Cold Winter Days Research Articles

Eclipse: Stories (review)

take us on a walking tour past twenty-five years of landmarks, people, memories, and musings and give the reader some sense of this special and nurturing place. —Jane Hicks Bryner, Jeanne. Eclipse: Stories. Huron, Ohio: Bottom Dog Press, 2003. 149 pages. Paperback. $12.95. In Eclipse Jeanne Bryner writes, "Poetry is the flower you stumble across growing near the barn, a purple bloom that nobody planted" (90). These stories are stories told by a poet, and Bryner's prose poetry infuses this collection. Bryner's poet's vision creates vignettes from 85 events in the everyday lives of Appalachians who stayed in the mountains and stories of those who were a part of the out-migration to Ohio: stories that will twist and squeeze your heart, sometimes breaking it in two, sometimes filling it with joy. Bryner's prose is spare. She writes of the choices of a moment when "things happen that can never be turned around" (132), of random events that often would be no one's choice, but that change lives, and of the hope and wisdom it takes to live with those events. And she writes of the joy of success, the respect that all people deserve, and the pleasure that comes with living and loving deeply. The minor errors and formatting problems of the book itself not caught during editing are easily overlooked because of the richness of the stories themselves. Whether told through a child's eyes as is "First Base," by an adult seeking the strength and peace to continue a life as in "Red Corvette," or, as in "Foxglove Canyon," through the perceptions of a woman holding the wisdom of years, the narrative voice is clear and strong; events are carefully chosen and stunningly effective. Bryner's stories demonstrate a strong legacy of Appalachian men and women: the ability to survive during times when, because of loss, grief or fear, survival seems impossible. Her characters are people who know how to take the joys of everyday life and make the most of them. As a nurse Bryner has observed extreme emotions and has had to live with the impact of them, making her evocation of emotion particularly strong and very wise. Bryner's characters show the respect for self and others that allows people to accept difference. Whether in the milltowns of Ohio or rural West Virginia, her characters engage the reader's heart. Often bittersweet, they speak in celebration of life: its joys, its ironies, and its sorrows. Like Joe Martin in "Kolobos," the opening story of the collection, who wants "to shed his sadness," "leave it behind, the bitter skin of sorrow before he [goes] home to his wife and girls," (8) Bryner's stories help us grieve and to shed our sadness, and to celebrate everyday joys. Bryner's stories are told so softly that we must listen hard. In "Seat Them with Princes," we share Virgil's dread when his teacher sends a note that he must return signed. We sympathize with Virgil as he worries. We share his bewilderment when the expected punishment doesn't come, but his mother hugs him so hard it nearly makes his oatmeal cookie "come back up" (107). And because we are subtly told of his poverty—using hot biscuits rather than gloves to keep his hands warm on the way to school on a cold winter day—we are able to feel 86 his great pride in the new shoes his teacher buys for him. Race doesn't matter in this story; respect does, for Virgil feels that Miss Lemley, his teacher who is "the color of chestnuts winter and summer," "could be next year's queen of the Jack Town fair" if only she didn't wear glasses (105). And, understanding his pride, Miss Lemley tells Virgil that the new shoes and boots are a secret, a good secret that his mama knows, "but something that we need never tell, even to Jess" (108). Bryner carefully selects details that make us care about her characters in stories as brief as "Call Each by Name." We are caught in the narrator's chagrin because she has to watch her uncle...

