HAC-POA Policy Effects on Hospitals, Patients and Other...

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — According to findings reported in HAC-POA Policy Effects on Hospitals, Patients, and Other Payers, published in Volume 4, Issue 3 of the Medicare and Medicaid...

Susceptible conditions for debarking by deer in subalpine coniferous forests in central Japan

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Hayato Iijima

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Recently, deer have expanded their distribution to higher altitude ranges including subalpine forests. However, culling deer and construction of deer fence in subalpine forests are difficult because of steep slopes and complex topography. Thus it is necessary to clarify the factors which are associated with debarking by deer for the effective protection of subalpine forests. In this study, we examined which factors are associated with debarking by sika deer (Cervus nippon in subalpine coniferous forests. Methods: We conducted our survey in Minami-Alps National Park, central Japan. We established 24 10 m× 40 m plots and surveyed the occurrence of debarking on saplings >30 cm in height and 3 cm in DBH, as well as sapling density within each plot. Minimum distances to nearest grassland of plots were calculated (tentatively assuming grassland would attract deer and would cause high debarking pressure in the surrounding subalpine forests. Results: The mean percentage of debarked live saplings was higher than that of live trees. The mean percentage of debarked saplings which had already died was 81.6 %. Debarking of saplings increased with lower elevation, taller sapling size, and marginally increased near grassland. Sapling density was lower in plots with low basal area of conspecific trees near grassland and differed among species. Sapling density marginally decreased with decreasing elevation and increasing stand tree density. Debarking of trees was positively related to small DBH and low elevation, and marginally increased near grassland and differed among species. Conclusions: Our results suggest that tall saplings in subalpine forests of low elevation or near subalpine grassland were susceptible to debarking by deer and monitoring of these areas may permit the early detection of the impacts of deer in subalpine coniferous forests. Keywords: Abies, Cervus nippon, Debarking, Grassland, Picea, Sapling density, Subalpine region

Genome expansion of Arabis alpina linked with retrotransposition and reduced symmetric DNA methylation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willing, Eva Maria; Rawat, Vimal; Mandáková, Terezie; Maumus, Florian; James, Geo Velikkakam; Nordström, Karl J.V.; Becker, Claude; Warthmann, Norman; Chica, Claudia; Szarzynska, Bogna; Zytnicki, Matthias; Albani, Maria C.; Kiefer, Christiane; Bergonzi, Sara; Castaings, Loren; Mateos, Julieta L.; Berns, Markus C.; Bujdoso, Nora; Piofczyk, Thomas; Lorenzo, De Laura; Barrero-Sicilia, Cristina; Mateos, Isabel; Piednoël, Mathieu; Hagmann, Jörg; Chen-Min-Tao, Romy; Iglesias-Fernández, Raquel; Schuster, Stephan C.; Alonso-Blanco, Carlos; Roudier, François; Carbonero, Pilar; Paz-Ares, Javier; Davis, Seth J.; Pecinka, Ales; Quesneville, Hadi; Colot, Vincent; Lysak, Martin A.; Weigel, Detlef; Coupland, George; Schneeberger, Korbinian

2015-01-01

Despite evolutionary conserved mechanisms to silence transposable element activity, there are drastic differences in the abundance of transposable elements even among closely related plant species. We conducted a de novo assembly for the 375 .Mb genome of the perennial model plant, Arabis alpina.

NEW ASPECTS OF THE ALPINE VEGETATION OF PARÂNG MOUNTAINS (SOUTH CARPATHIANS

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SIMON TIBOR

2012-12-01

Full Text Available 4 plant communities unknown in the the European syntaxonomy are described from the alpine and subalpine belts of Parâng Mountains, based on vegetation studies of the authors during 1955–1960. These are: Arabis alpina-Saxifraga aizoides, Arabis alpina-Delphinium elatum, Dianthus tenuifolius-Festuca dalmatica and the Primula minima-Dryas octopetala communities. These communities could be described later as new associations in the possession of more relevés from different localities. The East and South Carpathian Doronico carpatici-Festucetum pictae association is distinguished under this new name from the Festucetum pictae Krajina described from the Tatra Mountains. 7 further associations are found as new to the Parâng Mountains.

Rapid and recent world-wide diversification of bluegrasses (Poa, Poaceae and related genera.

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Matthias H Hoffmann

Full Text Available Rapid species diversifications provide fascinating insight into the development of biodiversity in time and space. Most biological radiations studied to date, for example that of cichlid fishes or Andean lupines, are confined to isolated geographical areas like lakes, islands or island-like regions. Using DNA sequence data of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS for many species of the Poa alliance, a group comprising about 775 C3 grass species, revealed rapid and parallel diversifications in various parts of the world. Some of these radiations are restricted to isolated areas like the Andes, whereas others are typical of the lowlands of mainly the northern hemisphere. These radiations thus are not restricted to island-like areas and are seemingly actively ongoing. The ages of the diversifying clades are estimated to be 2.5-0.23 million years (Myr. Conservative diversification rates in the Poa alliance amount to 0.89-3.14 species per Myr, thus are in the order of, or even exceeding, other instances of well-known radiations. The grass radiations of the mainly cold-adapted Poa alliance coincide with the Late Tertiary global cooling, which resulted in the retreat of forests and the subsequent formation of cold-adapted grasslands especially in the northern, but also in parts of the southern hemisphere. The cold tolerance, suggested to be one of the ecological key innovations, may have been acquired during the early diversification of the subfamily Pooideae, but became significant millions of years later during the Pliocene/Pleistocene radiation of the Poa alliance.

Application of a ω-3 Desaturase with an Arachidonic Acid Preference to Eicosapentaenoic Acid Production in Mortierella alpina

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Chengfeng Ge

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In the industrial oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina, the arachidonic acid (AA; C20:4; ω-6 fraction can reach 50% of the total fatty acids (TFAs in vivo. However, the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5; ω-3 fraction is less than 3% when this fungus is cultivated at a low temperature (12°C. Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase is a key enzyme in ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis pathways. To enhance EPA production, we transformed the ω-3 fatty acid desaturase (PaD17, which exhibits strong Δ-17 desaturase activity, into M. alpina, thus increasing the AA to EPA conversion rate to 49.8%. This PaD17-harboring M. alpina reconstruction strain produced 617 mg L−1 of EPA at room temperature in broth medium, this yield was increased to 1.73 g L−1 after culture medium optimization (i.e., about threefold higher than that under original culture conditions, with concomitant respective increases in dry cell weight and TFA content to 16.55 and 6.46 g L−1. These findings suggest a new platform for the future industrial production of EPA.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes vs auxinic induction for in vitro rhizogenesis of Prosopis chilensis and Nothofagus alpina.

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Caro, Luis A; Santecchia, Natalia; Marinangeli, Pablo A; Curvetto, Néstor R; Hernández, Luis F

2003-12-01

The induction and improvement of in vitro rhizogenesis of microshoots of Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz and Nothofagus alpina (Poep. et Endl. Oerst.) were compared using Agrobacterium rhizogenes (Ar) versus indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) in the culture media. Microshoots of P. chilensis (1-2 cm length), coming from in vitro grown seedlings, were cultivated in a modified Broadleaved Tree Medium (BTMm) containing half salt concentration of macronutrients and 0.05 mg x L(-1) benzilaminopurine (BAP). After 30 days, microshoots with 2-4 leaves were selected and cultured in BTMm-agar in presence or abscense of Ar and in combination with IBA. For N. alpina, the apical shoots with the first 2 true leaves, from 5 weeks old seedlings, were cultured in the abovementioned medium, but with 0.15 mg x L(-1) of BAP. After 2 months, microshoots with 2-3 leaves were selected and cultured in BTMm-agar, supplemented with 5 mg x L(-1) IBA or in liquid BTMm on perlite and, in the presence or absence of A. rhizogenes (Ar) and in combination with 3 mg x L(-1) IBA. Rooting in P. chilensis reached 100.0% when Ar infection was produced in the presence of IBA, increasing both, the number and dry weight of roots. In N. alpina, 90.0% of rooting efficiency was obtained when Ar infection was produced in liquid culture and in the absence of auxin.

JST Thesaurus Headwords and Synonyms: Poa pratensis [MeCab user dictionary for science technology term[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available MeCab user dictionary for science technology term Poa pratensis 名詞 一般 * * * * ケンタッキ...ーブルーグラス ケンタッキーブルーグラス ケンタッキーブルーグラス Thesaurus2015 200906044930765213 C LS06/LS66 UNKNOWN_2 Poa pratensis

In vitro Propagation of Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) and Arudinaria alpina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machua, J.; Sigu, G. Gathura M.; Nyingi, J

2007-01-01

The giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) is a multipurpose tree with uses and it has been widely cultivated in Asia while the indigenous bamboo (Arudinaria alpina) has a very low rate of domestication. The propagation and establishment of bamboo species is hampered by infrequent flowering, insufficient and irregular supply of seeds and inadequate knowledge of propagation technologies. The study aimed at developing in vitro techniques for mass propagation of the bamboo. Bamboo explant material was collected and and sterilized in a permutation of sterilizers over varying durations. The explants were further inoculated into matrix of hormonal concentrations. Successful sterilization of both Dendrocalamous giganteous and Arudinaria alpina was achieved in 25% v/v formaldehyde for 20 minutes resulting in a 75% survival. On the other hand sterilization with sodium hypochlorite was found to be ineffective for both species. Root initiation was not achieved after six weeks in varying concentrations of IBA (indolebutyric acid), NAA (+ n aphthalene acetic acid) and a blanket application of 0.3mgl -1 BAP, by which time most microshoots had overgrown the culture tubes. In conclusion, 25% v/v formaldehyde for 20 minutes is adequate for bamboo explant sterilization while microshoots induction could be achieved though varying BAP concentrations while the culture conditions were optimal for toot initiation

Pseudomonas fluorescens strains selectively suppress annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.)

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Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) is a cool-season annual grass that is a major weed species in turf, turfgrass-seed production, sod production, and golf courses of the western United States. There are few selective herbicides available for the management of annual bluegrass. While the life cycles o...

Response of Subalpine Saplings to Different Drought Stress

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Adriana V. Ivanova

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The expectations for increasing periods of drought are becoming larger according to numerous authors. The susceptibility of subalpine tree species to drought provoke our interest to try to understand what will be their reaction to this natural climate change. For this purpose it is set experiment to determine the reaction of drought to 4 subalpine species – Norway spruce (Picea abies L., Mountain pine (Pinus mugo Turra, Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce Grisebach and Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii H . Christ. Different requirements are observed to imitate field conditions as close as possible. The saplings are taken from terrain with no disturbed soil substrate. The plants were placed in a 15 l container and at the beginning of the vegetation were situated in a specially built greenhouse. Precipitation regime is controlled by the irrigation system. The indicators for precipitation levels (for a drought from June to July and August scheme were taken from the two previous real years, who had a significant influence on the species. Precipitation norm for control is taken from subalpine zone of the Rila Mountain. To determine the reaction of all the groups of saplings subjected to various circuits, at the end of the year is recorded the survivors.

Evaluation of storage and filtration protocols for alpine/subalpine lake water quality samples

Science.gov (United States)

John L. Korfmacher; Robert C. Musselman

2007-01-01

Many government agencies and other organizations sample natural alpine and subalpine surface waters using varying protocols for sample storage and filtration. Simplification of protocols would be beneficial if it could be shown that sample quality is unaffected. In this study, samples collected from low ionic strength waters in alpine and subalpine lake inlets...

Development of ent-kaurene Oxidase-Based Conserved Intron Spanning Primers for Species Identification in the Genus Poa (Poaceae; Bluegrass

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Jonathan M. LaMantia

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Interspecific hybridization has been attempted to combine the heat and drought of Poa arachnifera Torr. with the turf quality characteristics of several Poa species. Confirmation of an F1 hybrid through morphological analysis of vegetative and flowering characteristics is often time consuming and ambiguous. Ent-kaurene oxidase (KO has been sequenced in rice, barley, and wheat. In rice, each of the five copies of KO gene has unique lengths for the first intron. Conserved intron spanning primers (CISP can be used as a DNA marker to exploit variations of intron lengths that flank conserved gene sequences. In the present study, we developed CISP to sequence partial genomic fragments of the KO gene from seven Poa species. Through sequence analysis, species-specific primers were also developed to produce co-dominant markers that can be used to identify interspecific hybrids between Texas bluegrass and six other Poa species used in the present study.

Decay of subalpine fir in Colorado

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Thomas E. Hinds; Frank G. Hawksworth; Ross W. Davidson

1960-01-01

Spruce-fir is one of the major forest types in the central Rocky Mountains. Engelmann spruce, Picea engelmanni Parry, is usually the predominant species with subalpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa (Hook. ) Nutt., making up one-fourth or less of the total volume. Lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud., is frequently present at the lower elevations of the spruce-fir...

Pyroclastic sulphur eruption at Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Francis, P.W.; Thorpe, R.S.; Brown, G.C.; Glasscock, J.

1980-01-01

The recent Voyager missions to Jupiter have highlighted the role of sulphur in volcanic processes on io. Although fumarolic sulphur and SO/sub 2/ gas are almost universal in terrestrial active volcanoes, and rare instances of sulphur lava flows have been reported, sulphur in a pyroclastic form has only been described from Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. Here we amplify the original descriptions by Bennett and Raccichini and describe a recent eruption of pyroclastic sulphur scoria and ejected blocks that are characterised by miniature sulphur stalactites and stalagmites.

VARIABILIDAD MORFOLÓGICA DE LAS ESPECIES DEL COMPLEJO POA RESINULOSA (POACEAE Y SU RELACIÓN CON LAS ESPECIES DE LA SECCIÓN DIOICOPOA

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M. Gabriela Fernández Pepi

2008-01-01

Full Text Available El complejo Poa resinulosa incluye un grupo de especies conformado por P. calchaquiensis, P. pedersenii y P. resinulosa, de difícil delimitación debido a que las entidades son afines en cuanto a su morfología, aunque presentan distribución disyunta. Para evaluar y analizar a las especies del complejo Poa resinulosa y especies afines al mismo complejo, se midieron 40 caracteres morfológicos y anatómicos en ejemplares de Poa calchaquiensis, P. lanigera, P. pilcomayensis y P. resinulosa. Esos datos se incorporaron a la matriz del conjunto de especies de Poa sección Dioicopoa confeccionada por Giussani (2000, incluyendo también a P. nubensis una nueva especie afín a P. calchaquiensis. Mediante el análisis de componentes principales y pruebas estadísticas, se circunscribió a las especies del complejo Poa resinulosa. Se describió a P. resinulosa como una variedad de P. ligularis, de la que se diferencia por poseer lígula corta, hojas y cañas de menor longitud, menor ancho de la lámina y estomas de menor tamaño. Se presenta una clave para la identificación de Poa ligularis var. resinulosa y taxones afines, y un mapa con la distribución geográfica de ambas variedades de P. ligularis.

Risk management and measuring productivity with POAS--point of act system.

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Akiyama, Masanori; Kondo, Tatsuya

2007-01-01

The concept of our system is not only to manage material flows, but also to provide an integrated management resource, a means of correcting errors in medical treatment, and applications to EBM through the data mining of medical records. Prior to the development of this system, electronic processing systems in hospitals did a poor job of accurately grasping medical practice and medical material flows. With POAS (Point of Act System), hospital managers can solve the so-called, "man, money, material, and information" issues inherent in the costs of healthcare. The POAS system synchronizes with each department system, from finance and accounting, to pharmacy, to imaging, and allows information exchange. We can manage Man, Material, Money and Information completely by this system. Our analysis has shown that this system has a remarkable investment effect - saving over four million dollars per year - through cost savings in logistics and business process efficiencies. In addition, the quality of care has been improved dramatically while error rates have been reduced - nearly to zero in some cases.

Endogenous Quantification of Abscisic Acid and Indole-3-Acetic Acid in Somatic and Zigotic Embryos of Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst Cuantificación Endógena de Ácido Abscísico y Ácido Indol-3 Acético en Embriones Somáticos y Cigóticos de Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst

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Pricila Cartes Riquelme

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abscisic acid (ABA and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA participate in the propagation of plants by somatic embryogenesis, causing polar structural differentiation of the embryo. The goal of the assay was to compare endogenous levels of ABA and IAA between somatic embryos (SE and zygotic embryos (ZE of Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst. In this study, a somatic embryo maturation assay involving the addition of varying concentrations of exogenous ABA was performed on cotyledonary-stage of N. alpina. Furthermore, the endogenous levels of ABA and IAA were quantified in the immature ZE, the mature ZE, and the embryonic axis of a mature embryo of N. alpina. The current study utilized high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC for quantification. The maturation treatments performed did not present significant differences in the endogenous ABA levels in SE. However, significant differences did exist in levels of ABA and IAA between SE submitted to the different maturation treatments and mature ZE of N. alpina. The application of exogenous ABA to the culture medium increased endogenous ABA levels, therefore, increasing the number of germinated somatic embryos. Thus, the plant conversion process was also successfully completed in somatic embryos of N. alpina.El ácido abscísico (ABA y el ácido indol 3 acético (IAA participan en el proceso de propagación de plantas mediante embriogénesis somática, ya que permiten la diferenciación de la estructura polar del embrión, órganos y regiones meristemáticas de éste. En este estudio se llevó a cabo un ensayo de maduración de embriones somáticos en estado cotiledonar con la adición de diferentes concentraciones de ABA exógeno, además se determinaron niveles endógenos entre ZE inmaduro, ZE maduro, y eje embrionario aislado desde el embrión maduro para luego comparar niveles endógenos de ABA e IAA en embriones somáticos (SE y cigóticos (ZE de raulí, Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst. La

Micropropagación in vitro de Nothofagus alpina utilizando fitohormonas

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Luz García Cruzatty

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Nothofagus alpina es una de las especies forestales más importantes del Sur de Chile y Argentina, países donde se ha empezado con programas de mejoramiento genético. La micropropagación es una técnica muy útil en la clonación de árboles con fines de mejoramiento, por tanto, los objetivos planteados en esta investigación fueron: determinar la mejor concentración de fitohormonas 6-bencilaminopurina (BAP y ácido indol butírico (AIB y, el medio de cultivo idóneo para inducir el enraizamiento de brotes y la brotación de secciones nodales de N. alpina. Se evaluaron los medios de Murashige Skoog (MS y Wood Plant Medium (WPM, con la mitad de los macronutrientes (enraizamiento y los micronutrientes completos (multiplicación, suplementado con peptone (0.1%, sacarosa (2.0%, agar (0.7% y diferentes concentraciones de auxinas. El medio MS suplementado con 2 mg L-1 de AIB resultó mejor para inducir la producción de las raíces, tanto en número como en la longitud de la raíz principal. El mayor porcentaje de enraizamiento se registró en el medio WPM suplementado con 2 mg L-1 AIB. Los tratamientos para inducir multiplicación que incluyeron citoquinina originaron callos y no enraizaron; siendo mayor la presencia de callos en el medio WPM. Se sugiere que la aplicación de citoquininas no es indispensable para la brotación, puesto que en los tratamientos testigos hubo una buena brotación; lo que hace suponer que el material vegetal utilizado tiene suficiente niveles endógenos de esta fitohormona.

Transformation of Mortierella alpina (fatty acid supplier myceliums via AMT system (Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation

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Aida Javanmard

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Mortierella alpina is one of the most important fungi in food industry because of having ability of synthesizing unsaturated fatty acids, particularly Arashidonic Acid. This is a precursor of Eicosanoidregulate-lipoprotein metabolism which is involved in blood rheology, platelet activation and leukocyte-function, and the functional characteristics of the cell membrane. Materials and methods: In this study genetic transformation of M. alpina CBS754.68 fungus was evaluated via Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Agrobacteriums containing pBI121 vector were used for transformation of three days of old mycelia. Three days old hyphae were exposed to the bacteria with three level of time (one, two and three hours in the present of acetosyringone. Mitotic stability of the third generation of transgenic (T2 was confirmed by GUS assay and amplification of CaMV 35S promoter by polymerase chain reaction. Results: The highest percentage of transformation and mitotic stability were obtained by using A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenese, respectively. Discussion and conclusion: The results showed that to obtain more efficient and more stable transformation, the fundamental factor is the use of suitable species of Agrobacterium. It is the first report for transformation of autothroph strain of M. alpine via Agrobacterium.

Development of ent-kaurene Oxidase-Based Conserved Intron Spanning Primers for Species Identification in the Genus Poa (Poaceae; Bluegrass)

OpenAIRE

Jonathan M. LaMantia; Ambika Chandra; David R. Huff

2018-01-01

Interspecific hybridization has been attempted to combine the heat and drought of Poa arachnifera Torr. with the turf quality characteristics of several Poa species. Confirmation of an F1 hybrid through morphological analysis of vegetative and flowering characteristics is often time consuming and ambiguous. Ent-kaurene oxidase (KO) has been sequenced in rice, barley, and wheat. In rice, each of the five copies of KO gene has unique lengths for the first intron. Conserved intron spanning prime...

Isolation of endophyic bacteria from purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Kds.

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Tri Widayat

2012-09-01

Full Text Available AbstrakLatar belakang: Purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Kds. merupakan tanaman obat langka yang berkhasiat sebagai afrodisiak. Tanaman yang mengandung kumarin tersebut berinteraksi dengan bakteri endofi t. Senyawa kumarin dalam industri dimanfaatkan untuk bahan aditif makanan dan parfum. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan bakteri endofi t dari tanaman purwoceng, menganalisis kemampuan tumbuh bakteri endofi t dalam medium yang mengandung kumarin, dan pengaruh bakteri tersebut terhadap jumlah kumarin dalam medium pertumbuhan.Metode: Isolasi bakteri endofi t dilakukan secara langsung dari akar dan daun purwoceng. Seleksi bakteri endofi t penghasil kumarin dilakukan berdasarkan kemampuan bertahan hidup pada medium cair ammoniumsalt sugar (ASS yang mengandung infusa herba purwoceng. Pengaruh bakteri terhadap jumlah kumarin di dalam medium pertumbuhan diuji melalui percobaan kultivasi isolat bakteri terpilih pada medium yang sama. Jumlah kumarin dalam kultur dideteksi menggunakan teknik kromatografi lapis tipis (KLT.Hasil: Sembilan isolat bakteri endofi t yang berhasil diisolasi dari akar dan daun tanaman purwoceng mampu bertahan hidup pada medium basal yang diberi infusa herba purwoceng dengan waktu generasi (g 2,7-5,07jam dan kecepatan pertumbuhan spesifi k (μ 0,14-0,26/jam. Kultivasi isolat terpilih menunjukkan bahwa BAP5 menghasilkan senyawa dengan Rf 0,27 yang diduga sebagai turunan kumarin. Bakteri BAP5 mampu tumbuh dengan jumlah kumarin 1072 arbitrary unit (AU dalam medium.Kesimpulan: Bakteri endofi t dapat diisolasi dari tanaman purwoceng dan secara in vitro mampu mempertahankan jumlah kumarin yang terkandung di dalam medium. (Health Science Indones 2012;1:31-6Kata kunci: bakteri endofi t, purwoceng, Pimpinella alpina Kds, kumarinAbstractBackground: Purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Kds. is a medicinal plant species used as aphrodisiac. Like any other plants, the coumarin containing plant probably interacts with endophytic bacteria. Coumarin

Ecological transition in Arizona's subalpine and montane grasslands

Science.gov (United States)

Michael R. White

2000-01-01

Important components of Southwest forest ecosystem are subalpine and montane grassland communities, Grassland communities provide habitat diversity for wildlife, forage for domestic livestock and wildlife, and contribute to the visual quality of an area. The objectives of this research were to determine if: 1) vegetation attributes and soil-surface cover variables of...

Comparative seed germination traits in alpine and subalpine grasslands: higher elevations are associated with warmer germination temperatures.

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Fernández-Pascual, E; Jiménez-Alfaro, B; Bueno, Á

2017-01-01

Seed germination traits in alpine grasslands are poorly understood, despite the sensitivity of these communities to climate change. We hypothesise that germination traits predict species occurrence along the alpine-subalpine elevation gradient. Phylogenetic comparative analyses were performed using fresh seeds of 22 species from alpine and subalpine grasslands (1600-2400 m) of the Cantabrian Mountains, Spain (43° N, 5° W). Laboratory experiments were conducted to characterise germinability, optimum germination temperature and effect of cold and warm stratification on dormancy breaking. Variability in these traits was reduced by phylogenetic principal component analysis (phyl.PCA). Phylogenetic generalised least squares regression (PGLS) was used to fit a model in which species average elevation was predicted from their position on the PCA axes. Most subalpine species germinated in snow-like conditions, whereas most alpine species needed accumulation of warm temperatures. Phylogenetic signal was low. PCA1 ordered species according to overall germinability, whilst PCA2 ordered them according to preference for warm or cold germination. PCA2 significantly predicted species occurrence in the alpine-subalpine gradient, as higher elevation species tended to have warmer germination preferences. Our results show that germination traits in high-mountain grasslands are closely linked to the alpine-subalpine gradient. Alpine species, especially those from stripped and wind-edge communities, prefer warmer germination niches, suggesting that summer emergence prevents frost damage during seedling establishment. In contrast, alpine snowfield and subalpine grassland plants have cold germination niches, indicating that winter emergence may occur under snow to avoid drought stress. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

La tectónica alpina en el borde norte del Sistema Central español y su enlace con la cuenca del Duero

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Gómez Ortiz, D.

1997-12-01

Full Text Available This report is focused to describe the main alpine structures located in the northern edge of the Spanish Central System and the linking zone with the Tertiary Duero basin. A review of the main characteristics of the alpine tectonic phases is given. From these data, differences between the Gredos zone, dominated by N-S and E-W faults, and the Guadarrama zone, in which N 70° E reverse faults with N 140° E and N 10° E strike-slip faults are present, can be observed. The pattern of drainage of this area shows three main orientations, coincident with the alpine faults activated during the Guadarrama tectonic phase, which reveals the relationship between the present drainage pattern and the Alpine orogeny.En este trabajo se describen las principales estructuras alpinas del borde norte del Sistema Central y su enlace con la cuenca del Duero, así como las características de las principales fases tectónicas alpinas que han dado lugar a la actual estructura. Se pone de manifiesto las diferencias entre la zona de Gredos, dominada por fallas N-S y E-O principalmente, y la zona de Guadarrama en la que las fallas inversas son N 70° E acompañadas de desgarres N 140° E y N 10° E. El análisis de las direcciones de los ríos en este área permite definir tres zonas en función de su orientación, que coinciden con las definidas para las fallas alpinas, lo que refleja la relación entre la red de drenaje y la fase alpina Guadarrama principalmente.

Spiroides shrubs on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: Multilocus phylogeography and palaeodistributional reconstruction of Spiraea alpina and S. Mongolica (Rosaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Gulzar; Zhang, Faqi; Gao, Qingbo; Fu, Pengcheng; Zhang, Yu; Chen, Shilong

2018-06-01

A common hypothesis for the rich biodiversity found in mountains is uplift-driven diversification. Using a multilocus approach, here we assessed the influence of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) uplift and fluctuating regional climate on genetic diversity of two sister spiroides shrubs, Spiraea alpina and S. mongolica. Combined with palaeodistributional reconstruction modelling, we investigated the current and past-predicted distribution of these species under different climatic episodes. The study demonstrated that continuous pulses of retreat and expansion during last glacial-interglacial episodes, combined with the uplifting of QTP shaped the current distribution of these species. All the populations showed high level of genetic diversity based on both cpDNA and SSR markers. The average gene diversity within populations based on cpDNA markers was 0.383 ± 0.052 for S. alpina and 0.477 ± 0.048 for S. mongolica. The observed and expected heterozygosities based on SSR for both Spiraea alpina and S. mongolicawere H E (0.72-0.90)/H O (0.35-0.78) and H E (0.77-0.92)/H O (0.47-0.77) respectively. Palaeodistributional reconstruction indicated species' preferences at southeastern edge of the plateau during last glacial maximum, at higher altitude areas of QTP and range expansion to central plateau during the interglacial episodes. Assignment tests in STRUCTURE, discriminant analysis of principal coordinates and Immigrants analysis in GENECLASS based on nuclear SSR markers did not support the hypothesis of gene flow between both the species. However, maximum likelihood approach based on cpDNA showed sharing of haplotypes between both species. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Growth and reproduction of the alpine grasshopper Miramella alpina feeding on CO2-enriched dwarf shrubs at treeline.

Science.gov (United States)

Asshoff, Roman; Hättenschwiler, Stephan

2005-01-01

The consequences for plant-insect interactions of atmospheric changes in alpine ecosystems are not well understood. Here, we tested the effects of elevated CO(2) on leaf quality in two dwarf shrub species (Vaccinium myrtillus and V. uliginosum) and the response of the alpine grasshopper (Miramella alpina) feeding on these plants in a field experiment at the alpine treeline (2,180 m a.s.l.) in Davos, Switzerland. Relative growth rates (RGR) of M. alpina nymphs were lower when they were feeding on V. myrtillus compared to V. uliginosum, and were affected by elevated CO(2) depending on plant species and nymph developmental stage. Changes in RGR correlated with CO(2)-induced changes in leaf water, nitrogen, and starch concentrations. Elevated CO(2) resulted in reduced female adult weight irrespective of plant species, and prolonged development time on V. uliginosum only, but there were no significant differences in nymphal mortality. Newly molted adults of M. alpina produced lighter eggs and less secretion (serving as egg protection) under elevated CO(2). When grasshoppers had a choice among four different plant species grown either under ambient or elevated CO(2), V. myrtillus and V. uliginosum consumption increased under elevated CO(2) in females while it decreased in males compared to ambient CO(2)-grown leaves. Our findings suggest that rising atmospheric CO(2) distinctly affects leaf chemistry in two important dwarf shrub species at the alpine treeline, leading to changes in feeding behavior, growth, and reproduction of the most important insect herbivore in this system. Changes in plant-grasshopper interactions might have significant long-term impacts on herbivore pressure, community dynamics and ecosystem stability in the alpine treeline ecotone.

Isolation of Three Triterpene Saponins, Including Two New Oleanane Derivatives, from Soldanella alpina and Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography-Evaporative Light Scattering Detection of these Three Saponins in Four Soldenella Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Haller, Julia; Schwaiger, Stefan; Stuppner, Hermann; Gafner, Frank; Ganzera, Markus

2017-11-01

The genus Soldanella is one of the few endemic to Europe. Some of its species have relevance in local traditional medicine. Earlier work has indicated the possible presence of saponins in S. alpina. To investigate S. alpina and other related species for the occurrence of saponins. Following sequential extraction with n-hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate the subsequent methanolic extract of S. alpina roots was fractionated after solvent precipitation using fast centrifugal partition chromatography and column chromatography. Structures were elucidated by LC-MS n , high-resolution MS, hydrolysis experiments and one-dimensional (1D)- and two-dimensional (2D)-NMR. A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography method was developed to quantitate saponins in the leaves and roots of four Soldanella species. Three triterpene saponins, two of them new natural products, were isolated from S. alpina. Based on an epoxyoleanal aglycone substituted with four sugar units, they were analytically quantitated using a Kinetex 2.6 μm hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column together with a mobile phase comprising of ammonium acetate, water and acetonitrile. Method validation confirmed that the assay meets all requirements in respect to linearity, accuracy, sensitivity and precision. All four Soldanella species investigated contained the three saponins. The lowest total level of the three saponins (1.09%) was observed in S. montana leaves while the highest saponin content (5.14%) was determined in S. alpina roots. The detection of saponins within the genus Soldanella is an indication that further phytochemical examination of this genus may reveal more secondary metabolites of interest. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Provenance variability in nursery growth of subalpine fir

Science.gov (United States)

Charlie Cartwright; Cheng Ying

2011-01-01

Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa [Hook] Nutt.) is a wide-ranging, high-elevation species in the interior of British Columbia. It is commonly harvested for lumber, but replanting of it is limited. Some reticence is based upon wood quality and rate of growth, but there are also seed and nursery culturing difficulties. This study investigated seedling growth traits of 111...

Soil seed banks along elevational gradients in tropical, subtropical and subalpine forests in Yunnan Province, southwest China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiaqin Luo; Min Cao; Min Zhang; Xiaoyang Song; Jieqiong Li; Akihiro Nakamura; Roger Kitching

2017-01-01

Soil seed banks are a vital part of ecosystems and influence community dynamics and regeneration.Although soil seed banks in different habitats have been reported,how soil seed banks vary with elerational gradients in different climatic zones is still unknown.This paper investigates seed density,species composition and nonconstituent species of forest soil seed banks in Yunnan Province,southwest China.Similarity between the soil seed bank and standing vegetation was also examined.We collected soil samples from sites spanning 12 elevations in tropical rain forests,subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests and subalpine coniferous forests,and transported them to a glasshouse for germination trials for species identification.The soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests had much higher seed densities and species richness than those of subalpine forests.Seeds of woody species dominated the soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests,while herbs dominated those of subalpine forests.The nonconstituent species in the soil seed banks were all herbs and were most abundant in tropical forests,followed by subtropical forests but were completely absent from subalpine forests.

Soil seed banks along elevational gradients in tropical, subtropical and subalpine forests in Yunnan Province, southwest China

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Xiaqin Luo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Soil seed banks are a vital part of ecosystems and influence community dynamics and regeneration. Although soil seed banks in different habitats have been reported, how soil seed banks vary with elevational gradients in different climatic zones is still unknown. This paper investigates seed density, species composition and nonconstituent species of forest soil seed banks in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Similarity between the soil seed bank and standing vegetation was also examined. We collected soil samples from sites spanning 12 elevations in tropical rain forests, subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and subalpine coniferous forests, and transported them to a glasshouse for germination trials for species identification. The soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests had much higher seed densities and species richness than those of subalpine forests. Seeds of woody species dominated the soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests, while herbs dominated those of subalpine forests. The nonconstituent species in the soil seed banks were all herbs and were most abundant in tropical forests, followed by subtropical forests but were completely absent from subalpine forests.

El éxito de la gestión ambiental en Alpina S.A.

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Edicson Jair Gil costa Acosta

2013-08-01

Este análisis permitió observar tanto su excelente organización interna, como el importante desarrollo de sus políticas ambientales, las cuales se reflejan no sólo al interior de la organización, sino también al exterior, como consecuencia de su activa participación en la generación de políticas gubernamentales de alto impacto para la sociedad. Igualmente, el artículo incluye las estrategias desarrolladas por Alpina para alcanzar los objetivos propuestos en estas políticas ambientales.

Range expansion of an endangered beetle: Alpine Longhorn Rosalia alpina (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) spreads to the lowlands of Central Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Čížek, Lukáš; Schlaghamerský, J.; Bořucký, J.; Hauck, D.; Helešic, J.

2009-01-01

Roč. 20, č. 3 (2009), s. 200-206 ISSN 0785-8760 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KJB600960705; GA MŠk LC06073 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Rosalia alpina Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 0.377, year: 2009

Growth and nutritive quality of Poa pratensis as influenced by ozone and competition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bender, J.; Muntifering, R.B.; Lin, J.C.; Weigel, H.J.

2006-01-01

Interspecific plant competition has been hypothesized to alter effects of early-season ozone (O 3 ) stress. A phytometer-based approach was utilized to investigate O 3 effects on growth and nutritive quality of Poa pratensis grown in monoculture and in mixed cultures with four competitor-plant species (Anthoxanthum odoratum, Achillea millefolium, Rumex acetosa and Veronica chamaedrys). Mesocosms were exposed during April/May 2000-2002 to charcoal-filtered air + 25 ppb O 3 (control) or non-filtered air + 50 ppb O 3 (elevated O 3 ). Biomass production was not affected by O 3 , but foliar injury symptoms were observed in May 2002. Early-season O 3 exposure decreased relative food value of P. pratensis by an average of 8%, which is sufficient to have nutritional implications for its utilization by herbivores. However, forage quality response to O 3 was not changed by interspecific competition. Lack of injury and nutritive quality response in P. pratensis harvested in September may reflect recovery from early-season O 3 exposure. - Early-season O 3 exposure decreased nutritive quality of Poa pratensis, and nutritive quality response to O 3 was not altered by interspecific competition

Biochemical characterization of GDP-L-fucose de novo synthesis pathway in fungus Mortierella alpina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Yan; Perepelov, Andrei V.; Wang, Haiyan; Zhang, Hao; Knirel, Yuriy A.; Wang, Lei; Chen, Wei

2010-01-01

Mortierella alpina is a filamentous fungus commonly found in soil, which is able to produce large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. L-Fucose is an important sugar found in a diverse range of organisms, playing a variety of biological roles. In this study, we characterized the de novo biosynthetic pathway of GDP-L-fucose (the nucleotide-activated form of L-fucose) in M. alpina. Genes encoding GDP-D-mannose 4,6-dehydratase (GMD) and GDP-keto-6-deoxymannose 3,5-epimerase/4-reductase (GMER) were expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzymes were produced as His-tagged fusion proteins. Conversion of GDP-mannose to GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy mannose by GMD and GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy mannose to GDP-L-fucose by GMER were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis, electro-spray ionization-mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The k m values of GMD for GDP-mannose and GMER for GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy mannose were determined to be 0.77 mM and 1.047 mM, respectively. Both NADH and NADPH may be used by GMER as the coenzyme. The optimum temperature and pH were determined to be 37 o C and pH 9.0 (GMD) or pH 7.0 (GMER). Divalent cations are not required for GMD and GMER activity, and the activities of both enzymes may be enhanced by DTT. To our knowledge this is the first report on the characterization of GDP-L-fucose biosynthetic pathway in fungi.

Demography and dispersal ability of a threatened saproxylic beetle: A mark-recapture study of the rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Drag, Lukáš; Hauck, David; Pokluda, Pavel; Zimmermann, Kamil; Čížek, Lukáš

2011-01-01

Roč. 6, č. 6 (2011), e21345 E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC06073 Grant - others:Ministerstvo životního prostředí(CZ) VaV/SP/2d3/153/08 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Rosalia alpina Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 4.092, year: 2011

Population dynamics of the species Plantago major L. and Poa annua L. in a replacement series experiment

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Mijović A.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Population dynamics of the species Plantago major L. and Poa annua L., typical representatives of ruderal vegetation, was analyzed in a replacement series experiment. The analyzed species were sown in an area with meadow vegetation, where the vegetation present had been previously removed by a total herbicide and additionally by hoeing. The objective of the experiment was to monitor growth dynamics and the effect of intra- and inter-specific interaction of the species Plantago major and Poa annua in conditions of different sowing densities and proportions. The effects of intra- and inter-specific interference and the density-dependent responses were assessed on the basis of several parameters (natality, mortality, age structure, and measures of ontogenetic changes. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that the responses of the species in the experiment were different, which is explained by different adaptive mechanisms, i.e., strategies, in the specific environmental conditions. An effect of the density dependent response was present in both species in the replacement series experiment. The response was amplified by water deficit caused by intensive evapora­tion of the bare soil. No effect of inter-specific interference was observed at the given densities of the study species on the sample plots. An effect of intra-specific interference of the species Plantago major and Poa annua was observed in the guise of a density-negative response of the rate of ontogenetic changes and fecundity.

Preliminary studies on ribonucleases from Poa pratensis seeds

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Irena Lorenc-Kubis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Ribonuclease was extracted from Poa pratensis seeds with 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 5.1, and then precipitated with alcohol. The enzyme was separated into 5 fractions (I-V after chromatography on DEAE-cellulose at pH 5.1. The enzymes were stable at 50°C, at pH 7.1. The activity of ribonucleases I, II, III and V were optimal at pH 7.1-7.3, and that of ribonuclease IV at pH 8.1. Ali enzymes were inhibited by Ca2+ and EDTA. Mg2+ inhibited the activity of ribonucleases II, III, IV, and had no influence on that of ribonucleases I and V. Ribonucleases IV and V showed only one activity band in disc electrophoresis, whereas ribonucleases, I, II and III were found to be heterogenous.

Fire, fuel composition and resilience threshold in subalpine ecosystem.

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Olivier Blarquez

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Forecasting the effects of global changes on high altitude ecosystems requires an understanding of the long-term relationships between biota and forcing factors to identify resilience thresholds. Fire is a crucial forcing factor: both fuel build-up from land-abandonment in European mountains, and more droughts linked to global warming are likely to increase fire risks. METHODS: To assess the vegetation response to fire on a millennium time-scale, we analyzed evidence of stand-to-local vegetation dynamics derived from sedimentary plant macroremains from two subalpine lakes. Paleobotanical reconstructions at high temporal resolution, together with a fire frequency reconstruction inferred from sedimentary charcoal, were analyzed by Superposed Epoch Analysis to model plant behavior before, during and after fire events. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show that fuel build-up from arolla pine (Pinus cembra always precedes fires, which is immediately followed by a rapid increase of birch (Betula sp., then by ericaceous species after 25-75 years, and by herbs after 50-100 years. European larch (Larix decidua, which is the natural co-dominant species of subalpine forests with Pinus cembra, is not sensitive to fire, while the abundance of Pinus cembra is altered within a 150-year period after fires. A long-term trend in vegetation dynamics is apparent, wherein species that abound later in succession are the functional drivers, loading the environment with fuel for fires. This system can only be functional if fires are mainly driven by external factors (e.g. climate, with the mean interval between fires being longer than the minimum time required to reach the late successional stage, here 150 years. CONCLUSION: Current global warming conditions which increase drought occurrences, combined with the abandonment of land in European mountain areas, creates ideal ecological conditions for the ignition and the spread of fire. A fire return interval of less

Immunohistochemical study of tumor markers (CEA, TPA, CA19-9, POA and Ferritin) and pancreatic exocrine enzymes(Amylase and Elastase 1) in pancreatic tumors

OpenAIRE

脇谷, 勇夫

1987-01-01

The distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), pancreatic oncofetal antigen (POA), Ferritin, Amylase and Elastase 1 was studied immunohistochemically using an immunoperoxidase method in 26 conventional histopathologic sections of pancreatic tumor. CEA and CA19-9 were regarded as markers secreted into the glandular lumina from cancer cells, but TPA and POA were not. The expression of these markers was different from one...

Growth and nutritive quality of Poa pratensis as influenced by ozone and competition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bender, J. [Institute of Agroecology, Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL), Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany)]. E-mail: juergen.bender@fal.de; Muntifering, R.B. [Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University, AL 36849 (United States); Lin, J.C. [Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University, AL 36849 (United States); Weigel, H.J. [Institute of Agroecology, Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL), Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany)

2006-07-15

Interspecific plant competition has been hypothesized to alter effects of early-season ozone (O{sub 3}) stress. A phytometer-based approach was utilized to investigate O{sub 3} effects on growth and nutritive quality of Poa pratensis grown in monoculture and in mixed cultures with four competitor-plant species (Anthoxanthum odoratum, Achillea millefolium, Rumex acetosa and Veronica chamaedrys). Mesocosms were exposed during April/May 2000-2002 to charcoal-filtered air + 25 ppb O{sub 3} (control) or non-filtered air + 50 ppb O{sub 3} (elevated O{sub 3}). Biomass production was not affected by O{sub 3}, but foliar injury symptoms were observed in May 2002. Early-season O{sub 3} exposure decreased relative food value of P. pratensis by an average of 8%, which is sufficient to have nutritional implications for its utilization by herbivores. However, forage quality response to O{sub 3} was not changed by interspecific competition. Lack of injury and nutritive quality response in P. pratensis harvested in September may reflect recovery from early-season O{sub 3} exposure. - Early-season O{sub 3} exposure decreased nutritive quality of Poa pratensis, and nutritive quality response to O{sub 3} was not altered by interspecific competition.

Genetic structure along a gaseous organic pollution gradient: a case study with Poa annua L

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiaoyong; Li Ning; Shen Lang; Li Yuanyuan

2003-01-01

Genetic composition of Poa annua populations showed clinal change along an organic pollution gradient. - The population genetic composition of Poa annua L. was studied by starch electrophoresis along a transect running NE from an organic reagents factory at Shanghai, China. Five enzyme systems were stained. We have reached the following preliminary conclusions: (1) Organic pollution has dramatically changed genotypic frequencies at some loci of Poa annua populations. At polluted sites, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed on loci Sod-1 and Me due to the excess of heterozygote. Especially in the two nearest sites to pollution source, all the individuals were heterozygous at locus Sod-1. The data suggests that heterozygotes were more tolerant to organic pollution than homozygotes, indicating the fitness superiority of heterozygotes. (2) A tendency towards clinal changes of allele frequencies was found at some polymorphic loci. Frequencies of the common alleles at loci Sod-1, Me and Fe-1 increased as the distance to the pollution source increased. (3) The effective number of alleles per locus, and the observed and expected heterozygosity were much higher in the pollution series than in the clear control site (Botanic Park population), but genetic multiplicity (number of alleles per locus) was lower than for the control. (4) Most genetic variability was found within populations, and only 2.56% were among populations of the polluted series. However, 9.48% of the total genetic variation occurred among populations when including the Botanic Park population. The genetic identity between populations of the pollution series (0.9869-1.0000, mean 0.9941) was higher than those between the pollution series and the Botanic Park population. UPGMA divided the five populations into two groups. One contained the four polluted populations, and the other only contained the Botanic Park population

Genetic structure along a gaseous organic pollution gradient: a case study with Poa annua L

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiaoyong, Chen; Ning, Li; Lang, Shen; Yuanyuan, Li

2003-08-01

Genetic composition of Poa annua populations showed clinal change along an organic pollution gradient. - The population genetic composition of Poa annua L. was studied by starch electrophoresis along a transect running NE from an organic reagents factory at Shanghai, China. Five enzyme systems were stained. We have reached the following preliminary conclusions: (1) Organic pollution has dramatically changed genotypic frequencies at some loci of Poa annua populations. At polluted sites, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed on loci Sod-1 and Me due to the excess of heterozygote. Especially in the two nearest sites to pollution source, all the individuals were heterozygous at locus Sod-1. The data suggests that heterozygotes were more tolerant to organic pollution than homozygotes, indicating the fitness superiority of heterozygotes. (2) A tendency towards clinal changes of allele frequencies was found at some polymorphic loci. Frequencies of the common alleles at loci Sod-1, Me and Fe-1 increased as the distance to the pollution source increased. (3) The effective number of alleles per locus, and the observed and expected heterozygosity were much higher in the pollution series than in the clear control site (Botanic Park population), but genetic multiplicity (number of alleles per locus) was lower than for the control. (4) Most genetic variability was found within populations, and only 2.56% were among populations of the polluted series. However, 9.48% of the total genetic variation occurred among populations when including the Botanic Park population. The genetic identity between populations of the pollution series (0.9869-1.0000, mean 0.9941) was higher than those between the pollution series and the Botanic Park population. UPGMA divided the five populations into two groups. One contained the four polluted populations, and the other only contained the Botanic Park population.

Water chemistry and soil radon survey at the Poas volcano (Costa Rica

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J. L. Seidel

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Radon-in-soil monitoring at the Poas volcano (Costa Rica has been performed together with water chemistry from the hot crater lake since 1981 and 1983 respectively. The results are discussed as a function of the eruptive evolution of the volcano over a 13 years period (1981-1994. It is shown that no definitely clear precursory radon signals have been recorded. On the contrary, ionic species concentrations are likely to be considered good precursors, together with the temperature variations of the crater lake water.

Citation analysis of Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica: 1992-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostrbenk, Anja; Skamperle, Mateja; Poljak, Mario

2012-09-01

Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica is small regional professional journal that started publishing in 1992. Despite the journal's relatively narrow readership, it has significantly improved its quality and global profile during the last 20 years, as shown in this citation analysis update. Since 1992, 654 bibliographical items have been published. Among these, 545 (83.4%) were considered WoS citable items and 109 (16.6%) WoS noncitable items. Since 2008, 90% of all published items have been considered WoS citable items and received an average of 1.9 citations per item. The predicted Acta Dermatovenerol APA impact factor calculated using data from a Cited Reference search of Thomson Scientific's Web of Science has shown steep and continuous increase since 2006, when the journal acquired full indexing status in Index Medicus/Medline, and has been above 0.5 since 2008.

Agrochemical residues in rivers sediments, Poas, Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masis, Federico; Valdez, Juan; Leon, Sandra; Coto, Tatiana

2008-01-01

The organophosphorus and organochlorine agrochemical residues distribution in sediments of 3 rivers located in an ornamental plant production area were analyzed in Poas canton, Alajuela, Costa Rica. The study comprised 8 months in order to assure 3 seasonal episodes: dry, transitional, and rainy seasons. Sediments were taken in 10 sampling stations along the rivers and characterized by a determination of their organic matter and texture. In 7 out of 10 sampling stations pesticide residues were detected in at least 1 of 4 samplings, but quantified only in 4 stations. Agrochemical residues evaluated included 21 organophosphorus and organochlorine pesticides; however, we found residues of only 3 organochlorine pesticides, due their high persistence in the sediment. Residues corresponded to PCNB (80-800 μg.kg -1 ), Endosulfan-β (40-50 μg.kg -1 ), and Endosulfan-α (90 μg.kg -1 ). Chlorothalonil was detected in only one sample. (author) [es

Caracterização química da carne de cabrito da raça Moxotó e de cruzas Pardo Alpina x Moxotó Chemical characterization of kid meat from Moxotó goat and Pardo Alpina x Moxotó Crossbreeds

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Frederico José Beserra

2000-01-01

Full Text Available O objetivo da pesquisa foi avaliar a composição química da carne de cabrito-mamão (idade média de 72 dias, da raça Moxotó (MOX, grupos genéticos ¾ Pardo Alpina x ¼ Moxotó (3/4 PAMOX e ½ Pardo Alpina x ½ Moxotó (1/2 PAMOX. A análise apresentou valores médios entre 77,80% a 80,25% de umidade; 15,90% a 19,08% de proteína; 1,12% a 1,21% de gordura, e 1,29% a 2,03% de cinzas. Quanto à composição mineral, os valores médios variaram de 5,62 mg/100 g a 8,21 mg/100 g de cálcio; 156,97 mg/100 g a 196,25 mg/100 g de fósforo; 0,26 mg/100 g a 0,48 mg/100 g de ferro; 16,25 mg/100 g a 23,72 mg/100 g de magnésio; 59,20 mg/100 g a 78,79 mg/100 g de sódio, e de 259,69 mg/100 g a 292,24 mg/100 g de potássio. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas a 5% de probabilidade entre os grupos genéticos no que diz respeito à composição de umidade, proteína e cinzas e mineral quanto a elementos estudados. Não houve diferenças entre os valores de gordura dos grupos genéticos.The objective of this study was to evaluate chemical composition of kid meat of Moxotó (MOX, ¾ Pardo Alpina x ¼ Moxotó (3/4 PAMOX and ½ Moxotó x ½ Pardo Alpina (1/2 PAMOX crossbreed goats. Average age of kids at slaughter was 72 days. Kids were fed with cow milk and a protein supplement. Meat analysis showed average values ranging from 77.80% to 80.25% for moisture; from 15.90% to 19.08% for protein; from 1.12% to 1.21% for fat and from 1.29% to 2.03% for ash. For mineral composition, average values ranged from 5.62 mg/100 g to 8.21 mg/100 g for calcium; from 156.97 mg/100 g to 196.25 mg/100 g for phosphorus; from 0.26 mg/100 g to 0.48 mg/100 g for iron; from 16.25 mg/100 g to 23.72 mg/100 g for magnesium; from 59.20 mg/100 g to 78.79 mg/100 g for sodium and from 259.69 mg/100 g to 292.24 mg/100 g for potassium. Genetic groups showed significative differences for composition of moisture, protein and ash values and for mineral composition, in all measured

Development of a greenhouse-based inoculation protocol for the fungus Colletotrichum cereale pathogenic to annual bluegrass (Poa annua)

Science.gov (United States)

The fungus Colletotrichum cereale incites anthracnose disease on Poa annua (annual bluegrass) turfgrass. Anthracnose disease is geographically widespread highly destructive, with infections by C. cereale resulting in extensive turfgrass loss. Comprehensive research aimed at controlling turfgrass a...

Distribution patterns and environmental correlates of Thaumarchaeota abundance in six deep subalpine lakes.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Callieri, C.; Hernandez-Aviles, S.; Salcher, Michaela M.; Fontaneto, D.; Bertoni, R.

2016-01-01

Roč. 78, č. 2 (2016), s. 215-225 ISSN 1015-1621 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : subalpine lakes * Thaumarchaeota vertical profile * CARD FISH * hypolimnion Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.821, year: 2016

Estimação de parâmetros genéticos para produção de leite de cabras da raça Alpina Genetic parameters estimation for test day milk yield of Alpina goats

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Fernanda Cristina Breda

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Foram utilizados 9.374 registros semanais de produção de leite de 302 primeiras lactações de cabras da raça Alpina. A produção de leite no dia do controle foi analisada por meio de um modelo animal, unicarater, de regressão aleatória, em que as funções de covariâncias para os componentes genéticos aditivos e de ambiente permanente foram modeladas por meio das funções de Wilmink, Ali e Schaeffer e por polinômios ortogonais, em uma escala de Legendre de ordens cúbica e quíntica. Assumiu-se, ainda, variância residual homogênea durante toda a lactação e heterogênea com três e quatro classes de variância residual. Os modelos foram comparados pelo critério de informação de Akaike (AIC, pelo critério de informação Bayesiano de Schwar (BIC, pela função de verossimilhança (Ln L, pela visualização das estimativas de variâncias genéticas, de ambiente permanente, fenotípicas e residuais e pelas herdabilidades. O polinômio de Legendre de ordem quíntica, com quatro e três classes de variâncias residuais, e a função de Ali e Schaeffer, com quatro classes de variâncias residuais, foram indicados como os mais adequados pelo AIC, BIC e Ln L. Estes modelos diferiram na partição da variância fenotípica para as variâncias de ambiente permanente, genética e residual apenas no início e no final da lactação. Contudo, a função de Ali e Schaeffer resultou em estimativas negativas de correlação genética entre os controles mais distantes. O polinômio de Legendre de ordem quíntica, assumindo variância residual heterogênea, mostrou-se mais adequado para ajustar a produção de leite no dia do controle de cabras da raça Alpina.Data consisting of 9,374 test day milk yield records from 302 first lactations of Alpina goats were analyzed by random regression models using the Wilmink and Ali and Schaeffer functions and Legendre orthogonal polynomials of third and fifth orders. Models including animal additive genetic

Roosting behavior of premigratory Dunlins (Calidris alpina)

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Handel, Colleen M.; Gill, Robert E.

1992-01-01

We studied roosting behavior of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) during late summer along the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, in relation to tidal cycle, time of day, time of season, and occurrence of predators. Within Angyoyaravak Bay, peak populations of 70,000-100,000 Dunlins occur each year. The major diurnal roost sites were adjacent to intertidal feeding areas, provided an unobstructed view of predators, and were close to shallow waters used for bathing. At one site studied intensively, roosting flocks formed at high water consistently during the day but rarely at night. On about 75% of the days, Dunlins also came to the roost at dawn and dusk when the tide was low. The size of the roosting flock, the length of time birds spent at the roost site, and behavior at the roost site were highly variable throughout the season and significantly affected by both tide level and time of day. Roosting behavior changed significantly between early and late August, as Dunlins underwent heavy wing and body molt, and began premigratory fattening. The reaction of Dunlins to potential predators, the formation of roosting flocks in response to light cues, and seasonal changes in social behavior at the roost site suggested that communal roosting behavior may be related not only to the risk of predation but also to behavior during migration.

Arbuscular mycorrhizas are present on Spitsbergen.

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Newsham, K K; Eidesen, P B; Davey, M L; Axelsen, J; Courtecuisse, E; Flintrop, C; Johansson, A G; Kiepert, M; Larsen, S E; Lorberau, K E; Maurset, M; McQuilkin, J; Misiak, M; Pop, A; Thompson, S; Read, D J

2017-10-01

A previous study of 76 plant species on Spitsbergen in the High Arctic concluded that structures resembling arbuscular mycorrhizas were absent from roots. Here, we report a survey examining the roots of 13 grass and forb species collected from 12 sites on the island for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation. Of the 102 individuals collected, we recorded AM endophytes in the roots of 41 plants of 11 species (Alopecurus ovatus, Deschampsia alpina, Festuca rubra ssp. richardsonii, putative viviparous hybrids of Poa arctica and Poa pratensis, Poa arctica ssp. arctica, Trisetum spicatum, Coptidium spitsbergense, Ranunculus nivalis, Ranunculus pygmaeus, Ranunculus sulphureus and Taraxacum arcticum) sampled from 10 sites. Both coarse AM endophyte, with hyphae of 5-10 μm width, vesicles and occasional arbuscules, and fine endophyte, consisting of hyphae of 1-3 μm width and sparse arbuscules, were recorded in roots. Coarse AM hyphae, vesicles, arbuscules and fine endophyte hyphae occupied 1.0-30.7, 0.8-18.3, 0.7-11.9 and 0.7-12.8% of the root lengths of colonised plants, respectively. Principal component analysis indicated no associations between the abundances of AM structures in roots and edaphic factors. We conclude that the AM symbiosis is present in grass and forb roots on Spitsbergen.

Aquatic insect assemblages associated with subalpine stream segment types in relict glaciated headwaters

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Kubo, Joshua S.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Bolton, Susan M.; Weekes, Anne A.; Gara, Robert I.

2013-01-01

1. Aquatic habitats and biotic assemblages in subalpine headwaters are sensitive to climate and human impacts. Understanding biotic responses to such perturbations and the contribution of high-elevation headwaters to riverine biodiversity requires the assessment of assemblage composition among habitat types. We compared aquatic insect assemblages among headwater stream segment types in relict glaciated subalpine basins in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. 2. Aquatic insects were collected during summer and autumn in three headwater basins. In each basin, three different stream segment types were sampled: colluvial groundwater sources, alluvial lake inlets, and cascade-bedrock lake outlets. Ward's hierarchical cluster analysis revealed high β diversity in aquatic insect assemblages, and non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated that spatial and temporal patterns in assemblage composition differed among headwater stream segment types. Aquatic insect assemblages showed more fidelity to stream segment types than to individual basins, and the principal environmental variables associated with assemblage structure were temperature and substrate. 3. Indicator species analyses identified specific aquatic insects associated with each stream segment type. Several rare and potentially endemic aquatic insect taxa were present, including the recently described species, Lednia borealis (Baumann and Kondratieff). 4. Our results indicate that aquatic insect assemblages in relict glaciated subalpine headwaters were strongly differentiated among stream segment types. These results illustrate the contribution of headwaters to riverine biodiversity and emphasise the importance of these habitats for monitoring biotic responses to climate change. Monitoring biotic assemblages in high-elevation headwaters is needed to prevent the potential loss of unique and sensitive biota.

Pollen and stigma size changes during the transition from tristyly to distyly in Oxalis alpina (Oxalidaceae).

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Baena-Díaz, F; Fornoni, J; Sosenski, P; Weller, S G; Domínguez, C A

2017-11-01

Pollen and stigma size have the potential to influence male fitness of hermaphroditic plants, particularly in species presenting floral polymorphisms characterised by marked differences in these traits among floral morphs. In this study, we take advantage of the evolutionary transition from tristyly to distyly experienced by Oxalis alpina (Oxalidaceae), and examined whether modifications in the ancillary traits (pollen and stigma size) respond to allometric changes in other floral traits. Also, we tested whether these modifications are in accordance with what would be expected under the hypothesis that novel competitive scenarios (as in distylous-derived reproductive system) exert morph- and whorl-specific selective pressures to match the available stigmas. We measure pollen and stigma size in five populations of O. alpina representing the tristyly-distyly transition. A general reduction in pollen and stigma size occurred along the tristyly-distyly transition, and pollen size from the two anther levels within each morph converged to a similar size that was characterised by whorl-specific changes (increases or decreases) in pollen size of different anthers in each floral type. Overall, results from this study show that the evolution of distyly in this species is characterised not only by changes in sexual organ position and flower size, but also by morph-specific changes in pollen and stigma size. This evidence supports the importance of selection on pollen and stigma size, which increase fitness of remaining morphs following the evolution of distyly, and raises questions to explore on the functional value of pollen size in heterostylous systems under pollen competition. © 2017 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

The effects of CO2 and nutrient enrichment on photosynthesis and growth of Poa annua in two consecutive generations

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Bezemer, T.M.; Jones, T.H.

2012-01-01

We studied short- and long-term growth responses of Poa annua L. (Gramineae) at ambient and elevated (ambient +200 lmol mol 1) atmospheric CO2. In experiment 1 we compared plant growth during the early, vegetative and final, reproductive growth phases. Plant growth in elevated CO2 was significantly

Geochemical and Geophysical Signatures of Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

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Martinez, M.; van Bergen, M.; Fernandez, E.; Takano, B.; Barboza, V.; Saenz, W.

2007-05-01

still remains open to a question if they will play a helpful role as a geophysical monitoring tool in determining the commencement of volcanic events. A range of Poas volcano geochemical and geophysical parameters have been combined to envisage relationships between them and to gain a better insight in the understanding of the Poas volcanic system.

Evaluation of a subchronic (13-week) oral toxicity study, preceded by an in utero exposure phase, with arachidonic acid oil derived from Mortierella alpina in rats

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Hempenius, R.A.; Lina, B.A.R.; Haggitt, R.C.

2000-01-01

Arachidonic acid oil (ARA-oil) derived from the fungus Mortierella alpina for use in infant nutrition was tested in a subchronic (13-week) oral toxicity study in rats, preceded by an in utero exposure phase. The ARA-oil was administered as admixture to the rodent diet at dose levels of 3000 ppm,

Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica accepted for coverage in Thomson Reuters' Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).

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Poljak, Mario; Miljković, Jovan; Triglav, Tina

2016-09-01

Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica (Acta Dermatovenerol APA) is the leading journal in dermatology and sexually transmitted infections in the region. Several important steps were taken during the last 25 years to improve the journal's quality, global visibility, and international impact. After a 1-year trial period, Thomson Reuters recently informed the editorial office that they had accepted Acta Dermatovenerol APA for coverage in Thomson Reuters' new index in the Web of Science Core Collection called the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). The coverage of Acta Dermatovenerol APA begins with the journal content published online in 2016; that is, from volume 25 onwards.

The Effect of Re-Planting Trees on Soil Microbial Communities in a Wildfire-Induced Subalpine Grassland

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Ed-Haun Chang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Wildfire often causes tremendous changes in ecosystems, particularly in subalpine and alpine areas, which are vulnerable due to severe climate conditions such as cold temperature and strong wind. This study aimed to clarify the effect of tree re-planting on ecosystem services such as the soil microbial community after several decades. We compared the re-planted forest and grassland with the mature forest as a reference in terms of soil microbial biomass C and N (Cmic and Nmic, enzyme activities, phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA composition, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE. The Cmic and Nmic did not differ among the grassland, re-planted forest and mature forest soil; however, ratios of Cmic/Corg and Nmic/Ntot decreased from the grassland to re-planted forest and mature forest soil. The total PLFAs and those attributed to bacteria and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria did not differ between the re-planted forest and grassland soil. Principle component analysis of the PLFA content separated the grassland from re-planted forest and mature forest soil. Similarly, DGGE analysis revealed changes in both bacterial and fungal community structures with changes in vegetation. Our results suggest that the microbial community structure changes with the re-planting of trees after a fire event in this subalpine area. Recovery of the soil microbial community to the original state in a fire-damaged site in a subalpine area may require decades, even under a re-planted forest.

Climate Risk Modelling of Balsam Woolly Adelgid Damage Severity in Subalpine Fir Stands of Western North America.

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Hrinkevich, Kathryn H; Progar, Robert A; Shaw, David C

2016-01-01

The balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg) (Homoptera: Adelgidae)) (BWA) is a nonnative, invasive insect that threatens Abies species throughout North America. It is well established in the Pacific Northwest, but continues to move eastward through Idaho and into Montana and potentially threatens subalpine fir to the south in the central and southern Rocky Mountains. We developed a climatic risk model and map that predicts BWA impacts to subalpine fir using a two-step process. Using 30-year monthly climate normals from sites with quantitatively derived BWA damage severity index values, we built a regression model that significantly explained insect damage. The sites were grouped into two distinct damage categories (high damage and mortality versus little or no mortality and low damage) and the model estimates for each group were used to designate distinct value ranges for four climatic risk categories: minimal, low, moderate, and high. We then calculated model estimates for each cell of a 4-kilometer resolution climate raster and mapped the risk categories over the entire range of subalpine fir in the western United States. The spatial variation of risk classes indicates a gradient of climatic susceptibility generally decreasing from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington moving eastward, with the exception of some high risk areas in northern Idaho and western Montana. There is also a pattern of decreasing climatic susceptibility from north to south in the Rocky Mountains. Our study provides an initial step for modeling the relationship between climate and BWA damage severity across the range of subalpine fir. We showed that September minimum temperature and a metric calculated as the maximum May temperature divided by total May precipitation were the best climatic predictors of BWA severity. Although winter cold temperatures and summer heat have been shown to influence BWA impacts in other locations, these

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 of Mortierella alpina with specificity on long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: A potential tool for reconstituting lipids with nutritional value.

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Jeennor, Sukanya; Veerana, Mayura; Anantayanon, Jutamas; Panchanawaporn, Sarocha; Chutrakul, Chanikul; Laoteng, Kobkul

2017-12-10

Based on available genome sequences and bioinformatics tools, we searched for an uncharacterized open reading frame of Mortierella alpina (MaDGAT2) using diacylglycerol acyltransferase sequence (fungal DGAT type 2B) as a query. Functional characterization of the identified native and codon-optimized M. alpina genes were then performed by heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain defective in synthesis of neutral lipid (NL). Lipid analysis of the yeast tranformant carrying MaDGAT2 showed that the NL biosynthesis and lipid particle formation were restored by the gene complementation. Substrate specificity study of the fungal enzyme by fatty acid supplementation in the transformant cultures showed that it had a broad specificity on saturated and unsaturated fatty acid substrates for esterification into triacylglycerol (TAG). The n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with 18 and 20 carbon atoms, including linoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid, dihomo γ-linolenic and arachidonic acid could be incorporated into TAG fraction in the yeast cells. Interestingly, among n-3 PUFAs tested, the MaDGAT2 enzyme preferred eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) substrate as its highly proportional constituent found in TAG fraction. This study provides a potential genetic tool for reconstituting oils rich in long-chain PUFAs with nutritional value. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Net primary productivity of subalpine meadows in Yosemite National Park in relation to climate variability

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Peggy E. Moore; Jan W. van Wagtendonk; Julie L. Yee; Mitchel P. McClaran; David N. Cole; Neil K. McDougald; Matthew L. Brooks

2013-01-01

Subalpine meadows are some of the most ecologically important components of mountain landscapes, and primary productivity is important to the maintenance of meadow functions. Understanding how changes in primary productivity are associated with variability in moisture and temperature will become increasingly important with current and anticipated changes in climate....

Lithosequence of soils and associated vegetation on subalpine range of the Wasatch Plateau, Utah.

Science.gov (United States)

James O. Klemmedson; Arthur R. Tiedemann

1998-01-01

On degraded subalpine range in Utah, the authors examined the role of soil and parent material nutrients and organic carbon (Corg) in the development of soil and plants on a transect across six strata that formed visible concentric alternating bands of high and low productivity. Relations for soil and parent material phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) were of particular...

Lab and Field Warming Similarly Advance Germination Date and Limit Germination Rate for High and Low Elevation Provenances of Two Widespread Subalpine Conifers

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Lara M. Kueppers

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Accurately predicting upslope shifts in subalpine tree ranges with warming requires understanding how future forest populations will be affected by climate change, as these are the seed sources for new tree line and alpine populations. Early life history stages are particularly sensitive to climate and are also influenced by genetic variation among populations. We tested the climate sensitivity of germination and initial development for two widely distributed subalpine conifers, using controlled-environment growth chambers with one temperature regime from subalpine forest in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and one 5 °C warmer, and two soil moisture levels. We tracked germination rate and timing, rate of seedling development, and seedling morphology for two seed provenances separated by ~300 m elevation. Warming advanced germination timing and initial seedling development by a total of ~2 weeks, advances comparable to mean differences between provenances. Advances were similar for both provenances and species; however, warming reduced the overall germination rate, as did low soil moisture, only for Picea engelmannii. A three-year field warming and watering experiment planted with the same species and provenances yielded responses qualitatively consistent with the lab trials. Together these experiments indicate that in a warmer, drier climate, P. engelmannii germination, and thus regeneration, could decline, which could lead to declining subalpine forest populations, while Pinus flexilis forest populations could remain robust as a seed source for upslope range shifts.

Evaluation of several priority pollutants in zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the largest Italian subalpine lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riva, Consuelo; Binelli, Andrea; Provini, Alfredo

2008-01-01

Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) has been used for the biomonitoring of several POPs (PCBs, DDTs, HCB and HCHs) in the largest Italian subalpine great lakes (Lake Maggiore, Garda, Como, Iseo and Lugano). Samplings were carried out in April 2003 at 15 locations selected according to industrial and anthropic levels of lakes. Results have pointed out high DDT levels in D. polymorpha specimens from Lake Maggiore (700-1400 ng/g lipids, 5-9 times higher than those measured in mussels of other Italian lakes), due to a contamination from a chemical plant located on one of the main lake inlet that occurred in 1996. On the contrary, PCB levels (400-2509 ng/g lipids) highlighted an overall pollution, with some sporadic peaks of contamination. Data showed a moderate increase trend compared to those found in a previous monitoring campaign carried out in 1996. Future monitoring is needed in order to confirm this tendency. - Significant levels of DDTs and PCBs are still present in the Italian subalpine great lakes

Evaluation of several priority pollutants in zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the largest Italian subalpine lakes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riva, Consuelo [Department of Biology, Ecology Section, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan (Italy)], E-mail: consuelo.riva@unimi.it; Binelli, Andrea; Provini, Alfredo [Department of Biology, Ecology Section, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan (Italy)

2008-02-15

Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) has been used for the biomonitoring of several POPs (PCBs, DDTs, HCB and HCHs) in the largest Italian subalpine great lakes (Lake Maggiore, Garda, Como, Iseo and Lugano). Samplings were carried out in April 2003 at 15 locations selected according to industrial and anthropic levels of lakes. Results have pointed out high DDT levels in D. polymorpha specimens from Lake Maggiore (700-1400 ng/g lipids, 5-9 times higher than those measured in mussels of other Italian lakes), due to a contamination from a chemical plant located on one of the main lake inlet that occurred in 1996. On the contrary, PCB levels (400-2509 ng/g lipids) highlighted an overall pollution, with some sporadic peaks of contamination. Data showed a moderate increase trend compared to those found in a previous monitoring campaign carried out in 1996. Future monitoring is needed in order to confirm this tendency. - Significant levels of DDTs and PCBs are still present in the Italian subalpine great lakes.

