High-spectral-resolution lidar with iodine-vapor filters: measurement of atmospheric-state and aerosol profiles

A high-spectral-resolution lidar can measure vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature, pressure, the aerosol backscatter ratio, and the aerosol extinction coefficient simultaneously. We describe a system with these characteristics. The transmitter is a narrow-band (FWHM of the order of 74 MHz), injection-seeded, pulsed, double YAG laser at 532 nm. Iodine-vapor filters in the detection system spectrally separate the molecular and aerosol scattering and greatly reduce the latter (-41 dB). Operating at a selected frequency to take advantage of two neighboring lines in vapor filters, one can obtain a sensitivity of the measured signal-to-air temperature ratio equal to 0.42%/K. Using a relatively modest size transmitter and receiver system (laser power times telescope aperture equals 0.19 Wm(2)), our measured temperature profiles (0.5-15 km) over 11 nights are in agreement with balloon soundings to within 2.0 K over an altitude range of 2-5 km. There is good agreement in the lapse rates, tropopause altitudes, and inversions. In principle, to invert the signal requires a known density at one altitude, but in practice it is convenient to also use a known temperature at that altitude. This is a scalable system for high spatial resolution of vertical temperature profiles in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, even in the presence of aerosols.     

Longitudinal prediction of child outcomes from differing measures of parenting in a low-income sample.

This study examined predictions from preschool parenting measures to middle childhood cognitive and socioemotional child outcomes to explore whether parenting assessment methodologies that require more time, training, and expense yield better predictions of child outcomes than less intensive methodologies. Mother-child dyads (N=278) in low-income African American families were assessed when the child was in preschool, using maternal report, the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment-Short Form (P. Baker & F. Mott, 1989; R. Bradley & B. Caldwell, 1984), and structured observational measures of parenting. Child outcomes reported by children, mothers, teachers, and direct assessment were collected 4 years later. All parenting methodologies showed some predictive value; however, observational parenting measures showed the strongest and most consistent predictions of child outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fish response to modified flow regimes in regulated rivers: research methods,effects and opportunities

Globally, rivers are increasingly being subjected to various levels of physical alteration and river regulation to provide humans with services such as hydropower, freshwater, flood control, irrigation and recreation. Although river regulation plays an important role in modern society, there are potential consequences which may negatively affect fish and fish habitat. While much effort has been expended examining the response of fish to fluctuating flow regimes in different systems, there has been little in the way of a comprehensive synthesis. In an effort to better understand the effects of river regulation on fish and fish habitat, we conducted a systematic review of available literature with three goals: (1) summarize the various research methodologies used by regulated river researchers, (2) summarize the effects found on fish and fish habitat and (3) identify opportunities for future research. The results of the synthesis indicate that a wide variety of methodologies are being employed to study regulated river science, yet there is a gap in incorporating methodologies that examine effects on fish at a cellular level or those techniques that are interdisciplinary (e.g. behaviour and physiology). There is a clear consensus that modified flow regimes in regulated rivers are affecting fish and fish habitat, but the severity and direction of the response varies widely. Future study designs should include methods that target all biological levels of fish response, and in which detailed statistical analyses can be performed. There is also a need for more rigorous study designs including the use of appropriate controls and replicates. Data on physical variables that co‐vary with flow should be collected and examined to add explanatory power to the results. Increased multi‐stakeholder collaborations provide the greatest promise of balancing ecological concerns with economic needs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct-detection Doppler wind measurements with a Cabannes-Mie lidar: b. Impact of aerosol variation on iodine vapor filter methods

Atmospheric line-of-sight (LOS) wind measurement by means of incoherent Cabannes- Mie lidar with three frequency analyzers, two double-edge Fabry-Perot interferometers, one at 1064 nm (IR-FPI) and another at 355 nm (UV-FPI), as well as an iodine vapor filter (IVF) at 532 nm, utilizing either a single absorption edge, single edge (se-IVF), or both absorption edges, double edge (de-IVF), was considered in a companion paper [Appl. Opt. 46, 4434 (2007)], assuming known atmospheric temperature and aerosol mixing ratio, Rb. The effects of temperature and aerosol variations on the uncertainty of LOS wind measurements are investigated and it is found that while the effect of temperature variation is small, the variation in R(b) can cause significant errors in wind measurements with IVF systems. Thus the means to incorporate a credible determination of R(b) into the wind measurement are presented as well as an assessment of the impact on wind measurement uncertainty. Unlike with IVF methods, researchers can take advantage of design flexibility with FPI methods to desensitize either molecular scattering for IR-FPI or aerosol scattering for UV-FPI. The additional wind measurement uncertainty caused by R(b) variation with FPI methods is thus negligible for these configurations. Assuming 100,000 photons from Cabannes scattering, and accounting for the Rb measurement incorporated into the IVF method in this paper, it is found that the lowest wind uncertainty at low wind speeds in aerosol-free air is still with UV-FPI, ~32% lower than with de-IVF. For 0.050.07, the IR-FPI outperforms all other methods. In addition to LOS wind uncertainty comparison under high wind speed conditions, the need of an appropriate and readily available narrowband filter for operating the wind lidar at visible wavelengths under sunlit condition is discussed; with such a filter the degradation of LOS wind measurement attributable to clear sky background is estimated to be 5% or less for practical lidar systems.     