The biogeography of Mediterranean cephalopods

Biogeographia vol. XXIV - 2003 (Printed October, 31 st 2003) Marine biogeography of the Mediterranean Sea: patterns and dynamics of biodiversity The biogeography of Mediterranean cephalopods* GIAMBATTISTA BELLO Servizia Ittico Am/7z'e7zz‘zz[e, Proz/incizz zli Bzlri, Viz; Amenclolzz 189/B, £70126 Bari (Italy) *To the memory of Dr. Kit Nesis, who suddenly passed away in a cold winter day. He was a great cephalopod systematist and biogeographer, and a kind Man. Key words: Cephalopoda, Mediterranean Sea, distribution, alien species. evolution. SUMMARY This paper presents an updated picture of the Mediterranean teuthobiogeography. Sixty-five cephalopod species have been recorded in the Mediterranean, i.e., about 9% of the world teuthofauna, belonging to the following orders: Spirulida (1 species), Sepiida (4), Sepiolida (15). Teuthida (30), and Octopoda (15). Only 53 ofthem are represented by well established populations in this basin: all the others either have been very rarely collected or are recent occurrences, including cephalopods recently entered from the Atlantic Ocean and from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The width of the cephalopod horizontal distribution is discussed in relation to their modes of life and reproduction. In particular the in Jim speciation ofa flock of endemic or quasi-endemic sepioline species is attributed to certain body Features (small size, “locl;—and—l(eyq copulatory organs), reproductive strategies, short life span, and habitat. A concise history of the knowledge of the Mediterranean teuthoFauna is also illustrated. A list of the Mediterranean cephalopods is reported in Appendix I. INTRODUCTION Mangold and Boletzky (1988) published an essay on “Mediterranean Cephalopod Fauna”, which represents the first modern piece of literature dedicated to the biogeography of the Mediterranean cephalopods. In that paper the Mediterranean was dealt with in geological and paleogeographic contexts. In more recent years, new data have been accumulated on the distribution and, more important, on the taxonomy, ecology and reproductive biology of cephalopods living in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, producing a positive impact on the field of cephalopod biogeography (Boletzky, 1999).

Assessing Pipeline Adequacy to Meet Natural Gas Demand for Electricity Generation: New York State Case Study

A conceptual framework and modeling approach are presented for assessing pipeline adequacy to meet existing and future demands for natural gas in electricity generation after gas demands for traditional end users have been met. Transportation logistics and economics issues are identified that natural gas (and electric) suppliers face in trying to meet traditional and electricity generation gas demands. An integrated electric and gas modeling approach is used for this purpose. The approach uses separate models for electric and gas systems. Consistent equilibrium solutions are obtained by iterating between the two models. The economic decisions and logistical issues facing the gas and electric industries are quite stark. The incentives of the two industries need to be realigned to achieve greater electric efficiency, reliable generation, and better air quality at a reasonable cost. As a detailed case study of the modeling approach, results are presented from an analysis of the ability of the natural gas delivery system to meet future electricity generation requirements in New York State. The analysis integrates the modeling of the gas demands of New York State electric generators with the modeling of available gas supply and delivery capacity to the state. Although the analysis indicates that the gas and electric systems in New York can reliably meet their future loads under a range of electricity generation and gas pipeline expansion scenarios, oil use by electric generators remains a key substitute for gas during times of peak gas demands (e.g., cold winter days).

Diet preferences of warblers for specific fatty acids in relation to nutritional requirements and digestive capabilities

During energy‐demanding periods of the annual cycle such as migration or during cold days in winter, birds store fat comprised mostly of 16‐ or 18‐carbon unsaturated fatty acids. In such situations, birds may feed selectively on foods with specific fatty acids that enable efficient fat deposition. We offered wild‐caught yellow‐rumped warblers Dendroica coronata paired choices between semi‐synthetic diets that differed only in their fatty acid composition. Warblers strongly preferred diets containing long‐chain (18:1; carbon atoms:double bonds) unsaturated, unesterified fatty acids to diets containing long‐chain saturated, unesterified fatty acids (18:0) and they preferred diets containing mono‐unsaturated fats (18:1) to diets containing poly‐unsaturated fats (18:2). The preference for diets containing long‐chain unsaturated fatty acids to diets containing long‐chain saturated fatty acids was consistent in birds tested one week after capture at 21°C, one month after capture when cold‐acclimated (1°C), and six weeks after capture at 21°C. Birds acclimated to a diet with 50% of the fat comprised of unesterified stearic acid (18:0) lost mass and reduced their food intake when we reduced ambient temperature from 21°C to 11°C over three days. We conclude that especially in energy‐demanding situations there are limits to the yellow‐rumped warblers’ ability to assimilate some long‐chain saturated fatty acids and that this digestive constraint can explain in part why yellow‐rumped warblers prefer diets containing long‐chain unsaturated fatty acids to diets containing long‐chain saturated fatty acids.

