Judith Merril: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography

This Judith Merril bibliography includes both primary and secondary works, arranged in categories that are suitable for her career and that are, generally, common to the other bibliographies in the Center for Bibliographic Studies in Science Fiction. Works by Merril include a variety of types and modes—pieces she wrote at Morris High School in the Bronx, newsletters and fanzines she edited; sports, westerns, and detective fiction and non-fiction published in pulp magazines up to 1950; science fiction stories, novellas, and novels; book reviews; critical essays; edited anthologies; and both audio and video recordings of her fiction and non-fiction

Impacts of hunter-gatherers on the vegetation history of the eastern vale of pickering, Yorkshire

Research is undertaken into the vegetation and human impact at three previously un-researched archaeological sites from the eastern Vale of Pickering. The vegetation history is reconstructed from the end of the Windermere Interstadial c. 13,000 (^14)C yr BP until the final Mesolithic c. 5100 (^14)C yr BP. The early Mesolithic human impact on the vegetation is assessed using a three stage statistical test to establish the internal variability in the data as well as background variations in pollen output. The results reveal that humans had a small but significant impact on the vegetation around two of the sites. Pollen preservation at the third site precluded analyses of the impacts of humans on the vegetation. The three-stage test used to test for human impact was quite successful but requires revision before any further use. On the whole the tests confirmed the findings of conventional human impact analyses. During the pre-Holocene fires occurred on a regular basis. These fires varied in location and intensity, suggesting that some of the fires were regional or large-scale, whilst others were small and very localized. A multi-causal explanation has been given for the fires. Later, during the early Mesolithic, human groups are thought to have burnt the reedswamp at the lake edges as part of an economic strategy. Star Carr is the only site that demonstrates clearance of significant areas of woodland. During the later Mesolithic the hunter-gatherers have a greater impact on the vegetation within the Vale. This is attributed to the need for more resources as a result of vegetation change and increased population levels. Unlike their counter-parts from the North York Moors, the occupants of the lowland Vale of Pickering cause no long-term change to their environment

Change in commute mode and body-mass index: prospective, longitudinal evidence from UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient physical activity is a determinant of obesity and cardiovascular disease. Active travel to work has declined in high-income countries in recent decades. We aimed to determine which socioeconomic and demographic characteristics predicted switching to or from active commuting, whether switching from passive to active commuting (or the reverse) independently predicts change in objectively measured body-mass index (BMI), and to ascertain whether any association is attenuated by socioeconomic, demographic, or behavioural factors. METHODS: This study used longitudinal data from UK Biobank. Baseline data collection occurred at 22 centres between March, 2006, and July, 2010, with a repeat assessment at one centre (Stockport) between August, 2012, and June, 2013, for a subset of these participants. Height and weight were objectively measured at both timepoints. We included individuals present at both timepoints with complete data in the analytic sample. Participants were aged 40-69 years and commuted from home to a workplace on a regular basis at both baseline and follow-up. Two exposures were investigated: transition from car commuting to active or public transport commuting and transition from active or public transport to car commuting. Change in BMI between baseline and repeat assessment was the outcome of interest, assessed with bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models. FINDINGS: 502 656 individuals provided baseline data, with 20 346 participating in the repeat assessment after a median of 4·4 years (IQR 3·7-4·9). 5861 individuals were present at both timepoints and had complete data for all analytic variables. Individuals who transitioned from car commuting at baseline to active or public transportation modes at follow-up had a decrease in BMI of -0·30 kg/m2 (95% CI -0·47 to -0·13; p=0·0005). Conversely, individuals who transitioned from active commuting at baseline to car commuting at follow-up had a BMI increase of 0·32 kg/m2 (0·13 to 0·50; p=0·008). These effects were not attenuated by adjustment for hypothesised confounders. Change in household income emerged as a determinant of commute mode transitions. INTERPRETATION: Incorporation of increased levels of physical activity as part of the commute to work could reduce obesity among middle-aged adults in the UK. FUNDING: UK Medical Research Council

A Systematic Review of Food Deserts, 1966-2007

INTRODUCTION: "Food deserts," areas characterized by poor access to healthy and affordable food, may contribute to social and spatial disparities in diet and diet-related health outcomes. However, the extent to which food deserts exist is debated. We review the evidence for the existence of food deserts in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of primary, quantitative, observational studies, published in English or French, that used geographic or market-basket approaches in high-income countries. The literature search included electronic and hand searches and peer-reviewed and grey literature from 1966 through 2007. We also contacted key researchers to identify other studies. We analyzed the findings and quality of the studies qualitatively. RESULTS: Forty-nine studies in 5 countries met inclusion criteria; the amount and consistency of the evidence varied by country. These studies were a mix of geographic and market-basket approaches, but the methodologic quality of studies and completeness of reported findings were mixed. We found clear evidence for disparities in food access in the United States by income and race. Findings from other high-income countries were sparse and equivocal. CONCLUSION: This review suggests that food deserts exist in the United States, where area-level deprivation compounds individual disadvantage. Evidence for the existence of food deserts in other high-income nations is weak

An investigation into the genetic background of Escherichia coli lineages containing multi-drug resistant clones

Escherichia coli is a commensal resident of the human gastrointestinal tract that can also cause disease at multiple extra-intestinal body sites. E. coli is globally recognised as a pathogen of concern due to the high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) present within the species. However, the prevalence of AMR is not uniform across the enormously diverse E. coli population. Some E. coli lineages remain largely susceptible to antibiotics, whilst others are resistant to many antibiotic classes and are therefore multi-drug resistant (MDR). A wide spectrum of resistance phenotypes have been observed in strains from throughout the E. coli phylogeny, meaning that the ability to acquire and accumulate resistance determinants is not an exclusively vertically-inherited trait. A simple explanation for the phylogenetic spread of MDR phenotypes could be that the lineages that encounter antibiotics more frequently are more resistant. Yet this is not the case, as multiple longitudinal studies have shown that large, stable proportions of E. coli bloodstream and urinary tract infections are caused by lineages that do not exhibit high levels of resistance. Compounding the problem, MDR E. coli are adept at colonising the gastrointestinal tracts of healthy humans who are not taking antibiotics. Studies of international travellers have documented colonisation with MDR E. coli occurring within days of arriving in AMR endemic areas

New Reactions of Ring Strained Allyl Silanes

Herein, we report new allylation reactions using ring-strained allylalkoxysiletanes. These reactions can achieve high yield and have high chemoselectivity, as evidenced by carefully designed substrates. Based on previous evidence, we propose that the reaction proceeds through an exchange mechanism, where first the alkoxy group of the siletane exchanges with the hydroxyl group of the substrate, followed by coordination of the substrate carbonyl to the siletane, and then intramolecular allylation of the carbonyl