1. photocopy of postcard (from Glenwood Springs Lodge & Pool, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. photocopy of postcard (from Glenwood Springs Lodge & Pool, Inc., Date unknown) Photographer unknown, Date unknown GENERAL VIEW OF LODGE, HOT SPRINGS POOL AND ENVIRONS - Hot Springs Lodge, Garfield County, CO

The ecology and diversity of microbial eukaryotes in geothermal springs.

PubMed

Oliverio, Angela M; Power, Jean F; Washburne, Alex; Cary, S Craig; Stott, Matthew B; Fierer, Noah

2018-04-16

Decades of research into the Bacteria and Archaea living in geothermal spring ecosystems have yielded great insight into the diversity of life and organismal adaptations to extreme environmental conditions. Surprisingly, while microbial eukaryotes (protists) are also ubiquitous in many environments, their diversity across geothermal springs has mostly been ignored. We used high-throughput sequencing to illuminate the diversity and structure of microbial eukaryotic communities found in 160 geothermal springs with broad ranges in temperature and pH across the Taupō Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. Protistan communities were moderately predictable in composition and varied most strongly across gradients in pH and temperature. Moreover, this variation mirrored patterns observed for bacterial and archaeal communities across the same spring samples, highlighting that there are similar ecological constraints across the tree of life. While extreme pH values were associated with declining protist diversity, high temperature springs harbored substantial amounts of protist diversity. Although protists are often overlooked in geothermal springs and other extreme environments, our results indicate that such environments can host distinct and diverse protistan communities.

Spring Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Supplementation in the Clearwater Subbasin ; Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation Project, 2007 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Backman, Thomas; Sprague, Sherman; Bretz, Justin

The Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery (NPTH) program has the following goals (BPA, et al., 1997): (1) Protect, mitigate, and enhance Clearwater Subbasin anadromous fish resources; (2) Develop, reintroduce, and increase natural spawning populations of salmon within the Clearwater Subbasin; (3) Provide long-term harvest opportunities for Tribal and non-Tribal anglers within Nez Perce Treaty lands within four generations (20 years) following project initiation; (4) Sustain long-term fitness and genetic integrity of targeted fish populations; (5) Keep ecological and genetic impacts to non-target populations within acceptable limits; and (6) Promote Nez Perce Tribal management of Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Facilities and productionmore » areas within Nez Perce Treaty lands. The NPTH program was designed to rear and release 1.4 million fall and 625,000 spring Chinook salmon. Construction of the central incubation and rearing facility NPTH and spring Chinook salmon acclimation facilities were completed in 2003 and the first full term NPTH releases occurred in 2004 (Brood Year 03). Monitoring and evaluation plans (Steward, 1996; Hesse and Cramer, 2000) were established to determine whether the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery program is achieving its stated goals. The monitoring and evaluation action plan identifies the need for annual data collection and annual reporting. In addition, recurring 5-year program reviews will evaluate emerging trends and aid in the determination of the effectiveness of the NPTH program with recommendations to improve the program's implementation. This report covers the Migratory Year (MY) 2007 period of the NPTH Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) program. There are three NPTH spring Chinook salmon treatment streams: Lolo Creek, Newsome Creek, and Meadow Creek. In 2007, Lolo Creek received 140,284 Brood Year (BY) 2006 acclimated pre-smolts at an average weight of 34.9 grams per fish, Newsome Creek received 77,317 BY 2006 acclimated pre-smolts at an average of 24.9 grams per fish, and Meadow Creek received 53,425 BY 2006 direct stream release parr at an average of 4.7 grams per fish. Natural and hatchery origin spring Chinook salmon pre-smolt emigrants were monitored from September - November 2006 and smolts from March-June 2007. Data on adult returns were collected from May-September. A suite of performance measures were calculated including total adult and spawner escapement, juvenile production, and survival probabilities. These measures were used to evaluate the effectiveness of supplementation and provide information on the capacity of the natural environment to assimilate and support supplemented salmon populations.« less

Biological Sources of Branched Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers (brGDGTs) in Terrestrial Hot Springs: A Possible Link Between Nitrogen-cycling Bacteria and brGDGT Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J. X.; Xie, W.; Boyd, E. S.; Hedlund, B. P.; Zhang, C.

2014-12-01

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are common in peat, soil, lakes, rivers and hot springs. To seek the potential biological sources of brGDGTs in geothermal environments, we investigated 65 hot springs in the Yellowstone National Park (USA) and Tengchong (China). Together with previously published data from hot springs in the Great Basin (USA) and Tibet (China), we found that the abundance of brGDGTs tended to peak in springs with pH > 8. This contrasts with previous observations indicating an abundance of brGDGTs in acidic soils and peat bogs, suggesting a different biological source and function for lipids in these environments. In support of this hypothesis, a comparison of Cyclization ratios of Branched Tetraethers (CBT) between hot springs and surrounding soils indicated that more brGDGTs with cyclopentane moieties were produced in alkaline hot springs than in nearby low-temperature soils. Since Acidobacteria (the likely source of brGDGTs in peat bog environments) tend to have low CBT ratios, these data suggest a different source for brGDGTs in hot spring environments. RDA and regression analysis integrating brGDGT compounds and nitrogen species indicate that Bacteria involved in the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle (ammonia oxidation and nitrite reduction) may be related to the production of brGDGTs in terrestrial hot springs. However, direct evidence showing the link between nitrogen-cycling bacteria and brGDGT production has yet to be demonstrated under laboratory conditions. Nevertheless, our study expands the possibility of brGDGT sources into bacterial communities in terrestrial geothermal systems where Acidobacteria are absent or only a minor component.

40 CFR 52.349 - Control strategy: Carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... (b) On June 25, 1996, the Governor of Colorado submitted a revision to the Colorado Springs element... the Colorado Springs element was submitted to satisfy certain requirements of part D and section 110... program for the Colorado Springs bus purchase program as a source of emissions reductions credits in the...

40 CFR 52.349 - Control strategy: Carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... (b) On June 25, 1996, the Governor of Colorado submitted a revision to the Colorado Springs element... the Colorado Springs element was submitted to satisfy certain requirements of part D and section 110... program for the Colorado Springs bus purchase program as a source of emissions reductions credits in the...

40 CFR 52.349 - Control strategy: Carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... (b) On June 25, 1996, the Governor of Colorado submitted a revision to the Colorado Springs element... the Colorado Springs element was submitted to satisfy certain requirements of part D and section 110... program for the Colorado Springs bus purchase program as a source of emissions reductions credits in the...

40 CFR 52.349 - Control strategy: Carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... (b) On June 25, 1996, the Governor of Colorado submitted a revision to the Colorado Springs element... the Colorado Springs element was submitted to satisfy certain requirements of part D and section 110... program for the Colorado Springs bus purchase program as a source of emissions reductions credits in the...

Two Validity Studies of CLEP Subject Examination in Elementary Computer Programming: Fortran IV, U. T. Austin, Spring 1979 and Spring 1982. Research Bulletin 82-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appenzellar, Anne B.; Kelley, H. Paul

Two validity studies of the College Board College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Subject Examination in Elementary Computer Programming: Fortran IV determined that CLEP scores are appropriate for granting examination credit at the University of Texas at Austin. The standard-setting administration was in the spring of 1979, with a re-evaluation…

The Effects of an Alternative Spring Break Program on Student Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beatty, Stephanie Hayne; Meadows, Ken N.; SwamiNathan, Richard; Mulvihill, Catherine

2016-01-01

This study examined the potential impact of a week-long cocurricular community service-learning (CSL) program on undergraduate students' psychosocial development. Participants in the Alternative Spring Break program and a matched control group completed surveys assessing a number of psychosocial variables immediately before and after the program,…

Microbial Source Tracking in Adjacent Karst Springs.

PubMed

Ohad, Shoshanit; Vaizel-Ohayon, Dalit; Rom, Meir; Guttman, Joseph; Berger, Diego; Kravitz, Valeria; Pilo, Shlomo; Huberman, Zohar; Kashi, Yechezkel; Rorman, Efrat

2015-08-01

Modern man-made environments, including urban, agricultural, and industrial environments, have complex ecological interactions among themselves and with the natural surroundings. Microbial source tracking (MST) offers advanced tools to resolve the host source of fecal contamination beyond indicator monitoring. This study was intended to assess karst spring susceptibilities to different fecal sources using MST quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting human, bovine, and swine markers. It involved a dual-time monitoring frame: (i) monthly throughout the calendar year and (ii) daily during a rainfall event. Data integration was taken from both monthly and daily MST profile monitoring and improved identification of spring susceptibility to host fecal contamination; three springs located in close geographic proximity revealed different MST profiles. The Giach spring showed moderate fluctuations of MST marker quantities amid wet and dry samplings, while the Zuf spring had the highest rise of the GenBac3 marker during the wet event, which was mirrored in other markers as well. The revelation of human fecal contamination during the dry season not connected to incidents of raining leachates suggests a continuous and direct exposure to septic systems. Pigpens were identified in the watersheds of Zuf, Shefa, and Giach springs and on the border of the Gaaton spring watershed. Their impact was correlated with partial detection of the Pig-2-Bac marker in Gaaton spring, which was lower than detection levels in all three of the other springs. Ruminant and swine markers were detected intermittently, and their contamination potential during the wet samplings was exposed. These results emphasized the importance of sampling design to utilize the MST approach to delineate subtleties of fecal contamination in the environment. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Heterotic patterns in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.): I. Crosses between spring and Chinese semi-winter lines.

PubMed

Qian, W; Sass, O; Meng, J; Li, M; Frauen, M; Jung, C

2007-06-01

Chinese semi-winter rapeseed is genetically diverse from Canadian and European spring rapeseed. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of semi-winter rapeseed for spring rapeseed hybrid breeding, to assess the genetic effects involved, and to estimate the correlation of parental genetic distance (GD) with hybrid performance, heterosis, general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) in crosses between spring and semi-winter rapeseed lines. Four spring male sterile lines from Germany and Canada as testers were crossed with 13 Chinese semi-winter rapeseed lines to develop 52 hybrids, which were evaluated together with their parents and commercial hybrids for seed yield and oil content in three sets of field trials with 8 environments in Canada and Europe. The Chinese parental lines were not adapted to local environmental conditions as demonstrated by poor seed yields per se. However, the hybrids between the Chinese parents and the adapted spring rapeseed lines exhibited high heterosis for seed yield. The average mid-parent heterosis was 15% and ca. 50% of the hybrids were superior to the respective hybrid control across three sets of field trials. Additive gene effects mainly contributed to hybrid performance since the mean squares of GCA were higher as compared to SCA. The correlation between parental GD and hybrid performance and heterosis was found to be low whereas the correlation between GCA((f + m)) and hybrid performance was high and significant in each set of field trials, with an average of r = 0.87 for seed yield and r = 0.89 for oil content, indicating that hybrid performance can be predicted by GCA((f + m)). These results demonstrate that Chinese semi-winter rapeseed germplasm has a great potential to increase seed yield in spring rapeseed hybrid breeding programs in Canada and Europe.

Measuring the efficacy of a wildfire education program in Colorado Springs.

Treesearch

G.H. Donovan; P.A. Champ; D.T. Butry

2007-01-01

We examine an innovative wildfire risk education program in Colorado Springs, which rated the wildfire risk of 35,000 homes in the city's wildland urban interface. Evidence from home sales before and after the program's implementation suggests that the program was successful at changing homebuyers' attitudes toward wildfire risk, particularly preferences...

Biogeochemical sulphur cycle in an extreme environment - Life beneath a high arctic glacier, Nunavut, Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grasby, S.E.; Allen, C.C.; Longazo, T.G.; Lisle, J.T.; Griffin, Dale W.; Beauchamp, B.

2003-01-01

Unique springs discharge from the surface of a high arctic glacier, releasing H2S, and depositing native sulphur, gypsum, and calcite. A rare CaCO3 polymorph, vaterite, is also observed. Physical and chemical conditions of the spring water and surrounding environment, as well as mineralogical and isotopic signatures, argue for biologically mediated redox reactions controlling sulfur. Cell counts and DNA analyses, confirm bacteria are present in the spring system. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Engaging Community College Students Using an Engineering Learning Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maccariella, James, Jr.

The study investigated whether community college engineering student success was tied to a learning community. Three separate data collection sources were utilized: surveys, interviews, and existing student records. Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess survey data, independent t-tests were used to examine pre-test data, and independent t-tests, analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), chi-square tests, and logistic regression were used to examine post-test data. The study found students that participated in the Engineering TLC program experienced a significant improvement in grade point values for one of the three post-test courses studied. In addition, the analysis revealed the odds of fall-to-spring retention were 5.02 times higher for students that participated in the Engineering TLC program, and the odds of graduating or transferring were 4.9 times higher for students that participated in the Engineering TLC program. However, when confounding variables were considered in the study (engineering major, age, Pell Grant participation, gender, ethnicity, and full-time/part-time status), the analyses revealed no significant relationship between participation in the Engineering TLC program and course success, fall-to-spring retention, and graduation/transfer. Thus, the confounding variables provided alternative explanations for results. The Engineering TLC program was also found to be effective in providing mentoring opportunities, engagement and motivation opportunities, improved self confidence, and a sense of community. It is believed the Engineering TLC program can serve as a model for other community college engineering programs, by striving to build a supportive environment, and provide guidance and encouragement throughout an engineering student's program of study.

Regional Management of an Aquifer for Mining Under Fuzzy Environmental Objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

BogáRdi, IstváN.; BáRdossy, AndráS.; Duckstein, Lucien

1983-12-01

A methodology is developed for the dynamic multiobjective management of a multipurpose regional aquifer. In a case study of bauxite mining in Western Hungary, ore deposits are often under the piezometric level of a karstic aquifer, while this same aquifer also provides recharge flows for thermal springs. N + 1 objectives are to be minimized, the first one being total discounted cost of control by dewatering or grouting; the other N objectives consist of the flow of thermal springs at N control points. However, there is no agreement among experts as to a set of numerical values that would constitute a "sound environment"; for this reason a fuzzy set analysis is used, and the N environmental objectives are combined into a single fuzzy membership function. The constraints include ore availability, various capacities, and the state transition function that describes the behavior of both piezometric head and underground flow. The model is linearized and solved as a biobjective dynamic program by using multiobjective compromise programming. A numerical example with N = 2 appears to lead to realistic control policies. Extension of the model to the nonlinear case is discussed.

Global adaptation patterns of Australian and CIMMYT spring bread wheat.

PubMed

Mathews, Ky L; Chapman, Scott C; Trethowan, Richard; Pfeiffer, Wolfgang; van Ginkel, Maarten; Crossa, Jose; Payne, Thomas; Delacy, Ian; Fox, Paul N; Cooper, Mark

2007-10-01

The International Adaptation Trial (IAT) is a special purpose nursery designed to investigate the genotype-by-environment interactions and worldwide adaptation for grain yield of Australian and CIMMYT spring bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (T. turgidum L. var. durum). The IAT contains lines representing Australian and CIMMYT wheat breeding programs and was distributed to 91 countries between 2000 and 2004. Yield data of 41 reference lines from 106 trials were analysed. A multiplicative mixed model accounted for trial variance heterogeneity and inter-trial correlations characteristic of multi-environment trials. A factor analytic model explained 48% of the genetic variance for the reference lines. Pedigree information was then incorporated to partition the genetic line effects into additive and non-additive components. This model explained 67 and 56% of the additive by environment and non-additive by environment genetic variances, respectively. Australian and CIMMYT germplasm showed good adaptation to their respective target production environments. In general, Australian lines performed well in south and west Australia, South America, southern Africa, Iran and high latitude European and Canadian locations. CIMMYT lines performed well at CIMMYT's key yield testing location in Mexico (CIANO), north-eastern Australia, the Indo-Gangetic plains, West Asia North Africa and locations in Europe and Canada. Maturity explained some of the global adaptation patterns. In general, southern Australian germplasm were later maturing than CIMMYT material. While CIANO continues to provide adapted lines to northern Australia, selecting for yield among later maturing CIMMYT material in CIANO may identify lines adapted to southern and western Australian environments.

Make Development Decisions Predictable and Fair: Green Tape Program, Silver Spring, Maryland

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Montgomery County's Green Tape program is making redevelopment in Silver Spring, Maryland, faster and more cost effective by speeding the permitting process for development in the mixed-use city center.

Colorado Lightning Mapping Array Collaborations through the GOES-R Visiting Scientist Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stano, Geoffrey T.; Szoke, Edward; Rydell, Nezette; Cox, Robert; Mazur, Rebecca

2014-01-01

For the past two years, the GOES-R Proving Ground has solicited proposals for its Visiting Scientist Program. NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has used this opportunity to support the GOES-R Proving Ground by expanding SPoRT's total lightning collaborations. In 2012, this expanded the evaluation of SPoRT's pseudo-geostationary lightning mapper product to the Aviation Weather Center and Storm Prediction Center. This year, SPoRT has collaborated with the Colorado Lightning Mapping Array (COLMA) and potential end users. In particular, SPoRT is collaborating with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) and Colorado State University (CSU) to obtain these data in real-time. From there, SPoRT is supporting the transition of these data to the local forecast offices in Boulder, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming as well as to Proving Ground projects (e.g., the Hazardous Weather Testbed's Spring Program and Aviation Weather Center's Summer Experiment). This presentation will focus on the results of this particular Visiting Scientist Program trip. In particular, the COLMA data are being provided to both forecast offices for initial familiarization. Additionally, several forecast issues have been highlighted as important uses for COLMA data in the operational environment. These include the utility of these data for fire weather situations, situational awareness for both severe weather and lightning safety, and formal evaluations to take place in the spring of 2014.

Assessing the Biological Contribution to Mineralized Cap Formation in the Little Hot Creek Hot Spring System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floyd, J. G.; Beeler, S. R.; Mors, R. A.; Kraus, E. A.; 2016, G.; Piazza, O.; Frantz, C. M.; Loyd, S. J.; Berelson, W.; Stevenson, B. S.; Marenco, P. J.; Spear, J. R.; Corsetti, F. A.

2016-12-01

Hot spring environments exhibit unique redox/physical gradients that may create favorable conditions for the presence of life and commonly contain mineral precipitates that could provide a geologic archive of such ecosystems on Earth and potentially other planets. However, it is critical to discern biologic from abiotic formation mechanisms if hot spring-associated minerals are to be used as biosignatures. The study of modern hot spring environments where mineral formation can be directly observed is necessary to better interpret the biogenicity of ancient/extraterrestrial examples. Little Hot Creek (LHC), a hot spring located in the Long Valley Caldera, California, contains mineral precipitates composed of a carbonate base covered with amorphous silica and minor carbonate in close association with microbial mats/biofilms. Geological, geochemical, and microbiological techniques were integrated to investigate the role of biology in mineral formation at LHC. Geochemical measurements indicate that the waters of the spring are near equilibrium with respect to carbonate and undersaturated with respect to silica, implying additional processes are necessary to initiate cap formation. Geochemical modeling, integrating elemental and isotopic data from hot spring water and mineral precipitates, indicate that the abiotic processes of degassing and evaporation drive mineral formation at LHC, without microbial involvement. However, petrographic analysis of LHC caps revealed microbial microfabrics within silica mineral phases, despite the fact that microbial metabolism was not required for mineral precipitation. Our results show that microorganisms in hot spring environments can shape mineral precipitates even in the absence of a control on authigenesis, highlighting the need for structural as well as geochemical investigation in similar systems.

Long-term tillage frequency effects on dryland soil physical and hydraulic properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term tillage influences physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil environment and thereby crop production and quality. We evaluated the effect of long-term (> 22 years) tillage frequency [no-till (NT), spring till (ST), and fall and spring till (FST)] under continuous spring whe...

Minimum Weight Design of a Leaf Spring Tapered in Thickness and Width for the Hubble Space Telescope-Space Support Equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, P. I.

1990-01-01

A linear elastic solution to the problem of minimum weight design of cantilever beams with variable width and depth is presented. The solution shown is for the specific application of the Hubble Space Telescope maintenance mission hardware. During these maintenance missions, delicate instruments must be isolated from the potentially damaging vibration environment of the space shuttle cargo bay during the ascent and descent phases. The leaf springs are designed to maintain the isolation system natural frequency at a level where load transmission to the instruments in a minimum. Nonlinear programming is used for the optimization process. The weight of the beams is the objective function with the deflection and allowable bending stress as the constraint equations. The design variables are the width and depth of the beams at both the free and the fixed ends.

Hydrogeology of northern Sierra de Chiapas, Mexico: a conceptual model based on a geochemical characterization of sulfide-rich karst brackish springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosales Lagarde, Laura; Boston, Penelope J.; Campbell, Andrew R.; Hose, Louise D.; Axen, Gary; Stafford, Kevin W.

2014-09-01

Conspicuous sulfide-rich karst springs flow from Cretaceous carbonates in northern Sierra de Chiapas, Mexico. This is a geologically complex, tropical karst area. The physical, geologic, hydrologic and chemical attributes of these springs were determined and integrated into a conceptual hydrogeologic model. A meteoric source and a recharge elevation below 1,500 m are estimated from the spring-water isotopic signature regardless of their chemical composition. Brackish spring water flows at a maximum depth of 2,000 m, as inferred from similar chemical attributes to the produced water from a nearby oil well. Oil reservoirs may be found at depths below 2,000 m. Three subsurface environments or aquifers are identified based on the B, Li+, K+ and SiO2 concentrations, spring water temperatures, and CO2 pressures. There is mixing between these aquifers. The aquifer designated Local is shallow and contains potable water vulnerable to pollution. The aquifer named Northern receives some brackish produced water. The composition of the Southern aquifer is influenced by halite dissolution enhanced at fault detachment surfaces. Epigenic speleogenesis is associated with the Local springs. In contrast, hypogenic speleogenesis is associated with the brackish sulfidic springs from the Northern and the Southern environments.

A Media-Assisted Library Instruction Orientation Program Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olevnik, Peter P.

This three phase library program was presented to some two hundred students enrolled in sections of an English composition course taught at the State University of New York College at Brockport. Offered each fall and spring semester since the spring of 1975, the library program has been incorporated into a nine module, self-guided course, taught…

Measurements of 222Rn, 220Rn, and CO 2 Emissions in Natural CO 2 Fields in Wyoming: MVA Techniques for Determining Gas Transport and Caprock Integrity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaszuba, John; Sims, Kenneth

An integrated field-laboratory program evaluated the use of radon and CO 2 flux measurements to constrain source and timescale of CO 2 fluxes in environments proximate to CO 2 storage reservoirs. By understanding the type and depth of the gas source, the integrity of a CO 2 storage reservoir can be assessed and monitored. The concept is based on correlations of radon and CO 2 fluxes observed in volcanic systems. This fundamental research is designed to advance the science of Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) and to address the Carbon Storage Program goal of developing and validating technologies to ensuremore » 99 percent storage performance. Graduate and undergraduate students conducted the research under the guidance of the Principal Investigators; in doing so they were provided with training opportunities in skills required for implementing and deploying CCS technologies. Although a final method or “tool” was not developed, significant progress was made. The field program identified issues with measuring radon in environments rich in CO 2. Laboratory experiments determined a correction factor to apply to radon measurements made in CO 2-bearing environments. The field program also identified issues with radon and CO 2-flux measurements in soil gases at a natural CO 2 analog. A systematic survey of radon and CO 2 flux in soil gases at the LaBarge CO 2 Field in Southwest Wyoming indicates that measurements of 222Rn (radon), 220Rn (thoron), and CO 2 flux may not be a robust method for monitoring the integrity of a CO 2 storage reservoir. The field program was also not able to correlate radon and CO 2 flux in the CO 2-charged springs of the Thermopolis hydrothermal system. However, this part of the program helped to motivate the aforementioned laboratory experiments that determined correction factors for measuring radon in CO 2-rich environments. A graduate student earned a Master of Science degree for this part of the field program; she is currently employed with a geologic consulting company. Measurement of radon in springs has improved significantly since the field program first began; however, in situ measurement of 222Rn and particularly 220Rn in springs is problematic. Future refinements include simultaneous salinity measurements and systematic corrections, or adjustments to the partition coefficient as needed for more accurate radon concentration determination. A graduate student earned a Master of Science degree for this part of the field program; he is currently employed with a geologic consulting company. Both graduate students are poised to begin work in a CCS technology area. Laboratory experiments evaluated important process-level fundamentals that effect measurements of radon and CO 2. Laboratory tests established that fine-grained source minerals yield higher radon emissivity compared to coarser-sized source minerals; subtleties in the dataset suggest that grain size alone is not fully representative of all the processes controlling the ability of radon to escape its mineral host. Emissivity for both 222Rn and 220Rn increases linearly with temperature due to reaction of rocks with water, consistent with faster diffusion and enhanced mineral dissolution at higher temperatures. The presence of CO 2 changes the relative importance of the factors that control release of radon. Emissivity for both 222Rn and 220Rn in CO 2-bearing experiments is greater at all temperatures compared to the experiments without CO 2, but emissivity does not increase as a simple function of temperature. Governing processes may include a balance between enhanced dissolution versus carbonate mineral formation in CO 2-rich waters.« less

Design of Ceramic Springs for Use in Semiconductor Crystal Growth in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaforey, M. F.; Deeb, C. W.; Matthiesen, D. H.

1999-01-01

Segregation studies can be done in microgravity to reduce buoyancy driven convection and investigate diffusion-controlled growth during the growth of semiconductor crystals. During these experiments, it is necessary to prevent free surface formation in order to avoid surface tension driven convection (Marangoni convection). Semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide and germanium shrink upon melting, so a spring is necessary to reduce the volume of the growth chamber and prevent the formation of a free surface when the sample melts. A spring used in this application must be able to withstand both the high temperature and the processing atmosphere. During the growth of gallium arsenide crystals during the GTE Labs/USAF/NASA GaAs GAS Program and during the CWRU GaAs programs aboard the First and Second United States microgravity Laboratories, springs made of pyrolytic boron nitride (PBN) leaves were used. The mechanical properties of these PBN springs have been investigated and springs having spring constants ranging from 0.25 N/mm to 25 N/mm were measured. With this improved understanding comes the ability to design springs for more general applications, and guidelines are given for optimizing the design of PBN springs for crystal growth applications.

Long-term Tillage influences on soil carbon, nitrogen, physical, chemical, and biological properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term tillage influences physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil environment and thereby crop production and quality. We evaluated the effect of long-term (>20 yrs) tillage no-till, spring till, and fall plus spring till under continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) on s...

Aquatic Plant Control Research Program. Large-Scale Operations Management Test of Use of the White Amur for Control of Problem Aquatic Plants. The Herpetofauna of Lake Conway: Species Accounts.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-01

complex suite of physiological and 39 respiratory adaptations (Ultch 1976) enable this species to occupy both open water and littoral zone environments...be an adaptation to avoid fish predation on juveniles in open water and may explain the spring peak in funnel trap captures near shore (Fig. 10). 79...population of C. picta probably is not established on Lake Conway. The one collected individual 103 defecated gastropod (Viviparous sp.) shells and

Interannual variability in lower trophic levels on the Alaskan Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batten, Sonia D.; Raitsos, Dionysios E.; Danielson, Seth; Hopcroft, Russell; Coyle, Kenneth; McQuatters-Gollop, Abigail

2018-01-01

This study describes results from the first 16 years of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) program that has sampled the lower trophic levels (restricted to larger, hard-shelled phytoplankton and robust zooplankton taxa) on the Alaskan shelf. Sampling took place along transects from the open ocean across the shelf (to the entrance to Prince William Sound from 2000 to 2003 and into Cook Inlet from 2004 to 2015) to provide plankton abundance data, spring through autumn of each year. We document interannual variability in concentration and composition of the plankton community of the region over this time period. At least in part and through correlative relationships, this can be attributed to changes in the physical environment, particularly direct and indirect effects of temperature. For example; spring mixed layer depth is shown to influence the timing of the spring diatom peak and warmer years are biased towards smaller copepod species. A significant positive relationship between temperature, diatom abundance and zooplankton biomass existed from 2000 to 2013 but was not present in the warm years of 2014 and 2015. These results suggest that anomalous warming events, such as the "heat wave" of 2014-2015, could fundamentally influence typical lower trophic level patterns, possibly altering trophic interactions.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Facility Operation and Maintenance and Monitoring and Evaluation, 2000 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Lofy, Peter T.

2003-03-01

This is the third annual report of a multi-year project to operate adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Supplementation using conventional and captive broodstock techniques is being used to restore fisheries in these streams. Statement of Work Objectives for 2000: (1) Participate in implementation of the comprehensive multiyear operations plan for the Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Supplementation Program (GRESCP). (2) Plan for recovery of endemic summer steelhead populations in Catherinemore » Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River. (3) Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2000. (4) Collect summer steelhead. (5) Collect adult endemic spring chinook salmon broodstock. (6) Acclimate juvenile spring chinook salmon prior to release into the upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek. (7) Document accomplishments and needs to permitters, comanagers, and funding agency. (8) Communicate project results to the scientific community. (9) Plan detailed GRESCP Monitoring and Evaluation for future years. (10) Monitor adult population abundance and characteristics of Grande Ronde River spring chinook salmon populations and incidentally-caught summer steelhead and bull trout. (11) Monitor condition, movement, and mortality of spring chinook salmon acclimated at remote facilities. (12) Monitor water quality at facilities. (13) Participate in Monitoring & Evaluation of the captive brood component of the Program to document contribution to the Program.« less

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Facility Operation and Maintenance and Monitoring and Evaluation, 2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Ogburn, Parker N.

2003-03-01

This is the second annual report of a multi-year project to operate adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Supplementation using conventional and captive broodstock techniques is being used to restore fisheries in these streams. Statement of Work Objectives for 2001: (1) Participate in implementation of the comprehensive multiyear operations plan for the Grande Ronde Endemic Spring chinook Supplementation Program (GRESCP). (2) Plan detailed GRESCP Monitoring and Evaluation for future years. (3)more » Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2001. (4) Plan for data collection needs for bull trout. (5) Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2001. (6) Collect summer steelhead. (7) Monitor adult endemic spring chinook salmon populations and collect broodstock. (8) Acclimate juvenile spring chinook salmon prior to release into the upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek. (9) Monitor adult population abundance and characteristics of Grande Ronde River spring chinook salmon populations. (10) Monitor condition, movement, and mortality of spring chinook salmon acclimated at remote facilities. (11) Participate in Monitoring & Evaluation of the captive brood component of the Program to document contribution to the Program. (12) Monitor water quality at facilities. (13) Document accomplishments and needs to permitters, comanagers, and funding agencies. (14) Communicate Project results to the scientific community.« less

NOVA Spring 2000 Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colombo, Luann; Gregoire, Tanya; Ransick, Kristina; Sammons, Fran Lyons; Sammons, James

This teacher's guide complements six programs that aired on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the spring of 2000. Programs include: (1) "Lost on Everest"; (2) "Lost Tribes of Israel"; (3) "Crocodiles"; (4) "Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude"; (5) "Global Warming"; and (6) "Secrets of…

NOVA Spring 1999 Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colombo, Luann; Ransick, Kristina; Recio, Belinda

This teacher's guide complements six programs that aired on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the spring of 1999. Programs include: (1) "Surviving AIDS"; (2) "Secrets of Making Money"; (3) "Escape!: Fire"; (4) "Escape!: Car Crash"; (5) "Volcanoes of the Deep"; and (6) "Odyssey of Life:…

Vibration computer programs E13101, E13102, E13104, and E13112 and application to the NERVA program. Project 187: Methodology documentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mironenko, G.

1972-01-01

Programs for the analyses of the free or forced, undamped vibrations of one or two elastically-coupled lumped parameter teams are presented. Bearing nonlinearities, casing and rotor distributed mass and elasticity, rotor imbalance, forcing functions, gyroscopic moments, rotary inertia, and shear and flexural deformations are all included in the system dynamics analysis. All bearings have nonlinear load displacement characteristics, the solution is achieved by iteration. Rotor imbalances allowed by such considerations as pilot tolerances and runouts as well as bearing clearances (allowing concail or cylindrical whirl) determine the forcing function magnitudes. The computer programs first obtain a solution wherein the bearings are treated as linear springs of given spring rates. Then, based upon the computed bearing reactions, new spring rates are predicted and another solution of the modified system is made. The iteration is continued until the changes to bearing spring rates and bearing reactions become negligibly small.

Biogeographic patterns of desert springs in the Great Basin with an emphasis on regional aquifer thermal springs as refugia for vulnerable crenobiotic species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forrest, M.; Sada, D. W.; Norris, R. D.

2013-12-01

The desert springs of the Great Basin Region in western North America provide ideal systems to study biogeographic and evolutionary patterns. In arid regions, springs are biodiversity hotspots because they often provide the sole source of water for the biota within and around them. In the Great Basin, springs provide critical habitat for diverse and extensive crenobiotic flora and fauna comprising over 125 endemic species. These aquatic environments represent island ecosystems surrounded by seas of desert, and researchers have compiled large databases of their biota and chemistry. Consequently, desert springs are excellent systems for biogeographic studies and multivariate statistical analyses of relationships between the chemical and physical characteristics of the springs and the biological communities that they support. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationships between the physicochemical characteristics of springs and their biota using multivariate statistical analyses to characterize 1325 springs, including regional aquifer springs, local aquifer cold springs and geothermal springs. The analyses reveal that regional aquifer thermal springs harbor disproportionate numbers of crenobiotic species including endemic gastropods, fishes, and aquatic insects. However, these regional aquifer springs also contain significantly more introduced species than cold and geothermal local aquifer springs. Springs are threatened by anthropogenic impacts including groundwater depletion and pollution, alteration of flow regimes, and the introduction of exotic species. In this study, one of the major factors that distinguished regional aquifer thermal springs from cold and geothermal local aquifer springs was the higher number of introduced species found in regional aquifer springs. This may be due to the influences of the same physicochemical characteristics that allow regional aquifer springs to serve as refugia for endemic species--species that are able to gain access to these environments and cope with their extreme physicochemical characteristics may be provided with refuge from extinction. The disproportionate number of endemic crenobiotic species found in regional aquifer thermal springs, as well as in some local aquifer geothermal springs, within the Great Basin strongly suggests that these hydrothermal habitats represent important biodiversity hotspots, and efforts to conserve and restore these unique ecosystems should be a major priority to ensure that the valuable information that these species can provide is not lost forever.

34 CFR 690.63 - Calculation of a Federal Pell Grant for a payment period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... fall through the following spring, or three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring, none of which... program using an academic calendar that includes two semesters or trimesters in the fall through the following spring, or three quarters in the fall, winter, and spring; and (B) Does not provide at least 30...

Evaluation Study of "Language, Literacy, & Vocabulary!" Spring 2006 Pilot

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNabb, Mary

2006-01-01

Purpose: A pilot study of the "Language, Literacy, & Vocabulary!" program was conducted by Learning Gauger, Inc., for National Geographic School Publishing, in spring 2006. The program evaluation examined the classroom adoption approaches used by participating teachers and the subsequent impact of the "Language, Literacy, &…

Building Global Learning Communities through the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mende, Richard

From Spring 1995 to Spring 1996, Cambrian College, in Ontario (Canada), undertook a project to develop Canada's first full program using Internet technology. The major challenges accomplished included the selection of the program; adaptation of materials for digital delivery; selection of a delivery technology; faculty training; and program…

Sources of antibiotics: Hot springs.

PubMed

Mahajan, Girish B; Balachandran, Lakshmi

2017-06-15

The discovery of antibiotics heralded an era of improved health care. However, the over-prescription and misuse of antibiotics resulted in the development of resistant strains of various pathogens. Since then, there has been an incessant search for discovering novel compounds from bacteria at various locations with extreme conditions. The soil is one of the most explored locations for bioprospecting. In recent times, hypersaline environments and symbiotic associations have been investigated for novel antimicrobial compounds. Among the extreme environments, hot springs are comparatively less explored. Many researchers have reported the presence of microbial life and secretion of antimicrobial compounds by microorganisms in hot springs. A pioneering research in the corresponding author's laboratory resulted in the identification of the antibiotic Fusaricidin B isolated from a hot spring derived eubacteria, Paenibacillus polymyxa, which has been assigned a new application for its anti-tubercular properties. The corresponding author has also reported anti-MRSA and anti-VRE activity of 73 bacterial isolates from hot springs in India. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biogeochemical probing of microbial communities in a basalt-hosted hot spring at Kverkfjöll volcano, Iceland.

PubMed

Cousins, Claire R; Fogel, Marilyn; Bowden, Roxane; Crawford, Ian; Boyce, Adrian; Cockell, Charles; Gunn, Matthew

2018-06-01

We investigated bacterial and archaeal communities along an ice-fed surficial hot spring at Kverkfjöll volcano-a partially ice-covered basaltic volcano at Vatnajökull glacier, Iceland, using biomolecular (16S rRNA, apsA, mcrA, amoA, nifH genes) and stable isotope techniques. The hot spring environment is characterized by high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen concentrations at the source (68°C and <1 mg/L (±0.1%)) changing to lower temperatures and higher dissolved oxygen downstream (34.7°C and 5.9 mg/L), with sulfate the dominant anion (225 mg/L at the source). Sediments are comprised of detrital basalt, low-temperature alteration phases and pyrite, with <0.4 wt. % total organic carbon (TOC). 16S rRNA gene profiles reveal that organisms affiliated with Hydrogenobaculum (54%-87% bacterial population) and Thermoproteales (35%-63% archaeal population) dominate the micro-oxic hot spring source, while sulfur-oxidizing archaea (Sulfolobales, 57%-82%), and putative sulfur-oxidizing and heterotrophic bacterial groups dominate oxic downstream environments. The δ 13 C org (‰ V-PDB) values for sediment TOC and microbial biomass range from -9.4‰ at the spring's source decreasing to -12.6‰ downstream. A reverse effect isotope fractionation of ~3‰ between sediment sulfide (δ 34 S ~0‰) and dissolved water sulfate (δ 34 S +3.2‰), and δ 18 O values of ~ -5.3‰ suggest pyrite forms abiogenically from volcanic sulfide, followed by abiogenic and microbial oxidation. These environments represent an unexplored surficial geothermal environment analogous to transient volcanogenic habitats during putative "snowball Earth" scenarios and volcano-ice geothermal environments on Mars. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sulphur Spring: Busy Intersection and Possible Martian Analogue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nankivell, A.; Andre, N.; Thomas-Keprta, K.; Allen, C.; McKay, D.

2000-01-01

Life in extreme environments exhibiting conditions similar to early Earth and Mars, such as Sulphur Spring, may harbor microbiota serving as both relics from the past as well as present day Martian analogues.

Spring Into Reading: A Parent-Child Reading Participation Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fels, Cynthia; Langston, Barbara

Realizing the importance of parents in the educational process, several states have launched campaigns to involve parents with their children in home reading activities. Using these programs as examples, the Wentzville R-IV School District (Missouri) devised and initiated "Spring Into Reading," a plan for encouraging parental involvement in…

Multimedia Teacher Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leaman, Heather; DiLucchio, Connie

2015-01-01

In this qualitative study, two teacher educators and course instructors in a Masters of Education (M.Ed.) program explored beginning teacher researchers' use of multimedia to support action research. Fifty-eight teachers (36 in spring 2010 and 22 in spring 2011) completed teacher research as the capstone in their M.Ed. program. Teachers utilized…

Comparative Metagenomics of Eight Geographically Remote Terrestrial Hot Springs.

PubMed

Menzel, Peter; Gudbergsdóttir, Sóley Ruth; Rike, Anne Gunn; Lin, Lianbing; Zhang, Qi; Contursi, Patrizia; Moracci, Marco; Kristjansson, Jakob K; Bolduc, Benjamin; Gavrilov, Sergey; Ravin, Nikolai; Mardanov, Andrey; Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Elizaveta; Young, Mark; Krogh, Anders; Peng, Xu

2015-08-01

Hot springs are natural habitats for thermophilic Archaea and Bacteria. In this paper, we present the metagenomic analysis of eight globally distributed terrestrial hot springs from China, Iceland, Italy, Russia, and the USA with a temperature range between 61 and 92 (∘)C and pH between 1.8 and 7. A comparison of the biodiversity and community composition generally showed a decrease in biodiversity with increasing temperature and decreasing pH. Another important factor shaping microbial diversity of the studied sites was the abundance of organic substrates. Several species of the Crenarchaeal order Thermoprotei were detected, whereas no single bacterial species was found in all samples, suggesting a better adaptation of certain archaeal species to different thermophilic environments. Two hot springs show high abundance of Acidithiobacillus, supporting the idea of a true thermophilic Acidithiobacillus species that can thrive in hyperthermophilic environments. Depending on the sample, up to 58 % of sequencing reads could not be assigned to a known phylum, reinforcing the fact that a large number of microorganisms in nature, including those thriving in hot environments remain to be isolated and characterized.

Applying to the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: How Do Parents Rate Their Children's Current Schools at Time of Application and What Do They Want in New Schools? NCEE Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2016-4003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dynarski, Mark; Betts, Julian; Feldman, Jill

2016-01-01

The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), established in 2004, is the only federally-funded private school voucher program for low-income parents in the United States. This evaluation brief describes findings using data from more than 2,000 applicants' parents, who applied to the program from spring 2011 to spring 2013 following…

High Temperature Metallic Seal Development For Aero Propulsion and Gas Turbine Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

More, Greg; Datta, Amit

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on metallic high temperature static seal development at NASA for gas turbine applications is shown. The topics include: 1) High Temperature Static Seal Development; 2) Program Review; 3) Phase IV Innovative Seal with Blade Alloy Spring; 4) Spring Design; 5) Phase IV: Innovative Seal with Blade Alloy Spring; 6) PHase IV: Testing Results; 7) Seal Seating Load; 8) Spring Seal Manufacturing; and 9) Other Applications for HIgh Temperature Spring Design

The MITy micro-rover: Sensing, control, and operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malafeew, Eric; Kaliardos, William

1994-01-01

The sensory, control, and operation systems of the 'MITy' Mars micro-rover are discussed. It is shown that the customized sun tracker and laser rangefinder provide internal, autonomous dead reckoning and hazard detection in unstructured environments. The micro-rover consists of three articulated platforms with sensing, processing and payload subsystems connected by a dual spring suspension system. A reactive obstacle avoidance routine makes intelligent use of robot-centered laser information to maneuver through cluttered environments. The hazard sensors include a rangefinder, inclinometers, proximity sensors and collision sensors. A 486/66 laptop computer runs the graphical user interface and programming environment. A graphical window displays robot telemetry in real time and a small TV/VCR is used for real time supervisory control. Guidance, navigation, and control routines work in conjunction with the mapping and obstacle avoidance functions to provide heading and speed commands that maneuver the robot around obstacles and towards the target.

Construction Programs (C-1). Department of Defense Budget Fiscal Year 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

SPRINGFIELD 56,000 56,000 56,000 56,000 ARMY RESERVE WELDON SPRINGS ARMY RESERVE...TOTAL WELDON SPRINGS 11,700 11,700 11,700 11,700 AIR...11,500 11,500 WELDON SPRINGS MO ARMY RESERVE CENTER 11,700 11,700

Microbial community composition and endolith colonization at an Arctic thermal spring are driven by calcite precipitation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Starke, Verena; Kirshtein, Julie; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Steele, Andrew

2013-01-01

Environmental conditions shape community composition. Arctic thermal springs provide an opportunity to study how environmental gradients can impose strong selective pressures on microbial communities and provide a continuum of niche opportunities. We use microscopic and molecular methods to conduct a survey of microbial community composition at Troll Springs on Svalbard, Norway, in the high Arctic. Microorganisms there exist under a wide range of environmental conditions: in warm water as periphyton, in moist granular materials, and in cold, dry rock as endoliths. Troll Springs has two distinct ecosystems, aquatic and terrestrial, together in close proximity, with different underlying environmental factors shaping each microbial community. Periphyton are entrapped during precipitation of calcium carbonate from the spring's waters, providing microbial populations that serve as precursors for the development of endolithic communities. This process differs from most endolith colonization, in which the rock predates the communities that colonize it. Community composition is modulated as environmental conditions change within the springs. At Troll, the aquatic environments show a small number of dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that are specific to each sample. The terrestrial environments show a more even distribution of OTUs common to multiple samples.

Framework for Springs Stewardship Program and proposed action development: Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Treesearch

Marc Coles-Ritchie; Stephen J. Solem; Abraham E. Springer; Burton Pendleton

2014-01-01

In the desert Southwest, springs are an important ecological feature and serve as a focal point for both biological and human interactions on the landscape. As a result, attention has been placed on the stewardship and protection of these important resources. Management has traditionally focused on the more accessible and heavily used eastern canyons within the Spring...

Microbial and Metabolic Diversity of the Alkaline Hot Springs of Paoha Island: A Late Archean and Proterozoic Ocean Analogue Environment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, I. S.; Demirel, C.; Hyde, A.; Motamedi, S.; Frantz, C. M.; Stamps, B. W.; Nunn, H. S.; Oremland, R. S.; Rosen, M.; Miller, L. G.; Corsetti, F. A.; Spear, J. R.

2016-12-01

Paoha Island formed 450 years ago within Mono Lake, California, as a result of magmatic activity in the underlying Long Valley Caldera. Previous studies of Paoha Island hot springs focused on the presence of novel organisms adapted to high levels of arsenic (114-138 µM). However, the microbial community structure, relationship with Mono Lake, and preservation potential of these communities remains largely unexplored. Here, we present water chemistry, 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences, and metagenomic data for spring water and biofilms sampled on a recently exposed mudflat along the shoreline of Paoha Island. Spring waters were hypoxic, alkaline, and saline, had variable temperature (39-70 °C near spring sources) and high concentrations of arsenic, sulfide and reduced organic compounds. Thermodynamic modeling based on spring water chemistry indicated that sulfide and methane oxidation were the most energetically favorable respiratory metabolisms. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed distinct communities in different biofilms: red biofilms were dominated by arsenite-oxidizing phototrophs within the Ectothiorhodospiraceae, while OTUs most closely related to the cyanobacterial genus Arthrospira were present in green biofilms, as well as a large proportion of sequences assigned to sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Metagenomic analysis identified genes related to arsenic resistance, arsenic oxidation/reduction, sulfur oxidation and photosynthesis. Eukaryotic rRNA gene sequencing analyses revealed few detectable taxa in spring biofilms and waters compared to Mono Lake; springs receiving splash from the lake were dominated by the alga Picocystis. The co-occurrence of hypoxia, high pH, and close proximity of anoxygenic and oxygenic phototrophic mats makes this site a potential Archean/Proterozoic analogue environment, but suggests that similar environments if preserved in the rock record, may not preserve evidence for community dynamics or the existence of photosynthetic metabolisms.

Project Tradition and Technology (Project TNT): The Hualapai Bilingual Academic Excellence Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Michael D.; And Others

Project Tradition and Technology (TNT) at Peach Springs Elementary School (Peach Springs, Arizona) is 1 of 12 programs recognized nationally as an outstanding model of bilingual education by the U.S. Department of Education. Project TNT is a process-oriented curriculum development model that identifies the community's needs and expectations for…

Arab Spring Impact on Executive Education in Egypt

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wafa, Dina

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of the Arab Spring on public administration programs in Egypt, with a special focus on executive education programs. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study draws on stakeholder analysis, and uses both primary and secondary data. Findings: The author describes the impact of the Arab Spring…

Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), Spring 2000: Elementary Health/Physical Education, Released Items, Grade 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missouri State Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jefferson City.

This document presents 10 released items from the Health/Physical Education Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test given in the spring of 2000 to fifth graders. Items from the test sessions include: selected-response (multiple choice), constructed-response, and a performance event. The selected-response items consist of individual questions…

Deterministic Line-Shape Programming of Silicon Nanowires for Extremely Stretchable Springs and Electronics.

PubMed

Xue, Zhaoguo; Sun, Mei; Dong, Taige; Tang, Zhiqiang; Zhao, Yaolong; Wang, Junzhuan; Wei, Xianlong; Yu, Linwei; Chen, Qing; Xu, Jun; Shi, Yi; Chen, Kunji; Roca I Cabarrocas, Pere

2017-12-13

Line-shape engineering is a key strategy to endow extra stretchability to 1D silicon nanowires (SiNWs) grown with self-assembly processes. We here demonstrate a deterministic line-shape programming of in-plane SiNWs into extremely stretchable springs or arbitrary 2D patterns with the aid of indium droplets that absorb amorphous Si precursor thin film to produce ultralong c-Si NWs along programmed step edges. A reliable and faithful single run growth of c-SiNWs over turning tracks with different local curvatures has been established, while high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals a high quality monolike crystallinity in the line-shaped engineered SiNW springs. Excitingly, in situ scanning electron microscopy stretching and current-voltage characterizations also demonstrate a superelastic and robust electric transport carried by the SiNW springs even under large stretching of more than 200%. We suggest that this highly reliable line-shape programming approach holds a strong promise to extend the mature c-Si technology into the development of a new generation of high performance biofriendly and stretchable electronics.

Using Hydrogen Isotopes to Distinguish Allochthony and Autochthony in Hot Springs Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hungate, J.; DeSousa, T. M.; Ong, J. C.; Caron, M. M.; Brown, J. R.; Patel, N.; Dijkstra, P.; Hedlund, B. P.; Hungate, B. A.

2013-12-01

Hot springs are hosts to abundant and diverse microbial communities. Above the temperature threshold for photosynthesis (~73 degrees C), a variety of chemosynthetic organisms support autochthonous primary production in hot springs ecosystems. These organisms are thought to drive the carbon and energy budgets of these ecosystems, but the importance of energy inputs from the surrounding terrestrial environments - allochthonous inputs - is not well known. Here, we tested the efficacy of stable isotopes of hydrogen in distinguishing autochthonous from allochthonous sources of organic matter in hot springs ecosystems. Under laboratory conditions and in pure culture, we grew autotrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic organisms from the Great Boiling Springs in northern Nevada as well as organisms typical of other hot springs environments. We measured the δ2H composition of biomass, water and organic matter sources used by the organisms to produce that biomass. We also surveyed organic matter in and around hot springs in Nevada and in the Tengchong geothermal region in China, sampling terrestrial plants at the hot springs margin, microorganisms (either scraped from surfaces or in the water column), and organic matter in the sediment accruing in the spring itself as an integrative measure of the relative importance of organic matter sources to the spring ecosystem. We found that autotrophic production in culture results in strongly depleted δ2H signatures, presumably because of fractionation against 2H-H2O during chemosynthesis. The observed difference between microbial biomass and water was larger than that typically found for terrestrial plants during photosynthesis, setting the stage for using δ2H to distinguish allochthonous from autochthonous sources of productivity in hot springs. In surveys of natural hot springs, microbial biomass sampled from the water column or from surfaces was often strongly depleted in δ2H, consistent with in situ chemosynthesis. Organic matter in sediments in the springs, however, was substantially higher in δ2H, consistent with a terrestrial origin. These results indicate that hot springs ecosystems are not biogeochemical islands, but rather receive substantial inputs of organic matter and energy produced on land. These external energy sources should be considered in a full understanding of hot springs biology and biogeochemistry.

On the evolution of the adaptation of Lophopyrum elongatum to growth in saline environments

PubMed Central

Dvořák, Jan; Edge, Mark; Ross, Kathleen

1988-01-01

Most species of the genus Lophopyrum Löve (Agropyron Geartn.) grow in saline environments and are more tolerant of saline stress than the species of the related genus Triticum L. A 56-chromosome amphiploid from the cross Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring × Lophopyrum elongatum exceeded Chinese Spring in salt tolerance, measured as plant dry-matter production and seed yield in solution cultures with 250 mM NaCl. Thus, the adaptation of Lophopyrum to saline environments is expressed in the wheat genetic background. None of the disomic additions or substitutions of L. elongatum chromosomes in Chinese Spring showed a similar level of saline stress tolerance, which indicates that the trait depends on the activity of genes on more than one chromosome. Comparisons of disomic additions, double monosomic additions from half-diallel crosses among disomic additions, and disomic substitutions of L. elongatum chromosomes in Chinese Spring with Chinese Spring indicated that the enhanced salt tolerance of the amphiploid is primarily controlled by genes with minor effects on three of the seven chromosomes, 3E, 4E, and 7E, interacting in a largely additive manner. The salt tolerance of L. elongatum additionally depends on several minor nonadditive gene interactions. It is concluded that the adaptation of L. elongatum to growth in saline environments evolved by accumulation of new alleles in a number of loci, each with a relatively small effect on salt tolerance. It is further inferred that most of these new alleles were codominant to the original alleles and were able to act independently in enhancing salt tolerance. PMID:16593932

Region 8: Colorado Lamar and Steamboat Springs Adequate Letter (11/12/2002)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This letter from EPA to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment determined Lamar and Steamboat Springs particulate matter (PM10) maintenance plan for Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets adequate for transportation conformity purposes

Bacterial and archaeal phylogenetic diversity of a cold sulfur-rich spring on the shoreline of Lake Erie, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chaudhary, A.; Haack, S.K.; Duris, J.W.; Marsh, T.L.

2009-01-01

Studies of sulfidic springs have provided new insights into microbial metabolism, groundwater biogeochemistry, and geologic processes. We investigated Great Sulphur Spring on the western shore of Lake Erie and evaluated the phylogenetic affiliations of 189 bacterial and 77 archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences from three habitats: the spring origin (11-m depth), bacterial-algal mats on the spring pond surface, and whitish filamentous materials from the spring drain. Water from the spring origin water was cold, pH 6.3, and anoxic (H2, 5.4 nM; CH4, 2.70 ??M) with concentrations of S2- (0.03 mM), SO42- (14.8 mM), Ca2+ (15.7 mM), and HCO3- (4.1 mM) similar to those in groundwater from the local aquifer. No archaeal and few bacterial sequences were >95% similar to sequences of cultivated organisms. Bacterial sequences were largely affiliated with sulfur-metabolizing or chemolithotrophic taxa in Beta-, Gamma-, Delta-, and Epsilonproteobacteria. Epsilonproteobacteria sequences similar to those obtained from other sulfidic environments and a new clade of Cyanobacteria sequences were particularly abundant (16% and 40%, respectively) in the spring origin clone library. Crenarchaeota sequences associated with archaeal-bacterial consortia in whitish filaments at a German sulfidic spring were detected only in a similar habitat at Great Sulphur Spring. This study expands the geographic distribution of many uncultured Archaea and Bacteria sequences to the Laurentian Great Lakes, indicates possible roles for epsilonproteobacteria in local aquifer chemistry and karst formation, documents new oscillatorioid Cyanobacteria lineages, and shows that uncultured, cold-adapted Crenarchaeota sequences may comprise a significant part of the microbial community of some sulfidic environments. Copyright ?? 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Avalanche photo diodes in the observatory environment: lucky imaging at 1-2.5 microns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaccarella, A.; Sharp, R.; Ellis, M.; Singh, S.; Bloxham, G.; Bouchez, A.; Conan, R.; Boz, R.; Bundy, D.; Davies, J.; Espeland, B.; Hart, J.; Herrald, N.; Ireland, M.; Jacoby, G.; Nielsen, J.; Vest, C.; Young, P.; Fordham, B.; Zovaro, A.

2016-08-01

The recent availability of large format near-infrared detectors with sub-election readout noise is revolutionizing our approach to wavefront sensing for adaptive optics. However, as with all near-infrared detector technologies, challenges exist in moving from the comfort of the laboratory test-bench into the harsh reality of the observatory environment. As part of the broader adaptive optics program for the GMT, we are developing a near-infrared Lucky Imaging camera for operational deployment at the ANU 2.3 m telescope at Siding Spring Observatory. The system provides an ideal test-bed for the rapidly evolving Selex/SAPHIRA eAPD technology while providing scientific imaging at angular resolution rivalling the Hubble Space Telescope at wavelengths λ = 1.3-2.5 μm.

Graduate Statistics: Student Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Robert L.; Broadston, Pamela M.

2004-01-01

This study investigated the attitudes toward statistics of graduate students who used a computer program as part of the instruction, which allowed for an individualized, self-paced, student-centered, activity-based course. The twelve sections involved in this study were offered in the spring and fall 2001, spring and fall 2002, spring and fall…

Effect of section shape on frequencies of natural oscillations of tubular springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirogov, S. P.; Chuba, A. Yu; Cherentsov, D. A.

2018-05-01

The necessity of determining the frequencies of natural oscillations of manometric tubular springs is substantiated. Based on the mathematical model and computer program, numerical experiments were performed that allowed us to reveal the effect of geometric parameters on the frequencies of free oscillations of manometric tubular springs.

Can Disability Code Activation Promote Sustainable Development in Egypt... After the Arab Spring?

PubMed

Mahmoud Issa Abdou, Safaa

2015-01-01

In January 2011, Egypt followed Tunisia in its Uprisal against the ruling oppressive regimes in search for democracy, freedom and better living conditions. The movement, later known as the Arab Spring, had implications on the country's economic and political systems. Hence, the need to adopt Sustainable Development strategies and that in order to ensure all people well being, and the implementation of their human rights. This would only be realized when the built environment would become accessible to vulnerable people, as well as to persons with disabilities and would enable them to participate and be included in various living activities. This paper reviews the impact of the Egyptian disability code, that was published 2003, and how its activation could help to provide the environment that supports persons with disabilities, and allows their integration. Key Words: Disability Code; Sustainable Development; Arab Spring; Accessible Enabling Environment, People with Disabilities Integration.

Implementation and evaluation of the HEROES initiative: a tri-state coordinated school health program to reduce childhood obesity.

PubMed

King, Mindy H; Lederer, Alyssa M; Sovinski, Danielle; Knoblock, Heidi M; Meade, Rhonda K; Seo, Dong-Chul; Kim, Nayoung

2014-05-01

This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluative findings of the HEROES (Healthy, Energetic, Ready, Outstanding, Enthusiastic, Schools) Initiative, a school-based multilevel childhood obesity prevention intervention. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended coordinated school health approach, the HEROES Initiative works to alleviate the burden of childhood obesity in Southern Indiana, Northwestern Kentucky, and Southeastern Illinois in the United States. Process evaluation was conducted with the 17 participating schools in spring 2012 based on interviews with school personnel and observation of the school environment. Findings showed that despite some variability, schools were generally able to implement the intervention with fidelity. School-level outcome evaluation was also based on observation of the school environment, and revealed that schools had implemented a number of new practices to encourage physical activity and healthy eating. Assessment of student-level outcomes was based on professionally collected physiological measurements and self-reported behavioral data collected over an 18-month period of time, last collected in spring 2012. Findings demonstrated that the HEROES Initiative has been successful in reducing the percentage of overweight children in participating schools and healthfully modifying their dietary, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors. Strategies that have facilitated success and challenges related to the intervention are discussed.

Biofacies expression of Upper Cretaceous sequences in the Rock Springs uplift

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Y.Y.; Pflum, C.E.; Wright, R.C.

1991-03-01

The sequence-stratigraphic framework and vertical succession of depositional environments in the Upper Cretaceous section of the Rock Springs uplift is expressed in the biofacies patterns as well as in the stratal stacking patterns. Vertical trends in six biofacies parameters track affinities to marine and nonmarine environments as well as proximity to the paleoshoreline. These six parameters and their environmental significance include the relative proportion of herbaceous kerogen (land-derived), amorphous kerogen (marine), dinoflagellates (marine), bisaccate pollen (land-derived but buoyant and easily transported offshore), and the abundance and diversity of benthic foraminifera (both increase offshore). Shoaling marine environments are characterized by anmore » increasing proportion of herbaceous kerogen and decreasing proportions of amorphous kerogen, dinoflagellated, bisaccates, and the abundance and diversity of benthic foraminifera. Conversely, a deepening-upward marine sedimentary succession is characterized by an opposite trend in these parameters. A synthesis of the six biofacies parameters emphasizes the third-order cyclicity of the stratal succession as reflected in the well-developed third-order downlap surfaces and condensed sections. The biofacies trends indicate the transgressive nature of the lower Rock Springs and lower Lewis formations, and the progradational nature of the upper arts of the Baxter, Blair, and Rock Springs formations. An overall progradational (i.e., shoaling) character is exhibited in the three lower sequences (Baxter through Rock Springs) by the progressively decreasing abundance of amorphous kerogen, dinoflagellates, and foraminifera.« less

Crop status evaluations and yield predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haun, J. R.

1975-01-01

The growth-environment relationships for greenhouse and field conditions are compared, and the development of growth-prediction models for spring wheat is discussed along with the development of models for predicting the date for spring wheat emergence in North Dakota.

