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With the increase in the number of distributed energy resources (DERs) and electric vehicles (EVs), it is particularly important to solve the problem of EV charging station siting and capacity determination under the distribution network considering a large proportion of DERs. This paper proposes a bi-level planning model for EV charging stations that takes into account the characteristics of the spatial–temporal distribution of charging loads under an uncertain environment. First, the Origin–Destination (OD) matrix analysis method and the real-time Dijkstra dynamic path search algorithm are introduced and combined with the Larin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) method to establish the EV charging load prediction model considering the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics. Second, the upper objective function with the objective of minimizing the cost of EV charging station planning and user charging behavior is constructed, while the lower objective function with the objective of minimizing the cost of distribution network operation and carbon emission cost considering the uncertainty of wind power and photovoltaics is constructed. The constraints of the lower-layer objective function are transformed into the upper-layer objective function through Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions, the optimal location and capacity of charging stations are finally determined, and the model of EV charging station siting and capacity determination is established. Finally, the validity of the model was verified by planning the coupled IEEE 33-node distribution network with the traffic road map of a city in southeastern South Dakota, USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the initial vicarious radiometric calibration results for Landsat 9 OLI using a combination of ground-based techniques and test sites located in Nevada, California, and South Dakota, USA. The field data collection methods include the traditional reflectance-based approach and the automated Radiometric Calibration Test Site (RadCaTS). The results for top-of-atmosphere spectral radiance show an average ratio (OLI/ground measurements) of 1.03, 1.01, 1.00, 1.02, 1.02, 1.01, 0.98, and 1.01 for Landsat 9 OLI bands 1–8, which is within the design specification of ±5% for spectral radiance. The results for top-of-atmosphere reflectance show an average ratio (OLI/ground measurements) of 0.99, 0.99, 1.00, 1.02, 1.01, 1.02, 1.00, and 1.00 for Landsat 9 OLI bands 1–8, which is within the design specification of ±3% for top-of-atmosphere reflectance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive rise in US stockholding during the early twentieth century resulted in the deepening of securities markets, the spread of investment banks, and the expansion of publicly held corporations. This paper makes use of a unique panel database of South Dakota bank stockholders from 1910 to 1934 to study bank stockholder growth as well as its effect on bank composition and risk. Overall, the average number of stockholders in a bank rose from 8 to 21 over the period with much of the rise occurring after 1924, but many banks remained highly concentrated. The new stockholders are associated with a subsequent increase in a bank's proportion of loans-to-assets, but no direct effect on bank closure outside of this balance sheet effect. The data thus illustrate the start of a movement towards more diffuse bank stockholding and its potential consequences for the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cold regions, the environment dynamics lead to variations of soil temperature, water content, and deformation, which are characterized by highly coupled physical interplay. The hydraulic and thermal properties of unsaturated soils are highly nonlinear, which is further complicated when subjected to freezing. This paper presents a comprehensive multiphysics coupling model to evaluate these complex processes. The model considers the behaviors of unsaturated frozen soils. It accounts for the influences of meteorological, geothermal, and hydrological factors. The model is validated through two pavement case studies using Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) road section data. The first case analysis is performed for a pavement section in Vermont, and the simulation lasted for 30 days during a non-freezing season on an hourly basis. The results validated the performance of the model considering unsaturated soil behaviors. The second case study is based on a daily analysis of a pavement section in South Dakota over a freezing–thawing cycle over 194 days. The results validated the model in considering the frozen unsaturated soil behaviors. Both case studies demonstrate the performance of this comprehensive model in quantifying the spatial and temporal variations of soil temperature and water content in response to environmental stressors. The capability of the model in accurately predicting the responses of pavement to the meteorological factors unleashes the potential of this model to assess the effects of climate and climate change on cold region pavement, as well as other types of geo-structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversified crop rotations can be a win-win solution for farmers and society given increased agronomic yield and improved ecosystem services. However, the adoption of sustainable production practices must be widespread and accelerated to create resilient agroecosystems that can remain productive as the climate changes. In this paper, we use modified measures of sense of place (SOP) and social responsibility (SR) to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of