bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preserving Functional Capacity as Opposed to Tissue Preservation in the Diabetic Patient
Authors: Roukis Thomas S. , Singh Niten , Andersen Charles A.
Published: June 2010

The authors performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data of all diabetic patients who underwent transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) for toe gangrene or neuropathic ulceration from May 2006 to June 2009. Twenty-nine TMAs were performed in diabetic patients during the study period, including 24 men and 5 women with a mean ± SD age of 66.3 ± 7.5 years. The indications for TMA were gangrene of ≥ 2 digits in 12 patients (41%) and neuropathic ulceration with underlying osteomyelitis or abscess and a concomitant dysfunctional forefoot in 17 patients (59%). Of the 12 patients who presented with toe gangrene, 7 (58%) underwent endovascular intervention and 5 (42%) underwent open vascular bypass. Equinus contracture was present in 27 patients (93%), and 26 (96%) of these patients underwent tendo-Achilles lengthening or gastrocnemius recession. Correction of equinus contracture was not performed in 1 patient as it was deemed not feasible. Forefoot varus deformity was present in 22 (76%) patients, and balancing was performed in 17 of these patients (77%) with skeletal stabilization or tendon transfer. Balancing was not performed in the remaining patients as it was not necessary or not feasible. Sixteen patients (55%) healed primarily and 5 patients (17%) developed minor wound separation that healed via secondary intention. An additional 4 patients were able to maintain functional revision procedures confined to the foot (1 TMA revision, 3 Chopart amputations). Three patients (10%) required below-knee amputation, and there were 2 deaths (7%) during the time period. Functional amputation confined to the foot was achieved in 86% of ambulatory diabetic patients. These results support a more aggressive initial approach in ambulatory diabetic patients with multiple digital ulcerations, allowing this patient population to remain functional and avoid multiple reoperations and ultimately major amputation.
Use of Indirect Calorimetry in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Burritt Emily
Published: June 2010

Pediatric critically ill children have an altered metabolism associated with the physiological response to injury or stress and are at risk for malnutrition. Estimating the calorie requirements of critically ill children using predictive equations is fraught with inaccuracy. Commonly used pediatric predictive equations were created from healthy populations and not intended for the critically ill or for patients with developmental disorders. The use of indirect calorimetry (IC) to measure resting energy expenditure was recently recommended by the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) in the Pediatric Critical Care Guidelines. Despite the known faults of predictive equations and recent A.S.P.E.N. recommendations, IC is not commonly used in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). This is a case report on the use of IC and its effect on the nutrition support management of 2 critically ill patients with developmental disorders. The first case follows a 15-year-old critically ill boy with Down syndrome admitted to the PICU with acute respiratory failure secondary to smoke inhalation. The second case involves a 13-year-old boy with spastic cerebral palsy and acute respiratory failure secondary to viral illness. IC was used to tailor the nutrition support for both of these patients.
Review: The evolving world of GLP-1 agonist therapies for type 2 diabetes
Authors: Baynes Kevin C. R.
Published: June 2010

The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist drugs have attractions as a treatment for type 2 diabetes since they positively alter a number of key pathophysiological defects. These include increasing insulin release, reducing glucagon release, slowing gastric emptying and reducing food intake. In numerous clinical trials these agents have been shown to reduce DCCT-aligned HbA 1c between 0.8% and 1.1% in patients with moderately controlled type 2 diabetes, whilst also being associated with some weight loss. Whilst medium-term safety and side-effect profiles are now well established, there are as yet no long-term studies on the safety of this group of drugs. The place of the GLP-1 agonists in the treatment paradigm for type 2 diabetes will evolve over the next decade.
Production of high nitrogen surfaces on 2205 duplex stainless steel substrate using the PTA technique
Authors: Rokanopoulou A , Papadimitriou G D
Published: June 2010

The plasma transferred arc technique has been used for the production of high nitrogen surfaces on 2205 duplex stainless steel substrates. Nitrogen was introduced into the melt using Ar+5%N2 and Ar+10%N2 gas mixtures. The nitrided surfaces are austenitic–ferritic and have a thickness of 1140±35 and 1650±31 μm respectively. The change of the austenite crystal lattice, due to the absorption of nitrogen, was determined by X-ray diffraction. Pin on disc tests showed that the wear resistance was increased. The corrosion in 3·5%NaCl and 1 N H2SO4 aqueous solutions was also slightly improved. Significant improvement was, however, observed in the pitting corrosion resistance of the nitrided surfaces, with regard to the 2205 duplex stainless steel substrate.
Microstructural and compositional modification of In0·53Ga0·47As/In0·52Al0·48As multiquantum wells using rapid thermal annealing process
Authors: Jang Y O , Lee J Y
Published: June 2010

