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University Of South Carolina Discovery Day 2007, University Of South Carolina

Discovery Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Berhane Hewan: A Pilot Program To Promote Education And Delay Marriage In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Berhane Hewan Program pilot-tested in rural Ethiopia from 2004–06 was developed to sensitize community members to the dangers of child marriage, prevent early marriage among unmarried adolescents, and provide support for girls who are already married. The program included social mobilization of girls aged 10–19 into groups led by female mentors; support to stay in school or convening of groups outside of school including nonformal education and livelihoods skills; and community-wide conversations on early marriage and reproductive health issues affecting girls. Economic incentives were provided to families who did not marry off their daughters during the project period. Population-based …

The Experience Of Married Adolescent Girls In Northern Nigeria, Annabel Erulkar, Mairo Bello

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Programs for young people in sub-Saharan Africa have been directed largely toward unmarried adolescents, neglecting the fact that a large proportion of adolescents—especially girls—are married in some settings. Early marriage is a common feature of girls’ adolescence in Northern Nigeria, yet few programs are in place to support this sizable and vulnerable group. To suggest directions for future programming, Adolescent Health and Information Projects (AHIP) and the Population Council examined the lives of married and unmarried girls in two geopolitical regions of Nigeria, North West and North East. The study, as described in this report, consisted of secondary analysis of …

An Assessment Of Song Admixture As An Indicator Of Hybridization In Black-Capped Chickadees (Poecile Atricapillus) And Carolina Chickadees (Poecile Carolinensis), Gene D. Sattler, Patricia Sawaya, Michael J. Braun

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Vocal admixture often occurs where differentiated populations or species of birds meet. This may entail song sympatry, bilingually singing birds, and songs with intermediate or atypical characteristics. Different levels of vocal admixture at the range interface between Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina Chickadees (P. carolinensis) have been interpreted as indicating that hybridization is frequent at some locations but not others. However, song ontogeny in these birds has a strong nongenetic component, so that inferences regarding hybridization based on vocal admixture require confirmation. We used diagnostic genetic markers and quantitative analyses of song to characterize population samples along two transects …

Activated Carbon Open Circuit Potential Shifts In Aqueous Solutions, Mikhail M. Goldin, Gary Blanchard, Alexander Volkov, Mogely Khubutiya, Vladimir Kolesnikov, Anatoly Evseev, Mark Goldin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interaction of certain organic compounds with activated carbon and its effect on the carbon open circuit potentials were studied. It was shown that shifts in open circuit potentials depended on the filling of the activated carbon surface. Whereas adsorption of the investigated compounds on the carbon led to positive potential shifts, their elimination (desorption) from carbon surface led to shifts in the opposite direction. It was also observed that the time dependence of potential shifts is similar for different carbon brands. The magnitude of shifts depended on adsorption activity and porometric characteristics of the carbon adsorbent, as well as the …

The Effects Of Timbering On Plethodon Hubrichti Over 12 Years, Norman Reichenbach, Paul Sattler

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Clearcuts have been shown to adversely affect salamander populations, whereas impacts from milder forms of timbering are more variable. We determined the effects of clearcuts and shelterwood cuts on populations of the Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti) using counts of surface active salamanders found during multiple night collections. Sampling was done prior to and then periodically after timbering for 12 yr. Overall, the long-term trends in mean number of P. hubrichti at reference and shelterwood cut sites were not significantly different. In contrast, means at clearcut sites declined 41% during the first year posttimbering and then declined over the …

I Complexation Of Iron(Ii), Cobalt(Ii), Nickel(Ii) And Copper(Ii) By Hexadentate Tripodal Aminopyridyl Chelators Ii Binding Preferences For Zinc(Ii) Relative To Nickel(Ii) And Copper(Ii) In Novel Tetradentate Aminopyridyl Chelators, Matthew Lloyd Childers

