Siphonaptera Records and Host Associations From the Central and Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Fleas were collected from birds and mammals over a five year period in four upper peninsula counties. Identified specimens were compared to published records of distribution for the parasite species and its host species, and only those records which are new county distributions for host or parasite are listed. Four new host records for Michigan, four new flea distribution records for the upper peninsula, and 26 new county records are listed

The Systematics of Nerodia Clarkii and Nerodia Fasciata

The systematic relationship between the Gulf saltmarsh snake, Nerodia fasciata clarkii. and the freshwater subspecies, N. f. confluens. N. f. fasciata, and N. f. pictiventris, is re—evaluated using morphological characters that reflect head shape. Changes in character-states are analyzed from areas of contact into the populations of the freshwater forms. Beyond the narrow zones where intermediates are found there is no morphological evidence suggesting genetic introgression of clarkii genes into the freshwater populations. Discriminant analysis of the head scale measurements also suggests the significant division of the saltmarsh and freshwater forms. Ecological analysis reveals that interbreeding between the forms is usually restricted to disturbed areas where the salinity gradients are disrupted. These morphological and ecological data, in addition to the biochemical and physiological findings of other researchers, support the removal of the saltmarsh form from the status of a subspecies of Nerodia fasciata and its recognition as a distinct species, Nerodia clarkii

Thermochemical methylation of lignin to produce high value aromatic compounds

ABSTRACT Technical lignin, the byproduct from cellulosic ethanol production, is a potential feedstock for producing coumaric and ferulic acids. These biorenewable aromatic hydroxycinnamic acids can be upgraded to high value chemicals for the manufacture of cosmetics, flavoring agents, and sunscreens. We hypothesize that during the fast pyrolysis of lignin, aromatic acid esters can be recovered from coumaric, ferulic and other hydroxycinnamic acids using a methylation agent. In this study, technical lignin from cellulosic ethanol production was pyrolyzed in a micropyrolyzer with a methylation agent to produce gas chromatography (GC) detectable aromatic acid esters. Corn stover lignins from enzymatic hydrolysis and the organosolv processing were combined with different methylation agents to produce, identify and quantify the hydroxycinnamic acid esters. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode array detector (DAD) was used to separate and quantify the extracted hydroxycinnamic acids from lignin for determination of yield recoveries. To determine the actual total extractable yields of coumaric and ferulic acid in the lignin an alkaline extraction method was used. The yields on a mass basis of coumaric and ferulic acid in the enzymatic hydrolysis lignin was 5.6% and 1.9%, respectively. The yields on a mass basis of coumaric and ferulic acid in the organosolv lignin was 7.7% and 2.9%, respectively. The recovery of hydroxycinnamic acids from enzymatic hydrolysis and organosolv lignin with different loading of methylation agent were compared using a micropyrolyzer at 500ÃÂðC and the pyrolysis cup method. Using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) or tetra-methyl carbonate of pentaerythritol (PEMC) at concentrations of 1ÃÂõL – 10ÃÂõL produced high yields of coumaric and ferulic acid that can be recovered at concentrations up to 89% and 97%, respectively. The recovery of hydroxycinnamic acids from enzymatic hydrolysis and organosolv lignin with different loading of methylation agent were compared using a micropyrolyzer at 500ÃÂðC and the micro reaction method. Using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) or tetra-methyl carbonate of pentaerythritol (PEMC) at concentrations of 1ÃÂõL – 10ÃÂõL produced high yields of coumaric and ferulic acid that can be recovered at concentrations up to 97% and 90%, respectively. Overall, both techniques and methylation agents produced a significantly high concentration of biorenewable chemical intermediates from the lignin byproduct of corn stover cellulosic ethanol production. The hydroxycinnamic acids that are produced can be further upgraded into high value chemical products. Utilizing lignin valorization could provide a substantial effect on the economics of cellulosic ethanol production via precursors or intermediates of high value commodity chemicals

