Test Excavations along F. M. 765, McCulloch County, Texas

Four archaeological sites in McCulloch County, Texas will be affected by the construction of a fifteen mile section of F.M. 765 from Fife, Texas to its intersection with U.S. 377 north of Mercury, Texas (Figure 1). These four sites were discovered in April 1973, by Dayrnond Crawford of the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation during a routine archaeological reconnaissance of the proposed right-of-way. Two sites, 41MK10 and 41MK27, are located along the banks of Bluff Creek, some four and one-half kilometers upstream from its confluence with the Colorado River. Bluff Creek makes two large meanders between the sites and the Colorado River, and the straight distance to the River is approximately 1700 meters. 1\u27he other two sites, 41MK8 and 41MK9, are located adjacent to Corn Creek approximately three kilometers from its confluence with the Colorado River

Excavations at the Bluff Creek Sites: 41MK10 and 41MK27, McColloch County, Texas

From late 1978 through early 1979, Ann M. Irwin of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) supervised excavations of two prehistoric archeological sites, 41MK10 and 41MK27, that were to be affected by construction along FM 765 in McCulloch County, Texas. The sites are located on Bluff Creek in the northern part of McCulloch County. Analyses of sites 41MK10 and 41MK27 and their cultural materials were conducted by TxDOT personnel in 1979, and an initial draft form of the report was prepared by Irwin in the early 1980s. TxDOT subsequently contracted SWCA, Inc. Environmental Consultants in 1999 to complete the report of the results of archeological investigations at 41MK10 and 41MK27 and to prepare the artifacts and records for curation. Site 41MK27 contained a small burned rock midden, Feature I. This midden was approximately 8 to 10 m in diameter, and 50 cm thick, and annular in form. A single internal feature (Feature IA), a rock-lined pit or hearth, was located in the approximate center and bottom of the midden. Lying between the midden and Bluff Creek were a series of small hearths, of which eight were excavated and designated as Features III through X. These small hearths, most of which had been at least somewhat disturbed, appeared to have been simple structures composed of one or more layers of rock. Many of the individual rocks appear to have been fire-fractured in place. No true basin-shaped hearths were observed. Associated with these hearths were an accompanying scatter of living debris in the form of flint and burned rock and significant quantities of freshwater mussel shell. Although the individual specimens are relatively small, the quantities recovered suggest that they served as a source of food. Radiocarbon data suggest that the site was intermittently occupied from the Late Archaic through the Late Prehistoric. The midden apparently dates to the Late Prehistoric, although the Transitional Archaic period may have been the period of most intense occupation at the site. Site 41MK10 was smaller than 41MK27 and not as intensively investigated. Two small burned rock features were excavated. The site was at least visited in the Late Archaic times, as is evidenced by the presence of a Castroville point, and in the Transitional Archaic, indicated by the recovery of two Ensor projectile points. It is likely, though by no means firmly established, that these dart point types are in fact associated with the use of the features

Children’s Health after the Oil Spill: A Four-State Study Findings from the Gulf Coast Population Impact (GCPI) Project

In 2012, with funding from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at Columbia University, in partnership with the Children’s Health Fund, launched a four-state study in order (1) to identify communities of children in the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida who were adversely impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, (2) to explore the prevalence of physical and mental health effects among these children, and (3) to conduct a preliminary assessment of the health services available to these children and the potential for targeted interventions or health system enhancements. We identified fifteen communities with higher numbers of BP compensation claims submitted by individuals and by businesses, and which also had higher rates of oil washing up on their shores based upon monitoring data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Over a span of four and a half months, a field team of six interviewers and two field coordinators completed 1,437 face-to-face household surveys. The parents whom we interviewed reported considerable exposure to the oil spill as well as a number of physical and mental health problems among their children. Over half of the parents interviewed in these highly-impacted communities reported that their children had some type of oil spill-related exposure, whether it was through physical, environmental, or economic factors. One in every five parents said their children had direct contact with the oil; one in four reported smelling strong oil-related odors; and two of every five said their household had lost income or a job since the oil spill. A little over 40% of parents in these high-impact communities reported some type of health effect experienced by their children since the oil spill. 18.1% of the parents said their children had experienced breathing problems after the oil spill, 14.8% noted skin problems, 16.0% reported visual problems and 21.6% mentioned emotional or behavioral problems since the oil spill. In October 2012 our research team traveled to four communities to interview local officials and leaders and conduct in-depth parent focus groups. We selected the four communities based on the household data, where parents had reported significant health effects. Across the four communities, the team heard of significant issues related to children’s health and well-being

The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey: X. The HI Mass Function and Omega_HI From the 40% ALFALFA Survey

