Land Grant Application- Shepherd, Lewis (Portland)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office on behalf of Lewis Shepherd for service in the Revolutionary War, by their widow Elizabeth.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_me_land_office/1809/thumbnail.jp

Environmental risk analysis of crops for biofuels in the UK

The past two decades have witnessed significant growth in attention and investment in renewable energy technologies. Replacement of fossil fuels that have long dominated our energy production is favoured as resources are known to be finite and dwindling, leading to increasing prices, as well as the link between their use and global climate change. In 2011, transport accounted for 38% of total national energy consumption with petroleum being the single most used fuel. In terms of how energy use by transport relates to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; in 2011 transport consumed around 55.19 million tonnes of oil equivalent and provisional estimates put emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) at 119 million tonnes (over one quarter of total national CO2 emissions). As a result, biofuels have been increasingly appearing on the agendas of both governments and scientists, and have been picked up by the media and various environmental organisations as a possible means for reducing the GHG contribution from transport. However, the issue is not simple, and there are many who oppose the use of biofuels for various reasons. There are concerns that without a concerted effort to improve the state of knowledge of potential risks and benefits of biofuels, the appropriate long-term development of the technology in the UK may be hindered. The project presented in this thesis was designed to undertake an investigation to identify relevant risks and issues that could inform a risk analysis of the future development, production and use of biofuels in the UK. In the context of biofuels, there is a large and increasing literature in which the associated risks are characterised and assessed scientifically. However, very little research has been done looking at stakeholder opinions, particularly with the public as stakeholders. Increasingly, the media, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the public are concerned about environmental issues and large technological developments that affect the environment and themselves. If any of these groups oppose plans and decisions made then it is possible that they can cause significant disruption or halt progress, despite scientific evidence. Through a series of social science methods involving stakeholders, this project has endeavoured to cast light on the broader understanding and perception of biofuels beyond the academic and research communities and their publications. The primary novel contribution of the thesis is in the insights provided into public awareness, attitudes and perceptions of biofuels, which have previously not been studied in any depth. The data collected and issues identified could potentially be very useful in informing a risk analysis exercise.Working in collaboration with the general public, through focus groups and questionnaires revealed widespread, low level awareness and knowledge of biofuels but little in the way of accurate detailed knowledge of impacts and risks. Public concerns were largely focussed on environmental impacts and personal financial impacts, and their viewswere almost exclusively informed by mass-media sources such as newspapers and television. There was also some evidence of misinformation and awareness of issues that were not considered to be risks by the scientific literature, as well as notable exaggeration of known risks.Public attitudes were deemed to be quite dated, strongly reflecting the view of biofuels presented by the media around 2008, when a number of critical studies were published and shook global confidence in biofuels. With the onset of the global recession, media coverage of biofuels has dropped significantly, and as such, the public have not been exposed to developments in the field.Interviews with expert stakeholders revealed a different picture to the public, and highlighted a completely different perspective – that of threats and risks to the future of biofuels, rather than biofuels as a threat or risk themselves. There was a strong perception amongst the expert stakeholders that the UK and EU governments presented a significant barrier to the potential for biofuels to develop and expand in Europe. Lack of government interest, confidence and action were cited as significant failings that hindered investment necessary to grow a strong biofuel industry.Recommendations for future developments and expansion of biofuels within the EU, should this be deemed appropriate and acceptable, focus on increased government involvement and support to encourage investments that will allow further improvements in the biofuel production process, as well as significant changes in the way scientific information is communicated to the public

Characterization of ovine monocytes in response to Haemonchus contortus larvae in vitro and a novel role of Interleukin-13 inducing larval paralysis

Haemonchus contortus is a hematophagous, gastrointestinal parasite affecting small ruminants. Parasitism by H. contortus is the greatest concern of sheep producers in the United States and accounts for billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide. However, different breeds of sheep display differences n natural resistance to H. contortus. St. Croix hair sheep have a remarkable ability to clear H. contortus without the aid of anthelmintics and develop a robust T helper type 2 (Th2) immune response, preventing establishment of infective stage 3 larvae (L3), when compared to susceptible Suffolk sheep. However, the mechanism of development of immune response and differences between resistant and susceptible breeds is not fully understood. In these studies, response of ovine monocytes, from resistant and susceptible breeds of sheep, to whole L3 were evaluated in vitro. Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and cultured with L3 over 6 to 15 hours to measure gene expression and effector function, by measuring larval ATP and motility. Separation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) into monocytes and lymphocytes demonstrated a clear effector function of monocytes against L3. Monocyte and macrophage activation state have been associated with helminth infection and play an important role in induction of Th2 type responses for overall host protection. Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase in Suffolk monocytes rescued susceptibility, whereas inhibition of alternative pathways reduced effector function in both breeds, and thus, monocytes required arginase-1 for full effector function. Though St. Croix derived monocytes up-regulated genes associated with classical (M1) activation, early activation of alternative markers (M2) were present compared to Suffolk derived monocytes. Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a cytokine critical to Th2 type immune response and promoting alternative activation of monocytes in context of helminth infection. Inhibition of IL-13 in monocyte culture dampened effector function in St. Croix derived cells. However, larval morbidity was not IL-13 dependent. Independent of cellular mechanisms, IL-13 was observed to cause larval paralysis, reducing larval speed and distance, identifying a previously unknown role of IL-13. Overall, St. Croix displayed increased paralytic activity of from monocyte culture supernatant, in conjunction with heightened monocyte-mediate larval morbidity, and therefore may be reflective resistance to H. contortus infection and development of full host protective immunity

