Digital media - social memory: remembering in digitally networked times

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A New Life in Montana: The Laotian Hmong -- their History, Culture and American Journey

Keightley, David, M.A., May 2010 History A New Life in Montana: The Laotian Hmong – Their History, Culture and American Journey Chairperson: Michael Mayer Following the end of the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian refugees fled their homelands for America, where they started their lives over again. This paper examines the immigration of Hmong hill-tribesmen from Laos to the United States and their adjustment to a new life in America, particularly in the small community of Missoula Montana. How did they acculturate to such a very different environment from what they had known in Laos, and how successful have they been in America up to this time? The Hmong were among the most recent émigrés to America’s shores, and though their experience was unique, it was not wholly without parallel. The experiences of millions of Eastern and Southern Europeans, the so called “the new immigrants,” around the turn of the twentieth century, throw light on what Hmong immigrants may be going through now. The paper traces Hmong history from ancient times in China, up through their migration into Vietnam and Laos and their involvement in the Vietnam War as American allies. Based on interviews with first, middle and second generation Hmong in Missoula, on interviews with Americans who worked with the Hmong in Montana, on local newspaper accounts, and high school and college records, the paper argues that the Hmong in Missoula have successfully adapted to living in Montana. They have done well in school, established themselves economically, and adjusted to life in the United States. Cultural attributes have helped them to survive and succeed in a place very different from their homeland. The influence of culture on educational, vocational and economic mobility has been noted by other historians. This paper agrees with historical studies that suggest a link between culture and immigrants’ strategies for success in America

Micro-propagated Sphagnum introduction to a degraded lowland bog: photosynthesis, growth and gaseous carbon fluxes

Degraded peatlands are significant sources of carbon greenhouse gases, and their recovery can make significant contributions to UK climate change mitigation responsibilities, as well as deliver biodiversity benefits to BAP priority habitats. Sphagnum mosses are key species for northern peatland formation, and re-introduction is seen as an essential factor in successful restoration, but natural sources are scarce and protected. Micropropagated Sphagnum moss products (BeadaMoss®) have been developed to provide the Sphagnum necessary for new acrotelm development, peatbog recovery and hence carbon greenhouse gas (CGHG) sequestration following degradation. However, the properties and performance of BeadaMoss® Sphagnum, now being produced on an industrial scale, have not been scientifically assessed. This study made a detailed investigation of the performance of BeadaMoss® Sphagnum and its potential for growth and CGHG sequestration under laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory (Chapter 2), maximum photosynthesis (Pmax) rates, and the ratio of Pmax to respiration, of BeadaMoss® Sphagnum were higher than those of wild-sourced Sphagnum. There were positive relationships between Pmax and macronutrients levels, and BeadaMoss® Sphagnum Nitrogen content reached 30 mg g-1 with no signs of toxicity. There were few anatomical or morphological differences, but generally more chloroplasts were recorded in BeadaMoss® than wild-sourced Sphagnum. Productivity of 11 species of BeadaGel™ (strands of developing BeadaMoss® Sphagnum in a hydrocolloidal gel, applied to a substrate) as both individual species and in a commercial mix, were studied in indoor and outdoor conditions (Chapter 3). The Sphagnum developed many growth points and grew rapidly in indoor conditions especially, and species traits developed as expected, particularly outdoors. Some suggestions are made for further increasing productivity in the commercial mix. Ecosystem CGHG flux was measured using closed chambers at plot scale on a degraded lowland bog undergoing restoration with and without application of BeadaGel™ Sphagnum to areas of both mature and immature Eriophorum angustifolium (Chapter 4). iii Studies were conducted over two-years of contrasting weather patterns (September 2016 to August 2018). In year 1 there was a mean net CGHG uptake of -264.39 ± 368.95 g CO2e m-2 yr-1 (all vegetated monitoring points, assuming equal distribution), with progression from CGHG emission from bare peat to increasing CGHG uptake as vegetation matured. In year 2, gross photosynthesis reduced significantly during a summer drought but there was still a mean net CGHG uptake of -99.01 ± 339.59 g CO2e m-2 yr-1 , demonstrating some resilience to climate change scenarios in this early-stage restoration site, particularly with Sphagnum application. CGHG emission from bare peat (341.10 ± 75.47 g CO2e m-2 yr-1 ) showed the magnitude of avoided losses. Sphagnum introduction reduced E. angustifolium density within mature vegetation, and increased both E. angustifolium density and CGHG uptake within immature vegetation. Methane flux contributed significantly to CGHG emission but was not closely related to water table depth. A study of physical and chemical peat characteristics (Chapter 5) showed that the site had legacy effects from long-term degradation, reducing capacity for hydrological stability and resilience to anticipated climate changes, particularly more regular episodes of drought. In summary, BeadaMoss® materials showed potentially rapid proliferation, essential for surface moisture retention in the early stages of restoration and for promoting acrotelm development, and hence application is likely to deliver good outcomes for degraded lowland bog recovery and CGHG uptake