Allocation of absorbed light energy into photochemistry and dissipation in a semi-deciduous and an evergreen Mediterranean woody species during winter

The importance of photodissipation in the protection from excessive solar energy absorption during winter was evaluated in shrubs of Cistus albidus L. (semi-deciduous) and Quercus ilex L. (evergreen). Diurnal and seasonal changes in chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence-related parameters of leaves with different microclimates (south- and north-facing leaves) were assessed from early winter to late spring in a Mediterranean plant community. Maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (F v/F m) was lowest on sunny and cold winter days, but low values on overcast (and cold) days indicated that the whole winter season was potentially stressful. Photoinhibition was greater in south than in north leaves during winter. There was a decreased proportion of absorbed light utilised in photochemistry, and an increase in that proportion diverted into dissipation processes on cold sunny days. Under low light conditions (e.g. of north-facing leaves throughout the winter, or all the canopy on overcast days), a greater proportion of light energy was allocated to photochemistry than in bright conditions, although still smaller than the dissipated fraction. Allocation to photochemistry prevailed over dissipation only in spring. The phenological and structural characteristics of C. albidus protect it from excessive light loads, and reduce the need for investment in physiological mechanisms to avoid their harmful effects. Quercus ilex lacks such protection, and relies essentially on increased and sustained photodissipative activity at the physiological level.

Day‐to‐day temperature variability trends in 160‐ to 275‐year‐long European instrumental records

Day‐to‐day temperature variability is investigated in eight European series of daily mean temperatures beginning between 1722 and 1833. Eight statistical measures of day‐to‐day temperature variability are compared. The intramonthly standard deviation of daily temperature anomalies is found to be a good measure. The absolute change in temperature anomaly from one day to the next is sensitive to changes in observational procedures and is suggested as a diagnostic tool for identification of inhomogeneities in instrumental temperature series. Because many changes in observational procedures have taken place, quantitative estimates of trends in day‐to‐day variability, based on all series, could only be calculated for 1880–1998. A trend analysis over this period indicates an increase by 5% in southwest Europe, 0 to −5% change in the northwest, and a decrease by 5 to 10% in northeast Europe. On a longer time perspective, day‐to‐day temperature variability in winter, spring, and autumn in northern Europe has decreased over the last 200–250 years. The frequency of extremely cold winter days in northern Europe was lower in the twentieth century than in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Day‐to‐day temperature variability in winter in northern Europe was negatively correlated with a North Atlantic Oscillation index in the period 1826–1997, but some other factor must also have contributed to the long‐term variability decrease. More long daily temperature series, and development of homogenization methods for such data, are needed for an improved knowledge of long‐term changes in day‐to‐day temperature variability.

Growth, Survival, and Aesthetic Quality of Boxwood Cultivars as Affected by Landscape Exposure

Three cultivars of boxwood, `Winter Gem' (Buxus microphylla Sieb. & Zucc.), `Green Velvet', and `Green Mountain' [B. sinica (Rehd. & Wils.) Cheng var. insularis (Nakai) M. Cheng × B. sempervirens L. `Suffruticosa' L.], were planted in 12 different landscape exposures (N, ENE, NNE, E, SSE, ESE, S, WSW, SSW, W, NNW, WNW) at Manhattan and Wichita, Kans., representing U.S. Dept. of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 and 6, respectively. In Kansas, winter stress is often the greatest threat to plant survival, and Winter 1995-96 was one of great extremes. Official lows of -25 °C for Manhattan and -23 °C for Wichita were recorded, along with sharp 24-hour temperature drops of 31-32 °C in January and March. Differences in cultivar performance were noted between sites. Better winter quality was exhibited by `Green Velvet' and `Green Mountain', although significant bronzing occurred on the former in Manhattan. Locations on N, ENE, NNE, NNW, and WNW exposures resulted in better plant quality of all cultivars, whereas plant performance was poorer at S and SE exposures. Differences in canopy temperatures of up to 15.7 °C were recorded, on the same cold winter day, between NNW and ESE. Recovery from winter dieback and growth during Summer 1996 varied with cultivar, site, and exposure. `Winter Gem' grew most in height, and `Green Velvet' grew most overall at Manhattan. Growth rates were dependent on exposure, with greater growth at NNE, E, SSW, and WNW. Performance of `Green Velvet' and `Green Mountain' indicated that they could be used in any exposure with conditions similar to those of the test sites.

