Stratosphere chemistry in a 2-D model with residual circulation

The objective of this research was to examine the effects of chemical perturbations on the stratosphere using models which can incorporate fully interactive radiative, chemical, and dynamical responses, in the context of a zonally averaged model. Model runs for the unperturbed, chlorine-perturbed and simultaneously chlorine-and CO2-perturbed cases were completed using the JPL-87 chemical kinetics data. The base case was analyzed and submitted for publication. The perturbed cases show substantial sensitivity of the predicted column ozone depletion to the perturbations affecting lower stratosphere temperature, but less to far dynamical perturbations. The column ozone distribution changed substantially when the kinetics data was changed. This implies a greater-than-expected uncertainty in predicted latitude distributions of ozone depletion, due to uncertainty about the accuracy and completeness of the chemical kinetics data set

Influenza control can be achieved in a custodial setting: pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and 2011 in an Australian prison

OBJECTIVES: Information on the effectiveness of interventions regarding control in closed institutional settings, including prisons, is limited. This study gathered evidence relating to influenza control in an Australian prison. STUDY DESIGN: This study built on a 2009 H1N1 outbreak investigation at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). METHODS: Influenza surveillance data, ACT 2010 Inmate Health Survey data, New South Wales 2001 and 2009 Inmate Health Survey data, ACT Department of Corrective Services administrative data, and ACT Health clinical data were analysed. RESULTS: In 2011, the AMC was exposed to influenza virus, resulting in a single case. Public health activities included exclusion of symptomatic cases from the health facility, isolation of cases, and quarantine of contacts. Contact between prisoners and the ACT community was maintained; the AMC detainee visitor rate was one visitor per prisoner every 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: The rehabilitative benefits of human contact for AMC detainees were not compromised during the surveillance period, despite the potential that a higher visitor rate may suggest. This highlights some features of the AMC which make its operational context different from many other correctional settings, but gives some indication of how good public health practice supports human rights.NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

Real-time monitoring of solid-phase peptide synthesis using a variable bed flow reactor

On-resin aggregation and incomplete amide bond formation are major challenges for solid-phase peptide synthesis that are difficult to be monitored in real-time. Incorporation of a pressure-based variable bed flow reactor into an automated solid-phase peptide synthesizer permitted real-time monitoring of resin swelling to determine amino acid coupling efficiency and on-resin aggregation

DNA Technology: Are We Ready?

It is a common practice to identify certain historical periods with the name of the most significant technological invention of the time. Thus, we have had an Industrial Revolution, an Age of Steam, the Automotive Age, and so on, up to the Atomic Age. We are now at the crossroads of a new age; the Age of Biology. This new age promises to be every bit as influential in terms of broad social impact as any of its predecessors, and may ultimately profoundly modify the way in which we define our lives. The hallmark of this new age is DNA technology, the ability to manipulate the genetic make-up of living organisms; and like most new techologies, this one must be treated with respect in order to maximize the benefits while minimizing the attendant disruptions and risks. The purpose of this article is to explore alternative ways of dealing with DNA technology, and to recommend a safe as well as workable course of action

Contemplative Qualitative Inquiry: A Review

The following is a review of the book Contemplative Qualitative Inquiry: Practicing the Zen of Research by Valerie J. Janesick and published in 2015. This review aims to highlight the book’s unique features, primarily focusing on the ways in which Janesick appropriately weaves essential aspects of qualitative research and Zen alongside one another. Janesick offers readers, novice or experienced researchers, a unique way of understanding and approaching the practice of qualitative inquiry. The review highlights features of each chapter and concludes with how instructors of qualitative research methods may benefit from Janesick’s many suggestions for pedagogy and practice

Recognizing Heritage

In 2006 Congress established the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area to recognize the four-hundred-year “coexistence” of Spanish and Indian peoples in New Mexico and their place in the United States. National heritage areas enable local communities to partner with the federal government to promote historic preservation, cultural conservation, and economic development.Recognizing Heritage explores the social, political, and historical context of this and other public efforts to interpret and preserve Native American and Hispanic heritage in northern New Mexico. The federal government’s recognition of New Mexico’s cultural distinctiveness contrasts sharply with its earlier efforts to wipe out Indian and Hispanic cultures. Yet even celebrations of cultural difference can reinforce colonial hierarchies. Multiculturalism and colonialism have overlapped in New Mexico since the nineteenth century, when Anglo-American colonists began promoting the region’s unique cultures and exotic images to tourists. Thomas H. Guthrie analyzes the relationship between heritage preservation and ongoing struggles over land, water, and identity resulting from American colonization. He uses four sites within the heritage area to illustrate the unintentional colonial effects of multiculturalism: a history and anthropology museum, an Indian art market, a “tricultural” commemorative plaza, and a mountain village famous for its adobe architecture. Recognizing Heritage critiques the politics of recognition and suggests steps toward a more just multiculturalism that fundamentally challenges colonial inequalities

“Nothing is ever easy”: Parent Perceptions of Intensity in Their Gifted Adolescent Children

Due to asynchronous development, gifted children often experience the world differently than their same-aged peers. Some experience unique intensities, or overexcitabilities, that render modifications in teaching and parenting. These intensities typically take on characteristics of emotional, intellectual, imagination, psychomotor, or sensual overexcitability. In this in-depth interview study, I explored parent perceptions of intensity in their gifted adolescent children. Three mothers participated and completed the Overexcitability Inventory for Parents-Two (OIP-II) prior to each interview. The parent responses to the OIP-II served as an elicitation device to begin our conversations. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes among the participants’ perceptions: (1) challenging behaviors of intense gifted children, (2) consequences of intensity, and (3) a parent’s search for understanding. These findings inform the understanding of intensity and overexcitability from parents’ points of view and provide insight into how intense gifted children behave outside of the classroom. I conclude the article with questions to consider regarding how to better support parents of young gifted children

Literature Survey of Radiochemical Cross-section Data Below 425 Mev

Literature survey of radiochemical cross sections below 425 Me