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Biostromes, Brine Flies, Birds And The Bioaccumulation Of Selenium In Great Salt Lake, ,Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

Benthic organisms and substrates in Great Salt Lake, Utah, were sampled to measure selenium concentrations of prey organisms of the birds that utilize the lake for nesting and during migrations. The sampling was focused on stromatolite biostromes, as these solid reef-like structures cover approximately 23% of the oxic benthic area of the lake and are the principal habitat for brine fly (Ephydra cinerea) larvae and pupae. Samples were taken at depths of 1-5 m along two transects in Gilbert Bay were salinities ranged from 116-126 g 1-1...

Mercury Inputs To Great Salt Lake, Utah: Reconnaissance-Phase Results, David Naftz, Christopher Fuller, Jay Cederberg, David Krabbenhoft, John Whitehead, Jodi Garberg, Kimberly Beisner

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

In response to increasing public concern regarding mercury (Hg) cycling in Great Salt Lake (GSL) ecosystem, a series of studies were initiated to differentiate between the mass of Hg from riverine versus atmospheric sources to GSL. Cumulative riverine Hg load to GSL during a 1 year time period (April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008) was 6 kg, with almost 50% of the cumulative Hg load contributed by outflow from Farmington Bay. Comparison of cumulative annual atmospheric Hg deposition (32 kg) to annual riverine deposition (6 kg) indicates that atmospheric deposition is the dominant input source to GSL. A sediment …

Aral Sea: Water Level, Salinity And Long-Term Changes In Biological Communities Of An Endangered Ecosystem-Past, Present And Future, Nickolay V. Aladin, Igor S. Plotnikov, Philip Micklin, Thomas Ballatore

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

The Aral Sea, which before 1960 was the fourth largest lake in the world, has now split into four separate water bodies. This break-up and desiccation mainly resulted from upstream irrigation withdrawals from the two main influent rivers, the Syr Darya and and Amu Darya. The negative effects on the lake ecosystem due to declining water level and increasing salinity, as well as the profound socioeconomic and human impacts to the riparian populations, have been well documented. This paper focuses on the conservation and rehabilitation efforts for four remaining key water bodies of the Aral Sea: the Northern (Small) Aral …

Oxygen Production And Use In Benthic Mats Of Solar Salt Ponds, Mark U. Coleman

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

The benthic mat in the ponds of solar salt producers is important because as a beneficial effect, the mat reduces loss of brine from the field but it unfortunately also supports species which can have a serious detrimental effect on the halite crystallization process. Anaerobic and aerobic activity of the mat which is thought to be a significant factor in the management of the salt field is not quantified by traditional monitoring methods. A method of measuring the generation of oxygen from benthic algal mats, tested in the north west of Western Australia at three solar salt fields has been …

Microbial Communities In Salt Lakes: Phylogenetic Diversity, Metabolic Diversity, And In Situ Activities, Aharon Oren, Bonnie K. Baxter, Bart C. Weimer

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

A roundtable discussion was held on Monday, 12 May 2008, following the sessions on 'Microorganisms in Hypersaline Environments' at the 10th Conference on Salt Lake Research & 2008 FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake Issues Forum, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Among the aspects discussed were: 1. The gap between our knowledge of the microorganisms isolated in culture and the true microbial diversity as apparent when using culture-independent techniques, in most cases based on the characterization of small subunit ribosomal RNA genes; 2. The metabolic diversity of the microorganisms inhabiting saline and hypersaline lakes and the lack of information to …

Do Adoption Subsidies Help At-Risk Children?, Kasey Buckles

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Over half a million children in the United States are currently in foster care, many of whom are at risk for long-lasting emotional and health problems. Research suggests that adoption may be one of the more promising options for the placement of these children. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which provided federal funds for monthly adoption subsidies, was designed to promote adoptions of special-needs children and children in foster care.

Using data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting Systems for 2000- 2006, I consider the effects of these adoption subsidies on children’s likelihood …

Agricultural Crisis And Biological Well-Being In Mexico, 1730-1835, Amilcar Challú

History Faculty Publications

The article examines how adverse climatic conditions and high food prices influenced the opportunities of peasants in pre-industrial Mexico between 1730 and 1835. Particular attention is paid to data of soldier heights, global climate events, warm-season tree growth, and real food prices to determine how these factors may have affected urban and rural populations. Declines were seen in the general standard of living and average height, while the cost of food increased. It is argued that distribution and acquisition of food has an equal influence on biological well-being as the availability of food at any specific given time.

