Determination of Aluminum, Calcium, and Magnesium in Fraser Fir, Balsam Fir, and Red Spruce Foliage and Soil from the Southern and Middle Appalachians

Spruce–fir forests form unique ecosystems in the eastern United States and Canada. These forests are composed of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) and red spruce (Picea rubens) in the Southern Appalachians, and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and red spruce in the middle and northern Appalachians. Decline of spruce–fir forests has been observed since the 1960s that has been attributed, at least in part, to acidic deposition. Acidic deposition has been reported to decrease the availability of calcium and increase the availability of aluminum and induce decline of red spruce at high elevation sites above 1800 m. Aluminum, calcium, and magnesium were determined in Fraser fir, balsam fir, and red spruce foliage and soil from sites in the southern and middle Appalachians in order to evaluate whether acidic deposition may play a role in the decline of the conifers. Our nutrient studies did not provide any evidence that acidic deposition was affecting the conifers.     

Relationship Between Science and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in teacher efficacy beliefs about mathematics and science teaching during participation in methods courses and student teaching, as well as the relationship between mathematics and science teaching efficacy. Data revealed that, as science and mathematics teacher education in a methods course progressed, science and mathematics teaching efficacy significantly increased. This effect appeared to decrease slightly by the end of student teaching. Analysis of data indicated a significant difference in both the personal mathematics and personal science teaching efficacy scores, as well as mathematics outcome expectancy. Additionally, preservice teachers' personal mathematics and science teaching efficacies were directly related, as were their mathematics and science teaching outcome expectancies.     

Permanent Wave Structures and Resonant Triads in a Layered Fluid

A closed three layer fluid with small density differences between the layers has two closely related modes of gravity wave propagation. The nonlinear interactions between the wave modes are investigated, particularly the nearly resonant or significant interactions. Permanent wave solutions are calculated, and it is shown that a permanent wave of the slower mode can generate resonantly a wave harmonic of the faster mode. The equations governing resonant triads of the two modes are derived, and solutions having a permanent structure are calculated from them. It is found that some resonant triad solutions vanish when the triad is embedded in the set of all harmonics with wavenumbers in its neighborhood     

The thermolysis of the neocupferron chelates of yttrium and the rare earth elements

The thermolosis curves of the neocupferron chelates of yttnum, lanthanum, cerium(III), cerium(IV). praseodymium, neodymium, samarium and gadolinuim were determined. It was found that the ehelates were stable up to 8o°, with the oxide levels being reached at 460–750°.     

Comparison of agarose and cross-linked protein gels as magnetic resonance imaging phantoms

Measurements of the magnetic field dependence of spin-lattice relaxation rates and the response of the water-proton signal intensity to off-resonance radio frequency fields show that the commonly used agarose phantom provides a less faithful representation for the magnetic response of tissue than does a cross-linked protein system. The origin of these differences lies in the structure and intramolecular dynamics of the macromolecular system used to make the gel. These distinctions will also cause differences in the magnetic response of the water spin system when paramagnetic relaxation agents or contrast agents are incorporated. Use of a thermally cross-linked bovine serum albumin phantom is suggested.     

Nuclear binding energies and liquid drop parameters in the extended Thomas-Fermi approximation

Using the extended Thomas-Fermi model, we calculate average nuclear binding energies with Skyrme type effective interactions. The total energy is minimized with respect to variations of the nucleon densities without the use of wave functions or adjustable parameters. We obtain binding energies only ～2–7 MeV higher than self consistenly averaged Hartree-Fock energies. By least-square fits we determine the liquid drop parameters of different effective interactions very accurately. Shell effects are added perturbatively and lead to total energies within 5–10 MeV of the exact Hartree-Fock results.