How do child welfare workers attitudes affect utilization of gays and lesbians as adoptive parents

Social workers\u27 attitudes, beliefs and values have been shown to effect how they evalute and process gay adoptive parents paperwork

Optimization of Nordsieck's Method for the Numerical Integration of Ordinary Differential Equations

Stability and accuracy of Nordsieck's integration method can be improved by choosing the zero-positions of the extraneous roots of the characteristic equation in a suitable way. Optimum zero-positions have been found by minimizing the lower bound of the interval of absolute stability and the coefficient of the truncation error. Various properties of the improved methods have been analysed, such as the behaviour of the high-order terms, the equivalence with multistep methods and the damping of perturbations

Investigations of synthesis, biological activity and stability of paullones and related d-annelated [1]benzazepinones

Paullone (7,12-Dihydroindolo[3,2-d][1]benzazepin-6(5H)-one) (2) sind Hemmstoffe Cyclin-abhängiger Kinasen (CDK) mit antiproliferativer Aktivität für Tumorzellen. Als weitere Targets konnten durch Affinitätsuntersuchungen Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3) und Malatdehydrogenase (MDH) identifiziert werden. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden Untersuchungen zur Hemmung der Malatdehydrogenase durch Paullone (2) und verwandte d-anellierte Pyrazolobenzazepinone 8 und Pyrimidobenzazepinone 9 durchgeführt. Für die neuartigen Strukturtypen 8 und 9 wurden Synthesewege ausgehend vom 4-[(Dimethylamino)methyliden]-3,4-dihydro-1H-[1]benzazepin-2,5-dion (18) etabliert. Es wurde gezeigt, dass Paullone (2) die mitochondriale (mMDH) und die cytosolische MDH (cMDH) im mikromolaren Konzentrationsbereich hemmen, wobei Selektivität für mMDH gefunden wurde. Klare Struktur-Aktivitätsbeziehungen für die mMDH-Inhibition durch Paullone ließen sich nicht herleiten. Während die Paullon-Analoga 8 bzw. 9 keine MDH-inhibitorische Aktivität zeigten, erwiesen sich 8 als antiproliferativ für Krebszellen und 9 als Hemmstoffe tumorrelevanter Proteinkinasen. So zeigten bestimmte Vertreter des Strukturtyps 9 Inhibition der Rezeptor-Tyrosinkinase VEGFR-2 im nanomolaren Konzentrationsbereich. Durch Stabilitätsuntersuchungen mit Kenpaullon (2a) konnte gezeigt werden, dass Paullone in DMSO-Lösungen über längere Lagerzeiten in Gegenwart von Luftsauerstoff instabil sind. Die 8-Brom-11H-indolo[3,2-c]chinolin-6-carbonsäure (65) wurde als Intermediat bei der Bildung eines Zerfallsprodukts nachgewiesen, dessen Struktur jedoch noch nicht eindeutig belegt werden konnte.Paullones (7,12-dihydroindolo[3,2-d][1]benzazepin-6(5H)-ones) (2) are inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) exhibiting antiproliferative activity for cancer cells. Based on affinity studies glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were identified as further targets of paullones. In this context, paullones and related d-annelated pyrazolobenzazepinones 8 and pyrimidobenzazepinones 9 were investigated with regard to the MDH-inhibition. Starting from the 4-[(dimethylamino)-methylidene]-3,4-dihydro-1H-[1]benzazepine-2,5-dione (18) syntheses for the novel structures 8 and 9 were established. While paullones (2) have been identified to inhibit both mitochondrial (mMDH) and cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (cMDH) by micromolar concentrations, selectivity for mMDH was found. Evident structure-activity relationships could not be derived. Whereas the paullone ananlogues 8 and 9 failed to show MDH inhibitory activity, 8 decreased the growth of cancer cells and 9 inhibited tumor relevant protein kinases. For example, particular members of the compound class 9 inhibited the receptor tyrosine kinase VEGFR-2 by nanomolar concentrations. Stability studies with kenpaullone (2a) showed that paullones are unstable in DMSO solutions under long-term storage and aerobic conditions. The 8-bromo-11H-indolo[3,2-c]quinoline-6-carboxylic acid (65) proved to be an intermediate during the decomposition reaction leading to a terminal product which has not yet been completely characterised

