Sample records for alleys

  1. The value of versatile alley cropping in the Southeast US: A Monte Carlo simulation

    Treesearch

    Michael A. Cary; Gregory E. Frey; D. Evan Mercer

    2014-01-01

    Alley cropping offers a potential alternative to traditional land management practices. However, its implementation in the United States is extremely limited and general awareness and knowledge of alley cropping is lacking. While alley cropping does have a few barriers to entry, the cost of maintaining hedgerow products and foregone returns from primary crops...

  2. 300. VACANT LOTS BETWEEN WEST MADISON ALLEY AND WEST CHESTNUT ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    300. VACANT LOTS BETWEEN WEST MADISON ALLEY AND WEST CHESTNUT STREET, TOWARD WEST - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  3. 75 FR 65647 - National Register of Historic Places; Notification of Pending Nominations and Related Actions

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-26

    .... Paul Loether, National Register of Historic Places/National Historic Landmarks Program. AMERICAN SAMOA...., Maiden's Alley, Cherry Alley, Mulberry Alley, Bardstown, 10000905 Todd County Woodstock, 6338 Clarksville...

  4. Using Google SketchUp to simulate tree row azimuth effects on alley shading

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Effect of row azimuth on alley crop illumination is difficult to determine empirically. Our objective was to determine if Google SketchUp (Trimble Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) could be used to simulate effect of azimuth orientation on illumination of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) alleys. Simulations were...

  5. Soil quality differences in a mature alley cropping system in temperate North America

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Alley cropping in agroforestry practices has been shown to improve soil quality, however information on long-term effects (>10 years) of alley cropping on soils in the temperate zone is very limited. The objective of this study was to examine effects of management, landscape, and soil depth on soil...

  6. The Perspective Structure of Visual Space

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Luneburg’s model has been the reference for experimental studies of visual space for almost seventy years. His claim for a curved visual space has been a source of inspiration for visual scientists as well as philosophers. The conclusion of many experimental studies has been that Luneburg’s model does not describe visual space in various tasks and conditions. Remarkably, no alternative model has been suggested. The current study explores perspective transformations of Euclidean space as a model for visual space. Computations show that the geometry of perspective spaces is considerably different from that of Euclidean space. Collinearity but not parallelism is preserved in perspective space and angles are not invariant under translation and rotation. Similar relationships have shown to be properties of visual space. Alley experiments performed early in the nineteenth century have been instrumental in hypothesizing curved visual spaces. Alleys were computed in perspective space and compared with reconstructed alleys of Blumenfeld. Parallel alleys were accurately described by perspective geometry. Accurate distance alleys were derived from parallel alleys by adjusting the interstimulus distances according to the size-distance invariance hypothesis. Agreement between computed and experimental alleys and accommodation of experimental results that rejected Luneburg’s model show that perspective space is an appropriate model for how we perceive orientations and angles. The model is also appropriate for perceived distance ratios between stimuli but fails to predict perceived distances. PMID:27648222

  7. 32 CFR 644.422 - Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Authorized widening of a public highway, street... and Easement Interests § 644.422 Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. 40 U.S.C... authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. The conveyance may be made with or without...

  8. 32 CFR 644.422 - Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Authorized widening of a public highway, street... and Easement Interests § 644.422 Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. 40 U.S.C... authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. The conveyance may be made with or without...

  9. 32 CFR 644.422 - Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Authorized widening of a public highway, street... and Easement Interests § 644.422 Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. 40 U.S.C... authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. The conveyance may be made with or without...

  10. 32 CFR 644.422 - Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Authorized widening of a public highway, street... and Easement Interests § 644.422 Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. 40 U.S.C... authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. The conveyance may be made with or without...

  11. 32 CFR 644.422 - Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Authorized widening of a public highway, street... and Easement Interests § 644.422 Authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. 40 U.S.C... authorized widening of a public highway, street, or alley. The conveyance may be made with or without...

  12. Sheep laterality.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Dean M; Murray, Leigh W

    2013-01-01

    Turning preferences among 309 white-faced ewes were individually evaluated in an enclosed, artificially lit T-maze, followed by each ewe choosing either a right or left return alley to return to peers. Data recorded included time in the start box, time in the T-maze, exit arm chosen to leave the T-maze, and return alley. Right and left arms of the T-maze were chosen 65.7% and 34.3% of the time, respectively, while right and left return alleys were chosen 32.4% and 67.6%, respectively. Exit arm and return alley were not independently chosen (p <.0001), with observed counts being higher than expected under independence when ewes made the same choice for exit and alley (RR or LL turn patterns) and being lower than expected for alternating choices (RL or LR). Out of the 309 ewes, 28.2% and 30.1% chose RR and LL turn patterns, respectively, while 37.5% chose the RL turn pattern, but only 13 (4.2%) chose the LR turning pattern. Overall, ewes that initially turned right when presented a second turning opportunity had a slight preference to alternate their turning direction, while ewes that initially turned left tended to continue turning left when given another chance to turn. Exit arm and return alley laterality was not related (α =.05) to time of day the test was administered, ewe's age or genetics, most recent liveweight, or most recent shorn fleece weight. The mean time spent in the start box (21 s) was not related to exit arm (p =.947) or return alley (p =.779). Mean time (15 s) spent in the T-maze was not related to exit arm (p =.086) or return alley (p =.952). More research will be required to understand sheep turning laterality and how it can impact working facilities and research equipment.

  13. Eliminating the major tornado threat in Tornado Alley

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tao, R.

    2014-06-01

    The 2013 devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma, Illinois and other states in Tornado Alley raise an important question: Can we do something to eliminate the major tornado threats in Tornado Alley? Violent tornadoes in Tornado Alley start from the clash-between northbound warm air flow and southbound cold air flow. As there is no mountain in Tornado Alley ranging from west to east to weaken or block the air flows, some clashes are violent, creating vortex turbulence called supercells. These supercells are initially in horizontal spinning motion at the lower atmosphere and then tilt as the air turns to rise in the storm's updraft, creating a component of spin around a vertical axis. About 30% of supercells develop into tornadoes, causing tremendous damages. Here we show that if we build three east-west great walls in the American Midwest, 300 m high and 50 m wide, one in North Dakota, one passing Oklahoma to east and the third one in the south Texas and Louisiana, we will weaken or block such air mass clashes and therefore diminish the major tornado threat in the Tornado Alley forever. We may also first build such great walls locally at some areas with frequent devastating tornado outbreaks and then gradually extend them.

  14. Soil carbon stabilization and turnover at alley-cropping systems, Eastern Germany

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Medinski, T.; Freese, D.

    2012-04-01

    Alley-cropping system is seen as a viable land-use practice for mitigation of greenhouse gas CO2, energy-wood production and soil carbon sequestration. The extent to which carbon is stored in soil varies between ecosystems, and depends on tree species, soil types and on the extent of physical protection of carbon within soil aggregates. This study investigates soil carbon sequestration at alley-cropping systems presented by alleys of fast growing tree species (black locust and poplar) and maize, in Brandenburg, Eastern Germany. Carbon accumulation and turnover are assessed by measuring carbon fractions differing in decomposition rates. For this purpose soil samples were fractionated into labile and recalcitrant soil-size fractions by wet-sieving: macro (>250 µm), micro (53-250 µm) and clay + silt (<53 µm), followed by determination of organic carbon and nitrogen by gas-chromatography. Soil samples were also analysed for the total C&N content, cold-water extractable OC, and microbial C. Litter decomposition was evaluated by litter bags experiment. Soil CO2 flux was measured by LiCor automated device LI-8100A. No differences for the total and stable (clay+silt, <53 µm) carbon fraction were observed between treatment. While cold water-extractable carbon was significantly higher at maize alley compared to black locust alley. This may indicate faster turnover of organic matter at maize alley due to tillage, which influenced greater incorporation of plant residues into the soil, greater soil respiration and microbial activity.

  15. Establishment trial of an oak-pine/soybean-corn-wheat alley-cropping system in the upper coastal plain of North Carolina

    Treesearch

    H.D. Stevenson; D.J. Robison; F.W. Cubbage; J.P. Mueller; M.G. Burton; M.H. Gocke

    2013-01-01

    Alley cropping may prove useful in the Southeast United States, providing multiple products and income streams, as well as affording sustainable land use alternatives to conventional farming. An alley-cropping system may be a good alternative in agriculture because of the benefits provided by trees to crops and soils, as well as the income generated from wood products...

  16. VIEW FROM ALLEY LOOKING WEST AT REAR ELEVATION OF 260 ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    VIEW FROM ALLEY LOOKING WEST AT REAR ELEVATION OF 260 RENNIE ST., UPRIGHT AND WING TYPE MILL WORKER HOUSING, C. 1900. THIS NEW TOWN SECTION OF GRANITEVILLE ON THE HILL EAST OF THE MILL COMPLEX HAD A GRID-PLAN STREET PATTERN WITH ALLEYS RUNNING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE BLOCKS. NOTE GARAGES ADDED IN THE 1940'S AND IDENTICAL STRUCTURES 262 AND 264 RENNIE ST. TO RIGHT - 260 Rennie Street (House), Graniteville, Aiken County, SC

  17. General setting from alley, office to left, concrete structure in ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    General setting from alley, office to left, concrete structure in center foreground, garage/shop to right, view to northeast - Former Umatilla Project Headquarters Buildings, Hermiston, Umatilla County, OR

  18. Can We Eliminate the Major Tornado Threats in Tornado Alley?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tao, R.

    2014-03-01

    The recent devastating tornado attacks in Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota raise an important question: can we do something to eliminate the major tornado threats in Tornado Alley? Violent tornado attacks in Tornado Alley are starting from intensive encounters between the northbound warm air flow and southbound cold air flow. As there is no mountain in Tornado Alley ranging from west to east to weaken or block such air flows, some encounters are violent, creating instability: The strong wind changes direction and increases in speed and height. As a result, it creates a supercell, violent vortex, an invisible horizontal spinning motion in the lower atmosphere. When the rising air tilts the spinning air from horizontal to vertical, tornadoes with radii of miles are formed and cause tremendous damage. Here we show that if we build three east-west great walls in the American Midwest, 300m high and 50m wide, one in North Dakota, one along the border between Kansas and Oklahoma to east, and the third one in the south Texas and Louisiana, we will diminish the tornado threats in the Tornado Alley forever. We may also build such great walls at some area with frequent devastating tornado attacks first, then gradually extend it. This research is supported in part by a grant from US Naval Research Lab.

  19. 118. #3 SHAFT ALLEY (PROPELLER SHAFT) FORWARD LOOKING AFT ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    118. #3 SHAFT ALLEY (PROPELLER SHAFT) - FORWARD LOOKING AFT ON PORT SIDE SHOWING THE SHAFT, SHAFT PACKING GLAND, SHAFT SEAL COOLING WATER LINE AND FIVE INCH FIRE MAIN PIPING. - U.S.S. HORNET, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Sinclair Inlet, Bremerton, Kitsap County, WA

  20. Soil quality in a pecan – Kura clover alley cropping system in the midwestern USA

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Intercropping alleys in agroforestry provides an income source until the tree crop produces harvestable yields. However, cultivation of annual crops decreases soil organic matter and increases soil erosion potential, especially on sloping landscapes. Perennial crops maintain a continuous soil cover,...

  1. Intercropping with Kura Clover Improves Soil Quality in a Pecan Agroforestry System

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Intercropping the alleys of agroforestry systems provides income until the tree crop begins to yield. However, cultivation of annual crops or intensive herbicidal control of vegetation in the alleys decreases soil organic matter and increases soil erosion, especially on sloping landscapes. Perennial...

  2. Aerial view southwest from center of square showing south portion ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Aerial view southwest from center of square showing south portion of alley, rears of 1007 E Street, 1009 E Street, and the National Capital Press Building and alley (east) wall of 1101 E Street - Square 347 (Commercial Buildings), Tenth, Eleventh, E, & F Streets, Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC

  3. Soil quality indicators of a mature alley-cropping agroforestry system in temperate North America

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Although agroforestry practices are believed to improve soil quality, reports on long-term effects of alley cropping on soils within agroforestry in the temperate zone are limited. The objective of this study was to examine effects of management, landscape, and soil depth of an established agrofores...

  4. Nutrient cycling in an agroforestry alley cropping system receiving poultry litter or nitrogen fertilizer

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Optimal utilization of animal manures as a plant nutrient source should also prevent adverse impacts on water quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term poultry litter and N fertilizer application on nutrient cycling following establishment of an alley cropping system with easter...

  5. 36 CFR 7.83 - Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) The use of a motorized vessel is allowed as follows: (i) Above the Big Spring landing on the Current River and below Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an outboard motor not to exceed 40 horsepower. (ii) Above Round Spring on the Current River and above Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an...

  6. 36 CFR 7.83 - Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) The use of a motorized vessel is allowed as follows: (i) Above the Big Spring landing on the Current River and below Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an outboard motor not to exceed 40 horsepower. (ii) Above Round Spring on the Current River and above Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an...

  7. 36 CFR 7.83 - Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) The use of a motorized vessel is allowed as follows: (i) Above the Big Spring landing on the Current River and below Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an outboard motor not to exceed 40 horsepower. (ii) Above Round Spring on the Current River and above Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an...

  8. 36 CFR 7.83 - Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) The use of a motorized vessel is allowed as follows: (i) Above the Big Spring landing on the Current River and below Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an outboard motor not to exceed 40 horsepower. (ii) Above Round Spring on the Current River and above Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River with an...

  9. 9. Typical 'furnished rooms' overlook the Washington Street alley. Each ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    9. Typical 'furnished rooms' overlook the Washington Street alley. Each has two double-hung windows that are fitted with roller-shade brackets. The plaster was formulated with lime and is heavily laden with animal hair. Each room is provided with a stove-pipe connection. Credit GADA/MRM. - Stroud Building, 31-33 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ

  10. Risk management for food and beverage industry using Australia/New Zealand 4360 Standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kristina, S.; Wijaya, B. M.

    2017-12-01

    This research aims to identifying, measuring and establishing risk in food and beverage industry. The risk management is implemented by referring to Australia/New Zealand 4360 Standard which has four phases such as problem formulation, risk analysis, risk characterization, and risk management. The implementation of risk management is done by case study at Back Alley Café. Based on the risk identification result, there are 59 risks were found in Back Alley Café. The risk identification is conducted based on observation and interview with the café manager who understand the condition of Back Alley Café properly. Based on the assessment of impact and probability, the risk mapping produced four risks at extreme level, 16 risks at high level, 24 risks at medium level, and 18 risks at low level. The strategy was designed as the risk mitigation after the risk mapping for the extreme and high level. The strategy which is given as the prevention or treatment of risk in Back Alley Café is divided into three. There are reducing the risk, sharing the risk and accepting the risk. The strategy is then implemented for each relevant activities.

  11. "Manana Is Soon Enough for Me": Latin America through Tin Pan Alley's Prism.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aiex, Nola Kortner

    In order to examine the vision of Latin America transmitted to the American public in Tin Pan Alley's popular songs in the first half of the twentieth century, a study analyzed nearly 50 songs. The songs were grouped into five categories: (1) songs which describe Latin locales; (2) songs which are constructed around a Latin woman's name; (3) songs…

  12. An analysis of travel costs on transport of load and nest building in golden hamster.

    PubMed

    Guerra, Rogerio F.; Ades, Cesar

    2002-03-28

    We investigated the effects of travel costs on transporting nest material and nest-building activity in golden hamsters. Nest-deprived animals were submitted to run alleys 30, 90 and 180 cm long to access a source containing paper strips as nest material (Experiment 1) or were submitted to the same travel costs in 24-h experimental sessions (Experiment 2). We noted that increased travel costs were related to a decreased number of trips to the source, larger amounts (cm(2)) of nest material transported per trip (although total loads also decreased in longer alleys), longer intervals between trips, and increased time spent at the source and in nest building activity. Foraging efficiency (i.e. size of load divided by the time spent at the source) decreased as a function of travel costs, and animals transported their loads in two fundamental ways: in 30-cm alleys, they simply used their mouth to pull the paper strips, but in 90- or 180-cm alleys they transported the loads in their cheek pouches. The animals were faster when returning to the home-cage and their running speed (cm/s) increased as a function of the length of the alley, showing that animals are under different environmental pressures when searching for resources and subsequently running back with the load to the nest. Both male and female subjects were sensitive to travel costs, but males engaged in nest building activity more promptly and exhibited higher mean performances in most measures. We conclude that nest material is a good reinforcer, and our major results are in accordance with the predictions of microeconomic and optimal foraging theories.

  13. Vaginal scent marking: effects on ultrasonic calling and attraction of male golden hamsters.

    PubMed

    Johnston, R E; Kwan, M

    1984-11-01

    Male hamsters were tested for their responses to areas that had been scent marked by intact or vaginectomized females to determine the effects of naturally deposited vaginal secretions on male behavior. In the first experiment males produced more ultrasonic courtship calls when investigating areas marked by intact females than areas scented by vaginectomized females, demonstrating that vaginal marks facilitate such calling. In a wind-tunnel preference test situation in which scent-marked alleys and clean alleys served as sources of odor, males approached the scented alley first if it had been freshly marked by intact females but not if it had been scented by vaginectomized females or other males. Thus, the odors of vaginal marks are sufficient to attract males over short distances. After males entered these alleys they showed a preference for odors of both intact and vaginectomized females over no odors, but still spent significantly more time investigating the odors of intact females than those of vaginectomized females. These experiments indicate that vaginal secretions are one of the primary cues that elicit male courtship calling, and the small quantities of vaginal secretions deposited by females in vaginal marks are sufficient to elicit ultrasonic calling and attract males over short distances. Thus it is likely that vaginal scent marking and ultrasonic calling by females interact to facilitate attraction and location of mates during courtship.

  14. Lameness and Claw Lesions of the Norwegian Red Dairy Cattle Housed in Free Stalls in Relation to Environment, Parity and Stage of Lactation

    PubMed Central

    Sogstad, ÅM; Fjeldaas, T; Østerås, O

    2005-01-01

    Approximately 88% of Norwegian dairy cattle are housed in tie stalls. Free stall housing for all dairy cattle will be implemented within 20 years. This means that the majority of existing stalls will be rebuilt in the near future. Fifty-seven free stall herds of the Norwegian Red breed were randomly selected and 1547 cows and 403 heifers were trimmed by 13 claw trimmers during the late winter and spring of 2002. The claw trimmers had been taught diagnosing and recording of claw lesions. Environment, management- and feeding routines were also recorded. Fifty-three herds had concrete slatted alleys while 4 had solid concrete. Thirty-five herds had concrete as a stall base, while 17 had rubber mats, 2 had wood and 3 had deep litter straw beds. The prevalence of lameness was 1.6% in hind claws. Models for lameness and claw lesions were designed to estimate the influence of different risk factors and to account for the cluster effects within herd and claw trimmer. Detected risk factors for lameness were: parity three and above and narrow cubicles; for heel horn erosions: lactation stage around 5–7 months after calving and solid concrete alleys; for haemorrhages of the white line: lactation stage around 3–5 months after calving and solid concrete alleys; for haemorrhages of the sole: parity one, lactation stage around 5–7 months after calving and short cubicles, for white line fissures: slatted concrete alleys; for asymmetrical claws: parities two and above and for corkscrewed claws: solid concrete alleys. The prevalence of lameness in heifers was low, however 29% had one or more claw lesions. Heifers that were housed in pens or free stalls had more heel-horn erosions, haemorrhages of the sole and white-line fissures than heifers in tie stalls. As new free stalls are being built, it is important to optimise the conditions for claw health. PMID:16398332

  15. Residential Exposure to 50 Hz Magnetic Fields and the Association with Miscarriage Risk: A 2-Year Prospective Cohort Study

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Qiang; Cao, Zhaojin; Qu, Yingli; Peng, Xiaowu; Guo, Shu; Chen, Li

    2013-01-01

    Objective The hypothesis of whether exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) may increase miscarriage risk is controversial. A 2-year prospective cohort study was designed to study the association between exposure to 50 Hz magnetic fields (MF) and the miscarriage risk for women residing in the area of the Pearl-River Delta of China. Method Two towns with densely distributed power supply constructions were selected as the study sites. From 2010 to 2012, 552 women in the region who were at approximately 8 weeks of gestation or who planned to have a baby within 1 year were selected as candidate subjects. Exposure to MF was estimated by measurements at their front doors and in the alley in front of the subjects’ houses. The average exposure level was used as a cutoff point to define the exposed group. Clinical miscarriage was diagnosed by local obstetricians. Staffs from the local population and family planning service stations were responsible for the follow-up interviews every 2 months. Results Four hundred and thirteen pregnant women were selected for the cohort study. The average residential exposure to MF was 0.099 µT. No significantly increased risk of miscarriage was found to be associated with the average front-door exposure (p>0.05). However, miscarriage risk was found to be significantly associated with maximum alley exposure (p=0.001). The relative risk (RR) of miscarriage from maximum alley exposure was 2.35 (95% C.I.: 1.18-4.71). In addition, Cox regression analysis showed that the adjusted hazard ratio of maximum alley exposure for miscarriage was 1.72 (95% C.I.:1.10-2.69). Conclusion Although the miscarriage incidence was shown to be positively associated with the maximum alley MF exposure, the association between miscarriage risk and the exposure to MF was not confirmed in the study. The results of this study are of interest concerning MF exposure assessment and pregnancy outcomes. PMID:24312633

  16. 13. The south segment of the building has a stone ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    13. The south segment of the building has a stone basement. The alley wall had a number of areaway windows that are now infilled with bricks. These areaways were subsequently filled with earth, probably when the alley was paved. Here the first-floor joists are seen with a make-shift support beam and column. The basement floor originally was part earth and part wood. Some of the earth floor is now covered with a concrete slab; the wood floor remains. Credit GADA/MRM. - Stroud Building, 31-33 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ

  17. Development of a telemetry and yield-mapping system of olive harvester.

    PubMed

    Castillo-Ruiz, Francisco J; Pérez-Ruiz, Manuel; Blanco-Roldán, Gregorio L; Gil-Ribes, Jesús A; Agüera, Juan

    2015-02-10

    Sensors, communication systems and geo-reference units are required to achieve an optimized management of agricultural inputs with respect to the economic and environmental aspects of olive groves. In this study, three commercial olive harvesters were tracked during two harvesting seasons in Spain and Chile using remote and autonomous equipment that was developed to determine their time efficiency and effective based on canopy shaking for fruit detachment. These harvesters work in intensive/high-density (HD) and super-high-density (SHD) olive orchards. A GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) device was installed to track these harvesters. The GNSS receiver did not affect the driver's work schedule. Time elements methodology was adapted to the remote data acquisition system. The effective field capacity and field efficiency were investigated. In addition, the field shape, row length, angle between headland alley and row, and row alley width were measured to determinate the optimum orchard design parameters value. The SHD olive harvester showed significant lower effective field capacity values when alley width was less than 4 m. In addition, a yield monitor was developed and installed on a traditional olive harvester to obtain a yield map from the harvested area. The hedge straddle harvester stood out for its highly effective field capacity; nevertheless, a higher field efficiency was provided by a non-integral lateral canopy shaker. All of the measured orchard parameters have influenced machinery yields, whether effective field capacity or field efficiency. A saving of 40% in effective field capacity was achieved with a reduction from 4 m or higher to 3.5 m in alley width for SHD olive harvester. A yield map was plotted using data that were acquired by a yield monitor, reflecting the yield gradient in spite of the larger differences between tree yields.

  18. Effects of two trimming methods of dairy cattle on concrete or rubber-covered slatted floors.

    PubMed

    Ouweltjes, W; Holzhauer, M; van der Tol, P P J; van der Werf, J

    2009-03-01

    This study monitored claw health, claw conformation, locomotion, activity, and step traits of cows from a single dairy herd that were trimmed according to the standard Dutch method or with an alternative "concave" trimming method. Half of the cows were kept in a stall section with concrete slatted floors in the alleys. The other cows were kept in a pen within the same housing with an identical concrete slatted floor in the alleys, but with a rubber top layer. All experimental cows were kept in the same environment for at least 3 mo before and after trimming. It was hypothesized that trimming for more-concave soles (i.e., with 3 to 5 mm of sole dug out under the claw bone) was preferred to the standard Dutch trimming with flat sole surfaces for cows kept in stalls with soft alley floors. None of the claw health or locomotion traits differed for the trimming methods. No interactions were found between flooring and trimming method. Floor effects were significant for several traits. Cows on the rubber-topped floors had significantly fewer sole hemorrhages (prevalence of 22 vs. 48% in mo 3) and larger claws (claw length 76.1 +/- 5.0 vs. 72.5 +/- 4.9 mm; heel height 49.3 +/- 6.3 vs. 46.0 +/- 6.4 mm; claw diagonal 129 +/- 6.4 vs. 125 +/- 6.9 mm), spent more time standing in the alleys (55.4 +/- 2.8 vs. 49.6 +/- 2.8%), and had higher activity (61.0 +/- 3.7 vs. 53.0 +/- 3.7 steps/h). This suggests greater claw comfort on rubber flooring compared with concrete flooring. Kinetic patterns during claw-floor contact while walking were similar for all treatments. During the double-support (stance) phase, claw-floor contact area increased to a maximum in the first 30% of double-support phase time, remained more or less stable until 80% of double-support phase time, and sharply decreased as the animal pushed off as shown by the change in center of pressure. A gradual change of center of pressure in the medial direction during double-support phase time was shown. The research hypothesis was rejected, but soft alley floors had subtle beneficial effects.

  19. Development of a Telemetry and Yield-Mapping System of Olive Harvester

    PubMed Central

    Castillo-Ruiz, Francisco J.; Pérez-Ruiz, Manuel; Blanco-Roldán, Gregorio L.; Gil-Ribes, Jesús A.; Agüera, Juan

    2015-01-01

    Sensors, communication systems and geo-reference units are required to achieve an optimized management of agricultural inputs with respect to the economic and environmental aspects of olive groves. In this study, three commercial olive harvesters were tracked during two harvesting seasons in Spain and Chile using remote and autonomous equipment that was developed to determine their time efficiency and effective based on canopy shaking for fruit detachment. These harvesters work in intensive/high-density (HD) and super-high-density (SHD) olive orchards. A GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) device was installed to track these harvesters. The GNSS receiver did not affect the driver’s work schedule. Time elements methodology was adapted to the remote data acquisition system. The effective field capacity and field efficiency were investigated. In addition, the field shape, row length, angle between headland alley and row, and row alley width were measured to determinate the optimum orchard design parameters value. The SHD olive harvester showed significant lower effective field capacity values when alley width was less than 4 m. In addition, a yield monitor was developed and installed on a traditional olive harvester to obtain a yield map from the harvested area. The hedge straddle harvester stood out for its highly effective field capacity; nevertheless, a higher field efficiency was provided by a non-integral lateral canopy shaker. All of the measured orchard parameters have influenced machinery yields, whether effective field capacity or field efficiency. A saving of 40% in effective field capacity was achieved with a reduction from 4 m or higher to 3.5 m in alley width for SHD olive harvester. A yield map was plotted using data that were acquired by a yield monitor, reflecting the yield gradient in spite of the larger differences between tree yields. PMID:25675283

  20. Soil CO2 flux in alley-cropping systems composed of black locust and poplar trees, Germany

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Medinski, Tetiana; Freese, Dirk; Boehm, Christian

    2013-04-01

    The understanding of soil carbon dynamics after establishment of alley-cropping systems is crucial for mitigation of greenhouse CO2 gas. This study investigates soil CO2 fluxes in alley-cropping systems composed of strips of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and poplar (Max 1) trees and adjacent to them crop strips (Lupinus). Soil CO2 flux was measured monthly over a period from March to November 2012, using a LI-COR LI-8100A automated device. Concurrently with CO2 flux measurements, soil and air temperature and soil moisture were recorded within 10 cm of each collar. Soil samples were collected nearby each soil collar for microbial C and hot water-extractable C analyses. At each study plot, root biomass was measured to a depth of 15 cm. In all vegetation types, soil CO2 flux increased from May to August, showing a significant positive correlation with air and soil temperature, which can be a reflection of increase in photosynthesis over the warm summer months. CO2 flux was the highest in poplar followed by black locust and lupines. The relationships between CO2 flux, microbial biomass and hot water-extractable carbon were not straightforward. Among the measured parameters, root density was found to be the main factor to explain the higher CO2 flux in tree strips.

  1. Geologic map of the Alley Spring quadrangle, Shannon County, Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weary, David J.; Orndorff, Randall C.

    2012-01-01

    The Alley Spring 7.5-minute quadrangle is located in south-central Missouri within the Salem Plateau region of the Ozark Plateaus physiographic province. About 1,990 feet (ft) of flat-lying to gently dipping Lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, mostly dolomite, chert, sandstone, and orthoquartzite, overlie Mesoproterozoic volcanic rocks. A small exposure of the volcanic rocks exists near the eastern edge of the quadrangle. Unconsolidated residuum, colluvium, terrace deposits, and alluvium overlie the sedimentary rocks. Karst features, such as sinkholes, caves, and springs, have formed in the carbonate rocks. Many streams are spring fed. Alley Spring, the largest karst spring in the quadrangle, has an average discharge of 81 million gallons per day. The topography is a dissected karst plain with elevation ranging from 630 ft where the Jacks Fork River exits the quadrangle to more than 1,140 ft at numerous places in the northern half of the quadrangle. The most prominent physiographic feature is the valley of the Jacks Fork River. Most of the land in the quadrangle is privately owned and used primarily for grazing cattle and horses and growing timber. A large minority of the land within the quadrangle is publicly owned, either by the Missouri State Forests or by the Ozark National Scenic Riverways of the National Park Service. Geologic mapping for this investigation was conducted in 2003 and 2004.

  2. 2. Signal Tower, looking east. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    2. Signal Tower, looking east. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Mattes Street Signal Tower, 80 feet Southwest of Railroad Alley & Cedar Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  3. 342. BAPTIZED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AT 1606 WEST CHESTNUT STREET, EAST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    342. BAPTIZED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AT 1606 WEST CHESTNUT STREET, EAST SIDE - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  4. 45 CFR 73a.735-401 - General provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... the purpose of the establishment, e.g., hotels, theaters, bowling alleys, and sports arenas. (2) Sales... avoid unrelated nonprofessional duties such as supervision or management of store operations...

  5. 45 CFR 73a.735-401 - General provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... the purpose of the establishment, e.g., hotels, theaters, bowling alleys, and sports arenas. (2) Sales... avoid unrelated nonprofessional duties such as supervision or management of store operations...

  6. 45 CFR 73a.735-401 - General provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... the purpose of the establishment, e.g., hotels, theaters, bowling alleys, and sports arenas. (2) Sales... avoid unrelated nonprofessional duties such as supervision or management of store operations...

  7. 45 CFR 73a.735-401 - General provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... the purpose of the establishment, e.g., hotels, theaters, bowling alleys, and sports arenas. (2) Sales... avoid unrelated nonprofessional duties such as supervision or management of store operations...

  8. 7. View looking northwest along Cedar Avenue Bridge. Delaware, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    7. View looking northwest along Cedar Avenue Bridge. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  9. 3. West elevation of Signal Tower. Delaware, Lackawanna & ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    3. West elevation of Signal Tower. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Mattes Street Signal Tower, 80 feet Southwest of Railroad Alley & Cedar Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  10. Measuring Evapotranspiration of five Alley Cropping systems in Germany using the Eddy-Covariance- and Bowen-Ratio Energy-Balance methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Markwitz, Christian; Knohl, Alexander; Siebicke, Lukas

    2017-04-01

    The inclusion of trees into the agricultural landscape of Europe is gaining popularity as a source for energy production. Fast growing tree species such as poplar or willow are included as short rotation coppice or alley cropping systems, which consist of tree alleys interleaved by annual rotating crops or perennial grasslands. Estimating turbulent fluxes of those systems using the eddy-covariance- (ECEB) and bowen-ratio energy-balance (BREB) method is challenging due to the methods limitation to horizontally homogeneous terrain and steady state conditions. As the conditions are not fulfilled for those systems the energy-balance is commonly not fully closed, with the non-closure being site specific. An underestimation of measured heat fluxes leads to an overestimation of the latent heat fluxes inferred from the ECEB method. The aim of our study is to 1) quantify the site specific non-closure of the energy-balance and 2) characterize the performance of both methods, compared to direct eddy-covariance measurements using a high frequency infra-red gas analyzer (LI-7200, Licor Inc.). To assess continuous evapotranspiration (ET) rates on a 30-minute time scale we installed a combined ECEB and BREB system at five alley cropping and five agricultural reference sites across Germany. For time periods of four weeks we performed direct eddy covariance flux measurements for H2O and CO2 over one crop- and one grassland alley cropping- and their respective reference systems during the growing season of 2016. We found a non-closure between 21 and 26 % for all sites, considering all day- and night-time data. The residual energy was highest during the morning and lowest in the afternoon. Related to that the energy-balance ratio (EBR), i.e. the ratio between the turbulent heat fluxes and available energy, was below one in the morning hours and increased slightly during the day up to 1.8, until the EBR decreased sharply after sunset. The EBR correlated to the daily cycle of solar radiation, the main driver of turbulent fluxes. Corresponding, we found an increasing EBR with increasing friction velocity, indicating, that under turbulent condition the energy-balance closure improves. Further, we found that the turbulent fluxes estimated by the BREB method compared well with direct eddy-covariance measurements and that the accuracy improved with increasing sensor distance. We conclude, when calculating ET rates on a 30-minute time scale using the ECEB method the site specific non-closure should be assessed beforehand by eddy-covariance. In the current study, ignoring the non-closure would have lead to an overestimation of the latent heat flux of about 25 % for the ECEB method. For a longer averaging period of one day the overestimation was reduced to less than 5 %.

  11. 4. Underside and southeast end of Cedar Avenue Bridge. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    4. Underside and southeast end of Cedar Avenue Bridge. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  12. 8. Perspective view of Cedar Avenue Bridge looking east. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    8. Perspective view of Cedar Avenue Bridge looking east. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  13. 20. VIEW OF ELEVATOR SHAFT FROM FIRST FLOOR TO SKYLIGHT, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    20. VIEW OF ELEVATOR SHAFT FROM FIRST FLOOR TO SKYLIGHT, LOOKING SKYWARD, NORTH - Bates Manufacturing Company, Storehouse, Northeast corner of Chestnut Street & Hines Alley, Lewiston, Androscoggin County, ME

  14. 29 CFR 1926.404 - Wiring design and protection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... streets, alleys, roads, and driveways. (iii) Clearance from building openings. Conductors shall have a... used, they shall be free from nonconductive coatings, such as paint or enamel; and, if practicable...

  15. 396. MIRACLE REVIVAL TEAM PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AT 2031 WEST JEFFERSON ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    396. MIRACLE REVIVAL TEAM PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AT 2031 WEST JEFFERSON STREET, WEST SIDE - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  16. 107. 500 BLOCK, TOWARD SOUTHEAST, RUSSELL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (RUSSELL ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    107. 500 BLOCK, TOWARD SOUTHEAST, RUSSELL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (RUSSELL APARTMENTS) IN BACKGROUND - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  17. Influence of Soft or Hard Floors before and after First Calving on Dairy Heifer Locomotion, Claw and Leg Health

    PubMed Central

    Bergsten, Christer; Telezhenko, Evgenij; Ventorp, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Simple Summary In this study the effect of different flooring systems on locomotion, claw conformation, loading, claw- and leg disorders was assessed in heifers from one year before to one year after calving. After calving, heifers kept on alleys covered with rubber flooring were found to develop less lameness, fewer claw disorders of the sole horn and fewer leg lesions than those kept on concrete alleys. Recruitment heifers reared on soft deep straw bedding had fewer sole horn lesions and more overgrown claws before calving, but were more prone to severe sole horn lesions after calving, than those reared in cubicles with hard concrete floors. Abstract Claw health, an important dairy cow welfare parameter, may be affected by early-life foot/leg stresses. To investigate this, groups of pregnant heifers were allocated to deep straw bedding (Soft) or cubicles (Hard), both with scraped concrete feeding alleys. After the grazing season, they were re-housed in cubicle systems, half on slatted concrete (Hard) and half on slatted rubber (Soft) alleys. Claw measurements, contact area and pressure distribution claw/flooring, claw disorders and leg lesions were recorded at the start and end of each housing season. Locomotion and leg lesions were also scored monthly after calving. Prevalence of sole haemorrhages was higher among pregnant heifers in cubicles than in deep straw. After calving, first-calvers on Hard floors had higher odds for lameness (OR = 3.6; p < 0.01), sole haemorrhages/ulcers (OR = 2.2; p < 0.05), white-line haemorrhages (OR = 2.8; p < 0.01) and leg lesions (OR = 2.6; p < 0.02) than those on Soft floors. Lowest prevalence and severity of sole and white-line haemorrhages (non-significant) in first-calvers was found in those on Soft floors and reared on Hard floors and the highest prevalence and severity on those on Hard floors reared on Soft floors. Soft flooring after calving is of most importance for healthy feet and legs. PMID:26479380

  18. 5. Detail of underside of Cedar Avenue Bridge at northwest ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    5. Detail of underside of Cedar Avenue Bridge at northwest end. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  19. 3. Concrete and stone abutment at southeast end of Cedar ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    3. Concrete and stone abutment at southeast end of Cedar Avenue Bridge. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  20. 178. MIRACLE REVIVAL TEAM PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AT 2031 AND 2029, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    178. MIRACLE REVIVAL TEAM PENTECOSTAL CHURCH AT 2031 AND 2029, 2027 AND 2025, SOUTH FRONTS - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  1. 1. Perspective of Mattes Street Signal Tower looking southwest. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    1. Perspective of Mattes Street Signal Tower looking southwest. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Mattes Street Signal Tower, 80 feet Southwest of Railroad Alley & Cedar Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  2. 7. Detail of first floor doorway to Signal Tower. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    7. Detail of first floor doorway to Signal Tower. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Mattes Street Signal Tower, 80 feet Southwest of Railroad Alley & Cedar Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  3. 108. RUSSELL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (RUSSELL APARTMENTS) AT 515, WEST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    108. RUSSELL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (RUSSELL APARTMENTS) AT 515, WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE, TOWARD NORTHEAST - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  4. The effects of sexual experience and estrus on male-seeking motivated behavior in the female rat

    PubMed Central

    Nofrey, Barbara; Rocha, Beatriz; Lopez, Hassan H.; Ettenberg, Aaron

    2008-01-01

    Ovariectomized (OVX) female rats were trained to traverse a straight alley and return to a goal box where they had previously encountered a male rat, a female rat or an empty goal box. The time required to run the alley was used as an index of the subjects’ motivation to re-engage the goal box target. Subjects were tested in both estrus and non-estrus, first sexually naïve and then again after sexual experience. Female rats ran most quickly for a male target, most slowly for an empty goal box, and at intermediate speeds for a female target. Sexual experience tended to slow run times for all but male targets. Estrus enhanced approach behavior for males and an empty goal box, but tended to slow the approach toward females, both before and after sexual experience. This latter finding was further investigated in a second experiment in which sexually naïve OVX females were tested during estrus and non-estrus in a locomotor activity apparatus, a runway with an empty goal box, and an open field. Estrus produced no changes in spontaneous locomotion either in the activity box or the open field, but decreased run times in the alley and increased the number of center-square entries in the open-field. Thus, estrus produces increases in sexual motivation that selectively enhance exploratory, presumably male-seeking behavior, but not simple spontaneous locomotion. PMID:18761024

  5. 8. August, 1970 PUMP BEHIND PELEG COGGESHALL HOUSE, 10 ORANGE ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    8. August, 1970 PUMP BEHIND PELEG COGGESHALL HOUSE, 10 ORANGE STREET (MASS-1063) - Orange & Union Streets Neighborhood Study, 8-31 Orange Street, 9-21 Union Street & Stone Alley, Nantucket, Nantucket County, MA

  6. 6. Detail of windows in north wall of Signal Tower. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    6. Detail of windows in north wall of Signal Tower. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Mattes Street Signal Tower, 80 feet Southwest of Railroad Alley & Cedar Avenue, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

  7. 25. VIEW FOURTH FLOOR, ELEVATOR PULLEY TRANSPORT SYSTEM, LOOKING AT ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    25. VIEW FOURTH FLOOR, ELEVATOR PULLEY TRANSPORT SYSTEM, LOOKING AT TOP MAIN WOOD AND STEEL BEAM SUPPORT SYSTEM, NORTHWEST - Bates Manufacturing Company, Storehouse, Northeast corner of Chestnut Street & Hines Alley, Lewiston, Androscoggin County, ME

  8. Facility target insert shielding assessment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mocko, Michal

    2015-10-06

    Main objective of this report is to assess the basic shielding requirements for the vertical target insert and retrieval port. We used the baseline design for the vertical target insert in our calculations. The insert sits in the 12”-diameter cylindrical shaft extending from the service alley in the top floor of the facility all the way down to the target location. The target retrieval mechanism is a long rod with the target assembly attached and running the entire length of the vertical shaft. The insert also houses the helium cooling supply and return lines each with 2” diameter. In themore » present study we focused on calculating the neutron and photon dose rate fields on top of the target insert/retrieval mechanism in the service alley. Additionally, we studied a few prototypical configurations of the shielding layers in the vertical insert as well as on the top.« less

  9. Partial reinforcement (acquisition) effects within subjects

    PubMed Central

    Amsel, Abram; MacKinnon, John R.; Rashotte, Michael E.; Surridge, C. Thomas

    1964-01-01

    Acquisition performance of 22 rats in a straight alley runway was examined. The animals were subjected to partial reinforcement when the alley was black (B±) and continuous reinforcement when it was white (W+). The results indicated (a) higher terminal performance, for partial as against continuous reinforcement conditions, for starting-time and running-time measures, and (b) lower terminal performance under partial conditions for a goal-entry-time measure. These results confirm within subjects an effect previously demonstrated, in the runway, only in between-groups tests, where one group is run under partial reinforcement and a separate group is run under continuous reinforcement in the presence of the same external stimuli. Differences between the runway situation, employing a discrete-trial procedure and performance measures at three points in the response chain, and the Skinner box situation, used in its free-operant mode with a single performance measure, are discussed in relation to the present findings. PMID:14130088

  10. PARTIAL REINFORCEMENT (ACQUISITION) EFFECTS WITHIN SUBJECTS.

    PubMed

    AMSEL, A; MACKINNON, J R; RASHOTTE, M E; SURRIDGE, C T

    1964-03-01

    Acquisition performance of 22 rats in a straight alley runway was examined. The animals were subjected to partial reinforcement when the alley was black (B+/-) and continuous reinforcement when it was white (W+). The results indicated (a) higher terminal performance, for partial as against continuous reinforcement conditions, for starting-time and running-time measures, and (b) lower terminal performance under partial conditions for a goal-entry-time measure. These results confirm within subjects an effect previously demonstrated, in the runway, only in between-groups tests, where one group is run under partial reinforcement and a separate group is run under continuous reinforcement in the presence of the same external stimuli. Differences between the runway situation, employing a discrete-trial procedure and performance measures at three points in the response chain, and the Skinner box situation, used in its free-operant mode with a single performance measure, are discussed in relation to the present findings.

  11. 261. JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES HALL AT 1718, NORTH FRONT AND EAST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    261. JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES HALL AT 1718, NORTH FRONT AND EAST SIDE, TOWARD SOUTHWEST, RUSSELL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (RUSSELL APARTMENTS) IN BACKGROUND - Russell Neighborhood, Bounded by Congress & Esquire Alley, Fifteenth & Twenty-first Streets, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY

  12. Effects of alley and stall surfaces on indices of claw and leg health in dairy cattle housed in a free-stall barn.

    PubMed

    Vokey, F J; Guard, C L; Erb, H N; Galton, D M

    2001-12-01

    A 15-wk 2 x 3 factorial trial in a university dairy herd compared the effects of two alley surfaces and three free-stall beds on indices of lameness. Alley surfaces were grooved concrete (Ct) or 1.9-cm-thick interlocking rubber mats (R). Stalls were deep sand (S), rubber mattresses (M), or concrete (C). Mattress and concrete stalls were bedded with sawdust. At wk 1 and 15, the hind claws and hocks of 120 primi- (n = 69) and multiparous (n = 51) cows were scored for lesions and three claw measurements (dorsal wall length, heel depth, and toe angle) were recorded. Rates of lateral and medial claw growth and wear were calculated by measuring the migration of a reference mark away from the coronet. Digital photographs of claw surfaces were used to rescore claw lesions. Clinical lameness was evaluated by assigning a locomotion score from 1 to 4 to each cow during wk 1, 5, 10, and 14. Digital dermatitis (present/not present) and interdigital dermatitis (mild, moderate, or severe) were recorded at wk 15. The number of days that cows spent in a hospital barn was recorded. Before assignment, cows were professionally foot trimmed, sorted by initial claw lesion score, and then randomized in consecutive blocks of three to stall treatments. Photograph scores were highly repeatable. Nonparametric statistical techniques were used for analyses of rank data. Claw lesion score increased significantly for all treatment groups except RC and RS; however, when early lactation cows were excluded, no differences were found between treatment groups. Hock scores increased significantly more for cows in CtC than in CtS or RS. Significantly more animals from RC spent more than 10 d in the hospital pen compared with RM and RS. Groups did not significantly differ for clinical lameness. Cows in RS and RC had significantly lower rates for lateral claw net growth than those in CtM. Having moderate or severe interdigital dermatitis at wk 15 was associated with greater increases in claw lesion score and more treatments for digital dermatitis. All claw measurements were correlated; however, toe angle was most strongly correlated with the other two. In this experiment, stall and alley configurations did not lead to significant differences in several indices of lameness.

  13. Modeling and observations of dust aerosols during the North American Monsoon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arellano, A. F.; Raman, A.; Brost, J.; Sorooshian, A.

    2016-12-01

    Intense dust storms during North American Monsoon (NAM) pose a significant threat to local/regional air quality, economy, and public health. Convection-driven storms (or haboobs) in Arizona and in the southwest US have been given far less attention compared to those in Africa and Middle East. Blowing dusts from these haboobs typically lasts for 3-6 hours and accumulate more than 1000 µg m-3 of PM10 in the atmosphere. However, it is not clear whether haboobs are increasing in intensity and/or frequency in Arizona. Here, we address two science questions: 1) Do haboobs impact the observed trends in aerosol abundance in the NAM region?, 2) What are our current capabilities and limitations in understanding, monitoring, and assessing haboobs and their impacts? For 1), we calculated the trends of enhancements in aerosol optical depth (AOD) from Terra MODIS over dust hotspots in the NAM alley and and surrounding region (dust cluster). Both show similar decreasing trends before the monsoon. However, during the monsoon, a decreasing trend in AOD is more prominent in the dust cluster than in NAM alley. We attribute this to an apparent modulation of dust in the NAM alley by haboobs. Despite increase in rainfall during this period, we infer that the increase in dust sources in the NAM alley obscures the decreasing AOD trend. For 2), we conducted simulations simulations of these haboobs using WRF-Chem with GOCART AFWA scheme at convective resolving scales ( 1 km). Our case study for the 5 July 2011 haboob indicate that the downbursts occurred near Tucson and generated diverging high intensity winds, resulting to cold pools propagating towards Phoenix. We find that WRF-Chem captures the timing of the haboob but severely underestimates the magnitude of dust concentrations that reached as high as 2000 µg m-3 at USEPA Phoenix stations. The impact of the haboob was seen as far as 350 km northwest of Phoenix at an altitude of 2-4 km on 6 July. We find two major limitations in our simulations: 1) lack of dynamic high resolution land cover for prescribing dust sources, and 2) lack of observing system capability especially high temporal resolution, remotely-sensed measurements for monitoring and assessment. Future geostationary missions together with synergistic use of current and future expansion of in-situ measurements can improve these limitations.

  14. Wagging ETOM's Long Tail: MOOCs, Hangouts on Air, and Formal and Informal Undergraduate Experiences with Climate Change Science and Clean Energy Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haines-Stiles, G.; Alley, R. B.; Akuginow, E.; McNeal, K.; Blockstein, D.

    2014-12-01

    Climate change can reasonably be described as a "wicked problem" meaning that it is complex, difficult and multi-faceted, although critical to equitable development and the sustainability of human civilization. But while the Wikipedia definition says such problems are "impossible" to solve, not even to try will lead to certain failure. "Earth: The Operators' Manual" (ETOM) was an NSF-funded informal science education project with 3 hour-long TV programs appearing on PBS in 2011 and 2012, along with live presentations by series host, Penn State's Richard Alley, and others at 5 major science centers. Uniquely among climate change programming, ETOM gave equal time to identifying solutions along with climate science, and made all its materials freely available via YouTube. Formal and informal science educators can register to download HD videos for classroom and outreach use, and signups have ranged from middle schools to 4-year colleges. Building on the success of the series and Alley's companion tradebook of the same name, Penn State working with Coursera invited Alley to develop a MOOC entitled "Energy, The Environment and Our Future" that similarly combined the essential science along with clean energy solutions. The course reached more than 30,000 students in the first semester of 2014. More recently the ETOM team has partnered with the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) to develop "READ for the EARTH," an NSF EAGER project, offering campuses the opportunity to adopt Alley's book, the ETOM videos (including "How To Talk To An Ostrich"), NCSE's www.CAMELclimatechange.org web site and other resources for both formal and informal uses. Some campuses have used the book with honors classes, and some are exploring adapting ETOM as a first year reading experience for all freshman. Our presentation will share reactions to the MOOC, to the pilot phases of "READ for the EARTH" and present both qualitative and quantitative results. Some of the most interesting of the latter include EDA (electrodermal activity) data comparing real-time responses to viewing one of the ETOM videos contrasted with discussion and lecture formats at a university level. Attendees will be invited to participate in "READ" and to utilize the "evergreen" version of the 2014 MOOC through "InTeGrate" (www.serc.carleton.edu/InTeGrate.)

  15. 36 CFR 230.40 - Eligible practices for cost-share assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., silvopasture, alley cropping, or other agroforestry practices, including purposes for energy conservation and... Improvement and Watershed Protection—Establishment, maintenance, renovation, and restoration practices... restoration practices to create, protect, or improve fish and wildlife habitat, including any necessary design...

  16. Agroforestry: mapping the way with GIS

    Treesearch

    Gary Bentrup; Tim Leininger

    2002-01-01

    Agroforestry combines agriculture and forestry technologies to create diverse, profitable, and sustainable land-use systems (Rietveld, 1995). Agroforestry practices include alley cropping, forest farming, riparian forest buffers, silvopasture, and windbreaks-each of which meets environmental, social, and economic needs (Gold et al., 2000). Environmentally, agroforestry...

  17. Design & development of the LCO-140H series hydraulic hybrid low floor transit bus.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-09-01

    Automation Alley, Altair, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in a public-private partnership, teamed up to advance a new transit bus initiative that would improve Americas local and regional transit systems while requiring no infrastruc...

  18. Pollutant Concentration in Runoff at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-25

    Antarctic Support Contract 7400 S. Tucson Way Centennial , CO 08112 Margaret Knuth National Science Foundation Division of Polar Programs...basin 2 has the largest area and encompasses the majority of the snowfield and the depression above Gasoline Alley. Sub-basin 3 includes the area

  19. Pollutant Concentration in Runoff at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-01

    Antarctic Support Contract 7400 S. Tucson Way Centennial , CO 08112 Margaret Knuth National Science Foundation Division of Polar Programs...basin 2 has the largest area and encompasses the majority of the snowfield and the depression above Gasoline Alley. Sub-basin 3 includes the area

  20. Networking. New Opportunities for Partnering, CAUSE94. Track IV.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CAUSE, Boulder, CO.

    Seven papers are presented from the 1994 CAUSE conference track on networking and information sharing among higher education institutions. The papers include: (1) "Integrated Statewide Infrastructure of Learning Technologies," focusing on the University of Wisconsin System (Lee Alley); (2) "Designing and Implementing a Network…

  1. 3. View toward the southeast corner of the building showing ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    3. View toward the southeast corner of the building showing the south (alley) side on the left and the east (suballey) side on the right. The second story contained 'furnished rooms.' Credit GADA/MRM. - Stroud Building, 31-33 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ

  2. Integrating walnut and other hardwoods into agroforestry practices

    Treesearch

    Shibu. Jose

    2013-01-01

    Agroforestry systems have been proposed as alternative, environmentally benign systems for agricultural production in temperate North America. Walnut and other hardwoods have been successfully integrated in most agroforestry practices include alley cropping, silvopastural, windbreaks, and riparian buffers. Because of walnuts relatively thin crowns and nut production,...

  3. 29 CFR 779.320 - Partial list of establishments whose sales or service may be recognized as retail.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    .... Antique shops. Auto courts. Automobile dealers' establishments. Automobile laundries. Automobile repair shops. Barber shops. Beauty shops. Bicycle shops. Billiard parlors. Book stores. Bowling alleys. Butcher shops. Cafeterias. Cemeteries. China, glassware stores. Cigar stores. Clothing stores. Coal yards...

  4. 29 CFR 779.320 - Partial list of establishments whose sales or service may be recognized as retail.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    .... Antique shops. Auto courts. Automobile dealers' establishments. Automobile laundries. Automobile repair shops. Barber shops. Beauty shops. Bicycle shops. Billiard parlors. Book stores. Bowling alleys. Butcher shops. Cafeterias. Cemeteries. China, glassware stores. Cigar stores. Clothing stores. Coal yards...

  5. 29 CFR 779.320 - Partial list of establishments whose sales or service may be recognized as retail.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    .... Antique shops. Auto courts. Automobile dealers' establishments. Automobile laundries. Automobile repair shops. Barber shops. Beauty shops. Bicycle shops. Billiard parlors. Book stores. Bowling alleys. Butcher shops. Cafeterias. Cemeteries. China, glassware stores. Cigar stores. Clothing stores. Coal yards...

  6. 29 CFR 779.320 - Partial list of establishments whose sales or service may be recognized as retail.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    .... Antique shops. Auto courts. Automobile dealers' establishments. Automobile laundries. Automobile repair shops. Barber shops. Beauty shops. Bicycle shops. Billiard parlors. Book stores. Bowling alleys. Butcher shops. Cafeterias. Cemeteries. China, glassware stores. Cigar stores. Clothing stores. Coal yards...

  7. 29 CFR 779.320 - Partial list of establishments whose sales or service may be recognized as retail.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    .... Antique shops. Auto courts. Automobile dealers' establishments. Automobile laundries. Automobile repair shops. Barber shops. Beauty shops. Bicycle shops. Billiard parlors. Book stores. Bowling alleys. Butcher shops. Cafeterias. Cemeteries. China, glassware stores. Cigar stores. Clothing stores. Coal yards...

  8. Sheep laterality

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Turning preferences among 309 white-faced ewes were individually evaluated in an enclosed, artificially lighted, T-maze, followed by each ewe choosing either a right or left return alley to return to peers. Data recorded included time in the start box, time in the T-maze, exit arm chosen to leave th...

  9. 31 CFR Appendix A to Part 560 - Persons Determined To Be the Government of Iran, as Defined in § 560.304 of This Part

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., Maker Tower F, 9th Floor, Cuffe Parade, Colabe, Mumbai 400 005, India; No. 1339, Vali Nejad Alley, Vali... Cutte Pavade, Colabe, Bumbai 700005, India; all offices worldwide [IRAN] PETROCHEMICAL COMMERCIAL...

  10. Soil Quality in a Pecan Agroforestry System is Improved with Intercropped Kura Clover

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Intercropping alleys of agroforestry systems provides an income source until the tree crop produces harvestable yields. However, cultivation of annual crops decreases soil organic matter and increases soil erosion, especially on sloping landscapes. Perennial crops maintain a continuous soil cover, m...

  11. A History of the Committee on Science and Technology

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-08-01

    Cyber porn : Protecting Our Children from the Back Alleys of the Internet (No. 16) U.S.-Japanese Cooperation in Human Spaceflight (No. 22...promote bills dealing with monitoring the quality of indoor air, radon gas, and child nutritional studies. With Albert Gore’s departure from the

  12. Acquisition of Leisure Skills by a Severely Handicapped Adolescent: A Data Based Instructional Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schleien, Stuart J.; And Others

    1984-01-01

    A 16-year-old severely handicapped student was trained to bowl, purchase a drink from the concession, and use a vending machine in the bowling alley in six weeks. The subject successfully transferred the skill to similar environment and materials. (CL)

  13. Lessons for climate policy from The Great Stink of London

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skuce, A.

    2012-12-01

    A rapidly growing population and the introduction of the flush toilet in nineteenth-century London caused a crisis with sewage pollution in the River Thames (Halliday, 1999). There were decades of delays in implementing solutions owing to: inadequate governance institutions; political inertia; difficulties with financing; opposition from vested interests; scientific uncertainties; and technological challenges. Effective counter-measures were started only once the problem arose, quite literally, under the noses of parliamentarians. There are parallels, some of them pointed out earlier by Alley et al (2010), between the sewage crisis in Victorian London and the current problem with climate change. Both involve the unsustainable use of a common resource (a river, the atmosphere) for the unconstrained disposal of human waste products. Alley (2011) estimated that the costs of providing clean water and sanitation are comparable to the expected costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the similarities, the climate change issue is actually much more difficult because of: a) the unequal and uncertain global distribution of cause and effect; b) its long, intergenerational time lines; c) the insufficiency of adequate institutions, conventions or the tools— political, moral or economic—for tackling the climate crisis. This analysis is consistent with the model proposed by Gardiner (2011) in his book A Perfect Moral Storm. The three "storms" he identifies, the global, intergenerational and theoretical storms, combine in a powerful synergy to create a challenge of unprecedented intractability, providing opportunities for what Gardiner calls moral corruption: the obscuring of the buck-passing and procrastination that characterizes climate policy today. In Victorian London, the crucial steps to solve the sewage crises were not taken until the stench from the River Thames during the hot summer of 1858 rendered the House of Commons uninhabitable. A greater stink of a different kind may have to be raised in the world's capitals before effective action begins on the much more challenging problem of climate change. References Alley, R. B., Haines-Stiles, G., Akuginow, E., 2010. Toilets and the Smart Grid: A role for history and art in communicating assessed science for Earth—The Operators' Manual. AGU, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #ED41D-05. Alley, R.B., 2011. EARTH: The Operators' Manual. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-08109-1 Gardiner, S.H., 2011. A Perfect Moral Storm: The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change. Oxford University Press. ISBN13: 9780195379440 Halliday, S. 1999. The Great Stink of London: Sir Joseph Bazalgette and the Cleansing of the Victorian Capital. Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-1975-2

  14. 7 CFR 1410.9 - Conversion to trees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conversion to trees. 1410.9 Section 1410.9... Conversion to trees. An owner or operator who has entered into a CRP contract prior to November 28, 1990, may... permanent vegetative cover, from such cover to hardwood trees, (including alley cropping and riparian...

  15. Recovery from major storms

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Holeman, J.S.

    1980-01-01

    Public Service Company of Oklahoma's transmission and distribution system is in tornado alley, and it seems the number of tornados hitting some part of the system is increasing each year. In the past 30 years, Tulsa his been hit 7 times, and experienced 3 very wide and destructive tornado storm systems between 1971 and 1975.

  16. Nitrogen dynamics in corn and switchgrass production influenced by soils of varying depths in central Missouri

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Sustainable biomass feedstock production systems involve biomass generation from non-agricultural or marginal lands with minimal external inputs. Switch grass based alley cropping systems have been proposed as biomass feedstock crop systems in marginal lands. In many areas in the Midwest United Stat...

  17. Nitrogen uptake by corn and switchgrass plants in soils of varying depths in Central Missouri

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Sustainable biomass feedstock production systems involve biomass generation from non-agricultural or marginal lands with minimal external inputs. Switchgrass based alley cropping systems have been proposed as biomass feedstock crop systems in marginal lands. In many areas in the Midwest United State...

  18. 9 CFR 91.14 - Ports of embarkation and export inspection facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... requirements: (1) Materials. Floors of pens, alleys, and chutes shall be made of impervious materials and finished so as to be skid-resistant. Impervious floors are those constructed of a material that resists the absorption of fluids. Such materials include concrete, asphalt, brick, metal, or other synthetic material...

  19. 9 CFR 91.14 - Ports of embarkation and export inspection facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... requirements: (1) Materials. Floors of pens, alleys, and chutes shall be made of impervious materials and finished so as to be skid-resistant. Impervious floors are those constructed of a material that resists the absorption of fluids. Such materials include concrete, asphalt, brick, metal, or other synthetic material...

  20. 9 CFR 91.14 - Ports of embarkation and export inspection facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... requirements: (1) Materials. Floors of pens, alleys, and chutes shall be made of impervious materials and finished so as to be skid-resistant. Impervious floors are those constructed of a material that resists the absorption of fluids. Such materials include concrete, asphalt, brick, metal, or other synthetic material...

  1. Subverting the Hegemony of Risk: Vulnerability and Transformation among Australian Show Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danaher, P. A.; Danaher, Geoff; Moriarty, Beverley

    2007-01-01

    Background: Australian show people traverse extensive coastal and inland circuits in eastern and northern Australia, bringing the delights of "sideshow alley" to annual agricultural shows. The show people's mobility for most of the school year makes it difficult for their school-age children to attend "regular" schools…

  2. Weed suppression by grasses for orchard floor management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Fruit trees in orchards of the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. are often planted in vegetation-free rows alternating with grass travel alleys. The tree rows can be maintained vegetation-free by herbicides or tillage, but soil degradation or tree injury can result. Grass that is managed to suppress...

  3. Weed suppression by grasses for orchard floor management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Fruit trees in orchards of the mid-Atlantic region are often planted in vegetation-free rows alternating with grass travel alleys. The tree rows can be maintained vegetation-free by herbicides or tillage but soil degradation or tree injury can result from these practices. Grasses that suppress wee...

  4. Revisiting the Blind Alley of Value Added

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banta, Trudy W.; Pike, Gary R.

    2007-01-01

    The Commission on the Future of Higher Education appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings issued a report in September 2006 entitled "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education" [U.S. Department of Education, 2006(ED493504)]. Two key commission recommendations are stated: "Higher education institutions should…

  5. 7 CFR 1410.9 - Conversion to trees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Conversion to trees. 1410.9 Section 1410.9... Conversion to trees. An owner or operator who has entered into a CRP contract prior to November 28, 1990, may... permanent vegetative cover, from such cover to hardwood trees, (including alley cropping and riparian...

  6. 7 CFR 1410.9 - Conversion to trees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Conversion to trees. 1410.9 Section 1410.9... Conversion to trees. An owner or operator who has entered into a CRP contract prior to November 28, 1990, may... permanent vegetative cover, from such cover to hardwood trees, (including alley cropping and riparian...

  7. 7 CFR 1410.9 - Conversion to trees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Conversion to trees. 1410.9 Section 1410.9... Conversion to trees. An owner or operator who has entered into a CRP contract prior to November 28, 1990, may... permanent vegetative cover, from such cover to hardwood trees, (including alley cropping and riparian...

  8. 45 CFR 73a.735-401 - General provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... the purpose of the establishment, e.g., hotels, theaters, bowling alleys, and sports arenas. (2) Sales... part-time employment is to contribute to the overall professional development of the employee and generally enhance his capability to better perform his current FDA duties. (ii) The part-time duties will be...

  9. In back alleys near Vancouver's AIDS conference, the disease was gaining ground.

    PubMed Central

    Cairney, R

    1996-01-01

    There was much more to this summer's international AIDS conference in Vancouver than reports by researchers. Richard Cairney says the $15-million conference attracted a mix of activists, demonstrators, physicians and business representatives, and they coexisted somewhat uneasily. Images p1161-a p1161-b p1163-a PMID:8873643

  10. Severe Weather Field Experience: An Undergraduate Field Course on Career Enhancement and Severe Convective Storms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Godfrey, Christopher M.; Barrett, Bradford S.; Godfrey, Elaine S.

    2011-01-01

    Undergraduate students acquire a deeper understanding of scientific principles through first-hand experience. To enhance the learning environment for atmospheric science majors, the University of North Carolina at Asheville has developed the severe weather field experience. Participants travel to Tornado Alley in the Great Plains to forecast and…

  11. 9 CFR 91.14 - Ports of embarkation and export inspection facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... paragraph (b) of this section, shall meet the following requirements: (1) Materials. Floors of pens, alleys, and chutes shall be made of impervious materials and finished so as to be skid-resistant. Impervious floors are those constructed of a material that resists the absorption of fluids. Such materials include...

