Uplifted spirits, earthbound machines : studies on artists and the dream of flight, 1900-1935

Doctoral dissertation, Academy of Fine Arts

Expression quantitative trait locus mapping across water availability environments reveals contrasting associations with genomic features in Arabidopsis.

The regulation of gene expression is crucial for an organism's development and response to stress, and an understanding of the evolution of gene expression is of fundamental importance to basic and applied biology. To improve this understanding, we conducted expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping in the Tsu-1 (Tsushima, Japan) × Kas-1 (Kashmir, India) recombinant inbred line population of Arabidopsis thaliana across soil drying treatments. We then used genome resequencing data to evaluate whether genomic features (promoter polymorphism, recombination rate, gene length, and gene density) are associated with genes responding to the environment (E) or with genes with genetic variation (G) in gene expression in the form of eQTLs. We identified thousands of genes that responded to soil drying and hundreds of main-effect eQTLs. However, we identified very few statistically significant eQTLs that interacted with the soil drying treatment (GxE eQTL). Analysis of genome resequencing data revealed associations of several genomic features with G and E genes. In general, E genes had lower promoter diversity and local recombination rates. By contrast, genes with eQTLs (G) had significantly greater promoter diversity and were located in genomic regions with higher recombination. These results suggest that genomic architecture may play an important a role in the evolution of gene expression.

First aid in burn injuries with counterintuitive warm water improves outcome

Objective: Cooling is considered a panacea in burn injury. However, burn injuries are characterized by an ischemic zone prone to progression, a phenomenon that can substantially increase morbidity. Cold-induced vasoconstriction potentially aggravates ischemia and promotes progression. Therefore we compared the effect of warm (37°C) and cold (17°C) water on burn progression. Methods: The comb burn model creates 4 rectangular burned surfaces separated by 3 unburned interspaces that become necrotic if untreated. After heating in boiling water the template was applied for 60 seconds on 24 Wistar rats randomized into 3 groups: no treatment (CON); treatment for 20 minutes with cold water (17°C: CW) or warm water (37°C: WW). Burn progression in surface (planimetry) and Departmenth (histology), as well as microcirculatory perfusion (laser Doppler flowmetry) were assessed after 1h, as well as 1, 4, and 7 days. Results: Both CW and WW delayed burn progression without reducing the final burn Departmenth (deep dermis). In contrast, only WW but not CW increased dermal perfusion (81 ± 2% (WW) vs. 62 ± 2% (CW) and 63 ± 1% (CON), p< 0·05) already 1 hour after burn induction. The difference observed after one hour led to a complete flow recovery during the observation period and translated into increased interspace survival, respectively less necrosis with WW(65 ± 4% vs. 81 + 4% (CW) and 91 ± 2% (CON), p< 0·05) after 7 days. Conclusions: Application of warm water significantly improved dermal perfusion, increased interspace survival, and delayed burn progression.However it didn't alter the ultimate burn Departmenth of the actually burned area. Therefore, warm water can create a therapeutic window for targeted nonsurgical treatment of burn progression.

Audit report on the Hiawatha Water Department, Hiawatha, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2013

Audit report on the Hiawatha Water Department, Hiawatha, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2013

Sedimen-water nutrient fluxes: Preliminary results of in situ measurements in Alfaques Bay, Ebro River Delta.

Sediment-water exchanges of oxygen, ammonium, nitrate, total dissolved nitrogen, phosphate and total dissolved phosphorus were measured by means of an in situ incubator of 7 1 volume and 700 cm2 base area. The incubations lasted for three hours and were done over a whole season on different kinds of sediments in Alfaques Bay. We present some preliminary results on: i) methodological aspects, ii) spatial and temporal variability of fluxes, and iii) estimates of contribution of benthic nutrient regeneration relative to total nutrient loading of the Bay. Oxygen uptake averaged 1700 mmo1 m-2 h-1 (range 200-3500); no differences were found between sandy and muddy sediments. The release of ammonia from the sediment averaged 70 mmo1 m-2 h-1 and was higher in muddy sediments than in sandy ones. Very low to null nitrate and nitrite fluxes and only small fluxes of organic nitrogen were detected. We conclude that ammonium release from sediment is the major path of nitrogen regeneration. Some sediments removed dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) from the water and released dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP). Additional manipulative experiments revealed DRP release under particular conditions (turbulence, anoxia). From these data, we estimate that at least 50% of the nitrogen requirements of phytoplankton in the area may be supplied by benthic remineralization.

Non-conventional water resources in coastal areas: a review of the use of reclaimed water

In an era of increasing concern for limited water resources a wise joint management of conventional and nonconventional water resources must be considered. Water scarcity aggravates in coastal zones which are often characterised by high population density, intense economic activity and tourism; meaning heavy seasonal water demands. The relationships between sea and land-water can also compromise the quality of available freshwater. In this context, the use of non-conventional water increases the availability of water supplies. Non-conventional water resources of low quality could be directed to meet several needs (like watering lawns, washing cars, flushing toilets and cooling systems, among others). Therefore, significantly more potable water would be available to meet human demand for safe water.

