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3d Tool Evaluation And Workflow For An Ecological Approach To Visualizing Ancient Socio-Environmental Landscapes: A Case Study From Copan, Honduras, Heather Richards-Rissetto, Shona Sanford-Long, Jack Kerby-Miller

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Architectural reconstructions are the centerpieces of ancient landscape visualization. When present, vegetation is relegated to the background, resulting in underutilized plant data—an integral data source for archaeological interpretation—thus limiting the capacity to take advantage of 3D visualization for studying ancient socio-environmental dynamics. Our long-term objective is to develop methods of 3D landscape visualization that have value for examining changes in land use and settlement patterns. To begin to work toward this objective, we have (1) identified 3D tools and techniques for vegetation modeling and landscape visualization, (2) evaluated the pros and cons of these tools, (3) investigated biological and ecological …

Long-Term Monitoring And Recovery Of A Population Of Alligator Snapping Turtles, Macrochelys Temminckii (Testudines: Chelydridae), From A Northeastern Arkansas Stream, S. E. Trauth, D. S. Siegel, M. L. Mccallum, D. H. Jamieson, A. Holt, J. B. Trauth, H. Hicks, J. W. Stanley, J. Elston, J. J. Kelly, J. D. Konvalina

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We conducted a mark-recapture study of Alligator Snapping Turtles, Macrochelys temminckii, on Salado Creek (Independence Co., Arkansas) during 10 trapping seasons, which spanned a 20-year period (1995–2015). We trapped a total of 163 Alligator Snapping Turtles during 416 trap nights and recorded a total of 35 recaptures during this study. Both the catch per unit effort (CPUE) and Jolly-Seber approaches demonstrated that this population benefitted from removal of harvest pressure, thus leading to an increase in abundance of Alligator Snapping Turtles in the lower ~5 km of the creek. The CPUE averaged slightly greater than 0.24 (317 trap nights) during …

New Chigger (Acari) Records From Arkansas Amphibians (Caudata, Anura) And Reptiles (Sauria), M. B. Connior, C. T. Mcallister, L. A. Durden, S. E. Trauth, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Safari Practices: Proximity To Wildlife, Educational Intervention And The Quality Of Experience, Ryan Devine Tarver

All Master's Theses

This research examines the perceived quality of experience for safari tourists in relation to wildlife viewing proximities and the potential of educational interventions as a management strategy to mitigate adverse impacts of safari participant crowding. Crowding emanates from the safari tourist preferences to obtain close proximity to animals, particularly large mammals. Recognizing these preferences and associated impacts to animal behavior defined in previous research, we develop and deliver a survey instrument designed to measure the perceived quality of experience of the safari tourist while controlling for the viewing proximity variable. The survey instrument involves responding to stock photos selected to …

Evaluation Of Estimation Quality Of A General Paradigm For Indexing Animal Abundance When Observations Are Counts, Benjamin Shulman, Brandie D. Wagner, Gary K. Grunwald, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Relative abundance indices are widely applied to monitor wildlife populations. A general indexing paradigm was developed for structuring data collection and validly conducting analyses. This approach is applicable for many observation metrics, with observations made at stations through the area of interest and repeated over several days. The variance formula for the general index was derived using a linear mixed model, with statistical tests and confidence intervals constructed assuming Gaussian-distributed observations. However, many observation methods, like intrusions to track plots or camera traps, involve counts with many zeroes, producing Poisson-like observations. To fill this inferential gap between Gaussian analytical assumptions …

Amphibian Response To Wetlands In Restored And Reclaimed Grasslands: Passive Recolonization And Active Reintroduction Techniques, Rochelle M. Stiles

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amphibian declines are occurring globally with one-third of species expected to face extinction over the next few decades. Numerous strategies are being developed to conserve amphibian species, including Amphibian Arks assurance colonies (captive populations), captive-breeding, captive-rearing, and specific habitat modifications to ensure survival of populations and persistence of species. These efforts are time consuming and expensive, and success is not guaranteed. Because amphibians carry little economic or emotional clout, the most effective way to conserve these animals, across much of North America, is to conserve or restore the ecosystems they inhabit. Restorations and reclamations re-create habitat that support passive recolonization …

