Digital Commons Network^™

Variable Spiny Lobster Foraging Across A Variable Intertidal Landscape, Mary Mccormick

SNS Master's Theses

The rocky intertidal zone serves as an important nighttime high tide foraging habitat for the California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) but the role of this habitat in supporting this valuable species may vary with fine-scale differences in the habitat. On Catalina Island, variation in the proportions of crabs, mussels, and limpets that lobsters target may reflect variation in prey availability or consumer population demographics, independent of fishing pressure. I estimated the relative contribution of three important lobster prey taxa by applying Bayesian mixing models in MixSIAR to δ15N and δ13C signatures of lobsters and their prey from both a fished …

Sex Disparities In Access To Acute Stroke Care: Can Telemedicine Mitigate This Effect?, Catherine Wolff, Amelia K. Boehme, Karen Albright, Tzu-Ching Wu, Michael Mullen, Sean Savitz, Charles Branas, James Grotta, Brendan Carr

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Women have more frequent and severe ischemic strokes than men, and are less likely to receive treatment for acute stroke. Primary stroke centers (PSCs) have been shown to utilize treatment more frequently. Further, as telemedicine (TM) has expanded access to acute stroke care we sought to investigate the association between PSC, TM and access to acute stroke care in the state of Texas.

Methods: Texas hospitals and resources were identified from the 2009 American Hospital Association Annual Survey. Hospitals were categorized as: (1) stand-alone PSCs not using telemedicine for acute stroke care, (2) PSCs using telemedicine for acute stroke …

2016 March 30 -- Agenda And Attachments

Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

From Planning To Execution To The Future: An Overview Of A Concerted Effort To Enhance Biological Control In Apple, Pear, And Walnut Orchards In The Western U.S., Vincent P. Jones, Nicholas J. Mills, Jay F. Brunner, David R. Horton, Elizabeth H. Beers, Thomas R. Unruh, Peter W. Shearer, Jessica R. Goldberger, Steven P. Castagnoli, Nadine Lehrer, Eugene R. Milickzy, Shawn A. Steffan, Kaushalya G. Amarasekare, Ute Chambers, Angela N. Gadino, R. Karina Gallardo, Wendy E. Jones

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

We embarked on a large project designed to help enhance biological control in apple, pear and walnut orchards in the western U.S., where management programs were in the midst of a transition from older organo-phosphate insecticides to mating disruption and newer reduced-risk insecticides. A “pesticide replacement therapy” approach resulted in unstable management programs with unpredictable outbreaks of spider mites and aphids. Our project was designed to provide growers and pest managers with information on the effects of newer pesticide chemistries on a suite of representative natural enemies in both the laboratory and field, potential of new monitoring tools using herbivore-induced …

Effects Of Food Resources On Population Dynamics Of The Eastern Newt At Kingfisher Pond:
 A Long-Term Field Study, Kameron D. Fletcher, Jessie Proehl

2014-2016 Undergraduate

No abstract provided.

Drone Technology For Low-Cost Precision Mapping On Campus And In The Community, Suresh Muthukrishnan, Mike Winiski

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Proliferation of consumer grade small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV) or drones brings many opportunities in the area of mapping and spatial analysis. Although misuse of drone technology is well-chronicled in the media, the important and positive role played by drones at the community level is often overlooked. At Furman University, we have integrated the use of drones into teaching, research, and various sustainability and safety initiatives on campus and with community partners. Using a combination of tools, including drones and GIS, we mapped the sprinkler irrigation network and streetlight locations on campus and in a local community. The general workflow …

Quantifying The Association Between Active Tuberculosis Incidence And Migrant Farm Worker Populations Among Florida Counties, 2009-2013: An Ecological Study, Ryan Nicolas Ortega

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly 20 studies conducted in the last 40 years indicate that tuberculosis (TB) represents a major health concern among migrant farm worker (MFW) populations, but their role in the transmission of TB within the broader community is poorly understood. To this end an ecological study was undertaken which examined 67 Florida counties between years 2009 through 2013. Its aims were as follows: (1) to describe the demographic, geographic, and temporal distribution of the incidence of active TB, (2) to examine the effect of agriculturally relevant seasonal periods on the incidence of active TB, and (3) to quantify the strength and …

