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<dc:date>2008-05-16T07:36+59:00
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<title>UC Davis Experts: Wildfires</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8636</link>
<description><![CDATA[A dry spring, warm temperatures and high winds have officials preparing for an early start to the 2008 California wildfire season. The following UC Davis faculty members have expertise regarding wildfire chemistry, monitoring, suppression and recovery. Also listed are University of California wildfire-prevention resources for property owners.

DURING AND AFTER FIRES

Fire and forest ecology

Malcolm North, a UC Davis associate professor of forest ecology, specializes in the study of ecosystem response to wildfire and thinning, particularly in the extensive mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada. Following a burn or thinning, he analyzes changes in ecosystem function, structure and composition, particularly changes in vegetation and forest structure, microclimates, soil moisture, nutrient cycling and biodiversity. North has also conducted research on the role of Sierra forests in global climate change. Forests are a potential source or sink for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Scientists and foresters are trying to understand how to best manage the forests' carbon stock in fire-prone forests such as the Sierra Nevada. Recent research suggests global warming may already be associated with earlier starts of the annual fire season. (North's primary employer is the U.S. Forest Service, where he is a research scientist in plant ecology.) Contact: Malcolm North, Plant Sciences, (530) 754-7398, mnorth@ucdavis.edu.

Wildfires, air pollution and health effects

Michael Kleeman, UC Davis professor of civil and environmental engineering, studies urban and regional air-quality problems in the Los Angeles area and in the Central Valley. He has studied emissions from wood-burning fireplaces, which produce emissions similar to those from forest fires. He is especially interested in the size and composition of atmospheric particles and in gas-to-particle conversion processes. These issues are important because research has found that airborne particles with diameters less than 2.5 microns cause adverse health effects, and the size and composition of particles found in the atmosphere determines much of the haze in large cities. Contact: Michael Kleeman, Civil and Environmental Engineering, (530) 752-8386, mjkleeman@ucdavis.edu.

Nanoparticles, combustion and air pollution

Ian Kennedy, a UC Davis professor of mechanical engineering, studies how very small particles of metal and carbon (soot) -- measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter -- are formed within flames. These nanoparticles, which contribute to air pollution and may be hazardous to human health, come from burning wood, oil and coal in processes such as welding and from diesel engines. In wildfires, minerals in soil can become processed into nanoparticles as well as comparatively large ash particles. Contact: Ian Kennedy, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, (530) 752-2796, imkennedy@ucdavis.edu.

BEFORE FIRES

Wildfires and organizational behavior

Organizational sociologist Tom Beamish studies how organizations and institutions deal with disasters. Beamish, an associate professor of sociology, can talk about how formal organizations -- governmental, commercial and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) -- respond to human-induced disasters. He says that many of what appear to be naturally occurring disasters are, in reality, the result of long-term problems actively ignored or simply not seen by the organizations charged with protecting the public. These organizations are generally reactive by nature. Being proactive requires making difficult choices over funding and priorities, choosing among the risks, and overcoming a basic inertia that is inherent in formal, bureaucratic organizations. Beamish wrote "Silent Spill: The Organization of an Industrial Crisis" (2002). He received a 2003 Hazards Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Contact: Tom Beamish, Sociology, (530) 754-6897, tdbeamish@ucdavis.edu.

Predicting fires from models

The frequency of major forest fires can be predicted using relatively simple mathematical models based on the frequency of much smaller fires, according to Donald Turcotte, a professor of geology at UC Davis. Earthquakes, floods, landslides and fires all depend on "self-organized criticality" -- an accumulation of small changes that cause an abrupt change in the state of a system. For example, patches of new growth in a forest gradually form larger and larger areas of fuel that can cause a major wildfire. One implication of the model is that large fires are more likely to occur when fuel is allowed to build up because small fires are suppressed. Contact: Donald Turcotte, Geology, (530) 752-6808, turcotte@geology.ucdavis.edu.

