Robert Zaretsky. A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus and the Quest for Meaning. Cambridge, Mass., and London: The Belknap P of Harvard UP, 2013. 240 pp.

Review of Robert Zaretsky. A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus and the Quest for Meaning. Cambridge, Mass., and London: The Belknap P of Harvard UP, 2013. 240 pp

Computer Technology in the Biomechanical Analysis of Bar-Bell Lifting Motion Structures

An improper selection of muscle-building exercises or a technically poor execution of an exercise frequently leads to an inadvertent loading of the motion system of man, to injuries, to a poorer resulting achievement, or to a deceleration of the expected performance growth, to a disturbed dynamic stereotype and -last but not least-to motivation losses. In order to be able to cope with the problems outlined above, it was necessary to create a data collection and processing system for speedpower and technical parameters realized on a bar-bell. The information thus obtained allows for assessing a weight-lifter's performance in qualitative and quantitative terms, using a set of pre-defined criteria. Consequently, prerequisites for describing and correcting potential mistakes in an executed exercise, as well as for its optimization and economization, are provided

The influence of rearing environment on life history and morphological traits of sailfin molly fish (P. latipinna)

Life history traits such as time to and size at maturity are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. One such environmental factor may be the social environment in which a juvenile is reared. This study examined the life history traits of sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) that were reared in varying social environments: in isolation, in groups with an adult male present, and in groups without an adult male present. Since females prefer larger males, we anticipated that males reared in the presence of an adult male should delay maturation and therefore mature at larger sizes in order to better compete for mates. We found that males reared with an adult male took three times longer to mature and were almost 30 percent larger than males reared without adult males or in isolation. Our results suggest that social environment has significant effects on the final size at maturity, and therefore fitness, of male sailfin mollies

An Information Audit of a Business Intelligence Portal

This paper examines issues in promoting explicit and tacit knowledge management practices, particularly within the use of intranets. Specifically, this paper presents an information audit of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise's Business Intelligence Portal. The purpose of this audit is to identify the information environment of the Institute as well as its knowledge management practices. Overall, the findings of this audit indicate problems in finding, retrieving, organizing, and sharing needed information as well as a lack of collaboration and communication amongst centers. Recommendations for new technology and practices to remedy existing information and knowledge management problems are offered. This paper also acts as a roadmap for other information professionals interested in conducting information audits for their organizations

Microbial processes with the potential to mobilize As from a circumneutral-pH mixture of flotation and roaster tailings

The Northwest Tailings Containment Area at the inactive Giant Mine (Canada) contains a complex mixture of arsenic-containing substances, including flotation tailings (84.8 wt%; with 0.4 wt% residual S), roaster calcine wastes (14.4 wt% Fe oxides), and arsenic trioxide (0.8 wt%) derived from an electrostatic precipitator as well as As-containing water (21.3 ± 4.1 mg L−1 As) derived from the underground mine workings. In the vadose zone the tailings pore water has a pH of 7.6 and contains elevated metal(loid)s (2.37 ± 5.90 mg L−1 As); mineral oxidizers account for 2.5% of total 16S rRNA reads in solid samples. In the underlying saturated tailings, dissolved Fe and As concentrations increase with depth (up to 72 and 20 mg L−1, respectively), and the mean relative abundance of Fe(III)-reducers is 0.54% of total reads. The potential for As mobilization via both reductive and oxidative (bio)processes should be considered in Giant Mine remediation activities. The current remediation plan includes installation of an engineered cover that incorporates a geosynthetic barrier layer

Microbiological and geochemical characterization of As-bearing tailings and underlying sediments

Over the past 100 years, extensive oxidation of As-bearing sulfide-rich tailings from the abandoned Long Lake Gold Mine (Canada) has resulted in the formation of acid mine drainage (pH 2.0-3.9) containing high concentrations of dissolved As (∼400 mg L ), SO , Fe and other metals. Dissolved As is predominantly present as As(III), with increased As(V) near the tailings surface. Pore-gas O is depleted to < 1 vol% in the upper 30-80 cm of the tailings profile. The primary sulfides, pyrite and arsenopyrite, are highly oxidized in the upper portions of the tailings. Elevated proportions of sulfide-oxidizing prokaryotes are present in this zone (mean 32.3% of total reads). The tailings are underlain by sediments rich in organic C. Enrichment in δ S-SO in pore-water samples in the organic C-rich zone is consistent with dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Synchrotron-based spectroscopy indicates an abundance of ferric arsenate phases near the impoundment surface and the presence of secondary arsenic sulfides in the organic-C beneath the tailings. The persistence of elevated As concentrations beneath the tailings indicates precipitation of secondary As sulfides is not sufficient to completely remove dissolved As. The oxidation of sulfides and release of As is expected to continue for decades. The findings will inform future remediation efforts and provide a foundation for the long-term monitoring of the effectiveness of the remediation program. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of Sleep and Circadian Disruption on Energy Balance and Diabetes: A Summary of Workshop Discussions

A workshop was held at the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases with a focus on the impact of sleep and circadian disruption on energy balance and diabetes. The workshop identified a number of key principles for research in this area and a number of specific opportunities. Studies in this area would be facilitated by active collaboration between investigators in sleep/circadian research and investigators in metabolism/diabetes. There is a need to translate the elegant findings from basic research into improving the metabolic health of the American public. There is also a need for investigators studying the impact of sleep/circadian disruption in humans to move beyond measurements of insulin and glucose and conduct more in-depth phenotyping. There is also a need for the assessments of sleep and circadian rhythms as well as assessments for sleep-disordered breathing to be incorporated into all ongoing cohort studies related to diabetes risk. Studies in humans need to complement the elegant short-term laboratory-based human studies of simulated short sleep and shift work etc. with studies in subjects in the general population with these disorders. It is conceivable that chronic adaptations occur, and if so, the mechanisms by which they occur needs to be identified and understood. Particular areas of opportunity that are ready for translation are studies to address whether CPAP treatment of patients with pre-diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) prevents or delays the onset of diabetes and whether temporal restricted feeding has the same impact on obesity rates in humans as it does in mice