  12. The Status of Agroforestry in the South

    Treesearch

    F. Christian Zinkhan; D. Evan.  Mercer

    1997-01-01

    Southern agroforestty has emerged as a significant research topic. Research results indicate that agroforestty can address such sustainability problems as erosion and water pollution, while improving economic performance in selected situatiOII& Silvopastoral systems are the most commonly adopted agroforestty application in the region; le!6-common alley-cropping...

  13. Agriculture and Rurality: Beginning the "Final Separation"?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friedland, William H.

    2002-01-01

    When is a farm a farm? When is rural rural? Has the issue of the rural-urban continuum returned? Decades ago rural sociology worked itself into two blind alleys: rural-urban differences and attempts to define the rural-urban fringe. Although these conceptual problems eventually were exhausted, recent developments in California raise the…

  14. Cocaine Self-Administration Alters the Relative Effectiveness of Multiple Memory Systems during Extinction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gabriele, Amanda; Setlow, Barry; Packard, Mark G.

    2009-01-01

    Rats were trained to run a straight-alley maze for an oral cocaine or sucrose vehicle solution reward, followed by either response or latent extinction training procedures that engage neuroanatomically dissociable "habit" and "cognitive" memory systems, respectively. In the response extinction condition, rats performed a runway approach response…

  15. 29 CFR 779.305 - Separate establishments on the same premises.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... service establishments as drugstores, department stores, and bowling alleys are not performed by a... example, a firm may engage in selling groceries at retail and at the same place of business be engaged in an unrelated activity, such as the incubation of chicks for sale to growers. The retail grocery...

  16. 29 CFR 779.305 - Separate establishments on the same premises.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... service establishments as drugstores, department stores, and bowling alleys are not performed by a... example, a firm may engage in selling groceries at retail and at the same place of business be engaged in an unrelated activity, such as the incubation of chicks for sale to growers. The retail grocery...

  17. 29 CFR 779.305 - Separate establishments on the same premises.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... service establishments as drugstores, department stores, and bowling alleys are not performed by a... example, a firm may engage in selling groceries at retail and at the same place of business be engaged in an unrelated activity, such as the incubation of chicks for sale to growers. The retail grocery...

  18. 29 CFR 779.305 - Separate establishments on the same premises.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... service establishments as drugstores, department stores, and bowling alleys are not performed by a... example, a firm may engage in selling groceries at retail and at the same place of business be engaged in an unrelated activity, such as the incubation of chicks for sale to growers. The retail grocery...

  19. Porn Alley: Now at Your Local Public Library.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schuyler, Michael

    1999-01-01

    Suggests that a definitive court ruling is needed to better define rights and responsibilities related to the First Amendment and libraries' Internet use policies so that libraries can provide a comfortable environment for users while maintaining the law. Discusses filters; court cases; claims of the anti-porn cult; research studies on how much of…

  20. 77 FR 1924 - Middlebury Electric, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-12

    ...-001] Middlebury Electric, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application...: Middlebury Electric, LLC. e. Name of Projects: Middlebury Upper Hydroelectric Project and Middlebury Upper...: Alders Holm, Middlebury Electric, LLC, 5 Frog Hollow Alley, Middlebury, VT 05753; (802) 388- 7037. i...

  1. Japanese encephalitis virus invasion of cell: allies and alleys.

    PubMed

    Nain, Minu; Abdin, Malik Z; Kalia, Manjula; Vrati, Sudhanshu

    2016-03-01

    The mosquito-borne flavivirus, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), is the leading cause of virus-induced encephalitis globally and a major public health concern of several countries in Southeast Asia, with the potential to become a global pathogen. The virus is neurotropic, and the disease ranges from mild fever to severe hemorrhagic and encephalitic manifestations and death. The early steps of the virus life cycle, binding, and entry into the cell are crucial determinants of infection and are potential targets for the development of antiviral therapies. JEV can infect multiple cell types; however, the key receptor molecule(s) still remains elusive. JEV also has the capacity to utilize multiple endocytic pathways for entry into cells of different lineages. This review not only gives a comprehensive update on what is known about the virus attachment and receptor system (allies) and the endocytic pathways (alleys) exploited by the virus to gain entry into the cell and establish infection but also discusses crucial unresolved issues. We also highlight common themes and key differences between JEV and other flaviviruses in these contexts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Summary of well construction, testing, and preliminary findings from the Alligator Alley test well, Broward County, Florida

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Meyer, F.W.

    1988-01-01

    A 2,811-foot deep test well was drilled during 1980 in The Everglades along Alligator Alley as part of the Floridan Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis project. The well was cased 895 feet deep. Hydraulic packers were used to isolate selected zones in the open hole for water samples and measurement of water levels. The well penetrated the surficial and intermediate aquifers into the Floridan aquifer system. The top of the Floridan aquifer system occurs at 770 feet and includes limestone ranging in age from Oligocene to early Eocene. About 67 percent of the total thickness of the Floridan aquifer system was penetrated by the well. The chief water-producing zones in the Floridan aquifer system occur at about 1,030 feet and at about 2,560 feet. The 1,030-foot zone contains brackish artesian groundwater, and the 2,560-foot zone contains salty artesian groundwater similar in composition to seawater. The static water geothermal gradient is indicated, and radiocarbon activities suggest that the saltwater in the lower zone is younger than brackish groundwater in the upper zone. (USGS)

  3. 76 FR 40773 - Additional Designation of Entities Pursuant to Executive Order 13382 and Information Regarding...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-11

    ... INVESTMENT COMPANY; a.k.a. MEHR IRANIAN ECONOMY COMPANY; a.k.a. MEHR IRANIAN ECONOMY INVESTMENTS; f.k.a... Square, Tehran, Iran; No. 48, 14th Alley, Ahmad Qassir Street, Argentina Square, Tehran, Iran; Business Registration Document 103222 (Iran); Web site http://www.mebank.ir ; Telephone: 982188526300; Alt. Telephone...

  4. Design for occupant protection in schools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harris, Harold W.; Mehta, Kishor C.; McDonald, James R.

    The authors of this paper live in Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock is situated on the High Plains of west Texas at the southwest end of the so-called "tornado alley" which stretches from Texas through Oklahoma and Kansas into the midwest. Schools with severe storm protection capabilities, as illustrated in the examples, were designed by BGR Architects/Engineers (A/E).

  5. 29 CFR 779.388 - Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... bakery or grocery store who handle, prepare or sell food or beverages for human consumption since such... activities for such establishments as “drug stores, department stores, bowling alleys, and the like.” (S..., provided it qualifies as a “retail or service establishment,” may be a drug store, department store...

  6. 29 CFR 779.388 - Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... bakery or grocery store who handle, prepare or sell food or beverages for human consumption since such... activities for such establishments as “drug stores, department stores, bowling alleys, and the like.” (S..., provided it qualifies as a “retail or service establishment,” may be a drug store, department store...

  7. 29 CFR 779.388 - Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... bakery or grocery store who handle, prepare or sell food or beverages for human consumption since such... activities for such establishments as “drug stores, department stores, bowling alleys, and the like.” (S..., provided it qualifies as a “retail or service establishment,” may be a drug store, department store...

  8. 29 CFR 779.388 - Exemption provided for food or beverage service employees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... bakery or grocery store who handle, prepare or sell food or beverages for human consumption since such... activities for such establishments as “drug stores, department stores, bowling alleys, and the like.” (S..., provided it qualifies as a “retail or service establishment,” may be a drug store, department store...

  9. "Narrow and Filthy Alleys of the City?": The Residential Settlement Patterns of Black Southern Migrants to the North.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tolnay, Stewart E.; Crowder, Kyle D.; Adelman, Robert M.

    2000-01-01

    Analysis of the 1970 Neighborhood Characteristics Public Use Microdata Sample indicates that recent (1965-70) southern Black migrants to the North resided in the "best" neighborhoods (less poverty, segregation, and family instability), while earlier Black migrants lived in the worst neighborhoods. Recent migrants also received the…

  10. 31. The 1701B Main Gate House in March 1944, viewed ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    31. The 1701-B Main Gate House in March 1944, viewed to the northwest. Its clock alley provided controlled access to the 100-B Area. The second floor was used to read radiation-detecting pencil dosimeters and to replace radiation-detecting film badges worn by employees. P-2006 - B Reactor, Richland, Benton County, WA

  11. Petersburg Builds a Health Program. Bulletin, 1949, No. 9

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bathurst, Effie G.

    1949-01-01

    This bulletin is about an invasion that was welcomed. It tells how boys and girls of Petersburg, West Virginia, invaded their town to learn and to serve. Hotels, school lunchroom, alleys, creeks and swamps, unused park area, and other resources were utilized. The young invaders were welcomed by the adult citizens of the town because the principal…

  12. Alley Cropping: An Alternative to Slash and Burn in the Slopelands of the Mizo Hills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sailo, Andrew

    2011-01-01

    Population pressure in the Mizo Hills, a small mountainous region in northeast India, has shortened fallow periods of slash-and-burn (S&B) plots substantially, making its practice unsustainable. Conventional farming and modern technology cannot be applied in this remote tropical region due to its topography; hence, most farmers continue…

  13. Our Hidden Prejudices, on Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glenn, David

    2008-01-01

    In October 2006, a New Hampshire police officer named Michael Briggs was shot to death in an alley. His accused killer, Michael Addison, has been charged with capital murder. It is the state's first death-penalty case in more than 30 years, and it is racially fraught: Addison is African-American, and Briggs was white. New Hampshire has a long list…

  14. Okla. Tornado Renews Debate on Storm Safety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shah, Nirvi

    2013-01-01

    As soon as the winds that left seven students in Moore, Okla., dead last month had calmed, and more storms blew through the same area less than two weeks later, questions about the safety of schools in a region labeled Tornado Alley rose amid the rubble. While better design of new schools and thorough emergency training and practice may be in…

  15. A double row alley-cropping system for establishing nut orchards

    Treesearch

    Jerry Van Sambeek; William. Reid

    2017-01-01

    One of the greatest deterrents to establishing a new nut orchard is the long period of time it takes from tree planting to first commercial nut harvest. At the Pecan Experiment Field, a pecan or walnut must grow ten seasons or more and maybe a little less for Chinese chestnuts before the trees produces enough nuts to warrant mechanical harvesting.

  16. Maniac Talk - Dr. Anne Douglass

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-03-27

    Anne Douglass Maniac Lecture, 27 March, 2013 NASA climate scientist Dr. Anne Douglass presented a Maniac Talk entitled "Satellite Observations - the Touchstone of Atmospheric Modeling." Anne shared some of her scientific career that is filled with unexpected twists and turns and even a few blind alleys, but most important her passion in satellite measurements of ozone and other trace gases, which have been her touchstone.

  17. The silviculture of silvopasture

    Treesearch

    Rebecca J. Barlow; Seth Hunt; John S. Kush

    2016-01-01

    Silvopasture is an agroforestry practice where livestock, forage, and timber are managed on the same parcel of land. The most common form of agroforestry in the Southeastern US is silvopasture. According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, six of the top ten states in the Nation that report that they practice alley cropping or silvopasture are southern....

  18. EVENTS AT ORANGEBURG, A REPORT BASED ON STUDY AND INTERVIEWS IN ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, IN THE AFTERMATH OF TRAGEDY.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ROUGEAU, WELDON; WATTERS, PAT

    THIS REPORT ON THE RACIAL CONFLICT IN ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, ATTEMPTS TO PRESENT A "CAREFUL AND IMPARTIAL" ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION, BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY, NEWSMEN, TOWNSPEOPLE, AND OFFICIALS. THE VIOLENCE IN THIS SMALL NEGRO COLLEGE TOWN BROKE OUT OVERTLY OVER THE ISSUE OF A SEGREGATED BOWLING ALLEY BUT IN…

  19. Agroforestry planting design affects loblolly pine growth

    Treesearch

    D.M. Burner

    2013-01-01

    The effect of plantation design on resource utilization has not been adequately investigated in agroforestry plantations. An experiment was conducted near Booneville, AR, on a silt loam soil with a fragipan. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees were planted in 1994 in three designs: two rows (1.2 by 2.4 m) with a 7.3-m alley, four rows (1.2 by 2.4 m...

  20. Applying the Science of Science Communication to Climate Change and Clean Energy: Lessons Learned from the NSF- and PBS-supported "Earth: The Operators' Manual"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haines-Stiles, G.; Akuginow, E.; Sanford, C.

    2014-12-01

    Yale legal scholar and professor of psychology Dan Kahan has criticized the climate change science community for not applying what's known about effective communications strategies to topics with potentially controversial content. "Earth: The Operators' Manual," funded by NSF's Informal Science Education program and appearing on PBS was hosted by Penn State geoscientist Richard Alley. From the initial proposal forward into airing on public television in 2011 and 2012, ETOM aimed to be authoritative and apolitical while still being engaging to general audiences. Based on social scientific insights from project Advisor, Suzanne Moser, and others, ETOM aimed to avoid "climate porn" scare tactics and over-used footage, and to enlist a diverse group of "messengers" in addition to Alley. An important design criterion was to give equal time to clean energy solutions while pulling no punches as to the consensus findings of leading climate scientists. With the ETOM project now completed and final reports submitted to NSF, what results can be shared to inform future efforts? And how did ETOM compare in audience impact with other major media efforts such as Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" or Showtime's more recent "Years of Living Dangerously"? Results reported draw on the external evaluation by Rockman Et Al, and include both quantitative and qualitative data. Key findings are the importance of including Texan ranchers enthusiastic about wind power alongside Navy Admirals adamant that climate change is human-caused and Marines implementing solar energy to reduce casualties incurred while transporting fossil fuels. In-person presentations by Alley and others at science centers served as de facto focus groups for scripting the TV programs, along with actual focus groups convened by Rockman. The 3rd program, ENERGY QUEST USA, documented 5 quite different communities, from Alaska to Forth Worth, Baltimore, Portland and Kansas, all using competition, local values, and economic incentives to move ahead. Might a more political approach have generated larger audiences? Perhaps, but at the cost of generating materials that have proven potential for long-lived use in both secondary and tertiary education.

  1. Economics of intercropping loblolly pine and switchgrass for bioenergy markets in the southeastern United States

    Treesearch

    Andres Susaeta; Janaki Alavalapati Pankaj Lal; D. Evan Mercer; Douglas Carter

    2012-01-01

    Abstract The main objective of this study was to assess the economics of alley cropping of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the southern United States. Assuming a price range of switchgrass between $15 and $50 Mg-1 and yield of 12 Mg ha-1 year-1, we investigated the effect of switchgrass production on the optimal forest management...

  2. Associations of dairy cow behavior, barn hygiene, cow hygiene, and risk of elevated somatic cell count.

    PubMed

    Devries, T J; Aarnoudse, M G; Barkema, H W; Leslie, K E; von Keyserlingk, M A G

    2012-10-01

    Poor dairy cow hygiene has been consistently associated with elevated somatic cell count (SCC) and the risk of subclinical mastitis. The objective of this study was to determine the associations between dairy cow standing and lying behavior, barn hygiene, cow hygiene, and the risk of experiencing elevated SCC. Lactating Holstein dairy cows (n=69; 86 ± 51 DIM; parity: 2.0 ± 1.2; means ± SD), kept in 1 of 2 groups, were monitored over a 4-mo period. Each group contained 61 ± 1 (mean ± SD) cows over the study period; complete data were obtained from 37 and 32 animals within each respective group. Cows were housed in a sand-bedded, freestall barn with 2 symmetrical pens, each with a free cow traffic automatic milking system. To vary barn hygiene, in 4 consecutive 28-d periods, alley manure scrapers in each of the 2 pens were randomly assigned to frequencies of operation of 3, 6, 12, and 24 times per day. During the last 7 d of each period, cow hygiene (upper leg/flank, lower legs, and udder; scale of 1 = very clean to 4 = very dirty) and stall hygiene (number of 0.15×0.15-m squares contaminated with manure in a 1.20×1.65-m grid) were recorded. Standing and lying behavior of the cows were collected during those days using data loggers. Individual-cow SCC was recorded at the beginning and end of each 28-d period. Elevated SCC was used as an indicator of subclinical mastitis; incidence of elevated SCC was defined as having a SCC >200,000 cells/mL at the end of each 28-d period, when SCC was <100,000 cells/mL at the beginning of the period. Less frequent scraping of the barn alleys was associated with cows having poorer hygiene. Poor udder hygiene was associated with poor stall hygiene. Longer lying duration was associated with poor hygiene of the upper legs/flank and udder. Greater premilking standing duration was associated with poor udder hygiene and decreased frequency of lying bouts was associated with poor hygiene of the lower legs. Higher milk yield was associated with poor hygiene of the udder and lower legs; multiparous cows had poorer hygiene of the upper legs/flank and udder. Over the study period, 24 new cases of elevated SCC were detected. No associations existed for the risk of experiencing an elevated SCC with alley scraping frequency or cow behavior patterns. However, increased odds of occurrence of elevated SCC were noted for cows of lower milk yield as well as for multiparous cows. In summary, these results show that cow hygiene is affected by the standing and lying behavior of cows and by the cleanliness of the cow's environment. These findings emphasize the need for cows to be provided clean standing and lying environments. The results also show that frequent cleaning of barn alley floors will help improve cow hygiene. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Work and Career considerations in Understanding Employee Turnover Intentions and Turnover: Development of the Turnover Diagnostic.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-08-01

    speciflying some of these factor. Employee Turnover 22 References Alderfer , C . P., & Brown, L. D. (1972). Designing an "empathic questionnaire" for...organizational research. Journal of Applied Psychology 5 456-460. Alley, W. E ., & Gould, R . B. (1975). Feasibility of estimating personnel turnover from...leadership behavior related to employee grievances and turnover. Personnel Psychology, 15 43-56. Forrest, C . R ., Cummings, L. L., & Johnson, A. C

  4. The Coast Artillery Journal. Volume 61, Number 5, November 1924

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1924-11-01

    34 put into their work. Every afternoon and evening the tennis courts, bowling alleys, handball courts and the baseball diamond were cluttered up with...pushball, handball , bowling, track and field events and several informal games thrown in. The individuals starred in tennis, bowling, pool and in the War...and C. M. T. C. candidates were trans- ported to various beach resorts in the neighborhood of Pensacola. Several churches in Pensacola invited the

  5. China Report, Political, Sociological and Military Affairs.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-02-12

    moderniza- tion, China has designated the cause of education as a point of strategic im- portance in its economic development. While improving both...or- ganization decided to let Chen Weiren turn the Central Documents Archives over to another person designated by Xu Qiang for safekeeping. But, the...shack at the entrance of the alley to sell red sand-baked beans, peanuts and confections as a cover; in the night, the two would sleep in the attic

  6. "Storm Alley" on Saturn and "Roaring Forties" on Earth: two bright phenomena of the same origin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kochemasov, G. G.

    2009-04-01

    "Storm Alley" on Saturn and "Roaring Forties' on Earth: two bright phenomena of the same origin. G. Kochemasov IGEM of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, kochem.36@mail.ru Persisting swirling storms around 35 parallel of the southern latitude in the Saturnian atmosphere and famous "Roaring Forties" of the terrestrial hydro- and atmosphere are two bright phenomena that should be explained by the same physical law. The saturnian "Storm Alley" (as it is called by the Cassini scientists) is a stable feature observed also by "Voyager". The Earth's "Roaring Forties" are well known to navigators from very remote times. The wave planetology [1-3 & others] explains this similarity by a fact that both atmospheres belong to rotating globular planets. This means that the tropic and extra-tropic belts of these bodies have differing angular momenta. Belonging to one body these belts, naturally, tend to equilibrate their angular momenta mainly by redistribution of masses and densities [4]. But a perfect equilibration is impossible as long as a rotating body (Saturn or Earth or any other) keeps its globular shape due to mighty gravity. So, a contradiction of tropics and extra-tropics will be forever and the zone mainly between 30 to 50 degrees in both hemispheres always will be a zone of friction, turbulence and strong winds. Some echoes of these events will be felt farther poleward up to 70 degrees. On Earth the Roaring Forties (40˚-50˚) have a continuation in Furious Fifties (50˚-60˚) and Shrieking (Screaming) Sixties (below 60˚, close to Antarctica). Below are some examples of excited atmosphere of Saturn imaged by Cassini. PIA09734 - storms within 46˚ south; PIA09778 - monitoring the Maelstrom, 44˚ north; PIA09787 - northern storms, 59˚ north; PIA09796 - cloud details, 44˚ north; PIA10413 - storms of the high north, 70˚ north; PIA10411 - swirling storms, "Storm Alley", 35˚ south; PIA10457 - keep it rolling, "Storm Alley", 35˚ south; PIA10439 - dance of the clouds, 47˚ south; PIA10437 - dual vortices, 33˚ north. In the Earth's case the turbulence touches the atmosphere, oceans and lithosphere. Navigators for sailing use strong westerly winds in Roaring Forties. Europe is often hit by anomalous, sometimes disasters weather conditions (though winds in the northern hemisphere are somehow softened by landmasses). In the crust of Eurasia, North America and in the Southern ocean along latitudes 46˚-48˚ there are two latitudinal geomorphologic planetary flexures marking transition of subsiding inward belts to uplifting outward (pole ward) belts [5]. These slow secular crust and lithosphere movements of opposite signs witness the tendency of rotating Earth to equilibrate angular momenta of its tropic and extra-tropic belts. Thus, both planets - the rocky sphere and the gaseous giant globe - obey the same fundamental law of nature and try to adjust uneven angular momenta of its tropic and extra-tropic belts marking transition between them by anomalous features. References: [1] Kochemasov G.G. Concerted wave supergranulation of the solar system bodies // 16th Russian-American microsymposium on planetology, Abstracts, Moscow, Vernadsky Inst. (GEOKHI), 1992, 36-37. [2] Kochemasov G.G. Tectonic dichotomy, sectoring and granulation of Earth and other celestial bodies // Proceedings of the International Symposium on New Concepts in Global Tectonics, "NCGT-98 TSUKUBA", Geological Survey of Japan, Tsukuba, Nov 20-23, 1998, p. 144-147. [3] Kochemasov G.G. Theorems of wave planetary tectonics // Geophys. Res. Abstr., 1999, V.1, №3, 700. [4] Kochemasov G.G. Tectonics of rotating celestial globes // Vernadsky-Brown microsymposium 48, 20-22 Oct. 2008, Moscow, Abstr. m48_20. [5] Kotov F. S. A reflection of planetary flexures in limits of the continental lithosphere // Tectonics and geodynamics of the continental lithosphere. Proceedings of the XXXVI Tectonic conference. T. I, 4-6 Febr. 2003, Ed. Yu.V. Karyakin, Moscow, GEOS, 2003, 370 pp (p. 305-308) (In Russian).

  7. Multifactorial biogeochemical monitoring of linden alley in Moscow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ermakov, Vadim; Khushvakhtova, Sabsbakhor; Tyutikov, Sergey; Danilova, Valentina; Roca, Núria; Bech, Jaume

    2015-04-01

    The ecological and biogeochemical assessment of the linden alley within the Kosygin Street was conducted by means of an integrated comparative study of soils, their chemical composition and morphological parameters of leaf linden. For this purpose 5 points were tested within the linden alley and 5 other points outside the highway. In soils, water extract of soil, leaf linden the content of Cu, Pb, Mn, Fe, Cd, Zn, As, Ni, Co Mo, Cr and Se were determined by AAS and spectrofluorimetric method [1]. Macrocomponents (Ca, Mg, K, Na, P, sulphates, chlorides), pH and total mineralization of water soil extract were measured by generally accepted methods. Thio-containing compounds in the leaves were determined by HPLC-NAM spectrofluorometry [2]. On level content of trace elements the soils of "contaminated" points different from background more high concentrations of lead, manganese, iron, selenium, strontium and low level of zinc. Leaf of linden from contaminated sites characterized by an increase of lead, copper, iron, zinc, arsenic, chromium, and a sharp decrease in the level of manganese and strontium. Analysis of the aqueous extracts of the soil showed a slight decrease in the pH value in the "control" points and lower content of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and total mineralization of the water soil extract. The phytochelatins test in the leaves of linden was weakly effective and the degree of asymmetry of leaf lamina too. The most differences between the variants were marked by the degree of pathology leaves (chlorosis and necrosis) and the content of pigments (chlorophyll and carotene). The data obtained reflect the impact of the application of de-icing salts and automobile emissions. References 1. Ermakov V.V., Danilova V.N., Khyshvakhtova S.D. Application of HPLC-NAM spectrofluorimtry to determination of sulfur-containing compounds in the environmental objects// Science of the biosphere: Innovation. Moscow State University by M.V. Lomonosov, 2014. P. 10-12. 2. Ermakov V.V., Tyutikov S.F., Khushvakhtova S.D., Danilova V.N., Boev V.N., Barabanschikova R.N., Chudinova E.A. Peculiarities of quantitative determination of selenium in biological materials// Bulletin of the Tyumen State University Press, 2010, 3, 206-214. Supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant number 15-05-00279a

  8. JPRS Report, East Europe

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-11-05

    POLITICAL JPRS-EER-90-151 5 November 1990 [Zhelev] What has changed is not inside my house but outside. There is a guard standing in front who waits...am pleased when the cloakroom attendants and the waiters greet me. They know what I am doing there. I could not care less about what the...alleys of Vranjevac, I observe crowds of small, half-dressed and dressed children. They recognize me and greet me with two fingers held up in the shape

  9. Building Public Confidence in Urban Schools: It Begins inside the District. A Guide for Administrators and Board Members. A Public Relations Executives Network Project of the Council of the Great City Schools, 2009-2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of the Great City Schools, 2010

    2010-01-01

    Effective organizational communication begins with employees, who should be communications ambassadors for a district. From administrators to teachers to school bus drivers to custodians, employees set the tone for a district. The informal conversations they have at church, the bowling alley, the barbershop and other venues can make or break the…

  10. Aftermath: A Historical Analysis of Resiliency Following Failure in Battle

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-05-21

    3US Air Force, White Paper: Air Force Performance in Desert Storm (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1991), 1...was reduced to approximately one thousand five hundred aircrew per month. Ibid, 66-67. 43Ibid, 51, 112. 44Ford Motor Company, “The Story of Willow ...The Story of Willow Run.” Accessed on December 15, 2014. www.restoreyourford.com. Foster, Cecil G. and David K Vaughan. MiG Alley to Mu Ghia Pass

  11. Cyberporn: Protecting Our Children from the Back Alleys of the Internet. Joint Hearing before the Subcommittee on Basic Research and the Subcommittee on Technology of the Committee on Science. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, First Session.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Science.

    This document presents witness testimony and supplemental materials from a Congressional hearing called to address concerns about the Internet becoming a forum through which minors can be exposed to pornographic or otherwise offensive material. It features opening statements by Congressman Steven H. Schiff, chairman of the House Subcommittee on…

  12. Abrupt Climate Change in the Atlantic Ocean During the Last 20,000 Years: Insights from Multi-Element Analyses of Benthic and Planktic Foraminifera and a Coupled OA-GCM

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-09-01

    paleoceanographic and terrestrial climate proxies . Greenland ice cores, in particular, provide evidence of large amplitude, very rapid climate change during...received the most attention because it is the largest Holocene excursion in the GISP2 810 record [Alley et al., 1997]. Multiple proxies in Greenland ice...latitude North Atlantic foraminiferal-based proxies such as modem analogue technique [Marchal et al., 2002; Risebrobakken et al., 2003], but

  13. Urban spaces adopted by the performing arts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Case, Alexander U.

    2004-05-01

    No celebration of acoustics in New York City would be complete without mention of the countless alternative spaces used for the perfor- mance of music, dance, and other art forms. New York's countless train stations, parks, alleys, and overpasses provide popular venues for artists to make sound. Lincoln Center and Carnegie get all the glory, but it's the streets and train stations that do all the work. This work surveys some of these alternative performance spaces and their acoustic contribution to the performance.

  14. Measuring medium-induced gluons via jet grooming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tywoniuk, Konrad; Mehtar-Tani, Yacine

    2017-11-01

    Jet substructure observables and applications of jet grooming techniques in heavy-ion collisions are still in its infancy and provide new alleys for studying medium modifications of perturbative degrees of freedom. We note that these measurements, given the right transverse momentum range, can be uniquely sensitive to rare medium-induced emissions inside of the jet cone. This corresponds to an infrared enhancement that would, for instance, affect the distribution of the groomed momentum-sharing variable zg measured using the SoftDrop procedure.

  15. High Accuracy Verification of a Correlated-Photon-Based Method for Determining Photon-Counting Detection Efficiency

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-01-01

    Metrology; (270.5290) Photon statistics. References and links 1. W. H. Louisell, A. Yariv, and A. E. Siegman , “Quantum Fluctuations and Noise in...939–941 (1981). 7. S. R. Bowman, Y. H. Shih, and C. O. Alley, “The use of Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes for precise laser ranging at very low...light levels: An experimental evaluation”, in Laser Radar Technology and Applications I, James M. Cruickshank, Robert C. Harney eds., Proc. SPIE 663

  16. Analysis of the Causes of Military Coups d’Etat in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960-1982.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-04-01

    May and sent to prison. ?articiRants: High ranking army officers, especially those lischarged after Oct 26th (Col. Alphonse Alley, Maj. Jean 3aptiste...apparent leader of the plot, ex-Lt. Ange Diawara, his deputy, Jean -Baptiste Ikoko, and fifteen of their followers had been killed by Army units near the...and Ndjamena confirmed, that a coup attempt, involving a grenade attack at Bangui airport on President Jean -Bedel Bokassa, had been thwarted. The

  17. Forecasting Municipal and Industrial Water: IWR MAIN System User’s Guide for Interactive Processing and User’s Manual.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-07-01

    LAUNDROMATS LNDY LAUNDRY MEDL MEDICAL OFFICES MOTL MOTELS MOVI DRIVE-IN MOVIES NURS NURSING HOMES OFFN NEW OFFICE BLDG. OFFO OLD OFFICE BLDG. * JAIL...CHURCHES CLUB GOLF-SWIM CLUBS BOWL BOWLING ALLEYS COLG COLLEGES RESID. HOSP MED CENTERS HOTL HOTELS LNDM LAUNDROMATS LNDY LAUNDRY MEDL MEDICAL OFFICES... Laundromat data YMCA Type Facilities Data for YMCA, YWCA, etc. U.S. Census Bureau Many commercial parameters % "Census of Business" Department of Employment

  18. [Lack of correlation between performances in a simulator and in reality].

    PubMed

    Konge, Lars; Bitsch, Mikael

    2010-12-13

    Simulation-based training provides obvious benefits for patients and doctors in education. Frequently, virtual reality simulators are expensive and evidence for their efficacy is poor, particularly as a result of studies with poor methodology and few test participants. In medical simulated training- and evaluation programmes it is always a question of transfer to the real clinical world. To illustrate this problem a study comparing the test performance of persons on a bowling simulator with their performance in a real bowling alley was conducted. Twenty-five test subjects played two rounds of bowling on a Nintendo Wii and 25 days later on a real bowling alley. Correlations of the scores in the first and second round (test-retest-reliability) and of the scores on the simulator and in reality (criterion validation) were studied and there was tested for any difference between female and male performance. The intraclass correlation coefficient equalled 0.76, i.e. the simulator fairly accurately measured participant performance. In contrast to this there was absolutely no correlation between participants' real bowling abilities and their scores on the simulator (Pearson's r = 0.06). There was no significant difference between female and male abilities. Simulation-based testing and training must be based on evidence. More studies are needed to include an adequate number of subjects. Bowling competence should not be based on Nintendo Wii measurements. Simulated training- and evaluation programmes should be validated before introduction, to ensure consistency with the real world.

  19. Business policies affecting secondhand smoke exposure.

    PubMed

    Colgan, Siobhan E; Skinner, Bron; Mage, Caroline; Goldstein, Adam O; Kramer, Kathryn; Steiner, Julea; Staples, Ann H

    2008-01-01

    Despite recent legislative and voluntary policy changes, a significant number of workplaces, recreational venues, and public facilities do not offer the public full protection from secondhand smoke exposure. The current study assessed smoking policies, attitudes toward smoke-free policies, and support for policy change among business owners and managers of businesses open to the public in North Carolina. Business owners and managers were interviewed over the phone. Businesses included all airports, arcades, malls, bowling alleys, and arenas (seating more than 500) in the state as well as a random sample of grocery and convenience stores. A 100% smoke-free policy was reported in 53% of businesses, ranging from 12% in bowling alleys to 97% in arenas. A large majority of business owners and managers understand the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure (82%-89%) and support restrictions on smoking in their businesses (84%-91%). Barriers to voluntary policy change included the lack of legal requirement (39%) and fear of the loss of business (53%). This study used self-report data from business owners and managers; the accuracy of the business smoking policy, customer and employee exposure time, and number of complaints may vary across respondents. It is also possible some participants were influenced by factors of social desirability of responses. Continued progress in establishing 100% smoke-free indoor environments may depend on successful advocacy in instituting legislation mandating the elimination of secondhand smoke in all public places. Advocacy efforts should include education around addressing economic concerns of businesses.

  20. Groundwater and Terrestrial Water Storage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodell, Matthew; Chambers, Don P.; Famiglietti, James S.

    2014-01-01

    Terrestrial water storage (TWS) comprises groundwater, soil moisture, surface water, snow,and ice. Groundwater typically varies more slowly than the other TWS components because itis not in direct contact with the atmosphere, but often it has a larger range of variability onmultiannual timescales (Rodell and Famiglietti, 2001; Alley et al., 2002). In situ groundwaterdata are only archived and made available by a few countries. However, monthly TWSvariations observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE; Tapley et al.,2004) satellite mission, which launched in 2002, are a reasonable proxy for unconfinedgroundwater at climatic scales.

  1. Short communication: Early modification of the circadian organization of cow activity in relation to disease or estrus.

    PubMed

    Veissier, Isabelle; Mialon, Marie-Madeleine; Sloth, Karen Helle

    2017-05-01

    Biological rhythms are an essential regulator of life. There is evidence that circadian rhythm of activity is disrupted under chronic stress in animals and humans, and it may also be less marked during diseases. Here we investigated whether a detectable circadian rhythm of activity exists in dairy cows in commercial settings using a real-time positioning system. We used CowView (GEA Farm Technologies) to regularly record the individual positions of 350 cows in a Danish dairy farm over 5 mo and to infer the cows' activity (resting, feeding, in alley). We ran a factorial correspondence analysis on the cows' activities and used the first component of this analysis to express the variations in activity. On this axis, the activities obtained the following weights: resting = -0.15; in alleys = +0.12; feeding = +0.34. By applying these weights to the proportions of time each cow spent on each of the 3 activities, we were able to chart a circadian rhythm of activity. We found that average level of activity of a cow on a given day and its variations during that day varied with specific states (i.e., estrus, lameness, mastitis). More specifically, circadian variations in activity appeared to be particularly sensitive and to vary 1 to 2 d before the farmer detected a disorder. These findings offer promising avenues for further research to design models to predict physiological or pathological states of cows from real-time positioning data. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Behavioural thermoregulation and bioenergetics of riverine smallmouth bass associated with ambient cold-period thermal refuge

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Westhoff, Jacob T.; Paukert, Craig P.; Ettinger-Dietzel, Sarah; Dodd, H.R.; Siepker, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Smallmouth bass in thermally heterogeneous streams may behaviourally thermoregulate during the cold period (i.e., groundwater temperature greater than river water temperature) by inhabiting warm areas in the stream that result from high groundwater influence or springs. Our objectives were to determine movement of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) that use thermal refuge and project differences in growth and consumption among smallmouth bass exhibiting different thermal-use patterns. We implanted radio transmitters in 29 smallmouth bass captured in Alley Spring on the Jacks Fork River, Missouri, USA, during the winter of 2012. Additionally, temperature archival tags were implanted in a subset of nine fish. Fish were tracked using radio telemetry monthly from January 2012 through January of 2013. The greatest upstream movement was 42.5 km, and the greatest downstream movement was 22.2 km. Most radio tagged fish (69%) departed Alley Spring when daily maximum river water temperature first exceeded that of the spring (14 °C) and during increased river discharge. Bioenergetic modelling predicted that a 350 g migrating smallmouth bass that used cold-period thermal refuge would grow 16% slower at the same consumption level as a fish that did not seek thermal refuge. Contrary to the bioenergetics models, extrapolation of growth scope results suggested migrating fish grow 29% more than fish using areas of stream with little groundwater influence. Our results contradict previous findings that smallmouth bass are relatively sedentary, provide information about potential cues for migratory behaviour, and give insight to managers regarding use and growth of smallmouth bass in thermally heterogeneous river systems.

  3. Light redirecting system using sine-wave based panels for dense urban areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohamed, Mohamed W. N.; Mashaly, Islam A.; Mohamed, Osama N.; El-Henawy, Sally I.; Galal, Ola; Taha, Iman; Nassar, Khaled; Safwat, Amr M. E.

    2014-09-01

    Cities and towns around the world are becoming more condensed due to the shrinking amount of buildable areas, which significantly reduces the amount of light that occupants have access to. This lack of natural lighting results in health, safety and quality of life degradation. This paper presents a new technique of transmitting sunlight downward into narrow alleys and streets, by using a daylighting guiding acrylic panel that is capable of changing the direction and distribution of the incident light. The core of the proposed daylight guidance system is made up of light transmission panels with high quality. The corrugations have sine wave shaped cross-section so that the panel functions as an optical diffuser perpendicular to the direction of sunlight propagation. The day lighting system consists of the corrugated panels and a lattice frame, which supports the panel. The proposed system is to be mounted on the building roof facing the sun so as to redirect the incident sunlight downward into the narrow alleys or streets. Since building sizes and orientations are different the frame is arranged such that substantially deep light penetration and high luminance level can be achieved. Simulation results show that the proposed panel improves the illuminance values by more than 200% and 400% in autumn and winter, respectively, provides fan-out angle that exceeds 80° for certain solar altitudes and the transmitted power percentage varies from 40% to 90% as the solar altitude varies from 10° to 80°. Experimental results are in a good agreement with the simulations.

  4. Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project. Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement II. Volume 1.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-02-01

    SCH # 87092203 1 February 1993 I ENS I -STATatm AI An"" im qNW tle II muh~~~b𔃻kftli UwwgdPrada eyle aw MAR 17 󈨡 13:34 USAED ’F CESPH-FE 41! 74𔃾...the proposed location for the connection to the Cal-Am distribution system is at the intersection of Playa Avenue and Fremont Boulevard in Seaside...Fremont Boulevard; the other is at the southeast corner of Playa Avenue and the alley east of Fremont Boulevard. Either of these sites offers sufficient

  5. Time budgets of lactating dairy cattle in commercial freestall herds.

    PubMed

    Gomez, A; Cook, N B

    2010-12-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the time budgets of 205 lactating dairy cows housed in 16 freestall barns in Wisconsin and to determine the relationships between components of the time budget and herd- and cow-level fixed effects using mixed models. Using continuous video surveillance, time lying in the stall, time standing in the stall, time standing in the alleys (including drinking), time feeding, and time milking (time out of the pen for milking and transit) during a 24-h period were measured for each cow. In addition, the number of lying bouts and the mean duration of each lying bout per 24-h period were determined. Time milking varied between cows from 0.5 to 6.0 h/d, with a mean ± standard deviation of 2.7 ± 1.1h/d. Time milking was influenced significantly by pen stocking density, and time milking negatively affected time feeding, time lying, and time in the alley, but not time standing in the stall. Locomotion score, either directly or through an interaction with stall base type (a rubber crumb-filled mattress, MAT, or sand bedding, SAND), influenced pen activity. Lame cows spent less time feeding, less time in the alleys, and more time standing in the stalls in MAT herds, but not in SAND herds. The effect of lameness on lying time is complex and dependent on the time available for rest and differences in resting behavior observed between cows in MAT and SAND herds. In MAT herds, rest was characterized by a larger number of lying bouts of shorter duration than in SAND herds (mean = 14.4; confidence interval, CI: 12.4 to 16.5 vs. mean = 10.2; CI: 8.2 to 12.2 bouts per d, and mean = 1.0; CI: 0.9 to 1.1 vs. mean = 1.3, CI: 1.2 to 1.4h bout duration for MAT and SAND herds, respectively). Lameness was associated with an increase in time standing in the stall and a reduction in the mean (CI) number of lying bouts per day from 13.2 (CI: 12.3 to 14.1) bouts/d for nonlame cows to 10.9 (CI: 9.30 to 12.8) bouts/d for moderately lame cows, and an overall reduction in lying time in MAT herds compared with SAND herds (11.5; CI: 10.0 to 13.0 vs. 12.7; CI: 11.0 to 14.3h/d, respectively). These results show that time out of the pen milking, stall base type, and lameness significantly affect time budgets of cows housed in freestall facilities. Copyright © 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Influence of temperament score and handling facility on stress, reproductive hormone concentrations, and fixed time AI pregnancy rates in beef heifers.

    PubMed

    Kasimanickam, R; Schroeder, S; Assay, M; Kasimanickam, V; Moore, D A; Gay, J M; Whittier, W D

    2014-10-01

    The objectives were (i) to evaluate the effect of temperament, determined by modified 2-point chute exit and gait score, on artificial insemination (AI) pregnancy rates in beef heifers following fixed time AI and (ii) to determine the effect of temperament on cortisol, substance-P, prolactin and progesterone at initiation of synchronization and at the time of AI. Angus beef heifers (n = 967) at eight locations were included in this study. At the initiation of synchronization (Day 0 = initiation of synchronization), all heifers received a body condition score (BCS), and temperament score (0 = calm; slow exit and walk or 1 = excitable; fast exit or jump or trot or run). Blood samples were collected from a sub-population of heifers (n = 86) at both synchronization initiation and the time of AI to determine the differences in serum progesterone, cortisol, prolactin and substance-P concentrations between temperament groups. Heifers were synchronized with 5-day CO-Synch+ controlled internal drug release (CIDR) protocol and were inseminated at 56 h after CIDR removal. Heifers were examined for pregnancy by ultrasound 70 days after AI to determine AI pregnancy. Controlling for synchronization treatment (p = 0.03), facility design (p = 0.05), and cattle handling facility design by temperament score interaction (p = 0.02), the AI pregnancy differed between heifers with excitable and calm temperament (51.9% vs 60.3%; p = 0.01). The alley-way with acute bends and turns, and long straight alley-way had lower AI pregnancy rate than did the semicircular alley-way (53.5%, 56.3% and 67.0% respectively; p = 0.05). The serum hormone concentrations differed significantly between different types of cattle handling facility (p < 0.05). The cattle handling facility design by temperament group interactions significantly influenced progesterone (p = 0.01), cortisol (p = 0.01), prolactin (p = 0.02) and substance-P (p = 0.04) both at the initiation of synchronization and at the time of AI. Inter- and intra-rater agreement for temperament scoring were moderate and good (Kappa = 0.596 ± 0.07 and 0.797 ± 0.11) respectively. The predictive value for calm and pregnant to AI was 0.87, and excited and non-pregnant to AI was 0.76. In conclusion, the modified 2-point temperament scoring method can be used to identify heifers with excitable temperament. Heifers with excitable temperament had lower AI pregnancy. Further, cattle handling facility design influenced the temperament and AI pregnancy. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  7. Boston Architectural College Urban Sustainability Initiative

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Byers, Arthur C.

    The Boston Architectural College's Urban Sustainability initiative is a demonstration project as defined by the National Energy Technology Laboratory. BAC's proposed project with the U.S. Department of Energy - NETL, is a large part of that overall initiative. The BAC's Urban Sustainability Initiative is a multi-part project with several important goals and objectives that will have a significant impact on the surrounding neighborhood including: energy conservation, reduction of storm water runoff, generation of power through alternative energy sources, elimination/reduction of BAC carbon footprint, and to create a vehicle for ongoing public outreach and education. Education and outreach opportunities will servemore » to add to the already comprehensive Sustainability Design courses offered at BAC relative to energy savings, performance and conservation in building design. At the finish of these essential capital projects there will be technical materials created for the education of the design, sustainability, engineering, community development and historic preservation communities, to inform a new generation of environmentally-minded designers and practitioners, the city of Boston and the general public. The purpose of the initiative, through our green renovations program, is to develop our green alley projects and energy saving renovations to the BAC physical plant, to serve as a working model for energy efficient design in enclosed 19th century and 20th century urban sites and as an educational laboratory for teaching ecological and sustainable technologies to students and the public while creating jobs. The scope of our project as it relates to the BAC and the U.S. Department of Energy- NETL combined efforts includes: Task I of the project is Phase II (Green Alley). Task I encompasses various renovation activities that will demonstrate the effectiveness of permeable paving and ground water recharge systems. It will aid in the reduction of storm water runoff into the Charles River Basin in one of its most significantly polluted sections and, will provide a green renovation mechanism for the redirected storm water of a public alley way. This activity is designed to improve the quality of water recharging the ground water and protecting the vulnerable wood pilings under many of the historic masonry buildings in Boston's Back Bay. Sustainable design research and system monitoring opportunities will also be incorporated, providing ongoing tools for public outreach and education through innovative signage and "virtual tour" technology. The monitoring will include a "building performance dash board" that reflects real time operating conditions and improvements in environmental and economic performance to be prominently displayed on the face of our 320 Newbury Street building (approximately 1.5 million people walk by annually). The project site and demonstration area is located at the rear of 951 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02115 and the parking area adjacent to Public Alley #444 in Boston's historic Back Bay. Task II of the project is Geothermal Solution. This task involves the installation of approximately seven Geothermal wells which will tap into the earth's constant underground temperatures to provide air-conditioning and heating for BAC facilities. The environmentally friendly geothermal system uses no fossil fuel, produces no emissions and runs silently, providing a sustainable model for commercial and residential buildings throughout Boston. Ultimately the combination of this project and other projects will assist in making the BAC "carbon-neutral", and could generate enough additional energy to provide free power to the Engine 33 and Ladder 15 Firehouse located at 941 Boylston Street. The project is located at the rear of 951 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02115 and the parking area adjacent to Public Alley #444 in Boston's historic Back Bay. Task III of the project is the Sustainability Design Curriculum at the BAC. The BAC is the nation’s largest independent, multi-disciplinary college of spatial design, and a leader in sustainable design education. The Sustainabiltiy Design program, in particular, focuses on energy efficiency,energy performance, energy modeling, energy and air quality principles, green building, renewable energy alternatives and much more. Additionally, the Urban Sustainability Initiative has an objective of providing courses relative to the BAC's demonstration project with DOE, the project’s period of performance activities, subsequent performance data and anticipated sustainability teaching tools. In keeping with BAC's practice based curriculum, students have been involved in the discussion and planning of this project since its inception and sustainability issues have become a part of other programs throughout the college as well. Students will continue to benefit from this hands-on learning opportunity. The project is located at 320 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02115. Task IV of the project is Program Management and Reporting. This task will involve BAC's oversight and general management of the entire project including subcontract administration, contracts administration, technical and financial reporting, design and renovation assistance, other deliverables in accordance with the Federal Assistance reporting Checklist and other contractual obligations and provisions.« less

  8. Potential of native shrubs Haloxylon salicornicum and Calligonum Polygonoides for restoration of degraded lands in Arid Western Rajasthan, India.

    PubMed

    Rathore, V S; Singh, J P; Bhardwaj, S; Nathawat, N S; Kumar, Mahesh; Roy, M M

    2015-01-01

    Shrub-induced soil property spatial heterogeneity is common in arid and semi-arid ecosystems and aids desertified land restoration. However, the effectiveness of this technique may rely on the plant species used and the habitat conditions present. To assess the degree to which planting two native species, Haloxylon salicornicum and Calligonum polygonoides, facilitates degraded land restoration, soil and herbaceous plant community properties were measured 7 years after planting. Soil samples were extracted at two depths (0-5 and 5-20 cm) from three sub-habitats, i.e., under the shrub canopy, from alleys between shrubs and from the open area. Shrub planting increased the quantity of silt + clay content (30-39 %); enhanced water holding capacities (24-30 %); increased the levels of organic carbon (48-69 %), available nitrogen (31-47 %), available phosphorus (32-41 %), and electrical conductivity (21-33 %); and decreased the pH (7-12 %) and bulk density levels (5-6 %) in the surface layer of soils beneath the canopy. Soil property changes were more significant at the surface (0-5 cm) than in the deeper layer (5-20 cm), and were more pronounced under H. salicornicum than under C. polygonoides. Furthermore, the density and biomass levels of herbaceous plants were 1.1 to 1.2 and 1.4 to 1.6 times greater, respectively, in the shrub alleys than in open area. H. salicornicum induced more robust soil amelioration and herbaceous plant facilitative properties than did C. polygonoides. Artificially planting these shrubs may thus be employed to restore degraded areas of arid regions.

  9. Soil Infiltration Characteristics in Agroforestry Systems and Their Relationships with the Temporal Distribution of Rainfall on the Loess Plateau in China

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Lai; Zhong, Chonggao; Gao, Pengxiang; Xi, Weimin; Zhang, Shuoxin

    2015-01-01

    Many previous studies have shown that land use patterns are the main factors influencing soil infiltration. Thus, increasing soil infiltration and reducing runoff are crucial for soil and water conservation, especially in semi-arid environments. To explore the effects of agroforestry systems on soil infiltration and associated properties in a semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau in China, we compared three plant systems: a walnut (Juglans regia) monoculture system (JRMS), a wheat (Triticum aestivum) monoculture system (TAMS), and a walnut-wheat alley cropping system (JTACS) over a period of 11 years. Our results showed that the JTACS facilitated infiltration, and its infiltration rate temporal distribution showed a stronger relationship coupled with the rainfall temporal distribution compared with the two monoculture systems during the growing season. However, the effect of JTACS on the infiltration capacity was only significant in shallow soil layer, i.e., the 0–40 cm soil depth. Within JTACS, the speed of the wetting front’s downward movement was significantly faster than that in the two monoculture systems when the amount of rainfall and its intensity were higher. The soil infiltration rate was improved, and the two peaks of soil infiltration rate temporal distribution and the rainfall temporal distribution coupled in rainy season in the alley cropping system, which has an important significance in soil and water conservation. The results of this empirical study provide new insights into the sustainability of agroforestry, which may help farmers select rational planting patterns in this region, as well as other regions with similar climatic and environmental characteristics throughout the world. PMID:25893832

  10. Opponent process properties of self-administered cocaine.

    PubMed

    Ettenberg, Aaron

    2004-01-01

    Over the past decade, data collected in our laboratory have demonstrated that self-administered cocaine produces Opponent-Process-like behavioral effects. Animals running a straight alley once each day for IV cocaine develop over trials an approach-avoidance conflict about re-entering the goal box. This conflict behavior is characterized by a stop in forward locomotion (usually at the very mouth of the goal box) followed by a turn and 'retreat' back toward the goal box. The results of a series of studies conducted over the past decade collectively suggest that the behavioral ambivalence exemplified by rats running the alley for IV cocaine stems from concurrent and opponent positive (rewarding) and negative (anxiogenic) properties of the drug--both of which are associated with the goal box. These opponent properties of cocaine have been shown to result from temporally distinct affective states. Using a conditioned place preference test, we have been able to demonstrate that while the initial immediate effects of IV cocaine are reinforcing, the state present 15 min post-injection is aversive. In our most recent work, the co-administration of IV cocaine with either oral ethanol or IV heroin was found to greatly diminish the development and occurrence of retreat behaviors in the runway. It may therefore be that the high incidence of co-abuse of cocaine with either ethanol or heroin, stems from the users' motivation to alleviate some of the negative side effects of cocaine. It would seem then that the Opponent Process Theory has provided a useful conceptual framework for the study of the behavioral consequences of self-administered cocaine including the notion that both positive and negative reinforcement mechanisms are involved in the development and maintenance of cocaine abuse.

  11. Soil Infiltration Characteristics in Agroforestry Systems and Their Relationships with the Temporal Distribution of Rainfall on the Loess Plateau in China.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lai; Zhong, Chonggao; Gao, Pengxiang; Xi, Weimin; Zhang, Shuoxin

    2015-01-01

    Many previous studies have shown that land use patterns are the main factors influencing soil infiltration. Thus, increasing soil infiltration and reducing runoff are crucial for soil and water conservation, especially in semi-arid environments. To explore the effects of agroforestry systems on soil infiltration and associated properties in a semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau in China, we compared three plant systems: a walnut (Juglans regia) monoculture system (JRMS), a wheat (Triticum aestivum) monoculture system (TAMS), and a walnut-wheat alley cropping system (JTACS) over a period of 11 years. Our results showed that the JTACS facilitated infiltration, and its infiltration rate temporal distribution showed a stronger relationship coupled with the rainfall temporal distribution compared with the two monoculture systems during the growing season. However, the effect of JTACS on the infiltration capacity was only significant in shallow soil layer, i.e., the 0-40 cm soil depth. Within JTACS, the speed of the wetting front's downward movement was significantly faster than that in the two monoculture systems when the amount of rainfall and its intensity were higher. The soil infiltration rate was improved, and the two peaks of soil infiltration rate temporal distribution and the rainfall temporal distribution coupled in rainy season in the alley cropping system, which has an important significance in soil and water conservation. The results of this empirical study provide new insights into the sustainability of agroforestry, which may help farmers select rational planting patterns in this region, as well as other regions with similar climatic and environmental characteristics throughout the world.

  12. Comparison of self-administration behavior and responsiveness to drug-paired cues in rats running an alley for intravenous heroin and cocaine.

    PubMed

    Su, Zu-In; Wenzel, Jennifer; Baird, Rebeccah; Ettenberg, Aaron

    2011-04-01

    Evidence suggests that responsiveness to a drug-paired cue is predicted by the reinforcing magnitude of the drug during prior self-administration. It remains unclear, however, if this principle holds true when comparisons are made across drug reinforcers. The current study was therefore devised to test the hypothesis that differences in the animals' responsiveness to a cocaine- or heroin-paired cue presented during extinction would reflect differences in the patterns of prior cocaine and heroin runway self-administration. Rats ran a straight alley for single intravenous injections of either heroin (0.1 mg/kg/inj) or cocaine (1.0 mg/kg/inj) each paired with a distinct olfactory cue. Animals experienced 15 trials with each drug reinforcer in a counterbalanced manner. Start latencies, run times, and retreat behaviors (a form of approach-avoidance conflict) provided behavioral indices of the subjects' motivation to seek the reinforcer on each trial. Responsiveness to each drug-paired cue was assessed after 7, 14, or 21 days of non-reinforced extinction trials. Other animals underwent conditioned place preference (CPP) testing to ensure that the two drug reinforcers were capable of producing drug-cue associations. While both drugs produced comparable CPPs, heroin served as a stronger incentive stimulus in the runway as evidenced by faster start and run times and fewer retreats. In contrast, cocaine- but not heroin-paired cues produced increases in drug-seeking behavior during subsequent extinction trials. The subjects' responsiveness to drug-paired cues during extinction was not predicted by differences in the motivation to seek heroin versus cocaine during prior drug self-administration.

  13. Potential influence of sea cucumbers on coral reef CaCO3 budget: A case study at One Tree Reef

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schneider, Kenneth; Silverman, Jacob; Woolsey, Erika; Eriksson, Hampus; Byrne, Maria; Caldeira, Ken

    2011-12-01

    To endure, coral reefs must accumulate CaCO3 at a rate greater or equal than the sum of mechanically, biologically, and chemically mediated erosion rates. We investigated the potential role of holothurians on the CaCO3 balance of a coral reef. These deposit feeders process carbonate sand and rubble through their digestive tract and dissolve CaCO3 as part of their digestive process. In aquarium incubations with Stichopus herrmanni and Holothuria leucospilota total alkalinity increased by 97 ± 13 and 47 ± 7 μmol kg-1, respectively. This increase was due to CaCO3 dissolution, 81 ± 13 and 34 ± 6 μmol kg-1 and ammonia secretion, 16 ± 2 and 14 ± 2μmol kg-1, respectively, for these species. Surveys conducted at a long-term monitoring site of community calcification (DK13) on One Tree Reef indicated that the density of sea cucumbers was approximately 1 individual m-2. We used these data and data from surveys at Shark Alley to estimate the dissolution of CaCO3 by the sea cucumbers at both sites. At DK13 the sea cucumber population was estimated to be responsible for nearly 50% of the nighttime CaCO3 dissolution, while in Shark Alley for most of the nighttime dissolution. Thus, in a healthy reef, bioeroders dissolution of CaCO3 sediment appears to be an important component of the natural CaCO3 turnover and a substantial source of alkalinity as well. This additional alkalinity could partially buffer changes in seawater pH associated with increasing atmospheric CO2 locally, thus reducing the impact of ocean acidification on coral growth.

  14. Comment on "Eliminating the major tornado threat in Tornado Alley"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dahl, Johannes M. L.; Markowski, Paul M.

    2014-11-01

    The authors draw from half a century of meteorological research to expose flaws in a recent proposal to build 300-m-tall tornado-prevention walls across the U.S. Great Plains. The idea behind the walls is that they would prevent cold and warm air masses from clashing and would therefore suppress tornadoes. The problem with this proposal, however, is that atmospheric fronts ("airmass clashes") are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for tornadoes and that the proposed walls would not prevent the formation of fronts in the first place. Additional misconceptions about supercells thunderstorms and tornado formation also are identified.

  15. Space Mysteries: Making Science and Astronomy Learning Fun

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plait, P.; Tim, G.; Cominsky, L.

    2001-12-01

    How do you get and keep a student's attention during class? Make learning fun! Using a game to teach students ensures that they have fun, enjoy the lesson and remember it. We have developed a series of interactive web and CD based games called "Space Mysteries" to teach students math, physics and astronomy. Using real NASA data, the students must find out Who (or What) dunit in an engaging astronomy mystery. The games include video interviews with famous scientists, actors playing roles who give clues to the solution, and even a few blind alleys and red herrings. The first three games are currently online in beta release at http://mystery.sonoma.edu.

  16. Film at Fall Meeting: Do-it-yourself flicks, Richard Alley preview

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adams, Mary Catherine

    2011-11-01

    Have you ever wished science had Hollywood star power? On Tuesday evening, 6 December, watch short science films and hear Hollywood filmmakers give advice to AGU scientists about these short films. Oceanographer-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson will host AGU's "The S Factor" video workshop along with screenwriter Sean Hood, cowriter of Halloween: Resurrection and the 2011 remake ofConan the Barbarian, and Jason Ensler, co-producer-director of TNT's Franklin & Bash. Olson is writer-director of the documentaries Flock of Dodos and Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy and author of Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style. The workshop starts at 7:00 P.M. in Moscone South, Room 300.

  17. Switchgrass growth and pine-switchgrass interactions in established intercropping systems

    DOE PAGES

    Tian, Shiying; Cacho, Julian F.; Youssef, Mohamed A.; ...

    2016-06-22

    Intercropping switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) with loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) has been proposed for producing bioenergy feedstock in the southeastern United States. This study investigated switchgrass growth and pine–switchgrass interactions at two established experimental fields (7-year-old Lenoir site and 5-year-old Carteret site) located on the coastal plain of eastern United States. Position effects (edge and center of switchgrass alley in intercropping plots) and treatment effects (intercropping vs. grass-only) on above ground switchgrass growth were evaluated. Interspecific interactions with respect to capturing resources (light, soil water, and nitrogen) were investigated by measuring photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) above grassmore » canopy, soil moisture, and soil mineral nitrogen contents. Switchgrass growth was significantly (P = 0.001) affected by treatments in Lenoir and by position (P < 0.0001) in both study sites. Relative to the center, PAR above grass canopy at edge in both sites was about 48% less during the growing season. Soil water content during the growing season at the edge of grass alley was significantly (P = 0.0001) lower by 23% than at the center in Lenoir, while no significant (P = 0.42) difference was observed in Carteret, in spite of more grass growth at center at both sites. Soil mineral nitrogen content at the center of intercropping plots in Lenoir (no fertilization during 2015) was significantly (P < 0.07) lower than at the edge during the peak of growing season (June, July, and August), but not during early and late parts of growing season (May, September, and November). Position effects on soil water and mineral nitrogen were less evident under conditions with higher external inputs (rainfall and fertilization) and lower plant uptake during nongrowing seasons. Here, results from this study contributed to a better understanding of above- and belowground pine–switchgrass interactions which is necessary to properly manage this new cultivation system for bioenergy production in the southeastern United States.« less

  18. Effects of flooring and restricted freestall access on behavior and claw health of dairy heifers.

    PubMed

    Ouweltjes, W; van der Werf, J T N; Frankena, K; van Leeuwen, J L

    2011-02-01

    Claw health, locomotion, feed intake, milk yield, body weight, activity, and lying and standing behavior of dairy heifers were monitored in a single dairy herd during the first 3 mo after calving. During the first 8 wk after calving, 2 treatments were applied: restricted freestall access by closing the stalls between 2300 h and 0500 h (yes or no) and alley flooring (concrete or rubber topped slatted floors). Apart from treatments, housing was identical. The animals were kept in small groups (n=4 to 6) in adjacent barn pens. Thereafter, the animals were kept in 1 group in a freestall section with concrete slatted floor and unrestricted access to the stalls for 5 wk. All animals were fed the same partial mixed ration. We hypothesized that (1) hard flooring causes high mechanical load of the claws and (2) restricted freestall access causes prolonged standing bouts and reinforced effects of hard flooring on claws. The heifers had only minor claw lesions before first calving, and the prevalence and severity of sole hemorrhages increased during the first 3 mo after calving (from 0.24 ± 0.08 to 1.18 ± 0.14 and from 0.04 ± 0.01 to 0.24 ± 0.02, respectively), particularly in the outer hind claws. Animals kept on rubber alley flooring had lower average hemorrhage scores in wk 9 (0.13 ± 0.03 vs. 0.21 ± 0.03) and wk 14 (0.20 ± 0.03 vs. 0.27 ± 0.03) after calving, had a slower feed intake (3.05 ± 0.14 vs. 3.46 ± 0.14 g/s) and spent more time feeding (7.3 ± 0.3 vs. 6.6 ± 0.3 min/h) than animals kept on hard concrete alley floors. Restricted freestall access resulted in fewer standing bouts per day (14.4 ± 1.0 vs. 17.9 ± 1.0) and more strides per hour (99.8 ± 5.4 vs. 87.2 ± 5.4) without changing overall standing time (15.0 ± 0.3 vs. 14.7 ± 0.3 h/d) and did not affect the occurrence of sole hemorrhages. The animals with no overnight freestall access spent more time standing (55.9 ± 0.9 vs. 35.8 ± 0.9 min/h) and feeding (7.8 ± 0.3 vs. 4.3 ± 0.3 min/h) between 2300 and 0500 h and less during the rest of the 24-h period (31.3 ± 0.8 vs. 37.0 ± 0.8 min/h and 6.8 ± 0.3 vs. 7.6 ± 0.3 min/h). Thus, the animals adapted to restricted freestall access, that caused increased overnight standing, by additional lying down during the day and used part of the extra standing time at night for feeding. The restrictions probably had only a minor effect on the mechanical load of their claws. Therefore, the first part of the hypothesis was confirmed and the second part was rejected. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Self-Replicating Cracks: A Collaborative Fracture Mode in Thin Films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marthelot, Joël; Roman, Benoît; Bico, José; Teisseire, Jérémie; Dalmas, Davy; Melo, Francisco

    2014-08-01

    Straight cracks are observed in thin coatings under residual tensile stress, resulting into the classical network pattern observed in china crockery, old paintings, or dry mud. Here, we present a novel fracture mechanism where delamination and propagation occur simultaneously, leading to the spontaneous self-replication of an initial template. Surprisingly, this mechanism is active below the standard critical tensile load for channel cracks and selects a robust interaction length scale on the order of 30 times the film thickness. Depending on triggering mechanisms, crescent alleys, spirals, or long bands are generated over a wide range of experimental parameters. We describe with a simple physical model, the selection of the fracture path and provide a configuration diagram displaying the different failure modes.

  20. Medicolegal aspects of tornadic storms in Kansas, U.S.A.

    PubMed

    Eckert, W G

    1991-12-01

    Kansas is known for its fierce whether, including tornados in the spring and fall and blizzards in the winter. A recent series of tornados cut a path of destruction a mile wide for greater than 40 miles (64 km), killed 20 people, and caused several hundred casualities on the evening of April 26, 1991, in Tornado Alley, which runs from the northern border of Oklahoma through southern Kansas past Wichita toward Emporium, Kansas. The wind velocity was greater than 200 mph. Twenty people were killed, 17 of these in Andover, Kansas, a small town east of Wichita. Injuries caused by the tornados and the excellent emergency response and care provided by medical, law-enforcement, and volunteer personnel in the wake of the storms are described here.

