Digital Commons Network^™

Conserving Seabirds: Actions Of The Pacific Seabird Group During Its First 40 Years., Craig S. Harrison

Marine Ornithology

The Pacific Seabird Group (PSG), founded in 1972, is “dedicated to the study and conservation of Pacific seabirds and their environment.” During its first 40 years, PSG undertook scores of conservation actions, although as an all-volunteer organization, PSG lacked the capacity to implement many programs or projects. It achieved its conservation goals through leadership, raising issues, bringing the best science to decision makers, and serving as a catalyst for others to act. PSG has been especially influential in six areas: (1) eradicating invasive alien animals from seabird colonies; (2) conserving Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus; (3) protecting seabird colonies in …

Behavioral Insights Into The Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus Mendiculus: A Day In His Life—An Ethological Portrait., Jonathan Cueva, Wilson Iñiguez, Gregory Marshall, Christian Sevilla, Andrea Coloma, Lorena Venegas, Gustavo Jiménez-Uzcátegui

Marine Ornithology

The Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus mendiculus, endemic to the Galápagos Archipelago, faces increasing ecological pressures threatening its population. This study aimed to characterize its daily behavioral patterns to better understand its adaptations and vulnerability to ecosystem changes. In one breeding locality, the Marielas Islets, we mounted a Crittercam on a male penguin to assess interactions with its mate and its behavior over a 24-hr period. Behaviors were classified as Diving, Foraging, Grooming, Intraspecific Interaction, Interspecific Interaction, Loafing, Prospecting, Resting, Surface Dipping, and Swimming. We analyzed behavioral data using chi-square tests and transition heat-maps. Results revealed predominantly surface behaviors—Prospecting (41.2% of …

Comparing Counts Made From Drone-Based And Boat-Based Photography For Surveying Thick-Billed Murre Uria Lomvia Cliff Colonies., Ewan Macdonnell, Sarah E. Gutowsky, Kyle H. Elliott

Marine Ornithology

Surveys of cliff-nesting seabirds from sea level or ground level often miss individuals hidden by topography, leading to underestimates of abundance. Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia are especially challenging to survey accurately due to their dense nesting on vertical cliff ledges in remote northern regions. In Canada, updated colony surveys are needed, as currently used population estimates, done from boats, are outdated. Drones offer better vantage points and may reduce availability bias (i.e., the proportion of birds present but not visible), but direct comparisons with boat-based counts are essential. We compared murre counts from drone- and boat-based photographs of six vertical …

First Gps Tracking Of The Black Storm Petrel Hydrobates Melania., Jorge Cristerna, Gemma Abaunza, Joel Aarón López-Hernández, Cecilia Soldatini, Yuri Vladimir Albores-Barajas, Federico De Pascalis, Jacopo G. Cecere

Marine Ornithology

The research reported here, conducted at Archipiélago de Espíritu Santo National Park, Baja California Sur, Mexico, establishes the first successful application of biologging on a Black Storm Petrel Hydrobates melania. Results yielded preliminary insights into this population's marine movements during nesting. The device used, weighing less than 3% of the bird's body mass, recorded a 181-km foraging trip. Subsequent trajectory analysis indicated navigation behavior that potentially was optimized to use crosswind assistance. The individual showed no weight loss post-retrieval, a finding that suggests this method is viable and unharmful, demonstrating the feasibility of using miniaturized tracking devices to unravel …

Predicting Suitable Marine Habitat For Pink-Footed Shearwaters Ardenna Creatopus In The Waters Along The Pacific Coast Of Canada., Sonya A. Pastran, Patrick D. O’Hara, Kenneth H. Morgan, Caroline H. Fox, W. Eric Gross

Marine Ornithology

Anthropogenic activities are threatening global marine ecosystems, with seabirds representing a vulnerable group that has experienced pronounced population declines in recent decades. The ability to identify important marine areas for vulnerable seabirds is fundamental to conservation initiatives. The Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus (listed as Endangered in Canada) breeds only in Chile, but during the non-breeding season, it ranges northward to waters off Canada's Pacific coast and the northern Gulf of Alaska. Using at-sea survey data spanning from 1992 to 2019, we examined the relationship between the species' distribution and environmental variables using a two-step generalized additive model approach. Cross-validation with …

