The foraminiferids of the Cannonball Formation (Paleocene, Danian) and their paleoenvironmental significance : Grant, Morton and Oliver counties, North Dakota

Two hundred-forty samples (of which fifty-five contained micro fossils) were collected from six measured sections in the Cannonball Formation (Paleocene, Danian) in Grant, Morton and Oliver Counties, North Dakota. Twenty-six species of benthonic foraminiferids were identified from these samples: 6 textulariines, 2 miliolines and 18 rotaliines. No planktonic foraminiferids were found. The fauna is characterized by a predominance of individuals of textulariines, especially the lituolids. Although the Cannonball Formation is characterized by an alternating sequence of sandstones and mudstones\u3e the foraminiferid fauna was restricted to the mudstone facies in the upper and upper-middle part of the formation. Two characteristic assemblages based on dominant families and genera are recognized, the lituolid (dominantly arenaceous) and nodosari.id (dominantly calcareous) assemblage. R-mode cluster analysis shows three distinct clusters of species: one corresponds to the lituolid assemblages, another corresponds to the nodosariid assemblage, and the third is composed of species that are represented only rarely in the fora miniferid fauna. The. Q-mode cluster analysis shows a high level of correlation between two lithologic units in two widely separated stratigraphic sections; other foraminiferid correlations were not possible because of the sparse occurrence of foraminiferids in other stratigraphic sections. The two assemblage, the dominance of arenaceous forms, the absence of planktonic forms and the occurrence of the mic:rofauna in the mudstone facies suggests nearshora, shallow (less than 100 m), possibly cooler, protected environments such as shallow bays behind barrier islands. The dominance of textulariines in the sediments is indicative of lower than normal marine salinity

Foraminiferids of the Cannonball Formation (Paleocene, Danian) in western North Dakota

In 1974 and 1975 about 2800 samples (of which 265 contained foram iniferids) of the Cannonball Formation were collected from 60 water test wells and two oil wells in Adams, Bowman, Burleigh, Divide, Dunn, Grant, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sioux, and Ward Counties in western North Dakota. Fifty species of benthonic foraminiferids and four species of planktonic foraminiferids were identified including eight textulariines, two milio lines and 44 rotaliines. Taxa reported for the first time from the Can nonball include: Reophax sp. (2 species), Am:mobaculites expansus Plummer, Spiroplectammina wilcoxensis Cushman and Ponton, Quinqueloculina plummerae Cushman and Todd, Dentalina eocenica Cushman, Lenticulina alabamensis (Cushman), L. ark.ansasana (Cushman and Todd), L. turbinata (Plummer), Lingulina sp., Spirobolivina emmendorferi (Jennings), Rosalina sp., Pararotalia perclara.(Loeblich and Tappan), Fursenkoina sp., Caucasina marylandica (Nogan), Nonion graniferum (Terquem), Pullenia quinqueloba (Reuss), and Anomalinoides umboniferus Schwager. A total of 93 species, including those I collected, has been reported from the Cannonball. The foraminiferid fauna occurs commonly in the mudstone lithofacies and rarely in the sandstone lithofacies in the lower to lower upper Cannon ball. Two foraminiferid assemblages are recognized from R-mode cluster analysis, the Caucasina-Bulimina and Cibicidoides-Ceratobulimina assem blages. Little lateral and vertical continuity in the assemblages suggests strong environmental control and mixing during well drilling. The presence of Globorotalia pseudobulloides and Globoconusa duabjergensis in my samples suggests that the Cannonball is Danian (earliest Paleocene). The shallow-water affinities of the foraminiferid assemblages and small size and scarcity of planktonic foraminiferids suggest deposition in water depths of 100 m or less. The dominance of textulariines, including Ammobaculites, in western Adams and eastern Bowman Counties, indicates brackish-water environments in that area. A large, shallow, protected lagoon west of a north-trending barrier island chain is envisioned as a possible complex of depositional environments for the Cannonball. Brackish-water environments are thought to have occurred on the landward side of the lagoon with normal marine environments near the seaward side of the lagoon

Lived experiences of mental health recovery in persons of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds within the Australian context

