Identification and correction of water velocity measurement errors associated with ultrasonic Doppler flow monitoring

Ultrasonic Doppler flow monitoring (UDFM) is used to measure water flow in pipes and channels. However, a lack of scattering particles and signal noise can cause velocity errors, particularly for smaller discharges and surface water (‘clean’) flows. A post-processing methodology is presented that identifies and corrects these errors, maximising the value of existing data. Test criteria are used to identify errors. The error correction procedure defines depth-velocity relationships from cleaned ‘training data’ representing the range of flow conditions (including backed up) and uses these relationships to automatically replace erroneous velocities. UDFM velocity errors have been successfully identified and corrected in example applications. Routine use allows early identification of changes in instrument or site behaviour. The methodology is practical, consistent and updateable. This is a significant advancement on previous methods for correcting velocity errors, improving the applicability of UDFM

Conservation Auctions in Manitoba: A Summary of a Series of Workshops

Currently, the effect of human impact on the environment is becoming increasingly apparent. The encroachment of human activity has inevitably resulted in the loss or impairment of ecological goods and services (EG&S) around the globe as well as in our own backyard. EG&S include features such as wildlife habitat, biodiversity, soil renewal, or nutrient cycling. The loss of such features has become a sobering reality for Manitobans in the face of the utrophication of Lake Winnipeg as a result of practices contributing to nutrient loading into the lake. Since EG&S are very important to Manitobans, efforts are being made to explore different vehicles to encourage their provision. In order to address some of the environmental issues transpiring in Manitoba, there has been discussion on the usefulness of Market Based Instruments (MBIs). In the past, a number of programs focused on the environment in agriculture have been put forward and administered, however these have not been overly successful in incenting producers or providing significant levels of EG&S. This report will provide a summary of a series of workshops developed to bring awareness to stakeholders on an MBI known as a conservation auction (which may also be referred to as reverse auction, procurement auction, or tender).Market based instruments, Conservation auction, Tender, Wetland restoration, Environmental Economics and Policy, D44, Q20, Q57,

A 10 kDa polypeptide associated with the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II has a putative C-terminal non-cleavable thylakoid transfer domain

AbstractThe N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 10 kDa polypeptide associated with the oxygen-evolving complex of wheat photosystem II has been determined and shown to be homologous to the amino acid sequence of the product of the ST-LS1 gene from potato. The N-terminal sequence of the mature protein indicates that the polypeptide is synthesized with a 39 amino acid N-terminal presequence which is similar to chloroplast import sequences but which lacks a hydrophobic domain for transfer of the protein across the thylakoid membrane. The mature polypeptide has a C-terminal hydrophobic region which shows homology to the hydrophobic thylakoid transfer domain of other lumenal proteins and this hydrophobic region of the 10 kDa polypeptide is suggested to facilitate transfer of the protein across the thylakoid membrane

Toward a conceptual framework of hyporheic exchange across spatial scales

Rivers are not isolated systems but interact continuously with groundwater from their confined headwaters to their wide lowland floodplains. In the last few decades, research on the hyporheic zone (HZ) has increased appreciation of the hydrological importance and ecological significance of connected river and groundwater systems. While recent studies have investigated hydrological, biogeochemical and ecohydrological processes in the HZ at bedform and reach scales, a comprehensive understanding of process-based interactions between factors operating at different spatial and temporal scales driving hyporheic exchange flows (HEFs) at reach scale and larger is still missing. Therefore, this review summarizes the factors and processes at catchment, valley, and reach scales that interact to control spatial and temporal variations in hyporheic exchange flows. By using a multi-scale perspective, this review connects field observations and modelling studies to identify the process driving patterns and dynamics of HEF. Finally, the influence of process interactions over multiple spatial scales is illustrated in a case study, supported by new GIS analyses, which highlights the importance of valley-scale factors to the expression of HEF at the reach scale. This conceptual framework will aid the development of approaches to interpret hyporheic exchange across scales, infer scaling relationships, and inform catchment management decisions