Sigmoid sinus thrombosis presenting with posterior alexia in a patient with Behçet's disease and polycythaemia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A 59-year-old Caucasian woman presented with an acute onset of alexia, noticed whilst driving. She described how while she could read car number plates, she had lost the ability to read and understand words on roadside advertisements and car window stickers.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Neurological examination was unremarkable apart from the inability to read full words or sentences. Imaging of the brain, initially computed tomography, followed by magnetic resonance venography, confirmed a diagnosis of sigmoid sinus thrombosis with associated venous infarction. The patient's past medical history revealed that she had suffered an ischemic stroke and following investigation for this, had undergone a nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. This was complicated by postoperative deep venous thrombosis. She had a persistent polycythaemia that was managed with venesection, and recently she had been diagnosed with Behçet's disease. Prior to this presentation, she had recently stopped her prophylactic antiplatelet medication as she was due to undergo a total knee replacement for osteoarthritis. She was managed with weight-adjusted, low molecular weight heparin followed by oral anticoagulation, and made a good recovery from her symptoms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case illustrates a classical neurological syndrome, highlights the importance of cerebral venous and sinus thrombosis as a cause of stroke, and the importance of remaining vigilant to a person's changing risk of venous thrombosis with evolving comorbidity.</p

Evidence for Pervasive Adaptive Protein Evolution in Wild Mice

The relative contributions of neutral and adaptive substitutions to molecular evolution has been one of the most controversial issues in evolutionary biology for more than 40 years. The analysis of within-species nucleotide polymorphism and between-species divergence data supports a widespread role for adaptive protein evolution in certain taxa. For example, estimates of the proportion of adaptive amino acid substitutions (alpha) are 50% or more in enteric bacteria and Drosophila. In contrast, recent estimates of alpha for hominids have been at most 13%. Here, we estimate alpha for protein sequences of murid rodents based on nucleotide polymorphism data from multiple genes in a population of the house mouse subspecies Mus musculus castaneus, which inhabits the ancestral range of the Mus species complex and nucleotide divergence between M. m. castaneus and M. famulus or the rat. We estimate that 57% of amino acid substitutions in murids have been driven by positive selection. Hominids, therefore, are exceptional in having low apparent levels of adaptive protein evolution. The high frequency of adaptive amino acid substitutions in wild mice is consistent with their large effective population size, leading to effective natural selection at the molecular level. Effective natural selection also manifests itself as a paucity of effectively neutral nonsynonymous mutations in M. m. castaneus compared to humans

Participant recruitment to FiCTION, a primary dental care trial – survey of facilitators and barriers

Objective To identify reasons behind a lower than expected participant recruitment rate within the FiCTION trial, a multi-centre paediatric primary dental care randomised controlled trial (RCT). Subjects (materials) and methods An online survey, based on a previously published tool, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative responses, completed by staff in dental practices recruiting to FiCTION. Ratings from quantitative responses were aggregated to give overall scores for factors related to participant recruitment. Qualitative responses were independently grouped into themes. Results Thirty-nine anonymous responses were received. Main facilitators related to the support received from the central research team and importance of the research question. The main barriers related to low child eligibility rates and the integration of trial processes within routine workloads. Conclusions These findings have directed strategies for enhancing participant recruitment at existing practices and informed recruitment of further practices. The results help provide a profile of the features required of practices to successfully screen and recruit participants. Future trials in this setting should consider the level of interest in the research question within practices, and ensure trial processes are as streamlined as possible. Research teams should actively support practices with participant recruitment and maintain enthusiasm among the entire practice team

Evidence for variation in the effective population size of animal mitochondrial DNA

Background: It has recently been shown that levels of diversity in mitochondrial DNA are remarkably constant across animals of diverse census population sizes and ecologies, which has led to the suggestion that the effective population of mitochondrial DNA may be relatively constant. Results: Here we present several lines of evidence that suggest, to the contrary, that the effective population size of mtDNA does vary, and that the variation can be substantial. First, we show that levels of mitochondrial and nuclear diversity are correlated within all groups of animals we surveyed. Second, we show that the effectiveness of selection on non-synonymous mutations, as measured by the ratio of the numbers of non-synonymous and synonymous polymorphisms, is negatively correlated to levels of mitochondrial diversity. Finally, we estimate the effective population size of mitochondrial DNA in selected mammalian groups and show that it varies by at least an order of magnitude. Conclusions: We conclude that there is variation in the effective population size of mitochondria. Furthermore we suggest that the relative constancy of DNA diversity may be due to a negative correlation between the effective population size and the mutation rate per generation