The Effects of the 2001-2002 Drought on Maine Surface Water Supplies

Maine lakes and streams serve as significant sources of public water supply, serving 40% of the population. Drought affects surface water resources by reducing water quantity and altering water quality, for example by reducing inputs of materials from the watershed and increasing water residence times. The 2001-2002 drought was the worst in Maine in over thirty years, and it exposed deficiencies in current water resources planning and management. In this study, I evaluated the effects of the 2001-2002 drought on Maine public water systems in order to identify characteristics of systems vulnerable to drought and determine appropriate indicators of drought sensitivity. I also evaluated the future of Maine\u27s water supply industry in a potentially changing climate. In addition to reviewing drought problems reported to the Drinking Water Program and Public Utilities Commission, I surveyed all public surface water systems to identify systems affected by the drought. Historical hydrological and chemical data from a subset of seven public water supply lakes provided a more intensive analysis of the effects of drought on water quantity and quality. Monthly hydrologic conditions antecedent to the drought were assessed to determine the most robust triggers for future use in public water system drought planning and management. Data on lake morphometry, geology, landscape position, land use, and demographics from a second subset of 28 public water supply lakes were assessed to identify the best indicators of drought sensitivity. Manager responses to the drought were documented to establish a record of institutional knowledge for dealing with drought. Forty-five of approximately 400 community groundwater systems and eight of 68 surface water systems were affected by the drought, although most systems experienced below-average water levels. No consistent changes in water quality variables related to water clarity were noted, although comparisons were limited by a lack of consistent source water monitoring data. Environmental factors such as morphometry or geology were not useful predictors of the sensitivity of a particular system to drought. A key finding was that affected systems were withdrawing volumes of water in excess of their safe yield. These stressed systems are located in the populated coastal region and in areas where an increase in water demand is caused by seasonal tourism and development. An essential management conclusion was that drought conditions or low lake levels alone were not enough to drive a system to implement water conservation; increased demand had to occur simultaneously. The best management tool is monthly monitoring of water withdrawals and demand in addition to local climatic parameters. While the scope and direction of future climate change is uncertain, the effects of the 2001-2002 drought indicate that public surface water systems that already operate close to capacity and that experience seasonal increases in demand are most likely to encounter difficulties in a variable and uncertain climate

Development of a Novel Humanized Single Chain Antibody-Streptococcal Superantigen-Derived Immunotherapy Targeting the 5T4 Oncofetal Antigen

Superantigens (SAgs) are microbial toxins that cross-link T cell receptors with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II (MHC II) molecules leading to the activation of large numbers of T cells. Herein, the development and preclinical testing of a novel tumour-targeted SAg (TTS) therapeutic built using the streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin C (SpeC) SAg and targeting cancer cells expressing the 5T4 tumour-associated antigen (TAA) was described. To inhibit potentially harmful widespread immune cell activation, a SpeC mutation within the high-affinity MHC II binding interface was generated (SpeCD203A) that demonstrated a pronounced reduction in mitogenic activity, yet this mutant could still induce immune cell-mediated cancer cell death in vitro. To target 5T4+cancer cells, a humanized single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody to recognize 5T4 (scFv5T4) was engineered. Specific targeting of scFv5T4 was verified. SpeCD203A used to scFv5T4 maintained the ability to activate and induce immune cell-mediated cytotoxicity of colon cancer cells. Using a xenograft model of established human colon cancer, it was demonstrated that the SpeC-based TTS was able to control the growth and spread of large tumours in vivo. This required both TAA targeting by scFv5T4 and functional SAg activity. These studies lay the foundation for the development of streptococcal SAgs as \u27next-generation\u27 TTSs for cancer immunotherapy

Michigan Geology: A Bibliography, March 2016

The Michigan Geological Survey produced a historic Index of Michigan Geology with an extensive bibliography in 1956. This current bibliography is an update of the bibliography in the Martin and Straight compilation. It is not comprehensive, but provides a starting place for anyone interested in Michigan Geology. The Michigan Geological Survey plans to update this bibliography periodically with newly published citations as well as other older citations we find

Michigan Geology: A Bibliography, March 2016

The Michigan Geological Survey produced a historic Index of Michigan Geology with an extensive bibliography in 1956. This current bibliography is an update of the bibliography in the Martin and Straight compilation. It is not comprehensive, but provides a starting place for anyone interested in Michigan Geology. The Michigan Geological Survey plans to update this bibliography periodically with newly published citations as well as other older citations we find

Status Review for Anadromous Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in the United States

https://digitalmaine.com/commerce_feddocs/1003/thumbnail.jp

Sources Of Variation In The Symbiotic Association Between Alnus And Frankia In Interior Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2011Symbioses between plants and nitrogen (N) fixing bacteria are ecologically and economically important interactions with complex evolution and ecology. Theoretical and experimental studies suggest that host specificity and environmental variation are important determinants of both evolutionary and ecological patterns in such interactions, but detailed descriptions of these parameters in natural habitats are lacking for most N-fixing systems. The aim of this set of studies was to provide such information for the symbiosis between alder ( Alnus spp.) plants and Frankia bacteria in interior Alaska. Major objectives were to determine whether: 1) different Alnus species (A. tenuifolia and A. viridis ) associate with different Frankia genotypes in the field, 2) genetic composition and distribution of Frankia associated with the two hosts differ among successional habitats, 3) differences in Frankia are paralleled by differences in host physiology at plant (leaf N) or nodule (N-fixation rate) scales, and 4) occurrence of Frankia genotypes is correlated with specific soil variables. The two hosts were found to associate with Frankia representing largely different clades, even in sites in which the two hosts co-occurred. Genetic composition and spatial distribution of Frankia in A. tenuifolia nodules differed between successional habitats, but were largely consistent among replicate sites representing each habitat. Habitat-related differences were negligible in A. viridis. Leaf N differed among habitats for both hosts, but evidence for differences in N-fixation rate among Frankia genotypes was equivocal. Occurrence of the dominant genotype in early succession sites was strongly correlated with carbon : nitrogen ratio of the mineral soil fraction, while in late succession the most common genotypes were correlated with carbon and nitrogen content of the organic soil fraction. These results demonstrate the importance of both host specificity and environmental variation in determining patterns of symbiont distribution in natural populations of Alnus. While these field results cannot distinguish between mechanisms impacting soil populations of Frankia directly and those involving selection of Frankia genotypes by host plants, it is hoped that the information provided will aid in the development of hypotheses and experiments most relevant to actual populations of these interacting species

Center for Research on Sustainable Forests 2013 Annual Report

Together, all of the scientists associated with the CRSF brought a total of $1.85 million in outside revenue to support forest research in Maine and the northern forest. Of that,$1.36 million (or 73%) was spent directly on the research. The Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) provides base operating funds for the CRSF. The $144K investment by MEIF this year leveraged another$1.71 million from outside sources to support the CRSF mission; thus providing a 12:1 return. A hallmark of the success of the CRSF research effort is also measured by the 130 organizations that collaborated directly in the research presented in this report. Results from CRSF research were presented this year in 32 journal articles; 32 book chapters, theses, and research reports; and 130 presentations at conferences and meetings

2005 New York State Statistical Yearbook

[Excerpt] This is the thirtieth edition of the New York State Statistical Yearbook, which the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government publishes annually in cooperation with the Office of the Governor and the New York State Division of the Budget. For information about other New York state and local activities of the Institute, see our website at www.rockinst.org