Monthly newsletter published by the 12th Armored Division Association, discussing news related to the activities of the U.S. Army unit and updates on previous members of the division.

Annual report of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute discussing the institute's personnel and finances as well as compiled papers summarizing in-progress and completed research, with biographical information about authors and in-press publications.

This report documents the proceedings and results from the Artificial Intelligence for Earth System Predictability (AI4ESP) workshop. The goals of this workshop were to explore more radically and aggressively advance prediction capabilities in the climate, Earth, and environmental sciences through the use of modern data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Article describes how ARKENSTONE is a new model for multiphase, stellar feedback-driven galactic winds designed for inclusion in coarse resolution cosmological simulations. In this first paper of a series, the authors describe the features that allow ARKENSTONE to properly treat high specific energy wind components and demonstrate them using idealized non-cosmological simulations of a galaxy with a realistic circumgalactic medium (CGM) using the AREPO code.

Authors of the article assert that public speaking, especially in a foreign language, is associated with increased anxiety. The authors found that VR technology had a positive effect on practicing public speaking in a foreign language, the research findings have practical implications for professionals and curriculum designers in various domains where public speaking skills are essential.

Article describes how taxonomic profiling of ancient metagenomic samples is challenging due to the accumulation of specific damage patterns on DNA over time. The authors performed a comprehensive evaluation on simulated metagenomes representing human dental calculus microbiome, with the level of DNA damage successively raised to mimic modern to ancient metagenomes.

Article describes how symmetry breaking charge transfer is one of the important photo-events occurring in photosynthetic reaction centers that is responsible for initiating electron transfer leading to a long-lived charge-separated state and has been successfully employed in light-to-electricity converting optoelectronic devices. In this study, the authors report a newly synthesized, far-red absorbing and emitting BODIPY-dimer to undergo symmetry-breaking charge transfer leading to charge-separated states of appreciable lifetimes in polar solvents.

Article explains that asking questions is a key characteristic of creativity and an important component of the creative process. In this study, the authors investigated the relation between creativity indicators and three types of questions: open vs. closed ended questions, possibility thinking, and temporal thinking.

"This report will provide greater detail about the multistep effort devised and driven by Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election and block the transfer of power. Building on the information presented in our hearings earlier this year, we will present new findings about Trump's pressure campaign on officials from the local level all the way up to his Vice President, orchestrated and designed solely to throw out the will of the voters and keep him in office past the end of his elected term." [Page X]

Report summarizing the recommendations of The Naming Commission's findings as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which mandates the removal of names, symbols, displays, monuments and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America. "Part III of the Naming Commission 's Final Report .... contains recommendations for the disposition of all Confederacy-affiliated and named Department of Defense assets not already covered" in previous parts of the report. [Executive Summary, Page 2]

Report summarizing the recommendations of The Naming Commission's findings regarding army bases as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which mandates the removal of names, symbols, displays, monuments and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America. "Part 1 of the three-part Naming Commission Final Report .... recommends new names for nine military bases (Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; and Fort A. P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia), the disposition of all Confederacy-affiliated and named Department of Defense assets on those bases, and additional guidance for the nine bases." [Executive Summary, Page 2]

This report was submitted to the Denton County Commissioner’s Court on December 12, 2023. The independent research contained herein was inspired by a collaborative community effort to highlight the emerging historical narrative of the St. John's freed-persons community of Pilot Point, its unexplained disappearance in the 1930s, and the events that led to the community's cemetery becoming landlocked and inaccessible to the public for more than eighty years.

Weekly newspaper from Garber, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Video of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business Fall 2023 commencement ceremony. The video starts with a promotional feature showing a student's journey from acceptance to the University of North Texas, various experiences at the University, and finally arriving at a workplace, followed by a video of graduates discussing their UNT experience. Student Rachel Mugnolo sung the national anthem as the students and faculty processed into the auditorium. A video tribute to the graduating seniors was shown. The ceremony opens with congratulation of the graduates by Marilyn Wiley, dean of the College of Business. Provost Michael McPherson gave a speech urging the students to make the most of their degrees and explained the significance of their ceremonial robes. Dean Wiley then presented the candidates for graduation. Ernest Martinez, vice chair of UNT Alumni Association Board, also spoke briefly before closing remarks were given by Dean Wiley. The faculty and students joined in singing the alma mater. The ceremony ended with the recession of graduates.

The aim of behavior analysis has always been to apply technologies rooted in basic behavioral principles to problems of societal importance (e.g., Skinner, 1948; 1953; 1987). One such problem is the Tragedy of the Commons - a phenomenon arising from systemic failures among a community, leading to the total collapse of a critical resource (Hardin, 1968). Elinor Ostrom's Eight Design Principles were developed to provide a framework for the self-management of common pool resources (CPRs; Ostrom, 1990/2015). When applied as an independently manipulated variable, Ostrom's design principles have shown strong effects in the management of CPRs within the context of a tabletop board game Catan® (Smith & Becker, 2023). This preparation included both rewards (i.e., positive reinforcement) and sanctions (i.e., positive punishment) as a feature of the independent variable. However, it has been well documented that punishing and coercive contingencies can lead to problematic outcomes for individuals and societies (e.g., Sidman, 2001; Skinner, 1976). This study evaluated the effects of utilizing only rewarding consequences in lieu of sanctions in an effort to produce the previously observed control over self-management of a CPR, utilizing the previously adapted rules of the Catan® board game.

