Dockside Shellfish Aquaculture Project, Smith, B

The intent of this project was to train private dock owners and marina personnel how to deploy and maintain “spat collectors” under their docks in an effort to capture commercially important shellfish larvae, scallops and oysters in particular, with a minimum amount of effort and cost. The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) provided major funding for this phase of the project, with addition funding from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and the Gulf of Maine Council (GOMC). This year’s effort expands upon the pilot studies that were funded previously by the New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP) and the Greater Piscataqua Community Foundation (GPCF). The larvae of most shellfish are free swimming, and can be carried by the tides, currents and wind a great distance. Most of the larvae never survive due to predation and lack of suitable habitat. If it were possible to capture even a small percentage of the larvae within a suitable predator free habitat, the resulting grown out shellfish could be used to enhance the existing beds of wild population shellfish. There are such programs currently being managed, including the Wild Scallop Enhancement Program in Maine and the Oyster Gardening Project on Chesapeake Bay. AERC was able to recruit a number of volunteers, or “Shellfish Stewards”, from the entire seacoast region to join in the project. Although there were challenges, the project was a success. The scallop spat collectors proved to work efficiently with minimal loss over the winter. Lots of shellfish larvae were found growing in the spat bags, with no predators present. Unfortunately, none of the targeted species were found in the bags. The oyster bags did not work as well; only three of the nine bags were covered to date. They may weigh too much, or have fouled too heavily and sank. The bags recovered had lots of shellfish spat growing on them, just no oysters. The next logical step in future efforts with the dockside aquaculture projects would be to consider the options of placing “pre-seeded” collectors onto the sites. AERC attempted to import scallops from the Maine enhancement program last summer as a contingency plan, but the transfer never occurred due to weather and logistical problems encountered at the time. AERC would like to thank our funding agencies for their support and aid in this research. Thanks as well to all of our shellfish stewards who dedicated their dock space, time and effort to help restore an important natural resource. Special thanks to Bill Marshall of the New Castle Conservation Committee, who was instrumental in recruiting our many shellfish stewards in New Castle. Bill also assisted the AERC staff in the deployment phase and was even there to tow us out of the mud during the retrieval operations

Strain specific interactions of Staphylococcus aureus with human endothelium

Staphylococcus aureus ist ein weit verbreitetes Pathogen, dass durch seine Virulenz eine Vielfalt an lebensbedrohlichen Krankheiten verursacht. Von besonderer Bedeutung ist die Interaktion der Bakterien mit dem Endothel, hier am Beispiel von HUVECs gezeigt. In dieser Arbeit wurden S. aureus Isolate identifiziert, deren Einfluss auf das Endothel extreme Unterschiede zeigt. Mit Hilfe dieser Isolate wurden initial die Mechanismen der stammspezifischen Antworten des Endothels untersucht. Anhand von bioinformatischen Methoden konnte für jedes einzelne Isolat ein unterschiedlicher Einfluss auf die Expression und Regulation einzelner Gene von HUVECs, welche unter anderem charakteristisch für Apoptose und angeborene Immunität sind, beobachtet werden. Die Apoptose-verursachenden Isolate, die die entsprechenden Gene über den NF-kB Signalweg regulierten, zeigen eine schnelle intrazelluläre Vermehrung. Die erhaltenen Daten können eine bedeutende Basis einer nicht antibiotischen Therapie darstellen.Staphylococcus aureus is a wide-spread human pathogen which, due to its virulence, causes a variety of life-threatening diseases. In particular, the bacteria interactions with endothelium are of critical importance. This work used S. aureus isolates with extreme pathophysiological behaviour to investigate mechanisms of variable strain-specific endothelial responses. Upon strain-specific infection, this research found principle differences in transcriptional regulation of HUVEC genes involved in innate immunity and cell death process. Bioinformatic gene enrichment and principal component analyses uncovered that heterogeneous HUVEC gene expression to strain-specific infection appears to be mediated by interferon and NF-kB signalling. The strains, mediated transcription through NF-kB signalling pathway, caused HUVEC apoptosis and showed rapid intracellular growth.The obtained data can be a base for generation of non-antibiotics therapies which might enhance targeted clinical diagnostics

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF)-Based Therapeutic Concepts in Atherosclerosis and Inflammation