Assessment of Legionella pneumophila in recreational spring water with quantitative PCR (Taqman) assay.

PubMed

Shen, Shu-Min; Chou, Ming-Yuan; Hsu, Bing-Mu; Ji, Wen-Tsai; Hsu, Tsui-Kang; Tsai, Hsiu-Feng; Huang, Yu-Li; Chiu, Yi-Chou; Kao, Erl-Shyh; Kao, Po-Min; Fan, Cheng-Wei

2015-07-01

Legionella spp. are common in various natural and man-made aquatic environments. Recreational hot spring is frequently reported as an infection hotspot because of various factors such as temperature and humidity. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) had been used for detecting Legionella, several inhibitors such as humic substances, calcium, and melanin in the recreational spring water may interfere with the reaction thus resulting in risk underestimation. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiencies of conventional and Taqman quantitative PCR (qPCR) on detecting Legionella pneumophila in spring facilities and in receiving water. In the results, Taqman PCR had much better efficiency on specifying the pathogen in both river and spring samples. L. pneumophila was detected in all of the 27 river water samples and 45 of the 48 hot spring water samples. The estimated L. pneumophela concentrations ranged between 1.0 × 10(2) and 3.3 × 10(5) cells/l in river water and 72.1-5.7 × 10(6) cells/l in hot spring water. Total coliforms and turbidity were significantly correlated with concentrations of L. pneumophila in positive water samples. Significant difference was also found in water temperature between the presence/absence of L. pneumophila. Our results suggest that conventional PCR may be not enough for detecting L. pneumophila particularly in the aquatic environments full of reaction inhibitors.

Hood River Production Program Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) - Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs : Annual Report For Fiscal Year, October 2007 – September 2008.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerstenberger, Ryan

2009-07-27

This progress report describes work performed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWSRO) portion of the Hood River Production Program Monitoring and Evaluation Project (HRPP) during the 2008 fiscal year. A total of 64,736 hatchery winter steelhead, 12,108 hatchery summer steelhead, and 68,426 hatchery spring Chinook salmon smolts were acclimated and released in the Hood River basin during the spring. The HRPP exceeded program goals for a release of and 50,000 winter steelhead but fell short of the steelhead release goals of 30,000 summer steelhead and 75,000 spring Chinook in 2008. Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) tags were implanted inmore » 6,652 hatchery winter steelhead, and 1,196 hatchery summer steelhead, to compare migratory attributes and survival rates of hatchery fish released into the Hood River. Water temperatures were recorded at six locations within the Hood River subbasin to monitor for compliance with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality water quality standards. A preseason spring Chinook salmon adult run forecast was generated, which predicted an abundant return adequate to meet escapement goal and brood stock needs. As a result the tribal and sport fisheries were opened. A tribal creel was conducted from May 22 to July 18 during which an estimated 172 spring Chinook were harvested. One hundred sixteen Spring Chinook salmon redds were observed and 72 carcasses were inspected on 19.4 miles of spawning grounds throughout the Hood River Basin during 2008. Annual salvage operations were completed in two irrigation canals resulting in the liberation of 1,641 fish back to the Hood River.« less

Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), Spring 2000: High School Health/Physical Education, Released Items, Grade 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missouri State Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jefferson City.

This document presents 10 released items from the Health/Physical Education Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test given in the spring of 2000 to ninth graders. Items from the test sessions include: selected-response (multiple choice), constructed-response, and a performance event. The selected-response items consist of individual questions…

Catalog of Continuing Legal Education Programs in the United States. CLE Catalog 10, Spring & Summer 1970.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joint Committee on Continuing Legal Education, Philadelphia, PA.

This nationwide continuing legal education (CLE) directory for spring and summer 1970 contains scheduled and planned programs, publications, and audiovisual aids, together with information about the results (attendance, fees, methodology, and so on) of courses actually presented from July 1 to December 31, 1969. (Entries from Catalog 9 are not…

Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program; Expansion of Existing Smolt Trapping Program in Nason Creek, 2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prevatte, Scott A.

2006-03-01

In the fall of 2004, as one part of a Basin-Wide Monitoring Program developed by the Upper Columbia Regional Technical Team and Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board, the Yakama Nation Fisheries Resource Management program began monitoring downstream migration of ESA listed Upper Columbia River spring chinook salmon and Upper Columbia River steelhead in Nason Creek, a tributary to the Wenatchee River. This report summarizes juvenile spring chinook salmon and steelhead trout migration data collected in Nason Creek during 2005 and also incorporates data from 2004. We used species enumeration at the trap and efficiency trials to describe emigration timing andmore » to estimate population size. Data collection was divided into spring/early summer and fall periods with a break during the summer months occurring due to low stream flow. Trapping began on March 1st and was suspended on July 29th when stream flow dropped below the minimum (30 cfs) required to rotate the trap cone. The fall period began on September 28th with increased stream flow and ended on November 23rd when snow and ice began to accumulate on the trap. During the spring and early summer we collected 311 yearling (2003 brood) spring chinook salmon, 86 wild steelhead smolts and 453 steelhead parr. Spring chinook (2004 brood) outgrew the fry stage of fork length < 60 mm during June and July, 224 were collected at the trap. Mark-recapture trap efficiency trials were performed over a range of stream discharge stages whenever ample numbers of fish were being collected. A total of 247 spring chinook yearlings, 54 steelhead smolts, and 178 steelhead parr were used during efficiency trials. A statically significant relationship between stream discharge and trap efficiency has not been identified in Nason Creek, therefore a pooled trap efficiency was used to estimate the population size of both spring chinook (14.98%) and steelhead smolts (12.96%). We estimate that 2,076 ({+-} 119 95%CI) yearling spring chinook and 688 ({+-} 140 95%CI) steelhead smolts emigrated past the trap during the spring/early summer sample period along with 10,721 ({+-} 1,220 95%CI) steelhead parr. During the fall we collected 924 subyearling (2004 brood) spring chinook salmon and 1,008 steelhead parr of various size and age classes. A total of 732 spring chinook subyearlings and 602 steelhead parr were used during 13 mark-recapture trap efficiency trials. A pooled trap efficiency of 24.59% was used to calculate the emigration of spring chinook and 17.11% was used for steelhead parr during the period from September 28th through November 23rd. We estimate that 3758 ({+-} 92 95%CI) subyearling spring chinook and 5,666 ({+-} 414 95%CI) steelhead parr migrated downstream past the trap along with 516 ({+-} 42 95%CI) larger steelhead pre-smolts during the 2005 fall sample period.« less

Source Of Hydrogen Sulfide To Sulfidic Spring And Watershed Ecosystems In Northern Sierra De Chiapas, Mexico Based On Sulfur And Carbon Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosales Lagarde, L.; Boston, P. J.; Campbell, A.

2013-12-01

At least four watersheds in northern Sierra de Chiapas, Mexico are fed by conspicuous karst sulfide-rich springs. The toxic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in these springs nurtures rich ecosystems including especially adapted microorganisms, invertebrates and fish. Sulfur and carbon isotopic analysis of various chemical species in the spring water are integrated within their hydrogeologic context to evaluate the hydrogen sulfide source. Constraining the H2S origin can also increase the understanding of this compound effect in the quality of the nearby hydrocarbon reservoirs, and the extent to which its oxidation to sulfuric acid increases carbonate dissolution and steel corrosion in surface structures. The SO42-/H2S ratio in the spring water varies from 70,000 to 2 meq/L thus sulfate is the dominant species in the groundwater system. This sulfate is mainly produced from anhydrite dissolution based on its isotopic signature. The Δ SO42--H2S range of 16 spring water samples (30-50 ‰) is similar to the values determined by Goldhaber & Kaplan (1975) and Canfield (2001) for low rates of bacterial sulfate reduction suggesting that this is the most important mechanism producing H2S. Although the carbon isotopes do not constrain the nature of the organic matter participating in this reaction, this material likely comes from depth, perhaps as hydrocarbons, due to the apparent stability of the system. The organic matter availability and reactivity probably control the progress of sulfate reduction. The subsurface environments identified in the area also have different sulfur isotopic values. The heavier residual sulfate isotopic value in the Northern brackish springs (δ34S SO42- ≥ 18 ‰) compared to the Southern springs (δ34S SO42- ~18 ‰) suggests sulfate reduction is particularly enhanced in the former, probably by contribution of organic matter associated with oil produced water. In comparison, the composition of the Southern aquifer is mainly influenced by halite dissolution. Fresh water from the Local environment percolates into the Northern and the Southern environments. Mixing between these three aquifers may enhance bacterial sulfate reduction, thus increasing the H2S concentration in the sulfidic springs. The integration of the geochemical attributes and the aquatic communities at each watershed will produce a more comprehensive view of these spring ecosystems and their temporal and spatial evolution.

Region 8: Colorado Denver, Pagosa Springs and Telluride Adequate Letter (8/18/2000)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This letter from EPA to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment determined Denvers' Carbon Monoxide (CO) maintenance plan, Pagosa Springs and Tellurides' Particulate Matter (PM10) maintenance plans for Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets adequate

Potential High Priority Subaerial Environments for Mars Sample Return

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

iMOST Team; Bishop, J. L.; Horgan, B.; Benning, L. G.; Carrier, B. L.; Hausrath, E. M.; Altieri, F.; Amelin, Y.; Ammannito, E.; Anand, M.; Beaty, D. W.; Borg, L. E.; Boucher, D.; Brucato, J. R.; Busemann, H.; Campbell, K. A.; Czaja, A. D.; Debaille, V.; Des Marais, D. J.; Dixon, M.; Ehlmann, B. L.; Farmer, J. D.; Fernandez-Remolar, D. C.; Fogarty, J.; Glavin, D. P.; Goreva, Y. S.; Grady, M. M.; Hallis, L. J.; Harrington, A. D.; Herd, C. D. K.; Humayun, M.; Kleine, T.; Kleinhenz, J.; Mangold, N.; Mackelprang, R.; Mayhew, L. E.; McCubbin, F. M.; Mccoy, J. T.; McLennan, S. M.; McSween, H. Y.; Moser, D. E.; Moynier, F.; Mustard, J. F.; Niles, P. B.; Ori, G. G.; Raulin, F.; Rettberg, P.; Rucker, M. A.; Schmitz, N.; Sefton-Nash, E.; Sephton, M. A.; Shaheen, R.; Shuster, D. L.; Siljestrom, S.; Smith, C. L.; Spry, J. A.; Steele, A.; Swindle, T. D.; ten Kate, I. L.; Tosca, N. J.; Usui, T.; Van Kranendonk, M. J.; Wadhwa, M.; Weiss, B. P.; Werner, S. C.; Westall, F.; Wheeler, R. M.; Zipfel, J.; Zorzano, M. P.

2018-04-01

The highest priority subaerial environments for Mars Sample Return include subaerial weathering (paleosols, periglacial/glacial, and rock coatings/rinds), wetlands (mineral precipitates, redox environments, and salt ponds), or cold spring settings.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Facility Operation and Maintenance and Monitoring and Evaluation, 1999 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Lofy, Peter T.

2002-11-01

This is the second annual report of a multi-year, multi-agency project to restore spring chinook salmon populations in the Grande Ronde River Basin (Grande Ronde Endemic Chinook Salmon Program--GRESCP). The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) operates adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Supplementation using conventional and captive broodstock techniques is being used to increase natural production and restore fisheries in these two streams. Statement of Work Objectives formore » 1999: (1) Participate in development and continued implementation of the comprehensive multi year operations plan for the Grande Ronde Endemic Supplementation Program. (2) Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2000. (3) Monitor adult endemic spring chinook salmon populations and collect broodstock. (4) Plan detailed Monitoring and Evaluation for future years. (5) Monitor population abundance and characteristics and local environmental factors that may influence abundance and run timing of Grande Ronde River spring chinook populations. (6) Participate in Monitoring and Evaluation of the captive brood component of the Program to assure this component is contributing to the Program. (7) Participate in data collection for incidentally-caught bull trout and summer steelhead and planning for recovery of summer steelhead populations. (8) Document accomplishments and needs to permitters, comanagers, and funding agencies. (9) Communicate project results to the scientific community.« less

Measuring the efficacy of a wildfire education program in Colorado Springs

Treesearch

Geoffrey H. Donovan; Patricia A. Champ; David T. Butry

2007-01-01

Drought conditions in much of the West, increased residential development, and elevated fuels from a century of wildfire suppression have increased wildfire risk in the United States. In light of this increased risk, an innovative wildfire risk education program in Colorado Springs was examined, which rated the wildfire risk of 35,000 homes in the city's wildland-...

The Basic Skills Assessment Program, Spring 1987. Annual Report No. 87-24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siskind, Theresa G.

Information from the administration of the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) within the Charleston County (South Carolina) School District is presented. Tests are administered in the spring of each school year to students in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 as part of the BSAP. These tests have been administered statewide since 1981. BSAP tests were…

Survey of Spring 1982 Graduating Seniors in the College of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Gregg E.

Opinions and experiences of college seniors majoring in engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, were studied in spring 1982. Specific attention was focused on the unequal distribution of interest in the various engineering programs. Data were analyzed by program, year of entry, and commitment to engineering in general and/or one's…

Region 8: Colorado Springs Adequate Letter (8/17/2011)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This March 3, 2011 letter from EPA to Chistopher E. Urbina M.D., MPH, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment states that EPA has found that the Colorado Springs, CO second 10 year Limited Maintenance Plan (LMP) adequate for transportation

'Velva' spring wheat: An adapted cultivar to north-central plains of the United States with high agronomic and quality performance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growers and industry value adapted wheat cultivars with high quality attributes, essential criteria for maintaining wheat as a competitive crop in the spring wheat growing region of the United States. To address this goal, the breeding program at North Dakota Sta...

High Prevalence, Genetic Diversity and Intracellular Growth Ability of Legionella in Hot Spring Environments

PubMed Central

Zhou, Haijian; Wang, Huanxin; Xu, Ying; Zhao, Mingqiang; Guan, Hong; Li, Machao; Shao, Zhujun

2013-01-01

Background Legionella is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, and hot springs are a major source of outbreaks of this disease. It is important from a public health perspective to survey hot spring environments for the presence of Legionella. Methods Prospective surveillance of the extent of Legionella pollution was conducted at three hot spring recreational areas in Beijing, China in 2011. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequence-based typing (SBT) were used to describe the genetic polymorphism of isolates. The intracellular growth ability of the isolates was determined by interacting with J774 cells and plating the dilutions onto BCYE agar plates. Results Overall, 51.9% of spring water samples showed Legionella-positive, and their concentrations ranged from 1 CFU/liter to 2,218 CFU/liter. The positive rates of Legionella were significantly associated with a free chlorine concentration of ≥0.2 mg/L, urea concentration of ≥0.05 mg/L, total microbial counts of ≥400 CFU/ml and total coliform of ≥3 MPN/L (p<0.01). The Legionella concentrations were significantly associated with sample temperature, pH, total microbial counts and total coliform (p<0.01). Legionella pneumophila was the most frequently isolated species (98.9%), and the isolated serogroups included serogroups 3 (25.3%), 6 (23.4%), 5 (19.2%), 1 (18.5%), 2 (10.2%), 8 (0.4%), 10 (0.8%), 9 (1.9%) and 12 (0.4%). Two hundred and twenty-eight isolates were analyzed by PFGE and 62 different patterns were obtained. Fifty-seven L. pneumophila isolates were selected for SBT analysis and divided into 35 different sequence types with 5 main clonal groups. All the 57 isolates had high intracellular growth ability. Conclusions Our results demonstrated high prevalence and genetic polymorphism of Legionella in springs in Beijing, China, and the SBT and intracellular growth assay results suggested that the Legionella isolates of hot spring environments were pathogenic. Improved control and prevention strategies are urgently needed. PMID:23527075

Stable isotope fractionation at a glacial hydrothermal field: implications for biogeochemistry and biosignatures on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cousins, C.; Bowden, R.; Fogel, M.; Cockell, C.; Crawford, I.; Gunn, M.; Karlsson, M. T.; Thorsteinsson, T.

2012-12-01

Hydrothermal environments that arise through the interaction between volcanogenic heat and glacial ice are ideal sites for understanding microbial biogeochemical processes on Earth, and also potentially on Mars where similar volcano-cryosphere interactions are thought to have occurred in the past. The Kverkfjöll subglacial basaltic volcano in central Iceland is geographically isolated, with little influence from flora, fauna, and human activity. Major environmental inputs include geothermal heat, meltwater from ice and snow, and outgassing of CO2, H2S, and SO2. Large physiochemical gradients exist, from steaming fumaroles and boiling hydrothermal pools, to frozen geothermal ground and glacial ice. Stable isotope measurements of total organic carbon, total sulphur, and total nitrogen were coupled with metagenomic analysis of the residing microbial communities, with the aim to identify biogeochemical relationships and processes operating within the Kverkfjöll geothermal environment, and also to identify any isotopic biosignatures that could be preserved within geothermal sediments. This study focused on a variety of samples taken along a hot spring stream that fed into a large ice-confined geothermal lake. Samples analysed range from unconsolidated hot spring sediments, well-developed microbial mats, and dissolved sulphate from hot spring fluids. From the anoxic spring source, the stream water increases in dissolved oxygen, decreases in temperature, yet maintains a pH of ~4. The spring environment is dominated by dissolved sulphate (~2.3 mM), with lower levels of nitrate (~50 μM), phosphorus (~5μM), and ammonium (~1.5 μM). Stable S isotope analysis reveals a fractionation of ~3.2 ‰ between sediment sulphide (as pyrite; δ34S ~0‰), and dissolved water sulphate (δ34S ~3.2 ‰) consistently along the hot spring stream, indicating the presence of an active sulphur cycle, although not one dominated by sulphate reduction (e.g. very negative sulphide δ34S). This fractionation trend was absent within lake sediments, possibly due to a number of mixed sources feeding into the lake, in addition to the spring stream. δ13C in sediments becomes increasingly more negative going downstream, along with increasing removal of TOC. Microbial mats were largely similar with very positive C isotope ratios (δ13C -9.4 to -12.6 ‰) typical of sulphur oxidizing microbes. Bulk genomic DNA was extracted from sediments and mats in order to identify firstly the community composition via 454-pyrosequencing, and secondly the functional diversity within these physiochemically varied environments. This metagenomic data will be combined with stable isotope patterns to elucidate the metabolic potential of hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöll, which can be used to infer potential biogeochemical pathways of signatures of such pathways on Mars in similar, past environments.

Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic ▿ †

PubMed Central

Perreault, Nancy N.; Greer, Charles W.; Andersen, Dale T.; Tille, Stefanie; Lacrampe-Couloume, Georges; Lollar, Barbara Sherwood; Whyte, Lyle G.

2008-01-01

The saline springs of Gypsum Hill in the Canadian high Arctic are a rare example of cold springs originating from deep groundwater and rising to the surface through thick permafrost. The heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (up to 40% of the total microbial community) isolated from the spring waters and sediments were classified into four phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria) based on 16S rRNA gene analysis; heterotrophic isolates were primarily psychrotolerant, salt-tolerant, facultative anaerobes. Some of the isolates contained genes for thiosulfate oxidation (soxB) and anoxygenic photosynthesis (pufM), possibly enabling the strains to better compete in these sulfur-rich environments subject to long periods of illumination in the Arctic summer. Although leucine uptake by the spring water microbial community was low, CO2 uptake was relatively high under dark incubation, reinforcing the idea that primary production by chemoautotrophs is an important process in the springs. The small amounts of hydrocarbons in gases exsolving from the springs (0.38 to 0.51% CH4) were compositionally and isotopically consistent with microbial methanogenesis and possible methanotrophy. Anaerobic heterotrophic sulfur oxidation and aerobic autotrophic sulfur oxidation activities were demonstrated in sediment slurries. Overall, our results describe an active microbial community capable of sustainability in an extreme environment that experiences prolonged periods of continuous light or darkness, low temperatures, and moderate salinity, where life seems to rely on chemolithoautotrophy. PMID:18805995

Region 8: Colorado Pagosa Springs Adequate Letter (8/17/2011)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This March 17, 2011 letter from EPA to Chistopher E. Urbina M.D., MPH, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment states that EPA has found that the Pagosa Springs, CO PM10 maintenance plan and the 2021 motor vehicle emisssions budget (MVEB)

Optimal design of stormwater basins with bio-sorption activated media (BAM) in karst environments - phase I : site screening and selection.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

Anthropogenic activities within the Silver Springs springshed over recent decades may have contributed : to elevated nutrient concentrations in stormwater runoff and groundwater, leading to the eutrophication : of Silver Springs. To remove the nutrie...

Supraglacial sulfur springs and associated biological activity in the Canadian high arctic - signs of life beneath the ice

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grasby, Stephen E.; Allen, Carlton C.; Longazo, Teresa G.; Lisle, John T.; Griffin, Dale W.; Beauchamp, Benoit

2003-01-01

Unique springs, discharging from the surface of an arctic glacier, release H2S and deposit native sulfur, gypsum, and calcite. The presence of sulfur in three oxidation states indicates a complex series of redox reactions. Physical and chemical conditions of the spring water and surrounding environment, as well as mineralogical and isotopic signatures, suggest biologically mediated reactions. Cell counts and DNA analyses confirm bacteria are present in the spring system, and a limited number of sequenced isolates suggests that complex communities of bacteria live within the glacial system.

Stochastic dynamic programming illuminates the link between environment, physiology, and evolution.

PubMed

Mangel, Marc

2015-05-01

I describe how stochastic dynamic programming (SDP), a method for stochastic optimization that evolved from the work of Hamilton and Jacobi on variational problems, allows us to connect the physiological state of organisms, the environment in which they live, and how evolution by natural selection acts on trade-offs that all organisms face. I first derive the two canonical equations of SDP. These are valuable because although they apply to no system in particular, they share commonalities with many systems (as do frictionless springs). After that, I show how we used SDP in insect behavioral ecology. I describe the puzzles that needed to be solved, the SDP equations we used to solve the puzzles, and the experiments that we used to test the predictions of the models. I then briefly describe two other applications of SDP in biology: first, understanding the developmental pathways followed by steelhead trout in California and second skipped spawning by Norwegian cod. In both cases, modeling and empirical work were closely connected. I close with lessons learned and advice for the young mathematical biologists.

Monitoring the hydrothermal system in Long Valley caldera, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrar, C.D.; Sorey, M.L.

1985-01-01

An ongoing program to monitor the hydrothermal system in Long Valley for changes caused by volcanic or tectonic processes has produced considerable data on the water chemistry and discharge of springs and fluid temperatures and pressures in wells. Chemical and isotopic data collected under this program have greatly expanded the knowledge of chemical variability both in space and time. Although no chemical or isotopic changes in hot spring waters can be attributed directly to volcanic or tectonic processes, changes in hot spring chemistry that have been recorded probably relate to interactions between and variations in the quantity of liquid and gas discharged. Stable carbon isotope data are consistent with a carbon source either perform the mantle or from metamorphosed carbonate rocks. Continuous and periodic measurements of hot spring discharge at several sites show significant co seismic and a seismic changes since 1980.

Metagenomic Analysis of Hot Springs in Central India Reveals Hydrocarbon Degrading Thermophiles and Pathways Essential for Survival in Extreme Environments.

PubMed

Saxena, Rituja; Dhakan, Darshan B; Mittal, Parul; Waiker, Prashant; Chowdhury, Anirban; Ghatak, Arundhuti; Sharma, Vineet K

2016-01-01

Extreme ecosystems such as hot springs are of great interest as a source of novel extremophilic species, enzymes, metabolic functions for survival and biotechnological products. India harbors hundreds of hot springs, the majority of which are not yet explored and require comprehensive studies to unravel their unknown and untapped phylogenetic and functional diversity. The aim of this study was to perform a large-scale metagenomic analysis of three major hot springs located in central India namely, Badi Anhoni, Chhoti Anhoni, and Tattapani at two geographically distinct regions (Anhoni and Tattapani), to uncover the resident microbial community and their metabolic traits. Samples were collected from seven distinct sites of the three hot spring locations with temperature ranging from 43.5 to 98°C. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V3 hypervariable region and shotgun metagenome sequencing uncovered a unique taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the resident thermophilic microbial community in these hot springs. Genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation pathways, such as benzoate, xylene, toluene, and benzene were observed to be abundant in the Anhoni hot springs (43.5-55°C), dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Acidovorax sp., suggesting the presence of chemoorganotrophic thermophilic community with the ability to utilize complex hydrocarbons as a source of energy. A high abundance of genes belonging to methane metabolism pathway was observed at Chhoti Anhoni hot spring, where methane is reported to constitute >80% of all the emitted gases, which was marked by the high abundance of Methylococcus capsulatus . The Tattapani hot spring, with a high-temperature range (61.5-98°C), displayed a lower microbial diversity and was primarily dominated by a nitrate-reducing archaeal species Pyrobaculum aerophilum . A higher abundance of cell metabolism pathways essential for the microbial survival in extreme conditions was observed at Tattapani. Taken together, the results of this study reveal a novel consortium of microbes, genes, and pathways associated with the hot spring environment.

Dynamics in cyanobacterial communities from a relatively stable environment in an urbanised area (ambient springs in Central Poland).

PubMed

Nowicka-Krawczyk, Paulina; Żelazna-Wieczorek, Joanna

2017-02-01

Ambient springs are often cited as an example of an ecosystem with stable environmental conditions. A static biotope fosters the development of constant communities with a stable qualitative and relatively stable quantitative structure. Two years of studying cyanobacteria in different microhabitats of the rheocrenic and limnocrenic ambient springs located in urban areas showed that there is a high degree of cyanobacterial diversity and spatial and seasonal dynamics in communities. Spatial heterogeneity in relation to the type of spring and the type of microhabitat is reflected not only by a change in the quantitative structure (the number of species and their biomass), but also by a change in the composition of species. Seasonal changes depended on the type of spring and the type of microhabitat, where weather conditions influenced the communities by different degrees. Cyanobacterial communities of limnocrenes were more diverse in terms of composition and biomass, but they revealed a low seasonal dynamic in contrast to the communities of rheocrenes. The classification of springs based on their environmental conditions revealed that some springs were similar. The resemblance stemmed from the origin of human impact, which was reflected to a high degree in changes in the natural hydrochemical conditions of the springs. For the purpose of understanding which environmental factors had the greatest influence on cyanobacterial communities, a BIO-ENV procedure was performed. The procedure revealed that of most importance was a group of ions not related to the nature of the spring environment - NH 4 + , NO 2 - , NO 3 - , and PO 4 3- . The presence of these ions in groundwater was a result of direct and indirect human activity in the area of aquifers. The dynamics in communities in the studied springs were accelerated by human impact and weather conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Engineering in-plane silicon nanowire springs for highly stretchable electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Zhaoguo; Dong, Taige; Zhu, Zhimin; Zhao, Yaolong; Sun, Ying; Yu, Linwei

2018-01-01

Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is unambiguously the most important semiconductor that underpins the development of modern microelectronics and optoelectronics, though the rigid and brittle nature of bulk c-Si makes it difficult to implement directly for stretchable applications. Fortunately, the one-dimensional (1D) geometry, or the line-shape, of Si nanowire (SiNW) can be engineered into elastic springs, which indicates an exciting opportunity to fabricate highly stretchable 1D c-Si channels. The implementation of such line-shape-engineering strategy demands both a tiny diameter of the SiNWs, in order to accommodate the strains under large stretching, and a precise growth location, orientation and path control to facilitate device integration. In this review, we will first introduce the recent progresses of an in-plane self-assembly growth of SiNW springs, via a new in-plane solid-liquid-solid (IPSLS) mechanism, where mono-like but elastic SiNW springs are produced by surface-running metal droplets that absorb amorphous Si thin film as precursor. Then, the critical growth control and engineering parameters, the mechanical properties of the SiNW springs and the prospects of developing c-Si based stretchable electronics, will be addressed. This efficient line-shape-engineering strategy of SiNW springs, accomplished via a low temperature batch-manufacturing, holds a strong promise to extend the legend of modern Si technology into the emerging stretchable electronic applications, where the high carrier mobility, excellent stability and established doping and passivation controls of c-Si can be well inherited. Project supported by the National Basic Research 973 Program (No. 2014CB921101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61674075), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFA0205003), the Jiangsu Excellent Young Scholar Program (No. BK20160020), the Scientific and Technological Support Program in Jiangsu Province (No. BE2014147-2), the Jiangsu Shuangchuang Team's Personal Program and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the China Scholarship Council and the Postgraduate Program of Jiangsu Province (No. KYZZ160052).

Report on hard red spring wheat varieties grown in cooperative plot and nursery experiments in the spring wheat region in 2016

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Hard Red Spring Wheat Uniform Regional Nursery (HRSWURN) was planted for the 86th year in 2016. The nursery contained 26 entries submitted by 8 different scientific or industry breeding programs, and 5 checks (Table 1). Trials were conducted as randomized complete blocks with three replicates ...

Report on hard red spring wheat varieties grown in cooperative plot and nursery experiments in the spring wheat region in 2014

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Hard Red Spring Wheat Uniform Regional Nursery (HRSWURN) was planted for the 84th year in 2014. The nursery contained 26 entries submitted by 6 different scientific or industry breeding programs, and 5 checks (Table 1). Trials were conducted as randomized complete blocks with three replicates ex...

Surveillance and evaluation of the infection risk of free-living amoebae and Legionella in different aquatic environments.

PubMed

Ji, Wen-Tsai; Hsu, Bing-Mu; Chang, Tien-Yu; Hsu, Tsui-Kang; Kao, Po-Min; Huang, Kuan-Hao; Tsai, Shiou-Feng; Huang, Yu-Li; Fan, Cheng-Wei

2014-11-15

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are ubiquitous in various aquatic environments. Several amoebae species are pathogenic and host other pathogens such as Legionella, but the presence of FLA and its parasites as well as the related infection risk are not well known. In this study, the presence of pathogenic FLA and Legionella in various water bodies was investigated. Water samples were collected from a river, intake areas of drinking water treatment plants, and recreational hot spring complexes in central and southern Taiwan. A total of 140 water samples were tested for the presence of Acanthamoeba spp., Naegleria spp., Vermamoeba vermiformis, and Legionella. In addition, phylogenetic characteristics and water quality parameters were also assessed. The pathogenic genotypes of FLA included Acanthamoeba T4 and Naegleria australiensis, and both were abundant in the hot spring water. In contrast, Legionella pneumophila was detected in different aquatic environments. Among the FLA assessed, V. vermiformis was most likely to coexist with Legionella spp. The total bacteria level was associated with the presence of FLA and Legionella especially in hot spring water. Taken together, FLA contamination in recreational hot springs and drinking water source warrants more attention on potential legionellosis and amoebae infections. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Pax: A permanent base for human habitation of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Gary T.; Rebholz, Patrick J.; Fieber, Joseph P.; Huebner-Moths, Janis; Paruleski, Kerry L.

1992-01-01

The Advanced Design Program in Space Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee supported the synthesis report and two of its scenarios - 'Architecture 1' and 'Architecture 4' - and the Weaver ExPO report on near-term extraterrestrial explorations during the spring of 1992. The project investigated the implications of different mission scenarios, the Martian environment, supporting technologies, and especially human factors and environment-behavior considerations for the design of the first permanent Martian base. This paper presents the results of that investigation. The paper summarizes site selection, development of habitability design requirements based on environment-behavior research, construction sequencing, and a full concept design and design development for a first permanent Martian base and habitat. The proposed design is presented in terms of an integrative mission scenario and master plan phased through initial operational configuration, base site plan, and design development details of a complete Martian habitat for 18 crew members including all laboratory, mission control, and crew support spaces.

78 FR 737 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-04

... evaluate grant applications. Place: Sheraton Silver Spring Hotel, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Contact Person: B. Duane Price, Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, Scientific Review Program, DHHS...

NASA Pathways Internship: Spring 2016

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alvarez, Oscar, III

2016-01-01

I was selected to contribute to the Data Systems and Handling Branch under the Avionics Flight Systems Division at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There I used my knowledge from school, as well as my job experience from the military, to help me comprehend my assigned project and contribute to it. With help from my mentors, supervisors, colleagues, and an excellent NASA work environment, I was able to learn, as well as accomplish, a lot towards my project. Not only did I understand more about embedded systems, microcontrollers, and low-level programming, I also was given the opportunity to explore the NASA community.

Magellan attitude and articulation control subsystem closed loop testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olschansky, David G.

1987-01-01

In the spring of 1989, the Magellan spacecraft will embark on a two-year mission to map the surface of the planet Venus. Guiding it there will be the Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem (AACS). To ensure reliable operations the AACS is being put through a rigorous test program at Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace. Before Magellan ever leaves the Space Shuttle bay from which it is to be launched, its components will have flown a simulated spaceflight in a ground-based lab. The primary objectives of the test program are to verify form, fit, and function of the AACS, particularly subsystem external interfaces and functional operation of the flight software. This paper discusses the Magellan Closed Loop Test Systems which makes realistic tests possible by simulating the dynamic and 'visual' flight environment for AACS components in the lab.

Comparability among four invertebrate sampling methods and two multimetric indexes, Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2010–2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruce, James F.; Roberts, James J.; Zuellig, Robert E.

2018-05-24

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Colorado Springs City Engineering and Colorado Springs Utilities, analyzed previously collected invertebrate data to determine the comparability among four sampling methods and two versions (2010 and 2017) of the Colorado Benthic Macroinvertebrate Multimetric Index (MMI). For this study, annual macroinvertebrate samples were collected concurrently (in space and time) at 15 USGS surface-water gaging stations in the Fountain Creek Basin from 2010 to 2012 using four sampling methods. The USGS monitoring project in the basin uses two of the methods and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommends the other two. These methods belong to two distinct sample types, one that targets single habitats and one that targets multiple habitats. The study results indicate that there are significant differences in MMI values obtained from the single-habitat and multihabitat sample types but methods from each program within each sample type produced comparable values. This study also determined that MMI values calculated by different versions of the Colorado Benthic Macroinvertebrate MMI are indistinguishable. This indicates that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment methods are comparable with the USGS monitoring project methods for single-habitat and multihabitat sample types. This report discusses the direct application of the study results to inform the revision of the existing USGS monitoring project in the Fountain Creek Basin.

Grande Ronde Basin Supplementation Program; Lostine River, 2000 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Onjukka, Sam T.; Harbeck, Jim

2003-03-01

The Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC) identified supplementation as a high priority to achieve its goal of increasing runs of anadromous fish in the Columbia Basin. Supplementation activities in the Lostine River and associated monitoring and evaluation conducted by the Nez Perce Tribe relate directly to the needs addressed in the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (NPPC 1994). Measure 7.4L.1 of the Program mandates that appropriate research accompany any proposed supplementation. In addition, measure 7.3B.2 of the Program stresses the need for evaluating supplementation projects to assess their ability to increase production. Finally, Section 7.4D.3 encourages the studymore » of hatchery rearing and release strategies to improve survival and adaptation of cultured fish. In 1997, Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (ODFW) requested a modification of Permit 1011 to allow the take of adult spring chinook salmon. In 1998, the Nez Perce Tribe also requested a permit specific to activities on Lostine River. The permit was issued in 2000. A special condition in the permits required the development of a long term management plan for the spring chinook salmon of the Grande Ronde Basin. The Nez Perce Tribe, ODFW, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) completed a formal long range plan entitled ''Grande Ronde Basin Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program''. The program proposes to increase the survival of spring chinook salmon in the Grand Ronde Basin through hatchery intervention. Adult salmon from the Lostine River, Catherine Creek, and the Upper Grande Ronde River are used for a conventional supplementation program in the basin. The Nez Perce program currently operates under the ESA Section 10 Permit 1149.« less

Grande Ronde Basin Supplementation Program; Lostine River, 2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Onjukka, Sam T.; Harbeck, Jim

2003-03-01

The Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC) identified supplementation as a high priority to achieve its goal of increasing runs of anadromous fish in the Columbia Basin. Supplementation activities in the Lostine River and associated monitoring and evaluation conducted by the Nez Perce Tribe relate directly to the needs addressed in the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (NPPC 1994). Measure 7.4L.1 of the Program mandates that appropriate research accompany any proposed supplementation. In addition, measure 7.3B.2 of the Program stresses the need for evaluating supplementation projects to assess their ability to increase production. Finally, Section 7.4D.3 encourages the studymore » of hatchery rearing and release strategies to improve survival and adaptation of cultured fish. In 1997, Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (ODFW) requested a modification of Permit 1011 to allow the take of adult spring chinook salmon. In 1998, the Nez Perce Tribe also requested a permit specific to activities on Lostine River. The permit was issued in 2000. A special condition in the permits required the development of a long term management plan for the spring chinook salmon of the Grande Ronde Basin. The Nez Perce Tribe, ODFW, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) completed a formal long range plan entitled ''Grande Ronde Basin Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program''. The program proposes to increase the survival of spring chinook salmon in the Grand Ronde Basin through hatchery intervention. Adult salmon from the Lostine River, Catherine Creek, and the Upper Grande Ronde River are used for a conventional supplementation program in the basin. The Nez Perce program currently operates under the ESA Section 10 Permit 1149.« less

Optimal design of stormwater basins with bio-sorption activated media (BAM) in karst environments - phase I : site screening and selection, [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-11-01

Nutrient content is a concern in Floridas aquifers and springs sources of drinking water, : recreation, and the states natural beauty. In recent years, the nitrogen content of Floridas : aquifer springs has risen. This increase in nutrie...

The Sea Floor: A Living Learning Residential Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guentzel, J. L.; Rosch, E.; Stoughton, M. A.; Bowyer, R.; Mortensen, K.; Smith, M.

2016-02-01

Living learning communities are collaborations between university housing and academic departments designed to enhance the overall student experience by integrating classroom/laboratory learning, student life and extracurricular activities. At Coastal Carolina University, the residential community associated with the Marine Science program is known as the Sea Floor. Students selected to become members of the Sea Floor remain "in residence" for two consecutive semesters. These students are first-time freshman that share a common course connection. This course is usually Introduction to Marine Science (MSCI 111) or MSCI 399s, which are one credit field/laboratory centered internships. The common course connection is designed so residents can establish and maintain an educational dialog with their peers. Activities designed to enhance the students' networking skills and educational and social development skills include monthly lunches with marine science faculty and dinner seminars with guest speakers from academia, industry and government. Additionally, each semester several activities outside the classroom are planned so that students can more frequently interact with themselves and their faculty and staff partners. These activities include field trips to regional aquariums, local boat trips that include water sample collection and analysis, and an alternative spring break trip to the Florida Keys to study the marine environment firsthand. The resident advisor that supervises the Sea Floor is usually a sophomore or junior marine science major. This provides the residents with daily communication and mentoring from a marine science major that is familiar with the marine science program and residence life. Assessment activities include: a university housing community living survey, student interest housing focus groups, fall to spring and fall to fall retention, and evaluation of program advisors and program activities.

Airport Revenues: McMahon-Wrinkle Airpark; Big Spring, Texas

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-11-21

Audit objectives were to determine whether the city of Big Spring, Texas : (city), was in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport : Improvement Program grant assurances to ensure (i) fee and rental structures were maintained...

Stratigraphy and depositional environments of Jurassic Gypsum Spring and Sundance Formations, Sheep Mountain anticline area, Big Horn County, Wyoming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doyle, A.B.

1986-08-01

The Sheep Mountain anticlinal complex between Lovell and Greybull, Wyoming, in the Bighorn basin provides exposure suitable for three-dimensional stratigraphic studies of Mesozoic rocks. The lower unit of the Gypsum Spring Formation is interbedded shale and gypsum. The middle unit is a cyclic sequence of variegated shales, mudstones, and wackestones. The upper unit is red shale. The contact between the underlying Upper Triassic Chugwater Group and the Gypsum Spring Formation is unconformable, as evidenced by an erosional surface. The Sundance Formation is divided into Sundance A and Sundance B, based on fossil data. Sundance A is predominantly green shale withmore » some limestone-shale interbeds. Sundance B lithology is similar to Sundance A with belemnoid guards. Toward the top of Sundance B are beds of glauconitic sandstones that grade upward into fossiliferous limestone. The contact between the Gypsum Spring, Sundance, and Morrison Formations appears to be gradational. The Western Interior sedimentary basin experienced four major transgressions during the Jurassic, resulting in the deposition of the Gypsum Spring and Sundance. Gypsum Spring deposition was influenced by paleohighs, specifically the Belt Island and Sheridan arch, and a warm, arid climate with rare storms. The lower Gypsum Spring unit was deposited in a restricted basin, with the middle and upper units reflecting subsequent deepening and freshening of the Jurassic sea. Most of the Sundance Formation was deposited in a relatively quiet, open-marine environment. Individual units represent shoaling conditions during minor regressions. Storms cut channels into sand bars, which were filled with coquinoid deposits.« less

Land Combat Systems Industry. Industry Study, Spring 2009

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Spring 2009 Industry Study Final Report Land Combat Systems Industry The Industrial College of the Armed Forces...AND SUBTITLE Spring 2009. Industry Study. Land Combat Systems Industry 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6 . AUTHOR(S...Industrial College of the Armed Forces,Washington,DC,20319 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS

TA Beliefs in a SCALE-UP Style Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBeck, George; Settelmeyer, Sam; Li, Sissi; Demaree, Dedra

2010-10-01

In Spring 2010, the Oregon State University physics department instituted a SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs) style studio classroom in the introductory, calculus-based physics series. In our initial implementation, comprised of two hours lecture, two hours of studio, and two hours lab work, the studio session was lead by a faculty member and either 2 GTAs or 1 GTA and 1 LA. We plan to move to a model where senior GTAs can lead studio sections after co-teaching with the faculty member. It is critical that we know how to prepare and support the instructional team in facilitating student learning in this setting. We examine GTA and LA pedagogical beliefs through reflective journaling, interviews, and personal experience of the authors. In particular, we examine how these beliefs changed over their first quarter of instruction, as well as the resources used to adapt to the new classroom environment.

Seasonal distribution and prevalence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in different aquatic environments in Taiwan.

PubMed

Huang, Wen-Chien; Hsu, Bing-Mu; Kao, Po-Min; Tao, Chi-Wei; Ho, Ying-Ning; Kuo, Chun-Wei; Huang, Yu-Li

2016-02-01

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are the most common agents of diarrhea. Waterborne DEC could pose a potential health risk to human through agricultural, household, recreational, and industrial use. There are few published reports on the detection of DEC and its seasonal distribution in aquatic environments. The presence of DEC in different types of aquatic environments was investigated in this study. Water samples were collected from major rivers, water reservoirs, and recreational hot springs throughout Taiwan. Moreover, an intensive water sampling plan was carried out along Puzih River. The detection of DEC target genes was used to determine the presence of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Among the 383 water samples analyzed, DEC was found in 122 (31.8%) samples. The detection rate varied by genotype, raging from 3.6% for STEC to 17.2% for EPEC. The DEC detection rate was higher from river waters than reservoirs and hot springs. In addition, DEC was detected at a higher rate in spring and summer. The presence of EPEC was significantly associated with total coliform levels among hot spring samples. Moreover, the presence of ETEC in river water samples was associated with heterotrophic plate counts. Water with EPEC differed significantly in pH from Puzih River samples. These results suggest that seasonal characteristics may affect the presence of DEC in different aquatic environments, and water quality indicators may be indicative of the presence of DEC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Final Program Report for 2010-2012: Monitoring and evaluation for conserving biological resources of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

Treesearch

Stephen J. Solem; Burton K. Pendleton; Casey Giffen; Marc Coles-Ritchie; Jeri Ledbetter; Kevin S. McKelvey; Joy Berg; Jim Menlove; Carly K. Woodlief; Luke A. Boehnke

2013-01-01

The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) includes approximately 316,000 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands managed by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada (see fig. 1-1). The Spring Mountains have long been recognized as an island of endemism, harboring flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. Conservation...

The Healthy Afterschool Activity and Nutrition Documentation Instrument

PubMed Central

Ajja, Rahma; Beets, Michael W.; Huberty, Jennifer; Kaczynski, Andrew T.; Ward, Dianne S.

2012-01-01

Background Policies call on afterschool programs to improve the physical activity and nutrition habits of youth attending. No tool exists to assess the extent to which the afterschool program environment meets physical activity and nutrition policies. Purpose To describe the development of the Healthy Afterschool Activity and Nutrition Documentation (HAAND) instrument, which consists of two subscales: Healthy Afterschool Program Index for Physical Activity (HAPI-PA) and the HAPI-Nutrition (HAPI-N). Methods Thirty-nine afterschool programs took part in the HAAND evaluation during fall/spring 2010–2011. Inter-rater reliability data were collected at 20 afterschool programs during a single site visit via direct observation, personal interview and written document review. Validity of the HAPI-PA was established by comparing HAPI-PA scores to pedometer steps collected in a subsample of 934 children attending 25 of the afterschool programs. Validity of the HAPI-N scores was compared against the mean number of times/week that fruits/vegetables (FV) and whole grains were served in the program. Results Data were analyzed in June/July 2011. Inter-rater percent agreement was 85%–100% across all items. Increased pedometer steps were associated with the presence of a written policy related to physical activity, amount/quality of staff training, use of a physical activity curriculum, and offering activities that appeal to both genders. Higher servings of FV and whole grains per week were associated with the presence of a written policy regarding the nutritional quality of snacks. Conclusions The HAAND instrument is a reliable and valid measurement tool that can be used to assess the physical activity and nutritional environment of afterschool programs. PMID:22898119

The healthy afterschool activity and nutrition documentation instrument.

PubMed

Ajja, Rahma; Beets, Michael W; Huberty, Jennifer; Kaczynski, Andrew T; Ward, Dianne S

2012-09-01

Policies call on afterschool programs to improve the physical activity and nutrition habits of youth attending. No tool exists to assess the extent to which the afterschool program environment meets physical activity and nutrition policies. To describe the development of the Healthy Afterschool Activity and Nutrition Documentation (HAAND) instrument, which consists of two subscales: Healthy Afterschool Program Index for Physical Activity (HAPI-PA) and the HAPI-Nutrition (HAPI-N). Thirty-nine afterschool programs took part in the HAAND evaluation during fall/spring 2010-2011. Inter-rater reliability data were collected at 20 afterschool programs during a single site visit via direct observation, personal interview, and written document review. Validity of the HAPI-PA was established by comparing HAPI-PA scores to pedometer steps collected in a subsample of 934 children attending 25 of the afterschool programs. Validity of the HAPI-N scores was compared against the mean number of times/week that fruits and vegetables (FV) and whole grains were served in the program. Data were analyzed in June/July 2011. Inter-rater percent agreement was 85%-100% across all items. Increased pedometer steps were associated with the presence of a written policy related to physical activity, amount/quality of staff training, use of a physical activity curriculum, and offering activities that appeal to both genders. Higher servings of FV and whole grains per week were associated with the presence of a written policy regarding the nutritional quality of snacks. The HAAND instrument is a reliable and valid measurement tool that can be used to assess the physical activity and nutritional environment of afterschool programs. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mineralogical assemblages forming at hyperalkaline warm springs hosted on ultramafic rocks: A case study of Oman and Ligurian ophiolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavagnac, Valérie; Ceuleneer, Georges; Monnin, Christophe; Lansac, Benjamin; Hoareau, Guilhem; Boulart, Cédric

2013-07-01

We report on the mineralogical assemblages found in the hyperalkaline springs hosted on Liguria and Oman ophiolites based on exhaustive X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microprobe analyses. In Liguria, hyperalkaline springs produce a thin brownish calcite precipitate that covers the bedrock due to the concomitant atmospheric CO2 uptake and neutralization of the hyperalkaline waters. No brucite and portlandite minerals are observed. The discharge of alkaline waters in Oman ophiolite forms white-orange precipitates. Calcium carbonate minerals (calcite and/or aragonite) are the most abundant and ubiquitous precipitates and are produced by the same mechanism as in Liguria. This process is observed as a thin surface crust made of rhombohedral calcite. Morphological features of aragonite vary from needle-, bouquet-, dumbbell-, spheroidal-like habitus according to the origin of carbon, temperature, and ionic composition of the hyperalkaline springs, and the biochemical and organic compounds. Brucite is observed both at hyperalkaline springs located at the thrust plane and at the paleo-Moho. The varying mixing proportions between the surface runoff waters and the hyperalkaline ones control brucite precipitation. The layered double hydroxide minerals occur solely in the vicinity of hyperalkaline springs emerging within the bedded gabbros. Finally, the dominant mineralogical associations we found in Oman (Ca-bearing carbonates and brucite) in a serpentinizing environment driven by the meteoric waters are surprisingly the same as those observed at the Lost City hydrothermal site in a totally marine environment.

Microbial diversity in The Cedars, an ultrabasic, ultrareducing, and low salinity serpentinizing ecosystem.

PubMed

Suzuki, Shino; Ishii, Shun'ichi; Wu, Angela; Cheung, Andrea; Tenney, Aaron; Wanger, Greg; Kuenen, J Gijs; Nealson, Kenneth H

2013-09-17

The Cedars, in coastal northern California, is an active site of peridotite serpentinization. The spring waters that emerge from this system feature very high pH, low redox potential, and low ionic concentrations, making it an exceptionally challenging environment for life. We report a multiyear, culture-independent geomicrobiological study of three springs at The Cedars that differ with respect to the nature of the groundwater feeding them. Within each spring, both geochemical properties and microbial diversity in all three domains of life remained stable over a 3-y period, with multiple samples each year. Between the three springs, however, the microbial communities showed considerable differences that were strongly correlated with the source of the serpentinizing groundwater. In the spring fed solely by deep groundwater, phylum Chloroflexi, class Clostridia, and candidate division OD1 were the major taxa with one phylotype in Euryarchaeota. Less-abundant phylotypes include several minor members from other candidate divisions and one phylotype that was an outlier of candidate division OP3. In the springs fed by the mixture of deep and shallow groundwater, organisms close to the Hydrogenophaga within Betaproteobacteria dominated and coexisted with the deep groundwater community members. The shallow groundwater community thus appears to be similar to those described in other terrestrial serpentinizing sites, whereas the deep community is distinctly different from any other previously described terrestrial serpentinizing community. These unique communities have the potential to yield important insights into the development and survival of life in these early-earth analog environments.

Microbial diversity in The Cedars, an ultrabasic, ultrareducing, and low salinity serpentinizing ecosystem

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Shino; Ishii, Shun’ichi; Wu, Angela; Cheung, Andrea; Tenney, Aaron; Wanger, Greg; Kuenen, J. Gijs; Nealson, Kenneth H.

2013-01-01

The Cedars, in coastal northern California, is an active site of peridotite serpentinization. The spring waters that emerge from this system feature very high pH, low redox potential, and low ionic concentrations, making it an exceptionally challenging environment for life. We report a multiyear, culture-independent geomicrobiological study of three springs at The Cedars that differ with respect to the nature of the groundwater feeding them. Within each spring, both geochemical properties and microbial diversity in all three domains of life remained stable over a 3-y period, with multiple samples each year. Between the three springs, however, the microbial communities showed considerable differences that were strongly correlated with the source of the serpentinizing groundwater. In the spring fed solely by deep groundwater, phylum Chloroflexi, class Clostridia, and candidate division OD1 were the major taxa with one phylotype in Euryarchaeota. Less-abundant phylotypes include several minor members from other candidate divisions and one phylotype that was an outlier of candidate division OP3. In the springs fed by the mixture of deep and shallow groundwater, organisms close to the Hydrogenophaga within Betaproteobacteria dominated and coexisted with the deep groundwater community members. The shallow groundwater community thus appears to be similar to those described in other terrestrial serpentinizing sites, whereas the deep community is distinctly different from any other previously described terrestrial serpentinizing community. These unique communities have the potential to yield important insights into the development and survival of life in these early-earth analog environments. PMID:24003156

Environment sensing in spring-dispersed seeds of a winter annual Arabidopsis influences the regulation of dormancy to align germination potential with seasonal changes

PubMed Central

Footitt, Steven; Clay, Heather A; Dent, Katherine; Finch-Savage, William E

2014-01-01

Seed dormancy cycling plays a crucial role in the lifecycle timing of many plants. Little is known of how the seeds respond to the soil seed bank environment following dispersal in spring into the short-term seed bank before seedling emergence in autumn.Seeds of the winter annual Arabidopsis ecotype Cvi were buried in field soils in spring and recovered monthly until autumn and their molecular eco-physiological responses were recorded.DOG1 expression is initially low and then increases as dormancy increases. MFT expression is negatively correlated with germination potential. Abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) signalling responds rapidly following burial and adjusts to the seasonal change in soil temperature. Collectively these changes align germination potential with the optimum climate space for seedling emergence.Seeds naturally dispersed to the soil in spring enter a shallow dormancy cycle dominated by spatial sensing that adjusts germination potential to the maximum when soil environment is most favourable for germination and seedling emergence upon soil disturbance. This behaviour differs subtly from that of seeds overwintered in the soil seed bank to spread the period of potential germination in the seed population (existing seed bank and newly dispersed). As soil temperature declines in autumn, deep dormancy is re-imposed as seeds become part of the persistent seed bank. PMID:24444091

Equivalent Air Spring Suspension Model for Quarter-Passive Model of Passenger Vehicles.

PubMed

Abid, Haider J; Chen, Jie; Nassar, Ameen A

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the GENSIS air spring suspension system equivalence to a passive suspension system. The SIMULINK simulation together with the OptiY optimization is used to obtain the air spring suspension model equivalent to passive suspension system, where the car body response difference from both systems with the same road profile inputs is used as the objective function for optimization (OptiY program). The parameters of air spring system such as initial pressure, volume of bag, length of surge pipe, diameter of surge pipe, and volume of reservoir are obtained from optimization. The simulation results show that the air spring suspension equivalent system can produce responses very close to the passive suspension system.

Informing geobiology through GIS site suitability analysis: locating springs in mantle units of ophiolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowman, A.; Cardace, D.; August, P.

2012-12-01

Springs sourced in the mantle units of ophiolites serve as windows to the deep biosphere, and thus hold promise in elucidating survival strategies of extremophiles, and may also inform discourse on the origin of life on Earth. Understanding how organisms can survive in extreme environments provides clues to how microbial life responds to gradients in pH, temperature, and oxidation-reduction potential. Spring locations associated with serpentinites have traditionally been located using a variety of field techniques. The aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks to serpentinites is accompanied by the production of very unusual formation fluids, accessed by drilling into subsurface flow regimes or by sampling at related surface springs. The chemical properties of these springs are unique to water associated with actively serpentinizing rocks; they reflect a reducing subsurface environment reacting at low temperatures producing high pH, Ca-rich formation fluids with high dissolved hydrogen and methane. This study applies GIS site suitability analysis to locate high pH springs upwelling from Coast Range Ophiolite serpentinites in Northern California. We used available geospatial data (e.g., geologic maps, topography, fault locations, known spring locations, etc.) and ArcGIS software to predict new spring localities. Important variables in the suitability model were: (a) bedrock geology (i.e., unit boundaries and contacts for peridotite, serpentinite, possibly pyroxenite, or chromite), (b) fault locations, (c) regional data for groundwater characteristics such as pH, Ca2+, and Mg2+, and (d) slope-aspect ratio. The GIS model derived from these geological and environmental data sets predicts the latitude/longitude points for novel and known high pH springs sourced in serpentinite outcrops in California. Field work confirms the success of the model, and map output can be merged with published environmental microbiology data (e.g., occurrence of hydrogen-oxidizers) to showcase patterns in microbial community structure. Discrepancies between predicted and actual spring locations are then used to tune GIS suitability analysis, re-running the model with corrected geo-referenced data. This presentation highlights a powerful GIS-based technique for accelerating field exploration in this area of ongoing research.

Metagenomic Analysis of Hot Springs in Central India Reveals Hydrocarbon Degrading Thermophiles and Pathways Essential for Survival in Extreme Environments

PubMed Central

Saxena, Rituja; Dhakan, Darshan B.; Mittal, Parul; Waiker, Prashant; Chowdhury, Anirban; Ghatak, Arundhuti; Sharma, Vineet K.

2017-01-01

Extreme ecosystems such as hot springs are of great interest as a source of novel extremophilic species, enzymes, metabolic functions for survival and biotechnological products. India harbors hundreds of hot springs, the majority of which are not yet explored and require comprehensive studies to unravel their unknown and untapped phylogenetic and functional diversity. The aim of this study was to perform a large-scale metagenomic analysis of three major hot springs located in central India namely, Badi Anhoni, Chhoti Anhoni, and Tattapani at two geographically distinct regions (Anhoni and Tattapani), to uncover the resident microbial community and their metabolic traits. Samples were collected from seven distinct sites of the three hot spring locations with temperature ranging from 43.5 to 98°C. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of V3 hypervariable region and shotgun metagenome sequencing uncovered a unique taxonomic and metabolic diversity of the resident thermophilic microbial community in these hot springs. Genes associated with hydrocarbon degradation pathways, such as benzoate, xylene, toluene, and benzene were observed to be abundant in the Anhoni hot springs (43.5–55°C), dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Acidovorax sp., suggesting the presence of chemoorganotrophic thermophilic community with the ability to utilize complex hydrocarbons as a source of energy. A high abundance of genes belonging to methane metabolism pathway was observed at Chhoti Anhoni hot spring, where methane is reported to constitute >80% of all the emitted gases, which was marked by the high abundance of Methylococcus capsulatus. The Tattapani hot spring, with a high-temperature range (61.5–98°C), displayed a lower microbial diversity and was primarily dominated by a nitrate-reducing archaeal species Pyrobaculum aerophilum. A higher abundance of cell metabolism pathways essential for the microbial survival in extreme conditions was observed at Tattapani. Taken together, the results of this study reveal a novel consortium of microbes, genes, and pathways associated with the hot spring environment. PMID:28105025

Lower Granite Dam Smolt Monitoring Program, 1998 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verhey, Peter; Ross, Doug; Morrill, Charles

1998-12-01

The 1998 fish collection season at Lower Granite was characterized by relatively moderate spring flows and spill, moderate levels of debris, cool spring, warm summer and fall water temperatures, and increased chinook numbers, particularly wild subyearling chinook collected and transported. The Fish Passage Center's Smolt Monitoring Program is designed to provide a consistent, real-time database on fish passage and document the migrational characteristics of the many stocks of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.

Identification of 18S ribosomal DNA genotype of Acanthamoeba from hot spring recreation areas in the central range, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Bing-Mu; Ma, Po-Hua; Liou, Tai-Sheng; Chen, Jung-Sheng; Shih, Feng-Cheng

2009-04-01

SummaryAcanthamoeba is a free-living amoebae ubiquitous to aquatic environments. Within the genus a few species are recognized as opportunistic potential human pathogens, which cause granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and keratitis. Infections of keratitis are frequently reported through wearing lens while swimming in the non-disinfected aquatic environment. Contaminations in hot tubs, spas and public baths are also possible. As a result, in this study, we identified Acanthamoeba based on the PCR amplification with a genus-specific primer pair and investigated the distribution of Acanthamoeba at five hot spring recreation areas in central range, Taiwan. We gathered data on factors potentially associated with the pathogen's distribution, including various sampling sites, aquatic environment, physical and microbiological water quality parameters. Spring water was collected from 55 sites and Acanthamoeba was detected in 9 (16.4%). The most frequently detected was Acanthamoeba griffini, followed by Acanthamoeba jacobsi. Legionella were detected in 18 (32.7%) of the sites sampled in this study. The species of Legionella identified included Legionella pneumophila serotype 6, serotype 1, and Legionella erythra. Overall, 9.1% of the samples contained both Acanthamoeba and Legionella. The prevalence of Acanthamoeba was contrary to the levels of microbiological indicators recommended by Taiwan CDC, and no significant differences (Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.05) were observed between the presence/absence of Acanthamoeba and water quality parameters. Results of this survey confirm the existence of Acanthamoeba in Taiwan spring recreation areas. Acanthamoeba, the organism responsible for the majority of Acanthamoeba keratitis and can serve as vehicles for facultative pathogens, should be considered a potential threat for health associated with human activities in spring recreation areas of Taiwan.

