A Market for Immigration

Illegal immigration imposes large economic costs on U.s. taxpayers. The costs are disproportionately concentrated on citizens of southern border states and of other states in which illegal immigrants concentrate. The illegal immigrants themselves also suffer significant costs of migration, such as monetary payments for transportation to or across the border and physical costs, including death. These costs, as well as the benefits to the economy of the illegal immigrant labor force, have been the subject of heated political debate, and polls show that Us. citizens place the issue of immigration at or near the top of the list of domestic problems that must be addressed. The issue of illegal immigration, particularly from Mexico, is doubly important, in that it is also perceived as a national security problem. Dealing with illegal immigration is a thorny political problem, since both political parties seek to curry favor with the Hispanic population, which is now the largest Us. minority community. Hence, Congress has been reluctant to take drastic action to strengthen border security or to enforce immigration law on illegal immigrants already in the United States unless they commit felonies. This study looks at the impacts on the United States and on potential immigrants of a legal market for immigration into the U. S. The current immigration laws and regulations are summarized, and rules for an immigration market are identified. The basic provision of a market for immigration would allow individuals who qualified for immigration to the United States under current laws and quotas, and who had been awarded legal immigrant status, to sell their right to immigrate to others who could qualify under the law, but who had not completed the process to obtain legal immigrant status. The effects of those structures and rules on legal and illegal immigration are analyzed in the context of economic efficiency and equity. Estimates of the impact of a market for immigration on costs and benefits of immigration, including illegal immigration, are provided, and policy recommendations are identified

Potential of Water and Salt Yields From Surface Runoff on Public Lands in the Price River Basin

The report examines possible sources of dissolved salts in the Price River basin. Ephemeral and intermittent streams contributed dissolved salts and are the focus of the study. Seven subwatersheds and the Price River at Heiner are investigated to examine the effects of existing watershed characteristics on runoff and dissolved salts production. Alternatley, the report examines the effects of specific land treatments on surface runoff quantity and quality. Various instrumentation techniques are evalauted to help improve future data collected capabilities in intermittent channels. The examination of the data reveals various trends that might be considered for further investigation in subsequent studies

The meadow jumping mouse genome and transcriptome suggest mechanisms of hibernation [preprint]

Hibernating mammals exhibit medically relevant phenotypes, but the genetic basis of hibernation remains poorly understood. Using the meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius), we investigated the genetic underpinnings of hibernation by uniting experimental and comparative genomic approaches. We assembled a Z. hudsonius genome and identified widespread expression changes during hibernation in genes important for circadian rhythm, membrane fluidity, and cell cycle arrest. Tissue-specific gene expression changes during torpor encompassed Wnt signaling in the brain and structural and transport functions in the kidney brush border. Using genomes from the closely related Zapus oregonus (previously classified as Z. princeps) and leveraging a panel of hibernating and non-hibernating rodents, we found selective pressure on genes involved in feeding behavior, metabolism, and cell biological processes potentially important for function at low body temperature. Leptin stands out with elevated conservation in hibernating rodents, implying a role for this metabolic hormone in triggering fattening and hibernation. These findings illustrate that mammalian hibernation requires adaptation at all levels of organismal form and function and lay the groundwork for future study of hibernation phenotypes

2-Oxo-N-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline-6-sulfonamides as activators of the tumor cell specific M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase

Compared to normal differentiated cells, cancer cells have altered metabolic regulation to support biosynthesis and the expression of the M2 isozyme of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) plays an important role in this anabolic metabolism. While the M1 isoform is a highly active enzyme, the alternatively spliced M2 variant is considerably less active and expressed in tumors. While the exact mechanism by which decreased pyruvate kinase activity contributes to anabolic metabolism remains unclear, it is hypothesized that activation of PKM2 to levels seen with PKM1 may promote a metabolic program that is not conducive to cell proliferation. Here we report the third chemotype in a series of PKM2 activators based on the 2-oxo-N-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline-6-sulfonamide scaffold. The synthesis, structure activity relationships, selectivity and notable physiochemical properties are described.National Human Genome Research Institute (U.S.) (Molecular Libraries Initiative of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research

Salt Uptake in Natural Channels Traversing Mancos Shales in the Price River Basin, Utah

Field and laboratory measurements of process rates for runoff and salt movement were used to develop and calibrate a hydrosalinity model of outlfows from the Price River Basin at Woodside, Utah. The field measurements were specifically used to formulate a model for estimating surface flow (both overland and from small ephemeral channels) in the Coal Creek Basin on the valley floor of the Price River Basin. The basin simulation assessment model (BSAM) was used to combine local flows and model total outflow from the Price River. The results must be regarded as a first generation model that, while giving ostensibly reasonable results, needs much additional refinement and validation by collecting additional field data. As to field data, observed salt loading rates reached 518 pounds per square mile daily, groundwater inflow declined steadily throughout the summer but maintained constant salt concentrations, channel efflorescence varied more than 100 fold with the largest concentrations occurring in saturated bed material, and turbulent mixing and cyclic drying added to salt dissolution rates. Extrapolation of the results with the Coal Creek model showed only a very small percentage of the salt loading from the valley floor to originate from natural lands. BSAM showed average annual salt leaving the Basin at Woodside to be 190,000 tons, 114,000 coming from the mountain area and 76,000 from the valley floor. Of the valley floor contribution, only 3,500 tons are produced by surface runoff from nonirrigated areas. Topics to be emphasized in further model development include salt contribution from percolation snowmelt on natural lands, groundwater movement, the formation and dissolution of efflorescence, and salt-sediment transport by the sharp hydrographs on small ephemeral streams