Rapid freezing injury in red spruce: seasonal changes in sensitivity and effects of temperature range.

On calm, cold days in winter, sun-exposed needles of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) may warm 10 to 20 degrees C above ambient air temperature, and undergo rapid (>/= 1 degrees C min(-1)) fluctuations in temperature as light breezes or passing clouds alter the energy balance of the foliage. It has been proposed that the resulting rapid freeze-thaw cycles (freezing stress) cause a type of winter injury in montane red spruce that is characterized by necrosis of sun-exposed foliage. In autumn and winter, we monitored rapid freezing stress response of needle sections from 10 montane red spruce trees by subjecting needles to rapid freezing over the temperature span typically recorded in the field. In autumn, experimental rapid freezing stress produced severe injury only at temperatures considerably lower than expected for that time of year. In winter, rapid freezing caused occasional, moderate injury in fully hardened foliage of trees susceptible to both slow and rapid freezing. Seasonal changes in sensitivity to rapid and slow freezing were correlated, suggesting that environmental factors that are known to affect sensitivity to slow freezing may also affect sensitivity to rapid freezing. Experimental manipulation of the start and end temperatures of rapid freezing stress events showed that moderate to severe needle injury can occur in susceptible trees at temperature spans slightly more extreme than those typically recorded in the field. The extent of injury was similar at different starting temperatures if rapid freezing occurred over the same temperature span. Year-old foliage was consistently less sensitive to rapid freezing stress than current-year foliage, but some year-old foliage was damaged when the rapid freezing stress regime caused severe injury in current-year foliage. We conclude that rapid freeze-thaw cycles can explain light to moderate injury of current-year foliage, but they do not explain the more severe and widespread pattern of foliar damage that has occurred intermittently over at least the last 18 years.

Acclimation of snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) leaf respiration to seasonal and diurnal variations in temperature: the importance of changes in the capacity and temperature sensitivity of respiration

ABSTRACTWe investigated the relationship between daily and seasonal temperature variation and dark respiratory CO2 release by leaves of snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. ex Spreng) that were grown in their natural habitat or under controlled‐environment conditions. The open grassland field site in SE Australia was characterized by large seasonal and diurnal changes in air temperature. On each measurement day, leaf respiration rates in darkness were measured in situ at 2–3 h intervals over a 24 h period, with measurements being conducted at the ambient leaf temperature. The rate of respiration at a set measuring temperature (i.e. apparent ‘respiratory capacity’) was greater in seedlings grown under low average daily temperatures (i.e. acclimation occurred), both in the field and under controlled‐environment conditions. The sensitivity of leaf respiration to diurnal changes in temperature (i.e. the Q10 of leaf respiration) exhibited little seasonal variation over much of the year. However, Q10 values were significantly greater on cold winter days (i.e. when daily average and minimum air temperatures were below 6° and –1 °C, respectively). These differences in Q10 values were not due to bias arizing from the contrasting daily temperature amplitudes in winter and summer, as the Q10 of leaf respiration was constant over a wide temperature range in short‐term experiments. Due to the higher Q10 values in winter, there was less difference between winter and summer leaf respiration rates measured at 5 °C than at 25 °C. The net result of these changes was that there was relatively little difference in total daily leaf respiratory CO2 release per unit leaf dry mass in winter and summer. Under controlled‐environment conditions, acclimation of respiration to growth temperature occurred in as little as 1–3 d. Acclimation was associated with a change in the concentration of soluble sugars under controlled conditions, but not in the field. Our data suggest that acclimation in the field may be associated with the onset of cold‐induced photo‐inhibition. We conclude that cold‐acclimation of dark respiration in snow gum leaves is characterized by changes in both the temperature sensitivity and apparent ‘capacity’ of the respiratory apparatus, and that such changes will have an important impact on the carbon economy of snow gum plants.

