Digital Commons Network^™

The Challenges Of Wastewater Irrigation In Developing Countries, M. Qadir, D. Wichelns, L. Raschid-Sally, Peter G. Mccornick, P. Drechsel, A. Bahri, P. S. Minhas

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The volume of wastewater generated by domestic, industrial, and commercial sources has increased with population, urbanization, improved living conditions, and economic development. The productive use of wastewater has also increased, as millions of small-scale farmers in urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries depend on wastewater or wastewater-polluted water sources to irrigate high-value edible crops for urban markets, often as they have no alternative sources of irrigation water. Undesirable constituents in wastewater can harm human health and the environment. Hence, wastewater irrigation is an issue of concern to public agencies responsible for maintaining public health and environmental quality. For diverse …

Agricultural Conservation: A Guide To Programs, Megan Stubbs

Congressional Research Service Reports

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently administer over 20 programs and subprograms that are directly or indirectly available to assist producers and landowners who wish to practice conservation on agricultural lands. The number, scope, and overall funding of these programs has grown in recent years. This growth can cause some confusion over which problems and conditions each program addresses, and specific program characteristics and performance.

This tabular presentation provides basic information introducing each of the programs. In each case, a brief program description is followed by …

Water Quality Issues In The 111th Congress: Oversight And Implementation, Claudia Copeland

Congressional Research Service Reports

Although much progress has been made in achieving the ambitious goals that Congress established more than 35 years ago in the Clean Water Act (CWA) to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters, long-standing problems persist, and new problems have emerged. Water quality problems are diverse, ranging from pollution runoff from farms and ranches, city streets, and other diffuse or “nonpoint” sources, to toxic substances discharged from factories and sewage treatment plants.

There is little agreement among stakeholders about what solutions are needed and whether new legislation is required to address the nation’s remaining …

Energy And Water Development: Fy2011 Appropriations, Carl E. Behrens

Congressional Research Service Reports

The Energy and Water Development appropriations bill provides funding for civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of independent agencies.

Funding for FY2010 Energy and Water Development programs is contained in H.R. 3183, which the House passed July 17, 2009. The Senate passed its version of H.R. 3183 July 29. The Conference Committee issued its report (H.Rept. 111-278) September 30, and the House passed the conference bill October 1, and the Senate October 15. The President signed the bill October 28 …

Ballast Water Management To Combat Invasive Species, Eugene H. Buck

Congressional Research Service Reports

The 111th Congress may elect to consider legislation (H.R. 500 and S. 237) that has been introduced to amend and reauthorize the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to further study vessel ballast water management standards and modify how ballast water is handled.

In recent years, many people have become increasingly aware that the globalization of trade, the increased speed of travel, the massive volume of cargo shipments, and rising tourism have combined to increase the chance of accidental introductions of foreign species into the United States. Aquatic species arrive through a variety of mechanisms—unintentionally when attached …

Agricultural Biotechnology: Background And Recent Issues, Tadlock Cowan

Congressional Research Service Reports

U.S. soybean, cotton, and corn farmers have rapidly adopted genetically engineered (GE) varieties of these crops since their commercialization in the mid-1990s. Over the last decade, GE varieties in the United States have increased from 3.6 million acres to 143 million acres. Worldwide, 25 countries planted GE crops on approximately 309 million acres in 2008. GE varieties now dominate soybean, cotton, and corn production in the United States, and they continue to expand rapidly in other countries. As adoption has spread, policy debates have continued over the costs and benefits of GE products.

Ongoing concerns include the impacts of GE …

Gray Wolves Under The Endangered Species Act (Esa): Distinct Population Segments And Experimental Populations, Kristina Alexander

Congressional Research Service Reports

The wolf was among the first animals protected under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, a predecessor to the current Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 1978 the gray wolf was listed as endangered in all of the conterminous 48 states except Minnesota, where it was listed as threatened. With the exception of experimental populations established in the 1990s, the protections for the gray wolf have been diminishing since that date, as wolf populations have increased in some areas. The use of distinct population segments (DPSs), a term created in the 1978 ESA amendments, has played a role in that reduced protection. …

Nanotechnology And Environmental, Health, And Safety: Issues For Consideration, John F. Sargent Jr.

