Groundwater flow controls on coastal water quality and global groundwater ages

Humanity relies on groundwater. But, current consumption may be outpacing groundwater renewal rates, and anthropogenic activities are altering its quality. This dissertation advances the state of knowledge of how local and regional groundwater dynamics affect its quality and quantity. First, I investigate groundwater discharge patterns and fluxes in three lakes in the Nebraska Sand Hills region and on the island of Rarotonga, Cook Islands, to understand the hydrologic connection between groundwater and surface water in these lacustrine and coastal settings. In Nebraska, I use electrical geophysical methods to characterize the spatial signature of groundwater recharge and discharge to and from the lakes using groundwater salinity patterns. On Rarotonga, a detailed field study of groundwater flow at the intertidal zone shows how groundwater flow influences the thermal regimes of nearshore environments, affecting the biota that live and chemical processes that occur near and below this dynamic interface. Next, a dense network of geophysical surveys across the coastal plain and into the lagoon on Rarotonga constrains multiple features of the larger-scale hydrologic system that are primarily controlled by the local carbonate and volcanic geology on the island. Finally, I give the first estimate of the global storage and spatial distribution of groundwater with a mean age since recharge of less than fifty years. I use several thousand two-dimensional groundwater flow and age-as-mass transport simulations parameterized by the best available hydrologic and geologic datasets. This global analysis suggested that ~6% of the groundwater stored in the upper 2 km of the Earth’s crust is younger than 50 years. Comparing this young groundwater storage to current groundwater depletion rates indicates that more than half of the irrigated areas depending significantly on groundwater could have already used up all of the young groundwater and are using groundwater more quickly than the storage is replenished. Together, these studies advance how to quantify groundwater as a renewable resource through the global estimation of groundwater storage associated with certain timespans and by analyzing the implications of groundwater flow on water quantity and quality in field settings.Geological Science

Redesigned With Them in Mind: Evaluating an Online Library Information Literacy Tutorial

This study investigates Wayne State University Library System’s redesigned information literacy tutorial: re:Seach. Seventy-two students participating in the 2010 Wayne State Federal TRIO Student Support Service Summer Residential Program participated in the questionnaire. The questionnaire measured student learning via a multiple choice knowledge based test. Confidence and satisfaction were also measured using a five point Likert scale. Students received an overall average score of 71% on the knowledge portion and student responses varied on the confidence and satisfaction portions of the questionnaire. Results clearly indicated the necessity for future revisions. The discussion will address the specific revisions being undertaken and the various ways Wayne State University hopes to continue evaluating the tutorial

TILTing toward Millennials: Updating Online Information Literacy Instruction for Post-Modern Learners

This session will describe the challenge of reinventing a graphically outdated and content heavy online information literacy tutorial and tilting it toward a millennial audience. You will learn how we reinvented substantive content from an instructional design perspective and be provided general suggestions for creating quality content. In addition, you will learn specific design strategies, focusing on innovative web design trends, collaboration with public services librarians, and using cost-effective resources to create successful virtual learning environments. You will also view results from a study performed on the tutorial and learn how the results have influenced updates

Obesity and Comorbid Diseases as a Host Determinants of Staphylococcus aureus Colonization

