South Dakota

The Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Yankton, South Dakota was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 23, 2013 for Social History and Architecture. The St. John’s Lodge was organized in Yankton in 1862, just after Dakota Territory was organized. After steady growth through the later nineteenth century, the Masonic community in Yankton was able to build this elaborate building in 1901-1903 using a blend of Richardsonian Romanesque and Chateauesque architectural influences.  The temple designed by W.R. Parsons & Sons, and built by J.W. Detwiler & Co., houses a banquet room, meeting chambers, library, and halls for the Blue Lodge, York Rite Commandery, and Scottish Rite Consistory. It was one of only two Scottish Rite temple buildings erected in South Dakota.  Fraternal orders like the influential Ancient, Free, & Accepted Masons provided opportunities for participation in a civic religion focused on moral character, for gender-exclusive socialization in times of cultural transition, and for the organization of charitable projects. These benefits of socialization and social order were particularly important to communities in newly settled regions of the country like Dakota Territory.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether water quality parameters commonly associated with primary productivity may be used to predict the susceptibility of a specific water body to exceed proposed fish consumption advisory limitation of 0.3 mg kg −1 . South Dakota currently has nine lakes and impoundments that exceed fish tissue mercury advisory limits of 1.0 mg kg −1 total mercury, far exceeding US Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration 0.3 mg kg −1 consumption criteria. Previous studies suggest that increased aquatic productivity may mitigate the effects of biological production and subsequent uptake of methyl mercury through bio-dilution; however, it is uncertain whether these trends may exist within highly alkaline and highly productive aquatic conditions common to South Dakota lakes and impoundments. Water quality parameters and fish tissue mercury data for northern pike and walleye were collected and assessed using existing South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Game Fish and Parks data. The data was initially screened using both parametric linear regression and non-parametric Mann-Whitney rank sum comparisons and further assessed using binary logistic regression and stepwise logistic regression methodology. Three separate phosphorus measurements (total, total dissolved, and Trophic State Index) and pH were determined to significantly correlate with increased mercury concentrations for the northern pike-in-impoundments model. However, phosphorus surprisingly was not a strong predictor for the remaining scenarios modeled. For the northern pike-in-natural lakes models, alkalinity was the most significant water quality parameter predicting increased mercury concentrations. Mercury concentrations for the walleye-in-natural lakes models were further influenced by pH and alkalinity. The water quality and fish tissue mercury interrelationships determined within this study suggest aquatic productivity, and consequential eutrophication processes appear to be reasonable indicators of fish tissue mercury susceptibility for aquatic conditions common to South Dakota and highlight the continuing need to minimize eutrophication through effective watershed management strategies.

Resource managers confronted with preserving ecosystems for prairie wetland birds in fragmented landscapes require landscape studies that direct conservation efforts over broad geographic regions. We investigated the role of local and landscape factors affecting habitat suitability by integrating remotely sensed wetland and land-cover data with wetland bird habitat models. We linked habitat models with locations of easement and fee-title wetlands to evaluate spatial location and extent of protected, suitable habitat. We also simulated impacts of the loss of small wetlands on suitability of larger wetlands for mobile species that use multiple wetlands. Lastly, we evaluated the efficacy of waterfowl habitat programs in preserving suitable habitat for nongame wetland bird species to recommend strategies for maximizing regional landscape connectivity. Regional databases constructed for this study indicate that easement and fee-title tracts encompass 13.9% (1.2 million ha) of land area and protect 19.8% of the wetlands in eastern South Dakota, USA. Proportion of protected wetlands is highest for semi-permanent (32.3%), intermediate for seasonal (25.6%), and lowest for temporary wetlands (15.8%). A stratified, two-stage cluster sample was used to randomly select 834 semi-permanent and seasonal wetlands that were surveyed for birds in 1995 and 1996. Logistic analyses indicate that habitat suitability for some species (e.g., Virginia rail, pied-billed grebe) is related to local vegetation conditions within wetlands, while suitability for others (e.g., northern pintail, black tern) is related to landscape structure at larger scales. As a result, unfragmented prairie wetland landscapes (i.e., areas with wetland complexes embedded within upland grasslands) provide habitat for more species than isolated wetlands in tillage fields. Models developed from survey wetlands were used to classify habitat suitability for all semi-permanent and seasonal wetlands in eastern South Dakota. Small wetlands are critical components of the surrounding landscape that influence habitat suitability of larger wetlands. Models used to reclassify suitability of larger remaining wetlands after small wetlands (Ͻ0.5 ha) were removed indicate that species most vulnerable to loss of small wetlands are vagile species that exploit resources over broad spatial scales. Number of wetlands suitable for northern pintails, a mobile species that uses multiple wetlands within a season, decreased 20.7% when wetlands Ͻ0.5 ha were removed. Historic paradigms dictating waterfowl habitat protection efforts also have conserved habitat for nongame bird species. Modern paradigms that acknowledge the importance of small shallow wetlands to breeding waterfowl have shifted the focus of protection towards preserving habitat for species that occupy more abundant seasonal wetlands. Cessation of protection efforts would result in further fragmentation of regional wetland landscapes. We recommend that wetlands be acquired not only to consolidate suitable habitat within protected core areas but also to ensure that core areas coalesce to preserve connectivity among regional wetland landscapes.

