#IWD2016 Book review: unfinished business: women men work family by Anne-Marie Slaughter

Is it really possible to ‘have it all’? In Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family, Anne-Marie Slaughter unravels the ‘half truths’ that lie behind this claim, examining how the struggle to manage increasingly incompatible life and work pressures remains particularly potent for women due to the continued gendering of caregiving. Drawing upon her own experiences, Slaughter calls for us to forge a more meaningful and mutually beneficial relationship between work and family. Unfinished Business is therefore a compelling and accessible read for all those interested in gender, work and family politics in the twenty-first century, writes Hannah Walters

Vertical and lateral variations of grainsize and pyroclast componentry in the Taupo 232 CE Y2 fall deposit : implications for spatiotemporal deposition and conduit conditions in large Plinian eruptions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Scientiarum in Earth Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

The Taupo Volcanic Zone is one of the most frequent producers of Plinian eruptions globally, which constitute one of the most powerful natural disasters on Earth. These types of eruptions can eject volumes of tephra >10 km³ into the atmosphere. The dispersal and sedimentation of pyroclasts in Plinian eruptions, as well as the high risk of pyroclastic density current production, pose significant environmental and societal threats. Therefore, further understanding of the dynamics of these volcanic events is essential for hazard planning and decision making at many volcanoes across the globe. The Hatepe pumice of the Taupo 232 CE eruption (Y2) is an extremely well-preserved example of a seemingly monotonous plinian fall deposit, and previous studies exhibit a lack of investigation into vertical and lateral deposit variations which would allow the reconstruction of eruption dynamics and deposition history. This study examined three tephra profiles using a combination of grain-size, componentry and clast density measurements, as well as microscopic analysis of juvenile pyroclast textures and petrographic analysis of foreign lithic components to define syn-eruption chronostratigraphic time markers. The juvenile components were grouped into five distinctive textural classes (C1 – C5) which showed a systematic increase in clast density and shear deformed bubbles and glass, respectively. From this, a tentative conduit model for the time immediately prior to magma fragmentation was developed to explain the strong horizontal gradients in magma density and estimate radial extents of the variably vesiculated and shear-deformed proportions of the magma. Identification and distinction of foreign lithic lithologies and broad estimates of their likely depth of origin showed that deep excavation of plutonic country rock above the magma mush reservoir occurred strongly during onset of the eruption, but rapidly declined thereafter. The chronostratigraphic time markers, determined through componentry analysis, can be used in future computational studies as a real-world test for the validation of plume and ash-dispersal models. This research will allow for the possibility of further investigations to add more complexity to the understanding of the Y2 eruption and large Plinian eruptions elsewhere

The structure and petrology of the Cnoc nan Cuilean Intrusion, Loch Loyal Syenite Complex, NW Scotland

In NW Scotland, several alkaline intrusive complexes of Silurian age intrude the Caledonian orogenic front. The most northerly is the Loch Loyal Syenite Complex, which is divided into three separate intrusions (Ben Loyal, Beinn Stumanadh and Cnoc nan Cuilean). Mapping of the Cnoc nan Cuilean intrusion shows two main zones: a Mixed Syenite Zone (MZ) and a Massive Leucosyenite Zone (LZ), with a gradational contact. The MZ forms a lopolith, with multiple syenitic lithologies, including early basic melasyenites and later felsic leucosyenites. Leucosyenite melts mixed and mingled with melasyenites, resulting in extreme heterogeneity within the MZ. Continued felsic magmatism resulted in formation of the relatively homogeneous LZ, invading western parts of the MZ and now forming the topographically highest terrane. The identification of pegmatites, microgranitic veins and unusual biotite-magnetite veins demonstrates the intrusion's complex petrogenesis. Cross-sections have been used to create a novel 3D GoCad™ model contributing to our understanding of the intrusion. The Loch Loyal Syenite Complex is known to have relatively high concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs), and thus the area has potential economic and strategic value. At Cnoc nan Cuilean, abundant REE-bearing allanite is present within melasyenites of the MZ. Extensive hydrothermal alteration of melasyenites here formed steeply dipping biotite-magnetite veins, most enriched in allanite and other REE-bearing accessories. This study has thus identified the area of greatest importance for further study of REE enrichment processes in the Cnoc nan Cuilean intrusion

Territory Inheritance and the Evolution of Cooperative Breeding in the Acorn Woodpecker

There are two main hypotheses for why offspring in cooperatively breeding taxa delay dispersal and remain on their natal territory rather than disperse. First, ecological constraints may force offspring to remain on their natal territory until a reproductive opportunity presents itself in an otherwise saturated habitat. Alternatively, delaying dispersal and helping kin may increase an offspring\u27s inclusive fitness. One means by which offspring might enhance their direct fitness by delaying dispersal is by inheriting breeding status on their natal territory. Such territory inheritance regularly occurs in acorn woodpeckers, Melanerpes formicivorus, a species whose social groups consist of a cooperatively polygynandrous breeding core along with nonbreeding helpers of both sexes that are offspring from prior breeding efforts. Here we examine the life-history differences and the fitness consequences of birds attaining breeder status by either inheriting their natal territory or dispersing to a new territory. Despite significant differences in life history, including the mean territory quality on which individuals bred and mean co-breeder coalition size of breeders, we found no statistical differences in either direct or kin-selected (indirect) fitness benefits for breeders that inherited and dispersed. The incidence of birds engaging in both strategies, inheriting their natal territory and later dispersing, or dispersing but later returning to inherit their natal territory, further reduces the potential direct fitness benefits of inheritance relative to dispersal, since neither precludes the other. Territory inheritance is an important, alternative means of achieving breeding status in this population. However, ecological constraints to dispersal and kin-selected fitness benefits as a helper likely play larger roles driving the acorn woodpecker\u27s extraordinary social system

