Technical note on cold weather installation of HDPE

In order to successfully seam HDPE flexible membrane liners (FMLs) in cold weather (less than 4·5°C (40°F), FML temperature may not be the most important factor. Secondary cold weather effects such as frozen subgrade, bridging, snow and ice removal, and worker discomfort pose a much more significant risk to the integrity of the liner installation.     

GPRS的服务质量及其测量

(GN Nettest)　　一、GPRS简介　　通用分组无线服务 ( GPRS)系统扩展了当前世界上最流行的第二代移动系统一基于语音的 GSM的应用 ,使其能够收发基于分组的数据 ;同时保留了无线接口的基本内容 ,如时分多路复用和频率分配方案 ,以使 GPRS和 GSM能够共存于同一网络上。　　 1 .特性　　传统的 GSM拨号数据接入为用户提供了最大960 0波特的速率。GPRS能够结合多个 GSM时隙 ,在上行链路和下行链路上 ,最多可以使用八个 GSM时隙 ,提供最高 1 70 kbit/sec的带宽。此外 ,GPRS采用全新的 IP网络“一直在线”接入模式 :移动用户开…     

THE ROLE OF PROLINE IN THE AMINO ACID METABOLISM OF GERMINATING BARLEY

The changes in nitrogen composition in germinating barley have been studied under malting conditions. It has been shown that most amino acids are produced in the endosperm, by peptidase activity, in the correct concentrations required for protein synthesis in the embryo. During growth the total concentrations of free and combined glutamic acid, glycine and ammonia decrease with the concurrent increases in the total concentration of free and combined proline, aspartic acid and lysine. No evidence has been found for the presence of an end product inhibition of peptidase activity in the endosperm. Thus in malting the growth of the embryo is shown to serve a useful purpose in the removal of amino acids from the endosperm.     

Effects of grade control structures on the macroinvertebrate assemblage of an agriculturally impacted stream

Nearly 400 rock rip‐rap grade control structures (hereafter GCS) were recently placed in streams of western Iowa, USA to reduce streambank erosion and protect bridge infrastructure and farmland. In this region, streams are characterized by channelized reaches, highly incised banks and silt and sand substrates that normally support low macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. Therefore, GCS composed of rip‐rap provide the majority of coarse substrate habitat for benthic macroinvertebrates in these streams. We sampled 20 sites on Walnut Creek, Montgomery County, Iowa to quantify macroinvertebrate assemblage characteristics (1) on GCS rip‐rap and at sites located (2) 5–50 m upstream of GCS, (3) 5–50 m downstream of GCS and (4) at least 1 km from any GCS (five sites each). Macroinvertebrate biomass, numerical densities and diversity were greatest at sites with coarse substrates, including GCS sites and one natural riffle site and relatively low at remaining sites with soft substrates. Densities of macroinvertebrates in the orders Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Acariformes were abundant on GCS rip‐rap. Increases in macroinvertebrate biomass, density and diversity at GCS may improve local efficiency of breakdown of organic matter and nutrient and energy flow, and provide enhanced food resources for aquatic vertebrates. However, lack of positive macroinvertebrate responses immediately upstream and downstream of GCS suggest that positive effects might be restricted to the small areas of streambed covered by GCS. Improved understanding of GCS effects at both local and ecosystem scales is essential for stream management when these structures are present. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sense of control predicts depressive and anxious symptoms across the transition to parenthood.

In this study, the authors examined the relationship between sense of control and depressive and anxious symptoms for mothers and fathers during the 1st year of parenthood. Participants were 153 dual-earner, working-class couples who were recruited during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy at prenatal education courses. Data were collected 1 month antenatally and 1, 4, 6, and 12 months postnatally. Sense of control was decomposed into 2 distinct parts: an enduring component and a malleable component that changes with context. Consistent with a cognitive theory of emotional problems, results demonstrated that a sense of control served a protective function for mental health outcomes. A higher sense of enduring control predicted lower levels of psychological distress for new parents, and increases in control over time predicted decreases in depression and anxiety. Findings hold implications for interventions with expectant parents, such as expanding prenatal education courses to include strategies for enhancing and maintaining a sense of personal control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing program persistence in professional weight loss programs involving cognitive self-persuasion.

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of a new members' orientation program on attrition for female clients at 6 weight loss centers. 147 clients participated either in a 4-hr motivation enhancement program (MEP) based on cognitive self-persuasion principles from the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) or in 1 of 3 control conditions. The program emphasized the development and maintenance of positive attitudes and behavioral intentions toward regular behavioral education classes. Control groups were time-attention, standard program, and those refusing the new program. Results indicated that clients in the MEP attended significantly more consecutive weeks of classes than others. Results indicate the therapeutic value of cognitive self-persuasion techniques used in the MEP. Suggestions for future clinical studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High‐performance hybrid information service architecture

We introduce a distributed high‐performance Information Service Architecture, which forms a metadata replica hosting system to manage both highly dynamic small‐scale metadata and relatively large static metadata associated with Grid/Web Services. We present an empirical evaluation of the proposed architecture and investigate its practical usefulness. The results demonstrate that the proposed system achieves high performance and fault tolerance with negligible processing overheads. The results also indicate that efficient decentralized hybrid Information Service Architectures can be built by utilizing publish‐subscribe‐based messaging schemes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Corneal scarring in the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study: baseline prevalence and repeatability of detection

Fibroblast growth factor-16 (FGF-16) is the most recent member of the FGF family to be cloned. Since the biologic activity of rat FGF-16 (rFGF-16) was unknown, and this protein has no apparent signal sequence, we transformed its entire cDNA into Escherichia coli for high-level expression and further characterization of this novel protein. An attempt was made to purify the expressed protein from the supernatant of mechanically lysed cells using sequential cation-exchange chromatography. This resulted in a gradual loss of the protein as precipitate throughout the purification process. In addition to precipitation during purification, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the partially purified materials showed a cluster of protein bands around 20k to 29k. Sequence analysis of the major bands indicated that two N-terminal truncations had occurred, during E. coli fermentation, purification, or both. The largest truncation resulted in the removal of the 34 N-terminal amino acids, including the initiation codon methionine. We cloned d34 rFGF-16, expressed the gene in E. coli, and developed a purification process for this form. Even with this truncated form, precipitation was a problem. We were largely able to overcome this problem, however, by including EDTA throughout the purification process. We have characterized the structure of purified d34 rFGF-16 extensively using circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and sedimentation velocity analysis. These studies revealed that the protein has a distinct tertiary structure, consists primarily of beta-strands, has a weak tendency to self-associate, and is fairly extended. We then performed biologic assays which showed that d34 rFGF-16 induces oligodendrocyte proliferation in vitro, and induces hepatocellular proliferation and increased liver weight in vivo. In summary, FGF-16, a novel FGF family member, has both unique structural and biological properties.