New Orleans, Nodal Point of the French Atlantic

This article argues for the importance of New Orleans within French and Francophone Studies, with a particular emphasis on a French Atlantic perspective. A historical overview discusses the role of New France, slavery, native Americans, Spain, immigration from Saint-Domingue, the Louisiana Purchase and the American Civil War in the formation of the city, and the rich and under-researched field of the city’s nineteenth-century literary output in French is surveyed. Among the unique aspects of this history are the coherent African cultures exported to Louisiana due to the trafficking of slaves of mostly Bambara ethnicity, their crucial role in the material survival of the colony, and the large presence – from intermarriage, manumission under Spanish rule, and an influx following the Haitian revolution - of free people of colour who contributed to the formation of a Caribbean-type racial hierarchy that did not exist elsewhere in the United States. The article ends with an overview of French representations of the city, in particular A Cotton Office in New Orleans by Edgar Degas, and the city’s place in world tourism, generating questions about the mobile and hybrid meanings attaching to ‘Frenchness’ in this context

New Trends and Future Opportunities in the Enzymatic Formation of C-C, C-N, and C-O bonds

Organic chemistry provides society with fundamental products we use daily. Concerns about the impact that the chemical industry has over the environment is propelling major changes in the way we manufacture chemicals. Biocatalysis offers an alternative to other synthetic approaches as it employs enzymes, Nature''s catalysts, to carry out chemical transformations. Enzymes are biodegradable, come from renewable sources, operate under mild reaction conditions, and display high selectivities in the processes they catalyse. As a highly multidisciplinary field, biocatalysis benefits from advances in different areas, and developments in the fields of molecular biology, bioinformatics, and chemical engineering have accelerated the extension of the range of available transformations (E. L. Bell et al., Nat. Rev. Meth. Prim. 2021, 1, 1–21). Recently, we surveyed advances in the expansion of the scope of biocatalysis via enzyme discovery and protein engineering (J. R. Marshall et al., Tetrahedron 2021, 82, 131926). Herein, we focus on novel enzymes currently available to the broad synthetic community for the construction of new C-C, C-N and C-O bonds, with the purpose of providing the non-specialist with new and alternative tools for chiral and sustainable chemical synthesis. © 2021 The Authors. ChemBioChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

A Five-Year Case History of Retained Ownership

A case history of retaining ownership of steer calves from weaning through slaughter was examined for calves born in 1985 through 1989. Calves were reared to weaning at the SDSU Antelope Range Livestock Station and following weaning were managed under a custom feedlot arrangement. Retaining ownership from weaning through slaughter resulted in profits of $1.83,$215.41, $162.75,$78.58 and $80.65 (excluding interest on calf) for the 1985 through 1989 calf crops, respectively. Cattle prices, feed costs and postweaning profitability tended to vary over years considerably more than cattle performance

Connecting post-release mortality to the physiological stress response of large coastal sharks in a commercial longline fishery

Bycatch mortality is a major factor contributing to shark population declines. Post-release mortality (PRM) is particularly difficult to quantify, limiting the accuracy of stock assessments. We paired blood-stress physiology with animal-borne accelerometers to quantify PRM rates of sharks caught in a commercial bottom longline fishery. Blood was sampled from the same individuals that were tagged, providing direct correlation between stress physiology and animal fate for sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus, N = 130), blacktip (C. limbatus, N = 105), tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier, N = 52), spinner (C. brevipinna, N = 14), and bull sharks (C. leucas, N = 14). PRM rates ranged from 2% and 3% PRM in tiger and sandbar sharks to 42% and 71% PRM in blacktip and spinner sharks, respectively. Decision trees based on blood values predicted mortality with >67% accuracy in blacktip and spinner sharks, and >99% accuracy in sandbar sharks. Ninety percent of PRM occurred within 5 h after release and 59% within 2 h. Blood physiology indicated that PRM was primarily associated with acidosis and increases in plasma potassium levels. Total fishing mortality reached 62% for blacktip and 89% for spinner sharks, which may be under-estimates given that some soak times were shortened to focus on PRM. Our findings suggest that no-take regulations may be beneficial for sandbar, tiger, and bull sharks, but less effective for more susceptible species such as blacktip and spinner sharks

State firearm laws, race and law enforcement-related deaths in 16 US states: 2010-2016

