Reports of army engineers upon the proposed canals connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio River and with Lake Michigan.

Report on the proposed canal from Lake Erie to the Ohio River / by H.C. Newcomer -- Report on the proposed canal from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie / by G.A. Zinn -- Appendix A. Business for canal -- Appendix B. The proposed Michigan & Erie canal an indispensable part of the great east-and-west main water route / by F.B. Taylor -- Appendix C. Description of harbors.

Activation of toxic chemicals by cytochrome P450 enzymes : regio- and stereoselective oxidation of aflatoxin B1

Cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes are involved in the oxidations of numerous steroids, eicosanoids, alkaloids, and other endogenous substrates. These enzymes are also the major ones involved in the oxidation of potential toxicants and carcinogens such as those encountered among pollutants, solvents, and pesticides, as well as many natural products. A proper understanding of the basic mechanisms by which the P450 enzymes oxidize such compounds is important in developing rational strategies for the evaluation of the risks of these compounds.

Characterization of novel microsatellite markers derived from Korean rose bitterling (Rhodeus uyekii) genomic library

Korean rose bitterling (Rhodeus uyekii) is a freshwater fish endemic to Korea. Natural populations of this species have experienced severe declines as a result of habitat fragmentation and water pollution. To conserve and restore R. uyekii, the genetic diversity of this species needs to be assessed at the population level. Eighteen novel polymorphic microsatellite loci for R. uyekii were developed using an enriched partial genomic library. Polymorphisms at these loci were studied in 150 individuals collected from three populations. The number of alleles at each locus ranged from 3 to 47 (mean = 17.1). Within the populations, the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.032 to 1.000, expected heterozygosity from 0.082 to 0.967, and polymorphism information content from 0.078 to 0.950. Six loci showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni’s correction, and no significant linkage disequilibrium was detected between most locus pairs, except in three cases. These highly informative microsatellite markers should be useful for genetic population structure analyses of R. uyekii.

A scientific forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept. Proceedings of the Forum: 23 January 2008, Keating Education Center, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida

The Scientific Forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept took place in January 2008 in Sarasota, Florida. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together scientists and managers from around the Gulf of Mexico to discuss a range of topics on our knowledge of the Gulf of Mexico, from its geology to larger-scale connectivity to the Caribbean region, and their applications to the concept of a more integrated approach to area-based management. The forum included six panels of invited experts who spoke on the oceanographic and biological features in the Gulf of Mexico, including connections with Mexico and the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, and the legal and regulatory structure currently in place. The charge to the group was to share information, identify gaps in our knowledge, identify additional potential areas for protection, and discuss available science about connectivity and the potential value of establishing a marine protected area network in the Gulf of Mexico. (PDF has 108 pages.)

Caribbean corals in crisis: record thermal stress, bleaching, and mortality in 2005

Background: The rising temperature of the world’s oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. Methodology/Principal Findings: Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the timing and location of researchers’ field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. Conclusions/Significance: Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch’s Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate

A strategy for sensitivity and specificity enhancements in prostate specific antigen-[alpha] 1-antichymotrypsin detection based on surface plasmon resonance

A biochip based on surface plasmon resonance was fabricated to detect prostate specific antigen-a1-antichymotrypsin (PSA-ACT complex) in both HBS buffer and human serum. To reduce non-specific binding and steric hindrance effect, the chemical surface of the sensor chips was constructed by using various oligo(ethylene glycol) mixtures of different molar ratios of HS(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)6OCH2COOH and HS(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)3OH. The self-assembled monolayers were biotinylated to facilitate the immobilization of streptavidin. Using the chip surfaces, PSA-ACT complex in HBS buffer and human serum was detected at 20.7 and 47.5 ng/ml by primary immunoresponse, respectively. However, the limit of detection could be simply enhanced by a sandwich strategy to improve the sensitivity and specificity of the immunoassay. An intact PSA polyclonal antibody was used as an amplifying agent in the strategy. As a result, PSA-ACT complex concentrations as low as 10.2 and 18.1 ng/ml were found in the HBS buffer and human serum sample, respectively. The result indicates that this approach could satisfy our goal without modifying the secondary interactant.