Ammonia oxidation driven by archaea rather than bacteria in the hot spring at Tengchong geothermal field, China.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shun; Peng, Xiaotong; Xu, Hengchao; Li, Jiwei; Ta, Kaiwen

2015-04-01

The occurrence of microbial mediated ammonia oxidation and these organisms are present in large numbers in natural environments indicated a potential biogeochemical role for them in the global nitrogen cycle. However, very little is understood about their role and contribution to nitrification in the high temperature extreme environments. Here we explore the ammonia oxidation rates and abundance of potential ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in upper and bottom sediments from Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The 15N-incorporating AOA cells and cell aggregated were detected with Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Nano secondary ion mass spectrometry (Nano-SIMS). Ammonia oxidation rates measured using 15N-NO3- pool dilution in upper and bottom sediments (without NH4+ stimulated) were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1h-1, respectively. Close relatives of the autotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing archaeon 'Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii' represented the most abundant OTU in both of the two spring sediments by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Furthermore, it should be noted that no ammonia-oxidizing bacterial clones detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present at 2.75-9.80×105 and 0.128-1.96×108 gene copies g-1 sediment. Based on the reaction rates and AOA abundance, we estimated the cell-specific nitrification rates were 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which are comparable to those observed in estuary environment. We suggest that AOA have the responsibility in nitrification in this hot spring, and these archaea rather than bacteria may be considered as a driver in nitrogen cycling in terrestrial hot ecosystems. Key words: ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA); nitrification; ammonia-oxidizing rate; hot spring;

Microbial structures in an Alpine Thermal Spring - Microscopic techniques for the examination of Biofilms in a Subsurface Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dornmayr-Pfaffenhuemer, Marion; Pierson, Elisabeth; Janssen, Geert-Jan; Stan-Lotter, Helga

2010-05-01

The research into extreme environments hast important implications for biology and other sciences. Many of the organisms found there provide insights into the history of Earth. Life exists in all niches where water is present in liquid form. Isolated environments such as caves and other subsurface locations are of interest for geomicrobiological studies. And because of their "extra-terrestrial" conditions such as darkness and mostly extreme physicochemical state they are also of astrobiological interest. The slightly radioactive thermal spring at Bad Gastein (Austria) was therefore examined for the occurrence of subsurface microbial communities. The surfaces of the submerged rocks in this warm spring were overgrown by microbial mats. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) performed by the late Dr. Wolfgang Heinen revealed an interesting morphological diversity in biofilms found in this environment (1, 2). Molecular analysis of the community structure of the radioactive subsurface thermal spring was performed by Weidler et al. (3). The growth of these mats was simulated using sterile glass slides which were exposed to the water stream of the spring. Those mats were analysed microscopically. Staining, using fluorescent dyes such as 4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindol (DAPI), gave an overview of the microbial diversity of these biofilms. Additional SEM samples were prepared using different fixation protocols. Scanning confocal laser microscopy (SCLM) allowed a three dimensional view of the analysed biofilms. This work presents some electron micrographs of Dr. Heinen and additionally new microscopic studies of the biofilms formed on the glass slides. The appearances of the new SEM micrographs were compared to those of Dr. Heinen that were done several years ago. The morphology and small-scale distribution in the microbial mat was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. The examination of natural biomats and biofilms grown on glass slides using several microscopical techniques suggest that the thermal springs in the Central Alps near Bad Gastein represent a novel and unique habitat for microbial life. Results obtained during these studies revealed reproducibility of Dr. Heinen's micrographs. Hollow reticulated filaments and flat ribbons with parallel hexagonal chambers (web-structures) were found repeatedly. Given the chance that subsurface environments represent a potent opportunity to detect life on planetary bodies it is of big interest to search for representative biosignatures found on earth today. References: 1. Lauwers A. M. & Heinen W. (1985) Mikroskopie (Wien) 42, 94-101. 2. Heinen W. & Lauwers A. M. (1985) Mikroskopie (Wien) 42, 124-134. 3. Weidler G. W., Dornmayr-Pfaffenhuemer M., Gerbl F. W., Heinen W., Stan-Lotter H. (2007) AEM 73, 259-270.

Radii effect on the translation spring constant of force transducer beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, C. E.

1992-01-01

Multi-component strain-gage force transducer design requires the designer to determine the spring constant of the numerous beams or flexures incorporated in the transducer. The classical beam deflection formulae that are used in calculating these spring constants typically assume that the beam has a uniform moment of inertia along the entire beam length. In practice all beams have a radius at the end where the beam interfaces with the shoulder of the transducer, and on short beams in particular this increases the beam spring constant considerably. A Basic computer program utilizing numerical integration is presented to determine this effect.

Introduction to the Spring 2014 ConfChem on the Flipped Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luker, Chris; Muzyka, Jennifer; Belford, Robert

2015-01-01

Students' active engagement is one of the most critical challenges to any successful learning environment. The blending of active engagement along with rich, meaningful content is necessary for chemical educators to re-examine the purpose of the chemistry classroom. The Spring 2014 ConfChem conference, Flipped Classroom, was held from May 9 to…

Depositional environments of the Rock Springs Formation, southwest flank of the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirschbaum, M.A.

1986-01-01

This deltaic Upper Cretaceous Rock Springs Formation of the Mesaverde Group was deposited during early Campanian time near the end of the regressive phase of the Niobrara cyclothem. On the southwest end of the Uplift, part of the delta system is exposed near the seaward edge of a series of transgressive/regressive sequences, which consist of intertonguing prodelta, delta-front, and delta-plain deposits. Eight major delta-front sandstones are vertically stacked and laterally continuous throughout the main study area.-from Author

The Lassen Astrobiology Intern Program - Concept, Implementation and Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Des Marais, D. J.; Dueck, S. L.; Davis, H. B.; Parenteau, M. N.; Kubo, M. D.

2014-12-01

The program goal was to provide a hands-on astrobiology learning experience to high school students by introducing astrobiology and providing opportunities to conduct field and lab research with NASA scientists. The program sought to increase interest in interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, math and related careers. Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP), Red Bluff High School and the Ames Team of the NASA Astrobiology Institute led the program. LVNP was selected because it shares aspects of volcanism with Mars and it hosts thermal springs with microbial mat communities. Students documented volcanic deposits, springs and microbial mats. They analyzed waters and sampled rocks, water and microorganisms. They cultured microorganisms and studied chemical reactions between rocks and simulated spring waters. Each student prepared a report to present data and discuss relationships between volcanic rocks and gases, spring waters and microbial mats. At a "graduation" event the students presented their findings to the Red Bluff community. They visited Ames Research Center to tour the facilities and learn about science and technology careers. To evaluate program impact, surveys were given to students after lectures, labs, fieldwork and discussions with Ames scientists. Students' work was scored using rubrics (labs, progress reports, final report, presentation). Students took pre/post tests on core astrobiology concepts. Parents, teachers, rangers, Ames staff and students completed end-of-year surveys on program impact. Several outcomes were documented. Students had a unique and highly valued learning experience with NASA scientists. They understood what scientists do through authentic scientific work, and what scientists are like as individuals. Students became knowledgeable about astrobiology and how it can be pursued in the lab and in the field. The students' interest increased markedly in astrobiology, interdisciplinary studies and science generally.

Warmer springs lead to mistimed reproduction in great tits (Parus major)

PubMed Central

Visser, M. E.; Noordwijk, A. J. van; Tinbergen, J. M.; Lessells, C. M.

1998-01-01

In seasonal environments, the main selection pressure on the timing of reproduction (the ultimate factor) is synchrony between offspring requirements and food availability. However, reproduction is initiated much earlier than the time of maximum food requirement of the offspring. Individuals should therefore start reproduction in response to cues (the proximate factors), available in the environment of reproductive decision making, which predict the later environment of selection. With increasing spring temperatures over the past decades, vegetation phenology has advanced, with a concomitant advancement in the reproduction of some species at higher trophic levels. However, a mismatch between food abundance and offspring needs may occur if changes in the environment of decision making do not match those in the environment of selection. Date of egg laying in a great tit (Parus major) population has not advanced over a 23-year period, but selection for early laying has intensified. We believe that this is the first documented case of an adaptive response being hampered because a changing abiotic factor affects the environment in which a reproductive decision is made differently from the environment in which selection occurs.

A WebGIS-based system for analyzing and visualizing air quality data for Shanghai Municipality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Manyi; Liu, Chaoshun; Gao, Wei

2014-10-01

An online visual analytical system based on Java Web and WebGIS for air quality data for Shanghai Municipality was designed and implemented to quantitatively analyze and qualitatively visualize air quality data. By analyzing the architecture of WebGIS and Java Web, we firstly designed the overall scheme for system architecture, then put forward the software and hardware environment and also determined the main function modules for the system. The visual system was ultimately established with the DIV + CSS layout method combined with JSP, JavaScript, and some other computer programming languages based on the Java programming environment. Moreover, Struts, Spring, and Hibernate frameworks (SSH) were integrated in the system for the purpose of easy maintenance and expansion. To provide mapping service and spatial analysis functions, we selected ArcGIS for Server as the GIS server. We also used Oracle database and ESRI file geodatabase to store spatial data and non-spatial data in order to ensure the data security. In addition, the response data from the Web server are resampled to implement rapid visualization through the browser. The experimental successes indicate that this system can quickly respond to user's requests, and efficiently return the accurate processing results.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2003 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the seventh season (1997-2003) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the fifth season (1999-2003) of acclimating the resultant progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies. In 2003, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from March 3, 2003 through to April 14, 2003 and a total of 242,776 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2001 egg source and included captive broodstock (141,860) and conventional broodstock (100,916) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2003 began April 30th, the first Chinook was captured on May 16, 2003 and the last Chinook was captured on September 21, 2003. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2003. A total of 464 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 239 natural origin fish and 225 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 45 natural and 4 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning, 366 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and 49 hatchery origin adult jack Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in underseeded habitat. Of the 49 adults retained for broodstock at Lookingglass Hatchery, 21 natural females and no hatchery origin females were represented in spawning. These females produced a total of 106,609 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 95.50% which yielded a total of 101,811 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 5,077 eggs per female. These eggs were incubated and at Lookingglass Hatchery until eyed stage. At eye they were transferred to Oxbow Hatchery where they were reared to the fingerling state at which time they were transported back to LGH until they were smolts in the spring of 2005. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2005.« less

hsp90 and hsp47 appear to play an important role in minnow Puntius sophore for surviving in the hot spring run-off aquatic ecosystem.

PubMed

Mahanty, Arabinda; Purohit, Gopal Krishna; Yadav, Ravi Prakash; Mohanty, Sasmita; Mohanty, Bimal Prasanna

2017-02-01

Changes in the expression of a number of hsp genes in minnow Puntius sophore collected from a hot spring run-off (Atri hot spring in Odisha, India; 20 o 09'N 85 ° 18'E, 36-38 °C) were investigated to study the upper thermal acclimation response under heat stress, using same species from aquaculture ponds (water temperature 27 °C) as control. Expression of hsp genes was analyzed in both groups using RT-qPCR, which showed up-regulation of hsp90 (2.1-fold) and hsp47 (2.5-fold) in hot spring run-off fishes, whereas there was no alteration in expression of other hsps. As the fish inhabit the hot spring run-off area for very long duration, they could have adapted to the environment. To test this hypothesis, fishes collected from hot spring run-off were divided into two groups; one was heat-shocked at 41 °C/24 h, and the other was acclimatized at 27 °C/24 h. Up-regulation of all the hsps (except hsp78) was observed in the heat-shocked fishes, whereas expression of all hsps was found to be down-regulated to the basal level in fishes maintained at 27 °C/24 h. Pathway analysis showed that the expressions of all the hsps except hsp90 are regulated by the transcription factor heat shock factor 1 (Hsf1). This study showed that hsp90 and hsp47 play an important role in Puntius sophore for surviving in the high-temperature environment of the hot spring run-off. Additionally, we show that plasticity in hsp gene expression is not lost in the hot spring run-off population.

Ovarian Cancer Training Program at the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-01

culture of salivary glands. Dr. Zhan adapted the technique used by Yamada et al , at NCI for use in organ cultures of embryonic urogenital ridge...limited to two years of funding and those positions will be re-competed both internally and nationally in the spring of 2006 . Specific Aim IV Review...additional support through the SPORE Program. In addition, the DOD funding is only three years in duration and hence, in the spring of 2006 Dr. Seiden will

Sulfolobus islandicus meta-populations in Yellowstone National Park hot springs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, Kate M.; Kouris, Angela; England, Whitney; Anderson, Rika E.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Whitaker, Rachel J.

2017-01-01

Abiotic and biotic forces shape the structure and evolution of microbial populations. We investigated forces that shape the spatial and temporal population structure of Sulfolobus islandicus by comparing geochemical and molecular analysis from seven hot springs in five regions sampled over 3 years in Yellowstone National Park. Through deep amplicon sequencing, we uncovered 148 unique alleles at two loci whose relative frequency provides clear evidence for independent populations in different hot springs. Although geography controls regional geochemical composition and population differentiation, temporal changes in population were not explained by corresponding variation in geochemistry. The data suggest that the influence of extinction, bottleneck events and/or selective sweeps within a spring and low migration between springs shape these populations. We suggest that hydrologic events such as storm events and surface snowmelt runoff destabilize smaller hot spring environments with smaller populations and result in high variation in the S. islandicus population over time. Therefore, physical abiotic features such as hot spring size and position in the landscape are important factors shaping the stability and diversity of the S. islandicus meta-population within Yellowstone National Park.

Diversity of dsDNA Viruses in a South African Hot Spring Assessed by Metagenomics and Microscopy.

PubMed

Zablocki, Olivier; van Zyl, Leonardo Joaquim; Kirby, Bronwyn; Trindade, Marla

2017-11-18

The current view of virus diversity in terrestrial hot springs is limited to a few sampling sites. To expand our current understanding of hot spring viral community diversity, this study aimed to investigate the first African hot spring (Brandvlei hot spring; 60 °C, pH 5.7) by means of electron microscopy and sequencing of the virus fraction. Microscopy analysis revealed a mixture of regular- and 'jumbo'-sized tailed morphotypes ( Caudovirales ), lemon-shaped virions ( Fuselloviridae- like; salterprovirus-like) and pleiomorphic virus-like particles. Metavirome analysis corroborated the presence of His1-like viruses and has expanded the current clade of salterproviruses using a polymerase B gene phylogeny. The most represented viral contig was to a cyanophage genome fragment, which may underline basic ecosystem functioning provided by these viruses. Furthermore, a putative Gemmata -related phage was assembled with high coverage, a previously undocumented phage-host association. This study demonstrated that a moderately thermophilic spring environment contained a highly novel pool of viruses and should encourage future characterization of a wider temperature range of hot springs throughout the world.

Equivalent Air Spring Suspension Model for Quarter-Passive Model of Passenger Vehicles

PubMed Central

Abid, Haider J.; Chen, Jie; Nassar, Ameen A.

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the GENSIS air spring suspension system equivalence to a passive suspension system. The SIMULINK simulation together with the OptiY optimization is used to obtain the air spring suspension model equivalent to passive suspension system, where the car body response difference from both systems with the same road profile inputs is used as the objective function for optimization (OptiY program). The parameters of air spring system such as initial pressure, volume of bag, length of surge pipe, diameter of surge pipe, and volume of reservoir are obtained from optimization. The simulation results show that the air spring suspension equivalent system can produce responses very close to the passive suspension system. PMID:27351020

Impacts of temperature and pH on the distribution of archaeal lipids in Yunnan hot springs, China

PubMed Central

Wu, Weiyan; Zhang, Chuanlun L.; Wang, Huanye; He, Liu; Li, Wenjun; Dong, Hailiang

2013-01-01

In culture experiments and many low temperature environments, the distribution of isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) commonly shows a strong correlation with temperature; however, this is often not the case in hot springs. We studied 26 hot springs in Yunnan, China, in order to determine whether temperature or other factors control the distribution of GDGTs in these environments. The hot springs ranged in temperature from 39.0 to 94.0°C, and in pH from 2.35 to 9.11. Water chemistry including nitrogen-, sulfur-, and iron species was also determined. Lipids from the samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Distributions of GDGTs in these hot springs were examined using cluster analysis, which resulted in two major groups. Group 1 was characterized by the lack of dominance of any individual GDGTs, while Group 2 was defined by the dominance of GDGT-0 or thaumarchaeol. Temperature was the main control on GDGT distribution in Group 1, whereas pH played an important role in the distribution of GDGTs in Group 2. However, no correlations were found between the distribution of GDGTs and any of the nitrogen-, sulfur-, or iron species. Results of this study indicate the dominance of temperature or pH control on archaeal lipid distribution, which can be better evaluated in the context of lipid classification. PMID:24194734

Seasonal variation of metabolism in lizard Phrynocephalus vlangalii at high altitude.

PubMed

Liang, Shiwei; Li, Weixin; Zhang, Yang; Tang, Xiaolong; He, Jianzheng; Bai, Yucheng; Li, Dongqin; Wang, Yan; Chen, Qiang

2017-01-01

Seasonal acclimatization is important for animals to live optimally in the varying environment. Phrynocephalus vlangalii, a species of lizard endemic in China, distributes on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ranging from 2000 to 4600m above sea level. To dissect how this lizard mediate metabolism to adapt various season, the preferred body temperature (Tb), standard metabolic rate (SMR), mitochondrial respiration rates and activities of four metabolic enzymes in this species were tested in different seasons (spring, summer, and autumn). The results showed that the preferred Tb was the lowest in spring and the highest in summer. SMR, maximal mitochondrial respiration rates in liver and skeletal muscle were the highest in spring. Similarly, higher activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), citrate synthase (CS) and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activities of liver and skeletal muscle were observed in spring. However, β-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (HOAD) activities of liver and skeletal muscle were higher in autumn. On the whole, seasonal variation of metabolism is the highest in spring and the lowest in summer. Seasonal variation of metabolism is the opposite of preferred body temperature, this may be one of the mechanisms to adapt to the environment in P. vlangalii. Our results suggested that P. vlangalii at high altitude has certain adaptive characteristics on metabolism in different seasons. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Programs, 2003 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffnagle, Timothy L.; Hair, Don; Carmichael, Richard W.

2004-07-01

BPA Fish and Wildlife Program Project Number 1998-01-001 provides funding for the Grande Ronde Basin Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Program. This report satisfies the requirement that an annual report be submitted for FY 2003. The Grande Ronde Basin Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Project is designed to rapidly increase numbers of salmon in stocks that are in imminent danger of extirpation. Parr are captured in Catherine Creek, upper Grande Ronde River and Lostine River and reared to adulthood in captivity. Upon maturation, these fish are spawned (within stocks) and their progeny reared to smoltification before being released into themore » natal stream of their parents. This program is co-managed by ODFW, National Marine Fisheries Service, Nez Perce Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This report covers activities conducted and provides data analyses for the Grande Ronde Spring Chinook Salmon Captive broodstock Program from 1 January--31 December 2003. Since the fiscal year ends in the middle of the spawning period, an annual report based on calendar year is more logical. This document is the FY 2003 annual report. Detailed information on historic and present population status, project background, goals and objectives, significance to regional programs and relationships to other programs, methods and previous results are available in the 1995-2002 Project Status Report (Hoffnagle et al 2003).« less

Microbial Diversity, Distribution and Insight into Their Role in S, Fe and N Biogeochemical Cycling in the Hot Springs at Tengchong Geothermal Fields, Southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Peng, X.; Zhang, L.

2014-12-01

Ten sediment samples collected from one acidic and three alkaline high temperature hot springs at Tengchong terrestrial geothermal field, Southwest China, were examined by the mineralogical, geochemical, and molecular biological techniques. The mineralogical and geochemical analyses suggested that these hot springs contain relative high concentrations of S, Fe and N chemical species. Specifically, the acidic hot spring was rich in Fe2+, SO42- and NH4+, while the alkaline hot springs were high in NO3-, H2S and S2O3-. Analyses of 16S rRNA sequences showed their bacterial communities were dominated by Aquificae, Cyanobacteria, Deinococci-Thermus, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Thermodesulfobacteria, while the archeal clone libraries were dominated by Desulfurococcales, Sulfolobales, and Thermoproteales. Among them, the potential S-, N- and Fe-related oxidizing and reducing prokaryote were presenting as a relative high proportion but with a great difference in diversity and metabolic approaches of each sample. These findings provide some significant implications for the microbial function in element biogeochemical cycles within the Tengchong geothermal environments: i). the distinct differences in abundance and diversity of microbial communities of geothermal sediments were related to in situ different physicochemical conditions; ii). the S-, N- and Fe-related prokaryote would take advantage of the strong chemical disequilibria in the hot springs; iii). in return, their metabolic activities can promote the transformation of S, Fe and N chemical species, thus founded the bases of biogeochemical cycles in the terrestrial geothermal environments.

University Center Surveys, Spring 2001. Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gribbons, Barry C; Meuschke, Daylene M; Dixon, P. Scott

The office of Institutional Development and Technology at the Santa Clarita Community College District, California, conducted surveys of Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Residents and Santa Clarita Valley business executives during the Spring 2001 semester to assess the advanced training and degree program needs for the proposed University Center.…

12 CFR 790.2 - Central and regional office organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5200, Austin, TX... management of conservatorships. The address of AMAC is 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5100, Austin, Texas... and conducting research in support of NCUA programs, and for preparing reports on research activities...

12 CFR 790.2 - Central and regional office organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5200, Austin, TX... management of conservatorships. The address of AMAC is 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5100, Austin, Texas... and conducting research in support of NCUA programs, and for preparing reports on research activities...

When Push comes to Shove and Much More: Spring Internet World '97.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healy, Helen; Rolls, Linda

1997-01-01

Covers the five keynote addresses as well as three program presentations delivered at the Spring Internet World (1997) conference in Los Angeles. Highlights exhibited products (offline browsers and tools, push technology and foreign-language applications), online financial services and miscellaneous networks. (AEF)

Alternative Spring Break at the Savannah College of Art and Design: Engaging Art and Design Students in Community Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoey, J. Joseph; Feld-Gore, Jeffrey A.

2014-01-01

This chapter describes the impact of an alternative spring break program on students at the Savannah College of Art and Design over a set of years as well as its effectiveness as a service-learning tool.

Biogeographic congruency among bacterial communities from terrestrial sulfidic springs

PubMed Central

Headd, Brendan; Engel, Annette S.

2014-01-01

Terrestrial sulfidic springs support diverse microbial communities by serving as stable conduits for geochemically diverse and nutrient-rich subsurface waters. Microorganisms that colonize terrestrial springs likely originate from groundwater, but may also be sourced from the surface. As such, the biogeographic distribution of microbial communities inhabiting sulfidic springs should be controlled by a combination of spring geochemistry and surface and subsurface transport mechanisms, and not necessarily geographic proximity to other springs. We examined the bacterial diversity of seven springs to test the hypothesis that occurrence of taxonomically similar microbes, important to the sulfur cycle, at each spring is controlled by geochemistry. Complementary Sanger sequencing and 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes retrieved five proteobacterial classes, and Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes phyla from all springs, which suggested the potential for a core sulfidic spring microbiome. Among the putative sulfide-oxidizing groups (Epsilonproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria), up to 83% of the sequences from geochemically similar springs clustered together. Abundant populations of Hydrogenimonas-like or Sulfurovum-like spp. (Epsilonproteobacteria) occurred with abundant Thiothrix and Thiofaba spp. (Gammaproteobacteria), but Arcobacter-like and Sulfurimonas spp. (Epsilonproteobacteria) occurred with less abundant gammaproteobacterial populations. These distribution patterns confirmed that geochemistry rather than biogeography regulates bacterial dominance at each spring. Potential biogeographic controls were related to paleogeologic sedimentation patterns that could control long-term microbial transport mechanisms that link surface and subsurface environments. Knowing the composition of a core sulfidic spring microbial community could provide a way to monitor diversity changes if a system is threatened by anthropogenic processes or climate change. PMID:25250021

Blob-Spring Model for the Dynamics of Ring Polymer in Obstacle Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lele, Ashish K.; Iyer, Balaji V. S.; Juvekar, Vinay A.

2008-07-01

The dynamical behavior of cyclic macromolecules in a fixed obstacle (FO) environment is very different than the behavior of linear chains in the same topological environment; while the latter relax by a snake-like reptational motion from their chain ends the former can relax only by contour length fluctuations since they are endless. Duke, Obukhov and Rubinstein proposed a scaling model (the DOR model) to interpret the dynamical scaling exponents shown by Monte Carlo simulations of rings in a FO environment. We present a model (blob-spring model) to describe the dynamics of flexible and non-concatenated ring polymer in FO environment based on a theoretical formulation developed for the dynamics of an unentangled fractal polymer. We argue that the perpetual evolution of ring perimeter by the motion of contour segments results in an extra frictional load. Our model predicts self-similar dynamics with scaling exponents for the molecular weight dependence of diffusion coefficient and relaxation times that are in agreement with the scaling model proposed by Obukhov et al.

Metagenomic Evaluation of Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity in the Geothermal Hot Springs of Manikaran, India

PubMed Central

Pathak, Ashish; Green, Stefan J.; Joshi, Amit; Chauhan, Ashvini

2015-01-01

Bacterial and archaeal diversity in geothermal spring water were investigated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon metagenomic sequencing. This revealed the dominance of Firmicutes, Aquificae, and the Deinococcus-Thermus group in this thermophilic environment. A number of sequences remained taxonomically unresolved, indicating the presence of potentially novel microbes in this unique habitat. PMID:25700403

Hunter-gatherer adaptations and environmental change in the southern Great Basin: The evidence from Pahute and Rainier mesas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pippin, L.C.

This paper reviews the evidence for fluctuations in past environments in the southern Great Basin and examines how these changes may have affected the strategies followed by past hunter and gatherers in their utilization of the resources available on a highland in this region. The evidence used to reconstruct past environments for the region include botanical remains from packrat middens, pollen spectra from lake and spring deposits, faunal remains recovered from archaeological and geologic contexts, tree-ring indices from trees located in sensitive (tree-line) environments, and eolian, alluvial and fluvial sediments deposited in a variety of contexts. Interpretations of past huntermore » and gatherer adaptive strategies are based on a sample of 1,311 archaeological sites recorded during preconstruction surveys on Pahute and Rainier mesas in advance of the US Department of Energy`s nuclear weapons testing program. Projectile point chronologies and available tree-ring, radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and obsidian hydration dates were used to assign these archaeological sites to specific periods of use.« less

Age, state, environment, and season dependence of senescence in body mass.

PubMed

Kroeger, Svenja B; Blumstein, Daniel T; Armitage, Kenneth B; Reid, Jane M; Martin, Julien G A

2018-02-01

Senescence is a highly variable process that comprises both age-dependent and state-dependent components and can be greatly affected by environmental conditions. However, few studies have quantified the magnitude of age-dependent and state-dependent senescence in key life-history traits across individuals inhabiting different spatially structured and seasonal environments. We used longitudinal data from wild female yellow-bellied marmots ( Marmota flaviventer ), living in two adjacent environments that differ in elevation and associated phenology, to quantify how age and individual state, measured as "time to death," affect body mass senescence in different environments. Further, we quantified how patterns of senescence differed between two biologically distinct seasons, spring, and late summer. Body mass senescence had an age-dependent component, expressed as a decrease in mass in old age. Overall, estimated age-dependent senescence was greater in females living in the more favorable lower elevation environment, than in the harsher higher elevation environment, and greater in late summer than in spring. Body mass senescence also had a state-dependent component, captured by effects of time to death, but only in the more favorable lower elevation environment. In spring, body mass gradually decreased from 2 years before death, whereas in late summer, state-dependent effects were expressed as a terminal decrease in body mass in the last year of life. Contrary to expectations, we found that senescence was more likely to be observed under more favorable environmental conditions, rather than under harsher conditions. By further demonstrating that senescence patterns differ among seasons, our results imply that within-year temporal environmental variation must be considered alongside spatial environmental variation in order to characterize and understand the pattern and magnitude of senescence in wild populations.

Supplement Analysis for the Grande Ronde Basin Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program EA (DOE/EA-1173/SA-01)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

N /A

2003-12-18

The CTUIR and ODFW propose to expand their monitoring and evaluation for the Grande Ronde spring chinook supplementation program to take additional data on summer steelhead that are trapped at the existing adult collection weirs on the upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek. The weirs are a movable design and are operated seasonally during the adult chinook migration. Bull trout and summer steelhead have been trapped at the weirs since 1997 incidental to the spring chinook broodstock collection activities. Minimal data is recorded on both species as a requirement of the ESA permits, and reported to USFWS and NOAAmore » Fisheries. This supplement analysis covers a minor expansion of the program to collect more extensive life history data on summer steelhead. The weir and trap will be installed 2-3 weeks earlier (early to mid-March) than was previously needed for the spring chinook broodstock collection in order to monitor the summer steelhead migration period. The adult steelhead will be captured in the traps, anesthetized, and measured. Data will be recorded on the date of capture, fork length, sex, markings, and maturity of the fish, and scale and punch tissue samples will be taken for genetic analyses.« less

A case for ancient springs in Arabia Terra, Mars.

PubMed

Allen, Carlton C; Oehler, Dorothy Z

2008-12-01

Based on new image data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a case can be made that several structures in Vernal Crater, Arabia Terra are ancient springs. This interpretation is based on comprehensive geomorphologic analysis coupled with assessment of multiple hypotheses. The structures identified extend across several kilometers and are exceptional in that nothing with their detail and scale has been reported from Mars. The deposits are associated with an extensive fracture system that may have facilitated upward flow of warm fluids. Several additional spring-like features occur in Vernal Crater, and it is possible that these are part of a major province of spring activity. Since springs are environments where life could have evolved on Mars, where that life could have found refuge as the climate became colder and drier, and where signatures of that life may be preserved, Vernal Crater may be a site of major astrobiological importance.

Extreme fractionation of 234U 238U and 230Th 234U in spring waters, sediments, and fossils at the Pomme de Terre Valley, southwestern Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Szabo, B. J.

1982-01-01

Isotopic fractionation as great as 1600% exists between 234U and 238U in spring waters, sediments, and fossils in the Pomme de Terre Valley, southwestern Missouri. The activity ratios of 234U 238U in five springs range from 7.2 to 16 in water which has been discharged for at least the past 30,000 years. The anomalies in 234U 238U ratio in deep water have potential usefulness in hydrologic investigations in southern Missouri. Clayey units overlying the spring bog sediments of Trolinger Spring are enriched in 230Th relative to their parent 234U by as much as 720%. The results indicate that both preferential displacement via alpha recoil ejection and the preferential emplacement via recoiling and physical entrapment are significant processes that are occurring in the geologic environment. ?? 1982.

12 CFR 790.2 - Central and field office organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., Wisconsin 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5200, Austin, TX 78759-8490. V Alaska, Arizona, American Samoa... management of conservatorships. The address of AMAC is 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5100, Austin, Texas... developing and conducting research in support of NCUA programs, and for preparing reports on research...

Colorado geothermal commercialization program: community development of geothermal energy in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coe, B.A.

1980-01-01

A district heating system for the Pagosa Springs central business district is in the planning stage. A detailed analysis of the project is presented. It comprises area and site specific studies and describes in detail the recent, current, anticipated, and postulated geothermal development activities. (MHR)

Culminating Experience Action Research Projects, Volume 3, Spring 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAllister, Deborah A., Ed.; Moyer, Peggy S., Ed.

This document presents the course syllabus for Education 590 Culminating Experience at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's teacher licensure program. It also includes action research projects from spring 2003: "'To Track or Untrack...That Is the Question'" (Sarah Armes); "Providing Urban Students with the Motivation to…

Remarkable morphological diversity of viruses and virus-like particles in hot terrestrial environments.

PubMed

Rachel, R; Bettstetter, M; Hedlund, B P; Häring, M; Kessler, A; Stetter, K O; Prangishvili, D

2002-12-01

Electron microscopic studies of the viruses in two hot springs (85 degrees C, pH 1.5-2.0, and 75-93 degrees C, pH 6.5) in Yellowstone National Park revealed particles with twelve different morphotypes. This diversity encompassed known viruses of hyperthermophilic archaea, filamentous Lipothrixviridae, rod-shaped Rudiviridae, and spindle-shaped Fuselloviridae, and novel morphotypes previously not observed in nature. Two virus types resembled head-and-tail bacteriophages from the families Siphoviridae and Podoviridae, and constituted the first observation of these viruses in a hydrothermal environment. Viral hosts in the acidic spring were members of the hyperthermophilic archaeal genus Acidianus.

The vital nature of environment.

PubMed

Alligood, Martha Raile

2011-04-01

The nursing perspective includes the environment of a person, family, or community and there is global acceptance of environment as a disciplinary boundary. However, there are important distinctions among the conceptual models of nursing with regard to the meaning of the term. These differences spring from the worldview and philosophy that tailor its focus and fit.

Development Testing and Subsequent Failure Investigation of a Spring Strut Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dervan, Jared; Robertson, Brandan; Staab, Lucas; Culberson, Michael; Pellicciotti, Joseph

2014-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and Lockheed Martin (LM) performed random vibration testing on a single spring strut development unit to assess its ability to withstand qualification level random vibration environments. Failure of the strut while exposed to random vibration resulted in a follow-on failure investigation, design changes, and additional development tests. This paper focuses on the results of the failure investigations referenced in detail in the NESC final report [1] including identified lessons learned to aid in future design iterations of the spring strut and to help other mechanism developers avoid similar pitfalls.

Development Testing and Subsequent Failure Investigation of a Spring Strut Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dervan, Jared; Robertson, Brandon; Staab, Lucas; Culberson, Michael; Pellicciotti, Joseph

2014-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and Lockheed Martin (LM) performed random vibration testing on a single spring strut development unit to assess its ability to withstand qualification level random vibration environments. Failure of the strut while exposed to random vibration resulted in a follow-on failure investigation, design changes, and additional development tests. This paper focuses on the results of the failure investigations referenced in detail in the NESC final report including identified lessons learned to aid in future design iterations of the spring strut and to help other mechanism developers avoid similar pitfalls.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2006 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the tenth season (1997-2006) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the eighth season (1999-2006) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies In 2006, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from February 27, 2006 through to April 10, 2006 and a total of 240,568 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2004 egg source and included captive brood (40,982) and conventional (199,586) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2006 began May 15th, the first Chinook was captured on June 14, 2006 and the last Chinook was captured on September 27, 2006. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2006. A total of 534 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 205 natural origin fish and 329 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 33 natural and 120 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning and 397 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally. In 2006, no hatchery origin adult Chinook were transported and out planted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in under seeded habitat. In order to meet egg take goals for the conventional portion of the program, a determination was made that approximately 147 adults were needed for broodstock. As a result 16 (8 males and 8 females) of the 153 fish collected for broodstock were returned to the Lostine River to spawn naturally. Females that were spawned and provided the brood source were made up of 12 natural females and 45 supplementation females. One of these females tested positive for high levels of Bacterial Kidney Disease and consequently this females eggs were destroyed. The remaining females produced a total of 241,372 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 85.47% which yielded a total of 206,309 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,162 eggs per female. The brood year 2006 eggs will be incubated and reared at Lookingglass Hatchery until they are smolts in the spring of 2008. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2008.« less

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2007 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the eleventh season (1997-2007) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the ninth season (1999-2007) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies In 2007, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from 3/5/07 through to 4/17/07 and a total of 230,010 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2005 egg source and included captive brood (24,604) and conventional (205,406) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2007 began May 14th. The first Chinook was captured on June 2, 2007 and the last Chinook was captured on September 25, 2007. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2007. A total of 637 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 240 natural origin fish and 397 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 41 natural and 81 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning, 403 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and only hatchery origin jack Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek in underseeded habitat. Of the 122 adult fish retained for broodstock, 20 natural females and 40 supplementation females were represented in spawning. The eggs from these females produced a total of 267,350 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 86.73% which yielded a total of 231,882 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,456 eggs per female. These eggs will be incubated and reared at Lookingglass Hatchery until they are smolts in the spring of 2009. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2009. Due to the success of the 2007 egg collection, the number of fish produced exceeded program needs and facility capabilities. As a result, there are plans to outplant fry in 2008 and parr in early 2009 to underseeded habitat in the Wallowa River.« less

Arms Control and Disarmament, Volume 8, Number 2, Spring 1972. A Quarterly Bibliography with Abstracts and Annotations

DTIC Science & Technology

Contents: Preface; The international political environment; The strategic environment; Institutions and means for the maintenance of peace; Arms control--general discussion; Arms control--specific problems and measures; Author index ; Subject index.

Programs for Engagement and Enhancement. Professional File. Article 131, Spring 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crisp, Gloria; Palacios, Lisa; Kaulfus, John

2013-01-01

The following article describes programs used by universities and colleges to engage students; these programs include mentoring, learning communities, and first-year success courses and programs. We begin with a brief overview of student development theory, program descriptions and citations, and article summaries for key references. Next, we…

Application of Composite Materials to Truck Components: Leaf Springs and Propeller Shafts for 5-Ton Trucks

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

Fiberglass-Epoxy Resin Matrix Composites 2(L ABSTRACT (Caautlrue am reverse de bf IHI wee•a’y d Identify by block number) The objective of the program was to...Army truck are designed using resin matrix composite materials. Both design studies and prototype fabrication and testing are included in the program...For the leaf springs (both front and rear) a hybrid design using steel DD FOR 143 ED#T1ON OF I NOV65 IS OBSOLETE SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE

Functional analysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index curves reveals overwinter mule deer survival is driven by both spring and autumn phenology

PubMed Central

Hurley, Mark A.; Hebblewhite, Mark; Gaillard, Jean-Michel; Dray, Stéphane; Taylor, Kyle A.; Smith, W. K.; Zager, Pete; Bonenfant, Christophe

2014-01-01

Large herbivore populations respond strongly to remotely sensed measures of primary productivity. Whereas most studies in seasonal environments have focused on the effects of spring plant phenology on juvenile survival, recent studies demonstrated that autumn nutrition also plays a crucial role. We tested for both direct and indirect (through body mass) effects of spring and autumn phenology on winter survival of 2315 mule deer fawns across a wide range of environmental conditions in Idaho, USA. We first performed a functional analysis that identified spring and autumn as the key periods for structuring the among-population and among-year variation of primary production (approximated from 1 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) along the growing season. A path analysis showed that early winter precipitation and direct and indirect effects of spring and autumn NDVI functional components accounted for 45% of observed variation in overwinter survival. The effect size of autumn phenology on body mass was about twice that of spring phenology, while direct effects of phenology on survival were similar between spring and autumn. We demonstrate that the effects of plant phenology vary across ecosystems, and that in semi-arid systems, autumn may be more important than spring for overwinter survival. PMID:24733951

Overview of NASA tire experimental programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, J. A.

1983-01-01

Ongoing aircraft tire experimental programs are reported. These programs are designed to measure profile growth due to inflation pressure and vertical loading, contact pressures in the tire footprint, and a number of tire mechanical properties including spring, damping, and relaxation characteristics.

FHWA research and technology evaluation program summary report spring 2016

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

This report summarizes the 16 evaluations being conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center on behalf of FHWAs Research and Technology Program. The FHWA R&T Program furthers the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Centers goal of...

Biomediated Precipitation of Calcium Carbonate in a Slightly Acidic Hot Spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, L.

2015-12-01

A slightly acidic hot spring named "Female Tower" (T=73.5 °C, pH=6.64) is located in the Jifei Geothermal Field, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The precipitates in the hot spring are composed of large amounts of calcite, aragonite, and sulfur. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed that the microbial mats were formed of various coccoid, rod-shaped, and filamentous microbes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the intracellular sulfur granules were commonly associated with these microbes. A culture-independent molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the majority of the bacteria in the spring were sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. In the spring water, H2S concentration was up to 60 ppm, while SO42- concentration was only about 10 ppm. We speculated that H2S might be utilized by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in this hot spring water, leading to the intracellular formation of sulfur granules. In the meantime, this reaction increased the pH in the micron-scale microdomains, which fostered the precipitation of calcium carbonate in the microbial mats. The results of this study indicated that the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria could play an important role in calcium carbonate precipitation in slightly acidic hot spring environments.

Microbial Diversity and Lipid Abundance in Microbial Mats from a Sulfidic, Saline, Warm Spring in Utah, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, J.; Edwardson, C.; Mackey, T. J.; Dzaugis, M.; Ibarra, Y.; Course 2012, G.; Frantz, C. M.; Osburn, M. R.; Hirst, M.; Williamson, C.; Hanselmann, K.; Caporaso, J.; Sessions, A. L.; Spear, J. R.

2012-12-01

The microbial diversity of Stinking Springs, a sulfidic, saline, warm spring northeast of the Great Salt Lake was investigated. The measured pH, temperature, salinity, and sulfide concentration along the flow path ranged from 6.64-7.77, 40-28° C, 2.9-2.2%, and 250 μM to negligible, respectively. Five sites were selected along the flow path and within each site microbial mats were dissected into depth profiles based on the color and texture of the mat layers. Genomic DNA was extracted from each layer, and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced on the Roche 454 Titanium platform. Fatty acids were also extracted from the mat layers and analyzed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The mats at Stinking Springs were classified into roughly two morphologies with respect to their spatial distribution: loose, sometimes floating mats proximal to the spring source; and thicker, well-laminated mats distal to the spring source. Loosely-laminated mats were found in turbulent stream flow environments, whereas well-laminated mats were common in less turbulent sheet flows. Phototrophs, sulfur oxidizers, sulfate reducers, methanogens, other bacteria and archaea were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequences. Diatoms, identified by microscopy and lipid analysis were found to increase in abundance with distance from the source. Methanogens were generally more abundant in deeper mat laminae. Photoheterotrophs were found in all mat layers. Microbial diversity increased significantly with depth at most sites. In addition, two distinct microbial streamers were identified and characterized at the two fast flowing sites. These two streamer varieties were dominated by either cyanobacteria or flavobacteria. Overall, our genomic and lipid analysis suggest that the physical and chemical environment is more predictive of the community composition than mat morphology. Site Map

Adaptive latitudinal variation in Common Blackbird Turdus merula nest characteristics

PubMed Central

Mainwaring, Mark C; Deeming, D Charles; Jones, Chris I; Hartley, Ian R

2014-01-01

Nest construction is taxonomically widespread, yet our understanding of adaptive intraspecific variation in nest design remains poor. Nest characteristics are expected to vary adaptively in response to predictable variation in spring temperatures over large spatial scales, yet such variation in nest design remains largely overlooked, particularly amongst open-cup-nesting birds. Here, we systematically examined the effects of latitudinal variation in spring temperatures and precipitation on the morphology, volume, composition, and insulatory properties of open-cup-nesting Common Blackbirds’ Turdus merula nests to test the hypothesis that birds living in cooler environments at more northerly latitudes would build better insulated nests than conspecifics living in warmer environments at more southerly latitudes. As spring temperatures increased with decreasing latitude, the external diameter of nests decreased. However, as nest wall thickness also decreased, there was no variation in the diameter of the internal nest cups. Only the mass of dry grasses within nests decreased with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes. The insulatory properties of nests declined with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes and nests containing greater amounts of dry grasses had higher insulatory properties. The insulatory properties of nests decreased with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes, via changes in morphology (wall thickness) and composition (dry grasses). Meanwhile, spring precipitation did not vary with latitude, and none of the nest characteristics varied with spring precipitation. This suggests that Common Blackbirds nesting at higher latitudes were building nests with thicker walls in order to counteract the cooler temperatures. We have provided evidence that the nest construction behavior of open-cup-nesting birds systematically varies in response to large-scale spatial variation in spring temperatures. PMID:24683466

Adaptive latitudinal variation in Common Blackbird Turdus merula nest characteristics.

PubMed

Mainwaring, Mark C; Deeming, D Charles; Jones, Chris I; Hartley, Ian R

2014-03-01

Nest construction is taxonomically widespread, yet our understanding of adaptive intraspecific variation in nest design remains poor. Nest characteristics are expected to vary adaptively in response to predictable variation in spring temperatures over large spatial scales, yet such variation in nest design remains largely overlooked, particularly amongst open-cup-nesting birds. Here, we systematically examined the effects of latitudinal variation in spring temperatures and precipitation on the morphology, volume, composition, and insulatory properties of open-cup-nesting Common Blackbirds' Turdus merula nests to test the hypothesis that birds living in cooler environments at more northerly latitudes would build better insulated nests than conspecifics living in warmer environments at more southerly latitudes. As spring temperatures increased with decreasing latitude, the external diameter of nests decreased. However, as nest wall thickness also decreased, there was no variation in the diameter of the internal nest cups. Only the mass of dry grasses within nests decreased with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes. The insulatory properties of nests declined with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes and nests containing greater amounts of dry grasses had higher insulatory properties. The insulatory properties of nests decreased with warmer temperatures at lower latitudes, via changes in morphology (wall thickness) and composition (dry grasses). Meanwhile, spring precipitation did not vary with latitude, and none of the nest characteristics varied with spring precipitation. This suggests that Common Blackbirds nesting at higher latitudes were building nests with thicker walls in order to counteract the cooler temperatures. We have provided evidence that the nest construction behavior of open-cup-nesting birds systematically varies in response to large-scale spatial variation in spring temperatures.

Come Join the Band

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Cathy Applefeld

2011-01-01

A growing number of students in Blue Springs, Missouri, are joining the band, drawn by a band director who emphasizes caring and inclusiveness. In the four years since Melissia Goff arrived at Blue Springs High School, the school's extensive band program has swelled. The marching band alone has gone from 100 to 185 participants. Also under Goff's…

Culminating Experience Empirical and Theoretical Research Projects, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Spring, 2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Sandy White, Ed.

2005-01-01

This document represents a sample collection of master's theses from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Teacher Education Program, spring semester, 2005. The majority of these student researchers were simultaneously student teaching while writing their theses. Studies were empirical and conceptual in nature and demonstrate some ways in…

Spring Birds. A Spring Activity Packet for First Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson Community Coll., MI. Dahlem Environmental Education Center.

This instructional packet is one of 14 school environmental education programs developed for use in the classroom and at the Dahlem Environmental Education Center (DEEC) of the Jackson Community College (Michigan). Provided in the packet are pre-trip activities, field trip activities, and post-trip activities which focus on the characteristics of…

Eogenetic karst hydrology: insights from the 2004 hurricanes, peninsular Florida.

PubMed

Florea, Lee J; Vacher, H L

2007-01-01

Eogenetic karst lies geographically and temporally close to the depositional environment of limestone in warm marine water at low latitude, in areas marked by midafternoon thunderstorms during a summer rainy season. Spring hydrographs from such an environment in north-central Florida are characterized by smooth, months-long, seasonal maxima. The passage of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in September 2004 over three field locations shows how the eogenetic karst of the Upper Floridan Aquifer responds to unequivocal recharge events. Hydrographs at wells in the High Springs area, Rainbow Springs, and at Morris, Briar, and Bat Caves all responded promptly with a similar drawn-out rise to a maximum that extended long into the winter dry season. The timing indicates that the typical hydrograph of eogenetic karst is not the short-term fluctuations of springs in epigenic, telogenetic karst, or the smoothed response to all the summer thunderstorms, but rather the protracted response of the system to rainfall that exceeds a threshold. The similarity of cave and noncave hydrographs indicates distributed autogenic recharge and a free communication between secondary porosity and permeable matrix-both of which differ from the hydrology of epigenic, telogenetic karst. At Briar Cave, drip rates lagged behind the water table rise, suggesting that recharge was delivered by fractures, which control the cave's morphology. At High Springs, hydrographs at the Santa Fe River and a submerged conduit apparently connected to it show sharp maxima after the storms, unlike the other cave hydrographs. Our interpretation is that the caves, in general, are discontinuous.

Effectiveness of an integrated hatchery program: Can genetic-based performance differences between hatchery and wild Chinook salmon be avoided?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayes, Michael C.; Reisenbichler, Reginald R.; Rubin, Stephen P.; Drake, Deanne C.; Stenberg, Karl D.; Young, Sewall F.

2013-01-01

Performance of wild (W) and hatchery (H) spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was evaluated for a sixth generation hatchery program. Management techniques to minimize genetic divergence from the wild stock included regular use of wild broodstock and volitional releases of juveniles. Performance of HH, WW, and HW (hatchery female spawned with wild male) crosses was compared in hatchery and stream environments. The WW juveniles emigrated from the hatchery at two to three times the rate of HH fish in the fall (HW intermediate) and 35% more HH than WW adults returned (27% more HW than WW adults). Performance in the stream did not differ statistically between HH and WW fish, but outmigrants (38% WW, 30% HW, and 32% HH fish) during the first 39 days of the 16-month sampling period composed 74% of total outmigrants. Differences among hatchery-reared crosses were partially due to additive genetic effects, were consistent with domestication (increased fitness for the hatchery population in the hatchery program), and suggested that selection against fall emigration from the hatchery was a possible mechanism of domestication.

Independent colonization and extensive cryptic speciation of freshwater amphipods in the isolated groundwater springs of Australia's Great Artesian Basin.

PubMed

Murphy, Nicholas P; Adams, Mark; Austin, Andrew D

2009-01-01

The groundwater-dependent springs of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in arid inland Australia represent a unique and threatened ecosystem. These incredibly isolated springs support a diverse array of endemic flora and fauna. One of the common faunal groups in the GAB springs is the freshwater amphipods of the family Chiltoniidae. The morphological conservatism and taxonomic uncertainty associated with these amphipods has ensured their true biodiversity, phylogeographical history and evolutionary affinities have remained unknown. We have used mitochondrial DNA and allozyme data to unravel a complicated history of isolation, extinction and dispersal among spring amphipod populations across the GAB. The results provide evidence for multiple independent colonizations in the GAB springs, particularly within the Lake Eyre group of springs. The inclusion of a group of Western Australian (WA) stygobitic amphipods from populations up to 1500 km away found surprising evidence for a shared evolutionary history between stygobitic and GAB spring amphipods. Approximate dating of the diversity found between major clades suggests the majority of lineages originated in the late Miocene, around the time of the aridification of inland Australia. The large number of independent lineages and the close connection between GAB spring and WA stygobitic amphipods suggest that a significantly rich amphipod fauna existed in the much wetter environment that once existed in inland Australia. The results also provide evidence for a gross underestimation of the species diversity within the springs, with 12 putative species identified, a conclusion with significant implications for the ongoing conservation of the GAB springs.

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2013–2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.; Mason, Jon P.

2017-12-07

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area. Precipitation in the area typically is between 6 and 16 inches per year.The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2013 to December 2015. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals (pumping), (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry.In 2013, total groundwater withdrawals were 3,980 acre-feet (ft), in 2014 total withdrawals were 4,170 acre-ft, and in 2015 total withdrawals were 3,970 acre-ft. From 2013 to 2015 total withdrawals varied by less than 5 percent.From 2014 to 2015, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 9 of 15 wells that were available for comparison in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was -0.1 feet. Water levels declined in 3 of 16 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was 0.6 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2015, the median water-level change for 34 wells in both the confined and unconfined areas was -13.2 feet; the median water-level changes were -1.7 feet for 16 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -42.3 feet for 18 wells measured in the confined area.Spring flow was measured at four springs in 2014. Flow fluctuated during the period of record for Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso, but a decreasing trend was statistically significant (p<0.05) at Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring. Discharge at Burro Spring has remained relatively constant since it was first measured in the 1980s and discharge at Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso has fluctuated for the period of record. Trend analysis for discharge at Moenkopi and Pasture Canyon Springs yielded a slope significantly different (p<0.05) from zero.Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2015), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2015), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2015), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2015). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, which suggests no change in groundwater discharge.In 2014, water samples collected from four springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses. Dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 25 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied significantly (p>0.05) since the early 1980s, and there is no increasing or decreasing trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record, but there is no increasing or decreasing statistical trend in the data.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Monitoring and Evaluation, 2002 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Weldert, Rey F.; Crump, Carrie A.

2003-03-01

This is the fifth annual report of a multi-year project to operate adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Conventional and captive broodstock supplementation techniques are being used to restore spring chinook salmon fisheries in these streams. Statement of Work Objectives for 2002: (1) Plan for, administer, coordinate and assist comanagers in GRESCP M&E activities. (2) Evaluate performance of supplemented juvenile spring chinook salmon. (3) Evaluate life history differences between wild andmore » hatchery-origin (F{sub 1}) adult spring chinook salmon. (4) Describe life history characteristics and genetics of adult summer steelhead collected at weirs.« less

Effects of Wintering Environment and Parasite–Pathogen Interactions on Honey Bee Colony Loss in North Temperate Regions

PubMed Central

Currie, Robert W.

2016-01-01

Extreme winter losses of honey bee colonies are a major threat to beekeeping but the combinations of factors underlying colony loss remain debatable. We monitored colonies in two environments (colonies wintered indoors or outdoors) and characterized the effects of two parasitic mites, seven viruses, and Nosema on honey bee colony mortality and population loss over winter. Samples were collected from two locations within hives in fall, mid-winter and spring of 2009/2010. Although fall parasite and pathogen loads were similar in outdoor and indoor-wintered colonies, the outdoor-wintered colonies had greater relative reductions in bee population score over winter. Seasonal patterns in deformed wing virus (DWV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), and Nosema level also differed with the wintering environment. DWV and Nosema levels decreased over winter for indoor-wintered colonies but BQCV did not. Both BQCV and Nosema concentration increased over winter in outdoor-wintered colonies. The mean abundance of Varroa decreased and concentration of Sacbrood virus (SBV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), and Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) increased over winter but seasonal patterns were not affected by wintering method. For most viruses, either entrance or brood area samples were reasonable predictors of colony virus load but there were significant season*sample location interactions for Nosema and BQCV, indicating that care must be taken when selecting samples from a single location. For Nosema spp., the fall entrance samples were better predictors of future infestation levels than were fall brood area samples. For indoor-wintered colonies, Israeli acute paralysis virus IAPV concentration was negatively correlated with spring population size. For outdoor-wintered hives, spring Varroa abundance and DWV concentration were positively correlated with bee loss and negatively correlated with spring population size. Multivariate analyses for fall collected samples indicated higher DWV was associated with colony death as did high SBV for spring-collected samples. PMID:27448049

Cold Saline Springs in Permafrost on Earth and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heldann, Jennifer; Toon, Owen B.

2003-01-01

This report summarizes the research results which have emanated from work conducted on Cold Saline Springs in Permafrost on Earth and Mars. Three separate avenues of research including 1) terrestrial field work, 2) analysis of spacecraft data, and 3) numerical modeling were explored to provide a comprehensive investigation of water in the polar desert environments of both Earth and Mars. These investigations and their results are summarized.

THE EPA'S ROLE IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

EPA Science Inventory

Some say environmentalism started with Rachel Carson's book entitled Silent Spring. This best seller in addition to decades of the effects of pollution on people's lives surely contributed to help shift public opinion regarding the environment. This "shift" culminated with the bi...

A Systematic Approach to Predicting Spring Force for Sagittal Craniosynostosis Surgery.

PubMed

Zhang, Guangming; Tan, Hua; Qian, Xiaohua; Zhang, Jian; Li, King; David, Lisa R; Zhou, Xiaobo

2016-05-01

Spring-assisted surgery (SAS) can effectively treat scaphocephaly by reshaping crania with the appropriate spring force. However, it is difficult to accurately estimate spring force without considering biomechanical properties of tissues. This study presents and validates a reliable system to accurately predict the spring force for sagittal craniosynostosis surgery. The authors randomly chose 23 patients who underwent SAS and had been followed for at least 2 years. An elastic model was designed to characterize the biomechanical behavior of calvarial bone tissue for each individual. After simulating the contact force on accurate position of the skull strip with the springs, the finite element method was applied to calculating the stress of each tissue node based on the elastic model. A support vector regression approach was then used to model the relationships between biomechanical properties generated from spring force, bone thickness, and the change of cephalic index after surgery. Therefore, for a new patient, the optimal spring force can be predicted based on the learned model with virtual spring simulation and dynamic programming approach prior to SAS. Leave-one-out cross-validation was implemented to assess the accuracy of our prediction. As a result, the mean prediction accuracy of this model was 93.35%, demonstrating the great potential of this model as a useful adjunct for preoperative planning tool.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2004 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the eighth season (1997-2004) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the sixth season (1999-2004) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progency for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies. In 2004, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from March 1, 2004 through to April 14, 2004 and a total of 250,249 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2002 egg source and included captive brood (133,781) and conventional (116,468) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2004 began May 10, the first Chinook was captured on May 19, 2004 and the last Chinook was captured on September 16, 2004. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2004. A total of 1,091 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 299 natural origin fish and 792 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 46 natural and 69 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to Lookingglass Hatchery for holding and spawning, 537 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and 447 hatchery origin adult Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in underseeded habitat. Of the 107 adults retained (eight additional hatchery females were collected and then later returned to the Lostine River to spawn naturally) for broodstock at Lookingglass Hatchery, 22 natural females and 30 supplementation females were represented in spawning. These females produced a total of 221,889 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 94.9% which yielded a total of 210,661 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,267 eggs per female. These eggs were incubated and at Lookingglass Hatchery until eyed stage and then transferred to Oxbow Hatchery where they will be reared to the fingerling stage. They will then be transported back to LGH and reared to the smolt stage and then transported to the Lostine acclimation facility for release in the spring of 2006. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2006.« less

Transportation Observations, Considerations, and Recommendations for Spring Mountains National Recreation Area Provided by the Interagency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) /Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands (ATPPL) Program Las Vega

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-12-04

A field investigation of the current transportation infrastructure and operations at Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (H-TNF): Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA or NRA) by the inter-agency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) was cond...

'Elgin-ND' spring wheat: A newly adapted cultivar to the north-central plains of the United States with high agronomic quality performance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) industry and growers usually value adapted wheat cultivars with high quality attributes, an essential criteria for maintaining wheat as a competitive commodity at the national and international levels. Therefore, the goal of the breeding program is to develop ...

'Prosper': A high-yielding hard red spring wheat cultivar adapted to the North Central Plains of the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Providing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growers and industry with adapted wheat cultivars with high-quality attributes is essential for maintaining wheat as a competitive crop in the spring-wheat growing region of the USA. Therefore, our breeding program aims to develop modern wheat cultivars using b...

ND 803 spring wheat germplasm combining resistance to scab and leaf diseases with good agronomic and quality traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The development of adapted wheat germplasm is essential so that breeding programs can develop superior cultivars, which was the objective of this research. ND 803 is hard red spring wheat (HRSW; Triticum aestivum L.) line that was developed at North Dakota State University (NDSU) and released by the...

Global occurrence of archaeal amoA genes in terrestrial hot springs.

PubMed

Zhang, Chuanlun L; Ye, Qi; Huang, Zhiyong; Li, Wenjun; Chen, Jinquan; Song, Zhaoqi; Zhao, Weidong; Bagwell, Christopher; Inskeep, William P; Ross, Christian; Gao, Lei; Wiegel, Juergen; Romanek, Christopher S; Shock, Everett L; Hedlund, Brian P

2008-10-01

Despite the ubiquity of ammonium in geothermal environments and the thermodynamic favorability of aerobic ammonia oxidation, thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms belonging to the crenarchaeota kingdom have only recently been described. In this study, we analyzed microbial mats and surface sediments from 21 hot spring samples (pH 3.4 to 9.0; temperature, 41 to 86 degrees C) from the United States, China, and Russia and obtained 846 putative archaeal ammonia monooxygenase large-subunit (amoA) gene and transcript sequences, representing a total of 41 amoA operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at 2% identity. The amoA gene sequences were highly diverse, yet they clustered within two major clades of archaeal amoA sequences known from water columns, sediments, and soils: clusters A and B. Eighty-four percent (711/846) of the sequences belonged to cluster A, which is typically found in water columns and sediments, whereas 16% (135/846) belonged to cluster B, which is typically found in soils and sediments. Although a few amoA OTUs were present in several geothermal regions, most were specific to a single region. In addition, cluster A amoA genes formed geographic groups, while cluster B sequences did not group geographically. With the exception of only one hot spring, principal-component analysis and UPGMA (unweighted-pair group method using average linkages) based on the UniFrac metric derived from cluster A grouped the springs by location, regardless of temperature or bulk water pH, suggesting that geography may play a role in structuring communities of putative ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). The amoA genes were distinct from those of low-temperature environments; in particular, pair-wise comparisons between hot spring amoA genes and those from sympatric soils showed less than 85% sequence identity, underscoring the distinctness of hot spring archaeal communities from those of the surrounding soil system. Reverse transcription-PCR showed that amoA genes were transcribed in situ in one spring and the transcripts were closely related to the amoA genes amplified from the same spring. Our study demonstrates the global occurrence of putative archaeal amoA genes in a wide variety of terrestrial hot springs and suggests that geography may play an important role in selecting different assemblages of AOA.

Microbial ecology of two hot springs of Sikkim: Predominate population and geochemistry.

