Digital Commons Network^™

Can A Combined Agriculture And Nutrition Behaviour Change Intervention Improve Women’S Empowerment? A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study In Rural Bangladesh, Elizabeth K. Kirkwood, Michael J. Dibley, Wajiha Khatun, Gulshan Ara, Mansura Khanam, Anowarul Bokshi, Mu Li, Neeloy Ashraful Alam

The Qualitative Report

Many agricultural and home gardening interventions aim to improve the nutritional status of women and children in low- and middle-income countries by focusing on women as the recipients of the intervention and make assumptions that women will be empowered as a result. This paper examines the potential impact of an intervention study that combined home garden training and support, and nutrition behaviour change communication, with a social safety net payment, on women’s empowerment in rural Bangladesh. We assessed the implementation of this study in terms of feasibility, acceptability, and practical application. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with randomly selected women …

Growth Productivity As A Determinant Of The Inoculum Effect For Bactericidal Antibiotics, Gabriela Diaz-Tang, Estefania Marin Meneses, Kavish Patel, Sophia Mirkin, Laura Garcia-Dieguez, Camryn Pajon, Ivana Barraza, Vijay Patel, Helana Ghali, Angelica P. Tracey, Christopher Blanar, Allison J. Lopatkin, Robert P. Smith

Biology Faculty Articles

Understanding the mechanisms by which populations of bacteria resist antibiotics has implications in evolution, microbial ecology, and public health. The inoculum effect (IE), where antibiotic efficacy declines as the density of a bacterial population increases, has been observed for multiple bacterial species and antibiotics. Several mechanisms to account for IE have been proposed, but most lack experimental evidence or cannot explain IE for multiple antibiotics. We show that growth productivity, the combined effect of growth and metabolism, can account for IE for multiple bactericidal antibiotics and bacterial species. Guided by flux balance analysis and whole-genome modeling, we show that the …

Fusion Energy For Peacebuilding: A Trinity Test-Level Critical Juncture, Elias Carayannis, John Draper, Balwant Bhaneja

Peace and Conflict Studies

Peacebuilding used to power humanity’s quest for fusion; it still could. This article analyses the enormous implications of a burning plasma fusion breakthrough, for both worsening conflicts and peacebuilding, by applying the nonkilling global political science peacebuilding framework; the quintuple helix technology innovation ecosystem model; and recent path dependence theory. The first burning plasma will be an unprecedented historical event, with the closest parallel being the Trinity Test; we analyze the Test in path dependence terms to compare it with fusion. As with fission, fusion will be weaponized due to its intrinsic benefits. However, the innovations leading to fusion are …

How Can You Call Her A Woman? Male Soldiers’ Views On Women In The Drc Armed Forces, Dostin Lakika, Ingrid Palmary

Peace and Conflict Studies

There has been a longstanding body of literature on women in the armed forces at least since the 1970s (Segal, 1999). This literature varies considerably in its approach, from feminist work that reflects on the forms of masculinity produced through military and militarization, to work that considers women’s role in the army and attitudes towards women in the army. Furthermore, policy efforts to increase women’s participation in the army (such as UN Security Council Resolution 1325) have explicitly called for the inclusion of women in peace and security efforts. In this paper, we contribute to this literature by assessing how …

Quantifying Carbon Dioxide And Methane Fluxes From Sargassum Strandings On Florida Beaches, James O. Westphalen

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Floating Sargassum is thought to be a sink of blue carbon in that it removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and sequesters organic carbon by sinking into the deep ocean or being buried in sediments. However, Sargassum that washes into intertidal ecosystems will eventually decompose, releasing greenhouse gases to the surrounding air, groundwater, and surface coastal seawater. In recent years, Sargassum strandings have increased in the Atlantic Ocean, making our understanding of the fate of beached Sargassum critical for determining how much carbon is sequestered by the seaweed. This study investigated greenhouse gas fluxes of decaying Sargassum …

Common Snook, Centropomus Undecimalis Neurocranium, Olivia Cantalupo, Madelyn Vieth, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Common Snook, Centropomus undecimalis.