Agricultural land values in South Dakota are booming! Values increased 16.5% this past year, which is the third highest rate of increase since 1991. As of February 2011, the average value of all-agricultural land in South Dakota was $1,374 per acre. Agricultural land values increased more than 11% in all regions except the northwest region which showed a 4% increase. From 2010-2011, statewide average cash rental rates per acre increased for all uses, with substantial increases (greater than 10%) in cash rental rates in several regions. Average percentage increase in cash rental rates was 14.1% for cropland, 10.8 for hayland, and 11.2% for pasture and rangeland. These are some of the key findings from the 2011 South Dakota Farm

Effective conservation planning for endangered species depends on an understanding of space use patterns. Blackfooted ferrets Mustela nigripes depend on prairie dogs Cynomys sp. as prey and use their burrow systems for shelter. The availability of areas with high densities of active prairie dog burrows is the major factor thought to affect their selection of sites and resources. However, we have little knowledge about how the spatial distribution of active prairie dog burrows might influence the spatial organization and home-range size of ferrets. We monitored the movements of black-footed ferrets on a black-tailed prairie dog C. ludovicianus colony in South Dakota to document ferret space use patterns. Home ranges of female ferrets were 22.9 -95.6 ha in size (x¼56.3 ha, SE¼19.7, N¼6), while male ferret home ranges were on average more than twice as large as those of females (x¼128.3 ha, SE¼68.5, N¼3). The home-range size of female ferrets was correlated with mean active prairie dog burrow utilization distribution (UD) value within ferret home ranges, where home-range size decreased as active prairie dog burrow UD value increased (r 2 ¼ 0.974, P , 0.001, N ¼ 6). Ferret space use overlapped more extensively than previously reported, with up to 43% UD overlap between a ferret and the nearest adjacent ferret of the same sex. Areas of overlap tended to have higher active prairie dog burrow UD values, suggesting that the spatial distribution of active prairie dog burrows influenced both home-range size and the amount of space use overlap between ferrets. These findings emphasize the potential influence of resource distribution on carnivore sociobiology and the importance of considering that distribution in assessing habitat for the reintroduction of specialized species.

A laboratory tornado simulator that can generate a translating vortex has been built for the purpose of studying the interaction of a tornado-like vortex with the built environment such as individual buildings or suburban and urban complexes. The simulator, mounted on a crane to impart translation, operates like a closed-return wind tunnel with an open test section. It has two concentric ducts to circulate the flow between the inside duct that houses the 1.83-m diameter fan and the outside duct with 5.5 m outer diameter and 4.88 m inside diameter to create a tornado-like vortex whose diameter can reach 1.22 m and tangential velocity can reach 33 m/s. Since the primary purpose of the simulator is to assess the wind-induced loads on engineered structures, it is important to validate the wind field of the simulated tornado with full-scale data. Doppler on Wheels radar data from the Spencer, South Dakota tornado of 1998 was used for this purpose. Numerical simulations were also performed with Fluent software for assessing the near-ground flow field (less than 50 m) since the Doppler radar data may not be very accurate at those heights. Analyses of the radar data show peak tangential winds occurring at the lowest scan, roughly 20 m above ground level, with a vortex whose core radius increases between 120 m and 200 m above ground, and remains relatively constant above that level. Numerical model data based on the dimensions of the laboratory simulator and laboratory inflow data are generally consistent with the laboratory and radar observations despite some differences.

