Experimental In-Field Transfer and Survival of Escherichia coli from Animal Feces to Romaine Lettuce in Salinas Valley, California.

This randomized controlled trial characterized the transfer of E. coli from animal feces and/or furrow water onto adjacent heads of lettuce during foliar irrigation, and the subsequent survival of bacteria on the adaxial surface of lettuce leaves. Two experiments were conducted in Salinas Valley, California: (1) to quantify the transfer of indicator E. coli from chicken and rabbit fecal deposits placed in furrows to surrounding lettuce heads on raised beds, and (2) to quantify the survival of inoculated E. coli on Romaine lettuce over 10 days. E. coli was recovered from 97% (174/180) of lettuce heads to a maximal distance of 162.56 cm (5.33 ft) from feces. Distance from sprinklers to feces, cumulative foliar irrigation, and lettuce being located downwind of the fecal deposit were positively associated, while distance from fecal deposit to lettuce was negatively associated with E. coli transference. E. coli exhibited decimal reduction times of 2.2 and 2.5 days when applied on the adaxial surface of leaves within a chicken or rabbit fecal slurry, respectively. Foliar irrigation can transfer E. coli from feces located in a furrow onto adjacent heads of lettuce, likely due to the kinetic energy of irrigation droplets impacting the fecal surface and/or impacting furrow water contaminated with feces, with the magnitude of E. coli enumerated per head of lettuce influenced by the distance between lettuce and the fecal deposit, cumulative application of foliar irrigation, wind aspect of lettuce relative to feces, and time since final irrigation. Extending the time period between foliar irrigation and harvest, along with a 152.4 cm (5 ft) no-harvest buffer zone when animal fecal material is present, may substantially reduce the level of bacterial contamination on harvested lettuce

Adaptive constraints for feature tracking

In this paper extensions to an existing tracking algorithm are described. These extensions implement adaptive tracking constraints in the form of regional upper-bound displacements and an adaptive track smoothness constraint. Together, these constraints make the tracking algorithm more flexible than the original algorithm (which used fixed tracking parameters) and provide greater confidence in the tracking results. The result of applying the new algorithm to high-resolution ECMWF reanalysis data is shown as an example of its effectiveness

Chemical Equilibrium Abundances in Brown Dwarf and Extrasolar Giant Planet Atmospheres

We calculate detailed chemical abundance profiles for a variety of brown dwarf and extrasolar giant planet atmosphere models, focusing in particular on Gliese 229B, and derive the systematics of the changes in the dominant reservoirs of the major elements with altitude and temperature. We assume an Anders and Grevesse (1989) solar composition of 27 chemical elements and track 330 gas--phase species, including the monatomic forms of the elements, as well as about 120 condensates. We address the issue of the formation and composition of clouds in the cool atmospheres of substellar objects and explore the rain out and depletion of refractories. We conclude that the opacity of clouds of low--temperature ($\le$900 K), small--radius condensibles (specific chlorides and sulfides), may be responsible for the steep spectrum of Gliese 229B observed in the near infrared below 1 \mic. Furthermore, we assemble a temperature sequence of chemical transitions in substellar atmospheres that may be used to anchor and define a sequence of spectral types for substellar objects with T$_{eff}$s from $\sim$2200 K to $\sim$100 K.Comment: 57 pages total, LaTeX, 14 figures, 5 tables, also available in uuencoded, gzipped, and tarred form via anonymous ftp at www.astrophysics.arizona.edu (cd to pub/burrows/chem), submitted to Ap.

VHF downline communication system for SLAR data

A real time VHF downlink communication system is described for transmitting side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) data directly from an aircraft to a portable ground/shipboard receiving station. Use of this receiving station aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Mackinaw for generating real-time photographic quality radar images is discussed. The system was developed and demonstrated in conjunction with the U.S Coast Guard and NOAA National Weather Service as part of the Project Icewarn all weather ice information system for the Great Lakes Winter Navigation Program

InSb charge coupled infrared imaging device: The 20 element linear imager

The design and fabrication of the 8585 InSb charge coupled infrared imaging device (CCIRID) chip are reported. The InSb material characteristics are described along with mask and process modifications. Test results for the 2- and 20-element CCIRID's are discussed, including gate oxide characteristics, charge transfer efficiency, optical mode of operation, and development of the surface potential diagram

Stacking order dynamic in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2_2 probed with MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

Transitions between different charge density wave (CDW) states in quasi-two-dimensional materials may be accompanied also by changes in the inter-layer stacking of the CDW. Using MeV ultrafast electron diffraction, the out-of-plane stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS$_2$ is investigated for the first time. From the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the commensurate $l$ = 1/6 characteristic stacking order, it is found out that this phase disappears with a 0.5 ps time constant. Simultaneously, in the same experiment, the emergence of the incommensurate phase, with a slightly slower 2.0 ps time constant, is determined from the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the incommensurate $l$ = 1/3 characteristic stacking order. These results might be of relevance in understanding the metallic character of the laser-induced metastable "hidden" state recently discovered in this compound

All-weather ice information system for Alaskan arctic coastal shipping

A near real-time ice information system designed to aid arctic coast shipping along the Alaskan North Slope is described. The system utilizes a X-band Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) mounted aboard a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130B aircraft. Radar mapping procedures showing the type, areal distribution and concentration of ice cover were developed. In order to guide vessel operational movements, near real-time SLAR image data were transmitted directly from the SLAR aircraft to Barrow, Alaska and the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Glacier. In addition, SLAR image data were transmitted in real time to Cleveland, Ohio via the NOAA-GOES Satellite. Radar images developed in Cleveland were subsequently facsimile transmitted to the U.S. Navy's Fleet Weather Facility in Suitland, Maryland for use in ice forecasting and also as a demonstration back to Barrow via the Communications Technology Satellite

Geography and Location Are the Primary Drivers of Office Microbiome Composition.

