Optimal Conditions for Kinetic Study of Succinate Dehydrogenase in Rat Liver

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) commonly is assayed as a marker enzyme for mitochondrial activity. The literature presents numerous conditions for conducting this assay due to the fact that, it has been difficult to get sufficient reduction of the acceptor dye, 2,3,5-triphenyl-2H-tetrazolium chloride (TTC). This study was undertaken to optimize the SDH-catalyzed reduction of TTC dye by evaluation of a greater range of molor ratios of TTC to succinate and by further evaluation of additives reported as beneficial. Improvement in enzyme specific activity was achieved by liver perfusion via the left cardiac ventricle with homogenizing solution. Increase in TTC from 1 to 10 mM and further increase to 20 mM resulted in major improvement in color production. The greatest improvement in apparent activity was achieved by addition of 1 mM phenozine methosulfate, a hydrogen transfer mediator. Use of CaCI₂. EDTA, Triton X-100, NaN₃ and KCN was not beneficial. The above modifications of the SDH assay resulted in greater sensitivity, the conduct of a greater number of assays with less tissue and the sacrifice of fewer animals

Legal Challenges in Government Imposition of Water Conservation: The Kansas Example

This article deals with legal challenges in conserving water in the United States, using Kansas as an example. The focus is on one aspect of American water allocation law—the extent to which a state can force reductions in pumping by holders of water rights. It explains the hybrid nature of water rights, which on the one hand are “real property rights,” and yet on the other hand they are viewed as rights only to use water and not to own the water itself. Because they are a kind of property right, they are protected by the fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution against “takings” by the government without compensation. The question becomes: to what extent, then, can states demand reductions in pumping without having to pay compensation? The answer is difficult for both water right holders and government officials to predict. The law of groundwater rights in Kansas illustrates the problem. The article describes the Kansas law in the context of other states on this issue, including the historic changes in Kansas’ water law doctrines, water management under the appropriation doctrine, the public trust doctrine, groundwater management districts, and intensive groundwater use control areas, as well as recent attempts to foster voluntary actions by water right holders that avoid government imposition of restrictions. Questions remain in Kansas and elsewhere about where the line can be drawn, between acceptable government restrictions and unacceptable takings of property. Future drought caused by climate change will focus even more attention on this question

OPPORTUNITY COSTS OF WATER LEASING: IRRIGATION, INSTREAM FLOW, AND WETLAND CONSIDERATIONS IN THE LARAMIE BASIN, WYOMING

Flood irrigation in the Laramie Basin of southeast Wyoming has created many wetlands that rely directly on irrigation inputs for water. The Laramie Basin is a proposed water source for enhancing Platte River instream flows, to the benefit of endangered cranes, terns, plovers, and sturgeons. Increasing irrigation efficiency, or retiring irrigated lands would transform Laramie Basin agriculture and cause a high fraction of the Basins wetlands to be lost. This study explores the limitations of traditional water transfer tools when regional instream-flow requirements compete for water with local irrigation-dependent wetlands. A rotating short-term water lease program is proposed. The program would allow Laramie Basin producers to contribute to instream flow without causing permanent wetland damage or loss. Short-term water leasing programs could allow agricultural communities to contribute to regional environmental water needs without sacrificing local, agriculturally-based ecological resources. An estimate of minimum water costs, advantages and disadvantages of short-term water leasing are discussed.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The joint US/UK 1990 epoch world magnetic model

A detailed summary of the data used, analyses performed, modeling techniques employed, and results obtained in the course of the 1990 Epoch World Magnetic Modeling effort are given. Also, use and limitations of the GEOMAG algorithm are presented. Charts and tables related to the 1990 World Magnetic Model (WMM-90) for the Earth's main field and secular variation in Mercator and polar stereographic projections are presented along with useful tables of several magnetic field components and their secular variation on a 5-degree worldwide grid

Water Allocation Law and the Oil1 and Gas Industry in Kansas: An Update to the 1981 Neufeld Article

The Spring 1981 issue of the Journal of the Kansas Bar Association contained Eva Neufeld's article "The Kansas Water Appropriation Statutes and Their Effect Upon the Oil and Gas Industry in Kansas" (the 1981 Article).' We are updating the 1981 Article because in the intervening 30 years great changes have occurred in Kansas law and in oil and gas recovery methods, particularly in coalbed methane (CBM)production and fracing. The 1981 Article focused on the Kansas Water Appropriation Act (KWAA)2 administered by the chief engineer of the Division of Water Resources (DWR)of the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA). The 1981 Article cited other non-KWAA statutes, including sections dealing with the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), civil procedure, and taxation. Over the last 30 years, the Kansas legislature has made numerous additions and amendments to the KWAA and other relevant statutes, and we analyze the effect of these changes on the oil and gas industry. The 1981 Article began with a brief history of the KWAA and the KWAAs initial impact on oil and gas production. The 1981 Article then covered (1) water use in the initial drilling operation, (2) water as a by-product of oil and gas production, and (3) water use in secondary or enhanced oil and gas recovery. The final three sections dealt with the question of attachment of water rights to land in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas; discussed policy issues and made suggestions; and advised on obtaining a water appropriation permit. This article updates and supplements the 1981 Article, but does not replace it; so, the articles should be read together. We use the same 1981 Article format and subtitles, 3 but in some cases add sub-subsections, and we do not discuss Oklahoma and Colorado law. Like the 1981 Article, this article focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on water allocation. Several developments in legislation, administrative regulations, and n methods of oil and gas recovery necessitate mentioning several water quality concerns as they relate to allocation, but we do not discuss water quality concerns in detail. This article summarizes changes in the KWAA and the other related statutes and in DWR since 1981, and it ties them to recent advancements in oil and gas recovery methods. We deal with attachment of water rights, but only in Kansas and not in Colorado or Oklahoma. The section describing policy issues and making suggestions is reviewed as to current applicability. The final section on obtaining a water appropriation permit is updated and expanded