Congress, the Courts, and the Army Corps: Siting the First Offshore Wind Farm in the United States

Once considered an issue only for environmentalists, renewable energy has entered the mainstream dialogue as fears of climate change, acid rain, and dependence on foreign sources of fuel become more prevalent. There is now broad support for adding renewable energy, including wind power, into our nation’s fuel mix. Technological advances have allowed wind power to compete with traditional fossil fuels and lessen other potentially harmful impacts. Land-based wind power is widespread globally, and offshore wind facilities have been operating in Europe for over a decade. While there are currently several proposals for large-scale offshore wind farms in the United States, no such facilities have been sited to date. An intense legal controversy has emerged, stemming from a proposal to site a wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. The outcome of this dispute will have important consequences for future proposals for offshore wind farms

The Monotonic Lagrangian Grid for Rapid Air-Traffic Evaluation

The Air Traffic Monotonic Lagrangian Grid (ATMLG) is presented as a tool to evaluate new air traffic system concepts. The model, based on an algorithm called the Monotonic Lagrangian Grid (MLG), can quickly sort, track, and update positions of many aircraft, both on the ground (at airports) and in the air. The underlying data structure is based on the MLG, which is used for sorting and ordering positions and other data needed to describe N moving bodies and their interactions. Aircraft that are close to each other in physical space are always near neighbors in the MLG data arrays, resulting in a fast nearest-neighbor interaction algorithm that scales as N. Recent upgrades to ATMLG include adding blank place-holders within the MLG data structure, which makes it possible to dynamically change the MLG size and also improves the quality of the MLG grid. Additional upgrades include adding FAA flight plan data, such as way-points and arrival and departure times from the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), and combining the MLG with the state-of-the-art strategic and tactical conflict detection and resolution algorithms from the NASA-developed Stratway software. In this paper, we present results from our early efforts to couple ATMLG with the Stratway software, and we demonstrate that it can be used to quickly simulate air traffic flow for a very large ETMS dataset

Evaluation of the Monotonic Lagrangian Grid and Lat-Long Grid for Air Traffic Management

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90739/1/AIAA-2011-6887-331.pd

First successful case of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer with venom immunotherapy for hymenoptera sting allergy

BACKGROUND: To describe immune and endocrine responses in severe hymenoptera hypersensitivity requiring venom immunotherapy (VIT) during in vitro fertilization (IVF). CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year old patient was referred for history of multiple miscarriage and a history of insect sting allergy. Four years earlier, she began subcutaneous injection of 100 mcg mixed vespid hymenoptera venom/venom protein every 5–6 weeks. The patient had one livebirth and three first trimester miscarriages. Allergy treatment was maintained for all pregnancies ending in miscarriage, although allergy therapy was discontinued for the pregnancy that resulted in delivery. At our institution ovulation induction incorporated venom immunotherapy (VIT) during IVF, with a reduced VIT dose when pregnancy was first identified. Serum IgE was monitored with estradiol during ovulation induction and early pregnancy. Response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation was favorable while VIT was continued, with retrieval of 12 oocytes. Serum RAST (yellow jacket) IgE levels fluctuated in a nonlinear fashion (range 36–54%) during gonadotropin therapy and declined after hCG administration. A healthy female infant was delivered at 35 weeks gestation. The patient experienced no untoward effects from any medications during therapy. CONCLUSION: Our case confirms the safety of VIT in pregnancy, and demonstrates RAST IgE can remain <60% during IVF. With proper monitoring, VIT during IVF can be safe and appropriate for selected patients and does not appear to adversely affect blastocyst implantation, early embryo development or perinatal outcome. Further studies will be needed to develop VIT guidelines specifically applicable to IVF

Induction of ebolavirus cross-species immunity using retrovirus-like particles bearing the Ebola virus glycoprotein lacking the mucin-like domain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The genus <it>Ebolavirus </it>includes five distinct viruses. Four of these viruses cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. Currently there are no licensed vaccines for any of them; however, several vaccines are under development. Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein (GP_1,2) is highly immunogenic, but antibodies frequently arise against its least conserved mucin-like domain (MLD). We hypothesized that immunization with MLD-deleted GP_1,2(GPΔMLD) would induce cross-species immunity by making more conserved regions accessible to the immune system.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To test this hypothesis, mice were immunized with retrovirus-like particles (retroVLPs) bearing Ebola virus GPΔMLD, DNA plasmids (plasmo-retroVLP) that can produce such retroVLPs <it>in vivo</it>, or plasmo-retroVLP followed by retroVLPs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cross-species neutralizing antibody and GP_1,2-specific cellular immune responses were successfully induced.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings suggest that GPΔMLD presented through retroVLPs may provide a strategy for development of a vaccine against multiple ebolaviruses. Similar vaccination strategies may be adopted for other viruses whose envelope proteins contain highly variable regions that may mask more conserved domains from the immune system.</p

An Ethnographic Study of Students' Views of Group Work

Poster with the results of a collaborative ethnographic study of students' views of group work. The study was conducted within the framework of the anthropology course 810.21: Research Design and Ethnographic Methods (Spring 2011) taught by Dr. Mark Moritz

Variation of organic matter quantity and quality in streams at Critical Zone Observatory watersheds

The quantity and chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influence ecosystem processes and anthropogenic use of freshwater. However, despite the importance of understanding spatial and temporal patterns in DOM, measures of DOM quality are not routinely included as part of large-scale ecosystem monitoring programs and variations in analytical procedures can introduce artifacts. In this study, we used consistent sampling and analytical methods to meet the objective of defining variability in DOM quantity and quality and other measures of water quality in streamflow issuing from small forested watersheds located within five Critical Zone Observatory sites representing contrasting environmental conditions. Results show distinct separations among sites as a function of water quality constituents. Relationships among rates of atmospheric deposition, water quality conditions, and stream DOM quantity and quality are consistent with the notion that areas with relatively high rates of atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition and high concentrations of divalent cations result in selective transport of DOM derived from microbial sources, including in-stream microbial phototrophs. We suggest that the critical zone as a whole strongly influences the origin, composition, and fate of DOM in streams. This study highlights the value of consistent DOM characterization methods included as part of long-term monitoring programs for improving our understanding of interactions among ecosystem processes as controls on DOM biogeochemistry