75 research outputs found
FINAL REPORT -- Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Program: Fish Community Monitoring and Habitat Assessment of Off-channel Mitigation Sites
The Missouri River has been developed for flood control, commercial navigation, irrigation, fish and wildlife conservation, municipal water supply, water quality control and hydropower production through a series of congressional acts. However, prior to development, the lower Missouri River was characterized by a highly sinuous to braided channel with abundant log jams, sand bars, secondary channels and cut-off channels. Construction of the Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project (BSNP) converted the lower Missouri River into a narrow, self scouring channel. The active channel downstream of Sioux City, Iowa was as wide as 1.8 km before river modification, but is now confined to a 91.4 m channel. Total river and floodplain habitat altered or destroyed by the BSNP is estimated at 211,246 hectares.
The Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Project (Mitigation Project) was established to restore fish and wildlife habitat lost by the construction, operation and maintenance of the BSNP. The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 authorized the United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE) to acquire and develop habitat on 12,100 hectares of non public lands and the development of 7,365 hectares of habitat on existing public lands to mitigate habitat losses. The Water Resources Development Act of 1999 authorized an additional 48,016 hectares to the program. The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the expanded Mitigation Project was issued in March of 2003, and it included a preferred alternative proposing the creation of additional shallow water habitat (defined as areas less than 1.5 m deep with a current velocity of less than 0.76 m/s). The preferred action in the FSEIS for the expanded Mitigation Project included creation of 2,833 to 8,094 hectares of shallow water habitat (SWH).
In 2005, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia Fisheries Resource Office (renamed to Columbia National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office) were contracted by the COE to monitor and evaluate fish communities of select off-channel aquatic habitat sites that were constructed through the Mitigation Project. Additionally, the NGPC was contracted to collect physical habitat information from the secondary channels that were selected for biological monitoring in the upper channelized section above Kansas City. Sixteen sites selected for monitoring covered a range of aquatic habitats including backwaters and secondary channels with varying levels of engineering and development. Sites from upstream to downstream included Tieville-Decatur Bend (two backwaters), Louisville Bend (backwater), Tyson Island (backwater), California Bend (chute on the Nebraska bank and a chute with connected backwater on the Iowa bank), Tobacco Island (chute), Upper and Lower Hamburg Bends (one chute each), Kansas Bend (two small chutes, treated as one), Deroin Bend (chute), Lisbon Bottom (natural chute), North Overton Bottoms (chute), Tadpole Island (chute) and Tate Island (chute). The study was designed to include three field sampling seasons, but due to delays implementing contracts in 2005 another complete year of sampling was added. Thus, fish community monitoring and habitat assessment of offchannel mitigation sites began in April, 2006 and concluded in October, 2008. The objective of this project was to determine biological performance and functionality of chutes and backwaters and to compare chutes and backwaters in an effort to identify designs most beneficial to native Missouri River fish species. Additionally, this project was designed to help determine if additional modifications are needed at existing mitigation sites, if existing designs are providing a range of habitats, if these habitats are of value to the biological diversity of the Missouri River and if these habitats are of specific value to species of concern or importance, such as pallid sturgeon
Sphingosine induces the aggregation of imine-containing peroxidized vesicles
AbstractLipid peroxidation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of many diseases like atherosclerosis and multiple sclerosis. We have analyzed the interaction of sphingosine with peroxidized bilayers in model membranes. Cu2+ induced peroxidation was checked following UV absorbance at 245nm, and also using the novel Avanti snoopers®. Mass spectrometry confirms the oxidation of phospholipid unsaturated chains. Our results show that sphingosine causes aggregation of Cu2+-peroxidized vesicles. We observed that aggregation is facilitated by the presence of negatively-charged phospholipids in the membrane, and inhibited by anti-oxidants e.g. BHT. Interestingly, long-chain alkylamines (C18, C16) but not their short-chain analogues (C10, C6, C1) can substitute sphingosine as promoters of vesicle aggregation. Furthermore, sphinganine but not sphingosine-1-phosphate can mimic this effect. Formation of imines in the membrane upon peroxidation was detected by 1H-NMR and it appeared to be necessary for the aggregation effect. 31P-NMR spectroscopy reveals that sphingosine facilitates formation of non-lamellar phase in parallel with vesicle aggregation. The data might suggest a role for sphingosine in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis
Changes in Running Kinematics and Kinetics Following a 10 km Run
# Background
Little is known about changes in kinetics or kinematics following a 10 km training run. This information has implications on risk of running-related injury.
# Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 10 km run on running kinematics and kinetics in a sample of experienced runners.
# Study Design
Cross-Sectional Study
# Subjects
Nineteen runners ages 18-48 (7 female, 12 male) consented to participate including eight (3 female, 5 male) ultra-runners, and 11 (4 female, 7 male) recreational runners.
