Ecological forecasts: an emerging imperative

Planning and decision-making can be improved by access to reliable forecasts of ecosystem state, ecosystem services, and natural capital. Availability of new data sets, together with progress in computation and statistics, will increase our ability to forecast ecosystem change. An agenda that would lead toward a capacity to produce, evaluate, and communicate forecasts of critical ecosystem services requires a process that engages scientists and decision-makers. Interdisciplinary linkages are necessary because of the climate and societal controls on ecosystems, the feedbacks involving social change, and the decision-making relevance of forecasts.     

GONG Observations of Solar Surface Flows

Doppler velocity observations obtained by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) instruments directly measure the nearly steady flows in the solar photosphere. The sun's differential rotation is accurately determined from single observations. The rotation profile with respect to latitude agrees well with previous measures, but it also shows a slight north-south asymmetry. Rotation profiles averaged over 27-day rotations of the sun reveal the torsional oscillation signal-weak, jetlike features, with amplitudes of 5 meters per second, that are associated with the sunspot latitude activity belts. A meridional circulation with a poleward flow of about 20 meters per second is also evident. Several characteristics of the surface flows suggest the presence of large convection cells.     

The opioid peptide dynorphin, circadian rhythms, and starvation

Dynorphin, an opioid peptide whose functions are unknown, is found in brain, pituitary, and peripheral organs. Specific radioimmunoassays were used to measure dynorphin in the hypothalamus and pituitary, during the day and at night, as a function of food and water deprivation. Immunoreactive dynorphin was increased in the hypothalamus and decreased in the pituitary at night. Water deprivation led to more than 50 percent reduction in daytime levels of pituitary dynorphin and concomitant increases in hypothalamic dynorphin.     

The relationship between the rate of melatonin excretion and sleep consolidation for locomotive engineers in natural sleep settings

Background  

The aim of the study was to examine the role that melatonin production plays in the regulation of sleep consolidation in a population of shiftworkers working and sleeping in their natural environments.     

CD21 B cell populations are altered following subcutaneous scrapie inoculation in sheep

In order to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of scrapie in sheep an experimental model was developed to characterise immune system cells in the minutes following inoculation with scrapie-brain homogenate. Four 1-year-old susceptible (ARQ/ARQ) sheep were inoculated via the subcutaneous route at four different peripheral lymph node (LNs) drainage sites, at specific time points, prior to euthanasia of the sheep. The LNs were removed post-mortem at 30, 90, 180 and 300 min after inoculation. Flow cytometric triple-labelling was carried out on the LN cells and indicated that inoculation of scrapie-brain homogenate adjacent to a lymph node may delay or even inhibit the number of host CD21⁺ B cells expressed within the first 5 h. Immunohistochemistry was used to attempt detection of the abnormal form of prion protein (PrP^sc) in draining LNs adjacent to inoculation sites, with negative results at those time points.     

The response of the supramammary lymph node of the sheep to secondary infection with orf virus

The response of the supramammary lymph node of seven sheep to secondary infection with orf virus was examined by cannulating the efferent lymphatic before infecting the drainage area of the node. All animals developed typical orf lesions and responded after an initial lag period with an increase in total cell output paralleled by a rising proportion of lymphoblast cells. Most lymphoblast contained immunoglobulin with a predominance of the IgG class. When cultured, these cells produced measurable amounts of virus-specific antibody. The proportion of cells which stained with a T-cell-specific monoclonal antibody was measured in two of the sheep and found to decrease as the response developed. These data suggest that the nodal response is directed mainly towards the production of virus-specific antibody. The extent of T-cell involvement remains unclear.     

Effects of Rough Rice Storage Conditions on the Amylograph and Cooking Properties of Medium-Grain Rice cv. Bengal

Rough rice (cv. Bengal) was stored at four moisture contents (8.8, 10.7, 12.9, and 13.6% MC) and three temperatures (3, 20, and 37°C) for up to six months. The amylograph overall paste viscosity of the milled rice increased during storage. This increase was most apparent in all samples stored at 37°C. For rice stored at 20 and 37°C at all MC levels, a 30–50% increase in peak viscosity (PV) was observed during the first three months of storage. PV subsequently leveled off for rice stored at 12.9 and 13.6% MC but declined for samples stored at 8.8 and 10.7% MC. The final viscosities also increased during storage. The water-absorption ratio of the samples during cooking in excess water increased by an average of 15% over six months of storage. The amylograph and cooking properties were significantly affected (P < 0.05) by rough rice storage duration, temperature, MC, and their respective interactions.