Master's Theses and Capstones

Chapter I. Effects of pyridyl-ring alkylation on complexation of Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) by chelators based on cis,cis -1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane (tach) have been studied. The chelators studied are derivatives of tachpyr, where the ring substituents are 3-Me, 4-Me, 5-Me, 6-Me or 6-MeO (tach-x-Rpyr). Divalent complexes were synthesized for most combinations of the 4 metals and 5 chelators. Their bonding and structure were analyzed by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy, magnetic moment determination and single crystal X-ray crystallography. Steric repulsions between the 6-substituents result in substantially weakened metal-ligand interaction. Effects of these repulsions include bond angle and length distortions, decrease of coordination number to …

A Survey For Sex Determination Systems In East African Lake Malawi Cichlids, Jennifer R. Ser

Master's Theses and Capstones

African cichlids are at an early stage in the evolution of sex chromosomes. Their sex chromosomes have not become distinct from the rest of their autosomal chromosomes, and no morphologically distinct sex chromosomes have been identified (Kornfield, 1984). These fishes therefore provide a unique model for understanding the early stages of sex chromosome evolution. It is further speculated that evolution of sex chromosomes may have an effect on cichlid speciation as well.

Lake Malawi formed in East African ∼700,000 years ago and contains a diverse flock of endemic cichlid fish (Danley at al., 2001). Within this flock the genus Metriaclima …

Development Of A 20-Ton Capacity Open Ocean Aquaculture Feed Buoy, Chad A. Turmelle

Master's Theses and Capstones

A design for a 20-ton capacity buoy was developed to feed fish in up to four submerged cages at an exposed site south of the Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire. The buoy was designed to contain all the equipment necessary to accomplish the feed dispensing tasks as well as have the strength and stability to remain on location in a variety of sea states. New feed handling and distribution systems were developed and tested. To evaluate seakeeping response a Froude scaled physical model was constructed and tested at the Ocean Engineering wave/tow tank at the University of New Hampshire. Construction …

Three Position Papers On Intelligent Design In The Public Schools, Charles Detwiler

Faculty Publications and Presentations

These brief working documents are used in my Biology 101 course to encourage students to draw together what they know about science, politics, and the theology of the human will to speak to a current issue.

In a team format, they are encouraged to compare these positions and select one which they (as a team) wish to identify with. The preponderance of teams are attracted to the third position. Assumptions made toward the end of this third position are accepted with little critical thought. It has been a fascinating exercise in using a biological issue to address fundamental philosophical problems …

The Role Of Schools In Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health Among Adolescents In Developing Countries, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper reviews the state of knowledge about relationships between schooling and adolescent reproductive health. With the spread of mass schooling and the growing share of adolescents who attend school, the opportunities for synergies between health and education policies and programs are growing. Data on cross-country variations in health conditions on the one hand, and variations in attendance and attainment patterns and school systems on the other hand, provide a framework for assessing alternative approaches to the promotion of adolescent sexual and reproductive health in different contexts. Disappointing findings from recent school-based reproductive health interventions in poor …

Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

As closer attention is paid to the lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, girls are found to be clearly disadvantaged, compared with their male counterparts. Burkinabé girls are frequently married at a young age, and more than one-third of married girls find themselves in polygamous unions as second or third wives, married to much older men. Understanding and recognizing girls’ realities is an important first step in planning appropriate and meaningful interventions for them. Girls who are unmarried, “promised,” engaged, or married face different constraints and merit different program approaches. This report by the Population Council aims to fill gaps …

Digest Of The Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine (Winter 2007), Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Digest

The Winter 2007 issue of the Digest of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine includes the following articles:

• Opening Remarks
• Remembering Harry Ginsburg, DO ’42
• PCOM Updates and Kudos
• Building Partnerships: Assessing the Value of Physician-Patient Communications
• Recognizing Leadership, Loyalty, Service: Founders’ Day 2007
• Places, Camera, Action . . . Learning Primary Care Skills
• Out of Africa: True Tales of a Medical Missionary
• Class Notes
• In Memoriam
• My Turn
• PCOM Events

