Wool you look at that? Sheep wool pellets as fertilizer in container-grown crops with short cultivation time

Sheep wool pellets (SWP) is an organic fertilizer that capitalizes an excess waste product of sheep husbandry, providing a way to reduce the environmental impact of wool and recycling it back into the production cycle. With a NPK of 10-0,1-4,5 and other trace elements, the pellets are considered a well-rounded fertilizer, but with a long degradation time. To investigate if sheep wool pellets can be used in shorter cultivation times, a container experiment was conducted to test if the pellets have an effect on 5-week cultivation of basil. Treatments were 0 (control), 5, and 10 g SWP/L in peat, compost, and mixed substrate of peat and compost. The result of this experiment indicates that the added amounts of sheep wool pellets does not have any effect on growth or final yield in short duration container cultivation. Sheep wool pellets might however have other properties that still make it an interesting substrate amendment for crops with short cultivation time, such as providing higher water use efficiency and a swelling effect that results in airier substrates, facilitating better gas exchange.Fårullspellets är ett organiskt gödningsmedel som nyttjar en restprodukt från fårproduktion och möjliggör en minskad miljöpåverkan från ullrester genom att återvinna den tillbaka in i produktionscykeln. Med ett NPK på 10-0,1-4,5 och även höga nivåer av mikronäringsämnen anses pelletsen vara ett allsidigt gödselmedel, men med lång nedbrytningstid. För att undersöka om fårullspellets kan användas under kortare kulturtider genomfördes ett containerförsök för att se pelletsen effekt efter 5 veckors odling av basilika. Behandlingarna var 0 (kontroll), 5 och 10 g SWP/l i torv, kompost och blandat substrat med torv och kompost. Resultatet indikerar att de undersökta mängderna fårullspellets inte har någon effekt på tillväxt och slutlig skördemängd vid kortvarig krukodling. Fårullspellets kan dock ha andra egenskaper som gör dem till intressanta substratförbättrare även för kortare kulturtider, exempelvis högre vattenanvändningseffektivitet och luftigare substrat

CLIMATE CHANGE ALTERS INTERREGIONAL ELECTRICITY DYNAMICS ON THE U.S. WEST COAST

Power systems and markets are influenced by hydrometeorological variability, including temperature-driven changes in electricity demand and water availability impacts to hydropower. The U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) meets over 55% of its regional electricity demand with hydropower, a majority of which is produced within the Federal Columbia River Power System. California relies on hydropower produced in-state and imported electricity the PNW to meet demand, leaving California vulnerable to West Coast wide hydrologic variability. As hydroclimate changes across this region, a combination of forces may work in tandem to make West Coast power markets even more susceptible to reliability and price risk. A warmer climate is expected to shift the timing of streamflow earlier in the year and increase summer cooling demand. In this work, we investigate how climate change could alter interregional electricity market dynamics on the West Coast, including the possibility that hydroclimate changes in one region (e.g. PNW) could compound price and reliability risks in another (e.g. California) and vice versa. Power system metrics (generation, demand, market prices) are analyzed for multiple combinations of downscaled Global Climate Models (GCMs), Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), hydrologic models and timescales. We find that under static grid conditions, climate change across the West Coast could cause higher average annual wholesale prices and reduced reliability. We find that hydroclimatic risks for the PNW power system are largely driven by changes in streamflow, while risks for the California system are driven by changes in summer air temperatures, particularly extreme heat waves increasing peak system demand. In addition, we find that climate change conditions in the PNW (including altered timing and amounts of hydropower exports to California) have little impact on reliability and prices in the California market -- unless compounded by climate change conditions in California. However, climate conditions in California have a significant impact on outcomes in the PNW, especially when compounded with shifts in the timing of PNW hydropower generation.Master of Scienc

The National Singing Programme for primary schools in England: an initial baseline study

