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Sylvatic Species Of Echinococcus From Rodent Intermediate Hosts In Asia And South America, Scott Lyell Gardner, Altangerel T. Dursahinhan, Gábor R. Rácz, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Sumiya Ganzorig, David S. Tinnin, Darmaa Damdinbazar, Charles Wood, A. Townsend Peterson, Erika Alandia, José Luís Mollericona, Jorge Salazar-Bravo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

During a global survey of the diversity of vertebrates and their parasites including the Gobi and desert/steppe biomes ranging from south central to western Mongolia, we found metacestodes (larvae) of Echinococcus multilocularis (Leuckart 1863) in the liver of an individual vole (Microtus limnophilus Büchner 1889) collected in grassland habitat at Har Us Lake, southeast of Hovd, Mongolia. Positive identification of E. multilocularis from near Hovd was made via comparative cyst morphology, study of hooks from the rostellum derived from protoscolexes, and DNA sequencing of the COX1 mitochondrial gene extracted from tissue of the cysts frozen in the field. This …

Neighborhoods Have Little Effect On Fungal Attack Or Insect Predation Of Developing Seeds In A Grassland Biodiversity Experiment, Noelle G. Beckman, Ray Dybzinski, G. David Tilman

Biology Faculty Publications

Numerous observational studies have documented conspecific negative density-dependence that is consistent with the Janzen–Connell Hypothesis (JCH) of diversity maintenance. However, there have been few experimental tests of a central prediction of the JCH: that removing host-specific enemies should lead to greater increases in per capita recruitment in areas of higher host density or lower relative phylogenetic diversity. Using spatially randomized plots of high and low host biomass in a temperate grassland biodiversity experiment, we treated developing seedheads of six prairie perennials to factorial applications of fungicide and insecticide. We measured predispersal seed production, seed viability, and seedling biomass. Results were …

Women & Gender Studies Fall 2013 Newsletter, Women & Gender Studies Program, University Of Southern Maine

WGS Newsletter

In this issue:

• Director's Welcome
• Major/Minor & Core
• GSSO Updates
• Women in Science
• Student Life Update
• Alum Updates
• Affiliated Scholars Program
• Fall 2013 Courses

Ecology Content In Introductory Biology Courses: A Comparative Analysis, Richard F. Pool, Gregory D. Turner, S. Anne Boettger

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Population-Based Case–Control Study Of Urinary Arsenic Species And Squamous Cell Carcinoma In New Hampshire, Usa, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Zhigang Li, Ann E. Perry, Steven K. Spencer, A Jay Gandolfi, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Chronic high arsenic exposure is associated with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin, and inorganic arsenic (iAs) metabolites may play an important role in this association. However, little is known about the carcinogenicity of arsenic at levels commonly observed in the United States.

Objective: We estimated associations between total urinary arsenic and arsenic species and SCC in a U.S. population.

Methods: We conducted a population-based case–control SCC study (470 cases, 447 controls) in a U.S. region with moderate arsenic exposure through private well water and diet. We measured urinary iAs, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and …

Global Trends In Seasonality Of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (Ndvi), 1982–2011, J. Ronald Eastman, Florencia Sangermano, Elia Axinia Machado, John Rogan, Assaf Anyamba

Publications and Research

A 30-year series of global monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery derived from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) NDVI3g archive was analyzed for the presence of trends in changing seasonality. Using the Seasonal Trend Analysis (STA) procedure, over half (56.30%) of land surfaces were found to exhibit significant trends. Almost half (46.10%) of the significant trends belonged to three classes of seasonal trends (or changes). Class 1 consisted of areas that experienced a uniform increase in NDVI throughout the year, and was primarily associated with forested areas, particularly broadleaf forests. Class 2 consisted of areas experiencing …

The Effects Of Invasive Plants On Biodiversity Across Spatial Scales, Kristin Irene Powell

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Although introduced plant species are often considered to be one of the most notable anthropogenic threats to biodiversity, their influence on biodiversity remains controversial. Some studies have shown large declines in biodiversity in plant-invaded areas, whereas others have noted that plant invasions are rarely implicated as the cause of species extinctions. This dissertation aims to synthesize this seemingly conflicting literature on the effects of invasive plants on biodiversity. The overarching hypothesis in this research is that the effect of invasive plant species on biodiversity is scale-dependent, and the discrepancy among studies can be explained by a difference in the scales …