Water use patterns of three species in subalpine forest, Southwest China: the deuterium isotope approach

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Qing Xu; Harbin Li; Jiquan Chen; Jiquan Cheng; Xiaoli Cheng; Shirong Liu; Shuqing An

2011-01-01

Determination of water sources of plant species in a community is critical for understanding the hydrological processes and their importance in ecosystem functions. Such partitioning of plant xylem water into specific sources (i.e. precipitation, groundwater) can be achieved by analyzing deuterium isotopic composition (δD) values for source waters. A subalpine dark...

A next-generation sequencing method for overcoming the multiple gene copy problem in polyploid phylogenetics, applied to Poa grasses

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Robin Charles

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Polyploidy is important from a phylogenetic perspective because of its immense past impact on evolution and its potential future impact on diversification, survival and adaptation, especially in plants. Molecular population genetics studies of polyploid organisms have been difficult because of problems in sequencing multiple-copy nuclear genes using Sanger sequencing. This paper describes a method for sequencing a barcoded mixture of targeted gene regions using next-generation sequencing methods to overcome these problems. Results Using 64 3-bp barcodes, we successfully sequenced three chloroplast and two nuclear gene regions (each of which contained two gene copies with up to two alleles per individual in a total of 60 individuals across 11 species of Australian Poa grasses. This method had high replicability, a low sequencing error rate (after appropriate quality control and a low rate of missing data. Eighty-eight percent of the 320 gene/individual combinations produced sequence reads, and >80% of individuals produced sufficient reads to detect all four possible nuclear alleles of the homeologous nuclear loci with 95% probability. We applied this method to a group of sympatric Australian alpine Poa species, which we discovered to share an allopolyploid ancestor with a group of American Poa species. All markers revealed extensive allele sharing among the Australian species and so we recommend that the current taxonomy be re-examined. We also detected hypermutation in the trnH-psbA marker, suggesting it should not be used as a land plant barcode region. Some markers indicated differentiation between Tasmanian and mainland samples. Significant positive spatial genetic structure was detected at Conclusions Our results demonstrate that 454 sequencing of barcoded amplicon mixtures can be used to reliably sample all alleles of homeologous loci in polyploid species and successfully investigate phylogenetic relationships among

Virulence of Xanthomonas translucens pv. poae Isolated from Poa annua

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Arielle Chaves

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Bacterial wilt is a vascular wilt disease caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. poae that infects Poa annua, a grass that is commonly found on golf course greens throughout the world. Bacterial wilt causes symptoms of etiolation, wilting, and foliar necrosis. The damage is most prevalent during the summer and the pathogen can kill turf under conditions optimal for disease development. Fifteen isolates of X. translucens pv. poae were collected from northern regions in the United States and tested for virulence against P. annua. All 15 isolates were pathogenic on P. annua, but demonstrated variable levels of virulence when inoculated onto P. annua under greenhouse conditions. The isolates were divided into two virulence groups. The first group containing four isolates generally resulted in less than 40% mortality following inoculation. The second group, containing the other eleven isolates, produced between 90 and 100% mortality following inoculation. These results suggest that differences in the virulence of bacterial populations present on a golf course may result in more or less severe amounts of observed disease.

Long-term reactive nitrogen loading alters soil carbon and microbial community properties in a subalpine forest ecosystem

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Boot, Claudia M.; Hall, Ed K.; Denef, Karolien; Baron, Jill S.

2016-01-01

Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition due to increased fossil fuel combustion and agricultural practices has altered global carbon (C) cycling. Additions of reactive N to N-limited environments are typically accompanied by increases in plant biomass. Soil C dynamics, however, have shown a range of different responses to the addition of reactive N that seem to be ecosystem dependent. We evaluated the effect of N amendments on biogeochemical characteristics and microbial responses of subalpine forest organic soils in order to develop a mechanistic understanding of how soils are affected by N amendments in subalpine ecosystems. We measured a suite of responses across three years (2011–2013) during two seasons (spring and fall). Following 17 years of N amendments, fertilized soils were more acidic (control mean 5.09, fertilized mean 4.68), and had lower %C (control mean 33.7% C, fertilized mean 29.8% C) and microbial biomass C by 22% relative to control plots. Shifts in biogeochemical properties in fertilized plots were associated with an altered microbial community driven by reduced arbuscular mycorrhizal (control mean 3.2 mol%, fertilized mean 2.5 mol%) and saprotrophic fungal groups (control mean 17.0 mol%, fertilized mean 15.2 mol%), as well as a decrease in N degrading microbial enzyme activity. Our results suggest that decreases in soil C in subalpine forests were in part driven by increased microbial degradation of soil organic matter and reduced inputs to soil organic matter in the form of microbial biomass.

Phosphatase activity of Poa pratensis seeds. I. Preliminary studies on acid phosphatase II

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I. Lorenc-Kubis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2 was extracted with 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer pH 5.1 from Poa pratensis seeds, and separated into three fractions by chromatography on DEAE cellulose. The highest activity was found in fraction Il-b (acid phosphatase II. The activity of the enzyme was optimal at pH 4.9. It hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl phosphate most readily among the various phosphomonoesters examined. Acid phosphatase II showed also a high activity toward β-naphtyl phosphate and phenyl phosphate, very low activity towards β-glycero phosphate, 5'-GMP and no activity with glucose-1 phosphate. The enzyme was inhibited by Ca2+ and fluoride, but activated by Mg2+. EDTA had no influence on the activity of the enzyme.

Phosphatase activity of Poa pratensis seeds. l. Preliminary studies on acid phosphatase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenc-Kubis, I.; Morawiecka, B.

1973-01-01

Acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) was extracted from 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.1 from Poa pratensis seeds, and separated into three fractions by chromatography on DEAE cellulose. The highest activity was found in fraction II-b (acid phosphatase II). The activity of the enzyme was optimal at pH 4.9. It hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl phosphate most readily among the various phosphomonoesters examined. Acid phosphatase II showed also a high activity toward ..beta..-naphtyl phosphate and phenyl phosphate, very low activity towards ..beta..-glycero phosphate, 5'-GMP and no activity with glucose-1 phosphate. The enzyme was inhibited by Ca/sup 2 +/ and fluoride, but activated by Mg/sup 2 +/. EDTA had no influence on the activity of the enzyme. 12 references, 3 figures, 4 tables.

Size and quality of wood used by Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae in beech woodlands of Gipuzkoa (northern Spain

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CASTRO, A., MARTINEZ DE MURGUIA, L., FERNANDEZ, J., CASIS, A., MOLINO-OLMEDO, F.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available La conservación de la especie saproxilófaga legalmente protegida Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758 en los hayedos de Europa conlleva una gestión adecuada de los árboles muertos y moribundos. Sin embargo, los parámetros de los árboles preferidos (tamaño y calidad de la madera permanecen aún poco conocidos. En esta contribución se analizan los datos de distribución procedentes de seis años de trabajo en cuatro Lugares de Interés Comunitario de la provincia de Gipuzkoa (norte de España. Los individuos vivos de R. alpina y sus orificios de emergencia fueron registrados exclusivamente en hayas. 72 individuos vivos y 520 orificios fueron registrados en 77 árboles. Las evidencias de ocupación (presencia de individuos vivos o de orificios o de ambos fueron más frecuentes en troncos Ø > 25 cm de hayas en pie (tanto aún vivas como muertas que en ramas y árboles caídos y más delgados. Sin embargo, el número de orificios no mostró diferencias entre las clases de tamaño y la calidad de la madera de los troncos principales. Las ramas más gruesas (Ø > 15 cm registraron mayores tasas de presencia y número de orificios que las más finas. Conociendo los tipos de árboles más seleccionados, se sugiere la elaboración de un mapa regional de disponibilidad de hábitat como herramienta práctica para planificar estrategias de conservación.

Biogeochemical impacts of wildfires over four millennia in a Rocky Mountain subalpine watershed.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunnette, Paul V; Higuera, Philip E; McLauchlan, Kendra K; Derr, Kelly M; Briles, Christy E; Keefe, Margaret H

2014-08-01

Wildfires can significantly alter forest carbon (C) storage and nitrogen (N) availability, but the long-term biogeochemical legacy of wildfires is poorly understood. We obtained a lake-sediment record of fire and biogeochemistry from a subalpine forest in Colorado, USA, to examine the nature, magnitude, and duration of decadal-scale, fire-induced ecosystem change over the past c. 4250 yr. The high-resolution record contained 34 fires, including 13 high-severity events within the watershed. High-severity fires were followed by increased sedimentary N stable isotope ratios (δ15N) and bulk density, and decreased C and N concentrations--reflecting forest floor destruction, terrestrial C and N losses, and erosion. Sustained low sediment C : N c. 20-50 yr post-fire indicates reduced terrestrial organic matter subsidies to the lake. Low sedimentary δ15N c. 50-70 yr post-fire, coincident with C and N recovery, suggests diminishing terrestrial N availability during stand development. The magnitude of post-fire changes generally scaled directly with inferred fire severity. Our results support modern studies of forest successional C and N accumulation and indicate pronounced, long-lasting biogeochemical impacts of wildfires in subalpine forests. However, even repeated high-severity fires over millennia probably did not deplete C or N stocks, because centuries between high-severity fires allowed for sufficient biomass recovery. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Modeling a two-layer flow system at the subarctic, subalpine tree line during snowmelt

Science.gov (United States)

Leenders, Erica E.; Woo, Ming-Ko

2002-10-01

In the subarctic it is common to encounter a two-layer flow system consisting of a porous organic cover overlying frozen or unfrozen mineral soils with much lower hydraulic conductivities. The "simple lumped reservoir parametric," or "semidistributed land-use-based runoff processes" (SLURP), model was adapted to simulate runoff generated by such a flow system from an upland shrub land to an open woodland downslope. A subalpine site in Wolf Creek, Yukon, Canada, was subdivided into two aggregated simulation areas (ASA), each being a unit characterized by a set of parameters. The model computes the vertical water balance and flow generation from several storages, and then routes the water out of the ASA. When applied to the 1999 snowmelt season, the model simulated the very low lateral flow and a large increase in storage in the mineral soil, as was observed in the field. The model was used to assess the sensitivity of the two-layer flow system under a range of temperature, snow cover, and frost conditions. Results show that within the range of possible climatic conditions, the hydrologic system is unlikely to yield significant runoff across the subalpine tree line, but if ground ice is abundant in the soil pores, percolation will be limited and fast flow from the surface layer is enhanced.

Dead wood biomass and turnover time, measured by radiocarbon, along a subalpine elevation gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Kueppers, Lara M; Southon, John; Baer, Paul; Harte, John

2004-12-01

Dead wood biomass can be a substantial fraction of stored carbon in forest ecosystems, and coarse woody debris (CWD) decay rates may be sensitive to climate warming. We used an elevation gradient in Colorado Rocky Mountain subalpine forest to examine climate and species effects on dead wood biomass, and on CWD decay rate. Using a new radiocarbon approach, we determined that the turnover time of lodgepole pine CWD (340+/-130 years) was roughly half as long in a site with 2.5-3 degrees C warmer air temperature, as that of pine (630+/-400 years) or Engelmann spruce CWD (800+/-960 and 650+/-410 years) in cooler sites. Across all sites and both species, CWD age ranged from 2 to 600 years, and turnover time was 580+/-180 years. Total standing and fallen dead wood biomass ranged from 4.7+/-0.2 to 54+/-1 Mg ha(-1), and from 2.8 to 60% of aboveground live tree biomass. Dead wood biomass increased 75 kg ha(-1) per meter gain in elevation and decreased 13 Mg ha(-1) for every degree C increase in mean air temperature. Differences in biomass and decay rates along the elevation gradient suggest that climate warming will lead to a loss of dead wood carbon from subalpine forest.

Warming and provenance limit tree recruitment across and beyond the elevation range of subalpine forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Kueppers, Lara M; Conlisk, Erin; Castanha, Cristina; Moyes, Andrew B; Germino, Matthew J; de Valpine, Perry; Torn, Margaret S; Mitton, Jeffry B

2017-06-01

Climate niche models project that subalpine forest ranges will extend upslope with climate warming. These projections assume that the climate suitable for adult trees will be adequate for forest regeneration, ignoring climate requirements for seedling recruitment, a potential demographic bottleneck. Moreover, local genetic adaptation is expected to facilitate range expansion, with tree populations at the upper forest edge providing the seed best adapted to the alpine. Here, we test these expectations using a novel combination of common gardens, seeded with two widely distributed subalpine conifers, and climate manipulations replicated at three elevations. Infrared heaters raised temperatures in heated plots, but raised temperatures more in the forest than at or above treeline because strong winds at high elevation reduced heating efficiency. Watering increased season-average soil moisture similarly across sites. Contrary to expectations, warming reduced Engelmann spruce recruitment at and above treeline, as well as in the forest. Warming reduced limber pine first-year recruitment in the forest, but had no net effect on fourth-year recruitment at any site. Watering during the snow-free season alleviated some negative effects of warming, indicating that warming exacerbated water limitations. Contrary to expectations of local adaptation, low-elevation seeds of both species initially recruited more strongly than high-elevation seeds across the elevation gradient, although the low-provenance advantage diminished by the fourth year for Engelmann spruce, likely due to small sample sizes. High- and low-elevation provenances responded similarly to warming across sites for Engelmann spruce, but differently for limber pine. In the context of increasing tree mortality, lower recruitment at all elevations with warming, combined with lower quality, high-provenance seed being most available for colonizing the alpine, portends range contraction for Engelmann spruce. The lower

Influences of the activity of the Poas Volcano in the chemistry of the rain water in the region of Tacares, Grecia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ugarte Fernandez, J. J.

1996-01-01

Quantifie the concentration of majority ions in samples of rain water gathered in the University Enclosure of Tacares of the University of Costa Rica, during the months of August, September and October of 1993, and May to October of 1994. The samples were analyzed in the Laboratory of Quality of Water of the Center of Investigation in Environmental Contamination (CICA), using technical of ionic chromatography of unique column, atomic absorption with oven of graphite potentiometer and colorimetry. The concentrations of each species was expressed like monthly average pondered by precipitation volume. It was found that the concentrations of the anions sulfate and chloride, and the cationes sodium and calcium increased in a significant way starting from May of 1994, month when was incremented the activity of the Poas Volcano. For each day of gathering samples was determined a predominant wind direction, the average of the whole period allowed to establish that the magnesium and the sulfate presented vectors of more magnitude that in other directions, guided toward the volcano. The development of the project determined the influence of the activity of the Poas volcano in the concentration of sulfate in the gathered rain waters [es

Survival, gene and metabolite responses of Litoria verreauxii alpina frogs to fungal disease chytridiomycosis

Science.gov (United States)

Grogan, Laura F.; Mulvenna, Jason; Gummer, Joel P. A.; Scheele, Ben C.; Berger, Lee; Cashins, Scott D.; McFadden, Michael S.; Harlow, Peter; Hunter, David A.; Trengove, Robert D.; Skerratt, Lee F.

2018-03-01

The fungal skin disease chytridiomycosis has caused the devastating decline and extinction of hundreds of amphibian species globally, yet the potential for evolving resistance, and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We exposed 406 naïve, captive-raised alpine tree frogs (Litoria verreauxii alpina) from multiple populations (one evolutionarily naïve to chytridiomycosis) to the aetiological agent Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in two concurrent and controlled infection experiments. We investigated (A) survival outcomes and clinical pathogen burdens between populations and clutches, and (B) individual host tissue responses to chytridiomycosis. Here we present multiple interrelated datasets associated with these exposure experiments, including animal signalment, survival and pathogen burden of 355 animals from Experiment A, and the following datasets related to 61 animals from Experiment B: animal signalment and pathogen burden; raw RNA-Seq reads from skin, liver and spleen tissues; de novo assembled transcriptomes for each tissue type; raw gene expression data; annotation data for each gene; and raw metabolite expression data from skin and liver tissues. These data provide an extensive baseline for future analyses.

Climate and landscape drive the pace and pattern of conifer encroachment into subalpine meadows.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubetkin, Kaitlin C; Westerling, Anthony LeRoy; Kueppers, Lara M

2017-09-01

Mountain meadows have high biodiversity and help regulate stream water release following the snowmelt pulse. However, many meadows are experiencing woody plant encroachment, threatening these ecosystem services. While there have been field surveys of individual meadows and remote sensing-based landscape-scale studies of encroachment, what is missing is a broad-scale, ground-based study to understand common regional drivers, especially at high elevations, where land management has often played a less direct role. With this study, we ask: What are the climate and landscape conditions conducive to woody plant encroachment at the landscape scale, and how has historical climate variation affected tree recruitment in subalpine meadows over time? We measured density of encroaching trees across 340 subalpine meadows in the central Sierra Nevada, California, USA, and used generalized additive models (GAMs) to determine the relationship between landscape-scale patterns of encroachment and meadow environmental properties. We determined ages of trees in 30 survey meadows, used observed climate and GAMs to model the relationship between timing of recruitment and climate since the early 1900s, and extrapolated recruitment patterns into the future using downscaled climate scenarios. Encroachment was high among meadows with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. murrayana (Balf.) Engelm.) in the immediate vicinity, at lower elevations, with physical conditions favoring strong soil drying, and with maximum temperatures above or below average. Climatic conditions during the year of germination were unimportant, with tree recruitment instead depending on a 3-yr seed production period prior to germination and a 6-yr seedling establishment period following germination. Recruitment was high when the seed production period had high snowpack, and when the seedling establishment period had warm summer maximum temperatures, high summer precipitation, and high snowpack

Encapsulado de Embriones Somáticos y Embriones Cigóticos para Obtención de Semillas Artificiales de Raulí (Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl.) Oerst.)

OpenAIRE

Cartes R, Priscila; Castellanos B, Hermes; Ríos L, Darcy; Sáez C, Katia; Spierccolli H, Scarlette; Sánchez O, Manuel

2009-01-01

Somatic and zygotic embryos from mature seeds of rauli-beech, Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl.) Oerst., were encapsulated in different artificial endosperms in order to generate a cover that fulfills the function of nourishment and protection of the embryos, facilitating their later germination. The content of sodium alginate varied by 4%, 3%, and 2%, as did the immersion time in calcium chloride (CaCl2), which acts as complexing agent. The artificial endosperm components of the Murashige an...

Environmental Feedbacks of the Subalpine Ecotone Species in the Langtang National Park, Central Nepal Himalaya

OpenAIRE

Bhatta, K. P.; Rokaya, M. (Maan Bahadur); Münzbergová, Z. (Zuzana)

2015-01-01

Herbaceous species of the subalpine ecotone are mostly influenced by canopy cover and soil organic carbon. Species such as Gentiana argentea, Geranium donianum, Kobresia sp., Potentilla griffithii, Rubia wallichiana, Rubus nepalensis, Thalictrum chelidonii and Thalictrum cultratum are supposed to be critically sensitive to local environmental conditions due to having narrow amplitude to both the analyzed environmental variables. Although we have single-time data set from the sole existing hor...

Subalpine bumble bee foraging distances and densities in relation to flower availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Susan E

2009-06-01

Bees feed almost exclusively on nectar and pollen from flowers. However, little is known about how food availability limits bee populations, especially in high elevation areas. Foraging distances and relationships between forager densities and resource availability can provide insights into the potential for food limitation in mobile consumer populations. For example, if floral resources are limited, bee consumers should fly farther to forage, and they should be more abundant in areas with more flowers. I estimated subalpine bumble bee foraging distances by calculating forager recapture probabilities at increasing distances from eight marking locations. I measured forager and flower densities over the flowering season in six half-hectare plots. Because subalpine bumble bees have little time to build their colonies, they may forage over short distances and forager density may not be constrained by flower density. However, late in the season, when floral resources dwindle, foraging distances may increase, and there may be stronger relationships between forager and flower densities. Throughout the flowering season, marked bees were primarily found within 100 m (and never >1,000 m) from their original marking location, suggesting that they typically did not fly far to forage. Although the density of early season foraging queens increased with early-season flower density, the density of mid- and late-season workers and males did not vary with flower density. Short foraging distances and no relationships between mid- and late-season forager and flower densities suggest that high elevation bumble bees may have ample floral resources for colony growth reproduction.

Spatial pattern of a subalpine forest-alpine pasture ecotone (Las Cutas, Ordesa, Central Pyrenees)

OpenAIRE

Camarero, J. J.; Gutierrez, E.

1999-01-01

We describe the spatial pattern of a subalpine forest-alpine pasture ecotone in the Central Pyrenees, that includes altitudinal timberline and treeline, and it is dominated by Pinus uncinata Ram. A rectangular (30 x 140 m) plot was located crossing the ecotone with its longest side parallel to the slope. We measured for each P. uncinata individual inside the plot: location (coordinates x, y), and structure (e. g. height) and growth form variables (number and type —living or dead, vertical or ...

Elsevier’s CiteScore index values for Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica: a 2016 update

Science.gov (United States)

Šterbenc, Anja; Oštrbenk, Anja

2017-09-01

Elsevier’s recently launched citation metric CiteScore enables comprehensive, transparent, and current evaluation of a journal’s performance. For an editorial office, insight into a journal’s impact over time is of great value when making important decisions regarding the journal’s future. A 2016 update of CiteScore index values for Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adri- atica (Acta Dermatovenerol APA) showed a slight decrease in the CiteScore index value from 1.18 in 2015 to 0.96 in 2016. Acta Dermatovenerol APA can still be considered the principal journal in the field of dermatology and sexually transmitted infections in our region, with almost half of the articles published between 2013 and 2015 cited at least once in 2016. Acta Dermatovenerol APA performed well in both categories listed because it ranked 67th out of 121 journals in the category Dermatology (44th percentile) and 175th out of 250 journals in the category Infectious Diseases (30th percentile).

Interspecific and intraspecific hybrid Epichloë species symbiotic with the North American native grass Poa alsodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shymanovich, Tatsiana; Charlton, Nikki D; Musso, Ashleigh M; Scheerer, Jonathan; Cech, Nadja B; Faeth, Stanley H; Young, Carolyn A

2017-01-01

The endophyte presence and diversity in natural populations of Poa alsodes were evaluated along a latitudinal transect from the southern distribution range in North Carolina to New York. Two distinct Epichloë hybrid taxa were identified from 23 populations. Each taxon could easily be distinguished by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping with primers designed to mating type genes and alkaloid biosynthesis genes that encode key pathway steps for ergot alkaloids, indole-diterpenes, lolines, and peramine. The most commonly found Epichloë taxon, Poa alsodes Taxonomic Group-1 (PalTG-1), was detected in 22 populations at high infection frequencies (72-100%), with the exception of one population at high elevation (26% infection). The second taxon, PalTG-2, was observed only in five populations in Pennsylvania constituting 12% of infected samples. Phylogenetic analyses placed PalTG-1 as an interspecific hybrid of E. amarillans and E. typhina subsp. poae ancestors, and it is considered a new hybrid species, which the authors name Epichloë alsodes. PalTG-2 is an intraspecific hybrid of two E. typhina subsp. poae ancestors, similar to E. schardlii from the host Cinna arundinacea, which the authors propose as a new variety, Epichloë schardlii var. pennsylvanica. Epichloë alsodes isolates were all mating type MTA MTB and tested positive for dmaW, easC, perA, and some LOL genes, but only the alkaloid N-acetylnorloline was detected in E. alsodes-infected plant material. Epichloë schardlii var. pennsylvanica isolates were all mating type MTB MTB and tested positive for perA, but peramine was not produced. Both E. alsodes and E. schardlii var. pennsylvanica appeared to have complete perA genes, but point mutations were identified in E. alsodes that would render the encoded perA gene nonfunctional.

Photosynthetic, morphological, and reproductive variations in Cypripedium tibeticum in relation to different light regimes in a subalpine forest.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao-Qiang Zheng

Full Text Available Cypripedium tibeticum, a subalpine orchid species, inhabits various habitats of subalpine forests, mainly including the forest edge (FE, forest gap (FG, and understory (UST, which have significantly different light intensities (FE > FG > UST. However, the ecological and physiological influences caused by different light regimes in this species are still poorly understood. In the present study, photosynthetic, morphological, and reproductive characteristics were comprehensively studied in plants of C. tibeticum grown in three types of habitats. The photosynthetic capacities, such as the net photosynthetic rate, light-saturated photosynthesis (Pmax, and dry mass per unit leaf area (LMA, were higher in FE and FG than in UST according to light availability. Compared with FG, the populations in FE and UST suffer from excessively strong and inadequate radiation, respectively, which was further corroborated by the low Fv/Fm in FE and high apparent quantum yield (AQY in FG. The leaves of the orchids had various proportions of constituents, such as the leaf area, thickness and (or epidermal hair, to reduce damage from high radiation (including ultraviolet-b radiation in FE and capture more light in FG and UST. Although the flower rate (FR was positively correlated to both Pmax and the daily mean PAR, fruit-set only occurred in the populations in FG. The failures in FE and UST might be ascribed to changes in the floral functional structure and low biomass accumulation, respectively. Moreover, analysis of the demographic statistics showed that FG was an advantageous habitat for the orchid. Thus, C. tibeticum reacted to photosynthetic and morphological changes to adapt to different subalpine forest habitats, and neither full (under FE nor low (UST illumination was favorable for population expansion. These findings could serve as a guide for the protection and reintroduction of C. tibeticum and emphasize the importance of specific habitats for Cypripedium

Photosynthetic, morphological, and reproductive variations in Cypripedium tibeticum in relation to different light regimes in a subalpine forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Bao-Qiang; Zou, Long-Hai; Li, Kui; Wan, Xiao; Wang, Yan

2017-01-01

Cypripedium tibeticum, a subalpine orchid species, inhabits various habitats of subalpine forests, mainly including the forest edge (FE), forest gap (FG), and understory (UST), which have significantly different light intensities (FE > FG > UST). However, the ecological and physiological influences caused by different light regimes in this species are still poorly understood. In the present study, photosynthetic, morphological, and reproductive characteristics were comprehensively studied in plants of C. tibeticum grown in three types of habitats. The photosynthetic capacities, such as the net photosynthetic rate, light-saturated photosynthesis (Pmax), and dry mass per unit leaf area (LMA), were higher in FE and FG than in UST according to light availability. Compared with FG, the populations in FE and UST suffer from excessively strong and inadequate radiation, respectively, which was further corroborated by the low Fv/Fm in FE and high apparent quantum yield (AQY) in FG. The leaves of the orchids had various proportions of constituents, such as the leaf area, thickness and (or) epidermal hair, to reduce damage from high radiation (including ultraviolet-b radiation) in FE and capture more light in FG and UST. Although the flower rate (FR) was positively correlated to both Pmax and the daily mean PAR, fruit-set only occurred in the populations in FG. The failures in FE and UST might be ascribed to changes in the floral functional structure and low biomass accumulation, respectively. Moreover, analysis of the demographic statistics showed that FG was an advantageous habitat for the orchid. Thus, C. tibeticum reacted to photosynthetic and morphological changes to adapt to different subalpine forest habitats, and neither full (under FE) nor low (UST) illumination was favorable for population expansion. These findings could serve as a guide for the protection and reintroduction of C. tibeticum and emphasize the importance of specific habitats for Cypripedium spp.

Mid and long-term optimize scheduling of cascade hydro-power stations based on modified GA-POA method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Li

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, to explore the efficiency and rationality of the cascade combined generation, a cascade combined optimal model with the maximum generating capacity is established, and solving the model by the modified GA-POA method. It provides a useful reference for the joint development of cascade hydro-power stations in large river basins. The typical annual runoff data are selected to calculate the difference between the calculated results under different representative years. The results show that the cascade operation of cascaded hydro-power stations can significantly increase the overall power generation of cascade and ease the flood risk caused by concentration of flood season.

Risk management and measuring productivity with POAS--Point of Act System--a medical information system as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) for hospital management.

Science.gov (United States)

Akiyama, M

2007-01-01

The concept of our system is not only to manage material flows, but also to provide an integrated management resource, a means of correcting errors in medical treatment, and applications to EBM (evidence-based medicine) through the data mining of medical records. Prior to the development of this system, electronic processing systems in hospitals did a poor job of accurately grasping medical practice and medical material flows. With POAS (Point of Act System), hospital managers can solve the so-called, "man, money, material, and information" issues inherent in the costs of healthcare. The POAS system synchronizes with each department system, from finance and accounting, to pharmacy, to imaging, and allows information exchange. We can manage Man (Business Process), Material (Medical Materials and Medicine), Money (Expenditure for purchase and Receipt), and Information (Medical Records) completely by this system. Our analysis has shown that this system has a remarkable investment effect - saving over four million dollars per year - through cost savings in logistics and business process efficiencies. In addition, the quality of care has been improved dramatically while error rates have been reduced - nearly to zero in some cases.

Acid phosphatase from stored Poa pratensis caryopses and its ability for binding to lectins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irena Lorenc-Kubis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of the storage period of Poa pratensis caryopses on acid phosphatase activity and on the ability of this enzyme to interact with lectins has been studied. It has been shown that after ten years of caryopses storage, the activity of acid phosphatase decreased about 50 per cent, while the content of proteins and carbohydrates did not change. The decrease of enzyme activity during the long period of storage was found only in seeds, but not in chaffs. Acid phosphatase was isolated from caryopses stored one, two, three, five and ten years. The enzyme showed the ability to bind to immoblized as well as to free conA during the whole period of storage, hut did not react with Wheat Germen Agglutinin (WGA. The activation of acid phosphatase by binding to conA decreased with the length of storage period.

Fructan accumulation and transcription of candidate genes during cold acclimation in three varieties of Poa pratensis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rao, R Shyama Prasad; Andersen, Jeppe Reitan; Dionisio, Giuseppe

2011-01-01

Poa pratensis, a type species for the grass family (Poaceae), is an important cool season grass that accumulates fructans as a polysaccharide reserve. We studied fructan contents and expression of candidate fructan metabolism genes during cold acclimation in three varieties of P. pratensis adapted...... to different environments: Northern Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Fructan content increased significantly during cold acclimation and varieties showed significant differences in the level of fructan accumulation. cDNA sequences of putative fructosyltransferase (FT), fructan exohydrolase (FEH), and cold...... acclimation protein (CAP) genes were identified and cloned. In agreement with a function in fructan biosynthesis, transcription of a putative sucrose:fructan 6-fructosyltransferase (Pp6-SFT) gene was induced during cold acclimation and fructan accumulation in all three P. pratensis varieties. Transcription...

Improved arrival-date estimates of Arctic-breeding Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola)

Science.gov (United States)

Doll, Andrew C.; Lanctot, Richard B.; Stricker, Craig A.; Yezerinac, Stephen M.; Wunder, Michael B.

2015-01-01

The use of stable isotopes in animal ecology depends on accurate descriptions of isotope dynamics within individuals. The prevailing assumption that laboratory-derived isotopic parameters apply to free-living animals is largely untested. We used stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) in whole blood from migratory Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola) to estimate an in situ turnover rate and individual diet-switch dates. Our in situ results indicated that turnover rates were higher in free-living birds, in comparison to the results of an experimental study on captive Dunlin and estimates derived from a theoretical allometric model. Diet-switch dates from all 3 methods were then used to estimate arrival dates to the Arctic; arrival dates calculated with the in situ turnover rate were later than those with the other turnover-rate estimates, substantially so in some cases. These later arrival dates matched dates when local snow conditions would have allowed Dunlin to settle, and agreed with anticipated arrival dates of Dunlin tracked with light-level geolocators. Our study presents a novel method for accurately estimating arrival dates for individuals of migratory species in which return dates are difficult to document. This may be particularly appropriate for species in which extrinsic tracking devices cannot easily be employed because of cost, body size, or behavioral constraints, and in habitats that do not allow individuals to be detected easily upon first arrival. Thus, this isotopic method offers an exciting alternative approach to better understand how species may be altering their arrival dates in response to changing climatic conditions.

Influences of the volcanic activity and anthropogenic in the chemical composition of the rain of the surroundings of the Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez Cruz, M.

2000-01-01

In this work the results of a study are described on the physico chemicals characteristic of the rain water of the surroundings of the Poas Volcano . The main objective was to establish a general profile of the gradients of some physico chemicals parameters of the rain in function of the localization and the distance of the stations rain collectors, with regard to the column of gases, aerosols and vapors that emanate through the fumaroles of the active crater of the Poas Volcano, for this reason a net of collectors of rain water settled down in four places located along the Southwest flank of the Volcano until a distance of 19 km, following the predominant address of the wind. In Heredia to place a fifth collector of rain water which I play the part of station control. The rain was gathered from to March and November of 1996, for daily precipitation events every 24 hours. To sample of rain are determined the following parameters: HP, electric conductivity, ions fluoride, chloride, nitrate and sulfate for chromatography of ions of high resolution (HPIC) ammonia by means of analysis for injection of flow (FIA), and some such metals as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese and aluminum for spectrophotometer of atomic absorption (EAA) [es

Declines in low-elevation subalpine tree populations outpace growth in high-elevation populations with warming

Science.gov (United States)

Conlisk, Erin; Castanha, Cristina; Germino, Matthew J.; Veblen, Thomas T; Smith, Jeremy M.; Kueppers, Lara M.

2017-01-01

Species distribution shifts in response to climate change require that recruitment increase beyond current range boundaries. For trees with long life spans, the importance of climate-sensitive seedling establishment to the pace of range shifts has not been demonstrated quantitatively.Using spatially explicit, stochastic population models combined with data from long-term forest surveys, we explored whether the climate-sensitivity of recruitment observed in climate manipulation experiments was sufficient to alter populations and elevation ranges of two widely distributed, high-elevation North American conifers.Empirically observed, warming-driven declines in recruitment led to rapid modelled population declines at the low-elevation, ‘warm edge’ of subalpine forest and slow emergence of populations beyond the high-elevation, ‘cool edge’. Because population declines in the forest occurred much faster than population emergence in the alpine, we observed range contraction for both species. For Engelmann spruce, this contraction was permanent over the modelled time horizon, even in the presence of increased moisture. For limber pine, lower sensitivity to warming may facilitate persistence at low elevations – especially in the presence of increased moisture – and rapid establishment above tree line, and, ultimately, expansion into the alpine.Synthesis. Assuming 21st century warming and no additional moisture, population dynamics in high-elevation forests led to transient range contractions for limber pine and potentially permanent range contractions for Engelmann spruce. Thus, limitations to seedling recruitment with warming can constrain the pace of subalpine tree range shifts.

Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of Italian Subalpine Lakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sighicelli, Maria; Pietrelli, Loris; Lecce, Francesca; Iannilli, Valentina; Falconieri, Mauro; Coscia, Lucia; Di Vito, Stefania; Nuglio, Simone; Zampetti, Giorgio

2018-05-01

Plastic debris incidence in marine environment was already highlighted in the early 1970s. Over the last decade, microplastic pollution in the environment has received increasing attention and is now an emerging research area. Many studies have focused on quantifying microplastic abundance in the marine environment, while there are relatively few data on microplastic occurrence in freshwater environment. Recent studies have reported high concentrations of microplastics in lakes and rivers, although the understanding of several factors influencing source, transport and fate is still limited. This study compares different lakes and the common factors, which could influence the occurrence and distribution of microplastics. The three subalpine lakes monitored include Lake Maggiore, Iseo and Garda. The selected sampling transects reflect the hydrologic conditions, the morphometric characteristics of these lakes, and other factors influencing the release of plastics debris in lakes. Particles of microplastics (plastic particles. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of remote sensing and plant trait-based modelling to predict ecosystem services in subalpine grasslands

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Homolová, Lucie; Schaepman, M. E.; Lamarque, L.; Clevers, J.G.P.W.; de Bello, Francesco; Thuiller, W.; Lavorel, S.

2014-01-01

Roč. 5, č. 8 (2014), č. článku 100. ISSN 2150-8925 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 ; RVO:67985939 Keywords : land-use change * leaf chlorophyll content * imaging spectroscopy * water-content * aviris data * spectral reflectance * hyperspectral data * species richness * area index * vegetation * aisa * biomass * ecosystem properties * ecosystem services * linear regression * remote sensing * spatial heterogeneity * subalpine grasslands Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour; EF - Botanics (BU-J) OBOR OECD: Remote sensing; Plant sciences, botany (BU-J) Impact factor: 2.255, year: 2014

Leap frog in slow motion: Divergent responses of tree species and life stages to climatic warming in Great Basin subalpine forests

Science.gov (United States)

Brian V. Smithers; Malcolm P. North; Constance I. Millar; Andrew M. Latimer

2017-01-01

In response to climate warming, subalpine treelines are expected to move up in elevation since treelines are generally controlled by growing season temperature. Where treeline is advancing, dispersal differences and early life stage environmental tolerances are likely to affect how species expand their ranges. Species with an establishment advantage will...

Experimental challenge and pathology of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 in dunlin (Calidris alpina), an intercontinental migrant shorebird species

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Jeffrey S.; Franson, J. Christian; Gill, Robert E.; Meteyer, Carol U.; TeSlaa, Joshua L.; Nashold, Sean W.; Dusek, Robert J.; Ip, Hon S.

2011-01-01

Background Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are considered one of the primary reservoirs of avian influenza. Because these species are highly migratory, there is concern that infected shorebirds may be a mechanism by which highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 could be introduced into North America from Asia. Large numbers of dunlin (Calidris alpina) migrate from wintering areas in central and eastern Asia, where HPAIV H5N1 is endemic, across the Bering Sea to breeding areas in Alaska. Low pathogenic avian influenza virus has been previously detected in dunlin, and thus, dunlin represent a potential risk to transport HPAIV to North America. To date no experimental challenge studies have been performed in shorebirds.

Mutagentic effects of aerospace on Poa pratensis L.. Pt.2: Photosynthesis characters and chlorophyll contents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Lei; Sun Zhenyuan; Ju Guansheng; Qian Yongqiang; Li Yinfeng; Peng Zhenhua

2005-01-01

The dry seeds of Poa pratensis L. 'Nassau' were carried by 'Shenzhou No.3' and three mutants were screened based on presentational characters from the treated plants and asexual reproduced them as PM 1 , PM 2 and PM 3 . The effects of the space environment on the photosynthesis characters and the contents of chlorophyll of the plants were investigated. Compared to CK, the contents of the chlorophyll a and b were reduced both in PM 1 and PM 3 , and the photosynthetic ability also decreased. The content of the chlorophyll in PM 2 increased greatly, but the ratio of the chlorophyll a/b was reduced, and the apparent quantum efficiency and the photosynthetic ability also decreased. The approximately CO 2 saturation point of the three mutants were higher than CK, but the CO 2 compensation points showed no difference between the mutants and CK. The carboxylation efficiency was PM 2 3 1 . (authors)

Foraging trade-offs along a predator-permanence gradient in subalpine wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Wissinger, S.A.; Whiteman, H.H.; Sparks, G.B.; Rouse, G.L.; Brown, W.S.

1999-01-01

We conducted a series of field and laboratory experiments to determine the direct and indirect effects of a top predator, the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum), on larvae of two species of limnephilid caddisflies (Limnephilus externus and Asynarchus nigriculus) in subalpine wetlands in central Colorado. Asynarchus larvae predominate in temporary wetlands and are aggressive intraguild predators on Limnephilus larvae, which only predominate in permanent basins with salamanders. We first conducted a field experiment in mesocosms (cattle tanks) to quantify the predatory effects of different life stages of salamanders on the two caddisfly species. Two life stages of the salamanders (larvae and paedomorphs) preferentially preyed on Asynarchus relative to Limnephilus. Subsequent laboratory experiments revealed that high Asynarchus activity rates and relatively ineffective antipredatory behaviors led to higher salamander detection and attack rates compared to Limnephilus. In a second field experiment (full factorial for presence and absence of each of the three species), we found that salamander predation on Asynarchus had an indirect positive effect on Limnephilus: survival was higher in the presence of salamanders + Asynarchus than with just Asynarchus. In the laboratory we compared the predatory effects of salamanders with and without their mouths sewn shut and found the observed indirect positive effect on Limnephilus survival to be mainly the result of reduced numbers of Asynarchus rather than salamander-induced changes in Asynarchus behavior. We argue that indirect effects of predator-predator interactions on shared prey will be mainly density-mediated and not trait-mediated when one of the predators (in this case, Asynarchus) is under strong selection for rapid growth and therefore does not modify foraging behaviors in response to the other predator. The reciprocal dominance of Limnephilus and Asynarchus in habitats with and without salamanders

Phosphatase activity of Poa pratensis seeds. II. Purification and characterization of acid phosphatase Ia2 and Ia3

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I. Lorenc-Kubis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Two acid phosphatases (Ia2, Ia3 have been isolated from Poa pratensis seeds and partially purified. Both enzymes showed maximal activity at pH 4,9. They exhibited high activity towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate, inorganic pyrophosphate and phenyl phosphate, much less activity towards glucose-6 phosphate, and mononucleotides. Phosphatases a2 and a3 differed in their activity towards ADP. Orthophosphate, fluoride and Zn2+ were effective inhibitors. EDTA, β-mercaptoethanol and Mg2+ activated phophatase a2 but had no effect on phosphatase a3. Zn2+ inhibited the activity of phosphatase a2 noncompetitively, whereas phosphatase a3 showed inhibition of mixed type. Trypsin, chymotrypsin and pronase had no effect on the enzyme activities of both molecular forms.

Carex sempervirens tussocks induce spatial heterogeneity in litter decomposition, but not in soil properties, in a subalpine grassland in the Central Alps

Science.gov (United States)

Fei-Hai Yu; Martin Schutz; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Bertil O. Krusi; Jakob Schneller; Otto Wildi; Anita C. Risch

2011-01-01

Tussocks of graminoids can induce spatial heterogeneity in soil properties in dry areas with discontinuous vegetation cover, but little is known about the situation in areas with continuous vegetation and no study has tested whether tussocks can induce spatial heterogeneity in litter decomposition. In a subalpine grassland in the Central Alps where vegetation cover is...

Similarity of nutrient uptake and root dimensions of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir at two contrasting sites in Colorado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanai, R; McFarlane, K; Lucash, M; Kulpa, S; Wood, D

2009-10-09

Nutrient uptake capacity is an important parameter in modeling nutrient uptake by plants. Researchers commonly assume that uptake capacity measured for a species can be used across sites. We tested this assumption by measuring the nutrient uptake capacity of intact roots of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni Parry) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) at Loch Vale Watershed and Fraser Experimental Forest in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. Roots still attached to the tree were exposed to one of three concentrations of nutrient solutions for time periods ranging from 1 to 96 hours, and solutions were analyzed for ammonium, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Surprisingly, the two species were indistinguishable in nutrient uptake within site for all nutrients (P > 0.25), but uptake rates differed by site. In general, nutrient uptake was higher at Fraser (P = 0.01, 0.15, 0.03, 0.18 for NH{sub 4}{sup +}, NO{sub 3}{sup -}, Ca{sup 2+}, and K{sup +}, respectively), which is west of the Continental Divide and has lower atmospheric deposition of N than Loch Vale. Mean uptake rates by site for ambient solution concentrations were 0.12 {micro}mol NH{sub 4}{sup +} g{sub fwt}{sup -1} h{sup -1}, 0.02 {micro}mol NO{sub 3}{sup -} g{sub fwt}{sup -1}, 0.21 {micro}mol Ca{sup 2+} g{sub fwt}{sup -1} h{sup -1}, and 0.01 {micro}mol Mg{sup 2+} g{sub fwt}{sup -1} h{sup -1} at Loch Vale, and 0.21 {micro}mol NH{sub 4}{sup +} f{sub fwt}{sup -1}h{sup -1}, 0.04 {micro}mol NO{sub 3}{sup -} g{sub fwt}{sup -1} h{sup -1}, 0.51 {micro}mol Ca{sup 2+}g{sub fwt}{sup -1}h{sup -1}, and 0.07 {micro}mol Mg{sup 2+} f{sub fwt}{sup -1}h{sup -1} at Fraser. The importance of site conditions in determining uptake capacity should not be overlooked when parameterizing nutrient uptake models. We also characterized the root morphology of these two species and compared them to other tree species we have measured at various sites in the northeastern USA. Engelman spruce and subalpine fir

Targeted grazing for the restoration of sub-alpine shrub-encroached grasslands

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Massimiliano Probo

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The decline of agro-pastoral activities has led to a widespread tree and shrub-encroachment of former semi-natural meso-eutrophic grasslands in many European mountain regions. Temporary night camp areas (TNCA and mineral mix supplements for targeted cattle were arranged over shrub-encroached areas to restore grassland vegetation within the Val Troncea Natural Park (Italy. From 2011 to 2015, their effects on vegetation structure and pastoral value of forage were assessed along permanent transects. Four years after treatments, both practices were effective in reducing the shrub cover and increasing the cover and average height of the herbaceous layer, but changes were more remarkable within TNCA. Moreover, the arrangement of TNCA decreased the cover of nanophanerophytes and increased the cover of graminoids and high quality species, as well as the overall forage pastoral value. In conclusion, TNCA were the most effective pastoral practice to contrast shrub-encroachment and increase herbage mass and forage quality of sub-alpine grasslands.

Semivolatile POA and parameterized total combustion SOA in CMAQv5.2: impacts on source strength and partitioning

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B. N. Murphy

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Mounting evidence from field and laboratory observations coupled with atmospheric model analyses shows that primary combustion emissions of organic compounds dynamically partition between the vapor and particulate phases, especially as near-source emissions dilute and cool to ambient conditions. The most recent version of the Community Multiscale Air Quality model version 5.2 (CMAQv5.2 accounts for the semivolatile partitioning and gas-phase aging of these primary organic aerosol (POA compounds consistent with experimentally derived parameterizations. We also include a new surrogate species, potential secondary organic aerosol from combustion emissions (pcSOA, which provides a representation of the secondary organic aerosol (SOA from anthropogenic combustion sources that could be missing from current chemical transport model predictions. The reasons for this missing mass likely include the following: (1 unspeciated semivolatile and intermediate volatility organic compound (SVOC and IVOC, respectively emissions missing from current inventories, (2 multigenerational aging of organic vapor products from known SOA precursors (e.g., toluene, alkanes, (3 underestimation of SOA yields due to vapor wall losses in smog chamber experiments, and (4 reversible organic compounds–water interactions and/or aqueous-phase processing of known organic vapor emissions. CMAQ predicts the spatially averaged contribution of pcSOA to OA surface concentrations in the continental United States to be 38.6 and 23.6 % in the 2011 winter and summer, respectively. Whereas many past modeling studies focused on a particular measurement campaign, season, location, or model configuration, we endeavor to evaluate the model and important uncertain parameters with a comprehensive set of United States-based model runs using multiple horizontal scales (4 and 12 km, gas-phase chemical mechanisms, and seasons and years. The model with representation of semivolatile POA

High renesting rates in arctic-breeding Dunlin (Calidris alpina): A clutch-removal experiment

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Gates, H. River; Lanctot, Richard B.; Powell, Abby N.

2013-01-01

The propensity to replace a clutch is a complex component of avian reproduction and poorly understood. We experimentally removed clutches from an Arctic-breeding shorebird, the Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola), during early and late stages of incubation to investigate replacement clutch rates, renesting interval, and mate and site fidelity between nesting attempts. In contrast to other Arctic studies, we documented renesting by radiotracking individuals to find replacement clutches. We also examined clutch size and mean egg volume to document changes in individual females’ investment in initial and replacement clutches. Finally, we examined the influence of adult body mass, clutch volume, dates of clutch initiation and nest loss, and year on the propensity to renest. We found high (82–95%) and moderate (35–50%) rates of renesting for early and late incubation treatments. Renesting intervals averaged 4.7–6.8 days and were not different for clutches removed early or late in incubation. Most pairs remained together for renesting attempts. Larger females were more likely to replace a clutch; female body mass was the most important parameter predicting propensity to renest. Clutches lost later in the season were less likely to be replaced. We present evidence that renesting is more common in Arctic-breeding shorebirds than was previously thought, and suggest that renesting is constrained by energetic and temporal factors as well as mate availability. Obtaining rates of renesting in species breeding at different latitudes will help determine when this behavior is likely to occur; such information is necessary for demographic models that include individual and population-level fecundity estimates.

VOLUME AND TAPER EQUATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL STEMS OF Nothofagus obliqua AND N. alpina

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Hernan Attis Beltran

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Timber volume of standing trees is essential information for management decisions. The increasing need to optimize the potential capacity of forests maintaining their conservation, requires the quantification of the different potential possible timber products. The aim was to adjust taper equations to determine volumes of different timber products for commercial stems of Nothofagus alpina and N. obliqua. Trees of both species were randomly selected in harvesting areas of Lanin National Park (Argentina. Trees were felled and cut into commercial logs, measuring diameter with bark at different heights up to the beginning of the crown, and for each tree the diameter at breast height and total height. Five taper equations were selected and non-linear regression processes were employed for the fittings. We obtained the volume through the integration of the stem profile equation and the rotation in the space thereof through solid of revolution. The Bennet and Swindel (1972 model was selected for both Nothofagus species, obtaining similar equation parameters and differences were observed at the top of the stems of larger trees. For this the use of an integrated model is not recommended. With the obtained equations it is possible to: (i estimatevolume at different heights and for different commercial diameters, and (ii predict the height at which both species reach to a certain diameter. The model presented some statistical limitations (e.g. multicollinearity, however, the fitting of the equation and the easy understanding of the outputs support it as a useful tool in a broad range of forest applications.

Encapsulated Somatic Embryos and Zygotic Embryos for Obtaining Artificial Seeds of Rauli-Beech (Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst. Encapsulado de Embriones Somáticos y Embriones Cigóticos para Obtención de Semillas Artificiales de Raulí (Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst.

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Priscila Cartes R

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Somatic and zygotic embryos from mature seeds of rauli-beech, Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst., were encapsulated in different artificial endosperms in order to generate a cover that fulfills the function of nourishment and protection of the embryos, facilitating their later germination. The content of sodium alginate varied by 4%, 3%, and 2%, as did the immersion time in calcium chloride (CaCl2, which acts as complexing agent. The artificial endosperm components of the Murashige and Skoog medium (MS were added, supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 indolacetic acid (IAA, 0.5 mg L-1 naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA, 2 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP and 30 g L-1 sucrose. The germinative behaviors of encapsulated somatic and zygotic embryos were evaluated after 4 wk. Comparing the percentages of germination reached by encapsulated somatic and zygotic embryos it was observed that they had similar germinative behavior according to the type of encapsulation applied. However, zygotic embryos substantially exceeded the germination levels reached by somatic embryos, 100% vs. 45% respectively.Embriones somáticos y cigóticos provenientes de semillas maduras de raulí, Nothofagus alpina (Poepp. & Endl. Oerst., se encapsularon en diferentes endospermas sintéticos con el fin de generar una cubierta que cumpla la función de nutrir y proteger al embrión para facilitar su posterior germinación. Se varió el contenido de alginato de sodio al 4%, 3% y 2% y el tiempo de inmersión en cloruro de calcio (CaCl2, el que actúa como agente acomplejante. Además, a la matriz artificial se adicionaron componentes del medio Murashige y Skoog (MS suplementado con: 0,5 mg L-1 de indolacetic acid (IAA, 0,5 mg L-1 de ácido naftalenacético (NAA, 2 mg L-1 de 6-bencilaminopurina (BAP y 30 gL-1 de sacarosa. Al cabo de 4 semanas el porcentaje de germinación de los embriones somáticos y cigóticos encapsulados tuvieron similar comportamiento germinativo según el tipo de

Effects of vegetation type on microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in subalpine mountain forest soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravindran, Anita; Yang, Shang-Shyng

2015-08-01

Microbial biomass plays an important role in nutrient transformation and conservation of forest and grassland ecosystems. The objective of this study was to determine the microbial biomass among three vegetation types in subalpine mountain forest soils of Taiwan. Tatachia is a typical high-altitude subalpine temperate forest ecosystem in Taiwan with an elevation of 1800-3952 m and consists of three vegetation types: spruce, hemlock, and grassland. Three plots were selected in each vegetation type. Soil samples were collected from the organic layer, topsoil, and subsoil. Microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) was determined by the chloroform fumigation-extraction method, and microbial biomass nitrogen (Nmic) was determined from the total nitrogen (Ntot) released during fumigation-extraction. Bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, cellulolytic microbes, phosphate-solubilizing microbes, and nitrogen-fixing microbes were also counted. The Cmic and Nmic were highest in the surface soil and declined with the soil depth. These were also highest in spruce soils, followed by in hemlock soils, and were lowest in grassland soils. Cmic and Nmic had the highest values in the spring season and the lowest values in the winter season. Cmic and Nmic had significantly positive correlations with total organic carbon (Corg) and Ntot. Contributions of Cmic and Nmic, respectively, to Corg and Ntot indicated that the microbial biomass was immobilized more in spruce and hemlock soils than in grassland soils. Microbial populations of the tested vegetation types decreased with increasing soil depth. Cmic and Nmic were high in the organic layer and decreased with the depth of layers. These values were higher for spruce and hemlock soils than for grassland soils. Positive correlations were observed between Cmic and Nmic and between Corg and Ntot. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Modeled subalpine plant community response to climate change and atmospheric nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonnell, T.C.; Belyazid, S.; Sullivan, T.J.; Sverdrup, H.; Bowman, W.D.; Porter, E.M.

2014-01-01

To evaluate potential long-term effects of climate change and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on subalpine ecosystems, the coupled biogeochemical and vegetation community competition model ForSAFE-Veg was applied to a site at the Loch Vale watershed of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Changes in climate and N deposition since 1900 resulted in pronounced changes in simulated plant species cover as compared with ambient and estimated future community composition. The estimated critical load (CL) of N deposition to protect against an average future (2010–2100) change in biodiversity of 10% was between 1.9 and 3.5 kg N ha −1  yr −1 . Results suggest that the CL has been exceeded and vegetation at the study site has already undergone a change of more than 10% as a result of N deposition. Future increases in air temperature are forecast to cause further changes in plant community composition, exacerbating changes in response to N deposition alone. - Highlights: • A novel calibration step was introduced for modeling biodiversity with ForSAFE-Veg. • Modeled increases in tree cover are consistent with empirical studies. • Reductions in N deposition decreased future graminoid percent cover. • Critical loads of N to protect biodiversity should consider climate change effects. - Subalpine plant biodiversity in Rocky Mountain National Park has already been impacted by N deposition and climate change and is expected to experience significant future effects

Assessment of Poa annua resistance to clethodim in Costa Rica.

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Ana María Rodríguez-Ruiz

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to check for the presence of resistance to clethodim in Poa annua populations observed in onion fields in the highlands of Cartago, Costa Rica. Two experiments were conducted; the first one was carried out, in 2007, in a greenhouse at the Fabio Baudrit Moreno Agricultural Experiment Station (EEAFBM, in Spanish, with seeds of plants from a farm where clethodim exercised good control (S population, and from another farm where clethodim showed a deficient control (R population. Both S and R populations were treated with different doses of clethodim (0.5X, 1.0X, 1.5X and 2.0X, being X the recommended commercial dose. In this experiment, control of the R population was 44% and 17% at doses of 1.5X and 2.0X, respectively, whereas control of the S population was 100% at either of those doses. The second experiment was carried out in 2009, seeds of two other P. annua populations were collected in a similar way: one population from an area where weed control was satisfactory (S, and the other population from an area of the farm where control was deficient (R. Seeds were sown, depending on the type, in plastic pots and sprayed with clethodim at doses of: 0. 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X, and 16X. There were significant differences in the reactions to clethodim of both P. annua populations The S population showed a higher percentage of control and less surviving plants than the R population. Several plants of the R population resisted up to 16X commercial doses of clethodim. Results of both experiments suggest the presence of P. annua populations resistant to clethodim.

Assessment of Poa annua resistance to clethodim in Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez-Ruiz, Ana Maria; Herrera-Murillo, Franklin; Chaves-Barrantes, Nestor; Hernandez-Diaz, Alberto

2015-01-01

The presence of resistance to clethodim in Poa annua populations was observed in onion fields in the highlands of Cartago, Costa Rica. Two experiments were conducted; the first one was carried out, in 2007, in a greenhouse at the Fabio Baudrit Moreno Agricultural Experiment Station (EEAFBM, in Spanish), with seeds of plants from a farm where clethodim has exercised good control (S population), and from another farm where clethodim has showed a deficient control (R population). Both S and R populations were treated with different doses of clethodim (0,5X, 1,0X, 1,5X and 2,0X), being X the recommended commercial dose. In this experiment, control of the R population was 44% and 17% at doses of 1.5X and 2.0X, respectively, whereas control of the S population was 100% at either of those doses. The second experiment was carried out in 2009, seeds of two other P. annua populations were collected in a similar way: one population from an area where weed control has been satisfactory (S), and the other population from an area of the farm where control was deficient (R). Seeds were sown, depending on the type, in plastic pots and sprayed with clethodim at doses of: 0. 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X, and 16X. There were significant differences in the reactions to clethodim of both P. annua populations The S population showed a higher percentage of control and less surviving plants than the R population. Several plants of the R population resisted up to 16X commercial doses of clethodim. Results of both experiments suggest the presence of P. annua populations resistant to clethodim. (author) [es

Effects of tourism and topography on vegetation diversity in the subalpine meadows of the Dongling Mountains of Beijing, China.

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Zhang, Jin-Tun; Xiang, ChunLing; Li, Min

2012-02-01

Subalpine meadows in the Dongling Mountains (located at E115º26'-115º40', N40º00'-40º05') of Beijing, China are important for tourism and the provision of ecosystem services. However, because of poor management serious degradation has occurred on these subalpine meadows. The aim of this paper is to present a quantitative analysis of effects of tourism disturbance and topography on the status and diversity of montane meadow communities and to provide direction for improved management. Sixty quadrats of 2 × 2 m(2) along 10 transects were set up to collect data on site characteristics and vegetation status. The relationships between community composition and structure, species diversity, and tourism disturbance and topographic variables were analyzed by multivariate methods (TWINSPAN and CCA). The results showed that eight meadow communities were identified by TWINSPAN. Most of them were seriously degraded. The first CCA axis identified an elevation and tourism disturbance intensity gradient, which illustrated that tourism disturbance and elevation were most important factors influencing meadow types, composition and structure. Some resistant species and response species to tourism disturbance were identified and can be used as indicator species of tourism disturbance. Species richness, heterogeneity and evenness were closely related to tourism disturbance and elevation. It is concluded that tourism disturbance must be controlled to enable grassland rehabilitation to occur in the meadows. Measures of effective management of the meadows were discussed.

Modeling the accumulation of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in grasses (Agrotis sp. and Poa sp. and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica on selected sites taking into account soil physico-chemical properties

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Boshoff M.C.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The effect of soil properties on the accumulation of metals in two vegetation types was evaluated at 10 sites with a wide variation in soil physicochemical properties pH, organic carbon, clay percentage , total soil metal concentration and exchangeable soil metal content. Accumulation modeling was conducted for grasses (Agrostis sp. and Poa sp. and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica.

Modeling the accumulation of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in grasses (Agrotis sp. and Poa sp. and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica on selected sites taking into account soil physico-chemical properties

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Boshoff M. C.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The effect of soil properties on the accumulation of metals in two vegetation types was evaluated at 10 sites with a wide variation in soil physicochemical properties pH, organic carbon, clay percentage , total soil metal concentration and exchangeable soil metal content. Accumulation modeling was conducted for grasses (Agrostis sp. and Poa sp. and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica.

[Diversity of soil nematode communities in the subalpine and alpine forests of western Sichuan, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ya; Yang, Wan Qin; Wu, Fu Zhong; Yang, Fan; Lan, Li Ying; Liu, Yu Wei; Guo, Cai Hong; Tan, Bo

2017-10-01

In order to understand the diversity of soil nematodes in the subalpine/alpine forests of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, soil nematodes in the primary forest, mixed forest and secondary forest of Abies faxoniana were extracted by elutriation and sugar-centrifugation method in July 2015, and the composition and structure characteristics of soil nematode communities were studied in the three forests at different altitudes. A total of 37950 soil nematodes were collected, which belonged to 20 families and 27 genera, and the mean density was 4217 ind·100 g -1 dry soil. Filenchus was the dominant genus in the primary forest, and Filenchus and Pararotylenchus in the mixed forest and secondary forest, respectively. The individual number of each dominant genus was significantly affected by forest type. All nematode individuals were classified into the four trophic groups of bacterivores, fungivores, plant-parasites and omnivore-predators. The fungivores were dominant in the primary and secondary forest and the bacterivores in the mixed forest. The number of soil nematode c-p (colonizer-persister) groups of c-p 1, c-p 2, c-p 3 and c-p 4 accounted for 6.1%, 51.1%, 30.0% and 12.7% of the total nematode abundance, respectively. The maturity index (MI), the total maturity index (∑MI) and the plant parasitic index (PPI) of soil nematodes decreased gradually with the increase of altitude. The nematode channel ratio in the mixed forest was higher than 0.5, but that in the primary forest and secondary forest was below 0.5. The forest type significantly affected the soil nematode maturity index and channel ratio, but the forest type, soil layer and their interaction had no significant effect on the diversity index. There were obvious diffe-rences in the composition, nutrient structure and energy flow channel of soil nematodes in the subalpine/alpine forests of western Sichuan, providing an important reference for understanding the function of soil nematodes in soil processes

De lange weg

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maas Geesteranus, R.A.

1968-01-01

Peziza alpina (Fuck.) Cooke (1876) and Peziza alpina (Fuck.) Oud. (1885) are recombinations based on Humaria alpina Fuck. (1874), and have no relation with Peziza alpina Sauter (1878). While the identity of Fuckel’s species is left out of consideration (as it will be discussed in a future paper),

Intercontinental genetic structure and gene flow in Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a potential vector of avian influenza

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Mark P.; Haig, Susan M.; Mullins, Thomas D.; Ruan, Luzhang; Casler, Bruce; Dondua, Alexei; Gates, River H.; Johnson, J. Matthew; Kendall, Steven J.; Tomkovich, Pavel S.; Tracy, Diane; Valchuk, Olga P.; Lanctot, Richard B.

2015-01-01

Waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are the most common wild vectors of influenza A viruses. Due to their migratory behavior, some may transmit disease over long distances. Migratory connectivity studies can link breeding and nonbreeding grounds while illustrating potential interactions among populations that may spread diseases. We investigated Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a shorebird with a subspecies (C. a. arcticola) that migrates from nonbreeding areas endemic to avian influenza in eastern Asia to breeding grounds in northern Alaska. Using microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA, we illustrate genetic structure among six subspecies: C. a. arcticola, C. a. pacifica, C. a. hudsonia, C. a. sakhalina, C. a. kistchinski, and C. a. actites. We demonstrate that mitochondrial DNA can help distinguish C. a. arcticola on the Asian nonbreeding grounds with >70% accuracy depending on their relative abundance, indicating that genetics can help determine whether C. a. arcticola occurs where they may be exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) during outbreaks. Our data reveal asymmetric intercontinental gene flow, with some C. a. arcticola short-stopping migration to breed with C. a. pacifica in western Alaska. Because C. a. pacifica migrates along the Pacific Coast of North America, interactions between these subspecies and other taxa provide route for transmission of HPAI into other parts of North America.

Rapid warming forces contrasting growth trends of subalpine fir ( Abies fabri ) at higher- and lower-elevations in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Wenzhi; Jia, Min; Wang, Genxu; Zhu, Wanze; McDowell, Nate G.

2017-10-01

Tree radial growth is expected to increase at higher elevations under climate warming, while lower elevation tree growth is expected to decline. However, numerous studies have found tree radial growth responds consistently to climate along elevational gradients. Here, we sampled five plots across the subalpine Abies fabri forest belt on Gongga Mountain in the eastern Tibetan Plateau to determine tree radial growth trends and responses to climate. Three commonly used detrending methods all consistently showed that tree radial growth at high elevation (> 3100 m) increased, while tree growth declined at the lower elevations (2700 m–2900 m) over the last three decades. Increasing late-growing season temperature positively (p < 0.05) correlated to tree radial growth at higher elevations, but the sign of this relationship reversed to become negative at lower elevations. Moving-window correlation analyses indicated the difference between high and low elevations response to temperature variation increased strongly with warming. Placing our result into the global context, 62% of 39 published studies found that trees along elevation gradients respond divergently to warming, and that these are located in warmer and wetter regions of the Earth. Notably, 28% of studies found non-significant responses to temperature at both high and low elevations. Our findings in the subalpine mountain forest in the eastern Tibetan Plateau were consistent with the majority of published datasets, and imply increasing temperature benefit for tree populations at higher elevation, while warming dampens growth at lower elevations.

[Contribution of soil fauna to the mass loss of Betula albosinensis leaf litter at early decomposition stage of subalpine forest litter in western Sichuan].

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Lei; Wu, Fu-Zhong; Yang, Wan-Qin; Tan, Bo

2012-02-01

In order to quantify the contribution of soil fauna to the decomposition of birch (Betula albosinensis) leaf litter in subalpine forests in western Sichuan of Southwest China during freeze-thaw season, a field experiment with different mesh sizes (0.02, 0.125, 1 and 3 mm) of litterbags was conducted in a representative birch-fir (Abies faxoniana) forest to investigate the mass loss rate of the birch leaf litter from 26 October, 2010 to 18 April, 2011, and the contributions of micro-, meso- and macro-fauna to the decomposition of the leaf litter. Over the freeze-thaw season, 11.8%, 13.2%, 15.4% and 19.5% of the mass loss were detected in the litterbags with 0.02, 0. 125, 1 and 3 mm mesh sizes, respectively. The total contribution of soil fauna to the litter decomposition accounted for 39.5% of the mass loss, and the taxa and individual relative density of the soil fauna in the litterbags had the similar variation trend with that of the mass loss rate. The contribution rate of soil fauna to the leaf litter mass loss showed the order of micro- soil fauna played an important role in the litter decomposition in subalpine forests of western Sichuan during freeze-thaw season.

Provenance variation in subalpine fir grown as an exotic tree species in Denmark and Iceland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skúlason, Brynjar

Neonectria neomacrospora in Denmark. In Iceland the corkbark fir showed superior results, especially for survival rate and Christmas tree quality. The White River provenance from British Columbia is recommended for use in Denmark. The Mount Taylor provenance from the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico...... fir (A. lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa) and corkbark fir (A. lasiocarpa var. arizonica (Merriam) Lemmon) was established at three sites in Denmark and at one site in Iceland in 1999. Adaptability, Christmas tree quality, growth rhythm and susceptibility to pests and pathogens were measured and assessed...... and the most spring frost damage on buds. The westernmost subalpine fir provenances from Washington state and British Columbia showed the overall best results in Denmark, with the highest survival (after 15 years), fastest height growth and highest Christmas tree quality and profitability, as well as both good...

Coverage of Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica in Elsevier's CiteScore index: a new tool for measuring the citation impact of academic journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Poljak, Mario

2017-03-01

In December 2016, Elsevier launched a new tool that helps measure the citation impact of academic journals, called the CiteScore index. The CiteScore index values for 2015 confirmed the status of Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica (Acta Dermatovenerol APA) as the leading journal in dermatology and sexually transmitted infections in the region. Sixty-five articles published in Acta Dermatovenerol APA from 2012 to 2014 received a total of 77 citations in 2015, resulting in a CiteScore index value of 1.18 for the journal. More than half of the articles published from 2012 to 2014 received at least one citation in 2015. Acta Dermatovenerol APA performed well in all three categories listed because it is ranked 384th out of 1,549 journals in the category General Medicine (75th percentile), 53rd out of 122 journals in the category Dermatology (56th percentile), and 142nd out of 246 journals in the category Infectious Diseases (42nd percentile).

Ethnobotany of medicinal plants among the communities of Alpine and Sub-alpine regions of Pakistan.

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Kayani, Sadaf; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Sultana, Shazia; Khan Shinwari, Zabta; Zafar, Muhammed; Yaseen, Ghulam; Hussain, Manzoor; Bibi, Tahira

2015-04-22

To best of our knowledge it is first quantitative ethno-botanical study from Alpine and Sub-alpine, Western Himalaya of Pakistan. The study aims to report, compare the uses and highlight the ethno-botanical significance of medicinal plants for treatment of various diseases. A total of 290 (278 males and 12 females) informants including 14 Local Traditional Healers (LTHs) were interviewed. Information was collected using semi-structured interviews, analyzed and compared by quantitative ethno-botanical indices such as Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Relative frequency of citation (RFC), use value (UV), Fidelity Level (FL) and Jaccard index (JI). A total of 125 plant species (Gymnosperms 7 species, Monocotyledons 2 and 116 Di-cotyledons) belonging to 41 families are collected, identified and ethno-botanically assessed. The most dominant family is Ranunculaceae (20 species) followed by Rosaceae (14 species). In diseases treated, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) diseases have highest proportion (27.5%) followed by respiratory diseases (20%) in the mountain communities. The most dominant life form of plants used is herbs (78%) followed by shrubs (19%) while the most commonly used plant parts are leaves (44 reports) followed by underground part, the roots (37 reports). The highest ICF (0.68) is found for ear, nose and eye disease category followed by respiratory disorders (0.46). There are 15 medicinal plants having 100% FL. Use value (UV) and Relative frequency of citation (RFC) range from 0.03 to 0.53 and 0.04 to 0.23 respectively. In comparison, maximum similarity index is found in the studies with JI 19.52 followed by 17.39. Similarity percentage of plant uses range from 1.69% to 19.52% while dissimilarity percentage varies from 0% to 20%. The Alpine and Sub-alpine regions of Pakistan are rich in medicinal plants and still need more research exploration. On the other hand, ethno-botanical knowledge in study areas is decreasing day by day due to high emigration rates

A multi-proxy record of hydroclimate, vegetation, fire, and post-settlement impacts for a subalpine plateau, Central Rocky Mountains U.S.A

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Anderson, Lesleigh; Brunelle, Andrea; Thompson, Robert S.

