The potential of urban tree plantings to be cost effective in carbon credit markets

Emission trading is considered to be an economically sensitive method for reducing the concentrations of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. There has been debate about the viability of using urban tree plantings in these markets. The main concern is whether or not urban planting projects can be cost effective options for investors. We compared the cost efficiency of four case studies located in Colorado, and used a model sensitivity analysis to determine what variables most influence cost effectiveness. We believe that some urban tree planting projects in specific locations may be cost effective investments. Our modeling results suggest that carbon assimilation rate, which is mainly a function of growing season length, has the largest influence on cost effectiveness, however resource managers can create more effective projects by minimizing costs, planting large-stature trees, and manipulating a host of other variables that affect energy usage.     

Astrophysics from the moon

The surface of the moon would be an excellent location for astronomical telescopes, and, if a lunar base were to be established, the construction and maintenance of instruments would become feasible. The prospects are reviewed, with particular attention given to large optical aperturesynthesis instruments analogous to the Very Large Array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Typical parameters for a particular system are presented.     

Ontogeny of immune system organs in northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis, Temminck and Schlegel 1844)

Serial sections, prepared from 0.5 to 30 days posthatch (dph) larval and juvenile Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel 1844), were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and examined by light microscopy for immune organ development. The early kidney was present at 0.5 dph, undifferentiated stem cells began to appear at 2 dph, and by 7 dph occasional small lymphocytes were present. The thymus was first obvious at 5 dph, located above the fourth branchial arch, small lymphocytes appeared at 7 dph, and by 15 dph an outer thymocytic zone and an inner epithelioid zone were visible. The progenitor spleen was present at 2 dph, located close to the gut, and by 12 dph it consisted of a mass of sinusoids filled with red blood cells, and remained mainly erythroid throughout the period studied. These results suggest that development of immune organs in this species is precocious relative to other marine teleosts.     

A comparison of LiDAR-based DEMs and USGS-sourced DEMs in terrain analysis for knowledge-based digital soil mapping

While LiDAR-based digital elevation models (DEM) are more accurate and precise than the USGS-sourced DEM that are widely used in soil mapping in the US, their high cost and other problems prohibit an easy decision of adopting them in service-oriented soil mapping conducted by a government agency like USDA-NRCS. This study compares the performances of LiDAR-based DEM and the USGS-sourced DEM in calculating slope gradient as an input for knowledge-based digital soil mapping (KBDSM), aiming to provide scientific evidence and more importantly, propose a scientific approach to evaluating the two types of DEM for KBDSM. We conducted the comparison by evaluating how closely the DEM-based slope gradient values match the field-measured values. For a small watershed in northern Vermont, US, we prepared three DEM, including a 10-m DEM interpolated from the 7.5-minute USGS topographic map, a 1-m DEM based on LiDAR points, and a 5-m DEM resampled from the 1-m DEM. When calculating slope gradient, we applied two neighborhood sizes (10 m and 30 m), two neighborhood shapes (square and circular), and three slope gradient algorithms (Evans–Young, Horn, and modified Zevenbergen–Thorne) to the three DEM. We then compared the calculated slope gradient values with the values measured by soil scientists at 159 sample locations in the study area. Statistics show that across all the tested settings, the LiDAR-based DEM perform significantly better than the USGS-sourced DEM. We conclude that LiDAR-based DEM may considerably improve the quality of inputs for KBDSM. We also find that the results from the 1-m LiDAR-based DEM and the resampled 5-m DEM do not show considerable and consistent differences.     

Discovery of a new gravitational lens system

A new gravitational lens system, the triple radio source MG2016+112, has been discovered. Five emission lines at a redshift of 3.2733+/-0.0014 have been identified in the spectra of two stellar objects of magnitude 22.5 coincident with radio components 3.4 arc seconds apart. The lines are the narrowest ever observed in objects at such a large redshift. The redshift of a 23rd-magnitude extended optical object coincident with the third radio component has not been determined spectroscopically, but its known optical properties are consistent with those of a giant elliptical galaxy with a redshift of about 0.8.     

Generating diverse skeletons of small molecules combinatorially

Lack of efficient access to collections of synthetic compounds that have skeletal diversity is a key bottleneck in the small-molecule discovery process. We report a synthesis strategy that involves transforming substrates with different appendages that pre-encode skeletal information, named sigma elements, into products that have different skeletons with the use of common reaction conditions. With this approach, split-pool synthesis can be used to pre-encode skeletal diversity combinatorially and thereby generate such small molecules very efficiently. A split-pool synthesis of more than 1000 compounds produced overlapping, combinatorial matrices of molecular skeletons and appended building blocks in both enantiomeric and diastereomeric forms.     