Demand-Side Management through thermal efficiency in South African houses

In South Africa, the residential sector currently contributes more than 20% to the national peak electricity demand. A large part of this demand is attributable to space heating on cold winter days. The fact that this load shows adverse seasonal and diurnal load factors (peak to average load), makes this end-use a natural target for a demand side management program. This paper proposes a program for thermal efficiency in the South African residential sector. The program is aimed at load factor improvement as well as energy conservation. Important local considerations for the establishment of a viable program are discussed and the likely impacts of various scenarios are estimated. The two largest conservation opportunities which can be identified in the current South African situation are: (i) better envelope insulation and (ii) improved insulation for the hot water reticulation system. Three future scenarios are investigated in detail. They are: (A) promotion and awareness campaign only, (B) promotion and an interest-free loan as incentive and (C) promotion, loan and enforced minimum standard for new housing. The savings impact and cost of these scenarios are estimated. Scenario C, which includes a minimum standard which is enforced by law, is the most effective. It is predicted to yield an energy saving of around 1000 GWh/year and a peak load reduction of 550 MW by the year 2010.

Loops and Fireworks

HEIRLOOM Loops and Fireworks Les Brown North Cove, North Carolina, lies in one of "The Loops" of the Clinchfield Railroad, a series of switchbacks that gently descend the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains from Spruce Pine. The grade is gouged through nineteen tunnels and many deep cuts to level out in the foothills at Marion. The railroad carries coal from the mines ofWest Virginia and Kentucky to the soudieast coast. Among my most vivid memories ofNorth Cove are those ofthe huge black steam locomotives and the lonesome wail ofthe whistle. I remember the sound abruptly dying as the train went into Honeycutt Tunnel behind the house where I was born. The hot boxes ofthe brakes glowed bright red as hundreds ofwheels pressed against the steep four-mile loop. High clouds ofsteam rushed from the stacks on cold winter days as the powerful locomotives crawled up the mountains. Now and then one of the trains derailed, folding itself in a cut or down a fill, interrupting the slow pace ofthe vaUey. Folks would rush to pick up the free coal for their winter fires. I always hoped for candy or toys. Sometimes a box would break, sending glowing steel off the tracks, catching the mountain on fire. The men ofthe cove would hurry to keep the fires from racing with the converting wind up the side ofthe mountain. North Cove had a Uttle depot on the CUnchfield called Linville Station. The name didn't make sense, but the wealthy who summered fifteen miles away in the resort town of Linville wanted the name recognition . Until the late 1940s the station served passenger trains, which have since disappeared from the route. IronicaUy, as isolated from the world as we were, we could catch the train to anywhere from just a mile up the road. We can't do that today. The depot also served a huge packing house owned by Ed Robbins. He hauled shrubbery from Blue Ridge Nursery at Pineola, about ten miles up Linville Mountain, to be shipped out by rail Les Brown, born and raised in North Cove Valley of northern McDowell County, North Carolina, isprofessor ofbiology at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. He haspresented papers at the North Carolina Academy ofScience and the Appalachian Studies Conference. 48 My family used the depot as a way to get fireworks, which were illegal in North Carolina. We had great shipments brought in from Zebra Fireworks Company up north. We saved our money all year and pored over the Zebra catalog for our Christmas order; we bought them by the case. Excitement built for weeks until the train brought the prized cargo. The Christmas fireworks display and the powerful reports ofnow-ülegal M80's, double shots, aerial and cherry bombs were shared by the whole valley. My dad was never content with the power ofthe fireworks, but he always wanted the biggest, loudest aerial bomb ever built. Maybe it was because he was the youngest and smallest offive brothers. So he searched all ofthe catalogues ofthe fireworks companies for the pinnacle ofpower. He found it. Everyone would know that the explosion that was to rock the silence from a thousand feet above the valley was caused by Gene Brown's big red ten-dollar aerial bomb. It stood eighteen inches high with a diameter of four inches, a five-inch fuse and six-inch square wooden base. It was magnificent, made by Black Cat Fireworks in Akron, Ohio. The money he saved for it would have bought a large assortment of Roman candles, rockets, double shots, pinwheels, fountains, ladyfingers, side loaders, and cherry bombs, not counting the regular little firecrackers with the gray paper fuses that came in packs you could light all at once. Instead, all his money went for the big show. Dad was at the depot early each day, sitting on one ofthe big green freight wagons on the platform beside the tracks, waiting. FinaUy, one day, the train hissed to a stop. Sam Brown, the Stationmaster, shoved the latch open, disappearing into the darkness ofa red boxcar. He came back with a single box and handed it down to Dad, label side up. "To Gene...

