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[Review of the Book Environmental Preservation and the Grey Cliffs Conflict: Negotiating Common Narratives, Values, and Ethos, by K. D. Pickering].
No full textKristin Pickering presents a valuable case study that focuses on how professional communicators and researchers make sense of the narratives and values between stakeholders who may be at odds with each other. This is especially important in land usage and environmental protection cases like the Grey Cliffs, where the practices of private citizens and government regulated organizations conflict. Through Pickering\u27s well-structured case study, she shares a fascinating web of documentation practices, discourse expectations, and community narratives and how they affect the communication practices between organizations and communities
Low Salinities Impair Heat Tolerance and Alter Reproductive Traits with No Implications for Survival in a Marine Annelid from Coastal Habitats
No full textClimate change is expected to intensify salinity and temperature fluctuations in estuarine and coastal habitats. However, the impact of salinity variation on ectotherms’ thermal tolerance remains underexplored, limiting our understanding of the interplay between these stressors. This study investigated salinity-dependent changes in life history traits (survival, growth rate, fecundity, and egg size) over a 33-day exposure to a salinity gradient (12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 35, 40, 45, 50) in the marine annelid Ophryotrocha labronica. Individuals that survived the salinity treatments were assessed for their upper and lower thermal tolerance limits. Female individuals, the target of the study, exhibited a relatively broad optimal salinity range for reproduction and growth (22–35), with comparable survival rates across the remaining salinity treatments (12–45). Declining performance was observed towards the extremes of the gradient, with the highest salinity (50) proving lethal within 2–3 days of exposure. The decline in fecundity observed at the lowest (12) salinity was associated with a reduction in upper thermal tolerance limits and growth rates, as well as an increase in egg size. Cold tolerance remained consistent across treatments, while heat tolerance remained unchanged at the highest salinities. Our study demonstrates that salinity variation affects the heat tolerance and reproductive traits of O. labronica, with adjustments primarily driven by low salinities. These adaptations may contribute to the species’ extended survival under suboptimal conditions. Our findings contribute to the debate on the role of salinity-dependent thermal tolerance in determining the ability of marine organisms to cope with changing temperature conditions
Part 4: Is It Better to Give Than Receive? Exploring the Distributional Dimension of Virginia\u27s Budget
No full textThis chapter focuses on the distribution of intergovernmental finances in Virginia. Specifically, it analyzes the distribution of state-level public resources in the Commonwealth of Virginia that takes place as a result of state-to-local intergovernmental transfers. The analysis suggests that, as a result of the manner in which state revenues are collected and allocated back to localities, some Virginians contribute significantly more to the Commonwealth budget in taxes than they receive back in local benefits, while other state residents receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes
Elucidating the Role of Marine Benthic Carbon in a Changing World
No full textThe ocean plays a major role in controlling atmospheric carbon at decadal to millennial timescales, with benthic carbon representing the only geologic-scale storage of oceanic carbon. Despite its importance, detailed benthic ocean observations are limited and representation of the benthic carbon cycle in ocean and Earth system models (ESMs) is mostly empirical with little prognostic capacity, which hinders our ability to properly understand the long-term evolution of the carbon cycle and climate change-related feedbacks. The Benthic Ecosystem and Carbon Synthesis (BECS) working group, with the support of the US Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry Program (OCB), identified key challenges limiting our understanding of benthic systems, opportunities to act on these challenges, and pathways to increase the representation of these systems in global modeling and observational efforts. We propose a set of priorities to advance mechanistic understanding and better quantify the importance of the benthos: (a) implementing a model intercomparison exercise with existing benthic models to support future model development, (b) data synthesis to inform both model parameterizations and future observations, (c) increased deployment of platforms and technologies in support of in situ benthic monitoring (e.g., from benchtop to field mesocosm), and (d) global coordination of a benthic observing program (“GEOSed”) to fill large regional data gaps and evaluate the mechanistic understanding of benthic processes acquired throughout the previous steps. Addressing these priorities will help inform solutions to both global and regional resource management and climate adaptation strategies
Maritime Industry Cybersecurity Threats in 2025: Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Hacktivism and Vulnerabilities