A Moratorium On Intersex Surgeries?: Law, Science, Identity, And Bioethics At The Crossroads, Laura Hermer

Faculty Scholarship

Should the law prevent all parents and guardians from requesting and consenting to cosmetic genital surgeries on children with certain intersex conditions before the children are mature enough to decide the matter for themselves? While such surgeries ought not to be encouraged, banning the surgeries altogether, as some advocate, would hobble, if not eliminate, the burgeoning scientific investigation of the best treatment practices for different intersex conditions. It would also remove a surgical option that, according to data in a number of studies, has resulted in subjectively satisfactory outcomes for many patients.

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 29, No. 4, Winter 2007, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Risk Factors Predictive Of The Problem Behavior Of Children At Risk For Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, J. Ron Nelson, Scott Stage, Kristin Duppong-Hurley, Lori Synhorst, Michael H. Epstein

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Logistic regression analyses were used to establish the most robust set of risk factors that would best predict borderline/clinical levels of problem behavior (i.e., a t score at or above 60 on the Child Behavior Checklist Total Problem scale) of kindergarten and first-grade children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Results showed that among the 11 risk factor domains considered, 5 were most predictive of borderline/clinical levels of problem behavior: externalizing behavior pattern, internalizing behavior pattern, early childhood child maladjustment, family functioning, and maternal depression. Within these 5 domains, the most robust set of individual risk factors were difficult …

Nebraska Forest Service Annual Report 2007, Scott J. Josiah, Becky Erdkamp

Nebraska Forest Service: Publications

Welcome From The Nebraska State Forester; Nebraska’s Forest Resources; Innovative Partnership Increases Available Assistance To Rural Landowners; Retree Nebraska—A Million Tree Challenge; NAA Honors NFS Forest Health Program Leader as 2007 Educator of the Year; Multi-State Great Plains Tree and Forest Invasives Initiative Prepares for EAB; After The Storm; NFS Fire Resource Manager Receives Silver Smokey Bear Award; Jump Starting Rural Economies and Energy Independence Through Wood Energy; FEMA Grant Enables NFS to Spread Fire Prevention Message; Nebraska's Partners in Prevention; Promoting Forest Health and Safety with Targeted Fuels Reduction ; Grants/Cost-Share Awarded To NFS Partners In 2007

The Origin Of 2 Sexes Through Optimization Of Recombination Entropy Against Time And Energy, Bo Deng

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Sexual reproduction in nature requires two sexes, which raises the question why the reproductive scheme did not evolve to have three or more sexes. Here we construct a constrained optimization model based on the communication theory to analyze trade-offs among reproductive schemes with arbitrary number of sexes. More sexes on one hand lead to higher reproductive diversity, but on the other hand incur greater cost in time and energy for reproductive success. Our model shows that the two-sexes reproduction scheme maximizes the recombination entropy-to-cost ratio, and hence is the optimal solution to the problem.

The Communicator, Volume 3, Issue 1, February 2007

The Communicator: News from the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Teaching and Training New Faces (Chris Kelly; Justin Williams; Christopher Lewis; Dustin Martin) Congratulations! (Donald Wardwell; Christopher Lewis; Aaron Lotz) The Changing Faces of USGS Current Research Amphibian Monitoring Techniques (in Relation to Wetland Qualities and the Surrounding Landscape – Rainwater Basin Region) Cross-Scale Structure in Ecosystems An Adaptive Management Approach for Selecting Habitat Improvement Targets in the Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem Diversity and Ecological Functions Impact of White Perch on Walleye; and Predators of White Perch at Branched Oak and Pawnee Reservoirs Evaluation of Landowner Incentives Program (LIP) for Species at Risk Monitoring, Mapping and Risk Assessment for Non-Indigenous Invasive …

A Test Of The Cross-Scale Resilience Model: Functional Richness In Mediterranean-Climate Ecosystems, Donald A. Wardwell, Craig R. Allen, Garry D. Peterson, Andrew J. Tyre