To decrease the 30-day readmission rate following hospital stay for congestive heart failure, which in the United States approaches 30 percent nationally. In addition to indicating possible suboptimal care of patients with this condition, there are significant economic considerations. Prospective, non-randomized, two-center pilot project. General hospital and cardiac specialty hospital, both located in a community of 150,000 population in predominantly rural South Dakota. All patients admitted between June 7, 2010 and June 6, 2011 with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. An intensive transitions of care program was implemented to ensure adequate self-management training of patients and appropriate out-patient follow-up and monitoring of the patient by the health care system. 30-day all-cause readmissions. A statistically significant 42 percent relative reduction in 30-day readmission rate was documented for those patients participating in the pilot program. This represented a n...

Categorization of locations with similar environments helps breeders to efficiently utilize resources and effectively target germplasm. This study was conducted to determine the relationship among winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield testing locations in South Dakota. Yield trial data containing 14 locations and 38 genotypes from 8 year were analyzed for crossover genotype (G) × environment (E) interactions according to the Azzalini-Cox test. G × E was significant (P < 0.05) and contributed a small proportion of variation over the total phenotypic variation. This suggested that for efficient resource utilization, locations should be clustered. The data were further analyzed using the Shifted Multiplicative Model (SHMM), Spearman’s rank correlation and GGE biplot to group testing locations based on yield. SHMM analysis revealed four major cluster groups in which the first and third had three locations, with four locations in each of the second and fourth groups. Spearman rank correlations between locations within groups were significant and positive. GGE biplot analysis revealed two major mega-environments of winter wheat testing locations in South Dakota. Oelrichs was the best testing location and XH1888 was the highest yielding genotype. SHMM, rank correlation and GGE biplot analyses showed that the locations of Martin and Winner in the second group and Highmore, Oelrichs and Wall in the third group were similar. This indicated that the number of testing locations could be reduced without much loss of grain yield information. GGE biplot provided additional information on the performance of entries and locations. SHMM clustered locations with reduced cross-over interaction of genotype × location. The combined methods used in this study provided valuable information on categorization of locations with similar environments for efficient resource allocation. This information should facilitate efficient targeting of breeding and testing efforts, especially in large breeding programs.

The one-part commercial building at 330 S. 1st Avenue that houses Sid’s Crown Liquor, and the neighboring Texaco Super Service Station (now owned by the same business) were listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 23, 2013.  The commercial building was constructed in 1938, and Sid Epstein started his business in one its storefront in 1947.  In the 1930s, some developers were hesitantly beginning to recommence commercial construction during the Great Depression, often building small and simple buildings on cheaper lots like those at the edge of downtowns or in outlying areas.  The adjacent gas station was built in 1929 by Adams Oil Company, and was bought by Texaco in 1932.  This was an era of attracting travelers with exotic-style architecture and expanded car repair and washing services.

Published in 1985 and written to be accessible for general audiences, this complete version of  Peoples of Prehistoric South Dakota goes back roughly fourteen thousand years to introduce the first people to live in present-day South Dakota. They left behind a fascinating record. Archaeologists have done more than 30 years of research since publications, so some archaeological constructions about the past undoubtedly have changed. Some approaches and word choices have also changed, even the term “prehistoric” in the title. Readers should realize that Native peoples had their own histories that may or may not be the same as those archaeologists construct. Realize also that contemporary tribal names are not the same as the terms archaeologists use for the ancient peoples.
Peoples of Prehistoric South Dakota spans the time from the mammoth hunters to the coming of the first white people in the eighteenth century. It describes the environment of the Great Plains and the tools and adaptations that these early Indians made in response to it. Each major cultural tradition, along with representative artifacts, is discussed and illustrated. The final chapter challenges readers to become responsible for protection of the archaeological sites that contain this precious heritage.
The text not only describes archaeological techniques and the information that results from them but also points out the limits of archaeology and the varieties of interpretation that can result.

