The Great London Plague of 1665 and the US COVID-19 Pandemic Experience Compared

Using Daniel Dafoe\u27s Journal of the Plague Year, Frank O\u27Hara examines the experience of the plague, the reactions of people, and changes to social cohesion and compares the current COVID-19 pandemic. These isses get at basic human reactions to crisis, and the similarities and differences between the 17th and 21st centuries are instructive

Greater Portland Tomorrow: Choices for Sustained Prosperity

Greater Portland Tomorrow: Choices for Sustained Prosperity is an action plan developed with Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) support in response to the questions, what are the critical challenges facing the region for sustainable prosperity, and how may these best be addressed by USM and other important regional actors? The report provides analysis and recommendations in the areas of workforce development, quality of place, regional infrastructure, government fragmentation, and public communication

Septic Systems: How They Work and How to Keep Them Working Factsheet

A septic system is a sewage treatment and disposal system buried in the ground. It is composed of a septic tank and a leach field or trench. Septic systems can fail due to poor design or construction, to overloading or to inadequate maintenance. Improperly functioning and overloaded septic systems are major sources of water pollution. Failing septic systems leak harmful pollutants, like bacteria and excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), into groundwater. From there, pollutants make their way into lakes, streams, rivers, and coastal waterbodies. Many homeowners are under the misconception that a septic system, once installed, will work forever without maintenance. This is not true! Most septic systems, even with maintenance, will work effectively for only an average of 15 to 25 years. To help protect against premature failure, the homeowner can follow a few simple procedures. These procedures help reduce sludge build-up, reduce water use, eliminate toxic waste, keep the system’s bacteria working and protect the leaching system. To see if you are treating your septic system properly, review the checklists on the following pages

What are the toxicological effects of mercury in Arctic biota?

This review critically evaluates the available mercury (Hg) data in Arctic marine biota and the Inuit population against toxicity threshold values. In particular marine top predators exhibit concentrations of mercury in their tissues and organs that are believed to exceed thresholds for biological effects. Species whose concentrations exceed threshold values include the polar bears (Ursus maritimus), beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), pilot whale (Globicephala melas), hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), a few seabird species, and landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Toothed whales appear to be one of the most vulnerable groups, with high concentrations of mercury recorded in brain tissue with associated signs of neurochemical effects. Evidence of increasing concentrations in mercury in some biota in Arctic Canada and Greenland is therefore a concern with respect to ecosystem health

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Capital Letter piece on the Maine Legislature\u27s 90 percent rule for state bond

Capital Letter piece on the Maine Legislature\u27s 90 percent rule for state bonds. The rule requires the state to issue new bonds that total only 90 percent of the amount of bonds being retired. The author says applying the rule means that over time the state eliminates the possibility of borrowing for anything

Capital Letter piece on a recent incident involving a letter to the Kennebec J

Capital Letter piece on a recent incident involving a letter to the Kennebec Journal criticizing the actions of a high school girls\u27 basketball coach. The coach screamed at the girls and publicly humiliated them during a game, and letter became the subject of a local sports cable television show

Capital Letter piece on a merger of Lewiston and Auburn. Merging the two citi

Capital Letter piece on a merger of Lewiston and Auburn. Merging the two cities would create a 90-square-mile municipality with 60,000 residents

Capital Letter piece on recent changes to Maine\u27s environmental laws. The pie

Capital Letter piece on recent changes to Maine\u27s environmental laws. The piece is in response to an April 11, 1996, Maine Times article that described an anti-environmental mood in the Maine Legislature