Thinning wildlands

Bruce Hartsough, professor and chair of biological and agricultural engineering at UC Davis, has worked with the U.S. Forest Service and private industry on projects to manage wildlands for both fire management and better wood utilization. When people encroach on forested land, vegetation should be thinned near houses, especially smaller trees and shrubs and vegetation close to the ground. Thinning and/or prescribed burns (purposely set fires) are also needed in less-developed forests. Reducing the amount of fuel reduces the intensity and rate of spread of wildfires, he says. Contact: Bruce Hartsough, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, (530) 752-0103, brhartsough@ucdavis.edu.

Fire to heal wildlands

The large-scale suppression of wildfires during the past century has led to a massive buildup of fuel in the nation's wildlands in the form of shrubs, small trees and natural debris. Fires now tend to burn hot and high into the trees, rather than just along the forest floor. They not only burn branches and scar trunks but also kill most of the trees. Michael Barbour, an ecologist with the UC Davis Tahoe Research Group, recommends that purposely set fires known as prescribed burns be used as one of a suite of management tools in the forests surrounding California's renowned Lake Tahoe. Set on calm days when the moisture content is high enough to slow the spread of flames, such fires will burn smaller trees, brush and forest litter, and prevent catastrophic fires. Prescribed burns, coupled with thinning to remove some otherwise burnable biomass, should help foster the survival of the most mature trees and eventually restore the forests to old-growth status. Contact: Michael Barbour, (530) 752-2956, mgbarbour@ucdavis.edu.

Rescuing horses from the fire

Advance preparation could mean the difference between life and death for horses caught in the path of a fire. Veterinarian John Madigan, a UC Davis authority on equine and emergency veterinary medicine, urges horse owners to first clear brush at least 30 feet from barns and corrals. Trucks and trailers should be kept nearby and operational in case animals need to be evacuated, and an alternate exit by foot should be mapped out in case roads are blocked by fire. Stalls and doors should be closed after evacuation to prevent fire-panicked horses from running back inside. A community-based emergency evacuation plan for horses is essential. Horse owner groups should work with local animal control and fire departments to develop a plan and a list of horse hauling resources and sites to take ho]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8662">
<title>Distemper Identified as Cause of Skunk Deaths in Shasta County</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8662</link>
<description><![CDATA[Canine distemper, one of the most serious viral diseases affecting dogs, appears to have caused the deaths in recent months of a large number of skunks, foxes and raccoons in Northern California, report veterinary scientists at the University of California, Davis.

Since mid-February, 83 skunks, 13 foxes and 12 raccoons were reported to have died of unexplained causes in Shasta County.

"Early molecular tests were negative for canine distemper and rabies, which are both contagious viruses that can infect many species of domestic and wild carnivorous animals," said Mourad Gabriel, a comparative pathology graduate student in the laboratory of veterinary professor Janet Foley. "Postmortem exams, however, revealed typical changes associated with canine distemper infection."

Canine distemper is a potentially fatal disease primarily causing inflammation in the nervous and respiratory systems. While the virus does not pose a threat to human health, dog owners are urged to protect the health of their animals by having them vaccinated against distemper and keeping them away from wild animals, which might be carrying the disease. Unfortunately, the outbreak is continuing with ongoing reports of deaths, including animals from more distant locations.

Gabriel, Foley and veterinary pathology professor Linda Munson, have been investigating the unexplained wildlife deaths in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Game. Munson performed the postmortem exams that identified canine distemper as the cause.

"The animals we examined had tissue damage that is characteristic of canine distemper viral infection," Munson said. "We confirmed the presence of the distemper virus in the tissues and now plan to isolate it in laboratory cultures."

She added that more of the animals that died during the recent outbreak will also be examined.