Examining The Relationship Between Stomiiform Fish Morphology And Their Ecological Traits, Mikayla L. Twiss

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Trait-based ecology characterizes individuals’ functional attributes to better understand and predict their interactions with other species and their environments. Utilizing morphological traits to describe functional groups has helped group species with similar ecological niches that are not necessarily taxonomically related. Within the deep-pelagic fishes, the Order Stomiiformes exhibits high morphological and species diversity, and many species undertake diel vertical migration (DVM). While the morphology and behavior of stomiiform fishes have been extensively studied and described through taxonomic assessments, the connection between their form and function regarding their DVM types, morphotypes, and daytime depth distributions is not well known. Here, three …

Integrative Revision Of Five Genera Type Species For Zoanthidea To Bridge The Parataxonomy Gap, Jacob Colbert

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Cnidarian order Zoanthidea is a relatively understudied group of invertebrates inhabiting a diverse range of marine habitats. Over/During the last two decades, species descriptions within this order have largely been based on a novel molecular parataxonomic system that relies almost exclusively on DNA barcodes to detect and describe new species. DNA barcodes are short, conserved sequences that are readily compared across taxa and used to detect previously described species. The existing taxonomic system, based on anatomical analysis and the identification of evolutionarily informative characters for phylogenetic inference, has been recently replaced by molecular parataxonomy by some scientists/researchers. While molecular sequence …

Vertical And Diel Behavior Patterns Of Adult Lemon Sharks (Negaprion Brevirostris) Around The Southeastern Florida And Western Bahamas Coastal Shelves, Jacquelyne Reuder

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) is a large sub-tropical species found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Virginia to Brazil, including The Bahamas and Caribbean Sea. Previous studies on habitat utilization were conducted on juveniles in The Bahamas, but little is known about vertical depth and temperature preferences of adults. Given the species’ risk to overexploitation and habitat degradation, the IUCN Red List recently listed lemon sharks as Vulnerable. Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on lemon sharks (n=7) in 2008 and 2009 off Jupiter, Florida (n=6; two females, four males) and Tiger Beach, Bahamas (n=1; one …

Spatial Variability Of Greenhouse Gases In Blue Carbon Mangrove Ecosystems, Jordan Page

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Blue carbon ecosystems, including mangrove forests, play a vital role in the global carbon cycle through their carbon sequestration and storage capabilities. Mangrove trees remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it within these ecosystems. Buildup of organic matter also contributes to high production of methane that is eventually released to adjacent coastal systems and to the atmosphere through air sea gas exchange. It is necessary to investigate environmental conditions that drive greenhouse gas fluctuations to understand how they will change due to climate change and ocean acidification impacts. The goal of this study is to investigate the spatial variability …

Quantifying The Toxicological Effects Of The Organic Uv Filters Avobenzone And Homosalate On Acropora Cervicornis, Samantha F. Buckley

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Reports of the environmental effects of organic UV filters such as oxybenzone have led to the marketing of “reef-safe” sunscreen ingredients, including avobenzone and homosalate. Avobenzone provides broad-spectrum UV protection which blocks higher wavelength UV rays, the leading cause of aging and skin cancer. However, as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organic UV filters have similar structures to crude oil and estrogens, some of which have been labeled endocrine disrupters. Common in personal care products, UV filters enter marine ecosystems via wastewater effluent and swimmers. Significant stress and mortality have been observed in juvenile and some adult scleractinian corals after exposure …

Toxicity And Effectiveness Of A New Two-Part Underwater Adhesive For Coral Restoration, Matthew Rojano

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

As coral cover decreases around the world due to disease, bleaching events, and anthropogenic effects, coral restoration projects become increasingly important. A crucial part of many coral restoration projects is the attachment of corals to substrates in nurseries or reef substrates during outplanting. The effective anchoring of transplants is a critical phase in coral restoration and the adhesive used for attachment is crucial. Commonly used adhesives have several drawbacks: there are long mixing times, low substrate adhesion, and lengthy hardening times. To address these issues and provide an effective alternative for coral restoration activities, a new two-part Mixed Adhesive was …

