Deformation monitoring at mount st. Helens in 1981 and 1982

For several weeks before each eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1981 and 1982, viscous magma rising in the feeder conduit inflated the lava dome and shoved the crater floor laterally against the immobile crater walls, producing ground cracks and thrust faults. The rates of deformation accelerated before eruptions, and thus it was possible to predict eruptions 3 to 19 days in advance. Lack of deformation outside the crater showed that intrusion of magma during 1981 and 1982 was not voluminous.     

Soils, agriculture, and society in precontact Hawai'i

Before European contact, Hawai'i supported large human populations in complex societies that were based on multiple pathways of intensive agriculture. We show that soils within a long-abandoned 60-square-kilometer dryland agricultural complex are substantially richer in bases and phosphorus than are those just outside it, and that this enrichment predated the establishment of intensive agriculture. Climate and soil fertility combined to constrain large dryland agricultural systems and the societies they supported to well-defined portions of just the younger islands within the Hawaiian archipelago; societies on the older islands were based on irrigated wetland agriculture. Similar processes may have influenced the dynamics of agricultural intensification across the tropics.     

Evaluation of the sustainability of participatory management of forest plantations: the case study of Wari-Maro Forest Reserve,Republic of Benin§

This study assessed ecological and socio-economic impacts of a participatory forest management project in the Republic of Benin. The study focused on the Wari-Maro Forest Reserve and the ‘Projet d’Aménagement des Massifs Forestiers’ five years after its completion. A forest inventory was carried out using 37 square plots of 729 m² each to characterise the population structure of two types of plantations established: plantations with exotic species and plantations with native species. In addition, individual surveys were conducted with local households, organs of joint forest management and forestry officers to evaluate their perceptions about the participatory management of the plantations. Finally, the sustainability of the participatory management was assessed with an established rating system. Results showed that plantations with exotic species were more successful than plantations with native species. Local communities argued that they have not been involved in the plantations design but only in the implementation step and that their standards of living have decreased after the project completion. The rating system used showed that the participatory management of plantations had a short-term sustainability. The findings suggest that future projects should be designed and implemented with better participation of local communities as full partners.     

Impact of microbial activity on the leaching of soluble N forms in soil

The hydrological transport of low-molecular weight organic nitrogen (LMWON) compounds has received little attention in the literature, particularly relative to inorganic nitrogen (N), with less attention given to the decoupling of the carbon (C) and N cycles following rainfall events. We determined the impacts of the soil biota on the transport of N compounds in a loam soil, using ¹⁵N and ¹³C to trace the vertical transport of ¹⁵N¹³C-urea, ¹⁵N¹³C-amino acids, ¹⁵NO₃, and ¹⁵NH₄ through the soil profile, following simulated rainfall events. This research has demonstrated that biotic assimilation leads to rapid decoupling of the C and N cycles during leaching, with C transport limited to the soil surface (<?2 cm), whereas N which was stored within the soil profile during a single rainfall event could be remobilised and leached (a further 2–6 cm) following an additional rainfall event.     

Activity of some new pyrethroids against Blattella germanica L.

The activities of natural and synthetic pyrethroids against male German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) were examined by means of dusting and direct spraying techniques. NRDC 107 (5-benzyl-3-furylmethyl (+)-trans-chrysanthemate) was the most active compound in killing cockroaches. Pyrethrins gave the most rapid knockdown and were 60% as active as NRDC 107 (Bioresmethrin) in killing power. Tetramethrin and the corresponding (+)-trans-ester gave rapid knockdown. Only (+)-trans-allethrin [(+)-trans-chrysan-themate of (±)-allethrolone] provided useful knockdown and killing power together. Piperonyl butoxide had a relatively stronger synergistic action with less active killing agents. The rate of knockdown during the first few minutes of exposure was not altered greatly by piperonyl butoxide.     

Progesterone inhibits prolactin and growth hormone release from fowl pituitary glands in vitro

After preincubation of anterior pituitary glands of broiler fowls for 20 h in either medium alone or medium containing progesterone, their responsiveness to hypothalamic stimulation and to thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) was determined. Following exposure to progesterone the basal rate of release of prolactin was reduced in a concentration-related manner but basal growth hormone release was unaffected. Stimulation of the release of prolactin and growth hormone by both hypothalamic extract and TRH was reduced following incubation with progesterone, and the reduction of the prolactin response to TRH was related to progesterone concentration.     

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of neurologic disease in dogs: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities in dogs can be challenging antemortem. Historically, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis has been used for routine diagnostic evaluation of animals with suspected neurologic disease; however, with increasing availability of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the need for concurrent CSF analysis may be questioned. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess and compare the diagnostic information contributed from MR imaging and CSF analysis in a population of dogs presenting with neurologic disease. METHODS: Results of concurrent MR imaging and CSF analysis were evaluated in dogs presented for neurologic diseases. Based on clinical diagnosis, the sensitivity of CSF analysis and MR imaging for detecting a nervous system abnormality was calculated. Dogs with diagnoses confirmed by other diagnostic modalities were also evaluated separately. RESULTS: A total of 256 dogs were included in the study. For clinical diagnoses in which abnormalities were expected, MR imaging abnormalities were found in 89% and CSF abnormalities in 75% of dogs; CSF abnormalities were more common than MR imaging abnormalities only in inflammatory CNS disease. The majority of CSF abnormalities were nonspecific; an etiologic diagnosis was determined in only 2% of CSF samples. MR imaging excelled in detecting structural disorders, revealing 98% of vertebral abnormalities. In confirmed cases (n = 55), 76% of MR images and 9% of CSF samples were diagnostic. When intervertebral disk disease (IVDD) and vertebral malformation were excluded from analysis (n = 16 remaining), 25% of MR images and 6% of CSF cytology results were highly indicative of the confirmed diagnoses; CSF titer results provided the diagnosis in 25% of these cases. CONCLUSION: CSF analysis may not be necessary when MR findings of IVDD or vertebral malformation/instability are obvious; however, when the cause of neurologic disorder is uncertain, concurrent MR imaging and CSF analysis provides the greatest assistance in establishing a clinical diagnosis.     

Energy use,emissions, and air pollution reduction strategies in Asia

In contrast to Europe and North America, air pollution in Asia is increasing rapidly, resulting in both local air quality problems and higher acidic depositions. In 1989, an east-west group of scientists initiated a multi-institutional research project on Acid Rain and Emissions Reduction in Asia, funded for the past two years by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Phase I, covering 23 countries of Asia, focussed on the development of PC-based software called the Regional Air Pollution INformation and Simulation Model (RAINS-ASIA). A 94-region Regional Energy Scenario Generator was developed to create alternative energy/emission scenarios through the year 2020. A long-range atmospheric transport model was developed to calculate dispersion and deposition of sulfur, based upon emissions from area and large point sources, on a one-degree grid of Asia. The resulting impacts of acidic deposition on a variety of vegetation types were analyzed using the critical loads approach to test different emissions management strategies, including both energy conservation measures and sulfur abatement technologies.