BACKGROUND Organism biomass is one of the most important variables in ecological studies, making biomass estimations one of the most common laboratory tasks. Biomass of small macroinvertebrates is usually estimated as dry mass or ash-free dry mass (hereafter 'DM' vs. 'AFDM') per sample; a laborious and time consuming process, that often can be speeded up using easily measured and reliable proxy...

Human chromosomes from cultures of peripheral lymphocytes were prepared for electron microscopy by surface spreading and critical-point drying. Total and partial determinations of chromosomal dry mass were made from contrast in electron microscopic negatives. The distribution of dry weights was analyzed with respect to the Denver-Chicago classifications. There is considerable variability of mas...

BACKGROUND Synoptic circulation patterns (large-scale tropospheric motion systems) affect air pollution and, potentially, air-pollution-morbidity associations. We evaluated the effect of synoptic circulation patterns (air masses) on the association between ozone and hospital admissions for asthma and myocardial infarction (MI) among adults in North Carolina. METHODS Daily surface meteorology ...

Field and nutrient cultures of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) were used to establish foliar symptoms related to boron (B) concentration in leaves and soils, and to evaluate radish as a time-saving model system for B nutrition. Application of excess B, 8 kg/ha versus the recommended 1.5 kg/ha, to field plantings of 2-, 3-, and 4-yr-old American ginseng plants just prior to crop emerge...

A mathematical model is developed for converting between the two measurement bases commonly used in the construction of growth profiles in solid-state fermentation, namely absolute mass ratio m(dry biomass)/m(initial dry matter) and relative mass ratio m(dry biomass)/m(dry matter). These are not equivalent, due to the loss of dry matter as CO2 during the fermentation. The model is equally appli...

Resource managers are challenged with waste disposal and leachate produced from its degradation. Poplar (Populus spp.) trees offer an opportunity for ecological leachate disposal as an irrigation source for managed tree systems. Our objective was to irrigate Populus trees with municipal solid waste landfill leachate or fertilized well water (control) (N, P, K) during the 2005 and 2006 growing s...