Quantum well intermixing of In0·53Ga0·47As/In0·52Al0·48As multiquantum wells (MQWs) in an impurity free vacancy diffusion (IFVD) mechanism was investigated to observe the intermixing aspect and the effect of defects in MQWs with regard to the microstructural aspect using transmission electron microscopy. The MQWs were grown on a GaAs (100) substrate using compositionally graded buffer layers via molecular beam epitaxy, and the MQWs were annealed at 750 and 900°C for 30 s via rapid thermal annealing for quantum well intermixing using IFVD method. In the fabricated MQWs, defects, such as stacking faults, twins and dislocations, were not generated at 750°C. The diffusion of Ga in the well layer for the quantum well intermixing started from the top well layer, because the SiO2 layer that supplied vacancies for the quantum well intermixing was at the top of the sample. Additionally, in the same well layer, the intermixing did not show equality, because these vacancies were not supplied homogeneously. Especially, in the 900°C annealed case, many dislocations were generated from the cladding layer. These dislocations contributed to new vacancy generation sites, thus the quantum well intermixing was accelerated.
In situ synthesis of titanium diboride composites through volume combustion
Authors: Yılmaz S O , Evin E , Güler Ö
Published: June 2010

Hard in situ synthesis of TiB2–Fe2B metal matrix composite (MMC) has been synthesised by volume combustion synthesis (VCS) reactions of Fe–FeTi–FeB system. VCS samples were characterised by SEM, EDX, XRD and DTA. Results show that it is possible to synthesise in situ structured MMC samples (with TiB2 and Fe2B phases) by VCS. Metallographic investigations show that Fe2B and TiB2 are found dispersed throughout the metal matrix, and other borides are present in microlevel patches dispersed in a eutectic matrix. The Fe–TiB2 composites sintered at temperature of 1200°C consist of three different regions, i.e. α-Fe, TiB2 and Fe2B regions. The increase in sintering temperature to 1400°C leads to a hypereutectic microstructure of the Fe–B binary system having TiB2 grains uniformly distributed throughout the matrix. A semiliquid phase sintering occurred by increasing eutectic phase transformation temperatures to 1400°C, which increased the efficiency of VCS. On the other hand, increasing sintering time from 1 to 3 h decreased the volume fraction of α-Fe and increased the volume fraction TiB2 phase.
Acute lung injury prediction score: derivation and validation in a population-based sample
Authors: Trillo-Alvarez C. , Cartin-Ceba R. , Kor D.J. , Kojicic M. , Kashyap R. , Thakur S. , Thakur L. , Herasevich V. , Malinchoc M. , Gajic O.
Published: June 2010

Early recognition of patients at high risk of acute lung injury (ALI) is critical for successful enrolment of patients in prevention strategies for this devastating syndrome. We aimed to develop and prospectively validate an ALI prediction score in a population-based sample of patients at risk.

In a retrospective derivation cohort, predisposing conditions for ALI were identified at the time of hospital admission. The score was calculated based on the results of logistic regression analysis. Prospective validation was performed in an independent cohort of patients at risk identified at the time of hospital admission.

In a derivation cohort of 409 patients with ALI risk factors, the lung injury prediction score discriminated patients who developed ALI from those who did not with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.84 (95% CI 0.80–0.89; Hosmer–Lemeshow p = 0.60). The performance was similar in a prospective validation cohort of 463 patients at risk of ALI (AUC 0.84, 95% CI 0.77–0.91; Hosmer–Lemeshow p = 0.88).

ALI prediction scores identify patients at high risk for ALI before intensive care unit admission. If externally validated, this model will serve to define the population of patients at high risk for ALI in whom future mechanistic studies and ALI prevention trials will be conducted.
Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbon Using a Fullerenol-based Precursor Solution via Nanocasting with SBA-15
Authors: Doi Yoji , Takai Azusa , Makino Sho , Radhakrishnan Logudurai , Suzuki Norihiro , Sugimoto Wataru , Yamauchi Yusuke , Kuroda Kazuyuki
Published: June 2010

Here, we demonstrate mesoporous carbons with different amounts of fullerene cage (MCF) by using a fullerenol-based precursor solution via a nanocasting method with SBA-15 mesoporous silica. The fullerene cages embedded in the frameworks are electrochemically active, showing high potential as an electrode material for an electric double-layer capacitor.
Concerning the ring-opening polymerization of lactide and cyclic esters by coordination metal catalysts
Authors: Chisholm Malcolm H.
Published: June 2010

A summary of the reactions involved in the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide (LA) to give polylactides (PLAs) is presented along with competing reactions. Particular attention is given to the stereoselective polymerization of rac-LA to give heterotactic PLA and meso-LA to give syndiotactic PLA by aluminum Schiff-based catalysts and to the development of highly active group 2 metal single-site catalysts. Melt or solvent-free polymerization is also described along with reactions that lead exclusively to cyclic-polylactides.
I am not what I am: Paradox and indirect communication the case of the comic god and the dramaturgical self
Authors: Murphy Peter
Published: June 2010

An exploration of the self in dramaturgical societies: This is the double, duplicitous, witty self, the one who communicates indirectly through characters and masks, the self who is a personality, who knowingly plays a role on the public stage, and who inhabits a wry, not to say awry,
paradoxical world created by a mischievous comic God. A motley bunch of characters wander across the stage of this article. These include recusant Catholics, American sociologists, theologians of paradox, philosophers of comedy, Oscar Schindler, Mick Jagger, William Shakespeare, G.K. Chesterton,
as well as various assorted epicurean puritans, inventive liars, elusive playwrights, pompous intellectuals, sleuthing heroes from detective fiction, ambitious pretenders, satirists of newspaper folly, media nitwits, boys playing girls playing boys, and, if you are really good, girls playing
boys playing girls. All of them bearing testament to Viola's immortal line: I am not what I am.
Paradoxes of communication: The case of modern classical music
Authors: De La Fuente Eduardo
Published: June 2010