Natural History of Stuttering to 4 Years of Age: A Prospective Community-Based Study

These findings from a community-ascertained cohort refute long-held views suggesting that developmental stuttering is associated with a range of poorer outcomes. If anything, the reverse was true, with stuttering predicting subsequently better language,nonverbal skills, and psychosocial health-related quality of life at 4 years of age.Future research with this cohort will support a more complete longitudinal understanding of when and in whom recovery occurs. Current best practice recommends waiting for 12 monthsbefore commencing treatment, unlessthe child is distressed, there is parental concern, or the child becomes reluctant to communicate. It may be that for many children treatment could be deferred even longer. Treatment is efficacious15 but is both intensive (median of 15.4o ne-hour clinical sessions followedby 10 one-hour clinical maintenance sessions) and expensive; this "watchful waiting" recommendation would therefore help target allocation of scarce resources to the small number of children who do not resolve and experience adverse outcomes, secure in the knowledge that delaying treatment by a year or more has been shown not to compromise treatment efficac

A leucine-rich repeat peptide derived from the Drosophila Toll receptor forms extended filaments with a β-sheet structure

AbstractLeucine-rich repeats (LRRs) are 22–28 amino acid-long sequence motifs found in a family of cytoplasmic, membrane and extracellular proteins. There is evidence that LRRs function in signal transduction, cellular adhesion and protein-protein interactions. Here we report unusual properties of a synthetic LRR peptide derived from the sequence of the Drosophila membrane receptor Toll. In neutral solution the peptide forms a gel revealed by electron microscopy to consist of extended filaments approximately 8 nm in thickness. As the gel forms, the circular dichroism spectrum of the peptide solution changes from one characteristic of random coil to one associated with β-sheet structures. Molecular modelling suggests that the peptides form an amphipathic structure with a predominantly apolar and charged surface. Based on these results, models for the gross structure of the peptide filaments and a possible molecular mechanism for cellular adhesion are proposed

In situ formation of low molecular weight organogelators for slick solidification

We have investigated the in situ formation of Low Molecular Weight Organogelator (LMWO) molecules in oil-on-water slicks through dual reactive precursor injection. This method alleviates the need for any carrier solvent or prior heating, therefore reducing the environmental impact of LMWOs, giving instantaneous gelation, even at low temperatures (−5 °C). We show minimal leaching from our gels into the water layer

A leucine-rich repeat peptide derived from the Drosophila Toll receptor forms extended filaments with a β-sheet structure

AbstractLeucine-rich repeats (LRRs) are 22–28 amino acid-long sequence motifs found in a family of cytoplasmic, membrane and extracellular proteins. There is evidence that LRRs function in signal transduction, cellular adhesion and protein-protein interactions. Here we report unusual properties of a synthetic LRR peptide derived from the sequence of the Drosophila membrane receptor Toll. In neutral solution the peptide forms a gel revealed by electron microscopy to consist of extended filaments approximately 8 nm in thickness. As the gel forms, the circular dichroism spectrum of the peptide solution changes from one characteristic of random coil to one associated with β-sheet structures. Molecular modelling suggests that the peptides form an amphipathic structure with a predominantly apolar and charged surface. Based on these results, models for the gross structure of the peptide filaments and a possible molecular mechanism for cellular adhesion are proposed

Oral Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor: Case Report and Review of Literature

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rarely described tumor of unknown etiology and pathogenesis. It occurs primarily in the lungs, but has occurred in other extra-pulmonary sites. Histologically these lesions appear as an inflammatory infiltrate within a variably myofibrotic background. Current evidence shows that inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors are neoplastic processes resulting from chromosomal translocations that often cause an overexpression of ALK kinase, which is often assessed using immunohistochemical studies. Currently, the biological behavior of oral inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is still uncertain. This article describes the clinical, histological, and operative features of a case of IMT of the oral cavity