Assessing societal vulnerability of U.S. Pacific Northwest communities to storm induced coastal change

Progressive increases in storm intensities and extreme wave heights have been documented along the U.S. West Coast. Paired with global sea level rise and the potential for an increase in El Niño occurrences, these trends have substantial implications for the vulnerability of coastal communities to natural coastal hazards. Community vulnerability to hazards is characterized by the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of human-environmental systems that influence potential impacts. To demonstrate how societal vulnerability to coastal hazards varies with both physical and social factors, we compared community exposure and sensitivity to storm-induced coastal change scenarios in Tillamook (Oregon) and Pacific (Washington) Counties. While both are backed by low-lying coastal dunes, communities in these two counties have experienced different shoreline change histories and have chosen to use the adjacent land in different ways. Therefore, community vulnerability varies significantly between the two counties. Identifying the reasons for this variability can help land-use managers make decisions to increase community resilience and reduce vulnerability in spite of a changing climate. (PDF contains 4 pages

The promoter of the human interleukin-2 gene contains two octamer-binding sites and is partially activated by the expression of Oct-2

The gene encoding interleukin-2 (IL-2) contains a sequence 52 to 326 nucleotides upstream of its transcriptional initiation site that promotes transcription in T cells that have been activated by costimulation with tetradecanoyl phorbol myristyl acetate (TPA) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). We found that the ubiquitous transcription factor, Oct-1, bound to two previously identified motifs within the human IL-2 enhancer, centered at nucleotides -74 and -251. Each site in the IL-2 enhancer that bound Oct-1 in vitro was also required to achieve a maximal transcriptional response to TPA plus PHA in vivo. Point mutations within either the proximal or distal octamer sequences reduced the response of the enhancer to activation by 54 and 34%, respectively. Because the murine T-cell line EL4 constitutively expresses Oct-2 and requires only TPA to induce transcription of the IL-2 gene, the effect of Oct-2 expression on activation of the IL-2 promoter in Jurkat T cells was determined. Expression of Oct-2 potentiated transcription 13-fold in response to TPA plus PHA and permitted the enhancer to respond to the single stimulus of TPA. Therefore, both the signal requirements and the magnitude of the transcription response of the IL-2 promoter can be modulated by Oct-2

Expression and regulation of newt simple epithelial keratins in the regenerating limb blastema

The regenerating newt limb blastema expresses a number of molecular markers which are not expressed in the developing limb. Two antibodies which stain most if not all of the mesenchymal cells of the blastema are LPIK and RGE53. In other species these identify keratin 8 and keratin 18, which are usually restricted to simple epithelia. The newt homologues of these keratins, NvK8/18 (Notophthalmus viridescens keratin 8/18) have been cloned. It is shown that whilst NvK8/18 are down-regulated by retinoic acid in the liver, this regulation is not seen in the blastema. However, in cultured limb cells obtained from normal limb muscle (TH4B), RA clearly down-regulates NvK8/K18, there is a decrease in their proliferation and differentiation into myotubes takes place. In contrast NvK8/18 are not directly regulated by RA in cultured blastemal cells (BlHl). In addition retinoic acid neither has a direct effect on the proliferation or differentiation of the BlHl cells. Myogenesis of the BlHl does occur at high cell density. Therefore it is proposed that there are at least two mechanisms of forming muscle in the newt, one is used for repair myogenesis the other for regeneration of muscle. It is further shown that NvK8/18 are only expressed in the regenerating limb when the nerve has entered the limb bud. The nerve does not control NvK8/18 expression, it appears to define a developmental stage whereby the blastemal cells have to express NvK8/18 if regeneration is to proceed. The link between NvK8/18 expression and proliferation appears to be direct. Antisense oligomers targeted against NvK8/18 expressed in either limb or blastemal cells causes a decrease in their proliferation and differentiation is observed. Therefore, it is suggested that one of the first steps in blastemal cell differentiation is the down- regulation of NvK8/18. A model is proposed how NvK8/18 could regulate transcription

How does our natural and built environment affect the use of bicycle sharing?

Public bicycle-sharing programs (PBSP) are short-term bicycle hire systems. In recent years their popularity has soared. This study examined Brisbane’s CityCycle scheme, the largest PBSP in Australia, and investigated the role of (natural and built) environmental features on usage. The study addressed four research questions: (1) What are dynamics of PBSP use in terms of travel time, speed, and distance? (2) What is the relationship between PBSP participation and cycling infrastructure? (3) How does land-use affect PBSP usage? (4) How does topography affect PBSP usage? To answer these four questions, the authors analysed large existing datasets on CityCycle usage, land-use, topography, and cycling infrastructure, which were each obtained through multiple sources. Correlation and regression analysis were employed to establish significant relationships amongst variables. It was found that: most users take short trips within the free initial period provided under the CityCycle scheme and do not incur any charges other than for membership; PBSP use is strongly correlated with the length of off-road bikeways near each CityCycle station; CityCycle is more frequently used on weekends and for recreational purposes; loop journeys, which are also associated with leisure trips, are popular in Brisbane, especially on weekends; leisure trips are taken at a relatively slower pace than utilitarian trips; during weekdays, a trimodal peak is clearly evident, with PBSP commute trips in the morning and evening peaks and a smaller but significant peak around lunchtime; and users avoid returning CityCycle bicycles to stations located on hilltops. These findings can collectively enhance both the siting and design of PBSP, thereby optimizing investments in sustainable mobility

America\u27s Choice Comprehensive School Reform Design: First-Year Implementation Evaluation Summary

In the fall of 1998, the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) contracted with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) to conduct the evaluation of the America’s Choice School Design. This is a summary of CPRE’s first report of a three-year evaluation of the design. The evaluation of America’s Choice seeks to answer four basic questions: Are schools successfully implementing the America’s Choice program design? What environmental characteristics are facilitating or impeding implementation? How effective is America Choice’s implementation strategy? And what are the impacts of the program on teachers and students? As America’s Choice is still in the early stages of implementation, most evaluation efforts are directed toward the questions about the implementation of the program and the conditions surrounding its implementation. In subsequent years, CPRE increasingly will emphasize its evaluation of the impacts of the program on students. This report describes the first year of the implementation of America’s Choice. Following this introduction, section two provides a description of America’s Choice and the theory behind the America’s Choice school design. Section two concludes with a set of reasonable expectations for the progress of America’s Choice in its first year. Section three describes CPRE’s findings concerning the implementation of America’s Choice, including many of the specific design components. Section four analyzes the role of the school district in the implementation of America’s Choice. The report concludes with a summary of the findings of the first year’s evaluation