Classification System for the Natural Vegetation of Arkansas

We present a hierarchical classification system for existing natural vegetation of Arkansas based on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) system. It incorporates aspects of systems in use by the Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Society of American Foresters, and United States Forest Service, as well as data on potential vegetation from maps by E.E. Dale and A.W. Kuchler. A total of 18 physiognomic cover types are recognized for natural terrestrial cover, 6 for palustrine cover, and 4 each for lacustrine cover and riverine cover. Over 200 community types are recognized, grouped into 57 cover types and 90 intermediate groupings. This system is appropriate for use with remotely sensed data and the level of detail dealt with can be rationally adjusted by working at a higher or lower level of the hierarchy. We suggest that this system form the basis for future vegetation analyses and research within Arkansas

Magnetospheric considerations for solar system ice state

The current lattice configuration of the water ice on the surfaces of the inner satellites of Jupiter and Saturn is likely shaped by many factors. But laboratory experiments have found that energetic proton irradiation can cause a transition in the structure of pure water ice from crystalline to amorphous. It is not known to what extent this process is competitive with other processes in solar system contexts. For example, surface regions that are rich in water ice may be too warm for this effect to be important, even if the energetic proton bombardment rate is very high. In this paper, we make predictions, based on particle flux levels and other considerations, about where in the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn the ∼MeV proton irradiation mechanism should be most relevant. Our results support the conclusions of Hansen and McCord (2004), who related relative level of radiation on the three outer Galilean satellites to the amorphous ice content within the top 1 mm of surface. We argue here that if magnetospheric effects are considered more carefully, the correlation is even more compelling. Crystalline ice is by far the dominant ice state detected on the inner Saturnian satellites and, as we show here, the flux of bombarding energetic protons onto these bodies is much smaller than at the inner Jovian satellites. Therefore, the ice on the Saturnian satellites also corroborates the correlation

Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Wetland Hydrology and Vegetation Cover Cycling Along a Regional Aridity Gradient

Global mean temperature may increase up to 6°C by the end of this century and together with precipitation change may steepen regional aridity gradients. The hydrology, productivity, and ecosystem services from freshwater wetlands depend on their future water balance. We simulated the hydrology and vegetation dynamics of wetland complexes in the North American Prairie Pothole Region with the WETLANDSCAPE model. Simulations for 63 precipitation × temperature combinations spanning 6°C warming and −20% to +20% annual precipitation change at 19 locations along a mid-continental aridity gradient showed that aridity explained up to 99% of the variation in wetland stage and hydroperiod for all wetland permanence types, and in vegetation cycling for semipermanent wetlands. The magnitude and direction of hydrologic responses depended on whether climate changes increased or decreased water deficits. Warming to 6°C and 20% less precipitation increased wetland water deficits and more strongly decreased wetland stage and hydroperiod from historic levels at low aridity, especially in semipermanent wetlands, where peak vegetation cycling (Cover Cycle Index, CCI) also shifted to lower aridity. In contrast, 20% more precipitation decreased water deficits, increasing wetland stage and hydroperiod most strongly in shallow wetlands at high aridity, but filling semipermanent wetlands and reducing CCI at low aridity. All climate changes narrowed the range of aridity favorable to high productivity. Climate changes that reduce water deficits may help maintain wetlands at high aridity at the expense of those at low aridity, but with warming certain, increased deficits are more likely and will help maintain wetlands at lower aridity but exacerbate loss of wetlands at high aridity. Thus, there is likely not a universally applicable approach to mitigating climate change impacts on freshwater wetlands across regional aridity gradients. Conservation strategies need to account for aridity-specific effects of climate change on freshwater wetland ecosystems

A review of potential contaminants in Australian livestock feeds and proposed guidance levels for feed

Contaminants of man-made and natural origin need to be managed in livestock feeds to protect the health of livestock and that of human consumers of livestock products. This requires access to information on the transfer from feed to food to inform risk profiles and assessments, and to guide management interventions such as regulation or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approaches. This paper reviews contaminants of known and potential concern in the production of livestock feeds in Australia and compares existing but differing state and national regulatory standards with international standards. The contaminants considered include man-made organic chemical contaminants (e.g. legacy pesticides), elemental contaminants (e.g. arsenic, cadmium, lead), phytotoxins (e.g. gossypol) and mycotoxins (e.g. aflatoxins). Reference is made to scientific literature and evaluations by regulators to propose maximum levels that can be used for guidance by those involved in managing contamination incidents or developing feed safety programs. © 2013 CSIRO