PubMed

Najar, Ishfaq Nabi; Sherpa, Mingma Thundu; Das, Sayak; Das, Saurav; Thakur, Nagendra

2018-10-01

Northeastern regions of India are known for their floral and faunal biodiversity. Especially the state of Sikkim lies in the eastern Himalayan ecological hotspot region. The state harbors many sulfur rich hot springs which have therapeutic and spiritual values. However, these hot springs are yet to be explored for their microbial ecology. The development of neo generation techniques such as metagenomics has provided an opportunity for inclusive study of microbial community of different environment. The present study describes the microbial diversity in two hot springs of Sikkim that is Polok and Borong with the assist of culture dependent and culture independent approaches. The culture independent techniques used in this study were next generation sequencing (NGS) and Phospholipid Fatty Acid Analysis (PLFA). Having relatively distinct geochemistry both the hot springs are thermophilic environments with the temperature range of 50-77 °C and pH range of 5-8. Metagenomic data revealed the dominance of bacteria over archaea. The most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes although other phyla were also present such as Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Parcubacteria and Spirochaetes. The PLFA studies have shown the abundance of Gram Positive bacteria followed by Gram negative bacteria. The culture dependent technique was correlative with PLFA studies. Most abundant bacteria as isolated and identified were Gram-positive genus Geobacillus and Anoxybacillus. The genus Geobacillus has been reported for the first time in North-Eastern states of India. The Geobacillus species obtained from the concerned hot springs were Geobacillus toebii, Geobacillus lituanicus, Geobacillus Kaustophillus and the Anoxybacillus species includes Anoxybacillus gonensis and Anoxybacillus Caldiproteolyticus. The distribution of major genera and their statistical correlation analyses with the geochemistry of the springs predicted that the temperature, pH, alkalinity, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Cl 2+ , and sulfur were main environmental variables influencing the microbial community composition and diversity. Also the piper diagram suggested that the water of both the hot springs are Ca-HCO 3- type and can be predicted as shallow fresh ground waters. This study has provided an insight into the ecological interaction of the diverse microbial communities and associated physicochemical parameters, which will help in determining the future studies on different biogeochemical pathways in these hot springs. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

THE EPA'S ROLE IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT -- PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

EPA Science Inventory

Some say environmentalism started with Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring. This best seller in addition to decades of the effects of pollution on people's lives surely contributed to help shift public opinion regarding the environment. This "shift" culminated with the birth of a ...

Detecting the transport of toxic pesticides from golf courses into watersheds in the Precambrian Shield region of Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Metcalfe, Tracy L; Dillon, Peter J; Metcalfe, Chris D

2008-04-01

Golf courses impact the environment through alterations to habitat and through the release of nutrients and pesticides. The Precambrian Shield region of central Ontario, Canada, which is a major recreational area, is especially susceptible to the impacts of golf courses as a result of the geology and hydrology of the region. In a monitoring program at two golf courses in the Muskoka region conducted during the spring, summer, and fall of 2002, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed into streams that drain the golf courses. The extracts from the SPMDs were tested for toxicity using bioassays with early life stages of an aquarium fish, the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). Toxicity was assessed using a scoring system developed for the present study. The bioassays with medaka indicated that toxicity was highest in extracts from SPMDs deployed during the spring and the fall. The peaks in toxicity for the SPMDs deployed at the two golf courses corresponded with the presence in the SPMD extracts of pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) at concentrations up to 334 ng/SPMD. Quintozene is the turfgrass fungicide in which PCNB is the active ingredient. Pentachlorothioanisole, an anaerobic degradation product of PCNB, also was detected in the SPMDs deployed during the spring. Extracts prepared from SPMDs with high toxicity contained residues of a surfactant used in pesticide formulations, nonylphenol, at concentrations up to approximately 20 microg/SPMD. Overall, these data indicate that some pesticides applied to golf courses in the Precambrian Shield of central Ontario may have the potential to cause toxic impacts to aquatic organisms in adjacent watersheds.

Static yields and quality issues: Is the agri-environment program the primary driver?

PubMed

Peltonen-Sainio, Pirjo; Salo, Tapio; Jauhiainen, Lauri; Lehtonen, Heikki; Sieviläinen, Elina

2015-10-01

The Finnish agri-environmental program (AEP) has been in operation for 20 years with >90 % farmer commitment. This study aimed to establish whether reduced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) use has impacted spring cereal yields and quality based on comprehensive follow-up studies and long-term experiments. We found that the gap between genetic yield potential and attained yield has increased after the AEP was imposed. However, many contemporary changes in agricultural practices, driven by changes in prices and farm subsidies, also including the AEP, were likely reasons, together with reduced N, but not phosphorus use. Such overall changes in crop management coincided with stagnation or decline in yields and adverse changes in quality, but yield-removed N increased and residual N decreased. Further studies are needed to assess whether all the changes are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable, and acceptable, in the long run. The concept of sustainable intensification is worth considering as a means to develop northern European agricultural systems to combine environmental benefits with productivity.

Leopold Fellows meet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, Dennis L.

Communicating the results of environmental science research to nonscientists was the focus of a week-long meeting of fellows of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program (ALLP) in June. Participating were 20 mid-career university facultymembers, the first group of ALLP fellows to be selected.Discussions were held on the role of scientists in society, techniques for effective leadership, improving communications skills, and working productively with news media. The training program considers both print and broadcast media as well as other outreach vehicles. The meeting was held at Kah Nee Ta Resort on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Warm Springs, Oregon, June 15-21, 1999.

Review: The distribution, flow, and quality of Grand Canyon Springs, Arizona (USA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobin, Benjamin W.; Springer, Abraham E.; Kreamer, David K.; Schenk, Edward

2018-05-01

An understanding of the hydrogeology of Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) in northern Arizona, USA, is critical for future resource protection. The 750 springs in GRCA provide both perennial and seasonal flow to numerous desert streams, drinking water to wildlife and visitors in an otherwise arid environment, and habitat for rare, endemic and threatened species. Spring behavior and flow patterns represent local and regional patterns in aquifer recharge, reflect the geologic structure and stratigraphy, and are indicators of the overall biotic health of the canyon. These springs, however, are subject to pressures from water supply development, changes in recharge from forest fires and other land management activities, and potential contamination. Roaring Springs is the sole water supply for residents and visitors (>6 million/year), and all springs support valuable riparian habitats with very high species diversity. Most springs flow from the karstic Redwall-Muav aquifer and show seasonal patterns in flow and water chemistry indicative of variable aquifer porosities, including conduit flow. They have Ca/Mg-HCO3 dominated chemistry and trace elements consistent with nearby deep wells drilled into the Redwall-Muav aquifer. Tracer techniques and water-age dating indicate a wide range of residence times for many springs, supporting the concept of multiple porosities. A perched aquifer produces small springs which issue from the contacts between sandstone and shale units, with variable groundwater residence times. Stable isotope data suggest both an elevational and seasonal difference in recharge between North and South Rim springs. This review highlights the complex nature of the groundwater system.

Effects of germination season on life history traits and on transgenerational plasticity in seed dormancy in a cold desert annual

PubMed Central

Lu, Juan J.; Tan, Dun Y.; Baskin, Carol C.; Baskin, Jerry M.

2016-01-01

The maternal environment can influence the intensity of seed dormancy and thus seasonal germination timing and post-germination life history traits. We tested the hypotheses that germination season influences phenotypic expression of post-germination life history traits in the cold desert annual Isatis violascens and that plants from autumn- and spring-germinating seeds produce different proportions of seeds with nondeep and intermediate physiological dormancy (PD). Seeds were sown in summer and flexibility in various life history traits determined for plants that germinated in autumn and in spring. A higher percentage of spring- than of autumn-germinating plants survived the seedling stage, and all surviving plants reproduced. Number of silicles increased with plant size (autumn- > spring-germinating plants), whereas percent dry mass allocated to reproduction was higher in spring- than in autumn-germinating plants. Autumn-germinating plants produced proportionally more seeds with intermediate PD than spring-germinating plants, while spring-germinating plants produced proportionally more seeds with nondeep PD than autumn-germinating plants. Flexibility throughout the life history and transgenerational plasticity in seed dormancy are adaptations of I. violascens to its desert habitat. Our study is the first to demonstrate that autumn- and spring-germinating plants in a species population differ in proportion of seeds produced with different levels of PD. PMID:27117090

Computer Programs for Library Operations; Results of a Survey Conducted Between Fall 1971 and Spring 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liberman, Eva; And Others

Many library operations involving large data banks lend themselves readily to computer operation. In setting up library computer programs, in changing or expanding programs, cost in programming and time delays could be substantially reduced if the programmers had access to library computer programs being used by other libraries, providing similar…

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2012–2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.; Truini, Margot

2016-03-02

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area. Precipitation in the area typically is between 6 and 14 inches per year.The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2012 to September 2013. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry.In calendar year 2012, total groundwater withdrawals were 4,010 acre-ft, industrial withdrawals were 1,370 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,640 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2012 were about 45 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005 because of Peabody Western Coal Company’s discontinued use of water to transport coal in a coal slurry pipeline. From 2011 to 2012 total withdrawals decreased by 10 percent; industrial withdrawals decreased by approximately 1 percent, and total municipal withdrawals decreased by 15 percent.From 2012 to 2013, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 6 of 16 wells that were available for comparison in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was 0.8 feet. Water levels declined in 5 of 16 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was 0.3 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2013, the median water-level change for 34 wells in both the confined and unconfined areas was -13.5 feet; the median water-level changes were -0.8 feet for 16 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -51.0 feet for 16 wells measured in the confined area.Spring flow was measured at four springs in 2013; Burro, Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso, Moenkopi School, and Pasture Canyon Springs. Flow fluctuated during the period of record for Burro and Unnamed Springs near Dennehotso, but a decreasing trend was apparent at Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring. Discharge at Burro Spring has remained relatively constant since it was first measured in the 1980s and discharge at Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso has fluctuated for the period of record at each spring. Trend analysis for discharge at Moenkopi School and Pasture Canyon Springs showed a decreasing trend.Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2013), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2013), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2013), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2013). Median winter flows (November through February) from these sites for each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, which suggests no change in groundwater discharge.In 2013, water samples collected from 12 wells and 4 springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all 12 wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 13 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied significantly since the early 1980s. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record with no increasing or decreasing trend in the data.

Thunderstorm Overflight Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, O. H., Jr.; Vonnegut, B.; Orville, R.; Brook, M.; Tennis, R.; Rhodes, C.; Rust, D.

1980-01-01

The Thunderstorm Overflight Program is being conducted by NASA, NOAA, and universities to evaluate the feasibility of making meaningful measurements of lightning parameters from an orbiting platform above thunderstorms. A NASA instrumented U-2 high-altitude research aircraft was used during the summer of 1979 and spring of 1980 to collect data over the tops of the thunderstorms while ground-based measurements were being made simultaneously. Test sites at Langmuir Laboratory, Socorro, N. Mex., and the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Norman, Okla. were used for this program. Additional flights are planned for the spring and summer of 1981. Data from the NASA U-2 flights will also be used to interpret measurements made during the Nighttime/Daytime Optical Survey Lightning Experiment to be flown on the Space Shuttle in late 1981.

Preservation of Biological Information in Thermal Spring Deposits: Developing a Strategy for the Search for Fossil Life on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, M. R.; Des Marais, David J.

1993-01-01

Current interpretations of the early history of Mars suggest many similarities with the early Earth and therefore raise the possibility that the Archean and Proterozoic history of life on Earth could have a counterpart on Mars. Terrestrial experience suggests that, with techniques that can be employed remotely, ancient springs, including thermal springs, could well yield important information. By delivering water and various dissolved species to the sunlit surface of Mars, springs very likely created an environment suitable for life, which could have been difficult, if not impossible, to attain elsewhere. The chemical and temperature gradients associated with thermal springs sort organisms into sharply delineated, distinctive and different communities, and so diverse organisms are concentrated into relatively small areas in a predictable and informative fashion. A wide range of metabolic strategies are concentrated into small areas, thus furnishing a useful and representative sampling of the existing biota. Mineral-charged springwaters frequently deposit chemical precipitates of silica and/or carbonate which incorporate microorganisms and preserve them as fossils. The juxtaposition of stream valley headwaters with volcanoes and impact craters on Mars strongly implies that subsurface heating of groundwater created thermal springs. On Earth, thermal springs create distinctive geomorphic features and chemical signatures which can be detected by remote sensing. Spring deposits can be quite different chemically from adjacent rocks. Individual springs can be hundreds of meters wide, and complexes of springs occupy areas up to several kilometers wide. Benthic microbial mats and the resultant stromatolites occupy a large fraction of the available area. The relatively high densities of fossils and microbial mat fabrics within these deposits make them highly prospective in any search for morphological evidence of life, and there are examples of microbial fossils in spring deposits as old as 300 Myr.

Preservation of biological information in thermal spring deposits: developing a strategy for the search for fossil life on Mars.

PubMed

Walter, M R; Des Marais, D J

1993-01-01

Current interpretations of the early history of Mars suggest many similarities with the early Earth and therefore raise the possibility that the Archean and Proterozoic history of life on Earth could have a counterpart on Mars. Terrestrial experience suggests that, with techniques that can be employed remotely, ancient springs, including thermal springs, could well yield important information. By delivering water and various dissolved species to the sunlit surface of Mars, springs very likely created an environment suitable for life, which could have been difficult, if not impossible, to attain elsewhere. The chemical and temperature gradients associated with thermal springs sort organisms into sharply delineated, distinctive and different communities, and so diverse organisms are concentrated into relatively small areas in a predictable and informative fashion. A wide range of metabolic strategies are concentrated into small areas, thus furnishing a useful and representative sampling of the existing biota. Mineral-charged springwaters frequently deposit chemical precipitates of silica and/or carbonate which incorporate microorganisms and preserve them as fossils. The juxtaposition of stream valley headwaters with volcanoes and impact craters on Mars strongly implies that subsurface heating of groundwater created thermal springs. On Earth, thermal springs create distinctive geomorphic features and chemical signatures which can be detected by remote sensing. Spring deposits can be quite different chemically from adjacent rocks. Individual springs can be hundreds of meters wide, and complexes of springs occupy areas up to several kilometers wide. Benthic microbial mats and the resultant stromatolites occupy a large fraction of the available area. The relatively high densities of fossils and microbial mat fabrics within these deposits make them highly prospective in any search for morphological evidence of life, and there are examples of microbial fossils in spring deposits as old as 300 Myr.

Genotype by region and season interactions on weaning weight in United States Angus cattle.

PubMed

Williams, J L; Lukaszewicz, M; Bertrand, J K; Misztal, I

2012-10-01

The objective of this study was to determine if weaning weight performance is genetically consistent across different environments in the United States. The American Angus Association provided weight and pedigree data. Weaning weights observed in the Southeast (SoE) and Northwest (NW) were the focus of this study, as these regions are perceived as opposite extremes in climate. The 2 most represented calving seasons in each region were fall and winter in the SoE and winter and spring in the NW. The original data were edited to remove weaning weight records outside of 3 SD from the respective region-season mean, contemporary groups smaller than 20, and single-sire contemporary groups. The final dataset included 884,465 weaning weight records with 64,907 from fall-born calves in the SoE, 74,820 from winter-born calves in the SoE, 346,724 from winter-born calves in the NW and 398,014 from spring-born calves in the NW. Weaning weights of calves born in different region-season classes adjusted to 205 d of age were considered different but genetically correlated traits in a multivariate analysis. The sole fixed effect was weaning contemporary group and random effects included direct, maternal, maternal permanent environment, and a residual. Direct heritability estimates differed little across environments: 0.31 and 0.35 for weight in fall- and winter-born calves in the SoE, and 0.29 and 0.32 for winter- and spring-born calves in NW. Maternal heritability estimates ranged from 0.12 in the NW to 0.16 the SoE. Genetic correlations spanned from 0.69 to 0.93 among direct effects and from 0.65 to 0.95 among maternal effects. All heritability estimates had small (0.01 to 0.04) SE. The most distinct environments appeared to be winter in SoE and spring in NW (correlations of 0.69 and 0.65 for the direct and maternal effects). Different choices of sires for different environments might be justified to achieve the growth performance expected.

How could discharge management affect Florida spring fish assemblage structure?

PubMed

Work, Kirsten; Codner, Keneil; Gibbs, Melissa

2017-08-01

Freshwater bodies are increasingly affected by reductions in water quantity and quality and by invasions of exotic species. To protect water quantity and maintain the ecological integrity of many water bodies in central Florida, a program of adopting Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) has begun for both lentic and lotic waters. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were relationships between discharge and stage, water quality, and biological parameters for Volusia Blue Spring, a first magnitude spring (discharge > 380,000 m 3 day -1 or 100 mgd) for which an MFL program was adopted in 2006. Over the course of fourteen years, we assessed fish density and diversity weekly, monthly, or seasonally with seine and snorkel counts. We evaluated annual changes in the assemblages for relationships with water quantity and quality. Low discharge and dissolved oxygen combined with high stage and conductivity produced a fish population with a lower density and diversity in 2014 than in previous years. Densities of fish taxonomic/functional groups also were low in 2014 and measures of water quantity were significant predictors of fish assemblage structure. As a result of the strong relationships between variation in discharge and an array of chemical and biological characteristics of the spring, we conclude that maintaining the historical discharge rate is important for preserving the ecological integrity of Volusia Blue Spring. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pax permanent Martian base: Space architecture for the first human habitation on Mars, volume 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huebner-Moths, Janis; Fieber, Joseph P.; Rebholz, Patrick J.; Paruleski, Kerry L.; Moore, Gary T. (Editor)

1992-01-01

America at the Threshold: Report of the Synthesis Group on America's Space Exploration Initiative (the 'Synthesis Report,' sometimes called the Stafford Report after its astronaut chair, published in 1991) recommended that NASA explore what it called four 'architectures,' i.e., four different scenarios for habitation on Mars. The Advanced Design Program in Space Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee supported this report and two of its scenarios--'Architecture 1' and 'Architecture 4'--during the spring of 1992. This report investigates the implications of different mission scenarios, the Martian environment, supporting technologies, and especially human factors and environment-behavior considerations for the design of the first permanent Martian base. The report is comprised of sections on mission analysis, implications of the Martian atmosphere and geologic environment, development of habitability design requirements based on environment-behavior and human factors research, and a full design proposed (concept design and design development) for the first permanent Martian base and habitat. The design is presented in terms of a base site plan, master plan based on a Mars direct scenario phased through IOC, and design development details of a complete Martian habitat for 18 crew members including all laboratory, mission control, and crew support spaces.

Developmental Kindergarten Program Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blois, George T.; Cushing, Katherine S.

The evaluation of the Developmental Kindergarten (DK) Program at the Harrison School District #2, Colorado Springs, Colorado, involved pre- and post-testing of student academic gains and interviewing of principals and teachers. The program aimed to provide developmentally appropriate activities for students believed to be "at risk" of…

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Cleanup Plan for Fort Devens, Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-07

Landfill (AOCs 4, 5, 18, and 40) were identified in the MEP as the highest priority (Priority 1A) for remediation. As such, these sites proceeded...Spring Brook Landfills OUs, etc. 4.1.4 Environmental Restoration Early Actions Strategy The Site Investigation (SI) Data Package concept was developed...Approach for the Shepley’ s Hill and Cold Spring Brook Landfill Sites . Fort Devens. Massachusetts, prepared for USAEC; February. Ecology & Environment

The Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety and Security Council: Spring 2016

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

PROCEEDINGS Spring 2016 Vol. 73, Number 1 Safety Management System Objectives 6 Safety Management Facilitates Safe Vessel Operation Vessel systems...crew, and operations. by LCDR Aaron W. Demo 9 Safety Management Systems to Prevent Pollution from Ships Standard procedures protect the environment...by LCDR Michael Lendvay 11 Dead Reckoning by Safety Management ? Check your course. by LCDR Corydon F. Heard IV Safety Management Systems and the Outer

Eogenetic karst hydrology: Insights from the 2004 hurricanes, peninsular Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Florea, L.J.; Vacher, H. Leonard

2007-01-01

Eogenetic karst lies geographically and temporally close to the depositional environment of limestone in warm marine water at low latitude, in areas marked by midafternoon thunderstorms during a summer rainy season. Spring hydrographs from such an environment in north-central Florida are characterized by smooth, months-long, seasonal maxima. The passage of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in September 2004 over three field locations shows how the eogenetic karst of the Upper Floridan Aquifer responds to unequivocal recharge events. Hydrographs at wells in the High Springs area, Rainbow Springs, and at Morris, Briar, and Bat Caves all responded promptly with a similar drawn-out rise to a maximum that extended long into the winter dry season. The timing indicates that the typical hydrograph of eogenetic karst is not the short-term fluctuations of springs in epigenic, telogenetic karst, or the smoothed response to all the summer thunderstorms, but rather the protracted response of the system to rainfall that exceeds a threshold. The similarity of cave and noncave hydrographs indicates distributed autogenic recharge and a free communication between secondary porosity and permeable matrix - both of which differ from the hydrology of epigenic, telogenetic karst. At Briar Cave, drip rates lagged behind the water table rise, suggesting that recharge was delivered by fractures, which control the cave's morphology. At High Springs, hydrographs at the Santa Fe River and a submerged conduit apparently connected to it show sharp maxima after the storms, unlike the other cave hydrographs. Our interpretation is that the caves, in general, are discontinuous. ?? 2007 National Ground Water Association.

Characterization of Ni19.5Ti50.5Pd25Pt5 High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloy Springs and their Potential Application in Aeronautics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stebner, Aaron; Padula, Santo A.; Noebe, Ronald D.

2008-01-01

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have been used as actuators in many different industries since the discovery of the shape memory effect, but the use of SMAs as actuation devices in aeronautics has been limited due to the temperature constraints of commercially available materials. Consequently, work is being done at NASA's Glenn Research Center to develop new SMAs capable of being used in high temperature environments. One of the more promising high-temperature shape memory alloys (HTSMAs) is Ni19.5Ti50.5Pd25Pt5. Recent work has shown that this material is capable of being used in operating environments of up to 250 C. This material has been shown to have very useful actuation capabilities, demonstrating repeatable strain recoveries up to 2.5% in the presence of an externally applied load. Based on these findings, further work has been initiated to explore potential applications and alternative forms of this alloy, such as springs. Thus, characterization of Ni19.5Ti50.5Pd25Pt5 springs, including their mechanical response and how variations in this response correlate to changes in geometric parameters, are discussed. The effects of loading history, or training, on spring behavior were also investigated. A comparison of the springs with wire actuators is made and the benefits of using one actuator form as opposed to the other discussed. These findings are used to discuss design considerations for a surge-control mechanism that could be used in the centrifugal compressor of a T-700 helicopter engine.

14 Days to Have Your Say

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Andrea; Haulgren, Frank

2010-01-01

During spring quarter 2008, the Western Washington University (WWU) Libraries established an interactive bloglike environment called "14 Days to Have Your Say" with the intention of gathering new ideas and feedback about the libraries from the university community. The environment was developed as a fairly simple Drupal site. The project…

Interactive Videodisc: the "Why" and the "How." CALICO Monograph Volume 2, Spring 1991.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Michael D.; And Others

This monograph presents articles on interactive videodisc technology in language learning, ranging from the importance of a theoretical framework, the transition from theory to practice, getting started, design considerations, hypermedia, discovery environments, authoring software, workstation environments, and a look at the future of optical disc…

Excess nitrogen in selected thermal and mineral springs of the Cascade Range in northern California, Oregon, and Washington: Sedimentary or volcanic in origin?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mariner, R.H.; Evans, William C.; Presser, T.S.; White, L.D.

2003-01-01

Anomalous N2/Ar values occur in many thermal springs and mineral springs, some volcanic fumaroles, and at least one acid-sulfate spring of the Cascade Range. Our data show that N2/Ar values are as high as 300 in gas from some of the hot springs, as high as 1650 in gas from some of the mineral springs, and as high as 2400 in gas from the acid-sulfate spring on Mt. Shasta. In contrast, gas discharging from hot springs that contain nitrogen and argon solely of atmospheric origin typically exhibits N2/Ar values of 40-80, depending on the spring temperature. If the excess nitrogen in the thermal and mineral springs is of sedimentary origin then the geothermal potential of the area must be small, but if the nitrogen is of volcanic origin then the geothermal potential must be very large. End-member excess nitrogen (??15N) is +5.3% for the thermal waters of the Oregon Cascades but is only about +1% for fumaroles on Mt. Hood and the acid-sulfate spring on Mt. Shasta. Dissolved nitrogen concentrations are highest for thermal springs associated with aquifers between 120 and 140??C. Chloride is the major anion in most of the nitrogen-rich springs of the Cascade Range, and N2/Ar values generally increase as chloride concentrations increase. Chloride and excess nitrogen in the thermal waters of the Oregon Cascades probably originate in an early Tertiary marine formation that has been buried by the late Tertiary and Quaternary lava flows of the High Cascades. The widespread distribution of excess nitrogen that has been generated in low to moderate-temperature sedimentary environments is further proof of the restricted geothermal potential of the Cascade Range. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Excess nitrogen in selected thermal and mineral springs of the Cascade Range in northern California, Oregon, and Washington: sedimentary or volcanic in origin?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariner, R. H.; Evans, W. C.; Presser, T. S.; White, L. D.

2003-02-01

Anomalous N 2/Ar values occur in many thermal springs and mineral springs, some volcanic fumaroles, and at least one acid-sulfate spring of the Cascade Range. Our data show that N 2/Ar values are as high as 300 in gas from some of the hot springs, as high as 1650 in gas from some of the mineral springs, and as high as 2400 in gas from the acid-sulfate spring on Mt. Shasta. In contrast, gas discharging from hot springs that contain nitrogen and argon solely of atmospheric origin typically exhibits N 2/Ar values of 40-80, depending on the spring temperature. If the excess nitrogen in the thermal and mineral springs is of sedimentary origin then the geothermal potential of the area must be small, but if the nitrogen is of volcanic origin then the geothermal potential must be very large. End-member excess nitrogen (δ 15N) is +5.3‰ for the thermal waters of the Oregon Cascades but is only about +1‰ for fumaroles on Mt. Hood and the acid-sulfate spring on Mt. Shasta. Dissolved nitrogen concentrations are highest for thermal springs associated with aquifers between 120 and 140°C. Chloride is the major anion in most of the nitrogen-rich springs of the Cascade Range, and N 2/Ar values generally increase as chloride concentrations increase. Chloride and excess nitrogen in the thermal waters of the Oregon Cascades probably originate in an early Tertiary marine formation that has been buried by the late Tertiary and Quaternary lava flows of the High Cascades. The widespread distribution of excess nitrogen that has been generated in low to moderate-temperature sedimentary environments is further proof of the restricted geothermal potential of the Cascade Range.

Sabuk Janur: tools to move community participation in reducing natural disasters and environment (case study at Lawu mount slope in Indonesia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestari, E.; Purnomo, S. H.; Komariah; Wibowo, A.

2018-03-01

Globalization in general both traditional values and local knowledge that exist in a society, but this is different in the community of mountain slope lawu on the Java Island precisely in Karanganyar regency of Central Java is still maintained local cultural values to maintain sustainability Springs. This is a foothold for cheaper the benefits of community culture that play an important role in environmental conservation and social solidarity to cope with natural disasters and the environment. The research method used is qualitative with explanatory case study approach. The results showed that the Myth of Sabuk Janur proved able to build public awareness in preserving the environment and overcoming natural disasters and the environment. The high level of community participation in every development is evident from every stage of community participation in a program. Where the solidarity of social visible in all conditions, namely social solidarity in the nature of the in-celebration and the nature of overcoming the disaster that befall. The preservation of local cultural values is still done because of the existence of the identity of local communities. This is because the integration of national value and local potential becomes a prerequisite in every development plan. Thus the cultural approach is an effective strategy in solving the problems exist in an area, especially in overcoming natural disasters and the environment.

Professional Development for the Weary: Rejuvenation through an Alternative Spring Break

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North, Connie E.

2010-01-01

In March 2009, the author accompanied 19 university students to El Paso, Texas, for an alternative spring break (ASB). The author and the students traveled to the urban zip code with the lowest per capita income in the country to study U.S.-Mexico border issues. In the ASB program's language, they sought to gain "new perspectives on social…

Contextual factors related to physical activity during daily middle school physical education.

PubMed

Brusseau, Timothy A; Burns, Ryan D; Fu, You

2016-09-01

Given the importance of optimizing physical activity in adolescents, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of activity mode, environment, and semester on step counts/minute and MVPA during daily middle-school physical education (PE). A prospective and observational research design. Participants included 232 students (Mean age=13.3±0.4 years) recruited from the seventh and eighth grades from one public middle-school in the U.S. Activity modes were employed across the school year including motor skills, games, and fitness activities located in indoor and outdoor environments. Step counts/minute and MVPA were monitored across 132 PE lessons during Fall and Spring semesters using NL-1000 piezoelectric pedometers. A three-way Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was employed to examine the effect of activity mode (skill games vs. fitness), environment (indoors vs. outdoors), and semester (Fall vs. Spring) on student step counts/minute and MVPA. MANCOVA was followed by separate ANCOVA tests. MANCOVA yielded a statistically significant three-way interaction (Wilks' Λ=0.98 F(2, 1153)=8.9, P<0.001). Follow-up tests supported that physical activity was higher during outdoor fitness activities in the Fall compared to indoor motor skills in the Spring for step counts/minute (Mean difference=27.0 steps/minute, P<0.001, Cohen's d=1.6) and MVPA (Mean difference=7.8min, P<0.001, Cohen's d=2.0). Daily middle-school physical activity was the highest during outdoor fitness activities in the Fall and the lowest during indoor motor skill games in the Spring. Copyright © 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolic characteristics of dominant microbes and key rare species from an acidic hot spring in Taiwan revealed by metagenomics

DOE PAGES

Lin, Kuei -Han; Liao, Ben -Yang; Chang, Hao -Wei; ...

2015-12-03

Microbial diversity and community structures in acidic hot springs have been characterized by 16S rRNA gene-based diversity surveys. However, our understanding regarding the interactions among microbes, or between microbes and environmental factors, remains limited. In the present study, a metagenomic approach, followed by bioinformatics analyses, were used to predict interactions within the microbial ecosystem in Shi-Huang-Ping (SHP), an acidic hot spring in northern Taiwan. Characterizing environmental parameters and potential metabolic pathways highlighted the importance of carbon assimilatory pathways. Four distinct carbon assimilatory pathways were identified in five dominant genera of bacteria. Of those dominant carbon fixers, Hydrogenobaculum bacteria outcompeted othermore » carbon assimilators and dominated the SHP, presumably due to their ability to metabolize hydrogen and to withstand an anaerobic environment with fluctuating temperatures. Furthermore, most dominant microbes were capable of metabolizing inorganic sulfur-related compounds (abundant in SHP). However, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was the only species among key rare microbes with the capability to fix nitrogen, suggesting a key role in nitrogen cycling. In addition to potential metabolic interactions, based on the 16S rRNAs gene sequence of Nanoarchaeum-related and its potential host Ignicoccus-related archaea, as well as sequences of viruses and CRISPR arrays, we inferred that there were complex microbe-microbe interactions. In conclusion, our study provided evidence that there were numerous microbe-microbe and microbe-environment interactions within the microbial community in an acidic hot spring. We proposed that Hydrogenobaculum bacteria were the dominant microbial genus, as they were able to metabolize hydrogen, assimilate carbon and live in an anaerobic environment with fluctuating temperatures.« less

Metabolic characteristics of dominant microbes and key rare species from an acidic hot spring in Taiwan revealed by metagenomics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Kuei -Han; Liao, Ben -Yang; Chang, Hao -Wei

Microbial diversity and community structures in acidic hot springs have been characterized by 16S rRNA gene-based diversity surveys. However, our understanding regarding the interactions among microbes, or between microbes and environmental factors, remains limited. In the present study, a metagenomic approach, followed by bioinformatics analyses, were used to predict interactions within the microbial ecosystem in Shi-Huang-Ping (SHP), an acidic hot spring in northern Taiwan. Characterizing environmental parameters and potential metabolic pathways highlighted the importance of carbon assimilatory pathways. Four distinct carbon assimilatory pathways were identified in five dominant genera of bacteria. Of those dominant carbon fixers, Hydrogenobaculum bacteria outcompeted othermore » carbon assimilators and dominated the SHP, presumably due to their ability to metabolize hydrogen and to withstand an anaerobic environment with fluctuating temperatures. Furthermore, most dominant microbes were capable of metabolizing inorganic sulfur-related compounds (abundant in SHP). However, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was the only species among key rare microbes with the capability to fix nitrogen, suggesting a key role in nitrogen cycling. In addition to potential metabolic interactions, based on the 16S rRNAs gene sequence of Nanoarchaeum-related and its potential host Ignicoccus-related archaea, as well as sequences of viruses and CRISPR arrays, we inferred that there were complex microbe-microbe interactions. In conclusion, our study provided evidence that there were numerous microbe-microbe and microbe-environment interactions within the microbial community in an acidic hot spring. We proposed that Hydrogenobaculum bacteria were the dominant microbial genus, as they were able to metabolize hydrogen, assimilate carbon and live in an anaerobic environment with fluctuating temperatures.« less

Communities of archaea and bacteria in a subsurface radioactive thermal spring in the Austrian Central Alps, and evidence of ammonia-oxidizing Crenarchaeota.

PubMed

Weidler, Gerhard W; Dornmayr-Pfaffenhuemer, Marion; Gerbl, Friedrich W; Heinen, Wolfgang; Stan-Lotter, Helga

2007-01-01

Scanning electron microscopy revealed great morphological diversity in biofilms from several largely unexplored subterranean thermal Alpine springs, which contain radium 226 and radon 222. A culture-independent molecular analysis of microbial communities on rocks and in the water of one spring, the "Franz-Josef-Quelle" in Bad Gastein, Austria, was performed. Four hundred fifteen clones were analyzed. One hundred thirty-two sequences were affiliated with 14 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 283 with four archaeal OTUs. Rarefaction analysis indicated a high diversity of bacterial sequences, while archaeal sequences were less diverse. The majority of the cloned archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences belonged to the soil-freshwater-subsurface (1.1b) crenarchaeotic group; other representatives belonged to the freshwater-wastewater-soil (1.3b) group, except one clone, which was related to a group of uncultivated Euryarchaeota. These findings support recent reports that Crenarchaeota are not restricted to high-temperature environments. Most of the bacterial sequences were related to the Proteobacteria (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta), Bacteroidetes, and Planctomycetes. One OTU was allied with Nitrospina sp. (delta-Proteobacteria) and three others grouped with Nitrospira. Statistical analyses suggested high diversity based on 16S rRNA gene analyses; the rarefaction plot of archaeal clones showed a plateau. Since Crenarchaeota have been implicated recently in the nitrogen cycle, the spring environment was probed for the presence of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene. Sequences were obtained which were related to crenarchaeotic amoA genes from marine and soil habitats. The data suggested that nitrification processes are occurring in the subterranean environment and that ammonia may possibly be an energy source for the resident communities.

Geological Education and the Senior Citizen.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkin, Robert P.

1982-01-01

Although most educational programs for senior citizens emphasize arts and crafts, model science programs designed specifically for seniors, emphasizing geological science, have been developed at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs). The programs have been well received and can be useful in integrating or mainstreaming seniors into the…

Women in science & engineering scholarships and summer camp outreach programs : year 7.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-08-01

Since the UTC Scholarship program began in the spring of 2005 and continues today on the S&T campus, numerous female students : have benefitted tremendously from this source of financial aid. The program began in the first few years with 15-30 awards...

New Systems to Beat Swimming Program Frustration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Scott J.

1980-01-01

A swimming program with effective student placement has been designed in Colorado Springs. The beginner level established by the American Red Cross is further broken down to accommodate children under the age of five. Use of computer facilities will assist in accurate program enrollment/completion records. (CJ)

Biomarkers and taphonomic processes in fresh and fossil biosignatures from Hot Spring silica deposits in El Tatio Chile, as a Mars Analogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrizo, D.; Sánchez-García, L.; Parro, V.; Cady, S. L.; Cabrol, N. A.

2017-09-01

Biomarkers characterization and taphonomic process of recent and fossil biosignatures in extreme environments with analogies to Mars is essential to understanding how life could develop and survive in this conditions. Siliceous sinter deposits on Mars where similar to those found in the hydrothermal hot springs and geysers from El Tatio, Chile. Organic preservation have been shown in this study. Many different labile functional groups (i.e., carboxylic acids, alcohols, aldehydes, etc.) were found in both "age" samples. A shift in congener pattern for the different lipids families were found and discuss. This results give insight in taphonomic processes actin in this extreme environment, which could be used as a baseline in Mars exploration.

Weldon Spring Site environmental report for calendar year 1993. Weldon Springs Site Remedial Action Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-05-01

This Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1993 describes the environmental monitoring programs at the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP). The objectives of these programs are to assess actual or potential exposure to contaminant effluents from the project area by providing public use scenarios and dose estimates, to demonstrate compliance with Federal and State permitted levels, and to summarize trends and/or changes in contaminant concentrations from environmental monitoring program. In 1993, the maximum committed dose to a hypothetical individual at the chemical plant site perimeter was 0.03 mrem (0.0003 mSv). The maximum committed dose to a hypothetical individualmore » at the boundary of the Weldon Spring Quarry was 1.9 mrem (0.019 mSv). These scenarios assume an individual walking along the perimeter of the site-once a day at the chemical plant/raffinate pits and twice a day at the quarry-250 days per year. This hypothetical individual also consumes fish, sediment, and water from lakes and other bodies of water in the area. The collective dose, based on an effected population of 112,000 was 0.12 person-rem (0.0012 person-Sv). This calculation is based on recreational use of the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area and the Missouri Department of Conservation recreational trail (the Katy Trail) near the quarry. These estimates are below the U.S. Department of Energy requirement of 100 mrem (I mSv) annual committed effective dose equivalent for all exposure pathways. Results from air monitoring for the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) program indicated that the estimated dose was 0.38 mrem, which is below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard of 10 mrem per year.« less

Nanoarchaeota, Their Sulfolobales Host, and Nanoarchaeota Virus Distribution across Yellowstone National Park Hot Springs

PubMed Central

Munson-McGee, Jacob H.; Field, Erin K.; Bateson, Mary; Rooney, Colleen; Stepanauskas, Ramunas

2015-01-01

Nanoarchaeota are obligate symbionts with reduced genomes first described from marine thermal vent environments. Here, both community metagenomics and single-cell analysis revealed the presence of Nanoarchaeota in high-temperature (∼90°C), acidic (pH ≈ 2.5 to 3.0) hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) (United States). Single-cell genome analysis of two cells resulted in two nearly identical genomes, with an estimated full length of 650 kbp. Genome comparison showed that these two cells are more closely related to the recently proposed Nanobsidianus stetteri from a more neutral YNP hot spring than to the marine Nanoarchaeum equitans. Single-cell and catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) analysis of environmental hot spring samples identified the host of the YNP Nanoarchaeota as a Sulfolobales species known to inhabit the hot springs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Nanoarchaeota are widespread in acidic to near neutral hot springs in YNP. An integrated viral sequence was also found within one Nanoarchaeota single-cell genome and further analysis of the purified viral fraction from environmental samples indicates that this is likely a virus replicating within the YNP Nanoarchaeota. PMID:26341207

Recommended data sets, corn segments and spring wheat segments, for use in program development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, W. W. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

The sets of Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment sites, crop year 1978, which are recommended for use in the development and evaluation of classification techniques based on LANDSAT spectral data are presented. For each site, the following exists: (1) accuracy assessment digitized ground truth; (2) a minimum of 5 percent of the scene ground truth identified as corn or spring wheat; and (3) at least four acquisitions of acceptable data quality during the growing season of the crop of interest. The recommended data sets consist of 41 corn/soybean sites and 17 spring wheat sites.

Developmental and environmental effects on assimilate partitioning in Canada thistle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tworkoski, T.J.

1989-04-01

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) plants at three stages of development (rosette, bolt, and flower bud) were grown under spring-simulated or fall-simulated environments. Sucrose export from a single leaf exposed to {sup 14}CO{sub 2} was significantly greater in rosette-plants than bolt- or flower bud-plants during the first two hours after pulse. Twenty-four hours after pulse, total {sup 14}C translocation (dpm) was the same in both environments but the {sup 14}C concentration (dpm/gm) was greater in roots of fall-grown plants. Shoot meristem respiration of fall-grown plants was approximately 50% less than spring-grown plants and was a factor responsible for this trend. Concentrationsmore » of inulin and water-insoluble starch were greater in roots of fall-grown than spring-grown plants and pulsed {sup 14}C accumulated in these fractions. The results suggest that a shift in respiration and metabolism of fall-grown rosette- and bolt-plants leads to increased assimilate movement to the root which may have practical implications for control of this weed.« less

Mental Health Associate Program T-056: A Program Review, Spring 1991.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenoir Community Coll., Kinston, NC.

At Lenoir Community College (LCC) in Kinston, North Carolina, 20% of established programs and 33% of the non-academic support services are reviewed each year in an annual cycle, with all programs reviewed within a 5-year period. To evaluate the Mental Health Associate (MHA) Program at LCC, assessment surveys were sent to 44 graduates from the…

Feasible metabolisms in high pH springs of the Philippines

PubMed Central

Cardace, Dawn; Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R.; Woycheese, Kristin M.; Arcilla, Carlo A.

2015-01-01

A field campaign targeting high pH, H2-, and CH4-emitting serpentinite-associated springs in the Zambales and Palawan Ophiolites of the Philippines was conducted in 2012-2013, and enabled description of several springs sourced in altered pillow basalts, gabbros, and peridotites. We combine field observations of pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potential with analyses of major ions, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved gas phases in order to model the activities of selected phases important to microbial metabolism, and to rank feasible metabolic reactions based on energy yield. We document changing geochemical inventories in these springs between sampling years, and examine how the environment supports or prevents the function of certain microbial metabolisms. In all, this geochemistry-based assessment of feasible metabolisms indicates methane cycling, hydrogen oxidation, some iron and sulfur metabolisms, and ammonia oxidation are feasible reactions in this continental site of serpentinization. PMID:25713561

Feasible metabolisms in high pH springs of the Philippines.

PubMed

Cardace, Dawn; Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Woycheese, Kristin M; Arcilla, Carlo A

2015-01-01

A field campaign targeting high pH, H2-, and CH4-emitting serpentinite-associated springs in the Zambales and Palawan Ophiolites of the Philippines was conducted in 2012-2013, and enabled description of several springs sourced in altered pillow basalts, gabbros, and peridotites. We combine field observations of pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potential with analyses of major ions, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved gas phases in order to model the activities of selected phases important to microbial metabolism, and to rank feasible metabolic reactions based on energy yield. We document changing geochemical inventories in these springs between sampling years, and examine how the environment supports or prevents the function of certain microbial metabolisms. In all, this geochemistry-based assessment of feasible metabolisms indicates methane cycling, hydrogen oxidation, some iron and sulfur metabolisms, and ammonia oxidation are feasible reactions in this continental site of serpentinization.

Evaluation of NASA SPoRT's Pseudo-Geostationary Lightning Mapper Products in the 2011 Spring Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stano, Geoffrey T.; Carcione, Brian; Siewert, Christopher; Kuhlman, Kristin M.

2012-01-01

NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) program is a contributing partner with the GOES-R Proving Ground (PG) preparing forecasters to understand and utilize the unique products that will be available in the GOES-R era. This presentation emphasizes SPoRT s actions to prepare the end user community for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). This preparation is a collaborative effort with SPoRT's National Weather Service partners, the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), and the Hazardous Weather Testbed s Spring Program. SPoRT continues to use its effective paradigm of matching capabilities to forecast problems through collaborations with our end users and working with the developers at NSSL to create effective evaluations and visualizations. Furthermore, SPoRT continues to develop software plug-ins so that these products will be available to forecasters in their own decision support system, AWIPS and eventually AWIPS II. In 2009, the SPoRT program developed the original pseudo geostationary lightning mapper (PGLM) flash extent product to demonstrate what forecasters may see with GLM. The PGLM replaced the previous GLM product and serves as a stepping-stone until the AWG s official GLM proxy is ready. The PGLM algorithm is simple and can be applied to any ground-based total lightning network. For 2011, the PGLM used observations from four ground-based networks (North Alabama, Kennedy Space Center, Oklahoma, and Washington D.C.). While the PGLM is not a true proxy product, it is intended as a tool to train forecasters about total lightning as well as foster discussions on product visualizations and incorporating GLM-resolution data into forecast operations. The PGLM has been used in 2010 and 2011 and is likely to remain the primary lightning training tool for the GOES-R program for the near future. This presentation will emphasize the feedback received during the 2011 Spring Program. This will discuss several topics. Based on feedback from the 2010 Spring Program, SPoRT created two variant PGLM products, which NSSL produced locally and provided in real-time within AWIPS for 2011. The first is the flash initiation density (FID) product, which creates a gridded display showing the number of flashes that originated in each 8 8 km grid box. The second product is the maximum flash density (MFD). This shows the highest PGLM value for each grid point over a specific period of time, ranging from 30 to 120 minutes. In addition to the evaluation of these two new products, the evaluation of the PGLM itself will be covered. The presentation will conclude with forecaster feedback for additional improvements requested for future evaluations, such as within the 2012 Spring Program.

Mass Transfer via Low-Velocity Rebound in a Microgravity Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarmak, S. G.; Colwell, J. E.; Brisset, J.; Dove, A.; Brown, A. Q.

2017-12-01

Observations of low-velocity collisions (< 1 m/s) between μm to cm-size particles in a microgravity environment are crucial to an understanding of the surface properties of small, airless bodies as well as the processes that lead to their formation. The COLLIDE (Collisions Into Dust Experiment) and PRIME (Physics of Regolith Impacts in Microgravity Experiment) programs created impacts into simulated planetary regolith with cm-scale impactors to observe ejecta production and coefficients of restitution in microgravity. These experiments were carried out on orbit (COLLIDE, COLLIDE-2), in suborbital space (COLLIDE-3), and on parabolic airplane flights (PRIME) under vacuum. Some impacts at speeds less than 40 cm/s resulted in mass transfer from the target regolith onto the impactor. To study these mass-transfer collisions in more detail without the cost or time requirements of spaceflight or parabolic flights, we developed an experimental apparatus in a laboratory drop tower (free-fall time 0.75 s) and performed experiments at standard pressure. The impactor is suspended from a spring and remains in contact with the bed of regolith until free-fall allows the spring to retract and pull the impactor upwards. This method allowed us to simulate the rebound portion of a low-velocity collision in a laboratory microgravity environment. We achieved rebound velocities of 10 - 60 cm/s, and we observed mass transfer events with rebound speeds below 40 cm/s. The amount of mass transfer produced was more significant than a monolayer of granular material, but less than the amount observed in the COLLIDE and PRIME experiments. These mass-transfer collisions may play a role in the growth of planetesimals. We will present the results of our laboratory-based studies where we vary impact velocity and target material, and discuss implications for collisional evolution in the protoplanetary disk and planetary rings.

FNLM 2013 Events & Programs Announced | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... expand programs that promote medical education and health literacy in several related areas. Professional Education In Spring ... site: www.fnlm.org Mobile MedlinePlus! Trusted medical information on your mobile phone. http://m.medlineplus.gov ...

Predicted responses of arctic and alpine ecosystems to altered seasonality under climate change.

PubMed

Ernakovich, Jessica G; Hopping, Kelly A; Berdanier, Aaron B; Simpson, Rodney T; Kachergis, Emily J; Steltzer, Heidi; Wallenstein, Matthew D

2014-10-01

Global climate change is already having significant impacts on arctic and alpine ecosystems, and ongoing increases in temperature and altered precipitation patterns will affect the strong seasonal patterns that characterize these temperature-limited systems. The length of the potential growing season in these tundra environments is increasing due to warmer temperatures and earlier spring snow melt. Here, we compare current and projected climate and ecological data from 20 Northern Hemisphere sites to identify how seasonal changes in the physical environment due to climate change will alter the seasonality of arctic and alpine ecosystems. We find that although arctic and alpine ecosystems appear similar under historical climate conditions, climate change will lead to divergent responses, particularly in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. As seasonality changes in the Arctic, plants will advance the timing of spring phenological events, which could increase plant nutrient uptake, production, and ecosystem carbon (C) gain. In alpine regions, photoperiod will constrain spring plant phenology, limiting the extent to which the growing season can lengthen, especially if decreased water availability from earlier snow melt and warmer summer temperatures lead to earlier senescence. The result could be a shorter growing season with decreased production and increased nutrient loss. These contrasting alpine and arctic ecosystem responses will have cascading effects on ecosystems, affecting community structure, biotic interactions, and biogeochemistry. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reliability of spring interconnects for high channel-count polyimide electrode arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Sharif; Ordonez, Juan Sebastian; Stieglitz, Thomas

2018-05-01

Active neural implants with a high channel-count need robust and reliable operational assembly for the targeted environment in order to be classified as viable fully implantable systems. The discrete functionality of the electrode array and the implant electronics is vital for intact assembly. A critical interface exists at the interconnection sites between the electrode array and the implant electronics, especially in hybrid assemblies (e.g. retinal implants) where electrodes and electronics are not on the same substrate. Since the interconnects in such assemblies cannot be hermetically sealed, reliable protection against the physiological environment is essential for delivering high insulation resistance and low defusibility of salt ions, which are limited in complexity by current assembly techniques. This work reports on a combination of spring-type interconnects on a polyimide array with silicone rubber gasket insulation for chronically active implantable systems. The spring design of the interconnects on the backend of the electrode array compensates for the uniform thickness of the sandwiched gasket during bonding in assembly and relieves the propagation of extrinsic stresses to the bulk polyimide substrate. The contact resistance of the microflex-bonded spring interconnects with the underlying metallized ceramic test vehicles and insulation through the gasket between adjacent contacts was investigated against the MIL883 standard. The contact and insulation resistances remained stable in the exhausting environmental conditions.

Literacy Program. National Issues Forums Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Issues Forums, Dayton, OH.

In the spring of 1988, 33 representatives from 20 institutions or organizations sponsoring National Issues Forum (NIF) literacy programs attended a national conference in Washington, D.C. Throughout the conference, representatives from the organizations sponsoring NIF literacy programs made statements on the importance of NIF as a tool for…

Continuous but diverse advancement of spring-summer phenology in response to climate warming across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

DOE PAGES

Zheng, Zhoutao; Zhu, Wenquan; Chen, Guangsheng; ...

2016-04-25

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is more vulnerable and sensitive to climate change than many other regions worldwide because of its high altitude, permafrost geography, and harsh physical environment. As a sensitive bio-indicator of climate change, plant phenology shift in this region has been intensively studied during the recent decades, primarily based on satellite-retrieved data. However, great controversy still exists regarding the change in direction and magnitudes of spring-summer phenology. Based on a large number (11,000+ records) of long-term and continuous ground observational data for various plant species, our study intended to more comprehensively assess the changing trends of spring-summer phenologymore » and their relationships with climatic change across the QTP. The results indicated a continuous advancement (–2.69 days decade –1) in spring-summer phenology from 1981 to 2011, with an even more rapid advancement during 2000–2011 (–3.13 days decade –1), which provided new field evidence for continuous advancement in spring-summer phenology across the QTP. However, diverse advancing rates in spring-summer phenology were observed for different vegetation types, thermal conditions, and seasons. The advancing trends matched well with the difference in sensitivity of spring-summer phenology to increasing temperature, implying that the sensitivity of phenology to temperature was one of the major factors influencing spring-summer phenology shifts. Besides, increased precipitation could advance the spring-summer phenology. As a result, the response of spring-summer phenology to temperature tended to be stronger from east to west across all species, while the response to precipitation showed no consistent spatial pattern.« less

Continuous but diverse advancement of spring-summer phenology in response to climate warming across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Zhoutao; Zhu, Wenquan; Chen, Guangsheng

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is more vulnerable and sensitive to climate change than many other regions worldwide because of its high altitude, permafrost geography, and harsh physical environment. As a sensitive bio-indicator of climate change, plant phenology shift in this region has been intensively studied during the recent decades, primarily based on satellite-retrieved data. However, great controversy still exists regarding the change in direction and magnitudes of spring-summer phenology. Based on a large number (11,000+ records) of long-term and continuous ground observational data for various plant species, our study intended to more comprehensively assess the changing trends of spring-summer phenologymore » and their relationships with climatic change across the QTP. The results indicated a continuous advancement (–2.69 days decade –1) in spring-summer phenology from 1981 to 2011, with an even more rapid advancement during 2000–2011 (–3.13 days decade –1), which provided new field evidence for continuous advancement in spring-summer phenology across the QTP. However, diverse advancing rates in spring-summer phenology were observed for different vegetation types, thermal conditions, and seasons. The advancing trends matched well with the difference in sensitivity of spring-summer phenology to increasing temperature, implying that the sensitivity of phenology to temperature was one of the major factors influencing spring-summer phenology shifts. Besides, increased precipitation could advance the spring-summer phenology. As a result, the response of spring-summer phenology to temperature tended to be stronger from east to west across all species, while the response to precipitation showed no consistent spatial pattern.« less

A Non-Western Doctoral Program in Theology for Africans in Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starcher, Richard L.

2004-01-01

While students from many non-Western contexts continue to stream to Europe and North America to pursue theological doctoral degrees, new theological doctoral programs are springing up around the world. Many of these new programs appear to be adopting (more or less uncritically) one or another of the Western models of doctoral program design.…

Assisted Workouts: Starting My Own Workout Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cousminer, Douglas

2003-01-01

As an undergraduate student with cerebral palsy, I found it difficult to achieve my goal of starting a regular exercise program at my school, the University of Central Florida. However, when I started a program called Assisted Workouts in spring 2003. the struggle proved to be well worth it. The program is not only beneficial to me, but it has…

Administration of University Athletic Programs: Internal Control and Excellence. An Executive Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilley, J. Wade; Hickey, Anthony A.

The views of 65 university presidents about athletic programs, the administration of their athletic programs, and the impact of problems of athletic program on university leadership were studied in spring 1985. Ten of the presidents responding to the survey were from private institutions, while 55 were from public universities. On the average,…

Distribution of ether lipids and composition of the archaeal community in terrestrial geothermal springs: impact of environmental variables.

PubMed

Xie, Wei; Zhang, Chuanlun L; Wang, Jinxiang; Chen, Yufei; Zhu, Yuanqing; de la Torre, José R; Dong, Hailiang; Hartnett, Hilairy E; Hedlund, Brian P; Klotz, Martin G

2015-05-01

Archaea can respond to changes in the environment by altering the composition of their membrane lipids, for example, by modification of the abundance and composition of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs). Here, we investigated the abundance and proportions of polar GDGTs (P-GDGTs) and core GDGTs (C-GDGTs) sampled in different seasons from Tengchong hot springs (Yunnan, China), which encompassed a pH range of 2.5-10.1 and a temperature range of 43.7-93.6°C. The phylogenetic composition of the archaeal community (reanalysed from published work) divided the Archaea in spring sediment samples into three major groups that corresponded with spring pH: acidic, circumneutral and alkaline. Cluster analysis showed correlation between spring pH and the composition of P- and C-GDGTs and archaeal 16S rRNA genes, indicating an intimate link between resident Archaea and the distribution of P- and C-GDGTs in Tengchong hot springs. The distribution of GDGTs in Tengchong springs was also significantly affected by temperature; however, the relationship was weaker than with pH. Analysis of published datasets including samples from Tibet, Yellowstone and the US Great Basin hot springs revealed a similar relationship between pH and GDGT content. Specifically, low pH springs had higher concentrations of GDGTs with high numbers of cyclopentyl rings than neutral and alkaline springs, which is consistent with the predominance of high cyclopentyl ring-characterized Sulfolobales and Thermoplasmatales present in some of the low pH springs. Our study suggests that the resident Archaea in these hot springs are acclimated if not adapted to low pH by their genetic capacity to effect the packing density of their membranes by increasing cyclopentyl rings in GDGTs at the rank of community. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Providing Middle School Students With Science Research Experiences Through Community Partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, D.

2007-12-01

Science research courses have been around for years at the university and high school level. As inquiry based learning has become more and more a part of the science teacher's vocabulary, many of these courses have adopted an inquiry model for studying science. Learners of all ages benefit from learning through the natural process of inquiry. I participated in the CIRES Earthworks program for science teachers (Colorado University) in the summer of 2007 and experienced, first hand, the value of inquiry learning. With the support and vision of my school administration, and with the support and commitment of community partners, I have developed a Middle School Science Research Program that is transforming how science is taught to students in my community. Swift Creek Middle School is located in Tallahassee, Florida. There are approximately 1000 students in this suburban public school. Students at Swift Creek are required to take one science class each year through 8th grade. As more emphasis is placed on learning a large number of scientific facts and information, in order to prepare students for yearly, standardized tests, there is a concern that less emphasis may be placed on the process and nature of science. The program I developed draws from the inquiry model followed at the CIRES Earthworks program, utilizes valuable community partnerships, and plays an important role in meeting that need. There are three major components to this Middle School Research Program, and the Center for Integrated Research and Learning (CIRL) at the National High Magnetic Field Lab (NHMFL) at Florida State University is playing an important role in all three. First, each student will develop their own research question and design experiments to answer the question. Scientists from the NHMFL are serving as mentors, or "buddy scientists," to my students as they work through the process of inquiry. Scientists from the CIRES - Earthworks program, Florida State University, and other institutions are also volunteering to be mentors. Second, each student will participate in the GLOBE-FLEXE pilot program that involves comparing environmental conditions of local environments to those of extreme environments, like hydrothermal vents in the deep sea. This real-world science program is being coordinated through the FLEXE Project Office at Penn State University, and the GLOBE Program Office in Boulder, Co. We will spend 18 class periods collecting local weather data and analyzing meteorological data from around the world, writing scientific reports, and peer reviewing other students reports. The NHMFL is a sponsor of the Communtiy Classroom Consortium in Tallahassee that is has funded a grant for equipment needed to conduct the data collection portion of this process. Finally, the students will share their research with other students, parents, teachers, and scientists at a school science fair in the fall, and a scientific poster session in the spring. The NHMFL will be supplying judges for the two sessions. They will also be offering the use of their facilities at the laboratory in the spring. Scientists from the lab will mingle with the students, discuss their research, and critique and encourage the young scientists at the first annual Middle School Research Symposium in May, 2008.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Programs, 2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-03-01

Endangered Species Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorizes ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek (CC), Lostine River (LR) and Grande Ronde River (GR) for research and enhancement purposes. Modification 2 of this permit authorizes ODFW to take adults for spawning and the production and release of smolts for the Captive and Conventional broodstock programs. This report satisfies the requirement that an annual report be submitted. Herein we report on activities conducted and provide cursory data analyses for the Grande Ronde spring chinook salmon Captive and Conventional broodstock projects from 1 January-31 December 2001.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Program, 2000 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-03-01

Endangered Species Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorizes ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek (CC), Lostine River (LR) and Grande Ronde River (GR) for research and enhancement purposes. Modification 2 of this permit authorizes ODFW to take adults for spawning and the production and release of smolts for the Captive and Conventional broodstock programs. This report satisfies the requirement that an annual report be submitted. Herein we report on activities conducted and provide cursory data analyses for the Grande Ronde spring chinook salmon Captive and Conventional broodstock projects from 1 January-31 December 2000.

Bacterial tetraethers from Tibetan hot springs: Implications for nitrogen metabolism and biological sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, F.; Zhang, C.; Wang, S.; Klotz, M. G.; Dong, H.; Li, W.

2013-12-01

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (bGDGTs) are considered to be produced by bacteria that are predominantly found in soils and peat bogs. Recently, however, in situ production of bGDGTs is reported from a terrestrial hot spring in the Great Basin. In this study, we analyzed water chemistry, bacterial lipids, and pyrosequencing data from 37 Tibetan hot springs in order to evaluate the linkage between biological sources, metabolic processes and the distribution of bGDGTs. Analyses of absolute and relative concentrations of intact polar- and core bGDGTs (IP-bGDGTs and C-bGDGTs) suggest that the bGDGTs are predominantly produced in situ in Tibetan hot springs. Cluster analysis separated the hot spring samples into three major groups, which showed significant relationships between bGDGTs and concentrations of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. The nirS gene abundance also correlated significantly with bGDGTs. These results indicate that the bGDGT-producing organisms may be involved in nitrogen metabolism in the Tibetan hot springs. Pyrosequencing analysis identified eight phyla of Bacteria (Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Spirochetes) that may be potential sources of bGDGTs based on significant correlations of these organisms with the distribution of different bGDGTs. Representatives of these phyla have been implicated in nitrogen oxide transformations in many diverse environments including hot springs. Overall, our results suggest that bacteria producing bGDGTs may play an important role in nitrogen cycle in the Tibetan hot springs.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Programs, 2002 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-07-01

Endangered Species Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorizes ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek (CC), Lostine River (LR) and Grande Ronde River (GR) for research and enhancement purposes. Modification 2 of this permit authorizes ODFW to take adults for spawning and the production and release of smolts for the Captive and Conventional broodstock programs. This report satisfies the requirement that an annual report be submitted. Herein we report on activities conducted and provide cursory data analyses for the Grande Ronde spring chinook salmon Captive and Conventional broodstock projects from 1 January-31 December 2002.more » The Grande Ronde Basin Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Project is designed to rapidly increase numbers of salmon in stocks that are in imminent danger of extirpation. Parr are captured in Catherine Creek, upper Grande Ronde River and Lostine River and reared to adulthood in captivity. Upon maturation, they are spawned (within stocks) and their progeny reared to smoltification before being released into the natal stream of their parents. This program is co-managed by ODFW, National Marine Fisheries Service, the Nez Perce Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.« less

Community dynamics of bottom-ice algae in Dease Strait of the Canadian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, K.; Mundy, C. J.; Landy, J. C.; Delaforge, A.; Michel, C.; Rysgaard, S.

