Eventual Transition Research Articles

After the Incubator: Factors Impeding Land Access Along the Path from Farmworker to Proprietor

Farmworkers aiming to transition to independent proprietorship often benefit from beginning farmer incubator programs that offer agricultural training, subsidized farmland rents, and marketing and business assistance. Incubator initiatives often align with various efforts to stem the tide of shrinking U.S. farm numbers and enhance the viability of small-scale, environmentally and socially regenerative enterprises. Yet even as these promising initiatives provide former farmworkers with initial tools for success, structural barriers can impede beginning farmers' eventual transition to independent proprietorship. Land access is one well-known barrier to entry. Impediments to land access for beginning farmers are frequently framed purely in terms of available acreage and/or sufficient start-up capital. Sociocultural and relational factors mediating land access are less well understood. Our study addresses this gap, examining how sociocultural and relational constraints impede land access for former immigrant farmworkers aspiring to independent farming in California's Central Coast region. We employ qualitative methods, including 26 in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation, to explore barriers to land access faced by aspiring small-scale organic farmers participating in an established regional organic farm incubator program. Our findings indicate that these beginning farmers are highly motivated, possess sophisticated farming skills, and wish to shape their livelihoods independently. However, their access to farmland is mediated by landowner and tenant farmer relationships, including lease arrangements, and sociocultural barriers, including ethnicity and/or cultural identity. In a context in which incubator initiatives are envisioned as means to facilitate new entry of former immigrant farmworkers into the agricultural sector, this case study analysis traces specific sociocultural contours associated with land access that impede successful proprietorship for beginning farmers. We conclude by suggesting potential strategies for addressing these barriers to entry in order to facilitate enhanced efficacy of incubator programs. See the press release for this article.&nbsp

Determination of heavy metals concentration in raw sheep milk from mercury polluted area

The paper focuses on determining the content of monitored contaminants (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn) in 53 samples of raw sheep milk collected in 2013 and 2014 on the sites Poráč and Matejovce nad Hornádom (middle Spiš). The area is characterized by historical mining and metalworking activity (mining and processing of polymetallic ores rich in Hg, Cd and Pb). Currently, the area is one of the most mercury contaminated areas in Central Europe. All statistical analyses were carried out using the statistical software Statistica 10.0 (Statsoft, USA). Descriptive data analysis included minimum value, maximum value, arithmetic mean and standard deviation. The results of the studied contaminant content show that the limit value for cadmium (10 μg.kg-1) was exceeded in 25 samples. In the case of lead, the limit value of 20 μg.kg-1 was exceeded in 16 cases. The limit value for copper (0.4 mg.kg-1) was exceeded in one case. The limit value for zinc is not defined by a legislative standard. The risk level of the studied contaminants in the samples of raw sheep milk decreases as follows: Cd > Pb > Hg > Cu > Zn. It can be concluded that frequent and long-term consumption of the raw sheep milk originating from the studied sites poses a health risk. The content of the contaminants in the milk and their eventual transition into dairy products should be monitored over a longer term in more detail.

The Farm Security Administration and Rural Rehabilitation in the South by Charles Kenneth Roberts