  1. Illumination of dense urban areas by light redirecting panels.

    PubMed

    El-Henawy, Sally I; Mohamed, Mohamed W N; Mashaly, Islam A; Mohamed, Osama N; Galal, Ola; Taha, Iman; Nassar, Khaled; Safwat, Amr M E

    2014-05-05

    With the high population growth rate, especially in developing countries, and the scarcity of land resources, buildings are becoming so close to each other, depriving the lower floors and the alleys from sunlight and consequently causing health problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for cost-effective efficient light redirecting panels that guide sun rays into those dim places. In this paper, we address this problem. A novel sine wave based panel is presented to redirect/diverge light downward and enhance the illumination level in those dark places. Simulation results show that the proposed panel improves the illuminance values by more than 200% and 400% in autumn and winter respectively, operates over wide solar altitude ranges, and redirects light efficiently. Experimental and simulation results are in good agreement.

  2. Why 'Science + Solutions' Is An Effective & Essential Climate Communications Strategy (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haines-Stiles, G.; Alley, R. B.; Akuginow, E.

    2013-12-01

    Success in the Second World War was enabled in large part through advances in science and technology such as radar and the Manhattan Project, and the subsequent growth of the US economy endowed scientists with unrivaled influence in society and policy-making. But climate science has not been immune to criticism, and attacks on what 97% of expert climate scientists regard as well-established have continued. However, as shown in Leiserowitz et al's series of SIX AMERICAS studies, the vast majority of citizens are neither firmly committed against accepting the reality of human-caused climate change, nor 100% certain of the cause. The question, then, is how to reach 'the movable middle.' Richard Alley's 'Earth: The Operators' Manual'-a 3-part series aired nationally on PBS, and supported by the National Science Foundation-was an attempt to improve the understanding of consensus climate science, and showcase examples of clean energy innovations in the United States and worldwide. A fundamental design principle for the series, derived from close reading of social science studies, was to include solutions along with solid science. In addition, the producers enlisted a diverse cast of on-camera personalities alongside Alley: Texas ranchers, Republican senators and Kansan bankers, CEOs and academics, a Navy rear admiral in dress whites, and 'energy captains' in inner city Baltimore. An NSF-mandated Summative Evaluation documented the success of these approaches, and the first two programs reached some 3.6 million viewers on PBS. However, the rapidly-evolving media landscape has meant that national primetime exposure is only part of how climate information is 'sent' and 'received' today. ETOM structured its Facebook page to embody the same solutions-oriented philosophy, and has secured an 'Engagement Index' higher than Buzzfeed, and more than most other environment- and climate-oriented pages. ETOM programs can be downloaded in HD for watch parties, and many schools, universities and church groups have used the project in this way. Alley is working with Penn State and Coursera on a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) focused on energy, economics and the environment and linking to several ETOM YouTube videos. As important as new media, however, is the core message-featured most prominently in the third ETOM program, 'Energy Quest USA'-that regardless of national policies states and cities are moving ahead on clean energy solutions with consequent beneficial impacts on climate change. By cutting demand through conservation and efficiency, Baltimore has avoided a new coal-fired generating plant. Through 30 years of wise urban planning and the support of mass transit, Portland, Oregon, has reduced an average family's transportation costs by some $2,500, while improving health by encouraging cycling and walking. There are proven ways both to adapt to a changing climate and to begin to mitigate its most severe impacts. The ETOM project shows that when presented in a wide and diverse set of media, and in an authoritative and apolitical framework, those messages are received and appreciated by large public audiences. This presentation will report on the success of several of the strategies adopted by the ETOM project, and how they contrast with, or complement, other communications efforts on clean energy and climate change.

  3. Did accelerated North American ice sheet melt contribute to the 8.2 ka cooling event ?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matero, Ilkka S. O.; Gregoire, Lauren J.; Ivanović, Ruža F.; Tindall, Julia C.; Haywood, Alan M.

    2016-04-01

    The 8.2 ka event was an abrupt cooling of the Northern Hemisphere 8,200 years ago. It is an almost ideal case study to benchmark the sensitivity of climate models to freshening of the North Atlantic by ice sheet melt (Schmidt and LeGrande, 2005). The event is attributed to the outburst of North American proglacial lakes into the Labrador Sea, causing a slow-down in Atlantic overturning circulation and cooling of 1-2.5 °C around the N. Atlantic (Alley and Ágústsdóttir,2005). Climate models fail to simulate the ~150 year duration of the event when forced with a sudden (0.5 to 5 years) drainage of the lakes (Morrill et al., 2013a). This could be because of missing forcings. For example, the separation of ice sheet domes around the Hudson Bay is thought to have produced a pronounced acceleration in ice sheet melt through a saddle collapse mechanism around the time of the event (Gregoire et al., 2012). Here we investigate whether this century scale acceleration of melt contributed to the observed climatic perturbation, using the coupled Ocean-Atmosphere climate model HadCM3. We designed and ran a set of simulations with temporally variable ice melt scenarios based on a model of the North American ice sheet. The simulated magnitude and duration of the cold period is controlled by the duration and amount of freshwater introduced to the ocean. With a 100-200 year-long acceleration of ice melt up to a maximum of 0.61 Sv, we simulate 1-3 °C cooling in the North Atlantic and ~0.5-1 °C cooling in Continental Europe; which are similar in magnitude to the ~1-2 °C cooling estimated from records for these areas (Morrill et al., 2013b). Some of the observed features are however not reproduced in our experiments, such as the most pronounced cooling of ~6 °C observed in central Greenland (Alley and Ágústsdóttir, 2005). The results suggest that the ~150 year North Atlantic and European cooling could be caused by ~200 years of accelerated North American ice sheet melt. This forcing should therefore be taken into account in the setup of 8.2 ka simulations. References: Alley, R.B., Ágústsdóttir, A.M., 2005. The 8 k event: cause and consequences of a major Holocene abrupt climate change. Quaternary Science Reviews 24 (10-11),1123-1149. Gregoire, L. J., A. J. Payne, and P. J. Valdes (2012), Deglacial rapid sea level rises caused by ice-sheet saddle collapses, Nature, 487, 219-223. Morrill, C., A. N. LeGrande, H. Renssen, P. Bakker, and B. L. Otto-Bliesner (2013a), Model sensitivity to North Atlantic freshwater forcing at 8.2 ka, Clim. Past, 9, 955-968. Morrill, C., D. M. Anderson, B. A. Bauer, R. Buckner, E. P. Gille, W. S. Gross, M. Hartman, and A. Shah (2013b), Proxy benchmarks for inter-comparison of 8.2 ka simulations, Clim. Past, 9, 423-432. Schmidt, G. A., and A. N. LeGrande (2005), The Goldilocks abrupt climate change event, Quat. Sci. Rev., 24, 1109-1110.

  4. Effect of rubber flooring on claw health in lactating dairy cows housed in free-stall barns.

    PubMed

    Vanegas, J; Overton, M; Berry, S L; Sischo, W M

    2006-11-01

    Multiparous dairy cows between 10 to 30 d in milk (DIM) were enrolled in a clinical trial to evaluate the effects of rubber flooring on the development of claw lesions, locomotion scores, clinical lameness, and rates of hoof growth and wear. Two groups of cows were housed in identical free-stall facilities, except that 1 pen (rubber, n = 84) had rubber alley mats covering the entire concrete floor of the pen, whereas cows in the second pen were exposed to concrete flooring (concrete, n = 82) without rubber alley mats. All cows were evaluated 3 times between 10 and 30, 74 and 94, and 110 and 130 DIM for 1) the presence of claw lesions on their rear feet, 2) the occurrence of clinical lameness based on a locomotion score, and 3) rates of claw growth and wear as observed on the dorsal wall of the right lateral claw. No differences between flooring groups at the time of enrollment were detected for lactation number, mean DIM at first examination, body condition score, and proportion of cows with claw lesions at the first examination. Odds of developing claw lesions between examinations were not different for cows exposed to the rubber surface compared with those exposed to concrete. Cows on concrete, however, had greater odds of developing or exacerbating existing heel erosion than cows on rubber flooring. Regardless of the flooring surface, the lateral claw was more likely to develop lesions than the medial claw. Odds of becoming lame by the third examination and the proportion of cows requiring therapeutic hoof trimming because of lameness were greater for concrete-exposed cows than those on rubber. Cows on rubber flooring had decreased claw growth and wear between the first and last examination compared with cows on concrete. Regardless of flooring surface, second-lactation cows had greater wear rates than those in third or greater parities. Results of our study suggest that a soft flooring surface, such as interlocking rubber, is beneficial for hoof health.

  5. Micro-UAV tracking framework for EO exploitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Browning, David; Wilhelm, Joe; Van Hook, Richard; Gallagher, John

    2012-06-01

    Historically, the Air Force's research into aerial platforms for sensing systems has focused on low-, mid-, and highaltitude platforms. Though these systems are likely to comprise the majority of the Air Force's assets for the foreseeable future, they have limitations. Specifically, these platforms, their sensor packages, and their data exploitation software are unsuited for close-quarter surveillance, such as in alleys and inside of buildings. Micro-UAVs have been gaining in popularity, especially non-fixed-wing platforms such as quad-rotors. These platforms are much more appropriate for confined spaces. However, the types of video exploitation techniques that can effectively be used are different from the typical nadir-looking aerial platform. This paper discusses the creation of a framework for testing existing and new video exploitation algorithms, as well as describes a sample micro-UAV-based tracker.

  6. The double slit experiment and the time reversed fire alarm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halabi, Tarek

    2011-03-01

    When both slits of the double slit experiment are open, closing one paradoxically increases the detection rate at some points on the detection screen. Feynman famously warned that temptation to "understand" such a puzzling feature only draws us into blind alleys. Nevertheless, we gain insight into this feature by drawing an analogy between the double slit experiment and a time reversed fire alarm. Much as closing the slit increases probability of a future detection, ruling out fire drill scenarios, having heard the fire alarm, increases probability of a past fire (using Bayesian inference). Classically, Bayesian inference is associated with computing probabilities of past events. We therefore identify this feature of the double slit experiment with a time reversed thermodynamic arrow. We believe that much of the enigma of quantum mechanics is simply due to some variation of time's arrow.

  7. Helical vortices: linear stability analysis and nonlinear dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selçuk, C.; Delbende, I.; Rossi, M.

    2018-02-01

    We numerically investigate, within the context of helical symmetry, the dynamics of a regular array of two or three helical vortices with or without a straight central hub vortex. The Navier-Stokes equations are linearised to study the instabilities of such basic states. For vortices with low pitches, an unstable mode is extracted which corresponds to a displacement mode and growth rates are found to compare well with results valid for an infinite row of point vortices or an infinite alley of vortex rings. For larger pitches, the system is stable with respect to helically symmetric perturbations. In the nonlinear regime, we follow the time-evolution of the above basic states when initially perturbed by the dominant instability mode. For two vortices, sequences of overtaking events, leapfrogging and eventually merging are observed. The transition between such behaviours occurs at a critical ratio involving the core size and the vortex-separation distance. Cases with three helical vortices are also presented.

  8. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems for Disaster Relief: Tornado Alley

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeBusk, Wesley M.

    2009-01-01

    Unmanned aerial vehicle systems are currently in limited use for public service missions worldwide. Development of civil unmanned technology in the United States currently lags behind military unmanned technology development in part because of unresolved regulatory and technological issues. Civil unmanned aerial vehicle systems have potential to augment disaster relief and emergency response efforts. Optimal design of aerial systems for such applications will lead to unmanned vehicles which provide maximum potentiality for relief and emergency response while accounting for public safety concerns and regulatory requirements. A case study is presented that demonstrates application of a civil unmanned system to a disaster relief mission with the intent on saving lives. The concept utilizes unmanned aircraft to obtain advanced warning and damage assessments for tornados and severe thunderstorms. Overview of a tornado watch mission architecture as well as commentary on risk, cost, need for, and design tradeoffs for unmanned aerial systems are provided.

  9. Use of the vector index and geographic information system to prospectively inform West Nile virus interventions.

    PubMed

    Jones, Roderick C; Weaver, Kingsley N; Smith, Shamika; Blanco, Claudia; Flores, Cristina; Gibbs, Kevin; Markowski, Daniel; Mutebi, John-Paul

    2011-09-01

    We sought to estimate West Nile virus (WNV) activity in mosquito populations weekly at the census tract level in Chicago, IL, and to provide this information graphically. Each week we calculated a vector index (VI) for each mosquito trap then generated tract estimates using geographic information systems. During June 29-September 13, 2008, a median of 527 (60%) of 874 possible tracts per week had a VI value. Overall, 94% of the weekly VI tract estimates were 0; among those with a VI estimate greater than 0, the median was 0.33 (range 0.003-3.5). Officials deemed risk levels and weather conditions appropriate for adulticide treatments on 3 occasions, resulting in the treatment of approximately 252 linear kilometers of residential streets and alleys. Our analysis successfully converted complex, raw surveillance data into a format that highlighted areas of elevated WNV activity and facilitated the determination of appropriate response procedures.

  10. Dreaming in the desert

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2009-11-01

    Saudi Arabia's bold new co-educational research university deserves to succeed Imagine you want to build, from scratch, a brand new, world-beating university dedicated to science and technology in less than two years. What would you need for the job? Well, a big pot of cash would be essential - an endowment of 10bn, let's say. You would need money for lab equipment - about 1.5bn over five years will do nicely - and a visionary leader who can attract talented staff from around the world. They would have to be tempted by fat salaries, given houses to live in and offered goodies like, say, a yachting marina, private golf course and bowling alley. Throw in free satellite TV in every house, install WiFi Internet access across the campus and, oh, invite 3000 people to a spectacular opening ceremony so the world knows that you mean business.

  11. The Spatial Scale and Spatial Configuration of Residential Settlement: Measuring Segregation in the Postbellum South

    PubMed Central

    Logan, John R.; Martinez, Matthew

    2018-01-01

    Studies of residential segregation typically focus on its degree without questioning its scale and configuration. We study Southern cities in 1880 to emphasize the salience of these spatial dimensions. Distance-based and sequence indices can reflect spatial patterns but with some limitations, while geocoded 100% population data make possible more informative measures. One improvement is flexibility in spatial scale, ranging from adjacent buildings to whole districts of the city. Another is the ability to map patterns in fine detail. In Southern cities we find qualitatively distinct configurations that include not only black “neighborhoods” as usually imagined, but also backyard housing, alley housing, and side streets that were predominantly black. These configurations represent the sort of symbolic boundaries recognized by urban ethnographers. By mapping residential configurations and interpreting them in light of historical accounts, our intention is to capture meanings that are too often missed by quantitative studies of segregation. PMID:29479108

  12. Left-right functional asymmetry of ventral hippocampus depends on aversiveness of situations.

    PubMed

    Sakaguchi, Yukitoshi; Sakurai, Yoshio

    2017-05-15

    Many studies suggest that animals exhibit lateralized behaviors during aversive situations, and almost all animals exhibit right hemisphere-dominant behaviors associated with fear or anxiety. However, which brain structure in each hemisphere underlies such lateralized function is unclear. In this study, we focused on the hippocampus and investigated the effects of bilateral and unilateral lesions of the ventral hippocampus (VH) on anxiety-like behavior using the successive alleys test. We also examined the expression of c-fos in the VH, which was induced by an aversive situation. Results revealed that consistent right VH dominance trended with the anxiety level. Weaker anxiety induced both right and left VH functions, whereas stronger anxiety induced right VH function. From these results, we conclude that animals are able to adaptively regulate their behaviors to avoid aversive stimuli by changing the functional dominance of their left and right VH. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. The psychopathology of hallucinations--a methodological analysis.

    PubMed

    Lothane, Z

    1982-12-01

    A psychiatry based on operational and dynamic principles requires a new definition of hallucinations which is both heuristically useful and helpful for the understanding of the phenomenon of hallucinations. The time-hallowed definition of hallucinations as 'perceptions without stimulation of the sense organs' is both incorrect and a relic of late 19th century para-physiological thinking. Heuristically it leads into a blind alley. Central to the redefinition of hallucinations is the conception of the hallucinator, the author of his hallucinations, homologous to the dreamer, the author of his dreams. This idea was held firmly by early French 19th century clinicians, who were inspired by a holistic and operational conception in philosophy. Hallucinations are a multifaceted complex human mental activity and defined by means of a number of parameters held together as an indivisible whole. Hallucinations are described phenomenologically, psychologically, dynamically, psychodynamically, emotionally, logically, nosologically, and interpersonally.

  14. Terrestrial Water Storage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodell, M.; Chambers, D. P.; Famiglietti, J. S.

    2015-01-01

    During 2014 dryness continued in the Northern Hemisphere and relative wetness continued in the Southern Hemisphere (Fig. 2.21; Plate 2.1g). These largely canceled out such that the global land surface began and ended the year with a terrestrial water storage (TWS) anomaly slightly below 0 cm (equivalent height of water; Fig. 2.22). TWS is the sum of groundwater, soil moisture, surface water, snow, and ice. Groundwater responds more slowly to meteorological phenomena than the other components because the overlying soil acts as a low pass filter, but often it has a larger range of variability on multiannual timescales (Rodell and Famiglietti 2001; Alley et al. 2002).In situ groundwater data are only archived and made and Tanzania. The rest of the continent experienced mixed to dry conditions. Significant reductions in TWS in Greenland, Antarctica, and southern coastal Alaska reflect ongoing ice sheet and glacier ablation, not groundwater depletion.

  15. Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Time and change in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hulbe, C. L.

    2016-12-01

    The motto for early 21st Century cryospheric science might be "that happend faster than I thought it would." The fact that change can come quickly to Earth's icy realms can be elucidated from the abstracts of all past Nye Lectures. From Bob Bindscahdler observing that "remarkably, nearly all time scales seem important", to Mark Serreze concluding that "the emerging surprise is the rapidity of change". Equally apparent in past lectures is the imbalance between answers and questions. Kurt Cuffy could not have been more clear about the "major unresolved issues lurking behind this facade of success, including poor understanding". Jeff Dozier was optimistic about merging satellite observations with field and modeling approaches but in many cases the quantitites we seek to measure are hidden from direct observation and the processes we seek to understand are embedded in complex systems. "This complexity may account for the lack of agreement concerning the processes" (Gary Clarke) and even worse, most of our observations are made in a "time of rapid change" (Mary Albert). "Nevertheless progress has been made" (Liz Morris). While "misunderstandings and blind alleys have ironically led to unexpected insight" (Doug MacAyeal), our community and science also benefit from the interest of an ever-expanding community of scholars who find the challenges "clear, exciting and compelling" (Richard Alley). We are active participants in "a climate change drama whose outcome is of concern to us all" (Matt Strum). This presentation will focus on the marine margins of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), places where where we know both a little and a lot, where change is observed at every time scale, and where change is not always driven externally. "We have never witnessed the collapse of a marine ice sheet," (Eric Rignot) and it matters to know as much as we can about the signs, symptoms, and processes of change. I will make the case that not everything of interest happens quickly and that if we want to live up to Tad Pfeffer's noble expectation that we act like problem-solving engineers, we need to work and think interdisciplinarily. Examples involving internal variability of the coupled WAIS/Ross Ice Shelf, slowly forced instability of Thwaites Glacier, and the interdisciplinary Aotearoa New Zealand Ross Ice Shelf Program will support these claims.

  16. Testing the temporal nature of social disorder through abandoned buildings and interstitial spaces.

    PubMed

    Wallace, Danielle; Schalliol, David

    2015-11-01

    With the recent housing crisis, studying abandoned buildings has once again become important. However, it has been some time since abandoned buildings were the subject of direct study, leaving scholars with scant knowledge about the characteristics of abandoned buildings, how they change, and their relationship to neighborhood processes. To fill this gap, we employed longitudinal photographic and SSO evaluations of 36 abandoned buildings and their immediate surroundings in Chicago for one year (n=587). Results demonstrate the presence and severity of social disorder cues vary across time points and the time of day of observation. There is a relationship between abandoned buildings and social disorder, though the relationship is not a trend. Also, social disorder is diminished around extremely decayed buildings. Lastly, we find that our results are driven by the measurement of places ignored by most SSO studies, including alleys and the rear side of buildings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Giant viruses: The difficult breaking of multiple epistemological barriers.

    PubMed

    Claverie, Jean-Michel; Abergel, Chantal

    2016-10-01

    The discovery of the first "giant virus", Mimivirus, in 2003 could solely have been that of an exceptional freak, a blind alley of evolution as occasionally encountered in biology, albeit without conceptual significance. On the contrary, once broken this epistemological barrier, additional unrelated families of giant viruses such as the Pandoraviruses, the Pithoviruses and most recently Mollivirus, were quickly unraveled, suggesting that an entire chapter of microbiology had been ignored since Pasteur and Ivanovski. In this article, we examine to what extent the giant viruses challenge previous definitions of viruses, the diversity of forms they could take, and how they might have evolved from extinct ancestral cellular lineages. Inspired by the epistemology of Gaston Bachelard, we will also suggest the reasons for which giant viruses laid hidden in plain sight for more than a century. Finally, we propose a new definition for "viruses" that paradoxically emphasize the fact that they do not encode a single universally shared macromolecule or biochemical function. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  18. On the temporal and spatial characteristics of tornado days in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, Todd W.

    2017-02-01

    More tornadoes are produced per year in the United States than in any other country, and these tornadoes have produced tremendous losses of life and property. Understanding how tornado activity will respond to climate change is important if we wish to prepare for future changes. Trends in various tornado and tornado day characteristics, including their annual frequencies, their temporal variability, and their spatial distributions, have been reported in the past few years. This study contributes to this body of literature by further analyzing the temporal and spatial characteristics of tornado days in the United States. The analyses performed in this study support previously reported findings in addition to providing new perspectives, including that the temporal trends are observed only in low-frequency and high-frequency tornado days and that the eastward shift in tornado activity is produced, in part, by the increasing number of high-frequency tornado days, which tend to occur to the east of the traditionally depicted tornado alley in the Great Plains.

  19. The value of long-term monitoring in the development of ground-water-flow models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Feinstein, Daniel T.; Hart, David J.; Krohelski, James T.

    2004-01-01

    As environmental issues have come to the forefront of public concern, so has the awareness of the importance of ground water in the overall water cycle and as a source of the Nation’s drinking water. Heightened interest has spawned a host of scientific enterprises (Taylor and Alley, 2001). Some activities are directed toward collection of water-level data and related information to monitor the physical and chemical state of the resource. Other activities are directed at interpretive studies undertaken, for example, to optimize the location of new water-supply wells or to protect rivers and lakes fed by ground water. An important type of interpretive study is the computer ground-water-flow model that inte- grates field data in a mathematical framework. Long-term, systematic collection of hydro- logic data is crucial to the construction and testing of ground-water models so that they can reproduce the evolution of flow systems and forecast future conditions. 

  20. Plant community and white-tailed deer nutritional carrying capacity response to intercropping switchgrass in loblolly pine plantations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greene, Ethan Jacob

    Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a cellulosic feedstock for alternative energy production that could grow well between planted pines (Pinus spp.). Southeastern planted pine occupies 15.8 million hectares and thus, switchgrass intercropping could affect biodiversity if broadly implemented. Therefore, I evaluated effects of intercropping switchgrass in loblolly pine (P. taeda L.) plantations on plant community diversity, plant biomass production, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) nutritional carrying capacity. In a randomized complete block design, I assigned three treatments (switchgrass intercropped, switchgrass monoculture, and a "control" of traditional pine management) to 4 replicates of 10-ha experimental units in Kemper County, Mississippi during 2014-2015. I detected 246 different plant species. Switchgrass intercropping reduced plant species richness and diversity but maintained evenness. I observed reduced forb and high-use deer forage biomass but only in intercropped alleys (interbeds). Soil micronutrient interactions affected forage protein of deer plants. White-tailed deer nutritional carrying capacity remained unaffected.

  1. Living Through Some Giant Change: The Establishment of Abortion Services

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    This article traces the establishment of abortion clinics following Roe v Wade. Abortion clinics followed one of two models: (1) a medical model in which physicians emphasized the delivery of high quality medical services, contrasting their clinics with the back-alley abortion services that had sent many women to hospital emergency rooms prior to legalization, or (2) a feminist model in which clinics emphasized education and the dissemination of information to empower women patients and change the structure of women’s health care. Male physicians and feminists came together in the newly established abortion services and argued over the priorities and characteristics of health care delivery. A broad range of clinics emerged, from feminist clinics to medical offices run by traditional male physicians to for-profit clinics. The establishment of the National Abortion Federation in the mid-1970s created a national forum of health professionals and contributed to the broadening of the discussion and the adoption of compromises as both feminists and physicians influenced each other's practices. PMID:23327251

  2. Living through some giant change: the establishment of abortion services.

    PubMed

    Schoen, Johanna

    2013-03-01

    This article traces the establishment of abortion clinics following Roe v Wade. Abortion clinics followed one of two models: (1) a medical model in which physicians emphasized the delivery of high quality medical services, contrasting their clinics with the back-alley abortion services that had sent many women to hospital emergency rooms prior to legalization, or (2) a feminist model in which clinics emphasized education and the dissemination of information to empower women patients and change the structure of women's health care. Male physicians and feminists came together in the newly established abortion services and argued over the priorities and characteristics of health care delivery. A broad range of clinics emerged, from feminist clinics to medical offices run by traditional male physicians to for-profit clinics. The establishment of the National Abortion Federation in the mid-1970s created a national forum of health professionals and contributed to the broadening of the discussion and the adoption of compromises as both feminists and physicians influenced each other's practices.

  3. A new failure mechanism in thin film by collaborative fracture and delamination: Interacting duos of cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marthelot, Joël; Bico, José; Melo, Francisco; Roman, Benoît

    2015-11-01

    When a thin film moderately adherent to a substrate is subjected to residual stress, the cooperation between fracture and delamination leads to unusual fracture patterns, such as spirals, alleys of crescents and various types of strips, all characterized by a robust characteristic length scale. We focus on the propagation of a duo of cracks: two fractures in the film connected by a delamination front and progressively detaching a strip. We show experimentally that the system selects an equilibrium width on the order of 25 times the thickness of the coating and independent of both fracture and adhesion energies. We investigate numerically the selection of the width and the condition for propagation by considering Griffith's criterion and the principle of local symmetry. In addition, we propose a simplified model based on the criterion of maximum of energy release rate, which provides insights of the physical mechanisms leading to these regular patterns, and predicts the effect of material properties on the selected width of the detaching strip.

  4. "EARTH: The Operators' Manual" - a hybrid model (TV+online+in-person) to effectively communicate climate change science alongside sustainable energy solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haines-stiles, G.; Alley, R. B.; Akuginow, E.

    2011-12-01

    Recent public opinion surveys have found that Americans underestimate the degree of agreement by climate scientists about global warming and climate change, and - despite growing evidence of ice sheet loss, ocean acidification, sea level rise and extreme weather events - believe less in warming trends in 2011 than they did earlier. The issue has become politicized and controversial. "EARTH: The Operators' Manual" is an informal science education project supported by NSF, the National Science Foundation. Its ambitious goal is to use a hybrid mix of broadcast programs appearing on public television and hosted by Penn State geoscientist, Richard Alley, together with on-site outreach events and online resources and tools, to present core climate science in engaging ways, and to combine that presentation of objective research with an overview of sustainable energy solutions. The project's content and communication strategies have been shaped in response to analyses of public opinion such as the SIX AMERICAS study and aim to address common "skeptic" arguments and share essential climate science. Social science research has also found that audiences seem more open to scientific information where the possibility of a positive response is also offered. The first hour-long PBS program aired nationally in April 2011, has since been re-broadcast, and is also available online. Two more programs will air in 2012, and the presentation at the Fall AGU Conference will preview segments from both programs. Five regionally-diverse science centers (in San Diego, Raleigh NC, St. Paul MN, Fort Worth TX and Portland OR) have hosted outreach events, with Richard Alley and other project participants, and will continue with additional activities through summer 2012. The project's website includes video clips, case studies of energy-saving initiatives world-wide and across the USA, plus an interactive "Energy Gauge" inviting users to assess their current Home, Travel, Food, and Goods and Services usage, and commit to cutting back. The project is also experimenting with the use of social media to share information and gather feedback, and to promote local events. As an NSF-supported project, evaluation is a key element. Rockman Et Al has used focus groups to assess the video programs, and gathered data on website usage and the museum events. That input, with statistics and other findings to be reported at AGU 2011, has shaped the ongoing development of the project.

  5. Effect of handling intensity at the time of transport for slaughter on physiological response and carcass characteristics in beef cattle fed ractopamine hydrochloride.

    PubMed

    Hagenmaier, J A; Reinhardt, C D; Bartle, S J; Henningson, J N; Ritter, M J; Calvo-Lorenzo, M S; Vogel, G J; Guthrie, C A; Siemens, M G; Thomson, D U

    2017-05-01

    The effects of handling intensity on the physiological response and carcass characteristics of feedlot cattle fed ractopamine hydrochloride were evaluated at the time of transport to slaughter. Eighty steers (BW = 668 ± 36 kg) representing 10 lots of similar breed, frame size, and degree of finish were blocked by lot, stratified by weight, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 handling intensities (HI) over a 1,600 m dirt alley course: 1) low-stress handling (LSH) or 2) high-stress handling (HSH). For the LSH treatment, 4 penmates were kept at a walk with the use of a lead rider. For the HSH treatment, 4 penmates were kept at a minimum of a trot and received 2 applications of an electric prod (approximately 1 s per impulse) at 2 separate instances: first in the alley before post-handling sampling, and again during loading for transportation to the abattoir. Behavioral observations and physical indicators of stress were recorded a minimum of 1 h before handling (baseline), immediately after handling (POSTHAND), and while in lairage after a 200 km transport to the abattoir. Vital parameters were recorded at baseline and POSTHAND. Venous blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture at baseline and POSTHAND, and mixed arterial and venous blood samples were collected during exsanguination at slaughter. Muscle tremors tended to be more prevalent in HSH cattle at POSTHAND ( = 0.10). The HSH cattle tended to have greater POSTHAND heart rate ( = 0.08); however, there was no effect of HI on POSTHAND respiration rate or rectal temperature ( 0.34). The HSH cattle had greater lactate, epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and glucose concentrations at POSTHAND ( ≤ 0.02). Additionally, HSH cattle had lower POSTHAND blood pH, bicarbonate, base excess, and partial pressure carbon dioxide ( < 0.0001). Bicarbonate concentrations were greater in HSH cattle at slaughter ( = 0.05); however, there were no differences between HI treatments for the remaining blood variables ( 0.11). Concentrations of stress hormones and CK were significantly greater at slaughter relative to baseline and POSTHAND for both LSH and HSH cattle ( < 0.001). These findings suggest cattle trotted without a lead rider develop metabolic acidosis, and illustrate the importance of low-stress handling at the time of transport for slaughter. Further research is warranted to develop strategies to mitigate stress at the time of transport and ensure the welfare of beef cattle presented to abattoirs.

  6. A method to investigate inter-aquifer leakage using hydraulics and multiple environmental tracers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Priestley, Stacey; Love, Andrew; Wohling, Daniel; Post, Vincent; Shand, Paul; Kipfer, Rolf; Tyroller, Lina

    2016-04-01

    Informed aquifer management decisions regarding sustainable yields or potential exploitation require an understanding of the groundwater system (Alley et al. 2002, Cherry and Parker 2004). Recently, the increase in coal seam gas (CSG) or shale gas production has highlighted the need for a better understanding of inter-aquifer leakage and contaminant migration. In most groundwater systems, the quantity or location of inter-aquifer leakage is unknown. Not taking into account leakage rates in the analysis of large scale flow systems can also lead to significant errors in the estimates of groundwater flow rates in aquifers (Love et al. 1993, Toth 2009). There is an urgent need for robust methods to investigate inter-aquifer leakage at a regional scale. This study builds on previous groundwater flow and inter-aquifer leakage studies to provide a methodology to investigate inter-aquifer leakage in a regional sedimentary basin using hydraulics and a multi-tracer approach. The methodology incorporates geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical information in the basin to determine the likelihood and location of inter-aquifer leakage. Of particular benefit is the analysis of hydraulic heads and environmental tracers at nested piezometers, or where these are unavailable bore couplets comprising bores above and below the aquitard of interest within a localised geographical area. The proposed methodology has been successful in investigating inter-aquifer leakage in the Arckaringa Basin, South Australia. The suite of environmental tracers and isotopes used to analyse inter-aquifer leakage included the stable isotopes of water, radiocarbon, chloride-36, 87Sr/86Sr and helium isotopes. There is evidence for inter-aquifer leakage in the centre of the basin ~40 km along the regional flow path. This inter-aquifer leakage has been identified by a slight draw-down in the upper aquifer during pumping in the lower aquifer, overlap in Sr isotopes, δ2H, δ18O and chloride concentrations as well as hydrochemical evidence of mixing with shallower groundwater with shorter residence times. References Alley W. M. Healy R. W. Labaugh J. W. Reilly T. E. 2002. Hydrology - Flow and storage in groundwater systems. Science 296: 1985-1990. Cherry J. A. Parker, B. L. 2004. Role of Aquitards in the Protection of Aquifers from Contamination: A "State of Science" Report. Denver, USA. AWWA Research Foundation. Love A. J. Herczeg A. L. Armstrong D. Stadter F. Mazor E. 1993. Groundwater-Flow Regime within the Gambier Embayment of the Otway Basin, Australia - Evidence from Hydraulics and Hydrochemistry. Journal of Hydrology 143: 297-338. Tóth J. 2009. Gravitational Systems of Groundwater Flow: Theory, Evaluation, Utilization. Cambridge University Press.

  7. Preliminary surficial geologic map of a Calico Mountains piedmont and part of Coyote Lake, Mojave desert, San Bernardino County, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dudash, Stephanie L.

    2006-01-01

    This 1:24,000 scale detailed surficial geologic map and digital database of a Calico Mountains piedmont and part of Coyote Lake in south-central California depicts surficial deposits and generalized bedrock units. The mapping is part of a USGS project to investigate the spatial distribution of deposits linked to changes in climate, to provide framework geology for land use management (http://deserts.wr.usgs.gov), to understand the Quaternary tectonic history of the Mojave Desert, and to provide additional information on the history of Lake Manix, of which Coyote Lake is a sub-basin. Mapping is displayed on parts of four USGS 7.5 minute series topographic maps. The map area lies in the central Mojave Desert of California, northeast of Barstow, Calif. and south of Fort Irwin, Calif. and covers 258 sq.km. (99.5 sq.mi.). Geologic deposits in the area consist of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks, Mesozoic plutonic rocks, Miocene volcanic rocks, Pliocene-Pleistocene basin fill, and Quaternary surficial deposits. McCulloh (1960, 1965) conducted bedrock mapping and a generalized version of his maps are compiled into this map. McCulloh's maps contain many bedrock structures within the Calico Mountains that are not shown on the present map. This study resulted in several new findings, including the discovery of previously unrecognized faults, one of which is the Tin Can Alley fault. The north-striking Tin Can Alley fault is part of the Paradise fault zone (Miller and others, 2005), a potentially important feature for studying neo-tectonic strain in the Mojave Desert. Additionally, many Anodonta shells were collected in Coyote Lake lacustrine sediments for radiocarbon dating. Preliminary results support some of Meek's (1999) conclusions on the timing of Mojave River inflow into the Coyote Basin. The database includes information on geologic deposits, samples, and geochronology. The database is distributed in three parts: spatial map-based data, documentation, and printable map graphics of the database. Spatial data are distributed as an ArcInfo personal geodatabase, or as tabular data in the form of Microsoft Access Database (MDB) or dBase Format (DBF) file formats. Documentation includes this file, which provides a discussion of the surficial geology and describes the format and content of the map data, and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata for the spatial map information. Map graphics files are distributed as Postscript and Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files, and are appropriate for representing a view of the spatial database at the mapped scale.

  8. Geohydrologic Investigations and Landscape Characteristics of Areas Contributing Water to Springs, the Current River, and Jacks Fork, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mugel, Douglas N.; Richards, Joseph M.; Schumacher, John G.

    2009-01-01

    The Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) is a narrow corridor that stretches for approximately 134 miles along the Current River and Jacks Fork in southern Missouri. Most of the water flowing in the Current River and Jacks Fork is discharged to the rivers from springs within the ONSR, and most of the recharge area of these springs is outside the ONSR. This report describes geohydrologic investigations and landscape characteristics of areas contributing water to springs and the Current River and Jacks Fork in the ONSR. The potentiometric-surface map of the study area for 2000-07 shows that the groundwater divide extends beyond the surface-water divide in some places, notably along Logan Creek and the northeastern part of the study area, indicating interbasin transfer of groundwater between surface-water basins. A low hydraulic gradient occurs in much of the upland area west of the Current River associated with areas of high sinkhole density, which indicates the presence of a network of subsurface karst conduits. The results of a low base-flow seepage run indicate that most of the discharge in the Current River and Jacks Fork was from identified springs, and a smaller amount was from tributaries whose discharge probably originated as spring discharge, or from springs or diffuse groundwater discharge in the streambed. Results of a temperature profile conducted on an 85-mile reach of the Current River indicate that the lowest average temperatures were within or downstream from inflows of springs. A mass-balance on heat calculation of the discharge of Bass Rock Spring, a previously undescribed spring, resulted in an estimated discharge of 34.1 cubic feet per second (ft3/s), making it the sixth largest spring in the Current River Basin. The 13 springs in the study area for which recharge areas have been estimated accounted for 82 percent (867 ft3/s of 1,060 ft3/s) of the discharge of the Current River at Big Spring during the 2006 seepage run. Including discharge from other springs, the cumulative discharge from springs was over 90 percent of the river discharge at most of the spring locations, and was 92 percent at Big Spring and at the lower end of the ONSR. The discharge from the 1.9-mile long Pulltite Springs Complex measured in the 2006 seepage run was 88 ft3/s. Most of this (77 ft3/s) was from the first approximately 0.25 mi of the Pulltite Springs Complex. It has been estimated that the annual mean discharge from the Current River Springs Complex is 125 ft3/s, based on an apparent discharge of 50 ft3/s during a 1966 U.S. Geological Survey seepage run. However, a reinterpretation of the 1966 seepage run data shows that the discharge from the Current River Springs Complex instead was about 12.6 ft3/s, and the annual mean discharge was estimated to be 32 ft3/s, substantially less than 125 ft3/s. The 2006 seepage run showed a gain of only 12 ft3/s from the combined Round Spring and Current River Springs Complex from the mouth of Sinking Creek to 0.7 mi upstream from Root Hollow. The 2006 temperature profile measurements did not indicate any influx of spring discharge throughout the length of the Current River Springs Complex. The spring recharge areas with the largest number of identified sinkholes are Big Spring, Alley Spring, and Welch Spring. The spring recharge areas with the largest number of sinkholes per square mile of recharge area are Alley Spring, Blue Spring (Jacks Fork), Welch Spring, and Round Spring and the Current River Springs Complex. Using the currently known locations of losing streams, the Big Spring recharge area has the largest number of miles of losing stream, and the Bass Rock Spring recharge area has the largest number of miles of losing stream per unit recharge area. The spring recharge areas with the most open land and the least forested land per unit recharge area are Blue Spring (Jacks Fork), Welch Spring, Montauk Springs, and Alley Spring. The spring recharge areas with the least amount

  9. The influence of the environment on dairy cow behavior, claw health and herd lameness dynamics.

    PubMed

    Cook, Nigel B; Nordlund, Kenneth V

    2009-03-01

    Free stall housing increases the exposure of dairy cows' claws to concrete walk-ways and to manure between periods of rest, and generally shows the highest rate of lameness compared with other dairy management systems. However, there is great variation within a system, and the rate of new cases of lameness can be reduced to very low levels provided time spent resting per day is maximized through good stall design, access to stalls through stocking density control and comfortable transition cow facilities, limiting the time spent milking, provision of adequate heat abatement, and good leg hygiene. Sand bedded stalls are useful as they also permit lame cows to maintain adequate daily rest. Rubberized alley flooring surfaces benefit the cow by reducing claw wear and trauma compared to concrete, making them ideal for parlor holding areas and long transfer lanes and walk ways. However, caution is required when using rubber floors in pens with uncomfortable stalls due to apparent adverse effects on cow time budgets, which may in turn have a detrimental effect on lameness.

  10. Honors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anonymous

    2011-10-01

    Three AGU members are among the 10 recipients of this year's Heinz Awards, announced on 13 September by Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation. Richard Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park, was recognized for his polar ice discoveries that showed that abrupt climate change is possible and for engaging his students, policy makers, and the public.Joan Kleypas, a marine ecologist and geologist at the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration's National Center for Atmospheric Research, was honored for conducting seminal research on how changes in temperature and in seawater chemistry and acidity have affected coral reefs and for identifying ways to bolster coral reef health. Nancy Rabalais, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, in Chauvin, was cited for her pioneering research of severe oxygen depletion in the Gulf of Mexico and her commitment to reducing water pollution through education and public policy. The awards program "recognizes individuals creating and implementing workable solutions to the problems the world faces through invention, research, and education while inspiring the next generation of modern thinkers," according to the foundation. Each recipient receives an unrestricted cash prize of $100,000.

  11. Honors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2011-10-01

    Three AGU members are among the 10 recipients of this year's Heinz Awards, announced on 13 September by Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation. Richard Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park, was recognized for his polar ice discoveries that showed that abrupt climate change is possible and for engaging his students, policy makers, and the public. Joan Kleypas, a marine ecologist and geologist at the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration's National Center for Atmospheric Research, was honored for conducting seminal research on how changes in temperature and in seawater chemistry and acidity have affected coral reefs and for identifying ways to bolster coral reef health. Nancy Rabalais, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, in Chauvin, was cited for her pioneering research of severe oxygen depletion in the Gulf of Mexico and her commitment to reducing water pollution through education and public policy. The awards program “recognizes individuals creating and implementing workable solutions to the problems the world faces through invention, research, and education while inspiring the next generation of modern thinkers,” according to the foundation. Each recipient receives an unrestricted cash prize of $100,000.

  12. On-farm deaths of dairy cows are associated with features of freestall barns.

    PubMed

    Sarjokari, K; Hovinen, M; Seppä-Lassila, L; Norring, M; Hurme, T; Peltoniemi, O A T; Soveri, T; Rajala-Schultz, P J

    2018-04-04

    On-farm death (OFD) of a dairy cow is always a financial loss for a farmer, and potentially a welfare issue that has to be addressed within the dairy industry. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between OFD of dairy cows, housing, and herd management in freestall barns. To achieve the goal, we followed 10,837 cows calving in 2011 in 82 herds. Data were gathered with observations and a structured interview during farm visits and from a national dairy herd improvement database. The hazard of OFD was modeled with a shared frailty survival model, with SAS 9.3 PHREG procedure (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). The study population was 58% Ayrshire and 42% Holstein cows. The median herd size and mean milk yield in the study herds were 116 cows and 9,151 kg of milk per cow per year. The overall probability of OFD was 6.0%; 1.8% of the cows died unassisted and 4.2% were euthanized. Variation in OFD percentage between individual herds was large, from 0 to 16%, accounting for 0 to 58% of all removals in the herds. Keeping close-up dry cows in an own group was associated with higher hazard of OFD [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.37] compared with keeping them in the same pen with far-off dry cows. Higher hazard on OFD was observed when barns had only one kind of calving pens; single (HR = 2.09) or group pens (HR = 1.72), compared with having both of those types. The hazard of OFD was lower if the whole herd was housed in barns or pens that had only 1 type of feed barrier at the feed bunk, namely post-and-rail (HR = 0.51) or a type with barriers between the cow's heads (HR = 0.49), compared with having 2 types. Lower OFD hazard was observed with wider than 340 cm of walking alley next to the feeding table (HR = 0.75), and with housing a whole herd in pens with only 1 type of walking alley surface, specifically slatted (HR = 0.53) or solid (HR = 0.48), compared with having both types. The hazard of OFD was higher with stalls wider than 120 cm (HR = 1.38) compared with narrower stalls. The hazard of OFD was also associated with breed, parity, and calving season. This study identified many factors that contribute to the incidence of OFD of dairy cows. The solutions for reducing on-farm mortality include housing, management, and breeding choices that are most probably herd specific. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Associations between lying behavior and lameness in Canadian Holstein-Friesian cows housed in freestall barns.

    PubMed

    Solano, L; Barkema, H W; Pajor, E A; Mason, S; LeBlanc, S J; Nash, C G R; Haley, D B; Pellerin, D; Rushen, J; de Passillé, A M; Vasseur, E; Orsel, K

    2016-03-01

    Lying behavior is an important measure of comfort and well-being in dairy cattle, and changes in lying behavior are potential indicators and predictors of lameness. Our objectives were to determine individual and herd-level risk factors associated with measures of lying behavior, and to evaluate whether automated measures of lying behavior can be used to detect lameness. A purposive sample of 40 Holstein cows was selected from each of 141 dairy farms in Alberta, Ontario, and Québec. Lying behavior of 5,135 cows between 10 and 120 d in milk was automatically and continuously recorded using accelerometers over 4 d. Data on factors hypothesized to influence lying behavior were collected, including information on individual cows, management practices, and facility design. Associations between predictor variables and measures of lying behavior were assessed using generalized linear mixed models, including farm and province as random and fixed effects, respectively. Logistic regression models were used to determine whether lying behavior was associated with lameness. At the cow-level, daily lying time increased with increasing days in milk, but this effect interacted with parity; primiparous cows had more frequent but shorter lying bouts in early lactation, changing to mature-cow patterns of lying behavior (fewer and longer lying bouts) in late lactation. In barns with stall curbs >22 cm high, the use of sand or >2 cm of bedding was associated with an increased average daily lying time of 1.44 and 0.06 h/d, respectively. Feed alleys ≥ 350 cm wide or stalls ≥ 114 cm wide were associated with increased daily lying time of 0.39 and 0.33 h/d, respectively, whereas rubber flooring in the feed alley was associated with 0.47 h/d lower average lying time. Lame cows had longer lying times, with fewer, longer, and more variable duration of bouts compared with nonlame cows. In that regard, cows with lying time ≥ 14 h/d, ≤ 5 lying bouts per day, bout duration ≥ 110 min/bout, or standard deviations of bout duration over 4 d ≥ 70 min had 3.7, 1.7, 2.5, and 3.0 higher odds of being lame, respectively. Factors related to comfort of lying and standing surfaces significantly affected lying behavior. Finally, we inferred that automated measures of lying behavior could contribute to lameness detection, especially when interpreted in the context of other factors known to affect lying behavior, including those associated with the individual cow (e.g., parity and stage of lactation) or environment (e.g., stall surface). Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Effect of different flooring systems on weight and pressure distribution on claws of dairy cows.

    PubMed

    Telezhenko, E; Bergsten, C; Magnusson, M; Ventorp, M; Nilsson, C

    2008-05-01

    Weight and pressure distribution on the claw were studied in Swedish Holsteins housed in different flooring systems. A total of 127 cows housed in different sections of the experimental barn were used. Each section had different flooring in the walking and standing areas. There were rubber mats or abrasive mastic asphalt flooring on the alleys or a low-abrasive slatted concrete floor. Some sections had feed-stalls equipped with rubber mats; other sections did not. The vertical ground reaction force, contact area, and average contact pressure were determined on the left hind foot using the I-Scan system and analyzed with the F-scan system. These determinations were made in each of the following 3 zones of the claw: bulb, wall, and sole. Most of the weight on claws exposed to concrete floors was carried by the bulb (37.4 +/- 3.5 and 18.3 +/- 2.9% of weight exerted on the foot in the lateral and medial claw, respectively) and the wall zone (20.0 +/- 2.6 and 13.4 +/- 2.4% on lateral and medial claw, respectively). The weight and pressure distribution in cows kept on sections with rubber covered alleys but passing daily over the asphalt floor on their way to the milking parlor did not differ in any zones, except for lateral bulbs, compared with those exposed to slatted concrete alone. Still, the weight bearing of the sole zone in cows kept on rubber mats without access to asphalt was less than that of cows kept on concrete slatted floors (5.1 +/- 0.7 vs. 12.7 +/- 1.1% and 1.1 +/- 0.5 vs. 8.7 +/- 0.7% in lateral and medial claws, respectively). In cows kept on asphalt flooring without feed-stalls, most weight was exerted to the sole zone (36.2 +/- 2.9 and 22.2 +/- 1.8% in lateral and medial claws, respectively). Feed-stalls in combination with asphalt flooring yielded a decreased total contact area (30.1 +/- 1.2 cm(2)) compared with asphalt floors without feed-stalls (35.7 +/- 1.2 cm(2)). The largest total contact area was obtained on the asphalt floor without feed-stalls, resulting in a lower contact pressure (39.8 +/- 2.3 N/cm(2)) than in claws exposed to concrete (66.0 +/- 2.7 N/ cm(2)) or rubber mats (56.7 +/- 1.7 N/cm(2)). In conclusion, housing with abrasive floors resulted in claws with increased contact area at the sole surface and therefore, decreased contact pressure, but reduced the weight-bearing role of the strongest part of the claw capsule, the claw wall.

  15. Locomotion and claw disorders in Norwegian dairy cows housed in freestalls with slatted concrete, solid concrete, or solid rubber flooring in the alleys.

    PubMed

    Fjeldaas, T; Sogstad, A M; Osterås, O

    2011-03-01

    This study was part of a cross-sectional project on freestall housing, and the aim was to compare locomotion and claw disorders in freestall dairy cattle herds with slatted concrete, solid concrete, or solid rubber flooring in the alleys. The final population for studying claw disorders consisted of 66 dairy herds with 2,709 dry or lactating cows, whereas the population for studying locomotion consisted of 54 herds with 2,216 cows. All herds used Norwegian Red as the main breed. The herds were visited by 15 trained claw trimmers one time during the period from the beginning of February to summer let-out onto pasture in 2008. The trimmers assessed locomotion scores (LocS) of all cows before trimming. At trimming, claw disorders were diagnosed and recorded in the Norwegian Claw Health Card. Estimates describing locomotion and claw disorders in the hind feet were identified by use of multivariable models fit with LocS and each claw disorder as dependent variables, respectively. Herd nested within claw trimmer was included in the model as random effects. The odds ratio (OR) of having LocS >2 and LocS >3 was 1.9 and 2.1, respectively, on slatted concrete compared with solid concrete. Fewer cases of dermatitis were found on slatted than solid concrete (OR=0.70) and a tendency was observed for fewer heel horn erosions on slatted concrete than solid rubber (OR=0.47). Hemorrhages of the white line and sole were more prevalent in herds housed on slatted and solid concrete than in those housed on solid rubber (OR=2.6 and OR=2.1, respectively). White line fissures were also more prevalent in herds housed on slatted and solid concrete than in those housed on solid rubber (OR=2.1 and OR=2.0, respectively). Double soles were more prevalent on solid concrete than solid rubber (OR=4.4). However, sole ulcers were less prevalent in herds with slatted and solid concrete than solid rubber (OR=0.39 and OR=0.53, respectively). Fewer corkscrewed claws were found on slatted concrete than both solid rubber and solid concrete (OR=0.60 and OR=0.44, respectively). More white line crossing fissures were recorded on slatted and solid concrete than solid rubber (OR=3.6 and OR=3.1, respectively). This shows that solid rubber flooring was favorable when most laminitis-related lesions were considered, whereas slatted concrete was favorable for infectious claw lesions and corkscrewed claws but not for locomotion. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Composition and structure of macrozooplankton and micronekton communities in the vicinity of free-drifting Antarctic icebergs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaufmann, Ronald S.; Robison, Bruce H.; Sherlock, Rob E.; Reisenbichler, Kim R.; Osborn, Karen J.

    2011-06-01

    Recent warming in the Antarctic has led to increased production of icebergs; however, the ecological effects of icebergs on pelagic communities within the Southern Ocean have not been well-studied. We used a 10 m 2 MOCNESS to collect macrozooplankton and micronekton in the upper 300 m of the water column near free-drifting icebergs in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during three seasons: December 2005 (late spring), June 2008 (late fall) and March-April 2009 (late summer). Communities were dominated in all three seasons by Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba) and salps ( Salpa thompsoni), which collectively comprised 60-95% of the community wet biomass in most cases. During our spring and summer cruises, mean biomass was elevated by 3.1-4.3x at a distance of 0.37 km from large icebergs vs. 9.26 km away. These differences were not statistically significant, and no trend in biomass with distance was apparent in samples from fall 2008, when total biomass was an order of magnitude lower. Biomass levels near icebergs during Dec 2005 and Mar-Apr 2009 were comparable to values reported from marginal ice zones, suggesting that waters around icebergs support macrozooplankton and micronekton communities comparable in magnitude to those in some of the most productive areas of the Southern Ocean. Sample variance also was significantly higher within 1.85 km of icebergs during Dec 2005 and Mar-Apr 2009, reflecting increased patchiness on scales sampled by the MOCNESS (20-40×10 3 m 3 filtered per sample). This pattern was not significant during Jun 2008. Large predatory medusae were observed within 1.85 km of icebergs and in Iceberg Alley, an area through which icebergs pass frequently, but were virtually absent in areas remote from icebergs. Small euphausiids showed an inverse distribution, with low densities in areas populated by large medusae. A shift in community composition from a near-iceberg assemblage dominated by herbivores to a carnivore-dominated community in Iceberg Alley may reflect a transition from bottom-up to top-down control with increasing distance and time. Body sizes of dominant species varied seasonally but did not show consistent trends with distance from icebergs. Concentrations of photosynthetic pigments in the guts of E. superba and S. thompsoni corresponded broadly to patterns in surface chlorophyll a concentrations and were comparable to maximum gut pigment concentrations measured in animals collected from highly productive marginal ice zones. Our results suggest that the macrozooplankton and micronekton assemblages near free-drifting icebergs can be quantitatively and qualitatively different from those in surrounding, iceberg-free waters, perhaps due to both bottom-up and top-down processes as well as physical forcing by the passage of a large object through the upper ocean.

  17. Before The Philadelphia Negro: Residential Segregation in a Nineteenth-Century Northern City

    PubMed Central

    Logan, John R.; Bellman, Benjamin

    2017-01-01

    Although some scholars treat racial residential segregation in Northern cities as a twentieth-century phenomenon, recent research on New York and Chicago has shown that black-white segregation was already high and rising by 1880. We draw on data from the Philadelphia Social History Project and other new sources to study trends in this city as far back as 1850 and extending to 1900, a time when DuBois had completed his epic study of The Philadelphia Negro. Segregation of “free Negroes” in Philadelphia was high even before the Civil War but did not increase as the total and black populations grew through 1900. Geocoded information from the full-count data from the 1880 Census makes it possible to map the spatial configuration of black residents in fine detail. At the scale of the street segment, segregation in that year was extraordinarily high, reflecting a micro-pattern in which many blacks lived in alleys and short streets. Although there was considerable class variation in the black community, higher status black households lived in areas that were little different in racial and class composition than lower status households. PMID:29056796

  18. Objective Lightning Forecasting at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station using Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Surveillance System Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lambert, Winfred; Wheeler, Mark; Roeder, William

    2005-01-01

    The 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) at Cape Canaveral Air-Force Station (CCAFS)ln Florida issues a probability of lightning occurrence in their daily 24-hour and weekly planning forecasts. This information is used for general planning of operations at CCAFS and Kennedy Space Center (KSC). These facilities are located in east-central Florida at the east end of a corridor known as 'Lightning Alley', an indication that lightning has a large impact on space-lift operations. Much of the current lightning probability forecast is based on a subjective analysis of model and observational data and an objective forecast tool developed over 30 years ago. The 45 WS requested that a new lightning probability forecast tool based on statistical analysis of more recent historical warm season (May-September) data be developed in order to increase the objectivity of the daily thunderstorm probability forecast. The resulting tool is a set of statistical lightning forecast equations, one for each month of the warm season, that provide a lightning occurrence probability for the day by 1100 UTC (0700 EDT) during the warm season.

  19. Investigating Mesoscale Convective Systems and their Predictability Using Machine Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daher, H.; Duffy, D.; Bowen, M. K.

    2016-12-01

    A mesoscale convective system (MCS) is a thunderstorm region that lasts several hours long and forms near weather fronts and can often develop into tornadoes. Here we seek to answer the question of whether these tornadoes are "predictable" by looking for a defining characteristic(s) separating MCSs that evolve into tornadoes versus those that do not. Using NASA's Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications 2 reanalysis data (M2R12K), we apply several state of the art machine learning techniques to investigate this question. The spatial region examined in this experiment is Tornado Alley in the United States over the peak tornado months. A database containing select variables from M2R12K is created using PostgreSQL. This database is then analyzed using machine learning methods such as Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (SAX) and DBSCAN (an unsupervised density-based data clustering algorithm). The incentive behind using these methods is to mathematically define a MCS so that association rule mining techniques can be used to uncover some sort of signal or teleconnection that will help us forecast which MCSs will result in tornadoes and therefore give society more time to prepare and in turn reduce casualties and destruction.

  20. Gender-specific impairments on cognitive and behavioral development in mice exposed to fenvalerate during puberty.

    PubMed

    Meng, Xiu-Hong; Liu, Ping; Wang, Hua; Zhao, Xian-Feng; Xu, Zhong-Mei; Chen, Gui-Hai; Xu, De-Xiang

    2011-06-24

    In human and rodent models, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with the development of cognition and behaviors. Fenvalerate is a potential EDC. The purpose of this study was to examine whether pubertal fenvalerate exposure altered behavioral development. Mice were orally administered with either vehicle or fenvalerate (7.5 or 30 mg/kg/day) from postnatal day (PND) 28 to PND56. Learning and memory were assessed by Morris Water Maze. Aggressive performance was evaluated by aggressive behavior test. Anxiety-related activities were detected by three tests: open-field, plus-maze and black-white alley. Sensorimotor function was analyzed using beam walking and tightrope. Results found that the impairment for spatial learning and memory was more severe in fenvalerate-exposed female mice than in male mice. In addition, pubertal fenvalerate exposure inhibited aggressive behavior in males. Moreover, pubertal fenvalerate exposure increased anxiety activities in females. Altogether, these results suggest that pubertal fenvalerate exposure impairs spatial cognition and behavioral development in a gender-dependent manner. These findings identify fenvalerate as candidate environmental risk factors for cognitive and behavioral development, especially in the critical period of development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Response of Periphyton to Seasonal Changes in Nutrient Concentrations in Central Illinois Agricultural Streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirkham, K. G.; Perry, W. L.

    2005-05-01

    Headwater streams in central Illinois have been dredged and channelized to drain surrounding agricultural fields and has led to extensive erosion and eutrophication. Restoration of these systems through farmer implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) may be one solution. Examination of algal population dynamics may be useful in assessment of BMP effectiveness. We have monitored two small headwater streams, Bray Creek and Frog Alley, for a suite of physicochemical parameters focusing on dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus for three years. Nutrient concentrations suggested potential nutrient limitation by nitrates during late summer and phosphorus limitation in early summer. To determine seasonal algal dynamics with seasonally varying nutrient limitation in agricultural headwater streams, we used nutrient diffusing substrata (NDS). NDS with agar (controls) or amended with either nitrogen, phosphorus, or both were deployed for 21-24 days in both streams each month for a year. Slight nutrient limitation was observed in Bray Creek during August and November while phosphorus was limiting in September (P<0.05). We suggest agricultural streams are more dynamic than previously thought and algal populations may be seasonally nutrient limited and with consequent effects on dissolved oxygen concentrations.

  2. [From inside to outside? Blind alleys in the discussion of psychoanalysis and society].

    PubMed

    Reiche, R

    1995-03-01

    The attempt first instituted by Freud to use the instruments of psychoanalysis to improve understanding not only of the individual but also of society as a whole has a long tradition, particularly in Germany. Reviewing the last thirty years of discourse on the range of the applicability of psychoanalysis in this context, the author comes to the conclusion that the fruits of this discussion are negligible. Reiche distinguishes five major lines of discourse to illustrate this failure to establish the relevance of a psychoanalytic approach to illuminating the "out-side" world: the first is one of assimilation and desiccation, reference here being to psychoanalytic culture critique; the second a pathological reaction of collective grieving bound up with the Critical Theory; the third the aggressive rebuffs levelled at psychoanalytic insights by systems theory; the fourth a line of devaluation and usurpation as represented by post-structuralism and deconstructionism. In the fifth and final strand of psychoanalytic application discourse discernible in the theory of communicative action, the author discerns a tentative new rapprochement between sociology and psychoanalysis. The author's final conclusion is that psychoanalysis is suitable for the perspective on the inside world, while the outside world is beyond the scope of psychoanalytic theory.

  3. Thailand: poverty, bright lights, dark alleys.

    PubMed

    1995-11-06

    Some rural farmers in northern Thailand earn as little as 500 Bahts (US$20) per month, while a factory worker earns an average of 3500 Bahts (US$140) and a private sector executive up to 200,000 Bahts (US$8000) per month. Millions of rural poor individuals in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia are flocking to urban centers in search of survival and better lives. Many, however, wind up working as prostitutes. More than one million children work as prostitutes in Asia, with possibly as many as 200,000 in Thailand alone. These men, women, boys, and girls are at high risk of contracting HIV. An estimated 2.5 million Asians have tested seropositive for infection with HIV, and the World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2000, one-third of the projected HIV cases worldwide will be in Asia, with India and Thailand taking the lead. Existing social services cannot handle the current influx of rural poor to urban areas. In the process, huge tracts of agricultural land are being abandoned, levels of rural and urban poverty are increasing, the extent of homelessness is increasing, and the gap between urban and rural areas grows wider. Thailand has the most inequitable distribution of wealth on the Asian continent.

  4. No wisdom in the crowd: genome annotation in the era of big data - current status and future prospects.

    PubMed

    Danchin, Antoine; Ouzounis, Christos; Tokuyasu, Taku; Zucker, Jean-Daniel

    2018-07-01

    Science and engineering rely on the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge to make discoveries and create new designs. Discovery-driven genome research rests on knowledge passed on via gene annotations. In response to the deluge of sequencing big data, standard annotation practice employs automated procedures that rely on majority rules. We argue this hinders progress through the generation and propagation of errors, leading investigators into blind alleys. More subtly, this inductive process discourages the discovery of novelty, which remains essential in biological research and reflects the nature of biology itself. Annotation systems, rather than being repositories of facts, should be tools that support multiple modes of inference. By combining deduction, induction and abduction, investigators can generate hypotheses when accurate knowledge is extracted from model databases. A key stance is to depart from 'the sequence tells the structure tells the function' fallacy, placing function first. We illustrate our approach with examples of critical or unexpected pathways, using MicroScope to demonstrate how tools can be implemented following the principles we advocate. We end with a challenge to the reader. © 2018 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  5. Sharing Polar Science with Secondary Students: Polartrec and Beyond

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herrmann, N. E.

    2014-12-01

    This session will provide a variety of resources and lesson ideas for educators interested in effectively communicating polar science. Ms. Herrmann will share evidence of the direct impacts on secondary students that resulted from her collaboration with polar scientists in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Ms. Herrmann's interest in polar science began in 2009, when she worked as a field assistant in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland for scientists examining the effects of climate change on caribou. In 2011, she was selected to participate in PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating), a professional development program for teachers and researchers, funded by NSF and coordinated by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS). The opportunity provides teachers opportunities to collaborate with scientists and to share real world science with students. Ms. Herrmann will discuss her experience working with researchers at Palmer Station, Antarctica and how it led to her continued professional development with the Palmer Station Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program and with Polar Eduators (PEI), including a recent Master Class she presented with Dr. Richard Alley. She will also discuss her development of a program called Polar Ambassadors, in which older students become mentors to younger students in the field of polar science.

  6. Modeling of Natural Coastal Hazards in Puerto Rico in Support of Emergency Management and Coastal Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mercado, A., Jr.

    2015-12-01

    The island of Puerto Rico is not only located in the so-called Caribbean hurricane alley, but is also located in a tsunami prone region. And both phenomena have affected the island. For the past few years we have undergone the task of upgrading the available coastal flood maps due to storm surges and tsunamis. This has been done taking advantage of new Lidar-derived, high resolution, topography and bathymetry and state-of-the-art models (MOST for tsunamis and ADCIRC/SWAN for storm surges). The tsunami inundation maps have been converted to evacuation maps. In tsunamis we are also working in preparing hazard maps due to tsunami currents inside ports, bays, and marinas. The storm surge maps include two scenarios of sea level rise: 0.5 and 1.0 m above Mean High Water. All maps have been adopted by the Puerto Rico State Emergency Management Agency, and are publicly available through the Internet. It is the purpose of this presentation to summarize how it has been done, the spin-off applications they have generated, and how we plan to improve coastal flooding predictions.

