Many important water issues such as over-allocation, stream salinity and environmental flows are influenced by the interaction between rivers and underlying aquifers. There are many indirect ways of estimating this flux (such as using hydrographs, tracers or geophysics) but the most common direct method is the use of seepage meters. Over recent decades, various modifications have been made to the basic seepage meter to address potential sources of measurement error and to handle operational issues. These aim to reduce the impact of factors such as upward advection of interstitial water (the Bernoulli effect), venturi effects of stream flow on the collection bag, anomalous short-term influx due to bag properties, gas accumulation in the chamber, frictional resistance causing head losses, ineffective seals and capture of shallow throughflow (rather than groundwater). We have attempted to incorporate these improvements in our seepage meter design and development of simple field procedures, which were trialled in two contrasting catchments (Border Rivers and Lower Richmond) in Australia. The field trials had mixed success, highlighting the potential for spurious seepage flux measurements due to these operational issues.

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) is a third generation synchrotron light source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). There was an increasing demand for additional high brightness hard X-ray beamlines in the 7–40 keV range, so in August 2001, three 1.3 T normal conducting bending magnets were removed from the storage ring and replaced with 5 T superconducting magnets (Superbends). The radiation produced by these Superbends is an order of magnitude higher in photon brightness and flux at 12 keV, making them excellent sources of hard X-rays for protein crystallography and other hard X-ray applications. The Superbends did not compromise the performance of the facility in the VUV and soft X-ray regions of the spectrum. The Superbends will eventually feed 12 new beam lines, greatly enhancing the facility's capability and capacity in the hard X-ray region. The Superbend project is the biggest upgrade since the ALS storage ring was commissioned in 1993. In this paper we present an overview of the Superbend project, its challenges and the resulting impact on the ALS.

At the ALS there had been an increasing demand for additional high brightness hard x-ray beamlines in the 7 to 40 KeV range. In response to that demand, the ALS storage ring was modified in August 2001. Three 1.3 Tesla normal conducting bending magnets were removed and replaced with three 5 Tesla superconducting magnets (Superbends). The radiation produced by these Superbends is an order of magnitude higher in photon brightness and flux at 12 keV than the 1.3 Tesla bends, making them excellent sources of hard x-rays for protein crystallography and other hard x-ray applications. At the same time the Superbends do not compromise the performance of the facility in the UV and Soft X-ray regions of the spectrum. The Superbends will eventually feed 12 new beam lines greatly enhancing the facility’s capacity in the hard x-ray region. The Superbend project is the biggest upgrade to the ALS storage ring since it was commissioned in 1993. In this paper we present a history of the project, as well as the installation, commissioning, and resulting performance of the ALS with Superbends.

The Advanced Light Source was commissioned 10 years ago using the newly constructed control system. Further experience with the control system was reported in 1993. In this publication, we report on recent experience with the operation and especially growth of the computer control system and expansion to accommodate the new superconducting bend magnets and fast orbit feedback for the ALS electron storage ring.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled frusemide inhibits airway narrowing and causes a transient increase in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) during hypertonic saline challenge. This inhibitory effect could be secondary to prostaglandin release during challenge. The involvement of prostaglandins in the inhibitory action of frusemide during challenge with 4.5% NaCl was investigated by premedicating with indomethacin, a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor. METHODS: Fourteen asthmatic subjects (eight women) aged 26.6 (range 18-56) years participated in a double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study. The subjects attended five times and inhaled 4.5% NaCl for 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 8, 8, and 8 minutes, or part thereof, or until a provocative dose causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PD20 FEV1) was recorded. Indomethacin (100 mg/day) or placebo were taken three days before all visits, except control day. The FEV1 was measured and frusemide (38.0 (6.4) mg, pH = 9) or vehicle (0.9% NaCl, pH = 9) were inhaled 10 minutes before the challenge. Bronchodilation was calculated as the percentage rise in FEV1 from the prechallenge FEV1 to the highest FEV1 recorded during the challenge. RESULTS: Frusemide caused a fold increase in PD20 FEV1 compared with the vehicle which was similar in the presence of both indomethacin and placebo (3.7 (95% CI 2.0 to 7.3) versus 3.3 (2.0 to 5.4)). Frusemide, but not vehicle, also caused a transient percentage rise in FEV1 during challenge with 4.5% NaCl which was not blocked by indomethacin (3.6% (1.2 to 6.0)) or placebo (3.1% (1.0 to 5.2)). CONCLUSIONS: Inhaled frusemide inhibited airway narrowing and caused a transient increase in FEV1 during challenge with 4.5% NaCl. These effects were not blocked by indomethacin, which suggests that the inhibitory action of frusemide is not secondary to prostaglandin release.