Iowa Spirits Price Book, January 2014,

Iowa Spirits Price Book is produced monthly details of the current prices of liquors in Iowa. Formerly titled Iowa Liquor Quarterly Spirits Price Book.

Iowa Spirits Price Book, February 2014,

Iowa Spirits Price Book is produced monthly details of the current prices of liquors in Iowa. Formerly titled Iowa Liquor Quarterly Spirits Price Book.

Long-term effects of maintaining ditch networks on runoff water quality

Tiivistelmä: Kunnostusojituksen pitkän ajan vaikutus valumaveden ominaisuuksiin

The effect of cover crop and crop rotation on soil water storage and on sorghum yield

Crop rotation and cover crop can be important means for enhancing crop yield in rainfed areas such as the lower Coastal Bend Region of Texas, USA. A trial was conducted in 1995 as part of a long-term cropping experiment (7 years) to investigate the effect of oat (Avena sativa L.) cover and rotation on soil water storage and yield of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). The trial design was a RCB in a split-plot arrangement with four replicates. Rotation sequences were the main plots and oat cover crop the subplots. Cover crop reduced sorghum grain yield. This effect was attributed to a reduced concentration of available soil N and less soil water storage under this treatment. By delaying cover termination, the residue with a high C/N acted as an N sink through competition and/or immobilization instead of an N source to sorghum plants. Crop rotation had a significantly positive effect on sorghum yield and this effect was attributed to a significantly larger amount of N concentration under these rotation sequences.

Iowa Spirits Price Book, March 2014,

Iowa Spirits Price Book is produced monthly details of the current prices of liquors in Iowa. Formerly titled Iowa Liquor Quarterly Spirits Price Book.

Shear thinning and thixotropy of HMHEC and HEC water solutions

Steady state viscosity and thixotropy of hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose HMHEC and nonassociative cellulose water solutions are studied. Although all the samples are shear thinning, only the HMHEC is thixotropic, since the migration of hydrophobes to micelles is controlled by diffusion. The Cross model fits steady state curves. The Mewis model, a phenomenological model that proposes that the rate of change of viscosity when the shear rate is suddenly changed is related to the difference between the steady state and current values of viscosity raised to an exponent, fits structure construction experiments when the exponent, n, is estimated to be around 2. The Newtonian assumption used by Mewis cannot be used here, however. This seems to be related to the fact that the thickening is due to bridged micelle formation, which is a slow process, and also to topological constraints and entanglements, which are rapid processes. The kinetic parameter was redefined to kn in order to make it independent of initial conditions. So, kn depends only on how the shear affects the structure. kn reaches a plateau at shear rates too low to produce structure destruction and decreases at higher shear rates.

Effects of soil water depletion on the water relations in tropical kudzu

Tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth., Leguminosae: Faboideae) is native to the humid Southeastern Asia. Tropical kudzu has potential as a cover crop in regions subjected to dryness. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of soil water depletion on leaflet relative water content (RWC), stomatal conductance (g) and temperature (T L) in tropical kudzu. RWC of waterstressed plants dropped from 96 to 78%, following a reduction in SWC from 0.25 to 0.17 g (H2O).g (dry soil)-1.Stomatal conductance of stressed plants decreased from 221 to 98 mmol.m-2.s-1, following the reduction in soil water content (SWC). The day after re-irrigation, g of water stressed plants was 15% lower than g of unstressed plants. Differences in T L between waterstressed and unstressed plants (deltaT L) rose linearly from 0.1 to 2.2ºC following progressive water deficit. RWC and T L of waterstressed plants paralled RWC and T L of unstressed plants the day after reirrigation. The strong decrease in SWC found in this study only induced moderate water stress in tropical kudzu. In addition, tropical kudzu recover rapidly from the induced water stress after the re-irrigation.

Aspects of leaf anatomy of kudzu (Pueraria lobata, Leguminosae-Faboideae) related to water and energy balance

Kudzu is a cover crop that has escaped cultivation in some subtropical and warm temperate regions. Kudzu has previously demonstrated broad intraspecific physiological plasticity while colonizing new environments. The objective of this paper was to investigate characteristics of kudzu leaflet anatomy that might contribute to its successful growth in climatically distinct environments, and to escape cultivation as well. Fresh and fixed leaflet strips of field-grown plants were analyzed. The lower epidermis of kudzu showed a higher frequency of stomata (147 ± 19 stomata mm-2) than the upper epidermis (26 ± 17 stomata mm-2). The average number of trichomes per square milimeter was 8 for both the upper and the lower epidermis. The average trichome length was 410 ± 200 mum for the upper epidermis and 460 ± 190 mum for the lower epidermis. Cuticle thickness was not considerably different between lower and upper epidermis. The leaflet blade consisted basically of two layers (upper and lower) of unicellular epidermis, two layers of palisade parenchyma and one layer of spongy parenchyma. One layer of paraveinal mesophyll was found between palisade and spongy parenchyma. In conclusion, leaflets of kudzu present anatomical characteristics that might contribute to the broad physiological plasticity shown by kudzu.