# Methods
Following collection of demographic data and completion of a short running survey, participants did a 6-minute run at their self-selected running speed to acclimate to the instrumented treadmill. Reflective markers were placed over designated anatomical landmarks on both sides of the pelvis as well as the left lower extremity and marked with a skin pen. Subjects then ran on the treadmill and 30 seconds of video data were recorded at 240 frames/sec using a high-speed camera for the sagittal plane and the frontal plane. Simultaneously, ground reaction forces (GRFs) were recorded at 1200 Hz through the treadmill's embedded force plates. Each runner then ran 10 km on a paved trail at their self-selected pace. Immediately following the run, reflective markers were reattached, guided by markings placed before the run, and a 30-second post-run trial of the video and GRF data were recorded. Video data were analyzed using Kinovea software to measure the kinematic variables of interest. Paired t-tests with Bonferroni corrections were used to find if significant differences existed between pre- and post-run data for all kinematic and kinetic variables.
# Results
No significant or clinically relevant differences existed between the pre- and post-run measurements for the kinematic or kinetic variables. The only significant difference noted between the ultra-runners and recreational runners was that the ultra-runners had significantly higher cadence (p=0.045).
# Conclusions
A 10 km run at a self-selected pace did not result in change in the mean kinematic or kinetic variables in this group of experienced runners. Ultra-runners employ higher cadence than recreational runners, but their kinematics and kinetics are similar.
# Level of Evidence
Level
DRD4 Polymorphism Moderates the Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Social Bonding
Development of interpersonal relationships is a fundamental human motivation, and behaviors facilitating social bonding are prized. Some individuals experience enhanced reward from alcohol in social contexts and may be at heightened risk for developing and maintaining problematic drinking. We employed a 3 (group beverage condition) ×2 (genotype) design (N = 422) to test the moderating influence of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4 VNTR) polymorphism on the effects of alcohol on social bonding. A significant gene x environment interaction showed that carriers of at least one copy of the 7-repeat allele reported higher social bonding in the alcohol, relative to placebo or control conditions, whereas alcohol did not affect ratings of 7-absent allele carriers. Carriers of the 7-repeat allele were especially sensitive to alcohol's effects on social bonding. These data converge with other recent gene-environment interaction findings implicating the DRD4 polymorphism in the development of alcohol use disorders, and results suggest a specific pathway by which social factors may increase risk for problematic drinking among 7-repeat carriers. More generally, our findings highlight the potential utility of employing transdisciplinary methods that integrate genetic methodologies, social psychology, and addiction theory to improve theories of alcohol use and abuse
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the DR6 CMB Lensing Power Spectrum and its Implications for Structure Growth
We present new measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing over
sq. deg. of the sky. These lensing measurements are derived from the
Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) CMB dataset, which
consists of five seasons of ACT CMB temperature and polarization observations.
We determine the amplitude of the CMB lensing power spectrum at
precision ( significance) using a novel pipeline that minimizes
sensitivity to foregrounds and to noise properties. To ensure our results are
robust, we analyze an extensive set of null tests, consistency tests, and
systematic error estimates and employ a blinded analysis framework. The
baseline spectrum is well fit by a lensing amplitude of
relative to the Planck 2018 CMB power spectra
best-fit CDM model and relative to
the best-fit model. From our lensing power
spectrum measurement, we derive constraints on the parameter combination
of
from ACT DR6 CMB lensing alone and
when combining ACT DR6 and Planck NPIPE
CMB lensing power spectra. These results are in excellent agreement with
CDM model constraints from Planck or
CMB power spectrum measurements. Our lensing measurements from redshifts
-- are thus fully consistent with CDM structure growth
predictions based on CMB anisotropies probing primarily . We find no
evidence for a suppression of the amplitude of cosmic structure at low
redshiftsComment: 45+21 pages, 50 figures. Prepared for submission to ApJ. Also see
companion papers Madhavacheril et al and MacCrann et a
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: High-resolution component-separated maps across one-third of the sky
Observations of the millimeter sky contain valuable information on a number
of signals, including the blackbody cosmic microwave background (CMB), Galactic
emissions, and the Compton- distortion due to the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich
(tSZ) effect. Extracting new insight into cosmological and astrophysical
questions often requires combining multi-wavelength observations to spectrally
isolate one component. In this work, we present a new arcminute-resolution
Compton- map, which traces out the line-of-sight-integrated electron
pressure, as well as maps of the CMB in intensity and E-mode polarization,
across a third of the sky (around 13,000 sq.~deg.). We produce these through a
joint analysis of data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release
4 and 6 at frequencies of roughly 93, 148, and 225 GHz, together with data from
the \textit{Planck} satellite at frequencies between 30 GHz and 545 GHz. We
present detailed verification of an internal linear combination pipeline
implemented in a needlet frame that allows us to efficiently suppress Galactic
contamination and account for spatial variations in the ACT instrument noise.