2016-12-01

Sea ice algae are a characteristic feature in ice-covered seas, contributing a significant fraction of the total primary production in many areas and providing a concentrated food source of high nutritional value to grazers in the spring. Algae respond to physical changes in the sea ice environment by modifying their cellular carbon, nitrogen and pigment content, and by adjusting their photophysiological characteristics. In this study we examined how the ratios of particulate organic carbon (POC) to nitrogen (PON), and POC to chlorophyll a (chl a), responded to the evolving snow-covered sea ice environment near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, during spring 2014. We also estimated photosynthesis-irradiance (PI) curves using oxygen-optodes and evaluated the resulting time-series of PI parameters under thin and thick snow-covered sites. There were no significant differences in PI parameters between samples from different overlying snow depths, and only the maximum photosynthetic rates in the absence of photoinhibition (PsB) and photoacclimation (IS) parameters changed significantly over the spring bloom. Furthermore, we found that both these parameters increased over time in response to increasing percent transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (TPAR) through the ice, indicating that light was a limiting factor of photosynthesis and was an important driver of temporal (over the spring) rather than spatial (between snow depths) variability in photophysiological response. However, we note that spatial variability in primary production was evident. Higher TPAR over the spring and under thin snow affected the composition of algae over both time and space, causing greater POC:chl a estimates in late spring and under thin snow cover. Nitrogen limitation was pronounced in this study, likely reducing PsB and algal photosynthetic rates, and increasing POC:PON ratios to over six times the Redfield average. Our results highlight the influence of both light and nutrients on ice algal biomass composition and photophysiology, and suggest a limitation by both resources over a diel period.

The Kindles Are Coming: Ereaders and Tablets Are Springing up in Schools--And Librarians Are Leading the Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barack, Lauren

2011-01-01

Commonly spearheaded by librarians, Kindle pilot programs are springing up in schools around the country, bringing ereaders to K-12 students, who are cracking the spine, so to speak, on these alternative learning tools. From full adoption of the devices at Clearwater High School in Florida to tentative beta projects, educators are exploring how…

Global Occurrence of Archaeal amoA Genes in Terrestrial Hot Springs▿

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chuanlun L.; Ye, Qi; Huang, Zhiyong; Li, WenJun; Chen, Jinquan; Song, Zhaoqi; Zhao, Weidong; Bagwell, Christopher; Inskeep, William P.; Ross, Christian; Gao, Lei; Wiegel, Juergen; Romanek, Christopher S.; Shock, Everett L.; Hedlund, Brian P.

2008-01-01

Despite the ubiquity of ammonium in geothermal environments and the thermodynamic favorability of aerobic ammonia oxidation, thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms belonging to the crenarchaeota kingdom have only recently been described. In this study, we analyzed microbial mats and surface sediments from 21 hot spring samples (pH 3.4 to 9.0; temperature, 41 to 86°C) from the United States, China, and Russia and obtained 846 putative archaeal ammonia monooxygenase large-subunit (amoA) gene and transcript sequences, representing a total of 41 amoA operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at 2% identity. The amoA gene sequences were highly diverse, yet they clustered within two major clades of archaeal amoA sequences known from water columns, sediments, and soils: clusters A and B. Eighty-four percent (711/846) of the sequences belonged to cluster A, which is typically found in water columns and sediments, whereas 16% (135/846) belonged to cluster B, which is typically found in soils and sediments. Although a few amoA OTUs were present in several geothermal regions, most were specific to a single region. In addition, cluster A amoA genes formed geographic groups, while cluster B sequences did not group geographically. With the exception of only one hot spring, principal-component analysis and UPGMA (unweighted-pair group method using average linkages) based on the UniFrac metric derived from cluster A grouped the springs by location, regardless of temperature or bulk water pH, suggesting that geography may play a role in structuring communities of putative ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). The amoA genes were distinct from those of low-temperature environments; in particular, pair-wise comparisons between hot spring amoA genes and those from sympatric soils showed less than 85% sequence identity, underscoring the distinctness of hot spring archaeal communities from those of the surrounding soil system. Reverse transcription-PCR showed that amoA genes were transcribed in situ in one spring and the transcripts were closely related to the amoA genes amplified from the same spring. Our study demonstrates the global occurrence of putative archaeal amoA genes in a wide variety of terrestrial hot springs and suggests that geography may play an important role in selecting different assemblages of AOA. PMID:18676703

Using a binary logistic regression method and GIS for evaluating and mapping the groundwater spring potential in the Sultan Mountains (Aksehir, Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozdemir, Adnan

2011-07-01

SummaryThe purpose of this study is to produce a groundwater spring potential map of the Sultan Mountains in central Turkey, based on a logistic regression method within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Using field surveys, the locations of the springs (440 springs) were determined in the study area. In this study, 17 spring-related factors were used in the analysis: geology, relative permeability, land use/land cover, precipitation, elevation, slope, aspect, total curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, wetness index, stream power index, sediment transport capacity index, distance to drainage, distance to fault, drainage density, and fault density map. The coefficients of the predictor variables were estimated using binary logistic regression analysis and were used to calculate the groundwater spring potential for the entire study area. The accuracy of the final spring potential map was evaluated based on the observed springs. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by calculating the relative operating characteristics. The area value of the relative operating characteristic curve model was found to be 0.82. These results indicate that the model is a good estimator of the spring potential in the study area. The spring potential map shows that the areas of very low, low, moderate and high groundwater spring potential classes are 105.586 km 2 (28.99%), 74.271 km 2 (19.906%), 101.203 km 2 (27.14%), and 90.05 km 2 (24.671%), respectively. The interpretations of the potential map showed that stream power index, relative permeability of lithologies, geology, elevation, aspect, wetness index, plan curvature, and drainage density play major roles in spring occurrence and distribution in the Sultan Mountains. The logistic regression approach has not yet been used to delineate groundwater potential zones. In this study, the logistic regression method was used to locate potential zones for groundwater springs in the Sultan Mountains. The evolved model was found to be in strong agreement with the available groundwater spring test data. Hence, this method can be used routinely in groundwater exploration under favourable conditions.

The hydrogeology of urbanization: The lost springs of Washington, D.C., late Tertiary and Quaternary sediments of D.C., and the Baltimore Long Term Ecological Research site (LTER): Chapter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bhaskar, Aditi; Pavich, Milan J.; Sharp, John M.

2015-01-01

Urbanization is a major process now shaping the environment. This field trip looks at the hydrogeology of the general Washington, D.C., area and focuses on the city's lost springs. Until 150 years ago, springs and shallow dug wells were the main source of drinking water for residents of Washington, D.C. Celebrating the nation's bicentennial, Garnett P. Williams of the U.S. Geological Survey examined changes in water supply and water courses since 1776. He examined old newspaper files to determine the location of the city's springs. This field trip visits sites of some of these springs (few of which are now flowing), discusses the hydrologic impacts of urbanization and the general geological setting, and finishes with the Baltimore Long Term Ecological Research site at Dead Run and its findings. The field trip visits some familiar locations in the Washington, D.C., area, and gives insights into their often hidden hydrologic past and present.

Geothermal areas in Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shuja, T.A.

1986-01-01

In this paper an attempt has been made to correlate the tectonic and geologic features with surface manifestations of geothermal activity in Pakistan to delineate prospective areas for exploration and development of geothermal energy. Underthrusting of the Arabian plate beneath the Eurasian plate has resulted in the formation of Chagai volcanic arc which extends into Iran. Quaternary volcanics in this environment, along with the presence of thermal springs, is an important geotectonic feature revealing the possible existence of geothermal fields. Geothermal activity in the northern areas of Pakistan, as evidenced by thermal springs, is the likely result of collision andmore » underthrusting of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate. Numerous hot springs are found along the Main Mantle thrust and the Main Karakorum thrust in Chilas and Hunza areas respectively. The concentration of hot springs in Sind Province is also indicative of geothermal activity. A string of thermal seepages and springs following the alignment of the Syntaxial Bend in Punjab Province is also noteworthy from the geothermal viewpoint. In Baluchistan Province (southwest Pakistan), Hamun-e-Mushkel, a graben structure, also shows geothermal prospects on the basis of aeromagnetic studies.« less

A test for the relative strength of maternal and stock effects in spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from two different hatcheries (Study site: Warm Springs Hatchery; Stocks: Warm Springs Hatchery and Carson Hatchery; Year class: 1993): Chapter 10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wetzel, Lisa A.; Rubin, Stephen P.; Reisenbichler, Reginald R.; Stenberg, Karl D.; Rubin, Stephen P.; Reisenbichler, Reginald R.; Wetzel, Lisa A.; Hayes, Michael C.

2012-01-01

An experiment was undertaken to determine the relative strength of maternal and stock effects in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) reared in a common environment, as a companion study to our investigation of hatchery and wild Chinook salmon. Pure-strain and reciprocal crosses were made between two hatchery stocks (Carson and Warm Springs National Fish Hatcheries). The offspring were reared together in one of the hatcheries to the smolt stage, and then were transferred to a seawater rearing facility (USGS-Marrowstone Field Station). Differences in survival, growth and disease prevalence were assessed. Fish with Carson parentage grew to greater size at the hatchery and in seawater than the pure-strain Warm Springs fish, but showed higher mortality at introduction to seawater. The analyses of maternal and stock effects were inconclusive, but the theoretical responses to different combinations of maternal and stock effects may be useful in interpreting stock comparison studies.

Variation in chlorophyll content per unit leaf area in spring wheat and implications for selection in segregating material.

PubMed

Hamblin, John; Stefanova, Katia; Angessa, Tefera Tolera

2014-01-01

Reduced levels of leaf chlorophyll content per unit leaf area in crops may be of advantage in the search for higher yields. Possible reasons include better light distribution in the crop canopy and less photochemical damage to leaves absorbing more light energy than required for maximum photosynthesis. Reduced chlorophyll may also reduce the heat load at the top of canopy, reducing water requirements to cool leaves. Chloroplasts are nutrient rich and reducing their number may increase available nutrients for growth and development. To determine whether this hypothesis has any validity in spring wheat requires an understanding of genotypic differences in leaf chlorophyll content per unit area in diverse germplasm. This was measured with a SPAD 502 as SPAD units. The study was conducted in series of environments involving up to 28 genotypes, mainly spring wheat. In general, substantial and repeatable genotypic variation was observed. Consistent SPAD readings were recorded for different sampling positions on leaves, between different leaves on single plant, between different plants of the same genotype, and between different genotypes grown in the same or different environments. Plant nutrition affected SPAD units in nutrient poor environments. Wheat genotypes DBW 10 and Transfer were identified as having consistent and contrasting high and low average SPAD readings of 52 and 32 units, respectively, and a methodology to allow selection in segregating populations has been developed.

77 FR 62243 - Rural Health Network Development Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Network Development Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Non-competitive Replacement Award to Siloam Springs Regional Health Cooperative, Inc. SUMMARY...

Pep Rally at the O. K. Corral.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leff, Laurel

1979-01-01

The program at Deep Springs College combines cattle ranching with traditional college courses. The two-year program is designed to develop a student's focus on loftier ideals and a critical perspective of society, stressing community responsibility and self-reliance. (JMF)

Composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and their contribution to nitrification in a high-temperature hot spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S.; Peng, X.-T.; Xu, H.-C.; Ta, K.-W.

2015-10-01

The oxidation of ammonia by microbes and associated organisms has been shown to occur in diverse natural environments. However, the contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea to nitrification in high-temperature environments remains unclear. Here, we studied in situ ammonia oxidation rates and the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in surface and bottom sediments at 77 °C in the Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The in situ ammonia oxidation rates measured by the 15N-NO3- pool dilution technique in the surface sinter and bottom sediments were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1 h-1, respectively. Relative abundances of Crenarchaea in both samples were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed high sequence similarity to thermophilic "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii", which represented the most abundant operation taxonomic units (OTU) in both sediments. Furthermore, bacterial amoA was not detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present in the range of 2.75 to 9.80 × 105 and 0.128 to 1.96 × 108 gene copies g-1 sediment. The cell-specific nitrification rates were estimated to be in the range of 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which is consistent with earlier estimates in estuary environments. This study demonstrated that AOA were widely involved in nitrification in this hot spring. It further indicated the importance of archaea rather than bacteria in driving the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial geothermal environments.

Considerations on Terrestrial Iron Depositing Analogs to Earliest Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Igor I.; Allen, Carlton C.; Sarkisova, S. A.; Garrison, D. H.; McKay, D. S.

2007-01-01

Iron oxide and hydroxide minerals, including hematite, can mineralize and preservemicrofossils and physical biomarkers (Allen at al., 2004). Preserved remnants of phototrophic microorganisms are recognized as biosignatures of past life on Earth (Schopf, 2006). To date, two types of surface iron depositing environments have been studied as analogs to possible habitable environments on earliest Mars: the highly acidified Rio Tinto River (Iberian Belt, Spain) [Gomez Ortis et al., 2007], and the nearneutral iron depositing Chocolate Pots Hot Spring (Yellowstone National Park, US) [Parenteau at al., 2005]. While phototrophs in the Rio Tinto are only represented by eukaryotic algae (Amaral Zettler et all., 2002), Chocolate Pots is mainly populated with cyanobacteria (Pierson et all., 2000; Brown et all., 2007). Which of these environments is the closer analog to a potentially habitable early Mars? Paleobiological data, combined with recent "tree of life" interpretations, suggest that phototrophic eukaryotes evolved not earlier than 2.5 - 2.8 b.y. after Earth s accretion (4.6 b.y.), while cyanobacteria and /or their iron-tolerant predecessors evolved between 1 - 1.5 b.y. after accretion (Brown et al., 2007). Lindsay and Brasier (2002) postulated that microbial life on Mars surface could have lasted no more than 1-1.5 b.y. after Mars accretion (also 4.6 b.y.). Recent multispectral mapping of Mars suggests that near-neutral wet environments prevailed at approximately this time (Bibring, et al., 2006). Thus, near-neutral iron depositing hot springs such as Chocolate Pots Hot Spring seem to be the more likely habitable analogs for earliest Mars.

Toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in public hot springs in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Mohamed, Zakaria A

2008-01-01

Toxic cyanobacteria are well reported in rivers, lakes and even marine environments, but the toxin production of cyanobacteria in hot springs is largely unexplored. Therefore, the present study investigated the presence of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in public hot springs in Saudi Arabia. The results of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed that Saudi spring cyanobacterial mats contained microcystins (MCYSTs) at concentrations ranging from 468 to 512.5 microg g(-1). The Limulus amebocyte lystae (LAL) assay detected lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxins in these mats at concentrations ranging from 433.3 to 506.8 EU g(-1). MCYSTs and endotoxins were also detected in spring waters at levels of 5.7 microg l(-1) and 640 EU ml(-1), respectively, exceeding WHO's provisional guideline value for MCYST-LR in drinking-water. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that only Oscillatoria limosa and Synechococcus lividus can produce MCYSTs with a profile consisting of MCYST-RR and -LR. Based on the LAL assay, 12 out of 17 cyanobacterial species contained LPS at concentrations ranging from 0.93 to 21.06 EU g(-1). However, not all LPS of these species were toxic to mice. This study suggests that the hot springs in the world including Saudi Arabia should be screened for toxic cyanobacteria to avoid the exposure of people recreating and bathing in spring waters to cyanobacterial toxins.

Mercury in water and biomass of microbial communities in hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

King, S.A.; Behnke, S.; Slack, K.; Krabbenhoft, D.P.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Burr, M.D.; Striegl, Robert G.

2006-01-01

Ultra-clean sampling methods and approaches typically used in pristine environments were applied to quantify concentrations of Hg species in water and microbial biomass from hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, features that are geologically enriched with Hg. Microbial populations of chemically-diverse hot springs were also characterized using modern methods in molecular biology as the initial step toward ongoing work linking Hg speciation with microbial processes. Molecular methods (amplification of environmental DNA using 16S rDNA primers, cloning, denatured gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) screening of clone libraries, and sequencing of representative clones) were used to examine the dominant members of microbial communities in hot springs. Total Hg (THg), monomethylated Hg (MeHg), pH, temperature, and other parameters influential to Hg speciation and microbial ecology are reported for hot springs water and associated microbial mats. Several hot springs indicate the presence of MeHg in microbial mats with concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 ng g-1 (dry weight). Concentrations of THg in mats ranged from 4.9 to 120,000 ng g-1 (dry weight). Combined data from surveys of geothermal water, lakes, and streams show that aqueous THg concentrations range from l to 600 ng L-1. Species and concentrations of THg in mats and water vary significantly between hot springs, as do the microorganisms found at each site. ?? 2006.

Biomarkers in Carbonate Thermal Springs: Implications for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, C. C.; Kivett, S. J.; McKay, D. S.

1998-01-01

Evidence of possible relict biogenic activity has been reported in carbonate inclusions within martian meteorite ALH 84001. The initial evidence included ovoid and elongated forms 50 - 500 nanometers in length, morphologically similar to but significantly smaller than many terrestrial microbes. More recently, thin structures resembling the remains of organic biofilms have been reported in the same meteorite. Carbonates have also been discussed in the context of Mars sample return missions. Thermal spring deposits have often been cited as prime locations for exobiological exploration. By analogy to Earth, specialized microbes may have existed in the heated, mineralized waters, and precipitates of carbonate and/or silica from these waters may have trapped and preserved evidence of life. Since the geological interactions that produce thermal springs can be recognized in orbital imagery, directed searches for microfossils in such deposits are deemed possible. We are engaged in a study of the signatures produced by contemporary biogenic activity (biomarkers) in carbonate thermal springs. We are examining the microbes that live in such environments and the preservation of microbial forms, biofilms, and petrographic fabrics indicative of life in thermal spring mineral deposits. This work is part of a much more extensive study to refine the appropriate tools, techniques, and approaches to seek evidence of life in a range of planetary samples. A deeper understanding of biological signatures will prepare us for the detailed search for life on Mars and eventually on other planets. Overall. the study of biomarkers in rocks and soils will provide insight into the evolution of life because such signatures are a record of how life interacts with its environment, how it adapts to changing conditions, and how life can influence geology and climate.

Metagenomic and Biochemical Characterizations of Sulfur Oxidation Metabolism in Uncultured Large Sausage-Shaped Bacterium in Hot Spring Microbial Mats

PubMed Central

Tamaki, Hideyuki; Kamagata, Yoichi; Hanada, Satoshi

2012-01-01

So-called “sulfur-turf” microbial mats in sulfide containing hot springs (55–70°C, pH 7.3–8.3) in Japan were dominated by a large sausage-shaped bacterium (LSSB) that is closely related to the genus Sulfurihydrogenibium. Several previous reports proposed that the LSSB would be involved in sulfide oxidation in hot spring. However, the LSSB has not been isolated yet, thus there has been no clear evidence showing whether it possesses any genes and enzymes responsible for sulfide oxidation. To verify this, we investigated sulfide oxidation potential in the LSSB using a metagenomic approach and subsequent biochemical analysis. Genome fragments of the LSSB (a total of 3.7 Mb sequence including overlapping fragments) were obtained from the metagenomic fosmid library constructed from genomic DNA of the sulfur-turf mats. The sequence annotation clearly revealed that the LSSB possesses sulfur oxidation-related genes coding sulfide dehydrogenase (SD), sulfide-quinone reductase and sulfite dehydrogenase. The gene encoding SD, the key enzyme for sulfide oxidation, was successfully cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant enzyme clearly showed SD activity with optimum temperature and pH of 60°C and 8.0, respectively, which were consistent with the environmental conditions in the hot spring where the sulfur-turf thrives. Furthermore, the affinity of SD to sulfide was relatively high, which also reflected the environment where the sulfide could be continuously supplied. This is the first report showing that the LSSB harbors sulfide oxidizing metabolism adapted to the hot spring environment and can be involved in sulfide oxidation in the sulfur-turf microbial mats. PMID:23185438

Spring molybdenum enrichment in scallop shells: a potential tracer of diatom productivity in coastal temperate environments (Brittany, NW France)?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barats, A.; Amouroux, D.; Pécheyran, C.; Chauvaud, L.; Thébault, J.; Donard, O. F. X.

2009-08-01

Skeletal molybdenum/calcium ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratios were recently examined in bivalves. These ratios were determined by quantitative LA-ICP-MS analyses every third daily striae (i.e. a temporal resolution of 3 days) in 36 flat valves of the Great Scallop shells Pecten maximus (2-year old; 3 shells/year) collected in temperate coastal environments of Western Europe (42 to 49° N). Variations of ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratio were significant and reproducible for scallops from a same population, from different years (1998-2004) and from different coastal temperate locations. ([Mo]/[Ca])shell exhibits typical profiles characterized by a background content, below the method detection limit (<0.003 μmol/mol) for most of the shell growth period, which is punctuated by a significant transient enrichment (0.031-2.1 μmol/mol) mainly occurring from May to June. The Bay of Brest (France) was especially investigated because of long term observations on scallop communities, environmental variables, and high resolution analyses of dissolved Mo in bottom seawater in 2000. In 2000, dissolved Mo exhibited significant increasing concentration just preceding a maximum of ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratio. The environmental conditions preceding ([Mo]/[Ca])shell maximum events, both in 2000 and over the 7-year survey indicates a direct influence of the scallop environmental conditions at the sediment water interface subsequent to the intense and periodic spring bloom event. Spring maxima of ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratio were found to be specifically related to the dynamic of spring diatom blooms and to the extent of the subsequent silicate depletion. ([Mo]/[Ca])shell records reveal thus unexpected biogeochemical routes of Mo, potentially related to coastal spring productivity.

Microbial and Chemical Characterization of Underwater Fresh Water Springs in the Dead Sea

PubMed Central

Ionescu, Danny; Siebert, Christian; Polerecky, Lubos; Munwes, Yaniv Y.; Lott, Christian; Häusler, Stefan; Bižić-Ionescu, Mina; Quast, Christian; Peplies, Jörg; Glöckner, Frank Oliver; Ramette, Alban; Rödiger, Tino; Dittmar, Thorsten; Oren, Aharon; Geyer, Stefan; Stärk, Hans-Joachim; Sauter, Martin; Licha, Tobias; Laronne, Jonathan B.; de Beer, Dirk

2012-01-01

Due to its extreme salinity and high Mg concentration the Dead Sea is characterized by a very low density of cells most of which are Archaea. We discovered several underwater fresh to brackish water springs in the Dead Sea harboring dense microbial communities. We provide the first characterization of these communities, discuss their possible origin, hydrochemical environment, energetic resources and the putative biogeochemical pathways they are mediating. Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and community fingerprinting methods showed that the spring community originates from the Dead Sea sediments and not from the aquifer. Furthermore, it suggested that there is a dense Archaeal community in the shoreline pore water of the lake. Sequences of bacterial sulfate reducers, nitrifiers iron oxidizers and iron reducers were identified as well. Analysis of white and green biofilms suggested that sulfide oxidation through chemolitotrophy and phototrophy is highly significant. Hyperspectral analysis showed a tight association between abundant green sulfur bacteria and cyanobacteria in the green biofilms. Together, our findings show that the Dead Sea floor harbors diverse microbial communities, part of which is not known from other hypersaline environments. Analysis of the water’s chemistry shows evidence of microbial activity along the path and suggests that the springs supply nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter to the microbial communities in the Dead Sea. The underwater springs are a newly recognized water source for the Dead Sea. Their input of microorganisms and nutrients needs to be considered in the assessment of possible impact of dilution events of the lake surface waters, such as those that will occur in the future due to the intended establishment of the Red Sea−Dead Sea water conduit. PMID:22679498

Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, spring 1982 to spring 1983

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1984-01-01

The withdrawal of ground water was slightly less than 4.2 million acre-feet in Arizona in 1982, which is about 1.2 million acre-feet less than the amount withdrawn in 1981. Most of the decrease in 1982 was in the amount of ground water used for irrigation in the Basin and Range lowlands province. Through 1982, slightly more than 193 million acre-feet of ground water had been withdrawn from the ground-water reservoirs in Arizona. The report contains three small-scale maps that show ground-water pumpage by areas, the status of the ground-water inventory and observation-well program, and the ground-water quality sampling program. The main map, which is at a scale of 1:500,000, shows potential well production, depth to water in selected wells in spring 1983, and change in water level in selected wells from 1978 to 1983. A brief text summarizes the current ground-water conditions in the State. (USGS)

Binding of Helocobacter pyori to Human Gastric Mucose: Identification and Characterization of a Lewis b Bingind Protein.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-06-01

putative virulence factors of H. pylori have been identified to date. These factors include a urease , flagella, a mucinase, a cytotoxin, and two adhesins...The urease is believed to aid in bacterial survival of the harsh gastric environment by generating ammonia from urea to neutralize the low pH (Segal...A Laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Harbor, New York. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. Hazell, S., A. Lee. 1986. Campylobacter pyloridis urease

Recharge in semiarid mountain environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gross, G.W.

A systematic investigation of tritium activity in precipitation, surface water, springs, and ground water of the Roswell artesian basin in New Mexico, has been supplemented by hydrogeologic reconnaissance of spring systems; by various statistical correlations and spectral analysis of stream flow and water level records of observation wells; by spring discharge measurements; by stable isotope determinations (oxygen 18 and deuterium); and by numerical modeling of part of the basin. Two recharge contributions to the Principal or Carbonate Aquifer have been distinguished principally on the basis of their tritium label and aquifer response characteristics. Almost all basin waters (including deep groundmore » water) fall close to the meteoric line of hydrogen/oxygen isotope composition, and this rules out a juvenile origin or appreciable bedrock interaction.« less

Walthère Victor Spring - A Forerunner in the Study of the Greenhouse Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demarée, Gaston R.; Verheyden, Rosiane

2016-01-01

In 1886, an article by Walthère Spring and Léon Roland, two scientists from the University of Liège, dealing with the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere in Liège appeared in the "Mẻmoires" of the Royal Academy of Belgium. In order to explain the difference between temperatures in the city of Liège and those observed in that city's environs, the authors invoked the high level of atmospheric CO2. Although the climatological argument was rather weak and the article concerned only a local impact, it is obvious that Spring can be viewed as a precursor of Svante Arrhenius who foresaw global warming in 1895-1896.

A simple microgravity table for the Orbiter or Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garriott, O. K.; Debra, D. B.

1985-01-01

Methods of limiting perturbations in microgravity experiments are proposed. An acceleration level below 10 to the -4th m/s-squared is necessary to maintain an undisturbed microgravity environment. Machinery vibrations, crew motion, and the firing of vernier thrusters produce acceleration levels greate than 10 to the -4th m/s-squared. The use of a weak spring system or simple electromagnets to isolate an experimental table from these factors is described. The manners in which crew motion and vernier firing are countered by the springs are examined. The steady acceleration caused by atmospheric drag, gravity gradient force, and steady rotation can be maintained below 10 to the -th m/s-squared; however, the springs can protect the table from these accelerations if required.

Hydrologic Resources Management Program and Underground Test Area Project FY 2006 Progress Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Culham, H W; Eaton, G F; Genetti, V

2008-04-08

This report describes FY 2006 technical studies conducted by the Chemical Biology and Nuclear Science Division (CBND) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in support of the Hydrologic Resources Management Program (HRMP) and the Underground Test Area Project (UGTA). These programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) through the Defense Programs and Environmental Restoration Divisions, respectively. HRMP-sponsored work is directed toward the responsible management of the natural resources at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), enabling its continued use as a staging area for strategic operations in support of national security.more » UGTA-funded work emphasizes the development of an integrated set of groundwater flow and contaminant transport models to predict the extent of radionuclide migration from underground nuclear testing areas at the NTS. The report is organized on a topical basis and contains four chapters that highlight technical work products produced by CBND. However, it is important to recognize that most of this work involves collaborative partnerships with the other HRMP and UGTA contract organizations. These groups include the Energy and Environment Directorate at LLNL (LLNL-E&E), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Stoller-Navarro Joint Venture (SNJV), and National Security Technologies (NSTec). Chapter 1 is a summary of FY 2006 sampling efforts at near-field 'hot' wells at the NTS, and presents new chemical and isotopic data for groundwater samples from four near-field wells. These include PM-2 and U-20n PS 1DDh (CHESHIRE), UE-7ns (BOURBON), and U-19v PS No.1ds (ALMENDRO). Chapter 2 is a summary of the results of chemical and isotopic measurements of groundwater samples from three UGTA environmental monitoring wells. These wells are: ER-12-4 and U12S located in Area 12 on Rainier Mesa and USGS HGH No.2 WW2 located in Yucca Flat. In addition, three springs were sampled White Rock Spring and Captain Jack Spring in Area 12 on Rainier Mesa and Topopah Spring in Area 29. Chapter 3 is a compilation of existing noble gas data that has been reviewed and edited to remove inconsistencies in presentation of total vs. single isotope noble gas values reported in the previous HRMP and UGTA progress reports. Chapter 4 is a summary of the results of batch sorption and desorption experiments performed to determine the distribution coefficients (Kd) of Pu(IV), Np(V), U(VI), Cs and Sr to zeolitized tuff (tuff confining unit, TCU) and carbonate (lower carbonate aquifer, LCA) rocks in synthetic NTS groundwater Chapter 5 is a summary of the results of a series of flow-cell experiments performed to examine Np(V) and Pu(V) sorption to and desorption from goethite. Np and Pu desorption occur at a faster rate and to a greater extent than previously reported. In addition, oxidation changes occurred with the Pu whereby the surface-sorbed Pu(IV) was reoxidized to aqueous Pu(V) during desorption.« less

Implementing a Computer/Technology Endorsement in a Classroom Technology Master's Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownell, Gregg; O'Bannon, Blanche; Brownell, Nancy

In the spring of 1998, the Master's program in Classroom Technology at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) was granted conditional approval to grant, as part of the program, the new State of Ohio Department of Education computer/technology endorsement. This paper briefly describes Ohio's change from certification to licensure, the removal of…

Begin Planning this Spring for a Yearlong Program Recognizing and Celebrating Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, Michael P.

2002-01-01

Outlines a model program for rewarding excellence, primarily in a Catholic elementary school that has discretionary funds for rewards and recognition, though it may be adapted for any school. Presents a monthly award system that utilizes Catholic culture and permeates the entire school year. Cites Disney program as a model. (NB)

Family Reflections on the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program: Final Summary Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Thomas; Wolf, Patrick; Cornman, Stephen Q.; McKenzie-Thompson, Kenann; Butcher, Jonathan

2009-01-01

During the spring of 2004, the first federally funded voucher program--the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP)--was established. The School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP) recognized that publicly-funded school vouchers represent a relatively new and unstudied approach to school choice and education reform. To address …

The English Language in the School Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Robert F., Ed.

The 22 papers in this publication, drawn from the 1963 and 1964 NCTE Spring Institutes on Language, Linguistics, and School Programs, concentrate on the relevance of recent scholarship for English language programs in elementary and secondary schools. Language theory is the focus of articles by Harold B. Allen, Sumner Ives, Albert H. Marckwardt,…

Summative Evaluation of the Foreign Credential Recognition Program. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2010

2010-01-01

A summative evaluation of the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) was conducted during the spring, summer and fall of 2008. The main objective of the evaluation was to measure the relevance, impacts, and cost-effectiveness of the program. Given the timing of the evaluation…

Leadership Program Planning: Assessing the Needs and Interests of the Agricultural Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufman, Eric K.; Rateau, Richard J.; Ellis, Keyana C.; Kasperbauer, Holly Jo; Stacklin, Laura R.

2010-01-01

Needs assessment is the first step in developing a leadership education program. During the spring of 2008 researchers and program planners conducted focus groups sessions with representatives from Virginia's agricultural community with the goal of assessing the leadership development interests and needs of that community. As one focus group…

Spatial and monthly trends in speciated fine particle concentration in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malm, William C.; Schichtel, Bret A.; Pitchford, Marc L.; Ashbaugh, Lowell L.; Eldred, Robert A.

2004-02-01

In the spring of 1985 an interagency consortium of federal land management agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency established the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network to assess visibility and aerosol monitoring for the purpose of tracking spatial and temporal trends of visibility and visibility-impairing particles in rural areas. The program was initiated with 20 monitoring sites and was expanded to 165 sites between 2000 and 2003. This paper reports on fine aerosol data collected in the year 2001 at 143 sites. The major fine (dp < 2.5 μm) particle aerosol species, sulfates, nitrates, organics, light-absorbing carbon, and wind-blown dust, and coarse gravimetric mass are monitored, and at some sites, light scattering and/or extinction are measured. Sulfates, carbon, and crustal material are responsible for most of the fine mass at the majority of locations throughout the United States, while at sites in southern California and the midwestern United States, nitrates can contribute significantly. In the eastern United States, sulfates contribute between 50 and 60% of the fine mass. Sulfate concentrations tend to be highest in the summer months while organic concentrations can be high in the spring, summer, or fall seasons, depending upon fire-related emissions. However, at the two urban sites, Phoenix, Arizona, and Puget Sound, Washington, organics peak during the winter months. Nitrate concentrations also tend to be highest during the winter months. During the spring months in many areas of the western United States, fine soil can contribute as much as 40% of fine mass. The temporal changes in soil concentration that occur simultaneously over much of the western United States including the Rocky Mountain region suggest a large source region, possibly long-range transport of Asian dust.

Yakima Fisheries Project : Final Environmental Impact Statement.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration; Washington; Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington.

1996-01-01

BPA proposes to fund several fishery-related activities in the Yakima River Basin. These activities, known as the Yakima Fisheries Project (YFP), would be jointly managed by the State of Washington and the Yakima Indian Nation. The YFP is included in the Northwest Power Planning Council`s (Council`s) fish and wildlife program. The Council selected the Yakima River system for attention because fisheries resources are severely reduced from historical levels and because there is a significant potential for enhancement of these resources. BPA`s proposed action is to fund (1) information gathering on the implementation of supplementation techniques and on feasibility of reintroducingmore » coho salmon in an environment where native populations have become extinct; (2) research activities based on continuous assessment, feedback and improvement of research design and activities ({open_quotes}adaptive management{close_quotes}); and (3) die construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities for supplementing populations of upper Yakima spring chinook salmon. Examined in addition to No Action are two alternatives for action: (1) supplementation of depressed natural populations of upper Yakima spring chinook and (2) that same supplementation plus a study to determine the feasibility of reestablishing naturally spawning population and a significant fall fishery for coho in the Yakima Basin. Alternative 2 is the preferred action. A central hatchery would be built for either alternative, as well as three sites with six raceways each for acclimation and release of spring chinook smolts. Major issues examined in the Revised Draft EIS include potential impacts of the project on genetic and ecological resources of existing fish populations, on water quality and quantity, on threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act, and on the recreational fishery.« less

Advanced Control Surface Seal Development for Future Space Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeMange, J. J.; Dunlap, P. H., Jr.; Steinetz, B. M.

2004-01-01

NASA s Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been developing advanced high temperature structural seals since the late 1980's and is currently developing seals for future space vehicles as part of the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program. This includes control surface seals that seal the edges and hinge lines of movable flaps and elevons on future reentry vehicles. In these applications, the seals must operate at temperatures above 2000 F in an oxidizing environment, limit hot gas leakage to protect underlying structures, endure high temperature scrubbing against rough surfaces, and remain flexible and resilient enough to stay in contact with sealing surfaces for multiple heating and loading cycles. For this study, three seal designs were compared against the baseline spring tube seal through a series of compression tests at room temperature and 2000 F and flow tests at room temperature. In addition, canted coil springs were tested as preloaders behind the seals at room temperature to assess their potential for improving resiliency. Addition of these preloader elements resulted in significant increases in resiliency compared to the seals by themselves and surpassed the performance of the baseline seal at room temperature. Flow tests demonstrated that the seal candidates with engineered cores had lower leakage rates than the baseline spring tube design. However, when the seals were placed on the preloader elements, the flow rates were higher as the seals were not compressed as much and therefore were not able to fill the groove as well. High temperature tests were also conducted to asses the compatibility of seal fabrics against ceramic matrix composite (CMC) panels anticipated for use in next generation launch vehicles. These evaluations demonstrated potential bonding issues between the Nextel fabrics and CMC candidates.

Molecular evolution and expression of oxygen transport genes in livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae) from hydrogen sulfide rich springs.

PubMed

Barts, Nicholas; Greenway, Ryan; Passow, Courtney N; Arias-Rodriguez, Lenin; Kelley, Joanna L; Tobler, Michael

2018-04-01

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is a natural toxicant in some aquatic environments that has diverse molecular targets. It binds to oxygen transport proteins, rendering them non-functional by reducing oxygen-binding affinity. Hence, organisms permanently inhabiting H 2 S-rich environments are predicted to exhibit adaptive modifications to compensate for the reduced capacity to transport oxygen. We investigated 10 lineages of fish of the family Poeciliidae that have colonized freshwater springs rich in H 2 S-along with related lineages from non-sulfidic environments-to test hypotheses about the expression and evolution of oxygen transport genes in a phylogenetic context. We predicted shifts in the expression of and signatures of positive selection on oxygen transport genes upon colonization of H 2 S-rich habitats. Our analyses indicated significant shifts in gene expression for multiple hemoglobin genes in lineages that have colonized H 2 S-rich environments, and three hemoglobin genes exhibited relaxed selection in sulfidic compared to non-sulfidic lineages. However, neither changes in gene expression nor signatures of selection were consistent among all lineages in H 2 S-rich environments. Oxygen transport genes may consequently be predictable targets of selection during adaptation to sulfidic environments, but changes in gene expression and molecular evolution of oxygen transport genes in H 2 S-rich environments are not necessarily repeatable across replicated lineages.

The Oceanic Flux Program: A three decade time-series of particle flux in the deep Sargasso Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, J. C.; Conte, M. H.

2010-12-01

The Oceanic Flux Program (OFP), 75 km SE of Bermuda, is the longest running time-series of its kind. Initiated in 1978, the OFP has produced an unsurpassed, nearly continuous record of temporal variability in deep ocean fluxes, with a >90% temporal coverage at 3200m depth. The OFP, in conjunction with the co-located Bermuda-Atlantic Time Series (BATS) and the Bermuda Testbed Mooring (BTM) time-series, has provided key observations enabling detailed assessment of how seasonal and non-seasonal variability in the deep ocean is linked with the overlying physical and biogeochemical environment. This talk will focus on the short-term flux variability that overlies the seasonal flux pattern in the Sargasso Sea, emphasizing episodic extreme flux events. Extreme flux events are responsible for much of the year-to-year variability in mean annual flux and are most often observed during early winter and late spring when surface stratification is weak or transient. In addition to biological phenomena (e.g. salp blooms), passage of productive meso-scale features such as eddies, which alter surface water mixing characteristics and surface export fluxes, may initiate some extreme flux events. Yet other productive eddies show a minimal influence on the deep flux, underscoring the importance of upper ocean ecosystem structure and midwater processes on the coupling between the surface ocean environment and deep fluxes. Using key organic and inorganic tracers, causative processes that influence deep flux generation and the strength of the coupling with the surface ocean environment can be identified.

An Analysis of Student Success Rates for Academic and Workforce Programs at a Large Texas Community College: Examining Fall 2009 to Spring 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

High, Clennis F.

2012-01-01

Student success rates for academic track and workforce track students were examined for thousands of students at a large urban Texas Community College. The study covered fall 2009 through spring 2011, a two year period. Data were collected from the institution's data base regarding students who successfully completed the courses in which they were…

Australian DefenceScience. Volume 12, Number 3, Spring

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

Australian DEFENCESCIENCE Spring Issue Volume 12 Number 3 2004 Autonomous UAV flight a world first Missile countermeasures – from flares to lasers...4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Australian DefenceScience. Volume 12 , Number 3 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S...ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12 . DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public

Prescribed fires are not created equal: fire season and severity effects in ponderosa pine forests of the southern Blue Mountains.

Treesearch

Jonathan Thompson

2006-01-01

In the mid-1990s, forest managers on the Malheur National Forest were concerned about their prescribed fire program. Although they have only a few weeks of acceptable conditions available in the spring and fall, they were worried that spring-season prescribed burning might be exacerbating black stain root disease and having negative effects on understory plants.

Normal crop calendars. Volume 2: The spring wheat states of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, W. L., III (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The state crop calendars for the principal spring wheat producing states within the United States are presented. These crop calendars are an update of those produced for the large area crop inventory experiment multilabeling task during 1978and are compiled for the foreign commodity production forecasting (FCPF) project of the agriculture and resources inventory surveys through aerospace remote sensing program.

Joint Force Quarterly. Number 15, Spring 1997

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

headquarters to extract information from sensors on the vehicle without bothering crew members with extraneous reports. Position loca- tion devices on... change in how they do business. Air Force lean logistics and Army velocity management programs are literal springboards for quantum improvements in...Spring 1997 Victory smiles upon those who anticipate the changes in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after the changes

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery, 1996 Technical Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steward, Cleveland R.

1996-08-01

The Nez Perce Tribe has proposed to build and operate the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery (NPTH) in the Clearwater River subbasin of Idaho for the purpose of restoring self-sustaining populations of spring, summer, and fall chinook salmon to their native habitats. The project comprises a combination of incubation and rearing facilities, satellite rearing facilities, juvenile and adult collection sites, and associated production and harvest management activities. As currently conceived, the NPTH program will produce approximately 768,000 spring chinook parr, 800,000 summer chinook fry, and 2,000,000 fall chinook fry on an annual basis. Hatchery fish would be spawned, reared, and releasedmore » under conditions that promote wild-type characteristics, minimize genetic changes in both hatchery and wild chinook populations, and minimize undesirable ecological interactions. The primary objective is to enable hatchery-produced fish to return to reproduce naturally in the streams in which they are released. These and other characteristics of the project are described in further detail in the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Master Plan (Larson and Mobrand 1992), the 1995 Supplement to the Master Plan (Johnson et al. 1995), and the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Program Environmental Impact Statement (Bonneville Power Administration et al. 1996). The report in hand is referred to in project literature as the NPTH Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan. This report describes monitoring and evaluation activities that will help NPTH managers determine. whether they were successful in restoring chinook salmon populations and avoiding adverse ecological impacts. Program success will be gauged primarily by changes in the abundance and distribution of supplemented chinook populations. The evaluation of project-related impacts will focus on the biological effects of constructing and operating NPTH hatchery facilities, introducing hatchery fish into the natural environment, and removing or displacing wild fish, including targeted chinook, non-targeted chinook, and resident species.« less

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona: 2011-2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.; Unema, Joel A.

2014-01-01

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area. Precipitation in the area typically is between 6 and 14 inches per year. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2011 to September 2012. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In 2011, total groundwater withdrawals were 4,480 acre-ft, industrial withdrawals were 1,390 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 3,090 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2011 were about 39 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005 because of Peabody Western Coal Company’s discontinued use of water to transport coal in a slurry. From 2010 to 2011 total withdrawals increased by 11 percent; industrial withdrawals increased by approximately 19 percent, and total municipal withdrawals increased by 8 percent. From 2011 to 2012, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 8 of 15 wells that were available for comparison in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was -0.1 feet. Water levels declined in 9 of 18 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was 0.0 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2012, the median water-level change for 34 wells in both the confined and unconfined areas was -13.4 feet; the median water-level changes were -2.1 feet for 16 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -39.1 feet for 18 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured at four springs in 2012. Flow fluctuated during the period of record for Burro and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso, but a decreasing trend was apparent at Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring. Discharge at Burro Spring has remained relatively constant since it was first measured in the 1980s and discharge at Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso has fluctuated for the period of record. Trend analysis for discharge at Moenkopi and Pasture Canyon Springs yielded a slope significantly different from zero. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2010), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2010), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2010), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2010). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, and there are no significant statistical trends in groundwater discharge. In 2012, water samples collected from 10 wells and 4 springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all 10 wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 12 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied significantly since the early 1980s, and there is no increasing or decreasing trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record, but there is no increasing or decreasing trend in the data.

Spring leaf phenology and the diurnal temperature range in a temperate maple forest.

PubMed

Hanes, Jonathan M

2014-03-01

Spring leaf phenology in temperate climates is intricately related to numerous aspects of the lower atmosphere [e.g., surface energy balance, carbon flux, humidity, the diurnal temperature range (DTR)]. To further develop and improve the accuracy of ecosystem and climate models, additional investigations of the specific nature of the relationships between spring leaf phenology and various ecosystem and climate processes are required in different environments. This study used visual observations of maple leaf phenology, below-canopy light intensities, and micrometeorological data collected during the spring seasons of 2008, 2009, and 2010 to examine the potential influence of leaf phenology on a seasonal transition in the trend of the DTR. The timing of a reversal in the DTR trend occurred near the time when the leaves were unfolding and expanding. The results suggest that the spring decline in the DTR can be attributed primarily to the effect of canopy closure on daily maximum temperature. These findings improve our understanding of the relationship between leaf phenology and the diurnal temperature range in temperate maple forests during the spring. They also demonstrate the necessity of incorporating accurate phenological data into ecosystem and climate models and warrant a careful examination of the extent to which canopy phenology is currently incorporated into existing models.

Sample Return from Ancient Hydrothermal Springs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Carlton C.; Oehler, Dorothy Z.

2008-01-01

Hydrothermal spring deposits on Mars would make excellent candidates for sample return. Molecular phylogeny suggests that that life on Earth may have arisen in hydrothermal settings [1-3], and on Mars, such settings not only would have supplied energy-rich waters in which martian life may have evolved [4-7] but also would have provided warm, liquid water to martian life forms as the climate became colder and drier [8]. Since silica, sulfates, and clays associated with hydrothermal settings are known to preserve geochemical and morphological remains of ancient terrestrial life [9-11], such settings on Mars might similarly preserve evidence of martian life. Finally, because formation of hydrothermal springs includes surface and subsurface processes, martian spring deposits would offer the potential to assess astrobiological potential and hydrological history in a variety of settings, including surface mineralized terraces, associated stream deposits, and subsurface environments where organic remains may have been well protected from oxidation. Previous attempts to identify martian spring deposits from orbit have been general or limited by resolution of available data [12-14]. However, new satellite imagery from HiRISE has a resolution of 28 cm/pixel, and based on these new data, we have interpreted several features in Vernal Crater, Arabia Terra as ancient hydrothermal springs [15, 16].

Metagenomic Study of Iron Homeostasis in Iron Depositing Hot Spring Cyanobacterial Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, I.; Franklin H.; Tringe, S. G.; Klatt, C. G.; Bryant, D. A.; Sarkisova, S. A.; Guevara, M.

2010-01-01

Introduction: It is not clear how an iron-rich thermal hydrosphere could be hospitable to cyanobacteria, since reduced iron appears to stimulate oxidative stress in all domains of life and particularly in oxygenic phototrophs. Therefore, metagenomic study of cyanobacterial community in iron-depositing hot springs may help elucidate how oxygenic prokaryotes can withstand the extremely high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by interaction between environmental Fe2+ and O2. Method: Anchor proteins from various species of cyanobacteria and some anoxygenic phototrophs were selected on the basis of their hypothetical role in Fe homeostasis and the suppression of oxidative stress and were BLASTed against the metagenomes of iron-depositing Chocolate Pots and freshwater Mushroom hot springs. Results: BLASTing proteins hypothesized to be involved in Fe homeostasis against the microbiomes from the two springs revealed that iron-depositing hot spring has a greater abundance of defensive proteins such as bacterioferritin comigratory protein (Bcp) and DNA-binding Ferritin like protein (Dps) than a fresh-water hot spring. One may speculate that the abundance of Bcp and Dps in an iron-depositing hot spring is connected to the need to suppress oxidative stress in bacteria inhabiting environments with high Fe2+ concnetration. In both springs, Bcp and Dps are concentrated within the cyanobacterial fractions of the microbial community (regardless of abundance). Fe3+ siderophore transport (from the transport system permease protein query) may be less essential to the microbial community of CP because of the high [Fe]. Conclusion: Further research is needed to confirm that these proteins are unique to photoautotrophs such as those living in iron-depositing hot spring.

NASA thunderstorm overflight program: Atmospheric electricity research. An overview report on the optical lightning detection experiment for spring and summer 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, O. H., Jr.

1984-01-01

This report presents an overview of the NASA Thunderstorm Overflight Program (TOP)/Optical Lightning Experiment (OLDE) being conducted by the Marshall Space Flight Center and university researchers in atmospheric electricity. Discussed in this report are the various instruments flown on the NASA U-2 aircraft, as well as the ground instrumentation used in 1983 to collect optical and electronic signatures from the lightning events. Samples of some of the photographic and electronic signatures are presented. Approximately 4132 electronic data samples of optical pulses were collected and are being analyzed by the NASA and university researchers. A number of research reports are being prepared for future publication. These reports will provide more detailed data analysis and results from the 1983 spring and summer program.

Utilizing Twitter and #Hashtags toward Enhancing Student Learning in an Online Course Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bledsoe, T. Scott; Harmeyer, Dave; Wu, Shuang Frances

2014-01-01

The authors offer an answer to the research question, To what extent and in what ways is Twitter helpful to student learning when group hashtags are created and used in collaborative educational environments? Sixty-two students in a spring 2012 graduate online Research Methodology course worked individually and in groups to create discussions on…

Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Thermofilum sp. Strain from a New Zealand Hot Spring Enrichment Culture

DOE PAGES

Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Donaho, John; Hinsch, Todd; ...

2018-02-22

A draft genome of a newThermofilumsp. strain was obtained from an enrichment culture metagenome. Like its relatives,Thermofilumsp. strain NZ13 is adapted to organic-rich thermal environments and has to depend on other organisms and the environment for some key amino acids, purines, and cofactors.

Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Thermofilum sp. Strain from a New Zealand Hot Spring Enrichment Culture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Donaho, John; Hinsch, Todd

A draft genome of a newThermofilumsp. strain was obtained from an enrichment culture metagenome. Like its relatives,Thermofilumsp. strain NZ13 is adapted to organic-rich thermal environments and has to depend on other organisms and the environment for some key amino acids, purines, and cofactors.

The Columbia Classroom Environments Project.... Fifth Progress Report, May 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grannis, Joseph C.

This report is organized into seven chapters. Chapter One, an Introduction by Joseph C. Grannis, includes the most relevant sections of the proposal made by the Columbia Classroom Environments Project (CCEP) to Project Follow Through in August 1970. Chapter Two is an Analysis of the Child Behavior Stream Observations from the Spring 1971 Study of…

Investigating Elementary School Students' Perceptions about Environment through Their Drawings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozsoy, Sibel

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine elementary school students' perceptions about environment through their drawings. The study was carried out during the spring semester of 2010-2011 academic year. A total of 429 elementary school students, including 68 fourth grade, 78 fifth grade, 97 sixth grade, 85 seventh grade, 101 eighth grade,…

Participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program Is Associated with Healthier Nutrition Environments at Family Child Care Homes in Mississippi.

PubMed

Erinosho, Temitope; Vaughn, Amber; Hales, Derek; Mazzucca, Stephanie; Gizlice, Ziya; Ward, Dianne

2018-05-01

Describe foods and beverages offered, nutrition practices, and nutrition policies of family child care homes in Mississippi and differences by participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Cross-sectional study conducted between fall, 2015 and spring, 2016. Mississippi. Random, stratified sample of 134 family child care homes that enroll 3- to 5-year-olds. Providers completed a modified version of the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation-self-report tool. Foods and beverages offered at lunch, provider practices regarding nutrition, and presence or absence of written nutrition policies. Descriptive statistics, likelihood ratio chi-square, and t tests. Most homes (>75%) provided components from the fruit, vegetable, grain/bread, meat/meat alternative, and milk food groups at lunch. At some homes, the food and beverage selections offered were high in fat, sugar, and refined grains. Providers at CACFP-participating homes (P < .05) reported healthier beverage selections, more healthful nutrition practices, and more written nutrition policies compared with providers at non-CACFP homes. Interventions and regulatory standards are needed, particularly in non-CACFP homes, to ensure that food and beverage offerings, provider practices, and policies regarding nutrition support the development of healthful dietary behaviors in early childhood. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Seasonal oxygen dynamics in a warm temperate estuary: effects of hydrologic variability on measurements of primary production, respiration, and net metabolism.

PubMed

Murrell, Michael C; Caffrey, Jane M; Marcovich, Dragoslav T; Beck, Marcus W; Jarvis, Brandon M; Hagy, James D

2018-05-01

Seasonal responses in estuarine metabolism (primary production, respiration, and net metabolism) were examined using two complementary approaches. Total ecosystem metabolism rates were calculated from dissolved oxygen time series using Odum's open water method. Water column rates were calculated from oxygen-based bottle experiments. The study was conducted over a spring-summer season in the Pensacola Bay estuary at a shallow seagrass-dominated site and a deeper bare-bottomed site. Water column integrated gross production rates more than doubled (58.7 to 130.9 mmol O 2 m -2 d -1 ) from spring to summer, coinciding with a sharp increase in water column chlorophyll-a, and a decrease in surface salinity. As expected, ecosystem gross production rates were consistently higher than water column rates, but showed a different spring-summer pattern, decreasing at the shoal site from 197 to 168 mmol O 2 m -2 d -1 and sharply increasing at the channel site from 93.4 to 197.4 mmol O 2 m -2 d -1 . The consistency among approaches was evaluated by calculating residual metabolism rates (ecosystem - water column). At the shoal site, residual gross production rates decreased from spring to summer from 176.8 to 99.1 mmol O 2 m -2 d -1 , but were generally consistent with expectations for seagrass environments, indicating that the open water method captured both water column and benthic processes. However, at the channel site, where benthic production was strongly light-limited, residual gross production varied from 15.7 mmol O 2 m -2 d -1 in spring to 86.7 mmol O 2 m -2 d -1 in summer. The summer rates were much higher than could be realistically attributed to benthic processes, and likely reflected a violation of the open water method due to water column stratification. While the use of sensors for estimating complex ecosystem processes holds promise for coastal monitoring programs, careful attention to the sampling design, and to the underlying assumptions of the methods, is critical for correctly interpreting the results. This study demonstrated how using a combination of approaches yielded a fuller understanding of the ecosystem response to hydrologic and seasonal variability.

Biomineralization of As(V)-hydrous ferric oxyhydroxide in microbial mats of an acid-sulfate-chloride geothermal spring, Yellowstone National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inskeep, William P.; Macur, Richard E.; Harrison, Gregory; Bostick, Benjamin C.; Fendorf, Scott

2004-08-01

Acid-sulfate-chloride (pH˜3) geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) often contain Fe(II), As(III), and S(-II) at discharge, providing several electron donors for chemolithotrophic metabolism. The microbial populations inhabiting these environments are inextricably linked with geochemical processes controlling the behavior of As and Fe. Consequently, the objectives of the current study were to (i) characterize Fe-rich microbial mats of an ASC thermal spring, (ii) evaluate the composition and structure of As-rich hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) associated with these mats, and (iii) identify microorganisms that are potentially responsible for mat formation via the oxidation of Fe(II) and or As(III). Aqueous and solid phase mat samples obtained from a spring in Norris Basin, YNP (YNP Thermal Inventory NHSP35) were analyzed using a complement of chemical, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. In addition, molecular analysis (16S rDNA) was used to identify potentially dominant microbial populations within different mat locations. The biomineralization of As-rich HFO occurs in the presence of nearly equimolar aqueous As(III) and As(V) (˜12 μM), and ˜ 48 μM Fe(II), forming sheaths external to microbial cell walls. These solid phases were found to be poorly ordered nanocrystalline HFO containing mole ratios of As(V):Fe(III) of 0.62 ± 0.02. The bonding environment of As(V) and Fe(III) is consistent with adsorption of arsenate on edge and corner positions of Fe(III)-OH octahedra. Numerous archaeal and bacterial sequences were identified (with no closely related cultured relatives), along with several 16S sequences that are closely related to Acidimicrobium, Thiomonas, Metallosphaera and Marinithermus isolates. Several of these cultured relatives have been implicated in Fe(II) and or As(III) oxidation in other low pH, high Fe, and high As environments (e.g. acid-mine drainage). The unique composition and morphologies of the biomineralized phases may be useful as modern-day analogs for identifying microbial life in past Fe-As rich environments.

Violent and Nonviolent Changes in the Images of Cities in the Arab Spring Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serag, Yehya

2017-10-01

The Arab Spring transformations have caused tangible impacts on the urban environment throughout the Middle East with varying levels. In some cities in countries like Libya, Yemen and Syria, deliberate and accidental destruction has taken place, resulting in severe transformations in the image of these cities that could be considered as lasting or difficult to amend. In some cities, the damage caused to urban built environment could be considered a co-lateral damage as a result of internal fighting between the people and their regimes, or the fighting between the different factions in the country or from external interference of regional or international powers. Urbicide, which is defined as a deliberate destruction of cities is also another form of damaging the built environment or the city image, in which parties in an internal conflict tend to destroy symbols or quarters of their rivals to inflict a tangible damage to their social and moral believes. The impacts on the built environment and the image of the city, can result as well from non-destructive measures, for example changes in land uses or decisions to demolish specific buildings that belong to the former era will also result in a clear change in the city image. This paper highlights the types of transformation of the city images that took place as a result of the Arab Spring revolutions. The cases discussed in this paper focus mainly on cities from both Syria and Egypt. This highlighting is done in regard to the nature of change, as mentioned above, the violent transformation in the case of Syrian cities and few cases in Egypt and the nonviolent transformation with the examples from Egypt. In case of the Syrian cities the transformation is caused and sparked by the civil conflict, however the course of reconstruction of these cities after the conflict ends is argued to take one of three paths; reconstruction, renovation or redevelopment. While in case of the nonviolent transformation that is taking place already in Egypt, the nature of change was affected by political, social and security aspects, which in turn had direct impacts on the images of the Egyptian cities after the Arab Spring revolutions.

Measurements of 427 Double Stars With Speckle Interferometry: The Winter/Spring 2017 Observing Program at Brilliant Sky Observatory, Part 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harshaw, Richard

2018-04-01

In the winter and spring of 2017, an aggressive observing program of measuring close double stars with speckle interferometry and CCD imaging was undertaken at Brilliant Sky Observatory, my observing site in Cave Creek, Arizona. A total of 596 stars were observed, 8 of which were rejected for various reasons, leaving 588 pairs. Of these, 427 were observed and measured with speckle interferometry, while the remaining 161 were measured with a CCD. This paper reports the results of the observations of the 427 speckle cases. A separate paper in this issue will report the CCD measurements of the 161 other pairs.

Measurements of 161 Double Stars With a High-Speed CCD: The Winter/Spring 2017 Observing Program at Brilliant Sky Observatory, Part 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harshaw, Richard

2018-04-01

In the winter and spring of 2017, an aggressive observing program of measuring close double stars with speckle interferometry and CCD imaging was undertaken at Brilliant Sky Observatory, my observing site in Cave Creek, Arizona. A total of 596 stars were observed, 8 of which were rejected for various reasons, leaving 588 pairs. Of these, 427 were observed and measured with speckle interferometry, while the remaining 161 were measured with a CCD. This paper reports the results of the observations of the 161 CCD cases. A separate paper in this issue will report the speckle measurements of the 427 other pairs.

Tucannon River Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, Annual Report 2001.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gallinat, Michael P.; Bumgarner, Joseph D.

