Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free School District and Katonah-Lewisboro Support Staff Association/NYSUT/AFT/NEA

In the matter of the fact-finding between Katonah-Lewisboro Support Staff Association/NYSUT/AFT/NEA and Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free School District. Case Number M2008-327. Fact-Finder: Rosemary A. Townley, Esq., Ph.D

Mineola Union Free School District and Mineola Teachers Association

In the matter of the fact-finding between the Mineola Union Free School District, employer, and the Mineola Teachers Association, union. PERB case no. M2015-114. Before: Rosemary A. Townley, fact finder

Comparative study of spinning field development in two species of araneophagic spiders (Araneae, Mimetidae, Australomimetus)

External studies of spider spinning fields allow us to make inferences about internal silk gland biology, including what happens to silk glands when the spider molts. Such studies often focus on adults, but juveniles can provide additional insight on spinning apparatus development and character polarity. Here we document and describe spinning fields at all stadia in two species of pirate spider (Mimetidae: Australomimetus spinosus, A. djuka). Pirate spiders nest within the ecribellate orb-building spiders (Araneoidea), but are vagrant, araneophagic members that do not build prey-capture webs. Correspondingly, they lack aggregate and flagelliform silk glands (AG, FL), specialized for forming prey-capture lines in araneoid orb webs. However, occasional possible vestiges of an AG or FL spigot, as observed in one juvenile A. spinosus specimen, are consistent with secondary loss of AG and FL. By comparing spigots from one stadium to tartipores from the next stadium, silk glands can be divided into those that are tartipore-accommodated (T-A), and thus functional during proecdysis, and those that are not (non-T-A). Though evidence was more extensive in A. spinosus, it was likely true for both species that the number of non-T-A piriform silk glands (PI) was constant (two pairs) through all stadia, while numbers of T-A PI rose incrementally. The two species differed in that A. spinosus had T-A minor ampullate and aciniform silk glands (MiA, AC) that were absent in A. djuka. First instars of A. djuka, however, appeared to retain vestiges of T-A MiA spigots, consistent with a plesiomorphic state in which T-A MiA (called secondary MiA) are present. T-A AC have not previously been observed in Australomimetus and the arrangement of their spigots on posterior lateral spinnerets was unlike that seen thus far in other mimetid genera. Though new AC and T-A PI apparently form throughout much of a spider’s ontogeny, recurring spigot/tartipore arrangements indicated that AC and PI, after functioning during one stadium, were used again in each subsequent stadium (if non-T-A) or in alternate subsequent stadia (if T-A). In A. spinosus, sexual and geographic dimorphisms involving AC were noted. Cylindrical silk gland (CY) spigots were observed in mid-to-late juvenile, as well as adult, females of both species. Their use in juveniles, however, should not be assumed and only adult CY spigots had wide openings typical of mimetids. Neither species exhibited two pairs of modified PI spigots present in some adult male mimetids

Limited-duty-cycle Satellite Formation Control via Differential Drag

As CubeSat formation flying missions relying on differential drag control become increasingly common, additional missions based on this control must be studied. A mission planning tool is investigated to control the relative spacing of a CubeSat formation where differential drag is the sole control mechanism. System performance is investigated under varying perturbations and a range of system parameters, including limiting the control duty cycle. Optimal solutions based on using a pseudo spectral numerical solver, GPOPS-II, to minimize maneuver time. This study includes the development of a mission planning tool to work with the modeled CubeSat mission to calculate optimal maneuvers for its mission architecture. The effects of mission altitude, solar cycle, various maneuver sizes and formations, limited control, various computational methods, and error checkers were evaluated. The mission planning tool developed can properly execute all desired run parameters and options, though it suffers from computational complexity. Pseudo spectral methods executed in MatLab were determined to be poorly suited to the problem due to memory requirements involved. Limited duty cycle control can be applied with differential drag with varying effectiveness dependent on mission parameters

Cold Spring Harbor Central School District and Cold Spring Harbor Teachers\u27 Association

In the Matter of the Fact-Finding Between the COLD SPRING HARBOR TEACHERS\u27 ASSOCIATION and COLD SPRING HARBOR CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT. PERB Case M2006-094. Rosemary A. Townley, Fact Finder

Options for managing human threats to high seas biodiversity

Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) constitute 61% of the world's oceans and are collectively managed by countries under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Growing concern regarding the deteriorating state of the oceans and ineffective management of ABNJ has resulted in negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction under UNCLOS. To inform these negotiations, we identified existing and emerging human activities and influences that affect ABNJ and evaluated management options available to mitigate the most pervasive, with highest potential for impact and probability of emergence. The highest-ranking activities and influences that affect ABNJ were fishing/hunting, maritime shipping, climate change and its associated effects, land-based pollution and mineral exploitation. Management options are diverse and available through a variety of actors, although their actions are not always effective. Area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), were the only consistently effective option to mitigate impacts across high-ranked activities and influences. However, addressing land-based pollution will require national action to prevent this at its source, and MPAs offer only a partial solution for climate change. A new ABNJ ILBI could help unify management options and actors to conserve marine biodiversity and ensure sustainable use. Incorporating a mechanism to establish effective ABMTs into the ILBI will help deliver multiple objectives based on the ecosystem approach

Hers and his: Silk glands used in egg sac construction by female spiders potentially repurposed by a \u27modern\u27 male spider

