Solar Forcing of Gulf of California Climate During The Past 2000 Yr Suggested by Diatoms and Silicoflagellates

High-resolution records of the past 2000 yr are compared in a north–south transect (28° N to 24° N) of three cores from the eastern slopes of the Guaymas, Carmen, and Pescadero Basins of the Gulf of California (hereafter referred to as the “Gulf”). Evenly-spaced samples from the varved sediments in each core allow sample resolution ranging from ∼ 16 to ∼ 37 yr. Diatoms and silicoflagellates capture the seasonal variation between a late fall to early spring period of high biosiliceous productivity, that is driven by northwest winds, and a summer period of warmer, more stratified waters during which these winds slacken and/or reverse direction (monsoonal flow). As these winds decrease, tropical waters enter the Gulf and spread northward. Individual samples represent a composite of 7 to 23 yr of deposition and are assumed to record the relative dominance of the winter vs. summer floral components. Intervals of enhanced summer incursion of tropical waters, alternating with periods of increased late fall to early spring biosiliceous productivity are recorded in all three cores. Regularly spaced cycles (∼ 100 yr duration) of Octactis pulchra, a silicoflagellate proxy for lower SST and high productivity, and Azpeitia nodulifera, a tropical diatom, occur between ∼ A.D. 400 and ∼ 1700 in the more nearshore Carmen Basin core, NH01-21 (26.3° N), suggesting a possible solar influence on coastal upwelling. Cores BAM80 E-17 (27.9° N) and NH01-26 (24.3° N) contain longer-duration cycles of diatoms and silicoflagellates. The early part of Medieval Climate Anomaly (∼ A.D. 900 to 1200) is characterized by two periods of reduced productivity (warmer SST) with an intervening high productivity (cool) interval centered at ∼ A.D. 1050. Reduced productivity and higher SST also characterize the record of the last ∼ 100 to 200 yr in these cores. Solar variability appears to be driving productivity cycles, as intervals of increased radiocarbon production (sunspot minima) correlate with intervals of enhanced productivity. It is proposed that increased winter cooling of the atmosphere above southwest U.S. during sunspot minima causes intensification of the northwest winds that blow down the Gulf during the late fall to early spring, leading to intensified overturn of surface waters and enhanced productivity. A new silicoflagellate species, Dictyocha franshepardii Bukry, is described and illustrated.

High Resolution Paleoceanography of the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, During the Past 15 000 Years

Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 480 (27°54.10’N, 111°39.34’W; 655 m water depth) contains a high resolution record of paleoceanographic change of the past 15 000 years for the Guaymas Basin, a region of very high diatom productivity within the central Gulf of California. Analyses of diatoms and silicoflagellates were completed on samples spaced every 40-50 yr, whereas ICP-AES geochemical analyses were completed on alternate samples (sample spacing 80-100 yr). The Bolling-Allerod interval (14.6-12.9 ka) (note, ka refers to 1000 calendar years BP throughout this report) is characterized by an increase in biogenic silica and a decline in calcium carbonate relative to surrounding intervals, suggesting conditions somewhat similar to those of today. The Younger Dryas event (12.9-11.6 ka) is marked by a major drop in biogenic silica and an increase in calcium carbonate. Increasing relative percentage contributions of Azpeitia nodulifera and Dictyocha perlaevis (a tropical diatom and silicoflagellate, respectively) and reduced numbers of the silicoflagellate Octactis pulchra are supportive of reduced upwelling of nutrient-rich waters. Between 10.6 and 10.0 ka, calcium carbonate and A. nodulifera abruptly decline at DSDP 480, while Roperia tesselata, a diatom indicative of winter upwelling in the modern-day Gulf, increases sharply in numbers. A nearly coincident increase in the silicoflagellate Dictyocha stapedia suggests that waters above DSDP 480 were more similar to the cooler and slightly more saline waters of the northern Gulf during much of the early and middle parts of the Holocene (~10 to 3.2 ka). At about 6.2 ka a stepwise increase in biogenic silica and the reappearance of the tropical diatom A. nodulifera marks a major change in oceanographic conditions in the Gulf. A winter shift to more northwesterly winds may have occurred at this time along with the onset of periodic northward excursions (El Nino-driven?) of the North Equatorial Countercurrent during the summer. Beginning between 2.8 and 2.4 ka, the amplitude of biogenic silica and wt% Fe, Al, and Ti (proxies of terrigenous input) increase, possibly reflecting intensification of ENSO cycles and the establishment of modern oceanographic conditions in the Gulf. Increased numbers of O. pulchra after 2.8 ka suggest enhanced spring upwelling.

