A Method for Semiquantitative Spectrographic Analysis of Plant Ash for Use in Biogeochemical and Environmental Studies

1972 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 636-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elwin L. Mosier
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Level ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Simultaneous Recording ◽  
Separate Analysis ◽  
Spectrographic Analysis ◽  
Volatile Elements ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Plant Ash

A visual comparison method for semiquantitative spectrographic analysis of plant ash by dc arc technique has been applied to a wide variety of plant material. A split slit technique utilizing a Hartmann diaphragm and step filter assemblage enables the simultaneous recording of volatile elements from a short burn at 100% transmission and less volatile elements from a total energy burn at 15% transmission from the same electrode charge. Volatile elements, e.g., Ag, As, Bi, etc., are thus detected at low concentrations without the necessity of a separate analysis. Standards in a plant ash base are prepared in progressively lower concentrations from spectrographically pure powders in ranges applicable to most plants. Results are reported as six possible logarithmically spaced intervals per order of magnitude. Results show the repeatability to be within one reporting interval of the standards at the 68% confidence level and within two reporting intervals of the standards at the 95% confidence level. The over-all speed of the method suggests an application to large numbers of samples, and the analysis of more than 800 samples per man-month attests to the value of this method in reconnaissance studies.

scholarly journals Carbon-driven eco-agriculture without nitrogen deficiency

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Oda ◽  
Kenji Tamura ◽  
Hiroko Nakatsuka ◽  
Miki Nakata ◽  
Yukimi Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Organic Material ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Nitrogen Deficiency ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Number Of Microorganisms ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

A farmer grew crops by adding only organic material with a high C:N ratio (40) to the soil for 30 years. He focused on the role of carbon in increasing the number of microorganisms. This idea was based on the concepts of 1) indirect crop management via microorganisms and 2) providing carbon to microorganisms for energy. Here, we name this practice “carbon -driven eco-agriculture” (CDEA). We determined the effect of CDEA on a laterite soil vegetable field in Sao Paulo for 4 years. The yield exceeded the national average. Soil aggregates formed to 29 cm thickness, and the microbial activity was one order of magnitude higher than that in a conventional control field. The output/input ratios of carbon and nitrogen were 1.88 –2.35 and 3.58–6.00, respectively, indicating a sustainable system for these elements. Incorporating high-C:N-ratio (>20) organic material results in nitrogen deficiency. However, our results indicate that large numbers of microorganisms provide crops with sufficient nitrogen at low concentrations. This method overcomes the yield limitation of chemical fertilizer application and reverses soil degradation.

scholarly journals Carbon-driven eco-agriculture without nitrogen deficiency

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Oda ◽  
Kenji Tamura ◽  
Hiroko Nakatsuka ◽  
Miki Nakata ◽  
Yukimi Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Organic Material ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Nitrogen Deficiency ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Number Of Microorganisms ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

A farmer grew crops by adding only organic material with a high C:N ratio (40) to the soil for 30 years. He focused on the role of carbon in increasing the number of microorganisms. This idea was based on the concepts of 1) indirect crop management via microorganisms and 2) providing carbon to microorganisms for energy. Here, we name this practice “carbon -driven eco-agriculture” (CDEA). We determined the effect of CDEA on a laterite soil vegetable field in Sao Paulo for 4 years. The yield exceeded the national average. Soil aggregates formed to 29 cm thickness, and the microbial activity was one order of magnitude higher than that in a conventional control field. The output/input ratios of carbon and nitrogen were 1.88 –2.35 and 3.58–6.00, respectively, indicating a sustainable system for these elements. Incorporating high-C:N-ratio (>20) organic material results in nitrogen deficiency. However, our results indicate that large numbers of microorganisms provide crops with sufficient nitrogen at low concentrations. This method overcomes the yield limitation of chemical fertilizer application and reverses soil degradation.

scholarly journals Relaxation Times in Strictly Disk Systems

1971 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
George B. Rybicki
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Relaxation Times ◽  
Galactic Structure ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Vlasov Limit ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Gravitating Systems

AbstractIt is shown that the time of relaxation by particle encounters of self-gravitating systems in the plane interacting by 1/r2 forces is of the same order of magnitude as the mean orbit time. Therefore such a system does not have a Vlasov limit for large numbers of particles, unless appeal is made to some non-zero thickness of the disk. The relevance of this result to numerical experiments on galactic structure is discussed.

scholarly journals TNFα Potently Activates Osteoclasts, through a Direct Action Independent of and Strongly Synergistic with RANKL

