Exoautometabolic regulation of transgenes in microorganisms

Data on the existence of a specific system regulating the growth, size, and structure of enterobacterial populations are first summarized in terms of the chemical ecology concept formulated by S.S. Shvarts. The role of this system in transgene functioning is described using the example of the lux operon integrated into Escherichia coli. A relatively simple test for estimating such interactions is proposed.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 91–96.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Pshenichnov, Maslennikova, Nikitina.     

Backwater Confluences of the Ohio River: Organic and Inorganic Fingerprints Explain Sediment Dynamics in Wetlands and Marinas

In the Ohio River (OR), backwater confluence sedimentation dynamics are understudied, however, these river features are expected to be influential on the system’s ecological and economic function when integrated along the river’s length. In the following paper, we test the efficacy of organic and inorganic tracers for sediment fingerprinting in backwater confluences; we use fingerprinting results to evidence sediment dynamics controlling deposition patterns in confluences used for wetland and marina functions; and we quantify the spatial extent of tributary drainages with wetland and marina features in OR confluences. Both organic and inorganic tracers statistically differentiate sediment from stream and river end‐members. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes produce greater uncertainty in fingerprinting results than inorganic elemental tracers. Uncertainty analysis of the nonconservative tracer term in the organic matter fingerprinting application estimates an apparent enrichment of the carbon stable isotopes during instream residence, and the nonconservativeness is quantified with a statistical approach unique to the fingerprinting literature. Wetland and marina features in OR confluences impact 42% and 11% of tributary drainage areas, respectively. Sediment dynamics show wetland and marina confluences experience deposition from river backwaters with longitudinally linear and nonlinear patterns, respectively, from sediment sources.     

THE REGULATED RIPARIAN VERSION OF THE ASCE MODEL WATER CODE: THE THIRD WAY TO ALLOCATE WATER1

ABSTRACT: Lawyers, engineers, and hydrologists are accustomed to thinking of water law as falling into one of two incompatible models: riparian rights (under which water is allocated by courts according to the relative reasonableness of the competing uses) and appropriative rights (under which water is allocated according to the temporal priority of the competing uses, largely by the action of the water users themselves but perfected by the issuance of an administrative permit). Usually unnoticed is the existence of a third approach, which I have dubbed “regulated riparianism.” Under regulated riparianism, water is allocated by water permits issued after an administrative determination of the reasonableness of the proposed use before the use is commenced. This system, now in place in about half of the states east of Kansas City (plus Hawaii), thus is fundamentally different from either the traditional ripanan rights that it replaces or the appropriative rights found in western states.     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯诱导小鼠神经行为学改变及相关生理生化指标分析

探究邻苯二甲酸二丁酯诱导小鼠神经行为学改变及与细胞外调节蛋白激酶(ERK1/2)通路相关蛋白的关联.雄性KM小鼠36只,随机分成4组:生理盐水组、50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) DBP组、50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)维生素E(VE)组、DBP+VE组,连续灌胃处理28 d,观察Morris水迷宫结果,检测小鼠脑海马组织的氧化应激(活性氧(ROS)荧光强度、还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)与丙二醛(MDA)含量)、脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)、磷酸化cAMP反应元件结合蛋白(p-CREB)、caspase-3水平,Western blot分析ERK1/2及其磷酸化(p-ERK1/2)水平;HE、Nissl染色及Hoechst 33258荧光染色分析脑组织CA1区病理学变化.结果表明,与对照组比较,50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) DBP组小鼠的学习记忆下降,氧化应激、p-ERK1/2、caspase-3水平上升,BDNF、p-CREB表达下降,差异均有统计学意义(p0.05,p0.01);海马组织CA1病理学损伤及凋亡程度增加.给予抗氧化剂VE处理后,DBP+VE组小鼠的学习记忆上升,氧化应激、p-ERK1/2、caspase-3水平降低,BDNF、p-CREB表达上升,差异均有统计学意义(p0.05);海马组织CA1病理学损伤及凋亡程度降低.由此推测,DBP暴露导致小鼠海马组织CA1病理学损伤、神经元凋亡程度增加、学习记忆下降、其神经行为学改变可以通过添加VE得到缓解,相关生理生化指标测试表明ERK系统应激氧化性损伤机制参与介导了毒理学过程.     

Driving self-regulation and ride service utilization in a multicommunity,multistate sample of U.S. older adults

Objectives: This study examined a multicommunity alternative transportation program available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for any purpose, offering door-through-door service in private automobiles to members who either do not drive or are transitioning away from driving. Specific aims were to describe the characteristics of members by driving status and ride service usage of these members.

Methods: Data came from administrative records maintained by a nonprofit ride service program and include 2,661 individuals aged 65+ residing in 14 states who joined the program between April 1, 2010, and November 8, 2013. Latent class analysis was used to group current drivers into 3 classes of driving status of low, medium, and high self-regulation, based on their self-reported avoidance of certain driving situations and weekly driving frequency. Demographics and ride service use rate for rides taken through March 31, 2014, by type of ride (e.g., medical, social, etc.) were calculated for nondrivers and drivers in each driving status class.

Results: The majority of ride service users were female (77%) and aged 65–74 years (82%). The primary method of getting around when enrolling for the transportation service was by riding with a friend or family member (60%). Among the 67,883 rides given, nondrivers took the majority (69%) of rides. Medical rides were the most common, accounting for 40% of all rides.