diversified crop rotations (DCR) among producers in South Dakota (SD). Data was collected from 34 SD counties east of the Missouri River. Through the application of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), we identified 3 constructs of SOP on working landscapes 1) place attachment and identity, 2) social networks, and 3) physical place dependence. Using a binary logistic regression, a positive association between the adoption of DCR and place attachment and identity was found. This suggests that farmers have an emotional bond to their land that plays a role in their usage of DCR. Our results suggest that measuring some dimensions of SOP in a working landscape context is important, but needs more refinement, specifically economic dependence, given that the items measuring it did not emerge as a factor in the EFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disavowal of 'founding violence' remains a core proposition of settler colonial theory. This paper expands our theoretical understanding of the concept to account for the strategic invocation of founding violence to legitimate settler colonial racial orders. Drawing from a sample of in-depth interviews (n = 27) with settlers who have historical connections to the American Indian Movement's (AIM) confrontational activism in the 1970s, I show how non-Indigenous territoriality is affirmed through the narrative displacement of founding violence onto Indigenous peoples. Across the U.S. state of South Dakota, where AIM's 'Red Power' activism was most pronounced, interviewees routinely delegitimize movement grievances through historicized narratives of incessant inter-tribal conflict and Indigenous violence. Thus, in addition to justifying settler society's bloody origins, the invocation of founding violence remains a powerful discursive mechanism for delegitimizing contemporary Indigenous rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decisionmakers continue to search for new ways to deter criminal behavior that do not rely on increasing the severity of punishment. This paper evaluates South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Program—a novel, large‐scale intervention requiring those arrested for or convicted of an alcohol‐related offense to abstain from alcohol and submit to alcohol tests multiple times daily. Those testing positive or missing a test receive a swift,certain, and moderate sanction; typically, a night or two in jail. To estimate the causal effect of the 24/7 program on the probability of rearrest or probation revocation for those arrested for a second or third driving under the influence (DUI) offense, we instrument an individual's 24/7 participation with program availability in the county of arrest. We estimate that the individual‐level probability of rearrest or probation revocation is 13.7 percentage points (49 percent; p = 0.002) lower for 24/7 participants than non‐participants 12 months after their DUI arrest. We detect substantive decreases at 24 and 36 months, but the precision of those estimates depends on model specification. These findings provide empricial support for applying "swift‐certain‐fair" sanctions to deter noncompliance in community supervision settings. This paper also provides policymakers with evidence for a new approach to reduce criminal activity among those whose alcohol use leads them to repeatedly threaten public health and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gauge the knowledge of the university leaders at the Durban University of Technology on transformation. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches guided by a structured survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews with the university leaders. The questionnaires generated the reliability coefficient α of 0.947, indicating a high degree of acceptance and consistency of the results. Findings – The study findings reveal the highest percentage of 70 per cent regarding the belief that transformation refers to restructuring the institution more than commonly anticipated variables such as race (56 per cent) and redressing the past injustices (59 per cent). Research limitations/implications – The limitation of the study was the scarcity of published material on the sub-dimensions of the study of transformation (transformation as referring to attracting qualified employees). Another limitation which was observed included the paucity of data regarding discipline and knowledge of transformation variables. Practical implications – This study suggests transformation in higher education institutions is defined through internal (operational and core) and external factors with a direct influence. Originality/value – This paper could potentially enrich the meaning of transformation, derived from the context and experience of South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) at Fermilab is one the most challenging next-generation experiments in the field of neutrino physics. It will feature two detectors for a detailed study of neutrino oscillations using an unprecedentedly intense neutrino beam. The two detectors are a Near Detector located on the Fermilab site, 574 m away from the neutrino generation, and a Far Detector in South Dakota, 1300 km away. The Near Detector consists of three subdetectors, based on different technologies in order to achieve the best understanding of the neutrino beam. One key element of the Near Detector is a High Pressure Argon TPC surrounded by a calorimeter. This detector will need a 0.5 Tesla magnetic field transverse to the neutrino beam direction, with a 7 m diameter, 8 m long warm bore. A thin superconducting solenoid with a partial yoke, needed in order to minimise the amount of material along the path particles take