No full textBackground: The maritime industry, vital for global trade, faces escalating cyber threats in 2025. Critical port infrastructures are increasingly vulnerable due to rapid digitalization and the integration of IT and operational technology (OT) systems. Methods: Using 112 incidents from the Maritime Cyber Attack Database (MCAD, 2020-2025), we developed a novel quantitative risk assessment model based on a Threat-Vulnerability-Impact (T-V-I) framework, calibrated with MITRE ATT&CK techniques and validated against historical incidents. Results: Our analysis reveals a 150% rise in incidents, with OT compromise identified as the paramount threat (98/100 risk score). Ports in Poland and Taiwan face the highest immediate risk (95/100), while the Panama Canal is assessed as the most probable next target (90/100). State-sponsored actors from Russia, China, and Iran are responsible for most high-impact attacks. Conclusions: This research provides a validated, data-driven framework for prioritizing defensive resources. Our findings underscore the urgent need for engineering-grade solutions, including network segmentation, zero-trust architectures, and proactive threat intelligence integration to enhance maritime cyber resilience against evolving threats
Don\u27t Leave the Good Things in the Rearview! A Field Experiment Examining the Influence of a Positive Work Reflection Intervention on Taxi Drivers\u27 Work Behaviors
No full textAs service jobs tend to be demanding and exhausting, it is critical to identify ways that help service employees stay positive and engage in behaviors that represent high quality customer service. Drawing upon affective events theory, this research aims to examine how a positive work reflection intervention influences service employees\u27 work behaviors via positive affect and the role of promotion focus as a personality moderator. We used a between-subjects design to test the effects of the “three good things” positive work reflection intervention in a field experiment. Data were collected from 74 taxi drivers who were randomly assigned into either an intervention condition or a control condition. They rated their positive affect and work behaviors using daily diary surveys for 7 consecutive days, during which participants in the intervention condition completed the “three good things” exercise at the end of each workday. Results showed that participants in the intervention condition reported higher levels of morning positive affect compared to participants in the control condition, but only for those with higher levels of promotion focus. Further, the intervention indirectly increased extra-role service behavior and reduced rule breaking behavior and passive response to entitled customer demands via positive affect for individuals with higher levels of promotion focus. The intervention showed opposite effects for individuals with lower levels of promotion focus. The intervention also directly enhanced employees\u27 active response in handling entitled customer demands. Our findings suggest that a simple exercise like the “three good things” positive work reflection intervention can significantly influence service employees\u27 work behaviors and the importance of considering the alignment between the intervention and individual differences
Stack Bonding in Pentacene and Its Derivatives
Get PDFUnderstanding the nature of π-stacking interactions is important to molecular recognition, self-assembly, and organic semiconductors. The stack bonding order (SBO) model of π-stacking has shown that the conformations of dimers occur when the combinations of monomer MOs are overall stack bonding in character. DFT calculations show that minima found on the potential energy surface for the π-stacked dimers of pentacene and perfluoropentacene occur when the dimer MOs are constructed from combinations of monomer MOs with an allowed SBO. An ex-amination of the MOs of π-stacked dimers extracted from X-ray structures of alkynyl derivatives like TIPS-pentacene pack at one or more of the minima expected to show similar MO patterns. The -stacking variability within these materials can be attributed to a balance between the minima allowed by SBO theory and steric effects within the lattice. The offset orientation of the pentacene cores observed in packing of these materials is attributed to the increased overlap of monomer lobes in the dimer and a reduction in two-orbital-four-electron repulsions. Charge mobility estimated from the frontier MOs of the dimer are related to the MO structure that favors PD conformations
COVID-19 Impact, Knowledge and Preparedness among Dental Hygienists in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional Study
No full textObjectives: The study investigates the impact of COVID‐19 on dental hygiene professionals practicing in Saudi Arabia and measures the knowledge and preparedness of dental hygienists to provide care during the pandemic.
Methods: A non‐experimental, cross‐sectional study was conducted targeting dental hygiene professionals in Saudi Arabia. The online survey consisted of 31 close‐ended questions: 9 items related to demographics and 22 items that are COVID‐19 related. Data were tested at two levels, descriptive and preliminary, using the Chi‐square test, and significance was set at the 0.05 level.
Results: One hundred and thirty‐one responses were received, and the final sample included one hundred and eighteen responses as it excluded unemployed dental hygienists with an estimated 39.6% response rate. The stress level to return to practice was considered moderate among 65.3% of participants. Over two‐thirds (73.7%) of dental hygienists were not providing any care/treatment during quarantine. Generally, a moderate level of knowledge (57.8%) was demonstrated by participants. For preparedness level to practice during the pandemic, sixty‐four dental hygienists (54.2%) were adequately prepared to provide care. Significant correlations were found between impact and knowledge (p = 0.045), impact and preparedness (p = 0.053), and knowledge and preparedness (p = 0.024).
