Cultivation of the Backwater: Weirs as a Window into Historical Ecology and Ecosystem Engineering in the Lower Columbia

This poster uses the existence of a possible fish weir feature in a backwater lake on Sauvie Island in the Lower Columbia to explore questions surrounding systems of resource cultivation and human ecosystem engineering. Multiple archaeological sites in backwater areas contain large quantities of freshwater fish remains; and use of technology such as weirs would provide an efficient method of capture. However, such facilities suggest more than capture method, when considered in the larger context of landscape use and the food systems that indigenous people were part of, as demonstrated by archaeology and oral traditions. By synthesizing information surrounding precontact cultural and subsistence use of the backwaters of the Lower Columbia through the lens of historical ecology, this project seeks to highlight the broader implications of technologies that represent components in interconnected systems of indigenous aquaculture and landscape use in this rich environment

The impacts of rainfall runoff on tidal creek algal and bacterial production

Field and mesocosm experiments were performed to examine the affects of different nutrient concentrations on production of bacteria and phytoplankton in three New Hanover County, North Carolina, tidal creeks of differing watershed impervious cover. Radiotracer assays were performed to determine production rates using tritiated-thymidine for bacteria and 14-C bicarbonate for phytoplankton. The field study compared production rates and nutrient concentrations monthly during dry and rain conditions and the mesocosm experiment compared production rates given different combinations of nutrients approximating concentrations from rain events (control, NP, NPSi, NPC). Pages Creek had mean daily heterotrophic and autotrophic production rates of 36.4 and 395.4 mgC m-3day-1, respectively. Physical parameters control production in Pages Creek, while nutrients are also a limiting factor in Howe and Bradley Creeks. Nutrient concentrations are generally similar between creeks, all of which are also nitrogen limited. Mean heterotrophic and autotrophic production rates in Howe Creek were 38.3 and 636.7 mgC m-3day-1, respectively. Production rates in Bradley Creek were 41.1 mgC m-3day-1 heterotrophically, and 547.2 mgC m- 3day-1 autotrophically. Production ratios in Bradley Creek differ from the other creeks, indicating interdependence between bacteria and algae. Both types of production correlated with dissolved carbohydrates in this creek, suggesting that phytoplankton supply dissolved carbohydrates to support bacterial growth. This research shows that though nutrient concentrations and production appear to be similar among creeks, there are differences in response to nutrient concentrations and grazing pressure, which may be anthropogenically altered

Effective fashion brand extensions: the impact of limited edition and perceived fit on consumers' urgency to buy and brand dilution

For apparel brands, vertical-downward brand extensions are one of the most highly utilized growth strategies. By introducing a lower-cost and quality brand underneath the parent brand, apparel companies can increase sales by reaching mass-market consumers who are more price-conscious. However, the long-term success of the parent brand may be uncertain because a downward extended brand may result in dilution to the parent brand. To avoid brand dilution and create immediate sales at the same time, apparel brands have started to collaborate with a retailer providing a limited edition (i.e., limiting quantity and time) such as when Missoni collaborated with Target. Despite the growing trend, very limited academic studies are directed to understand the effectiveness of these brand extension strategies. In addition, while the notion of perceived fit is known to be critical to the success of a brand extension, perceived fit has been limitedly understood and perceived fit between brand and retailer, and perceived fit between brand and price have not been examined. To address the research gaps, this study consisted of four experimental studies guided by commodity theory, categorization theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and Weber's Law of Just Noticeable Difference. In specific, this study manipulated and tested the effect of brand extension strategy (limited edition/ongoing) (Study 1), perceived fit between brand and retailer (Study 2), extension strategy and perceived fit between brand and retailer (Study 3), and perceived fit between brand and price (Study 4) on urgency to buy and brand dilution. This research also explored the role that consumers' brand consciousness level played in the relationships in Study 2 and Study 4. Across the four studies, a total of 674 college students participated in an online experimental study. Respondents were exposed to a video stimulus that included the manipulated variables and answered questions that were pertinent to each study. High and low brands (Ralph Lauren and Lee, respectively) and retailers (Nordstrom and Target, respectively) were chosen via a pre-test and manipulated for the evaluation of perceived fit. Results showed that urgency to buy was higher when consumers were exposed to a limited edition brand extension (Study 1), perceived high-fit between brand and retailer (Study 2), perceived high-fit between brand and retailer and the brand offered a limited edition (Study 3), and perceived high-fit between brand and price (Study 4). Brand dilution occurred when the brand offered an ongoing brand extension (Study 1) and when consumers perceived low-fit between brand and price (Study 4). However, brand image concentration (i.e., improvement) occurred when a brand collaborated with a retailer, regardless of perceived fit (Study 2), consumers' brand consciousness level (Study 2), or brand extension strategy (Study 3). These findings suggest that apparel brand managers should offer their brand extensions as limited edition, collaborate with a retailer, or offer their brand extension price no greater than 20% lower than the parent brand in order to increase urgency to buy and keep or even improve the brand image. Theoretically, this study expanded the notion of fit in brand extensions to include brand and retailer fit and brand and price fit. This research was also one of the earliest studies to investigate the effects of extension strategy (limited edition/ongoing) in apparel brand extension studies. Last, but not the least academic contribution includes examining the manipulating effects for two dependent variables (urgency to buy and brand dilution), which has not been examined previously