Anthropogenic Habitats Facilitate Dispersal Of An Early Successional Obligate: Implications For Restoration Of An Endangered Ecosystem, Katrina E. Amaral, Michael W. Palace, Kathleen M. O'Brien, Lindsey E. Fenderson, Adrienne I. Kovach

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation disrupt the connectivity of natural landscapes, with major consequences for biodiversity. Species that require patchily distributed habitats, such as those that specialize on early successional ecosystems, must disperse through a landscape matrix with unsuitable habitat types. We evaluated landscape effects on dispersal of an early successional obligate, the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis). Using a landscape genetics approach, we identified barriers and facilitators of gene flow and connectivity corridors for a population of cottontails in the northeastern United States. We modeled dispersal in relation to landscape structure and composition and tested hypotheses about the influence …

Anthropogenic Habitats Facilitate Dispersal Of An Early Successional Obligate: Implications For Restoration Of An Endangered Ecosystem, Katrina E. Amaral, Michael W. Palace, Kathleen M. O'Brien, Lindsey E. Fenderson, Adrienne I. Kovach

Faculty Publications

Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation disrupt the connectivity of natural landscapes, with major consequences for biodiversity. Species that require patchily distributed habitats, such as those that specialize on early successional ecosystems, must disperse through a landscape matrix with unsuitable habitat types. We evaluated landscape effects on dispersal of an early successional obligate, the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis). Using a landscape genetics approach, we identified barriers and facilitators of gene flow and connectivity corridors for a population of cottontails in the northeastern United States. We modeled dispersal in relation to landscape structure and composition and tested hypotheses about the influence …

Violent Death Rates: The United States Compared To Other High-Income Oecd Countries, 2010, Erin Grinshteyn, David Hemenway

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Violent death is a serious problem in the US. Previous research showing US rates of violent death compared with other high-income countries used data that are more than a decade old.

Methods: We examined 2010 mortality data obtained from the WHO for populous, high-income countries (n=23). Death rates per 100,000 population were calculated for each country and for the aggregation of all non-US countries overall and by age and sex. Tests of significance were performed using Poisson and negative binomial regressions. Results: US homicide rates were 7.0 times higher than other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate …

Influence Of The Mississippi River On Pseudo-Nitzschia Spp. Abundance And Toxicity In Louisiana Coastal Waters, Sibel Bargu, Melissa M. Baustian, Nancy N. Rabalais, Ross Del Rio, Benjamin Von Korff, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

The presence of domoic acid (DA) toxin from multiple species of Pseudo-nitzschia is a concern in the highly productive food webs of the northern 1,* 2,3 2 1 1,4 1 1 2 3 4 Gulf of Mexico. We documented the Pseudo-­nitzschia presence, abundance, blooms, and toxicity over 3 years along a transect ∼100 km west of the Mississippi River Delta on the continental shelf. Pseudo-nitzschia were present throughout the year and occurred in high abundances (>10 cells l ) in the early spring months during high Mississippi River (MSR) flow (∼20,000 m s ) but were most abundant ( …

Variable Prey Development Time Suppresses Predator-Prey Cycles And Enhances Stability, James T. Cronin, John D. Reeve, Dashun Xu, Mingqing Xiao, Heidi N. Stevens

Faculty Publications

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS. Although theoretical models have demonstrated that predator-prey population dynamics can depend critically on age (stage) structure and the duration and variability in development times of different life stages, experimental support for this theory is non-existent. We conducted an experiment with a host-parasitoid system to test the prediction that increased variability in the development time of the vulnerable host stage can promote interaction stability. Host-parasitoid microcosms were subjected to two treatments: Normal and High variance in the duration of the vulnerable host stage. In control and Normal-variance microcosms, hosts and parasitoids exhibited distinct population …

Competition-Mediated Feedbacks In Experimental Multispecies Epizootics, Tad Dallas, Richard J. Hall, John M. Drake

