Human Influence Past and Present – Relationship of Nutrient and Hydrologic Conditions to Urban Wetland Macrophyte Distribution

Author Institution: Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, OHUrban wetlands can provide valuable ecological services through filtration and moderation of non-point source pollutants. They provide habitat for wildlife, green space, and recreational opportunities for nearby human populations. We investigated an isolated section of an urban wetland in the Cleveland metropolitan area to determine the overall quality of the vegetation and to evaluate the site for possible rehabilitation. We also researched the distribution of plant species in relation to existing hydrologic, soil, and nutrient conditions in order to identify possible impacts of historic or present human activities in the surrounding watershed. Vegetation composition and physical/chemical parameters were measured in 1.0 × 1.0 m2 plots along three transects. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to directly correlate species distributions to nutrient concentrations, soil carbon content, and water depth. Our sample area was dominated by Typha angustifolia, Leersia oryzoides, and Sparganium eurycarpum. A few high quality species were present, but the overall macrophyte community was indicative of human disturbance. Historic information revealed a long history of disturbance at the site and continuing anthropogenic impact. Patchiness in nutrient and water depth gradients results from historic and current human impacts in the study area. Our results indicate any rehabilitation efforts of the site need to take into account past and current anthropogenic stressors. We recommend aggressive removal of invasive species and re-introduction of nutrient-tolerant native taxa to achieve successful rehabilitation at the site

Diatoms as Indicators of Water-level Change in Freshwater Lakes

Water-level changes result from a variety of geological, biological, and/or climatic processes. Many of these changes occur over long periods; others may be rapid or result from catastrophic events. In aquatic environments, diatoms are highly sensitive indicator organisms and their microfossils, deposited in lake sediments, can be used to infer environmental changes (Smol, 2008). Unambiguous diatom signals can be reconstructed from lakes isolated from marine or brackish waters (e.g. Fritz et al., this volume; Horton & Sawai, this volume). However, in freshwater systems lake-level changes are often recorded as increases in planktonic (free-floating) diatoms – although as discussed below, interpretation of this signal should be supported by additional evidence

Pressure broadening and frequency shift of the D-1 and D-2 lines of Rb and K in the presence of He-3 and N-2

We report the results of a study of the pressure broadening and resonant frequency shift of the absorption profiles of the D-1 and D-2 lines of Rb and K in the presence of He-3 and N-2 gases over a range of number densities. We have also examined the temperature dependence of the broadening and shift over a range of approximately 340 to 400 K. We compare our results for the broadening and shift coefficients for Rb D-1 and D-2 to current values and present coefficients for K D-1 and D-2. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevA.87.03251

The Effect of Dispersal Ability in Winter and Summer Stoneflies on their Genetic Differentiation

1. Plecopteran species disperse less than most other aquatic insects. Within stoneflies, members of different families vary in the degree of wing morphology and season of adult emergence. 2.  Dispersal limitations were tested to determine if there were increased differences among the nearby, Chagrin and Grand River populations in north-eastern Ohio, by comparing genetic variation within the 16s rRNA region of mitochondrial DNA in two stoneflies. Allocapnia recta emerges in winter and often has rudimentary wings, and Leuctra tenuis emerges in summer with fully developed wings. 3. There was significant genetic variability between the samples of A. recta from two adjacent rivers (FST = 0.20), but not between samples of L. tenuis (FST = 0.07). 4. Distinct clades in A. recta were found to occur within the minimum spanning tree specific to the Chagrin River, which contributed to a significant difference in gene diversity between the two rivers. Haplotypes in L. tenuis appeared randomly distributed between the two rivers; however, nucleotide diversity was significantly less in samples from the Grand River. 5. Shared haplotypes of both species illustrate the inter-connectedness of the Chagrin and Grand River populations, and the lower genetic variability of L. tenuis between the two rivers is indicative of its greater dispersal capability

