Land resources of the Bencubbin area

This survey of the Bencubbin area is part of the Agriculture Western Australia\u27s regional land resource mapping program, and covers approximately 1.5 million hectares in the Merredin, Trayning, Koorda, Mount Marshall, Mukinbudin, Westonia and Nungarin Shires of Western Australia. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and cool winters. Land is used for winter cereal production and grazing, and about 60% is cropped each year. Wheat is the main crop and is grown in rotation with lupins, field peas, barley and medic pasture. This report provides primary and interpreted information on the character and capability of the land, for use at regional, catchment and farm levels. The five major outputs or datasets are: • a site database of soil and landforms • description of map units • description of soil series • a soil landscape map at a scale of 1:250,000 • interpretation of the data. The 1:250,000 scale map and 14 soil landscape map units at subsystem level indicate the landform pattern and enable prediction of soil property variation at a regional level. Land capability interpretations can be made for broad regional planning. For farm scale use, the survey identifies and describes 18 soil series. This provides a basis for more detailed mapping and land use interpretation. Soils are identified within a common framework throughout the region and this grouping will aid the extension of local experience and experimental research results

Camera traps at northern river otter latrines enhance carnivore detectability along riparian areas in eastern North America

AbstractWe evaluated the efficacy of placing camera traps at river otter (Lontra canadensis) latrines (discrete sites in riparian areas where otters regularly deposit scats, urine, and anal secretions) to detect other carnivores occupying Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey, USA. We postulated that scents at latrines may serve as an attractant to other carnivores and evaluated this premise by using camera traps to compare carnivore detection rates (overall and by species) and richness (overall and for each survey month) between latrine (n=5) and non-latrine riparian areas (n=5). On average carnivore richness was about 1.7 times higher than that of a non-latrine, and mean richness was higher at latrines for all survey months. Likewise, the overall carnivore detection frequency was 3.5 times greater at latrines, and the detection frequencies for red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), northern raccoons (Procyon lotor), river otters, mink (Neovison vison), long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata), and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were greater at latrines. American black bears (Ursus americanus) and eastern coyotes (Canis latrans) where detected more frequently at non-latrines. Our study provides evidence that placement of camera traps at otter latrines may serve as a new and novel approach for monitoring carnivore populations in riparian areas

Persistence of full glacial conditions in the central Pacific until 15,000 years ago

The magnitude of atmospheric cooling during the Last Glacial Maximum and the timing of the transition into the current interglacial period remain poorly constrained in tropical regions, partly because of a lack of suitable climate records. Glacial moraines provide a method of reconstructing past temperatures, but they are relatively rare in the tropics. Here we present a reconstruction of atmospheric temperatures in the central Pacific during the last deglaciation on the basis of cosmogenic ^3He ages of moraines and numerical modelling of the ice cap on Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii—the only highland in the central Pacific on which moraines that formed during the last glacial period are preserved. Our reconstruction indicates that the Last Glacial Maximum occurred between 19,000 and 16,000 years ago in this region and that temperatures at high elevations were about 7 °C lower than today during this interval. Glacial retreat began about 16,000 years ago, but temperatures were still about 6.5 °C lower than today until 15,000 years ago. When combined with estimates of sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean, our reconstruction indicates that the lapse rate during the Last Glacial Maximum was higher than at present, which is consistent with the proposal that the atmosphere was drier at that time. Furthermore, the persistence of full glacial conditions until 15,000 years ago is consistent with the relatively late and abrupt transition to warmer temperatures in Greenland5, indicating that there may have been an atmospheric teleconnection between the central Pacific and North Atlantic regions during the last deglaciation

Multiannual observations and modelling of seasonal thermal profiles through supraglacial debris in the Central Himalaya

Many glaciers in the Central Himalaya are covered with rock debris that modifies the transfer of heat from the atmosphere to the underlying ice. These debris-covered glaciers are experiencing rapid mass loss at rates that have accelerated during the last two decades. Quantifying recent and future glacier mass change requires understanding the relationship between debris thickness and ablation particularly through the summer monsoon season. We present air, near-surface and debris temperatures measured during three monsoon seasons at five sites on Khumbu Glacier in Nepal, and compare these results to similar measurements from two other debris-covered glaciers in this region. Seasonal debris temperature profiles are approximately linear and consistent between sites for thick (>?0.5?m) and thin (<?0.5?m) debris across thicknesses ranging from 0.26 to 2.0?m. The similarities between these multiannual data imply that they are representative of supraglacial debris layers in the monsoon-influenced Himalaya more generally. We compare three methods to calculate sub-debris ablation, including using our temperature measurements with a thermal diffusion model that incorporates a simplified treatment of debris moisture. Estimated ablation between 3 June and 11 October at around 5000?m above sea level ranged from 0.10?m water equivalent beneath 1.5?m of debris to 0.47?m water equivalent beneath 0.3?m debris. However, these values are small when compared to remotely observed rates of surface lowering, suggesting that mass loss from these debris-covered glaciers is greatly enhanced by supraglacial and englacial processes that locally amplify ablationauthorsversionPeer reviewe

Glacial and geomorphic effects of a supraglacial lake drainage and outburst event, Everest region, Nepal Himalaya