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Ecological resilience has been proposed to be generated, in part, in the discontinuous structure of complex systems. Environmental discontinuities are reflected in discontinuous, aggregated animal body mass distributions. Diversity of functional groups within body mass aggregations (scales) and redundancy of functional groups across body mass aggregations (scales) has been proposed to increase resilience. We evaluate that proposition by analyzing mammalian and avian communities of Mediterranean-climate ecosystems. We first determined that body mass distributions for each animal community were discontinuous. We then calculated the variance in richness of function across aggregations in each community, and compared observed values with distributions created …

Schoolyard Microclimate, Joseph J. Fontaine, Samuel C. Stier, Melissa L. Maggio, Karie L. Decker

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The natural world exhibits substantial variation in climate, which influences the distribution, reproductive success, and survival of plants and animals. Although students are aware of weather, their understanding of climate is typically less clear, especially the concept of microclimate-the climate of a specific place within an area as contrasted with the climate of the entire area. Microclimate can influence where birds place their nests (Lloyd and Martin 2004), where insects reside (Lorenzo and Lazzari 1999), and where plants successfully germinate (Tomimatsu and Ohara 2004). Therefore, microclimate can have a profound effect on local community structure and biodiversity, particularly on …

Factors Controlling Patterns Of Canada Thistle (Cirsium Arvense) And Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea Solstitialis) Across The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Paul E. Hosten

National Invasive Species Council

Landscape patterns of broadleaved noxious weeds across the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument are examined in the context of environmental and management factors to improve our understanding of weed dynamics. Environmental factors include a range of topographic edaphic variables, while management factors provide insight about historic vegetation manipulation, road construction and forage utilization by wildlife and livestock. Distribution patterns of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) across the Monument are best described by a combination of topographic, edaphic, biotic, and management factors. Variables incorporated within models describing landscape patterns of weeds varied with response variable …

U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Response To The Catfish Farmers Of Arkansas Information Quality Act (Iqa) Request For Correction

National Invasive Species Council

In February 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) received a petition from the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resources Association (MICRA) to list the black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) under the injurious wildlife provision of the Lacey Act (18 U.S.C. § 42). On June 2, 2000, we published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) (65 FR 35314) to seek comments on whether or not we should propose to list black carp as injurious under the Lacey Act. The comment period on the ANPR was open for 60 days, until August 1, 2000. During that comment period, …

Training And Implementation Guide For Pathway Definition, Risk Analysis And Risk Prioritization

National Invasive Species Council

The purpose of pathway risk analysis is to provide scientific analyses and policy recommendations in support of U.S. National Invasive Species Council’s Management Plan. These analyses and recommendations must comply with the Plan’s mandates to:

• ensure Federal efforts are coordinated and effective

• promote action and partnership at local, State, tribal and ecosystem levels

• identify recommendations for international cooperation; and,

• facilitate networks to document, monitor and prioritize invasive species pathways

Though many definitions for invasive species and pathways may exist, we are defining these terms as they relate to Federal regulatory functions. Definitions are recounted, below:

Invasive …

The Impact Of Time And Field Conditions On Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos) Faecal Dna Amplification, Melanie A. Murphy, Katherine C. Kendall, Andrew P. Robinson, Lisette P. Waits

United States National Park Service: Publications

To establish longevity of faecal DNA samples under varying summer field conditions, we collected 53 faeces from captive brown bears (Ursus arctos) on a restricted vegetation diet. Each faeces was divided, and one half was placed on a warm, dry field site while the other half was placed on a cool, wet field site on Moscow Mountain, Idaho, USA. Temperature, relative humidity, and dew point data were collected on each site, and faeces were sampled for DNA extraction at <1, 3, 6, 14, 30, 45, and 60 days. Faecal DNA sample viability was assessed by attempting PCR amplification of a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) locus (~150 bp) and a nuclear DNA (nDNA) microsatellite locus (180–200 bp). Time in the field, temperature, and dew point impacted mtDNA and nDNA amplification success with the greatest drop in success rates occurring between 1 and 3 days. In addition, genotyping errors significantly increased over time at both field sites. Based on these results, we recommend collecting samples at frequent transect intervals and focusing sampling efforts during drier portions of the year when possible.