Federal Authority and the Development of Corporate Mining, 1807-1847

While the 1913-1914 copper country miners’ strike undoubtedly plays an important role in the identity of the Keweenaw Peninsula, it is worth noting that the model of mining corporations employing large numbers of laborers was not a foregone conclusion in the history of American mining. Between 1807 and 1847, public mineral lands in Missouri, in the Upper Mississippi Valley, and along the southern shore of Lake Superior were reserved from sale and subject to administration by the nation’s executive branch. By decree of the federal government, miners in these regions were lessees, not landowners. Yet, in the Wisconsin lead region especially, federal authorities reserved for independent “diggers” the right to prospect virtually unencumbered. In doing so, they preserved a comparatively egalitarian system in which the ability to operate was determined as much by luck as by financial resources. A series of revolts against federal authority in the early nineteenth century gradually encouraged officers in Washington to build a system in the copper country in which only wealthy investors could marshal the resources to both obtain permits and actually commence mining operations. This paper will therefore explore the role of the federal government in establishing a leasing system for public mineral lands in the years previous to the California Gold Rush, highlighting the development of corporate mining which ultimately set a stage for the wave of miners’ strikes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

A Case Study Analysis of Web 2.0 Technology Use in Higher Education: Effects of Using a Wiki on Outcomes and Attitudes in Legal Education

Using a case study methodology with descriptive and qualitative techniques at a major law school in the South, this research study explored factors that contribute to the perceived pedagogical value of wiki technology in legal education, as well as attitudes and perceptions of law faculty and students regarding the effectiveness of using wikis as a productivity tool for improving outcomes in authentic group activities in a collaborative environment in legal education. This study also explored the dynamics of the interactions that occurred among users while utilizing wiki technology over a 6-week period. The results suggest that law students exhibit a preparedness and willingness to utilize technology in legal education; that law students recognize positive features relating to the use of a wiki as a productivity and collaborative tool; that the use of a wiki can improve outcomes in authentic collaborative projects in legal education; that both law students and law faculty recognize a perceived pedagogical value in using wikis in the area of legal education; that the use of a wiki can promote continued use of technology by law faculty in legal education, as well as continued use of wiki technology by law students in their future practice of law; that the culture and historical climate of legal education continues to be resistant regarding the use of technology, especially among older faculty members who appear to be less willing to use technology in legal education; and that barriers can influence the use of technology and wikis in the area of legal education and the practice of law, to include the need for buy-in, time constraints, a need for advance training, and competing technology. These results are consistent with those of other researchers who have studied wiki technology

Assessing societal vulnerability of U.S. Pacific Northwest communities to storm induced coastal change

Progressive increases in storm intensities and extreme wave heights have been documented along the U.S. West Coast. Paired with global sea level rise and the potential for an increase in El Niño occurrences, these trends have substantial implications for the vulnerability of coastal communities to natural coastal hazards. Community vulnerability to hazards is characterized by the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of human-environmental systems that influence potential impacts. To demonstrate how societal vulnerability to coastal hazards varies with both physical and social factors, we compared community exposure and sensitivity to storm-induced coastal change scenarios in Tillamook (Oregon) and Pacific (Washington) Counties. While both are backed by low-lying coastal dunes, communities in these two counties have experienced different shoreline change histories and have chosen to use the adjacent land in different ways. Therefore, community vulnerability varies significantly between the two counties. Identifying the reasons for this variability can help land-use managers make decisions to increase community resilience and reduce vulnerability in spite of a changing climate. (PDF contains 4 pages

Cryogenic Insulation System

This invention relates to reusable, low density, high temperature cryogenic foam insulation systems and the process for their manufacture. A pacing technology for liquid hydrogen fueled, high speed aircraft is the development of a fully reusable, flight weight cryogenic insulation system for propellant tank structures. In the invention cryogenic foam insulation is adhesively bonded to the outer wall of the fuel tank structure. The cryogenic insulation consists of square sheets fabricated from an array of abutting square blocks. Each block consists of a sheet of glass cloth adhesively bonded between two layers of polymethacrylimide foam. Each block is wrapped in a vapor impermeable membrane, such as Kapton(R) aluminum Kapton(R), to provide a vapor barrier. Very beneficial results can be obtained by employing the present invention in conjunction with fibrous insulation and an outer aeroshell, a hot fuselage structure with an internal thermal protection system

Nova Scorpii 1941 (V697 Sco): A Probable Intermediate Polar

V697 Sco, the remnant of Nova Scorpii 1941 and currently at V ~ 20.0, is found from photometric observations to have the characteristics of an intermediate polar (IP) with an orbital period (Porb) of 4.49 h and a rotation period (Prot) of 3.31 h. It therefore appears to be a member of the rare class of IPs where Prot ~ Porb, which are probably discless systems. The prominence of the modulation at 0.5 Prot, and its orbital sidebands, indicates two-pole accretion.Comment: To appear in the November 2002 issue of PAS