This article examines how the twentieth-century composer dealt with the paradox of communicating with the composer's own self and with other musicians, but not with the public at large.
Veterans and an arts and crafts programme: a community of understanding and hope
Authors: Hasio Cindy
Published: June 2010

This article reflects on the experiences of a veteran community inside an arts and crafts room at a veterans hospital in Dallas, Texas. Arts and crafts play an important role in helping individuals to develop psychomotor, artistic and social skills. Whereas the majority of the veterans
did not have any previous training in or experience of making art, they could follow basic instructions for making crafts. Craft making provided them with new opportunities for self-expression. I observed them start as learners and acquire the knowledge and productive skills to make arts and
crafts. Then I watched them help other newcomers to the arts and craft room by teaching them the techniques. I understand this as a sociocultural practice that is very valuable for veteran communities.
Canada's transition to digital television: from policy to reality
Authors: Bonin Genevive A
Published: June 2010

The implementation of digital technology in Canada has been an inevitable reality for over ten years. Although the industry recognizes the need for the transition, not all broadcasters have yet digested the attached price tag. Instead of investing money on infrastructure early on to prepare, many focused on mergers and acquisitions. This, along with the current economic crisis, has exacerbated the implementation of the new technology. Government has also held back by not providing a relevant policy framework in which the industry and society as a whole can work to move the project along. This lack of leadership has left the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to fend for itself. This article summarizes the debates at hand and details the technological and financial challenges facing the industry by providing results of a thorough analysis of interview data and documentation from the press and government.
Food preferences of golden jackals and sympatric red foxes in European temperate climate agricultural area (Hungary)
Authors: Lanszki József , Heltai Miklós
Published: June 2010

Differences in food preferences between two sympatric canids, the golden jackal (Canis aureus), which is currently spreading from south-east Europe and is a little-known species in Europe, and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were investigated. Data on diet composition and food availability were collected over a 13-season period, in a temperate climate agricultural area of Hungary. We found that jackals and foxes preferred small mammals (Ivlev's electivity index, Ei=0.38 and 0.39, respectively), and avoided towards wild boar (Ei= -0.43 and -0.56, respectively) and cervids (Ei=-0.92 and -0.94, respectively). Jackals preferred pheasant less than foxes (Ei=0.06 and 0.51, respectively). Within small mammals, both predators preferred the open field living species, with the forest living species being less favoured. The relationship between the available biomass of small mammals, as the primarily important food resource for both canids, and the proportion of consumed biomass of small mammals was not close. This was probably as a result of abundant food resources and high trophic flexibility of the golden jackal and red fox allowing these two closely related carnivores to coexist sympatrically in Central European areas without resource partitioning.
Use of vertical space by small mammals in gallery forest and woodland savannah in south-western Brazil
Authors: Hannibal Wellington , Caceres Nilton C.
Published: June 2010

We examined the community composition and abundance of small mammals in the vertical strata of gallery forests and woodland savannahs in south-western Brazil. Captures were carried out during the winter and summer months of 2006/2007. Traps were set in three transect lines per habitat, with 10 capture stations on each line. Each station had three traps: on the ground, in the understorey (2–3 m in height), and in the canopy (8–10 m) in each physiognomy. With an effort of 3600 trap-nights, 11 species of small mammals were captured, which were distributed differently regarding the forest physiognomies and utilisation of vertical strata. The species showed a high degree of habitat segregation in the two physiognomies, with only the climbing-ratRhipidomys macrurusfound in both habitats. The correspondence analysis revealed thatCaluromys philanderoccurred mostly in the canopy;Cryptonanus agricolai,Marmosa murina, andOecomys bicolorin the understorey; andGracilinanus agilisandNectomys rattuson the ground. The utilisation of traps in different strata increased species richness in the Cerrado biome, showing that the small-mammal community is distributed along the vertical complexity of the forest and even in different physiognomies, enabling more species to coexist.
Effects of Analytical Precision on Bogue Calculations of Potential Portland Cement Composition
Authors: Stutzman Paul , Lane D. Stephen
Published: June 2010

