Aeration as a tool to improve water quality and reduce the growth of hydrilla

Aeration of artificial, model lake systems was studied as a tool to improve water quality and to control the growth of a nuisance aquatic weed, Hydrilla verticillata (L.F.) Royle, which has been recognized as a plant pest since the mid-1960s. Aeration decreased the growth of Hydrilla by 20% fresh weight and 18% dry weight on average after 21 days. The effect was due to the oxygenation of the water and not the mechanical effect of the bubbles, as verified by studies using pure nitrogen. Aeration also affected water quality. Inorganic carbon decreased; nitrate-nitrite-nitrogen decreased, more slowly in test systems than in control systems; dissolved oxygen increased to saturation within 24 h and pH increased 0.5–1.5 unit over the period of study. Phosphate-phosphorus concentration was unaffected. The concentrations of zinc, calcium and iron decreased as well. The effect of aeration upon Hydrilla growth appears to be correlated with a decrease of iron. After 7 days, iron concentrations decreased to less than 20 ppb. Iron toxicity is proposed as the mechanism responsible for creating a limiting condition for Hydrilla growth.     

Reviews

LAND INTO LANDSCAPE by John M. Hunter, George Godwin/Longmans, 1985, 182 pp, £25.00

EATON ESTATE: LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION PLAN: Abridged Version of the Landscape Consultants' Report by Ian Laurie et al, Department of Town and Country Planning: University of Manchester, 1983.

DISCOVERING THE VERNACULAR LANDSCAPE by John B. Jackson, 165 pages, Yale University Press, 1984, $16.50.

THE ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF OUTDOOR RECREATION ON MOUNTAIN AREAS IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA edited by N. G. Bayfield and G. C. Barrow. Published by Recreation Ecology Research Group 1985, Report No. 9.     

Predicting Dissolved-Oxygen Variations Downstream From An Intermittent Discharge

Intermittent discharges from unsatisfactory overflows and storm-sewage tanks to a watercourse can lead to depleted dissolved-oxygen concentrations downstream from the discharge point.
This paper assesses the accuracy and applicability of a simplified dynamic river-impact model which predicts BOD and dissolved-oxygen concentrations downstream from an intermittent discharge. The proposed model (a) requires relatively little input data, (b) is internally simple, and (c) uses well-known and established predictive equations. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen are predicted to within a mean error of 0.1 mg/l during post-storm conditions and 0.5 mg/l during actual storm conditions.     

Pharmacokinetics of dolasetron after oral and intravenous administration of dolasetron mesylate in healthy volunteers and patients with hepatic dysfunction

In previous studies, dolasetron was shown to have both renal and hepatic elimination mechanisms. This study was conducted to determine the impact of varying degrees of hepatic dysfunction on the pharmacokinetics and safety of dolasetron and its reduced metabolites. Seventeen adults were studied: six healthy volunteers (group I), seven patients with mild hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh class A; group II), and four patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh class B or C1; group III). Single 150-mg doses of dolasetron mesylate were administered intravenously and orally, with a 7-day washout period separating treatments. After intravenous administration, no differences were observed between healthy volunteers and patients with hepatic impairment in maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), areas under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), or elimination half-life (t1/2) of intact dolasetron. No significant differences were found in Cmax, AUC, or apparent clearance (C(lapp)) of hydrodolasetron, the primary metabolite of dolasetron. The mean t1/2 increased from 6.87 hours in group I to 11.69 hours in group III. After oral administration, C(lapp) of hydrodolasetron decreased by 42%, and Cmax increased by 18% in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment. There were less changes in patients with mildly hepatic impairment. Total percentage of dose excreted as metabolites was similar for healthy volunteers and patients with hepatic impairment, although urinary metabolite profiles differed slightly. Dolasetron was well tolerated and there were no apparent differences in adverse effects between groups or treatments. Because hepatic impairment did not influence Cl(app) of hydrodolasetron after intravenous administration, and the range of plasma concentrations of hydrodolasetron after oral administration was not different from those observed in healthy volunteers, dosage adjustments are not recommended for patients with hepatic disease and normal renal function.     

Orbital pseudotumor: case report and overview

BACKGROUND: The most common cause of a sudden onset of painful proptosis with diplopia in an otherwise healthy adult is orbital pseudotumor. However, there are other conditions that mimic this presentation and must be ruled out with laboratory testing and imaging studies. CASE REPORT: A 41-year-old Hawaiian man sought treatment for an acute, progressive, painful, left ophthalmoplegia without exophthalmos. During the next week, a loss of accommodation and associated pupillary reaction, decreased visual acuity, color vision deficits, and a paracentral scotoma developed. CT and MRI revealed a mass in the orbital apex. All systemic findings were negative, and high-dose systemic steroid therapy was initiated. Symptoms resolved within hours of the first dose, and signs were completely absent 1 month later. Follow-up MRI revealed complete absence of the previously noted mass. CONCLUSION: This is an atypical case of orbital pseudotumor, since there was no exophthalmos. It was diagnosed by clinical presentation, laboratory and imaging studies, and response to therapy.     