In the United States, humans spend the majority of their time indoors, where they are exposed to the microbiome of the built environment (BE) they inhabit. Despite the ubiquity of microbes in BEs and their potential impacts on health and building materials, basic questions about the microbiology of these environments remain unanswered. We present a study on the impacts of geography, material type, human interaction, location in a room, seasonal variation, and indoor and microenvironmental parameters on bacterial communities in offices. Our data elucidate several important features of microbial communities in BEs. First, under normal office environmental conditions, bacterial communities do not differ on the basis of surface material (e.g., ceiling tile or carpet) but do differ on the basis of the location in a room (e.g., ceiling or floor), two features that are often conflated but that we are able to separate here. We suspect that previous work showing differences in bacterial composition with surface material was likely detecting differences based on different usage patterns. Next, we find that offices have city-specific bacterial communities, such that we can accurately predict which city an office microbiome sample is derived from, but office-specific bacterial communities are less apparent. This differs from previous work, which has suggested office-specific compositions of bacterial communities. We again suspect that the difference from prior work arises from different usage patterns. As has been previously shown, we observe that human skin contributes heavily to the composition of BE surfaces. IMPORTANCE Our study highlights several points that should impact the design of future studies of the microbiology of BEs. First, projects tracking changes in BE bacterial communities should focus sampling efforts on surveying different locations in offices and in different cities but not necessarily different materials or different offices in the same city. Next, disturbance due to repeated sampling, though detectable, is small compared to that due to other variables, opening up a range of longitudinal study designs in the BE. Next, studies requiring more samples than can be sequenced on a single sequencing run (which is increasingly common) must control for run effects by including some of the same samples in all of the sequencing runs as technical replicates. Finally, detailed tracking of indoor and material environment covariates is likely not essential for BE microbiome studies, as the normal range of indoor environmental conditions is likely not large enough to impact bacterial communities

Predicting Resting Metabolic Rate in Healthy Adults using Body Composition and Circumference Measurements

Measurement of resting metabolic rate (RMR) is an important factor for weight management. Previous research has reported several variables to estimate RMR such as body size, percent fat (%BF), age, and sex; however, little is known regarding the effect of circumference measures in estimating RMR. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a model to estimate RMR using waist circumference (WC), an easily obtainable measure, and cross-validate it to previously published models. METHODS:Subjects were 140 adult men and women, ages 18-65 years. RMR was measured through indirect calorimetry, %BF was measured through air displacement plethysmography, and fat mass and fat-free mass were determined from %BF and weight. Other variables collected were: weight, height, age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, WC, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and %BF estimated from bioelectrical impedance analysis. Subjects were randomly divided into derivation and cross-validation samples. A multiple regression model was developed to determine the most accurate estimation of RMR in the derivation sample. The cross-validation sample was used to confirm the accuracy of the model and to compare the accuracy to published models. RESULTS:The best predictors for estimating RMR were body weight, r = 0.70, p= 0.031, age, r = -0.30, p= 0.012, and sex, r = 0.51, p= 0.018. Other factors failed to account for significant variation in the model. The derived equation for estimating RMR is: RMR (kcal/day) = 843.11 + 8.77(weight) – 4.23(age) + 228.54(sex, M = 1, F = 0), R2= 0.68, SEE = 173 kcal/day. Cross-validation statistics were: R2= 0.54, p £0.05, SEE = 199 kcal/day, and total error = 198 kcal/day. In published models, R2ranged from 0.47 to 0.57, SEE ranged from 192 to 213 kcal/day, and total error ranged from 212 to 1311 kcal/day. CONCLUSIONS:Cross-validation to published models for estimating RMR were similar to those of the derived model; however, the total error in the derived equation was lower than any of the previously published models. Several published models considerably overestimate RMR compared to the current model. The results of this study suggest that RMR can be reasonably estimated with easily obtainable measures which allow for estimation and implementation of RMR for weight management in clinical practice

Narrative of Chain cruise #43 : February - August 1964

Originally issued as Reference No. 65-9, series later renamed WHOI-.On CHAIN Cruise 43, 15 February to 21 August 1964, geophysical and geological observations were made in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and Red Seas, and the Western part of the Indian Ocean, along the track Woods Hole - Ceuta (Spanish Africa) - La Spezia - Port Said - Aden - Victoria (Seychelles Islands) - Port Louis (Mauritius) - Victoria (Seychelles Islands) - Port Said - Beirut - La Spezia - Monaco - Plymouth (England) - Woods Hole. This report contains (1) a narrative of the cruise, (2) a list of stations, (3) statements of the scientific objectives of the cruise, (4) a summary of the geological and geophysical observations, (5) end-of-cruise reports on equipment and some phases of the research program, and (6) a selection of bottom photographs. WHOI Ref. No. 64-51 contains a detailed navigational plot of the entire cruise, including soundings and the locations of other observations.This cruise was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant GP-2370 and Submitted to the Office of Naval Research under Contract Nonr-4029(00) NR 260-101