Environmental Response Management Application

The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), a partnership between the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and NOAA\u27s Office of Response and Restoration (ORR), is leading an effort to develop a data platform capable of interfacing both static and real-time data sets accessible simultaneously to a command post and assets in the field with an open source internet mapping server. The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA™) is designed to give responders and decision makers ready access to geographically specific data useful during spill planning/drills, incident response, damage assessment and site restoration. In addition to oil spill and chemical release response, this website can be relevant to other environmental incidents and natural disasters, responses and regional planning efforts. The platform is easy to operate, without the assistance of Information Technology or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists. It allows users to access individual data layer values, overlay relevant data sets, and zoom into segments of interest. The platform prototype is being developed specifically for Portsmouth Harbor and the Great Bay Estuary, NH. The prototype demonstrates the capabilities of an integrated data management platform and serves as the pilot for web-based GIS platforms in other regions

Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) - Web-based GIS Data Display and Management System for Oil Spill Planning and Environmental Response

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) in a partnership with the University of New Hampshire Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), is leading an effort to develop an Open Source GIS system that is accessible to both the command post and to assets in the field during a response. The ERMA (Environmental Response Management Application) system is an integrated data management platform that uses MapServer and Open Layers software to combine real-time and static regional geospatial data sets. Data available include: weather and forecasts, ESI maps, IOOS buoys, modeled spill trajectories, real-time tracks of vessels, response plans, navigational charts, bathymetry, restoration projects, water quality and sediment chemistry data, protected and economically important areas, and other natural resource information. The application is able to upload, manipulate, analyze and display spatially referenced data for solving complex resource issues. The web-based nature of ERMA is critical as it allows for the integration and synthesis of various types of information, provides a common operational picture for all individuals involved in an incident, improves communication and coordination among responders and stakeholders, and provides resource managers with the information necessary to make faster and better informed decisions. In terms of pre-planning and preparedness for oil spill response, this system is nearly as important as any oil spill detection or response technique. The pilot site was developed for Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and now NOAA is partnering with other entities to develop an ERMA system for locations such as the Caribbean and Arctic

Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic

Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic (March 25 - 27, 2018 -- The University of New Hampshire) paired two of NSF\u27s 10 Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic and Growing Convergence Research at NSF. During this event, participants assessed economic, environmental, and social impacts of Arctic change on New England and established convergence research initiatives to prepare for, adapt to, and respond to these effects. Shipping routes through an ice-free Northwest Passage in combination with modifications to ocean circulation and regional climate patterns linked to Arctic ice melt will affect trade, fisheries, tourism, coastal ecology, air and water quality, animal migration, and demographics not only in the Arctic but also in lower latitude coastal regions such as New England. With profound changes on the horizon, this is a critical opportunity for New England to prepare for uncertain yet inevitable economic and environmental impacts of Arctic change

Human predecidual stromal cells are mesenchymal stromal/stem cells and have a therapeutic effect in an immune-based mouse model of recurrent spontaneous abortion

Human decidual stromal cells (DSCs) are involved in the maintenance and development of pregnancy, in which they play a key role in the induction of immunological maternal–fetal tolerance. Precursors of DSCs (preDSCs) are located around the vessels, and based on their antigen phenotype, previous studies suggested a relationship between preDSCs and mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). This work aimed to further elucidate the MSC characteristics of preDSCs. Under the effect of P4 and cAMP, the preDSC lines and clones decidualized in vitro: the cells became rounder and secreted PRL, a marker of physiological decidualization. PreDSC lines and clones also exhibited MSC characteristics. They differentiated into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes, and preDSC lines expressed stem cell markers OCT- 4, NANOG, and ABCG2; exhibited a cloning efficiency of 4 to 15%; significantly reduced the embryo resorption rate (P < 0.001) in the mouse model of abortion; and survived for prolonged periods in immunocompetent mice. The fact that 3 preDSC clones underwent both decidualization and mesenchymal differentiation shows that the same type of cell exhibited both DSC and MSC characteristics. Together, our results confirm that preDSCs are decidual MSCs and suggest that these cells are involved in the mechanisms of maternal–fetal immune toleranceThis work was supported by the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2013–2016, ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación, the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (Grant PI16/01642) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/ FEDER funding), the European Community, and the Cátedra de Investigación Anto nio Chamorro–Alejandro Otero, Universidad de Granada (CACH2017-1)

Quantification of Biodegradable Dissolved Organic Carbon in Soil Solution with Flow-Through Bioreactors

A flow-through bioreactor method for drinking water or stream water was modified for the rapid determination of biodegradable dissolved organic C (BDOC) in small, discrete samples such as soil solutions collected in lysimeters. Biodegradable dissolved organic C was measured as the difference in dissolved organic C (DOC) concentration between the inlet and outlet when a sample was pumped through a column colonized by indigenous soil microbes. Both feed water and sample solutions were adjusted to ≈ 10 mg C L-1 to maintain a consistent environment in the column, and inorganic nutrients (N, P, S, and K) were added to avoid a nutrient limitation on C degradation. Biodegradable dissolved organic C values obtained by this method were consistent for a year and were insensitive to changes in ambient temperature (13–24°C) and flow rate (0.36–0.42 mL min-1). Dextrose, humic acid, and dextrose-humic acid solutions were used to test the bioreactors. Only 5% or less of the humic acid C was lost in the bioreactor, suggesting limited abiotic sorption of C. Nearly 100% loss of dextrose, coupled with large increases in dissolved inorganic C (DIC), suggested biotic degradation of BDOC within the bioreactors