The Resilience of New Orleans: Assessing a History of Disasters 1718-1803

New Orleans, Louisiana, was founded in 1718 on what is known today to be unstable land. In 1719, a flood devastated the budding city. Several other strong storms quickly followed and forced reconstruction. The French colonists who built New Orleans had no experience with Louisiana’s climate or repetitive tropical storms and flooding. Damage from disasters occurred so frequently that the difficult work of reconstruction characterized the city’s first few decades. The lack of population of the area generated the sending of criminals and other unwanted individuals from France. These ended up taking an active part in the construction and reconstruction process. This research examines the reasons for founding the city where it still stands today, early challenges confronting New Orleanians, and their adaptation to an inhospitable environment, specifically underpopulation, disasters, and inexperience. This dissertation displays for the first time colonial materials on a large scale: primary sources from various archives originally written in French and translated by the author. Despite concerns that residents would leave their city to seek safer living conditions on higher land or move back to the home country as some did, early New Orleanians displayed a resilience that can be compared to that found recently in the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. Other settlements had a different fate and eventually disappeared whereas New Orleans always rebuilt itself after each disaster, showing an exclusive sense of its own survival. Since the location of New Orleans became obvious for commercial purposes, early disasters provided the opportunity to rebuild a new town, more adapted to the needs of the colony. Once that town was built and the other local cities proved to be ineffective as capital of the colony, New Orleans appeared as a suitable choice and therefore colonists started investing more into the future of their city

The Resilience of New Orleans: Assessing a History of Disasters 1718-1803

New Orleans, Louisiana, was founded in 1718 on what is known today to be unstable land. In 1719, a flood devastated the budding city. Several other strong storms quickly followed and forced reconstruction. The French colonists who built New Orleans had no experience with Louisiana’s climate or repetitive tropical storms and flooding. Damage from disasters occurred so frequently that the difficult work of reconstruction characterized the city’s first few decades. The lack of population of the area generated the sending of criminals and other unwanted individuals from France. These ended up taking an active part in the construction and reconstruction process. This research examines the reasons for founding the city where it still stands today, early challenges confronting New Orleanians, and their adaptation to an inhospitable environment, specifically underpopulation, disasters, and inexperience. This dissertation displays for the first time colonial materials on a large scale: primary sources from various archives originally written in French and translated by the author. Despite concerns that residents would leave their city to seek safer living conditions on higher land or move back to the home country as some did, early New Orleanians displayed a resilience that can be compared to that found recently in the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. Other settlements had a different fate and eventually disappeared whereas New Orleans always rebuilt itself after each disaster, showing an exclusive sense of its own survival. Since the location of New Orleans became obvious for commercial purposes, early disasters provided the opportunity to rebuild a new town, more adapted to the needs of the colony. Once that town was built and the other local cities proved to be ineffective as capital of the colony, New Orleans appeared as a suitable choice and therefore colonists started investing more into the future of their city

Detection, attribution, and sensitivity of trends toward earlier streamflow in the Sierra Nevada

Observed changes in the timing of snowmelt dominated streamflow in the western United States are often linked to anthropogenic or other external causes. We assess whether observed streamflow timing changes can be statistically attributed to external forcing, or whether they still lie within the bounds of natural (internal) variability for four large Sierra Nevada (CA) basins, at inflow points to major reservoirs. Streamflow timing is measured by “center timing” (CT), the day when half the annual flow has passed a given point. We use a physically based hydrology model driven by meteorological input from a global climate model to quantify the natural variability in CT trends. Estimated 50-year trends in CT due to natural climate variability often exceed estimated actual CT trends from 1950 to 1999. Thus, although observed trends in CT to date may be statistically significant, they cannot yet be statistically attributed to external influences on climate. We estimate that projected CT changes at the four major reservoir inflows will, with 90% confidence, exceed those from natural variability within 1–4 decades or 4–8 decades, depending on rates of future greenhouse gas emissions. To identify areas most likely to exhibit CT changes in response to rising temperatures, we calculate changes in CT under temperature increases from 1 to 5°. We find that areas with average winter temperatures between −2°C and −4°C are most likely to respond with significant CT shifts. Correspondingly, elevations from 2000 to 2800 m are most sensitive to temperature increases, with CT changes exceeding 45 days (earlier) relative to 1961–1990