2002-05-01

This report summarizes the objectives, tasks, and accomplishments of the Tucannon River spring chinook captive brood during 2001. The WDFW initiated a captive broodstock program in 1997. The overall goal of the Tucannon River captive broodstock program is for the short-term, and eventually long-term, rebuilding of the Tucannon River spring chinook salmon run, with the hope that natural production will sustain itself. The project goal is to rear captive salmon selected from the supplementation program to adults, spawn them, rear their progeny, and release approximately 150,000 smolts annually into the Tucannon River between 2003-2007. These smolt releases, in combination withmore » the current hatchery supplementation program (132,000 smolts) and wild production, are expected to produce 600-700 returning adult spring chinook to the Tucannon River each year from 2005-2010. The captive broodstock program will collect fish from five (1997-2001) brood years (BY). The captive broodstock program was initiated with 1997 BY juveniles, and the 2001 BY fish have been selected. As of Jan 1, 2002, WDFW has 17 BY 1997, 159 BY 1998, 316 BY 1999, 448 BY 2000, and approximately 1,200 BY 2001 fish on hand at LFH. The 2001 eggtake from the 1997 brood year (Age 4) was 233,894 eggs from 125 ripe females. Egg survival was 69%. Mean fecundity based on the 105 fully spawned females was 1,990 eggs/female. The 2001 eggtake from the 1998 brood year (Age 3) was 47,409 eggs from 41 ripe females. Egg survival was 81%. Mean fecundity based on the 39 fully spawned females was 1,160 eggs/female. The total 2001 eggtake from the captive brood program was 281,303 eggs. As of May 1, 2002 we have 171,495 BY 2001 captive brood progeny on hand. A total of 20,592 excess fish were marked as parr (AD/CWT) and will be released during early May, 2002 into the Tucannon River (rkm 40-45). This will allow us to stay within our maximum allowed number (150,000) of smolts released. During April 2002, WDFW volitionally released 3,055 BY 2000 captive broodstock progeny from Curl Lake Acclimation Pond into the Tucannon River. These fish were marked with agency-only wire tags and no fin clips in order to differentiate them from the supplementation fish (CWT/Right Red VI/No Finclip). Monitoring their survival and future releases to adult returns, along with future natural production levels, will determine the success or failure of this captive broodstock program.« less

Improving the School Food Environment

PubMed Central

CULLEN, KAREN W.; HARTSTEIN, JILL; REYNOLDS, KIM D.; VU, MAIHAN; RESNICOW, KEN; GREENE, NATASHA; WHITE, MAMIE A.

2009-01-01

Our objective for this study was to examine the feasibility of instituting environmental changes during a 6-week pilot in school foodservice programs, with long-term goals of improving dietary quality and preventing obesity and type 2 diabetes in youth. Participants included students and staff from six middle schools in three states. Formative assessment with students and school staff was conducted in the spring of 2003 to inform the development of school foodservice policy changes. Thirteen potential policy goals were delineated. These formed the basis for the environmental change pilot intervention implemented during the winter/spring of 2004. Questionnaires were used to assess the extent to which the 13 foodservice goals were achieved. Success was defined as achieving 75% of goals not met at baseline. Daily data were collected on goal achievement using the schools’ daily food production and sales records. Qualitative data were also collected after the pilot study to obtain feedback from students and staff. Formative research with staff and students identified potential environmental changes. Most schools made substantial changes in the National School Lunch Program meal and snack bar/a la carte offerings. Vending goals were least likely to be achieved. Only one school did not meet the 75% goal achievement objective. Based on the objective data as well as qualitative feedback from student focus groups and interviews with students and school staff, healthful school foodservice changes in the cafeteria and snack bar can be implemented and were acceptable to the staff and students. Implementing longer-term and more ambitious changes and assessing cost issues and the potential enduring impact of these changes on student dietary change and disease risk reduction merits investigation. PMID:17324667

Contamination investigation in a karst region

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bentowski, J.E.

1993-03-01

A series of springs in the karst region of north central Kentucky appeared to have been contaminated. These springs are within 1/2 mile of two sinkholes which were filled-in as permitted landfills for inert waste and then developed into an industrial park. A pre-remedial site inspection was performed under the authority of the Superfund laws in late 1989. A preliminary site visit included site reconnaissance and geologic field work to locate the springs. A review of historical serial photos aided in the planning the investigation program consisting of magnetic and soil gas surveys and the taking environmental soil and watermore » samples. The soil gas survey indicated potential soil sampling locations. Seventeen surface and subsurface soil samples were taken. Eleven water samples were taken from various springs, rivers and the local public water supply. The analytical results from soil samples taken over the largest sinkhole matched nine inorganic and eleven volatile organic compounds also found in the spring water and sediment samples. The springs are roughly on strike with major fracture systems reported in the literature. The success of this investigation emphasizes the importance of proper geologic consideration for contaminant monitoring in karst regions.« less

Biophysical model of prokaryotic diversity in geothermal hot springs.

PubMed

Klales, Anna; Duncan, James; Nett, Elizabeth Janus; Kane, Suzanne Amador

2012-02-01

Recent studies of photosynthetic bacteria living in geothermal hot spring environments have revealed surprisingly complex ecosystems with an unexpected level of genetic diversity. One case of particular interest involves the distribution along hot spring thermal gradients of genetically distinct bacterial strains that differ in their preferred temperatures for reproduction and photosynthesis. In such systems, a single variable, temperature, defines the relevant environmental variation. In spite of this, each region along the thermal gradient exhibits multiple strains of photosynthetic bacteria adapted to several distinct thermal optima, rather than a single thermal strain adapted to the local environmental temperature. Here we analyze microbiology data from several ecological studies to show that the thermal distribution data exhibit several universal features independent of location and specific bacterial strain. These include the distribution of optimal temperatures of different thermal strains and the functional dependence of the net population density on temperature. We present a simple population dynamics model of these systems that is highly constrained by biophysical data and by physical features of the environment. This model can explain in detail the observed thermal population distributions, as well as certain features of population dynamics observed in laboratory studies of the same organisms. © 2012 American Physical Society

Establishing a Latin American University Honors Program: The Case of Campus Monterrey, Tecnológico De Monterrey, Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Mohammed Ayub; Morales-Menendez, Ruben

2012-01-01

The university honors program of Campus Monterrey, Tecnológico de Monterrey, evolved from the international degree program that was first offered in the spring semester of 2002. Originally six programs were offered in the School of Business and School of Engineering: (1) BA Business Administration; (2) BA Financial Management; (3) BA Finance and…

75 FR 68605 - Marine Mammals

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-08

..., Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 713-2289; fax (301) 713-0376; and Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand... issuance of the permit would not significantly impact the quality of the human environment and that...

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies: A Compendium of Program Ideas for Serving Low-Income Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Washington, DC.

The Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies survey conducted in spring 1985 drew responses from over 1,500 programs active in maternal and child health efforts directed toward low-income women and their families. The executive summary of this report identifies the major goals, common strategies, and needs of program respondents. Chapter 1 summarizes a…

26-Hours at Cal Poly: A Recruitment Strategy Targeting Underrepresented Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Bob; Kellogg, Bill

The Agriculture Education Department at California Polytechnic State University conducted a program to recruit Black and Hispanic students for the school's agriculture programs during spring 1988 and twice since then. High school sophomores and juniors in Los Angeles were invited to Cal Poly for a 26-hour program of workshops designed to include a…

Programs for Teachers | NREL

Science.gov Websites

participants may invite up to two students (one of which may be a graduate student) to participate in hands-on touring the world class facilities at NREL. Program Requirements Participate in the one week summer program. Implement one lesson in the fall or spring. Local teachers receive a stipend of $250 for the one

A Systems Thinking Approach to Leadership and Change: Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Anthony

2012-01-01

This is a research-based action and strategy planning study incorporating a holistic systems approach to program continuance at a local college. In the spring semester of 2010, the college administration decided to discontinue three programs at the college due to declining enrollment. One of these programs was the Real Estate Department which had…

Program Overview and Performance. Fall 1997, Spring 1998, Summer 1998. Wichita State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Silva, Deema

This report describes activities of the Student Support Services Program at Wichita State University (Kansas) during 1997-1998, the second year of a five-year federal grant. The program is designed to meet the special needs of limited-income and first-generation college students, and includes study-skill development, peer tutoring, and academic…

Mathematics in Colleges and Universities. A Comprehensive Survey of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindquist, Clarence B.

Presented is a comprehensive survey of graduate and undergraduate programs in mathematics in effect during Winter and Spring of 1961. Questionnaires were mailed to 1,069 institutions which awarded degrees in mathematics or offered substantial programs in mathematics. Junior colleges and such specialized schools as Bible Colleges and seminaries,…

The Student Counseling Program: Criticism and Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyste, Ron

In the spring of 1968, Los Angeles City College inaugurated a program designed to test the efficacy of peer counseling for students from low income families of minority ethnic background. The first 11 months of the program's operation are reviewed in this paper which is written by one of the original 29 students hired as counseling assistants.…

Michigan Extended School Year Programs 1992-1995. An Evaluation of a State Grant Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Axelrad-Lentz, Susan F.

Michigan lawmakers funded a competitive grant program for school districts to plan and implement extended school year (ESY) programs of 200 days. The primary purpose was to raise academic achievement. In the spring of 1992, 16 diverse school districts were awarded ESY planning grants. Continuation grants funded 2 ESY implementation years, for…

Genotoxicological response of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to spring water in Tlaxcala, México.

PubMed

García-Nieto, Edelmira; Juárez-Santacruz, Libertad; García-Gallegos, Elizabeth; Tlalmis-Zempoalteca, Joselin; Romo-Gómez, Claudia; Torres-Dosal, Arturo

2014-10-01

This study evaluated the genotoxic impact of anthropic activities in Huactzinco Spring, using Cyprinus carpio as a biomonitor. In situ and in vivo experimental designs were compared by means of simultaneous 2-week exposures. The water from the spring generated mean micronuclei frequency values (108.6 ± 32 MN/1,000) and DNA fragmentation values (143.4 ± 35 au) which were statistically higher than those for the negative control (10.9 ± 6 MN/1,000 and 67.6 ± 23 au). The in situ and in vivo experiments supported one another. The comet assay proved to be the most sensitive test, with an EC50 value (11.4 % ± 3.4 %) being less than that determined for the micronuclei test (54.8 % ± 3.2 %). The results of this study confirm the usefulness of C. carpio as an environmental contamination biomonitor, and suggest that Huactzinco Spring water constitutes a latent risk to human health and the environment.

Coupled thermomechanical behavior of graphene using the spring-based finite element approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Georgantzinos, S. K., E-mail: sgeor@mech.upatras.gr; Anifantis, N. K., E-mail: nanif@mech.upatras.gr; Giannopoulos, G. I., E-mail: ggiannopoulos@teiwest.gr

The prediction of the thermomechanical behavior of graphene using a new coupled thermomechanical spring-based finite element approach is the aim of this work. Graphene sheets are modeled in nanoscale according to their atomistic structure. Based on molecular theory, the potential energy is defined as a function of temperature, describing the interatomic interactions in different temperature environments. The force field is approached by suitable straight spring finite elements. Springs simulate the interatomic interactions and interconnect nodes located at the atomic positions. Their stiffness matrix is expressed as a function of temperature. By using appropriate boundary conditions, various different graphene configurations aremore » analyzed and their thermo-mechanical response is approached using conventional finite element procedures. A complete parametric study with respect to the geometric characteristics of graphene is performed, and the temperature dependency of the elastic material properties is finally predicted. Comparisons with available published works found in the literature demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method.« less

Radiocarbon Ages and Environments of Deposition of the Wono and Trego Hot Springs Tephra Layers in the Pyramid Lake Subbasin, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benson, L.V.; Smoot, J.P.; Kashgarian, Michaele; Sarna-Wojcicki, A.; Burdett, J.W.

1997-01-01

Uncalibrated radiocarbon data from core PLC92B taken from Wizards Cove in the Pyramid Lake subbasin indicate that the Trego Hot Springs and Wono tephra layers were deposited 23,200 ?? 300 and 27,300 ??300 14C yr B.P. (uncorrected for reservoir effect). Sedimentological data from sites in the Pyramid Lake and Smoke Creek-Black Rock Desert subbasins indicate that the Trego Hot Springs tephra layer was deposited during a relatively dry period when Pyramid Lake was at or below its spill point (1177 m) to the Winnemucca Lake subbasin. The Wono tephra layer was deposited when lake depth was controlled by spill across Emerson Pass sill (1207 m) to the Smoke Creek-Black Rock Desert subbasin. 18O data from core PLC92B also support the concept that the Trego Hot Springs tephra fell into a relatively shallow Pyramid Lake and that the Wono tephra fell into a deeper spilling lake. ?? 1997 University of Washington.

The 1980 US/Canada wheat and barley exploratory experiment, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bizzell, R. M.; Prior, H. L.; Payne, R. W.; Disler, J. M.

1983-01-01

The results from the U.S./Canada Wheat and Barley Exploratory Experiment which was completed during FY 1980 are presented. The results indicate that the new crop identification procedures performed well for spring small grains and that they are conductive to automation. The performance of the machine processing techniques shows a significant improvement over previously evaluated technology. However, the crop calendars will require additional development and refinements prior to integration into automated area estimation technology. The evaluation showed the integrated technology to be capable of producing accurate and consistent spring small grains proportion estimates. However, barley proportion estimation technology was not satisfactorily evaluated. The low-density segments examined were judged not to give indicative or unequivocal results. It is concluded that, generally, the spring small grains technology is ready for evaluation in a pilot experiment focusing on sensitivity analyses to a variety of agricultural and meteorological conditions representative of the global environment. It is further concluded that a strong potential exists for establishing a highly efficient technology or spring small grains.

Mineralogy and Organic Geochemistry of Acid Sulfate Environments from Valles Caldera, New Mexico: Habitability, Weathering and Biosignatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, M. B.; Des Marais, D. J.; Jahnke, L. L.; Kubo, M.

2009-12-01

We report on the mineralogy, organic preservation potential and habitability of sulfate deposits in acid sulfate volcanic settings at Valles Caldera, New Mexico. Fumaroles and acidic springs are potential analogs for aqueous environments on Mars and may offer insights into habitability of sulfate deposits such as those at Meridiani Planum. Sulfates recently detected on Mars are posited to have formed from fluids derived from basaltic weathering and igneous volatile input, ultimately precipitating from acidic brines subjected to desiccation and freeze-thaw cycles (McClennan and Grotzinger, 2008). Key issues concerning martian sulfate deposits are their relationship to aqueous clay deposits, and whether or not specific sulfates deposits represent former habitable environments (see Soderblum and Bell, 2008; Tosca et al., 2008). Modern terrestrial volcanic fumaroles and hot springs precipitate various Ca-, Mg- and Fe- sulfates along with clays, and can help clarify whether certain acid sulfate mineral assemblages reflect habitable environments. Valles caldera is a resurgent caldera last active in the Pleistocene (1.4 - 1.0 Ma) that hosts several active fumaroles and over 40 geothermal exploration wells (see Goff, 2009). Fumaroles and associated mudpots and springs at Valles range from pH < 1 to 3, and affect argillic alteration upon rhylolitic tuffs and sedimentary deposits (Charles et al., 1986). We identified assemblages containing gypsum, quartz, Al-sulfates, elemental sulfur, clays and other minerals using XRD and SEM-EDS. Our previous research has shown that sulfates from different marine depositional environments display textural and morphological traits that are indicative of biological influence, or specific conditions in the depositional environments (Vogel et al., 2009). Gypsum crystals that develop in the presence of microbial biofilms in marine environments may have distorted crystal morphologies, biofilm - associated dissolution features, and accessory carbonate minerals. Gypsum from Valles Caldera fumaroles develops in the absence of microbial biofilms and differs from biologically influenced marine gypsum in terms of is highly prismatic morphology, lack of texture, and association with clays, and other sulfates. Studies of Valles gypsum crystals therefore support the uniqueness of the putative morphological biosignatures in marine gypsum. We also assayed organic matter from fumarole encrustations to understand how low pH and sulfate content may discriminate against or enhance preservation of specific classes of organic compounds in acid sulfate environments. Similar to gypsiferous marine environments, organics are characterized by abundant organosulfur complexes. Long chain alkanes (> nC22) are abundant from acid sulfate environments. As with hypersaline marine depositional environments, sulfidation appears to be a major diagenetic pathway for organic matter in acid sulfate environments.

In Vivo Force Decay of Niti Closed Coil Springs

PubMed Central

Cox, Crystal; Nguyen, Tung; Koroluk, Lorne; Ko, Ching-Chang

2014-01-01

Introduction Nickel-titanium (NiTi) closed coil springs are purported to deliver constant forces over extended ranges of activation and working times. In vivo studies supporting this claim are limited. The objective of this study is to evaluate changes in force decay properties of NiTi closed coil springs after clinical use. Methods Pseudoelastic force-deflection curves for 30 NiTi coil springs (used intra-orally) and 15 matched laboratory control springs (simulated intra-oral conditions - artificial saliva, 37°C) were tested pre- and post-retrieval via Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and the Instron machine, respectively, to evaluate amount of force loss and hysteresis change following 4, 8, or 12 weeks of working time (n=10 per group). Effect of the oral environment and clinical use on force properties were evaluated by comparing in vivo and in vitro data. Results The springs studied showed a statistically significant decrease in force (~12%) following 4 weeks of clinical use (p<0.01), with a further significant decrease (~7%) from 4–8 weeks (p=0.03) and force levels appearing to remain steady thereafter. Clinical space closure at an average rate of 0.91mm per month was still observed despite this decrease in force. In vivo and in vitro force loss data were not statistically different. Conclusions NiTi closed coil springs do not deliver constant forces when used intra-orally, but they still allow for space closure rates of ~1mm/month. PMID:24703289

Diversity of thermophiles in a Malaysian hot spring determined using 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenome sequencing.

PubMed

Chan, Chia Sing; Chan, Kok-Gan; Tay, Yea-Ling; Chua, Yi-Heng; Goh, Kian Mau

2015-01-01

The Sungai Klah (SK) hot spring is the second hottest geothermal spring in Malaysia. This hot spring is a shallow, 150-m-long, fast-flowing stream, with temperatures varying from 50 to 110°C and a pH range of 7.0-9.0. Hidden within a wooded area, the SK hot spring is continually fed by plant litter, resulting in a relatively high degree of total organic content (TOC). In this study, a sample taken from the middle of the stream was analyzed at the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region by amplicon metagenome sequencing. Over 35 phyla were detected by analyzing the 16S rRNA data. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria represented approximately 57% of the microbiome. Approximately 70% of the detected thermophiles were strict anaerobes; however, Hydrogenobacter spp., obligate chemolithotrophic thermophiles, represented one of the major taxa. Several thermophilic photosynthetic microorganisms and acidothermophiles were also detected. Most of the phyla identified by 16S rRNA were also found using the shotgun metagenome approaches. The carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism within the SK hot spring community were evaluated by shotgun metagenome sequencing, and the data revealed diversity in terms of metabolic activity and dynamics. This hot spring has a rich diversified phylogenetic community partly due to its natural environment (plant litter, high TOC, and a shallow stream) and geochemical parameters (broad temperature and pH range). It is speculated that symbiotic relationships occur between the members of the community.

Sedimentary patterns in perched spring travertines near Granada (Spain) as indicators of the paleohydrological and paleoclimatological evolution of a karst massif

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Algarra, Agustín.; Martín-Martín, Manuel; Andreo, Bartolomé; Julià, Ramón; González-Gómez, Cecilio

2003-10-01

Perched spring travertines of the Granada basin (South Spain) constitute a perched system with four well-defined steps, which are formed by several facies associations deposited in different sub-environments (travertine pools, dams and cascades). These perched travertines are considered as a freshwater reef system with a facies zonation and stratigraphic architecture closely resembling that of marine reef terraces and prograding carbonate platforms. The travertine deposits have been dated by 230Th/ 234U and 14C methods. As in other Mediterranean areas, the travertine deposition occurred episodically during warm and wet interglacial periods coinciding with isotopic stages 9, 7 and 5, and with the transition between isotopic stages 2/1. During these periods, underground dissolution, large outflow in the springs and subsequent calcium carbonate precipitation occurred. In the same way that evolution of reef systems indicates sea level changes, the geomorphology, age and architecture of perched spring travertine systems may be used to interpret former climatically controlled changes in outflow, in base level marked by the altitude of springs and in the chemistry of spring waters. Thus, aggradation or climbing progradation may indicate an increase of outflow at the spring, progradation with toplap is due to a stable base level and, conversely, dowlapping progradation may signify that the base level was gradually dropping. Therefore, the travertines can be considered semiquantitative indicators of the paleohydrological evolution of karstic massifs and used as an important terrestrial proxy climate record.

Climate Literacy and Cyberlearning: Emerging Platforms and Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCaffrey, M. S.; Wise, S. B.; Buhr, S. M.

2009-12-01

With the release of the Essential Principles of Climate Science Literacy: A Guide for Individuals and Communities in the Spring of 2009, an important step toward an shared educational and communication framework about climate science was achieved. Designed as a living document, reviewed and endorsed by the thirteen federal agencies in the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (now U.S. Global Change Research Program), the Essential Principles of Climate Literacy complement other Earth system literacy efforts. A variety of emerging efforts have begun to build on the framework using a variety of cyberlearning tools, including an online Climate Literacy course developed by Education and Outreach group at CIRES, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and the Independent Learning program of the Continuing Education Division at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The online course, piloted during the Summer of 2009 with formal classroom teachers and informal science educators, made use of the online Climate Literacy Handbook, which was developed by CIRES Education and Outreach and the Encyclopedia of Earth, which is supported by the National Council for Science and the Environment and hosted by Boston University. This paper will explore challenges and opportunities in the use of cyberlearning tools to support climate literacy efforts, highlight the development of the online course and handbook, and note related emerging cyberlearning platforms and programs for climate literacy, including related efforts by the Climate Literacy Network, the NASA Global Climate Change Education programs, the National STEM Education Distributed Learning (NSDL) and AAAS Project 2061.

Ultramafic Terranes and Associated Springs as Analogs for Mars and Early Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, David; Schulte, Mitch; Cullings, Ken; DeVincezi, D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Putative extinct or extant Martian organisms, like their terrestrial counterparts, must adopt metabolic strategies based on the environments in which they live. In order for organisms to derive metabolic energy from the natural environment (Martian or terrestrial), a state of thermodynamic disequilibrium must exist. The most widespread environment of chemical disequilibrium on present-day Earth results from the interaction of mafic rocks of the ocean crust with liquid water. Such environments were even more pervasive and important on the Archean Earth due to increased geothermal heat flow and the absence of widespread continental crust formation. The composition of the lower crust and upper mantle of the Earth is essentially the-same as that of Mars, and the early histories of these two planets are similar. It follows that a knowledge of the mineralogy, water-rock chemistry and microbial ecology of Earth's oceanic crust could be of great value in devising a search strategy for evidence of past or present life on Mars. In some tectonic regimes, cross-sections of lower oceanic crust and upper mantle are exposed on land as so-called "ophiolite suites." Such is the case in the state of California (USA) as a result of its location adjacent to active plate margins. These mafic and ultramafic rocks contain numerous springs that offer an easily accessible field laboratory for studying water/rock interactions and the microbial communities that are supported by the resulting geochemical energy. A preliminary screen of Archaean biodiversity was conducted in a cold spring located in a presently serpentinizing ultramafic terrane. PCR and phylogenetic analysis of partial 16s rRNA, sequences were performed on water and sediment samples. Archaea of recent phylogenetic origin were detected with sequences nearly identical to those of organisms living in ultra-high pH lakes of Africa.

Quantitative assessment of the impact of an inter-basin surface-water transfer project on the groundwater flow and groundwater-dependent eco-environment in an oasis in arid northwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiaobin; Wu, Jichun; Nie, Huijun; Guo, Fei; Wu, Jianfeng; Chen, Kouping; Liao, Penghui; Xu, Hongxia; Zeng, Xiankui

2018-06-01

Inter-basin water transfer projects (IBWTPs) can involve basins as water donors and water receivers. In contrast to most studies on IBWTPs, which mainly impact the surface-water eco-environment, this study focuses on the impacts of an IBWTP on groundwater and its eco-environment in a water donor basin in an arid area, where surface water and groundwater are exchanged. Surface water is assumed to recharge groundwater and a groundwater numerical simulation model was constructed using MODFLOW. The model was used to quantitatively evaluate the impact of an IBWTP located in the upstream portion of Nalenggele River (the biggest river in the Qaidam basin, Northwest China). The impact involved decrease in spring flow, drawdown of groundwater, reduction in oasis area, and an increase in species replacement of oasis vegetation in the midstream and downstream of the river. Results show that the emergence sites of springs at the front of the oasis will move 2-5 km downstream, and the outflow of springs will decrease by 42 million m3/a. The maximum drawdown of groundwater level at the front of the oasis will be 3.6 m and the area across which groundwater drawdown exceeds 2.0 m will be about 59.02 km2, accounting for 2.71% of the total area of the oasis. Under such conditions, reeds will gradually be replaced by Tamarix, shrubs, and other alternative plant species. These findings have important implications for the optimization of water resource allocation and protection of the eco-environment in arid regions.

MESO-Adaptation Based on Model Oriented Reengineering Process for Human-Computer Interface (MESOMORPH)

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-02-01

Publishing Company , Addison- Wesley Systems Programming Series, 1990. [5] E. Stroulia and T. Systa. Dynamic analysis for reverse engineering and program...understanding, Applied Computing Reviews, Spring 2002, ACM Press. [6] El- Ramly , Mohammad; Stroulia, Eleni; Sorenson, Paul. “Recovering software

A National Survey on the Use of Immersive Simulation for Interprofessional Education in Physical Therapist Education Programs.

PubMed

Stockert, Brad; Ohtake, Patricia J

2017-10-01

There is growing recognition that collaborative practice among healthcare professionals is associated with improved patient outcomes and enhanced team functioning, but development of collaborative practitioners requires interprofessional education (IPE). Immersive simulation, a clinically relevant experience that deeply engages the learner in realistic clinical environments, is used increasingly for IPE. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of immersive simulation as a strategy for IPE in physical therapist (PT) education programs. During fall 2014 and spring 2015, we contacted all 214 Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education accredited PT education programs in the United States and invited a faculty member to participate in our online survey. One hundred fourteen PT programs responded (53% response rate). Eighty responding programs (70%) identified themselves as users of immersive simulation, and 45 programs (39%) used simulation for IPE. Of these 45 programs, more than 90% included Interprofessional Education Collaborative competency learning objectives of roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams/teamwork and 51% reported learning objectives for values/ethics for interprofessional practice. Interprofessional simulations with PT students commonly included nursing (91%). In programs using immersive simulation for IPE, 91% included debriefing and 51% included debriefing by interprofessional teams. Eighty accredited PT programs (70%) that responded to the survey use immersive simulation, and 45 programs (39%) use simulation for IPE. Most programs conduct simulations consistent with recognized best practice, including debriefing and Interprofessional Education Collaborative competency learning objectives for promoting interprofessional collaborative practice. We anticipate an increase in the use of immersive simulation for IPE as an educational strategy to comply with the revised Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education accreditation standards related to interprofessional collaborative practice that will become effective on January 1, 2018.

Seasonal patterns in microbial communities inhabiting the hot springs of Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China.

PubMed

Briggs, Brandon R; Brodie, Eoin L; Tom, Lauren M; Dong, Hailiang; Jiang, Hongchen; Huang, Qiuyuan; Wang, Shang; Hou, Weiguo; Wu, Geng; Huang, Liuquin; Hedlund, Brian P; Zhang, Chuanlun; Dijkstra, Paul; Hungate, Bruce A

2014-06-01

Studies focusing on seasonal dynamics of microbial communities in terrestrial and marine environments are common; however, little is known about seasonal dynamics in high-temperature environments. Thus, our objective was to document the seasonal dynamics of both the physicochemical conditions and the microbial communities inhabiting hot springs in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China. The PhyloChip microarray detected 4882 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within 79 bacterial phylum-level groups and 113 OTUs within 20 archaeal phylum-level groups, which are additional 54 bacterial phyla and 11 archaeal phyla to those that were previously described using pyrosequencing. Monsoon samples (June 2011) showed increased concentrations of potassium, total organic carbon, ammonium, calcium, sodium and total nitrogen, and decreased ferrous iron relative to the dry season (January 2011). At the same time, the highly ordered microbial communities present in January gave way to poorly ordered communities in June, characterized by higher richness of Bacteria, including microbes related to mesophiles. These seasonal changes in geochemistry and community structure are likely due to high rainfall influx during the monsoon season and indicate that seasonal dynamics occurs in high-temperature environments experiencing significant changes in seasonal recharge. Thus, geothermal environments are not isolated from the surrounding environment and seasonality affects microbial ecology. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plant Uptake and Metabolism of Nitrofuran Antibiotics in Spring Onion Grown in Nitrofuran-Contaminated Soil.

PubMed

Wang, Yinan; Chan, K K Jason; Chan, Wan

2017-05-31

Environmental pollution caused by the discharge of mutagenic and carcinogenic nitrofurans to the aquatic and soil environment is an emerging public health concern because of the potential in producing drug-resistant microbes and being uptaken by food crops. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis and with spring onion (Allium wakegi Araki) as the plant model, we investigated in this study the plant uptake and accumulation of nitrofuran from a contaminated environment. Our study revealed for the first time high uptake and accumulation rates of nitrofuran in the edible parts of the food crop. Furthermore, results indicated highly efficient plant metabolism of the absorbed nitrofuran within the plant, leading to the formation of genotoxic hydrazine-containing metabolites. The results from this study may disclose a previously unidentified human exposure pathway through contaminated food crops.

Geochemistry of ikaite formation at Mono Lake, California: Implications for the origin of tufa mounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Council, Todd C.; Bennett, Philip C.

1993-11-01

The mineral ikaite (CaCO3 ṡ 6H2O), not previously observed in lake environments, precipitates seasonally along the shore of Mono Lake, California, where Ca-HCO3 spring water mixes with cold Na-CO3 lake water. During the winter, cold water temperatures and high concentrations of PO43- and organic carbon inhibit calcite precipitation, allowing the metastable ikaite to form. During the spring warming, however, ikaite decomposes to form calcium carbonate and water, occasionally leaving pseudomorphs of the primary precipitate. The identification of modern ikaite suggests that both Pleistocene and Holocene tufas in the Mono basin originally precipitated as ikaite. This mineral may also form in other lake environments, but rapid recrystallization after warming destroys the physical, chemical, and isotopic evidence of formation, and alters the geochemical record.

Hot spots of wheat yield decline with rising temperatures.

PubMed

Asseng, Senthold; Cammarano, Davide; Basso, Bruno; Chung, Uran; Alderman, Phillip D; Sonder, Kai; Reynolds, Matthew; Lobell, David B

2017-06-01

Many of the irrigated spring wheat regions in the world are also regions with high poverty. The impacts of temperature increase on wheat yield in regions of high poverty are uncertain. A grain yield-temperature response function combined with a quantification of model uncertainty was constructed using a multimodel ensemble from two key irrigated spring wheat areas (India and Sudan) and applied to all irrigated spring wheat regions in the world. Southern Indian and southern Pakistani wheat-growing regions with large yield reductions from increasing temperatures coincided with high poverty headcounts, indicating these areas as future food security 'hot spots'. The multimodel simulations produced a linear absolute decline of yields with increasing temperature, with uncertainty varying with reference temperature at a location. As a consequence of the linear absolute yield decline, the relative yield reductions are larger in low-yielding environments (e.g., high reference temperature areas in southern India, southern Pakistan and all Sudan wheat-growing regions) and farmers in these regions will be hit hardest by increasing temperatures. However, as absolute yield declines are about the same in low- and high-yielding regions, the contributed deficit to national production caused by increasing temperatures is higher in high-yielding environments (e.g., northern India) because these environments contribute more to national wheat production. Although Sudan could potentially grow more wheat if irrigation is available, grain yields would be low due to high reference temperatures, with future increases in temperature further limiting production. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Is plasticity across seasons adaptive in the annual cleistogamous plant Lamium amplexicaule?

PubMed Central

Stojanova, B.; Maurice, S.; Cheptou, P.-O.

2016-01-01

Background and aims Many angiosperms exhibit cleistogamy, the production of both cleistogamous flowers (CL), which remain closed and obligately self-pollinated, and chasmogamous flowers (CH), which are potentially open-pollinated. The CH proportion can be plastic. Plasticity is adaptive if environmental changes can be reliably assessed and responded to with an appropriate phenotype and if plastic genotypes have higher fitness in variable environments than non-plastic ones. Methods We studied the plastic response of four natural populations from northern and southern France of an annual cleistogamous plant, Lamium amplexicaule, to predictable seasonal variation. Plants were grown in a semi-controlled environment in spring and in autumn. We assessed the variation in flower number, phenology and cleistogamy-related traits, which were all plastic with respect to season. The CH proportion was higher in spring than in autumn in all four populations. Key Results We showed significant stabilizing selection for cleistogamy traits, with higher optimal CH proportions and more pronounced stabilizing selection in spring than in autumn. Observed CH proportions were close to the predicted optimal CH proportions in each season except in autumn for southern populations, which do not experience the autumnal growing season in nature. Conclusions These results are consistent with adaptive plasticity across seasons of cleistogamy in L. amplexicaule. We propose that adaptive plasticity of cleistogamy could be driven by pollination environment variation, with CL flowers providing reproductive assurance when pollinators are scarce and CH flowers reducing the inbreeding depression in offspring when pollinators are abundant. PMID:26995537

Speed breeding is a powerful tool to accelerate crop research and breeding.

PubMed

Watson, Amy; Ghosh, Sreya; Williams, Matthew J; Cuddy, William S; Simmonds, James; Rey, María-Dolores; Asyraf Md Hatta, M; Hinchliffe, Alison; Steed, Andrew; Reynolds, Daniel; Adamski, Nikolai M; Breakspear, Andy; Korolev, Andrey; Rayner, Tracey; Dixon, Laura E; Riaz, Adnan; Martin, William; Ryan, Merrill; Edwards, David; Batley, Jacqueline; Raman, Harsh; Carter, Jeremy; Rogers, Christian; Domoney, Claire; Moore, Graham; Harwood, Wendy; Nicholson, Paul; Dieters, Mark J; DeLacy, Ian H; Zhou, Ji; Uauy, Cristobal; Boden, Scott A; Park, Robert F; Wulff, Brande B H; Hickey, Lee T

2018-01-01

The growing human population and a changing environment have raised significant concern for global food security, with the current improvement rate of several important crops inadequate to meet future demand 1 . This slow improvement rate is attributed partly to the long generation times of crop plants. Here, we present a method called 'speed breeding', which greatly shortens generation time and accelerates breeding and research programmes. Speed breeding can be used to achieve up to 6 generations per year for spring wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum wheat (T. durum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and pea (Pisum sativum), and 4 generations for canola (Brassica napus), instead of 2-3 under normal glasshouse conditions. We demonstrate that speed breeding in fully enclosed, controlled-environment growth chambers can accelerate plant development for research purposes, including phenotyping of adult plant traits, mutant studies and transformation. The use of supplemental lighting in a glasshouse environment allows rapid generation cycling through single seed descent (SSD) and potential for adaptation to larger-scale crop improvement programs. Cost saving through light-emitting diode (LED) supplemental lighting is also outlined. We envisage great potential for integrating speed breeding with other modern crop breeding technologies, including high-throughput genotyping, genome editing and genomic selection, accelerating the rate of crop improvement.

Evaluation of a stall-flutter spring-damper pushrod in the rotating control system of a CH-54B helicopter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, W. E.; Paul, W. F.; Adams, D. O.

1974-01-01

Results of a design and flight test program conducted to define the effect of rotating pushrod damping on stall-flutter induced control loads are presented. The CH-54B helicopter was chosen as the test aircraft because it exhibited stall induced control loads. Damping was introduced into the CH-54B control system by replacing the standard pushrod with spring-damper assemblies. Design features of the spring-damper are described and the results of a dynamic analysis are shown which define the pushrod stiffness and damping requirements. Flight test measurements taken at 47,000 lb gross weight with and without the damper are presented. The results indicate that the spring-damper pushrods reduced high frequency, stall-induced rotating control loads by almost 50%. Fixed system control loads were reduced by 40%. Handling qualities in stall were unchanged, as expected.

Beneficial effect of hot spring bathing on stress levels in Japanese macaques.

PubMed

Takeshita, Rafaela S C; Bercovitch, Fred B; Kinoshita, Kodzue; Huffman, Michael A

2018-05-01

The ability of animals to survive dramatic climates depends on their physiology, morphology and behaviour, but is often influenced by the configuration of their habitat. Along with autonomic responses, thermoregulatory behaviours, including postural adjustments, social aggregation, and use of trees for shelter, help individuals maintain homeostasis across climate variations. Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) are the world's most northerly species of nonhuman primates and have adapted to extremely cold environments. Given that thermoregulatory stress can increase glucocorticoid concentrations in primates, we hypothesized that by using an available hot spring, Japanese macaques could gain protection against weather-induced cold stress during winter. We studied 12 adult female Japanese macaques living in Jigokudani Monkey Park, Japan, during the spring birth season (April to June) and winter mating season (October to December). We collected faecal samples for determination of faecal glucocorticoid (fGC) metabolite concentrations by enzyme immunoassay, as well as behavioural data to determine time spent in the hot springs, dominance rank, aggression rates, and affiliative behaviours. We used nonparametric statistics to examine seasonal changes in hot spring bathing, and the relationship between rank and air temperature on hot spring bathing. We used general linear mixed-effect models to examine factors impacting hormone concentrations. We found that Japanese macaques use hot spring bathing for thermoregulation during the winter. In the studied troop, the single hot spring is a restricted resource favoured by dominant females. High social rank had both costs and benefits: dominant females sustained high fGC levels, which were associated with high aggression rates in winter, but benefited by priority of access to the hot spring, which was associated with low fGC concentrations and therefore might help reduce energy expenditure and subsequent body heat loss. This unique habit of hot spring bathing by Japanese macaques illustrates how behavioural flexibility can help counter cold climate stress, with likely implications for reproduction and survival.

Genetic analysis of multi-environmental spring wheat trials identifies genomic regions for locus-specific trade-offs for grain weight and grain number.

PubMed

Sukumaran, Sivakumar; Lopes, Marta; Dreisigacker, Susanne; Reynolds, Matthew

2018-04-01

GWAS on multi-environment data identified genomic regions associated with trade-offs for grain weight and grain number. Grain yield (GY) can be dissected into its components thousand grain weight (TGW) and grain number (GN), but little has been achieved in assessing the trade-off between them in spring wheat. In the present study, the Wheat Association Mapping Initiative (WAMI) panel of 287 elite spring bread wheat lines was phenotyped for GY, GN, and TGW in ten environments across different wheat growing regions in Mexico, South Asia, and North Africa. The panel genotyped with the 90 K Illumina Infinitum SNP array resulted in 26,814 SNPs for genome-wide association study (GWAS). Statistical analysis of the multi-environmental data for GY, GN, and TGW observed repeatability estimates of 0.76, 0.62, and 0.95, respectively. GWAS on BLUPs of combined environment analysis identified 38 loci associated with the traits. Among them four loci-6A (85 cM), 5A (98 cM), 3B (99 cM), and 2B (96 cM)-were associated with multiple traits. The study identified two loci that showed positive association between GY and TGW, with allelic substitution effects of 4% (GY) and 1.7% (TGW) for 6A locus and 0.2% (GY) and 7.2% (TGW) for 2B locus. The locus in chromosome 6A (79-85 cM) harbored a gene TaGW2-6A. We also identified that a combination of markers associated with GY, TGW, and GN together explained higher variation for GY (32%), than the markers associated with GY alone (27%). The marker-trait associations from the present study can be used for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and to discover the underlying genes for these traits in spring wheat.

Nitrogen use efficiencies of spring barley grown under varying nitrogen conditions in the field and growth chamber

PubMed Central

Beatty, Perrin H.; Anbessa, Yadeta; Juskiw, Patricia; Carroll, Rebecka T.; Wang, Juan; Good, Allen G.

2010-01-01

Background and Aims Nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) of cereals needs to be improved by nitrogen (N) management, traditional plant breeding methods and/or biotechnology, while maintaining or, optimally, increasing crop yields. The aims of this study were to compare spring-barley genotypes grown on different nitrogen levels in field and growth-chamber conditions to determine the effects on N uptake (NUpE) and N utilization efficiency (NUtE) and ultimately, NUE. Methods Morphological characteristics, seed yield and metabolite levels of 12 spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes were compared when grown at high and low nitrogen levels in field conditions during the 2007 and 2008 Canadian growing seasons, and in potted and hydroponic growth-chamber conditions. Genotypic NUpE, NUtE and NUE were calculated and compared between field and growth-chamber environments. Key Results Growth chamber and field tests generally showed consistent NUE characteristics. In the field, Vivar, Excel and Ponoka, showed high NUE phenotypes across years and N levels. Vivar also had high NUE in growth-chamber trials, showing NUE across complex to simplistic growth environments. With the high NUE genotypes grown at low N in the field, NUtE predominates over NUpE. N metabolism-associated amino acid levels were different between roots (elevated glutamine) and shoots (elevated glutamate and alanine) of hydroponically grown genotypes. In field trials, metabolite levels were different between Kasota grown at high N (elevated glutamine) and Kasota at low N plus Vivar at either N condition. Conclusions Determining which trait(s) or gene(s) to target to improve barley NUE is important and can be facilitated using simplified growth approaches to help determine the NUE phenotype of various genotypes. The genotypes studied showed similar growth and NUE characteristics across field and growth-chamber tests demonstrating that simplified, low-variable growth environments can help pinpoint genetic targets for improving spring barley NUE. PMID:20308048

Conference Report: Biosignature Preservation and Detection in Mars Analog Environments.

PubMed

Hays, Lindsay; Beaty, David

2017-01-01

The Conference on Biosignature Preservation and Detection in Mars Analog Environments held in May 2016 brought together scientists to discuss microbial biosignatures in Mars analog habitable environments. Five analog environments were discussed: (1) hydrothermal spring systems, (2) subaqueous environments, (3) subaerial environments, (4) subsurface environments, and (5) iron-rich systems. This paper details the major messages that resulted from the discussions and will be followed by a review paper that adds significant detail from the published literature and interpretations from the writing committee of the workshop for future research and application to astrobiological exploration missions. Key Words: Biosignature preservation-Biosignature detection-Mars analog environments-Conference report-Astrobiological exploration. Astrobiology 17, 1-2.

Meiofaunal Richness in Highly Acidic Hot Springs in Unzen-Amakusa National Park, Japan, Including the First Rediscovery Attempt for Mesotardigrada.

PubMed

Suzuki, Atsushi C; Kagoshima, Hiroshi; Chilton, Glen; Grothman, Gary T; Johansson, Carl; Tsujimoto, Megumu

2017-02-01

Extreme environments sometimes support surprisingly high meiofaunal diversity. We sampled runoff from the acidic hot springs of Unzen, Japan. This is the type locality of Thermozodium esakii Rahm, 1937, the only tardigrade in the class Mesotardigrada, which remains contentious in the absence of corroboration or supporting specimens. Our sampling revealed at least three species of arthropods, four rotifers, and five nematodes living in the hot (ca. 40°C) and acidic (ca. pH 2.5) water, but no tardigrades.

The Protein Micro-Crystallography Beamlines for Targeted Protein Research Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirata, Kunio; Yamamoto, Masaki; Matsugaki, Naohiro; Wakatsuki, Soichi

In order to collect proper diffraction data from outstanding micro-crystals, a brand-new data collection system should be designed to provide high signal-to noise ratio in diffraction images. SPring-8 and KEK-PF are currently developing two micro-beam beamlines for Targeted Proteins Research Program by MEXT of Japan. The program aims to reveal the structure and function of proteins that are difficult to solve but have great importance in both academic research and industrial application. At SPring-8, a new 1-micron beam beamline for protein micro-crystallography, RIKEN Targeted Proteins Beamline (BL32XU), is developed. At KEK-PF a new low energy micro-beam beamline, BL-1A, is dedicated for SAD micro-crystallography. The two beamlines will start operation in the end of 2010. The present status of the research and development for protein micro-crystallography will be presented.

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families: Connecting Local Libraries with NASA Scientists and Education Programs to Engage Girls in STEM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleacher, L. V.; Meinke, B.; Hauck, K.; Soeffing, C.; Spitz, A.

2014-01-01

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families (NS4G) partners NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education programs with public libraries to provide hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities and career information for girls and their families, along with training for librarians, in conjunction with Women's History Month (March). NS4G is a collaboration among education teams within the four NASA SMD education and public outreach (E/PO) Forums: Planetary, Earth, Astrophysics, and Heliophysics. It began in 2012 as an Astrophysics-led program (Astro4Girls) with 9 events around the country. Upon expanding among the four Forums, over 73 events were held in Spring 2013 (Fig. 1), with preparations underway for events in Spring 2014. All events are individually evaluated by both the student participants and participating librarians to assess their effectiveness in addressing audience needs.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Supplemented Spring Chinook Salmon and Life Histories of Wild Summer Steelhead in the Grande Ronde Basin, 2007 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Crump, Carrie A.; Weldert, Rey L.

2009-04-10

This is the ninth annual report for a multi-year project designed to monitor and evaluate supplementation of endemic spring Chinook salmon in Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River. These two streams historically supported anadromous fish populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries, but in recent years, have experienced severe declines in abundance. Conventional and captive broodstock supplementation methods are being used to restore these spring Chinook salmon populations. Spring Chinook salmon populations in Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River, and other streams in the Snake River Basin have experienced severe declines in abundance over themore » past two decades (Nehlsen et al. 1991). A supplementation program was initiated in Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River, incorporating the use of both captive and conventional broodstock methods, in order to prevent extinction in the short term and eventually rebuild populations. The captive broodstock component of the program (BPA Project 199801001) uses natural-origin parr collected by seining and reared to maturity at facilities near Seattle, Washington (Manchester Marine Laboratory) and Hood River, Oregon (Bonneville Hatchery). Spawning occurs at Bonneville Hatchery, and resulting progeny are reared in hatcheries. Shortly before outmigration in the spring, juveniles are transferred to acclimation facilities. After an acclimation period of about 2-4 weeks, volitional release begins. Any juveniles remaining after the volitional release period are forced out. The conventional broodstock component uses returning adults collected at traps near the spawning areas, transported to Lookingglass Hatchery near Elgin, Oregon, held, and later spawned. The resulting progeny are reared, acclimated, and released similar to the captive broodstock component. All progeny released receive one or more marks including a fin (adipose) clip, codedwire tag, PIT tag, or visual implant elastomer tag. The numbers of adults used for conventional broodstock are determined by an agreement among comanagers (Zimmerman and Patterson 2002). Activities for this project focus on two life stages of spring Chinook salmon: juveniles during the migration from freshwater to the ocean and adults during prespawning migration through the end of spawning. Life history, production, and genetics are monitored and used to evaluate program effectiveness.« less

78 FR 18967 - Walla Walla Basin Spring Chinook Hatchery Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-28

... Program AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice of... assessment. SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), BPA intends to prepare... of Intent, BPA is initiating the public scoping process for the EIS. BPA is requesting comments about...

Assessing Growth of Student Reasoning Skills in Honors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood-Nartker, Jeanneane; Hinck, Shelly; Hullender, Ren

2016-01-01

Assessment and evaluation practices within honors programs have attracted considerable attention within the honors academic community, e.g., the spring/summer 2006 volume of the "Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council." Calls for carefully created and constructed assessment activities within honors programs have met with mixed…

The Veterans Choice Program (VCP): Program Implementation

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-05

Authorized under Section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA), the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) is a new...country in spring 2014, 1 Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA, P.L. 113-146, as amended). On August 7...Veterans Choice Program (VCP) Timeline Date Action August 7, 2014 The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-146

Crisis Nursery and Respite Care Programs: Site Visit Results of Staff and Family Interviews (Winter and Spring of 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huntington, Gail S.; And Others

Visits were made to selected respite care and crisis nursery programs in order to describe the programs and services they offered to families of young children with special needs and to learn more about the families who used the services and the staff who provided them. The visits to 10 crisis nurseries and 24 respite care programs resulted in…

Increasing productivity of the McAuto CAD/CAE system by user-specific applications programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plotrowski, S. M.; Vu, T. H.

1985-01-01

Significant improvements in the productivity of the McAuto Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD/CAE) system were achieved by applications programming using the system's own Graphics Interactive Programming language (GRIP) and the interface capabilities with the main computer on which the system resides. The GRIP programs for creating springs, bar charts, finite element model representations and aiding management planning are presented as examples.

Monitoring the hydrologic system for potential effects of geothermal and ground-water development in the Long Valley caldera, Mono County, California, U.S.A

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrar, Christopher; Lyster, Daniel

1990-01-01

In the early 1980's, renewed interest in the geothermal potential of the Long Valley caldera, California, highlighted the need to balance the benefits of energy development with the established recreational activities of the area. The Long Valley Hydrologic Advisory Committee, formed in 1987, instituted a monitoring program to collect data during the early stages of resource utilization to evaluate potential effects on the hydrologic system. Early data show declines in streamflow, spring flow, and ground-water levels caused by 6 years of below-average precipitation. Springs in the Hot Creek State Fish Hatchery area discharge water that is a mixture of nonthermal and hydrothermal components. Possible sources of nonthermal water have been identified by comparing deuterium concentrations in streams and springs. The equivalent amount of undiluted thermal water discharged from the springs was calculated on the basis of boron and chloride concentrations. Quantifying the thermal and nonthermal fractions of the total flow may allow researchers to assess changes in flow volume or temperature of the springs caused by groundwater or geothermal development.

Monitoring the hydrologic system for potential effects of geothermal and ground-water development in the Long Valley caldera, Mono County, California, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrar, C.D.; Lyster, D. L.

1990-01-01

In the early 1980's, renewed interest in the geothermal potential of the Long Valley caldera, California, highlighted the need to balance the benefits of energy development with the established recreational activities of the area. The Long Valley Hydrologic Advisory Committee, formed in 1987, instituted a monitoring program to collect data during the early stages of resource utilization to evaluate potential effects on the hydrologic system. Early data show declines in streamflow, spring flow, and ground-water levels caused by 6 years of below-average precipitation. Springs in the Hot Creek State Fish Hatchery area discharge water that is a mixture of nonthermal and hydrothermal components. Possible sources of nonthermal water have been identified by comparing deuterium concentrations in streams and springs. The equivalent amount of undiluted thermal water discharged from the springs was calculated on the basis of boron and chloride concentrations. Quantifying the thermal and nonthermal fractions of the total flow may allow researchers to assess changes in flow volume or temperature of the springs caused by groundwater or geothermal development.

Microbial communities and arsenic biogeochemistry at the outflow of an alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhou; Li, Ping; Van Nostrand, Joy D; Zhang, Ping; Zhou, Jizhong; Wang, Yanhong; Dai, Xinyue; Zhang, Rui; Jiang, Dawei; Wang, Yanxin

2016-04-29

Alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs provide a unique environment for microbial community and arsenic (As) biogeochemistry. In this study, a representative alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring, Zimeiquan in the Tengchong geothermal area, was chosen to study arsenic geochemistry and microbial community using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Over 0.26 million 16S rRNA sequence reads were obtained from 5-paired parallel water and sediment samples along the hot spring's outflow channel. High ratios of As(V)/AsSum (total combined arsenate and arsenite concentrations) (0.59-0.78), coupled with high sulfide (up to 5.87 mg/L), were present in the hot spring's pools, which suggested As(III) oxidation occurred. Along the outflow channel, AsSum increased from 5.45 to 13.86 μmol/L, and the combined sulfide and sulfate concentrations increased from 292.02 to 364.28 μmol/L. These increases were primarily attributed to thioarsenic transformation. Temperature, sulfide, As and dissolved oxygen significantly shaped the microbial communities between not only the pools and downstream samples, but also water and sediment samples. Results implied that the upstream Thermocrinis was responsible for the transformation of thioarsenic to As(III) and the downstream Thermus contributed to derived As(III) oxidation. This study improves our understanding of microbially-mediated As transformation in alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs.

A two-way architectural actuator using NiTi SE wire and SME spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nematollahi, Mohammadreza; Mehrabi, Reza; Callejas, Miguel A.; Elahinia, Hedyeh; Elahinia, Mohammad

2018-03-01

This paper presents a bio-inspired continuously adapting architectural element, to enable a smart canopy that provides shade to buildings that need protection from sunlight. The smart actuator consists of two elements: one NiTi shape memory (SME) spring and one NiTi superelastic (SE) wire. The SE wire is deformed to a `U' shape and then the SME spring is attached to it. Due to the force of SE wire exerted on SME spring, the smart canopy is in its open position. When the environment's temperature increases, the actuator activates and shrinks the SME spring and hence it closes the canopy. In continues, when the temperature decreases at evening, the actuator inactive and SE wire will open the smart fabric. This unique activation provides different advantages like silent actuation, maintenance free, eco-friendly, and no or low energy consumption. Here, the conceptual design of the smart canopy actuator will be discussed. Then, a simulation study, using finite element method, is used to investigate components' behavior. The extracted material parameters are implemented in the subroutine, to simulate the behavior of the shape memory alloy elements. Simulation's results predict superelastic behavior for the SE wire and shape memory effect for the NiTi spring. For further studies, a prototype will be fabricated to confirm simulation's results, as well as performing some experimental tests.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LaFreniere, L. M.; Environmental Science Division

In September 2005, the Commodity Credit Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CCC/USDA) initiated periodic sampling of groundwater in the vicinity of a grain storage facility formerly operated by the CCC/USDA at Morrill, Kansas. The sampling at Morrill is being performed on behalf of the CCC/USDA by Argonne National Laboratory, in accord with a monitoring program approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE 2005), to monitor levels of carbon tetrachloride contamination identified in the groundwater at this site (Argonne 2004, 2005a). This report provides results for monitoring events in April and September 2009. Under the KDHE-approvedmore » monitoring plan (Argonne 2005b), groundwater was initially sampled twice yearly for a period of two years (in fall 2005, in spring and fall 2006, and in spring and fall 2007). The samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as for selected geochemical parameters to aid in the evaluation of possible natural contaminant degradation (reductive dechlorination) processes in the subsurface environment. The analytical results for groundwater sampling events at Morrill from September 2005 to October 2008 were documented previously (Argonne 2006a,b, 2007, 2008a,b, 2009). Those results consistently demonstrated the presence of carbon tetrachloride contamination, at levels exceeding the KDHE Tier 2 risk-based screening level of 5.0 {micro}g/L for this compound, in a groundwater plume extending generally south-southeastward from the former CCC/USDA facility, toward Terrapin Creek at the south edge of the town. Low levels ({le} 1.3 {micro}g/L) of carbon tetrachloride were persistently detected at monitoring well MW8S, on the bank of an intermittent tributary to Terrapin Creek. This observation suggested a possible risk of contamination of the surface waters of the creek. That concern is the regulatory driver for ongoing monitoring. In light of the early findings, in 2006 the CCC/USDA recommended expansion of the approved monitoring program to include the collection and analysis of surface water samples along Terrapin Creek (Argonne 2006a). At the request of the KDHE (2007a), locations for both surface water and shallow sediment sampling were discussed with the KDHE in January 2007. An addendum to the existing monitoring plan (Appendix A) and a standard operating procedure (SOP AGEM-15; Appendix B) for sediment sampling were submitted to the KDHE on the basis of these discussions and were subsequently approved (KDHE 2008b). Results of sediment sampling prior to 2009 were reported previously (Argonne 2008a,b; 2009). To supplement the original scope of the monitoring, Argonne also sampled natural vegetation along Terrapin Creek in October 2006, April 2007, and July 2007 for analyses for VOCs. The results of these plant tissue analyses were reported previously (Argonne 2008a, 2009). The April and September 2009 sampling events reported here represent a continuation of the two-year monitoring program, as requested by the KDHE (2007b). The groundwater sampling is presently conducted, in accord with the monitoring plan (Argonne 2005b) and the addendum to that plan (Appendix A in this report), in a network of 12 monitoring wells and 3 private wells (Figure 1.1), at locations approved by the KDHE (2008b). The findings of the April and September 2009 monitoring events at Morrill support the following conclusions: (1) Groundwater flow during the early spring and the later part of this review period was predominantly to the south-southeast, from the vicinity of the former CCC/USDA facility toward Terrapin Creek. In late spring, a slight shift occurred toward more southerly groundwater flow (possibly southwesterly in the immediate vicinity of the intermittent tributary that flows into Terrapin Creek). This shift in the late spring reflected transient seasonal precipitation and recharge that resulted in higher groundwater levels at this time. (2) No significant changes were observed in the levels or distribution of carbon tetrachloride in the groundwater at Morrill during the current review period, or in comparison to the results of the spring and fall 2008 monitoring events. A maximum carbon tetrachloride concentration of 28-30 {micro}g/L was identified in groundwater - at well MW3S - during both the April and September 2009 sampling events. (3) No carbon tetrachloride contamination was detected in surface waters or shallow streambed sediments sampled at five locations along Terrapin Creek, downgradient from the former CCC/USDA facility. (4) Sampling of tree branch tissues from existing trees for VOCs analyses can be an indicator of shallow subsurface groundwater contamination. Detections of carbon tetrachloride in vegetation at the Morrill site to date have been generally consistent with the documented location of the groundwater plume.« less

Microbiology and geochemistry of Little Hot Creek, a hot spring environment in the Long Valley Caldera.

PubMed

Vick, T J; Dodsworth, J A; Costa, K C; Shock, E L; Hedlund, B P

2010-03-01

A culture-independent community census was combined with chemical and thermodynamic analyses of three springs located within the Long Valley Caldera, Little Hot Creek (LHC) 1, 3, and 4. All three springs were approximately 80 degrees C, circumneutral, apparently anaerobic and had similar water chemistries. 16S rRNA gene libraries constructed from DNA isolated from spring sediment revealed moderately diverse but highly novel microbial communities. Over half of the phylotypes could not be grouped into known taxonomic classes. Bacterial libraries from LHC1 and LHC3 were predominantly species within the phyla Aquificae and Thermodesulfobacteria, while those from LHC4 were dominated by candidate phyla, including OP1 and OP9. Archaeal libraries from LHC3 contained large numbers of Archaeoglobales and Desulfurococcales, while LHC1 and LHC4 were dominated by Crenarchaeota unaffiliated with known orders. The heterogeneity in microbial populations could not easily be attributed to measurable differences in water chemistry, but may be determined by availability of trace amounts of oxygen to the spring sediments. Thermodynamic modeling predicted the most favorable reactions to be sulfur and nitrate respirations, yielding 40-70 kJ mol(-1) e(-) transferred; however, levels of oxygen at or below our detection limit could result in aerobic respirations yielding up to 100 kJ mol(-1) e(-) transferred. Important electron donors are predicted to be H(2), H(2)S, S(0), Fe(2+) and CH(4), all of which yield similar energies when coupled to a given electron acceptor. The results indicate that springs associated with the Long Valley Caldera contain microbial populations that show some similarities both to springs in Yellowstone and springs in the Great Basin.

Characterization of the Prokaryotic Diversity in Cold Saline Perennial Springs of the Canadian High Arctic▿

PubMed Central

Perreault, Nancy N.; Andersen, Dale T.; Pollard, Wayne H.; Greer, Charles W.; Whyte, Lyle G.

2007-01-01

The springs at Gypsum Hill and Colour Peak on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian Arctic originate from deep salt aquifers and are among the few known examples of cold springs in thick permafrost on Earth. The springs discharge cold anoxic brines (7.5 to 15.8% salts), with a mean oxidoreduction potential of −325 mV, and contain high concentrations of sulfate and sulfide. We surveyed the microbial diversity in the sediments of seven springs by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and analyzing clone libraries of 16S rRNA genes amplified with Bacteria and Archaea-specific primers. Dendrogram analysis of the DGGE banding patterns divided the springs into two clusters based on their geographic origin. Bacterial 16S rRNA clone sequences from the Gypsum Hill library (spring GH-4) were classified into seven phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, and Verrucomicrobia); Deltaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria sequences represented half of the clone library. Sequences related to Proteobacteria (82%), Firmicutes (9%), and Bacteroidetes (6%) constituted 97% of the bacterial clone library from Colour Peak (spring CP-1). Most GH-4 archaeal clone sequences (79%) were related to the Crenarchaeota while half of the CP-1 sequences were related to orders Halobacteriales and Methanosarcinales of the Euryarchaeota. Sequences related to the sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Thiomicrospira psychrophila dominated both the GH-4 (19%) and CP-1 (45%) bacterial libraries, and 56 to 76% of the bacterial sequences were from potential sulfur-metabolizing bacteria. These results suggest that the utilization and cycling of sulfur compounds may play a major role in the energy production and maintenance of microbial communities in these unique, cold environments. PMID:17220254

COMMUNITY BASED ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

EPA Science Inventory

Community Based Environmental Protection intends to make environmental protection spring from the needs and values of the community of interest. Real community involvement in protecting the environment requires a process in which the environmental needs of communities and ecosyst...

