REGIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF A WATERSHED PLANNING PROCESS TO REDUCE EROSION AND STREAM SEDIMENTATION

Farm-level and watershed-wide land-use changes resulting from policy initiatives are linked to a regional input/output model. As a result not only can the direct economic impacts at the farm and watershed levels be determined, so too can the direct and induced economic impacts at the regional level.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

NADPH-induced chemiluminescence and lipid peroxidation in kidney microsomes

NADPH-induced chemiluminescence and lipid peroxidation in kidney microsomes. Lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species have been shown to affect diverse biological processes potentially important in renal disease. We therefore examined NADPH-induced chemiluminescence (CL) and lipid peroxidation (LP) by renal cortical and, in some experiments, medullary microsomes. We further examined the role of reactive oxygen species in these processes by the use of enzymatic and chemical scavengers. Cortical microsomes gave a marked NADPH-induced CL accompanied by LP. The time course of LP closely paralleled the CL response. Cortical microsomal CL and LP increased with increasing concentrations of protein (0.3 to 1.8 mg) and NADPH (0.1 to 3.0mM); NADH could not substitute for NADPH. Using similar amounts of protein and NADPH concentrations, cortical CL was significantly higher than medullary CL at all time points examined (peak cortical CL: 490 ± 25 × 103 cpm/mg protein, N = 4; peak medullary CL: 226 ± 61 × 103 cpm/mg protein, N = 4). Cortical LP was similarly higher at all time points, values corresponding to peak CL being 44.7 ± 3 nmoles/mg protein for cortex and 29.9 ± 0.8 nmoles/mg protein for medulla. Para-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB), an inhibitor of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, caused a marked inhibition of the microsomal CL and LP whereas SKF 525A, an inhibitor of cytochrome P450, had a relatively minor effect. Marked inhibition of NADPH induced CL and LP was observed with chelators EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline. The addition of NADPH to microsomes prepared with sucrose-EDTA and washed in a Chelex-treated buffer gave a negligible CL and LP response; the responses were restored by the addition of iron. Scavengers of superoxide anion (superoxide dismutase), hydrogen peroxide (catalase), and the hydroxyl radical (sodium benzoate, tryptophan) had a relatively minor effect on CL and LP. Singlet oxygen quenchers sodium azide and 1,4-diazabicyclo (2.2.2) octane (DABCO) caused an incomplete inhibition of CL and LP responses and then only after the first 30min. Taken together, these data suggest that other free radical mechanisms are likely to be important in the CL and LP responses. These results which demonstrate the production of excited states and LP by renal microsomes suggest that their role in renal disease deserves further study.Chemiluminescence induite par le NADPH et peroxydation des lipides dans les microsomes de rein. Il a été montré que la peroxydation des lipides et le type d'oxygène réactif modifient diversement les processus biologiques potentiellement importants dans les maladies rénales. C'est pourquoi nous avons examiné la chemiluminescence (CL) induite par le NADPH, et la peroxydation (LP) des lipides par des microsomes corticaux et dans quelques expériences, médullaires rénaux. Nous avons ensuite examiné le rôle du type d'oxygène réactif dans ces processus en utilisant des agents métabolisants enzymatiques et chimiques. Les microsomes corticaux donnaient une CL marquée induite par le NADPH accompagnée par une LP. Dans le temps, la LP était étroitement parallèle à la réponse CL. La CL et la LP microsomiales corticales s'élevaient avec l'accroissement des concentrations de protéines (0, 1 à 1,8 mg) et de NADPH (0,1 à 3,0mM); le NADH ne pouvait so substituer au NADPH. En utilisant des quantités identiques de protéines et de NADPH, la CL corticale était significativement plus élevée que la CL médullaire à tous les temps examinés (pic de CL corticale: 490 ± 25 × 103 cpm/mg protéine, N = 4, pic de CL médullaire: 226 ± 61 × 103 cpm/mg protéine, N = 4). De même la LP corticale était plus élevée à tous les temps, les valeurs correspondant au pic de CL étant de 44,7 ± 3 nmoles/mg protéine pour le cortex et de 29,9 ± 0,8 nmoles/mg protéine pour la médullaire. Le parachloromercuribenzoate (PCMB), un inhibiteur de la réductase NADPH-cytochrome P450a entraîné une inhibition marquée de la CL et de la LP microsomiales tandis que le SKF 525 A, un inhibiteur du cytochrome P450, avait un effet relativement minime. Une inhibition marquée de la CL induite par le NADPH et de la LP a été observée avec des chélateurs tels l'EDTA et le 1,10-phénanthroline. L'addition de NADPH à des microsomes préparés dans du sucrose-EDTA et lavés dans un tampon traité au Chelex entraînait une réponse CL et LP négligeable; les réponses étaient restaurées par l'addition de fer. Les agents métabolisants l'anion superoxide (dismutase superoxide), le peroxide d'hydrogène (catalase), et le radical hydroxylé (benzoate de sodium, tryptophane) avaient un effet relativement minime sur CL et LP. Les capteurs d'oxygène singulet comme l'azide de sodium et le 1,4-diazabicyclo (2.2.2) octane (DABCO) entraînaient une inhibition incomplète des réponses CL et LP et cela seulement après les 30 premières min. Prises dans leur ensemble, ces données suggèrent que d'autres mécanismes par radicaux libres sont probablement importants dans les réponses CL et LP. Ces résultats, qui démontrent la production d'états excités et de LP par des microsomes rénaux, suggèrent que leur rôle dans les maladies rénales nécessite d'autres études