Reviewed by: The Farm Security Administration and Rural Rehabilitation in the South by Charles Kenneth Roberts Robert Hunt Ferguson The Farm Security Administration and Rural Rehabilitation in the South. By Charles Kenneth Roberts. (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2015. Pp. [xxxiv], 291. $51.75, ISBN 978-1-62190-160-0.) The Great Depression dragged many rural southerners from lives of poverty and debt to the precipice of ruin. For tenants and sharecroppers especially, the financial crash, unstable crop prices, and disastrous policies made a difficult life even more miserable. In The Farm Security Administration and Rural Rehabilitation in the South, Charles Kenneth Roberts has written a thorough administrative history of the only New Deal program expressly created to address and alleviate rural poverty. Depression-era rural resettlement and rehabilitation have factored into book-length studies for some decades, from Sidney Baldwin’s and Donald Holley’s classics to Jarod Roll’s recent work. Previous studies have usually either focused on the entire history of the Farm Security Administration (FSA), as in the case of Baldwin, or on one program under the aegis of the FSA. Roberts’s book should not be considered a corrective to previous studies; rather, it is a concise history that provides readers with both a top-down account and a ground-level analysis of this heady New Deal program. The book is divided into two parts. Roberts begins at the macro level in Washington, D.C. The first half of the book focuses on the Resettlement Administration (RA) and the historical contingencies that led to its creation and eventual transition into the FSA. Roberts navigates the sometimes messy history of this New Deal bureaucracy while also exploring the various personalities and policies that came to dominate the often troubled administration. Even under the hyperorganized Rexford G. Tugwell, the idealistic yet pragmatic RA could not find its footing. Suffering from cumbersome bureaucracy and a lack of direction, the RA weathered a two-pronged attack from skeptical media and petty politicians. Roberts makes it clear that to conclude that rural rehabilitation was a failure is to miss the remarkable fact that, despite constant attacks, the RA and the FSA existed for a significant amount of time and were able to help many downtrodden rural Americans. In Part 2, Roberts explains “the on-the-ground functioning of the Farm Security Administration in order to understand the effectiveness of federal rural reform efforts” (p. 89). In short, he argues, “The FSA should be understood as a local agency” (p. 90). Roberts reiterates to his readers that rural rehabilitation—and the various assistance it offered, including loans—was the most important FSA program. But Roberts also quantifies his assertion by demonstrating how loans and other aid affected more than one million families. His aim is to recover this understudied aspect of the FSA. For this goal, he should be commended. The history of supervised credit may not be as compelling as the photographic and community resettlement programs of the FSA, yet Roberts’s focus on loans is a reminder that “[d]espite popular recollections of the New Deal and rural America, rural rehabilitation was the broadest (and most broadly supported) effort to help small farmers” (p. xi). Roberts’s book leans heavily on Alabama sources and examples. This concentration on Alabama is an asset in chapter 8, which focuses exclusively on Alabama resettlement communities as case studies. In other chapters, however, the overreliance on one state sometimes works against the author’s claim that [End Page 476] the FSA should be understood within local contexts. This small drawback, however, does not take away from the fact that this book should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand the RA/FSA. What this monograph does most admirably is construct a necessary top-down administrative history and wed it to local-level analysis. Institutional histories have become rare, and often for good reasons. But Roberts reminds us that we must look at government initiatives holistically in order to fully appreciate their historical and present-day impacts. Robert Hunt Ferguson Western Carolina University Copyright © 2016 The Southern Historical Association

Weakening Obstacles to Transit Use: Changes in Relationships with Child Rearing and Automobile Access from 2000 to 2010

Early indications of a significant generational change in travel behavior have raised hopes of robust growth in transit use in the immediate future, especially as the millennial generation comes of age. The eventual transition to family life and child rearing, however, has led to significant declines in the transit use rates of older-age cohorts. For high transit-use rates of millennials to be durable, the relationship between the presence of children and travel behavior must change. Despite lower rates of automobile ownership by millennials than by previous cohorts, automobile ownership is still widespread: increased attraction of choice riders is important for growth in transit use as well. This study looks for changes in the basic relationship between the presence of young children or automobile access and the probability of transit use from 2000 to 2010 on the basis of data from the decennial Travel Behavior Inventory by the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Pooled logistic regression models at both the trip and person level find that automobile access was a weaker negative predictor of transit use in 2010 and that the presence of young children in participants’ households negatively predicted transit use in 2000 but not in 2010. Chow tests establish that these observed changes represent significant changes in the mode choice relationships in question. The results call for research on similar potential changes in other regions and underscore the importance of family-oriented housing and community features in transit-served areas.

