicited describing both (i) systematic science education research and (ii) evaluated teaching innovations across the broadly defined Earth & space sciences education, including the disciplines of astronomy, climate education, energy resource science, environmental science, geology, geography, agriculture, meteorology, planetary sciences, and oceanography education. The publishing model adopted for this new journal is open-access and articles appear online in GoogleScholar, ERIC, EBSCO, ProQuest, and NASA SAO/ADS and are searchable in catalogs of 440,000 libraries that index online journals of its type. Rather than paid for by library subscriptions or by society membership dues, the annual budget is covered by page-charges paid by individual authors, their institutions, grants or donors: This approach is common in scientific journals, but is relatively uncommon in education journals. Authors retain their own copyright. The journal is owned by the Clute Institute in the United States, which owns and operates 17 scholarly journals and currently edited by former American Astronomical Society Education Officer Tim Slater, who is an endowed professor at the University of Wyoming and a Senior Scientist at the

The Earth's Plasmasphere

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, D. L.

2015-01-01

The Earth's plasmasphere is an inner part of the magneteosphere. It is located just outside the upper ionosphere located in Earth's atmosphere. It is a region of dense, cold plasma that surrounds the Earth. Although plasma is found throughout the magnetosphere, the plasmasphere usually contains the coldest plasma. Here's how it works: The upper reaches of our planet's atmosphere are exposed to ultraviolet light from the Sun, and they are ionized with electrons that are freed from neutral atmospheric particles. The results are electrically charged negative and positive particles. The negative particles are electrons, and the positive particles are now called ions (formerly atoms and molecules). If the density of these particles is low enough, this electrically charged gas behaves differently than it would if it were neutral. Now this gas is called plasma. The atmospheric gas density becomes low enough to support the conditions for a plasma around earth at about 90 kilometers above Earth's surface. The electrons in plasma gain more energy, and they are very low in mass. They move along Earth's magnetic field lines and their increased energy is enough to escape Earth's gravity. Because electrons are very light, they don't have to gain too much kinetic energy from the Sun's ultraviolet light before gravity loses its grip on them. Gravity is not all that holds them back, however. As more and more electrons begin to escape outward, they leave behind a growing net positive electric charge in the ionosphere and create a growing net negative electric charge above the ionosphere; an electric field begins to develop (the Pannekoek-Rosseland E-field). Thus, these different interacting charges result in a positively charged ionosphere and negatively charged region of space above it. Very quickly this resulting electric field opposed upward movement of the electrons out of the ionosphere. The electrons still have this increased energy, however, so the electric field doesn't just

Earth formation porosity log

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, H.D.; Smith, M.P.; Schultz, W.E.

1977-01-01

A method for determining the porosity of earth formations in the vicinity of a cased well borehole is described, comprising the steps of: irradiating the earth formations in the vicinity of the cased well borehole with fast neutrons from a source of fast neutrons passed into the borehole; and generating a signal representative of the fast neutron population present in the well borehole at a location in the borehole, the signal is functionally related to the porosity of the earth formations in the vicinity of the borehole

Origin of the earth and moon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ringwood, A.E.

1981-01-01

The composition of the Earth's interior and its bearing on the Earth's origin are discussed. It seems likely that the terrestrial planets formed by the accretion of solid planetisimals from the nebula of dust and gas left behind during the formation of the Sun. The scenario proposed is simpler than others. New evidence based upon a comparison of siderophile element abundances in the Earth's mantle and in the Moon imply that the Moon was derived from the Earth's mantle after the Earth's core had segregated

Factors Affecting Student Success with a Google Earth-Based Earth Science Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Blank, Lisa M.; Almquist, Heather; Estrada, Jen; Crews, Jeff

2016-01-01

This study investigated to what extent the implementation of a Google Earth (GE)-based earth science curriculum increased students' understanding of volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, scientific reasoning abilities, and science identity. Nine science classrooms participated in the study. In eight of the classrooms, pre- and post-assessments…

STS-39 Earth observation of Earth's limb at sunset shows atmospheric layers

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

STS-39 Earth observation taken aboard Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, shows the Earth's limb at sunset with numerous atmospheric scattering layers highlighted. The layers consist of fine particles suspended in very stable layers of the atmosphere. The layers act as a prism for the sunlight.

Unique Non-Keplerian Orbit Vantage Locations for Sun-Earth Connection and Earth Science Vision Roadmaps

Science.gov (United States)

Folta, David; Young, Corissa; Ross, Adam

2001-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the feasibility of attaining and maintaining unique non-Keplerian orbit vantage locations in the Earth/Moon environment in order to obtain continuous scientific measurements. The principal difficulty associated with obtaining continuous measurements is the temporal nature of astrodynamics, i.e., classical orbits. This investigation demonstrates advanced trajectory designs to meet demanding science requirements which cannot be met following traditional orbital mechanic logic. Examples of continuous observer missions addressed include Earth pole-sitters and unique vertical libration orbits that address Sun-Earth Connection and Earth Science Vision roadmaps.

Clear-Sky Longwave Irradiance at the Earth's Surface--Evaluation of Climate Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Garratt, J. R.

2001-04-01

An evaluation of the clear-sky longwave irradiance at the earth's surface (LI) simulated in climate models and in satellite-based global datasets is presented. Algorithm-based estimates of LI, derived from global observations of column water vapor and surface (or screen air) temperature, serve as proxy `observations.' All datasets capture the broad zonal variation and seasonal behavior in LI, mainly because the behavior in column water vapor and temperature is reproduced well. Over oceans, the dependence of annual and monthly mean irradiance upon sea surface temperature (SST) closely resembles the observed behavior of column water with SST. In particular, the observed hemispheric difference in the summer minus winter column water dependence on SST is found in all models, though with varying seasonal amplitudes. The analogous behavior in the summer minus winter LI is seen in all datasets. Over land, all models have a more highly scattered dependence of LI upon surface temperature compared with the situation over the oceans. This is related to a much weaker dependence of model column water on the screen-air temperature at both monthly and annual timescales, as observed. The ability of climate models to simulate realistic LI fields depends as much on the quality of model water vapor and temperature fields as on the quality of the longwave radiation codes. In a comparison of models with observations, root-mean-square gridpoint differences in mean monthly column water and temperature are 4-6 mm (5-8 mm) and 0.5-2 K (3-4 K), respectively, over large regions of ocean (land), consistent with the intermodel differences in LI of 5-13 W m2 (15-28 W m2).

Earth and planetary sciences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetherill, G.W.; Drake, C.L.

1980-01-01

The earth is a dynamic body. The major surface manifestation of this dynamism has been fragmentation of the earth's outer shell and subsequent relative movement of the pieces on a large scale. Evidence for continental movement came from studies of geomagnetism. As the sea floor spreads and new crust is formed, it is magnetized with the polarity of the field at the time of its formation. The plate tectonics model explains the history, nature, and topography of the oceanic crust. When a lithospheric plate surmounted by continental crust collides with an oceanic lithosphere, it is the denser oceanic lithosphere that is subducted. Hence the ancient oceans have vanished and the knowledge of ancient earth will require deciphering the complex continental geological record. Geochemical investigation shows that the source region of continental rocks is not simply the depleted mantle that is characteristic of the source region of basalts produced at the oceanic ridges. The driving force of plate tectonics is convection within the earth, but much remains to be learned about the convection and interior of the earth. A brief discussion of planetary exploration is given

The radioactive earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plant, J.A.; Saunders, A.D.

1996-01-01

Uranium, thorium and potassium are the main elements contributing to natural terrestrial radioactivity. The isotopes 238 U, 235 U, 232 Th and 40 K decay with half-lives so long that significant amounts remain in the earth, providing a continuing source of heat. The slow decay of these isotopes also provides the basis for radiometric age dating and isotopic modelling of the evolution of the earth and its crust. There is a complex interplay between their heat production and the processes involved in crust formation. Phenomena such as volcanism, earthquakes, and large-scale hydrothermal activity associated with ore deposition reflect the dissipation of heat energy from the earth, much of which is derived from natural radioactivity. The higher levels of radioactive elements during the early history of the earth resulted in higher heat flow. All three of the radioactive elements are strongly partitioned into the continental crust, but within the crust their distribution is determined by their different chemical properties. The behaviour of U, which has two commonly occurring oxidation states, is more complex than that of Th and K. Uranium deposits are diverse, and are mostly associated with granites, acid volcanics, or detrital sedimentary rocks. The most important U deposits economically are unconformity-type ores of Proterozoic age, in which U is enriched by up to 5 x 10 6 with respect to bulk earth values. In some cases natural radioactivity can be of environmental concern. The most significant risk is posed by accumulations of radon, the gaseous daughter product of U. (author)

Geohistory. Global evolution of the earth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozima, Minoru

1987-01-01

A full understanding of the earth's evolution can be achieved only by considering it as a continuous process starting with the birth of the solar system. This book traces the evolution of the earth, mainly on the basis of radiogenic isotopes from long half-life parent elements, and discusses it in terms of the latest developments in astrophysical theory, which impose unique constraints on the earth's origin and early evolution. By its 'historical' nature, geohistorical study also offers a unique approach to forecasting the future of the earth, yielding useful clues for the understanding of environmental problems, such as radioactive waste disposal. This book aims to provide an outline of global evolution of the planet earth for students of general science and for earth scientists.

What can earth tide measurements tell us about ocean tides or earth structure?

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, T. F.

1978-01-01

Current experimental problems in Earth tides are reviewed using comparisons of tidal gravity and tilt measurements in Europe with loading calculations are examples. The limitations of present day instrumentation and installation techniques are shown as well as some of the ways in which they can be improved. Many of the geophysical and oceanographic investigations that are possible with Earth tide measurements are discussed with emphasis on the percentage accuracies required in the measurements in order to obtain new information about Earth or its oceans.

EARTH FROM SPACE

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Table of contents. EARTH FROM SPACE · Slide 2 · Earth System · Slide 4 · Global water cycle · Slide 6 · Slide 7 · Direct Observations of Recent Climate Change · Slide 9 · Slide 10 · Snow cover and Arctic sea ice are decreasing · Polar Melting & Global Heat Transport · Antarctica: Melting and Thickening · Slide 14 · Slide 15.

Visualizing Earth Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Cashman, K. V.; Rust, A.; Stibbon, E.; Harris, R.

2016-12-01

Earth materials are fundamental to art. They are pigments, they are clay, they provide form and color. Earth scientists, however, rarely attempt to make the physical properties of Earth materials visible through art, and similarly many artists use Earth materials without fully understanding their physical and chemical properties. Here we explore the intersection between art and science through study of the physical properties of Earth materials as characterized in the laboratory, and as transferred to paper using different techniques and suspending media. One focus of this collaboration is volcanic ash. Ash is interesting scientifically because its form provides information on the fundamental processes that drive volcanic eruptions, and determines its transport properties, and thus its potential to affect populations far downwind of the volcano. Ash properties also affect its behavior as an art material. From an aesthetic point of view, ash lends a granular surface to the image; it is also uncontrollable, and thus requires engagement between artist and medium. More fundamentally, using ash in art creates an exchange between the medium and the subject matter, and imparts something of the physical, visceral experience of volcanic landscapes to the viewer. Another component of this work uses powdered rock as a printing medium for geologic maps. Because different types of rock create powders with different properties (grain size distributions and shapes), the geology is communicated not only as color, but also by the physical characteristics of the material as it interacts with the paper. More importantly, the use of actual rocks samples as printing material for geologic maps not only makes a direct connection between the map and the material it represents, but also provides an emotional connection between the map, the viewer and the landscape, its colors, textures and geological juxtapositions. Both case studies provide examples not only of ways in which artists can

Global Earth Response to Loading by Ocean Tide Models

Science.gov (United States)

Estes, R. H.; Strayer, J. M.

1979-01-01

Mathematical and programming techniques to numerically calculate Earth response to global semidiurnal and diurnal ocean tide models were developed. Global vertical crustal deformations were evaluated for M sub 2, S sub 2, N sub 2, K sub 2, K sub 1, O sub 1, and P sub 1 ocean tide loading, while horizontal deformations were evaluated for the M sub 2 tidal load. Tidal gravity calculations were performed for M sub 2 tidal loads, and strain tensor elements were evaluated for M sub 2 loads. The M sub 2 solution used for the ocean tide included the effects of self-gravitation and crustal loading.

Changes in Earth's core-generated magnetic field, as observed by Swarm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Finlay, Chris; Olsen, Nils; Gillet, Nicolas

By far the largest part of the Earth's magnetic field is generated by motions taking place within our planet's liquid metal outer core. Variations of this core-generated field thus provide us with a unique means of probing the dynamics taking place in the deepest reaches of the Earth....... In this contribution, we will present the core-generated magnetic field, and its recent time changes, as seen by ESA's Earth explorer mission Swarm. We will present a new time-dependent geomagnetic field model, called CHAOS-6, derived from satellite data collected by the Swarm constellation, as well as data from...... the previous missions CHAMP and Oersted together with ground observatory data. Advantage is taken of the constellation aspect of the Swarm mission by ingesting field differences along track and across track between the lower pair of Swarm satellites. Evaluating the global field model at the outer boundary...

Earth's Trojan asteroid.

Science.gov (United States)

Connors, Martin; Wiegert, Paul; Veillet, Christian

2011-07-27

It was realized in 1772 that small bodies can stably share the same orbit as a planet if they remain near 'triangular points' 60° ahead of or behind it in the orbit. Such 'Trojan asteroids' have been found co-orbiting with Jupiter, Mars and Neptune. They have not hitherto been found associated with Earth, where the viewing geometry poses difficulties for their detection, although other kinds of co-orbital asteroid (horseshoe orbiters and quasi-satellites) have been observed. Here we report an archival search of infrared data for possible Earth Trojans, producing the candidate 2010 TK(7). We subsequently made optical observations which established that 2010 TK(7) is a Trojan companion of Earth, librating around the leading Lagrange triangular point, L(4). Its orbit is stable over at least ten thousand years.

Assessing the Impact of Earth Radiation Pressure Acceleration on Low-Earth Orbit Satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Vielberg, Kristin; Forootan, Ehsan; Lück, Christina; Kusche, Jürgen; Börger, Klaus

2017-04-01

The orbits of satellites are influenced by several external forces. The main non-gravitational forces besides thermospheric drag, acting on the surface of satellites, are accelerations due to the Earth and Solar Radiation Pres- sure (SRP and ERP, respectively). The sun radiates visible and infrared light reaching the satellite directly, which causes the SRP. Earth also emits and reflects the sunlight back into space, where it acts on satellites. This is known as ERP acceleration. The influence of ERP increases with decreasing distance to the Earth, and for low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites ERP must be taken into account in orbit and gravity computations. Estimating acceler- ations requires knowledge about energy emitted from the Earth, which can be derived from satellite remote sensing data, and also by considering the shape and surface material of a satellite. In this sensitivity study, we assess ERP accelerations based on different input albedo and emission fields and their modelling for the satellite missions Challenging Mini-Satellite Payload (CHAMP) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). As input fields, monthly 1°x1° products of Clouds and the Earth's Radiant En- ergy System (CERES), L3 are considered. Albedo and emission models are generated as latitude-dependent, as well as in terms of spherical harmonics. The impact of different albedo and emission models as well as the macro model and the altitude of satellites on ERP accelerations will be discussed.

HABEBEE: habitability of eyeball-exo-Earths.