Lived experience research related to mental health recovery is advancing, but there remains a lack of narrative material from the perspectives of people from under-represented, non-dominant cultural backgrounds in this domain. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of mental health recovery in people of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in the Australian context. The current study involved a secondary analysis of audio and visual data collected during the digital storytelling project Finding our way in Melbourne, Australia. Thematic analysis was used to understand the lived experience narratives of nine participants in relation to mental health recovery. Five themes were identified through an iterative process of analysis, including Newfound opportunities and care, Family as key motivators and facilitators, Coping and generativity, Cultivating self-understanding and resilience, and Empowerment through social engagement. First person lived experience narratives offer deep insight into understanding the ways in which individuals of marginalised communities conceptualise and embody recovery. These findings further the literature and understanding on how to better serve the needs of people with mental health challenges from CALD communities through informed knowledge of what may be helpful to, and meaningful in, individuals’ recoveries

Linking Succession Planning to Employee Training: A Study of Federal Employees

The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences emerged in federal male and female middle managers and supervisors\u27 perceptions concerning organizational career development culture, succession planning components used for linking employee-training activities, reasons for succession planning and barriers impacting succession planning within their organization. Quantitative methodology supported this research study. A test-retest of the eighty-two-statement survey instrument was conducted for reliability among 40 participants (20 male and 20 female). The survey was then administered to 300 federal middle managers and supervisors (150 male and 150 female). Participants\u27 grade level ranged from general schedule (GS) GS-12 to GS-15. Of the 300 surveys, 152 (51 percent) were returned. Grade level and gender were used as independent variables. The survey statements were identified as dependent variables. One and two-way ANOVA\u27s were used to test the twelve hypotheses. The study revealed four categories that referenced gender differences in perceptions concerning the need to promote organizational career development culture: (a) communication; (b) morale; (c) career development; and (d) coaching and mentoring. Seventy-one percent of female participants at the GS-13 and GS-14 grade level responded with negative perceptions concerning these four categories. The theme that generated the most significant difference in support by both management level and gender was job rotational assignments. The themes of increased job opportunities, changing workload demands, database automation, identifying organizational short and long-term goals, and monitoring individual development plans were identified as participants\u27 primary reasons for succession planning. Additionally, findings suggest that: (a) overburden of work; (b) managers placed in key positions without the necessary qualifications; (c) insufficient support from senior executives; and (d) senior executives\u27 quick fix attitude were recognized as barriers impacting succession planning. Overall, 55 percent of the survey statements produced significant differences (α = .05). The findings resulted in four primary recommendations: (a) a need for additional research; (b) establishment of organizational career development culture; (c) implementation of a coaching and mentoring program; and (d) implementation of a succession-planning program. Both a coaching and mentoring model and a succession-planning model are included in this study

Botulinum toxin: A potential alternative to current treatment of neurogenic and idiopathic urinary incontinence due to detrusor overactivity

Objective: To analyze and report the current data on the treatment of both neurogenic and idiopathic detrusor overactivity with Botulinum toxin.Methods: Literature review using Pub‐Med and Medline from 1990 until June 30, 2006.Results: Case series of patients with neurogenic detrusor dysfunction (NDD) and idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO) range from 15 to 200 patients with follow up from 12 to 36 weeks post‐treatment. Significant improvements in cystometric bladder capacity, reflex volume at first urge to void, and bladder compliance are seen in nearly all patients. Approximately 50% of NDD patients achieved urinary continence and almost all had improvement in bladder control up to 36 weeks following treatment. Patients with IDO with urgency alone or with incontinence also had urodynamic as well as symptom improvement. Approximately 75% of patients with IDO and incontinence are dry at 12 weeks post‐treatment. Urgency disappears on average in two thirds of patients. Quality of life scores also shows significant improvement for all groups.Conclusion: Botulinum toxin‐A has emerged as a promising option for the treatment of neurogenic and refractory idiopathic detrusor overactivity. Studies to date have shown that not only is this treatment effective at decreasing urinary symptoms and incontinence, as well as improving potentially dangerous urodynamic measures, but it is also minimally invasive, reversible and safe. Questions over proper dosing and dilution, number of injection sites, and re‐injection rates remain to be answered.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135676/1/ijgo305.pd