New Perspectives On Ecological Mechanisms Affecting Coral Recruitment On Reefs, Raphael Ritson-Williams, Suzanne N. Arnold, Nicole D. Fogarty, Robert S. Steneck, Mark J. A. Vermeij, Valerie J. Paul

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Coral mortality has increased in recent decades, making coral recruitment more important than ever in sustaining coral reef ecosystems and contributing to their resilience. This review summarizes existing information on ecological factors affecting scleractinian coral recruitment. Successful recruitment requires the survival of coral offspring through sequential life history stages. Larval availability, successful settlement, and post-settlement survival and growth are all necessary for the addition of new coral individuals to a reef and ultimately maintenance or recovery of coral reef ecosystems. As environmental conditions continue to become more hostile to corals on a global scale, further research on fertilization ecology, connectivity, …

A Few Random Thoughts About Socio-Economic "Rights" In The United States In Light Of The 2008 Financial Meltdown, Taunya Lovell Banks

Maryland Journal of International Law

Socio-economic rights, first articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) sixty years ago, are regaining currency. Legal practitioners around the world, emboldened by emerging constitutional democracies in Eastern Europe and South Africa that constitutionalized socio-economic rights, are actively seeking to enforce these rights. The UDHR "reaffirm [ed] faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person," and served as the basis for the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Among those rights included in the Covenant are housing, food, and healthcare.

Annual Report Of The Town Officers Of The Town Of Jefferson, New Hampshire For The Year Ending December 31, 2008., Jefferson Town Representatives

Jefferson, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Viability Of Subitaneous Eggs Of The Copepod, Acartia Tonsa (Dana), Following Exposure To Various Cryoprotectants And Hypersaline Water, Cortney L. Ohsa, Andrew L. Rhyne, Erik Stenn

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Subitaneous eggs were obtained from monocultures of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa (Dana), Gulf of Mexico strain. Eggs were exposed to methanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerine, and DMSO at 0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 M and hypersaline water at 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200 g/L. Treatments were evaluated after 10 and 20 min of exposure and at 4 and 26 °C. Viability (percent hatched) was determined after 24 h of incubation in 35 g/L saltwater at 26 °C.

Methanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerine had high viability up to 2M, and all experienced large decreases at 5M …

Money As A Thumb On The Constitutional Scale: Weighing Speech Against Publicity Rights, Diane L. Zimmerman

Faculty Articles

Although they have differed in their approaches, courts deciding right of publicity cases have almost uniformly assumed that the appropriate way to test the constitutionality of the claim is to weigh the plaintiff's publicity interest against the defendant's free speech claim. The question left unanswered is what could possible give sufficient weight, in particular to a nonadvertising publicity claim, to allow it plausibly to outweigh the first amendment. The paper argues that no plausible jurisprudential predicate for this practice exists unless one is willing to accept the argument that interests expressed in economic terms are inherently weightier than traditional liberty …

Essays On Labor And Demographic Economics: Dissertation Summary, Hans Grönqvist

Dissertation Awards

Essay 1: (co-written with Olof Åslund) We study the impact of family size on intermediate and long-term outcomes using twin births as an exogenous source of variation in family size in an unusually rich dataset.

Essay 2: This paper investigates the consequences of a series of Swedish policy changes beginning in 1989 where different regions started subsidizing the birth control pill. The reforms were significant and applied to all types of oral contraceptives.

