The role of atrial natriuretic peptide to attenuate inflammation in a mouse skin wound and individually perfused rat mesenteric microvessels.

We tested the hypothesis that the anti-inflammatory actions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) result from the modulation of leukocyte adhesion to inflamed endothelium and not solely ANP ligation of endothelial receptors to stabilize endothelial barrier function. We measured vascular permeability to albumin and accumulation of fluorescent neutrophils in a full-thickness skin wound on the flank of LysM-EGFP mice 24 h after formation. Vascular permeability in individually perfused rat mesenteric microvessels was also measured after leukocytes were washed out of the vessel lumen. Thrombin increased albumin permeability and increased the accumulation of neutrophils. The thrombin-induced inflammatory responses were attenuated by pretreating the wound with ANP (30 min). During pretreatment ANP did not lower permeability, but transiently increased baseline albumin permeability concomitant with the reduction in neutrophil accumulation. ANP did not attenuate acute increases in permeability to histamine and bradykinin in individually perfused rat microvessels. The hypothesis that anti-inflammatory actions of ANP depend solely on endothelial responses that stabilize the endothelial barrier is not supported by our results in either individually perfused microvessels in the absence of circulating leukocytes or the more chronic skin wound model. Our results conform to the alternate hypothesis that ANP modulates the interaction of leukocytes with the inflamed microvascular wall of the 24 h wound. Taken together with our previous observations that ANP reduces deformability of neutrophils and their strength of attachment, rolling, and transvascular migration, these observations provide the basis for additional investigations of ANP as an anti-inflammatory agent to modulate leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions

Studies of Coat Protein-Mediated Resistance to TMV I. The PM2 Assembly Defective Mutant Confers Resistance to TMV

AbstractTobacco mosaic virus mutant PM2 contains two amino acid changes in coat protein sequence relative to the sequence of the coat protein of TMV U1. This results in unstable infectivity, inability to cause normal systemic infection, and accumulation of elongated open helixes of coat protein. Using site-directed mutagenesis we demonstrated that the characteristics of PM2 are due to the change of Thr28 → Ile, while the second change, Glu95 → Asp, had no apparent effect on virion structure or infectivity. Transgenic Nicotiana tabacum cv Xanthi NN and Xanthi nn plants that accumulate coat protein that contains one or both of the amino acid changes are as resistant to TMV infection as transgenic plants that contain wildtype TMV coat protein. The implication of these results on a model for coat protein-mediated resistance that involves the interaction of transgenic coat protein with the challenge virus is discussed

Evidence of Titan's Climate History from Evaporite Distribution

Water-ice-poor, 5-$\mu$m-bright material on Saturn's moon Titan has previously been geomorphologically identified as evaporitic. Here we present a global distribution of the occurrences of the 5-$\mu$m-bright spectral unit, identified with Cassini's Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) and examined with RADAR when possible. We explore the possibility that each of these occurrences are evaporite deposits. The 5-$\mu$m-bright material covers 1\% of Titan's surface and is not limited to the poles (the only regions with extensive, long-lived surface liquid). We find the greatest areal concentration to be in the equatorial basins Tui Regio and Hotei Regio. Our interpretations, based on the correlation between 5-$\mu$m-bright material and lakebeds, imply that there was enough liquid present at some time to create the observed 5-$\mu$m-bright material. We address the climate implications surrounding a lack of evaporitic material at the south polar basins: if the south pole basins were filled at some point in the past, then where is the evaporite