Congressional Research Service Reports

Nanotechnology—a term encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology—is focused on understanding, controlling, and exploiting the unique properties of matter that can emerge at scales of one to 100 nanometers. A key issue before Congress regarding nanotechnology is how best to protect human health, safety, and the environment as nanoscale materials and products are researched, developed, manufactured, used, and discarded. While the rapidly emerging field of nanotechnology is believed by many to offer significant economic and societal benefits, some research results have raised concerns about the potential adverse environmental, health, and safety (EHS) implications of nanoscale materials.

Some have described nanotechnology …

Molecular Characterization Of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: Pilot Studies, Neil Bipinchandra Desai

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS); is thought directly to precede invasive breast cancer (IBC). Screening mammography has driven the incidence of this key precursor lesion to >65,000 cases per year. However, little is known about the factors controlling the natural history or risk for recurrence following treatment of a particular patients DCIS. Though the heterogeneity of the disease is well established, no histologic or demographic criteria have been able to stratify DCIS for treatment. We hypothesize that at initial diagnosis there exist biologically distinct subsets of DCIS with associated prognoses that may be recognized by molecular markers. Molecular approaches have …

Regulation Of Polar Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis By Wag31 Phosphorylation In Mycobacteria, Charul Jani, Hyungjin Eoh, Jae Lee, Khozima Hamasha, Moodakare Sahana, Jeong-Sun Han, Seeta Nyayapathy, Jung-Yeon Lee, Joo-Won Suh, Sang Lee, Steve J. Rehse, Dean C. Crick, Choong-Min Kang

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Sensing and responding to environmental changes is a central aspect of cell division regulation. Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains eleven Ser/Thr kinases, two of which, PknA and PknB, are key signaling molecules that regulate cell division/morphology. One substrate of these kinases is Wag31, and we previously showed that partial depletion of Wag31 caused morphological changes indicative of cell wall defects, and that the phosphorylation state of Wag31 affected cell growth in mycobacteria. In the present study, we further characterized the role of the Wag31 phosphorylation in polar peptidoglycan biosynthesis.

Results

We demonstrate that the differential growth among cells expressing different …

Spermine Oxidase (Smo) Activity In Breast Tumor Tissues And Biochemical Analysis Of The Anticancer Spermine Analogues Benspm And Cpenspm, Manuela Cervelli, Gabriella Bellavia, Emiliano Fratini, Roberto Amendola, Fabio Polticelli, Marco Barba, Rodolfo Federico, Fabrizio Signore, Giacomo Gucciardo, Rosalba Grillo, Patrick M. Woster, Robert A. Casero Jr, Paolo Mariottini

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Polyamine metabolism has a critical role in cell death and proliferation representing a potential target for intervention in breast cancer (BC). This study investigates the expression of spermine oxidase (SMO) and its prognostic significance in BC. Biochemical analysis of Spm analogues BENSpm and CPENSpm, utilized in anticancer therapy, was also carried out to test their property in silico and in vitro on the recombinant SMO enzyme.

Methods

BC tissue samples were analyzed for SMO transcript level and SMO activity. Student's t test was applied to evaluate the significance of the differences in value observed in T and NT …

Antioxidant Rich Grape Pomace Extract Suppresses Postprandial Hyperglycemia In Diabetic Mice By Specifically Inhibiting Alpha-Glucosidase, Shelly Hogan, Lei Zhang, Jianrong Li, Shi Sun, Corene Canning, Kequan Zhou

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Postprandial hyperglycemia is an early defect of type 2 diabetes and one of primary anti-diabetic targets. Treatment of postprandial hyperglycemia can be achieved by inhibiting intestinal α-glucosidase, the key enzyme for oligosaccharide digestion and further glucose absorption. Grape pomace is winemaking byproduct rich in bioactive food compounds such as phenolic antioxidants. This study evaluated the anti-diabetic potential of two specific grape pomace extracts by determining their antioxidant and anti-postprandial hyperglycemic activities in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

The extracts of red wine grape pomace (Cabernet Franc) and white wine grape pomace (Chardonnay) were prepared in 80% ethanol. An …

Angiogenesis Inhibitors In The Treatment Of Prostate Cancer, Clara Hwang, Elisabeth I. Heath

