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Modelling the mass exchange dynamics of oceanic surface and subsurface oil
Get PDFWe propose a time dependent Eulerian model for sea surface entrainment, buoyancy transport and droplet dynamics of ocean oil. The model captures the microscale vertical oil mass exchanges in the neighborhood of the sea surface. This model is in turn part of an oil fate model designed to capture oil dynamics at large spatiotemporal scales typical of environmental studies. The adiabatic dynamics of the droplets are upscaled by a combination of filtering and stochastic parametrization. The upscaling addresses the computational burden of resolving the microscale. The upscaled droplet dynamics are tested against data and the mass exchange mechanism is incorporated into a nearshore oil transport model in order to highlight the importance of incorporating vertical mass exchanges and droplet distribution dynamics in predicting the distributing of shoaling oil
Organic soil amendments and mulches for blueberry : the good, the bad, and the ugly
Get PDFA review of research conducted at OSU to determine compost value as a mulch or soil amendment for blueberry produced under conventional, transitional, or organic production systems
Recycled Components in Mantle Plumes Deduced From Variations in Halogens (Cl, Br, and I), Trace Elements, and He-3/He-4 Along the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain
Get PDFHalogens are primarily located within surface reservoirs of the Earth; as such they have proven to be effective tracers for the identification of subducted volatiles within the mantle. Subducting lithologies exhibit a wide variety of halogen compositions, yet the mantle maintains a fairly uniform signature, suggesting halogens may be homogenized during subduction to the mantle or during eruption. Here we present halogen (Cl, Br, and I), K, noble gas, and major and trace element data on olivines from three seamounts along the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain to determine if the deep mantle source has retained evidence of halogen heterogeneities introduced through subduction. High Ni contents indicate that the Hawaiian-Emperor mantle source contains a recycled oceanic crust component in the form of pyroxenite, which increases from the 46% in the oldest (Detroit) to 70% in the younger seamount (Koko). Detroit seamount retains mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB)-like Br/Cl and I/Cl, while the Br/Cl and I/Cl of Suiko and Koko seamounts are higher than MORB and similar to altered oceanic crust and dehydrated serpentinite. Helium isotopes show a similar evolution, from MORB-like values at Detroit seamount toward higher values at Suiko and Koko seamounts. The correlation between pyroxenite contributions, Br/Cl, I/Cl, and He-3/He-4 indicates that subducted material has been incorporated into the primordial undegassed Hawaiian mantle plume source. The identification of recycled oceanic crustal signatures in both the trace elements and halogens indicates that subduction and dehydration of altered oceanic crust may exert control on the cycling of volatile elements to the deep mantle
Cyclosporine Biosynthesis in Tolypocladium inflatum Benefits Fungal Adaptation to the Environment
Get PDFThe cycloundecapeptide cyclosporin A (CsA) was first isolated from the insect-pathogenic fungus Tolypocladium inflatum for its antifungal activity and later developed as an immunosuppressant drug. However, the full biosynthetic mechanism of CsA remains unknown and has puzzled researchers for decades. In this study, the biosynthetic gene cluster is suggested to include 12 genes encoding enzymes, including the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) (SimA) responsible for assembling the 11 amino acid substrates of cyclosporine and a polyketide synthase (PKS) (SimG) to mediate the production of the unusual amino acid (4R)-4-[(E)-2butenyl]-4-methyl-L-threonine (Bmt). Individual deletion of 10 genes, isolation of intermediates, and substrate feeding experiments show that Bmt is biosynthesized by three enzymes, including SimG, SimI, and SimJ. The substrate D-alanine is catalyzed from L-alanine by alanine racemase SimB. Gene cluster transcription is regulated by a putative basic leucine zipper (bZIP)-type protein encoded by the cluster gene SimL. We also found that the cluster cyclophilin (SimC) and transporter (SimD) genes contribute to the tolerance of CsA in the CsA-producing fungus. We also found that cyclosporine production could enable the fungus to outcompete other fungi during cocultivation tests. Deletion of the CsA biosynthetic genes also impaired fungal virulence against insect hosts. Taking all the data together, in addition to proposing a biosynthetic pathway of cyclosporines, the results of this study suggest that CsA produced by this fungus might play important ecological roles in fungal environment interactions.
