The Legacy Lives On: An Examination of Handel’s Continued Influence

Composers can meet fame in their lives and after death, but no composer has garnered the extent of fame George Frideric Handel did after death. Handel reached an abundance of success in various cities before his death, and even more success in new cities and a new continent after he passed. His fame after death was kept alive through his audience’s efforts to celebrate, perform, and preserve his works millenniums after his death

Obsidian in Northern Ecuador: A Study of Obsidian Production and Site Function in Pambamarca

For several years the Pambamarca Archaeology Project has been investigating a dynamic frontier in the northern Ecuadorian highlands at the edge of the País Caranqui: a confederation of small-scale, autonomous, inter-warring pre-Inkan polities whose nearly twenty year resistance to Inka conquest resulted in the largest concentration of military fortresses in the Inka Empire. In addition to its violent past, Pambamarca is located within 25km of high quality obsidian sources, making it an important region for understanding obsidian production when it is part of local, non-elite exchange. This study analyzes obsidian, non-obsidian flaked lithics, and ceramics to elucidate patterns of obsidian production and site function at five of the Pambamarca sites ranging chronologically from the Early Integration period to the early Colonial Period. Directions for future research which would better clarify these patterns are also proposed

Generalized Near Horizon Extreme Binary Black Hole Geometry

We present a new vacuum solution of Einstein’s equations describing the near horizon region of two neutral, extreme (zero-temperature), corotating, nonidentical Kerr black holes. The metric is stationary, asymptotically near horizon extremal Kerr (NHEK), and contains a localized massless strut along the symmetry axis between the black holes. In the deep infrared, it flows to two separate throats which we call “pierced-NHEK” geometries: each throat is NHEK pierced by a conical singularity. We find that in spite of the presence of the strut for the pierced-NHEK geometries the isometry group SL(2,R)×U(1) is restored. We find the physical parameters and entropy

Deporting Fathers: Involuntary Transnational Families and Intent to Remigrate among Salvadoran Deportees

One-fourth of deportees from the U.S. are parents of U.S.-citizen children. We do not know how separation from families affects remigration among deportees, who face high penalties given unlawful reentry. We examined how family separation affects intent to remigrate among Salvadoran deportees. The majority of deportees with children in the U.S. were also separated from their spouse, and the vast majority had U.S.-citizen children. Family separation was the single most important factor affecting intent to remigrate. We interpret these findings in light of immigration policy debates

Preliminary Multivariate Comparison of Coral Assemblages on Carbonate Banks in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Hermatypic corals flourished on reefs in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Today, many of these relict reefs are mesophotic banks that have unique coral assemblages and provide critical habitat; however, the South Texas Banks (STB) lack quantitative surveys. Therefore, we used a remotely operated vehicle to conduct quantitative surveys of 5 banks: Baker, Aransas, Dream, Blackfish Ridge, and Harte. Coral communities, based on estimated coral densities (colonies/m2), significantly differed among banks for terraces, slopes, and overall (combined terrace and slope) communities for most banks examined. Within banks, terrace and slope communities significantly differed for all banks except Harte. Sea whips were the most abundant group on slopes and terraces of most banks and frequently contributed \u3e50% to community similarities and dissimilarities, whereas sea fans and Antipathes frequently contributed \u3e20%. Total coral abundance was twice as high and sea fans were 7 times more abundant on terraces than slopes. Among—bank differences in coral communities were highly correlated to geographic and geomorphic features, especially to bank area, rugosity, longitude, and number of site components. The drivers of these differences, their effects on ecosystem diversity and function, and the connectivity pathways within and among STB and other GOM banks require further investigation. Nevertheless, the observed diversity in community structure within and among banks should be considered in the development of monitoring, conservation, and management plans of these critical habitats

Sowing summer grain crops early in late winter or spring: Effects on root growth, water use, and yield

CONTEXT. Drought and extreme heat at flowering are common stresses limiting the yield of summer crops. Adaptation to these stresses could be increased by sowing summer crops early in late winter or spring, to avoid the overlap with critical crop stages around flowering. Though little is known about the effects of cold weather on root growth, water use and final grain yield in sorghum. OBJECTIVE. To research the effects of cold conditions in early sowing sorghum on crop and root growth and function (i.e., water use), and final grain yield. METHODS. Two years of field experiments were conducted in the Darling and Eastern Downs region of Qld, Australia. Each trial consisted of three times of sowing (late winter, spring, and summer), two levels of irrigation (i.e., rainfed and supplementary irrigated), four plant population densities (3, 6, 9 and 12 pl m⁻²), and six commercial sorghum hybrids. Roots and shoots were sampled at the flag leaf stage on three times of sowing, two levels of irrigation, and three replications, for a single hybrid and a single plant population density (9pl m⁻²). Crop water use and functional root traits were derived from consecutive electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys around flowering. At maturity crop biomass, yield and yield components were determined across all treatments. RESULTS. The combinations of seasons, times of sowing and levels of irrigation created large variations in growth conditions that affected the growth and production of the crops. Early sowing increased yield by transferring water use from vegetative to reproductive stages increasing water use efficiency (kg mm⁻¹ available water). The larger yields in the early and spring sown crops were associated to larger grain numbers, particularly in tillers. Cold temperatures in the early sowing times tended to produce smaller crops with smaller rooting systems, smaller root-to-shoot ratios, and larger average root diameters. Total root length and root length density increased with increasing pre-flowering mean air temperatures up to 20°C. Linear relationships were observed between an EMI derived index of root activity and the empirically determined values of root length density (cm cm⁻³) at flowering. CONCLUSIONS. Sowing sorghum, a summer crop, early in late winter or spring transferred water use from vegetative stages to flowering and post-flowering stages increasing crop water use efficiency. The higher grain numbers in early sown crops were related to higher grain numbers in tillers. Root length and root length density were reduced by pre-flowering mean temperatures lower than 20°C, indicating a need to increase cold tolerance for early sowing. The EMI derived index of root activity has potential in the development of high throughput root phenotyping applications

Reducing Poverty in California…Permanently

If California were to seriously commit to equalizing opportunity and reducing poverty, how might that commitment best be realized? This is of course a hypothetical question, as there is no evidence that California is poised to make such a serious commitment, nor have many other states gone much beyond the usual lip-service proclamations. There are many reasons for California’s complacency, but an important one is that most people think that poverty is intractable and that viable solutions to it simply don’t exist. When Californians know what needs to be done, they tend to go forward and get it done. When, for example, the state’s roads are in disrepair, there are rarely paralyzing debates about exactly how to go about fixing them; instead we proceed with the needed repairs as soon as the funds to do so are appropriated. The same type of sure and certain prescription might appear to be unavailable when it comes to reducing poverty. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the cacophony of voices yielding a thick stream of narrow-gauge interventions, new evaluations, and piecemeal proposals.1 Although the research literature on poverty is indeed large and may seem confusing, recent advances have in fact been so fundamental that it is now possible to develop a science-based response to poverty. In the past, the causes of poverty were not well understood, and major interventions, such as the War on Poverty, had to be built more on hunch than science. It is an altogether different matter now. The causes of poverty are well established, and the effects of many possible policy responses to poverty are likewise well established. The simple purpose of this essay is to assemble these advances into a coherent plan that would, if implemented, reduce poverty in California substantially