Digital Commons Network^™

Setting Research Priorities At Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center, Richard L. Bruggers

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As director of the Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), I frequently have been asked how the NWRC determines, prioritizes, and implements its research agenda. To answer this question, I will start by giving both a historical overview and an update of the NWRC. The mission of the NWRC is to provide science-based tools and information to resolve human–wildlife conflicts.

Forensic Bird-Strike Identification Techniques Used In An Accident Investigation At Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, 2008, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy Heacker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

On March 4, 2008, a Cessna Citation 1 (Model 500) crashed in a wooded area near Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, killing all 5 people on board. This paper describes the detailed forensic methods and expertise used by the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab to identify the bird that caused this bird-strike incident. We used standard methods of whole-feather analysis, microscopic examination, and DNA barcoding in this case to identify American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) as the bird species involved in this fatal crash. We also report the importance of proper field investigation and evidence collection for accurate results, …

Safety Management Systems: How Useful Will The Faa National Wildlife Strike Database Be?, Richard A. Dolbeer, Sandra E. Wright

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The National Wildlife Strike Database for Civil Aviation in the United States became operational in 1995 with the initiation of data entry of all strike reports beginning in 1990. The database contained 82,057 reported strikes from 1990 to 2007. About 9,800 of these strike reports noted damage to the aircraft, of which 2,700 indicated the damage was substantial. The database has proven to be a useful source of objective information on the extent and nature of wildlife strikes for personnel at individual airports and for researchers and regulatory agencies at the national level. With the impending requirement for airports in …

Personal And Corporate Liability In The Aftermath Of Bird Strikes: A Costly Consideration, Larry A. Dale

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This paper details liability issues inherent in bird–aircraft collisions (bird-strike) incidents at airports and discusses how airport managers and operators must strive to conduct accurate assessments and develop and implement an effective wildlife management plan. Such efforts are mandated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and failure to follow them may result in loss of human life and property, as well as large financial penalties for managers and operators and adverse media attention and public criticism for the airport authority.

Role Of Near-Miss Bird Strikes In Assessing Hazards, Matthew W. Klope, Robert C. Beason, Timothy J. Nohara, Michael J. Begier

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management of problem wildlife within the airfield environment is a difficult job. Today’s Bird–Animal Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) program managers require as much information as possible to accomplish their tasks. Bird censuses and actual bird-strike events in and around the air operations area are used to make airfield management decisions and to assess the risk of bird hazards to aircraft. Both types of information are sampled rather sparsely. Avian radar is now being used as a new tool to provide continuous sampling of bird activity that significantly supplements visual censuses. The measure of risk used today is commonly expressed as …

Burrowing Owl And Other Migratory Bird Mitigation For A Runway Construction Project At Edwards Afb, Amber L. Hoen, Mark Hagan, Mark Bratton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) scheduled the construction of a runway in the spring of 2007. The runway would be in an area that contained migratory birds and their habitat. The construction project would be near Edwards AFB main runway and had the potential not only to impact species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), including the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), but also to increase bird and wildlife–aircraft strike hazards in the active flightline areas. To discourage nesting in the project area, reduce the potential for bird and wildlife–aircraft strikes, and maintain compliance with federal environmental …

Coexisting With Cougars: Public Perceptions, Attitudes, And Awareness Of Cougars On The Urban-Rural Fringe Of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Clarisse Thornton, Michael S. Quinn

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Interactions between humans and cougars (Puma concolor) have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years largely due to human encroachment into cougar habitat and an increase in the human population. We determined the attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions toward cougars by residents in the urban-rural fringe of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, an area populated by both cougars and humans. We sent a survey to a stratified, random sample of 1,508 residents. Survey analysis included a potential for conflict index (PCI) to help provide quantitative direction for future cougar management. We analyzed and tested for differences among 7 variables: livestock …

A Tribute To Richard A. Dolbeer: Scientist, Innovator, Manager, And Mentor, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Richard A. Dolbeer retired in September 2008 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services (WS) program. Over the last 30 years, his research has encompassed the areas of population dynamics of pest species, economic assessment of losses, development of practical management techniques for resolving human–wildlife conflicts, and integrated pest management programs in the United States and abroad (Africa, Asia, Latin America). Most notably, he is one of a few individuals who recognized, early on, the cost in lives and property due to wildlife collisions with aircraft and that much of that cost is avoidable through the application of findings …

Suspending Vulture Effigies From Roosts To Reduce Bird Strikes, Steven A. Ball

Human–Wildlife Interactions

I observed very few vultures over the airfield after deploying the effigies, and vultures were completely absent most days. Hanging vulture effigies seemed to be effective in pushing the vultures farther away by denying them their observation point looking over the Coastal Plain near the airfield. This meant that their forage center point had been relocated far enough from the airfield that few individuals extended their range as far as the airport.

