An examination of the African news coverage of 26 daily newspapers in the United States

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Political Factors and Enforcement of the Nursing Home Regulatory Regime

This study analyzes the influence of political factors, oversight, and nursing home affiliation or ownership status on the enforcement of the nursing home regulatory regime, signified by the Nursing Home Reform Act ( NHRA ) and its progeny. Specifically speaking, it measures, using the statistical technique of regression analysis, factors that account for variations across states in the number of deficiencies (or violations of quality standards) cited by nursing home inspectors across the states. This work is a first of its kind, an analysis not government-related, by a set of public administration scholars that systematically studies the influence of political forces on nursing home regulations and inspection and their ultimate effect on the well-being of nursing home patients

Political Factors and Enforcement of the Nursing Home Regulatory Regime

This study analyzes the influence of political factors, oversight, and nursing home affiliation or ownership status on the enforcement of the nursing home regulatory regime, signified by the Nursing Home Reform Act ( NHRA ) and its progeny. Specifically speaking, it measures, using the statistical technique of regression analysis, factors that account for variations across states in the number of deficiencies (or violations of quality standards) cited by nursing home inspectors across the states. This work is a first of its kind, an analysis not government-related, by a set of public administration scholars that systematically studies the influence of political forces on nursing home regulations and inspection and their ultimate effect on the well-being of nursing home patients

A geochemical study of the winonaites: Evidence for limited partial melting and constraints on the precursor composition

The winonaites are primitive achondrites which are associated with the IAB iron meteorites. Textural evidence implies heating to at least the Fe, Ni–FeS cotectic, but previous geochemical studies are ambiguous about the extent of silicate melting in these samples. Oxygen isotope evidence indicates that the precursor material may be related to the carbonaceous chondrites. Here we analysed a suite of winonaites for modal mineralogy and bulk major- and trace-element chemistry in order to assess the extent of thermal processing as well as constrain the precursor composition of the winonaite-IAB parent asteroid. Modal mineralogy and geochemical data are presented for eight winonaites. Textural analysis reveals that, for our sub-set of samples, all except the most primitive winonaite (Northwest Africa 1463) reached the Fe, Ni–FeS cotectic. However, only one (Tierra Blanca) shows geochemical evidence for silicate melting processes. Tierra Blanca is interpreted as a residue of small-degree silicate melting. Our sample of Winona shows geochemical evidence for extensive terrestrial weathering. All other winonaites studied here (Fortuna, Queen Alexander Range 94535, Hammadah al Hamra 193, Pontlyfni and NWA 1463) have chondritic major-element ratios and flat CI-normalised bulk rare-earth element patterns, suggesting that most of the winonaites did not reach the silicate melting temperature. The majority of winonaites were therefore heated to a narrow temperature range of between ∼1220 (the Fe, Ni–FeS cotectic temperature) and ∼1370 K (the basaltic partial melting temperature). Silicate inclusions in the IAB irons demonstrate partial melting did occur in some parts of the parent body (Ruzicka and Hutson, 2010), thereby implying heterogeneous heat distribution within this asteroid. Together, this indicates that melting was the result of internal heating by short-lived radionuclides. The brecciated nature of the winonaites suggests that the parent body was later disrupted by a catastrophic impact, which allowed the preservation of the largely unmelted winonaites. Despite major-element similarities to both ordinary and enstatite chondrites, trace-element analysis suggests the winonaite parent body had a carbonaceous chondrite-like precursor composition. The parent body of the winonaites was volatile-depleted relative to CI, but enriched compared to the other carbonaceous classes. The closest match are the CM chondrites; however, the specific precursor is not sampled in current meteorite collections

Shoot yield drives phosphorus use efficiency in Brassica oleracea and correlates with root architecture traits

The environmental and financial costs of using inorganic phosphate fertilizers to maintain crop yield and quality are high. Breeding crops that acquire and use phosphorus (P) more efficiently could reduce these costs. The variation in shoot P concentration (shoot-P) and various measures of P use efficiency (PUE) were quantified among 355 Brassica oleracea L. accessions, 74 current commercial cultivars, and 90 doubled haploid (DH) mapping lines from a reference genetic mapping population. Accessions were grown at two or more external P concentrations in glasshouse experiments; commercial and DH accessions were also grown in replicated field experiments. Within the substantial species-wide diversity observed for shoot-P and various measures of PUE in B. oleracea, current commercial cultivars have greater PUE than would be expected by chance. This may be a consequence of breeding for increased yield, which is a significant component of most measures of PUE, or early establishment. Root development and architecture correlate with PUE; in particular, lateral root number, length, and growth rate. Significant quantitative trait loci associated with shoot-P and PUE occur on chromosomes C3 and C7. These data provide information to initiate breeding programmes to improve PUE in B. oleracea

Dolphin population specialized in foraging with artisanal fishers requires zero-bycatch management to persist