Essay 3: (co-written with Olof Åslund, Per-Anders Edin and Peter Fredriksson) We study peer effects in compulsory school performance among immigrant youth in Sweden. The empirical analysis …

Three Essays On Labor And Credit Markets: Dissertation Summary, Benjamin J. Keys

Dissertation Awards

The first paper demonstrates the important role of job displacement in the household bankruptcy decision. Consistent with predicted filing behavior under persistent income shocks, I find that households in the NLSY are four times more likely to file in the year following job loss, with a smaller but significant response persisting two to three years. The second paper, co-authored with Tanmoy Mukherjee, Amit Seru, and Vikrant Vig, examines this question using a unique dataset of securitized subprime mortgage loans. We exploit a rule of thumb in the lending market to generate exogenous variation in the ease of securitization and compare …

Eco-Bio-Social Factors Of Vector Density-Developing Effective Approaches To Dengue Control In The Philippines, Jesusa Marco

SDRC Publications

No abstract provided.

Suckering Response Of Aspen To Traffic-Induced-Root Wounding And The Barrier-Effect Of Log Storage, Kevin N. Renkema, Simon M. Landhausser, Victor J. Lieffers

Aspen Bibliography

In a growth chamber, we tested how the seasonal timing of placing a physical barrier (simulating a possible effect of log storage) and inflicting root damage impacted aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) root systems and their suckering capability. Roots from 4-year-old saplings were used, and one half of these root systems had the above-ground portion cut in the winter (dormant) while the other half was cut during the growing season in the summer. Damage was inflicted to the roots by driving a large farm tractor over them, and a covering treatment was applied using a polystyrene board to prevent suckers from …

Comparison Of Dry Distillers Or Modified Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles In Wet Or Dry Forage Based Diets, Mallorie Willken, Terry L. Mader, Galen E. Erickson, Leslie J. Johnson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Modified wet distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS) or dry distiller grains plus solubles (DDGS) in combination with wet or dry forages were fed to growing steer calves (n =192). They were fed one of four treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with factors as wet or dry forage and MDGS or DDGS for 105 days. Gain and feed-to-gain ratio (F:G) of steers fed MDGS were similar to those fed DDGS. Feeding wet forage significantly improved average daily gain (ADG) and F:G compared to feeding dry forage, which likely reflects forage quality in this study.

The Role Of Adult Stem Cells And Tumor Necrosis Factor In Peripheral Neuropathy, Prabhjot Singh Dhadialla

Student Theses and Dissertations

Peripheral neuropathies are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, with a population prevalence of 2,400 per 100,000 (2.4%) that increases in the elderly to 8,000 per 100,000 (8%)(C. N. Martyn and R. A. Hughes, 1997). The variations in symptom distribution and etiologic attribution have resulted in the classification of over 100 types of peripheral neuropathy with specific patterns of development and prognoses. In the first study, we use a mouse model of hereditary peripheral neuropathy that results in hind-limb paralysis to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of adult, adipose derived stem cells (ADSC). The paralyzed mice that received ADSC transplantation …

Mechanistic And Physiological Studies Of The Insulin-Dependent Regulation Of Foxa2, Jessica Jean Howell

Student Theses and Dissertations

The Forkhead box A2 transcription factor (Foxa2/HNF-3β) has been shown to be a key regulator of genes involved in the maintenance of glucose and lipid homeostasis in the liver, and is constitutively inactivated in several hyperinsulinemic/obese mouse models, thereby enhancing their metabolic phenotypes. Foxa2 is activated under fasting conditions, but is inhibited by insulin signaling via PI3K/Akt in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, which results in its nuclear exclusion. However, the mechanism and relative importance of nuclear export have not yet been elucidated. In addition, the existence and potential role of insulin-dependent regulation of Foxa2 have not been studied in other tissues …

The Neural Circuitry Of Social Behavior In C. Elegans, Evan Z. Macosko

Student Theses and Dissertations

Most animal species, from simple invertebrates to complex mammals, require behavioral mechanisms to communicate with and respond to conspecifics, whether to mate, to assess predatory danger, or evaluate the nutritional quality of the surrounding environment. Understanding the molecular and cellular underpinnings of these social behaviors remains a central challenge in neurobiology. I used the nematode C. elegans as a model system to study the genetics and neural circuitry that underlie social behavior. First, I evaluated the behavioral responses of C. elegans to a nematode extract (deathmone), which served as a model for alarm pheromones in other animal species (chapter 2). …

Novel Interactions Of The Hormone Leptin Revealed By Pet Imaging In Rodents And Rhesus Macaques, Robert Richard Flavell

