Slow Catastrophes, Uncertain Revivals

A collection of research-based stories about the future, proudly published by Project Hieroglyph. The book features stories created by students in “Slow Catastrophes, Speculative Futures, Science & Imagination: Rewriting and Rethinking Sustainability,” a course designed and taught by Dr. Michele Speitz at Furman University in South Carolina. The course and the stories in this volume were inspired by Project Hieroglyph, particularly by our first anthology, Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future (2014), which the students read and discussed throughout the course – along with a wealth of scholarly readings on sustainability, ecocriticism, international development, narrative, and ecology. The book is edited by Michele Speitz and Joey Eschrich, and designed by Ariel Shamas. It features stories from Graham Browning, Anna Peterson, Elisa Edmonson, Elly Gay, and Hagan Capnerhurst

Testing the leadership and organizational change for implementation (LOCI) intervention in substance abuse treatment: A cluster randomized trial study protocol

© 2017 The Author(s). Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation represents a strategic change in organizations that requires effective leadership and alignment of leadership and organizational support across organizational levels. As such, there is a need for combining leadership development with organizational strategies to support organizational climate conducive to EBP implementation. The leadership and organizational change for implementation (LOCI) intervention includes leadership training for workgroup leaders, ongoing implementation leadership coaching, 360° assessment, and strategic planning with top and middle management regarding how they can support workgroup leaders in developing a positive EBP implementation climate. Methods: This test of the LOCI intervention will take place in conjunction with the implementation of motivational interviewing (MI) in 60 substance use disorder treatment programs in California, USA. Participants will include agency executives, 60 program leaders, and approximately 360 treatment staff. LOCI will be tested using a multiple cohort, cluster randomized trial that randomizes workgroups (i.e., programs) within agency to either LOCI or a webinar leadership training control condition in three consecutive cohorts. The LOCI intervention is 12months, and the webinar control intervention takes place in months 1, 5, and 8, for each cohort. Web-based surveys of staff and supervisors will be used to collect data on leadership, implementation climate, provider attitudes, and citizenship. Audio recordings of counseling sessions will be coded for MI fidelity. The unit of analysis will be the workgroup, randomized by site within agency and with care taken that co-located workgroups are assigned to the same condition to avoid contamination. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) will be used to analyze the data to account for the nested data structure. Discussion: LOCI has been developed to be a feasible and effective approach for organizations to create a positive climate and fertile context for EBP implementation. The approach seeks to cultivate and sustain both effective general and implementation leadership as well as organizational strategies and support that will remain after the study has ended. Development of a positive implementation climate for MI should result in more positive service provider attitudes and behaviors related to the use of MI and, ultimately, higher fidelity in the use of MI. Trial registration: This study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03042832 ), 2 February 2017, retrospectively registered

Black Carbon Contribution to Organic Carbon Stocks in Urban Soil

Soil holds 75% of the total organic carbon (TOC) stock in terrestrial ecosystems. This comprises ecosystem-derived organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), a recalcitrant product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. Urban topsoils are often enriched in BC from historical emissions of soot and have high TOC concentrations, but the contribution of BC to TOC throughout the urban soil profile, at a regional scale is unknown. We sampled 55 urban soil profiles across the North East of England, a region with a history of coal burning and heavy industry. Through combined elemental and thermogravimetic analyses, we found very large total soil OC stocks (31–65 kg m–2 to 1 m), exceeding typical values reported for UK woodland soils. BC contributed 28–39% of the TOC stocks, up to 23 kg C m–2 to 1 m, and was affected by soil texture. The proportional contribution of the BC-rich fraction to TOC increased with soil depth, and was enriched in topsoil under trees when compared to grassland. Our findings establish the importance of urban ecosystems in storing large amounts of OC in soils and that these soils also capture a large proportion of BC particulates emitted within urban areas

Letter to the Editor Regarding “Pathology Informatics Education Committee of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP)”

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Black Carbon Contribution to Organic Carbon Stocks in Urban Soil

Soil holds 75% of the total organic carbon (TOC) stock in terrestrial ecosystems. This comprises ecosystem-derived organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), a recalcitrant product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. Urban topsoils are often enriched in BC from historical emissions of soot and have high TOC concentrations, but the contribution of BC to TOC throughout the urban soil profile, at a regional scale is unknown. We sampled 55 urban soil profiles across the North East of England, a region with a history of coal burning and heavy industry. Through combined elemental and thermogravimetic analyses, we found very large total soil OC stocks (31–65 kg m^–2 to 1 m), exceeding typical values reported for UK woodland soils. BC contributed 28–39% of the TOC stocks, up to 23 kg C m^–2 to 1 m, and was affected by soil texture. The proportional contribution of the BC-rich fraction to TOC increased with soil depth, and was enriched in topsoil under trees when compared to grassland. Our findings establish the importance of urban ecosystems in storing large amounts of OC in soils and that these soils also capture a large proportion of BC particulates emitted within urban areas

Black carbon contribution to organic carbon stocks in urban soil.

