City of South Lake Tahoe Subdivision Ordinance: An Opportunity for Smart Growth, Sustainability, and Application Streamlining

The City of South Lake Tahoe currently does not have an adopted subdivision ordinance. This has caused confusion about the approval process and regulatory requirements as well as delays in application processing. This Professional Project will explore the opportunity for the City to adopt a subdivision ordinance that would provide direction for subdivision design and approval and further the City’s smart growth and sustainability policies. However, there would need to be careful consideration for the potential increase in costs that are associated with additional fees or off-site improvement requirements. The Subdivision Ordinance would be written with the goals of achieving a streamlined process and incorporating design standards consistent with smart growth principles and sustainability consistent with the City’s Sustainability Plan. In addition, the Subdivision Ordinance must be consistent with the goals, policies, and programs of the City of South Lake Tahoe General Plan. The project would begin with a literature review on subdivision regulation and the regulatory environment in South Lake Tahoe. Several subdivision ordinances would be reviewed for their ability to meet the goals of the South Lake Tahoe Ordinance. Throughout the process there will be consultation with other professionals. The final product will be a draft subdivision ordinance and an analysis of how well the draft achieves the goals

A survey of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer substitution rates across angiosperms: an approximate molecular clock with life history effects

BACKGROUND: A full understanding of the patterns and processes of biological diversification requires the dating of evolutionary events, yet the fossil record is inadequate for most lineages under study. Alternatively, a molecular clock approach, in which DNA or amino acid substitution rates are calibrated with fossils or geological/climatic events, can provide indirect estimates of clade ages and diversification rates. The utility of this approach depends on the rate constancy of molecular evolution at a genetic locus across time and across lineages. Although the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (nrITS) is increasingly being used to infer clade ages in plants, little is known about the sources or magnitude of variation in its substitution rate. Here, we systematically review the literature to assess substitution rate variation in nrITS among angiosperms, and we evaluate possible correlates of the variation. RESULTS: We summarize 28 independently calibrated nrITS substitution rates ranging from 0.38 × 10(-9 )to 8.34 × 10(-9 )substitutions/site/yr. We find that herbaceous lineages have substitution rates almost twice as high as woody plants, on average. We do not find any among-lineage phylogenetic constraint to the rates, or any effect of the type of calibration used. Within life history categories, both the magnitude of the rates and the variance among rates tend to decrease with calibration age. CONCLUSION: Angiosperm nrITS substitution rates vary by approximately an order of magnitude, and some of this variation can be attributed to life history categories. We make cautious recommendations for the use of nrITS as an approximate plant molecular clock, including an outline of more appropriate phylogenetic methodology and caveats against over interpretation of results. We also suggest that for lineages with independent calibrations, much of the variation in nrITS substitution rates may come from uncertainty in calibration date estimates, highlighting the importance of accurate and/or multiple calibration dates

Use of the child and adolescent functional assessment scale (CAFAS) as an outcome measure in clinical settings

This article discusses how the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) can be used as an outcome measure in clinical settings. Outcome data from two clinical samples are provided: a small community mental health center located in Michigan and a large referred sample from the Fort Bragg Evaluation Project. Outcome indicators for assessing change over time included overall level of dysfunction, percentage of respondents with severe impairment, mean total score, mean scores for individual CAFAS subscales, and change in total score at the client level. Implications of the findings were discussed from several perspectives: improving services to individual clients, developing databases at the local level that can be used for the agency's continuing self-scrutiny, and pooling databases across sites that can be used to study broader issues within a managed care environment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45765/1/11414_2005_Article_BF02287471.pd

