Reevaluation of the formation of spiral coprolites

12 p., 9 fig.http://paleo.ku.edu/contributions.htm

Wildfires lead to decreased carbon and increased nitrogen concentrations in upland arctic streams

The Central Siberian Plateau is undergoing rapid climate change that has resulted in increased frequency of forest fires and subsequent alteration of watershed carbon and nutrient dynamics. Across a watershed chronosequence (3 to \u3e100 years since wildfire) we quantified the effects of fire on quantity and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM), stream water nutrient concentrations, as well as in-stream nutrient uptake. Wildfires increased concentrations of nitrate for a decade, while decreasing concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON) and aliphatic DOM contribution for five decades. These post-wildfire changes in stream DOM result in lower uptake efficiency of in-stream nitrate in recently burned watersheds. Nitrate uptake (as uptake velocity) is strongly dependent on DOM composition (e.g. polyphenolics), ambient dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and DOC to DIN ratios. Our observations and experiments suggest that a decade-long pulse of inorganic nitrogen and a reduction of DOC export occur following wildfires in streams draining the Central Siberian Plateau. Increased fire frequency in the region is thus likely to both decrease DOM and increase nitrate delivery to the main stem Yenisei River, and ultimately the Arctic Ocean, in the coming decades

The origin of "spiral coprolites"

20 p., 8 pl., 10 fig.http://paleo.ku.edu/contributions.htm

The Development of a Bilingual Program in the Heart of Iowa

In the article, the author reviews the process of programmatic change as services for limited English proficient (LEP) students at Woodbury Elementary School in Marshalltown, Iowa progressed from a pull-out English as a Second Language (ESL) program to a transitional bilingual program, and ultimately to an inclusive bilingual model. The author recounts the early stages of the program, its growth and history, and the conditions which led to the change. The author also provides a detailed snapshot of the current program, including goals, various implementation issues and their resolutions, and a summary of student performance results. Continual evolution of the program as well as attempts to address current challenges is also discusse

Two four-marker haplotypes on 7q36.1 region indicate that the potassium channel gene HERG1 (KCNH2, Kv11.1) is related to schizophrenia: a case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The pathobiology of schizophrenia is still unclear. Its current treatment mainly depends on antipsychotic drugs. A leading adverse effect of these medications is the acquired long QT syndrome, which results from the blockade of cardiac HERG1 channels (human ether-a-go-go-related gene potassium channels 1) by antipsychotic agents. The HERG1 channel is encoded by <it>HERG1 </it>(<it>KCNH2</it>, <it>Kv11.1</it>) gene and is most highly expressed in heart and brain. Genetic variations in <it>HERG1 </it>predispose to acquired long QT syndrome. We hypothesized that the blockade of HERG1 channels by antipsychotics might also be significant for their therapeutic mode of action, indicating a novel mechanism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We genotyped four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 7q36.1 region (two SNPs, rs1805123 and rs3800779, located on <it>HERG1</it>, and two SNPs, rs885684 and rs956642, at the 3'-downstream intergenic region) and then performed single SNP and haplotype association analyses in 84 patients with schizophrenia and 74 healthy controls after the exclusion of individuals having prolonged or shortened QT interval on electrocardiogram.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our analyses revealed that both genotype and allele frequencies of rs3800779 (c.307+585G>T) were significantly different between populations (<it>P </it>= 0.023 and <it>P </it>= 0.018, respectively). We also identified that two previously undescribed four-marker haplotypes which are nearly allelic opposite of each other and located in chr7:150225599-150302147bp position encompassing <it>HERG1 </it>were either overrepresented (A-A-A-T, the at-risk haplotype, <it>P </it>= 0.0007) or underrepresented (C-A-C-G, the protective haplotype, <it>P </it>= 0.005) in patients compared to controls.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that the potassium channel gene <it>HERG1 </it>is related to schizophrenia. Our findings may also implicate the whole family of HERG channels (HERG1, HERG2 and HERG3) in the pathogenesis of psychosis and its treatment.</p

Getting to Know You: An Expanded Approach to Capital Jury Selection

The Colorado Method of capital jury selection is a widely embraced strategy defense attorneys use to select jurors during voir dire, in which attorneys rank each juror exclusively on the likelihood that the juror will vote for death. The method could benefit from some expansion. Not all defense lawyers have access to Colorado-Method-based training. In innocence cases, defense lawyers should soften discussions of punishment prior to guilt since this tactic predisposes juries to vote for death. Nor do jurors\u27 views or positions on the death penalty guarantee their eventual votes. While capital juries are already inclined to give death sentences generally, social science researchers have determined that numerous case-specific and juror specific factors significantly affect jurors\u27 votes. I review these research findings and conclude that capital defense attorneys would be better served, if courts allow them the time and the resources, by questioning and ranking jurors on a broader set of factors. I propose that with more information in hand defense attorneys would improve their odds of selecting a jury more inclined to impose a life sentence

Rhabdomesid bryozoans of the Wreford Megacyclothem (Wolfcampian, Permian) of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma

74 p., 2 pl., 19 fig.http://paleo.ku.edu/contributions.htm

Development of an interdisciplinary systems engineering program

Issued as Final report, Project no. J-1003Report prepared by Ronald O. Covaul

Digital tools for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT): A state of the art

ABSTRACT: Operations and installation on offshore wind and especially floating are complex and difficult actions due to site accessibility and equipment availability. In this regard, digitalization is disrupting the wind section thanks to the development of advanced sensors, automated equipment, computational power, among other. All these allow to optimize and simplify different parts of the offshore wind power plant development (i.e. design, planning, installation, O&M, etc.). This fact is of special interest on maintenance, since the early detection of failures or malfunctions lead to reduced costly corrective maintenance. This paper presents a literature review of current state-of-the-art on the application of digitalization activities which can be applied for floating wind, including typical component failures, monitoring techniques and advanced digital tools as Digital Twin concept and Building Information Models (BIM). Finally, the review paper provides an analysis of existing gaps, needs and challenges of the sector to provide guides on research and innovation to foster offshore wind sector.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 Programme under Grant Agreement n◦ 815083 – Corewin