Water Balance of a Small Lake in a Permafrost Region

The work upon which this report is based was supported in part by funds (Project A-031-ALAS) provided by the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under the Water Resources Act of 1964, as amended

Identification and Distribution of Minnesota Leucorrhinia Species (Odonata, Libellulidae)

Minnesota Leucorrhinia species are contrasted with one another through the use of male and female characters . Included in the key lo species are two species (frigida and glacialis) not previously reported from Minnesota. All North American species are discussed

Bibliography of Arctic Water Resources

In July, 1969, the Institute of Water Resources began a study of Alaska's Arctic water resources in response to the impending resource development of Arctic regions. The intent of the study was to provide a literature review of existing information, a model study of the water system in an Arctic region, and a limited field program. It became quite apparent early in the study that a great amount of literature pertaining to the Arctic water cycle was available and would need extensive organization to be useful. It also became apparent that if the literature were organized, the list would be useful to investigators other than ourselves. The result is this Bibliography of Arctic Water Resources.The research for this publication was performed under Annual Allotment Agreement No. 14-01-0001-3001, Project No. A-031-ALAS of the Office of Water Resources Research

Performance of a constructed wetland in Grand Marais, Manitoba, Canada : removal of nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and antibiotic resistance genes from municipal wastewater

Background The discharge of complex mixtures of nutrients, organic micropollutants, and antibiotic resistance genes from treated municipal wastewater into freshwater systems are global concerns for human health and aquatic organisms. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are genes that have the ability to impart resistance to antibiotics and reduce the efficacy of antibiotics in the systems in which they are found. In the rural community of Grand Marais, Manitoba, Canada, wastewater is treated passively in a sewage lagoon prior to passage through a treatment wetland and subsequent release into surface waters. Using this facility as a model system for the Canadian Prairies, the two aims of this study were to assess: (a) the presence of nutrients, micropollutants (i.e., pesticides, pharmaceuticals), and ARGs in lagoon outputs, and (b) their potential removal by the treatment wetland prior to release to surface waters in 2012. Results As expected, concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus species were greatest in the lagoon and declined with movement through the wetland treatment system. Pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals were detected at concentrations in the ng/L range. Concentrations of these compounds spiked downstream of the lagoon following discharge and attenuation was observed as the effluent migrated through the wetland system. Hazard quotients calculated for micropollutants of interest indicated minimal toxicological risk to aquatic biota, and results suggest that the wetland attenuated atrazine and carbamazepine significantly. There was no significant targeted removal of ARGs in the wetland and our data suggest that the bacterial population in this system may have genes imparting antibiotic resistance. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that while the treatment wetland may effectively attenuate excess nutrients and remove some micropollutants and bacteria, it does not specifically target ARGs for removal. Additional studies would be beneficial to determine whether upgrades to extend retention time or alter plant community structure within the wetland would optimize removal of micropollutants and ARGs to fully characterize the utility of these systems on the Canadian Prairies.

The Spatial Distribution of Dust and Stellar Emission of the Magellanic Clouds

We study the emission by dust and stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, a pair of low-metallicity nearby galaxies, as traced by their spatially resolved spectral energy distributions (SEDs). This project combines Herschel Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE far-infrared photometry with other data at infrared and optical wavelengths. We build maps of dust and stellar luminosity and mass of both Magellanic Clouds, and analyze the spatial distribution of dust/stellar luminosity and mass ratios. These ratios vary considerably throughout the galaxies, generally between the range $0.01\leq L_{\rm dust}/L_\ast\leq 0.6$ and $10^{-4}\leq M_{\rm dust}/M_\ast\leq 4\times10^{-3}$. We observe that the dust/stellar ratios depend on the interstellar medium (ISM) environment, such as the distance from currently or previously star-forming regions, and on the intensity of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). In addition, we construct star formation rate (SFR) maps, and find that the SFR is correlated with the dust/stellar luminosity and dust temperature in both galaxies, demonstrating the relation between star formation, dust emission and heating, though these correlations exhibit substantial scatter.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures; ApJ, in press; version published in the journal will have higher-resolution figure

3-D extent of the main ionospheric trough - a case study

The EISCAT radar system has been used for the first time in a four-beam meridional mode. The FAST satellite and ALIS imaging system is used in conjunction to support the radar data, which was used to identify a main ionospheric trough. With this large latitude coverage the trough was passed in 21/2hours period. Its 3-dimensional structure is investigated and discussed. It is found that the shape is curved along the auroral oval, and that the trough is wider closer to the midnight sector. The position of the trough coincide rather well with various statistical models and this trough is found to be a typical one

Parasympathetic Reactivity in Fibromyalgia and Temporomandibular Disorder: Associations With Sleep Problems, Symptom Severity, and Functional Impairment

Despite evidence of autonomic disturbances in chronic multi-symptom illnesses such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and fibromyalgia (FM), additional work is needed to characterize the role of parasympathetic reactivity in these disorders. Given the high levels of comorbidity with psychiatric disorders characterized by stronger parasympathetic reductions than controls in safe contexts (leading to higher arousal), it was hypothesized that individuals with TMD and FM would respond similarly. In this preliminary investigation, 43 women with TMD (n = 17), TMD + FM (n = 11), or neither (controls; n = 15) completed a baseline assessment of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; a measure of parasympathetic activity) followed by ongoing parasympathetic assessment during a questionnaire period. As predicted, patients showed greater parasympathetic decline in response to the questionnaire period, suggesting an autonomic stance that supports defensive rather than engagement behaviors. Individual differences in parasympathetic reduction during the questionnaire period were related to a variety of physical and psychosocial variables. Although this study has a number of key limitations, including a convenience sampling approach and the small group sizes, if replicated in larger samples, the findings would have important implications for the treatment of patients with these disorders

A point mutation in the murine Hem1 gene reveals an essential role for Hematopoietic Protein 1 in lymphopoiesis and innate immunity

Hem1 (Hematopoietic protein 1) is a hematopoietic cell-specific member of the Hem family of cytoplasmic adaptor proteins. Orthologues of Hem1 in Dictyostelium discoideum, Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans are essential for cytoskeletal reorganization, embryonic cell migration, and morphogenesis. However, the in vivo functions of mammalian Hem1 are not known. Using a chemical mutagenesis strategy in mice to identify novel genes involved in immune cell functions, we positionally cloned a nonsense mutation in the Hem1 gene. Hem1 deficiency results in defective F-actin polymerization and actin capping in lymphocytes and neutrophils caused by loss of the Rac-controlled actin-regulatory WAVE protein complex. T cell development is disrupted in Hem1-deficient mice at the CD4−CD8− (double negative) to CD4+CD8+ (double positive) cell stages, whereas T cell activation and adhesion are impaired. Hem1-deficient neutrophils fail to migrate in response to chemotactic agents and are deficient in their ability to phagocytose bacteria. Remarkably, some Rac-dependent functions, such as Th1 differentiation and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)–dependent transcription of proinflammatory cytokines proceed normally in Hem1-deficient mice, whereas the production of Th17 cells are enhanced. These results demonstrate that Hem1 is essential for hematopoietic cell development, function, and homeostasis by controlling a distinct pathway leading to cytoskeletal reorganization, whereas NF-κB–dependent transcription proceeds independently of Hem1 and F-actin polymerization