Seasonal Habitat Selection Of The North American Porcupine (Erethizon Dorsatum) In A Coastal Dune Forest, Cara L. Appel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Wildlife-habitat relationship studies are important for understanding the factors that determine where species occur in space and time. Habitat selection by generalist species should be studied on fine spatial and temporal scales to avoid masking important differences between seasons, localities, or orders of selection. I conducted the first study of habitat use and general ecology of North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) in a coastal dune environment. Specifically, I assessed changes in body mass, home range size, and habitat selection in relation to the potential for seasonal nutritional and survival bottlenecks as reported elsewhere. Although they are considered generalists, …

Strolling The Lingnan Garden = 涓流彩園錄, 2014-2015, Lingnan Gardeners, Kwan Fong Cultural Research And Development Programme, Lingnan University

Lingnan Gardeners Publications 嶺南彩園刊物

This current collection is a documentation of the Lingnan Gardeners project in Phase One, from September 2014 up till December 2015. The 13 issues of Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter are collected here, which give some sense of what was happening month by month, in words and pictures. Included are also some related articles on the project – academic interviews, reflections on exchange visits, thoughts after gardening, as well as information about our partners.

本結集是嶺南彩園項目從2014年9月至2015年12月第一期活動的總結。這裡收集了13期《嶺南彩園通訊》，每月發生的活動和留影記錄在這裡。還收錄了一些與項目相關的文章，有學術訪談、交流回顧、參與者感言、夥伴機構介紹。

Composition And Diversity Of Avian Communities Using A New Urban Habitat: Green Roofs, Brian E. Washburn, Ryan M. Swearingin, Craig K. Pullins, Matthew E. Rice

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Green roofs on buildings are becoming popular and represent a new component of the urban landscape. Public benefits of green roof projects include reduced stormwater runoff, improved air quality, reduced urban heat island effects, and aesthetic values. As part of a city-wide plan, several green roofs have been constructed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Like some other landscaping features, green roofs on or near an airport might attract wildlife and thus increase the risk of bird–aircraft collisions. During 2007–2011, we conducted a series of studies to evaluate wildlife use of newly constructed green roofs and traditional (gravel) roofs on …

A Social-Ecological Framework For Urban Stewardship Network Research To Promote Sustainable And Resilient Cities, Michele Romolini, R. Patrick Bixler, J. Morgan Grove

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

To realize more sustainable and resilient urban social-ecological systems, there is great need for active engagement from diverse public agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, natural resource managers, scientists, and other actors. Cities present unique challenges and opportunities for sustainability and resilience, as issues and organizations are frequently intertwined in networks of relations. Understanding and leveraging the range of knowledge types, motivations, skills, and goals of diverse participants and their networks is fundamental to sustainable and resilient cities. As efforts to examine and understand urban stewardship networks continue to emerge, it is increasingly clear that there are no structured or systematic frameworks …

Tradeoffs Between Three Forest Ecosystem Services Across The State Of New Hampshire, Usa: Timber, Carbon, And Albedo, David A. Lutz, Elizabeth A. Burakowski, Mackenzie B. Murphy, Mark E. Borsuk, Rebecca M. Niemiec, Richard B. Howarth

All Materials

Forests are more frequently being managed to store and sequester carbon for the purposes of climate change mitigation. Generally, this practice involves long-term conservation of intact mature forests and/or reductions in the frequency and intensity of timber harvests. However, incorporating the influence of forest surface albedo often suggests that long rotation lengths may not always be optimal in mitigating climate change in forests characterized by frequent snowfall. To address this, we investigated trade-offs between three ecosystem services: carbon storage, albedo-related radiative forcing, and timber provisioning. We calculated optimal rotation length at 498 diverse Forest Inventory and Analysis forest sites in …

