Hydropolitics, Hydrohegemony and Hydrophobia: My Short Life and Times in the South Caucasus and Iran

The recent North Korean nuclear test has added a new element of tension to an already complex security landscape in Asia. South Korea, Japan, and the United States are already pushing for tough new sanctions against Pyongyang, and the South has resumed propaganda broadcasts targeting the North across the Demilitarized Zone -- a step that last summer almost led to clashes between the two Koreas. China, meanwhile is under intense pressure from Washington to toughen its approach to Pyongyang, although China is as fearful of provoking instability in the North as it is of Kim Jong Un's moves to enhance his nuclear arsenal, and the differences over how to handle the North are exacerbating already serious tensions between Beijing and Washington. For his part, Kim Jong Un shows no sign of moderating his behavior. And with the North Korean ruling party planning a rare congress in May -- the first one in 36 years -- where Kim will be looking to highlight his "achievements" to a domestic and international audience, the stage appears to be set for a winter and spring of growing tension and heightened danger of confrontation on the Korean peninsula. This talk will examine the current and future issues that threaten to further destabilize this critical region.Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent web page, streaming vide

Sustainable Water Development for the Village of Miramar, Honduras

The UNM Water Resources Program (WRP) offers the Master of Water Resources (MWR) degree, an interdisciplinary professional degree designed to prepare students for careers in water resources. The program seeks to expand and deepen students knowledge of their primary disciplines and, at the same time, improve their capacity to think carefully and comprehensively, and develop their technical and communication skills. In order to help achieve this goal, the WRP has developed three interdisciplinary (core) courses, the last of these courses (WR 573) being designed as a capstone, representing a culmination of the student\u27s experience in the program. This final class is an intensive field-based course in which the students work together using their previous coursework and acquired skills. A specific field project is undertaken, and students work through problem identification and definition, collect/analyze data, propose solutions, and present conclusions and recommendations in an appropriate forum. This year, the WR 573 class spent 12 days in Honduras examining rural water issues and assisting in the construction of a gravity-flow system to provide potable water to a local village (Miramar). Our involvement was to aid in the physical construction of the system, as well as examine and critique the construct of the system itself. This paper represents a summary of our experience in Honduras, our examination and assessment of the water problems in Miramar, including both a watershed sustainability assessment and an assessment of their proposed water delivery system.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/wr_fmr/1005/thumbnail.jp

Sensitivity of Antarctic Urospora penicilliformis (Ulotrichales, Chlorophyta) to ultraviolet radiation is life stage dependent

The sensitivity of different life stages of the eulittoral green alga Urospora penicilliformis (Roth) Aresch. to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was examinedin the laboratory. Gametophytic filaments and propagules (zoospores and gametes) released from filaments were separately exposed to different fluence of radiation treatments consisting of PAR (P = 400700 nm), PAR + ultraviolet A (UVA) (PA, UVA = 320400 nm), and PAR + UVA + ultraviolet B (UVB) (PAB, UVB = 280320 nm). Photophysiological indices (ETRmax, Ek, and a) derived from rapid light curves were measured in controls, while photosynthetic efficiency and amount of DNA lesions in terms of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) were measured after exposure to radiation treatments and after recovery in low PAR; pigments of propagules were quantified after exposure treatment only. The photosynthetic conversion efficiency (a) and photosynthetic capacity (rETRmax) were higher in gametophytes compared with the propagules. The propagules were slightly more sensitive to UVB-induced DNA damage; however, both life stages of the eulittoral inhabiting turf alga were not severely affected by the negative impacts of UVR. Exposure to a maximum of 8 h UVR caused mild effects on the photochemical efficiency of PSII and induced minimal DNA lesions in both the gametophytes and propagules. Pigment concentrations were not significantly different between PAR-exposed and PAR + UVRexposed propagules. Our data showed that U. penicilliformis from the Antarctic is ratherinsensitive to the applied UVR. This amphi-equatorial species possesses different protective mechanisms that can cope with high UVR in coldtemperatewaters of both hemispheres and in polar regions under conditions of increasing UVR as a consequence of further reduction of stratosphericozone

The NMDA receptor functions independently and as an LRP1 co-receptor to promote Schwann cell survival and migration

NMDA Receptors (NMDA-Rs) are ionotropic glutamate receptors, which associate with LDL Receptor-related Protein-1 (LRP1) to trigger cell-signaling in response to protein ligands in neurons. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that the NMDA-R is expressed by rat Schwann cells (SCs) and functions independently and with LRP1 to regulate SC physiology. The NR1 and NR2b NMDA-R subunits were expressed by cultured SCs and up-regulated in sciatic nerves following crush injury. The ability of LRP1 ligands to activate ERK1/2 and promote SC migration required the NMDA-R. NR1 gene-silencing compromised SC survival. Injection of the LRP1 ligands, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) or MMP9-PEX, into crush-injured sciatic nerves, activated ERK1/2 in SCs in vivo and the response was blocked by systemic treatment with the NMDA-R inhibitor, MK801. tPA was unique amongst the LRP1 ligands examined because tPA activated cell-signaling and promoted SC migration by interacting with the NMDA-R independently of LRP1, albeit with delayed kinetics. These results define the NMDA-R as a SC signaling receptor for protein ligands and a major regulator of SC physiology, which may be particularly important in PNS injury

The East Mountain Area septic system user\u27s guide to the Bernalillo County Wastewater Ordinance : ensuring groundwater sustainability