Endocrinology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 1108-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Fuller ◽  
Chiho Murphy ◽  
Barrie Kirstein ◽  
Simon W. Fox ◽  
Timothy J. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Direct Action ◽  
Ring Formation ◽  
Actin Ring ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Extreme Sensitivity ◽  
Osteoclastic Differentiation

Abstract TNFα is pivotal to the pathogenesis of inflammatory and possibly postmenopausal osteolysis. Much recent work has clarified mechanisms by which TNFα promotes osteoclastogenesis, but the means by which it activates osteoclasts to resorb bone remain uncertain. We found that very low concentrations of TNFα promoted actin ring formation, which correlates with functional activation in osteoclasts, both in osteoclasts formed in vitro and extracted from newborn rats. TNFα was equipotent with RANKL for this action. Activation by TNFα was unaffected by blockade of RANKL by OPG, its soluble decoy receptor, suggesting that this was due to a direct action on osteoclasts. Bone resorption was similarly directly and potently stimulated, in a RANKL-independent manner in osteoclasts, whether these were formed in vitro or in vivo. Interestingly, TNFα promoted actin ring formation at concentrations an order of magnitude below those required for osteoclastic differentiation. Moreover, TNFα strongly synergized with RANKL, such that miniscule concentrations of TNFα were sufficient to substantially augment osteoclast activation. The extreme sensitivity of osteoclasts to activation by TNFα suggests that the most sensitive osteolytic response of bone to TNFα is through activation of existing osteoclasts; and the strong synergy with RANKL provides a mechanism whereby increased osteolysis can be achieved without disturbance to the underlying pattern of osteoclastic localization.

Albatrosses bathe before departing on a foraging trip: implications for risk assessments and marine spatial planning

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSÉ P. GRANADEIRO ◽  
LETIZIA CAMPIONI ◽  
PAULO CATRY
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Marine Spatial Planning ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Thalassarche Melanophris ◽  
Marine Areas

SummaryTracking studies of seabirds have generally focused in identifying areas used for foraging, in the hope of highlighting regions of energy transfer which may be important for seabird and general ecosystem conservation and special management. However, some sea areas may serve functions other than providing nutritional resources, which may be equally relevant, particularly if used by large numbers of individuals. In this paper, based on a study of 4 breeding colonies in the Falkland Islands and on 314 individuals tracked, we show that virtually all (97.8%) black-browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris (BBA) bathe in the close vicinity of the colony, remaining in the area for nearly an hour, before departing on a foraging trip. This compares with only 20 to 40% of the individuals landing close to the colony at the end of a foraging trip. The observed utilization of marine areas by BBA in a radius of 1 to 5 km around the nesting colony is one order of magnitude higher than elsewhere, including foraging hotspots. Clearly, even long-range flying birds such as albatrosses can make an intensive use of the sea-surface in the immediate vicinity of the colonies, and therefore any threats to seabirds in these areas (disturbance, pollutants, collision with artificial structures and light attraction) can potentially have a major impact at the population level. As such, the close neighbourhood of seabird colonies are potentially highly sensitive areas, and this needs to be taken into account when carrying out risk assessments or during marine spatial planning exercises.

Is leucine an allosteric modulator of the lysine transporter in the intestinal basolateral membrane?

1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (5) ◽  
pp. G637-G642 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Lawless ◽  
D. Maenz ◽  
C. Cheeseman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Basolateral Membrane ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Carrier Mediated Transport ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Dibasic Amino Acid ◽  
Voltage Clamping ◽  
Stimulation Of

The transport of the dibasic amino acid L-lysine was investigated using basolateral membrane vesicles prepared from rat jejunal mucosal scrapings. The majority of the carrier-mediated transport was unaffected by the presence of sodium in the incubation medium, but voltage clamping of the vesicles did increase lysine uptake, indicating an associated movement of charge. Kinetic analysis of lysine influx and efflux showed the system to be symmetrical, but although the Vmax was comparable to other amino acid transport systems in this membrane, the dissociation constant for the overall reaction (KT) was an order of magnitude larger. This low affinity for lysine would explain the relatively slow rate of transport of this amino acid across the basolateral membrane. Competition experiments indicated that this system has a relatively narrow specificity carrying only lysine, arginine, ornithine, and histidine. In contrast the presence of L-leucine caused a marked stimulation of lysine efflux and influx across the vesicles. This effect was observed with leucine concentrations as low as 0.1 microM. It is concluded that although the lysine transport system in the basolateral membrane is slow in its basal state it can be rapidly turned on by the presence of L-leucine. The remarkably low concentrations required to do this suggest a possible allosteric interaction between the transporter and this neutral amino acid.

