The variety of quasi-Stone algebras does not have the amalgamation property

We give an example showing that the variety of quasi-Stone algebras does not have the amalgamation propert

A Search for Binary Stars at Low Metallicity

We present initial results measuring the companion fraction of metal-poor stars ([Fe/H]$<-$2.0). We are employing the Lick Observatory planet-finding system to make high-precision Doppler observations of these objects. The binary fraction of metal-poor stars provides important constraints on star formation in the early Galaxy (Carney et al. 2003). Although it has been shown that a majority of solar metallicity stars are in binaries, it is not clear if this is the case for metal-poor stars. Is there a metallicity floor below which binary systems do not form or become rare? To test this we are determining binary fractions at metallicities below [Fe/H]$=-2.0$. Our measurments are not as precise as the planet finders', but we are still finding errors of only 50 to 300 m/s, depending on the signal-to-noise of a spectrum and stellar atmosphere of the star. At this precision we can be much more complete than previous studies in our search for stellar companions.Comment: To appear in conference proceedings,"First Stars III", eds. B. O'Shea, A. Heger & T. Abel. 3 pages, 5 figure

Book selection approaches and the middle school student

Reading is a foundational skill for learning, personal growth, and enjoyment. The degree to which students can read and understand text in all formats and all contexts is a key indicator of success in school and in life (AASL, 2007, p. 1). As indicated in this AASL statement, it is the job of the teacher and teacher librarian to encourage independent reading among their students. However, there is often a lack of knowledge surrounding the level of success in the approaches middle school students take when selecting independent reading books of interest to them. This inhibits teachers and teacher librarians from collaboratively providing the necessary level of guidance to keep students engaged in reading. The purpose of this study was to explore the approaches middle school students take when selecting independent reading books, as well as the level of success of those approaches, and to provide suggestions for teachers and teacher librarians in advising students. This study showed that students relied heavily on familiarity when selecting independent reading material. Three of the top four approaches reported by students (favorite genre, topic, or subject; familiar author or series; and discussion, conversation, or recommendation) all rely on the students having some form of prior knowledge about the book they are choosing. These three were also the approaches that had the highest success rate

Distribution of Brugia malayi larvae and DNA in vector and non-vector mosquitoes: implications for molecular diagnostics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to extend prior studies of molecular detection of <it>Brugia malayi </it>DNA in vector (<it>Aedes aegypti- </it>Liverpool) and non-vector (<it>Culex pipiens</it>) mosquitoes at different times after ingestion of infected blood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Parasite DNA was detected over a two week time course in 96% of pooled thoraces of vector mosquitoes. In contrast, parasite DNA was detected in only 24% of thorax pools from non-vectors; parasite DNA was detected in 56% of midgut pools and 47% of abdomen pools from non-vectors. Parasite DNA was detected in vectors in the head immediately after the blood meal and after 14 days. Parasite DNA was also detected in feces and excreta of the vector and non-vector mosquitoes which could potentially confound results obtained with field samples. However, co-housing experiments failed to demonstrate transfer of parasite DNA from infected to non-infected mosquitoes. Parasites were also visualized in mosquito tissues by immunohistololgy using an antibody to the recombinant filarial antigen Bm14. Parasite larvae were detected consistently after mf ingestion in <it>Ae. aegypti- </it>Liverpool. Infectious L3s were seen in the head, thorax and abdomen of vector mosquitoes 14 days after Mf ingestion. In contrast, parasites were only detected by histology shortly after the blood meal in <it>Cx. pipiens</it>, and these were not labeled by the antibody.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides new information on the distribution of filarial parasites and parasite DNA in vector and non-vector mosquitoes. This information should be useful for those involved in designing and interpreting molecular xenomonitoring studies.</p

Righting the Self: Situational Trauma, Identity and Narrative in Contemporary Haitian and French Literature