  7. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakouzi, Elias; Sultan, Rabih

    Pattern formation in two-metal electrochemical deposition has been scarcely explored in the chemical literature. In this paper, we report new experiments on zinc-lead fractal co-deposition. Electrodeposits are grown in special cells at a fixed large value of the zinc ion concentration, while that of the lead ion is increased gradually. A very wide diversity of morphologies are obtained and classified. Most of the deposited domains are almost exclusively Pb or Zn. But certain regions originating at the base cathode, ranging from a short grass alley to dense, grown-up bushes or shrubs, manifest a combined Pb-Zn composition. Composition is determined usingmore » scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x ray measurements as well atomic absorption spectroscopy. Pb domains are characterized by shiny leaf-like and dense deposits as well as flowers with round, balloon-like corollas. The Zn zones display a greater variety of morphologies such as thick trunks and thin and fine branching, in addition to minute ''cigar flower'' structures. The various morphologies are analyzed and classified from the viewpoint of fractal nature, characterized by the box-count fractal dimension. Finally, macroscopic spatial alternation between two different characteristic morphologies is observed under certain conditions.« less

  8. Nitrogen Nutrition of Fruit Trees to Reconcile Productivity and Environmental Concerns.

    PubMed

    Carranca, Corina; Brunetto, Gustavo; Tagliavini, Massimo

    2018-01-10

    Although perennial fruit crops represent 1% of global agricultural land, they are of a great economic importance in world trade and in the economy of many regions. The perennial woody nature of fruit trees, their physiological stages of growth, the root distribution pattern, and the presence of herbaceous vegetation in alleys make orchard systems efficient in the use and recycling of nitrogen (N). The present paper intends to review the existing literature on N nutrition of young and mature deciduous and evergreen fruit trees with special emphasis to temperate and Mediterranean climates. There are two major sources of N contributing to vegetative tree growth and reproduction: root N uptake and internal N cycling. Optimisation of the use of external and internal N sources is important for a sustainable fruit production, as N use efficiency by young and mature fruit trees is generally lower than 55% and losses of fertilizer N may occur with the consequent economic and environmental concern. Organic alternatives to mineral N fertilizer like the application of manure, compost, mulching, and cover crops are scarcely used in perennial fruit trees, in spite of the fact that society's expectations call for more sustainable production techniques and the demand for organic fruits is increasing.

  9. Changes in Water Levels and Storage in the High Plains Aquifer, Predevelopment to 2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McGuire, V.L.

    2007-01-01

    The High Plains aquifer underlies 111.4 million acres (174,000 square miles) in parts of eight States-Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The area overlying the High Plains aquifer is one of the major agricultural regions in the world. Water-level declines began in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the beginning of extensive ground-water irrigation. By 1980, water levels in the High Plains aquifer in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and southwestern Kansas had declined more than 100 feet (Luckey and others, 1981). In response to these water-level declines, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with numerous Federal, State, and local water-resources agencies, began monitoring more than 7,000 wells in 1988 to assess annual water-level change in the aquifer. A report by the USGS, 'Water-Level Changes in the High Plains Aquifer, Predevelopment to 2005 and 2003 to 2005' (McGuire, 2007), shows the areas of substantial water-level changes in the aquifer from the time prior to substantial ground-water irrigation development (predevelopment or about 1950) to 2005 (fig. 1). In parts of the area, farmers began using ground water for irrigation extensively in the 1930s and 1940s. Estimated irrigated acreage in the area overlying the High Plains aquifer increased rapidly from 1940 to 1980 and changed slightly from 1980 to 2002: 1949-2.1 million acres, 1980-13.7 million acres, 1997-13.9 million acres, 2002-12.7 million acres. Irrigated acres in 2002 were 12 percent of the aquifer area, not including the areas with little or no saturated thickness (McGuire, 2007). Ground-water withdrawals for irrigation and other uses are compiled and reported by the USGS and agencies in each State about every 5 years. Ground-water withdrawals from the High Plains aquifer for irrigation increased from 4 to 19 million acre-feet from 1949 to 1974. Ground-water withdrawals for irrigation in 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995 were from 4 to 18 percent less than withdrawals for irrigation in 1974. Ground-water withdrawals from the aquifer for irrigation in 2000 were 21 million acre-feet (McGuire, 2007). Water-level changes in the aquifer result from an imbalance between discharge and recharge. Discharge is primarily ground-water withdrawals for irrigation. Discharge also includes evapotranspiration, where the water table is near the land surface, and seepage to streams and springs, where the water table intersects with the land surface. Recharge is primarily from precipitation. Other sources of recharge are irrigation return flow and seepage from streams, canals, and reservoirs. Water-level declines may result in increased costs for ground-water withdrawals because of increased pumping lift and decreased well yields (Taylor and Alley, 2001). Water-level declines also can affect ground-water availability, surface-water flow, and near-stream (riparian) habitat areas (Alley and others, 1999).

  10. Behavioural profiles in the mouse defence test battery suggest anxiolytic potential of 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonists.

    PubMed

    Griebel, G; Rodgers, R J; Perrault, G; Sanger, D J

    1999-05-01

    Compounds varying in selectivity as 5-HT1A receptor antagonists have recently been reported to produce anxiolytic-like effects comparable to those of benzodiazepines in the mouse elevated plus-maze procedure. In view of the potential clinical significance of these findings, the present experiments compared the behavioural effects of diazepam (0.5-3.0 mg/kg) with those of several non-selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonists [NAN-190, 0.1-3.0 mg/kg, MM-77, 0.03-1.0 mg/kg, (S)-UH-301, 0.3-3.0 mg/kg and pindobind-5-HT1A, 0.03-1.0 mg/kg], and three selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonists (WAY100635, 0.01-3.0 mg/kg, p-MPPI, 0.1-3.0 mg/kg and SL88.0338, 0.3-3.0 mg/kg) in the mouse defence test battery (MDTB). In this well-validated anxiolytic screening test, Swiss mice are directly confronted with a natural threat (a rat) as well as situations associated with this threat. Primary measures taken during and after rat confrontation were flight, risk assessment (RA), defensive threat/attack and escape attempts. Diazepam significantly decreased flight reactions after the rat was introduced into the runway, reduced RA activities of mice chased by the rat, increased RA responses displayed when subjects were constrained in a straight alley and reduced defensive upright postures and biting upon forced contact. All the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonists and NAN-190 also reduced flight, RA in the chase test, and defensive threat and attack behaviours. (S)-UH-301 and pindobind-5-HT1A reduced RA in the chase test, but only partially modified defensive threat and attack. Unlike the other drugs tested, MM-77 produced significant effects only at doses which also markedly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity, suggesting a behaviourally non-specific action. In contrast to diazepam, the 5-HT1A receptor ligands failed to affect RA in the straight alley test. Following removal of the rat from the test area, only diazepam and (S)-UH-301 reduced escape behaviour (contextual defence) at doses which did not decrease locomotion. Overall, the present findings indicate that except for one RA behaviour and escape responses, the 5-HT1A receptor ligands studied modified the same defensive behaviours as diazepam, suggesting potential therapeutic efficacy in the management of anxiety disorders. However, the magnitude of the effects of the 5-HT1A compounds on defence was generally smaller than that of the benzodiazepine. As all of the 5-HT1A compounds tested in this series share antagonistic activity in models of postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor function, it is proposed that this action accounts for their effects on defence.

  11. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scott, D. S.; Inst. for Integrated Energy Systems, U. of Victoria; Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy

    Sometimes, for some things, we can project the deep future better than tomorrow. This is particularly relevant to our energy system where, if we focus on energy currencies, looking further out allows us to leap the tangles of today's conventional wisdom, vested mantras and ill-found hopes. We will first recall the rationale that sets out why - by the time the 22. century rolls around - hydrogen and electricity will have become civilizations staple energy currencies. Building on this dual-currency inevitability we'll then evoke the wisdom that, while we never know everything about the future we always know something. Formore » future energy systems that 'something' is the role and nature of the energy currencies. From this understanding, our appreciation of the deep future can take shape - at least for infrastructures, energy sources and some imbedded technologies - but not service-delivery widgets. The long view provides more than mere entertainment. It should form the basis of strategies for today that, in turn, will avoid setbacks and blind alleys on our journey to tomorrow. Some people accept that hydrogen and electricity will be our future, but only 'until something better comes along.' The talk will conclude with logic that explains the response: 'No{exclamation_point} Nothing better will ever come along.'. (authors)« less

  12. Robotic milking: Technology, farm design, and effects on work flow.

    PubMed

    Rodenburg, Jack

    2017-09-01

    Robotic milking reduces labor demands on dairy farms of all sizes and offers a more flexible lifestyle for farm families milking up to 250 cows. Because milking is voluntary, barn layouts that encourage low-stress access by providing adequate open space near the milking stations and escape routes for waiting cows improve milking frequency and reduce fetching. Because lame cows attend less often, preventing lameness with comfortable stalls, clean alley floors, and effective foot bathing warrants special emphasis in robotic dairies. Variable milking intervals create challenges for foot bathing, sorting and handling, and dealing with special-needs cows. Appropriate cow routing and separation options at the milking stations are needed to address these challenges and ensure that the expected labor savings are realized. Protocols and layout and gating should make it possible for a herd worker to complete all handling tasks alone. Free traffic and guided traffic systems yield similar results when excellent management is applied or when the number of cows is well below capacity. In less ideal circumstances, guided traffic and the use of commitment pens result in longer standing times and stress, particularly for lower ranking cows, and poor management with free traffic results in more labor for fetching. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Simplified limits on resonances at the LHC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chivukula, R. Sekhar; Ittisamai, Pawin; Mohan, Kirtimaan; Simmons, Elizabeth H.

    2016-11-01

    In the earliest stages of evaluating new collider data, especially if a small excess may be present, it would be useful to have a method for comparing the data with entire classes of models, to get an immediate sense of which classes could conceivably be relevant. In this paper, we propose a method that applies when the new physics invoked to explain the excess corresponds to the production and decay of a single, relatively narrow, s -channel resonance. A simplifed model of the resonance allows us to convert an estimated signal cross section into general bounds on the product of the branching ratios corresponding to the dominant production and decay modes. This quickly reveals whether a given class of models could possibly produce a signal of the required size at the LHC. Our work sets up a general framework, outlines how it operates for resonances with different numbers of production and decay modes, and analyzes cases of current experimental interest, including resonances decaying to dibosons, diphotons, dileptons, or dijets. If the LHC experiments were to report their searches for new resonances beyond the standard model in the simplified limits variable ζ defined in this paper, that would make it far easier to avoid blind alleys and home in on the most likely candidate models to explain any observed excesses.

  14. Differential effects of neural inactivation of the dorsolateral striatum on response and latent extinction.

    PubMed

    Goodman, Jarid; Gabriele, Amanda; Packard, Mark G

    2017-04-01

    The present study examined the role of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) in extinction behavior. Male Long-Evans rats were initially trained on the straight alley maze, in which they were reinforced to traverse a straight runway and retrieve food reward at the opposite end of the maze. After initial acquisition, animals were given extinction training using 1 of 2 distinct protocols: response extinction or latent extinction. For response extinction, the animal was released from the same starting position and had the opportunity to perform the originally reinforced approach response to the goal end of the maze, which no longer contained food. For latent extinction, the animal was confined to the original goal location without food, allowing the animal to form a new cognitive expectation (i.e., that the goal location is no longer reinforced). Immediately before response or latent extinction training, animals received bilateral intra-DLS administration of the sodium channel blocker bupivacaine or control injections of physiological saline. Results indicated that neural inactivation of the DLS with bupivacaine impaired response extinction, but did not influence latent extinction. The dissociation observed indicates that the DLS selectively mediates extinction mechanisms involving suppression of the original response, as opposed to cognitive mechanisms involving a change in expectation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Nitrogen Nutrition of Fruit Trees to Reconcile Productivity and Environmental Concerns

    PubMed Central

    Carranca, Corina; Brunetto, Gustavo; Tagliavini, Massimo

    2018-01-01

    Although perennial fruit crops represent 1% of global agricultural land, they are of a great economic importance in world trade and in the economy of many regions. The perennial woody nature of fruit trees, their physiological stages of growth, the root distribution pattern, and the presence of herbaceous vegetation in alleys make orchard systems efficient in the use and recycling of nitrogen (N). The present paper intends to review the existing literature on N nutrition of young and mature deciduous and evergreen fruit trees with special emphasis to temperate and Mediterranean climates. There are two major sources of N contributing to vegetative tree growth and reproduction: root N uptake and internal N cycling. Optimisation of the use of external and internal N sources is important for a sustainable fruit production, as N use efficiency by young and mature fruit trees is generally lower than 55% and losses of fertilizer N may occur with the consequent economic and environmental concern. Organic alternatives to mineral N fertilizer like the application of manure, compost, mulching, and cover crops are scarcely used in perennial fruit trees, in spite of the fact that society’s expectations call for more sustainable production techniques and the demand for organic fruits is increasing. PMID:29320450

  16. STS 8 Orbiter mission window pitting and the possible association with the El Chichon eruption of March and April 1982

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cour-Palais, B. G.; Kessler, D. J.; Zook, H. A.; Clanton, U. S.

    1985-01-01

    The possibility that the pitting that occurred in the STS-8 Orbiter windows was caused by dust from the El Chichon volcano eruption in March-April 1982 is considered. The pit density was more than 30/sq cm, most being 2.5-5 microns deep, and showed no evidence of impact melting. An 'alley' of higher incidence of pits in one window coincided with the line of a seam between TPS tiles. The particles causing the sandblasting were concluded to have arrived in parallel and could not be attributed to the ET, SRBs or a dust storm. The sulfuric gas-rich El Chichon plume injected sufficient material into the atmosphere so that the globe was soon encircled. Most of the resulting particulates (480-8400 tons) stayed in the Northern Hemisphere, and H2SO4 and ash concentrations were high during the STS-8 mission. The Orbiter cut through the debris layer at 19.8 km altitude at a 10 deg angle of attack, which matches the particle crater impact angle in the Orbiter windows. Since the passage was at night, larger H2SO4 droplets may have coalesced and formed larger particles on available solid nuclei, thus producing the 20-40 microns cratering observed in the windows.

  17. The runway model of drug self-administration

    PubMed Central

    Ettenberg, Aaron

    2009-01-01

    Behavioral scientists have employed operant runways as a means of investigating the motivational impact of incentive stimuli for the better part of the past 100 years. In this task, the speed with which a trained animal traverses a long straight alley for positive incentive stimuli, like food or water, provides a reliable index of the subject’s motivation to seek those stimuli. The runway is therefore a particularly appropriate tool for investigating the drug-seeking behavior of animals working for drugs of abuse. The current review describes our laboratory’s work over the past twenty years developing and implementing an operant runway model of drug self-administration. Procedures are described that methodologically dissociate the antecedent motivational processes that induce an animal to seek a drug, from the positive reinforcing consequences of actually earning the drug. Additional work is reviewed on the use of the runway method as a means of modeling the factors that often result in a “relapse” of drug self-administration after a period of abstinence (i.e., a response reinstatement test), as are runway studies that revealed the presence of opposing positive and negative consequences of self-administered cocaine. This body of work suggests that the runway method has served as a powerful behavioral tool for the study of the behavioral and neurobiological basis of drug self-administration. PMID:19032964

  18. Racial segregation in postbellum Southern cities: The case of Washington, D.C.

    PubMed Central

    Logan, John R.

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND Segregation in Southern cities has been described as a 20th-century development, layered onto an earlier pattern in which whites and blacks (both slaves and free black people) shared the same neighborhoods. Urban historians have pointed out ways in which the Southern postbellum pattern was less benign, but studies relying on census data aggregated by administrative areas – and segregation measures based on this data – have not confirmed their observations. METHODS This study is based mainly on 100% microdata from the 1880 census that has been mapped at the address level in Washington, D.C. This data makes it possible to examine in detail the unique spatial configuration of segregation that is found in this city, especially the pattern of housing in alleys. RESULTS While segregation appears to have been low, as reflected in data by wards and even by much smaller enumeration districts, analyses at a finer spatial scale reveal strongly patterned separation between blacks and whites at this early time. CONTRIBUTION This research provides much new information about segregation in a major Southern city at the end of the 19th century. It also demonstrates the importance of dealing explicitly with issues of both scale and spatial pattern in studies of segregation. PMID:29375269

  19. Detection of Old Mine Tunnels in Mexico City Highlands by Electric Resistivity Image Methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chavez, R. E.; Tejero, A.; Cifuentes-Nava, G.; HernaNdez-Quintero, J.

    2013-12-01

    Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) methods have been applied to study cavities or subsurface subsidence threatening urbanized areas. Unfortunately, ERT-3D techniques carried out on heavily urbanized areas become a difficult task, since parallel ERT arrays cannot be deployed. Then, a conventional regular grid cannot be carried out. We present a subsidence problem located in a densely populated portion of Mexico City highlands. Since the damaged houses are in the middle of a highly populated low-class neighborhood, an unconventional ERT array had to be applied. At first, a ';T'-array formed by two perpendicular transects was applied, deployed within a small alley, that stretched from the house entrance. This study determined a tubular structure beneath the houses following an irregular path at depth. Finally, houses were demolished due to the extensive damaged in their foundations. This made possible to carry out a second ERT-3D study, which included a dipolar array called ';L' and ';Corner' arrays. Such a new work defined a similar tubular structure. The cavity entrance was discovered, when excavations were made, although its precise shape could not be defined. The ERT-3D interpretation contributed to locate and accurately determine the geometrical characteristics of the geological feature that caused the collapse of dwellings.

  20. Haloperidol differentially affects reinforcement and motivational processes in rats running an alley for intravenous heroin.

    PubMed

    McFarland, K; Ettenberg, A

    1995-12-01

    The role of drug-paired environmental stimuli in opiate self-administration was investigated by exposing animals to discrete cues that were predictive of the availability or unavailability of heroin reinforcement. Rats were trained to traverse a straight arm runway for a reinforcement consisting of a single 0.1 mg/kg intravenous infusion of heroin delivered upon entrance to the goal box. On each trial, one of two discriminative olfactory stimuli (orange and almond) was used: one which signaled the availability of heroin in the goal box (S+), and one which signaled its absence (S-). The effect of dopamine (DA) receptor antagonism on reinforcement and motivational processes was investigated by pretreating subjects with 0.0, 0.15 or 0.30 mg/kg of the DA receptor antagonist drug, haloperidol. Haloperidol had no effect on operant runway performance (i.e. goal time) in any condition. However, 24 h later, on the first post-treatment trial, those haloperidol animals that received heroin in the goal box on the previous trial (i.e. the S+ condition) ran reliably more slowly than subjects that received vehicle on the previous S+ trial. These results suggest that haloperidol does not affect the motivational properties of stimuli which predict the availability of heroin, while it does diminish the reinforcing effects of actually receiving heroin.

  1. Relationship-centred care: antidote, guidepost or blind alley? The epistemology of 21st century health care.

    PubMed

    Wyer, Peter C; Alves Silva, Suzana; Post, Stephen G; Quinlan, Patricia

    2014-12-01

    Contemporary health care is increasing in complexity and lacks a unifying understanding of epistemology, methodology and goals. Lack of conceptual consistency in concepts such as 'patient-centred care' (PCC) typifies system-wide discordance. We contrast the fragmented descriptions of PCC and related tools to its own origins in the writings of Balint and to a subsequent construct, relationship-centred care (RCC). We identify the explicit and elaborated connection between RCC and a defined epistemological foundation as a distinguishing feature of the construct and we demonstrate that this makes possible the recognition of alignments between RCC and independently developed constructs. Among these, we emphasize Schon's reflective practice, Nonaka's theory of organizational knowledge creation and the research methodology of realist synthesis. We highlight the relational principles common to these domains and to their common epistemologies and illustrate unsatisfying consequences of adherence to less adequate epistemological frameworks such as positivism. We offer RCC not as an 'antidote' to the dilemmas identified at the outset but as an example that illuminates the value and importance of explicit identification of the premises and assumptions underlying approaches to improvement of the health care system. We stress the potential value of identifying epistemological affinities across otherwise disparate fields and disciplines. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Pathok Negoro mosque as the form of territorial defense region of Mataram Kingdom of Islam Java in Jogjakarta

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Setyowati, E.; Hardiman, G.; Murtini, T. W.

    2018-01-01

    Territory is the space boundary of ownership. Defense concepts of an area also include territory. The defense concept of a territory of power or ownership is usually in the form of fortress, ditch, river, road, alley or gate. Many of these are seen in the forms of old city of Dutch’s inheritances. Javanese Islamic Kingdom in Yogyakarta has territory in the form of mosque. The mosque is called the Pathok Negoro as consists of 4 mosques. This territorial not same with another Islamic kingdoms. The research problem is why mosque used as a form of defense? What is the uniqueness?The purpose of the research is to reveal the form of territory of Javanese Islamic Kingdom. The benefit of this research is to get the characteristic form of territory of Javanese Islamic Kingdom in Yogyakarta. Their located in Ploso Kuning, Mlangi, babadan, Dongkelan, and Wonokromo. The research method that was used was qualitative method with grounded research, by using history and map search.In the analysis was carried out identification and comparison between mosques.The results show that there are characteristics on the location, the building orientation, the landscape, the area pattern and the shape of the building.

  3. Potential Zoonotic Trematodes Recovered in Stray Cats from Kuwait Municipality, Kuwait

    PubMed Central

    El-Azazy, Osama Mohamed ElShfei; Abdou, Nadra-Elwgoud Mohamed Ibrahim; Khalil, Amal Iskander; Al-Batel, Maha Khaled; Majeed, Qais Abdulrazak Habeeb; Henedi, Adawia Abdul-Ruhman; Tahrani, Laila Mohamed Azad

    2015-01-01

    Stray cats are a common feature roaming the streets and alleys of Kuwait; they could be a source of parasites, including trematodes, that affect humans. A survey was conducted to identify feline trematodes and throw the light on their public health significance in Kuwait. Out of 240 stray cats trapped from different localities of Kuwait from June 2011 to May 2012, 59 (24.6%) were found to be infected with 14 species of trematodes. The most common were trematodes of the genus Heterophyes, particularly H. heterophyes and H. dispar that were found in respectively 15.8% and 10.8% of the cats examined. Other trematodes recorded, with lower prevalences, were Heterophyes nocens (2.9%), Haplorchis taichui (3.8%), Stictodora sawakinensis (2.1%), Stellantchasmus falcatus (1.6%), Echinochasmus japonicus (1.6%), and Mesostephanus dottrensi (1.3%). Centrocestus cuspidatus, Galactosomum fregatae, Ascocotyle sp., Mesostephanus appendiculatus, Haplorchis yokogawai, and Pygidiopsis genata showed the lowest prevalence (0.4%) and intensity. The majority of the trematodes are recorded for the first time in Kuwait and even in the Gulf region. The study reveals that stray cats are good indicators of fish-borne trematodes in the environment. As all trematodes recovered are zoonotic, their significance to public health should be considred. PMID:26174821

  4. Thermohaline circulation and its box models simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bazyura, Kateryna; Polonsky, Alexander; Sannikov, Viktor

    2014-05-01

    Ocean Thermochaline circulation (THC) is the part of large-scale World Ocean circulation and one of the main climate system components. It is generated by global meridional density gradients, which are controlled by surface heat and freshwater fluxes. THC regulates climate variability on different timescales (from decades to thousands years) [Stocker (2000), Clark (2002)]. Study of paleoclimatic evidences of abrupt and dramatic changes in ocean-atmosphere system in the past (such as, Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich events or Younger Dryas, see e.g., [Rahmstorf (2002), Alley & Clark(1999)]) shows that these events are connected with THC regimes. At different times during last 120,000 years, three THC modes have prevailed in the Atlantic. They can be labeled as stadial, interstadial and Heinrich modes or as cold, warm and off mode. THC collapse (or thermohaline catastrophe) can be one of the consequences of global warming (including modern anthropogenic climate changes occurring at the moment). The ideas underlying different box-model studies, possibility of thermochaline catastrophe in present and past are discussed in this presentation. Response of generalized four box model of North Atlantic thermohaline circulation [developing the model of Griffies & Tzippermann (1995)] on periodic, stochastic and linear forcing is studied in details. To estimate climatic parameters of the box model we used monthly salinity and temperature data of ECMWF operational Ocean Reanalysis System 3 (ORA-S3) and data from atmospheric NCEP/NCAR reanalysis on precipitation, and heat fluxes for 1959-2011. Mean values, amplitude of seasonal cycle, amplitudes and periods of typical interdecadal oscillations, white noise level, linear trend coefficients and their significance level were estimated for every hydrophysical parameter. In response to intense freshwater or heat forcing, THC regime can change resulting in thermohaline catastrophe. We analyze relevant thresholds of external forcing in cases of using linear and nonlinear seawater state equation. In the frame of four-box model it is shown that: 1) The occurrence of the thermohaline catastrophe, which is likely happened at Younger Dryas period or developed as Heinrich events in the past, is improbable in modern climate epoch. 2) Choice of nonlinear seawater equitation of state leads to stabilization of warm mode of THC, which corresponds to modern climate state. 3) Typical white noise in heat and freshwater fluxes leads to generation of multidecadal oscillations of volume transport. Time-scale of these oscillations coincides with Atlantic Multidecadal oscillation periodicity. So, it is shown that that recent climate is characterized by quasi-periodical stable multidecadal THC warm regime. Stocker, T. F., 2000: Past and future reorganisations in the climate system. Quat. Sci.Rev, Vol. 19, P.301-319. Clark U., 2002: The role of the thermohaline circulation in abrupt climate change. Nature. Vol. 415, P.863-869. Rahmstorf S., 2002: Ocean circulation and climate during the past 120000 years. Nature. Vol. 419, P.207-214. Alley, R. B. & Clark, P. U., 1999: The deglaciation of the Northern Hemisphere: a global perspective. Annu.Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. Vol. 27, P.149-182. Griffies S.M., Tziperman E., 1995: A linear thermohaline oscillator driven by stochastic atmospheric forcing. Journal of Climate. Vol. 8. P. 2440-2453.

  5. Models of bright storm clouds and related dark ovals in Saturn's Storm Alley as constrained by 2008 Cassini/VIMS spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sromovsky, L. A.; Baines, K. H.; Fry, P. M.

    2018-03-01

    A 5° latitude band on Saturn centered near planetocentric latitude 36°S is known as "Storm Alley" because it has been for several extended periods a site of frequent lightning activity and associated thunderstorms, first identified by Porco et al. (2005). The thunderstorms appeared as bright clouds at short and long continuum wavelengths, and over a period of a week or so transformed into dark ovals (Dyudina et al., 2007). The ovals were found to be dark over a wide spectral range, which led Baines et al. (2009) to suggest the possibility that a broadband absorber such as soot produced by lightning could play a significant role in darkening the clouds relative to their surroundings. Here we show that an alternative explanation, which is that the clouds are less reflective because of reduced optical depth, provides an excellent fit to near infrared spectra of similar features obtained by the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) in 2008, and leads to a plausible scenario for cloud evolution. We find that the background clouds and the oval clouds are both dominated by the optical properties of a ubiquitous upper cloud layer, which has the same particle size in both regions, but about half the optical depth and physical thickness in the dark oval regions. The dark oval regions are also marked by enhanced emissions in the 5-μm window region, a result of lower optical depth of the deep cloud layer near 3.1-3.8 bar, presumably composed of ammonium hydrosulfide (NH4SH). The bright storm clouds completely block this deep thermal emission with a thick layer of ammonia (NH3) clouds extending from the middle of the main visible cloud layer probably as deep as the 1.7-bar NH3 condensation level. Other condensates might also be present at higher pressures, but are obscured by the NH3 cloud. The strong 3-μm spectral absorption that was displayed by Saturn's Great Storm of 2010-2011 (Sromovsky et al., 2013) is weaker in these storms because the contrast is muted by the overlying cloud deck that these less intense storms do not fully penetrate. Our speculated evolutionary scenario that seems consistent with these results is that deep convection produces lightning and bright clouds of large ammonia particles that rise up into the mid level of the overlying visible deck, pushing out the particles in that layer with the outflow at the top of the convective towers. When the convective pulse subsides, these large particles fall out of the column within a week or so, leaving behind less optical depth than background clouds, making them appear darker because they are less reflective. However, this simple picture does not explain all details of the phenomenon, e.g. the irregular morphology of the bright convective regions and the stable regular shapes of the dark ovals that are formed in their wake.

  6. FROM THE HISTORY OF PHYSICS: The physics of a thermonuclear explosion of a normal-density liquefied deuterium sphere (On the impossibility of a spherically symmetric thermonuclear explosion in liquid deuterium at normal density)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marchuk, Gurii I.; Imshennik, Vladimir S.; Basko, Mikhail M.

    2009-03-01

    The hydrodynamic problem of a thermonuclear explosion in a sphere of normal-density liquid deuterium was solved (Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk) in 1952-1954 in the framework of the Soviet Atomic Project. The principal result was that the explosion shockwave in deuterium strongly decayed because of radiation energy loss and nonlocal energy release by fast neutrons. At that time, this negative result implied in essence that the straightforward approach to creating a thermonuclear weapon was in fact a blind alley. This paper describes a numerical solution to the stated problem, obtained with the modern DEIRA code developed for numerical modeling of inertially confined fusion. Detailed numerical calculations have confirmed the above 'historic' result and shed additional light on the physical causes of the detonation wave decay. The most pernicious factor is the radiation energy loss due to the combined effect of bremsstrahlung and the inverse Compton scattering of the emitted photons on the hot electrons. The impact of energy transfer by fast neutrons — which was already quite adequately accounted for in the above-cited historical work — is less significant. We present a more rigorous (compared to that of the 1950s) study of the role of inverse Compton scattering for which, in particular, an independent analytic estimate is obtained.

  7. Principal facts and an approach to collecting gravity data using near-real-time observations in the vicinity of Barstow, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Phelps, G.; Cronkite-Ratcliff, C.; Klofas, L.

    2013-01-01

    A gravity survey was done in the vicinity of Barstow, California, in which data were processed and analyzed in the field. The purpose of the data collection was to investigate possible changes in gravity across mapped Quaternary faults and to improve regional gravity coverage, adding to the existing national gravity database. Data were collected, processed, analyzed, and interpreted in the field in order to make decisions about where to collect data for the remainder of the survey. Geological targets in the Barstow area included the Cady Fault, the Manix Fault, and the Yermo Hills. Upon interpreting initial results, additional data were collected to more completely define the fault targets, rather than collecting data to improve the regional gravity coverage in an adjacent area. Both the Manix and Cady Faults showed gravitational expression of the subsurface in the form of steep gravitational gradients that we interpret to represent down-dropped blocks. The gravitational expression of the Cady Fault is on trend with the linear projection of the mapped fault, and the gravitational expression of the Manix Fault is north of the current northernmost mapped strand of the fault. The relative gravitational low over the Yermo Hills was confirmed and better constrained, indicating a significant thickness of sediments at the junction of the Calico, Manix, and Tin Can Alley Faults.

  8. Uneven Magnitude of Disparities in Cancer Risks from Air Toxics

    PubMed Central

    James, Wesley; Jia, Chunrong; Kedia, Satish

    2012-01-01

    This study examines race- and income-based disparities in cancer risks from air toxics in Cancer Alley, LA, USA. Risk estimates were obtained from the 2005 National Air Toxics Assessment and socioeconomic and race data from the 2005 American Community Survey, both at the census tract level. Disparities were assessed using spatially weighted ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and quantile regression (QR) for five major air toxics, each with cancer risk greater than 10−6. Spatial OLS results showed that disparities in cancer risks were significant: People in low-income tracts bore a cumulative risk 12% more than those in high-income tracts (p < 0.05), and those in black-dominant areas 16% more than in white-dominant areas (p < 0.01). Formaldehyde and benzene were the two largest contributors to the disparities. Contributions from emission sources to disparities varied by compound. Spatial QR analyses showed that magnitude of disparity became larger at the high end of exposure range, indicating worsened disparity in the poorest and most highly concentrated black areas. Cancer risk of air toxics not only disproportionately affects socioeconomically disadvantaged and racial minority communities, but there is a gradient effect within these groups with poorer and higher minority concentrated segments being more affected than their counterparts. Risk reduction strategies should target emission sources, risk driver chemicals, and especially the disadvantaged neighborhoods. PMID:23208297

  9. Age-dependent change in exploratory behavior of male rats following exposure to threat stimulus: effect of juvenile experience.

    PubMed

    Arakawa, Hiroyuki

    2007-07-01

    The ontogeny of exploratory behavior depending on the intensity of threat in a modified open-field was investigated in male rats aged 40, 65, and 130 days, by comparing with less threatening condition with no shock and more threatening condition where they were exposed to mild electric shock. The number of crossings in a dim peripheral alley was counted as the level of activity. The total duration of stay in the central area was measured as the level of exploration. The number of entries and stretch-attend postures into a bright center square were measured as active exploratory behavior and the risk assessment behavior, respectively. When exposed to mild shock prior to the test, 40-day-old rats decreased these exploratory behaviors, while 65- and 130-day-old rats increased active exploratory behavior (Experiment 1). A lower level of exploratory behavior following a mild shock was found in 65 and 130-day-old rats isolated during the juvenile stage, but not in rats isolated after puberty (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that the direction of changes in exploratory behavior of male rats following an increase in potential danger showed ontogenetic transition, which is mediated by social experiences as juveniles, but not as adults. This transition may be associated with the emergence of active exploratory behavior during the juvenile stage, which is activated by social interaction.

  10. The limited and localized flow of fresh groundwater to the world's oceans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luijendijk, E.; Gleeson, T. P.; Moosdorf, N.

    2017-12-01

    Submarine groundwater discharge, the flow of fresh or saline groundwater to oceans [Burnett et al., 2003], may be a significant contributor to the water and chemical budgets of the world's oceans [Taniguchi et al., 2002] potentially buffering ocean acidification with groundwater alkalinity and is arguably the most uncertain component of the global groundwater budget [Alley et al., 2002]. The fresh component of submarine groundwater discharge is critical due to its high solute and nutrient load, and has been quantified locally and but only roughly estimated globally using significant assumptions. Here we show that that fresh submarine groundwater discharge is an insignificant water contributor to global oceans (0.05% of the total input) but that the freshwater discharge may still be an important chemical and nutrient contributor especially around distinct hotspots. The first spatially-explicit, physically-based global estimate of fresh submarine groundwater discharge was derived by combining density-dependent numerical groundwater models and a geospatial analysis of global coastal watersheds to robustly simulate the partitioning of onshore and offshore groundwater discharge. Although fresh submarine groundwater discharge is an insignificant part of fresh coastal groundwater discharge, results are consistent with previous estimates of significant recirculated seawater discharging as groundwater as well as quantifying the significant near-shore terrestrial discharge, a flux that has so far been overlooked in global hydrological studies and that affects coastal water budgets, evapotranspiration and ecosystems.

  11. Patents on periphery of the Amazon rainforest.

    PubMed

    de Moura, Emanoel G; Araújo, José R G; Monroe, Paulo H M; de O Nascimento, Ivaneide; Aguiar, Alana C F

    2009-06-01

    In the humid tropics, on the edges of the Amazon forest, the technological challenges to establishing and maintaining productive and sustainable agricultural systems have yet to be overcome. The groups involved in agriculture in the north of Brazil still engage in the practice of slash and burn in order to prepare and fertilize the soil. This produces negative effects for the local and global environment, without the counter-effect of providing social benefits to rural communities. Whether this process continues is of fundamental importance to many countries because it means that slash and burn agriculture is advancing on the Amazon rainforest, with a negative effect on every dimension of national policy. Beyond social political problems the biggest challenge for researchers in the field of tropical agriculture is to offer technological alternatives that can sustain agriculture in soils derived from sedimentary rocks that have been subjected to a high degree of weathering. In this article patented information is also discussed. Experiments undertaken in this region recommend taking advantage of the rapid growth of plants in the tropics. We aimed at proposing a suitable alternative system for a sustainable soil management in the particular conditions of humid tropics, named as "no-till in alley cropping using tree leguminous mulch." This system offers the advantages of: bringing together, in the same space and at the same time, the processes of cultivation and the regeneration of soil fertility.

  12. The effect of partial reinforcement on instrumental successive negative contrast in inbred Roman High- (RHA-I) and Low- (RLA-I) Avoidance rats.

    PubMed

    Cuenya, L; Sabariego, M; Donaire, R; Fernández-Teruel, A; Tobeña, A; Gómez, M J; Mustaca, A; Torres, C

    2012-03-20

    Frustration is an emotional response that can be induced by the sudden devaluation of a reinforcer in the presence of greater reinforcement expectancies (e.g. instrumental successive negative contrast, iSNC). This emotional response seems to be similar to anxiety and can be attenuated by previous experiences of reward loss (e.g. partial reinforcement, PR, as opposed to continuous reinforcement, CR). In this study we used iSNC and PR procedures in order to compare the performance of two strains of rats psychogenetically selected on the basis of their emotional reactivity: the inbred Roman High- (RHA-I, low anxiety) and Low- (RLA-I, high anxiety) Avoidance rats. Animals were exposed to a straight alley, where they were changed from 12 pellets in the preshift phase (presented in 100% of trials-CR vs. 50% of trials-PR) to 2 pellets in the postshift phase, or exposed to 2 pellets throughout the training. The results indicated that the iSNC only appeared in RLA-I rats exposed to CR, as opposed to RLA-I animals exposed to PR and to RHA-I rats exposed to PR or CR. These data seem to support the implication of emotional responses in both iSNC and PR situations, and indicate that the behavioral reactivity to reward loss experiences is modulated by genetic variables. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Effects of RO 15-1788 on a running response rewarded on continuous or partial reinforcement schedules.

    PubMed

    Hawkins, M; Sinden, J; Martin, I; Gray, J A

    1988-01-01

    Two experiments were run in which rats were rewarded with food for running in a straight alley at one trial a day, followed by extinction of the running response. During acquisition of the response, reward was delivered either on a continuous reinforcement (CRF) or on a quasirandom 50% partial reinforcement (PRF) schedule. The groups given PRF were more resistant to extinction than those given CRF, the well-known partial reinforcement extinction effect. In Experiment 1 different groups of rats were injected during acquisition only with 1, 5 or 10 mg/kg of the benzodiazepine antagonist, RO 15-1788, or with placebo. In Experiment 2, 5 mg/kg RO 15-1788 or placebo were administered in a full cross-over design during acquisition, extinction or both. At the end of Experiment 2 only [3H]-flunitrazepam binding was measured in either the presence or absence of added gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) in homogenates of hippocampi dissected from the animals that had received behavioural training. The drug affected running speeds during both acquisition and extinction in different ways depending upon the schedule of reinforcement (CRF or PRF) and also gave rise to enhanced GABA stimulation of [3H]-flunitrazepam binding. The results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that the neurochemical pathways by which reinforcement schedules modify behaviour include a step influenced by benzodiazepine receptors.

  14. Enhancing Groundwater Cost Estimation with the Interpolation of Water Tables across the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosli, A. U. M.; Lall, U.; Josset, L.; Rising, J. A.; Russo, T. A.; Eisenhart, T.

    2017-12-01

    Analyzing the trends in water use and supply across the United States is fundamental to efforts in ensuring water sustainability. As part of this, estimating the costs of producing or obtaining water (water extraction) and the correlation with water use is an important aspect in understanding the underlying trends. This study estimates groundwater costs by interpolating the depth to water level across the US in each county. We use Ordinary and Universal Kriging, accounting for the differences between aquifers. Kriging generates a best linear unbiased estimate at each location and has been widely used to map ground-water surfaces (Alley, 1993).The spatial covariates included in the universal Kriging were land-surface elevation as well as aquifer information. The average water table is computed for each county using block kriging to obtain a national map of groundwater cost, which we compare with survey estimates of depth to the water table performed by the USDA. Groundwater extraction costs were then assumed to be proportional to water table depth. Beyond estimating the water cost, the approach can provide an indication of groundwater-stress by exploring the historical evolution of depth to the water table using time series information between 1960 and 2015. Despite data limitations, we hope to enable a more compelling and meaningful national-level analysis through the quantification of cost and stress for more economically efficient water management.

  15. The role of sandstone in the development of an Ozark karst system, south-central Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Orndorff, R.C.; Weary, D.J.; Harrison, R.W.

    2006-01-01

    Cave, spring, and sinkhole development in the Ozarks of south-central Missouri is placed in a geologic framework through detailed geologic mapping. Geologic mapping shows that initial dissolution and inception of cave development is concentrated just beneath sandstone beds within Upper Cambrian and Lower Ordovician dolostone. Although rocks of the Ozarks have systematic and pervasive vertical joints, the development of karst conduits is controlled by bedding planes and stratigraphic variability. In the Salem Plateau of south-central Missouri, sinkholes occur in the lower part of the Ordovician Roubidoux Formation, where sinkholes are rimmed with and contain sandstone that has collapsed into voids in the underlying Ordovician Gasconade Dolomite. Cave diving by the Ozark Cave Diving Alliance into Alley Spring, a large (average flow 3.7 m3/s) spring along the Jacks Fork in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, shows that although the spring discharges from the middle part of the Gasconade, the source of water is a cave passage just beneath the Gunter Sandstone Member of the Gasconade Dolomite. Artesian conditions cause the upward movement of groundwater from cavernous dolostone beneath the sandstone aquitards to the large springs. We hypothesize that sandstone, which is largely impermeable due to silica cementation, acts as a confining unit where hydraulic pressure, combined with mixing of water of differing chemistry, increases dissolution in the underlying dolostone beds. ?? 2006 Geological Society of America.

  16. Herd-level risk factors for lameness in freestall farms in the northeastern United States and California.

    PubMed

    Chapinal, N; Barrientos, A K; von Keyserlingk, M A G; Galo, E; Weary, D M

    2013-01-01

    The objective was to investigate the association between herd-level management and facility design factors and the prevalence of lameness in high-producing dairy cows in freestall herds in the northeastern United States (NE; Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania) and California (CA). Housing and management measures such as pen space, stall design, bedding type, and milking routine were collected for the high-producing pen in 40 farms in NE and 39 farms in CA. All cows in the pen were gait scored using a 1-to-5 scale and classified as clinically lame (score ≥3) or severely lame (score ≥4). Measures associated with the (logit-transformed) proportion of clinically or severely lame cows at the univariable level were submitted to multivariable general linear models. In NE, lameness increased on farms that used sawdust bedding [odds ratio (OR)=1.71; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06-2.76] and decreased with herd size (OR=0.94; CI=0.90-0.97, for a 100-cow increase), use of deep bedding (OR=0.48; CI=0.29-0.79), and access to pasture (OR=0.52; CI=0.32-0.85). The multivariable model included herd size, access to pasture, and provision of deep bedding, and explained 50% of the variation in clinical lameness. Severe lameness increased with the percentage of stalls with fecal contamination (OR=1.15; CI=1.06-1.25, for a 10% increase) and with use of sawdust bedding (OR=2.13; CI=1.31-3.47), and decreased with use of deep bedding (OR=0.31; CI=0.19-0.50), sand bedding (OR=0.32; CI=0.19-0.53), herd size (OR=0.93; CI=-0.89-0.97, for a 100-cow increase), and rearing replacement heifers on site (OR=0.57; CI=0.32-0.99). The multivariable model included deep bedding and herd size, and explained 59% of the variation of severe lameness. In CA, clinical lameness increased with the percentage of stalls containing fecal contamination (OR=1.15; CI=1.05-1.26, for a 10% increase), and decreased with herd size (OR=0.96; CI=0.94-0.99, for a 100-cow increase), presence of rubber in the alley to the milking parlor (OR=0.46; CI=0.28-0.76), distance of the neck rail from the rear curb (OR=0.97; CI=0.95-0.99, for a 1-cm increase), water space per cow (OR=0.92; CI=0.85-0.99, for a 1-cm increase), and increased frequency of footbaths per week (OR=0.90; CI=081-0.99, for a 1-unit increase). The multivariable model included herd size, percentage of stalls containing fecal contamination, and presence of rubber in the alley to the milking parlor, and explained 44% of the variation of clinical lameness. Severe lameness increased with the percentage of stalls containing fecal contamination (OR=1.23; CI=1.06-1.42, for a 10% increase) and decreased with frequency of manure removal in the pen per day (OR=0.72; CI=0.53-0.97, for a 1-unit increase). The final model included both variables and explained 28% of the variation in severe lameness. In conclusion, changes in housing and management may help decrease the prevalence of lameness on dairy farms, but key risk factors vary across regions. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. "Preaching To The Choir" And Empowering The Congregation: Using Facebook And Face Time To Counter Denial

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akuginow, E.; Haines-Stiles, G.; Alley, R. B.

    2012-12-01

    "Earth: The Operators' Manual" (ETOM) is an education and outreach initiative, supported by NSF, which uses stories, metaphors and innovative communications strategies to cut through misinformation about climate change and promote positive action. External evaluation provides both quantitative and qualitative evidence on the success of this approach. This presentation includes short videos illustrating the strategy, and images from live nationwide events and Facebook posts. ETOM includes three PBS specials, a series of on-site presentations by scientists and military officers, a website functioning as portal to its video components, and a lively and growing Facebook community where uninformed statements about climate are often rebutted by 3rd party contributors not formally affiliated with the project. At outreach events at science centers such as the Science Museum of Minnesota, geoscientist Richard Alley, host of the TV programs, presented to large audiences with ample opportunities for follow-up Q&A. Audience surveys reported that Alley offered "the most clear explanation of linking carbon dioxide to climate change" and noted that his physical performance (nodding his head to show his North Pole bald spot to illustrate precession) was memorable. "I'll have that vision in my mind forever." 91% said the information was new to them, and 96% said the performance encouraged them to discuss the issues with friends: "He gave us language that we can use to communicate to other people, and I think that's what we need more than more data." But surveys also requested still more arguments to counter denial. The producers added a set of rebuttals ("But my brother-in-law said…") to the next live performance, at a Science Pub in Portland OR, with positive responses. The live events relied on stories and metaphors that audiences found new and memorable. Emitting CO2 is rather like how we used to dump filthy human waste out our windows, before the sanitation revolution. "You could have a good cocktail conversation with this information because he's giving you metaphors for it." While the PBS specials were classic one hour programs, several segments were repackaged as short "How to Talk to an Ostrich" videos, which were re-posted by "Climate Crock of the Week" and "Climate Bites", reaching even larger audiences. Similarly, while the ETOM website offers key background information, such as annotated scripts of all three programs with references for all facts and assertions) the project's Facebook page has evolved into a lively venue publishing key climate and clean energy facts, illustrated by impactful images. "Great graphics, great videos, original stories that haven't been overexposed online already." "ETOM has stayed above the dirty by citing DATA." As expected, several deniers lurk on the page, repeating assertions such as "Climate is always changing", "It's the Sun", and maligning Al Gore. What ETOM had not anticipated, but welcomes, is how often 3rd party posts (i.e. from other than ETOM staff) rebut that misinformation with solid science, often with web links to additional material, and sometimes with appealing wit and engaging bluntness. At AGU we present data showing that empowering those who may already think humans are changing Earth's climate with new arguments and approaches is a promising and productive way to counter denial.

  18. Droplet Characterization and Penetration of an Ultra-Low Volume Mosquito Adulticide Spray Targeting the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, within Urban and Suburban Environments of Northeastern USA

    PubMed Central

    Faraji, Ary; Unlu, Isik; Crepeau, Taryn; Healy, Sean; Crans, Scott; Lizarraga, Griffith; Fonseca, Dina; Gaugler, Randy

    2016-01-01

    Adult control of Aedes albopictus via ultra-low volume is difficult because this species occurs primarily in peridomestic habitats where obstacles such as buildings and vegetation can disrupt spray plumes and droplet dispersion. We determined droplet penetration and characterization of a pyrethroid adulticide applied from the ground at mid (46.77 ml/ha) and maximum (93.53 ml/ha) label rates within cryptic habitats of urban and suburban environments. Droplets were collected from all habitats, with no significant differences detected between locations within the same application rate or collection method. No differences were detected in droplet densities (drops per mm2) between rates within urban environments, but more droplets were collected in urban (149.93 ± 11.07 SE) than suburban sites (114.37 ± 11.32) at the maximum label rate (P = 0.003). The excellent penetration of aerosols into cryptic habitats of an urban site was likely due to the shorter spray paths afforded by our network of roads and alleys. Mid label rates displayed similar droplet density values as maximum label rates in urban areas, indicating that lower rates may be used effectively to reduce costs, lessen non-target effects, and increase environmental stewardship. Advances in formulations and technology are driving changes in adulticide applications, leading to use of the minimum effective dose for maximum efficacy, precision, and accountability. PMID:27116103

  19. Mapping potential vorticity dynamics on saturn: Zonal mean circulation from Cassini and Voyager data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Read, P. L.; Conrath, B. J.; Fletcher, L. N.; Gierasch, P. J.; Simon-Miller, A. A.; Zuchowski, L. C.

    2009-12-01

    Maps of Ertel potential vorticity on isentropic surfaces (IPV) and quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity (QGPV) are well established in dynamical meteorology as powerful sources of insight into dynamical processes involving 'balanced' flow (i.e. geostrophic or similar). Here we derive maps of zonal mean IPV and QGPV in Saturn's upper troposphere and lower stratosphere by making use of a combination of velocity measurements, derived from the combined tracking of cloud features in images from the Voyager and Cassini missions, and thermal measurements from the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument. IPV and QGPV are mapped and compared for the entire globe between latitudes 89∘S-82∘N. As on Jupiter, profiles of zonally averaged PV show evidence for a step-like "stair-case" pattern suggestive of local PV homogenisation, separated by strong PV gradients in association with eastward jets. The northward gradient of PV (IPV or QGPV) is found to change sign in several places in each hemisphere, however, even when baroclinic contributions are taken into account. The stability criterion with respect to Arnol'd's second stability theorem may be violated near the peaks of westward jets. Visible, near-IR and thermal-IR Cassini observations have shown that these regions exhibit many prominent, large-scale eddies and waves, e.g. including 'storm alley'. This suggests the possibility that at least some of these features originate from instabilities of the background zonal flow.

  20. From Consternation to Revelation: Discovery of a Role for IGSF1 in Pituitary Control of Thyroid Function.

    PubMed

    Bernard, Daniel J; Brûlé, Emilie; Smith, Courtney L; Joustra, Sjoerd D; Wit, Jan M

    2018-03-01

    Immunoglobulin superfamily, member 1 (IGSF1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein highly expressed in the mammalian pituitary gland. Shortly after its discovery in 1998, the protein was proposed to function as a coreceptor for inhibins (and was even temporarily renamed inhibin binding protein). However, subsequent investigations, both in vitro and in vivo , failed to support a role for IGSF1 in inhibin action. Research on IGSF1 nearly ground to a halt until 2011, when next-generation sequencing identified mutations in the X-linked IGSF1 gene in boys and men with congenital central hypothyroidism. IGSF1 was localized to thyrotrope cells, implicating the protein in pituitary control of the thyroid. Investigations in two Igsf1 knockout mouse models converged to show that IGSF1 deficiency leads to reduced expression of the receptor for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and impaired TRH stimulation of thyrotropin secretion, providing a candidate mechanism for the central hypothyroidism observed in patients. Nevertheless, the normal functions of IGSF1 in thyrotropes and other cells remain unresolved. Moreover, IGSF1 mutations are also commonly associated with other clinical phenotypes, including prolactin and growth hormone dysregulation, and macroorchidism. How the loss of IGSF1 produces these characteristics is unknown. Although early studies of IGSF1 ran into roadblocks and blind alleys, armed with the results of detailed clinical investigations, powerful mouse models, and new reagents, the field is now poised to discover IGSF1's function in endocrine tissues, including the pituitary and testes.

  1. Environmental risk factors contributing to traffic accidents in children: a case-control study.

    PubMed

    Jamshidi, Ensiyeh; Moradi, Ali; Majdzadeh, Reza

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study is to identify environmental risk factors related to road accidents in children of Tehran. This case-control study was performed in 2013. The cases were injured pedestrians aged 5-15 who were admitted to major hospitals supervised by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The sample size for the cases was 273 and for the control group was 546. For the completeness of the clusters, 7 extra persons in case (total = 280) and 14 persons (total = 560) in control group were included. The interference of confounding variables assessed through forward conditional logistic regression. Result shows occurrence of traffic accidents was significantly associate with the width of the alleys or (<5 m: OR = 8.4, 95% CI: 3.3-21.5; 5-8 m: OR = 4.7, 95% CI: 1.8-12.2), distance from home to school((<100 m: OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.0-2.8), existence of parking lot (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.3), traffic congestion (OR = 4.1, 95% CI: 2.6-6.4), traffic speed (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.2) and existence of pedestrian bridges(OR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.6-6.8). In the light of the important role of environmental factors in the occurrence of child traffic accidents, alleviating structural risk factors in addition to education and enforcement need more systematic efforts and planning by policymakers and urban planners to attain pedestrian safety goals.

  2. Privacy and security in the era of digital health: what should translational researchers know and do about it?

    PubMed Central

    Filkins, Barbara L; Kim, Ju Young; Roberts, Bruce; Armstrong, Winston; Miller, Mark A; Hultner, Michael L; Castillo, Anthony P; Ducom, Jean-Christophe; Topol, Eric J; Steinhubl, Steven R

    2016-01-01

    The rapid growth in the availability and incorporation of digital technologies in almost every aspect of our lives creates extraordinary opportunities but brings with it unique challenges. This is especially true for the translational researcher, whose work has been markedly enhanced through the capabilities of big data aggregation and analytics, wireless sensors, online study enrollment, mobile engagement, and much more. At the same time each of these tools brings distinctive security and privacy issues that most translational researchers are inadequately prepared to deal with despite accepting overall responsibility for them. For the researcher, the solution for addressing these challenges is both simple and complex. Cyber-situational awareness is no longer a luxury-it is fundamental in combating both the elite and highly organized adversaries on the Internet as well as taking proactive steps to avoid a careless turn down the wrong digital dark alley. The researcher, now responsible for elements that may/may not be beyond his or her direct control, needs an additional level of cyber literacy to understand the responsibilities imposed on them as data owner. Responsibility lies with knowing what you can do about the things you can control and those you can’t. The objective of this paper is to describe the data privacy and security concerns that translational researchers need to be aware of, and discuss the tools and techniques available to them to help minimize that risk. PMID:27186282

  3. Effect of subglacial volcanism on changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Behrendt, John C.

    1993-01-01

    Rapid changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may affect future global sea-level changes. Alley and Whillans note that 'the water responsible for separating the glacier from its bed is produced by frictional dissipation and geothermal heat,' but assume that changes in geothermal flux would ordinarily be expected to have slower effects than glaciological parameters. I suggest that episodic subglacial volcanism and geothermal heating may have significantly greater effects on the WAIS than is generally appreciated. The WAIS flows through the active, largely asiesmic West Antarctic rift system (WS), which defines the sub-sea-level bed of the glacier. Various lines of evidence summarized in Behrendt et al. (1991) indicate high heat flow and shallow asthenosphere beneath the extended, weak lithosphere underlying the WS and the WAIS. Behrendt and Cooper suggest a possible synergistic relation between Cenozoic tectonism, episodic mountain uplift and volcanism in the West Antarctic rift system, and the waxing and waning of the Antarctic ice sheet beginning about earliest Oligocene time. A few active volcanoes and late-Cenozoic volcanic rocks are exposed throughout the WS along both flanks, and geophysical data suggest their presence beneath the WAIS. No part of the rift system can be considered inactive. I propose that subglacial volcanic eruptions and ice flow across areas of locally (episodically?) high heat flow--including volcanically active areas--should be considered possibly to have a forcing effect on the thermal regime resulting in increased melting at the base of the ice streams.

  4. Privacy and security in the era of digital health: what should translational researchers know and do about it?

    PubMed

    Filkins, Barbara L; Kim, Ju Young; Roberts, Bruce; Armstrong, Winston; Miller, Mark A; Hultner, Michael L; Castillo, Anthony P; Ducom, Jean-Christophe; Topol, Eric J; Steinhubl, Steven R

    2016-01-01

    The rapid growth in the availability and incorporation of digital technologies in almost every aspect of our lives creates extraordinary opportunities but brings with it unique challenges. This is especially true for the translational researcher, whose work has been markedly enhanced through the capabilities of big data aggregation and analytics, wireless sensors, online study enrollment, mobile engagement, and much more. At the same time each of these tools brings distinctive security and privacy issues that most translational researchers are inadequately prepared to deal with despite accepting overall responsibility for them. For the researcher, the solution for addressing these challenges is both simple and complex. Cyber-situational awareness is no longer a luxury-it is fundamental in combating both the elite and highly organized adversaries on the Internet as well as taking proactive steps to avoid a careless turn down the wrong digital dark alley. The researcher, now responsible for elements that may/may not be beyond his or her direct control, needs an additional level of cyber literacy to understand the responsibilities imposed on them as data owner. Responsibility lies with knowing what you can do about the things you can control and those you can't. The objective of this paper is to describe the data privacy and security concerns that translational researchers need to be aware of, and discuss the tools and techniques available to them to help minimize that risk.

  5. Dynamics Of Saturn'S Mid-scale Storms In The Cassini Era.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Del Rio Gaztelurrutia, Teresa; Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.

    2010-10-01

    Convective storms, similar to those in Earth, but of much larger scale, develop often in Saturn's atmosphere. During the Voyagers’ flybys of Saturn in 1981 mid-scale storms, with an horizontal extension of the order of 1000-3000 km were observed to occur mainly in a narrow tropical-latitude band in the Northern hemisphere at latitudes 38-40 deg North. Contrasting with the Voyagers’ era, since the starting of the Cassini mission in 2004, a similar mid-scale convective activity has concentrated in the so-called "storm alley", a narrow band at a symmetric Southern latitude of 38 deg.. In this work, we characterize this storm activity using available visual information provided by Cassini ISS cameras and the continuous survey from the Earth by the International Outer Planets Watch (IOPW) and its online database PVOL (Hueso et al., Planetary and Space Science, 2010). We study the frequency of appearance of storms with sizes above 2000 km, their characteristic size and life-time, as well as their interaction with surrounding dynamical features. In particular we examine the possibility that storms might provide a mechanism of injection of energy into Saturn's jets, the influence of storms in the generation of atmospheric vortices, and the analogies and differences of Voyagers’ and present day jet structure at the relevant latitudes. Acknowledgments: This work has been funded by the Spanish MICIIN AYA2009-10701 with FEDER support and Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-464

  6. [Infections which humans in the household transmit to dogs and cats].

    PubMed

    Mayr, A

    1989-04-01

    An overview of the most important infections which can be transmitted from humans to pet dogs and cats is presented. Two quite different sources of infection stand diametrically opposite each other: 1. The transmission of active human infections to dogs and cats and 2. the transmission of infectious agents by feeding raw meat, offal, unsterilized milk products, kitchen scraps and contaminated feedstuffs. Humans can be the source of the following infections: 1. Zoonoses with reciprocal modes of transmission, e.g. Campylobacter and E. coli infections, trichophyton and microsporum infections, reo-, parainfluenza-, adeno, rota- and corona infections. 2. Zoonoses in which the main direction of infection is human----animal, e.g. tuberculosis and influenza A. 3. Infections originally pathogenic to humans which meet an impasse in dogs and cats (blind alley hosts), e.g. herpes simplex, varicella-zoster, measles and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Listeria, salmonella, campylobacteria, toxoplasma, fungi, yeasts and viruses are transmitted via feed. The most dangerous virus infection to be transmitted to cats and dogs via raw pork leftovers is Aujeszky's disease. The dog or cat, which is the last link in the infection chain, suffers an agonizing death. The other infections originating from feed must be assessed quite differently. They are links in infection chains, which spread pathogens and endanger the health of man and animal in turn. A typical example is toxoplasmosis. Man becomes infected via sporulated oocysts from feces. Pet cats mainly become infected via raw pork containing cysts.

  7. Up and down the blind alley: population divergence with scant gene flow in an endangered tropical lineage of Andean palms (Ceroxylon quindiuense clade: Ceroxyloideae).

    PubMed

    Sanín, María José; Zapata, Patricia; Pintaud, Jean-Christophe; Galeano, Gloria; Bohórquez, Adriana; Tohme, Joseph; Hansen, Michael Møller

    2017-02-10

    Given the geographical complexity of the Andes, species distributions hold interesting information regarding the history of isolation and gene flow across geographic barriers and ecological gradients. Moreover, current threats to the region’s enormous plant diversity pose an additional challenge to the understanding of these patterns. We explored the geographic structure of genetic diversity within the Ceroxylon quindiuense species complex (wax palms) at a regional scale, using a model-based approach to disentangle the historical mechanisms by which these species have dispersed over a range encompassing 17° of latitude in the tropical Andes. A total of 10 microsatellite loci were cross-amplified in 8 populations of the 3 species comprising the C. quindiuense complex. Analyses performed include estimates of molecular diversity and genetic structure, testing for genetic bottlenecks and an evaluation of the colonization scenario under approximate Bayesian computation. We showed that there was a geographical diversity gradient reflecting the orogenetic pattern of the northern Andes and its end at the cordilleras facing the Caribbean Sea. A general pattern of diversity suggests that the cordilleras of Colombia have served as historical recipients of gene flow occurring only scantly along the northern Andes. We provided evidence of important isolation between the largest populations of this complex, suggesting that both historical constraints to dispersal but also current anthropogenic effects might explain the high levels of population structuring. We provide a list of advisable measures for conservation stakeholders.

  8. Outlet Glacier-Ice Shelf-Ocean Interactions: Is the Tail Wagging the Dog?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parizek, B. R.; Walker, R. T.; Rinehart, S. K.

    2009-12-01

    While the massive interior regions of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets are presently ``resting quietly", the lower elevations of many outlet glaciers are experiencing dramatic adjustments due to changes in ice dynamics and/or surface mass balance. Oceanic and/or atmospheric forcing in these marginal regions often leads to mass deficits for entire outlet basins. Therefore, coupling the wagging tail of ice-ocean interactions with the vast ice-sheet reservoirs is imperative for accurate assessments of future sea-level rise. To study ice-ocean dynamic processes, we couple an ocean-plume model that simulates ice-shelf basal melting rates based on temperature and salinity profiles combined with plume dynamics associated with the geometry of the ice-shelf cavity (following Jenkins, 1991 and Holland and Jenkins, 1999) with a two-dimensional, isothermal model of outlet glacier-ice shelf flow (as used in Alley et al., 2007; Walker et al., 2008; Parizek et al., in review). Depending on the assigned temperature and salinity profiles, the ocean model can simulate both water-mass end-members: either cold High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) or relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), as well as between-member conditions. Notably, the coupled system exhibits sensitivity to the initial conditions. In particular, melting concentrated near the grounding line has the greatest effect in forcing grounding-line retreat. Retreat is further enhanced by a positive feedback between the ocean and ice, as the focused melt near the grounding line leads to an increase in the local slope of the basal ice, thereby enhancing buoyancy-driven plume flow and subsequent melt rates.

  9. Comparison among NH3 and GHGs emissive patterns from different housing solutions of dairy farms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baldini, Cecilia; Borgonovo, Federica; Gardoni, Davide; Guarino, Marcella

    2016-09-01

    Agriculture and livestock farming are known to be activities emitting relevant quantities of atmospheric pollutants. In particular, in intensive animal farming, buildings can be identified as a relevant source of ammonia and greenhouse gases. This study aimed at: i) determining the emission factors of NH3, N2O, CH4, and CO2 from different dairy farms in Italy, and ii) assessing the effects of the different floor types and manure-handling systems used, in order to minimize the impact of this important productive sector. A measurement campaign was carried out for 27 months in four naturally ventilated dairy cattle buildings with different floor types, layouts and manure management systems, representative of the most common technologies in the north of Italy. Gas emissions were measured with the ;static chamber method;: a chamber was placed above the floor farm and an infrared photoacoustic detector (IPD) was used to monitor gas accumulation over time. In the feeding alleys, emissions of NH3 were higher from solid floors than from flushing systems and perforated floors. N2O emissions were significantly different among farms but the absolute values were relatively low. CH4 and CO2 emissions were higher from perforated floors than from other types of housing solution. Regarding the cubicles, the emissions of NH3 were approximately equal from the two housing solution studied. Contrariwise, N2O, CH4 and CO2 emissions were different between the cubicles with rubber mat and those with straw where the highest values were found.

  10. Thermal human biometeorological conditions and subjective thermal sensation in pedestrian streets in Chengdu, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, YuLang; Dong, Liang

    2015-01-01

    The outdoor thermal environment of a public space is highly relevant to the thermal perception of individuals, thereby affecting the use of space. This study aims to connect thermal human biometeorological conditions and subjective thermal sensation in hot and humid regions and to find its influence on street use. We performed a thermal comfort survey at three locations in a pedestrian precinct of Chengdu, China. Meteorological measurements and questionnaire surveys were used to assess the thermal sensation of respondents. The number of people visiting the streets was counted. Meanwhile, mean radiant temperature ( T mrt) and the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index were used to evaluate the thermal environment. Analytical results reveal that weather and street design drive the trend of diurnal micrometeorological conditions of the street. With the same geometry and orientation, a street with no trees had wider ranges of meteorological parameters and a longer period of discomfort. The neutral temperature in Chengdu (24.4 °C PET) is similar to that in Taiwan, demonstrating substantial human tolerance to hot conditions in hot and humid regions. Visitors' thermal sensation votes showed the strongest positive relationships with air temperature. Overall comfort level was strongly related to every corresponding meteorological parameter, indicating the complexity of people's comfort in outdoor environments. In major alleys with multiple functions, the number of people in the street decreased as thermal indices increased; T mrt and PET had significant negative correlations with the number of people. This study aids in understanding pedestrian street use in hot and humid regions.

  11. Street Life as the negotiation process: case study of Sidewalk Informal Economy in Ho Chi Minh City

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hien Dang, The

    2018-04-01

    The study researches the issue of informal pavement economy in Ho Chi Minh City, a sector that has always been an important part of the city’s economy but has not been recognized by the local state due to some certain facts. By using surveys and in-depth interviews in the cases of four streets and one alley in HCMC’s center, combined with literature review, the paper does not only aim at sketching the portrait of HCMC’s informal sector but also put it in the relationship with surrounding related sectors. The outcomes have some similarities to previous cases in the field of Hanoi and other parts of Global South, but at the same time reveal some unique characteristics of informal sector in HCMC. In which results, the key finding is that informal work is not a low and unproductive sector nor is it the obstacle to the deemed civilized and modern image of the city. In contrast, these activities are the suppliers of goods and jobs for the urban poor, creating diversity for the economy. Being regarded as an unrecognized sector by the Government, informal sector has no success in negotiating at high institute level, but succeeded at the lowest levels of the state’s enforcement system relying on the social capital of long-time relationship and interaction. It is noticeable that informal sector is willing to contribute to the civilization and modernization. It also gains the acceptance and support of the society and media. All of these will open up opportunities for its future development.

  12. [Blind alleys and misconceptions in public health].

    PubMed

    Müller, H E

    1995-07-01

    The concept of hygiene was created in the 19th century although Hippocrates had already conceived an influence of atmosphere, soil and water on human health. The concept of a public health organisation, however, is a fairly recent one. Environmental and social hygiene were the two poles of the new discipline that focussed on public health. However, the ideologies of capitalism, communism and socialism as well as of social darwinism and "survival of the elite" discredited social hygiene. The decline of totalitarianism was associated with a "loss of face" of state-controlled medicine, including social hygiene. Both the post-World War II German constitution and the previous German statutory health insurance ordinance had blocked it, and hence, no Federal bill on public health was carried. The consequences of this disregard of public health are poor protection by vaccination, a gap in compulsory notification and in epidemics control and high rates of nosocomial infections. Absolutely no development of the science of epidemiology was possible whereas that of medical microbiology is choked by the system now in existence. There is a great misconception within individual hygiene by identifying it merely with cleanliness. Hygiene became a synonym for cleanliness, although that had evolved during a long cultural sociological process centuries before hygiene was established. The modern evolution of the science of hygiene shows the danger that emphasis on healthy lifestyles or on environmental protection may result in regulations and finally in a tyranny that may threaten the liberty of human rights. The so-called "principle of concern" is an example of such irrationality because there is no sensible proportion between risk and expense.

  13. Monosodium glutamate neurotoxicity increases beta amyloid in the rat hippocampus: a potential role for cyclic AMP protein kinase.

    PubMed

    Dief, Abeer E; Kamha, Eman S; Baraka, Azza M; Elshorbagy, Amany K

    2014-05-01

    Glutamate excitotoxicity and cyclic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are both recognized as important mediators in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate whether oral or subcutaneous monosodium glutamate (MSG) neurotoxicity mimics some features of AD and whether these can be reversed by the AMPK activator Pioglitazone. Male Wistar rats aged 5 weeks were administered oral or subcutaneous MSG for 10 days with or without daily oral Pioglitazone. Two additional groups given only saline orally or subcutaneously acted as controls. At age 10 weeks the rats were subjected to neurobehavioral testing, then sacrificed for measurement of AMPK, β-amyloid and Fas ligand in the hippocampus. Oral and subcutaneous MSG both induced a lowering of hippocampal AMPK by 43% and 31% respectively (P<0.05 for both) and >2-fold increase in hippocampal Fas ligand, a mediator of apoptosis (P<0.001 for both). MSG treatment also induced a significant increase in β-amyloid in the hippocampus by >4-fold and >5-fold in the oral and subcutaneous groups. This was associated with increased latency before crossing to the white half in the black-white alley and before the first rear in the holeboard test, suggesting increased anxiety. Pioglitazone decreased hippocampal β-amyloid accumulation and Fas ligand, but did not ameliorate the neurobehavioural deficits induced by MSG. MSG treatment enhances β-amyloid accumulation in the rat hippocampus. Our results suggest a role for AMPK reduction in mediating the neurotoxic effects of glutamate, including β-amyloid accumulation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Commensal ecology, urban landscapes, and their influence on the genetic characteristics of city-dwelling Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus).

    PubMed

    Gardner-Santana, L C; Norris, D E; Fornadel, C M; Hinson, E R; Klein, S L; Glass, G E

    2009-07-01

    Movement of individuals promotes colonization of new areas, gene flow among local populations, and has implications for the spread of infectious agents and the control of pest species. Wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are common in highly urbanized areas but surprisingly little is known of their population structure. We sampled individuals from 11 locations within Baltimore, Maryland, to characterize the genetic structure and extent of gene flow between areas within the city. Clustering methods and a neighbour-joining tree based on pairwise genetic distances supported an east-west division in the inner city, and a third cluster comprised of historically more recent sites. Most individuals (approximately 95%) were assigned to their area of capture, indicating strong site fidelity. Moreover, the axial dispersal distance of rats (62 m) fell within typical alley length. Several rats were assigned to areas 2-11.5 km away, indicating some, albeit infrequent, long-distance movement within the city. Although individual movement appears to be limited (30-150 m), locations up to 1.7 km are comprised of relatives. Moderate F(ST), differentiation between identified clusters, and high allelic diversity indicate that regular gene flow, either via recruitment or migration, has prevented isolation. Therefore, ecology of commensal rodents in urban areas and life-history characteristics of Norway rats likely counteract many expected effects of isolation or founder events. An understanding of levels of connectivity of rat populations inhabiting urban areas provides information about the spatial scale at which populations of rats may spread disease, invade new areas, or be eradicated from an existing area without reinvasion.

  15. First Steps in Initiating an Effective Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Program in Urban Slums: the BRAC Manoshi Project's Experience with Community Engagement, Social Mapping, and Census Taking in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Marcil, Lucy; Afsana, Kaosar; Perry, Henry B

    2016-02-01

    The processes for implementing effective programs at scale in low-income countries have not been well-documented in the peer-reviewed literature. This article describes the initial steps taken by one such program--the BRAC Manoshi Project, which now reaches a population of 6.9 million. The project has achieved notable increases in facility births and reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality. The focus of the paper is on the initial steps--community engagement, social mapping, and census taking. Community engagement began with (1) engaging local leaders, (2) creating Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Committees for populations of approximately 10,000 people, (3) responding to advice from the community, (4) social mapping of the community, and (5) census taking. Social mapping involved community members working with BRAC staff to map all important physical features that affect how the community carries out its daily functions--such as alleys, lanes and roads, schools, mosques, markets, pharmacies, health facilities, latrine sites, and ponds. As the social mapping progressed, it became possible to conduct household censuses with maps identifying every household and listing family members by household. Again, this was a process of collaboration between BRAC staff and community members. Thus, social mapping and census taking were also instrumental for advancing community engagement. These three processes-community engagement, social mapping, and census taking--can be valuable strategies for strengthening health programs in urban slum settings of low-income countries.

  16. The prehistory of haemodialysis as a treatment for uraemia.

    PubMed

    Cameron, J Stewart

    2016-02-01

    Less is generally known about the ideas, events and personalities which drove developments permitting the evolution of haemodialysis as a clinically useful form of palliation and treatment, than its subsequent success and failures. This pre-history of haemodialysis is summarized here. One must remember that with hindsight we can now discern connections between ideas and developments which were not perceptible in their time, and that progress towards any new idea, material or piece of hardware was usually random and undirected, and outcomes uncertain. We must also remember the many blind alleys we can now safely ignore, to give a spurious continuity to the development of ideas. The prehistory of dialysis begins with study of the diffusion of solute and solvent in osmosis in living systems and experimental settings, and the retention of potentially toxic substances in kidney failure, during the 18th and early 19th centuries. These two areas came together in work in the mid-19th century on diffusion of gases and liquids, and showed that natural and synthetic membranes could selectively hinder different solutes. This explained osmosis and allowed semi-permeable membranes to be used and designed. These ideas underpinned the subsequent history of both dialysis using body cavities such as the peritoneum (not discussed here) and ex vivo dialysis of blood. To perform this, new membranes and anticoagulants were needed. These led to the first attempts in animals in 1912-3, and human patients in 1924-8, but only the purification and synthesis of newer materials such as cellulose and heparin allowed practical and successful haemodialysis to evolve in the 1940s.

  17. Ammonia losses and nitrogen partitioning at a southern High Plains open lot dairy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Todd, Richard W.; Cole, N. Andy; Hagevoort, G. Robert; Casey, Kenneth D.; Auvermann, Brent W.

    2015-06-01

    Animal agriculture is a significant source of ammonia (NH3). Cattle excrete most ingested nitrogen (N); most urinary N is converted to NH3, volatilized and lost to the atmosphere. Open lot dairies on the southern High Plains are a growing industry and face environmental challenges as well as reporting requirements for NH3 emissions. We quantified NH3 emissions from the open lot and wastewater lagoons of a commercial New Mexico dairy during a nine-day summer campaign. The 3500-cow dairy consisted of open lot, manure-surfaced corrals (22.5 ha area). Lactating cows comprised 80% of the herd. A flush system using recycled wastewater intermittently removed manure from feeding alleys to three lagoons (1.8 ha area). Open path lasers measured atmospheric NH3 concentration, sonic anemometers characterized turbulence, and inverse dispersion analysis was used to quantify emissions. Ammonia fluxes (15-min) averaged 56 and 37 μg m-2 s-1 at the open lot and lagoons, respectively. Ammonia emission rate averaged 1061 kg d-1 at the open lot and 59 kg d-1 at the lagoons; 95% of NH3 was emitted from the open lot. The per capita emission rate of NH3 was 304 g cow-1 d-1 from the open lot (41% of N intake) and 17 g cow-1 d-1 from lagoons (2% of N intake). Daily N input at the dairy was 2139 kg d-1, with 43, 36, 19 and 2% of the N partitioned to NH3 emission, manure/lagoons, milk, and cows, respectively.

  18. Rapid grounding line migration induced by internal variability of a marine-terminating ice stream

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robel, A.; Schoof, C.; Tziperman, E.

    2013-12-01

    Numerous studies have found significant variability in the velocity of ice streams to be a prominent feature of geomorphologic records in the Siple Coast (Catania et al. 2012) and other regions in West Antarctica (Dowdeswell et al. 2008). Observations indicate that grounding line position is strongly influenced by ice stream variability, producing rapid grounding line migration in the recent past (Catania et al. 2006) and the modern (Joughin & Tulaczyk 2002). We analyze the interaction of grounding line mass flux and position in a marine-terminating ice stream using a stretch-coordinate flowline model. This model is based on that described in Schoof (2007), with a mesh refined near the grounding line to ensure accurate resolution of the mechanical transition zone. Here we have added lateral shear stress (Dupont & Alley 2005) and an undrained plastic bed (Tulaczyk et al. 2000). The parameter dependence of ice stream variability seen in this model compares favorably to both simpler (Robel et al. 2013) and more complex (van der Wel et al. 2013) models, though with some key differences. We find that thermally-induced internal ice stream variability can cause very rapid grounding line migration even in the absence of retrograde bed slopes or external forcing. Activation waves propagate along the ice stream length and trigger periods of rapid grounding line migration. We compare the behavior of the grounding line due to internal ice stream variability to changes triggered externally at the grounding line such as the rapid disintegration of buttressing ice shelves. Implications for Heinrich events and the Marine Ice Sheet Instability are discussed.

  19. Experimenting in a constructivist high school physics laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roth, Wolff-Michael

    Although laboratory activities have long been recognized for their potential to facilitate the learning of science concepts and skills, this potential has yet to be realized. To remediate this problem, researchers have called for constructivist learning environments in which students can pursue open inquiry and frame their own research problems. The present study was designed to describe and understand students' experimenting and problem solving in such an environment. An interpretive research methodology was adopted for the construction of meaning from the data. The data sources included videotapes, their transcripts, student laboratory reports and reflections, interviews with the students, and the teacher's course outline and reflective notes. Forty-six students from three sections of an introductory physics course taught at a private school for boys participated in the study. This article shows the students' remarkable ability and willingness to generate research questions and to design and develop apparatus for data collection. In their effort to frame research questions, students often used narrative explanations to explore and think about the phenomena to be studied. In some cases, blind alleys, students framed research questions and planned experiments that did not lead to the expected results. We observed a remarkable flexibility to deal with problems that arose during the implementation of their plans in the context of the inquiry. These problems, as well as their solutions and the necessary decision-making processes, were characterized by their situated nature. Finally, students pursued meaningful learning during the interpretation of data and graphs to arrive at reasonable answers of their research questions. We concluded that students should be provided with problem-rich learning environments in which they learn to investigate phenomena of their own interest and in which they can develop complex problem-solving skills.

  20. The Role of High-Dimensional Diffusive Search, Stabilization, and Frustration in Protein Folding

    PubMed Central

    Rimratchada, Supreecha; McLeish, Tom C.B.; Radford, Sheena E.; Paci, Emanuele

    2014-01-01

    Proteins are polymeric molecules with many degrees of conformational freedom whose internal energetic interactions are typically screened to small distances. Therefore, in the high-dimensional conformation space of a protein, the energy landscape is locally relatively flat, in contrast to low-dimensional representations, where, because of the induced entropic contribution to the full free energy, it appears funnel-like. Proteins explore the conformation space by searching these flat subspaces to find a narrow energetic alley that we call a hypergutter and then explore the next, lower-dimensional, subspace. Such a framework provides an effective representation of the energy landscape and folding kinetics that does justice to the essential characteristic of high-dimensionality of the search-space. It also illuminates the important role of nonnative interactions in defining folding pathways. This principle is here illustrated using a coarse-grained model of a family of three-helix bundle proteins whose conformations, once secondary structure has formed, can be defined by six rotational degrees of freedom. Two folding mechanisms are possible, one of which involves an intermediate. The stabilization of intermediate subspaces (or states in low-dimensional projection) in protein folding can either speed up or slow down the folding rate depending on the amount of native and nonnative contacts made in those subspaces. The folding rate increases due to reduced-dimension pathways arising from the mere presence of intermediate states, but decreases if the contacts in the intermediate are very stable and introduce sizeable topological or energetic frustration that needs to be overcome. Remarkably, the hypergutter framework, although depending on just a few physically meaningful parameters, can reproduce all the types of experimentally observed curvature in chevron plots for realizations of this fold. PMID:24739172

  1. Short communication: Ability of dogs to detect cows in estrus from sniffing saliva samples.

    PubMed

    Fischer-Tenhagen, C; Tenhagen, B-A; Heuwieser, W

    2013-02-01

    Efficient estrus detection in high-producing dairy cows is a permanent challenge for successful reproductive performance. In former studies, dogs have been trained to identify estrus-specific odor in vaginal fluid, milk, urine, and blood samples under laboratory conditions with an accuracy of more than 80%. For on-farm utilization of estrus-detection dogs it would be beneficial in terms of hygiene and safety if dogs could identify cows from the feed alley. The objective of this proof of concept study was to test if dogs can be trained to detect estrus-specific scent in saliva of cows. Saliva samples were collected from cows in estrus and diestrus. Thirteen dogs of various breeds and both sexes were trained in this study. Five dogs had no experience in scent detection, whereas 8 dogs had been formerly trained for detection of narcotics or cancer. In the training and test situation, dogs had to detect 1 positive out of 4 samples. Dog training was based on positive reinforcement and dogs were rewarded with a clicker and food for indicating saliva samples of cows in estrus. A false indication was ignored and documented in the test situation. Dogs with and without prior training were trained for 1 and 5 d, respectively. For determining the accuracy of detection, the position of the positive sample was unknown to the dog handler, to avoid hidden cues to the dog. The overall percentage of correct positive indications was 57.6% (175/304), with a range from 40 (1 dog) to 75% (3 dogs). To our knowledge, this is the first indication that dogs are able to detect estrus-specific scent in saliva of cows. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Weakening of negative relative to positive associations with cocaine-paired cues contributes to cue-induced responding after drug removal.

    PubMed

    Su, Zu-In; Kichaev, Gleb; Wenzel, Jennifer; Ben-Shahar, Osnat; Ettenberg, Aaron

    2012-01-01

    Cocaine has been shown to have initial positive (euphoric) and delayed negative (anxiogenic) effects in both humans and animals. Cocaine-paired cues are consequently imbued with mixed positive and negative associations. The current study examines the relative roles of these dual associations in the enhanced drug-seeking observed upon presentation of cocaine-paired cues. Rats ran a straight alley once/day for a single i.v. injection of cocaine (1.0 mg/kg/inj) in the presence of a distinctive olfactory cue (scented cotton swabs placed under the apparatus). An alternate scent was presented in a separate cage 2-h prior to runway testing. After 15 trials/days, the scents and cocaine reinforcer were removed and a series of extinction trials (lasting for 1 or 3 weeks) was initiated. Immediately following extinction, runway responding was tested during a single trial in the presence of the cocaine-paired or non-paired cue. As previously reported, while subjects initiated responding faster over trials (reduced latencies to leave the start box), they exhibited a progressive increase in approach-avoidance conflict behavior ("retreats") regarding goal-box entry, reflecting cocaine's dual positive+negative effects. Once established, retreat behaviors persisted over the course of 1 or 3 weeks days of extinction. However, both run times and retreats decreased in response to presentation of the cocaine-paired but not the non-paired scent. These data suggest that, after reinforcer removal, cue-induced cocaine-seeking stems in part from a reduction in approach-avoidance conflict; i.e., a greater weakening of the negative relative to the positive associations that animals form with cocaine-paired stimuli. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Attenuation of the anxiogenic effects of cocaine by 5-HT1B autoreceptor stimulation in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of rats.

    PubMed

    Klein, Adam K; Brito, Michael A; Akhavan, Sayeh; Flanagan, Dylan R; Le, Nikki; Ohana, Tatum; Patil, Anand S; Purvis, Erin M; Provenzano, Carl; Wei, Alex; Zhou, Lucy; Ettenberg, Aaron

    2017-02-01

    Cocaine produces significant aversive/anxiogenic actions whose underlying neurobiology remains unclear. A possible substrate contributing to these actions is the serotonergic (5-HT) pathway projecting from the dorsal raphé (DRN) to regions of the extended amygdala, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) which have been implicated in the production of anxiogenic states. The present study examined the contribution of 5-HT signaling within the BNST to the anxiogenic effects of cocaine as measured in a runway model of drug self-administration. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fitted with bilateral infusion cannula aimed at the BNST and then trained to traverse a straight alley once a day for a single 1 mg/kg i.v. cocaine infusion delivered upon goal-box entry on each of 16 consecutive days/trials. Intracranial infusions of CP 94,253 (0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 μg/side) were administered to inhibit local 5-HT release via activation of 5-HT 1B autoreceptors. To confirm receptor specificity, the effects of this treatment were then challenged by co-administration of the selective 5-HT 1B antagonist NAS-181. Intra-BNST infusions of the 5-HT 1B autoreceptor agonist attenuated the anxiogenic effects of cocaine as reflected by a decrease in runway approach-avoidance conflict behavior. This effect was reversed by the 5-HT 1B antagonist. Neither start latencies (a measure of the subject's motivation to seek cocaine) nor spontaneous locomotor activity (an index of motoric capacity) were altered by either treatment. Inhibition of 5-HT 1B signaling within the BNST selectively attenuated the anxiogenic effects of cocaine, while leaving unaffected the positive incentive properties of the drug.

  4. The Hutong effect: informal social control and community psychology in Beijing.

    PubMed

    Emery, Clifton R; Wu, Shali; Raghavan, Ramesh

    2015-04-01

    Nearly 2.4 million Beijing residents experience intimate partner violence (IPV) annually. Of these 2.4 million, over 800 000 are injured by IPV; more than 300 000 are injured badly enough to require medical attention. Informal social control exerted by neighbours in communities with high levels of family-community integration (like those made up of residents of traditional courtyard house-and-alley Beijing neighbourhoods called 'Hutongs') may protect against IPV injury compared with apartment dwellers. We tested the protective effects of informal social control and Hutong residence in a randomly selected, three-stage cluster sample of Beijing families reporting IPV. Informal social control of IPV (ISC_IPV) was measured using two 7-question Likert scales developed by the first author. Interviewers were given detailed instructions on how to classify neighbourhoods as Hutong-style or not. We used a Sobel test to examine whether the Hutong effect was mediated by informal social control. The initial sample was of 506 families. Analyses were carried out on 113 families who reported any IPV in the last year. Random effects regression models showed that both acts of informal social control and Hutong residence were associated with less IPV injury. However, the protective finding for Hutong residence was not explained by informal social control, collective efficacy, characteristics of the IPV or demographic characteristics of respondents and households. The unique protective association with Hutong residence suggests that the benefits of community life remain insufficiently theorised and understood. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  5. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics pre-college outreach program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bering, E. A.; Bacon, L.; Copper, K. K.; Hansen, L. J.; Sanchez, M. J.

    2008-12-01

    Many United States, school children perceive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as difficult, boring and often irrelevant subjects. The possible reasons for this problem are endlessly debated. However, the economic, social, and overall national importance of producing graduates who are technically literate and enthusiastic in their support of a rational scientific world is essential to our nation. This apparent STEM crisis should motivate the many scientific and engineering societies to develop STEM outreach programs aimed at students, parents, teachers and schools (grades K-12). The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is among those organizations that have identified the need to educate students and teachers about STEM current events and their direct effects on the United States population in a way that motivates both. The AIAA has established a pre-college outreach program that has several major elements that will be described in this paper. Elements focused on the teachers include a pre-college Educator Associate Membership program, classroom grants to support hands-on learning activities, Educator of the Year awards and recognition program and two national workshop events. The first workshop event, Passport to the Future, is held annually in conjunction with the Joint Propulsion Conference. It is intended to provide summertime training in Aerospace science education to classroom teachers, in conjunction with a national professional conference. The second workshop, Education Alley, is held in the fall in conjunction with the “Space” series of conferences. This program is aimed at direct outreach to local students in the conference host city, providing fun, interesting, and educational events that promote STEM. The AIAA also encourages and supports pre-college outreach activities sponsored by the local AIAA sections through leadership training, activity and material support.

  6. The Joy of Ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacAyeal, D. R.

    2013-12-01

    The effectiveness of cryospheric science in addressing its main purpose (predicting and assessing response to climate change) is powerfully, but intangibly enhanced by the mysterious nature and the remote locations of ice and snow phenomena. Study of the cryosphere, in essence, depends as much on the universal human desire to satisfy curiosity as it does on the fact that cryospheric science informs humanity about the consequences of the environmental changes now clearly visible in all realms of the cryosphere. In my presentation, I shall consider the study of ice-shelf dynamics and stability, and shall draw on the perspective of my 37 years of involvement in this small, but important corner of glaciology, to show where curiosity has, and continues to be, a major driver of understanding. Joyful moments within the development of ice-shelf glaciology include examples where complete misunderstandings and blind alleys have ironically led to unexpected insight into how related phenomena operate, including: the flow of ice streams, the role of sticky spots, styles and drivers of iceberg calving, tidewater glacier terminus behavior, the source mechanisms and interpretations of cryospheric related seismic signals, and the dynamics of iceberg-drift-steering ocean circulation in basins separated by mid-ocean ridges. The familiar joke, "Why did the man who lost his keys on a dark night only search underneath the streetlamp?", is apt for cryospheric science--but with a perverse twist: We cryospheric scientists are more akin to the man who is driven to also grope for the key in the darkness because of the chance that in addition to the key, the car that the key will start might also be found somewhere beyond the glow of the streetlamp.

  7. Drugs held and sold by pharmacists of the Jewish community of medieval (11-14th centuries) Cairo according to lists of materia medica found at the Taylor-Schechter Genizah collection, Cambridge.

    PubMed

    Lev, Efraim

    2007-03-21

    The importance of the Genizah for the research of the medieval Mediterranean communities, supplying information on almost every aspect of life, is well known among historian. Less known is that pharmacy was the most popular of all branches of the healing art in the medieval Jewish community of Cairo, according to the Genizah manuscripts. Sources for study of medieval practical drugs are extremely rare since most records naturally vanish over the years, and only some medical books, which contained theoretical pharmacology, have survived to the present day. Drugs lists enable us to understand medieval practical pharmacy and to reconstruct their inventories. This study reports on 71 original drugs lists that were found in the Genizah; they are different from merchants' letters dealing with commerce in drugs and give no instructions for the use or preparation of formulas as usually found in prescriptions. Twenty-six lists are written in Judeo-Arabic and 45 in Arabic, none of the lists is written in Hebrew. The longest list contains 63 identified substances. These lists were apparently used by pharmacists for professional and business purposes as inventories of drugs, records, orders, or even receipts. Two hundred and six different drugs are mentioned in the drugs lists of which 167 are of plant origin, 16 are of animal origin, and the remaining 23 are inorganic. The lists point directly to the place they occupied on the shelves of the pharmacies that could be found in the lanes and alleys of the Jewish quarter of Cairo. The most frequently mentioned substance were myrobalan (27), pepper and saffron (21), lentisk (15), almond, basil, rose, rosemary (14), cattle products, camphor and spikenard (13).

  8. The importance of an alternative for sustainability of agriculture around the periphery of the Amazon rainforest.

    PubMed

    Moura, Emanoel G; Sena, Virley G L; Corrêa, Mariana S; Aguiar, Alana das C F

    2013-04-01

    The unsustainable use of the soil of the deforested area at the Amazonian border is one of the greatest threats to the rainforest, because it is the predominant cause of shifting cultivation in the region. The sustainable management of soils with low natural fertility is a major challenge for smallholder agriculture in the humid tropics. In the periphery of Brazilian Amazonia, agricultural practices that are recommended for the Brazilian savannah, such as saturating soils with soluble nutrients do not ensure the sustainability of agroecosystems. Improvements in the tilled topsoil cannot be maintained if deterioration of the porous soil structure is not prevented and nutrient losses in the root zone are not curtailed. The information gleaned from experiments affirms that in the management of humid tropical agrosystems, the processes resulting from the interaction between climatic factors and indicators of soil quality must be taken into consideration. It must be remembered that these interactions manifest themselves in ways that cannot be predicted from the paradigm established in the other region like the southeast of Brazil, which is based only on improving the chemical indicators of soil quality. The physical indicators play important role in the sustainable management of the agrosystems of the region and for these reasons must be considered. Therefore, alley cropping is a potential substitute for slash and burn agriculture in the humid tropics with both environmental and agronomic advantages, due to its ability to produce a large amount of residues on the soil surface and its effect on the increase of economic crop productivity in the long term. The article presents some promising patents on the importance of an alternative for sustainability of agriculture.

  9. It's how you get there: walking down a virtual alley activates premotor and parietal areas.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Johanna; Solis-Escalante, Teodoro; Scherer, Reinhold; Neuper, Christa; Müller-Putz, Gernot

    2014-01-01

    Voluntary drive is crucial for motor learning, therefore we are interested in the role that motor planning plays in gait movements. In this study we examined the impact of an interactive Virtual Environment (VE) feedback task on the EEG patterns during robot assisted walking. We compared walking in the VE modality to two control conditions: walking with a visual attention paradigm, in which visual stimuli were unrelated to the motor task; and walking with mirror feedback, in which participants observed their own movements. Eleven healthy participants were considered. Application of independent component analysis to the EEG revealed three independent component clusters in premotor and parietal areas showing increased activity during walking with the adaptive VE training paradigm compared to the control conditions. During the interactive VE walking task spectral power in frequency ranges 8-12, 15-20, and 23-40 Hz was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased. This power decrease is interpreted as a correlate of an active cortical area. Furthermore activity in the premotor cortex revealed gait cycle related modulations significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) from baseline in the frequency range 23-40 Hz during walking. These modulations were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced depending on gait cycle phases in the interactive VE walking task compared to the control conditions. We demonstrate that premotor and parietal areas show increased activity during walking with the adaptive VE training paradigm, when compared to walking with mirror- and movement unrelated feedback. Previous research has related a premotor-parietal network to motor planning and motor intention. We argue that movement related interactive feedback enhances motor planning and motor intention. We hypothesize that this might improve gait recovery during rehabilitation.

  10. Assessment of possible sources of microbiological contamination in the water column and streambed sediment of the Jacks Fork, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri - Phase III

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davis, Jerri V.; Barr, Miya N.

    2006-01-01

    In 1998, a 5 river-mile reach of the Jacks Fork was included on Missouri's list of impaired waters as required by Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act. The identified pollutant on the Jacks Fork was fecal coliform bacteria. The length of the impaired reach was changed to 7 miles on the Missouri 2002 303(d) list because of data indicating the fecal coliform bacteria problem existed over a broader area. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, conducted a study to better understand the extent and sources of microbiological contamination within the Jacks Fork from Alley Spring to the mouth, which includes the 7-mile 303(d) reach. Ten sites were sampled from June 2003 through October 2003 and from June 2004 through October 2004. Water-column and streambed sediment samples were collected from main-stem and tributary sites mostly during base-flow conditions during a variety of recreational season river uses and analyzed for fecal coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria. Isolates of Escherichia coli obtained from water samples collected at five sites were submitted for rep-PCR analysis to identify presumptive sources of fecal indicator bacteria in the Jacks Fork. Results indicate that recreational users (including boaters and swimmers) are not the primary source of fecal coliform bacteria in the Jacks Fork; rather, the presence of fecal coliform bacteria is associated with other animals, of which horses are the primary source. Increases in fecal coliform bacteria densities in the Jacks Fork are associated with cross-country horseback trail-riding events.

  11. KEPLER Mission: development and overview.

    PubMed

    Borucki, William J

    2016-03-01

    The Kepler Mission is a space observatory launched in 2009 by NASA to monitor 170,000 stars over a period of four years to determine the frequency of Earth-size and larger planets in and near the habitable zone of Sun-like stars, the size and orbital distributions of these planets, and the types of stars they orbit. Kepler is the tenth in the series of NASA Discovery Program missions that are competitively-selected, PI-directed, medium-cost missions. The Mission concept and various instrument prototypes were developed at the Ames Research Center over a period of 18 years starting in 1983. The development of techniques to do the 10 ppm photometry required for Mission success took years of experimentation, several workshops, and the exploration of many 'blind alleys' before the construction of the flight instrument. Beginning in 1992 at the start of the NASA Discovery Program, the Kepler Mission concept was proposed five times before its acceptance for mission development in 2001. During that period, the concept evolved from a photometer in an L2 orbit that monitored 6000 stars in a 50 sq deg field-of-view (FOV) to one that was in a heliocentric orbit that simultaneously monitored 170,000 stars with a 105 sq deg FOV. Analysis of the data to date has detected over 4600 planetary candidates which include several hundred Earth-size planetary candidates, over a thousand confirmed planets, and Earth-size planets in the habitable zone (HZ). These discoveries provide the information required for estimates of the frequency of planets in our galaxy. The Mission results show that most stars have planets, many of these planets are similar in size to the Earth, and that systems with several planets are common. Although planets in the HZ are common, many are substantially larger than Earth.

  12. Posttraining intraamygdala infusions of oxotremorine and propranolol modulate storage of memory for reductions in reward magnitude.

    PubMed

    Salinas, J A; Introini-Collison, I B; Dalmaz, C; McGaugh, J L

    1997-07-01

    These experiments examined the effects of posttraining intraamygdala administration of the muscarinic agonist, oxotremorine, and the beta-noradrenergic antagonist, propranolol, on memory for reduction in reward magnitude. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (175-200 g) implanted with bilateral intraamygdala cannulae were food deprived (maintained at 80% of body weight) and trained to run a straight alley (six trials/day) for either ten 45-mg food pellets (high reward) or one 45-mg food pellet (low reward) for 10 days. In Experiment One, the animals in the high-reward group were than shifted to a one-pellet reward and immediately given intraamygdala infusions (0.5 microliter/side) of either oxotremorine (10 ng) or phosphate buffer. Shifted training continued for 4 more days and no further injections were given. Shifted animals given the buffer solution displayed an increase in runway latencies but returned to preshift latencies by the fifth day of shifted training. In contrast, animals given oxotremorine exhibited increased latencies through the fifth day. In Experiment Two, rats were trained as in Experiment. One but immediately following the shift received intraamygdala infusions of oxotremorine (10 ng), propranolol (0.3 microgram), both, or phosphate buffer. Shifted vehicle-injected rats returned to preshift performance by the fifth day of shifted training. Shifted propranolol rats returned to preshift latencies by the third day of shifted training. In contrast, the shifted oxotremorine and the shifted oxotremorine/propranolol rats displayed longer latencies than unshifted controls through 5 days of shifted training. The findings indicate that the muscarinic cholinergic and beta-noradrenergic systems within the amygdala interact in regulating memory and support the view that noradrenergic influences are mediated through cholinergic activation.

  13. The future is urban.

    PubMed

    1992-05-01

    Urban centers are growing due to natural increase and the movement of people from rural areas. Urban areas are the traditional centers of trade, science, and culture, but growth over a threshold results in crime, congestion, and pollution. Sustainability is threatened in modern towns that are dependent on other sources for food, fuel, or water. Housing, water, food supplies, and sanitation, communication, and transportation services are threatened in rapidly growing cities. In 1990 45/100 people lived in towns or cities. Hyper-cities have grown in number to 20, of which 14 are in developing countries. 83% of world population increase is expected to occur in cities. In 48 countries with faster population growth cities had growth rates averaging about 6.1% per year, and the urban share of total population averaged 2.8%. In 49 countries with slower population growth, urban growth rates averaged only 3.6% per year, and the urban share of total population averaged about 1.8%. Squatter settlements are endemic to urban areas that are congested and without basic services, limited housing particularly for the poor, and few job opportunities. The number of street children in urban areas has risen. This child population is subjected to low wages, overwork, auto accidents, poor health, and lack of social services. Malnutrition is a more serious issue in urban areas. In the Philippines malnutrition is 3% nationally and 9% in Metro Manila. Rural land reform in the Philippines is no longer a viable solution. In Metro Manila squatters are expected to increase in number to 4 million people by the year 2000, which would be almost 50% of total population. The squatter areas are areas of neglect, decay, and poverty. Cities are viewed as development's "blind alleys."

  14. Making Connections to Students' Lives and Careers Throughout a General Education Science Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LaDue, D. S.

    2014-12-01

    The University of Oklahoma's general education lecture course Severe & Unusual Weather, taught in two sections each fall and spring, covers about nine topics. The sections are taught by different instructors, each of whom has flexibility to employ a variety of instructional strategies and choose specific topics to cover while meeting the requirement that general education courses in the natural sciences help students understand the importance of the science for appreciating the world around them. Students enrolled have been approximately 6-10% returning adult students, some of whom were veterans or active duty military, and about 10% members of racial or ethnic groups. Their majors are mostly in the humanities (theater, photography) and social sciences (education, English, journalism, sociology), with some natural science majors (psychology, aviation). For the past two years, Section 001 has been designed with adult and active learning concepts in mind, using deliberate connections between course content and students' lives and careers to motivate meaningful learning. Students were grouped in teams according to similar majors and assigned group presentations connecting course content to topics that should interest them, such as economic impacts of weather, societal and personal impacts of severe weather, risks to aviation, media coverage of weather, and psychological and sociological responses to weather risks. Students learn about the peer review process for scientific papers while also exploring a connection of course content to their future career or life interests through papers that are run through a mock peer review process. Public policy is discussed in several sections of the course, such as hurricane building codes, wind-resistant construction in tornado alley, and the disproportionate impacts of weather and climate on certain socioeconomic groups. Most students deeply appreciate the opportunity to explore how course content intersects with their lives. Several examples of these connections will be described.

  15. One day of motor training with amphetamine impairs motor recovery following spinal cord injury.

    PubMed

    Wong, Jamie K; Steward, Oswald

    2012-02-01

    It has previously been reported that a single dose of amphetamine paired with training on a beam walking task can enhance locomotor recovery following brain injury (Feeney et al., 1982). Here, we investigated whether this same drug/training regimen could enhance functional recovery following either thoracic (T9) or cervical (C5) spinal cord injury. Different groups of female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on a beam walking task, and in a straight alley for assessment of hindlimb locomotor recovery using the BBB locomotor scale. For rats that received C5 hemisections, forelimb grip strength was assessed using a grip strength meter. Three separate experiments assessed the consequences of training rats on the beam walking task 24 h following a thoracic lateral hemisection with administration of either amphetamine or saline. Beginning 1 h following drug administration, rats either received additional testing/retraining on the beam hourly for 6 h, or they were returned to their home cages without further testing/retraining. Rats with thoracic spinal cord injuries that received amphetamine in conjunction with testing/retraining on the beam at 1 day post injury (DPI) exhibited significantly impaired recovery on the beam walking task and BBB. Rats with cervical spinal cord injuries that received training with amphetamine also exhibited significant impairments in beam walking and locomotion, as well as impairments in gripping and reaching abilities. Even when administered at 14 DPI, the drug/training regimen significantly impaired reaching ability in cervical spinal cord injured rats. Impairments were not seen in rats that received amphetamine without training. Histological analyses revealed that rats that received training with amphetamine had significantly larger lesions than saline controls. These data indicate that an amphetamine/training regimen that improves recovery after cortical injury has the opposite effect of impairing recovery following spinal cord injury because early training with amphetamine increases lesion severity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Sex-for-Crack exchanges: associations with risky sexual and drug use niches in an urban Canadian city

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background While crack cocaine has been associated with elevated sexual risks and transmission of HIV/STIs, particularly in the context of street-based sex work, few empirical studies have examined correlates of direct sex-for-crack exchanges. This study longitudinally examined the correlates of sex-for-crack exchanges and associated effects on sexual risk outcomes among street-based female sex workers (SW) who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada. Methods Data were drawn from a prospective cohort of street-based SWs (2006–2008), restricted to those who smoke crack cocaine. Multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEE) were employed to examine the correlates of exchanging sex for crack. A confounding model using GEE quasi-Poisson regression modeled the independent effect of exchanging sex for crack on number of clients/week. Results Of 206 SWs, 101 (49%) reported sex-for-crack exchanges over 18 months of follow-up. In multivariable GEE analyses, sharing a crack pipe with a client (aOR = 1.98; 95%CI: 1.27-3.08) and smoking crack in a group of strangers (e.g., in an alley or crackhouse) (aOR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.13-2.58) were independently correlated with sex-for-crack exchanges. In our confounding model, exchanging sex for crack (aIRR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.07-1.69) remained significantly associated with servicing a greater number (>10) of clients/week. Conclusions These findings reveal elevated sexual- and drug- risk patterns among those who exchange sex for crack. The physical and social environment featured prominently in our results as a driver of sex-for-crack exchanges, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive multilevel approaches to harm reduction, STI and HIV prevention that address SWs’ environment, individual level factors, and the interplay between them. PMID:24238367

  17. Maternal Western diet during gestation and lactation modifies adult offspring's cognitive and hedonic brain processes, behavior, and metabolism in Yucatan minipigs.

    PubMed

    Gautier, Yentl; Luneau, Isabelle; Coquery, Nicolas; Meurice, Paul; Malbert, Charles-Henri; Guerin, Sylvie; Kemp, Bas; Bolhuis, J Elizabeth; Clouard, Caroline; Le Huërou-Luron, Isabelle; Blat, Sophie; Val-Laillet, David

    2018-06-13

    This study explores the long-term effects of exposure to a maternal Western diet (WD) vs. standard diet (SD) in the Yucatan minipig, on the adult progeny at lean status ( n = 32), and then overweight status. We investigated eating behavior, cognitive abilities, brain basal glucose metabolism, dopamine transporter availability, microbiota activity, blood lipids, and glucose tolerance. Although both groups demonstrated similar cognitive abilities in a holeboard test, WD pigs expressed a higher stress level than did SD pigs (immobility, P < 0.05) and lower performance in an alley maze ( P = 0.06). WD pigs demonstrated lower dopamine transporter binding potential in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex ( P < 0.05 for both), as well as a trend in putamen ( P = 0.07), associated with lower basal brain activity in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens ( P < 0.05) compared with lean SD pigs. Lean WD pigs demonstrated a lower glucose tolerance than did SD animals (higher glucose peak, P < 0.05) and a tendency to a higher incremental area under the curve of insulin from 0 to 30 minutes after intravenous glucose injection ( P < 0.1). Both groups developed glucose intolerance with overweight, but WD animals were less impacted than SD animals. These results demonstrate that maternal diet shaped the offspring's brain functions and cognitive responses long term, even after being fed a balanced diet from weaning, but behavioral effects were only revealed in WD pigs under anxiogenic situation; however, WD animals seemed to cope better with the obesogenic diet from a metabolic standpoint.-Gautier, Y., Luneau, I., Coquery, N., Meurice, P., Malbert, C.-H., Guerin, S., Kemp, B., Bolhuis, J. E., Clouard, C., Le Huërou-Luron, I., Blat, S., Val-Laillet, D. Maternal Western diet during gestation and lactation modifies adult offspring's cognitive and hedonic brain processes, behavior, and metabolism in Yucatan minipigs.

  18. Heinrich events and sea level changes: records from uplifted coral terraces and marginal seas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yokoyama, Y.; Esat, T. M.; Suga, H.; Obrochta, S.; Ohkouchi, N.

    2017-12-01

    Repeated major ice discharge events spaced every ca.7,000 years during the last ice age was first detected in deep sea sediments from North Atlantic. Characterized as lithic layers, these Heinrich Events (Heinrich, 1988 QR) correspond to rapid climate changes attributed to weakened ocean circulation (eg., Broecker, 1994 Nature; Alley, 1998 Nature) as shown by a number of different proxies. A better understanding of the overall picture of Heinrich events would benefit from determining the total amount of ice involved each event, which is still under debate. Sea level records are the most direct means for that, and uranium series dated corals can constrain the timing precisely. However, averaged global sea level during the time of interest was around -70m, hindering study from tectonically stable regions. Using uplifted coral terraces that extend 80 km along the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea, the magnitude of sea level change during Heinrich Events was successfully reconstructed (Yokoyama et al., 2001 EPSL; Chappell et al., 1996 EPSL; Cutler et al., 2003). The H3 and H5 events are also well correlated with continuous sea level reconstructions using Red Sea oxygen isotope records (Siddall et al., 2003 Nature; Yokoyama and Esat, 2011Oceanography). Global ice sheet growth after 30 ka complicates interpretation of the Huon Peninsula record. However oxygen isotope data from the Japan Sea, a restricted margin sea with a shallow sill depth similar to the Red Sea, clearly captures the episode of H2 sea level change. The timing of these sea level excursions correlate well to the DSDP Site 609 detrital layers that are anchored in the latest Greenland ice core chronology (Obrochta et al., 2012 QSR). In the presentation, Antarctic ice sheet behavior during the H2 event will also be discussed using marginal seas oxygen records.

  19. Attenuation of the anxiogenic effects of cocaine by 5-HT1B autoreceptor stimulation in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis of rats

    PubMed Central

    Klein, Adam K.; Brito, Michael A.; Akhavan, Sayeh; Flanagan, Dylan R.; Le, Nikki; Ohana, Tatum; Patil, Anand S.; Purvis, Erin M.; Provenzano, Carl; Wei, Alex; Zhou, Lucy; Ettenberg, Aaron

    2016-01-01

    Rationale Cocaine produces significant aversive/anxiogenic actions whose underlying neurobiology remains unclear. A possible substrate contributing to these actions is the serotonergic (5-HT) pathway projecting from the dorsal raphé (DRN) to regions of the extended amygdala, including the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) which have been implicated in the production of anxiogenic states. Objectives The present study examined the contribution of 5-HT signaling within the BNST to the anxiogenic effects of cocaine as measured in a runway model of drug self-administration. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fitted with bilateral infusion cannula aimed at the BNST and then trained to traverse a straight alley once a day for a single 1mg/kg i.v. cocaine infusion delivered upon goal-box entry on each of 16 consecutive days/trials. Intracranial infusions of CP 94,253 (0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0μg/side) were administered to inhibit local 5-HT release via activation of 5-HT1B autoreceptors. To confirm receptor specificity, the effects of this treatment were then challenged by co-administration of the selective 5-HT1B antagonist NAS-181. Results Intra-BNST infusions of the 5-HT1B autoreceptor agonist attenuated the anxiogenic effects of cocaine as reflected by a decrease in runway approach-avoidance conflict behavior. This effect was reversed by the 5-HT1B antagonist. Neither start latencies (a measure of the subject’s motivation to seek cocaine) nor spontaneous locomotor activity (an index of motoric capacity) were altered by either treatment. Conclusions Inhibition of 5-HT1B signaling within the BNST selectively attenuated the anxiogenic effects of cocaine, while leaving unaffected the positive incentive properties of the drug. PMID:27888284

  20. Fault connectivity, distributed shortening, and impacts on geologic- geodetic slip rate discrepancies in the central Mojave Desert, California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selander, J.; Oskin, M. E.; Cooke, M. L.; Grette, K.

    2015-12-01

    Understanding off-fault deformation and distribution of displacement rates associated with disconnected strike-slip faults requires a three-dimensional view of fault geometries. We address problems associated with distributed faulting by studying the Mojave segment of the East California Shear Zone (ECSZ), a region dominated by northwest-directed dextral shear along disconnected northwest- southeast striking faults. We use a combination of cross-sectional interpretations, 3D Boundary Element Method (BEM) models, and slip-rate measurements to test new hypothesized fault connections. We find that reverse faulting acts as an important means of slip transfer between strike-slip faults, and show that the impacts of these structural connections on shortening, uplift, strike-slip rates, and off-fault deformation, help to reconcile the overall strain budget across this portion of the ECSZ. In detail, we focus on the Calico and Blackwater faults, which are hypothesized to together represent the longest linked fault system in the Mojave ECSZ, connected by a restraining step at 35°N. Across this restraining step the system displays a pronounced displacement gradient, where dextral offset decreases from ~11.5 to <2 km from south to north. Cross-section interpretations show that ~40% of this displacement is transferred from the Calico fault to the Harper Lake and Blackwater faults via a set of north-dipping thrust ramps. Late Quaternary dextral slip rates follow a similar pattern, where 1.4 +0.8/-0.4 mm/yr of slip along the Calico fault south of 35°N is distributed to the Harper Lake, Blackwater, and Tin Can Alley faults. BEM model results using revised fault geometries for the Mojave ECSZ show areas of uplift consistent with contractional structures, and fault slip-rates that more closely match geologic data. Overall, revised fault connections and addition of off-fault deformation greatly reduces the discrepancy between geodetic and geologic slip rates.

  1. Management of Agroforestry Practices in Assosa District, Benishangul Gumuze Region, Ethiopia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kifle, E. T.; Asfaw, Z.; Abdelkadir, A.

    2017-12-01

    Trees on farms have evolved from the selective retention of useful trees on agricultural lands following the severe forest destruction and degradation for agriculture and other uses. As a consequence, trees on farms form the main vegetation types in much of rural Ethiopia in general and Assosa district in particular. In order to increase the products and services of these important agroforestry species there is a need to identify and document the species type and their management practices. To this end, this study is intended to:1) identify agroforestry types, species richness, use-diversity and management of the woody and non-woody plant species 2) record on-farm tree management practices and 3) assess the perception and attitude of farmers towards tree management. A combination of assessment methods including species inventory, key informant discussions and questionnaire surveys were employed in the study. The key findings of the study have shown that a) there were four major agroforestry practices namely homrgardens, parklands, alley cropping and farm boundary plantings with homegardens and parklands appearing to be the dominant practices, b) a total of 57 woody and non-woody species were found to form the main vegetation species with about 21 species commonly shared by both homegardens and parklands c)the difference in mean number of stems in homegardens and parklands was significantly different (p<0.05), d) retained trees in the study area are multifunctional with more than six use types and were managed by more than five management practices including slant-cut of mango (Mangifera indica) trees. According to household respondents and key informants land tenure insecurity, prevalence of pests/diseases, scarcity of water and poor survival of seedlings were the major problems. Therefore, land certification, water resource development, integrated pest management(IPM), training of farmers and further research on the cultural management practices are key recommendations for further development of agroforestry in the study area. Keywords: homegardens; parklands; local knowledge; slant-cut; inventory; key informants; questionnaire

  2. A Peek into a Cul-De-Sac and a Mews of Martian Dust Storm Activity: Western Hellas and Syria-Claritas Fossae During Mars Year 29

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heavens, N. G.

    2016-12-01

    Western Hellas Planitia (WHP) and the region encompassed by Syria Planum and Claritas Fossae are the main centers of textured dust storm activity in Mars's southern low to mid-latitudes. (Texture in this context refers to distinct fine structure at the cloud tops indicative of active lifting.) WHP is a well-known initiation zone for regional and global dust storm activity and often the end point of the Utopia "flushing storm" track. Syria-Claritas Fossae (SCF), too, can be a lifting center in global dust storm activity. Indeed, SCF and the area to its west was the region most denuded of dust by the Mars Year (MY) 25 global dust storm, perhaps suggesting that SCF contained the principal lifting center of the storm. Thus, if the Acidalia and Utopia storm tracks are Mars's dust storm alleys, through which dust storms pass quickly again and again; WHP might be a cul-de-sac and SCF something like a mews, where dust storm activity can enter more or less easily but may not as easily leave. In this presentation, I will focus on dust storm activity in these areas in a typical non-global dust storm year, MY 29. Synthesizing visible imagery by the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) on board Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) also on board MRO, I will consider the climatology, morphology, texture, and vertical structure of dust storm activity in these areas in order to infer their governing dynamics. This investigation has two aims: (1) to understand why these areas are centers of textured dust storm activity; and (2) to connect the characteristics of smaller-scale dust storm activity in these regions to the underlying dynamics in order to understand the role of WHP and SCF in the dynamics of global dust storms. This work is supported by NASA's Mars Data Analysis Program (NNX14AM32G).

  3. Agroforestry versus farm mosaic systems - Comparing land-use efficiency, economic returns and risks under climate change effects.

    PubMed

    Paul, Carola; Weber, Michael; Knoke, Thomas

    2017-06-01

    Increasing land-use conflicts call for the development of land-use systems that reconcile agricultural production with the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation. Agroforestry has been suggested as a global solution to increase land-use efficiency, while reducing environmental impacts and economic risks for farmers. Past research has often focused on comparing tree-crop combinations with agricultural monocultures, but agroforestry has seldom been systematically compared to other forms of land-use diversification, including a farm mosaic. This form of diversification mixes separate parcels of different land uses within the farm. The objective of this study was to develop a modelling approach to compare the performance of the agroforestry and farm mosaic diversification strategies, accounting for tree-crop interaction effects and economic and climate uncertainty. For this purpose, Modern Portfolio Theory and risk simulation were coupled with the process-based biophysical simulation model WaNuLCAS 4.0. For an example application, we used data from a field trial in Panama. The results show that the simulated agroforestry systems (Taungya, alley cropping and border planting) could outperform a farm mosaic approach in terms of cumulative production and return. Considering market and climate uncertainty, agroforestry showed an up to 21% higher economic return at the same risk level (i.e. standard deviation of economic returns). Farm compositions with large shares of land allocated to maize cultivation were also more severely affected by an increasing drought frequency in terms of both risks and returns. Our study demonstrates that agroforestry can be an economically efficient diversification strategy, but only if the design allows for economies of scope, beneficial interactions between trees and crops and higher income diversification compared to a farm mosaic. The modelling approach can make an important contribution to support land-use decisions at the farm level and reduce land-use conflicts at the landscape level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of model layer simplification using composite hydraulic properties

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kuniansky, Eve L.; Sepúlveda, Nicasio; Elango, Lakshmanan

    2011-01-01

    Groundwater provides much of the fresh drinking water to more than 1.5 billion people in the world (Clarke et al., 1996) and in the United States more that 50 percent of citizens rely on groundwater for drinking water (Solley et al., 1998). As aquifer systems are developed for water supply, the hydrologic system is changed. Water pumped from the aquifer system initially can come from some combination of inducing more recharge, water permanently removed from storage, and decreased groundwater discharge. Once a new equilibrium is achieved, all of the pumpage must come from induced recharge and decreased discharge (Alley et al., 1999). Further development of groundwater resources may result in reductions of surface water runoff and base flows. Competing demands for groundwater resources require good management. Adequate data to characterize the aquifers and confining units of the system, like hydrologic boundaries, groundwater levels, streamflow, and groundwater pumping and climatic data for recharge estimation are to be collected in order to quantify the effects of groundwater withdrawals on wetlands, streams, and lakes. Once collected, three-dimensional (3D) groundwater flow models can be developed and calibrated and used as a tool for groundwater management. The main hydraulic parameters that comprise a regional or subregional model of an aquifer system are the hydraulic conductivity and storage properties of the aquifers and confining units (hydrogeologic units) that confine the system. Many 3D groundwater flow models used to help assess groundwater/surface-water interactions require calculating ?effective? or composite hydraulic properties of multilayered lithologic units within a hydrogeologic unit. The calculation of composite hydraulic properties stems from the need to characterize groundwater flow using coarse model layering in order to reduce simulation times while still representing the flow through the system accurately. The accuracy of flow models with simplified layering and hydraulic properties will depend on the effectiveness of the methods used to determine composite hydraulic properties from a number of lithologic units.

  5. Cementum as an age determinant: A forensic view.

    PubMed

    Raju, Godishala Swamy Sugunakar; Keerthi, Muddana; Nandan, Surapaneni Rateesh Kumar; Rao, Thokala Madhusudan; Kulkarni, Pavan G; Reddy, Dorankula Shyam Prasad

    2016-01-01

    Forensic age estimation (FAE) defines an expertise in forensic medicine, which aims to define in the most accurate way to determine the unknown chronological age of the person involved in judicial or legal proceedings. Dental cementum is a vital tissue which demonstrates continuous apposition throughout the life of the tooth. This appositional changes of cementum helps in approximation of age inforensic investigations. To correlate age by measuring the overlap or coronal migration of thecementum at thecementoenamel junction (CEJ) and the thickness of the cementum at the apical third of the root. A hundred freshly extracted teethfrom patients ranging from ages 17-55were longitudinal buccolingually ground sectioned using a mounted lathe wheel and Arkansas stone. 100 freshly extracted teeth of age group ranging from 17-55 years were taken. These teeth were longitudinally ground sectioned to a thickness of 8-10μm using a mounted lathe wheel and Arkansas stone. Afterwards the teeth were examined under a light microscope using a micrometer eyepiece for measuring the overlap or coronal migration of the cementum at the CEJ and the thickness of the cementum at the apical one-third of root. Measurements of the overlap or the coronal migration of the cementum at the CEJ and the thickness of the cementum at the apical one-third of the root are correlated with age. Results of the study indicated that the cementum at the CEJ migrated coronally during theaging process in case of the impacted teeth. There is also a significant increase in the thickness of the cementum at the apical onethird of rootin the case of both the impacted and erupted teeth. Approximation of age by measuring overlap or coronal migration of the cementum at the CEJ and the thickness of the cementum at the apical one-third of the rootsets new alleys in FAE.

  6. Risk factors associated with Neospora caninum abortion in Ontario Holstein dairy herds.

    PubMed

    Hobson, J C; Duffield, T F; Kelton, D; Lissemore, K; Hietala, S K; Leslie, K E; McEwen, B; Peregrine, A S

    2005-02-28

    The objective of this epidemiological study was to identify risk factors for Neospora caninum-related abortions in Ontario Holstein dairy herds. A total of 88 herds, consisting of 5080 cattle, and utilizing Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) services, were divided into three groups. Case (n = 30) and first control (n = 31) herds were selected from 1998 and 1999 fetal abortion submissions to the Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, that were histopathologically positive or negative, respectively, for N. caninum. A second control group (n = 27) was selected from multiple sources of herds sampled within the previous 4 years that had a low seroprevalence (<7%) to N. caninum. Between May and December 1999, all available cows on all farms, in parity one or greater, were blood sampled. The sera were then analyzed for antibody to N. caninum using a kinetic ELISA. A survey administered at the time of sampling recorded information on housing, animal species present, manure management, reproduction, biosecurity practices, wildlife observations, peri-parturient cow management, herd disease history and nutrition. Production and other herd parameters were obtained from DHI records. Logistic regression indicated that the following parameters were positively associated with a N. caninum abortion in a herd: the N. caninum herd seroprevalence (OR = 1.1), the total number of dogs on a farm (OR = 2.8), the frequency that dogs were observed defecating in mangers (OR = 2.8), the number of horses on a farm (OR = 3.1), the observed annual rate of retained fetal membranes (OR = 1.2) and the observed annual rate of cows returning to estrus after pregnancy confirmation (OR = 1.2). Factors negatively associated were the frequency of stray cats and wild canids observed on a farm (OR = 0.4 and OR = 0.7, respectively) and the housing of heifers on loafing packs (a housing pen divided into feed manger, scrape alley and bedded pack areas, OR = 0.1).

  7. Technical note: Validation of a commercial system for the continuous and automated monitoring of dairy cow activity.

    PubMed

    Tullo, E; Fontana, I; Gottardo, D; Sloth, K H; Guarino, M

    2016-09-01

    Current farm sizes do not allow the precise identification and tracking of individual cows and their health and behavioral records. Currently, the application of information technology within intensive dairy farming takes a key role in proper routine management to improve animal welfare and to enhance the comfort of dairy cows. An existing application based on information technology is represented by the GEA CowView system (GEA Farm Technologies, Bönen, Germany). This system is able to detect and monitor animal behavioral activities based on positioning, through the creation of a virtual map of the barn that outlines all the areas where cows have access. The aim of this study was to validate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of data provided by the CowView system. The validation was performed by comparing data automatically obtained from the CowView system with those obtained by a manual labeling procedure performed on video recordings. Data used for the comparisons were represented by the zone-related activities performed by the selected dairy cows and were classified into 2 categories: activity and localization. The duration in seconds of each of the activities/localizations detected both with the manual labeling and with the automated system were used to evaluate the correlation coefficients among data; and subsequently the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the automated monitoring system were calculated. The results of this validation study showed that the CowView automated monitoring system is able to identify the cow localization/position (alley, trough, cubicles) with high reliability in relation to the zone-related activities performed by dairy cows (accuracy higher than 95%). The results obtained support the CowView system as an innovative potential solution for the easier management of dairy cows. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Stemming the global obesity epidemic: What can we learn from data about social and economic trends?✩

    PubMed Central

    Sturm, Roland

    2008-01-01

    Summary Although the policy debate is only slowly moving away from the focus on individual-level psychological and social factors, the research community has largely recognized that changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are driven by changes in the environment and by the incentives that people face. Many factors have been suggested as causes of the ‘obesity epidemic’. Putting a multitude of isolated data points into a coherent picture is a challenging, but necessary, task to assess whether proposed solutions are promising or likely to lead down a blind alley. Conventional wisdom is an unreliable guide and some widely held beliefs are incorrect. Can one distinguish between important and less important behavioural changes and relate them to environmental incentives? People face trade-offs in allocating their scarce resources of time and money to best achieve their goals, including health. Studying what people are doing with their time and money is a good start towards understanding how economic incentives have altered energy intake and energy expenditure in a way that has led to weight gain. A challenging task for policy will be finding the right levers. Both economic and public health/medical perspectives play an important role in the policy process, but often approach policy questions in an incompatible way. Economics and public health perspectives can complement each other, but harnessing any synergy requires an understanding of the other perspective. Arguably the most effective community intervention would be multi-faceted and would include several goals about diet and physical activity. In practice, however, it appears that much more effort is devoted to promoting increased fruit/vegetable consumption, and exhorting individuals to increase physical activity than to environmental intervention that would make it easier for people to reduce energy intake and sedentary entertainment. Politically, it may often be more expedient to promote an increase than a decrease, but it may be far less effective. PMID:18490037

  9. Urban air quality of Kathmandu valley

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sharma, C.K.

    The oval shaped tectonic basin of Kathmandu valley occupying about 600 sq. km. of area is situated in the middle sector of Himalayan range. There are three districts in the alley, i.e. Kathmandu, Litilpur, and Bhaktapur. Out of the three the most populated is the Kathmandu city (the capital of Kingdom of Nepal) which has 668,000 population in an area of approximately 50 sq. km. The city population consumes energy about 1/3 of total imports of Nepal in the form of gasoline, diesel, kerosene, furnace oil and cooking gas. This has resulted heavy pollution of air in the city leadingmore » bronchitis, and throat and chest diseases. Vehicle has increased several fold leading in recent months to 100,000 in number in a road of about 900 kms., out of which 25% is only metalled. Most of two and three wheelers are polluting the air by emission gases as well as dust particulate. SO{sub 2} has been found to go as high as 202 micro grams per cubic meter and NO{sub 2} to 126 micro gram particularly in winter months when a thick layer of fog covers the valley up to 10:00 AM in the morning. All the gases are mixed within the limited air below the fog and the ground. This creates the problem. Furthermore, municipal waste of 500 m{sup 3} a day and also liquid waste directly dumping in Bagmati river to the tune of 500,000 liters per day makes city ugly and filthy. Unless pollution of air, water, and land are controlled in time, Nepal will lose much of its foreign exchange earnings from tourist industry. It is found that tourist arrivals are considerably reduced in recent years and most of hotels occupancy is 50 to 60% in peak time. Nepal is trying to introduce legal frame work for pollution control but it will take time to be effective like in other developing countries unless government is strong.« less

  10. Nitrogen Fertilization of Corn: Plant Biochemistry Effects and Carbon Cycle Implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gallagher, M. E.; Hockaday, W. C.; Masiello, C. A.; McSwiney, C. P.; Robertson, G. P.; Baldock, J. A.

    2008-05-01

    Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are rising due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions (Alley et al. 2007; Prentice et al. 2001). About half of the anthropogenic CO2 emitted during the 1990s was absorbed by the terrestrial biosphere and ocean (Prentice et al. 2001). It is possible to estimate the size of terrestrial and oceanic carbon sinks individually using atmospheric CO2 and O2 measurements (Keeling et al. 1996). To best estimate the sizes of these carbon sinks, we need to accurately know the oxidative ratio (OR) of the terrestrial biosphere (Randerson et al. 2006). OR is the ratio of the moles of O2 released per moles of CO2 consumed in gas fluxes between the terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere. Though it is likely that the net OR of the biosphere varies with ecosystem type and nutrient status, OR is assumed constant in carbon sink apportionment calculations (e.g. Prentice et al. 2001). Small shifts in OR can lead to large variations in the calculated sizes of the terrestrial biosphere and ocean carbon sinks (Randerson et al. 2006). OR likely shifts with changes in climate, nutrient status, and land use. These shifts are due, in part, to shifts in plant biochemistry. We are measuring ecosystem OR in corn agricultural ecosystems under a range of nitrogen fertilization treatments at the Kellogg Biological Station-Long Term Ecological Research Site (KBS-LTER) in Michigan. We measure OR indirectly, through its relationship with organic carbon oxidation state (Cox) (Masiello et al. in press 2008). Cox can be measured through elemental analysis and, with basic knowledge of plant nitrogen use patterns, Cox values can be converted to OR values. Cox can also be measured through 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), which can be combined with a molecular mixing model to determine Cox, OR, and plant biochemical composition (i.e. percentage carbohydrates, lignin, lipids, and proteins) (Baldock et al. 2004). Here we present data showing the effects of varying corn ecosystem nitrogen fertilization rates (from 0 to 292 kg N/ha) on ecosystem OR and plant biochemistry.