Chemokines orchestrate leukocyte recruitment in atherosclerosis and their blockade is a promising anti-atherosclerotic strategy, but few chemokine-based approaches have advanced into clinical trials, in part owing to the complexity and redundancy of the chemokine network. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pivotal mediator of atherosclerotic lesion formation. It has been characterized as an inflammatory cytokine and atypical chemokine that promotes atherogenic leukocyte recruitment and lesional inflammation through interactions with the chemokine receptors CXCR2 and CXCR4, but also exhibits phase-specific CD74-mediated cardio-protective activity. The unique structural properties of MIF and its homologue MIF-2/DDT offer intriguing therapeutic opportunities including small molecule-, antibody- and peptide-based approaches that may hold promise as inhibitors of atherosclerosis, while sparing tissue-protective classical chemokine pathways. In this review, we summarize the pros and cons of anti-MIF protein strategies and discuss their molecular characteristics and receptor specificities with a focus on cardiovascular disease

Temperature calculation of soil foundation in geotechnical software packages

A crucial step in addressing the challenge of constructing shallow foundations on seasonally freezing heaving soils is performing temperature calculations of the soil foundation. The software packages Frost 3D and QFrost can be used for conducting these temperature calculations. This research compared the results of calculating frost penetration depths of a test site’s soil foundation using Frost 3D and QFrost with data from geotechnical monitoring. The test site was located in Tyumen, in the vicinity of the Bereznyaki settlement. The study found that using Frost 3D and QFrost software packages for modeling the soil foundation allows for determining frost penetration depths with an error of up to 3.5 %, indicating the reliability of the results and the possibility of using these software packages for performing temperature calculations

Plant MDL proteins synergize with the cytokine MIF at CXCR2 and CXCR4 receptors in human cells

Mammalian macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its paralog, D-dopachrome tautomerase, are multifunctional inflammatory cytokines. Plants have orthologous MIF and D-dopachrome tautomerase-like (MDL) proteins that mimic some of the effects of MIF on immune cells in vitro. We explored the structural and functional similarities between the three Arabidopsis thaliana MDLs and MIF. X-ray crystallography of the MDLs revealed high structural similarity between MDL and MIF homotrimers and suggested a potential explanation for the lack of tautomerase activity in the MDLs. MDL1 and MDL2 interacted with each other and with MIF in vitro, in yeast, and in plant leaves and formed hetero-oligomeric complexes with MIF in vitro. The MDLs stimulated signaling through the MIF receptors CXCR2 or CXCR4 and enhanced the responses to MIF in a yeast reporter system, in human neutrophils, and in human lung epithelial cells. Pharmacological inhibitors that disrupted MIF activity or prevented the formation of MIF-MDL hetero-oligomers blocked the observed synergism. These findings demonstrate that MDLs can enhance cellular responses to MIF, which may have functional implications in tissues exposed to MDLs from the diet or environment