Molt Migration By Giant Canada Geese In Eastern South Dakota, Charles D. Dieter, Bobby J. Anderson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We captured giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) in 7 counties in eastern South Dakota during the summer molting period, 2000–2003. We attached very high frequency (VHF) transmitters to 150 adult female geese with brood patches, and leg bands to 3,839 geese. We documented molt migrations using VHF telemetry and indirect band recovery at locations north of South Dakota. Telemetry of radio-collared female geese during the breeding season indicated that 56% of nonbreeders, 81% of unsuccessful breeders, and 19% of successful female breeders embarked on a molt migration. Five of 34 geese that underwent molt migrations moved to …

A Decade Of U.S. Air Force Bat Strikes, Suzanne C. Peurach, Carla J. Dove, Laura Stepko

Human–Wildlife Interactions

From 1997 through 2007, 821 bat strikes were reported to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Safety Center by aircraft personnel or ground crew and sent to the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, for identification. Many samples were identified by macroscopic and or microscopic comparisons with bat specimens housed in the museum and augmented during the last 2 years by DNA analysis. Bat remains from USAF strikes during this period were received at the museum from 40 states in the United States and from 20 countries. We confirmed that 46% of the strikes were caused by bats, but we …

Developing Bird-Strike Risk Assessment Models For Open-Water Restorations, Justin D. Hart, Alison Colyer, John R. Allan

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mineral extraction sites that are restored to open water can increase bird-strike risk if they are planned near airports. This can generate conflict between the minerals industry and safeguarding authorities. To help resolve this potential conflict, it would be useful to predict how new restorations affect local water-bird populations so that mineral deposits can be exploited and restored in safeguarded zones without compromising flight safety. Bird abundances and movements at new restorations can be estimated with statistical models that use the environmental characteristics of restoration schemes as predictor variables. These models can improve guidance in safeguarding, provided that they comprise …

Using Wedelia As Ground Cover On Tropical Airports To Reduce Bird Activity, Michael A. Linnell, Michael R. Conover, Tim J. Ohashi

Human–Wildlife Interactions

aircraft collisions (i.e., bird strikes) are a major problem at airports worldwide, often because birds are attracted to airfields to feed on seeds, insects, or rodents that abound in the grassy areas near runways and taxiways. We compared an alternative ground cover, wedelia (Wedelia trilobata), to existing vegetation (control plots) on the airfield at Lihue Airport, Kauai, Hawaii, to determine if bird populations on the airport could be reduced by eliminating their forage base. We studied wedalia because it is a low-growing plant that did not need mowing, was easily established in plots, and out-competed other plants, resulting …

Role Of Hypoxia‐Inducible Factors In Epigenetic Regulation Via Histone Demethylases, J Yang, I Ledaki, H Turley, Kc Gatter, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Eukaryotic chromatin is subject to multiple posttranslational histone modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination. These various covalent modifications have been proposed to constitute a “histone code,” playing important roles in the establishment of global chromatin environments, transcription, DNA repair, and DNA replication. Among these modifications, histone methylation specifies regulatory marks that delineate transcriptionally active and inactive chromatin. These histone methyl marks were considered irreversible; however, recent identification of site-specific histone demethylases demonstrates that histone methylation is dynamically regulated, which may allow cells to rapidly change chromatin conformation to adapt to environmental stresses or intrinsic stimuli. Of major interest …