crossing the different elements of the Near Detector is proposed. In this paper we present a detailed magnetic analysis and a preliminary study of the cooling, the cable and the mechanics for this magnet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourmaline is a common mineral in granites and metamorphic rocks in collisional orogens. This paper describes graphite-bearing, metasomatic tourmalinites in sillimanite-zone schists of the Proterozoic Black Hills Orogen, South Dakota. The tourmalinites bound quartz veins and beyond about 1 m grade into schists with disseminated tourmaline, and ultimately tourmaline becomes only a trace, intrinsic phase in the schists. Next to the quartz veins, tourmaline has almost completely replaced schist minerals, including biotite, muscovite, and plagioclase. The tourmaline is generally anhedral and follows the original foliation direction of the schist. However, tourmaline is euhedral in quartz veinlets cutting through the tourmalinites. Tourmaline is compositionally zoned from having about 22 to 2% of apparent Al occupancy on the Y sites. There are very good negative correlations of Y(Fe2++Mg2+), XCa2+, and YTi4+ with YAl3+, and a very good positive correlation of X-site vacancies with YAl3+. Mg# [molar Mg2+/(Mg2++Fe2+)] is fairly invariant at approximately 0.5, which is somewhat higher than that in the precursor biotite. This is in contrast to tourmaline in the neighboring peraluminous Harney Peak leucogranite where the range of Y site occupancy of Al is small at about 20%, but the Mg# ranges from 0.12 to 0.5. The compositional trends in the metasomatic tourmaline are dominated by the exchange Xo + 4 YAl3+ = XCa2+ + 3 Y(Fe2++Mg2+) + YTi4+. Mass-balance calculations suggest the metasomatizing fluid brought in H+ and B(OH)3 and removed K+, SiO2, and some Fe2+ during tourmalinization. Other elements in the tourmaline largely reflect the bulk composition of the replaced schist. The calculations show that silica in the quartz veins was locally derived, not brought in by the metasomatizing fluid. Interstitial graphite in the tourmalinites shows precipitation of carbon from the methane-bearing fluid. The study demonstrates an important effect of boron transfer by fluids during metamorphism and magmatism in the Earth's crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to summarize central findings from a literature review and technical survey on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) techniques for bridge inspection and damage quantification. This literature review includes a detailed compilation of different algorithms on high-quality image selection, image-based damage detection and quantification, and various UAV applications for bridge inspections. To gather current bridge inspection practices in the United States, a technical survey referring to UAV-enabled bridge inspections was also conducted for state DOTs and USDA Forest Service (USDA FS) regions. Responses to the survey were assembled from 17 state DOTs (e.g., Nevada DOT, South Dakota DOT, and Texas DOT) and two USDA FS regions such as Region 8 (Southern). From both the review and survey, it was revealed that researchers, state DOTs, and USDA FS regions have interest in using a UAV for bridge inspections, but they have struggled to use it for bridge damage quantification. Specifically, it was found from the review that some recent studies using different algorithms such as deep learning and pattern recognition have been carried out to quantify different types of damage. Key findings from the survey are that over 56% of respondents have used or are planning to use UAVs for bridge inspections, but only 19% of respondents have begun to quantify damage using images captured from UAVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During early 2019, a series of events set the stage for devastating floods in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota. When the floodwaters hit, dams and levees failed, cutting off towns while destroying roads, bridges, and rail lines, further exacerbating the crisis. Lives were lost and thousands of cattle were stranded. Estimates indicate that the cost of the flooding has topped $3 billion as of August 2019, with this number expected to rise. After a warm and wet start to winter, eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota endured anomalously low temperatures and record-breaking snowfall. By March 2019, rivers were frozen, frost depths were 60-90 cm, and the water equivalent of the snowpack was 30-100 mm. With these conditions in place, a record-breaking surface cyclone rapidly developed in Colorado and moved eastward, producing heavy rain toward the east and blizzard conditions toward the west. In areas of eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota, rapid melting of the snowpack due to this rain-on-snow event quickly led to excessive runoff that overwhelmed rivers and streams. These conditions brought the region to a standstill. In this paper, we provide an analysis of the antecedent conditions in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota and the development of the surface cyclone that triggered the historic flooding, along with a look into the forecast and communication of flood impacts prior to the flood. The study used multiple datasets, including in situ observations and reanalysis data. Understanding the events that led to the flooding could aid in future forecasting efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing substance use among individuals subject to community supervision is an important goal for many judges and community corrections officers. Some jurisdictions have had success by ordering justice-involved individuals to frequent substance use testing with