2015-01-01

Apparent changes in vegetation distribution, fire, and other disturbance regimes throughout western North America have prompted investigations of the relative importance of human activities and climate change as potential causal mechanisms. Assessing the effects of Euro-American settlement is difficult because climate changes occur on multi-decadal to centennial time scales and require longer time perspectives than historic observations can provide. Here, we report vegetation and environmental changes over the past ~13,000 years as recorded in a sediment record from Bison Lake, a subalpine lake on a high plateau in northwestern Colorado. Results are based on multiple independent proxies, which include pollen, charcoal, and elemental geochemistry, and are compared with previously reported interpretations of hydroclimatic changes from oxygen isotope ratios. The pollen data indicate a slowly changing vegetation sequence from sagebrush steppe during the late glacial to coniferous forest through the late Holocene. The most dramatic vegetation changes of the Holocene occurred during the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA) and ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) with rapid replacement of conifer forest by grassland followed by an equally rapid return to conifer forest. Late Holocene vegetation responses are mirrored by changes in fire, lake biological productivity, and watershed erosion. These combined records indicate that subsequent disturbance related to Euro-American settlement, although perhaps significant, had acted upon a landscape that was already responding to MCA-LIA hydroclimatic change. Results document both rapid and long-term subalpine grassland ecosystem dynamics driven by agents of change that can be anticipated in the future and simulated by ecosystem models.

Assessing the importance of human activities for the establishment of the invasive Poa annua in Antarctica

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Marco A. Molina-Montenegro

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Because of its harsh environmental conditions and remoteness, Antarctica is often considered to be at low risk of plant invasion. However, an increasing number of reports have shown the presence and spread of non-native plants in Antarctica; it is therefore important to study which factors control the invasion process in this ecosystem. Here, we assessed the role of different human activities on the presence and abundance of the invasive Poa annua. In addition, we performed a reciprocal transplant experiment in the field, and a manipulative experiment of germination with P. annua and the natives Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica, in order to unravel the effects of physical soil disturbance on the establishment and survival of P. annua. We found a positive correlation between abundance of P. annua and level of soil disturbance, and that survival of P. annua was 33% higher in sites with disturbed soil than non-disturbed. Finally, we found that disturbance conditions increased germination for P. annua, whereas for native species germination in experimentally disturbed soil was either unchanged or reduced compared to undisturbed soil. Our results indicate that human activities that modify abiotic soil characteristics could play an important role in the abundance of this invasive species. If the current patterns of human activities are maintained in Antarctica, the establishment success and spread of P. annua could increase, negatively affecting native flora.

[Effects of snow pack on soil nitrogen transformation enzyme activities in a subalpine Abies faxioniana forest of western Sichuan, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Li; Xu, Zhen-Feng; Wu, Fu-Zhong; Yang, Wan-Qin; Yin, Rui; Li, Zhi-Ping; Gou, Xiao-Lin; Tang, Shi-Shan

2014-05-01

This study characterized the dynamics of the activities of urease, nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase in both soil organic layer and mineral soil layer under three depths of snow pack (deep snowpack, moderate snowpack and shallow snowpack) over the three critical periods (snow formed period, snow stable period, and snow melt period) in the subalpine Abies faxoniana forest of western Sichuan in the winter of 2012 and 2013. Throughout the winter, soil temperature under deep snowpack increased by 46.2% and 26.2%, respectively in comparison with moderate snowpack and shallow snowpack. In general, the three nitrogen-related soil enzyme activities under shallow snowpack were 0.8 to 3.9 times of those under deep snowpack during the winter. In the beginning and thawing periods of seasonal snow pack, shallow snowpack significantly increased the activities of urease, nitrate and nitrite reductase enzyme in both soil organic layer and mineral soil layer. Although the activities of the studied enzymes in soil organic layer and mineral soil layer were observed to be higher than those under deep- and moderate snowpacks in deep winter, no significant difference was found under the three snow packs. Meanwhile, the effects of snowpack on the activities of the measured enzymes were related with season, soil layer and enzyme type. Significant variations of the activities of nitrogen-related enzymes were found in three critical periods over the winter, and the three measured soil enzymes were significantly higher in organic layer than in mineral layer. In addition, the activities of the three measured soil enzymes were closely related with temperature and moisture in soils. In conclusion, the decrease of snow pack induced by winter warming might increase the activities of soil enzymes related with nitrogen transformation and further stimulate the process of wintertime nitrogen transformation in soils of the subalpine forest.

Total belowground carbon flux in subalpine forests is related to leaf area index, soil nitrogen, and tree height

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Berryman, Erin Michele; Ryan, Michael G.; Bradford, John B.; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Birdsey, R.

2016-01-01

In forests, total belowground carbon (C) flux (TBCF) is a large component of the C budget and represents a critical pathway for delivery of plant C to soil. Reducing uncertainty around regional estimates of forest C cycling may be aided by incorporating knowledge of controls over soil respiration and TBCF. Photosynthesis, and presumably TBCF, declines with advancing tree size and age, and photosynthesis increases yet C partitioning to TBCF decreases in response to high soil fertility. We hypothesized that these causal relationships would result in predictable patterns of TBCF, and partitioning of C to TBCF, with natural variability in leaf area index (LAI), soil nitrogen (N), and tree height in subalpine forests in the Rocky Mountains, USA. Using three consecutive years of soil respiration data collected from 22 0.38-ha locations across three 1-km2 subalpine forested landscapes, we tested three hypotheses: (1) annual soil respiration and TBCF will show a hump-shaped relationship with LAI; (2) variability in TBCF unexplained by LAI will be related to soil nitrogen (N); and (3) partitioning of C to TBCF (relative to woody growth) will decline with increasing soil N and tree height. We found partial support for Hypothesis 1 and full support for Hypotheses 2 and 3. TBCF, but not soil respiration, was explained by LAI and soil N patterns (r2 = 0.49), and the ratio of annual TBCF to TBCF plus aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) was related to soil N and tree height (r2 = 0.72). Thus, forest C partitioning to TBCF can vary even within the same forest type and region, and approaches that assume a constant fraction of TBCF relative to ANPP may be missing some of this variability. These relationships can aid with estimates of forest soil respiration and TBCF across landscapes, using spatially explicit forest data such as national inventories or remotely sensed data products.

Subalpine Conifer Seedling Demographics: Species Responses to Climate Manipulations Across an Elevational Gradient at Niwot Ridge, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Castanha, C.; Germino, M. J.; Torn, M. S.; Ferrenberg, S.; Harte, J.; Kueppers, L. M.

2010-12-01

The effect of climate change on future ranges of treeline species is poorly understood. For example, it is not known whether trees will recruit into the alpine, above the current treeline, and whether population-level differences in trees will mediate range shifts. At Niwot Ridge, Colorado, we used common gardens and climate manipulations to test predictions that warming will lead to greater recruitment at and beyond the cold edge of these species ranges, and will reduce recruitment at the warm edge. Seed from local populations of limber pine and Englemann spruce was harvested and reciprocally planted in 3 experimental sites spanning an elevation gradient from lower subalpine forest (10,000’), to the upper subalpine treeline ecotone (11,000’), to the alpine tundra (11,300’). In Fall 2009 seeds were sown into 20 plots at each site. Overhead infrared heaters targeted increases in growing season surface soil temperature of 4-5°C. The heating treatment, which began in October 2009, was crossed with manual watering, which was initiated following snowmelt in 2010. Over the 2010 growing season, we surveyed seedling germination and mortality weekly. Germination began in early May at the forest site, in early June at the krummholz site, and in early July at the alpine site. Depending on the site and plot, heating accelerated germination by 1 to 4 weeks. Seed source elevation, species, and site all affected germination, with effects for the two species also depending on site. At all sites, lower elevation, warm-edge populations had higher germination rates than high-elevation, cool-edge populations, indicating a potential bottleneck for germination of the high elevation seed sources in the adjacent alpine tundra. At all sites, survival was generally higher for pine than for spruce. Watering tended to enhance pine germinant survival while heating tended to depress spruce germinant survival. Our results indicate that the alpine tundra, generally considered an

Leap frog in slow motion: Divergent responses of tree species and life stages to climatic warming in Great Basin subalpine forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Smithers, Brian V; North, Malcolm P; Millar, Constance I; Latimer, Andrew M

2018-02-01

In response to climate warming, subalpine treelines are expected to move up in elevation since treelines are generally controlled by growing season temperature. Where treeline is advancing, dispersal differences and early life stage environmental tolerances are likely to affect how species expand their ranges. Species with an establishment advantage will colonize newly available habitat first, potentially excluding species that have slower establishment rates. Using a network of plots across five mountain ranges, we described patterns of upslope elevational range shift for the two dominant Great Basin subalpine species, limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine. We found that the Great Basin treeline for these species is expanding upslope with a mean vertical elevation shift of 19.1 m since 1950, which is lower than what we might expect based on temperature increases alone. The largest advances were on limber pine-dominated granitic soils, on west aspects, and at lower latitudes. Bristlecone pine juveniles establishing above treeline share some environmental associations with bristlecone adults. Limber pine above-treeline juveniles, in contrast, are prevalent across environmental conditions and share few environmental associations with limber pine adults. Strikingly, limber pine is establishing above treeline throughout the region without regard to site characteristic such as soil type, slope, aspect, or soil texture. Although limber pine is often rare at treeline where it coexists with bristlecone pine, limber pine juveniles dominate above treeline even on calcareous soils that are core bristlecone pine habitat. Limber pine is successfully "leap-frogging" over bristlecone pine, probably because of its strong dispersal advantage and broader tolerances for establishment. This early-stage dominance indicates the potential for the species composition of treeline to change in response to climate change. More broadly, it shows how species differences in dispersal

[Soil hydrolase characteristics in late soil-thawing period in subalpine/alpine forests of west Sichuan].

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Bo; Wu, Fu-Zhong; Yang, Wan-Qin; Yu, Sheng; Yang, Yu-Lian; Wang, Ao

2011-05-01

Late soil-thawing period is a critical stage connecting winter and growth season. The significant temperature fluctuation at this stage might have strong effects on soil ecological processes. In order to understand the soil biochemical processes at this stage in the subalpine/alpine forests of west Sichuan, soil samples were collected from the representative forests including primary fir forest, fir and birch mixed forest, and secondary fir forest in March 5-April 25, 2009, with the activities of soil invertase, urease, and phosphatase (neutral, acid and alkaline phosphatases) measured. In soil frozen period, the activities of the three enzymes in test forests still kept relatively higher. With the increase of soil temperature, the activities of hydrolases at the early stage of soil-thawing decreased rapidly after a sharp increase, except for neutral phosphatease. Thereafter, there was an increase in the activities of urease and phosphatase. Relative to soil mineral layer, soil organic layer had higher hydrolase activity in late soil-thawing period, and showed more obvious responses to the variation of soil temperature.

SPIDERS (ARANEI IN HEPRETOBIONT MESOFAUNA OF THE NORTHWEST CAUCASUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Ponomarev

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Aim. We discussed in previous work a herpetobiont fauna of arachnids (Arachnida from the isolated yewboxwood wood, located in the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve, 20 km near Sochi (Ponomarev, Chumachenko, 2007. The aim of the paper is to summarize available data about herpetobiont araneofauna of the Northwest Caucasus. Location. Republic of Adygea, Russia.Methods. Material was collected in 2009 on north macroslope of Main Caucasian Ridge within the territory of the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve between 1000–1820 m. The following plant communities are studied: beech-silver fir (assotiation Abieti-Fagetion orientalis Korotkov et Belonovskaya 1987, maple forest (assotiation Petasito albae-Abietetum nordmannianae subassotiation Aceretosum trautvetteri Francuzov 2006, subalpine meadow (assotiation Poa longifolii – Calamagrostietum arundinaceae Semagina, 1992. Soil traps were used for collection of spiders.Results and main conclusions. During the period of study 100 species of spiders from 19 families are registered. Most diverse araneofauna of subalpine meadows includs 54 species belonging to 14 families. The least diverse araneofauna is in maple forest (24 species of 7 families. In beech-silver fir includes 45 species of 16 families of spiders. Only 3 species (Pireneitega ovtchinnikovi, Cybaeus abchasicus, Tenuiphantes mengei were found in all surveyed habitats. These 3 species clearly tend to forest habitats. Herpetobiont araneofauna of the Northwest Caucasus characterized by high taxonomic diversity with clear predominance of representatives of the family Linyphiidae. Specificity of araneofauna in different types of plant communities is high.

Calcium induces long-term legacy effects in a subalpine ecosystem.

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Urs Schaffner

Full Text Available Human activities have transformed a significant proportion of the world's land surface, with profound effects on ecosystem processes. Soil applications of macronutrients such as nitrate, phosphorus, potassium or calcium are routinely used in the management of croplands, grasslands and forests to improve plant health or increase productivity. However, while the effects of continuous fertilization and liming on terrestrial ecosystems are well documented, remarkably little is known about the legacy effect of historical fertilization and liming events in terrestrial ecosystems and of the mechanisms involved. Here, we show that more than 70 years after the last application of lime on a subalpine grassland, all major soil and plant calcium pools were still significantly larger in limed than in unlimed plots, and that the resulting shift in the soil calcium/aluminium ratio continues to affect ecosystem services such as primary production. The difference in the calcium content of the vegetation and the topmost 10 cm of the soil in limed vs. unlimed plots amounts to approximately 19.5 g m(-2, equivalent to 16.3% of the amount that was added to the plots some 70 years ago. In contrast, plots that were treated with nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer in the 1930s did not differ from unfertilized plots in any of the soil and vegetation characteristics measured. Our findings suggest that the long-term legacy effect of historical liming is due to long-term storage of added calcium in stable soil pools, rather than a general increase in nutrient availability. Our results demonstrate that single applications of calcium in its carbonated form can profoundly and persistently alter ecosystem processes and services in mountain ecosystems.

Assessing heat fluxes and water quality trends in subalpine lakes from EO

Science.gov (United States)

Cazzaniga, Ilaria; Giardino, Claudia; Bresciani, Mariano; Elli, Chiara; Valerio, Giulia; Pilotti, Marco

2017-04-01

Lakes play a fundamental role in providing ecosystem services such as water supplying, hydrological regulation, climate change mitigation, touristic recreation (Schallenberg et al., 2013). Preserving and improving of quality of lakes waters, which is a function of either both natural and human influences, is therefore an important action to be considered. Remote Sensing techniques are spreading as useful instrument for lakes, by integrating classical in situ limnological measurements to frequent and synoptic monitoring capabilities. Within this study, Earth Observation data are exploited for understanding the temporal changes of water quality parameters over a decade, as well as for measuring the surface energy fluxes in recent years in deep clear lakes in the European subalpine ecoregion. According to Pareth et al. (2016), subalpine lakes are showing a clear response to climate change with an increase of 0.017 °C /year of lake surface temperature, whilst the human activities contribute to produce a large impact (agriculture, recreation, industry, fishing and drinking) on these lakes. The investigation is focused on Lake Iseo, which has shown a significant deterioration of water quality conditions since the seventies, and on Lake Garda, the largest Italian lake where EO data have been widely used for many purposes and applications (Giardino et al., 2014). Available ENVISAT-MERIS (2002-2012) and Landsat-8-OLI (2013-on going) imagery has been exploited to produce chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration maps, while Landsat-8-TIRS imagery has been used for estimating lake surface temperatures. MERIS images were processed through a neural network (namely the C2R processor, Doerffer et al., 2007), to correct the atmospheric effects and to retrieve water constituents concentration in optically complex deep waters. With regard to L8's images, some atmospheric correctors (e.g. ACOLITE and 6SV) were tested and validated to indentify, for each of the two lakes, the more accurate

Seasonal dynamics of the plant community and soil seed bank along a successional gradient in a subalpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.

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Miaojun Ma

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Knowledge about how change the importance of soil seed bank and relationship between seed mass and abundance during vegetation succession is crucial for understanding vegetation dynamics. Many studies have been conducted, but their ecological mechanisms of community assembly are not fully understood. METHODOLOGY: We examined the seasonal dynamics of the vegetation and soil seed bank as well as seed size distribution along a successional gradient. We also explored the potential role of the soil seed bank in plant community regeneration, the relationship between seed mass and species abundance, and the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes along a successional gradient. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Species richness of seed bank increased (shallow layer and the total and seed density decreased (each layer and the total significantly with succession. Species richness and seed density differed significantly between different seasons and among soil depths. Seed mass showed a significant negative relationship with relative abundance in the earliest successional stage, but the relationships were not significant in later stages. Seed mass showed no relationship with relative abundance in the whole successional series in seed bank. Results were similar for both July 2005 and April 2006. CONCLUSIONS: The seed mass and abundance relationship was determined by a complex interaction between small and larger seeded species and environmental factors. Both stochastic processes and deterministic processes were important determinants of the structure of the earliest stage. The importance of seed bank decreased with succession. The restoration of abandoned farmed and grazed meadows to the species-rich subalpine meadow in Tibetan Plateau can be successfully achieved from the soil seed bank. However, at least 20 years are required to fully restore an abandoned agricultural meadow to a natural mature subalpine meadow.

Forecasting the evolution in the mixing regime of a deep subalpine lake under climate change scenarios through numerical modelling (Lake Maggiore, Northern Italy/Southern Switzerland)

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Fenocchi, Andrea; Rogora, Michela; Sibilla, Stefano; Ciampittiello, Marzia; Dresti, Claudia

2018-01-01

The impact of air temperature rise is eminent for the large deep lakes in the Italian subalpine district, climate change being caused there by both natural phenomena and anthropogenic greenhouse-gases (GHG) emissions. These oligomictic lakes are experiencing a decrease in the frequency of winter full turnover and an intensification of stability. As a result, hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations are decreasing and nutrients are accumulating in bottom water, with effects on the whole ecosystem functioning. Forecasting the future evolution of the mixing pattern is relevant to assess if a reduction in GHG releases would be able to revert such processes. The study focuses on Lake Maggiore, for which the thermal structure evolution under climate change in the 2016-2085 period was assessed through numerical simulations, performed with the General Lake Model (GLM). Different prospects of regional air temperature rise were considered, given by the Swiss Climate Change Scenarios CH2011. Multiple realisations were performed for each scenario to obtain robust statistical predictions, adopting random series of meteorological data produced with the Vector-Autoregressive Weather Generator (VG). Results show that a reversion in the increasing thermal stability would be possible only if global GHG emissions started to be reduced by 2020, allowing an equilibrium mixing regime to be restored by the end of the twenty-first century. Otherwise, persistent lack of complete-mixing, severe water warming and extensive effects on water quality are to be expected for the centuries to come. These projections can be extended to the other lakes in the subalpine district.

Quantification of Groundwater Discharge in a Subalpine Stream Using Radon-222

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Elizabeth Avery

2018-01-01

Full Text Available During the dry months of the water year in Mediterranean climates, groundwater influx is essential to perennial streams for sustaining ecosystem health and regulating water temperature. Predicted earlier peak flow due to climate change may result in decreased baseflow and the transformation of perennial streams to intermittent streams. In this study, naturally occurring radon-222 (222Rn was used as a tracer of groundwater influx to Martis Creek, a subalpine stream near Lake Tahoe, CA. Groundwater 222Rn is estimated based on measurements of 222Rn activity in nearby deep wells and springs. To determine the degassing constant (needed for quantification of water and gas flux, an extrinsic tracer, xenon (Xe, was introduced to the stream and monitored at eight downstream locations. The degassing constant for 222Rn is based on the degassing constant for Xe, and was determined to be 1.9–9.0 m/day. Applying a simple model in which stream 222Rn activity is a balance between the main 222Rn source (groundwater and sink (volatilization, the influx in reaches of the upstream portion of Martis Creek was calculated to be <1 to 15 m3/day/m, which cumulatively constitutes a significant portion of the stream discharge. Experiments constraining 222Rn emanation from hyporheic zone sediments suggest that this should be considered a maximum rate of influx. Groundwater influx is typically difficult to identify and quantify, and the method employed here is useful for identifying locations for focused stream flow measurements, for formulating a water budget, and for quantifying streamwater–groundwater interaction.

Population-level body condition correlates with productivity in an arctic wader, the dunlin Calidris alpina, during post-breeding migration.

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Grzegorz Neubauer

Full Text Available Weather and predation constitute the two main factors affecting the breeding success of those Arctic waders whose productivity is highly variable over the years. We tested whether reproductive success is associated with the post-breeding condition of adults, in which in 'good' years (with warm weather, plentiful food and low predation pressure the condition of breeders and their productivity is high. To verify this hypothesis, we used a 10-year dataset comprising 20,792 dunlins Calidris alpina, trapped during migration at a stopover site on the southern Baltic Sea shore. Males were consistently in a slightly worse condition than females, likely due to male-biased parental investment in brood rearing. Annual productivity indices were positively correlated with the respective condition indices of breeders from the Eurasian Arctic, indicating that in 'good' years, despite great effort spent on reproduction, breeders leave the breeding grounds in better condition. The pattern did not hold for 1992: productivity was low, but the average condition of adults during migration was the highest noted over the decade. We suggest that the delayed effect of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991, could be responsible for the unexpected high condition of Arctic breeders in 1992. High population-level average condition, coupled with the low productivity could stem from severe weather caused by the volcano eruption a year before and strong predation pressure, which in turn lead to a reduced investment in reproduction. The importance of large-scale episodic phenomena, like this volcano eruption, may blur the statistical associations of wildlife with local environmental drivers.

Population-level body condition correlates with productivity in an arctic wader, the dunlin Calidris alpina, during post-breeding migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Neubauer, Grzegorz; Pilacka, Lucyna; Zieliński, Piotr; Gromadzka, Jadwiga

2017-01-01

Weather and predation constitute the two main factors affecting the breeding success of those Arctic waders whose productivity is highly variable over the years. We tested whether reproductive success is associated with the post-breeding condition of adults, in which in 'good' years (with warm weather, plentiful food and low predation pressure) the condition of breeders and their productivity is high. To verify this hypothesis, we used a 10-year dataset comprising 20,792 dunlins Calidris alpina, trapped during migration at a stopover site on the southern Baltic Sea shore. Males were consistently in a slightly worse condition than females, likely due to male-biased parental investment in brood rearing. Annual productivity indices were positively correlated with the respective condition indices of breeders from the Eurasian Arctic, indicating that in 'good' years, despite great effort spent on reproduction, breeders leave the breeding grounds in better condition. The pattern did not hold for 1992: productivity was low, but the average condition of adults during migration was the highest noted over the decade. We suggest that the delayed effect of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991, could be responsible for the unexpected high condition of Arctic breeders in 1992. High population-level average condition, coupled with the low productivity could stem from severe weather caused by the volcano eruption a year before and strong predation pressure, which in turn lead to a reduced investment in reproduction. The importance of large-scale episodic phenomena, like this volcano eruption, may blur the statistical associations of wildlife with local environmental drivers.

Phenology and carbon dioxide source/sink strength of a subalpine grassland in response to an exceptionally short snow season

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galvagno, M; Cremonese, E; Filippa, G; Morra di Cella, U; Wohlfahrt, G; Rossini, M; Colombo, R; Julitta, T; Manca, G; Siniscalco, C; Migliavacca, M

2013-01-01

Changes in snow cover depth and duration predicted by climate change scenarios are expected to strongly affect high-altitude ecosystem processes. This study investigates the effect of an exceptionally short snow season on the phenology and carbon dioxide source/sink strength of a subalpine grassland. An earlier snowmelt of more than one month caused a considerable advancement (40 days) of the beginning of the carbon uptake period (CUP) and, together with a delayed establishment of the snow season in autumn, contributed to a two-month longer CUP. The combined effect of the shorter snow season and the extended CUP led to an increase of about 100% in annual carbon net uptake. Nevertheless, the unusual environmental conditions imposed by the early snowmelt led to changes in canopy structure and functioning, with a reduction of the carbon sequestration rate during the snow-free period. (letter)

Radiocesium in brown trout (Salmo trutta) from a subalpine lake ecosystem after the Chernobyl reactor accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brittain, J.E.; Storruste, Anders; Larsen, Elena

1991-01-01

After Chernobyl in April 1986, radioactive cesium has been measured in Oevre Heimdalsvatn, a Norwegian subalpine lake, situated in an area of high fallout. The lake is an important reference site and has been the subject of extensive ecosystem studies since the 1950s. Emphasis has been given to measuring long-term trends in the activity content of radioactive cesium in the brown trout (Salmo trutta) population. After ice-break in June 1986, the average total cesium activity content rose to 7000 Bq/kg wet weight. The activity content fell during 1987 and at ice-break in 1988 was 4000 Bq/kg. However, there was no further reduction during the summers of 1988 and 1989, possibly due to increased inputs from the catchment. There is considerable variation in the radiocesium activity content measured in individual fish. On the basis of the changes in cesium activity content in trout since 1986, an observed half-life for 137 Cs and 134 Cs in trout of 3.0 and 1.3 years, respectively, has been estimated. (author)

A molecular investigation of soil organic carbon composition across a subalpine catchment

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Hsiao-Tieh; Lawrence, Corey R.; Winnick, Matthew J.; Bargar, John R.; Maher, Katharine

2018-01-01

The dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover are a critical component of the global carbon cycle. Mechanistic models seeking to represent these complex dynamics require detailed SOC compositions, which are currently difficult to characterize quantitatively. Here, we address this challenge by using a novel approach that combines Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and bulk carbon X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to determine the abundance of SOC functional groups, using elemental analysis (EA) to constrain the total amount of SOC. We used this SOC functional group abundance (SOC-fga) method to compare variability in SOC compositions as a function of depth across a subalpine watershed (East River, Colorado, USA) and found a large degree of variability in SOC functional group abundances between sites at different elevations. Soils at a lower elevation are predominantly composed of polysaccharides, while soils at a higher elevation have more substantial portions of carbonyl, phenolic, or aromatic carbon. We discuss the potential drivers of differences in SOC composition between these sites, including vegetation inputs, internal processing and losses, and elevation-driven environmental factors. Although numerical models would facilitate the understanding and evaluation of the observed SOC distributions, quantitative and meaningful measurements of SOC molecular compositions are required to guide such models. Comparison among commonly used characterization techniques on shared reference materials is a critical next step for advancing our understanding of the complex processes controlling SOC compositions.

Effects of alkali stress on growth, free amino acids and carbohydrates metabolism in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Pingping; Fu, Jinmin; Hu, Longxing

2012-10-01

Soil alkalization is one of the most prominent adverse environmental factors limiting plant growth, while alkali stress affects amino acids and carbohydrates metabolism. The objective of this study was conducted to investigate the effects of alkali stress on growth, amino acids and carbohydrates metabolism in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Seventy-day-old plants were subjected to four pH levels: 6.0 (control), 8.0 (low), 9.4 (moderate) and 10.3 (severe) for 7 days. Moderate to severe alkali stress (pH >9.4) caused a significant decline in turf quality and growth rate in Kentucky bluegrass. Soluble protein was unchanged in shoots, but decreased in roots as pH increased. The levels of amino acids was kept at the same level as control level at 4 days after treatment (DAT) in shoots, but greater at 7 DAT, when plants were subjected to severe (pH 10.3) alkali stress. The alkali stressed plants had a greater level of starch, water soluble carbohydrate and sucrose content, but lower level of fructose and glucose. Fructan and total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) increased at 4 DAT and decreased at 7 DAT for alkali stressed plants. These results suggested that the decrease in fructose and glucose contributed to the growth reduction under alkali stress, while the increase in amino acids, sucrose and storage form of carbohydrate (fructan, starch) could be an adaptative mechanism in Kentucky bluegrass under alkali stress.

Les Gorges de Trévans dans le front subalpin – Un site exceptionnel des Alpes de Haute-Provence

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Jean Nicod

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Les canyons de Trévans sont incisés dans des unités calcaires jurassiques, dans la zone frontale subalpine, proche du piémont de Valensole. Ces reliefs sont en rapport avec les phases néotectoniques. Ce secteur fait principalement partie de la forêt domaniale du Montdenier, avec des écosystèmes montagnards et supra-méditerranéens, bois de hêtres et de chênes pubescents, large extension des brousses et d'importants reboisements en pins noirs. Les hautes surfaces conservent des traces d'un ancien aplanissement et des sols résiduels paléokarstiques. Sur les pentes, sous des escarpements démembrés, les éboulis et convois de blocs témoignent des processus périglaciaires hérités et, localement, des évènements séismiques. De nombreux processus dynamiques s'observent dans les canyons : éboulements provenant des parois affectées des effets de détente, coups de gouge et marmites de géant dans leur fond excavé par les écoulements turbulents dans les cascades… et le Pont de Tuf.The canyon system of Trevans has cut the blocks of the jurassic limestones, in subalpine over thrust front, near the Valensole piedmont. These landforms are in relationship with the neotectonic movements. This area belongs to the State Forest of Montdenier, woodland of various mountain and supra-mediterranean ecosystems, with beeches and white oaks Quercus pubescens, large extent of bush and important reforestation in black pines (Pinus nigra. The high surfaces preserve some relics of the old planation and paleokarstic forms and residual soils. On the slopes, under the break-up escarpments, the screes and landslides give the part of the periglacial processes and, locally, of the seismic events. Numerous dynamic processes occur in the canyons: rock-slides, in relationship with open fractures, scallops and pot-holes in the bottom excavated by the turbulent flows in the waterfalls of the creeks and, only case, a travertine bridge.

Seasonal Changes in the Character and Nitrogen Content of Dissolved Organic Matter in an Alpine/Subalpine Headwater Catchment

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Eran W. Hood

2001-01-01

Full Text Available We are studying the chemical quality of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON in a high-elevation watershed in the Colorado Front Range. Samples were collected over the 2000 snowmelt runoff season at two sites across an alpine/subalpine ecotone to understand how the transition between the lightly vegetated alpine and forested reaches of the catchment influences the chemical character of DON. Samples were analyzed approximately weekly for dissolved organic material (DOM content and chemical character. A subset of samples was analyzed for the elemental content of fulvic and hydrophilic acids. Concentrations of DON at both sites were highest in the spring at the initiation of snowmelt, decreased during snowmelt, and increased again during the late summer and fall. In contrast, concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC peaked on the ascending limb of the hydrograph and declined to seasonal minima on the descending limb of the hydrograph. The ratio of DOC:DON showed a seasonal shift at both sites with high values (40 to 55 during peak runoff in early summer and lower values (15 to 25 during low flows late in the runoff season. These results indicate that there was a seasonal change in the relative N content of DOM at both sites. Chemical fractionation of DOC showed that there were temporal and longitudinal changes in the chemical character of DOC. At the alpine site, the fulvic acid content of DOC decreased from 57% in June to 35% in September. The change in fulvic acid was less pronounced at the forested site, from 66% in June to 54% in September. Elemental analysis of fulvic and hydrophilic acids indicated that hydrophilic acids were N rich compared to fulvic acids. Additionally, fulvic and hydrophilic acids isolated at the alpine site had a lower C:N ratio than those isolated at the forested site. Similarly, the C:N ratio of organic acids at both sites was lower in September than in June during peak runoff. These differences appear to be a result

La plate-forme jurassienne et sa bordure subalpine au Berriasien-Valanginien ( Chartreuse-Vercors). Analyse et corrélations avec les séries de bassin. Sédimentologie, stratigraphie, micropaléontologie, magnétostratigraphie.

OpenAIRE

Boisseau , Thierry

1987-01-01

The study of the Berriasian-Valanginian carbonate platform of the Chartreuse massif (the subalpine chain, France) was detailed and the major stages of progradation and submersion were defined and dated. Micropaleontology: 65 benthic foraminifera species are identified. A detailed statistic analysis is given to the genus Trocholina, Neotrocholina, Gaudryina and Dorothia. Sedimentology: Five different order sequences are described. They mainly correspond to eustatic variations of sea leve!, mod...

LOS DÍAS LARGOS ARTIFICIALES CONSTANTES INCREMENTAN LA PRODUCCIÓN LÁCTEA EN LAS CABRAS ALPINAS DEL NORTE DE MÉXICO

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Evaristo Carrillo

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Para determinar si la aplicación de días largos artificiales durante el invierno y primavera aumenta la producción láctea de las cabras Alpinas del norte de México, un grupo testigo (GT; n=14, fue expuesto a las variaciones naturales del fotoperiodo de la región durante todo el estudio (10 h y 19 m en el solsticio de invierno y 13 h con 41 m durante el solsticio de verano, mientras otro grupo experimental (GE; n=15, se sujetó a un tratamiento de días largos constantes (16 h de luz/8 h de oscuridad del 1 de diciembre al 19 de abril. La producción de leche al inicio del estudio (día 0 = 45 ± 0.6 días posparto fue similar en los dos grupos (P>0.05, mientras que del día 14 hasta el día 112 del estudio, fue diferente entre los dos grupos (3.2 ± 0.07 vs. 2.7 ± 0.06 lts/día/animal GE vs. GT; P

Vertical distribution of the alpine lepidoptera in the Carpathians and in the Balkan peninsula in relation to the zonation of the vegetation

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Varga, Z. S.

2001-12-01

Full Text Available The vertical distribution of arctic-alpine, alpine and Balkanic oreal species is discussed in connection with the vertical zonation of the vegetation, climatic conditions, substrate, type of alpine vegetation and co-occurrences of related species. Arctic-alpine species have mostly a Eurasian distribution and occur in the Arctic and in the alpine and subnival zones of the Central and Southern European high mountains with expressed glacial morphology and alpine vegetation. Alpine species are mostly European species and they are connected to the alpine and subnival zones of Central and South European high mountains. Balkanic oreal species are mostly southeast European species which in some cases occur locally in the southern parts of the Alps and Carpathians. Balkanic oreal species are most numerous at the timberline, preferred habitats being grasslands in the upper subalpine belts. The more diverse habitats of limestone mountains are usually home to a higher number of alpine (s. l. species than that of the mountains consisting of acidic rocks. The apparent petrophily of several alpine and tundro-alpine species correlates with their sheltering behaviour. The vertical distribution of butterflies is probably influenced also by the competition of closely related species. Closely related species often show some types of habitat partitioning. Data on species numbers and vertical distribution of species are presented in the tables 1-4.

[de]
Die vertikale Verbreitung der arktisch-alpinen, alpinen und balkanischen Orealarten wird hier im Zusammenhang mit den vertikalen Stufenfolgen der Vegetation, den klimatischen Verhdltnissen, den geologischen und geomorphologischen Bedingungen, den Vegetationstypen und dem Vorkommen der verwandten Arten behandelt. Die arktisch-alpinen Arten haben meist eine eurasiatische Verbreitung, und sie kommen sowohl in derArktis und in den alpinen-subnivalen Stufen der mittel- und südeuropaischen Hochgebirge vor. Die

Patch-Scale Effects of Equine Disturbance on Arthropod Assemblages and Vegetation Structure in Subalpine Wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Holmquist, Jeffrey G.; Schmidt-Gengenbach, Jutta; Ballenger, Elizabeth A.

2014-06-01

Assessments of vertebrate disturbance to plant and animal assemblages often contrast grazed versus ungrazed meadows or other larger areas of usage, and this approach can be powerful. Random sampling of such habitats carries the potential, however, for smaller, more intensely affected patches to be missed and for other responses that are only revealed at smaller scales to also escape detection. We instead sampled arthropod assemblages and vegetation structure at the patch scale (400-900 m2 patches) within subalpine wet meadows of Yosemite National Park (USA), with the goal of determining if there were fine-scale differences in magnitude and directionality of response at three levels of grazing intensity. Effects were both stronger and more nuanced than effects evidenced by previous random sampling of paired grazed and ungrazed meadows: (a) greater negative effects on vegetation structure and fauna in heavily used patches, but (b) some positive effects on fauna in lightly grazed patches, suggested by trends for mean richness and total and population abundances. Although assessment of disturbance at either patch or landscape scales should be appropriate, depending on the management question at hand, our patch-scale work demonstrated that there can be strong local effects on the ecology of these wetlands that may not be detected by comparing larger scale habitats.

Role of grass-legume communities in revegetation of a subalpine mine site in British Columbia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamanaka, K

1982-01-01

This study describes an investigation of the potential for pioneer grass-legume communities to stabilize and ameliorate geologically-fresh soil leading to the establishment of a self-sustaining, progressive plant succession on a surface-mined subalpine site. The study area is located 2000 m above sea level in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Field studies revealed chronological trends in grass-legume communities at four sites revegetated during 1974-1978 including: species composition, legumes (Trifolium repens L., T. hybridum L. and Medicago sativa L.) performing increasingly poorly on the older sites; biomass changes, a shoot to root ratio (S/R) decreasing from 2.3 to 0.2 as the communities aged; and litter accumulation which continued even on the oldest site. Fertilizer (13-16-10) operationally applied at 150-391 kg/ha enhanced the growth of Dactylis gomerata L. and litter degradation, and acidified the soil. Nitrogen fertilization was also associated with two clear inverse relationships identified between D. glomerata and Festuca rubra L. biomass, and between soil pH and phosphorus levels. In greenhouse tests grasses were revealed to be more efficient soil nitrogen consumers than were legumes and nitrogen fixation decreased significantly (P < 0.01) and linearly with increasing grass seeding rates.

Mapping Plant Functional Groups in Subalpine Grassland of the Greater Caucasus

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Anja Magiera

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Plant functional groups—in our case grass, herbs, and legumes—and their spatial distribution can provide information on key ecosystem functions such as species richness, nitrogen fixation, and erosion control. Knowledge about the spatial distribution of plant functional groups provides valuable information for grassland management. This study described and mapped the distribution of grass, herb, and legume coverage of the subalpine grassland in the high-mountain Kazbegi region, Greater Caucasus, Georgia. To test the applicability of new sensors, we compared the predictive power of simulated hyperspectral canopy reflectance, simulated multispectral reflectance, simulated vegetation indices, and topographic variables for modeling plant functional groups. The tested grassland showed characteristic differences in species richness; in grass, herb, and legume coverage; and in connected structural properties such as yield. Grass (Hordeum brevisubulatum was dominant in biomass-rich hay meadows. Herb-rich grassland featured the highest species richness and evenness, whereas legume-rich grassland was accompanied by a high coverage of open soil and showed dominance of a single species, Astragalus captiosus. The best model fits were achieved with a combination of reflectance, vegetation indices, and topographic variables as predictors. Random forest models for grass, herb, and legume coverage explained 36%, 25%, and 37% of the respective variance, and their root mean square errors varied between 12–15%. Hyperspectral and multispectral reflectance as predictors resulted in similar models. Because multispectral data are more easily available and often have a higher spatial resolution, we suggest using multispectral parameters enhanced by vegetation indices and topographic parameters for modeling grass, herb, and legume coverage. However, overall model fits were merely moderate, and further testing, including stronger gradients and the addition of

Effects of elevated CO{sub 2} and temperature on photosynthesis and leaf traits of an understory dwarf bamboo in subalpine forest zone, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yongping Li; Yuanbin Zhang; Xiaolu Zhang; Chunyang Li [Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu (China); Korpelainenc, H. [Univ. of Helsinki. Dept. of Agricultural Sciences, Helsinki (Finland); Berningerd, F. [Univ. of Helsinki. Dept. of Forest Sciences, Helsinki (Finland)

2013-06-01

The dwarf bamboo (Fargesia rufa Yi), growing understory in subalpine dark coniferous forest, is one of the main foods for giant panda, and it influences the regeneration of subalpine coniferous forests in southwestern China. To investigate the effects of elevated CO{sub 2}, temperature and their combination, the dwarf bamboo plantlets were exposed to two CO{sub 2} regimes (ambient and double ambient CO{sub 2} concentration) and two temperatures (ambient and +2.2 deg. C) in growth chambers. Gas exchange, leaf traits and carbohydrates concentration were measured after the 150-day experiment. Elevated CO{sub 2} significantly increased the net photosynthetic rate (A{sub net}), intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUE{sub i}) and carbon isotope composition ({delta}{sup 13}C) and decreased stomatal conductance (g{sub s}) and total chlorophyll concentration based on mass (Chl{sub m}) and area (Chl{sub a}). On the other hand, elevated CO{sub 2} decreased specific leaf area (SLA), which was increased by elevated temperature. Elevated CO{sub 2} also increased foliar carbon concentration based on mass (C{sub m}) and area (C{sub a}), nitrogen concentration based on area (N{sub a}), carbohydrates concentration (i.e. sucrose, sugar, starch and non-structural carbohydrates) and the slope of the A{sub net}-N{sub a} relationship. However, elevated temperature decreased C{sub m}, C{sub a} and N{sub a}. The combination of elevated CO{sub 2} and temperature hardly affected SLA, C{sub m}, C{sub a}, N{sub m}, N{sub a}, Chl{sub m} and Chl{sub a}. Variables A{sub net} and N{sub a} had positive linear relationships in all treatments. Our results showed that photosynthetic acclimation did not occur in dwarf bamboo at elevated CO{sub 2} and it could adjust physiology and morphology to enable the capture of more light, to increase WUE and improve nutritional conditions. (Author)

Clothianidin and Imidacloprid Residues in Poa annua (Poales: Poaceae) and Their Effects on Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Clavet, Christopher; Requintina, Matthew; Hampton, Emily; Cowles, Richard S; Byrne, Frank J; Alm, Steven R

2014-12-01

Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify the amounts of the neonicotinoids clothianidin and imidacloprid in Poa annua L. clippings from treated golf course fairways. Average clothianidin residues 7 d after application ranged from 674 to 1,550 ng/g tissue in 2012 and 455-2,220 ng/g tissue in 2013. Average clothianidin residues the day of application ranged from 17,100-38,800 ng/g tissue in 2014. Average imidacloprid residues 7 d after treatment ranged from 1,950-3,030 ng/g tissue in 2012 and 7,780-9,230 ng/g tissue in 2013. Average imidacloprid residues the day of application ranged from 31,500-40,400 ng/g tissue in 2014. Neonicotinoid or bifenthrin-neonicotinoid combination products applied in field plots in 2012 did not significantly reduce the numbers of larvae relative to the untreated control. However, in 2013, statistically significant reductions in the numbers of larvae recovered from treated field plots were associated with the presence of bifenthrin alone or when used in combination with neonicotinoid active ingredients. Listronotus maculicollis (Kirby) adults caged on neonicotinoid-, bifenthrin-, and bifenthrin-neonicotinoid-treated P. annua turf plugs fed on P. annua leaves, but mortality was only highly significantly different between treated and untreated foliage when weevils were placed on treated foliage the day after treatment and allowed to feed for 7 d. The modest degree of population suppression with bifenthrin in these experiments may not be adequate to justify the continued use of these products due to the increased risk of insecticide resistance and disruption of biological control. © 2014 Entomological Society of America.

Assessing and comparing climatic control on distribution and reproduction of alpine and lowland species in the subalpine habitat of western Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meineri, Eric

2012-02-15

Aims and background: Species range shift is among the most well-documented responses to climate change. As a result, a growing number of studies model species climatic niches to predict how species ranges may displace in space and time (SDM studies). These studies are criticised because they do not include reproduction in their predictions. Other studies use empirical data to assess climatic control on reproductive life-stages. However, the climatic niche of reproductive life-stages may not determine the climatic niche of species, limiting the ability of both types of studies to assess the effect of climate change. In this synthesis, I compare the results of a SDM study (Paper I) with the results of two empirical studies focussing on flowering performance (Paper II) and seedling emergence (Paper III). The research focuses on the leading and rear altitudinal edges of lowland and alpine species ranges, respectively, as those are the two delimiting fronts that are expected to be specifically vulnerable to climate change. Reproduction response to climate is a complex process because it involves several sub-stages that can be affected by climate in several ways. Therefore, the results included in this synthesis integrate several direct and size-dependent climatic effects on flowering performance and report on the importance of both the climate conditions occurring at the recruitment sites and those experienced by the source populations for seedling emergence. Study area and species: This thesis makes use of the sub-alpine and alpine landscapes of western Norway to investigate climatic control on species occurrence and reproduction. This study area was chosen because it includes the leading altitudinal edge of lowland species ranges and the rear altitudinal edge of alpine species ranges. The research uses Viola biflora (alpine), Viola palustris (lowland), Veronica alpina (alpine), and Veronica officinalis (lowland) as study cases because these species are common in the

Fatty acid composition of freshwater wild fish in subalpine lakes: a comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasconi, Mauro; Caprino, Fabio; Bellagamba, Federica; Busetto, Maria Letizia; Bernardi, Cristian; Puzzi, Cesare; Moretti, Vittorio Maria

2015-03-01

In this study, the proximate and fatty acid compositions of the muscle tissue of 186 samples of fish belonging to fifteen species of freshwater fish harvested in subalpine lakes (bleak, shad, crucian carp, whitefish, common carp, pike, black bullhead, burbot, perch, Italian roach, roach, rudd, wels catfish, chub and tench) were investigated. Most of the fish demonstrated a lipid content in the fillet lower than 2.0 g 100 g(-1) wet weight (range 0.6-9.7). A strong relationship between feeding behavior and fatty acid composition of the muscle lipids was observed. Planktivorous fish showed the lowest amounts of n-3 fatty acids (p fish showed the highest amounts of saturated fatty acids and n-3 fatty acids (p fish showed substantial proportions of n-3 fatty acids and the highest contents of n-6 fatty acids. Principal component analysis showed a distinct separation between fish species according to their feeding habits and demonstrated that the most contributing trophic markers were 18:1n-9, 18:3n-3, 22:6n-3 and 20:4n-6. The quantitative amounts n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in muscle tissues varied depending on the fish species, the lipid content and the feeding habits. Some species were very lean, and therefore would be poor choices for human consumption to meet dietary n-3 fatty acid requirements. Nevertheless, the more frequently consumed and appreciated fish, shad and whitefish, had EPA and DHA contents in the range 900-1,000 mg 100 g(-1) fresh fillet.

Inter-annual climate variability and zooplankton: applying teleconnection indices to two deep subalpine lakes in Italy

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Marina Manca

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Investigating relation between meteo-climatic indices and between-year variation in Daphnia population density and phenology is crucial for e.g. predicting impact of climate change on lake ecosystem structure and functioning. We tested whether and how two teleconnection indices calculated for the winter period, namely the East Atlantic pattern (EADJF and the Eastern Mediterranean Pattern (EMPDJF were correlated with Daphnia population growth in two Italian subalpine lakes, Garda and Maggiore. We investigated between-lake temporal coherence in: i water temperature within the water layer in which Daphnia is distributed; ii timing of Daphnia initial and spring maximum population density peak and iii the level of Daphnia spring maximum population density peak over an eleven-year period (1998-2008 of unchanged predation pressure by fish and invertebrates, and of common oligotrophy. Between-lake temporal coherence was high for an earlier start, an earlier, and lower, Daphnia population spring density peak after milder winters. Peak density level was coherently, positively correlated with soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP concentration. We hypothesized that Daphnia peak densities were related to atmospheric modes of variability in winter and to the degree of late winter mixing promoting replenishment of algal nutrients into upper water layers and phytoplankton growth, enhancing food availability and Daphnia fecundity, promoting Daphnia peak. 

Stand structure and vegetation dynamics of a subalpine treed fen in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, J.B. [Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States). Dept. of Biology

1997-06-01

The tree population size structure and relationship between tree diameter and age were examined in a subalpine fen and surrounding Picea-Abies forest in northern Colorado. The fen grades from a sedge fen, through an ecotone, to a treed fen (i.e. fen colonized by trees). Tree growth rate varies across the vegetational gradient, with the sedge fen having the slowest growth, and the upland forest having the fastest growth. Differences in growth rate are related to the average size of peat hummocks, with areas containing tall hummocks exhibiting the highest tree growth rates. Size structures display the characteristic reverse-J distribution generally indicative of stable populations, but forest vegetation is expanding into the open regions of the fen, and within the treed fen an increase in Abies lasiocarpa is occurring. These changes are primarily attributed to a positive feedback situation wherein the fen`s surface is built up by peat accumulation. Distinct hummocks form first on the open fen but then coalesce to form raised peat islands in the treed fen. This new substrate provides habitat with a comparatively low water table and allows the growth of mesophytic forest vegetation. A pathway for this vegetational development is proposed. 40 refs., 2 figs.

AcEST: DK953800 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available rbita pepo GN=CA... 317 3e-86 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina ...QTRIFSYA 349 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 Length = 492 Score = 315 bits (80

Predictive value of the present-on-admission indicator for hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Khanna, Raman R; Kim, Sharon B; Jenkins, Ian; El-Kareh, Robert; Afsarmanesh, Nasim; Amin, Alpesh; Sand, Heather; Auerbach, Andrew; Chia, Catherine Y; Maynard, Gregory; Romano, Patrick S; White, Richard H

2015-04-01

Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolic (HA-VTE) events are an important, preventable cause of morbidity and death, but accurately identifying HA-VTE events requires labor-intensive chart review. Administrative diagnosis codes and their associated "present-on-admission" (POA) indicator might allow automated identification of HA-VTE events, but only if VTE codes are accurately flagged "not present-on-admission" (POA=N). New codes were introduced in 2009 to improve accuracy. We identified all medical patients with at least 1 VTE "other" discharge diagnosis code from 5 academic medical centers over a 24-month period. We then sampled, within each center, patients with VTE codes flagged POA=N or POA=U (insufficient documentation) and POA=Y or POA=W (timing clinically uncertain) and abstracted each chart to clarify VTE timing. All events that were not clearly POA were classified as HA-VTE. We then calculated predictive values of the POA=N/U flags for HA-VTE and the POA=Y/W flags for non-HA-VTE. Among 2070 cases with at least 1 "other" VTE code, we found 339 codes flagged POA=N/U and 1941 flagged POA=Y/W. Among 275 POA=N/U abstracted codes, 75.6% (95% CI, 70.1%-80.6%) were HA-VTE; among 291 POA=Y/W abstracted events, 73.5% (95% CI, 68.0%-78.5%) were non-HA-VTE. Extrapolating from this sample, we estimated that 59% of actual HA-VTE codes were incorrectly flagged POA=Y/W. POA indicator predictive values did not improve after new codes were introduced in 2009. The predictive value of VTE events flagged POA=N/U for HA-VTE was 75%. However, sole reliance on this flag may substantially underestimate the incidence of HA-VTE.

Development of a greenhouse-based inoculation protocol for the fungus Colletotrichum cereale pathogenic to annual bluegrass (Poa annua

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Lisa A. Beirn

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The fungus Colletotrichum cereale incites anthracnose disease on Poa annua (annual bluegrass turfgrass. Anthracnose disease is geographically widespread throughout the world and highly destructive to cool-season turfgrasses, with infections by C. cereale resulting in extensive turf loss. Comprehensive research aimed at controlling turfgrass anthracnose has been performed in the field, but knowledge of the causal organism and its basic biology is still needed. In particular, the lack of a reliable greenhouse-based inoculation protocol performed under controlled environmental conditions is an obstacle to the study of C. cereale and anthracnose disease. Our objective was to develop a consistent and reproducible inoculation protocol for the two major genetic lineages of C. cereale. By adapting previously successful field-based protocols and combining with components of existing inoculation procedures, the method we developed consistently produced C. cereale infection on two susceptible P. annua biotypes. Approximately 7 to 10 days post-inoculation, plants exhibited chlorosis and thinning consistent with anthracnose disease symptomology. Morphological inspection of inoculated plants revealed visual signs of the fungus (appressoria and acervuli, although acervuli were not always present. After stringent surface sterilization of inoculated host tissue, C. cereale was consistently re-isolated from symptomatic tissue. Real-time PCR detection analysis based on the Apn2 marker confirmed the presence of the pathogen in host tissue, with both lineages of C. cereale detected from all inoculated plants. When a humidifier was not used, no infection developed for any biotypes or fungal isolates tested. The inoculation protocol described here marks significant progress for in planta studies of C. cereale, and will enable scientifically reproducible investigations of the biology, infectivity and lifestyle of this important grass pathogen.

Are separable aromatase systems involved in hormonal regulation of the male brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutchison, J.B.; Schumacher, M.; Steimer, T.; Gahr, M.

1990-01-01

In vitro study of testosterone (T) metabolism shows that formation of estradiol-17 beta (E2) is regionally specific within the preoptic area (POA) of the male ring dove. The POA is known to be involved in the formation of E2 required for specific components of male sexual behavior. Two sub-areas of high aromatase activity, anterior (aPOA) and posterior preoptic (pPOA) areas, have been identified. Aromatase activity is higher in aPOA than in pPOA. The aromatase activity within the aPOA is also more sensitive to the inductive effects of low circulating T, derived from subcutaneous silastic implants, than the enzyme activity in pPOA. Kinetic analysis of preoptic fractions indicates that a similar high-affinity enzyme occurs in both areas (apparent Km less than 14 nM), but the Vmax of aPOA enzyme activity is higher than pPOA. Cells containing estrogen receptors (ER) are localized in areas of high aromatase activity. There is overlap between immunostained cells in the aPOA and in samples containing inducible aromatase activity measured in vitro. Within the aPOA there is a higher density of ER cells in the nucleus preopticus medialis. The pPOA area also contains ER, notably in the nucleus interstitialis, but at a lower density. We conclude that the hormonal regulation of the male preoptic-anterior hypothalamic region, which is a target for the behavioral action of T, involves at least two inducible aromatase systems with associated estrogen receptor cells

Assessing the impacts of mountain biking and hiking on subalpine grassland in Australia using an experimental protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Pickering, Catherine Marina; Rossi, Sebastian; Barros, Agustina

2011-12-01

Mountain biking is an increasingly popular, but sometimes controversial, activity in protected areas. Limited research on its impacts, including studies comparing biking with hiking, contributes to the challenges for mangers in assessing its appropriateness. The impacts of mountain bike riding off trail were compared to those of hiking on subalpine grassland in Australia using a modification of a common trampling experimental methodology. Vegetation and soil parameters were measured immediately and two weeks after different intensities of mountain biking (none, 25, 75, 200 and 500 passes across slope, 200 pass up and down slope) and hiking (200 and 500 passes across slope). There were reductions in vegetation height, cover and species richness, as well as changes in species composition and increases in litter and soil compaction with riding. Riding up and down a moderate slope had a greater impact than riding across the slope. Hiking also affected vegetation height, cover and composition. Mountain biking caused more damage than hiking but only at high use (500 passes). Further research including other ecosystems, topography, styles of riding, and weather conditions are required, but under the conditions tested here, hiking and mountain biking appear to be similar in their environmental impacts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth of Gypsophila paniculata According to the Pruning Time and Ridge Position in Sub-alpine Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheong, D.C.; Lim, H.C.; Song, Y.J.; Park, H.B.

2008-01-01

This study was carried out to investigate the growth of Gypsophila paniculata affected by pruning time (July 10, July 18, and July 25) and ridge position (middle or window side) under south-north oriented plastic house in sub-alpine area. The average night temperature was similar between the two ridges, but the average day temperature and soil temperature were higher at the middle ridge; particularly, there was distinct difference after late October. Also the accumulative solar radiation was higher at the middle ridge than the window side ridge owing to the shading by neighboring plastic house and the structure of plastic house. The root activity, photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate of plants surveyed in late October were inclined to be more increased at the middle than the window side ridge. The flowering traits at the pruning time of July 10 and July 18 were similar between the two ridges, but the flower malformation rate was higher at the middle ridge. On the other hand, in case of the pruning time of July 25, the blooming was advanced by 13 days, and the flowering traits such as flower stalk length and branch number were better; also, the flower malformation and rosette formation rate decreased at the middle ridge, because of its higher air and soil temperature and the accumulative solar radiation

AcEST: DK951372 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 91 e-108 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 389 e-108 sp|P25819|CATA2_ARATH Catala... Sbjct: 181 ESLHMFSFLFDDLGVP 196 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 Length = 492

Desenvolvimento e estudo de um sistema para tratamento de fenol e poluentes orgânicos emergentes (POE) por processos oxidativos avançados (POA) utilizando ozônio, peróxido de hidrogênio e radiação ultravioleta

OpenAIRE

Felipe Rufine Nolasco

2014-01-01

O estudo avaliou a efetividade de um sistema para tratamento de soluções aquosas contendo poluentes orgânicos emergentes (POE), denominados interferentes endócrinos (IE). Baseado nos processos oxidativos avançados (POA), empregando ozônio, radiação UV, peróxido de hidrogênio e variação de pH, o estudo possibilitou determinar a relação ideal oxidante/poluentes e o custo/benefício dos tratamentos com melhores desempenhos, de degradação do padrão contendo hormônios 17?-estradiol (E2) e 17?-etini...

Using Measured Plane-of-Array Data Directly in Photovoltaic Modeling: Methodology and Validation: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, Janine; Freestate, David; Riley, Cameron; Hobbs, William

2016-11-01

Measured plane-of-array (POA) irradiance may provide a lower-cost alternative to standard irradiance component data for photovoltaic (PV) system performance modeling without loss of accuracy. Previous work has shown that transposition models typically used by PV models to calculate POA irradiance from horizontal data introduce error into the POA irradiance estimates, and that measured POA data can correlate better to measured performance data. However, popular PV modeling tools historically have not directly used input POA data. This paper introduces a new capability in NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) to directly use POA data in PV modeling, and compares SAM results from both POA irradiance and irradiance components inputs against measured performance data for eight operating PV systems.

Vascular plant species richness along environmental gradients in a cool temperate to sub-alpine mountainous zone in central Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsujino, Riyou; Yumoto, Takakazu

2013-03-01

In order to clarify how vegetation types change along the environmental gradients in a cool temperate to sub-alpine mountainous zone and the determinant factors that define plant species richness, we established 360 plots (each 4 × 10 m) within which the vegetation type, species richness, elevation, topographic position index (TPI), slope inclination, and ground light index (GLI) of the natural vegetation were surveyed. Mean elevation, TPI, slope inclination, and GLI differed across vegetation types. Tree species richness was negatively correlated with elevation, whereas fern and herb species richness were positively correlated. Tree species richness was greater in the upper slope area than the lower slope area, whereas fern and herb species richness were greater in the lower slope area. Ferns and trees species richness were smaller in the open canopy, whereas herb species richness was greater in the open canopy. Vegetation types were determined firstly by elevation and secondary by topographic configurations, such as topographic position, and slope inclination. Elevation and topography were the most important factors affecting plant richness, but the most influential variables differed among plant life-form groups. Moreover, the species richness responses to these environmental gradients greatly differed among ferns, herbs, and trees.

Conifer density within lake catchments predicts fish mercury concentrations in remote subalpine lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Herring, Garth; Johnson, Branden L.; Graw, Rick

2016-01-01

Remote high-elevation lakes represent unique environments for evaluating the bioaccumulation of atmospherically deposited mercury through freshwater food webs, as well as for evaluating the relative importance of mercury loading versus landscape influences on mercury bioaccumulation. The increase in mercury deposition to these systems over the past century, coupled with their limited exposure to direct anthropogenic disturbance make them useful indicators for estimating how changes in mercury emissions may propagate to changes in Hg bioaccumulation and ecological risk. We evaluated mercury concentrations in resident fish from 28 high-elevation, sub-alpine lakes in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Fish total mercury (THg) concentrations ranged from 4 to 438 ng/g wet weight, with a geometric mean concentration (±standard error) of 43 ± 2 ng/g ww. Fish THg concentrations were negatively correlated with relative condition factor, indicating that faster growing fish that are in better condition have lower THg concentrations. Across the 28 study lakes, mean THg concentrations of resident salmonid fishes varied as much as 18-fold among lakes. We used a hierarchal statistical approach to evaluate the relative importance of physiological, limnological, and catchment drivers of fish Hg concentrations. Our top statistical model explained 87% of the variability in fish THg concentrations among lakes with four key landscape and limnological variables: catchment conifer density (basal area of conifers within a lake's catchment), lake surface area, aqueous dissolved sulfate, and dissolved organic carbon. Conifer density within a lake's catchment was the most important variable explaining fish THg concentrations across lakes, with THg concentrations differing by more than 400 percent across the forest density spectrum. These results illustrate the importance of landscape characteristics in controlling mercury bioaccumulation in fish.

Differential metabolic responses of perennial grass Cynodon transvaalensis×Cynodon dactylon (C₄) and Poa Pratensis (C₃) to heat stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Hongmei; Wang, Zhaolong; Yu, Wenjuan; Liu, Yimin; Huang, Bingru

2011-03-01

Differential metabolic responses to heat stress may be associated with variations in heat tolerance between cool-season (C₃) and warm-season (C₄) perennial grass species. The main objective of this study was to identify metabolites associated with differential heat tolerance between C₄ bermudagrass and C₃ Kentucky bluegrass by performing metabolite profile analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Plants of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa Pratensis'Midnight') and hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis x Cynodon dactylon'Tifdwarf') were grown under optimum temperature conditions (20/15 °C for Kentucky bluegrass and 30/25 °C for bermudagrass) or heat stress (35/30 °C for Kentucky bluegrass and 45/40 °C for bermudagrass). Physiological responses to heat stress were evaluated by visual rating of grass quality, measuring photochemical efficiency (variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence) and electrolyte leakage. All of these parameters indicated that bermudagrass exhibited better heat tolerance than Kentucky bluegrass. The metabolite analysis of leaf polar extracts revealed 36 heat-responsive metabolites identified in both grass species, mainly consisting of organic acids, amino acids, sugars and sugar alcohols. Most metabolites showed higher accumulation in bermudagrass compared with Kentucky bluegrass, especially following long-term (18 days) heat stress. The differentially accumulated metabolites included seven sugars (sucrose, fructose, galactose, floridoside, melibiose, maltose and xylose), a sugar alcohol (inositol), six organic acids (malic acid, citric acid, threonic acid, galacturonic acid, isocitric acid and methyl malonic acid) and nine amino acids (Asn, Ala, Val, Thr, γ-aminobutyric acid, IIe, Gly, Lys and Met). The differential accumulation of those metabolites could be associated with the differential heat tolerance between C₃ Kentucky bluegrass and C₄ bermudagrass. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2010.

Assessment of the Threats to the Biodiversity and Habitats in "Stara Reka" Reserve (Bulgaria and Its Adjacent Subalpine and Alpine Areas

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Svetlana V. Yocheva

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The assessment of the threats in the “Stara Reka” reserve and its adjacent subalpine and alpine areas is important since it makes it possible the appropriate conservation measures to be taken in order to prevent or reduce the negative effects on the biodiversity and habitats. The assessment was based on systematic studies and visits in the “Stara Reka” Reserve, located within National Park “Central Balkan” (Bulgaria, during spring, summer and autumn seasons of 2010-2011. A number of threats were recorded, where those by anthropogenic origin were predominating. Tourists have negatively influenced the wild plants such as Allium ursinum, Inula helenium and Primula frondosa by picking them up. Damages were registered on the information system and signs. Waste disposal, fires, poaching and illegal fishing were also some of the recorded threats. Many natural succession changes quite dynamically vary the habitats in the reserve, but the most dangerous for the biodiversity and degradation of habitats remain fires, erosion and introduction of alien species.

Intraguild predation and cannibalism among larvae of detritivorous caddisflies in subalpine wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Wissinger, S.A.; Sparks, G.B.; Rouse, G.L.; Brown, W.S.; Steltzer, Heidi

1996-01-01

Comparative data from subalpine wetlands in Colorado indicate that larvae of the limnephilid caddisflies, Asynarchus nigriculus and Limnephilus externus, are reciprocally abundant among habitats - Limnephilus larvae dominate in permanent waters, whereas Asynarchus larvae dominate in temporary basins. The purpose of this paper is to report on field and laboratory experiments that link this pattern of abundance to biotic interactions among larvae. In the first field experiment, growth and survival were compared in single and mixed species treatments in littoral enclosures. Larvae, which eat mainly vascular plant detritus, grew at similar rates among treatments in both temporary and permanent habitats suggesting that exploitative competition is not important under natural food levels and caddisfly densities. However, the survival of Limnephilus larvae was reduced in the presence of Asynarchus larvae. Subsequent behavioral studies in laboratory arenas revealed that Asynarchus larvae are extremely aggressive predators on Limnephilus larvae. In a second field experiment we manipulated the relative sizes of larvae and found that Limnephilus larvae were preyed on only when Asynarchus larvae had the same size advantage observed in natural populations. Our data suggest that the dominance of Asynarchus larvae in temporary habitats is due to asymmetric intraguild predation (IGP) facilitated by a phenological head start in development. These data do not explain the dominance of Limnephilus larvae in permanent basins, which we show elsewhere to be an indirect effect of salamander predation. Behavioral observations also revealed that Asynarchus larvae are cannibalistic. In contrast to the IGP on Limnephilus larvae, Asynarchus cannibalism occurs among same-sized larvae and often involves the mobbing of one victim by several conspecifics. In a third field experiment, we found that Asynarchus cannibalism was not density-dependent and occurred even at low larval densities. We

Desempenho reprodutivo de cabras alpinas tratadas com hCG cinco dias após o acasalamento Reproductive performance of alpine goats treated with hCG five days after breeding

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Jeferson Ferreira da Fonseca

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar o efeito da administração de hCG sobre o desempenho reprodutivo de cabras Alpinas durante a estação de acasalamento natural. Trinta e duas fêmeas nulíparas e 124 lactantes, após a identificação de estro e acasalamento, foram aleatoriamente divididas, de acordo com a categoria, em dois tratamentos. Em T1 (n=75 e T2 (n=81, os animais receberam 1 mL de solução salina ou 250 UI de hCG, respectivamente, por via intramuscular cinco dias após o acasalamento. A gestação foi verificada por ultra-sonografia transabdominal (probe de 3,5 MHz nos dias 35 e 70 após o acasalamento, para detecção e confirmação da gestação, respectivamente. As taxas de gestação não diferiram entre T1 (86,7% e T2 (70,6% para nulíparas e T1 (78,3 % e T2 (84,4 % para lactantes. Não houve diferença entre a taxa de parição (75,0 e 75,7%, o período de gestação (150,47 e 150,80 dias e a prolificidade (1,75 e 1,80 fetos entre os animais do T1 e T2, respectivamente. A prolificidade foi superior em cabras lactantes (1,90 que em nulíparas (1,41. A administração de hCG cinco dias após o acasalamento não elevou o desempenho reprodutivo em cabras da raça Alpina.The effect of hCG administration on reproductive performance of Alpine goats during the natural breeding season was evaluated. Thirty-two nulliparous and 124 lactating goats, after estrus identification and breeding, were randomly assigned according to the categories to two treatments. In T1 (n=75 and T2 (n=81 the animals received 1 mL of saline solution or 250 IU of hCG intramuscularly, respectively, five days after breeding. Pregnancy was detected and confirmed on days 35 and 70 after breeding by transabdominal ultrasonography (3.5 MHz probe, respectively. Pregnancy rate did not differ between T1 (86.7 % and T2 (70.6% for nulliparous and T1 (78.3% and T2 (84.4% for lactating does. There were no differences for kidding rate (75.0 and 75.7%, gestation period

Charcoal and Total Carbon in Soils from Foothills Shrublands to Subalpine Forests in the Colorado Front Range

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Robert Sanford

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Temperate conifer forests in the Colorado Front Range are fire-adapted ecosystems where wildland fires leave a legacy in the form of char and charcoal. Long-term soil charcoal C (CC pools result from the combined effects of wildland fires, aboveground biomass characteristics and soil transfer mechanisms. We measured CC pools in surface soils (0–10 cm at mid-slope positions on east facing aspects in five continuous foothills shrubland and conifer forest types. We found a significant statistical effect of vegetation type on CC pools along this ecological gradient, but not a linear pattern increasing with elevation gain. There is a weak bimodal pattern of CC gain with elevation between foothills shrublands (1.2 mg CC ha−1 and the lower montane, ponderosa pine (1.5 mg CC ha−1 and Douglas-fir (1.5 mg CC ha−1 forest types prior to a mid-elevation decline in upper montane lodgepole pine forests (1.2 mg CC ha−1 before increasing again in the spruce/subalpine fir forests (1.5 mg CC ha−1. We propose that CC forms and accumulates via unique ecological conditions such as fire regime. The range of soil CC amounts and ratios of CC to total SOC are comparable to but lower than other regional estimates.

Site- and Species-Specific Influences on Sub-Alpine Conifer Growth in Mt. Rainier National Park, USA

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Myesa Legendre-Fixx

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Identifying the factors that influence the climate sensitivity of treeline species is critical to understanding carbon sequestration, forest dynamics, and conservation in high elevation forest/meadow ecotones. Using tree cores from four sub-alpine conifer species collected from three sides of Mt. Rainier, WA, USA, we investigated the influences of species identity and sites with different local climates on radial growth–climate relationships. We created chronologies for each species at each site, determined influential plant-relevant annual and seasonal climatic variables influencing growth, and investigated how the strength of climate sensitivity varied across species and location. Overall, similar climate variables constrained growth on all three sides of the mountain for each of the four study species. Summer warmth positively influenced radial growth, whereas snow, spring warmth, previous summer warmth, and spring humidity negatively influenced growth. We discovered only a few subtle differences in the climate sensitivity of co-occurring species at the same site and between the same species at different sites in pairwise comparisons. A model including species by climate interactions provided the best balance between parsimony and fit, but did not lead to substantially greater predictive power relative to a model without site or species interactions. Our results imply that at treeline in moist temperate regions like Mt. Rainier, the same climatic variables drive annual variation in growth across species and locations, despite species differences in physiology and site differences in mean climates.

Floristic diversity in relation to geomorphological and climatic factors in the subalpinealpine belt of the Rodna Mountains (the Romanian Carpathians

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Coldea, G.