Extent of microplastics in Pacific Sand Lance burying habitat in the Salish Sea

Extent of microplastics in Pacific Sand Lance burying habitat in the Salish Sea Willem Peters MRM candidate Simon Fraser University, Dr. Cliff Robinson Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Dr. Karen Kohfeld Simon Fraser University, Dr. Marlow Pellatt Parks Canada, Dr. Doug Bertram Environment and Climate Change Canada School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 CANADA, [email protected] The ingestion of microplastics by forage fish and their subsequent accumulation and transfer up the coastal food web is a growing concern to scientists, government, fisheries, and the health sector. One key forage species in the Salish Sea, the Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), buries in low silt, medium coarse sand patches from chart datum to 100 m depth. In the southern Salish Sea near Sidney, several of these burying habitats are located in the vicinity of sewage discharge pipes and may be subject to microplastic accumulation. This research assesses the level of microplastic accumulation in Pacific sand lance burying habitats in the Salish Sea. Seafloor sediment samples were collected in Spring-Fall 2017, using a Van Veen grab sampler. Samples were collected at different distances from shore and effluent discharge pipes, and from a variety of depths and tidal currents. Microplastic concentrations were determined from the sediment samples in the laboratory using standard methods, while controlling for contamination. The main results indicate a significant correlation between suitable Pacific sand lance burying habitat and higher microplastic concentrations. We also found a strong imbalance of microplastic type and colour, with blue fibres making up the majority of microplastics found. The relationship between microplastics and Pacific sand lance habitat suitability is not intuitive in that higher concentrations of microplastics were found in sediments that suggest higher current rates, where settling dynamics would suggest that fewer particles would settle. Possible explanations include evacuation of microplastics from sand lance when buried, the proximity of suitable habitat to effluent discharge, or other as yet unexplored factors. Overall, the presence of microplastics in the burying habitats and stomachs of Pacific sand lance (as noted in other research) indicates more research is required to understand the implication to higher trophic level species that feed upon Pacific sand lance, such as chinook and coho salmon, various groundfish, fish-eating alcids, and marine mammals such as the humpback whale. Ultimately, strategies to reduce microplastics entering the Salish Sea will need to be implemented

The Impacts of Wind Speed Trends and 30-Year Variability in Relation to Hydroelectric Reservoir Inflows on Wind Power in the Pacific Northwest

In hydroelectric dominated systems, the value and benefits of energy are higher during extended dry periods and lower during extended or extreme wet periods. By accounting for regional and temporal differences in the relationship between wind speed and reservoir inflow behavior during wind farm site selection, the benefits of energy diversification can be maximized. The goal of this work was to help maximize the value of wind power by quantifying the long-term (30-year) relationships between wind speed and streamflow behavior, using British Columbia (BC) and the Pacific Northwest (PNW) as a case study. Clean energy and self-sufficiency policies in British BC make the benefits of increased generation during low streamflow periods particularly large. Wind density (WD) estimates from a height of 10m (North American Regional Reanalysis, NARR) were correlated with cumulative usable inflows (CUI) for BC (collected from BC Hydro) for 1979–2010. The strongest WD-CUI correlations were found along the US coast (r ~0.55), whereas generally weaker correlations were found in northern regions, with negative correlations (r ~ -0.25) along BC’s North Coast. Furthermore, during the lowest inflow years, WD anomalies increased by up to 40% above average values for the North Coast. Seasonally, high flows during the spring freshet were coincident with widespread negative WD anomalies, with a similar but opposite pattern for low inflow winter months. These poorly or negatively correlated sites could have a moderating influence on climate related variability in provincial electricity supply, by producing greater than average generation in low inflow years and reduced generation in wet years. Wind speed and WD trends were also analyzed for all NARR grid locations, which showed statistically significant positive trends for most of the PNW and the largest increases along the Pacific Coast