New Technique for Tibiotalar Arthrodesis Using a New Intramedullary Nail Device: A Cadaveric Study.

Introduction. Ankle arthrodesis is performed in a variety of methods. We propose a new technique for tibiotalar arthrodesis using a newly designed intramedullary nail. Methods. We proposed development of an intramedullary device for ankle arthrodesis which spared the subtalar joint using a sinus tarsi approach. Standard saw bones models and computer assisted modeling and stress analysis were used to develop different nail design geometries and determine the feasibility of insertion. After the final design was constructed, the device was tested on three cadaveric specimens. Results. Four basic nail geometries were developed. The optimal design was composed of two relatively straight segments, each with a different radius of curvature for their respective tibial and talar component. We successfully implemented this design into three cadaveric specimens. Conclusion. Our newly designed tibiotalar nail provides a new technique for isolated tibiotalar fusion. It utilizes the advantages of a tibiotalar calcaneal nail and spares the subtalar joint. This design serves as the foundation for future research to include compression options across the tibiotalar joint and eventual transition to clinical practice.

The Path to an RDA Hybridized Catalog: Lessons from the Kent State University Libraries' RDA Enrichment Project

ABSTRACTThis article describes in detail the library implementation of a Resource Description and Access (RDA) Enrichment project. The library “hybridized,” or enriched legacy data from Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules bibliographic records by the addition of specific RDA elements. The project also cleaned up various other elements in the bibliographic data that were not directly RDA-related. There were over 28 million changes and edits made to these records, changes that would never have been made otherwise because the library lacked the resources to do them independently. The enrichment project made the bibliographic data consistent, and helped prepared the data for its eventual transition to a linked data environment.

Edge structure of graphene monolayers in theν=0quantum Hall state

Monolayer graphene at neutrality in the quantum Hall regime has many competing ground states with various types of ordering. The outcome of this competition is modified by the presence of the sample boundaries. In this paper we use a Hartree-Fock treatment of the electronic correlations allowing for space-dependent ordering. The edge influence is modeled by a simple perturbative effective magnetic field in valley space. We find that all phases found in the bulk of the sample, ferromagnetic, canted antiferromagnetic, charge-density wave and Kekul$\'e$ distortion are smoothly connected to a Kekul$\'e$-distorted edge. The single-particle excitations are computed taking into account the spatial variation of the order parameters. An eventual metal-insulator transition as a function of the Zeeman energy is not simply related to the type of bulk order.

Identification of paleo Arctic winter sea ice limits and the marginal ice zone: Optimised biomarker-based reconstructions of late Quaternary Arctic sea ice

