On the use of spatially discrete data to compute energy and mass balance

In many practical applications the state of field soils is monitored by recording the evolution of temperature and soil moisture at discrete depths. We theoretically investigate the systematic errors that arise when mass and energy balances are computed directly from these measurements. We show that, even with no measurement or model errors, large residuals might result when finite difference approximations are used to compute fluxes and storage term. To calculate the limits set by the use of spatially discrete measurements on the accuracy of balance closure, we derive an analytical solution to estimate the residual on the basis of the two key parameters: the penetration depth and the distance between the measurements. When the thickness of the control layer for which the balance is computed is comparable to the penetration depth of the forcing (which depends on the thermal diffusivity and on the forcing period) large residuals arise. The residual is also very sensitive to the distance between the measurements, which requires accurately controlling the position of the sensors in field experiments. We also demonstrate that, for the same experimental setup, mass residuals are sensitively larger than the energy residuals due to the nonlinearity of the moisture transport equation. Our analysis suggests that a careful assessment of the systematic mass error introduced by the use of spatially discrete data is required before using fluxes and residuals computed directly from field measurements.

Copper, zinc and manganese in soils of two watersheds in Santa Catarina with intensive use of pig slurry

Systematic pig slurry application to crop soils may lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in regions with intensive pig raising. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of Cu, Zn and Mn in soils under systematic pig slurry application. For this purpose, soil samples were collected from two of the most representative watersheds of Santa Catarina where the predominant activity is pig raising. In each watershed, 12 properties were chosen to evaluate the different systems of pig husbandry (complete cycle (CC), farrowing (FaU) and finishing units (FiU)). Based on information of the producers, soil samples were collected in areas with and without systematic manure application. To determine the total Cu, Zn and Mn content in soils and manure, a methodology proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States (USEPA), method nº 3050B, was used. For the available heavy metal content, Cu and Zn was extracted with HCl 0.1 mol L-1 and Mn with KCl 1 mol L-1. Data were subjected to multivariate analysis, using the canonical discriminant analysis to identify the metals that best differentiate the soils studied within each swine housing system. Successive pig slurry applications cause an increase in Cu, Zn and Mn availability in the soil and this indicates the need for monitoring of the metal concentrations over time. The critical values of Cu in the soil can be reached and exceeded more rapidly than Zn. The results showed that the soil type may be one of the attribute underlying the determination of public policies in pig raising and waste management because soils such as Inceptisols were shown to be more prone to possible contamination since they may more rapidly reach total critical Cu levels.

Rituximab dans le traitement des maladies rénales glomérulaires: indications et evidences cliniques [Rationale and clinical evidence for the use of rituximab in glomerular diseases].

Autoimmune glomerulopathies are an important cause of chronic kidney disease. Conventional treatments based on steroids, antiproliferative and cytotoxic agents are efficacious, but highly toxic. Because of their central role in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, B cells have become an attractive therapeutic target. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody directed against CD20 expressed on the surface of B cells, inducing profound depletion of B cells in the peripheral blood. In spite of encouraging results regarding the off-label use of Rituximab in membranous nephropathy, systemic lupus erythematosus and small vessel vasculitis, controlled, long-term data, and data with specific renal endpoints are currently lacking.

Code Section 307.46(2) - Use of Reversion Report

Pursuant to Iowa Code Section 307.46(2), I submit the following report on the use of reversions. The Iowa Department of Transportation spent $498,703 of the Fiscal Year 2010 Road Use Tax Fund/Primary Road Fund budget reversion in Fiscal Year 2011 for desktop, server and network software, information technology professional services and computer equipment.

