Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of the LCROSS impact

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Diviner instrument detected a thermal emission signature 90 seconds after the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Centaur impact and on two subsequent orbits. The impact heated a region of 30 to 200 square meters to at least 950 kelvin, providing a sustained heat source for the sublimation of up to ~300 kilograms of water ice during the 4 minutes of LCROSS post-impact observations. Diviner visible observations constrain the mass of the sunlit ejecta column to be ~10(-6) to 10(-5) kilograms per square meter, which is consistent with LCROSS estimates used to derive the relative abundance of the ice within the regolith.     

Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of cold traps in the Moon's south polar region

Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment surface-temperature maps reveal the existence of widespread surface and near-surface cryogenic regions that extend beyond the boundaries of persistent shadow. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) struck one of the coldest of these regions, where subsurface temperatures are estimated to be 38 kelvin. Large areas of the lunar polar regions are currently cold enough to cold-trap water ice as well as a range of both more volatile and less volatile species. The diverse mixture of water and high-volatility compounds detected in the LCROSS ejecta plume is strong evidence for the impact delivery and cold-trapping of volatiles derived from primitive outer solar system bodies.     

Intestinal stem cell replacement follows a pattern of neutral drift

With the capacity for rapid self-renewal and regeneration, the intestinal epithelium is stereotypical of stem cell-supported tissues. Yet the pattern of stem cell turnover remains in question. Applying analytical methods from population dynamics and statistical physics to an inducible genetic labeling system, we showed that clone size distributions conform to a distinctive scaling behavior at short times. This result demonstrates that intestinal stem cells form an equipotent population in which the loss of a stem cell is compensated by the multiplication of a neighbor, leading to neutral drift dynamics in which clones expand and contract at random until they either take over the crypt or they are lost. Combined with long-term clonal fate data, we show that the rate of stem cell replacement is comparable to the cell division rate, implying that neutral drift and symmetrical cell divisions are central to stem cell homeostasis.     

Hydrologic Vulnerability of Sagebrush Steppe Following Pinyon and Juniper Encroachment

Woodland encroachment on United States rangelands has altered the structure and function of shrub steppe ecosystems. The potential community structure is one where trees dominate, shrub and herbaceous species decline, and rock cover and bare soil area increase and become more interconnected. Research from the Desert Southwest United States has demonstrated areas under tree canopies effectively store water and soil resources, whereas areas between canopies (intercanopy) generate significantly more runoff and erosion. We investigated these relationships and the impacts of tree encroachment on runoff and erosion processes at two woodland sites in the Intermountain West, USA. Rainfall simulation and concentrated flow methodologies were employed to measure infiltration, runoff, and erosion from intercanopy and canopy areas at small-plot (0.5 m²) and large-plot (13 m²) scales. Soil water repellency and vegetative and ground cover factors that influence runoff and erosion were quantified. Runoff and erosion from rainsplash, sheet flow, and concentrated flow processes were significantly greater from intercanopy than canopy areas across small- and large-plot scales, and site-specific erodibility differences were observed. Runoff and erosion were primarily dictated by the type and quantity of ground cover. Litter offered protection from rainsplash effects, provided rainfall storage, mitigated soil water repellency impacts on infiltration, and contributed to aggregate stability. Runoff and erosion increased exponentially (r² = 0.75 and 0.64) where bare soil and rock cover exceeded 50%. Sediment yield was strongly correlated (r² = 0.87) with runoff and increased linearly where runoff exceeded 20 mm·h^?1. Measured runoff and erosion rates suggest tree canopies represent areas of hydrologic stability, whereas intercanopy areas are vulnerable to runoff and erosion. Results indicate the overall hydrologic vulnerability of sagebrush steppe following woodland encroachment depends on the potential influence of tree dominance on bare intercanopy expanse and connectivity and the potential erodibility of intercanopy areas.     

Influence of Prescribed Fire on Ecosystem Biomass,Carbon, and Nitrogen in a Pinyon Juniper Woodland

Increases in pinyon and juniper woodland cover associated with land-use history are suggested to provide offsets for carbon emissions in arid regions. However, the largest pools of carbon in arid landscapes are typically found in soils, and aboveground biomass cannot be considered long-term storage in fire-prone ecosystems. Also, the objectives of carbon storage may conflict with management for other ecosystem services and fuels reduction. Before appropriate decisions can be made it is necessary to understand the interactions between woodland expansion, management treatments, and carbon retention. We quantified effects of prescribed fire as a fuels reduction and ecosystem maintenance treatment on fuel loads, ecosystem carbon, and nitrogen in a pinyon–juniper woodland in the central Great Basin. We found that plots containing 30% tree cover averaged nearly 40 000 kg · ha^?1 in total aboveground biomass, 80 000 kg · ha^?1 in ecosystem carbon (C), and 5 000 kg · ha^?1 in ecosystem nitrogen (N). Only 25% of ecosystem C and 5% of ecosystem N resided in aboveground biomass pools. Prescribed burning resulted in a 65% reduction in aboveground biomass, a 68% reduction in aboveground C, and a 78% reduction in aboveground N. No statistically significant change in soil or total ecosystem C or N occurred. Prescribed fire was effective at reducing fuels on the landscape and resulted in losses of C and N from aboveground biomass. However, the immediate and long-term effects of burning on soil and total ecosystem C and N is still unclear.     