Garlic and papaya lack control over gastrointestinal nematodes in goats and lambs

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) continue to hinder small ruminant production because of anthelmintic resistance and lack of effective products for GIN control in organic production. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a commercially available certified organic garlic product, fresh garlic juice, or garlic bulbs as an anthelmintic to control GIN in goats and papaya seeds for GIN control in lambs. In the first experiment, weaned meat goat kids were administered water or a commercial garlic juice product (n = 7/treatment). In the second experiment, kids were administered water, fresh garlic juice, or fed garlic bulbs (n = 9 or 10/treatment). In a third experiment, lambs were administered nothing or papaya seed in water (n = 12/treatment). Naturally infected goats were supplemented with bermudagrass hay and corn/soybean supplement in the first experiment or maintained on bermudagrass pasture in the second experiment or lambs grazed mixed grasses in the third. Blood and fecal samples were collected on Days 0, 7, and 14 after administration of treatment to examine changes in blood packed cell volume (PCV) and fecal egg counts (FEC). PCV and FEC were similar by Day 14 between kids treated with a commercial garlic juice and water in the first experiment. Similarly, PCV was not different among treatment groups in the second experiment. FEC of the garlic juice group was lower than the other two groups on Day 0, but was similar among groups by Day 14. Deworming was required in one goat within each treatment group by Day 7 and in three kids in the garlic juice group and two in the garlic bulb group by Day 14. No changes in PCV or FEC were apparent in response to papaya seed compared with untreated lambs. Based on the alternative plant products used in this study, garlic or papaya seed is not recommended as an aid to control GIN in goats or lambs.     

Lipopolysaccharide binding protein in the acute phase response of experimental murine Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection

Cellular responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are enhanced by LPS-binding protein (LBP). The present study investigated the acute phase response of LBP during Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection in mice. Mean plasma concentrations of LBP increased two-fold by the seventh day following infection, but decreased to intermediate levels by the 14th day. There were no significant differences in LBP concentrations of infected/antibiotic-treated and infected/untreated mice. At 35 days post-infection, the infected mice were treated with the anti-trypanosomal diminazine aceturate (Berenil^®). LBP levels of the mice then decreased to pre-infection levels within one-week. This demonstrated that LBP is an acute phase protein during murine trypanosomosis. Furthermore, opportunistic secondary bacterial infection during trypanosomosis did not seem to play an important role in the changes in plasma LBP levels. We speculate that the marked concomitant increases in plasma LBP and endotoxin-like activity following murine trypanosome infection might play an important role in the pathogenesis of trypanosomosis.     

Reproductive characteristics of endophyte-infected or novel tall fescue fed ewes

Reduced pregnancy rates often occur in ruminants grazing endophyte-infected (EI) tall fescue. The objectives were to characterize basal and oxytocin-induced PGF_2α concentrations in serum and reproductive function in ewes fed tall fescue seed and to determine whether addition of fish meal (FM) to a diet of EI fescue would alter PGF_2α production. Ewes were fed a diet with novel or non-toxic endophyte-infected (NE) or EI tall fescue seed containing either corn gluten meal (CG) or FM. Serum concentrations of prolactin, a measure of severity of fescue toxins, were reduced in ewes fed EI compared with NE forage seed (forage × day, P < 0.02) and were greater in NEFM than NECG-fed ewes (P < 0.03). Size and number of corpora lutea (CL), determined by trans-rectal ultrasonography, were similar between diets (P > 0.10). Serum concentrations of progesterone were reduced in ewes with two CL fed EI compared with NE seed (forage × CL number × day, P < 0.001). Oxytocin-induced PGFM concentrations during the luteal phase were determined as a measure of uterine function. On the day of oxytocin administration, peak plasma concentrations of PGFM were reduced in EI compared with NE-fed ewes (forage × time, P < 0.003), but FM did not influence PGFM concentrations. Estrous cycle length was more variable in EI than NE-fed ewes. There appears to be some asynchrony between NE and EI-fed ewes leading to changes in uterine responsiveness to oxytocin. Inclusion of FM did not alter uterine responsiveness to oxytocin.