The binding of azide to human methemoglobin A0. Error analysis for the interpolative and noninterpolative methods.

The binding azide to human methemoglobin A0 has been studied at 6 degrees, pH 7, and I = 0.2 by three spectroscopic methods: (1) the conventional interpolative method, (2) an interpolative dialysis technique, and (3) a noninterpolative method. The interpolative methods assume that the fractional spectral change equals the fraction of heme sites bound by ligand, while the noninterpolative method measures the extent of binding directly, i.e., without the interpolative assumption. Both experiment and error analysis show that method 1 has low precision, and consequently, gives an inherently unreliable binding isotherm. Method 2 achieves high experimental and intrinsic precision. However, method 3, which also has high precision, clearly proves that the interpolative assumption of method 2 is incorrect. That is, the true fractional extent of binding becomes equal to the fractional spectral change only after about 97% of heme sites have been bound with ligands.     

Nitrogen and bolus closing volumes: differences after histamine-induced bronchoconstriction.

Studies in normal subjects have shown that there is little difference in the size of the closing volume when measured by either the nitrogen methods or a bolus method. In this study we have examined the changes in closing volume following histamine-induced bronchoconstriction. In five normal subjects histamine resulted in a reduction in the vital capacity, an increase in the residual volume, and an increase in the airway resistance. The size of the closing volume measured by a bolus method increased after induced bronchoconstriction (0.52 +/- 0.15 1 to 0.74 +/- 0.17 1). With the nitrogen method the closing volume became smaller (0.51 +/- 0.19 1 to 0.17 +/- 0.17 1). Similar differences between the two methods are demonstrated in patients with asthma. The suggested explanation for these differences lies in the different methods used to establish a concentration gradient of gas in the lung. If there is "air trapping" the nitrogen method may fail to establish a concentration gradient.     

The effect of externally applied electrostatic fields,microwave radiation and electric currents on plants and other organisms,with special reference to weed control

A wide-ranging review is presented of the effects of various forms of externally applied electrical energy upon plants and other organisms. Although investigations involving both small and large amounts of energy directed at the targets are considered, a particular emphasis of this review is the feasibility of each type of electrical stimulation for weed control. Electrostatic fields ranging from 100 V m^?1 to 800 kV m^?1 have been applied to plants under laboratory conditions and in field trials since the 1880’s. Some beneficial effects have been reported (e.g. increase in yield from both cereal and vegetable crops), but the results have been erratic and the electrical conditions leading to definite benefits on a large scale could not be confidently predicted from early studies. High electric fields are reported to damage plants if currents greater than 10^?6 A are induced to flow through leaves causing corona discharges from the tips. The nature of the damage and the effects on metabolic processes are discussed. The results from experiments on the growth of plants in which the density and charge of air ions have been varied are also reviewed. The effects of microwave radiation (mostly 2450 MHz) upon seeds, plants and other organisms in soil are discussed. These effects depend upon the power density of the radiation and the electrical properties of the targets. Factors such as size of seeds and plants, shape and moisture content are important, as are the properties of the soil irradiated (notably water content). Although microwaves can be effective in killing plants and also seeds that are buried several centimeters deep in soil, high power equipment is required and treatment times are long e.g. a 60 kW machine could take up to 92.6 hours per hectare. Other experiments reported show that microwave radiation can kill nematodes in the soil and that it is also very effective in killing fungi and bacteria. The potential of the various possible uses of microwave radiation in agriculture is also described. Electric currents have been caused to flow through plants by the application of electrodes to the leaves. The effects range from nil, when 50–100 V and 1 or 2 μA are used, to very striking when voltages from 5 to 15 kV are applied causing currents of several amperes to flow and resulting in the rapid destruction of the target. Small electric currents passed through soil containing plants are reported to increase their growth. The effects of small current on the growth of individual leaves are reviewed. The use of high voltage tractor-borne equipment for weed control is also considered.     

Studies on the effect of reagent and protein charges on reactivity of the β93 sulfhydryl group of human hemoglobin using selected mutations

The reactivity of the β93 sulfhydryl (SH) group of human oxyhemoglobins with the negatively charged 5,5′-dithiobis(2,2′-nitrobenzoate) and the uncharged 2,2′-dithiodipyridine was determined as a function of pH. Selected mutant hemoglobins having increased oxygen affinity and having residue substitutions altering charge near the SH group (Wood, Malmö, Yakima, Kempsey, Andrew-Minneapolis, Osler, and Chesapeake) were compared to hemoglobin (Hb) A. Although both reagents reacted with GSH at the same rate and with the same enthalpies of activation, the rates with Hb were different and the difference showed a pronounced pH dependence. The charged reagent was sensitive to charges near the SH group; a positive charge increased the rate and a negative one decreased the rate. The uncharged reagent which reacted with Hb A with activation enthalpies similar to those for GSH was insensitive to neighboring charges, but was sensitive to tertiary and quaternary structural changes. The rates obtained with the latter reagent did not correlate with oxygen affinity. The evolutionary aspects of the β93 cysteine in relation to structure and function are reviewed.     

