Active Precipitation of Radiation Belt Electrons Using Rocket Exhaust Driven Amplification (REDA) of Man-Made Whistlers.

Ground-based very low frequency (VLF) transmitters located around the world generate signals that leak through the bottom side of the ionosphere in the form of whistler mode waves. Wave and particle measurements on satellites have observed that these man-made VLF waves can be strong enough to scatter trapped energetic electrons into low pitch angle orbits, causing loss by absorption in the lower atmosphere. This precipitation loss process is greatly enhanced by intentional amplification of the whistler waves using a newly discovered process called rocket exhaust driven amplification (REDA). Satellite measurements of REDA have shown between 30 and 50 dB intensification of VLF waves in space using a 60 s burn of the 150 g/s thruster on the Cygnus satellite that services the International Space Station. This controlled amplification process is adequate to deplete the energetic particle population on the affected field lines in a few minutes rather than the multi-day period it would take naturally. Numerical simulations of the pitch angle diffusion for radiation belt particles use the UCLA quasi-linear Fokker Planck model to assess the impact of REDA on radiation belt remediation of newly injected energetic electrons. The simulated precipitation fluxes of energetic electrons are applied to models of D-region electron density and bremsstrahlung X-rays for predictions of the modified environment that can be observed with satellite and ground-based sensors.

A small spacecraft for multipoint measurement of ionospheric plasma.

Measurement of ionospheric plasma is often performed by a single in situ device or remotely using cameras and radar. This article describes a small, low-resource, deployed spacecraft used as part of a local, multipoint measurement network. A B-field aligned sounding rocket ejects four of these spin-stabilized spacecraft in a cross pattern. In this application, each spacecraft carries two retarding potential analyzers which are used to determine plasma density, flow, and ion temperature. An inertial measurement unit and a light-emitting diode array are used to determine the position and orientation of the devices after deployment. The design of this spacecraft is first described, and then results from a recent test flight are discussed. This flight demonstrated the successful operation of the deployment mechanism and telemetry systems, provided some preliminary plasma measurements in a simple mid-latitude environment, and revealed several design issues.

Exposed water ice deposits on the surface of comet 9P/Tempel 1.

We report the direct detection of solid water ice deposits exposed on the surface of comet 9P/Tempel 1, as observed by the Deep Impact mission. Three anomalously colored areas are shown to include water ice on the basis of their near-infrared spectra, which include diagnostic water ice absorptions at wavelengths of 1.5 and 2.0 micrometers. These absorptions are well modeled as a mixture of nearby non-ice regions and 3 to 6% water ice particles 10 to 50 micrometers in diameter. These particle sizes are larger than those ejected during the impact experiment, which suggests that the surface deposits are loose aggregates. The total area of exposed water ice is substantially less than that required to support the observed ambient outgassing from the comet, which likely has additional source regions below the surface.

Market orientation and professionalism: the case of nurse-midwives.

Much has been written regarding the market orientation and professionalism constructs, but there is little work relating the two. Understanding the relationship between a market orientation and professionalism is of great relevance to the development and implementation of marketing programs in professional service organizations. Past research suggests that either a positive or a negative connection between these constructs could exist. However, a survey of certified nurse-midwives finds a fairly strong positive relationship between market orientation and professionalism.

Professionalism and the nurse-midwife practitioner: an exploratory study.

This article reports the findings of an exploratory study on the level of professionalism among certified-nurse midwives (CNMs). Using a five dimensional scale to measure professionalism, our research examined the level of professionalism among CNMs. It explored the relationship between organizational reward structures, level of education, and professionalism. The results show that CNMs exhibit a high degree of professionalism in the practice of nurse-midwifery. The findings also support the notion of a causal relationship between reward structures, education levels and CNM professionalism.

Absorption of zinc from small and large intestine of calves.

