Classroom Level Effects of Children’s Prior Participation in Child Care

Previous research indicates that children who spend many hours in early child care exhibit more externalizing behavior problems than children who spend less time in child care. Concern has been expressed regarding the cumulative effect of these problem behaviors on elementary school classes. We collected information about children’s child-care histories from parents of first through fourth graders (N = 429) and about classroom functioning from their teachers (N = 31). We analyzed associations between the proportion of children in the class who had spent many hours in care prior to school entry and teachers’ reports of the time they spent in instruction and management, the difficulty they had in teaching and managing the class and the frequency of students’ positive and negative behavior in the classroom. No significant associations were found to support the contention that prior child-care participation negatively affects classroom functioning

Low Fe availability for photosynthesis of sea-ice algae: ex situ incubation of the ice diatom fragilariopsis cylindrus in low-Fe sea ice using an ice tank

Sea-ice algae play a crucial role in the ecology and biogeochemistry of sea-ice zones. They not only comprise the base of sea-ice ecosystems, but also seed populations of extensive ice-edge blooms during ice melt. Ice algae must rapidly acclimate to dynamic light environments, from the low light under sea ice to high light within open waters. Recently, iron (Fe) deficiency has been reported for diatoms in eastern Antarctic pack ice. Low Fe availability reduces photosynthetic plasticity, leading to reduced ice-algal primary production. We developed a low-Fe ice tank to manipulate Fe availability in sea ice. Over 20 days in the ice tank, the Antarctic ice diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus was incubated in artificial low-Fe sea ice ([total Fe] = 20 nM) in high light (HL) and low light (LL) conditions. Melted ice was also exposed to intense light to simulate light conditions typical for melting ice in situ. When diatoms were frozen in, the maximum photochemical quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII), Fv/Fm, was suppressed by freezing stress. However, the diatoms maintained photosynthetic capability throughout the ice periods with a stable Fv/Fm value and increased photoprotection through non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) via photoprotective xanthophyll cycling (XC) and increased photoprotective carotenoid levels compared to pre-freeze-up. Photoprotection was more pronounced in the HL treatment due to greater light stress. However, the functional absorption cross section of PSII, σPSII, in F. cylindrus consistently increased after freezing, especially in the LL treatment (σPSII > 10 nm2 PSII–1). Our study is the first to report such a large σPSII in ice diatoms at low Fe conditions. When the melted sea ice was exposed to high light, Fv/Fm was suppressed. NPQ and XC were slightly upregulated, but not to values normally observed when Fe is not limiting, which indicates reduced photosynthetic flexibility to adapt to environmental changes during ice melt under low Fe conditions. Although ice algae can optimize their photosynthesis to sea-ice environments, chronic Fe starvation led to less flexibility of photoacclimation, particularly in low light conditions. This may have detrimental consequences for ice algal production and trophic interactions in sea-ice ecosystems if the recent reduction in sea-ice extent continues.Kazuhiro Yoshida, Andreas Seger, Matthew Corkill, Petra Heil, Kristen Karsh, Andrew McMinn and Koji Suzuk

Metabolic pathways inferred from a bacterial marker gene illuminate ecological changes across South Pacific frontal boundaries

Global oceanographic monitoring initiatives originally measured abiotic essential ocean variables but are currently incorporating biological and metagenomic sampling programs. There is, however, a large knowledge gap on how to infer bacterial functions, the information sought by biogeochemists, ecologists, and modelers, from the bacterial taxonomic information (produced by bacterial marker gene surveys). Here, we provide a correlative understanding of how a bacterial marker gene (16S rRNA) can be used to infer latitudinal trends for metabolic pathways in global monitoring campaigns. From a transect spanning 7000 km in the South Pacific Ocean we infer ten metabolic pathways from 16S rRNA gene sequences and 11 corresponding metagenome samples, which relate to metabolic processes of primary productivity, temperature-regulated thermodynamic effects, coping strategies for nutrient limitation, energy metabolism, and organic matter degradation. This study demonstrates that low-cost, high-throughput bacterial marker gene data, can be used to infer shifts in the metabolic strategies at the community scale

Enzyme-level interconversion of nitrate and nitrite in the fall mixed layer of the Antarctic Ocean

In the Southern Ocean, the nitrogen (N) isotopes of organic matter and the N and oxygen (O) isotopes of nitrate (NO_3^−) have been used to investigate NO_3^− assimilation and N cycling in the summertime period of phytoplankton growth, both today and in the past. However, recent studies indicate the significance of processes in other seasons for producing the annual cycle of N isotope changes. This study explores the impact of fall conditions on the ^(15)N/^(14)N (δ^(15)N) and ^(18)O/^(16)O (δ^(18)O) of NO_3^− and nitrite (NO_2^−) in the Pacific Antarctic Zone using depth profiles from late summer/fall of 2014. In the mixed layer, the δ^(15)N and δ^(18)O of NO_3^− + NO_2^− increase roughly equally, as expected for NO_3^− assimilation; however, the δ^(15)N of NO_3^−-only (measured after NO_2− removal) increases more than does NO_3^− -only δ^(18)O. Differencing indicates that NO_2^− has an extremely low δ^(15)N, often < −70‰ versus air. These observations are consistent with the expression of an equilibrium N isotope effect between NO_3^− and NO_2^−, likely due to enzymatic NO_3^- - NO_2^− interconversion. Specifically, we propose reversibility of the nitrite oxidoreductase (NXR) enzyme of nitrite oxidizers that, having been entrained from the subsurface during late summer mixed layer deepening, are inhibited by light. Our interpretation suggests a role for NO_3^- - NO_2^− interconversion where nitrifiers are transported into environments that discourage NO_2^− oxidation. This may apply to surface regions with upwelling, such as the summertime Antarctic. It may also apply to oxygen-deficient zones, where NXR-catalyzed interconversion may explain previously reported evidence of NO_2^− oxidation

