2,426 research outputs found

    The Servant-Leader Model: Air Force Lawyers

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    The purpose of this paper is to describe what the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (AFJAGC) (USAF, 2018c) has been, where it currently is, where it is headed, and how it should get there, in terms of leadership style for managing its lawyers. The goal is accomplished by developing a formal lawyer management model. Theoretically, a model may be developed to bring the AFJAGC into the 21st century. This paper is a snapshot analysis as to how Air Force lawyers operate from a servant-leader perspective and grow in their management styles and skills. This paper addresses the management of professionals’ paradigm. Since there is very little on current literature on the management/leadership of lawyers, this paper may answer questions relating to managing lawyers and handling professionals in general. This should be beneficial to the military (the Air Force) and hopefully the legal industry as a whole

    A Paleoethnobotanical Approach to 14,000 Years of Great Basin Prehistory: Assessing Human-Environmental Interactions Through the Analysis of Archaeological Plant Data at Two Oregon Rockshelters

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    Well-preserved plant remains recovered from archaeological deposits at the Paisley Five-Mile Point Caves and Little Steamboat Point-1 Rockshelter in southcentral Oregon provided a rare opportunity to study ancient plant resources used by northern Great Basin indigenous groups and their ancestors with Western Stemmed technologies. Macrobotanical analysis of cultural features and vertical columns spanning the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene epochs in the rockshelter repositories yielded thousands of seeds and charcoal fragments that can be attributed to human activities. Data generated in this analysis have provided evidence of paleoenvironments along with the diets and social behaviors of people visiting northern Great Basin rockshelters as a stopover on their seasonal subsistence rounds. The preponderance of upland shrubs and herbs in the assemblages at both archaeological sites indicates vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the rockshelters was fairly stable over the past 14,000 years. The macrobotanical data complemented local and regional pollen analyses to refine the paleoecological proxy data and address uncertainties regarding the proximity of wetland plants and pine (Pinus sp.) to the rockshelters in the past. Samples originating from Younger Dryas deposits at the Paisley Caves and Late Holocene deposits at the Paisley Caves and LSP-1 Rockshelter suggest increased visitation frequency in these periods. The diverse assemblage of cultural plant remains during these times also indicate a broad diet breadth for Great Basin foragers, which included small seeds, nuts and berries, and root vegetables. The presence of an earth oven feature dating to the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene (TP/EH) in Paisley Cave 5 further demonstrates sophisticated traditional knowledge of plant foods and cooking techniques as early as 12,000 cal BP. This study also generated data chronicling the deep historical roots of traditionally valued economic plant foods. Cheno-ams, grasses (Poaceae), and tansymustards (Descurainia sp.) are well-represented in fire hearths at the Paisley Caves and LSP-1 Rockshelter through time. Analysis of a bushytailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) nest in deposits dating to the TP/EH demonstrates rodents living in the Paisley Caves routinely scavenged resources from cultural activity areas, and raised questions about whether people recognized the woodrats’ nests as a reliable resource of cached edible seeds

    Is the sanitation sector ready for the post 2015 goals? Lessons learnt from Zambia

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    The new post 2015 targets and indicators for sanitation pose a new challenge for the sector. Developing countries will have to achieve sanitation service provision which goes beyond access to a toilet and ensures the adequate management of excreta beyond the containment facility. To establish whether the sector is ready for such a challenge, this paper looks to draw upon research findings from informal settlements in Lusaka, Zambia. The presentation will define factors which should be addressed that may directly impact on the achievement of the post 2015 indicators and how successfully they can be monitored

    First order transition from correlated electron semiconductor to ferromagnetic metal in single crystalline FeSi1-xGex

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    The phase diagram of FeSi1-xGex, obtained from magnetic, thermal and transport measurements on single crystals, shows a first-order transition from a correlated electron semiconductor to a ferromagnetic metal at a critical concentration, x ~ 0.25. The gap of the insulating phase strongly decreases with x. The specific heat coefficient appears to track the density of states of a Kondo insulator. The phase diagram is consistent with a correlation induced insulator-metal transition in conjunction with disorder on the Si/Ge ligand site

    Enhancing efficiency and reliability in nuclear power plant component inspection through automated anomaly detection and imaging techniques

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    Bruce Power launched its Major Component Replacement program in 2020, with a particular emphasis on the replacement of critical parts within the CANDU reactors. The scope of the program includes the replacement of critical components such as steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes, and feeder tubes. The examination of Calandria Tubesheet Bores (CTSB) is a particularly time-consuming activity within this program. Currently, engineers manually evaluate inspection footage to detect any defects that might lead to leak test failures. The inspection videos, however, include a large amount of visual noise due to the high radiation levels. This noise poses a considerable challenge to the accurate identification of defects, often leading to time-consuming and costly re-inspections. With the primary objective of automating this inspection process, a collaborative project was formed between Bruce Power, the nuclear operator, the University of Strathclyde, an academic institution, Prolucid, a software engineering company, and ATS Corporation, a leading automation and robotics specialist. This successful collaboration enabled the University of Strathclyde to conduct fundamental research into video denoising and automated defect detection, Prolucid to create a QA-grade software application to integrate the academic outputs, and ATS Corporation to provide the necessary robotics and automation expertise to implement the solution on-site. This partnership will result in a cutting-edge automated inspection system that greatly improves the efficiency and accuracy of the CTSB inspection process. By first reducing noise from the inspection videos, then identifying any indications on the CTSB surface, and lastly classifying these indications according to their type and severity. This automation not only streamlines Bruce Power’s inspection procedures but also includes engineers in the final decision-making process, ensuring comprehensive evaluation

    Behavioral attitudes and preferences in cooking practices with traditional open-fire stoves in Peru, Nepal, and Kenya: implications for improved cookstove interventions.