Nascent O\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e (a\u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eΔ\u3csub\u3eg\u3c/sub\u3e, v = 0, 1) Rotational Distributions from the Photodissociation of Jet‐Cooled O\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e in the Hartley Band

We report rotational distributions for the O2 (a 1Δg) fragment from photodissociation of jet‐cooled O3 at 248, 266, and 282 nm. The rotational distributions show a population alternation that favors the even states, as previously reported for a 300 K sample by Valentini et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 86, 6745 (1987)). The alternation from the jet‐cooled precursor is much stronger than that observed by Valentini et al., and in contrast to their observations does not depend strongly on O2 (a 1Δg) vibrational state or photolysis wavelength. The odd/even alternation diminishes substantially when the ozone beam temperature is increased from 60 to 200 K, confirming its dependence on parent internal energy. The magnitude of the even/odd alternation in product rotational states from the cold ozone sample, its temperature dependence, and other experimental and theoretical evidence reported since 1987 suggest that the alternation originates from a Λ‐doublet propensity, and not from a mass independent curve crossing effect as previously proposed

Improving bicycle helmet research: examining intervention studies and parental experiences

Despite the recognized protection provided by bicycle helmets, estimates indicate that only 25% of people wear one every time they ride. Although much research has focused on identifying determinants of bicycle helmet use, there has been limited success for increasing and sustaining children's bicycle helmet use. One potential reason for this is a limited understanding of how identified determinants of helmet use work together to impact behavior. The goal of this dissertation was to improve research and practice around children's bicycle helmet use to further an aim of ultimately reducing the number of head injuries among children. To accomplish this goal this dissertation is divided into two separate but related products that address critical issues in the field. The first product is a focused literature review on interventions designed to increase children's helmet use and the other is a qualitative study of parental perceptions of and experiences with children's bicycle riding. The aim of the focused literature review was to gain a better understanding of the bicycle helmet use research by identifying gaps in bicycle helmet intervention methodology and to recommend opportunities to strengthen the field. Identifying gaps in intervention research allows for recommendations that can have a direct impact on future interventions. Inclusion criteria included: articles published in English between 1986-2011 that focus on children under 18 years old, report on an intervention or the evaluation of an intervention, and have increased helmet use as one of the main outcomes. Thirty-five studies were included in the review. Findings indicated opportunities for improvement in three broad areas: measurement issues, group differences, and analytic techniques. Recommendations for increasing the accuracy of measurements, examining group differences and differential intervention effects, and the use of sophisticated analytic techniques to account for the data structure and identifying influential contextual variables were provided. The goal of the qualitative study was to develop a model that described processes associated with children's bicycle helmet use across intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, institutional, and political contexts. The aim was to gain an understanding of how parents assess and manage risks associated with their children's bicycle riding. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach; interviews with parents of children in 3rd - 5th grades were conducted. Interviews covering children's bike riding history and current habits were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using a constant comparative approach, data were analyzed concurrent with data collection. Initial coding identified critical issues in the data and focused coding was used to further identify specific patterns of behavior. Theoretical sampling was then used to fully develop the categories that emerged. Theoretical coding also described how categories related to one another. A model emerged from the data that explained the cognitive and behavioral processes parents utilized to balance their anxiety around perceived dangers of bike-riding with their understanding of their children's developmental needs for autonomy. Findings also showed parents' primary concerns focused around more improbable risks (such as child-snatching) rather than higher probability risks such as falling and head injuries. Implications are discussed in terms of expanding theoretical foundations of intervention design and addressing parental concerns prior to introducing helmet use information. With refinement, findings from this dissertation study may be used to develop interventions to increase sustainable bicycle helmet use and reduce bicycle-related head injuries in children

Mechanisms of CFTR Functional Variants That Impair Regulated Bicarbonate Permeation and Increase Risk for Pancreatitis but Not for Cystic Fibrosis