Uncertainty in ASTM C150-07 calculations of cement composition are assessed based upon the uncertainty in oxide determinations by different analytical methods. These methods include traditional chemical analyses (the “reference methods”), alternate chemical methods, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) using either a wavelength- or energy-dispersive detection system with either a fused glass or powdered specimen, atomic absorption, and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. Within-laboratory and between-laboratory estimates for the CaO, SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, and SO3 are determined for the different analytical methods using a paired sample approach used in cements proficiency testing. An analysis of variance test across these methods indicates that for CaO and SiO2, the methods do not return the same mean values; for Fe2O3, they do; and for Al2O3 and SO3, the results are mixed. XRF precision for CaO and SO3 is lower than the reference method for both glass and powder samples. Precision is lower for the powder compared to the glass, exception for Fe2O3. SiO2 XRF glass results exhibit similar precision to the reference methods, while the powder precisions are lower. Al2O3 precision for all X-ray methods and preparations exceed that of the reference method. All X-ray results are better than those from earlier studies indicating perhaps slight improvement in overall test performance within the industry. Box plots on Bogue-calculated values for each method indicate an overall agreement across methods, a consistency between the glass preparations for both wavelength-dispersive and energy-dispersive analyses, and a consistency between powder preparations for both XRF methods. An error propagation analysis is made to assess the effects of the uncertainty of the chemical analyses on the calculated phase compositions and to compare with the X-ray powder diffraction test method. The precision for the silicates and aluminates is similar, while ASTM C150-07 calculations for ferrite are more precise.
Pre-War Trauma: Haneke's The White Ribbon
Authors: Stewart Garrett
Published: June 2010

The surgical rigor of Haneke's The White Ribbon lays bare the underlying brutality of family life in a German village, microcosm of a social order whose strictures and class resentments fester on the eve of WWI. Punishment, abuse, and humiliation tighten a mysterious web of spite and reprisal among the local children, with national history waiting ominously in the wings.
Suppression of progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation in hamster spermatozoa by estrogen
Authors: Fujinoki Masakatsu
Published: June 2010

In this study, I examined whether sperm hyperactivation in hamster is regulated by steroid hormones such as estrogen (estradiol, E2) and progesterone. Although sperm hyperactivation was enhanced by progesterone, 17β-estradiol (17βE2) itself did not affect sperm hyperactivation. However, 17βE2suppressed progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation in a concentration-dependent manner through non-genomic pathways when spermatozoa were exposed to 17βE2at the same time or before exposure to progesterone. When spermatozoa were exposed to 17βE2after exposure to progesterone, 17βE2did not suppress progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation. Moreover, 17α-estradiol, an inactive isomer of E2, did not suppress progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation. Observations using a FITC-conjugated 17βE2showed that it binds to the acrosome region of the sperm head. Binding of 17βE2to spermatozoa was not inhibited by progesterone, although 17βE2did not suppress progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation when spermatozoa were exposed to 17βE2after exposure to progesterone. On the other hand, binding of progesterone to spermatozoa was also not inhibited by 17βE2even if progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation was suppressed by 17βE2. Although tyrosine phosphorylations of sperm proteins were enhanced by progesterone, enhancement of tyrosine phosphorylations by progesterone was suppressed by 17βE2. Moreover, tyrosine phosphorylations were inhibited by 17βE2when only 17βE2was added to the medium. From these results, it is likely that 17βE2competitively suppresses progesterone-enhanced hyperactivation through the inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylations via non-genomic pathways.
Beyond the income inequality hypothesis and human health: a worldwide exploration
Authors: Idrovo Alvaro J , Ruiz-Rodríguez Myriam , Manzano-Patiño Abigail P
Published: June 2010

OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether the relationship between income inequality and human health is mediated through social capital, and whether political regime determines differences in income inequality and social capital among countries. METHODS: Path analysis of cross sectional ecological data from 110 countries. Life expectancy at birth was the outcome variable, and income inequality (measured by the Gini coefficient), social capital (measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index or generalized trust), and political regime (measured by the Index of Freedom) were the predictor variables. Corruption Perceptions Index (an indirect indicator of social capital) was used to include more developing countries in the analysis. The correlation between Gini coefficient and predictor variables was calculated using Spearman's coefficients. The path analysis was designed to assess the effect of income inequality, social capital proxies and political regime on life expectancy. RESULTS: The path coefficients suggest that income inequality has a greater direct effect on life expectancy at birth than through social capital. Political regime acts on life expectancy at birth through income inequality. CONCLUSIONS: Income inequality and social capital have direct effects on life expectancy at birth. The "class/welfare regime model" can be useful for understanding social and health inequalities between countries, whereas the "income inequality hypothesis" which is only a partial approach is especially useful for analyzing differences within countries.
Acolhimento e características maternas associados à oferta de líquidos a lactentes
Authors: Niquini Roberta Pereira , Bittencourt Sonia Azevedo , Lacerda Elisa Maria de Aquino , Oliveira Maria Inês Couto de , Leal Maria do Carmo
Published: June 2010

