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Show . THE MAGNA TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1989 PAGE 2 . Editorialopinion New microprobe helps U studies from volcanism to tooth decay A new electron probe microanalyzer regarded as the most sophisticated instrument of its kind in the world is boosting University of Utah research projects ranging from the volcanic history of Utah to flourines affect on teeth. Dr. William P. Nash, professor of geology and geophysics, says the $500,000 microprobe is one of only eight such instruments ever installed in an earth science department in North America. Companies in Research Park and faculty and students at Utah State University, Brigham Young University, and Weber State College are also benefiting from the new equipment. Manufactured in France, the instrument, which has five spectrometers, was financed half through a National Science Foundation grant and half through University overhead funds set aside to acquire special X-r- X-r- rt research instruments. The power of an electron microprobe is its ability to provide precise chemical analyses of extremely small volumes of solid materials, says Nash. This is accomplished by bombarding the sample with a finely focused beam of eleccharacteristic of the elements controns, causing the sample to emit tained in the sample. the chemical composition of the By measuring the intensity of these 100 parts per million. as to about low levels as is detectable sample The instruments advantage is than it allows scientists and engineers to examine particles one hundred times thinner than a fingernail, notes Nash, and chemical changes can be measured occur over very small distances. are controlled by a computer, The spectrometers, which analyze the which also performs complex data reduction procedures as each sample is scanned. This permits automated overnight analytical experiments, and allows researchers anywhere in the world to operate the instrument remotely through a computer modem link. Faculty and students from the departments of geology and geophysics, materials science and engineering, physics, metallurgy and metallurgical engineering, pharmaceutics, and fuels engineering are currently using the microprobe on numerous experiments. Geologists use the microprobe primarily to learn the chemical make-u- p of minerals. Information gleaned from analyzing the composition of minerals, allows these researchers to learn about the temperatures and pressures of the hot fluids responsible for making ore deposits. NOTE: The following article, written by Sharon Stockstill, won the Celebrate Exstatewide high school Freedom of Information Essay Association. Press Utah the Sharon, who cellence Contest, sponsored by is a junior at Alta High School in Salt Lake City, was awarded a partial scholarship to the University of Utah. The judge for the essay competition was David Fleisher, who worked as news editor for The Park Record newspaper in Park City for five years. Currently, he is employed by the Utah Press Association. Freedom of Information by Sharon Stockstill 6. National Order of Battlefield Commissions looking for entitled men order. While you were a member of a United States Army or United States Marine Corps unit and in combat demonstrated such valor or outstanding leadership that you were commissioned on the battlefield, you are eligible for membership in the National Order of Battlefield Commissions. If you received a battlefield commission, or know of any man who did, please write to any one of the Mustangs listed below for an application to join the National Order of Battlefield Commissions. Steve Parisi, 107 Beck Street, MAGNA TIMES USPS 3255-800- 0 9145 WEST 2700 SOUTH MAGNA, UTAH 84044 J. HOWARD STAHLE Editor Publisher-Managin- g ' BONNIE STAHLE Advertising-Offic- Manager e 4 KIM FOLSOM Assistant Editor-Writ- KENT GOBLE Features-Sport- Writer s DEANA JONES Typesetter-Offic- e Help MA 02769, (617) Marion Baggs, 416 Sidewinder Trail, Middleburg, FL Daniel S. 32068, (904) Ebeling, 4396 Stemen Street, R. 1 Lima, OH 45807, (419) Bud Wamecke, 1916 Catawba Street, Fayetteville, NC 28303, (919) Rehoboth, 252-332- 1; 282-485- 9; 642-356- 484-289- 1; 0. Grady M. Vicker, 4216 Chesterfield Drive, Mobile, AL 36618 (205) Bert Reda, 1013 Ironwood Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89108, Rick Cardenas, (702) 15050 Edgemoor Street, San Leandro, CA 94579, (415) (415) 0 (9 a.m.-- 4 a.m.); Lawrence Nuce, P.O. Box 23, Kingwood, WV 26537, (304) James Bob-bet- t, 6780 Olivet Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84121, (801) 343-206- 2; 646-280- s, exploration. The microprobe is also helping studies in ore bodies in the Northwest Ter ritories and other parts of Canada and in New Mexico. In these experiments, mineral compositions and isotopic data on oxygen and hydrogen help determine how hot fluids interact with host rocks. Geologists are working with archaeologists from the National Museum of Kenya to locate the obsidian (volcanic glass) sources for stone implements prehistoric man used in East Africa. The microprobe can ascertain the composition of obsidian artifacts, which serves as a fingerprint for the volcanic source. The presence of thousands of obsidian artifacts