Sensitivity of Antarctic Bottom Water to changes in Surface Buoyancy Fluxes

The influence of freshwater and heat flux changes on Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) properties are investigated within a realistic bathymetry coupled ocean–ice sector model of the Atlantic Ocean. The model simulations are conducted at eddy-permitting resolution where dense shelf water production dominates over open ocean convection in forming AABW. Freshwater and heat flux perturbations are applied independently and have contradictory surface responses, with increased upper-ocean temperature and reduced ice formation under heating and the opposite under increased freshwater fluxes. AABW transport into the abyssal ocean reduces under both flux changes, with the reduction in transport being proportional to the net buoyancy flux anomaly south of 60°S. Through inclusion of shelf-sourced AABW, a process absent from most current generation climate models, cooling and freshening of dense source water is facilitated via reduced on-shelf/off-shelf exchange flow. Such cooling is propagated to the abyssal ocean, while compensating warming in the deep ocean under heating introduces a decadal-scale variability of the abyssal water masses. This study emphasizes the fundamental role buoyancy plays in controlling AABW, as well as the importance of the inclusion of shelf-sourced AABW within climate models in order to attain the complete spectrum of possible climate change responses

The Effect of the Lake Restoration Project on Passerine Bird Diversity

A three page summary by six Furman students showing their research results on the lake restoration\u27s effects on passerine bird populations.https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/lake-documents/1017/thumbnail.jp

Non-Invasive Genetic Sampling of Faecal Material and Hair from the Grey-Headed Flying-Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus)

Remote-sampling DNA from animals offers obvious benefits for species that are difficult to sample directly and is less disruptive for species of conservation concern. Here we report the results of a pilot study investigating non-invasive DNA sampling of the grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus), a threatened species that is restricted to the east coast of Australia. We successfully extracted DNA from fresh scats and hair, each of which was of sufficient quality for amplifying mitochondrial DNA markers and microsatellites. A single-locus multitube approach was used to investigate amplification success and genotyping reliability. Faecal samples yielded a higher proportion of successful amplifications and consensus genotype assignments than hair samples. We outline measures that may be utilised to minimise microsatellite genotyping error for future studies. These indirect approaches to obtaining genetic data show much promise given the difficult nature of directly sampling flying-foxes and related species

Developing a Rodent Model of Adverse Menopausal Symptoms

poster abstractMenopause is a condition where severe depletion of estrogen levels leads to a cluster of adverse symptoms such as anxiety, cutaneous vasodilation/sudomotor "hot flashes", sleep disturbances, and appetite change (Freeman et al., 2005; Seritan et al., 2010). Previously, estrogen replacement therapy was the first line treatment for menopausal symptoms. However, it is no longer acceptable due to increased risk of cancer (Rossouw et al., 2002). Therefore there is a need for creating non-hormonal therapies to reduce the incidence of adverse menopausal-related symptoms. This is hindered by the limited understanding of menopausal symptoms and a lack of animal models of "hot flashes" (Nelson et al., 2006). Currently, the most accepted model of hot flashes is addicting female rats to morphine then inducing morphine withdrawal using naloxone (a ?-opioid receptor competitive antagonist) to provoke increases in tail temp (an indicator of cutaneous vasodilation). Yet, there is no evidence that the opioid system is disrupted in women with menopause [e.g., naloxone does not provoke "hot flashes" clinically (DeFazio et al., 1984)]. Here we induced a menopausal state by surgically removing the ovaries (OVEX) to deplete estrogen which induces a cluster of adverse menopause-like symptoms that include: 1) increased anxiety; 2) weight gain; and 3) disrupted diurnal skin and core body tempature changes. Additionally, we have developed an alternative model of "hot flashes" where administering yohimbine (an alpha2-adrenergic autoreceptor antagonist that provokes "hot flashes in menopausal women) resulted in "hot flash"-related increases in skin temp in OVEX, but not sham-OVEX, female rats

Meskwaki Nation Food Sovereignty Program Natural History and Soil Study

Research Objective: Investigate the physical and geochemical attributes of Meskwaki Settlement soils. Provide land use interpretations and recommendations in support of the Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Program - “Food sovereignty is the right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically, and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances...” emphasizing the impact of local foods, indigenous foods, and medicines in supporting the health and well-being of our community, while strengthening the economy, healing relationships with the land, and celebrating cultural identity. https://www.meskwaki.org/community-services/mfsi

Constraining the Composition of the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the East African Rift: FTIR Analysis of Water in Spinel Peridotite Mantle Xenoliths