"The Fish and Game office in Redding has been diligent in collecting fresh samples for us in order to more thoroughly investigate this die-off," said Gabriel, noting that anyone who finds dead or dying wildlife should refrain from touching the carcasses and, instead, report the finding to the local animal control agency or California Department of Fish and Game.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8666">
<title>Kevin Johnson: New Law School Dean</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8666</link>
<description><![CDATA[Kevin R. Johnson, associate dean for academic affairs and a noted international expert on immigration, race, and civil rights law, was confirmed today as dean of the UC Davis School of Law by the UC Board of Regents.

Johnson, 49, will be the first Latino to lead a law school in the University of California system. He will assume his new responsibilities at King Hall on July 1, replacing Rex Perschbacher, who has led the school since 1998 and will return to the faculty.

"Kevin's academic credibility is the essence of his popularity among our faculty and students, but those of us who know him well recognize much more," said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "Most notably, he cares deeply about those who need, but have no access to, legal assistance. He pays special attention to the first-hand experience our students receive in their free clinics." 

Vanderhoef added, "The law school is certain to flourish under Kevin's guiding hand."

Established in 1965, the UC Davis School of Law currently enrolls approximately 600 students, has 36 faculty members and more than 6,000 alumni. The school, housed in Martin Luther King Jr. Hall, is noted for its emphasis on social justice and human rights, environmental and natural resources law, international law, intellectual property, and business law.

It maintains one of the highest bar-passage rates in the state.

"UC Davis School of Law has an excellent faculty, staff, and student body. Dean Perschbacher has done a truly outstanding job in overseeing an intellectual renaissance at the law school, hiring an extraordinary group of the most diverse faculty in the United States," Johnson said.

"My modest hope is to build on his achievements while maintaining the King Hall community that we all know and love," Johnson added. "Specifically, we must do all within our power to remain a top public law school in times of tight budgets and increasing fees. I am committed to doing what it takes to keep the best and brightest faculty and students from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. In my mind, this is what a public law school should strive for."

Johnson, who also is the Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies, joined the UC Davis law faculty in 1989 and was named associate dean for academic affairs in 1998. He has taught a wide array of classes, including civil procedure, immigration law, refugee law, and critical race theory. In 1993, Johnson was honored with the law school's Distinguished Teaching Award.

Johnson currently serves as president of the board of directors of Legal Services of Northern California, the largest legal services provider in Northern California. He also is on the board of directors of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the nation's leading Latino civil rights organization. He is serving on the Immigration Policy Group of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Along with Professor Bill Hing, Johnson co-manages the ImmigrationProf blog, which analyzes issues of immigration law and policy. With more than 300,000 visits, it is among the most popular legal blogs at http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/.

Johnson's book "How Did You Get to Be Mexican? A White/Brown Man's Search for Identity," was published in 1999 and was nominated for the 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

He also has published "Race, Civil Rights, and American Law: A Multiracial Approach," "Mixed Race America and the Law: A Reader" and "The 'Huddled Masses' Myth Immigration and Civil Rights." Johnson's latest book, "Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink Its Borders and Immigration Laws," was published by NYU Press in 2007. He is co-author of two amicus curiae briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in immigration cases.

A 1983 graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Johnson earned his undergraduate degree in economics from UC Berkeley. After graduation from law school, he clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and worked as an attorney with the international law firm of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe in San Francisco.

Johnson has held leadership positions in the Association of American Law Schools. He also has been honored with many awards, including the 2008 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Scholar of the Year and the 2006 Professor of the Year from the Hispanic National Bar Association.

In 2003, Johnson was elected to the American Law Institute.

As dean, Johnson will be paid an annual base salary of $307,200. Additional details about his compensation are available at: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/compensation/salaryactions.html.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8668">
<title>UC Davis Experts: Gay Marriage</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8668</link>
<description><![CDATA[The following UC Davis faculty are available to comment on legal, psychological and cultural aspects of the California Supreme Court's May 15 decision paving the way for California to become the second state in which gay men and lesbians can marry.