Larval Ecology Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus): New Insights From Otolith Microstructure, Biotic, And Abiotic Analyses From The Gulf Of Mexico And Mediterranean Sea, Estrella Malca

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT), Thunnus thynnus, spawn in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the Mediterranean Sea (MED). Spawning occurs within narrow temporal and environmental parameters. Efforts to characterize growth of ABT in wild conditions revealed a wide range of growth variability during the early life stages. This series of studies examined potential biotic and abiotic influences of larval growth from seven ABT cohorts, and identified several key drivers of growth for this commercially valuable species. A detailed investigation of larval dynamics using otolith microstructure was conducted as follows. First, companion growth curves and stable isotope analysis from the same …

Assessing Broad-Scale Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Intervention Activities In Southeast Florida, Usa, Kathryn Toth

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Reef-building corals are crucial to the long-term existence of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems, providing both direct and indirect, local and global, ecological, economic, and social benefits. Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is endemic in southeast Florida first appearing in 2014 and present in 2022. Effective in situ disease intervention treatments using antibiotic paste stop disease progression ~ 90% of the time. Between May 2019 and April 2022, 1,037 corals, >85% of which were Montastraea cavernosa, were treated during disease intervention dives in southeast Florida. This study investigated intervention activities over three years in an effort to make them more …

Ship Groundings And Boulder Deployment: A Study On Restoration Of Ship Grounding Sites In The Kristin Jacobs Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area, Shane Wever

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Coral reefs are widely regarded as one of the world’s most important ecosystems. These ecosystems have been in a state of rapid decline worldwide due to chronic stressors and acute disturbances. Ship groundings on coral reefs are one of the most destructive acute disturbances, damaging both the biological community and the underlying reef framework. Once disturbed, these reef ecosystems often require restoration to promote recovery. Southeast Florida is home to an extensive high latitude reef system located near a highly developed and densely populated coast. In 2006, two large commercial vessels, the Spar Orion and Clipper Lasco, grounded north of …

Cervical Muscle Strength And Kinematics During An Unanticipated Perturbation In University Aged Male And Female Rugby Athletes, Abigail Ruppert, Lauren J. Lattimer

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Introduction: Female athletes participating in contact sports demonstrate a concussion injury risk factor that is two times greater than their age-matched male counterparts. Recent literature has outlined the importance of neck muscle strength and neuromuscular characteristics in the mitigation of excessive head kinematics. Rugby is a contact sport in which tackles comprise the mechanism for concussion, which is caused by inertial impacts. Females exhibit higher measurements of acceleration and investigating potential gender differences in dynamic stabilization of the head is warranted in rugby. Methods: Twenty-three (15 female, 8 male) university-aged rugby athletes participated in kinematic analysis; and a series of …

Caribbean Reef-Building Coral-Symbiodiniaceae Network: Identifying Symbioses Critical For System Stability In A Changing Climate, Shaman Patel

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Increasing global ocean temperatures and frequency of marine heatwaves pose dire consequences for coral reefs. High temperatures often lead to disruptions in coral symbiosis resulting in coral bleaching, increasing the mortality of corals. However, corals can potentially avoid bleaching peril by associating with thermally tolerant symbionts. Here we provide a tool for understanding symbiosis network stability of Caribbean reef-building corals. We created a network of Caribbean hermatypic corals and their associated Symbiodiniaceae phylotypes. A bleaching model was applied to this network to test for resilience and robustness (R50) to thermal stress. It was also layered with trait data for coral …

Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) Neurocranium, Logan Exton, David William Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 13.335 cm total length (TL) Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), collected from Fort Lauderdale on 04/11/2022 by Logan Exton

Little Tunny, Euthynnus Alletteratus, Neurocranium, Andrew C. Kuntz, Kylie Bosket, Amy Hirons

Hirons Field Techniques

Neurocranium from Little Tunny, Euthynnus alletteratus. Sample belongs to David Kerstetter.