would make the work extremely difficult without a modern, automated electron microprobe. The microprobe also allows researchers in the Department of Pharmaceutics to measure, for the first time, the precise distribution of flourine in teeth treated with flouride. Armed with these new data, researchers have been able to evaluate the mechanism by which flourine inhibits cavities from developing. In other areas, materials scientists and physicists are measuring the chemical composition of semiconducting materials grown in their laboratories, and the size and composition of particles in ceramic materials. Nash expects the instrument to play an expanded role in medical research and in the design and make-u- p of semiconductors, material basic to the operation of almost every electronic device, including computers, televisions, radios, and cardiac pacemakers. At other campuses, the microprobe has been used in the chemical analysis of cells, the investigation of diseases such as cystic fibrosis and asbestosis, a chronic lung inflammation caused by the inhalation of asbestos particles, and in kidney stones analysis. Rent buy a home decision tougher now by Dennis Hinkamp Consumer Information Writer Utah State University House, apartment, home, and housing are words that carry with them emotional as well as economic significance. Emotions and economics are a dangerous mix, especially when it comes to the largest lifetime expenditure most of us are likely to make. For most people, the house on a private piece of property is the most desired form of housing. It is often considered a step to adulthood school, job, marbecause this is what most of our parents did. riage, house According to Dr. Jean Lown, consumer economist in the Utah State University College of Family Life, we also have all these old sayings stuck in our heads: 1) If you rent, youre throwing away your money; 2) A house is an investment; and 3) You need a house for the tax deductions. Similar to many old sayings, Lown says these once made more sense than they do now. Today there are dozens of but its. These bits of wisdom were probably formulated when you could count on home value appreciating every year, salaries were going up every year, and the fixed rate mortgage of 7 percent was the norm. Zero out of three isnt good. None of these apply to most of 1980s Utah. She says this type of financial picture also makes other rules of thumb such as You can afford a home valued at four times your annual income obsolete. Since over the life of most mortgages you pay for more than the price of the 5-- The First Amendment. Without it, Americans would no longer be the Land of the Free. The First Amendment offers Americans opportunities that are often denied in other countries. The founding fathers of America felt that the First Amendment was very important to American society, and it still plays an important role today. The founding fathers thought the constitution, itself, didnt sufficiently protect peoples liberties; thus, the First Congress of the United States proposed the Bill of rights, which became an official part of the Constitution in 1791. The First Amendment gives Americans the right to practice any religion, the right to say or write whatever one pleases, the right for people to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. The U.S. Supreme Court stated in 1980, In a variety of contexts this court has referred to a First Amendment right as a right to receive information and SeSs When composing the cohStitmioh, our founding fathers did not want 'laws Similar to the pld English Prior Restraint law, which said nothing could be printed without church or state.approval. The founding fathers felt Americans should have the right to receive information; therefore, they established the First Amendment. Thomas Jefferson said, Our liberty depends on freedom of the press, and that can not be limited without being lost. Americans learn more about world governmental news than many foreigners, for instance, the recent shooting down of the Libyan Bogie plane by an Americans received detailed information about the shooting, American including actual video tapes of the encounter from our defense department. Americans deserve and demand the respect of knowing what their company is doing. The rights stated in the First Amendment, such as freedom of expression, speech, press, religion, petition, etc., are critical to a democratic government. Without such freedoms, the people would not be able to make intelligent decisions, debate for better ways of governing, and state their grievances with the government; therefore, a government without freedoms stated in the First Amendment would not be a democracy, but a dictatorship. Our officials should always be questioned by the press, to they will be honest. And our government should always question the press so they, too, will be honest. It is a system of checks and balances, a system upon which our government was established, a system in which freedom flourishes. In conclusion, the founding fathers found that the First Amendment was important in order to establish a democracy, and that is why the First Amendment is still important today. Americans, those bred on democratic ideals, need the institution of