Effects of Water Released From Stratified and Unstratified Reservoirs on the Downstream Water Quality

Water quality samples were collected from the Little River system in Pine Creek Lake, Oklahoma, and Gillham Lake, Arkansas, and their associated tailwaters during the winter (reservoirs unstratified) and summer (reservoirs stratified) of 1980. Downstream water quality was not affected by reservoir water releases while the reservoirs were unstratified. When the reservoirs were stratified water quality in the tailwaters was dependent on the release depth of the water. The practice of flushing out a tailwater following an extended low flow period should be examined on a site by site basis. Anoxic water released from a reservoir may contain high amounts of certain chemicals that may be detrimental to downstream aquatic life

Water Quality in the Gillham Lake-Cossatot River System During Dry and Wet Periods

Water samples were collected in the Cossatot River-Gillham Lake system during an extended dry period and after heavy rains to determine the spatial variations in certain water quality characteristics. Of particular interest was the influence of the reservoir discharge on the water quality of the tailwater compared with the effects of four tributaries entering the tailwater below the reservoir. The water quality of the Cossatot River below Gillham Lake at low-flow (dry periods) and during the first 3 days after heavy rainfall (wet period) was influenced more by the tributaries entering the tailwater than by the reservoir water release. We estimated, however, that the amount of particulate inorganic matter released to the tailwater from the reservoir after the initial 3-day wet period would be greater than the amounts entering the tailwater from the tributaries

THE LOCATION DECISION OF HARDWOOD MANUFACTURING IN THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL APPALACHIAN STATES

This study's objective is to identify and understand the factors important to hardwood processors' location decisions in the northern and central Appalachian region. Concepts from neoclassical and behavioral location theories were integrated to develop a general framework for analyzing these decisions. Logit regression analysis was used to determine those establishment characteristics related to the likelihood of location search. To a great extent, establishments locate based on personal ties and do not conduct searches. Most variables found to influence the likelihood of search are not controllable by state or local governments. The implications are that existing establishments should be targeted for retention and expansion, rather than focusing on recruitment.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Industrial Organization,

Screening for QT Prolongation in the Emergency Department: Is There a Better “Rule of Thumb?”

Introduction: Identification of QT prolongation in the emergency department (ED) is critical for appropriate monitoring, disposition, and treatment of patients at risk for torsades de pointes (TdP). Unfortunately, identifying prolonged QT is not straightforward. Computer algorithms are unreliable in identifying prolonged QT. Manual QT-interval assessment methods, including QT correction formulas and the QT nomogram, are time-consuming and are not ideal screening tools in the ED. Many emergency clinicians rely on the “rule of thumb” or “Half the RR” rule (Half-RR) as an initial screening method, but prior studies have shown that the Half-RR rule performs poorly as compared to other QT assessment methods. We sought to characterize the problems associated with the Half-RR rule and find a modified screening tool to more safely assess the QT interval of ED patients for prolonged QT.Methods: We created graphs comparing the prediction of the Half-RR rule to other common QT assessment methods for a spectrum of QT and heart rate pairs. We then proposed various modifications to the Half-RR rule and assessed these modifications to find an improved “rule of thumb.”Results: When compared to other methods of QT correction, the Half-RR rule appears to be more conservative at normal and elevated heart rates, making it a safe initial screening tool. However, in bradycardia, the Half-RR rule is not sufficiently sensitive in identifying prolonged QT. Adding a fixed QT cutoff of 485 milliseconds (ms) increases the sensitivity of the rule in bradycardia, creating a safer initial screening tool.Conclusion: For a rapid and more sensitive screening evaluation of the QT interval on electrocardiograms in the ED, we propose combining use of the Half-RR rule at normal and elevated heart rates with a fixed uncorrected QT cutoff of 485 ms in bradycardia

Macroscopic Benthos Populations and Taxonomy of the Family Chironomidae in Lake Poinsett, South Dakota

Benthos samples were collected in Lake Poinsett, a highly eutrophic eastern South Dakota lake, from March 1970 through February 1971. The lake bottom was divided into three substrate types (sand, sand-sapropel mixture and sapropel) and the percent of each substrate type was calculated. Nineteen macroscopic genera were taken from ten sampling stations located throughout the lake. Descriptions are presented for organisms in this group. Diversity of organisms was greatest in the sand substrates, in that all 19 genera were collected. Chironomus spp. (Chironomus plomosus, Chironomus attenuates and six unidentified species) was the most abundant group of organisms and occurred most frequently in the sapropel (mud) substrate. Forty percent (514.2/m2) of mean annual numbers and 77% (0.9961 gm/m2) of mean annual dry weight from all substrates consisted of organisms from these eight species of Chironomus. The mean annual standing crop (1.28 gm/m2) in Lake Poinsett was approximately average in comparison to other lakes

Water Quality and Benthic Invertebrate Communities in Lake Greeson Tailwater

The Little Missouri River below Lake Greeson, Arkansas, was sampled for water quality and benthos during summer 1979. The hydropower turbine water intakes, 20 m below the lake surface, released hypolimnetic water into the tailwater. Downstream water temperatures, total organic matter, and total inorganic matter varied considerably and benthic invertebrate communities immediately below the dam were stressed by waters released for power generation. Detrimental effects from altered temperature and flow regimes had decreased by 16.1 km downstream, where invertebrate communities were typical of less stressed environments

Monomerization of Cytosolic Mature Smac Attenuates Interaction with IAPs and Potentiation of Caspase Activation

The four residues at the amino-terminus of mature Smac/DIABLO are an IAP binding motif (IBM). Upon exit from mitochondria, mature Smac interacts with inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), abrogating caspase inhibition. We used the ubiquitin fusion model to express mature Smac in the cytosol. Transiently expressed mature Smac56-239 (called Smac56) and Smac60-239 (called Smac60), which lacks the IBM, interacted with X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). However, stable expression produced wild type Smac56 that failed to homodimerize, interact with XIAP, and potentiate caspase activation. Cytosolic Smac60 retained these functions. Cytosolic Smac56 apparently becomes posttranslationally modified at the dimer interface region, which obliterated the epitope for a monoclonal antibody. Cytosolic Smacδ, which has the IBM but lacks amino acids 62–105, homodimerized and weakly interacted with XIAP, but failed to potentiate apoptosis. These findings suggest that the IBM of Smac is a recognition point for a posttranslational modification(s) that blocks homodimerization and IAP interaction, and that amino acids 62–105 are required for the proapoptotic function of Smac

Lipid Synthesis in the Beef Animal

Rates of in vitro fat synthesis from acetate and lactate were compared to the activities of enzymes thought to be involved in the process of lipid synthesis from lactate. Results of these studies indicate that lactate can be incorporated into fats by a pathway heretofore thought to be nonfunctional in ruminants, the citrate cleavage:malic enzyme pathway. Studies of the effects of age and diet on the enzymes of the citrate cleavage:malic enzyme pathway support the concept of a physiological role for this pathway in lipid synthesis in beef cattle