Nitrogen biogeochemistry in Binghamton, NY, a medium-sized urban ecosystem

Humans have altered nitrogen (N) cycling on a global scale, and elevated nitrogen levels are characteristic of urban ecosystems. The major reasons that N is higher in cities include imports of food, fuel and fertilizer. High N export from both point- and nonpoint-sources is common in large cities. While N cycling has been studied in large urban areas, less is known about its cycling in medium-sized cities, such as Binghamton, N.Y. We found that point-source N exported from the Binghamton-Johnson City Wastewater Treatment Plant (B-JC WWTP) was greater than nonpoint-source N exported from eight urban streams to the Susquehanna River, which runs through the Binghamton area. The point-source N fluxes we measured from the B-JC WWTP were high because its function was impaired during the study, causing major environmental impacts on the Susquehanna River. Nonpoint-source N exported from eight urban streams was low, and comparable to N exported from streams of forested watersheds in the region. In an experiment in a roadside ecosystem, experimental deposition of N and road salt (NaCl) did not affect N cycling in roadside soils. However, NaCl negatively impacted C mineralization and soil respiration in situ. In a final experiment, we found that the microbial community of urban stream sediment had the capacity to substantially reduce NO3- through denitrification

Ghosts of the Mind: The Supernatural and Madness in Victorian Gothic Literature

The Victorian era was arguably the most productive time for the Gothic genre. Laden with supernatural experiences and insanity around every corner, the Gothic created a distinct genre of eeriness and morbidity. The key to understanding the genre’s development lies in the culture that caused it to thrive. Victorian culture saw the emergence of supernatural experimentation, particularly in the Spiritualist movement, as well as the further development of psychology. These elements of Victorian culture are crucial in the development of the Gothic genre. Just as political or economic factors may influence the style, content, and format of a literary genre, even more influential is the society in which the literature is written. The prominence of the supernatural and psychology in Victorian culture led to texts that addressed both themes simultaneously, leading to ambiguity within the texts. This ambiguity can be clearly seen in two texts selected from the U.S. Gothic canon, written within ten years of one another: Henry James’s novella The Turn of the Screw and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” These two texts demonstrate the way the themes of the supernatural and madness have become a staple in Gothic fiction. By examining issues of Spiritualism, Freudian theory, and women’s medicine in The Turn of the Screw and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” readers and scholars alike can see the ways in which Victorians attempted to understand madness by manifesting it in the supernatural—and attempted to understand the supernatural as a psychological phenomenon

Peoples of India: Asian Descent or Separate Ancestral Category?

Within the realm of forensic anthropology when analyzing a set of remains for identification, analysis parameters with results provide four main categories: European, African, Asian, or mixed ancestry. Some software such as FORDISC may include other groups such as Guatemalan, but they still seem centered on the 3 main groupings of European, African, or Asian. These groupings are from a history of being focused on attributing “race” to individuals and coloring everything through a lens of “superiority”. Peoples of India\u27s skeletal remains when analyzed depict features associated with Europeans, Africans, and Asians causing them to be labeled many times as having mixed ancestry. Researchers with experience may identify them correctly but not always. A review of many studies coming out of India sees Peoples of India population-specific studies with some statistic formulas being developed for the purpose of analysis. Genetic analysis shows Peoples of India aside from Africans as being the most genetically diverse. This study focuses on craniometric analysis using statistics to show if there is a significant difference between Asian populations and populations from India. Preliminary statistical results show a significant difference between Asian populations and the Peoples of India populations represented within the dataset constructed for this study. Does this mean these populations are part of another ancestral group or are significantly different enough to be a separate category unto themselves

Replacement of dichloromethane within chromatographic purification : a guide to alternative solvents

Replacement of dichloromethane as the bulk medium within chromatographic purification has been evaluated with a broad range of molecules containing functionality common within Medicinal Chemistry programmes. Analysis of the data set has generated a set of general guidelines to assist in the selection of alternative solvents for CH2Cl2 as the bulk media in these ubiquitously employed processes

Cost‑effectiveness analysis of hexaminolevulinate (Hexvix®) guided cystoscopy in Non‑Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer patients (NMIBC) in Italy

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incremental cost‑effectiveness of hexaminolevulinate (Hexvix®) + Blue Light (H+BL) cystoscopy (compared to white light cystoscopy only) when used at initial transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) for patients diagnosed with non‑muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in Italy.METHODS: A cost‑effectiveness model has been developed to estimate the incremental cost‑effectiveness of introducing H+BL at initial TURBT for patients diagnosed with NMIBC in Italy. The model consists of two parts: 1) a short term decision tree which estimates the outcome of the initial diagnostic procedure, and 2) a Markov cohort model which is used to estimate long term outcomes through extrapolation based on data and assumptions about patient management, the natural history of the disease and the empirical efficacy of H+BL in improving diagnosis detection and reducing recurrence. Cost‑effectiveness results are expressed as incremental costs per QALY gained. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses are conducted to test the robustness of the model to changes in inputs and assumptions.RESULTS: Base case results suggest that Hexvix® is a dominant strategy when used in the resection of NMIBC. Hexvix® is expected to be associated with 0.070 incremental QALYs, with cost savings of € 435 per patient. Sensitivity analyses suggest that the cost of Hexvix® and the relative risk of recurrence in intermediate and low risk groups are key drivers in the model. Probabilistic analyses indicate that Hexvix® is expected to be cost‑effective in >99% of iterations, assuming a willingness to pay threshold of € 25,000 per QALY.CONCLUSION: In conclusion, Hexvix® is expected to be a cost‑effective strategy when used in the resection of NMIBC in Italy.