  11. Short-duration exercise and confinement alters bone mineral content and shape in weanling horses.

    PubMed

    Hiney, K M; Nielsen, B D; Rosenstein, D

    2004-08-01

    The hypothesis that short-duration exercise may ameliorate the decrease in bone mass observed with confinement was investigated with 18 quarter horses (nine colts and nine fillies) weaned at 4 mo of age and placed into box stalls. After a 5-wk adjustment period, individuals were grouped by age and weight, and then divided randomly into three treatment groups: 1) group housed; 2) confined with no exercise; and 3) confined with exercise. The confined and exercised groups were housed in 3.7 m x 3.7 m box stalls for the 56-d duration of the trial. The exercised group was sprinted 82 m/d, 5 d/wk, in a fenced grass alleyway. The weanlings were led down an alleyway, turned loose in a small pen, and then released and allowed to run back down the alley. The group horses were housed together in a 992-m2 drylot with free access to exercise. On d 0, 28, and 56, dorsopalmar and lateromedial radiographs of the left third metacarpal bone were taken to estimate changes in bone mineral content and cortical widths. Mean values of medial, lateral, and total radiographic bone aluminum equivalence increased over time (P < 0.05), whereas dorsal and palmar radiographic bone aluminum equivalence did not change significantly. Dorsal, medial, and total radiographic bone aluminum equivalence tended (P = 0.09) to differ by a treatment x day interaction, with values increasing over time only in the exercised group. Normalized medial and total radiographic bone aluminum equivalence tended (P < 0.1) to differ (P < 0.01) with treatment, with exercised horses having greater bone aluminum equivalence than confined horses. Dorsopalmar cortical width in exercised horses was greater than on d 56 (treatment x day; P = 0.07). The dorsopalmar medullary cavity decreased in exercised vs. group-housed horses (P = 0.027), whereas dorsal and medial cortical width tended to increase only in the exercised horses (treatment x day; P < 0.01). This study indicated that a short-duration exercise protocol might be effective in improving bone mass and therefore skeletal strength in horses.

  12. Piloting a 'spatial isolation' index: the built environment and sexual and drug use risks to sex workers.

    PubMed

    Deering, Kathleen N; Rusch, Melanie; Amram, Ofer; Chettiar, Jill; Nguyen, Paul; Feng, Cindy X; Shannon, Kate

    2014-05-01

    Employing innovative mapping and spatial analyses of individual and neighbourhood environment data, we examined the social, physical and structural features of overlapping street-based sex work and drug scenes and explored the utility of a 'spatial isolation index' in explaining exchanging sex for drugs and exchanging sex while high. Analyses drew on baseline interview and geographic data (January 2010-October 2011) from a large prospective cohort of street and off-street sex workers (SWs) in Metropolitan Vancouver and external publically-available, neighbourhood environment data. An index measuring 'spatial isolation' was developed from seven indicators measuring features of the built environment within 50m buffers (e.g., industrial or commercial zoning, lighting) surrounding sex work environments. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between the two outcomes (exchanged sex for drugs; exchanged sex while high) and the index, as well as each individual indicator. Of 510 SWs, 328 worked in street-based/outdoor environments (e.g., streets, parks, alleys) and were included in the analyses. In multivariable analysis, increased spatial isolation surrounding street-based/outdoor SWs' main places of servicing clients as measured with the index was significantly associated with exchanging sex for drugs. Exchanging sex for drugs was also significantly positively associated with an indicator of the built environment suggesting greater spatial isolation (increased percent of parks) and negatively associated with those suggesting decreased spatial isolation (increased percent commercial areas, increased count of lighting, increased building footprint). Exchanging sex while high was negatively associated with increased percent of commercial zones but this association was removed when adjusting for police harassment. The results from our exploratory study highlight how built environment shapes risks within overlapping street-based sex work and drug scenes through the development of a novel index comprised of multiple indicators of the built environment available through publicly available data, This study informs the important role that spatially-oriented responses, such as safer-environment interventions, and structural responses, such as decriminalization of sex work can play in improving the health, safety and well-being of SWs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Piloting a ‘Spatial Isolation’ Index: The Built Environment and Sexual and Drug Use Risks to Sex Workers

    PubMed Central

    Deering, Kathleen N; Rusch, Melanie; Amram, Ofer; Chettiar, Jill; Nguyen, Paul; Feng, Cindy X; Shannon, Kate

    2014-01-01

    Background Employing innovative mapping and spatial analyses of individual and neighborhood environment data, we examined the social, physical and structural features of overlapping street-based sex work and drug scenes and explored the utility of a ‘spatial isolation index’ in explaining exchanging sex for drugs and exchanging sex while high. Methods Analyses drew on baseline interview and geographic data (Jan/10-Oct/11) from a large prospective cohort of street and off-street sex workers (SWs) in Metropolitan Vancouver and external publically-available, neighborhood environment data. An index measuring ‘spatial isolation’ was developed from seven indicators measuring features of the built environment within 50m buffers (e.g. industrial or commercial zoning, lighting) surrounding sex work environments. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between the two outcomes (exchanged sex for drugs; exchanged sex while high) and the index, as well as each individual indicator. Results Of 510 SWs, 328 worked in street-based/outdoor environments (e.g. streets, parks, alleys) and were included in the analyses. In multivariable analysis, increased spatial isolation surrounding street-based/outdoor SWs’ main places of servicing clients as measured with the index was significantly associated with exchanging sex for drugs. Exchanging sex for drugs was also significantly positively associated with an indicator of the built environment suggesting greater spatial isolation (increased percent of parks) and negatively associated with those suggesting decreased spatial isolation (increased percent commercial areas, increased count of lighting, increased building footprint). Exchanging sex while high was negatively associated with increased percent of commercial zones but this association was removed when adjusting for police harassment. Conclusions The results from our exploratory study highlight how built environment shapes risks within overlapping street-based sex work and drug scenes through the development of a novel index comprised of multiple indicators of the built environment available through publicly available data, This study informs the important role that spatially-oriented responses, such as safer-environment interventions, and structural responses, such as decriminalization of sex work can play in improving the health, safety and well-being of SWs. PMID:24433813

  14. Flooring in front of the feed bunk affects feeding behavior and use of freestalls by dairy cows.

    PubMed

    Tucker, C B; Weary, D M; de Passillé, A M; Campbell, B; Rushen, J

    2006-06-01

    In 2 experiments we assessed how preferences, time budgets, and feeding behavior of dairy cows change in response to flooring surfaces in front of the feed bunk. In Experiment 1, 12 nonlactating dairy cattle were individually housed with access to 2 standing platforms filled with either concrete or sawdust. In Experiment 2, 24 nonlactating dairy cattle were given access to either concrete or Animat rubber flooring in front of the feed bunk. In Experiment 1, cows preferred the sawdust to the concrete flooring. In both experiments, cows provided with a softer floor in front of the feed bunk spent more time standing near the feed bunk without eating (Experiment 1: 67 vs. 40 min/d on sawdust vs. concrete, respectively, SEM = 5.6 min/d; Experiment 2: 176 vs. 115 min/d on Animat vs. concrete, respectively, SEM = 20.5 min/d) compared with when they were kept on concrete. The increased time spent at the feed bunk was due to a combination of more frequent eating and standing bouts, indicating that cows were more willing to move on nonconcrete flooring. Total time spent eating was significantly greater on the softer floor in Experiment 2, but not in Experiment 1 (Exp. 1: 289 vs. 275 min/d on sawdust and concrete, respectively, SEM = 7.3 min/d; Exp. 2: 330 vs. 289 min/d on Animat and concrete, respectively, SEM = 15.4), although feed intake was increased on the sawdust treatment in Experiment 1. Cows spent significantly more time lying in the feed alley when the flooring was rubber (219 vs. 53 min/d on Animat and concrete, SEM = 53.6 min/d), perhaps because the lying area in Experiment 2 was inadequate. In conclusion, cows prefer to stand on softer flooring in front of the feed bunk, and are more willing to move on and spend more time standing in front of the feed bunk when provided with softer flooring. These results indicate that cows find softer flooring surfaces more comfortable to stand on than concrete, and highlight the importance of evaluating the comfort of the entire facility.

  15. Embedding With Scientists Results In Better Understanding Of How Science Is Really Done, More Human Stories, And More Effective Communication About Controversial Topics.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haines-Stiles, G.

    2015-12-01

    Until recently much science communication focused on press conferences and results, "Eureka"-moments issued from podiums. Recent documentaries, however, such as PARTICLE FEVER and THE YEAR OF PLUTO go behind the scenes to show long years of effort, and occasional failures, revealing a more honest—and more engaging—picture of how science is actually done. Audiences respond when researchers show a more human face, and candid moments of stress and exhaustion as well as exhilaration make eventual results more meaningful. This presentation will offer evidence that this approach is also effective on contested topics such as climate change, where long-term relationships between journalists and researchers can help structure communications that avoid distracting controversies. A cameraman spends a full week with ornithologist George Divoky on remote Cooper Island, Alaska: the resulting video podcast informs a stage play in London, and George goes on the road with POLAR-PALOOZA across America and internationally, sharing stories about the birds he studies and the polar bears he has to increasingly avoid, as climate change brings them onshore in search of food. POLAR-PALOOZA also introduced Richard Alley and other Arctic and Antarctic scientists to a team of producers and directors, resulting in a 3-part PBS series and museum outreach that is able to present climate change science in an authoritative and apolitical way. That leads, in turn, to leading researchers including video and more visually-dynamic approaches in communicating their work to the public. An upcoming public television series, THE CROWD & THE CLOUD, will devote one program to insights about climate change gained over decades of interaction between producers and scientists. Many mainstream media outlets have cut back on science coverage and released their dedicated "beat" reporters. However a wealth of new channels offer venues for this approach, and falling prices for high quality cameras and editing systems mean production barriers are minimal. Long term relationships between sources and producers rather than one-off exchanges can generate more authentic information, conveyed in more engaging formats, which is essential to better understanding of GMOs, AI, GEC, and other key scientific and social topics.

  16. High organic inputs explain shallow and deep SOC storage in a long-term agroforestry system - combining experimental and modeling approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cardinael, Rémi; Guenet, Bertrand; Chevallier, Tiphaine; Dupraz, Christian; Cozzi, Thomas; Chenu, Claire

    2018-01-01

    Agroforestry is an increasingly popular farming system enabling agricultural diversification and providing several ecosystem services. In agroforestry systems, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks are generally increased, but it is difficult to disentangle the different factors responsible for this storage. Organic carbon (OC) inputs to the soil may be larger, but SOC decomposition rates may be modified owing to microclimate, physical protection, or priming effect from roots, especially at depth. We used an 18-year-old silvoarable system associating hybrid walnut trees (Juglans regia × nigra) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum) and an adjacent agricultural control plot to quantify all OC inputs to the soil - leaf litter, tree fine root senescence, crop residues, and tree row herbaceous vegetation - and measured SOC stocks down to 2 m of depth at varying distances from the trees. We then proposed a model that simulates SOC dynamics in agroforestry accounting for both the whole soil profile and the lateral spatial heterogeneity. The model was calibrated to the control plot only. Measured OC inputs to soil were increased by about 40 % (+ 1.11 t C ha-1 yr-1) down to 2 m of depth in the agroforestry plot compared to the control, resulting in an additional SOC stock of 6.3 t C ha-1 down to 1 m of depth. However, most of the SOC storage occurred in the first 30 cm of soil and in the tree rows. The model was strongly validated, properly describing the measured SOC stocks and distribution with depth in agroforestry tree rows and alleys. It showed that the increased inputs of fresh biomass to soil explained the observed additional SOC storage in the agroforestry plot. Moreover, only a priming effect variant of the model was able to capture the depth distribution of SOC stocks, suggesting the priming effect as a possible mechanism driving deep SOC dynamics. This result questions the potential of soils to store large amounts of carbon, especially at depth. Deep-rooted trees modify OC inputs to soil, a process that deserves further study given its potential effects on SOC dynamics.

  17. The Gujarat earthquake (2001) experience in a seismically unprepared area: community hospital medical response.

    PubMed

    Roy, Nobhojit; Shah, Hemant; Patel, Vikas; Coughlin, R Richard

    2002-01-01

    At 08:53 hours on 26 January 2001, an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale devastated a large, drought-affected area of northwestern India, the state of Gujarat. The known number killed by the earthquake is 20,005, with 166,000 injured, of whom 20,717 were "seriously" injured. About 370,000 houses were destroyed, and another 922,000 were damaged. A community health worker using the local language interviewed all of the patients admitted to the Gandhi-Lincoln hospital with an on-site, oral, real-time, Victim Specific Questionnaire (VSQ). The census showed a predominance of women, children, and young adults, with the average age being 28 years. The majority of the patients had other family members who were also injured (84%), but most had not experienced deaths among family members (86%). Most of the patients (91%) had traveled more than 200 kilometers using their family cars, pick-ups, trucks, or buses to reach the buffer zone hospitals. The daily hospital admission rate returned to pre-event levels five days after the event, and all of the hospital services were restored by nine days after the quake. Most of the patients (83%) received definitive treatment in the buffer zone hospitals; 7% were referred to tertiary-care centers; and 9% took discharge against medical advice. The entrapped village folk with their traditional architecture had lesser injuries and a higher rescue rate than did the semi-urban townspeople, who were trapped in collapsed concrete masonry buildings and narrow alleys. However, at the time of crisis, aware townspeople were able to tap the available health resources better than were the poor. There was a low incidence of crush injuries. Volunteer doctors from various backgrounds teamed up to meet the medical crisis. International relief agencies working through local groups were more effective. Local relief groups needed to coordinate better. Disaster tourism by various well-meaning agencies took a toll on the providers. Many surgeries may have contributed to subsequent morbidity. The injury profile was similar to that reported for most other daytime earthquakes. Buffer zone treatment outcomes were better than were the field and damaged hospital outcomes.

  18. Protection of Landscape Values of Historical Post Military Objects - Complexes in Spatial, Urban and Architectural Planning of Polish Cities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gawryluk, Dorota; Zagroba, Marek

    2017-12-01

    Within the borders of modern Poland there are numerous barracks units erected at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the invaders from Russia, Austria and Prussia. Former barracks are a clear element of the history of the place. Historical complexes have a strong influence on the urban landscape and on building their former and contemporary identity. The analysis of functional and landscape absorption of postmodern complexes allows for their adaptation and modern use without limiting the readability of historical values. For this reason, their landscape should be protected comprehensively within the scope of subsequent exposure scales. The aim of the work is to justify the conditions of comprehensive protection of the fortified landscape of the former barracks of the former Russian partition in the landscape of contemporary Polish cities. The article contains a review of the literature on the protection, supplement and access to fortified buildings from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in contemporary Poland. A review of current research conducted at various academic centres in Poland, concerning the exposition of fortified buildings in the landscape, is presented. Particular attention was paid to the scales and forms of exposition, proposed for the fortifications and barracks. The paper presents justification for the protection of barracks complexes from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in the landscape of Polish cities of the former Russian partition area. Protection of the landscape was proposed in the following scales: superregional, landscape (panorama of the centre), urban (urban structure of the complex in the context of the urban space), architectural and landscape interiors of the complex (WAK) such as alleys, alarm squares, greenery) and detail (view of the building from the outside), interior of the building (characteristic interior spaces, e.g. home chapels, staircases). Taking account of exposures analysis of individual scales should result in appropriate records at all levels of planning documents to protect the fortified landscape of the historic barracks. The article points to the use of greenery as a means to correct barracks exposures and to improve the standard of using historic complexes for new, contemporary functions.

  19. Estimation of Stream Flow Losses to the Highland Lakes Inflows during the Recent Period of Run-off Non-stationarity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, R.; Rose, B.; Oliver, L.

    2015-12-01

    The Highland Lakes are operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) in Texas to provide water supply to municipal, industrial, agricultural users and environmental flows for the river and Matagorda Bay. The Highland Lakes also provide for hydroelectric generation and recreation. Subject to extended droughts interrupted by intense rainfall, the region has the nickname of Flash Flood Alley. Recently the Lower Colorado River has experienced a seven year historic drought. While precipitation have been 80% of average, runoff into the Highland lakes have been at historic lows. Multiple regression relationships were developed to predict runoff to the LCRA lakes from rainfall and other factors which explain about 2/3 of the variation of observed inflows. This explanation is good considering the inherent error in stream flow measurement and inflow estimation. It is also comparable to the skill of much more complex dynamical models. Review of the residuals from the relationships reveals periods of unfavorable non-stationarity in inflows after accounting for statistically significant climate and seasonality variables. In particular the periods from 1977 to 1987 as well as 2002 to present showed uncharacteristically low runoff as can be seen in the figure below. Through use of dummy variables for the periods of apparent non-stationarity, the effects of climate and non-stationarity can be quantitatively estimated. At a 90% confidence level, the excess losses in run-off from 2002 to 2015 that can be attributed to lower than median rainfall ranges from 101,000 to 137,000 acre-feet. About another 32,200 to 45,300 acre-feet annually of unrealized inflows can be attributed to typical drought processes. Finally, about another 182,000 to 478,000 acre-feet per year of unrealized inflows can be attributed to unexplained factors in this recent period. These losses are in contrast to runoff during the calendar year of 2011 in which low runoff was better described by extreme climatic conditions. While the statistical significant variables of the exceptional conditions allows estimation of the impacts of non-stationarity, it does not identify a specific cause. Additional research is needed to understand the drivers of these periods of non-stationarity and the return to typical conditions.

  20. Preliminary Report on Cruise NBP01-01, East Antarctic Margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leventer, A.; Brachfeld, S.; Domack, E.; Dunbar, R.; Manley, P.; McClennen, C.; Kryc, K.; Beaman, R.; Moy, A.; Pike, J.; Shevenell, A.; Taylor, F.

    2001-12-01

    Cruise NBP01-01 of the RVIB NB Palmer was a marine geologic and geophysical investigation of the East Antarctic Margin, from Wilkes Land to Edward VIII Gulf, between approximately 150 E to 50 E. The primary objective of the cruise was to develop a record of climate and oceanographic change during the Quaternary, using sediment cores collected via a combination of short and long coring (25 meter jumbo piston cores [JPCs]). Specific goals of this project include development of (1) a century to millennial-scale record of Holocene paleoenvironments and (2) a record of previous stadial and interstadial events on the shelf. Fieldwork on NBP01-01 is a continuation of previous work along the Antarctic Peninsula and in the Ross Sea that has helped us develop an understanding of both the glacial-interglacial history of Antarctica as well as the details of climate variability within the present interglacial. However, both the Antarctic Peninsula and the Ross Sea are influenced primarily by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, while limited information has been acquired based on data from the East Antarctic Margin. Given large-scale differences between these systems, Cruise NBP0101 gave us the chance to combine our previous knowledge with new data to develop an integrated perspective on climate history in Antarctica through the Quaternary. Core sites were selected based on a combination of sub-bottom profiling via the Bathy2000 and seafloor mapping using the MultiBeam, in addition to information based on previous work. Two depositional environments were targeted - deep basins and troughs of the shelf, and the Prydz Channel and Amery Depression. Deeps investigated include the Mertz Trough, Mertz-Ninnis Trough, and the Dumont d'Urville Trough along the Wilkes Land Margin, the Svenner Channel in Prydz Bay, Nielsen Basin and Iceberg Alley along the Mac.Robertson Shelf, and Edward VIII Gulf, off Enderby Land. A total of 13 JPCs were recovered from these sites, with cores often paired to obtain both the highest resolution record possible and a lower resolution record reaching back to glacial conditions. The four cores opened so far demonstrate complete Holocene records and reach back to glacial sediments. In the Prydz Channel and Amery Depression, three JPCs were collected. Initial data suggest these cores penetrate sequences of up to 5 alternating siliceous mud and glacial units.

  1. Prevalence of lameness and associated risk factors in Canadian Holstein-Friesian cows housed in freestall barns.

    PubMed

    Solano, L; Barkema, H W; Pajor, E A; Mason, S; LeBlanc, S J; Zaffino Heyerhoff, J C; Nash, C G R; Haley, D B; Vasseur, E; Pellerin, D; Rushen, J; de Passillé, A M; Orsel, K

    2015-10-01

    Lameness is a severe welfare problem and a production-limiting disease in dairy farming. The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence of lameness and investigate cow- and herd-level factors associated with lameness in dairy cows housed in freestall barns in 3 Canadian provinces. A purposive sample of 40 Holstein-Friesian cows was selected from each of 141 dairy farms in Québec, Ontario, and Alberta. In total, 5,637 cows were scored once for lameness (presence of limping when walking). Data collected included information on individual cows (hock lesions, claw length, body condition score, parity, days in milk, and milk production), management practices (floor and stall cleaning routine, bedding routine, and footbath practices), and facility design (stall dimensions, stall base and bedding type, width of feed alley, flooring type, and slipperiness) hypothesized to be risk factors for lameness. Multilevel mixed logistic regression models were constructed (including farm as a random effect and province as a fixed effect). Herd-level lameness prevalence ranged from 0 to 69% (mean = 21%). Lameness prevalence increased with increasing parity; compared with first parity, cows in parity 2, 3, and ≥ 4 had 1.6, 3.3, and 4 times, respectively, higher odds of being lame. Furthermore, the odds of lameness were 1.6 times greater in cows with low body condition score (≤ 2.5) than in cows with a higher body condition score. In addition, injured hocks and overgrown claws were associated with 1.4- and 1.7-fold increased odds of being lame, respectively, whereas every 1 kg increase in daily milk production was associated with a 3% decrease in the odds of being lame. Lameness prevalence was higher in herds with ≤ 100 cows, but lower in barns with a sand or dirt stall base, or with bedding ≥ 2 cm deep. Cows exposed to very slippery floors had 2 times the odds of being lame compared with cows exposed to nonslippery floors. We attributed the wide range of lameness prevalence to the great variability in facilities and management practices among farms. Finally, we inferred that the prevalence of lameness could be decreased by improving management of multiparous, thin, or injured cows and by adopting management practices intended to improve cow comfort, namely the floor's slip resistance and the stall's lying surface. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Effects of ractopamine hydrochloride on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and physiological response to different handling techniques.

    PubMed

    Hagenmaier, J A; Reinhardt, C D; Ritter, M J; Calvo-Lorenzo, M S; Vogel, G J; Guthrie, C A; Siemens, M G; Lechtenberg, K F; Rezac, D J; Thomson, D U

    2017-05-01

    Feedlot cattle ( = 128; BW = 549 ± 60 kg) were used to evaluate the effects of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) on growth performance, physiological response to handling, and mobility during shipment for slaughter in a study utilizing a split-plot design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: 1) diet (CON [no β-adrenergic agonist] vs. RAC [400 mg·animal·d ractopamine hydrochloride for 28 d]) and 2) handling intensity (HI; low-stress handling [LSH; cattle moved at a walking pace with no electric prod use] vs. high-stress handling [HSH; cattle moved at a minimum of a trot and an electric prod applied while in the alley for posthandling restraint and during loading for shipment to the abattoir]). Cattle fed RAC tended to have greater ADG and G:F ( = 0.06), and had greater HCW and LM area ( = 0.04). The HI treatments were applied on the day after the 28-d growth performance period. Blood samples were collected before HI treatment (baseline), after HI treatments (POSTHAND), after transport to the abattoir (POSTTRANS), and during exsanguination at slaughter. A diet × HI interaction ( = 0.01) was observed in the change in cortisol from baseline to POSTTRANS, and there tended ( ≤ 0.07) to be diet × HI interactions for the change in epinephrine from baseline to POSTHAND and for the change in creatine kinase (CK) from baseline to POSTTRANS. Feeding RAC and HSH both increased the change from baseline to POSTHAND in norepinephrine and pH ( ≤ 0.05). The HSH cattle also had greater changes from baseline to POSTHAND in blood HCO, base excess, partial pressure of CO, lactate, cortisol, and glucose ( ≤ 0.01). Ractopamine and HSH both produced greater increases in CK concentrations from baseline to slaughter ( < 0.01). Mobility was not affected by RAC at the feedlot or following an average 6-h lairage ( ≥ 0.43). This study confirms RAC improves growth performance and suggests metabolic acidosis, a precursor to fatigued cattle syndrome, develops in cattle allowed to trot without the use of a lead rider regardless of RAC administration. Cattle fed RAC displayed altered hormonal responses to handling and transport stress, and the overall proportion of cattle with compromised mobility appears to increase later in the marketing channel. These findings warrant additional research aimed at better understanding the physiological response to stress and protect the welfare of cattle during shipment for slaughter.

  3. Dairy cow preferences for soft or hard flooring when standing or walking.

    PubMed

    Telezhenko, E; Lidfors, L; Bergsten, C

    2007-08-01

    Concrete is the most commonly used alley flooring in confined dairy herds because of its qualities of construction and ease of cleaning. Nevertheless, the hardness, abrasiveness, and slipperiness of concrete floors have adverse effects on animal well-being and health, and yielding rubber flooring is becoming popular as a way of improving the flooring conditions on walkways. The aim of this study was to investigate preferences of dairy cows for rubber compared with concrete flooring under the conditions of a commercial dairy farm. The study was conducted in an organic dairy herd with free-stall housing. Floor preference was tested on groups of standing cows in a 120-m2 holding pen before milking, and 1 yr later on a 12- x 3-m walkway. The holding pen and the walkway were divided lengthwise into 2 identical sections. Two types of solid rubber mats (soft and extra soft) were tested against solid concrete in the holding pen. Slatted and solid rubber mats were tested against slatted concrete in the walkway. Each floor type was tested over 4 d on the left side and 4 d on the right side of the holding pen and the walkway, respectively. Concrete flooring on both sides of the sections was tested as a control before the testing of different section materials. All observations of the distribution of cows in the sections were made from video recordings captured in association with the afternoon milking. The number of cows on each section was recorded approximately every 7 min in the holding pen, and continuously on the walkway. A significantly higher proportion of cows stood on the side with the soft and extra soft rubber mats (65.1 +/- 2.7 and 69.3 +/- 2.6%, respectively, mean +/- SEM) compared with the control distribution when only the solid concrete was available (50.9 +/- 3.9%). A significantly higher proportion of nonlame cows walked exclusively on the side with the slatted (64.5 +/- 5.4%, d 4) or solid rubber mats (68.2 +/- 5.1%, d 4) compared with controls (28.9 +/- 4.3%). Lame cows within a group of walking cows did not show a higher preference for soft flooring as distinct as nonlame cows (52.7 +/- 6.9 and 59.4 +/- 6.2% for the solid and slatted rubber mats, respectively, at d 4 vs. 40.3 +/- 6.2% for control), presumably because of competition with other, higher ranked cows. It was concluded that the majority of cows preferred to walk and stand on soft rubber rather than on concrete flooring.

  4. Automatization of an inverse surface temperature modelling procedure for Greenland ice cores, developed and evaluated using nitrogen and argon isotope data measured on the Gisp2 ice core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Döring, Michael; Kobashi, Takuro; Leuenberger, Markus

    2017-04-01

    In order to study Northern Hemisphere climate interactions and variability during the Holocene, access to high resolution surface temperature records of the Greenland ice sheet is an integral condition. Surface temperature reconstruction relies on firn densification combined with gas and heat diffusion [Severinghaus et al. (1998)]. In this study we use the model developed by Schwander et al. (1997). A theoretical δ15N record is generated for different temperature scenarios and compared with measurements by minimizing the mean squared error (MSE). The goal of the presented study is an automatization of this inverse modelling procedure. To solve the inverse problem, the Holocene temperature reconstruction is implemented in three steps. First a rough first guess temperature input (prior) is constructed which serves as the starting point for the optimization. Second, a smooth solution which transects the δ15N measurement data is generated following a Monte Carlo approach. It is assumed that the smooth solution contains all long term temperature trends and (together with the accumulation rate input) drives changes in firn column height, which generate the gravitational background signal in δ15N. Finally, the smooth solution is superimposed with high frequency information directly extracted from the δ15N measurement data. Following the approach, a high resolution Holocene temperature history for the Gisp2 site was extracted (posteriori), which leads to modelled δ15N data that fits the measurements in the low permeg level (MSE) and shows excellent agreement in timing and strength of the measurement variability. To evaluate the reconstruction procedure different synthetic data experiments were conducted underlining the quality of the method. Additionally, a second firn model [Goujon et al. (2003)] was used, which leads to very similar results, that shows the robustness of the presented approach. References: Goujon, C., Barnola, J.-M., Ritz, C. (2003). Modeling the densification of polar firn including heat diffusion: Application to close-off characteristics and gas isotopic fractionation for Antarctica and Greenland sites. J. Geophys. Res.,108, NO. D24, 4792. Severinghaus, J. P., Sowers, T., Brook, E. J., Alley, R. B., and Bender, M. L. (1998). Timing of abrupt climate change at the end of the Younger Dryas interval from thermally fractionated gases in polar ice. Nature, 391:141-146. Schwander, J., Sowers, T., Barnola, J., Blunier, T., Fuchs, A., and Malaizé, B. (1997). Age scale of the air in the summit ice: implication for glacial-interglacial temperature change. J. Geophys. Res-Atmos., 102(D16):19483-19493.

  5. Geochemistry of surface and pore water at USGS coring sites in wetlands of South Florida, 1994 and 1995

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Orem, William H.; Lerch, Harry E.; Rawlik, Peter

    2002-01-01

    In this report, we present preliminary data on surface and pore water geochemistry from 22 sites in south Florida sampled during 1994 and 1995. These results are part of a larger study designed to evaluate the role of biogeochemical processes in sediments in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur in the south Florida ecosystem. The data are briefly discussed in regard to regional trends in the concentrations of chemical species, and general diagenetic processes in sediments. These results are part of a larger study designed to evaluate the role of biogeochemical processes in sediments in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur in the south Florida ecosystem. These elements play a crucial role in regulating organic sedimentation, nutrient dynamics, redox conditions, and the biogeochemistry of mercury in the threatened wetlands of south Florida. Pore water samples for chemical analyis were obtained using a piston corer/squeezer designed to avoid compression of the sediment and avoid oxidation and contamination of the pore water samples. Results show distinct regional trends in both surface water and pore water geochemistry. Most chemical species in surface and pore water show peak concentrations in Water Conservation Area 2A, with diminishing concentrations to the south and west into Water Conservation Area 3A, and Everglades National Park. The largest differences observed were for phosphate and sulfide, with concentrations in pore waters in Water Conservation Area 2A up to 500x higher than concentrations observed in freshwater marsh areas of Water Conservation Area 3A and Everglades National Park. Sites near the Hillsboro Canal in Water Conservation Area 2A are heavily contaminated with both phosphorus and sulfur. Pore water profiles for dissolved reactive phosphate suggest that recycling of phosphorus at these contaminated sites occurs primarily in the upper 20 cm of sediment. High levels of sulfide in pore water in Water Conservation Area 2A may inhibit mercury methylation here. At sites in Water Conservation Area 3A south of Alligator Alley, sulfide levels are much lower and sulfate reduction in the sediments here may be conducive to methyl mercury formation. Concentration versus depth profiles of biogeochemically important chemical species in pore water at most sites are smoth curves amenable to modelling using standard diagenetic equations. This should allow prediction of rates of biogeochemical processes in these sediments for incorporation in ecosystem models.

  6. An assessment tool to help producers improve cow comfort on their farms.

    PubMed

    Vasseur, E; Gibbons, J; Rushen, J; Pellerin, D; Pajor, E; Lefebvre, D; de Passillé, A M

    2015-01-01

    Effective management and an appropriate environment are essential for dairy cattle health and welfare. Codes of practice provide dairy producers with best practice guidance for the care and handling of their cattle. New Canadian recommendations have been established for the dairy industry. The objectives of this study were to develop an on-farm assessment tool that helps producers assess how well they are meeting their code of practice and that identifies management and environment modifications that could improve dairy cow comfort on their farms. The assessment tool addressed critical areas of dairy cow comfort, including accommodation and housing (stall design, space allowance, stall management, pen management, milking parlor, and transfer alleys), feed and water (body condition scoring, nutrition), and health and welfare (lameness, claw health, and hoof-trimming). Targets of good practices were identified from the requirements and recommendations of the code of practice. Each farm received a score for each target, ranging from 0 (target not reached) to 100 (target reached). One hundred tiestall and 110 freestall farms were surveyed in 3 provinces of Canada (Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta). The duration of the assessment, in 2 visits lasting, on average, 8 and 9h (range between freestall and tiestall farms) and 4 and 4.1h, was beyond the targeted 3 to 4h due mainly to the animal-based measures; strategies to reduce the duration of the assessment were discussed. Standard operating procedures were developed to ensure consistency in measuring and recording data. Periodical checks were conducted by trainers to ensure all 15 assessors remained above target agreement of weighted kappa ≥0.6. Average scores for all critical areas ranged from 25 to 89% for freestall farms and from 48 to 95% for tiestall farms. These scores need to be considered with caution when comparing farms because scores could not always be calculated the same way between housing systems. An evaluation report was provided and discussed with each producer, identifying strengths and areas for improvement that could benefit dairy cow comfort on their farms. The producers were convinced of the effectiveness of our tool for assessing cow comfort (freestall: 86%; tiestall: 95%) and in assisting them to make decisions for improvements (freestall: 83%; tiestall: 93%). Our cow comfort assessment tool served as background material for the Dairy Farmers of Canada animal care assessment program. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Prevalence of and factors associated with hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cows in freestall housing in Canada.

    PubMed

    Zaffino Heyerhoff, J C; LeBlanc, S J; DeVries, T J; Nash, C G R; Gibbons, J; Orsel, K; Barkema, H W; Solano, L; Rushen, J; de Passillé, A M; Haley, D B

    2014-01-01

    Injuries are a widespread problem in the dairy industry. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of and explore the animal-based and environmental factors associated with hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cows in freestall housing in Ontario and Alberta, Canada. Freestall dairy farms in the provinces of Ontario (n=40) and Alberta (n=50) were visited for cross-sectional data collection. A purposive sample of 40 lactating Holstein cows was selected for detailed observation on each farm. Cows were scored for hock, knee, and neck injuries on a 3- or 4-point scale, combining the attributes of hair loss, broken skin, and swelling and with a higher score indicating a more severe injury. The highest hock and highest knee score were used in the analysis. Animal-based and environmental measures were taken to explore which factors were associated with injury. Overall, the prevalence of cows with at least one hock, knee, and neck injury was 47, 24, and 9%, respectively. Lame cows had a greater odds of hock injury [odds ratio (OR)=1.46] than nonlame cows, whereas cows with fewer days in milk (DIM) had reduced odds of hock injury compared with those >120 DIM (OR=0.47, 0.64, and 0.81 for <50, 50-82, and 83-120 DIM, respectively). The odds of hock injury was lower on sand (OR=0.07) and concrete (OR=0.44) stall bases in comparison to mattresses. Conversely, the odds of knee injury was greater on concrete (OR=3.19) stall bases compared with mattresses. Cows in parity 1 (OR=0.45 and 0.27 for knee and neck injury, respectively) and 2 (OR=0.49 and 0.40 for knee and neck injury, respectively) had lower odds of knee and neck injury compared with cows in parity 4+. Low feed rail heights increased the odds of neck injury (OR=76.71 for rails between 128 and 140 cm and OR=43.82 for rails ≤128 cm). The odds of knee injury was greater on farms where any cows were observed slipping or falling when moving into the holding area for milking (OR=2.69) and lower on farms with rubber flooring in the alley along the feed bunk compared with bare concrete floors (OR=0.19). These results demonstrate that individual animal characteristics, as well as barn design and animal management, are associated with hock, knee, and neck injuries. These data can help to guide investigations into causes and prevention of injuries. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Surgery for atrial fibrillation.

    PubMed

    Viganò, M; Graffigna, A; Ressia, L; Minzioni, G; Pagani, F; Aiello, M; Gazzoli, F

    1996-01-01

    The mechanisms of atrial fibrillation arc multiple reentry circuits spinning around the atrial surface, and these baffle any attempt to direct surgical interruption. The purpose of this article is to report the surgical experience in the treatment of isolated and concomitant atrial fibrillation at the Cardiac Surgical Institute of the University of Pavia. In cases of atrial fibrillation secondary to mitral/valve disease, surgical isolation of the left atrium at the time of mitral valve surgery can prevent atrial fibrillation from involving the right atrium, which can exert its diastolic pump function on the right ventricle. Left atrial isolation was performed on 205 patients at the time of mitral valve surgery. Atrial partitioning ("maze operation") creates straight and blind atrial alleys so that non-recentry circuits can take place. Five patients underwent this procedure. In eight-cases of atrial fibrillation secondary to atrial septal defect, the adult patients with atrial septal defect and chronic or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation underwent surgical isolation of the right atrium associated which surgical correction of the defect, in order to let sinus rhythm govern the left atrium and the ventricles. "Lone" atrial fibrillation occurs in hearts with no detectable organic disease. Bi-atrial isolation with creation of an atrial septal internodal "corridor" was performed on 14 patients. In cases of atrial fibrillation secondary to mitral valve disease, left atrial isolation was performed on 205 patients at the time of mitral valve surgery with an overall sinus rhythm recovery of 44%. In the same period, sinus rhythm was recovered and persisted in only 19% of 252 patients who underwent mitral valve replacement along (P < 0.001). Sinus rhythm was less likely to recover in patients with right atriomegaly requiring tricuspid valve annuloplasty: 59% vs 84% (P < 0.001). Restoration of the right atrial function raised the cardiac index from 2.25 +/- 0.55 1/min per m2 during atrial fibrillation to 2.54 +/- 0.58 1/min per m2, with a mean percentage increase in cardiac index of 13.5% (P < 0.00018). Atrial partitioning ("maze operation") was performed on five patients with an immediate sinus rhythm recovery of 100%, but with two patients requiring pacemaker implant. Seven out of eight patients (87.5%), with atrial fibrillation secondary to atrial septal defect, who underwent surgical isolation of the right atrium at the time of surgery were free from atrial fibrillation and without medications. 2-52 months after operation. Thirteen of 14 patients with "lone" atrial fibrillation who underwent corridor procedure remained in sinus rhythm with a sinus rhythm recovery rate of 92%. Different surgical options can be chosen for different cases of atrial fibrillation, according to the underlying cardiac disease.

  9. Changes in hoof health and animal hygiene in a dairy herd after covering concrete slatted floor with slatted rubber mats: a case study.

    PubMed

    Ahrens, F; Platz, S; Link, C; Mahling, M; Meyer, H H D; Erhard, M H

    2011-05-01

    The objective was to investigate the effect of changing the flooring in the alleys of a barn from slatted concrete to slatted rubber mats on hoof disorders and animal hygiene in 44 loose-housed Brown Swiss dairy cows. Cows were examined for disorders of the hind hooves (hemorrhages, white line fissures, ulcers, heel horn erosion, and digital dermatitis) and for skin lesions. The dirtiness of the animals and of the floor was recorded. Climatic (temperature, humidity) and ammonia gas conditions were measured. Evaluations were carried out when the cows were housed on a concrete slatted floor and after 4 and 10 mo on soft flooring (slatted rubber mats, 29-mm thick). The anatomical portion of claw (medial, lateral), number of lactations (parity), and days in milk were included as covariates in the statistical model. Changing the flooring from slatted concrete to slatted rubber mats increased the score for white line fissures [1.0 ± 0.3 (concrete) vs. 2.5 ± 0.4 (10 mo rubber mats)] and influenced air humidity (i.e., the difference in the absolute humidity between the inside and outside of the barn increased from 1.5 ± 0.1 to 1.7 ± 0.2g/m(3)), whereas the other hoof disorders, skin lesions (score of 8.7 ± 0.3), the dirtiness of the animals (score of 5.9 ± 0.3), and the floor (score of 2.1 ± 0.1), and ammonia gas concentration (2.6 ± 0.3mg/kg) were not affected (overall scores or measures; mean ± SE). Lateral claws were more affected (except for heel horn erosion) than medial claws (estimated effects between 1.3 ± 0.2 and 3.0 ± 0.6). Parity influenced hoof disorders (except for hemorrhages) and skin lesions (estimated effects between -0.6 ± 0.3 and 0.5 ± 0.2). Days in milk influenced hoof disorders, but had no effect on skin lesions and on the dirtiness of the animal. Irrespective of floor type, the slots (2.6 ± 0.1) were dirtier than the slats (1.6 ± 0.1). In conclusion, covering slatted concrete flooring with slatted rubber mats partially impaired hoof health but did not influence skin lesions or the dirtiness of the cows or the floor. Similar results were found for climatic conditions, as ammonia gas concentration was not affected, but absolute humidity increased in the barn when rubber mats were present. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Effect of shade on animal welfare, growth performance, and carcass characteristics in large pens of beef cattle fed a beta agonist in a commercial feedlot.

    PubMed

    Hagenmaier, J A; Reinhardt, C D; Bartle, S J; Thomson, D U

    2016-12-01

    Feedlot cattle ( = 1,395; BW = 568 ± 43 kg) were used to evaluate the effects of shade on animal welfare, growth performance, and carcass quality during the summer of 2013 in a Kansas commercial feedlot. Seven lots of predominately black steers and heifers (4 and 3, respectively) visually determined to be approaching the final mo on feed were identified, randomly gate-sorted, and allocated to pens located across the feed alley from each other to receive 1 of 2 treatments: 1) Shade (mean shade area = 1.5 m/ animal) or 2) No shade. Shade was provided using a 13-ounce polyethylene fabric and pens were oriented northwest to southeast. The mean starting date was June 13 and the mean days on feed for lots while on the study was 38 d. Cattle were fed a 77.67% DM steam-flaked corn-based diet and had ad libitum access to water throughout the duration of the trial. Zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZIL) was included in the finishing ration at an inclusion rate of 8.3 mg/kg of DM for the last 20 d on feed with a 3 d withdrawal period. Pen floor temperatures (PFT) were measured using an infrared thermometer and prevalence of cattle open-mouth breathing (OMB) was recorded on a pen basis. In addition to shade treatment, the effect of temperature humidity index (THI) on PFT and OMB was analyzed by classifying days as either "Alert" (THI < 79) or "Danger" (THI > 79). On the day of slaughter, pens within a replicate were kept separate through all stages of the marketing channel from loading at the feedlot until stunning at the plant. Pen served as the experimental unit for all measurements. There was a THI × shade treatment interaction for PFT and OMB ( < 0.001) where days classified as "Danger" increased PFT and prevalence of OMB compared to "Alert" days in unshaded but not shaded cattle. Shaded cattle had greater DMI ( = 0.01); however, unshaded cattle had greater G:F ( = 0.05) and therefore no differences were observed in ADG ( = 0.39). Shaded cattle had greater dressing percentage ( = 0.01), although HCW, LM area, fat thickness, marbling score, and quality grade did not differ between treatments ( > 0.05). Heat stress, a significant animal welfare concern and cause of reduced performance in feedlot cattle during the final phase of the feeding period, was alleviated in shaded cattle and illustrates the importance of shade provision as 1 tool to protect the welfare and increase feed consumption in large pens of feedlot cattle during hot summer months.

  11. The Arctic Grand Challenge: Abrupt Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilkniss, P. E.

    2003-12-01

    Trouble in polar paradise (Science, 08/30/02), significant changes in the Arctic environment are scientifically documented (R.E. Moritz et al. ibid.). More trouble, lots more, "abrupt climate change," (R. B. Alley, et al. Science 03/28/03). R. Corell, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment team (ACIA), "If you want to see what will happen in the rest of the world 25 years from now just look what's happening in the Arctic," (Arctic Council meeting, Iceland, 08/03). What to do? Make abrupt Arctic climate change a grand challenge for the IPY-4 and beyond! Scientifically:Describe the "state" of the Arctic climate system as succinctly as possible and accept it as the point of departure.Develop a hypothesis and criteria what constitutes "abrupt climate change," in the Arctic that can be tested with observations. Observations: Bring to bear existing observations and coordinate new investments in observations through an IPY-4 scientific management committee. Make the new Barrow, Alaska, Global Climate Change Research Facility a major U.S. contribution and focal point for the IPY-4 in the U.S Arctic. Arctic populations, Native peoples: The people of the North are living already, daily, with wrenching change, encroaching on their habitats and cultures. For them "the earth is faster now," (I. Krupnik and D. Jolly, ARCUS, 2002). From a political, economic, social and entirely realistic perspective, an Arctic grand challenge without the total integration of the Native peoples in this effort cannot succeed. Therefore: Communications must be established, and the respective Native entities must be approached with the determination to create well founded, well functioning, enduring partnerships. In the U.S. Arctic, Barrow with its long history of involvement and active support of science and with the new global climate change research facility should be the focal point of choice Private industry: Resource extraction in the Arctic followed by oil and gas consumption, return the combustion products as greenhouse gases to their regions of origin. Thus multinational company operations are affected by their own activities. There is a strong, convincing case, that these industrial giants must be involved in Arctic partnerships of the grand challenge. A most instructive, very successful example is the collaboration by the chemical companies after the discovery of the polar ozone holes, followed by the replacement of the culprit chlorofluorocarbon compounds. Public relations and involvement/education: The IPY offers a unique opportunity to showcase and drive home, into homes, the seriousness of the issue, Hollywood/Madison Avenue/ NASA style, nothing else will do. Ultimately we need to be mindful that "civilizations are ephemeral compared to species. -What we need is a primer on science, clearly written and unambiguous in its meaning-a primer for anyone interested in the state of the Earth and how to survive and live well on it." (James Lovelock, Science, 08/05/98). - Let's start in the Arctic-NOW.

  12. A Lunar Laser Retroreflector for the FOR the 21ST Century (LLRRA-21): Selenodesy, Science and Status

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Currie, D. G.; Delle Monache, G.; Dell'Agnello, S.

    2010-12-01

    The Lunar Laser Ranging Program using the Apollo Cube Corner Retroreflector (CCR) Arrays [1] has operated as the only active experiment on the lunar surface for the past 4 decades. During this time it has provided control points for the lunar coordinate system, contributed to the determination of the physical properties of the moon and provided some of the best tests of General Relativity [2]. In terms of the physical properties of the moon, Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) has detected, evaluated the shape and the frictional behavior of the boundaries of the liquid core. This and other areas will be addressed. The LLR Program has evaluated the PPN parameters, addressed the possible changes in the gravitational constant and the properties of the self-energy of the gravitational field. Initially the Apollo CCRs contributed a negligible fraction of the ranging error. Over the decades, the ground stations have improved by more than a factor of 200. Now, the existing Apollo retroreflector arrays contribute a significant fraction of the limiting errors in the range measurements due to the lunar librations tilting of the array of CCRs and thus contribution to the spreading of the return laser pulse. The University of Maryland, as the Principal Investigator for the original Apollo arrays, is now proposing a new approach to the Lunar Laser Array technology [3]. The investigation of this new technology, by two teams with Professor Currie as PI, is currently being supported by two NASA programs, the LSSO and LUNAR. The LUNAR program at the University of Colorado the is funded through the NLSI. Both LSSO and the LUNAR programs are in collaboration with the INFN-LNF in Frascati, Italy. After the proposed installation during the next lunar landing, the new arrays will support ranging observations that are a factor 100 more accurate than the current Apollo Cube Corner Retroreflector (CCR) Arrays. The new fundamental selenodetic, cosmological physics and the lunar physics [3] that this new LLRRA-21 can provide will be described. In the initial design of the new array, there are three major challenges: 1) Validate the ability to fabricate the required CCR; 2) Address the thermal and optical effects of the absorption of solar radiation within the CCR; 3) Validate an emplacement technique for the CCR package on the lunar surface to remain stable over the lunar day/night cycle and the long term. References: [1] C. O. Alley 1, R. F. Chang 1, D. G. Currie 1, Apollo 11 Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector: Initial Measurements from the McDonald Observatory Science 23 January 1970: Vol. 167. no. 3917, pp. 368 - 370 [2] P. L. Bender, D. G. Currie, S. K. Poultney The Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment Science 19 October 1973: Vol. 182. no. 4109, pp. 229 - 238 [3] D. G. Currie; S. Dell-Agnello; G. Delle Monache. A LUNAR LASER REFLECTOR FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Acta Astronatica to be published

  13. Pairing Essential Climate Science with Sustainable Energy Information: the "EARTH-The Operators' Manual" experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akuginow, E.; Alley, R. B.; Haines-Stiles, G.

    2010-12-01

    Social science research on the effective communication of climate science suggests that today's audiences may be effectively engaged by presenting information about Earth's climate in the context of individual and community actions that can be taken to increase energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions. "EARTH-The Operators' Manual" (ETOM) is an informal science education and outreach project supported by NSF, comprising three related components: a 3-part broadcast television mini-series; on-site outreach at 5 major science centers and natural history museums strategically located across the USA; and a website with innovative social networking tools. A companion tradebook, written by series presenter and Penn State glaciologist Richard Alley, is to be published by W. W. Norton in spring 2011. Program 1, THE BURNING QUESTION, shows how throughout human history our need for energy has been met by burning wood, whale oil and fossil fuels, but notes that fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide which inevitably change the composition of Earth's atmosphere. The program uses little known stories (such as US Air Force atmospheric research immediately after WW2, looking at the effect of CO2 levels on heat-seeking missiles, and Abraham Lincoln's role in the founding of the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy's role in solving navigation problems during the Civil War) to offer fresh perspectives on essential but sometimes disputed aspects of climate science: that today's levels of CO2 are unprecedented in the last 400,000 and more years; that human burning of fossil fuel is the scientifically-proven source, and that multiple lines of evidence show Earth is warming. Program 2, TEN WAYS TO KEEP TEN BILLION SMILING, offers a list of appealing strategies (such as "Get Rich and Save the World": Texas & wind energy, and "Do More with Less": how glow worms make cool light without waste heat, suggesting a role for organic LEDs) to motivate positive responses to the considerable challenge of supplying clean energy to a growing population. Additional scenes have been filmed in Brazil, Spain, China, Morocco, Scotland, and across America, including at the National Renewable Energy Lab. in Denver, CO, and New Orleans. Program 3 (presently untitled and targeted for 2012) will feature American communities seeking to increase energy efficiency and minimize carbon emissions. The Fall 2010 AGU presentation will include video clips from the series, initial findings from focus groups (coordinated by project evaluator, Rockman Et Al) as to what information has been found most compelling to potential audiences, and a description of plans being developed by the project's science center partners in San Diego CA, Portland OR, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Fort Worth TX and Raleigh NC. "EARTH-The Operators' Manual" is an experiment to determine the effectiveness of these activities to reach audiences who, according to surveys, have actually become less convinced of anthropogenic climate change, while remaining supportive of investments in advancing clean energy opportunities.

  14. Spatial Patterns of Long-Term Erosion Rates Beneath the Marine West Antarctic Ice Sheet: Insights into the Physics of Continental Scale Glacial Erosion from a Comparison with the Ice-Velocity Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howat, I. M.; Tulaczyk, S.; Mac Gregor, K.; Joughin, I.

    2001-12-01

    As part of the effort to build quantitative models of glacial erosion and sedimentation, it is particularly important to construct scaled relations between erosion, transport, and sedimentation rates and appropriate glaciological variables (e.g., ice velocity). Recent acquisition of bed topography and ice velocity data for the marine West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS)[Joughin et al., 1999; Lythe et al., in press] provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate continental-scale patterns of glacial erosion and their relationship to the ice velocity field. Utilizing this data, we construct a map of estimated long-term erosion rates beneath the WAIS. In order to calculate long-term erosion rates from the available data, we assume that: (1) the ice sheet has been present for ~5 mill. years, (2) the initial topography beneath the WAIS was that of a typical ( ~200 m.b.s.l.) continental shelf, and (3) the present topography is near local isostatic equilibrium (Airy type). The map of long-term erosion rates constructed in this fashion shows an intriguing pattern of relatively high rates (of the order of 0.1 mm/yr) concentrated beneath modern ice stream tributaries (ice velocity ~100 m/yr), but much lower erosion rates (of the order of 0.01 mm/yr) beneath both the modern fast-moving ice streams ( ~400 m/yr.) and the slow-moving parts of the ice sheet ( ~10 m/yr). This lack of clear correlation between the estimated erosion rates and ice velocity is somewhat unexpected given that both observational and theoretical studies have shown that bedrock erosion rates beneath mountain glaciers can often be calculated by multiplying the basal sliding velocity by a constant (typically of the order of ~10^-4)(Humphrey and Raymond, 1993 and Mac Gregor et al., 2000). We obtain an improved match between estimated erosion rates and bed topography by calculating erosion rates using horizontal gradients within the ice velocity field rather than the magnitude of ice velocity, as consistent with the steady state deforming till model of Cuffey and Alley (1997). Therefore, we hypothesize that the erosional system beneath the WAIS, which has overridden a thick layer of erodible, Tertiary marine sediments (Studinger et al., in press), is 'transport limited' and that the horizontal gradients in ice velocity and till flux have the predominant control over spatial patterns of subglacial erosion and deposition rates. In contrast, past studies of erosional systems have concentrated on mountain glaciers that derive their debris through erosion of hard bedrock. In those cases, the erosional system may be 'production limited' because erosion rates scale with dissipation of gravitational energy, represented by the velocity-times-constant equation. Thus, this concept of a 'transport limited' system represents a deviation from past thinking regarding the dynamics of bed erosion, and may be unique to marine-based ice sheets. Using this concept as a base, we will construct more accurately parameterized models to better define the relationship between the dynamics of ice streams and the character of the sub glacial bed.

  15. Reaching Out Beyond The "Usual Suspects" And Traditional Media: Re-Branding Climate Change As A Problem With Feasible Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haines-Stiles, G.; Akuginow, E.; Alley, R. B.

    2012-12-01

    "Earth: The Operators' Manual" (ETOM) was an experiment, funded by NSF, to see how combining PBS TV broadcasts, online resources including both website and social media, plus on-site events at science centers could engage and inform large public audiences about both the science of climate change and renewable energy solutions. ETOM was structured to address the findings of social science researchers indicating that scaring audiences into changed behavior through doom and gloom scenarios was unlikely to work. While the three primetime broadcasts were relatively traditional in approach—classic public TV hours presented by noted geoscientist, Richard Alley—focus groups tested the impact of introducing him as a "church-going, registered Republican." Findings indicated this would engage a wider audience. Alley's key science arguments were also repackaged into a series of nine "How to Talk to an Ostrich" videos, complete with actual ostrich sounds, and encouraging viewers to ASK ETOM further questions about common misperceptions. The ClimateBite blog said, "Simply the best short videos on climate. Ever… each segment a clear, concise and compelling climate story, in everyday language, with great visuals." In addition, web-exclusive videos profiled diverse "Energy Heroes" such as West Texas rancher Steve Oatman, Fort Worth solar enthusiast, German Vasquez, and Baltimore "Energy Captain," Robbyn Lewis. Understanding that who says what is as important as what is said, ETOM featured an unusual and diverse set of "messengers." Houston's Mayor, Annise Parker, explained why she wanted her city to be America's renewable energy capital, and Marine Brigadier General Bob Hedelund argued that cutting back on fossil fuel could save soldiers' lives. West Texas cotton farmer Cliff Etheredge participated in outreach events in Washington DC, and high-ranking former military men were part of MILITARY GOES GREEN events in Raleigh NC and San Diego. Surveys and focus groups showed audiences responding positively to this strategy. ETOM analyzed surveys of website usage gathered as part of project evaluation and consulted with social marketing experts, including some who had developed the TRUTH campaign that proved effective in cutting teen tobacco usage. Based on their input, ETOM developed a "brand"—emphasizing a positive response to the undoubted reality of climate change through an emphasis on the practicality of renewable energy. ETOM relaunched its website and social media pages to support the Earth Day/April 2012 premieres of the three PBS specials, back to back on Earth Day. Numbers of Facebook "Likes" grew quickly, sometimes surpassing similar climate change education projects that had begun years earlier. Lessons learned (from online surveys and focus groups) included the critical importance of compelling visuals, although with stills performing better than short videos. However, contrary to the expectations of our social media consultants, factual information, often no more than 3 short sentences with a memorable statistic (such as Germany one day getting 50% of its total electricity from solar) proved even more popular than "Energy Heroes" and personal profiles. At AGU, for the first time, we will report qualitative and quantitative findings from the Summative Evaluation indicating both successes and challenges.

  16. A Paradigm shift to an Old Scheme for Outgoing Longwave Radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDonald, Alastair B.

    2016-04-01

    There are many cases where the climate models do not agree with the empirical data. For instance, the data from radiosondes (and MSUs) do not show the amount of warming in the upper troposphere that is predicted by the models (Thorne et al. 2011). The current scheme for outgoing longwave radiation can be traced back to the great 19th Century French mathematician J-B Joseph Fourier. His anachronistic idea was that the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) is maintained by the conduction of heat from the surface (Fourier 1824). It was based on comparing the atmosphere to the 18th Century Swiss scientist H-B de Saussure's hotbox which he had invented to show that solar radiation is only slightly absorbed by the atmosphere. Saussure also showed that thermal radiation existed and argued that the warmth of the air near the surface of the Earth is due to absorption of that infra red radiation (Saussure 1786). Hence a paradigm shift to Saussure's scheme, where the thermal radiation is absorbed at the base of the atmosphere, rather than throughout the atmosphere as in Fourier's scheme, may solve many climate models problems. In this new paradigm the boundary layer continually exchanges radiation with the surface. Thus only at two instants during the day is there no net gain or loss of heat by the boundary layer from the surface, and so that layer is not in LTE. Moreover, since the absorption of outgoing longwave radiation is saturated within the boundary layer, it has little influence on the TOA balance. That balance is mostly maintained by changes in albedo, e.g. clouds and ice sheets. Use of this paradigm can explain why the excess warming in south western Europe was caused by water vapour close to the surface (Philipona et al. 2005), and may also explain why there are difficulties in closing the surface radiation balance (Wild et al. 2013) and in modelling abrupt climate change (White et al. 2013). References: Fourier, Joseph. 1824. 'Remarques Générales Sur Les Températures Du Globe Terrestre Et Des Espaces Planétaires.' Annales de Chimie et de Physique 27: 136-67, translated by Raymond T. Pierrehumbert http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7018/extref/432677a-s1.pdf Philipona, Rolf, Bruno Dürr, Atsumu Ohmura, and Christian Ruckstuhl. 2005. 'Anthropogenic Greenhouse Forcing and Strong Water Vapor Feedback Increase Temperature in Europe'. Geophysical Research Letters 32 (19): L19809. doi:10.1029/2005GL023624. Saussure, Horace-Benedict de. 1786. 'Chapter XXXV. Des Causes du Froid qui Regne sur les Montagnes'. In Voyages dans les Alpes, II:347-71. Neuchatel: Fauche-Borel. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1029499.r=.langFR, translated by Alastair B. McDonald, http://www.abmcdonald.freeserve.co.uk/saussure/CHAPTER%2035.pdf. Thorne, Peter W., Philip Brohan, Holly A. Titchner, et al. 2011. 'A Quantification of Uncertainties in Historical Tropical Tropospheric Temperature Trends from Radiosondes'. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 116 (D12): n/a - n/a. doi:10.1029/2010JD015487. Wild, Martin, Doris Folini, Christoph Schär, et al. 2013. 'The Global Energy Balance from a Surface Perspective'. Climate Dynamics 40 (11-12): 3107-34. doi:10.1007/s00382-012-1569-8. White, James W.C., Alley, Richard B., Archer, David E., et al. 2013. Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/18373.

  17. PBS Plus Facebook: The Old And New Communication Of Climate Science (Please "Like" And "Share" This Abstract)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alley, R. B.; Haines-Stiles, G.; Akuginow, E.

    2012-12-01

    Traditional and innovative communications strategies were combined in "Earth: The Operators' Manual" (ETOM; writer & director Geoff Haines-Stiles, producer Erna Akuginow, presenter Richard Alley). We attempted both a clear and accessible presentation of some key essentials of current climate science and an experiment in new messaging and new media for outreach and education. ETOM is a 3-part TV series broadcast by PBS ("…one of the more interesting documentary series to come along in years", said the New York Times) and a 320 plus page tradebook, with 110 pages of footnotes referencing peer-reviewed science, published by Norton. But it's also a lively and growing Facebook page with a clear voice sharing positive examples of how renewable energy can reduce polluting emissions here in the US and worldwide, alongside headlines of climate science, and a website—relaunched for the 2012 Earth Day PBS broadcasts—where all three programs can be streamed, and teachers can register to download HD segments for classroom use. The TV programs were designed to offer a highly accessible statement of core climate science, literally explaining how ice cores show us today's climate is changing in ways not seen in the last 800,000 thousand years and why physics and chemistry let us know "It's Us" who are changing CO2 levels in the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels. But the project's outreach components also includes a "Science Pub" in a converted theater in Portland, where the audience consumes food, drink and climate science, and "Adventures of a Climate Scientist in the Age of Politics and Punditry," a dynamic live performance recorded for TV and the web. Messaging includes a Navy Rear Admiral in dress whites explaining why the Pentagon believes climate change is real, and scenes showing Marines and Army implementing solar technologies to enhance mission security and reduce their carbon bootprint. Similarly, outreach events at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History and Sciences and on board the USS Midway in San Diego brought active military of various ranks to share their clean energy rationales. Supported by NSF, ETOM was shaped by social science research on public attitudes towards climate science from proposal through production and delivery. Solid science was coupled with successful solutions, avoiding "doom and gloom", reflecting work by Moser, Dietz, Stern, Roser-Renouf, Nisbet and others. The project consciously included on-camera statements by "unusual suspects" committed to clean and renewable energy, such as the Mayor of Houston, Texas, and plain-spoken West Texas farmers and ranchers welcoming wind energy. The third program, "Energy Quest USA", showed five geographically and demographically diverse communities (Alaska, Kansas, Baltimore MD, Fort Worth and Portland OR) taking positive steps towards sustainability through new approaches to energy conservation and efficiency, and newer, less polluting energy sources. As part of extensive project evaluation by Rockman Et Al, focus groups tested this strategy before the programs were finalized, and audience responses through online surveys and other methods indicate both the novelty and success of this approach. The evaluations show the success of "both/and" rather than "either/or", combining innovative elements with traditional elements of broadcast television and the tradebook.

  18. Iridium Ziegler-Type Hydrogenation Catalysts Made from [(1,5-COD)Ir( -O2C8H15)]2 and AlEt3: Spectroscopic and Kinetic Evidence for the Irn Species Present and for Nanoparticles as the Fastest Catalyst

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Alley, W.; Hamdemir, I; Wang, Q

    2010-01-01

    Ziegler-type hydrogenation catalysts, those made from a group 8-10 transition metal precatalyst and an AlR{sub 3} cocatalyst, are often used for large scale industrial polymer hydrogenation; note that Ziegler-type hydrogenation catalysts are not the same as Ziegler-Natta polymerization catalysts. A review of prior studies of Ziegler-type hydrogenation catalysts (Alley et al. J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem. 2010, 315, 1-27) reveals that a {approx}50 year old problem is identifying the metal species present before, during, and after Ziegler-type hydrogenation catalysis, and which species are the kinetically best, fastest catalysts-that is, which species are the true hydrogenation catalysts. Also of significant interestmore » is whether what we have termed 'Ziegler nanoclusters' are present and what their relative catalytic activity is. Reported herein is the characterization of an Ir Ziegler-type hydrogenation catalyst, a valuable model (vide infra) for the Co-based industrial Ziegler-type hydrogenation catalyst, made from the crystallographically characterized [(1,5-COD)Ir({mu}-O{sub 2}C{sub 8}H{sub 15})]{sub 2} precatalyst plus AlEt{sub 3}. Characterization of this Ir model system is accomplished before and after catalysis using a battery of physical methods including Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), high resolution (HR)TEM, and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. Kinetic studies plus Hg(0) poisoning experiments are then employed to probe which species are the fastest catalysts. The main findings herein are that (i) a combination of the catalyst precursors [(1,5-COD)Ir({mu}-O{sub 2}C{sub 8}H{sub 15})]{sub 2} and AlEt{sub 3} gives catalytically active solutions containing a broad distribution of Ir{sub n} species ranging from monometallic Ir complexes to nanometer scale, noncrystalline Ir{sub n} nanoclusters (up to Ir{sub {approx}100} by Z-contrast STEM) with the estimated mean Ir species being 0.5-0.7 nm, Ir{sub {approx}4-15} clusters considering the similar, but not identical results from the different analytical methods; furthermore, (ii) the mean Ir{sub n} species are practically the same regardless of the Al/Ir ratio employed, suggesting that the observed changes in catalytic activity at different Al/Ir ratios are primarily the result of changes in the form or function of the Al-derived component (and not due to significant AlEt{sub 3}-induced changes in initial Ir{sub n} nuclearity). However (iii), during hydrogenation, a shift in the population of Ir species toward roughly 1.0-1.6 nm, fcc Ir(0){sub {approx}40-150}, Ziegler nanoclusters occurs with, significantly, (iv) a concomitant increase in catalytic activity. Importantly, and although catalysis by discrete subnanometer Ir species is not ruled out by this study, (v) the increases in activity with increased nanocluster size, plus Hg(0) poisoning studies, provide the best evidence to date that the approximately 1.0-1.6 nm, fcc Ir(0){sub {approx}40-150}, heterogeneous Ziegler nanoclusters are the fastest catalysts in this industrially related catalytic hydrogenation system (and in the simplest, Ockham's Razor interpretation of the data). In addition, (vi) Ziegler nanoclusters are confirmed to be an unusual, hydrocarbon-soluble, highly coordinatively unsaturated, Lewis-acid containing, and highly catalytically active type of nanocluster for use in other catalytic applications and other areas.« less

  19. Gust-Front and Outflow Related Waterspouts: Timely Warnings, Formation, and Impact on Public Safety

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cappucci, M.

