Soil and nutrient losses in erosion gullies at different degrees of restoration

The most advanced stage of water erosion, the gully, represents severe problems in different contexts, both in rural and urban environments. In the search for a stabilization of the process in a viable manner it is of utmost importance to assess the efficiency of evaluation methodologies. For this purpose, the efficiency of low-cost conservation practices were tested for the reduction of soil and nutrient losses caused by erosion from gullies in Pinheiral, state of Rio de Janeiro. The following areas were studied: gully recovered by means of physical and biological strategies; gullies in recovering stage, by means of physical strategies only, and gullies under no restoration treatment. During the summer of 2005/2006, the following data sets were collected for this study: soil classification of each of the eroded gully areas; planimetric and altimetric survey; determination of rain erosivity indexes; determination of amount of soil sediment; sediment grain size characteristics; natural amounts of nutrients Ca, Mg, K and P, as well as total C and N concentrations. The results for the three first measurements were 52.5, 20.5, and 29.0 Mg in the sediments from the gully without intervention, and of 1.0, 1.7 and 1.8 Mg from the gully with physical interventions, indicating an average reduction of 95 %. The fully recovered gully produced no sediment during the period. The data of total nutrient loss from the three gullies under investigation showed reductions of 98 % for the recovering gully, and 99 % for the fully recovered one. As for the loss of nutrients, the data indicate a nutrient loss of 1,811 kg from for the non-treated gully. The use of physical and biological interventions made it possible to reduce overall nutrient loss by more than 96 %, over the entire rainy season, as compared to the non-treated gully. Results show that the methods used were effective in reducing soil and nutrient losses from gullies.

Microbial and soil properties in restoration areas in the jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais

To mitigate the impacts of eucalypt monoculture, forestry companies in the Upper Jequitinhonha Valley (MG) have adopted the insertion of strips of native vegetation in-between the commercial plantations. The method used for the creation of these corridors is to allow spontaneous regrowth of native vegetation in areas previously under eucalypt. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cover crops on microbial and soil properties for a detailed description of the restoration process of native vegetation in forest soils of the Jequitinhonha Valley. The treatments were represented by an initial restoration stage (< 4 years) with or without remaining eucalypt and the advanced restoration stage (> 4 years) with or without remaining eucalypt, plus the three controls: commercial eucalypt plantation, Cerrado vegetation and native forest. Soil samples were collected for three consecutive years in the dry and rainy season (August and February, respectively). The microbial activity, regardless of the presence of remaining eucalypt , did not differ among the restoration areas, except for the metabolic quotient (qCO2) in the rainy season of February 2007. At this time, this microbial activity was higher in the advanced restoration stage without eucalypt than initial restoration without eucalypt and advanced restoration with eucalypt. The restoration areas, in general, did not differ from the control: eucalypt plantation and Cerrado either. Compared to the forest, the levels of organic C, microbial C, basal respiration (Rbasal) and hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) in the restoration areas were, in general, lower and did not differ in qCO2 and microbial quotient (qMIC). In general, the soil quality was similar in the initial and advanced restoration stages. Most of the soil and microbial properties in the three years indicated that the restoration areas were most similar to the Cerrado. In the advanced restoration areas without eucalypt compared to Cerrado, the lower Rbasal in the 3rd year and the lower FDA and qMIC and higher qCO2 in the 2nd year indicated that the removal of the remaining eucalypt trees was unfavorable for restoration.

Restoration of Fricitonal Characteristics on Older Portland Cement Concrete Pavement:Final Report for Iowa Highway Research Board Project HR-224, June 1986

Safety i s a very important aspect o f the highway program. The Iowa DOT initiated an inventory o f the friction values of all paved primary roadways i n 1969. This inventory, with an ASTM E-274 test unit, has continued to the present time. The t e s t i n g frequency varies based upon traffic volume and the previous friction value. Historically , the state o f Iowa constructed a substantial amount o f pcc pavement during the 1928-30 period t o "get Iowa out o f the mud". Some of that pavement has never been resurfaced and has been subjected to more than 50 years o f wear. The textured surface has been worn away and has subsequently polished. Even though some pavements from 15 t o 50 years old continue t o function structurally , because of the loss of friction , they do not provide the desired level o f safety to the driver. As a temporary measure, "Sl ippery -When -Wet " signs have been posted on many older pcc roads due to friction numbers below t h e desirable level. These signs warn the motorist of the current conditions. An economical method of restoring the high quality frictional properties i s needed.

Restoration of lymphoid organ integrity through the interaction of lymphoid tissue-inducer cells with stroma of the T cell zone.

The generation of lymphoid microenvironments in early life depends on the interaction of lymphoid tissue-inducer cells with stromal lymphoid tissue-organizer cells. Whether this cellular interface stays operational in adult secondary lymphoid organs has remained elusive. We show here that during acute infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, antiviral cytotoxic T cells destroyed infected T cell zone stromal cells, which led to profound disruption of secondary lymphoid organ integrity. Furthermore, the ability of the host to respond to secondary antigens was lost. Restoration of the lymphoid microanatomy was dependent on the proliferative accumulation of lymphoid tissue-inducer cells in secondary lymphoid organs during the acute phase of infection and lymphotoxin alpha(1)beta(2) signaling. Thus, crosstalk between lymphoid tissue-inducer cells and stromal cells is reactivated in adults to maintain secondary lymphoid organ integrity and thereby contributes to the preservation of immunocompetence.

Gene-mediated restoration of normal myofiber elasticity in dystrophic muscles.

Dystrophin mediates a physical link between the cytoskeleton of muscle fibers and the extracellular matrix, and its absence leads to muscle degeneration and dystrophy. In this article, we show that the lack of dystrophin affects the elasticity of individual fibers within muscle tissue explants, as probed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), providing a sensitive and quantitative description of the properties of normal and dystrophic myofibers. The rescue of dystrophin expression by exon skipping or by the ectopic expression of the utrophin analogue normalized the elasticity of dystrophic muscles, and these effects were commensurate to the functional recovery of whole muscle strength. However, a more homogeneous and widespread restoration of normal elasticity was obtained by the exon-skipping approach when comparing individual myofibers. AFM may thus provide a quantification of the functional benefit of gene therapies from live tissues coupled to single-cell resolution.

Confidential report on lake restoration projects, Iowa conservation plan,1932

This report contains findings on 52 lake restoration projects. It summarizes the interpretation of the detailed project reports, maps, and cost estimates.

Lake Restoration 2007 Report and 2008 Plan, December 28, 2007

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2008 Report and 2009 Plan, December 30, 2008

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2009 Report and 2010 Plan, December 30, 2009

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2010 Report and 2011 Plan, December 30, 2010

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2011 Report and 2012 Plan, December 30, 2011

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2012 Report and 2013 Plan, December 31, 2012

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.