Digital Commons Network^™

An Individual-Based Model For Feral Hogs In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rene A. Salinas, William H. Stiver, Joseph L. Corn, Suzanne Lenhart, Charles Collins, Marguerite Madden, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Brandon S. Schmit, Ellen Kasari, Agricola Odoi, Graham Hickling, Hamish Mccallum

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The expansion of feral hog (Sus scrofa) populations in the United States has resulted in increased efforts to develop and implement control strategies designed to minimize the impacts done by this invasive species. We describe an individual-based model for feral hogs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). The objectives of the model are to provide an understanding of the population dynamics of this feral hog population and to determine the efficacy of the annual harvest as a population control method. Results suggest that the dynamics of the population are driven by fall hard mast production and the …

Shifting Perceptions Of Risk And Reward: Dynamic Selection For Human Development By Black Bears In The Western United States, H. E. Johnson, S. W. Breck, S. Baruch-Mordo, D. L. Lewis, C. W. Lackey, K. R. Wilson, J. Broderick, J. S. Mao, J. P. Beckmann

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As landscapes across the globe experience increasing human development, it is critical to identify the behavioral responses of wildlife to this change given associated shifts in resource availability and risk from human activity. This is particularly important for large carnivores as their interactions with people are often a source of conflict, which can impede conservation efforts and require extensive management. To examine the adaptations of a large carnivore to benefits and risks associated with human development we investigated black bear behavior in three systems in the western United States. Our objectives were to (1) identify temporal patterns of selection for …

Deer Response To Exclusion From Stored Cattle Feed In Michigan, Usa, Michael J. Lavelle, Henry Campa Iii, Kyle Ledoux, Patrick J. Ryan, Justin W. Fischer, Kim M. Pepin, Chad R. Blass, Michael P. Glow, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Disease and damage from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) continually threaten the livelihood of agricultural producers and the economy in the United States, as well as challenge state and federal wildlife managers. Threats can be partially addressed by excluding free-ranging deer from livestock-related resources. Throughout the year, use of stored livestock feed by deer in northern Lower Michigan (MI), USA fluctuates, though their presence is relatively consistent. Since 2008, use of livestock areas and resources by deer has been reduced through intensive efforts by livestock producers in cooperation with state and federal agencies. These efforts focused on excluding deer …

Modeling And Mapping The Probability Of Occurrence Of Invasive Wild Pigs Across The Contiguous United States, Meredith L. Mcclure, Christopher L. Burdett, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Mark W. Lutman, David M. Theobald, Philip D. Riggs, Daniel A. Grear, Ryan S. Miller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa), also known as wild swine, feral pigs, or feral hogs, are one of the most widespread and successful invasive species around the world. Wild pigs have been linked to extensive and costly agricultural damage and present a serious threat to plant and animal communities due to their rooting behavior and omnivorous diet. We modeled the current distribution of wild pigs in the United States to better understand the physiological and ecological factors that may determine their invasive potential and to guide future study and eradication efforts. Using national-scale wild pig occurrence data reported between 1982 and …

Drought Monitoring And Assessment: Remote Sensing And Modeling Approaches For The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, G B. Senay, N M. Velpuri, S Bohms, M Budde, C Young, J Rowland, J P. Verdin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Drought monitoring is an essential component of drought risk management. It is usually carried out using drought indices/indicators that are continuous functions of rainfall and other hydrometeorological variables. This chapter presents a few examples of how remote sensing and hydrologic modeling techniques are being used to generate a suite of drought monitoring indicators at dekadal (10-day), monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales for several selected regions around the world. Satellite-based rainfall estimates are being used to produce drought indicators such as standardized precipitation index, dryness indicators, and start of season analysis. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index is being used to …