Recruitment, Retention, and Evaluation Associated with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Healthcare workforce shortages are central to healthcare reform discussions and are critical areas of interest for Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH). The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is a financial incentive program that provides scholarship or loan repayment to primary healthcare providers in return for periods of obligation serving federally designated underserved communities. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) increased funding to the NHSC program with the intent of strengthening and expanding the NHSC program capacity. In addition to building workforce capacity, funding was made available to State Primary Care Offices (PCOs) for the coordination and implementation of activities to support NHSC participants, enhance recruitment and retention post-obligation, and evaluation of the impact of ARRA funding for the NHSC program. Indiana Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network entered into a contract with ISDH for the purpose of supporting current ARRA-funded NHSC scholars, clinicians, and obligation sites to improve retention and provider satisfaction. In addition, a team of researchers at the Center for Health Policy (CHP) in the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) were subcontracted to perform an evaluation of activities outlined in the AHEC contract and evaluate the impact of ARRA funding on NHSC clinician retention, primary healthcare access, and primary care capacity. The NHSC project team, comprised of key personnel from AHEC and CHP, developed and administered surveys, conducted key informant interviews facilitated focus groups to gather data representing perspectives and experiences from ARRA-funded NHSC clinicians and obligation sites administrators to identify key issues and generate recommendations for the Indiana NHSC Program. The NHSC project team was comprised of key personnel from AHEC and CHP. The team developed and administered surveys, conducted key informant interviews, and facilitated focus groups. The activities were carried out to gather data on perspectives and experiences of ARRA-funded NHSC clinicians and site administrators in order to generate recommendations for the Indiana NHSC Program

Senescent cells enhance newt limb regeneration by promoting muscle dedifferentiation

Salamanders are able to regenerate their entire limbs throughout lifespan, through a process that involves significant modulation of cellular plasticity. Limb regeneration is accompanied by the endogenous induction of cellular senescence, a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest associated with profound non-cell-autonomous consequences. While traditionally associated with detrimental physiological effects, here, we show that senescent cells can enhance newt limb regeneration. Through a lineage tracing approach, we demonstrate that exogenously derived senescent cells promote dedifferentiation of mature muscle tissue to generate regenerative progenitors. In a paradigm of newt myotube dedifferentiation, we uncover that senescent cells promote myotube cell cycle re-entry and reversal of muscle identity via secreted factors. Transcriptomic profiling and loss of function approaches identify the FGF-ERK signalling axis as a critical mediator of senescence-induced muscle dedifferentiation. While chronic senescence constrains muscle regeneration in physiological mammalian contexts, we thus highlight a beneficial role for cellular senescence as an important modulator of dedifferentiation, a key mechanism for regeneration of complex structures

Indiana Primary Health Care: Description, Distribution, Challenges, and Strategic Recommendation to Empowered Decision Making

Over the past few years, and in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the result of the 2012 Presidential election, access to health care services has been in the forefront of health care discussions. Driving these discussions are rising chronic disease rates, skyrocketing health care costs, and the ever increasing number of individuals falling into that black hole known as the “uninsured” -- all of which are major burdens on Indiana’s health system. Regardless of ones perspective on health reform, the links between primary health care access, health outcomes, and health care costs are undeniable [1-3]. People with access to primary health care services live longer, healthier lives, and the overall cost of their health care are less than those without access to these services. Ensuring a strong primary health care system across the State of Indiana is crucial to ensuring the health of Hoosiers and improving the efficiency of Indiana’s health system. However, before our current system can be strengthened, it must be understood. This begs the following questions: what is primary care?; why is it important?; who provides these services?; and where are they located? The development and implementation of health policies and primary health care programs that would secure Hoosier health relies on the ability of the State of Indiana to make informed decisions

A novel cellular pathway of antigen presentation and CD4 T cell activation in vivo

Dendritic cell activation of CD4 T cells in the lymph node draining a site of infection or vaccination is widely considered the central event in initiating adaptive immunity. The accepted dogma is that this occurs by stimulating local activation and antigen acquisition by dendritic cells, with subsequent lymph node migration, however the generalizability of this mechanism is unclear. Here we show that in some circumstances antigen can bypass the injection site inflammatory response, draining freely and rapidly to the lymph nodes where it interacts with subcapsular sinus (SCS) macrophages resulting in their death. Debris from these dying SCS macrophages is internalized by monocytes recruited from the circulation. This coordinated response leads to antigen presentation by monocytes and interactions with naïve CD4 T cells that can drive the initiation of T cell and B cell responses. These studies demonstrate an entirely novel pathway leading to initiation of adaptive immune responses in vivo