    2013-12-01

    Massachusetts may be over a thousand miles away from the traditional "tornado alley", but as the deadly tornadoes that killed four on June 1st 2011 proved, we are not immune to such storms. Over the course of half a century or so, Massachusetts has bore witness to scores of tornadoes, including an F5 twister that touched down on June 9th 1953, resulting in the death of 94 people. Since this tornado, none other in the United States had caused as many deaths, until the Joplin, Missouri catastrophe of May 22, 2011 (161 deaths). In Massachusetts, however, storms of such destructive magnitude are generally confined to the western half of the state, as the June 1, 2011 tornadoes in South Central Massachusetts illustrated. Despite this, a recently observed trend has revealed that the eastern Massachusetts coastline may boast as many, if not more, tornadoes, albeit undocumented. On June 23rd, 2012, a strong thunderstorm produced a spectacular gust front over Boston Harbor. This gust front was associated with intense thunderstorm outflow that helped to spawn a waterspout that roared ashore in Scituate as an EF-0 tornado. This waterspout, however, developed ahead of the gust front, yet merged with the cloud structure of the outflow, hinting at a type of interaction between the thunderstorm downdraft and the waterspout. This tornado caused minor damage. A similar situation occurred in Plymouth, MA, on July 24th, when three waterspouts formed ahead of the gust front of a severe thunderstorm; one of these tempests roared ashore on White Horse Beach as an EF-0 storm, causing minor damage to the sum of a few hundred dollars. Photos taken of these spouts reveal their formation ahead of the gust front, with a downdraft/waterspout interaction similar to the situation of June 23rd. Time-lapse videography of the gust front taken moments after the dissipation of the spouts reveals a horizontally oriented vortex a few hundred meters ahead of the storm's outflow boundary. The spinning of this vortex is likely caused by friction between the cooler air subducting behind the gust front against the warmer air ahead of the front. The vortex, on occasion, may be tilted onto a vertical axis by the warmer air ahead of the front; this same warm air now infiltrates the vertically-oriented vortex, thus being stretched, and forming a small waterspout. Because the waterspouts, however, are under the influence of the cool air from the thunderstorm downdraft, the spouts may move erratically before being upended. Because of the inability for NWS (National Weather Service) radar domes to detect the microscale circulation associated with such gust-front related waterspouts, forecasters at NWS offices in Massachusetts will now focus on the predecessors of waterspout formation. Among these tell-tale parameters is a well-pronounced gust-front moving over warm ocean waters, as well as a sharp, highly localized temperature contrast between the air ahead of and behind the gust front. When the NWS believes that conditions will favor the development of gust-front related waterspouts that may move onshore, a special statement will now be broadcast through the EAS system in Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. Mariners will benefit as well, with Special Marine Warnings advising caution on ';short-lived waterspouts'. Despite these alterations in NWS offices in Massachusetts, much has yet to be done to warn the public of the dangers associated with gust-front related waterspouts.

  20. High resolution water stable isotope profiles of abrupt climate transitions in Greenland ice with new observations from NEEM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popp, T. J.; White, J. W. C.; Gkinis, V.; Vinther, B. M.; Johnsen, S. J.

    2012-04-01

    In 1989 Willi Dansgaard and others, using the DYE3 ice core, showed that the abrupt termination of the Younger Dryas expressed in water stable isotope ratios and deuterium excess was completed in less than 50 years. A few years later, using the GISP2 ice core, Richard Alley and others proposed that snow accumulation at the site doubled in as little as 1-3 years across the same climate transition at the end of the Younger Dryas. Over the next two decades, in large part due to such observations from Greenland ice cores, a paradigm of linked, abrupt changes in the North Atlantic region has been developed around North Atlantic deep water formation, North Atlantic sea ice extent, and widespread atmospheric circulation changes occurring repeatedly during the last glacial period in response to changing freshwater fluxes to the region, or perhaps other causes. More recently, with the NGRIP ice core, using a suite of high resolution proxy data, and in particular deuterium excess, it was observed again that certain features in the climate system can switch modes from one year to the next, while other proxies can take from decades to centuries to completely switch modes. Thus, an event seen in the proxy records such as the abrupt end of the Younger Dryas (or other interstadial events) may comprise multiple climatic or oceanic responses with different relative timing and duration which potentially follow a predictable sequence of events, in some cases separated by only a few years. Today, the search continues for these emerging patterns through isotopic and other highly resolvable proxy data series from ice cores. With the recent completion of the drilling at NEEM, many abrupt transitions have now been measured in detail over a geographic transect with drilling sites spanning from DYE3 in Southern Greenland, GISP2 in the central summit region, and up to NGRIP and NEEM in the far north. The anatomy of abrupt climate transitions can therefore be examined both spatially and temporally, where obtaining the highest possible temporal resolution is desirable to resolve patterns. A new method for measuring water stable isotope ratios has been developed during the NEEM project that allows us to measure a carefully controlled fraction of a continuously melted ice core section which is evaporated directly into Cavity Ring Down Laser Spectrometer in the Near-Infrared spectrum. In such a system the resolution can be maximized (and characterized) largely as a function of both the melt rate and minimizing subsequent mixing in the gas phase during analysis. These new detailed water isotope series from the NEEM ice core are examined with respect to the corresponding series from new and previously available series from the other ice cores. The emerging picture indicates that abrupt climate changes have both a temporal and geographic anatomy that can change from one event to the next in how they are recorded across Greenland. Together with modeling and chemical impurity data, these patterns we detect in the water stable isotope series will provide clues and constraints to the timing and origin of oceanic and atmospheric changes that make up an abrupt climate change.

  1. Sediment Production and Storage Through a Glacial-Interglacial Cycle on a Cool-Temperate Glaciated Margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powell, R. D.

    2001-12-01

    The southern Alaska margin has high coastal mountains, which coupled with temperate glaciation, result in extremely high modern erosion rates (e.g. Jaeger et al., 2001), possibly exceeding rates of orogenic uplift (Meigs and Sauber, 2000). Where measured, modern sediment yields are among the highest of any basin worldwide (Hallet et al., 1996; Elverhoi et al., 1998; Jaeger et al., 1998). In Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, sediment yields from slowly retreating glaciers decrease logarithmically with decreasing drainage basin area (Powell, 1991), a trend also reflected in regional data synthesized in Hallet et al. (1996). Alley (1997) then hypothesized that if erosion increases with basin area then where two tributaries join, deeper erosion would ensue, which is consistent with linear erosional troughs and hanging valleys. The idea is also consistent with the general downglacier increase in water flux at the glacier bed. However over longer periods, data from seismic profiles of the Gulf of Alaska shelf, show sediment yields are nearly the same through a glacial-interglacial cycle; regional data from other glaciated basins appear to confirm that trend (Elverhoi et al., 1998). If yields are continuously high from bedrock erosion, then why are mountains not eroded to base level because erosion rates are higher than isostatic uplift? Why are trends in yields apparently different during recent retreats with decreasing basin sizes than during longer term glacial cycles? Answers to these questions may be numerous and compound; however, one possibility will be evaluated. We know there is significant modern bedrock erosion occurring during glacial retreat and that also appears to have been the case during advance. Native stories describing the last (Little Ice Age) advance in Glacier Bay describe a large amount of sediment being produced (Powell et al., 1995) indicating that significant erosion was occurring. Fjord-wall stratigraphy shows that sediment had infilled much of the Bay up to ca. 200 m above modern sea level (Goldthwait,1986) prior to the LIA. During that advance, all sediments were then eroded down to bedrock, locally up to 400-500 m below sea level (Powell and Molnia, 1989), and then dumped at the Bay entrance, the site of maximum advance Powell et al., 1995). By inference, because most sediment packages on the shelf are deposited during glacially advanced phases, they probably mostly include sediment redistributed from fjords and inner shelf with a minor component from freshly eroded mountain bedrock. The ELA, under which most erosion may occur (Meigs and Sauber, 2000), lies over fjords during glacial maxima where the glacier is probably thickest with pressure melting and melting/freezing occurring at the bed. Erosion of sediment deposited there during a retreat phase may be enhanced, as may fjord over-deepening, whereas, thinner ice over mountains is likely to be cold at the bed, limiting erosion. As the glacier retreats the ELA moves toward the mountains as may the center of erosion, which then occurs mainly on bedrock. Mountain uplift may be enhanced during interglacials when glacio-isostatic rebound occurs and increased erosion adds to the isostatic effect. Therefore, during glacial-interglacial cycles average sediment yields from a glacier may not vary significantly, but the main centers of erosion change through time as does the eroding substrate and locations of depocenters.

  2. Quantification of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from various waste treatment facilities by tracer dilution method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mønster, Jacob; Rella, Chris; Jacobson, Gloria; Kjeldsen, Peter; Scheutz, Charlotte

    2013-04-01

    Urban activities generate solid and liquid waste, and the handling and aftercare of the waste results in the emission of various compounds into the surrounding environment. Some of these compounds are emitted as gasses into the atmosphere, including methane and nitrous oxide. Methane and nitrous oxide are strong greenhouse gases and are considered to have 25 and 298 times the greenhouse gas potential of carbon dioxide on a hundred years term (Solomon et al. 2007). Global observations of both gasses have shown increasing concentrations that significantly contribute to the greenhouse gas effect. Methane and nitrous oxide are emitted from both natural and anthropogenic sources and inventories of source specific fugitive emissions from the anthropogenic sources of methane and nitrous oxide of are often estimated on the basis of modeling and mass balance. Though these methods are well-developed, actual measurements for quantification of the emissions is a very useful tool for verifying the modeling and mass balance as well as for validation initiatives done for lowering the emissions of methane and nitrous oxide. One approach to performing such measurements is the tracer dilution method (Galle et al. 2001, Scheutz et al. 2011), where the exact location of the source is located and a tracer gas is released at this source location at a known flow. The ratio of downwind concentrations of the tracer gas and the methane and nitrous oxide gives the emissions rates of the greenhouse gases. This tracer dilution method can be performed using both stationary and mobile measurements and in both cases, real-time measurements of both tracer and quantified gas are required, placing high demands on the analytical detection method. To perform the methane and nitrous oxide measurements, two robust instruments capable of real-time measurements were used, based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy and operating in the near-infrared spectral region. One instrument measured the methane and tracer gas concentrations while another measured the nitrous oxide concentration. We present the performance of these instruments at different waste treatment facilities (waste water treatment plants, composting facilities, sludge mineralization beds, anaerobic digesters and landfills) in Denmark, and discuss the strengths and limitations of the method of the method for quantifying methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the different sources. Furthermore, we have measured the methane emissions from 10 landfills with emission rates ranging from 5 to 135 kg/h depending on the age, state, content and aftercare of the landfill. In addition, we have studied 3 waste water treatment plants, and found nitrous oxide emission of 200 to 700 g/h from the aeration tanks and a total methane emission ranging from 2 to 15 kg/h, with the primary emission coming from the sludge treatment. References Galle, B., Samuelsson, J., Svensson, B.H., and Börjesson, G. (2001). Measurements of methane emissions from landfills using a time correlation tracer method based on FTIR absorption spectroscopy. Environmental Science & Technology 35 (1), 21-25 Scheutz, C., Samuelsson, J., Fredenslund, A. M., and Kjeldsen, P. (2011). Quantification of multiple methane emission sources at landfills using a double tracer technique. Waste Management, 31(5), 1009-17 Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, R.B. Alley, T. Berntsen, N.L. Bindoff, Z. Chen, A. Chidthaisong, J.M. Gregory, G.C. Hegerl, M. Heimann, B. Hewitson, B.J. Hoskins, F. Joos, J. Jouzel, V. Kattsov, U. Lohmann, T.Matsuno, M. Molina, N. Nicholls, J.Overpeck, G. Raga, V. Ramaswamy, J. Ren, M. Rusticucci, R. Somerville, T.F. Stocker, P. Whetton, R.A.Wood and D. Wratt, 2007: Technical Summary. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

  3. Behavior of captive white-footed mice.

    PubMed

    Kavanau, J L

    1967-03-31

    Detailed studies of the behavior of captive white-footed mice have cast a number of old problems in new perspectives. Many responses of small captive mammals cannot be interpreted at face value because of severe distortions of behavior that are caused by depriving the wild animal of natural outlets for activity. Confined animals are likely to seize upon and repeatedly exercise virtually any opportunities to modify (and alter their relationships with) their surroundings. In addition they have a strong tendency to counteract nonvolitional and "unexpected" deviations from the status quo. As a result, their responses do not bear an immutable relationship to the nature of the stimulus or other variable being modified; stimuli and activities that are rewarding in certain circumstances are avoided in others. These aspects of behavior have been illustrated by studies of nest occupancy, running in motordriven wheels, and control of intensity of illumination. The results of the control-of-illumination studies suggest the complex interplay of tendencies to modify features of the environment, to avoid conditions imposed compulsorily, and to select preferred levels of illumination. The importance of split-second timing, coordination, and quick reflex actions in the running of activity wheels is indicated by the fact that experienced white-footed mice prefer running in square "wheels" and wheels with hurdles to running in plain round wheels. The relatively conservative behavior of these mice in selecting between multiple sources of food and water and different types of activity wheels suggests the need for careful experimental design in free-choice studies with inexperienced animals. The tendency of trained animals to give some so-called "incorrect" responses even after long experience can be interpreted most reasonably in terms of the adaptive value of a certain degree of variability of behavior in the wild. White-footed mice readily master complex regimes in which several different levers and shutters must be pressed or rotated in certain sequences within seconds for different rewards. They quickly learn to traverse mazes containing hundreds of blind alleys and do so frequently without extrinsic reward. It is unlikely that these remarkable learning performances even begin to approach the capacities of the animals. When two female mice having markedly different solitary behavior patterns were placed in consort, the behavior of each changed, becoming more like that of the other, and the animals showed a strong tendency to remain in each other's company. The behavior of mice in enclosures of great extent casts doubt upon the postulate that hunger and thirst play leading roles in the motivation of wide-ranging locomotor movements. Accordingly, studies of deprived domestic animals in simple mazes may have but limited significance for understanding the behavior of wild and relatively unconfined animals. The existence of marked individual differences between mice selected at random from wild populations sounds the need for a cautious approach in the interpretation of results obtained with highly inbred domestic animals. The relatively uniform behavior of inbred strains represents only a small fragment of the total response spectrum for the species and probably has minimal significance for adaptation and evolution in the wild. When allowed to control the intensity of illumination by operating a series of switches, white-footed mice establish a roughly 24-hour regime consistent with that experienced in the wild, namely dim light during periods of activity and very dim light during periods of inactivity. Consistent with this finding, when exposed to a dim-dark light cycle, the mice are active during the dim phase, not in darkness. Artificial twilight transitions of both constant and varying color temperature have several marked effects upon the activity of white-footed mice. The existence of a strong orienting influence of dim light on the direction of wheel-running suggests that mice in the wild use the twilight sun and the moon (and possibly other celestial light sources) as navigational references.

  4. Sources and Impacts of Modeled and Observed Low-Frequency Climate Variability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parsons, Luke Alexander

    Here we analyze climate variability using instrumental, paleoclimate (proxy), and the latest climate model data to understand more about the sources and impacts of low-frequency climate variability. Understanding the drivers of climate variability at interannual to century timescales is important for studies of climate change, including analyses of detection and attribution of climate change impacts. Additionally, correctly modeling the sources and impacts of variability is key to the simulation of abrupt change (Alley et al., 2003) and extended drought (Seager et al., 2005; Pelletier and Turcotte, 1997; Ault et al., 2014). In Appendix A, we employ an Earth system model (GFDL-ESM2M) simulation to study the impacts of a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) on the climate of the American Tropics. The AMOC drives some degree of local and global internal low-frequency climate variability (Manabe and Stouffer, 1995; Thornalley et al., 2009) and helps control the position of the tropical rainfall belt (Zhang and Delworth, 2005). We find that a major weakening of the AMOC can cause large-scale temperature, precipitation, and carbon storage changes in Central and South America. Our results suggest that possible future changes in AMOC strength alone will not be sufficient to drive a large-scale dieback of the Amazonian forest, but this key natural ecosystem is sensitive to dry-season length and timing of rainfall (Parsons et al., 2014). In Appendix B, we compare a paleoclimate record of precipitation variability in the Peruvian Amazon to climate model precipitation variability. The paleoclimate (Lake Limon) record indicates that precipitation variability in western Amazonia is 'red' (i.e., increasing variability with timescale). By contrast, most state-of-the-art climate models indicate precipitation variability in this region is nearly 'white' (i.e., equally variability across timescales). This paleo-model disagreement in the overall structure of the variance spectrum has important consequences for the probability of multi-year drought. Our lake record suggests there is a significant background threat of multi-year, and even decade-length, drought in western Amazonia, whereas climate model simulations indicate most droughts likely last no longer than one to three years. These findings suggest climate models may underestimate the future risk of extended drought in this important region. In Appendix C, we expand our analysis of climate variability beyond South America. We use observations, well-constrained tropical paleoclimate, and Earth system model data to examine the overall shape of the climate spectrum across interannual to century frequencies. We find a general agreement among observations and models that temperature variability increases with timescale across most of the globe outside the tropics. However, as compared to paleoclimate records, climate models generate too little low-frequency variability in the tropics (e.g., Laepple and Huybers, 2014). When we compare the shape of the simulated climate spectrum to the spectrum of a simple autoregressive process, we find much of the modeled surface temperature variability in the tropics could be explained by ocean smoothing of weather noise. Importantly, modeled precipitation tends to be similar to white noise across much of the globe. By contrast, paleoclimate records of various types from around the globe indicate that both temperature and precipitation variability should experience much more low-frequency variability than a simple autoregressive or white-noise process. In summary, state-of-the-art climate models generate some degree of dynamically driven low-frequency climate variability, especially at high latitudes. However, the latest climate models, observations, and paleoclimate data provide us with drastically different pictures of the background climate system and its associated risks. This research has important consequences for improving how we simulate climate extremes as we enter a warmer (and often drier) world in the coming centuries; if climate models underestimate low-frequency variability, we will underestimate the risk of future abrupt change and extreme events, such as megadroughts.

  5. Assessment of possible sources of microbiological contamination and water-quality characteristics of the Jacks Fork, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri; phase II

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davis, Jerri V.; Richards, Joseph M.

    2002-01-01

    In 1998, an 8-mile reach of the Jacks Fork was included on Missouri?s list of impaired waters as required by Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act. The identified pollutant on the Jacks Fork was fecal coliform bacteria. Potential sources of fecal contamination to the Jacks Fork include a wastewater treatment plant; campground pit-toilet or septic-system effluent; a large commercial, cross-country horseback trail riding facility; canoeists, boaters, and tubers; and cows.The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, conducted a study to better understand the extent and sources of microbiological contamination within the Jacks Fork from Alley Spring to the mouth, which includes the 8-mile 303(d) reach. Identification of the sources would provide the National Park Service and the State of Missouri with the information needed to craft a solution of abatement, regulation, prevention, and mitigation with the end result being the removal of the Jacks Fork from the 303(d) list. Fifteen sites were sampled from November 1999 through December 2000. An additional site was sampled one time. Samples were collected mostly during base-flow conditions during a variety of nonrecreational and recreational season river uses. Samples were analyzed for selected fecal indicator bacteria, physical properties, nutrients, and wastewater organic compounds. During the sampling period, the whole-body-contact recreation standard for fecal coliform (200 colonies per 100 milliliters of sample) was exceeded at three sites on August 10, 2000, and also at one site on May 11, June 7, and October 3, 2000. Fecal coliform densities and instantaneous loads generally increased from background concentrations at the Eminence site, peaked about 2 river miles downstream, and then decreased until the most downstream site sampled. Generally, the largest densities and loads at sites downstream from Eminence not related to wet-weather flow were observed during a trail ride held August 6 to12, 2000. A 24-hour sample collection effort was conducted the weekend of July 15 and 16, 2000, to investigate the effect that large numbers of swimmers, canoeists, and tubers had on fecal coliform densities in the Jacks Fork. Five or six samples were collected at six sites between Saturday morning and the following Sunday afternoon. No fecal coliform density at any of the sites sampled exceeded the whole-body-contact recreation standard. Because bacteria survive longer in stream-bed sediments than in water, a source of bacteria in the water column could be from resuspension of accumulated bacteria from streambed sediments. Water and streambed-sediment samples were collected at three sites on August 3, 2000, 1 week before a trail ride and again at three sites on 2 Assessment of Possible Sources of Microbiological Contamination of the Jacks Fork, Missouri?Phase II August 8, 2000, during a trail ride. Results indicate that fecal coliform bacteria densities increased substantially in the streambed sediment and the water column during the trail ride.Sixty-five Escherichia coli isolates obtained from water samples collected at 9 sites and 23 Escherichia coli isolates obtained from stream-bed-sediment samples collected at 5 sites were submitted for ribotyping analysis. Samples were collected in 2000 during a variety of nonrecreational and recreational season river uses, including trail rides, canoeing, tubing, and swimming. Of the 65 isolates from water samples, 40 percent were identified as originating from sewage, 29 percent from horse, 11 percent from cow, and 20 percent from an unknown source. Of the 23 isolates from streambed-sediment samples, 39 percent were identified as originating from sewage, 35 percent from horse, 13 percent from cow, and 13 percent from unknown sources.Analysis of physical property (dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, and temperature) and nutrient (dissolved nitrite plus nitrate and total phosphorus) data

  6. Asteroid Spectroscopy: A Declaration of Independence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, J. F.

    1995-09-01

    One of the shibboleths of asteroid spectroscopy for the past 25 years has been that a detailed knowledge of meteoritics is essential for proper interpretation of asteroid spectra. In fact, several recent spectroscopic discoveries have overturned long-standing models based on popular interpretations of meteorite data. A case can be made that spectroscopists could have made much faster progress if they had worked in total isolation from meteoritics. Consider the first three spectral classes identified in the 1970s: Vesta: The very first asteroid spectrum was unambigously basaltic, yet some meteoriticists have persistently resisted the obvious conclusion that the HED clan comes from Vesta, because A) Vesta is "impossibly" far from the known dynamical escape hatches; and B) the HED O-isotope data "establishes" a lirlk with pallasites and IIIAB irons, suggesting that their parent was some other completely disrupted asteroid. The discovery of a "dynamically impossible" extended family of basaltic fragments extending from Vesta to the 3:1 resonance [1] makes it clear that HEDs must originate on Vesta, and that dynamical, physical and isotopic arguments all led in the wrong direction. Stony: In the early 1970s meteorite fall statistics led to an expectation that many of the larger asteroids would be ordinary chondrites. When the most common class of asteroids proved to have silicate absorption bands, many concluded that these objects were the expected ordinary chondrite parent asteroids. The later discovery that S-type spectra do not actually resemble OCs was rationalized with imaginary "space weathering" processes (which have never been observed or simulated despite 20 years of wasted effort). Now that the real weathering trends in S asteroids have been resolved [2] and asteroids which actually do look like OCs discovered [3], it is clear that the eDhre controversy over S asteroid composition was a blind alley that could have been avoided by taking the spectra at face value. Carbonaceous: These asteroids were interpreted as "carbonaceous chondrites", due to a superficial resemblance in spectral shape and their lesser abundance than S-types. Later it was shown that the most common CCs, COs and CVs, actually fall into the classical S class (now broken off as a separate K class). But Cs and the related G, B, and F classes have been persistently interpreted as CM/CI analogs even though their only resolvable spectral feature is much shallower than that of the CM/CI meteontes. This difference has been rationalized with more "space weathering" processes. However, recently rare highly metamorphosed CCs have been shown to match the C-G-B-F asteroid without "weathering"[4], suggesting that CIs and CMs come from some small, undiscovered class of outer belt asteroids analagous to Qs in the inner belt. These examples demonstrate an evolution of our thinking from belief in a close relationship between the meteorite population and the asteroids (with any discordant results from the telescope explained away by ad hoc mechanisms), toward a model in which the gigantic meteorite data set is seen as highly biased and non-representative of the asteroid belt, and in many cases useless due to the multiple possible interpretations of the same data. It is time for a more balanced approach to asteroid science, in which meteoritics plays a supplementary role to direct studies of asteroids, rather that the dominant one it has to date. References: [1] Binzel et al. (1993) Science, 260, 186-191. [2] Gaffey M. J. et. al. (1994) Icarus, 106, 573-602. [3] Binzel R. P. et al. (1994) Science, 262, 1541-1543. [4] Hiroi T. et al. (1993) LPS XXIV, 659-660.

  7. The Dragon Storm

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2005-02-24

    A large, bright and complex convective storm that appeared in Saturn's southern hemisphere in mid-September 2004 was the key in solving a long-standing mystery about the ringed planet. Saturn's atmosphere and its rings are shown here in a false color composite made from Cassini images taken in near infrared light through filters that sense different amounts of methane gas. Portions of the atmosphere with a large abundance of methane above the clouds are red, indicating clouds that are deep in the atmosphere. Grey indicates high clouds, and brown indicates clouds at intermediate altitudes. The rings are bright blue because there is no methane gas between the ring particles and the camera. The complex feature with arms and secondary extensions just above and to the right of center is called the Dragon Storm. It lies in a region of the southern hemisphere referred to as "storm alley" by imaging scientists because of the high level of storm activity observed there by Cassini in the last year. The Dragon Storm was a powerful source of radio emissions during July and September of 2004. The radio waves from the storm resemble the short bursts of static generated by lightning on Earth. Cassini detected the bursts only when the storm was rising over the horizon on the night side of the planet as seen from the spacecraft; the bursts stopped when the storm moved into sunlight. This on/off pattern repeated for many Saturn rotations over a period of several weeks, and it was the clock-like repeatability that indicated the storm and the radio bursts are related. Scientists have concluded that the Dragon Storm is a giant thunderstorm whose precipitation generates electricity as it does on Earth. The storm may be deriving its energy from Saturn's deep atmosphere. One mystery is why the radio bursts start while the Dragon Storm is below the horizon on the night side and end when the storm is on the day side, still in full view of the Cassini spacecraft. A possible explanation is that the lightning source lies to the east of the visible cloud, perhaps because it is deeper where the currents are eastward relative to those at cloud top levels. If this were the case, the lightning source would come up over the night side horizon and would sink down below the day side horizon before the visible cloud. This would explain the timing of the visible storm relative to the radio bursts. The Dragon Storm is of great interest for another reason. In examining images taken of Saturn's atmosphere over many months, imaging scientists found that the Dragon Storm arose in the same part of Saturn's atmosphere that had earlier produced large bright convective storms. In other words, the Dragon Storm appears to be a long-lived storm deep in the atmosphere that periodically flares up to produce dramatic bright white plumes which subside over time. One earlier sighting, in July 2004, was also associated with strong radio bursts. And another, observed in March 2004 and captured in a movie created from images of the atmosphere (PIA06082 and PIA06083) spawned three little dark oval storms that broke off from the arms of the main storm. Two of these subsequently merged with each other; the current to the north carried the third one off to the west, and Cassini lost track of it. Small dark storms like these generally get stretched out until they merge with the opposing currents to the north and south. These little storms are the food that sustains the larger atmospheric features, including the larger ovals and the eastward and westward currents. If the little storms come from the giant thunderstorms, then together they form a food chain that harvests the energy of the deep atmosphere and helps maintain the powerful currents. Cassini has many more chances to observe future flare-ups of the Dragon Storm, and others like it over the course of the mission. It is likely that scientists will come to solve the mystery of the radio bursts and observe storm creation and merging in the next 2 or 3 years. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06197

  8. Experimental and numerical modelling of surface water-groundwater flow and pollution interactions under tidal forcing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spanoudaki, Katerina; Bockelmann-Evans, Bettina; Schaefer, Florian; Kampanis, Nikolaos; Nanou-Giannarou, Aikaterini; Stamou, Anastasios; Falconer, Roger

    2015-04-01

    Surface water and groundwater are integral components of the hydrologic continuum and the interaction between them affects both their quantity and quality. However, surface water and groundwater are often considered as two separate systems and are analysed independently. This separation is partly due to the different time scales, which apply in surface water and groundwater flows and partly due to the difficulties in measuring and modelling their interactions (Winter et al., 1998). Coastal areas in particular are a difficult hydrologic environment to represent with a mathematical model due to the large number of contributing hydrologic processes. Accurate prediction of interactions between coastal waters, groundwater and neighbouring wetlands, for example, requires the use of integrated surface water-groundwater models. In the past few decades a large number of mathematical models and field methods have been developed in order to quantify the interaction between groundwater and hydraulically connected surface water bodies. Field studies may provide the best data (Hughes, 1995) but are usually expensive and involve too many parameters. In addition, the interpretation of field measurements and linking with modelling tools often proves to be difficult. In contrast, experimental studies are less expensive and provide controlled data. However, experimental studies of surface water-groundwater interaction are less frequently encountered in the literature than filed studies (e.g. Ebrahimi et al., 2007; Kuan et al., 2012; Sparks et al., 2013). To this end, an experimental model has been constructed at the Hyder Hydraulics Laboratory at Cardiff University to enable measurements to be made of groundwater transport through a sand embankment between a tidal water body such as an estuary and a non-tidal water body such as a wetland. The transport behaviour of a conservative tracer was studied for a constant water level on the wetland side of the embankment, while running a continuous tide on the coastal side. The integrated surface water-groundwater numerical model IRENE (Spanoudaki et al., 2009, Spanoudaki, 2010) was also used in the study, with the numerical model predictions being compared with experimental results, which provide a valuable database for model calibration and validation. IRENE couples the 3D, non-steady state Navier-Stokes equations, after Reynolds averaging and with the assumption of hydrostatic pressure distribution, to the equations describing 3D saturated groundwater flow of constant density. The model uses the finite volume method with a cell-centered structured grid providing thus flexibility and accuracy in simulating irregular boundary geometries. A semi-implicit finite difference scheme is used to solve the surface water flow equations, while a fully implicit finite difference scheme is used for the groundwater equations. Pollution interactions are simulated by coupling the advection-diffusion equation describing the fate and transport of contaminants introduced in a 3D turbulent flow field to the partial differential equation describing the fate and transport of contaminants in 3D transient groundwater flow systems. References Ebrahimi, K., Falconer, R.A. and Lin B. (2007). Flow and solute fluxes in integrated wetland and coastal systems. Environmental Modelling and Software, 22 (9), 1337-1348. Hughes, S.A. (1995). Physical Modelling and Laboratory Techniques in Coastal Engineering. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore. Kuan, W.K., Jin, G., Xin, P., Robinson, C. Gibbes, B. and Li. L. (2012). Tidal influence on seawater intrusion in unconfined coastal aquifers. Water Resources Research, 48 (2), doi:10.1029/2011WR010678. Spanoudaki, K., Stamou, A.I. and Nanou-Giannarou, A. (2009). Development and verification of a 3-D integrated surface water-groundwater model. Journal of Hydrology, 375 (3-4), 410-427. Spanoudaki, K. (2010). Integrated numerical modelling of surface water groundwater systems (in Greek). Ph.D. Thesis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Sparks, T. D., Bockelmann-Evans, B. N. and Falconer, R. A. (2013). Laboratory Validation of an Integrated Surface Water- Groundwater Model. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 5, 377-394. Winter, T.C., Harvey, J.W., Franke, O.L. and Alley, W.M., 1998. Groundwater and surface water - A single resource. USGS, Circular 1139.

  9. Economic wealth and soil erosion in new Citrus plantations in Eastern Spain or how to explain the Land Degradation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giménez-Morera, Antonio; Cerdà, Artemio; Pereira, Pauloq

    2014-05-01

    We use to accept the idea that the best oranges are coming from Valecia Region in Eastern Spain. Although the oranges are originally from Eastern Asia, Valencia is having a mild climate in winter, with a low recurrency of frost and is strategically located close to the largest market of citrus: Western Europe. This resulted in a continuous growth of production and trade of citrus, and contributed to make the Valencia Region the largest World exporter (Bono, 2010). This economical success reached the highest point after the EU and Spain agreement in 1986. This expansion of citrus plantations were done on steep slopes allowed by the drip irrigation systems that does not need leveling the land as it was done by new farmers with large properties. The traditional farming of oranges was done in small properties, flood irrigation and leveled land. Those changes are triggering intense soil erosion rates such were shown by previous researchers in Valencia (Cerdà et al., 2009). This impact is also shown in other regions with a similar citrus production evolution, and China is a clear example (Wang et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2012). Land This research evaluate the relations between the investment (economic wealth) of the owners of citrus plantations and the soil erosion rates on their orchards. The economic wealth of the onwers was measured on the size of their properties and after an interview. The soil erosion rates were measured by means of rainfall simulation experiments in each farm by means of thunderstorms of 10 years return period (55 mm h-1). The results show that the soil losses in the new plantations are extremely high (> 10 Mg ha-1 y-1), and that we can show three types of orchards: < 0.99 ha; 1-10 ha and > 10.1. The soil erosion rates where positively related to the size of the farms. The higher erosion rates are shown also by the scientific literature review. Chemically treated plantations (Cerdà, 2002) show high erosion rates due to the road construction too (Cerdà, 2007) and is higher than rainfed agriculture soil (García Orenes et al., 2009). Acknowledgements The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857 and RECARE FP7 project 603498 supported this research. References Bono, E. 2010. Naranja y desarrollo. La base agrícola exportadora de la economía del País Valenciano y el modelo de crecimiento hacea afuera. PUV, Valencia, 203 pp. Cerdà, A. 2001. Erosión hídrica del suelo en el Territorio Valenciano. El estado de la cuestión a través de la revisión bibliográfica. Geoforma Ediciones, Logroño, 79 pp. Cerdá, A. 2007. Soil water erosion on road embankments in Eastern Spain. Science of the Total Environments 378, 151-155. Cerdà, A., Morera, A.G., Bodí, M.B. 2009. Soil and water losses from new citrus orchards growing on sloped soils in the western Mediterranean basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 34 (13), 1822-1830. García-Orenes, F., Cerdà, A., Mataix-Solera, J., Guerrero, C., Bodí, M.B., Arcenegui, V., Zornoza, R. & Sempere, J.G. 2009. Effects of agricultural management on surface soil properties and soil-water losses in eastern Spain. Soil and Tillage Research, doi:10.1016/j.still.2009.06.002 Liu, Y., Tao, Y., Wan, K.Y., Zhang, G.S., Liu, D.B., Xiong, G.Y., Chen, F. 2012. Runoff and nutrient losses in citrus orchards on sloping land subjected to different surface mulching practices in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area of China. Agricultural Water Management, 110, 34-40. Wang, L., Tang, L., Wang, X., Chen, F. 2010. Effects of alley crop planting on soil and nutrient losses in the citrus orchards of the Three Gorges Region. Soil and Tillage Research, 110 (2), 243-250.

  10. Geometric visual hallucinations, Euclidean symmetry and the functional architecture of striate cortex.

    PubMed

    Bressloff, P C; Cowan, J D; Golubitsky, M; Thomas, P J; Wiener, M C

    2001-03-29

    This paper is concerned with a striking visual experience: that of seeing geometric visual hallucinations. Hallucinatory images were classified by Klüver into four groups called form constants comprising (i) gratings, lattices, fretworks, filigrees, honeycombs and chequer-boards, (ii) cobwebs, (iii) tunnels, funnels, alleys, cones and vessels, and (iv) spirals. This paper describes a mathematical investigation of their origin based on the assumption that the patterns of connection between retina and striate cortex (henceforth referred to as V1)-the retinocortical map-and of neuronal circuits in V1, both local and lateral, determine their geometry. In the first part of the paper we show that form constants, when viewed in V1 coordinates, essentially correspond to combinations of plane waves, the wavelengths of which are integral multiples of the width of a human Hubel-Wiesel hypercolumn, ca. 1.33-2 mm. We next introduce a mathematical description of the large-scale dynamics of V1 in terms of the continuum limit of a lattice of interconnected hypercolumns, each of which itself comprises a number of interconnected iso-orientation columns. We then show that the patterns of interconnection in V1 exhibit a very interesting symmetry, i.e. they are invariant under the action of the planar Euclidean group E(2)-the group of rigid motions in the plane-rotations, reflections and translations. What is novel is that the lateral connectivity of V1 is such that a new group action is needed to represent its properties: by virtue of its anisotropy it is invariant with respect to certain shifts and twists of the plane. It is this shift-twist invariance that generates new representations of E(2). Assuming that the strength of lateral connections is weak compared with that of local connections, we next calculate the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the cortical dynamics, using Rayleigh-Schrödinger perturbation theory. The result is that in the absence of lateral connections, the eigenfunctions are degenerate, comprising both even and odd combinations of sinusoids in straight phi, the cortical label for orientation preference, and plane waves in r, the cortical position coordinate. 'Switching-on' the lateral interactions breaks the degeneracy and either even or else odd eigenfunctions are selected. These results can be shown to follow directly from the Euclidean symmetry we have imposed. In the second part of the paper we study the nature of various even and odd combinations of eigenfunctions or planforms, the symmetries of which are such that they remain invariant under the particular action of E(2) we have imposed. These symmetries correspond to certain subgroups of E(2), the so-called axial subgroups. Axial subgroups are important in that the equivariant branching lemma indicates that when a symmetrical dynamical system becomes unstable, new solutions emerge which have symmetries corresponding to the axial subgroups of the underlying symmetry group. This is precisely the case studied in this paper. Thus we study the various planforms that emerge when our model V1 dynamics become unstable under the presumed action of hallucinogens or flickering lights. We show that the planforms correspond to the axial subgroups of E(2), under the shift-twist action. We then compute what such planforms would look like in the visual field, given an extension of the retinocortical map to include its action on local edges and contours. What is most interesting is that, given our interpretation of the correspondence between V1 planforms and perceived patterns, the set of planforms generates representatives of all the form constants. It is also noteworthy that the planforms derived from our continuum model naturally divide V1 into what are called linear regions, in which the pattern has a near constant orientation, reminiscent of the iso-orientation patches constructed via optical imaging. The boundaries of such regions form fractures whose points of intersection correspond to the well-known 'pinwheels'. To complete the study we then investigate the stability of the planforms, using methods of nonlinear stability analysis, including Liapunov-Schmidt reduction and Poincaré-Lindstedt perturbation theory. We find a close correspondence between stable planforms and form constants. The results are sensitive to the detailed specification of the lateral connectivity and suggest an interesting possibility, that the cortical mechanisms by which geometric visual hallucinations are generated, if sited mainly in V1, are closely related to those involved in the processing of edges and contours.

  11. Matlab based automatization of an inverse surface temperature modelling procedure for Greenland ice cores using an existing firn densification and heat diffusion model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Döring, Michael; Kobashi, Takuro; Kindler, Philippe; Guillevic, Myriam; Leuenberger, Markus

    2016-04-01

    In order to study Northern Hemisphere (NH) climate interactions and variability, getting access to high resolution surface temperature records of the Greenland ice sheet is an integral condition. For example, understanding the causes for changes in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and related effects for the NH [Broecker et al. (1985); Rahmstorf (2002)] or the origin and processes leading the so called Dansgaard-Oeschger events in glacial conditions [Johnsen et al. (1992); Dansgaard et al., 1982] demand accurate and reproducible temperature data. To reveal the surface temperature history, it is suitable to use the isotopic composition of nitrogen (δ15N) from ancient air extracted from ice cores drilled at the Greenland ice sheet. The measured δ15N record of an ice core can be used as a paleothermometer due to the nearly constant isotopic composition of nitrogen in the atmosphere at orbital timescales changes only through firn processes [Severinghaus et. al. (1998); Mariotti (1983)]. To reconstruct the surface temperature for a special drilling site the use of firn models describing gas and temperature diffusion throughout the ice sheet is necessary. For this an existing firn densification and heat diffusion model [Schwander et. al. (1997)] is used. Thereby, a theoretical δ15N record is generated for different temperature and accumulation rate scenarios and compared with measurement data in terms of mean square error (MSE), which leads finally to an optimization problem, namely the finding of a minimal MSE. The goal of the presented study is a Matlab based automatization of this inverse modelling procedure. The crucial point hereby is to find the temperature and accumulation rate input time series which minimizes the MSE. For that, we follow two approaches. The first one is a Monte Carlo type input generator which varies each point in the input time series and calculates the MSE. Then the solutions that fulfil a given limit or the best solutions for a given number of iterations are saved and used as a new input for the next model run. This procedure is repeated until the MSE undercuts a given threshold (e.g. the analytical error of the measurement data). For the second approach, different Matlab based derivative free optimization algorithms (DFOAs) (i.a. the Nelder-Mead Simplex Method, [Lagarias et al. (1998)]) are studied with an adaptation of the manual method of Kindler et al. (2013). For that the DFOAs are used to find those values for the temperature sensitivity and offset for calculating the surface temperature from the oxygen isotope records of the ice core water samples minimizing the MSE. Finally, a comparison to surface temperature records gained with different other methods for Glacial as well as Holocene data is planned. References: Broecker, W. S., Peteet, D., and Rind, D. (1985). Does the ocean-atmosphere system have more than one stable mode of operation? Nature, 315(6014):21-26. Dansgaard, W., Clausen, H., Gundestrup, N., Hammer, C., Johnsen, S., Gristinsdottir, P., and Reeh, N. (1982). A new Greenland deep ice core. Science, 218(4579):1273-1277. Johnsen, S. J., Clausen, H. B., Dansgaard, W., Fuhrer, K., Gundestrup, N., Hammer, C. U., Iversen, P., Jouzel, J., Stauffer, B., and Steffensen, J.P. (1992). Irregular glacial interstadials recorded in new Greenland ice core. Nature, 359:311- 313. Kindler, P., Guillevic, M., Baumgartner M., Schwander J., Landais A. and Leuenberger, M. (2013). NGRIP Temperature Reconstruction from 10 to 120 kyr b2k. Clim. Past, 9:4099-4143. Lagarias, J.C., Reeds, J. A., Wright, M. H., and Wright, P. E. (1998). Convergence Properties of the Nelder-Mead Simplex Method in Low Dimensions. SIAM Journal of Optimization, Vol. 9 Number 1, pp. 112-147. Mariotti, A. (1983). Atmospheric nitrogen is a reliable standard for natural 15N abundance measurements. Nature, 303:685- 687. Rahmstorf, S. (2002). Ocean circulation and climate during the past 120,000 years. Nature,419(6903):207-214. Severinghaus, J. P., Sowers, T., Brook, E. J., Alley, R. B., and Bender, M. L. (1998). Timing of abrupt climate change at the end of the Younger Dryas interval from thermally fractionated gases in polar ice. Nature, 391:141-146. Schwander, J., Sowers, T., Barnola, J., Blunier, T., Fuchs, A., and Malaizé, B. (1997). Age scale of the air in the summit ice: implication for glacial-interglacial temperature change. J. Geophys. Res-Atmos., 102(D16):19483-19493.

  12. NEWS: A trip to CERN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ellison, A. D.

    2000-07-01

    Two years ago John Kinchin and myself were lucky enough to attend the Goldsmith's particle physics course. As well as many interesting lectures and activities, this course included a visit to CERN. To most physics teachers CERN is Mecca, a hallowed place where gods manipulate and manufacture matter. The experience of being there was even better. Alison Wright was an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable host who ensured the visit went smoothly and we all learned a lot. While we were there, John and I discussed the possibility of bringing a party of A-level students to see real physics in action. In February of this year we managed it. 33 students from two schools, Boston Grammar School and Northampton School for Boys, and four staff left England and caught the 2 am ferry to France. Many hours and a few `short cuts' later we arrived at our hotel in St Genis, not far from CERN. The first day was spent sight-seeing in Lausanne and Geneva. The Olympic museum in Lausanne is well worth a visit. Unfortunately, the famous fountain in Geneva was turned off, but then you can't have everything. The following morning we turned up at CERN late due to the coach's brakes being iced up! We were met once again by Alison Wright who forgave us and introduced the visit by giving an excellent talk on CERN, its background and its reason for existing. At this point we met another member of our Goldsmith's course and his students so we joined forces once again. We then piled back into the coach to re-cross the border and visit ALEPH. ALEPH is a monster of a detector 150 m below ground. We divided into four groups, each with a very able and knowledgeable guide, and toured the site. The size and scale of the detector are awesome and the students were suitably impressed. We repeated the speed of sound experiment of two years ago at the bottom of a 150 m concrete shaft (320 m s-1), posed for a group photo in front of the detector (figure 1) and returned to the main site for lunch in the canteen. Over lunch we mixed with physicists of many different nationalities and backgrounds. Figure 1 Figure 1. In the afternoon we visited Microcosm, the CERN visitors centre, and the LEP control room and also the SPS. Here the students learned new applications for much of the physics of standing waves and resonance that they had been taught in the classroom. Later that night, we visited a bowling alley where momentum and collision theory were put into practice. The following morning we returned to CERN and visited the large magnet testing facility. Here again physics was brought to life. We saw superconducting magnets being assembled and tested and the students gained a real appreciation of the problems and principles involved. The afternoon was rounded off by a visit to a science museum in Geneva - well worth a visit, as some of us still use some of the apparatus on display. Friday was our last full day so we visited Chamonix in the northern Alps. In the morning, we ascended the Aiguille de Midi - by cable car. Twenty minutes and 3842 m later we emerged into 50 km h-1 winds and -10 °C temperature, not counting the -10 °C wind chill factor. A crisp packet provided an unusual demonstration of the effects of air pressure (figure 2). Figure 2 Figure 2. The views from the summit were very spectacular though a few people experienced mild altitude sickness. That afternoon the party went to the Mer de Glace. Being inside a 3 million year-old structure moving down a mountain at 3 cm per day was an interesting experience, as was a tot of whisky with 3 million year-old water. Once again the local scenery was very photogenic and the click and whirr of cameras was a constant background noise. Saturday morning saw an early start for the long drive home. Most students - and some staff - took the opportunity to catch up on their sleep. Thanks are due to many people without whom the trip would never have taken place. Anne Craige, Stuart Williams, Christine Sutton and Andrew Morrison of PPARC, but most especially Alison Wright of CERN and John Kinchin of Boston Grammar School who did all the hard work and organization. The week gave students a unique chance to see the principles of physics being applied in many different ways and I am sure this has reinforced their knowledge and understanding. Some students also took the opportunity to practise their language skills. The only remaining question is: what next? I'll have to think about it in the summer when I have some slack time. Hmm, SLAC, that gives me an idea....

  13. Relations between total phosphorus and orthophosphorus concentrations and rainfall, surface-water discharge, and groundwater levels in Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, Florida, 2014–16

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McBride, W. Scott; Sifuentes, Dorothy F.

    2018-02-06

    The Seminole Tribe of Florida (the Tribe) is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a numeric phosphorus criterion for the 52,000-acre Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation (BCSIR), which is located downgradient of the Everglades Agricultural Area, and of other public and private lands, in southeastern Hendry County and northwestern Broward County in southern Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Tribe, used water-quality data collected between October 2014 and September 2016 by the Tribe and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), along with data from rainfall gages, surface-water stage and discharge gages, and groundwater monitoring wells, to (1) examine the relations between local hydrology and measured total phosphorus (TP) and orthophosphorus (OP) concentrations and (2) identify explanatory variables for TP concentrations. Of particular concern were conditions when TP exceeded 10 parts per billion (ppb) (0.01 milligram per liter [mg/L]) given that the State of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians Alligator Alley Reservation (located downstream of the BCSIR) have adopted a 10-ppb maximum TP criterion for surface waters.From October 2014 to September 2016, the Tribe collected 47–52 samples at each of nine water-quality sites for analysis of TP and OP, except at one site where 28 samples were collected. For all sites sampled, concentrations of TP (as phosphorus [P]) ranged from less than 0.002 mg/L (2 ppb) to a maximum of nearly 0.50 mg/L (500 ppb), whereas concentrations of OP (as P), the reactive form of inorganic phosphorus readily absorbed by plants and (or) abiotically absorbed, ranged from less than 0.003 mg/L (3 ppb) to a maximum of 0.24 mg/L (240 ppb). The median and interquartile ranges of concentrations of TP and OP in the samples collected in 2014–16 by the Tribe were similar to the median and interquartile ranges of concentrations in samples collected by the SFWMD at nearby sites during the same period. Differences in concentrations can likely be explained by differences in sample collection methods, sampling locations, sample collection time, and the hydrology during sampling or by the number of samples collected. A major limitation of this study was the short duration of sample collection, which covers a limited range of hydrologic conditions within the BCSIR.The effect of surface-water and groundwater hydrologic conditions on TP and OP concentrations was assessed by using rainfall data and surface-water stage and discharge records. The highest TP and OP concentrations occurred during peak surface-water flows in the canals following long dry periods. Concentrations of TP and OP increased internal to the BCSIR in the western half of the BCSIR during wet periods, but increased concentrations tended to lag behind rainfall events, likely because control structures upstream of sampling sites do not release flows until the water levels in the canals reach predetermined levels. This pattern may indicate that bed sediments in the canals contain high concentrations of phosphorus that becomes resuspended during high flows or that phosphorus salts that had accumulated on dry land during dry periods are carried into the canals by runoff. The largest TP spikes usually occurred at the beginning of high-flow events, but then quickly tapered off even when flows remained high.Groundwater flows were assessed in the BCSIR by using groundwater level observations from two preexisting USGS monitoring well clusters, each characterized by a shallow well installed in the surficial aquifer system and a deeper well installed in the intermediate aquifer system. Groundwater levels were evaluated with respect to surface-water levels and discharge in the BCSIR during the period of surface-water sampling. During dry conditions water levels in canals were often higher than groundwater levels in the surficial aquifer, indicating the potential for surface water to recharge the surficial aquifer. During wetter conditions, this trend reversed, and there was potential for shallow groundwater discharge into the canals.From October 2014 to September 2016, concentrations of TP tended to decrease as surface-water inflows moved across the BCSIR from north to south. In both the western and eastern halves of the reservation, the mean concentration of TP was lower in the surface-water outflows from the BCSIR than in the inflows. The mean concentration of TP in the inflows to the western reservation was 0.04 mg/L (40 ppb), whereas the mean concentration of TP in the outflows was 0.03 mg/L (30 ppb). In the eastern reservation, the mean concentration of TP in the inflows was 0.07 mg/L (70 ppb), whereas the mean concentration of TP in the outflows was 0.04 mg/L (40 ppb).TP and OP concentrations were evaluated relative to other water-quality parameters, including turbidity, suspended solids, nitrate plus nitrite, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance, to determine if any relations existed between TP and other variables. Weak relations were indicated for turbidity and suspended solids at two sites, which indicates that there may be a relation of increased TP to mobilization of sediment.

  14. The contribution of mulches to control high soil erosion rates in vineyards in Eastern Spain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cerdà, Artemi; Jordán, Antonio; Zavala, Lorena; José Marqués, María; Novara, Agata

    2014-05-01

    Soil erosion take place in degraded ecosystem where the lack of vegetation, drought, erodible parent material and deforestation take place (Borelli et al., 2013; Haregeweyn et al., 2013; Zhao et al., 2013). Agriculture management developed new landscapes (Ore and Bruins, 2012) and use to trigger non-sustainable soil erosion rates (Zema et al., 2012). High erosion rates were measured in agriculture land (Cerdà et al., 2009), but it is also possible to develop managements that will control the soil and water losses, such as organic amendments (Marqués et al., 2005), plant cover (Marqués et al., 2007) and geotextiles (Giménez Morera et al., 2010). The most successful management to restore the structural stability and the biological activity of the agriculture soil has been the organic mulches (García Orenes et al; 2009; 2010; 2012). The straw mulch is also very successful on bare fire affected soil (Robichaud et al., 2013a; 2013b), which also contributes to a more stable soil moisture content (García-Moreno et al., 2013). The objective of this research is to determine the impact of two mulches: wheat straw and chipped branches, on the soil erosion rates in a rainfed vineyard in Eastern Spain. The research site is located in the Les Alcusses Valley within the Moixent municipality. The Mean annual temperature is 13 ºC, and the mean annual rainfall 455 mm. Soil are sandy loam, and are developed at the foot-slope of a Cretaceous limestone range, the Serra Grossa range. The soils use to be ploughed and the features of soil erosion are found after each thunderstorm. Rills are removed by ploughing. Thirty rainfall simulation experiments were carried out in summer 2011 during the summer drought period. The simulated rainfall lasted during 1 hour at a 45 mmh-1 intensity on 1 m2 plots (Cerdà and Doerr, 2010; Cerdà and Jurgensen 2011). Ten experiments were carried out on the control plots (ploughed), 10 on straw mulch covered plots, and 10 on chipped branches covered soil. The results show that the soil erosion is reduced by 10 on straw mulch covered soils and by 4 on chipped branches covered soil. Acknowledgements The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857 and RECARE supported this research. References Borrelli, P., Märker, M., Schütt, B. 2013. Modelling post-tree-haversting soil erosion and sediment deposition potential in the Turano River Basin (Italian Central Apennine). Land Degradation & Development, DOI 10.1002/ldr.2214 Cerdà, A., Flanagan, D.C., le Bissonnais, Y., Boardman, J. 2009. Soil erosion and agriculture Soil and Tillage Research 106, 107-108. DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2009.1 Cerdà, A., Morera, A.G., Bodí, M.B. 2009. Soil and water losses from new citrus orchards growing on sloped soils in the western Mediterranean basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 34, 1822-1830. García-Moreno, J., Gordillo-Rivero, Á.J., Zavala, L.M., Jordán, A., Pereira, P. 2013. Mulch application in fruit orchards increases the persistence of soil water repellency during a 15-years period. Soil and Tillage Research 130, 62-68. García-Orenes, F., Cerdà, A., Mataix-Solera, J., Guerrero, C., Bodí, M.B., Arcenegui, V., Zornoza, R. & Sempere, J.G. 2009. Effects of agricultural management on surface soil properties and soil-water losses in eastern Spain. Soil and Tillage Research 106, 117-123. 10.1016/j.still.2009.06.002 García-Orenes, F., Guerrero, C., Roldán, A.,Mataix-Solera, J., Cerdà, A., Campoy, M., Zornoza, R., Bárcenas, G., Caravaca. F. 2010. Soil microbial biomass and activity under different agricultural management systems in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem. Soil and Tillage Research 109, 110-115. 10.1016/j.still.2010.05.005. García-Orenes, F., Roldán, A., Mataix-Solera, J., Cerdà, A., Campoy, M., Arcenegui, V., Caravaca, F. 2012. Soil structural stability and erosion rates influenced by agricultural management practices in a semi-arid Mediterranean agro-ecosystem. Soil Use and Management 28, 571-579. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2012.00451.x Giménez Morera, A., Ruiz Sinoga, J.D. y Cerdà, A. 2010. The impact of cotton geotextiles on soil and water losses in Mediterranean rainfed agricultural land. Land Degradation and Development , 210- 217. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.971. Haregeweyn, N., Poesen, J., Verstraeten, G., Govers, G., de Vente, J., Nyssen, J., Deckers, J., Moeyersons, J. 2013. Assessing the performance of a Spatially distributed soil erosion and sediment delivery model (WATEM/SEDEM) in Northern Ethiopia. Land Degradation & Development 24, 188-204. DOI 10.1002/ldr.1121 Marqués M.J., Jiménez, L., Pérez-Rodríguez, R., García-Ormaechea, S., Bienes, R. 2005. Reducing water erosion by combined use of organic amendment and shrub revegetation. Land Degradation Development, 16, 339-350. Marqués, M.J., Bienes, R., Jiménez, L., Pérez-Rodríguez, R.. 2007. Effect of vegetal cover on runoff and soil erosion under light intensity events. Rainfall simulation over USLE plots. Science of the Total Environment, 378, 161-165. Ore, G., Bruins, H. J. 2012. Design features of ancient agriculture terrace walls in the Negev Desert: human-made geodiversity. Land Degradation & Development, 23: 409- 418. DOI 10.1002/ldr.2152 Robichaud, P.R., Lewis, S.A., Wagenbrenner, J.W., Ashmun, L.E., Brown, R.E. 2013a. Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation. Part I: Effectiveness at reducing hillslope erosion rates. Catena 105, 75-92. Robichaud, P.R., Wagenbrenner, J.W., Lewis, S.A., Ashmun, L.E., Brown, R.E., Wohlgemuth, P.M. 2013b. Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation. Part II: Effectiveness in reducing runoff and sediment yields from small catchments. Catena 105, 93-111. Wang, L., Tang, L., Wang, X., Chen, F. 2010. Effects of alley crop planting on soil and nutrient losses in the citrus orchards of the Three Gorges Region. Soil and Tillage Research 110, 243-250. Wu J., Li Q., Yan L. 1997. Effect of intercropping on soil erosion in young citrus plantation - a simulation study. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology 8, 143-146. Zema, D. A., Bingner, R. L., Denisi, P., Govers, G., Licciardello, F., Zimbone, S. M. 2012. Evaluation of runoff, peak flow and sediment yield for events simulated by the AnnAGNPS model in a belgian agricultural watershed. Land Degradation & Development, 23: 205- 215. DOI 10.1002/ldr.1068 Zhao, G., Mu, X., Wen, Z., Wang, F., Gao, P. 2013. Soil erosion, conservation, and eco-environment changes in the Loess Plateau of China. Land Degradation & Development, 24, 499- 510. DOI 10.1002/ldr.2246SP

  15. Production, soil erosion and economic failure in new citrus plantations in Eastern Spain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giménez Morera, Antonio; Carles membrado, Joan; Cerdà, Artemi; Ángel González Peñaloza, Félix

    2013-04-01

    Eastern Spain has been worldwide well known by the high quality citrus production (Piqueras, 2012). During the last century, the export of València's oranges contributed to a high income in Spain albeit during the last decade the revenues for the small farmers were short (Bono, 2010). The orange agricultural specialization in València begun at the end of the eighteenth century in the town of Carcaixent, close to the Xúquer river, where the first commercial orange groves were planted. This was due to the climatic conditions (no frosts) and the traditional flood irrigation systems. The orange trade was not important until the second half of the nineteenth century, due to a combination of factors: i) the increasing demand of oranges from the United Kingdom, first, and then from Germany, France and other north-european industrialized countries; ii) the highly productive capacity of the Valencian soil thanks to its mild weather and irrigated fields; iii) the open mindedness of Valencian farmers towards innovation; and, iv) the developemnt of a railways network which made it possible to bring the oranges into the shipment ports (Bono, 2010; Piqueras, 2012). The Valencian orange trade knew its peak during the period 1925-1930 but later it experienced an economic crisis because of wars (both in Spain and Europe) and did not recover until the 1960's (Piqueras, 1999; Bono, 2010). After Spain's EEC (European Economic Community) membership (1986) and the creation of EU (1993) Valencian citrus sector grew: new orange groves were planted, new commercial varieties (especially mandarins) were promoted, and exports increased. Nevertheless, nowadays Valencian orange sector suffers from a structural problem: the small farm size and the lack of a good commercial network of distribution. But in spite of the current crisis, the orange groves' impact on landscape is still huge in Valencia, since it creates a thick forest of orange trees stretching not only the floodplains but also their neighboring mountain slopes. The interest of orange groves is not only economic, but also environmental. Although the traditional farming developed a beautiful man made landscape of terraces and irrigation ditches, the development of new irrigation systems by means of drips contributed to new plantations that removed the ditches and the terraces. Those changes are triggering intense soil erosion rates such were shown by previous researchers in Valencia (Cerdà et al., 2009). This impact is also shown in other regions with a similar citrus production evolution, and China is a clear example (Wang et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2012). This research evaluates the production and the cost of production, the economic investment in the establishment of the new citrus plantations and the revenues of 5 farms in the Canyoles river watershed in Eastern Spain. The soil erosion rates measured by means of rainfall simulation experiments in each farm by means of thunderstorms of 10 years return period (55 mm h-1) and by five-year survey by means of topographical measurements. The results show that the soil losses in the new plantation are extremely high, that the investments in the new plantation reached 18352 € ha-1 and that the revenues do not cover the expenses of production. Soil erosion measured since 2007 to 2011 show values that range from 7.54 to 56.76 Mg ha-1 year-1 and show a mean value of 28.45 Mg ha-1 year-1. Rainfall simulation experiments shown that the soil losses were very high as other researched found in new citrus plantations. The comparison with other land uses and agriculture crop and managements shown that soil erosion is higher in then new chemically treated plantations (Cerdà, 2002), and even higher that on road embankments (Cerdà, 2007) and rainfed agriculture soil (García Orenes et al., 2009), although the water repellency found was very low in comparison to organic farming orange plantations (González et al., 2012). The current situation of a high investment to develop the new plantations, an income lower than the expenses, the removal of terraces, drainage and irrigation ditches and the high erosion rates show a Desertification process triggered by the commercial agriculture of citrus. Acknowledgements The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE and LEDDRA 243857 supported this research. References Bono, E. 2010. Naranja y desarrollo. La base agrícola exportadora de la economía del País Valenciano y el modelo de crecimiento hacea afuera. PUV, Valencia, 203 pp. Cerdà, A. 2001. Erosión hídrica del suelo en el Territorio Valenciano. El estado de la cuestión a través de la revisión bibliográfica. Geoforma Ediciones, Logroño, 79 pp. Cerdá, A. 2007. Soil water erosion on road embankments in Eastern Spain. Science of the Total Environments 378, 151-155. Cerdà, A., Morera, A.G., Bodí, M.B. 2009. Soil and water losses from new citrus orchards growing on sloped soils in the western Mediterranean basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 34 (13), 1822-1830. García-Orenes, F., Cerdà, A., Mataix-Solera, J., Guerrero, C., Bodí, M.B., Arcenegui, V., Zornoza, R. & Sempere, J.G. 2009. Effects of agricultural management on surface soil properties and soil-water losses in eastern Spain. Soil and Tillage Research, doi:10.1016/j.still.2009.06.002 González-Peñaloza, F.A., Cerdà, Zavala, L.M., Jordán, A. 2012. Do conservative agriculture practices increase soil water repellency? A case study in citrus-cropped soils. Soil & Tillage Research 124, 233 - 239. Liu, Y., Tao, Y., Wan, K.Y., Zhang, G.S., Liu, D.B., Xiong, G.Y., Chen, F. 2012. Runoff and nutrient losses in citrus orchards on sloping land subjected to different surface mulching practices in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area of China. Agricultural Water Management, 110, 34-40. Piqueras, J. 1999. El espacio Geográfico valenciano. Una síntesis geográfica. Valencia, 356 pp. Piqueras, J. 2012. Geografía del Territorio Valenciano. Departament de Geografia, Universitat de València (Valencia, España). 256 pp. Wang, L., Tang, L., Wang, X., Chen, F. 2010. Effects of alley crop planting on soil and nutrient losses in the citrus orchards of the Three Gorges Region. Soil and Tillage Research, 110 (2), 243-250.

