Microbial abundance and activity in low-conductivity aquifer system in east-central Texas

A B S T R A C T The influence of sediment properties and groundwater geochemistry on microbial abundance and activity was examined in a Gulf Coast aquifer system. Three boreholes were drilled into the sands, silts, clays, and lignite of the Eocene Yegua formation, and wells were installed in all water-bearing sands. Total numbers of microorganisms ranged from 10 6 to 10 8 cells g −1 dry weight (gdw −1 ), and viable counts ranged from 0 to 10 6 cells gdw −1 . The highest densities of anaerobic heterotrophs and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB; 10 5 and 10 6 cells gdw −1 , respectively) were measured in the deepest aquifer sands (28-31 m), even though the total organic carbon content was very low. Rates of anaerobic H 2 , lactate, and formate consumption were also high in aquifer sands, relative to the other strata. The higher microorganism numbers and activities in the aquifer sediments likely reflect the importance of increased electron donor and acceptor transport in higher hydraulic conductivity sands, relative to other strata

A Thousand Contradictory Ways: Addiction, Neuroscience, and Expert Autobiography

Neuroscientific accounts of addiction are increasingly influential in health and medical circles. At the same time a diverse, if equally scientifically focused, opposition to addiction neuroscience is emerging. In this struggle over the merits of addiction neuroscience are elements of a uniquely 21st-century public engagement with science. No longer trusted by the public as the unerring source of objective knowledge about the world, science is, at least in some contexts, increasingly treated as just one voice among many. Observing the difficulties this loss of faith in science poses for effective action on pressing issues such as climate change, philosopher Bruno Latour develops a different (ecological) approach to scientific knowledge, one that for the first time allows scientists (and other “moderns”) to understand it for what it really is and locate it “diplomatically” alongside other modes of knowing. In this article, I ask whether a similar innovation is needed to allow more effective understanding of addiction. I explore this question by analyzing two recent, widely discussed, popular books (Marc Lewis’s Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs, 2011 and Carl Hart’s High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-discovery that Challenges Everything You Think You Know About Drugs and Society, 2013) as well as reviews of these books. Written by neuroscientists, and drawing heavily on personal memoir to illustrate and ratify their competing views on drugs and addiction, both books crystallize contemporary dilemmas about science, empiricism, and the nature of evidence and truth. How are we to understand their mix of “scientific fact” and individual self-observation, what does this mix suggest about scientific knowledge, and what are its implications for dominant notions of “evidence-based” drug policy and treatment? I argue that these books both trouble and reinforce our taken-for-granted distinctions between science and personal stories, between objectivity and subjectivity, and note the lost opportunities the books represent for a more searching and productive (Latour might say “ecological”) engagement with science

Geochemistry of the Yegua Aquifer system and its relation to microbial processes

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references.Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.Two sediment cores (NP-I and NP-3) were taken from the Yegua formation in East-central Texas and analyzed for sedimentology, geochemistry, and microbiology to assess the relationship between geochemistry and microbial processes. Both cows suggest a deltaic origin for this region. NP-1 is likely an overbank or floodplain deposit. NP-3 is likely a bar or channel deposit. Groundwater wells were installed in the boreholes and screened in the watersaturated sands (37-42 feet and 9 1-I 01 feet below the surface, respectively). Another well (NP-2), 50 feet to the south of NP-3, was screened at 37-47 feet below the surface. The wells were sampled routinely for geochemistry and microbiology. Total organic carbon (TOC) contents range from 0.01 to over 60 weight percent, and, except in soil intervals, have the 813C signature Of C3 plants. Soil intervals have a noticeable 13C contribution from C4 plants. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) contents and 5 13C values suggest that NP-I water has been influenced by dissolution of a carbonate with a 813C of less than 09o'o. NP-2 and NP-3 waters have been influenced by carbonate dissolution and organic matter oxidation. Microbial and geochemical data suggest that sulfide oxidation is occurring in NP-I and NP-2 waters. These waters have moderate to high sulfate and Fe2+ concentrations, low pH (-6 or less), and are supersaturated with respect to jarosite, a weathering product of pyrite, according to the speciation model WATEQF. Both sulfur oxidizing and sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are present in these waters. NP-3 sediments from the screened interval contain SRB. NP-3 waters are low in sulfate and Fe2+, and have a pH above 7. This suggests that sulfate reduction is more dominant at deeper depths. Sulfur oxidizing bacteria and SRB can be cultured from these waters as well. A syntrophic relationship may exist in these sediments and waters between sulfur oxidizers and sulfate reducers. Iron cycling in these sediments appears to be dependent on sulfur cycling, rather than an independent process. SRB numbers correlate with sand content, and bacterial numbers are not limited by carbon source or electron acceptors

Detection and discrimination of electrical stimuli from an upper limb cuff electrode in M. Mulatta

We examined psychophysical data over several months from detection and discrimination experiments performed with macacque monkeys. Each trial is recorded in the data. Result column codes: Miss=0, Hit=1, False Alarm=2, Correct Rejection=3. Python data wrangling software for the experiment can be obtained at https://github.com/schlich/psychoanalyze.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Review of Naturalistic Teaching Models for Children with Autism.

Color poster describing research conducted by Matthew H. Newquist and Kevin Schlichenmeyer, advised by Kevin P. Klatt.Within Applied Behavior Analysis, several different naturalistic teaching models are used to teach skills to children with autism. These models include: Incidental Teaching (IT), Milieu Teaching (MT), Natural Language Paradigm (NLP), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT), Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (PMT), Multiple Incidental Teaching Sessions (MITS), and Speech and Play Enhancement for Autistic Kids (SPEAK). A review of these models is provided for readers to discern the similarities and differences of these models.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

The Effect of Trained Attending on Skill Acquisition Rate in Canines

Color poster with text, images, and graphs describing research conducted by Kevin Schlickenmeyer and Jeffrey Miller, advised by Daniel D. Holt.Established dog trainers have used anecdotal evidence to make the claim that the training of an attending response is crucial for effective teaching. Although there is empirical support from human studies on the importance of trained attending (Fox, 1977) there is no research in the animal training literature to confirm these findings. The present study assessed the effect of a trained attending response on rate of acquisition in canines.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR EVOKED BY DISRUPTION OF RITUALISTIC TOY ARRANGEMENTS IN A CHILD WITH AUTISM

A functional analysis suggested that the problem behavior of a 9-year-old girl with autism was maintained by gaining the opportunity to restore ritualistic toy arrangements that had been disrupted. Functional communication training and extinction produced clear decreases in problem behavior in 2 contexts: 1 in which we removed a play item, and 1 in which we merely relocated the item and blocked its rearrangement

Stimulus Fading and Response Elaboration in Differential Reinforcement for Alternative Behavior

A hallmark of applied behavior analysis is the development of function-based interventions for problem behavior. A widely recommended function-based intervention is differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA), in which reinforcement is contingent upon socially acceptable alternatives to problem behavior (e.g., teaching communication skills). Typically, DRA is introduced under rich schedules of reinforcement. Although effective for initiating behavior change, rich schedules are often impractical in the natural setting. In this study, we evaluated the extent to which a stimulus fading program could be employed to elaborate alternative behavior (mands) in two individuals diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. For both participants, problem behavior was reduced substantially upon implementation of the DRA procedure. Further, problem behavior rates remained low and mand rates decreased to more practical levels as the DRA behavioral requirements increased during the fading program. The fading approach demonstrated in this paper may be a useful component of intervention packages for clinicians