the First Amendment. Several thousand men who are entitled to be members of the National Order of Battlefield Commissions are somewhere in these fifty states and we are trying to locate them in order that they may join with us in our fraternal With the microprobe, volcanologists can examine the role gases play before, during, and after volcanic eruptions. They also investigate the chemical diffusion of elements and rates of crystal growth in magma, the molten matter under the earths crust that forms igneous rock when cooled. In a study of earthquake occurrences, geologists use chemical data on various minerals to determine how the composition, temperature, and pressure of fluids influenced sudden earth movements on the Wasatch Fault over the past 15 million years. Water-ric- h fluids in the earths crust interact chemically with minerals and organic matter ia sedimentary rocks, and redistribute oil, natural gas, and metals in the upper crust. With the microprobe, geologists can assess the chemical evolution of fluids in the Oquirrh Basin of Utah, the site of anomalous concentrations of metals. In a study of Canadian copper and zine ore bodies, scientists use the microprobe to establish the extent of fluid flow in ancient aquifers, which were associated with the origin of minerals. The project has provided improved strategies in the exploration for mineral and hydrocarbon reserves. Utah has world-clasrare metal deposits, says Nash, capable of supplying 30 percent of the worlds need of gallium, used as semiconductors in diodes and lasers, and 25 percent of the need of germanium, used as a semiconductor in transistors and other electronic devices. Researchers want to characterize these unusual deposits and develop models for their genesis and future home in accumulated interest, the interest rate is the key. Variable rate mortgages throw another wrench into the equation. For instance, Lown says during 1988 the prime interest rate increased two percentage points. Since variable rate mortgages are commonly tied to the prime, your mortgage rate could have increased about 20 percent (assuming you started at about 10 percent). It is unlikely that your income increased 20 percent in 1988. Lown warns that this is the possible double whammy of variable rates. Interest rates may increase at the same time the economy is slumping, so at the same time you need more money, you are unlikely to be getting it. One of the common mistakes first-tim- e buyers make is not considering the whole budget picture. Since the home hunting process usually takes several months, arrange your budget so that you can actually experience how it is to live on the amount of martgage and added housing costs you are likely to incur, she says. To compensate for increased costs, Lown says first-tim-e buyers may make the mistake of saying they are willing to sacrifice other parts of their life without first trying out that new lifestyle. She acknowledges that there are other reasons to buy a home, apart from economics, but you shouldnt forget the added costs and unpredictability that go with home ownership. Home insurance, repairs, upkeep, and increased utilities are just a few of the added costs of owning rather than renting. The conclusion about whether to rent or buy is that there are no simple conclusions, Lown says. Each case has to be decided individually. Buying simply is not always better than renting. , Weights and measures program protects buyers and sellers Being able to count on accurate scales at the meat counter, accurate pumps at the gas station, and accurate mileage on a taxi meter are just a few of the things Americans take for granted. And thats the way it should be, a state official points out. The fact that Utahns can count on honest weights and measured in their business dealings is a tribute to a little juiown but vital agency of state gpvem-men- t. Its the Utah Department of Agricultures Division of Weights and ' Mea&rtes, headed by Director Edison Stephens. The work of that division and similar ones in every other state is being honored during National Weights and Measures Week, March 1 to 7. Stephens and Robert Smoot, deputy director, manage a staff that inspects thousands of commercial weighing and measuring devices every year to insure that Utah consumers get what they pay for. In every state, similar employees protect the interests of merchants, consumers, food processors, and others who do business by weight or measure. Inspectors try to check each business weighing or measuring devices at least one a year, in a random pattern. Because the number of companies in business is growing, though, inspectors cant check all the devices in use that often. Thats why consumer cooperation is important, not only with the Weights and Measures Division but with the merchant himself, in pointing out possible measurement or quantity errors. Utah statistics indicate that the greatest amount of shortweight occurs in meats, fluid dairy products, solid dairy products, produce, and flour products. such as candies, canned and bottled goods, and frozen foods are more 1 Com-modititi- likely to be right at label weight, Stephens pointed out. In addition to supermarkets and gas stations, hundreds of other installations must be