Pyruvate kinase M2 activation may protect against the progression of diabetic glomerular pathology and mitochondrial dysfunction

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease, and therapeutic options for preventing its progression are limited. To identify novel therapeutic strategies, we studied protective factors for DN using proteomics on glomeruli from individuals with extreme duration of diabetes (≥ 50 years) without DN and those with histologic signs of DN. Enzymes in the glycolytic, sorbitol, methylglyoxal and mitochondrial pathways were elevated in individuals without DN. In particular, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) expression and activity were upregulated. Mechanistically, we showed that hyperglycemia and diabetes decreased PKM2 tetramer formation and activity by sulfenylation in mouse glomeruli and cultured podocytes. Pkm-knockdown immortalized mouse podocytes had higher levels of toxic glucose metabolites, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. Podocyte-specific Pkm2-knockout (KO) mice with diabetes developed worse albuminuria and glomerular pathology. Conversely, we found that pharmacological activation of PKM2 by a small-molecule PKM2 activator, TEPP-46, reversed hyperglycemia-induced elevation in toxic glucose metabolites and mitochondrial dysfunction, partially by increasing glycolytic flux and PGC-1α mRNA in cultured podocytes. In intervention studies using DBA2/J and Nos3 (eNos) KO mouse models of diabetes, TEPP-46 treatment reversed metabolic abnormalities, mitochondrial dysfunction and kidney pathology. Thus, PKM2 activation may protect against DN by increasing glucose metabolic flux, inhibiting the production of toxic glucose metabolites and inducing mitochondrial biogenesis to restore mitochondrial function

Pyruvate kinase M2 activators promote tetramer formation and suppress tumorigenesis

Cancer cells engage in a metabolic program to enhance biosynthesis and support cell proliferation. The regulatory properties of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) influence altered glucose metabolism in cancer. PKM2 interaction with phosphotyrosine-containing proteins inhibits enzyme activity and increases availability of glycolytic metabolites to support cell proliferation. This suggests that high pyruvate kinase activity may suppress tumor growth. We show that expression of PKM1, the pyruvate kinase isoform with high constitutive activity, or exposure to published small molecule PKM2 activators inhibit growth of xenograft tumors. Structural studies reveal that small molecule activators bind PKM2 at the subunit interaction interface, a site distinct from that of the endogenous activator fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). However, unlike FBP, binding of activators to PKM2 promotes a constitutively active enzyme state that is resistant to inhibition by tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. These data support the notion that small molecule activation of PKM2 can interfere with anabolic metabolism

Determinants of U.S. Intercounty Migration

Population growth in the United States during the last two decades of the twentieth century was accompanied by major population shifts at the county level. It is clear that the dominant cause of relative change in county populations has been intercounty migration, rather than immigration from abroad or differences in natural population increase at the county level. Studies of migration typically examine migration between countries, or, in the United States, migration between states. The very few studies done on Us. intercounty migration attempt to explain migration on the basis of a limited range of variables. The current study uses an econometric model to identifY the importance of economic, demographic, social, environmental, and geographic variables in influencing the direction and magnitude of net in-migration for us. counties in 1990. While many of the conclusions are consistent with past research and general perception, others are not. Specifically, it is found that differences in unemployment rates among counties is not a significant determinant of intercounty migration, nor is violent crime. The percentage of married households in the county has a negative effect on net county in-migration, while average household size has a positive effect. The effect on net county in-migration of religious concentration in the county is almost always negative, regardless of which religion is involved,· but the direction of the effect of ethnic or ancestry concentration depends on which ethnic or ancestry group is involved. Both average county real per capita income and average years of education have aU-shaped impact on net in-migration

Migration Turnover Rates in Mountain States Counties

Studies of migration typically examine migration between countries, or, in the United States, migration between states. Recently, there have been several studies done on the determinants of migration at the county level. The current study introduces a new concept into the migration literature: the migration turnover rate (MTR). The migration turnover rate is similar to an employee turnover rate in that it measures the turnover through in-migration and out-migration of the population of an area during a given period of time. The MTR is measured as the minimum of gross in-migration and gross out-migration over the period, as a percentage of the population of the area. Just as employee turnover creates costs for the employer, population turnover creates costs for society. Hence, understanding the determinants of MTR will be useful in predicting and preparing for the associated costs. The study identifies migration turnover rates by county for the Mountain States for the period 1985-1990, and uses an econometric model to identify the importance of a variety of factors associated with counties in influencing the size of MTR. It is found that a number of economic, demographic, social, environmental, geographic, and political variables are significant determinants of county MTR