2004-12-01

, Rebra. Dans le cas où l'altitude des sommets subalpins-alpins est 100 m plus élevée, on a constaté une réduction du nombre desespèces de plantes vascidaires avec 10%. La fréquence et le recouvrement les plus élevées dans ces associations appartiennent aux espèces arctico-alpines (Carex curvida, Juncus trifidus, Hieracium alpinum, Oreochloa disticha etc. et à une espèce régionale carpato-balkanique (Rhododendron myrtifolium. Dans les aires de versants nord et est, où le recouvrement de la végétation est 15-30% plus bas que sur les versants ensoleillés, et où la température dans le sol est, généralement, 1-3° C plus réduite dans la saison de végétation (juin-août, le nombre des espèces sur un mètre carré est, en moyenne, de 25% plus grand que dans les aires de versants sud et ouest. [es] En el marco del proyecto GLORIA EUROPE hemos estudiado la diversidad florística, la frecuencia y la cobertura de las especies en relación con los principales gradientes ecológicos (altitud, exposición, con las asociaciones de pastos alpinos (Primulo-Caricetum curvulae, Oreochloo-Juncetum trifidi y con los matorrales bajos subalpinos (Rhododendro myrtifolii – Vaccinietum, todo ello en cuatro cimas del macizo Pietrosul Mare (Cárpatos Rumanos. La diversidad florística es mayor en las asociaciones de las cimas más bajas (Golgota, Gropile y menor en las asociaciones de las cimas elevadas (Buhaiescu, Rebra. Cuando el intervalo altitudinal de las cimas subalpinas-alpinas es de 100 m la disminución en el número de plantas vasculares es aproximadamente del 10%. La mayor frecuencia y el más importante recubrimiento corresponden a las especies ártico-alpinas (Carex curvula, Juncus trifidus, Hieracium alpinum, Oreochloa disticha etc. así como a una especie regional carpato-balcánica (Rhododendron myrtifolium. En las subparcelas de laderas norte y este, donde el recubrimiento vegetal es 15-30% menor que en las laderas soleadas, y donde la

Virtual disjunct eddy covariance measurements of organic compound fluxes from a subalpine forest using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry

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T. G. Karl

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A `virtual' disjunct eddy covariance (vDEC device was tested with field measurements of biogenic VOC fluxes at a subalpine forest site in the Rocky Mountains of the USA. A PTR-MS instrument was used as the VOC sensor. Daily peak emission fluxes of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO, methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde were around 1.5, 1, 0.8 and 0.4 mg m-2 h-1, respectively. High pass filtering due to long sampling lines was investigated in laboratory experiments, and suggested that VOC losses in PTFA lines are generally governed by diffusion laws. Memory effects and surface reactions did not seem to play a dominant role. Model estimates of MBO fluxes compared well with measured fluxes. The results also suggest that latent heat and sensible heat fluxes are reasonably well correlated with VOC fluxes and could be used to predict variations in VOC emissions. The release of MBO, methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde resulted in significant change of tropospheric oxidant levels and a 10--40% increase in ozone levels, as inferred from a photochemical box model. We conclude that vDEC with a PTR-MS instrument is a versatile tool for simultaneous field analysis of multiple VOC fluxes.

The Niwot Ridge Subalpine Forest US-NR1 AmeriFlux site - Part 1: Data acquisition and site record-keeping

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Sean P.; Maclean, Gordon D.; Blanken, Peter D.; Oncley, Steven P.; Semmer, Steven R.; Monson, Russell K.

2016-09-01

The Niwot Ridge Subalpine Forest AmeriFlux site (US-NR1) has been measuring eddy-covariance ecosystem fluxes of carbon dioxide, heat, and water vapor since 1 November 1998. Throughout this 17-year period there have been changes to the instrumentation and improvements to the data acquisition system. Here, in Part 1 of this three-part series of papers, we describe the hardware and software used for data-collection and metadata documentation. We made changes to the data acquisition system that aimed to reduce the system complexity, increase redundancy, and be as independent as possible from any network outages. Changes to facilitate these improvements were (1) switching to a PC/104-based computer running the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) In-Situ Data Acquisition Software (NIDAS) that saves the high-frequency data locally and over the network, and (2) time-tagging individual 10 Hz serial data samples using network time protocol (NTP) coupled to a GPS-based clock, providing a network-independent, accurate time base. Since making these improvements almost 2 years ago, the successful capture of high-rate data has been better than 99.98 %. We also provide philosophical concepts that shaped our design of the data system and are applicable to many different types of environmental data collection.

Comparative phytosociological investigation of subalpine alder thickets in southwestern Alaska and the North Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Talbot, Stephen S.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Daniëls, F. J. A.

2005-01-01

We present the first vegetation analysis of subalpine alder (Alnus viridis) thickets in southwestern Alaska. The data are primarily from mesic, hilly and mountainous sites ranging from the westernmost tip of the Alaska Peninsula to the northern Kenai Peninsula, spanning 1,000 km on an E–W gradient and 700 km on a N–S gradient. 127 relevés from 18 sites represent the range of structural and compositional variation in the matrix of vegetation and landform diversity. Data were analyzed by multivariate and traditional Braun-Blanquet methods. One association is distinguished, Sambuco racemosi-Alnetum viridis ass. nov. with three new subassociations, oplopanacetosum horridi, typicum, and rubetosum spectabilis with the latter subdivided into four variants. These phytocoena are well-differentiated, although they form a syntaxonomical continuum. The composition and structure of these communities are described and interpreted in relation to complex environmental factors; these are analyzed using Jancey's ranking on F-values. Community composition is primarily related to elevation, longitude, soil moisture, and latitude. Phytogeographic comparison of southwestern Alaska alder communities with those elsewhere in the North Pacific suggests a close floristic relationship to those of southcentral, southeastern Alaska and coastal British Columbia, Canada. All these communities belong to the same association, while those of the eastern and southern parts of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia belong to a different association. Syntaxonomy of the 4 major communities is discussed. Within the Northern Hemisphere, vascular plant species of southwestern Alaska alder thickets primarily occur in East Asia and North America, 36 %; while 26 % are circumpolar, and 22 % are restricted to North America. From a latitudinal perspective, the distribution of vascular plant species within these alder thickets peaks in the high-subarctic, low-subarctic, and temperate latitudinal zones, with low

Experimental challenge and pathology of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 in dunlin (Calidris alpina), an intercontinental migrant shorebird species.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Jeffrey S; Franson, J Christian; Gill, Robert E; Meteyer, Carol U; TeSlaa, Joshua L; Nashold, Sean; Dusek, Robert J; Ip, Hon S

2011-09-01

Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are considered one of the primary reservoirs of avian influenza. Because these species are highly migratory, there is concern that infected shorebirds may be a mechanism by which highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 could be introduced into North America from Asia. Large numbers of dunlin (Calidris alpina) migrate from wintering areas in central and eastern Asia, where HPAIV H5N1 is endemic, across the Bering Sea to breeding areas in Alaska. Low pathogenic avian influenza virus has been previously detected in dunlin, and thus, dunlin represent a potential risk to transport HPAIV to North America. To date no experimental challenge studies have been performed in shorebirds. Wild dunlin were inoculated intranasally and intrachoanally various doses of HPAIV H5N1. The birds were monitored daily for virus excretion, disease signs, morbidity, and mortality. The infectious dose of HPAIV H5N1 in dunlin was determined to be 10(1.7) EID(50)/100 μl and that the lethal dose was 10(1.83) EID(50)/100 μl. Clinical signs were consistent with neurotropic disease, and histochemical analyses revealed that infection was systemic with viral antigen and RNA most consistently found in brain tissues. Infected birds excreted relatively large amounts of virus orally (10(4) EID(50)) and smaller amounts cloacally. Dunlin are highly susceptible to infection with HPAIV H5N1. They become infected after exposure to relatively small doses of the virus and if they become infected, they are most likely to suffer mortality within 3-5 days. These results have important implications regarding the risks of transport and transmission of HPAIV H5N1 to North America by this species and raises questions for further investigation. Published 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Understanding the etiology of prescription opioid abuse: implications for prevention and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigg, Khary K; Murphy, John W

2013-07-01

Although studies on the initiation of substance abuse abound, the body of literature on prescription opioid abuse (POA) etiology is small. Little is known about why and how the onset of POA occurs, especially among high-risk populations. In this study we aimed to fill this important knowledge gap by exploring the POA initiation experiences of 90 prescription opioid abusers currently in treatment and their narrative accounts of the circumstances surrounding their POA onset. This research was conducted within a storyline framework, which operates on the premise that the path to drug abuse represents a biography or a process rather than a static condition. Audiotapes of in-depth interviews were transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. Analyses revealed the presence of four trajectories leading to POA. This study adds to the limited research on POA etiology by not only illuminating the psychosocial factors that contribute to POA onset, but also by situating initiation experiences within broader life processes. The study findings provide crucial insights to policymakers and interventionists in identifying who is at risk for POA, and more important, when and how to intervene most efficaciously.

Complex terrain alters temperature and moisture limitations of forest soil respiration across a semiarid to subalpine gradient

Science.gov (United States)

Berryman, Erin Michele; Barnard, H.R.; Adams, H.R.; Burns, M.A.; Gallo, E.; Brooks, P.D.

2015-01-01

Forest soil respiration is a major carbon (C) flux that is characterized by significant variability in space and time. We quantified growing season soil respiration during both a drought year and a nondrought year across a complex landscape to identify how landscape and climate interact to control soil respiration. We asked the following questions: (1) How does soil respiration vary across the catchments due to terrain-induced variability in moisture availability and temperature? (2) Does the relative importance of moisture versus temperature limitation of respiration vary across space and time? And (3) what terrain elements are important for dictating the pattern of soil respiration and its controls? Moisture superseded temperature in explaining watershed respiration patterns, with wetter yet cooler areas higher up and on north facing slopes yielding greater soil respiration than lower and south facing areas. Wetter subalpine forests had reduced moisture limitation in favor of greater seasonal temperature limitation, and the reverse was true for low-elevation semiarid forests. Coincident climate poorly predicted soil respiration in the montane transition zone; however, antecedent precipitation from the prior 10 days provided additional explanatory power. A seasonal trend in respiration remained after accounting for microclimate effects, suggesting that local climate alone may not adequately predict seasonal variability in soil respiration in montane forests. Soil respiration climate controls were more strongly related to topography during the drought year highlighting the importance of landscape complexity in ecosystem response to drought.

Equine Grazing in Managed Subalpine Wetlands: Effects on Arthropods and Plant Structure as a Function of Habitat

Science.gov (United States)

Holmquist, Jeffrey G.; Schmidt-Gengenbach, Jutta; Haultain, Sylvia A.

2013-12-01

Grazing management necessarily emphasizes the most spatially extensive vegetation assemblages, but landscapes are mosaics, often with more mesic vegetation types embedded within a matrix of drier vegetation. Our primary objective was to contrast effects of equine grazing on both subalpine vegetation structure and associated arthropods in a drier reed grass ( Calamagrostis muiriana) dominated habitat versus a wetter, more productive sedge habitat ( Carex utriculata). A second objective was to compare reed grass and sedge as habitats for fauna, irrespective of grazing. All work was done in Sequoia National Park (CA, USA), where detailed, long-term records of stock management were available. We sampled paired grazed and control wet meadows that contained both habitats. There were moderate negative effects of grazing on vegetation, and effects were greater in sedge than in reed grass. Conversely, negative grazing effects on arthropods, albeit limited, were greater in the drier reed grass, possibly due to microhabitat differences. The differing effects on plants and animals as a function of habitat emphasize the importance of considering both flora and fauna, as well as multiple habitat types, when making management decisions. Sedge supported twice the overall arthropod abundance of reed grass as well as greater diversity; hemipteran and dipteran taxa were particularly abundant in sedge. Given the greater grazing effects on sedge vegetation, greater habitat provision for terrestrial arthropods, and value as aquatic arthropod habitat, the wetter sedge assemblage is worthy of additional consideration by managers when planning for grazing and other aspects of land usage.

The effects of winter recreation on alpine and subalpine fauna: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chloe F Sato

Full Text Available The ski industry is often perceived as having a negative impact on sensitive alpine and subalpine communities. However, empirical evidence of such impacts is lacking. We reviewed the available literature from the last 35 years to quantify the reported effects of winter recreation on faunal communities. Overall, using one-sample binomial tests ('sign tests' we found that the effects of all types of winter recreation-related disturbances (i.e. ski runs, resort infrastructure and winter tourism were more likely to be negative or have no effect, than be positive for wildlife. More specifically, in Europe, where the majority of the available research was conducted, the impacts of winter recreation were most often negative for fauna. In terms of specific taxa, birds and to a lesser extent mammals and arthropods, responded negatively to disturbance. Results from our meta-analysis confirmed the results from our binomial tests. Richness, abundance and diversity of fauna were lower in areas affected by winter recreation when compared with undisturbed areas. For most regions and taxa, however, empirical evidence remains too limited to identify clear impacts of winter recreation. We therefore conclude that the majority of ski resorts are operating in the absence of knowledge needed to inform effective strategies for biodiversity conservation and ecologically-sound management. Thus, there is an urgent need for more empirical research to be conducted throughout this increasingly threatened ecological community, especially given the indication from the available literature that fauna often respond negatively to winter recreation.

Concentric circular ring and nanodisk optical antenna enhanced multispectral quantum dot infrared photodetector with spectral localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yingjie; Kemsri, Thitikorn; Li, Lin; Lu, Xuejun; Gu, Guiru

2017-01-01

In this paper, we report a concentric circular ring and nanodisk plasmonic optical antenna (POA) enhanced multispectral quantum dot infrared photodetector (QDIP). The circular ring and the nanodisk POA structures are designed to have plasmonic resonant wavelengths in the longwave infrared (LWIR) and the midwave infrared (MWIR) spectral regimes, respectively. The electric field ( E -field) distributions are simulated and show spectral localization due to the distinct plasmonic resonant wavelengths of the POA structures. The circular ring is found to enhance the E -fields in the nanodisk regions due to the mutual coupling. A concentric circular ring and nanodisk POA enhanced multispectral QDIP was fabricated and tested. Multispectral enhancement was observed. The enhancement is compared to that of a QDIP with only the circular ring POA structure. The experiment data agree with the simulation. The concentric circular ring and nanodisk POA provides a compact planar structure for multispectral QDIP enhancement. (paper)

[Effects of simulated warming on the growth, leaf phenology, and leaf traits of Salix eriostachya in sub-alpine timberline ecotone of western Sichuan, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhen-feng; Hu, Ting-xing; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Yuan-bin; Xian, Jun-ren; Wang, Kai-yun

2009-01-01

By using open-top chamber (OTC), the effects of simulated warming on the growth, leaf phenology, and leaf traits of Salix eriostachya in sub-alpine timberline ecotone of Western Sichuan were studied. The results showed that comparing with the control, the mean air temperature at 1.2 m above the ground throughout S. eriostachya growth season in OTC increased by 2.9 degrees C, while the soil temperature at the depth of 5 cm only increased by 0.4 degrees C. The temperature increase in OTC made S. eriostachya budding advanced and defoliation postponed obviously, and the leaf life-span longer. The leaf and branch growth rates as well as the specific leaf area in OTC increased obviously, whereas the leaf nitrogen concentration decreased significantly. In OTC, the stomata conductance, net photosynthetic rate, photorespiration, and dark respiration rate of S. eriostachya all exhibited an increasing trend. It was suggested that S. eriostachya had stronger capability to adapt to warming, and, under the background of future global climate change, the elevation of S. eriostachya distribution in the timberline ecotone would be likely to ascend.

Hydrologic flow path development varies by aspect during spring snowmelt in complex subalpine terrain

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Webb, Ryan W.; Fassnacht, Steven R.; Gooseff, Michael N.

2018-01-01

In many mountainous regions around the world, snow and soil moisture are key components of the hydrologic cycle. Preferential flow paths of snowmelt water through snow have been known to occur for years with few studies observing the effect on soil moisture. In this study, statistical analysis of the topographical and hydrological controls on the spatiotemporal variability of snow water equivalent (SWE) and soil moisture during snowmelt was undertaken at a subalpine forested setting with north, south, and flat aspects as a seasonally persistent snowpack melts. We investigated if evidence of preferential flow paths in snow can be observed and the effect on soil moisture through measurements of snow water equivalent and near-surface soil moisture, observing how SWE and near-surface soil moisture vary on hillslopes relative to the toes of hillslopes and flat areas. We then compared snowmelt infiltration beyond the near-surface soil between flat and sloping terrain during the entire snowmelt season using soil moisture sensor profiles. This study was conducted during varying snowmelt seasons representing above-normal, relatively normal, and below-normal snow seasons in northern Colorado. Evidence is presented of preferential meltwater flow paths at the snow-soil interface on the north-facing slope causing increases in SWE downslope and less infiltration into the soil at 20 cm depth; less association is observed in the near-surface soil moisture (top 7 cm). We present a conceptualization of the meltwater flow paths that develop based on slope aspect and soil properties. The resulting flow paths are shown to divert at least 4 % of snowmelt laterally, accumulating along the length of the slope, to increase the snow water equivalent by as much as 170 % at the base of a north-facing hillslope. Results from this study show that snow acts as an extension of the vadose zone during spring snowmelt and future hydrologic investigations will benefit from studying the snow and soil

The possible influence of terracettes on surface hydrology of steep-sloping and subalpine environments

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Greenwood, Philip; Kuonen, Samuel; Fister, Wolfgang; Kuhn, Nikolaus

2015-04-01

could provide temporary storage for runoff-associated substances. Greater understanding of the exact influence of terracettes on surface hydrology in steep-sloping and subalpine environments could benefit the future management of grazing and rangelands in such areas.

Females engage in stronger relationships: positive and negative effects of shrubs are more intense for Poa ligularis females than for males.

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Graff, Pamela; Aguiar, Martin R; Almeida, Rocio J

2018-05-22

Dioecious plants are of particular concern in view of global environmental changes because reproductive females are more sensitive to abiotic stresses, thus compromising population viability. Positive interactions with other plants may counteract the direct effects of any abiotic environmental stress, allowing them to thrive and maintain a viable population in suboptimal habitats, although this process has not been tested for dioecious species. Furthermore, almost no data are available on the outcome of such species interactions and their link with local spatial patterns and sex ratios. We set up a field experiment with Poa ligularis, a dioecious native grass from the arid grasslands of South America. We studied the interaction of male and female plants with cushion shrubs of contrasting ecological strategies. We experimentally limited direct shrub-grass competition for soil moisture and transplanted plants to evaluate the amelioration of abiotic stress by shrub canopies (i.e. sun and wind) on grasses. We also studied the distribution of naturally established female and male plants to infer process-pattern relationships. Positive canopy effects as well as negative below-ground effects were more intense for females than for males. Deep-rooted Mulinum spinosum shrubs strongly facilitated survival, growth and reproduction of P. ligularis females. Naturally established female plants tended to distribute more closely to Mulinum than co-occurring males. Female growth suffered intensive negative root competition from the shallow-rooted Senecio filaginoides shrub. Interactions with other plants may reduce or enhance the effect of abiotic stresses on the seemingly maladapted sex to arid environments. We found that these biased interactions are evident in the current organization of sexes in the field, confirming our experimental findings. Therefore, indirect effects of climate change on population sex ratios may be expected if benefactor species abundances are

Aboveground vertebrate and invertebrate herbivore impact on net N mineralization in subalpine grasslands.

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Risch, Anita C; Schotz, Martin; Vandegehuchte, Martijn L; Van Der Putten, Wim H; Duyts, Henk; Raschein, Ursina; Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J; Busse, Matt D; Page-dumroese, Deborah S; Zimmermann, Stephan

2015-12-01

Aboveground herbivores have strong effects on grassland nitrogen (N) cycling. They can accelerate or slow down soil net N mineralization depending on ecosystem productivity and grazing intensity. Yet, most studies only consider either ungulates or invertebrate herbivores, but not the combined effect of several functionally different vertebrate and invertebrate herbivore species or guilds. We assessed how a diverse herbivore community affects net N mineralization in subalpine grasslands. By using size-selective fences, we progressively excluded large, medium, and small mammals, as well as invertebrates from two vegetation types, and assessed how the exclosure types (ET) affected net N mineralization. The two vegetation types differed in long-term management (centuries), forage quality, and grazing history and intensity. To gain a more mechanistic understanding of how herbivores affect net N mineralization, we linked mineralization to soil abiotic (temperature; moisture; NO3-, NH4+, and total inorganic N concentrations/pools; C, N, P concentrations; pH; bulk density), soil biotic (microbial biomass; abundance of collembolans, mites, and nematodes) and plant (shoot and root biomass; consumption; plant C, N, and fiber content; plant N pool) properties. Net N mineralization differed between ET, but not between vegetation types. Thus, short-term changes in herbivore community composition and, therefore, in grazing intensity had a stronger effect on net N mineralization than long-term management and grazing history. We found highest N mineralization values when only invertebrates were present, suggesting that mammals had a negative effect on net N mineralization. Of the variables included in our analyses, only mite abundance and aboveground plant biomass explained variation in net N mineralization among ET. Abundances of both mites and leaf-sucking invertebrates were positively correlated with aboveground plant biomass, and biomass increased with progressive exclusion

Galanin-like peptide stimulates feeding and sexual behavior via dopaminergic fibers within the medial preoptic area of adult male rats.

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Taylor, A; Madison, F N; Fraley, G S

2009-03-01

Galanin-like peptide (GALP) is located in the arcuate nucleus (Arc) of the hypothalamus and is known to regulate both food intake and sexual behaviors in adult male rats. We have previously demonstrated that ICV GALP administration elicits a significant fos response within the medial preoptic area (mPOA). GALP is known to stimulate both food intake and male-typical sex behavior, presumably by direct actions within the mPOA. Recent data from our and other labs have led us to suspect that GALP effects on sex behaviors are due to activation of incertohypothalamic dopaminergic neurons that terminate within the mPOA. To test the hypothesis that GALP activates mPOA dopaminergic systems, we utilized an immunolesion technique to eliminate dopaminergic fiber input to the mPOA via a dopamine transporter-specific toxin (DATSAP, n=8) and compared to control injections (SAP, n=8). All animals were sexually experienced adult male Long-Evans rats. DATSAP-treated male rats showed a significant (psexual behaviors compared to SAP controls. We found that elimination of dopaminergic fibers within the mPOA significantly (psexual behavior under normal mating paradigms. Injections of GALP (5.0 nmol) significantly increased (psexual behaviors in male rats by stimulating dopaminergic neurons that terminate within the mPOA.

Evolutionary modes of emergence of short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) families in grasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kögler, Anja; Schmidt, Thomas; Wenke, Torsten

2017-11-01

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are non-autonomous transposable elements which are propagated by retrotransposition and constitute an inherent part of the genome of most eukaryotic species. Knowledge of heterogeneous and highly abundant SINEs is crucial for de novo (or improvement of) annotation of whole genome sequences. We scanned Poaceae genome sequences of six important cereals (Oryza sativa, Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare, Panicum virgatum, Sorghum bicolor, Zea mays) and Brachypodium distachyon to examine the diversity and evolution of SINE populations. We comparatively analyzed the structural features, distribution, evolutionary relation and abundance of 32 SINE families and subfamilies within grasses, comprising 11 052 individual copies. The investigation of activity profiles within the Poaceae provides insights into their species-specific diversification and amplification. We found that Poaceae SINEs (PoaS) fall into two length categories: simple SINEs of up to 180 bp and dimeric SINEs larger than 240 bp. Detailed analysis at the nucleotide level revealed that multimerization of related and unrelated SINE copies is an important evolutionary mechanism of SINE formation. We conclude that PoaS families diversify by massive reshuffling between SINE families, likely caused by insertion of truncated copies, and provide a model for this evolutionary scenario. Twenty-eight of 32 PoaS families and subfamilies show significant conservation, in particular either in the 5' or 3' regions, across Poaceae species and share large sequence stretches with one or more other PoaS families. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sédimentation et diagenèse des minéraux argileux du Jurassique supérieur-Crétacé dans le Jura méridional et le domaine subalpin (France, Sud-Est). Comparaison avec le domaine Atlantique Nord

OpenAIRE

Deconinck , Jean-François

1984-01-01

Le but de cette thèse est de décrire et d'expliquer l'évolution des assemblages argileux dans les Alpes occidentales depuis l'Oxfordien jusqu'au Crétacé supérieur, et de la comparer à celle connue dans l'Atlantique nord grâce aux forages DSDP. Etude géologique, sédimentologique et géochimique. Les assemblages argileux du Mésozolque supérieur (Malm - Crétacé) du domaine subalpin et du Jura mérldional sont étudiés par diffraction des rayons X, microscopie électronique à transmission et analyses...

Soil, plant, and transport influences on methane in a subalpine forest under high ultraviolet irradiance

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D. Baer

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have demonstrated direct methane emission from plant foliage under aerobic conditions, particularly under high ultraviolet (UV irradiance. We examined the potential importance of this phenomenon in a high-elevation conifer forest using micrometeorological techniques. Vertical profiles of methane and carbon dioxide in forest air were monitored every 2 h for 6 weeks in summer 2007. Day to day variability in above-canopy CH₄ was high, with observed values in the range 1790 to 1910 nmol mol⁻¹. High CH₄ was correlated with high carbon monoxide and related to wind direction, consistent with pollutant transport from an urban area by a well-studied mountain-plain wind system. Soils were moderately dry during the study. Vertical gradients of CH₄ were small but detectable day and night, both near the ground and within the vegetation canopy. Gradients near the ground were consistent with the forest soil being a net CH₄ sink. Using scalar similarity with CO₂, the magnitude of the summer soil CH₄ sink was estimated at ~1.7 mg CH₄ m⁻² h⁻¹, which is similar to other temperate forest upland soils. The high-elevation forest was naturally exposed to high UV irradiance under clear sky conditions, with observed peak UVB irradiance >2 W m⁻². Gradients and means of CO₂ within the canopy under daytime conditions showed net uptake of CO₂ due to photosynthetic drawdown as expected. No evidence was found for a significant foliar CH₄ source in the vegetation canopy, even under high UV conditions. While the possibility of a weak foliar source cannot be excluded given the observed soil sink, overall this subalpine forest was a net sink for atmospheric methane during the growing season.

Hydrology of the North Klondike River: carbon export, water balance and inter-annual climate influences within a sub-alpine permafrost catchment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapp, Anthony; Clark, Ian; Macumber, Andrew; Patterson, Tim

2017-10-01

Arctic and sub-arctic watersheds are undergoing significant changes due to recent climate warming and degrading permafrost, engendering enhanced monitoring of arctic rivers. Smaller catchments provide understanding of discharge, solute flux and groundwater recharge at the process level that contributes to an understanding of how larger arctic watersheds are responding to climate change. The North Klondike River, located in west central Yukon, is a sub-alpine permafrost catchment, which maintains an active hydrological monitoring station with a record of >40 years. In addition to being able to monitor intra-annual variability, this data set allows for more complex analysis of streamflow records. Streamflow data, geochemistry and stable isotope data for 2014 show a groundwater-dominated system, predominantly recharged during periods of snowmelt. Radiocarbon is shown to be a valuable tracer of soil zone recharge processes and carbon sources. Winter groundwater baseflow contributes 20 % of total annual discharge, and accounts for up to 50 % of total river discharge during the spring and summer months. Although total stream discharge remains unchanged, mean annual groundwater baseflow has increased over the 40-year monitoring period. Wavelet analysis reveals a catchment that responds to El Niño and longer solar cycles, as well as climatic shifts such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Dedicated to Professor Peter Fritz on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

High performance graphene-poly (o-anisidine) nanocomposite for supercapacitor applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basnayaka, Punya A.; Ram, Manoj K.; Stefanakos, Lee; Kumar, Ashok

2013-01-01

Our previous exciting results on graphene (G)-conducting polymer (polyaniline (PANI) and polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT)) supercapacitors have prompted the investigation of G-substituted conducting polymer nanocomposites used as electrode materials in supercapacitors. The solubility of ortho-substituted PANI derivatives in a few common solvents has allowed the fabrication of stretchable films by the casting technique. The G-poly (o-anisidine) (G-POA) nanocomposites were synthesized with different weight ratios of G to o-anisidine by chemical methods, and characterized by various techniques, such as, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and cyclic voltammetry. The electrical conductivity and specific capacitance obtained for the G-POA nanocomposites were found to be dependent on the weight ratios of G to o-anisidine. The specific capacitance and the charging–discharging behavior of the POA and G-POA supercapacitors were investigated in a 2 M H 2 SO 4 , 0.2 M LiClO 4 and 1 M 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIM-PF 6 ) ionic liquid. The specific capacitance of 380 F g −1 was calculated for the 1:1 weight ratio of G to o-anisidine based G-POA supercapacitor in 2 M H 2 SO 4 . The presence of the electron-donating group (–OCH 3 ) in the o-anisidine allows the electrons through the lone pair of nitrogen atoms to enhance the electronic charge transport inside the G-POA supercapacitor electrodes. However, the G-POA-based supercapacitors showed a 27% decrease in the specific capacitance in H 2 SO 4 and 16% decrease in the ionic liquid (BMIM-PF 6 ) after 1000 cycles of charging and discharging. The higher stability and rate capability of the G-POA based supercapacitor in an ionic liquid (BMIM-PF 6 ) as compared to an aqueous electrolytic supercapacitor opens the door for the fabrication of stable supercapacitors for practical applications

[Effects of elevated temperature on soil organic carbon and soil respiration under subalpine coniferous forest in western Sichuan Province, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Xin-li; Lin, Bo; Liu, Qing

2008-08-01

To investigate the effects of elevated temperature on the soil organic carbon content, soil respiration rate, and soil enzyme activities in subalpine Picea asperata plantations in western Sichuan Province of China, a simulation study was conducted in situ with open-top chambers from November 2005 to July 2007. The results showed that under elevated temperature, the mean air temperature and soil temperature were 0.42 degrees C and 0.25 degrees C higher than the control, respectively. In the first and the second year, the increased temperature had somewhat decreasing effects on the soil organic carbon and the C/N ratio at the soil depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm. In the first year the soil organic carbon and the C/N ratio in 0-10 cm soil layer decreased by 8.69%, and 8.52%, respectively; but in the second year, the decrements were lesser. Soil respiration rate was significantly enhanced in the first year of warming, but had no significant difference with the control in the second year. In the first year of warming, the activities of soil invertase, polyphenol oxidase, catalase, protease, and urease increased, and the invertase and polyphenol oxidase activities in 0-10 cm soil layer were significantly higher than the control. In the second year of warming, the activities of invertase, protease and urease still had an increase, but those of catalase and polyphenol oxidase had a downtrend, compared with the control.

The importance of geomorphic and hydrologic factors in shaping the sensitivity of alpine/subalpine lake volumes to shifts in climate

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, J.; Liefert, D. T.; Shuman, B. N.; Befus, K. M.; Williams, D. G.; Kraushaar, B.

2017-12-01

Alpine and subalpine lakes are important components of the hydrologic cycle in mountain ecosystems. These lakes are also highly sensitive to small shifts in temperature and precipitation. Mountain lake volumes and their contributions to mountain hydrology may change in response to even minor declines in snowpack or increases in temperature. However, it is still not clear to what degree non-climatic factors, such as geomorphic setting and lake geometry, play in shaping the sensitivity of high elevation lakes to climate change. We investigated the importance of lake geometry and groundwater connectivity to mountain lakes in the Snowy Range, Wyoming using a combination of hydrophysical and hydrochemical methods, including stable water isotopes, to better understand the role these factors play in controlling lake volume. Water isotope values in open lakes were less sensitive to evaporation compared to those in closed basin lakes. Lake geometry played an important role, with wider, shallower lakes being more sensitive to evaporation over time. Groundwater contributions appear to play only a minor role in buffering volumetric changes to lakes over the growing season. These results confirm that mountain lakes are sensitive to climate factors, but also highlight a significant amount of variability in that sensitivity. This research has implications for water resource managers concerned with downstream water quantity and quality from mountain ecosystems, biologists interested in maintaining aquatic biodiversity, and paleoclimatologists interested in using lake sedimentary information to infer past climate regimes.

Different populations of prostaglandin EP3 receptor-expressing preoptic neurons project to two fever-mediating sympathoexcitatory brain regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Y; Nakamura, K; Morrison, S F

2009-06-30

The central mechanism of fever induction is triggered by an action of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) on neurons in the preoptic area (POA) through the EP3 subtype of prostaglandin E receptor. EP3 receptor (EP3R)-expressing POA neurons project directly to the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) and to the rostral raphe pallidus nucleus (rRPa), key sites for the control of thermoregulatory effectors. Based on physiological findings, we hypothesize that the febrile responses in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and those in cutaneous vasoconstrictors are controlled independently by separate neuronal pathways: PGE(2) pyrogenic signaling is transmitted from EP3R-expressing POA neurons via a projection to the DMH to activate BAT thermogenesis and via another projection to the rRPa to increase cutaneous vasoconstriction. In this case, DMH-projecting and rRPa-projecting neurons would constitute segregated populations within the EP3R-expressing neuronal group in the POA. Here, we sought direct anatomical evidence to test this hypothesis with a double-tracing experiment in which two types of the retrograde tracer, cholera toxin b-subunit (CTb), conjugated with different fluorophores were injected into the DMH and the rRPa of rats and the resulting retrogradely labeled populations of EP3R-immunoreactive neurons in the POA were identified with confocal microscopy. We found substantial numbers of EP3R-immunoreactive neurons in both the DMH-projecting and the rRPa-projecting populations. However, very few EP3R-immunoreactive POA neurons were labeled with both the CTb from the DMH and that from the rRPa, although a substantial number of neurons that were not immunoreactive for EP3R were double-labeled with both CTbs. The paucity of the EP3R-expressing neurons that send collaterals to both the DMH and the rRPa suggests that pyrogenic signals are sent independently to these caudal brain regions from the POA and that such pyrogenic outputs from the POA reflect different control mechanisms for BAT

Avaliação espermática e da concentração de proteínas solúveis no plasma seminal de bodes da raça Alpina em regime de monta controlada Reproductive performance, soluble proteins of the seminal plasm and hypoosmotic test in male goats of the Alpine breed under controlled mating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Franco Martins

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Foram estudadas as relações entre a concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal, o teste hipoosmótico, a análise física e morfológica do sêmen e o desempenho reprodutivo de bodes da raça Alpina em regime de monta controlada. O experimento foi realizado durante os meses de fevereiro a abril de 2001. Foram realizadas 40 coletas de sêmen em quatro reprodutores adultos em regime de monta controlada. Em todas as coletas, além do exame físico e morfológico do sêmen, foram realizados os testes hipoosmóticos, isoosmóticos e a determinação da concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal. Foi detectada diferença entre os bodes na concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal, mas não houve diferença no teste hipoosmótico e no número de coberturas por prenhez. O teste hipoosmótico pode ser uma importante ferramenta para a avaliação de sêmen caprino, mas a concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal não pode ser utilizada como parâmetro para predizer a qualidade seminal e a fertilidade de bodes da raça Alpina utilizados em regime de monta natural.The relationships among soluble proteins of the seminal plasma, the hypoosmotic test, the physical and morphologic analyses of semen and the reproductive performance of male goats of the Alpine breed under controlled mating were studied using forty samples of semen from four adult male goats collected twice a week between February and April of 2001. Differences among male goats were observed for soluble protein concentration of the seminal plasma, but not for the hypoosmotic test and the pregnancy rate. These results suggest the hypoosmotic test may be used for the evaluation of goat semen, but the protein concentration of the seminal plasma can not be used as a parameter to predict the seminal quality and fertility of male goats of the Alpine breed.

Evaluation of chemical transport model predictions of primary organic aerosol for air masses classified by particle component-based factor analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. A. Stroud

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Observations from the 2007 Border Air Quality and Meteorology Study (BAQS-Met 2007 in Southern Ontario, Canada, were used to evaluate predictions of primary organic aerosol (POA and two other carbonaceous species, black carbon (BC and carbon monoxide (CO, made for this summertime period by Environment Canada's AURAMS regional chemical transport model. Particle component-based factor analysis was applied to aerosol mass spectrometer measurements made at one urban site (Windsor, ON and two rural sites (Harrow and Bear Creek, ON to derive hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA factors. A novel diagnostic model evaluation was performed by investigating model POA bias as a function of HOA mass concentration and indicator ratios (e.g. BC/HOA. Eight case studies were selected based on factor analysis and back trajectories to help classify model bias for certain POA source types. By considering model POA bias in relation to co-located BC and CO biases, a plausible story is developed that explains the model biases for all three species.

At the rural sites, daytime mean PM₁ POA mass concentrations were under-predicted compared to observed HOA concentrations. POA under-predictions were accentuated when the transport arriving at the rural sites was from the Detroit/Windsor urban complex and for short-term periods of biomass burning influence. Interestingly, the daytime CO concentrations were only slightly under-predicted at both rural sites, whereas CO was over-predicted at the urban Windsor site with a normalized mean bias of 134%, while good agreement was observed at Windsor for the comparison of daytime PM₁ POA and HOA mean values, 1.1 μg m⁻³ and 1.2 μg m⁻³, respectively. Biases in model POA predictions also trended from positive to negative with increasing HOA values. Periods of POA over-prediction were most evident at the urban site on calm nights due to an overly-stable model surface layer

Root hydraulic vulnerability regulation of whole-plant conductance along hillslope gradients within subalpine and montane forests

Science.gov (United States)

Beverly, D.; Speckman, H. N.; Ewers, B. E.

2017-12-01

Ecosystem-scale models often rely on root vulnerability or whole-plant conductance for simulating seasonal evapotranspiration declines via constraints of water uptake and vegetation mortality. Further, many of these ecosystem models rely on single, unvarying, hydraulic parameter estimates for modeling large areas. Ring-porous species have shown seasonal variability in root vulnerability (percent loss of conductivity; PLC) and whole-plant conductance (Kw) but simulations of coniferous forest typically rely on point measurements. This assumption for coniferous forest is not likely true because of seasonal variability caused by phenology and environmental stresses and the potential for cavitation fatigue is not considered. Moreover, many of these dynamics have only been considered for stems even though roots are often the most vulnerable segments of the pathway for conifers. We hypothesized that seasonally dynamic whole-plant conductance along hillslope gradients in coniferous forests are regulated by cavitation fatigue within the roots resulting in seasonal increases in vulnerability. To test the hypothesis, a subalpine mixed forest (3000 m.a.s.l) and montane forest (2550 m.a.s.l.) were monitored between 2015-2017 to quantify PLC and Kw along the hillslope gradients of 300 m and 50 m, respectively. Forest plots were instrumented with 35 Granier-type sapflow sensors. Seasonal sampling campaigns occurred to quantify PLC through centrifuge techniques and Kw through Darcy's law approximations with pre-dawn and diurnal leaf water potentials. Downslope roots exhibit a 33% decrease in maximal conductivity corresponding to the approximately 50% decrease in whole-plant conductance suggesting seasonal soil dry-down limitations within the downslope stands. Upslope stands had no to little change in root vulnerability or decrease in whole-plant conductance as soil water limitations occur immediately following snowmelt, thus limiting hydraulic conductance throughout the growing

MODELACIÓN DE CURVAS DE PRODUCCIÓN Y COMPOSICIÓN DE LA LECHE EN UN HATO DE CABRAS F1 ALPINA x NUBIA EN SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, MÉXICO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vielka Jeanethe Castañeda-Bustos

2009-11-01

Full Text Available La producción de leche de cabra constituye una fuente muy importante de ingresos para los productores en las regiones áridas y semiáridas de México. Sin embargo, hay información limitada en México sobre caracterización de las curvas de producción de la leche y sus componentes. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar las curvas de lactancia y sus componentes (sólidos totales, grasa, proteína en cabras F1 Alpina x Nubia del altiplano Potosino, utilizando tres modelos matemáticos. Se evaluaron los modelos monofásico, difásico y gamma incompleta, considerando como criterios de ajuste el cuadrado medio del error, pseudo R2, criterio de información de Akaike, criterio de información Bayesiano y -2 veces el logaritmo de la verosimilitud. Para la caracterización de la curva de producción de leche el modelo difásico fue el más consistente en todos los criterios de ajuste, por lo que resultó más útil que los modelos monofásico y gamma incompleta. Para las curvas de los componentes de la leche, el mejor ajuste correspondió al modelo gamma incompleto.

Influences of dopamine and glutamate in the medial preoptic area on male sexual behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Will, Ryan G; Hull, Elaine M; Dominguez, Juan M

2014-06-01

Several brain nuclei interact to orchestrate the appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior. Of these structures, the medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus is of particular interest, as it receives input from all sensory modalities, and damage to this region disrupts copulation in a wide variety of taxa. Furthermore, the mPOA is both responsive to gonadal hormones and involved in endocrine regulation. Neurochemical studies have demonstrated that both dopamine and glutamate levels rise in the mPOA in response to sexual activity, while antagonism of these neurotransmitters impairs male sexual response. Here we review how dopamine and glutamate act in the mPOA to modulate male sexual behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term landscape changes in a subalpine spruce-fir forest in central Utah, USA

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Jesse L. Morris1

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: In Western North America, increasing wildfire and outbreaks of native bark beetles have been mediated by warming climate conditions. Bioclimatic models forecast the loss of key high elevation species throughout the region. This study uses retrospective vegetation and fire history data to reconstruct the drivers of past disturbance and environmental change. Understanding the relationship among climate, antecedent disturbances, and the legacy effects of settlement-era logging can help identify the patterns and processes that create landscapes susceptible to bark beetle epidemics. Methods: Our analysis uses data from lake sediment cores, stand inventories, and historical records. Sediment cores were dated with radiometric techniques (14C and 210Pb/137Cs and subsampled for pollen and charcoal to maximize the temporal resolution during the historical period (1800 CE to present and to provide environmental baseline data (last 10,500 years. Pollen data for spruce were calibrated to carbon biomass (C t/ha using standard allometric equations and a transfer function. Charcoal samples were analyzed with statistical models to facilitate peak detection and determine fire recurrence intervals. Results: The Wasatch Plateau has been dominated by Engelmann spruce forests for the last ~10,500 years, with subalpine fir becoming more prominent since 6000 years ago. This landscape has experienced a dynamic fire regime, where burning events are more frequent and of higher magnitude during the last 3000 years. Two important disturbances have impacted Engelmann spruce in the historical period: 1 high-grade logging during the late 19th century; and (2 a high severity spruce beetle outbreak in the late 20th century that killed >90 % of mature spruce (>10 cm dbh. Conclusions: Our study shows that spruce-dominated forests in this region are resilient to a range of climate and disturbance regimes. Several lines of evidence suggest that 19th century logging

Nanospheres Prepared by Self-Assembly of Random Copolymers in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

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Eri Yoshida

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The synthesis of spherical particles was attained by the direct self-assembly of poly[2-(perfluorooctylethyl acrylate-random-acrylic acid], P(POA-r-AA, and by the indirect self-assembly poly[POA-random-2-(dimethylaminoethyl acrylate], P(POA-r-DAA, with dicarboxylic acids in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2. The copolymers formed spherical particles with hundreds of nanometer diameters in a heterogeneous state at pressures lower than the cloud point pressure. The formation of spherical particles was also dependent on the temperature. The formation of spherical particles could be optimized through varying the solvent quality by the manipulation of the CO2 pressure and temperature for the different copolymer compositions. The dynamic light scattering and 1H NMR studies demonstrated that the nanospheres had the micellar structures consisting of the CO2-philic POA shells and the CO2-phobic AA or DAA cores including the main chain cores. The nanospheres produced the superhydrophobic surfaces based on the water-proof shells of the POA units.

Abundance of Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei along an altitudinal gradient in Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya

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Sabuj Bhattacharyya

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract The relative abundance of Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei was studied in a part of the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, West Himalaya along an altitudinal gradient from 2900 to 3650 m a.s.l. Pikas’ detection probability and relative abundance per month and habitat were recorded by monthly surveys consisting of three sampling sessions of four hours each. Food plant species were identified by visual observation and quantified by a standard quadrat method. The highest relative abundance was observed at man-made walls and surroundings in the alpine zone and on broken slopes in the sub-alpine one, whereas alpine meadows showed the lowest abundance. A total of 26 plant species were found to be consumed by pikas. The proportion of forage plants was the highest (77.4% on the rocky slopes of the timberline zone The results of multiple regressions suggest that rock cover is the main factor affecting the relative abundance of Royle’s pika. Rocky areas probably offer both nest-sites and temporary refuges to escape from predators.
Riassunto Abbondanza relativa del pica di Royle (Ochotona roylei lungo un gradiente altitudinale in Uttarakhand, Himalaya occidentale. In un’area del Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (Uttarakhand, Himalaya occidentale, é stata stimata l’abbondanza relativa del pika di Royle (Ochotona roylei lungo un gradiente altitudinale compreso tra 2900 e 3650 m. Sono stati identificate tre fasce altitudinali e 10 habitat complessivi. La probabilità di osservazione e l’abbondanza relativa dei pika per ciascun mese e habitat sono state stimate tramite censimenti mensili consistenti in tre periodi di 4 ore ciascuno. Le specie vegetali consumate sono state identificate tramite osservazione diretta; la disponibilità è stata quantificata tramite rilievo fitosociologico standard. L’abbondanza relativa maggiore è stata riscontrata nella

Measuring the impact of a public awareness campaign to increase Welfare Power of Attorney registrations in Scotland.

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Levin, Kate A; Carson, Jill; Crighton, Emilia

2017-07-01

to measure the impact of the 'My Power of Attorney' media campaign on the number of new power of attorney (POA) registrations in Scotland. POA registrations in Scotland processed by the Office of the Public Guardian during January 2010 to June 2015. multilevel Poisson models for POA registrations nested by council and annual quarter were run using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, adjusting for time, campaign (variable ranging between 0 and 5 dependent on intensity of campaign measured by the number of media platforms received) and offset term mid-year population estimate for those aged 25 years+/65 years+. POA registrations saw a reduction between 2010 and 2011 but overall, increased between 2010 and 2015. POA registrations rose by 33.3% in Glasgow City between 2013 and 2014, when the campaign began, while the rest of Scotland saw a rise of 17.3%. When the data were modelled, Relative Risk (RR) of a POA registration increased with increasing intensity of campaign, so that in an area in receipt of the full campaign was RR = 1.31 (1.28, 1.34) that of an area with no campaign. Between council variation persisted after adjustment for campaign (Variance = 0.041 (0.011)). during the period of the campaign, area-level increases in POA registrations were observed associated with the 'My Power of Attorney' timing and location, in an approximate dose-response relationship with campaign intensity, suggesting that this is likely to be due to the campaign that began in Glasgow City. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Winter ecology of a subalpine grassland: Effects of snow removal on soil respiration, microbial structure and function.

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Gavazov, Konstantin; Ingrisch, Johannes; Hasibeder, Roland; Mills, Robert T E; Buttler, Alexandre; Gleixner, Gerd; Pumpanen, Jukka; Bahn, Michael

2017-07-15

Seasonal snow cover provides essential insulation for mountain ecosystems, but expected changes in precipitation patterns and snow cover duration due to global warming can influence the activity of soil microbial communities. In turn, these changes have the potential to create new dynamics of soil organic matter cycling. To assess the effects of experimental snow removal and advanced spring conditions on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics, and on the biomass and structure of soil microbial communities, we performed an in situ study in a subalpine grassland in the Austrian Alps, in conjunction with soil incubations under controlled conditions. We found substantial winter C-mineralisation and high accumulation of inorganic and organic N in the topsoil, peaking at snowmelt. Soil microbial biomass doubled under the snow, paralleled by a fivefold increase in its C:N ratio, but no apparent change in its bacteria-dominated community structure. Snow removal led to a series of mild freeze-thaw cycles, which had minor effects on in situ soil CO 2 production and N mineralisation. Incubated soil under advanced spring conditions, however, revealed an impaired microbial metabolism shortly after snow removal, characterised by a limited capacity for C-mineralisation of both fresh plant-derived substrates and existing soil organic matter (SOM), leading to reduced priming effects. This effect was transient and the observed recovery in microbial respiration and SOM priming towards the end of the winter season indicated microbial resilience to short-lived freeze-thaw disturbance under field conditions. Bacteria showed a higher potential for uptake of plant-derived C substrates during this recovery phase. The observed temporary loss in microbial C-mineralisation capacity and the promotion of bacteria over fungi can likely impede winter SOM cycling in mountain grasslands under recurrent winter climate change events, with plausible implications for soil nutrient availability and

Chemical and physical transformations of organic aerosol from the photo-oxidation of open biomass burning emissions in an environmental chamber

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C. J. Hennigan

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Smog chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the chemical and physical transformations of organic aerosol (OA during photo-oxidation of open biomass burning emissions. The experiments were carried out at the US Forest Service Fire Science Laboratory as part of the third Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment (FLAME III. We investigated emissions from 12 different fuels commonly burned in North American wildfires. The experiments feature atmospheric and plume aerosol and oxidant concentrations; aging times ranged from 3 to 4.5 h. OA production, expressed as a mass enhancement ratio (ratio of OA to primary OA (POA mass, was highly variable. OA mass enhancement ratios ranged from 2.9 in experiments where secondary OA (SOA production nearly tripled the POA concentration to 0.7 in experiments where photo-oxidation resulted in a 30 % loss of the OA mass. The campaign-average OA mass enhancement ratio was 1.7 ± 0.7 (mean ± 1σ; therefore, on average, there was substantial SOA production. In every experiment, the OA was chemically transformed. Even in experiments with net loss of OA mass, the OA became increasingly oxygenated and less volatile with aging, indicating that photo-oxidation transformed the POA emissions. Levoglucosan concentrations were also substantially reduced with photo-oxidation. The transformations of POA were extensive; using levoglucosan as a tracer for POA, unreacted POA only contributed 17 % of the campaign-average OA mass after 3.5 h of exposure to typical atmospheric hydroxyl radical (OH levels. Heterogeneous reactions with OH could account for less than half of this transformation, implying that the coupled gas-particle partitioning and reaction of semi-volatile vapors is an important and potentially dominant mechanism for POA processing. Overall, the results illustrate that biomass burning emissions are subject to extensive chemical processing in the atmosphere, and the timescale for these transformations is rapid.

Pasado y presente del uso de plantas silvestres con órganos subterráneos de almacenamiento comestibles en la Patagonia

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Juan J. Ochoa

2011-07-01

Full Text Available El presente trabajo es la primara aproximación acerca del papel de las plantas con órganos de almacenamiento subterráneos comestibles (POAS en la Patagonia, desde una perspectiva temporal y espacial, al integrar datos etnohistóricos y etnográficos actuales ligados al uso de las POAS. El 75 % de las 54 fuentes analizadas mencionan el uso de POAS en la alimentación humana de la Patagonia. Las POAS silvestres comestibles registradas ascienden a 51 especies, siendo mayor el conjunto de POAS con raíces comestibles. La estepa y zonas ecotonales resultaron las de mayor riqueza de POAS, probablemente vinculado a adaptaciones ecológicas de éstas a la aridez en el primer caso, como a la alta diversidad relativa que presentan los ecotonos, en el segundo. El registro etnohistórico mostró discontinuidades marcadas, siendo pocas las especies presentes por más de un siglo, destacándose la continuidad documental de A. tuberosa desde el siglo XVIII al presente, así como la incorporación reciente de especies exóticas. Las fuentes etnohistóricas revisadas y su contraste con datos etnobotánicos recientes de campo sugieren dinamismo en los patrones de utilización, que a lo largo del tiempo han llevado al abandono del uso de las POAS en la práctica alimentaria de la Patagonia. Las singularidades encontradas respecto a lo temporal y espacial pueden vincularse tanto a los conocimientos locales y específicos desarrollados a lo largo del tiempo por los habitantes de la Patagonia, como también a las circunstancias sociopolíticas y académicas de cada una de las fuentes analizadas.

Modeling and optimization for proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack using aging and challenging P systems based optimization algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Shipin; Chellali, Ryad; Lu, Xiaohua; Li, Lijuan; Bo, Cuimei

2016-01-01

Accurate models of PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cells are of great significance for the analysis and the control for power generation. We present a new semi-empirical model to predict the voltage outputs of PEM fuel cell stacks. We also introduce a new estimation method, called AC-POA (aging and challenging P systems based optimization algorithm) allowing deriving the parameters of the semi-empirical model. In our model, the cathode inlet pressure is selected as an additional factor to modify the expression of concentration over-voltage V con for traditional Amphlett's PEM fuel cell model. In AC-POA, the aging-mechanism inspired object updating rule is merged in existing P system. We validate through experiments the effectiveness of AC-POA and the fitting accuracy of our model. Modeling comparison results show that the predictions of our model are the best in terms of fitting to actual sample data. - Highlights: • Presented a p c -based modificatory semi-empirical model for PEMFC stack. • Introduced a new aging inspired improved parameter estimation algorithm, AC-POA. • Validated the effectiveness of the AC-POA and the new model. • Remodeled the practical PEM fuel cell system.

Coraco- or Costoclavicular Paraosteoarthropathies in Patients with Severe Central Neurological Disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacout, A.; Mompoint, D.; Perrier, Y.; Vallee, C.A.; Carlier, R.Y.

2008-01-01

Background: Paraosteoarthropathy (POA) is a frequent disabling orthopedic complication after severe central neurological impairment. The hip is the most frequently affected joint (32.1%) followed by the elbow and the shoulder (25%). Purpose: To evaluate coraco- and costoclavicular paraosteoarthropathy in patients with severe central neurological disorders. Material and Methods: We report a series of five consecutive patients with severe central neurological disorders who developed a POA of the clavicular region (coracoclavicular or costoclavicular POA). Every patient underwent a clinical, radiological, and computed tomographic (CT) examination of the shoulder region. Results: Four patients had a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and one an acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). They developed POA of the clavicular region, although not around the glenohumeral joint. The patients complained of shoulder pain and of moderate limitation of movements. Radiological and CT examinations showed the presence of a bony formation in the coracoclavicular space in four cases and extending from the clavicle to the first rib around the costoclavicular joint in one case. Conclusion: In patients with severe brain lesions suffering from shoulder pain and moderate limitation of joint movements, POAs of the clavicular region are rare but should be considered

Community-specific biogeochemical responses to atmospheric nitrogen deposition in subalpine meadow ecosystems of the Cascade Range

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Poinsatte, J. P.; Rochefort, R.; Evans, R. D.

2014-12-01

Elevated anthropogenic nitrogen (N) emissions result in higher rates of atmospheric N deposition (Ndep) that can saturate sensitive ecosystems. Consequences of increased Ndep include higher emissions of greenhouse gases, eutrophication of watersheds, and deterioration of vegetation communities. Most of the annual N deposition at higher elevations in the Cascades is stored in snowpack until spring snowmelt when it is released as a pulse that can be assimilated by plant and microbial communities, or lost as gaseous emissions or leachate. The relative magnitude of these fluxes is unknown, particularly with accelerated rates of snowpack loss due to climate change. We quantified storage of Ndep in winter snowpack and determined impacts of Ndep on biogeochemical processes in a lush-herbaceous community characterized by Valeriana sitchensis and Lupinus latifolius, a heath-shrub community characterized by Phyllodoce empetriformis and Cassiope mertensiana, and a wet-sedge community dominated by Carex nigricans. These communities were selected to represent early, mid, and late snowmelt vegetation regimes prevalent throughout the Cascades. Ammonium (NH4+) was the dominant form of Ndep in winter snowpack and Ndep rates were higher than anticipated based on nearby National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) measurements. Vegetation N uptake was the dominant N sink in the ecosystem, with the highest growing season uptake occurring in the lush-herbaceous community, while soil N leaching was the dominant N loss, with the lush-herbaceous also having the highest rates. Microbial biomass N fluctuated substantially across the growing season, with high biomass N immediately after snowmelt and again 30 days following snow release. Soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions peaked 30 days following snowmelt for all three communities and were greatest in the wet sedge community. These results indicate that subalpine communities have unique responses to Ndep that vary throughout the growing

Pyrazinamide: the importance of uncovering the mechanisms of action in mycobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Stehr, Matthias; Elamin, Ayssar A; Singh, Mahavir

2015-05-01

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is still one of the key drugs used in current therapeutic regimens for tuberculosis (TB). Despite its importance for TB therapy, the mode of action of PZA remains unknown. PZA has to be converted to its active form pyrazinoic acid (POA) by the nicotinamidase PncA and is then excreted by an unknown efflux pump. At acidic conditions, POA is protonated to HPOA and is reabsorbed into the cell where it causes cellular damage. For a long time, it has been thought that PZA/POA has no defined target of action, but recent studies have shown that both PZA and POA have several different targets interfering with diverse biochemical pathways, especially in the NAD(+) and energy metabolism. PZA resistance seems to depend not only on a defective pyrazinamidase but is also rather a result of the interplay of many different enzyme targets and transport mechanisms.

Ozone visible symptoms and reduced root biomass in the subalpine species Pinus uncinata after two years of free-air ozone fumigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Díaz-de-Quijano, Maria; Schaub, Marcus; Bassin, Seraina; Volk, Matthias; Peñuelas, Josep

2012-01-01

Concentrations of ozone often exceed the thresholds of forest protection in the Pyrenees, but the effect of ozone on Pinus uncinata, the dominant species in subalpine forests in this mountainous range, has not yet been studied. We conducted an experiment of free-air ozone fumigation with saplings of P. uncinata fumigated with ambient O 3 (AOT40 May–Oct: 9.2 ppm h), 1.5 × O 3amb (AOT40 May–Oct: 19.2 ppm h), and 1.8 × O 3amb (AOT40 May–Oct: 32.5 ppm h) during two growing seasons. We measured chlorophyll content and fluorescence, visible injury, gas exchange, and above- and below-ground biomass. Increased exposures to ozone led to a higher occurrence and intensity of visible injury from O 3 and a 24–29% reduction of root biomass, which may render trees more susceptible to other stresses such as drought. P. uncinata is thus a species sensitive to O 3 , concentrations of which in the Pyrenees are already likely affecting this species. - Highlights: ► We assessed sensitivity to O 3 in Pinus uncinata using a free-air O 3 fumigation system. ► Occurrence and intensity of visible injury from O 3 correlated with exposure to O 3 . ► Increased O 3 reduced root biomass 24–29%. ► O 3 weakens P. uncinata, making it more susceptible to other stresses. ► Ambient [O 3 ] in the Pyrenees is thus likely to already be affecting P. uncinata stands. - Ozone concentrations similar to those in the Pyrenees affect Pinus uncinata by reducing root biomass and possibly increasing susceptibility to other stresses.

Use of cosmogenic 35S for comparing ages of water from three alpine-subalpine basins in the Colorado Front Range

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Sueker, J.K.; Turk, J.T.; Michel, R.L.

1999-01-01

High-elevation basins in Colorado are a major source of water for the central and western United States; however, acidic deposition may affect the quality of this water. Water that is retained in a basin for a longer period of time may be less impacted by acidic deposition. Sulfur-35 (35S), a short-lived isotope of sulfur (t( 1/2 ) = 87 days), is useful for studying short-time scale hydrologic processes in basins where biological influences and water/rock interactions are minimal. When sulfate response in a basin is conservative, the age of water may be assumed to be that of the dissolved sulfate in it. Three alpine-subalpine basins on granitic terrain in Colorado were investigated to determine the influence of basin morphology on the residence time of water in the basins. Fern and Spruce Creek basins are glaciated and accumulate deep snowpacks during the winter. These basins have hydrologic and chemical characteristics typical of systems with rapid hydrologic response times. The age of sulfate leaving these basins, determined from the activity of 35S, averages around 200 days. In contrast, Boulder Brook basin has broad, gentle slopes and an extensive cover of surficial debris. Its area above treeline, about one-half of the basin, is blown free of snow during the winter. Variations in flow and solute concentrations in Boulder Brook are quite small compared to Fern and Spruce Creeks. After peak snowmelt, sulfate in Boulder Brook is about 200 days older than sulfate in Fern and Spruce Creeks. This indicates a substantial source of older sulfate (lacking 35S) that is probably provided from water stored in pore spaces of surficial debris in Boulder Brook basin.

Sex differences and the development of the rabbit brain: effects of vinclozolin.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisenius, Erin S; Veeramachaneni, D N Rao; Sammonds, Ginger E; Tobet, Stuart

2006-09-01

The preoptic/anterior hypothalamic area (POA/AH) is one of the most sexually dimorphic areas of the vertebrate brain and plays a pivotal role in regulating male sexual behavior. Vinclozolin is a fungicide thought to be an environmental antiandrogen, which disrupts masculine sexual behavior when administered to rabbits during development. In this study, we examined several characteristics of the rabbit POA/AH for sexual dimorphism and endocrine disruption by vinclozolin. Pregnant rabbits were dosed orally with vinclozolin (10 mg/kg body weight) or carrot paste vehicle once daily for 6 wk beginning at midgestation and continuing through nursing until Postpartum Week 4. At 6 wk, offspring were perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde and brains processed for immunocytochemical localization of tyrosine hydroxylase, calbindin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), or Nissl stain. There were significant sex differences in the distribution of calbindin in the POA/AH and the size of cells in the dorsal POA/AH (values greater in females than in males), but not in the number or distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase or GnRH neurons. In both sexes, exposure to vinclozolin significantly increased calbindin expression in the ventral POA/AH and significantly decreased number of GnRH neurons selectively in the region of the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) but not more caudally in the POA/AH. This is the first documentation of a sexually dimorphic region in the rabbit brain, and further supports the use of this species as a model for studying the influence of vinclozolin on reproductive development with potential application to human systems.

Antagonistic interactions between plant competition and insect herbivory.

Science.gov (United States)

Schädler, Martin; Brandl, Roland; Haase, Josephine

2007-06-01

Interspecific competition between plants and herbivory by specialized insects can have synergistic effects on the growth and performance of the attacked host plant. We tested the hypothesis that competition between plants may also negatively affect the performance of herbivores as well as their top-down effect on the host plant. In such a case, the combined effects of competition and herbivory may be less than expected from a simple multiplicative response. In other words, competition and herbivory may interact antagonistically. In a greenhouse experiment, Poa annua was grown in the presence or absence of a competitor (either Plantago lanceolata or Trifolium repens), as well as with or without a Poa-specialist aphid herbivore. Both competition and herbivory negatively affected Poa growth. Competition also reduced aphid density on Poa. This effect could in part be explained by changes in the biomass and the nitrogen content of Poa shoots. In treatments with competitors, reduced aphid densities alleviated the negative effect of herbivory on above- and belowground Poa biomass. Hence, we were able to demonstrate an antagonistic interaction between plant-plant interspecific competition and herbivory. However, response indices suggested that antagonistic interactions between competition and herbivory were contingent on the identity of the competitor. We found the antagonistic effect only in treatments with T. repens as the competitor. We conclude that both competitor identity and the herbivore's ability to respond with changes in its density or activity to plant competition affect the magnitude and direction (synergistic vs. antagonistic) of the interaction between competition and herbivory on plant growth.

Alimentazione di Marmota marmota in praterie altimontane delle dolomiti bellunesi

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Alessandro Rudatis

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The diet of Marmota marmota in the mountain prairie of south-eastern Italian Alps. Diet composition of two family groups of alpine marmots was investigated in two areas of the Agordino’s Dolomites (Italian Alps in June-September 2001, by means of microscopic analysis of faeces and of direct observation of feeding activity. During the whole period of activity, a high consume of Angiosperms was confirmed, especially plants in flower; among them the “graminoids” seemed to play an important role only during the initial part of the active period. Generally vegetative parts predominated over flowers. The ingestion of animal preys was not confirmed by the analysis of droppings. Comparing diet composition of the two groups, Graminaceae (Poa, Phleum, Compositae (Achillea, Cyperaceae/Juncaceae, Leguminosae (Anthyllis, Rosaceae, and Labiatae (Prunella, Stachys formed the bulk of marmot diet in the study areas. Diet showed low diversity considering the abundance of plant species in the surrounding environment. Food resources were probably used in relation to their easy digestibility, with a high content in proteins, sugar and water. The knowledge of vegetation features in relation to marmot trophic habits can represent a useful tool for the management of this species. Riassunto Il regime alimentare di due gruppi di Marmotta alpina è stato studiato in giugno-settembre 2001 in due aree delle Dolomiti agordine (SE Italia, attraverso l’analisi microscopica delle feci e l’osservazione diretta dell’attività alimentare. Durante tutto il periodo di attività si è notato un forte consumo di Angiosperme, specialmente piante a fiore, mentre le ”graminoidi” sembra giochino un ruolo importante all’inizio della stagione. In generale le parti vegetali predominano sui fiori. L’ingestione di prede animali non è stata

Environmental Impact Study of the Northern Section of the Upper Mississippi River, St. Croix River Pool.

Science.gov (United States)

1973-11-01

Poa palustris Fowl meadow-grass P Poa pratensis Blue grass Setaria viridis Green foxtail P P P P D Setaria sp. Bristly foxtail P Spartina pectinata...Juneberry) Crataegus spp. (Thorn-Apple) Fragaria vesca (Wild Strawberry) Geum canadense (White Avens) Geum laciniatum (Avens) Geum triflorum (Three

Pd-Cu/poly(o-Anisidine) nanocomposite as an efficient catalyst for formaldehyde oxidation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosseini, Sayed Reza, E-mail: r.hosseini@umz.ac.ir [Nanochemistry Research Laboratory, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, 47416-95447 Babolsar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Raoof, Jahan-Bakhsh [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, 47416-95447 Babolsar (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghasemi, Shahram; Gholami, Zahra [Nanochemistry Research Laboratory, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, 47416-95447 Babolsar (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • o-Anisidine monomer was electro-polymerized at the pCPE surface in acid medium. • Palladium/copper NPs were prepared by galvanic replacement method at the POA/pCPE. • Pd-Cu NPs showed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards formaldehyde oxidation. • The bimetallic Pd-Cu NPs/POA nanocomposite showed satisfactory long-term stability. - Abstract: In this work, for the first time, the electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde in 0.5 M sulfuric acid solution at spherical bimetallic palladium-copper nanoparticles (Pd-Cu NPs) deposited on the poly (o-Anisidine) film modified electrochemically pretreated carbon paste electrode (POA/pCPE) has been investigated. Highly porous POA film prepared by electropolymerization onto the pCPE was used as a potent support for deposition of the Pd-Cu NPs. The Pd-Cu NPs were prepared through spontaneous and irreversible reaction via galvanic replacement between Pd{sup II} ions and the Cu{sup 0} particles. The prepared Pd-Cu NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. The obtained results showed that the utilization of Cu nanoparticles and pretreatment technique enhances the electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode towards formaldehyde oxidation. The influence of several parameters on formaldehyde oxidation as well as stability of the Pd-Cu/POA/pCPE has been investigated.

SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF MOMENT-RESISTING CONCRETE FRAMES SUBJECTED TO EARTHQUAKE EXCITATION

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FADZLI MOHAMED NAZRI

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, moment-resisting concrete frames (MRCFs were designed based on Eurocodes 2 and 8, which indicate the seismic provisions and requirements for building design and construction. This study aims to investigate the damage measure of MRCFs subjected to earthquake excitation by pushover analysis (POA and incremental dynamic analysis (IDA. In POA, inverted triangular lateral load and uniform lateral load patterns were used to produce a base shear–drift curve. In IDA, seven far-field and seven near-field ground motion records were selected to establish the base shear–drift relationship. Structural response and damage measures were examined by the performance-based seismic design limit states. Vision 2000 proposed four performance states, namely, fully operational, operational, life safety (LS, and near collapse. The results showed that the designed structures have low stiffness because all MRCFs failed to meet the LS limit state. The base shear–drift relationship produced a higher demand in IDA than in POA. In POA, the lateral uniform load pattern produced higher demand than the lateral inverted triangular load pattern. In IDA, the farfield effect produced higher demand than the near-field effect. POA approximated IDA accurately at the elastic stage, but the approximation failed after the yield point.

Fabrication of poly(o-anisidine) coated silica core-shell microspheres and their electrorheological response

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chul Joo; Choi, Hyoung Jin

2017-11-01

In this work, silica/poly(o-anisidine) (POA) core-shell structured microspheres were synthesized by coating the silica core surface with POA with a help of a chemical grafting agent, N-[(3-trimethoxylsilyl)-propyl] aniline. The synthesized silica microspheres were then applied as a polymer/inorganic composite particle-based electrorheological (ER) fluid. The morphology of the silica/POA microspheres was examined by using both transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, while their thermal properties and chemical structure were checked by thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The ER properties of the silica/POA particle-based ER fluid were examined by using a Couette-type rotational rheometer equipped with a high-voltage power supplier and analyzed by the Bingham model and modified Mason number. In order to obtain additional information about the electrical polarization properties, the dielectric spectra were measured by an LCR meter and fitted by using the Cole-Cole equation. Furthermore, suspension stability of the ER fluid was tested using Turbiscan.

A 15,400-year record of environmental magnetic variations in sub-alpine lake sediments from the western Nanling Mountains in South China: Implications for palaeoenvironmental changes

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Zhong, Wei; Wei, Zhiqiang; Shang, Shentan; Ye, Susu; Tang, Xiaowen; Zhu, Chan; Xue, Jibin; Ouyang, Jun; Smol, John P.

2018-04-01

A detailed environmental magnetic investigation has been performed on a sub-alpine sedimentary succession deposited over the past 15,400 years in Daping Swamp in the western Nanling Mountains of South China. Magnetic parameters reveal that fine grains of pseudo-single domain (PSD) magnetite or titanomagnetite are the dominant magnetic minerals in the lake sediments and surface soils collected from the catchment, which suggests that magnetic minerals in lake sediments mainly originated from surface soil erosion of the catchment. Variation of surface runoff caused by rainfall is interpreted as the main process for transportation of weathered soils into the lake. In the Last Deglacial period (LGP, 15,400-11,500 cal a BP), the influx of magnetic minerals of detrital material may have been significantly affected by the severe dry and cold conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum. Stabilised conditions of the catchment associated with increased vegetation coverage (e.g., 8000-4500 and 2500-1000 cal a BP) limited the input of magnetic minerals. Intensive soil erosion caused by increased human activity may have given rise to abnormal increases in multiple magnetic parameters after 1000 cal a BP. Because changes in runoff and vegetation coverage are closely related to Asian summer monsoon (ASM) intensity, the sedimentary magnetism of Daping Swamp provides another source of information to investigate the evolution of the ASM.

Role of Oestrogen α Receptors in Sociosexual Behaviour in Female Rats Housed in a Seminatural Environment.