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    Global efforts are underway to develop and promote improved cookstoves which may reduce the negative health and environmental effects of burning solid fuels on health and the environment. Behavioral studies have considered cookstove user practices, needs and preferences in the design and implementation of cookstove projects; however, these studies have not examined the implications of the traditional stove use and design across multiple resource-poor settings in the implementation and promotion of improved cookstove projects that utilize a single, standardized stove design. We conducted in-depth interviews and direct observations of meal preparation and traditional, open-fire stove use of 137 women aged 20-49 years in Kenya, Peru and Nepal prior in the four-month period preceding installation of an improved cookstove as part of a field intervention trial. Despite general similarities in cooking practices across sites, we identified locally distinct practices and norms regarding traditional stove use and desired stove improvements. Traditional stoves are designed to accommodate specific cooking styles, types of fuel, and available resources for maintenance and renovation. The tailored stoves allow users to cook and repair their stoves easily. Women in each setting expressed their desire for a new stove, but they articulated distinct specific alterations that would meet their needs and preferences. Improved cookstove designs need to consider the diversity of values and needs held by potential users, presenting a significant challenge in identifying a "one size fits all" improved cookstove design. Our data show that a single stove design for use with locally available biomass fuels will not meet the cooking demands and resources available across the three sites. Moreover, locally produced or adapted improved cookstoves may be needed to meet the cooking needs of diverse populations while addressing health and environmental concerns of traditional stoves

    Pain in people living with HIV and its association with healthcare resource use, well-being and functional status

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    Objective: We describe the prevalence of pain and its associations with healthcare resource utilisation and quality-of-life. Design: The POPPY Study recruited three cohorts: older PLWH (≥50 years, n = 699), younger demographically/lifestyle similar PLWH (<50 years, n = 374) and older demographically/lifestyle similar HIV-negative (≥50 years, n = 304) people from April 2013-February 2016. Methods: Current pain and pain-related healthcare use was collected via a self-reported questionnaire. Logistic regression assessed between-group differences in the prevalence of pain in the past month and current pain after controlling for potential confounders. Associations between current pain and healthcare resource use, reported joint problems, depressive symptoms, quality-of-life and functional status were assessed in PLWH using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests. Results: Pain in the past month was reported by 473/676 (70.0%) older PLWH, 224/357 (62.7%) younger PLWH and 188/295 (63.7%) older HIV-negative controls (p = 0.03), with current pain reported in 330 (48.8%), 134 (37.5%) and 116 (39.3%), respectively (p = 0.0007). Older PLWH were more likely to experience current pain, even after adjustment for confounders. Of those with pain in the past month, 56/412 (13.6%) had missed days of work or study due to pain, and 520 (59%) had seen a doctor about their pain. PLWH experiencing current painhad more depressive symptoms, poorer quality-of-life on all domains, and greater functional impairment, regardless of age group. Conclusions: Even in the effective ART era, pain remains common in PLWH and has a major impact on quality-of-life and associated healthcare and societal costs. Interventions are required to assist clinicians and PLWH to proactively manage pain

    Multiple paths toward repeated phenotypic evolution in the spiny-leg adaptive radiation (Tetragnatha; Hawai'i)

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    The repeated evolution of phenotypes provides clear evidence for the role of natural selection in driving evolutionary change. However, the evolutionary origin of repeated phenotypes can be difficult to disentangle as it can arise from a combination of factors such as gene flow, shared ancestral polymorphisms or mutation. Here, we investigate the presence of these evolutionary processes in the Hawaiian spiny-leg Tetragnatha adaptive radiation, which includes four microhabitat-specialists or ecomorphs, with different body pigmentation and size (Green, Large Brown, Maroon, and Small Brown). We investigated the evolutionary history of this radiation using 76 newly generated low-coverage, whole-genome resequenced samples, along with phylogenetic and population genomic tools. Considering the Green ecomorph as the ancestral state, our results suggest that the Green ecomorph likely re-evolved once, the Large Brown and Maroon ecomorphs evolved twice and the Small Brown evolved three times. We found that the evolution of the Maroon and Small Brown ecomorphs likely involved ancestral hybridization events, while the Green and Large Brown ecomorphs likely evolved through novel mutations, despite a high rate of incomplete lineage sorting in the dataset. Our findings demonstrate that the repeated evolution of ecomorphs in the Hawaiian spiny-leg Tetragnatha is influenced by multiple evolutionary processes.publishedVersio

    Primer registro de Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus 1758) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) en la isla Navarino, Chile

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    The common wasp Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus 1758) is an introduced species in the Southern Hemisphere that has been reported in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Argentina and South-central Chile. This report documents the presence of V. vulgaris on Navarino Island, Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Southern Chile.La avispa común Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus 1758) es una especie introducida en el Hemisferio Sur que ha sido registrada en Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Tasmania, Argentina y Chile central. Este trabajo documenta la presencia de V. vulgaris en la isla Navarino, Reserva de la Biósfera Cabo de Hornos, sur de Chile
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