The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey has completed source extraction for 40% of its total sky area, resulting in the largest sample of HI-selected galaxies to date. We measure the HI mass function from a sample of 10,119 galaxies with 6.2 < log (M_HI/M_Sun) < 11.0 and with well-described mass errors that accurately reflect our knowledge of low-mass systems. We characterize the survey sensitivity and its dependence on profile velocity width, the effect of large-scale structure, and the impact of radio frequency interference in order to calculate the HIMF with both the 1/Vmax and 2DSWML methods. We also assess a flux-limited sample to test the robustness of the methods applied to the full sample. These measurements are in excellent agreement with one another; the derived Schechter function parameters are phi* = 4.8 (+/- 0.3) * 10^-3, log (M*/M_Sun) + 2 log(h_70) = 9.96 (+/- 0.2), and alpha = -1.33 (+/- 0.02). We find Omega_HI = 4.3 (+/- 0.3) * 10^-4, 16% larger than the 2005 HIPASS result, and our Schechter function fit extrapolated to log (M_HI/M_Sun) = 11.0 predicts an order of magnitude more galaxies than HIPASS. The larger values of Omega_HI and of M* imply an upward adjustment for estimates of the detection rate of future large-scale HI line surveys with, e.g., the Square Kilometer Array. A comparison with simulated galaxies from the Millennium Run and a treatment of photoheating as a method of baryon removal from HI-selected halos indicates that the disagreement between dark matter mass functions and baryonic mass functions may soon be resolved.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Ap

Recommendations for high-priority research on cancer-related fatigue in children and adults.

Over the past decades, some scientific progress has been made in understanding and treating cancer-related fatigue (CRF). However, three major problems have limited further progress: lack of agreement about measurement, inadequate understanding of the underlying biology, and problems in the conduct of clinical trials for CRF. This commentary reports the recommendations of a National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Planning Meeting and an ongoing National Cancer Institute working group to address these problems so that high-priority research and clinical trials can be conducted to advance the science of CRF and its treatment. Recommendations to address measurement issues included revising the current case definition to reflect more rigorous criteria, adopting the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System fatigue scales as standard measures of CRF, and linking legacy measures to the scales. With regard to the biology of CRF, the group identified the need for longitudinal research to examine biobehavioral mechanisms underlying CRF and testing mechanistic hypotheses within the context of intervention research. To address clinical trial issues, recommendations included using only placebo-controlled trial designs. setting eligibility to minimize sample heterogeneity or enable subgroup analysis, establishing a CRF severity threshold for participation in clinical trials, conducting dissemination trials of efficacious interventions (such as exercise), and combining nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions to exploit the potential synergy between these approaches. Accomplishing these goals has the potential to advance the science of CRF and improve the clinical management of this troubling symptom

Health care system planning for and response to a nuclear detonation

The hallmark of a successful response to a nuclear detonation will be the resilience of the community, region, and nation. An incident of this magnitude will rapidly become a national incident; however, the initial critical steps to reduce lives lost, save the lives that can be saved with the resources available, and understand and apply resources available to a complex and dynamic situation will be the responsibility of the local and regional responders and planners. Expectations of the public health and health care systems will be met to the extent possible by coordination, cooperation, and an effort to produce as consistent a response as possible for the victims. Responders will face extraordinarily stressful situations, and their own physical and psychological health is of great importance to optimizing the response. This article illustrates through vignettes and supporting text how the incident may unfold for the various components of the health and medical systems and provides additional context for the discipline-related actions outlined in the state and local planners’ playbook

The Ursinus Weekly, December 2, 1976

Ursinus news in brief: Field hockey places second; Take \u27em to court?; McCarthy addresses Pre-Legal group; Forum Committee finalizes program • Alumni Directory published • Board plans tuition increase; Welcomes two new members • Career night planned • RPR addresses faculty • CR\u27s make a difference • Letters to the editor: More on Fritz ; A backside view of Wismer cafeteria • Comment: A tale of two students • Musical notes • Forum reviews: Tapestry, Mostovoys • Two gentlemen at Ursinus • Movie review: Network • Union board meets • Philly Co. • Bears 0-9 ... but the future looks brighter • Ursinus Equestrian Club news • Swim season opens • Phils not shoppinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1063/thumbnail.jp

Issues Raised by Hurricane Katrina: A Focus On Education and Training

This report provides a general overview of the federally funded programs administered by the Department of Education (ED) that can be used to help those affected by this disaster, and the existing statutory and regulatory authorities available to assist individuals who have been affected by a major disaster, where applicable

Mapping Public Engagement with Research in a UK University

Notwithstanding that ‘public engagement’ is conceptualised differently internationally and in different academic disciplines, higher education institutions largely accept the importance of public engagement with research. However, there is limited evidence on how researchers conceptualise engagement, their views on what constitutes engagement and the communities they would (or would not) like to engage with. This paper presents the results of a survey of researchers in the Open University that sought to gather data to fill these gaps. This research was part of an action research project designed to embed engagement in the routine practices of researchers at all levels. The findings indicate that researchers have a relatively narrow view of public engagement with research and the communities with which they interact. It also identified that very few strategically evaluate their public engagement activities. We conclude by discussing some of the interventions we have introduced with the aim of broadening and deepening future researcher engagement