OBJETIVO: Identificar características maternas e ações de acolhimento às mães de crianças menores de seis meses associadas à oferta precoce de líquidos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado em 2007 com amostra representativa de mães de crianças menores de seis meses (n = 1.057) usuárias de unidades básicas de saúde (UBS) na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Para estimar a associação entre as variáveis explicativas e a oferta de líquidos utilizou-se um modelo de regressão logística multivariado com ponderação, efeito de desenho e controlado pela idade da criança. RESULTADOS: Das mães, 32% não recebeu o cartão de acolhimento na maternidade, 47% não recebeu orientação sobre amamentação na primeira ida à UBS após o parto e 55% relatou a oferta de líquidos aos lactentes. Mulheres sem experiência pregressa em amamentar por pelo menos seis meses apresentaram chance de oferta de líquidos maior que aquelas com experiência (OR = 1,57; IC 95%: 1,16;2,13). As que não receberam orientação sobre amamentação na primeira ida à UBS após o parto tiveram chance 58% maior de oferecer líquidos que aquelas que receberam orientação. A oferta de líquidos mostrou-se positivamente associada com a adolescência entre mulheres com companheiro (OR = 2,17; IC 95%: 1,10;4,30) e negativamente associada com a adolescência entre aquelas sem companheiro (OR = 0,31; IC95%: 0,11;0,85). Entre mulheres com menos de oito anos de estudo, as que não receberam orientação sobre amamentação após o nascimento da criança apresentaram chance de oferta de líquidos 1,8 vez maior que aquelas que receberam orientação. CONCLUSÕES: Idade, situação conjugal e experiência pregressa em amamentar são características maternas associadas à oferta de líquidos para crianças menores de seis meses. O recebimento de orientação precoce sobre aleitamento materno pode reduzir o oferecimento de líquidos aos lactentes.
Biochemical and morphological changes during the growth kinetics of Araucaria angustifolia suspension cultures
Authors: Santos André Luis Wendt dos , Silveira Vanildo , Steiner Neusa , Maraschin Marcelo , Guerra Miguel Pedro
Published: June 2010

Embryogenic cultures of Araucaria angustifolia were established in a BM liquid medium supplemented with 2 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 1 µM 6-benzylaminopurine and 1 µM kinetin (BM2) and in a BM medium free of growth regulators (BM0). During 42 days in culture, the cell growth pattern of both cultures was similar. The pH of the culture medium of both BM0 and BM2 underwent progressive reduction during culture time. For both the embryogenic cultures a preferential uptake of glucose in the late stages of cell growth kinetics was observed. The extracellular protein content was similar for both the embryogenic cultures. Acetocarmine and Evan's blue double stain showed major differences for early somatic embryo organisation, in which only the embryogenic culture grown in a liquid culture medium free of plant growth regulators showed the presence of bipolar somatic pro-embryos.
Effect of deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin in malt amylase activity
Authors: Garda-Buffon Jaqueline , Baraj Edlira , Badiale-Furlong Eliana
Published: June 2010

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of DON and T-2 toxin levels on the malt amylase activity. The malt was contaminated in accordance with central composite design experiment with DON and T-2 toxin levels until 1000 ng/g. The activities of the enzymes were evaluated by Bernfeld method. The increase in T-2 toxin concentration inhibited the α-amylase activity. However, the increase of both toxins concentration caused inverse effect. The interaction between toxins indicated synergetic effect on the β-amylase activity. An increased activity occurred when the toxins contamination levels in malt were higher (1000ng/g malt). The trichothecenes interfered with the performance of aminolitic enzymes in the stage of malting, resulting in a significant model for enzymatic activity of β-amylase.
Invasive Plant Researchers Should Calculate Effect Sizes, Not P-Values
Authors: Rinella Matthew J. , James Jeremy J.
Published: June 2010

Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) forms the backbone of statistical inference in invasive plant science. Over 95% of research articles inInvasive Plant Science and Managementreport NHST results such as P-values or statistics closely related to P-values such as least significant differences. Unfortunately, NHST results are less informative than their ubiquity implies. P-values are hard to interpret and are regularly misinterpreted. Also, P-values do not provide estimates of the magnitudes and uncertainties of studied effects, and these effect size estimates are what invasive plant scientists care about most. In this paper, we reanalyze four datasets (two of our own and two of our colleagues; studies put forth as examples in this paper are used with permission of their authors) to illustrate limitations of NHST. The re-analyses are used to build a case for confidence intervals as preferable alternatives to P-values. Confidence intervals indicate effect sizes, and compared to P-values, confidence intervals provide more complete, intuitively appealing information on what data do/do not indicate.
Late-Season Targeted Grazing of Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) with Goats in Idaho
Authors: Goehring Brianna J. , Launchbaugh Karen L. , Wilson Linda M.
Published: June 2010

Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is an exotic winter annual forb that is aggressively invasive and problematic in much of California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Yellow starthistle control is particularly challenging in canyon rangelands where accessibility limits control options. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of late-season targeted goat grazing on yellow starthistle and nontarget grasses and forbs. A 3-yr grazing study was initiated in 2006 on a 380-ha (939 acres) canyon grassland site infested with yellow starthistle near White Bird, ID. Twenty-four paired plots were established, with each pair including a fenced subplot to exclude grazing and a similar-sized adjacent subplot that was grazed. Density of yellow starthistle plants and seedheads was assessed after grazing of each plot in all 3 yr and before grazing in the second and third years. Canopy cover of yellow starthistle, grasses, and forbs also was measured. Grazed subplots had 58% fewer yellow starthistle plants than the ungrazed controls after grazing was applied and 94% fewer seedheads after 3 yr of grazing. Cover of yellow starthistle did not differ between grazed and ungrazed subplots after grazing in 2006, whereas grazing decreased yellow starthistle cover in 2007 and 2008 by about 75%. Goat grazing had little impact on canopy cover of grasses and resident forbs, with the exception of after grazing in 2007 when there was less forb cover in grazed areas compared with ungrazed areas. Late-season (i.e., July to November) targeted goat grazing appears to be an effective way to reduce yellow starthistle plant densities at landscape scales, which creates a large window of opportunity for grazing treatment and flexibility for land and livestock managers.
Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium): Properties of Invaded Tidal Marshes
Authors: Reynolds Laura K. , Boyer Katharyn E.
Published: June 2010

