Metallothionein and bioaccumulation of cadmium in juvenile bluegills exposed to aqueous and sediment-associated cadmium

I evaluated metallothionein (MT), free (unbound) hepatic cadmium and whole body cadmium as indicators of cadmium exposure in juvenile bluegills Lepomis macrochirus in laboratory tests. Two types of cadmium exposure were tested; aqueous and sediment-associated. In the aqueous tests, fish were exposed to cadmium (0.0 to 32.3 [mu]g/L) in an intermittent-flow diluter. The experimental design for the aqueous exposure was completely randomized and included two replicates in each of eight treatments (seven cadmium exposures and one water control). In the sediment-associated cadmium test, fish were exposed to resuspended river sediment containing 1.3 to 21.4 [mu]g Cd/g (dry weight) at a nominal total suspended solids concentration of 1000 mg/L in revolving, circular glass exposure chambers. The experimental design for the sediment exposure was a randomized block and included three replicates in each of six treatments (five sediment exposures and one sediment-free control). In both the aqueous and sediment bioassays, 25 juvenile bluegills per replicate were exposed for 28-d. Total cadmium concentrations were measured in various bluegill liver fractions, whole bluegill, water, and resuspended sediment to assess the partitioning and bioaccumulation of cadmium after the tests. Mean concentrations of MT and free cadmium in bluegill livers and concentrations of cadmium in whole bluegills were positively correlated with aqueous cadmium concentration and were equally suitable as indicators of aqueous cadmium exposure. Sediment-associated cadmium was biologically available, but to a lesser extent than aqueous cadmium. Cadmium concentrations in whole bluegills exposed to resuspended river sediment were 1.5- to 3.5-fold the concentrations in bluegills in sediment-free controls. Free cadmium and MT concentrations in bluegill liver and whole-body cadmium concentrations in bluegills were positively correlated with the cadmium concentrations in filtered water, resuspended sediment, and bulk river sediment; however, whole-body cadmium concentrations were a more sensitive indicator of exposure to sediment-associated cadmium than either free cadmium or MT concentrations in liver

Economic Trends and Forecasts for Nevada

With the exception of some difficulties following the events of September 11, 2001 , the economy of the state of Nevada has been doing very well since the mid-1980’s. Employment has increased dramatically, outpacing job growth anywhere else in the country. This has drawn workers to Nevada, leading to record in-migration, especially recently. With robust growth in both employment and population, spending as measured by GSP is healthy. The economic forecast for Nevada predicts continued positive growth in the short run, after which growth will decline to a more normal rate

Using productivity and susceptibility indices to assess the vulnerability of United States fish stocks to overfishing

Assessing the vulnerability of stocks to fishing practices in U.S. federal waters was recently highlighted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as an important factor to consider when 1) identifying stocks that should be managed and protected under a fishery management plan; 2) grouping data-poor stocks into relevant management complexes; and 3) developing precautionary harvest control rules. To assist the regional fishery management councils in determining vulnerability, NMFS elected to use a modified version of a productivity and susceptibility analysis (PSA) because it can be based on qualitative data, has a history of use in other fisheries, and is recommended by several organizations as a reasonable approach for evaluating risk. A number of productivity and susceptibility attributes for a stock are used in a PSA and from these attributes, index scores and measures of uncertainty are computed and graphically displayed. To demonstrate the utility of the resulting vulnerability evaluation, we evaluated six U.S. fisheries targeting 162 stocks that exhibited varying degrees of productivity and susceptibility, and for which data quality varied. Overall, the PSA was capable of differentiating the vulnerability of stocks along the gradient of susceptibility and productivity indices, although fixed thresholds separating low-, moderate-, and highly vulnerable species were not observed. The PSA can be used as a flexible tool that can incorporate regional-specific information on fishery and management activity

Neural activation differences in amputees during imitation of intact versus amputee movements

The mirror neuron system (MNS) has been attributed with increased activation in motor-related cortical areas upon viewing of another's actions. Recent work suggests that limb movements that are similar and dissimilar in appearance to that of the viewer equivalently activate the MNS. It is unclear if this result can be observed in the action encoding areas in amputees who use prosthetic devices. Intact subjects and upper extremity amputee prosthesis users were recruited to view video demonstrations of tools being used by an intact actor and a prosthetic device user. All subjects pantomimed the movements seen in the video while recording electroencephalography (EEG). Intact subjects showed equivalent left parietofrontal activity during imitation planning after watching the intact or prosthetic arm. Likewise, when prosthesis users imitated prosthesis demonstrations, typical left parietofrontal activation was observed. When prosthesis users imitated intact actors, an additional pattern was revealed which showed greater activity in right parietal and occipital regions that are associated with the mentalizing system. This change may be required for prosthesis users to plan imitation movements in which the limb states between the observed and the observer do not match. The finding that prosthesis users imitating other prosthesis users showed typical left parietofrontal activation suggests that these subjects engage normal planning related activity when they are able to imitate a limb matching their own. This result has significant implications on rehabilitation, as standard therapy involves training with an intact occupational therapist, which could necessitate atypical planning mechanisms in amputees when learning to use their prosthesis

GABAB receptors regulate extrasynaptic GABAA receptors

Tonic inhibitory GABAA receptor-mediated currents are observed in numerous cell types in the CNS, including thalamocortical neurons of the ventrobasal thalamus, dentate gyrus granule cells, and cerebellar granule cells. Here we show that in rat brain slices, activation of postsynaptic GABAB receptors enhances the magnitude of the tonic GABAA current recorded in these cell types via a pathway involving Gi/o G proteins, adenylate cyclase, and cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Using a combination of pharmacology and knockout mice, we show that this pathway is independent of potassium channels or GABA transporters. Furthermore, the enhancement in tonic current is sufficient to significantly alter the excitability of thalamocortical neurons. These results demonstrate for the first time a postsynaptic crosstalk between GABAB and GABAA receptors.peer-reviewe

The Grizzly, February 25, 2016

Students, Faculty Talk About Changes to CIE • Community Celebrates Life of Michelle Buck • Community Comes Together During Norovirus Outbreak • Learning More About Housing • International Perspective: Differences Within the Classroom and Without • Double Trouble • The Woman Behind the Screen • Opinion: Advice on Studying Abroad • Men\u27s Lacrosse Looks to Ride Dominant Defense to Another Record-Breaking Year • Porada and Polimeni Partner Together to Join 1,000 Point Club • Women\u27s Swimming Three-peatshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1684/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, December 10, 2015

Museum Studies Minor Coming in Spring 2016 • Students Demand Diversity • BEAR Pitch Competition Crowns Winners • International Perspective: Differences in Cultural Cleaning Routines • Flapjacks for Finals • Artists\u27 Tribute to Chadwick • Bringing Safety to the Students • Opinions: Protests Prompt Hate on Yik Yak; Why Syrian Refugees Don\u27t Pose a Threat • Outrunning the Competition • Men\u27s Basketball Set to Take on Division I Pennhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1679/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, October 1, 2015

Safety First: New Campus Safety Officer Looks to Connect with Students • Artist Transforms Ursinus Faces into Famous Painting • Design Philly Festival Kicks Off with Pop-up Exhibition • Politics Professor Looks to Expand Research on Africa • U-Imagine Center Promotes Entrepreneurship • UC Students Get Down to the Heart of the Matter • Putting Passion into Practice • Opinions: Is Fun Home Appropriate for CIE?; The Cleaning Staff Should Not be Ignored • In the Swing of Things • Men\u27s and Women\u27s Rugby Teams Prepare for Seasonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1672/thumbnail.jp