Science.gov (United States)

Angerhausen, Daniel; Sapers, Haley; Citron, Robert; Bergantini, Alexandre; Lutz, Stefanie; Queiroz, Luciano Lopes; da Rosa Alexandre, Marcelo; Araujo, Ana Carolina Vieira

2013-03-01

Extrasolar Earth and super-Earth planets orbiting within the habitable zone of M dwarf host stars may play a significant role in the discovery of habitable environments beyond Earth. Spectroscopic characterization of these exoplanets with respect to habitability requires the determination of habitability parameters with respect to remote sensing. The habitable zone of dwarf stars is located in close proximity to the host star, such that exoplanets orbiting within this zone will likely be tidally locked. On terrestrial planets with an icy shell, this may produce a liquid water ocean at the substellar point, one particular "Eyeball Earth" state. In this research proposal, HABEBEE: exploring the HABitability of Eyeball-Exo-Earths, we define the parameters necessary to achieve a stable icy Eyeball Earth capable of supporting life. Astronomical and geochemical research will define parameters needed to simulate potentially habitable environments on an icy Eyeball Earth planet. Biological requirements will be based on detailed studies of microbial communities within Earth analog environments. Using the interdisciplinary results of both the physical and biological teams, we will set up a simulation chamber to expose a cold- and UV-tolerant microbial community to the theoretically derived Eyeball Earth climate states, simulating the composition, atmosphere, physical parameters, and stellar irradiation. Combining the results of both studies will enable us to derive observable parameters as well as target decision guidance and feasibility analysis for upcoming astronomical platforms.

Pull vs. Push: How OmniEarth Delivers Better Earth Observation Information to Subscribers

Science.gov (United States)

Fish, C.; Slagowski, S.; Dyrud, L.; Fentzke, J.; Hargis, B.; Steerman, M.

2015-04-01

Until very recently, the commercialization of Earth observation systems has largely occurred in two ways: either through the detuning of government satellites or the repurposing of NASA (or other science) data for commercial use. However, the convergence of cloud computing and low-cost satellites is enabling Earth observation companies to tailor observation data to specific markets. Now, underserved constituencies, such as agriculture and energy, can tap into Earth observation data that is provided at a cadence, resolution and cost that can have a real impact to their bottom line. To connect with these markets, OmniEarth fuses data from a variety of sources, synthesizes it into useful and valuable business information, and delivers it to customers via web or mobile interfaces. The "secret sauce" is no longer about having the highest resolution imagery, but rather it is about using that imagery - in conjunction with a number of other sources - to solve complex problems that require timely and contextual information about our dynamic and changing planet. OmniEarth improves subscribers' ability to visualize the world around them by enhancing their ability to see, analyze, and react to change in real time through a solutions-as-a-service platform.

Connecting Earth Systems: Developing Holistic Understanding through the Earth-System-Science Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, Valoree; Bradway, Heather

2012-01-01

For many years, Earth science concepts have been taught as thematic units with lessons in nice, neat chapter packages complete with labs and notes. But compartmentalized Earth science no longer exists, and implementing teaching methods that support student development of holistic understandings can be a time-consuming and difficult task. While…

Metallothermic reduction of rare earth oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R.A.

1986-01-01

Rare earth oxides can be reduced to rare earth metals by a novel, high yield, metallothermic process. The oxides are dispersed in a suitable, molten, calcium chloride bath along with sodium metal. The sodium reacts with the calcium chloride to produce calcium metal which reduces the rare earth oxides to rare earth metals. The metals are collected in a discrete layer in the reaction vessel

Earthing the human body influences physiologic processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokal, Karol; Sokal, Pawel

2011-04-01

This study was designed to answer the question: Does the contact of the human organism with the Earth via a copper conductor affect physiologic processes? Subjects and experiments: Five (5) experiments are presented: experiment 1-effect of earthing on calcium-phosphate homeostasis and serum concentrations of iron (N = 84 participants); experiment 2-effect of earthing on serum concentrations of electrolytes (N = 28); experiment 3-effect of earthing on thyroid function (N = 12); experiment 4-effect of earthing on glucose concentration (N = 12); experiment 5-effect of earthing on immune response to vaccine (N = 32). Subjects were divided into two groups. One (1) group of people was earthed, while the second group remained without contact with the Earth. Blood and urine samples were examined. Earthing of an electrically insulated human organism during night rest causes lowering of serum concentrations of iron, ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus, and reduction of renal excretion of calcium and phosphorus. Earthing during night rest decreases free tri-iodothyronine and increases free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone. The continuous earthing of the human body decreases blood glucose in patients with diabetes. Earthing decreases sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, total protein, and albumin concentrations while the levels of transferrin, ferritin, and globulins α1, α2, β, and γ increase. These results are statistically significant. Earthing the human body influences human physiologic processes. This influence is observed during night relaxation and during physical activity. Effect of the earthing on calcium-phosphate homeostasis is the opposite of that which occurs in states of weightlessness. It also increases the activity of catabolic processes. It may be the primary factor regulating endocrine and nervous systems.

Rare earth industries: Strategies for Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Evidently, many reports cite Malaysia as having reasonably substantial amounts of rare earths elements. In fact, based on the rare earths found in the residual tin deposits alone, Malaysia has about 30,000 tonnes. This does not take into account unmapped deposits which experts believe may offer more tonnages of rare earths. Brazil which is reported to have about 48,000 tonnes has announced plans to invest aggressively in the rare earths business. China has on record the largest reserves with about 36 million tonnes. This explains why China has invested heavily in the entire value chain of the rare earths business. Chinas committed investment in rare earths started many years ago when the country's foremost leaders proclaimed the strategic position of rare earths in the world economy. That forecast is now a reality where the rise in the green high-tech economy is seen driving global demand for rare earths in a big way. Malaysia needs to discover and venture into new economic growth areas. This will help fuel the country's drive to achieve a high income status by 2020 as articulated in the New Economic Model (NEM) and the many supporting Economic Transformation Plans that the Government has recently launched. Rare earths may be the new growth area for Malaysia. However, the business opportunities should not just be confined to the mining, extraction and production of rare earths elements alone if Malaysia is to maximise benefits from this industry. The industry's gold mine is in the downstream products. This is also the sector that China wants to expand. Japan which now controls about 50 % of the global market for downstream rare earths-based high-tech components is desperately looking for partners to grow their stake in the business. Malaysia needs to embark on the right strategies in order to build the rare earths industry in the country. What are the strategies? (author)

The Australian Computational Earth Systems Simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Mora, P.; Muhlhaus, H.; Lister, G.; Dyskin, A.; Place, D.; Appelbe, B.; Nimmervoll, N.; Abramson, D.

2001-12-01

Numerical simulation of the physics and dynamics of the entire earth system offers an outstanding opportunity for advancing earth system science and technology but represents a major challenge due to the range of scales and physical processes involved, as well as the magnitude of the software engineering effort required. However, new simulation and computer technologies are bringing this objective within reach. Under a special competitive national funding scheme to establish new Major National Research Facilities (MNRF), the Australian government together with a consortium of Universities and research institutions have funded construction of the Australian Computational Earth Systems Simulator (ACcESS). The Simulator or computational virtual earth will provide the research infrastructure to the Australian earth systems science community required for simulations of dynamical earth processes at scales ranging from microscopic to global. It will consist of thematic supercomputer infrastructure and an earth systems simulation software system. The Simulator models and software will be constructed over a five year period by a multi-disciplinary team of computational scientists, mathematicians, earth scientists, civil engineers and software engineers. The construction team will integrate numerical simulation models (3D discrete elements/lattice solid model, particle-in-cell large deformation finite-element method, stress reconstruction models, multi-scale continuum models etc) with geophysical, geological and tectonic models, through advanced software engineering and visualization technologies. When fully constructed, the Simulator aims to provide the software and hardware infrastructure needed to model solid earth phenomena including global scale dynamics and mineralisation processes, crustal scale processes including plate tectonics, mountain building, interacting fault system dynamics, and micro-scale processes that control the geological, physical and dynamic

Who Uses Earth Observations? User Types in Group on Earth Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Fontaine, K. S.

2011-12-01

How can we communicate concepts in the physical sciences unless we know our audience? The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) User Interface Committee (UIC) has a responsibility within GEO to support and advocate for the user community in the development of Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS) and related work. As part of its efforts, the UIC has been working on developing a taxonomy that can be used to characterize the broad spectrum of users of GEOSS and its data, services, and applications. The user type taxonomy is designed to be broad and flexible but aims at describing the needs of the users GEOSS is going to serve. These user types represent a continuum of users of Earth observations from research through to decision support activities, and it includes organizations that use GEOSS as a tool to provide data and services for customers and consumers of the information. The classification scheme includes factors about skills and capacity for using Earth observations, sophistication level, spatial resolution, latency, and frequency of data. As part of the effort to develop a set of User Types, the GEO UIC foresees that those inside and outside GEO can use the typologies to understand how to engage users at a more effective level. This talk presents the GEOSS User Type taxonomy, explaining the development and highlights of key feedback. The talk will highlight possible ways to use the User Type taxonomy to communicate concepts and promote the use of Earth observations to a wide variety of users.

Description and Evaluation of IAP-AACM: A Global-regional Aerosol Chemistry Model for the Earth System Model CAS-ESM

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Y.; Chen, X.

2017-12-01

We present a first description and evaluation of the IAP Atmospheric Aerosol Chemistry Model (IAP-AACM) which has been integrated into the earth system model CAS-ESM. In this way it is possible to research into interaction of clouds and aerosol by its two-way coupling with the IAP Atmospheric General Circulation Model (IAP-AGCM). The model has a nested global-regional grid based on the Global Environmental Atmospheric Transport Model (GEATM) and the Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (NAQPMS). The AACM provides two optional gas chemistry schemes, the CBM-Z gas chemistry as well as a sulfur oxidize box designed specifically for the CAS-ESM. Now the model driven by AGCM has been applied to a 1-year simulation of tropospheric chemistry both on global and regional scales for 2014, and been evaluated against various observation datasets, including aerosol precursor gas concentration, aerosol mass and number concentrations. Furthermore, global budgets in AACM are compared with other global aerosol models. Generally, the AACM simulations are within the range of other global aerosol model predictions, and the model has a reasonable agreement with observations of gases and particles concentration both on global and regional scales.

Rare earth industries: Downstream business

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The value chain of the rare earths business involves mining, extraction, processing, refining and the manufacture of an extensive range of downstream products which find wide applications in such industries including aerospace, consumer electronics, medical, military, automotive, renewable wind and solar energy and telecommunications. In fact the entire gamut of the high-tech industries depends on a sustainable supply of rare earths elements. The explosive demand in mobile phones is an excellent illustration of the massive potential that the rare earths business offers. In a matter of less than 20 years, the number of cell phones worldwide has reached a staggering 5 billion. Soon, going by the report of their growth in sales, the world demand for cell phones may even exceed the global population. Admittedly, the rare earths business does pose certain risks. Top among the risks are the health and safety risks. The mining, extraction and refining of rare earths produce residues and wastes which carry health and safety risks. The residues from the extraction and refining are radioactive, while their effluent waste streams do pose pollution risks to the receiving rivers and waterways. But, as clearly elaborated in a recent report by IAEA experts, there are technologies and systems available to efficiently mitigate such risks. The risks are Rare Earth manageable. However, it is crucial that the risk and waste management procedures are strictly followed and adhered to. This is where effective monitoring and surveillance throughout the life of all such rare earths facilities is crucial. Fortunately, Malaysia's regulatory standards on rare earths follow international standards. In some areas, Malaysia's regulatory regime is even more stringent than the international guidelines. (author)

Learning More About Our Earth: An Exploration of NASA's Contributions to Earth Science Through Remote Sensing Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsay, Francis

2017-01-01

NASA is commonly known for its pioneering work in space exploration and the technological advancements that made access to space possible. NASA is now increasingly known for the agency's research and technologies that support the Earth sciences. This is a presentation focusing on NASA's Earth science efforts told mostly through the technological innovations NASA uses to achieve a greater understanding of the Earth, making it possible to explore the Earth as a system. Enabling this science is NASA's fleet of over two dozen Earth science spacecraft, supported by aircraft, ships and ground observations. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) is a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. With the launching of the three flagship satellite missions, Terra, Aqua and Aura, beginning in 1999, NASA's initial Mission to Planet Earth made it possible to measure aspects of the environment that touch the lives of every person around the world. NASA harnessing the unique space-based platform means, fortunately, no planet is better studied than the one we actually live on.

The earth and the moon

CERN Document Server

Elkins-Tanton, Linda T

2010-01-01

The moon is the only body in the solar system outside of the Earth that has been visited by humans. More than 440 pounds of lunar material are brought by NASA and Soviet space missions to Earth for study. The information gleaned about the moon from this relatively small pile of rocks is mind-boggling and stands as the greatest proof that Martian planetary science would be greatly enhanced by returning samples to Earth. Compositional studies of lunar rocks show that the moon and the Earth are made of similar material, and because lunar material has not been reworked through erosion and plate te

Rare earth-iron-boron premanent magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghendehari, M.H.

1988-01-01

This patent describes a method for producing rare earth-iron-boron permanent magnets containing added rare earth oxide, comprising the steps of: (a) mixing a particulate alloy containing at least one rare earth metal, iron, and boron with at least one particulate rare earth oxide; (b) aligning magnetic domains of the mixture in a magnetic field; (c) compacting the aligned mixture to form a shape; and (d) sintering the compacted shape

The industry of metallic rare earths (R.E.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poirier, P.

1979-01-01

The following subjects are discussed: rare earths resources (rare earths abondance and world reserves, main ores). Rare earths separation and purification (ionic exchange, solvent extraction). Metallic rare earths and their mixtures, metallothermic reduction of oxides or fluorides (Ca, Mg, Al, Si or rare earth metals), Co-reduction process for intermetallic compounds (SmCo 5 ). Industrial applications of metallic rare earths (traditional applications such as flints, nodular cast iron, steel refining, magnesium industrie, applications under development such as rare earths/cobalt magnets, LaNi 5 for hydrogen storage, special alloys (automotive post combustion), magnetostrictive alloys). Economical problems: rare earth are elements relatively abundant and often at easily accessible prices. However, this group of 15 elements are liable to certain economical restraints. It is difficult to crack ore for only one rare earth. Availability of one given rare earth must be associated with the other corresponding rare earths to absorb all the other rare earths in other applications. Rare-earth industry has a strong expanding rate. 20% per year average for 6 years with Rhone-Poulenc. Thanks to their exceptional, specific characteristics rare earths have a bright future particularly for their metals

Rigidly framed earth retaining structures thermal soil structure interaction of buildings supporting unbalanced lateral earth pressures

CERN Document Server

Aboumoussa, Walid

2014-01-01

Structures placed on hillsides often present a number of challenges and a limited number of economical choices for site design. An option sometimes employed is to use the building frame as a retaining element, comprising a Rigidly Framed Earth Retaining Structure (RFERS). The relationship between temperature and earth pressure acting on RFERS, is explored in this monograph through a 4.5 year monitoring program of a heavily instrumented in service structure. The data indicated that the coefficient of earth pressure behind the monitored RFERS had a strong linear correlation with temperature. The study also revealed that thermal cycles, rather than lateral earth pressure, were the cause of failure in many structural elements. The book demonstrates that depending on the relative stiffness of the retained soil mass and that of the structural frame, the developed lateral earth pressure, during thermal expansion, can reach magnitudes several times larger than those determined using classical earth pressure theories....