swift, certain, and fair (SCF) sanctions for non-compliance. South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety program is one example of a SCF program that has also been adopted statewide in Montana, North Dakota, and other jurisdictions. As other entities outside the Great Plains attempt to adopt the 24/7 approach, there is a need to examine how the program is implemented. This paper examines a 24/7-inspired pilot program that was implemented in a southwestern county in the US in 2018. Data on participation rates and testing results for the 6-month pilot program were examined. Using a semi-structured interview protocol with questions that were adapted from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) interview guide, we interviewed nine individuals from six stakeholder groups: 1) Court, 2) District Attorney, 3) Public Defender, 4) Probation, 5) Sheriff, and 6) the non-profit organization that administered the testing. There were important differences in how the program was implemented in the county versus South Dakota's 24/7 program—namely, there was a different target population, participation was voluntary, and testing was conducted in a different setting which increased costs. While county stakeholders decided to discontinue the program after the pilot period, it was able to implement a SCF program and overcome many of the challenges it confronted. There is some interest in exploring implementation of the SCF with those arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in the county. For jurisdictions considering the implementation of an SCF program, it makes sense to start with a pilot program with pre-determined objectives and timeline for consistency. It is also crucial to hold regular meetings with all relevant stakeholders before and during the pilot to address context-specific challenges. Conducting an implementation analysis of this process based on the CFIR guide can be useful for understanding why the pilot was a success or failure, and how it may be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constructs a conversation about male violence between psychoanalytic feminism and Lakota psychology, based on interviews carried out at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in the United States. The paper has four aims. First, it outlines the concepts in feminist psychoanalytic theory that inform this study, and discusses key dilemmas that arise in working across cultural borders established through histories of colonial domination. Second, the paper identifies areas of common ground between feminist psychoanalytic theory and indigenous psychologies, focusing on their shared emphasis on traumatic splits in the human psyche, gender development, and storytelling. Third, the paper describes the Cangleska program developed by Lakota practitioners at Pine Ridge—a systematically conceived set of services that combines psychological, cultural, and political analyses of violence—and explains how Cangleska offers insights that go beyond the borders of indigenous communities. Fourth, the paper draws out lines of convergence between Kleinian psychoanalysis and Lakota principles in their ethical responses to violence and discusses the implications of such convergences for the wider anti-violence movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has chosen to integrate ethics into their curriculum. All university freshmen engineering students are introduced to ethics through the presentation of ethical dilemmas. During this exercise, students are forced to argue both sides ('for' and 'against') of a hypothetical ethical engineering dilemma. It provides a setting for great discussion with the desired outcome that they learn to carefully analyze a situation before they draw conclusions. In the sophomore year, students are introduced to methods to use the fundamental principles, the fundamental canons, and the suggested guidelines for use with the fundamental canons of ethics when analyzing appropriate action to be taken when confronted with ethical dilemmas. We currently use the 'sophomore' method for seniors because the sequencing is just beginning. Next year the seniors will do more indepth analysis of ethical case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we reported the rate of disagreements and their effect on stress levels and sleep quality. Data was collected from 573 South Dakota residents. We estimated two ordinary least squares regressions using stress and sleep quality due to COVID-19 as outcome variables. A high percentage (62.1%) of the participants reported disagreements over COVID-19 with friends and family members. Disagreements over COVID-19 were associated with a higher level of stress (β = 1.001, p = .000) and a lower level of sleep quality (β = −.431, p = .039). The results of this study should serve as a reminder to researchers to consider the impact of interpersonal conflict over public health measures with family and friends on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Dakota, like many other states, allows young children to be introduced to the criminal justice system at a very young age. Although South Dakota originally focused on managing children's misbehavior, the law has evolved in a way that punishes kids for being kids. Despite recent reforms to handle juvenile delinquency in a more gentle, rehabilitative manner, the South Dakota Legislature has failed to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility above ten years. This comment examines international norms in juvenile law, the developmental and social consequences of exposing young children to the legal system, and a more appropriate, effective alternative to managing delinquency in young children. This comment concludes that