Use of Railroad Flat Cars for Low-Volume Road Bridges, August 1999

In an attempt to solve the bridge problem faced by many county engineers, this investigation focused on a low cost bridge alternative that consists of using railroad flatcars (RRFC) as the bridge superstructure. The intent of this study was to determine whether these types of bridges are structurally adequate and potentially feasible for use on low volume roads. A questionnaire was sent to the Bridge Committee members of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to determine their use of RRFC bridges and to assess the pros and cons of these bridges based on others’ experiences. It was found that these types of bridges are widely used in many states with large rural populations and they are reported to be a viable bridge alternative due to their low cost, quick and easy installation, and low maintenance. A main focus of this investigation was to study an existing RRFC bridge that is located in Tama County, IA. This bridge was analyzed using computer modeling and field load testing. The dimensions of the major structural members of the flatcars in this bridge were measured and their properties calculated and used in an analytical grillage model. The analytical results were compared with those obtained in the field tests, which involved instrumenting the bridge and loading it with a fully loaded rear tandem-axle truck. Both sets of data (experimental and theoretical) show that the Tama County Bridge (TCB) experienced very low strains and deflections when loaded and the RRFCs appeared to be structurally adequate to serve as a bridge superstructure. A calculated load rating of the TCB agrees with this conclusion. Because many different types of flatcars exist, other flatcars were modeled and analyzed. It was very difficult to obtain the structural plans of RRFCs; thus, only two additional flatcars were analyzed. The results of these analyses also yielded very low strains and displacements. Taking into account the experiences of other states, the inspection of several RRFC bridges in Oklahoma, the field test and computer analysis of the TCB, and the computer analysis of two additional flatcars, RRFC bridges appear to provide a safe and feasible bridge alternative for low volume roads.

Prominent use of distal 5' transcription start sites and discovery of a large number of additional exons in ENCODE regions.

This report presents systematic empirical annotation of transcript products from 399 annotated protein-coding loci across the 1% of the human genome targeted by the Encyclopedia of DNA elements (ENCODE) pilot project using a combination of 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and high-density resolution tiling arrays. We identified previously unannotated and often tissue- or cell-line-specific transcribed fragments (RACEfrags), both 5' distal to the annotated 5' terminus and internal to the annotated gene bounds for the vast majority (81.5%) of the tested genes. Half of the distal RACEfrags span large segments of genomic sequences away from the main portion of the coding transcript and often overlap with the upstream-annotated gene(s). Notably, at least 20% of the resultant novel transcripts have changes in their open reading frames (ORFs), most of them fusing ORFs of adjacent transcripts. A significant fraction of distal RACEfrags show expression levels comparable to those of known exons of the same locus, suggesting that they are not part of very minority splice forms. These results have significant implications concerning (1) our current understanding of the architecture of protein-coding genes; (2) our views on locations of regulatory regions in the genome; and (3) the interpretation of sequence polymorphisms mapping to regions hitherto considered to be "noncoding," ultimately relating to the identification of disease-related sequence alterations.

Ectoparasite affects choice and use of roost sites in the great tit, Parus major

Many diurnal bird species roost at night in holes. As a regular visitor of a hole they are therefore a welcome host for several species of ectoparasites. The interactions of ectoparasites with the behaviour, life-history traits and population demography of their hosts are largely unknown. In the present study the effects of the haematophagous hen flea, Ceratophyllus gallinae , on the great tit's choice of winter roost site were investigated experimentally. Three experiments tested (1) whether great tits prefer a clean nestbox to one containing an old, but parasite-free nest, (2) whether they prefer a parasite-free nestbox to one infested with the haematophagous hen flea, and (3) whether they prefer not to use a nestbox when there is only an infested box available in their territory. In the first experiment there was no discrimination and both kinds of boxes were used equally often. In the second experiment the great tits clearly preferred to roost in the box without ectoparasites. In the third experiment a significantly higher proportion of the infested nestboxes were not used for roosting compared with the parasite-free boxes. Recently the validity of the conclusions drawn from nestbox studies where the naturally occurring detrimental ectoparasites are eliminated by the routine removal of old nests between breeding seasons has been questioned. This study shows that ectoparasites affect host behaviour and therefore lends support to that criticism.

Use of the swat model for hydro-sedimentologic simulation in a small rural watershed

Mathematical models have great potential to support land use planning, with the goal of improving water and land quality. Before using a model, however, the model must demonstrate that it can correctly simulate the hydrological and erosive processes of a given site. The SWAT model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) was developed in the United States to evaluate the effects of conservation agriculture on hydrological processes and water quality at the watershed scale. This model was initially proposed for use without calibration, which would eliminate the need for measured hydro-sedimentologic data. In this study, the SWAT model was evaluated in a small rural watershed (1.19 km²) located on the basalt slopes of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, where farmers have been using cover crops associated with minimum tillage to control soil erosion. Values simulated by the model were compared with measured hydro-sedimentological data. Results for surface and total runoff on a daily basis were considered unsatisfactory (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient - NSE < 0.5). However simulation results on monthly and annual scales were significantly better. With regard to the erosion process, the simulated sediment yields for all years of the study were unsatisfactory in comparison with the observed values on a daily and monthly basis (NSE values < -6), and overestimated the annual sediment yield by more than 100 %.

