Effect of salts on the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a parasitic fungus that infects and kills amphibians worldwide. Bd causes electrolyte imbalance by destroying the keratin in the skin and causes cardiac arrest. Past studies have shown that Bd growth and motility can be inhibited by increased NaCl concentrations. In most studies, NaCl is the only type of salt used but Bd is exposed to other types of salts. In North American wetlands, runoff from road salts during winter and spring when Bd hosts (amphibians) often experience high levels of infection prevalence. This study investigated how different road salts at various concentrations affect the growth and motility of Bd. We predict that Bd growth will be inhibited more by road salts that contain more de-icing chemicals such as CaCl2 and that Bd growth will be the greatest in salts that are more environmentally friendly, such as Beet salt. Bd was reared in NaCl, CaCl2, and Beet salt at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 ppt. Growth was then quantified through counting and measuring of the area of growth and compared across treatments. Bd growth is greater in the absence of any salt than in the presence of either Beet salt, CaCl2, or NaCl. Bd growth at 14C was greater than at 22C. Our findings suggest several types of roads salts may have negative effects on Bd life history traits that could translate to lower infections in amphibians. Future studies should explore how road salts affect amphibians exposed to road salts, and how infection dynamics change when both host and pathogen are in the presence of these salts

Wavelength Tunability of Ion-bombardment Induced Ripples on Sapphire

A study of ripple formation on sapphire surfaces by 300-2000 eV Ar+ ion bombardment is presented. Surface characterization by in-situ synchrotron grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering and ex-situ atomic force microscopy is performed in order to study the wavelength of ripples formed on sapphire (0001) surfaces. We find that the wavelength can be varied over a remarkably wide range-nearly two orders of magnitude-by changing the ion incidence angle. Within the linear theory regime, the ion induced viscous flow smoothing mechanism explains the general trends of the ripple wavelength at low temperature and incidence angles larger than 30. In this model, relaxation is confined to a few-nm thick damaged surface layer. The behavior at high temperature suggests relaxation by surface diffusion. However, strong smoothing is inferred from the observed ripple wavelength near normal incidence, which is not consistent with either surface diffusion or viscous flow relaxation.Comment: Revtex4, 19 pages, 10 figures with JPEG forma

A Guinier Camera for Sr Powder Diffraction: High Resolution and High Throughput.

The paper describe a new powder diffraction instrument for synchrotron radiation sources which combines the high throughput of a position-sensitive detector system with the high resolution normally only provided by a crystal analyzer. It uses the Guinier geometry which is traditionally used with an x-ray tube source. This geometry adapts well to the synchrotron source, provided proper beam conditioning is applied. The high brightness of the SR source allows a high resolution to be achieved. When combined with a photon-counting silicon microstrip detector array, the system becomes a powerful instrument for radiation-sensitive samples or time-dependent phase transition studies

Warmer temperatures reduce the vectorial capacity of malaria mosquitoes

The development rate of parasites and pathogens within vectors typically increases with temperature. Accordingly, transmission intensity is generally assumed to be higher under warmer conditions. However, development is only one component of parasite/pathogen life history and there has been little research exploring the temperature sensitivity of other traits that contribute to transmission intensity. Here, using a rodent malaria, we show that vector competence (the maximum proportion of infectious mosquitoes, which implicitly includes parasite survival across the incubation period) tails off at higher temperatures, even though parasite development rate increases. We also show that the standard measure of the parasite incubation period (i.e. time until the first mosquitoes within a cohort become infectious following an infected blood-meal) is incomplete because parasite development follows a cumulative distribution, which itself varies with temperature. Including these effects in a simple model dramatically alters estimates of transmission intensity and reduces the optimum temperature for transmission. These results highlight the need to understand the interactive effects of environmental temperature on multiple host-disease life-history traits and challenge the assumptions of many current disease models that ignore this complexity

A Simple X-Ray Focusing Mirror Using Float Glass

In our recent x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (speckle) experiments at NSLS, one of the challenges is to increase the coherent photon flux through a pinhole, whose size is chosen to match the beam`s horizontal transverse coherence length {ital l{sub h}}. We adopted an approach to vertically focus the x-ray beam so as to match its vertical transverse coherence length {ital l{sub v}}, (at NSLS X13, {ital l{sub v}}{approximately} 50{ital l{sub h}}, {ital l{sub h}}{approximately} 12 {mu}m at 3 KeV) with {ital l{sub h}}. By demagnifying the vertical size by a factor of {ital l{sub v}/l{sub h}}, we expect to increase the intensity of the x-rays through the pin hole by the same factor while keeping the beam coherent. A piece of commercial 3/8 inch thick float glass, by virtue of its low surface roughness ({approximately}3{Angstrom} rms), good reflectivity in the low photon energy range of interest and low cost, was chosen as the mirror material. A computer controlled motorized bender with a four point bending mechanism was designed and built to bend the float glass to a continuously variable radius of curvature from {approximately}700 m (intrinsic curvature of the glass surface) to < 300 m, measured with the Long Trace Profiler at the BNL Metrology Lab. This mirror bender assembly allows us to continuously change the focal length of the x-ray mirror down to 0.5 m under our experimental conditions. At the NSLS X13 Prototype Small Gap Undulator (PSGU) beamline, we were able to focus the x-ray beam from a vertical size of 0.5 mm to {approximately} 25{mu}m at the focal point 54 cm from the mirror center, thus increasing the photon flux density by a factor of 20. Results also show that, as expected, at an incident angle of 9 mrad, the mirror cuts off the harmonics of the undulator spectrum, leaving a clean 3 KeV fundamental for our experiments

