Stream Water Quality to Support HUC 12 Prioritization in the Lake Wister Watershed, Oklahoma: August 2017 through May 2019

Nonpoint source pollution associated with human land use (agriculture and urbanization) is one of the leading causes of impairment to waterways in the United States (EPA 2000). The primary pollutants associated with agricultural and urban land use are sediment and nutrients which enter nearby streams during rain events and are then carried downstream. These sediments and nutrients may result in water quality issues in the downstream water bodies like increased algal growth or decreased water clarity (e.g. Smith et al., 1999). Best management practices (BMPs) are often used to mitigate the effects of nonpoint source pollution in the watershed. Practices such as riparian buffers installed along the edge of field and conservation tillage (e.g., no-till, spring-till, and cover crops) slow overland flow, reducing erosion and nutrient loss from the landscape (Schoumans et al. 2014). Installing BMPs throughout the entire watershed would have the greatest effect at reducing nonpoint source pollution; however, this is not socially or economically feasible. Targeting critical source areas or priority watersheds for BMPs installation, optimizes the benefits while reducing the overall (Sharpley et al. 2000)

Watershed Investigative Support to the Poteau Valley Improvement Authority: Stream Water Quality to Support HUC 12 Prioritization in the Lake Wister Watershed, Oklahoma

Nonpoint source pollution associated with human land use (agriculture and urbanization) is one of the leading causes of impairment to waterways in the United States (EPA, 2000). The primary pollutants associated with agricultural and urban land use are sediment and nutrients which enter nearby streams during rain events and are then carried downstream. These sediments and nutrients may result in water quality issues in the downstream water bodies like increased algal growth or decreased water clarity (e.g. Smith et al., 1999)

Chemotaxis in uncertain environments: hedging bets with multiple receptor types

Eukaryotic cells are able to sense chemical gradients in a wide range of environments. We show that, if a cell is exposed to a highly variable environment, it may gain chemotactic accuracy by expressing multiple receptor types with varying affinities for the same signal, as found commonly in chemotaxing cells like Dictyostelium. As environment uncertainty is increased, there is a transition between cells preferring a single receptor type and a mixture of types - hedging their bets against the possibility of an unfavorable environment. We predict the optimal receptor affinities given a particular environment. In chemotaxing, cells may also integrate their measurement over time. Surprisingly, time-integration with multiple receptor types is qualitatively different from gradient sensing by a single type -- cells may extract orders of magnitude more chemotactic information than expected by naive time integration. Our results show when cells should express multiple receptor types to chemotax, and how cells can efficiently interpret the data from these receptors

The 43-kD polypeptide of heart gap junctions: immunolocalization, topology, and functional domains

Analysis by SDS-PAGE of gap junction fractions isolated from heart suggests that the junctions are comprised of a protein with an Mr 43,000. Antibodies against the electroeluted protein and a peptide representing the 20 amino terminal residues bind specifically on immunoblots to the 43-kD protein and to the major products arising from proteolysis during isolation. By immunocytochemistry, the protein is found in ventricle and atrium in patterns consistent with the known distribution of gap junctions. Both antibodies bind exclusively to gap junctions in fractions from heart examined by EM after gold labeling. Since only domains of the protein exposed at the cytoplasmic surface should be accessible to antibody, we conclude that the 43-kD protein is assembled in gap junctions with the amino terminus of the molecule exposed on the cytoplasmic side of the bilayer, that is, on the same side as the carboxy terminus as determined previously. By combining proteolysis experiments with data from immunoblotting, we can identify a third cytoplasmic region, a loop of some 4 kD between membrane protected domains. This loop carries an antibody binding site. The protein, if transmembrane, is therefore likely to cross the membrane four times. We have used the same antisera to ascertain if the 43-kD protein is involved in cell-cell communication. The antiserum against the amino terminus blocked dye coupling in 90% of cell pairs tested; the antiserum recognizing epitopes in the cytoplasmic loop and cytoplasmic tail blocked coupling in 75% of cell pairs tested. Preimmune serum and control antibodies (one against MIP and another binding to a cardiac G protein) had no or little effect on dye transfer. Our experimental evidence thus indicates that, in spite of the differences in amino acid sequence, the gap junction proteins in heart and liver share a general organizational plan and that there may be several domains (including the amino terminus) of the molecule that are involved in the control of junctional permeability