Conclusions: Reported ride usage suggests that older adults are willing to use such ride services for a variety of trips when these services are not limited to specific types (e.g., medical). Further research can help tailor strategies to encourage both nondrivers and drivers to make better use of alternative transportation that meets the special needs of older people.     

Regulating groundwater use: The challenges of policy implementation in Guanajuato,Central Mexico

Around the world it has proven very difficult to develop policies and interventions that ensure socio-environmentally sustainable groundwater use and exploitation. In the state of Guanajuato, Central Mexico, both the national government and the decentralized state government have pursued to regulate groundwater use through direct state control, groundwater markets, energy pricing, and user self-regulation. We present and analyze these regulatory mechanisms and their outcomes in the field. We argue that the close interdependencies of these regulatory mechanisms have pre-empted the effectiveness of these policy instruments as well as that of other measures aimed at reducing groundwater use in order to advance towards sustainable exploitation levels.     

INFLUENCING WATER LEGISLATWE DEVELOPMENT WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO AVOID1

ABSTRACT: Whomever would affect water policy development must influence the water legislative process. This paper discusses in the context of the Model State Water Allocation Code the following ten ideas about doing that: (1) seek the right timing for enactment; (2) set modest goals; (3) prepare a well-drafted proposal; (4) recognize diversity by offering legislative choices; (5) consider the impacts of adoption; (6) make alliances; (7) respect executive influence; (8) become involved in legislative interaction; (9) be flexible; and (10) persist. Heeding these ideas, although not guaranteeing enactment, is sure to be educational for participants and useful to legislators.     

A participatory decision making framework for artisanal fisheries collaborative governance: Insights from management committees in Chile

Fisheries management is increasingly transitioning towards collaborative governance. Collaborative systems depend on stakeholders’ capacity to design and implement legitimate and scientifically robust management plans within collective action arenas. Here we propose that collaborative governance outcomes, in fisheries management, will benefit from using structured participatory decision making frameworks that enhance deliberative thinking among stakeholders. We tested our approach in the artisanal fishery of Chile, an important producer of marine resources. Recently in 2013, Chile made important changes to fisheries policies by creating multi-sectorial management committees to manage de facto open access fishing areas. We applied a structured decision making framework to inform the restructuring of a management plan within a committee. As a result, we identified goals,objectives and indicators, including social, economic, biological and ecological dimensions; we explored tradeoffs, assessing the relative importance of the objectives; finally, we created scenarios and prioritized alternatives, reflecting on the interplay between self-regulation and government control. Members of the management committee were able to rationalize the different steps of the framework and identify ways forward which highlighted the importance of self-regulation in comparison to central authorities’ control. We concluded that structured decision making promotes spaces for rational analysis of alternatives costs and benefits. Promoting deliberative thinking in fisheries management can improve equity, legitimacy and sustainability of collaborative governance.     

三峡库区不同林草措施土壤活性有机碳及抗蚀性研究

采用野外定位观测,研究三峡库区坡耕地7种林草治理措施下土壤活性有机碳组分(颗粒性有机碳、可溶性有机碳、易氧化有机碳和微生物生物量碳)含量和团聚体数量特征,并分析了团聚体的分形特征和可蚀性.结果表明,不同林草治理措施下,土壤有机碳及活性有机碳组分含量随土壤深度的增加而降低,其中0～10 cm土壤有机碳及各活性有机碳组分含量显著高于20～30 cm.林草措施治理对土壤团聚体稳定性也具有显著影响,>0.25 mm水稳性大团聚体总量总体上表现为:栾树+黄花槐>植物篱>封山育林>自然恢复>经济林>传统农作>裸地对照,且与土壤有机碳含量呈正相关.不同林草治理措施下土壤具有一定的土壤分形特性.其中栾树+黄花槐措施下土壤的分形维数、可蚀性K值最小,土壤结构稳定性和抗侵蚀能力相对较强.不同土壤深度下活性有机碳组分与土壤可蚀性K值均呈极显著负相关关系,以上研究表明通过不同林草治理措施的治理可改变土壤性状,从而影响土壤抗蚀能力.     

Transnational environmental standards in Eastern Europe: an assessment of companies in Lithuania and their adoption motives

During the last few decades, many environmental certification schemes were developed to enhance transparency and traceability within commodity chains. Most of them are transnational schemes, which means that they were created by non-governmental organizations and/or the private sector, independently from governments. This article aims to examine how local certified companies assess the functioning of such private environmental certification. It presents the results of an empirical research about the expectations and satisfaction of certified companies in Lithuania. Empirical data were collected through a survey with 90 companies certified by one of the three major transnational environmental standards: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for the forestry and logging, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for fishing and aquaculture, and Oeko-Tex for the production of textiles. The results revealed that most companies have adopted these standards quite recently, indicating that it is generally a new trend in Lithuania. The findings suggest that the overall expectations with the standards’ functions, such as sending signals to clients or getting more market share, were higher than the satisfaction in all cases. The main transnational environmental standard adoption motive was the client demand. It turned out, however, that later after the certification procedure the majority of the companies were most satisfied with the market opportunities that opened up. Furthermore, the companies expected certification to operate best as a market-based mechanism; but most satisfactory performance was accredited to the signalling mechanism. Research suggests that certification provides various benefits for the companies, but the expectations might be rather exaggerated.