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Exploring Overbank Sediment Deposition Variation in Heavily Modified Floodplains of the Lower Mississippi River: A Sedimentological and Geophysical Analysis
Get PDFSince the 1930s, the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) has experienced large-scale modifications to the channel profile and surrounding floodplains through dams, dikes, revetments, dredging, and channel cutoffs. Although these changes have improved navigation and reduced flood risk, unanticipated changes to the major flood return period, individual flood severity and duration, and sediment regime have become increasingly apparent and sometimes problematic, such as the 2011 and 2018-2020 floods. Flood control levees along the LMR have reduced the natural floodplain area by 70-90%, resulting in heavily restricted overbank storage capacity of water and sediment. For the same flood events in recent history, Natchez, MS, has experienced record high flood stages and much longer and more severe inundation compared to Vicksburg, MS. This research focuses on integration of clastic sedimentary characteristics and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data from overbank profiles at Shipland WMA (48 km northwest of Vicksburg) and St. Catherine Creek NWR (18 km southwest of Natchez) using five 6-meter floodplain sediment cores from both locations in meander scroll and backswamp depositional environments. Through analyzing systematic depositional changes through time and testing the capabilities of GPR in delineating subsurface wetland facies, probable event markers for the historic 1973, 2011, and 2018-2020 floods were defined and correlated across each site. These events only remain distinctive due to 14C temporal estimates; without a scale for time, these flood deposits would be no more distinctive than frequent, minor flood events. GPR is limited to correlation between boreholes and cannot be used to identify flood events alone
Exploring Autistic Individuals’ Perspectives of Social Skills Interventions
No full textOne in 44 children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Maenner et al., 2021). ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which individuals demonstrate marked deficits in reciprocal social communication and a pervasive pattern of restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022, p. 57). Over the past few decades, behavioral interventions such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) are considered an evidence-based practice for mitigating symptoms of ASD (Dillenburger et al., 2012; Linstead et al., 2017). Current advocacy efforts within the autistic community detail how some autistic individuals perceive that ABA interventions, particularly related to social skill improvements, may lead to more harmful effects than positive (Leaf et al., 2021; Rey, 2022; Autistic Self Advocacy Network [ASAN], n.d.). Contextually and culturally responsive improvements to social skill interventions should be made centering autistic voices (ASAN, 2022). To shift intervention methods towards acceptance, it is important to understand the relationship between ABA-based social skill interventions and autistic input.
This study aimed to explore the perceptions of autistic individuals regarding social skills conceptualizations, assessments, and interventions. The current study explored the relationship between autistic input in social skill intervention and therapeutic outcomes by gathering preliminary data from autistic individuals about social skills interventions. Three autistic individuals participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis framework
Genetic Analysis of Global Sawfish Populations
Get PDFFamily Pristidae contains five of the most critically endangered elasmobranch species: Anoxypristis cuspidata, Pristis pristis, Pristis pectinata, Pristis zijsron, and Pristis clavata. The species of this family have suffered drastic population declines and range reductions due to historic patterns of overexploitation, accidental entanglement, and habitat disruption. The conservation of this taxa has been historically complicated by taxonomic uncertainty, as similar morphologies across species make them exceedingly difficult to identify. A morphological and genetic comparison of sawfish specimens collected globally was conducted in 2013, which supported a reduction in the number of described species from seven to five. However, the study was based on small samples sizes from some geographic regions and limited genetic data. Here, a study was conducted to assess the genetic relationships between and within the currently described species of sawfishes utilizing historic DNA. Tissues were sampled from historic trophy rostra and a 374-bp portion of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene was PCR-amplified. Successful amplicons were sequenced and analyzed using MEGA v X and Network v 10.1.10. We found evidence for the splitting of regionally defined genetic subgroups within P. pristis, as is evident by phylogenetic and haplotype analyses. The resulting data may act as a baseline genetic library for future unknown samples, as displayed here. A comprehensive study of the mitogenomes of these species may be needed to further investigate genetic divergence in subgroupings of P. pristis
Black, White, and Red All Over: Tougaloo College and the Southern Red Scare
Get PDFThe purpose of this thesis is to explain the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission’s use of red baiting tactics against civil rights activists. Civil rights activists in Mississippi weathered countless physical, economic, and reputational attacks. The movement took off during the 1950s at the same time as the nation entered the Cold War. White supremacist southerners fought to preserve segregation through violent and nonviolent means. As the rest of the nation slowly came out of Cold War-fueled hysteria known as the second red scare, segregationists in the south were influenced by it. They cast the entire civil rights movement as a Communist plot to overthrow America. Dubbed by historian Jeff Woods as the “southern red scare,” this blend of anti-Communist and pro-segregationist sentiment combined concerns over national security with those of southern identity and white supremacy.[1] At the time, one of the most contentious battlegrounds over Jim Crow was Mississippi.[2] For Black people, any mistake or defiance could be deadly.[3]
Like many at the time, Clyde Kennard and the students at Tougaloo College chose to defy social order. Tougaloo was a private black college whose unique set up facilitated a culture of progressivism. It became an important place where activists could gather resources, and students and faculty participated in the movement directly. This activity soon drew the attention of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, who sought to destroy it.[4] Tougaloo’s president, white liberal Dr. A.D. Beittel, made himself a target with his support of activism on campus. His downfall would signal the end of Tougaloo’s golden era of activism.[5]
