Comparative resilience of clinical perimetric tests to induced levels of intraocular straylight.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of intraocular straylight (IOS) induced by white opacity filters (WOF) on threshold measurements for stimuli employed in three perimeters: standard automated perimetry (SAP), pulsar perimetry (PP) and the Moorfields motion displacement test (MDT).¦METHODS: Four healthy young (24-28 years old) observers were tested six times with each perimeter, each time with one of five different WOFs and once without, inducing various levels of IOS (from 10% to 200%). An increase in IOS was measured with a straylight meter. The change in sensitivity from baseline was normalized, allowing comparison of standardized (z) scores (change divided by the SD of normative values) for each instrument.¦RESULTS: SAP and PP thresholds were significantly affected (P < 0.001) by moderate to large increases in IOS (50%-200%). The drop in motion displacement (MD) from baseline with WOF 5, was approximately 5 dB, in both SAP and PP which represents a clinically significant loss; in contrast the change in MD with MDT was on average 1 minute of arc, which is not likely to indicate a clinically significant loss.¦CONCLUSIONS: The Moorfields MDT is more robust to the effects of additional straylight in comparison with SAP or PP.

Variación estacional del fitoplancton en el Área del Callao durante El Niño 1987 (10-200 mn)

Se analizó la distribución espacio temporal de la abundancia fitoplanctónica, asociándola con la temperatura, salinidad, nutrientes y clorofila "a" en el perfil Callao 12 ºS, durante el año 1987. Se determinó la estructura de las asociaciones del fitoplancton mediante la composición específica, la riqueza específica (S), diversidad (H') y la dominancia ( D ) . La variación anual fitoplanctónica presentó un comportamiento similar al ciclo anual de producción del mar peruano, con dos picos de abundancia; el primero en primavera y el segundo en verano. Los eventos de surgencias que enriquecen de nutrientes las aguas del área del Callao son los responsables de que en esta zona se hayan registrado las concentraciones más altas de fitoplancton. Las diatomeas, los cocolitofóridos y los fitoflagelados fueron los componentes dominantes en los muestreos; siendo los dinoflagelados y los silicoflagelados ligeramente abundantes en el verano. La composición específica arrojó un total de 172 especies, comprendidos en 91 diatomeas, 52 dinoflagelados, 21 cocolitofóridos, 6 fitoflagelados y 2 silicoflagelados . Las especies Thalassiosira mínima, Skeletonema costatum, Nitzschia bicapitata, Nitzschia closterium, Navícula sp ., Guinardia delicatula, Gymnodinium splendens, Emiliania huxleyi y Eutreptiella gimnastica, fueron características de la temporada de la Primavera y Verano, mientras que Planktoniella sol, Rhizosolenia bergonii, Gymnodinium sp. y Nonada sp. lo fueron para la temporada del Otoño e Invierno. La variación de la diversidad específica y la dominancia estuvo relacionada por la influencia del fenómeno El Niño, así tenemos que durante la época de El Niño hasta el invierno de 1987 se observaron valores altos de diversidad y baja dominancia en la zona costera indicando una comunidad fitoplanctónica de etapa avanzada de la sucesión ecológica . El evento "El Niño" 1987, provocó una notable caída de la abundancia fitoplanctónica, desde Noviembre de 1986 hasta Marzo de 1987. Los indicios de recuperación del fitoplancton se observaron a partir de setiembre de 1987, habiéndose recuperado parcialmente en Primavera del mismo año. Durante el período 1987, Emiliania huxleyi, Caloiosolenia murrayi y el grupo de los Fitoflagelados fueron los taxas predominantes.