Lepidium latifolium (perennial pepperweed) is recognized as a threat to wetland habitats throughout much of the western United States, but its role in tidal marshes has not been explored. Over three seasons in three regions of San Francisco Estuary (Suisun, San Pablo, and South San Francisco bays), we characterized locations in tidal marshes where monotypic stands of L. latifolium are replacing the native Sarcocornia pacifica (pickleweed). Soils within L. latifolium stands had significantly lower moisture, salinity, organic matter, and carbon : nitrogen (C : N) and higher pH than in adjacent S. pacifica stands at similar elevation and distance from channels. In addition, L. latifolium canopies were 2 to 3 times taller, thus increasing light reaching soils, and tended to support different insect/spider assemblages (sampled only at the Suisun site). Patterns were generally consistent across the three sites, although less pronounced for some measures at the South Bay site. Overall, these data suggest that L. latifolium invasion of tidal marshes is leading to modification of both structural and functional properties, several of which might further facilitate spread of the invader; however, additional study is needed to determine cause vs. effect for several soil characteristics.
Microarray analysis reveals differential expression of benign and malignant pheochromocytoma
Authors: Waldmann Jens , Fendrich Volker , Holler Julia , Buchholz Malte , Heinmöller Ernst , Langer Peter , Ramaswamy Annette , Samans Birgit , Walz Martin K , Rothmund Matthias , Bartsch Detlef K , Slater Emily P
Published: June 2010

The diagnosis of a malignant pheochromocytoma (PC) can only be established by the presence of distant metastases, but a subset of apparently benign PCs develop metastases. We have employed a microarray analysis to identify a typical gene expression profile which distinguishes malignant from benign PC. Total RNA was isolated from fresh-frozen tissue of five benign and five malignant PCs. The reference consisted of laser microdissected tissue from normal adrenal medulla. After generating Cy3- and Cy5-fluorescently labeled cDNAs, F-chips containing 11 540 spots were hybridized. Data were analyzed with the IMAGENE 3.0 software. Gene expression levels were validated by real-time (RT)-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The analysis revealed a more than twofold difference in expression between benign and malignant PCs in 132 genes: 19 were up-regulated and 113 were down-regulated. Expression differences of six genes (calsequestrin, NNAT, neurogranin, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), EGR2, and MAOB) were confirmed by RT-PCR in 25 PCs. IHC for calsequestrin revealed an overexpression in malignant PCs (7/10 vs 1/10, P=0.03). Comparative analysis by microarray of all ten PCs (benign/malignant) versus normal adrenal medulla revealed a more than twofold expression difference in 455/539 and 491/671 genes respectively. Several of these genes are known to participate on adrenal tumorigenesis, potential tumor suppressor genes, and oncogenes. Comprehensive gene expression analysis of malignant and benign PCs revealed different gene profiles, which could be used to discriminate between malignant and benign PCs. Based on these findings, the strategy for further follow-up and treatment could be modified accordingly.
A Physical Model for the Action of Raindrop Erosion on Soil Microtopography
Authors: Planchon Olivier , Mouche Emmanuel
Published: June 2010

At finer scales, raindrops are the sources of the onset of soil erosion. Understanding the effects of raindrops at the decimeter scale is useful for soil erosion prediction, understanding erosion principles, and deriving erosion control management practices. The objective of this study was to develop and test a physically based model to predict the effect of raindrop erosion on soil microtopography and identify the parameters that can be experimentally measured. The model has three parameters: (i) detachment rate μ ∼ (9.0 ± 4.0) ×10−2 kg m−2 mm−1, (ii) average projection distance λ ∼ 0.15 ± 0.05 m, and (iii) a dimensionless anisotropy coefficient δ ∼ 3 ± 1, which expresses the slope dependency of λ and μ. Variation in soil height caused by raindrop erosion followed a diffusion‐type equation with a source term. Under uniform conditions of soil and rainfall, the model simplifies into a basic diffusion equation. Under the homogeneous bare soil condition, soil surface roughness is predicted by an exponential decay model. Under nonuniform conditions, when sparse perennial vegetation protects the soil locally from raindrop impact (a common surface feature in semiarid areas), the model predicts that small mounds of 2 to 30 cm in height can develop underneath the cover. On a horizontal surface, the mound height asymptotically tends to a limit. On sloping areas, however, mounds are predicted to develop faster, higher, and to be asymmetric. Under both flat and sloping terrain, model predictions were found consistent with published data and models, with the noticeable improvement that the model parameters can be measured by laboratory experiments.
Vegetation Nutrient Dynamics Associated with Sedimentation in Headwater Riparian Forests
Authors: Jolley Rachel L. , Lockaby B. Graeme , Governo Robin M.
Published: June 2010