Tasmanian Records Of Vagrant Penguins, 1991–2025., Eric J. Woehler

Marine Ornithology

During the period 01 January 1991 to 31 August 2025, there were 274 records of vagrant penguins in Tasmania. These records represented three genera: Aptenodytes, Pygoscelis, and Eudyptes. The most frequently reported species were Fiordland Penguin E. pachyrhynchus, Royal Penguin E. schlegeli, and King Penguin A. patagonicus. High numbers of records were reported from 10 years, with a peak in 1999 and a lower peak in 2023. Records from January to March accounted for approximately 42% of all vagrant penguin occurrences and corresponded with the arrival of pre-moult birds of all ages. A range …

Comparative Diet Analysis Of Three Larid Species Nesting At Isla Rasa, Gulf Of California, Mexico., Enriqueta Velarde, Lloyd T. Findley

Marine Ornithology

Isla Rasa, situated in highly productive waters of the Gulf of California, has the largest nesting colony of Royal Terns Thalasseus maximus (as many as 17,000 individuals) in the Mexican Pacific, sharing this site with 300,000 Elegant Terns T. elegans and 260,000 Heermann's Gulls Larus heermanni. During eight breeding seasons between 1996 and 2011, we found that the Royal Tern diet contained over twice the number of prey species as the other two seabirds' diets: the Royal Tern's diet included 36 species of fishes, in 20 families, and pelagic squat lobster Grimothea planipes, whereas the Elegant Tern and …

Evidence For Colony Attendance By Immature Streaked Shearwaters Calonectris Leucomelas During The Chick-Rearing Period., Helen M. Pružina, Akiko Shoji, Masaki Shirai, Sakiko Matsumoto, Ken Yoda, Annette L. Fayet

Marine Ornithology

Many seabird species have a long breeding-deferral period, during which individuals mature and spend most of their time at sea, making them particularly difficult to study. In some species, immatures are known to start visiting colonies before reaching adulthood, presumably to learn the behaviours required to secure a nest and mate for future breeding. However, immature colony attendance remains undocumented in many species, particularly those that are difficult to observe, such as nocturnal, cavity-nesting species and species in which immatures are indistinguishable from adults. Here, we studied the attendance patterns and behaviour of Streaked Shearwaters Calonectris leucomelas on Awashima Island, …

Satellite Tracking Of Galapagos Petrel Pterodroma Phaeopygia Reveals Distribution And Movements During Chick Rearing., Carolina B. Proaño, Sebastian M. Cruz, Josh Adams, Martin Wikelski

Marine Ornithology

We tracked 19 adult Galapagos Petrels Pterodroma phaeopygia during the chick-rearing seasons in 2009 and 2010 (Santa Cruz Island [n = 16] and Floreana Island [n = 3]) in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Eight petrels performed 27 complete foraging trips lasting 0.6 to 18.8 days. Short trips (3.2 ± 2.1 days; 785 km; max displacement 671 km) and long trips (10.8 ± 3.9 days; 2,856 km; max displacement 1,034 km) resulted in concentrated use of waters off southern and western Isabela Island and within the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR). Less concentrated time extended farther southwest and eastward, in …

Important Bird Area Ant 110 Muskegbukta, Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica: A Case Study., Barbara Wienecke

Marine Ornithology

The nomination of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) is a useful approach to determine where valuable biodiversity areas occur. In Antarctica, 204 areas have been designated as IBAs, 34 of which contain Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri colonies. The dynamic nature of the Antarctic environment presents challenges to IBA nominations, particularly for a species such as the Emperor Penguin, whose colonies can shift markedly in location across years. This paper uses IBA ANT 110 Muskegbukta as a case study to explore how changes in local and regional fast ice conditions result in relocation of a colony beyond the nominated IBA boundary. Because …

Atlantic Puffin Fratercula Arctica Mortality Along The Portuguese West Coast In Early 2023., Rute A. Costa, Ana S. Tavares, Francisca V. Hilário, Jorge Vaqueiro, Marisa Ferreira, Sara Sá, Silvia S. Monteiro, Andreia Torres-Pereira, Catarina Eira

Marine Ornithology

This study presents data about a mortality event involving Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica in the central region of Portugal, including information on the species' biometrics. More than 2,000 seabirds were collected from beaches between Lisbon and Matosinhos in January and February 2023, as casualties of a massive wreck. In total 444 Atlantic Puffins (171 live, 273 dead) were found and analysed. Leg bands on some birds indicated that these individuals primarily originated from colonies in Scotland. Of the live puffins that entered the Ecomare Marine Animal Rehabilitation Centre, only 18 survived to be successfully released. We conducted 426 post-mortem examinations …