The Marty Mission School was a Catholic mission school opened on the St. Paul's Mission on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in 1921 by Father Sylvester Eisenmann, O.S.B. Mission schools were a significant part of the system of Catholic missions to Native Americans and loci of cultural interaction between cultures. The Gymnasium was built in 1935 in a Stripped Classicism style, and the St. Therese Hall was finished in 1947 in an Art Deco style designed by Edward Schulte -- an architect from Cincinnati who often worked for the Catholic Church. In the Gymnasium, are several excellent narrative murals by Felix Walking Elk. The Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament were also founded at the St. Paul's Mission.

This  article  describes  how  the  juvenile transfer  mechanism developed—both  generally and  in  South  Dakota—as  well  as how  it  operates today. The article  also explores  the research findings  about the efficacy and fairness of  juvenile transfer.  Harsh  criminal consequences for juveniles  are increasingly  disfavored  as  we  learn  more  about  youth  development. In  addition to  the research about  youth  development,  the article discusses  research  about  the  relative inefficacy  of  juvenile  transfer  as  a  response  to  crime  as  well  as  the disproportionate impact juvenile transfer has on youth of color.

The article makes four recommended changes  to South Dakota’s juvenile  transfer  laws.  First,  the  decision  to  transfer  a  juvenile to  the  adult system should be  returned to the  discretion of the juvenile  court and made  on a case-by-case  basis.    Second,  greater  emphasis  must  be  placed  on  the  best interests  of  the  child  in  transfer  proceedings  because  it  is  more  likely  to accomplish the  State’s public  safety goals.  Third,  children’s development  and capacity  for change  need  to  be  taken  into  account  as  courts  make  transfer determinations.  Fourth, additional  procedural protections should be put  in place for a juvenile facing transfer to the adult system.

Identifying maternal effects on offspring is critical to interpreting population dynamics, but the duration of maternal effects and which life-history traits they influence is not well understood. We quantified growth and development of male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) originating from the Black Hills in southwestern South Dakota and from eastern South Dakota in a controlled environment with high-quality nutrition. Despite

The House of Gurney Historic District has statewide significance and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for the history of Commerce and Entertainment/Recreation and under Criterion B for the contributions to those areas of significance made by Charles W. Gurney, Deloss Butler Gurney, and John Chandler Gurney. The extant buildings have integrity to the period of significance from 1907-1942, during which time the Gurney Seed & Nursery Company grew into the House of Gurney and WNAX radio. During the early period, Gurney’s was a leading commercial industry in Yankton and contributed to the broader field of horticulture in South Dakota. In the 1920s-30s, House of Gurney became a commercial powerhouse with a regional impact when it diversified into nursery, seed, garden and farm supply, grocery, shopping center, furrier, gasoline, automobile products, and radio. Its foray into the operation of WNAX, one of the earliest radio stations in the state, made significant contributions to the history of live radio and commercial marketing in South Dakota. The company’s founder, Charles W. Gurney was influential not only for bringing Gurney’s to Yankton, but for his contributions to the early development of commercial horticulture in South Dakota. When his son Deloss Butler “D.B.” Gurney took over operations, the business expanded exponentially as the House of Gurney. D.B. also used his commercial success to influence public opinion and regional agricultural politics. The third generation, J. Chandler Gurney, led the company’s foray into radio by helping to create WNAX, one of the most popular stations in South Dakota and the Upper Midwest, before going on to his own commercial and political career.

We compared patch structure, fire-scar formation, and seedling regeneration in patches of low, moderate, and high burn severity following the large (~34 000 ha) Jasper fire of 2000 that occurred in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) forests of the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. This fire created a patchy mosaic of effects, where 25% of the landscape burned as low, 48% as moderate, and 27% as high severity. Dead cambium on a significant portion of tree circumference in a tree with live cambium and a vigorous crown was taken as evidence of incipient fire-scar formation. Tree mortality was approximately 21%, 52%, and 100% in areas of low, moderate, and high burn severity, respectively. Dead cambium was detected on approximately 24% and 44% of surviving trees in low and moderate burn severity patches, respectively. Three years postfire, regeneration densities were~612 and 450 seed-lings·ha -1 in low and moderate burn severity patches, respectively, and no regeneration was observed in the interior of high burn severity patches. Fire-scars will be found on 73% of the area burned in this fire, and large patches of multicohort forest will be created. Mixed-severity fire may have been common historically in the Black Hills, and in conjunction with frequent surface fire, played an important role in shaping a spatially heterogeneous, multicohort ponderosa pine forest.

