BEACON 2015 Annual Report I
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Donald Trump
7 HARD TRUTHS THE LGBT COMMUNITY MUST 3 ADDRESS IN THE WAKE OF THE ORLANDO MASSACRE LARGE TURN OUT FOR 'WE ARE ORLANDO' VIGILS NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY JUNE 27: TAKE THE TEST ! 'GIRLS' CREATOR ON RECOGNIZING ‘SEEMINGLY MUNDANE’ LGBT ISSUES & THE INFLUENCE OF HER SISTER’S QUEERNESS WWW.PRIDESOURCE.COM JUNE 23, 2016 | VOL. 2425 | FREE COMMUNITY THEATER Slipstream’s ‘Midsummer,’ Set in a Gay Bar, Re-Thinks and Re-Tools after Orlando NEWS 4 New Employer Resource to Help End Transgender Employment Discrimination 5 Goal: 100 for National HIV Testing Day 6 Large Gathering at Affirmations Honors Lives Lost in Orlando 8 Older Adult Summit Looks at Challenges, Affirmations Community Center Vigil Draws Intergenerational Solutions Over 700 people 8 National 2015 Hate Crime Report Shows Significant Disparities See page 6 See page 16 10 Orlando: Michigan responds 13 Aftershocks of Orlando: Is GOP in ‘Solidarity’ with LGBT Community or Squirming Over Trump’s Embrace? TALKING HIV CREEP OF THE WEEK 16 Slipstream’s ‘Midsummer,’ Set in a Gay Bar, Re- Thinks and Re-Tools 17 In Wake of Orlando Massacre, LGBT Venues Ramp Up Security OPINION 10 Parting Glances 10 Viewpoint: On Orlando by David Furnish 11 Positive Thoughts: Good Morning Vietnam 11 Creep of the Week: Donald Trump 12 Frivolist: 7 Hard Truths the LGBT Community Must Address in the Wake of the Orlando LIFE 18 Lena Dunham Man’s Up Please consider making a donation Good Morning Vietnam Trump and the 20 Ann Arbor Art Fair Brings New Dates, Artists of any size to the family and victims. -
Crop Diversification Leads to Diverse Bird Problems in Hawaiian Agriculture
Human–Wildlife Confl icts 1(2):235–243, Fall 2007 Crop diversifi cation leads to diverse bird problems in Hawaiian agriculture MARNI E. KOOPMAN1, Hawaii Field Station, USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Re- search Center, P.O. Box 10880, Hilo, Hawaii 96721, USA [email protected] WILLIAM C. PITT, Hawaii Field Station, USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center, P.O. Box 10880, Hilo, Hawaii 96721, USA Abstract: Over the last 20 years, Hawaii’s agriculture has shifted from a focus on sugar cane (Saccharum offi cinarum) and pineapples (Ananas comosus) produced on large farms to a diverse array of products produced on a multitude of smaller farms. This dramatic shift in production, in addition to the introduction of many new avian species, has resulted in a concomitant change in the problems faced by agriculture. We surveyed farmers to determine the extent of bird damage to crops, the species responsible, the crops most vulnerable, and control methods employed. Bird problems varied by island, but cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis, Paroaria coronata, and P. capitata) and pheasants (Phasianus colchicus and Lophura leucomelanos) were signifi cant problems on all islands. Seed corn (Zea mays), fruit, vegetables, rice (Oryza sativa), and orchids (Orchidaceae) all sustained notable damage to their crops by birds, and growers expressed much interest in gaining information on control measures. Most farmers incurred little damage, while a few reported losing 80 to 100% of their crops at certain times of the year. We recommend a multidimensional approach to control invasive bird species, including habitat alterations, scare tactics, cessation of game bird releases, prevention of the spread of known pests among islands, and the development of chemical repellents for use when other methods are not suffi cient. -
Guiding Organic Management in a Service-Oriented Real-Time Middleware Architecture