Effect Of Catch-And-Release Angling On Growth And Survival Of Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus Mykiss, K. L. Pope, G. R. Wilde, D. W. Knabe

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Catch-and-release angling is popular in many parts of the world and plays an increasingly important role in fish conservation efforts. Although survival rates associated with catch-and-release angling are well documented for many species, sublethal effects have been less studied. An experiment was conducted to directly assess the effects of catch-and-release angling on growth and survival of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Catch-and-release events were simulated in laboratory tanks maintained at 15–16 °C with hooks manually placed in pre-designated locations in the mouths of the fish. There were no differences in standard length (P= 0.59) or wet weight (P=0.81) gained between …

Research Strategies To Reduce Bovine Tuberculosis Transmission From Wildlife To Cattle, Are R. Brentensen, Mike R. Dunbar, Robert G. Mclean

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mycobaterium bovis, and is transmissible to humans, wildlife and domestic livestock. In the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) serve as a reservoir for the disease and pose a significant threat to domestic cattle and captive cervids. Scientists at USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center have designed a variety of laboratory and field studies aimed at reducing or eliminating bTB infection in cattle by interrupting the transmission of the disease from wildlife reservoirs. These strategies include reducing bTB in deer by delivery of …

Risk Factors Associated With The Prevalence Of Tuberculosis-Like Lesions In Fenced Wild Boar And Red Deer In South Central Spain, Joaquin Vicente, Ursula Hofle, Joseba M. Garrido, Isabel G. Fernandez-De-Mera, Pelayo Acevedo, Ramon Juste, Marta Barral, Christian Gortazar

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

In recent decades the management of large game mammals has become increasingly intensive in south central Spain (SCS), resulting in complex epidemiological scenarios for disease maintenance, and has probably impeded schemes to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) in domestic livestock. We conducted an analysis of risk factors which investigated associations between the pattern of tuberculosis-like lesions (TBL) in wild boar (Sus scrofa) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) across 19 hunting estates from SCS and an extensive set of variables related to game management, land use and habitat structure. The aggregation of wild boar at artificial watering sites was …

Vaccination Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) With Mycobacterium Bovis Bacillus Calmette Guerin, M. V. Palmer, T. C. Thacker, W. R. Waters

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Wildlife reservoirs of Mycobacterium bovis represent serious obstacles to the eradication of tuberculosis in domestic livestock. In Michigan, USA tuberculous white-tailed deer transmit M. bovis to cattle. One approach in dealing with this wildlife reservoir is to vaccinate deer in order to interrupt the cycle of deer to deer and deer to cattle transmission. Thirty-one white-tailed deer were assigned to one of three groups; 2 SC doses of 10⁷ CFU of M. bovis BCG (n = 11); 1 SC dose of 10⁷ CFU of M. bovis BCG (n = 10); or unvaccinated deer (n = 10). …

Creating Micro- And Nanostructures On Tubular And Spherical Surfaces, O. Lima, L. Tan, A. Goel, Mehrdad Negahban, Z. Li

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

The authors developed a new technique to create micro- and nanometer scale structures on curved free-standing objects by combining embossing/imprinting lithography approaches with mechanical loadings on elastic films. Embossing/imprinting generates small structures and mechanical loading determines shape or geometry of the final object. As a result, a portion of the tubes with a radius between 0.5 and 3.5 mm and a portion of the spheres with a radius between 2.4 and 7.0 mm were fabricated with grating line features (period of 700 nm) and microlens array features (lens radius of 2.5 µm) atop, respectively. It was found that both static …