Plains Indians deserves a more honored and more fully understood place among the world's great religious traditions; second, Black Elk's account of his early life, his Great Vision, and the principal rituals of the Lakota comprise an eloquent expression of the heritage and one of the most radiant spiritual testimonies of our time; third, the Lakota visionary and his tradition offer the contemporary world profound lessons of the most urgent importance.

Selenium was identified in the 1930s as the cause of embryo mortality and severe embryo deformities when chickens were fed grains grown on seleniferous soils in South Dakota. There had been no documented occurrences of such effects in wild birds before 1983, when we studied the effects of agricultural irrigation drainage water contaminants on birds feeding and nesting at Kesterson Reservoir, located within the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Reservoir was used for disposal of subsurface saline drainage waters from agricultural fields and was intended to provide beneficial habitat for wildlife, particularly waterfowl and other aquatic birds. Analyses of food-chain biota (plants, aquatic invertebrates, and fish) and bird tissues or eggs showed that selenium was the only chemical found at concentrations high enough to cause the observed adverse effects on bird health or reproduction. Results of the studies at Kesterson Reservoir stimulated interest and concern about the effects of selenium in agricultural drainage throughout the western USA where similar scenarios might exist (as well as in industrial settings such as mining and power generation). Those studies showed that selenium-related problems with agricultural drainage were widespread and locally significant. Problems of managing selenium in agricultural drainwater are difficult to solve or mitigate, despite intensive efforts to do so. This chapter briefly describes the field and laboratory studies that documented the effects of selenium in birds using wetlands receiving seleniferous agricultural drainage, the linkages between those studies and subsequent efforts to address the issue of selenium contamination in agricultural drainage water, and the consequent conservation gains.

Field archaeology is normally associated with outdoor excavation and exposure to the natural environment.
Archaeological excavations have adapted to a wide spectrum of these conditions, but the recent
prominence of archaeological sites as tourist attractions and educational facilities has occasionally led to
dramatically different environments for the archaeological recovery, interpretation, and preservation of
evidence, including facilities that permit indoor excavation. This article explores 15 years of experience at
the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in South Dakota. An ‘‘Archeodome’’ covering part of the site
represents a non-traditional excavation and preservation environment that presents considerable benefits
and challenges for archaeologists. The structure provides the basis for evaluating the nature of indoor
excavation within its archaeological and educational context and provides a cautionary note for
archaeologists, heritage groups, tourist boards, and others interested in the preservation of archaeological
sites. Though this article focuses on the Mitchell site, the information reported has broad implications for
sites where structures cover archaeological deposits.

A microthermometric study of inclusions in granites and pegmatites in the Proterozoic Harney Peak Granite system identified four types of inclusions. Type 1 inclusions are mixtures of CO 2 and H 2 O and have low salinities, on average 3.5 wt.% NaCl eq ; type 2 inclusions are aqueous solutions of variable salinities, from 0 to 40% wt.% NaCl eq ; type 3 inclusions are carbonic, dominated by CO 2 , with no detectable water; and type 4 inclusions consist of 20 to 100% solids, with the remaining volume occupied by a CO 2 -H 2 O fluid. Many inclusions have a secondary character; however, a primary character can be unambiguously established in several occurrences of the type 1 inclusions. These inclusions were trapped above the solidus and represent the exsolved magmatic fluid. The secondary populations of types 1, 2, and 3 probably formed as a result of reequilibration and unmixing of the type 1 fluid that progressively changed composition and density with decreasing temperature and pressure and was finally trapped along healed microfractures under subsolidus conditions. Type 4 inclusions are primary and are interpreted to be trapped, fluid-bearing, complex silicate melts that subsequently solidified or underwent other posttrapping changes.

