The taste of togetherness.

The larvae of fruit flies produce pheromones to control whether they are attracted to others of the same species or whether they avoid members of a different species

Was there a Golden Age‟ of Christian-Jewish Relations?

Introduction to conference proceedings, Boston College, April 2010. Journal issue edited by Jonathan Elukin: http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/scjr/issue/view/13

Flood Tolerance of Hardwood Bottomland Oak Seedlings

The afforestation of hardwood bottomlands is an expanding conservation practice in the southeastern United States. Understanding relative flood tolerance of hardwood bottomland seedlings is fundamental to ensuring restoration success. Thus, I examined the combined effects of 3 early growing-season flood duration treatments (0, 15, and 30 days) and the natural flood regime on willow (Quercus phellos, WIO), Nuttall (Q nuttallii, NTO) and overcup (Q lyrata, OCO) oak seedlings in a 6-ha replanted west Tennessee bottomland. Seedlings (n = 5,003) were planted from January-March 2004 in a randomized design. All seedlings were uniquely tagged, survival assessed, and height and diameter measured for each individual in fall 2004 for pre-treatment baseline data. In 2005 and 2006,I applied flood treatments after seedling bud break initiated, which was mid-April each year. Survival was measured in July and fall 2005 and July 2006. Overall survival was 96%, 89%, and 84% for OCO, NTO, and WIO, respectively. Survival of NTO and WIO was greatest in control impoundments that did not experience prescribed early growing-season flooding. I measured height and diameter in fall 2004 and 2005, and calculated second growing-season growth as the difference between 2004 and 2005 measurements. All species exhibited the least growth when subjected to the 30-day treatment. Interestingly, growth of NTO and WIO were greater in the 15-day treatment than in the control treatment, which suggests a possible benefit of short duration early growing-season flooding. Seedlings of each species were collected in May 2005 and 2006 {n = 36/species/year), and shoot and root biomass, root length, and root sugar and starch concentrations measured. Seedling transpiration was measured for 36 seedlings/species in July 2005 and 72 seedlings/species in July 2006; soil respiration was measured for the same seedlings in July 2005. In general, all physiological variables decreased as flood duration increased. My results suggest that early growing-season flooding may negatively impact survival, growth and physiology of bottomland oak seedlings. Furthermore, I ranked relative flood tolerance given the magnitude of seedling response variables, and suggest that flood tolerance decreases from OCO to NTO to WIO. Managers should consider planting seedlings in a candidate bottomland based on species-specific flood tolerances. Inasmuch as elevation and flooding depth and duration are correlated, I recommend that natural resource practitioners manage low elevations in bottomlands that flood frequently as moist-soil wetlands, plant NTO at medium elevations, plant WIO with NTO at medium-high elevations, and plant WIO exclusively at higher elevations that flood infrequently to increase the likelihood of restoration success. Although OCO seedlings are very flood tolerant and likely could withstand frequent and deep flooding, I do not recommend planting OCO at lower bottomland elevations, because their acorns are not preferred by waterfowl and the value of OCO timber is low

Songs from Liquid Days by Philip Glass: A Performer\u27s Guide

The purpose of this research project is to provide the reader and the prospective performer with a comprehensive view of the song cycle Songs from Liquid Days by Philip Glass. Chapter 1 of this document gives a brief compositional history of the cycle. Chapter 2 provides biographical sketches of the composer and the cycle’s four poets: Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, David Byrne, and Laurie Anderson. Chapter 3 discusses performance practice suggestions for Songs from Liquid Days, including commentary on tempo, style, ensemble choices, pacing, and analyses of both text and music. Chapter 4 compares the artistic interpretations of the 1986 authoritative recording with the musical score. Appendices found at the end of this document will include the following: a preface from Mr. Glass where he discusses his perceptions of Songs from Liquid Days and a comprehensive list of the composer’s musical oeuvre for solo voice. The methodology used while researching includes the musical score, the composer’s own words regarding the cycle, and the creative interpretations of the artists from the cycle’s original album. It is the hope of this author that, through this research project and presentation, this cycle may be introduced to the classically trained singer and finds its place in the standard song repertoire

CCD QE in the Soft X-ray Range

e2v has previously provided back-illuminated CCDs for several solar observation projects, resulting in a number of key articles on CCD QE in the soft X-ray region. To update these, e2v has arranged for tests on X-ray optimised EMCCDs at a synchrotron. These have shown QE of at least 45% from 40 eV to 2000 eV, with Enhanced process devices having significantly higher QE than Basic process. The measured values were similar to data published from the SDO SXI mission, showing that the e2v process has been stable over many years. The soft X-ray QE measurements show a reasonable fit to the simple layer model for energies > 600 eV. For energies < 100 eV, measurements show slightly lower QE than the model prediction for both Basic and Enhanced processes. For energies 100 eV to 600 eV, measurements show a reasonable fit to the model for the Basic process, but less improvement from the Enhanced process than the model predicts. Comparing the ~80% typical QE for UV-optimised CCDs at 385 nm with the 45% QE measured at 120 eV in this study, there is a discrepancy in QE for two photon energies with the same absorption length measured on CCDs from the same back-thinning process (one type with AR coating, one type without)

The Impact of COVID-19 on Secondary Teachers’ Health and Wellbeing

Secondary teachers across the United States have had various experiences due to the COVID-19 global pandemic during the 2020-2021 school year. These experiences may have influenced teacher exhaustion and their ability to cope with numerous stressors related to COVID-19. This applied dissertation was designed to provide additional clarity to districts related to secondary teachers’ daily work experiences and attitudes while teaching during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Secondary teachers were surveyed on how they perceived their occupational demands related specifically to emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishments, and depersonalization utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory- Educators (MBI-ES). The study also examined how secondary teachers’ coping mechanisms influenced their perception of well-being and its impact on the primary method of instruction (i.e., face-to-face, blended, or fully virtual) during the COVID-19 global pandemic using the Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic on Secondary Teachers Survey (IC-19PSTS). The results indicated significant, negative correlations between Depersonalization and well-being and Depersonalization and coping. Similar analysis reported that Personal Accomplishment and coping were significantly, positively correlated, while there was a moderate positive correlation found between coping mechanisms and well-being. The overarching discoveries to the study were that professional development benefits teachers during crisis by contributing to their overall feeling of Personal Accomplishment and teachers who choose positive coping mechanisms improve their overall well-being