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Snoeren, E M S; Antonio-Cabrera, E; Spiteri, T; Musatov, S; Ogawa, S; Pfaff, D W; Ågmo, A

2015-11-01

The present study investigated the role of oestrogen receptor (ER)α in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN), the preoptic area (POA), the medial amygdala (MePD) and the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) in sociosexual behaviour in female rats. This was conducted in two sets of experiments, with the VMN and POA investigated in the first set, and the MePD and BNST in the second set. The VMN and POA received intense projections from the MePD and BNST. We used a short hairpin RNA encoded within an adeno-associated viral vector directed against the gene for ERα to reduce the number of ERα in the VMN or POA (first set of experiments) or in the BNST or MePD (second set of experiments) in female rats. The rats were housed in groups of four ovariectomised females and three males in a seminatural environment for 8 days. Compared with traditional test set-ups, the seminatural environment provides an arena in which the rats can express their full behavioural repertoire, which allowed us to investigate multiple aspects of social and sexual behaviour in groups of rats. Behavioural observation was performed after oestrogen and progesterone injections. A reduction of ERα expression in the VMN or POA diminished the display of paracopulatory behaviours and lordosis responses compared to controls, whereas the lordosis quotient remained unaffected. This suggests that ERα in the VMN and POA play an important role in intrinsic sexual motivation. The reduction in ERα did not affect the social behaviour of the females, although the males sniffed and pursued the females with reduced ERα less than the controls. This suggests that the ERα in the VMN and POA is involved in the regulation of sexual attractiveness of females. The ERα in the MePD and BNST, on the other hand, plays no role in sociosexual behaviour. © 2015 British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

Impact of land use change on soil organic matter dynamics in subalpine grassland

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Stefanie; Leifeld, Jens; Bahn, Michael; Fuhrer, Jürg

2010-05-01

Information regarding the response of soil organic matter (SOM) in soils to past and expected future land use changes in the European Alps is scarce. Understanding this response requires knowledge of size and residence times of SOM fractions with distinct stabilities. In order to quantify differences between types of land use in the amount, distribution and turnover rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) in subalpine grassland soils, we used soil aggregate and SOM density fractionation in combination with 14C dating. Samples were taken along gradients of different types of land use from meadow (M) to pasture (P) and to abandoned grassland (A) in the Stubai Valley and in the Matsch Valley. Sampling sites in both areas were located at equal altitude (1880 m and 1820 m, respectively) with the same parent material and soil type, but the Matsch Valley receives 400-500 mm less annual rainfall. SOC stocks in the top 10 cm were 2.47 ± 0.32 (M), 2.75 ± 0.32 (P), and 2.50 ± 0.31 kg C/m2 (A) in the Stubai Valley and 2.25 ± 0.14 (M), 3.45 ± 0.22 (P), 3.16 ± 0.27 kg C/m2(A) in the Matsch Valley. Three aggregate size classes were separated by wet sieving: 2 mm. The light floating fraction (wPOM, ρ >1 g/cm3) was included in the analysis. Free (f-) and occluded particulate organic matter (oPOM) were isolated from each aggregate size class (ρ >1.6 g/cm3). At both locations, more than 80% of SOC was stored in small (0.25-2 mm) and large (>2 mm) macroaggregates, but no trend in relation to the different types of land use could be detected. The fraction of C in fPOM and in oPOM in all aggregate size classes was highest for soil from abandoned grasslands. The bulk soil of the abandoned site in the Stubai Valley showed a significantly higher share of fPOM-C and oPOM-C and a higher amount of wPOM-C as compared to the soil from managed grassland, whereas in the Matsch Valley pasture soil had a significantly higher wPOM-C content. At both sites, 13C natural abundance analyses revealed

A Comparative Analysis of the Budget Process in the Venezuelan and U.S. Navies.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-12-01

accounting problems in particular agencies. The DINCA developed a document, Sistema de Contabilidad de la Ejecucion Financiera del Presupuesto para...orienta- tion of the "Plan Operativo Anual" (POA) - Operative Annual Plan. During the Navy’s mid-range planning process the POA is produced. By means of

Central pathway for spontaneous and prostaglandin E2-evoked cutaneous vasoconstriction.

Science.gov (United States)

Rathner, Joseph A; Madden, Christopher J; Morrison, Shaun F

2008-07-01

A reduction of heat loss to the environment through increased cutaneous vasoconstrictor (CVC) sympathetic outflow contributes to elevated body temperature during fever. We determined the role of neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) in increases in CVC sympathetic tone evoked by PGE2 into the preoptic area (POA) in chloralose/urethane-anesthetized rats. The frequency of axonal action potentials of CVC sympathetic ganglion cells recorded from the surface of the tail artery was increased by 1.8 Hz following nanoinjections of bicuculline (50 pmol) into the DMH. PGE2 nanoinjection into the POA elicited a similar excitation of tail CVC neurons (+2.1 Hz). Subsequent to PGE2 into the POA, muscimol (400 pmol/side) into the DMH did not alter the activity of tail CVC neurons. Inhibition of neurons in the rostral raphé pallidus (rRPa) eliminated the spontaneous discharge of tail CVC neurons but only reduced the PGE2-evoked activity. Residual activity was abolished by subsequent muscimol into the rostral ventrolateral medulla. Transections through the neuraxis caudal to the POA increased the activity of tail CVC neurons, which were sustained through transections caudal to DMH. We conclude that while activation of neurons in the DMH is sufficient to activate tail CVC neurons, it is not necessary for their PGE2-evoked activity. These results support a CVC component of increased core temperature elicited by PGE2 in POA that arises from relief of a tonic inhibition from neurons in POA of CVC sympathetic premotor neurons in rRPa and is dependent on the excitation of CVC premotor neurons from a site caudal to DMH.

Simulating Canopy-Level Solar Induced Fluorescence with CLM-SIF 4.5 at a Sub-Alpine Conifer Forest in the Colorado Rockies

Science.gov (United States)

Raczka, B. M.; Bowling, D. R.; Lin, J. C.; Lee, J. E.; Yang, X.; Duarte, H.; Zuromski, L.

2017-12-01

Forests of the Western United States are prone to drought, temperature extremes, forest fires and insect infestation. These disturbance render carbon stocks and land-atmosphere carbon exchanges highly variable and vulnerable to change. Regional estimates of carbon exchange from terrestrial ecosystem models are challenged, in part, by a lack of net ecosystem exchange observations (e.g. flux towers) due to the complex mountainous terrain. Alternatively, carbon estimates based on light use efficiency models that depend upon remotely-sensed greenness indices are challenged due to a weak relationship with GPP during the winter season. Recent advances in the retrieval of remotely sensed solar induced fluorescence (SIF) have demonstrated a strong seasonal relationship between GPP and SIF for deciduous, grass and, to a lesser extent, conifer species. This provides an important opportunity to use remotely-sensed SIF to calibrate terrestrial ecosystem models providing a more accurate regional representation of biomass and carbon exchange across mountainous terrain. Here we incorporate both leaf-level fluorescence and leaf-to-canopy radiative transfer represented by the SCOPE model into CLM 4.5 (CLM-SIF). We simulate canopy level fluorescence at a sub-alpine forest site (Niwot Ridge, Colorado) and test whether these simulations reproduce remotely-sensed SIF from a satellite (GOME2). We found that the average peak SIF during the growing season (yrs 2007-2013) was similar between the model and satellite observations (within 15%); however, simulated SIF during the winter season was significantly greater than the satellite observations (5x higher). This implies that the fluorescence yield is overestimated by the model during the winter season. It is important that the modeled representation of seasonal fluorescence yield is improved to provide an accurate seasonal representation of SIF across the Western United States.

A high-throughput FTIR spectroscopy approach to assess adaptive variation in the chemical composition of pollen.

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Zimmermann, Boris; Bağcıoğlu, Murat; Tafinstseva, Valeria; Kohler, Achim; Ohlson, Mikael; Fjellheim, Siri

2017-12-01

The two factors defining male reproductive success in plants are pollen quantity and quality, but our knowledge about the importance of pollen quality is limited due to methodological constraints. Pollen quality in terms of chemical composition may be either genetically fixed for high performance independent of environmental conditions, or it may be plastic to maximize reproductive output under different environmental conditions. In this study, we validated a new approach for studying the role of chemical composition of pollen in adaptation to local climate. The approach is based on high-throughput Fourier infrared (FTIR) characterization and biochemical interpretation of pollen chemical composition in response to environmental conditions. The study covered three grass species, Poa alpina , Anthoxanthum odoratum , and Festuca ovina . For each species, plants were grown from seeds of three populations with wide geographic and climate variation. Each individual plant was divided into four genetically identical clones which were grown in different controlled environments (high and low levels of temperature and nutrients). In total, 389 samples were measured using a high-throughput FTIR spectrometer. The biochemical fingerprints of pollen were species and population specific, and plastic in response to different environmental conditions. The response was most pronounced for temperature, influencing the levels of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates in pollen of all species. Furthermore, there is considerable variation in plasticity of the chemical composition of pollen among species and populations. The use of high-throughput FTIR spectroscopy provides fast, cheap, and simple assessment of the chemical composition of pollen. In combination with controlled-condition growth experiments and multivariate analyses, FTIR spectroscopy opens up for studies of the adaptive role of pollen that until now has been difficult with available methodology. The approach can easily be

Pattern differences in experimental fevers induced by endotoxin, endogenous pyrogen, and prostaglandins.

Science.gov (United States)

Morimoto, A; Nakamori, T; Watanabe, T; Ono, T; Murakami, N

1988-04-01

To distinguish pattern differences in experimentally induced fevers, we investigated febrile responses induced by intravenous (IV), intracerebroventricular (ICV), and intra-preoptic/anterior hypothalamic (POA) administration of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS), endogenous pyrogen (EP), human recombinant interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1), and prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha (PGE2 and PGF2 alpha). Intravenous LPS, EP, or IL-1 in high concentrations caused biphasic fever. In low concentrations, they induced only the first phase of fever. Latency to onset and time to first peak of fever induced by IV injection of LPS or EP were almost the same as those after ICV or POA injection of PGE2. Fever induced by ICV or POA administration of LPS, EP, IL-1, or PGF2 alpha had a long latency to onset and a prolonged time course. There were significant differences among the latencies to fever onset exhibited by groups that received ICV or POA injections of LPS, EP, or PGF2 alpha and by groups given IV injections of LPS or EP and ICV or POA injections of PGE2. Present observations indicate different patterns of fever produced by several kinds of pyrogens when given by various routes. These results permit us to consider the possibility that there are several mediators or multiprocesses underlying the pathogenesis of fever.

Differential effects of dopamine antagonists infused to the medial preoptic area on the sexual behavior of female rats primed with estrogen and progesterone.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, M Dean; Pfaus, James G

2012-10-01

Dopamine (DA) in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) is important for the control of appetitive aspects of sexual behavior in the female rat. Recently, following infusions of DA agonists to the mPOA of females primed with estradiol benzoate (EB) alone, we found that the ratio of D1R/D2R activity within the mPOA determines the expression of appetitive behaviors (Graham and Pfaus, 2010). To further the knowledge of this mechanism, the present experiments examined the effects of intra-mPOA infusions of selective DA receptor antagonists. Ovariectomized, sexually-experienced rats primed with EB and progesterone (P) were implanted bilaterally with cannulae aimed at the mPOA and infused with 4 doses (0, 0.25, 1.0 and 4.0 μg) of the nonselective D1R/D2R antagonist flupenthixol (FLU), and selective D1R or D2R antagonists, SCH 23390 (SCH) or raclopride (RAC), respectively, in a randomized order prior to tests of sexual behavior in bilevel chambers. The high dose of FLU significantly decreased solicitations, hops and darts, and pacing behavior. The high dose of SCH also significantly decreased solicitations. In contrast, the high dose of RAC produced an increase in pacing, and a trend toward an increase in solicitations but no other effect on sexual behavior. These results reinforce the idea that the ratio of D1R/D2R activity within the mPOA of female rats is critical for the expression of appetitive behaviors, and further that this ratio is altered by P which shifts the DA effect to a predominantly facilitative D1R activation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Primer on CDM programme of activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hinostroza, M. (UNEP Risoe Centre, Roskilde (Denmark)); Lescano, A.D. (A2G Carbon Partners (Peru)); Alvarez, J.M. (Ministerio del Ambiente del Peru (Peru)); Avendano, F.M. (EEA Fund Management Ltd. (United Kingdom)

2009-07-01

As an advanced modality introduced in 2005, the Programmatic CDM (POA) is expected to address asymmetries of participation, especially of very small-scale project activities in certain areas, key sectors and many countries with considerable potential for greenhouse gas emission reductions, not reached by the traditional single-project-based CDM. Latest experiences with POAs and the recently finalized official guidance governing the Programmatic CDM are the grassroots of this Primer, which has the purpose of supporting the fully understanding of rules and procedures of POAs by interpreting them and analyzing real POA cases. Professional and experts from the public and private entities have contributed to the development of this Primer, produced by the UNEP Risoe Centre, as part of knowledge support activities for the Capacity Development for the CDM (CD4CDM) project. The overall objective of the CD4CDM is to develop the capacities of host countries to identify, design, approve, finance, implement CDM projects and commercialize CERs in participating countries. The CDM4CDM is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (author)

Determining Clark's nutcracker use of whitebark pine communities in regard to stand health in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Science.gov (United States)

Jennifer D. Scott; Diana F. Tomback; Michael B. Wunder

2011-01-01

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), one of five stone pines worldwide, is found at treeline and subalpine elevations in the mountains of western North America (McCaughey and Schmidt 2001). Considered a keystone species, it helps maintain subalpine biodiversity, protects watersheds and promotes post-fire regeneration (Tomback and others 2001). The Clark's nutcracker...

Onion Park Research Natural Area: Botanical and ecological resources inventory, mapping and analysis with recommendations towards the development of a long-term monitoring and research program

Science.gov (United States)

Earle F. Layser

1992-01-01

Onion Park is a floristically rich naturally occurring mountain meadow and wetland complex which is surrounded by subalpine forest. The grass- and wetlands comprising the Park contribute biological diversity to an otherwise predominantly lodgepole pine-forested, subalpine setting. Onion Park is located at 7400' elevation in the Little Belt Mountains, five miles...

A Comparison of the Diel Cycle of Modeled and Measured Latent Heat Flux During the Warm Season in a Colorado Subalpine Forest

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Sean P.; Swenson, Sean C.; Wieder, William R.; Lawrence, David M.; Bonan, Gordon B.; Knowles, John F.; Blanken, Peter D.

2018-03-01

Precipitation changes the physiological characteristics of an ecosystem. Because land-surface models are often used to project changes in the hydrological cycle, modeling the effect of precipitation on the latent heat flux λE is an important aspect of land-surface models. Here we contrast conditionally sampled diel composites of the eddy-covariance fluxes from the Niwot Ridge Subalpine Forest AmeriFlux tower with the Community Land Model (CLM, version 4.5). With respect to measured λE during the warm season: for the day following above-average precipitation, λE was enhanced at midday by ≈40 W m-2 (relative to dry conditions), and nocturnal λE increased from ≈10 W m-2 in dry conditions to over 20 W m-2 in wet conditions. With default settings, CLM4.5 did not successfully model these changes. By increasing the amount of time that rainwater was retained by the canopy/needles, CLM was able to match the observed midday increase in λE on a dry day following a wet day. Stable nighttime conditions were problematic for CLM4.5. Nocturnal CLM λE had only a small (≈3 W m-2) increase during wet conditions, CLM nocturnal friction velocity u∗ was smaller than observed u∗, and CLM canopy air temperature was 2°C less than those measured at the site. Using observed u∗ as input to CLM increased λE; however, this caused CLM λE to be increased during both wet and dry periods. We suggest that sloped topography and the ever-present drainage flow enhanced nocturnal u∗ and λE. Such phenomena would not be properly captured by topographically blind land-surface models, such as CLM.

Ecohydrology of Lodgepole Pine Forests: Connecting Transpiration to Subsurface Flow Paths and Storage within a Subalpine Catchment

Science.gov (United States)

Byers, A.; Harpold, A. A.; Barnard, H. R.

2011-12-01

The hydrologic cycle plays a central role in regulating ecosystem structure and function. Linked studies of both subsurface and aboveground processes are needed to improve understanding of ecosystem changes that could result from climate change and disturbance in Colorado's subalpine forests. Here, we present data from plots dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) at the Niwot Ridge LTER site on the Colorado Front Range that improves the process-level understanding of the source and fate of water between subsurface storage and plant uptake. This study utilized event-based sampling during the 2011 growing season to investigate a paradox between water sources and rooting depth in lodgepole pine. Findings from Niwot Ridge have shown that lodgepole, typically believed to be a shallow-rooted species, appear to be strongly dependent on water from snowmelt for the entire growing season. These results suggested that conifer species were accessing water from deeper in the soil than summer monsoon rain typically penetrated. In our study, the relationship between precipitation event size and depth of infiltration on a seasonal and event basis, the effective rooting depth of lodgepole pine, and hysteretic responses of transpiration to soil moisture over a growing season were examined using measurements of tree physiological processes (sap flux and water stress) and hydrological parameters (precipitation, soil moisture) as well as stable water isotope composition of xylem water, mobile and immobile soil water, snow, precipitation, and stream water. Analysis of data shows that soil moisture in deep layers (60 and 70 cm) responds to large summer rain events of 0.7 mm and greater, and that lodgepole sap flux increases by 15-30% within 24 hours of monsoon events and decreases over 72 hours or until subsequent rain. Water isotope analysis will further elucidate the source and event response of these trees. This research helps us understand whether processes known to occur in

Patient blood management knowledge and practice among clinicians from seven European university hospitals: a multicentre survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Manzini, P M; Dall'Omo, A M; D'Antico, S; Valfrè, A; Pendry, K; Wikman, A; Fischer, D; Borg-Aquilina, D; Laspina, S; van Pampus, E C M; van Kraaij, M; Bruun, M T; Georgsen, J; Grant-Casey, J; Babra, P S; Murphy, M F; Folléa, G; Aranko, K

2018-01-01

The aim of this survey was to evaluate the knowledge about Patient Blood Management (PBM) principles and practices amongst clinicians working in seven European hospitals participating in a European Blood Alliance (EBA) project. A web-based questionnaire was sent to 4952 clinicians working in medical, surgery and anaesthesiology disciplines. The responses were analysed, and the overall results as well as a comparison between hospitals are presented. A total of 788 responses (16%) were obtained. About 24% of respondents were not aware of a correlation between preoperative anaemia (POA) and perioperative morbidity and mortality. For 22%, treatment of POA was unlikely to favourably influence morbidity and mortality even before surgery with expected blood loss. More than half of clinicians did not routinely treat POA. 29%, when asked which is the best way to treat deficiency anaemia preoperatively, answered that they did not have sufficient knowledge and 5% chose to 'do nothing'. Amongst those who treated POA, 38% proposed red cell transfusion prior to surgery as treatment. Restrictive haemoglobin triggers for red blood cell transfusion, single unit policy and reduction of number and volumes of blood samples for diagnostic purposes were only marginally implemented. Overall, the responses indicated poor knowledge about PBM. Processes to diagnose and treat POA were not generally and homogeneously implemented. This survey should provide further impetus to implement programmes to improve knowledge and practice of PBM. © 2017 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Ccl22/MDC, is a prostaglandin dependent pyrogen, acting in the anterior hypothalamus to induce hyperthermia via activation of brown adipose tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Osborn, Olivia; Sanchez-Alavez, Manuel; Dubins, Jeffrey S; Gonzalez, Alejandro Sanchez; Morrison, Brad; Hadcock, John R; Bartfai, Tamas

2011-03-01

CC Chemokine ligand 22 (Ccl22) is a selective, high affinity ligand at the CC chemokine receptor 4 (Ccr4). We have identified cDNAs encoding both ligand and receptor of the Ccl22-Ccr4 pair in cDNA libraries of the anterior hypothalamus/pre-optic area (AH/POA) by PCR. The AH/POA is the key brain region where endogenous pyrogens have been shown to act on warm sensitive neurons to affect thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and other thermogenically responsive tissues. We show that functional Ccr4 receptors are present in the AH/POA neurons as injection of Ccl22 into the POA but not to other hypothalamic nuclei induces an increase in core body temperature as measured by radiotelemetry. Indomethacin (5 mg/kg s.c) pre-treatment markedly reduced the hyperthermia evoked by POA injection of Ccl22 (10 ng/0.5 ul) and thus suggests that this hyperthermia is mediated through cyclooxygenase activation and thus likely through the formation and action of the pyrogen prostaglandin E2. The temperature elevation involves a decrease in the respiratory exchange ratio and increased activation of the brown adipose tissue as demonstrated by ¹⁸F-FDG-PET imaging. We describe a novel role to the ligand Ccl22 and its receptor Ccr4 in the anterior hypothalamus in temperature regulation that depends on the synthesis of the endogenous pyrogen, prostaglandin E2. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phytochemical profiles and antioxidant potential of four Arctic vascular plants from Svalbard

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Singh, P.; Singh, S.M.; DeSouza, L.; Wahidullah, S.

the chemical composition and antioxidative activities of four Arctic flowering plant species (Dryas octopetala, Carex rupestris, Silene uralensis and Deschampsia alpina.) through in vitro measurements of the free radical scavenging activities (FRS), inhibition...

Cytochrome oxidase activity in the preoptic area correlates with differences in sexual behavior of intact and castrated male leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius).

Science.gov (United States)

Sakata, J T; Crews, D

2004-08-01

Although the utility of analyzing behavioral experience effects on neural cytochrome oxidase (CO) activity is well recognized, the behavioral correlates of endogenous differences in CO activity have rarely been explored. In male leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius), the incubation temperature experienced during embryogenesis (IncT) and age affect CO activity in the preoptic area (POA), an area that modulates copulatory behavior. In this study, the authors assessed whether differences in POA CO activity correlate with differences in sexual behavior in intact and castrated geckos. Males with IncT- and age-dependent increases in POA CO activity mounted females with shorter latencies while intact and after castration and ejaculated more frequently after castration. The authors discuss the predictive value of CO activity and propose similar parallels in other species.

Temporal dynamics of abiotic and biotic factors on leaf litter of three plant species in relation to decomposition rate along a subalpine elevation gradient.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianxiao Zhu

Full Text Available Relationships between abiotic (soil temperature and number of freeze-thaw cycles or biotic factors (chemical elements, microbial biomass, extracellular enzymes, and decomposer communities in litter and litter decomposition rates were investigated over two years in subalpine forests close to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. Litterbags with senescent birch, fir, and spruce leaves were placed on the forest floor at 2,704 m, 3,023 m, 3,298 m, and 3,582 m elevation. Results showed that the decomposition rate positively correlated with soil mean temperature during the plant growing season, and with the number of soil freeze-thaw cycles during the winter. Concentrations of soluble nitrogen (N, phosphorus (P and potassium (K had positive effects but C:N and lignin:N ratios had negative effects on the decomposition rate (k, especially during the winter. Meanwhile, microbial biomass carbon (MBC, N (MBN, and P (MBP were positively correlated with k values during the first growing season. These biotic factors accounted for 60.0% and 56.4% of the variation in decomposition rate during the winter and the growing season in the first year, respectively. Specifically, litter chemistry (C, N, P, K, lignin, C:N and lignin:N ratio independently explained 29.6% and 13.3%, and the microbe-related factors (MBC, MBN, MBP, bacterial and fungal biomass, sucrase and ACP activity explained 22.9% and 34.9% during the first winter and the first growing season, respectively. We conclude that frequent freeze-thaw cycles and litter chemical properties determine the winter decomposition while microbe-related factors play more important roles in determining decomposition in the subsequent growing season.

Transplantation of subalpine wood-pasture turfs along a natural climatic gradient reveals lower resistance of unwooded pastures to climate change compared to wooded ones.

Science.gov (United States)

Gavazov, Konstantin; Spiegelberger, Thomas; Buttler, Alexandre

2014-04-01

Climate change could impact strongly on cold-adapted mountain ecosystems, but little is known about its interaction with traditional land-use practices. We used an altitudinal gradient to simulate a year-round warmer and drier climate for semi-natural subalpine grasslands across a landscape of contrasting land-use management. Turf mesocosms from three pasture-woodland land-use types-unwooded pasture, sparsely wooded pasture, and densely wooded pasture-spanning a gradient from high to low management intensity were transplanted downslope to test their resistance to two intensities of climate change. We found strong overall effects of intensive (+4 K) experimental climate change (i.e., warming and reduced precipitation) on plant community structure and function, while moderate (+2 K) climate change did not substantially affect the studied land-use types, thus indicating an ecosystem response threshold to moderate climate perturbation. The individual land-use types were affected differently under the +4 K scenario, with a 60% decrease in aboveground biomass (AGB) in unwooded pasture turfs, a 40% decrease in sparsely wooded pasture turfs, and none in densely wooded ones. Similarly, unwooded pasture turfs experienced a 30% loss of species, advanced (by 30 days) phenological development, and a mid-season senescence due to drought stress, while no such effects were recorded for the other land-use types. The observed contrasting effects of climate change across the pasture-woodland landscape have important implications for future decades. The reduced impact of climate change on wooded pastures as compared to unwooded ones should promote the sustainable land use of wooded pastures by maintaining low management intensity and a sparse forest canopy, which buffer the immediate impacts of climate change on herbaceous vegetation.

Effects of a long-term disturbance on arthropods and vegetation in subalpine wetlands: manifestations of pack stock grazing in early versus mid-season.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey G Holmquist

Full Text Available Conclusions regarding disturbance effects in high elevation or high latitude ecosystems based solely on infrequent, long-term sampling may be misleading, because the long winters may erase severe, short-term impacts at the height of the abbreviated growing season. We separated a long-term effects of pack stock grazing, manifested in early season prior to stock arrival, from b additional pack stock grazing effects that might become apparent during annual stock grazing, by use of paired grazed and control wet meadows that we sampled at the beginning and end of subalpine growing seasons. Control meadows had been closed to grazing for at least two decades, and meadow pairs were distributed across Sequoia National Park, California, USA. The study was thus effectively a landscape-scale, long-term manipulation of wetland grazing. We sampled arthropods at these remote sites and collected data on associated vegetation structure. Litter cover and depth, percent bare ground, and soil strength had negative responses to grazing. In contrast, fauna showed little response to grazing, and there were overall negative effects for only three arthropod families. Mid-season and long-term results were generally congruent, and the only indications of lower faunal diversity on mid-season grazed wetlands were trends of lower abundance across morphospecies and lower diversity for canopy fauna across assemblage metrics. Treatment x Season interactions almost absent. Thus impacts on vegetation structure only minimally cascaded into the arthropod assemblage and were not greatly intensified during the annual growing season. Differences between years, which were likely a response to divergent snowfall patterns, were more important than differences between early and mid-season. Reliance on either vegetation or faunal metrics exclusively would have yielded different conclusions; using both flora and fauna served to provide a more integrative view of ecosystem response.

Effects of a long-term disturbance on arthropods and vegetation in subalpine wetlands: manifestations of pack stock grazing in early versus mid-season.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmquist, Jeffrey G; Schmidt-Gengenbach, Jutta; Haultain, Sylvia A

2013-01-01

Conclusions regarding disturbance effects in high elevation or high latitude ecosystems based solely on infrequent, long-term sampling may be misleading, because the long winters may erase severe, short-term impacts at the height of the abbreviated growing season. We separated a) long-term effects of pack stock grazing, manifested in early season prior to stock arrival, from b) additional pack stock grazing effects that might become apparent during annual stock grazing, by use of paired grazed and control wet meadows that we sampled at the beginning and end of subalpine growing seasons. Control meadows had been closed to grazing for at least two decades, and meadow pairs were distributed across Sequoia National Park, California, USA. The study was thus effectively a landscape-scale, long-term manipulation of wetland grazing. We sampled arthropods at these remote sites and collected data on associated vegetation structure. Litter cover and depth, percent bare ground, and soil strength had negative responses to grazing. In contrast, fauna showed little response to grazing, and there were overall negative effects for only three arthropod families. Mid-season and long-term results were generally congruent, and the only indications of lower faunal diversity on mid-season grazed wetlands were trends of lower abundance across morphospecies and lower diversity for canopy fauna across assemblage metrics. Treatment x Season interactions almost absent. Thus impacts on vegetation structure only minimally cascaded into the arthropod assemblage and were not greatly intensified during the annual growing season. Differences between years, which were likely a response to divergent snowfall patterns, were more important than differences between early and mid-season. Reliance on either vegetation or faunal metrics exclusively would have yielded different conclusions; using both flora and fauna served to provide a more integrative view of ecosystem response.

AcEST: DK949197 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available GOSHI Catalase isozyme 2 OS=Gossypium hirsutum G... 432 e-121 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella al...t: 181 ESLHMFTFLFDDIGVPQDYRHMDGSGVHTYTLINKAGKSHYVKFH 225 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina

Dopamine release in the medial preoptic area is related to hormonal action and sexual motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleitz-Nelson, Hayley K; Dominguez, Juan M; Ball, Gregory F

2010-12-01

To help elucidate how general the role of dopamine (DA) release in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) is for the activation of male sexual behavior in vertebrates, we recently developed an in vivo microdialysis procedure in the mPOA of Japanese quail. Using these techniques in the present experiment, the temporal pattern of DA release in relation to the precopulatory exposure to a female and to the expression of both appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior was investigated. Extracellular samples from the mPOA of adult sexually experienced male quail were collected every 6 min before, while viewing, while in physical contact with, and after exposure to a female. In the absence of a precopulatory rise in DA, males failed to copulate when the barrier separating them from the female was removed. In contrast, males that showed a substantial increase in mPOA DA during precopulatory interactions behind the barrier, copulated with females after its removal. However, there was no difference in DA during periods when the quail were copulating as compared to when the female was present but the males were not copulating. In addition, we show that precopulatory DA predicts future DA levels and copulatory behavior frequency. Furthermore, the size of the cloacal gland, an accurate indicator of testosterone action, is positively correlated with precopulatory DA. Taken together, these results provide further support for the hypothesis that DA action in the mPOA is specifically linked to sexual motivation as compared to copulatory behavior per se. © 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Examination of the accuracy of coding hospital-acquired pressure ulcer stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Coomer, Nicole M; McCall, Nancy T

2013-01-01

Pressure ulcers (PU) are considered harmful conditions that are reasonably prevented if accepted standards of care are followed. They became subject to the payment adjustment for hospitalacquired conditions (HACs) beginning October 1, 2008. We examined several aspects of the accuracy of coding for pressure ulcers under the Medicare Hospital-Acquired Condition Present on Admission (HAC-POA) Program. We used the "4010" claim format as a basis of reference to show some of the issues of the old format, such as the underreporting of pressure ulcer stages on pressure ulcer claims and how the underreporting varied by hospital characteristics. We then used the rate of Stage III and IV pressure ulcer HACs reported in the Hospital Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases data to look at the sensitivity of PU HAC-POA coding to the number of diagnosis fields. We examined Medicare claims data for FYs 2009 and 2010 to examine the degree that the presence of stage codes were underreported on pressure ulcer claims. We selected all claims with a secondary diagnosis code of pressure ulcer site (ICD-9 diagnosis codes 707.00-707.09) that were not reported as POA (POA of "N" or "U"). We then created a binary indicator for the presence of any pressure ulcer stage diagnosis code. We examine the percentage of claims with a diagnosis of a pressure ulcer site code with no accompanying pressure ulcer stage code. Our results point to underreporting of PU stages under the "4010" format and that the reporting of stage codes varied across hospital type and location. Further, our results indicate that under the "5010" format, a higher number of pressure ulcer HACs can be expected to be reported and we should expect to encounter a larger percentage of pressure ulcers incorrectly coded as POA under the new format. The combination of the capture of 25 diagnosis codes under the new "5010" format and the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will likely alleviate the observed underreporting of

Seasonal age differences in weight and biometrics of migratory ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Calidris alpina) caught in Eilat, Israel, before and after they accomplish the crossing of the combined ecological barrier of the Sinai, Sahara and Sahel deserts. Between 1999–2001, a total of 410 adults and 342 juveniles were banded.

Effects of Seasonal and Perennial Grazing on Soil Fauna Community and Microbial Biomass Carbon in the Subalpine Meadows of Yunnan, Southwest China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Shengjie; YANG Xiaodong; Anthony R.IVES; FENG Zhili; SHA Liqing

2017-01-01

Grazing and over-grazing may drive changes in the diversity and functioning of below-ground meadow ecosystems.A field soil survey was conducted to compare microbial biomass carbon (Cmin) and soil fauna communities in the two main grassland management systems in subalpine regions of Yunnan Province,China:perennial grazing currently practiced due to increasing herd sizes and traditional seasonal grazing.A three-year exclosure experiment was then conducted to further compare the effects of different grazing practices,including treatments of no mowing,perennial grazing (NM + G),mowing followed by seasonal grazing (M + G),mowing and no grazing (M + NG),and no mowing or grazing (NM + NG).The comparative survey result revealed that Cmin and total density of soil fauna were significantly lower at a perennially grazed site than at a seasonally grazed site.The experiment results showed that in comparison to non-grazing treatments (M + NG and NM + NG),grazing (NM + G and M + G) reduced total fauna density (by 150 individuals m-2) and the number of taxonomic groups present (by 0.32 taxa m-2).Mowing decreased Cmin (by 0.31 mg g-1).Furthermore,the NM + G treatment (perennial grazing) had the lowest density of Collembola (16.24 individuals m-2),one of the two most common taxonomic groups,although other taxonomic groups responded differently to the treatments.Treatment effects on soil fauna were consistent with those on above-ground grasses,in which C:N ratios were greatly reduced by grazing,with this effect being the greatest for the NM + G treatment.In contrast,different grazing treatments had little effect on C:N ratio of soil.Furthermore,the traditional grazing method (mowing followed by seasonal grazing) may have less severe effects on some taxonomic groups than perennial grazing.Therefore,an appropriate management should aim to protect soil fauna and microbes in this area from over-grazing and against further degradation.

How important is organic aerosol hygroscopicity to aerosol indirect forcing?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xiaohong; Wang Jian

2010-01-01

Organics are among the most abundant aerosol components in the atmosphere. However, there are still large uncertainties with emissions of primary organic aerosol (POA) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (precursor gases of secondary organic aerosol, SOA), formation of SOA, and chemical and physical properties (e.g., hygroscopicity) of POA and SOA. All these may have significant impacts on aerosol direct and indirect forcing estimated from global models. In this study a modal aerosol module (MAM) in the NCAR community atmospheric model (CAM) is used to examine sensitivities of aerosol indirect forcing to hygroscopicity (represented by a single parameter 'κ' ) of POA and SOA. Our model simulation indicates that in the present-day (PD) condition changing the 'κ' value of POA from 0 to 0.1 increases the number concentration of cloud condensational nuclei (CCN) at supersaturation S = 0.1% by 40-80% over the POA source regions, while changing the 'κ' value of SOA by ± 50% (from 0.14 to 0.07 and 0.21) changes the CCN concentration within 40%. There are disproportionally larger changes in CCN concentration in the pre-industrial (PI) condition. Due to the stronger impact of organics hygroscopicity on CCN and cloud droplet number concentration at PI condition, global annual mean anthropogenic aerosol indirect forcing (AIF) between PD and PI conditions reduces with the increase of the hygroscopicity of organics. Global annual mean AIF varies by 0.4 W m -2 in the sensitivity runs with the control run of - 1.3 W m -2 , highlighting the need for improved understanding of organics hygroscopicity and its representation in global models.

Differential effects of central injections of D1 and D2 receptor agonists and antagonists on male sexual behavior in Japanese quail.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleitz-Nelson, H K; Cornil, C A; Balthazart, J; Ball, G F

2010-07-01

A key brain site in the control of male sexual behavior is the medial pre-optic area (mPOA) where dopamine stimulates both D1 and D2 receptor subtypes. Research completed to date in Japanese quail has only utilized systemic injections and therefore much is unknown about the specific role played by dopamine in the brain and mPOA in particular. The present study investigated the role of D1 and D2 receptors on male sexual behavior by examining how intracerebroventricular injections and microinjections into the mPOA of D1 and D2 agonists and antagonists influenced appetitive and consummatory aspects of sexual behavior in male quail. Experiments 1 and 2 investigated the effects of intracerebroventricular injections at three doses of D1 or D2 agonists and antagonists. The results indicated that D1 receptors facilitated consummatory male sexual behavior, whereas D2 receptors inhibited both appetitive and consummatory behaviors. Experiment 3 examined the effects of the same compounds specifically injected in the mPOA and showed that, in this region, both receptors stimulated male sexual behaviors. Together, these data indicated that the stimulatory action of dopamine in the mPOA may require a combined activation of D1 and D2 receptors. Finally, the regulation of male sexual behavior by centrally infused dopaminergic compounds in a species lacking an intromittent organ suggested that dopamine action on male sexual behavior does not simply reflect the modulation of genital reflexes due to general arousal, but relates to the central control of sexual motivation. Together, these data support the claim that dopamine specifically regulates male sexual behavior.

Is sexual motivational state linked to dopamine release in the medial preoptic area?

Science.gov (United States)

Kleitz-Nelson, H K; Dominguez, J M; Cornil, C A; Ball, G F

2010-04-01

The medial preoptic area (mPOA) is a key site for the dopaminergic enhancement of male sexual behavior. Dopamine release increases in the rat mPOA with mating, supporting the critical stimulatory role played by preoptic dopamine on male sexual behavior. However, it has been questioned whether dopamine is specifically related to the occurrence of male sexual behavior and not simply involved in general arousal. To address this question, we asked whether dopamine release in the mPOA is linked to the production of male sexual behavior in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), a species that exhibits a much shorter temporal pattern of copulation than rats and does not have an intermittent organ, resulting in a very different topography of their sexual response. Extracellular samples from the mPOA of adult sexually experienced male quail were collected every 6 min before, during, and after exposure to a female using in vivo microdialysis and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Extracellular dopamine significantly increased in the presence of a female and returned to baseline after removal of the female. However, quail that failed to copulate did not display this increased release. These findings indicate that it is not solely the presence of a female that drives dopamine release in males, but how a male responds to her. Furthermore, in quail that copulated, dopamine release did not change in samples collected during periods of no copulation. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that dopamine action in the mPOA is specifically linked to sexual motivation and not only to copulatory behavior or physical arousal.

Colocalization of Mating-Induced Fos and D2-Like Dopamine Receptors in the Medial Preoptic Area: Influence of Sexual Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Nutsch, Victoria L; Will, Ryan G; Robison, Christopher L; Martz, Julia R; Tobiansky, Daniel J; Dominguez, Juan M

2016-01-01

Dopamine in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) stimulates sexual activity in males. This is evidenced by microdialysis and microinjection experiments revealing that dopamine receptor antagonists in the mPOA inhibit sexual activity, whereas agonists facilitate behavior. Microdialysis experiments similarly show a facilitative role for dopamine, as levels of dopamine in the mPOA increase with mating. While the majority of evidence suggests an important role for dopamine receptors in the mPOA in the regulation of male sexual behaviors, whether sexual activity or sexual experience influence dopamine receptor function in the mPOA has not been previously shown. Here we used immunohistochemical assays to determine whether varying levels of sexual activity or experience influence the number of cells containing Fos or D2 receptor immunoreactivity. Results show that sexual experience facilitated subsequent behavior, namely experience decreased latencies. Moreover, the number of cells with immunoreactivity for Fos or D2 correlated with levels of sexual experience and sexual activity. Sexual activity increased Fos immunoreactivity. Sexually experienced animals also had significantly more D2-positive cells. Sexually inexperienced animals copulating for the first time had a larger percentage of D2-positive cells containing Fos, when compared to sexually experienced animals. Finally, regardless of experience, animals that had sex prior to sacrifice had significantly more D2-positive cells that contained Fos, vs. animals that did not copulate. These findings are noteworthy because sexually experienced animals display increased sexual efficiency. The differences in activation of D2 and changes in receptor density may play a role in this efficiency and other behavioral changes across sexual experience.

Protracted effects of chronic stress on serotonin dependent thermoregulation

Science.gov (United States)

Natarajan, Reka; Northrop, Nicole A.; Yamamoto, Bryan K.

2016-01-01

Chronic stress is known to affect serotonin (5HT) neurotransmission in the brain and to alter body temperature. Body temperature is controlled in part, by the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus (mPOA). To investigate the effect of chronic stress on 5HT and how it affects body temperature regulation, we examined whether exposure to a chronic unpredictable stress paradigm (CUS) produces long-term alterations in thermoregulatory function of the mPOA through decreased 5HT neurotransmission. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 21 days of CUS. Four days after last stress exposure, basal body temperature in the home cage and body temperature in a cold room maintained at 10°C were recorded. CUS rats had significantly higher subcutaneous basal body temperature at 13:00 h compared to unstressed (NoStress) rats. Whereas the NoStress rats were able to significantly elevate body temperature from basal levels at 30 and 60 min of exposure to the cold room, the CUS rats showed a hypothermic response to the cold. Treatment during CUS with metyrapone, a corticosterone synthesis inhibitor, blocked stress-induced decrease in body temperature in response to the cold challenge. CUS also decreased 5HT transporter protein immunoreactivity in the mPOA and 5HT2A/C agonist injection into the mPOA after CUS exposure caused stressed rats to exhibit a sensitized hyperthermic response to cold. These results indicate that CUS induced changes to the 5HTergic system alters mPOA function in thermoregulation. These findings help explain mechanisms underlying chronic stress induced disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome wherein long lasting thermoregulatory deficits are observed. PMID:26414686

Global combustion sources of organic aerosols: model comparison with 84 AMS factor-analysis data sets

Science.gov (United States)

Tsimpidi, Alexandra P.; Karydis, Vlassis A.; Pandis, Spyros N.; Lelieveld, Jos

2016-07-01

Emissions of organic compounds from biomass, biofuel, and fossil fuel combustion strongly influence the global atmospheric aerosol load. Some of the organics are directly released as primary organic aerosol (POA). Most are emitted in the gas phase and undergo chemical transformations (i.e., oxidation by hydroxyl radical) and form secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In this work we use the global chemistry climate model ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) with a computationally efficient module for the description of organic aerosol (OA) composition and evolution in the atmosphere (ORACLE). The tropospheric burden of open biomass and anthropogenic (fossil and biofuel) combustion particles is estimated to be 0.59 and 0.63 Tg, respectively, accounting for about 30 and 32 % of the total tropospheric OA load. About 30 % of the open biomass burning and 10 % of the anthropogenic combustion aerosols originate from direct particle emissions, whereas the rest is formed in the atmosphere. A comprehensive data set of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements along with factor-analysis results from 84 field campaigns across the Northern Hemisphere are used to evaluate the model results. Both the AMS observations and the model results suggest that over urban areas both POA (25-40 %) and SOA (60-75 %) contribute substantially to the overall OA mass, whereas further downwind and in rural areas the POA concentrations decrease substantially and SOA dominates (80-85 %). EMAC does a reasonable job in reproducing POA and SOA levels during most of the year. However, it tends to underpredict POA and SOA concentrations during winter indicating that the model misses wintertime sources of OA (e.g., residential biofuel use) and SOA formation pathways (e.g., multiphase oxidation).

New floristic records in the Balkans: 2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2006-01-01

caespitosa subsp. alpina (34), Plantago maritima subsp. serpentina (38), Thymus callieri subsp. callieri (31); Montenegro - Asperula hercegovina (73); Serbia - Allium paniculatum subsp. villosum (98), Viola obliqua (57); Turkey-in-Europe - Chamaecytisus jankae (37). subsp. (98), (57); Turkey-in-Europe - (37...

AcEST: DK949890 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available _GOSHI Catalase isozyme 1 OS=Gossypium hirsutum G... 401 e-111 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella a...8 EGFMNFMHRDEEINYFPSRYDPVRHAEMFPIPPAVCT 414 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 Le

Monitoring tesaříka alpského v Ralské pahorkatině

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Čížek, Lukáš; Pokluda, P.; Hauck, D.; Roztočil, O.; Honců, M.

2009-01-01

Roč. 18, - (2009), s. 125-140 ISSN 1211-9172 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KJB600960705; GA MŠk LC06073 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Rosalia alpina * Coleoptera * Cerambycidae Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour

Some new or noteworthy species of Mortierella

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gams, W.

1976-01-01

Twenty-two species of Mortierella are described and distributed over the sections defined by Gams (1970) which include the following new species: Section Pusilla: M. roseo-nana; Section Alpina: M. globalpina and M. polygonia Section Simplex: M. amoeboidea; Section Hygrophila : M. elongatula, M.

AcEST: DK943980 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available S=Arabidopsis thaliana GN=CAT1... 32 1.00 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 31 1.... 1 AQADKSLGQKVGMRLNVKSN 60 +QADKSLGQK+ RLNV+ N Sbjct: 472 SQADKSLGQKLATRLNVRPN 491 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP

AcEST: DK948548 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available sicum... 431 e-120 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 430 e-120 sp|P32290|CATA_PHA...VK Sbjct: 181 ESLHMFTFLFDDIGIPQDYRHMDGSGVHTFTLINRAGKSTYVK 223 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella a

Formation of organic aerosol in the Paris region during the MEGAPOLI summer campaign: evaluation of the volatility-basis-set approach within the CHIMERE model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. J. Zhang

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Simulations with the chemistry transport model CHIMERE are compared to measurements performed during the MEGAPOLI (Megacities: Emissions, urban, regional and Global Atmospheric POLlution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation summer campaign in the Greater Paris region in July 2009. The volatility-basis-set approach (VBS is implemented into this model, taking into account the volatility of primary organic aerosol (POA and the chemical aging of semi-volatile organic species. Organic aerosol is the main focus and is simulated with three different configurations with a modified treatment of POA volatility and modified secondary organic aerosol (SOA formation schemes. In addition, two types of emission inventories are used as model input in order to test the uncertainty related to the emissions. Predictions of basic meteorological parameters and primary and secondary pollutant concentrations are evaluated, and four pollution regimes are defined according to the air mass origin. Primary pollutants are generally overestimated, while ozone is consistent with observations. Sulfate is generally overestimated, while ammonium and nitrate levels are well simulated with the refined emission data set. As expected, the simulation with non-volatile POA and a single-step SOA formation mechanism largely overestimates POA and underestimates SOA. Simulation of organic aerosol with the VBS approach taking into account the aging of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC shows the best correlation with measurements. High-concentration events observed mostly after long-range transport are well reproduced by the model. Depending on the emission inventory used, simulated POA levels are either reasonable or underestimated, while SOA levels tend to be overestimated. Several uncertainties related to the VBS scheme (POA volatility, SOA yields, the aging parameterization, to emission input data, and to simulated OH levels can be responsible for

Use of passive UAS imaging to measure biophysical parameters in a southern Rocky Mountain subalpine forest

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, M. K.; Sloan, J.; Mladinich, C. S.; Wessman, C. A.

2013-12-01

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can provide detailed, fine spatial resolution imagery for ecological uses not otherwise obtainable through standard methods. The use of UAS imagery for ecology is a rapidly -evolving field, where the study of forest landscape ecology can be augmented using UAS imagery to scale and validate biophysical data from field measurements to spaceborne observations. High resolution imagery provided by UAS (30 cm2 pixels) offers detailed canopy cover and forest structure data in a time efficient and inexpensive manner. Using a GoPro Hero2 (2 mm focal length) camera mounted in the nose cone of a Raven unmanned system, we collected aerial and thermal data monthly during the summer 2013, over two subalpine forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado. These forests are dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus ponderosae) and have experienced insect-driven (primarily mountain pine beetle; MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae) mortality. Objectives of this study include observations of forest health variables such as canopy water content (CWC) from thermal imagery and leaf area index (LAI), biomass and forest productivity from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from UAS imagery. Observations were, validated with ground measurements. Images were processed using a combination of AgiSoft Photoscan professional software and ENVI remote imaging software. We utilized the software Leaf Area Index Calculator (LAIC) developed by Córcoles et al. (2013) for calculating LAI from digital images and modified to conform to leaf area of needle-leaf trees as in Chen and Cihlar (1996) . LAIC uses a K-means cluster analysis to decipher the RGB levels for each pixel and distinguish between green aboveground vegetation and other materials, and project leaf area per unit of ground surface area (i.e. half total needle surface area per unit area). Preliminary LAIC UAS data shows summer average LAI was 3.8 in the most dense forest stands and 2.95 in less dense

The loss of efficiency caused by agents' uncoordinated routing in transport networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhongzhi; Sun, Li; Wang, Junjie; Wang, Pu

2014-01-01

Large-scale daily commuting data were combined with detailed geographical information system (GIS) data to analyze the loss of transport efficiency caused by drivers' uncoordinated routing in urban road networks. We used Price of Anarchy (POA) to quantify the loss of transport efficiency and found that both volume and distribution of human mobility demand determine the POA. In order to reduce POA, a small number of highways require considerable decreases in traffic, and their neighboring arterial roads need to attract more traffic. The magnitude of the adjustment in traffic flow can be estimated using the fundamental measure traffic flow only, which is widely available and easy to collect. Surprisingly, the most congested roads or the roads with largest traffic flow were not those requiring the most reduction of traffic. This study can offer guidance for the optimal control of urban traffic and facilitate improvements in the efficiency of transport networks.

Identification of distinct telencephalic progenitor pools for neuronal diversity in the amygdala.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirata, Tsutomu; Li, Peijun; Lanuza, Guillermo M; Cocas, Laura A; Huntsman, Molly M; Corbin, Joshua G

2009-02-01

The development of the amygdala, a central structure of the limbic system, remains poorly understood. We found that two spatially distinct and early-specified telencephalic progenitor pools marked by the homeodomain transcription factor Dbx1 are major sources of neuronal cell diversity in the mature mouse amygdala. We found that Dbx1-positive cells of the ventral pallium generate the excitatory neurons of the basolateral complex and cortical amygdala nuclei. Moreover, Dbx1-derived cells comprise a previously unknown migratory stream that emanates from the preoptic area (POA), a ventral telencephalic domain adjacent to the diencephalic border. The Dbx1-positive, POA-derived population migrated specifically to the amygdala and, as defined by both immunochemical and electrophysiological criteria, generated a unique subclass of inhibitory neurons in the medial amygdala nucleus. Thus, this POA-derived population represents a previously unknown progenitor pool dedicated to the limbic system.

Scoring Tools for the Analysis of Infant Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography Signals.

Science.gov (United States)

Robles-Rubio, Carlos Alejandro; Bertolizio, Gianluca; Brown, Karen A; Kearney, Robert E

2015-01-01

Infants recovering from anesthesia are at risk of life threatening Postoperative Apnea (POA). POA events are rare, and so the study of POA requires the analysis of long cardiorespiratory records. Manual scoring is the preferred method of analysis for these data, but it is limited by low intra- and inter-scorer repeatability. Furthermore, recommended scoring rules do not provide a comprehensive description of the respiratory patterns. This work describes a set of manual scoring tools that address these limitations. These tools include: (i) a set of definitions and scoring rules for 6 mutually exclusive, unique patterns that fully characterize infant respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) signals; (ii) RIPScore, a graphical, manual scoring software to apply these rules to infant data; (iii) a library of data segments representing each of the 6 patterns; (iv) a fully automated, interactive formal training protocol to standardize the analysis and establish intra- and inter-scorer repeatability; and (v) a quality control method to monitor scorer ongoing performance over time. To evaluate these tools, three scorers from varied backgrounds were recruited and trained to reach a performance level similar to that of an expert. These scorers used RIPScore to analyze data from infants at risk of POA in two separate, independent instances. Scorers performed with high accuracy and consistency, analyzed data efficiently, had very good intra- and inter-scorer repeatability, and exhibited only minor confusion between patterns. These results indicate that our tools represent an excellent method for the analysis of respiratory patterns in long data records. Although the tools were developed for the study of POA, their use extends to any study of respiratory patterns using RIP (e.g., sleep apnea, extubation readiness). Moreover, by establishing and monitoring scorer repeatability, our tools enable the analysis of large data sets by multiple scorers, which is essential for

Scoring Tools for the Analysis of Infant Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography Signals.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Alejandro Robles-Rubio

Full Text Available Infants recovering from anesthesia are at risk of life threatening Postoperative Apnea (POA. POA events are rare, and so the study of POA requires the analysis of long cardiorespiratory records. Manual scoring is the preferred method of analysis for these data, but it is limited by low intra- and inter-scorer repeatability. Furthermore, recommended scoring rules do not provide a comprehensive description of the respiratory patterns. This work describes a set of manual scoring tools that address these limitations. These tools include: (i a set of definitions and scoring rules for 6 mutually exclusive, unique patterns that fully characterize infant respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP signals; (ii RIPScore, a graphical, manual scoring software to apply these rules to infant data; (iii a library of data segments representing each of the 6 patterns; (iv a fully automated, interactive formal training protocol to standardize the analysis and establish intra- and inter-scorer repeatability; and (v a quality control method to monitor scorer ongoing performance over time. To evaluate these tools, three scorers from varied backgrounds were recruited and trained to reach a performance level similar to that of an expert. These scorers used RIPScore to analyze data from infants at risk of POA in two separate, independent instances. Scorers performed with high accuracy and consistency, analyzed data efficiently, had very good intra- and inter-scorer repeatability, and exhibited only minor confusion between patterns. These results indicate that our tools represent an excellent method for the analysis of respiratory patterns in long data records. Although the tools were developed for the study of POA, their use extends to any study of respiratory patterns using RIP (e.g., sleep apnea, extubation readiness. Moreover, by establishing and monitoring scorer repeatability, our tools enable the analysis of large data sets by multiple scorers, which is essential

Ovarian steroids alter dopamine receptor populations in the medial preoptic area of female rats: implications for sexual motivation, desire, and behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, M Dean; Gardner Gregory, James; Hussain, Dema; Brake, Wayne G; Pfaus, James G

2015-12-01

Dopamine (DA) transmission in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) plays a critical role in the control of appetitive sexual behaviour in the female rat. We have shown previously that a DA D1 receptor (D1R)-mediated excitatory state appears to occur in females primed with estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P), whereas a DA D2 receptor (D2R)-mediated inhibitory state appears to occur in females primed only with EB. The present experiment employed three techniques to better understand what changes occur to DA receptors (DARs) in the mPOA under different hormonal profiles. Ovariectomized females were randomly assigned to one of three steroid treatment groups: EB + P (10 and 500 μg, respectively), EB + Oil, or the control (Oil + Oil), with hormone injections administered at 48 and 4 h prior to euthanizing. First, the number of neurons in the mPOA that contained D1R or D2R was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Second, the mPOA and two control areas (the prelimbic cortex and caudate putamen) were analysed for DAR protein levels using western blot, and DAR functional binding levels using autoradiography. Ovarian steroid hormones affected the two DAR subtypes in opposite ways in the mPOA. All three techniques supported previous behavioural findings that females primed with EB have a lower D1R : D2R ratio, and thus a D2R-mediated system, and females primed with EB + P have a higher D1R : D2R ratio, and thus a D1R-mediated system. This provides strong evidence for a DA-driven pathway of female sexual motivation, desire, and behaviour that is modified by different hormone priming regimens. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Protracted effects of chronic stress on serotonin-dependent thermoregulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Natarajan, Reka; Northrop, Nicole A; Yamamoto, Bryan K

2015-01-01

Chronic stress is known to affect serotonin (5HT) neurotransmission in the brain and to alter body temperature. The body temperature is controlled in part, by the medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus. To investigate the effect of chronic stress on 5HT and how it affects body temperature regulation, we examined whether exposure to a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) paradigm produces long-term alterations in thermoregulatory function of the mPOA through decreased 5HT neurotransmission. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 21 d of CUS. Four days after the last stress exposure, basal body temperature in the home cage and body temperature in a cold room maintained at 10 °C were recorded. The CUS rats had significantly higher subcutaneous basal body temperature at 13:00 h compared to unstressed (NoStress) rats. Whereas the NoStress rats were able to significantly elevate body temperature from basal levels at 30 and 60 min of exposure to the cold room, the CUS rats showed a hypothermic response to the cold. Treatment during CUS with metyrapone, a corticosterone synthesis inhibitor, blocked stress-induced decrease in body temperature in response to the cold challenge. CUS also decreased 5HT transporter protein immunoreactivity in the mPOA and 5HT2A/C agonist injection into the mPOA after CUS exposure caused stressed rats to exhibit a sensitized hyperthermic response to cold. These results indicate that the CUS induced changes to the 5HTergic system alter mPOA function in thermoregulation. These findings help us to explain the mechanisms underlying chronic stress-induced disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome wherein long lasting thermoregulatory deficits are observed.

Tracking the Genetic Stability of a Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Breeding Program With Genetic Markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourgeois, Lelania; Beaman, Lorraine

2017-08-01

A genetic stock identification (GSI) assay was developed in 2008 to distinguish Russian honey bees from other honey bee stocks that are commercially produced in the United States. Probability of assignment (POA) values have been collected and maintained since the stock release in 2008 to the Russian Honey Bee Breeders Association. These data were used to assess stability of the breeding program and the diversity levels of the contemporary breeding stock through comparison of POA values and genetic diversity parameters from the initial release to current values. POA values fluctuated throughout 2010-2016, but have recovered to statistically similar levels in 2016 (POA(2010) = 0.82, POA(2016) = 0.74; P = 0.33). Genetic diversity parameters (i.e., allelic richness and gene diversity) in 2016 also remained at similar levels when compared to those in 2010. Estimates of genetic structure revealed stability (FST(2009/2016) = 0.0058) with a small increase in the estimate of the inbreeding coefficient (FIS(2010) = 0.078, FIS(2016) = 0.149). The relationship among breeding lines, based on genetic distance measurement, was similar in 2008 and 2016 populations, but with increased homogeneity among lines (i.e., decreased genetic distance). This was expected based on the closed breeding system used for Russian honey bees. The successful application of the GSI assay in a commercial breeding program demonstrates the utility and stability of such technology to contribute to and monitor the genetic integrity of a breeding stock of an insect species. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Reduced pyrazinamidase activity and the natural resistance of Mycobacterium kansasii to the antituberculosis drug pyrazinamide.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Z; Zhang, Y

1999-03-01

Pyrazinamide (PZA), an analog of nicotinamide, is a prodrug that requires conversion to the bactericidal compound pyrazinoic acid (POA) by the bacterial pyrazinamidase (PZase) activity of nicotinamidase to show activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mutations leading to a loss of PZase activity cause PZA resistance in M. tuberculosis. M. kansasii is naturally resistant to PZA and has reduced PZase activity along with an apparently detectable nicotinamidase activity. The role of the reduction in PZase activity in the natural PZA resistance of M. kansasii is unknown. The MICs of PZA and POA for M. kansasii were determined to be 500 and 125 micrograms/ml, respectively. Using [14C]PZA and [14C]nicotinamide, we found that M. kansasii had about 5-fold-less PZase activity and about 25-fold-less nicotinamidase activity than M. tuberculosis. The M. kansasii pncA gene was cloned on a 1.8-kb BamHI DNA fragment, using M. avium pncA probe. Sequence analysis showed that the M. kansasii pncA gene encoded a protein with homology to its counterparts from M. tuberculosis (69.9%), M. avium (65.6%), and Escherichia coli (28.5%). Transformation of naturally PZA-resistant M. bovis BCG with M. kansasii pncA conferred partial PZA susceptibility. Transformation of M. kansasii with M. avium pncA caused functional expression of PZase and high-level susceptibility to PZA, indicating that the natural PZA resistance in M. kansasii results from a reduced PZase activity. Like M. tuberculosis, M. kansasii accumulated POA in the cells at an acidic pH; however, due to its highly active POA efflux pump, the naturally PZA-resistant species M. smegmatis did not. These findings suggest the existence of a weak POA efflux mechanism in M. kansasii.

Some quantitative indicators of postovulatory aging and its effect on larval and juvenile development of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Science.gov (United States)

Mommens, Maren; Storset, Arne; Babiak, Igor

2015-07-01

Modern out-of-season egg production in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) increases the risk of postovulatory aging (POA) of oocytes. Postovulatory aging is known to influence oocyte quality in salmonids, but reliable tests for POA are lacking in Atlantic salmon egg production. To address this problem, we have collected oocytes from the same 20 Atlantic salmon females sequentially in approximately 1-week intervals, from the start of ovulation until 28 days postovulation (dpo), to determine the effect of natural retention of matured oocytes in body coelomic cavity on further performance of embryos and juveniles produced from those oocytes. Also, we investigated oocyte water hardening and several coelomic fluid parameters as potential quantitative indicators of POA. Oocyte quality decreased significantly from 22 dpo onward, as inferred from decrease in fertilization success and survival of embryos, alevins, and juveniles and increase in alevin and juvenile deformity rates. The occurrence of head deformities was significantly related to postovulatory age of oocytes. Coelomic fluid pH decreased significantly at 28 dpo and correlated positively with fertilization rates (r = 0.45), normal eyed embryo rates (r = 0.67), and alevin relative survival rates (r = 0.63) and negatively correlated with total alevin deformity rates (r = -0.59). Oocyte weight gain at 60 minutes decreased significantly at 28 dpo and correlated negatively with total alevin deformities and the occurrence of cranial nodules (r = -0.99). Generally, quality of ovulated oocytes remained stable for the first 2 weeks after ovulation. Later on, POA negatively influenced Atlantic salmon embryo, alevin, and juvenile performance. For the first time, we show a long-term effect of POA on salmonid juvenile performance. Standardized pH measurements of coelomic fluid could potentially improve embryo and juvenile production by identifying low-quality oocytes at an early stage during the production. Copyright © 2015

c-Fos expression in the paternal mouse brain induced by communicative interaction with maternal mates.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Jing; Liang, Mingkun; Akther, Shirin; Higashida, Chiharu; Tsuji, Takahiro; Higashida, Haruhiro

2014-09-11

Appropriate parental care by fathers greatly facilitates health in human family life. Much less is known from animal studies regarding the factors and neural circuitry that affect paternal behavior compared with those affecting maternal behavior. We recently reported that ICR mouse sires displayed maternal-like retrieval behavior when they were separated from pups and caged with their mates (co-housing) because the sires receive communicative interactions via ultrasonic and pheromone signals from the dams. We investigated the brain structures involved in regulating this activity by quantifying c-Fos-immunoreactive cells as neuronal activation markers in the neural pathway of male parental behavior. c-Fos expression in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) was significantly higher in sires that exhibited retrieval behavior (retrievers) than those with no such behavior (non-retrievers). Identical increased expression was found in the mPOA region in the retrievers stimulated by ultrasonic vocalizations or pheromones from their mates. Such increases in expression were not observed in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAcc) or ventral palladium (VP). On the following day that we identified the families of the retrievers or non-retrievers, c-Fos expression in neuronal subsets in the mPOA, VTA, NAcc and VP was much higher in the retriever sires when they isolated together with their mates in new cages. This difference was not observed in the singly isolated retriever sires in new cages. The non-retriever sires did not display expression changes in the four brain regions that were assessed. The mPOA neurons appeared to be activated by direct communicative interactions with mate dams, including ultrasonic vocalizations and pheromones. The mPOA-VTA-NAcc-VP neural circuit appears to be involved in paternal retrieval behavior.

From Bad to Worse: Anemia on Admission and Hospital-Acquired Anemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Colleen G; Li, Liang; Sun, Zhiyuan; Hixson, Eric D; Tang, Anne S; Phillips, Shannon C; Blackstone, Eugene H; Henderson, J Michael

2017-12-01

Anemia at hospitalization is often treated as an accompaniment to an underlying illness, without active investigation, despite its association with morbidity. Development of hospital-acquired anemia (HAA) has also been associated with increased risk for poor outcomes. Together, they may further heighten morbidity risk from bad to worse. The aims of this study were to (1) examine mortality, length of stay, and total charges in patients with present-on-admission (POA) anemia and (2) determine whether these are exacerbated by development of HAA. In this cohort investigation, from January 1, 2009, to August 31, 2011, a total of 44,483 patients with POA anemia were admitted to a single health system compared with a reference group of 48,640 without POA anemia or HAA. Data sources included the University HealthSystem Consortium database and electronic medical records. Risk-adjustment methods included logistic and linear regression models for mortality, length of stay, and total charges. Present-on-admission anemia was defined by administrative coding. Hospital-acquired anemia was determined by changes in hemoglobin values from the electronic medical record. Approximately one-half of the patients experienced worsening of anemia with development of HAA. Risk for death and resource use increased with increasing severity of HAA. Those who developed severe HAA had 2-fold greater odds for death; that is, mild POA anemia with development of severe HAA resulted in greater mortality (odds ratio, 2.57; 95% confidence interval, 2.08-3.18; P < 0.001), increased length of stay (2.23; 2.16-2.31; P < 0.001), and higher charges (2.09; 2.03-2.15; P < 0.001). Present-on-admission anemia is associated with increased mortality and resource use. This risk is further increased from bad to worse when patients develop HAA. Efforts to address POA anemia and HAA deserve attention.

Evaluating Simulated Primary Anthropogenic and Biomass Burning Organic Aerosols during MILAGRO: Implications for Assessing Treatments of Secondary Organic Aerosols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fast, Jerome D.; Aiken, Allison; Allan, James D.; Alexander, M. L.; Campos, Teresa; Canagaratna, Manjula R.; Chapman, Elaine G.; DeCarlo, Peter; de Foy, B.; Gaffney, Jeffrey; de Gouw, Joost A.; Doran, J. C.; Emmons, L.; Hodzic, Alma; Herndon, Scott C.; Huey, L. G.; Jayne, John T.; Jimenez, Jose L.; Kleinman, Lawrence I.; Kuster, W. C.; Marley, Nancy A.; Russell, Lynn M.; Ochoa, Carlos; Onasch, Timothy B.; Pekour, Mikhail S.; Song, Chen; Ulbrich, Ingrid M.; Warneke, Carsten; Welsh-Bon, Daniel; Wiedinmyer, Christine; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Yu, Xiao-Ying; Zaveri, Rahul A.

2009-08-31

Simulated primary organic aerosols (POA), as well as other particulates and trace gases, in the vicinity of Mexico City are evaluated using measurements collected during the 2006 Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field campaigns. Since the emission inventories and dilution will affect predictions of total organic matter and consequently total particulate matter, our objective is to assess the uncertainties in predicted POA before testing and evaluating the performance of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) treatments. Carbon monoxide (CO) is well simulated on most days both over the city and downwind, indicating that transport and mixing processes were usually consistent with the meteorological conditions observed during MILAGRO. Predicted and observed elemental carbon (EC) in the city was similar, but larger errors occurred at remote locations since the CO/EC emission ratios in the national emission inventory were lower than in the metropolitan emission inventory. Components of organic aerosols derived from Positive Matrix Factorization and data from several Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer instruments deployed both at ground sites and on research aircraft are used to evaluate the model. Predicted POA was consistently lower than the measured organic matter at the ground sites, which is consistent with the expectation that SOA should be a large fraction of the total organic matter mass. A much better agreement was found when predicted POA was compared with the sum of "primary anthropogenic" and "primary biomass burning" components on days with relatively low biomass burning, suggesting that the overall magnitude of primary organic particulates released was reasonable. The predicted POA was greater than the total observed organic matter when the aircraft flew directly downwind of large fires, suggesting that biomass burning emission estimates from some large fires may be too high. Predicted total observed organic carbon (TOOC) was

Tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactivity and its relations with gonadotropin-releasing hormone and neuropeptide Y in the preoptic area of the guinea pig.

Science.gov (United States)

Bogus-Nowakowska, Krystyna; Równiak, Maciej; Hermanowicz-Sobieraj, Beata; Wasilewska, Barbara; Najdzion, Janusz; Robak, Anna

2016-12-01

The present study examines the distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity and its morphological relationships with neuropeptide Y (NPY)- and gonadoliberin (GnRH)-immunoreactive (IR) structures in the preoptic area (POA) of the male guinea pig. Tyrosine hydroxylase was expressed in relatively small population of perikarya and they were mostly observed in the periventricular preoptic nucleus and medial preoptic area. The tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR) fibers were dispersed troughout the whole POA. The highest density of these fibers was observed in the median preoptic nucleus, however, in the periventricular preoptic nucleus and medial preoptic area they were only slightly less numerous. In the lateral preoptic area, the density of TH-IR fibers was moderate. Two morphological types of TH-IR fibers were distinguished: smooth and varicose. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that TH and GnRH overlapped in the guinea pig POA but they never coexisted in the same structures. TH-IR fibers often intersected with GnRH-IR structures and many of them touched the GnRH-IR perikarya or dendrites. NPY wchich was abundantly present in the POA only in fibers showed topographical proximity with TH-IR structures. Althoug TH-IR perikarya and fibers were often touched by NPY-IR fibers, colocalization of TH and NPY in the same structures was very rare. There was only a small population of fibers which contained both NPY and TH. In conclusion, the morphological evidence of contacts between TH- and GnRH-IR nerve structures may be the basis of catecholaminergic control of GnRH release in the preoptic area of the male guinea pig. Moreover, TH-IR neurons were conatcted by NPY-IR fibers and TH and NPY colocalized in some fibers, thus NPY may regulate catecholaminergic neurons in the POA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crosstalks between kisspeptin neurons and somatostatin neurons are not photoperiod dependent in the ewe hypothalamus.

Science.gov (United States)

Dufourny, Laurence; Lomet, Didier

2017-12-01

Seasonal reproduction is under the control of gonadal steroid feedback, itself synchronized by day-length or photoperiod. As steroid action on GnRH neurons is mostly indirect and therefore exerted through interneurons, we looked for neuroanatomical interactions between kisspeptin (KP) neurons and somatostatin (SOM) neurons, two populations targeted by sex steroids, in three diencephalic areas involved in the central control of ovulation and/or sexual behavior: the arcuate nucleus (ARC), the preoptic area (POA) and the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl). KP is the most potent secretagogue of GnRH secretion while SOM has been shown to centrally inhibit LH pulsatile release. Notably, hypothalamic contents of these two neuropeptides vary with photoperiod in specific seasonal species. Our hypothesis is that SOM inhibits KP neuron activity and therefore indirectly modulate GnRH release and that this effect may be seasonally regulated. We used sections from ovariectomized estradiol-replaced ewes killed after photoperiodic treatment mimicking breeding or anestrus season. We performed triple immunofluorescent labeling to simultaneously detect KP, SOM and synapsin, a marker for synaptic vesicles. Sections from the POA and from the mediobasal hypothalamus were examined using a confocal microscope. Randomly selected KP or SOM neurons were observed in the POA and ARC. SOM neurons were also observed in the VMHvl. In both the ARC and POA, nearly all KP neurons presented numerous SOM contacts. SOM neurons presented KP terminals more frequently in the ARC than in the POA and VMHvl. Quantitative analysis failed to demonstrate major seasonal variations of KP and SOM interactions. Our data suggest a possible inhibitory action of SOM on all KP neurons in both photoperiodic statuses. On the other hand, the physiological significance of KP modulation of SOM neuron activity and vice versa remain to be determined. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Raptor predation on wintering Dunlins in relation to the tidal cycle

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, D.; Ydenberg, R.C.

