Energy partitioning influenced by tree spacing

An energy partitioning experiment was set-up within an experimental agroforest site at Cloich forest, near Edinburgh. Measurements of turbulent heat fluxes were made – during non stress conditions – both directly by eddy-covariance techniques and in the case of latent heat flux indirectly through closure of the energy budget equation. These measurements were made simultaneously in the thinned plots (one plot at a time) and a reference plot to eliminate differences due to external atmospheric conditions. Observed values of Bowen ratio ranged from 1 to 3.5, with significantly lower values in the thinned plots compared with those measured in the reference plot. On separation of the Bowen ratio into its two components, it was found that sensible heat flux remained constant between plots. The latent heat flux, however, increased as the tree density was reduced. A simple model of the evaporation from the forest plots based on the Penman-Monteith equation and incorporating an under-storey component was developed and was able to accurately replicate the observed results. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Antibiotic Resistance in two Water Reclamation Systems for Space Applications

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the antibiotic resistance in two water reclamation systems developed from space missions. The first system is a small-scale water reclamation system operated at Johnson Space Center designed to reclaim wastewater during long-term space missions. The second system was a scaled-down version of the Johnson Space Center system operated at Texas Tech University. Antibiotic resistance patterns to 10 antibiotics were investigated before and after controlled doses of amoxicillin were added to the water reclamation systems. The results of this study indicate that bacteria in all systems were resistant to many antibiotics including beta-lactam antibiotics and a beta-lactam, beta-lactamase inhibitor combination, amoxicillin with clavulanic acid.     

Identifying the Growth Limiting Physiochemical Parameter for Chives Grown in Biologically Treated Graywater

Plants can play an important role in wastewater treatment and water reuse in terrestrial and space systems. Chive growth in biologically treated graywater, simulating the anticipated early planetary base graywater, was evaluated in this study for NASA. Phytotoxicity due to physiochemical parameters such as ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺-N), nitrite-nitrogen (NO₂ ^?-N), pH, and sodium (Na⁺) was assessed using a series of hydroponic experiments in an environmentally controlled growth chamber. Nitrification in wastewater was observed in all graywater treatments, which converted NO₂ ^?-N (a toxic form of nitrogen) and NH₄ ⁺-N (toxic at high concentrations) to nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃ ^?-N) (preferred N form for plant uptake). Irrespective of the increase in the NO₃ ^–-N concentration due to nitrification, chives in the wastewater treatments typically had poor or no growth. The high levels of Na⁺ present in the graywater treatments affected potassium uptake and may have affected other nutrient uptake. The impact of nitrification on wastewater pH and NO₂ ^?-N toxicity is believed to be the critical factor affecting chive growth and may hinder the use high nitrogen waste streams for plant growth unless NO₂ ^?-N concentrations are controlled during biological treatment of graywater.     

Modulation of elicited behavior by a fixed-interval schedule of electric shock presentation

Responding elicited in the squirrel monkey by electric shocks presented every 60 seconds was gradually altered in temporal patterning, especially when the shock was also produced by responses under a 30-second fixed-interval schedule. The initially elicited pattern of maximal responding just after each shock was altered by the recurrent shock and by the added fixed-interval schedule to a pattern of maximal responding just before each shock. Most shocks were produced by responses and the response pattern was maintained for several months, but little responding occurred when shocks were omitted.     

Distributive Computer Networking: Making It Work on a Regional Basis: Effective sharing through a network requires new management and resource distribution techniques

After 4 years of operation the NERComP network is now a self-supporting success. Some of the reasons for its success are that (i) the network started small and built up utilization; (ii) the members, through monthly trustee meetings, practiced "participatory management" from the outset; (iii) unlike some networks, NERComP appealed to individual academic and research users who were terminal-oriented and who controlled their own budgets; (iv) the compactness of the New England region made it an ideal laboratory for testing networking concepts; and (v) a dedicated staff was willing to work hard in the face of considerable uncertainty. While the major problems were "political, organizational and economic" (1) we have found that they can be solved if the network meets real needs. We have also found that it is difficult to proceed beyond a certain point without investing responsibility and authority in the networking organization. Conversely, there is a need to distribute some responsibilities such as marketing and user services back to the member institutions. By adopting a modest starting point and achieving limited goals the necessary trust and working relationships between institutions can be built. In our case the necessary planning has been facilitated by recognizing three distinct network functions: governance, user services, and technical operations. Separating out the three essential networing tasks and dealing with each individually through advisory committees, each with its own staff coordinator, has overcome a distracting tendency to address all issues at once. It has also provided an element of feedback between the end user and the supplier not usually present in networking activity. The success of NERComP demonstrates that a distributive-type network can work. Our experiences in New England-which, because of its numerous colleges and universities free from domination by any single institution, is a microcosm for academic computing in the United States-indicate that such networks are best structured in a hierarchical form. This suggests that national networking should be based in part on the more than 30 existing state and regional networks (15). With the groundwork now laid, we expect to see links among existing regional networks to complement development efforts now occurring at the national level. With Greenberger and others, we believe that one or more networking organizations devoted to the management issues discussed in this article will be required to facilitate resource sharing on a national scale. Because of their experience with these problems and their ability to provide service in many areas of the country through existing facilities, regional networks have a major role to play.