Integrating demographic and Landsat (TM) data at a watershed scale

Recurrent calls for integrated resource management urge that an understanding of human activities and populations be incorporated into natural resource research, management, and protection efforts. In this paper, we hypothesize that watersheds can be a valuable geography for organizing an inquiry into the relationship between humans and the environment, and we present a framework for conducting such efforts. The framework is grounded in the emerging field of landscape ecology and incorporates demographic theory and data. Demography has been advanced by technological capabilities associated with the 1990 Census. Employing Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, we couple Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) land cover data with census-derived housing density data to demonstrate the operation of our framework and its utility for better understanding human-landscape interactions. In our investigation of the Kickapoo Watershed and two subwatersheds, located in southwestern Wisconsin, we identify relationships between landscape composition and the distribution and social structure of human populations. Our findings offer insight into the interplay between people and biophysical systems. Recurrent calls for integrated resource management urge that an understanding of human activities and populations be incorporated into natural resource research, management, and protection efforts. In this paper, we hypothesize that watersheds can be a valuable geography for organizing an inquiry into the relationship between humans and the environment, and we present a framework for conducting such efforts. The framework is grounded in the emerging field of landscape ecology and incorporates demographic theory and data. Demography has been advanced by technological capabilities associated with the 1990 Census. Employing Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, we couple Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) land cover data with census-derived housing density data to demonstrate the operation of our framework and its utility for better understanding human-landscape interactions. In our investigation of the Kickapoo Watershed and two sub-watersheds, located in southwestern Wisconsin, we identify relationships between landscape composition and the distribution and social structure of human populations. Our findings offer insight into the interplay between people and biophysical systems

Repeated Binge Exposures to Amphetamine and Methamphetamine: Behavioral and Neurochemical Characterization 1

ABSTRACT Stimulant psychosis and addiction are most commonly associated with repeated, high-dose binges or runs, typically preceded by a more intermittent pattern of stimulant abuse. We previously reported that rats exposed to an escalating dose-run pattern of amphetamine administration exhibited changes in their behavioral response profile that differed both qualitatively and quantitatively from the response to either acute or intermittent daily treatment. To determine the generality of these effects and characterize further the nature of the behavioral and neurochemical changes of this treatment, rats received single daily injections of amphetamine (2.5 or 4.0 mg/kg s.c.) or equimolar doses of methamphetamine, followed by multiple runs (four daily injections at 2-hr intervals) with the pretreatment dose. This treatment resulted in a unique behavioral profile, including a profound increase in the relative expression of locomotion vs. stereotypy. The markedly enhanced poststereotypy locomotor activation was characterized by repeated "burst"-like episodes of ambulation. The number of runs required for the emergence of this behavior was dose dependent and was similar for the two drugs except that with methamphetamine, there also was a marked prolongation of the poststereotypy locomotor response during run exposures. During runs, both drugs produced a decline in the caudate but not the nucleus accumbens microdialysate dopamine response, whereas only methamphetamine produced a decline in the serotonin response that was apparent in both regions. The possible relationship between these behavioral and neurochemical changes and their implications for high dose patterns of stimulant abuse are discussed

PERIOD–TIMELESS Interval Timer May Require an Additional Feedback Loop

In this study we present a detailed, mechanism-based mathematical framework of Drosophila circadian rhythms. This framework facilitates a more systematic approach to understanding circadian rhythms using a comprehensive representation of the network underlying this phenomenon. The possible mechanisms underlying the cytoplasmic “interval timer” created by PERIOD–TIMELESS association are investigated, suggesting a novel positive feedback regulatory structure. Incorporation of this additional feedback into a full circadian model produced results that are consistent with previous experimental observations of wild-type protein profiles and numerous mutant phenotypes

Amphetamine, but not methylphenidate, increases ethanol intake in adolescent male, but not in female, rats