Analysis of >100 surface sediments from across the Barents Sea has shown that the relative abundances of the mono-unsaturated sea ice diatom-derived biomarker IP25 and a tri-unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) lipid (HBI III) are characteristic of the overlying surface oceanographic conditions, most notably, the location of the seasonal sea ice edge. Thus, while IP25 is generally limited to locations experiencing seasonal sea ice, with higher abundances found for locations with longer periods of ice cover, HBI III is found in sediments from all sampling locations, but is significantly enhanced in sediments within the vicinity of the retreating sea ice edge or marginal ice zone (MIZ). The response of HBI III to this well-defined sea ice scenario also appears to be more selective than that of the more generic phytoplankton biomarker, brassicasterol. The potential for the combined analysis of IP25 and HBI III to provide more detailed assessments of past sea ice conditions than IP25 alone has been investigated by quantifying both biomarkers in three marine downcore records from locations with contrasting modern sea ice settings. For sediment cores from the western Barents Sea (intermittent seasonal sea ice) and the northern Norwegian Sea (ice-free), high IP25 and low HBI III during the Younger Dryas (ca. 12.9–11.9 cal. kyr BP) is consistent with extensive sea cover, with relatively short periods of ice-free conditions resulting from late summer retreat. Towards the end of the YD (ca. 11.9–11.5 cal. kyr BP), a general amelioration of conditions resulted in a near winter maximum ice edge scenario for both locations, although this was somewhat variable, and the eventual transition to predominantly ice-free conditions was later for the western Barents Sea site (ca. 9.9 cal. kyr BP) compared to NW Norway (ca. 11.5 cal. kyr BP). For both locations, coeval elevated HBI III (but absent IP25) potentially provides further evidence for increased Atlantic Water inflow during the early Holocene, but this interpretation requires further investigation. In contrast, IP25 and HBI III data obtained from a core from the northern Barents Sea demonstrate that seasonal sea ice prevailed throughout the Holocene, but with a gradual shift from winter ice edge conditions during the early Holocene to more sustained ice cover in the Neoglacial; a directional shift that has undergone a reverse in the last ca. 150 yr according to observational records. Our combined surface and downcore datasets suggest that combined analysis of IP25 and HBI III can provide information on temporal variations in the position of the maximum (winter) Arctic sea ice extent, together with insights into sea ice seasonality by characterisation of the MIZ. Combining IP25 with HBI III in the form of the previously proposed PIP25 index yields similar outcomes to those obtained using brassicasterol as the phytoplankton marker. Importantly, however, some problems associated with use of a variable balance factor employed in the PIP25 calculation, are potentially alleviated using HBI III.

Dynamic Thermal Management for Aerospace Technology: Review and Outlook

Thermal energy is composed, by definition, of randomized carriers and is often an unwanted byproduct of human-engineered functions such as propulsion, communications, and directed forms of other types of energy. This inherent randomness greatly impedes the “orderly” management and control of heat, particularly when compared to electrical energy (e.g., power distribution lines) and optical energy (e.g., fiber optics). The thermal conductivities of common solids, for example, span only a few orders of magnitude, whereas electrical conductivities vary by 10 or more orders. Further, chemical and electrical energy can be stored and released with relative ease, whereas thermal storage materials and systems are typically bulky and inefficient. Motivated by critical aerospace needs to develop transformative thermal management strategies, particularly for high-flux, episodic heat loads within the tightly weight- and volume-constrained environment of aerospace vehicles, this paper provides an overview of prospective strategies and technologies that can address these challenges by exploiting the transient nature of the required cooling while also providing insights into the commensurate uncertainty quantification and control methods that will be essential to their eventual transition to practical applications.

Kindergarten Impacts of a Preschool Language-Focused Intervention

Many preschool language-focused interventions attempt to boost language and literacy skills in young children at risk in these areas of development, though the long-term effects of such interventions are not well-established. This study investigated kindergarten language and reading skills, specifically the subcomponents of vocabulary, decoding, and reading comprehension, for children exposed to the language-focused intervention Learning Language and Loving It (LLLI; Weitzman & Greenberg, 2002) during preschool. End of kindergarten skills were examined, comparing children whose teachers implemented LLLI (n = 25) or business-as-usual (BAU) instruction (n = 24). Hierarchical linear modeling results showed the LLLI intervention to have significant effects on children's decoding and reading comprehension in kindergarten for children who had high levels of language skill at preschool, as compared to their counterparts in the BAU condition. Study findings therefore indicate that preschool language-focused interventions may primarily benefit children with higher skill levels. This suggests the need to explore avenues for addressing the needs of children with relatively low language skills during preschool and the eventual transition to reading.