Cost-Estimating Tools for Low-Impact Development Best Management Practices: Challenges, Limitations, and Implications

Tools were developed for estimating costs of vegetative roofs, rainwater catchment systems, and bioretention facilities. These tools provide a detailed framework to facilitate cost estimation for capital costs, operation and maintenance costs, and life-cycle net present value. The tools can provide users with planning-level cost estimates and serve as a format for cost-reporting for past, current, and future projects. Very little cost data was available in the public forum, and prolific inconsistencies of supporting details were found in the available cost data. To address this, design assumptions were established for each facility type and professionally prepared cost estimates based on these design assumptions were used. Electives in design, such as plant selection and media depth, also greatly affected costs. To make the user aware of these effects, the model separates each option into line items that can be elected or excluded as appropriate. To facilitate collecting future cost data, best management practice (BMP) designers and builders should use these tools to record actual costs and report them to a clearinghouse such as the BMP Database.     

Epstein-Barr virus and AIDS-related primary central nervous system lymphoma. Viral detection by immunohistochemistry, RNA in situ hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction

The efficacy of a low dose of mifepristone, 5 mg/day for the first 15 days of the menstrual cycle, followed by medroxy-progesterone acetate (MPA), 10 mg/day for the next 13 days, for inhibiting ovulation was assessed in ten volunteers who were treated for three successive cycles. Hormonal determinations in blood and urine samples, ovarian ultrasonography and an endometrial biopsy taken on day 21-24 of the third treatment cycle were used to monitor the cycles. Ovulation was confirmed in 11 of the 30 treated cycles and, in these 11, the LH peak and follicular rupture occurred during MPA treatment periods. Out of 19 anovulatory cycles, 16 had no increase in progesterone levels and another 3 developed a luteinized unruptured follicle. Progestin administration induced secretory changes in the endometrium, but irregular or delayed development was found. Regular withdrawal bleeding occurred in all subjects. These data indicate that the sequential regimen can suppress ovulation while maintaining regular bleeding but increased efficacy is needed for phase II clinical trials.     

Lumbar spine fusion by local gene therapy with a cDNA encoding a novel osteoinductive protein (LMP-1)

STUDY DESIGN: A posterior arthrodesis animal model using local expression of a newly discovered osteoinductive protein delivered in bone marrow cells. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the concept of local gene therapy and determine its feasibility for achieving lumbar spine fusion using a gene for a novel osteoinductive protein: LIM Mineralization Protein-1 (LMP-1). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Extensive work is currently underway to improve the healing success and morbidity associated with the gold standard bone-grafting material of autogenous iliac crest. As a result, alternative osteoinductive proteins and new delivery methods warrant investigation. The authors' laboratory recently identified a novel gene that had osteoinductive capacity in vitro and is therefore a candidate for a new in vivo osteoinductive agent. METHODS: Single-level posterior lumbar and thoracic arthrodesis was attempted in 14 athymic rats. The graft material, which consisted of a devitalized bone matrix (no osteoinductive activity) soaked with 0.75 to 1.5 million bone marrow cells, was inserted with the dorsal spine exposed. In each rat, one site received marrow cells transfected with the cDNA encoding a novel osteoinductive protein. At the other site for a control, the marrow cells were transfected with the reverse copy of the cDNA that did not express any protein. Transfection of marrow cells for 2 hours was accomplished using the mammalian expression vector pCMV2. Rats were killed after 4 weeks, and the spines were evaluated by manual palpation, radiographs, and nondecalcified histology. RESULTS: In the pivotal experiment, successful spine fusion was obtained in 9/9 (100%) of the sites receiving marrow cells transfected with the active LMP-1 cDNA and in 0/9 (0%) of the sites receiving marrow cells transfected with the reverse (inactive) LMP-1 cDNA. Radiographs and histology confirmed the manual palpation results, demonstrating controlled new bone formation in the carrier and marrow transfected with the active LMP-1 cDNA and essentially no bone induction in the sites treated with marrow cells that did not express the protein. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that local delivery of the novel LMP-1 cDNA using bone marrow cells is feasible in vivo. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that posterior thoracic or lumbar spine fusion can be achieved in rats by local delivery of the LMP-1 cDNA.     

Effects of newcastle disease virus strains AF2240 and V4-UPM on cytolysis and apoptosis of leukemia cell lines

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is used as an antineoplastic agent in clinical tumor therapy. It has prompted much interest as an anticancer agent because it can replicate up to 10,000 times better in human cancer cells than in most normal cells. This study was carried out to determine the oncolytic potential of NDV strain AF2240 and V4-UPM on WEHI-3B leukemia cell line. Results from MTT cytotoxicity assay showed that the CD(50) values for both strains were 2 and 8 HAU for AF2240 and V4-UPM, respectively. In addition, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and trypan blue dye exclusion assays showed inhibition in cell proliferation after different periods. Increase in the cellular level of caspase-3 and detection of DNA laddering using agarose gel electrophoresis on treated cells with NDV confirmed that the mode of cell death was apoptosis. In addition, flow-cytometry analysis of cellular DNA content showed that the virus caused an increase in the sub-G1 region (apoptosis peaks). In conclusion, NDV strains AF2240 and V4-UPM caused cytolytic effects against WEHI-3B leukemic cell line.