Quantification of fossil fuel CO 2 emissions at fine space and time resolution is emerging as a critical need in carbon cycle and climate change research. As atmospheric CO 2 measurements expand with the advent of a dedicated remote sensing platform and denser in situ measurements, the ability to close the carbon budget at spatial scales of ~100 km 2 and daily timescales requires fossil fuel CO 2 inventories at commensurate resolution.Additionally, the growing interest in U.S. climate change policy measures are best served by emissions that are tied to the driving processes in space and time. Here we introduce a high resolution data product (the "Vulcan" inventory:www.purdue.edu/eas/carbon/vulcan/) that has quantified fossil fuel CO 2 emissions for the contiguous U.S. at spatial scales less than 100 km 2 and temporal scales as small as hours. Comparison to the global 1°x1° fossil fuel CO 2 inventory used widely by the carbon cycle and climate change community prior to the construction of the Vulcan inventory, highlights the space/time biases inherent in the population-based approach.3

The ability of conjugated isomers of linoleic acid (CLA) to prevent reduced growth rate following endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) injection was studied in two chick trials and one rat trial. Chicks (10 per treatment) were fed a corn and soybean meal-based diet with or without .5% CLA. At 21 days of age, chicks were weighed and injected i.p. with 1 mg/kg BW Escherichia coli LPS and sterile PBS. Body weights were again determined 24 h later. Antibody responses to SRBC were also determined. Rats fed .5% stearic acid or CLA for 4 wk (seven per treatment) were also injected with LPS, and BW change over a 24-h postinjection period was determined. Antibody responses to BSA, phytohemagglutinin foot pad swelling, and phagocytosis of elicited peritoneal macrophages were also determined. The CLA had no adverse effects on any immune variables measured in the chicks and rats. The CLA enhanced the phytohemagglutinin response and macrophage phagocytosis in rats. Chicks fed CLA and injected with LPS continued to grow, whereas those not fed CLA either failed to grow or lost weight following LPS injection. Both control and CLA-fed rats lost weight over the 24-h period after LPS injection; however, the loss of weight in rats fed CLA was only half of the weight loss of the control rats. Thus, CLA is effective in preventing the catabolic effects of immune stimulation.

No abstract

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection is the most prevalent cause of nosocomial infections. Bacteria associated with biofilm formation play a key role in the morbidity and pathogenesis of these infections. Nitric oxide (NO) is a naturally produced free radical with proven bactericidal effect. In this study, Foley urinary catheters were impregnated with gaseous NO. The catheters demonstrated slow release of nitric oxide over a 14-day period. The charged catheters were rendered antiseptic, and as such, were able to prevent bacterial colonization and biofilm formation on their luminal and exterior surfaces. In addition, we observed that NO-impregnated catheters were able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli within the surrounding media, demonstrating the ability to eradicate a bacterial concentration of up to 10 4 CFU/ml.Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most prevalent cause of nosocomial infections, 80% of which involve catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The risk of acquiring CAUTI depends on the method and duration of catheterization, the quality of catheter care, and host susceptibility (27,32). Free-floating (planktonic) bacteria can adhere to surfaces on catheters and colonize, creating a tenacious milieu called a biofilm (6). These sessile microcolonies consist of bacteria that are highly differentiated and extremely resilient against standard antibiotics (35). Several innovative approaches have focused on inhibition of biofilm formation in order to prevent CAUTI. These include antiseptic lubricating gels applied at the catheter insertion point, the use of a taped seal applied to the catheter drainage tubing junction, and utilizing an antireflux valve (14,34). A new approach has recently been emerging whereby catheters are coated with various antiseptic materials (14,17,28). For example, catheters coated with silver or silvercontaining compounds show clinical promise, but clinical effectiveness varies and appears to be dependent on the silver matrix used. (34). Hydrogel-or silver-hydrogel-coated catheters have been suggested to provide an antiseptic benefit by creating a physical barrier to bacterial infection, thereby preventing adhesion of the bacteria to the catheter (14, 26). The synergistic combination of compounds such as chlorhexidine and protamine sulfate has also been evaluated with some success (8). Antibiotic-coated catheters containing ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, norfloxacin, and nitrofurazone have also been designed (14, 17, 26). However, the risk of developing an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria is high (26, 34).Nitric oxide (NO) is a small, naturally produced, hydrophobic, free-radical gas that has a major role in innate immunity.NO exhibits broad reactivity and rapid diffusive properties through biological liquids and lipid membranes, with a short half-life in a physiological milieu (33). Overproduction of NO induced by the enzymatic activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in various cell types has been shown to play a vital role in several infl...