Optimizing Open Access Policy

This overview of the current status of Open Access (OA) to peer-reviewed research describes the steps that need to be taken to achieve universal OA. Policy initiatives by universities and funding agencies as well as adaptations by publishers have resulted in some progress toward universal OA, but a significant portion of research remains inaccessible to its would-be users because of subscription barriers. Institutions are forced to support both journal subscriptions and “Gold OA” author publication fees; this is not affordable or sustainable. More and stronger OA mandates will accelerate the provision of universal “Green OA” (author self-archiving) and an eventual transition to affordable, sustainable Gold OA, in which author fees replace institutional subscription fees to cover the remaining essential costs of journal publication. To accelerate progress, more institutions and funders need to adopt effective OA mandates. All universities and funders should require: (1) institutional deposit (2) deposit final draft immediately on acceptance for publication; and urge (but not require): (3) immediate OA, (4) author rights-retention, (5) minimization of allowable embargo length, (6) implementation of the copy-request Button, (7) provision of rich usage and citation metrics, and (8) having the repository deposit of publications be the locus for institutional performance review as well as funding applications and renewals.

Pressure-induced changes in the electron density distribution in α-Ge near the α-β transition

Electron density distributions in α-Ge have been determined under high pressure using maximum entropy method with structure factors obtained from single crystal synchrotron x-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell. The results show that the sp3 bonding is enhanced with increasing pressure up to 7.7(1) GPa. At higher pressures but below the α-β transition pressure of 11.0(1) GPa, the sp3-like electron distribution progressively weakens with a concomitant increase of d-orbitals hybridization. The participation of d-orbitals in the electronic structure is supported by Ge Kβ2 (4p-1s) x-ray emission spectroscopy measurements showing the reduction of 4s character in the valence band at pressures far below the α-β transition. The gradual increase of d-orbitals in the valence level in the stability field of α-Ge is directly related to the eventual structural transition.

The Occurrence and Thermal Disequilibrium State of Permafrost in Forest Ecotopes of the Great Slave Region, Northwest Territories, Canada

ABSTRACTPermafrost underlies peatlands of the Great Slave region, Northwest Territories, Canada, but permafrost relations beneath other ecotopes of black spruce (Picea mariana), white birch (Betula papyrifera) and mixed forests remain unknown. Permafrost‐ecotope relations examined over a 3 year period (2010–13) establish the occurrence and thermal state of permafrost under these different types of forest. Air temperatures and snow depths are regionally consistent. Ground temperature variation primarily reflects latent heat effects during the freezing season, with the duration of season‐normalised active‐layer freezeback explaining 76% of 1 m ground temperature variation among all sites except xeric peatland. Low apparent thermal diffusivities from substantial latent heat effects strongly attenuate ground temperature variation with depth, and yield zero annual amplitude depths of 7 m or less where annual mean ground temperatures range among sites from ‐1.4 °C to 0.0 °C. Extensive discontinuous permafrost conditions, related to the extent of forested ecotopes, are commonly in thermal disequilibrium. Whereas permafrost in peatlands may be ecosystem‐protected, this represents only about 2% of the area of the region. Permafrost in other forested ecotopes, occurring in ice‐rich unconsolidated sediments, is climate‐driven and ecosystem‐protected because of latent heat effects. Though the rate of permafrost degradation may be reduced, an eventual transition to isolated permafrost retained primarily within ecosystem‐driven peatlands implies substantial reductions of permafrost extent in this region. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interrelated Effects of Temperature and Environment on Wear and Tribochemistry of an Ultralow Wear PTFE Composite

A particular alumina–PTFE nanocomposite has distinguished itself with unusually large wear reductions at trace filler loadings. Recent studies have shown that the formation of carboxylic acid end groups in humid environments is a critical part of the wear reduction mechanism. This finding has significant implications for the utility of the material for space and high temperature applications. In this paper, wear rate, morphology, composition, and chemistry of the wear surfaces were characterized as a function of environmental composition and surface temperature to better understand the environmental limitations of this solid lubricating system and the associated wear resistance mechanisms. The following results were found: (1) ultralow wear rates were retained with increasing interface temperature up to 100 °C, (2) all samples ran in to low wear regardless of the environmental conditions (dry conditions caused an eventual transition to high wear), (3) carboxylates were detected after sliding in dry enviro...