Surface plasmon resonance-based inhibition assay for real-time detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based inhibition assay method using a polyclonal anti-mouse IgM arrayed Cryptosporidium sensor chip was developed for the real-time detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. The Cryptosporidium sensor chip was fabricated by subsequent immobilization of streptavidin and polyclonal anti-mouse IgM (secondary antibody) onto heterogeneous self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The assay consisted of the immunoreaction step between monoclonal anti-C. parvum oocyst (primary antibody) and oocysts, followed by the binding step of the unbound primary antibody onto the secondary antibody surface. It enhanced not only the immunoreaction yield of the oocysts by batch reaction but also the accessibility of analytes to the chip surface by antibody–antibody interaction. Furthermore, the use of optimum concentration of the primary antibody maximized its binding response on the chip. An inversely linear calibration curve for the oocyst concentration versus SPR signal was obtained in the range of 1×106–1×102 oocysts ml-1. The oocyst detection was also successfully achieved in natural water systems. These results indicate that the SPR-based inhibition assay using the Cryptosporidium sensor chip has high application potential for the real-time analysis of C. parvum oocyst in laboratory and field water monitoring.

Plant extract: A promising biomatrix for ecofriendly, controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles

Uses of plants extracts are found to be more advantageous over chemical, physical and microbial (bacterial, fungal, algal) methods for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesis. In phytonanosynthesis, biochemical diversity of plant extract, non-pathogenicity, low cost and flexibility in reaction parameters are accounted for high rate of AgNPs production with different shape, size and applications. At the same time, care has to be taken to select suitable phytofactory for AgNPs synthesis based on certain parameters such as easy availability, large-scale nanosynthesis potential and non-toxic nature of plant extract. This review focuses on synthesis of AgNPs with particular emphasis on biological synthesis using plant extracts. Some points have been given on selection of plant extract for AgNPs synthesis and case studies on AgNPs synthesis using different plant extracts. Reaction parameters contributing to higher yield of nanoparticles are presented here. Synthesis mechanisms and overview of present and future applications of plant-extract-synthesized AgNPs are also discussed here. Limitations associated with use of AgNPs are summarised in the present review.

El crecimiento económico de corea del sur y sus posibilidades de alterar el equilibrio en Asia-Pacífico

El interés de esta monografía es analizar el crecimiento económico de Corea del Sur y sus posibilidades de alterar el equilibrio en la región de Asia-Pacífico. A partir de los conceptos de poder duro y equilibrio de poder propuestos por Joseph Nye y Ernst Haas, se examinan los principales hitos del proceso de desarrollo nacional y se determina en qué sentido el incremento del poder duro nacional le permite a este país posicionarse como una potencia regional en ascenso. Así mismo, se evalúan los procesos de liderazgo regional de China y Japón que impiden a Corea del Sur alterar sustancialmente el equilibrio de poder en esta región del mundo.

Optimización del sistema de transporte en el colegio The English School

La optimización de sistemas y modelos se ha convertido en uno de los factores más importantes a la hora de buscar la mayor eficiencia de un proceso. Este concepto no es ajeno al transporte escolar, ambiente que cambia constantemente al ritmo de las necesidades de sus clientes, y que responde ante una fuerte responsabilidad frente a sus usuarios, los niños que hacen uso del servicio, en cuanto al cumplimiento de tiempos y seguridad, mientras busca constantemente la reducción de costos. Este proyecto expone las problemáticas presentadas en The English School en esta área y propone un modelo de optimización simple que permitirá notables mejoras en términos de tiempos y costos, de tal forma que genere beneficios para la institución en términos financieros y de satisfacción al cliente. Por medio de la implementación de este modelo será posible identificar errores comunes del proceso, se identificarán soluciones prácticas de fácil aplicación en el manejo del transporte y se presentarán los resultados obtenidos en la muestra utilizada para desarrollar el proyecto.