Nonprofit governance: Improving performance in troubled economic times

Nonprofit management is currently pressured to perform effectively in a weak economy. Yet, nonprofit governance continues to suffer from unclear conceptions of the division of labor between board of directors and executive directors. This online survey of 114 executive directors aims to provide clarification and recommendations for social administration

Constraints on possible phase transitions above the nuclear saturation density

We compare different models for hadronic and quark phases of cold baryon-rich matter in an attempt to find a deconfinement phase transition between them. For the hadronic phase we consider Walecka-type mean-field models which describe well the nuclear saturation properties. We also use the variational chain model which takes into account correlation effects. For the quark phase we consider the MIT bag model, the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio and the massive quasiparticle models. By comparing pressure as a function of baryon chemical potential we find that crossings of hadronic and quark branches are possible only in some exceptional cases while for most realistic parameter sets these branches do not cross at all. Moreover, the chiral phase transition, often discussed within the framework of QCD motivated models, lies in the region where the quark phases are unstable with respect to the hadronic phase. We discuss possible physical consequences of these findings.Comment: 28 pages, 18 PostScript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Metabolic pathways inferred from a bacterial marker gene illuminate ecological changes across South Pacific frontal boundaries

Abstract Global oceanographic monitoring initiatives started by measuring abiotic essential ocean variables but are currently incorporating biological and metagenomic sampling. There is, however, a large gap between the taxonomic information produced by bacterial genomic analyses and information on bacterial functions, which is sought by biogeochemists, ecologists, and modellers. Here, we provide a mechanistic understanding of how a bacterial marker gene (16S rRNA) can be used to derive latitudinal trends for core metabolic pathways and, ultimately, be used for mapping ecosystem function change in global monitoring campaigns. From a transect spanning 7000 km in the South Pacific Ocean we identified ten metabolic pathways, which were related to ecological processes of primary productivity, temperature-regulated growth, coping strategies for nutrient limitation, energy metabolism, and degradation. We compared and contrasted these metabolic pathways with measured physico-biochemical parameters within and between oceanographic provinces, and found that functional diversity is as affected by oceanographic boundaries as is taxonomic composition. This study demonstrates that bacterial marker gene data, sampled and analysed with low costs and high throughput, can be used to infer on metabolic changes at the community scale. Such analyses may provide insight into the drivers of ecological changes and, overall, into the effects of biodiversity on marine ecosystem functioning.</jats:p

Single Event Transients in Low Voltage Dropout (LVDO) Voltage Regulators

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use of Low Voltage Dropout (LVDO) Voltage Regulators in environments where heavy ion induced Single Event Transients are a concern to the designers.Included in the presentation are results of tests of voltage regulators

Enzyme-level interconversion of nitrate and nitrite in the fall mixed layer of the Antarctic Ocean

In the Southern Ocean, the nitrogen (N) isotopes of organic matter and the N and oxygen (O) isotopes of nitrate (NO_3^−) have been used to investigate NO_3^− assimilation and N cycling in the summertime period of phytoplankton growth, both today and in the past. However, recent studies indicate the significance of processes in other seasons for producing the annual cycle of N isotope changes. This study explores the impact of fall conditions on the ^(15)N/^(14)N (δ^(15)N) and ^(18)O/^(16)O (δ^(18)O) of NO_3^− and nitrite (NO_2^−) in the Pacific Antarctic Zone using depth profiles from late summer/fall of 2014. In the mixed layer, the δ^(15)N and δ^(18)O of NO_3^− + NO_2^− increase roughly equally, as expected for NO_3^− assimilation; however, the δ^(15)N of NO_3^−-only (measured after NO_2− removal) increases more than does NO_3^− -only δ^(18)O. Differencing indicates that NO_2^− has an extremely low δ^(15)N, often < −70‰ versus air. These observations are consistent with the expression of an equilibrium N isotope effect between NO_3^− and NO_2^−, likely due to enzymatic NO_3^- - NO_2^− interconversion. Specifically, we propose reversibility of the nitrite oxidoreductase (NXR) enzyme of nitrite oxidizers that, having been entrained from the subsurface during late summer mixed layer deepening, are inhibited by light. Our interpretation suggests a role for NO_3^- - NO_2^− interconversion where nitrifiers are transported into environments that discourage NO_2^− oxidation. This may apply to surface regions with upwelling, such as the summertime Antarctic. It may also apply to oxygen-deficient zones, where NXR-catalyzed interconversion may explain previously reported evidence of NO_2^− oxidation

Defining eye-fixation sequences across individuals and tasks: the Binocular-Individual Threshold (BIT) algorithm

We propose a new fully automated velocity-based algorithm to identify fixations from eye-movement records of both eyes, with individual-specific thresholds. The algorithm is based on robust minimum determinant covariance estimators (MDC) and control chart procedures, and is conceptually simple and computationally attractive. To determine fixations, it uses velocity thresholds based on the natural within-fixation variability of both eyes. It improves over existing approaches by automatically identifying fixation thresholds that are specific to (a) both eyes, (b) x- and y- directions, (c) tasks, and (d) individuals. We applied the proposed Binocular-Individual Threshold (BIT) algorithm to two large datasets collected on eye-trackers with different sampling frequencies, and compute descriptive statistics of fixations for larger samples of individuals across a variety of tasks, including reading, scene viewing, and search on supermarket shelves. Our analysis shows that there are considerable differences in the characteristics of fixations not only between these tasks, but also between individuals