Faculty Publications

© 2016 by the Ecological Society of America. Competition structures ecological communities and alters host-pathogen interactions. In environmentally transmitted pathogens, an infection-resistant competitor may influence infection dynamics in a susceptible species through the negative impacts of competition (e.g., by reducing host density or causing nutritional stress that increases susceptibility to infection) and/or the positive impacts of reducing transmission efficiency (e.g., by removing environmental pathogen stages). Thus, a non-susceptible competitor may enhance, reduce, or have no net effect on susceptible host density and infection prevalence. Here, we couple an epidemiological model with experimental epidemics to test how resource competition with a …

Nutrinews, Volume 15, March 2016, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Faculty Spotlight, In the Neighborhood, Kidz Korner, My Passion a personal story

Bioenergy Harvest, Climate Change, And Forest Carbon In The Oregon Coast Range, Megan K. Creutzburg, Robert M. Scheller, Melissa S. Lucash, Louisa B. Evers, Stephen D. Leduc, Mark G. Johnson

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Forests provide important ecological, economic and social services, and recent interest has emerged in the potential for using residue from timber harvest as a source of renewable woody bioenergy. The long-term consequences of such intensive harvest are unclear, particularly as forests face novel climatic conditions over the next century. We used a simulation model to project the long-term effects of management and climate change on above- and below ground carbon storage in a watershed in northwestern Oregon. The multi-ownership watershed has a diverse range of current management practices, including little-to-no harvesting on federal lands, short-rotation clear-cutting on industrial land, and …

Humor In Us-American Literature: A Book Review Article About Su's (苏晖) Work, Longhai Zhang, Tianran Chen

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Pharmaceutical Contaminants As Stressors On Rocky Intertidal And Estuarine Organisms: A Case Study Of Fluoxetine, Joseph Richard Peters

Dissertations and Theses

Contaminants such as pharmaceuticals are of increasing concern due to their ubiquitous use and persistence in surface waters worldwide. Limited attention has been paid to the effects of pharmaceuticals on marine life, despite widespread detection of these contaminants in the marine environment. Of the existing studies, the majority assess the negative effects of pharmaceuticals over an exposure period of 30 days or less and focus on cellular and subcellular biomarkers. Longer studies are required to determine if chronic contaminant exposure poses risks to marine life at environmentally relevant concentrations. Also scarce in the literature is examination of whole organism effects …

Population Structure, Genetic Diversity, Geographic Distribution, And Morphology Of Two Boechera (Brassicaceae) Parental Species (Boechera Thompsonii And Boechera Formosa) And Of Their Resultant Hybrid Boechera Duchesnensis, Christina Elizabeth Fox Call

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Over the relatively short period of its evolutionary history, Boechera (Brassicaceae) has undergone rapid radiation that has produced 70+ morphologically distinct, sexual diploids. However, reproductive isolation has moved more slowly than morphological divergence in this group and the diploids appear to hybridize frequently where they coexist. Boechera duchesnensis appears to be the result of hybridization between its putative parents Boechera thompsonii and Boechera formosa. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to (i) analyze and document genetic diversity patterns in the population structure, - including allelic and heterozygosity frequencies - of B. thompsonii and B. formosa …

Frye As Forefather?: The Bush Garden And Canadian Ecocriticism, Matthew Zantingh

The Goose

This review considers the importance of Northrop Frye's collection of writings on Canada in The Bush Garden from an ecocritical perspective. It asks how Frye's thinking remains problematic but might also be re-engaged from a contemporary perspective.

Beginning Female And Male Catholic School Principals In Western Australia - It's Not Simply A Matter Of Gender!, Debra Sayce, Shane Lavery

eJournal of Catholic Education in Australasia

Commencing a principalship for the first time is demanding. Not only must beginning principals cultivate a variety of skills to effectively lead an educational institution, they do so while at the same time experiencing the vicissitudes associated with the newness of the role (Darish, 2006; Walker & Oian, 2006). This study explored the leadership experiences and perceptions of thirteen beginning Catholic school principals in Western Australia. Qualitative data were gathered through thirteen semi-structured interviews and researcher-generated field notes. These data were considered from the perspective of gender; seven of the beginning principals were female and six were male. The research …