Guiding Organic Management in a Service-Oriented Real-Time Middleware Architecture Manuel Nickschas and Uwe Brinkschulte Institute for Computer Science University of Frankfurt, Germany {nickschas, brinks}@es.cs.uni-frankfurt.de Abstract. To cope with the ever increasing complexity of today's com- puting systems, the concepts of organic and autonomic computing have been devised. Organic or autonomic systems are characterized by so- called self-X properties such as self-conguration and self-optimization. This approach is particularly interesting in the domain of distributed, embedded, real-time systems. We have already proposed a service-ori- ented middleware architecture for such systems that uses multi-agent principles for implementing the organic management. However, organic management needs some guidance in order to take dependencies between services into account as well as the current hardware conguration and other application-specic knowledge. It is important to allow the appli- cation developer or system designer to specify such information without having to modify the middleware. In this paper, we propose a generic mechanism based on capabilities that allows describing such dependen- cies and domain knowledge, which can be combined with an agent-based approach to organic management in order to realize self-X properties. We also describe how to make use of this approach for integrating the middleware's organic management with node-local organic management. 1 Introduction Distributed, embedded systems are rapidly advancing in all areas of our lives, forming increasingly complex networks that are increasingly hard to handle for both system developers and maintainers. In order to cope with this explosion of complexity, also commonly referred to as the Software Crisis [1], the concepts of Autonomic [2,3] and Organic [4,5,6] Computing have been devised. -
Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium 2018 B
13 13 S. Tomforde | B. Sick (Eds.) Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium 2018 Organic Computing B. Sick (Eds.) B. | S. Tomforde S. Tomforde ISBN 978-3-7376-0696-7 9 783737 606967 V`:%$V$VGVJ 0QJ `Q`8 `8 V`J.:`R 1H@5 J10V`1 ? :VC Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium 2018 S. Tomforde, B. Sick (Editors) !! ! "#$%&'&$'$(&)(#(&$* + "#$%&'&$'$(&)(#$&,*&+ - .! ! /)!/#0// 12#$%'$'$()(#$, 23 & ! )))0&,)(#$' '0)/#5 6 7851 999!& ! kassel university press 7 6 Preface The Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium (OC-DDC) series is part of the Organic Computing initiative [9, 10] which is steered by a Special Interest Group of the German Society of Computer Science (Gesellschaft fur¨ Informatik e.V.). It provides an environment for PhD students who have their research focus within the broader Organic Computing (OC) community to discuss their PhD project and current trends in the corresponding research areas. This includes, for instance, research in the context of Autonomic Computing [7], ProActive Computing [11], Complex Adaptive Systems [8], Self-Organisation [2], and related topics. The main goal of the colloquium is to foster excellence in OC-related research by providing feedback and advice that are particularly relevant to the students’ studies and ca- reer development. Thereby, participants are involved in all stages of the colloquium organisation and the review process to gain experience. The OC-DDC 2018 took place in -
CADL Unveils Remodeled Downtown Branch, Says Goodbye to Director Maureen Hirten, P
FREE a newspaper for the rest of us www.lansi March 18-14, 2017 CADL unveils remodeled downtown branch, says goodbye to director Maureen Hirten, p. 8 Photos: Amy Guip MARCH 17-19 MSU's Wharton Center OPENS NEXT WEEK! WHARTONCENTER.COM 1-800-WHARTON East Lansing engagement sponsored by Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C.; Physicians Health Plan; and Rick's American Cafe/Harrison Roadhouse/Beggar's Banquet. 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 8, 2017 LOVE THY NEIGHBOR THY Gay | Straight | Atheist | Jew Muslim | Christian | Homeless Rich | Democrat | Republican Black | White | Brown Male | Trans | Female NEIGHBOR Let’s Live Together in Peace Pilgrim Congregational 125 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Sunday - 10 AM United Church of Christ (517) 484-7434 Lansing, MI PilgrimUCC.com The Pleasure of your Company is requested for the Ingham County Animal Shelter’s SAVE A LIFE BENEFITINGSoirée THE ANIMAL CARE FUND & THE ANIMAL CRUELTY FUND JOIN US FOR FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT ALONG WITH SILENT & LIVE AUCTIONS AS WE RAISE FUNDS FOR THE ANIMALS GUILLERMO LOPEZ MARK BASHORE CELEBRATE OUR “FURST” LOVES & ALL THE ANIMALS THAT CAPTURE OUR HEARTS Lansing City Council Candidate WKAR SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2017 | 6 P M - 11 P M KELLOGG HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER 219 S. HARRISON RD | EAST LANSING, MI TICKET OPTIONS $60 - UNTIL MARCH 17 $75 - AFTER MARCH 17 For more ticket options, to purchase tickets, or make a donation, visit www.icasfund.org/events. Foxy Brown, 2017 Spokes Pet City Pulse • March 8, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 Ingham County Animal Shelter To adopt one of these pets from the ICAS call (517) 676-8370. -