Food Habits Of Adult Male White-Tailed Deer Determined By Camera Collars, Michael J. Lavelle, Chad R. Blass, Justin W. Fischer, Scott E. Hygnstrom, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many factors influence what and why animals select the foods they eat. Several methods have been used to estimate food habits of herbivores, but they all have limitations such as defining available foods and misrepresenting particular forages. We evaluated plant consumption by adult male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with camera collars in a semi-enclosed population in southern Texas, USA, during late autumn 2010. We collected 1,241 videos taken at all times of the day and night from 15 camera collars and confirmed consumption of 40 plant species with an 84% probability of identification. Diets of individual deer varied …

Another Possible Source Of Archeological Maize Found In Chaco Canyon, Nm: The Tohatchi Flats Area, Nm, Usa, Deanna Grimstead, Sharon M. Buck, Bradley J. Vierra, Larry V. Benson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Understanding the linkage and relationship between Chaco Canyon and its residents to surrounding communities has been a primary research question for several decades. This research has focused on identifying the Chacoan road systems, similar architectural designs, and the sourcing of economic and non-economic goods to outlier communities of origin. Extensive fieldwork has been completed to identify potential source regions of Chacoan corncobs, but the San Juan Basin and surrounding regions are vast and many potential agricultural features remain uninvestigated. One such region is the Tohatchi Flats, located near modern day Gallup, New Mexico. This paper uses ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr …

Seasonal Shifts In Diet And Gut Microbiota Of The American Bison (Bison Bison), Gaddy T. Bergmann, Joseph Craine, Michael S. Robeson, Noah Fierer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

North American bison (Bison bison) are becoming increasingly important to both grassland management and commercial ranching. However, a lack of quantitative data on their diet constrains conservation efforts and the ability to predict bison effects on grasslands. In particular, we know little about the seasonality of the bison diet, the degree to which bison supplement their diet with eudicots, and how changes in diet influence gut microbial communities, all of which play important roles in ungulate performance. To address these knowledge gaps, we quantified seasonal patterns in bison diet and gut microbial community composition for a bison herd in …

To Cross Or Not To Cross: Modeling Wildlife Road Crossings As A Binary Response Variable With Contextual Predictors, Shane R. Siers, Robert N. Reed, Julie A. Savidge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Roads are significant barriers to landscape-scale movements of individuals or populations of many wildlife taxa. The decision by an animal near a road to either cross or not cross may be influenced by characteristics of the road, environmental conditions, traits of the individual animal, and other aspects of the context within which the decision is made. We considered such factors in a mixed-effects logistic regression model describing the nightly road crossing probabilities of invasive nocturnal Brown Treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) through short-term radiotracking of 691 snakes within close proximity to 50 road segments across the island of Guam. All …

Toxicity Reference Values For Chlorophacinone And Their Application For Assessing Anticoagulant Rodenticide Risk To Raptors, Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Sandra L. Schultz, Susan Knowles, Benjamin G. Abbo, Steven F. Volker

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Despite widespread use and benefit, there are

growing concerns regarding hazards of second-generation

anticoagulant rodenticides to non-target wildlife which

may result in expanded use of first-generation compounds,

including chlorophacinone (CPN). The toxicity of CPN

over a 7-day exposure period was investigated in American

kestrels (Falco sparverius) fed either rat tissue mechanically-

amended with CPN, tissue from rats fed Rozol bait

(biologically-incorporated CPN), or control diets (tissue

from untreated rats or commercial bird of prey diet)

ad libitum. Nominal CPN concentrations in the formulated

diets were 0.15, 0.75 and 1.5 µg/g food wet weight, and

measured concentrations averaged 94 …

Bmp7 Drives Human Adipogenic Stem Cells Into Metabolically Active Beige Adipocytes, Meshail Okla, Jung-Heun Ha, Ryan E. Temel, Soonkyu Chung

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Adult humans have a substantial amount of inducible-brown (or beige) fat, which is associated with increased energy expenditure and reduced weight gain via thermogenesis. Despite the identification of key regulators of beige adipogenesis, impacts of dietary factors on adaptive thermogenesis are largely unknown, partly due to a lack of validated human cell models. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) is known to promote brown adipogenesis in rodent and human progenitor cells. However, controversy still surrounds the cellular identity in BMP7-mediated transition of white to brown adipocytes. The aim of this study is to confirm BMP7-derived human adipocytes as a relevant in …