This study was conducted as part of a PhD thesis in the Graduate Programme in Ecology at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, with funding provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq – 407190/2012-0) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (FAPESC – TR2012000295). This study is also part of the SELA Long-Term Ecological Research Programme (PELD CNPq – 445301/2020-1). C.B. received a doctoral scholarship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES); P.C.S.L. received a research grant from CNPq (305573/2013-6); F.G.D.J. received a research grant from CNPq (308867/2019-0).1. The small population paradigm assumes that populations with low numbers of individuals intrinsically have a high probability of extinction. The small population of Lahille's bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus gephyreus that specializes in foraging with artisanal fishers in Laguna, southern Brazil, faces human pressures including bycatch in fishing gear. The viability of this population was modelled over 30 and 100 years under different levels of bycatch, including the current scenario of two bycatches every year, two scenarios with higher incidence of bycatches and three management scenarios. The sensitivity of predicted growth rates to fixed-proportion and observed-variation changes in life history parameters was explored. 2. The current scenario predicted a declining population (r = -0.014; λ = 0.986) with a high probability of extinction in the long term (PE = 0.71). A small increase in bycatches would result in a marked increase in the probability of extinction. Management scenarios seem promising, but only the zero-bycatch management scenario would make the difference between a declining and an increasing population. 3. As expected for slow-growing species, population growth rate was most sensitive to proportional changes in adult female and juvenile survival. However, considering observed variation in vital rates, population dynamics were most influenced by variation in reproductive rates. 4. To determine the highest priority for management action, another simulation was made of how additional threat scenarios of recognized human activities (i.e. bycatch influencing adult survival and increased underwater noise or pollution influencing calf survival) would affect population dynamics. Population growth rate was very sensitive to changes in adult bycatch (especially females), as expected, and only subtly sensitive to a reduction in calf survival. 5. The current level of bycatch is unsustainable. Bycatch needs to be eliminated to maximize the probability of long-term persistence of this dolphin population. However, this population's persistence could be threatened by natural variation in reproductive rates.PostprintPeer reviewe

Genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus: definite and borderline phenotypes

Generalised epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) is the most studied familial epilepsy syndrome. However, characteristics of UK families have not previously been reported. Among the first 80 families recruited to our families study, four broad subphenotypes were identified: families with classical GEFS+; families with borderline GEFS+; families with unclassified epilepsy; and families with an alternative syndromal diagnosis. Borderline GEFS+ families shared many characteristics of classical GEFS+ families—such as prominent febrile seizures plus and early onset febrile seizures—but included more adults with focal epilepsies (rather than the idiopathic generalised epilepsies predominating in GEFS+) and double the prevalence of migraine. Thus the authors believe that a novel and robust familial epilepsy phenotype has been identified. Subcategorising families with epilepsy is helpful in targeting both clinical and research resources. Most families with GEFS+ have no identified causal mutation, and so predicting genetic homogeneity by identifying endophenotypes becomes more important

Tandem quadruplication of HMA4 in the zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator noccaea caerulescens

Zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulation may have evolved twice in the Brassicaceae, in Arabidopsis halleri and in the Noccaea genus. Tandem gene duplication and deregulated expression of the Zn transporter, HMA4, has previously been linked to Zn/Cd hyperaccumulation in A. halleri. Here, we tested the hypothesis that tandem duplication and deregulation of HMA4 expression also occurs in Noccaea. A Noccaea caerulescens genomic library was generated, containing 36,864 fosmid pCC1FOSTM clones with insert sizes ~20–40 kbp, and screened with a PCR-generated HMA4 genomic probe. Gene copy number within the genome was estimated through DNA fingerprinting and pooled fosmid pyrosequencing. Gene copy numbers within individual clones was determined by PCR analyses with novel locus specific primers. Entire fosmids were then sequenced individually and reads equivalent to 20-fold coverage were assembled to generate complete whole contigs. Four tandem HMA4 repeats were identified in a contiguous sequence of 101,480 bp based on sequence overlap identities. These were flanked by regions syntenous with up and downstream regions of AtHMA4 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Promoter-reporter b-glucuronidase (GUS) fusion analysis of a NcHMA4 in A. thaliana revealed deregulated expression in roots and shoots, analogous to AhHMA4 promoters, but distinct from AtHMA4 expression which localised to the root vascular tissue. This remarkable consistency in tandem duplication and deregulated expression of metal transport genes between N. caerulescens and A. halleri, which last shared a common ancestor >40 mya, provides intriguing evidence that parallel evolutionary pathways may underlie Zn/Cd hyperaccumulation in Brassicaceae

Genetical and comparative genomics of Brassica under altered Ca supply identifies Arabidopsis Ca-transporter orthologs

Although Ca transport in plants is highly complex, the overexpression of vacuolar Ca2+ transporters in crops is a promising new technology to improve dietary Ca supplies through biofortification. Here, we sought to identify novel targets for increasing plant Ca accumulation using genetical and comparative genomics. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping to 1895 cis- and 8015 trans-loci were identified in shoots of an inbred mapping population of Brassica rapa (IMB211 x R500); 23 cis- and 948 trans-eQTLs responded specifically to altered Ca supply. eQTLs were screened for functional significance using a large database of shoot Ca concentration phenotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana. From 31 Arabidopsis gene identifiers tagged to robust shoot Ca concentration phenotypes, 21 mapped to 27 B. rapa eQTLs, including orthologs of the Ca2+ transporters At-CAX1 and At-ACA8. Two of three independent missense mutants of BraA.cax1a, isolated previously by targeting induced local lesions in genomes, have allele-specific shoot Ca concentration phenotypes compared with their segregating wild types. BraA.CAX1a is a promising target for altering the Ca composition of Brassica, consistent with prior knowledge from Arabidopsis. We conclude that multiple-environment eQTL analysis of complex crop genomes combined with comparative genomics is a powerful technique for novel gene identification/prioritization