3,559 research outputs found
Membership Drive Success: ALA/Alabama\u27s Support Staff Pilot Initiative
Many professional associations are grappling with membership challenges. Recently, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a strategy they termed the “member-centered” approach (Romano, 2004). One feature of this approach designed to boost membership is teaming with state and specialty societies. The American Medical Association believes that “future cooperation and collaboration with state associations is vital to any membership turnaround” (Romano, 2004, p. 11). This partnership makes good business sense.
The American Library Association considers a cooperative venture with state associations as an important avenue to increase membership as well. Taking to heart the COPE recommendations and incorporating the idea of partnerships with state associations, ALA created a new membership option targeting library support staff at the state level. Alabama is the first state in which ALA will launch this cooperative endeavor. This article describes the joint staff membership initiative between a state association, the Alabama Library Association (ALLA), and the American Library Association – a unique pilot program already beginning to spread nationwide
Developing and Renovating Hospitality Properties
[Excerpt] Land development includes acquisition of land, securing zoning changes from local governments, installation of infrastructure improvements to land such as streets and utilities, and constructing buildings to generate revenue. In this chapter, we discuss those processes as they relate to developing hospitality properties—a process far more complex than that associated with other commercial real estate
Pilomatrix carcinoma presenting as an extra axial mass: clinicopathological features
Pilomatrix carcinoma is the rare malignant counterpart of pilomatrixoma, a skin adnexal tumour originating from hair matrix cells. Pilomatrix carcinoma can arise as a solitary lesion de novo, or through transformation of a pilomatrixoma. Pilomatrixoma was first described erroneously as being of sebaceous gland origin but was later discovered to be derived from hair matrix cells. They are rare, slow growing tumours of the skin found in the lower dermis and subcutaneous fat and are predominantly found in the neck and the scalp. While known to be locally aggressive, no malignant form was thought to exist until it was described relatively recently. Since then, approximately ninety cases of pilomatrix carcinoma have been reported
The anhydrobiotic potential and molecular phylogenetics of species and strains of Panagrolaimus (Nematoda, Panagrolaimidae)
Members of the genus Panagrolaimus are bacterialfeeding
nematodes that occupy a diversity of niches
ranging from Antarctic and temperate soils to terrestrial
mosses. Some members of this genus are able to survive
extreme desiccation by entering into a state of suspended
animation known as anhydrobiosis. We have assembled a
collection of Panagrolaimus species and strains and have
investigated their anhydrobiotic phenotypes. Our data
show that within the genus Panagrolaimus there is a
continuum of strains ranging from those unable to survive
exposure to low relative humidity (RH) without prior
preconditioning at high RH (slow desiccation strategists),
through strains that have limited ability to survive rapid
desiccation but whose anhydrobiotic ability improves
upon preconditioning, to strains such as P. superbus that
can readily survive immediate exposure to severe
desiccation (fast desiccation strategists). Using this panel
of nematodes we investigated the effect of preincubation at
high RH on the accumulation of trehalose and on the
nematodesâ anhydrobiotic potential. We found that there
is a strong correlation between trehalose induction and
anhydrobiotic survival in Panagrolaimus. Furthermore,
the high trehalose levels observed in fully hydrated P.superbus (10% dry mass) suggest that constitutive
expression of trehalose pre-adapts this fast dehydration
strategist to combat desiccation. All the strains observed,
regardless of survival rates, undertook both coiling and
clumping, which has the effect of reducing surface area
and slowing the rate of water loss during desiccation.
Phylogenetic analyses were carried out to investigate
whether the observed anhydrobiotic phenotypes were the
result of convergent evolution or represented a single
phylogenetic lineage. These analyses, derived from
alignments of the rDNA ITS and D3 sequences, indicate
that the strongly anhydrobiotic strains of Panagrolaimus
form a single phylogenetic lineage, which is separate
from the weakly anhydrobiotic strains. The weakly
anhydrobiotic strains are also phylogenetically divergent
from each other. Our data indicate that Panagrolaimus
has the potential to be an excellent model system for the
investigation of molecular aspects of nematode anhydrobiosis
The anhydrobiotic potential and molecular phylogenetics of species and strains of Panagrolaimus (Nematoda, Panagrolaimidae)
Members of the genus Panagrolaimus are bacterialfeeding
nematodes that occupy a diversity of niches
ranging from Antarctic and temperate soils to terrestrial
mosses. Some members of this genus are able to survive
extreme desiccation by entering into a state of suspended
animation known as anhydrobiosis. We have assembled a
collection of Panagrolaimus species and strains and have
investigated their anhydrobiotic phenotypes. Our data
show that within the genus Panagrolaimus there is a
continuum of strains ranging from those unable to survive
exposure to low relative humidity (RH) without prior
preconditioning at high RH (slow desiccation strategists),
through strains that have limited ability to survive rapid
desiccation but whose anhydrobiotic ability improves
upon preconditioning, to strains such as P. superbus that
can readily survive immediate exposure to severe
desiccation (fast desiccation strategists). Using this panel
of nematodes we investigated the effect of preincubation at
high RH on the accumulation of trehalose and on the
nematodesâ anhydrobiotic potential. We found that there
is a strong correlation between trehalose induction and
anhydrobiotic survival in Panagrolaimus. Furthermore,
the high trehalose levels observed in fully hydrated P.superbus (10% dry mass) suggest that constitutive
expression of trehalose pre-adapts this fast dehydration
strategist to combat desiccation. All the strains observed,
regardless of survival rates, undertook both coiling and
clumping, which has the effect of reducing surface area
and slowing the rate of water loss during desiccation.
Phylogenetic analyses were carried out to investigate
whether the observed anhydrobiotic phenotypes were the
result of convergent evolution or represented a single
phylogenetic lineage. These analyses, derived from
alignments of the rDNA ITS and D3 sequences, indicate
that the strongly anhydrobiotic strains of Panagrolaimus
form a single phylogenetic lineage, which is separate
from the weakly anhydrobiotic strains. The weakly
anhydrobiotic strains are also phylogenetically divergent
from each other. Our data indicate that Panagrolaimus
has the potential to be an excellent model system for the
investigation of molecular aspects of nematode anhydrobiosis
The potential impacts of migratory difficulty, including warmer waters and altered flow conditions, on the reproductive success of salmonid fishes
AbstractClimate change and urbanisation of watercourses affect water temperatures and current flow velocities in river systems on a global scale. This represents a particularly critical issue for migratory fish species with complex life histories that use rivers to reproduce. Salmonids are migratory keystone species that provide substantial economical value to ecosystems and human societies. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of environmental stressors on their reproductive success is critical in order to ensure their continued abundance during future climatic change. Salmonids are capital breeders, relying entirely on endogenous energy stores to fuel return migration to their natal spawning sites and reproduction upon arrival. Metabolic rates and cost of transport en-route increase with temperature and at extreme temperatures, swimming is increasingly fuelled anaerobically, resulting in an oxygen debt and reduced capacity to recover from exhaustive exercise. Thermally challenged salmonids also produce less viable gametes, which themselves are affected by water temperature after release. Passage through hydrological barriers and temperature changes both affect energy expenditure. As a result, important energetic tradeoffs emerge between extra energy used during migration and that available for other facets of the reproductive cycle, such as reproductive competition and gamete production. However, studies identifying these tradeoffs are extremely sparse. This review focuses on the specific locomotor responses of salmonids to thermal and hydrological challenges, identifying gaps in our knowledge and highlighting the potential implications for key aspects of their reproduction
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