Colonization of Lake Erie Tributaries by Allocapnia recta (Capniidae)

Plecoptera display a variety of dispersal mechanisms. The most reduced of these, walking, is common for winter stoneflies in the family Capniidae. To examine dispersal in a winter stonefly, Allocapnia recta, we sequenced a fragment of the 16s rRNA mitochondrial gene from four adjacent Lake Erie drainages. Nineteen unique haplotypes were obtained from 107 specimens. The four watersheds explained 37% of the haplotype diversity and all pairwise contrasts among streams were statistically significant; not one haplotype was common to all four watersheds. This extreme level of divergence among populations separated briefly in both space and time suggest minimal if any measurable gene flow and therefore the possibility that geological processes may better explain northern colonization to the Great Lakes than may adult migration. One possibility is for post-glacial change in topography, in particular isostatic adjustment to raise land, which led to flow reversal at the headwaters of rivers along what now is Ohio’s Northern Divide, separating the Laurentian Great Lakes from the Ohio/Mississippi River system

Disease marker combination enhances patient characterization in the Finnish sarcoidosis patients

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology and multiple clinical phenotypes. Clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic disease to severe loss-of-function leading to the hypothesis that sarcoidosis might not be just one disease, but consists of several distinct disease entities each with potentially distinct genetic associations. We have previously demonstrated that in our series HLADRB1* 03:01 and haplotype HLA-DRB1*04:01-DPB1*04:01 are associated with good prognosis sarcoidosis. In our recent work, we found a novel SNP (rs9905945) in the 50upstream region of the ACE gene to be associated with favorable disease prognosis as well. The main objective of this study was to expand the previous results and analyse combined influence of the found ACE SNP rs9905945 with the protective HLA markers HLADRB1*03:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:01-DPB1*04:01 in 188 Finnish sarcoidosis patients (resolved disease, n = 90; persistent disease, n = 98). When combining the frequencies of the rs9905945 and of the HLA markers, the strongest association was found for a combination of either/or both HLA markers and rs9905945 for good disease prognosis (37.1% in resolved vs. 11.3% in persistent, p <0.001, OR = 4.61, (95% CI 2.15-9.86)). In conclusion, we discovered that a combination of the ACE SNP rs9905945 and HLA markers enhance the accuracy for predicting disease course in Finnish sarcoidosis patients further characterizing genetic differences between Finnish sarcoidosis patients with different prognosis. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Correlates of quality of life in overweight or obese breast cancer survivors at enrollment into a weight loss trial

OBJECTIVE: To examine the correlates of the physical and psychosocial domains of quality of life (QOL) in a cohort of breast cancer survivors participating in a weight loss intervention trial. Available data included information on weight and physical activity, as well as demographic and medical characteristics. METHODS: Correlates of QOL and psychosocial functioning were examined in 692 overweight/obese breast cancer survivors at entry into a weight loss trial. QOL was explored with three measures: Short-form 36 (SF-36); Impact of Cancer Scale (IOCv2); and the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) Symptom Scales. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify correlates and associations adjusted for other characteristics. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, younger age was associated with higher negative impact scores (p<0.01). Hispanic, African-American and Asian women had higher IOC positive impact scores compared to white non-Hispanic women (p<0.01). Higher education was associated with lower scores on mental QOL and the IOC positive impact scale (p<0.01). BMI was not independently associated with QOL measures. Physical activity was directly associated with physical and mental QOL and IOC positive impact, and inversely related to IOC negative impact and BCPT symptom scales. CONCLUSIONS: QOL measures in breast cancer survivors are differentially associated with demographic and other characteristics. When adjusted for these characteristics, degree of adiposity among overweight/obese women does not appear to be independently associated with QOL. Among overweight/obese breast cancer survivors, higher level of physical activity is associated with higher QOL across various scales and dimensions

Late Holocene lake-level and lake development signals in Lower Herring Lake, Michigan