Prevention of ulcer disease in goldfish by means of vaccination

A vaccine comprising cells of Aeromonas bestiarum grown in tryptic soy broth and atypical A. salmonicida cells produced in iron-limited and iron-supplemented media protected goldfish Carassius auratus when administered by immersion (dosage ≈ 5 × 107 cells/mL for 60 s) followed after 28 d by an oral booster (dosage = 5 × 107 cells/g of feed), which was fed for 7 d so that each fish received about 1 g of vaccine-containing feed. After challenge by intramuscular injection of a virulent culture of atypical A. salmonicida, the relative percent survival (RPS) was more than 90%. The approach was more successful than using a commercial furunculosis vaccine with or without supplementation with A. bestiarum or atypical A. salmonicida cells. Moreover, a smooth derivative of the virulent rough culture of atypical A. salmonicida was less effective as a vaccine candidate, yielding an RPS of only 65%. Low antibody titers of 1:39–1:396 were found in the vaccinated fish. The vaccinated fish had a significantly higher proportion of dead head kidney macrophages (10.9 ± 3.5%; P = 0.0149) than did the controls (6.8 ± 3.1%). However, differences in the number of erythrocytes and leukocytes, the level of phagocytic and lysozyme activities, and the proportion of lymphocytes, monocytes, and polymorphonuclear cells were not statistically significant between the two groups

Subcellular components of probiotics Kocuria SM1 and Rhodococcus SM2 induce protective immunity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum) against Vibrio anguillarum

The efficacy of cellular components of probiotics Kocuria SM1 and Rhodococcus SM2 to protect rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum) against vibriosis was assessed. Groups of fish (average weight = 10–15 g) were immunized intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 0.1 ml of subcellular materials, i.e. 0.2 ± 0.05 mg protein per fish, comprising extracellular proteins (ECPs), cell wall proteins (CWPs) and whole cell proteins (WCPs) of SM1 and SM2, respectively, or with 0.1 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to serve as the control. Seven days after administration, fish from each group were challenged i.p. with 0.1 ml of a suspension in PBS of 3 × 105 cells ml−1 per fish of Vibrio anguillarum. Use of CWPs and WCPs demonstrated significantly (P 0.05), compared to 86% mortalities of the controls. The mode of action reflected activation of innate immune factors by CWPs and WCPs, demonstrating significantly (P 0.05) and immunoglubolin level (from 27 mg ml−1 to 28.5–33 mg ml−1; P > 0.05) were observed with the experimental groups. These results indicate that cell components of the probiotics stimulate an immune response

Millimeter-Wave Differential Probe for Nondestructive Detection of Corrosion Precursor Pitting

Critical aircraft structural components, such as wings and fuselages, are exposed to harsh environments that vary considerably in temperature and moisture content. In most cases, the corrosion is hidden under paint and primer and cannot be visually detected. The initiation of corrosion is preceded by the presence of corrosion precursor pitting. Near-field millimeter-wave nondestructive testing (NDT) methods have been successfully used for detecting corrosion precursor pitting in exposed as well as painted aluminum substrates. However, near-field millimeter-wave measurements are susceptible to clutter that may mask indications of small defects such as pitting. Standoff distance variation produces an unwanted intensity gradient on an image and may be considered the most undesired clutter-producing effect. This paper presents a differential millimeter-wave probe consisting of a pair of radiating apertures. It is shown that the differential nature of this probe tends to significantly reduce the undesired effect of standoff distance variation, thereby enhancing probe detection sensitivity. Furthermore, when this probe is used for the purpose of millimeter-wave imaging, it produces defect indications with unique features that help in distinguishing the defect from noise. This dual differential probe was used for detecting corrosion precursor pitting. The design of the probe and the results of detecting various pittings are presented in this paper

Making Sense of Hip Preservation Procedural Coding--Getting Paid for Your Work!

Hip preservation and peri-trochanteric procedures are becoming more commonplace for the arthroplasty surgeon. Understanding the reimbursement for these procedures remains a challenge for those looking to expand this portion of their practice. In order to financially maximize the surgeon’s efforts, we present recommendations for hip preservation procedural coding