Identifying spatial patterns of storm driven flooding and erosion at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2021This project quantifies localized potential for shoreline change and flooding at Nelson Lagoon, a small fishing community located on the Bering Sea coast of the Alaska Peninsula. The overall goal of this project is to generate societally relevant and locally applicable map and data products through synergistic relationships with federal, state, private, tribal, and public partners. This project intends to substantiate anecdotal observations by local residents, with the ultimate goal of informing erosion and flooding mitigation efforts moving forward. Long-term trends of shoreline change were measured using multi-temporal orthorectified aerial imagery between 1983 and 2019, while annual changes in shoreline morphology were measured via cross-shore elevation profiles using a survey grade Real-time-Kinematic Global Navigational Satellite System (RTK-GNSS). Shoreline positions were extrapolated using linear regression techniques. A digital surface model (DSM) of the community was derived using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) with >2,400 aerial images collected with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and used to assess flooding vulnerability after being geodetically referenced and related to a local tidal datum computed by this project. New and existing topographic and bathymetric datasets were compiled and refined into a 6,000 km² topobathymetric "seamless elevation" model of the Nelson Lagoon area, over which storm-tide induced currents were simulated using Delft3D FM Suite HMWQ. Remote sensing records indicate that the Nelson Lagoon spit elongated by more than 800 m and narrowed with an average Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) of -16.9 m between 1983 and 2019 (distal end not included). Though, NSM values show high variability ([sigma] = 21.9 m) and the lagoon and seaward sides of the spit are exhibiting very different erosional regimes. On both sides of the spit, episodes of rapid erosion mainly occurred during high storm-tide events that coincided with significant wave action. For this reason, the long-term erosion rates ultimately reflect the combined erosional impact of just a few storm events. Sand dunes in the supratidal zone on both sides of the spit are eroding at the vegetation line while the dune face retreats landward. By assessing erosion and flooding vulnerabilities for the Nelson Lagoon community, this study adds to an ever-growing database of such assessments statewide; which, ultimately, advance our understanding of regional coastal change in a shifting environment.Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research, Alaska Sea Grant, National Science Foundation (Grant # 1848542

The effect of intergroup contact on solidarity-based collective action is mediated by reductions in SDO

This paper explores the impact of positive and negative intergroup contact on advantaged group members’ willingness to engage in collective action on behalf of disadvantaged outgroups, and the meditational role of social dominance orientation (SDO) in this process. SDO captures an individuals’ ideological support for inequality. If contact is going to promote collective action to reduce inequality amongst the advantaged group, it must be expected to influence their ideological beliefs about hierarchy. In Study 1 only positive, and not negative contact was found to be associated with Whites’ support for the Black Lives Matter movement, mediated by reductions in SDO. In Study 2, both positive and negative contact were associated respectively, with more or less support for collective action to protect the rights of European immigrants during Brexit negotiations. While positive contact was associated with reduced SDO and more support for collective action amongst British nationals, negative contact was associated with increased SDO and lower support for collective action

Bimodal distribution of RNA expression levels in human skeletal muscle tissue

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many human diseases and phenotypes are related to RNA expression, levels of which are influenced by a wide spectrum of genetic and exposure-related factors. In a large genome-wide study of muscle tissue expression, we found that some genes exhibited a bimodal distribution of RNA expression, in contrast to what is usually assumed in studies of a single healthy tissue. As bimodality has classically been considered a hallmark of genetic control, we assessed the genome-wide prevalence, cause, and association of this phenomenon with diabetes-related phenotypes in skeletal muscle tissue from 225 healthy Pima Indians using exon array expression chips.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two independent batches of microarrays were used for bimodal assessment and comparison. Of the 17,881 genes analyzed, eight (<it>GSTM1, HLA-DRB1, ERAP2, HLA-DRB5, MAOA, ACTN3, NR4A2</it>, and <it>THNSL2</it>) were found to have bimodal expression replicated in the separate batch groups, while 24 other genes had evidence of bimodality in only one group. Some bimodally expressed genes had modest associations with pre-diabetic phenotypes, of note <it>ACTN3 </it>with insulin resistance. Most of the other bimodal genes have been reported to be involved with various other diseases and characteristics. Association of expression with <it>cis </it>genetic variation in a subset of 149 individuals found all but one of the confirmed bimodal genes and nearly half of all potential ones to be highly significant expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL). The rare prevalence of these bimodally expressed genes found after controlling for batch effects was much lower than the prevalence reported in other studies. Additional validation in data from separate muscle expression studies confirmed the low prevalence of bimodality we observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that the prevalence of bimodal gene expression is quite rare in healthy muscle tissue (<0.2%), and is much lower than limited reports from other studies. The major cause of these clearly bimodal expression patterns in homogeneous tissue appears to be <it>cis</it>-polymorphisms, indicating that such bimodal genes are, for the most part, eQTL. The high frequency of disease associations reported with these genes gives hope that this unique feature may identify or actually be an underlying factor responsible for disease development.</p

Use of a High-Density Protein Microarray to Identify Autoantibodies in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and an HLA Background Associated with Reduced Insulin Secretion

