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Design And Assessment Of A Novel Edna Survey Method For The Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon Couperi), Emily K. Galbraith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

1. Accurate information about species range declines is the cornerstone of effective conservation when habitat loss drives biodiversity loss. The Eastern Indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) is an apex predator in Florida and, like many other native Florida species, is threatened by widespread habitat destruction. Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring of this elusive snake would provide a low-risk and low-cost approach to expand our knowledge of the species’ range and distribution.

2. We designed and tested an eDNA assay that can detect the presence of Eastern Indigo snake from soil samples of their natural habitat. This assay was …

Importance Of Risk And Hazard Assessment Of River Projects In India, Jitesh N. Vyas, Supriya Nath, R. B. Deogade

International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures

Rivers are the lifeline for every country as they provide water for proliferation, sustenance and propagation of life since time immemorial. With increasing population pressure, water demand increased for drinking, irrigation, and industrial consumption. This water deficit required utilization of available water resources in the best possible manner through various hydrological projects like construction of dams, weirs, barrage, etc. There is a disparity in water availability between north and south India as most of the perennial rivers are situated in the north while seasonal rivers in south India. To resolve this disproportionate distribution and to maintain the balance of water …

Unfiltered: Endangered Species And Social Media, Sarah Schaier

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Serological Evidence Of Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus And Igm Positivity Were Identified In Healthy Residents In Vietnam, Xuan Chuong Tran, Sung Hye Kim, Jeong-Eun Lee, So-Hee Kim, Su Yeon Kang, Nguyen D Binh, Pham V Duc, Phan T K Phuong, Nguyen T P Thao, Wonwoo Lee, Joon-Yong Bae, Man-Seong Park, Misun Kim, Jeong Rae Yoo, Sang Taek Heo, Kyeong Ho An, Jung Mogg Kim, Nam-Hyuk Cho, Sun-Ho Kee, Keun Hwa Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging tick-borne viral disease, is prevalent in East Asia and has also been reported in Southeast Asia since 2019. SFTS patients in Vietnam were first reported in 2019. However, the seroprevalence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) in Vietnam has not been reported. To investigate the seroprevalence of SFTSV in Vietnam, we collected serum samples from 714 healthy residents in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, and the seroprevalence of SFTSV was assessed using immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA), Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) and the 50% focus reduction neutralization test …

“Gender At The Root Of Everyday Life”: Equity, Activism, And The Perspectives Of Diana J. Fox, Goutam Karmakar

Journal of International Women's Studies

This in-depth conversation with Diana J. Fox, Professor of Anthropology at Bridgewater State University, Massachusetts, United States, and a cultural and applied anthropologist, scholar-activist, and documentary film producer, puts emphasis on how Fox’s research demonstrates that a decolonial feminist viewpoint inspires and even necessitates that Indigenous feminisms be at the center, and that researchers from the global north have a responsibility to do so. In this interview, Fox talks about how, as a feminist decolonial/anticolonial anthropologist, she has worked for global gender justice and equality throughout her career, especially within the Anglophone Caribbean, which is where the bulk of her …

Women And War: (Dis)Illusionment And Disclosure In Niromi De Soyza’S Tamil Tigress, Goutam Karmakar

Journal of International Women's Studies

Niromi de Soyza’s Tamil Tigress: My Story as a Child Soldier in Sri Lanka’s Bloody Civil War (2011) is a memoir about a year in the author’s and her friend Ajanthi’s lives when they joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) and fought as female militants in the second phase of the Sri Lankan civil war. Soyza’s autobiographical account depicts the 1980s when the Tamil Tigers were fighting the Sri Lankan government and the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) in the northern and eastern parts of the country. As teenagers, Niromi and Ajanthi were highly inspired by the revolutionary …

On Violence And Resistance: Narratives Of Women In South Asia, Goutam Karmakar

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

A Spectral Three-Dimensional Color Space Model Of Tree Crown Health, William B. Monahan, Colton E. Arnspiger, Parth Bhatt, Zhongming An, Frank J. Krist, Tao Liu, Robert P. Richard, Curtis Edson, Robert E. Froese, John Steffenson, Tony C. Lammers, Randy Frosh