On June 29, 2000, Bernalillo County released a draft wastewater ordinance, Bernalillo County Wastewater Ordinance, for public comment; in the fall of 2000, this ordinance was adopted. The ordinance is intended to protect public health and safety by establishing minimum criteria for the design, installation, inspection, treatment, and management of commercial and domestic wastewater systems. The ordinance is detailed and perhaps difficult to understand for the average homeowner in the East Mountain Area (EMA). It encompasses engineering, permitting, and maintenance requirements for new or modified septic systems in place after the effective date of this ordinance. Without thorough review and understanding of the ordinance, the homeowner could easily jeopardize his/her ability to operate their individual septic systems and/or face serious monetary consequences if their septic systems are not in compliance with the ordinance. The WR 573 summer 2000 class has prepared a simple, straightforward guidebook for EMA residents of Bernalillo County to use as a tool for understanding and complying with the new ordinance. Topics were researched and discussed within the context of the guidebook to help EMA homeowners fulfill their responsibilities under the ordinance, including inspection, compliance, permitting, and maintenance requirements of their individual septic tank systems. The guidebook is written in question-and-answer format, and each answer builds upon information provided within the guidebook. The guidebook was written for the average homeowner and is presented in non-technical language. We assumed that most homeowners would be neither qualified for nor desirous of doing most of the work required to bring their systems into compliance and would therefore hire a contractor. The guidebook was written to help the homeowner understand the process; most of the details are left to the contractor. Most of our information was drawn from the ordinance, studies of the East Mountain Area hydrologic system, or discussions with knowledgeable people. As a public-oriented user guide, specific references to documents were eliminated from the body of text. References are included at the end of the guidebook. The summer 2000 Water Resources 573 class, under the guidance of instructors Dr. Michael Campana and Dr. Michele Minnis, has synthesized our combined research into this guidebook entitled, East Mountain Area Septic System User\u27s Guide to the 2000 Bernalillo County Wastewater Ordinance. The guidebook will be edited and published as a Water Resources Program publication and copies provided to NOAA and Bernalillo County.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/wr_fmr/1003/thumbnail.jp

Conflict, Cooperation, and the New Great Game in the Kura-Araks Basin of the South Caucasus

The strategic significance of the region has increased in recent years due to the Caspian Basin hydrocarbon resources that are essential to the West. A resurgent, wealthy Russia and the West, engaged in a new Great Game , are jockeying for position in this all-important region; water resources play an increasing role in this geopolitical realm. Cooperation among the three riparians and stability in the region thus become very important to the West

PAI1 blocks NMDA receptor-mediated effects of tissue-type plasminogen activator on cell signaling and physiology

The fibrinolysis proteinase tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA, also known as PLAT) triggers cell signaling and regulates cell physiology. In PC12 cells, Schwann cells and macrophages, the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) mediates tPA signaling. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI1, also known as SERPINE1) is a rapidly acting inhibitor of tPA enzyme activity. Although tPA-initiated cell signaling is not dependent on its enzyme active site, we show that tPA signaling is neutralized by PAI1. In PC12 cells, PAI1 blocked the ERK1/2 activation mediated by tPA as well as neurite outgrowth. In Schwann cells, PAI1 blocked tPA-mediated ERK1/2 activation and cell migration. In macrophages, PAI1 blocked the ability of tPA to inhibit IκBα phosphorylation and cytokine expression. The cell signaling activity of tPA-PAI1 complex was rescued when the complex was formed with PAI1R76E, which binds to LRP1 with decreased affinity, by pre-treating cells with the LRP1 antagonist receptor-associated protein and upon LRP1 gene silencing. The inhibitory role of LRP1 in tPA-PAI1 complex-initiated cell signaling was unanticipated given the reported role of LRP1 as an NMDA-R co-receptor in signaling responses elicited by free tPA or α2-macroglobulin. We conclude that PAI1 functions as an in-hibitor not only of the enzyme activity of tPA but also of tPA receptor-mediated activities

Conflict and cooperation in the south Caucasus : the Kura-Araks Basin of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

In this chapter we focus on problems of inter-state cooperation and conflict around a transboundary water basin, namely the Kura-Araks. This river basin ... comprises the major river system in the South Caucasus. Both rivers originate in Turkey and flow into the Caspian Sea after joining in Azerbaijan. The Kura-Araks is one of the \u27new\u27 transboundary river systems of the former \u27Second World\u27 whose problems are largely terra incognita (van Harten 2002)

The Economic Value of Water: Results of a Workshop in Caracas, Venezuela, November 2000

In November 2000 a small workshop of 14 people met in Caracas, Venezuela, to discuss the value\u27 of water. The meeting was sponsored by the International Water Resources Network (IWRN), the Organization of American States (OAS), The Nature Conservancy, the University of New Mexico, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The meeting was hosted by Jose Ochoa-Iturbe, Director of the School of Civil Engineering at the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello. The participants represented a mix of academics, water administrators, government officials and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) from around the Americas. Although many of the participants are economists, multiple disciplines and perspectives were represented. The meeting occurred as part of a process for stimulating discussion about water issues in the Americas. During and after IWRN\u27s Dialog III in Panama, the participants at a session on water valuation discussed the need for an intermediate meeting that would keep the discussion moving forward. The feeling was that the time interval between Dialogs was too long and significant time was spent at each Dialog repeating conversations that had occurred before. An intermediate conference was organized in Caracas to fill that need. This document was produced as a result of the Caracas meeting and is meant to serve as an input to IWRN\u27s Dialog IV in Brazil. The document should not be looked on as the final word but as an intermediate step meant to stimulate additional discussion