Estimating survival and documenting causes and timing of mortality events in neonate bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) improves understanding of population ecology and factors influencing recruitment. During 2010-2012, we captured and radiocollared 74 neonates in the Black Hills, South Dakota, of which 95% (70) died before 52 weeks of age. Pneumonia (36%) was the leading cause of mortality followed by predation (30%). We used known fate analysis in Program MARK to estimate weekly survival rates and investigate the influence of intrinsic variables on 52-week survival. Model {S1 wk, 2-8 wks, &gt;8 wks} had the lowest AIC c (Akaike&#39;s Information Criterion corrected for small sample size) value, indicating that age (3-stage age-interval: 1 week, 2-8 weeks, and &gt;8 weeks) best explained survival. Weekly survival estimates for 1 week, 2-8 weeks, and &gt;8 weeks were 0.81 (95% CI = 0.70-0.88), 0.86 (95% CI = 0.81-0.90), and 0.94 (95% CI = 0.91-0.96), respectively. Overall probability o...

Français : Depuis La Ballade Sauvage (Badlands, 1973), Terrence Malick se plaî à prendre le temps de détourner sa caméra de l’action dramatique pour examiner en gros plans des détails de la nature environnante. Par contraste avec les plans servant plus directement le récit, ces inserts gagnent une intensité plastique qui déséquilibre la représentation, retarde le progrès d’une action, diffère ou détourne la résolution d’un drame. Les riches processus d’enchaînements plastiques que le montage octroie à ces images digressives pourraient pourtant montrer que les figures de l’immobilisme dans le cinéma de Malick ne sont pas si simplement identifiables.

Texte pour le livret DVD de Poussières d’Amérique et Diane Wellington
Potemkine Editions/2014/France

"Ce film est une improvisation. Un journal de travail. Ça parle d'Amérique, donc de nous. Des morceaux de la vie de chacun. Un enfant, son père, sa mère, le lapin, le chien. Votre enfance, la mienne, la nôtre. Les Indiens, Christophe Colomb, Apollo. Chaque personnage dit "je". C'est le journal intime de chacun. L'autobiographie de tout le monde." - Arnaud des Pallières

A partir d'images d'archives privées, Arnaud des Pallières entrelace une série de micro-récits composant une fresque épique de l'Amérique. Cette méditation sur l'Histoire est un portrait de nos vies, de nos rêves intimes comme de nos utopies collectives.

Appropriate use of satellite data in predicting >1 year post-fire effects requires remote measurement of surface properties that can be mechanistically related to ground measures of post-fire condition. The present study of burned ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests in the Black Hills of South Dakota evaluates whether immediate fractional cover estimates of char, green vegetation and brown (non-photosynthetic) vegetation within a pixel are improved predictors of 1-year post-fire field measures, when compared with single-date and differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR and dNBR) indices. The modeled estimate of immediate char fraction either equaled or outperformed all other immediate metrics in predicting 1-year post-fire effects. Brown cover fraction was a poor predictor of all effects (r 2 < 0.30), and each remote measure produced only poor predictions of crown scorch (r 2 < 0.20). Application of dNBR (1 year post) provided a considerable increase in regression performance for predicting tree survival. Immediate post-fire NBR or dNBR produced only marginal differences in predictions of all the 1-year post-fire effects, perhaps limiting the need for prefire imagery.Although further research is clearly warranted to evaluate fire effects data available 2-20 years after fire, char and green vegetation fractions may be viable alternatives to dNBR and similar indices to predict longer-term post-fire ecological effects.