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Protecting the future of forests in the United States and other countries depends in part on our ability to monitor and map forest health conditions in a timely fashion to facilitate management of emerging threats and disturbances over a multitude of spatial scales. Remote sensing data and technologies have contributed to our ability to meet these needs, but existing methods relying on supervised classification are often limited to specific areas by the availability of imagery or training data, as well as model transferability. Scaling up and operationalizing these methods for general broadscale monitoring and mapping may be promoted by using …

Characterization Of Preantral Follicle Clustering And Neighborhood Patterns In The Equine Ovary., Kendall A Hyde, Francisco L N Aguiar, Paula B Alvarenga, Amanda L Rezende, Benner G Alves, Kele A Alves, Gustavo D A Gastal, Melba O Gastal, Eduardo L Gastal

Peer-reviewed Articles

Understanding the transition from quiescent primordial follicles to activated primary follicles is vital for characterizing ovarian folliculogenesis and improving assisted reproductive techniques. To date, no study has investigated preantral follicle crowding in the ovaries of livestock or characterized these crowds according to follicular morphology and ovarian location (portions and regions) in any species. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the crowding (clustering and neighborhood) patterns of preantral follicles in the equine ovary according to mare age, follicular morphology and developmental stage, and spatial location in the ovary. Ovaries from mares (n = 8) were collected at an abattoir and …

Analyzing The Trophic Structure Of Ancient Communities, Jack Oliver Shaw

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Since the proliferation of animal life during the Cambrian (ca. 541-485 million years ago), the biosphere has changed considerably, including long-term trends towards increasing taxonomic and functional diversity within and across ecosystems. Whether and how long-term trends in the evolution of life affected the Earth system is an active area of research, in part because the function and dynamics of ecosystems cannot be inferred by simply summing up the effect of all individuals present. Instead, the effect of diversity on ecosystem-level properties is modulated by the network of links between individuals, including trophic (e.g., predator-prey) and non-trophic (e.g., symbiosis and …

Spatial Variation In Hard Bottom Coral Communities Of The Coastal West Florida Shelf, Nicole Blank, Sandra D. Brooke, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Hard bottom coral and sponge communities differ along portions of the West Florida Shelf (WFS) in species occurrence, diversity, and/or size. However, the composition and spatial distribution of these communities are not well understood. Community transitions have been proposed in the central portion of the WFS around Tampa Bay, Cedar Key, and as far south as Charlotte Harbor, but supporting data are sparse. Fifteen sites in three regions of Florida were surveyed for species distribution, density, and demographics. Distinct communities were found between St Teresa, Hudson, and Tarpon Springs. Coral and sponge densities were highest off Tarpon Springs followed by …

Are Existing Modeling Tools Useful To Evaluate Outcomes In Mangrove Restoration And Rehabilitation Projects? A Minireview, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Xiaochen Zhao, Hongqing Wang, Zuo George Xue

Faculty Publications

Ecosystem modeling is a critical process for understanding complex systems at spatiotemporal scales needed to conserve, manage, and restore ecosystem services (ESs). Although mangrove wetlands are sources of ESs worth billions of dollars, there is a lack of modeling tools. This is reflected in our lack of understanding of mangroves’ functional and structural attributes. Here, we discuss the “state of the art” of mangrove models used in the planning and monitoring of R/R projects during the last 30 years. The main objectives were to characterize the most frequent modeling approach, their spatiotemporal resolution, and their current utility/application in management decisions. …

Afforestation And Biodiversity: Bryophyte Richness Changes Between Icelandic Forest Types, Kian Mcdonough

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Forest-dwelling bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, hornworts) greatly contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem function but are largely under-studied in comparison to vascular plants. With Iceland’s large-scale afforestation efforts there is a need to understand how different afforestation species are affecting biodiversity, including bryophyte diversity. This study looked at differences in ground-floor bryophyte richness across Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine, and downy birch forests and found that bryophyte richness was highest in the Sitka spruce forests and lowest in downy birch forests. While this suggests a negative correlation between bryophyte richness and light availability, since the conifer species have the densest copy cover, other …