Teaching and Learning with Digital Evolution: Factors Influencing Implementation and Student Outcomes
TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH DIGITAL EVOLUTION: FACTORS INFLUENCING IMPLEMENTATION AND STUDENT OUTCOMES By Amy M Lark A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education – Doctor of Philosophy 2014 ABSTRACT TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH DIGITAL EVOLUTION: FACTORS INFLUENCING IMPLEMENTATION AND STUDENT OUTCOMES By Amy M Lark Science literacy for all Americans has been the rallying cry of science education in the United States for decades. Regardless, Americans continue to fall short when it comes to keeping pace with other developed nations on international science education assessments. To combat this problem, recent national reforms have reinvigorated the discussion of what and how we should teach science, advocating for the integration of disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science practices. In the biological sciences, teaching the core idea of evolution in ways consistent with reforms is fraught with challenges. Not only is it difficult to observe biological evolution in action, it is nearly impossible to engage students in authentic science practices in the context of evolution. One way to overcome these challenges is through the use of evolving populations of digital organisms. Avida-ED is digital evolution software for education that allows for the integration of science practice and content related to evolution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Avida-ED on teaching and learning evolution and the nature of science. To accomplish this I conducted a nationwide, multiple-case study, documenting how instructors at various institutions were using Avida-ED in their classrooms, factors influencing implementation decisions, and effects on student outcomes. -
Carnival of Evolution #58: Visions of the Evolutionary Future Bradly Alicea Michigan State University
Carnival of Evolution #58: visions of the evolutionary future Bradly Alicea Michigan State University Originally published at: http://syntheticdaisies.blogspot.com on April 1, 2013 (http://syntheticdaisies.blogspot.com/2013/04/carnival-of-evolution-58-visions-of.html) Welcome to Carnival of Evolution! Now with albedo! Introduction What does the future look like? For some, the future is the place of constant progress and a place where dreams become reality. For others, the future is a scary, dystopian place. When actualized, however, future worlds fall somewhere in between these two visions. Can we make accurate projections about the future? As I pointed out in a Synthetic Daisies post from February [1], futurists and technologists have a pretty dismal track record at projecting future scenarios, and often get things notoriously wrong. UPPER LEFT: Ad from the 1982 opening of EPCOT Center, Florida. UPPER RIGHT: Dystopic future city from the movie "Idiocracy" (Inset is the cover of "Future Shock" by Alvin Toffler). BOTTOM LEFT: Bank of England Economic Forecast (circa 2011). BOTTOM RIGHT: New New York, circa 3000 (from the TV show "Futurama"). With visions of the future in mind, this month's Carnival of Evolution (#58) theme is the future of evolution. While a significant component of evolutionary biology involves reconstructing the past [2], we are actually (with error, of course) also predicting the future. Yet can we do any better than futurists or technologists? It is hard to say, and if you have opinions on this I would be glad to hear them. However, this month's CoE will address five themes that may (or may not) help us understand where the complexity of life is headed. -
Science in School the European Journal for Science Teachers Autumn 2017 | Issue 41 | Issue 2017 Autumn
