Documenting Flyover Land

Fueled by images of flat plains, small towns, and harsh winters, the midwestern United States is often perceived as nothing more than “flyover land” by outsiders. Though the political climate of the last several years has brought increased attention to the region, it has also reinforced the notion that the Midwest’s small towns and industries have been forgotten. Featuring speakers from Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri, this session will explore the relationship between archives and rural life in the Midwest. Together, the speakers will address how archivists can capture and share stories that challenge the notion that the Midwest is nothing more than “flyover land.” Mark Anderson will explore the connection between documenting rural life in the Midwest and digital collections curation. Jackie Beckey will talk about the availability of resources related to various aspects of rural life in the Midwest, including resources available at her institution that document radical rural midwestern politics, as well as the lack of available documentation for American Indian genealogy research. Volodymyr Chumachenko will present on the ways his institution has done outreach work around records documenting agricultural communities and ranching in Kansas. Roxanne Dunn will talk about overcoming challenges to acquire a collection about a farmer’s rights, which had a direct effect on federal bankruptcy code. Carissa Hansen will speak about her efforts to promote and work with members of a rural community in Minnesota to build awareness for literary manuscript collections that capture small-town life in ways that are often unexpected

In vivo detection of cortical optical changes associated with seizure activity with optical coherence tomography.

The most common technology for seizure detection is with electroencephalography (EEG), which has low spatial resolution and minimal depth discrimination. Optical techniques using near-infrared (NIR) light have been used to improve upon EEG technology and previous research has suggested that optical changes, specifically changes in near-infrared optical scattering, may precede EEG seizure onset in in vivo models. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high resolution, minimally invasive imaging technique, which can produce depth resolved cross-sectional images. In this study, OCT was used to detect changes in optical properties of cortical tissue in vivo in mice before and during the induction of generalized seizure activity. We demonstrated that a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in backscattered intensity during seizure progression can be detected before the onset of observable manifestations of generalized (stage-5) seizures. These results indicate the feasibility of minimally-invasive optical detection of seizures with OCT

Simple rules can guide whether land or ocean based conservation will best benefit marine ecosystems

Coastal marine ecosystems can be managed by actions undertaken both on the land and in the ocean. Quantifying and comparing the costs and benefits of actions in both realms is therefore necessary for efficient management. Here, we quantify the link between terrestrial sediment run-off and a downstream coastal marine ecosystem, and contrast the cost-effectiveness of marine and land-based conservation actions. We use a dynamic land- and sea-scape model to determine whether limited funds should be directed to one of four alternative conservation actions – protection on land, protection in the ocean, restoration on land, or restoration in the ocean – to maximise the extent of light-dependent marine benthic habitats, across decadal time-scales. We apply the model to a case study seagrass meadow in Australia. We find that marine restoration is the most cost-effective action over decadal time-scales in this system, based on a conservative estimate of the rate at which seagrass can expand into new habitat. The optimal decision will vary in different social-ecological contexts, but some basic information can guide optimal investments to counteract land and ocean based stressors: (1) marine restoration should be prioritised if the rates of marine ecosystem decline and expansion are similar and low; (2) marine protection should take precedence if the rate of marine ecosystem decline is high, or if the adjacent catchment is relatively intact and has a low rate of vegetation decline; (3) land-based actions are optimal when the ratio of marine ecosystem expansion to decline is >1.4, with terrestrial restoration typically the most cost effective; and (4) land protection should be prioritised if the catchment is relatively intact, but the rate of vegetation decline is high. These rules-of-thumb illustrate how cost-effective conservation outcomes for connected land-ocean systems can proceed without complex modelling