Masthead, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Summit Report: Nuclear Deterrence In An Uncertain World, Manolis Priniotakis

GNSI Summit Reports

The Global and National Security Institute’s Tampa Summit 6 took place on March 24-25, 2026, and examined a nuclear weapons environment marked by renewed uncertainty, weakened institutions, and rapid strategic change. General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie’s opening keynote framed the central challenge: The nuclear age never ended, but the United States and its allies spent much of the post-Cold War period looking away at other threats while Russia, China, North Korea, and others adapted. The world is now moving from the longstanding and relatively stable “two-body” nuclear order centered on the United States and Russia toward a far more complex “three-body” …

Wavelet-Based Multiscale Analysis Of Cave Co₂ Concentration In Response To Short-Term High-Intensity Tourism Activities: Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity And Lag Characteristics, Mingda Cao, Wenwen Song, Yan Zhang, Jie Zhang, Zhiqiang Yao

International Journal of Speleology

High-intensity tourism activities can cause a significant increase in cave air CO₂ concentration, thereby affecting the cave micro-environment and secondary carbonate deposition. During the 2023 National Day Golden Week, high-frequency continuous monitoring of cave air CO₂ partial pressure (PCO_2(A)) and visitor numbers was conducted in Dawang Cave, Anhui Province. Wavelet transform and cross-correlation analyses were used to reveal the multi-scale response characteristics of CO₂ concentration to tourism activities. The results show that: (1) PCO_2(A) exhibited clear diurnal variations (higher during the day, lower at night) and decreased spatially with enhanced ventilation, controlled jointly by …

Editors' Introduction

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue 20.1

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Genocide In Gaza? Social Media Discussions Of Violence In Israel And Gaza, Timothy Williams, Andreas Dafnos

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article conducts social network and topic analyses of German-language posts on X that discuss genocide and terrorism in Israel and Gaza in the first six months after the October 7 attacks and compares these to broader English-language discourses on the platform. The comparison reveals subtle differences in how Israeli violence and governance and Palestinians are discussed and who is seen as complicit in supporting violence. Markedly, German-language posts discuss what constitutes antisemitism more and employ a more restrained language towards Israel as a state and its political actors than English-language posts. We tie these findings back to the idiosyncrasies …

Genocidal Criminology: My Testimony, Yarin Eski

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article is a testimony on the entanglement of my personal biography, responsibility, and lived experience of genocide denial and, subsequently, developing criminologies of genocide and its denial, based on my formative experiences, ranging from encountering Armenian genocide denial as a student, to dealing with institutional constraints and careerism, to my academic activism, raising awareness about the Gaza genocide, to, finally, prospecting genocide and ecocide in outer space: astrocide. These experiences configure a genealogy of what I term genocidal criminology that unpacks and criticizes criminological knowledge, institutions, and practices that produce genocide (denial), both epistemically and structurally. Essentially, I argue …

Arts & Literature: Gaza And The Question Of Prevention—An Interview With Bruce Robbins, Luis Gonzalez-Aponte

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: A People Destroyed: New Research On The Roma Genocide, 1941–1945, Elizabeth Graham

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Genocide By Algorithm In Gaza: Artificial Intelligence, Countervailing Responsibility, And The Corruption Of Public Discourse, Branislav Radeljić

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

The accelerating militarization of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the ethics, politics, and governance of warfare. This article interrogates how AI-driven targeting systems function as epistemic infrastructures that classify, legitimize, and execute violence, using Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a paradigmatic case. Building on interdisciplinary debates in security studies, critical technology studies, and international law, the paper advances the concept of "genocide by algorithm"—a mode of technologically mediated extermination in which opaque computational systems automate and rationalize mass violence. The study argues that these systems collapse distinctions between military and civilian targets, and between intentional and accidental harm, thereby eroding …

Genocidal Occupation And The Occupier’S Dilemma: From Lemkin’S Axis Rule To 21st Century Palestine, Martin Shaw

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Following Israel’s campaign in Gaza after October 7, 2023, which was widely recognized as a genocide, the “ceasefire” of late 2025 introduced the prospect of a new occupation of the territory by the USA and Israel, leading to its redevelopment by them rather than the restoration of the pre-2023 Palestinian society. Together with the parallel accentuation of Palestinian dispossession under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, this development calls for a theorization of the relationship between occupation and genocide. Yet, although the concept of genocide was introduced by Raphael Lemkin in his analysis of the German occupations of European countries, …