Subscribe free in Europe: FREE www.scienceinschool.org Science in School The European journal for science teachers Autumn 2017 | Issue 41 2017 Autumn DesignDesign inspirationinspiration TheThe secretssecrets ofof sharkshark skinskin ISSN: 1818-0353 www.scienceinschool.org ISSN: 1818-0353 www.scienceinschool.org INSPIREINSPIRE SupportingSupporting AfricanAfrican science:science: the role of fruit flies Published and funded by EIROforum by funded and Published the role of fruit flies TEACHTEACH AA particleparticle acceleratoraccelerator inin youryour saladsalad bowlbowl Image courtesy of Ariane Böhm / Grunwald Kadow lab Kadow of Ariane Böhm / Grunwald Image courtesy Image courtesy of Andrew Burgess / shutterstock.com Burgess of Andrew Image courtesy SUPPORTING AFRICAN SCIENCE: 35 HOW DO BIRDS FLY? 38 THE ROLE OF FRUIT FLIES A HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATION Not only is the fruit fly a valuable model Dissect a chicken from the supermarket organism, but it is also helping to put Africa to discover the unusual pulley system that on the scientific world map. enables birds to fly. Image courtesy of Stefan Pircher / Shutterstock Pircher of Stefan Image courtesy DESIGN INSPIRATION: THE SECRETS OF SHARK SKIN 19 Shark skin is adapted for energy-efficient swimming in remarkable ways, some of which are now being copied by designers and engineers. UNDERSTAND INSPIRE 4 News from the EIROs: Exotic particles, 35 Supporting African science: fusion-device ashtrays and lunar missions the role of fruit flies 8 Cellulose: from trees to treats TEACH 13 Gravitational -
Michael Behe Makes the Argument That
Opening the Black Box Throughout “Darwin’s Black Box”, Michael Behe makes the argument that Darwinian evolution can’t be used as a universal explanation for all of life, because it can’t account for irreducibly complex organisms. However, Behe also neglects to acknowledge any existing research that suggests otherwise. A study conducted at Michigan State University by scientist Richard Lenski has shown that there could be a scientific explanation for these seemingly irreducibly complex organism, and that Behe shouldn’t be so quick to point to a supernatural solution, or to call it quits so soon when his mousetrap breaks. While Behe may think he has all the answers, contrary research has shown there are other answers worth consideration. Behe begins his argument by introducing the idea of organisms that are irreducibly complex, otherwise defined as a “single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function of the system, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning” (Darwin’s Black Box, 39). In order to demonstrate this principle, Behe raises the example of a mousetrap. He argues that if you remove one part of a mousetrap, it will cease to function, and because of this, all of the parts must have evolved simultaneously in order for a mousetrap to exist, therefor rendering it irreducibly complex. However, is any of this really true? Besides the holes in Behe’s mousetrap argument, there also lies the fact that mousetraps are not living creatures and therefore are incapable of evolution. -
Experimental Evolution of Escherichia Coli Harboring an Ancient Translation Protein
J Mol Evol DOI 10.1007/s00239-017-9781-0 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Experimental Evolution of Escherichia coli Harboring an Ancient Translation Protein Betül Kacar1,2 · Xueliang Ge3 · Suparna Sanyal3 · Eric A. Gaucher4,5 Received: 8 October 2016 / Accepted: 30 January 2017 © The Author(s) 2017. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract The ability to design synthetic genes and engi- We subsequently evolved replicate hybrid bacterial popula- neer biological systems at the genome scale opens new tions for 2000 generations in the laboratory and examined means by which to characterize phenotypic states and the adaptive response via fitness assays, whole genome the responses of biological systems to perturbations. One sequencing, proteomics, and biochemical assays. Hybrid emerging method involves inserting artificial genes into lineages exhibit a general adaptive strategy in which the bacterial genomes and examining how the genome and its fitness cost of the ancient gene was ameliorated in part by new genes adapt to each other. Here we report the devel- upregulation of protein production. Our results suggest that opment and implementation of a modified approach to an ancient–modern recombinant method may pave the way this method, in which phylogenetically inferred genes are for the synthesis of organisms that exhibit ancient pheno- inserted into a microbial genome, and laboratory evolu- types, and that laboratory evolution of these organisms may tion is then used to examine the adaptive potential of the prove useful in elucidating insights into historical adaptive resulting hybrid genome. Specifically, we engineered an processes. approximately 700-million-year-old inferred ancestral vari- ant of tufB, an essential gene encoding elongation factor Tu, and inserted it in a modern Escherichia coli genome in Background place of the native tufB gene. -