NHR-49 Helps Germline-Less Worms Chew the Fat

In C. elegans, removal of the germline extends lifespan significantly. We demonstrate that the nuclear hormone receptor, NHR-49, enables the response to this physiological change by increasing the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial β-oxidation and fatty-acid desaturation. The coordinated augmentation of these processes is critical for germline-less animals to maintain their lipid stores and to sustain de novo fat synthesis during adulthood. Following germline ablation, NHR-49 is up-regulated in somatic cells by the conserved longevity determinants DAF-16/FOXO and TCER-1/TCERG1. Accordingly, NHR-49 overexpression in fertile animals extends their lifespan modestly. In fertile adults, nhr-49 expression is DAF-16/FOXO and TCER-1/TCERG1 independent although its depletion causes age-related lipid abnormalities. Our data provide molecular insights into how reproductive stimuli are integrated into global metabolic changes to alter the lifespan of the animal. They suggest that NHR-49 may facilitate the adaptation to loss of reproductive potential through synchronized enhancement of fatty-acid oxidation and desaturation, thus breaking down some fats ordained for reproduction and orchestrating a lipid profile conducive for somatic maintenance and longevity

Integrated planning for land-sea ecosystem connectivity to protect coral reefs

Coral reefs are threatened by human activities both on the land and in the sea. However, standard approaches for prioritizing locations for marine and terrestrial reserves neglect to consider connections between ecosystems. We demonstrate an integrated approach for coral reef conservation with the objective of prioritizing marine reserves close to catchments with high forest cover in order to facilitate ecological processes that rely upon intact land-sea protected area connections and minimize negative impact of land-based runoff on coral reefs. Our aims are to (1) develop and apply simple models of connections between ecosystems that require little data and (2) incorporate different types of connectivity models into spatial conservation prioritization. We compared how, if at all, the locations and attributes (e.g., costs) of priorities differ from an approach that ignores connections. We analyzed spatial prioritization plans that allow for no connectivity, adjacent connectivity in the sea, symmetric and asymmetric land-sea connectivity, and the combination of adjacent connectivity in the sea and asymmetric land-sea connectivity. The overall reserve system costs were similar for all scenarios. We discovered that integrated planning delivered substantially different spatial priorities compared to the approach that ignored connections. Only 11-40% of sites that were high priority for conservation were similar between scenarios with and without connectivity. Many coral reefs that were a high priority when we considered adjacent connectivity in the sea and ignored land-sea connectivity were assigned to low priorities when symmetric land-sea connectivity was included, and vice versa. Our approach can be applied to incorporate connections between ecosystems. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Documenting Flyover Land

Fueled by images of flat plains, small towns, and harsh winters, the midwestern United States is often perceived as nothing more than “flyover land” by outsiders. Though the political climate of the last several years has brought increased attention to the region, it has also reinforced the notion that the Midwest’s small towns and industries have been forgotten. Featuring speakers from Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri, this session will explore the relationship between archives and rural life in the Midwest. Together, the speakers will address how archivists can capture and share stories that challenge the notion that the Midwest is nothing more than “flyover land.” Mark Anderson will explore the connection between documenting rural life in the Midwest and digital collections curation. Jackie Beckey will talk about the availability of resources related to various aspects of rural life in the Midwest, including resources available at her institution that document radical rural midwestern politics, as well as the lack of available documentation for American Indian genealogy research. Volodymyr Chumachenko will present on the ways his institution has done outreach work around records documenting agricultural communities and ranching in Kansas. Roxanne Dunn will talk about overcoming challenges to acquire a collection about a farmer’s rights, which had a direct effect on federal bankruptcy code. Carissa Hansen will speak about her efforts to promote and work with members of a rural community in Minnesota to build awareness for literary manuscript collections that capture small-town life in ways that are often unexpected.</p

Voice to Vision IX: Pantógrafo y Niño: Carlos Satizábal

University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. University of Minnesota Department of Art.University of Minnesota: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), CLA Freshman Research and Creative Awards Program, Imagine Gran

Voice to Vision IX: Memoria Catalina: Patricia Ariza

University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. University of Minnesota Department of Art.University of Minnesota: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), CLA Freshman Research and Creative Awards Program, Imagine GrantFeinberg, David; Andrews, Beth; Lakey, Antony; Ariza, Patricia; Weber, Emily; Hansen, Dylan; Coppin, Michele; Darling, Sabine; Hansen, Carissa. (2014). Voice to Vision IX: Memoria Catalina: Patricia Ariza. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/168040