Comparison of methods for calibrating AVIRIS data to ground reflectance

We are comparing three basic methods of calibrating AVIRIS data to ground reflectance: (1) atmospheric radiative transfer models with the solar flux can be used to calibrate AVIRIS radiance data (Specific methods include the University of Colorado CSES ARP and ATREM algorithms); (2) Robert Green's modified MODTRAN and AVIRIS radiance model (This method is similar to 1 but differs in that the solar radiance is bypassed, so any errors in the solar flux are canceled, too); and (3) ground calibration using known sites in the AVIRIS scene. We are using 1992AVIRIS data over Cuprite, Nevada, and Blackhawk Island, Wisconsin, as our test scenes. Both these sites have extensive field measurements. The Cuprite site had a very clear atmosphere, thus path radiance was dominated by Rayleigh scattering with little or no flux beyond 1 micron. The Blackhawk site has more aerosols, with significant path radiance flux beyond 2 micron

Observations of the Crab Nebula and its pulsar in the far-ultraviolet and in the optical

We present HST/STIS far-UV observations of the Crab nebula and its pulsar. Broad, blueshifted absorption arising in the nebula is seen in C IV 1550, reaching about 2500 km/s. This can be interpreted as evidence for a fast outer shell, and we adopt a spherically symmetric model to constrain the properties of this. We find that the density appears to decrease outward in the shell. A lower limit to the mass is 0.3 solar masses with an accompanying kinetic energy of 1.5EE{49} ergs. A massive 10^{51} erg shell cannot be excluded, but is less likely if the density profile is much steeper than R^{-4} and the velocity is <6000 km/s. The observations cover the region 1140-1720 A. With the time-tag mode of the spectrograph we obtain the pulse profile. It is similar to that in the near-UV, although the primary peak is marginally narrower. Together with the near-UV data, and new optical data from NOT, our spectrum of the pulsar covers the entire region from 1140-9250 A. Dereddening the spectrum gives a flat spectrum for E(B-V)=0.52, R=3.1. This dereddened spectrum of the Crab pulsar can be fitted by a power law with spectral index alpha_{\nu} = 0.11 +/- 0.04. The main uncertainty is the amount and characteristics of the interstel- lar reddening, and we have investigated the dependence of \alpha_{\nu} on E(B-V) and R. In the extended emission covered by our 25" x 0.5" slit in the far-UV, we detect C IV 1550 and He II 1640 emission lines from the Crab nebula. Several interstellar absorption lines are detected toward the pulsar. The Ly alpha absorption indicates a column density of 3.0+/-0.5\EE{21} cm^{-2} of neutral hydrogen, which agrees well with our estimate of E(B-V)=0.52 mag. Other lines show no evidence of severe depletion of metals in atomic gas.Comment: 18 pages emulateapj style, including 10 figures. ApJ, accepte

