Hematodinium-Australis N-Sp, a parasitic dinoflagellate of the sand crab Portunus-pelagicus from Moreton Bay, Australia

A new species of parasitic dinoflagellate is described from the portunid crab Portunus pelagicus. The dinoflagellate is a member of the genus Hematodinium which formerly consisted of a single species, H. perezi. Members of the genus have been reported in crabs and lobsters from Europe and North America, where in some circumstances they cause significant mortalities to host populations. The new species is the first member of the family Syndinidae to be fully described from Australia. The new species differs from other forms of Hematodinium primarily by the size of the trophont (vegetative stage), the ovoid plasmodium, and the small beaded form of condensed chromatin in the nucleus. Infection experiments indicated that the parasite may be transmitted within and between the 2 host species. in addition, the pre-patent period of the new form was at least 16 d which is much greater than that reported from other forms

Knowledge visualizations: a tool to achieve optimized operational decision making and data integration

The overabundance of data created by modern information systems (IS) has led to a breakdown in cognitive decision-making. Without authoritative source data, commanders’ decision-making processes are hindered as they attempt to paint an accurate shared operational picture (SOP). Further impeding the decision-making process is the lack of proper interface interaction to provide a visualization that aids in the extraction of the most relevant and accurate data. Utilizing the DSS to present visualizations based on OLAP cube integrated data allow decision-makers to rapidly glean information and build their situation awareness (SA). This yields a competitive advantage to the organization while in garrison or in combat. Additionally, OLAP cube data integration enables analysis to be performed on an organization’s data-flows. This analysis is used to identify the critical path of data throughout the organization. Linking a decision-maker to the authoritative data along this critical path eliminates the many decision layers in a hierarchal command structure that can introduce latency or error into the decision-making process. Furthermore, the organization has an integrated SOP from which to rapidly build SA, and make effective and efficient decisions.http://archive.org/details/knowledgevisuali1094545877Outstanding ThesisOutstanding ThesisMajor, United States Marine CorpsCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Contaminants in Unionid Mussels from the Confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers

Unionid mussels were collected from three mussel beds near the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in 2003 to evaluate concentrations of selected elements and organic compounds in three abundant species and to preliminarily investigate the relative contribution of these waterways to observed contaminant burdens. Copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were higher and lead (Pb) concentrations were lower in Amblema plicata collected downstream of the confluence than in those collected upstream. Mean concentrations of nickel (Ni), total mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), Pb, and Zn varied by species. Concentrations of cadmium (Cd) decreased with age in A. plicata from two of three sites. Tissue concentrations of some elements, e.g., arsenic (As), Cd, Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn, were similar to or higher than those previously reported for unionid mussels from areas of contaminated sediment. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in A. plicata were comparable to those collected from the Mississippi River approximately 450 and 900 km upstream from our study sites (Naimo et al. 1992). Although total Hg concentrations we observed were an order of magnitude lower than in that study, MeHg concentrations were above those associated with reductions in soft tissue mass in a study of Elliptio complanata (Salazar et al. 1995). A number of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected in A. plicata tissues, with 85% of detections occurring in mussels from downstream of the confluence. Concentrations of individual PCB congeners were ???33 ng/g ww and the maximum summed PCB congener concentration was 100.2 ng/g ww. Although few persistent pesticides were detected, -hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was detected in each of the species collected from below the confluence of the two rivers, and in A. plicata collected above it on both the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, at a maximum concentration of 103.5 ng/g ww. Aldrin, ??-HCH and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were detected in few of the specimens collected. The findings of this preliminary investigation suggest that unionid mussels from near the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers may be at risk of negative health effects of elevated exposure to certain environmental contaminants. Studies examining the health and productivity of unionid mussels from this area appear warranted.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Equal or Just? Intergenerational Allocations within Family Farm Businesses

A multi-disciplinary literature review was conducted in order to integrate multiple perspectives pertaining to family farm business transfer. Factors affecting perceptions of equality in family farm transfers were identified. Preliminary survey results analyze perceptions of equality within farm families and how these perceptions affect family farm transfer planning and implementation.family farm succession, intergenerational transfer, Farm Management, Q10, Q12,

The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of My Lai: A Time to Inculcate the Lessons

The spring of 1993 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the My Lai massacre and is an appropriate time to reinforce the lessons learned from the event. Each and every grave breach of the law of war represents a horrible scar on the credibility of the American military, as well as the civilized democracy it protects. In this context, My Lai stands as the greatest emblem of American military shame in the twentieth century. Nothing provides a greater vehicle for inculcating the necessity for strict adherence to the law of war than the lessons from the massacre at My Lai. While American troops were involved in several cases of unlawful killings of unarmed civilians during the Indo-China War, by far the most violent, and hence the most infamous, of these incidents was the massacre at My Lai. Here, under the direct supervision of several company grade officers, American troops murdered well over 200 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians. The murdered consisted primarily of women, children, and old men. While the massacre at My Lai cannot be undone, in developing a methodology for preventing future atrocities, the images and horror of My Lai illustrate perfectly the need for abiding by the law of war. From its engagements in Grenada in 1983, to Panama in 1989, to Kuwait in 1991, the United States military can take full credit for its commendable record in adhering to the law of war largely because of its commitment to institutionalizing the lessons learned from My Lai. Accordingly, every American soldier must understand the significance of the My Lai massacre and steadfastly keep it in the forefront of his or her awareness

