Characteristic structures of the highland boundary on Mars: Evidence against a single mega-impact event?

It has been suggested that an early mega-impact event might explain the fumdamental crustal dichotomy on Mars. Detailed morphological mapping of the structures which characterize the boundary between the cratered highlands and northern plains does not support this idea: the distribution of these features along and especially away from the boundary is more consistent with a larger number of smaller but overlapping impacts. A data base was assembled for the study of the highland boundary through quantitative mapping (including crater counts) based on the 1:2 M controlled photomosaics. Whole and partial craters larger than 10 km in diameter, knobby terrain, detached plateaus and intervening plains-forming units have been identified wherever they occur on Mars between +65 and -45 deg latitude. There is evidence for occurrences of possible old cratered terrain (or its remanents) at high latitudes well north of the current or likely former location of the proposed Borealis Basin rim which are difficult to reconcile with an impact structure of the proposed size and location

2010 Estimated Cost of Producing Hops in the Yakima Valley, Washington State

The enterprise budget provides estimates of production costs for a well-managed hop enterprise in Yakima Valley, Washington as of 2010. Three producer scenarios are presented to demonstrate how the enterprise budget can be used to evaluate situations in which the producer may find him/herself. An interactive Excel Workbook is developed and detailed instructions are provided to allow users to input their own data or make changes to the existing spreadsheets.enterprise budget, hops, Washington

THE GROWING GIRLS PROJECT: EXPERIENCES OF PUBERTY AND MENSTRUATION IN A LOW-INCOME, MINORITY U.S CONTEXT

Background: The transition through puberty is a critical period of sexual development that provides a prime opportunity to equip adolescents with accurate knowledge, positive attitudes, and beneficial skills that create a foundation for their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Little is know about the present day puberty experiences of lower-income, minority girls in the U.S., who are at an increased risk for teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. This dissertation attempts to fill gaps in the literature by aiming to understand how low-income and minority girls in the U.S. describe and interpret their experiences of puberty and also to identify their psychosocial and information needs as they transition through puberty. Methods: To achieve these aims, a systematic review of the scientific literature published on lower-income girls’ puberty experiences in the U.S. was carried out. Following the systematic review, in-depth interviews and a longitudinal series of focus group discussions were conducted with 28 adolescent girls aged 15-18, who had recently completed their transition through puberty. This qualitative study was carried out in Baltimore City, Maryland. Twenty-five key informant interviews were also conducted. Results: The current literature revealed that low-income girls predominantly described their transition through puberty as negative and expressed having felt unprepared for their transition. Girls in Baltimore City similarly described their experiences of menarche as largely negative, shrouded in fear and confusion. They received varying levels of preparation for menarche, but most lacked even a basic understanding of the female reproductive system. Participants’ experiences of menarche highlighted eight main areas central to menarche preparedness, each of which contributed to how they felt about their first experience of menstruation. Participants also identified structural aspects of the school environment that influenced adolescent girls’ experiences of menstruating in schools, and described how multiple components of the built and policy environments impacted their ability to comfortably manage their menstruation at school. Conclusions: Together the findings from these three studies fill a gap in the literature on the present day puberty experiences of low-income, minority girls in an urban context in the U.S and highlight the need for improved puberty-related support and information for such girls. The limited existing evidence suggests that many low-income girls in the U.S. are unprepared for puberty and have largely negative experiences of this transition. Basic needs for menarche preparation are not currently being addressed for some girls in Baltimore City, and multiple structural aspects of school environments are negatively impacting their girls’ experiences of menstruating in school

Linkage Evidence for a Two-Locus Inheritance of LQT-Associated Seizures in a Multigenerational LQT Family With a Novel KCNQ1 Loss-of-Function Mutation

