Soil phosphorus pools with addition of fertiliser phosphorus in a long-term grazing experiment

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Grasslands are a globally important use of land for food and fibre production, which often require the addition of phosphorus (P) fertiliser to maximise plant...     

The effect of long-term phosphatic fertiliser applications on the amounts and forms of cadmium in soils under pasture in New Zealand

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the rate of Cd accumulation and changes in forms of Cd in a soil that has been subjected to long-term superphosphate fertiliser application. Results indicate that there had been a significant accumulation of Cd in the soil during the past 44 years. On the high fertiliser treatment (376 kg superphosphate ha^-1 yr^-1), Cd was estimated to have accumulated at a rate of 7.8 g ha^-1 yr^-1. During the course of the trial, there was an increase in the proportion of Cd associated with exchangeable and soil organic matter fractions on the fertilised plots, which was related to a corresponding increase in soil organic carbon levels. Results also indicate that although there was a large proportion of added Cd associated with the organic fraction, the concentration of applied Cd occurring in the residual fraction was also substantial (i.e >25% of added Cd). In addition, an investigation into the effects of residence time of Cd in the soil indicated that there was a redistribution of Cd into less soluble forms with time (i.e. residual Cd), along with a decrease in total soil Cd concentrations. There was also evidence of movement of Cd down the soil profile in this irrigated soil. The implications of these results for Cd phytoavailability are discussed.     

Lipidome of Atherosclerotic Plaques from Hypercholesterolemic Rabbits

The cellular, macromolecular and neutral lipid composition of the atherosclerotic plaque has been extensively characterized. However, a comprehensive lipidomic analysis of the major lipid classes within atherosclerotic lesions has not been reported. The objective of this study was to produce a detailed framework of the lipids that comprise the atherosclerotic lesion of a widely used pre-clinical model of plaque progression. Male New Zealand White rabbits were administered regular chow supplemented with 0.5% cholesterol (HC) for 12 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. Our lipidomic analyses of plaques isolated from rabbits fed the HC diet, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and high-resolution mass spectrometry, detected most of the major lipid classes including: Cholesteryl esters, triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, diacylglycerols, fatty acids, phosphatidylserines, lysophosphatidylcholines, ceramides, phosphatidylglycerols, phosphatidylinositols and phosphatidylethanolamines. Given that cholesteryl esters, triacylglycerols and phosphatidylcholines comprise greater than 75% of total plasma lipids, we directed particular attention towards the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the fatty acid composition of these lipids. We additionally found that sphingomyelins were relatively abundant lipid class within lesions, and compared the abundance of sphingomyelins to their precursor phosphatidylcholines. The studies presented here are the first approach to a comprehensive characterization of the atherosclerotic plaque lipidome.     

Low‐temperature crystallization of La0.15Sr0.775TiO3 using ionic liquids

The n‐type thermoelectric oxide La_0.15Sr_0.775TiO₃ (LST) has been synthesized at 600°C using an ionic liquid method. The method uses the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl 3‐methylimidazolium acetate as the sole complexing agent: the lack of a second, carbon‐rich template decreases the quantity of reduced intermediate phases which form during heating. By suppressing these phases, greatly reduced temperatures can be used to crystallize the perovskite LST phase, on the nanoscale. These nanoparticles have the potential to be used to increase the figure of merit in n‐type thermoelectric oxide devices.     

Creating cognitive tutors for collaborative learning: steps toward realization

Our long-term research goal is to provide cognitive tutoring of collaboration within a collaborative software environment. This is a challenging goal, as intelligent tutors have traditionally focused on cognitive skills, rather than on the skills necessary to collaborate successfully. In this paper, we describe progress we have made toward this goal. Our first step was to devise a process known as bootstrapping novice data (BND), in which student problem-solving actions are collected and used to begin the development of a tutor. Next, we implemented BND by integrating a collaborative software tool, Cool Modes, with software designed to develop cognitive tutors (i.e., the cognitive tutor authoring tools). Our initial implementation of BND provides a means to directly capture data as a foundation for a collaboration tutor but does not yet fully support tutoring. Our next step was to perform two exploratory studies in which dyads of students used our integrated BND software to collaborate in solving modeling tasks. The data collected from these studies led us to identify five dimensions of collaborative and problem-solving behavior that point to the need for abstraction of student actions to better recognize, analyze, and provide feedback on collaboration. We also interviewed a domain expert who provided evidence for the advantage of bootstrapping over manual creation of a collaboration tutor. We discuss plans to use these analyses to inform and extend our tools so that we can eventually reach our goal of tutoring collaboration.     