Cylindrical silk gland (CY) spigots distinguish a large clade of modern spiders, the CY spigot clade, which includes all entelegyne spiders and their closest relatives. Following a widespread paradigm, CYs and their spigots are only known to occur in female spiders and they produce silk used in the construction of egg sacs. Here we report the occurrence of a CY spigot or CY nubbin on each posterior median spinneret (PMS) in males (5th stadium and later) of the spider Australomimetus maculosus. Late juvenile males had a CY spigot on each PMS, whereas adult males either had a CY spigot or, more often, a non-functional CY nubbin. This indicates that potential CY use by males is at least largely limited to late juvenile instars and is not involved with egg sac construction. Despite the presence of CY spigots in both sexes, sexual dimorphism with respect to CYs was still evident since males lacked the CY spigot on each posterior lateral spinneret present in late juvenile and adult females, and CY spigots of males never had the wide shaft and opening of adult females. This study adds to our knowledge of spinning apparatus variability in modern spiders and demonstrates an exception to the paradigm that, in the CY spigot clade, such spigots are restricted to female spiders

Fiscal and Economic Impact Analysis of Proposed Nexus Natural Gas Pipeline on the City of Green, Ohio

In 2014 Spectra Energy (“Spectra”) and DTE Energy announced plans to build a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline (called “Nexus”) that would run from the Utica-Marcellus region near eastern Ohio across northern Ohio, into Michigan, and ultimately into Chicago and Ontario, Canada. The stated purpose for building the proposed pipeline is to take anticipated “growing” gas supplies produced from the Appalachian Basin to the “high demand” markets in Ohio, Michigan, Chicago and Ontario. Nexus proposes 250 miles of high pressure, 36 inch diameter pipeline capable of carrying around 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. However the route proposed by Nexus takes the pipeline through some of Ohio’s fastest growing and most prosperous communities. In particular, the pipeline route promises to disrupt development plans in the City of Green (Summit County). Importantly, as will be shown in the discussion below, the proposed route will render useless large portions of prime industrial and commercially zoned land that Green has earmarked for near term development. Much of this land is next to the Akron-Canton airport, and is of considerable interest to the business community. Accordingly, the City of Green has proposed to Nexus an alternate route that accomplishes Nexus’s goals of moving natural gas from Appalachia to Michigan and Ontario. The alternate route, which could be built for about the same cost as Nexus’s plan, bypasses and spares the fast growing City of Green, instead taking the pipeline through a more rural area. With proper planning, potential negative impacts on future industrial or commercial development could be minimized by using an alternate route in a more rural setting. Although we expect that property value and tax losses, if any, would be minimal for the alternate route, these results are not set forth here. The route currently proposed through the City of Green would, however, lead to uneconomic remnant parcels, as well as devalued or stranded residential parcels. The proposed route is shown on Exhibit 1 (both panels). Over the life of the pipeline, this would in turn lead to very substantial losses in property taxes and income tax for the City of Green. In short, while there may be compelling reasons for the pipeline to be built, and while it may be beneficial for portions of Ohio in terms of taxes and construction jobs, the current route leaves the City of Green to suffer disproportionately the losses the pipeline will cause. The following discussion sets forth the basis for this determination

Examining the dimensions and correlates of workplace stress among Australian veterinarians

Background: Although stress is known to be a common occupational health issue in the veterinary profession, few studies have investigated its broad domains or the internal validity of the survey instrument used for assessment. Methods: We analysed data from over 500 veterinarians in Queensland, Australia, who were surveyed during 2006-07. Results: The most common causes of stress were reported to be long hours worked per day, not having enough holidays per year, not having enough rest breaks per day, the attitude of customers, lack of recognition from the public and not having enough time per patient. Age, gender and practice type were statistically associated with various aspects of work-related stress. Strong correlations were found between having too many patients per day and not having enough time per patient; between not having enough holidays and long working hours; and also between not enough rest breaks per day and long working hours. Factor analysis revealed four dimensions of stress comprising a mixture of career, professional and practice-related items. The internal validity of our stress questionnaire was shown to be high during statistical analysis. Conclusion: Overall, this study suggests that workplace stress is fairly common among Australian veterinarians and represents an issue that occupies several distinct areas within their professional life

Spring wheat rotations in north-central Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedEffects of rotation length, crop sequence, and fertilization on yields and economic performance of 10 spring wheat-based rotations are examined over a 27-year period (1960-86) on an Orthic Black Chernozem at Melfort, Saskatchewan. The silty clay loam soil had an initial organic N content of about 0.55 % (0-15 cm depth). During 1960-71, fertilized plots received N and P based on general recommendations for the region; thereafter, fertilizer was applied based on soil tests. Yields of wheat grown on fertilized fallow were similar for F-W, F-W-W and a 6-yr fallow-wheat-legume hay (F-W-W-H-H-W) rotation (avg 2519 kg ha-1 in 1960-71 and 3036 kg ha-1 in the wetter 1972-86 period). Fertilized stubble wheat yields in a F-W-W rotation averaged 88 % of comparable fallow wheat yields, while continuous wheat averaged only 66 % due to greater weed and disease problems. Inclusion of grass-legume hay or legume green manure crops in the rotations provided no yield benefit for subsequent wheat crops in this fertile soil. Results of the economic analysis showed that at wheat prices greater than $147 t-1, fertilized F-W-W, F-C-W and F-W-W-H-H-W generally provided the best overall economic return. At lower wheat prices unfertilized F-W-W and F-W-W-H-H-W, and fertilized F-W often provided the highest net income. It was profitable to substitute canola for wheat grown on conventional fallow or on partial fallow after grass-legume hay when the ratio of canola to wheat price was greater than about 2.0. Similarly, it was profitable to include grass-legume hay in wheat rotations when the hay price was greater than about one-half that of wheat. Continuous wheat and legume green manure rotation were not economically competitive with the best rotations at any of the price options examined. Fertilizer application was profitable in the F-W-W and continuous wheat rotations when the ratio of fertilizer N cost to wheat price was less than about 5.0; it was profitable in F-W-W-H-H-W when this ratio was less than 3.5. The cost of producing wheat, income variability, and the frequency of economic losses increased with cropping intensity