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Browsing by Author "Liber, Karsten"

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    Comparative analysis of cadmium uptake and distribution in contrasting canadian flax cultivars
    (BMC, 2020) House, Megan; Young, Lester W.; Liu, Xia; Liber, Karsten; Diederichsen, Axel; Booker, Helen
    Objective: Humans consume low quantities of cadmium (Cd), a non-nutritive and potentially toxic heavy metal, primarily via the dietary intake of grains. A trial experiment was conducted to investigate physiological and developmental differences in Cd content in four flax cultivars (‘AC Emerson’, ‘Flanders’, ‘CDC Bethune’, and ‘AC McDuff’) as part of a study to provide information that will assist in the breeding of low Cd-accumulating flax cultivars. Our objective was to identify varietal differences in the uptake and distribution of Cd in various tissues among flax cultivars grown in naturally Cd-containing soil in a controlled environment. Results: Cadmium concentration was dependent on genotype, developmental stage, and tissue type, as well as their interaction. Cadmium concentration was higher in roots and leaves, relative to all other tissues, with a general trend of decreasing Cd content over time within leaves and stems. Notably, the concentration of Cd was higher in ‘AC Emerson’ relative to ‘AC McDuff’ across tissues and ages, including the seeds, while the concentration of ‘Flanders’ was higher than in ‘AC McDuff’ in seeds and other reproductive organs but similar in roots and leaves. The results suggest varietal differences in the mechanisms that determine Cd content in seeds.
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    Radical Transformation of Universities to Prepare the Next Generation of Climate Champions
    (Brill, 2021) Creed, Irena; Ramaswamy, Meghna; Wolsfeld, Matthew; Calvez, Stryker; Fulton, Murray; Liber, Karsten; Marciniuk, Darcy D.; Ottman, Jacqueline; Turner, Nancy; Zink, Laura; Akins, Erin; Hudson, Kevin; Bell, Jamie; LaRose-Smith, Autumn; McKay, Jory
    The threat and reality of climate change must be acted upon individually and collectively. Universities have a decisive role to play in this regard – by creating the capacity in all its academic activities to lead in taking on the challenge and by graduating students with the capacity to solve the problems that the climate change situation poses. To take on these roles, universities must accept a “radical transformation”. Radical transformation is a process that requires two integrated activities: radical thinking and transformative action. We propose that it is radical to think of universities as microcosms of society; that is, universities face the same need as everyone else to find ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We also propose that it is transformative for universities to inspire and be agents of change for the world: by creatively developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change, universities can become global leaders in demonstrating workable solutions capable of being broadly diffused and scaled up. We present a set of design aspirations that can help universities undergo a radical transformation and thereby make headway in addressing the climate crisis.