We developed a bronchial provocation test (BPT) with a dry powder preparation of mannitol. The mannitol was inhaled from gelatin capsules containing 5, 10, 20, or 40 mg to a cumulative dose of 635 mg, and was delivered via an inhalator, Halermatic, or Dinkihaler device. We studied the airway sensitivity to inhaled mannitol, the repeatability of the response, and the recovery after challenge in 43 asthmatic subjects 18 to 39 yr of age who had a 20% decrease in FEV1 in response to inhaling a 4.5% NaCl. We compared this with the airway response to methacholine in 25 subjects. The geometric mean (GM) for the dose of dry mannitol required to reduce the FEV1 by 15% of the baseline value (PD15) was 64 mg, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 45 to 91. Subjects responsive to mannitol had a PD20 to metacholine of < 7.8 mumol, with a GM of 0.7 mumol (CI: 0.4 to 1.2). For the first of two challenges to mannitol the PD15 was 59 mg (CI: 36 to 97) and for the second the PD15 was 58 mg (CI: 35 to 94) p = 0.91 (n = 23). Spontaneous recovery to within 5% of baseline occurred within 60 min and within 10 min after 0.5 mg terbutaline sulfate was inhaled. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) remained at 93% or above during mannitol challenge. Subjects tolerated the inhalation of the mannitol well. A dry powder preparation of mannitol may be suitable to develop for bronchial provocation testing.

Wet aerosols of 4.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) are often used to assess the bronchial responsiveness associated with asthma. We questioned whether dry NaCl could be used as an alternative. Dry powder NaCl was inhaled from capsules containing either 5, 10, 20 or 40 mg to a cumulative dose of 635 mg. The powder was delivered via an Inhalator or Halermatic. The airway sensitivity to the dry and wet NaCl was compared in 24 patients with asthma aged 19-39 yrs. All subjects responded to both preparations and the geometric mean (95% confidence intervals) for the provocative dose of NaCl causing forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to fall 20% from baseline (PD[20,NaCl]) for dry NaCl was 103 mg (68-157) versus 172 mg (102-292), p<0.03 for the wet NaCl. The response to dry NaCl was reproducible and on repeat challenge the PD20 was 108 mg (75-153). The mean maximum fall in FEV1 was approximately 25% on each of the two test days. Spontaneous recovery occurred within 60 min after challenge with dry NaCl and within 5 min after bronchodilator. There were no serious side-effects requiring medical attention, however some patients coughed on inhalation of the 40 mg dose and three gagged. Arterial oxygen saturation remained within normal limits. We conclude that a suitably prepared dry powder of sodium chloride could potentially replace wet sodium chloride to assess bronchial responsiveness in patients with asthma, but further studies are required to establish the long-term stability of the dry powder preparation.

A new method of photonic header replacement for use in photonic packet switched networks is proposed and demonstrated. The method uses a packet format containing a period of CW light that is modulated to produce the new header. The packet format and timing remain constant from input to output.

We demonstrate a self-routing 2×2 photonic packet switch with two fibre-loop input buffers that provide output contention resolution. The switch operates with asynchronous traffic.

