Using Natural Resources to Control the Fate of Contaminants in the environment

Environmental contamination poses an increased health risk to those communities living nearby impacted sites, and it is imperative to find sustainable remediation strategies to restore the natural systems. My research investigates natural biogeochemical processes and the use of ubiquitous materials to the design remediation solutions that are site-specific and take into consideration the needs of the affected communities. The first example is the investigation of uranium (U) accumulation in plants growing along the Rio Paguate, which flows through the Jackpile Mine, and open-pit U mine listed on the National Priority List as a Superfund site. Two villages of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico are in the vicinities of Jackpile Mine. Salt cedar plants showed U accumulation in their roots ranging from 25.2 – 58.9 mg kg-1. Microscopy and spectroscopy analyses of roots indicates that U appears to be entrapped in the cell walls in the roots. This preferable binding of U to the root cell walls may explain the U weak translocation toward salt cedars leaves. The second example is the response to the Gold King Mine spill that released a mixture of metals in the Animas River in southern Colorado. The Animas River flows from a heavily mineralized area (San Juan Mountain, Colorado) to an intensive agricultural area (Farmington, New Mexico), home of the Navajo Agricultural and Product Industry. Sediment samples collected 2 weeks after the spill showed lead, copper and zinc associated with clays, iron-(oxy)hydroxides, and jarosite.. Jarosite solubility at near-neutral pH and biogeochemical processes occurring downstream affect the remobilization of metals in sediments. This work has unique implications to better understand the delicate equilibrium of metals and surface water, sediments and plants downstream mine waste. This information is essential for determining the potential for metals exposure and to inform remediation strategies

Ganancia de peso acelerada en el lactante menor asociado a sobrepeso- obesidad en edad pre escolar. C.E.I. Santa Ana, Trujillo, 2015

Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre la ganancia de peso acelerada en el lactante menor y sobrepeso–obesidad en la edad pre escolar, en los niños del centro educativo inicial Santa Ana-Trujillo 2015 Material y Métodos: Se estudiaron 168 niños de 4 y 5 años de edad, de ambos sexos. El diseño de estudio fue observacional retrospectivo de casos y controles. En todos los niños se determino el IMC, incluyendo como casos a 56 niños con IMC mayor a +2DS y controles a 112 niños con IMC entre -2 y +2 DS. En todos ellos se indagó su peso al nacer y a los doce meses de edad. Se empleó la prueba estadística de Chi cuadrado con un valor de p<0.05 y el odds ratio con un IC al 95%. Resultados: La ganancia de peso acelerada a los doce meses de edad se presento en el 62.5 % de los casos y en el 44.6% de los controles. El OR fue de 2.07 con IC al 95% 1.07 –3.98. Conclusiones: La ganancia de peso acelerada en el lactante determinada a los doce meses de edad es un factor de riesgo para el desarrollo de sobrepeso-obesidad en la edad preescolar.Objective: Determine the association between fast weight gain in the first year and overweight during pre scholar age in children of early childhood education center, Santa Ana, Trujillo, 2015. Methods: The subjects of study were 168 children between 4 and 5 years old, both sex. The design of study is observational, retrospective, analytic, case-control, for every children was calculated the BMI, considering like cases 56 children with BMI higher +2 DS and like controls 112 children with BMI within -2 and +2 DS. The birth weight and weight at first year was inquired, for all case or control. The analysis of results was made using Chi - squared test, with p value less than 0.05 and odds ratio with IC of 95% Results: The rapid weight gain through the first year was in 62.5% of cases and 44.6 % of controls, with OR in 3.03 with IC of 95%, within 1.07 – 3.98. Conclusions: The rapid weight gain determined by the weight at 12 months old is a risk factor to develop overweight during pre scholar age.Tesi

A Scheduled Plan For an Indiana University Southeast Campus Garden

This is a research-based proposal for a campus garden at IUS focused on providing a scheduled plan for a successful garden based on learning from previous garden successes and failures at other schools