Dependence of GCRs influx on the Solar North-South Asymmetry

We investigate the dependence of the amount of the observed galactic cosmic ray (GCR) influx on the solar North-South asymmetry using the neutron count rates obtained from four stations and sunspot data in archives spanning six solar cycles from 1953 to 2008. We find that the observed GCR influxes at Moscow, Kiel, Climax and Huancayo stations are more suppressed when the solar activity in the southern hemisphere is dominant compared with when the solar activity in the northern hemisphere is dominant. Its reduction rates at four stations are all larger than those of the suppression due to other factors including the solar polarity effect on the GCR influx. We perform the student's t-test to see how significant these suppressions are. It is found that suppressions due to the solar North-South asymmetry as well as the solar polarity are significant and yet the suppressions associated with the former are larger and more significant.Comment: 17 pages, 3figures, accepted to JAST

Evolution of plasma turbulence excited with particle beams

Particles ejected from the Sun that stream through the surrounding plasma of the solar wind are causing instabilities. These generate wavemodes in a certain frequency range especially within shock regions, where particles are accelerated. The aim of this paper is to investigate of amplified Alfvenic wavemodes in driven incompressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Results of different heliospheric scenarios from isotropic and anisotropic plasmas, as well as turbulence near the critical balance are shown. The energy transport of the amplified wavemode is governed by the mechanisms of diffusion, convection and dissipation of energy in wavenumber space. The strength of these effects varies with energy and wavenumber of the mode in question. Two-dimensional energy spectra of spherical k-space integration that permit detailed insight into the parallel and perpendicular development are presented. The evolution of energy injected through driving shows a strong energy transfer to perpendicular wavemodes. The main process at parallel wavemodes is the dissipation of energy in wavenumber space. The generation of higher harmonics along the parallel wavenumber axis is observed. We find evidence for a critical balance in our simulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Roles of NAD in DNA Repair and Response to Oxidative Stress

It has become a common trend for people to start their families at a later age, often due to lifestyle choices like achieving career goals first and waiting to achieve financial stability. Along with this trend of increasing parental age comes another, the decrease in fertility. While it is well established that female fertility declines significantly with age, current research is showing that male fertility may be impacted just as much. NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) is an important biochemical cofactor in most metabolic reactions, and importantly, is it also essential for DNA repair. As age increases in humans, the amount of NAD in the body decreases. In this study we are testing the hypothesis that lower NAD levels affect the body’s ability to repair DNA strand breaks, potentially contributing to the lower overall health and lower germ cell quality in aged humans. We expect NAD decline to lead to a decreased ability to maintain DNA integrity in somatic cells and in germ cells. Decreased DNA integrity in germ cells would cause a decrease in fertility. To test this hypothesis, we are quantifying DNA strand breaks in various cell types, including white blood cells and germ cells, reflecting on overall health and germ cell health, respectively. We are using comet assays to quantify DNA breaks in cells obtained from transgenic mice with varying NAD levels that are induced by their diet. The comet assay is an electrophoresis method that allows quantification of DNA strand breaks in individual cells. This research is relevant to human nutrition, reproduction and aging, and it may guide the development of pharmaceutical or nutritional interventions intended to help increase NAD levels in aging humans and to maintain their fertility. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 10-11 a.m

Near-Earth heliospheric magnetic field intensity since 1750. Part 2: cosmogenic radionuclide reconstructions

This is Part 2 of a study of the near-Earth heliospheric magnetic field strength, B, since 1750. Part 1 produced composite estimates of B from geomagnetic and sunspot data over the period 1750–2013. Sunspot-based reconstructions can be extended back to 1610, but the paleocosmic ray (PCR) record is the only data set capable of providing a record of solar activity on millennial timescales. The process for converting 10Be concentrations measured in ice cores to B is more complex than with geomagnetic and sunspot data, and the uncertainties in B derived from cosmogenic nuclides (~20% for any individual year) are much larger. Within this level of uncertainty, we find reasonable overall agreement between PCR-based B and the geomagnetic- and sunspot number-based series. This agreement was enhanced by excising low values in PCR-based B attributed to high-energy solar proton events. Other discordant intervals, with as yet unspecified causes remain included in our analysis. Comparison of 3 year averages centered on sunspot minimum yields reasonable agreement between the three estimates, providing a means to investigate the long-term changes in the heliospheric magnetic field into the past even without a means to remove solar proton events from the records

Establishing a math credit for the Agriscience CTE Program at Perry High School

Often students struggle with connecting course content to the real world which can lead to a lack of motivation during learning. Math is a tool used daily within the agriculture industry. Providing applied instruction connecting math concepts with typical agricultural careers can help bridge the gap between content in the classroom and real world applications. Career and Technical Education programs provide hands on learning for students to prepare them for a career in a focused industry. Student enrollment can be a struggle for many programs while students balance the necessary graduation requirements. Aligning program instruction with additional course credits would create another avenue for students to choose and can in turn increase program enrollment. The purpose of this project was to create a course curriculum within the agriscience program that would provide the students at Perry High School an option to count the agribusiness courses as their fourth-year math credit

Mobile metal ionization: effectiveness in gold exploration

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016A series of investigations and tests vetting the proprietary Mobile Metal Ion™ (MMI) technique for its effectiveness specifically in regards to identify Au concentrations in the subsurface. The Marigold Mine, north central NV, and the Gil Prospect, Interior AK, near Fairbanks, provide two site areas under active exploration and development in drastically contrasting environments. MMI has been widely available as an alternative to conventional soil geochemical methods since the 1990's, during which time it has been used successfully to identify several base metal deposits, mostly in arid climates. Criticisms and reluctance from industry to use the method generally stem from the poor understanding of ion migration mechanisms in the subsurface, and the proprietary extractants' undisclosed composition. While MMI has shown promise in the identification of large base metal deposits, Au is significantly less mobile than other metals at the near surface; a detailed investigation of MMI's ability to identify buried Au deposits is yet to be documented. This thesis conducts a critical review of MMI's overall effectiveness at identifying Au in the subsurface through a combination of small studies investigating both its analytical and geological reproducibility, and comparisons of soil anomalies to subsurface Au identified through drilling. Marigold areas tested with MMI (2007-2009, 2012) are currently being mined, allowing best-case scenario comparisons between ore grade and surface response; whereas at Gil investigations compare MMI responses to total organic carbon (TOC) profiles in soil cores, and test the method's usefulness in variably permafrost-rich soils. Both sites provide comparisons to conventional methods illustrating: MMI's advantages over conventional techniques in situations with between 5 to 100 meters alluvial cover; an interesting case where both MMI and conventional methods identified different portions of a deposit but neither method successfully defined it in its entirety; and strange inter-elemental correlations in the MMI data that appear to be reflecting how metals concentrate in the soils rather than reflecting bedrock metal correlations. Data also identify how some metals (e.g. As, Bi, Co, Fe, and Zn) preferentially concentrate in the A horizon soils, whereas others such as Au and Ba concentrate in the B horizon. Such results question our generally accepted models of how metals concentrate in soils. The A horizon (commonly considered the zone of leaching) is thought to have lower metal concentrations than the B horizon (zone of accumulation). However if these data are representative, then certain elements preferentially concentrate in the A horizon. Such knowledge will have serious implications on sampling protocols and interpretation of geochemical soil surveys in general.Chapter 1:Introduction -- Chapter 2: Geochemistry of the Marigold Deposit Mineralization -- Chapter 3: Mobile Metal Ion Investigations of the Marigold Deposit -- Chapter 4: Geochemical Investigations of the Gil Prospect, Alaska -- Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusions -- References -- Appendices