A Provenance Study Of The Tertiary Sandstones In The Healy Creek And Lignite Creek Coal Basins, Nenana Coal Field, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 197

An examination of mercury concentrations in white perch, yellow perch, and white sucker in Cumberland and Guysborough Counties in Nova Scotia.

1 online resource (35 p.) : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.)Includes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-24).Mercury concentrations in the environment have been a growing concern globally due to the inherent health risks associated with mercury exposure. Concentrations are of importance due to the impacts on the natural environment and the eventual impact on human and wildlife health. An organic form of mercury, methylmercury, is able to easily bioaccumulate and biomagnify in tissues of organisms. In Nova Scotia, much research has been done in the Kejimkujik National Park on fish and waterfowl; however, relatively little has been done to further an understanding of mercury concentrations in aquatic food webs throughout the rest of the province. For this study, we focused on mercury concentrations in three species of freshwater fish from four lakes which were Gilbert and Mattatall (Cumberland County), and Lochiel and Pringle (Guysborough County). Perca flavescents (yellow perch), Morone americana (white perch), and Catostomus commersoni (white sucker), were analyzed to determine the mercury concentrations of these species and compare how they differed among species and lakes. Mercury concentrations in all three species exceeded Health Canada’s marketing limit of 0.5 ng/g. The trends for white perch and yellow perch remained fairly consistent with significant and positive correlation between length and THg concentrations. These trends occur as the species grows and begins consuming other fish and elevating its position in the food chain. However, white sucker did not show a significant relationship between length and THg concentrations which may be due to consistent diet throughout its life regardless of its size. The THg-length trends differed significantly among lakes, meaning that other variables, such as the complexity of the food web and availability of food, could play a role

Unseen lives, silent mourning : the visibility of lesbian death in materialised words.

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 enabled the legal registration of same-sex partnerships; this recognised, and gave institutional approval to, lesbian and gay relationships which, in terms of the former, previously had no legal visibility. This study examines the thoughts of small groups of lesbians and funerary professionals as to why, despite the legal changes, there appear to be very few memorials in cemeteries that indicate lesbian identity or relationship. The lesbian group was also asked if visibility in the cemetery was something they would want, and in what circumstances might this be possible. Four main themes are identified as to why respondents believe this situation still exists eight years after the approval of the Act. These are: unacknowledged or silenced relationships; disempowerment by family or church/faith; the language available, and dissonance between legal progress and social acceptance. Furthermore, lesbians wanted memorials that recognised all parts of their lives, and that might inspire and create a community for those lesbians who would follow. The responses are discussed in two situations – a municipal cemetery and a natural burial ground. Significant paradoxes are identified which mean that wishes for visibility conflict with material impermanence and fears of homophobic violence. The discussion references Davies’ (2002) theory of ‘words against death’ and Hertz’s (1960) writing of differentiated grief responses in Indonesia, and the latter informs the concept of a visible society in the cemetery. Okely’s (1996) notion of ‘defiant moments’ adds a sense of agency to counter-balance silence and oppression. This study can only be seen as representing the opinions of two small and inter-related groups; further research on a wider scale is needed to fully explore this subject. University of Wales Trinity Saint David Carolyn Gay Stevens MA Death Studies Unseen Lives, Silent Mourning: The Visibility of Lesbian Death in Materialised Words. February 201

Childhood obesity prevention trials: A systematic review and meta‐analysis on trial design and the impact of type 1 error

Summary: Effect sizes from previously reported trials are often used to determine the meaningful change in weight in childhood obesity prevention interventions because information on clinically meaningful differences is lacking. Estimates from previous trials may be influenced by statistical significance; therefore, it is important that they have a low risk of type 1 error. A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted to report on the design of child obesity prevention randomized controlled trials and effectiveness according to risk of type 1 error. Eighty‐four randomized controlled trials were identified. A large range of assumptions were applied in the sample size calculations. The most common primary outcome was BMI, with detectable effect size differences used in sample size calculations ranging from 0.25 kg/m2 (followed up at 2 years) to 1.1 kg/m2 (at 9 months) and BMI z‐score ranging from 0.1 (at 4 years) to 0.67 (at 3 years). There was no consistent relationship between low risk of type 1 error and reports of higher or lower effectiveness. Further clarity of the size of a meaningful difference in weight in childhood obesity prevention trials is required to support evaluation design and decision‐making for intervention and policy. Type 1 error risk does not appear to impact effect sizes in a consistent direction

Aquilegia, Vol. 24 No. 5, November-December 2000: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1182/thumbnail.jp

Precision Antifungal Treatment Significantly Extends Voice Prosthesis Lifespan in Patients Following Total Laryngectomy

Indwelling silicone valves called voice prostheses (VPs) are the gold standard for speech rehabilitation in patients with laryngeal cancer following total laryngectomy. Reported VP lifespans amongst these patients are highly variable but when devices fail patients experience loss of voice and an increase risk of chest infection. Early failure of VP is a current clinical concern that is associated with regular hospital visits, reduced quality of life and associated medical cost. Poly-microbial biofilms comprised of both bacterial and fungal microorganisms readily colonize VPs and are linked to loss of device performance and its early failure in addition to providing a reservoir for potential infection. Our detailed analysis of poly-microbial biofilm composition on 159 early failing VPs from 48 total laryngectomy patients confirmed Candida albicans as the predominant fungal species and Staphylococcus aureus as the most common bacterial colonizer within our patient cohort. Using a combination of microbiological analysis, patient data and a high-throughput antifungal test assay mimicking in vivo conditions we established an evidence based precision antifungal treatment approach to VP management. Our approach has allowed us to implement a personalized VP management pathway, which increases device in situ lifespan by an average of 270%. Our study represents a significant step forward in both our understanding of the cause of VP failure and a new effective treatment pathway that offers tangible benefit to patients

“No One Can Make that Choice for You”: Exploring Power in the Sexual Narratives of Black Collegians

Power is enacted to oppress others, pursue wellness, or resist oppression. For Black people, societal and relational oppression influences racialized and gendered expressions of power within sexual encounters. The current study analyzed power dynamics within Black university students’ first and most recent sexual encounters. Using narrative inquiry within a critical paradigm, five narrative strategies were identified within participants’ interviews: 1) Offering a Peek into Powerlessness, 2) Detailing Disempowerment, 3) Privileging Stereotypical Power, 4) Reclaiming Power, and 5) Emphasizing Empowered Sex. Racialized, gendered sexual socialization among Black students is discussed. Counseling considerations to increase sexual wellness for Black people are explored

Human-AI Teaming During an Ongoing Disaster: How Scripts Around Training and Feedback Reveal this is a Form of Human-Machine Communication

Humans play an integral role in identifying important information from social media during disasters. While human annotation of social media data to train machine learning models is often viewed as human-computer interaction, this study interrogates the ontological boundary between such interaction and human-machine communication. We conducted multiple interviews with participants who both labeled data to train machine learning models and corrected machine-inferred data labels. Findings reveal three themes: scripts invoked to manage decision-making, contextual scripts, and scripts around perceptions of machines. Humans use scripts around training the machine—a form of behavioral anthropomorphism—to develop social relationships with them. Correcting machine-inferred data labels changes these scripts and evokes self-doubt around who is right, which substantiates the argument that this is a form of human-machine communication