South Dakota should raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to fourteen years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1983, South Dakota's Legislature confirmed that the Rule Against Perpetuities ("RAP") was neutralized: "The common-law rule against perpetuities is not in force in this state. The legislative pronouncement, essentially unnoticed at the time, proved to be theseed from which thestate's trustindustry grew. This article, the second of two installments, continues the life history of RAP in South Dakota. The first installment surveyed common law RAP and its obscure, labyrinthine, counter-intuitive mechanics. Thisinstallment picks up with a survey of pre-1983 caselaw and uncovers an interesting nugget-it appears that South Dakota never recognized RAP in the first place. South Dakota, it is contended here, has never subjected its citizens to the Rule Against Perpetuities, as an analysis of the state's decisional law largely confirms. Following the caselaw survey, the (arguably superfluous) legislative repeal is retold. The article concludes with a brief narrative of the success story of South Dakota trust companies in the years following 1983 and concludes with three appendices, one containing sample form provisions for the statutory dead hand restrictions that South Dakota retainstwin statutory rules addressing unreasonable and absolute restraints on alienation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the incorporation and evaluation of writing skills in animal science and dairy science courses in South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. Approaches in assessing the students' writing; Need for assignments to be content-specific and authentic; Tasks of teaching students effective communication; Transactional writing.

Background and aims: During the past three decades an expansive literature has emerged that is dedicated to analysing the processes of policy transfer. One neglected pathway involves subnational agents emulating crime control innovations that have emerged in subnational jurisdictions of other nations. This paper presents the case of the London Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime's (MOPAC) Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement (AAMR) Pilot to examine the multi‐level factors that facilitate and/or constrain international–subnational crime and justice policy transfer. Methods: A qualitative case study design reconstructed the (in)formal events that led to components of the South Dakota 24/7 Sobriety Project (USA) being either abandoned or integrated into MOPAC's AAMR Pilot. Evidence is drawn from elite interviews and documentary materials. Results: A series of inter/transnational‐, macro‐domestic‐, meso‐ and micro‐level factors enabled and/or obstructed processes of complete international–subnational policy transfer. Exclusion of domestic violence perpetrators from the London Pilot was fuelled by interest‐group hostility and mobilization. Use of alcohol tags rather than breathalysers to monitor compliance was a result of political–economic constraints, concern surrounding intrusion, technological innovation and policy‐orientated learning. The decision to omit an 'offender pays' funding mechanism was a consequence of legal incompatibility and civil service reluctance, while 'flash incarceration' for breach was not implemented due to European policy harmonization. Conclusions: The London Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement Pilot was a policy 'synthesis' that combined ideas, goals, vocabulary, principles, technology and practices from the South Dakota model with the existing English and Welsh criminal justice framework. Structural factors and the actions of particular agents limited the extent to which policy transfer occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on legal developments in marketing relative to the regulation of price competition. Regarding price discrimination, the article discusses Baldwin Hills Building Material Co. v. Fiberboard Paper Products Corp. as it relates to the California Federal District Court ruling on the interstate shipment of raw materials in the manufacture of wallboard under the Robinson-Patman Act. In regard to resale price maintenance, the article discusses a Supreme Court of South Dakota clarification of the State's Fair Trade Law as it relates to The House of Seagram, Inc., Seagram Distillers Co. Division v. The Assam Drug Co. and Fred Assam and Winchester-Western Division of Olin Mathieson Chemical Corp. v. Gibson Dakota, Inc..

Introduction Tele-emergency can address several challenges facing emergency departments in rural areas. The purpose of this paper is to (a) examine the rates of avoided transfers in rural emergency departments that adopted tele-emergency applications; and (b) estimate the costs and benefits of using tele-emergency to avoid transfers. Methods Analysis is based on 9048 tele-emergency encounters generated by the Avera eEmergency programme (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) in 85 rural hospitals across seven states between October 2009-February 2014. For each non-transfer patient, physicians indicated whether the transfer was avoided because of tele-emergency activation. The cost-benefit analysis is conducted from the hospital, patient and societal perspectives, and includes technology costs, local hospital revenues and patient-associated savings. All monetary values are expressed in US$. Sensitivity analysis is conducted by examining the worst and best case scenarios of costs, revenues and savings. Results In these analyses, 1175 avoided transfers were attributed to tele-emergency. From a rural hospital perspective, tele-emergency costs around US$1739 to