Calves fed a high-zinc diet were used to study zinc absorption from various sections of the small intestine. Absorption was determined by measuring zinc-65 in various tissues and plotting the tissue concentrations against dosing site, expressed as percentage of intestinal length. Zinc absorption, per unit of intestinal length, was similar throughout the small intestine and was as great in the distal as in the proximal end. Apparently, early researchers using isolated loops and everted sac techniques failed to recognize rate of digesta passage and tissue homeostasis as major factors associated with zinc uptake when they concluded that the duodenum was the primary site of zinc absorption. The data show that the duodenum is not the major site of zinc absorption in calves regardless of dietary zinc. In a separate experiment, zinc-65 was injected directly into the large intestine of calves fed a low zinc diet. Only about 2% of total zinc absorption was from the large intestine.

Effect of high dietary zinc upon zinc metabolism and intracellular distribution in cows and calves.

Changes in the metabolism of zinc were investigated in mature nonlactating Holstein cows and 4-mo old calves fed high but nontoxic amounts of dietary zinc. Increasing dietary zinc of calves from 42 to 642 ppm elevated the zinc content of liver and pancreas 600% and 1400%, respectively. The elevated zinc in liver and pancreas involved a substantial increase in all intracellular fractions, with by far the largest amount associated with a 10,000 molecular-weight protein in the soluble cell fraction. This zinc-binding protein may protect the cell against damage from increased zinc. A comparable increase in dietary zinc of mature cows did not affect zinc content of liver or kidney nor alter the intracellular distribution of zinc in the liver. In mature cows, homeostatic control mechanisms which regulate the zinc content of tissue are much more effective than in calves. Accordingly, mature cows probably are able to tolerate higher concentrations of dietary zinc.

Effect of high amounts of dietary zinc and age upon tissue zinc in young chicks.

Weight gains of younger broiler chicks were not reduced by up to 2400 p.p.m. added zinc fed to four weeks of age. Tissue zinc was not changed significantly by 600 or 1200 p.p.m. supplemental dietary zinc, but at 2400 p.p.m. added zinc, blood, kidney, and liver zinc were significantly elevated (P less than 0.05). In the heart, zinc was not affected by the added dietary zinc but increased over time with all diets. Unlike the calf and weanling pig, the metabolism of zinc in the young chick does not appear to change appreciably with increasing maturity. Thus, the homeostatic control mechanisms of the young chick are effective for up to 1200 p.p.m. dietary zinc, but are partially overcome by 2400 p.p.m. added dietary zinc.

Zinc absorption from the small intestine in young calves.

Zinc-65 was injected directly into various sites throughout the small intestine of Holstein calves fed a low zinc diet. Zinc absorption was determined by comparing zinc-65 content of blood, liver, kidney, lung, heart, pancreas, rib, muscle, and other tissues. Tissue zinc-65 was plotted against site of injection expressed as percentage of intestinal length from proximal to distal ends. Zinc absorption occurred throughout the small intestine with the amount absorbed per centimeter of length about equal throughout the small intestine. This is in contrast to conclusions from studies of rats indicating more absorption in the proximal part of the small intestine. The difference appears to have been due to artifacts in the procedures with rats. However, species and dietary differences may have affected relative findings between this and earlier work.

Intracellular distribution of zinc and zinc-65 in calves receiving high but nontoxic amounts of zinc.

The zinc homeostatic control breakdown in cattle fed a high but nontoxic amount of zinc was investigated. Liver copper was decreased by the 600 ppm added dietary zinc indicating altered copper metabolism. However, duodenal copper, liver and duodenal iron and manganese were not affected. Zinc-65 in blood was reduced 90% by the high dietary zinc 48 h following oral zinc-65 dosing. The 600 ppm supplemental zinc increased zinc by 500% in liver, 20 times in pancreas and kidney, and 100% in the duodenum. The increased liver and duodenal zinc was confined largely to the soluble cell fraction. This concentrating of excess tissue zinc in the soluble fraction may be an adaptive mechanism which detoxifies large quantities of zinc and prevents disruption of normal cellular activity.