Crustacean Assemblage Structure Over The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone Of The Mid-Atlantic Ridge Collected During The 2009 Henry B. Bigelow Expedition, Kathryn Medina

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) consists of two nearly parallel fracture transform faults that intersect the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) axis. This area has high primary productivity and biomass levels due to the topography and water. A predominant hydrographic feature of the MAR is the Sub-Polar Front (SPF) which runs along the southern edge of the CGFZ and is known as a biogeographical boundary for multiple species. As part of The Census of Marine Life project Patterns and Processes of the Ecosystem of the northern Mid-Atlantic (MAR-ECO), this study analyzed the abundance and distribution patterns of the CGFZ crustacean community …

Toro (Priacanthus Arenatus) Neurocranium, Nicole Mozer, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 7.8 cm

Toro - Priacanthus arenatus

Collected from Kerstetter Fisheries & Avian Ecology Lab on 9/21/2022 by Nicole Mozer & David Kerstetter

Scamp Grouper, (Mycteroperca Phenax) Neurocranium, Liam L. Wilcox, David William Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 5.40 cm; total length unknown. Scamp Grouper, (Mycteroperca phenax)

Specimen received from Kerstetter's lab

Chelonia Mydas Cranium, Celina Nelson-Jordan, Bryan Weber

Hirons Field Techniques

Chelonia mydas Cranium - Green Sea Turtle skull with jaw positioned agape for detail

Workshops Report For Mesophotic And Deep Benthic Community Fish, Mobile Invertebrates, Sessile Invertebrates And Infauna, Rachel Bassett, Stacey L. Harter, Randy Clark, Ian Zink, Katherine Hornick, Jennifer Hart, Hanna Bliska, Melissa Carle, Tracey Sutton, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Jill Bourque, Martha Nizinski, Nancy Prouty, Stephanie Sharuga, Alicia Caporaso, Jennifer Le, Jennifer Herting, Cheryl Morrison, Matthew Poti

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Two workshops with subject matter experts in the appropriate fields, were held in November and December 2021 to elicit guidance and feedback from the broader mesophotic and deep benthic scientific community. These workshops focused on best practices/approaches and identifying data gaps relative to habitat assessment and evaluation goals of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community (MDBC) restoration portfolio. The first workshop was a combined effort of the Habitat Assessment and Evaluation (HAE) Project Team and the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Program. Industrial Economics, Inc. (IEc) provided extensive workshop planning, organizing, execution, and facilitation support during all stages of the workshop. Based …

Channel Catfish - Ictalurus Punctatus, Jason E. Rosales, David William Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium total length is 110.81 mm, [CHANNEL CATFISH , Ictalurus punctatus} collected from Canal in Davie on November 18th, 2022 by Zachary

Taxonomic Species Recognition Should Be Consistent, Stephen James O'Brien, Shu-Jin Luo

Biology Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

[Black Margate (Anisotremus Surinamensis)] Neurocranium, Maeve Hunt, Jenna Hill, Breanna Calle, David William Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 9.5 cm total length (TL) [Black Margate (Anisotremus surinamensis)]

Tripletail Lobotes Surinamensis Neurocranium, Briana K. Zaffiro, Anna Johnson, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Lobotes surinamensis

Lionfish (Pterois Volitans) Neurocranium, Vincenzo Ledonne, David William Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from 7.3025 cm total length (TL) [Lionfish (Pterois volitans)]

Mesoptroph, A Database Of Trophic Parameters To Study Interactions In Mesopelagic Food Webs, Mónica A. Silva, Catarina T. Fonseca, M. Pilar Olivar, Ainhoa Bernal, Jérôme Spitz, Tiphaine Chouvelon, Sigrún Jonasdottir, Ana Colaço, Vanda Carmo, Tracey Sutton, Gui Menezes, Tone Falkenhaug, Odd Aksel Bergstad, Sergi Pérez-Jorge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Mesopelagic organisms play a crucial role in marine food webs, channelling energy across the predator-prey network and connecting depth strata through their diel vertical migrations. The information available to assess mesopelagic feeding interactions and energy transfer has increased substantially in recent years, owing to the growing interest and research activity in the mesopelagic realm. However, such data have not been systematically collated and are difficult to access, hampering estimation of the contribution of mesopelagic organisms to marine ecosystems. Here we present MesopTroph, a georeferenced database of diet, trophic markers, and energy content of mesopelagic and other marine taxa compiled from …