2004-01-01

At Boundary Bay, British Columbia, Canada, Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) captured 94 Dunlins (Calidris alpina) in 652 hunts. The two main hunting methods were open attacks on flying Dunlins (62%) and stealth attacks on roosting or foraging Dunlins (35%). Peregrines hunted throughout the day,

Mitochondrial DNA sequence evolution in shorebird populations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wenink, P.W.

1994-01-01

This thesis describes the global molecular population structure of two shorebird species, in particular of the dunlin, Calidris alpina, by means of comparative sequence analysis of the most variable part of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome. There are several reasons

Does growth rate determine the rate of metabolism in shorebird chicks living in the arctic?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Williams, Joseph B.; Tieleman, B. Irene; Visser, G. Henk; Ricklefs, Robert E.

2007-01-01

We measured resting and peak metabolic rates (RMR and PMR, respectively) during development of chicks of seven species of shorebirds: least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla; adult mass 20 22 g), dunlin (Calidris alpina; 56-62 g), lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes; 88-92 g), short-billed dowitcher

Modification of nylon-6 with semi-rigid poly (p-diphenyl oxide terephthalamide)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, M.F.; Wang, H.H.; Shu, Y.C.

1994-01-01

In this study, the flexible nylon-6 was reinforced by the semi-rigid aromatic polyamide, poly (p-diphenyl oxide terephthalamide) (POA), through physical polybending and chemical copolymerization using p-aminophenylacetic acid (P-APA) as a coupling agent. From the DSC measurements, it was shown that Tg of the polyblends was increased with the increase of POA content. The Tg and Tm of multiblock copolyamides were found to be higher than those of polyblends and triblock copolyamides. From the Rheovibron measurements, it was shown that the POA with nylon-6 poy-blends exhibited higher E' and Tg value than that of nylon-6, which increased with the increase of POA content. The Tg and E' values of multiblock copolyamides were higher than those of polyblends triblock copolyamides. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the polyblends were a dispersed phase structure, although the multiblock copolyamides exhibited a homogeneous texture rather than an aggregated one. From the wide-angle x-ray diffraction pattern, the triblock copolyamides and polyblends had two diffraction peaks, i.e., 2 θ = 20.5 degrees and 24 degrees. However, the multiblock had only one at 2 θ = 20 degrees, which indicates that a different crystal structure of multiblock copolyamides. For the mechanical properties, it was found that the multiblock copolyamides had a more significant reinforcing effect than those of polyblends and triblock copolyamides. 21 refs., 11 figs., 5 tabs

Population dynamics along a primary succession gradient: do alpine species fit into demographic succession theory?

Science.gov (United States)

Marcante, Silvia; Winkler, Eckart; Erschbamer, Brigitta

2009-05-01

Understanding processes and mechanisms governing changes in plant species along primary successions has been of major importance in ecology. However, to date hardly any studies have focused on the complete life cycle of species along a successional gradient, comparing pioneer, early and late-successional species. In this study it is hypothesized that pioneer species should initially have a population growth rate, lambda, greater than one with high fecundity rates, and declining growth rates when they are replaced by late-successional species. Populations of late-successional species should also start, at the mid-successional stage (when pioneer species are declining), with growth rates greater than one and arrive at rates equal to one at the late successional stage, mainly due to higher survival rates that allow these species to persist for a long time. The demography of pioneer- (Saxifraga aizoides), early (Artemisia genipi) and late-successional species (Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. alpicola) was investigated together with that of a ubiquitous species (Poa alpina) along the Rotmoos glacier foreland (2300-2400 m a.s.l., Central Alps, Austria) over 3 years. A matrix modelling approach was used to compare the main demographic parameters. Elasticity values were plotted in a demographic triangle using fecundity, individual growth and survival as vital rates contributing to the population growth rates. The results largely confirmed the predictions for population growth rates during succession. However, high survival rates of larger adults characterized all species, regardless of where they were growing along the succession. At the pioneer site, high mortality rates of seedlings, plantlets and young individuals were recorded. Fecundity was found to be of minor relevance everywhere, but it was nevertheless sufficient to increase or maintain the population sizes. Demographically, all the species over all sites behaved like late-successional or climax species in secondary

Foliar responses of understorey Abies lasiocarpa to different degrees of release cutting of Betula papyrifera and conifer mixed species stand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, J.R.; Letchford, T. [Ministry of Forests, Prince George, BC (Canada). Red Rock Research Station; Comeau, P.G. [BC Ministry of Forests, Victoria, BC (Canada); Coopersmith, D. [BC Ministry of Forests, Prince George, BC (Canada)

2000-07-01

Foliar responses of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) to thinning were studied in a 35-yr-old mixed stand of paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) and conifers. The stand regenerated naturally after a wildfire with a canopy dominated by paper birch (average height 9.8 m) and an understorey dominated by subalpine fir (average height 1.6 m). The stand was thinned to four densities of birch: 0, 600 and 1200 stems ha{sup -1} and control (Unthinned at 2300-6400 stems ha{sup -1}) in the autumn of 1995. The understorey conifers, mainly subalpine fir, were thinned to 1200 stems ha{sup -1}. The study used a completely randomized split-plot design. Three sample trees were systematically selected from each treatment replicate and each tree stratum (upper, intermediate and lower understorey). One-year-old and older age class needles were collected from one south-facing branch within the fifth whorl from the tree top. Thinning of paper birch significantly (p<0.001) increased leaf area and dry weight per 100 needles for intermediate and short trees except in the 0 birch treatment. Understorey subalpine fir trees in 600 stems ha{sup -1} birch (T3) had the largest leaf area and leaf dry weight per 100 1-yr-old needles. Specific leaf area (SLA) decreased from unthinned (T1) to 0 birch (T4). Lower understorey trees had the largest SLA. One-year-old needles had significantly higher N, P and K concentrations in all the thinning treatments. These responses are consistent with the shade tolerance of subalpine fir. The results suggest that when managing a paper birch-conifers mixed wood forest it may be of benefit to understorey conifers to leave a birch canopy as a nursing crop.

Winter body mass and over-ocean flocking as components of danger management by Pacific dunlins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ydenberg, R.C.; Dekker, D.; Kaiser, G.; Shepherd, P.C.F.; Ogden, L.E.; Rickards, K.; Lank, D.B.

2010-01-01

Background: We compared records of the body mass and roosting behavior of Pacific dunlins (Calidris alpina pacifica) wintering on the Fraser River estuary in southwest British Columbia between the 1970s and the 1990s. 'Over-ocean flocking' is a relatively safe but energetically-expensive alternative

AcEST: DK955512 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available AT4 PE=2 SV=1 332 6e-91 sp|P49317|CATA3_NICPL Catalase isozyme 3 OS=Nicotiana plumbagini... 332 6e-91 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP...121 GFAVKFYTREGNFDLVGNNFPVFFVRDGMKFPDMVHALKPNPKSHIQ 167 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina

AcEST: DK950258 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available umbagini... 395 e-109 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 394 e-109 sp|P25819|CATA2... Query: 632 ESMHMFSWLFDDVGIPLNYR 691 ES+HMFS+LFDD+G+P +YR Sbjct: 181 ESLHMFSFLFDDLGVPQDYR 200 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP

The loss of efficiency caused by agents' uncoordinated routing in transport networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongzhi Xu

Full Text Available Large-scale daily commuting data were combined with detailed geographical information system (GIS data to analyze the loss of transport efficiency caused by drivers' uncoordinated routing in urban road networks. We used Price of Anarchy (POA to quantify the loss of transport efficiency and found that both volume and distribution of human mobility demand determine the POA. In order to reduce POA, a small number of highways require considerable decreases in traffic, and their neighboring arterial roads need to attract more traffic. The magnitude of the adjustment in traffic flow can be estimated using the fundamental measure traffic flow only, which is widely available and easy to collect. Surprisingly, the most congested roads or the roads with largest traffic flow were not those requiring the most reduction of traffic. This study can offer guidance for the optimal control of urban traffic and facilitate improvements in the efficiency of transport networks.

The role of motivation and reward neural systems in vocal communication in songbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Riters, Lauren V

2012-04-01

Many vertebrates are highly motivated to communicate, suggesting that the consequences of communication may be rewarding. Past studies show that dopamine and opioids in the medial preoptic nucleus (mPOA) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) play distinct roles in motivation and reward. In songbirds, multiple lines of recent evidence indicate that the roles of dopamine and opioid activity in mPOA and VTA in male birdsong differ depending upon whether song is used to attract females (sexually-motivated) or is produced spontaneously (undirected). Evidence is reviewed supporting the hypotheses that (1) mPOA and VTA interact to influence the context in which a male sings, (2) distinct patterns of dopamine activity underlie the motivation to produce sexually-motivated and undirected song, (3) sexually-motivated communication is externally reinforced by opioids released as part of social interactions, and (4) undirected communication is facilitated and rewarded by immediate opioid release linked to the act of singing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrophysiological characterization of male goldfish (Carassius auratus ventral preoptic area neurons receiving olfactory inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wudu E. Lado

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Chemical communication via sex pheromones is critical for successful reproduction but the underlying neural mechanisms are not well-understood. The goldfish is a tractable model because sex pheromones have been well-characterized in this species. We used male goldfish forebrain explants in vitro and performed whole-cell current clamp recordings from single neurons in the ventral preoptic area (vPOA to characterize their membrane properties and synaptic inputs from the olfactory bulbs (OB. Principle component and cluster analyses based on intrinsic membrane properties of vPOA neurons (N = 107 revealed five (I-V distinct cell groups. These cells displayed differences in their input resistance (Rinput: I II = IV > III = V. Evidence from electrical stimulation of the OB and application of receptor antagonists suggests that vPOA neurons receive monosynaptic glutamatergic inputs via the medial olfactory tract, with connectivity varying among neuronal groups [I (24%, II (40%, III (0%, IV (34% and V (2%].

Interannual variability of Net Ecosystem CO2 Exchange and its component fluxes in a subalpine Mediterranean ecosystem (SE Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Chamizo, Sonia; Serrano-Ortiz, Penélope; Sánchez-Cañete, Enrique P.; Domingo, Francisco; Arnau-Rosalén, Eva; Oyonarte, Cecilio; Pérez-Priego, Óscar; López-Ballesteros, Ana; Kowalski, Andrew S.

2015-04-01

Recent decades under climate change have seen increasing interest in quantifying the carbon (C) balance of different terrestrial ecosystems, and their behavior as sources or sinks of C. Both CO2 exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere and identification of its drivers are key to understanding land-surface feedbacks to climate change. The eddy covariance (EC) technique allows measurements of net ecosystem C exchange (NEE) from short to long time scales. In addition, flux partitioning models can extract the components of net CO2 fluxes, including both biological processes of photosynthesis or gross primary production (GPP) and respiration (Reco), and also abiotic drivers like subsoil CO2 ventilation (VE), which is of particular relevance in semiarid environments. The importance of abiotic processes together with the strong interannual variability of precipitation, which strongly affects CO2 fluxes, complicates the accurate characterization of the C balance in semiarid landscapes. In this study, we examine 10 years of interannual variability of NEE and its components at a subalpine karstic plateau, El Llano de los Juanes, in the Sierra de Gádor (Almería, SE Spain). Results show annual NEE ranging from 55 g C m-2 (net emission) to -54 g C m-2 (net uptake). Among C flux components, GPP was the greatest contributing 42-57% of summed component magnitudes, while contributions by Reco and VE ranged from 27 to 46% and from 3 to 18%, respectively. Annual precipitation during the studied period exhibited high interannual variability, ranging from 210 mm to 1374 mm. Annual precipitation explained 50% of the variance in Reco, 59% of that in GPP, and 56% for VE. While Reco and GPP were positively correlated with annual precipitation (correlation coefficient, R, of 0.71 and 0.77, respectively), VE showed negative correlation with this driver (R = -0.74). During the driest year (2004-2005), annual GPP and Reco reached their lowest values, while contribution of

Estudo da degradação do metil parabeno utilizando processos Fenton, foto-Fenton e eletro-Fenton

OpenAIRE

Carlos Dante Gamarra Güere

2014-01-01

Os disruptores endócrinos são frequentemente relatados na literatura como contaminantes de ambientes aquáticos. Por isso, os processos oxidativos avançados (POAs) têm sido estudados como alternativa para o tratamento em meio aquoso. Os POAs consistem na oxidação de compostos orgânicos por radicais hidroxilas com alto poder oxidante. Diante desses aspectos, o presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo o estudo da degradação do metil parabeno (MeP) por processos Fenton, utilizando planejame...

AcEST: DK947415 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 7|CATA2_GOSHI Catalase isozyme 2 OS=Gossypium hirsutum G... 74 3e-13 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldan...RLNVRPSI 492 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 Length = 492 Score = 73.2 bits (1

AcEST: DK951242 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available umbagini... 398 e-110 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 397 e-110 sp|P25819|CATA2...FSHHP 180 Query: 628 ESMHMFSWLFDDVGIPLNYRH 690 ES+HMFS+LFDD+G+P +YRH Sbjct: 181 ESLHMFSFLFDDLGVPQDYRH 201 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP

AcEST: DK948290 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available .. 415 e-116 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 411 e-114 sp|P32290|CATA_PHAAU Cat...MFSWLFDDVGIPLNYRHMEGFGVHTFT 653 ES+HMF++LFDD+G+P +YRHM+G GVHT+T Sbjct: 181 ESLHMFTFLFDDIGVPQDYRHMDGSGVHTYT 211 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP

AcEST: DK950143 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available ... 398 e-110 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 397 e-110 sp|P25819|CATA2_ARATH C...0 Query: 619 ESMHMFSWLFDDVGIPLNYRH 681 ES+HMFS+LFDD+G+P +YRH Sbjct: 181 ESLHMFSFLFDDLGVPQDYRH 201 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP

Infusions of ascorbic acid into the medial preoptic area facilitate appetitive sexual behavior in the female rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, M Dean; Pfaus, James G

2013-10-02

Ascorbic acid (AA), also known as Vitamin C, enhances dopamine (DA) transmission in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal terminals and augments DA-mediated behaviors. It is not yet known whether AA has a similar influence in other DA terminals, in particular terminals of the incertohypothalamic system that modulate the function of the medial preoptic area (mPOA). In female rats, DA in the mPOA plays a critical role in the generation of appetitive sexual responses, notably solicitations, hops, and darts, and we have shown previously that the role of DA in this region on female sexual behavior changes depending on the hormonal profile of the female. Since AA has often been used as a vehicle control in the examination of rat sexual behavior, the present study examined the effect of infusions of AA to the mPOA of sexual experienced ovariectomized rats under two hormonal conditions: partially-primed with estradiol benzoate (EB) alone or fully-primed with EB and progesterone. Relative to saline baselines, females under both hormonal conditions displayed a significant increase in appetitive sexual behaviors following infusions of AA. No difference in lordosis behavior was observed following AA infusions relative to saline baselines. We suggest that the mechanism by which AA infusions to the mPOA increase appetitive sexual behaviors in female rats may be through dose-dependent DA receptor interactions, possibly through both presynaptic release mechanisms and postsynaptic DA D1-related messenger systems. © 2013.

Asociación entre pacientes con patologías ósteoarticulares y variables meteorológicas, en el área de Buenos Aires

OpenAIRE

Alessandro, Adelia P

2017-01-01

En este trabajo se analizan datos correspondientes a pacientes que presentan patologías osteoarticulares (POA) en la zona de influencia del gran Buenos Aires, para el período enero 2005-diciembre 2012. Se determina la distribución frecuencial de los mismos en función de la edad y del sexo con el fin de determinar el grado de vulnerabilidad frente a dichas patologías. Además se muestra la relación existente entre la cantidad de afectados con POA y las variables meteorológicas (temperatura medi...

Understanding sources of organic aerosol during CalNex-2010 using the CMAQ-VBS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. C. Woody

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ model simulations utilizing the traditional organic aerosol (OA treatment (CMAQ-AE6 and a volatility basis set (VBS treatment for OA (CMAQ-VBS were evaluated against measurements collected at routine monitoring networks (Chemical Speciation Network (CSN and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE and those collected during the 2010 California at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex field campaign to examine important sources of OA in southern California. Traditionally, CMAQ treats primary organic aerosol (POA as nonvolatile and uses a two-product framework to represent secondary organic aerosol (SOA formation. CMAQ-VBS instead treats POA as semivolatile and lumps OA using volatility bins spaced an order of magnitude apart. The CMAQ-VBS approach underpredicted organic carbon (OC at IMPROVE and CSN sites to a greater degree than CMAQ-AE6 due to the semivolatile POA treatment. However, comparisons to aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS measurements collected at Pasadena, CA, indicated that CMAQ-VBS better represented the diurnal profile and primary/secondary split of OA. CMAQ-VBS SOA underpredicted the average measured AMS oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA, a surrogate for SOA concentration by a factor of 5.2, representing a considerable improvement to CMAQ-AE6 SOA predictions (factor of 24 lower than AMS. We use two new methods, one based on species ratios (SOA/ΔCO and SOA/Ox and another on a simplified SOA parameterization, to apportion the SOA underprediction for CMAQ-VBS to slow photochemical oxidation (estimated as 1.5 ×  lower than observed at Pasadena using −log(NOx : NOy, low intrinsic SOA formation efficiency (low by 1.6 to 2 ×  for Pasadena, and low emissions or excessive dispersion for the Pasadena site (estimated to be 1.6 to 2.3 ×  too low/excessive. The first and third factors are common to CMAQ-AE6, while the intrinsic SOA formation efficiency

AcEST: DK957364 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available N=CAT2... 249 5e-66 sp|P49317|CATA3_NICPL Catalase isozyme 3 OS=Nicotiana plumbagini... 248 1e-65 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP...KFYT 128 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 Length = 492 Score = 247 bits (631),

Esters of pyrazinoic acid are active against pyrazinamide-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other naturally resistant mycobacteria in vitro and ex vivo within macrophages.

KAUST Repository

Pires, David; Valente, Emí lia; Simoes, Marta; Carmo, Nuno; Testa, Bernard; Constantino, Luí s; Anes, Elsa

2015-01-01

In previous work, we have shown that POA esters and amides synthesized in our laboratory were stable in plasma. Although the amides did not present significant activity, the esters were active against sensitive mycobacteria at concentrations 5-to-10 fold lower than those of PZA. Here, we report that these POA derivatives possess antibacterial efficacy in vitro and ex vivo against several species and strains of Mycobacterium with natural or acquired resistance to PZA, including M. bovis and M. avium. Our results indicate that the resistance was probably overcome by cleavage of the prodrugs into POA and a long-chain alcohol. Although it is not possible to rule out that the esters may have intrinsic activity per se, we bring evidence here that long-chain fatty alcohols possess a significant anti-mycobacterial effect against PZA-resistant species and strains and are not mere inactive promoieties. These findings may lead to candidate dual-drugs having enhanced activity against both PZA-susceptible and PZA-resistant isolates and being suitable for clinical development.

Phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soil in temperate humid regions of British Columbia, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Padmavathiamma, Prabha K; Li, Loretta Y

2009-08-01

The suitability of five plant species was studied for phytoextraction and phytostabilisation in a region with temperate maritime climate of coastal British Columbia, Canada. Pot experiments were conducted using Lolium perenne L (perennial rye grass), Festuca rubra L (creeping red fescue), Helianthus annuus L (sunflower), Poa pratensis L (Kentucky bluegrass) and Brassica napus L (rape) in soils treated with three different metal (Cu, Pb, Mn, and Zn) concentrations. The bio-metric characters of plants in soils with multiple-metal contaminations, their metal accumulation characteristics, translocation properties and metal removal were assessed at different stages of plant growth, 90 and 120 DAS (days after sowing). Lolium was found to be suitable for the phytostabilisation of Cu and Pb, Festuca for Mn and Poa for Zn. Metal removal was higher at 120 than at 90 days after sowing, and metals concentrated more in the underground tissues with less translocation to the aboveground parts. Bioconcentration factors indicate that Festuca had the highest accumulation for Cu, Helianthus for Pb and Zn and Poa for Mn.

Mercury bioaccumulation in fishes from subalpine lakes of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, northeastern Oregon and western Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Herring, Garth; Johnson, Branden L.; Graw, Rick

2013-01-01

Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed pollutant that poses considerable risks to human and wildlife health. Over the past 150 years since the advent of the industrial revolution, approximately 80 percent of global emissions have come from anthropogenic sources, largely fossil fuel combustion. As a result, atmospheric deposition of Hg has increased by up to 4-fold above pre-industrial times. Because of their isolation, remote high-elevation lakes represent unique environments for evaluating the bioaccumulation of atmospherically deposited Hg through freshwater food webs, as well as for evaluating the relative importance of Hg loading versus landscape influences on Hg bioaccumulation. The increase in Hg deposition to these systems over the past century, coupled with their limited exposure to direct anthropogenic disturbance make them useful indicators for estimating how changes in Hg emissions may propagate to changes in Hg bioaccumulation and ecological risk. In this study, we evaluated Hg concentrations in fishes of high-elevation, sub-alpine lakes in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in northeastern Oregon and western Idaho. Our goals were to (1) assess the magnitude of Hg contamination in small-catchment lakes to evaluate the risk of atmospheric Hg to human and wildlife health, (2) quantify the spatial variability in fish Hg concentrations, and (3) determine the ecological, limnological, and landscape factors that are best correlated with fish total mercury (THg) concentrations in these systems. Across the 28 study lakes, mean THg concentrations of resident salmonid fishes varied as much as 18-fold among lakes. Importantly, our top statistical model explained 87 percent of the variability in fish THg concentrations among lakes with four key landscape and limnological variables— catchment conifer density (basal area of conifers within a lake’s catchment), lake surface area, aqueous dissolved sulfate, and dissolved organic carbon. The basal area of conifers

Esters of pyrazinoic acid are active against pyrazinamide-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other naturally resistant mycobacteria in vitro and ex vivo within macrophages.

KAUST Repository

Pires, David

2015-10-05

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is active against major Mycobacterium tuberculosis species (M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, and M. microti), but not against M. bovis and M. avium. The latter two are mycobacteria species involved in human and cattle tuberculosis and in HIV co-infections, respectively. PZA is a first-line agent for the treatment of human tuberculosis and requires activation by a mycobacterial pyrazinamidase to form the active metabolite pyrazinoic acid (POA). As a result of this mechanism, resistance to PZA as often found in tuberculosis patients is caused by point mutations in pyrazinamidase. In previous work, we have shown that POA esters and amides synthesized in our laboratory were stable in plasma. Although the amides did not present significant activity, the esters were active against sensitive mycobacteria at concentrations 5-to-10 fold lower than those of PZA. Here, we report that these POA derivatives possess antibacterial efficacy in vitro and ex vivo against several species and strains of Mycobacterium with natural or acquired resistance to PZA, including M. bovis and M. avium. Our results indicate that the resistance was probably overcome by cleavage of the prodrugs into POA and a long-chain alcohol. Although it is not possible to rule out that the esters may have intrinsic activity per se, we bring evidence here that long-chain fatty alcohols possess a significant anti-mycobacterial effect against PZA-resistant species and strains and are not mere inactive promoieties. These findings may lead to candidate dual-drugs having enhanced activity against both PZA-susceptible and PZA-resistant isolates and being suitable for clinical development.

Circaea x intermedia Ehrh. (Klein heksenkruid) een tuinplant?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beringen, Ruud

2001-01-01

Circaea x intermedia, a very rare taxon in the Netherlands, was found on a new locality on the edge of a woodland near the outskirts of the town of Ede. Growing conditions on the site are not suitable for both parental species ( C. alpina and C. lutetiana). Therefore it is most unlikely the hybrid

Soil microbiology in land reclamation volume II - mycorrhizae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graves, D.H. (ed.)

1984-01-01

This volume contains three separate reports: RRTAC 84-4 (Greenhouse pot studies dealing with amendment of oil sand tailings: effects of peat, sewage sludge and fertilizer on plant growth, mycorrhizae and microbial activity); RRTAC 84-8 (Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) development of slender wheatgrass on amended oil sand tailings and subalpine coal mines spoil); RRTAC 84-7 (Ectomycorrhizae in amended oil sand tailings and subalpine coal mine spoil and in undisturbed Jack pine and spruce stands). In the first report mixtures of two peats were used to amend oil sand tailings and either mineral fertilizers or sewage sludge were added at different rates. The growth of slender wheat grass and jack pine grown in the greenhouse in these media were monitored. In the second report the VAM development of slender wheatgrass was monitored over a 4 year period; in the third the mycorrhizal status of jack pine and bear berry grown in oil sand tailings treated with various amendments and of white spruce and willow grown in subalpine coal mine spoil were monitored over the same period.

Radiocesium concentrations in wild reindeer at Dovrefjell, Norway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terje Skogland

1987-06-01

Full Text Available Seasonal radiocesium concentrations varied about 6 times in wild reindeer following the Chernobyl accident, from 8 KBq/kg in August to 46 KBq/kg in March. These results agree with the predictions of earlier models. The within-season coefficient of variation was 52-62%. Between one half and 3/4 of this variation was explained by altitudinal and geographical factors, i.e. a 5-fold increase in concentrations from the westernmost to the easternmost locations across the watershed at Dovrefjell, and a 6-fold increase in concentrations from feeding locations in the subalpine to the high alpine zone in autumn. The positive correlation with altitude was reversed in winter for animals foraging in the subalpine coniferous zone on arboreal lichens.Radiocesium-konsentrasjoner hos villrein på Dovrefjell, Norge.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Konsentrasjonene»av radiocesium hos villrein gjennom sesongene som fulgte Tsjernobyl-ulykken varierte meget, fra 8 KBq/kg i august til 46 KBq/kg i mars. Disse resultater samsvarer med hva som kunne forutsies i tidlige modeller. Variasjonskoeffisienten innen sesong var 52-62%. Mellom halvdelen og tre fjerdedeler av variasjonen kunne forklares fra høydemessige og geografiske faktorer, d.v.s. en 5-foldig økning i konsentrasjonen fra den vestligste til de østligste lokaliseringer over vannskillet på Dovrefjell og en 6-foldig økning i konsentrasjonene fra beitelokaliseringer fra den subalpine til den høyalpine sone om høsten. Den positive korrelasjon med høyden ble snudd om vinteren for dyr som beitet på skjegglav i den subalpine bar-skogsone.

Propagation Techniques for Highland Bamboo (Arundinaria alpina ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Forestry Research Center, ... (10 new shoots per propagule), along its stem length (at the upper, middle and butt ... laminated bamboo lumber (LBL), oriented strand board (OSB), medium density ...

Occurrence of ozone anomalies over cloudy areas in TOMS version-7 level-2 data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Liu

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates anomalous ozone distributions over cloudy areas in Nimbus-7 (N7 and Earth-Probe (EP TOMS version-7 data and analyzes the causes for ozone anomaly formation. A 5°-longitude by 5°-latitude region is defined to contain a Positive Ozone Anomaly (POA or Negative Ozone Anomaly (NOA if the correlation coefficient between total ozone and reflectivity is > 0.5 or -0.5. The average fractions of ozone anomalies among all cloud fields are 31.8 ± 7.7% and 35.8 ± 7.7% in the N7 and EP TOMS data, respectively. Some ozone anomalies are caused by ozone retrieval errors, and others are caused by actual geophysical phenomena. Large cloud-height errors are found in the TOMS version-7 algorithm in comparison to the Temperature Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR cloud data. On average, cloud-top pressures are overestimated by ~200 hPa (THIR cloud-top pressure 200 hPa for high-altitude clouds and underestimated by ~150 hPa for low-altitude clouds (THIR cloud-top pressure > 750 hPa. Most tropical NOAs result from negative errors induced by large cloud-height errors, and most tropical POAs are caused by positive errors due to intra-cloud ozone absorption enhancement. However, positive and negative errors offset each other, reducing the ozone anomaly occurrence in TOMS data. Large ozone/reflectivity slopes for mid-latitude POAs show seasonal variation consistent with total ozone fluctuation, indicating that they result mainly from synoptic and planetary wave disturbances. POAs with an occurrence fraction of 30--60% occur in regions of marine stratocumulus off the west coast of South Africa and off the west coast of South America. Both fractions and ozone/reflectivity slopes of these POAs show seasonal variations consistent with that in the tropospheric ozone. About half the ozone/reflectivity slope can be explained by ozone retrieval errors over clear and cloudy areas. The remaining slope may result from there being more ozone production

In utero and lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in rats disrupts brain sexual differentiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, Masahiko; Mitsui, Tetsuo; Setani, Kaoru; Tamura, Masashi; Kakeyama, Masaki; Sone, Hideko; Tohyama, Chiharu; Tomita, Takako

2005-01-01

The effects of in utero and lactational exposure of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on brain sexual differentiation were investigated. TCDD was orally administered to pregnant Holtzman rats on gestation day (GD) 15, and the activity of brain aromatase, a key enzyme for sexual differentiation, was measured in offspring on postnatal day (PND) 2. Changes in sexual dimorphisms of saccharin preference and the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) were examined in adult offspring. In controls, litter means of brain aromatase activity were higher in males than in females. In utero exposure to 200 ng/kg TCDD significantly decreased the sex ratio of aromatase activity (male/female) on PND 2. Offspring were weaned on PND28 and the saccharin test was started on PND84. In controls, saccharin (0.25%) intake (g/kg body weight) was significantly higher in female offspring than in males. In utero exposure to 200 ng/kg TCDD significantly increased saccharin intake in male offspring compared with control males, whereas 800 ng/kg TCDD had no effect. Neither dose of TCDD influenced saccharin intake of female offspring. In controls, SDN-POA volume was significantly greater in males than in females at 14 weeks of age. Exposure to 200 ng/kg TCDD significantly decreased SDN-POA volume in males, whereas 800 ng/kg TCDD had no effect. Neither doses of TCDD influenced the SDN-POA volume in female offspring. These results suggest that in utero and lactational TCDD exposure dose-dependently induces demasculinization in male offspring by inhibiting brain aromatase activity in the hypothalamus-preoptic area during central nervous system development

Neurokinin-3 Receptor Activation in the Retrochiasmatic Area is Essential for the Full Preovulatory LH Surge in Ewes

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Katrina L.; Hileman, Stanley M.; Hardy, Steven L.; Nestor, Casey C; Lehman, Michael N.; Goodman, Robert L.

2014-01-01

Neurokinin B (NKB) is essential for human reproduction and has been shown to stimulate LH secretion in several species, including sheep. Ewes express the neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R) in the retrochiasmatic area (RCh) and there is one report that placement of senktide, an NK3R agonist, therein stimulates LH secretion that resembles an LH surge in ewes. In this study, we first confirmed that local administration of senktide to the RCh produced a surge-like increase in LH secretion, and then tested the effects of this agonist in two other areas implicated in the control of LH secretion and where NK3R is found in high abundance: the preoptic area (POA) and arcuate nucleus (ARC). Bilateral microimplants containing senktide induced a dramatic surge-like increase in LH when given in the POA similar to that seen with RCh treatment. In contrast, senktide treatment in the ARC resulted in a much smaller, but significant, increase in LH concentrations suggestive of an effect on tonic secretion. The possible role of POA and RCh NK3R activation in the LH surge was next tested by treating ewes with SB222200, an NK3R antagonist, in each area during an E2-induced LH surge. SB222200 in the RCh, but not in the POA, reduced LH surge amplitude by about 40% compared to controls, indicating that NK3R activation in the former region is essential for full expression of the preovulatory LH surge. Based on these data, we propose that NKB actions in the RCh are an important component of the preovulatory LH surge in ewes. PMID:25040132

Sexual differentiation of the brain: a model for drug-induced alterations of the reproductive system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorski, R.A.

1986-01-01

The process of the sexual differentiation of the brain represents a valuable model system for the study of the chemical modification of the mammalian brain. Although there are numerous functional and structural sex differences in the adult brain, these are imposed on an essentially feminine or bipotential brain by testicular hormones during a critical phase of perinatal development in the rat. It is suggested that a relatively marked structural sex difference in the rat brain, the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA), is a morphological signature of the permanent or organizational action of estradiol derived from the aromatization of testicular testosterone. The SDN-POA of the male rat is severalfold larger in volume and is composed of more neurons than that of the female. The observation that the mitotic formation of the neurons of the SDN-POA is specifically prolonged has enabled us to identify the time course and pathway of neuronal migration into the nucleus. Study of the development of the SDN-POA suggests that estradiol in the male increases the number of neurons which survive a phase of neuronal death by exerting a neurite growth promoting action and/or a direct neuronotrophic action. Finally, although it is clear that gonadal hormones have dramatic permanent effects on the brain during perinatal development, even after puberty and in adulthood gonadal steroids can alter neuronal structure and, perhaps as a corollary to this, have permanent effects on reproductive function. Although the brain may be most sensitive to gonadal hormones or exogenous chemical factors during perinatal development, such as sensitivity does not appear limited to this period

Concentrations of 17 elements in the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), in different tissues of perch (Perca fluviatilis), and in perch intestinal parasites (Acanthocephalus lucii) from the subalpine lake Mondsee, Austria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sures, B.; Steiner, W.; Rydlo, M.; Taraschewski, H.

1999-11-01

Concentrations of the elements Al, Ag, Ba, ca, Cd, Co, Cr, cu, Fe, Ga, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Tl, and Zn were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus lucii (Mueller); in its host, Perca fluviatilis (L.), and in the soft tissue of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas). All animals were collected from the same sampling site in a subalpine lake, Mondsee, in Austria. Most of the elements were found at significantly higher concentrations in the acanthocephalan than in different tissues (muscle, liver, and intestinal wall) of its perch host. Only Co was concentrated in the liver of perch to a level that was significantly higher than that found in the parasite. Most of the analyzed elements were also present at significantly higher concentrations in A. lucii than in D. polymorpha. Barium and Cr were the only elements recorded at higher concentrations in the mussel compared with the acanthocephalan. Thus, when comparing the accumulation of elements, the acanthocephalans appear to be even more suitable than the zebra mussels in terms of their use in the detection of metal contamination within aquatic biotopes. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the concentrations of several elements within the parasites decreased with increasing infrapopulation. Furthermore, the levels of some elements in the perch liver were negatively correlated with the weight of A. lucii in the intestine. Thus, it emerged that not only is there competition for elements between acanthocephalans inside the gut but there is also competition for these elements between the host and the parasites. The elevated element concentrations demonstrated here in the parasitic worm A. lucii provide support for further investigations of these common helminthes and of their accumulation properties.

AcEST: DK955410 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available e 56.9) Link to BlastX Result : Swiss-Prot sp_hit_id O24339 Definition sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP... E Sequences producing significant alignments: (bits) Value sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP ...na GN=CAT1... 79 5e-15 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 Length = 492 Score = 90

Climate variability slows evolutionary responses of Colias butterflies to recent climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Kingsolver, Joel G; Buckley, Lauren B

2015-03-07

How does recent climate warming and climate variability alter fitness, phenotypic selection and evolution in natural populations? We combine biophysical, demographic and evolutionary models with recent climate data to address this question for the subalpine and alpine butterfly, Colias meadii, in the southern Rocky Mountains. We focus on predicting patterns of selection and evolution for a key thermoregulatory trait, melanin (solar absorptivity) on the posterior ventral hindwings, which affects patterns of body temperature, flight activity, adult and egg survival, and reproductive success in Colias. Both mean annual summer temperatures and thermal variability within summers have increased during the past 60 years at subalpine and alpine sites. At the subalpine site, predicted directional selection on wing absorptivity has shifted from generally positive (favouring increased wing melanin) to generally negative during the past 60 years, but there is substantial variation among years in the predicted magnitude and direction of selection and the optimal absorptivity. The predicted magnitude of directional selection at the alpine site declined during the past 60 years and varies substantially among years, but selection has generally been positive at this site. Predicted evolutionary responses to mean climate warming at the subalpine site since 1980 is small, because of the variability in selection and asymmetry of the fitness function. At both sites, the predicted effects of adaptive evolution on mean population fitness are much smaller than the fluctuations in mean fitness due to climate variability among years. Our analyses suggest that variation in climate within and among years may strongly limit evolutionary responses of ectotherms to mean climate warming in these habitats. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Initial vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal development of slender wheatgrass on two amended mine spoils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zak, J.C.; Parkinson, D. (University of Calgary, Calgary, AB (Canada). Dept. of Biology)

1982-01-01

The initial vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal development of slender wheatgrass on extracted oil-sands and subalpine coal-mine spoils, amended with either fertilizer, peat, or liquid sewage sludge, was examined. Plants were sampled at 2,6 and 10 weeks after plant emergence and the level of infection was expressed as length of mycorrhizal root per plant and length of root which contained arbuscules, vesicles, or only hyphae. Mycorrhizal infection of slender wheatgrass on the oil sands was limited to plants on the peat-amended spoil. Infection of plants on the peat-amended oil-sands spoil was detected by 2 weeks. Plants on the subalpine spoil were infected at 2 weeks only on the peat-amended spoil. While slender wheatgrass on the control and fertilizer-amended spoil developed mycorrhizae by 6 weeks, infection was not observed in plants on the sewage-amended spoil until 10 weeks. At 10 weeks, there were no significant differences in lengths of mycorrhizal root per plant among the amendments. Increased P levels in the fertilizer- and sewage-amended subalpine spoil did not suppress VA mycorrhizal development. 43 refs., 6 tabs.

Chemical composition, source, and process of urban aerosols during winter haze formation in Northeast China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jian; Liu, Lei; Wang, Yuanyuan; Ren, Yong; Wang, Xin; Shi, Zongbo; Zhang, Daizhou; Che, Huizheng; Zhao, Hujia; Liu, Yanfei; Niu, Hongya; Chen, Jianmin; Zhang, Xiaoye; Lingaswamy, A P; Wang, Zifa; Li, Weijun

2017-12-01

The characteristics of aerosol particles have been poorly evaluated even though haze episodes frequently occur in winter in Northeast China. OC/EC analysis, ion chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), and soluble ions in PM 2.5 and the mixing state of individual particles during a severe wintertime haze episode in Northeast China. The organic matter (OM), NH 4 + , SO 4 2- , and NO 3 - concentrations in PM 2.5 were 89.5 μg/m 3 , 24.2 μg/m 3 , 28.1 μg/m 3 , and 32.8 μg/m 3 on the haze days, respectively. TEM observations further showed that over 80% of the haze particles contained primary organic aerosols (POAs). Based on a comparison of the data obtained during the haze formation, we generate the following synthetic model of the process: (1) Stable synoptic meteorological conditions drove the haze formation. (2) The early stage of haze formation (light or moderate haze) was mainly caused by the enrichment of POAs from coal burning for household heating and cooking. (3) High levels of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), sulfates, and nitrates formation via heterogeneous reactions together with POAs accumulation promoted to the evolution from light or moderate to severe haze. Compared to the severe haze episodes over the North China Plain, the PM 2.5 in Northeast China analyzed in the present study contained similar sulfate, higher SOA, and lower nitrate contents. Our results suggest that most of the POAs and secondary particles were likely related to emissions from coal-burning residential stoves in rural outskirts and small boilers in urban areas. The inefficient burning of coal for household heating and cooking should be monitored during wintertime in Northeast China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Kisspeptin Synthesis and Release in the Preoptic/Anterior Hypothalamic Region of Prepubertal Female Rats: Actions of IGF-1 and Alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiney, Jill K; Srivastava, Vinod K; Vaden Anderson, Danielle N; Hartzoge, Nicole L; Dees, William L

2018-01-01

Alcohol (ALC) causes suppressed secretion of prepubertal luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and kisspeptin (Kp) are major regulators of LHRH and are critical for puberty. IGF-1 may be an upstream mediator of Kp in the preoptic area and rostral hypothalamic area (POA/RHA) of the rat brain, a region containing both Kp and LHRH neurons. We investigated the ability of IGF-1 to stimulate prepubertal Kp synthesis and release in POA/RHA, and the potential inhibitory effects of ALC. Immature female rats were administered either ALC (3 g/kg) or water via gastric gavage at 0730 hours. At 0900 hours, both groups were subdivided where half received either saline or IGF-1 into the brain third ventricle. A second dose of ALC (2 g/kg) or water was administered at 1130 hours. Rats were killed 6 hours after injection and POA/RHA region collected. IGF-1 stimulated Kp, an action blocked by ALC. Upstream to Kp, IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) activation, as demonstrated by the increase in insulin receptor substrate 1, resulted in activation of Akt, tuberous sclerosis 2, ras homologue enriched in brain, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). ALC blocked the central action of IGF-1 to induce their respective phosphorylation. IGF-1 specificity and ALC specificity for the Akt-activated mTOR pathway were demonstrated by the absence of effects on PRAS40. Furthermore, IGF-1 stimulated Kp release from POA/RHA incubated in vitro. IGF-1 stimulates prepubertal Kp synthesis and release following activation of a mTOR signaling pathway, and ALC blocks this pathway at the level of IGF-1R. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Flibanserin-Stimulated Partner Grooming Reflects Brain Metabolism Changes in Female Marmosets.

Science.gov (United States)

Converse, Alexander K; Aubert, Yves; Allers, Kelly A; Sommer, Bernd; Abbott, David H

2015-12-01

Female sexual interest and arousal disorder is personally distressing for women. To better understand the mechanism of the candidate therapeutic, flibanserin, we determined its effects on an index of brain glucose metabolism. We hypothesized that chronic treatment with flibanserin would alter metabolism in brain regions associated with serotonergic function and female sexual behavior. In a crossover design, eight adult female common marmosets (Calithrix jacchus) received daily flibanserin or vehicle. After 7-12 weeks of treatment, the glucose metabolism radiotracer [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was administered to each female immediately prior to 30 minutes of interaction with her male pairmate, after which females were anesthetized and imaged by positron emission tomography. Whole-brain normalized images were analyzed with anatomically defined regions of interest. Whole-brain voxelwise mapping was used to explore treatment effects. Correlations were examined between alterations in metabolism and pairmate social grooming. Changes in metabolism associated with flibanserin were determined for dorsal raphe, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), medial preoptic area of hypothalamus (mPOA), ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus, and field cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) of the hippocampus. In response to chronic flibanserin, metabolism in mPOA declined, and this reduction correlated with increases in pairmate grooming. A cluster of voxels in frontal cortico-limbic regions exhibited reduced metabolism in response to flibanserin and overlapped with a voxel cluster in which reductions in metabolism correlated with increases in pairmate grooming. Finally, reductions in mPOA metabolism correlated with increases in metabolism in a cluster of voxels in somatosensory cortex. Taken together, these results suggest that flibanserin-induced reductions in female mPOA neural activity increase intimate affiliative behavior with male pairmates. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Poblaciones linfocitarias, células dendríticas y perfil de citoquinas en ratones con melanoma tratados con Uncaria tomentosa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iván Lozada-Requena

Full Text Available Objetivos. Evaluar el efecto inmunomodulador sobre poblaciones linfocitarias, células dendríticas (DC, citoquinas Th1/Th2/Th17 (T-helper e inflamatorias en el ámbito sistémico y/o en el microambiente tumoral de ratones con o sin melanoma. Materiales y métodos. Se obtuvieron muestras de sangre periférica y/o de tumores primarios de ratones con melanoma B16 tratados o no con un extracto hidroalcohólico de Uncaria tomentosa (UT con 5,03% de alcaloides oxindólicos pentacíclicos (UT-POA obtenido de la corteza de la planta. Todos los ensayos de medición de células y citoquinas fueron realizados por citometría de flujo. Resultados. UT-POA a nivel sistémico incrementa la relación CD4/CD8a (Cluster of Differenciation, mientras que la activación celular es inversamente proporcional; incrementa la proporción de DCm (DC mieloides; induce un perfil Th1 proinflamatorio y reduce la respuesta Th17. TNF-a (tumor necrosis factor alpha y IL-17A (interleuquina correlacionan positiva y negativamente con la relación CD4/CD8a. Conclusiones. El incremento de Th1 (TNF-a puede tener como consecuencia el incremento de linfocitos CD4 o la activación de macrófagos M1. Aunque UT-POA muestra un incremento de DCm, este no es dosis-dependiente. La disminución de Th17 (IL-17A puede favorecer el funcionamiento de los linfocitos CD8a. UT-POA muestra mejores efectos inmunomoduladores en el ámbito sistémico que intratumoral

7 CFR 201.17 - Noxious-weed seeds in the District of Columbia.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), giant bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon var. aridus), annual bluegrass (Poa annua), and wild garlic or wild...

The alternative oxidase in roots of Poa species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Millenaar, F.F.

2000-01-01

The main function of respiration is the production of energy-rich molecules (ATP). A major part (up to 60%) of the respiration in plants can occur via the nonphosphorylating alternative pathway, even under conditions when the sugar concentration is low. This suggests that the energetically

Estudo da descoloração e degradação de corantes azo mediante processo oxidativo avançado: UV/H2O2

OpenAIRE

Adailton Alves

2009-01-01

Este estudo teve como objetivo o uso de Processos Oxidativos Avançados (POA\\'s), para a descoloração e degradação dos corantes azo (Congo Red) e (Acid Yellow 42) em solução aquosa, sendo realizado em escala de bancada (processo batelada), utilizando-se reator tubular. Utililizou-se o Processo Oxidativo Avançado UV/H2O2, avaliando a influência dos seguintes fatores: concentração dos corantes, pH, temperatura, concentração do H2O2, concentração do NaCl e concentração do Na2SO4. Para a otimizaçã...

Sea Turtles Geolocalization in the Indian Ocean: An Over Sea Radio Channel framework integrating a trilateration technique

Science.gov (United States)

Guegan, Loic; Murad, Nour Mohammad; Bonhommeau, Sylvain

2018-03-01

This paper deals with the modeling of the over sea radio channel and aims to establish sea turtles localization off the coast of Reunion Island, and also on Europa Island in the Mozambique Channel. In order to model this radio channel, a framework measurement protocol is proposed. The over sea measured channel is integrated to the localization algorithm to estimate the turtle trajectory based on Power of Arrival (PoA) technique compared to GPS localization. Moreover, cross correlation tool is used to characterize the over sea propagation channel. First measurement of the radio channel on the Reunion Island coast combine to the POA algorithm show an error of 18 m for 45% of the approximated points.

AcEST: DK955964 [AcEST

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available VGIPQDYRHMDGFGVNTYTLINKA 216 Query: 541 GKTTYVKFHWKPTC 582 GK YVKFHWK TC Sbjct: 217 GKAVYVKFHWKTTC 230 >sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP...g significant alignments: (bits) Value sp|O48560|CATA3_SOYBN Catalase-3 OS=Glycine max GN=CAT3 PE=2 SV=1 387... e-107 sp|O24339|CATA_SOLAP Catalase OS=Soldanella alpina PE=2 SV=1 385 e-107 sp|

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION VARIABILITY IN THE Uncaria tomentosa (cat’s claw WILD POPULATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evelyn Maribel Condori Peñaloza

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw is a vine widely distributed throughout the South-American rainforest. Many studies investigating the chemical composition of cat's claw have focused on the pentacyclic (POA and tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOA, quinovic acid glycosides (QAG, and polyphenols (PPH. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain how environmental factors affect chemical groups. The aim of this work was to better understand the influence of environmental factors (geographic origin, altitude, and season on cat's claw chemical composition. Stem bark, branches and leaf samples were extracted and analyzed by HPLC-PDA. The data obtained were explored by multivariate analysis (HCA and PCA. Higher amounts of oxindole alkaloids and PPH were found in leaves, followed by stem bark and branches. No clear relationship was verified among geographic origin or altitude and chemical composition, which remained unchanged regardless of season (dry or rainy. However, three oxindole alkaloid chemotypes were clearly recognized: chemotype I (POA with cis D/E ring junction; chemotype II (POA with trans D/E ring junction; and chemotype III (TOA. Thus, environmental factors appear to have only a minor influence on the chemical heterogeneity of the cat's claw wild population. Nevertheless, the occurrence of different chemotypes based on alkaloid profiles seems to be clear.

Audio-visual identification of place of articulation and voicing in white and babble noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Alm, Magnus; Behne, Dawn M; Wang, Yue; Eg, Ragnhild

2009-07-01

Research shows that noise and phonetic attributes influence the degree to which auditory and visual modalities are used in audio-visual speech perception (AVSP). Research has, however, mainly focused on white noise and single phonetic attributes, thus neglecting the more common babble noise and possible interactions between phonetic attributes. This study explores whether white and babble noise differentially influence AVSP and whether these differences depend on phonetic attributes. White and babble noise of 0 and -12 dB signal-to-noise ratio were added to congruent and incongruent audio-visual stop consonant-vowel stimuli. The audio (A) and video (V) of incongruent stimuli differed either in place of articulation (POA) or voicing. Responses from 15 young adults show that, compared to white noise, babble resulted in more audio responses for POA stimuli, and fewer for voicing stimuli. Voiced syllables received more audio responses than voiceless syllables. Results can be attributed to discrepancies in the acoustic spectra of both the noise and speech target. Voiced consonants may be more auditorily salient than voiceless consonants which are more spectrally similar to white noise. Visual cues contribute to identification of voicing, but only if the POA is visually salient and auditorily susceptible to the noise type.

RANTES: a new prostaglandin dependent endogenous pyrogen in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavares, E; Miñano, F J

2000-09-01

Fever, a hallmark of disease, is a highly complex process initiated by the action of a number of endogenous pyrogens on the thermosensitive cells of the brain. We describe the activity of RANTES, a chemotactic cytokine, as intrinsically pyrogenic in the rat, when it is delivered directly to the thermosensitive region of the rat's anterior hypothalamic, pre-optic area (AH/POA). RANTES, microinjected into the AH/POA in a dose of 1, 5, 10, 15, 25 or 50 pg, produces an immediate and intense dose-related fever following injection. Increasing the dose to 100 pg did not result in a further increase in the febrile response. No significant change in body temperature was produced by heat-inactivated RANTES. The intrahypothalamic injection of antibodies against RANTES (2.0 microg, 15 min prior to RANTES) significantly blocked the fever induced by this chemokine. Pretreatment with ibuprofen blocked the fever induced by RANTES. In order of potency, the magnitude of the febrile response induced by RANTES was greater than that produced with equipotent doses of either macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta or interleukin-6. The results thus demonstrate that RANTES is the most potent endopyrogen discovered thus far and exerts its action directly on pyrogen-sensitive cells of the AH/POA through a prostaglandin-dependent pathway.

Efeito do genótipo sobre a produção e a composição do leite de cabras mestiças Effect of genotype on milk yield and composition of crossbred goats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson Nogueira Barros

2005-08-01

Full Text Available O potencial de produção de trinta e cinco cabras mestiças - 12 ½Pardo-alpina + ½Moxotó (½PA-M, 11¾ Pardo-alpina + ¼Moxotó (¾PA-M e 12 Tricross (½Anglo-nubiana + ¼Pardo-alpina + ¼Moxotó - foi avaliado em um experimento foi conduzido na Embrapa Caprinos. Os cabritos foram separados das respectivas mães ao nascimento. As cabras foram ordenhadas duas vezes ao dia e o controle leiteiro procedido semanalmente. Os animais foram confinados em baias coletivas e receberam dieta para produção de 2,5 kg de leite/dia, composta de silagem de sorgo ad libitum e concentrado. Os animais foram pesados em intervalos de 14 dias. A produção de leite, como coletada, não foi influenciada pelo genótipo. No entanto, quando foi corrigida para 4% de gordura, o genótipo ½ PA-M foi superior aos ¾ PA-M e Tricross. Não houve diferença significativa entre genótipos para gordura, proteína e extrato seco total do leite.The objective of this trial was to study the production of thirty-five crossbred goats: ½Brown Alpine x 12 ½Moxoto (½BA-M, 11 ¾Brown Alpine x ¼Moxoto (¾BA-M, and 12 Tricross (½Anglo Nubian x ¼Moxoto x ¼Brown Alpine. After birth, the kids were separated from their mothers. Goats were milked twice a day and milk composition determined weekly. Animals were housed in collective pens and received a diet composed of sorghum silage (ad libitum plus concentrate that were formulated to allow 2.5 kg/d of milk yield. Animals were weighted every 14 days. Milk production did not differ among genotypes. However, 4% fat corrected milk was greater for ½BA-M than the remaining groups. No significant differences were observed for milk composition (fat, protein, and total solids across genotypes in the current trial.

Microsite and elevation zone effects on seed pilferage, germination, and seedling survival during early whitebark pine recruitment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pansing, Elizabeth R; Tomback, Diana F; Wunder, Michael B; French, Joshua P; Wagner, Aaron C

2017-11-01

Tree recruitment is a spatially structured process that may undergo change over time because of variation in postdispersal processes. We examined seed pilferage, seed germination, and seedling survival in whitebark pine to determine whether 1) microsite type alters the initial spatial pattern of seed caches, 2) higher abiotic stress (i.e. higher elevations) exacerbates spatial distribution changes, and 3) these postdispersal processes are spatially clustered. At two study areas, we created a seed distribution pattern by burying seed caches in microsite types frequently used by whitebark pine's avian seed disperser (Clark's nutcracker) in upper subalpine forest and at treeline, the latter characterized by high abiotic environmental stress. We monitored caches for two years for pilferage, germination, and seedling survival. Odds of pilferage (both study areas), germination (northern study area), and survival (southern study area) were higher at treeline relative to subalpine forest. At the southern study area, we found higher odds of 1) pilferage near rocks and trees relative to no object in subalpine forest, 2) germination near rocks relative to trees within both elevation zones, and 3) seedling survival near rocks and trees relative to no object at treeline. No microsite effects were detected at the northern study area. Findings indicated that the microsite distribution of seed caches changes with seed/seedling stage. Higher odds of seedling survival near rocks and trees were observed at treeline, suggesting abiotic stress may limit safe site availability, thereby shifting the spatial distribution toward protective microsites. Higher odds of pilferage at treeline, however, suggest rodents may limit treeline recruitment. Further, odds of pilferage were higher near rocks and trees relative to no object in subalpine forest but did not differ among microsites at treeline, suggesting pilferage can modulate the spatial structure of regeneration, a finding supported by

Modeling regional air quality and climate: improving organic aerosol and aerosol activation processes in WRF/Chem version 3.7.1

Science.gov (United States)

Yahya, Khairunnisa; Glotfelty, Timothy; Wang, Kai; Zhang, Yang; Nenes, Athanasios

2017-06-01

Air quality and climate influence each other through the uncertain processes of aerosol formation and cloud droplet activation. In this study, both processes are improved in the Weather, Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) version 3.7.1. The existing Volatility Basis Set (VBS) treatments for organic aerosol (OA) formation in WRF/Chem are improved by considering the following: the secondary OA (SOA) formation from semi-volatile primary organic aerosol (POA), a semi-empirical formulation for the enthalpy of vaporization of SOA, and functionalization and fragmentation reactions for multiple generations of products from the oxidation of VOCs. Over the continental US, 2-month-long simulations (May to June 2010) are conducted and results are evaluated against surface and aircraft observations during the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) campaign. Among all the configurations considered, the best performance is found for the simulation with the 2005 Carbon Bond mechanism (CB05) and the VBS SOA module with semivolatile POA treatment, 25 % fragmentation, and the emissions of semi-volatile and intermediate volatile organic compounds being 3 times the original POA emissions. Among the three gas-phase mechanisms (CB05, CB6, and SAPRC07) used, CB05 gives the best performance for surface ozone and PM2. 5 concentrations. Differences in SOA predictions are larger for the simulations with different VBS treatments (e.g., nonvolatile POA versus semivolatile POA) compared to the simulations with different gas-phase mechanisms. Compared to the simulation with CB05 and the default SOA module, the simulations with the VBS treatment improve cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) predictions (normalized mean biases from -40.8 % to a range of -34.6 to -27.7 %), with large differences between CB05-CB6 and SAPRC07 due to large differences in their OH and HO2 predictions. An advanced aerosol activation parameterization based on the Fountoukis and Nenes

Collective Inference based Data Analytics System for Post Operations Analysis, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Current-day capabilities for performing post operations analysis (POA) of air traffic operations at airports, airlines and FAA facilities are mostly limited to...

A half century of change in alpine treeline patterns at Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Klasner, F.L.; Fagre, D.B.

2002-01-01

Using sequential aerial photography, we identified changes in the spatial distribution of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) habitat at the alpine treeline ecotone. Six 40-ha study sites in the McDonald Creek drainage of Glacier National Park contained subalpine fir forests that graded into alpine tundra. Over a 46-yr period, altitudinal changes in the location of alpine treeline ecotone were not observed. However, over this 46-yr period the area of krummholz, patch-forest, and continuous canopy forest increased by 3.4%, and tree density increased within existing patches of krummholz and patch-forest. Change in subalpine fir vegetation patterns within 100 m of trails was also compared to areas without trails. Within 100 m of trails, the number of small, discrete krummholz stands increased compared to areas without trails, but there was no significant change in total krummholz area. We used historical terrestrial photography to expand the period (to 70 yr) considered. This photography supported the conclusions that a more abrupt ecotone transition developed from forest to tundra at alpine treeline, that tree density within forested areas increased, and that krummholz became fragmented along trails. This local assessment of fine-grained change in the alpine treeline ecotone provides a comparative base for looking at ecotone change in other mountain regions throughout the world.

Hypoandrogenism in association with diminished functional ovarian reserve.

Science.gov (United States)

Gleicher, Norbert; Kim, Ann; Weghofer, Andrea; Kushnir, Vitaly A; Shohat-Tal, Aya; Lazzaroni, Emanuela; Lee, Ho-Joon; Barad, David H

2013-04-01

Is diminished functional ovarian reserve (DFOR) associated with low androgen levels? Low androgen levels are associated with DFOR at all ages. Androgen supplementation via dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been reported to improve functional ovarian reserve (FOR); pregnancy rates in IVF cycles are associated with how well DHEA converts to testosterone (T); and androgen effects through the androgen receptor have been demonstrated in mice to beneficially affect early stages of follicle maturation. In a controlled cohort study we investigated consecutive women presenting to our center with two forms of DFOR, premature ovarian aging/occult primary ovarian insufficiency (POA/OPOI) and physiologic diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). As controls for POA/OPOI patients, infertile women with normal age-specific FOR were recruited. The study involved 140 women with POA/OPOI, defined as age women with DOR, defined as women age >40 years. Forty-nine control patients women early morning cortisol levels were also assessed. DHEAS marginally varied between the three groups (P = 0.04), with older women with DOR actually demonstrating higher levels than controls (P = 0.03). TT differed between the three groups more profoundly (P = 0.005), with women with POA/OPOI demonstrating significantly lower levels than controls (P = 0.009). Adjustment for body mass index, age and race in principle maintained observed differences in TT between groups, while adjustment for FMR1 (fragile X mental retardation 1) genotypes/sub-genotypes eliminated all differences. All three patient groups demonstrated low morning cortisol levels. While results support lower androgen levels in women with DOR, and even more so in women with POA/OPOI, presented data should be viewed as preliminary, considering the known variability of androgen levels and the small number of women in whom morning cortisol levels were available. Especially at young ages DFOR appears associated with significant hypoandrogenism (low T) in

PRIMERJAVA SUHIH TRAVIŠČ IZ DVEH RAZLIČNIH GEOLOŠKIH PODLAG GLEDE NA C-S-R EKOLOŠKE STRATEGIJE RASTLIN

OpenAIRE

Hartman, Klavdija

2009-01-01

V diplomski nalogi smo opravili floristično in funkcionalno primerjavo dveh tipov suhih travišč v hribovitem celinskem predelu Slovenije (asociacija Scabioso hladnikianae-Caricetum humilis, razred Festuco-Brometea in asociacija Homogyno alpinae-Nardetum, razred Calluno-Ulicetea), ki sta razvita na različni geološki podlagi (karbonatna oz. nekarbonatna silikatna). Analizirali smo 30 še neobjavljenih popisov asociacije Scabioso hladnikianae-Caricetum humilis in 32 objavljenih popisov asociaci...

75 FR 16171 - Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of Modification of Existing Computer Matching Program Between the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-31

... annually. However, under the QHWRA of 1998, PHAs must offer public housing tenants the option to pay a flat..., POAs must resolve income discrepancies in consultation with tenants. Additionally, serious violations...

A quick seismic assessment method for jacket type offshore structures by combining push-over and nonlinear time history analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karimiyan, S.; Hosseini, M. [International Inst. of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Karimiyan, M. [Islamic Azad Univ., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Earthquake Eng. Dept., School of Engineering

2010-07-01

Several offshore structures are located in seismic regions. In order to upgrade their seismic behaviour, their seismic vulnerability must be evaluated. It is thought that the most reliable type of analysis for seismic evaluation is nonlinear time history analysis (NLTHA), however, it is known to be a very time consuming method. This paper presented a quick procedure by combining the push over analysis (POA) and the NLTHA. The paper discussed both methods in detail. In order to identify the more critical members of the structure, based on the range of their plastic deformations, some POA were first performed. The NLTHA was then performed, focusing on the critical members, to obtain their vulnerability with higher reliability. An offshore structure of jacket type, installed in the Lavan oil field in the Persian Gulf in 1970, was also considered in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. It was concluded from the numerical results that combining POA and NLTHA was a quick and reliable seismic evaluation method. The results demonstrated that although the vulnerability of the jacket structure was not very high, the level of damage was not the same for different members, and was dependent on their location in the structure and also its geometric orientation and load bearing situation. 6 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs.

[Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on weeds growth and nitrogen uptake].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Qiqing; Tang, Jianjun; Chen, Xin; Chen, Jing; Yang, Ruyi; Hu, S

2005-05-01

In this paper, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the responses of different functional groups weeds to simulated nitrogen deposition (4.0 g N.m(-2).yr(-1)). Native weed species Poa annua, Lolium perenne, Avena fatua, Medicago lupulina, Trifolium repens, Plantago virginica, Veronica didyma, Echinochloa crusgalli var. mitis, Eleusine indica and Amaranthus spinosus in orchard ecosystem were used test materials, and their above-and underground biomass and nitrogen uptake were measured. The results showed that under simulated N deposition, the total biomass, shoot biomass and root biomass of all weed species tended increase, while the total biomass was differed for different functional groups of weeds. The biomass of C4 grass, legumes and C3 grass was significantly increased under N deposition, while that of C3 and C4 forbs was not significantly impacted. The root/shoot biomass ratio of Avena fatua and Plantago virginica was enhanced by N deposition, but that of Poa annu, Lolium perenne, Medicago lupulina, Trifolium repens and Amarathus spinosus was not impacted significantly. N deposition had no significant effect on plant N concentration, but significantly enhanced the N uptake of all test weed species except Amarathus spinosus, Poa annua and Veronica didyma. was suggested that the further increase of N deposition might speed up the changes of the community structure weed species due to their different responses to N deposition.

Dietary effect of silage type and combination with camelina seed on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Daniel

2015-02-07

Feb 7, 2015 ... 57% Dactylis glomerata, 10% Phleum pratense, 8% Poa pratensis, 7% Festuca rubra, .... may be attributed to microbial protein synthesis being energetically more efficient on ..... Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Inc.

Hydro-geochemical modeling of subalpine urbanized area: geochemical characterization of the shallow and deep aquifers of the urban district of Como (first results).

Science.gov (United States)

Terrana, Silvia; Brunamonte, Fabio; Frascoli, Francesca; Ferrario, Maria Francesca; Michetti, Alessandro Maria; Pozzi, Andrea; Gambillara, Roberto; Binda, Gilberto

2016-04-01

One of the greatest environmental and social-economics threats is climate change. This topic, in the next few years, will have a significant impact on the availability of water resources of many regions. This is compounded by the strong anthropization of water systems that shows an intensification of conflicts for water resource exploitation. Therefore, it is necessary a sustainable manage of natural resources thorough knowledge of the hosting territories. The development of investigation and data processing methods are essential to reduce costs for the suitable use and protection of resources. Identify a sample area for testing the best approach is crucial. This research aims to find a valid methodology for the characterization, modeling and management of subalpine urban aquifers, and the urban district of Como appears perfect. The city of Como is located at the southern end of the western sector of Lake Como (N Italy). It is a coastal town, placed on a small alluvial plain, therefore in close communication with the lake. The plain is drained by two streams, which are presently artificially buried, and have an underground flow path in the urban section till the mouth. This city area, so, is suitable for this project as it is intensely urbanized, its dimensions is not too extensive and it is characterized by two aquifers very important and little known. These are a shallow aquifer and a deep aquifer, which are important not only for any water supply, but also for the stability of the ground subsidence in the city. This research is also the opportunity to work in a particular well-known area with high scientific significance; however, there is complete absence of information regarding the deep aquifer. Great importance has also the chosen and used of the more powerful open source software for this type of area, such as PHREEQC, EnvironInsite, PHREEQE etc., used for geological and geochemical data processing. The main goal of this preliminary work is the

Expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) mRNA in the preoptic region of the brain during the estrous cycle of the ewe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pompolo, S.; Clarke, I.J.; Scott, C.J.

2001-01-01

Full text: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is thought to regulate gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones located in the preoptic area (POA). GABA neurons in this region,express estrogen receptors, and synapse with GnRH cells. Reduced levels of GABA are thought to be permissive of the preovulatory LH surge. We aimed to determine whether the function of GABA changes across the ovine estrous cycle. GAD is an enzyme that synthesises GABA. We measured mRNA levels for the GAD-65 transcript in the diagonal band of Broca (dbB), POA and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BnST) of ewes (4/group) that were killed (overdose of Pentobarbital) during the luteal (L), follicular (F) or estrous (E) phase of the estrous cycle. Brains were perfused and processed for in situ hybridisation.Sections (20 μm) were hybridised with an 35 S-labelled GAD-65 probe and the number of silver grains/cell was counted. Grains/cell were similar across the cycle in dbB and the ventral BnST. In the dorsal and lateral BnST, GAD expression was greater (P<0.05) in the L (65 ± 3;SEM) than in F (56 ± 30), with a return to luteal phase levels at estrus (70 ± 3). Expression in the POA was lower (P<0.05) during estrus (54 ± 3) than during the luteal phase (70 ± 4). These data show that expression of GAD-65 is lower in some regions of BnST at the time of the cycle (follicular) when estrogen initiates events that lead to the preovulatory LH surge. Expression in the POA is lower at estrus (during the GnRH/LH surge) than during the luteal phase:this could be permissive of the surge. Higher GAD-65 expression in the luteal phase could be due to high progesterone levels at this time of the cycle. Copyright (2001) Australian Neuroscience Society

Emission of intermediate, semi and low volatile organic compounds from traffic and their impact on secondary organic aerosol concentrations over Greater Paris

Science.gov (United States)

Sartelet, K.; Zhu, S.; Moukhtar, S.; André, M.; André, J. M.; Gros, V.; Favez, O.; Brasseur, A.; Redaelli, M.

2018-05-01

Exhaust particle emissions are mostly made of black carbon and/or organic compounds, with some of these organic compounds existing in both the gas and particle phases. Although emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) are usually measured at the exhaust, emissions in the gas phase of lower volatility compounds (POAvapor) are not. However, these gas-phase emissions may be oxidised after emission and enhance the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). They are shown here to contribute to most of the SOA formation in Central Paris. POAvapor emissions are usually estimated from primary organic aerosol emissions in the particle phase (POA). However, they could also be estimated from VOC emissions for both gasoline and diesel vehicles using previously published measurements from chamber measurements. Estimating POAvapor from VOC emissions and ageing exhaust emissions with a simple model included in the Polyphemus air-quality platform compare well to measurements of SOA formation performed in chamber experiments. Over Greater Paris, POAvapor emissions estimated using POA and VOC emissions are compared using the HEAVEN bottom-up traffic emissions model. The impact on the simulated atmospheric concentrations is then assessed using the Polyphemus/Polair3D chemistry-transport model. Estimating POAvapor emissions from VOC emissions rather than POA emissions lead to lower emissions along motorway axes (between -50% and -70%) and larger emissions in urban areas (up to between +120% and +140% in Central Paris). The impact on total organic aerosol concentrations (gas plus particle) is lower than the impact on emissions: between -8% and 25% along motorway axes and in urban areas respectively. Particle-phase organic concentrations are lower when POAvapor emissions are estimated from VOC than POA emissions, even in Central Paris where the total organic aerosol concentration is higher, because of different assumptions on the emission volatility distribution, stressing the

Presencia y distribución de micofilas en gramíneas de Argentina

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Lugo, Mónica A.

1998-06-01

Full Text Available The mycophyllas were studied in grasses (Poaceae from natural Argentinian grasslands. Festuca fiebrigii Pilg., F. hieronymi Hack. var. expansa (St. Yves Türpe, F. parodii St. Yves, Melica macra Nees, M. stuckertii Hack., Poa hieronymi Hack.. P. holciformis J. Presl, P. lilloi Hack., P. plicata Hack, and P. stuckertii (Hack. Parodi are reponed as new hosts and the distribution área of the association for Festuca arundinacea Schreb., F. hieronymi Hack, var. hieronymi and F. tucumanica E.B. Alexeev, has been extended. The interaction was a mutualistic symbiosis. Most of the species had both the culm parenchyma and the fruits colonized, except in Melica macra. Poa hieronymi and P. plicata, where the symbiont was only observed in the parenchyma. On the other hand, variation in the association was observed in relation to the host species, location and altitude.Se realiza un estudio de las micofilas encontradas en gramíneas (Poaceae de pastizales naturales de Argentina. La búsqueda del simbionte fúngico se efectuó en plantas vivas y herborizadas. Se dan a conocer como nuevos hospedantes a Festucafiebrigii Pilg., F. hieronymi Hack, var. expanda (St. Yves Türpe, F. parodii St. Yves, Melica macra Nees, M. stuckertii Hack., Poa hieronymi Hack., P. holciformis J. Presl, P. lilloi Hack., P. plicata Hack, y P. stuckertii (Hack. Parodi, y se amplía el área de distribución de la asociación para Festuca arundinacea Schreb., F. hieronymi Hack. var. hieronymi y F. tucumanica E.B. Alexeev. El tipo de interacción observada corresponde a una simbiosis mutualista. En la mayoría de las especies analizadas el endófito colonizó el parenquima de las cañas y los frutos, salvo en Melica macra. Poa hieronymi y P. alicata, en las que solo se observó en el parenquima. Por otro lado, la presencia de micofilas presentó variaciones con relación a la especie del hospedante, altitud y localidad de procedencia.

