Hydrologic and Water Quality Aspects of Using a Compost/Mulch Blend for Erosion Control

Construction projects often expose large amounts of soil to erosive forces of wind and rain. These areas must be stabilized and vegetated before a Notice of Termination can be submitted to regulators. The objectives of this project were to compare the stabilization performance of two types of compost wood mulch blend top dressing (low and high organic matter), a wood based hydromulch, and seeded bare soil and to determine the amount of sediment and nutrients exported from each type of treatment. Ten test plots (12.2×2.4?m2) were constructed at a quarry in Parker County, Texas and outfitted with runoff capture systems. Runoff quality and quantity was evaluated for 2 years after installation. Sediment discharge was reduced by 98% on the compost/mulch blend plots and about 75% with hydromulch treatment compared to bare plots. Treatments reduced nutrient loads, although runoff concentrations of nitrate and dissolved P from compost treated plots were often higher than from bare soil or hydromulch plots.     

Characteristics of Rainfall, Snowmelt and Runoff in the Headwater Region of the Main River Watershed in Germany

In the headwater region of the Main River watershed in Germany, floods resulted from rain-on-snow events often occur in winter. Data of long-term observations at 16 gauging stations and 11 climate stations are available. Using these data, the objective of this paper is to study the characteristics of precipitation including snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE). The importance of rainfall on the snow melt process has been assessed. Statistical analysis and trend analysis of extreme precipitation, snow depth, SWE and river discharges have been carried out. Through introducing equivalent precipitation depth from snowmelt with rainfall as a new variable, the simultaneous occurrence of snowmelt and rain-on-snow has been assessed; the characteristics of runoff including peak discharge caused by rain-on-snow have been investigated. The major climatic feature was found to be a precipitation, which as maximum in summer; and the major hydrological feature was a discharge, which was maximum in winter. By using two different models, the Unit Hydrographs at some gauging stations have been determined and compared.     

First‐Principles Studies of Extended Nitride Materials

Modern electronic structure theory is a valuable tool for the chemistry and physics of extended materials. This contribution illustrates some recent examples on how structures, bonding, and physical properties of solid nitrides containing transition metals, lanthanides, and main group elements may be theoretically accessed and, in selected cases, how their syntheses may be more rationally planned.     

Molecular Reinforcement of Transparent Materials With Acrylamide‐Modified Calix[4]arene as a Crosslinker

The synthesis of 5,11,17,23‐amino‐25,26,27,28‐propoxycalix[4]arene (calix[4]amine, 4 ) starting from 5,11,17,23‐nitro‐25,26,27,28‐propoxy‐calix[4]arene ( 3 ) via microwave‐assisted transfer hydrogenation is reported. Furthermore, the calix[4]amine ( 4 ) is functionalized with an acrylamide moiety. The swelling behavior in water, the influence on the glass transition temperature, and the shear modulus of a crosslinked N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (NDA) polymer with 5,11,17,23‐acrylamido‐25,26,27,28‐propoxycalix[4]arene ( 5 ) and EGDMA, respectively, are investigated.

     

A critical examination of the residual cloud contamination and diurnal sampling effects on MODIS estimates of aerosol over ocean

Observations of the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard Terra and Aqua satellites are being used extensively for applications to climate and air quality studies. Data quality is essential for these studies. Here we investigate the effects of unresolved clouds on the MODIS measurements of the AOT. The main cloud effect is from residual cirrus that increases the AOT by 0.015/spl plusmn/0.003 at 0.55 /spl mu/m. In addition, lower level clouds can add contamination. We examine the effect of lower clouds using the difference between simultaneously measured MODIS and AERONET AOT. The difference is positively correlated with the cloud fraction. However, interpretation of this difference is sensitive to the definition of cloud contamination versus aerosol growth. If we consider this consistent difference between MODIS and AERONET to be entirely due to cloud contamination we get a total cloud contamination of 0.025/spl plusmn/0.005, though a more likely estimate is closer to 0.020 after accounting for aerosol growth. This reduces the difference between MODIS-observed global aerosol optical thickness over the oceans and model simulations by half, from 0.04 to 0.02. However it is insignificant for studies of aerosol cloud interaction. We also examined how representative are the MODIS data of the diurnal average aerosol. Comparison to monthly averaged sunphotometer data confirms that either the Terra or Aqua estimate of global AOT is a valid representation of the daily average. Though in the vicinity of aerosol sources such as fires, we do not expect this to be true.     

A sequential treatment regimen with melatonin and all-trans retinoic acid induces apoptosis in MCF-7 tumour cells

Neoplastic events are marked by uncontrolled cell proliferation. One major focus of cancer research has been to identify treatments that reduce or inhibit cell growth. Over the years, various compounds, both naturally occurring and chemically synthesized, have been used to inhibit neoplastic cell proliferation. Two such oncostatic agents, melatonin and retinoic acid, have been shown to suppress the growth of hormone-responsive breast cancer. Currently, separate clinical protocols exist for the administration of retinoids and melatonin as adjuvant therapies for cancer. Using the oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 human breast tumour cell line, our laboratory has studied the effects of a sequential treatment regimen of melatonin followed by all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) on breast tumour cell proliferation in vitro. Incubation of hormonally responsive MCF-7 and T47D cells with melatonin (10(-9) M) followed 24 h later by atRA (10(-9) M) resulted in the complete cessation of cell growth as well as a reduction in the number of cells to below the initial plating density. This cytocidal effect is in contrast to the growth-suppressive effects seen with either hormone alone. This regimen of melatonin followed by atRA induced cytocidal effects on MCF-7 cells by activating pathways leading to apoptosis (programmed cell death) as evidenced by decreased ER and Bcl-2 and increased Bax and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) expression. Apoptosis was reflected morphologically by an increase in the number of lysosomal bodies and perinuclear chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic blebbing and the presence of apoptotic bodies. The apoptotic effect of this sequential treatment with melatonin and atRA appears to be both cell and regimen specific as (a) ER-negative MDA-MB-231 and BT-20 breast tumour cells were unaffected, and (b) the simultaneous administration of melatonin and atRA was not associated with apoptosis in any of the breast cancer cell lines studied. Taken together, the results suggest that use of an appropriate regimen of melatonin and atRA should be considered for preclinical and clinical evaluation against ER-positive human breast cancer.     

Choreografiemodellierung: Eine übersicht

Nachdem viele Unternehmen bereits dazu überge-gangen sind, ihre internen Abl?ufe systematisch zu dokumentieren und automatisieren, wird auch die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Unternehmen zunehmend auf IT abgebildet. Dabei muss Einigung bezüglich der auszutauschenden elektronischen Dokumente hergestellt werden. Hinzu kommt, dass das Interaktionsverhalten modelliert werden muss, um auch hier Interoperabilit?t zu erreichen. Choreografiemodelle bieten genau solch eine Sicht auf interagierende Unternehmen. Sie spezifizieren die erlaubten Interaktionen und deren Beziehungen. Dieser Artikel bietet eine übersicht über aktuelle Entwicklungen im Bereich der Choreografiemodellierung und zeigt noch offene Herausforderungen auf.