These maps provide a significant advance, in noise levels and resolution, over
the existing \textit{Planck} component-separated maps and will enable a host of
science goals including studies of cluster and galaxy astrophysics, inferences
of the cosmic velocity field, primordial non-Gaussianity searches, and
gravitational lensing reconstruction of the CMB.Comment: The Compton-y map and associated products will be made publicly
available upon publication of the paper. The CMB T and E mode maps will be
made available when the DR6 maps are made publi
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 Gravitational Lensing Map and Cosmological Parameters
We present cosmological constraints from a gravitational lensing mass map
covering 9400 sq. deg. reconstructed from CMB measurements made by the Atacama
Cosmology Telescope (ACT) from 2017 to 2021. In combination with BAO
measurements (from SDSS and 6dF), we obtain the amplitude of matter
fluctuations at 1.8% precision,
and the Hubble
constant at
1.6% precision. A joint constraint with CMB lensing measured by the Planck
satellite yields even more precise values: ,
and . These measurements agree
well with CDM-model extrapolations from the CMB anisotropies measured
by Planck. To compare these constraints to those from the KiDS, DES, and HSC
galaxy surveys, we revisit those data sets with a uniform set of assumptions,
and find from all three surveys are lower than that from ACT+Planck
lensing by varying levels ranging from 1.7-2.1. These results motivate
further measurements and comparison, not just between the CMB anisotropies and
galaxy lensing, but also between CMB lensing probing on
mostly-linear scales and galaxy lensing at on smaller scales. We
combine our CMB lensing measurements with CMB anisotropies to constrain
extensions of CDM, limiting the sum of the neutrino masses to eV (95% c.l.), for example. Our results provide independent
confirmation that the universe is spatially flat, conforms with general
relativity, and is described remarkably well by the CDM model, while
paving a promising path for neutrino physics with gravitational lensing from
upcoming ground-based CMB surveys.Comment: 30 pages, 16 figures, prepared for submission to ApJ. Cosmological
likelihood data is here:
https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/act/actadv_prod_table.html ; likelihood
software is here: https://github.com/ACTCollaboration/act_dr6_lenslike . Also
see companion papers Qu et al and MacCrann et al. Mass maps will be released
when papers are publishe
CMB-S4: Forecasting Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves
CMB-S4---the next-generation ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB)
experiment---is set to significantly advance the sensitivity of CMB
measurements and enhance our understanding of the origin and evolution of the
Universe, from the highest energies at the dawn of time through the growth of
structure to the present day. Among the science cases pursued with CMB-S4, the
quest for detecting primordial gravitational waves is a central driver of the
experimental design. This work details the development of a forecasting
framework that includes a power-spectrum-based semi-analytic projection tool,
targeted explicitly towards optimizing constraints on the tensor-to-scalar
ratio, , in the presence of Galactic foregrounds and gravitational lensing
of the CMB. This framework is unique in its direct use of information from the
achieved performance of current Stage 2--3 CMB experiments to robustly forecast
the science reach of upcoming CMB-polarization endeavors. The methodology
allows for rapid iteration over experimental configurations and offers a
flexible way to optimize the design of future experiments given a desired
scientific goal. To form a closed-loop process, we couple this semi-analytic
tool with map-based validation studies, which allow for the injection of
additional complexity and verification of our forecasts with several
independent analysis methods. We document multiple rounds of forecasts for
CMB-S4 using this process and the resulting establishment of the current
reference design of the primordial gravitational-wave component of the Stage-4
experiment, optimized to achieve our science goals of detecting primordial
gravitational waves for at greater than , or, in the
absence of a detection, of reaching an upper limit of at CL.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, 9 tables, submitted to ApJ. arXiv admin note:
text overlap with arXiv:1907.0447
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A measurement of the DR6 CMB lensing power spectrum and its implications for structure growth
We present new measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing over 9400 deg2 of the sky. These lensing measurements are derived from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) CMB data set, which consists of five seasons of ACT CMB temperature and polarization observations. We determine the amplitude of the CMB lensing power spectrum at 2.3% precision (43σ significance) using a novel pipeline that minimizes sensitivity to foregrounds and to noise properties. To ensure that our results are robust, we analyze an extensive set of null tests, consistency tests, and systematic error estimates and employ a blinded analysis framework. Our CMB lensing power spectrum measurement provides constraints on the amplitude of cosmic structure that do not depend on Planck or galaxy survey data, thus giving independent information about large-scale structure growth and potential tensions in structure measurements. The baseline spectrum is well fit by a lensing amplitude of A lens = 1.013 ± 0.023 relative to the Planck 2018 CMB power spectra best-fit ΛCDM model and A lens = 1.005 ± 0.023 relative to the ACT DR4 + WMAP best-fit model. From our lensing power spectrum measurement, we derive constraints on the parameter combination S8CMBL≡σ8Ωm/0.30.25 of S8CMBL=0.818±0.022 from ACT DR6 CMB lensing alone and S8CMBL=0.813±0.018 when combining ACT DR6 and Planck NPIPE CMB lensing power spectra. These results are in excellent agreement with ΛCDM model constraints from Planck or ACT DR4 + WMAP CMB power spectrum measurements. Our lensing measurements from redshifts z ∼ 0.5–5 are thus fully consistent with ΛCDM structure growth predictions based on CMB anisotropies probing primarily z ∼ 1100. We find no evidence for a suppression of the amplitude of cosmic structure at low redshifts
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