Filamentous Green Algae (Cladophora Glomerata) In Near Shore Lake Ontario: An Investigation Of Tissue And Water Nutrient Dynamics Through A Period Of Growth And Decomposition., James L. Wagner Jr

Biology Theses

Cladophora glomerata, a filamentous green alga abundant in the Laurentian Great Lakes, has long been considered a nuisance throughout the region. Previous phosphorus (P) abatement practices and legislation successfully reduced the abundance of the algae, but with the introduction of dreissenid mussels, a resurgence has been observed. Though there is substantial literature and modeling of the growth cycle of Cladophora, relatively little research has been dedicated to the decomposition stage of the algae, a period which may contribute to a substantial influx of nutrients to near-shore environmental regions. By first examining a period of in-situ growth within Lake …

Ultraviolet Light Exposure Decreases Thyroid Cancer Risk: A National Perspective, Tessa R. Lavorgna, Mohammad Hussein, Peter P. Issa, Eman Toraih, Emad Kandil

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Ultraviolet (UV) light has been reported to have both pro-oncogenic and anti-oncogenic effects. Since patient pigmentation can influence the role of UV light exposure, we thought to investigate the recent trends in thyroid cancer incidence and survival with an emphasis on patient race and UV exposure. Patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were identified. A total of 284,178 patients were enrolled. Data were stratified according to population sex, race, and state. UV exposure data in Watt-Hours Per Square Meter for the state were obtained from the National Cancer Institute Cancer Atlas. Thyroid …

Investigations Into The Negative Impact Of Temperature Stress On Fertility In Wild Strains Of Caenorhabditis Elegans, Nicholas B. Sepulveda

Dissertations (1934 -)

Sexual reproduction and its coincident genetic recombination are powerful adaptive strategies. However, sexual reproduction has disadvantages. One ancient and conserved disadvantage is temperature sensitivity. In organisms diverse as plants, insects, nematode worms, and humans, as temperatures increase, fertility decreases. The goal of this dissertation is to examine the negative impact of elevated temperature stress on fertility in sexually reproducing organisms using wild strains of Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans presents a unique opportunity to study these effects broadly in two contexts, as worms may be either self-fertile hermaphrodites that produce both egg and sperm or males which produce only sperm. In …

Evidence For The Effects Of Wind On The Biogeography Of Soil Mites In Urban Tree Wells, John R. Mceachern

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

The theoretical predictions of island biogeography have been applied successfully by a number of researchers studying the population and community structures of invertebrates living in large urban parks and remnant natural areas. Few, however, have examined the biogeography of smaller patches and the role that specific dispersal techniques play in shaping species distributions. In this study, I examine the impact of several biogeographical and environmental factors, including wind channelization effects, on the abundance of soil mites in small, urban tree wells in Westminster, Maryland. By testing five models that include the variables of well area, isolation, and dominate wind direction, …

Importance And Winter Ornithological Value Of Lake El-Golea (Ghardaïa, Algerian Sahara, Biad Radhia, Bounab Choayb, Guergueb El Yamine, Biad Mohamed Fetheddine, Houhamdi Moussa

Journal of Bioresource Management

This study is carried out on two winter period (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) in Lake El-Golea (Ghardaïa, northern Sahara of Algeria). Its objective is to determine the ornithological value of this lake and to in ferits importance in maintaining aquatic avifauna during the winter season. This inventory shows a diversity equivalent to forty-one species belonging to thirteen families and nine orders of which eighteen are protected by various Algerian and international laws. The most represented family is that of the Anatidae with twelve species while the family with the highest number is that of the Phenicopteridae represented only by one species, …

Biodiversity Of Culicidae (Insecta: Diptera) In The Region Of Khenchela (Northeast Algeria), Imane Halimi, Fatima Zohra Zohra Kara-Toumi, Salim Lebbal, Ruben Bueno Mari, Asma Ghorab, Fairouz Saidi