The East African Rift System was initiated by the impingement of the Afar mantle plume on the base of the non-cratonic continental lithosphere (assembled during the Pan-African Orogeny), producing over 300,000 kmof continental flood basalts approx.30 Ma ago. The contribution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) to this voluminous period of volcanism is implied based on basaltic geochemical and isotopic data. However, the role of percolating melts on the SCLM composition is less clear. Metasomatism is capable of hybridizing or overprinting the geochemical signature of the SCLM. In addition, models suggest that adding fluids to lithospheric mantle affects its stability. We investigated the nature of the SCLM using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) to measure water content in mantle xenoliths entrained in young (1 Ma) basaltic lavas from the Ethiopian volcanic province. The mantle xenoliths consist dominantly of spinel lherzolites and are composed of nominally anhydrous minerals, which can contain trace water as H in mineral defects. Eleven mantle xenoliths come from the Injibara-Gojam region and two from the Mega-Sidamo region. Water abundances of olivines in six samples are 1-5ppm H2O while the rest are below the limit of detection (<0.5 ppm H2O); orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene contain 80-238 and 111-340 ppm wt H2O, respectively. Two xenoliths have higher water contents - a websterite (470 ppm) and dunite (229 ppm), consistent with involvement of ascending melts. The low water content of the upper SCLM beneath Ethiopia is as dry as the oceanic mantle except for small domains represented by percolating melts. Consequently, rifting of the East African lithosphere may not have been facilitated by a hydrated upper mantle

Using Video iPods to Teach Nursing Skills to BSN Nursing Stu

The use of technology has increased in several teaching institutions. These technologies include podcasting, webbased teaching and simulation. The purpose of this project is to compare student performance between students who are taught nursing skills by faculty demonstration and those taught nursing skills delivered via video iPods. [See PDF for complete abstract

A NOVEL APPROACH TO MODELING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND THE ROLE OF THE OREXIN SYSTEM

poster abstractMenopausal symptoms become prevalent in conditions associated with depletion of estrogens [e.g., ovariectomy surgery or with breast cancer treatments that block estrogen activity (e.g., tamoxifen or aromatase inhibition therapy)]. The primary menopause associated symptom is cutaneous vasodilation “hot flashes”, but also includes sleep and mood disruption (Freeman et al., 2005; Seritan et al., 2010). Although the cause of menopausal symptoms is poorly understood, it is well-established that the hypothalamus: 1) plays a critical role in thermoregulation, sleep wake activity and emotional responses; and 2) has high and fairly exclusive expression of both estrogen α and β receptors (Laflamme et al., 1998). A recently discovered neuropeptide called Orexin (ORX) is exclusively synthesized in the perifornical hypothalamus (PeF). This neuropeptide plays a critical role in arousal, anxiety (Johnson et al., 2010), and body temperature regulation (Rusyniak et al., 2011), but is also severely elevated in the brain of postmenopausal women (El-Sedeek et al., 2010) and reduced in control subjects following estrogen replacement. Therefore, loss of normal inhibitory control by estrogens of the ORX system may lead to menopausal-related symptoms, and ORX antagonists could constitute a potential novel treatment strategy for adverse menopausal symptoms. In support of this hypothesis, ovariectomized (OVEX), female rats, compared to sham controls, had significantly greater anxiety at baseline which was blocked by administration of an ORX1 receptor (ORX1R) antagonist (SB334867, 25mg/kg ip) or estrogen replacement. Administration of a sub-threshold dose of FG-7142 (a partial inverse GABAA receptor agonist, 3mg/kg ip) caused higher (~6°C) and longer tail skin flushes in OVEX rats, which was attenuated with similar pretreatment with an ORX1R antagonist or with estrogen replacement. These results indicate a novel role for both the GABA and ORX systems in menopausal symptoms and further research aims to elucidate the mechanisms of dysfunction of these systems in the menopausal state

A unified dataset of colocated sewage pollution, periphyton, and benthic macroinvertebrate community and food web structure from Lake Baikal (Siberia)

Sewage released from lakeside development can introduce nutrients and micropollutants that can restructure aquatic ecosystems. Lake Baikal, the world’s most ancient, biodiverse, and voluminous freshwater lake, has been experiencing localized sewage pollution from lakeside settlements. Nearby increasing filamentous algal abundance suggests benthic communities are responding to localized pollution. We surveyed 40-km of Lake Baikal’s southwestern shoreline from 19 to 23 August 2015 for sewage indicators, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics, with colocated periphyton, macroinvertebrate, stable isotope, and fatty acid samplings. The data are structured in a tidy format (a tabular arrangement familiar to limnologists) to encourage reuse. Unique identifiers corresponding to sampling locations are retained throughout all data files to facilitate interoperability among the dataset’s 150+ variables. For Lake Baikal studies, these data can support continued monitoring and research efforts. For global studies of lakes, these data can help characterize sewage prevalence and ecological consequences of anthropogenic disturbance across spatial scales