avoid a single transfer. However, tele-emergency saves around US$5563 in avoided transportation and indirect patient costs. Combining these, from a societal perspective, tele-emergency has the potential to result in a net savings of US$3823 per avoided transfer while accounting for tele-emergency technology costs, hospital revenues, and patient-associated savings. Conclusion This study highlights various stakeholder perspectives on the financial impact of tele-emergency in avoiding patient transfers in rural emergency departments. Telemedicine has the potential to reduce the number of transfers of emergency department patients and generate some revenue for rural hospitals despite associated technology costs, while incurring substantial patient savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil sampling constitutes a fundamental process in agriculture, enabling precise soil analysis and optimal fertilization. The automated selection of accurate soil sampling locations representative of a given field is critical for informed soil treatment decisions. This study leverages recent advancements in deep learning to develop efficient tools for generating soil sampling maps. We proposed two models, namely UDL and UFN, which are the results of innovations in machine learning architecture design and integration. The models are meticulously trained on a comprehensive soil sampling dataset collected from local farms in South Dakota. The data include five key attributes: aspect, flow accumulation, slope, normalized difference vegetation index, and yield. The inputs to the models consist of multispectral images, and the ground truths are highly unbalanced binary images. To address this challenge, we innovate a feature extraction technique to find patterns and characteristics from the data before using these refined features for further processing and generating soil sampling maps. Our approach is centered around building a refiner that extracts fine features and a selector that utilizes these features to produce prediction maps containing the selected optimal soil sampling locations. Our experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our tools compared to existing methods. During testing, our proposed models exhibit outstanding performance, achieving the highest mean Intersection over Union of 60.82% and mean Dice Coefficient of 73.74%. The research not only introduces an innovative tool for soil sampling but also lays the foundation for the integration of traditional and modern soil sampling methods. This work provides a promising solution for precision agriculture and soil management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichinellosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease transmitted through the consumption of meat from animals infected with Trichinella spp. nematodes. In North America, human trichinellosis is rare and is most commonly acquired through consumption of wild game meat. In July 2022, a hospitalized patient with suspected trichinellosis was reported to the Minnesota Department of Health. One week before symptom onset, the patient and eight other persons shared a meal that included bear meat that had been frozen for 45 days before being grilled and served rare with vegetables that had been cooked with the meat. Investigation identified six trichinellosis cases, including two in persons who consumed only the vegetables. Motile Trichinella larvae were found in remaining bear meat that had been frozen for >15 weeks. Molecular testing identified larvae from the bear meat as Trichinella nativa, a freeze-resistant species. Persons who consume meat from wild game animals should be aware that that adequate cooking is the only reliable way to kill Trichinella parasites and that infected meat can cross-contaminate other foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on microtaphonomy have identified multiple types of organic microstructures in fossil vertebrates from a variety of time periods and past environmental settings. This study investigates potential taphonomic, paleoenvironmental, and paleoclimatic controls on soft tissue and cellular preservation in fossil bone. To this end, fifteen vertebrate fossils were studied: eight fossils collected from the Oligocene Sharps Formation of the Arikaree Group in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, and seven fossils from formations in the underlying White River Group, including the Oligocene Brule Formation of Badlands National Park, and the Eocene Chadron Formation of Flagstaff Rim, Wyoming; Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska; and Badlands National Park, South Dakota. A portion of each fossil was demineralized to identify any organic microstructures preserved within the fossils. We investigated several factors which may have influenced cellular/soft tissue decay and/or preservation pathways, including taxonomic identity, paleoclimatic conditions, depositional environment, and general diagenetic history (as interpreted through thin section analysis). Soft tissue microstructures were preserved in all fossil samples, and cellular structures morphologically consistent with osteocytes were recovered from 11 of the 15 fossil specimens. Preservation of these microstructures was found to be independent of taxonomy, paleoclimate regime, apatite crystallinity, depositional environment, and general diagenetic history, indicating that biogeochemical reactions operating within microenvironments within skeletal tissues, such as within individual osteocyte lacunae or Haversian canals, may exert stronger controls on soft tissue and biomolecular decay or stabilization than external environmental (or climatic) conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]