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Prostate cancer remains a significant public health problem, with limited therapeutic options in the setting of castrate-resistant metastatic disease. Angiogenesis inhibition is a relatively novel antineoplastic approach, which targets the reliance of tumor growth on the formation of new blood vessels. This strategy has been used successfully in other solid tumor types, with the FDA approval of anti-angiogenic agents in breast, lung, colon, brain, and kidney cancer. The application of anti-angiogenic therapy to prostate cancer is reviewed in this article, with attention to efficacy and toxicity results from several classes of anti-angiogenic agents. Ultimately, the fate of anti-angiogenic agents …

Vaccination With A Plasmid Dna Encoding Her-2/Neu Together With Low Doses Of Gm-Csf And Il-2 In Patients With Metastatic Breast Carcinoma: A Pilot Clinical Trial, Hã¥Kan Norell, Isabel Poschke, Jehad Charo, Wei Z. Wei, Courtney Erskine, Marie P. Piechocki, Keith L. Knutson, Jonas Bergh, Elisabet Lidbrink, Rolf Kiessling

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) treatment of breast cancer patients significantly improves their clinical outcome. Vaccination is an attractive alternative approach to provide HER-2/neu (Her2)-specific antibodies and may in addition concomitantly stimulate Her2-reactive T-cells. Here we report the first administration of a Her2-plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccine in humans.

Patients and Methods

The vaccine, encoding a full-length signaling-deficient version of the oncogene Her2, was administered together with low doses of GM-CSF and IL-2 to patients with metastatic Her2-expressing breast carcinoma who were also treated with trastuzumab. Six of eight enrolled patients completed all three vaccine cycles. In the remaining two patients …

Sulforaphane Induces Cell Cycle Arrest By Protecting Rb-E2f-1 Complex In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells, Christopher S. Bryant, Sanjeev Kumar, Sreedhar Chamala, Jay Shah, Jagannath Pal, Mahdi Haider, Shelly Seward, Aamer M. Qazi, Robert Morris, Assaad Semaan, Masood A. Shammas, Christopher Steffes, Ravindra B. Potti, Madhu Prasad, Donald W. Weaver, Ramesh B. Batchu

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate phytochemical present predominantly in cruciferous vegetables such as brussels sprout and broccoli, is considered a promising chemo-preventive agent against cancer. In-vitro exposure to SFN appears to result in the induction of apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in a variety of tumor types. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to the inhibition of cell cycle progression by SFN are poorly understood in epithelial ovarian cancer cells (EOC). The aim of this study is to understand the signaling mechanisms through which SFN influences the cell growth and proliferation in EOC.

Results

SFN at concentrations of 5 - 20 …

Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Localization And Function Within Intrauterine Tissues From Term And Preterm Labor And Cultured Fetal Membranes, Sonali Vora, Asad Abbas, Chong J. Kim, Taryn Ls Summerfield, Juan P. Kusanovic, Jay D. Iams, Roberto Romero, Douglas A. Kniss, William E. Ackerman Iv

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

The objective of this study was to quantify the nuclear localization and DNA binding activity of p65, the major transactivating nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) subunit, in full-thickness fetal membranes (FM) and myometrium in the absence or presence of term or preterm labor.

Methods

Paired full-thickness FM and myometrial samples were collected from women in the following cohorts: preterm no labor (PNL, N = 22), spontaneous preterm labor (PTL, N = 21), term no labor (TNL, N = 23), and spontaneous term labor (STL, N = 21). NF-kappaB p65 localization was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and DNA binding activity was …

Editorial, Kenneth H. Brink

Journal of Marine Research

With the completion of Volume 67 of the Journal of Marine Research, George Veronis is stepping down after having served as editor for 37 years. In the Journal’s 73-year history, there have been only three editors, and George has served the longest. During George’s tenure, the Journal has prospered and it has strengthened its position as one of the best oceanographic scholarly Journals. The entire oceanographic community should be grateful for George’s commitment to excellence, hard work and commitment. His accomplishments with the Journal are most impressive.