checked warehouses, processing plants, livestock auctions, and others. Most state weights and measures divisions have power toTpursuecHriiinal action when measurement discrepancies occur, but usually the authoritytft'brder the division offending articles from the shelf is sufficient to correct a situation, ' ' ' director explained. Thoughts such as these occur to consumers in the course of a days shoppThis package I bought doesnt ing: This scale isnt weighing correctly, have the correct amount in it, and I think that gasoline pump is registering more gallons than its giving. Sometimes these suspicions are correct. Weighing and measuring devices such as scales or gasoline pumps are mechanical instruments and are subject to error, wear, and tear. A packaging line malfunction can result in a package not being filled with the stated amount. In most cases, packages containing less weight or measure than indicated on the label are due to carelessness or lack of proper equipment care, not intentional cheating, Stephens said. What should buyers who feel they have encountered an incorrect device of an underweight package do? They can call the Division of Weights and Measures In the long run, everyone will benefit, consumers and merchants at alike, Stephens emphasized. 538-715- Choosing child care: do you know the difference? By Dennis Hinkamp Consumer Information Writer Utah State University Child care is a growth industry. Over the last 10 years, discussions have moved from Should we have day care? to What kind of child care should we have and how will we pay for it? In most cases, day care, and child care are interpreschool, changeable terms. By strict definition, preschool refers to a program lasting four hours or less. Day care and child care last longer. Most often, day and child care facilities have a preschool component in them, says Dr. Shelly Lindauer, early childhood specialist in the Utah State University College of Family Life. She says in recent years consumers have become more interested in the preschool aspect of the programs than just the simple tending of their children while they are at work. In general, Lindauer says registered, certified, and licensed are interchangeable terms. In Utah, child care facilities must be licensed. Licensing primarily established quantitative standards for the facilities. For instance, standards are set for teacherchild ratios, the square footage of facility space per child, the number of toilets per child, and general cleanliness. In Utah, licensing is required for any facility that sells services to 13 or more children for more than four hours per day. This exempts babysitters and small home care operations, she says. Just as there is a wide range in the quality of driving among all licensed drivers, licensed child care facilities vary greatly. Accreditation is the new term on the block. There are only about 650 programs accredited in 45 states. Utah has three. Lindauer says while licensing is concerned with quantitative aspects of child care, accreditation is concerned with qualitative aspects. The buzz word in the industry today is quality child care. Child care is a sellers market. More people need the service than there are centers providing the service. This is especially true in the case of care for children less than two years of age. Most of the care for these young children is still taking place in homes, she says. Lindauer says the only national organization doing accreditation is the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. It is working with state social service agencies and the already intact licensing laws to improve child care facilities. IT NEVER FAILS Lack of math and 9; 483-271- science graduates: does it threaten Americas future? 0, 481-261- 329-171- 5; 943-320- 3. Americas students should take charge of this countrys future by excelling in math and science, so challenged Senator- - Orrin Hatch. There is a shortage of science and engineering graduates in America, Hatch said. If there is no significant increase, this nation may not be able to meet the biggest challenge of the 21st century successfully. The Utah Republican said the challenges range from the clean-u- p of chemical waste spills to the need for continued development of medical technology, such as the pacemaker. With a shortage of engineers, Magna Times readers Letters to the Editor should be typewritten and double-space- d whenever possible. Letters will be edited for clarity, good taste, and length. The Magna Times will not publish unsigned letters, but the authors may request anonymity. The author should include any pertinent telephone numbers and addresses; such information will be kept strictly confidential and is only for the editors use. Address such correspondence to: The Magna Times, 9145 West 2700 South, Magna, Utah, 84044. The publication can be reached at Office hours are 8:30 - 5 p.m. Monday throiigh Friday. America could become technologically he continued. paralyzed, Engineers are the people who turn ideas into reality, from the space shuttle to everyday conveniences. Do we really want to begin a new century without enough engineers? , PUBLISHED THURSDAYS PottmaMar aand changa o( addraaa 14 Waal S700 South, Magna, Utah S4044 8. 250-565- 6. 1 |