Current knowledge on plant/canopy architectural traits that reduce the expression and development of epidemics

To reduce the use of pesticides, innovative studies have been developed to introduce the plant as the centre of the crop protection system. The aim of this paper is to explain how architectural traits of plants and canopies induce a more or less severe epidemic and how they may be modified in order to reduce disease development. In particular, it focuses on three key questions: i) which processes linked to epidemics can be influenced by architecture ii) how can architecture be characterized relative to these modes of action, and iii) how can these effects be explored and exploited? The roles of plant/canopy architecture on inoculum interception, on epidemic development via the microclimate and on tissue receptivity are discussed. In addition, the concepts of disease avoidance, canopy porosity and an ideotype unfavourable for disease development are described. This paper shows that many advances have already been made, but progress is still required in four main fields: microclimatology, mathematical modelling of plants, molecular genetics and ideotype conception.     

In-Laboratory Diffraction-Enhanced X-Ray Imaging of an Equine Hoof

We describe and demonstrate the first application of a laboratory-based diffraction-enhanced X-ray imaging instrument for noninvasive equine imaging. A formalin-preserved disarticulated forelimb from a near-term aborted miniature horse fetus was imaged with diffraction-enhanced X-ray imaging. The resultant calculated images—absorption, extinction, refraction, and scattering—are presented, and soft-tissues such as the dorsal digital extensor tendon, articular cartilage, as well as various joint, tendon sheath, and bursa recesses are observed in simultaneous registration with the adjacent dense bone tissue. Radiation dose calculations were performed and a calculated surface dose of 0.6 mGy for the soft muscular tissue was determined for the imaging experiment.     

Modified live Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine, AQUAVAC-ESC, lacks multidrug resistance plasmids

Plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance was first discovered in Edwardsiella ictaluri in the early 1990s, and in 2007 an E. ictaluri isolate harboring an IncA/C plasmid was recovered from a moribund channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus infected with the bacterium. Due to the identification of multidrug resistance plasmids in aquaculture and their potential clinical importance, we sought to determine whether the modified live E. ictaluri vaccine strain in AQUAVAC-ESC harbors such plasmids, so that the use of this vaccine will not directly contribute to the pool of bacteria carrying plasmid-borne resistance. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing of the E. ictaluri parent isolate and vaccine strain demonstrated that both were sensitive to 15 of the 16 antimicrobials tested. Total DNA from each isolate was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a set of 13 primer pairs specific for conserved regions of the IncA/C plasmid backbone, and no specific products were obtained. PCR-based replicon typing of the parent isolate and vaccine strain demonstrated the absence of the 18 commonly occurring plasmid incompatibility groups. These results demonstrate that the vaccine strain does not carry resistance to commonly used antimicrobials and provide strong support for the absence of IncA/C and other commonly occurring plasmid incompatibility groups. Therefore, its use should not directly contribute to the pool of bacteria carrying plasmid-borne resistance. This work highlights the importance of thoroughly investigating potential vaccine strains for the presence of plasmids or other transmissible elements that may encode resistance to antibiotics.     

Disease properties, geography, and mitigation strategies in a simulation spread of rinderpest across the United States

ABSTRACT: For the past decade, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has been working toward eradicating rinderpest through vaccination and intense surveillance by 2012. Because of the potential severity of a rinderpest epidemic, it is prudent to prepare for an unexpected outbreak in animal populations. There is no immunity to the disease among the livestock or wildlife in the United States (US). If rinderpest were to emerge in the US, the loss in livestock could be devastating. We predict the potential spread of rinderpest using a two-stage model for the spread of a multi-host infectious disease among agricultural animals in the US. The model incorporates large-scale interactions among US counties and the small-scale dynamics of disease spread within a county. The model epidemic was seeded in 16 locations and there was a strong dependence of the overall epidemic size on the starting location. The epidemics were classified according to overall size into small epidemics of 100 to 300 animals (failed epidemics), epidemics infecting 3 000 to 30 000 animals (medium epidemics), and the large epidemics infecting around one million beef cattle. The size of the rinderpest epidemics were directly related to the origin of the disease and whether or not the disease moved into certain key counties in high-livestock-density areas of the US. The epidemic size also depended upon response time and effectiveness of movement controls.