Football Game Program 3 1965

Football Game Program 3 196

A Real Time Optical Biosensor Assay for Amoxicillin And Other β-Lactams in Water Samples

Antibiotic contamination of drinking water and sewage is a matter of environmental and public health concern. Traditionally, ELISA or HPLC methods have been used to detect and measure antibiotic contamination. By applying an optical biosensing method, biolayer inteferometry (BLI), we have developed a kinetic competition binding assay capable of quantitating less than lppm (~33 μM) amoxicillin. Similar to surface plasmon resonance, BLI senses changes that occur upon binding of one molecule to another near a surface to measure association and dissociation. Immobilized amoxicillin was used to screen for binding against an analyte solution of anti-amoxicillin equilibrated with amoxicillin-containing water samples, yielding binding that fit a one-state model. Maximal binding correlated highly with amoxicillin concentration. Simplified analysis of samples from water and sewage treatment plants in Georgia allowed quantitation without kinetic modeling. The assay is sensitive, cost-effective, fast and readily adaptable to a variety of samples and other small molecules

Placement and orientation of individual DNA shapes on lithographically patterned surfaces

Artificial DNA nanostructures show promise for the organization of functional materials to create nanoelectronic or nano-optical devices. DNA origami, in which a long single strand of DNA is folded into a shape using shorter 'staple strands', can display 6-nm-resolution patterns of binding sites, in principle allowing complex arrangements of carbon nanotubes, silicon nanowires, or quantum dots. However, DNA origami are synthesized in solution and uncontrolled deposition results in random arrangements; this makes it difficult to measure the properties of attached nanodevices or to integrate them with conventionally fabricated microcircuitry. Here we describe the use of electron-beam lithography and dry oxidative etching to create DNA origami-shaped binding sites on technologically useful materials, such as SiO_2 and diamond-like carbon. In buffer with ~ 100 mM MgCl_2, DNA origami bind with high selectivity and good orientation: 70–95% of sites have individual origami aligned with an angular dispersion (±1 s.d.) as low as ±10° (on diamond-like carbon) or ±20° (on SiO_2)

Ecological forecasting—21st century science for 21st century management

Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending near-term changes in ecosystem conditions or dynamics. Managers may use the information in forecasts to minimize the adverse effects of ecological stressors and optimize the effectiveness of management actions. To explore the potential for ecological forecasting to enhance natural resource management, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) convened a workshop titled "Building Capacity for Applied Short-Term Ecological Forecasting" on May 29—31, 2019, with participants from several Federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as all mission areas within the USGS. Participants broadly agreed that short-term ecological forecasting—on the order of days to years into the future—has tremendous potential to improve the quality and timeliness of information available to guide resource management decisions. Participants considered how ecological forecasting could directly affect their agency missions and specified numerous critical tools for addressing natural resource management concerns in the 21st century that could be enhanced by ecological forecasting. Given this breadth of possible applications for forecast products, participants developed a repeatable framework for evaluating potential value of a forecast product for enhancing resource management. Applying that process to a large list of forecast ideas that were developed in a brainstorming session, participants identified a small set of promising forecast products that illustrate the value of ecological forecasting for informing resource management. Workshop outcomes also include insights about important likely obstacles and next steps. In particular, reliable production and delivery of operational ecological forecasts will require a sustained commitment by research agencies, in partnership with resource management agencies, to maintain and improve forecasting tools and capabilities.https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr2020107

Development of A Real Time Optical Biosensor Assay for Amoxicillin and Other β-Lactams in Water Samples

Antibiotic contamination of drinking water and sewage is a matter of environmental and public health concern. Traditionally, ELISA or HPLC methods have been used to detect and measure antibiotic contamination. By applying an optical biosensing method, biolayer inteferometry (BLI), we have developed a kinetic competition binding assay capable of quantitating less than lppm (~33 μM) amoxicillin. Similar to surface plasmon resonance, BLI senses changes that occur upon binding of one molecule to another near a surface to measure association and dissociation. Immobilized amoxicillin was used to screen for binding against an analyte solution of anti-amoxicillin equilibrated with amoxicillin-containing water samples, yielding binding that fit a one-state model. Maximal binding correlated highly with amoxicillin concentration. Simplified analysis of samples from water and sewage treatment plants in Georgia allowed quantitation without kinetic modeling. The assay is sensitive, cost-effective, fast and readily adaptable to a variety of samples and other small molecules

Stream macroinvertebrate response models for bioassessment metrics: addressing the issue of spatial scale.