Selected Bacillus and Paenibacillus strains isolated from South Dakota wheat foliage and residue have been shown to antagonize isolates of Fusarium graminearum causing FHB, as well as antagonizing Pyrenophora tritici-repentis which causes tanspot. Application of whole live cells of these bacterial biocontrol agents (BCAs) as well as application of concentrated ethyl acetate extracts of broth culture supernatants of the bacteria, have previously been shown to reduce symptoms of FHB and tanspot in greenhouse and field-plot trials. Another method of using these BCAs would be applying them to wheat seed before planting. By manipulating the bacteria to remove their walls and ensure their osmotic protection, cell wall deficient (CWD) forms of the bacteria such as protoplasts and L-forms can be produced. These CWD bacterial forms have been shown by other researchers to form putative intracellular associations with the cells of a variety of plants. It would be desirable to develop seed-treatment methods to reliably establish such associations between wheat plants and CWD-forms of bacterial BCAs, since it could afford protection against infection by F. graminearum without need for spray application of bacteria onto mature wheat plants. Alternatively, seed treatment with wall-bearing cells of bacterial BCAs could result in protection against FHB. In one greenhouse trial, soaking wheat seeds with wall-bearing cells of bacterial strain 1BE (Paenibacillus lentimorbus) resulted in 26% less FHB symptoms than soaking seeds with live protoplasts of the same bacterium. In a greenhouse trial involving tanspot, however, soaking wheat seeds with live protoplasts of P. lentimorbus 1BE resulted in 22% less FHB symptoms than soaking seeds with live wall-bearing cells of the same bacterium. More work is needed to explore the potential of seed treatment with bacterial BCAs to control FHB.

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for understanding the geographic context of bioenergy supplies is discussed and a regional-scale, GIS-based modeling system for estimating potential biomass supplies from energy crops is described. While GIS models can capture geographic variation that may in¯uence biomass costs and supplies, GIS models are not likely to handle uncertainty well and are often limited by the lack of spatially explicit data. The presented modeling system estimates the costs and environmental implications of supplying speci®ed amounts of energy crop feedstock across a state. The system considers where energy crops could be grown, the spatial variability in their yield, and transportation costs associated with acquiring feedstock for an energy facility. The modeling system was used to estimate potential switchgrass costs and supplies in eleven US states. Transportation costs increased with increased facility demand and were lowest in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota and highest in South Carolina, Missouri, Georgia, and Alabama. Farmgate feedstock costs were lowest in Alabama, North Dakota and South Dakota and highest in Iowa and Nebraska. Across the eleven states, delivered feedstock costs ranged from $33 to $55/dry tonne to supply a facility requiring 100,000 tonne/yr. Delivered feedstock costs for a 630,000 tonne/yr facility ranged from $36 to $58/dry tonne. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Sediment samples were analyzed as part of ongoing environmental investigations of historical U mining impacts within Custer National Forest in Harding County, South Dakota. Correlations between As and U content, grain size and soil mineralogy were determined to identify contaminant fate and transport mechanisms. Soil samples collected near the mining source zone and up to 61 km downgradient of the minesites were analyzed. Samples were homogenized and wet sieved through polymer screens, and metal(loid) concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis identified quartz as the primary mineral for all size fractions, with varying amounts of analcime, indicative of volcanic origin. Selected samples were examined for trace mineral composition using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of Fe sulfides and Fe (hydr)oxides indicate heterogeneity in redox potentials on a microscopic scale. Elevated metal(loid) concentrations were associated with trace concentrations of Fe sulfide, indicating an influence on metal transport during weathering. Sequential chemical extractions (SCE) performed on source sediment fractions demonstrated that most As and U was adsorbed to Fe- and Mn-oxides and carbonates with lesser amounts bound by ion exchange, organics and Fe sulfides. Large changes in U/Th and As/Th ratios were observed to coincide with geochemical changes in the watershed, suggesting that metal(loid)–Th ratios may be used in environmental investigations to identify geochemically-significant watershed conditions.

Tervo RC, Azuma S, Palmer G, Redinius P. Medical students' attitudes toward persons with disability: a comparative study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1537-42. Objectives: To investigate first-year medical students' attitudes toward persons with disability and to examine whether gender and a background in disability determine attitudes toward persons with disability. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Setting: University settings in the United States and Canada. Participants: Ninety first-year medical students (US, nϭ46; Canada, nϭ44) were surveyed. Intervention: Medical students given 3 surveys. Main Outcome Measures: Attitude Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) Scale, Scale of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (SADP), and Rehabilitation Situations Inventory (RSI).

Molecular characterization of 53 U.S. and Canadian Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, ribotyping, and random amplified polymorphic DNA showed that strains with distinct molecular subtypes have persisted in the United States and Canada for at least 25 years. These strains are endemic rather than imported from countries with current endemic or epidemic diphtheria.