Fruit And Vegetable Perceptions Among Caregivers Of American Indian Toddlers And Community Stakeholders: A Qualitative Study, Rachel C. Sinley, Julie A. Albrecht

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

American Indians experience higher rates of obesity than any other ethnic group living in the USA. This disparity begins to develop in early childhood, and the excess weight carried by American Indian children contributes to health conditions that can affect their quality of life by the time they enter preschool. These children consume less than recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, a dietary pattern that may be related to the development of obesity and other health conditions. This qualitative study explored the fruit and vegetable intake of American Indian toddlers through use of the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model. Focus groups …

Evaluating Behavioral Syndromes In Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Julie K. Young, Marion Mahe, Stewart W. Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As more research focuses on behavioral syndromes and their role in ecological and evolutionary processes, it is imperative that methods to test behavior are valid. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess behavior in captive coyotes (Canis latrans) using three methods [agitation scores, novel object test, and flightinitiation distance (FID)] and (2) to determine whether the three tests were correlated within individuals to describe behavioral syndromes. Female coyotes had higher agitation scores during handling (2.6 ± 0.5) than males (1.5 ± 0.3; t = 1.90, p = 0.06): scores ranged from 0 to 8 on a …

Missing Domains Of Lung Transplant Patient Selection, Nancy Picard Blumenthal

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

The goal of consistent, predictable, improved outcomes has continued to elude the scientific community in the thirty years since lung transplantation became the procedure of choice for patients with terminal, non-malignant lung disease. Background: Though there is a consensus regarding disease-specific indications for a lung transplant, ambiguity remains regarding how patient-specific attributes should influence lung transplant candidacy. This project had three aims: 1) to establish the missing domains of the interdisciplinary assessment of the lung transplant candidate, 2) to have these domains validated by an international panel of lung transplant experts, and 3) to recommend the next step for inclusion …

Isoproterenol Increases Uncoupling, Glycolysis, And Markers Of Beiging In Mature 3t3-L1 Adipocytes., Colette N Miller, Jeong-Yeh Yang, Emily England, Amelia Yin, Clifton A Baile, Srujana Rayalam

PCOM Scholarly Works

Beta-adrenergic activation stimulates uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), enhancing metabolic rate. In vitro, most work has studied brown adipocytes, however, few have investigated more established adipocyte lines such as the murine 3T3-L1 line. To assess the effect of beta-adrenergic activation, mature 3T3-L1s were treated for 6 or 48 hours with or without isoproterenol (10 and 100 μM) following standard differentiation supplemented with thyroid hormone (T3; 1 nM). The highest dose of isoproterenol increased lipid content following 48 hours of treatment. This concentration enhanced UCP1 mRNA and protein expression. The increase in UCP1 following 48 hours of isoproterenol increased oxygen consumption rate. …

Nutri One-On-One: The Assessment And Evaluation Of A Brief One-On-One Nutritional Coaching In Patients Affected By Metabolic Syndrome, Jennifer King, Jeffrey E. Harris, David Kuo, Farzaneh Daghigh

PCOM Scholarly Works

Nutri One-on-One was a program with the aim to positively modify medical clinic patients’ nutritional habits and lifestyles through a brief one-on-one health coaching session. Each session was conducted by utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to allow for tailored nutrition education and goal setting. These sessions were followed by a phone call to participants at 1 month following the session. The outcomes assessed were participant perception of achieving personal nutrition and lifestyle goals, retention of knowledge, and participants’ satisfaction with the program. Physicians working in the clinic were assessed for satisfaction with the program. Most of the physicians were generally satisfied …

Media: Mean Distance Association And Its Applications In Nonlinear Gene Set Analysis., Hesen Peng, Junjie Ma, Yun Bai, Jianwei Lu, Tianwei Yu