New ice-binding face for type I antifreeze protein

AbstractType I antifreeze protein (AFP) from winter flounder is an alanine-rich, 37 amino acid, single α-helix that contains three 11 amino acid repeats (Thr-X2-Asx-X7), where X is generally Ala. The regularly spaced Thr, Asx and Leu residues lie on one face of the helix and have traditionally been thought to form hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions with the ice surface. Recently, substitution experiments have called into question the importance of Leu and Asn for ice-binding. Sequence alignments of five type I AFP isoforms show that Leu and Asn are not well conserved, whereas Ala residues adjacent to the Thr, at right angles to the Leu/Asn-rich face, are completely conserved. To investigate the role of these Ala residues, a series of Ala to Leu steric mutations was made at various points around the helix. All the substituted peptides were fully α-helical and remained as monomers in solution. Wild-type activity was retained in A19L and A20L. A17L, where the substitution lies adjacent to the Thr-rich face, had no detectable antifreeze activity. The nearby A21L substitution had 10% wild-type activity and demonstrated weak interactions with the ice surface. We propose a new ice-binding face for type I AFP that encompasses the conserved Ala-rich surface and adjacent Thr

Predicting service utilization with the child and adolescent functional assessment scale in a sample of youths with serious emotional disturbance served by center for mental health services-funded demonstrations

This study investigated level of restrictiveness of living arrangements and number of days in out-of-family care at six months postintake, based on the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), gender, age, and level of family income at intake. It was composed of youths who met the criteria for serious emotional disturbance (SED) and were for the most part living in families that are described as socioeconomically disadvantaged. A multinomial logit model was used in the analysis of level of restrictiveness of living arrangements, and an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model was conducted on number of days in out-of-family care. The CAFAS score at intake was found to be a significant predictor of service utilization between intake and six months and was a more consistent predictor than the CBCL. Results suggest that the CAFAS can be used to match service needs with resource allocation and to monitor performance-based outcome indicators.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45770/1/11414_2005_Article_BF02287803.pd

Iliocapsularis: technical application of fine-wire electromyography, and direction specific action during maximum voluntary isometric contractions

The iliocapsularis muscle of the anterior hip may play an important role in hip function, but no electromyographic (EMG) recordings have been made. This muscle provides the most substantial muscular attachment to the anterior hip capsule and is hypothesised to have a dynamic role to limit capsular impingement and to augment joint stability. Current understanding of the function of iliocapsularis is based on limited cadaveric and radiographic studies. Located deep over the hip joint it would require intramuscular fine-wire EMG to evaluate its activity directly with limited cross-talk from overlying muscles. The primary aim of this study was to describe a new technique for insertion of intramuscular EMG electrodes into iliocapsularis and to report its activation during different directions of hip maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Fifteen healthy volunteers (10 M, mean age (SD) 22 (2) years) who were free from hip pain were recruited for electrode insertion and to perform MVIC's in six directions at 0° and three directions at 90° of hip flexion. Intramuscular electrodes were successfully inserted into the iliocapsularis muscle with guidance from real-time ultrasound imaging. The greatest muscle activity occurred during resisted hip flexion at 90° (Median (IQR); 100.0 (1.2) % MVIC) and lowest activity during hip extension, 0° (0.5 (0.3) % MVIC). These findings have implications for our understanding of iliocapsularis’ functional role. This paper provides the first report of intramuscular electrode insertion into iliocapsularis with guided technical instructions for future EMG investigations in other populations and tasks

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 17

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students

Psychometric characteristics of a multidimensional measure to assess impairment: The Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale

The Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) is a multidimensional measure of degree of impairment in functioning. Interrater reliability data are presented for lay raters, graduate students, and frontline staff. Reliability was high for the total score and behaviorally-oriented scales. Construct, concurrent, and discriminant validity were assessed with the sample of children and adolescents evaluated at the Fort Bragg Demonstration Evaluation Project. Youth and their caregivers were evaluated via interview and selfcompleted instruments at four time points. Significant correlations were found between the CAFAS and other related constructs. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by logistic regression analyses examining the relationship between CAFAS ratings and problematic behaviors endorsed on measures completed by parents, teachers, or the youth. Youth with higher CAFAS total scores were much more likely to have poor social relationships, difficulties in school, and problems with the law. Discriminant validity was assessed with a repeated measures analysis of variance with intensity of care at intake and time as factors. Youth who were inpatients or in residential treatment centers at intake had higher CAFAS scores than those who were outpatients. These findings provide strong evidence for the reliability and validity of the CAFAS.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44651/1/10826_2005_Article_BF02233865.pd

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 12

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 11

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students