Footprinting with MPE•Fe(II). Complementary-strand analyses of distamycin- and actinomycin-binding sites on heterogeneous DNA

We recently reported a direct technique for determining the binding sites of small molecules on naturally occurring heterogeneous DNA (Van Dyke et al. 1982). Methidiumpropyl-EDTA·Fe(II) (MPE·Fe[II]) (Hertzberg and Dervan 1982) cleaves double-helical DNA with low sequence-specificity (Van Dyke et al. 1982). Using a combination of MPE·Fe(II) partial cleavage of drug-protected DNA fragments and Maxam-Gilbert sequencing methods, we determined the drug-protected sites on one strand of a double-helical fragment from pBR322 for the intercalator actinomycin D (Goldberg et al. 1962; Muller and Crothers 1968; Wells and Larson 1970; Sobell 1973; Krugh 1981; Patel et al. 1981; Takusagawa et al. 1982) and the minor-groove binders netropsin and distamycin A (Luck et al. 1974; Wartell et al. 1974; Zimmer 1975; Berman et al. 1979; Krylov et al. 1979). Netropsin and distamycin A gave identical DNA-cleavage inhibition patterns or footprints in regions rich in dA·dT base pairs. Actinomycin D afforded a completely different footprint..

Jurisdictional Roadside Ditches

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) mandates that state agencies and other entities perform compensatory mitigation when their activities impair jurisdictional waters. In the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is required to pay in-lieu fees or purchase stream mitigation credits when a roadside ditch is impaired or relocated as part of a road construction project. In-lieu fees and stream mitigation credits are costly, and ditches that have suffered degraded habitat and loss of hydrogeomorphic functionality are treated as total losses when they are impacted by construction and maintenance activities. This raises the question of whether the United States Corps of Engineers (USACE) would be receptive to alternative mitigation and monitoring practices that impose a less stringent financial burden on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, but which still comply with CWA regulations. This report discusses methodologies used to evaluate the quality of instream and riparian habitat, Section 404 of the CWA and its implications for mitigation of lost or damaged jurisdictional ditches, and the strategies that have been used by other states to fulfill their Section 404 mitigation requirements. We highlight mitigation practices that depart from the norm and which place a less onerous financial burden on state transportation agencies. KYTC officials presented this report’s key findings to the USACE Louisville District Office in January 2015 in an effort to receive approval to experiment with novel restoration techniques. The USACE granted KYTC license to implement these techniques on a project-by- project basis. Before implementation on each project, the Cabinet must receive formal approval from USACE officials. Although this was not the blanket mandate that KYTC hoped for, it indicated the Louisville District is willing to study the effectiveness of alternative mitigation strategies. Despite the Cabinet’s request, USACE officials did not approve a plan to reduce post-restoration monitoring requirements. KTC researchers suggested that KYTC perform exhaustive monitoring of the performance of completed project that used alternative mitigation techniques. Having information on the short-, medium-, and long-term performance of these sites could–if the results are promising-pave the way to the wider adoption of alternative mitigation practices and could eventually reduce the level of post-restoration monitoring required by the USACE

FUSE Detection of Galactic OVI Emission in the Halo above the Perseus Arm

Background observations obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) toward l=95.4, b=36.1 show OVI 1032,1038 in emission. This sight line probes a region of stronger-than-average soft X-ray emission in the direction of high-velocity cloud Complex C above a part of the disk where Halpha filaments rise into the halo. The OVI intensities, 1600+/-300 ph/s/cm^2/sr (1032A) and 800+/-300 ph/s/cm^2/sr (1038A), are the lowest detected in emission in the Milky Way to date. A second sight line nearby (l=99.3, b=43.3) also shows OVI 1032 emission, but with too low a signal-to-noise ratio to obtain reliable measurements. The measured intensities, velocities, and FWHMs of the OVI doublet and the CII* line at 1037A are consistent with a model in which the observed emission is produced in the Galactic halo by hot gas ejected by supernovae in the Perseus arm. An association of the observed gas with Complex C appears unlikely.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJL, 11 pages including 3 figure

Final Calibration of the Berkeley Extreme and Far-Ultraviolet Spectrometer on the ORFEUS-SPAS I and II Missions

The Berkeley Extreme and Far-Ultraviolet Spectrometer (BEFS) flew as part of the ORFEUS telescope on the ORFEUS-SPAS I and II space-shuttle missions in 1993 and 1996, respectively. The data obtained by this instrument have now entered the public domain. To facilitate their use by the astronomical community, we have re-extracted and re-calibrated both data sets, converted them into a standard (FITS) format, and placed them in the Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST). Our final calibration yields improved wavelength scales and effective-area curves for both data sets.Comment: To appear in the January 2002 issue of the PASP. 17 pages with 9 embedded postscript figures; uses emulateapj5.st