Sally Ride EarthKAM - Automated Image Geo-Referencing Using Google Earth Web Plug-In

Science.gov (United States)

Andres, Paul M.; Lazar, Dennis K.; Thames, Robert Q.

2013-01-01

Sally Ride EarthKAM is an educational program funded by NASA that aims to provide the public the ability to picture Earth from the perspective of the International Space Station (ISS). A computer-controlled camera is mounted on the ISS in a nadir-pointing window; however, timing limitations in the system cause inaccurate positional metadata. Manually correcting images within an orbit allows the positional metadata to be improved using mathematical regressions. The manual correction process is time-consuming and thus, unfeasible for a large number of images. The standard Google Earth program allows for the importing of KML (keyhole markup language) files that previously were created. These KML file-based overlays could then be manually manipulated as image overlays, saved, and then uploaded to the project server where they are parsed and the metadata in the database is updated. The new interface eliminates the need to save, download, open, re-save, and upload the KML files. Everything is processed on the Web, and all manipulations go directly into the database. Administrators also have the control to discard any single correction that was made and validate a correction. This program streamlines a process that previously required several critical steps and was probably too complex for the average user to complete successfully. The new process is theoretically simple enough for members of the public to make use of and contribute to the success of the Sally Ride EarthKAM project. Using the Google Earth Web plug-in, EarthKAM images, and associated metadata, this software allows users to interactively manipulate an EarthKAM image overlay, and update and improve the associated metadata. The Web interface uses the Google Earth JavaScript API along with PHP-PostgreSQL to present the user the same interface capabilities without leaving the Web. The simpler graphical user interface will allow the public to participate directly and meaningfully with EarthKAM. The use of

Cosmic rays and Earth's climate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svensmark, Henrik

2000-01-01

During the last solar cycle the Earth's cloud cover underwent a modulation in phase with the cosmic ray flux. Assuming that there is a causal relationship between the two, it is expected and found that the Earth's temperature follows more closely decade variations in cosmic ray flux than other...... solar activity parameters. If the relationship is real the state of the Heliosphere affects the Earth's climate....

Sun-Earth Day, 2001

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Mitzi L.; Mortfield, P.; Hathaway, D. H.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

To promote awareness of the Sun-Earth connection, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with the Stanford SOLAR Center, sponsored a one-day Sun-Earth Day event on April 27, 2001. Although "celebrated" on only one day, teachers and students from across the nation, prepared for over a month in advance. Workshops were held in March to train teachers. Students performed experiments, results of which were shared through video clips and an internet web cast. Our poster includes highlights from student experiments (grades 2 - 12), lessons learned from the teacher workshops and the event itself, and plans for Sun-Earth Day 2002.

Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Sokal, Karol

2011-01-01

Abstract Objectives This study was designed to answer the question: Does the contact of the human organism with the Earth via a copper conductor affect physiologic processes? Subjects and experiments Five (5) experiments are presented: experiment 1—effect of earthing on calcium–phosphate homeostasis and serum concentrations of iron (N = 84 participants); experiment 2—effect of earthing on serum concentrations of electrolytes (N = 28); experiment 3—effect of earthing on thyroid function (N = 12); experiment 4—effect of earthing on glucose concentration (N = 12); experiment 5—effect of earthing on immune response to vaccine (N = 32). Subjects were divided into two groups. One (1) group of people was earthed, while the second group remained without contact with the Earth. Blood and urine samples were examined. Results Earthing of an electrically insulated human organism during night rest causes lowering of serum concentrations of iron, ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus, and reduction of renal excretion of calcium and phosphorus. Earthing during night rest decreases free tri-iodothyronine and increases free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone. The continuous earthing of the human body decreases blood glucose in patients with diabetes. Earthing decreases sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, total protein, and albumin concentrations while the levels of transferrin, ferritin, and globulins α1, α2, β, and γ increase. These results are statistically significant. Conclusions Earthing the human body influences human physiologic processes. This influence is observed during night relaxation and during physical activity. Effect of the earthing on calcium–phosphate homeostasis is the opposite of that which occurs in states of weightlessness. It also increases the activity of catabolic processes. It may be the primary factor regulating endocrine and nervous systems. PMID:21469913

The Earth's Biosphere

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

In the last five years, scientists have been able to monitor our changing planet in ways never before possible. The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), aboard the OrbView-2 satellite, has given researchers an unprecedented view of the biological engine that drives life on Earth-the countless forms of plants that cover the land and fill the oceans. 'There is no question the Earth is changing. SeaWiFS has enabled us, for the first time, to monitor the biological consequences of that change-to see how the things we do, as well as natural variability, affect the Earth's ability to support life,' said Gene Carl Feldman, SeaWiFS project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. SeaWiFS data, based on continuous daily global observations, have helped scientists make a more accurate assessment of the oceans' role in the global carbon cycle. The data provide a key parameter in a number of ecological and environmental studies as well as global climate-change modeling. The images of the Earth's changing land, ocean and atmosphere from SeaWiFS have documented many previously unrecognized phenomena. The image above shows the global biosphere from June 2002 measured by SeaWiFS. Data in the oceans is chlorophyll concentration, a measure of the amount of phytoplankton (microscopic plants) living in the ocean. On land SeaWiFS measures Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, an indication of the density of plant growth. For more information and images, read: SeaWiFS Sensor Marks Five Years Documenting Earth'S Dynamic Biosphere Image courtesy SeaWiFS project and copyright Orbimage.

Chemical analysis of rare earth elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsukahara, Ryoichi; Sakoh, Takefumi; Nagai, Iwao

1994-01-01

Recently attention has been paid to ICP-AES or ICP-MS, and the reports on the analysis of rare earth elements by utilizing these methods continue to increase. These reports have become to take about 30% of the reports on rare earth analysis, and this is because these methods are highly sensitive to rare earth elements, and also these methods have spread widely. In ICP-AES and ICP-MS, mostly solution samples are measured, therefore, solids must be made into solution. At the time of quantitatively determining the rare earth elements of low concentration, separation and concentration are necessary. Referring to the literatures reported partially in 1990 and from 1991 to 1993, the progress of ICP-AES and ICP-MS is reported. Rare earth oxides and the alloys containing rare earth elements are easily decomposed with acids, but the decomposition of rocks is difficult, and its method is discussed. The separation of the rare earth elements from others in geochemical samples, cation exchange process is frequently utilized. Also solvent extraction process has been studied. For the separation of rare earth elements mutually, chromatography is used. The spectral interference in spectral analysis was studied. The comparison of these methods with other methods is reported. (K.I)

Ancient and Medieval Earth in Armenia

Science.gov (United States)

Farmanyan, S. V.

2015-07-01

Humankind has always sought to recognize the nature of various sky related phenomena and tried to give them explanations. The purpose of this study is to identify ancient Armenians' pantheistic and cosmological perceptions, world view, notions and beliefs related to the Earth. The paper focuses on the structure of the Earth and many other phenomena of nature that have always been on a major influence on ancient Armenians thinking. In this paper we have compared the term Earth in 31 languages. By discussing and comparing Universe structure in various regional traditions, myths, folk songs and phraseological units we very often came across to "Seven Heavens" (Seven heavens is a part of religious cosmology found in many major religions such as Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity (namely Catholicism) and "Seven Earths". Armenians in their turn divided Earth and Heavens into seven layers. And in science too, both the Earth and the Heavens have 7 layers. The Seven Heavens refer to the layers of our atmosphere. The Seven Earths refer to the layers of the Earth (from core to crust), as well as seven continents. We conclude that the perception of celestial objects varies from culture to culture and preastronomy had a significant impact on humankind, particularly on cultural diversities.

Radiation environment of the earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Masahide

2003-01-01

The radiation environment of the earth consists of natural and artificial radiation. This paper explains the distribution and some exposure examples of natural radiation and the relation between life and natural radiation. The earth was born before about 46 hundreds of millions of years. In the present earth, there are some natural radiations with long half-life originated by the earth. They are 232 Th (141 hundreds of millions of years of half-life), 238 U (45 hundreds of millions of years of half-life) and 40 K (13 hundreds of millions of years of half-life). Natural radiation (α-, β-, and γ-ray) from natural radionuclides exists everywhere in the earth. Natural radio nuclides are heat source of the earth, which is about 0.035 μcal/g/y. γ-ray from them is called as ''the earth's crust γ-ray'', which is about 55 nGy/h average of the world and about 50 nGy/h in Japan. The distribution of γ-ray is depended on the kinds of soil and rock. 222 Rn and 230 Rn are rare gases and the concentration of them in a room is larger than outside. Natural radiations originated from the cosmos are proton, ionizing components, neutron component with muon and electron, 3 H, 14 C and 10 Be. Effect of cosmic rays on birth of life, change of temperature, amount of cloud and ultra resistant cell are stated. (S.Y.)

Magnetic Storms at Mars and Earth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vennerstrøm, Susanne; Falkenberg, Thea Vilstrup

In analogy with magnetic storms at the Earth, periods of significantly enhanced global magnetic activity also exist at Mars. The extensive database of magnetic measurements from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), covering almost an entire solar cycle, is used in combination with geomagnetic activity...... indices at Earth to compare the occurrence of magnetic storms at Mars and Earth. Based on superposed epochs analysis the time-development of typical magnetic storms at Mars and Earth is described. In contradiction to storms at Earth, most magnetic storms at Mars are found to be associated...... with heliospheric current sheet crossings, where the IMF changes polarity. While most storms at the Earth occur due to significant southward excursions of the IMF associated with CMEs, at Mars most storms seem to be associated with the density enhancement of the heliospheric current sheet. Density enhancements...

Global Earth Observation System of Systems: Characterizing Uncertainties of Space- based Measurements and Earth System Models Informing Decision Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Birk, R. J.; Frederick, M.

2006-05-01

performance of integrated system solutions. The U.S. Group on Earth Observations has identified six near-term opportunities (NTO) for integrated system solutions that contribute to the U.S. IEOS. The six NTOs include the use of space-based measurements of land use/land cover, biogeochemistry parameters, solid Earth perturbations, and ocean parameters important to dealing with decisions associated with such important areas as future sea level change. This paper describes the architectures of the 6 NTOs within a common framework and discusses challenges for systematically evaluating the capacity of discrete research components of NASA space-based observation systems, with models and computing systems and decision support systems.

Earth rotation, station coordinates and orbit determination from satellite laser ranging

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Masaaki

The Project MERIT, a special program of international colaboration to Monitor Earth Rotation and Intercompare the Techniques of observation and analysis, has come to an end with great success. Its major objective was to evaluate the ultimate potential of space techniques such as VLBI and satellite laser ranging, in contrast with the other conventional techniques, in the determination of rotational dynamics of the earth. The National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) has officially participated in the project as an associate analysis center for satellite laser technique for the period of the MERIT Main Campaign (September 1983-October 1984). In this paper, the NAL analysis center results are presented.

Earth as art 4

Science.gov (United States)

,

2016-03-29

Landsat 8 is the latest addition to the long-running series of Earth-observing satellites in the Landsat program that began in 1972. The images featured in this fourth installment of the Earth As Art collection were all acquired by Landsat 8. They show our planet’s diverse landscapes with remarkable clarity.Landsat satellites see the Earth as no human can. Not only do they acquire images from the vantage point of space, but their sensors record infrared as well as visible wavelengths of light. The resulting images often reveal “hidden” details of the Earth’s land surface, making them invaluable for scientific research.As with previous Earth As Art exhibits, these Landsat images were selected solely for their aesthetic appeal. Many of the images have been manipulated to enhance color variations or details. They are not intended for scientific interpretation—only for your viewing pleasure. What do you see in these unique glimpses of the Earth’s continents, islands, and coastlines?

Dimension of the Earth's general ellipsoid

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Burša, Milan; Kenyon, S.; Kouba, J.; Raděj, K.; Šíma, Zdislav; Vatrt, V.; Vojtíšková, M.

2002-01-01

Roč. 91, č. 1 (2002), s. 31-41 ISSN 0167-9295 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1003909 Keywords : Earth's dimensions * Earth's ellipsoid * fundamental constants Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography Impact factor: 1.364, year: 2002

The international earth observing system: a cultural debate about earth sciences from space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Menenti, M.

1996-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the International Earth Observing System, i.e. the combined earth observation programmes of space agencies worldwide and of the relevance of advanced space-borne sensor systems to the study and understanding of interactions between land surface and atmosphere. The

Anthropogenic Cycles of Rare Earth Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Du, X.; Graedel, T. E.

2009-12-01

This research will develop quantitatively resolved anthropogenic cycles and in-use stocks for the rare earth metals specifically cerium, lanthanum and dysprosium in Japan, China, and the U.S. for the year of 2007. Rare earth elements (REE) is a group of 17 scare metals widely used in a growing number of emerging technologies and have been in high demand for emerging technologies as raw materials during past the three decades. New market participants from newly industrializing countries, primarily China, have had strong impacts on the demand of share. Consequently, the importance to sustain a reliable, steady, uninterrupted supply on global market triggered comprehensive research to recognize and understand the life cycles of rare earths. Moreover, because China plays a dominant role in mining production since 1990, it requires the assessment for the countries, which are almost completely dependent on imports from China with respect to rare earth resources. The study aims to analyze the flows and stocks of rare earth elements individually as elemental form in spite of their natural geological co-occurrence and mixed composition in applications. By applying the method of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) work has been done on evaluating current and historical flows of specific technologically significant materials, for example, copper, zinc, nickel, etc., determining the stocks available in different types of reservoirs (e.g., lithosphere, in-use) and the flows among the reservoirs, developing scenarios of possible futures of metal use, and assessing the environmental and policy implications of the results. Therefore, REE as a new target deserves inclusion because of its potential demand-supply conflict and importance to secure the competitive advantage of technical innovation in future. This work will generate a quantitatively resolved anthropogenic life cycle and in-use stocks for REE for the main target countries for a chosen year, 2007, providing flows and stocks from

Rare earth elements: end use and recyclability

Science.gov (United States)

Goonan, Thomas G.

2011-01-01

Rare earth elements are used in mature markets (such as catalysts, glassmaking, lighting, and metallurgy), which account for 59 percent of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements, and in newer, high-growth markets (such as battery alloys, ceramics, and permanent magnets), which account for 41 percent of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements. In mature market segments, lanthanum and cerium constitute about 80 percent of rare earth elements used, and in new market segments, dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium account for about 85 percent of rare earth elements used. Regardless of the end use, rare earth elements are not recycled in large quantities, but could be if recycling became mandated or very high prices of rare earth elements made recycling feasible.

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ramapriyan, H. K.

2015-01-01

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program has evolved over the last two decades, and currently has several core and community components. Core components provide the basic operational capabilities to process, archive, manage and distribute data from NASA missions. Community components provide a path for peer-reviewed research in Earth Science Informatics to feed into the evolution of the core components. The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is a core component consisting of twelve Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and eight Science Investigator-led Processing Systems spread across the U.S. The presentation covers how the ESDS Program continues to evolve and benefits from as well as contributes to advances in Earth Science Informatics.

Detecting Water on Super-Earths Using JAVST

Science.gov (United States)

Deming, D.

2010-01-01

Nearby lower train sequence stars host a class of planets known as Super-Earths, that have no analog in our own solar system. Super-Earths are rocky and/or icy planets with masses up to about 10 Earth masses, They are expected to host atmospheres generated by a number of processes including accretion of chondritic material. Water vapor should be a common constituent of super-Earth atmospheres, and may be detectable in transiting super-Earths using transmission spectroscopy during primar y eclipse, and emission spectroscopy at secondary eclipse. I will discuss the prospects for super-Earth atmospheric measurements using JWST.

How Big is Earth?

Science.gov (United States)

Thurber, Bonnie B.

2015-08-01

How Big is Earth celebrates the Year of Light. Using only the sunlight striking the Earth and a wooden dowel, students meet each other and then measure the circumference of the earth. Eratosthenes did it over 2,000 years ago. In Cosmos, Carl Sagan shared the process by which Eratosthenes measured the angle of the shadow cast at local noon when sunlight strikes a stick positioned perpendicular to the ground. By comparing his measurement to another made a distance away, Eratosthenes was able to calculate the circumference of the earth. How Big is Earth provides an online learning environment where students do science the same way Eratosthenes did. A notable project in which this was done was The Eratosthenes Project, conducted in 2005 as part of the World Year of Physics; in fact, we will be drawing on the teacher's guide developed by that project.How Big Is Earth? expands on the Eratosthenes project by providing an online learning environment provided by the iCollaboratory, www.icollaboratory.org, where teachers and students from Sweden, China, Nepal, Russia, Morocco, and the United States collaborate, share data, and reflect on their learning of science and astronomy. They are sharing their information and discussing their ideas/brainstorming the solutions in a discussion forum. There is an ongoing database of student measurements and another database to collect data on both teacher and student learning from surveys, discussions, and self-reflection done online.We will share our research about the kinds of learning that takes place only in global collaborations.The entrance address for the iCollaboratory is http://www.icollaboratory.org.

Core-Mantle Partitioning of Volatile Elements and the Origin of Volatile Elements in Earth and Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Righter, K.; Pando, K.; Danielson, L.; Nickodem, K.

2014-01-01

Depletions of siderophile elements in mantles have placed constraints on the conditions on core segregation and differentiation in bodies such as Earth, Earth's Moon, Mars, and asteroid 4 Vesta. Among the siderophile elements there are a sub-set that are also volatile (volatile siderophile elements or VSE; Ga, Ge, In, As, Sb, Sn, Bi, Zn, Cu, Cd), and thus can help to constrain the origin of volatile elements in these bodies, and in particular the Earth and Moon. One of the fundamental observations of the geochemistry of the Moon is the overall depletion of volatile elements relative to the Earth, but a satisfactory explanation has remained elusive. Hypotheses for Earth include addition during accretion and core formation and mobilized into the metallic core, multiple stage origin, or addition after the core formed. Any explanation for volatile elements in the Earth's mantle must also be linked to an explanation of these elements in the lunar mantle. New metal-silicate partitioning data will be applied to the origin of volatile elements in both the Earth and Moon, and will evaluate theories for exogenous versus endogenous origin of volatile elements.

Rare earth conversion coatings grown on AA6061 aluminum alloys. Corrosion studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brachetti S, S. B. [Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Madero, Av. 1o. de Mayo y Sor Juana I. de la Cruz, Col. Los Mangos, 89440 Ciudad Madero, Tanaulipas (Mexico); Dominguez C, M. A.; Torres H, A. M.; Onofre B, E. [IPN, Centro de Investigacion en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada - Altamira, Carretera Tampico-Puerto Industrial Altamira Km. 14.5, 89600 Altamira, Tamaulipas (Mexico); De la Cruz H, W., E-mail: mdominguezc@ipn.mx [UNAM, Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnologia, Apdo. Postal 2681, 22800 Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico)

2014-07-01

The present work is aimed to investigate the corrosion resistance of rare earth protective coatings deposited by spontaneous deposition on AA6061 aluminum alloy substrates. Coatings were deposited from water-based Ce(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} and La(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} solutions by varing parameters such as rare earth solution concentration, bath temperature and immersion time. The values of the Tafel slopes indicate that the cathodic process is favored by concentration polarization rather than activation polarization. Chemical and morphological characterizations of the surface before and after electrochemical evaluations were performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. (Author)

Rare earth conversion coatings grown on AA6061 aluminum alloys. Corrosion studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brachetti S, S. B.; Dominguez C, M. A.; Torres H, A. M.; Onofre B, E.; De la Cruz H, W.

2014-01-01

The present work is aimed to investigate the corrosion resistance of rare earth protective coatings deposited by spontaneous deposition on AA6061 aluminum alloy substrates. Coatings were deposited from water-based Ce(NO 3 ) 3 and La(NO 3 ) 3 solutions by varing parameters such as rare earth solution concentration, bath temperature and immersion time. The values of the Tafel slopes indicate that the cathodic process is favored by concentration polarization rather than activation polarization. Chemical and morphological characterizations of the surface before and after electrochemical evaluations were performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. (Author)

A Web-based Google-Earth Coincident Imaging Tool for Satellite Calibration and Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Killough, B. D.; Chander, G.; Gowda, S.

2009-12-01

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is coordinating international efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to meet the needs of its nine “Societal Benefit Areas”, of which the most demanding, in terms of accuracy, is climate. To accomplish this vision, satellite on-orbit and ground-based data calibration and validation (Cal/Val) of Earth observation measurements are critical to our scientific understanding of the Earth system. Existing tools supporting space mission Cal/Val are often developed for specific campaigns or events with little desire for broad application. This paper describes a web-based Google-Earth based tool for the calculation of coincident satellite observations with the intention to support a diverse international group of satellite missions to improve data continuity, interoperability and data fusion. The Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), which includes 28 space agencies and 20 other national and international organizations, are currently operating and planning over 240 Earth observation satellites in the next 15 years. The technology described here will better enable the use of multiple sensors to promote increased coordination toward a GEOSS. The CEOS Systems Engineering Office (SEO) and the Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV) support the development of the CEOS Visualization Environment (COVE) tool to enhance international coordination of data exchange, mission planning and Cal/Val events. The objective is to develop a simple and intuitive application tool that leverages the capabilities of Google-Earth web to display satellite sensor coverage areas and for the identification of coincident scene locations along with dynamic menus for flexibility and content display. Key features and capabilities include user-defined evaluation periods (start and end dates) and regions of interest (rectangular areas) and multi-user collaboration. Users can select two or more CEOS missions from a

Interacting with Petabytes of Earth Science Data using Jupyter Notebooks, IPython Widgets and Google Earth Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, T. A.; Granger, B.; Grout, J.; Corlay, S.

2017-12-01

The volume of Earth science data gathered from satellites, aircraft, drones, and field instruments continues to increase. For many scientific questions in the Earth sciences, managing this large volume of data is a barrier to progress, as it is difficult to explore and analyze large volumes of data using the traditional paradigm of downloading datasets to a local computer for analysis. Furthermore, methods for communicating Earth science algorithms that operate on large datasets in an easily understandable and reproducible way are needed. Here we describe a system for developing, interacting, and sharing well-documented Earth Science algorithms that combines existing software components: Jupyter Notebook: An open-source, web-based environment that supports documents that combine code and computational results with text narrative, mathematics, images, and other media. These notebooks provide an environment for interactive exploration of data and development of well documented algorithms. Jupyter Widgets / ipyleaflet: An architecture for creating interactive user interface controls (such as sliders, text boxes, etc.) in Jupyter Notebooks that communicate with Python code. This architecture includes a default set of UI controls (sliders, dropboxes, etc.) as well as APIs for building custom UI controls. The ipyleaflet project is one example that offers a custom interactive map control that allows a user to display and manipulate geographic data within the Jupyter Notebook. Google Earth Engine: A cloud-based geospatial analysis platform that provides access to petabytes of Earth science data via a Python API. The combination of Jupyter Notebooks, Jupyter Widgets, ipyleaflet, and Google Earth Engine makes it possible to explore and analyze massive Earth science datasets via a web browser, in an environment suitable for interactive exploration, teaching, and sharing. Using these environments can make Earth science analyses easier to understand and reproducible, which may

Laurel Clark Earth Camp: Building a Framework for Teacher and Student Understanding of Earth Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Colodner, D.; Buxner, S.; Schwartz, K.; Orchard, A.; Titcomb, A.; King, B.; Baldridge, A.; Thomas-Hilburn, H.; Crown, D. A.

2013-04-01

Laurel Clark Earth Camp is designed to inspire teachers and students to study their world through field experiences, remote sensing investigations, and hands on exploration, all of which lend context to scientific inquiry. In three different programs (for middle school students, for high school students, and for teachers) participants are challenged to understand Earth processes from the perspectives of both on-the ground inspection and from examination of satellite images, and use those multiple perspectives to determine best practices on both a societal and individual scale. Earth Camp is a field-based program that takes place both in the “natural” and built environment. Middle School Earth Camp introduces students to a variety of environmental science, engineering, technology, and societal approaches to sustainability. High School Earth Camp explores ecology and water resources from southern Arizona to eastern Utah, including a 5 day rafting trip. In both camps, students compare environmental change observed through repeat photography on the ground to changes observed from space. Students are encouraged to utilize their camp experience in considering their future course of study, career objectives, and lifestyle choices. During Earth Camp for Educators, teachers participate in a series of weekend workshops to explore relevant environmental science practices, including water quality testing, biodiversity surveys, water and light audits, and remote sensing. Teachers engage students, both in school and after school, in scientific investigations with this broad based set of tools. Earth Stories from Space is a website that will assist in developing skills and comfort in analyzing change over time and space using remotely sensed images. Through this three-year NASA funded program, participants will appreciate the importance of scale and perspective in understanding Earth systems and become inspired to make choices that protect the environment.

Hands On Earth Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Weisgarber, Sherry L.; Van Doren, Lisa; Hackathorn, Merrianne; Hannibal, Joseph T.; Hansgen, Richard

This publication is a collection of 13 hands-on activities that focus on earth science-related activities and involve students in learning about growing crystals, tectonics, fossils, rock and minerals, modeling Ohio geology, geologic time, determining true north, and constructing scale-models of the Earth-moon system. Each activity contains…

Evaluating the behavior of gadolinium and other rare earth elements through large metropolitan sewage treatment plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Verplanck, Philip L; Furlong, Edward T; Gray, James L; Phillips, Patrick J; Wolf, Ruth E; Esposito, Kathleen

2010-05-15

A primary pathway for emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals, personal care products, steroids, and hormones) to enter aquatic ecosystems is effluent from sewage treatment plants (STP), and identifying technologies to minimize the amount of these contaminants released is important. Quantifying the flux of these contaminants through STPs is difficult. This study evaluates the behavior of gadolinium, a rare earth element (REE) utilized as a contrasting agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), through four full-scale metropolitan STPs that utilize several biosolids thickening, conditioning, stabilization, and dewatering processing technologies. The organically complexed Gd from MRIs has been shown to be stable in aquatic systems and has the potential to be utilized as a conservative tracer in STP operations to compare to an emerging contaminant of interest. Influent and effluent waters display large enrichments in Gd compared to other REEs. In contrast, most sludge samples from the STPs do not display Gd enrichments, including primary sludges and end-product sludges. The excess Gd appears to remain in the liquid phase throughout the STP operations, but detailed quantification of the input Gd load and residence times of various STP operations is needed to utilize Gd as a conservative tracer.

Recovering heavy rare earth metals from magnet scrap

Science.gov (United States)

Ott, Ryan T.; McCallum, Ralph W.; Jones, Lawrence L.

2017-08-08

A method of treating rare earth metal-bearing permanent magnet scrap, waste or other material in a manner to recover the heavy rare earth metal content separately from the light rare earth metal content. The heavy rare earth metal content can be recovered either as a heavy rare earth metal-enriched iron based alloy or as a heavy rare earth metal based alloy.

Google Earth: A Virtual Globe for Elementary Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Britt, Judy; LaFontaine, Gus

2009-01-01

Originally called Earth Viewer in 2004, Google Earth was the first virtual globe easily available to the ordinary user of the Internet. Google Earth, at earth.google.com, is a free, 3-dimensional computer model of Earth, but that means more than just a large collection of pretty pictures. It allows the viewer to "fly" anywhere on Earth "to view…

Properties of an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star: Earth observed by the EPOXI mission.

Science.gov (United States)

Livengood, Timothy A; Deming, L Drake; A'hearn, Michael F; Charbonneau, David; Hewagama, Tilak; Lisse, Carey M; McFadden, Lucy A; Meadows, Victoria S; Robinson, Tyler D; Seager, Sara; Wellnitz, Dennis D

2011-11-01

NASA's EPOXI mission observed the disc-integrated Earth and Moon to test techniques for reconnoitering extrasolar terrestrial planets, using the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft to observe Earth at the beginning and end of Northern Hemisphere spring, 2008, from a range of ∼1/6 to 1/3 AU. These observations furnish high-precision and high-cadence empirical photometry and spectroscopy of Earth, suitable as "ground truth" for numerically simulating realistic observational scenarios for an Earth-like exoplanet with finite signal-to-noise ratio. Earth was observed at near-equatorial sub-spacecraft latitude on 18-19 March, 28-29 May, and 4-5 June (UT), in the range of 372-4540 nm wavelength with low visible resolving power (λ/Δλ=5-13) and moderate IR resolving power (λ/Δλ=215-730). Spectrophotometry in seven filters yields light curves at ∼372-948 nm filter-averaged wavelength, modulated by Earth's rotation with peak-to-peak amplitude of ≤20%. The spatially resolved Sun glint is a minor contributor to disc-integrated reflectance. Spectroscopy at 1100-4540 nm reveals gaseous water and carbon dioxide, with minor features of molecular oxygen, methane, and nitrous oxide. One-day changes in global cloud cover resulted in differences between the light curve beginning and end of ≤5%. The light curve of a lunar transit of Earth on 29 May is color-dependent due to the Moon's red spectrum partially occulting Earth's relatively blue spectrum. The "vegetation red edge" spectral contrast observed between two long-wavelength visible/near-IR bands is ambiguous, not clearly distinguishing between the verdant Earth diluted by cloud cover versus the desolate mineral regolith of the Moon. Spectrophotometry in at least one other comparison band at short wavelength is required to distinguish between Earth-like and Moon-like surfaces in reconnaissance observations. However, measurements at 850 nm alone, the high-reflectance side of the red edge, could be sufficient to

Nystagmus responses in a group of normal humans during earth-horizontal axis rotation

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, Conrad, III; Furman, Joseph M. R.

1989-01-01

Horizontal eye movement responses to earth-horizontal yaw axis rotation were evaluated in 50 normal human subjects who were uniformly distributed in age (20-69 years) and each age group was then divided by gender. Subjects were rotated with eyes open in the dark, using clockwise and counter-clockwise 60 deg velocity trapezoids. The nystagmus slow component velocity is analyzed. It is shown that, despite large intersubject variability, parameters which describe earth-horizontal yaw axis responses are loosely interrelated, and some of them vary significantly with gender and age.

Spacecraft navigation at Mars using earth-based and in situ radio tracking techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Thurman, S. W.; Edwards, C. D.; Kahn, R. D.; Vijayaraghavan, A.; Hastrup, R. C.; Cesarone, R. J.

1992-08-01

A survey of earth-based and in situ radiometric data types and results from a number of studies investigating potential radio navigation performance for spacecraft approaching/orbiting Mars and for landed spacecraft and rovers on the surface of Mars are presented. The performance of Doppler, ranging and interferometry earth-based data types involving single or multiple spacecraft is addressed. This evaluation is conducted with that of in situ data types, such as Doppler and ranging measurements between two spacecraft near Mars, or between a spacecraft and one or more surface radio beacons.