IMPORTANCE The cyclopeptide cyclosporin A was first isolated from the filamentous fungus Tolypocladium inflatum showing antifungal activity and was later developed as an immunosuppressant drug. We report the biosynthetic mechanism of cyclosporines that are mediated by a cluster of genes encoding NRPS and PKS controlled by a bZIP-type transcriptional regulator. The two unusual amino acids Bmt and D-Ala are produced by the PKS pathway and alanine racemase, respectively. The cyclophilin and transporter genes jointly contribute to fungal self-protection against cyclosporines. Cyclosporine confers on T. inflatum the abilities to outcompete other fungi in competitive interactions and to facilitate fungal infection of insect hosts, which therefore benefits fungal adaptations to different environments
The Chinese Six Companies in the Anti-Chinese Movement
Get PDFThe topic of this paper is the Anti-Chinese Movement which happened in the 19th century in the United States. On the one hand, this paper explores and proves that although numbers of Chinese immigrants were described as passive victims in the movement by American contemporary press and scholars, the Chinese Six Companies, official name is called the Chinese benevolent consolidated society, was the leading resistance in the Chinese community in response to the Anti-Chinese Movement, and it enjoyed a considerable success. On the other hand, this paper also challenges the idea that the Chinese Six Companies, as historians Jean Pfaelzer, Alexander McLeod, and some American press depicted, was the primary organization in the Chinatown that participated in the Coolies Trade. The role of the Chinese Six Companies, as YuCheng Qin argues, has become an over century puzzle for American Scholars. Hence, this paper would illustrate that the Chinese Six Companies was a pure, benevolent society by using both Chinese and American primaries sources. Moreover, the studying of the unfair accusations against the Chinese Six Companies also can reflect the reason why the Anti-Chinese Movement happened. Thus, the Chinese Six Companies is an important intermediary agent for scholars to understand the racial conflicts behind the Anti-Chinese Movement
Project description: the impacts of aging and military service on olfactory and taste function
No full textThis is a short project description of the study "The impacts of aging and military service on olfactory and taste function."Much of what is known about human aging is based on the World War II generation. Given that a significant portion of men in this cohort served in the military, military service is a hidden variable in aging literature. The primary goal of this study is to understand the impact of military service on olfactory and gustatory function of veterans. More specifically, we investigate the impacts of aging, exposure to warzones, and their interactions on possible deterioration of sensory functions of veterans. Older individuals (> 60 years) who had served in the military were recruited. These individuals were relatively healthy, nonsmokers with no history of PTSD. Civilians of similar health status, age, gender, education, and income level were also recruited. Olfactory function was assessed using the Sniffin’ Sticks method, which includes standardized threshold, discrimination, and identification tasks. Results of the olfactory function test were summed to obtain an overall TDI (Threshold, Discrimination, Identification) score. Taste function was assessed by performing discrimination and identification tasks for four basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter). Our preliminary findings suggest that veterans had lower TDI scores compared to their civilian counterparts. More studies are currently underway to further test the impact of warzone exposure on the sensory functions of veterans
Environmental Justice Inventory – Linn-Benton County, Oregon
Get PDFThe purpose of this inventory is to detail the state of environmental justice in the Mid- Willamette Valley in an up-to-date, centralized format. The inventory is based on information from various government sources, and a survey to gather first-person perspective to take a pulse of the wellbeing of our community. The Environmental Climate Justice committee of the Linn-Benton County NAACP commissioned this project to gather this information in order to make informed policy solutions to environmental justice issues experienced here in the Mid- Willamette Valley. This report will detail the methodology, findings from the survey and secondary sources, and some policy suggestions
Effect of hydraulic retention time and buffer concentration on hybrid microbial electrolysis cell performance
Get PDFAre you Choosing the Wrong Empathy Measure?
Get PDFThe ambiguity plaguing the definition of empathy has not only been constrained to its content (i.e., assessing decoding or encoding) but how it is expressed in the individual (i.e., as a trait or ability). Any separation in the theorizing of a construct should be clearly reflected and labeled in the literature, however this has not always been the case with empathy. The objective of the present study is to propose a taxonomy of empathy that defines the construct in terms of decoding or encoding, as well as separates trait empathy from empathic ability. Participants were measured over the course of ten weeks on a variety of psychosocial measures including personality and trait measures, interpersonal accuracy, as well as two measures of empathy (i.e., the Davis IRI (Davis, 1983) and the Empathy Scale (Hogan, 1969)). Using a multitrait-multimethod structure (Campbell & Fiske, 1959), we determined that both the Empathy Scale and the Davis IRI were predictive of empathy trait tendencies, and were not predictive of interpersonal accuracy ability. The Perspective-Taking and Fantasy subscales displayed high correlations with decoding while Personal Distress, Empathic Concern, and Hogan’s Empathy correlated strongly with encoding measures. Therefore, researchers must take precautions in choosing a theoretically relevant empathy scale in order to be able to assess the construct in a more valid way, and help to alleviate the confusion and damage that results from researchers assuming that measures such as the Davis IRI, for example, are predictive of empathic abilities
Selections from Women's Lives around the World: A Global Encyclopedia
No full textFor millennia, women around the world have shouldered the responsibility of caring for their families. But in recent decades, women have emerged as a major part of the global work force, balancing careers and family life. How did this change happen? And how are societies in developing countries responding and adapting to women's newer roles in society? This four-volume encyclopedia examine the lives of women around the world, with coverage that includes the education of girls and teens; the key roles women play in their families, careers, religions, and cultures; how issues for women intersect with colonialism, transnationalism, feminism, and established norms of power and control