Atomistic modeling of the effects of dose and implant temperature on dopant diffusion and amorphization in Si

We discuss atomistic simulations of ion implantation and annealing of Si over a wide range of ion dose and substrate temperatures. The DADOS Monte Carlo model has been extended to include the formation of amorphous regions, and this allows simulations of dopant diffusion at high doses. As the dose of ions increases, the amorphous regions formed by cascades eventually overlap, and a continuous amorphous layer is formed. In that case, most of the excess interstitials generated by the implantation are swept to the surface as the amorphous layer regrows, and do not diffuse in the crystalline region. This process reduces the amount of transient enhanced diffusion (TED) during annealing. This model also reproduces the dynamic annealing during high temperature implants. In this case, the local amorphous regions regrow as the implant proceeds, without the formation of a continuous amorphous layer. For sufficiently high temperatures, each cascade is annealed out independently; interstitials and vacancies can escape from the cascade and thus increase dopant diffusion.     

Relationship between soluble CD14, lipopolysaccharide binding protein, and the alveolar inflammatory response in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

The effects of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) are amplified by lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and CD14, resulting in cellular activation at very low concentrations of LPS. To investigate the importance of this pathway in acute lung injury, we measured LPS, LBP, and soluble CD14 (sCD14) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) of 82 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). LBP and sCD14 increased markedly in BAL of patients with ARDS. sCD14 and LBP each were strongly related to BAL total protein and polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) concentration, whereas LPS concentration was not. Multivariate analyses showed sCD14 to be strongly related to BAL total protein, even after controlling for LPS and LBP concentrations. sCD14 was strongly and independently related to PMN concentration, after controlling for BAL LPS, LBP, and interleukin-8 (IL-8). The BAL LPS concentration was not strongly related to either BAL total protein or BAL PMN. The BAL sCD14 and LBP values were similar in all subgroups of patients with ARDS, and were not related to survival. The serum LBP and sCD14 were elevated in ARDS, but were not related to BAL total protein, LBP, sCD14, PMN, or clinical outcome. Thus, LBP and sCD14 reach high concentrations in the lungs of patients with ARDS, and BAL sCD14 is strongly related to two major indices of lung inflammation: total protein and PMN concentration. CD14-dependent mechanisms may contribute to lung inflammation in ARDS.     

Antigen-specific and nonspecific deletion of immature cortical thymocytes caused by antigen injection

Analysis of antigen-induced negative selection of thymocytes in T cell receptor (TCR)-transgenic mice is complicated by the presence of an antigen-responsive peripheral T cell compartment. Our experiments address the question of whether and how peripheral T cell activation can affect immature thymocytes. Following three daily injections of peptide antigen into mice expressing a peptide-specific transgenic TCR and deficient for TAP1, we and others have found profound deletion of the CD4+CD8+ (DP) thymocyte subset. However, our work shows that even though mature CD8+ T cells are inefficiently selected in TAP1-deficient mice, there was a striking degree of peripheral expansion and activation of CD8+ peripheral T cells. Furthermore, when cells from TCR-transgenic mice were adoptively transferred, we found that deletion of nontransgenic DP thymocytes occurred in Thy-1-congenic and even more efficiently in TAP1-deficient recipients after repeated peptide injection resulting in peripheral T cell activation. In the adoptive transfer experiments the degree of deletion of immature bystander thymocytes was decreased upon blocking of TNF. These data show that deletion of DP thymocytes can result from excessive peripheral T cell activation and identify TNF as an important effector molecule for this process. When steps are taken to avoid peripheral T cell activation, peptide antigen can induce TCR-mediated thymocyte deletion, presumably in the thymus cortex, since injection of TAP1-deficient TCR-transgenic mice resulted in deletion of immature DP thymocytes prior to detectable peripheral T cell expansion and activation. This effect was not blocked by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor activity. In addition, DP depletion was seen in the absence of peripheral T cell activation when antibody-mediated depletion of CD8+ T cells was performed. Our work clearly shows that two mechanisms for deletion of DP thymocytes exist: deletion induced by antigen presentation in the thymus and deletion as a consequence of repeated stimulation of mature peripheral T cells.