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Teaching the Literature of Climate Change
No full textOver the past several decades, writers such as Margaret Atwood, Paolo Bacigalupi, Octavia E. Butler, and Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner have explored climate change through literature, reflecting current anxieties about humans’ impact on the planet. Emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinarity, this volume embraces literature as a means to cultivate students’ understanding of the ongoing climate crisis, ethics in times of disaster, and the intrinsic intersectionality of environmental issues.
Contributors discuss speculative climate futures, the Anthropocene, postcolonialism, climate anxiety, and the usefulness of storytelling in engaging with catastrophe. The essays offer approaches to teaching interdisciplinary and cross-listed courses, including strategies for team-teaching across disciplines and for building connections between humanities majors and STEM majors. The volume concludes with essays that explore ways to address grief and to contemplate a hopeful future in the face of apocalyptic predictions
A GLOBAL SYNTHESIS OF THE RELATIVE IMPACTS OF HABITAT AMOUNT, FRAGMENTATION, AND MATRIX QUALITY ON FOREST BIODIVERSITY
Full text linkAim To assess the relative impact of different landscape variables on species richness and to determine whether species richness declines more rapidly below an extinction threshold of remaining habitat. The results of this study will help to better inform future conservation strategies. Location Global Time period 1997 – 2013 Major taxa studied Amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles Methods Data from 71 studies published in the global BioFrag database were used to determine species richness across multiple landscapes and biomes. The Hansen dataset was used to collect data on habitat amount (forest area), fragmentation (patch density), and matrix quality (mean % tree cover in the matrix) within the local landscape of each plot. Multi-model inference and meta-analysis were used to compare the relative impacts of standardized predictor variables on species richness. Break point and linear regression models of percent forest cover and species richness were used to test for the presence of extinction thresholds. Results Of the 29 studies included in multi-model inference, habitat amount had a greater regression coefficient than patch density in 15 studies and matrix quality in 21 studies. Patch density had a greater regression coefficient than habitat amount in 4 studies and matrix quality in 16 studies. The meta-analysis found habitat amount to have the greatest effect size with a |Fisher’s z-score| ~1.7x greater than that of patch density and ~2.6x greater than matrix quality. The breakpoint regression model was significant and outperformed the linear regression model in 7 out of 71 studies. Main conclusions Habitat amount had the greatest relative impact on species richness followed by patch density and matrix quality. We did not find support for the extinction threshold hypothesis
Exploring the neurological features of individuals with germline PTEN variants: A multicenter study
Full text linkObjective: PTEN, a known tumor suppressor gene, is a mediator of neurodeve- lopment. Individuals with germline pathogenic variants in the PTEN gene, molecularly defined as PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), experience a variety of neurological and neuropsychiatric challenges during childhood, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the frequency and nature of seizures and the utilization of allied health services have not been described. Methods: Young patients with PHTS and sibling controls were recruited across five centers in the United States and followed every 6–12 months for a mean of 2.1 years. In addition to the history obtained from caregivers, neurodevelop- mental evaluations and structured dysmorphology examinations were con- ducted, and brain MRI findings, received therapies, and epilepsy characteristics were reported. Results: One hundred and seven patients with PHTS (median age 8.7 years; range 3–21 years) and 38 controls were enrolled. ASD and epi- lepsy were frequent among patients with PHTS (51% and 15%, respectively), with generalized epilepsy strongly associated with ASD. Patients with epilepsy often required two antiseizure medications. Neuroimaging revealed prominent perivascular spaces and decreased peritrigonal myelination in individuals with PHTS-ASD. Allied therapy use was frequent and involved physical, occupational, speech, and social skills therapies, with 89% of all patients with PHTS, regardless of ASD diagnosis, utilizing at least one service. Interpretation: This prospective, longitudinal study highlights the wide neurological spectrum seen in young individuals with PHTS. ASD is common in PHTS, comorbid with epilepsy, and allied health services are used universally. Our findings inform care discussions with families about neurological outcomes in PHTS
THE PROBLEMS US DUMPING AND SUBSIDY REGULATIONS POSE FOR THAILAND: EVIDENCE FROM THE STEEL AND PINEAPPLE SECTORS
Full text linkPATERNALISM, INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY, AND UNIONIZATION IN THE CLEVELAND GARMENT INDUSTRY: 1900–1935: THE CASE OF THE PRINTZ-BIEDERMAN AND JOSEPH AND FEISS COMPANIES
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