A set of supraglacial ponds filled rapidly between April and July 2017 on Changri Shar Glacier in the Everest region of Nepal, coalescing into a similar to 180 000 m(2) lake before sudden and complete drainage through Changri Shar and Khumbu glaciers (15-17 July). We use PlanetScope and Pleiades satellite orthoimagery to document the system's evolution over its very short filling period and to assess the glacial and proglacial effects of the outburst flood. We also use high-resolution stereo digital elevation models (DEMs) to complete a detailed analysis of the event's glacial and geomorphic effects. Finally, we use discharge records at a stream gauge 4 km downstream to refine our interpretation of the chronology and magnitude of the outburst. We infer largely subsurface drainage through both of the glaciers located on its flow path, and efficient drainage through the lower portion of Khumbu Glacier. The drainage and subsequent outburst of 1.36 +/- 0.19 x 10(6) m(3) of impounded water had a clear geomorphic impact on glacial and proglacial topography, including deep incision and landsliding along the Changri Nup proglacial stream, the collapse of shallow englacial conduits near the Khumbu terminus and extensive, enhanced bank erosion at least as far as 11 km downstream below Khumbu Glacier. These sudden changes destroyed major trails in three locations, demonstrating the potential hazard that short-lived, relatively small glacial lakes pose

Development of a diesel surrogate for improved autoignition prediction: Methodology and detailed chemical kinetic modeling

While the surrogate fuel approach has been successfully applied to the simulation of the combustion behaviors of complex gasoline and jet fuels, its application to diesel fuels has been challenging. One of the main challenges derives from the large molecular size of the representative surrogate components necessary to simulate diesel blends, as the development of detailed chemical kinetic models and their validation becomes more complex. In this study, a new surrogate mixture that emulates the chemical and physical properties of a well-characterized diesel fuel is proposed. An optimization procedure was used to select surrogate components that can match both the physical and chemical properties of the target diesel fuel comprehensively. The surrogate fuel mixture composition was designed to have fuel properties (e.g., boiling point, cloud point, etc.) that enable its use in future diesel engine experiments. A detailed kinetic model for the surrogate fuel mixture was developed by combining well-validated sub-mechanisms of each surrogate component from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The ability of the surrogate mixture and kinetic model to emulate ignition delay times was assessed by comparing the simulated results with measurements for the target diesel fuel. Comparison of the experimental and simulated ignition delay times shows that the current surrogate mixture and kinetic model well capture the autoignition response of the target diesel fuel at varying conditions of pressure, temperature, oxygen concentration, and fuel concentration. The current study is one of the first to demonstrate the efficacy of detailed chemical kinetics for diesel range fuels by assembling validated sub-mechanisms for palette compounds and successfully simulating the autoignition characteristics of a target diesel fuel. The experimental ignition delay times of diesel measured with a rapid compression machine, the surrogate mixture, and the kinetic model developed shall aid in progress of understanding diesel ignition under engine relevant conditions

Ice cliff contribution to the tongue-wide ablation of Changri Nup Glacier, Nepal, central Himalaya

Ice cliff backwasting on debris-covered glaciers is recognized as an important mass-loss process that is potentially responsible for the debris-cover anomaly, i.e. the fact that debris-covered and debris-free glacier tongues appear to have similar thinning rates in the Himalaya. In this study, we quantify the total contribution of ice cliff backwasting to the net ablation of the tongue of Changri Nup Glacier, Nepal, between 2015 and 2017. Detailed backwasting and surface thinning rates were obtained from terrestrial photogrammetry collected in November 2015 and 2016, unmanned air vehicle (UAV) surveys conducted in November 2015, 2016 and 2017, and Pléiades tri-stereo imagery obtained in November 2015, 2016 and 2017. UAV- and Pléiades-derived ice cliff volume loss estimates were 3&thinsp;% and 7&thinsp;% less than the value calculated from the reference terrestrial photogrammetry. Ice cliffs cover between 7&thinsp;% and 8&thinsp;% of the total map view area of the Changri Nup tongue. Yet from November 2015 to November 2016 (November 2016 to November 2017), ice cliffs contributed to 23±5&thinsp;% (24±5&thinsp;%) of the total ablation observed on the tongue. Ice cliffs therefore have a net ablation rate 3.1±0.6 (3.0±0.6) times higher than the average glacier tongue surface. However, on Changri Nup Glacier, ice cliffs still cannot compensate for the reduction in ablation due to debris-cover. In addition to cliff enhancement, a combination of reduced ablation and lower emergence velocities could be responsible for the debris-cover anomaly on debris-covered tongues.</p

Seasonally stable temperature gradients through supraglacial debris in the Everest region of Nepal, Central Himalaya

Rock debris covers about 30% of glacier ablation areas in the Central Himalaya and modifies the impact of atmospheric conditions on mass balance. The thermal properties of supraglacial debris are diurnally variable but remain poorly constrained for monsoon-influenced glaciers over the timescale of the ablation season. We measured vertical debris profile temperatures at 12 sites on four glaciers in the Everest region with debris thickness ranging from 0.08–2.8 m. Typically, the length of the ice ablation season beneath supraglacial debris was 160 days (15 May to 22 October)—a month longer than the monsoon season. Debris temperature gradients were approximately linear (r2 > 0.83), measured as –40°C m–1 where debris was up to 0.1 m thick, –20°C m–1 for debris 0.1–0.5 m thick, and –4°C m–1 for debris greater than 0.5 m thick. Our results demonstrate that the influence of supraglacial debris on the temperature of the underlying ice surface, and therefore melt, is stable at a seasonal timescale and can be estimated from near-surface temperature. These results have the potential to greatly improve the representation of ablation in calculations of debris-covered glacier mass balance and projections of their response to climate change.Peer reviewe

Scn8a Antisense Oligonucleotide Is Protective in Mouse Models of SCN8A Encephalopathy and Dravet Syndrome

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154348/1/ana25676.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154348/2/ana25676_am.pd

Prevalence of impairments, disabilities, handicaps and quality of life in the general population: a review of recent literature

International audienc