Student Theses and Dissertations

Leptin is a polypeptide hormone, secreted principally by adipose tissue, which functions as an afferent signal in a feedback loop to maintain body weight and energy homeostasis. In addition to its well documented effects on food intake and energy expenditure, leptin modulates the function of many other physiological systems in mammals, through actions in the central nervous system and periphery. Remarkably, despite extensive studies on leptin receptor expression, the physiological biodistribution of the hormone remains essentially unknown. In order to characterize the distribution leptin in mammals, we have developed methodologies to radiolabel the hormone and visualize its biodistribution using positron …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Adipocyte Function, Kivanç Birsoy

Student Theses and Dissertations

The increased white adipose tissue mass associated with obesity is the result of both hyperplasia and hypertrophy of adipocytes. While adipocyte development and transcriptional processes are well studied in vitro, regulation of in vivo genes (such as leptin), the identity of the adipocyte progenitor cells and the development of the adipose organ have not been defined invivo. In this thesis, firstly KLF4 was discovered to be an essential early regulator of adipogenesis. KLF4 together with Krox20 cooperatively transactivates C/EBPβ, suggesting that KLF4 and Krox20 are part of an immediate early transcriptional network. This network is upregulated in a lipodystrophic animal …

Biochemical And Genetic Studies Of Beclin 1 Function In Autophagy, Yun Zhong

Student Theses and Dissertations

Beclin 1 is a mammalian autophagy protein and has important functions in development, tumor suppression and neurodegeneration. Beclin 1 exists in a protein complex with Vps34, which is a class III phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 3-kinase and mediates multiple vesicle trafficking pathways including autophagy and endocytosis. However the precise role of Beclin 1 in autophagy regulation is not well understood and information is lacking regarding the function of Beclin 1 in neuronal development and degeneration. In a study that combines mouse genetics and biochemistry, three novel Beclin 1 interaction proteins Atg14L (yeast Atg14-like), Rubicon (RUN domain and cysteine-rich domain containing, Beclin 1-interacting …

The Effects Of Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid (Cla) On Fatty Acid Composition And Key Enzymes Of Fatty Acid Oxidation In Liver And Muscle Of Geese, Xuhui Zhang, Baowei Wang, Fangyu Long, Lei Wang, Zhigang Yang

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on fatty acid composition and key enzymes of fatty acid oxidation in liver and muscle of geese. A total of 192 1-day-old geese were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary groups, and were fed for 56 days on diets containing 2.5% soybean oil (group A, control group) or 2.0% soybean oil with 0.5% CLA (group B), 1.0% soybean oil with 1.5% CLA (group C), and 2.5 % CLA (group D). Geese fed CLA had a decreased abdominal fat percentage (AFP) (P < 0.01) compared with the control. It was observed that dietary CLA levels had a significant effect on the body weight, weight gain, feed conversion rate (FCR) (P < 0.05), and feed intake (P < 0.01). Fatty acid composition showed a significant increase of the biologically active cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, and cis-12 CLA isomers in both liver and muscle of geese fed CLA (P < 0.01). Dietary CLA led to an increase (P < 0.01) in saturated fatty acid (SFA) and a reduction in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (P < 0.05) concentrations in both liver and muscle. In liver, dietary CLA increased (P < 0.05) acyl CoA oxidase (ACO) activity, but did not affect carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I) activity compared with the control. CPT-I activity was significantly increased by 2.5% dietary CLA in muscle, where ACO activity was decreased at 1.5% CLA level. The results obtained suggested that geese can successfully incorporate CLA in both liver and muscle, which could be beneficial in the human diet, through provision of bioactive fatty acids with no detrimental effects on n-3 PUFA levels.