Nutritional Effects On Reproductive Performance Of Captiveadult Female Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Eric M. Gese, Beth M. Roberts, Frederick F. Knowlton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Interactions between animals and their environment are fundamental to ecological research. Field studies of coyote (Canis latrans) reproductive performance suggest mean litter size changes in response to prey abundance. However, this relationship has been assessed primarily by using carcasses collected from trappers. The objective of this study was to assess whether nutritional manipulation prior to mating affected reproduction in adult female coyotes. We examined the effects of caloric restriction during the 7 months prior to estrus on the reproductive rates of 11 captive female coyotes and the subsequent initial survival of pups through two reproductive cycles. This was …

Limited Transmission Of Emergent H7n9 Influenza A Virus In A Simulated Live Animal Market: Do Chickens Pose The Principal Transmission Threat?, Angela Bosco-Lauth, Richard A. Bowen, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Emergent H7N9 influenza A virus has caused multiple public health and financial hardships. While some epidemiological studies have recognized infected chickens as an important bridge for human infections, the generality of this observation, the minimum infectious dose, and the shedding potential of chickens have received conflicting results. We experimentally tested the ability of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) to transmit H7N9 to co-housed chickens and to several other animal species in an experimental live animal market. Results indicated that an infected chicken failed to initiate viral shedding of H7N9 to naIve co-housed chickens. The infected chicken did, however, …

Geospatial Approaches To Support Pelagic Conservation Planning And Adaptive Management, L. M. Wedding, Sara M. Maxwell, D. Hyrenbach, D. C. Dunn, J. J. Roberts, D. Briscoe, E. Hines, P. N. Halpin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Place-based management in the open ocean faces unique challenges in delineating boundaries around temporally and spatially dynamic systems that span broad geographic scales and multiple management jurisdictions, especially in the 'high seas'. Geospatial technologies are critical for the successful design of pelagic conservation areas, because they provide information on the spatially and temporally dynamic oceanographic features responsible for driving species distribution and abundance in the open ocean, the movements of protected species, and the spatial patterns of distribution of potential threats. Nevertheless, there are major challenges to implementing these geospatial approaches in the open ocean. This Theme Section seeks to …

Sociodemographic Differences In Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact: A Systematic Review, Alexandra Nichole Montano

Public Health Theses

IMPORTANCE: The majority of literature related to disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has been focused on sociodemographic differences in vaccine uptake. Now nearly ten years after the introduction of the vaccine, and with a better understanding of disparities in uptake, a small but growing body of evidence is beginning to examine the impacts of the vaccination campaign. Monitoring disparities in the impact of the vaccine is crucial in order to better understand the full implications of the vaccine and to properly guide future programs and recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature on the impact of the human papillomavirus …

The Role Of Folate In The Association Between Perinatal Air Pollution Exposure And Birth Outcomes In Lanzhou, China, Rebecca Ann Wong

Public Health Theses

Background: China’s rapid economic and industrial development over the past few decades has been accompanied by tremendous increases in air pollutant emissions and come at a serious cost to the environment and public health. Recent research has revealed an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes associated with perinatal air pollution exposure. Although the mechanisms by which air pollutants contribute to adverse birth outcomes have not yet been established, folate intake has been shown to counteract several of the hypothesized biological pathways.

Hypothesis: Dietary folate intake and folic acid supplementation modify the association between perinatal air pollution exposure (PM10, NO2, SO2) …

The Effect Of Union Status On Injury Risk And Severity In A Manufacturing Cohort, Khaled Abdulrahman Altassan

Public Health Theses

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of union status on risk of injury among a cohort of aluminum manufacturing workers.

Methods: This cohort study included all hourly employees at 19 U.S. plants, which were in operation between 2000 and 2007. Workers were classified into unionized and non-unionized groups. The final dataset combined a human resources database, which includes information about job history and socio-demographic information, and an incident management system, which includes information on work-related injuries. Injuries were classified by severity into four mutually exclusive categories: injuries requiring first aid, medical treatment, work restriction, and lost work time. …

