Research Reference Document 99/07 : Kennebec River Shortnose Sturgeon Population Study August - December 1999

https://digitalmaine.com/dmr_research_reference_documents/1011/thumbnail.jp

Research Reference Document 01/24 : Kennebec River Sturgeon Studies Completion Report (2000-2001)

https://digitalmaine.com/dmr_research_reference_documents/1006/thumbnail.jp

Turtles All the Way Down: A Clearer Understanding of the Scope of Waters of the United States Based on the U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

The meaning of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) has been debated in Congress, federal agencies, and courtrooms across the country for almost fifty years. Despite the longstanding attention to the term, most consider the term even more unclear today than in 1972 when the CWA was adopted. However, a methodical examination of the statutory and regulatory history and the U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the issue reveal more consensus than previously understood. In addition, this focused examination shows that the debate centers on one problem that the arguments rarely acknowledge: wetlands adjacent to a “tributary.” Specifically, litigants and agencies attempt to show that the wetland at issue lies close to some type of water, whether a ditch, drain, or creek. If that water eventually reaches a navigable water, no matter how indirect or attenuated the path, the wetland is arguably jurisdictional. This Article distills the issues and clarifies the agreements and controversies surrounding “waters of the United States.” The meaning of the phrase “waters of the United States” has been debated in the legislature, federal agencies, and courtrooms across the country since Congress adopted the CWA in 1972. The debate intensified beginning in 1985 and now forms the focus of much rule-making and litigation. Section 404 of the CWA prohibits the discharge of dredged or fill material into the “navigable waters.” Navigable waters mean the “waters of the United States, including the territorial seas.” The term waters of the United States, as used in the CWA, was not further defined by Congress. This Article first provides a brief overview of the history and background of the CWA and the regulations thereunder. The history reflects a shift in focus from commerce to environmental protection. U.S. Supreme Court case law interpreting the meaning of waters of the United States (“WOTUS”) is then examined. The Article then reviews the 2015 WOTUS Rule (“Obama Rule”) and the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule (“Trump Rule”). The Article also explores the applications of deference to the agency in various cases and how judicial deference may evolve in the future. Given the attention of case law on the definition of tributaries and adjacency of wetlands to tributaries, those issues form the Article’s focus

Response to Immunization with Haemophilus influenzae Type b Polysaccharide-Pertussis Vaccine and Risk of Haemophilus Meningitis in Children with the Km(1) Immunoglobulin Allotype

In experimental animals, immune responses to certain antigens are regulated by immunoglobulin allotype-linked genes. In an effort to detect such genes in humans, we examined the antibody responses of 74 healthy children with different Km(l) or Gm(23) allotypes to a Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (type b polysaccharide capsule-pertussis vaccine). The anticapsular antibody responses of black or white children with the Km(1) allotype were 4.6- to 9.5-fold higher than those of children who lacked this determinant (P \u3c 0.004). No significant differences were found in antibody response with respect to the Gm(23) allotype. The frequencies of Km(l) and Gm(23) also were examined in 170 patients with Haemophilus meningitis, 71 patients with epiglottitis, and 173 control children. Km(1) was detected less frequently in black patients with meningitis (38%) than in those with epiglottitis (81%, P \u3c 0.002) or in controls (66%, P \u3c 0.0007). The relative risk of meningitis thus was 3.2-fold lower among black children with the Km(1) allotype than in those who lacked this allotype (odds ratio = 0.3, 95% confidence interval 0.2 to 0.6). However, the risk of meningitis was not decreased in white children with the Km(l) allotype (odds ratio = 1.0). There were no significant differences in the frequency of Gm(23) among the patient groups and controls. The Km(l) allotype but not the Gm(23) thus defines a subpopulation of children of both races who are high responders to this vaccine, and black children but not white children with the Km(l) allotype are at decreased risk of developing Haemophilus meningitis. These data indicate that in blacks, genes associated with Km(l) may affect immune response to a prototype type b Haemophilus vaccine, and perhaps interact with another factor related to race to affect susceptibility to Haemophilus meningitis

Analysis of serum inflammatory mediators identifies unique dynamic networks associated with death and spontaneous survival in pediatric acute liver failure

Background: Tools to predict death or spontaneous survival are necessary to inform liver transplantation (LTx) decisions in pediatric acute liver failure (PALF), but such tools are not available. Recent data suggest that immune/inflammatory dysregulation occurs in the setting of acute liver failure. We hypothesized that specific, dynamic, and measurable patterns of immune/inflammatory dysregulation will correlate with outcomes in PALF. Methods: We assayed 26 inflammatory mediators on stored serum samples obtained from a convenience sample of 49 children in the PALF study group (PALFSG) collected within 7 days after enrollment. Outcomes were assessed within 21 days of enrollment consisting of spontaneous survivors, non-survivors, and LTx recipients. Data were subjected to statistical analysis, patient-specific Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) inference. Findings: Raw inflammatory mediator levels assessed over time did not distinguish among PALF outcomes. However, DBN analysis did reveal distinct interferon-gamma-related networks that distinguished spontaneous survivors from those who died. The network identified in LTx patients pre-transplant was more like that seen in spontaneous survivors than in those who died, a finding supported by PCA. Interpretation: The application of DBN analysis of inflammatory mediators in this small patient sample appears to differentiate survivors from non-survivors in PALF. Patterns associated with LTx pre-transplant were more like those seen in spontaneous survivors than in those who died. DBN-based analyses might lead to a better prediction of outcome in PALF, and could also have more general utility in other complex diseases with an inflammatory etiology. Copyright: © 2013 Azhar et al