Seeing Clearly Through a Charcoal Maze

As a child I spent many hours in classrooms unknowingly searching for a means of self-expression. Art was one of the few areas of study that allowed me to harvest my own thoughts and ideas, and it seemed very realistic to grow up and become a rock star, an artist, or a poet. However, as an adult, that realistic dream is often shattered by the pressures of conforming to the regularities of our society. Nearly ten years after I graduated from high school, I decided to return to college to pursue my true passion for the arts. There was always a part of me that felt connected to the idea of creating, whether it involved a pencil, a camera, or a simple extension of a wistful thought. In the fall of 2005, I enrolled in the University of Southern Mississippi. I later left the university not only with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, but also, more importantly, with a brand new way to examine the natural beauties of the world

Diurnal Above-ground Movement in Hairy-tailed Moles, Parascalops breweri

We report the first record of Hairy-tailed Moles (Parascalops breweri) moving above ground during the day and suggest that the four individuals observed were young-of-the-year dispersing from their natal territories. Extreme drought conditions may also have driven these animals to move above ground

Talking Trailers: Promotional materials, and the value of the paratextual turn

In the last decade, the term ‘paratext’ has become increasingly popular and dominant in studies of promotional materials, applied to study a range of different media forms. Genette’s term appears in Coming Attractions: Reading American Movie Trailers (Kernan 2004), before being developed in Show Sold Separately (Gray 2010) and a special issue of Critical Studies in Media Communication (Brookey and Gray 2017). The latter issue states that ‘we know that paratexts walk amongst us’ and that paratextual analysis has advanced ‘a wide and impressive range of academic debates’ (ibid, 101), there has been little discussion about the use value of such a term for the broader work that exists around the production and reception of promotional materials (see, for example, Hesford and Johnston 2015; Johnston 2019). What follows is a discussion between three scholars whose work spans different aspects of promotional materials, to think through the advantages and limitations of the paratextual turn, and the future of this field

The Ephemerality of the Living and the Persistence of the Inanimate

I create fragile, sculptural works with paper. Either cast from pre-existing objects or constructed forms, my three-dimensional works ultimately become pure paper objects. I use the visual language of absence, memory, ruin and ephemerality to present modern artifacts and address the now. I am interested in how the manufactured crumbs we leave behind as a species reveal our collective desires, and our relationship to the body and mortality. I am fascinated with, and even enchanted by, the proliferation of material objects and their tendency to surpass the lifespan of any single human. Perhaps this behavior of producing lasting creations is somehow a way to defer an acceptance of our own disappearance. By translating material remnants into delicate paper shells, I explore the tension between the ephemerality of the living and the everlasting persistence of the inanimate. I combine imagery and material sourced from machinic, bodily, living, dead, non-human animal and human domains and blend them into a state of atemporal ambiguity. Salvaged artifacts originating from multiple generations function as temporary armatures for my cast paper sculptures. I choose objects that connote the body in utility and form, and animal figures that are represented as objects, ruins, or human projections. By sourcing images from cemeteries and infusing materials with dead matter, I create connections to the departed. I am interested in how commonplace objects function as prosthetics to breach biological and social limitations, and the way in which they expedite the reciprocal process of human domestication

Carbamazepine on a carbamazepine monolayer forms unique 1D supramolecular assemblies

High-resolution STM imaging of the structures formed by carbamazepine molecules adsorbed onto a pseudo-ordered carbamazepine monolayer on Au(111) shows the formation of previously unreported 1-dimensional supramolecular assemblies

Microbial Removal Efficiency Within Bioretention Filter Media in Laboratory and Field Environments