Recursos energètics i crisi : la fi de 200 anys irrepetibles

Els recursos de la natura són finits, especialment les energies no renovables, un fet que no sembla que tinguin en compte molts dels responsables polítics i empresarials. L’autor es pregunta si serà possible mantenir el sistema de desenvolupament industrial iniciat ara fa 200 anys, amb l’explotació del carbó i, més tard, del petroli, del gas natural i de l’urani.Aquesta anàlisi es basa en dades de les grans agències de l’energia (l’Energy Information Administration, EIA, del Govern dels Estats Units, i l’Agència Internacional de l’Energia, IEA-AIE, de l’OCDE), com també en altres fonts estadístiques reconegudes a escala internacional, convenientment contrastades i reelaborades.Els resultats contradiuen moltes argumentacions oficials. Mostren que la crisi energètica serà profunda i que es manifestarà ja en la dècada actual: els recursos no s’acabaran immediatament, però l’escassetat de l’oferta davant de l’augment de la demanda qüestionarà el paradigma del creixement continu. Se suggereix que la crisi financera n’ha estat un preludi. La reducció energètica començarà amb el petroli, fet que comportarà la crisi del transport, el fre de les produccions globalitzades i, en darrera instància, la crisi alimentària (també als països desenvolupats!). El canvi climàtic –imparable, segons les tendències analitzades– serà una dificultat afegida a les readaptacions necessàries.Quin paper podria fer Europa en el futur, amb els recursos energètics ja exhaurits?

County Precipitation Estimates, January 200

Report produced by the The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Climatology Bureau. The Iowa Crops and Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service.

Customer Focus Newsletter, November-December, 200, Vol. 6, no.6

A bi-monthly bulletin to keep the department/agency management teams of state government better informed. We hope to consolidate most of the service update messages we send throughout the month and keep you updated about the work of the Customer Councils. If yours is one of the many departments who participated in the second annual DAS customer satisfaction survey recently, we thank you for taking the time to give us this important feedback. We look forward to sharing survey results with you, and pledge to consider responses carefully as we work to determine benchmarks and set future priorities.

Persistence of a biocontrol Pseudomonas inoculant as high populations of culturable and non-culturable cells in 200-cm-deep soil profiles

Little is known about the ecology of soil inoculants used for pathogen biocontrol, biofertilization and bioremediation under field conditions. We investigated the persistence and the physiological states of soil-inoculated Pseudomonas protegens (previously Pseudomonas fluorescens) CHA0 (108 CFU g−1 surface soil) in different soil microbial habitats in a planted ley (Medicago sativa L.) and an uncovered field plot. At 72 days, colony counts of the inoculant were low in surface soil (uncovered plot) and earthworm guts (ley plot), whereas soil above the plow pan (uncovered plot), and the rhizosphere and worm burrows present until 1.2 m depth (ley plot) were survival hot spots (105-106 CFU g−1 soil). Interestingly, strain CHA0 was also detected in the subsoil of both plots, at 102-105 CFU g−1 soil between 1.8 and 2 m depth. However, non-cultured CHA0 cells were also evidenced based on immunofluorescence microscopy. Kogure's direct viable counts of nutrient-responsive cells showed that many more CHA0 cells were in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) or a non-responsive (dormant) state than in a culturable state, and the proportion of cells in those non-cultured states depended on soil microbial habitat. At the most, cells in a VBNC state amounted to 34% (above the plow pan) and those in a dormant state to 89% (in bulk soil between 0.6 and 2 m) of all CHA0 cells. The results indicate that field-released Pseudomonas inoculants may persist at high cell numbers, even in deeper soil layers, and display a combination of different physiological states whose prevalence fluctuates according to soil microbial habitats.

Friday Facts, January 24, 2014, Vol. 200

Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion part of the Iowa Department of Public Health produces of weekly newsletter about the Iowa WIC Program for the State of Iowa citizen.

Evaluation of Fly Ash in Portland Cement Concrete Pavement in Monona County, Iowa, HR-200, 1980

The primary objectives of this research project were: 1. Determine and recommend solutions for problems relating to shipping, storing and batching of fly ash. 2. Establish a procedure for batching, mixing and placing uniform concrete with specified air content and consistency. 3. Demonstrate that concrete of comparable quality can be produced.