Introduction: There has been an increasing interest in analyzing the interactions between stimulants and ethanol during childhood and adolescence. Stimulants are used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these developmental stages, during which ethanol initiation and escalation often occur. Methods: This study assessed the effects of repeated d-amphetamine (AMPH) or methylphenidate (MPH) treatment during adolescence [male and female Wistar rats, between postnatal day (PD) 28 to PD34, approximately] on the initiation of ethanol intake during a later section of adolescence (PD35 to PD40). Results: Amphetamine and MPH exerted reliable acute motor stimulant effects, but there was no indication of sensitized motor or anxiety responses. MPH did not affect dopamine (DA) levels, whereas AMPH significantly reduced insular levels of DA in both sexes and norepinephrine levels in females only. Repeated treatment with AMPH, but not with MPH, enhanced ethanol intake during late adolescence in male, but not in female, rats. Conclusion: A short treatment with AMPH during adolescence significantly altered DA levels in the insula, both in male and females, and significantly enhanced ethanol intake in males. The present results suggest that, in adolescent males, a very brief history of AMPH exposure can facilitate the initiation of ethanol intake.Fil: Ruiz, Paul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Calliari, Aldo. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Genovese, Patricia. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Scorza, Cecilia. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas "Clemente Estable"; UruguayFil: Pautassi, Ricardo Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; Argentin

Role of dopamine D1-like receptors in methamphetamine locomotor responses of D2 receptor knockout mice

Behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants manifests as an increased locomotor response with repeated administration. Dopamine systems are accepted to play a fundamental role in sensitization, but the role of specific dopamine receptor subtypes has not been completely defined. This study used the combination of dopamine D2 receptor-deficient mice and a D1-like antagonist to examine dopamine D1 and D2 receptor involvement in acute and sensitized locomotor responses to methamphetamine. Absence of the dopamine D2 receptor resulted in attenuation of the acute stimulant effects of methamphetamine. Mutant and wild-type mice exhibited sensitization that lasted longer within the time period of the challenge test in the mutant animals. Pretreatment with the D1-like receptor antagonist SCH 23390 produced more potent reductions in the acute and sensitized locomotor responses to methamphetamine in D2 receptor-deficient mice than in wild-type mice; however, the expression of locomotor sensitization when challenged with methamphetamine alone was equivalently attenuated by previous treatment with SCH 23390. These data suggest that dopamine D2 receptors play a key role in the acute stimulant and sensitizing effects of methamphetamine and act in concert with D1-like receptors to influence the acquisition of methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization, traits that may influence continued methamphetamine use.Fil: Kelly, M. A.. Oregon Health And Science University; Estados UnidosFil: Low, M. J.. Oregon Health And Science University; Estados UnidosFil: Rubinstein, Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; ArgentinaFil: Phillips, T. J.. Oregon Health And Science University; Estados Unido

Methylphenidate Attenuates Rats' Preference for a Novel Spatial Stimulus Introduced into a Familiar Enviroment: Assessment Using a Force Plate Actometer

Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant widely used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here we report a novel paradigm that affords inferences about habituation and attention to a novel stimulus in a familiar environment in a single test session without prior training of the animals. The paradigm was used to assess the effects of methylphenidate (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, sc) in young adult, male, Long-Evans rats. Methylphenidate increased locomotor activity during the initial exposure to the test apparatus in a non-dose-related manner. However, upon introduction of a novel spatial stimulus (an alcove) in the familiar environment, methylphenidate-treatment resulted in dose-related increases in distance traveled and inhibition of long dwell times in the alcove, the latter behavior being characteristic of vehicle-treated rats’ response to the alcove condition. These results demonstrate the utility of this paradigm in the elucidation of the behavioral effects of a drug commonly used in the treatment of ADHD. Findings also suggest that species-typical response preferences in rats (e.g., refuge-seeking) may emerge in experimental settings that add spatial novelty to otherwise featureless test enclosures commonly used to assess locomotor activity

