Analysis of variance and uncertainty analysis are analogous techniques for partitioning variability. In both analyses negative interaction terms due to negative covariance terms that appear when non-orthogonal predictor variables are allowed may occur. Uncertainties can be estimated directly from variances if the form of distribution is assumed. The decision as to which of the techniques to use depends partly on the properties of the criterion variable. Only uncertainty analysis may be used with a non-metric criterion. Since uncertainties are dimensionless (using no metric), however, uncertainty analysis has a generality which may make it useful even when variances can be computed.

Outbreaks of cutaneous infectious disease in amphibians are increasingly being attributed to an overlooked group of fungal-like pathogens, the Dermocystids. During the last 10 years on the Isle of Rum, Scotland, palmate newts (Lissotriton helveticus) have been reportedly afflicted by unusual skin lesions. Here we present pathological and molecular findings confirming that the pathogen associated with these lesions is a novel organism of the order Dermocystida, and represents the first formally reported, and potentially lethal, case of amphibian Dermocystid infection in the UK. Whilst the gross pathology and the parasite cyst morphology were synonymous to those described in a study from infected L. helveticus in France, we observed a more extreme clinical outcome on Rum involving severe subcutaneous oedema. Phylogenetic topologies supported synonymy between Dermocystid sequences from Rum and France and as well as their distinction from Amphibiocystidium spp. Phylogenetic analysis also suggested that the amphibian-infecting Dermocystids are not monophyletic. We conclude that the L. helveticus-infecting pathogen represents a single, novel species; Amphibiothecum meredithae.

Development of transparent electrodynamic screens (EDS) printed on ultrathinflexible glass film substrates for retrofitting on solar panels and solarmirrors to perform self cleaning function is reviewed. Large-scale solar plantsare generally installed in semi-arid and desert areas where dust layers build upon solar collectors causes major energy-yield loss. Maintaining designed plantcapacities requires more than 90% reflectivity for CSP mirrors and 90%transmission efficiency for PV modules; solar collectors must therefore becleaned at a frequency depending on the rate of dust deposition. Scarcity ofwater in these regions requires a cleaning method that drastically reduces oreliminates water and the associated labor costs for high efficiency operation oflarge-scale solar plants. An EDS film consists of rows of interdigitated,transparent conducting parallel electrodes embedded within a flexible ultrathinglass film and an optically clear adhesive film used for retrofitting the filmon the surface of solar collectors. When phased voltage pulses activate theelectrodes, the dust particles are first electrostatically charged, thenrepelled and removed from the surface of the solar collectors by Coulomb force,restoring transmission efficiency greater than 90%. The electrodes of EDS areeither made from silver nanowire or another conductive transparent materialprinted on a highly transparent, ultrathin (100-μm thick), flexibleborosilicate glass film. Applications of different conducting transparentelectrodes and methods of printing are reviewed for optimizing self-cleaningfunction of solar panels and mirrors.

We investigated the effects of crop type on numbers and movements of wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus in field edges and in arable fields containing either winter wheat, winter barley or oil-seed rape, grown on a 3-year rotation. We also investigated the effect of habitat (field centre vs edge), and of season and year. This was done at the individual level using radio-tracking, and at the population level using live-trapping. Wood mouse population size (estimated as minimum number alive) was significantly affected by season. Wood mouse numbers also differed between crop types. Rape field centres and edges had significantly lower numbers than did barley or wheat field centres and edges. Populations were largest from April to July, when the crop was tall. In winter, significantly more mice were found in field edges compared with field centres. The patterns of movement of individual mice also showed differences between habitats and between seasons. Mice were found to move more quickly when they were tracked through rape compared with the other crops. When the crop was growing, they moved faster through field edges bordered with hedgerow than they did through wood. This pattern was reversed later in the year when the crop was tall. The distances moved during a session of tracking showed differences which paralleled those for speed of movement. Also, males tended to move faster than females. Differences between the sexes in movement patterns were affected by season; when the crop was down (in winter) females moved further than males during a session of tracking, but when the crop was growing and tall, this was reversed.

Design-basis transuranic (TRU) waste to be emplaced in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico may generate significant quantities of gas, which may affect the performance of the WIPP with respect to regulations for radioactive and/or chemically hazardous waste constituents. We are developing a model to predict gas generation in WIPP disposal rooms during and after filling and sealing. Currently, the model includes: (1) oxic and anoxic corrosion of steels and other Fe-base alloys, including passivation and depassivation; (2) microbial degradation of cellulosics with O2, NO3 -, FeO(OH) , SO4 2-, or CO2 as the electron acceptor; (3) α radiolysis of brine; (4) consumption of CO2 and, perhaps, H2S by Ca(OH)2 (in cementitious materials) and CaO (a potential backfill additive). The code simulates these processes and interactions among them by converting reactants (steels, cellulosics, etc.) to gases and other products at experimentally observed or estimated rates and plotting temporal reaction paths in three-dimensional phase diagrams for solids in the Fe-H2O-CO2-H2-H2S system.

The purpose of this work was to develop accurate calibration standards which were fully characterized in terms of uniformity and concentration using fundamental measuring methods. Three similar sets of vacuum deposits were commercially made, each set containing the single deposits CuS, KCl, CaF2, Cr, Fe, Cu, RbNO3, SrF2, MoO3 , BaF2, and Pb. Thickness variations in each deposit were measured with PIXEA (proton induced x-ray excitation analysis) measurements taken at 6 to 8 positions along the deposit diameters. Relative elemental concentrations on corresponding deposits from each set were measured using multiple XRF intercomparisons. One set of deposits was destructively analyzed at the National Bureau of Standards with isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (IDMS) in order to calibrate the remaining sets of vacuum deposits. The calibrated deposits were compared with standards from two commercial sources. For seven elements heavier than chlorine there was an average deviation of 13.5% between the calibrated deposits and the commercial standards. Disagreements as large as 15% were observed between standards from the two commercial suppliers.