CFTR is a dynamically regulated anion channel. Intracellular WNK1-SPAK activation causes CFTR to change permeability and conductance characteristics from a chloride-preferring to bicarbonate-preferring channel through unknown mechanisms. Two severe CFTR mutations (CFTRsev) cause complete loss of CFTR function and result in cystic fibrosis (CF), a severe genetic disorder affecting sweat glands, nasal sinuses, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, and male reproductive system. We hypothesize that those CFTR mutations that disrupt the WNK1-SPAK activation mechanisms cause a selective, bicarbonate defect in channel function (CFTRBD) affecting organs that utilize CFTR for bicarbonate secretion (e.g. the pancreas, nasal sinus, vas deferens) but do not cause typical CF. To understand the structural and functional requirements of the CFTR bicarbonate-preferring channel, we (a) screened 984 well-phenotyped pancreatitis cases for candidate CFTRBD mutations from among 81 previously described CFTR variants; (b) conducted electrophysiology studies on clones of variants found in pancreatitis but not CF; (c) computationally constructed a new, complete structural model of CFTR for molecular dynamics simulation of wild-type and mutant variants; and (d) tested the newly defined CFTRBD variants for disease in non-pancreas organs utilizing CFTR for bicarbonate secretion. Nine variants (CFTR R74Q, R75Q, R117H, R170H, L967S, L997F, D1152H, S1235R, and D1270N) not associated with typical CF were associated with pancreatitis (OR 1.5, p = 0.002). Clones expressed in HEK 293T cells had normal chloride but not bicarbonate permeability and conductance with WNK1-SPAK activation. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest physical restriction of the CFTR channel and altered dynamic channel regulation. Comparing pancreatitis patients and controls, CFTRBD increased risk for rhinosinusitis (OR 2.3, p<0.005) and male infertility (OR 395, p<<0.0001). WNK1-SPAK pathway-activated increases in CFTR bicarbonate permeability are altered by CFTRBD variants through multiple mechanisms. CFTRBD variants are associated with clinically significant disorders of the pancreas, sinuses, and male reproductive system.Fil: LaRusch, Jessica. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Jung, Jinsei. Yonsei University College of Medicine; Corea del SurFil: General, Ignacio. University of Pittsburgh; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lewis, Michele D.. Mayo Clinic. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Estados UnidosFil: Park, Hyun Woo. Yonsei University College of Medicine; Corea del SurFil: Brand, Randall E.. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Gelrud, Andres. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Anderson, Michelle A.. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Banks, Peter A.. Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Division of Gastroenterology; Estados UnidosFil: Conwell, Darwin. Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Division of Gastroenterology; Estados UnidosFil: Lawrence, Christopher. Medical University of South Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Romagnuolo, Joseph. Medical University of South Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Baillie, John. University of Duke; Estados UnidosFil: Alkaade, Samer. St. Louis University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Cote, Gregory. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Gardner, Timothy B.. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Amann, Stephen T.. North Mississippi Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Slivka, Adam. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Sandhu, Bimaljit. Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Aloe, Amy. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Kienholz, Michelle L.. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Yadav, Dhiraj. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Barmada, M. Michael. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Bahar, Ivet. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, Min Goo. Yonsei University College of Medicine; Corea del SurFil: Whitcomb, David C.. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: North American Pancreatitis Study Group. No especifica

PREFACE TO SPECIAL THEME, PART 1: Toward a better understanding of Lake Simcoe through integrative and collaborative monitoring and research

This special section of Inland Waters features the first of numerous papers that highlight trends and insights emerging from decades of ecological monitoring and research activities on Lake Simcoe, Canada. Lake Simcoe is the largest lake in southern Ontario after the Laurentian Great Lakes. Like most large lakes, Simcoe has been negatively impacted over the past century by human activities, which accelerated dramatically around the 1930s (Hawryshyn et al. 2012). Phosphorus (P) loading from point and nonpoint sources caused excessive growth of plants and algae that consume hypolimnetic oxygen during decomposition, which limited coldwater fish habitat and contributed to the recruitment failure of popular sportfish such as lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis; Evans et al. 1996). The establishment in recent decades of invasive fish, invertebrates, and plants is changing lake habitat, food webs, and native species dynamics (Evans et al. 2011, Ginn 2011, Ozersky et al. 2011). Increasing air temperature associated with climate change has prolonged thermal stratification and shortened the period of ice cover (OMOE et al. 2009, Stainsby et al. 2011). Metals and organic pollutants originating from urban and industrial sources have accumulated in lake and tributary sediments (Helm et al. 2011, Landre et al. 2011), potentially affecting aquatic biota and increasing the risk associated with human fish consumption (Gewurtz et al. 2011, Lembcke et al. 2011). Additionally, the cumulative effects of these and other stressors have drastically altered aquatic communities (Depew et al. 2011, Ginn 2011, Jimenez et al. 2011, Winter et al. 2011).In response to public concern about the ecological health of the lake, the Lake Simcoe Protection Act was approved by the Government of Ontario in 2008 with a mandate to protect and restore the Lake Simcoe watershed (Government of Ontario 2008). The Act established the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan (LSPP; OMOE et al. 2009) that identifies a number of targets and indicators to characterize environmental health in the Lake Simcoe watershed and details 119 policies and actions to achieve these targets. Scientific monitoring and research play an integral role in the success of the LSPP, which supports an ecosystem approach to informing policies and actions, taking into account the interconnectedness of the lake and watershed. The LSPP mandates the enhancement of current monitoring programs, development of new monitoring programs, and the promotion and implementation of research projects that build upon existing science to continually update management decisions as part of an adaptive management approach.The challenges posed by the LSPP necessitate collaborative research efforts and sharing of responsibilities, resources, and knowledge among federal, provincial, and local governments, academics, conservation authorities, agricultural, commercial, and industrial sectors, First Nations communities, the general public, and other stakeholders. The collection of papers shows the value of a collaborative approach and demonstrates how strong partnerships can facilitate integrative approaches to scientific monitoring and research efforts being used to protect Lake Simcoe