Conclusions: Dissemination of COVID‐19 protocols, guidelines, and scientific literature increased the respondents’ knowledge and preparedness to an adequate level. This study indicated that knowledgeable dental hygienists were significantly more prepared to treat patients during the pandemic and that stress positively influenced COVID‐19 knowledge acquisition. Non-practicing dental hygienists during the quarantine were more knowledgeable and more prepared to practice during the pandemic
Emergency Room Utilization Rates Among Unhoused Patients Receiving Care at a Student-led Free Clinic
Get PDFPurpose statement: The purpose of this activity is to allow the learner to recognize the impact of a student-led clinic aimed at caring for those living in homelessness by providing accessible primary care and minimizing barriers to reduce avoidable emergency room utilization.
Objectives: At the end of the presentation, learners will be able to discuss and demonstrate knowledge of outcomes related to emergency room visits when student-led clinics are implemented in their region. To identify the most common reasons persons living in homelessness present to the emergency room to expand services in future practice.
Background: Studies have determined that unhoused patients have higher rates of emergency room (ER) utilization and are more likely to have repeated visits, with three-fourths of the visits categorized as inappropriate or avoidable (Salhi et al., 2017). In 2017 ER visits totaled over 76 billion (Moore & Liang, 2020). The average person living in homelessness visits the ER a minimum of five times a year, costing a minimum of 18,000 dollars (Garrett, 2012). Unhoused people face many barriers to accessing quality care and suffer from higher morbidity and mortality rates due to uncontrolled chronic conditions, untreated mental health, and unmet social needs. A homeless individual\u27s life expectancy is less than 50 years old (Vohra et al., 2022). Multiple studies indicate that student-led free clinics are positioned to reduce unnecessary ER utilization among persons living in homelessness, resulting in decreased healthcare spending and improved patient outcomes.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of a student-led integrated free clinic housed within a local faith-based organization caring for clients living in homelessness. We evaluated both emergency room (ER) utilization rates, reason, and disposition of the visits. The student-led clinic is run through the School of Nursing and consists of an interprofessional staff of nurse practitioners, social workers, and graduate and undergraduate students who minimize access barriers by providing both primary and acute care services, including infectious disease screening and treatment and harm reduction.
Methods: A non-experimental causal-comparative retrospective design was used to analyze data from the region’s hospital system’s five emergency departments. A total of 252 unique individuals were identified and evaluated on ER utilization and most occurring diagnoses. Participants were identified as unhoused with an identified address from the clinic. Difference in ER visits on days that the clinic was compared to non-operating days. Descriptive data related to admission diagnosis and disposition of the visit were collected. Outcomes were measured for the year 2022.
Outcomes: The study demonstrated that although the participants who attended the student-led free clinic in 2022 had higher ER utilization rates, 83.8% of all ER visits occurred when the clinic was closed, indicating a need to increase operating hours. Out of all 734 visits, the researcher concluded that 548 could have been seen in the clinic. Mental and behavioral health diagnoses, acute illnesses, injuries, wounds, and dental complaints were prevalent, signifying a demand for the implementation of mental health, dental, and wound care programs in the clinic
Prompt-Based Learning for Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning
Get PDFFew-Shot Class-Incremental Learning (FSCIL) aims to enable deep neural networks to incrementally learn new tasks from a limited number of labeled samples, while retaining knowledge of previously learned tasks, mimicking the way humans learn. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach called Prompt Learning for FSCIL (PL-FSCIL), which leverages the power of prompts alongside a pre-trained Vision Transformer (ViT) model to effectively tackle the challenges of FSCIL. Our approach explores the feasibility of directly applying visual prompts in FSCIL, using a simplified model architecture. PL-FSCIL integrates two key prompts: the Domain Prompt and the FSCIL Prompt. Both are tensors incorporated into the attention layer of the ViT network to enhance its capabilities. The Domain Prompt helps the model adapt to new data domains, while the FSCIL Prompt, in combination with a prototype classifier, boosts the model\u27s ability to handle incremental tasks. We evaluate the performance of PL-FSCIL on well-established benchmark datasets, including CIFAR-100 and CUB-200. The results demonstrate competitive performance, highlighting the method\u27s promising potential for real-world applications, particularly in scenarios where high-quality labeled data is scarce. The source code is at: https://github.com/JichengYuan81/PL-FSCIL