Effect of Petroleum Hydrocarbons on Microbial Populations in an Arctic Lake

A sea-curtain enclosed section of a lake 240 km south of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska was exposed to Prudhoe crude oil in July 1976. One year following exposure to the oil, no significant differences were detected between the waters or sediments of the oiled versus control area in rates of turnover of glucose. Total numbers of bacteria were slightly higher in oiled than in control waters. There were no differences in numbers of sediment bacteria. Rates of uptake of hexadecane and napthalene by sediment microbes were not linear with time. Hexadecane was taken up sooner and faster than was napthalene. In 0 some incubations, significantly (88 - 95% probability level) greater rates of hydrocarbon uptake were measured for oiled than for control sediments. Only incorporated, not mineralized, hydrocarbons were measured due to methodological problems. Several methods of using 14C-labelled hydrocarbons in a field situation are presented

Geochemical-geophysical investigations, Fairbanks district

Trace element distribution in a subarctic valley in the Cleary Hill area of the Fairbanks gold district has been studied. Zinc and arsenic have been found excellent pathfinder elements for auriferous deposits. Methods of analysis for copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, silver and arsenic as well as heavy metals are discussed. The University of Alaska method #2 has been improved, Terrain, slope, and frozen ground have little effect upon the distribution of trace elements associated with the Cleary H i l l vein. A new method for the determination of zinc using dilute acid is proposed. Analysis of geochemical data by trend surface procedures proved effective for localization of anomalies

Universality and Lepton Flavor Violation in Upsilon Decays at CLEO

I present two analyses done with the CLEOIII detector at CESR. The first is a search for the Lepton Flavor Violating decay Upsilon to mu tau, with preliminary results, and the second constrains Lepton Universality in Upsilon to tau tau relative to Upsilon to mu mu. This second analysis, whose results are final, has dramatically improved uncertainties relative to other such measurements, and is also the first observation of the decay Upsilon(3S) to tau tau. A limit is also set on the involvement of a CP odd Higgs in the decay of the Upsilon(1S) to tau pairs.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in proceedings of The 9th International Workshop on Tau-Lepton Physics, Tau0

First Documented Pathologies in Tenontosaurus tilletti with Comments on Infection in Non-Avian Dinosaurs

In 2001, a nearly complete sub-adult Tenontosaurus tilletti was collected from the Antlers Formation (Aptian-Albian) of southeastern Oklahoma. Beyond its exceptional preservation, computed tomography (CT) and physical examination revealed this specimen has five pathological elements with four of the pathologies a result of trauma. Left pedal phalanx I-1 and left dorsal rib 10 are both fractured with extensive callus formation in the later stages of healing. Left dorsal rib 7 (L7) and right dorsal rib 10 (R10) exhibit impacted fractures compressed 26 mm and 24 mm, respectively. The fracture morphologies in L7 and R10 indicate this animal suffered a strong compressive force coincident with the long axis of the ribs. All three rib pathologies and the pathological left phalanx I-1 are consistent with injuries sustained in a fall. However, it is clear from the healing exhibited by these fractures that this individual survived the fall. In addition to traumatic fractures, left dorsal rib 10 and possibly left phalanx I-1 have a morphology consistent with post-traumatic infection in the form of osteomyelitis. The CT scans of left metacarpal IV revealed the presence of an abscess within the medullary cavity consistent with a subacute form of hematogenous osteomyelitis termed a Brodie abscess. This is only the second reported Brodie abscess in non-avian dinosaurs and the first documented occurrence in herbivorous dinosaurs. The presence of a Brodie abscess, known only in mammalian pathological literature, suggest mammalian descriptors for bone infection may be applicable to non-avian dinosaurs.We thank R. Cifelli, S. Westrop, and N. Czaplewski for reviewing early drafts of this manuscript. This research was funded by grants awarded to R. L. Cifelli by the American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF#38572-AC8) and the National Science Foundation (DEB 9870173). Open Access Fees paid for whole or in part by the University of Oklahoma Libraries Open Initiatives.Ye

The Centurion 18 telescope of the Wise Observatory

We describe the second telescope of the Wise Observatory, a 0.46-m Centurion 18 (C18) installed in 2005, which enhances significantly the observing possibilities. The telescope operates from a small dome and is equipped with a large-format CCD camera. In the last two years this telescope was intensively used in a variety of monitoring projects. The operation of the C18 is now automatic, requiring only start-up at the beginning of a night and close-down at dawn. The observations are mostly performed remotely from the Tel Aviv campus or even from the observer's home. The entire facility was erected for a component cost of about 70k$ and a labor investment of a total of one man-year. We describe three types of projects undertaken with this new facility: the measurement of asteroid light variability with the purpose of determining physical parameters and binarity, the following-up of transiting extrasolar planets, and the study of AGN variability. The successful implementation of the C18 demonstrates the viability of small telescopes in an age of huge light-collectors, provided the operation of such facilities is very efficient.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, some figures quality was degraded, accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc