Kinship Care Programs: Effective Marketing and Outreach Build With Care and They Will Come!

A workshop entitled “Marketing Your RAPP to Effectively Reach Relative Caregivers” was developed and offered at the 2019 Brookdale Foundation Training Conference for professionals who work with kinship caregivers, or “Relatives as Parents Programs” (RAPP). The intention of this interactive brainstorming session was to give individual RAPP programs the opportunity to share and adopt proven effective methods to reach, attract, and enhance their own local or statewide caregiver programs. The attending group was comprised of over 50 individuals who operated RAPP programs that spanned the US. The three workshop facilitators (authors of this brief with 70 collective years of experience) were chosen because their programs represented kinship professionals and caregivers from differing localities (urban, suburban, and rural), races, ethnicities, and financial demographics. Since the inception of these programs in the 1990s, and despite their demographic differences, the Grandparent Resource Center (GRC) of the New York City Department for the Aging, the Grandparent Connection of the Jewish Association Serving the Aged (JASA), and the Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) of Cornell Cooperative Extension—Orange County (CCE-OC), utilized similar strategies that helped grow their programs from serving single digits to hundreds of families per year. The consensus of the authors, supported and added to by workshop participants, is that the shared strategies and methods proposed in this brief could be considered “best practices” and useful for any intergenerational program in the United States with a similarly defined audience

Automated data pre-processing via meta-learning

The final publication is available at link.springer.comA data mining algorithm may perform differently on datasets with different characteristics, e.g., it might perform better on a dataset with continuous attributes rather than with categorical attributes, or the other way around. As a matter of fact, a dataset usually needs to be pre-processed. Taking into account all the possible pre-processing operators, there exists a staggeringly large number of alternatives and nonexperienced users become overwhelmed. We show that this problem can be addressed by an automated approach, leveraging ideas from metalearning. Specifically, we consider a wide range of data pre-processing techniques and a set of data mining algorithms. For each data mining algorithm and selected dataset, we are able to predict the transformations that improve the result of the algorithm on the respective dataset. Our approach will help non-expert users to more effectively identify the transformations appropriate to their applications, and hence to achieve improved results.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Rapid Bacterial Testing for Spacecraft Water

Evaluations of the fluorogenic stains and probes will continue. E. coli 0157:H7 will be used as the reference strain for optimizing protocols. We anticipate the continued use of the fluorescent antibodies (TRITC and FITC labeled) in conjunction with CTC, Rhl23, DiBAC4(3), DAPI and acridine orange. Chemunex, the manufacturer of the ChemScan analyzer system, also makes a fluorogenic probe, Chemchrome B, which will be incorporated into the suite of probes to evaluate once their system is on site. Regardless of the combination of stains and probes all will be evaluated on membrane filters. Development of a FISH protocol that will be applicable to our conditions will be continued. Complimentary 16s rRNA probes to Ps. aeruginosa and currently in our laboratory will be evaluated first. Once this protocol has been adequately optimized other probes will be ordered for u a select number of other species. Currently, protocols to evaluate the effects of disinfection and the resulting lethality, injury on stain and/or probe specificity and reliability are being developed. E. coli 0157:H7 is the reference strain and chlorine the disinfectant the reference protocol is being developed around. Upon completion of this work, the resulting protocol will be extended to other species and disinfectants (e.g., iodine). Similar disinfectant experiments will then be conducted on the same species after starvation to evaluate the effects of starvation on disinfection resistance and the applicability of the stains and probes. Development of the immunomagnetic separation system will continue. Combined with the rapid methods described above, with enumeration by the ChemScan, we anticipate that this will provide a highly sensitive technique for the detection of specific, active bacteria

Microwave ac Zeeman Force for Ultracold Atoms

We measure the ac Zeeman force on an ultracold gas of 87Rb due to a microwave magnetic field targeted to the 6.8 GHz hyperfine splitting of these atoms. An atom chip produces a microwave near field with a strong amplitude gradient, and we observe a force over three times the strength of gravity. Our measurements are consistent with a simple two-level theory for the ac Zeeman effect and demonstrate its resonant, bipolar, and spin-dependent nature. We observe that the dressed-atom eigenstates gradually mix over time and have mapped out this behavior as a function of magnetic field and detuning. We demonstrate the practical spin selectivity of the force by pushing or pulling a specific spin state while leaving other spin states unmoved

VOLCANIC HAZARD ASSESSMENT AT SANTORINI VOLCANO: A REVIEW AND A SYNTHESIS IN THE LIGHT OF THE 2011-2012 SANTORINI UNREST

Το 2011 και το πρώτο εξάμηνο του 2012 η Σαντορίνη γνώρισε την πρώτη σεισμο-ηφαιστειακή κρίση από το 1950, όπως αυτή ανιχνεύθηκε από τα μόνιμα εγκατεστημένα δίκτυα παρακολούθησης και ένα μεγάλο αριθμό παροδικών μετρήσεων. Η διέγερση αυτή χαρακτηρίστηκε από μικρού μεγέθους, αλλά έντονη σεισμική δραστηριότητα, σημαντική ανύψωση και διόγκωση του νησιού, αλλαγές της θερμοκρασίας του νερού και των γεωχημικών αερίων. Ενώ η διέγερση έληξε την άνοιξη του 2012, το παγκόσμιο ενδιαφέρον οδήγησε στην εκπόνηση αρκετών μελετών, σε μια προσπάθεια να αξιολογηθούν τα πιθανά σενάρια για την εξέλιξη της διέγερσης. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, συνοψίζουμε τα σημαντικότερα ευρήματα σχετικά με την επικινδυνότητα του ευρύτερου ηφαιστειακού συγκροτήματος της Σαντορίνης, καθώς και τις πληροφορίες που πρέπει να ληφθούν υπόψη για τη διαχείριση μιας πιθανής μελλοντικής ηφαιστειακής κρίσης.In 2011 and the first half of 2012 Santorini experienced its first seismo-volcanic unrest since 1950, as detected by the permanently installed monitoring networks and a large number of campaign measurements. The unrest was characterized by small magnitude but intense seismic activity, significant uplift and inflation deformation rates, and changes of water temperature as well as of fluid and soil gases. While the unrest ended in the spring of 2012, the world-wide interest led to the performance of several studies, in an attempt to assess the possible scenarios for the unrest evolution. Within this framework, we summarize the most important findings regarding the volcanic hazard assessment of the broader Santorini volcanic complex, as well as the constraints that need to be taken into account for a possible future volcanic crisis management