A disturbance model for control/structure optimization with output feedback control

This paper deals with a technique for the integrated optimization of structure and control in the design of flexible systems. The current approach uses the concept of response to dynamic constraints to establish a concise variational methodology to total system optimization, and eliminates the need to specify rather arbitrary trade-offs between control energy and structural mass. Results give an explicit dependency between structural stiffness (hence mass), disturbance magnitude, available control energy, and deflection constraints. The current paper presents results for direct output feedback and dynamic filter compensation with optional positive real constraints on the filters. The key element of the design approach is to formulate a set of response constraints that bound the allowable deflections and a set of constraints that bound the allowable control energy. The results for model structures indicate the importance of the control-structure interaction in a light-weight structure and the trade-offs between controller complexity, energy and structural mass.     

Steep fronted surges applied to large AC motors-effect of surgecapacitor value and lead length

The line end coil of large AC motors is known to suffer increased inter-turn voltage stress under steep fronted surge conditions. Surge capacitors can be used to slow down the surge rise-time. The effects of capacitor value and lead length on the line end coil voltage are examined. The theoretical and measured waveforms for the line end coil of a 3.3 kV, 1 MW, four-pole induction motor are compared. The results show clearly that when the capacitor lead length approaches 1, even a relatively large capacitor value has little effect     

Video compression for the grand alliance: A historical perspective

This article outlines the evolution of the Grand Alliance (GA) highdefinition television (HDTV) standard from its divided beginnings among several systems to its final state as the proposed standard for HDTV transmission in the United Stales today. Earlier video compression standards are briefly described, and their influence on the first four all-digital HDTV proposals is demonstrated. The salient features of each proposed video compression system are high-lighted, and the more recent MPEG-2 compression standard is introduced. MPEG-2 was adopted as the basis for video compression by the GA, a group of the former HDTV competitiors. The formation of the GA is described, and the work of its Video Compression Specialists Group on evaluating modifications to MPEG-2 is reviewed.©1994 John Wiley & Sons Inc     

Under the Sign of the Reproduction

With the advent of technical reproduction, the publication of architecture, as a medium through which architectural ideas have been disseminated, has both conditioned our understanding of architecture and exacted profound changes within the very art that it has reproduced. In this article I investigate this twofold phenomenon, using the example of the Italian publications Casabella and Architettura from the period between the two world wars, and focusing specifically on the publication of the Mostra della Rivoluzione Fascista, held in Rome in 1932. I examine this exhibition through the means of its production and reproduction, under the assumption that publication is a cultural text, with its own message and its own potential to condition our understanding of architecture.     

In sight, in mind: retailer compliance with legislation on limiting retail tobacco displays

We investigated retailer compliance with point-of-sale display legislation, using a New Zealand region as a case study. An observational survey was conducted of nonspecialist tobacco retailers in the lower North Island of New Zealand during 2006. Compliance was assessed in relation to store type (dairies, convenience stores, supermarkets, and service stations) and by characteristics of the population of the census area unit in which the store was situated. These characteristics include the level of socioeconomic deprivation and proportions of Maori (indigenous New Zealanders), Pacific Islanders, and children aged less than 19 years. Out of the 288 stores surveyed, 185 (64%) had at least one breach of the point-of-sale regulations. The most common breaches were a failure to display a "Smoking Kills" sign, visibility of tobacco from outside the premises, and displaying tobacco less than 1 m from children's products. Compliance was significantly worse in dairies (small local general stores) and convenience stores. Stores situated in areas in the top quartile for the proportion of children were much more likely to have high levels of noncompliance (> or =3 breaches) and to display tobacco products close to children's products. This study is one of very few to systematically investigate retailer compliance with point-of-sale display regulations for tobacco products. The results suggest that the implementation of legislation to partly limit retail displays of tobacco products can be difficult. A ban on retail displays of tobacco products is likely to be a more effective and enforceable policy.