The Grizzly, October 1, 2009, Caitlin Dalik, Katie Callahan, Maryanne Berthel, Julia Fox, Abbie Cichowski, Lisa Jobe, Christopher Wierzbowski, Luke Benko, Ellen Bernhard, Seika Ueda, Andrea Magnolo, Zana Mathuthu, Jonathan Edward Barber, Carly Siegler, Michael Delaney, Gianna Paone, Liz Kilmer, Kate Lechleitner

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Students Composting to Create Sustainability • Students Fight the Yawn and Stay Up 'Til Dawn • Former NY Times Editor Gives Students Advice • Unsolved Vandalism on Campus Could Hit Students' Wallets • Dissatisfaction Erupts with Mass E-mail • Teaching Assistants Indulge in the UC Culture • Beatles Enthusiast's Book Tour Hits Phoenixville • First to Perform Original Play in 100 Years • Opinions: Freedom of Expression?: Pornography Trial; Play Review: A "Wise" Choice for Weekend Amusement; "Liar, Liar, President Obama's Plans May Catch on Fire"; How About a Universal Care-for-Your-Health Plan?: Employer Health Incentives • Ursinus Women's Lacrosse Welcomes …

The Lotus Sutra As Rhetorical Doctrine: Toward A Spiritual Paradigm Shift In Academia, Erec Smith

Journal of South Texas English Studies

The article explores a new approach on the relationship between religion and academia. It highlights the application of St. Augustine's "On Christian Doctrine" on Ciceronian tactics to teaching, praising and motivating based on scripture. It mentions that the Buddhist text entitled "The Lotus Sutra" manifests how Buddhism extends in the rhetorical canon and delivers a spiritual renewal in the academia. An overview of the symbiosis between Buddhism and rhetoric that effectively connects religion and secular liberalism is also presented.

Author Biographies, "New Beginnings" Volume 1, Issue 1., Andrew Keese

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Department Of Mathematical Sciences Newsletter, Fall 2009, University Of Montana--Missoula. Department Of Mathematical Sciences

Newsletters from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UM

A Math Major Ventures into Biology / Stephanie Bell -- Student Wins Award for History Paper / Greg St. George -- An Undergraduate Research Experience / Morgan Eichwald -- Notes from the Chair / Leonid Kalachev -- Summer Courses for Middle and High School Students -- Judith Long Derrick, 1936–2009 -- In Memory: Jarden Carlat, 1990-2009 / Jen Halfpap -- How I Spent My Summer / Nicolas Haverhals -- Symposium for Northwest Women Researchers in Math and Science Education / Ke Norman -- UM and MATHCOUNTS / David Patterson -- Alumni News -- Department News -- Math-Ed Summer Courses -- …

Gendered Social Movements: A Critical Comparison Of The Suffrage And Gay Marriage Movements, Michelle L. Kelsey

Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research

The elections of 2008 saw the passage of several overwhelming and explicit condemnations of gay rights across the nation. Most damaging to the gay marriage movement was the successful passage of proposition 8 in California, the first time that the right to gay marriage was repealed. I argue that the continued modeling of the civil rights framework defers an analysis of the argumentative strategies of historically gendered movements such as the suffrage movement and is a disservice to the strategic potential of the marriage equality movement. The critical comparison made here between suffrage and marriage equality opens the potential for …

October 2009, Syracuse University Biology Department

BioLog

No abstract provided.

The University Of Texas At Tyler Magazine (Fall 2009), University Of Texas At Tyler

UT Tyler Magazine

Articles from this edition of UT Tyler Magazine include: President's Letter; Around Campus: UT Tyler Honored Nationally for Community Service, Art Students Leave Legacy Behind in New Facility, New Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing, Civil Engineering Students Place First in Canoe Building, Palestine Campus to Headquarter Research Center, Texas House of Representatives Honors Softball Team, Texas Microbiologists to Convene at UT Tyler, Doctoral Nursing Student Wins Innovation Contest; Restoring Lives, Dr. Dennis Combs Creates Solutions for Persons with Schizophrenia; Commitment to Excellence, Casey Plummer's Scientific Discovery Advances Conservation Efforts; In Loving Memory of... Dowdy Family Establishes Nursing …

Student Fact Book, Fall 2009, Thirty-Third Annual Edition, Wright State University, Office Of Student Information Systems, Wright State University

Wright State University Student Fact Books

The student fact book has general demographic information on all students enrolled at Wright State University for Fall Quarter, 2009.