Long-term chemical analysis and organic aerosol source apportionment at nine sites in central Europe: source identification and uncertainty assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Daellenbach, Kaspar R.; Stefenelli, Giulia; Bozzetti, Carlo; Vlachou, Athanasia; Fermo, Paola; Gonzalez, Raquel; Piazzalunga, Andrea; Colombi, Cristina; Canonaco, Francesco; Hueglin, Christoph; Kasper-Giebl, Anne; Jaffrezo, Jean-Luc; Bianchi, Federico; Slowik, Jay G.; Baltensperger, Urs; El-Haddad, Imad; Prévôt, André S. H.

2017-11-01

Long-term monitoring of organic aerosol is important for epidemiological studies, validation of atmospheric models, and air quality management. In this study, we apply a recently developed filter-based offline methodology using an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to investigate the regional and seasonal differences of contributing organic aerosol sources. We present offline AMS measurements for particulate matter smaller than 10 µm at nine stations in central Europe with different exposure characteristics for the entire year of 2013 (819 samples). The focus of this study is a detailed source apportionment analysis (using positive matrix factorization, PMF) including in-depth assessment of the related uncertainties. Primary organic aerosol (POA) is separated in three components: hydrocarbon-like OA related to traffic emissions (HOA), cooking OA (COA), and biomass burning OA (BBOA). We observe enhanced production of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in summer, following the increase in biogenic emissions with temperature (summer oxygenated OA, SOOA). In addition, a SOA component was extracted that correlated with an anthropogenic secondary inorganic species that is dominant in winter (winter oxygenated OA, WOOA). A factor (sulfur-containing organic, SC-OA) explaining sulfur-containing fragments (CH3SO2+), which has an event-driven temporal behaviour, was also identified. The relative yearly average factor contributions range from 4 to 14 % for HOA, from 3 to 11 % for COA, from 11 to 59 % for BBOA, from 5 to 23 % for SC-OA, from 14 to 27 % for WOOA, and from 15 to 38 % for SOOA. The uncertainty of the relative average factor contribution lies between 2 and 12 % of OA. At the sites north of the alpine crest, the sum of HOA, COA, and BBOA (POA) contributes less to OA (POA / OA = 0.3) than at the southern alpine valley sites (0.6). BBOA is the main contributor to POA with 87 % in alpine valleys and 42 % north of the alpine crest. Furthermore, the influence of primary

Modeling regional air quality and climate: improving organic aerosol and aerosol activation processes in WRF/Chem version 3.7.1

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K. Yahya

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Air quality and climate influence each other through the uncertain processes of aerosol formation and cloud droplet activation. In this study, both processes are improved in the Weather, Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem version 3.7.1. The existing Volatility Basis Set (VBS treatments for organic aerosol (OA formation in WRF/Chem are improved by considering the following: the secondary OA (SOA formation from semi-volatile primary organic aerosol (POA, a semi-empirical formulation for the enthalpy of vaporization of SOA, and functionalization and fragmentation reactions for multiple generations of products from the oxidation of VOCs. Over the continental US, 2-month-long simulations (May to June 2010 are conducted and results are evaluated against surface and aircraft observations during the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex campaign. Among all the configurations considered, the best performance is found for the simulation with the 2005 Carbon Bond mechanism (CB05 and the VBS SOA module with semivolatile POA treatment, 25 % fragmentation, and the emissions of semi-volatile and intermediate volatile organic compounds being 3 times the original POA emissions. Among the three gas-phase mechanisms (CB05, CB6, and SAPRC07 used, CB05 gives the best performance for surface ozone and PM2. 5 concentrations. Differences in SOA predictions are larger for the simulations with different VBS treatments (e.g., nonvolatile POA versus semivolatile POA compared to the simulations with different gas-phase mechanisms. Compared to the simulation with CB05 and the default SOA module, the simulations with the VBS treatment improve cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC predictions (normalized mean biases from −40.8 % to a range of −34.6 to −27.7 %, with large differences between CB05–CB6 and SAPRC07 due to large differences in their OH and HO2 predictions. An advanced aerosol activation

Change in MS-DRG assignment and hospital reimbursement as a result of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid changes in payment for hospital-acquired conditions: is it coding or quality?

Science.gov (United States)

McNutt, Robert; Johnson, Tricia J; Odwazny, Richard; Remmich, Zachary; Skarupski, Kimberly; Meurer, Steven; Hohmann, Samuel; Harting, Brian

2010-01-01

In October 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduced payments to hospitals for a group of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) not documented as present on admission (POA). It is unknown what proportion of Medicare severity diagnosis related group (MS-DRG) assignments will change when the International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis code for the HAC is not taken into account even before considering the POA status. The primary objectives were to estimate the proportion of cases that change MS-DRG assignment when HACs are removed from the calculation, the subsequent changes in reimbursement to hospitals, and the attenuation in changes in MS-DRG assignment after factoring in those that may be POA. Last, we explored the effect of the numbers of ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes on MS-DRG assignment. We obtained 2 years of discharge data from academic medical centers that were members of the University Health System Consortium and identified all cases with 1 of 7 HACs coded through ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. We calculated the MS-DRG for each case with and without the HAC and, hence, the proportion where MS-DRG assignment changed. Next, we used a bootstrap method to calculate the range in the proportion of cases changing assignment to account for POA status. Changes in reimbursement were estimated by using the 2008 MS-DRG weights payment formula. Of 184,932 cases with at least 1 HAC, 27.6% (n = 52,272) would experience a change in MS-DRG assignment without the HAC factored into the assignment. After taking into account those conditions that were potentially POA, 7.5% (n = 14,176) of the original cases would change MS-DRG assignment, with an average loss in reimbursement per case ranging from $1548 with a catheter-associated urinary tract infection to $7310 for a surgical site infection. These reductions would translate into a total reimbursement loss of $50 261,692 (range: $38 330,747-$62 344,360) for the 86

La familia Poaceae del distrito de Arahuay (Canta, Lima, Perú

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Paúl Gonzáles

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Se reportan para el distrito de Arahuay (Canta, Lima, Perú (zona baja y media un total de 49 especies de la familia Poaceae agrupadas en 28 géneros, 14 tribus y 4 subfamilias. El género Poa es el más diverso con cinco especies, seguido por Eragrostis y Nassella con cuatro especies cada una. Las especies Calamagrostis spiciformis Hack. ex Stuck., Chloris halophila Parodi, Lamprothyrsus peruvianus Hitchc., Festuca glyceriantha Pilg., Lolium multiflorum Lam. y Poa supina Schrad. son nuevos reportes para el departamento de Lima. Se presentan claves dicotómicas para la determinación de los géneros y para las especies en los casos pertinentes. Para cada especie se incluye datos sobre su hábitat, distribución y el material estudiado.

Effects of in utero and lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on sexual differentiation in rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikeda, M.; Suzuki, C.; Yamashita, J.; Tomita, T. [Univ. of Shizuoka, Shizuoka (Japan); Tohyama, C. [National Inst. for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba (Japan)

2004-09-15

We have previously reported that in utero and lactational exposure of 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, 200 ng/kg) to malignant Holtzman rats induced demasculinization of sexually-dimorphic behavior and inhibited the development of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) in male offspring. However, these effects of TCDD were not observed in higher dose (800 ng/kg) of TCDD-exposed male offspring. The shortening of anogenitgal distance and the decrease of the ventral prostate weight in male offspring by in utero and lactational TCDD exposure were reported and these effects of TCDD were observed in a dose-dependent manner. This study was undertaken to examine the influence of the TCDD exposure at the varying dosage levels on sexually dimorphic behavior and the development of SDN-POA.

Influence of Municipal Solid Waste Compost on Soil Properties and Plant Reestablishment in Peri-Urban Environments Efecto de la Aplicación de Compost de Residuos Sólidos Municipales sobre las Propiedades de los Suelos y el Establecimiento de Plantas en Ambientes Peri-Urbanos

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Gabriela Civeira

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Soils in urban areas often present characteristics that might submit these environments to erosion processes. Applying municipal solid wastes (MSW composts to soils have been suggested as a means to improve physical and chemical properties. A field experiment with a completely randomized design was conducted in a Typic Argiudoll from a degraded area in Buenos Aires City. The objective was to evaluate the effect of MSW compost application on soil properties, residue decomposition and Poa (Poa pratensis L. reestablishment. At the beginning of the trial, compost was prepared and applied in a bare soil on 0.25 m² square plots afterwards litterbags were incorporated and Poa was sown. Compost amounts were: 0 (control; 2 (low; 4 (medium and 7 kg m-2 (high on fresh matter basis. During the trial residue decomposition and aerial dry matter (DM: g treatment-1 were evaluated, at the end soil physical and chemical parameters were measured. Medium and high compost rates increased organic C, total N and extractable P. Addition of 2 kg m-2 affected soil organic C as well, but in a minor fee. Soil physical properties were improved after MSW compost addition. In medium and high doses, augmentations in organic matter reduced bulk densities and enhanced water infiltration. Aerial DM was significantly affected by treatments (p Los suelos de las áreas urbanas presentan características que pueden someter estos ambientes a procesos erosivos. La aplicación de composts de residuos sólidos urbanos (MSW a los suelos es una práctica que mejora sus propiedades. El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar el efecto del compost de MSW sobre las propiedades, la descomposición de residuos y el restablecimiento de la especie Poa (Poa pratensis L. en estos suelos. En un Argiudol típico degradado de la ciudad de Buenos Aires se realizó un ensayo con diseño completamente aleatorizado. Se preparó e incorporó compost en parcelas de 0,25 m² en las siguientes cantidades: 0

Fire severity unaffected by spruce beetle outbreak in spruce-fir forests in southwestern Colorado.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrus, Robert A; Veblen, Thomas T; Harvey, Brian J; Hart, Sarah J

2016-04-01

Recent large and severe outbreaks of native bark beetles have raised concern among the general public and land managers about potential for amplified fire activity in western North America. To date, the majority of studies examining bark beetle outbreaks and subsequent fire severity in the U.S. Rocky Mountains have focused on outbreaks of mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests, but few studies, particularly field studies, have addressed the effects of the severity of spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) infestation on subsequent fire severity in subalpine Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) forests. In Colorado, the annual area infested by spruce beetle outbreaks is rapidly rising, while MPB outbreaks are subsiding; therefore understanding this relationship is of growing importance. We collected extensive field data in subalpine forests in the eastern San Juan Mountains, southwestern Colorado, USA, to investigate whether a gray-stage (fire) spruce beetle infestation affected fire severity. Contrary to the expectation that bark beetle infestation alters subsequent fire severity, correlation and multivariate generalized linear regression analysis revealed no influence of pre-fire spruce beetle severity on nearly all field or remotely sensed measurements of fire severity. Findings were consistent across moderate and extreme burning conditions. In comparison to severity of the pre-fire beetle outbreak, we found that topography, pre-outbreak basal area, and weather conditions exerted a stronger effect on fire severity. Our finding that beetle infestation did not alter fire severity is consistent with previous retrospective studies examining fire activity following other bark beetle outbreaks and reiterates the overriding influence of climate that creates conditions conducive to large, high-severity fires in the subalpine zone of Colorado. Both bark beetle outbreaks and

Las mineralizaciones filonianas de fluorita (galena del Calar de San José (sierra de Baza, cordilleras Béticas

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Torres-Ruiz, J.

1984-08-01

Full Text Available The F-(Pb, Zn, Ba district of Sierra de Baza are a (Southeastern Spain is mainly constituted by fluorite-(galene stratiform and stratabound mineralizations which are included in Carbonate levels of Ladinian-Carnian age. These levels also contain vein mineralizations but only in certain zones as de Calar de San José and the Calar de Santa Bárbara. This paper deals with the main structural and mineralogical characteristics of the vein mineralizations and their relations with the geological context evolution. Special attention is given to the tectonic and the spatial association with the stratiform and stratabound, mineralizations of sedimentary/diagenetic character. Two types of vein mineralizations may be distinguished : one type is represented by small "in situ" remobilizations, from the stratiform and stratabound mineralizat ioos, which have been formed during the final stages of alpine deformations; the other one has been formed before Alpina Orogeny and probably in direct relation with an intratriassic tectonic phase.

El distrito de F-(Pb, Zn, Ba de la Sierra de Baza (al SE de España está constituido fundamentalmente por mineralizaciones estratiformes y estratoligadas de fluorita-(galena, enclavadas en niveles carbonatados del Ladiniense Superior-Carniense. En estos mismos niveles, en algunos sectores como los del Calar de San José y Calar de Santa Bárbara, que constituyen el área de mayor importancia de este distrito minero, dichas mineralizaciones coexisten con otras de tipo filoniano. La presente nota trata esencialmente de las principales características estructurales y mineralógicas de las mineralizaciones filonianas y de sus relaciones con la evolución del contexto geológico, muy especialmente en lo que se refiere a la tectónica y a su asociación espacial con las mineralizaciones estratiformes y estratoligadas de carácter sedimentario/diagenético. Se han diferenciado dos tipos de mineralizaciones filonianas: unas

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 9601 - 9650 of 11090 ... Vol 8, No 12 (2009), Several methods to detect the inheritance and .... (Poa pratensis L.), 'Perfection' and 'Midnight', Abstract PDF ... and bean debris-ash used in cooking African traditional dishes, Abstract PDF.

Growth of colonies and hyphal ultrastructure of filamentous fungi grown on dibutyl phthalate and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate

OpenAIRE

Suárez-Segundo, J.L.; Vázquez-López, D.; Torres-García, J.L.; Ahuactzin-Perez, M.; Montiel-Martínez, N.; Tlecuitl-Beristain, S.; Sánchez, C.

2013-01-01

Phthalates are compounds that give fl exnbíüty to the plastics and are considered mutagens and teratogens. Mycelial growth rate, biomass production and hyphal diameter of the young and mature zones of colonies of Fusarium oxysporum, Mortierella alpina, Pleurotuspulmonarius, two strains of Pleurotus ostreatus (Po 37 and Po 83) and one strain of Pleurotus florida grown on glucose, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate were studied. F oxysporum had the highest mycelial growth r...

El anticlinal y las discordancias de Pareja (Guadalajara): definición de las unidades cenozoicas de la Depresión Intermedia (provs. Cuenca y Guadalajara, España)

OpenAIRE

Torres Pérez-Hidalgo, Trinidad José

2006-01-01

Este trabajo contempla las unidades representadas en la sección estratigráfica del Anticlinal la Pareja (Guadalajara, España) en la cuenca cenozoica denominada Depresión Intermedia. La columna estratigráfica de la zona permite identificar tres unidades principales separadas por discordancias angulares relacionables con fases tectónicas de la orogenia alpina. También se han diferenciado subunidades que, en su mayor parte, vienen definidas por rupturas sedimentarias ligadas a proces...

Review: neuroestrogen regulation of socio-sexual behavior of males.

Science.gov (United States)

Ubuka, Takayoshi; Tsutsui, Kazuyoshi

2014-01-01

It is thought that estrogen (neuroestrogen) synthesized by the action of aromatase in the brain from testosterone activates male socio-sexual behaviors, such as aggression and sexual behavior in birds. We recently found that gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), a hypothalamic neuropeptide, inhibits socio-sexual behaviors of male quail by directly activating aromatase and increasing neuroestrogen synthesis in the preoptic area (POA). The POA is thought to be the most critical site of aromatization and neuroestrogen action for the regulation of socio-sexual behavior of male birds. We concluded that GnIH inhibits socio-sexual behaviors of male quail by increasing neuroestrogen concentration beyond its optimal concentration in the brain for expression of socio-sexual behavior. On the other hand, it has been reported that dopamine and glutamate, which stimulate male socio-sexual behavior in birds and mammals, inhibit the activity of aromatase in the POA. Multiple studies also report that the activity of aromatase or neuroestrogen is negatively correlated with changes in male socio-sexual behavior in fish, birds, and mammals including humans. Here, we review previous studies that investigated the role of neuroestrogen in the regulation of male socio-sexual behavior and reconsider the hypothesis that neuroestrogen activates male socio-sexual behavior in vertebrates. It is considered that basal concentration of neuroestrogen is required for the maintenance of male socio-sexual behavior but higher concentration of neuroestrogen may inhibit male socio-sexual behavior.

A review and analysis of renewable energy curtailment schemes and Principles of Access: Transitioning towards business as usual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kane, Laura; Ault, Graham

2014-01-01

In the last decade, the EU has driven forward the development and connection of renewable power sources across Europe. This has changed the way in which distribution networks operate, moving from a passive system, to a more active system where generation and demand are located closer together with system states being more complex and variable. Increased penetration of renewable generation into distribution networks is presenting a number of challenges to Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) including the provision of network access in capacity constrained networks. The introduction of Active Network Management (ANM) is enabling an increase in renewable generation connections through enhanced network access in otherwise ‘full’ networks. This paper presents a way in which DNOs might move towards Business as Usual (BAU) arrangements for ANM schemes. It is necessary to determine the curtailment arrangements, or Principles of Access (PoA), and from this estimate generation access under ANM and the flow of services and money for different scenarios. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review, detailed case study evaluation on early ANM schemes, quantitative curtailment assessment for different PoA and a qualitative analysis of business models for different ANM PoA is presented in turn with conclusions drawn from these three approaches. - Highlights: • Literature review of Principles of Access. • Detailed case study analysis of Principles of Access in ANM projects. • Quantitative analysis of different Principles of Access. • Proposed business models for ANM as business as usual

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) to guarantee safe water reuse and drinking water production--a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dewettinck, T; Van Houtte, E; Geenens, D; Van Hege, K; Verstraete, W

2001-01-01

To obtain a sustainable water catchment in the dune area of the Flemish west coast, the integration of treated domestic wastewater in the existing potable water production process is planned. The hygienic hazards associated with the introduction of treated domestic wastewater into the water cycle are well recognised. Therefore, the concept of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) was used to guarantee hygienically safe drinking water production. Taking into account the literature data on the removal efficiencies of the proposed advanced treatment steps with regard to enteric viruses and protozoa and after setting high quality limits based on the recent progress in quantitative risk assessment, the critical control points (CCPs) and points of attention (POAs) were identified. Based on the HACCP analysis a specific monitoring strategy was developed which focused on the control of these CCPs and POAs.

Investigation of the effect of glucose syrup and brown sugar as low-cost substrate for lipid production by Mortierella alpine CBS 754.68

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saed Montazeri

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Arachidonic acid is an important essential fatty acid in human nutrition. The filamentous fungus Mortierella alpina has been identified as a promising producer of arachidonic acid. Mortierella alpine can accumulate up to 40% (w/w lipid, of which up to 40% can be arachidonic acid. Materials and methods: Mortierella alpina CBS 754.68 was cultivated in low cost substrate such as glucose syrup, brown sugar and starch for lipid and arachidonic acid production. The reduced sugar, total lipids and content of ARA were determined by dinitrosalicylic acid method, soxhlet and Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS respectively. Results: The carbon sources were applied at 70 g/l and nitrogen source (soybean powder at 10 g/lit. The results showed that lipid in dry biomass in glucose syrup, starch and brown sugar media were obtained 32, 25 and 13 % w/w respectively. The arachidonic acid contents of lipid in the glucose syrup, starch and brown sugar media were 41, 33 and 31 % w/w respectively. Discussion and conclusion: Lipid fatty acid compositions are affected by the growth of microorganism. Cell membrane fatty acids such as stearic acid and oleic acid increased substantially concomitant with increases in the amount of biomass. Biomass and oil production efficiency fell due to inappropriate brown sugar medium.

77 FR 27869 - Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-11

... Considered HAC Candidate: Iatrogenic Pneumothorax With Venous Catheterization 3. Present on Admission (POA.... History of Measures Adopted for the Hospital IQR Program b. Maintenance of Technical Specifications for...-Associated Infection (HAI) Measures (A) Proposed Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections ((CLABSI...

PROJEKT VPELJAVE SUIV V PODJETJE ALPINA, D.O.O.

OpenAIRE

Vehar, Klemen

2013-01-01

Namen magistrskega dela je prikazati, kako lahko s pomočjo napotkov standarda ISO/IEC 27003 in z uporabo računalniških orodij za projektno vodenje izdelamo plan vpeljave SUIV za določeno organizacijo. V teoretičnemu delu smo prikazali osnove s področja varnosti informacijskega sistema. Predstavili smo družino standardov ISO 27000 in druge standarde, ki služijo kot osnova pri vpeljavi sistema za upravljanje informacijske varnosti (SUIV) v organizacijo in so v praksi največkrat uporabljeni....

CCN activity and organic hygroscopicity of aerosols downwind of an urban region in central Amazonia: seasonal and diel variations and impact of anthropogenic emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Thalman, Ryan; de Sá, Suzane S.; Palm, Brett B.; Barbosa, Henrique M. J.; Pöhlker, Mira L.; Lizabeth Alexander, M.; Brito, Joel; Carbone, Samara; Castillo, Paulo; Day, Douglas A.; Kuang, Chongai; Manzi, Antonio; Ng, Nga Lee; Sedlacek, Arthur J., III; Souza, Rodrigo; Springston, Stephen; Watson, Thomas; Pöhlker, Christopher; Pöschl, Ulrich; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Artaxo, Paulo; Jimenez, Jose L.; Martin, Scot T.; Wang, Jian

2017-10-01

During the Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) campaign, size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra were characterized at a research site (T3) 60 km downwind of the city of Manaus, Brazil, in central Amazonia for 1 year (12 March 2014 to 3 March 2015). Particle hygroscopicity (κCCN) and mixing state were derived from the size-resolved CCN spectra, and the hygroscopicity of the organic component of the aerosol (κorg) was then calculated from κCCN and concurrent chemical composition measurements. The annual average κCCN increased from 0.13 at 75 nm to 0.17 at 171 nm, and the increase was largely due to an increase in sulfate volume fraction. During both wet and dry seasons, κCCN, κorg, and particle composition under background conditions exhibited essentially no diel variations. The constant κorg of ˜ 0. 15 is consistent with the largely uniform and high O : C value (˜ 0. 8), indicating that the aerosols under background conditions are dominated by the aged regional aerosol particles consisting of highly oxygenated organic compounds. For air masses strongly influenced by urban pollution and/or local biomass burning, lower values of κorg and organic O : C atomic ratio were observed during night, due to accumulation of freshly emitted particles, dominated by primary organic aerosol (POA) with low hygroscopicity, within a shallow nocturnal boundary layer. The O : C, κorg, and κCCN increased from the early morning hours and peaked around noon, driven by the formation and aging of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and dilution of POA emissions into a deeper boundary layer, while the development of the boundary layer, which leads to mixing with aged particles from the residual layer aloft, likely also contributed to the increases. The hygroscopicities associated with individual organic factors, derived from PMF (positive matrix factorization) analysis of AMS (aerosol mass spectrometry) spectra, were estimated through

Long-term particulate matter modeling for health effect studies in California - Part 2: Concentrations and sources of ultrafine organic aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jianlin; Jathar, Shantanu; Zhang, Hongliang; Ying, Qi; Chen, Shu-Hua; Cappa, Christopher D.; Kleeman, Michael J.

2017-04-01

Organic aerosol (OA) is a major constituent of ultrafine particulate matter (PM0. 1). Recent epidemiological studies have identified associations between PM0. 1 OA and premature mortality and low birth weight. In this study, the source-oriented UCD/CIT model was used to simulate the concentrations and sources of primary organic aerosols (POA) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in PM0. 1 in California for a 9-year (2000-2008) modeling period with 4 km horizontal resolution to provide more insights about PM0. 1 OA for health effect studies. As a related quality control, predicted monthly average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2. 5) total organic carbon at six major urban sites had mean fractional bias of -0.31 to 0.19 and mean fractional errors of 0.4 to 0.59. The predicted ratio of PM2. 5 SOA / OA was lower than estimates derived from chemical mass balance (CMB) calculations by a factor of 2-3, which suggests the potential effects of processes such as POA volatility, additional SOA formation mechanism, and missing sources. OA in PM0. 1, the focus size fraction of this study, is dominated by POA. Wood smoke is found to be the single biggest source of PM0. 1 OA in winter in California, while meat cooking, mobile emissions (gasoline and diesel engines), and other anthropogenic sources (mainly solvent usage and waste disposal) are the most important sources in summer. Biogenic emissions are predicted to be the largest PM0. 1 SOA source, followed by mobile sources and other anthropogenic sources, but these rankings are sensitive to the SOA model used in the calculation. Air pollution control programs aiming to reduce the PM0. 1 OA concentrations should consider controlling solvent usage, waste disposal, and mobile emissions in California, but these findings should be revisited after the latest science is incorporated into the SOA exposure calculations. The spatial distributions of SOA associated with different sources are not sensitive to the choice of

Sources and characteristics of summertime organic aerosol in the Colorado Front Range: perspective from measurements and WRF-Chem modeling

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R. Bahreini

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The evolution of organic aerosols (OAs and their precursors in the boundary layer (BL of the Colorado Front Range during the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment (FRAPPÉ, July–August 2014 was analyzed by in situ measurements and chemical transport modeling. Measurements indicated significant production of secondary OA (SOA, with enhancement ratio of OA with respect to carbon monoxide (CO reaching 0.085±0.003 µg m−3 ppbv−1. At background mixing ratios of CO, up to  ∼  1.8 µg m−3 background OA was observed, suggesting significant non-combustion contribution to OA in the Front Range. The mean concentration of OA in plumes with a high influence of oil and natural gas (O&G emissions was  ∼  40 % higher than in urban-influenced plumes. Positive matrix factorization (PMF confirmed a dominant contribution of secondary, oxygenated OA (OOA in the boundary layer instead of fresh, hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA. Combinations of primary OA (POA volatility assumptions, aging of semi-volatile species, and different emission estimates from the O&G sector were used in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem simulation scenarios. The assumption of semi-volatile POA resulted in greater than a factor of 10 lower POA concentrations compared to PMF-resolved HOA. Including top-down modified O&G emissions resulted in substantially better agreements in modeled ethane, toluene, hydroxyl radical, and ozone compared to measurements in the high-O&G-influenced plumes. By including emissions from the O&G sector using the top-down approach, it was estimated that the O&G sector contributed to  <  5 % of total OA, but up to 38 % of anthropogenic SOA (aSOA in the region. The best agreement between the measured and simulated median OA was achieved by limiting the extent of biogenic hydrocarbon aging and consequently biogenic SOA (bSOA production. Despite a lower production of bSOA in

Comparative nutritional ecology of grass-feeding in a sub-Antarctic beetle: the impact of introduced species on Hydromedion sparsutum from South Georgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chown, S L; Block, W

1997-07-01

South Georgia has many introduced plant and animal species, a consequence of its long history of human habitation. Introduced reindeer have a strong effect on the vegetation of the Stromness Bay area by causing the replacement of indigenous species by grazing-tolerant grasses such as the exotic Poa annua, and in certain circumstances, the indigenous Festuca contracta. Recently it has been argued that an introduced predatory carabid has contributed to declines in the abundance and an increase in the body size of adults of the indigenous perimylopid beetle Hydromedion sparsutum. However, it also appears that body size of these beetles is smaller in areas where exotic grasses predominate compared to undisturbed areas. Here we test the hypothesis that by causing the spread of poorer quality grasses, especially the exotic Poa annua, reindeer may be having an indirect effect on H. sparsutum. To do this we examined the nutritional ecology of H. sparsutum larvae on four grass species which form a major part of its diet, viz. the indigenous Parodiochloa flabellata, Phleum alpinum and Festuca contracta, and the exotic Poa annua. Larvae showed the highest growth rate on Parodiochloa flabellata, followed by Phleum alpinum, F. contracta and Poa annua. These differences are due to poorer absorption of the exotic grass, and poorer utilization of the absorbed material in the case of F. contracta. Poor growth of larvae on F. contracta appears to be due to its low water and nitrogen contents, whereas in the case of P. annua a combination of low water content and high nitrogen content may be responsible for low growth rates. Low growth rates associated with poor-quality food may lead either to a prolongation of the life cycle or of the length of feeding bouts of an insect. Neither option appears to be feasible for H. sparsutum, and this means that the outcome of feeding on poorer-quality foods would be a reduction in final adult size. This has fitness consequences for the beetle

Transcriptome Assembly and Comparison of an Allotetraploid Weed Species, Annual Bluegrass, with its Two Diploid Progenitor Species, Poa supina Schrad and Poa infirma Kunth

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Shu Chen

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Annual bluegrass ( L. is one of the most widespread weed species in this world. As a young allotetraploid, has occupied diverse environments from Antarctic area to subtropical regions. To unveil the evolutionary mystery behind ’s wide distribution, extensive adaptability and phenotypic plasticity needs collaboration from multiple research scopes from ecology and plant physiology to population genetics and molecular biology. However, the lack of omic data and reference has greatly hampered the study. This is the first comprehensive transcriptome study on species. Total RNA was extracted from and its two proposed diploid parents, Schrad and Kunth, and sequenced in Illumina Hiseq2000. Optimized, nonredundant transcriptome references were generated for each species using four de novo assemblers (Trinity, Velvet, SOAPdenovo, and CLC Genomics Workbench and a redundancy-reducing pipeline (CD-HIT-EST and EvidentialGene tr2aacds. Using the constructed transcriptomes together with sequencing reads, we found high similarity in nucleotide sequences and homeologous polymorphisms between and the two proposed parents. Comparison of chloroplast and mitochondrion genes further confirmed as the maternal parent. Less nucleotide percentage differences were observed between and homeologs than between and homeologs, indicating a higher nucleotide substitution rates in homeologs than in homeologs. Gene ontology (GO enrichment analysis suggested the more compatible cytoplasmic environment and cellular apparatus for homeologs as the major cause for this phenomenon.

Comparison of the chemical composition of PM10 and PM2.5 particles collected in urban environments and volcanic areas of metropolitan Costa Rica

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Jorge Herrera

2014-12-01

Full Text Available PM10 and PM2,5 were sampled simultaneously in urban and volcanic environments in the Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica from October to November 2012. Higher mass concentrations (42-29 μgm-3 of PM10 and PM2,5 were found at industrial and commercial areas with high traffic flow (La Uruca, Heredia and Belen compared with those found in the volcanic areas. The daily concentrations of PM10 and PM2,5 obtained in the Poas Volcano ranged from 3 -14 μgm-3 and 2-11 μgm-3, respectively. However the acidity of the collected particles in the Poas volcano was higher than those sampled in urban environments probably due to a lower occurrence rate of neutralization. The contribution of secondary ions was more important to the volcanic PM10 composition (around 40%, unlike the PM10 collected in urban areas.

Research on the influence of air pollution on cultivated crops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeevaart, A J; Spierings, F H.F.G.; Van Raay, A; Wolting, H G; Mooi, J

1971-01-01

Fumigations with peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) were conducted with Poa annua and Chenopodium murale. With white flowering petunias growing in cities, more information was gathered about the spread of ethylene originating from the exhaust gases of automobiles. In spring, spinach was injured over vast areas, probably by ozone air pollution. In the autumn, the very susceptible plant species, Poa annua and Chenopodium murale, growing in the urbanized and industrialized area in the neighbourhood of Rotterdam, showed the typical leaf injury caused by PAN. Investigations are started on plant injury occurring near bio-industries, probably caused by NH/sub 3/ or closely related gases. Around two aluminium factories in the Netherlands air pollution by HF is controlled. In the Netherlands common species of trees and shrubs were fumigated with SO/sub 2/ under field conditions to investigate their susceptibility to SO/sub 2/ gas and their recovery capacity.

Improving organic aerosol treatments in CESM/CAM5: Development, application, and evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Glotfelty, Timothy; He, Jian; Zhang, Yang

2017-06-01

New treatments for organic aerosol (OA) formation have been added to a modified version of the CESM/CAM5 model (CESM-NCSU). These treatments include a volatility basis set treatment for the simulation of primary and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), a simplified treatment for organic aerosol (OA) formation from glyoxal, and a parameterization representing the impact of new particle formation (NPF) of organic gases and sulfuric acid. With the inclusion of these new treatments, the concentration of oxygenated organic aerosol increases by 0.33 µg m-3 and that of primary organic aerosol (POA) decreases by 0.22 µg m-3 on global average. The decrease in POA leads to a reduction in the OA direct effect, while the increased OOA increases the OA indirect effects. Simulations with the new OA treatments show considerable improvement in simulated SOA, oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA), organic carbon (OC), total carbon (TC), and total organic aerosol (TOA), but degradation in the performance of HOA. In simulations of the current climate period, despite some deviations from observations, CESM-NCSU with the new OA treatments significantly improves the magnitude, spatial pattern, seasonal pattern of OC and TC, as well as, the speciation of TOA between POA and OOA. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the inclusion of the organic NPF treatment impacts the OA indirect effects by enhancing cloud properties. The simulated OA level and its impact on the climate system are most sensitive to choices in the enthalpy of vaporization and wet deposition of SVOCs, indicating that accurate representations of these parameters are critical for accurate OA-climate simulations.

Neuroanatomical localization of endocrine control of reproductive behavior in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, J.T. III.

1989-01-01

Steroid autoradiography and systematic and intracranial steroid treatment were undertaken to determine the neuroanatomical loci which are sufficient to activate steroid sensitive behaviors in the Japanese quail. (1) Autoradiographic localization of steroid binding cells was performed on male and female quail brains using tritiated ( 3 H) testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), or 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The distributions of labelled cells in the quail brain following 3 H-T or 3 H-E2 injection and autoradiography were similar to one another. The distribution of labelled cells following 3 H-DHT autoradiography was limited in comparison to that following 3 H-T autoradiography. Males were found to have more labelled cells than females in nucleus taeniae. (2) Intracranial implantation of minute pellets of testoterone propionate (TP) and estradiol benzoate (EB) was performed to determine neuroanatomical loci at which steroids activate sexual behavior. Both TP and EB implants in the preoptic area (POA) activated male copulatory behavior. (3) Systematic injection of aromatase inhibitor prior to and concurrent with implantation completely blocked copulatory behavior in males with TP implants in the POA but failed to block copulation in males with EB implants in the POA. (4) Intact males and castrated males given 5 dosages of systematic EB treatment were tested for sexual behavior, and blood samples from each group were assayed for E2 concentration. (5) Midbrain DHTP implants were activated crowing without significantly stimulating peripheral androgen-sensitive tissues, but the effect on crowing was not localized to any one nucleus

Microglia are essential to masculinization of brain and behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Lenz, Kathryn M.; Nugent, Bridget M.; Haliyur, Rachana; McCarthy, Margaret M.

2013-01-01

Brain sexual differentiation in rodents results from the perinatal testicular androgen surge. In the preoptic area (POA), estradiol aromatized from testosterone upregulates the production of the proinflammatory molecule, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) to produce sex-specific brain development. PGE2 produces a two-fold greater density of dendritic spines in males than in females and masculinizes adult copulatory behavior. One neonatal dose of PGE2 masculinizes the POA and behavior, and simultaneous treatment with an inhibitor of additional prostaglandin synthesis prevents this masculinization, indicating a positive feed-forward process that leads to sustained increases in PGE2. The mechanisms underlying this feed-forward process were unknown. Microglia, the primary immunocompetent cells in the brain, are active neonatally, contribute to normal brain development, and both produce and respond to prostaglandins. We investigated whether there are sex differences in microglia in the POA and whether they influence developmental masculinization. Neonatal males had twice as many ameboid microglia as females and a more activated morphological profile, and both estradiol and PGE2 masculinized microglial number and morphology in females. Microglial inhibition during the critical period for sexual differentiation prevented sex differences in microglia, estradiol-induced masculinization of dendritic spine density, and adult copulatory behavior. Microglial inhibition also prevented the estradiol-induced upregulation of PGE2, indicating that microglia are essential to the feed-forward process through which estradiol upregulates prostaglandin production. These studies demonstrate that immune cells in the brain interact with the nervous and endocrine systems during development, and are crucial for sexual differentiation of brain and behavior. PMID:23407936

Chemically-resolved volatility measurements of organic aerosol fom different sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Huffman, J A; Docherty, K S; Mohr, C; Cubison, M J; Ulbrich, I M; Ziemann, P J; Onasch, T B; Jimenez, J L

2009-07-15

A newly modified fast temperature-stepping thermodenuder (TD) was coupled to a High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer for rapid determination of chemically resolved volatility of organic aerosols (OA) emitted from individual sources. The TD-AMS system was used to characterize primary OA (POA) from biomass burning, trash burning surrogates (paper and plastic), and meat cooking as well as chamber-generated secondary OA (SOA) from alpha-pinene and gasoline vapor. Almost all atmospheric models represent POA as nonvolatile, with no allowance for evaporation upon heating or dilution, or condensation upon cooling. Our results indicate that all OAs observed show semivolatile behavior and that most POAs characterized here were at least as volatile as SOA measured in urban environments. Biomass-burning OA (BBOA) exhibited a wide range of volatilities, but more often showed volatility similar to urban OA. Paper-burning resembles some types of BBOA because of its relatively high volatility and intermediate atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratio, while meat-cooking OAs (MCOA) have consistently lower volatility than ambient OA. Chamber-generated SOA under the relatively high concentrations used intraditional experiments was significantly more volatile than urban SOA, challenging extrapolation of traditional laboratory volatility measurements to the atmosphere. Most OAs sampled show increasing O/C ratio and decreasing H/C (hydrogen-to-carbon) ratio with temperature, further indicating that more oxygenated OA components are typically less volatile. Future experiments should systematically explore a wider range of mass concentrations to more fully characterize the volatility distributions of these OAs.

Deployed Base Solar Power (BRIEFING SLIDES)

Science.gov (United States)

2009-09-01

various time intervals. Data Acquisitions and Components:  FieldPoint  Current, Voltage, and Power Transducers  POA Pyranometers  Solar...Tracking Pyranometer  Weather Station  kWh Meter Parameters being monitored:  Solar Module Temperatures  Ambient Temperature  Wind Speed  Wind

Influence of host and geographic locale on the distribution of Colletotrichum cereale lineages

Science.gov (United States)

Colletotrichum cereale is an ascomycete inhabitant of cool-season grasses of the Pooideae subfamily. The fungus has increased in frequency over the past decade as a destructive pathogen of Poa annua and Agrostis stolonifera cultivated as turfgrass. DNA fingerprinting has revealed two distinct C. c...

Meadow-grass gall midge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lars Monrad

The area with meadow-grass (Poa pratensis, L.) grown for seed production in Den-mark is a significant proportion of the entire seed production. The meadow-grass gall midge (Mayetiola schoberi, Barnes 1958) is of considerable economic importance since powerful attacks can reduce the yield...

76 FR 74018 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Southern...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-30

... elevations and the subalpine fir/Engelmann spruce zone at higher elevations. Caribou also require transition... are representative of the historical, geographical, and ecological distributions of a species. We... space available for caribou, limiting the ecological carrying capacity; (2) reduction of the arboreal...

Braking effect of climate and topography on global change-induced upslope forest expansion.

Science.gov (United States)

Alatalo, Juha M; Ferrarini, Alessandro

2017-03-01

Forests are expected to expand into alpine areas due to global climate change. It has recently been shown that temperature alone cannot realistically explain this process and that upslope tree advance in a warmer scenario may depend on the availability of sites with adequate geomorphic/topographic characteristics. Here, we show that, besides topography (slope and aspect), climate itself can produce a braking effect on the upslope advance of subalpine forests and that tree limit is influenced by non-linear and non-monotonic contributions of the climate variables which act upon treeline upslope advance with varying relative strengths. Our results suggest that global climate change impact on the upslope advance of subalpine forests should be interpreted in a more complex way where climate can both speed up and slow down the process depending on complex patterns of contribution from each climate and non-climate variable.

Membrane separation using nano-pores; Nano poa wo riyoshita makubunri

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manabe, S. [Fukuoka Women`s Univ., Fukuoka (Japan)

1995-08-01

The membrane constituted by nano-pore only (NF membrane) is sold on the market recently as the membranes used for the matter separations in addition to the reverse osmosis membrane for changing seawater into fresh water, dialysis membrane used for artificial kidney, ultrafiltration membrane used for the separation and condensation of protein and the micro-filter used for removing microbe. It is possible for the membrane constituted by nano-pore to remove the virus with the size being from 20 to 300 nm. In this paper, the pore structure of NF membrane is explained, and then its application as the membrane for removing virus is described. Especially, it is possible for NF membrane to remove the virus with smallest size (parvovirus, etc.), prion albumen (bovine serum pathogen, etc.) and the special gene such as cancer, and it is further applied to the condensation and refining of virus and genes. The broader application of nano-pore to the control of the transportation of micro-particles in the future is expected. 3 refs., 2 figs.

7 CFR 361.1 - Definitions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

.... trichoglume Robyns Pea, field—Pisum sativum L. Peanut—Arachis hypogaea L. Poa trivialis—(see Bluegrass, rough... intybus L. Chives—Allium schoenoprasum L. Citron—Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai var...—Lepidium sativum L. Cress, upland—Barbarea verna (Mill.) Asch. Cress, water—Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (L...

The prevalence of child maltreatment in the Netherlands across a 5-year period

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Euser, S.; Alink, L.R.A.; Pannebakker, F.; Vogels, T.; Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J.; IJzendoorn, M.H. van

2013-01-01

The prevalence of child maltreatment in the Netherlands was in 2005 first systematically examined in the Netherlands’ Prevalence study on Maltreatment of children and youth (NPM-2005), using sentinel reports and substantiated CPS cases, and in the Pupils on Abuse study (PoA-2005), using high school

Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Regina M. Rochefort; Laurie L. Kurth; Tara W. Carolin; Robert R. Mierendorf; Kimberly Frappier; David L. Steenson

2006-01-01

This chapter concentrates on subalpine parklands and alpine meadows of southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and western Montana. These areas lie on the flanks of several mountain ranges including the Olympics, the Cascades of Oregon and Washington, and the Coast Mountains in British Columbia.

Modeling species’ realized climatic niche space and predicting their response to global warming for several western forest species with small geographic distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus V. Warwell; Gerald E. Rehfeldt; Nicholas L. Crookston

2010-01-01

The Random Forests multiple regression tree was used to develop an empirically based bioclimatic model of the presence-absence of species occupying small geographic distributions in western North America. The species assessed were subalpine larch (Larix lyallii), smooth Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica ssp. glabra...

Management of spruce-fir in even-aged stands in the central Rocky Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Robert R. Alexander; Carleton B. Edminster

1980-01-01

Potential production of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir in the central Rocky Mountains is simulated for vario.us combinations of stand density, site quality, ages, and thinning schedules. Such estimates are needed to project future development of stands managed in different ways for various uses.

Variations in ecdysteroid levels and cytochrome P450 expression during moult and reproduction in male shore crabs Carcinus maenas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Styrishave, B.; Rewitz, K.; Lund, T.

2004-01-01

and intermoult. In the testis, 20E and E were present at high levels except in Postmoult Stage A, where low levels were observed. PoA was never observed in the testis. Ecdysteroids were quantified in the red and green colour forms of late intermoult C-4 crabs. In both phenotypes, 20E was the dominating...... had significantly higher testicular E levels than red crabs. Ecdysteroid levels were negatively related to CYP330A1 and CYP4C39 gene expression. CYP330A1 and CYP4C39 mRNA levels were low during intermoult and premoult but high during postmoult. The results suggest that E and 20E are involved in both......Ecdysteroid levels were investigated by HPLC-MS over the moult cycle and in relation to reproduction in male shore crabs Carcinus maenas. Ecdysone (E), 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and Ponasterone A (PoA) were quantified in the haemolymph, hepatopancreas and testis. Also, the expression of 2 recently...

Biopolymers form a gelatinous microlayer at the air-sea interface when Arctic sea ice melts.

Science.gov (United States)

Galgani, Luisa; Piontek, Judith; Engel, Anja

2016-07-20

The interface layer between ocean and atmosphere is only a couple of micrometers thick but plays a critical role in climate relevant processes, including the air-sea exchange of gas and heat and the emission of primary organic aerosols (POA). Recent findings suggest that low-level cloud formation above the Arctic Ocean may be linked to organic polymers produced by marine microorganisms. Sea ice harbors high amounts of polymeric substances that are produced by cells growing within the sea-ice brine. Here, we report from a research cruise to the central Arctic Ocean in 2012. Our study shows that microbial polymers accumulate at the air-sea interface when the sea ice melts. Proteinaceous compounds represented the major fraction of polymers supporting the formation of a gelatinous interface microlayer and providing a hitherto unrecognized potential source of marine POA. Our study indicates a novel link between sea ice-ocean and atmosphere that may be sensitive to climate change.

Physiological and biochemical stress responses in grassland species are influenced by both early-season ozone exposure and interspecific competition.

Science.gov (United States)

Scebba, Francesca; Canaccini, Francesca; Castagna, Antonella; Bender, Jürgen; Weigel, Hans-Joachim; Ranieri, Annamaria

2006-08-01

The effects of two-year early season ozone exposure on physiological and biochemical stress response were investigated in model plant communities. Achillea millefolium and Veronica chamaedrys target plants were grown in monocultures and in mixed cultures with Poa pratensis (phytometer) and exposed in open-top chambers over two years for five weeks to charcoal-filtered (CF) air plus 25 nl l(-1) O3 (control) and non-filtered (NF) air plus 50 nl l(-1) O3. Significant O3 effects were detected in different physiological and biochemical parameters, evidencing interspecific differences in metabolic stress responses and a strong influence of the competition factor. O3 induced strong oxidative effects in Achillea irrespective to the different growth modality. Veronica showed less O3-induced effects in monoculture than when grown in competition with the phytometer. Poa exhibited a different behaviour against O3 depending on the species in competition, showing an overall higher sensitivity to O3 when in mixture with Achillea.

Chemical composition, sources, and aging process of submicron aerosols in Beijing: Contrast between summer and winter

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Weiwei; Hu, Min; Hu, Wei; Jimenez, Jose L.; Yuan, Bin; Chen, Wentai; Wang, Ming; Wu, Yusheng; Chen, Chen; Wang, Zhibin; Peng, Jianfei; Zeng, Limin; Shao, Min

2016-02-01

To investigate the seasonal characteristics of submicron aerosol (PM1) in Beijing urban areas, a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol-mass-spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was utilized at an urban site in summer (August to September 2011) and winter (November to December 2010), coupled with multiple state of the art online instruments. The average mass concentrations of PM1 (60-84 µg m-3) and its chemical compositions in different campaigns of Beijing were relatively consistent in recent years. In summer, the daily variations of PM1 mass concentrations were stable and repeatable. Eighty-two percent of the PM1 mass concentration on average was composed of secondary species, where 62% is secondary inorganic aerosol and 20% secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In winter, PM1 mass concentrations changed dramatically because of the different meteorological conditions. The high average fraction (58%) of primary species in PM1 including primary organic aerosol (POA), black carbon, and chloride indicates primary emissions usually played a more important role in the winter. However, aqueous chemistry resulting in efficient secondary formation during occasional periods with high relative humidity may also contribute substantially to haze in winter. Results of past OA source apportionment studies in Beijing show 45-67% of OA in summer and 22-50% of OA in winter can be composed of SOA. Based on the source apportionment results, we found 45% POA in winter and 61% POA in summer are from nonfossil sources, contributed by cooking OA in both seasons and biomass burning OA (BBOA) in winter. Cooking OA, accounting for 13-24% of OA, is an important nonfossil carbon source in all years of Beijing and should not be neglected. The fossil sources of POA include hydrocarbon-like OA from vehicle emissions in both seasons and coal combustion OA (CCOA) in winter. The CCOA and BBOA were the two main contributors (57% of OA) for the highest OA concentrations (>100 µg m-3) in winter. The POA

CCN activity and organic hygroscopicity of aerosols downwind of an urban region in central Amazonia: seasonal and diel variations and impact of anthropogenic emissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Thalman

2017-10-01

Full Text Available During the Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5 campaign, size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN spectra were characterized at a research site (T3 60 km downwind of the city of Manaus, Brazil, in central Amazonia for 1 year (12 March 2014 to 3 March 2015. Particle hygroscopicity (κCCN and mixing state were derived from the size-resolved CCN spectra, and the hygroscopicity of the organic component of the aerosol (κorg was then calculated from κCCN and concurrent chemical composition measurements. The annual average κCCN increased from 0.13 at 75 nm to 0.17 at 171 nm, and the increase was largely due to an increase in sulfate volume fraction. During both wet and dry seasons, κCCN, κorg, and particle composition under background conditions exhibited essentially no diel variations. The constant κorg of ∼ 0. 15 is consistent with the largely uniform and high O : C value (∼ 0. 8, indicating that the aerosols under background conditions are dominated by the aged regional aerosol particles consisting of highly oxygenated organic compounds. For air masses strongly influenced by urban pollution and/or local biomass burning, lower values of κorg and organic O : C atomic ratio were observed during night, due to accumulation of freshly emitted particles, dominated by primary organic aerosol (POA with low hygroscopicity, within a shallow nocturnal boundary layer. The O : C, κorg, and κCCN increased from the early morning hours and peaked around noon, driven by the formation and aging of secondary organic aerosol (SOA and dilution of POA emissions into a deeper boundary layer, while the development of the boundary layer, which leads to mixing with aged particles from the residual layer aloft, likely also contributed to the increases. The hygroscopicities associated with individual organic factors, derived from PMF (positive matrix factorization analysis of AMS (aerosol mass

Efeitos do estresse térmico sobre a produção, composição química do leite e respostas termorreguladoras de cabras da raça alpina Thermal stress effects on milk yield and chemical composition and thermoregulatory responses of lactating alpines goats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lúcia Helena de Albuquerque Brasil

2000-12-01

Full Text Available Seis cabras da raça Alpina, com produção média de leite de 2,5 kg/dia, foram distribuídas aleatoriamente em dois grupos de três e submetidas à termoneutralidade ou estresse térmico por 56 dias em câmara climática. Usou-se um delineamento estatístico "crossover". A temperatura média do ar diurna, incluindo radiação solar simulada, foi de 33,84ºC. Os animais estressados aumentaram a freqüência respiratória, o volume-minuto respiratório, a termólise-evaporativa respiratória, temperatura retal e a taxa de sudorese, enquanto o volume corrente respiratório e o volume globular diminuíram. Houve também perda de peso, redução da ingestão de alimentos e duplicação do consumo de água. A produção de leite e a porcentagem de gordura, proteína, lactose e sólidos totais diminuíram. Os teores de cloretos, cálcio e fósforo não sofreram alteração. Concluiu-se que, para manter a homeotermia, as cabras mobilizaram o sistema respiratório e sudoríparo para perder calor. A alta temperatura ambiente efetiva reduziu a produção e os teores de alguns componentes do leite.Six Alpine goats with an average milk yield of 2.5 kg/day were randomly assigned to two groups of three and allotted to thermoneutral or heat stress conditions, for 56 days in climate chamber room. A crossover experimental design was used. The goats under heat stress were exposed to a diurnal average air temperature plus simulated solar radiation of 33. 84ºC. The heat-stressed goats showed elevated respiratory frequency, respiratory minute volume, respiratory evaporation, rectal temperature and sweating rate, while the tidal volume and packed cell volume decreased. Further weight loss, decreased feed intake, and their water consumption doubled. The milk yield, the percentage of fat, protein, lactose and total solid contents decreased. The contents of chloride, calcium and phosphorus did not change. The goats mobilized the respiratory and sweating systems to

Environmental Impact Study of the Northern Section of the Upper Mississippi River. Pool 1.

Science.gov (United States)

1973-11-01

grass P Poa pratensis Blue grass Setaria viridis Green foxtail P P P P D Setaria sp. Bristly foxtail P Spartina pectinata Prairie cord grass P...Agrimonia pubescens Cocklebur Alchemilla sp. Lady’s mantle P Fragaria vesca Wild strawberry Oewn canadense White avens Gewn laciniatun Avens Geum

Prenatal exposure to paracetamol/acetaminophen and precursor aniline impairs masculinisation of male brain and behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hay-Schmidt, Anders; Finkielman, Olivia T. Ejlstrup; Jensen, Benjamin Anderschou Holbech

2017-01-01

to be inhibited by APAP. Through intrauterine exposure experiments in C57BL/6 mice, we found that exposure to APAP decreased neuronal number in the sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN) of the preoptic area (POA) in the anterior hypothalamus of male adult offspring. Likewise, exposure to the environmental pollutant...

The distribution and spread of alien vascular plants on Prince Edward Island

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ryan, P.G.; Smith, V.; Gremmen, N.J.M.

2003-01-01

Surveys of alien plants at subantarctic Prince Edward Island in 2001 show that the ranges of all three introduced species have increased since the last survey in 1998. Poa annua, the longest-established species, increased its range substantially after 1987, prior to which it was confined to a single

Use and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioid Analgesics in the General Population of Canada and Correlations with Dispensing Levels in 2009

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Kevin D Shield

2013-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In Canada, harm from nonmedical prescription opioid analgesic (POA use (NMPOU has increased in recent years; however, there are limitations to the current estimates of NMPOU. The 2009 Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey presents an opportunity to produce more accurate estimates of NMPOU.

Galanin neurons in the intermediate nucleus (InM) of the human hypothalamus in relation to sex, age, and gender identity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garcia-Falgueras, Alicia; Ligtenberg, Lisette; Kruijver, Frank P. M.; Swaab, Dick F.

2011-01-01

The intermediate nucleus (InM) in the preoptic area of the human brain, also known as the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) and the interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus-1 (INAH-1) is explored here. We investigated its population of galanin-immunoreactive (Gal-Ir)

Diversity of earthworms (Clitellata: Lumbricidae from Sredna Gora Mountain (Bulgaria

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Valchovski, H.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In the current study the diversity, zoogeographical position and distribution of earthworms from Sredna Gora Mountain (Bulgaria is presented. During the present investigation, altogether ten earthworm species belonging to seven genera were collected. Among them, seven taxa are reported for the first time from the Sredna Gora Mt.: Cernosvitovia rebeli, Dendrobaena alpina, Allolobophoridella eiseni, Dendrodrilus rubidus rubidus, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea rosea and Lumbricus terrestris. On the basis of the new and literature data here we provide the first list of lumbricid earthworms from Sredna Gora Mountain.

Sobre el origen de las razas caprinas españolas

OpenAIRE

Herrera García, M.; Peña Blanco, Francisco; Rodero Serrano, E.

1998-01-01

Aún hoy, transcurridos más de 50 años desde que Aparicio Sánchez estableciera el origen de las razas caprinas españolas, su hipótesis está llena de contenido y actualidad. Las tres formas prehistóricas propuestas por este autor como troncos originarios, la Capra Prisca, la Capra Aegagrus y otra forma desconocida de procedencia africana son asumidas, así como las variedades Alpina y Pirenaica de la cabra Aegagrus anteriormente reconocida por Sanson (1903) y que fueron desarrolladas por este au...

Managing coarse woody debris in forests of the Rocky Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Russell T. Graham; Alan E. Harvey; Martin F. Jurgensen; Theresa B. Jain; Jonalea R. Tonn; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese

1994-01-01

Recommendations for managing coarse woody debris after timber harvest were developed for 14 habitat types, ranging from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) habitat types of Arizona to subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) habitat types of western Montana. Ectomycorrhizae were used as a bioindicator of healthy, productive forest soils....

78 FR 5490 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-25

... achieve NPS goals, while ensuring accessibility, public safety, resource protection, and protection and... throughout the river corridor. The scenic segment below O'Shaughnessy Dam and the Tioga Road corridor east of... interpretation and education at Tuolumne Meadows. Subalpine meadow and riparian areas would be protected from...

Improving organic aerosol treatments in CESM/CAM5: Development, application, and evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Glotfelty, Timothy; He, Jian

2017-01-01

Abstract New treatments for organic aerosol (OA) formation have been added to a modified version of the CESM/CAM5 model (CESM‐NCSU). These treatments include a volatility basis set treatment for the simulation of primary and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), a simplified treatment for organic aerosol (OA) formation from glyoxal, and a parameterization representing the impact of new particle formation (NPF) of organic gases and sulfuric acid. With the inclusion of these new treatments, the concentration of oxygenated organic aerosol increases by 0.33 µg m−3 and that of primary organic aerosol (POA) decreases by 0.22 µg m−3 on global average. The decrease in POA leads to a reduction in the OA direct effect, while the increased OOA increases the OA indirect effects. Simulations with the new OA treatments show considerable improvement in simulated SOA, oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA), organic carbon (OC), total carbon (TC), and total organic aerosol (TOA), but degradation in the performance of HOA. In simulations of the current climate period, despite some deviations from observations, CESM‐NCSU with the new OA treatments significantly improves the magnitude, spatial pattern, seasonal pattern of OC and TC, as well as, the speciation of TOA between POA and OOA. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the inclusion of the organic NPF treatment impacts the OA indirect effects by enhancing cloud properties. The simulated OA level and its impact on the climate system are most sensitive to choices in the enthalpy of vaporization and wet deposition of SVOCs, indicating that accurate representations of these parameters are critical for accurate OA‐climate simulations. PMID:29104733

Connectivity and neurochemistry of the commissura anterior of the pigeon (Columba livia).

Science.gov (United States)

Letzner, Sara; Simon, Annika; Güntürkün, Onur

2016-02-01

The anterior commissure (AC) and the much smaller hippocampal commissure constitute the only interhemispheric pathways at the telencephalic level in birds. Since the degeneration study from Zeier and Karten (), no detailed description of the topographic organization of the AC has been performed. This information is not only necessary for a better understanding of interhemispheric transfer in birds, but also for a comparative analysis of the evolution of commissural systems in the vertebrate classes. We therefore examined the fiber connections of the AC by using choleratoxin subunit B (CTB) and biotinylated dextran amine (BDA). Injections into subareas of the arcopallium and posterior amygdala (PoA) demonstrated contralateral projection fields within the anterior arcopallium (AA), intermediate arcopallium (AI), PoA, lateral, caudolateral and central nidopallium, dorsal and ventral mesopallium, and medial striatum (MSt). Interestingly, only arcopallial and amygdaloid projections were reciprocally organized, and all AC projections originated within a rather small area of the arcopallium and the PoA. The commissural neurons were not GABA-positive, and thus possibly not of an inhibitory nature. In sum, our neuroanatomical study demonstrates that a small group of arcopallial and amygdaloid neurons constitute a wide range of contralateral projections to sensorimotor and limbic structures. Different from mammals, in birds the neurons that project via the AC constitute mostly heterotopically organized and unidirectional connections. In addition, the great majority of pallial areas do not participate by themselves in interhemispheric exchange in birds. Instead, commissural exchange rests on a rather small arcopallial and amygdaloid cluster of neurons. © 2015 The Authors The Journal of Comparative Neurology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Posterior Cerebral Artery and its Main Cortical Branches Identified with Noninvasive Transcranial Color-Coded Duplex Sonography.

Science.gov (United States)

Frid, P E; Schreiber, S J; Pade, O; Doepp, F; Valdueza, J

2015-11-01

To differentiate PCA segments and cortical branches by means of transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCD) and to measure flow parameters at rest and during visual stimulation. 60 healthy subjects with a good acoustic temporal bone window were examined. The main stem of the PCA (P1, P2 and P3) and 4 main cortical branches - the anterior temporal artery (ATA), the occipital temporal artery (OTA), the parietooccipital artery (POA) and the calcarine artery (CA) - were assessed using an axial transtemporal approach. Systolic and diastolic blood flow velocities (BFVs) were recorded at rest and during visual stimulation. Identification of the P1 segment of the PCA was successful in 97.5% (117/120) of cases. The P2 and P3 segments were visualized in all cases. The 4 main cortical branches could be identified to varying degrees: ATA in 88%, OTA in 96%, POA in 69% and CA in 62%. There was an evoked flow response in the P2 main stem and in all cortical branches. The most pronounced increase in diastolic/systolic BFV after visual stimulation test was seen in the CA (42%/35%), followed by P2 (30%/24%), the POA (27%/27%), the OTA (16%/13%) and the ATA (9%/8%). Insonation through the temporal bone window with TCCD confidently allows the assessment of the P1 to P3 segments of the PCA as well as the 2 proximal branches, the ATA and the OTA. An ultrasound-based classification of PCA anatomy and its cortical branches may be used as a noninvasive method for the evaluation of posterior circulation pathology.

Increased risk of revision in patients with non-traumatic femoral head necrosis 11,589 cases compared to 416,217 cases with primary osteoarthritis in the NARA database, 1995–2011

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergh, C.; Fenstad, Ann M.; Furnes, O.

2014-01-01

. The relative risk of revision for any reason, for aseptic loosening, dislocation, deep infection, and periprosthetic fracture was studied before and after adjustment for covariates using Cox regression models. Results - 416,217 hips with POA (mean age 69 (SD 10), 59% females) and 11,589 with FHN (mean age 65...

Effectiveness and costeffectiveness of screening immigrants ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Immigrants to developed countries are a major source of TB. Therefore amongst strategies adopted for TB control in developed countries include; 1) Screening immigrants at ports of entry referred to as “Port of Arrival Screening” (PoA) and 2) Passive screening (PS) for TB which means screening immigrants ...

Invasive pathogen threatens bird-pine mutualism: Implications for sustaining a high-elevation ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Shawn T. McKinney; Carl E. Fiedler; Diana F. Tomback

2009-01-01

Human-caused disruptions to seed-dispersal mutualisms increase the extinction risk for both plant and animal species. Large-seeded plants can be particularly vulnerable due to highly specialized dispersal systems and no compensatory regeneration mechanisms. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a keystone subalpine species, obligately depends upon the Clark's...

Early survival and height growth of Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine seedlings and variations in site factors following treatment of logging residues.

Science.gov (United States)

W. Lopushlnsky; D. Zabowskl; T.D. Anderson

1992-01-01

Logging residues were broadcast burned, piled and burned, removed, or left in place after clearcutting in a high-elevation subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) forest in north-central Washington. Survival, height growth and foliar nutrient content of planted Douglas-fir...

Nighttime oxidation of surfactants at the air-water interface: effects of chain length, head group and saturation

Science.gov (United States)

Sebastiani, Federica; Campbell, Richard A.; Rastogi, Kunal; Pfrang, Christian

2018-03-01

Reactions of the key atmospheric nighttime oxidant NO3 with organic monolayers at the air-water interface are used as proxies for the ageing of organic-coated aqueous aerosols. The surfactant molecules chosen for this study are oleic acid (OA), palmitoleic acid (POA), methyl oleate (MO) and stearic acid (SA) to investigate the effects of chain length, head group and degree of unsaturation on the reaction kinetics and products formed. Fully and partially deuterated surfactants were studied using neutron reflectometry (NR) to determine the reaction kinetics of organic monolayers with NO3 at the air-water interface for the first time. Kinetic modelling allowed us to determine the rate coefficients for the oxidation of OA, POA and MO monolayers to be (2.8±0.7) × 10-8, (2.4±0.5) × 10-8and (3.3±0.6) × 10-8 cm2 molecule-1 s-1 for fitted initial desorption lifetimes of NO3 at the closely packed organic monolayers, τd, NO3, 1, of 8.1±4.0, 16±4.0 and 8.1±3.0 ns, respectively. The approximately doubled desorption lifetime found in the best fit for POA compared to OA and MO is consistent with a more accessible double bond associated with the shorter alkyl chain of POA facilitating initial NO3 attack at the double bond in a closely packed monolayer. The corresponding uptake coefficients for OA, POA and MO were found to be (2.1±0.5) × 10-3, (1.7±0.3) × 10-3 and (2.1±0.4) × 10-3, respectively. For the much slower NO3-initiated oxidation of the saturated surfactant SA we estimated a loss rate of approximately (5±1) × 10-12 cm2 molecule-1 s-1, which we consider to be an upper limit for the reactive loss, and estimated an uptake coefficient of ca. (5±1) × 10-7. Our investigations demonstrate that NO3 will contribute substantially to the processing of unsaturated surfactants at the air-water interface during nighttime given its reactivity is ca. 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of O3. Furthermore, the relative contributions of NO3 and O3 to the oxidative

Quantifying cambial activity of high-elevation conifers in the Great Basin, Nevada, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Ziaco, E.; Biondi, F.; Rossi, S.; Deslauriers, A.

2013-12-01

Understanding the physiological mechanisms that control the formation of tree rings provides the necessary biological basis for developing dendroclimatic reconstructions and dendroecological histories. Studies of wood formation in the Great Basin are now being conducted in connection with the Nevada Climate-ecohydrological Assessment Network (NevCAN), a recently established transect of valley-to-mountaintop instrumented stations in the Snake and Sheep Ranges of the Great Basin. Automated sensors record meteorological, soil, and vegetational variables at these sites, providing unique opportunities for ecosystem science, and are being used to investigate the ecological implications of xylogenesis. We present here an initial study based on microcores collected during summer 2013 from mountain and subalpine conifers (including Great Basin bristlecone pine, Pinus longaeva) growing on the west slope of Mt. Washington. Samples were taken from the mountain west (SM; 2810 m elevation) and the subalpine west (SS, 3355 m elevation) NevCAN sites on June 16th and 27th, 2013. The SS site was further subdivided in a high (SSH) and a low (SSL) group of trees, separated by about 10 m in elevation. Microscopic analyses showed the effect of elevation on cambial activity, as annual ring formation was more advanced at the lower (mountain) site compared to the higher (subalpine) one. At all sites cambium size showed little variations between the two sampling dates. The number of xylem cells in the radial enlargement phase decreased between the two sampling dates at the mountain site but increased at the subalpine site, confirming a delayed formation of wood at the higher elevations. Despite relatively high within-site variability, a general trend of increasing number of cells in the lignification phase was found at all sites. Mature cells were present only at the mountain site on June 27th. Spatial differences in the xylem formation process emerged at the species level and, within

Survey for balsam woolly adegid in Washington and Oregon.

Science.gov (United States)

I. Ragenovich; B. Willhite; R. Mitchell; D. Overhulser; K. Ripley

2002-01-01

Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) is an introduced insect that has had a significant impact on Abies tree species in the Pacific Northwest. During the late 1950s and 1960s, it caused extensive mortality of grand fir (A. grandis), subalpine fir (A. lasiocarpa), and silver fir (A. amabilis), particularly in the...

Caloplaca subalpina and C. thracopontica, two new saxicolous species from the Caloplaca cerina group (Teloschistales)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vondrák, Jan; Šoun, Jaroslav; Hrouzek, Pavel

2008-01-01

Caloplaca subalpina Vondrák, Šoun & Palice and C. thracopontica Vondrák & Šoun are described here as new to science. The former is a sorediate, often sterile, saxicolous species inhabiting subalpine base-rich overhanging rocks in European mountains; the latter grows on maritime cliffs of the Black...

Complex challenges of maintaining whitebark pine in Greater Yellowstone under climate change: A call for innovative research, management, and policy approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Andrew Hansen; Kathryn Ireland; Kristin Legg; Robert Keane; Edward Barge; Martha Jenkins; Michiel Pillet

2016-01-01

Climate suitability is projected to decline for many subalpine species, raising questions about managing species under a deteriorating climate. Whitebark pine (WBP) (Pinus albicaulis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) crystalizes the challenges that natural resource managers of many high mountain ecosystems will likely face in the coming decades. We...

Relationships between rare plants of the White Mountains and the late Cenozoic geology of the Colorado Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Jonathan W. Long

2007-01-01

A complex geologic history has shaped the distribution of Arizona willow (Salix arizonica Dorn) and the Mogollon paintbrush (Castilleja mogollonica Pennell). These subalpine plants do not appear to be strict substrate specialists, but they do seem to favor coarse-textured and well-watered soils. Most of their occupied habitats were...

Forest dynamics in a forest-tundra ecotone, Medicine Bow Mountains, Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Christopher J. Earle

1993-01-01

The alpine timberline in much of western North America is characterized by a structurally complex transition from subalpine forest to alpine tundra, the forest-tundra ecotone. Trees within the ecotone are typically arrayed across the landscape within clumps or "ribbon forests," elongated strips oriented perpendicular to the prevailing winds. This study...

77 FR 29358 - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Environmental Impact Statement for the Shadura...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-17

...: Meetings: We will locally announce any future meeting dates, times, and locations, at least 10 days prior... Mountains, with their glaciers, rise to more than 6,500 feet. Treeless alpine and subalpine habitats are... staging area and nesting habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl throughout the spring, summer, and fall. The...

Huckleberry and ecology management research in the Pacific Northwest.

Science.gov (United States)

Don Minore; Alan W. Smart; Michael B. Dubrasich

1979-01-01

Big huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum Dougl. ex Hook.) berry production is declining in many northwestern huckleberry fields as they are invaded by subalpine trees. Seeking ways to halt this invasion and increase berry production, the authors studied huckleberries in the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington from 1972 to 1977. They developed...

Prevalence, Host Range, and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Temperate Ochrobactrum Phages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Jäckel

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Ochrobactrum and Brucella are closely related bacteria that populate different habitats and differ in their pathogenic properties. Only little is known about mobile genetic elements in these genera which might be important for survival and virulence. Previous studies on Brucella lysogeny indicated that active phages are rare in this genus. To gain insight into the presence and nature of prophages in Ochrobactrum, temperate phages were isolated from various species and characterized in detail. In silico analyses disclosed numerous prophages in published Ochrobactrum genomes. Induction experiments showed that Ochrobactrum prophages can be induced by various stress factors and that some strains released phage particles even under non-induced conditions. Sixty percent of lysates prepared from 125 strains revealed lytic activity. The host range and DNA similarities of 19 phages belonging to the families Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, or Podoviridae were determined suggesting that they are highly diverse. Some phages showed relationship to the temperate Brucella inopinata phage BiPB01. The genomic sequences of the myovirus POA1180 (41,655 bp and podovirus POI1126 (60,065 bp were analyzed. Phage POA1180 is very similar to a prophage recently identified in a Brucella strain isolated from an exotic frog. The POA1180 genome contains genes which may confer resistance to chromate and the ability to take up sulfate. Phage POI1126 is related to podoviruses of Sinorhizobium meliloti (PCB5, Erwinia pyrifoliae (Pep14, and Burkholderia cenocepacia (BcepIL02 and almost identical to an unnamed plasmid of the Ochrobactrum intermedium strain LMG 3301. Further experiments revealed that the POI1126 prophage indeed replicates as an extrachromosomal element. The data demonstrate for the first time that active prophages are common in Ochrobactrum and suggest that atypical brucellae also may be a reservoir for temperate phages.

