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Abundance and Distribution of an Exceptional Number of Red-necked Grebes in Western Lake Ontario during Spring 2019
No full textThe Red-necked Grebe is a regular spring migrant on the Great Lakes and occasionally observed in very large numbers, particularly along the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. Aerial surveys were flown to document abundance, distribution and habitat use of waterfowl and conspicuous waterbirds along the Ontario shorelines of the lower Great Lakes. On 7 April 2019, we observed a very large number of Red-necked Grebes, estimated at 12,395 individuals, concentrated in western Lake Ontario. The majority of these birds were located offshore along a 20 km span of shoreline between Frenchman’s Bay (Pickering, Ontario) and Bluffer’s Beach (Scarborough, Ontario). However, an exceptional number of Red-necked Grebes, estimated at about 11,000 birds, was observed along an approximately 2 km span of shoreline near the Scarborough Bluffs. Red-necked Grebes also were observed on two subsequent surveys in western Lake Ontario, but their estimated total numbers were considerably lower on 28 April (1,326 birds) and 8 May (32 birds). Given that the largest published minimum continental population estimate for this species is 45,000 birds, the 12,395 estimated birds we observed represents slightly more than 25% of that number. This sighting, along with several others over the past several years, represents a significant proportion of the North American population and highlights the importance of western Lake Ontario for spring migrant Red-necked Grebes
Protection of polymeric/organic materials from photodegradation by encapsulation
No full textStructures of a particle containing a core and at least one shell, a metal oxide material of which is necessarily doped to ensure protection of a material of the core from photodegradation. The core can include any of a thermochromic material, a phase-change material, and a judiciously defined auxiliary material that in turn contains organic and/or polymeric material. Derivative products utilizing a plurality of such particles. Methodologies for producing such particles and derivative products
Ultrahigh surface area materials and methods of making the same
No full textIn one embodiment, a surface has a laser-beam machined area including an array of micro-sized conical pillars that are arranged in orthogonal rows and columns across the surface and that extend upward, the conical pillars defining deep troughs between them that are configured to absorb electrons, electromagnetic radiation, or both, the conical pillars tapering from relatively wide bases to pointed tips, the conical pillars comprising outer surfaces that are covered with a plurality of nanoparticles
Representation and visualization of multivariate sensory time series data
No full textIn accordance with some embodiments, systems, methods, and media for processing and representing multivariate sensor information gathered from multiple sources are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: receiving a data sequences from respective sources; identifying a shortest data sequence that corresponds to a first interval; calculating, for pairs of data sequences, a similarity value over the first interval; forming a first segment of a representative data sequence that is a weighted combination of the data sequences over the first interval based on similarity values associated with the data sequences; truncating at least a subset of data sequences to exclude elements corresponding to the first interval; identifying a shortest data sequence corresponding to a second interval; forming a second segment of the representative data sequence based on similarity values associated with the data sequences; and concatenating the first segment and the second segment of the representative data sequence
B-catenin/B-cell Lymphoma 9 protein-protein interaction inhibiting peptidomimetics
No full textDisclosed herein is a series of helical sulfono-γ-AApeptides that mimic the binding mode of the α-helical HD2 domain of B-Cell Lymphoma 9 (BCL9). As disclosed herein, sulfono-γ-AApeptides can structurally and functionally mimic the α-helical domain of BCL9, and selectively disrupt β-catenin/BCL9 PPIs with even higher potency. More intriguingly, these sulfono-γ-AApeptides can enter cancer cells, bind with β-catenin and disrupt β-catenin/BCL PPI, and exhibit excellent cellular activity, which is much more potent than the BCL9 peptide. Furthermore, enzymatic stability studies demonstrated the remarkable stability of the helical sulfono-γ-AApeptides, with no degradation in the presence of pronase for 24 h, augmenting their biological potential
IBBA Conference set for 24-26 October 2025 at Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center, MN
No full textFlorida Scrub-Jays (\u3cem\u3eAphelocoma coerulescens\u3c/em\u3e) and Fire: Update from an On-going, Multi-decadal Experiment
No full textDemocracy, Expertise, and the Disinformation Problem
No full textExperts are an essential part of our social epistemology. They grant us access to knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible. Because of this, experts are also typically seen as invaluable political contributors. Without expert contributions, public policy risks being ill-informed and therefore incapable of addressing society’s needs. Recently, however, the extent to which expertise should inform public policy has come into question. Fueled largely by disinformation, there is a growing movement against traditional experts. Those within this movement argue that experts have overstepped their bounds and are working against the societies they are meant to be helping. Fearing that that the democratic system of political legitimization might empower this movement to install their own disinformed “experts” into positions of political authority, some philosophers have proposed alternative to democracy which prioritize expert voices over much of the population. Such systems, they argue, ensure that political authority is dispelled competently and that disinformation does not find its way into politics. However, as this dissertation argues, such systems are ultimately unable to live up to this aspiration. Like democracy, they are vulnerable to legitimizing disinformed positions as politically authoritative. Unlike democracy, though, these alternatives lack the mechanisms to easily expel disinformation once it becomes entrenched. Their structures of authority are simply too rigid to easily change. Additionally, these alternatives require moral transgressions in order to be properly implemented. Failing to ensure a more competent political system, these transgressions lack justification. Consequently, despite its shortcomings, this leaves democracy as the preferable system of political legitimization even as disinformation’s influence continues to expand