Modern Foraminiferal Assemblages Of The Denmark Strait, Laura Larocca

Dissertations and Theses

Foraminifera occupy a geological range from the early Cambrian to the present day. Their well preserved shells, high relative abundance, and short response time to changing environmental conditions make foraminifera ideal proxies for environmental change. Benthic foraminifera are a valuable but poorly understood paleobiological proxy for the reconstruction of environmental conditions on continental shelves occupied by arctic and subarctic waters. This study identifies, examines, and quantifies calcareous benthic foraminiferal faunas from a sediment core taken from the Denmark Strait. Our analysis of three-thousand individuals from ten discrete samples aim to provide a better understanding of the modern patterns of foraminiferal …

An Assessment Of The Populations Of Sylvilagus Brasiliensis Andinus In Páramos With Different Vegetation Structures In The Northeastern Andes Of Ecuador, Juanita García, Esteban Suárez, Galo Zapata-Ríos

Neotropical Biodiversity

For the first time in Ecuador, a defecation rate is calculated from three captured páramo rabbit Sylvilagus brasiliensis andinus individuals. Combining this defecation rate, the pellet count method, and Novaro et al.'s (1992) hare density equation, páramo rabbit densities were calculated in four páramo localities with different vegetation structures. A correlation was found between the páramos' vegetation diversity and páramo rabbit densities. This study shows that pellet counting is an economical and non-invasive method that permits the estimation of páramo rabbit abundances in páramo ecosystems. Páramo rabbit abundances may serve as a tool to measure the effects of human activity …

Transforming The Aquatic Urban Landscape: Nutrient Status And Management Of Stormwater Basins, Lindsay Skovira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is a largely irreversible anthropogenic change that degrades environmental quality, including aquatic ecosystems. Stormwater ponds are a popular best management practice (BMP) to mitigate the effects of urban land use on downstream water bodies and contribute significantly to the total area of aquatic ecosystems in some urban watersheds. My research investigated the distribution of stormwater ponds and examined how different urban land uses influenced biophysicochemical conditions and management of those ponds in a rapidly developing suburban watershed in the Econlockhatchee River basin in Florida, USA. I evaluated limnological and ecological parameters in randomly-selected ponds distributed among three urban land-use …

Trade-Offs Between Three Forest Ecosystem Services Across The State Of New Hampshire, Usa: Timber, Carbon, And Albedo, David A. Lutz, Elizabeth A. Burakowski, Mackenzie B. Murphy, Mark E. Borsuk

Dartmouth Scholarship

Forests are more frequently being managed to store and sequester carbon for the purposes of climate change mitigation. Generally, this practice involves long-term conservation of intact mature forests and/or reductions in the frequency and intensity of timber harvests. However, incorporating the influence of forest surface albedo often suggests that long rotation lengths may not always be optimal in mitigating climate change in forests characterized by frequent snowfall. To address this, we investigated trade-offs between three ecosystem services: carbon storage, albedo-related radiative forcing, and timber provisioning. We calculated optimal rotation length at 498 diverse Forest Inventory and Analysis forest sites in …

Contributions On The Spider Families Nesticidae And Pholcidae (Araneae) From Argentina, Victor Manuel Torres, Paolo Luciano Pardo, Andrea Ximena Gonzalez-Reyes, Sandra Monica Rodriguez-Artigas, Jose Corronca

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A new species of Nesticus Thorell, 1869, N. Salta sp. Nov., and a new species of Guaranita Huber, 2000, G. Dobby sp. Nov., are described from the Chaco Serrano ecoregion of Salta Province (Argentina). The female of G. Yaculica Huber, 2000 is described for the first time, and the known distribution of G. Munda (Gertsch, 1982) is enlarged to Jujuy Province, northern Argentina.