The aim of this study was to assess the association between state firearm legislation and law enforcement-related deaths (LEDs) and its modification by race. We used secondary data from an ecological cohort of 16 states (2010 to 2016), using the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), the State Firearm Law Database and additional public sources. Poisson regression with generalised estimating equations and inverse probability of exposure weights to account for time-varying confounding were used to quantify the association. LEDs were also disaggregated by race (Black vs non-Black). A total of 1593 LEDs took place during the 6-year study period. After adjusting for confounders, the IRR among non-Blacks was 0.48 (95% CI 0.26 to 0.89) and 1.53 (95% CI 0.93 to 2.54) among Blacks. Our findings highlight the fact that increased firearm provisions may decrease rates of LED among non-Black American individuals-an association not observed among Black Americans

Evidence for a bi-partition of the Younger Dryas Stadial in East Asia associated with inversed climate characteristics compared to Europe

The Younger Dryas Stadial (YDS) was an episode of northern hemispheric cooling which occurred within the Last Glacial Interglacial Transition (LGIT). A major driver for the YDS climate was a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). It has been inferred that the AMOC began to strengthen mid-YDS, producing a bipartite structure of the YDS in records from continental Europe. These records imply that the polar front and westerlies shifted northward, producing a warmer second phase of the YDS in Europe. Here we present multi-proxy data from the sediments of Lake Suigetsu (Japan), as evidence that a related bi-partition of the YDS also occurred in East Asia. Besides showing for the first time that the bi-partition was not limited to the North Atlantic/European region, the data also imply a climatic dipole between Europe and East Asia since the cold-warm characteristics are reversed at Lake Suigetsu. We suggest that changes in eastward moisture transport from the North Atlantic are the primary mechanism by which the teleconnection can be explained

Association of State Firearm Legislation With Female Intimate Partner Homicide

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the association between state firearm legislation and female intimate partner homicide. Methods: In 2017, the authors conducted a secondary data analysis of 16 states from 2010 to 2014, using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, the State Firearm Law Database, and additional public sources. Poisson regression analyses quantified the association between the number of state restrictive firearm legislative provisions and the female population-based intimate partner homicide rate. For etiologic reasons, intimate partner homicide was disaggregated into homicide–suicide (intimate partner homicide followed by perpetrator suicide) and homicide-only intimate partner homicide (intimate partner homicide in the absence of perpetrator suicide). Results: There were 1,693 female intimate partner homicide deaths in the 16 states during 2010–2014; 67% were homicide-only intimate partner homicide. The number of state-level legislative provisions related to firearm restrictions ranged from four (Alaska) to 95 (Massachusetts). The intimate partner homicide rate in states with zero to 39 provisions was 1.16 per 100,000 person years (95% CI=1.10, 1.22) and in states with >40 provisions was 0.68 per 100,000 person years (95% CI=0.61, 0.72). The incidence of female intimate partner homicide was 56% lower in states with ≥40 legislative provisions (adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.44, 95% CI=0.28, 0.68), relative to states with zero to 39 provisions. This protective association was stronger for homicide-only intimate partner homicide than homicide–suicide intimate partner homicide. Conclusions: More state-level restrictive firearm legislation is associated with a lower rate of female intimate partner homicides

Effectiveness of Mouthguards for the Prevention of Orofacial Injuries and Concussions in Sports: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Sport activities can account for up to one-third of all orofacial injuries. Mouthguards (MGs) have been proposed as a way to reduce these injuries. Objectives: To present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of MGs for the prevention of sports-related orofacial injuries and concussions. Methods: Using specific search terms, PubMed, Ovid Embase, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched to find studies that (1) contained original quantitative data on MGs and orofacial injuries and/or concussions, (2) included groups involved in sports or exercise activities, (3) included MG users and non-MG users, and (4) provided either risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) comparing injuries among MG users and non-MG users, or data that could be used to calculate RRs and 95% CIs. Results: Twenty-six studies met the review criteria. Investigations employed a variety of study designs, utilized different types of MGs, used widely varying injury case definitions, and had multiple methodological weaknesses. Despite these limitations, meta-analyses indicated that the use of MGs reduced the overall risk of orofacial injuries in 12 cohort trials (summary RR [nonusers/users] = 2.33, 95% CI 1.59–3.44), and 11 trials involving self-report questionnaires (summary RR [nonusers/users] = 2.32, 95% CI 1.04–5.13). The influence of MGs on concussion incidence in five cohort studies was modest (summary RR [nonusers/users] = 1.25, 95% CI 0.90–1.74). Conclusion: These data indicate that MGs should be used in sports activities where there is significant orofacial injury risk