Field Instrumentation, Testing, and Long-Term Monitoring of High-Mast Lighting Tower No. 1 at the I-35/US 18 Interchange Near Clear Lake in the State of Iowa Phase 3, TR-562, 2009

The current study was initiated to quantify the stresses induced in critical details on the reinforcing jacket and the tower itself through the use of field instrumentation, load testing, and long-term monitoring. Strain gages were installed on the both the tower and the reinforcing jacket. Additional strain gages were installed on two anchor rods. Tests were conducted with and without the reinforcing jacket installed. Data were collected from all strain gages during static load testing and were used to study the stress distribution of the tower caused by known loads, both with and without the reinforcing jacket. The tower was tested dynamically by first applying a static load, and then quickly releasing the load causing the tower to vibrate freely. Furthermore, the tower was monitored over a period of over 1 year to obtain stress range histograms at the critical details to be used for a fatigue evaluation. Also during the long-term monitoring, triggered time-history data were recorded to study the wind loading phenomena that excite the tower.

L'équité d'accès aux ressources en eau : fin ou moyen d'amélioration de l'efficacité de l'irrigation ? : la gestion des ressources en eau dans l'état du Gujarat (Inde) dans la perpective de la political ecology

La thèse présentée ici est le résultat d'une étroite collaboration avec une ONG indienne, AKRSP(I), intervenant dans le développement de l'irrigation au Gujarat depuis plus de 25 ans. Un SIG prototype a été mis en oeuvre et nous permet de proposer ime analyse spatiale et quantitative de l'action de cette ONG ainsi qu'une réflexion plus générale sur les leviers de mise en valeur et de gestion des ressources en eau à des fins agricoles. On peut souligner trois principaux enseignements: Les perspectives d'application des SIG au sein des ONG sont manifestes. Les exigences des bailleurs de fonds peuvent néanmoins faire obstacle à leur développement car, indi-rectement, ils favorisent la mise en oeuvre de SI voués à la justification plutôt qu'à la planification et au suivi des programmes d'actions. Ce résultat soulève la question de la pertinence de l'encadrement, des critères d'évaluation et de la conditionnalité de l'aide publique au développement. Les ONG ont un fort potentiel pour participer à la mise en valeur des ressources en eau en Inde et aider à relever le défi agro-démographique indien, en particulier dans les zones marginales où les services étatiques sont en retrait. Les stratégies d'action basées principalement sur l'application des instruments économiques et techniques doivent cependant être modifiées. Nous montrons qu'elles favorisent une inégalité d'accès aux ressources qui débouche sur une efficacité limitée des pratiques d'irrigation, sur un plan agro-technique. Ces résultats soulignent la nécessité de poursuivre une réflexion critique des discours et solutions dominants en matière de gestion des ressources en eau. Deux pistes d'amélioration sont avancées: 1. considérer l'équité d'accès comme un moyen d'optimiser la gestion de la ressource (limiter le volume d'eau par agriculteur pour encourager les choix de cultures irriguées peu consommatrices et l'adoption des technologies d'économie d'eau), 2. prêter attention à l'ordre dans lequel les différents instruments de gestion disponibles sont employés afin de les articuler dans un séquençage temporel pertinent. La Political Ecology apparait comme un cadre conceptuel très pertinent pour engager cette réflexion critique. Elle permet d'intégrer différentes échelles d'asymétries de pouvoirs à la compréhension des situations et des blocages observables localement : inégalités de capabilités et forces socio-politiques à l'échelle locale, politiques agro-industrielles (coton) et jeux d'alliances politiques des castes à l'échelle nationale, discours et conflits idéologiques ou orientations stratégiques des bailleurs de fonds à l'échelle internationale... Notre recherche empirique contribue modestement au développement de cette Political Ecology de la mise en valeur et de la gestion des ressources en eau. - The present research is based on a close collaboration with an indian NGO, AKRSP(I), which is active in the development of irrigation facilities in Gujarat for the past 25 years. We built a GIS prototype providing quantitative and spatial datas to analyse the NGO intervention and propose a general reflection about water resources development and management issues. Three main findings may be emphasized : The potential of GIS within the workings of an NGO is obvious, as an information ma-nagement tool as much as for developing analytical capacity. However, financial backers expectations may not favour a relevant development of this technology. Indirectly, they promote Information Systems built to justify rather than to plan or monitor action pro¬grammes. This raises the question of stricter framework, conditionality criters and stan¬dardised assessment indicators surrounding official development assistance. There is strong potential that NGOs can assist with the improvement of water resources in India. They can help in overcoming Indian demographic-related agricultural challenges, especially in marginal rural areas neglected by state services. However, intervention strategies mainly based on technical and economic management tools has to be adapted. We found that they lead to inequitable access and distribution of water resources what induces a low efficiency of irrigation practices from an agro-technical point of view. These results underline the need to go further in criticizing dominant ideas and guidelines regarding water resources management. We suggest two other options : 1. to consider equitable access has a tool to improve the effective use of water for agricul¬tural purposes (limiting the volume of water available per farmer would encourage them to adopt low water consumption crops and water saving technics), 2. to consider more carefully the order of use of the various management tools available and to structure them in a relevant sequence. Here, Political Ecology seems to be a relevant conceptual framework to enter into such a critical reflection, integrating different levels and scales of political asymmetries at the core of environmental issues. Indeed, the understanding of regional water situations and social stumbling blocks needs not only to consider local capabilities and socio-political inequities, but also agro-industrial policy (e.i. cotton) and caste political alliances at a national scale, as well as ideological and narrative struggles or strategical orientations of financial backers at an international level. Our empirical research modestly contributes to the development of such a Political Ecology of water resources development and management.

Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis: tools, traits and prospects for evolutionary ecology.