Semantic catalogs for life cycle assessment data

AbstractLife cycle assessment (LCA) is a highly interdisciplinary field that requires knowledge from different domains to be gathered and interpreted together. Although there are relatively few major data sources for LCA, the data themselves are presented with highly heterogeneous formats, interfaces, and distribution mechanisms. The lack of agreement among data providers for descriptions of processes and flows creates substantial barriers for information sharing and reuse of practitioners’ models.Nevertheless, the many data resources share a common logic. The use of Semantic Web technologies and text mining techniques can facilitate the interpretation of data from diverse sources. Numerous existing efforts have been made to articulate a knowledge model for LCA. In March of 2015 a joint workshop was held that brought together leading international domain experts with ontology engineers to develop a set of simple models called ontology design patterns (ODPs) for LCA information. In this paper we build on the outcomes of the workshop, as well as prior published works, to derive a minimal “consensus model” for LCA. We use the consensus model to derive a description of an LCA “catalog” that can be used to express the semantic content of a data resource. We generate catalogs of several prominent databases, and make those catalogs available to the public for independent use. Finally, we “link” those catalogs to existing knowledge models using JSON-LD, a linked data format that can expose the catalog contents to Semantic Web tools.We then show by example how the catalogs may be used to answer questions about the scope, coverage, and comparability of data, both within and across data sources, that are difficult to answer when the contents of the catalogs are provided independently and inconsistently. We discuss how the use of semantic catalogs can help address challenges that initiatives such as the “Global Network of Interoperable LCA Databases – Global LCA Data Access” are facing today

Montana Kaimin, March 5, 1981

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/studentnewspaper/8304/thumbnail.jp

Characterization of the rapid-onset type of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine in mice: Role of drug-environment conditioning

A rapid-onset type of behavioral sensitization (ROBS) has been demonstrated in rats treated with a single 'priming' injection of amphetamine (AMP). in that species, however, this phenomenon was restricted to AMP-induced stereotyped behavior (SB), not occurring for the locomotor-stimulant effect (LSE) of AMP and not reflecting environment-specific sensitization. in the present study, the ROBS was characterized in the mouse. Mice received a single 'priming' intraperitoneal injection of 5.0 mg/kg AMP which was paired or not with environment. At different intervals (3, 4 or 5 h) subgroups were tested for AMP (1.5 or 5.0 mg/kg)-induced SB or AMP (1.5 mg/kg)-induced open-field LSE. Results showed that: (1) in the absence of drug-environment association, a priming injection of AMP increased the SB induced by a 1.5 mg/kg AMP challenge injection given 3 h (but not 4 or 5 h) later; (2) when the dose of AMP challenge injection was increased to 5.0 mg/kg, an enhancement of SB was verified at all the intervals tested (3, 4, and 5 h); (3) when animals were tested in an open field, the priming injection of AMP produced an increase in the LSE of a 1.5 mg/kg AMP challenge injection, given 4 h later; (4) drug-environment association increased both SB and locomotion after a saline challenge injection and potentiated the rapid-onset sensitization of both behaviors in AMP-challenged mice. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the ROBS phenomenon also occurs in mice, is extended to AMP-induced LSE, and is markedly potentiated by (but does not depend on) environmental conditioning.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Farmacol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Farmacol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Developing Student Collaborations across Disciplines, Distances, and Institutions

Because quantitative biology requires skills and concepts from a disparate collection of different disciplines, the scientists of the near future will increasingly need to rely on collaborations to produce results. Correspondingly, students in disciplines impacted by quantitative biology will need to be taught how to create and engage in such collaborations. In response to this important curricular need, East Tennessee State University and Georgia Technological University/Emory University cooperated in an unprecedented curricular experiment in which theoretically oriented students at East Tennessee State designed biophysical models that were implemented and tested experimentally by biomedical engineers at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Technological University and Emory University. Implementing the collaborations between two institutions allowed an assessment of the student collaborations from before the groups of students had met for the first time until after they had finished their projects, thus providing insight about the formation and conduct of such collaborations that could not have been obtained otherwise