Journal of Bioresource Management

Mosquitoes are considered as vectors of serious human diseases. The prevention of parasitic and arboviral vector-borne diseases is based mostly on vector control strategies. This control cannot be effective unless a strong knowledge of mosquito biology and distribution in the working area. In this context, and in order to improve the knowledge on the specific diversity of the culicids fauna in the region of Khenchela (northeast of Algeria), an inventory of mosquitoes was carried out for the first time in this region. Larval collection was conducted in various types of habitats through continuous monitoring of seven sites from May 2020 …

New Microsatellite Markers For The Shallow Coral Madracis Auretenra From The Caribbean, Diana Carolina Ballesteros-Contreras, Lina Maria Barrios, Richard Preziosi

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Coral reefs species represent one-third of all marine species described in the ocean. They are also responsible for providing habitat and support to different species. Recently, Caribbean coral reefs ecosystems have suffered an alarming decrease in their populations as a result of overexploitation. Madracis auretenra in particular, is a widespread shallow coral in marine protected areas (MPAs) of the Caribbean. Due to the important role of MPAs as a biodiversity conservation tool, this species can be used as a model to estimate its dispersion/migration among Caribbean reefs through the use of informative genetic markers (microsatellites) specifically designed for it. Seventeen …

Ecological Consequences Of Historic Moorland ‘Improvement’, Francis M. Rowney, Ralph M. Fyfe, Philip Anderson, Robert Barnett, William Blake, Tim Daley, Katie Head, Alison Macleod, Ian Matthews, David N. Smith

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Next-Generation Technologies Unlock New Possibilities To Track Rangeland Productivity And Quantify Multi-Scale Conservation Outcomes, Caleb P. Roberts, David E. Naugle, Brady W. Allred, Victoria M. Donovan, Dillon T. Fogarty, Matthew O. Jones, Jeremy D. Maestas, Andrew C. Olsen, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Historically, relying on plot-level inventories impeded our ability to quantify large-scale change in plant biomass, a key indicator of conservation practice outcomes in rangeland systems. Recent technological advances enable assessment at scales appropriate to inform management by providing spatially comprehensive estimates of productivity that are partitioned by plant functional group across all contiguous US rangelands. We partnered with the Sage Grouse and Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiatives and the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project to demonstrate the ability of these new datasets to quantify multi-scale changes and heterogeneity in plant biomass following mechanical tree removal, prescribed fire, and prescribed grazing. In Oregon’s sagebrush …

Effect Of The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games On Covid-19 Incidence In Japan: A Synthetic Control Approach, Daisuke Yoneoka, Akifumi Eguchi, Kentato Fukumoto, Takayuki Kawashima, Yuta Tanoue, Takahiro Tabuchi, Hiroaki Miyata, Cyrus Ghaznavi, Kenji Shibuya, Shuhei Nomura

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games (23 July-8 August 2021) were held in the middle of Japan's fifth wave of COVID-19, when the number of cases was on the rise, and coincided with the fourth state of emergency implemented by the host city, Tokyo.

AIM: This study aimed to assess whether the hosting of the Games was associated with a change in the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan using a synthetic control method.

METHODS: A weighted average of control countries with a variety of predictors was used to estimate the counterfactual trajectory of daily COVID-19 cases per 1 …

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Evaluating the Effects of Beaver Dam Removal on the Hydrology, Water Quality, and Bioindicators of a Restored Wetland
• Predictive Sediment Flux Modeling of a Karst Spring Using High Resolution Sensors and Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes
• Development and Validation of qPCR Assays for Use in eDNA Detection of Four Species of Semiaquatic Salamanders .
• Analyzing Recent Spatio-Temporal Rainfall Erosivity Patterns and Trends Across Kentucky
• Development of eDNA Protocols for Detection of Four Darter (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) Species in Central Kentucky Streams
• Assessing Change in the Seasonality of Stable Isotopes δ18O and δ2H for Meteoric and Terrestrial Waters of Central Kentucky
• Coupling …