Quantitative assessment of the synergistic and independent effects of estradiol and progesterone on ventromedial hypothalamic and preoptic-area proteins in female rat brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, K.J.; McEwen, B.S.; Pfaff, D.W.

1987-01-01

In this study, quantitative assessment of the synergistic and independent effects of estradiol and progesterone on protein synthesis in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMN) and the preoptic area (POA) was accomplished using in vitro 35S-methionine and 35S-cystein labeling, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and computerized densitometry. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats were divided into four groups. Group 1 was implanted with estradiol (E) capsules for 6 hr and injected with progesterone (P; 0.1 ml, 5 mg/ml propylene glycol) at 20 hr. Group 3 was sham-implanted for 6 hr and injected with 0.01 ml P at 20 hr. Group 4 was sham-planted for 6 hr and injected with vehicle alone at 20 hr. All animals were sacrificed at 24 hr. A number of proteins in both VMN and POA were found to be increased or decreased in labeling by E plus P, E alone, and P alone. Two important synergistic effects of the hormones were found. First, the effects of E on labeling of several proteins in both brain regions were countered by P, and conversely, the effects of P on labeling of several proteins in both brain regions were countered by E. Second, E priming increased the number of proteins affected in labeling by P in both brain regions. Comparison of the effects of E and P on proteins in the VMN and POA indicated that the populations of proteins affected in labeling were markedly different. These results begin to clarify the mechanism in which E and P affect neuronal functioning in two regions involved in the control of reproduction and lend support to the hypothesis that gonadal steroids accomplished their action on brain tissue via a mechanism that is partly unique to the brain region

A comparative study of Alzheimer's disease and Pick's disease by CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichimiya, Yosuke; Kobayashi, Kazunari; Arai, Heii; Ikeda, Kenji; Kosaka, Kenji

1984-01-01

17 patients with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease, 11 patients with clinically diagnosed Pick's disease and 13 healthy age-matched subjects as the control were studied by computed tomography (CT). In order to study cerebral atrophy, volumetric measurement was performed. Subarachnoid Space Volume Index (SVI). Frontal, Temporal, and Parieto-Occipital Subarachnoid Space Volume Indices (SfVI, StVI, and SpoVI, respectively) as well as Ventricle Volume Index (VVI), The volume indices of anterior horn, inferior horn, and posterior horn of the lateral ventricles (VaVI, ViVI, and VpVI, respectively) were calculated as the indices for the atrophy of the cerebral cortex and white matter. Furthermore, to evaluate lobar atrophy, SfVI+VaVI (FA), StVI+ViVI (TA), and SpoVI+VpVI (POA) were defined as the indices of frontal lobe atrophy, temporal lobe atrophy, and parieto-occipital lobe atrophy respectively. In Alzheimer's patients, FA and POA were significantly large (p<0.001) in stage I group and TA was significantly enlarged (p<0.001) in stage II group. In Pick's patients, FA and TA were significantly large (FA : p<0.001, TA : p<0.01) in stage I group and POA became significantly prominent (p<0.001) in stage III group. Pick's patients showed significantly larger SfVI (p<0.2 in stage I group and p<0.001 in stage II group) and FA (p<0.01 in stage II group) than Alzheimer's patients. The results in this study give us the following suggestions; 1) Alzheimer's patients show a diffuse cerebral atrophy in the early stage. 2) Pick's patients have a localized atrophy of frontal and temporal lobes already in the early stage. 3) Compared with Alzheimer's patients, Pick's patients show significantly more severe atrophy in frontal lobe at the early stage. (J.P.N.)

Phytoextraction and phytostabilisation of metal-contaminated soil in temperate maritime climate of coastal British Columbia, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Padmavathiamma, P. K.; Li, L. Y.

2009-04-01

This research addressed the phytoremediation of roadside soils subjected to multi-component metal solutions. A typical right of way for roads in Canada is around 30 m, and at least 33% of that land in the right of way is unpaved and can support animal life. Thus, land associated with 12,000 km of roads in the province of British Columbia and millions of kilometres around the world represent a substantial quantity of wildlife habitat where metal contamination needs to be remediated. Phytostabilisation, requires least maintenance among different phytoremediation techniques, and it could be a feasible and practical method of remediating in roadside soils along highways and for improving highway runoff drainage. The suitability of five plant species was studied for phytoextraction and phytostabilisation in a region with temperate maritime climate of coastal British Columbia, Canada. Pot experiments were conducted using Lolium perenne L (perennial rye grass), Festuca rubra L (creeping red fescue), Helianthus annuus L (sunflower), Poa pratensis L (Kentucky bluegrass) and Brassica napus L (rape) in soils treated with three different metal (Cu, Pb, Mn and Zn) concentrations. The bio-metric characters of plants in soils with multiple-metal contaminations, their metal accumulation characteristics, translocation properties and metal removal were assessed at different stages of plant growth, 90 and 120 DAS (days after sowing). Lolium was found to be suitable for the phytostabilisation of Cu and Pb, Festuca for Mn and Poa for Zn. Metal removal was higher at 120 than at 90 days after sowing, and metals concentrated more in the underground tissues with less translocation to the above-ground parts. Bioconcentration factors indicate that Festuca had the highest accumulation for Cu, Helianthus for Pb and Zn and Poa for Mn.

Morphological Analysis of the Axonal Projections of EGFP-Labeled Esr1-Expressing Neurons in Transgenic Female Medaka.

Science.gov (United States)

Zempo, Buntaro; Karigo, Tomomi; Kanda, Shinji; Akazome, Yasuhisa; Oka, Yoshitaka

2018-02-01

Some hypothalamic neurons expressing estrogen receptor α (Esr1) are thought to transmit a gonadal estrogen feedback signal to gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (GnRH1) neurons, which is the final common pathway for feedback regulation of reproductive functions. Moreover, estrogen-sensitive neurons are suggested to control sexual behaviors in coordination with reproduction. In mammals, hypothalamic estrogen-sensitive neurons release the peptide kisspeptin and regulate GnRH1 neurons. However, a growing body of evidence in nonmammalian species casts doubt on the regulation of GnRH1 neurons by kisspeptin neurons. As a step toward understanding how estrogen regulates neuronal circuits for reproduction and sex behavior in vertebrates in general, we generated a transgenic (Tg) medaka that expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) specifically in esr1-expressing neurons (esr1 neurons) and analyzed their axonal projections. We found that esr1 neurons in the preoptic area (POA) project to the gnrh1 neurons. We also demonstrated by transcriptome and histological analyses that these esr1 neurons are glutamatergic or γ-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) but not kisspeptinergic. We therefore suggest that glutamatergic and GABAergic esr1 neurons in the POA regulate gnrh1 neurons. This hypothesis is consistent with previous studies in mice that found that glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission is critical for estrogen-dependent changes in GnRH1 neuron firing. Thus, we propose that this neuronal circuit may provide an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for regulation of reproduction. In addition, we showed that telencephalic esr1 neurons project to medulla, which may control sexual behavior. Moreover, we found that some POA-esr1 neurons coexpress progesterone receptors. These neurons may form the neuronal circuits that regulate reproduction and sex behavior in response to the serum estrogen/progesterone. Copyright © 2018 Endocrine Society.

Synopsis: the role of prescribed burning in regenerating Quercus macrocarpa and associated woody plants in stringer woodlands in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Science.gov (United States)

Carolyn Hull Sieg; Henry A. Wright

1998-01-01

Poor tree reproduction, sparse shrub cover, and increasing amounts of exotic species such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) are common problems in woody draws in the Northern Great Plains. Although the historic role of fire in maintaining woody draws is unclear, it is likely that these woodlands burned periodically, especially in dry years on hot...

Relating adaptive genetic traits to climate for Sandberg bluegrass from the intermountain western United States

Science.gov (United States)

Richard C. Johnson; Matthew E. Horning; Erin Espeland; Ken Vance-Borland

2015-01-01

Genetic variation for potentially adaptive traits of the key restoration species Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl) was assessed over the intermountain western United States in relation to source population climate. Common gardens were established at two intermountain west sites with progeny from two maternal parents from each of 130 wild populations. Data were...

Annual rings in a native Hawaiian tree, Sophora chrysophylla, on Maunakea, Hawai‘i

Science.gov (United States)

Kainana S. Francisco; Patrick J. Hart; Jinbao Li; Edward R. Cook; Patrick J. Baker

2015-01-01

Annual rings are not commonly produced in tropical trees because they grow in a relatively aseasonal environment. However, in the subalpine zones of Hawai‘i's highest volcanoes, there is often strong seasonal variability in temperature and rainfall. Using classical dendrochronological methods, annual growth rings were shown to occur in Sophora...

Constraints on tree seedling establishment in montane grasslands of the Valles Caldera, New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Jonathan D. Coop; Thomas J. Givnish

2008-01-01

Montane and subalpine grasslands are prominent, but poorly understood, features of the Rocky Mountains. These communities frequently occur below reversed tree lines on valley floors, where nightly cold air accumulation is spatially coupled with fine soil texture. We used field experiments to assess the roles of minimum temperature, soil texture, grass competition, and...

Vascular flora and geoecology of Mont de la Table, Gaspesie, Quebec

Science.gov (United States)

Scott W. Bailey; Joann Hoy; Charles V. Cogbill

2015-01-01

The influence of substrate lithology on the distribution of many vascular and nonvascular plants has long been recognized, especially in alpine, subalpine, and other rocky habitats. In particular, plants have been classified as dependent on high-calcium substrates (i.e., calcicoles) based on common restriction to habitats developed in calcareous rocks, such as...

Are optical indices good proxies of seasonal changes in carbon fluxes and stress-related physiological status in a beech forest?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nestola, E.; Scartazza, A.; Di Baccio, D.; Castagna, A.; Ranieri, A.; Cammarano, M.; Mazzenga, F.; Matteucci, G.; Calfapietra, Carlo

2018-01-01

Roč. 612, jan (2018), s. 1030-1041 ISSN 0048-9697 Keywords : photochemical reflectance index * gross primary production * sub-alpine grassland * higher-plant leaves * leaf-area index * vegetation indexes * chlorophyll content * remote estimation * spectral indexes * canopy-scale * Chlorophyll fluorescence * Fagus sylvatica L. * Heat stress * Net ecosystem exchange Impact factor: 4.900, year: 2016

Guidelines for whitebark pine planting prescriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Glenda L. Scott; Ward W. McCaughey; Kay Izlar

2011-01-01

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a keystone species in high-elevation ecosystems of the western United States. Unfortunately many fragile subalpine ecosystems are losing whitebark pine as a functional community component due to the combined effects of an introduced disease, insects and succession. Planting whitebark pine is one part of a multifaceted restoration...

Earthworms, arthropods and plant litter decomposition in aspen (Populus tremuloides) and lodgepole pine(Pinus contorta) forests in Colorado, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Grizelle Gonzalez; Timothy R. Seastedt; Zugeily Donato

2003-01-01

We compared the abundance and community composition of earthworms, soil macroarthropods, and litter microarthropods to test faunal effects on plant litter decomposition rates in two forests in the subalpine in Colorado, USA. Litterbags containing recently senesced litter of Populus tremuloides (aspen) and Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine) were placed in aspen and pine...

Physiological and biochemical stress responses in grassland species are influenced by both early-season ozone exposure and interspecific competition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scebba, Francesca; Canaccini, Francesca; Castagna, Antonella; Bender, Juergen; Weigel, Hans-Joachim; Ranieri, Annamaria

2006-01-01

The effects of two-year early season ozone exposure on physiological and biochemical stress response were investigated in model plant communities. Achillea millefolium and Veronica chamaedrys target plants were grown in monocultures and in mixed cultures with Poa pratensis (phytometer) and exposed in open-top chambers over two years for five weeks to charcoal-filtered (CF) air plus 25 nl l -1 O 3 (control) and non-filtered (NF) air plus 50 nl l -1 O 3 . Significant O 3 effects were detected in different physiological and biochemical parameters, evidencing interspecific differences in metabolic stress responses and a strong influence of the competition factor. O 3 induced strong oxidative effects in Achillea irrespective to the different growth modality. Veronica showed less O 3 -induced effects in monoculture than when grown in competition with the phytometer. Poa exhibited a different behaviour against O 3 depending on the species in competition, showing an overall higher sensitivity to O 3 when in mixture with Achillea. - The competition between species modulates the ozone effect in a short-term

Physiological and biochemical stress responses in grassland species are influenced by both early-season ozone exposure and interspecific competition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scebba, Francesca [Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy); Canaccini, Francesca [Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy); Castagna, Antonella [Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy); Bender, Juergen [Institute of Agroecology, FAL, Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Weigel, Hans-Joachim [Institute of Agroecology, FAL, Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Ranieri, Annamaria [Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy)]. E-mail: aranieri@agr.unipi.it

2006-08-15

The effects of two-year early season ozone exposure on physiological and biochemical stress response were investigated in model plant communities. Achillea millefolium and Veronica chamaedrys target plants were grown in monocultures and in mixed cultures with Poa pratensis (phytometer) and exposed in open-top chambers over two years for five weeks to charcoal-filtered (CF) air plus 25 nl l{sup -1} O{sub 3} (control) and non-filtered (NF) air plus 50 nl l{sup -1} O{sub 3}. Significant O{sub 3} effects were detected in different physiological and biochemical parameters, evidencing interspecific differences in metabolic stress responses and a strong influence of the competition factor. O{sub 3} induced strong oxidative effects in Achillea irrespective to the different growth modality. Veronica showed less O{sub 3}-induced effects in monoculture than when grown in competition with the phytometer. Poa exhibited a different behaviour against O{sub 3} depending on the species in competition, showing an overall higher sensitivity to O{sub 3} when in mixture with Achillea. - The competition between species modulates the ozone effect in a short-term.

Multiple embryonic origins of nitric oxide synthase-expressing GABAergic neurons of the neocortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorenza eMagno

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Cortical GABAergic interneurons in rodents originate in three subcortical regions: the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE, the lateral/caudal ganglionic eminence (LGE/CGE and the preoptic area (POA. Each of these neuroepithelial precursor domains contributes different interneuron subtypes to the cortex. nNOS-expressing neurons represent a heterogenous population of cortical interneurons. We examined the development of these cells in the mouse embryonic cortex and their abundance and distribution in adult animals. Using genetic lineage tracing in transgenic mice we find that nNOS type I cells originate only in the MGE whereas type II cells have a triple origin in the MGE, LGE/CGE and POA. The two populations are born at different times during development, occupy different layers in the adult cortex and have distinct neurochemical profiles. nNOS neurons are more numerous in the adult cortex than previously reported and constitute a significant proportion of the cortical interneuron population. Our data suggest that the heterogeneity of nNOS neurons in the cortex can be attributed to their multiple embryonic origins which likely impose distinct genetic specification programs.

Global-scale combustion sources of organic aerosols: sensitivity to formation and removal mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Tsimpidi, Alexandra P.; Karydis, Vlassis A.; Pandis, Spyros N.; Lelieveld, Jos

2017-06-01

Organic compounds from combustion sources such as biomass burning and fossil fuel use are major contributors to the global atmospheric load of aerosols. We analyzed the sensitivity of model-predicted global-scale organic aerosols (OA) to parameters that control primary emissions, photochemical aging, and the scavenging efficiency of organic vapors. We used a computationally efficient module for the description of OA composition and evolution in the atmosphere (ORACLE) of the global chemistry-climate model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry). A global dataset of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements was used to evaluate simulated primary (POA) and secondary (SOA) OA concentrations. Model results are sensitive to the emission rates of intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) and POA. Assuming enhanced reactivity of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and IVOCs with OH substantially improved the model performance for SOA. The use of a hybrid approach for the parameterization of the aging of IVOCs had a small effect on predicted SOA levels. The model performance improved by assuming that freshly emitted organic compounds are relatively hydrophobic and become increasingly hygroscopic due to oxidation.

Pyrogen sensing and signaling: old views and new concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Blatteis, C M; Sehic, E; Li, S

2000-10-01

Fever is thought to be caused by endogenous pyrogenic cytokines, which are elaborated and released into the circulation by systemic mononuclear phagocytes that are activated by exogenous inflammatory agents and transported to the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area (POA) of the brain, where they act. Prostaglandin (PG) E2 is thought to be an essential, proximal mediator in the POA, and induced by these cytokines. It seems unlikely, however, that these factors could directly account for early production of PGE2 following the intravenous administration of bacterial endotoxic lipopolysaccharides (LPS), because PGE2 is generated before the cytokines that induce it are detectable in the blood and the before cyclooxygenase-2, the synthase that they stimulate, is expressed. Hence other, more quickly evoked mediators are presumed to be involved in initiating the febrile response; moreover, their message may be conveyed to the brain by a neural rather than a humoral pathway. This article reviews current conceptions of pyrogen signalling from the periphery to the brain and presents new, developing hypotheses about the mechanism by which LPS initiates fever.

Materialidad poética: arquitectura suiza en el entorno de los Grisones 1992-2004

OpenAIRE

Alonso de los Ríos, Silvia

2015-01-01

El entorno alpino de los Grisones ha sido un laboratorio donde experimentar un método arquitectónico procedente de diversas fuentes durante los años 70 en la ETHZ. Este método ha producido durante las últimas tres décadas un discurso teórico propiamente suizo alemán. La tradición continúa siendo un valor cultural para la comunidad alpina de los Grisones, que apuesta por seguir relacionando la arquitectura con su historia y su paisaje. La especificidad de cada entorno suizo alemán es un hecho ...

Effects of climate and geochemistry on soil organic matter stabilization and greenhouse gas emissions along altitudinal transects in different mountain regions

Science.gov (United States)

Griepentrog, Marco; Bodé, Samuel; Boudin, Mathieu; Dercon, Gerd; Doetterl, Sebastian; Matulanya, Machibya; Msigwa, Anna; Vermeir, Pieter; Boeckx, Pascal

2017-04-01

Terrestrial ecosystems are strongly influenced by climate change and soils are key compartments of the global carbon (C) cycle in terms of their potential to store or release significant amounts of C. This study is part of the interregional IAEA Technical Cooperation Project ``Assessing the Impact of Climate Change and its Effects on Soil and Water Resources in Polar and Mountainous Regions (INT5153)'' aiming to improve the understanding of climate change impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) in fragile polar and high mountainous ecosystems at local and global scale for their better management and conservation. The project includes 13 benchmark sites situated around the world. Here we present novel data from altitudinal transects of three different mountain regions (Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania; Mount Gongga, China; Cordillera Blanca, Peru). All altitudinal transects cover a wide range of natural ecosystems under different climates and soil geochemistry. Bulk soil samples (four field replicates per ecosystem) were subjected to a combination of aggregate and particle-size fractionation followed by organic C, total nitrogen, stable isotope (13C, 15N) and radiocarbon (14C) analyses of all fractions. Bulk soils were further characterized for their geochemistry (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Mn, Si, P) and incubated for 63 days to assess greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, NO, N2O). Further, stable C isotopic signature of CO2 was measured to determine the isotopic signature of soil respiration (using Keeling plots) and to estimate potential respiration sources. The following four ecosystems were sampled at an altitudinal transect on the (wet) southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro: savannah (920m), lower montane rain forests with angiosperm trees (2020m), upper montane cloud forest with gymnosperm trees (2680m), subalpine heathlands (3660m). Both forests showed highest C contents followed by subalpine and savannah. The largest part of SOC was found in particulate organic matter

THE DISTRIBUTION AND SPREAD OF ALIEN VASCULAR PLANTS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Surveys of alien plants at subantarctic Prince Edward Island in 2001 show that the ranges of all three introduced species have increased since the last survey in 1998. Poa annua, the longest-established species, increased its range substantially after 1987, prior to which it was confined to a single site for more than 20 years ...

Instream wood loads in montane forest streams of the Colorado Front Range, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Karen J.; Wohl, Ellen

2015-04-01

Although several studies examine instream wood loads and associated geomorphic effects in streams of subalpine forests in the U.S. Southern Rocky Mountains, little is known of instream wood loads in lower elevation, montane forests of the region. We compare instream wood loads and geomorphic effects between streams draining montane forest stands of differing age (old growth versus younger) and disturbance history (healthy versus infested by mountain pine beetles). We examined forest stand characteristics, instream wood load, channel geometry, pool volume, and sediment storage in 33 pool-riffle or plane-bed stream reaches with objectives of determining whether (i) instream wood and geomorphic effects differed significantly among old-growth, younger, healthy, and beetle-infested forest stands and (ii) wood loads correlated with valley and channel characteristics. Wood loads were standardized to drainage area, stream gradient, reach length, bankfull width, and floodplain area. Streams flowing through old-growth forests had significantly larger wood loads and logjam volumes (pairwise t-tests), as well as logjam frequencies (Kruskal-Wallis test), residual pool volume, and fine sediment storage around wood than streams flowing through younger forests. Wood loads in streams draining beetle-infested forest did not differ significantly from those in healthy forest stands, but best subset regression models indicated that elevation, stand age, and beetle infestation were the best predictors of wood loads in channels and on floodplains, suggesting that beetle infestation is affecting instream wood characteristics. Wood loads are larger than values from subalpine streams in the same region and jams are larger and more closely spaced. We interpret these differences to reflect greater wood piece mobility in subalpine zone streams. Stand age appears to exert the dominant influence on instream wood characteristics within pool-riffle streams in the study area rather than beetle

Taking the pulse of mountains: Ecosystem responses to climatic variability

Science.gov (United States)

Fagre, Daniel B.; Peterson, David L.; Hessl, Amy E.

2003-01-01

An integrated program of ecosystem modeling and field studies in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest (U.S.A.) has quantified many of the ecological processes affected by climatic variability. Paleoecological and contemporary ecological data in forest ecosystems provided model parameterization and validation at broad spatial and temporal scales for tree growth, tree regeneration and treeline movement. For subalpine tree species, winter precipitation has a strong negative correlation with growth; this relationship is stronger at higher elevations and west-side sites (which have more precipitation). Temperature affects tree growth at some locations with respect to length of growing season (spring) and severity of drought at drier sites (summer). Furthermore, variable but predictable climate-growth relationships across elevation gradients suggest that tree species respond differently to climate at different locations, making a uniform response of these species to future climatic change unlikely. Multi-decadal variability in climate also affects ecosystem processes. Mountain hemlock growth at high-elevation sites is negatively correlated with winter snow depth and positively correlated with the winter Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index. At low elevations, the reverse is true. Glacier mass balance and fire severity are also linked to PDO. Rapid establishment of trees in subalpine ecosystems during this century is increasing forest cover and reducing meadow cover at many subalpine locations in the western U.S.A. and precipitation (snow depth) is a critical variable regulating conifer expansion. Lastly, modeling potential future ecosystem conditions suggests that increased climatic variability will result in increasing forest fire size and frequency, and reduced net primary productivity in drier, east-side forest ecosystems. As additional empirical data and modeling output become available, we will improve our ability to predict the effects of climatic change

Environmental Challenges and Physiological Solutions: Comparative Energetic Daily Rhythms of Field Mice Populations from Different Ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Scantlebury, Michael; Haim, Abraham

2012-01-01

Daily and seasonal variations in physiological characteristics of mammals can be considered adaptations to temporal habitat variables. Across different ecosystems, physiological adjustments are expected to be sensitive to different environmental signals such as changes in photoperiod, temperature or water and food availability; the relative importance of a particular signal being dependent on the ecosystem in question. Energy intake, oxygen consumption (VO2) and body temperature (Tb) daily rhythms were compared between two populations of the broad-toothed field mouse Apodemus mystacinus, one from a Mediterranean and another from a sub-Alpine ecosystem. Mice were acclimated to short-day (SD) ‘winter’ and long-day (LD) ‘summer’ photoperiods under different levels of salinity simulating osmotic challenges. Mediterranean mice had higher VO2 values than sub-Alpine mice. In addition, mice exposed to short days had higher VO2 values when given water with a high salinity compared with mice exposed to long days. By comparison, across both populations, increasing salinity resulted in a decreased Tb in SD- but not in LD-mice. Thus, SD-mice may conserve energy by decreasing Tb during (‘winter’) conditions which are expected to be cool, whereas LD-mice might do the opposite and maintain a higher Tb during (‘summer’) conditions which are expected to be warm. LD-mice behaved to reduce energy expenditure, which might be considered a useful trait during ‘summer’ conditions. Overall, increasing salinity was a clear signal for Mediterranean-mice with resultant effects on VO2 and Tb daily rhythms but had less of an effect on sub-Alpine mice, which were more responsive to changes in photoperiod. Results provide an insight into how different populations respond physiologically to various environmental challenges. PMID:23251469

(PCR) amplification of DNA from formalin preserved tissue sampl

African Journals Online (AJOL)

root

snow leopard is restricted to the alpine and sub-alpine ecological zones, and the major threats it faces are rela- ted to degradation and fragmentation of its habitat, a lack of effective implementation and enforcement of laws and poaching of its natural prey for illegal trade across snow leopard range. In addition, snow ...

Climate change effects on vegetation in the Pacific Northwest: a review and synthesis of the scientific literature and simulation model projections

Science.gov (United States)

David W. Peterson; Becky K. Kerns; Erich Kyle Dodson

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to review scientifi c knowledge and model projections on vegetation vulnerability to climatic and other environmental changes in the Pacifi c Northwest, with emphasis on fi ve major biome types: subalpine forests and alpine meadows, maritime coniferous forests, dry coniferous forests, savannas and woodlands (oak and juniper), and interior...

The magnificent high-elevation five-needle white pines: Ecological roles and future outlook

Science.gov (United States)

Diana F. Tomback; Peter Achuff; Anna W. Schoettle; John W. Schwandt; Ron J. Mastrogiuseppe

2011-01-01

The High Five symposium is devoted to exchanging information about a small group of pines with little commercial value but great importance to the ecology of high-mountain ecosystems of the West. These High Five pines include the subalpine and treeline species - whitebark (Pinus albicaulis), Rocky Mountain bristlecone (P. aristata), Great Basin bristlecone (P. longaeva...

Exploring whitebark pine resilience in the crown of the continent

Science.gov (United States)

Stacey A. Burke; Michael S. Quinn

2011-01-01

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) populations are declining across western North America due to synergies of disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic. Losses at treeline may result in significant changes to the upper subalpine zone, which may result in a regime shift, thus affecting the ecological goods and services whitebark pine systems provide for other species...

Community structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem services in treeline whitebark pine communities: Potential impacts from a non-native pathogen

Science.gov (United States)

Diana F. Tomback; Lynn M. Resler; Robert E. Keane; Elizabeth R. Pansing; Andrew J. Andrade; Aaron C. Wagner

2016-01-01

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) has the largest and most northerly distribution of any white pine (Subgenus Strobus) in North America, encompassing 18° latitude and 21° longitude in western mountains. Within this broad range, however, whitebark pine occurs within a narrow elevational zone, including upper subalpine and treeline forests, and functions...

Recruitment patterns and growth of high-elevation pines in response to climatic variability (1883–2013), in the western Great Basin, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Constance I. Millar; Robert D. Westfall; Diane L. Delany; Alan L. Flint; Lorraine E. Flint

2015-01-01

Over the period 1883–2013, recruitment of subalpine limber pine (Pinus flexilis E. James) and Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D.K. Bailey) above the upper tree line, below the lower tree line, and across middle-elevation forest borders occurred at localized sites across four mountain ranges in the western Great...

Identifying ozone-sensitive communities of (semi-)natural vegetation suitable for mapping exceedance of critical levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mills, G.; Hayes, F.; Jones, M.L.M.; Cinderby, S.

2007-01-01

Using published data on the responses of individual species to ozone, 54 EUNIS (European Nature Information System) level 4 communities with six or more ozone-sensitive species (%OS) and c. 20% or more species tested for ozone sensitivity, were identified as potentially ozone-sensitive. The largest number of these communities (23) was associated with Grasslands, with Heathland, scrub and tundra, and Mires, bogs and fens having the next highest representation at 11 and 8 level 4 communities each respectively. Within the grasslands classification, E4 (Alpine and sub-alpine grasslands), E5 (Woodland fringes and clearings) and E1 (Dry grasslands) were the most sensitive with 68.1, 51.6 and 48.6%OS respectively. It is feasible to map the land-cover for these and other communities at level 2, but it may not be currently possible to map the land-cover for all communities identified to be ozone-sensitive at levels 3 and 4. - Grassland communities such as alpine and sub-alpine grasslands have the highest potential sensitivity ozone, based on the responses of their component species

GAMA-LLNL Alpine Basin Special Study: Scope of Work

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singleton, M J; Visser, A; Esser, B K; Moran, J E

2011-12-12

For this task LLNL will examine the vulnerability of drinking water supplies in foothills and higher elevation areas to climate change impacts on recharge. Recharge locations and vulnerability will be determined through examination of groundwater ages and noble gas recharge temperatures in high elevation basins. LLNL will determine whether short residence times are common in one or more subalpine basin. LLNL will measure groundwater ages, recharge temperatures, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes, major anions and carbon isotope compositions on up to 60 samples from monitoring wells and production wells in these basins. In addition, a small number of carbon isotope analyses will be performed on surface water samples. The deliverable for this task will be a technical report that provides the measured data and an interpretation of the data from one or more subalpine basins. Data interpretation will: (1) Consider climate change impacts to recharge and its impact on water quality; (2) Determine primary recharge locations and their vulnerability to climate change; and (3) Delineate the most vulnerable areas and describe the likely impacts to recharge.

Analysis of nitrogen saturation potential in Rocky Mountain tundra and forest: implications for aquatic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Baron, Jill S.; Ojima, Dennis S.; Holland, Elisabeth A.; Parton, William J.

1994-01-01

We employed grass and forest versions of the CENTURY model under a range of N deposition values (0.02–1.60 g N m−2 y−1) to explore the possibility that high observed lake and stream N was due to terrestrial N saturation of alpine tundra and subalpine forest in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Model results suggest that N is limiting to subalpine forest productivity, but that excess leachate from alpine tundra is sufficient to account for the current observed stream N. Tundra leachate, combined with N leached from exposed rock surfaces, produce high N loads in aquatic ecosystems above treeline in the Colorado Front Range. A combination of terrestrial leaching, large N inputs from snowmelt, high watershed gradients, rapid hydrologic flushing and lake turnover times, and possibly other nutrient limitations of aquatic organisms constrain high elevation lakes and streams from assimilating even small increases in atmospheric N. CENTURY model simulations further suggest that, while increased N deposition will worsen the situation, nitrogen saturation is an ongoing phenomenon.

MULTIMETRIC INDICES BASED ON VEGETATION DATA FOR ASSESSING ECOLOGICAL AND HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF A MAN-REGULATED LAKE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Bolpagni

2013-04-01

Full Text Available A functional characterization of the littoral and shore vegetation was performed in the Lake Idro to assess its ecological quality and hydromorphological alteration. A detailed survey of hydro-hygrophilous vegetation was carried out in 2010-2012. Three multimetric indices were calculated: the MacroIMMI (the Italian macrophytic index for mid-size subalpine lakes with a maximum depth < 125 m, the SFI (Shorezone Functional Index, and the LHS (Lake Habitat Survey. The MacroIMMI (0.76 classified the lake in a good ecological status, although the dominant aquatic species were exotic (Elodea nuttallii and Lagarosiphon major. The SFI pointed out that the 50% of total shorelines displayed a very good or excellent conservation status; conversely, the LHS revealed high levels of morphological alteration coupled with rather good levels of habitat diversity, likely due to the high colonization rates of macrophytes along the lake shore. The lacustrine multimetric indices seem suitable for assessing the conservation status of mid-size lakes. However, for the present case-study, the metrics used require further implementation to suit the peculiarities of Italian subalpine lakes.

Computerized image analysis: Texture-field orientation method for pectoral muscle identification on MLO-view mammograms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Chuan; Wei Jun; Chan, Heang-Ping; Paramagul, Chintana; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Sahiner, Berkman; Douglas, Julie A.

2010-01-01

Purpose: To develop a new texture-field orientation (TFO) method that combines a priori knowledge, local and global information for the automated identification of pectoral muscle on mammograms. Methods: The authors designed a gradient-based directional kernel (GDK) filter to enhance the linear texture structures, and a gradient-based texture analysis to extract a texture orientation image that represented the dominant texture orientation at each pixel. The texture orientation image was enhanced by a second GDK filter for ridge point extraction. The extracted ridge points were validated and the ridges that were less likely to lie on the pectoral boundary were removed automatically. A shortest-path finding method was used to generate a probability image that represented the likelihood that each remaining ridge point lay on the true pectoral boundary. Finally, the pectoral boundary was tracked by searching for the ridge points with the highest probability lying on the pectoral boundary. A data set of 130 MLO-view digitized film mammograms (DFMs) from 65 patients was used to train the TFO algorithm. An independent data set of 637 MLO-view DFMs from 562 patients was used to evaluate its performance. Another independent data set of 92 MLO-view full field digital mammograms (FFDMs) from 92 patients was used to assess the adaptability of the TFO algorithm to FFDMs. The pectoral boundary detection accuracy of the TFO method was quantified by comparison with an experienced radiologist's manually drawn pectoral boundary using three performance metrics: The percent overlap area (POA), the Hausdorff distance (Hdist), and the average distance (AvgDist). Results: The mean and standard deviation of POA, Hdist, and AvgDist were 95.0±3.6%, 3.45±2.16 mm, and 1.12±0.82 mm, respectively. For the POA measure, 91.5%, 97.3%, and 98.9% of the computer detected pectoral muscles had POA larger than 90%, 85%, and 80%, respectively. For the distance measures, 85.4% and 98.0% of the

Global distribution and climate forcing of marine organic aerosol: 1. Model improvements and evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Meskhidze

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Marine organic aerosol emissions have been implemented and evaluated within the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR's Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5 with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's 7-mode Modal Aerosol Module (MAM-7. Emissions of marine primary organic aerosols (POA, phytoplankton-produced isoprene- and monoterpenes-derived secondary organic aerosols (SOA and methane sulfonate (MS⁻ are shown to affect surface concentrations of organic aerosols in remote marine regions. Global emissions of submicron marine POA is estimated to be 7.9 and 9.4 Tg yr⁻¹, for the Gantt et al. (2011 and Vignati et al. (2010 emission parameterizations, respectively. Marine sources of SOA and particulate MS⁻ (containing both sulfur and carbon atoms contribute an additional 0.2 and 5.1 Tg yr⁻¹, respectively. Widespread areas over productive waters of the Northern Atlantic, Northern Pacific, and the Southern Ocean show marine-source submicron organic aerosol surface concentrations of 100 ng m⁻³, with values up to 400 ng m⁻³ over biologically productive areas. Comparison of long-term surface observations of water insoluble organic matter (WIOM with POA concentrations from the two emission parameterizations shows that despite revealed discrepancies (often more than a factor of 2, both Gantt et al. (2011 and Vignati et al. (2010 formulations are able to capture the magnitude of marine organic aerosol concentrations, with the Gantt et al. (2011 parameterization attaining better seasonality. Model simulations show that the mixing state of the marine POA can impact the surface number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN. The largest increases (up to 20% in CCN (at a supersaturation (S of 0.2% number concentration are obtained over biologically productive ocean waters when marine organic aerosol is assumed to be externally mixed with sea-salt. Assuming

Different therapeutic effects of cells derived from human amniotic membrane on premature ovarian aging depend on distinct cellular biological characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Chenyue; Li, Hong; Wang, Yun; Wang, Fuxin; Wu, Huihua; Chen, Rulei; Lv, Jinghuan; Wang, Wei; Huang, Boxian

2017-07-27

Many reports have shown that various kinds of stem cells have the ability to recover premature ovarian aging (POA) function. Transplantation of human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) improves ovarian function damaged by chemotherapy in a mice model. Understanding of how to evaluate the distinct effects of adult stem cells in curing POA and how to choose stem cells in clinical application is lacking. To build a different degrees of POA model, mice were administered different doses of cyclophosphamide: light dose (70 mg/kg, 2 weeks), medium dose (70 mg/kg, 1 week; 120 mg/kg, 1 week), and high dose (120 mg/kg, 2 weeks). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detected serum levels of sex hormones, and hematoxylin and eosin staining allowed follicle counting and showed the ovarian tissue structure. DiIC 18 (5)-DS was employed to label human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) and hAECs for detecting the cellular retention time in ovaries by a live imaging system. Proliferation of human ovarian granule cells (ki67, AMH, FSHR, FOXL2, and CYP19A1) and immunological rejection of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (CD4, CD11b, CD19, and CD56) were measured by flow cytometry (fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)). Distinction of cellular biological characteristics between hAECs and hAMSCs was evaluated, such as collagen secretory level (collagen I, II, III, IV, and VI), telomerase activity, pluripotent markers tested by western blot, expression level of immune molecules (HLA-ABC and HLA-DR) analyzed by FACS, and cytokines (growth factors, chemotactic factors, apoptosis factors, and inflammatory factors) measured by a protein antibody array methodology. After hAMSCs and hAECs were transplanted into a different degrees of POA model, hAMSCs exerted better therapeutic activity on mouse ovarian function in the high-dose administration group, promoting the proliferation rate of ovarian granular cells from premature ovarian failure patients, but also provoking immune

Advective transport of CO2 in permeable media induced by atmospheric pressure fluctuations: 2. Observational evidence under snowpacks

Science.gov (United States)

W. J. Massman; J. M. Frank

2006-01-01

Meadow and forest CO2 amounts sampled beneath an approximately meter deep (steady state) snowpack at a subalpine site in southern Rocky Mountains of Wyoming are observed to vary by nearly 200 ppm over periods ranging from 4 to 15 days. This work employs the model of periodic, pressure-induced, advective transport in permeable media developed in...

Influence of bedrock geology on water chemistry of slope wetlands and headwater streams in the southern Rocky Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Monique LaPerriere Nelson; Charles C. Rhoades; Kathleen A. Dwire

2011-01-01

We characterized the water chemistry of nine slope wetlands and adjacent headwater streams in Colorado subalpine forests and compared sites in basins formed on crystalline bedrock with those formed in basins with a mixture of crystalline and sedimentary bedrock. The pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4 +, acid neutralizing capacity, and electrical conductivity of wetland porewater and...

Differential soil respiration responses to changing hydrologic regimes

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent J. Pacific; Brian L. McGlynn; Diego A. Riveros-Iregui; Howard E. Epstein; Daniel L. Welsch

2009-01-01

Soil respiration is tightly coupled to the hydrologic cycle (i.e., snowmelt and precipitation timing and magnitude). We examined riparian and hillslope soil respiration across a wet (2005) and a dry (2006) growing season in a subalpine catchment. When comparing the riparian zones, cumulative CO2 efflux was 33% higher, and peak efflux occurred 17 days earlier during the...

Survival of cold-adapted species in isolated mountains: the population genetics of the Sudeten ringlet, Erebia sudetica sudetica, in Jeseník Mts., Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Konvička, Martin; Mihaly, C. V.; Rákosy, L.; Beneš, Jiří; Schmitt, T.

2014-01-01

Roč. 18, č. 2 (2014), s. 153-161 ISSN 1366-638X Grant - others:GA JU(CZ) GAP505/10/1630 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : climate change * relic species * subalpine grasslands Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 1.717, year: 2014 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10841-014-9621-0

Recreation in whitebark pine ecosystems: Demand, problems, and management strategies

Science.gov (United States)

David N. Cole

1990-01-01

Whitebark pine ecosystems are an important element of many of the most spectacular high-elevation landscapes in the western United States. They occupy upper subalpine and timberline zones in the prime recreation lands of the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada, and the Northern Rocky Mountains. This paper explores the nature of the recreational opportunities that the whitebark...

Area burned in alpine treeline ecotones reflects region-wide trends

Science.gov (United States)

C. Alina Cansler; Donald McKenzie; Charles B. Halpern

2016-01-01

The direct effects of climate change on alpine treeline ecotones – the transition zones between subalpine forest and non-forested alpine vegetation – have been studied extensively, but climate-induced changes in disturbance regimes have received less attention. To determine if recent increases in area burned extend to these higher-elevation landscapes, we analysed...

Variability in soil CO2 production and surface CO2 efflux across riparian-hillslope transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent Jerald. Pacific

2007-01-01

The spatial and temporal controls on soil CO2 production and surface CO2 efflux have been identified as an outstanding gap in our understanding of carbon cycling. I investigated both the spatial and temporal variability of soil CO2 concentrations and surface CO2 efflux across eight topographically distinct riparian-hillslope transitions in the ~300 ha subalpine upper-...

Interpreting landscape change in high mountains of northeastern Oregon from long-term repeat photography.

Science.gov (United States)

Jon M. Skovlin; Gerald S. Strickler; Jesse L. Peterson; Arthur W. Sampson

2001-01-01

We compared 45 photographs taken before 1925 to photographs taken as late as 1999 and documented landscape changes above 5,000 feet elevation in the Wallowa, Elkhorn, and Greenhorn Mountains of northeastern Oregon. We noted the following major changes from these comparisons: (1) the expansion of subalpine fir into mountain grasslands, (2) the invasion of moist and wet...

Condição corporal e desempenho produtivo de cabras Alpinas no início de lactação Body condition and productive performance of Alpine goat in early lactation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larissa Pires Barbosa

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Objetivou-se avaliar a influência da condição corporal ao parto sobre os parâmetros produtivos de cabras Alpinas no início da lactação. Sessenta e oito cabras foram distribuídas em três grupos, de acordo com o escore de condição corporal (baixo, entre 1,00 e 2,75; intermediário, entre 2,75 e 3,50; e alto, entre 3,50 e 5,00 e avaliadas do parto até a oitava semana de lactação. Realizaram-se o controle diário do consumo alimentar e da produção leiteira e avaliações semanais de peso corporal, escore da condição corporal e composição do leite. Os animais com escore corporal alto apresentaram menor consumo de matéria seca, fibra em detergente neutro e proteína bruta em comparação àqueles com escores corporais baixo e intermediário. O período médio de recuperação do consumo de matéria seca dos animais das três condições corporais foi de 16 dias (2,3 semanas do pós-parto, com estabilização até o final do experimento. Na sexta semana de lactação, o peso corporal dos animais com escore corporal baixo se igualou ao daqueles com escore corporal intermediário. Não houve efeito da condição corporal ao parto nas variações de ECC e da produção leiteira ao longo do período. O teor de gordura do leite dos animais com escore corporal alto foi menor nas duas primeiras semanas pós-parto em comparação ao dos animais com escores corporais baixo e intermediário. Elevada condição corporal ao parto influencia negativamente o consumo voluntário de cabras leiteiras no início da lactação, mas quando se utiliza dieta de alta qualidade e com altos níveis de energia, a influência da condição corporal ao parto inexiste para variações de peso, de escore da condição corporal e produção leiteira dos animais.The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of body condition at birth on Alpine goat productive parameters in early lactation. Sixty-eight females were assigned to three groups according to

Interplay between field observations and numerical modeling to understand temporal pulsing of tree root throw processes, Canadian Rockies, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Y. E.; Johnson, E. A.; Chaikina, O.

2013-10-01

During the cycle of forest disturbance, regeneration, and maturity, tree mortality leading to topple is a regular occurrence. When tree topple occurs relatively soon after mortality and if the tree has attained some threshold diameter at breast height (dbh) at the time of death, then notable amounts of soil may be upheaved along with the root wad. This upheaval may result in sediment transfers and soil production. A combination of field evidence and numerical modeling is used herein to gain insights regarding the temporal dynamics of tree topple, associated root throw processes, and pit-mound microtopography. Results from our model of tree population dynamics demonstrate temporal patterns in root throw processes in subalpine forests of the Canadian Rockies, a region in which forests are affected largely by wildfire disturbance. As the forest regenerates after disturbance, the new cohort of trees has to reach a critical dbh before significant root plate upheaval can occur; in the subalpine forests of the Canadian Rockies, this may take up to ~ 102 years. Once trees begin to reach this critical dbh for root plate upheaval, a period of sporadic root throw arises that is caused by mortality of trees during competition. In due course, another wildfire will occur on the landscape and a period of much increased root throw activity then takes place for the next several decades; tree sizes and, therefore, the amount of sediment disturbance will be greater the longer the time period since the previous fire. Results of previous root throw studies covering a number of regional settings are used to guide an exercise in diffusion modeling with the aim of defining a range of reasonable diffusion coefficients for pit-mound degradation; the most appropriate values to fit the field data ranged from 0.01 m2 y- 1 to 0.1 m2 y- 1. A similar exercise is then undertaken that is guided by our field observations in subalpine forests of the Canadian Rockies. For these forests, the most

Nighttime oxidation of surfactants at the air–water interface: effects of chain length, head group and saturation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Sebastiani

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Reactions of the key atmospheric nighttime oxidant NO3 with organic monolayers at the air–water interface are used as proxies for the ageing of organic-coated aqueous aerosols. The surfactant molecules chosen for this study are oleic acid (OA, palmitoleic acid (POA, methyl oleate (MO and stearic acid (SA to investigate the effects of chain length, head group and degree of unsaturation on the reaction kinetics and products formed. Fully and partially deuterated surfactants were studied using neutron reflectometry (NR to determine the reaction kinetics of organic monolayers with NO3 at the air–water interface for the first time. Kinetic modelling allowed us to determine the rate coefficients for the oxidation of OA, POA and MO monolayers to be (2.8±0.7 × 10−8, (2.4±0.5 × 10−8and (3.3±0.6 × 10−8 cm2 molecule−1 s−1 for fitted initial desorption lifetimes of NO3 at the closely packed organic monolayers, τd, NO3, 1, of 8.1±4.0, 16±4.0 and 8.1±3.0 ns, respectively. The approximately doubled desorption lifetime found in the best fit for POA compared to OA and MO is consistent with a more accessible double bond associated with the shorter alkyl chain of POA facilitating initial NO3 attack at the double bond in a closely packed monolayer. The corresponding uptake coefficients for OA, POA and MO were found to be (2.1±0.5 × 10−3, (1.7±0.3 × 10−3 and (2.1±0.4 × 10−3, respectively. For the much slower NO3-initiated oxidation of the saturated surfactant SA we estimated a loss rate of approximately (5±1 × 10−12 cm2 molecule−1 s−1, which we consider to be an upper limit for the reactive loss, and estimated an uptake coefficient of ca. (5±1 × 10−7. Our investigations demonstrate that NO3 will contribute substantially to the processing of unsaturated surfactants at the air–water interface during nighttime given its reactivity is ca. 2 orders of magnitude higher

Tracing the fox family tree: the North American red fox has a diverse ancestry forged during successive ice ages

Science.gov (United States)

Gail Wells; Keith Aubry

2011-01-01

The red fox is one of the most widespread and adaptable mammals on Earth. In the American West, however, there are populations of native red foxes that occur only in alpine and subalpine habitats, which may be at risk from human-caused and natural pressures. One potential threat is global climate change, which is likely to reduce both the amount and connectivity of...

Environmental Assessment of Short-Term Construction Projects at the 150th Fighter Wing, New Mexico Air National Guard, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

smaller tree species include one-seeded juniper (Juniperus monosperma) and occasionally low oaks, such as gray oak ( Quercus grisea). Wildlife in...Cercocarpus montanus), yucca, gambel oak ( Quercus gambelii), prickley pear (Opuntia phaeacantha), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), sideoats grama (B...Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) (in the north), and corkbark fir (Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica ) (in the south) are

Fire-climate interactions in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area

Science.gov (United States)

Kurt F. Kipfmueller; Thomas W. Swetnam

2000-01-01

Tree-ring reconstructed summer drought was examined in relation to the occurrence of 15 fires in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area (SBW). The ten largest fire years between 1880 and 1995 were selected from historical fire atlas data; five additional fire years were selected from a fire history completed in a subalpine forest within the SBW. Results of the analysis...

Interaction of attention and acoustic factors in dichotic listening for fused words.

Science.gov (United States)

McCulloch, Katie; Lachner Bass, Natascha; Dial, Heather; Hiscock, Merrill; Jansen, Ben

2017-07-01

Two dichotic listening experiments examined the degree to which the right-ear advantage (REA) for linguistic stimuli is altered by a "top-down" variable (i.e., directed attention) in conjunction with selected "bottom-up" (acoustic) variables. Halwes fused dichotic words were administered to 99 right-handed adults with instructions to attend to the left or right ear, or to divide attention equally. Stimuli in Experiment 1 were presented without noise or mixed with noise that was high-pass or low-pass filtered, or unfiltered. The stimuli themselves in Experiment 2 were high-pass or low-pass filtered, or unfiltered. The initial consonants of each dichotic pair were categorized according to voice onset time (VOT) and place of articulation (PoA). White noise extinguished both the REA and selective attention, and filtered noise nullified selective attention without extinguishing the REA. Frequency filtering of the words themselves did not alter performance. VOT effects were inconsistent across experiments but PoA analyses indicated that paired velar consonants (/k/ and /g/) yield a left-ear advantage and paradoxical selective-attention results. The findings show that ear asymmetry and the effectiveness of directed attention can be altered by bottom-up variables.

Advanced oxidation treatment of Abreu e Lima/PE Refinery soil contaminated by oil products; Estudo do tratamento por oxidacao avancada de solos da Refinaria de Abreu e Lima/PE contaminados por derivados de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Daniella Fartes dos Santos e [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil); Motta Sobrinho, Mauricio Alves da [Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), PE (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica; Barbosa, Celmy Maria B. de Menezes; Cavalcanti, Jorge Vinicius Fernandes Lima [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), PE (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica

2012-07-01

Soil contamination by toxic organic compounds derived from petroleum is a serious environmental problem. Diesel is a petroleum derivative that being used in many transportation is subject to potential accidents and spills. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) which are present in diesel are biorefractory, hydrophobic and recalcitrant, being known to be toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. The soil is a combination of fragments of rocks, minerals, water, air and living things and is responsible for maintaining the cycle of water and nutrients and protection of groundwater. The advanced oxidation processes (POA) show good results with regard to the decontamination of polluted by oil derivatives. This work used as POA Fenton's reagent (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/Fe{sup +2}) and photo-Fenton (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/Fe{sup +2}/ UV) via the sodium percarbonate to decontaminate a soil sample contaminated with diesel oil. This work aimed to study the degradation of organic matter contained in the soil, carrying out 10 different experiments in duplicate, following an experimental design. The degradation of total organic carbon obtained exceeded 60% and degradation of some HPA's exceeded 80%. (author)

A point of application study to determine the accuracy, precision and reliability of a low-cost balance plate for center of pressure measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Goble, Daniel J; Khan, Ehran; Baweja, Harsimran S; O'Connor, Shawn M

2018-04-11

Changes in postural sway measured via force plate center of pressure have been associated with many aspects of human motor ability. A previous study validated the accuracy and precision of a relatively new, low-cost and portable force plate called the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS). This work compared a laboratory-grade force plate versus BTrackS during human-like dynamic sway conditions generated by an inverted pendulum device. The present study sought to extend previous validation attempts for BTrackS using a more traditional point of application (POA) approach. Computer numerical control (CNC) guided application of ∼155 N of force was applied five times to each of 21 points on five different BTrackS Balance Plate (BBP) devices with a hex-nose plunger. Results showed excellent agreement (ICC > 0.999) between the POAs and measured COP by the BBP devices, as well as high accuracy ( 0.999) providing evidence of almost perfect inter-device reliability. Taken together, these results provide an important, static corollary to the previously obtained dynamic COP results from inverted pendulum testing of the BBP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neurological basis of AMP-dependent thermoregulation and its relevance to central and peripheral hyperthermia

Science.gov (United States)

Muzzi, Mirko; Blasi, Francesco; Masi, Alessio; Coppi, Elisabetta; Traini, Chiara; Felici, Roberta; Pittelli, Maria; Cavone, Leonardo; Pugliese, Anna Maria; Moroni, Flavio; Chiarugi, Alberto

2013-01-01

Therapeutic hypothermia is of relevance to treatment of increased body temperature and brain injury, but drugs inducing selective, rapid, and safe cooling in humans are not available. Here, we show that injections of adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP), an endogenous nucleotide, promptly triggers hypothermia in mice by directly activating adenosine A1 receptors (A1R) within the preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus. Inhibition of constitutive degradation of brain extracellular AMP by targeting ecto 5′-nucleotidase, also suffices to prompt hypothermia in rodents. Accordingly, sensitivity of mice and rats to the hypothermic effect of AMP is inversely related to their hypothalamic 5′-nucleotidase activity. Single-cell electrophysiological recording indicates that AMP reduces spontaneous firing activity of temperature-insensitive neurons of the mouse POA, thereby retuning the hypothalamic thermoregulatory set point towards lower temperatures. Adenosine 5′-monophosphate also suppresses prostaglandin E2-induced fever in mice, having no effects on peripheral hyperthermia triggered by dioxymetamphetamine (ecstasy) overdose. Together, data disclose the role of AMP, 5′-nucleotidase, and A1R in hypothalamic thermoregulation, as well and their therapeutic relevance to treatment of febrile illness. PMID:23093068

About the use of radon in the surveillance of volcanoes from Central America; De l`utilisation du radon dans la surveillance des volcans d`amerique centrale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez, E [Obviscori, Heridia (Costa Rica); Garcia Vindas, R; Monnin, M; Seidel, J L [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 34 -Montpellier (France). Centre d` Etudes Phytosociologiques et Ecologiques Louis-Emberger; Segovia, N [ININ, Mexico (Mexico)

1997-12-31

Anomalous fluctuations of radon content in soil gases, fumaroles or thermal sources associated with volcanic systems are considered as precursors of deep degassing phenomena. Radon measurements in soil gases were performed for several years on three active volcanoes of Costa-Rica (Arenal, Irazu, Poas), also on El Chichon and Colima volcanoes in Mexico and more recently on the Popocatepetl since its reactivation in December 1994. Data acquisition was initially performed using plastic detectors with a 15 days integration. Since 1993, autonomous automatic probes are used and give hourly measurements. A nine stations network for ground measurements is installed on the Poas since 1982. Radon and Cl{sup -}, F{sup -} and SO{sub 4}{sup 2-} variations of the main crater lake are examined and correlated with the volcanic activity which led to the decay and disappearing of the lake in April 1989. On the Irazu, five stations were installed in 1982 and 3 automatic ones were added in November 1993. Results obtained so far are discussed according to the phreatic eruption of December 1994. The Popocatepetl measurements obtained since December 1994 are presented too. Abstract only. (J.S.).

Seismic Fragility Curves of Industrial Buildings by Using Nonlinear Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Nazri Fadzli

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study presents the steel fragility curves and performance curves of industrial buildings of different geometries. The fragility curves were obtained for different building geometries, and the performance curves were developed based on lateral load, which is affected by the geometry of the building. Three records of far-field ground motion were used for incremental dynamic analysis (IDA, and the design lateral loads for pushover analysis (POA. All designs were based on British Standard (BS 5950; however, Eurocode 8 was preferred for seismic consideration in the analysis because BS 5950 does not specify any seismic provision. The five levels of performance stated by FEMA-273, namely, operational phase, immediate occupancy, damage control, life safety, and collapse prevention (CP were used as main guidelines for evaluating structural performance. For POA, Model 2 had highest base shear, followed by Model 1 and Model 3, even though Model 2 has a smaller structure compared with Model 3. Meanwhile, the fragility curves showed that the probability of reaching or exceeding the CP level of Model 2 is the highest, followed by that of Models 1 and 3.

Physiological Response to Salinity Stress by Primed Seedsof Three Species of Lawn

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SH. Sedaghathoor

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Salinity is one of the most important ecological stresses which have undesirable effects on seed germination. This study was carried out to evaluate the germination of three species of lawn (Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne, Cynodon dactylon seeds under salinity stress. The effect of different treatments (Gibberellins 50 mgl-1, 2% CaCl2 and hydroprimig in 24 hours was evaluated on total germination, mean daily germination, maximum and mean germination percent in three species of lawn, under four levels of salinity (0, 3, 6, 9 dS/m. Priming factor (Gibberellins and water was more effective than salinity on the seed germination. Among lawn types, Lolium perenne and Cynodon dactylon indicated greater seed germination percentage and germination rate. The least rate and percentage of germination belonged to Poa pratensis. Among priming treatments, gibberellins had the greatest effect on germination, followed by hydropriming. However, interaction effects of "Lolium × CaCl2" were greater than other treatments on the mean daily germination and germination value. Based on the results, seed priming specially Gibberellins could be an appropriate substrate to improve seed germination in lawns, when grown under salinity.

Presence of pups suppresses hunger-induced feeding in virgin adult mice of both sexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Ying; Li, Xing-Yu; Wang, Shao-Ran; Wei, Yi-Chao; Xu, Xiao-Hong

2017-10-24

Despite recent progress on neural pathways underlying individual behaviors, how an animal balances and prioritizes behavioral outputs remains poorly understood. While studying the relationship between hunger-induced feeding and pup-induced maternal behaviors in virgin female mice, we made the unexpected discovery that presence of pups strongly delayed and decreased food consumption. Strikingly, presence of pups also suppressed feeding induced by optogenetic activation of Agrp neurons. Such a suppressive effect inversely correlated with the extents of maternal behaviors, but did not rely on the display of these behaviors, and was also present in virgin males. Furthermore, chemogenetic activation of Vglut2+ neurons in the medial preoptic area (mPOA), a region critical for maternal behaviors and motivation, was sufficient to suppress hunger-induced feeding. However, muscimol inhibition of the mPOA, while disrupting maternal behaviors, did not prevent pup suppression of feeding, indicating that neural pathways in other brain regions may also mediate such an effect. Together, these results provide novel insights into neural coordination of pup care and feeding in mice and organizations of animal behaviors in general. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Advanced oxidation treatment of Abreu e Lima/PE Refinery soil contaminated by oil products; Estudo do tratamento por oxidacao avancada de solos da Refinaria de Abreu e Lima/PE contaminados por derivados de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Daniella Fartes dos Santos e [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil); Motta Sobrinho, Mauricio Alves da [Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), PE (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica; Barbosa, Celmy Maria B. de Menezes; Cavalcanti, Jorge Vinicius Fernandes Lima [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), PE (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica

2012-07-01

Soil contamination by toxic organic compounds derived from petroleum is a serious environmental problem. Diesel is a petroleum derivative that being used in many transportation is subject to potential accidents and spills. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) which are present in diesel are biorefractory, hydrophobic and recalcitrant, being known to be toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. The soil is a combination of fragments of rocks, minerals, water, air and living things and is responsible for maintaining the cycle of water and nutrients and protection of groundwater. The advanced oxidation processes (POA) show good results with regard to the decontamination of polluted by oil derivatives. This work used as POA Fenton's reagent (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/Fe{sup +2}) and photo-Fenton (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/Fe{sup +2}/ UV) via the sodium percarbonate to decontaminate a soil sample contaminated with diesel oil. This work aimed to study the degradation of organic matter contained in the soil, carrying out 10 different experiments in duplicate, following an experimental design. The degradation of total organic carbon obtained exceeded 60% and degradation of some HPA's exceeded 80%. (author)

Biosynthesis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and GnRH receptor (GnRHR) in hypothalamic-pituitary unit of anoestrous and cyclic ewes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciechanowska, M O; Łapot, M; Mateusiak, K; Paruszewska, E; Malewski, T; Przekop, F

2017-02-01

This study was performed to explain how the molecular processes governing the biosynthesis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and GnRH receptor (GnRHR) in the hypothalamic-pituitary unit are reflected by luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in sheep during anoestrous period and during luteal and follicular phases of the oestrous cycle. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we analyzed the levels of GnRH and GnRHR in preoptic area (POA), anterior (AH) and ventromedial hypothalamus (VM), stalk-median eminence (SME), and GnRHR in the anterior pituitary gland (AP). Radioimmunoassay has also been used to define changes in plasma LH concentrations. The study provides evidence that the levels of GnRH in the whole hypothalamus of anoestrous ewes were lower than that in sheep during the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle (POA: p pituitary unit, as well as LH level, in the blood in anoestrous ewes were significantly lower than those detected in animals of both cyclic groups. Our data suggest that decrease in LH secretion during the long photoperiod in sheep may be due to low translational activity of genes encoding both GnRH and GnRHR.

Test-retest reliability and agreement of the SPI-Questionnaire to detect symptoms of digital ischemia in elite volleyball players.

Science.gov (United States)

van de Pol, Daan; Zacharian, Tigran; Maas, Mario; Kuijer, P Paul F M

2017-06-01

The Shoulder posterior circumflex humeral artery Pathology and digital Ischemia - questionnaire (SPI-Q) has been developed to enable periodic surveillance of elite volleyball players, who are at risk for digital ischemia. Prior to implementation, assessing reliability is mandatory. Therefore, the test-retest reliability and agreement of the SPI-Q were evaluated among the population at risk. A questionnaire survey was performed with a 2-week interval among 65 elite male volleyball players assessing symptoms of cold, pale and blue digits in the dominant hand during or after practice or competition using a 4-point Likert scale (never, sometimes, often and always). Kappa (κ) and percentage of agreement (POA) were calculated for individual symptoms, and to distinguish symptomatic and asymptomatic players. For the individual symptoms, κ ranged from "poor" (0.25) to "good" (0.63), and POA ranged from "moderate" (78%) to "good" (97%). To classify symptomatic players, the SPI-Q showed "good" reliability (κ = 0.83; 95%CI 0.69-0.97) and "good" agreement (POA = 92%). The current study has proven the SPI-Q to be reliable for detecting elite male indoor volleyball players with symptoms of digital ischemia.

Neuroanatomical circuitry between kidney and rostral elements of brain: a virally mediated transsynaptic tracing study in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ye-Ting; He, Zhi-Gang; Liu, Tao-Tao; Feng, Mao-Hui; Zhang, Ding-Yu; Xiang, Hong-Bing

2017-02-01

The identity of higher-order neurons and circuits playing an associative role to control renal function is not well understood. We identified specific neural populations of rostral elements of brain regions that project multisynaptically to the kidneys in 3-6 days after injecting a retrograde tracer pseudorabies virus (PRV)-614 into kidney of 13 adult male C57BL/6J strain mice. PRV-614 infected neurons were detected in a number of mesencephalic (e.g. central amygdala nucleus), telencephalic regions and motor cortex. These divisions included the preoptic area (POA), dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), lateral hypothalamus, arcuate nucleus (Arc), suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), periventricular hypothalamus (PeH), and rostral and caudal subdivision of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). PRV-614/Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) double-labeled cells were found within DMH, Arc, SCN, PeH, PVN, the anterodorsal and medial POA. A subset of neurons in PVN that participated in regulating sympathetic outflow to kidney was catecholaminergic or serotonergic. PRV-614 infected neurons within the PVN also contained arginine vasopressin or oxytocin. These data demonstrate the rostral elements of brain innervate the kidney by the neuroanatomical circuitry.

About the use of radon in the surveillance of volcanoes from Central America; De l`utilisation du radon dans la surveillance des volcans d`amerique centrale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez, E. [Obviscori, Heridia (Costa Rica); Garcia Vindas, R.; Monnin, M.; Seidel, J.L. [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 34 -Montpellier (France). Centre d`Etudes Phytosociologiques et Ecologiques Louis-Emberger; Segovia, N. [ININ, Mexico (Mexico)

1996-12-31

Anomalous fluctuations of radon content in soil gases, fumaroles or thermal sources associated with volcanic systems are considered as precursors of deep degassing phenomena. Radon measurements in soil gases were performed for several years on three active volcanoes of Costa-Rica (Arenal, Irazu, Poas), also on El Chichon and Colima volcanoes in Mexico and more recently on the Popocatepetl since its reactivation in December 1994. Data acquisition was initially performed using plastic detectors with a 15 days integration. Since 1993, autonomous automatic probes are used and give hourly measurements. A nine stations network for ground measurements is installed on the Poas since 1982. Radon and Cl{sup -}, F{sup -} and SO{sub 4}{sup 2-} variations of the main crater lake are examined and correlated with the volcanic activity which led to the decay and disappearing of the lake in April 1989. On the Irazu, five stations were installed in 1982 and 3 automatic ones were added in November 1993. Results obtained so far are discussed according to the phreatic eruption of December 1994. The Popocatepetl measurements obtained since December 1994 are presented too. Abstract only. (J.S.).

Prenatal PCBs disrupt early neuroendocrine development of the rat hypothalamus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickerson, Sarah M.; Cunningham, Stephanie L.; Gore, Andrea C.

2011-01-01

Neonatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can interfere with hormone-sensitive developmental processes, including brain sexual differentiation. We hypothesized that disruption of these processes by gestational PCB exposure would be detectable as early as the day after birth (postnatal day (P) 1) through alterations in hypothalamic gene and protein expression. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected twice, once each on gestational days 16 and 18, with one of the following: DMSO vehicle; the industrial PCB mixture Aroclor 1221 (A1221); a reconstituted mixture of the three most prevalent congeners found in humans, PCB138, PCB153, and PCB180; or estradiol benzoate (EB). On P1, litter composition, anogenital distance (AGD), and body weight were assessed. Pups were euthanized for immunohistochemistry of estrogen receptor α (ERα) or TUNEL labeling of apoptotic cells or quantitative PCR of 48 selected genes in the preoptic area (POA). We found that treatment with EB or A1221 had a sex-specific effect on developmental apoptosis in the neonatal anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), a sexually dimorphic hypothalamic region involved in the regulation of reproductive neuroendocrine function. In this region, exposed females had increased numbers of apoptotic nuclei, whereas there was no effect of treatment in males. For ERα, EB treatment increased immunoreactive cell numbers and density in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) of both males and females, while A1221 and the PCB mixture had no effect. PCR analysis of gene expression in the POA identified nine genes that were significantly altered by prenatal EDC exposure, in a manner that varied by sex and treatment. These genes included brain-derived neurotrophic factor, GABA B receptors-1 and -2, IGF-1, kisspeptin receptor, NMDA receptor subunits NR2b and NR2c, prodynorphin, and TGFα. Collectively, these results suggest that the disrupted sexual differentiation

DNA Barcoding the Canadian Arctic Flora: Core Plastid Barcodes (rbcL + matK) for 490 Vascular Plant Species

Science.gov (United States)

Saarela, Jeffery M.; Sokoloff, Paul C.; Gillespie, Lynn J.; Consaul, Laurie L.; Bull, Roger D.

2013-01-01

Accurate identification of Arctic plant species is critical for understanding potential climate-induced changes in their diversity and distributions. To facilitate rapid identification we generated DNA barcodes for the core plastid barcode loci (rbcL and matK) for 490 vascular plant species, representing nearly half of the Canadian Arctic flora and 93% of the flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Sequence recovery was higher for rbcL than matK (93% and 81%), and rbcL was easier to recover than matK from herbarium specimens (92% and 77%). Distance-based and sequence-similarity analyses of combined rbcL + matK data discriminate 97% of genera, 56% of species, and 7% of infraspecific taxa. There is a significant negative correlation between the number of species sampled per genus and the percent species resolution per genus. We characterize barcode variation in detail in the ten largest genera sampled (Carex, Draba, Festuca, Pedicularis, Poa, Potentilla, Puccinellia, Ranunculus, Salix, and Saxifraga) in the context of their phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy. Discrimination with the core barcode loci in these genera ranges from 0% in Salix to 85% in Carex. Haplotype variation in multiple genera does not correspond to species boundaries, including Taraxacum, in which the distribution of plastid haplotypes among Arctic species is consistent with plastid variation documented in non-Arctic species. Introgression of Poa glauca plastid DNA into multiple individuals of P. hartzii is problematic for identification of these species with DNA barcodes. Of three supplementary barcode loci (psbA–trnH, psbK–psbI, atpF–atpH) collected for a subset of Poa and Puccinellia species, only atpF–atpH improved discrimination in Puccinellia, compared with rbcL and matK. Variation in matK in Vaccinium uliginosum and rbcL in Saxifraga oppositifolia corresponds to variation in other loci used to characterize the phylogeographic histories of these Arctic-alpine species. PMID

Dynamics of seizure of animal products in international baggage on Airport of Brasilia (AIB-PJK/SBBR.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Barros de Melo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT. de Melo C.B., Fino T.C.M., Schwingel F.F., Santiago M.T., de Barros L.F.R., McManus C. & Sá M.E.P. [Dynamics of seizure of animal products in international baggage on Airport of Brasilia (AIB-PJK/SBBR.] Dinâmica da apreensão de produtos de origem animal em bagagens internacionais no Aeroporto de Brasília (AIB-PJK/SBBR. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 38(3:265-276, 2016. Universidade de Brasília, PPGCA, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, ICC Sul, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brasil. E-mail: cristianomelo@unb.br The risk of introducing infectious agents increases as the volume of imported products rises. The illegal entry of animal products (POA brought in international passenger baggage is a factor that makes up the risk assessment and that grows proportionally to the intensification of international transit passengers. They evaluated the data on seizures of animal products intercepted in international baggage passengers in Airport of Brasilia (AIB-PJK/SBBR between the years 2010 and 2012. The analysis of the dynamics of these seizures considered the POA category, origin, airline and months more frequently and also verified the correlation between these variables. According to retrospective analysis, nearly eight tons of POA were seized from 52 countries throughout the study period. The results showed Portugal (p <0.0001 as the source of passengers who had higher frequency and quantity of seizures, and, added to other European origins, totaled 84.3% of seizures. The months of July, August and September stood out for the highest number of seizures and greater movement of international passengers. The increase in the number of seizures accompanied by a rise in the percentage of inspected passengers (r=0.69, emphasizing the importance of airport surveillance. According to the calculation of relative risk, passengers from African and South American countries showed greater magnitude of risk to bring animal