Larval Responses To Turbulence And Temperature In A Tidal Inlet: Habitat Selection By Dispersing Gastropods?, Heidi L. Fuchs, Andrew R. Solow, Lauren S. Mullineaux

Journal of Marine Research

Marine larval dispersal is affected by hydrodynamic transport and larval behavior, but little is known about how behavior affects large-scale patterns of dispersal and recruitment. Intertidal habitats are characterized by strong and variable turbulence relative to shelf and pelagic waters, so larval responses to turbulence may affect both dispersal and habitat selection. This study combined observations and theoretical approaches to model gastropod larval responses to multiple physical variables in a well-mixed tidal inlet. Physical measurements and larvae were collected in July 2004 in Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts (USA). Physical measurements were incorporated in an advection-diffusion model where larval vertical velocity is …

Oxygen Isotope Ratio, Barium And Salinity In Waters Around The North American Coast From The Pacific To The Atlantic: Implications For Freshwater Sources To The Arctic Throughflow, Michiyo Yamamoto-Kawai, Eddy C. Carmack, Fiona A. Mclaughlin, Kelly K. Falkner

Journal of Marine Research

In 2002, oxygen isotope ratios of water (H₂¹⁸O/H₂¹⁶O), dissolved barium, and salinity were measured in surface waters around northern North America to identify freshwater sources and to provide a large-scale background for interpretation of regional inputs and processes. Oxygen isotope ratios showed that precipitation, river runoff, and sea ice meltwater were all significant contributors to the freshwater carried by the coastal component of the Arctic throughflow. Precipitation and runoff contributed <40% and >60%, respectively, to the freshwater found in surface waters along the Pacific coast. Sea ice meltwater contributed up to 65% to waters residing near …

Onset Of Time-Dependence In A Double-Gyre Circulation: Barotropic Basin Modes Versus Classical Baroclinic Modes, Hristina G. Hristova, Henk A. Dijkstra, Michael A. Spall

Journal of Marine Research

Using a fully-implicit high-resolution two-layer quasi-geostrophic model combined with pseudo-arclength continuation methods, we perform a bifurcation analysis of double-gyre ocean flows to study their initial oscillatory instabilities. In this model, both wind- and thermally-forced flows can be represented. We demonstrate that on the branch of anti-symmetric steady-state solutions the ratio, Ω, of the flow advective speed to the long internal Rossby wave speed determines the type of oscillatory modes to first become unstable. This is the same nondimensional parameter that controls the shape of the geostrophic contours in the linear limit of the circulation. For large values of Ω, the …

Upwelling Limitation By Onshore Geostrophic Flow, P. Marchesiello, P. Estrade

Journal of Marine Research

Although coastal upwelling has now been the subject of many studies, the only available dynamical upwelling index is derived from a simple relation between upwelling intensity and alongshore winds stress. In this study, we first present a primitive equation model simulation of the New Caledonia island region to show that upwelling intensity can be limited by onshore geostrophic flow. Then, we propose a new analytical model accounting for the effect of onshore geostrophic flow on the structure of upwelling. The analytical model is shown to match remarkably well the solution of the primitive equation model. Used as an upwelling index, …

Oxygen Penetration Around Burrows And Roots In Aquatic Sediments, F. J. R. Meysman, O. S. Galaktionov, R. N. Glud, J. J. Middelburg

Journal of Marine Research

Diffusion is the dominant physical mechanism for the transfer of oxygen into fine-grained aquatic sediments. This diffusive uptake occurs at the sediment-water interface, but also at internal interfaces, such as along ventilated burrows or O₂ releasing plant roots. Here, we present a systematic model analysis of the oxygen transfer at such biological interfaces. We list the equations for the O₂ distribution, the flux, the oxygen penetration distance (OPD), the oxygenated sediment volume, and the irrigational oxygen uptake (IOU) as a function of biological parameters, such as burrow/root radius and burrow/root density. We also provide a set of computational …

Relative Displacement Probability Distribution Functions From Balloons And Drifters, J. H. Lacasce

Journal of Marine Research

The focus of relative (pair) dispersion studies in the atmosphere and ocean is often on the mean square particle separation or the Finite Scale Lyapunov Exponent. Much less attention has been paid to the probability density function (PDF) of pair separations, despite that this determines the dispersion. In two-dimensional (2-D), nondivergent, homogeneous flows, the PDF is governed by a Fokker-Planck equation. Analytical solutions exist for the turbulent inertial ranges, but these have rarely been compared to observations.We consider the analytical PDFs for the turbulent inertial ranges and derive a new solution for the 2-D energy range. We then compare the …

George Veronis: An Appreciation, K. H. Brink, K. K. Turekian

Journal of Marine Research

George Veronis was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on June 3, 1926, one of six accomplished children of a Greek immigrant couple. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, where his talent for mathematics was recognized early on. World War II interrupted his education, however, and he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served aboard submarines in the Pacific Ocean. With the end of the global conflict, George entered college on the G.I. Bill and graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics from nearby Lafayette College in 1950...