Thermodynamics of natural images

The scale invariance of natural images suggests an analogy to the statistical mechanics of physical systems at a critical point. Here we examine the distribution of pixels in small image patches and show how to construct the corresponding thermodynamics. We find evidence for criticality in a diverging specific heat, which corresponds to large fluctuations in how "surprising" we find individual images, and in the quantitative form of the entropy vs. energy. The energy landscape derived from our thermodynamic framework identifies special image configurations that have intrinsic error correcting properties, and neurons which could detect these features have a strong resemblance to the cells found in primary visual cortex

PEER Testbed Study on a Laboratory Building: Exercising Seismic Performance Assessment

From 2002 to 2004 (years five and six of a ten-year funding cycle), the PEER Center organized the majority of its research around six testbeds. Two buildings and two bridges, a campus, and a transportation network were selected as case studies to “exercise” the PEER performance-based earthquake engineering methodology. All projects involved interdisciplinary teams of researchers, each producing data to be used by other colleagues in their research. The testbeds demonstrated that it is possible to create the data necessary to populate the PEER performancebased framing equation, linking the hazard analysis, the structural analysis, the development of damage measures, loss analysis, and decision variables. This report describes one of the building testbeds—the UC Science Building. The project was chosen to focus attention on the consequences of losses of laboratory contents, particularly downtime. The UC Science testbed evaluated the earthquake hazard and the structural performance of a well-designed recently built reinforced concrete laboratory building using the OpenSees platform. Researchers conducted shake table tests on samples of critical laboratory contents in order to develop fragility curves used to analyze the probability of losses based on equipment failure. The UC Science testbed undertook an extreme case in performance assessment—linking performance of contents to operational failure. The research shows the interdependence of building structure, systems, and contents in performance assessment, and highlights where further research is needed. The Executive Summary provides a short description of the overall testbed research program, while the main body of the report includes summary chapters from individual researchers. More extensive research reports are cited in the reference section of each chapter

Improving mouse-DMH screening capability by adding 2000 mouse CpG islands

Abstract only availableDNA methylation alteration, in correlation with gene expression, is involved in development and progression of many cancers. Using a microarray based method, mouse-DMH (Differential Methylation Hybridization), our lab is able to study DNA methylation changes during prostate cancer progression in the TRAMP (Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate) mouse model. Currently, there are about 3000 CpG islands on the microarray, which were used as probes to detect DNA methylation changes. In order to improve our ability to screen for a larger number of CpG island methylation changes, we are working on adding about 2000 more mouse CpG islands onto the array. In addition, we have successfully designed primers and PCR amplified CpG islands for tumor suppressor genes and proto-oncogenes which have been previously reported in literature to be differentially methylated during development of human prostate cancer. These genes include AR (Androgen Receptor), ER (Estrogen Receptor alpha), ER(Estrogen Receptor beta) and GSTP1 (Glutathione S-Transferase PI). Primer design and PCR amplification for other known tumor suppressors/oncogenes is still in process. The microarray-based mouse-DMH is a tool of great potential. It can easily be adapted to screen for DNA methylation changes in other mouse cancer models and generate valuable data leading to understanding of the molecular mechanism behind cancer development, which will in turn contribute to treatment of human cancers.NSF-REU Biology & Biochemistr

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 16, No. 1

• Indian Readers and Healers by Prayer • Bayard Taylor\u27s Portrait of Pennsylvania Quakerism • Gypsy Stories from the Swatara Valley • Stump-Pulling • Occult Tales from Union County • Beekeeping and Bee Lore in Pennsylvania • New Materials on the 18th Century Emigration from the Speyer State Archives • The Snake-Bitten Dutchman • Notes and Documents: A Letter to Germany (1806) ; Midwestern Diary of Joel Vale Garretson (1863-1864) • Questionnaire on Hominyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1025/thumbnail.jp

Techniques for preparation of pyrite and limonite permineralizations

Procedures are presented for the preparation of fine-polished surfaces of pyrite permineralizations, and demineralized thin-sections of limonite permineralizations. A major new feature in both procedures involves the re-embedding in plastic of individual cut sections in order to promote stability of the often crumbly material during further preparation. Pyrite sections are kept flat during polymerization of the plastic by means of a binder clip press. The technique for limonite permineralizations is characterized by the use of plastic not only for re-embedding individual sections but also for adhesion of sections to glass slides. Following this, sections are ground thin and demineralized with hydrochloric acid. We strongly recommend use of the thin-section technique for all studies utilizing limonite permineralizations because this method permits a much greater resolution of detail than is possible with other methods.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24068/1/0000320.pd