75 FR 8303 - Marine Mammals; File No. 13430

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-24

..., Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 713-2289; fax (301) 713-0376; and Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand... impact the quality of the human environment and that preparation of an environmental impact statement was...

77 FR 40859 - Marine Mammals; File No. 14097

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-11

... impact the quality of the human environment and that preparation of an environmental impact statement was..., Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301)427-8401; fax (301)713-0376; Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point...

Study of Former Students of the Word Processing Program. Volume XXIII, No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, John A.; Zilkowski, Robert R.

As part of the program evaluation and review process at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) in Illinois, a follow-up study was conducted of students who had enrolled in the college's Word Processing Program between summer 1989 and spring 1994. A survey was mailed to 500 former students, receiving a response rate of 37.6%. Study findings included…

National Home Start Evaluation Interim Report VII. Twenty-Month Program Analysis and Findings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, John M.; And Others

This interim evaluation report focuses on process (formative) and outcome (summative) data collected in spring 1975 on the National Home Start Program. Home Start, a federally-funded 3-year (1972-1975) home-based demonstration program for low-income families with 3- to 5-year-old children was designed to enhance a mother's skills in dealing with…

Route to Success: A Leader School's Youth Consultant Program. Linking Learning with Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Jennifer; Specter, Joanna; Young, Jamaal

This booklet explains how high schools can replicate the service learning youth consultant program that was originally formed at Spring Valley High School (SVHS) in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1996 to assume governance of SVHS's service learning program, which is called VikingServe. The booklet begins with an overview of VikingServe and a listing…

Lessons from Launching an Online MBA Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hergert, Michael

2003-01-01

The College of Business at San Diego State University embarked on a pilot project to introduce an online version of its MBA program in the spring of 2000. The College of Business at SDSU is one of the largest in the nation, with over 6,000 enrolled students. The online MBA program was intended to complement the wide variety of on-campus programs…

Spring molybdenum enrichment in scallop shells: a potential tracer of diatom productivity in temperate coastal environments (Brittany, NW France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barats, A.; Amouroux, D.; Pécheyran, C.; Chauvaud, L.; Thébault, J.; Donard, O. F. X.

2010-01-01

Skeletal molybdenum/calcium ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratios were examined in shells of the Great Scallop Pecten maximus collected in temperate coastal environments of Western Europe (42 to 49° N). These ratios were determined by quantitative LA-ICP-MS analyses of daily striae taken every third day (i.e. a temporal resolution of 3 days) in 36 flat valves (2-years old; 3 shells/year). Variations of ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratios were significant and reproducible for scallops from the same population, from different years (1998-2004) and temperate coastal locations (NW France). The [Mo]/[Ca])shell ratios exhibit typical profiles characterized by a background content, below the detection limit for this method (<0.003 μmol/mol) for most of the shell growth period, which is punctuated by a significant transient enrichment (0.031-2.1 μmol/mol) mainly occurring from May to June. The Bay of Brest (France) was investigated in particular because of its long term observations on scallop communities, environmental variables, and high resolution analyses of dissolved Mo in bottom seawater in 2000. In 2000, dissolved Mo exhibited a significant increase in concentration just preceding the maximum ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratio. Both the intense monitoring survey in 2000 and over the 7-year period indicates that the ([Mo]/[Ca])shell maximum is directly influenced by spring changes of environmental conditions at the sediment water interface (SWI), occurring subsequent to the intense and periodic spring bloom. Spring maxima of ([Mo]/[Ca])shell ratios are closely correlated to the extent of silicic acid and nitrate depletion in seawater between winter and late spring (r2=0.878 and 0.780, p<0.05, n=6) that reflects diatom uptake and productivity in the Bay of Brest. The Mo inputs in bottom waters and subsequent shell enrichment are thus suggested to be directly or indirectly influenced by such biogenic material input at the SWI. The [Mo]/[Ca])shell records thus reveal unexpected biogeochemical cycles of Mo influenced by coastal spring productivity, faithfully recorded in scallop shells.

76 FR 1450 - Announcement of Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2010 for the Housing Choice Voucher Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-10

... 1195 MAIN ST, BUFFALO, NY 14209 6 27,467 NY: THE CITY OF NEW YORK 100 GOLD ST ROOM 501, NEW YORK, NY... ANGELES, 31 320,712 CA 90057. CO: COLORADO SPRINGS HA P.O. BOX 1575, MC 1490, COLORADO SPRINGS, 41 292,415... FALLS, NY 58 263,673 12801. NY: THE CITY OF NEW YORK 100 GOLD ST, ROOM 501, NEW YORK, NY 10007. 510 5...

Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-08

Investigations into the V-22 program, its crashes, and allegations of malfeasance came to a head in the spring of 2001. On May 1, 2001, a Blue...procurement of all weapons through FY2003 and would rise to 16% through FY2009 and 18% through FY2015. Representative Curt Weldon stated that since...the FY2000 defense budget. In the spring of 2003 F-22 affordability was again at issue. During an April 11 hearing of the House Government Reform

Groundwater, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona-2008-2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.

2010-01-01

The N aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area, which is typically about 6 to 14 inches per year. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2008 to September 2009. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In 2008, total groundwater withdrawals were 4,110 acre-feet, industrial withdrawals were 1,210 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,900 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2008 were about 44 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005. From 2007 to 2008 total withdrawals decreased by 4 percent, industrial withdrawals increased by approximately 3 percent, but total municipal withdrawals decreased by 6 percent. From 2008 to 2009, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 8 of 15 wells that were available for comparison in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was -0.1 feet. Water levels declined in 11 of 18 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was -0.2 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2009, the median water-level change for 34 wells in both the confined and unconfined area was -11.8 feet. Also, from the prestress period to 2009, the median water-level changes were -1.6 feet for 16 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -36.7 feet for 18 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured at three springs in 2009. Flow fluctuated during the period of record, but a decreasing trend was apparent at Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring. Discharge at Burro spring has remained constant since it was first measured in 1998. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2008), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2008), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2008), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (August 2004 to 2008). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, which suggests no change in groundwater discharge. In 2009, water samples collected from 6 wells and 3 springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all 6 wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 12 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied much since the early 1980s, and there is no trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring have varied for the period of record, but there is no trend in the data.

Analysing the daily cycles of temperature and humidity differences between downtown and suburban environment in Budapest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongracz, Rita; Bartholy, Judit; Dezso, Zsuzsanna; Dian, Csenge; Incze, Dora; Kurcsics, Mate

2017-04-01

Urban areas evidently results in a substantial modification of natural environment including the local climatic conditions, which fundamentally influence everyday life. That is why it is important to address urban climatic issues, e.g. the urban heat island effect and its consequences. Due to the strong centralised structure of Hungary the most affected region in Hungary is the capital (Budapest) and its agglomeration area. In this research we aim to analyze the urban climatic effects in a downtown district of Budapest relative to the southeastern suburb district of the city where the synoptic station of Budapest is located. For this purpose, we started a measuring program of in-situ measurements in the spring of 2015 in the southern central located district (district IX), which can be found near the river Danube, and mainly consists of 3- and 4-storey older and newly built buildings. The newly built buildings are mainly the results of the local government's efforts to improve the environment for the citizens. Within the framework of the block rehabilitation program, inner parts of the old house blocks were demolished, and inside the blocks common green areas have been created. In our urban climate measurement program the resulting climatic conditions are evaluated with air temperature and relative humidity data recorded along a pre-defined path, which consists of 24 measuring points within the studied area. The measuring sites are located in different characteristical points of the district, such as green parks, narrow streets, paved squares and roads. In order to calculate the urban heat island intensity, temperature measurements are compared to the hourly recorded data of the synoptic station (ID number: 12843). Our relative humidity measurements are also compared to the humidity in the suburbs. Prior to the summer measuring campaign in 2016, measurements were recorded only in the daytime periods. The measuring period has been extended for 24 hours, thus, continuous 3-day-long temperature and humidity measurements were recorded during 4-6 July 2016. Moreover, new measuring instruments were used during this summer measurements with more accurate sensors and data loggers. After the summer measuring campaign the whole measurement program continued in autumn (6 days starting at 14 pm Thursdays and lasting 24 hours). Thus, summer and autumn daily cycles can be compared in the different types of the urban environment.

Incorporation of Scientific Ballooning into Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanover, N.; Stochaj, S.; Petty, C.

1999-12-01

We are augmenting the science curriculum of the Roswell Independent School District in Roswell, NM, to take advantage of the proximity of a NASA scientific balloon base. The basic science related to balloon experimentation is being incorporated into the K-12 science curriculum via the discussion of topics such as atmospheric properties, weather, phases of matter, plotting skills, and communications in the context of a high-altitude balloon flight. These efforts will culminate in the construction of balloon-borne instruments by high school students, which will be launched during the spring of 2000. A demonstration flight, launched in the spring of 1999, was used to build student enthusiasm and community support for this program, which is funded by the NASA/IDEAS program.

Supplement Analysis for the Watershed Management Program EIS (DOE/EIS-0265/SA-71) - Duncan Creek Channel Rehabilitation Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stewart, Shannon C.

2001-10-29

BPA proposes to fund a project with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife that will restore historic spawning areas for chum salmon in Duncan Creek. Duncan Creek, a Washington tributary of the Columbia River, was traditionally an important spawning area for chum salmon. The spring seeps areas that chum historically used for spawning are still present in Duncan Creek, however during the past 30 years they have been covered by sediment and debris and infested with reed canary grass. This project proposes to rehabilitate these spawning channels in order to provide chum salmon with a protected spawning andmore » incubation environment. The proposed habitat rehabilitation project will include removing existing gravel in the seeps of Duncan Creek that contain mud, sand, and organics and replacing them with gravels that will maximize egg-to-fry survival rates for chum salmon. A trackhoe or similar equipment will be used to excavate the spawning sites. Invasive vegetation will be removed. Spawning channels will then be reconstructed using sediment free spawning gravels and base rock. Upon completion of work, all disturbed spring channel banks will be protected from erosion with staked coir fabric and revegetated with native willows. Plantings will help to restore native plant communities, increase stream channel shading, and reduce re-infestation by reed canary grass.« less

Metagenomics of Bacterial Diversity in Villa Luz Caves with Sulfur Water Springs

PubMed Central

Artacho, Alejandro; Bautista, José S.; Méndez, Roberto; Gamboa, María T.; Gamboa, Jesús R.; Gómez-Cruz, Rodolfo

2018-01-01

New biotechnology applications require in-depth preliminary studies of biodiversity. The methods of massive sequencing using metagenomics and bioinformatics tools offer us sufficient and reliable knowledge to understand environmental diversity, to know new microorganisms, and to take advantage of their functional genes. Villa Luz caves, in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco, are fed by at least 26 groundwater inlets, containing 300–500 mg L−1 H2S and <0.1 mg L−1 O2. We extracted environmental DNA for metagenomic analysis of collected samples in five selected Villa Luz caves sites, with pH values from 2.5 to 7. Foreign organisms found in this underground ecosystem can oxidize H2S to H2SO4. These include: biovermiculites, a bacterial association that can grow on the rock walls; snottites, that are whitish, viscous biofilms hanging from the rock walls, and sacks or bags of phlegm, which live within the aquatic environment of the springs. Through the emergency food assistance program (TEFAP) pyrosequencing, a total of 20,901 readings of amplification products from hypervariable regions V1 and V3 of 16S rRNA bacterial gene in whole and pure metagenomic DNA samples were generated. Seven bacterial phyla were identified. As a result, Proteobacteria was more frequent than Acidobacteria. Finally, acidophilic Proteobacteria was detected in UJAT5 sample. PMID:29361802

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2009–10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.; Brown, Christopher R.

2011-01-01

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area. Precipitation in the area is typically between 6 and 14 inches per year. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2009 to September 2010. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In 2009, total groundwater withdrawals were 4,230 acre-ft, industrial withdrawals were 1,390 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,840 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2009 were about 42 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005 because of Peabody Western Coal Company's discontinued use of water in a coal slurry used for transporting coal. From 2008 to 2009 total withdrawals increased by 3 percent and industrial withdrawals increased by approximately 15 percent, but total municipal withdrawals decreased by 2 percent. From 2009 to 2010, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 7 of 16 wells that were available for comparison in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was 0.1 foot. Water levels declined in 12 of 18 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was -0.3 foot. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2010, the median water-level change for 34 wells in both the confined and unconfined area was -13.9 feet. Also, from the prestress period to 2009, the median water-level changes were -0.8 foot for 16 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -38.7 feet for 18 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured at four springs in 2010. Flow fluctuated during the period of record, but a decreasing trend was apparent at Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring. Discharge at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso has remained relatively constant since they were first measured in the 1980s. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2009), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2009), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2009), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2009). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, which suggests no change in groundwater discharge. In 2010, water samples collected from 11 wells and 4 springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all 11 wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 12 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied much since the early 1980s, and there is no increasing or decreasing trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record, but there is no increasing or decreasing trend in the data.

Geropsychology Training in a Specialist Geropsychology Doctoral Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qualls, Sara Honn; Segal, Daniel L.; Benight, Charles C.; Kenny, Michael P.

2005-01-01

The first PhD specialty program in Geropsychology that launched in fall, 2004 at CU-Colorado Springs is described. Consistent with a scientist-practitioner model, the curriculum sequence builds systematically from basic to complex knowledge and skills across the domains of scientific psychology, research methodology, general clinical,…

Colorado Student Assessment Program Technical Report, 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

This report presents the results of the statewide spring 2000 administration of the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). Third-grade students were assessed in Reading; fourth- and seventh-grade students were assessed in Reading and Writing; and eighth-grade students were assessed in Mathematics and Science. The assessments were developed by…

Bibliographic Instruction, Vermont Libraries. A Directory of Programs and Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson State Coll., VT.

Compiled from survey forms distributed to bibliographic instruction librarians in academic and special libraries in the spring of 1987, this directory includes information on the bibliographic instruction programs and methods of 17 Vermont universities and colleges listed according to the following metropolitan areas: (1) Bennington (Southern…

75 FR 13284 - Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee; Request for Nominations to the Pesticide Program Dialogue...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-19

... racial and ethnic groups. Vacancies are expected to be filled by late spring 2010. Additional sources may... Fehrenbach at the address listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...; e-mail address: [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. General Information A...

Putting the Staff in Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oromaner, Mark

In spring 1993, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) in Jersey City, New Jersey, created a separate office to establish an ongoing staff development program for all employees. The program is designed to provide further education for employees, orientation to HCCC and its community, training, and recognition for superior performance for support…

Rhode Island State Assessment Program District and School Testing Coordinators Handbook: K-1 Assessment Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2007

2007-01-01

This handbook will assist principals and school testing coordinators in implementing the spring 2007 administration of the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). Information regarding administration timeline, reporting, process, online tools and contact personnel is discussed. Contents include: (1) Scheduling; (2) Identify Primary Test…

The Threat and Local Observation Notice (TALON) Report Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-27

protect DoD personnel, resources, critical information, research and development programs, technology, critical infrastructure, economic security...Olllcl CMnpus Pr<.>vost We a.re greatly co!lcemed about the Pcnta~on’s investiJiation of a UCSC c> mpus protest: of ~nilitary recruiwrs lnst spring. MSNBC

Investigation of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) Optical Properties, Nutrients, and Salinity in Coastal Florida: Springshed to Estuaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arellano, Ana Rosa

Optical parameters measured via absorption spectroscopy and high-resolution fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the springshed of Kings Bay, a spring-fed estuary located on Florida's Springs Coast. Over the past 40 years, springs supplying groundwater to Kings Bay have shown an increase in nitrate concentration. The overall goal of this project was to fingerprint wells and spring sites with elevated nitrogen concentrations using CDOM optical properties and establish relationships between nutrient and optical parameters. Samples were obtained from various sites: springs, Kings Bay surface (KBS), wells, coastal waters in and at the mouth of Crystal River (Coast) and lakes and rivers (LNR), during dry and wet seasons. The relationships between the environmental parameters and traditional optical parameters which provide insight into source characteristics were analyzed. Excitation emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMS) provided information about the concentration and chemical nature of organic matter in the study area. CDOM optical properties combined with salinity clearly separated the sources of fixed nitrogen in the Bay. Northern springs with elevated dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration had lower salinities and showed a presence of protein peaks. CDOM concentration was negatively correlated with total nitrogen (TN) and DIN, which suggests that these are subjected to anthropogenic influences. Humic peaks dominated the composition of the southern springs. CDOM concentrations were much higher than in the northern springs and there was a positive correlation between CDOM and both TN and DIN. These findings suggest that the fixed nitrogen in the southern springs is naturally occurring organic matter and the low concentrations may partially be a result of subsurface mixing of saltwater and freshwater in the aquifer. Thus, hypothesis testing showed that there was a significant difference between northern and southern springs Hypothesis testing also showed that there is a significant and unexpected positive relationship between CDOM and salinity studying Kings Bay, which is due to the low CDOM concentration in the springs discharging fresh water. This unique dataset also determined that the intercept of the mixing line was significantly different form zero. This indicates that CDOM is present and detectable at very low concentrations. Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) was used to evaluate CDOM composition from excitation emission matrix spectra (EEMs) and five components were identified: two humic, two marine humic, and one protein-like. The marine-like components, peak M, were produced in the marine environment and in meteoric groundwater. The study found a unique groundwater marker for coastal regions. Northern Kings Bay sites were characterized by a protein-like component, which has been associated with wastewater. Additional optical and environmental parameters were used in discriminate analysis, which successfully identified the CDOM markers for both natural and anthropogenic sources of nutrients in the environment. It is vital to improve the analysis of water, nutrients, and carbon from groundwater discharge into the coastal zone. Elevated DIN concentrations in groundwater are a widespread problem in Florida and over the past 30 years many spring waters have shown an increase in DIN concentrations. Nutrient discharge into delicate coastal areas can lead to ecological concerns. Investigating CDOM and nutrient distribution together can be a beneficial tool that can help differentiate sources from riverine/lacustrine, estuarine, marine, groundwater, and sewage impacted categories.

Microbial Communities in Terrestrial CO2 Springs: Insights into the Long-Term Effects of Carbon Sequestration on Subsurface Microorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santillan, E. F. U.; Major, J. R.; Bennett, P.

2014-12-01

Over long timescales, microbial populations and communities living in environments where CO2 has been sequestered will adapt to this environmental stress. Their presence and activities can have implications for fluid flow, geochemistry, and the fate of the stored CO2. Because of the interplay between microorganisms and environment, many environmental factors beyond CO2 will also contribute to community structure, including groundwater composition and mineralogy. To determine the long-term effect of CO2 on microbial communities, we analyzed terrestrial CO2 springs as analogues to CO2 sequestration in 3 locations in the United States: the Little Grand Wash Fault (LGW), UT; Bravo Dome (BD), NM; and Klickitat Mineral Spring (KMS), WA. These sites differed in multiple aspects such as depth, salinity, Fe content, and mineralogy. LGW and BD were located in the Colorado Plateau in sedimentary locations while KMS was located within the Columbia River Basalt Group. Sites were compared to non-CO2 springs in similar sedimentary formations for comparison. Microbial communities from sedimentary formations were characterized by low diversity and the dominance of the phylotypes Acinetobacter or Burkholderia compared to non-CO2 springs, suggesting community stress and the selection of specific organisms most resilient to CO2. Communities in the basalt formation were more diverse, though diversity is lower than a non-CO2 community sampled from the same formation (Lavalleur and Colwell 2013). Organisms present at the basalt site contained novel lineages, such as the OP candidate phyla. KMS was also the only site containing Archaea, such as Methanoplanus, suggesting CH4 production at depth. Statistical analyses indicate other factors such as depth and nutrient availability may be other factors that can affect diversity in addition to CO2. Growth of a CO2-tolerant organism from LGW also shows organisms in these environments are viable. Results confirm the presence of microbial communities at high PCO2 and suggest that while CO2 is one environmental stress that can lower diversity, many other environmental factors can also influence survival. Lavalleur, H.J., Colwell, F.S., 2013. Microbial characterization of basalt formation waters targeted for geological carbon sequestration. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 85, 62-73.

Parallel processors and nonlinear structural dynamics algorithms and software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belytschko, Ted

1990-01-01

Techniques are discussed for the implementation and improvement of vectorization and concurrency in nonlinear explicit structural finite element codes. In explicit integration methods, the computation of the element internal force vector consumes the bulk of the computer time. The program can be efficiently vectorized by subdividing the elements into blocks and executing all computations in vector mode. The structuring of elements into blocks also provides a convenient way to implement concurrency by creating tasks which can be assigned to available processors for evaluation. The techniques were implemented in a 3-D nonlinear program with one-point quadrature shell elements. Concurrency and vectorization were first implemented in a single time step version of the program. Techniques were developed to minimize processor idle time and to select the optimal vector length. A comparison of run times between the program executed in scalar, serial mode and the fully vectorized code executed concurrently using eight processors shows speed-ups of over 25. Conjugate gradient methods for solving nonlinear algebraic equations are also readily adapted to a parallel environment. A new technique for improving convergence properties of conjugate gradients in nonlinear problems is developed in conjunction with other techniques such as diagonal scaling. A significant reduction in the number of iterations required for convergence is shown for a statically loaded rigid bar suspended by three equally spaced springs.

The Relation between Finnish University Students' Perceived Level of Study-Related Burnout, Perceptions of the Teaching-Learning Environment and Perceived Achievement Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meriläinen, Matti; Kuittinen, Matti

2014-01-01

This study examined the relation between university students' perceived level of study-related burnout (SRB) and their perceptions of the teaching-learning environment (TLE), as well as their perceived achievement motivation (AM). The data are based on a survey of nine Finnish universities in the spring of 2009. Altogether, 3035 university…

The Davis Social Environment-1990: A Report of Student Opinions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Low, Jane M.

A study was done to examine student opinion of the social environment on the University of California Davis campus in Spring 1990 as a follow up to a similar study conducted in 1987. The study used the Student Opinion Survey and mailed it to a stratified random sample of 1,649 students. Of the surveys sent, 57.7 percent were returned. The…

Sedimentology, stratigraphy, and depositional environment of the Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry, east-central Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Suarez, M.B.; Suarez, C.A.; Kirkland, J.I.; Gonzalez, Luis A.; Grandstaff, D.E.; Terry, D.O.

2007-01-01

The Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry, near Green River, Utah, is located at the base of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. The quarry preserves a nearly monospecific accumulation of a new basal therizinosauroid, Falcarius utahensis. We used field descriptions and petrographic analysis to determine the depositional environment and development of the quarry strata. Results of these analyses suggest that the quarry represents multiple episodes of bone accumulation buried by spring and overbank flood deposits. Evidence for these previously undescribed spring deposits includes calcite macroscopic structures within the quarry strata - such as pisolites and travertine fragments - and calcite micromorphologies - including radial-fibrous, feather, and scandulitic dendrite morphologies and tufa clasts. At least two episodes of bone incorporation are preserved in the quarry based on their stratigraphic position and lithologic associations. The unique depositional setting in and around the Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry appears to have been favorable for the preservation of vertebrate fossils and provides insight into early Cretaceous environments in North America. Copyright ?? 2007, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology).

In-vivo force decay of nickel-titanium closed-coil springs.

PubMed

Cox, Crystal; Nguyen, Tung; Koroluk, Lorne; Ko, Ching-Chang

2014-04-01

Nickel-titanium closed-coil springs are purported to deliver constant forces over extended ranges of activation and working times. In-vivo studies supporting this claim are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in force-decay properties of nickel-titanium closed-coil springs after clinical use. Pseudoelastic force-deflection curves for 30 nickel-titanium coil springs (used intraorally) and 15 matched laboratory control springs (simulated intraoral conditions: artificial saliva, 37°C) were tested before and after retrieval via dynamic mechanical analysis and a testing machine, respectively, to evaluate the amounts of force-loss and hysteresis change after 4, 8, or 12 weeks of working time (n = 10 per group). The effects of the oral environment and clinical use on force properties were evaluated by comparing in-vivo and in-vitro data. The springs studied showed a statistically significant decrease in force (approximately 12%) after 4 weeks of clinical use (P <0.01), with a further significant decrease (approximately 7%) from 4 to 8 weeks (P = 0.03), and force levels appearing to remain steady thereafter. Clinical space closure at an average rate of 0.91 mm per month was still observed despite this decrease in force. In-vivo and in-vitro force-loss data were not statistically different. Nickel-titanium closed-coil springs do not deliver constant forces when used intraorally, but they still allow for space-closure rates of approximately 1 mm per month. Copyright © 2014 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Biogeochemical Carbon Cycling in Ultrabasic Reducing Springs in Sonoma County, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotton, J. M.; Morrill, P.; Johnson, O.; Nealson, K. H.; Sherwood Lollar, B.; Eigenbrode, J.; Fogel, M.

2006-12-01

Dissolved gases in the ultrabasic spring waters from The Cedars in Sonoma County, CA were analyzed for concentrations and carbon and hydrogen isotopic ratios in order to determine the geobiological processes occurring in this extreme environment of unknown biological activity. The ultrabasic, highly reducing conditions unique to these springs result from local serpentinization. Gases bubbling from the springs are mainly composed of methane, hydrogen, and nitrogen. Serpentinization is a process characteristic of early Earth, Mars and Titan that is thought to produce abiogenic hydrocarbons as well as provide geochemical energy for chemolithotrophic life. Methane, CO2, hydrogen and nitrogen were detected in the aqueous phases. Earlier work indicated that the primary source of the methane in the free gases bubbling from the springs was associated with microbial fermentation a suspected source of the dissolved methane. Here we report, a negative, linear correlation between concentrations of CO2 and methane that is an indicator of microbial anaerobic methane oxidation taking place in the ultrabasic waters. Furthermore, as the concentrations of methane decrease, the concentration of CO2 increases and both reactant and product become 13C-enriched. These observations are consistent with microbial oxidation of methane, suggesting a biogeochemical carbon cycle exists in these springs. We hypothesize that one group of microbes is breaking down organic matter by a process of fermentation to produce methane and CO2. The CO2 dissolves in the basic springs, while most of the methane escapes solution. The residual dissolved methane undergoes a conversion to CO2 by anaerobic methane oxidation.

Diversity of thermophiles in a Malaysian hot spring determined using 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenome sequencing

PubMed Central

Chan, Chia Sing; Chan, Kok-Gan; Tay, Yea-Ling; Chua, Yi-Heng; Goh, Kian Mau

2015-01-01

The Sungai Klah (SK) hot spring is the second hottest geothermal spring in Malaysia. This hot spring is a shallow, 150-m-long, fast-flowing stream, with temperatures varying from 50 to 110°C and a pH range of 7.0–9.0. Hidden within a wooded area, the SK hot spring is continually fed by plant litter, resulting in a relatively high degree of total organic content (TOC). In this study, a sample taken from the middle of the stream was analyzed at the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region by amplicon metagenome sequencing. Over 35 phyla were detected by analyzing the 16S rRNA data. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria represented approximately 57% of the microbiome. Approximately 70% of the detected thermophiles were strict anaerobes; however, Hydrogenobacter spp., obligate chemolithotrophic thermophiles, represented one of the major taxa. Several thermophilic photosynthetic microorganisms and acidothermophiles were also detected. Most of the phyla identified by 16S rRNA were also found using the shotgun metagenome approaches. The carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism within the SK hot spring community were evaluated by shotgun metagenome sequencing, and the data revealed diversity in terms of metabolic activity and dynamics. This hot spring has a rich diversified phylogenetic community partly due to its natural environment (plant litter, high TOC, and a shallow stream) and geochemical parameters (broad temperature and pH range). It is speculated that symbiotic relationships occur between the members of the community. PMID:25798135

A Mentoring Program in Environmental Science for Underrepresented Groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, L.; Rizzo, D. M.

2009-12-01

We developed a four-year program, combining educational and career support and research activities, to recruit and retain students from underrepresented groups in environmental sciences. Specifically, the program: ○ Assigns each student a faculty or graduate student mentor with whom the student conducts research activities. ○ Includes a weekly group meeting for team building and to review professional development and academic topics, such as time management and research ethics. ○ Requires students to make multiple formal presentations of their research proposals and results. ○ Provides scholarships and stipends for both the academic year and to engage students in summer research. The program seeks to achieve several goals including: ● Enhance academic performance. ● Encourage continued study in environmental science. ● Facilitate students completing their studies at UVM. ● Increase students’ interest in pursuing science careers. ● Create a more welcoming academic environment. To assess progress toward achievement of these goals, we conducted individual structured interviews with participating undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members at two points in time. First, interviews were conducted in the fall of 2007 after two years, and again in spring 2009, after four years. An independent research consultant, Dr. Livingston, conducted the interviews. In 2009, over the course of three days, the interviews included three graduate student and two faculty mentors, and six of the seven undergraduate students. Of the six students, three were juniors and three were graduating seniors. Results of the 2009 interviews echoed those of 2007. Both students and their mentors are quite satisfied with the program. The student presentations, weekly meetings, mentoring relationships, and summer research experiences all get high ratings from program participants. Students give high praise to their mentors and the program directors for providing excellent support. Looking at goals more specifically, we find: Improved student academic performance: Most students credit the program with a positive impact on their academic performance. Students’ continued study of environmental science: Students report increased or continued interest in environmental science as a result of participating in the program. Continued study at UVM: In both 2007 and 2009 there was a nearly unanimous report that students remain at UVM because of their involvement in the program. The program provides valuable opportunities, advisory support, community of peers, and financial stipend. It is has attracted and kept these students at this university. Increased interest in science careers: Students have been exposed to a range of science careers and credit the program with providing this exposure. Most of these students expect to pursue a career in science. Created a welcoming environment: One student specifically credits the program with increasing the number of students of color in the department. Other students credit the program with creating an environment in which students have established relationships with many faculty, certainly contributing to a welcoming atmosphere. Taken together, results indicate that the program is indeed achieving its goals.

AgRISTARS: Foreign commodity production forecasting. The 1980 US/Canada wheat and barley exploratory experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Payne, R. W. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

The crop identification procedures used performed were for spring small grains and are conducive to automation. The performance of the machine processing techniques shows a significant improvement over previously evaluated technology; however, the crop calendars require additional development and refinements prior to integration into automated area estimation technology. The integrated technology is capable of producing accurate and consistent spring small grains proportion estimates. Barley proportion estimation technology was not satisfactorily evaluated because LANDSAT sample segment data was not available for high density barley of primary importance in foreign regions and the low density segments examined were not judged to give indicative or unequvocal results. Generally, the spring small grains technology is ready for evaluation in a pilot experiment focusing on sensitivity analysis to a variety of agricultural and meteorological conditions representative of the global environment.

WHAT'S THE C IN CBAT

EPA Science Inventory

Community Based Environmental Protection (CBEP) has the intention of making environmental protection spring from the needs and values of the community of interest. Real community involvement in protecting the environment requires a process in which the environmental needs of comm...

WHAT'S THE C IN CBEP

EPA Science Inventory

Community Based Environmental Protection (CBEP) intends to make environmental protection spring from the needs and values of the community of interest. Real community involvement in protecting the environment requires a process in which the environmental needs of communities and ...

Thermophiles in the genomic era: Biodiversity, science, and applications.

PubMed

Urbieta, M Sofía; Donati, Edgardo R; Chan, Kok-Gan; Shahar, Saleha; Sin, Lee Li; Goh, Kian Mau

2015-11-01

Thermophiles and hyperthermophiles are present in various regions of the Earth, including volcanic environments, hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, geysers, coastal thermal springs, and even deep-sea hydrothermal vents. They are also found in man-made environments, such as heated compost facilities, reactors, and spray dryers. Thermophiles, hyperthermophiles, and their bioproducts facilitate various industrial, agricultural, and medicinal applications and offer potential solutions to environmental damages and the demand for biofuels. Intensified efforts to sequence the entire genome of hyperthermophiles and thermophiles are increasing rapidly, as evidenced by the fact that over 120 complete genome sequences of the hyperthermophiles Aquificae, Thermotogae, Crenarchaeota, and Euryarchaeota are now available. In this review, we summarise the major current applications of thermophiles and thermozymes. In addition, emphasis is placed on recent progress in understanding the biodiversity, genomes, transcriptomes, metagenomes, and single-cell sequencing of thermophiles in the genomic era. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The solubility and stabilization of ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) from 0° to 25°C: environmental and paleoclimatic implications for thinolite tufa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bischoff, James L.; Fitzpatrick, John A.; Rosenbauer, Robert J.

1993-01-01

We determined the solubility of ikaite from 0?? to 25??C to model its saturation state in natural waters and test the hypothesis that it is the precursor of the calcite pseudomorphs in thinolite tufa of Quaternary Lake Lahonta. Its precipitation in near-freezing marine sediments requires large additions of HCO3 to pore fluids from the diagenetic decomposition of organic matter. Its crystallization in tufas of alkaline lakes, however, requires only small additions of Ca from springs. Ikaite is stabilized in natural environments by orthophosphate. The presence of ikaite or its pseudomorphs is an indicator of near-freezing comditions in environments with high concentrations of orthophosphate. If ikaite is the precursor of thinolite tufa, then the thinolite likely grew below the sediment-water interface at the site of sublacustrine springs during prolonged cold periods. -from Authors

Atmospheric transport of pesticides in the Sacramento, California, metropolitan area, 1996-1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

Majewski, Michael S.; Baston, David S.

2002-01-01

Weekly composite, bulk air was sampled with respect to wind speed and direction from January 1996 through December 1997 in one urban and two agricultural locations in Sacramento County, California. The sampling sites were located along a north-south transect, the dominant directions of the prevailing winds. The samples were analyzed for a variety of current-use pesticides, including dormant orchard spray insecticides and rice herbicides. A variety of pesticides were detected throughout the year, predominantly chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and trifluralin. The data obtained during the winter and spring suggest that some pesticides used in agricultural areas become airborne and may be transported into the urban area. Confirmation of this drift is difficult, however, because these three predominant pesticides, as well as other detected pesticides, also are heavily used in the urban environment. The spring data clearly show that molinate and thiobencarb, two herbicides used only in rice production, do drift into the urban environment.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program : Facility Operation and Maintenance Facilities, Annual Report 2003.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McLean, Michael L.; Seeger, Ryan; Hewitt, Laurie

2004-01-01

Anadromous salmonid stocks have declined in both the Grande Ronde River Basin (Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) Status Review Symposium 1998) and in the entire Snake River Basin (Nehlsen et al. 1991), many to the point of extinction. The Grande Ronde River Basin historically supported large populations of fall and spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), sockeye (O. nerka), and coho (O. kisutch) salmon and steelhead trout (O. mykiss) (Nehlsen et al. 1991). The decline of chinook salmon and steelhead populations and extirpation of coho and sockeye salmon in the Grande Ronde River Basin was, in part, a result of constructionmore » and operation of hydroelectric facilities, over fishing, and loss and degradation of critical spawning and rearing habitat in the Columbia and Snake River basins (Nehlsen et al. 1991). Hatcheries were built in Oregon, Washington and Idaho under the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) to compensate for losses of anadromous salmonids due to the construction and operation of the lower four Snake River dams. Lookingglass Hatchery (LGH) on Lookingglass Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, was completed under LSRCP in 1982 and has served as the main incubation and rearing site for chinook salmon programs for Grande Ronde and Imnaha rivers in Oregon. Despite these hatchery programs, natural spring chinook populations continued to decline resulting in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listing Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon as ''threatened'' under the federal Endangered Species Act (1973) on 22 April 1992. Continuing poor escapement levels and declining population trends indicated that Grande Ronde River basin spring chinook salmon were in imminent danger of extinction. These continuing trends led fisheries co-managers in the basin to initiate the Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program (GRESCSSP) in order to prevent extinction and preserve options for use of endemic fish stocks in future artificial propagation programs. The GRESCSSP was implemented in three Grande Ronde River basin tributaries; the Lostine and upper Grande Ronde rivers and Catherine Creek. The GRESCSSP employs two broodstock strategies utilizing captive and conventional brood sources. The captive brood program began in 1995, with the collection of parr from the three tributary areas. The conventional broodstock component of the program began in 1997 with the collection of natural adults returning to these tributary areas. Although LGH was available as the primary production facility for spring chinook programs in the Grande Ronde Basin, there were never any adult or juvenile satellite facilities developed in the tributary areas that were to be supplemented. An essential part of the GRESCSSP was the construction of adult traps and juvenile acclimation facilities in these tributary areas. Weirs were installed in 1997 for the collection of adult broodstock for the conventional component of the program. Juvenile facilities were built in 2000 for acclimation of the smolts produced by the captive and conventional broodstock programs and as release sites within the natural production areas of their natal streams. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) operate both the juvenile acclimation and adult trapping facilities located on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River under this project. The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) operate the facilities on the Lostine River under a sister project. Hatcheries were also built in Oregon, Washington and Idaho under the LSRCP to compensate for losses of summer steelhead due to the construction and operation of the lowest four Snake River dams. Despite these harvest-driven hatchery programs, natural summer steelhead populations continued to decline as evidenced by declining counts at Lower Granite Dam since 1995 (Columbia River Data Access in Real Time, DART) and low steelhead redd counts on index streams in the Grande Ronde Basin. Because of low escapement the Snake River summer steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on 18 August, 1997. Co-managers have also discontinued off-station releases of juvenile Wallowa stock (non-endemic) hatchery summer steelhead into Catherine Creek in 1998 and the upper Grande Ronde River in 1999. Data are lacking on adult return numbers and the genetic make-up of populations that return to tributaries of the Grande Ronde River basin, Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River specifically. Adult fish weirs are in place on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River and data on summer steelhead populations in those areas are collected.« less

Microbes in mercury-enriched geothermal springs in western North America.

PubMed

Geesey, Gill G; Barkay, Tamar; King, Sue

2016-11-01

Because geothermal environments contain mercury (Hg) from natural sources, microorganisms that evolved in these systems have likely adapted to this element. Knowledge of the interactions between microorganisms and Hg in geothermal systems may assist in understanding the long-term evolution of microbial adaptation to Hg with relevance to other environments where Hg is introduced from anthropogenic sources. A number of microbiological studies with supporting geochemistry have been conducted in geothermal systems across western North America. Approximately 1 in 5 study sites include measurements of Hg. Of all prokaryotic taxa reported across sites with microbiological and accompanying physicochemical data, 42% have been detected at sites in which Hg was measured. Genes specifying Hg reduction and detoxification by microorganisms were detected in a number of hot springs across the region. Archaeal-like sequences, representing two crenarchaeal orders and one order each of the Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, dominated in metagenomes' MerA (the mercuric reductase protein) inventories, while bacterial homologs were mostly found in one deeply sequenced metagenome. MerA homologs were more frequently found in metagenomes of microbial communities in acidic springs than in circumneutral or high pH geothermal systems, possibly reflecting higher bioavailability of Hg under acidic conditions. MerA homologs were found in hot springs prokaryotic isolates affiliated with Bacteria and Archaea taxa. Acidic sites with high Hg concentrations contain more of Archaea than Bacteria taxa, while the reverse appears to be the case in circumneutral and high pH sites with high Hg concentrations. However, MerA was detected in only a small fraction of the Archaea and Bacteria taxa inhabiting sites containing Hg. Nevertheless, the presence of MerA homologs and their distribution patterns in systems, in which Hg has yet to be measured, demonstrates the potential for detoxification by Hg reduction in these geothermal systems, particularly the low pH springs that are dominated by Archaea. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CO2 Budget and Rectification Airborne Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grainger, C. A.

2004-01-01

The main purpose of this award was to supply a platform for the airborne measurements of gases associated with the CO2 Budget and Regional Airborne Study (COBRA). The original program was to consist of three field programs: the first was to be in 1999, the second in 2000, and the third in 2001. At the end of the second field program, it was agreed that the science could better be served by making the measurements in northern Brazil, rather than in North America. The final North American program would be postponed until after two field programs in Brazil. A substantial amount of effort was diverted into making plans and preparations for the Brazil field programs. The Brazil field programs were originally scheduled to take place in the Fall of 2002 and Spring of 2003. Carrying out the field program in Brazil was going to logistically much more involved than a program in the US. Shipping of equipment, customs, and site preparations required work to begin many months prior to the actual measurement program. Permission to fly in that country was also not trivial and indeed proved to be a major obstacle. When we were not able to get permission to fly in Brazil for the 2002 portion of the experiment, the program was pushed back to 2003. When permission by the Brazilian government was not given in time for a Spring of 2003 field program, the experiment was postponed again to begin in the Fall of 2003.

Repeated tracer tests in a karst system with concentrated allogenic recharge (Johnsbachtal, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birk, Steffen; Wagner, Thomas; Pauritsch, Marcus; Winkler, Gerfried

2015-04-01

The Johnsbachtal (Austria) is a high Alpine headwater catchment covering an area of approximately 65 km², which is equipped with a hydrometeorological monitoring network (Strasser at al. 2013). The catchment is composed of carbonate rocks and crystalline rocks belonging to the Northern Calceraous Alps and the Greywacke Zone. The largest spring within the catchment, the Etzbach spring, is bound on karstified carbonate rocks of the Greywacke Zone. A stream sink located at a distance of approximately 1 km from the spring was used as injection point for repeated tracer tests in the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. In each case the tracer was recovered at the spring indicating an allogenic recharge component from the crystalline parts of the catchment. The spring discharge at the times of the three tracer tests varied between approximately 0.3 and 0.6 m³/s. Likewise the tracer travel times and thus the flow velocities were found to be different. Surprisingly, the largest tracer travel time (and thus lowest flow velocity) was obtained in 2013 when the spring discharge was highest (0.6 m³/s). In addition, the flow velocities in 2012 and 2014 were found to be clearly different, although the spring discharge was similar (roughly 0.3 m³/s) in both tests. Thus, the tracer velocity appears to be not correlated with the spring discharge. Field observations indicate that this finding can potentially be attributed to complexities at both the injection location (e.g., plugging of injection points and thus different flow paths) and the sampling point (i.e., the spring, which is composed of several outlet points representing different subcatchments). References: Strasser, U., Marke, T., Sass, O., Birk, S., Winkler, G. (2013): John's creek valley: a mountainous catchment for long-term interdisciplinary human-environment system research in Upper Styria (Austria). Environmental Earth Sciences, doi: 10.1007/s12665-013-2318-y

Diversity and Ecological Functions of Crenarchaeota in Terrestrial Hot Springs of Tengchong, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.; Song, Z.; Chen, J.; Jiang, H.; Zhou, E.; Wang, F.; Xiao, X.; Zhang, C.

2010-12-01

The diversity and potential ecological functions of Crenarchaeota were investigated in eight terrestrial hot springs (pH: 2.8-7.7; temperature: 43.6-96 C) located in Tengchong, China, using 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis. A total of 826 crenarchaeotal clones were analyzed and a total of 47 Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. Most (93%) of the identified OTUs were closely related (89-99%) to those retrieved from hot springs and other thermal environments. Our data showed that temperature may predominate over pH in affecting crenarchaeotal diversity in Tengchong hot springs. Crenarchaeotal diversity in moderate-temperature (59 to 77 C) hot springs was the highest, indicating that the moderate-temperature hot springs are more inclusive for Crenarchaeota. To understand what ecological functions these Crenarchaeota may play in Tengchong hot springs, we isolated the environmental RNA and constructed four cDNA clone libraries of the archaeal accA gene that encodes Acetyl CoA carboxylase. The accA gene represents one of the key enzymes responsible for the CO2 fixation in the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway. The results of phylogenetic analysis showed all the transcribed accA gene sequences can be classified into three large clusters, with the first one being affiliated with marine crenarchaeota, the second one with cultured crenarchaeota, and the third one with Chlorobi (Green sulfur bacteria), which have been proved to employ the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway. The long-branch distances of the phylogenetic tree suggest that these sequences represent novel accA-like gene. Our results also showed that sequences of the accA-like gene from the same hot spring belonged to one cluster, which suggests that a single crenarchaeotal group may fix CO2 via 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway in the investigated hot springs.

The Ivory Coral Program on Ionospheric Modification

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-09-01

k . and \\..1-- y - Transmitterlooosonde rl IDENVER I /240 km WESTCLIFFE Photometer 8727-65-396 FIGURE 5 LOCATION OF PHOTOMETERS TO MEASURE 6300-A...Nebraska 4ro ns Trc nsmitter 400J DEUVER Co Io ado Co’orodo Springs 38° Westcliffe 080 0I1020 8727-65-397 UGURE 6 TYPICAL AIRGLOW REGION AT ABOUT...FIGURE 7 AIRGLQW OF 18 SEPTEMBER 1972 AT 2130 MST 4-4- - ~ ml <~,ele ero sko Craig 400 Erie ~ ATrasmiter DENVERI Colorado Springs 380 Westcliffe 1080

Genetic and Molecular Analysis of the Mechanisms by which TSC Regulates Neuronal Differentiation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

2004 Programmed autophagy in the Drosophila fat body is in- duced by ecdysone through regulation of the PI3K pathway. Dev. Cell 7: 179–192. Sarbassov...embryonic Drosophila CNS. Mech. Dev. 64: 137–151. Scott, R. C., O. Schuldiner and T. P. Neufeld, 2004 Role and reg- ulation of starvation-induced autophagy ...in The Development of Drosophila melanogaster , edited by M. Bates and A. Martinez-Arias. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

The geochemical characteristics of soil water and epikarst springs and their response to vegetation-soil degradation in a karst area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, D. A.; Xu, H.

2012-04-01

Samples of soil waters and epi-karst springs in four vegetation types were collected at Maolan nature reserve in Libo county, which including protogenetic arbors, secondary arbor-shrub, shrubs and shrub-grass, to analyze their hydro-geochemical properties and the variations of nutrient elements, and further to illustrate the intrinsic correlations of vegetation, soil, environment changes and their geochemical information. The conclusions have been concluded as follows: (1) The pH of soil waters in the study area varies between 5.32 and 7.93, with a mean value of 6.78, and the conductivity changes between 31.82 and 353.65 μS/cm, with a mean value of 126.19 μS/cm. Both descend as the vegetation degrades. The hydro-chemistry of soil waters are Ca- HCO3-, and their ions mainly consist of Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3-, SO42-. Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3-are very sensitive to vegetations degradation. Ion contents are high in rain seasons and low in dry ones. (2) The pH of surface karst springs in the study area vary between 6.7 and 8.42, with a mean value of 7.65, and the conductivity between 125.6 and 452 μS/cm, with a mean value of 288.09 μS/cm. The hydro-chemistry of surface karst springs are Ca- HCO3-. HCO3-and SO42-are the main anions while Ca2+and Mg2+as main cations. The chemical properties and geochemical process of surface springs are mainly controlled by the solubility equilibrium of carbonate rocks, thus not sensitive to vegetation degradations. (3) All the calcite saturation indices of soil waters in four vegetation types are below 0, while most indices of surface karst springs are above 0, demonstrating greater denudation of soil waters than surface karst springs. As soil waters flow to surface springs, the partial pressure of CO2decreases, the denudation of water lessens, and saturation index, Ca2+, HCO3-, consequently, pH and conductivity increase. (4) Inorganic nitrogen in soil waters exist mainly as N-NO3- and N-NH4+, accounting ~ 95% of the 3 Ns. As vegetation degrades, nitrate nitrogen, organic nitrogen and total nitrogen change in follow way, protogenetic arbors > secondary arbor-shrub, shrubs > shrub-grass, but the differences among all vegetation types are not prominent. Ammonia nitrogen, however, changes otherwise as follows: shrubs, shrub-grass > protogenetic arbors, secondary arbor-shrub. In surface springs, few inorganic nitrogen exists as NO2--N ( 2 μg/L on average ), and most exists as NO3-N ( 215 μg/L on average ), and NH4+-N is 185μg/L on average. In general, NH4+-N, NO3--N and TN formations in the four vegetation types are: protogenetic arbors > secondary arbor-shrub > shrubs > shrub-grass. (5) DOC content in soil waters vary between 1.88 and 10.37 mg/L, with an average 4.8 mg/L. DOC content in surface karst springs changes between 0.39 and 9.98 mg/L, with an average 2.25 mg/L. DOCs in soil waters are greater than those in surface karst springs in all four vegetation types, and have sharp differences ( P≤0.01 ). DOCs in soil waters and surface karst springs share a great relationship and a similar change tendency, which well illustrates a main source of surface springs from soil waters. In both of them, DOCs are larger in original vegetations than in degraded vegetations. This is because the soil-vegetation system is stable in an original ecology environment which free from outside disturbs. By contrast, a degraded system is unstable, weak at beating disturbs, and conserves less but loses more. Key words: soil waters, epi-karst springs, hydro-geochemical, vegetation, karst area, Maolan in Guizhou

Reading Recovery versus Informal Reading Instruction on the Reading Achievement of Preschoolers at the End of First Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jelks-Emmanuel, Merry

A study examined the effectiveness of a Reading Recovery program. Subjects, 14 first-grade students who received the Reading Recovery program and 20 first-grade students who did not receive the program, were administered the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in the spring of 1994. The subject population was comprised of 100% minority students attending…

Feasibility Study for Hotel/Motel Career Program for Harper College. Volume XIX, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, John A.; And Others

In spring 1990, a study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to determine the feasibility of adding a career program in Hotel/Motel Management (HMM) to the current Food Service Program. Surveys were sent to 53 hotels and motels in the WRHC service area to determine employment demands that would affect the hiring of graduates of…

Sixth Grade Evaluation, Preliminary Study. Evaluation Report 8-B-1. Extended Pilot Trial of the Comprehensive School Mathematics Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Gail; Herbert, Martin

The Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP) is a program of CEMREL, Inc., one of the national educational laboratories, and was funded by the National Institute of Education (NIE). Its major purpose is the development of curriculum materials for kindergarten through grade 6. An Extended Pilot Test was scheduled for spring 1982 for several…

Status of the Southern California Edison Company 3 MW Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) demonstration project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheffler, R. L.

1979-01-01

To demonstrate the concept of utility scale electricity production from a high wind energy resource, a program was initiated to construct and test a 3 megawatt (3,000 kW) Schachle wind turbine generator near Palm Springs, California. The background and current status of this program are presented along with a summary of future planned program activities.

Program Evaluation Report for Sulphur Springs Independent School District Project STYLE (Students and Teachers Yearning to Learn Effectively) 2004-2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Combs, Julie P.; Jackson, Sherion H.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a program evaluation conducted to examine the effectiveness of the Schools Attuned program in a north Texas school district. Schools Attuned was developed by a professor of pediatrics, Dr. Mel Levine (2002), as a professional development model to train teachers to identify cognitive and…

Identification and quantitative detection of Legionella spp. in various aquatic environments by real-time PCR assay.

PubMed

Kao, Po-Min; Tung, Min-Che; Hsu, Bing-Mu; Chiu, Yi-Chou; She, Cheng-Yu; Shen, Shu-Min; Huang, Yu-Li; Huang, Wen-Chien

2013-09-01

In this study, a SYBR green quantitative real-time PCR was developed to quantify and detect the Legionella spp. in various environmental water samples. The water samples were taken from watershed, water treatment plant, and thermal spring area in Taiwan. Legionella was detected in 13.6 % (24/176), and the detection rate for river water, raw drinking water, and thermal spring water was 10, 21.4, and 16.6 %, respectively. Using real-time PCR, concentration of Legionella spp. in detected samples ranged between 9.75 × 10(4) and 3.47 × 10(5) cells/L in river water, 6.92 × 10(4) and 4.29 × 10(5) cells/L in raw drinking water, and 5.71 × 10(4) and 2.12 × 10(6) cells/L for thermal spring water samples. The identified species included Legionella pneumophila (20.8 %), Legionella jordanis (4.2 %), Legionella nautarum (4.2 %), Legionella sp. (4.2 %), and uncultured Legionella sp. (66.6 %). The presence of L. pneumophila in aquatic environments suggested a potential public health threat that must be further examined.

[Features of seasonal reorganizations of the central mechanisms of regulation in children northerners with different level of social risk].

PubMed

Soroko, S I; Rozhkov, V P; Bekshaev, S S

2013-12-01

The paper presents a comparative analysis of frequency, spatial-temporal parameters and three-dimensional localization of EEG sources that characterize changes of cortical-subcortical interactions processes in autumn and spring periods at northern schoolchildren living in satisfactory and disadvantaged (risk group) conditions of the social (family) environment. Seasonal rearrangement of interaction between wave components of main EEG rhythms was revealed. School students present regressive changes in the EEG pattern temporal organization in spring compared to autumn, and this effect was more expressed at adolescents from group of risk. Data EEDS-tomography showed increased activity in the prefrontal, cingular and subcallosal areas of the cortex in the autumn period that could be related to the mechanisms of season depression caused by the significant reduction of the day length in the North. The increased activity of the limbic system structures which is persisted in the spring in adolescents from risk group narrows the range of regulation of adaptive reactions. Unfavorable conditions of the family environment are an additional stress factor to increased load on the regulatory mechanisms that have a negative impact on the emotional-motivation behavior of children and adolescents, thus increasing the risk of the school and of social disadaptation.

Thermal quality influences effectiveness of thermoregulation, habitat use, and behaviour in milk snakes.

PubMed

Row, Jeffrey R; Blouin-Demers, Gabriel

2006-05-01

We investigated the link between thermal quality and the effectiveness of thermoregulation in milk snakes in a thermally challenging environment. We defined thermoregulatory effectiveness as the extent to which an individual maintains its body temperature (Tb) closer to the preferred range (Tset) than allowed by the thermal quality of its environment. We defined thermal quality as the magnitude of the difference between operative environmental temperatures (Te) and Tset. Because ectotherms regulate body temperatures through choice of habitat and behavioural adjustments, we also examined the link between thermoregulation, habitat use and behaviour. During 2003-2004, we located 25 individuals 890 times, and recorded their Tb. Thermal quality was lower in the spring and fall than in the summer, and was lower in forests than in open habitats. Milk snakes thermoregulated more effectively in the spring than in the summer and fall, and more effectively in the forest than in open habitats. Milk snakes had a strong preference for open habitats in all seasons, which was likely to facilitate behavioural thermoregulation. The preference for open habitats was equally strong in all seasons and, therefore, the higher effectiveness of thermoregulation was not a result of altered habitat use. Instead, milk snakes modified their behaviour and were seen basking more and moved less in the spring than in the summer.

A Survey of Light Pollution in the Rogue Valley, Southwest Oregon, By St. Mary’s School, Medford, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bensel, Holly; Arianna Ashby, Colin Cai, Thomas Cox, Genna Dorrell, Gabe FitzPatrick, Meaghan FitzPatrick, Jason Mars Liu, Mitchell Moczygemba, Kieran Rooney, Emry Timmons,; Ray You, students, (St. Mary's. School)

2015-01-01

Rural areas in Oregon, including the Rogue Valley, are renowned for beautiful dark skies. Electric light came to Medford, Oregon, the largest town in the Rogue Valley, in 1894. During the past 100 years the Rogue Valley grew from 2,500 individuals in 1895 to a population of 76,462 and a metropolitan area population of 208,545, in 2012. The increased population density resulted in increased light pollution. A light pollution chart using DMSP, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, data was published in 2006, but did not show the spatial variation in detail. In the spring of 2014, the 9th grade physics students, astronomy students, and members of the Astronomy Club from St. Mary's School conducted the first detailed night sky survey. The purpose of the survey is to create a baseline of the variations in light pollution in the Rogue Valley.The project started with a talk by Steve Bosbach, former Texas IDA coordinator, on the topic of light pollution and how it affects our lives and the environment. Groups of students were given the tasks of measuring the night sky brightness in the Rogue Valley, doing a light audit in an area of their choice, and researching what light pollution is and its effects on the environment. From this they created a presentation for a final physics grade. The basis for this project, along with procedures can be found on the Globe at Night (www.globeatnight.org) website. The light audit and research portion were developed from the Dark Sky Rangers section (www.globeatnight.org/dsr/) of the website. In the fall of 2014, astronomy students and club members extended this study to the town of Ashland and the Sothern Oregon University campus, areas of the valley not surveyed in the Spring.This survey will increase awareness of light pollution in the Rogue Valley, as well as educate developers and city planners on the impact that light pollution has on the environment in Southern Oregon. It will help determine areas of concern and areas of dark sky compliant lighting, which could spur appropriate regulation regarding outdoor lighting.

Nitrification of archaeal ammonia oxidizers in a high- temperature hot spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shun; Peng, Xiaotong; Xu, Hengchao; Ta, Kaiwen

2016-04-01

The oxidation of ammonia by microbes has been shown to occur in diverse natural environments. However, the link of in situ nitrification activity to taxonomic identities of ammonia oxidizers in high-temperature environments remains poorly understood. Here, we studied in situ ammonia oxidation rates and the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) in surface and bottom sediments at 77 °C in the Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The in situ ammonia oxidation rates measured by the 15N-NO3- pool dilution technique in the surface and bottom sediments were 4.80 and 5.30 nmol N g-1 h-1, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) indicated that the archaeal 16S rRNA genes and amoA genes were present in the range of 0.128 to 1.96 × 108 and 2.75 to 9.80 × 105 gene copies g-1 sediment, respectively, while bacterial amoA was not detected. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed high sequence similarity to thermophilic Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii, which represented the most abundant operational taxonomic units (OTU) in both surface and bottom sediments. The archaeal predominance was further supported by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) visualization. The cell-specific rate of ammonia oxidation was estimated to range from 0.410 to 0.790 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, higher than those in the two US Great Basin hot springs. These results suggest the importance of archaeal rather than bacterial ammonia oxidation in driving the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial geothermal environments.

EU-China Environment Research: Enhancing collaboration through SPRING

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, Michaela; Han, Dawei

2013-04-01

There are huge challenges in both known and potential environmental problems in China and EU. Local geographical and climate conditions vary significantly across the two regions. For example the distribution of water resources is spatially and temporally uneven and often leads to water shortages in some areas, and flooding in others. In addition there is a sharp drop in mineral, oil and gas resources, as well as an increase in the living standard, which is a challenge for sustainable development. China's economy is still growing fast, placing an increased burden on the environment. The EU's economy is more developed with a rich experience in dealing with environmental problems in a fast growing economy. Therefore, it is mutually beneficial for the two sides to collaborate in environmental research. The FP7 funded SPRING project is intended to facilitate better EU-China environmental research cooperation and to create a long-term environment vision with clearly identifiable pathways for the two partners to work together. The project team is composed of five EU partners and five Chinese partners with expertise in water, soil, air, climate change and biodiversity. The project runs from March 2010-Feburary 2013. SPRING has taken a multi-level approach to achieving this, developing foresight and road-mapping studies to manage long term aims and facilitate increased cooperation and exchange for researchers, policy and decision makers and funding bodies. The outcomes of the project include detailed technology survey, success scenario analysis and EU-Horizon research road map with a focus on the research needs between EU and China in the next twenty years.

New Approaches for Responsible Management of Offshore Springs in Semi-arid Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaban, Amin; de Jong, Carmen; Al-Sulaimani, Zaher

2017-04-01

In arid and semi-arid regions, such as the Mediterranean and Gulf Region where water is scarce water demand has been exacerbated and become a major environmental challenge. Presently there is massive pressure to develop new water sources to alleviate existing water stress. In the quest for more freshwater even groundwater discharge into the sea in the form of "off-shore freshwater springs" (or submarine groundwater discharge) has been contemplated as a potential source of unconventional water in coastal zones. Offshore-springs are derived from aquifers with complex geological controls mainly in the form of faults and karst conduits. Representing a border-line discipline, they have been poorly studied with only few submarine groundwater monitoring sites existing worldwide. Recently, innovative techniques have been developed enabling springs to be detected via remote sensing such as airborne surveys or satellite images. "Thermal Anomalies" can be clearly identified as evidence for groundwater discharge into the marine environment. A diversity of groundwater routes along which off-shore springs are fed from land sources can be recognized and near-shore and offshore springs differentiated and classified according to their geometry. This is well pronounced along the coast of Lebanon and offshore of Oman. Offshore springs play an important role in the marine ecosystem as natural sources of mercury, metals, nutrients, dissolved carbon species and in cooling or warming ocean water. However, they are extremely sensitive to variations in qualitative and quantitative water inputs triggered by climate change and anthropogenic impacts especially in their recharge zones. Pollutants such as sewage, detergents, heavy metals or herbicides that negatively affect water quality of offshore springs can transit the groundwater rapidly. Recently these springs have also been severely affected by uncontrolled water abstraction from land aquifers. In Bahrain, overpumping combined with burial under land reclamation rubble has caused the disappearance of offshore springs inducing a drastic decline in the pearl oyster population. Climate change related precipitation decrease and temperature increase is likely to further decrease groundwater and surface water recharge, increase irrigation and domestic water demand, increase water extraction from aquifers and in turn decrease water availability for offshore springs.. Thus in future, continuous monitoring of water quantity and quality as well as new remote sensing approach in addition to observations by citizens such as fishermen and tourist guides are becoming essential to ensure responsible management of offshore freshwater springs.