Sedimentation associated with flooding has long been considered a nutrient subsidy, making floodplain forests some of the most productive forests on earth. Little is known, however, regarding how sediment deposits from upland erosion may affect nutrient processes within riparian forests. Consequently, we studied the impacts of sedimentation on vegetation nutrient dynamics in riparian forests at Ft. Benning, GA. We measured the concentration and content of N, C, and P in foliar litterfall and fine roots, internal recycling rates, and nutrient use efficiencies in 17 riparian forests along a gradient of sedimentation rates. Plots with the highest sedimentation rates (highly disturbed and moderately disturbed) had higher nutrient use efficiencies (N and P use efficiencies), suggesting that these nutrients may be limited in these forest systems. Litterfall and root nutrient contents also decreased in highly impacted plots, indicating a decline in nutrient turnover. Internal N recycling also appears to be more efficient in highly disturbed plots, which also suggests a deficiency. The results of this study indicate that increased rates of sandy, primarily inorganic sediment may impact vegetation nutrient dynamics in headwater riparian forests.
Estimating the Stability of Organic Phosphorus in Wetland Soils
Authors: Fisher Millard M. , Reddy K. Ramesh
Published: June 2010

The distribution of soil P among labile and nonlabile forms can be a major determinant of agricultural and natural ecosystem productivity. Determination of soil P pools is typically performed using operationally defined chemical fractionation methods. Most of the current fractionation techniques were developed for predominately mineral soils, thus they provide only limited information on organic P (Po), particularly with respect to stability. We hypothesized that the extent to which P could be extracted from organic soils, after exposure to heat, may be related to environmental recalcitrance. We investigated two thermal methods for characterizing Po stability in organic wetland soils, an autoclave‐based and a dry heat technique. Soils from two subtropical wetlands were collected to a depth of approximately 1 m. Autoclave‐extractable P was determined by subjecting soils to 128°C and 170 kPa for 90 min in an autoclave. A second set of samples was exposed to dry heat at temperatures of 160, 200, 260, 300, 360, and 550°C. The results were compared with data from a conventional chemical P fractionation scheme. Phosphorus that could be extracted using the hot water technique declined with soil depth, representing 10 to 50% of total P in surficial soils, to 5 to 10% at a depth of 60 cm. Microbial biomass P was correlated with hot water extractable P, and represented approximately 50% of the hot water extract. In the dry heat technique, increasing the extraction temperature resulted in significantly greater extraction of Po The 360°C treatment was best able to distinguish between recalcitrant and labile Po
Multitracer and Filter‐Separated Half‐Cell Method for Measuring Solute Diffusion in Undisturbed Soil
Authors: Laegdsmand Mette , Moldrup Per , Schjønning Per
Published: June 2010

Solute diffusion controls important processes in soils: plant uptake of nutrients, sorption–desorption processes, degradation of organic matter, and leaching of radionuclides through clay barriers. We developed a new method for measuring the solute diffusivity (solute diffusion coefficient in the soil relative to water) in intact soil samples (the Multiple Tracer, Filter Separated half‐cell method using a Dynamic Model for parameter estimation [MT‐FS‐DM]). The MT‐FS‐DM method consists of half‐cell diffusion of two pairs of counterdiffusing anionic tracers and a parameter estimation scheme that allows diffusion coefficients for tracers in the two half‐cells to be estimated on the basis of two concentration profiles in each sample. The parameter estimation scheme uses a fully dynamic (time‐resolved) simulation model. From sensitivity and uncertainty analyses of the dynamic model, we found that the MT‐FS‐DM method provided reliable results. We compared diffusivities measured on a sandy loam soil using the MT‐FS‐DM method with diffusivities from six sandy loam test soils from the literature. The new method can be used to estimate solute diffusivity in intact structured soil and provides a more confident estimate for solute diffusion due to the use of two tracer profiles in the same soil sample. Especially when we are interested in determining the diffusivity of a single intact soil sample, such as when relating solute diffusivity to other properties of the soil (e.g., microbial activity), this method will be an improvement over existing methods.
Modeling Peat Thermal Regime of an Ombrotrophic Peatland with Hummock–Hollow Microtopography
Authors: Dimitrov Dimitre D. , Grant Robert F. , Lafleur Peter M. , Humphreys Elyn R.
Published: June 2010

The theory of conductive heat transfer cannot explain different attenuations of the daily amplitude of peat temperatures (TS) in hummocks (detectable below the 20‐cm depth) and hollows (disappearing above the 10‐cm depth). Large readily drained macropores in the upper fibric peat determine a large air permeability and hence may enhance heat transfer by air convection in porous media, driven by temperature gradients between hummock sides and interiors. In this study, the ecosys model was used to simulate a peat thermal regime at Mer Bleue peatland, Ontario, Canada. It was hypothesized that adding the air‐convective heat transfer to conductive plus water‐convective heat transfers would improve simulations of TS The results for TS, ground heat fluxes, G, and sensible heat fluxes, H, modeled with and without air‐convective heat transfer were tested with continuous hourly measurements from 2000 to 2004 using thermocouples, heat flux plates, and eddy covariance. Simulated air‐convective heat transfer caused an average increase in G and a corresponding decrease in H of ∼20 W m−2 from the simulated conductive plus water‐convective heat transfer. Hastened soil warming in hummocks resulted in better agreement between measured and simulated hummock TS values with (RMSD of 2.23°C) than without air‐convective heat (RMSD of 2.54°C). Enhanced hummock TS caused an indirect increase in hollow TS in the model with (RMSD of 1.68°C) compared to without air‐convective heat (RMSD of 1.82°C). Our results suggest that air convection is probably an important mechanism of heat transfer in peat hummocks and should be included in peatland biogeochemical models.
Cutin and Cutan Biopolymers: Their Role as Natural Sorbents
Authors: Shechter Michal , Xing Baoshan , Chefetz Benny
Published: June 2010