Chemical Investigation Of Antarctic Marine Organisms & Their Role In Modern Drug Discovery, Jacqueline Lee Fries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The chemicals produced by biological systems, whether proteins, peptides, or terpenes, will always provide an intriguing topic for researchers. Invisibly controlling every aspect of nature, these molecules are responsible for life, evolution, and death. Specifically, here is described the secondary metabolites produced by Antarctic marine organisms as well as others, and how they are used to defend or attract other animals while potentially providing health benefits to mankind. This is done through collection, extraction, and separation of individual specimens. The respective mixtures of compounds after isolation are then analyzed via spectroscopic methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, …

Elderly People And Their Information Needs, Nelson Edewor, Osaze Patrick Ijiekhuamhen, Uche P. Emeka-Ukwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is aimed at exploring the information behavior of the elderly people amongst us. A survey research design was adopted. Four objectives were set for the study and the interview was used to elicit information from respondents. Findings showed that 63% were male while 37% were female. Findings also reveal that the information needs of elders covered health conditions (98%), pension/finance (92%), government policies (34%), current affairs (53%), and transport (63%) among others. The most preferred source of information as revealed by the study is the use of family members (98%). This is followed by radio/television (92%). Use of …

Urban Ecology & Conservation Symposium 2016: 14th Annual (Abstracts), Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium Of Portland/Vancouver

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The UERC is a consortium of people from various universities and colleges, state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and independent professionals interested in supporting urban ecosystem research and creating an information-sharing network of people that collect and use ecological data in the Portland/Vancouver area.

UERC Mission Statement:

To advance the state of the science of urban ecosystems and improve our understanding of them, with a focus on the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan region, by fostering communication and collaboration among researchers, managers and citizens at academic institutions, public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, and other interested groups.

The principal organizers span …

Constrained Total Energy Expenditure And Metabolic Adaptation To Physical Activity In Adult Humans, Herman Pontzer, Ramon Durazo-Arvizu, Lara R. Dugas, Jacob Plange-Rhule, Pascal Bovet, Terrence E. Forrester, Estelle V. Lambert, Richard S. Cooper, Dale A. Schoeller, Amy Luke

Faculty Publications

Current obesity prevention strategies recommend increasing daily physical activity, assuming that increased activity will lead to corresponding increases in total energy expenditure and prevent or reverse energy imbalance and weight gain [1-3]. Such Additive total energy expenditure models are supported by exercise intervention and accelerometry studies reporting positive correlations between physical activity and total energy expenditure [4] but are challenged by ecological studies in humans and other species showing that more active populations do not have higher total energy expenditure [5-8]. Here we tested a Constrained total energy expenditure model, in which total energy expenditure increases with physical activity at …

Decisions To Perform Emergency Caesarean Sections At A University Hospital : Do Obstetricians Agree?, Silja A. Pillai, Gowri Vaidyanathan, Maryam Al-Dughaishi, Tamima R., Shahila Tazneem, Durdana Khan, Saniya El-Tayeb, Mariam Mathew

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study was undertaken to assess the degree of agreement amongst obstetricians regarding decisions to perform emergency Caesarean section (CS) procedures at a university hospital. Methods: This retrospective clinical audit was carried out on 50 consecutive emergency CS procedures performed between November 2012 and March 2013 on women with singleton pregnancies at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Muscat, Oman. Data on each procedure were collected from electronic patient records and independently reviewed by six senior obstetricians to determine agreement with the decision. Results: Of the 50 women who underwent CS procedures, the mean age was 28.9 ± 5.1 …

Come And “Take” It: Whooping Cranes, Texas Water Rights, Endangered Species Act Liability, And Reconciling Ecological Scientific Testimony Within The Context Of Proximate Causation, Brett A. Miller

Student Scholarship

Tension between science and the law is a pervading feature of Endangered Species Act (ESA) jurisprudence. Incorporating the scientific discipline of ecology within the legal landscape presents distinct challenges, particularly in comparison with more traditional laboratory sciences. Within the realm of Endangered Species Act liability, the intricacies of nature exacerbate already complicated links of causation, challenging the ability to prove violations of the “take” prohibition. Because uncertainties permeate scientists’ ability to understand complex ecosystem processes, courts should rely on the overarching practicality of common law principles when reviewing ecological testimony.

