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Ctenosaura Similis (Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana) Predation, Richard M. Engeman, Missy L. Christie, Bernice Constantin, Robert Christie

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, Florida. 155 pp.). In particular, they were released on Gasparilla Island (Charlotte and Lee Counties) 3&35 years ago, where they are now abundant (Krysko et al. 2003. Florida Sci. 66:141-146). This species may pose a threat to a number of endemic threatened and endangered species on Gasparilla Island such as eggs of nesting shore birds, beach mice, hatchling sea turtles and gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) (Krysko et al., op. cit.), but to date, local predators on C. similis are unreported (Meshaka et al., op. cit.). Indigenous predators …

Assessing Rodenticide Hazards: Improving The Art And Science Of Risk Assessment, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Non-target hazards represent the most significant hurdle to the continued and possibly expanded use of anticoagulant rodenticides. In addition to the possibility of non-target access to the rodenticide bait, non-target scavenger and/or predator species may be exposed to these rodenticides via feeding on the carcasses of poisoned target species. Risk assessments provide a means to estimate the probability of rodenticide associated effects to target and non-target species. Quantification of risk provides critical information for decision-makers to weigh the benefits versus the risks of proposed rodenticide uses. This manuscript reports on the development of a probabilistic risk assessment model for quantifying …

Ophisaurus Ventralis (Eastern Glass Lizard). Fire-Induced Mortality, Greg Kaufmann, Henry T. Smith, Richard M. Engeman, Walter E. Meshaka Jr., Ernest M. Cowan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Direct mortality to wildlife due to prescribed fire is of concern to land managers using fire as a management tool. The ability of individual animals to escape fire is critical to the long-term survival of species inhabiting fire-maintained systems. Many wildlife species in Florida are both adapted to and dependent upon periodic fire to maintain suitable habitat (Myers and Ewel 1990. Ecosystems of Florida. University of Central Florida Press, Orlando, Florida. 765 pp.). However, species not adapted to survive in pyrogenic landscapes might suffer directly from fire-induced mortality; consequently fire might be a limiting factor. Long-term fire exclusion in many …

Blackbird Use Of Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots, George M. Linz, Jonathan M. Raetzman, Heath M. Hagy, H. Jeffrey Homan, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbird (Icteridae) damage to ripening sunflower fields in North Dakota ranges from $5-10 million and has probably forced many growers to abandon this crop. From 2004 to 2006, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services cost-shared Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots (WCSP) with sunflower growers. The objective of the WCSP was to provide blackbirds an attractive nearby alternative food source to reduce damage in commercial fields. From 2004 through 2006, sunflower damage in the WCSP’s was 39%, 32%, and 60%, respectively. In comparison, damage in nearby commercial fields was 5%, 4%, and 18%, over those years. In 2006, drought in the region …

Are Sunflower Fields For The Birds?, Heath M. Hagy, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The northern Great Plains are home to a variety of birds throughout the year, particularly during migration. Migratory species use native and restored grasslands, shelterbelts, and agricultural fields for food and shelter in North Dakota. Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) have been documented to cause economically important damage to some crops and thus, are sometimes the target of concerted harassment efforts. Few studies have assembled an inventory of nonblackbirds using small grain fields during the fall and spring in North Dakota that may be inadvertently affected by blackbird management. At least 94 nonblackbird species use crop fields in the spring …

Avian Influenza In Wild Birds: Environmental Sampling For The Rapid Detection Of Avian Influenza Viruses, Robert G. Mclean, Jeffrey S. Hall, Alan B. Franklin, Heather Sullivan, Kaci K. Vandalen, Susan A. Shriner, Matthew Farnsworth, Paul Oesterle, Ginger Young, Jenny Carlson, Kacy Cobble, Stacey Elmore, Ted Anderson, Sean Hauser, Kevin Bentler, Nicole Mooers, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Tom Deliberto, Seth Swafford

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

All subtypes of influenza Type A viruses infect wild birds, especially waterfowl and shorebirds, but rarely cause disease or mortality in these aquatic species. Aquatic birds are the natural reservoirs for low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAI) that are distributed globally. However, some AI subtypes can be virulent in other animals and humans and some highly pathogenic AI viruses (HPAI) have caused major outbreaks in poultry and even pandemics in the human population. The emergence of a HPAI H5N1 subtype in southeast Asian poultry in 1997 subsequently involved migratory waterfowl in 2005 and has since spread westward throughout the Asian, …

Chlorophacinone Baiting For Belding’S Ground Squirrels, Craig A. Ramey, George H. Matschke, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The efficacy of using 0.01% chlorophacinone on steam-rolled oat (SRO) groats applied in CA alfalfa by spot-baiting/hand baiting around burrow entrances (~11.5 g) to control free-ranging Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) were compared in 6 randomly assigned square treatment units (TUs). Four TUs were given the rodenticide and 2 treated with placebo bait. Each TU was a 0.4 ha square surrounded by a similarly treated 5.5 ha square buffer zone. Baits were applied on May 13 and re-applied, on May 20 and May 22, after 7 days of un-forecasted cool wet weather greatly reduced their above ground activity. …