The Engaging Power of English-Language Promotion in Franco's Spain

AbstractThe United States' support for the Franco dictatorship, along with British dominion over Gibraltar, caused an increasing sense of frustration towards the United States and United Kingdom amongst broad sectors of the Spanish public during the 1960s and 1970s. Growing resentment towards the Anglo-American presence in Spain threatened to jeopardise the geopolitical objectives of these two governments given the strategic importance of the Iberian Peninsula in the Cold War. Both the Americans and the British identified the promotion of the English language as a cultural tool to develop empathy amongst those Spaniards who would drive forward the eventual transition to a post-Franco era. This ‘soft power’ strategy fit perfectly with the pro-modernisation efforts taking place in several parts of the world. English teaching did not serve as a magic potion, however. Cultural seduction was not a cure-all to right the wrongs inflicted by the Anglo-American geostrategic priorities. This article explores the benefits and limitations of English language promotion in Franco's Spain and reflects on the ability of ‘soft power’ to influence what was a rather hostile hard-power context.

Journalism and Memory: Strategic Scenarios in a Transitional Horizon in the Colombian Context

The journalistic record is a “pharmaco” for a memory that “illuminates” as much as “obscures”. This study analyzes the role of journalism and memory as strategic and essential scenarios to promote democratic exercises that strengthen eventual political transition in Colombia. The study concludes that the journalism has not resolved the problem of studying the past related to armed conflict in the country. Based on a content analysis of different journalistic records, this study suggests that journalism Colombian not have had a relevant impact to understand that disruptive, violent and lurid past don’t have repeated again.

Clinical Implications of Family-Centered Care in Stroke Rehabilitation.

Most stroke survivors will be cared for at home by family caregivers with limited training. Families actively involved in rehabilitation feel more prepared for the new responsibilities of caring for the stroke survivor. The focus of this article is to highlight the relevant concepts of a family-centered model of care and provide general guidance on how integrating a family-centered mindset may be clinically applicable. Concept Analysis. Synthesis of literature on family-centered care and its application in for rehabilitation nurses. Family-centered care is a model of collaborative healthcare that encourages collaboration and partnership among patients, families, and providers with respect to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care. Care provided within such a model can expand providers' knowledge of the impact of illness and any issues that may affect eventual transition back home. Rehabilitation nurses should view stroke patients and family caregivers as a unit. Using family-centered strategies can help nurses provide appropriate, individualized care during rehabilitation.

BETWEEN THE WEST AND THE EAST: UKRAINIAN ECONOMIC THOUGHT AS THE CROSSROADS

Ukrainian economists, similarly to Ukrainian society, are in the middle of the process of turning from the East to the West. However, the visibility of their work remains low both in the East and the West. The analysis of their publication activity (using data from the Web of Science and eLibrary) confirms these assumptions. It is argued that the first step in this eventual transition consists in building the space for economic debates at the national level. Active and healthy debates at the national level will increase chances of Ukrainian economists to be heard internationally.

Micellar morphological transformations for a series of linear diblock model surfactants

The concentration induced shape transitions of linear model surfactants, H(x)T(y), on a lattice have been studied using Monte Carlo simulation. It has been found that a sphere to cylinder shape transition is generally found on shortening the hydrophilic part of the surfactant and anticipates an eventual phase transition. Asymmetric surfactants with longer heads than tails (x > y) prefer to form only spherical micelles independent of total surfactant concentration while asymmetric surfactants with longer tails than heads (x < y) form spherical micelles at lower concentration and undergo a shape transition to cylindrical micelles on increasing the total concentration. Finally, in the case of symmetric surfactants with x = y, only the shortest surfactants H1T1 and H2T2 undergo a sphere to cylinder shape transition on increasing surfactant concentration. Longer symmetric surfactants are always found to prefer to form spherical micelles.

ChemInform Abstract: Platinum Carbonyl Clusters Chemistry: Four Decades of Challenging Nanoscience

AbstractReview: 117 refs.