Extreme Minimalism in \u3ci\u3eThe Lord of the Rings\u3c/i\u3e

Notes two key moments of minimalistic style in The Lord of the Rings

Letters

A Footnote to Tales Before Narnia by Douglas A. Anderson: Suggests an addition to the list of recommended reading in the author’s Tales Before Narnia: M.P. Shiel. C.S. Lewis was known to have owned several books by this author. The Origins of Dwarves by Pierre H. Berube: Following on Helios de Rosario Martinez’s article in Mythlore 109/110, suggests several avenues of exploration for the popular folkloric concept of dwarves as miners

Invertebrate Diversity under Artificial Cover in Relation to Boreal Forest Habitat Characteristics

We investigated invertebrate diversity in boreal forests using an experimental design that consisted of counting soil invertebrates under artificial cover. The aim was to assess the utility of using soil invertebrate diversity as a measure of ecosystem health. The study area was grouped into five habitats: upland hardwood, lowland hardwood, conifer, shrub, and conifergrass. Simpson’s and Shannon’s indices of invertebrate diversity were negatively correlated with percent herbaceous cover. Number of recognizable taxonomic units (RTU richness) was negatively correlated with percent litter cover. The number of individual invertebrates was positively correlated with soil moisture and negatively correlated with percent conifer cover. Invertebrate diversity varied among habitat types, with conifer forests (spruce, fir, pine) having the highest diversity and regenerating conifer-grass forests having the lowest diversity, suggesting that successional stages affect diversity. The most productive sites, upland and lowland hardwood habitats, had the highest abundance of soil invertebrates, although intermediate diversity compared to the other five habitats. The results are consistent with the view that diversity increases and then decreases with productivity and disturbance over succession (ca. 50-100 yr). Hence, maintenance of soil invertebrate diversity in managed boreal forests requires the provision of a varied landscape with a mosaic of disturbance regimes

State of Metropolitan America: On the Front Lines of Demographic Transformation

Examines 2000-09 demographic and economic trends and highlights five new realities: growth and outward expansion, population diversification, aging, uneven higher educational attainment, and income polarization. Analyzes national and regional challenges

The effects of particle-induced oxidative damage from exposure to airborne fine particulate matter components in the vicinity of landfill sites on Hong Kong

The physical, chemical and bioreactivity characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected near (<1 km) two landfill sites and downwind urban sites were investigated. The PM2.5 concentrations were significantly higher in winter than summer. Diurnal variations of PM2.5 were recorded at both landfill sites. Soot aggregate particles were identified near the landfill sites, which indicated that combustion pollution due to landfill activities was a significant source. High correlation coefficients (r) implied several inorganic elements and water-soluble inorganic ions (vanadium (V), copper (Cu), chloride (Cl−), nitrate (NO3−), sodium (Na) and potassium (K)) were positively associated with wind flow from the landfill sites. Nevertheless, no significant correlations were also identified between these components against DNA damage. Significant associations were observed between DNA damage and some heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), and total Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the summer. The insignificant associations of DNA damage under increased wind frequency from landfills suggested that the PM2.5 loading from sources such as regional sources was possibly an important contributing factor for DNA damage. This outcome warrants the further development of effective and source-specific landfill management regulations for particulate matter production control to the city

Genomes of diverse isolates of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus

The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the numerically dominant photosynthetic organism in the oligotrophic oceans, and a model system in marine microbial ecology. Here we report 27 new whole genome sequences (2 complete and closed; 25 of draft quality) of cultured isolates, representing five major phylogenetic clades of Prochlorococcus. The sequenced strains were isolated from diverse regions of the oceans, facilitating studies of the drivers of microbial diversity—both in the lab and in the field. To improve the utility of these genomes for comparative genomics, we also define pre-computed clusters of orthologous groups of proteins (COGs), indicating how genes are distributed among these and other publicly available Prochlorococcus genomes. These data represent a significant expansion of Prochlorococcus reference genomes that are useful for numerous applications in microbial ecology, evolution and oceanography.Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant GBMR #495.01)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-1153588)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-0425602)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant DBI-0424599)Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Educatio