  16. Extreme soil erosion rates in citrus slope plantations and control strategies. A literature review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cerdà, Artemi; Ángel González Peñaloza, Félix; Pereira, Paulo; Reyes Ruiz Gallardo, José; García Orenes, Fuensanta; Burguet, María

    2013-04-01

    Soil Erosion is a natural process that shapes the Earth. Due to the impact of agriculture, soil erosion rates increase, landforms show gullies and rills, and soils are depleted. In the Mediterranean, wheat, olive and vineyards were the main agriculture products, but new plantations are being found in sloping terrain due to the drip-irrigation. This new strategy results in the removal of the traditional terraces in order to make suitable for mechanization the agriculture plantation. Citrus is a clear example of the impact of the new chemical agriculture with a high investment in herbicides, pesticides, mechanisation, land levelling and drip computer controlled irrigation systems. The new plantation of citrus orchards is found in the Mediterranean, but also in California, Florida, China and Brazil. Chile, Argentina, and South Africa are other producers that are moving to an industrial production of citrus. This paper shows how the citrus plantations are found as one of the most aggressive plantation due to the increase in soil erosion, and how we can apply successful control strategies. The research into the high erosion rates of citrus orchard built on the slopes are mainly found in China (Wu et al., 1997; Xu et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2011; Wu et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2011; Lü et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2012) and in the Mediterranean (Cerdà and Jurgensen, 2008; 2009; Cerdà et al., 2009a; 2009b; Cerdà et al., 2011; 2012) Most of the research done devoted to the measurements of the soil losses but also some research is done related to the soil properties (Lu et al., 1997; Lü et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2012) and the impact of cover crops to reduce the soil losses (Lavigne et al., 2012; Le Bellec et al., 2012) and the use of residues such as dried citrus peel in order to reduce the soil losses. There are 116 million tonnes of citrus produced yearly, and this affects a large surface of the best land. The citrus orchards are moving from flood irrigated to drip irrigated land, and this contributes to increase the soil losses due to the sloping terrain. Although citrus is a world wide food, and occupy a large surface little is being researched on their impact on soil erosion, land degradation and strategies to control the soil, water and nutrient losses. This paper review the research developed until now and the results show that there is a poor background on this topic. It is necessary to develop research projects to improve the knowledge on the impact of citrus plantations on soil degradation and soil erosion. Another key information from the literature review done, is that most of the research was done in two regions of China and one of the Mediterranean. Definitively, a poor understanding of a huge environmental problem that need more scientific research. Acknowledgements The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE and LEDDRA 243857 supported this research. References Bombino, G., Denisi, P., Fortugno, D., Tamburino, V., Zema, D.A., Zimbone, S.M. 2010. Land spreading of solar-dried citrus peel to control runoff and soil erosion. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 140, 145-154. Cerdà, A., Giménez Morera, A., Burguet, M., Arcenegui, V., González Peñaloza, F.A., García-Orenes, F., Pereira, P. 2012. The impact of the farming, abandonment and agricultural intensification on loss of water and soil. The example of the northern slopes of the Serra Grossa, Eastern Spain [El impacto del cultivo, el abandono y la intensificación de la agricultura en la pérdida de agua y suelo. el ejemplo de la vertiente norte de la serra grossa en el este peninsular] Cuadernos de Investigacion Geografica, 38 (1), 75-94. Cerdà, A., Jurgensen, M.F. 2008. The influence of ants on soil and water losses from an orange orchard in eastern Spain. Journal of Applied Entomology, 132 (4), 306-314. Cerdà, A., Jurgensen, M.F. 2011. Ant mounds as a source of sediment on citrus orchard plantations in eastern Spain. A three-scale rainfall simulation approach. Catena, 85 (3), 231-236. Cerdà, A., Jurgensen, M.F., Bodi, M.B. 2009. Effects of ants on water and soil losses from organically-managed citrus orchards in eastern Spain. Biologia, 64 (3), 527-531. Cerdà, A., Morera, A.G., Bodí, M.B. 2009. Soil and water losses from new citrus orchards growing on sloped soils in the western Mediterranean basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 34 (13), 1822-1830. Lavigne, C., Achard, R., Tixier, P., Lesueur Jannoyer, M. 2012. How to integrate cover crops to enhance sustainability in banana and citrus cropping systems. Acta Horticulturae, 928, 351-358. Le Bellec, F., Damas, O., Boullenger, G., Vannière, H., Lesueur Jannoyer, M., Tournebize, R., Ozier Lafontaine, H. 2012. Weed control with a cover crop (Neonotonia wightii) in mandarin orchards in Guadeloupe (FWI). Acta Horticulturae, 928, 359-366. Liu, Y., Tao, Y., Wan, K.Y., Zhang, G.S., Liu, D.B., Xiong, G.Y., Chen, F. 2012. Runoff and nutrient losses in citrus orchards on sloping land subjected to different surface mulching practices in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area of China. Agricultural Water Management, 110, 34-40. Lu, J., Wilson, M.J., Yu, J. 1997. Effects of trench planting and soil chiselling on soil properties and citrus production in hilly ultisols of China Soil and Tillage Research, 43 (3-4), 309-318. Lü, W., Zhang, H., Wu, Y., Cheng, J., Li, J., Wang, X. 2012. The impact of plant hedgerow in Three Gorges on the soil chemicophysical properties and soil erosion. Key Engineering Materials, 500, 142-148. Wang, L., Tang, L., Wang, X., Chen, F. 2010. Effects of alley crop planting on soil and nutrient losses in the citrus orchards of the Three Gorges Region. Soil and Tillage Research, 110 (2), 243-250. Wu J., Li Q., Yan L. 1997. Effect of intercropping on soil erosion in young citrus plantation - a simulation study. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 8 (2), 143-146. Wu, D.-M., Yu, Y.-C., Xia, L.-Z., Yin, S.-X., Yang, L.-Z. 2011. Soil fertility indices of citrus orchard land along topographic gradients in the three gorges area of China. Pedosphere, 21 (6), 782-792. Xu, Q., Wang, T., Li, Z., Cai, C., Shi, Z., Jiang, C. 2010. Effect of soil conservation measurements on runoff, erosion and plant production: A case study on steeplands from the Three Gorges Area, China. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment, 8 (3-4 PART 2), 980-984. Xu, Q.X., Wang, T.W., Cai, C.F., Li, Z.X., Shi, Z.H. 2012. Effects of soil conservation on soil properties of citrus orchards in the Three-Gorges Area, China. Land Degradation and Development, 23 (1), 34-42.

  17. The use of straw mulch as a strategy to prevent extreme soil erosion rates in citrus orchard. A Rainfall simulation approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cerdà, Artemi; Giménez-Morera, Antonio; Jordán, Antonio; Pereira, Paulo; Novara, Agata; García-Orenes, Fuensanta

    2014-05-01

    Not only the Sahel (Haregeweyn et al., 2013), the deforested land (Borelli et al., 2013) the chinese Plateau are affected by intense soil erosion rates (Zhao et al., 2013). Soil erosion affect agriculture land (Cerdà et al., 2009), and citrus orchards are being seeing as one of the crops with the highest erosion rates due to the managements that avoid the catch crops, weeds or litter. Example of the research carried out on citrus orchards is found in the Mediterranean (Cerdà and Jurgensen, 2008; 2009; Cerdà et al., 2009a; 2009b; Cerdà et al., 2011; 2012) and in China (Wu et al., 1997; Xu et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2011; Wu et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2011; Lü et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2012), and they confirm the non sustainable soil losses measured. The land management in citrus plantations results in soil degradation too (Lu et al., 1997; Lü et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2012). The use of cover crops to reduce the soil losses (Lavigne et al., 2012; Le Bellec et al., 2012) and the use of residues such as dried citrus peel has been found successful. There is a need to find new plants or residues to protect the soils on citrus orchards. Agriculture produces a high amount of residues. The pruning can contribute with a valuable source of nutrients and a good soil protection. The leaves of the trees, and some parts of the plants, once harvest can contribute to reduce the soil losses. Due to the mechanization of the agriculture, and the reduction of the draft animals (mainly horses, mules, donkeys and oxen) the straw is being a residue instead of a resource. The Valencia region is the largest producer of citrus in Europe, and the largest exporter in the world. This citrus production region is located in the eastern cost of Spain where we can find the rice production area of the l'Albufera Lagoon paddy fields, the third largest production region in Spain. This means, a rice production region surrounded by the huge citrus production region. There, the rice straw is not used in the paddy fields after harvesting and the straw is being as a residue that damages the air quality when burnt, the water quality due to the decomposition and the methane production, and is not accepted in the field by the farmers. This is a new problem as few years ago the rice straw was use for animal feeding. Many attempts were developed in the last decade to remove and use the straw to avoid fires and water pollution (Iranzo et al., 2004; Silvestre et al., 2013). Our goal is to test if a residue such as the rice straw can be transformed as a resource: soil erosion control. Straw has been seen as a very efficient to reduce the water losses in agriculture land (García Moreno et al., 2013), the soil losses in fire affected land (Robichaud et al., 2013a; 2013b; Fernandez and Vega, 2014), and soil properties (García Orenes et al., 2009; 2010; Jordán et al., 2010; García Orenes 2012). Rainfall simulations under 55 mm h-1 rainfall intensity during one hour on 0,25 m2 plots were carried out on plots paired plots: bare and covered with straw. The plots covered with straw had different straw mulch cover: from 10 to 100 % cover and from 0,005 g m2 to 300 g m2. The results show a positive effect of the straw cover that show an exponential relation between the straw cover and weight with the sediment yield. Acknowledgements The research projects GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857 and RECARE supported this research. References Bombino, G., Denisi, P., Fortugno, D., Tamburino, V., Zema, D.A., Zimbone, S.M. 2010. Land spreading of solar-dried citrus peel to control runoff and soil erosion. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment 140,145-154. Borrelli, P., Märker, M., Schütt, B. 2013. Modelling post-tree-haversting soil erosion and sediment deposition potential in the Turano River Basin (Italian Central Apennine). Land Degradation & Development, DOI 10.1002/ldr.2214 Cerdà, A., Flanagan, D.C., le Bissonnais, Y., Boardman, J. 2009. Soil erosion and agriculture Soil and Tillage Research 106, 107-108. DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2009.1 Cerdà, A., Jurgensen, M.F. 2008. The influence of ants on soil and water losses from an orange orchard in eastern Spain. Journal of Applied Entomology 132, 306-314. Cerdà, A., Jurgensen, M.F. 2011. Ant mounds as a source of sediment on citrus orchard plantations in eastern Spain. A three-scale rainfall simulation approach. Catena 85, 231-236. Cerdà, A., Jurgensen, M.F., Bodi, M.B. 2009. Effects of ants on water and soil losses from organically-managed citrus orchards in eastern Spain. Biologia 64, 527-531. Cerdà, A., Morera, A.G., Bodí, M.B. 2009. Soil and water losses from new citrus orchards growing on sloped soils in the western Mediterranean basin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 34, 1822-1830. Lavigne, C., Achard, R., Tixier, P., Lesueur Jannoyer, M. 2012. How to integrate cover crops to enhance sustainability in banana and citrus cropping systems. Acta Horticulturae 928, 351-358. Fernández, C., Vega, J.A. 2014. Efficacy of bark strands and straw mulching after wildfire in NW Spain: Effects on erosion control and vegetation recovery. Ecological Engineering 63, 50-57 García-Moreno, J., Gordillo-Rivero, Á.J., Zavala, L.M., Jordán, A., Pereira, P. 2013. Mulch application in fruit orchards increases the persistence of soil water repellency during a 15-years period. Soil and Tillage Research 130, 62-68. García-Orenes, F., Cerdà, A., Mataix-Solera, J., Guerrero, C., Bodí, M.B., Arcenegui, V., Zornoza, R. & Sempere, J.G. 2009. Effects of agricultural management on surface soil properties and soil-water losses in eastern Spain. Soil and Tillage Research 106, 117-123. 10.1016/j.still.2009.06.002 García-Orenes, F., Guerrero, C., Roldán, A.,Mataix-Solera, J., Cerdà, A., Campoy, M., Zornoza, R., Bárcenas, G., Caravaca. F. 2010. Soil microbial biomass and activity under different agricultural management systems in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem. Soil and Tillage Research 109, 110-115. 10.1016/j.still.2010.05.005. García-Orenes, F., Roldán, A., Mataix-Solera, J., Cerdà, A., Campoy, M., Arcenegui, V., Caravaca, F. 2012. Soil structural stability and erosion rates influenced by agricultural management practices in a semi-arid Mediterranean agro-ecosystem. Soil Use and Management 28, 571-579. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2012.00451.x Haregeweyn, N., Poesen, J., Verstraeten, G., Govers, G., de Vente, J., Nyssen, J., Deckers, J., Moeyersons, J. 2013. Assessing the performance of a Spatially distributed soil erosion and sediment delivery model (WATEM/SEDEM) in Northern Ethiopia. Land Degradation & Development 24, 188-204. DOI 10.1002/ldr.1121 Iranzo, M., Cañizares, J.V., Roca-Perez, L., Sainz-Pardo, I., Mormeneo, S., Boluda, R. 2004. Characteristics of rice straw and sewage sludge as composting materials in Valencia (Spain). Bioresource Technology 95, 107-112 Le Bellec, F., Damas, O., Boullenger, G., Vannière, H., Lesueur Jannoyer, M., Tournebize, R., Ozier Lafontaine, H. 2012. Weed control with a cover crop (Neonotonia wightii) in mandarin orchards in Guadeloupe (FWI). Acta Horticulturae 928, 359-366. Liu, Y., Tao, Y., Wan, K.Y., Zhang, G.S., Liu, D.B., Xiong, G.Y., Chen, F. 2012. Runoff and nutrient losses in citrus orchards on sloping land subjected to different surface mulching practices in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area of China. Agricultural Water Management 110, 34-40. Lu, J., Wilson, M.J., Yu, J. 1997. Effects of trench planting and soil chiselling on soil properties and citrusproduction in hilly ultisols of China Soil and Tillage Research 43, 309-318. Lü, W., Zhang, H., Wu, Y., Cheng, J., Li, J., Wang, X. 2012. The impact of plant hedgerow in Three Gorges on the soil chemicophysical properties and soil erosion. Key Engineering Materials 500 142-148. Robichaud, P.R., Lewis, S.A., Wagenbrenner, J.W., Ashmun, L.E., Brown, R.E. 2013a. Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation. Part I: Effectiveness at reducing hillslope erosion rates. Catena 105, 75-92. Robichaud, P.R., Wagenbrenner, J.W., Lewis, S.A., Ashmun, L.E., Brown, R.E., Wohlgemuth, P.M. 2013b. Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation. Part II: Effectiveness in reducing runoff and sediment yields from small catchments. Catena 105, 93-111. Silvestre, G., Gómez, M.P., Pascual, A., Ruiz, B. 2013. Anaerobic co-digestion of cattle manure with rice straw: Economic & energy feasibility. Water Science and Technology 67, 745-755 Wang, L., Tang, L., Wang, X., Chen, F. 2010. Effects of alley crop planting on soil and nutrient losses in the citrus orchards of the Three Gorges Region. Soil and Tillage Research 110, 243-250. Wu J., Li Q., Yan L. 1997. Effect of intercropping on soil erosion in young citrus plantation - a simulation study. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology 8, 143-146. Wu, D.-M., Yu, Y.-C., Xia, L.-Z., Yin, S.-X., Yang, L.-Z. 2011. Soil fertility indices of citrus orchard land along topographic gradients in the three gorges area of China. Pedosphere 21, 782-792. Xu, Q., Wang, T., Li, Z., Cai, C., Shi, Z., Jiang, C. 2010. Effect of soil conservation measurements on runoff, erosion and plant production: A case study on steeplands from the Three Gorges Area, China. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 8, 980-984. Xu, Q.X., Wang, T.W., Cai, C.F., Li, Z.X., Shi, Z.H. 2012. Effects of soil conservation on soil properties of citrus orchards in the Three-Gorges Area, China. Land Degradation and Development 23, 34-42. Zhao, G., Mu, X., Wen, Z., Wang, F., Gao, P. 2013. Soil erosion, conservation, and eco-environment changes in the Loess Plateau of China. Land Degradation & Development, 24, 499- 510. DOI 10.1002/ldr.2246SP

  18. Ep7_Total Eclipse over America

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-18

    >> Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the nasa johnson space center, episode 7: total eclipse over america. I m gary jordan and i ll be your host today. So this is the podcast where we bring in the experts-- nasa scientists, engineers, astronauts-- all to tell you the coolest stuff about nasa. So today we re talking about eclipses with mark matney. He s a space debris scientist here at the nasa johnson space center in houston texas, and he also has degrees in astronomy and space physics, and is an avid eclipse aficionado. We had a great discussion about what an eclipse is, some of the history of eclipses, and some of the science that we ve learned and continue to learn from them. This is an exciting conversation, especially because on august 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will sweep across america. Mark and i talked about where the eclipse will pass through and how you ll be able to see it. They don t happen very often-- the last time a total solar eclipse happened over the states was back in 1991, and we won t see another until 2024. Anyway, we ll get into all that good stuff during this episode. So with no further delay, let s go light speed and jump right ahead to our talk with dr. Mark matney. Enjoy. [ Music ] >> t minus five seconds and counting. Mark. [ Indistinct radio chatter ] >> houston, we have a podcast. [ Music ] >> all right, well, mark, thank you for coming on the podcast today. Perfect timing, because very soon we re going to have a total solar eclipse that s going to pass over the united states. And so i think this is a good chance for us to sit down and talk about eclipses. And you went above and beyond for this one, mark, because you have a lot of different things. I mean, we re talking a lot of science, we re talking a long and detailed history of eclipses. You know, this is not just a, ooh, look at that. Pretty eclipse. No, nasa s going all out for this-- is that fair to say? >> Well, i think this is-- i mean, eclipses have been part of human history as far back as we can record. People have been fascinated, scared, terrified by eclipses. >> Oh, sure. >> And a lot of important scientific discoveries have been driven by eclipses. I think today-- we re doing some science today, but much of the important science was done in the past. But this kind of links us in some sort of way to those early scientists who were trying to puzzle out the mysteries of the universe by using this amazing sight in the sky. So we have some science that s going on, we have some citizen science that s going on, and there s going to be a whole lot of people traveling to see this eclipse. In fact, i was reading that this eclipse is the first cross continent eclipse across the united states since the interstate system was built. >> Oh, wow. >> And so we might see one of the largest migrations of americans in a short period of time that we ve ever seen. [ Laughter ] because there s going to be a lot of people, perhaps tens of millions of people, traveling to see this eclipse. >> That s very true, and they re all going to be, i mean, closer to that nice, thin line-- we re talking about that path of totality, and we ll get into that really shortly, but you know, let s go and start at the very beginning, right? So we re talking about a total solar eclipse-- this is great-- passing over the united states. But what is that? What is a total solar eclipse? >> So a total eclipse is when the disk of the sun is completely covered by the moon. So the moon s size is maybe slightly larger than the sun, so we can get complete coverage. This particular eclipse is going to be about two and a half minutes of totality. Some eclipses are as high as seven minutes. Some of them are just a few seconds. >> And it s just the way things are aligning? >> Well, it turns out that the moon is actually not on a perfectly circular orbit. It s in a slightly elliptical orbit. So sometimes it s a little closer, and sometimes it s a little farther. >> Oh, i see. >> And so [ indistinct ] a little farther, it doesn t quite cover the surface of the sun. And what you end up with is a narrow ring all around. That s called an annular eclipse. And if the moon s a little larger-- in other words, a little closer, it appears a little larger in the sky, you get a total eclipse. And sometimes we actually have what s called a hybrid eclipse where you get an annular eclipse, but the mountains on the moon make it so it s actually a broken ring in the sky. It s so close, because actually, the mountains peeking up cover part of that sun ring. >> So can you see some of the sun peeking through those alleys, i guess? >> That s right, yes. >> Oh, interesting. >> And then that one, turns out if you could get higher in the altitude, in a balloon or plane, you might see a total eclipse in those kinds. But that s a special kind of eclipse that s actually quite rare. >> Wow. >> And then we also have a partial eclipse, and that s what-- it turns out this eclipse is interesting-- as far as i can tell, anyone in any of the 50 united states-- weather permitting-- should be able to see a partial eclipse, including alaska and hawaii. The partial eclipse is where the disk of the moon covers part of the sun but doesn t actually get to-- it s off to one side. >> Okay. >> And so you-- we re going to get a pretty good partial eclipse here from houston, but i think everybody, like i said, somewhere in the united states, one of the 50 states, should be able to see a partial eclipse. >> That ll be cool. >> So by the way, it s august 21st-- we didn t say the date. >> Yeah, so august 21st. And this will come out august 18th, so this ll be like-- >> oh, okay-- perfect. >> This ll be right next to it, yeah, absolutely. So a partial eclipse-- is there-- how-- is there a way that is very apparent to observe that? Like, will the sky get a little bit darker, or-- >> it depends on the percentage. When it s like about 50%, it s hard to notice. But once you get on to 60, 70, 80, 90%, the sky takes on an unusual color. And in fact, that s one of the things i m going to recommend eclipse observers-- just kind of note how the sky changes color, because it s a very interesting phenomenon. >> Yeah. >> But unless it s really-- in ancient times, people did not even notice a partial eclipse unless it was like 80, 90% because they started to see the sun dim, and they would look up at the sun and see there was no longer a disk in the sky. >> Wow. Okay, so from here in houston, what are we expecting percentage-wise? >> Well, i tried-- it s about somewhere around 70%. I don t know the exact area, but there s several tables. Also, that s another thing, is where you are, where the maximum eclipse changes on the clock. So there are computer resources where you can look and put in your location or your city and find out when the maximum eclipse is and how much. >> Oh, okay. Very cool. That s a lot of good stuff. All right, so that s 70%. We ll be able to see-- >> something like 70, yeah. >> A somewhat noticeable change in the sky, then, at least here from houston. That s really cool. So yeah, you said total versus partial. This is the solar eclipse, though, right? >> Right. >> This is when the moon is going in between the earth and the sun. >> Right. >> Like you said, they re relatively the same size in the sky, just based on distance and size, and so it only blocks off this tiny little strip of shadow that s going to go across the united states. And it goes-- you said it happens quite often, but just i guess at different parts of the world. >> Correct. >> It just so happens that it s going to line up this time going from coast to coast. >> And sometimes it s an annular, and sometimes-- but it turns out we get from three to five eclipses, solar eclipses, every year. >> Oh, okay. >> Which is actually kind of surprising. >> We meaning the earth. >> Someone on the earth, in other words, can see an eclipse. We actually have fewer-- there s another kind of eclipse called a lunar eclipse, and the lunar eclipse is when the earth gets between the moon and the sun. >> Right. >> And so as the moon moves into the shadow, it starts to turn dark, and sometimes has an interesting red color. >> Yeah. >> It turns out there are actually fewer of those than solar eclipses. >> Really? >> But because a whole hemisphere can see it, they re much-- you can see them much more often than solar eclipses. >> Oh, that-- okay. >> Because you re looking up in the sky and seeing the moon eclipse, so anybody on that side of the earth can see it-- weather permitting, of course. >> Wow. Why is it that color, though? >> Well, that s an interesting phenomenon. As you know, the sky is blue from the scattering of particles in the atmosphere-- it scatters the blue light. But the red is transmitted just like we see in a red sunset. Well, the earth s atmosphere actually refracts the red light, and so if you were standing on the moon during a lunar eclipse, the earth, of course, would block the sun, but you would see this red ring around the earth, which is the atmosphere refracting the light of the sun. >> So that s the red ring of the earth refracting off the surface of the moon? >> No, no, it s-- the light is coming through the atmosphere and refracting slightly to your position on the moon. >> Oh. >> So you would see this narrow, narrow red glowing ring around the earth. >> Oh, wow. >> So it s-- but of course, no one s ever seen that. >> Yeah. >> Maybe someday when we have a base on the moon. >> Oh, and so wait-- okay, so this is assuming that-- yeah, you re assuming that you are an observer on the moon. >> You re an astronaut standing on the moon, right. >> I see, and there s a red ring. So what about the lunar eclipse-- the perception from the earth? Doesn t a lunar eclipse-- the moon looks a little orange? >> Yeah, it s orange-ish, sometimes. It actually depends on-- it depends on what s happening in the atmosphere. >> Oh, okay. >> For instance, i saw an eclipse in 1982. We were expecting the red moon, but in fact, the moon looked charcoal gray. And that was right after the el chichon volcano in mexico erupted. And so the dust from the volcano had changed the dust in the atmosphere, so we didn t get much red. >> Oh. >> So it actually-- you never know what you re going to see when you see a lunar eclipse, but they re often red. And again, that s the red light that is bent by the earth s atmosphere and shines on the moon. >> Yeah, and it s reflecting-- interesting. So it s all entirely about perception, then, it s about the-- so you re a person on the earth, and this is what you perceive from the perspective of earth. If you were outside floating millions of miles away just observing it from afar, it would just look like the earth and the moon-- the moon wouldn t look a certain color. >> Well, you could see the color, because it s lit up with that color. Let me-- let s change it around. Let s say you were on the moon looking at the earth during a solar eclipse. And we have some photographs from the iss of previous eclipses, and you actually see a-- you can actually see the dark shadow. You can t see the sharp edge of the shadow, but you see this fuzzy black thing on the surface of the earth. And so you would see-- but instead of being the whole earth swallowed up, you just see this black fuzzy spot moving across the earth from space. >> Interesting. >> So hopefully-- it depends on where the iss will be at the time of the eclipse, but hopefully they ll be able to photograph it from-- they probably will not be in the eclipse path, but they could look down on the earth and see the shadow, hopefully, of the eclipse. >> Yeah, i think-- i think they are predicting that the iss is going to be somewhere over canada but will have a nice view of the states whenever it s actually the solar eclipse. >> It would be very, very coincidental if we happened to fly through the shadow, because the shadow is very narrow. It could happen, but i mean-- >> the odds are against us. >> The odds are against us. So a lunar eclipse happens at the full moon. >> Okay. >> When, of course, the sun is on the other side of the earth and the moon is-- if you re standing on the earth, the sun is behind you, because it s nighttime, and you see the-- and a solar eclipse happens at a new moon, when the moon is-- you can t really see it in the sky, because you re seeing the dark side of the moon. >> So you ll never see a crescent moon in a lunar eclipse? >> No, no, it s definitely a full moon, so as full as it gets. Another thing is lunar and solar eclipses are often paired, because that tilt of the moon s orbit, the point when it crosses the earth-sun orbit plane, is on both sides. And so usually we get an accompanying lunar eclipse with a solar eclipse. And in fact, the accompanying lunar eclipse for this eclipse is on august 7th, and will be visible from europe, africa, asia, and australia. >> Oh, okay. Well, there you go. >> Or was visible, i guess. >> August 7th, yeah. I guess-- aw. >> You want me to say that again? [ Laughter ] >> if we could go back in time okay, so i mean, that s kind of from the perspective of earth, right? We ve got solar eclipses, and when the moon is in between us here on earth and the sun, and then the opposite for the lunar eclipse. In general, if you had to give like a general overview, where else in the universe do eclipses happen? >> Everywhere. >> How about that. >> Anywhere where you have bodies moving around, one will often eclipse the view of another. But usually, what you-- you won t get to see the amazing sight on earth, because it s very rare that the object eclipsing looks in the sky the same size as the sun. >> Oh. >> So we know, for instance, there are eclipses caused by jupiter s moons as it orbits jupiter, and you can see the shadow on the surface of jupiter-- or the clouds, actually, of jupiter. >> Right. >> And in fact, there was a fellow named ole r mer-- if i m pronouncing correctly-- back in the 1600s that first detected the finite speed of light by looking at the timing of those eclipses on jupiter. So that s one of those science things that eclipses have allowed us to do. >> That s amazing-- just by looking at shadows across the universe, you can get all this crazy science. >> And sometimes-- i know we ve done occultations of stars, where a planet moves between us and the starlight of a star, and by measuring that star, we ve seen, like-- we ve found the rings of uranus, as the star would twinkle or would blink out just before uranus crossed the star. >> Oh. >> So you can actually do things like look for difficult to see rings, or also, as the light comes through the atmosphere, sometimes you can see the absorption of different chemicals in the atmosphere of the planet. >> And then understand the composition of the planet itself. >> Exactly. >> That s amazing. >> Let me add one thing we hadn t talked about. >> Yeah, sure. >> I found an interesting statistic, and it said that if you picked a random spot on the earth and you just stayed right there, you would see a solar eclipse about once every 375 years, on average. >> Okay, so you should move a little bit. >> Yeah, well-- you re not following. [ Laughter ] so during a normal person s long lifetime-- say, 70 years-- we re looking at a 20-25% chance that you would sometime in your lifetime see an eclipse, a total eclipse of the sun. So yes, it s rare, but not totally unknown. >> Yeah. >> So i just know that one never comes by my house, so i have to go chase it down. [ Laughter ] >> well, that s the great thing, is we have nasa-- we folks at nasa are actually looking at this stuff and making predictions. We know exactly where it s going to be on august 21st. >> That s correct, that s right. >> Yeah, so that kind of will help you see it a little bit, too. [ Laughter ] i think one of my favorites, though, when it comes to eclipses across the universe, is kepler, right? So if you think about-- you said occultations as one of them. That s when something passes in front of a star and changes the light that we re receiving. >> Right. >> That s how we are detecting planets outside of our solar system, correct? >> That s correct, yeah. The kepler mission is looking at a large group of stars and monitoring them constantly. And it has very, very sensitive instruments, so they can look at very small dips in the light as a planet-- a previously unknown planet-- transits the face of that star. And we ve been able-- and when they see them repeating, they can work out the relative sizes of the planets and their period, and work out where they are in orbit around that star. And we ve seen-- i don t know what the count is-- a thousand? >> Yeah, yeah. We keep finding more and more. >> There s a bunch of them. So this is actually one of the most interesting discoveries, i think, astronomers have made in the last several years, is that our galaxy is full of stars with planets. And it s pretty exciting-- it s kind of star trek stuff. >> It is! Especially just recently, the discovery of the trappist-1 system. >> Yes, indeed. >> And those-- we re talking about earth-like planets, and some of which are in what we like to call the goldilocks zone, right? >> That s right. >> And that s-- you know, water doesn t freeze, it doesn t-- >> that s right, it s not too hot, not too cold. >> Not too cold, right, and liquid water can exist. And that s conditions for life, and it s very exciting. >> It is. >> That s what we re looking for, right-- life outside of the universe. >> And i ll also mention we also have transits here, just like what we see with kepler, of the planets mercury and venus, which are inside the orbit of earth. And we recently had a venus transit visible from the us. >> Yeah, 2012, right?? >> That s right, i think it was 2012. And i ve also seen mercury transits as well. Those have an interesting history, because scientists in the 18th century were trying-- they d figured out the relative distance to the different planets, but they didn t know an absolute distance. And they were actually going to use different observers on the earth to measure the transit of venus to try and get an absolute scale. And so that was the cutting edge science in the 18th century. >> Wow. [ Laughter ] >> but so that s another point where transits and eclipses have been an important part of the history of science. >> Amazing. I mean, that s kind of a big theme here, right, especially for eclipses, is the science that we can get from observing these phenomena. >> That s right. >> So i mean, from here on the ground, what are some of the things that we can learn-- and i guess in the instance of a solar eclipse, but you know, eclipses in general-- what are some of the things that we can learn from studying these? >> Well, let s kind of go through some of the discoveries that were made with eclipses. >> Sure. >> So from ecl-- we all look up at the sun and see a bright disk. That s called the photosphere. It s very, very bright, and we ll talk about that a little bit. That s the part we re familiar with. It s about 10,000 degrees fahrenheit-- it s nice and hot. But during eclipses, astronomers notice some red layer-- a thin red layer around the sun. And that s known as the chromosphere. And that was discovered by eclipses, and it turns out chromosphere is due to emissions from atomic hydrogen in the sun s atmosphere. >> Okay. >> And so if you-- the soho spacecraft sometimes show-- i mean-- the soho spacecraft show-- is constantly monitoring the sun. And one of its instruments is a hydrogen alpha filter, and you can see what that chromosphere looks like. It s a very thin layer of the sun, again, that we discovered by looking at eclipses. The next section-- oh, by the way, some scientists-- in 1868, there was a new instrument that was developed called the spectroscope. And the spectroscope splits light into its component colors. And they had discovered that there were specific lines, almost like a fingerprint, that defined-- that were unique to each chemical, to each chemical element. >> Okay. >> And so there were-- some scientists were very excited to use the spectroscope to look at the eclipse. And in the chromosphere, they saw some lines from an element that they had never seen before. And they couldn t figure out what it was. So one of the scientists named it after the greek word for the sun-- helios. They named it helium. >> Oh! [ Laughter ] >> and it was several decades before helium was finally isolated and studied on the earth, but it was first discovered in the sun s atmosphere. >> How about that. That s-- is it called spectroscopy? >> Spectroscopy, yeah. They use a spectroscope for spectroscopy. >> Yeah, yeah, and studying the-- i guess there s little gaps in the light, and they look like gaps in the-- >> sometimes there s bright lines, sometimes there s dark lines. >> Okay. >> It depends on the situation. But the point is these lines are like a fingerprint. And that s how we understand the components of stars millions of lightyears away. We can-- >> so you said photosphere, and then you discovered the chromosphere, right? >> Chromosphere. >> So what s the difference between those? >> Well, the chromosphere is actually a very thin layer-- it s actually-- starts as cooler than the photosphere, and then it heats up again. >> Ooh. >> Solar astronomers are always trying to figure out the exact details, but what gets interesting is when you look up at the eclipse when it s total eclipse, there s what looks like a halo, or a garland, or a crown around it, and that s called the corona. So the chromosphere s a transition between the hot photosphere and the much hotter corona. And the corona is up to-- it s more than 100 times hotter than the photosphere. It s very, very hot. >> Wow. >> And that s, like i said, this halo that you see around the sun. That is actually very important-- to monitor that part of the sun-- in predicting solar storms. >> Oh. >> And solar storms affect things like satellites and our communication and our power systems. And so there are solar astronomers who are constantly monitoring the sun looking for these types of solar storms. But the corona was discovered by looking at eclipses. >> Wow. >> And in fact, it s so important that we ve launched satellites that create artificial eclipses. They put a little obstacle in the way so that we can monitor the chromosphere-- i m sorry, the corona-- at all times. >> So i guess, are they hard to predict, solar storms? >> They re getting better at it. The big thing is they need to be able to see on the far side of the sun. So we ve actually launched a couple of spacecraft called stereo, and they re now on the far side of the sun-- not totally-- they re part way around the earth s orbit, but they can see the other parts of the sun, and we can see storms developing as the sun rotates around. The sun actually rotates, also. >> Wow. So what happens if-- say there s an instance, if there s a solar storm, and it does disrupt satellite communications coverage, whatever it is. What can we expect if that were to happen? Are you talking about cell phones? Are you talking about-- what would happen here on earth? >> Well, one of the worst things we re worried about is a really, really big solar storm which could knock out power grids in certain areas. >> Wow. >> And so you could actually have power outages. >> That s heavy. >> But usually satellites, they put them in safe mode. But it can damage satellites. And as you know, telecommunications is a multi-million dollar business. >> Right. >> So there s a lot of interest in solar storms. >> But they have a safe mode to-- >> yep, that s right. >> That s amazing, okay. So they just put it in there if they see something bad coming. >> It s still dangerous, but they can put it in a safer mode. [ Laughter ] one other thing that was observed during eclipses is there s sometimes these little arcs-- they re not little-- they re bigger than the earth, but these little arcs of plasma jutting off the sun. And you ve probably seen pictures of them. They look like arches or flames coming off the sun. >> Yeah. >> They re called prominences, and they re plasma in the strong magnetic field of the sun moving through the atmosphere. And they re really quite spectacular. >> Yeah, i ve seen some images and videos of them-- they really are. It s amazing. >> Again, those were discovered by eclipses. And i ll tell you another set of experiments. It turned out that by the mid 1800s, scientists had started working out the mathematics of planets, and had noticed when a planet gets perturbed and sort of gets nudged a little bit, they said, well, that must mean another planet that s tugging on it with its gravity. And that s how neptune was discovered. They saw the perturbation in the motion of uranus. And they noticed that there was a slight perturbation in the orbit of mercury. So scientists began speculating that that was due to another planet even closer in to the sun, which they nicknamed vulcan. So what happened was they then sent-- in the 1860s and 1870s, scientists deployed around the world for some eclipses to try and look for vulcan. And they didn t find anything, which puzzled them. They looked at multiple eclipses, multiple times-- no vulcan. But in 1915, albert einstein began publishing-- began communicating his work on the general theory of relativity. And einstein had postulated that gravity is caused by the bending of spacetime. And one of his-- one of his-- one of the predictions of his theory was that you would see this perturbation of the orbit of mercury. So he explained that with his general theory of relativity. But another prediction was that this bending of spacetime would actually bend light. So he showed why there wasn t a vulcan, but then he said, if you look at an eclipse of the sun, and look at the light of stars very, very close to the disk of the sun, you should be able to see the light bent in a way that it displaces the apparent position of the star. In 1919, arthur eddington, the british astronomer, deployed for an eclipse out on an island in the atlantic ocean. And they actually measured this slight change in the apparent position of the stars. And it was a huge event, because when einstein postulated his theory of general relativity, it was crazy. It was overturning newton. And here they actually-- his prediction turned true, and that s sort of what propelled einstein into his fame, was that discovery. So that was perhaps the most important scientific discovery ever during an eclipse, was showing how the light of stars is bent by the presence of the mass of the sun. >> And that-- so it was just the mass of the sun. >> That's right. >> And there was no vulcan. >> No vulcan. [ Laughter ] although, there are two eclipse stories related, sort of quasi-related to the same thing there. >> But everything comes together, right? That s why we re-- like, going back to the general theme here, a lot of science to learn from eclipses. >> A lot of science. Let me talk about a couple things that are going on with the science this time around. >> Okay. >> We have one group that s going to have a series of telescopic cameras set up along the eclipse path. And they re going to try and take video of the inner corona, which is very difficult to see except during the eclipse. And the idea is one camera will record a little segment of the inner corona, and the next camera will record the next segment, and they can stitch them together and have a rather extended video of the corona. >> Oh. >> So for scientists who study the interaction of the corona. Another one is some other scientists are going to be studying the polarization. Some light is polarized in different directions that tells us information about the magnetic fields and other things. But they re going to be looking at the spectrum and the polarization of the-- again, the inner corona, which is difficult to measure in other ways, because it s difficult to get so close-- to measure such dim phenomena so close to the disk of the sun. >> And this is-- going back, i m sorry-- you might ve already addressed this, but these are nasa telescopes, or these are others? >> It s a variety of-- nasa s cooperating on some of these, and some of them are universities, and some of them are amateur. So it s actually a whole team of different kinds of people. >> Wow, okay. >> Nasa s helping to coordinate some of these. >> Yeah, all working together, okay. Cool. >> We ve got another group that are actually going to repeat the general theory of relativity experiment with some more modern digital equipment with more sensitive cameras to look for some very dim stars, again, to try and fine tune those measurements to see how close einstein got to the prediction. >> Wow. >> And then, we also have some radio enthusiasts who are-- during the daylight, the sun ionizes gas in the upper atmosphere and we have an ionosphere. And it, both enhances and sometimes interferes with radio communications. So these scientists are going to look at how the ionosphere changes as the sun gets eclipsed, and the sunlight starts to drop off, and then go back up again. So, they re going to observe how the ionosphere changes. >> Interesting. >> So lots of interesting experiments. And of course-- and many of these are by these amatuer citizen scientists, which is kind of a fun thing, too. >> Yeah, absolutely. So, we re measuring the earth s atmosphere, we re measuring a lot of about the sun. >> Mm-hmm. >> I know out of here, the wb-57, those high altitude planes, they re going to be flying above most of the atmosphere, about 90% of it, and they re going to take a look at the sun and study the sun s corona. >> Yeah, a bit. >> And measure how energy goes through the sun s atmosphere, but then also take a look at mercury. >> Oh, that s right. >> Yeah. >> I wanted to tell you, when you see the eclipse you will see a number of planets visible in the sky. >> Oh. >> So, if you get a chance, you ll see stars. Venus is off to the west, mars is even closer. It s-- venus is about 35 degrees to the west, mars is about 10 degrees to the west, mercury s about 10 degrees to the east, and jupiter s way over on the other side of the sky at 60 degrees to the east. And the star, regulus, which is a bright star, will be about 5 degrees to the east of the sun, so you can see if you can see that. >> And this will happen during totality, right? >> During totality, because the stars will come out. >> Wow, amazing. So you ll be able to see all of these, and you re talking about from the perspective if you re looking up and-- the sun-- >> right. >> Once it goes to totality-- and we can get to safety in a minute, but i do know, once it gets to totality you can take off your glasses for about that two minutes, right? >> That s right. Yeah. >> And then, that s when you ll be able to see all those different parts. >> Yes. >> That s really cool. >> Yeah, that s it. Let s talk a little about the history, because there s some interesting history, of course. >> Sure, yeah. >> The most famous story, which is probably legendary, but the story about a chinese astronomer, or possibly two chinese astronomers, named xi he, who was hired by the king. He was the high astronomer, the head astronomer. >> Mm-hmm. >> To make predictions about primarily with astrology to make sure that nothing bad was going to happen to the king. Well, apparently there was a solar eclipse he did not predict. >> Oh. >> And apparently, he had had a little too much to drink and he wasn t on the job when the time came. >> Oh. >> And the chinese actually thought, and a lot of ancient cultures thought, that something bad was happening. The chinese thought a dragon was swallowing the sun, and they would bang on pots and pans to scare the dragon away. And that s actually still practiced in many parts of the world, the bang on pots and pans. >> Yeah, they don t know the-- like, the science behind this total solar eclipse, so they re-- >> that s right. >> Yeah, right, go ahead. >> I think part of this tradition is passed on. >> Yeah, tradition, yeah. >> Well, unfortunately, this poor chinese astronomer that didn t do his job, he got executed. >> Oh. >> So, fortunately, we don t hold our scientists to this same level there. >> I m very thankful of that. >> Yes. >> I m sure we are. Yeah. >> But, lots of ancient people were scared of eclipses because they thought they-- i mean, it s a very amazing thing to happen in the sky and they were worried about it. It s warning of some tragedy. >> Mm-hmm. >> So early scientists in multiple cultures-- the mayans, the babylonians, the chinese-- studied eclipses and tried to understand and predict when they would occur. It turned out there was a greek by the name of thales who predicted an eclipse in 585 b.c. And this was recorded and the greek historian, herodotus, there was a big battle going on between two countries. There were the medes and the lydians, in what s now turkey. >> Hmm. >> And there was a war going on and they had lined up for battle. And they were about to do battle and suddenly there was a solar eclipse. >> Oh. >> Os, needless to say, the two generals met in the middle of the field and said, maybe we ought not to fight today. And so they drew up a peace treaty and those two countries never fought again. So just a-- >> all right. So an example of solar eclipse saving lives. >> That s right. Indeed, indeed. And so, but what happened was, a lot of these-- as people began to learn to write things down-- the babylonians on clay tablets, and the chinese court records, and the greek historians-- people began to pull together this information to understand how to predict eclipses and understand how the cycles occur. And that helped the-- that sort of spawned the whole science of astronomy. How do you-- how d the mathematics occur on these objects. >> Hmm. >> And one of the things they discovered was called the saros cycle, and this actually-- edmond halley named it the saros cycle. They didn t-- they had different names in ancient times. But what they discovered was that an eclipse will recur approximately every 6,585.3 days, which is 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours. So it turns out that the eclipse we re about to have is part of a saros cycle that occurred-- the last one was in europe in august 11, 1999, and the next one will be in asia and the pacific one september 2nd, 2035. And it looks almost exactly the same except shifted by 8 hours around the other, 123 degrees in longitude. >> Oh. >> So these repeating cycles were how the ancients were able to predict eclipses. >> How about that. Wow. >> And it s just all the different cycles of the sun and the moon add up to this repeating cycle of eclipses. >> Interesting. >> Another thing that science that was done in ancient times was the greeks looked up at a lunar eclipse-- when we re talking about how the moon moves into the shadow of the earth. And what they discovered is when the moon is near the horizon and eclipsed the shadow of the earth is not a line, if the earth were flat. It s still round. So the greeks realized that the earth must be a sphere based on-- based on the shadow of the earth on the moon under an eclipse. >> Oh, wow. >> So that was the first scientific discovery that the earth was indeed a sphere. >> Back in the mayan-- wow, okay. >> Back in the greek times, that was. >> Oh, that was greek times. >> Yeah, it was. >> Okay, okay. Interesting. Wow! >> There s a lot of interesting history associated with eclipses. >> Absolutely. >> That-- so we ve learned a lot through history. I mean, we re talking about, yeah, the shape of the earth. We re talking about-- it stopped a battle. >> Nature of the sun, yeah. >> The nature of the sun. >> Yup. The earliest eclipse that was-- that, as far as we know, was recorded, that chinese eclipse was probably about 2000 b.c. And there was maybe the one in 2137 b.c. But, the one we re sure about was there was an eclipse recorded in the town of ugerit, or ugarit, on-- in what is now, i believe, syria. >> Hmm. >> It was may 3rd, 1375 b.c. It was recorded that the sun grew dark. >> Oh. >> So there s a number of those recorded in ancient texts and tablets. >> Okay. So, wait, so the chinese one was not recorded? It was just-- >> well, just know it s actually probably semi legendary. We re not sure. >> Got it, okay. >> But this is the one we know for sure we can date the eclipse. >> Yeah. >> And actually-- oh, that was what i was going to tell you, is we have a number of these dated eclipses-- eclipse of thales, we talked about. >> Mm-hmm. >> Eclipse in ugarit. And what happens if you just run-- if you just take your computer models and putting gravity and everything and just run the sun and moon backwards in time, it turns out the eclipse is in the wrong place. So, from that, what we ve learned is that the earth rotation very, very gradually starting to slow down. >> Hmm. >> Starting to, it s been a long time. It s mainly due to the tidal effects of the moon. It s actually dragging the earth slightly down. So it s actually in those several thousand years the earth has slowed down a little bit, a fraction of an-- a fraction of a rotation. >> Oh. >> But, keep in mind, we re talking about-- we re talking about 800,000 rotations or something like that since those times. And so, we ve-- the earth s rotation has changed just a little bit in those times. But, that s another discovery we ve made that you need that long time scale to see this very gradual slowing down of the earth s rotation. >> So, over that long period of time, you said a fraction of a day, is it like an hour? Couple of hours? >> A couple of hours i think, yeah. >> Wow. >> But, and recently, some scientists have gone back and looked at chinese records, and again, been able to fine tune that. So that s a-- that s using ancient records to fine tune some modern science, so. >> All right. Cool. Okay, so let s go to this eclipse coming up on the 21st. >> All right, do you want to talk about safety or what to expect? >> All of it. Let s do it. >> All right. All right, let s talk about-- >> however you want to start. >> Let s talk about safety a little bit. >> Okay, safety. >> Okay, everybody has heard, don t look at an eclipse, you ll go blind, right? We ve all heard that. >> Yeah. >> And i remember as a boy, puzzling and puzzling over that. What is it about an eclipse that makes it so dangerous? >> Mm-hmm. >> Well, it turns out, you don t want to stare at the sun ever. It s bad for your eyes. Your eyes are not designed to be-- handle direct sunlight for any length of time. >> I feel like it s a good general rule. >> It s a good general rule. And when our kids go outside, we say, now, kids, don t look at the sun, you ll go blind. It s true, you don t want them looking at the sun. >> Yeah, yeah. >> The reason why-- the eclipse is not any different. It s just you're more likely to stare at the sun during an eclipse because you want to see what s happening. >> Oh. >> So, this really-- there s people that think there is some sort of mysterious rays coming off the sun. The only thing is just the sun like we're normally familiar with, you just don t want to stare at it. Okay. >> Okay. >> All right, so that s the first thing. So any time the bright disk, that photosphere of the sun, any time the bright disk is visible, even just a little sliver, you really don t want to look at the sun with your unaided eye. It s dangerous. You want to keep your eye for a long -- your eyes for a long time, right? >> Yeah, i would hope so. >> But we have special-- nowadays, we have special eclipse glasses that you can get in museums and different places. >> Yeah. >> That are-- it s perfectly safe to put those on and look. By the way, don t do what i did. I was checking my eclipse glasses the other day. I looked up at the sun, i said, yeah. And i pulled the eclipse glasses off before i stopped looking at the sun, so then i had a bright blob. Just for a second, i had a bright blob in my eyes for a little while. So be careful with them. They re often made of aluminized mylar and they look-- they re kind of silvery. >> Okay. >> And also, don t put any pinholes or anything in them. That-- you want to-- you want to keep them like they are. >> Keep them-- so what are the special eclipse glasses? They have-- they re just like really intense sunglasses? Is that kind of what i think? >> Yeah, it s kind of super sunglasses. >> Okay. >> Which here s the thing, you want to avoid any homemade glasses. >> Oh. >> Don t put on multiple sunglasses or something. Don t use smoked glass, or photographic film, or neutral density filters, or anything like that. You re not sure there s enough there to block the light to make it safe. >> Okay. >> So stick with the-- with the-- with the kind that you can get. They re not very expensive and you can-- you can get them online and other places. >> Okay. >> One exception is number 14 welder s glass is safe, because that s designed also for very bright. Like the welders use. >> Oh, okay. >> All right, so that s okay. And the-- and even more important part is don t look at the sun-- don t look at the bright disk of the sun with any instruments, with telescopes or binoculars without proper filters on them, because those things actually magnify the strength of the sun. >> Ooh. They ll your-- >> and just like when i was a boy, i used to use the magnifying glass on the ants, you know? That could do that to your eye, so you need to be very, very careful. >> Yeah. >> So i would avoid-- i would avoid those, unless you have properly designed equipment. Now, don t like take your binoculars and put your sunglasses at the eyepiece, because it s so intense it could burn right through your special glasses. So there s-- be very, very careful unless you know what you re doing with binoculars and telescopes. Don t even use those. >> Right, and that s, again, that s only a two minute eclipse. >> It s only a two and a half minute at the most. >> Yeah. >> So, that s-- that little window of time during totality, after the moon has completely covered the disk of the sun-- >> mm-hmm. >> --That is the only time you can look safely without glasses. >> Okay. >> And it-- and the brightness of the-- of the eclipsed sun and the corona-- it s like the brightness of a full moon, so there s no dangerous rays. You just don t want to be staring at the sun when the sun re-emerges. So, okay. So, just good rules of thumb. >> So, when you re looking at it-- say you have the glasses on. >> Mm-hmm. >> Is there a specific amount of time that we can say is safe to have the glasses on and be looking at the moon about to cover the sun? >> Well, what s going to happen-- >> you don t want to stare at it for hours. >> No, no. Well, what you re probably looking for is as the sun-- as the very last piece of the sun starts to disappear, you ll see actually little dots that form, and those are called baily s beads. >> Hmm. >> And it s an interesting phenomena of what-- it has to do with the different brightnesses on the edge of the sun, and also the mountains on the moon. >> Mm-hmm. >> When those disappear, that s the time you can take your glasses off and-- so you don t want to be-- because that s actually tiny little pieces of the photosphere of the sun. >> Right. >> Oh, there s the other way-- if you don t have the glasses, there s some other ways you can look at-- and it s-- by the way, if you re seeing a partial eclipse, you just want to use the glasses. You don t want to look at the sun directly. >> Will you be able to see the moon partially covering the sun with the glasses? >> Yes, it ll look like a cookie with a bite taken out of it. >> How about that. That s cool. >> That s pretty cool. One method you probably heard of is a pinhole projector, and it s very easy to make. You need some opaque material, like cardboard, and you make a pinhole, and then you project onto like a white sheet of paper an image of the sun. A pinhole acts like a lens. And i think it s important, don t actually look through the pinhole with your eye. It s not intended to look inside. It s a projector. It s a little projector. >> You look at the paper. >> You look at the paper and you ll see a little image of the sun with that. And you can see the progress of the eclipse. Another method i used to do when i was in high school, is if you take a very small mirror or a large mirror with a piece of paper with a circular hole cut out, and you can reflect the image on the sun-- of the sun onto a shaded wall, and you can watch the eclipse that way. >> Oh. >> And i tell the story, i was in-- i was in history class when there was an eclipse of the sun when i was in high school, and i asked the teacher, i said, is it okay if i put this in the window and we can watch the eclipse during class time? The teacher said, okay. So we put it in the window and it put an image of the sun during the eclipse up on the ceiling. We just went along with class and you could watch the progress of the eclipse. >> All right. >> So those are-- so the mirror, there s the projector, or your glasses are the three ways to watch the eclipse. And then, the only time, again, to watch the sun-- watch the eclipse unaided is during totality, that little short period of time. >> Okay, and totality is by far the most narrow section of the u.s. >> That s right. >> So you really have to be in that spot and we-- you can go to the website eclipse2017.nasa.gov and find out exactly where that s going to be passing through. >> That s right. And it starts-- i think i started this, but it comes on the west coast. >> Oh, right. >> It arrives in oregon, it goes across oregon, idaho, wyoming, nebraska, missouri, kentucky, tennessee, south carolina. It s a nice path that goes right through the middle of the united states. >> All right. >> And it s a relatively narrow-- relatively narrow path and, of course, it s actually moving. It s a round shadow that s moving across the surface of the earth. >> Mm-hmm. >> And if you re actually anywhere in that band you will see a total eclipse. The closer you are to the center, the longer it will last. Up to a max of two and a half minutes. >> All right. >> The other thing though is the weather. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. So, it turns out that what eclipse aficionados like to do is they ll look at the historical weather at that point in the u.s. At that time of year and it turns out some of the areas are more likely to have-- to have clouds than others. So it turns out, eastern oregon is a really good place. They tend to have nice clear weather at that time of year. >> Okay. >> Wyoming, nebraska, missouri, all the way to tennessee, tend to be pretty cloud free at that time of year. And then, there s another-- as it goes over the appalachians, they tend to be cloudier. And then the little section of south carolina will also have, hopefully, less clouds than other places. But again, you never know. It;s the weather. >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. >> All you can do is roll the dice and figure-- and hope that you re lucky, because if-- there have been many eclipses that people have gone-- scientists have gone specific trips to see and it s been interfered-- the weather interferes. >> Yeah, that s just-- yeah, poor luck. But that s based on data of this day over time at this place. >> That s right. How often has it been cloudy on this day at this place. >> Yeah, and so you re really rolling the dice, but playing the odds. But those based on statistical data are better off than others. >> Right. >> Very cool. Is there any particular spot during the path of totality that may be would be better? Like, for example, is it better to go to like a state park and be away from city lights or anything? Or is being in the city just as fine? >> It s just as fine. >> Okay. >> It doesn t get totality dark during an eclipse. >> Okay. >> It gets dark, but i don t think that s-- i don t think that part of it is particularly important. >> Okay. >> The main thing, it s actually much more practical, you want to be somewhere where you re close to restrooms. >> Okay. >> The eclipse itself lasts three hours and there may be a lot of traffic, so the ability to get around maybe limited. >> Ooh, yeah. >> So, just very practical things-- are you close to food> are you close to supplies? Things like that. >> Mm-hmm. >> So let s talk a little bit about what to expect. >> Yeah. >> As i said, there may be a lot of heavy traffic so you want to get to where you want to go early. >> Okay. >> And bring things that you re going to need-- your glasses-- your eclipse glasses, a camera if you re going to bring a camera, chairs, sunscreen, water, food, toilet paper, anything that you think you might need while you re on the road. >> Wow, yeah. >> I once had to evacuate here in houston during hurricane rita, and it s maybe a little bit like that and may be stuck on the road with heavy traffic if you re not careful. >> Wow! Are you talking about people stopping on the highway just to-- >> no, just talking about large numbers of people moving to see the eclipse. >> To see-- to be in the path of totality. >> If you re traveling-- for instance, i m going to be in the carolinas. >> Mm-hmm. >> And every eclipse watched on the atlantic coast is going to be headed for south carolina. >> Yeah. >> So the interstates are going to be pretty full. >> Wow. >> So just allow plenty of time. The total eclipse-- i mean, the entire eclipse lasts about three hours, so it s about an hour and a half leading up to totality and an hour and a half until the moon completely uncovers the sun. >> Okay, okay. >> But again, i-- and one of the things i thought was interesting was the eclipse veterans gave some very sage advice. They said, if this is your first eclipse, don t try to photograph it. Don t try to take telephotos of it. You ll be so worried about your camera, you ll miss the spectacular nature of the eclipse. So i think that s good advice. And so, if you re a veteran eclipse guy and you want to-- and you want to make photographs of things, that s fine. >> Yeah. >> Let the professionals do it. Just enjoy the experience. >> Yeah. >> I think that s a good idea. >> I m sure there s going to be plenty of imagery coming out from all over the u.s. >> Oh, there will. I bet there s going to be lots of selfies with people with the moon and the eclipsed sun behind them. But that s fine. >> Do you think selfies will come out, at least during totality? Maybe when it s dark enough it ll be okay. >> You may need a flash on yourself. >> Oh, okay. A flash on yourself, okay. >> A couple of suggestions to do, so a little citizen science you can do. >> Okay. >> One of them is, notice how the sky colors change. >> Hmm. >> They re very unusual colors that you don t normally see, so that s an interesting thing. Also, when there s a tree casting shadows, there are lots of little tiny holes between the leaves that act like pinhole cameras. So sometimes you can see little crescent suns during the partial eclipse on the ground. So you can look for that. It s kind of fun to take pictures of that. >> Oh, that s really cool. >> Does the temperature change? Does it feel cooler during the eclipse? Does the wind pick up or calm down during the eclipse? Just some kind of scientific things you can observe. >> Just is there-- are there things that we know of that-- what atmospheric changes in the earth? Like-- >> it will-- it does change the heating of the earth from the sun. >> Oh, it does? >> Yeah, and you will feel colder. And people actually have noticed it feels considerably cooler, which will be pleasant probably on august 21st, especially in south carolina. So just things to notice. Again, the other thing is as totality approaches observers have sometimes noticed what s called shadow bands, and these are alternating light and dark bands that quickly move across the ground, especially where you have light colored surfaces. >> Hmm. >> They occur just before totality and after totality. They re-- actually, we don t fully understand how they work. They probably have something to do with the atmosphere, the same reason the stars twinkle. But if you can see them-- sometimes they re seen, and sometimes they re not. Something to look for. >> Hmm. >> Another thing to observe is right a s the totality is beginning, there s just a tiny little sliver of the sun, and it looks very much like a diamond ring in the sky, and it s called the diamond ring effect. And that s definitely when the diamond ring occurs at the end of the eclipse. So the baily s beads-- that s the time to put your sunglasses-- your special eclipse glasses back on. >> Oh, okay. >> But, as the eclipse is about to happen you ll see the diamond ring effect, and then the diamond will go away, the baily s beads will go away, and then you ll see the full totality. And again, you can take your eclipse glasses off during totality, but be ready to put them back on. >> Yeah. >> And another thing you can look around is take a moment-- while you re enjoying the eclipse, take a moment to observe people around you. See how people react to it. >> Yeah. >> The expressions on their face. Another thing, is sometimes animals behave strangely during eclipses. >> Chicken shave been known to roost, birds behave differently. Even wasps and bees sometimes behave strangely. >> Wow. >> Cows, insect-- dogs, insects, anything you can think of that s close by, just for fun, observe and see if you notice anything. >> It is a strange and rare phenomenon to them. >> It is strange and they re confused by it. >> Yeah, yeah. >> And by the way, after totality, the whole sequence will reverse it. So you have all those sequence of things, the partial eclipse, the diamond ring, the baily s beads. >> Mm-hmm. >> And that will reverse as the moon uncovers the sun. >> Wow. Amazing. >> So if you miss this eclipse, or the weather doesn t cooperate, we have another chance in 7 years from now. >> All right. >> In 2024, there will be an eclipse that will move through texas and up through new england, and it will be another total eclipse of the sun. So we have two in a very short period of time, but it s been a long time since we ve had an eclipse. >> All right, yeah. >> So, we re due. We re due. We get two-- so, two chances, and my wife said, well, why don t we just go to the one in 7 years? And i said, well, we don t know what our lives are going to be like in 7 years. >> Yeah. >> So i said, carpe eclipsum. Seize the eclipse. So this is your chance. >> Fantastic. Yeah, no, i mean, i m-- if anything, why not both, right? >> Well, why not? We can try both. I may become an eclipse junkie, i guess. >> Yeah, yeah. No, i mean, it s so cool. And the fact that we re able to predict them, and we can go and-- we have a bunch of best practices on how you can observe the eclipse, the best that you can possibly do it. >> Yeah. >> I know, going back, just one quick thing. Well, you said early. Arrive to your destination early. >> Yeah, if you can, yes. >> How early are you-- are you talking about like days, or day, or hours? >> Well, it s difficult to arrive days early now, because virtually every hotel is booked along the eclipse path. >> Oh. >> We re going to be some distance away from the eclipse, so we re going to have to start early. The eclipse is maximum in south carolina about 2:30, so i figure if we get off at 8:00 in the morning that gives us about 6 hours to get there. And that may or may not be enough time. We ll just have to do the best we can. That was just where we-- i m staying with relatives, so that s-- >> okay. >> But, a lot of people i know have their hotel rooms booked in the-- at-- underneath the eclipse, so they can just step outside and watch it. >> Yeah, that s the-- oh, i wish i planned ahead there. That would ve been nice just get a nice, like, resort or something and just lay by the pool, watch the eclipse go by. That d be pretty cool. >> Actually, what i had originally planned-- i ve been planning for this eclipse since i was in graduate school many, many years ago. >> Wow. >> And i noticed that it would actually go through grand teton national park. And i thought, that s what i ll do. I ll go to the grand tetons and see the eclipse. But it turns out, the weather s not so-- it s a higher probability of clouds there, so i backed away from that. >> Wow. >> Good luck to those of you that-- the tetons. But that would be a beautiful photograph, actually, to see the eclipse over the grand tetons. >> Oh, absolutely. Let s keep our fingers crossed for that good weather all across the board. >> Hopefully it ll be clear all across the united states. >> Yeah. >> And everybody will be able to enjoy the eclipse. >> That would be fantastic. Well, i think that s all the time we have, unless you have one more story. But-- anything? >> I have other stories, but-- there are lots of good stories. >> Well, hey, yeah. Actually, we have a website and if you stay tuned until after the music here, we ll tell you where you can go and check out some more info on the eclipse and learn a little bit more about the history, the science, and all kinds of cool stuff, including the citizen science that mark was talking about here and how you can-- what you can do to observe some phenomena about this eclipse. So stay tuned for after the music there. Mark, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. >> You re welcome. >> I feel like that was-- i m not going to say everything about the eclipse, because like you said, there s definitely more. But that s the-- i feel like i have a good understanding about eclipses and the science that goes behind it. So there s a lot about eclipses and a lot that we can learn just from shadows, and it s just amazing that there s so much behind it. So thanks for coming on the podcast and talking all about it. And everyone, i hope you enjoy the eclipse on the august 21st. So thanks again, mark. >> Thank you. [ Music ] >> houston, go ahead. >> I m on the space shuttle. >> Roger, zero-g and i feel fine. >> Shuttle has cleared the tower. >> We came in peace for all mankind. >> It s actually a huge honor to break the record like this. >> Not because they are easy, but because they are hard. >> Houston, welcome to space. >> Hey, thanks for sticking around. So, once again, this monday, august 21st, a total solar eclipse will sweep across america. If you want to know all the information that we have, if this podcast was not enough for you, go to eclipse2017.nasa.gov. You can find out all the science of eclipses, even more than we talked about with mark matney today, where it will be, and then how to safely view it from the ground. Just be sure to make sure that you check the glasses and make sure that they are nasa certified. After talking with mark matney after the show, we found out that the shadow itself is going to be 68 miles wide, and then that shadow travels faster than 1,000 miles per hour. So, he went back and he was trying to find the width of the shadow. It s actually a little bit smaller than you would imagine, but how fast it travels-- i mean, we re talking about some of those planes that are going to be following the shadow and studying it, they re only going to get only a few extra minutes out of it because the shadow s traveling so fast. But, if you think about it, it s the moon going around the earth, so it s probably going to be a little bit faster than you would think. Anyway, you can find out more about the eclipse by following us on social media. Obviously, our nasa accounts will be talking about this, but also here at the nasa johnson space center you can follow our accounts there. We ll be talking about it. If you follow international space station you can see some of the imagery. You ll get from there 250 miles above the earth. And then also, aries astral materials research, you ll find them on multiple accounts and you can talk-- they will be talking mostly about the science of eclipses, and they are also based here in the johnson space center. All of these are on either facebook, twitter, and instagram. If you want to join the conversation for-- and maybe submit some pictures that you are taking from wherever you re going to be observing the eclipse, and then also sort of see what everyone else is doing, the official hashtag for this event is #eclipse2017. Just use that on your favorite platform and share your experience and maybe ask a couple questions in case all of the information we told you today and anything you can t find on the website we can still answer even more questions that you have. So this podcast was recorded on july 19th, 2017. Thanks to alex perryman, john stoll, and tracy calhoun. And thanks again to dr. Mark matney for coming on the show. We ll be back next week.

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.
Top