ILI Based Dent Screening and Strain Based Analysis

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katina Tinacos ◽  
Pablo Cazenave ◽  
Ming Gao ◽  
Ravi Krishnamurthy ◽  
Dan Seman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Confidence Level ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Strain Level ◽  
Static Strain ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pipeline Section ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Data Point ◽  
Dent Depth

Pipeline operators often deal with the large numbers of dents that require further consideration, and are required to prioritize these dents for further investigation and repair. Code guidance is clear on the relative severity of dents based on a depth or associated with welds, corrosion, gouging or cracking. It allows the pipeline operators to prioritize their dig lists and limit the number of “investigative digs” by omitting plain and shallow dents. However, the dent depth criterion has limitations, experiences learned in the past have shown that a dent prioritization based on depth alone, may still leave a significant number of dents in the pipeline which may pose a threat, particularly from local static strain and fatigue. In recent years, strain and fatigue analyses have been included in the assessment of severity of dents in order to better prioritize and effectively repair dents which represent a threat to the structural integrity of pipelines. However, strain analyses require tedious calculation of dent curvature at each data point from ILI reported dent profile. When a large numbers of dents require to be prioritized by strain severity, using this detail calculation is impractical. Therefore, a screening methodology is required to reliably identify candidate dents that require detail strain assessment. In this paper, an aspect-ratio based screening methodology is developed and applied to over 7,000 dents reported by an In-Line Inspection (ILI) caliper tool for a 265 miles long pipeline section. A total of 263 shallow dents which could have injurious strain level were identified and ranked for detail strain and fatigue calculations. In-ditch investigation of 20 dents with LaserScan profiling showed that the developed screening methodology provides an effective tool to capture all the dents with strain equal and 6.5% at 95% confidence level.

Spotlight counts for assessing abundance of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.)

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 609 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Fletcher ◽  
Henrik Moller ◽  
B. Kay Clapperton
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Mackenzie Basin ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Kill Rate ◽  
Unexplained Variance ◽  
New Zealand Rabbits

We determined the precision of spotlight counts of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) and their accuracy as estimates of density, by making counts from a motorcycle along 17 1-km transects in the Mackenzie Basin, New Zealand. Rabbits were poisoned and density per 1-ha quadrat was measured. Precision of spotlight counts would be between 5–28% and 6–39%, using impracticably large numbers of counts, even allowing for the effects of snow and heavy rain, observer bias and number of runs per night. Spatial and unexplained variance would result in even less precise counts using 25 transects and 1–5 nights. Actual rabbit densities explained only 41% of the variance in spotlight counts. Confidence intervals of absolute rabbit densities are extremely large, especially when observed counts are high. At best, spotlight counts could be used to detect differences in actual rabbit abundance spanning an order of magnitude or more. Observed reduction in spotlight counts is likely to underestimate reduction in actual density because the spotlight count index ‘saturates’ at high rabbit density. However, spotlight counts along fixed transects before and after a control operation can be used to estimate percentage kill with acceptable precision if the kill rate is at least 80%.

Evidence for the presence of DNA at basal body sites in Tetrahymena pyriformis

1965 ◽  
Vol 162 (989) ◽  
pp. 473-491 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Mitotic Cycle ◽  
Tritiated Thymidine ◽  
Tetrahymena Pyriformis ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Temperature Shock ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

The reasons that have led to a search for DNA in the basal body of Tetrahymena pyriformis are twofold: the well-known property of proliferation of this organelle and the possibility that basal body DNA might be involved in its morphogenesis. After a brief review of earlier work the methods employed in this paper are described. To ensure large numbers of cells in a particular state of development organisms were grown in synchronized culture. Animals required for autoradiographic studies were appropriately treated with tritiated thymidine. All investigations were made on the cell cortex or 'ghost’ in order to avoid confusion from cell contents. In addition to autoradiography of ghosts, tests were made with acridine orange in the fluorescence microscope. It is concluded from fluorescence tests that basal bodies of T. pyriformis strain S contain DNA . This DNA is not detectable for the first 2h of the temperature-shock cycle, but is detect­able thereafter until cell division. The presence of DNA is confirmed by the autoradiography experiments. The amount of DNA per basal body is estimated very roughly in order of magnitude as 2 × 10 -16 g. The origin of basal body DNA is discussed and the possibilities and consequences of the existence of DNA in the homologous centriole are examined in terms of the mitotic cycle, the amoeba-flagellate transformation in Naegleria , and artificial parthenogenesis. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the genetic implications of basal body DNA .

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