Availability and Use of Audiovisual and Electronic Resources by Distance Learning Students in Nigerian Universities: a Case Study of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Ibadan Study Centre

This study investigated the availability and use of audiovisual and electronic resources by distance learning students at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). A questionnaire was administered tothe distance learning students selected across the various departments of the NOUN. The findings revealed that even though NOUN made provision for audiovisual and electronic resources for students' use, a majority of the audiovisual and electronic resources are available through personal provision by the students.The study also revealed regular use of audiovisual and electronic resources by the distance learning students. Constraints on use include poor power supply, poor infrastructure, lack of adequate skill, and high cost of access.

Perception of the Internet as an Enabler of Scholarship among Postgraduate Students of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

This paper investigates postgraduate students' perceptions of the Internet as an enabler of scholarship.The specific objectives of the study are: to ascertain the perception held by the postgraduate students on the Internet usage as an enabler of scholarship, and to determine what interventions are necessary to facilitate postgraduate students' adoption of the Internet as a tool for learning and research. The subjects of study are the postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. A random sample of 100 students was selected with representation from each faculty of the university. A questionnaire instrument with a 12-item scale was designed and administered. Data analysis was done using the chi-square statistical method. The results show that majority of the postgraduate students have positive perceptions of the Internet as an enabler of information sourcing for learning and research. However some of these students have low self-efficacy in Internet use for information sourcing.

Scientometric Study of Doctoral Dissertations in Biochemistry in the University of Kerala, India

Biochemistry is the most fascinating subject as it deals with the chemical language of life. The ultimate goal of biochemistry is to describe the phenomena that distinguish living from non-living in the language of chemistry and physics. Researchers in biochemistry use specific techniques native to biochemistry, but increasingly combine these with techniques and ideas from genetics, molecular biology and biophysics. In India at present around 75,000 students are enrolled in research and nearly 11,000 are awarded PhDs every year, of which 50 percent are from science and technology disciplines. Theses and dissertations reflect the scholarly communication process. Scientometrics and citation characteristics of dissertations like the subject fields of dissertations, the number of citations and their distribution by type of source, years, and by number of authors etc., have been studied with a view to identify the basic features of the scholarly communication process in different fields of study. The purpose of the present study is to determine the bibliometric characteristics of the biochemistry research in the university of Kerala, India including subject distribution, bibliographic forms of cited documents, most cited journals, collaboration in authorship, etc. A total of 168 doctoral dissertations awarded between 1966 and 2007 at the Department of Biochemistry of University of Kerala were used as a source.

University of Nebraska Board of Regents/ Academic Affairs Committee: Engagement with Community

Board of Regents and President Smith: It's a real pleasure to be able to discuss the University's role in engagement with you today on behalf of the four campuses that comprise the University of Nebraska. In preparing this presentation I've drawn heavily upon the Kellogg Commission's report, entitled: "Returning to our Roots - The Engaged Institution," and the Michigan State University guidebook for planning-and-evaluating quality outreach, which is entitled: "Points of Distinction." I think both publications offer valuable insights as we explore the University's role as an engaged-partner with Nebraska.

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension 2004 Fall Conference

I thought about beginning my time with you this afternoon by asking each of you to turn to the person on your left, shake that person's hand, and say congratulations and thank you. Then I was going to ask you to turn to the person on your right, shake hands, and say congratulations and thank you.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Fall Conference

First off, thank you. Thank you for the work you do each day on behalf of the University and for Nebraska. Thank you for the expertise and the passion you bring to your work, for the belief you have in it, and for the dedication you show.

DEVELOPMENTAL STATUS OF N-(3-CHLORO-4-METHYLPHENYL) ACETAMIDE AS A CANDIDATE BLACKBIRD/STARLING ROOST TOXICANT

Large winter roosts of blackbirds (Icteridae) and starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) often cause conflicts, both real and imagined, between the birds and local human popula- tions. These conflicts may range from objections to the noise and odor engendered by thousands or millions of birds, to fear of epidemic human and livestock diseases, and the possibility of economic losses from crop depredations. Many people believe the most direct way to combat these conflicts is to reduce local roosting populations by kill- ing the birds. In response to this perceived need for a roost toxicant, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) developed PA-14, a surfactant which can be aerially applied to problem roosts for population reduction (Lefebvre and Seubert 1970). Successful use of this material, however, requires concurrent rainfall and low temperatures, conditions which may not occur sufficiently often to permit roost treatment at desired times or places. Because of this difficulty, and continued pressures from management person- nel and the agricultural community, the Service has continued its search for a safe, ef- fective roost toxicant usable without severe weather restrictions. One of the current candidate materials is N-(3-chloro-4-methylphenyl)acetamide (CAT, DRC-2698), a derivative of StarlicideR (DRC-1339). This compound was initially developed by S.A. Peoples of the University of California-Davis (Peoples et al. 1976). California researchers are still investigating the avicidal potential of CAT, mainly on baits and in wick perches, while FWS interest has centered thus far on its possible utility as an aerially applied roost treatment. This report is a summary of our investigations to date.