The ‘Sing Up’ National Singing Programme for Primary schools in England was launched in November 2007 under the UK Government’s ‘Music Manifesto’. ‘Sing Up’ is a four-year programme whose overall aim is to raise the status of singing and increase opportunities for children throughout the country to enjoy singing as part of their everyday lives, in and out of school. As part of the Programme’s research evaluation, a key focus has been to build an initial picture of singing in Primary schools across England. This information could then be used as a ‘baseline’ by which the programme’s subsequent impact could be judged, including ‘before’ and ‘after’ measures of schools that receive particular ‘Sing Up’ input. This paper reports an overview of key outcomes of first five months of baseline profiling (October, 2007 to February 2008), embracing analyses of the singing behaviours of 3,472 children in 76 Primary schools. These findings are complimented by additional analyses of children’s views on singing in and out of school; and the self-efficacy of their class teachers’ (n=90), both as singers and as teachers of singing

Technological Innovations for the Human Service Profession

Many professions are incorporating innovative and affordable technologies such as smart phones, wireless Internet, gaming systems in which the only controller is the human body, and countless software programs and applications to improve efficiency, increase access, and promote themselves. The human service profession is also making strides to utilize new and existing technological mediums in original and creative ways. The article presents ideas for the use of innovative technological approaches in the training of human services students, the dissemination of services to consumers, supervision of human service students and professions, and the everyday operations of human service agencies. The limitations of using technological mediums will also be discussed

School Counselor Use of Narrative Therapy to Support Students of Color Transitioning from an Alternative School Setting

The authors propose a collaborative application of narrative therapy utilizing the school counselor, teachers, and parents to support students of color transitioning from an alternative school setting. Research indicates that students of color transitioning from alternative settings often face stigma and marginalization by teachers and peers. The authors contend that school counselors can use this collaborative narrative approach to support students to create new narratives within a supportive environment. Included is an illustration demonstrating the application of the collaborative narrative therapy process

Response of the Jovian thermosphere to a transient ‘pulse’ in solar wind pressure

The importance of the Jovian thermosphere with regard to magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is often neglected in magnetospheric physics. We present the first study to investigate the response of the Jovian thermosphere to transient variations in solar wind dynamic pressure, using an azimuthally symmetric global circulation model coupled to a simple magnetosphere and fixed auroral conductivity model. In our simulations, the Jovian magnetosphere encounters a solar wind shock or rarefaction region and is subsequently compressed or expanded. We present the ensuing response of the coupling currents, thermospheric flows, heating and cooling terms, and the aurora to these transient events. Transient compressions cause the reversal, with respect to steady state, of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling currents and momentum transfer between the thermosphere and magnetosphere. They also cause at least a factor of two increase in the Joule heating rate. Ion drag significantly changes the kinetic energy of the thermospheric neutrals depending on whether the magnetosphere is compressed or expanded. Local temperature variations appear between View the MathML source for the compression scenario and View the MathML source for the expansion case. Extended regions of equatorward flow develop in the wake of compression events - we discuss the implications of this behaviour for global energy transport. Both compressions and expansions lead to a View the MathML source increase in the total power dissipated or deposited in the thermosphere. In terms of auroral processes, transient compressions increase main oval UV emission by a factor of ∼4.5 whilst transient expansions increase this main emission by a more modest 37%. Both types of transient event cause shifts in the position of the main oval, of up to 1° latitude

Biochemical characterisation of Murray Valley encephalitis virus proteinase

AbstractMurray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a member of the flavivirus group, a large family of single stranded RNA viruses, which cause serious disease in all regions of the world. Its genome encodes a large polyprotein which is processed by both host proteinases and a virally encoded serine proteinase, non-structural protein 3 (NS3). NS3, an essential viral enzyme, requires another virally encoded protein cofactor, NS2B, for proteolytic activity. The cloning, expression and biochemical characterisation of a stable MVEV NS2B–NS3 fusion protein is described

The pathogenic mechanism of the Mycobacterium ulcerans virulence factor, mycolactone, depends on blockade of protein translocation into the ER.

Infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans is characterised by tissue necrosis and immunosuppression due to mycolactone, the necessary and sufficient virulence factor for Buruli ulcer disease pathology. Many of its effects are known to involve down-regulation of specific proteins implicated in important cellular processes, such as immune responses and cell adhesion. We have previously shown mycolactone completely blocks the production of LPS-dependent proinflammatory mediators post-transcriptionally. Using polysome profiling we now demonstrate conclusively that mycolactone does not prevent translation of TNF, IL-6 and Cox-2 mRNAs in macrophages. Instead, it inhibits the production of these, along with nearly all other (induced and constitutive) proteins that transit through the ER. This is due to a blockade of protein translocation and subsequent degradation of aberrantly located protein. Several lines of evidence support this transformative explanation of mycolactone function. First, cellular TNF and Cox-2 can be once more detected if the action of the 26S proteasome is inhibited concurrently. Second, restored protein is found in the cytosol, indicating an inability to translocate. Third, in vitro translation assays show mycolactone prevents the translocation of TNF and other proteins into the ER. This is specific as the insertion of tail-anchored proteins into the ER is unaffected showing that the ER remains structurally intact. Fourth, metabolic labelling reveals a near-complete loss of glycosylated and secreted proteins from treated cells, whereas cytosolic proteins are unaffected. Notably, the profound lack of glycosylated and secreted protein production is apparent in a range of different disease-relevant cell types. These studies provide a new mechanism underlying mycolactone's observed pathological activities both in vitro and in vivo. Mycolactone-dependent inhibition of protein translocation into the ER not only explains the deficit of innate cytokines, but also the loss of membrane receptors, adhesion molecules and T-cell cytokines that drive the aetiology of Buruli ulcer

Western oceanus procellarum as seen by c1xs on chandrayaan-1

We present the analysis of an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) observation of the western part of Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon’s nearside made by the Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Spectrometer on 10th February 2009. Through forward modelling of the X-ray spectra, we provide estimates of the MgO/SiO2 and Al2O3/SiO2 ratios for seven regions along the flare’s ground track. These results are combined with FeO and TiO2 contents derived from Clementine multispectral reflectance data in order to investigate the compositional diversity of this region of the Moon. The ground track observed consists mainly of low-Ti basaltic units, and the XRF data are largely consistent with this expectation. However, we obtain higher Al2O3/SiO2 ratios for these units than for most basalts in the Apollo sample collection. The widest compositional variation between the different lava flows is in wt% FeO content. A footprint that occurs in a predominantly highland region, immediately to the north of Oceanus Procellarum, has a composition that is consistent with mixing between low-Ti mare basaltic and more feldspathic regoliths. In contrast to some previous studies, we find no evidence for systematic differences in surface composition, as determined through X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy techniques

Detection of a CMB decrement towards a cluster of mJy radiosources

We present the results of radio, optical and near-infrared observations of the field of TOC J0233.3+3021, a cluster of milliJansky radiosources from the TexOx Cluster survey. In an observation of this field with the Ryle Telescope (RT) at 15 GHz, we measure a decrement in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) of $-675 \pm 95 \mu$Jy on the RT's $\approx$ 0.65 k$\lambda$ baseline. Using optical and infrared imaging with the McDonald 2.7-m Smith Reflector, Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope and UKIRT, we identify the host galaxies of five of the radiosources and measure magnitudes of $R \approx 24$, $J \approx 20$, $K \approx 18$. The CMB decrement is consistent with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect of a massive cluster of galaxies, which if modelled as a spherical King profile of core radius $\theta_C = 20^{\prime\prime}$ has a central temperature decrement of $900 \mu$K. The magnitudes and colours of the galaxies are consistent with those of old ellipticals at $z \sim 1$. We therefore conclude that TOC J0233.3+3021 is a massive, high redshift cluster. These observations add to the growing evidence for a significant population of massive clusters at high redshift, and demonstrate the effectiveness of combining searches for AGN `signposts' to clusters with the redshift-independence of the SZ effect.Comment: Six pages; accepted for publication in MNRAS. Version with full-resolution UV plot available from http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~garret/MB185.p