Tales of the Atom!: An Analysis of Nuclear Discourage in Early Marvel Comics

In 1961 the editor of Atlas Comics, Martin Goodman, approached his nephew and staff writer Stan Lee with a pitch. Goodman wanted Lee to create a super hero team to rival DC Comics’, Justice League of America. Lee came up with the Fantastic Four who debuted in November of 1961. The super hero team led by physicist Bruce Banner was the first of many successful titles from Marvel Comics. Much of the popularity of Marvel Comics stemmed from the company’s focus on the characters rather than only action like other superhero comics at the time. Lee developed characters that the audience could relate to rather than godlike super humans of DC Comics. The other aspect of Marvel that attracted many readers was the real world setting, specifically the Cold War setting. The characters of Marvel comics dealt with the issues of this unsettled time period just like their readers. Of course one of the biggest issues of the Cold War was nuclear power. The beginning of Marvel Comics coincided with a particularly turbulent time in US-Soviet relations as both countries raced to build up their nuclear stockpiles. This all came to a head in October of 1962 with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Most historians agree that this thirteen-day period was the closest that the US and the Soviet Union ever came to a nuclear war. It is no surprise that the peak of American nuclear anxiety was also during this unstable period. This analysis focuses on the period from November 1961 to April 1963 in order to determine the extent to which this nuclear anxiety is reflected in Marvel Comics. The nature of nuclear anxiety among Americans during this period was a multi-faceted issue that varied throughout the Cold War. While the public perception of nuclear energy was a complex issue specific themes of anxiety arise in the period between November 1961 and April 1963. The first is a general uncertainty over the nature of nuclear power and its potential applications in both war and peace. Another theme is unease about who should wield nuclear power and consequently, who it affects. The final motif of nuclear anxiety expressed in Marvel Comics during the period was the moral ambivalence of the American people towards the use of nuclear weapons. This work attempts to analyze the extent to which these themes of nuclear anxiety are represented in Marvel Comic books

Homelessness and ADHD: A Hidden Factor?

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, henceforth known as ADHD, is a common psychiatric problem recognized and diagnosed in children; however, it is not recognized or diagnosed as often in adults. There has been some research illustrating a relationship between ADHD and homelessness. The purpose of this study was to further explore if ADHD could be a hidden factor contributing to homelessness in adults. This descriptive study utilized archival data of patients at a health center in the United States to examine the relationship between homelessness and ADHD. Two analyses were completed using IBM SPSS version 25. Starting from a master dataset including all the patients at the Health Center (N=2980), two separate samples of 300 were randomly selected for inclusion in this study. Chi-square analyses were used to discover group differences for separate analyses of each sample after checking for differences in the samples in gender, race, and homeless status or ADHD. The first dataset examined the frequency of ADHD among a random sample of 150 homeless vs. 150 not homeless patients. The second dataset examined the frequency of homelessness among 150 patients with a diagnosis of ADHD vs. 150 patients without a diagnosis of ADHD. Both analyses revealed that there was not a significant difference in the frequency of ADHD diagnoses between patients who were homeless and those who were not homeless or in homelessness between patients diagnosed with ADHD vs. those not diagnosed with ADHD. However, this study highlights the importance of ADHD screenings for all patients. The study’s results, other findings, limitations, and implications for future research are discussed

The effect of ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells on Haemonchus contortus larval death in vitro

Gastrointestinal nematode parasitism is the greatest problem facing small ruminant livestock, largely due to development of anthelmintic resistance. Of particular concern is Haemonchus contortus, a hematophagous trichostrongylid that can lead to death in lambs or immunocompromised sheep. Some breeds of sheep are resistant to Haemonchosis, e.g. St. Croix (STC) hair sheep. St. Croix sheep have well-documented resistance and have been shown to develop a robust immune response, generating a rapid cellular response to larval stages that does not occur in susceptible sheep. Studies evaluating effects of mononuclear cells, including monocytes and lymphocytes, indicate that these cells dramatically reduce motility of H. contortus larval motility in vitro. Furthermore, breed affected larval motility. However, lack of motility may also have been caused by immune cell trapping. In this study, the impact of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) on H. contortus larvae in the presence or absence of autologous serum was measured by larval ATP. Viability of larvae was tested by measuring fecal egg count (FEC) after infecting susceptible sheep with PBMC-exposed larvae. Larvae exposed to STC-derived or Suffolk (SUF)-derived PBMC had lower (P \u3c 0.001) ATP than live larvae (0.12 muM ATP and 0.16 muM ATP) (0.27 muM ATP). Larvae exposed to PBMC from both breeds were greater than dead larval ATP (0.03 muM ATP) (P \u3c 0.001). Larval ATP was lower when exposed to STC-derived PBMC with serum (0.11 muM ATP) than SUF-derived PBMC with serum (0.23 muM ATP) or live (0.22 muM ATP) (P \u3c 0.001). There was no significant difference between live larvae and larvae treated with SUF-derived PBMC with serum. Taken together, these data indicate a cellular response alone is capable of significantly lowering larval ATP. However, the addition of serum to SUF-PBMC failed to reduce larval ATP, suggesting differences in humoral response in mediation of H. contorus.

Butterfly communities in remnant and reconstructed prairies in Central Iowa, U.S.A

Reconstructing prairie habitat is one of the most promising techniques for conserving the imperiled prairie ecosystem and its associated organisms. However, the degree to which reconstructed prairies function like remnant prairies has not been fully determined. Here, we examine butterflies as possible indicators of a reconstructed prairie\u27s similarity to remnant prairies in the same areas. Butterflies are closely associated with the plant community and many prairie endemic butterfly species are declining with the loss and degradation of prairie. We found that at the community-level, adult butterflies in central Iowa were only limited indicators of reconstruction vegetative quality (similarity to remnants). This result is attributed to the high level of mobility of adult butterflies and the pre-emptive loss of many of the habitat-sensitive butterflies from the small highly degraded prairies of central Iowa. Our efforts to reintroduce declining prairie endemic Speyeria idalia (Regal Fritillary) to a large-scale prairie reconstruction have produced preliminary results that suggest that reconstructed prairie may provide adequate habitat for short-term (one season) occupancy. Whether these reconstructed ecosystems are capable of supporting viable reproduction populations in the long-term will be determined in the future. It is concluded that reconstructed prairie, while not providing the same quality of butterfly habitat as remnants prairie, they are serving as adequate refuges for the butterfly community as a whole and for some prairie endemic butterfly species

The scale and extent of forced labour in the UK : can the existing legislation and administrative arrangements address the problem?

This study describes the current manifestation of forced labour in the UK and assesses the adequacy of official arrangements for tackling it. It examines factors facilitating its growth and focuses on the challenges of finding and identifying it, both fundamental considerations for creating strategies to address the crime.The subject was researched using a qualitative approach. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with selected individuals regarded as familiar with and knowledgeable about workplaces, such as government officials and representatives of non-government agencies. Most interviewees had little knowledge of forced labour, but all had encountered exploitative, abnormal work situations, about which they had taken no remedial action.This study confirms people are still exploited throughout the UK, predominantly in low skill, labour intense environments. It is difficult to identify forced labour in practice. Only GLAA officials are tasked with scrutinising workplaces for evidence of its presence. Workplace encounters by other officials are unlikely to reveal it, mainly because many accepted forced labour indicators cannot be easily observed. Evolutionary changes in the form and execution of the crime in response to enforcement efforts and a blurred boundary between decent work and exploitation in the current UK work environment also make it harder to identify forced labour.My findings indicate that successive UK governments’ policies and ‘light-touch’ approach to labour regulation encouraged the emergence and persistence of forced labour. Public sector austerity measures created an adverse synergy by constraining the remits of enforcement agencies, reducing their operational capacity and restricting inspection activities. The same factors make it harder for exploited workers to contact officials for assistance or redress.The study recommends a range of policy initiatives by which the UK government could improve the way that forced labour is challenged and tackled. It also suggests future research in this field

Unlikely Partners in a Media Literacy Initative

Academic librarians are the ultimate interdisciplinarians, and would seem to be natural research collaborators, but many struggle to be seen as peers by other faculty or called on to fully partner in research projects even when key information literacy objectives are involved. This changed for an associate professor/librarian at Boise State’s Albertsons Library when they were invited to join a team which was eventually awarded a Department of Homeland Security grant. This article examines the grant program, the grant awarded, and a librarian’s contributions to achieving the project’s objectives. It makes the case for libraries’ essential role in strengthening our communities’ resistance to the disinformation behind extremist belief and action