Gay and lesbian marriage and the law

Courtney Joslin, professor of law, served as an attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where she litigated cases on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families. She is a past executive editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Her areas of interest include family and relationship recognition, particularly focusing on same-sex and nonmarital couples. Contact: Courtney Joslin, Law, (415) 902-7981, cgjoslin@ucdavis.edu.

Gay and lesbian marriage and psychology

Psychologist Gregory Herek was one of the authors of an amicus curiae brief submitted by the American Psychological Association and other leading mental health organizations to the California Supreme Court for its consideration in Lockyer v. City and County of San Francisco, the gay marriage case decided May 15. The brief, cited in footnote 59 of the court's decision, states that "... sexual orientation is integrally linked to the intimate personal relationships that human beings form with others to meet their deeply felt needs for love, attachment, and intimacy." Herek is the author of the book, "Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men." He was awarded the 1996 American Psychological Association's Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology and the Public Interest. Contact: Gregory Herek, Psychology, (530) 752-8085, gmherek@ucdavis.edu.

Gay and lesbian marriage in modern American culture

Elizabeth Freeman, an associate professor of English at UC Davis, is the author of the book, "The Wedding Complex: Forms of Belonging in Modern American Culture," which includes discussion of lesbian and gay marriages, problems associated with civil marriages and the impact of new reproductive technologies on the institution of marriage. She teaches courses on race, gender and sexuality, and lesbian literature. Contact: Elizabeth Freeman, English, (530) 754-9198, esfreeman@ucdavis.edu.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8649">
<title>Nanotechnology in Reverse Uses Cell to Calibrate Tools</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8649</link>
<description><![CDATA[Nanotechnology researchers at UC Davis have shown that they can use a red blood cell to calibrate a sensitive instrument, an atomic force microscope.

"It turns around the rules of nanotechnology, by using biology to calibrate an instrument," said Volkmar Heinrich, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis and co-author of the paper with graduate student Chawin Ounkomol.

An atomic force microscope uses a tiny lever that runs over the surface of an object. Small deflections of the tip are read and translated to produce an image of the object's surface. However, accurate calibration of the springiness of the tip is difficult.

Heinrich and Ounkomol used individual red blood cells sucked onto the end of a pipette to push the lever. The lab has previously developed a model that calculates the exact forces needed to squeeze a red blood cell by a certain amount. They could therefore use the red blood cell to very accurately calibrate the springiness of the atomic force microscope cantilever.

Heinrich does not see the technique as a new way to calibrate these instruments, but it does show that the red blood cell can be used as an accurate force transducer, he said, and could be used as a tool to measure forces between individual molecules and cells or between molecules. Those measurements can advance our understanding of cell biology, for example how cancers spread or how immune cells enter tissues to fight infection.

The paper is published in the April 14 issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters and also was selected for the April 28 issue of the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology, which links to original papers in other journals.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8650">
<title>Monkey Studies Important for Brain Science</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8650</link>
<description><![CDATA[Studies with non-human primates have made major contributions to our understanding of the brain and will continue to be an important, if small, part of neuroscience research, according to a recent review published in the British medical journal, The Lancet.

Authors John P. Capitanio, professor of psychology at UC Davis and associate director of the California National Primate Research Center, and Professor Marina E. Emborg at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center describe the importance of non-human primates in studies of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, neurological complications of AIDS and stress.

"The key contribution of these studies is based on the similarities between the brains of humans and those of non-human primates," said Capitanio, who studies animal behavior. Human and monkey brains show similar organization and structure, and the animals show complex behavior that can be compared to human behavior. However, he said, several complicating factors will always limit the number of animals used, including the financial expense, ethical issues and the relative difficulty of breeding compared to other model animals such as rodents.

All animal models have their strengths and limitations, Capitanio said. But just as a model building helps engineers and architects understand how a structure will work, animal models can help researchers understand body systems.