EC94-872-S Nebraska Crop Budgets

Resource Persons • Crops Budgeting Procedure • Prices Used for 1994 Panhandle • Gravity Irrigated Crops • Sugar Beets • Dry Edible Beans • Corn for Grain • Corn for Silage • Establish Alfatfa with Oats • Alfalfa Hay Gravity Irrigated • Center Pivot Irrigated Crops • Sugar Beets • Dry Edible Beans • Corn for Grain • Winter Wheat • Alfalfa Hay • Non-Irrigated Crops • Winter Wheat Stubble Much Fallow • Winter Wheat, Eco-Fallow (Chemical and Tillage Combination) • Sunflower, Wheat-Sunflower-Fallow Rotation • Millet, Wheat, Fallow, Millet, Fallow Southwest • Corn for Grain, Gravity Irrigated • Corn for Silage, Gravity Irrigated • Corn for Grain, Ditch Irrigated, Platte Valley • Corn for Grain, Ridge Planted, Gravity Irrigated • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated, Fine Texture Soil • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated, Sandy Soil • Pinto Beans, Center Pivot Irrigated • Soybeans, Center Pivot Irrigated • Fall Seed Alfalfa, Center Pivot Irrigated • Alfalfa Hay, Center Pivot Irrigated • Alfalfa Hay, Sub-Irrigated, Platte Valley • Fall Seed Grass, Center Pivot Irrigated • Pasture, Center Pivot Irrigated • Wheat, Center Pivot Irrigated • Wheat, Stubble Mulch Fallow • Wheat, Clean Till Fallow • Wheat, Continuous, Chemical Weed Control • Wheat, Followed by Corn, 3 Year Rotation, Eco-Fallow • Corn, Following Eco-Fallow Wheat • Grain Sorghum, Non-Irrigated • Grain Sorghum, Non-Irrigated, No-TUI Continuous • Cane Hay, Non-Irrigated North • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated • Corn for Silage, Center Pivot Irrigated • Establish Alfalfa, Center Pivot Irrigated • Alfalfa Hay, Center Pivot Irrigated • Establish Grass, Center Pivot Irrigated • Pasture, Center Pivot Irrigated • Native Hay, Wet Meadow • Native Hay, Upland Central • Corn for Grain Center Pivot Irrigated • Corn for Silage Center Pivot Irrigated • Grain Sorghum for Grain, Limited Irrigation, Center Pivot • Corn for Grain, Gravity Irrigated • Corn for Silage Gravity Irrigated • Soybeans, Gravity Irrigated , • Establish Alfalfa, Gravity Irrigated • Alfalfa for Hay, Gravity Irrigated • Corn for Grain, Non-Irrigated • Corn for Grain, Eco-Fallow, Follows Wheat in 3 Year Rotation • Corn for Silage, Non-Irrigated • Grain Sorghum for Grain, Non-Irrigated • Grain Sorghum for Grain, Eco-Fallow, Follows Wheat in 3 Year Rotation • Grain Sorghum for Grain, Continuous, No Till, Non-Irrigated • Soybeans, Non-Irrigated • Wheat for Grain, Continuous Cropped, Non-Irrigated • Wheat for Grain, Continuous, No Till, Non-Irrigated • Wheat for Grain, Fallow Every Third Year • Establish Alfalfa, Non-Irrigated • Alfalfa for Hay, Non-Irrigated • Establish and Maintain Cover Crop on Set Aside Acres Northeast • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated, Sandy Soils • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated, Rolling Hills • Corn for Grain, Till-Plant, Rolling Hills • Soybeans, Non-Irrigated • Soybeans, Center Pivot Irrigated • Oats, Non-Irrigated 8 • Oats With Spring Alfalfa Seeding • Alfalfa Seeding • Establish Alfalfa, Sandy Soil, Fall Seeding • Alfalfa Hay, Large Round Baler • Alfalfa Hay Small Square Baler • East Central • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated • Soybeans, Center Pivot Irrigated • Corn tor Grain, Non-Irrigated • No-Till Com in Soybean Residue • Grain Sorghum, Non-Irrigated • Soybeans, Non-Irrigated • Soybeans, After Corn Reduced Till • Wheat • Establish Alfalfa, Fall Seeded • Establish Alfalfa, Spring With Herbicide • Alfalfa Hay, Large Round Baler • Alfalfa Hay, Field Stacker • Oats, Non-Irrigated Southeast • Corn for Grain, Center Pivot Irrigated • Corn for Silage, Center Pivot Irrigated • Corn for Grain, Non-Irrigated • Grain Sorghum, Non-Irrigated • Forage Sorghum Silage, Non-Irrigated • Soybeans, Non-Irrigated • Wheat • Alfalfa Hay, Large Round Bale

Calibration and evaluation of AVIRIS data: Cripple Creek in October 1987

Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data were obtained over Cripple Creek and Canon City Colorado on October 19, 1987 at local noon. Multiple ground calibration sites were measured within both areas with a field spectrometer and samples were returned to the laboratory for more detailed spectral characterization. The data were used to calibrate the AVIRIS data to ground reflectance. Once calibrated, selected spectra in the image were extracted and examined, and the signal to noise performance was computed. Images of band depth selected to be diagnostic of the presence of certain minerals and vegetation were computed. The AVIRIS data were extremely noisy, but images showing the presence of goethite, kaolinite and lodgepole pine trees agree with ground checks of the area