The aliphatic biopolymers cutin and cutan are important precursors of soil organic matter. In this study, we examined the effects of these biopolymers' decomposition and transformation in the soil on their sorptive properties. The levels of cutin and cutan decreased by 35 and 30%, respectively, after 20 mo of incubation. Carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance and differential scanning calorimeter analyses suggested that the rigid (crystalline) polymethylene moieties of cutan decompose with time. This observation is in contrast to previous reports, which suggested that this alkyl‐C moiety is resistant to biodegradation. Cutin, however, exhibited mainly decomposition of the mobile (amorphous) polymethylene moieties. Moreover, some of its degraded materials were transformed into humic materials. The phenanthrene sorption coefficient decreased by 80 and 37% with incubation time of the cutin and cutan samples, respectively. For 1‐naphthol, the sorption capacity decreased by 90% due to cutin decomposition. With cutan, this parameter did not show any changes correlated with incubation time. Phenanthrene exhibited linear and reversible sorption isotherms. In contrast, pronounced desorption hysteresis was obtained for 1‐naphthol with the 20‐mo‐incubated cutin sample and with all cutan samples. With all cutan samples, desorption hysteresis increased with decomposition. Our data suggest that the sorptive nature of both biopolymers was affected by soil decomposition. With degradation, the role of cutin as a natural sorbent decreases while cutan acts as a natural highly efficient sorbent for organic compounds in the soil.
Tracing Root vs. Residue Carbon into Soils from Conventional and Alternative Cropping Systems
Authors: Kong Angela Y. Y. , Six Johan
Published: June 2010

We investigated the fate and rate of stabilization of root vs. residue C and the role of soil aggregates in root‐ vs. residue‐derived C accumulation within long‐term conventional (mineral fertilizer), low‐input (mineral fertilizer and cover crop), and organic (manure and cover crop) cropping systems. Both hairy vetch (Vicia dasycarpa Ten.) roots and residue were 13C labeled in situ and then traced into whole‐soil samples and three soil organic matter (SOM) fractions (coarse particulate organic matter [CPOM, >250 μm], microaggregates [53–250 μm], and silt and clay [<53 μm]). At the end of the maize (Zea mays L.) growing season, ∼52% of the root‐derived C was still present in the soil, while only ∼4% of residue‐derived C remained. These results suggest that root C contributes more to overall C stabilization than residue C, which supports a nascent body of research demonstrating greater retention of root‐derived than residue‐derived C in SOM. The ratio of root‐ to residue‐derived C (an indicator of relative root contribution) was higher in the microaggregates and silt‐and‐clay fractions than the CPOM of low‐input and conventional systems. In contrast, relative root contribution was greater in the whole soil of the organic (6.76) than the conventional (1.43) and low‐input cropping systems (3.24), and particularly greater in the CPOM of the organic system (7.53). This trend mirrored long‐term soil C stocks across the cropping systems, i.e., organic > low input = conventional, and suggests that the CPOM fraction is pivotal to short‐term accumulation of root‐derived C and, ultimately, to long‐term C sequestration under organic crop management.
Nitrate Immobilization in Anaerobic Forest Soils along a North–South Transect in East China
Authors: Zhang Jinbo , Cai Zucong , Cheng Yi , Zhu Tongbin
Published: June 2010

It has been reported that 15N‐NO3− added to soils cannot be completely recovered in the remaining NO3− and its measurable products under anaerobic conditions. Abiotic immobilization of NO3− into dissolved organic N (DON) has been hypothesized to explain this phenomenon. Six forest soil samples were collected from temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions in East China, amended with K15NO3, and incubated at 25°C under anaerobic conditions for 264 h. The results showed that only 36 to 56% of the added N was recovered in the temperate soils, while up to 90% of the added N was recovered in the subtropical and tropical soils 1.5 h after incubation commenced. Compared with the initial concentration, the DON concentration dramatically increased when measured in temperate soils at 1.5 h, but increased only slightly in the subtropical and tropical soils. In all the soils, there was a strong positive correlation between recovery of added N at 1.5 h and soil redox potential (Eh) (R2 = 0.87, P < 0.01), and a strong negative correlation between added N recovery at 1.5 h and dissolved organic C (measured at the beginning of incubation) (R2 = 0.72, P < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in recovery of added N along with an increase in DON as soil Eh fell in the subtropical and tropical soils during long‐term incubation, suggesting that a majority of unrecovered N is incorporated into dissolved organic matter. All these results indicate added N was rapidly converted to DON via abiotic immobilization and was an important component of the N cycle in temperate forest soils but not in subtropical and tropical soils with high soil Eh, which was the controlling factor affecting this process.