Guest Editors Foreword

Consequently, African American males with LD are still significantly less than their White counterparts to matriculate through the post-secondary system and receive a college degree. (Newman et al., 2011). Banks and Gibson (2016) asserted “the under-representation of AA college students with disabilities in 4-year institutions underscores the need for systematic examination of school and non-school variables that influence students’ transition to college and retention during the college years.” (p. 71). However, the limited scholarship on the subject continues to leave many unanswered questions related to theory and experiential knowledge regarding AA males with LD in higher education (Robinson, Ford, Ellis, & Hartlep, 2016)

Solar Stereoscopy with STEREO/EUVI A and B spacecraft from small (6 deg) to large (170 deg) spacecraft separation angles

We performed for the first time stereoscopic triangulation of coronal loops in active regions over the entire range of spacecraft separation angles ($\alpha_{sep}\approx 6^\circ, 43^\circ, 89^\circ, 127^\circ$, and $170^\circ$). The accuracy of stereoscopic correlation depends mostly on the viewing angle with respect to the solar surface for each spacecraft, which affects the stereoscopic correspondence identification of loops in image pairs. From a simple theoretical model we predict an optimum range of $\alpha_{sep} \approx 22^\circ-125^\circ$, which is also experimentally confirmed. The best accuracy is generally obtained when an active region passes the central meridian (viewed from Earth), which yields a symmetric view for both STEREO spacecraft and causes minimum horizontal foreshortening. For the extended angular range of $\alpha_{sep}\approx 6^\circ-127^{\circ}$ we find a mean 3D misalignment angle of $\mu_{PF} \approx 21^\circ-39^\circ$ of stereoscopically triangulated loops with magnetic potential field models, and $\mu_{FFF} \approx 15^\circ-21^\circ$ for a force-free field model, which is partly caused by stereoscopic uncertainties $\mu_{SE} \approx 9^\circ$. We predict optimum conditions for solar stereoscopy during the time intervals of 2012--2014, 2016--2017, and 2021--2023.Comment: Solar Physics, (in press), 22 pages, 9 figure

Reconstructing the 3-D Trajectories of CMEs in the Inner Heliosphere

A method for the full three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the trajectories of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) using Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) data is presented. Four CMEs that were simultaneously observed by the inner and outer coronagraphs (COR1 and 2) of the Ahead and Behind STEREO satellites were analysed. These observations were used to derive CME trajectories in 3-D out to ~15Rsun. The reconstructions using COR1/2 data support a radial propagation model. Assuming pseudo-radial propagation at large distances from the Sun (15-240Rsun), the CME positions were extrapolated into the Heliospheric Imager (HI) field-of-view. We estimated the CME velocities in the different fields-of-view. It was found that CMEs slower than the solar wind were accelerated, while CMEs faster than the solar wind were decelerated, with both tending to the solar wind velocity.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 1 appendi

Conservation implications of turtle declines in Australia's Murray River system

Abstract Conservation requires rapid action to be effective, which is often difficult because of funding limitations, political constraints, and limited data. Turtles are among the world’s most endangered vertebrate taxa, with almost half of 356 species threatened with extinction. In Australia’s Murray River, nest predation by invasive foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was predicted to drive turtle declines in the 1980s. We assessed populations of the broad-shelled turtle (Chelodina expansa), eastern long-necked turtle (C. longicollis), and Murray River turtle (Emydura macquarii) in the Murray River and some of its associated waterways. Our results suggest that the predicted decline is occurring. All three species are rare in the lower Murray River region, and were undetected in many locations in South Australia. Moreover, E. macquarii had considerable population aging almost everywhere, possibly due to comprehensive nest destruction by foxes. Chelodina longicollis also had population aging at some sites. Sustained low recruitment has potential to lead to collapses as turtles age, which is particularly worrying because it was predicted over 30 years ago and may have already occurred in South Australia. Our results show that turtle declines were not mitigated since that prediction. If the crash continues, a vertebrate guild responsible for considerable nutrient cycling in the aquatic ecosystem will disappear. Our results highlight a worst-case outcome when species declines are predicted, but insufficiently mitigated

Explaining semantic short-term memory deficits:evidence for the critical role of semantic control

Patients with apparently selective short-term memory (STM) deficits for semantic information have played an important role in developing multi-store theories of STM and challenge the idea that verbal STM is supported by maintaining activation in the language system. We propose that semantic STM deficits are not as selective as previously thought and can occur as a result of mild disruption to semantic control processes, i.e., mechanisms that bias semantic processing towards task-relevant aspects of knowledge and away from irrelevant information. We tested three semantic STM patients with tasks that tapped four aspects of semantic control: (i) resolving ambiguity between word meanings, (ii) sensitivity to cues, (iii) ignoring irrelevant information and (iv) detecting weak semantic associations. All were impaired in conditions requiring more semantic control, irrespective of the STM demands of the task, suggesting a mild, but task-general, deficit in regulating semantic knowledge. This mild deficit has a disproportionate effect on STM tasks because they have high intrinsic control demands: in STM tasks, control is required to keep information active when it is no longer available in the environment and to manage competition between items held in memory simultaneously. By re-interpreting the core deficit in semantic STM patients in this way, we are able to explain their apparently selective impairment without the need for a specialised STM store. Instead, we argue that semantic STM patients occupy the mildest end of spectrum of semantic control disorders

Growth and carcass characteristics of lot-fed Wagyu beef cattle and the estimation of homozygosity from band sharing patterns of random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

The Wagyu breed of beef cattle is renowned for its ability to deposit high levels of intramuscular fat resulting in highly marbled beef that meets consumer demands in some niche export markets. We evaluated the post-weaning growth performance and carcass characteristics at slaughter of purebred Wagyu steers raised in the feedlot after an initial backgrounding on grass and silage. Our main aim was to study the average daily gains (ADG), body condition scores (BCS) and liveweight (LWT) changes from weaning to slaughter and to estimate homozygosity and inbreeding coefficients through band sharing patterns using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. LWT, ADG and BCS were monitored monthly from 2005-2006. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples, amplified using RAPD primers, fragments resolved by gel electrophoresis and banding patterns elucidated under UV light. A linear increase in liveweight as age increased was observed and the typical fluctuation due to seasonal variations observed under grazing conditions was unnoticeable. Average LWT ranged from an initial 110kg to 660kg, ADG ranged from 0.7–2.0kg/day and BCS reached the maximum of 5 at the end of the experiment. Average LWT at slaughter was 574kg with a hot carcass weight of 329kg and a dressing percentage of 57%. Mean eye muscle area was 94cm2, eye muscle width 8cm and eye muscle length 16cm. Marbling score was 3, subcutaneous fat depth of 17cm and total trimmed fat weight was 34kg. Average saleable meat yield based on the 4 most valuable hind muscles were: Round (11.7kg), Topside (19.3kg), Rump (13.6kg) and Silverside (15.8kg). Average band sharing frequencies ranged from 0.60 to 0.96 with estimated inbreeding coefficients ranging from 0.5% to 7%, respectively. It was concluded that the inbreeding level was low, negligible and not in any way detrimental to meat yield and carcass quality destined for the Japanese market. Finally, RAPD markers were not versatile enough toclearly differentiate between the fastest and slowest growing animals within the Wagyu breed