Two forms of sustained xanthophyll cycle‐dependent energy dissipation in overwintering Euonymus kiautschovicus

Seasonal differences in PSII efficiency (Fv/Fm), the conversion state of the xanthophyll cycle (Z + A)/ (V + A + Z), and leaf adenylate status were investigated in Euonymus kiautschovicus. On very cold days in winter, Fv/Fm assessed directly in the field remained low and Z + A high throughout day and night in both sun and shade leaves. Pre‐dawn transfer of leaves from subfreezing temperatures in the field to room temperature revealed that recovery (increases in Fv/Fm and conversion of Z + A to violaxanthin) consisted of one, rapid phase in shade leaves, whereas in sun leaves a rapid phase was followed by a slow phase requiring days. The pre‐dawn ATP/ADP ratio, as well as that determined at midday, was similar when comparing overwintering leaves with those sampled in the summer, although pre‐dawn levels of ATP + ADP were elevated in all leaves during winter relative to summer. After a natural transition to warmer days during the winter, pre‐dawn Fv/Fm and Z + A in shade leaves had returned to values typical for summer, whereas in sun leaves Fv/Fm and Z + A levels remained intermediate between the cold day in winter and the summer day. Thus two distinct forms of sustained (Z + A)‐dependent energy dissipation were identified based upon their differing characteristics. The form that was sustained on cold days but relaxed rapidly upon warming occurred in all leaves and may result from maintenance of a low lumenal pH responsible for the nocturnal engagement of (Z + A)‐dependent thermal dissipation exclusively on very cold days in the winter. The form that was sustained even upon warming and correlated with slow Z + A to violaxanthin conversion occurred only in sun leaves and may represent a sustained engagement of (Z + A)‐dependent energy dissipation associated with an altered PSII protein composition. In the latter, warm‐sustained form, uncoupler or cycloheximide infiltration had no effect on the slow phase of recovery, but lincomycin infiltration inhibited the slow increase in Fv/Fm and the conversion of Z + A to violaxanthin.

Floating and sinking

Many pre-school settings have a water tray always available, others can only use water outside - which can be a problem on cold winter days. Even if the children are not able to play freely with water inside, a bucket or a washing-up bowl could be used in a supervised activity provided that the floor is well protected. Check whether another area, such as the entrance, has a floor surface that is less likely to be damaged.

Experimental thermal study of a solar wall of composite type

The use of solar energy for the heating of buildings, via storage walls, has been extensively studied and several components have been developed since the Trombe works. The standard Trombe wall has two main drawbacks. During cold and cloudy winter days, it causes important heat losses and thus discomfort to the occupants. In summer it creates important and undesired inputs. These drawbacks can be eliminated by a more complex design such as the composite Trombe wall. In connection with architects such as J. Michel, we designed a massive solar wall, with an insulating panel located just behind it. A ventilated air layer exists between this panel and the wall. Vents located at the top and the bottom of the insulating panel allow air circulation and thus energy inputs to the building. A prototype was built into a test cell at Cadarache and was tested for 2 years. This allowed various climatic conditions and operation modes to be examined. We used tangential gradient type heat fluxmeters to determine the thermophysical properties of the massive wall and we quantified the heat transfers in the ventilated layer and to the building. The data obtained are now being used as input for a software to assess the performance of this improved component.

Soil respiration in an apple orchard

To investigate why the largest CO 2 concentration occurred before sunrise at 0.6 m below an apple tree canopy, seasonal and diurnal fluctuations in soil and grass respiration were recorded in an apple orchard near Bonn, Germany between May 1994 and April 1995 with a portable, battery-driven infrared gas analyser and a soil respiration chamber. Respiration from soil on raised nursery beds with fresh organic matter was compared with herbicide treated, flat soil in tree rows and the grass between the rows to study the contribution of soil and grass respiration to the CO 2 balance of a fruit orchard. The following results were found. 1. 1. Soil and grass respiration ranged from 0.18 to 24 μmol CO 2 m 2− s −1. 2. 2. On cold winter days, with soil temperatures below 0°C, soil and grass respiration during the day remained below 0.6 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 and had the smallest diurnal variation. 3. 3. The largest diurnal variations were in late spring with diurnal temperature differences of 15°C, resulting in respiratory values between 3 in the morning and 5–8 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 in the afternoon. 4. 4. Soil and grass respiration (up to 40 kg CO 2 ha −1 hr −1) exceeded the CO 2 exchange of the apple trees per unit surface area, contributed significantly to the CO 2 flux in a fruit orchard, and were a pertinent source of CO 2 for tree photosynthesis. 5. 5. The temperature coefficient, Q 10, ranged from 4 below 0°C, to 2.3 above 0°C, 1.7 above 10°C and 1.3 above 20°C.

