Evolutionary Dynamics of the Ty3/Gypsy LTR Retrotransposons in the Genome of Anopheles gambiae

Ty3/gypsy elements represent one of the most abundant and diverse LTR-retrotransposon (LTRr) groups in the Anopheles gambiae genome, but their evolutionary dynamics have not been explored in detail. Here, we conduct an in silico analysis of the distribution and abundance of the full complement of 1045 copies in the updated AgamP3 assembly. Chromosomal distribution of Ty3/gypsy elements is inversely related to arm length, with densities being greatest on the X, and greater on the short versus long arms of both autosomes. Taking into account the different heterochromatic and euchromatic compartments of the genome, our data suggest that the relative abundance of Ty3/gypsy LTRrs along each chromosome arm is determined mainly by the different proportions of heterochromatin, particularly pericentric heterochromatin, relative to total arm length. Additionally, the breakpoint regions of chromosomal inversion 2La appears to be a haven for LTRrs. These elements are underrepresented more than 7-fold in euchromatin, where 33% of the Ty3/gypsy copies are associated with genes. The euchromatin on chromosome 3R shows a faster turnover rate of Ty3/gypsy elements, characterized by a deficit of proviral sequences and the lowest average sequence divergence of any autosomal region analyzed in this study. This probably reflects a principal role of purifying selection against insertion for the preservation of longer conserved syntenyc blocks with adaptive importance located in 3R. Although some Ty3/gypsy LTRrs show evidence of recent activity, an important fraction are inactive remnants of relatively ancient insertions apparently subject to genetic drift. Consistent with these computational predictions, an analysis of the occupancy rate of putatively older insertions in natural populations suggested that the degenerate copies have been fixed across the species range in this mosquito, and also are shared with the sibling species Anopheles arabiensis

Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling (Semester Unknown) IPRO 302: Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling IPRO 302 Brochure F08

Potential power plant sites can become more difficult to determine if water is not available in great quantity. This is true in western states where it may be scarce and competed for by other industries as well as households. The aim of this project is to find an economical, as well as environmentally friendly way to recover water from the flue gas, which is produced when powder-river-basin (PRB) coal is burned in a 750 MW power plant.Sponsorship: Sargent and LundyDeliverable

Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling (Semester Unknown) IPRO 302: Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling IPRO 302 Poster F08

Potential power plant sites can become more difficult to determine if water is not available in great quantity. This is true in western states where it may be scarce and competed for by other industries as well as households. The aim of this project is to find an economical, as well as environmentally friendly way to recover water from the flue gas, which is produced when powder-river-basin (PRB) coal is burned in a 750 MW power plant.Sponsorship: Sargent and LundyDeliverable

Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling (Semester Unknown) IPRO 302: Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling IPRO 302 Final Presentation F08

Potential power plant sites can become more difficult to determine if water is not available in great quantity. This is true in western states where it may be scarce and competed for by other industries as well as households. The aim of this project is to find an economical, as well as environmentally friendly way to recover water from the flue gas, which is produced when powder-river-basin (PRB) coal is burned in a 750 MW power plant.Sponsorship: Sargent and LundyDeliverable

Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling (Semester Unknown) IPRO 302: Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling IPRO 302 Mid Term F08

Potential power plant sites can become more difficult to determine if water is not available in great quantity. This is true in western states where it may be scarce and competed for by other industries as well as households. The aim of this project is to find an economical, as well as environmentally friendly way to recover water from the flue gas, which is produced when powder-river-basin (PRB) coal is burned in a 750 MW power plant.Sponsorship: Sargent and LundyDeliverable

Analysis of Water Recovery from Power Plants for Recycling (Semester Unknown) IPRO 302

Potential power plant sites can become more difficult to determine if water is not available in great quantity. This is true in western states where it may be scarce and competed for by other industries as well as households. The aim of this project is to find an economical, as well as environmentally friendly way to recover water from the flue gas, which is produced when powder-river-basin (PRB) coal is burned in a 750 MW power plant.Sponsorship: Sargent and LundyDeliverable

Swimming Aid for Visually Impaired Swimmers (Semester Unknown) IPRO 310: Swimming Aid For Visually Impaired Swimmers IPRO 310 Abstract Su08

This project aims to help visually impaired individuals to exercise independently. While the primary focus this semester will be enabling visually impaired swimmers to swim independently, other physical activities will be researched for the purpose of choosing three activities to be considered for future projects. A passive device, which is a mechanically-based device that offers tactile feedback to the swimmer, and an active device, which is a sonarbased device, will both be developed in parallel to aid the swimmers. This project, overall, could potentially increase the independence of blind and visually impaired individuals, as well as improve their quality of life.Deliverable

Swimming Aid for Visually Impaired Swimmers (Semester Unknown) IPRO 310: Swimming Aid For Visually Impaired Swimmers IPRO 310 Final Report Su08

This project aims to help visually impaired individuals to exercise independently. While the primary focus this semester will be enabling visually impaired swimmers to swim independently, other physical activities will be researched for the purpose of choosing three activities to be considered for future projects. A passive device, which is a mechanically-based device that offers tactile feedback to the swimmer, and an active device, which is a sonarbased device, will both be developed in parallel to aid the swimmers. This project, overall, could potentially increase the independence of blind and visually impaired individuals, as well as improve their quality of life.Deliverable

Swimming Aid for Visually Impaired Swimmers (Semester Unknown) IPRO 310

This project aims to help visually impaired individuals to exercise independently. While the primary focus this semester will be enabling visually impaired swimmers to swim independently, other physical activities will be researched for the purpose of choosing three activities to be considered for future projects. A passive device, which is a mechanically-based device that offers tactile feedback to the swimmer, and an active device, which is a sonarbased device, will both be developed in parallel to aid the swimmers. This project, overall, could potentially increase the independence of blind and visually impaired individuals, as well as improve their quality of life.Deliverable