U.S. Public Opinion During The Rwandan Genocide And The Power Of Executive Detachment, Carly Schmitt, Matthew L. Bergbower

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

We examine U.S. public opinion during the Rwandan genocide in the spring and early summer of 1994. Drawing on more than a dozen public opinion polls fielded during this period, we analyze Americans’ levels of knowledge about the violence in Rwanda, their views on United Nations involvement, support for U.S. military intervention, and evaluations of President Bill Clinton’s handling of the crisis. Longstanding theory recognizes public opinion as an important variable in explaining foreign policy choices during international crises. In the case of U.S. policy toward the Rwandan genocide, our analysis reveals widespread public unfamiliarity with a distant African conflict …

Book Review: Uyghur Women Activists In The Diaspora: Restorying A Genocide, Robert W. Wilson

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Missed Diagnoses Beyond Endemic Borders: How Knowledge And Resource Access Shape Testing For Cutaneous Leishmaniasis And Chagas Disease, Alyssa Agnew, Brandon Lopez, Cherry Mawii, Erin Aslan, Sreshta Sankar, Semené Clement

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) and Chagas Disease (CD) are both tropical vector borne diseases most common in endemic regions. CL is caused by a parasite spread through sandfly bites. CD is caused by the parasite transmitted through the feces of Triatomine bugs. They are not common in non-endemic regions resulting in lack of training and knowledge required to properly diagnose and treat these diseases. This study assesses how clinician knowledge and access to diagnostic tools influence testing practices for CL and CD in non-endemic regions and contribute to diagnostic bias, underrecognition, and delayed diagnosis.

A comprehensive literature review was performed through …

Leveraging High School Students Knowledge Of Obesity Conundrum, Lauren R. Mcconnell, Nalani N. Galindez, Lauren R. Selent

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Adolescent obesity, defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex, affects approximately 21% of US adolescents aged 12 to younger than 18 years. This chronic, progressive disease is associated with significant immediate and long-term health consequences and requires comprehensive, intensive treatment rather than "watchful waiting.Changes in diet, including decreased fast food and soda consumption are necessary to obesity reduction. The purpose of this study is to examine high school students knowledge and attitudes regarding obesity. A quantitative, causal-comparative design was used to identify differences across groups. The independent variable was the grade level of …

Leveraging Compliance With Infection Control Policies Among Healthcare Workers In A Multi-Hospital System, Lauren R. Mcconnell, Ethan C. Anthony, Lauren R. Selent

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Despite the national push, healthcare workers compliance with Standard Precautions (SP) and Transmission-Based Precautions show significant gaps in both understanding and implementation.1 The conundrum of hospital nosocomial infections obfuscates the threat to patient safety.2 The purpose of this study is to examine staff compliance with infection control policies by infection type within a multi-hospital system. A quantitative, causal-comparative design was used to identify differences across groups. The independent variable was the ‘type of isolation’ assigned by the infection control practitioner. The dependent variables were staff adherence to the infection control policies including: 1) Isolation sign on patient’s door ; 2) …

Patient Perspectives On Lung Cancer Screening Uptake: Findings From In-Depth Interviews, Patricia A. Falcon

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is primarily caused by tobacco use. Lung cancer screening with a Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) scan is an established method to detect this disease at an early stage and can reduce its death rate by up to 20%. However, the uptake of lung cancer screening across eligible individuals has been low, especially among underserved populations. The goal of this study was to have a better understanding of how to increase lung cancer screening among eligible underserved population. Eligible participants included adults aged 50 to 80 years …

Leveraging Computer Vision-Based Hand Tracking In Smartphone Xr Exposure Scenarios To Enable Controller-Free Interaction, Alex C. Lim, Trang Nguyen

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Extended reality (XR) has emerged as an effective and convenient solution for broadening accessibility to exposure therapy. Smartphone-based XR, though cost-effective, is often constrained by limited interactivity, engendering a passive experience that can compromise the user-immersion and treatment efficacy. To address this limitation, this study presents a novel computer vision–based hand-tracking approach using Google MediaPipe, integrated within a stereoscopic smartphone-based XR system to enable real-time, controller-free interaction in a dog-fetch scenario. Hand landmark coordinates derived from MediaPipe are algorithmically adjusted based on changes in inter-knuckle distances during anterior/posterior movement to approximate depth, at which point interactive spheres are overlayed to …