Suppression of anchorage-independent growth after gene transfection.

A novel procedure for isolating anchorage-dependent cells has been developed. It involves negative selection of cells growing in suspension followed by clonal replica screening for anchorage-dependent growth. Cells which have regained anchorage-dependent growth have been isolated from a library of the Chinese hamster ovary cell line, CHO-K1, transfected with pSV2neo and human genomic DNA. One anchorage-dependent clone, 1042AC, has been studied in detail. Anchorage-dependent growth of 1042AC is stable when cultured as adherent monolayers, but revertants appear rapidly when cultured in suspension. Suppression is unlikely to be due to loss or mutation of hamster genes conferring anchorage-independent growth as hybrids between 1042AC and CHO-K1 have the suppressed phenotype of 1042AC. Furthermore, a population of cells obtained from the hybrid by selecting for revertants to anchorage-independent growth showed selective loss of the transgenome derived from 1042AC. The growth suppression was not due to transfection of the human Krev-1 gene, which has previously been shown to restore anchorage-dependent growth, nor was there any evidence of alteration in the endogenous hamster Krev-1 gene. However, evidence for a human gene being responsible for the suppressed phenotype has not been obtained yet

Slash-pile biomass estimations and Carbon Cycling in the Coastal Temperate Rainforest of the Pacific Northwest

Logging residue (slash) consists primarily of the branches and treetops of harvested merchantable timber; excluding snags, downed logs, and stumps. Residues may be scattered about the harvest unit, concentrated in slash-piles (SP), or both depending on the harvest method and equipment used. Accurate estimates of residue biomass are useful to managers who allocate resources for smoke abatement, fire-risk reduction, and regeneration efforts, and to landowners who bear the financial burden of such activities (Cross, et al., 2013). Changes in national and state energy policies have created opportunities for offsite utilization of residues provided sufficient quantities are deliverable at competitive prices. The analysis of direct field measurements seeks to update the estimators of wood in piled logging residue (Little, 1982) and biomass supply studies based on those estimators (Hardy, 1996; Howard, 1978, 1981; Kerstetter and Lyons, 2001). The purposes of this project are to: (1) Quantify the biomass from logging residue through standard field sampling methods on timber conservation land; (2) Use remote sensing instruments to derive data and calculate slash-pile volume with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), camera, apps, laptop, software, etc. referred to as the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS); (3) Compare the two methods of field sampling and UAS volume per slash-pile and determine variability between results; (4) Determine decay class from field sampling data of moisture, temperature, and slash composition, with estimations for future decomposition rates; and (5) Estimate the slash-pile “carbon cycling schedule”, carbon credit potential, and possible agroforestry technique

Spatial and temporal patterns of Cenozoic dynamic topography around Australia

[1] Despite its importance, the spatial and temporal pattern of dynamic topography generated by mantle convective circulation is poorly known. We present accurate estimates of dynamic topography from oceanic basins and continental margins surrounding Australia. Our starting point is measurement of residual depth anomalies on the oldest oceanic floor adjacent to the continental shelf. These anomalies were determined from a combined dataset of ~200 seismic reflection and wide-angle images of well-sedimented oceanic crust. They have amplitudes of between −1 km and +0.5 km, and their spatial variation is broadly consistent with long-wavelength free-air gravity and shallow seismic tomographic anomalies. Along the Northwest Shelf, a regional depth anomaly of −300 to −700 m intersects the adjacent continental shelf. The temporal evolution of this anomaly was determined by analyzing the stratigraphic architecture of an extensive carbonate platform, which fringes the shelf and records a dramatic switch from progradation to aggradation during Neogene times. Three-dimensional seismic mapping calibrated by boreholes was used to calculate water-loaded subsidence histories at rollover points of clinoforms along the shelf. At 9 ± 3 Ma, the rate of subsidence increases from 5 to up 75 m Myr−1, generating a subsidence anomaly of −300 to −700 m. The amplitude of this anomaly varies along the shelf and cannot be generated by glacio-eustatic sea-level variation. Instead, we propose that a regional subsidence episode, which affects both the proximal shelf and the distal oceanic basin, was generated by convective drawdown. By combining our results with other published estimates of uplift and subsidence, a map of Australia, which shows the spatial and temporal pattern of dynamic topography is presented. Most, but not all, of Australia's epeirogeny can be attributed to rapid northward motion of the Australian plate over a pre-existing pattern of convective circulation

Family Sustainable Survival and the Advocacy Response Scale based on Rural Perspectives of Additives and Chemical Exposures

Learning is lifelong, life-wide and life-deep, meaning it happens anywhere, at any time (Banks, et al., 2007). The implications of learning with intent, is where “free choice learning” began (Falk and Dierking, 2002; 2010). Families play a vital role in developing an integrated curriculum including: rural anthropology (epigenetics, tribalism), Geosciences (disaster preparedness, ecology, agroforestry), sociology (psychology of survival, adaptive capacity). These seemed like unrelated topics until I surveyed 25 individuals. I discovered both acute and chronic scenarios that led me to develop a concept I call “sustainable survival”. After speaking with 10 families using it's forced choice questions (scalar 1-5) followed by open-ended questions (ethnographic interview methods), I created an Advocacy Response Scale based on their self-reported perceived knowledge, concerns and interests in survival, sustainability, additives in food/water and exposures in their environments. The scale describes five levels: community organizer, self-efficacy, complacency, denial, and overwhelm/apathy. Families self-reported level was 80% community organizer compared to actions based formative evaluation of 50%. The 65 participants of this rural community population of (N=174), represented 37% of the total population. Hands-on courses for disaster preparedness with multiple families are suggested to help develop resilience and adaptive capacity