Quantification of blue carbon in salt marshes of the Pacific coast of Canada

Tidal salt marshes are known to accumulate "blue carbon " at high rates relative to their surface area, which render these systems among the Earth's most efficient carbon (C) sinks. However, the potential for tidal salt marshes to mitigate global warming remains poorly constrained because of the lack of representative sampling of tidal marshes from around the globe, inadequate areal extent estimations, and inappropriate dating methods for accurately estimating C accumulation rates. Here we provide the first estimates of organic C storage and accumulation rates in salt marshes along the Pacific coast of Canada, within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, a region currently underrepresented in global compilations. Within the context of other sites from the Pacific coast of North America, these young Clayoquot Sound marshes have relatively low C stocks but are accumulating C at rates that are higher than the global average with pronounced differences between high and low marsh habitats. The average C stock calculated during the past 30 years is 54 +/- 5 Mg C ha(-1) (mean +/- standard error), which accounts for 81 % of the C accumulated to the base of the marsh peat layer (67 +/- 9 Mg C ha(-1)). The total C stock is just under one-third of previous global estimates of salt marsh C stocks, likely due to the shallow depth and young age of the marsh. In contrast, the average C accumulation rate (CAR) (184 +/- 50 g C m(-2) yr(-1) to the base of the peat layer) is higher than both CARs from salt marshes along the Pacific coast (112 +/- 12 g C m(-2) yr(-1)) and global estimates (91 +/- 7 g C m(-2) yr(-1)). This difference was even more pronounced when we considered individual marsh zones: CARs were significantly greater in high marsh (303 +/- 45 g C m(-2) yr(-1)) compared to the low marsh sediments (63 +/- 6 g C m(-2) yr(-1)), an observation unique to Clayoquot Sound among NE Pacific coast marsh studies. We attribute low CARs in the low marsh zones to shallow-rooting vegetation, reduced terrestrial sediment inputs, negative relative sea level rise in the region, and enhanced erosional processes. Per hectare, CARs in Clayoquot Sound marsh soils are approximately 2-7 times greater than C uptake rates based on net ecosystem productivity in Canadian boreal forests, which highlights their potential importance as C reservoirs and the need to consider their C accumulation capacity as a climate mitigation co-benefit when conserving for other salt marsh ecosystem services

Inferring source regions and supply mechanisms of iron in the Southern Ocean from satellite chlorophyll data

Highlights • Shelf sediment iron source concentrated around coastal margins. • No large iron flux from sediments on shallow submerged plateaus in the open ocean. • Horizontal advection of iron more important than upwelling of iron at ocean fronts. • Western boundary currents major supply mechanism of iron for Sub-Antarctic Zone. Abstract Primary productivity is limited by the availability of iron over large areas of the global ocean. Changes in the supply of iron to these regions could have major impacts on primary productivity and the carbon cycle. However, source regions and supply mechanisms of iron to the global oceans remain poorly constrained. Shelf sediments are considered one of the largest sources of dissolved iron to the global ocean, and a large shelf sediment iron flux is prescribed in many biogeochemical models over all areas of bathymetry shallower than 1000 m. Here, we infer the likely location of shelf sediment iron sources in the Southern Ocean, by identifying where satellite chlorophyll concentrations are enhanced over shallow bathymetry (2 mg m−3 are only found within 50 km of a continental or island coastline. These results suggest that sedimentary iron sources only exist on continental and island shelves. Large sedimentary iron fluxes do not seem present on seamounts and submerged plateaus. Large chlorophyll blooms develop where the western boundary currents detach from the continental shelves, and turn eastward into the Sub-Antarctic Zone. Chlorophyll concentrations are enhanced along contours of sea surface height extending off the continental shelves, as shown by the trajectories of virtual water parcels in satellite altimetry data. These analyses support the hypothesis that bioavailable iron from continental shelves is entrained into western boundary currents, and advected into the Sub-Antarctic Zone along the Dynamical Subtropical Front. Our results indicate that upwelling at fronts in the open ocean is unlikely to deliver iron to the ocean surface from deep sources. Finally, we hypothesise how a reduction in sea level may have altered the distribution of shelf sediment iron sources in the Southern Ocean and increased export production over the Sub-Antarctic Zone during glacial intervals

Analysis of Saharan dust intrusions into the Carpathian Basin (Central Europe) over the period of 1979–2011

Aeolian dust particles and dust storms play substantial role in climatic and other environmental processes of the Earth system. The largest and most important dust source areas are situated in the Sahara, from where several hundred thousand tons of mineral dust is emitted each year and transported towards the European continent. Here we show that 130 Saharan dust events (SDEs) reached the atmosphere of the Carpathian Basin from 1979 to 2011 by using the NASA's daily TOMS Aerosol Index data, satellite images and backward trajectory calculations of NOAA HYSPLIT model. Monthly trends of dust events demonstrate that the main period of dust transportation is in the spring, with a secondary maximum in the summer (in July and August). This seasonal distribution match well the seasonality of Saharan dust emissions. However synoptic meteorological conditions govern primarily the occurrence of long-range dust transport towards Central Europe. Based on their different meteorological backgrounds (geopotential field, wind vector and meridional flow), SDEs were classified into three main types. By using composite mean maps of synoptic situations and backward trajectories, the possible source areas have also been identified for the different types of events. Finally, we provide a short discussion on how the African mineral dust could contribute to the local aeolian sedimentation of the Carpathian Basin during the Plio-Pleistocene