Mutations in several genes encoding ion channels can cause the long-QT (LQT) syndrome with cardiac arrhythmias, syncope and sudden death. Recently, mutations in some of these genes were also identified to cause epileptic seizures in these patients, and the sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) was considered to be the pathologic overlap between the two clinical conditions. For LQT-associated KCNQ1 mutations, only few investigations reported the coincidence of cardiac dysfunction and epileptic seizures. Clinical, electrophysiological and genetic characterization of a large pedigree (n = 241 family members) with LQT syndrome caused by a 12-base-pair duplication in exon 8 of the KCNQ1 gene duplicating four amino acids in the carboxyterminal KCNQ1 domain (KCNQ1dup12; p.R360_Q361dupQKQR, NM_000218.2, hg19). Electrophysiological recordings revealed no substantial KCNQ1-like currents. The mutation did not exhibit a dominant negative effect on wild-type KCNQ1 channel function. Most likely, the mutant protein was not functionally expressed and thus not incorporated into a heteromeric channel tetramer. Many LQT family members suffered from syncopes or developed sudden death, often after physical activity. Of 26 family members with LQT, seizures were present in 14 (LQTplus seizure trait). Molecular genetic analyses confirmed a causative role of the novel KCNQ1dup12 mutation for the LQT trait and revealed a strong link also with the LQTplus seizure trait. Genome-wide parametric multipoint linkage analyses identified a second strong genetic modifier locus for the LQTplus seizure trait in the chromosomal region 10p14. The linkage results suggest a two-locus inheritance model for the LQTplus seizure trait in which both the KCNQ1dup12 mutation and the 10p14 risk haplotype are necessary for the occurrence of LQT-associated seizures. The data strongly support emerging concepts that KCNQ1 mutations may increase the risk of epilepsy, but additional genetic modifiers are necessary for the clinical manifestation of epileptic seizures

Measurement of antibacterial properties of foil‑backed electrospun nanofibers

Current methodologies for evaluation of antibacterial properties of traditional textiles are not applicable to foil‑backed, poorly‑absorbent electrospun nanofiber materials, since existing test methods require absorbent fabrics. Since electrospun nanofibers are adhered to the foil backing only by electrostatic interactions, methods used to evaluate antibacterial properties of surfaces cannot be used because these protocols cause the nanofibers to lift from the foil backing. Therefore, a novel method for measurement of the antibacterial properties of electrospun metallic foil‑backed nanofiber materials was developed. This method indicated that acetate‑based nanofibers manufactured to contain 5 to 30 weight percent of cold‑pressed hemp seed oil or full‑spectrum hemp extract inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in a dose‑dependent manner, from 85.3% (SEM =2.2) inhibition to 99.3% (SEM =0.15) inhibition, respectively. This testing method represents an advanced manufacturing prototype procedure for assessment of antibacterial properties of novel electrospun, metallic foil‑backed nanofiber materials

Trans-disciplinary Research: An Academic-Practitioner Partnership Effort on Investigating the Relationship between the Cooperative Model and Sustainability

This article details novel research methodology developed through a researcher-practitioner partnership and employed in a three-phase research effort that explored relationships between the co-operative model and sustainable development. Firstly, a basic understanding of the characteristics of the co-operative model was established using the co-operative principles as a framework, and their complementarity to sustainable development was examined by comparing them with sustainability theory, principles and best practices (defined through seminal journal articles on the topic). Secondly, relationships between sustainability theory and the ideas and operations of currently functioning co-operatives were investigated, namely, whether co-operatives had integrated sustainability into their organizations. Thirdly, an integrated analysis that examined the relationship between co-operatives, the co-operative principles and sustainability concepts was conducted, and output from this work was used to build a visualization (referred to as the ‘Co-operative Star’), specifically designed to communicate a synthesis of research findings to diverse audiences. This study specifically focused on co-operatives and sustainability; however, the analytical techniques developed and employed have applications for other research involving comparisons between concepts and large bodies of literature, and it is particularly useful for comparing theoretical works (such as academic literature) with texts that discuss operations and practices (such as website and reports)

„Vor allem – da erste Gedanke is ja oft auch gar nicht so gmeint“ Operatoren zur Charakterisierung des kommunikativen und mentalen Status von Äußerungen im sozialen Raum

This paper investigates discursive structures of spoken language in formal and informal communication settings (almost 62 hours of recorded time) of urban speakers in Austria’s two biggest cities Vienna and Graz and their surroundings. We focus on so-called bipartite “Operator-Skopus-Strukturen” (‘operator-scope-structures’), examining their pragmatic and discourse organising function within specific conversational situations. Our main aim is to offer in-depth analyses of these structures by characterising the mental and communicative status of such utterances. Starting out with a discussion of characteristics of spoken language research, especially by arguing for the replacement of the grammatical concept of sentences with the interactional concept of turn-constructional units, we address the phenomenon of discourse markers and Operator-Skopus-Strukturen in particular. This is followed by the description of our data set and the subsequent analyses and discussion of the selected examples. According to our findings, Operator-Skopus-Strukturen appear in both conversational settings and among all groups of speakers. We demonstrate that all speakers use the structures with the same pragmatic function of giving information to their conversation partner on how to interpret and understand the message behind the utterance. Within this scope, the speaker’s intention can vary depending on the conversation partner, the topic of the conversation or the situation