Niche Differentiation Among Malagasy Carnivorans : An Analysis Of Evolution In A Spatiotemporally Isolated Carnivoran Clade (Eupleridae : Carnivora), Michael C. Taylor

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

To occupy an ecological niche, a carnivoran species must possess the necessary morphotype to consistently capture and process resources. In theory, two species would inevitably compete with one another if they occupied the same niche. Carnivoran diversity is related to niche differentiation, which can be facilitated spatially, temporally, or morphologically. Differences in diet preference and prey preference among carnivorans are effectively indicated by variations in craniodental morphology. Eupleridae is the sole carnivoran lineage in Madagascar and many of its species coexist in its eastern lowland rainforests and other ecoregions. This study described, in detail, the craniodental morphology of eight euplerid …

A Study Of Boundary Spanning : Pastors' Perceptions Of Their Role As Boundary Spanners In The Elca, Rachel Carrie Berry

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This project examined pastors' roles as boundary spanners regarding information received from the synodical expression in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Twenty-six pastors from the Northern Illinois Synod of the ELCA were interviewed and transcriptions were analyzed using the constant comparative method of inductive analysis. Two research questions were posed to explore boundary spanning from a pastor's perspective. The results echoed the literature on boundary spanning responsibilities and challenges, expanding the boundary spanning research field into the realm of religious organizations and leadership. Implications of this research and further areas of study are provided.

An Examination Of Plant Community Composition In Six Carolina Bays On The Coastal Plain Of South Carolina, Katherine L. Altman-Goff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically high rates of human impact and recent Supreme Court cases, which have affected the regulation of geographically isolated wetlands in the United States, suggest that Carolina bays may be at high risk of human impacts in the future. Conservation efforts should be established based on applied ecological data and, if regulations by state and federal agencies are unable to conserve Carolina bay wetlands, it may be important to prioritize individual bays for preservation on protected lands. I examined plant community composition, diversity, richness, and rarity and soil parameters in six Carolina bays across South Carolina, using a replicated ecological …

Ghost Bears: The Plight Of The North Cascades Grizzly Bear, Adam Bowler

Seattle Journal of Environmental Law

No abstract provided.

Variability In Antibacterial Chemical Defenses In Caribbean Sponges Of The Genus Aplysina, Savannah Stockton

Honors Theses

Coral reefs represent one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth, providing habitat for at least 25% of all marine species. Coral ecosystems are faced with many stressors, both physical and biological, that are causing their continuing decline. Understanding the impacts of these stressors, and the resilience of coral reefs, is important to the long-term survival of these critical ecosystems. As a major constituent of marine communities, sponges are an important phylum contributing to the ecology of coral reefs. Like other components of coral reef habitats, sponges also face a wide variety of biological stressors including pathogens, predators, and competitors. …

Rural Hos[Ital Closure In Alabama - Post Aca, Dennis Otto Mccay

All ETDs from UAB

RURAL HOSPITAL CLOSURES IN ALABAMA: POST ACA DENNIS O. MCCAY HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION ABSTRACT Rural hospitals differ from their urban counterparts with regard to two main areas. First, rural hospital patients are usually older, of lower income, and less healthy than those in urban areas. Second, their facilities tend to be smaller, older, and more prone to staff shortages than those in an urban environment. Rural hospitals have been closing at higher rates than their urban counterparts for a number of years, but more so since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The objective of this research …

Methods For Measuring Individually Experienced Temperature And Food Intake In Controlled Thermal Environments, Molly Bernhard

All ETDs from UAB

The three studies to be presented assess individual-level heat exposure in free-living urban and rural environments and assess food intake in randomized controlled trials in a 2-hour exposure, and a 7-hour crossover heat exposure. The first interest was broad: examining heat exposure and its relation to potential health outcomes. To examine whether heat exposure could be measured in free-living organisms, a light and temperature monitoring device was repurposed and used in a pilot study of individual-level heat exposure in urban and rural community members. Differences between the current and most commonly accepted way of estimating heat exposure, weather station datasets, …

Perceptions About Sexually Transmitted Diseases In Akwa Ibom State Of Nigeria: A Qualitative Study Of Young Adults Age 18-24, Mfon Archibong Archibong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the ongoing investments in programs to increase sexual health awareness among young adults globally, many youths remain vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Two-thirds of all STDs occur among youths engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors, which put young adults at higher risk of STDs and can result in serious consequences including infertility. Additionally, the social consequences of STD affect families and communities. While a need exists for increased public awareness of STDs among young adults, extant intervention and prevention activities should be informed by a cultural perspective, including the integration of community and government roles. The purpose of this …