Explanations For An Increased Cesarean Birth Rate In Guayaquil, Ecuador, Melissa Kemp, Dr. Sheri Palmer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over 850,000 unnecessary C-sections are performed each year in Latin America (Belizán, Althabe, Barros, & Alexander, 1999). According to a recent annual report of the Sotomayor Maternity Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, 58% of total births were cesarean (Junta de B., 2004). In comparison, the overall cesarean rate in the U.S. (which is also high according to medical recommendations) is reported to be about 27% (NCHS, 2003). Unnecessary cesarean sections have resulted in increased infection, hemorrhage, damage to abdominal and urinary tract organs, drug complications, prematurity, increased neonatal illness, and longer hospitalization (Sloan et al, 2000). These reported rates in Ecuador …

Lichen Flora Of Boulder Mountain, Aquarius Plateau, Wayne County, Utah Usa: An Altitudinal Comparison Of Lichen Communities, Steven Leavitt, Dr. Larry St. Clair

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Lichen ecology is a facet of biology that remains relatively unexplored in many parts of the United States. Lichens can play an important role as indicators of local environmental conditions, as lichen species density and community structure are significantly affected by airborne contaminants and other anthropogenic influences. Obtaining baseline ecological data for local lichen communities will make it possible to continually monitor local communities and evaluate future changes in community structure.

Balance Affects Prism Adaptation: Evidence From The Latent Aftereffect, Dobromir Dotov, Till D. Frank, Michael T. Turvey

Journal Articles

In prism adaptation experiments, the effect on throwing to a target is reduced (primary aftereffect is smaller) when the throwing condition with prisms removed (first test phase) is different from the throwing condition with prisms (the training phase). The missing adaptation, however, can be revealed through further testing (second test phase) in which the throwing condition during training is fully reinstated. We studied throwing underhand to a target flush with the floor. During training, participants wore left-shifting prism glasses while standing on the floor (Group 1) or on a balance board (Groups 2 and 3). Tests 1 and 2 following …

Incorporating Satellite Derived Cloud Climatologies To Improve High Resolution Interpolation Of Daily Precipitation., Adam M. Wilson, Benoit Parmentier, Brian Mcgill, Rob Guralnick, Walter Jetz

Yale Day of Data

Conservation of biodiversity demands comprehension of evolutionary and ecological patterns and processes that occur over vast spatial and temporal scales. A central goal of ecology is to understand the factors that control the spatial distribution of species and this has become even more important in the face of climate change. However, at global scales there can be enormous uncertainty in environmental data used to model species distributions. Even ‘simple’ metrics such as mean annual precipitation are difficult to estimate in areas with few weather stations and available data sets do not quantify uncertainty in these surfaces. We are developing a …

Chimes: September 20, 2013, Calvin College

Chimes

No. 1 Knights beat No. 2 Hope in three sets by Brian Exner

Draft of new core would slash course load by Lauren DeHaan

Buck Fridays carnival offers new, monstrous attraction by Anna Delph

2013 Ig Nobel prizes awarded for absurd research by John Muyskens

Golf wins Jamboree by Jess Koster

'Equip you prayer life' begins by Nathan Groenewold

Weight Change In College Freshmen: Personal, Interpersonal And Situational Influences, Kristin Kuhlmann

Nursing ETDs

Obesity has become the most significant noninfectious health risk in the United States, and the major causes of death and disability are shifting to chronic, non-communicable health conditions that are largely attributable to physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, and other diet-related factors. Among children and adolescents, the overweight/obesity rate is approaching 32%, with 17.9% of adolescents becoming obese. While the obesity rate has doubled in all age groups in the United States, it has tripled among young adults aged 18 to 28 years, and 70% of adolescents who are at a healthy weight will become overweight or obese as adults. …

Ecology Of Scale In Visual Landscape Assessments, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Background readings on scale plus twenty-three visual landscape assessment studies from 1968 to 2006 were examined to understand the nature and use of scale and its relationship to the visual environment. The objectives of this study were to: 1) describe the concept of scale as applied to visual assessments, 2) review scale use in selected visual assessments, and 3) identify issues that need further research to better integrate scale into visual landscape assessments and landscape ecological theory.

Basic concepts and features relating observers with landscape and scale required defining scale, bounding visibility, perceiving scale, seeing hierarchically, and visualizing grain and …

Watering Snakes, Samuel Hirt, Kent Hatch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Stable isotope research is a relatively new and innovative tool in ecology. Studies have been done with stable isotopes to determine migration patterns, diet, and evidence for nutritional stress and much more. Little has been done with stable isotopes and reptiles. We conducted a stable isotope, pilot study that will help us understand what happens with snakes in relation to temperature and oxygen and hydrogen turnover ratios in water.