A Broad Perspective On Current And Future Research On Urban Coyotes, John A. Shivik, Kathleen Fagerstone

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A change in wildlife management appears to be occurring. Previous efforts needed to be focused on producing more game species or endangered animals; now, however, tools and training must resolve issues of overabundance and conflict with predators, especially species such as coyotes (Canis latrans) in urban areas. Urban conflicts with coyotes may be growing because of urban development of land and human intrusion, but alteration of habitats that attract coyotes is also a likely factor. Research that will describe basic coyote biology in urban areas will be needed, but managers will also need applied research and development of …

Chromaflair® Crow Buster For Repelling Blackbirds And Crows, Scott J. Werner, Shelagh K. Tupper, John L. Cummings

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Nonlethal alternatives are needed to manage emerging and sustained conflicts between humans and several wild birds. We evaluated the ChromaFlair® “Crow Buster,” a device developed in Japan to repel Asian crows from garbage cans, fruit trees, and utility structures. The Crow Buster consists of a strip (1.5-3.5 cm wide) of stiff, shiny plastic cut into a spiral shape. The device is iridescent green-purple in color. We conducted 2 studies to determine the influence of the Crow Buster on the foraging distribution of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) in captivity. For both bird …

Rodenticide Use In Rodent Management In The United States: An Overview, Gary W. Witmer, John D. Eisemann

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rodents occur worldwide and have adapted to most types of ecosystems. Rodents provide many important ecosystem functions and while most rodent species do not cause serious damage problems, a small number of species do. Rodent-caused damage includes crop and stored food consumption and contamination, forestry and nursery damage, rangeland damage, ornamental plant damage, property damage, cable and irrigation pipe damage, disease transmission, and, when introduced to islands, damage and even extinction of native flora and fauna. Many tools are used to reduce rodent populations and damage. Rodenticides are an especially important tool in rodent management. Many types of active ingredients …

Lagomorph And Rodent Responses To Two Protein Hydrolysates, Julia A. Figueroa, Bruce A. Kimball, Kelly R. Perry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Various species of rodents and lagomorphs were used in bioassays to determine the effectiveness of protein hydrolysates (specifically hydrolyzed casein and gelatin) as herbivore repellents. Mixed sex groups of captive rabbits, pocket gophers, voles, and mountain beavers were offered hydrolyzed casein or gelatin test diets in single-choice tests following a training period with a hydrolysate-free diet. The effectiveness of either hydrolyzed casein or gelatin was dependent on the species. Hydrolyzed casein was identified as an effective repellent for mountain beavers and pocket gophers as these species showed a strong avoidance of hydrolyzed casein diets. Rabbits demonstrated slightly higher avoidance of …

Evaluation Of Two Perch Deterrents For Starlings, Blackbirds, And Pigeons, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Glen E. Bernhardt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions are costly and potentially deadly to people and wildlife. From 1990 through 2004, 57,702 bird collisions with aircraft were reported within the USA to the US Federal Aviation Administration. Approximately 82% of the strikes occur below 305 m height about ground level; therefore bird deterrents on airfields that reduce the quality of the birds’ habitat are critical to safe airport operation. One management approach is to reduce perching sites within the airport premises. We tested two anti-perching devices (Birdwire^TM and Birdblox^TM) in an aviary setting. As an ancillary test, we determined which wire in a …

Serologic Evidence Of West Nile Virus Exposure In North American Mesopredators, Kevin T. Bentler, Jeffrey S. Hall, J . Jeffrey Root, Kaci Klenk, Brandon S. Schmit, Bradley F. Blackwell, Paul C. Ramey, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sera from 936 mammalian mesopredators (Virginia opossums, gray foxes, striped skunks, hooded skunks, raccoons, a bobcat, and a red fox) were collected during 2003 and 2004 in California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, and Wyoming and screened for flavivirus-specific antibodies by an epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosobent assay (blocking ELISA). Serum samples positive for antibodies against flaviviruses were screened for West Nile virus (WNV)– specific antibodies by blocking ELISA and selectively confirmed with plaque-reduction neutralization tests. High prevalence rates were observed in raccoons (45.6%) and striped skunks (62.9%). The high WNV antibody prevalence noted in mesopredators, their peridomestic tendencies, and their overall pervasiveness …

Reducing Liver Cancer Disparities: A Community-Based Hepatitis-B Prevention Program For Asian-American Communities, Chiehwen E. Hsu, Louis Chih-Hung Liu, Hee-Soon Juon, Yu-Wen Chiu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Several Asian-American groups are at a higher risk of dying of liver diseases attributable to hepatitis-B infection. This culturally diverse community should be well informed of and protected against liver diseases. The present study assesses the knowledge of hepatitis B before and after a hepatitis-B educational program and determines the infection status of an Asian community.