American Cheese Society Cheese and Dairy Product Lexicon and Glossary

The ACS Cheese and Dairy Product Lexicon and Glossary aims to facilitate conversations across the supply chain of cheese by creating a credible, modern resource that provides a greater understanding of the myriad ways in which cheese is discussed and described. A “working group” of ACS staff and experts in dairy food science, cheesemaking, and cheesemongering were involved in compiling what will hereafter be referred to as the ACS Lexicon & Glossary. The objective was to codify the terminology used when talking about sensory characteristics and evaluating and selling cheese and fermented dairy products

A study on episodic memory reconsolidation that tells us more about consolidation

Awake quiescence immediately after encoding is conducive to episodic memory consolidation. Retrieval can render episodic memories labile again, but reconsolidation can modify and re-strengthen them. It remained unknown whether awake quiescence after retrieval supports episodic memory reconsolidation. We sought to examine this question via an object-location memory paradigm. We failed to probe the effect of quiescence on reconsolidation, but we did observe an unforeseen ‘delayed’ effect of quiescence on consolidation. Our findings reveal that the beneficial effect of quiescence on episodic memory consolidation is not restricted to immediately following encoding but can be achieved at a delayed stage and even following a period of task engagement

Spillover effects of information leakages in buyer–supplier–supplier triads

Information leakages—the unauthorized sharing of an organization's information with another organization—are a growing concern in today's supply chains, but remain relatively underexplored. Drawing on attribution theory and observational learning, our research investigates inter-organizational information leakages from a network perspective. We assess the spillover effects of opportunistic and inadvertent information leakages between an OFFENDER organization and a VICTIM organization on the relationship between the OFFENDER and a nonpartisan OBSERVER. We consider the roles of integrity- and ability-based trust, as well as operational similarity between the organizations. We conducted scenario-based experiments with 181 sales practitioners recruited via MTurk and supplemented those results with post hoc interviews. Our results show clear spillover effects: The OBSERVER's willingness to share information with the OFFENDER decreases significantly after any type of information leakage between the OFFENDER and the VICTIM, but more so for opportunistic leakages. Integrity-based trust mediates the relationship between intentionality and information sharing willingness. We also find indications of an unexpected collateral damage effect in that to some extent, both trust dimensions decrease in both forms of information leakage. Further, for opportunistic information leakages, the OBSERVER's willingness to share information with the OFFENDER decreases more when OBSERVER and VICTIM are operationally similar.</p

Applying Participatory Health Research Elements in Rural End-of-Life Research: Reflections on Conducting In-Depth Interviews With Participants on Sensitive Topics

Gegenstand des Forschungsprojekts "Living Loving Dying" war es, die Versorgung am Lebensende und die Trauerbewältigung für Sterbende und ihre Angehörigen in ländlichen Regionen zu verbessern. Teilnehmende waren Personen, die Sterbende begleitet hatten und in Gebieten mit geringer Einwohner*innenzahl und in relativer geografischer Isolation lebten. Die Datenerhebung zu derart sensitiven Themen mit Menschen, die immer noch von Tod und Trauer betroffen waren, erforderte die Nutzung entsprechen sensitiver Methoden. Wichtig ist auch, dass diese Menschen sicher sein können, dass ihre Stimme gehört wird und dass sie zu positiven Veränderungen für andere beitragen können. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben wir sie gebeten, als Community-Partner*innen an der Studie teilzunehmen, für die wir ein deskriptives qualitatives Design gewählt und partizipative Elemente in die Datenerhebung mittels teilstrukturierter Interviews einbezogen haben. Dabei war die nicht-hierarchische Beziehung zwischen uns Forschenden und den Partner*innen von herausragender Bedeutung gerade angesichts dieser vulnerablen Gruppe. In dem Beitrag reflektieren wird die pragmatischen und ethischen Erwägungen des Methodeneinsatzes für die ländliche Lebensende-Forschung.The "Living Loving Dying" research project aimed to improve end of life and bereavement care for people caring and dying in rural areas. The data were provided by people who had experienced caring for someone until his/her death, while living in an area of low population and geographical isolation. Undertaking data collection on such a sensitive topic, from people still vulnerable from the impacts of death and grief, requires the use of particularly sensitive research methods. It is also important that participants feel their voices are heard and that they are contributing to positive change for others. In view of this we positioned people to participate as community-partners and utilized a descriptive qualitative design with participatory elements in the data collection method of in-depth, semi structured interviewing. The non-hierarchical relationship between researchers and community-partners were key influences for using participatory elements in this research with a vulnerable population. In this article we reflect on the pragmatic and ethical considerations that the application of this method has for rural end-of-life research