This study will evaluate bioretention systems� ability to remove microbial pollutants in both the laboratory and field settings, while also providing essential background on urban stormwater, pollutants, treatment options, and water regulation. Increased urbanization has increased the quantity of pollutants carried by stormwater. Conventional stormwater systems assist in the mitigation of stormwater pollution but can have an adverse effect on natural hydrology. Low impact development (LID) strategies incorporate engineering designs that address pollutants at the original source while also providing some aesthetic value to the community, LIDs are multiuse best management practices (BMPs). Since unmanaged microbial pollution can result in degraded public health and the spread of disease, literature has suggested a need for quantifying microbial removal efficiencies from LID practices. There are numerous studies describing the removal efficiencies of bioretention cells for non-microbial pollutants illustrating the benefit of LID systems. This study will quantify removal efficiencies of E.coli, enterococci, and coliphage in filter media with and without fly ash amended soil incorporating column experiments and field experimentation. Column experiments using soil cores from the sand layer of established bioretention cells give mean removal efficiencies of 67%, 71%, and 64% for E.coli, enterococci, and coliphage respectively in sand only filter media. The fly-ash amended media showed mean removal efficiencies of 64%, 83%, and 41% for E.coli, enterococci, and coliphage respectively. These removals do not consider other layers within the bioretention system, only the filter media layer. Additionally, the second component of this study involves field experiments from three bioretention cells sites in Grove, Oklahoma. These sites were monitored and mean removal and concentration change of microbial indicators calculated. The mean removal efficiency for each of the three sites sampled in the field study are site 1 (87%, 80%, 78%), site 2 (35%, 95%, 81%), and site 3 (43%, 97%, 46%) for E.coli, enterococci, and coliphage, correspondingly. Finally, the third component of this study is the development of bioretention cell design criteria that specifically targets microbial removal and destruction. This microbial removal bioretention design criteria is based on recommendations found in literature from laboratory and field studies from 2008 to current.Biosystems & Agricultural Engineerin

Experiences of Physical Therapists who Participate in Disaster Relief Work in Haiti

Purpose/Hypothesis: Opportunities are now available for physical therapists to move onto the global scene as they become involved in disaster relief work in Haiti. There has been a great deal written in the literature on the experiences and roles of health care providers who participate in disaster relief work. There has been less written about the role of physical therapists who engage in international disaster relief work. Not everyone may understand the challenges faced when participating in disaster relief work in Haiti. The purpose of the study is to describe the experience of physical therapists who have engaged in disaster relief work in Haiti. Materials/Methods: Descriptive phenomenological methods were used to analyze interviews of 11 physical therapists on their experiences of engaging in disaster relief work in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010. Data were collected from two interviews with each participant in order to create the general structure of the experience of not-knowing. The interview transcripts were analyzed using the descriptive approach described by Giorgi (1975, 1997) and Dahlberg, Drew, and Nyström (2002). Descriptive phenomenology was used to describe the experience of participating in disaster relief physical therapy work in Haiti. Results: The essence of the experience of physical therapists engaged in international physical therapy disaster relief work was signified by five constituents that included (a) dealing with emotions: uncertainty and fear (b) facing challenges; (c) education as the key to sustainability; (d) lessons learned (e) being able to articulate the meaning of social responsibility. Conclusions: The structure of participating in disaster relief work as a physical therapist was described as a shocking but rewarding experience which challenges participants to reevaluate their lives and practice of physical therapy. The ability to participate in this type of work seems to enhance the practice of physical therapy back home. By better understanding the physical therapists‟ experience we can better anticipate the kinds of support needed for those who engage in international disaster physical therapy work. We may also better understand the challenge of returning home for those who serve abroad

Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating of Late Holocene Raised Strandplain Sequences Adjacent to Lakes Michigan and Superior, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA

This study evaluates the accuracy of optically stimulated luminescence to date well-preserved strandline sequences at Manistique/ Thompson bay (Lake Michigan), and Tahquamenon and Grand Traverse Bays (Lake Superior) that span the past ~4500 yr. The single aliquot regeneration (SAR) method is applied to produce absolute ages for littoral and eolian sediments. SAR ages are compared against AMS and conventional 14C ages on swale organics. Modern littoral and eolian sediments yield SAR ages b100 yr indicating near, if not complete, solar resetting of luminescence prior to deposition. Beach ridges that yield SAR ages b2000 yr show general agreement with corresponding 14C ages on swale organics. Significant variability in 14C ages N2000 cal yr B.P. complicates comparison to SAR ages at all sites. However, a SAR age of 4280 F 390 yr (UIC913) on ridge77 at Tahquamenon Bay is consistent with regional regression from the high lake level of the Nipissing II phase ca. 4500 cal yr B.P. SAR ages indicate a decrease in ridge formation rate after ~1500 yr ago, likely reflecting separation of Lake Superior from lakes Huron and Michigan. This study shows that SAR is a credible alternative to 14C methods for dating littoral and eolian landforms in Great Lakes and other coastal strandplains where 14C methods prove problematic. D 2004 University of Washington. All rights reserved

Cross-correlation Weak Lensing of SDSS galaxy Clusters II: Cluster Density Profiles and the Mass--Richness Relation

We interpret and model the statistical weak lensing measurements around 130,000 groups and clusters of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey presented by Sheldon et al. 2007 (Paper I). We present non-parametric inversions of the 2D shear profiles to the mean 3D cluster density and mass profiles in bins of both optical richness and cluster i-band luminosity. We correct the inferred 3D profiles for systematic effects, including non-linear shear and the fact that cluster halos are not all precisely centered on their brightest galaxies. We also model the measured cluster shear profile as a sum of contributions from the brightest central galaxy, the cluster dark matter halo, and neighboring halos. We infer the relations between mean cluster virial mass and optical richness and luminosity over two orders of magnitude in cluster mass; the virial mass at fixed richness or luminosity is determined with a precision of 13% including both statistical and systematic errors. We also constrain the halo concentration parameter and halo bias as a function of cluster mass; both are in good agreement with predictions of LCDM models. The methods employed here will be applicable to deeper, wide-area optical surveys that aim to constrain the nature of the dark energy, such as the Dark Energy Survey, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and space-based surveys

Cross-correlation Weak Lensing of SDSS Galaxy Clusters III: Mass-to-light Ratios

We present measurements of the excess mass-to-light ratio measured aroundMaxBCG galaxy clusters observed in the SDSS. This red sequence cluster sample includes objects from small groups with masses ranging from ~5x10^{12} to ~10^{15} M_{sun}/h. Using cross-correlation weak lensing, we measure the excess mass density profile above the universal mean \Delta \rho(r) = \rho(r) - \bar{\rho} for clusters in bins of richness and optical luminosity. We also measure the excess luminosity density \Delta l(r) = l(r) - \bar{l} measured in the z=0.25 i-band. For both mass and light, we de-project the profiles to produce 3D mass and light profiles over scales from 25 kpc/ to 22 Mpc/h. From these profiles we calculate the cumulative excess mass M(r) and excess light L(r) as a function of separation from the BCG. On small scales, where \rho(r) >> \bar{\rho}, the integrated mass-to-light profile may be interpreted as the cluster mass-to-light ratio. We find the M/L_{200}, the mass-to-light ratio within r_{200}, scales with cluster mass as a power law with index 0.33+/-0.02. On large scales, where \rho(r) ~ \bar{\rho}, the M/L approaches an asymptotic value independent of cluster richness. For small groups, the mean M/L_{200} is much smaller than the asymptotic value, while for large clusters it is consistent with the asymptotic value. This asymptotic value should be proportional to the mean mass-to-light ratio of the universe . We find /b^2_{ml} = 362+/-54 h (statistical). There is additional uncertainty in the overall calibration at the ~10% level. The parameter b_{ml} is primarily a function of the bias of the L <~ L_* galaxies used as light tracers, and should be of order unity. Multiplying by the luminosity density in the same bandpass we find \Omega_m/b^2_{ml} = 0.02+/-0.03, independent of the Hubble parameter.Comment: Third paper in a series; v2.0 incorporates ApJ referee's suggestion