METHODS: Nine Asian communities of Montgomery County, MD, enrolled in the hepatitis-B prevention program between 2005 and 2006. They attended culturally tailored lectures on prevention, completed self-administered pre- and posttests, and received blood screening for the disease.

RESULTS: More than 800 Asian Americans …

A Spatial-Temporal Approach To Surveillance Of Prostate Cancer Disparities In Population Subgroups, Chiehwen E. Hsu, Francisco Soto Mas, Jerry A. Miller, Ella T. Nkhoma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer mortality disparities exist among racial/ethnic groups in the United States, yet few studies have explored the spatiotemporal trend of the disease burden. To better understand mortality disparities by geographic regions over time, the present study analyzed the geographic variations of prostate cancer mortality by three Texas racial/ethnic groups over a 22-year period.

METHODS: The Spatial Scan Statistic developed by Kulldorff et al was used. Excess mortality was detected using scan windows of 50% and 90% of the study period and a spatial cluster size of 50% of the population at risk. Time trend was analyzed to examine …

Towards A Hybrid Method To Categorize Interruptions And Activities In Healthcare, Juliana J. Brixey, David J. Robinson, Craig W. Johnson, Todd R. Johnson, James P. Turley, Vimla L. Patel, Jiajie Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ObjectiveInterruptions are known to have a negative impact on activity performance. Understanding how an interruption contributes to human error is limited because there is not a standard method for analyzing and classifying interruptions. Qualitative data are typically analyzed by either a deductive or an inductive method. Both methods have limitations. In this paper a hybrid method was developed that integrates deductive and inductive methods for the categorization of activities and interruptions recorded during an ethnographic study of physicians and registered nurses in a Level One Trauma Center. Understanding the effects of interruptions is important for designing and evaluating informatics …

The Notice Problem, Unlawful Electronic Surveillance, And Civil Liability Under The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Andrew Adler

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Development And Implementation Of The Bring Your Own Water Treatment System In Dense, Rural, And Mountainous Rwandan Communities, Maximilian Gold, Evan A. Thomas, Richard L. Byyny, Jean Pierre Habanabakize

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over a billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water1. While numerous technological, medical, and educational solutions have been implemented for the benefit of disadvantaged communities, there is no 'magic bullet'. Instead, development agencies must partner directly with these communities to address their public health needs through appropriate technology solutions, backed up by education and assessment. The "Bring Your Own Water (BYOW) Treatment System" developed by the Engineers Without Borders-USA chapters at the University of Colorado at Boulder Chapter (EWB-CU) and the Johnson Space Center (EWB-JSC) is uniquely designed to address the water treatment requirements of two …

North America. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation And Vulnerability, Christopher B. Fields, Linda D. Mortsch, Michael Brklacich, Donald L. Forbes, Paul Kovacs, Jonathan A. Patz, Steven W. Running, Michael J. Scott, Jean Andrey, Dan Cayan, Mike Demuth, Alan Hamlet, Gregory Jones, Evan Mills, Scott Mills, Charles K. Minns, David J. Sailor, Mark Saunders, Daniel Scott, William Solecki

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The United States (U.S.) and Canada will experience climate changes through direct effects of local changes (e.g., temperature, precipitation and extreme weather events), as well as through indirect effects, transmitted among regions by interconnected economies and migrations of humans and other species. Variations in wealth and geography, however, lead to an uneven distribution of likely impacts, vulnerabilities and capacities to adapt. This chapter reviews and synthesises the state of knowledge on direct and indirect impacts, vulnerability and adaptations for North America (comprising Canada and the U.S). Hawaii and other U.S. protectorates are discussed in Chapter 16 on Small Islands, and …

Engaging Our Workforce: How Job Demands And Resources Contribute To Social Worker Burnout, Engagement And Intent To Leave, Sara Laura Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses

Social worker stress and burnout are pervasive problems that harm workers, organizations, and clients. Past research has identified burnout, a psychological response to work stress, as an important predictor of intent to leave and ultimate turnover. An emerging body of research has examined work engagement, considered to be the opposite of burnout, as a predictor of retention. The problem of burnout and turnover within organizations employing social workers has been addressed in the literature for many years. This dissertation responded to a call in the literature for a greater emphasis on burnout prevention and enhancement of workforce engagement and retention. …

Ecology Of Wood Frog (Rana Sylvatica) Parasites On The Northern Plains, Eric E. Pulis

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Work On Myth : Jazz Musicians' Biographies And American Jazz Culture, Max OestersöTebier

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog, Morehead State University

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2007-2008 undergraduate catalog for Morehead State University.

Corporate Responsibility: The Case Of Big Tobacco, Aaron Barlow

Publications and Research

Barlow recounts his experience on a jury on a major case relating to the tobacco industry.