Capacity and degree of iodine absorbed and enriched by vegetable from soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Huan-Xin; Weng, Jing-Ke; Yong, Wen-Bin; Sun, Xiang-Wu; Zhong, Hang

2003-01-01

To understand the biogeochemical transfer of iodine, the absorbability and bioaccumulation of iodine in tested vegetables (radish, spinach and Chinese cabbage) are examined by applying iodic fertilizer composed of kelp and diatomaceous earth. The experimental results show that when iodine in soil is not excessive, the concentrations of iodine in tested vegetables increase as the content of iodine in soil increases. The absorbability and enrichment degree of iodine in various vegetables and in various parts of the same vegetable a redifferent, which explains that the concentration of iodine in plant is determined by the plant type and the physiological action of plant. The patience order of tested vegetables to excessive iodine is Chinese cabbage > spinach > radish. These results have theoretical and practical significance in opening up a new way for ameliorating poor iodine environment with artificial means.

EOS Reference Handbook 1999: A Guide to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and the Earth Observing System

Science.gov (United States)

King, M. D. (Editor); Greenstone, R. (Editor)

2000-01-01

The content of this handbook includes Earth Science Enterprise; The Earth Observing System; EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS); Data and Information Policy; Pathfinder Data Sets; Earth Science Information Partners and the Working Prototype-Federation; EOS Data Quality: Calibration and Validation; Education Programs; International Cooperation; Interagency Coordination; Mission Elements; EOS Instruments; EOS Interdisciplinary Science Investigations; and Points-of-Contact.

Long-range interactions between alkali and alkaline-earth atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Jun; Cheng Yongjun; Mitroy, J

2013-01-01

Dispersion coefficients between the alkali metal atoms (Li–Rb) and alkaline-earth metal atoms (Be–Sr) are evaluated using matrix elements computed from frozen core configuration interaction calculations. Besides dispersion coefficients with both atoms in their respective ground states, dispersion coefficients are also given for the case where one atom is in its ground state and the other atom is in a low-lying excited state. (paper)

Low degree Earth's gravity coefficients determined from different space geodetic observations and climate models

Science.gov (United States)

Wińska, Małgorzata; Nastula, Jolanta

2017-04-01

Large scale mass redistribution and its transport within the Earth system causes changes in the Earth's rotation in space, gravity field and Earth's ellipsoid shape. These changes are observed in the ΔC21, ΔS21, and ΔC20 spherical harmonics gravity coefficients, which are proportional to the mass load-induced Earth rotational excitations. In this study, linear trend, decadal, inter-annual, and seasonal variations of low degree spherical harmonics coefficients of Earth's gravity field, determined from different space geodetic techniques, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), satellite laser ranging (SLR), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Earth rotation, and climate models, are examined. In this way, the contribution of each measurement technique to interpreting the low degree surface mass density of the Earth is shown. Especially, we evaluate an usefulness of several climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) to determine the low degree Earth's gravity coefficients using GRACE satellite observations. To do that, Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS) changes from several CMIP5 climate models are determined and then these simulated data are compared with the GRACE observations. Spherical harmonics ΔC21, ΔS21, and ΔC20 changes are calculated as the sum of atmosphere and ocean mass effect (GAC values) taken from GRACE and a land surface hydrological estimate from the selected CMIP5 climate models. Low degree Stokes coefficients of the surface mass density determined from GRACE, SLR, GNSS, Earth rotation measurements and climate models are compared to each other in order to assess their consistency. The comparison is done by using different types of statistical and signal processing methods.

Next-generation digital earth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goodchild, M.F.; Guo, H.; Annoni, A.; Bian, L.; Bie, de K.; Campbell, F.; Craglia, M.; Ehlers, M.; Genderen, van J.; Skidmore, A.K.; Wang, C.; Woodgate, P.

2012-01-01

A speech of then-Vice President Al Gore in 1998 created a vision for a Digital Earth, and played a role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth, that achieved many but not all the elements of this vision. The technical achievements of Google

iSTEM: Celebrating Earth Day with Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Sibley, Amanda; Kurz, Terri L.

2014-01-01

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22. Teachers often commemorate Earth Day with their classes by planting trees, discussing important conservation topics (such as recycling or preventing pollution), and encouraging students to take care of planet Earth. To promote observance of Earth Day in an intermediate elementary school classroom, this…

Climate SPHINX: evaluating the impact of resolution and stochastic physics parameterisations in the EC-Earth global climate model

Science.gov (United States)

Davini, Paolo; von Hardenberg, Jost; Corti, Susanna; Christensen, Hannah M.; Juricke, Stephan; Subramanian, Aneesh; Watson, Peter A. G.; Weisheimer, Antje; Palmer, Tim N.

2017-03-01

The Climate SPHINX (Stochastic Physics HIgh resolutioN eXperiments) project is a comprehensive set of ensemble simulations aimed at evaluating the sensitivity of present and future climate to model resolution and stochastic parameterisation. The EC-Earth Earth system model is used to explore the impact of stochastic physics in a large ensemble of 30-year climate integrations at five different atmospheric horizontal resolutions (from 125 up to 16 km). The project includes more than 120 simulations in both a historical scenario (1979-2008) and a climate change projection (2039-2068), together with coupled transient runs (1850-2100). A total of 20.4 million core hours have been used, made available from a single year grant from PRACE (the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and close to 1.5 PB of output data have been produced on SuperMUC IBM Petascale System at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) in Garching, Germany. About 140 TB of post-processed data are stored on the CINECA supercomputing centre archives and are freely accessible to the community thanks to an EUDAT data pilot project. This paper presents the technical and scientific set-up of the experiments, including the details on the forcing used for the simulations performed, defining the SPHINX v1.0 protocol. In addition, an overview of preliminary results is given. An improvement in the simulation of Euro-Atlantic atmospheric blocking following resolution increase is observed. It is also shown that including stochastic parameterisation in the low-resolution runs helps to improve some aspects of the tropical climate - specifically the Madden-Julian Oscillation and the tropical rainfall variability. These findings show the importance of representing the impact of small-scale processes on the large-scale climate variability either explicitly (with high-resolution simulations) or stochastically (in low-resolution simulations).

Earth Institute at Columbia University ADVANCE Program: Addressing Needs for Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, R. E.; Cane, M.; Mutter, J.; Miller, R.; Pfirman, S.; Laird, J.

2004-12-01

The Earth Institute has received a major NSF ADVANCE grant targeted at increasing the participation and advancement of women scientists and engineers in the Academy through institutional transformation. The Earth Institute at Columbia University includes 9 research institutes including Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC), Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate Prediction, Earth Engineering Center, NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Center for Risks and Hazards, Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development, and Center for Global Health and Economic Development and six academic departments including Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (E3B, School of Arts and Sciences), Earth and Environmental Engineering (DEEE, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences), Department of Environmental Health (School of Public Health), Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES, School of Arts and Sciences), Department of International and Public Affairs (School of International and Policy Affairs), and Barnard College Department of Environmental Science. The Earth Institute at Columbia University's ADVANCE program is based both on a study of the status of women at Columbia and research on the progression of women in science elsewhere. The five major targets of the Columbia ADVANCE program are to (1) change the demographics of the faculty through intelligent hiring practices, (2) provide support to women scientists through difficult life transitions including elder care and adoption or birth of a child, (3) enhance mentoring and networking opportunities, (4) implement transparent promotion procedures and policies, and (5) conduct an institutional self study. The Earth Institute ADVANCE program is unique in that it addresses issues that tend to manifest themselves in the earth and environmental fields, such as extended

Defect structure of cubic solid solutions of alkaline earth and rare earth fluorides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

DenHartog, HW

1996-01-01

In this paper we will consider the disorder in some cubic solid solutions consisting of one of the alkaline earth fluorides and one of the rare earth fluorides. This is an attractive group of model materials, because these materials have a rather simple overall cubic structure. We will discuss the

Keeping Earth at work: Using thermodynamics to develop a holistic theory of the Earth system

Science.gov (United States)

Kleidon, Axel

2010-05-01

The Earth system is unique among terrestrial planets in that it is maintained in a state far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Practically all processes are irreversible in their nature, thereby producing entropy, and these would act to destroy this state of disequilibrium. In order to maintain disequilibrium in steady state, driving forces are required that perform the work to maintain the Earth system in a state far from equilibrium. To characterize the functioning of the Earth system and the interactions among its subsystems we need to consider all terms of the first and second law of thermodynamics. While the global energy balance is well established in climatology, the global entropy and work balances receive little, if any, attention. Here I will present first steps in developing a holistic theory of the Earth system including quantifications of the relevant terms that is based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics. This theory allows us to compare the significance of different processes in driving and maintaining disequilibrium, allows us to explore interactions by investigating the role of power transfer among processes, and specifically illustrate the significance of life in driving planetary disequilibrium. Furthermore, the global work balance demonstrates the significant impact of human activity and it provides an estimate for the availability of renewable sources of free energy within the Earth system. Hence, I conclude that a holistic thermodynamic theory of the Earth system is not just some academic exercise of marginal use, but essential for a profound understanding of the Earth system and its response to change.

The Crew Earth Observations Experiment: Earth System Science from the ISS

Science.gov (United States)

Stefanov, William L.; Evans, Cynthia A.; Robinson, Julie A.; Wilkinson, M. Justin

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use of Astronaut Photography (AP) as taken from the International Space Station (ISS) in Earth System Science (ESS). Included are slides showing basic remote sensing theory, data characteristics of astronaut photography, astronaut training and operations, crew Earth observations group, targeting sites and acquisition, cataloging and database, analysis and applications for ESS, image analysis of particular interest urban areas, megafans, deltas, coral reefs. There are examples of the photographs and the analysis.

Sunwatchers Across Time: Sun-Earth Day from Ancient and Modern Solar Observatories

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, I.; Vondrak, R.

Humans across all cultures have venerated, observed, and studied the Sun for thousands of years. The Sun, our nearest star, provides heat and energy, is the cause of the seasons, and causes space weather effects that influence our technology-dependent society. The Sun is also part of indigenous tradition and culture. The Inca believed that the Sun had the power to make things grow, and it does, providing us with the heat and energy that are essential to our survival. From a NASA perspective, Sun-Earth Connection research investigates the effects of our active Sun on the Earth and other planets, namely, the interaction of the solar wind and other dynamic space weather phenomena with the solar system. We present plans for Sun-Earth Day 2005, a yearly celebration of the Sun-Earth Connection sponsored by the NASA Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF). SECEF is one of four national centers of space science education and public outreach funded by NASA Office of Space Science. Sun-Earth Day involves an international audience of schools, science museums, and the general public in activities and events related to learning about the Sun-Earth Connection. During the year 2005, the program will highlight cultural and historical perspectives, as well as NASA science, through educational and public outreach events intended to involve diverse communities. Sun-Earth Day 2005 will include a series of webcasts from solar observatories produced by SECEF in partnership with the San Francisco Exploratorium. Webcasts from Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, USA, and from Chichen Itza, Mexico, will be accessed by schools and the public. Sun-Earth Day will also feature NASA Sun-Earth Connection research, missions, and the people who make it possible. One of the goals of this talk is to inform and engage COSPAR participants in these upcoming public events sponsored by NASA. Another goal is to share best practices in public event programming, and present impact

Earth System Dynamics: The Determination and Interpretation of the Global Angular Momentum Budget using the Earth Observing System. Revised

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

The objective of this investigation has been to examine the mass and momentum exchange between the atmosphere, oceans, solid Earth, hydrosphere, and cryosphere. The investigation has focused on changes in the Earth's gravity field, its rotation rate, atmospheric and oceanic circulation, global sea level change, ice sheet change, and global ground water circulation observed by contemporary sensors and models. The primary component of the mass exchange is water. The geodetic observables provided by these satellite sensors are used to study the transport of water mass in the hydrological cycle from one component of the Earth to another, and they are also used to evaluate the accuracy of models. As such, the investigation is concerned with the overall global water cycle. This report provides a description of scientific, educational and programmatic activities conducted during the period July 1, 1999 through June 30,2000. Research has continued into measurements of time-varying gravity and its relationship to Earth rotation. Variability of angular momentum and the related excitation of polar motion and Earth rotation have been examined for the atmosphere and oceans at time-scales of weeks to several years. To assess the performance of hydrologic models, we have compared geodetic signals derived from them with those observed by satellites. One key component is the interannual mass variability of the oceans obtained by direct observations from altimetry after removing steric signals. Further studies have been conducted on the steric model to quantify its accuracy at global and basin-scales. The results suggest a significant loss of water mass from the Oceans to the land on time-scales longer than 1-year. These signals are not reproduced in any of the models, which have poorly determined interannual fresh water fluxes. Output from a coupled atmosphere-ocean model testing long-term climate change hypotheses has been compared to simulated errors from the Gravity Recovery and

Earth System Science Project

Science.gov (United States)

Rutherford, Sandra; Coffman, Margaret

2004-01-01

For several decades, science teachers have used bottles for classroom projects designed to teach students about biology. Bottle projects do not have to just focus on biology, however. These projects can also be used to engage students in Earth science topics. This article describes the Earth System Science Project, which was adapted and developed…

Flexible Description and Adaptive Processing of Earth Observation Data through the BigEarth Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Gorgan, Dorian; Bacu, Victor; Stefanut, Teodor; Nandra, Cosmin; Mihon, Danut

2016-04-01

The Earth Observation data repositories extending periodically by several terabytes become a critical issue for organizations. The management of the storage capacity of such big datasets, accessing policy, data protection, searching, and complex processing require high costs that impose efficient solutions to balance the cost and value of data. Data can create value only when it is used, and the data protection has to be oriented toward allowing innovation that sometimes depends on creative people, which achieve unexpected valuable results through a flexible and adaptive manner. The users need to describe and experiment themselves different complex algorithms through analytics in order to valorize data. The analytics uses descriptive and predictive models to gain valuable knowledge and information from data analysis. Possible solutions for advanced processing of big Earth Observation data are given by the HPC platforms such as cloud. With platforms becoming more complex and heterogeneous, the developing of applications is even harder and the efficient mapping of these applications to a suitable and optimum platform, working on huge distributed data repositories, is challenging and complex as well, even by using specialized software services. From the user point of view, an optimum environment gives acceptable execution times, offers a high level of usability by hiding the complexity of computing infrastructure, and supports an open accessibility and control to application entities and functionality. The BigEarth platform [1] supports the entire flow of flexible description of processing by basic operators and adaptive execution over cloud infrastructure [2]. The basic modules of the pipeline such as the KEOPS [3] set of basic operators, the WorDeL language [4], the Planner for sequential and parallel processing, and the Executor through virtual machines, are detailed as the main components of the BigEarth platform [5]. The presentation exemplifies the development

Comparison of Freshmen's Cognitive Frame about 'Crisis of the Earth' upon Taking the Earth Science 1 in High School

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Duk Ho; Park, Seon Ok

2016-04-01

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate if freshmen's cognitive frame about 'Crisis of the Earth' upon taking the Earth science 1I in high school reflects the school curriculum. The data was collected from 67 freshmen who'd graduated high school in formal education. They expressed 'Crisis of the Earth' as a painting with explanation and then we extracted units of meaning from paintings, respectively. We analyzed the words and frame using the Semantic Network Analysis. The result is as follows; First, as every participant forms the cognitive frame for the crisis of the Earth, it is shown that they connect each part which that composes the global environment and realize it as the changing relation with interaction. Secondly, forming a cognitive frame regarding crisis of the Earth, both groups connect it with human endeavor. Especially, it seems that the group of participants who finished Earth Science 1 fully reflects the course of the formal education. It is necessary to make the students recognize it from a universal point of view, not only from the Earth. Also, much effort is required in order to enlighten about the appropriateness regarding problem-solving of the Earth and expand their mind as time changes. Keywords : Earth Science 1, cognitive frame, crisis of the earth, semantic network analysis

Discover Earth: an earth system science program for libraries and their communities

Science.gov (United States)

Dusenbery, P.