BACKGROUND: The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) shows a wide range of genetic and trait variation among wild accessions. Because of its unparalleled biological and genomic resources, the potential of Arabidopsis for molecular genetic analysis of this natural variation has increased dramatically in recent years. SCOPE: Advanced genomics has accelerated molecular phylogenetic analysis and gene identification by quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and/or association mapping in Arabidopsis. In particular, QTL mapping utilizing natural accessions is now becoming a major strategy of gene isolation, offering an alternative to artificial mutant lines. Furthermore, the genomic information is used by researchers to uncover the signature of natural selection acting on the genes that contribute to phenotypic variation. The evolutionary significance of such genes has been evaluated in traits such as disease resistance and flowering time. However, although molecular hallmarks of selection have been found for the genes in question, a corresponding ecological scenario of adaptive evolution has been difficult to prove. Ecological strategies, including reciprocal transplant experiments and competition experiments, and utilizing near-isogenic lines of alleles of interest will be a powerful tool to measure the relative fitness of phenotypic and/or allelic variants. CONCLUSIONS: As the plant model organism, Arabidopsis provides a wealth of molecular background information for evolutionary genetics. Because genetic diversity between and within Arabidopsis populations is much higher than anticipated, combining this background information with ecological approaches might well establish Arabidopsis as a model organism for plant evolutionary ecology.

Climatic and anthropogenic influence on the stable isotope record from bulk carbonates and ostracodes in Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland, during the last two millennia

Lake Neuchatel is a medium sized, hard-water lake, lacking varved sediments, situated in the western Swiss Lowlands at the foot of the Jura Mountains. Stable isotope data (delta(18)O and delta(13)C) from both bulk carbonate and ostracode calcite in an 81 cm long, radiocarbon-dated sediment core represent the last 1500 years of Lake Neuchatel's environmental history. Comparison between this isotopic and other palaeolimnologic data (mineralogical, geochemical, palynological, etc.) helps to differentiate between anthropogenic and natural factors most recently affecting the lake. An increase in lacustrine productivity (450-650AD ca), inferred from the positive trend in delta(13)C values of bulk carbonate, is related to medieval forest clearances and the associated nutrient budget changes. A negative trend in both the bulk carbonate and ostracode calcite delta(18)O values between approximately 1300 and 1500AD, is tentatively interpreted as due to a cooling in mean air temperature at the transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age. Negative trends in bulk carbonate delta(18)O and delta(13)C values through the uppermost sediments, which have no equivalent in ostracode calcite isotopic values, are concomitant with the recent onset of eutrophication in the lake. Isotopic disequilibrium during calcite precipitation, probably due to kinetic factors in periods of high productivity is postulated as the mechanism to explain the associated negative isotopic trends, although the effect of a shift of the calcite precipitation towards the warmer months cannot be excluded.

Lake Restoration 2007 Report and 2008 Plan, December 28, 2007

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2008 Report and 2009 Plan, December 30, 2008

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2009 Report and 2010 Plan, December 30, 2009

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2010 Report and 2011 Plan, December 30, 2010

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2011 Report and 2012 Plan, December 30, 2011

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2012 Report and 2013 Plan, December 31, 2012

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2013 Report and 2014 Plan, December 31, 2013

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

Lake Restoration 2014 Report and 2015 Plan, December 31, 2014

The Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake Restoration Program focuses on restoring impaired lakes to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Communities are rallying around their water resources as they seek population growth and economic success. Communities of the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Storm Lake, Crystal Lake, Creston and Clear Lake are obvious examples, but other communities including Lake View and Brighton are identifying the importance of lakes for their futures as well. The distribution and nature of Vision Iowa grants, Community Attraction and Tourism grants, and now, Great Places, all further emphasize the importance of water to community, quality of life and economic growth.

1102-001 Twelve Mile Lake Final Report

Twelve-Mile Lake is an 800-acre man-made lake in central Union County. The watershed has 13,964 land acres that are used by farmers for row crops and pasture. This lake is used as a water supply source for the City of Creston and the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association. In total approximately 40,000 people are affected by this project. Developed over 20 years ago, the lake and fishery was renovated and restocked and much of the shoreline was riprapped about six years ago. During its history, extensive watershed efforts have been ongoing. However, as farmland for cropland has become more valuable and demand has increased, hilly land once used for dairy farming, grazing, and CRP has been put into row crop production. Consequently, sediment loss has become an increasing issue for farmers, conservation professionals, and the Creston Waterworks Department, which owns the water treatment facility at the lake. In 2011, the Creston Water Board received a WIRB grant to implement a sedimentation structure at the north end of the main channel flowing into the lake. The WIRB funds were used for land acquisition, with the IDNR actually constructing the facility. This report depicts work performed as part of the WIRB project.

09018-011 Rathbun Lake Final Report

The Rathbun Land and Water Alliance and partners have undertaken a highly effective approach to water quality protection through the Rathbun Lake Special Project. This approach is achieving a significant reduction in the sediment and phosphorus that impair water quality in Rathbun Lake and its tributaries as a result of the targeted application of best management practices (BMPs) for priority land in the watershed. This application proposes to assist landowners to apply BMPs that will reduce sediment and phosphorus delivery from priority land in targeted sub-watersheds as part of the Rathbun Lake Special Project. Features of this project are: (1) use of geographic information system (GIS) analysis to identify priority land that requires BMPs; (2) assistance for landowners to apply BMPs for 4,000 acres that will reduce the annual delivery of sediment by 6,000 tons and phosphorus by 20,000 pounds; (3) evaluation of the benefits from BMP application using GIS analysis and water quality monitoring; and (4) watershed outreach activities that encourage landowners to apply BMPs for priority land to protect water quality.