Antagonizing Bogotá, Troy E. Elder

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Molecular Markers Associated With Resistance Or Susceptibility To Fusarium Wilt Tr4 In Musa Acuminata Ssp. Malaccensis / Fatimah Binti Kayat, Fatimah Kayat

Student Works (2000-2009)

Bananaandplantain(Musaspp.)arestaplefoodcropsintropicaland subtropicalcountriesandalsoplayakeyroleintheeconomicofmanydeveloping countries.However,thetenyearreview(1996-2005)oftheproductionofthecrop showedthatthelandusageforbananaandplantainhadincreasedbuttheyieldhadbeen reducedduringthesameperiod.InMalaysia,PanamadiseaseorFusariumwiltcaused byFusariumoxysporumf.sp.cubenseVCG01213/16alsoknownasTropicalrace4 (TR4)isthemajorandthemostdestructivediseasewhichcausesconsiderablelossto theMalaysianbananaexporttrade.Conventionalbananabreedingforresistanceto Fusariumwiltishamperedbysterility,triploidy,longgenerationtimeandthelackof appropriatetestingsites.Biotechnologicaladvancesinvolvinginvitropropagation, somaticembryogenesisandmolecularmarkersprovidetoolsforgeneticrelationship studiesandQTLanalysisthuscouldenhancethedevelopmentofcultivarsadaptedto changingenvironments. Theuseofgenesfromthewildcroprelativeshavebeenrecognizedinbreeding programsofmanycrops.Inthisstudy,thestrategyapproachistodevelopnew populationswithtraitsspecifictothepathogenfromtheindigenouswildbananaMusa acuminatassp.malaccensis(AA)whichhasbeenshowntohaveveryhighresistanceto FOCTR4.Maturedseedswereextractedfromfruitbunchesoffourrandomopencross populationsofwildbananainordertoproduceseedprogeniesraisedthroughzygotic embryoculture.Embryogerminationwasachievedwithoutanyseedtreatmentinthe darkfortwoweeksbeforebeingplacedunderlight.Individualseedprogenieswere subjectedtoseveralin-vitrostagesinordertogainuniformplantletswithreplicatesfor diseasescreening.DifferentdegreesofresponsetoFusariumoxysporumf.sp.cubense TR4wereobservedinwildbananaseedprogeniesaswellastheirF1hybridpopulations whichprovidedapotentiallyusefulgeneticresourceforthedevelopmentofdisease resistancemarkersthatcouldbeexploitedinamarker-assistedselection. AhighdegreeofpolymorphisminwildbananaseedprogeniesshownbyRAPD m arkersprovidedgoodearlyevidenceforthepotentialusefulnessofpolymorphismandse gregationstudiesusingmolecularmarkers.AnalysisofRAPD,STMSandAFLPm arkersinthisstudydidnotshowanycleardifferentiationbetweenresistantandsus ceptibleindividuals.However,markersgeneratedbythosemethodswereincludedinl inkagemapdevelopment.Atotalof18markershadbeengeneratedfromRAPDa nalysiswhile14SSRmarkerswereobservedfromSTMSanalysis.Atotalof4657ba ndswasgeneratedfrom30EcoR1+3xMseI+3,oneEcoR1+3xMseI+2and43P stI+2xMseI+3primercombinations.The639markersconsistingof607AFLPs,14S SRsand17RAPDsmarkersweredeterminedontwomappingpopulations(resistancea ndsusceptibilitytoFOCTR4).Atotalof471markers(286Pst-markers,155Eco-m arkers,17RAPDmarkersand13STMSmarkers)wereanalyzedforthesusceptiblem appingpopulationwhile414markers(249Pst-markers,143Eco-markers,9RAPDm arkersand13STMSmarkers)wereanalyzedfortheresistantmappingpopulation.L inkageanalysisofthedataresultedinthegenerationoftwosetsoflinkagemapsc onsistingof32linkagegroupsfortheresistantmappingpopulationand37linkageg roupsforthesusceptiblemappingpopulation.Themapshaveprovidedthebasisoff uturemappingandmarker-assistedbreedingstudiesandstrategiesforthisbanana.

Genetic Transformation Of Chlorella Vulgaris (Chlorophyta) / Priscilla Dorothy Rajakumar., Priscilla Dorothy Rajakumar

Student Works (2000-2009)

No abstract provided.

The Ethical Foundations Of Consumer-Driven Health Care, Marshall B. Kapp

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Expanding The Current Health Care Reform Debate: Making The Case For Socio-Economic Interventions For Low Income Young Adults, Namrata Kotwani, Marion Danis

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Compelled Speech Under The Commercial Speech Doctrine: The Case Of Menu Label Laws, Jennifer L. Pomeranz

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.