2011-12-01

The view from space has deepened our understanding of Earth as a global, dynamic system. Instruments on satellites and spacecraft, coupled with advances in ground-based research, have provided us with astonishing new perspectives of our planet. Now more than ever, enhancing the public's understanding of Earth's physical and biological systems is vital to helping citizens make informed policy decisions especially when they are faced with the consequences of global climate change. While the focus for education reform is on school improvement, there is considerable research that supports the role that out-of-school experiences can play in student achievement. Libraries provide an untapped resource for engaging underserved youth and their families in fostering an appreciation and deeper understanding of science and technology topics. The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), and the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) have received funding from NSF to develop a national project called the STAR Library Education Network: a hands-on learning program for libraries and their communities (or STAR-Net for short). STAR stands for Science-Technology, Activities and Resources. STAR-Net includes two exhibitions: Discover Earth and Discover Tech. The Discover Earth exhibition will focus on local earth science topics-such as weather, water cycle, and ecosystem changes-as well as a global view of our changing planet. The main take-away message (or Big Idea) for this exhibition is that the global environment changes - and is changed by - the host community's local environment. The project team is testing whether this approach will be a good strategy for engaging the public, especially in rural America. This presentation will provide an overview of the Discover Earth project and how it is integrating climate change ideas into the exhibit

Introducing Earth's Orbital Eccentricity

Science.gov (United States)

Oostra, Benjamin

2015-01-01

Most students know that planetary orbits, including Earth's, are elliptical; that is Kepler's first law, and it is found in many science textbooks. But quite a few are mistaken about the details, thinking that the orbit is very eccentric, or that this effect is somehow responsible for the seasons. In fact, the Earth's orbital eccentricity is…

NASA's Earth science flight program status

Science.gov (United States)

Neeck, Steven P.; Volz, Stephen M.

2010-10-01

NASA's strategic goal to "advance scientific understanding of the changing Earth system to meet societal needs" continues the agency's legacy of expanding human knowledge of the Earth through space activities, as mandated by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. Over the past 50 years, NASA has been the world leader in developing space-based Earth observing systems and capabilities that have fundamentally changed our view of our planet and have defined Earth system science. The U.S. National Research Council report "Earth Observations from Space: The First 50 Years of Scientific Achievements" published in 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences articulates those key achievements and the evolution of the space observing capabilities, looking forward to growing potential to address Earth science questions and enable an abundance of practical applications. NASA's Earth science program is an end-to-end one that encompasses the development of observational techniques and the instrument technology needed to implement them. This includes laboratory testing and demonstration from surface, airborne, or space-based platforms; research to increase basic process knowledge; incorporation of results into complex computational models to more fully characterize the present state and future evolution of the Earth system; and development of partnerships with national and international organizations that can use the generated information in environmental forecasting and in policy, business, and management decisions. Currently, NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) has 14 operating Earth science space missions with 6 in development and 18 under study or in technology risk reduction. Two Tier 2 Decadal Survey climate-focused missions, Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons (ASCENDS) and Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), have been identified in conjunction with the U.S. Global Change Research Program and initiated for launch in the 2019

Earth-Affecting Solar Causes Observatory (EASCO): a mission at the Sun-Earth L5

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gopalswamy, Nat; Davila, Joseph M.; Auchère, Frédéric

2011-01-01

Observatory (STEREO) missions, but these missions lacked some key measurements: STEREO did not have a magnetograph; SOHO did not have in-situ magnetometer. SOHO and other imagers such as the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) located on the Sun-Earth line are also not well-suited to measure Earth-directed CMEs....... The Earth-Affecting Solar Causes Observatory (EASCO) is a proposed mission to be located at the Sun-Earth L5 that overcomes these deficiencies. The mission concept was recently studied at the Mission Design Laboratory (MDL), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, to see how the mission can be implemented....... The study found that the scientific payload (seven remote-sensing and three in-situ instruments) can be readily accommodated and can be launched using an intermediate size vehicle; a hybrid propulsion system consisting of a Xenon ion thruster and hydrazine has been found to be adequate to place the payload...

Building Capacity for Earth Observations in Support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Blevins, B.; Prados, A. I.; Hook, E.

2017-12-01

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) looks to build a future where the international community uses Earth observations to make better, informed decisions. This includes application in international agreements such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. To do this, decision makers first need to build the necessary skills. NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training program (ARSET) seeks to build capacity through remote sensing training. In-person and online trainings raise awareness, enable data access, and demonstrate applications of Earth observations. Starting in 2017, ARSET began offering training focused on applying Earth data to the UN SDGs. These trainings offer insight into applications of satellite data in support of implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the SDGs. This presentation will provide an overview of the use of NASA satellite data to track progress towards increased food security, disaster risk reduction, and conservation of natural resources for societal benefit. It will also include a discussion on capacity building best practices and lessons learned for using Earth observations to meet SDG targets, based on feedback from engaging over 800 participants from 89 nations and 580 organizations in ARSET SDG trainings.

An Expert System toward Buiding An Earth Science Knowledge Graph

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J.; Duan, X.; Ramachandran, R.; Lee, T. J.; Bao, Q.; Gatlin, P. N.; Maskey, M.

2017-12-01

In this ongoing work, we aim to build foundations of Cognitive Computing for Earth Science research. The goal of our project is to develop an end-to-end automated methodology for incrementally constructing Knowledge Graphs for Earth Science (KG4ES). These knowledge graphs can then serve as the foundational components for building cognitive systems in Earth science, enabling researchers to uncover new patterns and hypotheses that are virtually impossible to identify today. In addition, this research focuses on developing mining algorithms needed to exploit these constructed knowledge graphs. As such, these graphs will free knowledge from publications that are generated in a very linear, deterministic manner, and structure knowledge in a way that users can both interact and connect with relevant pieces of information. Our major contributions are two-fold. First, we have developed an end-to-end methodology for constructing Knowledge Graphs for Earth Science (KG4ES) using existing corpus of journal papers and reports. One of the key challenges in any machine learning, especially deep learning applications, is the need for robust and large training datasets. We have developed techniques capable of automatically retraining models and incrementally building and updating KG4ES, based on ever evolving training data. We also adopt the evaluation instrument based on common research methodologies used in Earth science research, especially in Atmospheric Science. Second, we have developed an algorithm to infer new knowledge that can exploit the constructed KG4ES. In more detail, we have developed a network prediction algorithm aiming to explore and predict possible new connections in the KG4ES and aid in new knowledge discovery.

Sintered cobalt-rare earth intermetallic product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benz, M.C.

1975-01-01

A process is described for preparing novel sintered cobalt--rare earth intermetallic products which can be magnetized to form permanent magnets having stable improved magnetic properties. A cobalt--rare earth metal alloy is formed having a composition which at sintering temperature falls outside the composition covered by the single Co 5 R intermetallic phase on the rare earth richer side. The alloy contains a major amount of the Co 5 R intermetallic phase and a second solid CoR phase which is richer in rare earth metal content than the Co 5 R phase. The specific cobalt and rare earth metal content of the alloy is substantially the same as that desired in the sintered product. The alloy, in particulate form, is pressed into compacts and sintered to the desired density. The sintered product is comprised of a major amount of the Co 5 R solid intermetallic phase and up to about 35 percent of the product of the second solid CoR intermetallic phase which is richer in rare earth metal content than the Co 5 R phase

HfO2 - rare earth oxide systems in the region with high content of rare earth oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shevchenko, A.V.; Lopato, L.M.

1982-01-01

Using the methods of annealing and hardenings (10 2 -10 4 deg/s cooling rate) and differential thermal analysis elements of state diagrams of HfO 2 - rare earth oxide (rare earths-La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Y, Er, Yb, Lu, Sc) systems from 1800 deg C up to melting in the range of 60-100 mol% rare earth oxide concentration were constructed. Regularities of HfQ 2 addition effect on high-temperature polymorphic transformations of rare earth oxides were studied. Results of investigation were discussed from viewpoint of crystal chemistry

Behaviour of Rare Earth Elements during the Earth's core formation

Science.gov (United States)

Faure, Pierre; Bouhifd, Mohamed Ali; Boyet, Maud; Hammouda, Tahar; Manthilake, Geeth

2017-04-01

Rare Earth Elements (REE) are classified in the refractory group, which means that they have a high temperature condensation and their volatility-controlled fractionation is limited to high-temperature processes. Anomalies have been measured for Eu, Yb and Sm, which are the REE with the lowest condensation temperatures in CAIs and chondrules (e.g. [1]). REE are particularly abundant in the sulfides of enstatite chondrites, 100 to 1000 times the CI value [e.g. 2,3], proving that these elements are not strictly lithophile under extremely reducing conditions. However by investigating experimentally the impact of Earth's core formation on the behavior of Sm and Nd, we have shown the absence of fractionation between Sm and Nd during the segregation of the metallic phase [4]. Recently, Wohlers and Wood [5] proposed that Nd and Sm could be fractionated in presence of a S-rich alloy phase. However, their results were obtained at pressure and temperature conditions below the plausible conditions of the Earth's core formation. Clearly, large pressure range needs to be covered before well-constrained model can be expected. Furthermore, our preliminary metal-silicate partitioning results show that Ce and Eu have higher metal/silicate partition coefficients than their neighboring elements, and that the presence of sulphur enhances the relative difference between partition coefficients. In this presentation, we will present and discuss new metal-silicate partition coefficients of all REE at a deep magma ocean at pressures ranging from those of the uppermost upper mantle ( 5 GPa) to a maximum pressure expected in the range of 20 GPa, temperatures ranging from 2500 to about 3000 K, and oxygen fugacities within IW-1 to IW-5 (1 to 5 orders of magnitude lower than the iron-wüstite buffer). We will discuss the effect of S, as well as the effect of H2O on the behaviour of REE during the Earth's core formation: recent models suggest that contrary to currently accepted beliefs, the

Production of rare earth-silicon-iron alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehra, O.K.; Bose, D.K.; Gupta, C.K.

1987-01-01

At Metallurgy Division, BARC, improved procedures for producing rare earth-silicon alloys have been investigated. In these methods, reduction of mixed rare earth oxide by a ferro-silicon and aluminium mixture in combination with CaO-MgO flux/CaO-CaF 2 flux have been tried to prepare an alloy product with a higher rare earth recovery at a higher rare earth content than the present commercial production method. The rare earth recovery using CaO-CaF 2 was 85 per cent while in the case of CaO-MgO flux it was 76 per cent. The corresponding rare earth contents in the alloy correspond to 40 per cent and 55 per cent by weight respectively. (author)

Earth Systems Science: An Analytic Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Finley, Fred N.; Nam, Younkeyong; Oughton, John

2011-01-01

Earth Systems Science (ESS) is emerging rapidly as a discipline and is being used to replace the older earth science education that has been taught as unrelated disciplines--geology, meteorology, astronomy, and oceanography. ESS is complex and is based on the idea that the earth can be understood as a set of interacting natural and social systems.…

Earth Science Literacy: Building Community Consensus

Science.gov (United States)

Wysession, M.; Ladue, N.; Budd, D.; Campbell, K.; Conklin, M.; Lewis, G.; Raynolds, R.; Ridky, R.; Ross, R.; Taber, J.; Tewksbury, B.; Tuddenham, P.

2008-12-01

During 2008, the Earth Sciences Literacy Initiative (ESLI) constructed a framework of earth science "Big Ideas" and "Supporting Concepts". Following the examples of recent literacy efforts in the ocean, atmosphere and climate research communities, ESLI has distilled the fundamental understandings of the earth science community into a document that all members of the community will be able to refer to when working with educators, policy-makers, the press and members of the general public. This document is currently in draft form for review and will be published for public distribution in 2009. ESLI began with the construction of an organizing committee of a dozen people who represent a wide array of earth science backgrounds. This group then organized and ran two workshops in 2008: a 2-week online content workshop and a 3-day intensive writing workshop. For both workshops, participants were chosen so as to cover the full breadth of earth science related to the solid earth, surficial processes, and fresh-water hydrology. The asynchronous online workshop included 350 scientists and educators participating from around the world and was a powerful way to gather ideas and information while retaining a written record of all interactions. The writing workshop included 35 scientists, educators and agency representatives to codify the extensive input of the online workshop. Since September, 2008, drafts of the ESLI literacy framework have been circulated through many different channels to make sure that the document accurately reflects the current understandings of earth scientists and to ensure that it is widely accepted and adopted by the earth science communities.

USGEO Common Framework For Earth Observation Data

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, J.; de la Beaujardiere, J.; Bristol, S.

2015-12-01

The United States Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) Data Management Working Group (DMWG) is an interagency body established by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The primary purpose of this group is to foster interagency cooperation and collaboration for improving the life cycle data management practices and interoperability of federally held earth observation data consistent with White House documents including the National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations, the National Plan for Civil Earth Observations, and the May 2013 Executive Order on Open Data (M-13-13). The members of the USGEO DMWG are working on developing a Common Framework for Earth Observation Data that consists of recommended standards and approaches for realizing these goals as well as improving the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of federally held earth observation data. These recommendations will also guide work being performed under the Big Earth Data Initiative (BEDI). This talk will summarize the Common Framework, the philosophy behind it, and next steps forward.

Earth current monitoring circuit for inductive loads

CERN Document Server

Montabonnet, V; Thurel, Y; Cussac, P

2010-01-01

The search for higher magnetic fields in particle accelerators increasingly demands the use of superconducting magnets. This magnet technology has a large amount of magnetic energy storage during operation at relatively high currents. As such, many monitoring and protection systems are required to safely operate the magnet, including the monitoring of any leakage of current to earth in the superconducting magnet that indicates a failure of the insulation to earth. At low amplitude, the earth leakage current affects the magnetic field precision. At a higher level, the earth leakage current can additionally generate local losses which may definitively damage the magnet or its instrumentation. This paper presents an active earth fault current monitoring circuit, widely deployed in the converters for the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) superconducting magnets. The circuit allows the detection of earth faults before energising the circuit as well as limiting any eventual earth fault current. The electrical stress...

Norfolk State University Research Experience in Earth System Science

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhury, Raj

2002-01-01

The truly interdisciplinary nature of Earth System Science lends itself to the creation of research teams comprised of people with different scientific and technical backgrounds. In the annals of Earth System Science (ESS) education, the lack of an academic major in the discipline might be seen as a barrier to the involvement of undergraduates in the overall ESS-enterprise. This issue is further compounded at minority-serving institutions by the rarity of departments dedicated to Atmospheric Science, Oceanography or even the geosciences. At Norfolk State University, a Historically Black College, a six week, NASA-supported, summer undergraduate research program (REESS - Research Experience in Earth System Science) is creating a model that involves students with majors in diverse scientific disciplines in authentic ESS research coupled with a structured education program. The project is part of a wider effort at the University to enhance undergraduate education by identifying specific areas of student weaknesses regarding the content and process of science. A pre- and post-assessment test, which is focused on some fundamental topics in global climate change, is given to all participants as part of the evaluation of the program. Student attitudes towards the subject and the program's approach are also surveyed at the end of the research experience. In 2002, 11 undergraduates participated in REESS and were educated in the informed use of some of the vast remote sensing resources available through NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). The program ran from June 3rd through July 12, 2002. This was the final year of the project.

