Fluvial Erosion Impacts on Infrastructure Along Indiana Rivers and Streams

Rivers provide for storm water drainage, municipal water usage, and recreation, and they add to the natural aesthetics of a community. As we encroach on river corridors, flooding and damage due to streambank erosion endangers our built environment. In this session we use the recently completed White Lick Creek System Assessment in Hendricks County as a case study to discuss the importance of understanding system-wide stream evolution and movement processes in evaluating and addressing impacts on infrastructures along Indiana streams

Mechanistic studies on DNA damage by minor groove binding copper–phenanthroline conjugates

Copper–phenanthroline complexes oxidatively damage and cleave nucleic acids. Copper bis-phenanthroline and copper complexes of mono- and bis-phenanthroline conjugates are used as research tools for studying nucleic acid structure and binding interactions. The mechanism of DNA oxidation and cleavage by these complexes was examined using two copper–phenanthroline conjugates of the sequence-specific binding molecule, distamycin. The complexes contained either one or two phenanthroline units that were bonded to the DNA-binding domain through a linker via the 3-position of the copper ligand. A duplex containing independently generated 2-deoxyribonolactone facilitated kinetic analysis of DNA cleavage. Oxidation rate constants were highly dependent upon the ligand environment but rate constants describing elimination of the alkali-labile 2-deoxyribonolactone intermediate were not. Rate constants describing DNA cleavage induced by each molecule were 11–54 times larger than the respective oxidation rate constants. The experiments indicate that DNA cleavage resulting from β-elimination of 2-deoxyribonolactone by copper–phenanthroline complexes is a general mechanism utilized by this family of molecules. In addition, the experiments confirm that DNA damage mediated by mono- and bis-phenanthroline copper complexes proceeds through distinct species, albeit with similar outcomes

Fluvial Erosion Hazard Mitigation

Fluvial erosion—erosion that occurs along a river—is a major threat to infrastructure, and most commonly to roads. This presentation provides an overview of the Indiana Fluvial Erosion Hazard Mitigation Manual, which was recently developed on behalf of the Indiana Silver Jackets. The manual provides a framework for analyzing, designing, and post-construction management / maintenance for fluvial erosion hazard mitigation projects in Indiana

Editorial: Loudness: From Neuroscience to Perception

International audienc

Life-history trait variation in a queen-size dimorphic ant

1. Size polymorphism is often connected to alternative life-history traits, which may eventually lead to distinct size classes. In the ant Myrmica ruginodis, larger macrogyne and smaller microgyne queen morphs have been suggested to follow different reproductive strategies, which has presumably resulted in several differences in their key life-history traits. 2. In this study, we examine the association of queen-size morphs with colony queen number (monogyny vs. polygyny), dispersal and queen recruitment patterns, as well as habitat associations of the queen morphs. We do this by sampling established queens from a large number of excavated nests from several populations, estimating genetic relatedness among coexisting queens and pitfall trapping free-ranging wingless queens. 3. Our results show that associations of queen morphs with colony queen number and nest-founding strategy holds only partly. The morph frequencies vary widely across populations from practically pure macrogyne to more than 50% microgyne, but the expected association of macrogyne occurrence with monogyny and microgyne with polygyny is not universal. Dispersal and queen recruitment patterns also show that although most macrogynes participate in nuptial flights and most microgynes are recruited back to their natal nests, a fraction of both morphs use the alternative strategy. 4. The polygynous microgyne morph has been suggested to specialize in stable habitats, but our results from Finnish mesic heath forests do not support this. This study shows that factors other than just queen size also influence life-history trait variation and reproductive strategies in ants.Peer reviewe

The influence of sediment cover variability on long‐term river incision rates: An example from the Peikang River, central Taiwan

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94660/1/jgrf824.pd

Opioid receptors in GtoPdb v.2021.3

Opioid and opioid-like receptors are activated by a variety of endogenous peptides including [Met]enkephalin (met), [Leu]enkephalin (leu), β-endorphin (β-end), α-neodynorphin, dynorphin A (dynA), dynorphin B (dynB), big dynorphin (Big dyn), nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ); endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 are also potential endogenous peptides. The Greek letter nomenclature for the opioid receptors, μ, δ and κ, is well established, and NC-IUPHAR considers this nomenclature appropriate, along with the symbols spelled out (mu, delta, and kappa), and the acronyms, MOP, DOP, and KOP. [121, 100, 91]. The human N/OFQ receptor, NOP, is considered 'opioid-related' rather than opioid because, while it exhibits a high degree of structural homology with the conventional opioid receptors [294], it displays a distinct pharmacology. Currently there are numerous clinically used drugs, such as morphine and many other opioid analgesics, as well as antagonists such as naloxone, however only for the μ receptor

Opioid receptors in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Opioid and opioid-like receptors are activated by a variety of endogenous peptides including [Met]enkephalin (met), [Leu]enkephalin (leu), β-endorphin (β-end), α-neodynorphin, dynorphin A (dynA), dynorphin B (dynB), big dynorphin (Big dyn), nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ); endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 are also potential endogenous peptides. The Greek letter nomenclature for the opioid receptors, μ, δ and κ, is well established, and NC-IUPHAR considers this nomenclature appropriate, along with the symbols spelled out (mu, delta, and kappa), and the acronyms, MOP, DOP, and KOP [124, 101, 92]. However the acronyms MOR, DOR and KOR are still widely used in the literature. The human N/OFQ receptor, NOP, is considered 'opioid-related' rather than opioid because, while it exhibits a high degree of structural homology with the conventional opioid receptors [304], it displays a distinct pharmacology. Currently there are numerous clinically used drugs, such as morphine and many other opioid analgesics, as well as antagonists such as naloxone. The majority of clinically used opiates are relatively selective μ agonists or partial agonists, though there are some μ/κ compounds, such as butorphanol, in clinical use. κ opioid agonists, such as the alkaloid nalfurafine and the peripherally acting peptide difelikefalin, are in clinical use for itch

Non-Stationarity in the “Resting Brain’s” Modular Architecture

Task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (TF-fMRI) has great potential for advancing the understanding and treatment of neurologic illness. However, as with all measures of neural activity, variability is a hallmark of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) identified by TF-fMRI. This variability has hampered efforts to define a robust metric of connectivity suitable as a biomarker for neurologic illness. We hypothesized that some of this variability rather than representing noise in the measurement process, is related to a fundamental feature of connectivity within ICNs, which is their non-stationary nature. To test this hypothesis, we used a large (n = 892) population-based sample of older subjects to construct a well characterized atlas of 68 functional regions, which were categorized based on independent component analysis network of origin, anatomical locations, and a functional meta-analysis. These regions were then used to construct dynamic graphical representations of brain connectivity within a sliding time window for each subject. This allowed us to demonstrate the non-stationary nature of the brain’s modular organization and assign each region to a “meta-modular” group. Using this grouping, we then compared dwell time in strong sub-network configurations of the default mode network (DMN) between 28 subjects with Alzheimer’s dementia and 56 cognitively normal elderly subjects matched 1∶2 on age, gender, and education. We found that differences in connectivity we and others have previously observed in Alzheimer’s disease can be explained by differences in dwell time in DMN sub-network configurations, rather than steady state connectivity magnitude. DMN dwell time in specific modular configurations may also underlie the TF-fMRI findings that have been described in mild cognitive impairment and cognitively normal subjects who are at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia