The Gender Wage Gap in Sports: Explaining the Pay Gap in Sports

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Prioritizing Regional Wildlife Conservation by Rejuvenating the Western Hemisphere Convention on Nature Protection

Last year, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (“CBD”), representing nearly every nation, signed a milestone agreement committing, among other things, to conserve thirty percent of Earth’s lands and oceans to stave off the rapid diminution of the planet’s biodiversity. Implementing these global commitments will require not only strong domestic measures, but also enhanced regional cooperation targeting the conservation of the region’s migratory wildlife and shared resources. Although the United States is the sole major holdout from the CBD, it can still reassert its leadership in regional wildlife conservation by rejuvenating the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere (“Western Hemisphere Convention”)

Surface Warming During the 2018/MY 34 Mars Global Dust Storm

Surface warming during the 2018 Global Dust Storm is revealed from assimilating Mars Climate Sounder observations into a GCM. Net warming occurred at low thermal inertia regions, due to inhibited night-time cooling; elsewhere, net cooling occurred

Influence of soil drought stress on photosynthesis, carbohydrates and the nitrogen and phophorus absorb in different section of leaves and stem of Fugi/M.9EML, a young apple seedling

Drought is the most significant limiting factor for plant cultivation. Greenhouse-grown 1-year-old potted M.9EMLA apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh.) (after growing for 6 weeks) were subjected to drought stress by withholding water for an additional six-week period. The photosynthesis, carbohydrates and the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) absorb in the upper, middle and lower leaves of the seedlings were determined. The results revealed that drought stress obviously decreased the photosynthesis and carbohydrates contents in the leaves at all sections of shoot compared with the control. Sorbitol and glucose concentrations increased over time and was kept at a higher level during the drought stress period whereas sucrose concentration declined. N content in the leaves kept a flat trend and was higher than that of the control while P concentration decreased compared with the control. These results demonstrated that drought stress prevented N and P absorbtion and decreased RWC of apple leaves, which caused the decline of photosynthesis and transpiration. Thus, the direct phenotype was the slowed growth which was specifically expressed in decreased plant height, number of leaves, average leaf area and stem diameter.Keywords: Malus domestica Borkh, sorbitol, water deficit, transpirationAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(33), pp. 5320-5325, 16 August, 201

State Legislative Response to the Housing Crisis

Great public attention has recently been focused on the crisis in housing facing all major urban areas in this country. This article has been prepared to bring close attention to one segment of the hoped for solution-legislative action needed on the state level

Adjuvant Pluronic F68 is Compatible With a Plant Root-Colonizing Probiotic, \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas chlororaphis\u3c/i\u3e O6

Plant probiotic bacteria are being increasingly used to maximize both the productivity and quality of field crops. Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 (PcO6) is a plant root colonizer with probiotic activities. This bacterium produces an array of metabolites, including a group of phenazines that are functional in plant protection. The paper reports responses of PcO6 to a nonionic triblock copolymer surfactant, Pluronic F68. This Pluronic exhibits membrane healing activity and improves cryopreservation recovery in eukaryotic cells. The product is FDA-approved and is applied as an adjuvant in formulations used in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. Growth of PcO6 on lysogeny broth at 25 °C was unhindered by 0.1 and 1.0 g/L F68, reduced at 10 g/L, and with significant inhibition at 100 g/L F68; micelle formation could account for inhibited growth at higher doses. Phenazine production was not changed by F68, whereas the surfactant activity of F68 induced the spread of bacterial colonization on 0.5% agar. Exposure of cells to fluorescein-labeled F68 resulted in intense fluorescence, stable to washing, showing a direct association of the Pluronic with the bacterium. However, neither protection nor harm was found for PcO6 cells suspended in either 0.1% or 1% F68 after three freeze (–20 °C)/thaw cycles. These findings suggest that F68 could be compatible for use in agricultural formulations with little effect on probiotics such as PcO6

Surface warming during the 2018/Mars Year 34 Global Dust Storm

The impact of Mars’ 2018 Global Dust Storm (GDS) on surface and near‐surface air temperatures was investigated using an assimilation of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations. Rather than simply resulting in cooling everywhere from solar absorption (average surface radiative flux fell 26 Wm‐2), the globally‐averaged result was a 0.9 K surface warming. These diurnally‐averaged surface temperature changes had a novel, highly non‐uniform spatial structure, with up to 16 K cooling/19 K warming. Net warming occurred in low thermal inertia (TI) regions, where rapid night‐time radiative cooling was compensated by increased longwave emission and scattering. This caused strong nightside warming, outweighing dayside cooling. The reduced surface‐air temperature gradient closely coupled surface and air temperatures, even causing local dayside air warming. Results show good agreement with MCS surface temperature retrievals. Comparisons with the 2001 GDS and free‐running simulations show that GDS spatial structure is crucial in determining global surface temperature effects

Continuity in the face of a slowly unfolding catastrophe : the persistence of Icelandic settlement despite large-scale soil erosion

The National Science Foundation of America provided financial support for this research through grants 1202692 ‘Comparative Island Ecodynamics in the North Atlantic’, and 1249313 ‘Tephra layers and early warning signals for critical transitions’.Soil erosion in Iceland since people first settled the island about 1,100 years ago has fundamentally changed some 15-30% of the island’s total surface area. This provides a unique case to evaluate the consequences of a slowly unfolding environmental catastrophe that has affected, and is continuing to affect a primary means of subsistence for a whole society. Buffered by the sufferings of regions of Iceland, individual farms and particular social groups, Icelandic society as a whole has endured through subsistence flexibility, social inequalities, and the ability to tap into larger provisioning and economic networks. This demonstrates how an adaptable people can confront challenges through social organisation and by diversifying their impacts ecosystems. In the medium term—multi-century timescales—this can be an effective, if costly, strategy, in terms of both the environment and society. Soil conservation is now a national priority, woodland is returning, and climate warming is opening up more potentials for Icelandic arable agriculture. However, the slow catastrophe of Icelandic soil erosion is still unfolding, with the perspective of the longue durée it is evident that decisions made in the Viking Age and medieval period still resonate, constraining future options for resilience and adaptive flexibility.Postprin

A Randomized Controlled Dosing Study of Iyengar Yoga and Coherent Breathing for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: Impact on Suicidal Ideation and Safety Findings

BACKGROUND: Yoga interventions offer promise for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), yet their safety and potential impact on suicidal ideation (SI) have not been well documented. This study evaluated the safety of a randomized controlled dose-finding trial of Iyengar yoga plus coherent breathing for individuals with MDD, as well as the potential effects of the intervention on SI without intent. METHODS: Participants with Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores \u3e/=14 and a diagnosis of MDD (using DSM-IV criteria) were randomized to either a low dose group (LDG) or high dose group (HDG) and received a 12-week manualized intervention. The LDG included two 90-min yoga classes plus three 30-min homework sessions weekly. The HDG offered three 90-min classes plus four 30-min homework sessions weekly. RESULTS: Thirty-two individuals with MDD were randomized, of which 30 completed the protocol. At screening, SI without intent was endorsed on the BDI-II by 9 participants; after completing the intervention, 8 out of 9 reported resolution of SI. There were 17 adverse events possibly-related and 15 definitely-related to the intervention. The most common protocol-related adverse event was musculoskeletal pain, which resolved over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The Iyengar yoga plus coherent breathing intervention was associated with the resolution of SI in 8 out of 9 participants, with mild side effects that were primarily musculoskeletal in nature. This preliminary evidence suggests that this intervention may reduce SI without intent and be safe for use in those with MDD