Computer networks for remote laboratories in physics and engineering

This paper addresses a relatively new approach to scientific research, telescience, which is the conduct of scientific operations in locations remote from the site of central experimental activity. A testbed based on the concepts of telescience is being developed to ultimately enable scientific researchers on earth to conduct experiments onboard the Space Station. This system along with background materials are discussed

Diet Composition of Age-0 Fishes in Created Habitats of the Lower Missouri River

Channelization of the Missouri River has greatly reduced the availability of shallow water habitats used by many larval and juvenile fishes and contributed to imperilment of floodplain-dependent biota. Creation of small side channels, or chutes, is being used to restore shallow water habitat and reverse negative environmental effects associated with channelization. In the summer of 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected early life stages of fishes from constructed chutes and nearby unrestored shallow habitats at six sites on the Missouri River between Rulo, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri. We compared the diets of two abundant species of fishes to test the hypothesis that created shallow chutes provided better foraging habitat for early life stages than nearby unrestored shallow habitats. Graphical analysis of feeding patterns of freshwater drum indicated specialization on chironomid larvae, which were consumed in greater numbers in unrestored mainstem reaches compared to chutes. Hiodon spp. were more generalist feeders with no differences in prey use between habitat types. Significantly greater numbers of individuals with empty stomachs were observed in chute shallow-water habitats, indicating poor foraging habitat. For these two species, constructed chute shallow-water habitat does not appear to provide the hypothesized benefits of higher quality foraging habitat

Measuring and modeling near surface reflected and emitted radiation fluxes at the FIFE site

Research was conducted during the four Intensive Field Campaigns (IFC) of the FIFE project in 1987. The research was done on a tall grass prairie with specific measurement sites on and near the Konza Prairie in Kansas. Measurements were made to help meet the following objectives: determination of the variability in reflected and emitted radiation fluxes in selected spectral wavebands as a function of topography and vegetative community; development of techniques to account for slope and sun angle effects on the radiation fluxes; estimation of shortwave albedo and net radiation fluxes using the reflected and emitted spectral measurements described; estimation of leaf and canopy spectral properties from calculated normalized differences coupled with off-nadir measurements using inversion techniques; estimation of plant water status at several locations with indices utilizing plant temperature and other environmental parameters; and determination of relationships between estimated plant water status and measured soil water content. Results are discussed

A concise taxonomy for describing data as an art material.

How can we describe data when used as an art material? As the number of artists using data in their work increases, so too must our ability to describe the material in a way that is understood by both specialist and general audiences alike. In this paper we review existing vocabularies, glossaries, and taxonomies of data, and propose our own concise taxonomy. We present a number of examples of how existing data art works are described, and demonstrate our taxonomy by applying it to these works. To conclude we propose the adoption of this concise taxonomy by artists, critics, and curators, and suggest that on-going refinement of the taxonomy takes place through crowd-sourced knowledge sharing on the web

Methods of Making Modified Polypeptides

Novel polypeptides and the corresponding nucleic acids encoding such polypeptides are disclosed herein. The invention provides methods of making modified polypeptides by altering one or more amino acid residues involved in the active site of a preselected polypeptide

Synthases

Novel synthases and the corresponding nucleic acids encoding such synthases are disclosed herein. Such synthases possess an active site pocket that includes key amino acid residues that are modified to generate desired terpenoid reaction intermediates and products. Synthase modifications are designed based on, e.g., the three-dimensional coordinates of tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase, with or without a substrate bound in the active site

Synthases

Novel synthases and the corresponding nucleic acids encoding such synthases are disclosed herein. Such synthases possess an active site pocket that includes key amino acid residues that are modified to generate desired terpenoid reaction intermediates and products. Synthase modifications are designed based on, e.g., the three-dimensional coordinates of tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase. with or without a substrate bound in the active site

Synthases

Novel synthases and the corresponding nucleic acids encoding such synthases are disclosed herein. Such synthases possess an active site pocket that includes key amino acid residues that are modified to generate desired terpenoid reaction intermediates and products. Synthase modifications are designed based on, e.g., the three-dimensional coordinates of tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase with or without a substrate bound in the active site

Synthases

Novel synthases and the corresponding nucleic acids encoding such synthases are disclosed herein. Such synthases possess an active site pocket that includes key amino acid residues that are modified to generate desired terpenoid reaction intermediates and products. Synthase modifications are designed based on, e.g., the three-dimensional coordinates of tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase, with or without a substrate bound in the active site

Arsenic Cleanup Criteria for Soils in the US and Abroad: Comparing Guidelines and Understanding Inconsistencies

Widely divergent cleanup targets, guidelines and standards for arsenic in soils have been established by many regulatory, scientific and advisory organizations in the past 25 years, both in the United States and in other countries. In contrast to many other substances, for which guidelines and standards are similar or identical among agencies, arsenic has provided a powerful study in just how many different ways a single issue can be viewed. This paper provides a detailed survey concerning the breadth of arsenic soil criteria that have been proposed and applied, and explores the basic differences in their derivation, which can be based upon toxicological properties, geological background levels, anthropogenic background contributions, and practical site-specific considerations. A broad comparison of extant values in common use for USEPA, individual states, and non-US entities will be presented, coupled with a discussion regarding common examples of the technical bases for arsenic soil cleanup guideline development. Arsenic target levels in many cases can dominate remedial considerations at sites where the applicable criteria are very stringent. Several case studies will be presented to illustrate the problems that are inherent in such variable criteria for this ubiquitous and extraordinarily common substance