Rare earth mobility in hydrothermal ore-forming systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornell, D.H.; Schade, J.; Scheepers, R.; Watkeys, M.K.

1988-01-01

Rocks and ores which form by magmatic processes display a range of chondrite-normalised rare earth profiles. One REE (rare earth elements) profile feature which seems unrelated to magmatic processes is the birdwing profile, in which both heavy and light rare earths are enriched relative to the middle rare earths. Birdwing rare earth profiles are an easily identified geochemical anomaly. It is proposed that rare earth geochemistry could be applied in geochemical prospecting for ore formed by hydrothermal processes. 5 figs

Sc, Y, La-Lu - Rare Earth Elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

At present extensive efforts are being made in completing work on system number Rare Earth Elements. Part A is devoted to the occurrence of these elements on the earth and in the universe. Part B deals with the pure metals; the 7 volumes published cover the description of the separation from the raw materials, the preparation of pure metals,their uses and toxicology, the physical properties of nuclei, atoms, molecules, and isotopes; in addition the behavior of ions in solution and the electrochemical behavior of rare earth elements are described. The compounds are described in Part C. Part D with 6 volumes has been devoted to the description of coordination compounds and is completed. The volume ''Rare Earth Elements C 10'' deals with the rare earth tellurides, oxide tellurides, tellurates, telluride halides, tellurate halides, sulfide tellurides, selenide tellurides, and alkali rare earth tellurates. Another topic of this volume are the compounds of the rare earth elements with polonium. So far as meaningful and in accordance with all earlier volumes of ''Rare Earth Elements'' Series C, comparative data are presented in sections preceding treatment of the individual compounds and systems

Facile Preparation of Nano-Bi2MoO6/Diatomite Composite for Enhancing Photocatalytic Performance under Visible Light Irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Cai

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In this work, a new nano-Bi2MoO6/diatomite composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD, and UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS were employed to investigate the morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties. It was shown that nanometer-scaled Bi2MoO6 crystals were well-deposited on the surface of Bi2MoO6/diatomite. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB under the visible light (λ > 420 nm irradiation. Moreover, trapping experiments were performed to investigate the possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism. The results showed that the nano-Bi2MoO6/diatomite composite with the mass ratio of Bi2MoO6 to diatomaceous earth of 70% exhibited the highest activity, and the RhB degradation efficiency reached 97.6% within 60 min. The main active species were revealed to be h+ and•O2−. As a photocatalytic reactor, its recycling performance showed a good stability and reusability. This new composite photocatalyst material holds great promise in the engineering field for the environmental remediation.

Facile Preparation of Nano-Bi2MoO6/Diatomite Composite for Enhancing Photocatalytic Performance under Visible Light Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Jiuyan; Liu, Jianshe; Song, Wendong; Ji, Lili

2018-01-01

In this work, a new nano-Bi2MoO6/diatomite composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) were employed to investigate the morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties. It was shown that nanometer-scaled Bi2MoO6 crystals were well-deposited on the surface of Bi2MoO6/diatomite. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under the visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. Moreover, trapping experiments were performed to investigate the possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism. The results showed that the nano-Bi2MoO6/diatomite composite with the mass ratio of Bi2MoO6 to diatomaceous earth of 70% exhibited the highest activity, and the RhB degradation efficiency reached 97.6% within 60 min. The main active species were revealed to be h+ and•O2−. As a photocatalytic reactor, its recycling performance showed a good stability and reusability. This new composite photocatalyst material holds great promise in the engineering field for the environmental remediation. PMID:29425138

Earth thermics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueda, M

1960-01-01

The thermodynamics of the Earth are described, including terrestrial heat flow, internal temperatures and thermal history. The value of the geothermal gradient has been considered to be 3/sup 0/C/100 m but measured values are slightly different. The values of terrestrial heat flow are relatively constant and are calculated be about 2.3 x 10 to the minus 6 cal/cm/sup 2/ sec (2.3 HFU). The Earth's internal temperature can be calculated from the adiabatic temperature gradient of adiabatic expansion. Using Simon's equation No. 9, a value of 2100-2500/sup 0/C is obtained, this is much lower than it was previously thought to be. The value of 2.3 HFU can easily be obtained from this internal temperature figure.

Non-rocket Earth-Moon transport system

Science.gov (United States)

Bolonkin, Alexander

2003-06-01

This paper proposes a new transportation system for travel between Earth and Moon. This transportation system uses mechanical energy transfer and requires only minimal energy, using an engine located on Earth. A cable directly connects a pole of the Earth through a drive station to the lunar surface_ The equation for an optimal equal stress cable for complex gravitational field of Earth-Moon has been derived that allows significantly lower cable masses. The required strength could be provided by cables constructed of carbon nanotubes or carbon whiskers. Some of the constraints on such a system are discussed.

What Can Earth Paleoclimates Reveal About the Resiliency of Habitable States? An Example from the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Sohl, L.

2014-04-01

modeling studies is likely to result in an expansion of our view of what a "Goldilocks" state can entail. Future simulations with a modified version of the NASA/GISS GCM, ROCKE-3D, will take advantage of newly-added model capabilities that evaluate the influence of rotation rate, solar spectral variability, CO2 surface condensation and CO2 clouds on the outer edge of Earth's habitable zone.

The Earth is flat when personally significant experiences with the sphericity of the Earth are absent.

Science.gov (United States)

Carbon, Claus-Christian

2010-07-01

Participants with personal and without personal experiences with the Earth as a sphere estimated large-scale distances between six cities located on different continents. Cognitive distances were submitted to a specific multidimensional scaling algorithm in the 3D Euclidean space with the constraint that all cities had to lie on the same sphere. A simulation was run that calculated respective 3D configurations of the city positions for a wide range of radii of the proposed sphere. People who had personally experienced the Earth as a sphere, at least once in their lifetime, showed a clear optimal solution of the multidimensional scaling (MDS) routine with a mean radius deviating only 8% from the actual radius of the Earth. In contrast, the calculated configurations for people without any personal experience with the Earth as a sphere were compatible with a cognitive concept of a flat Earth. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sensing Planet Earth - Chalmers' MOOCs on Earth observation

Science.gov (United States)

Hobiger, Thomas; Stöhr, Christian; Murtagh, Donal; Forkman, Peter; Galle, Bo; Mellquist, Johan; Soja, Maciej; Berg, Anders; Carvajal, Gisela; Eriksson, Leif; Haas, Rüdiger

2016-04-01

An increasing number of universities around the globe produce and conduct Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In the beginning of 2016, Chalmers University of Technology ran two MOOCs on the topic of Earth observations on the edX platform. Both four week long courses were at introductory level and covered topics related to solid Earth, atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere. It was discussed how one can measure and trace global change and use remote sensing tools for disaster monitoring. Research has attempted to assess the learners' motivations to participate in MOOCs, but there is a need for further case studies about motivations, opportunities and challenges for teachers engaging in MOOC development. In our presentation, we are going to report about the experiences gained from both the MOOC production and the actual course run from the instructors' perspective. After brief introduction to MOOCs in general and at Chalmers in particular, we share experiences and challenges of developing lecture and assessment material, the video production and coordination efforts between and within different actors involved in the production process. Further, we reflect upon the actual run of the course including course statistics and feedback from the learners. We discuss issues such as learner activation and engagement with the material, teacher-learner and student-student interaction as well as the scalability of different learning activities. Finally, we will present our lessons-learned and conclusions on the applicability of MOOCs in the field of Earth science teaching.

External Fuel Tank, Clouds and Earth Limb

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

It's fuel consumed, the expendable external fuel tank was jettisoned moments earlier from the Space Shuttle Atlantis and now begins its plunge back to Earth (20.5N, 36.0W). Backdropped against the void of space and the thin blue line of the Earth's airglow above the Earth Limb, the harshness of the blackness of space is softened by the fleeciness of Earth's cloud cover below.

The earth's shape and gravity

CERN Document Server

Garland, G D; Wilson, J T

2013-01-01

The Earth's Shape and Gravity focuses on the progress of the use of geophysical methods in investigating the interior of the earth and its shape. The publication first offers information on gravity, geophysics, geodesy, and geology and gravity measurements. Discussions focus on gravity measurements and reductions, potential and equipotential surfaces, absolute and relative measurements, and gravity networks. The text then elaborates on the shape of the sea-level surface and reduction of gravity observations. The text takes a look at gravity anomalies and structures in the earth's crust; interp

Prospecting and exploration of rare earth bearing mineral resources in India: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohanty, R.

2014-01-01

Rare earth elements (REE) have a wide range of applications including nuclear and the REE bearing minerals occur in varied geological environments.The commercial rare earth bearing minerals are monazite ((Ce,La,Pr,Nd,Th,Y)PO 4 ), xenotime (YPO 4 ), bastnasite ((Ce,La,Y)CO 3 F) and pyrochlore ((Na,Ca) 2 Nb 2 O 6 (OH,F) which occur either as placer concentrations or in tracer quantities in rocks. While Monazite contains dominantly LREE, Xenotime and Bastnasite are richer in HREE. The exploration and evaluation of these two types of occurrences follow different methodologies

Rare earth elements behavior in Peruibe black mud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torrecilha, Jefferson K.; Carvalho, Leandro P.; Gouvea, Paulo F.M.; Silva, Paulo S.C. da

2015-01-01

Rare earth elements in sediments have been used as powerful tools for environmental studies because of their behavior during geochemical processes and are also widely accepted as reliable provenance tracers because they are largely water-immobile and thus behave conservatively during sedimentary processes. The Peruibe Black Mud (PBM) is a sedimentary deposit originated from the interactions of marine sediments and organic matter in an estuarine environment that originates a peloid currently used for medicinal purposes. The objective of this study was to examine rare earth elements pattern distribution in the Peruibe black mud sedimentary deposit as a proxy for its geochemical development. Elemental ratios such as LaN/YbN, Th/U and La/Th were determined and a normalization of the mean rare earth elements concentrations in the samples related to NASC indicates that the light (La to Eu) rare earth elements present values close to the unity while the heavy (Tb to Lu) rare earth elements are depleted related to NASC. It can be observed that the light rare earth elements present enrichment values slightly enriched over the unity while the heavy rare earth elements present values generally below the unity reflecting the enrichment of the light rare earth elements over the heavy rare earth. Rare earth elements concentrations determined in Peruibe black mud samples showed a distribution similar to that found in the NASC for the light rare earth elements and depleted for the heavy rare earth elements. (author)

Rare earth elements behavior in Peruibe black mud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torrecilha, Jefferson K.; Carvalho, Leandro P.; Gouvea, Paulo F.M.; Silva, Paulo S.C. da, E-mail: jeffkoy@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-01

Rare earth elements in sediments have been used as powerful tools for environmental studies because of their behavior during geochemical processes and are also widely accepted as reliable provenance tracers because they are largely water-immobile and thus behave conservatively during sedimentary processes. The Peruibe Black Mud (PBM) is a sedimentary deposit originated from the interactions of marine sediments and organic matter in an estuarine environment that originates a peloid currently used for medicinal purposes. The objective of this study was to examine rare earth elements pattern distribution in the Peruibe black mud sedimentary deposit as a proxy for its geochemical development. Elemental ratios such as LaN/YbN, Th/U and La/Th were determined and a normalization of the mean rare earth elements concentrations in the samples related to NASC indicates that the light (La to Eu) rare earth elements present values close to the unity while the heavy (Tb to Lu) rare earth elements are depleted related to NASC. It can be observed that the light rare earth elements present enrichment values slightly enriched over the unity while the heavy rare earth elements present values generally below the unity reflecting the enrichment of the light rare earth elements over the heavy rare earth. Rare earth elements concentrations determined in Peruibe black mud samples showed a distribution similar to that found in the NASC for the light rare earth elements and depleted for the heavy rare earth elements. (author)

Introductory mathematics for earth scientists

CERN Document Server

Yang, Xin-She

2009-01-01

Any quantitative work in earth sciences requires mathematical analysis and mathematical methods are essential to the modelling and analysis of the geological, geophysical and environmental processes involved. This book provides an introduction to the fundamental mathematics that all earth scientists need.

Immersive Earth: Teaching Earth and Space with inexpensive immersive technology

Science.gov (United States)

Reiff, P. H.; Sumners, C.; Law, C. C.; Handron, K.

2003-12-01

In 1995 we pioneered "Space Update", the Digital Library for the rest of us", software that was so simple that a child could use it without a keyboard and yet would allow one-click updating of the daily earth and space science images without the dangers of having an open web browser on display. Thanks to NASA support, it allowed museums and schools to have a powerful exhibit for a tiny price. Over 40,000 disks in our series have been distributed so far to educators and the public. In 2003, with our partners we are again revolutionizing educational technology with a low-cost hardware and software solution to creating and displaying immersive content. Recently selected for funding as part of the REASoN competition, Immersive Earth is a partnership of scientists, museums, educators, and content providers. The hardware consists of a modest projector with a special fisheye lens to be used in an inflatable dome which many schools already have. This, coupled with a modest personal computer, can now easily project images and movies of earth and space, allows training students in 3-D content at a tiny fraction of the cost of a cave or fullscale dome theater. Another low-cost solution is the "Imove" system, where spherical movies can play on a personal computer, with the user changing the viewing direction with a joystick. We were the first to create immersive earth science shows, remain the leader in creating educational content that people want to see. We encourage people with "allsky" images or movies to bring it and see what it looks like inside a dome! Your content could be in our next show!

The Sun and Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk

2012-01-01

Thus the Sun forms the basis for life on Earth via the black body radiation it emits. The Sun also emits mass in the form of the solar wind and the coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Mass emission also occurs in the form of solar energetic particles (SEPs), which happens during CMEs and solar flares. Both the mass and electromagnetic energy output of the Sun vary over a wide range of time scales, thus introducing disturbances on the space environment that extends from the Sun through the entire heliosphere including the magnetospheres and ionospheres of planets and moons of the solar system. Although our habitat is located in the neutral atmosphere of Earth, we are intimately connected to the non-neutral space environment starting from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere and to the vast interplanetary space. The variability of the solar mass emissions results in the interaction between the solar wind plasma and the magnetospheric plasma leading to huge disturbances in the geospace. The Sun ionizes our atmosphere and creates the ionosphere. The ionosphere can be severely disturbed by the transient energy input from solar flares and the solar wind during geomagnetic storms. The complex interplay between Earth's magnetic field and the solar magnetic field carried by the solar wind presents varying conditions that are both beneficial and hazardous to life on earth. This seminar presents some of the key aspects of this Sun-Earth connection that we have learned since the birth of space science as a scientific discipline some half a century ago.

Propagation Velocity of Solid Earth Tides

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, S.

2017-12-01

One of the significant considerations in most of the geodetic investigations is to take into account the outcome of Solid Earth tides on the location and its consequent impact on the time series of coordinates. In this research work, the propagation velocity resulting from the Solid Earth tides between the Indian stations is computed. Mean daily coordinates for the stations have been computed by applying static precise point positioning technique for a day. The computed coordinates are used as an input for computing the tidal displacements at the stations by Gravity method along three directions at 1-minute interval for 24 hours. Further the baseline distances are computed between four Indian stations. Computation of the propagation velocity for Solid Earth tides can be done by the virtue of study of the concurrent effect of it in-between the stations of identified baseline distance along with the time consumed by the tides for reaching from one station to another. The propagation velocity helps in distinguishing the impact at any station if the consequence at a known station for a specific time-period is known. Thus, with the knowledge of propagation velocity, the spatial and temporal effects of solid earth tides can be estimated with respect to a known station. As theoretically explained, the tides generated are due to the position of celestial bodies rotating about Earth. So the need of study is to observe the correlation of propagation velocity with the rotation speed of the Earth. The propagation velocity of Solid Earth tides comes out to be in the range of 440-470 m/s. This velocity comes out to be in a good agreement with the Earth's rotation speed.