Relationship Between Community Prevalence Of Obesity And Associated Behavioral Factors And Community Rates Of Influenza-Related Hospitalizations In The United States, Katia M. Charland, David L. Buckeridge, Anne G. Hoen, Jay G. Berry, Anne Elixhauser, Forrest Melton, John S. Brownstein

School of Natural Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Findings from studies examining the association between obesity and acute respiratory infection are inconsistent. Few studies have assessed the relationship between obesity-related behavioral factors, such as diet and exercise, and risk of acute respiratory infection.

Objective: To determine whether community prevalence of obesity, low fruit/vegetable consumption, and physical inactivity are associated with influenza-related hospitalization rates.

Methods: Using data from 274 US counties, from 2002 to 2008, we regressed county influenza-related hospitalization rates on county prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30), low fruit/vegetable consumption (/day), and physical inactivity (/month recreational exercise), while adjusting for community-level confounders such as insurance coverage …

Anty 400.01: History Of Anthropology, Richard A. Sattler

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Differences In Aquatic Microcrustacean Assemblages Between Temporary And Perennial Springs Of An Alpine Karstic Aquifer, Nataša Mori, Anton Brancelj

International Journal of Speleology

Microcrustacean (Copepoda, Ostracoda) assemblages were investigated at the interface of the vadose and phreatic zones in the alpine karstic aquifer from the Julian Alps in Slovenia (SE Europe). Two temporary and one perennial karstic outlets were sampled by filtering the water several times over 2 years. Concurrently, benthos from the mouth of a perennial spring and from an adjacent spring brook were collected. Altogether 24 microcrustacean species were recorded. The spatial and temporal variation in drift densities and species composition was high indicating complex groundwater hydrological pathways being dependent on precipitation regime. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) clearly separated drift samples …

Life Histories Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) And Their Replacement Of Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarki), Amy Burgess, Dr. Dennis Shiozawa

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) is a member of the Salmonid family native to the western North America. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is also a member of the salmonid family but a native to eastern North America, but has been introduced into many areas in western North America due to its popularity as a game fish. Observations of the invasion of nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) have often resulted in the replacement of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki). While this is the case the underlying reasons for this replacement remain largely unknown (Peterson, 2004). Studies have been conducted looking at ecological …

A Systematic Review Of Pregnancy Prevention Programs For Minority Youth In The U.S.: A Critical Analysis And Recommendations For Improvement, Sarah B. Maness, E R. Buhi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

African American and Latino youth experience disproportionate rates of both intended and unintended pregnancy in the United States. A public health priority to ameliorate the high rates among this population has been the creation and proposed expansion of pregnancy prevention programs designed specifically for minority youth. However, little is known about the role of incorporating cultural components into program curricula. To better understand the components and outcomes of existing programs for this population, this systematic review analyzed published outcome evaluations of adolescent pregnancy prevention programs for minority youth. This review of literature published from January 2002 to June 2012 and …

Flavonol-Rich Dark Cocoa Significantly Decreases Plasma Endothelin-1 And Improves Cognition In Urban Children, Partha S. Mukherjee

Mathematics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Air pollution exposures are linked to systemic inflammation, cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, neuroinflammation and neuropathology in young urbanites. In particular, most Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) children exhibit subtle cognitive deficits, and neuropathology studies show 40% of them exhibiting frontal tau hyperphosphorylation and 51% amyloid-β diffuse plaques (compared to 0% in low pollution control children). We assessed whether a short cocoa intervention can be effective in decreasing plasma endothelin 1 (ET-1) and/or inflammatory mediators in MCMA children. Thirty gram of dark cocoa with 680 mg of total flavonols were given daily for 10.11 ± 3.4 days (range 9–24 …

Proceedings 19th International Northern Research Basins Symposium And Workshop Southcentral Alaska, Usa – August 11–17, 2013, Svetlana Stuefer, W. Robert Bolton

INE Other

No abstract provided.

Floodplain Lake Assessment And Fish Assemblage Dynamics In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Caroline Noelle Steiner Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

Floodplain lakes in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) provide valuable freshwater resources for states in which they occur. Thirty lakes in portions of Mississippi and Arkansas were surveyed for chlorophyll-a fluorescence and turbidity using handheld meters to determine relationships between chlorophyll-a concentrations and suspended solids. High applicability of handheld meters in the MAV presents economic benefits for monitoring the numerous lakes in the region. Additionally, twelve lakes within Bear Creek watershed, Mississippi were studied to determine how hydrologic connectivity shapes fish communities. Isolated and permanently connected floodplain lakes exhibited characteristically lacustrine and rheophilic fish communities, respectively, diversifying fishery management opportunities. …

Evaluation Of Uncertainty In Hydrodynamic Modeling, Rene Alexander Camacho Rincon

