Modelling to bridge many boundaries: the Colorado and Murray-Darling River basins

Increasing pressure on shared water resources has often been a driver for the development and utilisation of water resource models (WRMs) to inform planning and management decisions. With an increasing emphasis on regional decision-making among competing actors as opposed to top-down and authoritative directives, the need for integrated knowledge and water diplomacy efforts across federal and international rivers provides a test bed for the ability of WRMs to operate within complex historical, social, environmental, institutional and political contexts. This paper draws on theories of sustainability science to examine the role of WRMs to inform transboundary water resource governance in large river basins. We survey designers and users of WRMs in the Colorado River Basin in North America and the Murray-Darling Basin in southeastern Australia. Water governance in such federal rivers challenges inter-governmental and multi-level coordination and we explore these dynamics through the application of WRMs. The development pathways of WRMs are found to influence their uptake and acceptance as decision support tools. Furthermore, we find evidence that WRMs are used as boundary objects and perform the functions of ‘boundary work’ between scientists, decision-makers and stakeholders in the midst of regional environmental changes

Drought Preparedness in the United States: Recent Progress

Since 1986, the United States has experienced numerous droughts causing billions of dollars in losses in many economic, social, and environmental sectors. To lessen the risks associated with drought, governments at all levels have taken greater interest in drought planning, with the greatest progress coming at the state level. However, state plans, and recent actions taken by states in response to drought, have been largely reactive, emphasizing short-term actions over long-term planning. The National Drought Mitigation Center’s program is directed toward helping governments and others lessen societal vulnerability to drought. The NDMC provides a national drought information clearinghouse; assists state, federal, and regional entities in drought planning; advises on policy issues; and interacts with scientists on an international level. The establishment of the National Drought Policy Commission by the U.S. Congress in 1997 indicates a new commitment to a national drought policy that emphasizes risk management, but the accomplishment of this commission is uncertain at this time

Water scarcity: institutional change, water markets and privatization

none2noneDOSI C.; EASTER W.K.Dosi, Cesare; Easter, W. K

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is indispensable for the cardiac adaptive effects of exercise

RATIONALE: Exercise results in beneficial adaptations of the heart that can be directly observed at the ventricular myocyte level. However, the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for these adaptations are not well understood. Interestingly, signaling via neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) within myocytes results in similar effects as exercise. OBJECTIVE: Thus, the objective was to define the role NOS1 plays in the exercise-induced beneficial contractile effects in myocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS: After an 8 week aerobic interval training program, exercise-trained (Ex) mice had higher VO(2max) and cardiac hypertrophy compared to sedentary (Sed) mice. Ventricular myocytes from Ex mice had increased NOS1 expression and nitric oxide production compared to myocytes from Sed mice. Remarkably, acute NOS1 inhibition normalized the enhanced contraction (shortening and Ca(2+) transients) in Ex myocytes to Sed levels. The NOS1 effect on contraction was mediated via greater Ca(2+)cycling that resulted from increased phospholamban phosphorylation. Intriguingly, a similar aerobic interval training program on NOS1 knockout mice failed to produce any beneficial cardiac adaptations (VO(2max), hypertrophy, and contraction). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that the beneficial cardiac adaptations observed after exercise training were mediated via enhanced NOS1 signaling. Therefore, it is likely that beneficial effects of exercise may be mimicked by the interventions that increase NOS1 signaling. This pathway may provide a potential novel therapeutic target in cardiac patients who are unable or unwilling to exercise