Proline absorption from the lumen is the main source of substrate supporting electrogenic Cl− transport and short-circuit current (Isc) in locust rectum. Since cAMP stimulates chloride-dependent Isc by up to 10-fold, we investigated whether this stimulant also increases active transport of the major metabolic substrate proline. A large 40:1 flux ratio of [14C]proline under short-circuited conditions confirmed that net absorption of this amino acid is by active transport. Unexpectedly, cAMP caused a 40% decrease in net transepithelial flux of proline. A 45% increase in the amount of proline oxidized to 14CO2 could account for only 10% of this decrease in proline flux, suggesting that increased Cl− transport after stimulation may competitively reduce the energy supply for proline transport.

AbstractHormonal control of fluid reabsorption in the rectum is a major mechanism of water balance homeostasis in terrestrial insects. We report that steady‐state fluid transport in the absence of, or against, an osmotic gradient can be driven by absorption of Na+, K+, or Cl− from the lumen. Therefore chloride transport stimulating hormone (CTSH), a newly discovered hormone which stimulates KCl reabsorption by elevating tissue cAMP, might enhance fluid absorption indirectly by its action on transport of the major solute. This prediction was not confirmed and explanations are discussed. Rectal tissue volume increases considerably during the first hour in vitro and this epithelia only switches from slow transport of primarily NaCl to rapid absorption to predominantly KCI (the in vivo situation) after stimulation. Metabolic support of KCl transport depends largely on proline absorption from Malpighian tuble fluid entering the rectum. Since these specific requirements and properties of in vitro rectal preparations were not known during earlier investigations, most reports of putative diuretic and antidiuretic factors acting on rectal fluid transport in vitro require reexamination and confirmation.

Corpora cardiaca (CC), cAMP, and hemolymph all increase short-circuit current (Isc) and electropotential difference (PD) across locust rectum by stimulating electrogenic transport of Cl− from the lumen. Using ΔIsc as a bioassay, we have purified the water-soluble stimulant (CTSH) from CC using gel filtration chromatography, DEAE-Sephadex anion exchange, cellulose acetate electrophoresis, and thin-layer chromatography. A single peak of CTSH activity was observed after all these procedures, although small amounts of CTSH activity occasionally remained in the high molecular weight (MW) protein precipitate. CTSH was purified more than 100-fold on Bio-Gel P-30 columns. It has a MW of 8 000 – 12 000, is destroyed by trypsin digestion, and has a net negative charge over the pH range (5–10) at which it is most stable. Various properties (i.e., stability at 20 °C, localization in CC, MW, Rf values) and reciprocal bioassay s indicate that CTSH is different from diuretic, antidiuretic, and adipokinetic hormones from locust CC. No difference in the properties of CTSH from glandular (GL) and storage lobes (SL) of CC were noted, although 80% of activity was in the SL. The concentration of purified CTSH required to cause maximal stimulation of rectal Isc is less than 7 nM.

Rates of ion transport across locust recta were monitored in vitro by following fluxes of 22 Na + and 36 Cl − , short-circuit current (I sc ), and open-circuit electropotential difference (PD) across this epithelium for several hours. Corpora cardiaca (CC) homogenates, cAMP, theophylline, and hemolymph of recently fed locusts all stimulate electrogenic transport of Cl − across locust rectum, as indicated by a two- to three-fold increase in 36 Cl − net flux, I sc , and PD. Cyclic AMP caused a Cl-dependent increase in PD across the lumen-facing but not the hemocoel-facing plasma membrane of the epithelial cells. We propose that a blood-borne factor, possibly from the CC, causes an elevation in cAMP levels in rectal tissue and that this second messenger acts by increasing Cl − entry into the cell from the rectal lumen. Additional fluid absorption accompanies the resulting increase in transport of NaCl, leading to an increase in the hemolymph volume of previously dehydrated locusts.