For example, the drug MPTP -- first synthesized in an illegal drug laboratory -- causes symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease in both humans and monkeys, but not in rats or mice, which lack a crucial enzyme. Researchers are now studying monkeys treated with MPTP to better understand new treatments for Parkinson's disease -- the second most common neurodegenerative disease in people over 65.

"A model is not the real thing, but it can help you understand the real thing," Capitanio said.

The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) is part of a network of eight national primate research centers sponsored by the National Center for Research Resources, a division of the National Institutes of Health.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8659">
<title>Earthquake Engineering Conference</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8659</link>
<description><![CDATA[Experts on earthquake engineering and simulation will meet at the Sacramento Convention Center May 18-22 for the fourth decennial Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics conference, organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Conference topics will address how soils and the structures built on them behave during earthquakes, and how dams, levees, bridges, tunnels and other structures can be engineered to withstand earthquake damage. Sessions will range from basic research to specific case histories and new technologies for preventing earthquake damage.

Plenary speakers include Professor Thomas O'Rourke, Cornell University, on "Earthquake Engineering for Complex Geotechnical and Lifeline Systems"; Professor Raymond Seed, UC Berkeley, on "Seismic Evaluation of Levees"; and Bruce Kutter, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis, who will discuss modeling studies of the Bay Area's BART tube tunnel.

There will also be demonstrations of equipment for earthquake engineering research, including ground-shaking trucks and UC Davis' large geotechnical centrifuge. The equipment show will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 20, at the UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling, part of the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) funded by the National Science Foundation.

The meeting is organized by the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Ross Boulanger, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis, is chair of the conference organizing committee.

Conference registration is available online at http://www.geesd.org. News reporters interested in attending the meeting should contact Joan Buhrman at ASCE for details on press registration.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8665">
<title>Media Source: Tectonics of Southwest China</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8665</link>
<description><![CDATA[Southwestern China is an area where earthquakes are likely to occur, but an event of the scale of the devastating May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province was not necessarily expected, according to Eric Cowgill, assistant professor of geology at UC Davis. Cowgill studies zones where continental plates collide. In south Asia, the Indian plate is plowing into Eurasia, forming the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau. The Sichuan basin, where the May 12 earthquake occurred, lies to the east of the Tibetan plateau. But previous measurements did not indicate significant shortening between Tibet and the Sichuan basin that would have suggested a major earthquake was likely to occur there, Cowgill said. "This might change our thinking about that area," he said.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8643">
<title>Firearms Microstamping Feasible but Variable, Study Finds</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8643</link>
<description><![CDATA[New technology to link cartridge cases to guns by engraving microscopic codes on the firing pin is feasible, but did not work equally well for all guns and ammunition tested in a pilot study by researchers from the forensic science program at the University of California, Davis. More testing in a wider range of firearms is needed, the researchers said.

Microstamping technology uses a laser to cut a pattern or code into the head of a firing pin or another internal surface. The method is similar to that used to engrave codes on computer chips. When the trigger is pulled, the firing pin hits the cartridge case or primer and stamps the code onto it. In principle, the spent cartridge can then be matched to a specific gun.

In October 2007, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1471, requiring that all new models of semiautomatic pistols sold in California on or after Jan. 1, 2010, be engraved in two or more places with an identifying code that is transferred to the cartridge case on firing. Similar legislation has been proposed in other states and at the federal level.

In March 2008, a report from the National Research Council, part of the National Academies of Science, described microstamping as a "promising" approach and called for more in-depth studies on the durability of microstamped marks under different firing conditions.

"Our study confirms the NRC position that more research should be conducted on this technology," said Fred Tulleners, director of the forensic science graduate program at UC Davis. Tulleners is former director of the California Department of Justice crime labs in Sacramento and Santa Rosa.

If successfully implemented, microstamping would be one additional piece of evidence for investigators to link various shooting events, Tulleners said.