Concreteness training reduces dysphoria: proof-of-principle for repeated cognitive bias modification in depression.

addresses: Mood Disorders Centre, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. [email protected]: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tThis is a postprint of an article published in Journal of Abnormal Psychology © 2009 copyright American Psychological Association. 'This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.' Journal of Abnormal Psychology is available online at: http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/abn/index.aspxA tendency toward abstract and overgeneral processing is a cognitive bias hypothesized to causally contribute to symptoms of depression. This hypothesis predicts that training dysphoric individuals to become more concrete and specific in their thinking would reduce depressive symptoms. To test this prediction, 60 participants with dysphoria were randomly allocated either to (a) concreteness training; (b) bogus concreteness training, matched with concreteness training for treatment rationale, experimenter contact, and treatment duration but without active engagement in concrete thinking; (c) a waiting-list, no training control. Concreteness training resulted in significantly greater decreases in depressive symptoms and significantly greater increases in concrete thinking than the waiting-list and the bogus training control, and significantly greater decreases in rumination than the waiting-list control. These findings suggest that concreteness training has potential as a guided self-help intervention for mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms

Pengaruh Metode Bertimbal Balik (Reciprocal Teaching) Terhadap Berpikir Kritis Siswa Pada Mata Pelajaran Sejarah Kelas XI IPS SMA Negeri 2 Aikmel Tahun Pelajaran 2018/2019

The preliminary study shows that History is an unattractive, boring, difficult subject, etc. that shows students actually don't like the lesson. This situation can be aggravated if the teacher who teaches it is monotonous, too theoretical, and abstract, lack of textbooks, plus an ever-changing curriculum. Students' critical thinking skills can be very diverse, especially can be seen from the lack of active participation of students in learning, the low response and courage of students to express opinions. Facing this reality, researchers want to try reciprocal teaching method that is assumed to have a positive effect on students' critical thinking skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Reciprocal teaching models on students' critical thinking skills in History subjects in the XI IPS class in SMAN 2 academic year 2017/2018. This type of research is experimental research. The experimental group was given treatment using the Reciprocal Teaching method while the control group using conventional methods. Data on the results were collected through observation sheet. data analysis was performed with t-test formula. Based on the results of data analysis obtained t-count = 6.370 and t-table 2.00 with dk 58 and a significance level of 5% so that the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, which means there is a positive and significant influence using the reciprocal method (Reciprocal Teaching ) on students' critical thinking skills in History subjects in class XI IPS students of SMAN 2 Aikmel academic year 2018/2019

Impact of DNA ligase IV on the fidelity of end joining in human cells

A DNA ligase IV (LIG4)‐null human pre‐B cell line and human cell lines with hypomorphic mutations in LIG4 are significantly impaired in the frequency and fidelity of end joining using an in vivo plasmid assay. Analysis of the null line demonstrates the existence of an error‐prone DNA ligase IV‐independent rejoining mechanism in mammalian cells. Analysis of lines with hypomorphic mutations demonstrates that residual DNA ligase IV activity, which is sufficient to promote efficient end joining, nevertheless can result in decreased fidelity of rejoining. Thus, DNA ligase IV is an important factor influencing the fidelity of end joining in vivo. The LIG4‐defective cell lines also showed impaired end joining in an in vitro assay using cell‐free extracts. Elevated degradation of the terminal nucleotide was observed in a LIG4‐defective line, and addition of the DNA ligase IV–XRCC4 complex restored end protection. End protection by DNA ligase IV was not dependent upon ligation. Finally, using purified proteins, we demonstrate that DNA ligase IV–XRCC4 is able to protect DNA ends from degradation by T7 exonuclease. Thus, the ability of DNA ligase IV–XRCC4 to protect DNA ends may contribute to the ability of DNA ligase IV to promote accurate rejoining in vivo

Monohydroxamic acids and bridging dihydroxamic acids as chelators to ruthenium(III) and as nitric oxide donors: syntheses, speciation studies and nitric oxide releasing investigations.

The synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of novel mononuclear Ru(III)(edta)(hydroxamato) complexes of general formula [Ru(H2edta)(monoha)] (where monoha = 3- or 4-NH2, 2-, 3- or 4-C1 and 3-Me-phenylhydroxamato), as well as the first example of a Ru(III)-N-aryl aromatic hydroxamate, [Ru(H2edta)(N-Me-bha)].H2O (N-Me-bha = N-methylbenzohydroxamato) are reported. Three dinuclear Ru(III) complexes with bridging dihydroxamato ligands of general formula [{Ru(H2edta)}2(mu-diha)] where diha = 2,6-pyridinedihydroxamato and 1,3- or 1,4-benzodihydroxamato, the first of their kind with Ru(III), are also described. The speciation of all of these systems (with the exception of the Ru-1,4-benzodihydroxamic acid and Ru-N-methylbenzohydroxamic systems) in aqueous solution was investigated. We previously proposed that nitrosyl abstraction from hydroxamic acids by Ru(III) involves initial formation of Ru(III)-hydroxamates. Yet, until now, no data on the rate of nitric oxide (NO) release from hydroxamic acids has been published. We now describe a UV-VIS spectroscopic study, where we monitored the decrease in the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer band of a series of Ru(III)-monohydroxamates with time, with a view to gaining an insight into the NO-releasing properties of hydroxamic acids

An investigation into the efficacy of washing trucks following the transportation of pigs - a Salmonella perspective

A National Salmonella Control Program is in place in the Republic of Ireland, which requires the categorisation of all pigs according to their Salmonella status. Herds in Categories 1, 2, and 3 have a serological prevalence of infection with Salmonella serotypes of \u3c10%, \u3e10-\u3c50% and \u3e50-\u3c100%, respectively. Transport of animals constitutes a stress which may induce shedding of salmonellae by carrier pigs. Although washing of trucks before leaving the abattoir is mandatory in the Republic of Ireland, little is known about the efficacy of the cleaning methods in use on trucks following the transportation of live pigs

Evaluation of the IDI-MRSA assay on the SmartCycler real-time PCR platform for rapid detection of MRSA from screening specimens

Rapid accurate detection is a prerequisite for the successful control of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The IDI-MRSA real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to provide rapid results from nasal specimens collected in Stuart’s liquid transport medium. This study has evaluated the IDI-MRSA kit for use in a clinical laboratory by investigating the following parameters: (1) limits of detection (LoD), (2) performance with Amies’ gel-based transport medium, (3) ability to detect strains of MRSA in a collection representative of MRSA in Ireland since 1974 (n 113) and (4) performance in a clinical trial with swabs from nose, throat and groin/perineum sites from 202 patients. LoDs (colony-forming units per ml) of the IDI-MRSA kit, direct culture on MRSA-Select chromogenic agar (CA) and saltenrichment culture (with subculture onto CA) were 1,000 , 1,000 and 100 , respectively. LoDs with Stuart’s and Amies’ transport media were comparable. All except one of the 113 MRSA isolates were detected by the kit but, when six control strains carrying staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV element subtypes IVa d and SCCmec types V and VT were tested, the kit failed to detect MRSA carrying SCCmec V. The sensitivity and specificity for detection of MRSA from nose, throat and groin perineum specimens were comparable with slightly lower sensitivities from throat and groin/perineum specimens compared with nasal swabs (90%, 97%; 89%, 99%; 88%, 99%, respectively). Overall sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values for specimens from all sites were 88%, 99%, 94% and 97%, respectively. Further developments to improve the sensitivity of this highly worthwhile assay are required