Pacific Eider Breeding Biology And Habitat Use On The Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 198

An energy-consistent depth-averaged Euler system: derivation and properties

In this paper, we present an original derivation process of a non-hydrostatic shallow water-type model which aims at approximating the incompressible Euler and Navier-Stokes systems with free surface. The closure relations are obtained by aminimal energy constraint instead of an asymptotic expansion. The model slightly differs from thewell-known Green-Naghdi model and is confronted with stationary andanalytical solutions of the Euler system corresponding to rotationalflows. At the end of the paper, we givetime-dependent analytical solutions for the Euler system that are alsoanalytical solutions for the proposed model but that are not solutionsof the Green-Naghdi model. We also give and compare analytical solutions of thetwo non-hydrostatic shallow water models

Proinflammatory cytokines differentially influence adult hippocampal cell proliferation depending upon the route and chronicity of administration

Disturbances of hippocampal plasticity, including impaired dendritic branching and reductions of neurogenesis, are provoked by stressful insults and may occur in depression. Although corticoids likely contribute to stressor-induced reductions of neurogenesis, other signaling messengers, including pro-inflammatory cytokines might also be involved. Accordingly, the present investigation assessed whether three proinflammatory cytokines, namely interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (associated with depression) influenced cellular proliferation within the hippocampus. In this regard, systemic administration of TNF-α reduced 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling within the hippocampus, whereas IL-1β and IL-6 had no such effect. However, repeated but not a single intra-hippocampal infusion of IL-6 and IL-1β actually increased cellular proliferation and IL-6 infusion also enhanced microglial staining within the hippocampus. Yet, no changes in doublecortin expression were apparent, suggesting that the cytokine did not influence the birth of cells destined to become neurons. Essentially, the route of administration and chronicity of cytokine administration had a marked influence upon the nature of hippocampal alterations provoked, suggesting that cytokines may differentially regulate hippocampal plasticity in neuropsychiatric conditions

Developmental and Regional Studies of the Metabolism of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate in Rat Brain

Coupling of CNS receptors to phosphoinositide turnover has previously been found to vary with both age and brain region. To determine whether the metabolism of the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate also displays such variations, activities of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 5′-phosphatase and 3′-kinase were measured in developing rat cerebral cortex and adult rat brain regions. The 5′-phosphatase activity was relatively high at birth (∼50% of adult values) and increased to adult levels by 2 weeks postnatal. In contrast, the 3′-kinase activity was low at birth and reached ∼50% of adult levels by 2 weeks postnatal. In the adult rat, activities of the 3′-kinase were comparable in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum, whereas much lower activities were found in hypothalamus and pons/medulla. The 5′-phosphatase activities were similar in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and pons/medulla, whereas 5-to 10-fold higher activity was present in the cerebellum. The cerebellum is estimated to contain 50–60% of the total inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 5′-phosphatase activity present in whole adult rat brain. The localization of the enriched 5′-phosphatase activity within the cerebellum was examined. Application of a histochemical lead-trapping technique for phosphatase indicated a concentration of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 5′-phosphatase activity in the cerebellar molecular layer. Further support for this conclusion was obtained from studies of Purkinje cell-deficient mutant mice, in which a marked decrement of cerebellar 5′-phosphatase was observed. These results suggest that the metabolic fate of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate depends on both brain region and stage of development.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65545/1/j.1471-4159.1990.tb01976.x.pd

OSAMOAL: optimized simulations by adapted models using asymptotic limits

We propose in this work to address the problem of model adaptation, dedicated to hyper- bolic models with relaxation and to their parabolic limit. The goal is to replace a hyperbolic system of balance laws (the so-called fine model) by its parabolic limit (the so-called coarse model), in delimited parts of the computational domain. Our method is based on the construction of asymptotic preserving schemes and on interfacial coupling methods between hyperbolic and parabolic models. We study in parallel the cases of the Goldstein-Taylor model and of the p-system with friction