A decade's overview of Io's volcanic activity

Over the past decade some aspects of Io's volcanic activity have changed greatly, while others have essentially remained constant. This contrast has emerged from our study of multi-wavelength, infrared, observations of Io's thermal emission. From 1983 to 1992 we observed the disk integrated flux density of Io from the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Our spectral coverage allows us to separate out the emission components due to volcanic thermal anomalies which are warmer than the background emission caused by solar heating. Our temporal coverage allows us to resolve individual eruptions and also to obtain the disk-integrated flux density as a function of longitude (or, equivalently, orbital phase angle). Characteristics that persisted over the decade involve Loki's location and intensity of emission, the leading hemisphere emission, and the average heat flow. The variable aspects of Io over the decade include Loki's hotter area(s) and the outbursts in the leading hemisphere

Addressing food insecurity in Papua New Guinea through food safety and sago cropping

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is known to have a large resource base of sago with over 1 million ha, as well as a high number of germplasm types of the Metroxylon species. The country’s food security status is very low and is primarily dependent on subsistence fresh garden produce as practiced by 85% of the population who are rural dwellers. Postharvest losses can be as high as 40% with little to no postharvest technology nor processing of foods done. Sago provides well for food security and sustains life in rural communities during disasters such as droughts, floods, and cyclones. The dilemma of sago being an underutilized crop in PNG is exacerbated by the introduction of new food crops, cash crops, and limited accessibility to cash to purchase other foods. Over the last 50 years, sago consumption has diminished as one of the major traditional food staples, from 16% to less than 10%. Neglect of sago is further due to food safety concerns about traditionally processed sago, in particular, the risk from sago hemolytic disease (SHD). For over30 years, SHD has been a food safety issue since it was first reported in 1973.Investigations on SHD highlight the serious need to improve on the hygiene and sanitation of the traditional postharvest processing and storage methods of sago starch in PNG. A set of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) protocols has been developed for traditional processing of sago as a food safety measure to improve food safety for food security. While commercial cultivation is nonexistent, there is increased planting of the larger hapaxanthic, non-soboliferous sagospecies, Metroxylon salomonense Becc., in some nontraditional sago-consuming areas as a low-cost raw material source for roof thatching and other building materials. It is however a wasted opportunity for food security in these areas as the starch from the palm is not utilized. Current work in these areas promotes sago as a potential food source that can be harvested or processed into flour. This is to improve the food security status in areas of high population density, like island communities where land is scarce

First-dose and steady-state pharmacokinetics of orally administered crizotinib in children with solid tumors: a report on ADVL0912 from the Children’s Oncology Group Phase 1/Pilot Consortium

Characterize the pharmacokinetics of oral crizotinib in children with cancer

Apatites in Gale Crater

ChemCam is an active remote sensing instrument suite that has operated successfully on MSL since landing Aug. 6th, 2012. It uses laser pulses to remove dust and to analyze rocks up to 7 m away. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) obtains emission spectra of materials ablated from the samples in electronically excited states. The intensities of the emission lines scale with the abundances of the related element. ChemCam is sensitive to most major rock-forming elements as well as to a set of minor and trace elements such as F, Cl, Li, P, Sr, Ba, and Rb. The measured chemical composition can then be used to infer the mineralogical composition of the ablated material. Here, we report a summary of inferred apatite detections along the MSL traverse at Gale Crater. We present the geologic settings of these findings and derive some interpretations about the formation conditions of apatite in time and space

Acute Reperfusion Therapy in ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction from 1994-2003

Background—Appropriate utilization of acute reperfusion therapy is not a national performance measure for ST-elevation myocardial infarction at this time, and the extent of its contemporary use among ideal patients is unknown. Methods—From the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction, we identified 238,291 patients enrolled from June 1994 to May 2003 who were ideally suited for acute reperfusion therapy with fibrinolytic therapy or primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We determined rates of not receiving therapy across 3 time periods (June 1994–May 1997, June 1997–May 2000, June 2000– May 2003) and evaluated factors associated with underutilization. Results—The proportion of ideal patients not receiving acute reperfusion therapy decreased by one-half throughout the past decade (time period 1: 20.6%; time period 2: 11.4%; time period 3: 11.6%; P\u3c0.001). Utilization remained significantly lower in key subgroups in the most recent time period: those without chest pain (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.27–0.32); those presenting 6 to 12 hours after symptom onset (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.52–0.61); those 75 years or older (OR, 0.63 compared with patients \u3c55 years old; 95% CI, 0.58–0.68); women (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.84–0.93); and non-whites (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83–0.97). Conclusions—Utilization of acute reperfusion therapy in ideal patients has improved over the last decade, but more than 10% remain untreated. Measuring and improving its use in this cohort represents an important opportunity to improve care