2018 Annual Report American Indian Science and Engineering Society Aises We Are Indigenous • We Are Scientists
2018 ANNUAL REPORT AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY AISES WE ARE INDIGENOUS • WE ARE SCIENTISTS AISES Council of Elders Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow Tribe/descendant of MHA Nation) Education Committee Chair Dr. Bret R. Benally Thompson (White Earth Ojibwe) Shaun Tsabetsaye (Zuni Pueblo) (Navajo) Antoinelle Benally Thompson Professional Development Committee Chair Steve Darden (Navajo/Cheyenne/Swedish) Barney “BJ” Enos (Gila River Indian Community) Rose Darden (Ute) Dr. John B. Herrington (Chickasaw) Norbert Hill, Jr. (Oneida) Dr. Adrienne Laverdure (Turtle Mountain Band of Phil Lane Jr. (Yankton Dakota/Chickasaw) Chippewa) Stan Lucero (Laguna Pueblo) * Alicia Jacobs (Cherokee) (Acoma Pueblo) Vice Chairwoman/Nominations Committee Chair Cecelia Lucero Nov. 2018 – July 2019 Dr. Henrietta Mann (Southern Cheyenne) Faith Spotted Eagle (Ihanktonwan Band of the Dakota/ Nakota/Lakota Nation of South Dakota) 2017 - 2018 AISES Board of Directors Council of Elders Emeriti Dr. Twyla Baker (Three Affiliated Tribes) Andrea Axtell (Nez Perce) Chairwoman Mary Kahn (Navajo) Richard Stephens (Pala Band of Mission Indians) Vice Chairman Michael Laverdure (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) Council of Elders in Memoriam Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair Horace Axtell (Nez Perce) Amber Finley (Three Affiliated Tribes) Eddie Box, Sr. (Southern Ute) Secretary/Membership Committee Chair (Navajo) Franklin Kahn Bill Black Bow Lane (Chickasaw) Governance Committee Chair Phil Lane, Sr. (Yankton Sioux) Shaun Tsabetsaye (Zuni Pueblo) Dr. James May (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Professional Development Committee Chair Indians) Alicia Jacobs (Cherokee) Lee Piper, PhD. (Cherokee) Nominations Committee Chair Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara 2018 - 2019 AISES Board of Education Committee Chair Directors Barney “B.J.” Enos (Gila River Indian Community) Kristina Halona (Navajo) Rick Stephens (Pala Band of Mission Indians) Chairman Dr. -
Chapter 6.Qxp
Testing Darwin Digital organisms that breed thousands of times faster than common bacteria are beginning to shed light on some of the biggest unanswered questions of evolution BY CARL ZIMMER F YOU WANT TO FIND ALIEN LIFE-FORMS, does this. Metabolism? Maybe not quite yet, but Ihold off on booking that trip to the moons of getting pretty close.” Saturn. You may only need to catch a plane to East Lansing, Michigan. One thing the digital organisms do particularly well is evolve. “Avida is not a simulation of evolu- The aliens of East Lansing are not made of car- tion; it is an instance of it,” Pennock says. “All the bon and water. They have no DNA. Billions of them core parts of the Darwinian process are there. These are quietly colonizing a cluster of 200 computers in things replicate, they mutate, they are competing the basement of the Plant and Soil Sciences building with one another. The very process of natural selec- at Michigan State University. To peer into their tion is happening there. If that’s central to the defi- world, however, you have to walk a few blocks west nition of life, then these things count.” on Wilson Road to the engineering department and visit the Digital Evolution Laboratory. Here you’ll It may seem strange to talk about a chunk of find a crew of computer scientists, biologists, and computer code in the same way you talk about a even a philosopher or two gazing at computer mon- cherry tree or a dolphin. But the more biologists itors, watching the evolution of bizarre new life- think about life, the more compelling the equation forms.