Cholesterol Synthesis and Nerve Regeneration

In this report, we examine the requirement of cholesterol biosynthesis and its axonal transport for goldfish optic nerve regeneration. Cholesterol, labeled by intraocular injection of [ 3 H]mevalonolactone. exhibited a delayed appearance in the optic tectum. Squalene and other minor components were labeled but not transported. Following optic nerve crush, the amount of labeled cholesterol transport was elevated, while retinal labeling was not altered relative to control fish. A requirement for cholesterol biosynthesis is inferred from the inhibition of neurite outgrowth in retinal explants caused by the cholesterol synthesis inhibitor, 20, 25-diazacholes-terol. The inhibition of growth could be overcome by addition of mevalonolactone, but not cholesterol, to the medium. Intraperitoneal administration of 200 nmol of dia-zacholesterol resulted in 92-98% inhibition of retinal cholesterol synthesis and accumulation of labeled des-mosterol and other lipids in fish retina and brain which persisted for 2 weeks. Diazacholesterol-treated fish showed no reduction in the amount of lipid-soluble radioactivity transported following intraocular injection of [ 3 H]mevalonolactone, but there were alterations in the chromatographic pattern of the transported labeled lipids. In contrast to its effects on neurite outgrowth in vitro , diazacholesterol did not inhibit optic nerve regeneration in vivo , as measured both by arrival of labeled rapidly transported protein at the tectum and by time required for the return of visual function.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65710/1/j.1471-4159.1984.tb12701.x.pd

Recurrence of Stachybotrys chartarum during mycological and toxicological study of bioaerosols collected in a dairy cattle shed

International audienceAgricultural occupations associated with animal breeding and the processing of animal materials in confinement systems could potentially lead to bioaerosol exposures. Moulds and mycotoxins could be constituents of bioaerosols and should be studied because of their possible involvement in respiratory diseases and cancers. In order to characterize the fungal contamination of the indoor air in a dairy barn, bioaerosols were collected during 20 days in a cattle farm located in Normandy (France). Mycobiota, mycotoxins and the mutagenicity of bioaerosols were studied. The toxigenic ability of Aspergillus flavus group and Aspergillus fumigatus isolates was also evaluated in vitro. The prevalent airborne moulds were from the following potentially toxigenic species: Aspergillus flavus group, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys chartarum, and the allergenic species Ulocladium chartarum, Cladosporium cladosporioides. In comparison with harvesting, grain handling or broiler breeding, the concentrations of viable moulds were lower in the cattle shed. Seasonal variations in levels of several species were also observed. This study revealed that aflatoxins were detected in bioaerosols and, for the first time, showed that farmers are possibly exposed to Stachybotrys chartarum during routine barn work. Moreover, the finding of mutagenicity from bioaerosols needs further investigations on bioaerosol composition

OSAMOAL: optimized simulations by adapted models using asymptotic limits

We propose in this work to address the problem of model adaptation, dedicated to hyper- bolic models with relaxation and to their parabolic limit. The goal is to replace a hyperbolic system of balance laws (the so-called fine model) by its parabolic limit (the so-called coarse model), in delimited parts of the computational domain. Our method is based on the construction of asymptotic preserving schemes and on interfacial coupling methods between hyperbolic and parabolic models. We study in parallel the cases of the Goldstein-Taylor model and of the p-system with friction

Income inequality and social gradients in children’s height: a comparison of cohort studies from five high-income countries

Background Health and well-being are better, on average, in countries that are more equal, but less is known about how this benefit is distributed across society. Height is a widely used, objective indicator of child health and predictor of lifelong well-being. We compared the level and slope of social gradients in children's height in high-income countries with different levels of income inequality, in order to investigate whether children growing up in all socioeconomic circumstances are healthier in more equal countries. Methods We conducted a coordinated analysis of data from five cohort studies from countries selected to represent different levels of income inequality (the USA, UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Sweden). We used standardised methods to compare social gradients in children's height at age 4-6 years, by parent education status and household income. We used linear regression models and predicted height for children with the same age, sex and socioeconomic circumstances in each cohort. Results The total analytic sample was 37 063 children aged 4-6 years. Gradients by parent education and household income varied between cohorts and outcomes. After adjusting for differences in age and sex, children in more equal countries (Sweden, the Netherlands) were taller at all levels of parent education and household income than children in less equal countries (USA, UK and Australia), with the greatest between-country differences among children with less educated parents and lowest household incomes. Conclusions The study provides preliminary evidence that children across society do better in more equal countries, with greatest benefit among children from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic groups