Attributing Accelerated Increases in Salinity in the Mediterranean Coastal Zone to Climate Change and Seawater Desalination Brine and the Resultant Unsustainability of Modern Desalination Technology

Anthropogenic climate change influences our oceans on a global scale and has brought about increased salinity levels in large areas of our oceans such as the North Atlantic (Dunbar 2009). Concentrations of large scale desalination plants around small bodies of water add to this pattern and have shown even larger increases in salinity due to desalination brine discharge (Purnama et al., 2005). Salinity profile data over time should show similar increases in salinity in the Mediterranean Sea due to climate change and localized data should show increased salinity due to brine discharge. This study aims to pinpoint the extent of this increase in salinity from desalination brine and to determine if these changes are detectable on a large scale over a long period of time in an increasing pattern throughout the basin. This pattern should then display that the increase of salinity in the basin is accelerating due to brine discharge and tipping the already natural salinity cycle of the Mediterranean Sea. Based on the acceleration of this change and future planned desalination plants, it can be determined if the salinity increase is at a sustainable level. Desalination brine by itself is very unlikely to have much impact on such a large body of water as the Mediterranean Sea, however, detecting a slight change from brine discharge and then combining this change with already increasing salinities due to anthropogenic climate change could give us a glimpse into a future with larger scale desalination processes and the vital need to utilize sustainable technology as opposed to the environmentally detrimental present day technology. If even a slight change in overall salinity is detected, this data could be used to interpolate future salinity levels with increased desalination plant development in the future. Increased salinity levels in areas of close proximity to brine discharge are easily detectable with the right equipment and would directly correlate desalination technology with unsustainable increases in salinity. The challenge remains to detect changes on a larger scale. All types of modern technology should strive to be net-zero emission and net-zero impact on the environment. Desalination technology is no exception. The results of this study can be used to prove that modern desalination technology is unsustainable and harmful to the environment. Rather than eliminating the process, the only viable solution is to improve and upgrade the technology to have no negative impact on the environment

Developing New Methods to Quantify Stress in Wildlife Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Stress levels in wildlife species are an accurate indicator of an animal’s well-being and can reflect decreases in habitat quality. Stress levels can be measured by the presence of the stress response hormones cortisol, cortisone, and corticosterone. Analysis of these stress hormones in fecal samples has been widely used because feces can be easily obtained and non-invasively collected in the field. Methods of detecting stress levels from fecal samples of wildlife species are currently limited to enzyme immunoassay testing. This method uses antibodies to bind to target stress hormones. However, immunoassay testing can be time consuming and very expensive2. We propose that Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) offers a new method to quantify levels of the stress hormones from fecal samples that is less expensive and time consuming than traditional immunoassays1. As part of the Idaho Science Talent Expansion Program (STEP), we are developing a simple, accurate, and relatively inexpensive method to detect stress hormones in fecal samples from free-ranging pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) and sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) using LC-MS/MS

Sustainable Desalination - A Multipurpose Facility Developed to Alleviate Water Crises Suffered by Small Island Nations Due to Global Climate Change

As the effects of global warming become more prevalent, small island nations around the world are on the frontline of not only rising seas, but an even more immediate threat of drought brought on by climate change. Even during the most severe drought, these small landmasses are surrounded by an endless supply of saltwater that can be converted into potable water. Desalination by reverse osmosis, an increasingly popular technology around the globe, is notoriously expensive, energy intensive, and emits large amounts of pollution depending on the energy source utilized. This research project inspects the feasibility and capabilities of a small-scale sustainable reverse osmosis desalination plant powered by waste heat from wastewater treatment and various forms of renewable energy. While various energy sources have been utilized and are being developed to power desalination, this project suggests an integrated approach, combining multiple sources of energy to meet the high energy demands of desalination. Depending on the geography of the region in question, wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal energy can be harnessed in any combination as well as the waste heat produced by wastewater treatment. Integrating these facilities and energy sources will maximize efficiency, cut costs, and ultimately provide a sustainable source of freshwater for those in need

Efficacy of a Workbook to Promote Forgiveness: A Randomized Controlled Trial with University Students

Objective The present study investigated the efficacy of a 6-hour self-directed workbook adapted from the REACH Forgiveness intervention. Method Undergraduates (N = 41) were randomly assigned to either an immediate treatment or waitlist control condition. Participants were assessed across 3 time periods using a variety of forgiveness outcome measures. Results The 6-hour workbook intervention increased forgiveness, as indicated by positive changes in participants’ forgiveness ratings that differed by condition. In addition, benchmarking analysis showed that the self-directed workbook intervention is at least as efficacious as the delivery of the REACH Forgiveness model via group therapy. Conclusion A self-directed workbook intervention adapted from the REACH Forgiveness intervention provides an adjunct to traditional psychotherapy that could assist the mental health community to manage the burden of unforgiveness among victims of interpersonal harm

Nitric Oxide-Releasing Nanoparticles Prevent Propionibacterium acnes-Induced Inflammation by Both Clearing the Organism and Inhibiting Microbial Stimulation of the Innate Immune Response.

Propionibacterium acnes induction of IL-1 cytokines through the NLRP3 (NLR, nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor) inflammasome was recently highlighted as a dominant etiological factor for acne vulgaris. Therefore, therapeutics targeting both the stimulus and the cascade would be ideal. Nitric oxide (NO), a potent biological messenger, has documented broad-spectrum antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. To harness these characteristics to target acne, we used an established nanotechnology capable of generating/releasing NO over time (NO-np). P. acnes was found to be highly sensitive to all concentrations of NO-np tested, although human keratinocyte, monocyte, and embryonic zebra fish assays revealed no cytotoxicity. NO-np significantly suppressed IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-8, and IL-6 from human monocytes, and IL-8 and IL-6 from human keratinocytes, respectively. Importantly, silencing of NLRP3 expression by small interfering RNA did not limit NO-np inhibition of IL-1 β secretion from monocytes, and neither TNF-α nor IL-6 secretion, nor inhibition by NO-np was found to be dependent on this pathway. The observed mechanism by which NO-np impacts IL-1β secretion was through inhibition of caspase-1 and IL-1β gene expression. Together, these data suggest that NO-np can effectively prevent P. acnes-induced inflammation by both clearing the organism and inhibiting microbial stimulation of the innate immune response

Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a global warming event of 5–6 °C around 56 million years ago caused by input of carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. Hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases produced in contact aureoles surrounding magmatic intrusions in the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been proposed to play a key role in the PETM carbon-cycle perturbation, but the precise timing, magnitude and climatic impact of such venting remains uncertain. Here we present seismic data and the results of a five-borehole transect sampling the crater of a hydrothermal vent complex in the Northeast Atlantic. Stable carbon isotope stratigraphy and dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy reveal a negative carbon isotope excursion coincident with the appearance of the index taxon Apectodinium augustum in the vent crater, firmly tying the infill to the PETM. The shape of the crater and stratified sediments suggests large-scale explosive gas release during the initial phase of vent formation followed by rapid, but largely undisturbed, diatomite-rich infill. Moreover, we show that these vents erupted in very shallow water across the North Atlantic Igneous Province, such that volatile emissions would have entered the atmosphere almost directly without oxidation to CO2 and at the onset of the PETM