New biomarkers for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may aid diagnosis, drug development or clinical treatment. Evidence is increasing for the adaptive immune system's role in T2DM and suggests the presence of unidentified autoantibodies. While high-density protein microarrays have emerged as a useful technology to identify possible novel autoantigens in autoimmune diseases, its application in T2DM has lagged. In Pima Indians, the HLA haplotype (HLA-DRB1*02) is protective against T2DM and, when studied when they have normal glucose tolerance, subjects with this HLA haplotype have higher insulin secretion compared to those without the protective haplotype. Possible autoantibody biomarkers were identified using microarrays containing 9480 proteins in plasma from Pima Indians with T2DM without the protective haplotype (n = 7) compared with those with normal glucose regulation (NGR) with the protective haplotype (n = 11). A subsequent validation phase involving 45 cases and 45 controls, matched by age, sex and specimen storage time, evaluated 77 proteins. Eleven autoantigens had higher antibody signals among T2DM subjects with the lower insulin-secretion HLA background compared with NGR subjects with the higher insulin-secretion HLA background (p&lt;0.05, adjusted for multiple comparisons). PPARG2 and UBE2M had lowest p-values (adjusted p = 0.023) while PPARG2 and RGS17 had highest case-to-control antibody signal ratios (1.7). A multi-protein classifier involving the 11 autoantigens had sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.73, 0.80, and 0.83 (95% CI 0.74-0.91, p = 3.4x10-8), respectively. This study identified 11 novel autoantigens which were associated with T2DM and an HLA background associated with reduced insulin secretion. While further studies are needed to distinguish whether these antibodies are associated with insulin secretion via the HLA background, T2DM more broadly, or a combination of the two, this study may aid the search for autoantibody biomarkers by narrowing the list of protein targets

Campus Vol IX N 2

Tuttle, C. Cover. Picture. 1. Howard Studio. Miss Betsy Phelps . Picture. 2. Troelstrud. Untitled. Cartoon. 4. Anonymous. Campus Calender . Picture. 5. Aaybe, Nancy. By Any Other Name . Prose. 8. Sherman, Marj. Gone Today and Gone Tomorrow . Prose. 10. Martin, Lyn. Six Weeks Old . Prose. 11. Shaw, Ted. \u27Twas The Night Before Christmas . Cartoon. 12. Bogardus, Edna. On Human Pageants . Prose. 14. Swanson, Dru. Nineveh Disclaimed . Prose. 15. Dock. Untitled. Cartoon. 15.; Curry, Chuck. Varsity Basketball . Prose. 16. Shackelford, Duck. The Freshman Rushing Primer . Prose. 18. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Hodge, Beth. Denison\u27s Menaces . Cartoon. 20. Kull, Shaw. Untitled. Cartoon. 10. Kull, Shaw. Untitled. Cartoon. 21. Clifford, Bob. Christmas is For Everyone . Prose.23. Anonymous. Untitled. Cartoon. 23. Kull, Shaw. Untitled . Cartoon. 23

Association Analysis of Variation in/Near FTO, CDKAL1, SLC30A8, HHEX, EXT2, IGF2BP2, LOC387761, and CDKN2B With Type 2 Diabetes and Related Quantitative Traits in Pima Indians

OBJECTIVE—In recent genome-wide association studies, variants in CDKAL1, SLC30A8, HHEX, EXT2, IGF2BP2, CDKN2B, LOC387761, and FTO were associated with risk for type 2 diabetes in Caucasians. We investigated the association of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and some additional tag SNPs with type 2 diabetes and related quantitative traits in Pima Indians

A Genome-Wide Association Study Using a Custom Genotyping Array Identifies Variants in GPR158 Associated with Reduced Energy Expenditure in American Indians

Pima Indians living in Arizona have a high prevalence of obesity, and we have previously shown that a relatively lower energy expenditure (EE) predicts weight and fat mass gain in this population. EE is a familial trait (heritability = 0.52); therefore, in the current study, we aimed to identify genetic variants that affect EE and thereby influence BMI and body fatness in Pima Indians. Genotypic data from 491,265 variants were analyzed for association with resting metabolic rate (RMR) and 24-h EE assessed in a whole-room calorimeter in 507 and 419 Pima Indians, respectively. Variants associated with both measures of EE were analyzed for association with maximum BMI and percent body fat (PFAT) in 5,870 and 912 Pima Indians, respectively. rs11014566 nominally associated with both measures of EE and both measures of adiposity in Pima Indians, where the G allele (frequency: Pima Indians = 0.60, Europeans <0.01) associated with lower 24-h EE ( = -33 kcal/day per copy), lower RMR ( = -31 kcal/day), higher BMI ( = +0.6 kg/m(2)), and higher PFAT ( = +0.9%). However, the association of rs11014566 with BMI did not directionally replicate when assessed in other ethnic groups. rs11014566 tags rs144895904, which affected promoter function in an in vitro luciferase assay. These variants map to GPR158, which is highly expressed in the brain and interacts with two other genes (RGS7 and CACNA1B) known to affect obesity in knockout mice. Our results suggest that common ethnic-specific variation in GPR158 may influence EE; however, its role in weight gain remains controversial, as it either had no association with BMI or associated with BMI but in the opposite direction in other ethnic groups