Soil holds 75% of the total organic carbon (TOC) stock in terrestrial ecosystems. This comprises ecosystem-derived organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), a recalcitrant product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. Urban topsoils are often enriched in BC from historical emissions of soot and have high TOC concentrations, but the contribution of BC to TOC throughout the urban soil profile, at a regional scale is unknown. We sampled 55 urban soil profiles across the North East of England, a region with a history of coal burning and heavy industry. Through combined elemental and thermogravimetic analyses, we found very large total soil OC stocks (31-65 kg m(-2) to 1 m), exceeding typical values reported for UK woodland soils. BC contributed 28-39% of the TOC stocks, up to 23 kg C m(-2) to 1 m, and was affected by soil texture. The proportional contribution of the BC-rich fraction to TOC increased with soil depth, and was enriched in topsoil under trees when compared to grassland. Our findings establish the importance of urban ecosystems in storing large amounts of OC in soils and that these soils also capture a large proportion of BC particulates emitted within urban areas

Seasonal nitrogen dynamics in a seepage lake receiving

11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tablesStudies on nitrogen dynamics in seepage lakes are seldom undertaken, yet our understanding of the complex pattern of the nitrogen (N) cycle is complicated by its temporal and spatial heterogeneity. This research investigated temporal variation inNconcentration, considering different forms ofN(NO−3 ,NO−2 ,NH+4 , dissolved organicN, particulate organic N) in a Spanish flowthrough seepage lake (Colgada Lake) receiving high N loads. The study was based on monthly data collected over the period 2003–2005 from lake inputs and outputs, vertical profiles at a single representative site in the middle of the lake and fluxes of NH+4 and NO−3 at the sediment–water interface. The distribution of total N (TN) inputs and outputs did not follow a clear temporal pattern. TN inputs varied from 27.70 to 125 tonnes N month−1, 75–84% of which is NO−3 .Temporal variation of concentration profiles for different N forms measured showed significant differences owing to stratification. Ammonium always entered the sediment, whereas sediments acted as either a sink or source of NO−3 . Fluctuation in N dynamics in this lake was more influenced by external factors, such as the input variability, than by the turnover of nitrogenous substances in the water body. Comparing seasonal N dynamics, there seems to be temporal differences between seepage lakes and drainage lakes. In seepage lakes, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) peaks were reached in early spring and after overturn, whereas in drainage lakes, the autumn minimum gradually increased to maxima in late winter and during the stratification periodREN 2002-00558 Proyecto del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de EspañaPeer reviewe

Bi-allelic variants in the ER quality-control mannosidase gene EDEM3 cause a congenital disorder of glycosylation

EDEM3 encodes a protein that converts Man(8)GlcNAc(2) isomer B to Man(7-5)GlcNAc(2). It is involved in the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway, responsible for the recognition of misfolded proteins that will be targeted and translocated to the cytosol and degraded by the proteasome. In this study, through a combination of exome sequencing and gene matching, we have identified seven independent families with 11 individuals with bi-allelic protein-truncating variants and one individual with a compound heterozygous missense variant in EDEM3. The affected individuals present with an inherited congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG) consisting of neurodevelopmental delay and variable facial dysmorphisms. Experiments in human fibroblast cell lines, human plasma, and mouse plasma and brain tissue demonstrated decreased trimming of Man(8)GlcNAc(2) isomer B to Man(7)GlcNAc(2), consistent with loss of EDEM3 enzymatic activity. In human cells, Man(5)GlcNAc(2) to Man(4)GlcNAc(2) conversion is also diminished with an increase of Glc(1)Man(5)GlcNAc(2). Furthermore, analysis of the unfolded protein response showed a reduced increase in EIF2AK3 (PERK) expression upon stimulation with tunicamycin as compared to controls, suggesting an impaired unfolded protein response. The aberrant plasma N-glycan profile provides a quick, clinically available test for validating variants of uncertain significance that may be identified by molecular genetic testing. We propose to call this deficiency EDEM3-CDG.The article is available via Open Access. Click on the 'Additional link' above to access the full-text.Published version, accepted version (6 month embargo), submitted versio