Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy : a science and technology-based framework to assess and reduce nutrients to Iowa waters and the Gulf of Mexico (2012)

On November 19, 2012, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Director Chuck Gipp from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Dr. John Lawrence of Iowa State University announced the release of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy for public comment. A two-month public comment period and several informational meetings allowed the public to provide feedback on the draft strategy. Updates and improvements were made to the draft based on the public comments. The final version of the strategy was released May 29, 2013. The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a science and technology-based approach to assess and reduce nutrients delivered to Iowa waterways and the Gulf of Mexico. The strategy outlines voluntary efforts to reduce nutrients in surface water from both point sources, such as wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities, and nonpoint sources, including farm fields and urban areas, in a scientific, reasonable and cost effective manner. The development of the strategy reflects more than two years of work led by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University. The scientific assessment to evaluate and model the effects of practices was developed through the efforts of 23 individuals representing five agencies or organizations, including scientists from ISU, IDALS, DNR, USDA Agricultural Research Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The strategy was developed in response to the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan that calls for the 12 states along the Mississippi River to develop strategies to reduce nutrient loading to the Gulf of Mexico. The Iowa strategy follows the recommended framework provided by EPA in 2011 and is only the second state to complete a statewide nutrient reduction strategy. This strategy is the beginning. Operational plans are being developed and work is underway. This is a dynamic document that will evolve over time, and is a key step towards improving Iowa’s water quality. The impetus for this report comes from the Water Resources Coordination Council (WRCC) which states in its 2014‐15 Annual Report “Efforts are underway to improve understanding of the multiple nutrient monitoring efforts that may be available and can be compared to the nutrient WQ monitoring framework to identify opportunities and potential data gaps to better coordinate and prioritize future nutrient monitoring efforts.” This report is the culmination of those efforts.

Globalisation and the technology gap: Regional and time evidence

This chapter examines the relationship between globalisation and technological progress. It computes an annual and country specific measure of technological gap, the technology ratio (TGR), using a recently proposed method known as metafrontiers. The TGR is measured as the distance from a group frontier to the global (or meta) frontier. The TGRs provide a measure to compare technological capability across countries. The ranking obtained from the metafrontiers method is first compared to other methods based on the direct measure of patents, science articles, schooling etc. The TGRs are then related to levels of trade openness and inbound and outbound foreign direct investment within regions and overtime in an effort to identify the relationship between technological gap and outward orientation.

Initial dilemmas in IST research: design science and design research, a clarification of concepts

The inter-disciplinarity of information systems, applied discipline and activity of design, and the study from different paradigms perspectives explains the diversity of problems addressed. The context is broad and includes important issues beyond technology, as the application, use, effectiveness, efficiency and their organizational and social impacts. In design science, the research interest is in contributing to the improvement of the processes of the design activity itself. The relevance of research in design science is associated with the result obtained for the improvement of living conditions in organizational, inter-organizational and Society contexts. In the research whose results are artifacts, the adoption of design research as a process of research is crucial to ensure discipline, rigor and transparency. Based on a literature review, this paper clarifies the terms of design science and design research. This is the main motivation for presenting this paper, determinant for the phase in research in technologies and information systems which are the three research projects presented. As a result the three projects are discussed in relation to the concepts of design science and design research.

Geospatial assessment of pest-induced forest damage through the use of UAV-bases NIR imaging and Gi-technology

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Education for science and science for education: more than a play upon words

In the celebration of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute centenary, we wanted to stress our concern with the relationship between two of its missions: research and education. What are the educational bases required for science and technology activities on health sciences for the future years? How can scientists collaborate to promote the popularization of academic knowledge and to improve a basic education for citizenship in an ethic and humanistic view? In this article we pointed out to need of commitment, even in the biomedical post-graduation level, of a more integrated philosophy that would be centered on health education, assuming health as a dynamic biological and social equilibrium and emphasizing the need of scientific popularization of science in a cooperative construction way, instead of direct transfer of knowledge, preserving also macro views of health problems in the development of very specific studies. The contemporary explosion of knowledge, particularly biological knowledge, imposes a need of continuous education to face the growing illiteracy. In order to face this challenge, we think that the Oswaldo Cruz Institute honors his dialectic profile of tradition and transformation, always creating new perspectives to disseminate scientific culture in innovated forms.

Science education and popularization of science in the biomedical area: its role for the future of science and of society

This paper presents the main subjects discussed in the round-table: "Educational Base for Biomedical Research", during the International Symposium on Biomedical Research in the 21st century; two main aspects will be focused: (1) the importance of popularizing science in order to stimulate comprehension of the scientific process and progress, their critical thinking, citizenship and social commitment, mainly in the biomedical area, considering the new advances of knowledge and the resulting technology; (2) the importance to stimulate genuine scientific vocation among young people, by giving them opportunity to early experience scientific environment, throught the hands of well prepared master in a humanistic atmosphere.

ATP citrate lyase activity is post-translationally regulated by sink strength and impacts the wax, cutin and rubber biosynthetic pathways.

Cytosolic acetyl-CoA is involved in the synthesis of a variety of compounds, including waxes, sterols and rubber, and is generated by the ATP citrate lyase (ACL). Plants over-expressing ACL were generated in an effort to understand the contribution of ACL activity to the carbon flux of acetyl-CoA to metabolic pathways occurring in the cytosol. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants synthesizing the polyester polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from cytosolic acetyl-CoA have reduced growth and wax content, consistent with a reduction in the availability of cytosolic acetyl-CoA to endogenous pathways. Increasing the ACL activity via the over-expression of the ACLA and ACLB subunits reversed the phenotypes associated with PHB synthesis while maintaining polymer synthesis. PHB production by itself was associated with an increase in ACL activity that occurred in the absence of changes in steady-state mRNA or protein level, indicating a post-translational regulation of ACL activity in response to sink strength. Over-expression of ACL in Arabidopsis was associated with a 30% increase in wax on stems, while over-expression of a chimeric homomeric ACL in the laticifer of roots of dandelion led to a four- and two-fold increase in rubber and triterpene content, respectively. Synthesis of PHB and over-expression of ACL also changed the amount of the cutin monomer octadecadien-1,18-dioic acid, revealing an unsuspected link between cytosolic acetyl-CoA and cutin biosynthesis. Together, these results reveal the complexity of ACL regulation and its central role in influencing the carbon flux to metabolic pathways using cytosolic acetyl-CoA, including wax and polyisoprenoids.

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering, Fall 2006

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program is to expand and improve educational and professional opportunities for women in all fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change.

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering, Spring 2007

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program is to expand and improve educational and professional opportunities for women in all fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change.

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering, Spring 2009

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program is to expand and improve educational and professional opportunities for women in all fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change.

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering, Winter 2007

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program is to expand and improve educational and professional opportunities for women in all fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change.

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering, Winter 2007-2008

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program is to expand and improve educational and professional opportunities for women in all fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by facilitating individual, institutional, and social change.