NEW YORK’S FIGHT OVER BLIGHT: THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC UNDERUTILIZATION IN KAUR

This note discusses the issues raised by the policy of seizing land through eminent domain by saying that a certain property is blighted . The author of the note feels that blight should be limited and not merely a way of saying that economic interests of the city are better served by seizing the property through eminent domain. Part I of this Note describes the background of eminent domain and, in particular, the elimination of blight as a qualifying public use. It summarizes the history of the “public use” requirement in the federal and state context and how economic underutilization fits into the analysis. Part II examines the problem of permitting economic underutilization to be used as evidence in determining whether an area is blighted, as well as the role that economic underutilization played in the outcome of Kaur. Part III argues that New York needs to limit the extent to which a blight determination can be based on economic underutilization. It contends that the legislature should address Kaur and the issue of economic underutilization by restricting the statutory definition of blight

Life History of Acropteroxys Gracilis (Coleoptera: Languriidae) on Common Ragweed in Northeastern Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Entomology, Texas A&M UniversityThe life cycle of Acropteroxys gracilis (Newman), a languriid associate of common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., was studied. Adults began appearing in late May and were most abundant during mid-June. A single egg was deposited per stem, usually in the basal third of the stem and the larva tunneled and fed upon the pith. The fully-grown larva overwintered in a state of temperature-induced quiescence within the stem. Pupation usually occurred during early May in the excavated stem. The beetle is univoltine in northeastern Ohio. The egg, larvae, and pupa of A. gracilis are described and/or illustrated for the first time

The Biology and Immature Stages of Zygogramma Suturalis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Author Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State UniversityPIPER, GARY L. The Biology and Immature Stages of Zygogramma suturalis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Ohio J. Sci. 75(1): 19, 1975

Quantification of food intake in Drosophila

Measurement of food intake in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is often necessary for studies of behaviour, nutrition and drug administration. There is no reliable and agreed method for measuring food intake of flies in undisturbed, steady state, and normal culture conditions. We report such a method, based on measurement of feeding frequency by proboscis-extension, validated by short-term measurements of food dye intake. We used the method to demonstrate that (a) female flies feed more frequently than males, (b) flies feed more often when housed in larger groups and (c) fly feeding varies at different times of the day. We also show that alterations in food intake are not induced by dietary restriction or by a null mutation of the fly insulin receptor substrate chico. In contrast, mutation of takeout increases food intake by increasing feeding frequency while mutation of ovoD increases food intake by increasing the volume of food consumed per proboscis-extension. This approach provides a practical and reliable method for quantification of food intake in Drosophila under normal, undisturbed culture conditions

“I feel like I’m part of the conversation”: online annotation tools in the information literacy classroom

If instruction librarians have learned anything in the last two years, it’s that 1. we are immensely adaptable and 2. some “fully online” technologies are worth holding onto. For this instruction librarian, online annotation tools are one of those technologies. When the opportunity appeared for this student-centered instruction librarian to teach a semester long, three-credit hour course, in-person on research methods for honors undergraduates of varying levels and skill sets, the choice to add online annotations a course requirement was made. While web-based annotation tools have been prevalent in classrooms for the last five years, they had been used sparingly in the information literacy instruction classroom before going fully online. Once face-to-face instruction returned to the classroom, however, some technologies used in fully online courses, such as online annotation tools that integrated with an LMS (Learning Management System), became a much-welcomed resource for the pedagogical dilemma of facilitating in-person course reading discussions with students who had simply not done the reading or did not have the space an online discussion board might allow. When you add information seeking skills, critical information evaluative processes and complex comprehension of scholarly texts to the learning goals, the addition of an online annotation tool becomes a valuable education resource that both meets students where they are and encourages active and participatory learning. In this presentation, we will discuss incorporating online annotation tools in information literacy classes (even one shots) and explore the benefits and drawbacks to this technology in the information literacy classroom

Effect of a standardised dietary restriction protocol on multiple laboratory strains of Drosophila melanogaster

Background: Outcomes of lifespan studies in model organisms are particularly susceptible to variations in technical procedures. This is especially true of dietary restriction, which is implemented in many different ways among laboratories. Principal Findings: In this study, we have examined the effect of laboratory stock maintenance, genotype differences and microbial infection on the ability of dietary restriction (DR) to extend life in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. None of these factors block the DR effect. Conclusions: These data lend support to the idea that nutrient restriction genuinely extends lifespan in flies, and that any mechanistic discoveries made with this model are of potential relevance to the determinants of lifespan in other organisms

Radiographer reporting of neurological magnetic resonance imaging examinations of the head and cervical spine: findings of an accredited postgraduate programme

Introduction To analyse the objective structured examination (OSE) results of the first cohorts of radiographers (n = 13) who successfully completed an accredited postgraduate programme in clinical reporting of neurological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of the head and cervical spine. Methods Forty MRI examinations were used in the OSE which included a range of abnormal cases (prevalence of abnormal examinations approximated 50%) and included: haemorrhage, infarction, demyelination disease, abscess, mass lesions (metastatic deposits, meningioma, glioma, astrocytoma); and disc disease, cord compression, stenosis, ligament rupture, syringomyelia appearances on patients referred from a range of referral sources. Normal variants and incidental findings were also included. True/false positive and negative fractions were used to mark the responses which were also scored for agreement with the previously agreed expected answers based on agreement between three consultant radiologists' reports. Results The mean sensitivity, specificity and agreement rates for all head and cervical spine investigations (n = 520) combined were 98.86%, 98.08% and 88.37%, respectively. The highest scoring cases were cases which included astrocytoma, disc protrusion with cord compression and glioma. The most common errors were related to syringomyelia, ligament rupture and vertebral fracture. Conclusions These OSE results suggest that in an academic setting, and following an accredited postgraduate education programme, this group of radiographers has the ability to correctly identify normal MRI examinations of the head/cervical spine and are able to provide a report on the abnormal appearances to a high standard. Further work is required to confirm the clinical application of these findings. Highlights •Following accredited training, radiographers can report MRI examinations of the head or cervical spine to a high standard. •The accuracy of the radiographers' reports is similar to rates in other MRI reporting studies of the lumbar spine or knee. •Radiographers in an academic setting, can report to a similar standard to non-specialised consultant radiologists

Radiographer reporting of magnetic resonance imaging breast examinations: findings of an accredited postgraduate programme

Aim To present the objective structured examination (OSE) results of the initial cohorts of radiographers (n=6) who have completed a postgraduate education programme (accredited by the College of Radiographers) to report magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations of the breast. Method Twenty-five MRI investigations (prevalence of abnormal cases approximately 50%) were used in the OSE which included the following appearances: malignancy (mass; multi-focal disease; nipple and/or lymph node involvement); benign cysts; implant rupture (intra and extra capsular); and normal breast (with and without implant). The radiographers indicated if the appearances were normal or abnormal and provided a description and interpretation of any abnormal appearances. Responses (n=150) were compared to the expected answers previously agreed with a consultant radiologist external examiner. Sensitivity and specificity rates were calculated on the normal/abnormal decision and the total percentage agreement rates were calculated using a pre-determined marking scheme. Results The mean % rates (and 95% Confidence Intervals) for sensitivity, specificity and agreement were 96.0% (82-98); 95% (85-98) and 89.8% (80-96), respectively. The most common false positive and false negative errors were lymph node involvement, fibroadenoma and implant rupture. Conclusion These results suggest that this group of radiographers can report MRI breast examinations to a satisfactory level of competence to be of benefit to clinical departments committed to achieving recent guidelines. Further work is required to confirm the clinical application of these findings