Parental Motivation in Family Farm Intergenerational Transfers

An intergenerational transfer model incorporating both altruism and exchange is presented for family farm transfers. A simulation study is conducted to test parental motivation in intergenerational transfers of family farm businesses. Results indicated that family farm intergenerational transfers are altruistically motivated.Family Farms, Intergenerational Transfer, Family Farm Succession, Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, Q10, Q12,

The Secret to 85% First-Time Bar Passage Rates

Many law schools have implemented bar preparation courses either as free-standing courses or as an integral part of their academic support program. On April 1, 2016, the ABA Journal published an article on the subject of law school bar preparation courses. Three law schools were featured in that article: Belmont University College of Law ( Belmont ), Florida International University College of Law ( FIU ), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law ( UMKC ). According to the ABA Journal, these law schools are out-performing their peers on bar exams due in part to in-house bar preparation courses. The story in the ABA Journal, however, was published several months before the ABA released complete bar exam results for calendar-year 2015; those results were released on December 15, 2016. With complete 2015 bar exam results now available, the purpose of this article is to substantiate the thesis of the ABA Journal article and to provide more information about these three successful bar exam programs. The article will also show that these three schools did outperform their peers on the bar exam in 2015. Belmont, FIU, and UMKC each had a first-time bar passage rate of 85% or higher, a remarkable accomplishment in this era of plummeting bar passage rates. Section I of this article will examine whether the three law schools featured in the ABA Journal (Belmont, FR, and UMKC) truly excelled on bar exams in 2015. Using linear regression analyses, Section 11 will address a more important question: whether those law schools actually outperformed their peers on bar exams in 2015? Section III will disclose, based on available evidence, whether Belmont, FR, and UMKC continued to outperform other law schools on the bar exam in 2016 (and February 2017). Finally, Section IV will describe in detail a successful law school bar preparation course

The Economic Value of Irrigation in the Texas Panhandle

The Texas Panhandle relies largely on the Ogallala Aquifer for access to water for irrigated agricultural production. With current pumping rates and slow recharge rates, the aquifer will at some point in the future no longer be an economically viable source of water for agriculture. The objective of this study is to estimate the value of irrigated agriculture to the region. A hypothetical policy restriction is imposed which assumes a one hundred percent conversion to dryland agriculture. The study estimates the economic impact of such a change on producer income and the resulting socioeconomic impacts on communities in the region.economic impacts, IMPLAN, irrigated production, Ogallala Aquifer, water policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q18, Q32, Q38,

Design of an Automated Ultrasonic Scanning System for In-Situ Composite Cure Monitoring and Defect Detection

The preliminary design and development of an automated ultrasonic scanning system for in-situ composite cure monitoring and defect detection in the high temperature environment of an oven was completed. This preliminary design is a stepping stone to deployment in the high temperature and high pressure environment of an autoclave, the primary cure method of aerospace grade thermoset composites. Cure monitoring with real-time defect detection during the process could determine when defects form and how they move. In addition, real-time defect detection during cure could assist validating physics-based process models for predicting defects at all stages of the cure cycle. A physics-based process model for predicting porosity and fiber waviness originating during cure is currently under development by the NASA Advanced Composites Project (ACP). For the design, an ultrasonic contact scanner is enclosed in an insulating box that is placed inside an oven during cure. Throughout the cure cycle, the box is nitrogen-cooled to approximately room temperature to maintain a standard operating environment for the scanner. The composite part is mounted on the outside of the box in a vacuum bag on the build/tool plate. The build plate is attached to the bottom surface of the box. The scanner inspects the composite panel through the build plate, tracking the movement of defects introduced during layup and searching for new defects that may form during cure. The focus of this paper is the evaluation and selection of the build plate material and thickness. The selection was based on the required operating temperature of the scanner, the cure temperature of the composite material, thermal conductivity models of the candidate build plates, and a series of ultrasonic attenuation tests. This analysis led to the determination that a 63.5 mm thick build plate of borosilicate glass would be utilized for the system. The borosilicate glass plate was selected as the build plate material due to the low ultrasonic attenuation it demonstrated, its ability to efficiently insulate the scanner while supporting an elevated temperature on the part side of the plate, and the availability of a 63.5 mm thick plate without the need for lamination