UC Davis graduate student Michael Beddow looked at the performance of microstamped marks in one location, the firing pin. He tested firing pins from six different brands of semi-automatic handguns, two semi-automatic rifles and a shotgun. The firing pins were engraved with three different types of code: a letter/number code on the face of the firing pin; a pattern of dots or gears around the pin; and a radial bar code down the side of the pin. The engraved firing pins were purchased from ID Dynamics of Londonderry, N.H.

To test the effects of repeated firing, Beddow fitted engraved firing pins into six Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handguns that were issued to California Highway Patrol cadets for use in weapons training. After firing about 2,500 rounds, the letter/number codes on the face of the firing pins were still legible with some signs of wear. But the bar codes and dot codes around the edge of the pins were badly worn.

"They were hammered flat," Beddow said.

Tests on other guns, including .22-, .380- and .40-caliber handguns, two semi-automatic rifles and a pump-action shotgun, showed a wide range of results depending on the weapon, the ammunition used and the type of code examined, Beddow found. Generally, the letter/number codes on the face of the firing pin and the gear codes transferred well to cartridge cases, but the bar codes on the sides of the firing pin performed more poorly. Microstamping worked particularly poorly for the one rimfire handgun tested.

The researchers did not have access to patented information allowing them to read the bar- or gear-codes, and so could not determine if these remained legible enough to be useful.

Codes engraved on the face of the firing pin could easily be removed with household tools, Beddow found.

The researchers estimated that setting up a facility to engrave alphanumeric codes on firing pins would cost about $7 to $8 per firing pin in the first year, assuming that such marks would be required on all handguns sold in California, and based on the efficiencies associated with high-volume production costs, Tulleners said.

Tulleners said that a larger test of about 3,000 firing pins, from a wider range of guns, would allow for a more "real-world" test of the technology, as called for by the National Research Council report. About 2,000 makes and models of handguns are sold in California, compared with the nine tested, Beddow estimated in the study. A larger study would also help show how useful this technology might be in detecting and preventing crime.

AB1471 also requires at least one other internal location for microstamping a number. Microstamping on areas other than the firing pin was not tested in this study. Based on the study's preliminary results with a .22-caliber pistol, where the code on the firing pin was transferred to the brass of the cartridge rather than the softer primer, the effectiveness of such a requirement needs further assessment, Tulleners said.

David Howitt, professor of chemical engineering and materials science at UC Davis, supervised the project.

The study was funded by a grant from the California Policy Research Center, part of the University of California Office of the President. The report has completed peer review by experts selected by the center, and a paper describing the results has been accepted and scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners (AFTE) Journal.

UC Davis offers a research-based master's degree in forensic science administered as a self-supporting program through UC Davis Extension. Courses are taught by an interdisciplinary group of UC Davis faculty and outside experts. The program currently has an enrollment of about 70 students.]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8647">
<title>Student-raised Horses and Mules to Be Auctioned</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8647</link>
<description><![CDATA[It's "graduation" time for 12 horses and four mules -- bred, raised and trained by animal science students -- that will be auctioned Saturday, June 21, during the 16th annual Horse Production Sale at the University of California, Davis.

The auction, coordinated by the students and staff of the UC Davis Animal Science Horse Barn, will feature two weanling, five yearling and five adult horses, as well as three yearling mules and a two-year old mule. Complete pedigree information can be viewed at http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/horsebarn.

"All of our horses are from champion bloodlines and have impeccable training and handling abilities," said Nicole Webster, horse barn manager. "We've frequently received comments from previous buyers on how well-trained the foals are."

The group will include registered American quarter horses, an American paint horse, warmbloods eligible for registration with the Selle Francais Association and registered mules.

A breeding with one of the UC Davis stallions will be auctioned off for the 2009 breeding season.

The sale, including a preview of the horses and a barbecue, begins at 3 p.m. The auction is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Detailed descriptions of the horses and the Equine Management Program, as well as driving directions, are available online at http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/horsebarn/ProductionSale/index.htm.