Genomic Prediction with Pedigree and Genotype × Environment Interaction in Spring Wheat Grown in South and West Asia, North Africa, and Mexico.

PubMed

Sukumaran, Sivakumar; Crossa, Jose; Jarquin, Diego; Lopes, Marta; Reynolds, Matthew P

2017-02-09

Developing genomic selection (GS) models is an important step in applying GS to accelerate the rate of genetic gain in grain yield in plant breeding. In this study, seven genomic prediction models under two cross-validation (CV) scenarios were tested on 287 advanced elite spring wheat lines phenotyped for grain yield (GY), thousand-grain weight (GW), grain number (GN), and thermal time for flowering (TTF) in 18 international environments (year-location combinations) in major wheat-producing countries in 2010 and 2011. Prediction models with genomic and pedigree information included main effects and interaction with environments. Two random CV schemes were applied to predict a subset of lines that were not observed in any of the 18 environments (CV1), and a subset of lines that were not observed in a set of the environments, but were observed in other environments (CV2). Genomic prediction models, including genotype × environment (G×E) interaction, had the highest average prediction ability under the CV1 scenario for GY (0.31), GN (0.32), GW (0.45), and TTF (0.27). For CV2, the average prediction ability of the model including the interaction terms was generally high for GY (0.38), GN (0.43), GW (0.63), and TTF (0.53). Wheat lines in site-year combinations in Mexico and India had relatively high prediction ability for GY and GW. Results indicated that prediction ability of lines not observed in certain environments could be relatively high for genomic selection when predicting G×E interaction in multi-environment trials. Copyright © 2017 Sukumaran et al.

Microbial Fossilization in Mineralizing Environments: Relevance for Mars "EXOPALEONTOLOGY"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farmer, Jack D.; DesMarais, David J.; Morrison, David (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The goals of post-Viking exobiology include the search for a Martian fossil record. How can we optimize future exploration efforts to search for fossils on Mars? The Precambrian fossil record indicates that key factors for the long-term preservation of microbial fossils include: 1) the rapid entombment and/or replacement of organisms and organic matter by fine-grained, stable mineral phases (e.g. silica, phosphate, and to a lesser extent, carbonate), 2) low-permeability host sediments (maintaining a closed chemical system during early diagenesis), and 3) shallow burial (maintaining post-depositional temperatures and pressures within the stability range for complex organic molecules). Modem terrestrial environments where early mineralization commonly occurs in association with microbial organisms include: subaerial thermal springs and shallow hydrothermal systems, sub-lacustrine springs and evaporites of alkaline lakes, and subsoil environments where hardpans (e.g. calcretes, silcretes) and duricrusts form. Studies of microbial fossilization in such environments provide important insights preservation patterns in Precambrian rocks, while also playing a role in the development of strategies for Mars exopaleontology. The refinement of site priorities for Mars exopaleontology is expected to benefit greatly from high resolution imaging and altimetry acquired during upcoming orbital missions, and especially infrared and gamma ray spectral data needed for determining surface composition. In anticipation of future orbital missions, constraints for identifying high priority mineral deposits on Mars are being developed through analog remote sensing studies of key mineralizing environments on Earth.

Evaluating Gridded Spring Indices Using the USA National Phenology Network's Observational Phenology Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crimmins, T. M.; Gerst, K.

2017-12-01

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN; www.usanpn.org) produces and freely delivers daily and short-term forecast maps of spring onset dates at fine spatial scale for the conterminous United States and Alaska using the Spring Indices. These models, which represent the start of biological activity in the spring season, were developed using a long-term observational record of four species of lilacs and honeysuckles contributed by volunteer observers. Three of the four species continue to be tracked through the USA-NPN's phenology observation program, Nature's Notebook. The gridded Spring Index maps have utility for a wide range of natural resource planning and management applications, including scheduling invasive species and pest detection and control activities, anticipating allergy outbreaks and planning agricultural harvest dates. However, to date, there has not been a comprehensive assessment of how well the gridded Spring Index maps accurately reflect phenological activity in lilacs and honeysuckles or other species of plants. In this study, we used observational plant phenology data maintained by the USA-NPN to evaluate how well the gridded Spring Index maps match leaf and flowering onset dates in a) the lilac and honeysuckle species used to construct the models and b) in several species of deciduous trees. The Spring Index performed strongly at predicting the timing of leaf-out and flowering in lilacs and honeysuckles. The average error between predicted and observed date of onset ranged from 5.9 to 11.4 days. Flowering models performed slightly better than leaf-out models. The degree to which the Spring Indices predicted native deciduous tree leaf and flower phenology varied by year, species, and region. Generally, the models were better predictors of leaf and flowering onset dates in the Northeastern and Midwestern US. These results reveal when and where the Spring Indices are a meaningful proxy of phenological activity across the United States.

Spring 2007. Industry Study. Environment Industry

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Department of Air Force Mr. Ingo Kloss, European Aeronautic Defence, and Space Company, Inc. CAPT Eric Moss, US Navy Mr. Joseph Smith, Department of...Peter Layton , RAAF, Faculty, Department of National Security Studies ii PLACES VISITED Domestic: - Local - British Petroleum Solar

First Canadian record of the water mite Thermacarus nevadensis Marshall, 1928 (Arachnida: Acariformes: Hydrachnidiae: Thermacaridae) from hot springs in British Columbia

PubMed Central

Heron, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Abstract Background Thermacarus nevadensis Marshall, 1928 is an uncommonly collected mite associated with hot spring environments in the western United States. Information on its distribution and ecology are incomplete. New information In this paper, we report Thermacarus nevadensis from northern British Columbia. These records represent the first of Thermacaridae from Canada, the most northern records of this species in North America, and the most northern records for the family globally. We also provide short notes and images of the habitats in which specimens have been collected in Canada. PMID:27660534

Speciated mercury at marine, coastal, and inland sites in New England - Part 2: Relationships with atmospheric physical parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, H.; Talbot, R.; Hegarty, J.; Koermer, J.

2011-10-01

Long-term continuous measurements of gaseous elemental mercury (Hgo), reactive gaseous mercury (RGM), and particulate phase mercury (Hgp) were conducted at coastal (Thompson Farm, denoted as TF), marine (Appledore Island, denoted as AI), and elevated inland (Pac Monadnock, denoted as PM) monitoring sites of the AIRMAP Observing Network. Diurnal, seasonal, annual, and interannual variability in Hgo, RGM, and Hgp from the three distinctly different environments were characterized and compared in Part 1. Here in Part 2 relationships between speciated mercury (i.e., Hgo, RGM, and Hgp) and climate variables (e.g., temperature, wind speed, humidity, solar radiation, and precipitation) were examined. The best point-to-point correlations were found between Hgo and temperature in summer at TF and spring at PM, but there was no similar correlation at AI. Subsets of data demonstrated regional impacts of episodic dynamic processes such as strong cyclonic systems on ambient levels of Hgo at all three sites, possibly through enhanced oceanic evasion of Hgo. A tendency of higher levels of RGM and Hgp was identified in spring and summer under sunny conditions in all environments. Specifically, the 10th, 25th, median, 75th, and 90th percentile mixing ratios of RGM and Hgp increased with stronger solar radiation at both the coastal and marine sites. These metrics decreased with increasing wind speed at AI indicating enhanced loss of RGM and Hgp through deposition. RGM and Hgp levels correlated with temperature positively in spring, summer and fall at the coastal and marine locations. In the coastal region relationships between RGM and relative humidity suggested a clear decreasing tendency in all metrics from <40% to 100% relative humidity in all seasons especially in spring, compared to less variability in the marine environment. The effect of precipitation on RGM at coastal and marine locations was similar. At the coastal site, RGM levels were a factor of 3-4 higher under dry conditions than rainy conditions in all seasons. In winter RGM mixing ratios appeared to be mostly above the limit of detection (LOD) during snowfalls suggesting less scavenging efficiency of snow. Mixing ratios of Hgp at the coastal and marine sites remained above the LOD under rainy conditions. Precipitation had negligible impact on the magnitude and pattern of diurnal variation of Hgp in all seasons in the marine environment.

Activities relating to understanding the initiation, organization and structure of moist convection in the Southeast environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnider, Richard T.

1992-01-01

In the spring and summer of 1986, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) will sponsor the Satellite Precipitation And Cloud Experiment (SPACE) to be conducted in the Central Tennessee, Northern Alabama, and Northeastern Mississippi area. The field program will incorporate high altitude flight experiments associated with meteorological remote sensor development for future space flight, and an investigation of precipitation processes associated with mesoscale and small convective systems. In addition to SPACE, the MIcroburst and Severe Thunderstorm (MIST) program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the FAA-Lincoln Laboratory Operational Weather Study (FLOWS), sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will take place concurrently within the SPACE experiment area. All three programs (under the joint acronym COHMEX (COoperative Huntsville Meteorological EXperiment)) will provide a data base for detailed analysis of mesoscale convective systems while providing ground truth comparisons for remote sensor evaluation. The purpose of this document is to outline the experiment design criteria for SPACE, and describe the special observing facilities and data sets that will be available under the COHMEX joint program. In addition to the planning of SPACE-COHMEX, this document covers three other parts of the program. The field program observations' main activity was the operation of an upper air rawinsonde network to provide ground truth for aircraft and spacecraft observations. Another part of the COHMEX program involved using boundary layer mesoscale models to study and simulate the initiation and organization of moist convection due to mesoscale thermal and mechanical circulations. The last part of the program was the collection, archival and distribution of the resulting COHMEX-SPACE data sets.

Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children's Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCombs, Jennifer Sloan; Augustine, Catherine; Schwartz, Heather; Bodilly, Susan; McInnis, Brian; Lichter, Dahlia; Cross, Amanda Brown

2012-01-01

During summer vacation, many students lose knowledge and skills. By the end of summer, students perform, on average, one month behind where they left off in the spring. Participation in summer learning programs should mitigate learning loss and could even produce achievement gains. Indeed, educators and policymakers increasingly promote summer…

Who Are with Us: MOOC Learners on a FutureLearn Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liyanagunawardena, Tharindu Rekha; Lundqvist, Karsten Øster; Williams, Shirley Ann

2015-01-01

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) attract learners with a variety of backgrounds. Engaging them using game development was trialled in a beginner's programming course, "Begin programming: build your first mobile game," on FutureLearn platform. The course has completed two iterations: first in autumn 2013 and second in spring 2014 with…

Measuring Student Engagement in an Online Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigatel, Paula; Williams, Vicki

2015-01-01

In an effort to measure the effectiveness of faculty development courses promoting student engagement, the faculty development unit of Penn State's Online Campus conducted a pilot study within a large online Bachelor of Science in Business (BSB) program. In all, 2,296 students were surveyed in the spring and summer semesters of 2014 in order to…

Industry Immersion for Reading and Mathematics Improvement. Valley Products Company.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Paul L.; And Others

An intensive industry immersion program of reading and mathematics was conducted in Spring 1989 for employees at Valley Products, Inc., in a cooperative venture by the Literacy Foundation, Memphis, the Memphis City Schools Adult Education Program, and the company. Employee participants were assessed with the San Diego Quick Assessment Test to…

Study of the Effectiveness of "Privatizing" Remedial Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland State Higher Education Commission, Annapolis.

This study evaluated a pilot project for privatizing or outsourcing remedial education programs in the state of Maryland. The program was conducted by the mathematics department at Howard Community College and Sylvan Learning Systems, a Baltimore-based tutoring company, and covered four periods the summer, spring, and fall semesters of 1995 and…

Update on Research and Leadership, Fall 2001-Spring 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Elisabeth, Ed.

2001-01-01

This issue of On Research and Leadership Update (v13 n1) focuses on the concerns surrounding dual enrollment and dual credit. "Dual Enrollment Programs: Assessing the American Dream," by Katherine Boswell, addresses the problems inherent in development of these programs when institutions fail to collaborate with one another in an effective way.…

Fourth-Grade Students' Motivational Changes in an Elementary Physical Education Running Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiang, Ping; McBride, Ron E.; Bruene, April

2006-01-01

Achievement goal theory and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice were used to examine fourth-grade students' motivational changes in an elementary physical education running program. In fall and spring of the school year, participants (N = 113; 66 boys, 47 girls) completed questionnaires assessing achievement goals, expectancy beliefs,…

Infants and Toddlers, 2001-2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroenke, Lillian DeVault, Ed.

2002-01-01

This document is comprised of the 2001-2002 issues of a quarterly journal for teachers and parents of children in Montessori infant and toddler programs. The spring 2001 issue presents articles on the history of infant and toddler programs in Italy and how to fulfill infant needs in Montessori child care, and on learning activities in the kitchen…

Spanish Native Language Arts Staff Development Turnkey Training Program, Spring 1989. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.

The Spanish Native Language Arts Development Turnkey Training Program attempted to create a network of secondary school administrators and teachers of Spanish acquainted with current research and methodology and able to provide staff development in native language arts for teachers of native Spanish speakers of limited English proficiency. Nine…

Future Think Program, San Jose City College, Spring Semester, 1974: Final Report of Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DCM Associates, San Francisco, CA.

San Jose City College's Future Think Program consists of the following courses: Language, Culture, and Change; Third World Since 1945; Marriage and Family; Ecology and Man; Science Fiction; Introduction to Literature: Science Fiction; Introduction to Sociology; and Sociology/Fiction of the Future. An evaluation by an independent consulting firm…

Implementing a Recursive Retention Assessment System for Engineering Programs. AIR 2002 Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acker, Jon Charles; Hughes, William; Fendley, William R., Jr.

This study was conducted to ascertain the factors associated with attrition in engineering programs on all fronts. Academic underpreparedness, psychosocial variables, and their interconnectivity were examined. Subjects included all enrolled University of Alabama students, as of the spring term 2001, who at one time or another were classified as…

Pathways Intern Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huggett, Daniel James

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides a formal training program for prospective employees titled, Pathways Intern Employment. The Pathways program targets graduate and undergraduate students who strive to become an active contributor to NASA's goal of space exploration. The report herein provides an account of Daniel Huggett's Pathways experience for the Spring and Summer 2017 semesters.

Courses in Media Ethics. A Spring 1977 Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christians, Clifford G.

A questionnaire regarding the teaching of media ethics courses was sent to communication program administrators in 1977. This paper reports the responses obtained from 237 programs (96% response rate). For the 27% of schools reporting specific courses in ethics, the paper notes the number and types of schools with ethics courses, the place of…

An Analysis of the Effects of Varying Male and Female Force Levels. Appendices 1, 2, 3, and 4.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

facility constraints. 1-13 -’.’’ > ; ; > ; . -.. "-"-"." --,.--. -. .- - .- . .. ’.--. . . ..- the first coeducational commissioning program in any...Carolina, Ohio State, and Drake) on a test basis. In the Spring of 1970, the decision was made to adopt coeducational AFROTC and the program was

77 FR 19004 - Fishing Capacity Reduction Program for the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-29

... Capacity Reduction Program for the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery AGENCY: National Marine... Salmon Fishery. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before 5 p.m. EST April 13, 2012. ADDRESSES: Send... Seine Salmon Buyback, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

Choosing ESRO's first scientific satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russo, Arturo

1992-11-01

The choice of the scientific payloads of the European Space Research Organization's (ESRO's) first generation of satellites is analyzed. Concentration is on those aspects of the decision process that involved more directly the scientific community and that emerged as major issues in the discussion of the Launching Program Advisory Committee (LPAC). The main theme was the growing competition between the various fields of space science within the progressive retrenching of the Organization's financial resources available for the satellite program. A general overview of the status of the program by the end of 1966 is presented. The choice of the first small satellites' payloads (ESRO 1 and 2, and HEOS-A) and the difficult definition of the TD satellite program are discussed. This part covers a time span going from early 1963 to the spring of 1966. In the second part, the narrative starts from the spring of 1967, when the decision to recommend a second HEOS-type satellite was taken, and then analyzes the complex situation determined by the crisis of the TD program in 1968, and the debates which eventually led to the abandonment of TD-2 and the start of the far less ambitious ESRO 5 project.

Microbial diversity of thermophiles with biomass deconstruction potential in a foliage-rich hot spring.

PubMed

Lee, Li Sin; Goh, Kian Mau; Chan, Chia Sing; Annie Tan, Geok Yuan; Yin, Wai-Fong; Chong, Chun Shiong; Chan, Kok-Gan

2018-03-30

The ability of thermophilic microorganisms and their enzymes to decompose biomass have attracted attention due to their quick reaction time, thermostability, and decreased risk of contamination. Exploitation of efficient thermostable glycoside hydrolases (GHs) could accelerate the industrialization of biofuels and biochemicals. However, the full spectrum of thermophiles and their enzymes that are important for biomass degradation at high temperatures have not yet been thoroughly studied. We examined a Malaysian Y-shaped Sungai Klah hot spring located within a wooded area. The fallen foliage that formed a thick layer of biomass bed under the heated water of the Y-shaped Sungai Klah hot spring was an ideal environment for the discovery and analysis of microbial biomass decay communities. We sequenced the hypervariable regions of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes using total community DNA extracted from the hot spring. Data suggested that 25 phyla, 58 classes, 110 orders, 171 families, and 328 genera inhabited this hot spring. Among the detected genera, members of Acidimicrobium, Aeropyrum, Caldilinea, Caldisphaera, Chloracidobacterium, Chloroflexus, Desulfurobacterium, Fervidobacterium, Geobacillus, Meiothermus, Melioribacter, Methanothermococcus, Methanotorris, Roseiflexus, Thermoanaerobacter, Thermoanaerobacterium, Thermoanaerobaculum, and Thermosipho were the main thermophiles containing various GHs that play an important role in cellulose and hemicellulose breakdown. Collectively, the results suggest that the microbial community in this hot spring represents a good source for isolating efficient biomass degrading thermophiles and thermozymes. © 2018 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Community Involvement as an Effective Institutional Control at the Weldon Spring Site, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deyo, Y.E.; Pauling, T.

2006-07-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP) was conducted for the purpose of remediating a portion of a former trinitrotoluene and dinitrotoluene production plant that was operational from 1941 to 1945 and a former uranium refinery that was operational from 1957 to 1966. Surface remediation activities concluded in 2001 with the completion of a 45-acre (.18 square kilometer) on-site engineered disposal facility. Long-term surveillance and maintenance activities at the site were officially transferred to the DOE Office of Legacy Management in 2003. The Weldon Spring Site is located within the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitanmore » area (population 3 million). DOE's close relationship with surrounding land owners created a need for innovative solutions to long-term surveillance and maintenance issues at the site. Through a Secretarial proclamation, a plan was established for development of a comprehensive public involvement and education program. This program would act as an institutional control to communicate the historical legacy of the site and would make information available about contamination present at the site to guide people in making decisions about appropriate site activities. In August 2002, the Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center opened to the public with exhibits about the history of the area, the remediation work that was completed, and a site information repository that is available to visitors. In addition, the Hamburg Trail for hiking and biking was constructed as a joint DOE/MDC effort. The 8-mile trail travels through both DOE and MDC property; a series of historical markers posted along its length to communicate the history of the area and the remediation work that was done as part of WSSRAP activities. A ramp and viewing platform with informational plaques were constructed on the disposal cell to provide an additional mechanism for public education. With a basic marketing program, site visitor-ship has been steadily increasing. In 2005, approximately 15,400 visitors were associated with Interpretive Center operations and outreach activities. Science-oriented educational programs that directly relate to past remediation activities and present long-term surveillance and maintenance issues have been developed and are presented to St. Louis area school groups and other community-based organizations. Other innovative programs have been developed to address daily maintenance issues at the site and to promote beneficial community re-use of the property. Approximately 30,000 square feet of the former Administration Building has been transferred through a use-permit to Lindenwood University, a local institution with a total enrollment of about 12,000 students. Lindenwood is establishing a satellite college campus in the building in exchange for providing basic maintenance and payment of utilities for both the Administration Building and Interpretive Center. A volunteer program developed to address maintenance of the native plant gardens that surround the Interpretive Center has a current enrollment of approximately 25 volunteers. Another volunteer group of prairie ecosystem experts has been meeting regularly for the last 3 years to assist the site in long-term management of the established prairie surrounding the disposal cell. Public support of these community involvement activities at the site is strong. DOE has worked closely with the Weldon Spring Citizens Commission in developing the concepts for this approach and the Commission has helped promote these activities within the community. It is expected that continued public education in this manner will only serve to strengthen the institutional control commitments at the Weldon Spring Site. (authors)« less

Predicting the timing and potential of the spring emergence of overwintered populations of Heliothis spp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartstack, A. W.; Witz, J. A.; Lopez, J. D. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

The current state of knowledge dealing with the prediction of the overwintering population and spring emergence of Heliothis spp., a serious pest of numerous crops is surveyed. Current literature is reviewed in detail. Temperature and day length are the primary factors which program H. spp. larva for possible diapause. Although studies on the interaction of temperature and day length are reported, the complete diapause induction process is not identified sufficiently to allow accurate prediction of diapause timing. Mortality during diapause is reported as highly variable. The factors causing mortality are identified, but only a few are quantified. The spring emergence of overwintering H. spp. adults and mathematical models which predict the timing of emergence are reviewed. Timing predictions compare favorably to observed field data; however, prediction of actual numbers of emerging moths is not possible. The potential for use of spring emergence predictions in pest management applications, as an early warning of potential crop damage, are excellent. Research requirements to develop such an early warning system are discussed.

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona - 2010-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.; Brown, Christopher R.; Anderson, Jessica R.

2012-01-01

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area. Precipitation in the area is typically between 6 to 14 inches per year. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2010 to September 2011. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In 2010, total groundwater withdrawals were 4,040 acre-ft, industrial withdrawals were 1,170 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,870 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2010 were about 42 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005 because of Peabody Western Coal Company's discontinued use of water to transport coal in a slurry. From 2009 to 2010 total withdrawals decreased by 5 percent; industrial withdrawals decreased by approximately 16 percent, and total municipal withdrawals increased by 1 percent. From 2010 to 2011, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 7 of 15 wells that were available for comparison in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was 0.0 foot. Water levels declined in 11 of 18 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was -0.7 foot. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2011, the median water-level change for 33 wells in both the confined and unconfined areas was -15.0 feet. Also, from the prestress period to 2011, the median water-level changes were -1.2 foot for 15 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -41.2 feet for 18 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured at three springs in 2011. Flow fluctuated during the period of record, but a decreasing trend was apparent at Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring. Discharge at Burro Spring has remained relatively constant since it was first measured in the 1980s. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2010), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2010), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2010), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2010). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, which suggests no change in groundwater discharge. In 2011, water samples collected from 11 wells and 4 springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all 11 wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 12 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied much since the early 1980s, and there is no increasing or decreasing trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record, but there is no increasing or decreasing trend in the data.

An Assessment of the Common Carrier Shipping Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

resistance to ’damage of the, item to be protected or packaged, and (3) a knowledge of the performance i/ Maintained at Madison, Wis., in cOoperation...the damage attributed to shippers, while rough handling accounted for 80 percent of the damage attributed to carriers. Results of surveys of this tyre ...vibration environment in tractor trailers. Tests were conducted to determine the effect of suspension system (conventioaal steel spring, rubber isolator

Ground-Water, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona-2005-06

USGS Publications Warehouse

Truini, Margot; Macy, J.P.

2007-01-01

The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400 square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use and the needs of a growing population. Precipitation in the Black Mesa area averages about 6 to 14 inches per year. The water monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and is designed to provide information about the long-term effects of ground-water withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected for the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2005 to September 2006. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) ground-water pumping, (2) ground-water levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, (5) ground-water chemistry, and (6) periodic testing of ground-water withdrawal meters. In 2005, ground-water withdrawals in the Black Mesa area totaled 7,330 acre-feet, including ground-water withdrawals for industrial (4,480 acre-feet) and municipal (2,850 acre-feet) uses. From 2004 to 2005, total withdrawals increased by less than 2 percent, industrial withdrawals increased by approximately 3 percent, and total municipal withdrawals increased by 0.35 percent. From 2005 to 2006, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 10 of 13 wells in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was -0.5 foot. Measurements indicated that water levels declined in 12 of 15 wells in the confined area of the aquifer, and the median change was -1.4 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2006, the median water-level change for 29 wells was -8.5 feet. Median water-level changes were -0.2 foot for 13 wells in the unconfined areas and -46.6 feet for 16 wells in the confined area. Ground-water discharges were measured once in 2005 and once in 2006 at Moenkopi School Spring and Burro Spring. Discharge decreased by 3.5 percent at Moenkopi School Spring and by 15 percent at Burro Spring. During the period of record at each spring, discharges fluctuated; a decreasing trend was apparent. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area have been collected from streamflow gages at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash (1976 to 2005), Dinnebito Wash (1993 to 2005), Polacca Wash (1994 to 2005), Pasture Canyon Spring (August 2004 to December 2005), and Laguna Creek (1996 to 2005). Median flows during November, December, January, and February of each water year were used as an index of the amount of ground-water discharge to the above named sites. For the period of record at each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have decreased for Moenkopi Wash, Dinnebito Wash, and Polacca Wash. There is not a long enough period of record for Pasture Canyon Spring and Laguna Creek was discontinued at the end of December 2005. In 2006, water samples were collected from 6 wells and 2 springs in the Black Mesa area and analyzed for selected chemical constituents. Dissolved-solids concentrations ranged from 111 to 588 milligrams per liter. Water samples from 5 of the wells and both of the springs had less than 500 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids. Trends in the chemistry of water samples from the 6 wells show the Pi?on NTUA 1 and Peabody 9 wells increasing in dissolved solids, Forest Lake NTUA 1 and Peabody 2 wells decreasing in dissolved solids, and Kykotsmovi PM2 and Keams Canyon PM2 wells show a steady trend. Increasing trends in dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations were evident from the more than 11 years of data for the 2 springs.

Groundwater, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona - 2007-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macy, Jamie P.

2009-01-01

The N aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low precipitation in the arid climate of the Black Mesa area, which is typically about 6 to 14 inches per year. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2007 to September 2008. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In 2007, total groundwater withdrawals were 4,270 acre-feet, industrial withdrawals were 1,170 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 3,100 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2007 were about 41 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005. From 2006 to 2007, however, total withdrawals increased by 4 percent, industrial withdrawals decreased by approximately 2 percent, and total municipal withdrawals increased by 7 percent. From 2007 to 2008, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 6 of 11 wells measured in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was -0.2 feet. Water levels declined in 9 of 18 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was -0.2 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2008, the median water-level change for 33 wells in both the confined and unconfined area was -12.9 feet. Median water-level changes were -1.0 feet for 15 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -33.2 feet for 18 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured at two springs in 2008. Flow decreased at both Moenkopi School Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring from previous years. Flow fluctuated during the period of record, but a decreasing trend was apparent. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2007), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2007), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2007), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (August 2004 to 2007). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record of each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained constant, which suggests no change in groundwater. The period of record is too short to determine if there is a trend at Pasture Canyon Spring. In 2008, water samples collected from 6 wells and 2 springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents and the results compared with previous analyses. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all 6 wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 12 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied much since the early 1980s, and there is no trend in those data.

Hydrological evolution and chemical structure of a hyper-acidic spring-lake system on Whakaari/White Island, NZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christenson, B. W.; White, S.; Britten, K.; Scott, B. J.

2017-10-01

White Island has a long and varied history of acid spring discharge and shallow ephemeral lake formation on its main crater floor. In the 12 months prior to the onset of the 1976-2000 eruptive episode, mass discharge from the spring system increased ca. 10-fold, pointing to a strong coupling of the hydrothermal environment to the evolving magmatic system. Between 1976 and 1978, the formation of numerous eruption vents to 200 m depth in the Western Sub-crater abruptly changed the hydraulic gradients in the volcano, resulting in the reversal of groundwater flow in the massif towards the newly-formed crater(s). This affected not only the style of volcanic activity (leading to phreatic-phreatomagmatic-magmatic eruption cycles), but also led to the demise of the spring system, with discharge from the main crater declining by a factor > 100 by 1979. Eruptive activity ended shortly after a moderate Strombolian eruption in mid-2000, after which ephemeral lakes started to form in the eruption crater complex. Between 2003 and 2015 there were three complete lake filling and evaporative cycles, reflecting varying heat flow through the conduit system beneath the lake. Over these cycles, lake water concentrations of Cl and SO4 varied between ca. 35-150 and 5-45 g/L respectively, with pH values temporally ranging from + 1.5 to - 1. Springs appeared on the Main Crater floor in 2004, and their discharges varied with lake level, pointing to the lake level being a primary control over the piezometric surface in the crater area. Springs closest to the crater complex show direct evidence of crater lake water infiltration into the crater floor aquifer, whereas distal spring discharges show compositional variations reflecting vertical displacement of the interface between shallow, dilute condensate and underlying acidic brine fluids. Source components for the spring fluids include magmatic vapour, dissolved andesitic host rocks, seawater and meteoric water. Lake waters, on the other hand, consist predominantly of magmatic vapour, meteoric water and solutes derived from host andesites and their altered derivatives. δ2H and δ18O signatures of the enclosing acid brine fluids, indicate they are predominantly seawater which have been affected by both vapour loss, but also mixing with arc-type vapour. An interesting finding of this study is that crater floor deformation correlates directly to both lake level and volatile emissions, in an apparent poroelastic response to the establishment of a hydrostatic water column in the eruption crater complex, and a net decrease in permeability owing to hydrothermal mineralization in the conduit (predominantly elemental sulfur and sulfate minerals). The hydrostatic pressurization of the vent environment also leads to increased gas pressures and flows through fumarolic channels, and consequent expansion of fumarolic areas on the main crater floor. A period of unrest, which commenced in August 2012 and lasted until October 2013, included the extrusion of a small dome into the eruption crater complex. This activity, and related high heat flow, led once again to evaporation of the lake, and ongoing phreatic eruption activity which has provided interesting insights into the role which elemental sulfur, associated hydrothermal alteration minerals and of course water play in regulating pressures in the magmatic-hydrothermal environment.

Physical and Chemical Study of Minerals and Rocks Containing Low-Z Compounds of Interest to Astrobiology and Origin of Life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Understanding the origins of Life requires a good understanding of the physics and chemistry of biogenic low-z elements H, C, N, O, P, S in terrestrial environments, on Mars, on extraterrestrial bodies such as meteorite parent bodies and comets, and in interstellar space. In this Proposal five Tasks form a coherent program aimed at elucidating various aspects of low-z element geo- and cosmochemistry with special reference to the origin of Life on Earth and to the search for life on Mars, extant or extinct. (i) Formation of organic molecules, in particular oxygenated H-C-0 molecules or precursors thereof of the composition H(x)C(y)O(z)(n-), inside the hard matrix of structurally dense magmatic minerals; (ii) Formation of organic molecules inside the soft matrix of amorphous and crystalline water ice; (iii) Preservation of organic molecules in cherts and other siliceous rocks formed in hot spring or submarine hydrothermal vent environments; (iv) The nature of the elusive Martian soil oxidant; and (v) Prototype development of an XRD instrument, using a new patented XRD camera concept that utilizes a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) as a camera and as a energy-dispersive analyzer.

An Investigation of Students' Scores on the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey as an Indicator of Program Outcomes; Employer-Based Career Education. Technical Report No. 40.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stepp, Ermel; And Others

The report investigates the pattern of interests among the 44 students at the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's Employer-Based Career Education (AEL/EBCE) program during the fall, winter, and spring of the 1972-73 program year as measured by the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey (KOIS). Group One students (those matriculating in September 1972)…

Is There a Hole in the Bucket? Understanding SCHIP Retention. Assessing the New Federalism: An Urban Institute Program To Assess Changing Social Policies. Occasional Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Ian; Lutzky, Amy Westpfahl

This study examined states efforts to retain children in their State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Data were obtained during spring and summer of 2000 through telephone interviews with state program officials from eight states selected based on a variety of demographic and programmatic variables; the states were Alabama, California,…

Complex Morphological Variability in Complex Evaporitic Systems: Thermal Spring Snails from the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Carol M.; Roopnarine, Peter D.

2003-11-01

Thermal springs in evaporitic environments provide a unique biological laboratory in which to study natural selection and evolutionary diversification. These isolated systems may be an analogue for conditions in early Earth or Mars history. One modern example of such a system can be found in the Chihuahuan Desert of north-central Mexico. The Cuatro Cienegas basin hosts a series of thermal springs that form a complex of aquatic ecosystems under a range of environmental conditions. Using landmark-based morphometric techniques, we have quantified an unusually high level of morphological variability in the endemic gastropod Mexipyrgus from Cuatro Cienegas. The differentiation is seen both within and between hydrological systems. Our results suggest that this type of environmental system is capable of producing and maintaining a high level of morphological diversity on small spatial scales, and thus should be a target for future astrobiological research.

A polyphasic taxonomic approach in isolated strains of Cyanobacteria from thermal springs of Greece.

PubMed

Bravakos, Panos; Kotoulas, Georgios; Skaraki, Katerina; Pantazidou, Adriani; Economou-Amilli, Athena

2016-05-01

Strains of Cyanobacteria isolated from mats of 9 thermal springs of Greece have been studied for their taxonomic evaluation. A polyphasic taxonomic approach was employed which included: morphological observations by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis of 16S rDNA sequences, secondary structural comparisons of 16S-23S rRNA Internal Transcribed Spacer sequences, and finally environmental data. The 17 cyanobacterial isolates formed a diverse group that contained filamentous, coccoid and heterocytous strains. These included representatives of the polyphyletic genera of Synechococcus and Phormidium, and the orders Oscillatoriales, Spirulinales, Chroococcales and Nostocales. After analysis, at least 6 new taxa at the genus level provide new evidence in the taxonomy of Cyanobacteria and highlight the abundant diversity of thermal spring environments with many potential endemic species or ecotypes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Resource, Spring 2002

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

wrappers to other widely used languages, namely TCL/TK, Java, and Python . VTK is very powerful and covers polygonal models and image processing classes and...follows: � Large Data Visualization and Rendering � Information Visualization for Beginners � Rendering and Visualization in Parallel Environments

Partnerships Protect New England’s Beautiful Environment

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The arrival of spring in New England is always a cause for celebration. The return of sunshine and warmer days; plants easing out of their winter dormancy; the colorful, bursting arrival of daffodils, pansies and tulips; and the greening of our lawns.

Environment Industry, Industry Study, Spring 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

challenge is deforestation of the Amazon rainforest due to illegal logging, cattle ranching, commercial agriculture and settlement/ subsistence farming...Since the Amazon accounts for thirty percent of all remaining tropical forest in the world, the challenge is immense.24 Understandably, Brazil is a

Ecohydrology of seepage springs in an urban National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knee, K.; Melone, J.; Friedel, B.; Fong, D.

2014-12-01

Shallow groundwater-fed seepage springs, also known as hypotelminorheic habitats, are found around the Washington, DC area, including in the George Washington Parkway, a National Park unit in northern Virginia. These springs differ from better-known vernal pools both in their hydrology and their ecology: because they are groundwater-fed, they are more resistant to drying out than vernal pools, and they harbor cave-adapted arthropod species including amphipods of the genus Stygobroumus. This project seeks to understand the ecohydrology of the hypotelminorheic habitats that support these species, some of which are endangered, and which comprise an important but underappreciated component of biodiversity in DC-area National Parks. Our study focuses on two hypotelminorheic habitats in the GW Parkway area and consists of three main components: (1) a weekly population census of Stygobroumus using multiple mark-recapture methodology, (2) weekly monitoring of dissolved radon, a tracer of groundwater discharge, as well as conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH, and (3) continuous logging of spring water temperature. This poster presents preliminary data from the Stygobroumus population census and explores how these animals may be affected by spring hydrology. Specifically, we use temperature, conductivity, radon activity and precipitation data from a nearby weather station to understand how the springs respond to episodic and seasonal variation in temperature, precipitation and groundwater seepage and how this affects Stygobromus populations. We also explore whether variations in Stygobromus counts reflect (1) active migration between the surficial spring and the larger subterranean habitat, or (2) passive flushing driven by groundwater discharge. Our results provide basic hydrologic data about a little-understood habitat type and will help managers protect Stygobromus in the urban park environment.

Coupling the WRF model with a temperature index model based on remote sensing for snowmelt simulations in a river basin in the Altay Mountains, northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, X.; Shen, Y.; Wang, N.; Pan, X.; Zhang, W.; He, J.; Wang, G.

2017-12-01

Snowmelt water is an important freshwater resource in the Altay Mountains in northwest China, and it is also crucial for local ecological system, economic and social sustainable development; however, warming climate and rapid spring snowmelt can cause floods that endanger both eco-environment and public and personal property and safety. This study simulates snowmelt in the Kayiertesi River catchment using a temperature-index model based on remote sensing coupled with high-resolution meteorological data obtained from NCEP reanalysis fields that were downscaled using Weather Research Forecasting model, then bias-corrected using a statistical downscaled model. Validation of the forcing data revealed that the high-resolution meteorological fields derived from downscaled NCEP reanalysis were reliable for driving the snowmelt model. Parameters of temperature-index model based on remote sensing were calibrated for spring 2014, and model performance was validated using MODIS snow cover and snow observations from spring 2012. The results show that the temperature-index model based on remote sensing performed well, with a simulation mean relative error of 6.7% and a Nash-Sutchliffe efficiency of 0.98 in spring 2012 in the river of Altay Mountains. Based on the reliable distributed snow water equivalent simulation, daily snowmelt runoff was calculated for spring 2012 in the basin. In the study catchment, spring snowmelt runoff accounts for 72% of spring runoff and 21% of annual runoff. Snowmelt is the main source of runoff for the catchment and should be managed and utilized effectively. The results provide a basis for snowmelt runoff predictions, so as to prevent snowmelt-induced floods, and also provide a generalizable approach that can be applied to other remote locations where high-density, long-term observational data is lacking.

Adaptive seasonal shifts in the thermal preferences of the lizard Iberolacerta galani (Squamata, Lacertidae).

PubMed

Ortega, Zaida; Mencía, Abraham; Pérez-Mellado, Valentín

2016-12-01

The León rock lizard, Iberolacerta galani, lives in isolated mountains of Spain. We studied the seasonal changes in the thermal biology of I. galani between spring and summer. We calculated precision, accuracy and effectiveness of thermoregulation and the habitat thermal quality for spring, and compared with the values of summer. In addition, we studied how the shift in the thermal preferences of lizards would contribute to achieve a higher effectiveness of thermoregulation. Thermal preferences of León rock lizards are among the lowest in lacertids, and are also very narrow, maintaining the narrowness among seasons. As for summer (27.90-29.70°C, mean value =28.76°C), the thermal preferences of I. galani are also low in spring (29.60-31.10°C, mean value =30.38°C), supporting the idea that this species is adapted to cold environments. The habitat thermal quality is lower in spring (10.99°C) than in summer (9.36°C), while the effectiveness of thermoregulation is higher in spring (0.92) than in summer (0.80). We found that the seasonal shift in thermal preferences contributes significantly to enhance the effectiveness of thermoregulation in both seasons, more in spring (0.45°C) than in summer (0.16°C). Because I. galani inhabits isolated mountains, where the activity period is reduced from April to October, we hypothesize that the observed adaptation of the thermal preferences, which enhance thermoregulation to a larger extent in spring, may evolved to maximize performance during the reproductive season. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Project: Mutual Housing at Spring Lake

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D. Springer and A. German

2015-09-01

Building cost effective, high performance homes that provide superior comfort, health, and durability is the goal of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Zero Energy Ready Homes (ZERH) program. This case study describes the development of a 62-unit multifamily community constructed by nonprofit developer Mutual Housing at the Spring Lake subdivision in Woodland, California. The Spring Lake project is expected to be the first ZERH-certified multifamily project nationwide. Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation worked with Mutual Housing throughout the project. An objective of this project was to gain a highly visible foothold for residential buildings built to themore » DOE ZERH specification that can be used to encourage participation by other California builders.« less

Business Metrics for High-Performance Homes: A Colorado Springs Case Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beach, R.; Jones, A.

The building industry needs to understand how energy ratings can impact homebuilders. Of interest is how energy efficiency may or may not have a positive impact on homebuilders’ business success. Focusing on Colorado Springs, Colorado, as a case study, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America research team IBACOS suggests a win–win between a builder’s investment in energy efficiency and that builder’s ability to sell homes. Although this research did not ultimately determine why a correlation may exist, a builder’s investment in voluntary energy-efficiency programs correlated with that builder’s ability to survive the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. Thismore » report explores the relationship between energy-efficiency ratings and the market performance of several builders in Colorado Springs.« less

Ground-Water, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona - 2006-07

USGS Publications Warehouse

Truini, Margot; Macy, J.P.

2008-01-01

The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400 square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use and the needs of a growing population. Precipitation in the Black Mesa area is typically about 6 to 14 inches per year. The water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and is designed to provide information about the long-term effects of ground-water withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected for the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from January 2006 to September 2007. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) ground-water withdrawals, (2) ground-water levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) ground-water chemistry. Periodic testing of ground-water withdrawal meters is completed every 4 to 5 years. The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) yearly totals for the ground-water metered withdrawal data were unavailable in 2006 due to an up-grade within the NTUA computer network. Because NTUA data is often combined with Bureau of Indian Affairs data for the total withdrawals in a well system, withdrawals will not be published in this year's annual report. From 2006 to 2007, annually measured water levels in the Black Mesa area declined in 3 of 11 wells measured in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer, and the median change was 0.0 feet. Measurements indicated that water levels declined in 8 of 17 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was 0.2 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2007, the median water-level change for 30 wells was -11.1 feet. Median water-level changes were 2.9 feet for 11 wells measured in the unconfined areas and -40.2 feet for 19 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured once in 2006 and once in 2007 at Moenkopi School Spring. Flow decreased by 18.9 percent at Moenkopi School Spring. During the period of record, flow fluctuated, and a decreasing trend was apparent. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area have been collected from streamflow gages at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi (1976 to 2006), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs (1993 to 2006), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa (1994 to 2006), and Pasture Canyon Springs (August 2004 to December 2006). Median flows during November, December, January, and February of each water year were used as an index of the amount of ground-water discharge to the above named sites. For the period of record at each streamflow-gaging station, the median winter flows have generally remained even, showing neither a significant increase nor decrease in flows. There is not a long enough period of record for Pasture Canyon Spring for a trend to be apparent. In 2007, water samples were collected from 1 well and 1 spring in the Black Mesa area and were analyzed for selected chemical constituents. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at Peabody well 5 for the period of record, and there is an apparent increasing trend. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 12 years of record.

NANA Geothermal Assessment Program Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jay Hermanson

2010-06-22

In 2008, NANA Regional Corporation (NRC) assessed geothermal energy potential in the NANA region for both heat and/or electricity production. The Geothermal Assessment Project (GAP) was a systematic process that looked at community resources and the community's capacity and desire to develop these resources. In October 2007, the US Department of Energy's Tribal Energy Program awarded grant DE-FG36-07GO17075 to NRC for the GAP studies. Two moderately remote sites in the NANA region were judged to have the most potential for geothermal development: (1) Granite Mountain, about 40 miles south of Buckland, and (2) the Division Hot Springs area in themore » Purcell Mountains, about 40 miles south of Shungnak and Kobuk. Data were collected on-site at Granite Mountain Hot Springs in September 2009, and at Division Hot Springs in April 2010. Although both target geothermal areas could be further investigated with a variety of exploration techniques such as a remote sensing study, a soil geochemical study, or ground-based geophysical surveys, it was recommended that on-site or direct heat use development options are more attractive at this time, rather than investigations aimed more at electric power generation.« less

Protozoa in the diets of Neocalanus spp. in the oceanic subarctic Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gifford, Dian J.

Copepod species of the genus Neocalanus dominate the zooplankton biomass of the oceanic subarctic Pacific Ocean. Neocalanus spp. populations in the subarctic Pacific environment are successful: they feed, accumulate lipid, and persist from year to year. Prior experimental observations derived from a variety of methods indicated that, although their functional morphology is such that they clear the small phytoplankton cells characteristic of the oceanic subarctic Pacific environment efficiently, Neocalanus spp. do not consume sufficient phytoplankton to meet even basic metabolic requirements in that environment. Hence, their success in the subarctic Pacific must depend on their ability to obtain nutrition from other sources. As part of the SUPER ( SUbarctic Pacific Ecosystem Research) program, experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that N. plumchrus and N. cristatus obtain a significant portion of their nutrition from planktonic Protozoa. The experiments demonstrate that Protozoa alone do not provide sufficient nutrition for N. cristatus to meet its basic metabolic needs. Protozoa constitute the major dietary component of N. plumchrus however, in agreement with the predictions of FROST'S (1987) model of the subarctic Pacific ecosystem. At a minimum this diet permits N. plumchrus to meet basic metabolic requirements. Copepod grazing activities appear to be sufficient to control protozoan stocks in the oceanic subarctic Pacific during late spring and early summer when Neocalanus spp. inhabit the upper water column.

Estimating background and threshold nitrate concentrations using probability graphs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Panno, S.V.; Kelly, W.R.; Martinsek, A.T.; Hackley, Keith C.

2006-01-01

Because of the ubiquitous nature of anthropogenic nitrate (NO 3-) in many parts of the world, determining background concentrations of NO3- in shallow ground water from natural sources is probably impossible in most environments. Present-day background must now include diffuse sources of NO3- such as disruption of soils and oxidation of organic matter, and atmospheric inputs from products of combustion and evaporation of ammonia from fertilizer and livestock waste. Anomalies can be defined as NO3- derived from nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment from anthropogenic activities, including synthetic fertilizers, livestock waste, and septic effluent. Cumulative probability graphs were used to identify threshold concentrations separating background and anomalous NO3-N concentrations and to assist in the determination of sources of N contamination for 232 spring water samples and 200 well water samples from karst aquifers. Thresholds were 0.4, 2.5, and 6.7 mg/L for spring water samples, and 0.1, 2.1, and 17 mg/L for well water samples. The 0.4 and 0.1 mg/L values are assumed to represent thresholds for present-day precipitation. Thresholds at 2.5 and 2.1 mg/L are interpreted to represent present-day background concentrations of NO3-N. The population of spring water samples with concentrations between 2.5 and 6.7 mg/L represents an amalgam of all sources of NO3- in the ground water basins that feed each spring; concentrations >6.7 mg/L were typically samples collected soon after springtime application of synthetic fertilizer. The 17 mg/L threshold (adjusted to 15 mg/L) for well water samples is interpreted as the level above which livestock wastes dominate the N sources. Copyright ?? 2006 The Author(s).

Filamentous Morphology as a Means for Thermophilic Bacteria to Survive Steep Physical and Chemical Gradients in Yellowstone Hot Springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Y.; Srivastava, V.; Bulone, V.; Keating, K. M.; Khetani, R. S.; Fields, C. J.; Inskeep, W.; Sanford, R. A.; Yau, P. M.; Imai, B. S.; Hernandez, A. G.; Wright, C.; Band, M.; Cann, I. K.; Ahrén, D.; Fouke, K. W.; Sivaguru, M.; Fried, G.; Fouke, B. W.

2017-12-01

The filamentous heat-loving bacterium Sulfurihydrogenibium yellowstonense makes up more than 90% of the microbial community that inhabits turbulent, dysoxic hot spring outflow channels (66-71°C, 6.2-6.5 pH, 0.5-0.75 m/s flow rate) at Mammoth Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park. These environments contain abundantly available inorganic substrates (e.g., CO2, sulfide and thiosulfate) and are associated with extensive CaCO3 (travertine) precipitation driven in part by CO2 off-gassing. Evidence from integrated Meta-Omics analyses of DNA, RNA, and proteins (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics) extracted from these S. yellowstonense-dominated communities have detected 1499 non-rRNA open reading frames (ORFs), their transcripts and cognate proteins. During chemoautotrophy and CO2 carbon fixation, chaperons facilitate enzymatic stability and functionalities under elevated temperature. High abundance transcripts and proteins for Type IV pili and exopolysaccharides (EPS) are consistent with S. yellowstonense forming strong (up to 0.5 m) intertwined microbial filaments (fettuccini streamers) composed of linked individual cells that withstand hydrodynamic shear forces and extremely rapid travertine mineralization. Their primary energy source is the oxidation of reduced sulfur (e.g., sulphide, sulfur or thiosulfate) and the simultaneous uptake of extremely low concentrations of dissolved O2 facilitated by bd-type cytochromes. Field observations indicate that the fettuccini microbial filaments build up ridged travertine platforms on the bottom of the springs, parallel to the water flow, where living filaments attach almost exclusively to the top of each ridge. This maximizes their access to miniscule amounts of dissolved oxygen, while optimizing their ability to rapidly form down-flow branched filaments and thus survive in these stressful environments that few other microbes can inhabit.

Recharge Area, Base-Flow and Quick-Flow Discharge Rates and Ages, and General Water Quality of Big Spring in Carter County, Missouri, 2000-04

USGS Publications Warehouse

Imes, Jeffrey L.; Plummer, Niel; Kleeschulte, Michael J.; Schumacher, John G.

2007-01-01

Exploration for lead deposits has occurred in a mature karst area of southeast Missouri that is highly valued for its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. The area contains the two largest springs in Missouri (Big Spring and Greer Spring), both of which flow into federally designated scenic rivers. Concerns about potential mining effects on the area ground water and aquatic biota prompted an investigation of Big Spring. Water-level measurements made during 2000 helped define the recharge area of Big Spring, Greer Spring, Mammoth Spring, and Boze Mill Spring. The data infer two distinct potentiometric surfaces. The shallow potentiometric surface, where the depth-to-water is less than about 250 feet, tends to mimic topographic features and is strongly controlled by streams. The deep potentiometric surface, where the depth-to-water is greater than about 250 feet represents ground-water hydraulic heads within the more mature karst areas. A highly permeable zone extends about 20 mile west of Big Spring toward the upper Hurricane Creek Basin. Deeper flowing water in the Big Spring recharge area is directed toward this permeable zone. The estimated sizes of the spring recharge areas are 426 square miles for Big Spring, 352 square miles for Greer Spring, 290 square miles for Mammoth Spring, and 54 square miles for Boze Mill Spring. A discharge accumulation curve using Big Spring daily mean discharge data shows no substantial change in the discharge pattern of Big Spring during the period of record (water years 1922 through 2004). The extended periods when the spring flow deviated from the trend line can be attributed to prolonged departures from normal precipitation. The maximum possible instantaneous flow from Big Spring has not been adequately defined because of backwater effects from the Current River during high-flow conditions. Physical constraints within the spring conduit system may restrict its maximum flow. The largest discharge measured at Big Spring during the period of record (water years 1922 through 2004) was 1,170 cubic feet per second on December 7, 1982. The daily mean water temperature of Big Spring was monitored during water years 2001 through 2004 and showed little variability, ranging from 13 to 15? C (degree Celsius). Water temperatures generally vary less than 1? C throughout the year. The warmest temperatures occur during October and November and decrease until April, indicating Big Spring water temperature does show a slight seasonal variation. The use of the traditional hydrograph separation program HYSEP to determine the base flow and quick flow or runoff components at Big Spring failed to yield base-flow and quick-flow discharge curves that matched observations of spring characteristics. Big Spring discharge data were used in combination with specific conductance data to develop an improved hydrograph separation method for the spring. The estimated annual mean quick flow ranged from 15 to 48 cubic feet per second for the HYSEP analysis and ranged from 26 to 154 cubic feet per second for the discharge and specific conductance method for water years 2001 to 2004. Using the discharge and specific conductance method, the estimated base-flow component rises abruptly as the spring hydrograph rises, attains a peak value on the same day as the discharge peak, and then declines abruptly from its peak value. Several days later, base flow begins to increase again at an approximately linear trend, coinciding with the time at which the percentage of quick flow has reached a maximum after each recharge-induced discharge peak. The interval between the discharge peak and the peak in percentage quick flow ranges from 8 to 11 days for seven hydrograph peaks, consistent with quick-flow traveltime estimates by dye-trace tests from the mature karst Hurricane Creek Basin in the central part of the recharge area. Concentrations of environmental tracers chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs: CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113)

Quantification of the effects of VRN1 and Ppd-D1 to predict spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) heading time across diverse environments

PubMed Central

Zheng, Bangyou; Biddulph, Ben; Li, Dora; Kuchel, Haydn; Chapman, Scott

2013-01-01

Heading time is a major determinant of the adaptation of wheat to different environments, and is critical in minimizing risks of frost, heat, and drought on reproductive development. Given that major developmental genes are known in wheat, a process-based model, APSIM, was modified to incorporate gene effects into estimation of heading time, while minimizing degradation in the predictive capability of the model. Model parameters describing environment responses were replaced with functions of the number of winter and photoperiod (PPD)-sensitive alleles at the three VRN1 loci and the Ppd-D1 locus, respectively. Two years of vernalization and PPD trials of 210 lines (spring wheats) at a single location were used to estimate the effects of the VRN1 and Ppd-D1 alleles, with validation against 190 trials (~4400 observations) across the Australian wheatbelt. Compared with spring genotypes, winter genotypes for Vrn-A1 (i.e. with two winter alleles) had a delay of 76.8 degree days (°Cd) in time to heading, which was double the effect of the Vrn-B1 or Vrn-D1 winter genotypes. Of the three VRN1 loci, winter alleles at Vrn-B1 had the strongest interaction with PPD, delaying heading time by 99.0 °Cd under long days. The gene-based model had root mean square error of 3.2 and 4.3 d for calibration and validation datasets, respectively. Virtual genotypes were created to examine heading time in comparison with frost and heat events and showed that new longer-season varieties could be heading later (with potential increased yield) when sown early in season. This gene-based model allows breeders to consider how to target gene combinations to current and future production environments using parameters determined from a small set of phenotyping treatments. PMID:23873997

Quantification of the effects of VRN1 and Ppd-D1 to predict spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) heading time across diverse environments.

PubMed

Zheng, Bangyou; Biddulph, Ben; Li, Dora; Kuchel, Haydn; Chapman, Scott

2013-09-01

Heading time is a major determinant of the adaptation of wheat to different environments, and is critical in minimizing risks of frost, heat, and drought on reproductive development. Given that major developmental genes are known in wheat, a process-based model, APSIM, was modified to incorporate gene effects into estimation of heading time, while minimizing degradation in the predictive capability of the model. Model parameters describing environment responses were replaced with functions of the number of winter and photoperiod (PPD)-sensitive alleles at the three VRN1 loci and the Ppd-D1 locus, respectively. Two years of vernalization and PPD trials of 210 lines (spring wheats) at a single location were used to estimate the effects of the VRN1 and Ppd-D1 alleles, with validation against 190 trials (~4400 observations) across the Australian wheatbelt. Compared with spring genotypes, winter genotypes for Vrn-A1 (i.e. with two winter alleles) had a delay of 76.8 degree days (°Cd) in time to heading, which was double the effect of the Vrn-B1 or Vrn-D1 winter genotypes. Of the three VRN1 loci, winter alleles at Vrn-B1 had the strongest interaction with PPD, delaying heading time by 99.0 °Cd under long days. The gene-based model had root mean square error of 3.2 and 4.3 d for calibration and validation datasets, respectively. Virtual genotypes were created to examine heading time in comparison with frost and heat events and showed that new longer-season varieties could be heading later (with potential increased yield) when sown early in season. This gene-based model allows breeders to consider how to target gene combinations to current and future production environments using parameters determined from a small set of phenotyping treatments.

Passing the Torch: Preparing Teaching Artists through a First-Year ArtsBridge Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufmann, Karen A.

2007-01-01

During spring, 2005 The University of Montana, Department of Drama/Dance successfully piloted a small ArtsBridge Program through a new service-learning course for advanced dance and drama students. This article describes the process of setting up the university-public school partnership; describes challenges to faculty, staff, scholars and host…

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Koru: A Mindfulness Program for College Students and Other Emerging Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greeson, Jeffrey M.; Juberg, Michael K.; Maytan, Margaret; James, Kiera; Rogers, Holly

2014-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Koru, a mindfulness training program for college students and other emerging adults. Participants: Ninety students (66% female, 62% white, 71% graduate students) participated between Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. Methods: Randomized controlled trial. It was hypothesized that Koru, compared with a wait-list…

LE[superscript 3]AD Academy Builds Professionalism in Vocational Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Candace

2012-01-01

Principal David Wheeler of Southeastern Regional Vocational-Technical High School founded LE[superscript 3]AD Academy--an innovative program that gives students the opportunity to build and run their own town in teams and with guidance from teachers. The program started in the spring of 2011, and it is innovative in many ways. The students' main…

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. School Level Management Information Booklet for SY89-90.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dependents Schools (DOD), Washington, DC. Pacific Region.

Each year, beginning in the early spring, Department of Defense Dependent Schools, Pacific Region conducts a Junior Science and Humanities Symposium program. The information for putting together such a program is contained in this document. Students are invited to conduct original research in the sciences, mathematics, the humanities, and computer…

Retention Rates, Graduates, and LAM-Series Completers for the Legal Assistant Management Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, John

In February 1996, Gainesville College, in Georgia, conducted a study of students in its Legal Assistant Management (LAM) Program to determine retention rates, numbers of graduates, and course pass rates. Retention and graduation rates were calculated for 175 students who enrolled in at least one LAM course from spring 1991 to fall 1995. In…

Minority Students & Special Education: The Issues of Placement and Proportion. Model Programs and Practical Approaches. Spring Conference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Idola J., Ed.; Goodale, Ronda, Ed.

The second of two documents on issues concerned with limited English speaking students in Massachusetts special education programs, this report presents proceedings from a 1982 conference. Sixteen presentations are summarized and results of participants' evaluations on six-item questionnaires are included. Topics covered in the workshop sessions…

Physical Attractiveness Stereotyping on American Television Programs: A Content Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downs, A. Chris; Harrison, Sheila K.

The frequencies of specific types of verbal attractiveness stereotypes portrayed on television commercials and regular programs were determined in two studies. In the first, the 4,294 commercials aired between 8 and 10 p.m. on the 3 major networks were observed during a 7-day period in the spring of 1982. Statements related to attractiveness were…

Development and Experiment in College Teaching. CIC Panel on Research and Development of Instructional Resources, No. 14, Spring 1979.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ericksen, Stanford C., Ed.; Cook, John A., Ed.

A compendium of reports of experimental instructional projects and educational programs generated by teachers at 10 midwestern universities is presented. Most of the items report changes in a particular discipline area, but these arrangements can frequently be adapted for use in other departments and interdisciplinary programs. Subject matter…

Deepest Spring in the Heart: KIDS COUNT Mississippi, 1996 Data Book. Volume III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mississippi Kids Count, Jackson.

This data book for 1996 describes the condition of children in each of Mississippi's 82 counties, based on key indicators of child well-being. The first part of the report profiles child hunger in Mississippi, and discusses nutrition programs available to Mississippi's children, such as: the special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and…

An Evaluation of the Experimental Anthropology Program at Magee Secondary School During the Spring Semester of 1973.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moodie, Allan G.; And Others

This study was performed to examine the effectiveness of an experimental anthropology program conducted in a secondary school. A semantic differential scale consisting of ten pairs of bipolar adjectives was administered in pre- and post-test sessions to anthropology students to measure their attitudes toward the following concepts: Culture,…

International Education and the U.S. Community College: From Optional to Integral. Junior College Resource Review, Spring 1983.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Maxwell; Fersh, Seymour

Citing recent literature and programs, this resource review considers the factors contributing to the increased emphasis on international education in the community colleges, highlights some of the programs and cooperative efforts advancing international education, and provides a list of the resources and organizations available to help community…

Home Start Evaluation Study. Interim Report II: Program Analysis. Revised Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deloria, Dennis; And Others

This document is the second in a series of evaluative reports directed to evaluation needs of Home Start planners and administrators. It focuses on implementation data about programs gathered during local site visits conducted in the spring and fall of 1972. The two basic evaluative questions asked are: (1) What was Home Start intended by its…