Impact Of High-Frequency Nonlinear Internal Waves On Plankton Dynamics In Massachusetts Bay, Zhigang Lai, Changsheng Chen, Robert C. Beardsley, Brian Rothschild, Rucheng Tian

Journal of Marine Research

A simple Nutrient-Phytoplankton-Zooplankton (NPZ) model was coupled with the non-hydrostatic Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM-NH) to study the impact of high-frequency nonlinear internal waves on plankton dynamics in Massachusetts Bay (MB) during the stratified summer season. The temporal and spatial variability of phytoplankton concentration follows the vertical isopycnal displacement to the lowest order as the waves are generated by the semidiurnal tidal flow over Stellwagen Bank (SB) and propagate westward across MB. The tidally-averaged distribution of phytoplankton is characterized by three distinct zones of low subsurface concentration: (I) the western flank of Stellwagen Bank; (II) the center of Stellwagen Basin; …

Rapid Response Of The East Australian Current To Remote Wind Forcing: The Role Of Barotropic-Baroclinic Interactions, K. L. Hill, S. R. Rintoul, P. R. Oke, K. Ridgway

Journal of Marine Research

The strength of the East Australian Current (EAC) is observed to vary in response to changes in basin-scale winds in the South Pacific, with a time lag of three years. First mode baroclinic Rossby waves would take 10–15 years to reach the western boundary from the center of the South Pacific, so a faster mechanism is needed to explain this link. We use an ocean general circulation model forced with idealized anomalies of wind stress curl to examine the mechanism responsible for the rapid response of the EAC. A curl perturbation in the central South Pacific produces baroclinic and barotropic …

Patchiness In Internal Tidal Beams, Hans Van Haren, Leo R. M. Maas, Theo Gerkema

Journal of Marine Research

Results are presented from measurements on internal tides and near-inertial motions, obtained using deep-towed acoustic Doppler current profilers along a single transect over the continental slope in the Bay of Biscay and, in another experiment, over a flank of Great Meteor Seamount in the Canary Basin. Each measurement lasted two days and involved repeated passage of the same track, making it possible to extract by harmonic analysis the semidiurnal (and, over Great Meteor Seamount, also the combined diurnal/near-inertial) signal. In the Bay of Biscay, the transect covered by the towing was sufficiently long to follow the internal semidiurnal tidal beam …

The Shape Of The Main Thermocline, Revisited, Rick Salmon

Journal of Marine Research

Using the Monte Carlo method of statistical physics, we compute the equilibrium statistical mechanics of the shallow water equations, considered as a reduced-gravity model of the ocean's upper layer in a square ocean that spans the equator. The ensemble-averaged flow comprises a westward drift at low latitudes, associated with the poleward deepening of the main thermocline, and a more intense compensating eastward flow near the latitudes at which the layer depth vanishes. Inviscid numerical simulations with a model that exactly conserves mass, energy, and potential enstrophy support the theoretical prediction.

The Global Oceanic Freshwater Cycle: A State-Of-The-Art Quantification, J. J. Schanze, R. W. Schmitt, L. L. Yu

Journal of Marine Research

The current capabilities of quantifying the oceanic freshwater cycle are shown based on new observations from satellite data and re-analysis models for evaporation and precipitation over the ocean. For this purpose, we analyze the homogeneity and internal consistency of eight evaporation and seven precipitation products. Discontinuities are found around 1987 for all datasets, attributable to the launch of a microwave imaging satellite. Based on a review of comparisons with independent data and these analyses, the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and the Objectively Analyzed Ocean-Atmosphere Fluxes (OAFlux) evaporation product are combined with a state-of-the-art river discharge dataset to produce a …

Breaking Internal Waves And Turbulent Dissipation, S. A. Thorpe

Journal of Marine Research

We explore what might be discovered about the breaking of progressive internal waves and the consequent mixing by following some of the methodologies and techniques used to study surface wave breaking. It is suggested that breaking is most likely to occur in wave groups, where the wave field is locally amplified. In a stratified fluid of uniform buoyancy frequency, N, the breaking regions of internal wave groups extend in approximately horizontal directions. Two classes of breaking, “convective overturn” and “shear instability,” are possible in progressive internal waves propagating in uniform stratification with no mean shear. Convective overturning and associated …