Cardiovascular disease, predominantly ischemic heart disease (IHD), is the leading cause of death in diabetes mellitus (DM). In addition to eliciting cardiomyopathy, DM induces a ‘wicked triumvirate’: (i) increasing the risk and incidence of IHD and myocardial ischemia; (ii) decreasing myocardial tolerance to ischemia–reperfusion (I–R) injury; and (iii) inhibiting or eliminating responses to cardioprotective stimuli. Changes in ischemic tolerance and cardioprotective signaling may contribute to substantially higher mortality and morbidity following ischemic insult in DM patients. Among the diverse mechanisms implicated in diabetic impairment of ischemic tolerance and cardioprotection, changes in sarcolemmal makeup may play an overarching role and are considered in detail in the current review. Observations predominantly in animal models reveal DM-dependent changes in membrane lipid composition (cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation, fatty acid saturation vs. reduced desaturation, phospholipid remodeling) that contribute to modulation of caveolar domains, gap junctions and T-tubules. These modifications influence sarcolemmal biophysical properties, receptor and phospholipid signaling, ion channel and transporter functions, contributing to contractile and electrophysiological dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, ischemic intolerance and suppression of protective signaling. A better understanding of these sarcolemmal abnormalities in types I and II DM (T1DM, T2DM) can inform approaches to limiting cardiomyopathy, associated IHD and their consequences. Key knowledge gaps include details of sarcolemmal changes in models of T2DM, temporal patterns of lipid, microdomain and T-tubule changes during disease development, and the precise impacts of these diverse sarcolemmal modifications. Importantly, exercise, dietary, pharmacological and gene approaches have potential for improving sarcolemmal makeup, and thus myocyte function and stress-resistance in this ubiquitous metabolic disorder.

Field tests were conducted in northeastern Louisiana to determine the effects of infestations by Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) on cotton bolls of varying ages. First instars were caged on bolls of nontransgenic ('Deltapine 5415') or transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner variety kurstaki (Bt) ('NuCOTN 33B') cotton from 29 June to 11 August during 1997 and 1998. Deltapine 5415 bolls that accumulated 179 (7.2 d), 281 (11.2 d), and 253 (10.1 d) heat units beyond anthesis were safe from bollworm-induced abscission at 72 h after infestation, 7 d after infestation, and at the time of harvest, respectively. NuCOTN 33B bolls that accumulated 157 (6.3 d), 185 (7.4 d), and 180 (7.2 d) heat units beyond anthesis were safe from bollworm-induced abscission at 72 h after infestation, 7 d after infestation, and at the time of harvest, respectively. Bollworm larvae reduced seedcotton weights of Deltapine 5415 bolls that accumulated between 58.5 (2.3 d) and 350.5 (14.0 d) heat units beyond anthesis. Seedcotton weights of NuCOTN 33B bolls that accumulated between 0 and 281 (11.2 d) heat units beyond anthesis were reduced by bollworm injury. Deltapine 5415 and NuCOTN 33B bolls that accumulated 426.5 (17.1 d) and 299.5 (12.0 d) heat units beyond anthesis, respectively, before infestation were not injured by first-instar bollworm larvae. These data provide information about late-season insecticide termination strategies for bollworms on nontransgenic and transgenic Bt-cotton. This, in turn, will help pest managers determine when insecticides are no longer economical during the late season.

Variously treated grassland plots at the Kybybolite Research Centre established in 1919 on solonetzic soils were sampled in 1957–58. Analyses of the soils and for pH and nitrogen were made and compared with earlier analyses made in 1938. Bulk density and organic carbon were also determined. Treatment with phosphorus fertilizers and grazing with sheep has resulted in large increases in the organic matter content of the surface soil. A large part of the increase has been concentrated in the 0–2 in. horizon. At the 6–8 in. level, increases have been small. When considered on the basis of pounds per acre, the increase in soil nitrogen in the surface 6 in. of some plots appears to be linear with time, and even after 39 years shows no signs of approaching an asymptotic value. However, there appears to be differential behaviour within the soil profile. The rate of increase of the 0–2 in. horizon in recent years shows signs of being much less than in the earlier years of the experiment. On the other hand, in the 2–4 and 4–6 in. horizons the recent rate of increase is similar to or greater than that in earlier years, which indicates that a deepening of the organic matter profile is occurring. There appears to be some relation between the increase in soil nitrogen and sheep-carrying capacity. The increase in soil nitrogen on the soils from the plots has been, on the average, equivalent to 14 lb of soil nitrogen per sheep per acre per year. Additional calcium applied with water-soluble phosphorus appears to result in higher levels of soil organic matter. Lime, in particular, appears to result in the highest levels of soil organic matter. Analysis of the soils shows that the increase in soil organic matter is associated with a slight decrease in pH. The soils also show a decrease in bulk density which is closely related to changes in organic matter content. Various aspects of organic matter accumulation are discussed, particularly the importance of the time factor in this process and the lack of a causal relationship between the amount of superphosphate applied and the increase in organic matter.

Measurements on a 1/10-acre sample of brigalow forest indicated a total biomass of 293x 103 kg/ha, 46% of which consisted of dead materiai, either on the ground or standing. The presence of large amounts of dead material is attributed to the semiarid climate, which results in low decomposition rates, hardness of the wood, absence of termite activity above ground, and lack of running fires. Moisture percentages were low, varying from 4-6% for dead material to 65% for living leaves plus twigs. Amounts of elements immobilized in the biomass were 1600, 38, 300, 100, 2230, and 180 kg/ha for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium respectively. Brigalow showed high nitrogen/phosphorus and calcium/potassium ratios compared with lucerne and grasses grown on a similar cleared area. No differences in sodium and calcium concentrations were found in different components of brigalow, but the canopy showed higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium than the trunks, with branches and roots intermediate. In addition the canopies of larger trees showed higher concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium than those of smaller trees. The uneven spatial distribution of living trees associated with the gilgai topography resulted in large sampling errors. The dead material and roots, being more uniformly distributed, showed lower errors. Subsampling techniques used for obtaining samples for chemical analyses were adequate, as standard errors for nutrient concentration determinations were generally lower than those for dry matter determinations.

Fourteen field and laboratory attributes of 49 southeast Queensland soils were examined by numerical analysis. Three different models were used for description: the soils were viewed (I) as arrays of layer-attributes, (2) as sets of depth functions (orthogonal polynomials) each of which describes an attribute, and (3) as sequences of layers of soil material. Dendrogms derived from Euclidean distance similarity matrices were constructed for the 49 profiles. Very similar dendrograms were obtained using (a) layer-by-layer comparisons (with layers weighted by an exponential depth function) and (b) orthogonal polynomials, with equal weight given to profile mean (size parameter) and five coefficients (shape parameters). The dendrogram derived from sequential analysis differed markedly from the others and seemed less meaningful; the divisive approach that had to be adopted to delineate groups of profile-layers may have resulted in a sub-optimal classification.An independent field study which related the soils to geomorphic units and to differences in parent material provided a further, separate classification. The groups derived by numerical analysis, using models I and 2, agreed well with the field classes even though the strategies used were different and independent.It is concluded that existing techniques of numerical analysis can provide immediate useful support in field surveys.