Theses and Dissertations

Uncertainty analysis in hydrodynamic modeling is useful to identify and report the limitations of a model caused by different sources of error. In the practice, the main sources of errors are divided into model structure errors, errors in the input data due to measurement imprecision among other, and parametric errors resulting from the difficulty of identifying physically representative parameter values valid at the temporal and spatial scale of the models. This investigation identifies, implements, evaluates, and recommends a set of methods for the evaluation of model structure uncertainty, parametric uncertainty, and input data uncertainty in hydrodynamic modeling studies. A comprehensive …

Forty Years Of Epikarst: What Biology Have We Learned?, Tanja Pipan, David Culver

International Journal of Speleology

Epikarst is not only an important component of the hydrogeology of karst and an active site of speleogenesis, it is habitat for a number of species adapted to subterranean life. Water in epikarst, with a residence time of days to months, is a highly heterogeneous habitat, and the animals are primarily sampled from continuously sampling dripping water or collecting from residual drip pools. While the subterranean fauna of cracks and crevices has been known for over 100 years, it is only in the past several decades that epikarst has been recognized as a distinct habitat, with reproducing populations of stygobionts. …

Spatial And Temporal Changes In Invertebrate Assemblage Structure From The Entrance To Deep-Cave Zone Of A Temperate Marble Cave, Benjamin W. Tobin, Benjamin T. Hutchins, Benjamin F. Schwartz

International Journal of Speleology

Seasonality in surface weather results in seasonal temperature and humidity changes in caves. Ecological and physiological differences among trogloxenes, troglophiles, and troglobionts result in species-dependent responses to this variability. To investigate these responses, we conducted five biological inventories in a marble cave in the Sierra Nevada Range, California, USA between May and December, 2010. The cave was divided into six quadrats and temperature was continuously logged in each (humidity was logged at the entrance and in the deep cave). With increasing distance from the entrance, temperature changes were increasingly attenuated and lagged relative to surface temperature. Linear regressions were created …

Biofouling : A Means Of Aquatic Species Transfer, Anne Bouyssou, Josefin Madjidian

NSBWO

Ships carry seawater in their ballast tanks when they are not fully loaded with cargo, in order to maintain adequate trim, draught and stability, adjust list and limit stresses on the hull. It is now well documented that the water pumped into the ship contains aquatic organisms – which can also sink to the sediments at the bottom of tanks – and that these organisms are thereby transferred from the port of origin to the destination. But it is seldom mentioned that aquatic organisms are also found on the outside of ships, attached on their hulls and appendages, as a …

The Effect Of Robot-Child Interactions On Social Attention And Verbalization Patterns Of Typically Developing Children And Children With Autism Between 4 And 8 Years, Sudha Srinivasan, Anjana Bhat

Open Access Author Fund Awardees' Articles

Background: There is anecdotal evidence for the use of robots to facilitate prosocial behaviors such as joint attention and verbalization in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). However, there have been no normative data in typically developing children to evaluate the effects of robot-child interactions on social and communication skills. Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the changes in social attention and verbalization skills of 15 typically developing (TD) children, using a structured 8-session imitation protocol within a robot-adult-child context. We further extended this imitation protocol to two children with ASDs. Methods: Pretest, session1, session 4, session …

Effect Of Leaf Type And Pesticide Exposure On Abundance Of Bacterial Taxa In Mosquito Larval Habitats, Ephantus J. Muturi, Benedict O. Orindi, Chang Hyun Kim

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lentic freshwater systems including those inhabited by aquatic stages of mosquitoes derive most of their carbon inputs from terrestrial organic matter mainly leaf litter. The leaf litter is colonized by microbial communities that provide the resource base for mosquito larvae. While the microbial biomass associated with different leaf species in container aquatic habitats is well documented, the taxonomic composition of these microbes and their response to common environmental stressors is poorly understood. We used indoor aquatic microcosms to determine the abundances of major taxonomic groups of bacteria in leaf litters from seven plant species and their responses to low concentrations …

Environmental Influences On Sex Ratio And Spatial Distribution Of Dioecious Morella Cerifera L. On A Virginia Barrier Island., Molly Hokkanen

Theses and Dissertations

For dioecious plant species, sex ratios within a population depend on multiple environmental and life history characteristics. Sex ratio is an indicator of population health and can be a predictor for genetic bottlenecking. My study established the previously unknown sex ratio for the shrub, Morella cerifera, on a Virginia barrier island. The ratio was compared with multiple environmental and reproductive traits to determine their potential influence on sex determination and/or distribution of male and female plants. Multivariate analyses were used to identify relationships between sex, sex ratio and environmental drivers. The sex ratio for M. cerifera changed depending on scale. …