Teaching sustainable and integrated resource management using an interactive nexus model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to enhance and complement teaching about resource system feedbacks and environmental modelling. Students were given an interactive exercise based on a research model (ForeseerTM), developed by an inter-disciplinary research team, that explores the interconnectivity of water, energy and land resources. Two groups of students were involved, one of undergraduates and the other of graduates. Design/methodology/approach – The Foreseer model represents physical flows of the three resources (water, energy and land) using an interactive visual interface. The exercise was set up by giving students short instructions about how to use the tool to create four scenarios, and an online questionnaire was used to capture their understanding and their ability to extract information from the model. Findings – The exercise proved to be a helpful way to connect research and teaching in higher education, to the benefit of both. For students, it was an interactive and engaging way to learn about these complex sustainability issues. At the same time, it provided tangible feedback to researchers working on the model about the clarity of its user interface and its pedagogic value. Originality/value – This exercise represents a novel use of a resource model as a teaching tool in the study of the water, energy and land nexus, and is relevant to sustainability educators as an example of a model-centred learning approach on this topic. This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Emerald via http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2014-002

Exploration of the mechanisms of change in constructs from self-determination theory and quality of life during a multidisciplinary family-based intervention for overweight adolescents

The current study explored whether a multidisciplinary family-based intervention underpinned by self-determination theory could enhance perceptions of parent need support, autonomous motivation, and quality of life in overweight and obese adolescents. Using a staggered-entry waitlist-period control design, adolescents (n = 56) were assessed at baseline and preintervention (within-participant control), immediately following intervention, and at 3, 6, and 12 month follow-ups. Parents were trained in need-supportive behaviors within the broader context of an 8-week multidisciplinary intervention attended jointly with adolescents. Following intervention, significant improvements were demonstrated in adolescent perceptions of parent need support, autonomous motivation, and quality of life, and changes were maintained at the 1-year follow-up. Mediation analyses revealed changes in perceptions of parent need support predicted changes in quality of life indirectly via changes in autonomous motivation. Findings suggest overweight and obese adolescents are likely to benefit from multidisciplinary family-based interventions that aim to train parents in need-supportive behaviors

Semantic Feature Construction

An effective set of features is integral to the success of machine learning algorithms. Semantic feature construction is the knowledge-driven manipulation of the propositional descriptor space of a set of examples for use in a learning algorithm. Two important sources of semanticsfor feature construction are the semantic type (and associated semantic properties) and the semantic class of features. These semantics canbe captured in a knowledge base and utilized to constrain search through the space of constructed features. This dissertation presents a systemthat captures semantic feature construction knowledge and implements a search algorithm that respects that knowledge. Results are presentedfor different combinations of features generated from different successor functions used in search. These results are compiled over many learning problems and several learning algorithms. Other results are also presentedfor different levels of detail in semantic knowledge. Generally, semantics are an effective guide in the space of constructed features

A Limit on the Metallicity of Compact High Velocity Clouds

There is a fortuitous coincidence in the positions of the quasar TonS210 and the compact H I high velocity cloud CHVC224.0-83.4-197 on the sky. Using Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observations of the metal-line absorption in this cloud and sensitive H I 21cm emission observations obtained with the multibeam system at Parkes Observatory, we determine a metallicity of (O/H) <0.46 solar at a confidence of 3 sigma. The metallicity of the high velocity gas is consistent with either an extragalactic or Magellanic Cloud origin, but is not consistent with a location inside the Milky Way unless the chemical history of the gas is considerably different from that of the interstellar medium in the Galactic disk and halo. Combined with measurements of highly ionized species (C III and O VI) at high velocities, this metallicity limit indicates that the cloud has a substantial halo of ionized gas; there is as much ionized gas as neutral gas directly along the Ton S210 sight line. We suggest several observational tests that would improve the metallicity determination substantially and help to distinguish between possible origins for the high velocity gas. Additional observations of this sight line would be valuable since the number of compact HVCs positioned in front of background sources bright enough for high resolution absorption-line studies is extremely limited.Comment: 15 pages, 3 postscript figures + 1 JPEG figure (reduced from postscript for size considerations), accepted for publication in ApJ (June 2002