PCOM Scholarly Works

Probabilistic association discovery aims at identifying the association between random vectors, regardless of number of variables involved or linear/nonlinear functional forms. Recently, applications in high-dimensional data have generated rising interest in probabilistic association discovery. We developed a framework based on functions on the observation graph, named MeDiA (Mean Distance Association). We generalize its property to a group of functions on the observation graph. The group of functions encapsulates major existing methods in association discovery, e.g. mutual information and Brownian Covariance, and can be expanded to more complicated forms. We conducted numerical comparison of the statistical power of related methods under …

A Coxiella-Like Endosymbiont Is A Potential Vitamin Source For The Lone Star Tick, Todd A. Smith, Timothy Driscoll, Joseph J. Gillespie, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Amblyomma americanum (Lone star tick) is an important disease vector in the United States. It transmits several human pathogens, including the agents of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and southern tick-associated rash illness. Blood-feeding insects (Class Insecta) depend on bacterial endosymbionts to provide vitamins and cofactors that are scarce in blood. It is unclear how this deficiency is compensated in ticks (Class Arachnida) that feed exclusively on mammalian blood. A bacterium related to Coxiella burnetii, the agent of human Q fever, has been observed previously within cells of A. americanum. Eliminating this bacterium (CLEAA, Coxiella-like endosymbiont of A. americanum) with antibiotics …

Investigation Of Low Back And Shoulder Demand During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: The Effect Of Different Compression-Ventilation Ratios, Richard Scott Dainty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: The current American Heart Association (AHA) standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed with a compression-ventilation ratio of 30:2 (standard CPR), meaning 30 compressions are applied to the chest followed by the administration of two breaths to the victim. Some evidence has shown that performing continuous chest compressions rather than standard CPR with breaks in chest compressions for administering breaths, may increase survival rates after cardiac arrest. Cont-CPR has been shown to be very fatiguing in nature, with a significant drop in chest compression force within the first two minutes of CPR. The purpose of this study was to examine …

Dynamic Ventilation And Power Output Of Urban Bicyclists, Alexander Y. Bigazzi, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bicyclist intake of air pollutants is linked to physical exertion levels, ventilation rates, and exposure concentrations. Whereas exposure concentrations have been widely studied in transportation environments, there is relatively scant research linking on-road ventilation with travel conditions and exertion levels. This paper investigates relationships among power output, heart rate, and ventilation rate for urban bicyclists. Heart rate and ventilation rate were measured on-road and combined with power output estimates from a bicycle power model. Dynamic ventilation rates increased by 0.4-0.8% per watt of power output, with a mean lag of 0.8 minutes. The use of physiology (ventilation) monitoring straps and …

Identifying And Evaluating Revenue Strategies For Parks And Recreation Departments Across The Western United States, Beth Pinkston

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Self-Care Behaviors Of African Americans With Heart Failure: A Photovoice Project, Aimee Woda, Ruth Ann Belknap, Kristin Haglund, Margaret Sebern, Ashley Lawrence

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to understand the influences of heart failure (HF) self-care among low income, African Americans.

Background

Compared to all other racial groups, African Americans have the highest risk of developing HF, coupled with high mortality and morbidity rates.

Methods

Using the photovoice method, participants related important lifestyle factors through photography. The participants and researcher met for reflection and discussion 2 h per week for six weeks.

Results

Four themes emerged: family support gives me the push I need, social interaction lifts me up, improving my mind to lift depression can improve my heart, and …

Casitas: A Location-Dependent Ecological Trap For Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus, Benjamin C. Gutzler, Mark J. Butler Iv, Donald C. Behringer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Casitas are artificial shelters used by fishers to aggregate Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) for ease of capture. However, casitas may function as an ecological trap for juvenile lobsters if they are attracted to casitas and their growth or mortality is poorer compared with natural shelters. We hypothesized that juvenile lobsters may be at particular risk if attracted to casitas because they are less able than larger individuals to defend themselves, and do not forage far from shelter. We compared the nutritional condition, relative mortality, and activity of lobsters of various sizes in casitas and natural shelters in adult and …

2015-2016 Healthy Here Mobile Farmers’ Market Evaluation Report, T H. Cruz, C A. Fitzgerald, C Solomon

Reports & Documents

No abstract provided.