Hanns Hubmann

Abstract We met in Ulm, Germany on a bitterly cold winter's day in late February.1 The interview was in two sessions: the evening of 22 February and the morning of23 February 1993. The dark, leaden skies had remained with me through the 370 km rail journey north from Schwarzach in Austria through Salzburg and Munich, intermittently providing a raging blizzard and a bleak white landscape. As the InterCity Express pulled into Ulm Hauptbahnhof precisely on time the skies cleared.

Air pollution and daily mortality in Philadelphia.

Many recent analyses have reported associations between air pollution and mortality in U.S. cities. In this paper, we present the results of regression analyses of daily mortality in Philadelphia during the period 1973-1988. Pollution variables included in the analyses were total suspended particulates (TSP), sulfur dioxide, and ozone. We controlled for the effects of weather on mortality by analyzing mortality separately for each season and explicityly including quintiles of temperature in the regression models. In regression models that consider weather and pollution variables simultaneously, daily mortality is associated with hot days in summer [relative risk (RR) for highest quintile of temperature = 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.10], and with cold days in spring (RR for lowest quintile of temperature = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.04-1.10), fall (RR for lowest quintile of temperature = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.02-1.08), and winter (RR for lowest quintile of temperature = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.01-1.07). When all three pollution covariates and weather are considered simultaneously in the regression model, ozone is associated with mortality in summer (RR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.07-1.24) and sulfur dioxide is associated with mortality in spring (RR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.06-1.33), fall (RR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.00-1.29), and winter (RR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.09-1.35), where the relative risks are for incremental changes of 100 parts per billion in ozone and sulfur dioxide on the previous day.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Greenhouse warming and threshold temperature events in Victoria, Australia

AbstractSmall changes in the mean climate can produce relatively large changes in the frequency of extreme events. Two experiments were performed: (i) a sensitivity study where observed temperatures at climate stations were increased by either 1°, 2° or 3°C, and (ii) a scenario study for the year 2030 where temperatures were increased according to warming scenarios which vary spatially and seasonally.The sensitivity study shows that at some sites, up to four more summer days over 35°C occur for a 1°C warming and the frequency is more than doubled for a 3°C warming. The frequency of subzero winter days is halved for a 1°C warming. At selected sites, the current probability of a run of at least five summer days over 35°C is doubled for a 1°C warming and increases by a factor of five for a 3°C warming. Where the current probability of a run of at least five winter days below 0°C is less than 50 per cent, a 1°C warming reduces the probability by a factor of about three. A 10 per cent change in temperature variance is unlikely to significantly alter these results.A low warming scenario for 2030 gives at least 25 per cent more days over 35°C in summer and spring, and at least 25 per cent fewer winter days below 0°C. A high warming scenario produces 50–100 per cent more extremely hot summer and spring days and 50–100 per cent fewer extremely cold winter days. Larger percentae changes occur in regions where absolute changes are smaller.The high scenario also gives a 20 per cent increase in the probability of a run of five summer days over 35°C in the northern half of the State, and the risk of a run of five winter days below 0°C is reduced by less than 20 per cent in the western and coastal areas and by 25–40 per cent in the north‐east highlands. Although a reduction in frost frequency may benefit agriculture, more extremely hot temperatures may increase bushfire potential, human mortality, and heat stress to livestock and crops.