The etiology of obesity is heterogeneous as are the cardio-metabolic complications, associated with it. The cardio-metabolic profile of obese individuals places them at risk of a range of chronic metabolic diseases including diabetes. Paradoxically, a subset of the population classified as obese based on established methods present with few metabolic abnormalities, whereas a subset classified as non-obese present with a wide range of abnormalities. The observed heterogeneity suggests not only that excess adiposity is likely one of many determinant of metabolic complications, but also that our methods of measuring obesity might not be fully capturing the underlying biological mechanisms at play. The heterogeneity by which obesity presents itself in the general population is becoming more pertinent to the field of infectious diseases as findings increasingly implicate obesity in impaired host defenses and increased susceptibility to a range of different infectious organisms, one of which is Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus is an opportunistic pathogen with significant infectious burdens in clinical, community as well as incarcerated settings. The organism also asymptomatically colonizes human mucosal surfaces, particularly the anterior nares. The anterior nares of approximately 25-30% of US adults are colonized at any given time, and prior colonization serves as a strong predictor of subsequent infection. Obese females have been consistently shown to be at elevated risk of S. aureus colonization, however, findings amongst obese males have been inconsistent. The mechanism by which obesity increases risk of colonization remain unclear, however, many cite the underlying metabolic dysfunction that frequently accompanies obesity. Given the global burden of obesity and increasing evidence that it impairs host defenses, understanding how obesity increases host colonization with S. aureus is imperative. The overall objective of this dissertation was therefore to evaluate the influence of obesity and metabolic abnormalities on S. aureus colonization among New York State Maximum-Security prison inmates. The objective of the dissertation was met using three aims. First a systematic review was conducted to assess the different definitions used to define persistent S. aureus colonization in community dwelling adults, as well as the reported prevalence estimates associated with those definitions. The study demonstrated that a considerable amount of variation existed in the way persistent colonization was defined in the extant literature. Despite the variation however, the prevalence of persistent S. aureus carriage remained relatively consistent after categorizing the different definitions into four general groups. The review also demonstrated that two groups of persistent carriers might exist. Therefore, differentiating strain persistence carriers from species persistence carriers may reconcile some of the inconsistencies with regard to length of strain carriage reported in the literature. Second, the influence of metabolic heath (a measure incorporating both body mass index (BMI) and metabolic abnormalities) was assessed. A significantly higher probability of S. aureus colonization of the anterior nares and/or oropharynx was observed among metabolically abnormal normal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m²) as well metabolically abnormal obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) females when compared to metabolically healthy females. No significant association was observed between the categories of metabolic health and the prevalence of S. aureus colonization among males. We did, however observe a significant decline in exclusive oropharyngeal colonization among obese male inmates with metabolic abnormalities. Lastly, factors associated with persistent S. aureus carriage were evaluated in the third aim. Approximately 27% of the population was persistent carriers at the species level and 17% were persistent carriers at the strain level. Obesity was independently associated with species persistent carriage but not strain persistent carriage. Correspondence analysis evaluating strain compositional differences between exclusive persistent anterior nares carriers, exclusive persistent oropharynx carriers, exclusive persistent carriers at both the anterior nares and oropharynx and intermittent carriers suggested compositional differences existed between the different groups. More specifically, the relative abundance of certain S. aureus strains appeared more prominent among exclusive nasal carriers as compared to all other carriage/mucosal site types (exclusive oropharynx, both nasal and oropharynx

Intestinal immune responses of mice to the tapeworms Hymenolepis diminuta and H. microstoma

Previous investigations suggested that adult cestodes do not evoke host immune responses such as those directed against intestinal nematodes, but this is not so and the recent demonstration that Hymenolepis diminuta is expelled from mice by an immunological mechanism provides an excellent model system with which to investigate these responses, H, microstoma provides an interesting comparison with diminuta as, in the mouse, the former survives well despite host immune responses. Following the initial administration of one (Ic) or six (6c) cysticercoids to mice, >80% of H, diminuta can be recovered 8 to 10 days later, but thereafter, worm rejection commences. Prior to rejection, worms grow rapidly. Herein the term 'rejection' includes both destrobilation (loss of the strobila) and expulsion, although only some worms destrobilate prior to being expelled. For objective analyses of the dynamics of infection the following criteria are established: 1) mean survival time - the first day on which >50% of the worms administered had been lost or destrobilated, 2) destrobilated worm - a worm 7 weeks old may be more responsive than the 2-7 weeks old mice studied herein. Following the natural termination of a primary infection, an enhanced response occurs to secondary infection which is expressed as stunting of the worms. The severity of stunting is directly related to the intensity of the primary and secondary infections, Furthermore, when the primary infection is terminated after 3 days by anthelmintic only limited stunting of secondary worms can be detected, but following a primary infection terminated after 12 days stunting of secondary worms is severe. As protective immunity to H. diminuta is expressed in the lumen of the intestine, a precis of intestinal immune responses is given and double immunodiffusion, single radial immunodiffusion and direct anti-globulin immunofluorescence were used to study the intestinal immune responses of infected mice. No anti H, diminuta antibodies were detected in the sera or intestinal contents of infected or resistant mice and no consistent differences were detected between infected and uninfected mice in the levels of IgA, IgG1, IgG2 and IgM in the sera or intestinal contents. However, all these immunoglobulins occur on the tegument of both H. diminuta and H, microstoma and are probably specific antibodies combining with the antigens which are in the tegument. The third component of complement (C3) was detected fixed to the tegument of H. diminuta but not to H. microstoma although this result is equivocal. The morphology and occurrence of darkened areas in the tegument of H. diminuta are described and it is concluded that they are sites of immunological damage to the worm perhaps induced by the tegument bound antibody and C3. The results are discussed in relation to protective immunity and survival mechanisms of intestinal helminths. The thesis provides essential information for the further characterization of immunity to H. diminuta and strongly urges that knowledge of protective immunity to adult cestodes will be of considerable medical significance

Business Education and Microenterprise Revisited: Productivity, Entrepreneurship, and Job Creation

This article begins with a review of “Business Education and Microenterprise: A Millennial Marriage,” presented in JBIB in 1999. It provides an update on the microenterprise arena, where a more critical evaluation of small loan programs has generated significant controversy and criticism. However, the author proposes that the growing recognition in the industry of the need for promotion of productivity, entrepreneurship, and job creation is precisely why business student involvement is important. Students can help organizations do more than simply disburse and collect microloans by applying what they have learned in their business classes to become change agents in microfinance programs and also for “business as mission” projects