Montezuma Quail In The Edwards Plateau Of Texas: Detection, Occurrence, And Habitat, Zachary J. Pearson, Eric D. Grahmann, Fidel Hernández, Robert Perez, Leonard A. Brennan, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) were historically found throughout nearly every county in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas, USA. Over the last century, shifting land use, reduction of fire on the landscape, and the subsequent encroachment of woody vegetation have constricted the distribution of Montezuma quail to a few counties in the southern portion of the Edwards Plateau. A renewed interest in management for Montezuma quail over the last decade has been met with a lack of information regarding their habitat requirements in this region. This lack of general information and increased sightings of this elusive species in …

Winter Survival And Resource Use Of Translocated Northern Bobwhite In The Mid-Atlantic United States, Kaili Stevens, Christopher K. Williams, Theron Terhune, Philip Coppola, John Parke, John Cecil

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) in the Mid-Atlantic United States have been experiencing precipitous population declines due to a combination of habitat deterioration, urban and suburban sprawl, change in forest management regimes, and farming practices. In recent years, restocking of bobwhite through translocation efforts has gained interest to rebuild local populations. However, empirical studies are warranted to understand the limitations of translocation as it relates to its potential use for long-term population recovery and persistence in this region. Further, few studies nation-wide have evaluated resource use and survival during the non-breeding season on translocated sites. As such, …

Effect Of Food Distribution On Northern Bobwhite Resource Selection, Rachel R. Gardner, John Maerz, Theron M. Terhune Ii, Ira B. Parnell, James A. Martin

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Supplemental feeding is a common management tactic used to increase survival and reproduction of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite). Different supplemental feeding methods alter the distribution of resources across a landscape in unique ways and may influence the space use and resource selection of target species differently. Predators may concentrate their movements near fed sites, and different distributions of supplemental feed may encourage bobwhite to concentrate their movements closer to feed than other areas, thereby altering the potential for predator-prey interactions near feed. We used radio-tracked locations and movements in areas with stationary feeders (“feeder fed”) and …

Comparing The Evidence From Observational Studies And Randomized Controlled Trials For Nonskeletal Health Effects Of Vitamin D, William B. Grant, Barbara J. Boucher, Fatme Al Anouti, Stefan Pilz

All Works

Although observational studies of health outcomes generally suggest beneficial effects with, or following, higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have generally not supported those findings. Here we review results from observational studies and RCTs regarding how vitamin D status affects several nonskeletal health outcomes, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia, autoimmune diseases, cancers, cardiovascular disease, COVID-19, major depressive disorder, type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, all-cause mortality, respiratory tract infections, and pregnancy outcomes. We also consider relevant findings from ecological, Mendelian randomization, and mechanistic studies. Although clear discrepancies exist between findings of observational studies and RCTs on vitamin …

Edible Insect Consumption For Human And Planetary Health: A Systematic Review, Marta Ros-Baró, Patricia Casas-Agustench, Diana Alícia Díaz-Rizzolo, Laura Batlle-Bayer, Ferran Adrià-Acosta, Alícia Aguilar-Martínez, Francesc Xavier Medina, Montserrat Pujolà, Anna Bach-Faig

School of Health Professions

This systematic review aimed to examine the health outcomes and environmental impact of edible insect consumption. Following PRISMA-P guidelines, PubMed, Medline ProQuest, and Cochrane Library databases were searched until February 2021. Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria: twelve animal and six human studies (randomized, non-randomized, and crossover control trials), and seven studies on sustainability outcomes. In animal studies, a supplement (in powdered form) of 0.5 g/kg of glycosaminoglycans significantly reduced abdominal and epididymal fat weight (5–40% and 5–24%, respectively), blood glucose (10–22%), and total cholesterol levels (9–10%), and a supplement of 5 mg/kg chitin/chitosan reduced body weight (1–4%) and abdominal fat …

Epidemiology Of Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index (Bmi) Among Mothers In Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates, Zainab Taha, Ahmed Ali Hassan, Dimitrios Papandreou

All Works

Pre-pregnancy obesity is a risk factor for several health problems such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, labor induction, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal hypoglycemia. Being underweight is a risk factor for fetal growth restriction. Despite the negative impact of abnormal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) (over and underweight) on pregnancy outcomes, a limited amount of studies has been conducted on the prevalence of pre-pregnancy over and underweight and associated factors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity among mothers with children under the age …