Panorama October 2009, Southern Adventist University

Panorama Parent Newsletter

This issue of the Panorama parent newsletter announces the online availability of the residence hall handbooks, contains a profile on Chaplain Brennon Kirstein, highlights Campus Ministries, and contains pictures from the Organizational Showcase.

Is It Time? Reform Of “Don’T Ask, Don’T Tell” And Article 125 Of The Uniform Code Of Military Justice, Levi Bennett

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

In 1993 Congress enacted a statutory ban on military service by open homosexuals. President Obama has pledged that this ban will be repealed. A variety of issues arise as a result of this planned repeal, including whether the presence of open homosexuals will have a negative impact on good order and discipline in military units. This Comment discusses these issues and argues that Congress should repeal the current ban and grant regulatory power over service by open homosexuals to the Department of Defense. This Comment also briefly discusses Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice penalizing sodomy, and …

Higher Education And The Society For Neuroscience: A Website Proposal That Helped Catalyze A Change In Policy, Richard F. Olivo

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

In the spring of 2007, the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) did not include support for higher education as a priority in its strategic plan. By the spring of 2009, its priorities had changed. One catalyst for that change was a proposal for a website that would list, review, and rate resources for teaching neuroscience at the graduate and undergraduate level. The proposal was sent to and accepted by SfN Council in August 2008; by spring 2009, SfN had taken initial steps to implement it. Two documents are presented here that mark the change in policy: the website proposal, and SfN …

Relationship Of Paroxysmal Atrial Tachyarrhythmias To Volume Overload, Rajat Jhanjee Md, Grant A. Templeton Md, Srinivasan Sattiraju Md, John Nguyen Md, Simon Milstein Md, Laura Van Heel, Keith G. Lurie Md, David Benditt Md

Articles

BACKGROUND:

Clinical experience suggests that atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATs) are a frequent comorbidity in heart failure patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and that volume overload may increase AT susceptibility. However, substantiating this apparent relationship in free-living patients is difficult. Recently, certain implantable cardioverter-defibrillators provide, by measuring transpulmonary electric bioimpedance, an index of intrathoracic fluid status (OptiVol index [OI]). The goal of this study was to determine whether periods of greater intrathoracic fluid congestion (as detected by OI) correspond with increased AT event frequency.

METHODS AND RESULTS:

This analysis retrospectively assessed the relation between AT events and OI estimate of volume …

Instruction Cost Report, Fall 2009, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Shows the costs associated with running the University of Northern Iowa broken down by college and department

Compliance Calibration For Fracture Testing Of Anisotropic Biological Materials, J. A. Creel, S. M. Stover, R. B. Martin, D. P. Fyhrie, S. J. Hazelwood, J. C. Gibeling

Biomedical Engineering

The compliance technique has been used to monitor crack length during fracture and fatigue testing of materials. Difficulties arise when this technique is applied to anisotropic biological materials such as bone. In this tutorial, two different methods of analyzing compliance calibration data are described: the standard ASTM method and a new approach developed by the authors specifically for anisotropic materials. An example is given showing how data from equine cortical bone can be analyzed. In this example, calibration tests were conducted on thirty-six three point bend specimens machined from the middiaphysis of six pairs of equine third metacarpal bones. Cracks …

The Learning Marketspace, October 2009, Bob Heterick, Carol Twigg

The Learning MarketSpace (4/03 - 4/14)

No abstract provided.

First Records Of Hypleurochilus Geminatus And Centropristis Philadelphica From Chesapeake Bay, Aimee D. Halvorson

Virginia Journal of Science

During the fall of 2007, Centropris philadelphica (rock seabass) and Hypleurochilus geminatus (Crested blenny) were collected from Chesapeake Bay. These captures are significant as they represent the first substantiated record of C. philadelphica from Chesapeake Bay and only the second and third validated records of H. geminatus. Additionally, the first record of H. geminatus from Chesapeake Bay was only recently recognized since the specimen had been previously misidentified as Parablennius marmoreus (seaweed blenny). The collection of seven individuals of H. geminatus in 2007, from two locations, indicates that the species may be resident within the Chesapeake Bay estuary.