This doctoral thesis contends that four contemporary novels, Jean J. Dominique's M&eacute;moire d'une amn&eacute;sique, Marie NDiaye's Ladivine, Marie Redonnet's Rose M&eacute;lie Rose and Marie Vieux-Chauvet's Amour, are trauma narratives, though they do not describe specific, unique, terror-inducing events. The authors evoke the concept of an identity marked by insidious trauma, characterized by a context of ongoing social, historical and ancestral marginalization. I widen the scope of the definition of trauma narrative to include representations of woundings which are not acute, but which make up the fabric of daily life, thereby supporting the authors' project of undermining the normalization of situational traumas. I choose novels from France and Haiti to underline the pervasiveness of insidious trauma and the similarities in expression. Insidious collective trauma and ancestral trauma transmission are phenomena not circumscribed geographically or along political lines, but are propagated by social hierarchies built around multiple categories of marginalization, including race and gender. Each novel features a female protagonist who is narrating her own life story while experiencing insidious trauma, as experienced directly, or felt as the trace of collective history. These characters exist within systems that damage the psyche: structural racism; poverty; sexual exploitation; silencing, torture and murder under a totalitarian dictator; a social hierarchy built upon the legacy of slavery. They experience multi-generational traumas, as inheritors of the unprocessed collective traumas in their communities and families. The principle protagonists in these novels tell their stories in an attempt to cope with troubled identities. This thesis, then, also considers the possibilities and limitations of using narrative as a window into traumas that have been delegitimized by those in power. I explore what these trauma narratives say about the possibility of narrating trauma, through a close reading of the forms of the works, the efficacy of language as a representational system, the conception of the story world, and modes of ancestral trauma transmission.</p

Supporting Device Discovery and Spontaneous Interaction with Spatial References

The RELATE interaction model is designed to support spontaneous interaction of mobile users with devices and services in their environment. The model is based on spatial references that capture the spatial relationship of a user’s device with other co-located devices. Spatial references are obtained by relative position sensing and integrated in the mobile user interface to spatially visualize the arrangement of discovered devices, and to provide direct access for interaction across devices. In this paper we discuss two prototype systems demonstrating the utility of the model in collaborative and mobile settings, and present a study on usability of spatial list and map representations for device selection

Carbonates in Skeleton-poor Seas: New Insights From Cambrian and Ordovician Strata of Laurentia

Calcareous skeletons evolved as part of the greater Ediacaran–Cambrian diversification of marine animals. Skeletons did not become permanent, globally important sources of carbonate sediment, however, until the Ordovician radiation. Representative carbonate facies in a Series 3 (510–501 Ma) Cambrian to Tremadocian succession from western Newfoundland, Canada, and Ordovician successions from the Ibex area, Utah, USA, show that, on average, Cambrian and Tremadocian carbonates contain much less skeletal material than do post-Tremadocian sediments. Petrographic point counts of skeletal abundance within facies and proportional facies abundance in measured sections suggest that later Cambrian successions contain on average <5% skeletal material by volume, whereas the skeletal content of post-Tremadocian Ordovician sections is closer to ~15%. A compilation of carbonate stratigraphic sections from across Laurentia confirms that post-Tremadocian increase in skeletal content is a general pattern and not unique to the two basins studied. The long interval (~40 myr) between the initial Cambrian appearance of carbonate skeletons and the subsequent Ordovician diversification of heavily skeletonized organisms provides an important perspective on the Ordovician radiation. Geochemical data increasingly support the hypothesis that later Cambrian oceans were warm and, in subsurface water masses, commonly dysoxic to anoxic. We suggest that surface waters in such oceans would have been characterized by relatively low saturation states for calcite and aragonite. Mid-Ordovician cooling would have raised oxygen concentrations in subsurface water masses, establishing more highly oversaturated surface waters. If correct, these links could provide a proximal trigger for the renewed radiation of heavily skeletonized invertebrates and algae

Intellectual Property and the Politics of Public Good in COVID-19: Framing Law, Institutions, and Ideas during TRIPS Waiver Negotiations at the WTO

Context: To facilitate the manufacturing of COVID-19 medical products, in October 2020, India and South Africa proposed a waiver of certain WTO intellectual property (IP) provisions. After 18 months, a narrow agreement that did little for vaccine access passed the ministerial, despite the pandemic’s impact on global trade, which the WTO is mandated to safeguard. Methods: The authors conducted a content analysis of WTO legal texts, key actor statements, media reporting, and the WTO’s procedural framework to explore legal, institutional, and ideational explanations for the delay. Findings: IP waivers are neither legally complex nor unprecedented within WTO law, yet TRIPS waiver negotiations exceeded their mandated 90-day negotiation period by nearly 2 years. Waiver opponents and supporters engaged in escalating strategic framing, which justified and eventually secured political attention at head-of-state level, sidelining other pandemic solutions. The frames deployed discouraged consensus on a meaningful waiver, which ultimately favored the status quo that opponents preferred. WTO institutional design encouraged drawn-out negotiation while limiting legitimate players in debate to trade ministers, empowering narrow interest group politics. Conclusions: Despite global political attention, the WTO process contributed little to emergency vaccine production, suggesting a pressing need for reforms aimed at more efficient and equitable multilateral processes