We developed independent predictive disturbance models for a full regional data set and four individual ecoregions (Full Region vs. Individual Ecoregion models) to evaluate effects of spatial scale on the assessment of human landscape modification, on predicted response of stream biota, and the effect of other possible confounding factors, such as watershed size and elevation, on model performance. We selected macroinvertebrate sampling sites for model development (n = 591) and validation (n = 467) that met strict screening criteria from four proximal ecoregions in the northeastern U.S.: North Central Appalachians, Ridge and Valley, Northeastern Highlands, and Northern Piedmont. Models were developed using boosted regression tree (BRT) techniques for four macroinvertebrate metrics; results were compared among ecoregions and metrics. Comparing within a region but across the four macroinvertebrate metrics, the average richness of tolerant taxa (RichTOL) had the highest R(2) for BRT models. Across the four metrics, final BRT models had between four and seven explanatory variables and always included a variable related to urbanization (e.g., population density, percent urban, or percent manmade channels), and either a measure of hydrologic runoff (e.g., minimum April, average December, or maximum monthly runoff) and(or) a natural landscape factor (e.g., riparian slope, precipitation, and elevation), or a measure of riparian disturbance. Contrary to our expectations, Full Region models explained nearly as much variance in the macroinvertebrate data as Individual Ecoregion models, and taking into account watershed size or elevation did not appear to improve model performance. As a result, it may be advantageous for bioassessment programs to develop large regional models as a preliminary assessment of overall disturbance conditions as long as the range in natural landscape variability is not excessive

Macroinvertebrate responses to flow and stream temperature variability across regulated and non‐regulated rivers

Flow regulation via impoundments threatens lotic ecosystems and the services they provide globally. Impoundments drastically alter flow and stream temperature variability within fluvial environments, but efforts to quantify ecohydrological and ecothermal responses to flow regulation in conjunction have been sparsely explored to date. This study examined macroinvertebrate community responses to antecedent flow (discharge) and stream temperature variability across paired regulated and non-regulated systems associated with three reservoirs located in adjacent catchments. Community abundances, functional traits, and biomonitoring indices were examined, and ecological differences between non-regulated and regulated sites were quantified, with the most sensitive faunal response being correlated against a suite of flow and thermal indices. Regulated sites exhibited reduced low-flow variability and rapid increases in discharge during peak flows that regularly exceeded those conveyed by non-regulated sites, while stream temperature variability was highly congruent between sites. Macroinvertebrate functional traits were particularly sensitive to flow regulation, and incorporating biomonitoring indices marginally improved the ecological discrimination between regulated and non-regulated sites. Unlike community abundances, functional traits did not vary spatially between catchments, highlighting that such information could guide the implementation of regional environmental flows. Macroinvertebrate communities responded significantly to various hydrological parameters, particularly those associated with the timing of extreme flows, but were less sensitive to thermal controls. Future research should explore ecological responses to antecedent hydrological and stream temperature variability associated with flow regulation to provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving biotic alterations, which could guide future environmental flow methodologies.</p

Infant Hearing Screening: Stakeholder Recommendations for Parent-Centered Communication

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify what stakeholders considered best practices for parent-provider communication regarding newborn hearing screening and diagnosis. We used consensus data to develop educational materials for parents. Methods: We conducted 29 focus groups and 23 individual interviews between October 2003 and May 2004. Participants included (1) English- and Spanish-speaking parents of infants \u3c18 months of age who had experience with hospital-based newborn hearing screening; (2) parents of children with hearing loss; (3) primary care providers who provide prenatal care or care for newborns; and (4) audiologists, audiology technicians, and hospital nurses. Results: Communication to parents about hospital-based newborn hearing screening was limited. Most parents first learned about the screening in the hospital, but all stakeholders thought a more opportune time for education was before the birth. For parents of infants who did not pass the newborn hearing screening, stakeholders recommended direct communication about the urgency of diagnostic testing. They also indicated that primary care providers needed current information regarding hearing screening, diagnostic testing, and early intervention. All stakeholders thought that a brief brochure for parents to take home would be helpful for hospital-based screening and, if necessary, subsequent diagnostic testing. Primary care providers requested basic, to-the-point information. Conclusions: The most opportune time to begin discussion of newborn hearing screening is before the birth. Providers need up-to-date information on current standards of hearing screening, diagnosis, and intervention. User-friendly patient education materials, such as those we developed, could assist providers in educating parents