Chemical warfare simulant-responsive polymer nanocomposites: Synthesis and evaluation

Nanomaterials that undergo a physical change upon chemical warfare agent (CWA) exposure can potentially be used in detectors to warn soldiers of their presence or in fabrics to provide on‐demand protection. In this study, hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by grafting a CWA‐responsive polymer from a silicon dioxide (SiO₂) surface using ring opening metathesis polymerization; the covalent functionalization of the polymers on the NP surface was confirmed by gel permeation chromatography, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The polymer‐grafted SiO₂ NPs were found to undergo a pronounced decrease (approximately 200 nm) in their hydrodynamic radius upon exposure to CWA simulants trifluoroacetic acid and diethyl chlorophosphate in toluene. This decrease in hydrodynamic radius is attributed to the electrophile‐mediated ionization of the triarylmethanol responsive unit and represents a rare example of polycation formation leading to polymer chain collapse. We have ascribed this ionization‐induced collapse to the formation of a favorable stacking interaction between the planar triarylcations. These studies have important implications for the development of breathable fabrics that can provide on‐demand protection for soldiers in combat situations. Keywords: nanocomposites; stimuli-responsive; ROMP; organophosphates; triarylmethanolsDefense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) (Contract BA12PHM123

Canadian cities: climate change action and plans

The individual and collective decarbonization pathways of 26 Canadian cities are assessed by evaluating data gathered from the implementation of a unique energy model, CityinSight. Although many cities in Canada have declared a climate emergency and plans are at various stages of implementation, development path change is mostly incremental. They are at the very beginning of transforming development paths that necessitate climate action planning which embraces a systems perspective and whole-city planning. The present data reveal that there are very different starting points for Canadian cities, and considerable asymmetries between municipalities, as well as the collective impact of their plans on national targets. The latency of municipalities for on-the-ground implementation of their plans means that ongoing assessments will be required to determine the impact of efforts by cities to achieve their targets. 'Policy relevance' Cities are on the front line of implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation. Many climate researchers and practitioners have called for fundamental change and new governance arrangements to achieve even a 2°C limit to rising global temperatures. At the same time, researchers argue that Canadian cities do not have the ability to raise revenue other than through continuous development: an incentive therefore exists to keep ‘growing’ regardless of other sustainable imperatives. Transformational change is required through policy instruments and more appropriate incentives harmonized across macro-, meso-, and microlevels to create carbon-neutral development paths in the next decade. Policy harmonization, coherence, and alignment are necessary and sufficient conditions for meeting the international commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This also requires action at multiple scales with multilevel partnerships and unprecedented degrees of government collaboration and leadership

How effective is the retention of microplastics in horizontal flow sand filters treating stormwater?

Microplastics accumulate in stormwater and can ultimately enter freshwater recipients, and pose a serious risk to aquatic life. This study investigated the effectiveness of lab-scale horizontal flow sand filters of differing lengths (25, 50 and 100 cm) in retaining four types of thermoplastic microplastics commonly occurring in stormwater runoff (polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate). Despite the differences in particle shape, size and density, the study revealed that more than 98% of the spiked microplastics were retained in all filters, with a slightly increased removal with increased filter length. At a flow rate of 1 mL/min and after one week of operation, 62–84% of the added microplastics agglomerated in the first 2 cm of the filters. The agglomerated microplastics included 96% of high-density fibers. Larger-sized particles were retained in the sand media, while microplastics smaller than 50 μm were more often detected in the effluent. Microplastics were quantified and identified using imaging based micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The efficient retention of microplastics in low-flow horizontal sand filters, demonstrated by the results, highlights their potential importance for stormwater management. This retention is facilitated by various factors, including microplastic agglomeration, particle sedimentation of heavy fibers and favorable particle-to-media size ratios.</p