Parent volatiles in comet 9P/Tempel 1: before and after impact

We quantified eight parent volatiles (H2O, C2H6, HCN, CO, CH3OH, H2CO, C2H2, and CH4) in the Jupiter-family comet Tempel 1 using high-dispersion infrared spectroscopy in the wavelength range 2.8 to 5.0 micrometers. The abundance ratio for ethane was significantly higher after impact, whereas those for methanol and hydrogen cyanide were unchanged. The abundance ratios in the ejecta are similar to those for most Oort cloud comets, but methanol and acetylene are lower in Tempel 1 by a factor of about 2. These results suggest that the volatile ices in Tempel 1 and in most Oort cloud comets originated in a common region of the protoplanetary disk.     

Molecular interactions and hydrogen bond tunneling dynamics: some new perspectives

The recent development of tunable far-infrared lasers and other high-resolution spectroscopic probes of weakly bound clusters is having a significant impact on our understanding of intermolecular forces and on the complex quantum tunneling dynamics that occur in hydrogen-bonded systems. Far-infrared studies of a variety of interactions are discussed, including several prototypical water-hydrophobe complexes, the water trimer, and the ammonia dimer. Particular attention is paid to the inversion of spectroscopic data to yield detailed intermolecular potential energy surfaces. Investigations of nonpairwise additivity are also described.     

Hyperprolinemia and prolinuria in a new inbred strain of mice, PRO-Re

A hyperprolinemia was discovered, in a new inbred strain of mice, which was equivalent to about a sevenfold elevation above the concentration of proline in the blood of either of the original parental lines, or of 12 other inbred strains with diverse genetic constitution. In addition, mice of this PRO/Re strain exhibited a marked prolinuria, whereas the other 14 inbred strains had no proline detectable in their urine.     

Polyphosphorylated L-ascorbic Acid: A Stable Form of Vitamin C for Aquaculture Feeds

A protected form of vitamin C, L-ascorbyl-2-poly phosphate (APP), was tested for safety and efficacy in fishes. Phosphorylation of the 2-hydroxyl group protected the 2,3-enediol of L-ascorbic acid against oxidation. When APP was added to feed, about 15% of its vitamin C activity was lost during milling and storing 5–7 d at ambient temperature. Stability of APP in pelleted feeds at 25 or 40 C was up to 83 times or 45 times greater than that of ascorbic acid (AA), respectively. In later tests, trout feed mash, steam-pelleted in triplicate, frozen, and shipped on dry ice before analysis, had 46% loss of AA and no apparent loss of APP. With 16% milling loss (highest detected in trout feeds assayed in initial tests) and 22% storage loss after 90 d, conservative APP mix rates were estimated. Mixing 153 g L-ascorbate-equivalent as APP per metric ton of airdry ingredients (153 ppm) would give 128 ppm in the finished feed after steam-pelleting and 100 ppm after 60–90 d storage at 40 C. Low-temperature extrusion of Oregon-Moist salmon feed reduced AA slightly. Ascorbic acid oxidized in frozen storage and while thawing and, after 12 h at room temperature, only trace amounts remained. Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate at 0.05 to 0.2 times that of equimolar AA in casein-base or practical feeds supported long-term growth and development in rainbow trout and other fishes. Trout feeding trials with practical feeds in actual production regimens documented APP activity at growth rates approaching the maximum for trout farming. Corrected for greater stability, APP antiscorbutic activity appeared to be comparable to that of AA on a molar-equivalent basis. Similarly, apparent equimolar activity was inferred from estimated equilibrium levels of liver, kidney, and whole-body AA and L-ascorbyl-2-sulfate (AS) after prolonged APP use in trout feeds. Fathead minnow growth and reproduction in egg-to-egg life-cycle tests also confirmed APP safety and efficacy as a stabilized source of vitamin C for feeds. None of the typical lesions of scoliosis, malformed gill lamellae, and crenulated opercles, nor conditions of poor health, anorexia, and eventual torpor seen in vitamin C-deficient controls occurred in trout fed APP. No liver pathology was evident in trout fed APP for 252 d at 1.7 to 3.3 times the National Research Council's recommended vitamin C (equivalent) rates.     

Enhancing habitat to help the plight of the bumblebee

Modern farming has caused considerable declines in UK bumblebee populations, and, while options exist for farmers to increase the quantity of bee-friendly habitat, uptake has been low. Robin Blake explains how existing habitats on farms could be enhanced for the benefit of bumblebees.     

Surface Water Quality Impacts of Conservation Tillage Practices on Burley Tobacco Production Systems in Southwest Virginia

A plot-scale, rainfall-simulation study measured edge-of-field pollutant losses from conventional-till, strip-till, and no-till treatments in a burley tobacco production system. The field experiment results show that the conventional-till treatment yielded more total runoff than strip- and no-till treatments. Compared to the conventional-till treatment, both no-till and strip-till reduced the total mass losses of total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate (NO-N), ammonia (NH₃-N), total phosphorus (TP), orthophosphate (PO₄-P), and the insecticide chlorpyrifos in runoff. Although statistical analyses indicated that there was no significant difference between the no-till and strip-till practices, the no-till practice consistently yielded less edge-of-field pollutant loss than the strip-till practice. This research reinforces the body of knowledge documenting the effectiveness of conservation-tillage practices in reducing edge-of-field pollutant losses.     

Estimating Be-7 association with soil particle size fractions for erosion and deposition modelling

Purpose

Estimates of beryllium-7 (⁷Be) enrichment in soil particle size fractions are important for correction in existing soil redistribution models. Little attention has been given to documenting methods of estimating ⁷Be enrichment and assessing differences in enrichment between soil types in the context of soil redistribution modelling. Here, we detail a method for estimating ⁷Be enrichment and correcting soil redistribution estimates.

Materials and methods

Beryllium from a solution of BeCl₂ was adsorbed to two soils with contrasting texture using a batch procedure. Soil fractions were separated by settling according to Stokes’ Law, and samples of bulk and settled fractions were digested and analysed for Be concentration and for specific surface area.

Results and discussion

Both soils demonstrated increasing enrichment of Be with increasing specific surface area. There was a marked difference in enrichment between the soil types with the coarse soil showing greater enrichment in the finer fractions. Calculated enrichment ratios for the coarse soil more than doubled between subfractions of the <63 μm class. Failure to account for the selective transport of fractions during soil redistribution studies could incur substantial errors in soil erosion estimates.

Conclusions

Stable Be provides a practical means of estimating ⁷Be enrichment in soil and subsequent corrections can be incorporated into the conversion model where it is proposed that corrections should be applied to the inventory deficit at each eroding point. The marked difference in enrichment between soil types in these experiments suggested that characterising enrichment and associated correction factors should be done on a site-specific basis. Implementation of the particle size correction procedures requires additional field and laboratory data to standard application of the established soil erosion conversion model.