The sale is the culmination of a six-month internship for the students serving as foal managers. During the internship, the students learn how to handle and train weanlings and yearlings, as well as provide care for the mares and foals before and after birth.

The students also are responsible for fitting the horses for the sale and ensuring that all foals can stand tied, load into a trailer, stand for the farrier, be clipped, and work on a hot-walker. The students also have exercised the horses regularly and exposed the foals to a variety of activities including large crowds, heavy equipment and the show ring.

In addition, the students have coordinated details for the sale, including production of the sale catalog, which requires that they research and create the pedigree for each horse, compile performance records and prepare photographs.

Proceeds from the sale, which traditionally brings in $20,000 to $30,000, will support the animal science department's Equine Management Program. This program provides hands-on experience for students preparing for careers in the horse industry or for further studies in veterinary medicine or graduate school.

Contributing to this event with their time, talents and support are Nutrena, auctioneer Dan Macon, Brenda's Tack Warehouse of Woodland and Western Ranch Feed Store of Vacaville.]]></description>
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<title>SF Mayor Newsom to Speak at UC Davis Commencement</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8516</link>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8660">
<title>New Analysis Shows Important Slowdown in Lake Tahoe Clarity Loss</title>
<link>http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8660</link>
<description><![CDATA[LAKE TAHOE -- For the first time since researchers began continuously measuring Lake Tahoe's famed water clarity 40 years ago, UC Davis scientists reported today that the historical rate of decline in the lake's clarity has slowed considerably in recent years.

Scientists at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center say that by using new, more sophisticated models for detecting trends and, by factoring out the effects of annual precipitation, they have concluded that the historic rate of decline in the lake's clarity has slowed since 2001.

"From 1968 to 2000 there was a near-continuous decline in lake clarity. There were several years at a time when things seemed to improve, but invariably we returned to the same trend," said Geoffrey Schladow, a UC Davis professor of civil and environmental engineering who directs the Tahoe research center. "But since 2001, we have had seven years in which the clarity has consistently been better than the long-term trend would have predicted. This is unprecedented."

Schladow cautioned that the data do not pinpoint a specific cause for the recent improvements, but noted that new modeling results show that runoff of fine particles from both urbanized areas and roadways around the lake are the primary factors that influence clarity levels. Fine particles scatter light and limit how far into the lake we can see.

In addition, Schladow and his UC Davis colleagues cautioned that it is difficult to use data from a small number of years (2001 to 2007) to draw conclusions about when the trend might change from a slowdown in clarity decline to an improvement in clarity. "Only with the commitment to long-term monitoring can we truly evaluate environmental changes over time," he said.

Even so, the report was welcomed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and other agencies charged with protecting the lake, who suggested that the data provide evidence that years of investments in reducing runoff may now be paying off.

Federal, state and local agencies, as well as local homeowners and businesses, have invested more than $500 million in a coordinated effort to reduce runoff through Tahoe's Environmental Improvement Program, which was launched in 1997 by President Clinton and other officials.

"Our entire community shares the credit for these very encouraging new findings," said John Singlaub, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. "Years of investments in reducing runoff to the lake have slowed the clarity decline. Now we must continue those efforts to clearly reverse the decline and to meet our long-term clarity goals."

Today's clarity findings are also striking in light of recent evidence that global climate change has increased air and lake temperatures in the Tahoe basin. Scientists are concerned that rising air and lake temperatures could increase runoff and the potential for algal blooms.

UC Davis reported last summer that the percentage of precipitation falling as snow decreased from 52 percent to 34 percent since 1911, and that lake waters in July have warmed by almost five degrees since 1999.

"Climate change poses a very real threat to the Tahoe basin's environment and economy," Schladow said. "But the new data that we are presenting today, and other models, suggest that the lake's clarity can be improved, even in the face of gradually warming temperatures."