New perspectives in the use of ink evidence in forensic science: Part III: Operational applications and evaluation

The research reported in this series of article aimed at (1) automating the search of questioned ink specimens in ink reference collections and (2) at evaluating the strength of ink evidence in a transparent and balanced manner. These aims require that ink samples are analysed in an accurate and reproducible way and that they are compared in an objective and automated way. This latter requirement is due to the large number of comparisons that are necessary in both scenarios. A research programme was designed to (a) develop a standard methodology for analysing ink samples in a reproducible way, (b) comparing automatically and objectively ink samples and (c) evaluate the proposed methodology in forensic contexts. This report focuses on the last of the three stages of the research programme. The calibration and acquisition process and the mathematical comparison algorithms were described in previous papers [C. Neumann, P. Margot, New perspectives in the use of ink evidence in forensic science-Part I: Development of a quality assurance process for forensic ink analysis by HPTLC, Forensic Sci. Int. 185 (2009) 29-37; C. Neumann, P. Margot, New perspectives in the use of ink evidence in forensic science- Part II: Development and testing of mathematical algorithms for the automatic comparison of ink samples analysed by HPTLC, Forensic Sci. Int. 185 (2009) 38-50]. In this paper, the benefits and challenges of the proposed concepts are tested in two forensic contexts: (1) ink identification and (2) ink evidential value assessment. The results show that different algorithms are better suited for different tasks. This research shows that it is possible to build digital ink libraries using the most commonly used ink analytical technique, i.e. high-performance thin layer chromatography, despite its reputation of lacking reproducibility. More importantly, it is possible to assign evidential value to ink evidence in a transparent way using a probabilistic model. It is therefore possible to move away from the traditional subjective approach, which is entirely based on experts' opinion, and which is usually not very informative. While there is room for the improvement, this report demonstrates the significant gains obtained over the traditional subjective approach for the search of ink specimens in ink databases, and the interpretation of their evidential value.

Use of duplex ultrasonography in the treatment of thromboangiitis obliterans with iloprost.

We present a 34-year-old patient with digital necrosis due to thromboangiitis obliterans. He was successfully treated with iloprost, a prostaglandin analogue. Duplex ultrasonography was performed during the perfusion of iloprost to optimize the doses and the treatment duration. A complete revascularization was observed after 10 days. Iloprost perfusions were stopped, and a slow regression of the necroses was observed in the subsequent days. With the use of duplex ultrasonography, unnecessary high doses of iloprost and long periods of treatment can be avoided reducing side effects and treatment costs.

Use of lights and siren: is there room for improvement?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyse the use of lights and siren (L&S) during transport to the hospital by the prehospital severity status of the patient and the time saved by the time of day of the mission. METHODS: We searched the Public Health Services data of a Swiss state from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010. All primary patient transports within the state were included (24 718). The data collected were on the use of L&S, patient demographics, the time and duration of transport, the type of mission (trauma vs. nontrauma) and the severity of the condition according to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) score assigned by the paramedics and/or emergency physician. We excluded 212 transports because of missing data. RESULTS: A total of 24 506 ambulance transports met the inclusion criteria. L&S were used 4066 times, or in 16.6% of all missions. Of these, 40% were graded NACA less than 4. Overall, the mean total transport time to return to the hospital was 11.09 min (confidence interval 10.84-11.34) with L&S and 12.84 min (confidence interval 12.72-12.96) without. The difference was 1.75 min (105 s; P<0.001). For night-time runs alone, the mean time saved using L&S was 0.17 min (10.2 s; P=0.27). CONCLUSION: At present, the use of L&S seems questionable given the severity status or NACA score of transported patients. Our results should prompt the implementation of more specific regulations for L&S use during transport to the hospital, taking into consideration certain physiological criteria of the victim as well as time of day of transport.

Use of transgenic mice for the characterization of human alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) variants.

Sera from transgenic mice (TM) carrying human genes of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid or ORM) have been analyzed by isoelectrofocusing and subsequent immunoblotting with antihuman ORM antibodies. With this technique it is possible to reveal selectively the human protein secreted in the TM sera. Orosomucoid bands present in TM sera have been compared with those of the most common human ORM phenotypes to correlate the products of specific genes to previously identified genetic variants. In this paper, we report the identification of the genes encoding for variants ORM1 F1 and ORM2 A, which are genes AGP-A and AGP-B/B' respectively. The nucleotide sequences of these genes are known; therefore a direct correlation between variants and specific amino acid sequences can be established.