Earth evolution as a thermal system

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, C.

2014-12-01

After fifty years of plate-tectonic theory, the reasons why earth sometime freezed as a snowball or sometime became lethally hot resulting in mass extinction remain enigmatic. This article proposes a new hypothesis on Earth evolution. The unbalance of heat between the input and output is considered as the driving force for the Earth evolution, the lithospheric expansion and associated uplift are the triggers, the self-organized progressive failure leading to collapse of the Earth are the amplifier, and the global scale response in terms of volcanism and magmatism is the globalizer. This shallow process of lithosphere may reach a critical state with a positive feedback loop, and result in the formation of no-plume original Large Igneous Provinces (NPOLIP) in a top-down pattern. Endothermic phase changes during de-compressive melting remove heat from and cool their surroundings, including the upper parts of the lithosphere. The huge loss of Earth's heat during eruption of LIPs, together with the endothermic cooling, may put the thermal cycle to an end and a new start of the cycle initiates. In summary, Earth drives itself to evolve in terms of thermal cycles. Global cooling and warming are the two stages of the many cycles during the Earth evolution. Glaciations are the extreme result of global cooling, whereas the LIPs, sometime accompanied with remarkable sea level dropping, are the extreme result of global warming, with a long recovering age, the interglacialstage, between them. They come and go as thermal cycle evolves, with climate warming, being caused by Earth itself rather than by external forces or human activities, as the most attractive prediction.

Probabilistic safety analysis of earth retaining structures during earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

Grivas, D. A.; Souflis, C.

1982-07-01

A procedure is presented for determining the probability of failure of Earth retaining structures under static or seismic conditions. Four possible modes of failure (overturning, base sliding, bearing capacity, and overall sliding) are examined and their combined effect is evaluated with the aid of combinatorial analysis. The probability of failure is shown to be a more adequate measure of safety than the customary factor of safety. As Earth retaining structures may fail in four distinct modes, a system analysis can provide a single estimate for the possibility of failure. A Bayesian formulation of the safety retaining walls is found to provide an improved measure for the predicted probability of failure under seismic loading. The presented Bayesian analysis can account for the damage incurred to a retaining wall during an earthquake to provide an improved estimate for its probability of failure during future seismic events.

Sun-Earth Day Connects History, Culture and Science

Science.gov (United States)

Cline, T.; Thieman, J.

2003-12-01

The NASA Sun-Earth Connection Education forum annually promotes and event called Sun-Earth Day: a national celebration of the Sun, the space around the Earth (geospace), and how all of it affects life on our planet. For the past 3 years this event has provided a venue by which classrooms, museums, planetaria, and at NASA centers have had a sensational time sharing stories, images, and activities related to the Sun-Earth connections and the views o fthe Sun from Earth. Each year we select a different theme by which NASA Space Science can be further related to cross-curricular activities. Sun-Earth Day 2002, "Celebrate the Equinox", drew parallels between Native American Cultures and NASA's Sun-Earth Connection research via cultural stories, interviews, web links, activities and Native American participation. Sun-Earth Day 2003, "Live From the Aurora", shared the beauty of the Aurora through a variety of activities and stories related to perspectives of Northern Peoples. Sun-Earth Day 2004 will share the excitement of the transit of Venus through comparisons of Venus with Earth and Mars, calculations of the distances to nearby stars, and the use of transits to identify extra-solar planets. Finally, Sun-Earth Day 2005 will bring several of these themes together by turning our focus to the history and culture surrounding ancient observatories such as Chaco Canyon, Machu Picchu, and Chichen Itza.

Looking at the earth from space

Science.gov (United States)

Geller, Marvin A.

1988-01-01

Some of the scientific accomplishments attained in observing the earth from space are discussed. A brief overview of findings concerning the atmosphere, the oceans and sea ice, the solid earth, and the terrestrial hydrosphere and biosphere is presented, and six examples are examined in which space data have provided unique information enabling new knowledge concerning the workings of the earth to be derived. These examples concern stratospheric water vapor, hemispheric differences in surface and atmosphere parameters, Seasat altimeter mesoscale variability, variability of Antarctic sea ice, variations in the length of day, and spaceborne radar imaging of ancient rivers. Future space observations of the earth are briefly addressed.

Earth Surface Processes, Landforms and Sediment Deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Bridge, John; Demicco, Robert

Earth surface processes, landforms and sediment deposits are intimately related - involving erosion of rocks, generation of sediment, and transport and deposition of sediment through various Earth surface environments. These processes, and the landforms and deposits that they generate, have a fundamental bearing on engineering, environmental and public safety issues; on recovery of economic resources; and on our understanding of Earth history. This unique textbook brings together the traditional disciplines of sedimentology and geomorphology to explain Earth surface processes, landforms and sediment deposits in a comprehensive and integrated way. It is the ideal resource for a two-semester course in sedimentology, stratigraphy, geomorphology, and Earth surface processes from the intermediate undergraduate to beginning graduate level. The book is also accompanied by a website hosting illustrations and material on field and laboratory methods for measuring, describing and analyzing Earth surface processes, landforms and sediments.

Earth Science Education in Morocco

Science.gov (United States)

Bouabdelli, Mohamed

1999-05-01

The earth sciences are taught in twelve universities in Morocco and in three other institutions. In addition there are three more earth science research institutions. Earth science teaching has been taking place since 1957. The degree system is a four-year degree, split into two two-year blocks and geology is taught within the geology-biology programme for the first part of the degree. 'Classical' geology is taught in most universities, although applied geology degrees are also on offer in some universities. Recently-formed technical universities offer a more innovative approach to Earth Science Education. Teaching is in French, although school education is in Arabic. There is a need for a reform of the curriculum, although a lead is being taken by the technical universities. A new geological mapping programme promises new geological and mining discoveries in the country and prospects of employment for geology graduates.

Perbandingan intensitas warna CPO dengan menggunakan Bleaching Earth (BE) dan Spent Bleaching Earth (SBE) di PT. SMART Tbk.

OpenAIRE

Aritonang, Dwi Christina

2016-01-01

Comparative studies have been conducted on the effect of bleaching earth quality bleachibility power on CPO (crude palm oil). by using the tool Lovibond Tintometer model of F in PT Smart Tbk Medan – Belawan.From experiments obtained initial color with the CPO 20R - 20Y after addition Bleaching Earth and spent bleaching earth with the CPO each - each 10,2R - 20Y and 17.3R - 20Y . The results showed that purification using Bleaching Earth better than the purification of Spent Bleaching Earh ...

Free oscillation of the Earth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Abedini

2000-06-01

Full Text Available   This work is a study of the Earths free oscillations considering a merge of solid and liquid model. At the turn of 19th century Geophysicists presented the theory of the free oscillations for a self-gravitating, isotropic and compressible sphere. Assuming a steel structure for an Earth size sphere, they predicted a period of oscillation of about 1 hour. About 50 years later, the free oscillations of stars was studied by Cowling and others. They classified the oscillation modes of the stars into acoustic and gravity modes on the basis of their driving forces. These are pressure and buoyancy forces respectively. The earliest measurements for the period of the free oscillations of the Earth was made by Benyove from a study of Kamchathca earthquake. Since then, the Geophysicists have been trying to provide a theoretical basis for these measurements. Recently, the theory concerning oscillations of celestial fluids is extended by Sobouti to include the possible oscillations of the Earthlike bodies. Using the same technique, we study the free oscillations of a spherically symmetric, non-rotating and elastic model for the Earth.   We used the actual data of the Earths interior structure in our numerical calculations. Numerical results show that there exist three distinct oscillation modes namely acoustic, gravity and toroidal modes. These modes are driven by pressure, buoyancy and shear forces respectively. The shear force is due to the elastic properties of the solid part of the Earth. Our numerical results are consistent with the seismic data recorded from earthquake measurements.

Influence of rare earth additions on the oxidation resistance of chromia forming alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillis, Marina Fuser

1995-01-01

The addition of rare earths to alloys, either in elemental form or as surface coatings reduces the oxidation rate of chromia forming alloys. The rare earths either act as nucleation sites for surface oxides or get incorporates into the surface oxide and diffuse to oxide grain boundaries. If the latter occurs, a change in the defect structure close to the grain boundaries, probably takes place. In this manner, the rare earths inhibits the movement of chromium ions to the oxide/gas interface. The influence of rare earth additions to AISI 316, AISI 316L and Ni-20 Cr on their oxidation behavior has been studied., AISI 316+Ce, AISI 316+Y, Ni-20 Cr and Ni-20 Cr-2 Al-1 Ce were prepared by melting and AISI 316L, AISI 316L+Ce O 2 and AISI 316L+Y 2 O 3 by powder compaction. The effect of superficial deposits of rare earth oxides was also studied. The alloys were coated with rare earth oxides by high temperature conversion of the respective rare earth nitrates. Isothermal oxidation tests were carried out at 900-1100 deg C and the cyclic oxidation tests consisted of 6 cycles of 2 hours each at 900 deg C, followed by cooling to room temperature. All the tests were carried out in air. Oxidation behavior was evaluated gravimetrically. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study surface morphology. Energy dispersive analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques were used to identify oxide constituents. Overall, it has been observed that with the addition of rare earths, oxidation resistance increases by decreasing oxidation rates and increasing oxide adhesion. Addition of rare earths to AISI 316 prepared by melting resulted in rapid formation of a chromium rich oxide layered near the metal/oxide interface which reduced overall oxidation rate. The addition of Ce O 2 to AISI 316L was found to improve oxidation behavior after 10 hours at 1100 deg C and also inhibit the formation of volatile Cr O 3 . The isothermal oxidation behavior of rare earth oxide covered Ni-20 Cr at 900 deg C

Student Learning of Complex Earth Systems: Conceptual Frameworks of Earth Systems and Instructional Design

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Hannah H.; Holder, Lauren; Herbert, Bruce

2017-01-01

Engaging students in authentic problem solving concerning environmental issues in near-surface complex Earth systems involves both developing student conceptualization of Earth as a system and applying that scientific knowledge using techniques that model those used by professionals. In this first paper of a two-part series, we review the state of…

Simulation and Measurement of Through-the-Earth, Extremely Low-Frequency Signals Using Copper-Clad Steel Ground Rods

OpenAIRE

Damiano, Nicholas William; Yan, Lincan; Whisner, Bruce; Zhou, Chenming

2017-01-01

The underground mining environment can greatly affect radio signal propagation. Understanding how the earth affects signal propagation is a key to evaluating communications systems used during a mine emergency. One type of communication system is through-the-earth, which can utilize extremely low frequencies (ELF). This paper presents the simulation and measurement results of recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) research aimed at investigating current injection...

LIMNOLOGICAL OPTOMETRY: EXAMINING EARTH'S EYE

Science.gov (United States)

In Thoreau's Walden, a lake is described as the landscape's most expressive feature and the earth's eye. Collectively, scientists are charged by society to assess, monitor, and remedy maladies of earth's eye in the same way optometrists maintain the health of the human eye. This ...

Sustainability evaluation of essential critical raw materials: cobalt, niobium, tungsten and rare earth elements

Science.gov (United States)

Tkaczyk, A. H.; Bartl, A.; Amato, A.; Lapkovskis, V.; Petranikova, M.

2018-05-01

The criticality of raw materials has become an important issue in recent years. As the supply of certain raw materials is essential for technologically-advanced economies, the European Commission and other international counterparts have started several initiatives to secure reliable and unhindered access to raw materials. Such efforts include the EU Raw Materials Initiative, European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials, US Critical Materials Institute, and others. In this paper, the authors present a multi-faceted and multi-national review of the essentials for the critical raw materials (CRMs) Co, Nb, W, and rare earth elements (REEs). The selected CRMs are of specific interest as they are considered relevant for emerging technologies and will thus continue to be of increasing major economic importance. This paper presents a ‘sustainability evaluation’ for each element, including essential data about markets, applications and recycling, and possibilities for substitution have been summarized and analysed. All the presented elements are vital for the advanced materials and processes upon which modern societies rely. These elements exhibit superior importance in ‘green’ applications and products subject to severe conditions. The annual production quantities are quite low compared to common industrial metals. Of the considered CRMs, only Co and REE gross production exceed 100 000 t. At the same time, the prices are quite high, with W and Nb being in the range of 60 USD kg‑1 and some rare earth compounds costing almost 4000 USD kg‑1. Despite valiant effort, in practice some of the considered elements are de facto irreplaceable for many specialized applications, at today’s technological level. Often, substitution causes a significant loss of quality and performance. Furthermore, possible candidates for substitution may be critical themselves or available in considerably low quantities. It can be concluded that one preferred approach for the

Teaching earth science

Science.gov (United States)

Alpha, Tau Rho; Diggles, Michael F.

1998-01-01

This CD-ROM contains 17 teaching tools: 16 interactive HyperCard 'stacks' and a printable model. They are separated into the following categories: Geologic Processes, Earthquakes and Faulting, and Map Projections and Globes. A 'navigation' stack, Earth Science, is provided as a 'launching' place from which to access all of the other stacks. You can also open the HyperCard Stacks folder and launch any of the 16 stacks yourself. In addition, a 17th tool, Earth and Tectonic Globes, is provided as a printable document. Each of the tools can be copied onto a 1.4-MB floppy disk and distributed freely.

The Rare Earth Magnet Industry and Rare Earth Price in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ding Kaihong

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In the past four years, the price of rare earth metal fluctuates sharply for many reasons. Currently, it has become more stable and more reasonable. This presentation is focused on the effect about the rare earth metal price. Some motor manufacturers have shifted from rare earth permanent magnet to ferrite magnet. Many motor manufacturers changed the design for the motor cooling system to make the motor function at a lower temperature. Thus the consumption of Dy can be markedly reduced. As for manufacturer of NdFeB magnet, we are also trying to optimize our process to reduce to dependence of HREE such as Dy and Tb. HS process have been introduced to solve the problem. With more and more people focusing and engaging on the REE industry, the price of REE will be more transparent without too many fluctuations. China is considering the problems of balancing the environment, energy sources, and labor sources. The application field about NdFeB such as wind turbine generator, HEV/EV, FA /OA is flourishing.

The Rare Earth Magnet Industry and Rare Earth Price in China

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Kaihong

2014-07-01

In the past four years, the price of rare earth metal fluctuates sharply for many reasons. Currently, it has become more stable and more reasonable. This presentation is focused on the effect about the rare earth metal price. Some motor manufacturers have shifted from rare earth permanent magnet to ferrite magnet. Many motor manufacturers changed the design for the motor cooling system to make the motor function at a lower temperature. Thus the consumption of Dy can be markedly reduced. As for manufacturer of NdFeB magnet, we are also trying to optimize our process to reduce to dependence of HREE such as Dy and Tb. HS process have been introduced to solve the problem. With more and more people focusing and engaging on the REE industry, the price of REE will be more transparent without too many fluctuations. China is considering the problems of balancing the environment, energy sources, and labor sources. The application field about NdFeB such as wind turbine generator, HEV/EV, FA /OA is flourishing.