Fishing for ecosystem services

Ecosystems are commonly exploited and manipulated to maximize certain human benefits. Such changes can degrade systems, leading to cascading negative effects that may be initially undetected, yet ultimately result in a reduction, or complete loss, of certain valuable ecosystem services. Ecosystembased management is intended to maintain ecosystem quality and minimize the risk of irreversible change to natural assemblages of species and to ecosystem processes while obtaining and maintaining long-term socioeconomic benefits. We discuss policy decisions in fishery management related to commonly manipulated environments with a focus on influences to ecosystem services. By focusing on broader scales, managing for ecosystem services, and taking a more proactive approach, we expect sustainable, quality fisheries that are resilient to future disturbances. To that end, we contend that: (1) management always involves tradeoffs; (2) explicit management of fisheries for ecosystem services could facilitate a transition from reactive to proactive management; and (3) adaptive co-management is a process that could enhance management for ecosystem services. We propose adaptive co-management with an ecosystem service framework where actions are implemented within ecosystem boundaries, rather than political boundaries, through strong interjurisdictional relationships

Fishing for ecosystem services

Ecosystems are commonly exploited and manipulated to maximize certain human benefits. Such changes can degrade systems, leading to cascading negative effects that may be initially undetected, yet ultimately result in a reduction, or complete loss, of certain valuable ecosystem services. Ecosystembased management is intended to maintain ecosystem quality and minimize the risk of irreversible change to natural assemblages of species and to ecosystem processes while obtaining and maintaining long-term socioeconomic benefits. We discuss policy decisions in fishery management related to commonly manipulated environments with a focus on influences to ecosystem services. By focusing on broader scales, managing for ecosystem services, and taking a more proactive approach, we expect sustainable, quality fisheries that are resilient to future disturbances. To that end, we contend that: (1) management always involves tradeoffs; (2) explicit management of fisheries for ecosystem services could facilitate a transition from reactive to proactive management; and (3) adaptive co-management is a process that could enhance management for ecosystem services. We propose adaptive co-management with an ecosystem service framework where actions are implemented within ecosystem boundaries, rather than political boundaries, through strong interjurisdictional relationships

System and method of in-season nitrogen measurement and fertilization of non-leguminous crops from digital image analysis

Systems and methods of determining nitrogen levels from a digital image and in-season nitrogen measurement and fertilization of non-leguminous crops from digital image analysis are disclosed. In particular, a method of determining leaf nitrogen concentration and yield from a digital photograph of a fully developed leaf (collared leaf) of a crop of non-legumes, such as corn, wheat, rice, cotton, potatoes sugarcane, turfgrass or forage grass species. The digital image is processed to determine a dark green color index ( DGCI ), which is closely related to leaf nitrogen concentration and yield. Standardized color disks having known DGCI values are included in the digital photograph and serve as an comparative standard. The comparative standard allows correction of DGCI of samples when using different cameras and/or when lighting conditions change. The DGCI values can then be used to determine the amount of nitrogen fertilizer that should be applied to recover crop yield potential

High resolution near edge x-ray spectroscopy

A technique to suppress the core-hole lifetime broadening in near- edge x-ray spectroscopy is presented. A simple theoretical explanation based on total energy conservation in the fluorescence process is given to explain the improved resolution. The experimental arrangement is shown together with an application to the L[sub III] edge of dysprosium. Furthermore, the application of high-resolution fluorescence spectroscopy in the study of magnetism is presented. The spin-resolved absorption spectra from MnF[sub 2] are shown as an example

Strong tuning of Rashba spin orbit interaction in single InAs nanowires

A key concept in the emerging field of spintronics is the gate voltage or electric field control of spin precession via the effective magnetic field generated by the Rashba spin orbit interaction. Here, we demonstrate the generation and tuning of electric field induced Rashba spin orbit interaction in InAs nanowires where a strong electric field is created either by a double gate or a solid electrolyte surrounding gate. In particular, the electrolyte gating enables six-fold tuning of Rashba coefficient and nearly three orders of magnitude tuning of spin relaxation time within only 1 V of gate bias. Such a dramatic tuning of spin orbit interaction in nanowires may have implications in nanowire based spintronic devices.Comment: Nano Letters, in pres