The Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) is one of the modules of EChO, the Exoplanets Characterization Observatory proposed to ESA for an M-class mission. EChO is aimed to observe planets while ...transiting by their suns. Then the instrument had to be designed to assure a high efficiency over the whole spectral range. In fact, it has to be able to observe stars with an apparent magnitude M
v
= 9–12 and to see contrasts of the order of 10
−4
–10
−5
necessary to reveal the characteristics of the atmospheres of the exoplanets under investigation. VNIR is a spectrometer in a cross-dispersed configuration, covering the 0.4–2.5 μm spectral range with a resolving power of about 330 and a field of view of 2 arcsec. It is functionally split into two channels respectively working in the 0.4–1.0 μm and 1.0–2.5 μm spectral ranges. Such a solution is imposed by the fact the light at short wavelengths has to be shared with the EChO Fine Guiding System (FGS) devoted to the pointing of the stars under observation. The spectrometer makes use of a HgCdTe detector of 512 by 512 pixels, 18 μm pitch and working at a temperature of 45 K as the entire VNIR optical bench. The instrument has been interfaced to the telescope optics by two optical fibers, one per channel, to assure an easier coupling and an easier colocation of the instrument inside the EChO optical bench.
Library liaisons from three universities distributed an anonymous survey to graduate occupational therapy students to gauge preferred methods of communication when conducting research. This article ...discusses three findings: whom the students prefer to turn to when seeking research assistance, which methods of communication students prefer, and how long students spend searching before asking for assistance. From 193 responses, the liaisons reasoned that students prefer consulting with their peers before seeking help from librarians or faculty or instructors and they prefer assistance face-to-face. Additionally, the majority are willing to research from 30 min to one hour before seeking research help.
Abstract
The availability of NPK compound fertilizer is expected to help farmers to optimally supply the nutrient needs of corn plants. The aim of the study was to determine the efficient dose of NPK ...15-15-6-4 fertilizer and its combination with urea on the growth and yield of corn. The study was conducted in Simbang Village, Simbang District, Maros Regency, South Sulawesi in January - April 2019. The study used a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with a combination of 7 treatments with four replications, consisting of: (P1) 400 kg NPK 15-15-6-4; (P2) 400 kg NPK 15-15-6-4 + 100 kg urea; (P3) 400 kg NPK 15-15-6-4 + 150 kg urea; (P4) 450 kg NPK 15-15-6-4; (P5) 350 kg NPK 15-15-6-4; (P6) 350 kg NPK 15- 15-6-4+ 150 kg urea; (P7) 150 kg NPK Phonska + 250 kg urea. The results showed that NPK 15-15-6-4 compound fertilizer had a good effect on the growth and yield of corn plants. NPK 15-15-6-4 compound fertilizer at a dose of 450 kg/ha and a dose of 400 kg NPK 15-15-6-4 + 100 kg urea gave the best effect with total yield up to 5.5-5.9 ton/ha.
Jupiter’s atmosphere presents limited regions of relatively thin cloud coverage (the so-called ‘hot spots’), which allow thermal radiation by warmer, deeper atmospheric layers to be transmitted ...directly to space. Hot spots therefore represent a means for probing physical conditions (namely chemical composition) below the main aerosol deck.
Forthcoming missions to the Jovian system – Juno and EJSM spacecrafts – will host as payload components spectro-imagers operating in the infrared. Their coverage of 5
μm CH
4 transparency windows make them particularly suitable for the investigation of hot spots. This study is an assessment of their retrieval capabilities on the evaluation of gaseous mixing ratios from nighttime observations, on the basis of Bayesian theory.
The retrieval performance is evaluated for the JIRAM instrument, a confirmed payload component of Juno. Its data will provide effective constraints on the mixing ratios of water vapor between 40 and 70
km below the reference 1
bar pressure level (between 3.5 and 7
bars). Assuming an a priori correlation length equal to half the scale height, we achieve a minimum retrieval uncertainty of 0.17, once the mixing ratio is given in terms of log
10(
α), with
α being the adimensional mixing ratio (vs. altitude) relative to a given reference profile. The JIRAM-Juno dataset will further allow determination of the ammonia mixing ratio, with a minimum relative retrieval uncertainty of 0.32 in the same altitude range, and of the phosphine mixing ratio, with comparable uncertainty up to the reference altitude.
The retrieval performance is evaluated for a second instrument VIRHIS, which is a proposed payload component of Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO), one of the two spacecrafts of Europa-Jupiter System Mission (EJSM). This instrument has the benefit of higher spectral resolution and extended spectral range, when compared to JIRAM-Juno. Evaluation of the water vapor retrieval shows the uncertainty would be reduced to 0.08 with VIRHIS. The ammonia retrieval range would be expanded up to 10
km (0.66
bar), with a minimum uncertainty value of 0.10.
Both instruments will place these measurements in a spatial context due to their simultaneous imaging capabilities, enabling therefore a number of studies covering chemical and dynamical aspects of atmospheric evolution.
There is an emerging body of data suggesting that bipolar disorder is associated with DNA damage. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of ouabain in rats results in manic-like alterations. We ...evaluated DNA damage of peripheral blood, cerebrospinal fluid and hippocampus of rats after ICV ouabain injection. Ouabain-induced hyperlocomotion was examined in an open field. Additionally, we used single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) to measure early transient damage in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), hippocampus and blood; and the micronucleus test to measure persistent damage in total blood samples of rats after ouabain administration. Our findings demonstrated that ouabain induced hyperlocomotion in rats, and this response remained up to 7 days following a single ICV injection. In addition, we observed that the persistent increase in the rat spontaneous locomotion is associated with increased hippocampal and peripheral index of early DNA damage in rats. No significant alterations were observed in the micronucleus frequency in total blood samples of the rats after the ouabain ICV injection. These results suggest that ouabain may induce peripheral and central early DNA damage, but this early damage may be repaired.
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