UC Davis researcher Charles Goldman, who pioneered scientific studies of Lake Tahoe in 1959, today stressed the importance of simultaneously looking at the impacts of climate change and other localized factors, such as fire, on lake clarity.

How the new data were produced

The UC Davis research team produced the new data by using a more sophisticated statistical approach for evaluating the 40-year clarity record. Schladow said the new approach "provides a more realistic picture of current conditions."

The statistical technique allows the trend analysis during recent years to be more reflective of clarity measurements taken in those years and less by historic conditions, said John Reuter, associate director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

UC Davis' Tahoe research center scientists also developed and published a "time series" model that incorporates current scientific understanding of the year-to-year variation in clarity; in particular, this model allows researchers to consider important lake processes such as the amount of annual precipitation and depth to which the lake mixes each year.

Here is what those new models and approaches showed: Between 1968 and 2000, the rate of decline in clarity of the lake waters (approximately one foot per year) remained constant with virtually no suggestion of a significant change.

However, during the 2001-2007 time period, scientists detected a noticeable decrease in the rate of decline.

UC Davis researchers measure the lake's clarity every 10 to 14 days using the same instruments at two fixed locations. One key measure is the Secchi depth -- the depth at which a white disk, the size of a dinner plate, disappears from sight.

Reuter said the new analyses underscore the importance of considering the Lake Tahoe clarity trend over time and avoiding over-emphasis on a single year's average Secchi depth.

History of clarity efforts in the Tahoe basin

When UC Davis' Goldman first began studying Lake Tahoe in 1959, he introduced novel techniques for measuring the ecological health of the lake and was the first scientist to warn that Tahoe's famous cobalt blue color was threatened.

Today, many academic institutions and public agencies are working together to restore and preserve the Tahoe basin ecosystem. Some of the most active research programs are at: UC Davis; the Lahontan Region of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (which helped fund this new trend study); Nevada Department of Environmental Protection; California Air Resources Board; U.S. Forest Service; Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; University of Nevada, Reno; Desert Research Institute; and NASA.

In 1997, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency launched the Environmental Improvement Program as part of its strategy to achieve the environmental threshold goals for the Lake Tahoe basin by healing past environmental damage.

The planning agency and other agencies' top priorities became reducing the amount of fine sediment in stormwater discharges from state and local roads and other urbanized areas, restoring key watersheds, and capturing runoff from homes and businesses.

In 2002, the states of California and Nevada cooperatively began to develop a water-clarity restoration plan for Lake Tahoe, known as the Total Maximum Daily Load or TMDL. TMDLs are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency nationwide to improve impaired bodies of water.

Now the agencies are in the process of completing the TMDL, as well as a 10-year update to the Environmental Improvement Program and a new regional plan for the Tahoe basin.

As part of those efforts, the California Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection recently issued a Clarity Challenge that calls for an improvement in clarity to between 77 and 80 feet in 15 years. (In 2007, the waters of Lake Tahoe were clear to an average depth of 70.2 feet; in 1968, the depth was 102.4 feet.)

A recent report for the TMDL program demonstrates that this challenge is achievable, said Harold Singer, executive officer of the Lahontan Water Board.

Current best practices implemented through the Environmental Improvement Program and aggressive implementation of more innovative water quality treatment will continue to be the basis for clarity improvement.

"Source-control measures are the most effective means to reduce fine sediment reaching Lake Tahoe," Singer said. "Such efforts include restoring disturbed lands to increase infiltration and minimize soil erosion, along with more attention to the nature and amount of applied road abrasives. Efforts to treat storm water runoff also need to focus on removing these very fine particles."

UC Davis scientists, in cooperation with California and Nevada water-quality protection agencies, have developed one further restoration tool known as the Lake Clarity Model. This approach can simulate the lake's response to various combinations of pollution types and amounts. This tool is currently being used to evaluate management strategies as part of the TMDL program.]]></description>
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