The Rapidly Rotating, Hydrogen Deficient, Hot Post-Asymptotic Giant Branch Star ZNG 1 in the Globular Cluster M5

We report observations of the hot post-asymptotic giant branch star ZNG 1 in the globular cluster M5 (NGC 5904) with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). From the resulting spectrum, we derive an effective temperature T_eff = 44300 +/- 300 K, a surface gravity log g = 4.3 +/- 0.1, a rotational velocity v sin i = 170 +/- 20 km/s, and a luminosity log (L/L_sun) = 3.52 +/- 0.04. The atmosphere is helium-rich (Y = 0.93), with enhanced carbon (2.6% by mass), nitrogen (0.51%) and oxygen (0.37%) abundances. The spectrum shows evidence for a wind with terminal velocity near 1000 km/s and an expanding shell of carbon- and nitrogen-rich material around the star. The abundance pattern of ZNG 1 is suggestive of the ``born-again'' scenario, whereby a star on the white-dwarf cooling curve undergoes a very late shell flash and returns to the AGB, but the star's rapid rotation is more easily explained by a previous interaction with a binary companion.Comment: 8 pages, 2 PostScript figures, Latex with emulateapj5. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Green Infrastructure

The transportation industry has increasingly recognized the vital role sustainability serves in promoting and protecting the transportation infrastructure of the nation. Many state Departments of Transportation have correspondingly increased efforts to incorporate concepts of sustainability into the planning, design, and construction phases of projects and congruently adopted sustainability measures into their internal standard policies and procedures. Sustainably constructed highways foster economic development, promote stewardship of the environment, and solicit citizen involvement for an integrated, comprehensive approach to project planning. As part of an effort to understand the extent to which sustainable design and construction principles are being used, this report selects and analyzes three case studies involving previously completed KYTC projects and assesses their commitment to sustainable concepts. Specifically, this report examines the extent to which KYTC utilized sustainable concepts for each case study as described in FHWA’s INVEST rating system. This research effort comprised three components. First, KTC researchers analyzed KYTC’s policies and manuals for project planning, design, and construction and determined the extent to which INVEST criteria and related principles were incorporated into their standard processes. Second, KTC analyzed the individual case studies themselves, to include project plans and other relevant documentation. Finally, KTC conducted interviews with each of the KYTC district offices responsible for managing those previously completed projects and obtained feedback on the INVEST criteria used for each particular project. Following this approach, KTC validated and finalized the assigned scoring ratings for each case study in accordance with the INVEST scoring guidance. In summary, this report describes the sustainable concepts and corresponding INVEST scores for each project, presents a summary of the main findings, and provides recommendations for the way ahead

Inland Waterways Funding Mechanisms Synthesis

The inland waterway system is a vital part of the nation’s multi-modal freight network. Although less visible than other modes, inland waterways allow shippers to transport bulk commodities in a relatively cheap and environmentally-friendly method. To ensure this transportation mode remains a feasible option and accommodates growth, it must continue to be safe, efficient, and functional. This synthesis provides comprehensive perspective on the financial prospects of the inland waterways system. It analyzes current funding levels, along with proposed funding changes and reforms. Financial support for the inland waterways system comes from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF). Historical data gathered provides evidence that the IWTF resources have rapidly declined in recent years, limiting the number of infrastructure projects that can be undertaken. Some of this is can be attributed to the lack of a fuel tax increase since 1995. The fuel tax serves as the primary revenue source for the IWTF. The purchasing power of each dollar is therefore eroded due to the increase of construction costs, coupled with the tax revenue not increasing.In order to reinforce the IWTF and deal with a mounting project backlog, several funding reforms have been proposed in addition to changes in project delivery and prioritization. Many reforms include raising the fuel tax and changing the current cost share structure. Other proposals lay out different options, such as tolling locks and dams or instituting license fees.In order to reverse the decline of the IWTF, it appears that substantive changes may be required. The past and current state of the system also provides insight as to how previous investment levels have impacted reliability.Measures of lock performance, such as the number of outages (both scheduled and unscheduled) and the duration of lock outages, are used to assess system dependability. These reveal that in recent years there has been an increase in outages and outage durations. Possible factors include a reduction in funding for construction and maintenance projects, which compounds the increasing infrastructure age issue.Unexpected closures impact shippers by causing unplanned delays. These delays increase costs of inland waterway shipments by idling freight and reducing reliability.In turn, reduced system reliability may prompt modal shifts as freight shippers seek more consistent modes of transport. This synthesis provides valuable information for stakeholders and policymakers regarding current funding levels and investments in the inland waterway system.The initial evidence in this report shows that declining funding levels, coupled with aging locks and dams, are likely contributing to increases in lock outages.If such issues are to be rectified, the reforms detailed here provide a starting point for changing the current funding regime