When evaluating claims that allege violations of the “take” prohibition, …

Bioeconomic Evaluation Of Commercial-Scale Stock Enhancement In Abalone, Anthony M. Hart, Lachlan W.S. Strain

Fisheries Research Reports

The evaluation of commercial-scale stock enhancement was undertaken to determine its viability in the Western Australian Greenlip Abalone fishery. The key outcome of the project is that commercial-scale abalone stock enhancement is environmentally and economically achievable. The bioeconomic analysis revealed significant economic potential of a stock enhancement program for Australian Haliotis laevigata fisheries.

Change In Obesity Prevalence Across The United States Is Influenced By Recreational And Healthcare Contexts, Food Environments, And Hispanic Populations, Candice A. Myers, Tim Slack, Corby K. Martin, Stephanie T. Broyles, Steven B. Heymsfield

Faculty Publications

Objective To examine change in county-level adult obesity prevalence between 2004 and 2009 and identify associated community characteristics. Methods Change in county-level adult (≥20 years) obesity prevalence was calculated for a 5-year period (2004-2009). Community measures of economic, healthcare, recreational, food environment, population structure, and education contexts were also calculated. Regression analysis was used to assess community characteristics associated (p< 0.01) with change in adult obesity prevalence. Results Mean±SD change in obesity prevalence was 5.1±2.4%. Obesity prevalence decreased in 1.4% (n = 44) and increased in 98% (n = 3,060) of counties from 2004-2009. Results showed that both baseline levels and increases in physically inactive adults were associated with greater increases in obesity prevalence, while baseline levels of and increases in physician density and grocery store/supercenter density were related to smaller increases in obesity rates. Baseline levels of the Hispanic population share were negatively linked to changing obesity levels, while places with greater Hispanic population growth saw greater increases in obesity. Conclusions Most counties in the U.S. experienced increases in adult obesity prevalence from 2004 to 2009. Findings suggest that community-based interventions targeting adult obesity need to incorporate a range of community factors, such as levels of physical inactivity, access to physicians, availability of food outlets, and ethnic/racial population composition.

Halobacteriovorax, An Underestimated Predator On Bacteria: Potential Impact Relative To Viruses On Bacterial Mortality, Henry N. Williams, Despoina S. Lymperopoulou, Rana Athar, Ashvini Chauhan, Tamar L. Dickerson, Huan Chen, Edward Laws, Timkhite Kulu Berhane, Adrienne R. Flowers, Nadine Bradley, Shanterial Young, Denene Blackwood, Jacqueline Murray, Oladipupo Mustapha, Cory Blackwell, Yahsuan Tung, Rachel T. Noble

Faculty Publications

Predation on bacteria and accompanying mortality are important mechanisms in controlling bacterial populations and recycling of nutrients through the microbial loop. The agents most investigated and seen as responsible for bacterial mortality are viruses and protists. However, a body of evidence suggests that predatory bacteria such as the Halobacteriovorax (formerly Bacteriovorax), a Bdellovibrio-like organism, contribute substantially to bacterial death. Until now, conclusive evidence has been lacking. The goal of this study was to better understand the contributors to bacterial mortality by addressing the poorly understood role of Halobacteriovorax and how their role compares with that of viruses. The results revealed …

Neighborhood Matters: The Impact Of Hispanic Ethnic Density On Future Depressive Symptoms 1-Year Following An Acs Event Among Hispanic Patients, Ellen-Ge Denton, Jonathan Shaffer, Carmela Alcantara, Esteban Cadermil

Publications and Research

The Ethnic Density hypothesis posits that living around others from similar ethnic backgrounds reduces the risk of adverse mental health outcomes such as depression. Contrary to this hypothesis, previous work has shown that Hispanic ethnic density is cross-sectionally associated with increased depressive symptom severity among patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS; myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris). To date, no study has examined the prospective association of Hispanic ethnic density on long-term depressive symptom severity following an acute medical event. We prospectively assessed the impact of Hispanic ethnic density on depressive symptoms, 1-year following an ACS event, among …