Years earlier in a different part of the state, veteran and aspiring college graduate Clyde Kennard tried to apply to Mississippi Southern College. His actions prompted a months-long campaign from the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission to stop him, either through shaming or smearing his name. Kennard’s refusal to back down led to him being convicted for crimes he did not commit. He ultimately died of cancer after being denied treatment while in prison. His story is considered one of the many tragedies of the civil rights era.[6]
This paper seeks to draw a connection between the segregationists’ anti-Communist viewpoint and the downfall of Kennard and Dr. Biettel’s presidency at Tougaloo. The “communist” label added some legitimacy to southern segregationists’ arguments, enough for many to shy away from the movement and those involved. It was this fear of being labeled by the association that caused Brown University, who wanted to enter a partnership with Tougaloo, to work with Tougaloo’s board of trustees to fire Beittel ahead of securing an important grant. In Kennard’s case, it influenced the commission’s attacks against him. The sovereignty commission’s attacks on Clyde Kennard and Tougaloo College exposed how the civil rights movement had no substantial defense against red baiting
Ethical Requirements for Achieving Fairness in Radiology Machine Learning: An Intersectionality and Social Embeddedness Approach
Get PDFRadiodiagnostics by machine-learning (ML) systems is often perceived as objective and fair. It may, however, exhibit bias towards certain patient sub-groups. The typical reasons for this are the selection of disease features for ML systems to screen, that ML systems learn from human clinical judgements, which are often biased, and that fairness in ML is often inappropriately conceptualized as “equality”. ML systems with such parameters fail to accurately diagnose and address patients’ actual health needs and how they depend on patients’ social identities (i.e. intersectionality) and broader social conditions (i.e. embeddedness). This paper explores the ethical obligations to ensure fairness of ML systems precisely in light of patients’ intersectionality and the social embeddedness of their health. The paper proposes a set of interventions to tackle these issues. It recommended a paradigm shift in the development of ML systems that enables them to screen both endogenous disease causes and the health effects of patients’ relevant underlying (e.g. socioeconomic) circumstances. The paper proposes a framework of ethical requirements for instituting this shift and further ensuring fairness. The requirements center patients’ intersectionality and the social embeddedness of their health most notably through (i) integrating in ML systems adequate measurable medical indicators of the health impact of patients’ circumstances, (ii) ethically sourced, diverse, representative and correct patient data concerning relevant disease features and medical indicators, and (iii) iterative socially sensitive co-exploration and co-design of datasets and ML systems involving all relevant stakeholders
Ethical and Legal Questions with Street Medicine
Get PDFThe homeless problem has been worsening in the U.S. for many years. Homeless residents have many health issues. Yet their healthcare needs are difficult to be met. To address this problem, the federal government and state governments are encouraging the implementation of Street Medicine programs by providing funding and changing regulations. However, due to the unique characteristics of this population, there are many ethical and legal issues related to delivering care to them. These issues have not been well discussed. This paper attempts to highlight the ethical and legal issues in Street Medicine. The goal is to call the attention of all the stakeholders to these issues so that meaningful discussions can begin
Adults Matter Too: An Examination of State Adult Missing Persons Policies and Procedures to Implement a Best Practices Handbook
Get PDFThe most recent estimates put the number of active missing person records at 97,127. Over the past eight years, child active records have decreased by 2,530, while adult active records have increased by 14,696. While there is no clear explanation for this trend, a common theory is that there are multiple federal and state laws requiring the entry of missing people under the age of 2; however, very few, if any, extend to adults. Additionally, there is a lack of standardization across available policies and procedures for where these cases should be reported, the time frame for doing so, and what information needs to be collected.
To address these issues, 10 law enforcement and medicolegal officials were interviewed, in conjunction with the synthesis of current information available, to create a handbook for use in these types of investigations. The purpose of this handbook is to improve success rates of finding and/or identifying adult missing and unidentified persons. This is achievable through two methods. The first involves using this handbook as a training aid for law enforcement agencies to educate their officers on the proper questions to ask, what databases can be utilized, and what resources are available to them. The second is the use of this handbook by law enforcement personnel as a resource and field guide throughout the investigation process. Finally, this handbook will be distributed to law enforcement nationwide, and it is hoped that it will aid with missing person casework and increase awareness of the issue
Autotomy of Globiferous Pedicellariae in the Sea Urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)
No full textPedicellariae are small structures on sea urchins used in cleaning the test and in defense. In most species, when globiferous pedicellariae (one of 4 types) contact an object it causes the pedicellariae to grasp the object in a defensive reaction. Very few instances have been documented where pedicellariae are released into the water column. Lytechinus variegatus was exposed to 4 treatments of control, physical tapping, water swirling around the animal, and direct jet of water at the animal in 4 separate experiments including two live field tests, an anesthetized test, and a euthanized test. Globiferous pedicellariae were released into the water in response to the direct jet of water, with the greatest response seen in individuals tested in the field and the least response in euthanized urchins. The other treatments did not elicit a large response. Release of pedicellariae into the water may be a preemptive defense before coming in physical contact with a predator