Using B-IBI to Identify Puget Sound Watersheds for Restoration and Protection

More than 20 organizations throughout Puget Sound have active biomonitoring programs to assess stream condition using the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI). There has been a net decline in the biological condition of small Puget Sound streams since 2007 as shown by B-IBI scores, a Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) vital sign indicator. King County has been awarded funds from the Washington Department of Ecology to identify and prioritize streams for protection and restoration, addressing two PSP Action Agenda recovery targets. This project will develop a decision framework for prioritizing restoration work, and will develop strategies and cost estimates to (1) preserve drainages with “excellent” B-IBI scores and (2) restore 30 drainages from “fair” to “good” B-IBI scores. Based on B-IBI scores from nearly 1,200 sites sampled between 1994 and 2013, 119 sites scored “excellent” one or more times, but only 28 sites averaged “excellent”. 642 sites scored “fair” one or more times and 452 sites averaged “fair”. Proposed criteria such as watershed urbanization, basin area, forest fragmentation and other factors will be presented for prioritizing and choosing which 30 streams or basins to restore from “fair” to “good”. This prioritization process will give local jurisdictions the greatest chance for implementing successful restoration and preservation actions that improve stream condition as measured by B-IBI

Microdroplet fabrication of silver–agarose nanocomposite beads for SERS optical accumulation

Microdroplets have been used as reactors for the fabrication of agarose beads with high uniformity in shape and size, and densely loaded with silver ions, which were subsequently reduced into nanoparticles using hydrazine. The resulting nanocomposite beads not only display a high plasmonic activity, but can also trap/concentrate analytes, which can be identified by means of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The size of the beads is such that it allows the detection of a single bead under a conventional optical microscope, which is very useful to reduce the amount of material required for SERS detectio

IPv6 and IPsec Tests of a Space-Based Asset, the Cisco Router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO)

This report documents the design of network infrastructure to support testing and demonstrating network-centric operations and command and control of space-based assets, using IPv6 and IPsec. These tests were performed using the Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO), an experimental payload onboard the United Kingdom--Disaster Monitoring Constellation (UK-DMC) satellite built and operated by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). On Thursday, 29 March 2007, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cisco Systems and SSTL performed the first configuration and demonstration of IPsec and IPv6 onboard a satellite in low Earth orbit. IPv6 is the next generation of the Internet Protocol (IP), designed to improve on the popular IPv4 that built the Internet, while IPsec is the protocol used to secure communication across IP networks. This demonstration was made possible in part by NASA s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) and shows that new commercial technologies such as mobile networking, IPv6 and IPsec can be used for commercial, military and government space applications. This has direct application to NASA s Vision for Space Exploration. The success of CLEO has paved the way for new spacebased Internet technologies, such as the planned Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) payload at geostationary orbit, which will be a U.S. Department of Defense Joint Capability Technology Demonstration. This is a sanitized report for public distribution. All real addressing has been changed to psueco addressing

Hydrophilic PDMS microchannels for high-throughput formation of oil-in-water microdroplets and water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions

Here we present a novel surface modification method based on the sequential layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes yielding hydrophilic microchannels in PDMS-based microfluidic devices. The coatings are long-term stable and allow for the generation of monodisperse oil-in-water microdroplets even several months after the channel surface treatment. Due to the robustness of the polyelectrolyte multilayers ultra-high flow rates can be applied, making high-throughput droplet formation in the jetting mode possible. Furthermore, we successfully used our method to selectively modify the surface properties in certain areas of assembled microchannels. The resulting partially hydrophilic, partially hydrophobic microfluidic devices allow for the production of monodisperse water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions.<br/

Tyrol Prostate Cancer Demonstration Project : early detection, treatment, outcome, incidence and mortality

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a well-controlled programme of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer in the population of Tyrol, Austria, where such a programme of early detection and treatment was initiated in 1988 and where prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing was offered for free to all men aged 45-75 years from 1993. Comparison of prostate cancer mortality rates in Tyrol and the rest of Austria was accomplished through a generalized additive model. A piecewise linear change-point Poisson regression model was used to compare mortality rates in Tyrol and the rest of Austria. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated with reference to the mortality rates in 1986-1990. In all, 86.6% of eligible men have been tested at least once since 1993. Cancer deaths in Tyrol in 2005 were 54% (95% confidence interval [CI] 34-69%) lower than expected compared with 29% (95% CI 22-35%) in the rest of Austria. The decreasing trend in prostate cancer mortality was significantly greater in Tyrol compared with the rest of Austria (P = 0.001). A significant migration to lower stage disease occurred and radical prostatectomy was associated with low morbidity. In the Tyrol region where treatment is freely available to all patients, where widespread PSA testing and treatment with curative intent occurs, there was a reduction in prostate cancer mortality rates which was significantly greater than the reduction in the rest of Austria. This reduction in prostate cancer mortality is most probably due to early detection, consequent down-staging and effective treatment of prostate cancer

Synchronized Time-Lens Source for Coherent Raman Scattering Microscopy

We use the time-lens concept to demonstrate a new scheme for synchronization of two pulsed light sources for biological imaging. An all fiber, 1064 nm time-lens source is synchronized to a picosecond solid-state Ti: Sapphire mode-locked laser by using the mode-locked laser pulses as the clock. We demonstrate the application of this synchronized source for CARS and SRS imaging by imaging mouse tissues. Synchronized two wavelength pulsed source is an important technical difficulty for CARS and SRS imaging. The time-lens source demonstrated here may provide an all fiber, user friendly alternative for future SRS imaging.Chemistry and Chemical BiologyPhysic

Taurolidine reduces the tumor stimulating cytokine interleukin-1beta in patients with resectable gastrointestinal cancer: a multicentre prospective randomized trial

Background The effect of additional treatment strategies with antineoplastic agents on intraperitoneal tumor stimulating interleukin levels are unclear. Taurolidine and Povidone-iodine have been mainly used for abdominal lavage in Germany and Europe. Methods In the settings of a multicentre (three University Hospitals) prospective randomized controlled trial 120 patients were randomly allocated to receive either 0.5% taurolidine/2,500 IU heparin (TRD) or 0.25% povidone-iodine (control) intraperitoneally for resectable colorectal, gastric or pancreatic cancers. Due to the fact that IL-1beta (produced by macrophages) is preoperatively indifferent in various gastrointestinal cancer types our major outcome criterion was the perioperative (overall) level of IL-1beta in peritoneal fluid. Results Cytokine values were significantly lower after TRD lavage for IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-10. Perioperative complications did not differ. The median follow-up was 50.0 months. The overall mortality rate (28 vs. 25, p = 0.36), the cancer-related death rate (17 vs. 19, p = .2), the local recurrence rate (7 vs. 12, p = .16), the distant metastasis rate (13 vs. 18, p = 0.2) as well as the time to relapse were not statistically significant different. Conclusion Reduced cytokine levels might explain a short term antitumorigenic intraperitoneal effect of TRD. But, this study analyzed different types of cancer. Therefore, we set up a multicentre randomized trial in patients undergoing curative colorectal cancer resection. Trial registration : ISRCTN6647853