Project Spraoi: A Strategy To Improve Nutrition And Increase Physical Activity In Primary School Children, Lisa Delaney

Masters

Introduction: Paediatric obesity has become a global epidemic with many countries developing strategies to help tackle its prevalence. School based physical activity (PA) and nutrition interventions have proven to play a promising role in tackling childhood obesity.

Background: Project Spraoi is an Irish primary school based intervention. The intervention was delivered to an intervention school to help enhance PA and nutritional behaviour amongst pupils. The intervention school was assigned an ‘Energizer’; a trained PA and nutrition change agent who worked with the school to achieve the objectives. For evaluation purposes a control school was recruited.

Methodology: Pupils from the intervention …

Preconception Maternal And Paternal Exposure To Persistent Organic Pollutants And Birth Size: The Life Study, Candace A. Robledo, Edwina H. Yeung, Pauline Mendola, Rajeshwari Sundaram, Jose Maisog

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are developmental toxicants, but the impact of both maternal and paternal exposures on offspring birth size is largely unexplored.

Objective: We examined associations between maternal and paternal serum concentrations of 63 POPs, comprising five major classes of pollutants, with birth size measures.

Methods: Parental serum concentrations of 9 organochlorine pesticides, 1 polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), 7 perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), 10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and 36 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured before conception for 234 couples. Differences in birth weight, length, head circumference, and ponderal index were estimated using multiple linear regression per 1-SD increase in …

A Survey Of The Needs And Utilization Of Health Information Among Young Adults In Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, Samuel Olu Adeyoyin, Fadekemi Omobola Oyewusi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Good health is an indispensable prerequisite for the socio-economic development of any country. The increasing number of health related problems among young adults in Nigeria warrants urgent and special attention. This study, therefore focused on health information needs and utilisation among young adults. Correlational research design was adopted for this study using descriptive survey method. Questionnaires were designed and used as survey instruments. The target population for this study were young undergraduates within the ages of 16-24 years. Federal University of Agriculture and Crescent University were selected because they are the two universities within the city of Abeokuta. The study …

Sweet Slumber: A Case For Melatonin As A Sleep Aid, Destiny L. Morris

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of The Ecological Role Of Genes Mediating Acid Resistance In Lactobacillus Reuteri During Colonization Of The Gastrointestinal Tract, Janina A. Krumbeck, Nathan L Marsteller, Steven Frese, Daniel A. Peterson, Amanda Ramer-Tait, Robert W. Hutkins, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Rodent-derived strains of Lactobacillus reuteri densely colonize the forestomach of mice and possess several genes whose predicted functions constitute adaptations towards an acidic environment. The objective of this study was to systematically determine which genes of L. reuteri 100-23 contribute to tolerance towards host gastric acid secretion. Genes predicted to be involved in acid resistance were inactivated, and their contribution to survival under acidic conditions was confirmed in model gastric juice. Fitness of five mutants that showed impaired in vitro acid resistance were then compared through competition experiments in ex-germ-free mice that were either treated with omeprazole, a proton-pump inhibitor …

Steps In Metagenomics: Let’S Avoid Garbage In And Garbage Out, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Is metagenomics a revolution or a new fad? Metagenomics is tightly associated with the availability of next-generation sequencing in all its implementations. The key feature of these new technologies, moving beyond the Sanger-based DNA sequencing approach, is the depth of nucleotide sequencing per sample.Knowing much more about a sample changes the traditional paradigms of “What is the most abundant?” or “What is the most significant?” to “What is present and potentially sig­nificant that might influence the situation and outcome?” Let’s take the case of identifying proper biomarkers of disease state in the context of chronic disease prevention. Prevention has been …