In this dissertation, I explored the effects of developmental hypoxia on heart contractility in three separate species of ectotherms: the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), and the zebrafish (Danio rerio). I began with the common snapping turtle and tested whether the utilization of the sarcoplasmic reticulum was altered in response to developmental hypoxia. In the next two chapters, developmental hypoxia of the American alligator was explored studying how the cardiac tissue was affected, specifically in physiological stressors, sarcoplasmic reticulum utilization and sensitivity to pharmacological increases in contractility. The last chapter explored how zebrafish heart contractility was altered in response to chronic hypoxia from egg to adult. Findings from these chapters suggest that while developmental hypoxia did alter cardiac contractility, it did not alter the response of the heart to physiological stressors such as increased heart rate or under hypoxia. Overall, these findings contribute to increasing the current understanding of how developmental hypoxia alters the cardiovascular system but with an emphasis on the cardiac tissue level.

The objective of this dissertation is to first identify if there are any academic research gaps in our understanding of the medical supply chain and secondly to understand the role and impact of logistics on the human organ transplant process. The first essay identifies the current status of medical supply chain literature and provides future direction for improving the medical supply chain. This was accomplished by preforming a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis from 2,160 publications was conducted. The second essay explores how logistical aspects impact transplant logistics performance and the quality of life for the transplant recipient. Survey data was collected from medical professionals and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The third essay identifies the factors are influencing the number of donor kidneys discarded each year. A retrospective analysis of all deceased donor kidneys procured in hospitals in UNOS region 4 (Texas and Oklahoma) from January 1, 2001, to June 28, 2021, was conducted. Data was analyzed using multinomial logit regression and panel data analysis. As a result, we identified several medical and logistics factors that have influenced the number of donor kidneys discarded in the United States.

Environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly important, primarily in urban areas due to the concentrated levels of human activities. The air sampling device presented is a novel method to sample air which harnesses the power of paper spray ionization paired with the intrinsic advantages of mass spectrometry such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, high throughput, and the ability to monitor multiple compounds at once.

This dissertation discussed the impact of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act and the history of governmental immunity that has protected school districts and school employees in North Carolina. The research question addressed was: how have North Carolina state courts interpreted the North Carolina Tort Claims Act in litigation against North Carolina school districts and their employees? The North Carolina Tort Claims Act provided citizens with a vehicle to sue local governmental agencies and their employees, such as school employees. The act also provided immunity for schools, especially for excessive damages in the case of negligence by an employee. The study examined how state courts have responded to different plaintiffs since the passage of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act in 1951. The decisions in the cases analyzed have been mostly favorable to schools, which has strengthened immunity for school employees. There were four legal aspects addressed by the courts after the passage of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act either most frequently or were unique to the case law of North Carolina. Those legal aspects were tests of school districts' governmental immunity; contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff; the official capacity of school employees in lawsuits; and …

We investigated the modifying effects of ultraviolet (UV) light and chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500A) on crude oil toxicity in juvenile mysids (≤ 24 h) (Americamysis bahia) and larval red drum (24-72 hpf) (Sciaenops ocellatus). These results demonstrate that crude oil toxicity significantly increases with co-exposure to environmentally relevant UV levels in both species, indicating photo-induced toxicity. This toxicity was further exacerbated by the application of chemical dispersants which increased the dissolution and concentration of oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in test solutions. To better understand the mechanisms and initiating events of this observed photo-induced toxicity, the incidence of apoptotic cell death and global transcriptomic changes were assessed in larval red drum (24-72 hpf) following co-exposure to crude oil and UV. These results showed that co-exposure to UV and low concentrations of crude oil (<1 µg/L ∑PAH50) induced apoptotic cell death in skin and eye tissue and altered transcriptomic pathways related to visual processing and dermatological disease. To link these cellular and molecular impacts of photo-induced toxicity to apical endpoints of ecological performance, sublethal impacts to growth, metabolic rate, and visually mediated behaviors were explored in larval red drum at 2 developmental stages. These results suggested that earlier life stages may …

Monthly newsletter from the Texas State Office of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) discussing news and activities of the FSA, funding opportunities, and other information related to farming and agriculture in Texas.

Archive Activism is a memoir of activism rooted in a new way to converse with history—by rescuing it. Archive activists discover documents and other important materials often classified, “gone missing,” or sealed that somehow escaped the fireplace or shredder. It is an approach to LGBTQ advocacy and policy activism based on citizen archivery and original archival research to effect social change. Research=Activism is the formula growing out of Charles Francis’s personal story as a gay Texan born and raised during the 1950s and 1960s in Dallas. The rescues range in time and place from Francis’s first encounter with a raucous, near-violent religious demonstration in Fort Worth to attics loaded with forgotten historic treasures of LGBTQ pioneers. Archive Activism tells how Francis helped Governor George W. Bush achieve his dream of becoming president in 2000 by reaching out to gay and lesbian supporters, the first time a Republican candidate for president formally met with gay and lesbian Americans. This inspired Francis to engage with deleted LGBTQ history by forming a historical society with an edge, a new Mattachine Society of Washington, DC. For the first time, Archive Activism reveals how LGBTQ secrets were held for decades at the LBJ Presidential Library …

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

Authors of the article explain that they investigated the extreme X-ray variability of a z = 1.608 active galactic nucleus in the 7 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (XID 403), which showed two significant X-ray brightening events.