Volcanic ash supply to the surface ocean – remote sensing of biological responses and their wider biogeochemical significance

Transient micronutrient enrichment of the surface ocean can enhance phytoplankton growth rates and alter microbial community structure with an ensuing spectrum of biogeochemical feedbacks. Strong phytoplankton responses to micronutrients supplied by volcanic ash have been reported recently. Here we: (i) synthesize findings from these recent studies; (ii) report the results of a new remote sensing study of ash fertilization; and (iii) calculate theoretical bounds of ash-fertilized carbon export. Our synthesis highlights that phytoplankton responses to ash do not always simply mimic that of iron amendment; the exact mechanisms for this are likely biogeochemically important but are not yet well understood. Inherent optical properties of ash-loaded seawater suggest rhyolitic ash biases routine satellite chlorophyll-a estimation upwards by more than an order of magnitude for waters with 0.5 mg chlorophyll-a m-3. For this reason post-ash-deposition chlorophyll-a changes in oligotrophic waters detected via standard Case 1 (open ocean) algorithms should be interpreted with caution. Remote sensing analysis of historic events with a bias less than a factor of 2 provided limited stand-alone evidence for ash-fertilization. Confounding factors were poor coverage, incoherent ash dispersal, and ambiguity ascribing biomass changes to ash supply over other potential drivers. Using current estimates of iron release and carbon export efficiencies, uncertainty bounds of ash-fertilized carbon export for 3 events are presented. Patagonian iron supply to the Southern Ocean from volcanic eruptions is less than that of windblown dust on thousand year timescales but can dominate supply at shorter timescales. Reducing uncertainties in remote sensing of phytoplankton response and nutrient release from ash are avenues for enabling assessment of the oceanic response to large-scale transient nutrient enrichment

A growing disconnection from nature is evident in cultural products

Human connection with nature is widely believed to be in decline, even though empirical evidence on the magnitude and temporal pattern of the change is scarce. Studying works of popular culture in English throughout the 20th century and later, we document a cultural shift away from nature, beginning in the 1950s. Since then, references to nature have been decreasing steadily in fiction, song lyrics, and film storylines. No parallel decline is observed in references to the human-made environment. These findings are cause for concern, not only because they imply foregone benefits from engagement with nature, but also because cultural products are agents of socialization that can evoke curiosity, respect, and concern for the natural world

Constraining magma storage conditions at a restless volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift using phase equilibria models

This work is a contribution to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded RiftVolc project (NE/L013932/1, Rift volcanism: past, present, and future). W.H., T.A.M., and D.M.P. are supported by and contribute to the NERC Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tectonics (COMET). W.H. M.J.S. were supported by a NERC studentships NE/J5000045/1 and NE/K500811/01 respectively.The Main Ethiopian Rift hosts a number of peralkaline volcanic centres, with many showing signs of recent unrest. Due, in part, to the low number of historical eruptions recorded in the region, volcanism in the Main Ethiopian Rift remains understudied relative to other volcanic settings and conditions of magma storage remain almost entirely unknown. Aluto is one of these restless caldera systems and identifying magma storage conditions is vital for evaluating the risks posed by recent periods of unrest. In this study, we ran ~ 150 fractional crystallisation models, using the Rhyolite-MELTS thermodynamic software, within the range P = 50–300 MPa, starting H2O = 0.5–3 wt% and fO2 = QFM-2 − QFM + 1. This represents a realistic range of potential magma storage conditions at Aluto. We assessed the fractionation trends produced using two different starting compositions, which represent different estimates of the parental melt feeding the system. The predicted liquid lines of descent produced by these models are compared with Aluto whole-rock data from the literature, and are presented along with new observations of the natural phase assemblage and erupted mineral compositions to provide information on the magma storage conditions. Using a new, quantitative statistical approach to compare empirical data and thermodynamic model-outputs, we find that the compositions of evolved peralkaline rhyolites from Aluto are best reproduced by isobaric fractional crystallisation from a rift-related basaltic composition, without the need for significant crustal assimilation. Around 90% protracted fractional crystallisation is required to produce these compositions. This indicates that the magmatic system is likely to exist as a highly crystalline mush. The best agreement between models and natural samples is at low pressures (150 MPa), low initial H2O concentrations (0.5 wt%) and relatively high oxygen fugacity (QFM). The depth of magma storage derived from these results (~ 5.6 ± 1 km) agrees well with the source depths modelled from measured ground deformation at Aluto in 2008. Data from other peralkaline volcanic centres in the Main Ethiopian Rift, such as Boset and Gedemsa, and at other locations globally (e.g. Pantelleria, Italy) suggest that these storage conditions are a common feature of many peralkaline volcanic centres. Our data is consistent with the formation of a Daly Gap at Aluto due to compositional stratification of the magma reservoir beneath the caldera, and the non-linear relationship between temperature and SiO2 concentration during magmatic differentiation.PostprintPeer reviewe