Reforestation and surface cooling in temperate zones: Mechanisms and implications

Land‐use/cover change (LUCC) is an important driver of environmental change, occurring at the same time as, and often interacting with, global climate change. Reforestation and deforestation have been critical aspects of LUCC over the past two centuries and are widely studied for their potential to perturb the global carbon cycle. More recently, there has been keen interest in understanding the extent to which reforestation affects terrestrial energy cycling and thus surface temperature directly by altering surface physical properties (e.g., albedo and emissivity) and land–atmosphere energy exchange. The impacts of reforestation on land surface temperature and their mechanisms are relatively well understood in tropical and boreal climates, but the effects of reforestation on warming and/or cooling in temperate zones are less certain. This study is designed to elucidate the biophysical mechanisms that link land cover and surface temperature in temperate ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we used data from six paired eddy‐covariance towers over co‐located forests and grasslands in the temperate eastern United States, where radiation components, latent and sensible heat fluxes, and meteorological conditions were measured. The results show that, at the annual time scale, the surface of the forests is 1–2°C cooler than grasslands, indicating a substantial cooling effect of reforestation. The enhanced latent and sensible heat fluxes of forests have an average cooling effect of ?2.5°C, which offsets the net warming effect (+1.5°C) of albedo warming (+2.3°C) and emissivity cooling effect (?0.8°C) associated with surface properties. Additional daytime cooling over forests is driven by local feedbacks to incoming radiation. We further show that the forest cooling effect is most pronounced when land surface temperature is higher, often exceeding ?5°C. Our results contribute important observational evidence that reforestation in the temperate zone offers opportunities for local climate mitigation and adaptation.     

Morphological divergence in giant fossil dormice

Insular gigantism—evolutionary increases in body size from small-bodied mainland ancestors—is a conceptually significant, but poorly studied, evolutionary phenomenon. Gigantism is widespread on Mediterranean islands, particularly among fossil and extant dormice. These include an extant giant population of Eliomys quercinus on Formentera, the giant Balearic genus †Hypnomys and the exceptionally large †Leithia melitensis of Pleistocene Sicily. We quantified patterns of cranial and mandibular shape and their relationships to head size (allometry) among mainland and insular dormouse populations, asking to what extent the morphology of island giants is explained by allometry. We find that gigantism in dormice is not simply an extrapolation of the allometric trajectory of their mainland relatives. Instead, a large portion of their distinctive cranial and mandibular morphology resulted from the population- or species-specific evolutionary shape changes. Our findings suggest that body size increases in insular giant dormice were accompanied by the evolutionary divergence of feeding adaptations. This complements other evidence of ecological divergence in these taxa, which span predominantly faunivorous to herbivorous diets. Our findings suggest that insular gigantism involves context-dependent phenotypic modifications, underscoring the highly distinctive nature of island faunas.     

Relationships of reproductive performance indicators in black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) with plant available moisture,plant available nutrients and woody cover

Plant available moisture and plant available nutrients in soils influence forage quality and availability and subsequently affect reproductive performance in herbivores. However, the relationship of soil moisture, soil nutrients and woody forage with reproductive performance indicators is not well understood in mega‐browsers yet these three are important in selecting suitable areas for conservation of mega‐browsers. Here, the eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli), a mega‐browser, was studied in seven geographically distinct populations in Kenya to understand the relationships between its reproductive performance indicators and plant available moisture, plant available nutrients and woody cover. Reproductive parameters showed a complex relationship with plant available moisture and plant available nutrients. We found an increase in the predicted yearly percentage of females calving as plant available nutrients decreased in areas of high levels of plant available moisture but no relationship with plant available nutrients in areas of low plant available moisture. Age at first calving was earlier, inter‐calving interval was longer and yearly percentage of females calving was higher at higher woody cover. Woody plant cover contributes positively to black rhino reproduction performance indicators, whereas plant available moisture and plant available nutrients add to the selection of conservation areas, in more subtle ways.