Effekte von unterschiedlichen arithmetischen Lernstrategien auf die Lernleistung

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Arithmetische Kompetenzen spielen im Alltag eine wichtige Rolle. In Studien konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Lernstrategie, subjektive sowie kognitive Faktoren einen Einfluss auf den Lernerfolg haben können. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde der Einfluss von unterschiedlichen Lernstrategien auf die Lernleistung untersucht. Weiters wurden jüngere mit älteren Erwachsenen hinsichtlich ihres Lernerfolges verglichen sowie Zusammenhänge zwischen neuropsychologischen Maßen und dem Lernerfolg ermittelt. Ebenso wurden die Zusammenhänge zwischen dem Bildungsgrad und dem Lernerfolg untersucht. Methoden: Es wurden 40 gesunde Erwachsene untersucht. Zuerst erfolgte eine neuropsychologische Baseline-Untersuchung, eine Erhebung der arithmetischen Vorkenntnisse sowie ein Prätest zum Lernen anhand eines Algorithmus. Anschließend führten die Proband*innen ein fünftägiges arithmetisches Training mit für jede Lernbedingung sich wiederholenden Aufgaben durch. Es gab zwei Lernbedingungen: Lernen anhand eines vorgegebenen Algorithmus (Strategie) vs. Lernen durch Auswendiglernen der vorgegebenen Lösung (Gedächtnis). Hierbei wurden an jedem Trainingstag die Reaktionszeiten sowie die Genauigkeit erfasst. Ergebnisse: Proband*innen wurden vom ersten zum fünften Trainingstag in der Gedächtnis-Bedingung genauer als in der Strategie-Bedingung. In der Strategie-Bedingung hingegen wurden sie schneller als in der Gedächtnis-Bedingung. Weiters wurden jüngere Proband*innen (18-29 Jahre) vom ersten zum fünften Trainingstag schneller als ältere (44 bis 67 Jahre). Ebenso fand sich ein negativer Zusammenhang zwischen Setshifting und dem Lernerfolg über die Zeit hinsichtlich der Reaktionszeit. Weiters wiesen Proband*innen mit einem höheren Bildungsgrad eine höhere Genauigkeit und schnelle Reaktionszeiten auf. Konklusion: Diese Studie lieferte Erkenntnisse zu dem Einfluss unterschiedlicher arithmetischer Lernstrategien auf den Lernerfolg (Genauigkeit, Reaktionszeit) sowie zu dessen potenziellen Einflussgrößen (Alter, Bildung) und möglichen Zusammenhängen mit neuropsychologischen Maßen. Die Ergebnisse betonen die Relevanz der Lernstrategie sowie individueller Faktoren. Zukünftige Forschung sollte die Limitationen dieser Studie berücksichtigen und weitere mögliche Einflussfaktoren (z. B. Motivation) untersuchen sowie zur Entwicklung und Verbesserung von Interventionen in der Erwachsenenbildung beitragen.Background: Arithmetic competences are crucial in our daily lives. Studies showed that the type of learning strategies, as well as subjective and cognitive factors can influence the learning performance. In this thesis, the influence of different learning strategies on the learning performance (accuracy, latency) was examined. Furthermore, younger and older adults were compared regarding to their learning performances. Moreover, correlations between neuropsychological measures and the learning performance were analysed. In addition, the associations between educational level and learning performance were investigated. Methods: Forty healthy adults were examined. First, they performed neuropsychological baseline-tests, a test of prior arithmetic competences and a pretest on learning by an algorithm. Then, the participants completed a five-day arithmetic training with repeated tasks for each learning condition. There were two learning conditions: Learning based on a given algorithm (strategy) vs. learning by memorizing the given solution (memory). Latency and accuracy were recorded on each training day. Results: Participants became in the memory condition from the first to the fifth training day more accurate than in the strategy condition. In contrast, participants became in the strategy condition faster than in the memory condition. Furthermore, younger participants (18-29 years) improved their speed from the first to the fifth training day more than older participants (44-67 years). Results also showed a negative correlation between set-shifting and learning performance from the first to the fifth training day regarding latency. Furthermore, participants with a higher educational level showed higher accuracy and quicker responses. Conclusion: This study provided insights into the influence of different arithmetic learning strategies on learning performances (accuracy, latency) as well as of potential individual factors (age, education) and possible correlations with neuropsychological measures. These findings highlight the relevance of learning strategies and individual factors. Future research should consider the limitations of this study, investigate further potential factors (e.g. motivation) and contribute to the development and improvement of interventions in adult education.Masterarbeit Universität Innsbruck 202

Polychlorinated Biphenyls: A New Hazard for Historic Buildings

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are hazardous organic compounds best known for their use in transformers and electrical capacitors because of their non-combustibility and flexibility. Lesser known, but widespread, use in caulking, finishes, and paint is now coming to light because of health risks, particularly associated with their prevalence in schools. Humans can be exposed to PCBs in numerous ways: through deteriorating caulk that makes its way to the soil by rain run-off, by breathing contaminated air, or by dermal contact with the material. This thesis will give a brief introduction to the history of PCBs in building construction from about 1950 to 1980 before production, sale, and disposal was regulated through the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). The TSCA was one of a group of acts passed in the 1970’s to improve the quality of the environment including the Clean Air Act, Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. Although it will decrease the amount in the environment, proper removal of PCBs may have implications for historic buildings. Because PCBs often migrate into porous adjacent substrate, original materials may have to be abated as well. I was introduced to the topic of polychlorinated biphenyls during a summer internship when a client did not want to re-point within six inches of the windows on their historic building for fear of PCBs in the caulk. Partial re-pointing would have a detrimental effect on the appearance of the façade. This thesis will be illustrated with case studies of buildings containing PCBs and how they were managed. PCB abatement will continue to be a concern, especially in urban areas, because they are most commonly found in apartment buildings, schools, and larger office buildings. New York in particular has been examining PCB contamination in public schools. P.S. 199 in Manhattan, a 1963 building by noteworthy architect Edward Durell Stone is a prime example of New York City’s push to remove PCBs from public schools. The building was part of an initial PCB pilot study. A second case study is Westgate Dormitory at MIT where several brick courses contaminated with PCBs were removed. Case study three will focus on PCB migration in a concrete building on UMass Amherst’s campus. I will compare the techniques for abatement from the case studies to determine what parallels can be drawn. This thesis will give preservation instructions for buildings containing PCBs by providing a PCB abatement approach that is sensitive to the preservation of historic structures