Paleolimnological investigations of a marginal lake in the Lake Michigan basin revealed signals of long-term lake-level changes primarily controlled by climatic forces. Multiple analyses identified concurrent signals in sediment chemistry, grain size, and the microfossil record. Coarse-grained sediments, benthic diatoms, and nutrient response species increased as lake levels rose or fell. Finer sediments and higher percentages of taxa associated with stable thermocline conditions occurred during high-lake periods. Sedimentary evidence revealed corresponding strong high-lake signals c . 2500–2200, 1800–1500, 1170–730, and 500–280 BP. Low-lake periods occurred c . 1500–1170 and 700–500 B.P. An additional signal of lake-level decline was apparent beginning c . 280 BP but was interrupted by anthropogenic effects. Evidence of extreme low-lake levels ( c . 1400–1300 BP), and signals for a medieval warming period (1030–910 BP) and the Maunder minimum (370–325 BP) indicate occurrence of short-lived dry climatic conditions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43074/1/10933_2004_Article_BF00176988.pd

Magnetic irreversibility and Verwey transition in nano-crystalline bacterial magnetite

The magnetic properties of biologically-produced magnetite nanocrystals biomineralized by four different magnetotactic bacteria were compared to those of synthetic magnetite nanocrystals and large, high quality single crystals. The magnetic feature at the Verwey temperature, $T_{V}$, was clearly seen in all nanocrystals, although its sharpness depended on the shape of individual nanoparticles and whether or not the particles were arranged in magnetosome chains. The transition was broader in the individual superparamagnetic nanoparticles for which $T_{B}<T_{V}$, where $T_{B}$ is the superparamagnetic blocking temperature. For the nanocrystals organized in chains, the effective blocking temperature $T_{B}>T_{V}$ and the Verwey transition is sharply defined. No correlation between the particle size and $T_{V}$ was found. Furthermore, measurements of $M(H,T,time)$ suggest that magnetosome chains behave as long magnetic dipoles where the local magnetic field is directed along the chain and this result confirms that time-logarithmic magnetic relaxation is due to the collective (dipolar) nature of the barrier for magnetic moment reorientation

Aquatic Macrophyte Diversity and Habitat Characterization of the Cuyahoga River Watershed in Northeastern Ohio

Author Institution: Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, OHWe surveyed aquatic macrophyte diversity and abundance at 20 sites along the main channel of the Cuyahoga River and its tributaries. These sites included 12 sites in the watershed at which an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) for fish communities deviated significantly from a value predicted by a statistical model of landscape urbanization and stream habitat quality. These sites were classified as Best of the Best, Worst of the Best, Best of the Worst and Worst of the Worst among 164 sites within the Cuyahoga basin. In order to characterize a site, we collected data on the physical features of the stream and quantified the species abundance of aquatic macrophytes in a 100 m transect. Within each transect, measurements of stream width, bankfull width, stream depth, bankfull depth, and canopy cover were recorded every 10 m. Nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia content of water samples were also assayed. The quality of stream habitat for each site was quantified using the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI). Strong significant correlations between the measure of stream depth and stream width as well as canopy coverage and bankfull width were observed. A weak significant correlation was found between IBI and QHEI scores. Additional analysis showed that water chemistry did not influence QHEI or IBI scores. An analysis of variance indicated that the IBI scores significantly differed among site types. Macrophytes were discovered at seven of the 20 sites with an overall richness of 11 species among all sites. The most common aquatic macrophytes were: Elodea canadensis L., Sparganium americanum Nutt., and Sagittaria latifolia Willd. Results demonstrate that physical stream characteristics are strong indicators of fish population integrity, but are not necessarily indicative of aquatic macrophyte assemblages. Storms severely impacted many streams during the survey, possibly altering macrophyte assemblages. Further surveys should be undertaken at additional sites within the Cuyahoga River watershed for a comprehensive assessment of aquatic macrophytes