Plasma Metabolite Levels Predict Individual Body-Mass Changes in a Small Long-Distance Migrant, the Garden Warbler

-Change in body mass is an important measurement in many studies addressing changes in energy stores or condition. Usually, change in body mass is measured in birds caught twice, but this has a number of drawbacks (e.g. low number of retraps, retraps not representative of all first captures, adverse effects of first capture on body-mass development). Therefore, we investigated whether plasma metabolites correlate with body-mass change, and which metabolites could be used to predict body-mass change in birds caught once. In an experiment, 20 Garden Warblers (Sylvia borin) were given different amounts of food to induce stable, increasing, and decreasing body masses. Most of the eight plasma metabolites we examined were significantly correlated with the change in body mass between early morning and midday, the time of blood sampling, but not with body mass or various measures of activity. Metabolites that are known to characterize resorption were elevated in birds gaining body mass and metabolites characteristic of fasting were elevated in birds losing body mass. Triglycerides and ,B-hydroxy-butyrate together explained 61% of the variation in body-mass change (triglycerides alone 44% and ,3-hydroxy-butyrate alone 51%). These metabolites may be used to predict body-mass change in birds caught once, provided that the reliability and sensitivity of this method are checked in field tests. Received 27 September 1993, accepted 30 January 1994. BIRDS MAY FACE DEFICITS in their energy balance during the nonactive period of the day, during periods of several days, or even over a series of weeks. They usually build up energy stores in anticipation of such periods and as an adaptive compromise to different selective pressures (e.g. Lima 1986, Lehikoinen 1987, Moreno 1989, Ekman and Hake 1990, Rogers and Smith 1993). This results in fluctuating energy stores between foraging and nonforaging periods (usually day and night) superimposed on longer periods of net energy storage and net energy expenditure (King 1972). For instance, cold and short winter days, bad weather, incubation, feeding young, and migration may all be associated with decreasing energy stores and preceded by energy storage. Body mass is a crude but widely used estimate of energy stores because it is easy and harmless to measure. If corrected for size, body mass may be used as an indication of condition (e.g. Blem 1990). Changes in body mass may give a fairly accurate picture of the fluctuations in energy stores (e.g. Rogers and Rogers 1990). The measurement of changes in body mass of free-living birds is important in a variety of contexts. For instance, it may allow the assessment of the effects of food availability on energy storage in different habitats, under different weather conditions, and under different degrees of competition or predation (e.g. Bibby et al. 1976, Bibby and Green 1983, Buchanan et al. 1985, Lima 1985, Lindstrom 1990, Moore and Yong 1991). Body-mass changes may indicate periods of constraints and periods of adaptive mass variations during the annual cycle (Moreno 1989). Evaluation of body-mass changes may allow study of the pattern and environmental influences of energy storage during stopovers by migrants (e.g. Bibby et al. 1976, Mehlum 1983a, b, Biebach 1985, Biebach et al. 1986, Alerstam and Lindstrom 1990). In free-living birds, changes in body mass generally are measured in birds caught at least twice, usually at the same place. This, however, has a number of drawbacks: (1) changes in body mass are measured only in the subsample of retraps and this may reduce the sample size drastically, especially when trap shyness is a factor; (2) a certain group of birds may not be recaught and, thus, the sample of retraps may not be representative (e.g. Bibby et al. 1976, Biebach et al. 1986, Veiga 1986, Winker et al. 1992); and (3) first capture may have an adverse

Bloodroot

This year, I vow to turn my eyes away when I pass the barn road patch, and maybe I'll be surprised with a bumper crop for a change. The roots of the mayapples are gathered and dried for sale to pharmaceutical houses for medicinal purposes. When fully ripe, the luscious yellow fruit can be eaten raw, or the juice extracted and added to other summertime thirst quenchers. My favorite use is making an exotic marmalade. Just wash the apples, cut off both ends, and slice into a kettle, adding just enough water to prevent sticking. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the fruit is soft, put it through a Foley Food Mill or colander to remove the peels and seeds. To four cups of pulp, add a box of Sure-Jell and bring to a boil. Then add five cups of sugar. While stirring, bring the mixture back to a boil, and boil hard for one minute. After skimming off the foam, pour into small heated jars and seal immediately. If you have more pulp than you need at the moment, store it in the freezer. Then delight your friends with a delectable summertime treat on a cold winter's day. Bloodroot Footfalls rise to the path where God's breath roars at the opening sky. Across the gap, gray is left behind as I rest on rock. The white flowers of bloodroot are first color. I dig a single corm and verify the truth between thumb and forefinger. —John Cantey Knight 46 ...